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The Heart of the Jungle By Ally Saurez

"Let me go! You can't do this!" shouted Florie as she struggled against her bonds, "You'll never get away with it! I'm a citizen of the United European Consortium! They won't stand for one of their people being kidnapped!"

The coral snake squirmed against the ropes binding her wrists and ankles as she sat in a very uncomfortable wooden chair. She had been plopped down into it rather harshly, making her bottom ache a little. They had not bothered tying her to it. She wouldn't be able to get very far just hopping along. A group of men stood around her, ensuring any effort she made would be met with an immediate response.

The dust was starting to get to her, making her nose itch. The room was dark and musty, lit only by a few narrow shafts of light coming through the ceiling above. It had all the earmarks of a shabby, abandoned storehouse on the outskirts of the little town. If only she still had her glasses, she could make out her captors more clearly.

A hateful, mirthless laugh gave her reason to silence herself.

"You really think the UEC is going to kick up much of a fuss for a little nobody like you?" said a dog of indeterminate breeding.

"You'll find they can be most persuasive when they have need to be!" Florie spat back.

A hand cupped under her chin, forcing her to crane her neck upward uncomfortably. With the dog so close, she could focus on him properly now. He smiled at her in a manner she could only identify as cruel. She had seen that kind of smile plenty of times. It was a staple of the sort novels she had become addicted to.

The Penny Dreadfuls had some lovely gems hidden amongst the countless lesser titles. And the ones she had adored almost always showed some villain on the cover with that exact smile. And she was just beginning to discover the illustrated magazines that tended to follow along the same line. She had heard they were called 'comic books' in the Americas. It was by no means high brow literature, but she could not help herself. She loved them.

And now she was facing down her own villain right out of the adventures she had read so much about.

"I'm lookin' forward to seeing the look on your face when you realize no one's comin' for you," the mutt growled menacingly, "You can't find a wine finer than seeing an uppity imperialist's spirit break."

Florie shook her head out of the canine's grasp, even trying to snap at him with her fangs. She missed by quite a large margin but it made him back away. Even if the act was more to mock her efforts to show spirit. It drew a few laughs from the rest of the men she still couldn't make out.

"Why are you doing this? If I'm as much of a nobody as you claim I am, why go to the trouble of capturing me? Ransom can't be your motivation." the black, red, and yellow serpent allowed herself a hint of a hiss purely for the derisive nature of it.

If it weren't for the situation, she wouldn't have let it slip. She prided herself on beating her race's natural speech impediment.

"Yer right. I ain't interested in ransom," the dog crouched to put himself on eye level with the somewhat diminutive snake, "I'm more interested in what you got rollin' around in that noggin of yours. Yer supposed ta be some kinda expert on relics and the like."

Florie dipped her nose down a little, keeping her eyes on the canine as she pulled her head back. She was alarmed he knew about her area of expertise, but it wouldn't do him any good if she chose not to cooperate. Then again, that was usually how people like her ended up tortured or dead in those books she loved.

"If you've antiques you need verified and dated, you should seek the services of a second hand shop owner. I'll not be helping you with anything!" she announced defiantly.

She couldn't control her trembling, signaling just how afraid she truly was in spite of her brave facade.

"Oh look at this one. Stiff upper lip and all that. I like her." called out one of the other dogs.

"Ya hear that, sweetie? One'a my boys here sounds like he's taken a shine to you. And he ain't the gentle type. Now if ya help me with what I need help with, I promise, no one here's gonna hurt you. We'll even letcha go free if I like what I hear from ya." the mutt grinned.

It was difficult to trust a face like his; that of a man who looked like he would slit a throat as soon as say hello.

"And if you don't like what you hear?" Florie asked.

"Well, that's the real question, ain't it?" the mutt pulled a chair close, turned about back to front and sat in it with his arms folded over the head, "See, I'm real good at my job. A man's gotta take pride in his work if he's gonna be happy in life, ya know? And I take a lotta pride in what I do."

The canine withdrew one of his paws from the folded-arms posture, brandishing a metallic object the snake could easily identify before he did anything else. The dog pressed a round protrusion that was clearly a button, sending a blade flashing from its housing with an unsettling click.

"Threats of violence, pain, and torture have always been found to be ultimately self-defeating," Florie said with a shaky voice, her eyes locked on the switchblade, "After a certain point, the victim will say anything they think their tormentor wishes to hear just to make it stop."

"Yeah, that's probably true," the dog nodded, then moved to lightly drag the tip of the blade down the scaled lady's cheek, "But it sure is fun gettin' there. C'mon. All I wantcha ta do is answer some questions about something. Why's that so much ta ask for?"

"Had you and your men approached me like civilized members of society, I might have been more willing to cooperate. But since your brutish men shoved my head into a burlap sack, then dragged me to heaven knows where, I'm disinclined to acquiesce to your request," Florie was proud of herself for keeping up the strong act, watching as the dog's face screwed up in confusion until she translated, "Means 'no'."

The mutt, now understanding what she was saying, shrugged and stood back up.

"Suit yourself. I guess I'll just have to let Nick here have a little fun with you. He's got a real way with the ladies. Who knows, he might be able to loosen your tongue better than I can." he pulled the chair back away and waved a hand for the aforementioned 'Nick' to approach.

The new canine's muzzle was stretched into an excited, disgusting smile. He clearly did nothing to tend to his teeth. Florie had been able smell his terrible breath through the sack that had been pulled over her head while they were kidnapping her. Now she knew who was on her left the whole way to wherever she was.

"Thanks boss! I promise I'll be real gentle-like. Wouldn't wanna damage that pretty face." Nick pressed in close, cupping a paw under her chin just as the mutt had earlier.

The snake tried to pull out of his grasp but he was insistent. He dragged the snake up onto her feet, both of which were tied together to prevent her from running. The rope around her wrists and torso kept her arms from being of much use. She complained loudly, trying to turn her head away as Nick leaned in and dragged his tongue across her cheek. The act left a slimy trail of drool across her usually pristine scales. They had dulled quite a bit since she had gotten to this little town.

The odious dog's hands began to explore her figure, trying to grope at the serpentine woman as she struggled against him. Now her mask of defiance was starting to crack. She shrieked and fought to get away, forgetting about the fangs she had tried to use earlier. She had never been a terribly good fighter.

"Alright Nick, that's enough. I think she gets the idea." the mutt said, stepping in to stop the would-be rapist.

"But boss! You said I could!" Nick complained.

Florie turned her head to get a good look at this monster that had been set upon her. He was a retriever of some sort. He would have been handsome if it weren't for the fact that he looked like he had never once in his life bothered with his personal hygiene. His fur was matted and clumped up. His teeth looked like a few had turned rotten. And his eyes were yellowed, likely from a life of hard drinking damaging his liver.

She figured he wouldn't last too terribly much longer no matter what happened to him. She especially didn't want to catch whatever foulness he might have caught from his undoubtedly questionable sexual exploits. She didn't have much time to properly process it all before the struggle between the two canines forced Nick to let go of her and she fell to the floor. A cloud of dust kicked up in the drop, making her nose tingle all the more. She was on the verge of a sneeze.

"Are you questioning me, Nick?" the mutt asked sternly.

Immediately, the retriever lowered his head and backed away contritely.

"N-no sir, I ain't questioning you. I just... I just thought-"

"Well there's yer first mistake, thinking," the mutt turned and knelt next to the fallen lady, "I trust my point has been made. Feel like being a little more cooperative now?"

"Since you're likely to kill me either way, I might as well see what all this fuss is about." Florie sputtered, trying to get the taste of stale dust out of her mouth.

"There now. See? That wasn't so hard." the mutt stood up and waved for his men to bring something in.

Two of the dogs vanished through a doorway. There came the sound of rummaging around before it fell quiet and they returned, both of them on either end of a crate the snake judged to be three quarters of a meter long. They acted as though its contents were extremely delicate, setting it down on the floor before pulling the lid off so she could peer inside.

What Florie saw gave her reason to question a great many things. Was this some sort of prank? Or was this real? And if it was real, how on Earth had they come by such a thing? And just what did it mean?

Inside the crate there was a great deal of straw lining, meant to protect the precious cargo it was nestled around. That cargo took the shape of a structure that appeared to be made of extraordinarily fine crystal with remarkable clarity. It wasn't nearly as long as the box it was stored inside, but it was sleek and came to a blunted point at one end. What startled her the most was that it was shaped clearly like a skull, but unlike most skulls she had seen.

"What is this?" Florie asked breathlessly.

"This here is what's got me out here in this god-forsaken jungle," the mutt sounded a little annoyed, as if the whole thing had been a lot of frustration with very little payoff, "Ever heard any legends about a crystal skull? Said ta make men wealthy beyond reason but also drive'em mad?"

"Silly superstitious nonsense. I don't believe in such things. I only believe in what I can see and measure and prove," the snake replied, finding her strength of will returning, "I need my glasses. I can't make out the finer details without them."

The mutt cocked his head to one side and gave a jerking nod, gesturing to one of his men. Before Florie could ask what was happening, something was pressed down onto her nose and pushed back against her face a little too roughly for her liking. She made a surprised yelp of displeasure before she noticed that her vision had cleared. She blinked a few times, scanning the room to get a better read, realizing someone had rather rudely shoved her glasses onto her face.

"Alright, there. Now you can see properly. Now take a good long look at this thing and tell me what you make of it." the canine said, his annoyance bubbling just below the surface.

The coral snake remained quiet for a few moments as she studied the skull made of crystal before her, finding a number of odd engravings along its surface. They were in a language she had never seen before, but it did seem oddly familiar. Her lips moved as she tried to piece together words she thought might fit, parsing through possible translations in her head.

When it took her a little too long to answer, the mutt took her by one of her shoulders and sat her upright so she would look up at him.

"It's considered polite to share with everyone in the room," he spoke in an oddly civilized manner given his prior behavior, then quickly jumped back to a louder, gruffer tone, "So what's on yer brain, sweetheart?"

Florie frowned as she was interrupted, looking over her glasses at the dog.

"It is considered polite to at least know the name of the person addressing you when speaking to them." she replied with a strong touch of indignation.

The dog grumbled and released her shoulder, sitting down next to her to rest his knees.

"Craft. Xander Craft. Now tell me what you know about this skull!" he practically barked.

"Well, Craft Xander Craft, what you have here is quite a mystery. I can see two possibilities." Florie answered.

"And what exactly are those two possibilities?" Craft's tone made his annoyance quite clear.

"One, it is a fake. An elaborate ruse perpetrated by a very talented artisan. Perhaps it was meant to be a set piece for a film or a play. Why they would go to such detail is beyond me. Zealotry for one's craft I suppose." the snake said.

"Well that is certainly not the case. What's the other?" the dog's aggravation remained present, though he was doing a good job of reeling it back in.

"Two, it's genuine. Though genuine what remains to be discovered. There are markings along the side that look like they are part of some language I've not come across before. I thought perhaps I could try translating by using similar pictograms or glyphs but nothing seems to fit terribly well," Florie was in her element now, feeling like perhaps she could potentially gain a bit of leverage on the situation, "Where did you find this?"

"That's none of your concern. Can you translate the language or not?" Craft began to curl his lip a little.

He had gotten this close to finishing his job. He wouldn't let a little stumbling block like this keep him from his reward. Florie looked him in the eyes closely for a moment as she considered her options. She could try and pretend to translate it, but that likely would lead to a short delay and a quick end. She needed time to devise a way out. Time to be kept alive. She needed to be indispensable.

"No." she replied.

"Then you're no use to us!" Craft snarled, taking the woman by the arm and hoisting her to her feet as she protested.

"Does that mean I can have her now, boss!?" Nick chimed in hopefully.

"I don't care! Do whatever you want with her, then kill her, and dump the body somewhere it won't be found until another one of her egghead friends finds her in a thousand years!" Craft shouted angrily as he shoved Florie into the retriever's arms.

Nick cackled happily, taking hold of the snake roughly, all too eager to extract what he desired from the poor lady.

---

"She doesn't get molested at this time." Ally said.

Steve looked up from the book and blinked at the lady looking over his shoulder as he read.

"Wh-what?" he stammered a little.

"She doesn't get raped. I'm explaining because you look nervous." the taller, more heavily built t-rex smiled as she moved around the edge of the couch and sat down next to the shorter, slender male.

"I'm not nervous," Steve protested, "I'm just... concerned. That's not the same thing."

"Sure," Ally smirked, reaching over to run a three-clawed hand over the young male's swollen tummy, "Whatever you say. Are you enjoying it so far, at least?"

He had gotten quite large since the week before. She really was putting his capacity to the test. Steve had become so laden with eggs that he had a great deal of difficulty getting around under his own power. So, Ally had set him up with temporary accommodations in her lounge. It had the most open space and it could be made private should it be necessary.

"Yeah," Steve answered, trying to ignore the electricity sparking through him as the lady caressed his monster of a belly, spilling down over the edge of the couch almost to the floor, "It's really good so far. I love stories that just throw you into the action and make you wonder who the characters are, why they're doing what they're doing, and where they are."

"Good. I hope it keeps entertaining you. Go on, keep going." Ally said.

"Alright, let's see. She had gotten him to tell her his name and said 'One, it is a fake. An elaborate ruse perpetrated by a very talented artisan.'" Steve read aloud.

"No, no. You went too far back. You've read that part already." the author insisted.

"Oh, oh my goodness," Steve feigned having made a most grievous error, "You're absolutely right. I have. Beg you're pardon."

---

Nick cackled happily, taking hold of the snake roughly, all too eager to extract what he desired from the poor lady. Just as Florie was deciding that perhaps she had made the wrong decision, a new voice joined the cacophony.

"Mr. Craft, where are your manners?"

Everyone in the room stopped, frozen in their tracks, Nick included. His grasp on the snake remained quite strong though.

"This isn't anything you should concern yourself with. I'll find the answers you're looking for. I just need time." the mutt said.

"Shhh, do not speak. You do not need to trouble me with excuses. I understand that it is a difficult job, and you have done well to get so far in so little time," the new canine was taller than the others and his ears stood erect, making him look even taller, and his accent was decidedly from much further east than anyone in the UEC, "I am not in so large a hurry that a lovely young lady must suffer and disappear because of it."

"She's seen the skull. We don't need her wandering around asking questions, sticking her nose into things she shouldn't be." Craft replied, his annoyance slipping away, replaced with a sense of bargaining.

"This is true. She has seen the skull. And she is an expert in her field. You should use that to your advantage." the new dog said.

"She's already said she can't translate the markings." the mutt complained.

"Yes, but you did not bother to ask if she will not, or if she cannot," the tall canine walked over towards Florie and Nick, waving for the retriever to let her go which he did immediately, "I apologize for the manners of my colleagues, Dr. McLaren. It is so difficult to find good help that doesn't try to rush through things unnecessarily."

The snake was relieved that a more civilized mind was holding the reins of this operation, at least in the short term. Her knowledge of pulp novels and comics told her this would likely be the most ruthless of the entire group, merely putting on a pleasant face. This was someone who knew the old saying 'catch more flies with honey than vinegar'. And to that end, he took the time to free the lady of her bonds, both at her wrists and her ankles.

As soon as she was released, Florie took several steps away from the retriever so badly in need of a bath, stopping when she realized she wasn't interested in being near any of the men. They had all moved to surround her in an evenly spaced circle, just in case she developed any thoughts about escape.

"If you wanted my expertise, you could have just rung me up like a normal person, or perhaps sent me a letter." the lady complained.

"Yes, yes I could have," the alsatian dipped his head slightly as a sign of embarrassment, "In fact, that was my preferred method. However, Mr. Craft was not content to wait. I apologize profusely for his ill mannered attempt to request your assistance."

"So, you'll let me go?" Florie immediately insisted.

"I have no intention of holding a lovely young lady hostage. However, I must ask for extraordinary discretion on the matter. As you have said, it could be false. If that is the case, I would much prefer it to be discovered quietly behind closed doors rather than after revealing it to the public. A man's reputation is important, yes?" the dog offered an unsettlingly warm smile.

"And may I ask who it is that is pulling on the leashes of all of these brutish men?" the snake raised an eyebrow, peering over her glasses at the alsatian.

"Oh, where are my manners?" the tall canine bowed in a very formal fashion, "I am Griffin Redwood, collector and purveyor of fine antiquities and ancient relics."

Immediately, Florie wanted to shoot back a very biting 'And what is a 'purveyor of fine antiquities and ancient relics doing with such thugs under his employ?' but she thought better of it. She needed to buy herself more time to stay alive, and this most civilized dog was the way to go about it.

"Florie McLaren, professor of archeology, or at least I would be if I were interested in teaching. But something tells me you already know quite a lot about me. I feel somewhat at a disadvantage." the coral snake replied.

"Yes, I do know quite a bit about you. I take it upon myself to learn as much as I can about those I wish to draw upon the services of," Griffin said, turning and extending an arm to guide the lady back towards the crate with the skull, "When asked about translating the markings, you replied with a 'no'. Is this a cannot or will not?"

"Cannot. At least not with the available references." she was growing bolder than she would have thought wise were she reading this in one of her books.

For a moment, the alsatian seemed puzzled, looking around the dusty storage room with the shabby roof.

"Forgive me but... I do not know what references you are referring to." he said.

"Exactly my point. I've no references at all to use. I'll need my books in order to try and determine the proper translation," Florie said, "If there is a translation to be had. As far as I can tell, it could be nothing but gibberish."

Griffin smiled, sensing her slightly sarcastic tone. She had been put through quite a lot and she was feeling a little spiteful it turned out.

"Ah, yes, I do see your point. What can we bring to you in order to aid your translation? Are there any specific indexes you have in mind?" the dog asked.

"Off the top of my head, yes, there are a few. But it would be better if I could actually make use of a library." Florie sighed, adjusting her glasses.

"I would prefer to keep any research pertaining to the skull confined to our facilities. But we can go and fetch whatever books you might need. Mr. Craft--" Griffin turned to look at the mutt, "Go to Dr. McLaren's place of lodging and gather her things. She will be staying with us. Find a library. She will provide you with a list of books to procure for her."

"Now look here, I ain't a servant. You wanna play house with the snake, that's fine, but go pay one'a yer personal assistants ta do the nursemaid work." Craft growled quietly.

"Xander," Griffin dipped his nose softly as he gazed at the shorter canine, his tone turning noticeably more stern, "What did we agree upon?"

"Don't you go throwin' that in my face. I know what we agreed. And this ain't part of it." the mutt's lips began to curl softly in contempt.

"Are you refusing to do the work I have requested of you? If so, I can find someone more willing to fill the job." the alsatian turned to look away, sounding very casual about ending the other's employment.

For a tense moment, Craft appeared as if he were on the verge of assaulting the taller canine. His paws were clenched tight, his teeth bared, and his face poisoned with several creases of rage. Then he relaxed his posture and turned to leave.

"Fine. Nick, you're with me. The rest of you stay here and keep an eye on our... 'guest'. Wouldn't want anything bad to happen to her." Craft grumbled as he slipped into sarcasm.

Florie watched as the two dogs left, then turned to see the alsatian bowing slightly with an arm extended once more to usher her out of the room. Her experience through fiction might have told her this was the most dangerous one of the group, but he was certainly quite gallant. That was often part of the mask those most ruthless villains wore to disguise themselves.

"If you would come this way. The men will bring the crate. We must get you settled into accommodations more becoming of a lady of your stature." Griffin said.

The snake dipped her head in thanks and walked towards the doorway she had been offered.

= = = = =

The storage room had been little more than a shack behind a much larger, much more extravagant structure. It could have been a mansion or possibly a luxurious hotel. As it turned out, the latter was true. And Mr. Redwood had rented out the entire top floor.

The accommodations were extraordinary, dripping with all the fineries and niceties only the exceptionally wealthy could afford. There was even sophisticated enough plumbing to have a proper bathroom. Florie would get to have a shower, a proper one. And she wouldn't have to use an outhouse! Maybe helping them with a silly translation wouldn't be such a terrible thing after all.

Florie's belongings were brought to her a couple of hours later, along with a small stack of books she had scribbled down on a scrap of paper before Craft could disappear. She still felt terribly uneasy around him. She remained on the balcony where she had been staring out into the jungle while she waited. He shot her a dirty look as she stared sternly at him.

"Your things, Miss. Will that be all?" Craft asked with a bit of a sneer.

"I would thank you to call me Doctor. That is the appropriate title after all." she said haughtily.

"Fine. Doctor," his voice dripped with disdain, "Will that be all?"

"Am I to do my work in my room or is there a place Mr. Redwood might prefer?" she lifted her chin, putting on a defiant expression to compliment her tone if only to further aggravate the mutt.

"The drawing room. Don't get too comfortable, now. Redwood's a patient man, but even he has his limits. If he figures out you really are useless, then you'll be back out on the street." the dog growled, then turned and left.

Out on the street sounded like the most fortunate outcome of failing. She knew that was but a lie purely to keep up appearances. Florie made her way to the drawing room and began her work, reviewing the texts that had been provided for her. Originally, Griffin kept her company, watching her as she researched and compared glyphs and symbols from a dozen different languages. As night approached, he lost interest and decided to sate his appetite. Rather than go with him, the scholarly snake requested she be brought something simple. She had no need to dine lavishly, not when she had a puzzle to solve.

Another hour passed as she worked and night draped the jungle outside in its dark embrace, bringing to life a symphony of insects and other creatures. When it seemed like her request for food had been forgotten, she stood from her chair and left the drawing room. The lady might have been angry about the matter were it not for the fact that she had forgotten herself until her stomach growled. She made her way down the hall towards the dining room, expecting the men to be gathered there. She slowed as soon as she heard voices that sounded less than pleased.

"Why the hell are you puttin' her up in these fancy digs? She's lying just ta try and buy herself some time. She doesn't know how to translate the markings. Just let me take her out back and shoot her. She's seen too much." Craft growled.

"My dear boy, if we all conducted ourselves as you do, there wouldn't be any fineries in the world for you to aspire to enjoy. We will deal with her in due time." Redwood said.

"Sooner's better than later. You're not gettin' sweet on her, are you?" Craft shot back.

The sound of a fork being dropped onto a china plate followed, along with a brief silence.

"You forget yourself, Mr. Craft. Accusations like that will not be tolerated." Redwood's voice was stern--angry even--but he never growled.

"Ya know, I think you are! Why else would you be so hospitable? You know she's probably another dead end. Why waste the time with her if you aren't hopin' ta play the snake charmer?" Craft's insidious grin could be heard through his voice.

"You had best watch what you say, Craft. Without my protection, your colonial friends out west just might suddenly find themselves picking up your trail again. What's the charge for treason again? Death was it?" there was an exposed raw nerve the alsatian was trying to protect and the mutt was treading strongly on it.

"Who's to say I don't go straight to'em and just sing like a canary? Tell'em everything I know about you, your operation, and your ties back to the top brass," Craft paused for a moment, letting the tension ratchet up, "Tataurov."

Florie clapped a palm over her mouth as her eyes opened wide. Tataurov. No wonder he looked so familiar! Tataurov Andreevich! She knew enough about his exploits to know he was even more dangerous than ten Xander Crafts! And she had allowed herself to cozy right up against him!

"What reason would your people have to believe a traitor like you?" Redwood replied, clearly not enjoying the threat.

"Take what you can get, wherever you can get it from. Even if they don't believe me, someone'll be sent ta check it out. And I'll be able ta give'em enough of a thread ta pull on that it'll yank on that noose around your neck," the mutt growled through his words, then settled his anger, "Or... you can just let me handle the girl."

A protracted silence followed. Redwood remained quiet, pondering what had been suggested. Finally, he turned his gaze away and conceded.

"Fine. When she outlives her usefulness, dispose of her," Griffin shot an arm out, grabbing Craft's wrist as he attempted to walk past, "And do not ever even insinuate that I could be interested in a filthy, disgusting creature like that. Hideous, slimy, scaled freaks should go back to the mud hole they crawled out of."

Florie frowned strongly, deeply offended by the comment. It wasn't anything she had not heard before, but it still stung sharply. Maybe she'd give him a nip from her fangs if she got the chance.

"Oh ho, sounds like I struck a chord! I didn't know ya hated scalies so much. Why'd ya keep her if ya think she's disgusting?" Craft smirked.

"For the same reason I have kept an impure bred mongrel like yourself. I have need of you, and you have proven yourself to be useful. Pray that does not change until you are able to fend for yourself." Redwood snarled, the first time he had permitted himself to the entire time Florie had been around him.

Quietly, the coral snake slipped back to the drawing room. She closed the doors and backed away as panic tried to grip her. She had to do something. She was dealing with Tataurov Andreevich! The Butcher of the Frozen Forests! He would have her killed and chopped up into tiny little pieces, then fed to some exotic pet! Or he would just throw her to Craft, who would do heaven knew what to her!

She needed to escape. Leaping out the window was one option. It wasn't too far a fall to the ground below. Maybe she could survive. Maybe she could manage it without being injured. That wasn't terribly likely. She needed a plan. As her mind raced, her eyes fell on the books she had borrowed from the library. And an idea clicked into place.

Half an hour later, the doors to the drawing room slid open. In strolled the alsatian wearing a smoking jacket and his best smile. He casually made his way over to the serpentine lady and peered over her shoulder as she toiled away. Her frustration was clear.

"Having any better luck?" Redwood asked.

"No. Every time I think I'm making headway, it turns down a different corridor and everything I had put together falls apart. I think I'm using a bad translation," Florie picked up one of the books and turned back to the cover page, then groaned, "Of course. Couston. His work is terrible. I don't know why they keep reprinting him! I need to return this to the library and find a better text to reference. Maybe something by Romanoff. She's always terribly consistent."

"Very well, I'll return this for you personally," Griffin smiled, taking the book gently from her, "Romanoff you said?"

"Yes, Iaza Romanoff. You may not be able to find any of her publications. Most ignore her because she's a woman! And a gecko! I say, the world is a right dreadful place if there are still men who are so closed-minded to think so poorly of someone just because she's a woman! And reptilian!" Florie let the words simply spill out of her, further highlighting her sour mood, while also taking a covert shot at the dog.

It had worked because his smile faltered for the briefest of moments.

"Yes, well, I suppose there is no accounting for taste. I will take this to the library in the morning. You should get some rest." Griffin replied.

"Yes, yes I think I should. Thank you, Mr. Redwood. Thank you for your patience and your hospitality. It's a great comfort to know that men like you exist; men who see the merit in a woman beyond her reproductive ability and those of us who are not mammalian." she took hold of his hand to offer a kind gesture of contact.

Again, his expression wavered for only the barest hint of an instant.

"I am only too happy to be of service. Good night, Dr. McLaren." he said.

"Goodnight, Mr. Redwood." Florie replied.

The dog backed out of the room and closed the doors. Immediately, the coral snake hurried over as silently as she could and slid the doors open just a crack to peer outside. She watched as the alsatian convened with the mutt once again. They spoke too quietly for her to hear, but she could tell it was a spirited discussion. Clearly she had gotten under his skin, both with the comment about reptilian women and the men who misjudged them, as well as needing a replacement book.

She took no small amount of pleasure in slipping that past him. As she watched, the alsatian tucked the book under his arm, spine up, with a finger trapped amidst the pages. As he and the other canine talked, and grew more animated, the book was shaken about. Then, Florie's heart sank. Out from within its pages drifted a scrap of paper. It fluttered to the smooth, polished wooden floor and came to a stop between the two men.

Craft knelt slowly and collected the paper, gazing long and hard at it. He looked up at the alsatian with an expression of muted anger. He handed the slip over to the taller dog and turned towards the door.

"I think you've been played, Mr. Snake Charmer." the mutt said.

Andreevich frowned and took the paper, reading over it. His face fell as the words clicked into place in his mind.

"To anyone who receives this note--My name is Dr. Florie McLaren. I am being held against my will at the Barrister Hotel on the top floor. The man holding me is Tataurov Andreevich, a war criminal and traitor to his country. He and his men mean to kill me when my usefulness runs out in my work translating an ancient relic he no doubt has acquired by some illegal means. I beg for any assistance that can be rendered to extricate me from this most precarious position."

It was perhaps more longwinded than it needed to be, but it was Florie's first plea for help as a kidnapping victim. Redwood sighed and crumpled the paper in his palm, trying to restrain himself.

Florie suppressed a yelp and closed the doors, twisting the lock in the hopes that it might buy her enough time to conjure a 'plan b'. She could rip the curtains down, tie them together into a rope, then scale down the side of the building. A heavy knock came from the door, shattering her train of thought.

"Dr. McLaren? Dr. McLaren, please open the door. We need to talk." called Redwood.

The snake refused to answer. Instead, she raced to the window and pushed it open, peering down to see how far it was. Immediately, she felt dizzy as she stared down the five stories to the ground. Her earlier thoughts were quickly dismissed. There was no way to jump it. But then it might be preferable to plummet to her death than to contend with whatever the two monsters banging on the door might do to her.

"Florie, please! There are things you do not understand!" Redwood cried.

Again, the lady chose not to answer, rushing about the room looking for anything she might be able to use to defend herself. In her desperation, she took up an antique musket. She didn't intend to load it but rather swing it as bludgeon.

Her chest rose and fell rapidly. Her heart raced. She couldn't see any way out. And then came the ear-splitting crack of a gunshot. Had she any experience with them, she might have been able to properly identify the firearm that made it, like the heroes in her books could. The lock on the door was sheered, and the doors slid open. Both dogs stepped in, filling the entryway so no one could escape.

"Florie!" Redwood shouted.

"Stay back!" she warned, swinging the musket fruitlessly, hoping it might appear threatening.

"Florie, you do not understand." the alsatian spoke as calmly as he could, hoping to sooth her.

"I understand enough, Mr. Andreevich! I know who you are! I don't know what it is you're trying to accomplish but I'll have no part of it!" Florie cried at the top of her lungs.

Maybe someone would hear her and come to her rescue. Redwood--or as he had been revealed to be, Tataurov Andreevich--sighed and turned to show himself in profile.

"Mr. Craft, if you would be so kind." he lifted a hand to rub his eyes.

Xander grinned and stepped forward, leveling his revolver at the woman.

"If you'd be so kind as to put the musket down, I'd really prefer to not shoot you here, Doctor," the mutt put hateful emphasis on her title, "Wouldn't wanna make a mess for housekeeping to have to deal with."

Florie dropped the musket almost immediately, cupping her hands over her snout as fear began to take her. Tears started to stream down her cheeks. She really had no way of getting out of this one. All those Penny Dreadfuls and Dime Store Comics had taught her wrong. The damsel in distress didn't always get rescued. Sometimes, she simply died. And it wouldn't even be a heroic or meaningful death.

---

"That's a serious look you've got there. Is there a problem with my book?" Ally tilted her head, still idly massaging the shorter rex's bloated belly.

"Well," Steve sounded hesitant, "I know it's still early into it, but I feel like we're getting pushed into a corner here."

"Into a corner? How?" Ally asked.

Steve shivered as he felt her palm press in against his stomach, seemingly in retaliation to his comment. She was enjoying teasing him. And heaven help him, he was enjoying it too.

"Florie's trapped. She's got no way out. Her plan to get word out through whoever at the library might have seen the note failed. She's about to be shot. It feels like this is it." he looked back over the last couple of pages to point out the details he brought up.

"So?" the feminine dinosaur replied.

"Well it's just... it isn't fair." the heavily swollen rex turned to look up at the taller lady.

"Who says life is fair? Where's it written? I sure as hell know how 'fair' goes in life." Ally seemed offended, but it was the sort of offended that came because she wanted to laugh at the silliness of such a comment.

The offense was 'how can you think something so wrong?' rather than insulting.

"I know, I know. But I'm just saying how it feels. Florie's on the cover so she's got at least some plot armor. I just don't see how she's going to get out of this." Steve turned to look back into the book.

"Then why don't you continue and see if she does?" Ally smirked, groping more strongly at her companion's egg-filled tummy.

Steve shuddered again and fought to keep from grinding into her hand. Oh it was tempting. With how big he had gotten, there was a near constant degree of stimulation anymore. The teasing eased down so he could resume and the young fellow adjusted his glasses before reading on.

---

"I can translate the skull!" she blurted out without thinking.

"No, you can't." Craft said, pulling back the hammer on his revolver.

"I can! I promise I can! If you'll just give me a moment, I can write down what it says for you! Then you can take it and go wherever it leads you and I'll disappear! I won't say anything! I'll go back to my quiet, dusty little lab and you won't ever hear from me again! I promise!" Florie begged.

"You're right about one thing," Craft sneered cruelly, "You'll disappear."

Florie squeezed her eyes shut as the dog braced his arm for the recoil of a gunshot.

A crash took the whole room by surprise. The glass of the window shattered and scattered across the wooden floor and the fine silk rug covering the center of it. A blur streaked between the snake and the two dogs just as the crack of the gun sounded. A hateful cry of displeasure followed. Florie opened her eyes and ran her hands over herself, finding that no bullet had struck her. She was unharmed!

What was more, there was an unknown assailant doing battle with the hateful dog. The figure was golden, flecked with dark spots, dressed in what appeared to be a loin cloth, and was of a decidedly feline shape. Not to mention feminine. But this was no lady like Florie. She was tall-- almost as tall as Tataurov--and densely muscled, no doubt from a life of living in the wild. A mighty roar, not of a lion but of a leopard, gave both men reason to cower slightly.

A wooden staff swung about, twirling and twisting as its master made use of the momentum it possessed. The first victim of its carnage was Craft's gun, knocked from his hand just as he fired, intending to hit the snake. The blow knocked his aim off of true and sent the weapon clattering across the floor. The dog gripped at his hand and yowled in pain.

The alsatian crouched slightly out of shock; from the sudden shattering of the window, to the sudden appearance of the feline, to her swift disarming of the mutt, and even her roar. It took him a brief moment to compose himself, drawing his own weapon to defend himself. Before he could even bring the pistol to aim at the interloper, the wooden staff had found its way to his stomach, knocking the wind out of him.

Redwood--or Andreevich--dropped to his knees as his eyes bulged. A paw clutched at his abdomen while pain radiated out from where the blow landed. Both dogs had been temporarily subdued so quickly, Florie had almost no time to think.

"You're not taking another innocent life! This girl belongs to me now!" bellowed the leopard.

Craft snarled and reached down to a holster strapped to his calf and drew a long, wicked knife. The blade was finely honed and the spine possessed a series of large, nasty-looking serrations that ran down from the tip to about halfway down the length. His switchblade had been pulled on Florie earlier as a matter of convenience, or perhaps he could be more precise with a finer blade. Whatever the case was, this was a weapon meant to maim and kill in a most brutal fashion.

"And here I was hopin' I'd get ta actually kill someone who can put up an actual fight!" the dog barked.

"Then you'll be disappointed all over again!" the feline shot right back.

She swung her wooden staff about as the two of them bantered, bringing one end up to rest against the dog's throat. It was then that the coral snake--still deeply stunned by this turn of events--noticed that the cat wasn't brandishing a staff. A well polished and sharpened metal spear head pressed into the mutt's fur, digging into his flesh just ever so softly. The dog dropped his knife with a clatter and glared daggers at the leopard.

"You better hope you can get outta here and I can't find you. 'Cause when I do, I'm gonna make sure you stay alive and conscious long enough for you to beg me to end you!" Craft's words dripped with malice. He could threaten with the best of them.

"Then I guess I'll just have to kill you quickly when I see you again!" the spotted feline retorted, showing she could go toe to toe with the vicious canine.

Craft wasn't prepared for such a response. It left him without his own witty retort so he simply growled at her. The feline stared back through cold, hard eyes, clearly prepared to end his life should he give her cause. Andreevich took the opportunity to make his own move, now that he had regained his breath. There had been a bottle of expensive smelling alcohol on a table near the door. The alsatian clutched it firmly in one paw and swung it hard at the leopard's face. Florie gasped, ready to shriek.

At the last possible second, the woman took note and turned her head to shield her eyes. The glass shattered across the back of her skull, making her cry out unhappily. Shards scattered across the floor as the potent spirit doused her and the dog under her. The snake cried out in fear as her savior failed to defend against the blow.

In that moment, Andreevich realized he had made a terrible mistake.

Purely out of instinct, the feline swung her spear towards the taller dog. The finely sharpened head slashed, eager to bite into someone's flesh. It ripped a gash in the big canine's shirt, leaving a shallow cut in his fur. A thin line of red began to seep from the wound. Andreevich winced from the sting. He had tried to dodge, but failed to do so in enough time to avoid completely.

As he reached for his gun, left on the floor where he had dropped it, he was given another reason to jump back. With a loud, unsettling 'thunk', the spotted cat embedded her spear in the wooden floor. It wobbled back and forth from the force of the impact, revealing how much strength this exceptionally fit feline possessed. And though she had given up her spear in the process of preventing the dog from arming himself, she wasn't defenseless.

The leopard took up a stance to show she was ready to brawl. Her claws flashed as they emerged from her fingers, looking wicked enough to rend flesh. She gave a defiant hiss and lunged. It was a feint, meant to startle. And it was effective.

Andreevich stumbled backwards, as did Craft, while they attempted to calculate their next move.

"Kitty's got some claws. A savage like you would make one hell of a trophy. I dunno if I wanna slit your throat or bend you over." Craft offered a sneer, opting to insult hoping tip the lady off balance

"If I were you, I would be less worried about what to do with that shriveled up little thing in your pants and more worried about the poison coursing through your employer's veins!" the woman shot back.

The room went dead quiet. The alsatian looked to his chest, touched his fingers to the crimson stain in his fur, then lifted his paw to his muzzle. He inhaled the aroma deeply, and his heart sank. Immediately, his eyes darted to the spear still embedded in the floor.

"She's poisoned her weapon! Get the rest of the men!" Andreevich bellowed in anger.

"You've not much time, dog. The poison acts quickly. It only takes moments after being cut before you pass out. And then... well... suffice to say you do not have long." the spotted feline said smoothly.

Andreevich glowered, daring to step towards the savage woman defiantly, but he wavered, suddenly feeling very dizzy. The alsatian tipped off balance towards Craft, who moved quick to catch him. Their size difference--amplified by the larger dog's impressive physique--resulted in the mutt getting pinned on the floor under him.

"Dammit! Get off me!" Craft snarled.

The feline stepped forward and yanked the spear out of the floor, slipped it into a harness on her back, and turned to the snake with an outstretched, open paw.

"Come with me if you do not wish to die!" she cried.

Florie just stared up at her with wide eyes, in total awe of what she had just seen transpire. The slender serpent reached out slowly and took the strange woman's paw. Immediately, she was jerked up onto her feet. From there, the leopard began dragging her towards the window she had burst through.

"Wait!" Florie shouted, finally coming to her sense.

"There is no time!" the feline retorted.

"No! I can't leave without it!" the snake wrenched her hand free and raced back towards the skull.

Thinking quickly, she wrapped the curious crystalline thing up in a large cloth and made a makeshift sling out of it. The weight was slung over her back and the rest of the cloth was tied across her chest from one shoulder to the opposite hip. It wouldn't last terribly long, but it would hold until she could resituate it.

"Leave it!" the leopard shouted.

"No! I'm not leaving it in their hands! It's too important!" Florie argued, racing back towards the snake.

The commotion had finally brought the men from down the hall to investigate. As soon as they burst into the room, the feline wrapped her arms around the snake, lunged towards the open window, and leapt. Florie screamed in panic. The cat tightened one of her arms about her in a crushing grasp while the other arm shot out in front of them, paw opened, waiting to grasp something.

Then their fall came to an abrupt change in direction. The snake felt her insides lurch as she was dragged in a graceful arc away from the hotel towards the trees of the jungle. When she looked up, she could see the dying light of civilization shining just brightly enough to reveal the vine this mysterious woman had snagged and swung them both away on.

By the time the men had reached the window, the two ladies had disappeared into the jungle.

---

"See! I knew she had plot armor!" Steve cheered as soon as he finished the chapter.

"Yes, you're very smart. Now shut up and keep reading." Ally laughed.

= = = = =

At least fifteen minutes passed before the leopard ceased her swinging from vine to vine. It was an impressive feat, doubly so given that she was forced to do so with only one arm while clinging to the snake she had rescued. While Florie was decidedly not silent throughout the duration of their trip, she had opted not to try and engage in conversation. Her noises of shock, surprise, and terror at the prospect of falling kept things from being quiet.

Eventually, the feline dropped the pair of them down onto a crude wooden platform up amidst the trees, not far below the canopy. It felt sturdy enough, though it clearly had not been built by the same craftsmen who had installed the fine wooden floor back at the hotel. Florie immediately dropped onto her knees, arms outstretched to support herself with her hands, creating a most stable posture, while she panted for breath. She was still shaking terribly. In fact, she was still trying to process everything she had just experienced.

Oh how she longed to go home, hide in her lab, and lose herself in the dusty artifacts she preferred to study.

"That's it! I'm not reading another one of those trashy works of fiction again!" Florie cried, then quickly modified her proclamation, "For at least a month!"

The correction gave the leopard reason to tilt her head, but she didn't press the issue. Instead, she simply pushed open the curtain covering the entrance to a small hut the platform was attached to.

"Come inside. You will need rest. You have had a busy day." the spotted woman said.

Florie lifted her gaze to look at the dark figure moving in front of her amidst the inky blackness of the jungle night. It was difficult to make out much of anything, at least until a soft warm glow of orange seeped out from within the hut. Slowly, the snake crawled her way across the small platform and stuck her head in through the ragged curtain. An ornate glass lantern provided the illumination.

The still trembling coral snake pulled herself up onto her feet and walked in, peering around the room. There wasn't much to see. It was a simple residence, if it could be called that. A cot stood on the far side. A small cooking area took up the center of the room, around a carefully constructed fire bowl that the feline was in the process of lighting. There were shelves everywhere, and they were filled with all manner of plants, trinkets, and even a respectable number of books.

"This is your home?" Florie asked.

"Yes. You are welcome to stay as long you need." the spotted cat said.

"I don't think I've had a chance to say so but... thank you. If it were not for you, I'd have been murdered and thrown somewhere I'd never be found. Please, if there is anything I can do to repay--" Florie's voice trailed off as she watched the leopard.

The feline turned away from the fire she had lit as it further illuminated the room. The snake caught a glimpse of the back of her head and found a nasty looking series of small gashes. Crimson stained her fur in those spots, trying to trickle down along the back of her neck.

That had been the cost of letting Andreevich smash the glass bottle over her head. The snake finally climbed to her feet, bringing her hands to her snout once again.

"You're hurt!" she cried in alarm.

"It isn't bad. I have had much worse." the leopard moved to a set of shelves housing a number of bottles, jars, and vases.

Amidst them was a small box that was opened to reveal linen batting, some of which the lady removed. She then selected from among the various earthenware and ceramic vessels, appearing to be preparing to administer some first aid to herself.

"Please, let me help. You can't be well. No one can take having a bottle broken over their head and simply shrug it off without consequence." Florie insisted.

"There is consequence. It is why I need to bandage myself. But if you wish, I would be glad for the help. You can see the wounds better than I can, so you can clean them better." the feline said.

The snake moved quickly to offer what aid she could. The spotted woman had an impressive selection of plant and root based remedies, some of which she had collected to make a homemade treatment for her injuries. The scaled lady found a small rag and a bowl which she filled with water at the cat's direction, then began gently dabbing at the half dozen or so deep scratches from the ruthless attack.

"My name is Florie McLaren. I'm an archeologist. I don't know how you knew that I needed saving, but I'm grateful you arrived when you did." the serpentine woman tried to be as delicate as she could while cleaning the wounds.

The injured woman sat at a small workbench, mashing and mixing samples of root, petal, and leaf together repeatedly. She showed great stoicism while the open gashes were cleaned. And even as tiny shards of glass were gently picked from the wounds.

"I am Taraji. Those men have a history of kidnapping those they believe could be of use to them, then quietly making them disappear altogether." the leopard replied.

"I can't say I'm surprised. They had that air about them, like my capture was just business as usual for them," Florie paused, "How did you know they had taken me? They didn't act as though they knew who you were. If you had seen others taken by them, were you at all able to rescue any of them?"

Taraji went quiet for a brief moment, feeling slightly uncomfortable with this line of questioning. But, she wasn't about to shy away from it. It would just be somewhat awkward.

"I have not rescued anyone else from them. You are the first. I wished to, as they put it, 'keep my nose out of places where it did not belong'. At least until tonight." she winced as the sting from one of the inch-long gouges sent its piercing pain deep into her skull.

"Sorry. I'm not terribly practiced at this. I've only basic first aid training," Florie grimaced seeing she was causing the poor cat pain, "So, if you wanted to stay out of it, why did you save me? Not that I'm ungrateful or anything. Just... what made me so special?"

Again, Taraji went quiet. This was what she was hoping to avoid delving into. There were certain matters that simply were not discussed in the polite society that Florie came from. This she knew all too well. There were certain taboos that no doubt Florie herself still held. So, as diplomatically as she could muster, the leopard offered a hesitant answer.

"You are different from the others they captured." Taraji said.

"Different? Because I'm a woman?" Florie frowned, her hands dropping to her sides as she let her disdain for sexism slip out.

She quickly checked herself and resumed cleaning the cat's wounds carefully.

"I do not think you are weak, if that is what you are implying. It is because you are a woman, yes, but not because I think you are not able to look after yourself." Taraji tried to explain.

Florie set the rag aside, having finished removing the excess blood from the lady's fur. Taraji lifted one of her paws up over her shoulder, holding up a square-cut segment of a thick, durable leaf with a pale orange-pink paste in the middle. It was clearly the remedy she had been working on.

"Is there any particular method this requires?" the coral snake asked.

"Apply it to the wounds. Thick enough to cover them completely so they are concealed under it but not so thick that it will drip off." the feline explained.

The bespectacled serpent nodded and began gently applying the paste, finding the aroma to be very astringent, almost like rubbing alcohol but with a pungent earthiness to it.

"So you saved me because I'm a woman, but you don't see me as weak. I must confess I am confused by this answer." the snake pressed.

"It is best not to dwell on it. There are things that should remain unsaid." Taraji tried to deflect and close the matter.

Florie could sense her discomfort and opted to not press the issue further. When she had finished applying the strong-smelling paste, she was handed the linen bandage and applied it, wrapping it around the feline's forehead. Taraji tied the ends across her brow, making it look as though she were wearing a kerchief.

As the leopardess climbed back to her feet, she suddenly stopped and leaned heavily against the workbench in front of her. While Florie didn't have much experience as a nurse or any other medical profession, she could tell when someone was dizzy or weak. The snake moved quickly to the feline's side and helped to support her. Taraji's frame was impressive, rippling with muscle, yet she maintained a distinct feminine beauty. No one would dare mistake her for a man.

"You've been pushing yourself too hard. The trip here surely took more out of you than you realize." the snake frowned, trying to help keep her savior from falling to the floor.

"I will be fine. It... it is an effect... of the remedy. It renders the injured very tired. Please, I must lay down." Taraji explained.

"Of course. Let me help you." Florie answered.

The two women shuffled around the fire bowl; the shorter, slimmer one doing the best she could to support the taller, thicker one. It was a brief walk to get to the cot, where Florie helped the leopard lay down carefully.

"Thank you. I would offer the bed to you, but... I am afraid I would not be able to stay upright. There is food if you are hungry." Even in her weakened state, the feline was trying to be hospitable.

"Don't worry about me. I've slept in awkward quarters before. This is no great trouble. Just rest." Florie offered, hoping to put the lady at ease.

It worked well enough. Taraji nodded tiredly, then closed her eyes. In seconds, she was fast asleep. Florie sighed softly, feeling a little powerless to help her, but at least it wasn't a terribly serious wounding. For a brief moment, the serpent woman gazed over the sleeping cat's dense frame, appreciating the curve and muscle this Amazon possessed. She also noticed a red stone resting just against the feline's cleavage. It was attached to a thin leather strap to form a crude necklace. It was a ruby, but it was rough cut, still possessing bits of impure stone around the edges, and somehow, the rugged nature made it all the more beautiful.

In a strange way, the coral snake found it to be a fitting metaphor, one that defined the feline wearing it quite well.

A growl came from the snake's middle. The men holding her had not bothered to bring her anything to eat before trying to kill her. She was famished. At the instruction of the feline, she began looking for what food might be available. As she hunted, she came across a small, lidded clay jar. Inside she found a cache of small, deep blue berries. They looked like blueberries, but smaller, as if they were some wild variety.

Florie's mouth watered. She loved blueberries. Without hesitation, she fished a small handful out and tossed one into her mouth. The juice that burst from it the instant she bit down was absolutely divine. Her stomach growled again, almost as if to say 'that's not going to be enough, you need to find something more' and she agreed with that assessment. Her hunt resumed as she munched away on the delicious berries one by one, savoring them.

Eventually, she found some dried meat and a few larger pieces of fruit. A small feast. The snake dined quietly to keep from disturbing her savior and turned her attention back to the skull. There was still so much work she needed to do, and she had only just scratched the surface.

It would be more difficult to make sense of the markings without any reference materials, but then that had largely been a tactic to buy time. She was confident that whatever this language said, she could piece it together on her own. It would just take time.

Florie scrounged up some parchment and a writing implement, then began jotting down notes as she studied the crystal skull. The fact that the leopard had such resources impressed and softly confused her, but she gave it little thought. Surely the sleeping woman would have answers to her questions when she was recovered.

As Florie worked, she frowned and arched her back, twisting one way, then the other to stretch. Her back and chest were feeling stiff and sore. It might be wise to take a nap soon, but not until after she finished eating and writing down her thoughts. And certainly not before she finished those scrumptious little blueberries. She was tempted to go back and get another handful of them.

---

"So, what do you think so far?" Ally grinned, pressing in against Steve's side, her arms wrapped loosely about him.

"I like it so far. It's got action, suspense, and I think I detected a little sexual tension." the bloated boy answered, leaning in against the taller woman.

"What makes you say that?" Ally asked.

"Well, it sounds kinda like Taraji's got the hots for Florie. By the way, Florie is adorable. I love that she's basically a Victorian comic book nerd." Steve smirked.

"Yeah, I'm pretty fond of the cute nerd trope. But I think it's time you took a break. You're caught up to where the girls are. I think you should read to all of us when they get home." the lady pressed the end of her snout against the young rex's cheek, then gently dragged her tongue up across his hide in a quick little sign of affection.

"Really? I don't wanna embarrass myself." Steve blushed at the idea of 'performing'.

"Honey, your stomach is so big you're immobile. You've fucked one of those girls and filled her up with your eggs. The other one walked in on you doing that... while I was 'helping'. What else could you have to be embarrassed about?" Ally's reasoning was pretty sound.

The incident from the other day had only really brought the group closer together. That was something the two bunnies had only dreamed of; getting to be friends with their favorite romance novel author. Steve found he had no argument to counter with and simply blinked.

"Yeah... I guess you're right." he said thoughtfully.

"Good!" Ally yanked the book out of his hands and tossed it onto the coffee table where he couldn't reach it, then pressed in even more firmly against him, "Now gimme some sugar. I've been good, restraining myself. I think I've earned a treat."

Before Steve could respond, even to give his approval, his head was turned by one of the lady's paws, bringing their lips together. The kiss was deep, forceful, and strong. She was taking what she wanted, and he was happy to let her. In the back of his mind, he realized it was very possible she was going to bend him over his own swollen belly and fill him up further.

It wouldn't have been the first time since he moved in with her.

= = = = =

The hut was dark when morning came. The lantern had been extinguished and the fire bowl had died to a collection of smoldering embers. Taraji stirred in her cot and rolled onto her side. Her eyes opened but to narrow slits as the dense canopy above let only so much light reach the treehouse. And with the curtains drawn, even less made its way inside. Her ears twitched as she heard a curious noise. It sounded like someone in the midst of a struggle; cries of displeasure and dismay.

Immediately, her eyes flew the rest of the way open and she sat up with a start. She froze there, wincing as she moved a hand to the back of her head. It was still rather sore from the bottle breaking against her skull, but if she had done things right, the wounds would be closed and almost completely healed by now. Such was the miracle of her special mixture. The bandage was removed, and likely she wouldn't need another one. The noises concerning her sounded familiar, like the coral snake she had rescued the previous night. Without hesitation, the leopard moved to the window and jerked open the curtain to let more light in.

When she saw what had the archeologist in such a state, her eyes grew wide and a powerful blush filled her cheeks.

"Don't look at me!" Florie cried, trying to wrap her arms about her chest.

The woman's slender limbs did little to conceal what she was trying to hide. Her blouse had ripped open and a vast, expansive bust had poured out. Last night, Florie was a modest size, just below the threshold that tended to more easily catch the attention of chauvinists. Now, she was so well endowed that a single hand wasn't enough to fully support one of her breasts. A thin stream of moisture trickled down from each nipple, soaking what of her blouse was still in place.

Taraji fought to keep from staring. It wasn't every day that a woman walked into her hut, then exploded out of her clothes.

"You ate the berries, didn't you?" the feline asked.

"What!?" Florie cried in dismay.

"The berries; small, blue, in a clay jar on the shelf next to my books. You ate some of them, didn't you?" Taraji repeated, clarifying.

"Berries? Yes! Yes I ate some of your berries!" the snake gave her hostess a look of utter bewilderment, "What does that have to do with this!?"

Taraji knelt on the floor next to the snake, resting her hands on Florie's shoulders to try and focus her attention. Their eyes locked as the feline spoke with a degree of earnestness the serpentine woman found alarming and perhaps unnecessary.

"This is very important. How many of them did you eat?" the spotted cat asked.

Florie just blinked, not sure why there was an apparent obsession with the berries.

"I... I don't know. I was looking for something to eat and came across them. I thought they would make a good snack while I looked for something more substantial. They were so good I found it difficult to stop." the snake shrank a little, suddenly worried she might have crossed a line, that perhaps those berries weren't for sharing.

"How many?" Taraji insisted, giving the snake a very gentle shake.

"I'm not sure... two dozen? Perhaps more?" Florie stared into the leopard's eyes, feeling a welling up of fear in the back of her mind.

Was this jungle cat going to harm her for what she had done? Instead of any sign of anger, the leopard just sighed and let her head droop.

"Two dozen. That explains quite a lot," Taraji said as she stood back up and moved to the far side of the hut from Florie.

Immediately, she began rummaging through a small trunk, pushing the clothing it contained about as she hunted for something.

"I'm sorry if I was not supposed to eat them. I didn't know there were certain things that were off limits. But, what does that have to do with what's happening to me?!" Florie started off subdued, but quickly ramped up her voice to something of a frenzied tone.

Taraji returned and held out a garment that looked like it wouldn't do much to preserve the snake's dignity. It looked like a brazier, but not professionally made. It looked as rough and 'savage' as what the feline wore. And that looked little better than a loin cloth and matching top that only just covered her.

"Here, put this on. It isn't much, but it may be just large enough to fit you. I used to wear it when I was testing the berries." Taraji sounded disappointed or annoyed. It was difficult to tell which.

"Well, thank you. But I must confess I'm terribly confused! What do the berries have to do with me waking up to find that suddenly I'm a... a... bombshell!?" It was the only term Florie could think of that seemed to fit her current state that didn't also carry an insulting connotation.

Taraji crouched next to the snake as she attempted to slip into the inelegant garment. She kept her eyes averted, partly out of respect and partly while she recalled a memory.

"I used to visit the few villages nearby. It wasn't often. I would travel between them once every week or so. I offered what help I could when there was need of it. The nursemaids were having difficulty providing for the newborns during the lean months. I had found a small flowering plant that produced berries that tended to increase a mother's milk some years prior, so I bred a variety that had a stronger effect." the feline explained.

As Florie listened, she managed to stuff herself into the 'bra', frowning as she noticed it was just slightly too tight, forcing her cleavage to push up and out more noticeably than she cared for. At least she wasn't around the men. They would only leer, possibly even try to take advantage of her more readily.

"So why do you have a garment specifically for someone so... large?" Florie paused, not terribly happy with her choice of wording, "You don't appear to have need of it."

"If that is your way of saying I am not well endowed, then I may have to ask you apologize!" Taraji frowned, suddenly turning quite firm of tone.

Florie shrank a little, clapping her hands over her snout in shock that she would insinuate such a thing.

"I'm sorry!" she let out in a squeak.

The feline quickly shifted from annoyed to amused, chuckling at the poor, timid girl.

"Forgive me. It has been a while since I've been around someone so formal. It is great fun to tease people as 'civilized' as you," Taraji grinned, "But, yes, I have no need of it now. But back when I was testing my berries, I did. I was not going to let anyone consume them without knowing what sort of effects they might have, intended or otherwise. I used myself as a test subject. The results were... interesting."

The explanation, especially the wording used, slowly leaked into Florie's mind. She recognized this manner of analysis. She was talking to a scientist! Who knew the jungle was home to such minds?

"You developed your own variety of berry specifically to increase lactation in women?" the snake asked, trying to contain her glee, not sure yet if her theory was confirmed.

"Yes, I did. It is an exacting task, selectively breeding plants. But it has its rewards." Taraji smiled.

"So... where did you learn to do such a thing?" Florie tilted her head, trying to press for more information, more data to test her theory.

"I was once a botanist. I worked at a university far to the north. I suspect I looked much like you. Conservative clothes, quiet demeanor, keeping to one's self. I would frequently make trips out into the field. I enjoyed the excursions." the feline sat down properly next to the snake, still trying not to stare at the heavy bust before her.

"So you -are- a scientist!" Florie cried out in glee, even going so far as to throw her arms around the leopard.

"Yes!" Taraji laughed, blushing harder as soon as those grand swells pressed against her, "I am! Or at least I used to be. I suppose I still am, but not in the formal sense."

The busty snake leaned back, now deeply interested in the other lady's story.

"What happened? Why did you leave?" Florie insisted, not trying to contain herself any longer.

"I found that one of my colleagues, my department director, had been stealing my work and claiming it as his," Taraji sighed, "When I confronted him about it, he threatened to fire me. So I scurried back to my tiny little closet of an office and fretted for several days. I was not as strong then as I am today, but I was just as tall. And he was a short, fat little mouse. I cannot believe how timid I was. But then it occurred to me. If I was not there, he would not have my work to steal. So I quit and decided field work was how I wished to spend my days."

Florie frowned deeply, grumbling at the story of a higher-up stealing the work of a subordinate.

"Why do they think just because we are women that it is perfectly fine to take credit for our accomplishments? I can do any amount of research they can! And so can you!" the coral snake lifted her chin proudly.

"Yes, and even the work they cannot," Taraji grinned, "I found out six months later he was removed from the university for failing to produce any more findings. And I've been out in the field ever since. Over the years, I made my way further south. And I've found I prefer being out in the wild. There is no one here to interrupt my work. No modernity to impose itself on me. No wars sending invaders into whatever town I settle in. I am free. Truly free."

The serpent squealed in delight again and threw herself at the feline, wrapping her arms around her in a powerful hug.

"I never thought I'd find a kindred spirit! Especially not out in the jungle! I cannot tell you how happy this makes me!" Florie allowed herself to get carried away.

"Yes, it's very satisfying meeting another mind, even if it is for a different discipline," Taraji said, gently pushing the snake back, "But you should try to control yourself. If you get too excited, this tends to happen."

The feline lowered her gaze, pointing to Florie's bust. She had wanted to let her lean in against her like that for longer, but it felt inappropriate. As the snake looked down to see what she was being directed to view, she saw that her 'bra' now had two sizable moisture stains. And it just so happened that her nipples could easily be seen through the damp fabric.

"Oh my goodness!" Florie cried, wrapping her arms around herself again.

"You've no need to be modest. There is no one here but you and me for quite a distance. But I do not have many garments that can fit such a... figure." the feline glanced down, then back up, trying her best not to let her gaze linger anywhere.

"Thank you for your kindness once again. You're just coming to my rescue all over, aren't you?" Florie forced an awkward chuckle.

The silence that fell between them lasted for slightly too long for comfort. The spotted feline cleared her throat and stood up, hoping to shift the topic.

"I should prepare a meal for us. You are no doubt hungry." Taraji moved to the set of shelves where she kept the 'safe to eat' edibles.

She retrieved some of the dried meat that Florie had sampled the night before. Along with it, she collected a large piece of fruit different from what the serpentine lady had dined on. The archeologist had avoided it purely because it looked like it required a great deal of work to make ready for consumption. Taraji meanwhile made short work of it with a crude knife made from finely carved and polished stone.

Florie remained seated where she was, not knowing if there were any chairs, or if one simply sat on the floor to eat in this little hut. As it turned out, the latter was the case. The leopardess finished her preparations, which did not take long, and took a seat across from the coral snake still trying to cover her expansive chest.

"Thank you very much. It's very kind of you," the snake said between nibbles, "So, how long is this effect supposed to last?"

Taraji cleared her throat again, preparing to deliver what she assumed would be taken as bad news.

"Each berry is intended to provide its effect for several days, a week usually. But I've never allowed anyone to eat so many at once. The most I have allowed someone to consume was four. They didn't see nearly the strength of effect you have experienced, and they remained under those effects for a month." she explained.

"A month?" Florie asked breathlessly, suddenly deeply concerned, "So, I might be like this... for a month!?"

Taraji shook her head, putting on an expression that was clearly meant to convey discomfort.

"You said you ate two dozen. You could remain like this for six months." she said sheepishly.

"Six months!? Like this!? I won't be able to go near a civilized settlement without men leering at me the whole time!" Florie stared down at her chest, mortified.

"There is also something else to consider," Taraji lifted a hand to stop her, growing even more disquieted, "Because you ate so many at once... it is possible it might be permanent."

"P-p-perma-nent?" the snake suddenly looked woozy, wobbling where she sat as though she were about to faint.

"I am afraid so. I apologize for not warning you. I will do what I can to find a means to undo this if it is a terrible burden." the leopard was quick to provide the offer, hoping it might provide some sense of relief, and perhaps a reason for the coral snake to remain nearby for longer.

"I... I think... that might be a good idea. And I apologize for eating them. If I had known they were important to the ladies who care for newborns in the surrounding villages, I would have stayed away," Florie paused, then her eyes widened, "I'm not going to have to go around nursing everyone's children am I?"

The spotted cat's face fell, her mood turning somber.

"No, that will not be necessary. And the berries are no longer of any use. The villages I used to visit are all gone. Burned to the ground. Their people driven out," Taraji squeezed her eyes shut and snarled a little, "All by that monster of a dog whose men kidnapped you!"

"Andreevich!" Florie glowered, slamming her palms down on the floor, "That murderous beast! How could he!? I knew he was terrible! There's a reason why the call him the Butcher of the Frozen Forests! But I had no idea he was so quick to take up his genocidal ways all over again!"

"He truly is a soulless, evil creature. I only wish I could have hurt him more." the leopard growled low in her throat.

"Well, at least he can't visit his malice on anyone ever again!" Florie smiled, her eyes hard as she took pleasure from the thought of his passing, "That poisoned spear of yours no doubt brought him to an all too late end!"

Taraji lifted her gaze, looking sheepish once again, bearing her teeth in a grimace as if to say 'please do not be mad'. Florie saw the expression and hers melted to one of confusion.

"I did not coat my spear in poison that is meant to kill," the feline paused, thinking she would need to give the snake a chance to react, but carried on when everything remained quiet, "It is a powerful muscle relaxant. It works quickly and renders the victim unconscious within a minute."

"So, you only knocked him out. You bluffed. You made it look like you had poisoned him with something deadly." Florie was working it all out aloud rather than silently in her head.

"Yes. I implied he would not be long for this world if they did not attend to him immediately. When in truth... I meant they should relieve him of his pants so they might not need a thorough laundering." The feline continued to grimace, expecting disappointment and scowls and scolding.

That was not what came. Instead, Florie let out a loud yelp of a laugh, the clapped her palms over her snout again, her cheeks turning rosy.

"You mean..." she managed to get out.

"Yes." Taraji dared to grin a little.

"I think you are my new best friend!" Florie cackled and threw herself at the leopard once more.

She knew it would make her leak again, but she didn't care. The Butcher of the Frozen Forests had been deeply humiliated in front of his men, first by being bested by a woman given he was a profound misogynist, and again by the unfortunate fate of his trousers.

---

"Hold up, hold up, wait a second," Harriet interrupted as Steve was reading, "Berries that make your breasts grow?"

Ally nodded with a grin, sitting next to their narrator, rubbing his belly.

"Yeah, why not? It's a trashy romance novel, right? I'm allowed to be as trashy as I want." the lady rex smirked.

"Well, yeah, you are. But isn't it a little far fetched?" the rabbit raised an eyebrow.

"Oh come on, sis," Jenny nudged her with an elbow, "I think it's kinda hot! Where can I get some berries like that? I'll eat as many as it takes ta make that permanent!"

Ally tilted her head back and laughed, enjoying the more adventurous sister's attitude.

"If I knew where to get berries that did that, do you think I'd have gone and gotten fake ones?" she sat up, poking gently at her own chest.

"Wait, they're fake?" Harriet blinked.

"Of course! Us Rexes aren't exactly known for being part of the 'bombshell' demographic. And I like'em big. I wanted mine big. So I went and bought a pair." Ally smirked again.

"Huh, it never occurred to me." the rabbit mused.

"Well I think you look great!" Jenny chimed in, reclining on the couch across from the bloated boy rex.

She was still swollen from what eggs she had managed to steal from him before Harriet walked in on so intimate a moment. She had made it sound like she wasn't interested in getting rid of them. She even took great pleasure in how people reacted to her when she told them she was pregnant.

"I know, right?" Ally posed, offering a moment of false narcissism, "But I've always had a fascination for that kind of thing. I really wish I could have grown a natural set like this. But, that's why I write this stuff in when I can. It's good escapism and fantasy for me."

"If everyone is done commenting and comparing cup size." Steve said after clearing his throat.

"Aww, is my little broodmother disappointed he can't grow some of his own?" Ally teased, running one of her hands across his flat, feather-covered chest.

"N-n-no!" the shorter rex stammered, suddenly blushing quite hard.

"Hey, if my next book does as well as this one's doing, I'll buy you a set of your very own, how's that? In the mean time, I can let you borrow my fake chest, the one I used to wear to look like I had real ones before I got implants." Ally grinned, meaning it in earnest towards the end.

Steve just cleared his throat in spite of his blush, lifted the book up to hide his face, and continued reading.

---

The two shared the laughter such a situation deserved and continued to eat, finishing the light meal before Florie decided to turn slightly more serious. They had a shared enemy, and she wanted to know more about what he was up to.

"So, that cruel man burned down all the villages you offered aid to and drove out the people. Why? What possible reason could he have? Just for the thrill of it?" the snake asked.

"On the face of it, that does seem a likely explanation. However, in all the time I have been tracking his movements, I believe he was searching for something. I think he was looking for that skull you were so insistent we take with us when we ran." Taraji pointed to the crystalline object sitting on her workbench.

She felt uneasy seeing it there, but could see no reason why it should be put anywhere else other than simply 'out of sight'.

"That would make sense. From what I understand, he only had it in his possession a short while." Florie nodded.

"Why does he covet this cursed thing so much? If it were me, I would have thrown it in the river and be done with it," Taraji said with disgust, "I am uncomfortable simply looking at it."

"Well, I can't say I blame you. It's a skull after all. But as for why he covets it, there is the fact that it is made of crystal. And from what I can tell, it was not cut into that shape. I can find no facets like in a precious gemstone." Florie turned to gaze at the thing that had gotten her into so much trouble.

"I suppose you are going to tell me it is an actual skull from some poor, unfortunate creature who has long since passed away?" the feline raised an eyebrow.

"As a scientist, I must consider all possible explanations. It isn't beyond the realm of possibility for there to exist a creature that has crystal instead of calcium based structures for bone," the snake turned back to look at her feline companion, lifting her chin to put on an air of academia, but that quickly melted into her more pragmatic side, "Though it does not seem terribly practical."

"I should say not. What have you learned while studying it?" Taraji glanced over at the skull.

"It's terribly fascinating!" Florie climbed to her feet, rather unsteady thanks to her tremendous bust, and stumbled over to the workbench where the feline followed, "I was kidnapped under the assumption I would be able to make sense of it. I didn't like being kidnapped so I tried my best to play coy, conceal what I was learning about it. These markings for instance. They wanted me to translate them, and I told them I couldn't."

"But, you actually can? Can you read it?" Taraji tilted her head, finally seeing the glyphs in question running along the side of the odd-shaped skull.

"Oh heavens no!" Florie laughed, waving a hand dismissively, "But given enough time, I'm sure I'll be able to piece it together. I told the boys I would need loads of references to try and figure it out to buy myself time. And the references did indeed help. It allowed me to rule out all sorts of things, but I still can't seem to make heads or tails of it yet."

"So why take it if you do not know its significance?" the feline leaned in to peer at the thing, still unsettled by it.

"Andreevich was willing to order his men to kidnap in order to translate it, and kill in order to keep it concealed. By taking it, I deprive him of it, and that is reason enough for me." Florie said proudly.

Taraji nodded, impressed with the snake's reasoning.

"Fair enough. I suppose I would have done the same knowing that. So, how long do you think you will need to study it in order to translate it?" the leopard ran a finger across the engraved markings.

"I'm not sure, but what I am sure of is this," Florie turned the skull and lifted it up so that it was facing them, "What does that look like to you? What species?"

The feline tilted her head one way, then another, then shrugged.

"I do not know." she answered.

"It has all the features one would expect of a cetacean! A sea-dwelling mammal like a whale or a dolphin! That gives me context! I need to study it more. Maybe by understanding the people this skull once belonged to, I'll be able to deduce the language!" Florie refused to hold back her excitement.

She had a mystery on her hands that she was going to solve, and she simply loved solving mysteries. It was why she entered the field of archeology after all. She turned the skull so that the underside was exposed and pointed in towards the various structures where tissue would have gone, or open cavities would have existed.

There was a particular feature she wished to discuss.

"Look here," Florie said, "This is almost exactly the same sort of feature you would expect in a cetacean skull. It was originally only used for making sounds they used to hunt with."

"Echolocation." Taraji added.

"Exactly!" the snake snapped her fingers in excitement, "But look more closely. It's more developed than the primitive version used by distant ancestors. This is an evolved specimen! I'll bet this structure was once used to communicate in more sophisticated ways."

"I am no expert in such things. I will need to take your word for it," Taraji peered in at the crystalline structure being indicated, "What use is this in translating the markings?"

"Possibly none," Florie shrugged, "But you never know. Some obscure fact may come back to provide important context in understanding the greater whole. I would like to see if I can trigger the tone this structure makes."

"Trigger it how? Why?" the feline frowned, leaning back to stand up properly.

"Partly curiosity, to see what it sounds like. Partly because maybe it will sound familiar and point me down a different road for translation," the snake put the skull down, her eyes locked on it in earnest, "I must know. I have a mystery and I must reveal all its secrets."

The leopard shrugged and moved away to clean what few dishes were used to prepare their meal. She wanted nothing to do with the unsettling artifact.

"Do as you like. I have my own matters to address." she said.

Florie nodded and looked about carefully, scanning the room for anything that might be of use. It wasn't equipped like her lab, so she was limited, but she never let a lack of sophisticated tools stop her. When her eyes landed on the small bellows leaning against the fire bowl, she snapped her fingers and snatched them up. Carefully, Florie inserted the nozzle into the skull as far as she dared, trying her best to aim at the vocalizing structure she had described. It was awkward and the skull was cumbersome, but she managed. When she felt confident, she stretched the bellows open, took a breath, and squeezed gently.

The air rushed forth through the skull, over the crystalline features designed to make sound, and a soft whistle--very low--was her reward. In her excitement, she stopped squeezing for a moment, tempted to pick up the skull and peer inside it, as if that might somehow make a difference or the blowing of air had changed it somehow.

Naturally, her better sense told her that was not the case. So she squeezed the bellows again, this time trying to force more air through. The low whistle grew louder, turning into something of a whine. It was loud enough to fill the whole hut, catching Taraji's attention. The pitch had changed, and continued to fluctuate. Florie's eyes widened as she realized what was causing the oscillation.

She almost dropped the bellows in her excitement. Without the constant pressure to provide the air, the sound should have stopped, but it didn't. Instead, it lingered for quite some time, at least one quarter of a minute after she stopped. It was another fascinating discovery that she had stumbled across. The tone persisted! Even after there was no air passing through it, it persisted!

"Did you hear that!?" Florie fought to keep from shouting.

"Yes, I did. It was difficult not to. What was that?" Taraji returned her gaze uneasily to the crystal skull.

"Resonance!" the coral snake practically hissed through her glee, "This is significant! It's incredible! A breakthrough!"

"Forgive me, but I do not understand how." the leopard continued her long stare at the artifact.

"Think of a crystal glass. When you rub your finger on the rim at a certain speed, it will make a tone. This is because of miniscule vibrations you're imparting into it with your finger as your rub across the rim. After a time, they build up until they're loud enough to be heard, sometimes even cause pain. It has been theorized that with the appropriate structure and amplitude, one could make a crystal continue to vibrate without needing to continue to physically stimulate it. Scientists are studying the effects of electricity on crystals and finding they could possibly use this as a means of measuring or keeping time, like a clock!" Florie spilled out, perhaps a little too quickly.

"So," Taraji raised an eyebrow, sure that she was still missing a key piece of information, "It is... a clock?"

"No!" Florie laughed, "No of course it isn't a clock! But, it means this could very well have been crafted biologically! It means there is a potential evolutionary reason for a creature to have a skeleton made of crystal! To take advantage of resonant frequencies! Why, this could go beyond communication! This could have implications leading into the realm of the manipulation of matter! Or similar such mental abilities!"

Now the feline was deeply skeptical. She had never heard of such a thing before, and until she could find any scrap of evidence to support it, she would remain skeptical.

"So this skull belonged to a psychic whale? Who used their crystal bones to move things by making sound?" Taraji crossed her arms.

"I don't know, but it's exciting thinking that such a thing could be possible! I won't know until I try again! This time, I need to force more air through, more tightly focused. Do you have anything I can use to narrow the nozzle, make it more precise in where it blows?" Florie asked, taking a step closer towards the leopard.

"I feel this is not a wise idea. We should reconsider." Taraji replied hesitantly.

"Please, one scientist to another, I must know. Andreevich believed this to be important somehow. And a man like him does not buy into such things quickly or easily. If anything, I must discover the purpose and deprive him of it." Florie begged.

"Revenge is not becoming of a scientist." the feline frowned.

"It is not revenge," Florie scowled, offended, "A man like him cannot be allowed to gain any sort of power. He will undoubtedly use that power to visit all manner of horrors on the innocent. I mean to ensure that he cannot do to anyone else what he has done to me, or to those before me, or to the people of the villages he has burned."

Taraji sighed, considering all of this, but still very uneasy about the experiment.

"How do you know that simply depriving him of the skull is not enough? It could be all that is needed to separate him from whatever power he seeks through it." the leopard had a valid point.

"I had considered this. But I had also considered another possibility. What if this is not the only skull? What if he has had someone make an exact replica or taken extensive enough notes that he can have the markings translated even without the skull? I cannot take that chance. It is a race, and I must beat him to it," Florie extended a hand towards the spotted cat, her eyes determined and sincere, "And I cannot do it alone. I need your help."

The leopard looked down at the snake's hand, tightened her jaw, and exhaled noisily through her nose. It was a compelling argument. And she did very much wish to make Andreevich hurt. It wasn't becoming of a scientist to give in to superstitious notions, and she feared she had allowed her time among the natives to alter the dispassionate, analytical part of her mind. She lifted a paw and dropped it into Florie's hand, giving it a squeeze.

"If you truly believe it can help put an end to that monster, then I will do what I can," Taraji said, "What do you need of me?"

Five minutes later, the two ladies were in position, ready to try the experiment again. The leopardess had fashioned a small nozzle from bamboo to help focus the air being expelled by the bellows. She held the skull for her serpentine counterpart, keeping it steady while Florie handled the bellows. There was discussion about methodology. Should they give it one really firm squeeze, or multiple squeezes slowly building up? Erring on the side of caution, it was decided to attempt the slow build-up.

The scaled lady took a breath, trembling with excitement, and gave the cat a nod. Taraji nodded back to indicate she was ready, and Florie stretched the bellows open, and squeezed. It was gentle like before, and brought about the same tones as during the first attempt. The sound continued as Florie stretched the bellows open once again and began to squeeze again, this time with greater force. The tone changed, suddenly turning higher pitch, then oscillating rapidly, like a warble. The snake locked eyes with the feline, amazed at the change in sound. The feline grimaced but gestured for her to continue as she folded her ears back. She didn't like the high pitch.

Florie opened the bellows one more time, and squeezed again, this time adding even more force. The high pitch warble turned even higher, higher than any noise either lady had heard. It came to a point where it began to hurt to listen to, but it wasn't their ears that were in pain. It was triggering a powerful headache. The snake released the bellows, letting them drop to the floor as she clutched at her head. Taraji snarled unhappily and dropped the skull as she moved her paws to her ears, feeling the same throbbing pain.

The tone did not stop when there was no air passing through the structure, just like before. Unlike before though, it lasted longer than a few seconds. It simply kept going. And it was making both ladies hurt more and more. Now, it wasn't making a single tone, but a series of them in such rapid succession that there was no way to make any sense of it.

"It isn't stopping!" Taraji shouted.

"I know! The frequency must have a self-sustaining quality once properly triggered!" Florie cried out in response.

"What do we do!?" the feline doubled over, then cried out in pain as her head felt like it was going to split open.

"I don't know! It may stop on its own, it might not!" the snake dropped her knees, unable to bare the pain much longer.

"If it does not stop, what will happen!?" Taraji crawled her way over towards the stricken serpent.

"It is possible... that it can cause internal damage!" Florie shouted, tears streaming from the corners of her eyes from the pain, "It... it could kill us!"

"Then we must destroy it!" the leopard shouted in anger.

Taraji climbed unsteadily to her feet and shuffled towards the skull. As soon as she touched it to pick it up, she could feel the intense vibrations the sound was making throughout the whole of the crystalline artifact. It made it unpleasant to hold. She was determined to push past her discomfort and pick the thing up to throw it out the window at the very least. Then a strange thing happened.

The tones shifted, turning higher still, so high that neither could scarcely hear them anymore. The pain subsided, but not completely. Instead, it triggered a strange sort of paralysis. Taraji found she couldn't control her arms or legs any longer and collapsed onto the floor. Florie crawled her way towards the cat with extraordinary difficulty, concerned she might be hurt. She only managed half a meter before she lost the strength to overcome the paralysis. She rolled onto her back and shook violently as though she was in the midst of a seizure. Taraji's form quaked just as hers did. The two of them lay there, terrified that this might be how they died.

The view of the ceiling of Taraji's hut faded into darkness, leading them to believe they had lost consciousness, and yet they could still feel and hear the world around them. New images flooded their minds, impossible images, disjointed and confusing. It felt like a hallucination, though strange and more mechanical than any they had heard described before. It felt as though their minds were being guided through the images they were being shown.

Heat began to build in the snake's form, as well as the cat's. It wasn't the same sort of heat as one might feel standing in the sun or near a fire. This was a very different heat, one of desire. Florie opened her mouth and loosed a long, almost pained moan of need. Taraji was not far behind her, trying her best to remain as composed as she could muster. The images flashed through their minds faster and faster until at last they came to a sort of convergence, and with a flash, it all came to an end.

The tone had ceased. The images had gone. The paralysis was over.

Florie blinked and sat herself up, panting for breath. Taraji did so as well. There was so much to process, they could not begin to find the words to describe what they had just experienced. Both of them turned their gaze upon the crystal skull as it lay on the floor. There was no doubting it any longer. This belonged to a living being, and it somehow retained information that it passed on in some sonic fashion.

"I... I saw..." Florie gasped.

"Other places..." Taraji finished.

"Yes! Strange places! Tall buildings, or at least I think they were buildings, made of stone and glass!" the snake said breathlessly.

"I saw the bottom of a vast sea, with plants unlike anything I've seen before waving about in the current. There were creatures there, animals so foreign I could not begin to try and identify them!" the leopard trembled as she reached out towards the skull.

"I... I think... those were memories! I think we just saw this creatures memories!" Florie exclaimed.

"I saw shapes, shadows, possibly the creatures the skull belongs to. I could not make them out clearly, but they were gathered in a place... a room." the feline closed her eyes, trying desperately to recall the image.

"Yes, a room. It was round, and it had a very high ceiling. It had... strange looking desks spaced out in regular intervals, like a laboratory or... or a common study room. One whole wall was... a window I think. It looked like it was peering out at the night sky." the snake was having the same difficulty bringing it back to her mind's eye.

"I saw the same room, but I did not see the night sky. I saw a place, a landscape. There was a jungle, and mountains, jagged mountains, and waterfalls. It was beautiful." Taraji could recall the scene outside the window with remarkable clarity, to the point where it nearly brought her to tears.

It wasn't so much the beauty of it, though it was part of it. There was a sense of sorrow; a deep, painful grief that came with it that she could not understand. She pushed the image away, not wanting to feel such tragic agony.

"We have to try again." Florie finally said, lifting her gaze to the feline.

"Perhaps... but not now. I'm... I'm not ready to dare try again." Taraji was finally catching her breath, unable to look away from her reptilian counterpart.

It was then they both noticed the other side of the experience. Florie shivered and pushed her hands, balled up into fists, to her lap. She squeezed her thighs together as she was forced to gasp. Taraji was stricken with a similar urge, but she managed to contain herself better. She knew what this was, though the snake was less educated in such matters. She had heard of it, but never experienced it.

"Oh good lord! I... I feel like I'm on fire! I... I can't... I can't breathe! I... I need..." the serpent lady complained.

"Yes, I feel it too. I... I did not think... I would feel this again so soon." Taraji closed her eyes, trying to breathe in slow, even measures.

"What is it!? I feel like I'm about to explode! I need something! I don't know what it is!" Florie cried out desperately.

The leopard reached out, cupping a paw against the snake's cheek, trying to focus her attention. They locked eyes as a spark passed between them, making everything else fall away.

"You are in heat." Taraji said plainly.

"In heat!? But I'm a snake!" Florie balked.

"I do not understand it either. It is not time for me, but I am in heat as well. I... I cannot deny myself." the leopardess was struggling to stay composed.

"This... can't be possible! I don't... go into heat!" the coral snake writhed and moaned, "Oh good lord! I need... I need something! Anything! I have to stop it! I can't stand it!"

Florie continued to wriggle in her seat, rubbing her thighs back and forth. Taraji could already sense the scent of the serpent's arousal. It was incredibly strong. Far stronger than anything she had detected from any of the women back in the villages. And she knew she was in the same state.

"You will need to be satisfied, just as I will. You can try to deny it all you want, but it will be a long, unpleasant time before it finally passes." Taraji shivered as a chill raced up her spine. She was losing her grip on herself.

"It... it isn't proper! A lady does not do such things!" Florie whined, trying her best not to let her hands stray too near her groin.

"It must be done, or you will spend the entire time unable to think of anything but," Taraji said, never removing her hand from the snake's cheek, even as she allowed herself to delve into a territory she knew would likely be dangerous to tread, "I... could help you... if you wish."

The serpent's eyes widened and she wanted to back away, but she could not bring herself to pull away from the feline's touch. She found it oddly comforting and inviting. But she knew that was wrong. It couldn't possibly be done. Nothing was to be gained by it.

"I... I don't... it wouldn't be right." Florie stammered.

"You have never satisfied yourself before from the sound of it. Please. Let me help you. You can help me too." Taraji was practically begging now, scooting herself closer towards the heavy-chested snake.

Earlier, she had found it difficult to take her eyes off the ample swells. But now, she could only peer into Florie's eyes, as if they were the most important things to her.

"I can't... I mean... it wouldn't... how can... Why me?" Florie tried to derail the conversation, not realizing she sought the answer for a reason she had buried so quickly and deeply she had never even considered it possible, "Why did you rescue me? Why did you wait until it was me that needed rescuing?"

Taraji sighed, lifting her other paw to cup against Florie's other cheek. It was impossible for her to keep her mind hidden any longer. She had to speak the truth, open and honestly. Even if the risk of pain was so great.

"What I said was true. I rescued you because you were different. Because you were a woman. I did not mean that you were weak. I meant because... because... you are beautiful." the feline managed to confess.

Florie's eyes widened and her heart began to race. She lifted one of her own hands to cup against one of the paws holding her cheeks. She couldn't find words to respond with.

Taraji took her silence as an opportunity to continue, to just let it all spill out of her.

"I had seen you when you arrived two weeks prior. I thought you were beautiful then. When you were taken, I was filled with a hate and a rage I had not prepared myself for. I wanted to do terrible things to those men; savage, unforgivable things that would have me hunted like a wild beast by those seeking justice. I could not bare the thought of them taking advantage of you then leaving your body somewhere no one would find it until well after it was nothing but bones. The thought drove me mad. So I rescued you." the feline confessed.

"You... think I'm beautiful?" Florie whispered.

"Yes. I've never laid eyes on a more radiant creature. I am unable to drive you from my thoughts. And then you show me your mind, your curiosity for the world, your determination to uncover the truth. You have a strength most lack, strength of conviction and heart. I know I will never find another like you." Taraji lowered her voice, still moving closer, unable to stand the gap between the two of them.

"Are you... are you saying-" the snake cut herself off.

"I am saying that I love you, Florie McLaren. It is foolish to believe in such feelings so quickly after meeting someone, but I must speak honestly. And I wish to help you quench this fire burning inside you. Just as it burns inside me. I admit that I have had impure thoughts about you, and I understand that you may be put off by the notion of accepting the love of another woman, but I could not bare to go another moment without speaking it." the leopard spoke quickly.

It was Taraji's turn to feel her heart pounding in her chest. Her paws shook terribly, terrified that she might be scorned and snubbed. Florie opened her mouth to speak, but words would not come. She was overwhelmed. Never had anyone said such things to her before. She had resigned herself to remaining unattached to anything but her work and her passion for fanciful literature.

Now, she was looking into the eyes of someone who was infatuated with her. Her scientific mind was screaming at her, telling her this was the effect of whatever the skull had done to the both of them. It wasn't real. It was a fabrication. It could not possibly be anything but the heat driving them to this. But it was so very far away right now. So far that she couldn't hear it.

"I... I don't know what to say." Florie managed to stammer out.

"Do not say anything. Just let me help you find relief. Let me quench your fire." Taraji replied.

It was so strange a thought. The snake could not begin to imagine two ladies coupling in any fashion. And yet, she found herself drawn to this one. Taraji was strong, possessing physical prowess she had only really ever seen in men. But then she suspected her view was fairly narrow. Seeing what the leopard had accomplished told her she could likely overpower any male the snake knew. And that stirred something inside her she did not know was there.

Florie confessed she always enjoyed the cover images of the heroes in her novellas; the bulky, muscular men rescuing the damsel in distress. She even fantasized about being swept off her feet by one. And here, she had experienced exactly that but with a woman of the same caliber. And then there was the fact that Taraji had once been a botanist. A scientist. She understood the same laws of empirical truth as she did. And empirically, she could not deny the attraction that brought along with it. She wanted to be with this cat; as a colleague, as a peer, as a fellow woman of science.

Now, she found herself wanting to be with her as more than that. She couldn't stop her mind from drifting towards the inevitable now. The snake pressed forward as well, feeling her expanded chest brush against the feline's. Her voice failed her. She wanted to say something, but she didn't know what. It was such a difficult word to find. So much was in the way, keeping her from accessing it. But a flurry of new possibilities were blossoming in her mind, washing away the thoughts of old and replacing them with untold potential. What was that blasted word? If only she could find it.

Then she was prevented from speaking by a kiss. Taraji had leaned in and pressed her lips to the snake's. It was so delicate a thing, so soft and fleeting it was almost as if it had not happened. But the realization of it, and Florie's conclusion on the matter, washed away everything else. She couldn't think of anything. Not the skull. Not Andreevich. Not going home to her laboratory or her Penny Dreadfuls and dime store novels. There was only one thing on her mind, one thought, one word.

Yes.

That was it! Why had it been so difficult to find? Why was this so wrong? There wasn't anything wrong about it. They were two creatures seeking out one another's affection in their time of need. It couldn't be anything but pure biology. A drive to sate urges, nothing more. And it just so happened that this exceptional specimen of a woman wanted to bring her relief from the intense fires burning away inside her. Now that was sounding terrible. Why would she want the fire to go away? It meant the leopard would keep trying, keep pleasuring her, keep showering her in affection. It was a tragedy thinking about it ending.

But it would be glorious getting there.

Florie reached out with her arms and wrapped them around the feline, pulling the two of them closer. They kissed again, more passionately than before. What had once been a tender, brief contact became powerful and insistent. Their tongues met and danced about, swirling together as their hands began to roam about. Taraji kept one paw on the snake's cheek, slipping her fingers further along to help cradle her head. The other moved down to feel over the grand swell of one of Florie's breasts.

The leopard had not said earlier, but she found the change more appealing than she wanted to admit. The idea that it might be permanent had stirred something in her as well. It signified something to her; fertility, a readiness to bare young, and a willingness to engage in what would bring those young into being. And she wished to do so with her. The attention she showed the grand swell forced a trickle from the snake again, as well as a sharp inhale of a gasp through their kiss.

Florie shuddered at the contact. How was it that she had become so sensitive? It was such a powerful sensation that it made the fire between her legs flare so hard she almost screamed. She wanted more. She needed more. The serpent mashed herself in against the paw, even adding one of hers to help encourage her by lifting the mightily stretched garment she had squeezed into out of the way. There was no point in it anymore.

Nor was there any point in any of their clothing.

The two ladies ended their kiss as they frantically struggled to shed what garments they wore. There they crouched on their knees, gazing over one another, completely nude, appreciating curve and swell, muscle and sinew. They fought for breath as they pressed in against one another, scale and fur brushing past one another to create a new tingling delight neither wished to see stop.

Taraji slowly lowered her serpentine lover onto her back, kissing her again and again. The cat worked her way down the sleek frame, lavishing her with tender attention. Florie gasped as she felt the cat's lips grace her throat and collar with their presence, able to feel a gentle purr rumbling away just beyond them. How she wanted to be wrapped up in the purr, to feel it all around her. Then she felt Taraji move lower, exploring her vast, heavy bosom.

A new jolt of electricity passed through her, forcing the snake to bite back a new moan. All the added mass to her chest had somehow left her feeling so much more than she had in the past. The other side was feeling left out by now, so the coral snake lifted a hand to cup at the unattended breast. She squeezed and kneaded at it, feeling the milk she was laden with escape in a light squirt. The sensation was more intense than she expected. It had been such a tiny thing, but the newness of it was too much for her ignore. She kept going, hoping to trigger it again and again, feeling how it was pushing her towards orgasm.

Then she felt those glorious lips reach the nipple they were so very near. Taraji stopped there and dragged her tongue across the pert, erect flesh drooling its rich cream freely. Florie arched her back, then pressed a palm against the back of the feline's head. A happy growl came from the spotted woman as she was pressed into her lover's bust. She sealed her lips around the leaking nipple and suckled, even dragging her teeth against it briefly. The act was met with immediate cries of lust. Florie writhed on her back, squeezing her legs together as moisture glistened across her nethers.

That alone might have been enough to push the poor inexperienced serpent over the edge, but it was not all she would have assaulting her. The feline's fingers found their way below, stroking down across Florie's inner thigh. The touch brought a reaction she had not expected. She spread her legs, opening them as if simply knowing what they sought. And they sought it quickly.

The snake's quivering folds found themselves stroked by the feline. Florie's breath was rapid and ragged at this point. She could think of nothing but clinging to the cat pleasuring her. The lips and tongue working on her breast were unbelievably skilled. This wasn't Taraji's first time, clearly. She could have allowed this to continue for hours upon hours, until she was exhausted and unable to bring herself to move. But it was not to last. The leopard had other ideas.

The lips squeezing Florie's nipple vanished, leaving her to slump and whimper in disappointment. Then she felt Taraji kiss along her trim stomach. A new tingle raced through her as the anticipation of what was coming welled up inside her, swelling like a balloon threatening to pop. The rough cat tongue she had felt earlier traced down across her smooth scales before flicking across the very edge of her nethers. It forced her to squeeze her legs together instinctively. This didn't please the leopard.

"Hmm mmm." she purred smoothly, telling her no.

The strong lady's arms coaxed the snake's thighs apart. There was no forcing, no demanding of access, only a gentle convincing of the snake to relax. Florie wanted to, finding it difficult to keep them spread given the sensations. It was almost a reflex action, trying to close them up around whatever was there. Soon, she found she could mash them together enough to keep Taraji from getting away. That was a fine problem to have, she thought.

And then she was set on fire.

Taraji pressed her nose to the snake's groin, sealing her lips against the supple folds before her. It was a kiss similar to what Florie had enjoyed when the cat was laying face to face with her. Now it took on a whole new level of stimulation. She could not begin to describe it. Her voice was gone, caught in her throat, unable to sound out words or even noises. Her petals were gently parted by the inquisitive tongue she had let dance about in her mouth. If it could make her dizzy earlier, she could only imagine what would happen here.

She did not need to imagine. The leopard plunged her tongue past the soaked lips and explored beyond. The tender flesh found there was traced and teased so expertly. The rough texture dragged across Florie's interior as she writhed, wanting to scream but unable to. She pressed a hand down against the back of Taraji's head, encouraging her to mash her blunt snout against her flower. The other continued to knead at her chest, even pinching one of her engorged nipples. She was going to be a terrible mess by the end of this, and she didn't care.

The powerful rumble of the leopard's purr sank deep into the snake, setting the whole of her form stiff as she struggled for breath. It mystified the serpent how she had gone so long without knowing such pleasure. Even the racier novellas she had read only scarcely touched on this world, and never between two women. They did ill to prepare her for such contact. And Taraji clearly had partaken in such delights before. Now Florie wanted to know all of them. She wanted to live here, with the leopard, and learn as much as she could from her. About botany, about the jungle, about the cat herself, and about this glorious method of lovemaking.

As soon as the thought hit her, of spending her life with Taraji, she found her voice again. Florie threw her head back and screamed as her whole body shook violently. A stout splash coated the feline's muzzle, and yet Taraji did not stop. She only carried on. Were Florie in her right mind, she would have been concerned about the cat being able to breathe. She had not realized it, but the snake had wrapped her legs around her lover's neck. When had she done that? She didn't remember. She didn't care. She just wanted to stay locked into this moment forever.

The climax lasted only precious moments, but before she could recover fully, Florie felt it building all over again. Realizing what was happening, she threw herself into it all over again, not trying to resist or hold back to make it linger. A second wave washed over her in moments and she let a low, lusty moan fill the hut rather than a scream. The first had hit like a bolt of lightning. This felt like sinking into a warm tub, only instead of water, it was pleasure.

And still Taraji did not yield. Not for what felt like hours. When at last the leopard surfaced, panting and running her tongue across what of her muzzle she could reach, the sun shining outside told that it was closing in on noon. The light glistened across a few droplets of the snake's honey clinging to the feline's whiskers.

The leopard chuckled quietly, realizing how badly she had let herself get carried away and pulled away from the snake, but only enough to move up along her form, scoop her up, and carry her unsteadily to the cot. Carefully, she lay them both down and pressed in against the black, red, and yellow scaled woman fighting for breath. She slipped her arms around Florie's waist and pulled her close, spooning the exhausted serpent.

"Forgive me... I... I think I might have... overdone it... a bit." Taraji panted.

"It was... amazing." Florie managed to find the breath to say.

"I am glad. Now rest. We will have much to do." the leopard purred in her lover's ear.

Again, Florie was sent squirming gently by the rumble, aching to feel it spread through her, to wrap it around her like a blanket. There was no doubt about it now, she was smitten.

"Much to do? What for?" she asked, having forgotten everything else.

"You wished to understand the skull and its markings. We have much to do if we're going to solve the mystery," Taraji tightened her thick, powerful arms around the shorter serpent, "Together."

Florie shuddered at the word 'together', letting herself grin goofily as she squirmed, finding she wanted to feel as much of herself pressing against the feline as she could manage.

It was settled. She wasn't going anywhere without her cat. But there was still one thing bothering her.

"But... what about you? You satisfied me... I haven't done anything to help you yet." Florie turned her head, genuinely and deeply concerned for the lady holding her so close she felt she could have disappeared into her.

"Do not worry about me. I will be fine. Pleasing you is enough for now." Taraji pressed her nose into the snake's neck, inhaling the clean scent, reminding her of the laboratory she used to work in.

Florie nodded and permitted herself to relax. She was completely worn out. A short nap wouldn't hurt anything. And she had her cat holding her so close. It was too wonderful to say no to.

---

Ally watched closely, grinning broadly as Steve's cheeks steadily deepened redder and redder. She continued to run her three-clawed palms across his taut, swollen dome. The two bunnies were on the couch across from them. Harriet had covertly slipped a paw into her pants, unable to help but want to 'join in on the fun' in the book. Jenny hadn't bothered with subterfuge. She was reclined on the sofa, belly full of eggs atop her, paw delved into her panties, cooing and squirming.

"I think you've got the audience's attention, honey." the lady-rex said.

"I-I-I believe so." Steve squirmed, biting his lower lip.

"They're clearly enjoying it so far. What about you? Are you liking what you're reading so far?" Ally cooed, leaning in to press her lips to the bloated fellow's.

"It's... very good. Yes." the pregnant fellow rumbled, then shivered.

Ally leaned back, a hint of concern spreading across her face. The boy she had been teasing continued to shiver and shudder, before he finally sighed and relaxed back to the state he had been in just moments earlier. His blush remained as deep and powerful, before he jerked.

The lady looked down at his belly, her eyes widening as she felt the firm orb twitch. There was a subtle difference, not heavily pronounced, but certainly enough for her to notice. If she had taken her hands off him, she wouldn't have detected it. He had grown. His belly had expanded right there, under her claws. She had not done the usual things needed to bring him to orgasm, and yet he had done so somewhere along the line.

"Did you... just-" Ally's voice trailed off.

Steve nodded, looking quite bashful.

"I... I believe I did. I um... I... 'felt something'... while I was reading earlier." the egg-heavy t-rex said in a low voice, still shy about admitting such things.

"Interesting." Ally said slowly, an even bigger grin slowly spreading across her muzzle.

= = = = =

The round room from Florie's visions was dark. The floor was smooth but covered in strange shapes carved into the floor in such narrow and shallow grooves that they could hardly be felt underfoot. Taraji was with her as they wandered the chamber. All the strange desks and their attached chairs were just as they had always appeared in their visions. Standing before them, almost exactly in the center of the room, was a tall, grey shape. Neither could make out who or even what this shape was, and yet there was a strange sense of familiarity about them.

"Who are you?" Florie asked, her voice sounding distorted and dull in her ears.

The shape did not answer, but instead moved as if lifting an arm to point at her. The coral snake opened her mouth again to speak, but before she could, she found her breath taken away. Her body was filled with a sudden, intense jolt that sent her to her knees. It wasn't pain. Pain would have made her scream. This felt far more like what Taraji had shown her. And the source wasn't centered between her legs.

Florie moved both of her hands to her stomach and clutched at it, squeezing her eyes shut. As she knelt in place next to her feline companion, she felt pressure building up under her hands. Her clothing--what she could manage to squeeze her chest into--started to strain against her abdomen. Her stomach was growing. Rapidly.

The snake tried to voice her shock and fear, but she was suddenly without words. Nothing she wanted to say could escape her for some reason. And her belly simply continued to grow. The buttons on her blouse pulled tight, fighting to hold their ground until they all sprung off, one by one, in rapid succession. Her belly burst from under her clothes, spilling out against her thighs, large, round, and firm. And still it grew. In moments, the snake looked like she was due to give birth. The powerful jolt that had triggered all of this had morphed into a smolder, then began to blaze within her, making her tremble.

Then something moved inside her.

Florie gasped as she felt the stirring in her middle. It grew stronger as she continued to swell larger and larger. The dome expanded further, pushing her up until she was back on her feet, falling backwards into one of the chairs. The growth seemed to stop, leaving her so vast she would be unable to climb back to her feet without help. And she likely would have to waddle while dragging the huge gut she now possessed everywhere she might go. The motion grew stronger. Something was swirling about inside her, something alive. She looked over at the spotted cat to see Taraji was similarly afflicted, and panting in lust just as she was.

They were both pregnant, monstrously pregnant, and it felt glorious.

The grey shape approached the two of them, reaching out to the pair of enormously gravid ladies. Florie tried to speak again, but all she could command her voice to do was release a moan. Her nethers quivered and a mighty orgasm ripped through her as she finally failed to hold back the waves of deep, guttural pleasure washing over her. Taraji's voice reached her ears as the leopard roared in climax as well.

---

"Okay, this story just took a hard left turn." Steve blinked, looking back over the last couple of pages.

"Yeah it did! How did we get there? What's with this grey shape? And why the sudden bloating pregnant bellies?" Harriet asked.

"What, you have a problem with someone just suddenly and inexplicably finding themselves so pregnant they can't walk?" Ally tilted her head as she pressed against Steve's side.

"No, it just seems a little far fetched." the rabbit dipped her nose a little, worried she might have offended.

Ally dipped her nose as well, peering at the bunny over the top of her glasses. She gestured lightly to the very belly she had been caressing for practically the whole time Steve had been reading to the room.

Jenny just grinned, scooting in closer to her sister. She took one of Harriet's hands and brought it to her own swollen stomach.

"More far fetched than this, sis?" the gravid rabbit smirked.

"Okay, you have a point. But I'm still super confused here." Harriet turned to glance back at Ally, pulling her hand away from her sister's stomach.

It was still odd to her how Jenny had gotten that belly. She hadn't fully adjusted to the notion yet. And she would never admit to the tiny little inkling of envy hiding in the back of her mind.

"Well if everyone would stop interrupting and let the boy continue reading, we might find out what's going on." Ally laughed.

---

Florie opened her eyes to see the hut, dimly lit by the light of early morning. She yawned and adjusted her posture slightly, pressing back into the warm figure of the feline behind her. The familiar sensation of Taraji's chest against her shoulders comforted her, as did the arms wrapped around her stomach. It wasn't swollen, or heavy, or inexplicably writhing with life, but rather the same flat, trim shape it had been for as long as her memory served.

There was something that ought not be, though. She slipped a hand down to her groin, not needing to bother with navigating about any clothing. She had taken to sleeping naked. What she found was moisture between her legs, and now that she was awake, she could sense the inviting afterglow that came with what she believed she had felt while asleep. A goofy little grin spread across her snout and she just closed her eyes again, basking in the radiance of the moment.

"Good morning." the feline purred against the back of the snake's neck.

"Good morning to you too. Did you sleep well?" Florie asked, still sounding groggy.

"With you in my arms, I sleep better than I ever have," Taraji smiled, "You?"

"I slept well. I can't imagine going back to not having you holding me each night." the snake sighed dreamily.

"Is that something that might happen?" the feline lifted her head, a hint of concern in her voice.

"No," Florie quickly clarified, "No, I don't intend on going anywhere without you. I just find it remarkable how I could have slept without you nearby all those years."

Taraji smiled and pressed her lips against the snake's shoulder, then rest her chin on top of it and nuzzled into her beloved's cheek.

"And you will never have to, so long as I am able to have a say in the matter." the leopard whispered.

It had been two weeks since Florie's rescue from Andreevich and his men. Every night after that first morning, when they had discovered the skull's secret ability to create its tones, the two slept together. They had begun dreaming of the room from the visions, and the dreams were steadily becoming more vivid. They had shared what they had seen while asleep with one another. It was a shared dream, not in the sense that their minds were connected, but what they described to one another was similar enough that it was effectively the same dream.

For some time that morning the two ladies lay in the cot, the leopard holding the coral snake close. They had no desire to move. So they didn't, opting to let wakefulness slowly ease in on them while they lay together. The feline began stroking one of her paws over the serpent's trim middle, feeling one of the scaled lady's arms in a posture she didn't usually feel. She followed it until she found Florie's hand cupped against her groin. Taraji grinned and gently massaged over the back of the palm down below.

"Did you have the dream again?" the leopard pressed her hips forward, bumping against the base of the snake's tail.

"I did. It was powerful this time. It felt so real." Florie replied.

"It was for me as well. If it were not for this mystery, I would simply let myself enjoy these dreams and not be concerned." Taraji propped herself up on an elbow, looking across the room at the skull on her workbench.

The few rays of the morning light that had managed to filter in made the crystal artifact glisten. What had once been a dark, foreboding sense of tension had been replaced with curiosity and a strong compulsion to unlock the secrets it held.

The dark snake yawned and sat up, a little wobbly on one arm before managing to get all the way upright. She had started to acclimate to her new bust, but it was still quite heavy. From time to time, she felt like she had come close to tipping over, but then the rest of the effects of the berries started to make themselves known. The desired result was to make a woman produce milk, specifically so she could nurse an infant, but the necessary biological changes that brought that about also yielded other changes. Her hips had broadened, and her thighs had grown along with it. Her figure had shifted from a slim, slender, trim form that was common among snakes to that of a woman who could be defined as 'motherly'.

Initially, Florie had objected. The changes had resulted in her clothes no longer fitting. That was really her only complaint. Often, she found herself wandering about the hut in the nude. Taraji's 'training bra' as the archeologist had com to call it was no longer necessary since the two had become lovers. The feline had opted to join her lover in this shift in fashion. It gave them both a great deal to see and appreciate about one another. Taraji had even opted to try experimenting with the berries herself, wanting to see if the effects were indeed permanent.

At least, that had been her excuse.

While that was what was said aloud, the two ladies agreed that if Florie was to have such assets, why not Taraji as well? The results were rather pleasant. On more than one occasion, the serpent lady found herself wanting to bury herself in the leopard's bosom. Taraji welcomed the adoration. In just two short weeks, the two had learned a great deal about one another, exploring each other's forms and sharing their knowledge. It was incredible how academically compatible they were. They truly were kindred spirits. And the passion they shared with one another only deepened the connection that had begun to form on that first morning.

"We'll figure it out, then we can put this whole messy business behind us and never have to worry about those monsters and whatever it is they're after." Florie sighed as she stared at the skull.

Taraji sat up as well, pulling the snake into her lap, wrapping her arms around the woman's augmented curves. She had found Florie beautiful before, but now, with this matronly figure, she could not help herself but want to embrace her, hold her close.

"When this is all over, will you want to return home to the UEC?" the cat asked, having dreaded hearing the answer.

"Perhaps," Florie said, quickly melting into her lover's embrace all over again, relishing feeling the leopard's powerful legs under her, "But only to tend to a few matters that need addressing, closing out certain things. I shouldn't expect to be there longer than a week or two to tender my resignation. They would never approve extended field study, and I doubt you want to return to the city. Since that is the case, I should like to make arrangements to make this my home. If you'll have me."

"I already have you, my dear. I am only pleased to know that you wish to have me as well." Taraji said.

"Well, after we sort this all out, I will only be gone for a short while. And when I return, we will never part company for the rest of our days," the snake paused, turning her head to look over her shoulder, "That is, unless you are not opposed to coming back to Europe with me while I tend to my affairs."

The leopard paused and thought on this for a time, then pressed her muzzle against her snake's shoulder again, rumbling deep in her throat.

"If it would mean not having to suffer your absence, then I would follow you anywhere, so long as we return here when it is all done." Taraji said.

Florie smiled and leaned back into the cat as strongly as she could, giggling quietly.

"We shall cause a sensation, the two of us. We'll be the talk of the town! Father will likely be ever so cross. He's been trying to pair me with a suitor of his design. They're all so brutish and... bigoted. Imagine the look on his face when I introduce you to him as my companion." the snake grinned, then thought on her words for a moment.

"Yes, your companion. To that end, I was hoping I might give you something." Taraji released the snake, but did not move to stand.

"Just a moment." Florie said, lifting a hand to gently silence the feline.

Taraji froze, suddenly feeling perhaps she had gone a little too far, too fast for the snake.

"I'm sorry. Have I--" she was cut off.

"The talk of the town," Florie repeated, "Do you recall anything strange? About the dream? Anything different about it this time?"

The feline frowned and wrapped her arms back around the snake's middle, resting her chin on the lady's shoulder once more.

"Anything different? I'm not sure what you mean." she said confusedly.

"Did you try to speak? It doesn't matter what you said so long as you tried to speak." Florie stood, but only briefly, turning around and settling back into Taraji's lap so that their chests pressed against one another.

The resulting leaking of milk would need to be cleaned up, but then that was part of the fun of their contact anymore. The cat frowned, wrinkling her forehead slightly as she failed to understand where this line of questioning was going.

"Speak? Yes, I believe I did. Why do you ask?" Taraji canted her head to one side.

"Did it sound odd to you? Muffled somehow?" Florie's voice was starting to take on that excited tone she got when she was on the verge of something important.

"Come to think of it, yes. It did. Almost as if... I was... under..." the leopard's voice trailed off as her eyes started to widen.

She was coming to the same conclusion that the snake was.

"Almost as if you were underwater!" Florie lifted her hands to take hold of the leopard's cheeks, "The skull! It's a cetacean skull and it possesses structures designed to intone sounds when you push air through it! We've been having a difficult time comprehending the images it gives us every time we listen! What if it's meant to be listened to underwater!?"

"Of course! The sound would move differently through water than it does through air! It's moving too quickly here! Perhaps if we listened to it in the water, it might slow it down for us to understand!" Taraji tightened her arms around the snake, now just as excited as Florie.

The two pressed against one another, locking themselves into a deep, passionate kiss. They remained joined for several moments, letting themselves indulge in a little morning passion before they realized how carried away they were getting. The snake pulled back, gasping for air as soon as she was able to. Oh how she hated having to break it off, just as they were about to tumble back onto the cot for whatever glorious pleasure they might show one another.

"You've no idea how badly I want to do this, but the skull... the sooner we master this mystery, the sooner we can be rid of it, and then nothing will need interrupt us again." the coral snake said, almost whining as she did so.

"Of course you're right," Taraji sighed, pressing her forehead to the serpent's, "If I am not careful, I may pin you down and keep the both of us moaning until the sun sets. Go fetch the skull. I will lower the rope and meet you on the ground."

The two shared another all-too-brief kiss, then parted most hesitantly. It ached needing to separate when they were so desperate for one another's touch. That blasted skull occupied too high a place among their priorities. Florie collected the artifact, wrapped it in a cloth and strapped it to her back. She grinned a little as the portion that crossed over her front sank into her cleavage, nestled securely between her ample, full breasts.

Just two weeks ago, she had thought the idea of being shaped as she was now to be something repellant. Now, with Taraji adoring her new full figure, she couldn't imagine being anything else. And seeing the cat willingly, happily increase her own bust size to match only brought giddiness to her. She turned and pushed the cloth covering the hut's entry aside and stepped out onto the deck. The rope Taraji had prepared was already dangling down towards the ground. The first couple of times using it had been frightening, but Florie had quickly adapted, especially with the feline's encouragement.

The two ladies were on the ground in no time and moving through the jungle. The loam had once presented Florie with concerns about her feet. She was sure she would never be able to walk barefoot without complaining, wincing in pain, or shrieking as she almost stepped on some insect. Now, it was no trouble to her at all. Again, Taraji's encouragement and coaching on how to move made all the difference.

They reached the nearest source of water in short order. It was a river, wide and slow moving. Its waters were crystal clear and the most beautiful turquoise blue. The first time Florie had come to bathe here, she could scarcely believe the breathtaking splendor. Now, while she still felt the same awe and appreciation for such natural wonders, she was driven to set the grandeur aside in order to solve the puzzle before her. A brief discussion was had about how to accomplish the task, and it was agreed that simple was probably best.

Both ladies waded into the cool waters, sinking in until they could feel the river kissing just under their breasts. Florie handed the skull to Taraji, letting her do the honors. It had only taken a few days for the two ladies to learn that they did not need the bellows, but that they could blow into the skull's mouth and achieve the same result. And they had done so multiple times.

Each time they triggered the intense, high pitch ton, they received more visions, more images. But it had all been so disjointed and confusing they had a difficult time retaining anything of substance. And usually they were driven back into a powerful heat for some reason. They had stopped complaining after the first time. Now, they were hoping for something they could comprehend.

Taraji pressed her lips to the skull's slightly agape mouth and breathed hard into it. It felt akin to breathing life back into a drowning victim, but only if they were made of crystal. The tones began to sound, quickly ramping up until the two ladies scrunched their faces up in discomfort. The headache still came, but they had adjusted to it. The discomfort that came with the sounds had been so strong the first time, then quickly eased down on each subsequent use. Now, it was as mild as listening to an off-key opera singer.

Without ceremony, the two kicked their legs out from under themselves and sank down into the water. The cool current washed over them as they settled onto the bottom. Almost immediately, they were able to tell the experiment's result was what they had hoped for. The skull trembled in Taraji's paws, but it wasn't unpleasantly violent. It was a strong vibration but not so much that it hurt to hold onto. And the sound had changed considerably.

What had been an almost impossible to endure noise the first time was now the most melodious, most wondrous sound either could imagine. Words did not exist to describe the power of its beauty. The two ladies looked to one another as they shared a smile of revelation. They had been right. And within moments, their vision faded, replaced with the sight of the round room they had seen before.

No flashing clusters of images came. No intense emotional impressions rocked them about. It was as if they had been transported to another place. It was as if they were physically there. Florie looked around as she stepped forward, approaching the large window that took up one whole side of the room.

"Be careful," Taraji said, stopping as she realized how odd her voice sounded, "We are still in the river. Try not to speak or you may drown."

She had intended to warn the serpent that moving may alter their position in the river, meaning they could slip and fall, or in some other way hurt themselves. But her voice reminded her of a more present concern.

It did indeed sound as though she were speaking while submerged. In fact, that was exactly what was happening. Florie nodded and turned to walk back to the leopard, taking her hand in hers. She wanted to shout with glee. The details were so much clearer. She felt so much more readily able to retain the knowledge this time. Then, as she turned to look behind, she recoiled in surprise, suppressing the urge to gasp. She didn't want to take in a lungful of water after all. Taraji turned as well, becoming instantly tense as she saw what had startled her lover.

It was the grey shape.

It was still just as ill defined as ever, but it was there. It stood so very tall, at least one full head taller than the leopard. And though they could not see a face or any features, it was clear that it was looking at them.

"You have come so very far. Please, I need your help. You hold the power to give life. I beg you to bring it to me." the figure said.

It was a heartbreaking voice, one possessing elegance, grace, and an unfathomable sorrow. Florie and Taraji both wanted to speak purely out of instinctive reaction. But they hesitated. The river was unforgiving to those who tried to breathe it without gills.

It quickly became clear they wished to speak, to ask something, but could not, so the formless shape continued.

"Look well and remember. This is where I will be waiting. Its location has weighed heavily on my mind. You will know what to do when you find it." the voice said.

The room shifted, taking all three from its confines to another location. They were in the jungle, but a very different jungle from what Taraji had become so used to seeing. They stood on a cliff overlooking a sprawling valley. It was unlike any valley either lady had heard of before. It was circular, like a vast crater. Perhaps an ancient volcano had created it eons ago. The perimeter was ringed with craggy spires of rock reaching out over the edge like gently curved teeth. Then, they moved again, sinking into the crater at great speed, stopping before the mouth of a cave. Moss and vines hung down over it, concealing it but only partially.

There came a wind that pulled the two ladies towards it, as if this cave were the mouth of some enormous creature and they were being breathed in. Darkness consumed them and in a flash, they were no longer amidst the vision. Florie and Taraji were back in the river. They jerked their heads to look at one another, eyes so wide they might have popped out of their skulls. They had not moved from where they sat. It had all been an elaborate hallucination. And their lungs were burning, screaming for air.

With a hard kick off the sandy riverbed, the two broke the surface and inhaled deeply of the fresh, clean air. Once they had satisfied their need to breathe, they allowed their jubilation to spill over.

"That was incredible!" Florie cried.

"It felt as though we were actually there!" Taraji nodded enthusiastically.

"She wants us to come to her. We have to go. We have to!" the snake bounced on the balls of her feet.

"Yes, we must. But... where is this place? I have lived in this jungle for years and never have I found such a valley." the leopard frowned, feeling stymied once again.

"She said the location had been weighing heavily on her mind. Do you recall? The location weighed on her mind. She made sure to say it exactly like that. There is some significance to that." Florie spoke aloud as she puzzled away.

"Perhaps it is a metaphor. Do you think she is referring to the markings on the skull? Are they perhaps a description of how to find this valley? Like a pirate's treasure map?" the feline lifted the crystal artifact out of the water, peering at the side of the oblong skull curiously.

"A description of how to find it. Like a map," Florie began to bounce and raise her voice again, "Like a map! How could I have been so dull!? The markings are a map!"

"But if we cannot translate them, then how can we read the map?" Taraji had a point.

In all the time Florie had devoted to trying to piece together the meaning of the markings, she had only produced gibberish. Now, however, she seemed rejuvenated.

"I've been looking at it all wrong! They are not words! They are numbers! Coordinates! Like on a map!" the snake lifted her arms overhead in a victorious pose.

Taraji was similarly invigorated by the revelation and turned to wade back to the shore as quickly as she could, possessed by a drive to finally bring this whole matter to a close.

"I have a map back in the hut! Hurry!" she cried out.

Florie followed without hesitation.

= = = = =

The ladies didn't bother to dry off. They hurried back to the hut, climbed back up the rope, and Florie got to work. Taraji meanwhile coiled the rope back up on the deck so it would not hang down for anyone to see and try to climb. The snake began making a new copy of the markings on the sides of the skull, quickly going through her usual practice while attempting to translate something. In a matter of minutes, she had a collection of numbers, several collections in fact. There were a number of possible meanings she had not sorted out yet, so she opted to simply try all of them and see which ones made the most sense.

"There is something that concerns me," Taraji said quietly after stepping into the hut, "How do we know these coordinates will be at all like our system? They may use a completely different system of measurement."

"That has been bothering me as well. For all we are able to determine, this skull may have belonged to a people with a radically different system of cartography. But they were intelligent and advanced enough to have them, so we can make certain assumptions," Florie was talking rather quickly, feeling like she was on the verge of something terribly important, "We can assume they understand the concept of the equator, so we can assume that latitude will be similar to our own. Longitude will be the tricky part. We use the Prime Meridian, but this race may have used something else."

"So we can guess north and south with relative ease. But east and west are something of a mystery still." the leopard frowned, pulling up a second stool she had fashioned just a few days after Florie arrived.

"We can take what we know and extrapolate," the snake turned to look at her feline companion, "What do we know about the location we're trying to find?"

"It is in a jungle, and there are mountains." Taraji lifted a paw and pointed to the serpent, seeing where she was going.

"Exactly! So we can rule out the extremes in latitude, nothing above or below twenty-three point five degrees north and south. That gives us a narrow band of the world to work within. Now we restrict the areas based on whether or not there are mountains like what we saw." Florie gestured for the cat to find the map.

The spotted lady withdrew it from its resting place and helped stretch it out on the workbench. There was a short discussion about whether or not it was permitted to mark directly on it. Given they had multiple calculations to make, Florie opted to make use of the tracing paper Taraji had been kind enough to procure on the rare trips into town she made for supplies. She began scribbling and crossing out entire sections based on what she knew of the geology of those regions.

There were several assumptions to be made, and adjustments that followed to adjust for incorrect guesses. Several hours passed while the two worked back and forth, then Florie hit on an idea. Perhaps a race so advanced might know of the difference between the true north pole and the magnetic north pole. That might give them a reference point to start from. Excited by this notion, the snake began drawing vertical lines, making a thick, dark one where the north pole and magnetic north pole made a line joining the two. She had a reference point where the new 'Prime Meridian' and equator intersected. Now she just needed the scaling.

Several attempts were made to try and isolate the point the numbers she had calculated led to. Taraji remained quiet for much of the time, only offering what knowledge she could when she felt it might be relevant. The work had been so all consuming that both ladies had forgotten to eat anything as they toiled away. Then, as the sun was beginning to kiss the horizon, Florie put her pencil down and stared at the map.

There were a collection of lines, marks, crosses, and notes, many of which were scribbled through, but there was one that stood out. She could not explain it, but there was something about it that simply felt right. Perhaps the skull had imparted some sense of subconscious awareness, that she would know it when she saw it.

"I... I think I have it." Florie stammered quietly.

Taraji climbed to her feet and peered down at the map, spying the location in question. It triggered the same sense of 'rightness' in her as it had in the snake.

"Yes... yes, I believe you are correct! That must be it!" the leopard took hold of her beloved's shoulders and jostled her gently with enthusiasm.

"It makes sense! It isn't too far from the ocean, which a cetacean would want to be near. It has the topography that would allow for such a unique location. It's a jungle that has been largely unexplored by modern science. And given what I overheard while I was in the company of Andreevich and his men, the skull was found not far from the edges of the region these coordinates point to." the snake felt a great sense of relief wash over her, as though she had been on the verge of falling into madness should she be unable to interpret the location.

"And as it happens, that is not too far a journey from here. Two weeks or so on foot." Taraji nodded, feeling the same sense of relief.

"We could be done with this whole ordeal in so little time. I cannot begin to express how happy the very thought of that makes me!" the snake stood and threw her arms around the feline.

The two spun about together as they laughed, feeling a true sense of accomplishment at long last. Their spirits were so lifted they felt nothing could bring them down.

The tree shook violently, bringing the happy couple to stop and look about the hut in alarm. The tree shook again, enough to jostle clay pots and jars off the shelves. Then came a stomach-twisting sensation of motion as the world started to slide sideways.

"The tree is leaning!" Taraji shouted.

She raced outside to the deck and peered down towards the ground. With the sun at so shallow an angle, there was far less light than she needed to make out the forest floor clearly. But she could see torches, five of them. There were voices coming from those who held them. And one was swinging their arms about, slamming something into the trunk. The leopard did not need to see clearly to know who they were and what they were doing now that she could see hints of their efforts. She raced back inside and shoved open her trunk, beginning to fish around for something inside.

"What is it? What's happening!?" Florie cried out.

"Andreevich and his men have found us! They are chopping down the tree! It will fall in moments! Get the skull! We are leaving! Now!" Taraji shouted.

Panic struck the poor serpent. She darted back to the workbench and scooped up the skull, wrapping it back up in the cloth satchel she had carried it in to the river. With it slung over her shoulder as it had been earlier, she turned back to the feline who was donning a similar pouch of her own. What it carried was impossible for the snake to guess. She had not watched the feline pack it.

"What do we do? We can't climb down. They'll catch us for sure." Florie was breathing rapidly, her heart racing, but her voice was oddly calm.

"We must escape into the trees. If we fall with the hut, we will surely die." the leopard took hold of her beloved's shoulders again.

A new terror gripped the feline. She could not let the men below capture them. They would surely do all manner of unspeakable things to the both of them. She would be able to endure whatever they did to her before finally taking her life. That did not matter to her. What made her feel sick to her stomach was the thought of them torturing, raping, and killing the serpent she had fallen in love with. She could not bare the thought of Florie being subjected to their cruelty. It emboldened her to push her mind towards clarity. She needed to reason her way through the peril, and not let fear rule her.

"I assume you've a plan?" the snake asked, having thought the cat would be prepared for such an eventuality.

"I do actually. Come." Taraji turned and looked to a section of the ceiling that had looked no different from the rest.

The tree tilted further, making the floor slant at an even greater angle, threatening to spill the ladies onto the wall. Everything that had been on the far side of the hut slid towards the lower end. Much of it broke and spilled about. The leopard growled seeing her home being destroyed, but she could not let her rage blind her. She walked up the slanted wall and pushed on the ceiling, revealing a trap door--a hatch one might have called it--that led out onto the thatched roof.

The feline climbed out onto the open surface, struggling to stay atop it, then reached in to help pull Florie out. The snake followed without hesitation, and soon they were huddled together, holding one another as the sounds of the men barking orders below sent chills up their spines. The tree tilted further, threatening to spill them off the roof, but they held fast. As it jerked to a halt, just on the verge of falling, the fire bowl inside tipped out of its containment, spilling ash and cinders everywhere. The smoldering embers immediately lit the dry thatching of the walls and a small blaze began to burn away. If it had not been for the neighboring trees and their limbs, the whole structure would have collapsed by now, but those limbs were reaching the point where they could hold no more.

Taraji, sensing that they had only seconds, took hold of a vine amidst a nest of them they were falling into, slashed at it with her claws, then beckoned for Florie to take hold of her. The snake did as she was ordered, clinging tightly to the feline, and the two jumped. The vine held fast, giving them both a strong tether to swing with. As if the tree had been holding out just long enough for them to make their escape, the instant their feet left the thatched roof, the whole mass creaked, splintered, and fell in a terrible, thunderous noise.

It was a heartbreaking sound, one of anguish, not just for the poor, healthy tree that had once stood proud amidst its peers, but for Taraji, losing the only place she had known to be home for so very long. All her research, her cures, her belongings, all came crashing down to the ground as the blaze began to spread. The ladies took refuge in a neighboring tree, remaining concealed among the branches and foliage. They were well hidden from the men below. Night was coming at a most fortuitous time to cloak the both of them.

"Search the hut! If they are alive inside, bring them out! If they're dead, let them burn!" Andreevich shouted.

The pack of dogs began rummaging through the ruins of Taraji's house, tossing out anything that did not appear to be of any importance. The feline's lips curled as she bared her teeth, wanting so badly to dive down on them, screaming as she crashed down on the nearest one to deal death for this act of violence against her and the jungle she loved.

"Hey boss! There's some sorta notes in here! Come see!" shouted one of the dogs.

Andreevich stumbled his way through the wreckage, avoiding the small flames that were threatening to spread in short order. He reached the other canine and perused what he had been shown and snatched it out of the flunky's paws.

"They're not here! We're moving out!" the alsatian barked angrily.

The men began to pull back as the fire grew worse, destroying the hut completely. Blessedly, many of the solutions Taraji had been storing had splashed about, preventing the fire from getting too large, too quickly, preventing the blaze from spreading to the surrounding jungle, at least for a time. Thunder rumbled loudly above and the feline began slowly climbing down the tree. Florie followed carefully. When they were both on the ground, they watched as their shared home was consumed by fire little by little. Then, as if the jungle was trying to protect itself, it began to rain.

Though it had not been enough to save the hut or its contents, it had saved the rainforest from suffering an untimely wildfire. There was small comfort in that for the leopard. She reached into her pouch and retrieved a pair of lightweight cloaks meant specifically to guard against the rains that were so common here. Florie slipped hers on as Taraji did. The two gazed at one another, both wanting to say something, but neither could find the words.

Andreevich had the map. He knew where to go. There was no time to mourn.

"We are in a race now. He has the coordinates and where they lead, but he does not know what exactly to look for. On that front, we have the advantage." Florie finally managed to find the will to say.

"I want him and his men to suffer for this. I wish I were a savage, so that I could sink my teeth into that man's throat and actually savor the act." Taraji growled low in her throat, turning back to watch the fire that had destroyed her home hiss as the rains extinguished it.

"I know. And he will get his comeuppance. But for now, we need to move. We cannot afford to travel on foot any longer. I'm sorry my dear, but we are going to need to make use of the very modernity you so strongly dislike if we are to beat him." the snake rest a hand on the feline's shoulder.

No more words came after that. The two simply turned away from the hut and began walking. The darkness of night and the sound of the rain concealed both sight and sound of them. It was a blessing in disguise, though it did make travel more difficult. An hour's walk saw the ladies reach the edge of the small town Florie had been rescued from only two weeks prior, and the memory of what had happened was still fresh in her mind.

She had not come back--not even with Taraji for supplies--for fear that Andreevich or his men might spot her and give chase, possibly even shoot her on sight. Now, there was no choice to be had. They needed to make use of what the settlement offered. The snake had formulated a plan, and that required them to be dressed in a more appropriate fashion. So they first located a clothing store near the outskirts they could slip into with relative stealth.

The door was closed behind them and both ladies pulled their hoods back, soaked head to toe, their feet caked with mud.

"I'm sorry but I'm going to have to ask you ladies to leave. It is nearly closing time and you are making a terrible mess of my store." called out a haughty lizard, a middle-aged man who clearly held himself in especially high esteem.

Taraji was prepared to pounce the scaled fellow and beat him senseless given what she had been through tonight. Florie meanwhile managed to stop her and take a more diplomatic approach.

"Oh please forgive us! We are terribly sorry for the dreadful mess! I know it's an awful imposition both to have to clean and that you are so close to closing down for the night, but, we are in desperate need of your help!" the snake put on her absolute best 'damsel in distress' voice, thinking she might be able to prey upon his sense of gallantry.

Really, they were indeed desperate for such kindness, so she felt only a slight tinge of displeasure for using such a method.

"Whatever it is you are in need of, it is not to be found here! Now please leave!" the lizard lifted an arm, pointing to the door as he stepped forward, trying to shoo the two of them out.

Florie tugged her cloak down further, revealing her shoulders and a generous portion of her cleavage.

"Please, kind sir. We were trying to get home when the rain started. We both slipped and fell in the mud and ruined our clothes. We could scarcely move in them. We were forced to disrobe and travel in nothing but our cloaks. We need clothing, and a place to clean up," Florie twisted back and forth on her feet, trying to look as innocent as she could over the tops of her spectacles, "You wouldn't turn two ladies in need away on a night like this would you?"

The lizard could not help but glance at the snake's chest, then he blushed strongly at the insinuation that both of the ladies before him wore nothing but their cloaks.

Before he could say anything in response, Florie stepped closer, her eyes locked with his, her nose dipped low in a submissive gesture.

"Please, we are cold and lost. No inn would have us if we approached as we are. We need your help." she said.

"We can pay you handsomely for your generosity." Taraji finally spoke up, lifting a coin purse she had managed to smuggle out of the hut before they escaped.

The prospect of money and the mental image of both of the ladies naked broke down the lizard's surly nature and he gave in, ushering the two of them back into the back.

"Oh alright. This way, this way. I'll show you to a place where you can clean up and then we'll see about getting you both dressed," he grumbled a little, "But what in heaven's name were the two of you doing out in the jungle after dark, and in the middle of a storm?"

An hour later, Florie and Taraji left the shop, dressed, cleaner than when they went in, and feeling more civilized than when they arrived. They even helped the poor lizard clean the muddy tracks they had brought in. It had been a challenging evening for the shopkeeper. Altering clothing to fit such figures was not necessarily his specialty, but he managed. And with relatively few comments. Though his face was bright red almost the entire time. Once or twice, he had accidentally caught a glimpse of the ladies while they were more uncovered than really he should have been allowed to see.

They knew he had seen more than he should, but neither had the heart to scold him for it. Florie saw it as part of his reward for being kind enough to assist them.

The next stop was the train station. With any luck, they might catch the last train out for the night. It didn't matter where it was going, they simply needed to leave town immediately. And as luck had it, they were able to board just before it departed. And as it happened, while it wasn't going exactly where they needed to go, the detour would only cost them a relatively small amount of time. It might be a quick enough leap from town to town to keep ahead of Andreevich and Craft.

Taraji, while she preferred to eschew civilization, had no trouble whatsoever in paying extra for a private compartment--first class--so they could be alone. And she had money enough to cover the expense, as well as the clothing they had been lucky enough to lay hands on. They slipped out of their cloaks to reveal their new wardrobe and began settling in.

Florie had opted for simple, loose-fitting shirt. At least it would have been had it not been for what the berries had done to her, not that she minded any longer. It had a basic pattern to it to prevent it from looking too plain, and she had chosen to pair it with a pair of dark brown trousers she only just managed to squeeze into. The blue scarf she had tied loosely around her neck was an indulgence she had permitted herself, to keep the ensemble from looking too much like she had stolen something from a men's shop.

Taraji had no real care for how she looked. She had picked a rough, white button-down shirt, khaki trousers that hugged just as closely at her hips and thighs as the snake's, and a dark leather coat that she knew would never close around her chest. It didn't matter to her if it did or not. And to satisfy her own indulgence, she opted for an article of clothing she would never have selected except to try and conceal her identity a bit further. It was a hat--a fedora--rough and dirty looking, with a wide brim all the way around. It clearly was meant for a man, but she didn't care. It might throw off any prying eyes looking for a leopard and a snake traveling together.

Granted there was only so much that could be done to conceal how generously proportioned they had become. But it would have to do.

When the train was finally moving, and the two ladies had eased down a bit from the tension that had been flowing through them since the first jostle of the hut, they could finally unpack what had happened.

"At the next stop, we can exchange lines to take us where we need to go. We'll be heading a bit out of our way, but we can make up the time easily enough." Florie said, trying her best to relax in her seat.

Taraji sat next to her, fidgeting as she stared at her hands. Everything she knew was gone, and she was having a more difficult time dealing with it than she let on.

"Good. Hopefully we will arrive before Andreevich and we can pay him back for what he has done." the feline managed to say without snarling.

Florie sensed the hostility radiating off her lover. One would have to be blind to have not seen it. A change of subject was in order, she felt.

"So, you have quite a bit of money to your name, it seems." the snake crossed her legs, turning to face the cat properly.

The tactic proved effective, permitting Taraji a moment to think of something other than the vengeance she wished to exact.

"Yes. My family was wealthy. It was how I was able to go to university to become a botanist. I did not like how my father was spending his fortune, using it to benefit the unscrupulous. So, I wanted nothing to do with his business. After he passed away, he left it all to both my sister and me." Taraji explained.

"You have a sister?" Florie smiled, leaning in closer.

"We do not speak. She is well to do, preferring the socialite lifestyle. I do not fault her for the choice, but I do not enjoy the company she keeps. I granted her the majority of the wealth and kept only a small sum for myself, enough to survive on out here in the jungle. I do not need much." the feline continued.

"Well, you clearly have enough to afford some very fine things indeed. If I counted correctly from what little I was able to see, you've enough in that little coin purse of yours to cover my yearly salary back home at least three times over." the snake grinned quite broadly.

"Then you must not be paid very much, which is a terrible shame." Taraji finally turned to look her companion in the eyes.

"True, that is a fair point. Granted the university also assumed the expense of my lodging and a number of other things not included in my pay, but it's still a tidy sum. And it came in handy at our moment of need." the scaled woman smiled, resting a hand on top of the cat's arm.

"That it did. I am not fond of this method of travel, but it will be brief. And soon it will all be over and done with." the leopard breathed out a sigh, trying to calm herself down.

"Yes, and when it is, we can live wherever we wish. We can build a new hut, one that is a little bigger so that we aren't constantly stepping on each other." Florie scooted herself closer.

"You would still live out in the jungle with me?" Taraji sounded slightly surprised.

"I would live anywhere with you. And if you do not want to go to the big city, or even the trading posts that are at the very borders of civilization, then that leaves the jungle. I found our little hut surprisingly comfortable, given what I was accustomed to before. But then I suspect the company made it far more appealing than being alone in my little hotel room." the serpent squeezed her feline's arm gently.

"Yes. Company does make a profound difference. These last two weeks have been some of the happiest I can recall. If you wish to build a new house up in the trees with me, I would gladly welcome it." the cat began to smile, finally feeling the ache in her heart start to ease.

"Then it's settled. We'll finish this business with the skull, then find a new place to call home, and build an even better hut. You can teach me all about the process. I'm familiar with many of the techniques used by tribes all over the world, but I've not actually any hands-on experience with it. I'm excited to learn." Florie leaned in and offered the leopard a kiss on the cheek.

"Then I will teach you how," Taraji nodded, "And then, when we are finished, we can spend our days in bed together, without a care in the world."

"That sounds marvelous," the coral snake sighed happily, then tilted her head curiously, "You know, that does bring up something that's been gnawing at me. Usually, whenever we used the skull to experience the visions it gives us, normally we are left deeply in need of gratification. For some reason, it always leaves us lusting for release. And yet, this last time, when we were in the river, there was nothing."

"I found that odd as well, but I did not question it. Perhaps we had experienced it so much that we have become desensitized to it." the feline reigned her thoughts in, keeping them from straying too close to what had kept her upset and unpleasant to be around for the last few hours.

"Perhaps, though the dreams are certainly having a profound effect on us," Florie paused again, recalling what they had discussed when they woke up that morning, "You had said something before I interrupted you with the idea of dropping the skull in water. You said you had something you wished to give me."

A soft blush filled Taraji's cheeks and she nodded, gently coaxing the snake to push away so they could face one another.

"Yes, yes I did. I was hoping to find a more appropriate time to do this, but given the danger we are in, I see no point in delaying any longer," the leopard reached up, slipping her paws behind her own neck, and unfastened her necklace, "This is a stone my father found during his first expedition to the wilds on this continent. He gave it to me when I was very small and I have kept it ever since, because it reminds me of a simpler time. He called it 'the heart of the jungle' and it always fascinated me. I can remember conjuring such stories about the significance of the stone, that it belonged to some powerful tribe where it was used for ceremonies and the like."

"And... you're giving it to me?" Florie gasped as the stone was eased into her palms.

"Yes, I give it to you as a symbol of my trust in you and my affection. Were I a man, it might be viewed as a betrothal gift, a promise of marriage. But, I would not dare to be so presumptuous." Taraji gazed down at the rough-cut ruby on the thin leather strap she had always worn everywhere she went.

Florie's eyes were locked on the stone, unable to look away as she let the weight of those words press down on her. It was far too much for her to bare and maintain the 'stiff upper lip' she had always been told was the proper way of things. She wanted to scream, to shout from the rooftops, to dance and jump and celebrate, but there was only so much room in the cabin.

"A betrothal gift... so that I would be your wife?" the snake managed to find the will to say.

"I did not intend it to be so... forward... but, if you would have me, it would bring me endless joy." the feline closed her paws around the snake's palms, pressing the stone into the other lady's scaled hands.

"I... I don't know what to say. I can't... find the words." Florie finally lifted her gaze, looking into the leopard's eyes.

"If it is too much, I understand." Taraji replied quickly.

"No! No it isn't too much! I just--" Florie stiffened and her eyes widened, "Oh this isn't right!"

The snake immediately began digging around in her satchel, desperate to find something. The wording she had used was rather unfortunate, making the feline believe she had gone too far. Then the serpent pulled her hands from her satchel and produced a pocket watch. It wasn't a special piece, just a common one found in most shops.

"I do not understand." Taraji frowned softly.

"This is the watch I purchased before coming on this expedition. I don't know exactly why but I felt it necessary to keep it with me everywhere I went. I suppose I thought it was something of a good luck charm. And look, it led me to you!" Florie giggled softly.

"I suppose it did. But, what did you mean that this isn't right? Are you not happy with me?" the leopard asked.

"Oh my gracious! I'm sorry! I didn't mean it to sound that way! I simply meant... if... if you are to give me something... then I should have something for you in return. It wouldn't be right otherwise." the snake pushed her hands towards the feline, offering the pocket watch to her.

"My necklace, for your watch. An exchange?" Taraji asked as she looked at the timepiece.

"Something like that," Florie adjusted herself in her seat, cleared her throat, and looked to the cat with a deep sincerity in her eyes, "Take this as a token of my thanks and my affection, as a sign of my trust and love. If you will have me, I would be honored for you to call me wife."

It was not Taraji's usual manner to let emotion overwhelm her, save for anger. But now she could not deny the swelling of genuine, heartfelt elation growing inside her. She lifted her hands, taking the pocket watch, not looking away from the snake.

"I thank you for your kindness, and if you will have me, I would be honored for you to call me wife." she echoed.

They weren't official vows. There was no one to officiate, or sign and stamp any forms. It was an agreement between two who were in love. That was all they needed. It was all that mattered. Florie collected the ruby once again and fastened the strap around her neck, letting the stone come to rest against her cleavage. She giggled softly realizing that it was likely to make others glace at her chest, then her chest would likely hold them there as if hypnotized. Taraji took the pocket watch and fawned over it for a few moments, marveling at the motion of the hands, then slipped it into her trouser pocket.

The two ladies took each other's hands, holding tight as if letting go might make the other vanish. They looked into one another's eyes and let the moment wash over them. They had made a promise to one another, and they intended to keep it for as long as they had strength in them.

"I love you, Florie McLaren." the leopard said quietly.

"And I love you, Taraji." the snake replied.

The lovers shared a kiss, slow, tender, and passionate. They wrapped their arms around one another, wishing the embrace could never end. As they sank into their seat, slouching against one another, fatigue began to set in. The physical strain as well as the emotional toll the day had carried finally caught up with them. They were both starving, but they could not be bothered to leave the cabin to get food. They simply wanted to be together. Breakfast would come soon enough.

Florie slipped down to rest her cheek against her beloved's shoulder, listening to the deep, powerful rumble of the feline's purr, soothed so quickly by it.

"I hope we dream tonight. I confess I have enjoyed the images." the snake said.

"I hope so too. It is a good look for you, swollen with new life as a mother expecting." the leopard smiled.

"Agreed, and it's a fine look for you as well. It's just a shame we cannot give each other children to relish it in the waking world together." Florie sighed, genuinely depressed that they might never be able to have a family together.

Taraji just grinned and gave her wife a fond squeeze.

"We'll just kidnap a man for the night. Once we both have taken what we need of him, he can return to town and we will have our children." she sounded like she was joking, but also that perhaps she wasn't.

Florie just rolled her eyes and settled in against the cat. She let out a quiet, contented sigh, and let sleep wash over her. Taraji was not long behind her, both of them comforted by the idea of being held by their wife.

---

"Okay, that is just plain adorable." Harriet smiled.

"I know, right!?" Ally clapped her hands together, "I know it's shmaltzy as hell, but I can't help it."

"Hey, I love me some shmaltz. The ooey-gooey goodness of two people being in love like that, can't get enough of it!" Jenny smirked.

"And it doesn't reflect in any way, shape, or form what you wished you could have done with your first girlfriend, does it?" Steve raised an eyebrow as he grinned.

"You caught me," Ally raised her hands, "I'm a romantic at heart. I guess I should really get into writing romance novels then, shouldn't I?"

"Yeah, who knows?" Harriet grinned, "There might be some money to be made in that. I mean this one chick I like to read does it for a living and even invited my sister and me over to her house because we got her interested in a friend of ours."

"Oh she sounds just delightful!" Ally smirked, "Now, you three relax for a bit and no fair reading more while I'm gone. I'm gonna order us some take out. At this rate, we'll finish the book before bedtime."

= = = = =

The trip lasted only just over a day. The two ladies rose for breakfast at daylight, then waited the short while to arrive at the stop where they would exchange trains. The second leg of their journey was brief, only a few hours. And again, Taraji paid for a private cabin. It was decided they should rest as much as possible while given the chance to. They wanted to be fresh for the journey through the jungle as soon as they arrived. A second meal was had just prior to arriving, and while in the public eye, they tried to maintain as low a profile as they could muster.

It was a difficult task, remaining inconspicuous, given the fact that they were still under the influence of the berries Taraji had bred. When one was almost spilling out of one's shirt, it tended to turn a few heads. Keeping to one end of the dining car was the best method they could afford.

When at last the had arrived at their destination, Florie and Taraji disembarked, carrying what little luggage they had brought with them. The skull was still safely hidden away in the cloth sling the coral snake had wrapped it up in. The small town they had arrived in was too small even to really be called a town. It barely even qualified as a trading post. It was little more than a stop for passing trains to take on water and other supplies. Most of the passengers didn't get off with the snake or leopard.

And that suited them just fine.

Unfortunately, with so small a settlement, they were sure to be noticed should anyone come looking for them. And there was no way of knowing if Andreevich and his men were ahead of them or behind. There was little point in trying to speculate. They had to keep moving if they wanted to succeed.

There was a brief stop in town to collect a few supplies. The two ladies could easily just live off what was in the jungle if they so chose, but that would likely take them too much time, and time was the enemy. For the sake of convenience and speed, they outfitted themselves with water, some dry rations, and little else. Once they were as prepared as they felt they would need to be, Florie and Taraji disappeared into the jungle.

Disappear was the operative word. They didn't want anyone seeing them heading out into the wilds. They didn't even want anyone knowing what direction they went. To that end, they struck out headed the wrong way, then circled back around south of the settlement where they were sure no one would be able to see them. It felt like they were completely on their own, with no prying eyes keeping a steady watch on them. And that was how they wanted it.

The other side of that sensation was they felt like there was no one they could trust, that anyone might turn against them in a heartbeat. It was a terribly isolating thought.

For a solid day the two ladies journeyed, finding passage through the dense trees and vines. The only company they possessed was each other and the sounds of the wild creatures of the rainforest. It reminded them of their stretch of land back north. And it brought about a mild homesickness for Taraji's hut. It was deeply missed when night came and the two had no shelter to sleep in. They climbed a tree and got comfortable amidst the branches, even tying themselves to the trunk to prevent them from falling down. It was not ideal, but it would have to suffice.

When morning came, Florie and Taraji continued on their trek. They could feel they were getting closer, approaching whatever it was they had been shown by the skull. The ground changed beneath them, turning harder, the soil dense and compact underfoot, and laced with more rock. The trees had started to cluster together more closely, and the wild shrubs and vines began to grow too thick to see very far through. When they managed to make their way through, the density of the brush fell away and they were both left awestruck.

They had come upon a great cliff overlooking a valley. It was no ordinary valley, but the one they had seen in their visions, the basin that looked like a vast crater. It sprawled out before them in all directions with jagged rocky formations ringing the rim of the bowl that rose up like teeth. One side of the crater saw a waterfall pouring down into the basin below. A small rainbow could be seen rising up from the spray of the river pouring into the pool at the base of the cliff. There was a lake near the center, pooling around an uprising of rock at the exact middle, creating a crescent shape on one side of the outcrop.

That outcrop looked unusual, out of place, as if it were far older than any of the surrounding geological features. It's sloping sides and moss-covered peaks looked terribly like it simply did not belong. As soon as both ladies laid eyes on it, they knew that was where they had to go. That was where the cave was to be found.

The climb down was less difficult than Florie had imagined it would be. The practice she had gained climbing up and down the rope to Taraji's hut had helped her learn the proper form. And the feline was not about to let her wife plummet to her death, not when they were so close to the end of their quest. With so much excitement driving them, it was a challenge keeping it contained enough to function properly.

The sides of the valley steadily shallowed, exactly like the sides of a bowl, allowing the ladies to eventually begin walking down the hillside rather than scaling down sheer rock face. In but a few moments of beginning their downward trek on foot, they were concealed among the trees and brush once again. It brought with it a sense of relief. They did not like being visible out in the open.

Eventually the ground leveled out completely and the rocky structure in the center of the valley could be seen towering above the trees. It was ominous. From a distance, it looked completely natural, though out of place, as though someone had scooped up a small mountain and dropped it in the middle of the crater. Now, as they approached, they began to question if it was at all natural. Perhaps this ancient race the skull belonged to had built it, like the pyramids in the deserts to the far north, or the temples of the sun worshipers across the sea in the jungles of the west.

The closer Florie and Taraji got, the more they felt that may not have been the case either. With the pyramids and temples, one could make out individual blocks, giant bricks of carved and smoothed stone. This looked as if it were one giant feature, carved out of a mountain. It was unnerving. Whatever civilization could have done this had to be rather advanced compared to those that built the pyramids. It only spurred the two ladies on further in spite of their discomfort. It still felt right to them.

And then something immediately felt incredibly wrong.

"Why the hell are we out here in the middle'a nowhere, just sittin' around, doin' nothing?" came an all too unsettlingly familiar voice.

"For the last time, we are waiting, and that is all you need to know." spoke another voice, dripping with menace enough to make the hair on the back of Taraji's neck stand on end.

Florie felt her skin crawl as she identified both. The two ladies dropped into a crouched position and held perfectly still for fear they might have been heard or seen. Thankfully, neither had come to pass.

"Yeah, I get that. But I'm tired of the same 'that is all you need to know' junk," Craft complained, "You found the place, why not just go inside and claim whatever it is you're looking for?"

"Because, my mixed-breed friend," Andreevich bared his teeth, informing the other dog that he intended it as an insult, "They have the skull. Why would they take it? They knew where they were to go. If that was all there was to this mystery, then they would not have bothered to take it with them."

"Maybe they didn't want us tryin' ta figure out where they were goin', hoping the fire would'a burned all their notes?" Craft replied, his voice raising to match the alsatian's level of contempt.

Clearly, their time working and traveling together had done nothing to forge any sort of bonds of fellowship.

"Don't be stupid. The skull is the key. They know that. It has always been the key. It just happened to have the map chiseled into the side. Now stop questioning my orders or I'll have one less mouth that needs feeding around here." Andreevich snarled.

"Orders?" Craft climbed to his feet, walking slowly towards the taller dog, "I ain't a soldier, and you ain't an officer anymore. And if we were, I'd turn you in ta be executed for what you've done. Only reason why I ain't told the authorities who you really are is 'cause you pay me well. But I'm startin' ta think this here's a case of more money than sense."

"You watch your tongue. I've had men executed for less than that," Andreevich narrowed his eyes, "And I've killed many myself for even less."

"You kill me, and my men bring you down." Craft stood his ground, prepared to come to blows if necessary.

"And if you bring me down, you lose that lovely protective shield keeping you from getting hauled back home and tried for a lot of the same things you hold me in such disdain for," Andreevich spread his arms wide, his immaculate expedition attire hugging at his muscular form closely, "Shall we destroy each other?"

"I dunno, I'm kinda likin' this whole livin' out in the jungle thing. That little settlement back a ways looks like a good place as any to start over if you ask me. Maybe I don't need you. Maybe I think your 'protection' is all smoke and mirrors ta keep me and my men in line." the mutt's muzzle slowly spread into a broad grin, the anticipation of indulging his bloodthirsty side filling him up.

"Florie, we should move. They are waiting to trap us and take the skull." Taraji whispered.

"Where do we go? They're right in front of the cave." the snake replied as quietly as she could.

Indeed they were. The camp the dogs had set up filled the clearing that spread out before the entrance to the false mountain the skull had shown them. It was impossible to cut through without being seen. Even if they moved around to one side or the other, they would be seen immediately.

"We head for the lake and stay hidden until night. They will have one or two guards and the rest will be asleep. That will be the best time for us to make our move," Taraji explained, "If they do not kill each other first."

"Lead the way, you know how to move more quietly than I do." Florie ducked down to conceal herself further while waiting for her feline companion to make the first move.

As both ladies adjusted themselves to back away from the clearing only a dozen or so meters away, they both noticed sounds being made by someone other than the two of them. They both froze in place. Taraji's ears began to swivel about as she tried to find the source of the offending noise. Her eyes slowly widened as she realized too late where it was coming from.

A pair of arms wrapped themselves around the snake, one under her bust, the other reaching up to clap a hand over her mouth. Florie immediately tried to fight her way free, one arm pinned at her side, the other flailing about, trying to lash out at her attacker. Taraji sprung into action immediately, or at least she would have. A second set of arms moved to grasp her as well. This one knew better than to try to cover her mouth. This cat was likely to bite.

Both ladies fought against their attackers, but having been taken so completely by surprise, neither could mount a viable defense. They were both forced to their knees. Taraji was preparing herself to do something drastic when a flash of something metallic caught her eyes. Florie stopped squirming immediately as a blade was pressed to her throat.

"Oh so college girl's got a brain after all!" came a disgustingly amused voice.

It was Nick, the retriever who had attempted to outright rape Florie the first day she had been kidnapped. She could have recognized him from the stink of his breath.

"And it looks like her bitchy cat friend here does too. She learns fast," said the other canine, one that Florie had never learned the name of, "That's right, kitty. You step outta line, and Nick here gets a new belt and a set'a matching boots."

"Mmm, but not until after I've had me some fun. You owe me, bookworm." Nick growled.

"If you harm her, I will tear out your throat." Taraji said smoothly and calmly.

And she intended nothing less. She did not make idle threats. Unfortunately, all it did was further amuse the retriever pressing against the snake's back.

"We'll see about that. On your feet, you two. The boss'll be real happy ta see you both." Nick began shifting himself up onto his own feet, pulling Florie with him.

The serpent lady winced and inhaled sharply as the knife pressed uncomfortably against her throat, forcing her up. Taraji followed as her own attacker pulled her up. She could overpower him easily, but by the time she got free, Florie would be on the ground, bleeding out. She could not bare the thought of such a thing happening, so she complied.

The group pushed their way out of the jungle and into the clearing, bringing a number of handguns and rifles to bare on them.

"Lookie what we found just hidin' out here in the bushes!" Nick called out with a laugh.

"Mrs. McLaren! So good to see you are alive and well!" Andreevich smiled, restoring his previous charm.

For him, it was a fortuitous bit of timing. The tension in the camp eased as the two ladies were brought into the open. The snake just glared back at him hatefully, as did the feline next to her.

"Spare us the pleasantries," Florie practically spat, "You tried to kill both of us. And you'll likely try again the instant you think you don't need us any longer."

"This is very true. I trust you have the skull with you?" the alsatian holstered his gun and stepped forward.

The rest of the men taking aim at the two ladies carried enough threat to keep them compliant for the moment. Florie said nothing in response, only offering him the same hateful glare as her cloth-wrapped bundle was taken from her. The crystal bauble was uncovered and the dog's eyes grew huge with excitement. He was so close to his goal, he could practically taste it.

"Murderer." Taraji spat out, fixing her own deadly gaze on the tall canine.

"How very observant of you, miss," Andreevich handed the skull over to one of the men and drew a large, angry-looking knife that looked as though it had once been used by the military, "And it is time I repaid you for what you did to me. No speeches, no clever wit. Just the end."

The dog stepped in close and pressed the blade to the cat's throat, ready to slash.

"Wait!" Florie shouted, "If you kill her, I won't help you finish what you need with the skull!"

Andreevich paused and laughed, turning his head to look at the snake.

"And what could you possibly say that might convince me that I still need you?" he smiled, turning back to the leopard.

Taraji stiffened, inhaling through her nose, preparing herself for one last burst of strength. He might be able to slit her throat, but as soon as he did, she would return the favor, claws clenched around his trachea. She would end him. It would likely mean the end of her beloved as well, but that was guaranteed if she did nothing regardless.

"You really think all you have to do is just walk in there? After all of this, the research, the translating, the tracking, the mapping, figuring out a completely alien coordinate system--you really think you just walk in and that's it? You didn't find this place without my work. And I can tell you right now, there is more to this than you're assuming." Florie put on a haughty attitude, making sure to insist that she was smarter than Andreevich.

She was fairly sure she was right about that.

Her gamble had worked, at least for the moment. Andreevich lowered his knife and closed the distance between him and the coral snake, a wild look in his eyes.

"Do you know what the skull represents!?" he cupped hand under the snake's chin, clutching her snout in his powerful grasp.

It made it difficult for her to respond, but she managed.

"It's a skull belonging to an ancient, dead race. They had hoped someone would find it and remember them. To give their memory new life." she muttered through the dog's grip.

Andreevich released her and laughed. It was a loud, powerful, insane laugh. The kind only a madman would loose when his plans were all coming to fruition.

"You silly woman! Do you take me for a fool!? No! It is not so they might be remembered! It is a gift! The key to longevity! Endless life and good health!" the alsatian took the skull back into his hands and lifted it overhead, staring at it with a look one might reserve for a beloved child, "It is the key to immortality! Why else would it have the 'power to give life'!?"

Florie concealed a wince. He had seen that part in her notes as well. And likely it had come up in what legends surrounded the skull. He had fixated on the worst possible interpretation. And now they had to find a way to appeal to that side of him, the greed for eternal youth. Arguing with him would only get them killed faster. Maybe there might be a way to deal with them once they got inside. Taraji would be able to handle two, maybe three of them. Florie just needed to buy them both time to formulate an escape.

"Well, if it's a fountain of youth you're after, you won't find it," Florie quipped, "Not without my help. And you won't get my help if anyone even so much as lays a finger on her."

The coral snake lifted an arm to point at Taraji. The feline glowered, not liking the idea of their insurance not covering Florie's life as well. But then she wouldn't be able to 'help' if she was dead. Hopefully Andreevich was smart enough to understand that.

For an agonizingly long few moments, the tall alsatian weighed the lady's words carefully. What did he have to lose? What kind of tricks might they try to play on them? Could he manage to get what he sought and kill both of them without suffering any consequences? When at last all had been calculated, he shrugged.

"Waiting a few moments to end your lives will do me no harm. Bring them. We are going in." Andreevich turned and walked towards the mouth of the cave carrying the crystal skull under one of his arms.

He was not about to let such a precious thing out of his possession now.

"Immortality? That's what this whole thing's about?" Craft balked, "I thought there was some kinda treasure, somethin' real you could pay us with."

"Don't be absurd, mongrel! Immortality is the ultimate treasure! Now bring them, or I will leave you to die here before tasting the waters of life, or however it might manifest itself!" Andreevich barked.

Nick wrapped his arms back around Florie and growled quietly in her ear as he let his hands roam over her figure. It was different from how he recalled her, and he was certain it was an improvement. The snake yelped in protest as he fondled her vast chest, marveling at the weighty swells she now carried.

"I gotta say, whatever you got into out in the wild sure had an effect. There's more'a you for me to enjoy. When the boss is done with you, I'm gonna have so much fun tryin' everything out!" the retriever ran his tongue across the snake's cheek.

Taraji, unable to stand such a sight, lunged at the dog and shoved him off Florie. He went sprawling to the ground just as she wrapped her arms around the frightened woman. She hissed at the canine sprawled in the grass and dirt.

"She is not yours to touch! No one is to lay a hand on her!" the leopard growled.

"The hell!?" Nick sputtered, "Whatcha mean she ain't mine ta touch!? 'Course she's mine! Craft gave her to me! She's mine as soon as the boss is done with her!"

Taraji released the serpent woman and moved to stand between her and the retriever, claws slipping into the air, begging for a throat to slash.

"Touch my wife again, and I will remove the miserable little thing you would use to violate her, stuff it down your throat, and watch as you choke on it." the leopard said smoothly.

It was an impressive threat, one that drew a few winces of sympathy pain from the other men.

"Your wife!? The hell ya mean your wife!? Are you two bitches livin' in sin!?" Nick shouted, angry that he was being denied his plaything.

Taraji simply hissed all the louder at him. She wanted him dead. Immediately.

"Nick!" Craft barked, "Back off! I ain't cleanin' up the mess she makes if you get any funny ideas!"

Nick wanted to appeal to the mutt's sense of fairness, to argue that he had given the snake to him, but the death gaze he was receiving from Taraji was enough to silence him.

"Ladies, gentlemen, if we are done posturing, I have a date with immortality. And I am nothing if not punctual." Andreevich said, motioning for the group to follow him into the cave.

= = = = =

The air was heavy and musty in the dark tunnel that extended from the mouth of the cave deep into the artificial mountain, lit only by the torches brought by the group daring to enter. Florie and Taraji huddled together in the center of the group, not risking speaking a word but squeezing one another's hands. It was impossible to see how they were to escape from this, but they knew they would get a chance. They just had to reach the room from their visions.

The walls were oddly smooth, showing no sign of wear or that they had been carved. It looked like polished stone, though it wasn't nearly as reflective. The floor was similar fashioned, feeling not unlike a finely sanded wooden surface. There was texture, though it was very light, only enough to make sure one didn't slip and fall. Only a short walk in did the tunnel branch off in two directions at right angles from where they had walked in. Andreevich frowned and looked from one to the other, trying to decide which way to go.

As he studied the room, he noticed symbols on the walls. He lifted the skull and compared the glyphs to the markings on the side of the crystalline object. They were similar, similar enough for him to make the connection.

"Mrs. McLaren, if you would be so kind as to translate for us. I believe you might actually be of some use yet." the dog said smoothly, with a casual tone to his voice that would have convinced anyone that he wasn't the same bloodthirsty monster who was ready to kill just moments ago.

"It's a mixture of words and numbers. I can't quite make out the wording, but the number appears to refer to a floor or level if I had to guess." the snake offered, playing her part in order to keep both her and her wife alive for as long as possible.

"Yes, yes, fascinating. Which way do we go? Where is the source the skull is meant to be joined with?" Andreevich was growing impatient.

Florie and Taraji looked to one another, having never heard that part of the matter. They had no reason to think that the skull needed to be connected to anything, but maybe returned to where it had come from. Then again, the two notions could be one and the same.

"The writing does not say." the serpent woman said.

"Are you saying you are no use to me?" the alsatian turned about quickly, resting a hand on his knife.

Clearly he was all too eager to let the blade taste flesh and blood.

"I'm saying just translating a location marker doesn't tell you where you're trying to go. If you're looking for the source, I can take you there." Florie once again played her role, wanting to keep the savage, insane, power-hungry dog appeased.

"Are you telling me you just magically know how to navigate an ancient, long forgotten temple left behind by a powerful race of immortals?" Andreevich scoffed.

"Magically? No," Florie responded with a neutral tone, "And it isn't a temple."

The alsatian watched as the coral snake turned and took the lead, even taking the torch out of the tall dog's paw. Taraji watched, unsure if it was wise to do such a thing, but no protest came. Andreevich was getting what he wanted, so why complain or threaten?

The group moved deeper, taking the left tunnel, which quickly became clear it was a corridor rather than a natural structure, just like the exterior. A series of passageways opened up before them, junctions requiring a decision in which way to go, each of which Florie commanded them through. Now that she was walking the halls, she could see the map of the whole structure in her head. Something about that was alarming, and yet comforting at the same time. It meant the images she had seen in her visions were finally aligning, making sense.

She could see the entire layout. She knew this place inside and out. It was impossible to tell what exactly it was, but it was clear it was important to the creatures that lived here. And it if she had anything to do with it, it would remain hidden as soon as Andreevich, Craft, Nick, and the rest were all dealt with. Taraji was eager to end the lives of these miscreants. And while she wasn't thrilled at the prospect, Florie resigned herself to the idea that she might have to get involved in that act as well.

At least the environment was keeping the dogs distracted.

Faint lights began to glow at the junction where the walls and floor met as well as the walls and ceiling, not enough to properly illuminate the whole of the space, but enough to show pathways at great distance. It became clear quickly that the structure was quite vast. More markings showed themselves on the walls, even beginning to glow just like the lights on the floor and ceiling. Doorways opened into chambers filled with strange furnishings, not unlike the desks that Florie and Taraji recalled from their visions. Some appeared to be bizarre workspaces for some sort of scientific exploration neither snake nor cat could identify. To the dogs, they just looked as though they were used in barbaric rituals.

"This place is incredible!" Andreevich let the awe filling him spill out, "What a glorious temple! Worthy of the secret of immortality indeed!"

Florie approached a section in the wall that appeared to be just as solid as the rest, but it was framed as if it were important for some reason.

"I've told you," the snake pressed a palm against a rectangular feature in the wall next to the framed section, which depressed with a soft click and the framed section split in two and slid open, stunning the entire group, save for Taraji, "It is not a temple."

Beyond the hidden door the serpentine woman had opened lay the round room they had sought. It was just as the two ladies had seen before. The desks and chairs were gone, though somehow they knew they had not actually gone anywhere. There were visions of them sliding up out of the floor and out of the walls. Dull light filtered in through a vast window on the far wall. It appeared to show the aquatic world below the surface of the crescent lake outside. They were deep enough that the sun was having difficulty penetrating so far down. But the strangeness of it all was they had not descended. In fact, they had taken more than one sloping pathways leading to levels above the ground.

It was another mystery that suggested this place was more than what it appeared.

Andreevich gasped and strolled into the room with tremendous reverence. The markings they had seen on the walls and on the skull were scattered about in clusters on the walls and even in places on the floor. It was as if the writing was denoting key positions for specific rituals. How very pragmatic. In the center sat a pedestal, almost a full meter across, with a tank of water on top of it. The two were exactly the same shape, making it impossible to tell where one ended and the other began. The only clue was that the water stopped at a specific point and the dark metal or rock--whichever it was--carried on from there.

"This must be the source! The place from which immortality flows!" the alsatian cried, racing towards it.

He retrieved a small flask--one he had left empty for this very reason--unscrewed the top, and dipped it into the water. Bubbles escaped for a moment before he lifted the flask back out, having collected a few mouthfuls. The dog gazed at the vessel, his lips trembling, feeling on the cusp of greatness. Then he downed the liquid, swallowing every drop he had let pour into the flask. As soon as it was empty, he gasped softly for air and stood quietly in reverence, his eyes closed as he let the power of immortality flow through him.

It must have been terribly subtle, because he strangely did not feel anything. The water didn't even taste any different from what he had sampled from the river. It just tasted like regular, boring, bland water. This didn't make sense to him.

"I do not understand. I feel no different." Andreevich said.

"Would you care to let me test this supposed immortality of yours?" Taraji snarled.

"Silence!" the dog snapped, then looked to the coral snake, "You... you know why it isn't working. It has to do with the skull, doesn't it!?"

"Yes." Florie said curtly.

"I thought as much! What am I to do? Do I place the skull in the water!?" Without waiting for an answer, Andreevich did exactly that, waited a moment, then stepped back, "I do not see any change."

"Of course not," Florie said, looking to her leopard companion, "You have to prepare the skull."

Taraji frowned, knowing what she was referring to. It might buy them the distraction they would need to break free and deliver justice upon them. The feline gave her lover a knowing nod and braced herself for the coming moment.

"And how do you 'prepare the skull' if you do not mind my asking?" Andreevich asked impatiently.

"If you're going to be immortal, then waiting a precious few more moments to make sure it's done right will not harm you at all," Florie stepped closer, "Please, may I have the skull?"

The dog was immediately suspicious, not liking the idea of giving the precious thing to anyone until he was sure he was going to receive that which he sought. After a few seconds of weighing the options, he reached into the tank and retrieved the skull. It had fit well within it, with a great deal of clearance all around. Removing it was quite easy. Water poured from it as it was lifted out into the air again, then only dripped as he hesitantly handed it over to the snake. The tank, in spite of having some of its contents removed, did not appear to have changed in the level of liquid it contained.

"No tricks," Andreevich suppressed a snarl, "If you give me reason to, I will make sure your 'wife' is shown a very painful end."

Florie took the skull. She didn't snatch it from the dog, but took it gently and respectfully. It was not out of regard for his threat. She knew how serious he was. But she also knew how well Taraji could fight.

"If you're right, it might very well make all of us immortal, just for being in this room. Then you could take pleasure in killing us over and over, again and again, for the rest of time if you so desire," Florie let her cynicism drip freely from her, "Just let me do my work. It's why you brought me, is it not?"

Something about that notion, having a victim that could not be killed no matter what, appealed to the dog. His lips pulled into a wide, hungry grin. Visions of him locking the two ladies up for him to slaughter as often as he wanted, repeatedly for all eternity meant he could satisfy his lust for blood without drawing attention from the general public. That was something worth considering.

"Yes, please, continue with your work. How do you prepare the skull?" he asked, suddenly keeping himself civil again.

"It is the skull of a cetacean. I believe it is a species closely related to the dolphin. As such, there is a structure originally meant for echolocation, but in this race, it has evolved into something more. You must make it resonate by passing air over the appropriate structure." Florie turned the artifact about, revealing the very feature in question.

"Of course! It's made of crystal! And an aquatic creature would use vibrations to communicate!" the dog cupped his hands against the skull, pulling it close to peer in and look at the region that made sound when properly stimulated.

"Since it is your conquest, it is only right that you should be the one to activate it. Simply press your lips to its mouth like you are kissing it, and blow. I should caution you, it will take a strong exhale, as strong as you can muster for as long as you can muster." Florie explained.

"Yes, you are indeed quite right," Andreevich took the skull from the snake, not snatching it away but moving it with great reverence as she had, "Gentlemen, the dawning of a new age is upon us!"

With that, the alsatian pressed his lips to the jaws of the skull and breathed into it with all his might. Florie and Taraji closed their eyes, waiting for the coming sound. The men were completely unaware. Initially, there came a whine, similar to whale song, but as Andreevich continued to blow, it changed, quickly ramping up into the high pitched frequency that had caused the ladies so much agony. The room was filled with the sound, hateful to unprepared ears.

Andreevich pulled his mouth away and cried out in pain. He released the skull and clapped his paws over his ears. The other dogs did the same, the entire group dropping onto their knees as they howled in displeasure.

Taraji took her chance the moment arrived, shoving one of the two men on either side of her as hard as she could, sending him sprawling. The other she turned hard, swinging her leg out to send her heel deep into his stomach. The dog was thrown to the ground, gasping for air, eyes bulging, completely unable to function. From there, the leopard leapt at Nick. The retriever had no time to react other than to widen his eyes, seeing death coming for him.

The wretched canine was on his back on the floor in seconds, claws sinking into his flesh. Craft, one of the more disciplined minds, drew his gun, trying desperately to take aim. He fired two rounds before the leopard lost interest in eviscerating the man who tried to rape her wife, and turned her attention onto the mutt actively trying to kill her. He was sent sprawling to the ground as well, this time with the feline tumbling along with him, trying to wrestle his weapon away. Nick was still alive; in deep, intense agony from the numerous scratches across his face and neck, but alive.

"You lying whore!" Andreevich bellowed as he writhed in pain, glaring up at the coral snake.

Florie snatched the skull up from where it had fallen, then turned as if to protect it from the dog. It was still vibrating powerfully, making the noise that had granted her the ability to act without reprisal.

"I wasn't lying. You just aren't strong enough to withstand it," her ordinarily calm demeanor was gone, replaced by an all consuming contempt, "This is for trying to kill my wife!"

A strong kick saw the snake's foot connect with the end of the alsatian's muzzle. A sickening crunch came from the act, and the dog was thrown backwards, yowling and whimpering in pain as he moved his paws to his poor nose. If she had kicked any harder, she might have done serious damage to him. As it stood, he would likely need to wear a brace on his snout for a week or two and he would be fine. It didn't keep it from hurting like the devil.

Before anyone could react to the scaled lady's act of defiance, she had turned to the pedestal and lifted the skull towards it. With a satisfying 'plunk', the crystal artifact sank into the water. The painful sound immediately vanished, replaced with the powerful but far more melodious song Taraji and Florie had heard while submerged in the river. All of the dogs ceased writhing in pain, but they could not think clearly yet. They were out of breath, trying to recover from the horrific sensation, and the strange images that had flashed before their eyes.

The whale-song-like tones continued for several seconds, feeling quite comforting to both ladies before there came a deep, mechanical click from somewhere below the floor. It caught everyone's attention, and all eyes turned to the pedestal. The dark portion that appeared to be the solid segment holding up the tank began to slide downward, falling away into the floor, but the tank did not move. It stayed exactly where it was. As the 'pedestal' lowered away, it became clear that it was a structure housed inside the glass of the tank itself. And as it vanished, it slipped downward to reveal what else the tank contained.

The skull had a matching body, skeletal and crystalline, tall and thin of frame. It didn't so much float in the water of the tank as it remained perfectly motionless, almost as if it were frozen in ice. The skull floated above, only centimeters away. The sounds continued to prevail, sending new images to the two ladies that had come so far, knowing the secret the skull had been trying to share, that this matter of 'giving new life' was about to take place before them.

All eyes in the room--Andreevich's included--watched as the skull drifted down slowly until it contacted the neck of the skeleton under it. A flash of light and a powerful 'pop' shook the floor, like the deep bass of rumbling thunder. The sound finally ceased, leaving the room eerily quiet, so quiet that it left the men aching to hear something, anything that might do away with the deafening silence.

And then their wish was granted. The whale-song resumed, but decidedly different from before. It was much more complex, shifting tone and pitch rapidly, almost as if someone was trying to speak. The room suddenly lit up brightly. The same lights the group had seen running along the floor and ceiling in the corridors were present in the room, and were shining much more brightly now. Many of the glyphs on the walls illuminated as well, connecting to one another through lines that appeared out of the darkness, looking akin to the circuit boards found in radios. Only these were far more intricate and advanced.

A powerful quake claimed the entire chamber, threatening to spill everyone present onto their backs. Andreevich managed to climb to his feet, keeping his stance wide as he gazed at the completed skeleton. It was clear it was meant to be that of a cetacean just as Florie had said. And it was a sight of unimaginable beauty to him. A skeleton composed entirely of crystal, glistening in the light, resonating, making sounds unlike anything he had heard before. He was sure this was a sign, that he was to be made immortal in moments.

"Awaken! Rise! Hear me, ancient one! Gift to me the new life you have promised!" he cried, unable to think of anything more appropriate to say.

As if to answer him, the skeleton began to tremble. The sound it made quickly died away but instead, a soft, unearthly light surrounded the crystal bones. The light grew stronger, pulsing in slow, regular flashes, mesmerizing the entire group. Each time it pulsed, the wait for the next one grew slightly shorter. And each time the skeleton pulsed, it appeared to grow thicker, as if material was forming across its surface. As the light pulsed faster and faster, muscle began to develop, followed by a grey skin possessing a rubber-like texture. The creature was covered in a thin layer of blubber just like the dolphins Florie had compared the race to. It was shocking how close the similarities were.

There were plenty of odd features about this creature that stood out. How tall it was for instance. Andreevich and Taraji were the tallest among the group, but this being dwarfed them both by half a meter at least. Its head was just as elongated as the skull suggested, with the neck connecting near the front, just behind where the jaw had been located. The back of the skull protruded a good ways, suggesting it contained a significantly larger organ than anyone else present. Several long tendrils draped down from either side of the skull, moving about slowly, feeling across the inner surface of the tank.

There was one aspect that took the men by surprise, but Taraji and Florie were not at all shocked by. The creature was female. And she was beautiful.

Another deep click sounded and the water began to drain from around her. As soon as it passed below her chin, the cetacean opened her eyes. They were a deep, brilliant azure. In the darkness, they would have seen them glow with a sort of bioluminescence. With the brightness of the room's lighting, they only appeared as intense, blazing pools of blue. They shifted as if to take in the sight before her. When the water drained away completely, the glass cylinder holding her in place slid down, disappearing into the floor just as the 'pedestal' had.

The tall woman stepped out of the circle where the cylinder had once stood and looked from face to face, all of them staring up at her in awe.

"Which among you awakened me?" she said.

Her voice was just as heartbreakingly beautiful as Taraji and Florie had recalled from their vision in the river.

= = = = =

The room remained completely silent for several moments. The exploring group could do little to process what they were seeing. The fact that this creature spoke their language was completely glossed over, but then Florie and Taraji had a theory on that. The dolphin-like lady frowned, growing annoyed that no one had answered her question yet.

"Which among you awakened me?" she asked a second time.

Florie stepped forward, prepared to speak, but then Andreevich climbed to his feet and shoved himself between the two.

"I have! I have traveled a great distance to find this place! I come for the secret to immortality! In your divine grace and wisdom, I beseech you! Please bestow it upon me!" the alsatian spread his arms wide, attempting a gesture of reverence towards the tall woman.

She was not at all amused with his effort to appeal to her in such a manner. She frowned down at the dog, then looked to the snake who had attempted to speak before him.

"Are there more of you? Or is this your entire party?" her tone had changed, turning more serious and focused.

"We are all who have come," Florie answered, "You said we hold the power to give life and that we were to bring it with us. We brought your skull back to you and restored life to you."

"Yes, you have, and I thank you. But there is much more to do. I must determine if you all carry the power to give life." as the tall woman spoke, she lifted her arms, beckoning the group closer.

Though hesitant, the remaining dogs approached. Andreevich stood front and center, expecting his devotion to completing the quest would be rewarded. When the entirety of the party had come close enough, the woman lowered her arms and closed her eyes. The tendrils that hung from along the sides of her head rose, as did several that had not been seen yet, appearing from behind her. They slowly made their way forward, stroking softly across the alsatian's face as well as Florie and Taraji, caressing their cheeks. Craft and his men were less than enthusiastic about the interaction and tried to shoo away the intrusive limbs.

"I am at your mercy. May your will be done." Andreevich closed his eyes, preparing to allow whatever was to come be done upon him.

The ladies meanwhile remained still, permitting the inquisitive tendrils to feel over their forms. The tall woman seemed to be sensing through them, not just by touch but by other senses as well, learning about these newcomers. Since he was the closest, she started with the alsatian, ignoring his bloody nose as she prodded gently across his face. Another tentacle began examining his chest, finding it odd that two of the creatures before her had such features that the rest lacked. Gently, she coaxed the dog's mouth open. He obediently followed the commands given to him by the exploring limbs, not even flinching as one began to gently prod about just inside his lips.

Florie and Taraji were given similar encouragement and they permitted themselves to be explored. Craft and his men tried to withdraw, but found themselves trapped by so many of the tendrils. It was impossible to tell where all they came from, but there were dozens of them, each one seeking out a different part of someone's body. They refused to let any who might be hesitant attempt escape until they had completed their work. The smooth, slick tentacles began working their way into the clothing of all in the room. Andreevich, Florie, and Taraji were the only ones who showed no sign of protest, though they did feel slightly uncomfortable.

"Forgive me, but this may be... a little unsettling. I must know everything I can about you. I have no time to delay." the woman said.

That gave everyone reason to become alarmed.

The tendrils all hugged tighter, grasping at all present. Craft's men began flailing about, shouting angrily as they tried to free themselves. Florie and Taraji fell limp in the grasp of the intrusive limbs, even as they each found their mouths occupied by one of the tentacles. It pressed deep, slipping down each lady's throat. They gagged initially, struggling to keep from rejecting whatever it was this creature was doing. Andreevich twitched and clenched his fists, fighting his urge to react the way his hired muscle was responding. His mouth was similarly occupied, bringing forth a number of protesting noises.

And then it grew more invasive. The tendrils that had been exploring the clothing all in the party were wearing slipped in wherever they could find a means of access; sleeves, collars, waistbands, anything that might grant them further exploration underneath the fabric blocking them. Everyone started to squirm harder. Even the two ladies found they could not hold still. It wasn't for lack of trying, but with such insistent appendages working to press in between their legs, there was little that could be done to maintain composure.

For the men, it was an unwelcome crossing of boundaries. For the ladies, they spread their thighs, finding they could do nothing but welcome the attention. The lewd exploration by the grey woman towering over everyone continued, even as the room filled with moans and grunts. The tall lady's expression screwed up into one of intense concentration. Her mind was reaching out just as her tendrils had. She had seven minds to explore, seven collections of memories and impressions to sift through.

Images flashed through her thoughts as she absorbed information, finding that much of it was rather unpleasant. When she finally had seen enough, horrified by a goodly number of their memories, she gasped and withdrew her tendrils. She panted softly for breath, placing a hand on her chest, genuinely shocked by what she had seen.

"Your minds... there is such violence! Such hatred!" she cried out.

"That's funny! Gettin' judged by a tall bitch who just did a lotta pokin' and proddin' around in places she never got permission for!" shouted Craft, drawing his gun and leveling it at the grey lady, "I got half a mind ta shoot you where you stand!"

"Your weapons are not tolerated here." the woman responded calmly.

"Fuck you." the mutt replied.

Craft pulled the trigger and the crack of a gunshot split the quiet of the room. The bullet remained on course, aiming to strike the woman directly in the face. But it never did. It passed right through her as if she were not there. It instead struck the far wall, cracking the glass of the window. Long, ugly fractures formed across its surface, but there was no hole. The bullet had not penetrated. Just as quickly as the breaks formed, they began to recede. The window healed itself, returning to a pristine state in mere seconds.

"How the hell-" called out one of the other dogs.

"I told you, your weapons are not tolerated here." the woman said.

Craft's pistol vanished from his grip, and the rest of his men began working to draw theirs, but found they were just as missing, taken by some unknown force. The mutt was not at all pleased, suddenly filled with a murderous rage. He reached for his knife, drew it, and pulled his arm back, ready to throw. By the time his hand came forward to release, nothing was there to hurl forward. His blade had disappeared just as his gun had.

"What the hell did you do with our weapons!?" Craft bellowed.

"Your kind, living above the water... you must have difficulty hearing. As I have said, your weapons are not tolerated here. Any further acts of violence will be met with punishment. Is that clear?" the tall lady frowned deeply at the entire room.

Florie and Taraji remained quiet, having made no move except to embrace one another for support. The 'exploration' had been enough to leave them weak in the knees, their thighs already showing signs of being soaked.

Andreevich had spun about to watch as his men threatened the creature he needed alive to be made immortal, then spun about again, desperate to gain her favor.

"Pay them no mind! They are just hired flunkies! They are not worthy! I beseech you, please, grant me the gift of long life and vitality!" the alsatian dropped onto his knees, lifting his hands towards the woman in a display that could only be described as begging.

The cetacean woman lowered her gaze down to the dog, glaring harshly at him.

"You are worthy of no gift of mine. You or your 'hired flunkies'. Leave this place and never return." she said calmly.

After all his hard work, his scouring the globe, all the scientists he had kidnapped and killed, he was being met with utter rejection, called unworthy. That did not sit well with the canine. He climbed to his paws and snarled, no longer begging but demanding that which he felt he was owed.

"You would not be alive were it not for what I have done! All those acts of violence you say I am guilty of, those acts of violence are responsible for restoring your life! I demand you make me immortal! Now! I have come too far and done too much to not be granted this!" the alsatian roared angrily.

The woman simply stared down at him, deeply displeased with the attitude he had chosen to show her. She lifted a hand and clapped it around his muzzle. It silenced him as well as made him wince and whine in agony. His nose was still broken after all. She was not above using pain as a means of punishment, but refused to go so far as to cause further injury.

"You may demand nothing of me. I would rather have remained lost and disconnected than have such violence be used to restore my life. For your crimes, I will grant you this instead." the woman closed her eyes as her tendrils began to creep up the dog's form.

Several pushed their way into his mouth as she released her hand. Others wrapped about his form to hold him still. Two pressed firmly against the sides of his head. Muffled screams chilled the blood of everyone present, as did the sight of the tall, muscular canine being manhandled so easily, fighting fruitlessly against the woman's grasp. She continued for several moments before releasing him, letting him fall onto the hard floor, twitching and shuddering.

Andreevich's eyes were wide, filled with horror. He could not speak, or even move terribly much on his own. He was broken, left completely incapable of controlling his form. Florie and Taraji stared at him, fearful that perhaps they had done something terrible bringing this woman back from the dead. The rest of the men stared at the once proud military commander, the Butcher of the Frozen Forests, how he had been laid to waste, and turned to dart out of the room.

"No!" the woman shouted, lifting a hand.

All four of the dogs were hoisted off the floor, flailing about in the air as they cried out in dismay.

"Put us down you bitch of a fish!" Craft shrieked, half in anger, half in terror.

That was the wrong thing to say. The woman glowered and closed her fingers into a fist. All four dogs froze where they floated, unable to move, unable to speak. Her tendrils snaked out in a flash and invaded them all just as Andreevich had been. They tried to scream as they were violated, but their voices quickly faded as they found themselves just as broken as the alsatian. With several heavy thuds, they all landed on the floor, motionless save for involuntarily twitching.

"You had your chance to leave of your own accord. Now you are to be cast out." the tall, grey lady's voice had returned to a calm, but serious tone.

She waved her hand as if sweeping the men aside. A brilliant light of intense blue consumed each of them one by one, making them vanish with a series of pops. Then the room shook again as the woman composed herself once more. She abhorred the need for such measures, but when faced with such hateful minds, she had no choice. When the quake finally ceased, she turned her attention to the two women still standing before her. Florie and Taraji clung to one another, fearful that something similar might be done to them.

"If you wish us to, we will leave peacefully. We have no reason to fight or wish violence on anyone." The snake managed to utter, her voice trembling.

"If you wish to leave, I will not stop you. But I would hope you might stay. You two posses the ability to give life. Those I removed do not. I have need of your strength, if you are willing to offer it." the smooth-skinned woman had returned to the gentleness she had used in the visions, and when she first awoke.

"You said there were such thoughts of violence," Taraji spoke up, "I cannot deny that I am guilty of that too."

"Yes," the woman bowed her head softly, "But only in the face of violence against others have you acted as such. It was in defense of those who could not protect themselves, such as your... wife... I believe is the word I sensed in your mind."

The two shorter ladies began to feel more at ease, but found themselves filled with questions. What was their purpose for coming here? What exactly were they needed for.

"My name is Florie McLaren. This is my wife, Taraji. We thank you for welcoming us into your home." the scaled woman dipped her head, bowing slightly.

"Greetings Florie, Taraji. You might feel you should tell me something of you, as is customary of your people, but I already know much about you. So, instead, I will answer the questions burning inside you," the cetacean woman slowly lowered herself onto her knees to look at the shorter two eye to eye, "I am Narani, the last of my people. I have been waiting here for more than ten thousand years for someone to reunite my skull with my body. I was separated as such in the hopes that those intelligent enough to find this place might be led by the markings carved into it, and that I might draw those who possess strength enough to assist me in my efforts."

"What efforts are you referring to?" Taraji asked.

"My people come from a great distance, seeking safe haven that we might rebuild our race. One by one, they perished. Our journey was long and taxing, spanning across eons. Many gave up hope and permitted themselves to simply fade and cease to be. I cannot let my race die. I must restore them. That is why I need the strength you both have within you. You can give new life." Narani extended a hand, its long, graceful fingers reaching to brush softly across Florie's stomach, then Taraji's.

The two shorter ladies looked to one another, then back at the ancient creature before them.

"You mean we can have children. You needed women to repopulate your race, correct?" Florie fought to keep her breath even.

Such an idea, it was beyond the realm of polite society, or even normalcy. And yet she could not help but become excited at the prospect. The dreams were starting to make sense. She and Taraji swollen, pregnant, unable to move, and deeply stimulated by it all.

"Yes," Narani nodded, "I am unable to bare young of my own, not so soon after awakening. And I must begin as quickly as possible. The longer I wait, the less chance I will have to complete my work. Others will come, find this place, and attempt to extract its secrets. I cannot permit that."

"You want us to be used as breeders? To restore an entire race?" Taraji asked, still needing to be absolutely sure what they were being asked to do.

Narani dipped her head softly, her tendrils sliding against one another as they were jostled ever so gently by the gesture.

"To put it so crudely, yes. You would be cared for, your needs tended to. You would never know starvation or suffering again. You would be honored among my people. But without you, I will remain as the last, and will eventually cease to be just like the rest of my brethren." her heartbreaking voice, just like from the vision in the river, plucked strongly at the heartstrings of the two ladies.

Florie and Taraji looked at one another, taking one hand in the other. They already knew what the other was thinking, and had no need to discuss the matter. They had not been dreaming, they had been seeing what the future held for them. It explained so much. The intense heat that followed each use of the skull, it was from the visions of how this race might use them to repopulate. It wasn't just memory, but emotion as well. The powerful lust and stimulation from the vision had triggered such mighty need, no doubt an incentive to complete the journey. And now they were being asked to be of use in that exact manner. They only needed to be brave enough to step forward and take it.

"We will help you," Florie offered a solemn nod, "We will be mother to as many of your people as we are capable of. But, we do not live nearly as long as your people, at least from what I understand. Our lives are relatively short, less than one hundred years. That may not permit us to be of as great of help as you might need."

Narani waved a hand dismissively, standing back up at her full height.

"You've no reason to fear that. Though his reasoning for coming was misguided, the one you call Andreevich was not incorrect. My people do possess the ability to extend the lives of others. Immortality is inaccurate, but a significantly increased lifespan, yes, that can be accomplished. You could help restore my race by granting life to thousands, perhaps millions of my people." the woman smiled, turning around to face the large window before them, still looking out at the world below the surface of the lake.

"Then I see no reason why we should be unwilling to help. Come with us and we can find a safe haven for your civilization to be reborn." Taraji stepped closer to the tall woman.

"No, not here. Another place has already been selected." Narani said.

She lifted her hands and the circle where the glass tube had been lit up. Markings appeared across the floor around it and the room began to shake again. The view through the window began to shift. It appeared as though they were rising up through the water. The sunlight grew stronger as it had less of the lake to penetrate, then the surface was broken and they peered out across the top of the crescent shaped body of water. And still they continued to raise higher, moving slowly.

"Wh-what is this place!?" Florie gasped, clinging to her leopard companion.

"Florie, Taraji, I wish to formally welcome you aboard my vessel. This is not a temple or a mountain or any such stationary structure. It is a vehicle, capable of crossing vast distances. My people used it to journey between the stars in search of a new world to call home," Narani remained still where she stood as two 'desks' rose up from the ground, meeting her outstretched hands, "I wish to thank you. With so many instances where you allowed me to enter your minds, I was able to learn about this world, what it has become, how it has grown, how your people have spread across its surface. I have even learned your language. I feared I might not ever reach anyone without that knowledge."

The cetacean woman began running her fingers across the surfaces of the two 'desks', which Florie and Taraji now realized were more than simple work surfaces. They were control consoles, filled with various means to send commands to the rest of the ship. It looked so elegant compared to the dials, gears, leavers, and switches of their technology. It was still one smooth surface, but the images displayed changed and morphed as the woman from a distant star tapped, slid, and manipulated the designs.

"You come from another world... not just somewhere else on Earth, but from beyond our solar system." Florie said, awe claiming her voice.

"Yes. My world is in fact so distant that your instruments of observation are not capable of viewing the galaxy my star calls home." Narani turned about, leaving the ship to hover where it was, simply floating above the valley it had landed in.

From outside, it was a great disk, tapering to a flat base beneath and a number of spires and towers above. The entryway they had used to gain access had sealed itself, while segments of the vessel extended outward, rotating slowly about the main body. Glowing lines had formed along the surface of the hull, showing that it was gradually coming alive, all its systems waking and preparing to depart.

Inside, the two ladies watched in awe as the view through the window slowly spun, permitting them to see the entirety of the valley and even a good deal beyond.

"Why did you choose our world?" Florie asked.

"Because it harbored the right conditions for my people to flourish. Unfortunately, there was already the beginning of intelligent life present. With so few of us remaining, there was not enough crew to operate the vessel to seek another location. By that time, there were only three of us remaining," Naraji sighed and turned away, pain lingering in her words, "I was the only one willing to continue the search, but alone, I could not pilot. The ship is too complex. So, I placed myself into a form of stasis. My flesh was removed, leaving only my skeleton. It is capable of housing my disembodied mind. I commanded the ship to remove my skull and cast it out somewhere into the world, hoping it might be found. Even if I was never discovered and joined together again, I would at least be in a sort of sleep. I would never have to feel the pain of the loss of my people."

That posed an interesting problem, one that neither Florie nor Taraji were sure they could assist with.

"If the ship can't be piloted by a single person, then I'm not sure we'll be able to go anywhere," the coral snake said hesitantly, "Your vessel appears far too advanced for us to learn how to fly it without spending years learning your language."

Narani chuckled as her good humor returned, shaking her head.

"That is not a concern. You will understand soon. We should begin. The earlier we can bring my people into being, the better," the woman lifted her arms, reaching out with her tendrils again, then stopped dead in her tracks, "Oh... I've only learned of this while I was studying your minds, yours and the men. You have a concept known as sex, and along with it consent. It is how you propagate your species. This is similar to my people, though consent is rarely a concern as we are all open to one another, our minds connecting freely. Yours do not connect in this way, so I must ask, do I have your permission to proceed?"

Taraji and Florie looked at one another and shared a giggle, then turned back to gaze at the tall woman who only wished for everything to be proper and well handled.

"You have our permission. If it's anything like what we're remembering from our dreams, you had our permission before we even came aboard." the leopard smiled.

"Very well. I shall try to be gentle." Narani closed her eyes again.

The tendrils resumed their motion, slowly wrapping their ways around the two ladies. Carefully, they were hoisted off the floor and held aloft in a comforting embrace. The inquisitive nature of the tentacles was quite the welcome treat for them both. Florie, being more ticklish than her lover, squirmed and giggled, unable to help herself as her stomach, sides, and neck were prodded and stroked at. Soon, her mouth, as well as Taraji's, was occupied once again. The first time, the tendril had pushed only so deep, almost reaching the back of her throat. Now, it pressed onward.

Just as before, both ladies tried to keep from gagging, but being prepared for such an invasion this time permitted them to avoid the discomfort. Deeper Narani slid down their throats, her limbs widening steadily until it felt as if both ladies had stretched their jaws around a rather large piece of fruit commonly used as a metaphor for the similarly shaped male anatomy. The flesh yielded against pressure and felt smooth, yet rubbery, just as they would have expected a sea-going mammal's to feel. Below, they felt their legs gently eased apart, their ankles trapped in coils that held them comfortably. The intrusions they had endured before returned. This time it was less a cursory exploration and more for a detailed survey.

Two moans, muffled by full mouths and stretched throats, reached Narani's ears. She smiled as she reached out to the minds of the two terrestrial women, sensing their pleasure, their desire, not just for satisfaction but for each other. She could feel the power of their affection for one another and it sent a warm thrill up her spine. She could not have had better luck in finding willing hosts. But those were thoughts and notions she would be able to indulge in later. It was time to begin properly.

A viscous ooze began to seep forth from the invading tendrils. It was mildly sweet, and on contact, it left a tingle to spread through the affected flesh. And it was dribbling down Florie's throat, as well as Taraji's. They both found their chests being prodded and coiled about. A gentle squeeze about both breasts made one woman arch her back. The other leaned into the affection, aching for more. The same sticky resin seeped out along the two chests, making the already lovely stimulation that much more powerful.

Then came what was proceeding below. Florie writhed as she was invaded so deeply. She could feel her stomach bulge softly, swelling outward with the presence of the tentacles examining her interior. The lumpy mass in her hide showed just how much was flowing into her, how they twisted about against one another. They brushed against every square inch of her passage, even her womb, leaving her to fight to move. The snake felt an intense desire to roll her hips, to grind forward against the invaders. Then she felt something press under her tail. A similar sensation of something worming its way in began to fill her from behind. Her eyes bulged and she tensed powerfully.

Taraji meanwhile was enduring similar exploration. She clenched firmly around the limbs slipping about as the pressed their way up under her tail. So much stretching should have hurt, and yet it was quite the opposite. All either of the girls felt was the most intense delight, spreading quickly through their forms as more of the strange, lightly sweet goo was smeared about inside and over them.

Moisture began to mat down the leopard's fur between her thighs. She was already close, so very near the verge of orgasm, and yet she hovered right there on the edge. She turned her head to look at her serpentine lover, concerned for her. What she saw was a coral snake wriggling about uncontrollably in the throes of the same passion. How desperately she wished to kiss her, to hold her, to caress her.

Her wish was granted.

The tendrils slipped into her mouth retreated while those below pressed further in. Those wrapped around her arms and legs released her. Florie was shown similar accommodation, and the two were brought together, still held off the ground in a nest of flexible, slick, insistent limbs. The two ladies pressed together tightly, arms wrapping around one another, lips seeking each other out.

"Florie... I... I can't... I can hardly... breathe... it's incredible." Taraji managed to stammer through her pants.

"Shut up and kiss me." the snake hissed.

The leopard did not disappoint. The two pressed their lips together, locking themselves in place as their folds were continuously invaded. A steady stroking, in and out, had proceeded. Both their stomachs had stretched considerably, but not to the point where they reached how far their breasts extended. That would come later, surely. The pressure from behind continued as the cetacean woman delved deeper into their innards.

As they let their tongues dance about, they slowed their efforts, grimacing a little as each felt their throat stretch. The kiss was broken just as they pulled away to see one of the grey woman's tendrils emerging from their jaws. The initial reaction was one of shock, but then the two limbs sought each other out, coiled together, then drew themselves back inward, bringing the two ladies back in to kiss. It made them both giggle and they resumed, now rather enticed by the added presence of the slick flesh of the tentacles dancing with their tongues.

For what felt like hours the snake and leopard were kept right on the edge, not quite allowed to achieve climax. They could feel something flowing into them between their legs. The tendrils there had grown thicker, then slimmed back down in regular intervals, as if something round was sliding up through them into both waiting bellies. Was Narani depositing eggs in them? It didn't matter how it worked. They just wanted to remain together, caressing one another, fondling each other, being forced to remain locked lip to lip. Something about not being able to break the kiss was deeply gratifying.

Pressure built between the two women, their stomachs feeling like they were nearing the limit. Just as they approached the point of pain, the tendrils began to withdraw, doing so rapidly. The act finally triggered the orgasm both Florie and Taraji had sought. When they were permitted to end the kiss, they threw their heads back and screamed. Both leopard and snake squeezed their legs together, trying desperately to hold onto what of their invaders as they could. A splash of honey coated the grey limbs as they slipped free.

Just as quickly as it all started, it all came to an end. Florie and Taraji were gently lowered to the floor, laying on their sides, panting desperately for breath, clinging to each other. Narani sighed and worked to compose herself. It had been an intense experience for her as well. She lowered a hand to her own nethers. She had felt the same orgasm as her new friends, though it was not her own. She had felt it through them, as if connected. She had wasted no time at all in sinking her mind back into theirs. Partly it was out of curiosity. Partly it was to ensure she was not hurting them. And partly, she had been asleep for ten thousand years, not knowing the real touch of another. She wanted to join in their joy.

And she was not disappointed.

"It has begun." Narani said, more out of breath than she anticipated she would be.

"If... that is... how it is to be... every time... then I am very much... in favor... of this extended... longevity." Florie panted with a grin.

"Thousands of your people, perhaps millions you said," Taraji blinked slowly from exhaustion, "I would be willing to give up the jungle for this, to be with my wife throughout such wondrous pleasures."

"I'm so glad you think so. I must confess I myself was not prepared for the strength of your experiences. If you would permit me, I should like to partake again in the future. Perhaps slower to savor the joining," Narani took a breath to compose herself and stood up properly, "You should brace yourselves. It is not over."

"Oh?" Florie said, finally managing to sit up.

She was about to offer an emphatic approval to letting Narani have her way with the two of them again, but there was this 'it is not over' to consider.

"Yes. You have life growing inside you. I have supplied you with the nutrients necessary to keep them nourished. I can provide more for you when you feel hunger again." Narani cupped a hand under one of her tendrils, then ran her tongue across the end, sampling some of the ooze she had pumped into every crevice of the two ladies.

Taraji sat up, then climbed to her feet unsteadily. She helped Florie up, giggling a little as she reached down to feel over the snake's belly.

"You're already showing, my love." the leopard grinned.

"So are you!" Florie replied, offering the feline's middle a similar stroking.

"That is the presence of the seeds I have planted in you. They will grow and you will become much larger. And they will grow faster than you would consider normal." Narani lowered her gaze to the two gently curved bellies, swollen as if occupied by a small throw pillow.

"How quickly?" the snake asked.

Her answer came immediately. A powerful warmth suddenly filled her stomach and she clutched her belly, moaning as her legs grew weak under her. It was just like the dream now. Or was it a prophecy? Taraji gasped as she gripped her own abdomen. The swelling had begun. Their middles began to stretch, pushing their hands apart and forcing them to lean over under the weight.

Florie crouched on her knees while Taraji tried stand upright. She moved a paw to press on the small of her back while her other paw rest atop her rapidly growing tummy. It was just as intense and pleasant as in their dreams. They grew larger and heavier with every passing second. Their shirts, soaked by the ooze Narani had coated them in, began to fail. Buttons popped, fabric ripped, and seams came undone. The pressure of the confining garments was relieved at last. Then their trousers were forced down, the clasps and zippers failing as the seams did so as well. Narani slipped her tendrils back out and began ridding the ladies of their clothing.

Soon, both cat and snake were completely nude. Florie by now had grown so much that she was being pushed up off the floor while her legs trembled. Taraji hugged both her arms around her own burden, trying to cradle it so that she might not fall over. Within minutes, both ladies were so vast of stomach they reached the ground while standing upright. And still they grew, finally reaching a point where they could not reach the floor. Both ladies lay atop their heavy stomachs, squeezing, groping, and stroking the swells tenderly.

In the dream, they had landed in chairs for support. But they had grown larger than they had seen in those visions. And it was even more glorious.

"Oh my... It... it's even stronger... in the waking world." Florie said breathlessly.

"How long... until we give birth?" Taraji asked.

"Your bodies are designed for a gestation of nine months. That is how long it will be before you birth the first group. They will be the crew of the ship." Narani said as she watched both her breeders.

"Nine months before we can leave to go wherever you said we were going? That's a bit of a long wait, isn't it?" Florie asked.

"No, we do not have to wait that long." the cetacean woman smiled.

As she gazed fondly at her new friends, another creature stepped out from behind her, looking very similar to her. This one was grey like Narani, but possessed wide bands of lighter and darker grey. Then another emerged from behind the tall woman, this one showing patches of darker grey in rosettes, not unlike a leopards. They had the markings of the snake and cat swollen and rendered immobile by their bellies!

"Wha... how... where did they come from!?" Florie cried out in amazement.

"This is Sanjia and the other is Mola. They are your daughters, and mine. The first two." Narani wrapped her arms tenderly around the two new women.

Save for the markings, they all looked identical. And they returned the embrace fondly.

"Hello mother. It is wonderful to finally meet you." Sanjia said.

"We are ready to help pilot the ship." Mola added.

"Excellent. Please begin by running a full systems check. The rest of the crew will be arriving shortly." Narani pointed them towards stations lifting out of the floor of the round room.

It wasn't just a room. It was the control center, the bridge of the ship. As the two new ladies took their posts, more began to simply appear from behind Narani, as if they had been hiding there the whole time. It mystified the two swollen women. Their attentions were brought back to their stomachs as they felt motion begin to stir about inside them. They both moaned loudly and squeezed their legs together. Another warm splash soaked their thighs as they were rocked by orgasm once again. The motion of new life swirling about inside them had rendered them unable to speak.

Narani however could sense their confusion and stepped closer to put their minds at ease, even offer their motherly stomachs some much needed affection.

"These are indeed our daughters. Our children. They are growing inside you right now, as we speak. Time does not flow the same for us as it does for you. We exist outside the linear dimension of it. The moment they were conceived, they began their existence. When they were mature enough to appear here to assist, they joined us one by one. They will continue to join us. Soon, we will have a full crew and we will be able to fly the ship with ease." the cetacean woman smiled, leaning in to offer both feline and snake a sign of affection, a gentle pressing of forehead to forehead.

"How... how many... are there... in the crew?" Florie could barely speak as she fought to catch her breath.

"The minimum crew to enable all functions is eighty. But there will be more once we arrive." Narani said.

"Eighty!?" Taraji's eyes grew enormous, "We are carrying eighty of your people!?"

"Oh no," Narani shook her head, "You are carrying at least one hundred each. I say they will grow faster than you expect because each child exists in multiple states at the same time. One daughter may recur inside you at least a dozen times at different levels of development. You are carrying some that are already ready to be birthed. They have reached the full nine months gestation your bodies require. However, because you do not transcend time as we do, you will continue to grow until all our daughters are fully represented from conception to birth."

Florie and Taraji just blinked, their heads swimming. They were going to be pregnant with the same child multiple times. Just one child alone would be enough to leave them large enough to have trouble walking. But they carried at least a hundred each, and they were all simply blinking into existence from the moment of conception as full grown adults, ready to operate the ship.

It was efficient, certainly. But it raised questions of just how long it would take for them to repopulate the race, the thousands or millions Narani mentioned. And there was also the question of where they were going. The two swollen ladies just watched as, one by one, more of the crew appeared and took their posts, many leaving the bridge no doubt to operate different controls and systems elsewhere. It was a ship. It had to have an engine room, certainly. And if this vessel was as advanced as it sounded, it only made sense to have crew monitoring everything they could.

Narani stood and turned back to the window still showing the valley outside. She spoke to the crew, her children, asking them for the state of various areas of the craft. Florie knew the woman was speaking her native tongue, she didn't know how she knew, but she did. It was strange because in spite of the change in language, the snake could still understand her. So could Taraji. It had to be a gift from the woman, the 'captain'. She had granted them the knowledge of her words while they were joined. Maybe it wouldn't take them years to learn how to operate all the alien technology around them.

"We are in excellent shape, given the ship has lain dormant for ten millennia." Narani beamed with pride.

"So, we'll be going soon?" Taraji asked.

"Almost immediately," the captain nodded, "There are two gas giants in your star system. The nearer of the two is the largest planet orbiting your star. Orbiting it is a moon that is encased in a thick crust of ice, but below it is a deep, rich ocean of liquid water. It was to be our second choice in this system if your world proved unavailable. Since there is intelligent life here, we will build a colony there."

"Another body... with liquid water!? In the same system!?" Florie gasped.

It was not her field of expertise, but she did follow some of the larger findings in astronomy. This was a revelation that would shake the discipline to its very foundations.

The circular craft had hovered in place for at least ten minutes while Andreevich, Craft, and the rest of the dogs recovered. They all stood up, one by one, staring at the vessel in wonder. The alsatian lifted his hands towards it as if he might pluck it out of the sky. He screamed with insane fury. He had been denied his prize. Craft gripped the taller dog by the shoulder to speak to him.

Andreevich whipped around, swinging a balled up fist at the mutt. The blow was dodged and a punch was sunk deep into the taller canine's abdomen. It only fazed him briefly before he tackled Craft to the ground. They both shouted hatefully at one another for a moment before they froze.

Something was very wrong. Andreevich couldn't understand what Craft was saying. And Craft couldn't understand Andreevich. It was as if they were both speaking gibberish. The grey woman had done something to them, broken their minds, scrambled their language somehow! The alsatian stood back up from trying to beat Craft senseless and began shouting angrily at the ship again. Craft joined him, as did the rest of the men.

The vessel began to slowly rise once again, lifting higher into the air as the spinning ring quickened its rotation. The light shining from the seams and lines brightened while a deep whine filled the air, frightening off every bird in the valley. Then the vessel appeared to stretch, pulling inward on itself in a quick, jerking pop. A flash of pale light followed before a strong gust of wind knocked all of the men to the ground.

The ship was gone. And so was the woman who had damaged them. The shouting continued, now aimed between the dogs. No doubt they were trying to blame one another for this horrible fate. Andreevich reached for his knife, but found nothing. The other canines reached for weapons that had been left in the camp. Gunfire filled the valley, then went quiet.

Were Florie and Taraji in a state where they could spare the thoughts to care about what had happened to the men, they would have asked. But they were far too preoccupied with getting to know their daughters, the ones they were still carrying, and yet were already old enough to fly the ship.

They were likely going to remain immobile like this for most of their lives. So long as they were together, that was all that mattered to them.

"I told you that you would make a wonderful mother." Taraji smiled tiredly at her serpentine companion.

"You're rather marvelous at it yourself." Florie returned the smile.

"I love you." the leopard said, reaching out to take the other lady's hand.

"I love you too." the coral snake replied, interlacing her fingers with those of her wife.

They were going to colonize another world, be mothers to an entire race, and see and learn things no other living creature on Earth could even dream of. It could not have been a more glorious future.

---

"Wait, aliens!?" Harriet cried.

"Yeah, why not?" Ally grinned, "Making it about aliens means you can do some really naughty stuff, like the whole tentacles thing!"

"Yeah but... doesn't it feel a little... I dunno... out there?" the rabbit tilted her head.

"Honey, I never said my stuff was high art. It's smut for girls who like smut. And you would be surprised how many girls who like smut also like aliens in their smut." Ally smirked.

"I thought it was great!" Jenny grinned, "I wanna meet this Narani chick! She sounds hot! Kinda like that blue singer lady from that one movie."

"Yeah, the diva. She was kind of the inspiration," Ally smiled, turning to look at Steve, all the while still stroking his gravid middle, "And what did you think of it, cutie?"

The bloated-bellied boy was trembling. He closed the book and let it rest on top of his stomach as he tried to compose himself. He shivered for a moment, trying to squeeze his legs together. His belly slowly swelled as he fought for control over himself. Little by little, it inched outward, finally bumping the coffee table nicely positioned between the two sofas. All eyes were locked on his vast dome of a gut when if stopped there. He was far too large to get up off the couch now.

"Well damn!" Harriet shouted, "I'd say he liked it!"

Steve blushed and nodded, handing the book back to Ally after he managed to calm down a bit. He was still out of breath.

"I... I was kinda... holding things in I guess. The scene where they got intimate for the first time, that started me off. The scene with Narani just added to it. I think I'm gonna need to empty out soon." he huffed as he ran his clawed hands across his incredibly tender stomach.

If he wasn't careful, he'd make it grow even more. And it wouldn't take much at all now that he was so huge.

"Well, if you liked that stuff, maybe I should let you read some of the deleted scenes I decided to cut from the book! They were a little too out there for my publisher, but I'm hanging on to them." Ally smirked.

"Oh! Yeah! I wanna read extra material!" Jenny bounced in her seat, one paw on her generously curved belly, the other waving in the air like a student waiting to be called on, "And I volunteer to help unload some more eggs!"

"No, you've had enough." Harriet frowned.

"Okay fine, you can have some for yourself first." the rotund rabbit rolled her eyes.

Ally laughed, making Harriet blush quite deeply.