Red Twilight

The Demon of the Flowers

Dustin Feyder

&

Ashly Fox

A word from the author:

Since the publication of my first book I have been contacted time and time again by fellow authors asking me 'were do I start?' or 'how do I end my story?' and 'I want to be more than just a writer.' And, I understand. To this end I have opened myself up to a number of my contemporaries. If anyone claiming to be an author showed up on any of the websites I frequent and ask for my help with writing I would help them. the payment I ask for you will find in these pages. I would help my associates in the construction of their manuscript 1600 words at a time, in exchange I reserved the right to edit and print the pages I helped them with. So, here it comes. An Anthology of sci-fi and romance brought to you by the author of Red Twilight and a dozen or so friends.

*chapters that had been submitted by or inspired by the work of other authors will be marked with italics and an (*)

Prolog

Chapter 1 After Eden

Chapter 2 Marooned part 1*

Chapter 3 Marooned part 2*

Chapter 4 Marooned part 3*

Chapter 5 Marooned part 4*

Chapter 6 Runaway

Chapter 7 Shadows Over Life part 1*

Chapter 8 Shadows Over Life part 2*

Chapter 9 Shadows Over Life part 3*

Chapter 10 Shadows Over Life Part 4*

Chapter 11 Battle the Zzuragg part 1*

Chapter 12_Battle the Zzuragg part 2*_

Chapter 13_Battle the Zzuragg part 3*_

Chapter 14_Battle the Zzuragg part 4*_

Chapter 15_Battle the Zzuragg part 5*_

Chapter 16_Battle the Zzuragg part 6*_

Chapter 17 Biting Wind part 1*

Chapter 18 Biting Wind part 2*

Chapter 19 Biting wind part 3*

Chapter 20 Biting wind part 4*

Chapter 21 Parlay

Chapter 22 Fractured Memories part 1*

Chapter 23 Fractured Memories part 2*

Chapter 24 Fractured Memories part 3*

Chapter 25 Fractured Memories part 4*

Chapter 26 Fractured Memories part 5*

Chapter 27 Fractured Memories part 6*

Chapter 28 Ghost Dog

Chapter 29 Evil Book part 1 *

Chapter 30 Evil Book part 2 *

Chapter 31 Evil Book part 3 *

Chapter 32 Evil Book part 4 *

Chapter 33 Evil Book part 5 *

Chapter 34 Evil Book part 6 *

Chapter 35 Evil Book Part 7 *

Chapter 36 First, Therefor, Because

Chapter 37 Siege part 1

Chapter 38 Siege part 2

Chapter 39 Siege part 3

Chapter 40 Afterlife

Chapter 41 The Wolf who Eats the Moon

Prolog

Realm: Drakolus

Place: Library of Agora

Chrono Sphere: 20-02

The ceiling in the Library is 150 feet overhead, even for the mighty dragons the are the keepers of the tomes. In and amongst the grate and ancient wurms the tiny mouse that is Jessica the Weaver is a strange looking thing. The aged mouse mother walks briskly down the halls whispering the tittles of books as she passes them. for much of the last sevral years she has traveled to every kingdom she knows in search of the oldest and wisest sages. But time and time again where she hopes to find wise men she stumple on the feet of wide guys.

The mighty Jessica the Weaver is in need of ancient power and forgotten lure not empty platitudes. She has traveld from: Nimh, to Asguard, to Avalon, to the Steel Rose and now here Drakolus. She has been led to believe that here she will find the eternal dragon that had trained the elder druid Kemen Ter'lord, and Scuala Al'mother.

If Jessica is to find a wizard of the highest caliber a dragon born of the lineage of Soles-Chaos should do nicely. The worldwalkers are baptized in dragon blood, now it is time to see what a true born dragon has to offer.

A voice call over from a well lit table and there he is, a young and beautiful dragon sits up on his back legs, he waves the mouse over "You must be the traveler Jessica LaMarces." The cute dragon smiles to the mouse. Jessica walks over and places her hands on the sides of the chair before her. The chair is over ten feet tall and takes her a few seconds to nestle into. The dragon slides a hand under Jessica's rump to help her into the set.

Jessica explains "I have gone by that name before."

The dragon brings a hand up to his chin thinking "LaMarces, isn't that also the name of the Avalon moon king?"

Jessica pulls her pendent out from under her cloak and lets it rest between her breast "Indeed it is, it is Princes Walker Selina LaMarces that sits on the throne today. It is with his blessing that I use his name as I am in this land." She points to her pendent. A bronze medallion with a ruby heart stone and a ring of eight gem slivers outlining the heart stone like the corona of a sun "it was also he that gave me this trinket."

The dragon slides a finger under the necklace to bring it close as he searches it for markings, the dragon admirers the beauty of the stone. "it is outstanding. Only Moonfolk cut stones so slender."

Jessica locks eyes with the dragon, her nose lowers slightly as she blushes, "storm clouds rumble in your eyes, it is enchanting."

The dragon lets go of the chain "then that means that you can see arcana floating in the air. You see Jessica, I have trained in the art of silent casting. I can summon magic without the need for bangle, or songs, and dance. I can imagine casting a spell then the spell tack shape in this world. I bet you are a talented wizard yourself."

"you will need to forgive me master dragon, it seems I have forgotten your name."

"Rhaegal will do. My full name is difficult to say if you do not speak Draconic, Trogg, or Fay." The dragon folds his arms under his torso and leans forward onto the table offering the mouse a hungry grin. "my aid tells me that you came here looking for in exorcist. Is that true?"

"it is." Jessica nods girlishly

"Are you aware the 'The Guardian of Avalon' his blessed with anti-possession magic?" Rhaegal names the pendent around Jessica's neck.

"And yet the beast invades my dreams. I can feel him behind my eyes watching my movements and I hear him whispering in my ear..."

Rhaegal clarifies "he whispers to you but does not try to control you?"

"he has tried, but I have fought him off, mostly." Jessica adds

"what does mostly mean?" Rhaegal slides a finger under Jessica's head making her look up at him.

"once, he asked me to hurt on of my friends. I could not fight him that day."

"Did you have the pendent on at the time?" Rheagal stretches his neck looking around the mouse body sizing her up.

"I had it on already the day the monster first came to me." Jessica lowers her head shyly

"where did you meet the beast?" the dragon probes for more information

"Nihm, Graywall Keep."

"what shape did the monster take?" the dragon thinks he know what is going on. This is easy, she was attacked by a banshee or a wight, it is not a demon the mouse is struggling with, it is enchantery. He has all the tools he needs to cure the mouse right hear and now.

"Kari had many shape, first as man named Adam Crow, thin as a bird named Baba-Yung, a spider called Scala, and he could also appears as wind, fire, gold dust, a grate fanged beast and as a mouth in the sky. But not one of these is him, these are only the shape he could take that I could understand and interact with."

Rhaegal looks nerves, something in that description has rubbed his scales up the wrong way, this sounds much larger then he was expecting. Jessica's nose wiggles as does one ear, she can taste the dragon's blood in the air, she can smell his emotions. Jessica can tell Rhaegal is about to stand up and say 'This job isn't right for me,' and 'let me send you to one of my friends.' Jessica has played this back and forth with other wizards after having their ego put on the line.

Jessica needs to do something to keep the dragon's attention, Jessica pulls her legs under her body sitting on her knees in the chair, she places a hand on Rhaegal's claw and the other hand she slides under her chin cutely, her tail runs up her back, she sways side to side hypnotically. "some one told me that you are part Tamriel, is that true?" Jessica plays at Rhaegal's vanity.

"If every dragon that thought they were Tamriel actually were we would all be siblings." Rhaegal acts modest for a moment" 'There is something off about this mouse.' Rhaegal thinks. The mouse eyes draw him in, the sway of her tail gets his heart to flutter, her scent makes him salivate. Jessica's femininity teases at the dragon fatherly needs. Rhaegal discards his apprehension. "Alright, let me take a good look at you and see what is what."

Rhaegal leans forward getting nose to nose with Jessica looking into her eyes. The monster within Jessica's soul starts to feed Rhaegal a fantasy.

Intoxicating black storm clouds brighten the sky, low hanging storms bring a heated cold to the dragon's skin, thunder summons music to his ears. The coppery aroma of fresh hot love fills the dragon with lust. A valley outreaches before Rhaegal's eyes, the Thunderdance, the dragon's springe festival. Rhaegal has been her before. As the storm rages the dragons dance. Music and love are the order of the day. Rhaegal feel himself filling with hunger as his eyes feast on lovely young flesh. It has been some time since Rhaegal has gotten to dance, he misses it so.

When it comes to dragons and the Thunderdance any onlooker would describe the way the dragons act as reckless and irresponsible. There is much love being passed around during these events with little attention being given to age, gender or familial bonds. During your average dance any dragon looking for love will enjoy ten or so partners, and once the dance is dune, everyone goes home. No thoughts given to consequence until months later and eggs having been already been laid. It as at this time that some of the more unique qualities of dragon civilization come into play.

You see, in the case of a dragon there is no such thing as a reckless relationship. Every dragon knows what is going to happen at a Thunderdances, every dragon knows that if they share their love with others eggs could become involved, and dragons are uniquely aware of each waking moment of their life. When a dragon hibernates, they get to relive every memory they have. Dragon memory is incorruptible. If a dragon girl lays in egg after a Thunderdance she will sniff out her partners from that day and approach them in the order they had approach her during the festival. After all the first dragon to have laid with her in the evening is the one that was most likely to have given her the eggs. She would then offer to surrender ownership of the eggs to her partners. It is only at this point that dragons talk about the possibility of a long-term relationship.

It was on a night much like this that Rhaegal was given his Threehorn, in Rhaegal's family all girls are called threehorn, it is a practicality. this may not be true of all dragons everywhere but in the land where Rhaegal was born the easiest sexually dimorphic trait to see is one's horns. Mails always have an even number of horns, with there dominant par growing out from their crown and often hooking around their ear-scales or fins, females on the other hand have an odd number of horns, still having the horns that line their fins but then with on extra, it sits at the center of their crown and slumps forward drawing a line between their eyes and following the arc of their nose. No small number of antsy dragon boys could tell you, one poke to the ribs with that third horn will teach you to respect your lovers.

It was also on a night just like this that Rhaegal lost his beloved threehorn. It is a tradition that the guardian parent of a child, male or female is irrelevant, stay by their side during a thunderdance and do everything that their child does, just in case some older and sneaky dragon wants to try to take advantage of a first timer, lie to them and steel from them in any way.

After their first dance together, Rhaegal had the honor of watching his threehorn lay her first egg, but her would never see the egg hatch, and he would never dance again with his daughter or grandchild. The year after their dance together came an event called 'the Dying' some sort of fungal infection swept the countryside. Any dragon that came in contact with this fungus had the scales on their paws and tail rot and brake away exposing their pink underskin, and in the case of the very young and the exceptionally old the scales would not grow back and they would be crippled or killed by any number of infections that followed.

The eldritch thing living in Jessica's mind demonstrates that it knows all of this and so much more. The sky turns to violet, a whale sings shattering all other sound. The sky is consumed hooking teeth, the ground is sundered by fangs larger the mountains cracking out from the deep of the earth. As the strange song is sung the world changes shape.

That which is old becomes vigor. That which is beautiful becomes innocent. that which is refined becomes wild. Then all turns to water. The furnace of space bathes the world in its embers as time runs backwards. All things turn simpler, more rudimentary. All things grow together, slipping every more into a singular shape that is like nothing alive today but contains all the building blocks to be whatever it wants to be.

The sky unfolds the tonsil like flaps of its mouth showing off a chasm the twist into the depths of eternity and burns with a pink life-giving light, looking into the light give the feeling of looking out the birth channel. The light draws Rhaegal in showing him a life before life, a time before time. Space outside space. This thing inside Jessica's body is a thing that can not be. A monster forged in some form of superspace outside of tangible reality that can seemingly give birth to a universe.

Rhaegal gasp and pulls his hands away from Jessica, he had only been scrying her for a few moments but he felt the passage of time on a scale he could not describe, the words, the mathematical language to describe what he saw doesn't exists yet.

Jessica still has her eyes locked on the dragon boy "what did you see?" the question is authentic Jessica houses the monster but is only faintly aware of it most of the time and cant possible know how large and powerful this thing is.

Rhaegal is half in a panic. "I need a moment, I need to look over my books. This may take some time, if you need to step out I will a walking mink to fetch you." He climbs to his feet shacking as his mind struggles to sort the cosmic data dump he encountered during his trip into Jessica's soul. The beast wasn't trying to harm Rhaegal, it was trying to tell him something but it was almost like his mind and body could not recover the information all at once.

Jessica nudges her head upwards, she points to a statute made of a green scaly metal "is that a Cilverant statue?" she asks.

Rhaegal looks back then looks to the mouse again, he nods as he swallows hard trying to force his heart rate down with autogenic breaths. "Yes."

Jessica jumps down from her chair, her glasses sparkle as she too is feed revelation "I need to travel to Silk Valley, summon Him to help you in your research. I will return as soon as I can..."

***

Realm: The Never

Place: Steel Rose

Chrono sphere: 20-02

Floating through the mist between worlds the satellite known as the Steel Rose rest, orbited by seven moons. At the center of the Rose rest the soul of satellite, the courthouse. The builder of the space station, Cilverant the Architect of Peace, the four-faced iron giant, sets at the judge's podium Xia, the Rat Samurai, stands by his side as the orderly. Court is in session, a closed-door meeting. There are no jurors today, they are not needed.

The defendant stands awaiting the words of the judge. Her name is Seeker, she is from the realm of Esper, her planet is forged from living metal and she is no different, even if she has enhanced her body and walks around looking like a human living in cybernetic skin. She has long blond hair, her chest is hallow showing of the spinning gyro that is her heart, her shell is a deep blue. Her exasperation, enigmatic.

Cilverant digs his fingers into the chair before him. "Sister, you stand before me, a member of this cabal. Seeker of Eternity, forged from the body of Seeker of Esper. You have been accused of Void Worship. This act is a crime on every free world within the know cosmos. Do you understand this?"

Seeker is to the point, she always is "This information has been made available to me."

Cilverant continues "you have been fingered by your fellow cultist Vestel. How do you plead?"

Seeker expresses "I have knowingly and willingly participated in rituals alongside the Worldwalker called Vestel."

Cilverant clarifies "you have just plead guilty?"

Seeker confirms "I did."

Xia becomes uneasy, she has a foggy memory of this conversation taking place once already. As Cilverant leans in continue the grilling. Xia reaches into a pouch on the side of her belt pulling out a hand full of bird bones, she drops the bones on the table along side her examining them. one hand finds the hilt of her sword slowly tipping it forward, she can see already that this is going to end just like last time.

Cilverant moves his hands together folding them over "why?"

Seeker is deadpan in her delivery "I have looked into the minds of one thousand of my other selves from across the cosmos. We live in a deterministic universe. In every universe we live side by side, one of us must kill the other. There is no other way this ends."

Cilverant leans back in his chair "I have no intention of doing harm to you."

Seeker explains "in this universe I have already killed you. The brain in a jar under your feet has been poisoned by liquid steel, and the plug you are drawing power from has been corrupted by my code. You are being erased as we speak. In only a few more moments I will overwrite you and take control of the Steel Rose for myself. Our fate is sealed, I have no choice."

The light empties from Cilverant's eyes, then the lights in the courtroom start to flicker. Xia Draws her sword. Seeker turns to look at Xia "you are not going to attack me. You can remember your past life and that it is not you that is meant to fight me. You are going to run to the control room now, you will fire a flair. Tell the other Worldwalker's that Cilverant is off line, and I am now in control."

***

Chapter 1 After Eden

Realm: Asgaurd

Place: Ice Ocean

Chrono Sphere: 20-02

The wind is howling outside, the temperature is -70*, to be outside right now would be a death sentence to all but the strongest of animals. Three wolves gather in a catacomb deep under the ice. The glow of embers light the hole. The first wolf is a female, she has white fur and red spirals painted onto her, she is called Ami. The second wolf is a male, he has a flower tattooed onto his nose the stem wraps around one eye and runs down his back, he is Hetatsubachi. The third wolf is both male and female, she is called Loki.

Loki picks up a bottle in her moth uncorking it. She sticks her muzzle into the jar to withdraw a bird beak from inside. She then adds the beak to a boiling pot on the fire. "the crooked beak of a Wonderbird. that was shockingly hard to get ahold of." Loki turns to face Ami "Are you ready to get started?"

Ami turns her head folding her body nearly in half as she sniffs at her tail. She then looks back to Loki with a nod "I think we are still on schedule."

Loki opens another jar and pulls out a dry slug to add to the soup. "that is good, I don't have the time or money to set this up again if we mess up."

Hetatsubachi joins the conversation "how long did it take to set this up?"

Loki walks over to Ami, she sets down a cup next to her. "I need three drops of blood from you." Loki then addresses Hetatsubachi "two hundred years to gather the spell components, four hundred to manipulate the blood of the Skoll family to prepare them to receive the blessing."

Tatsu lowers his head, his eyes shut in contemplation "Loki, do you remember the battle at Eden?"

Loki places her paws on the spoon in the caldron "I was not present at the battle. But I remember the events leading up to the battle."

Tatsu locks eyes with his host "when did that battle take place."

Loki almost can't stop her giggling at the remark "in our presentation of time space it happens three weeks from today."

Tatsu becomes excited "then I didn't imagen it! Something has altered time-space. Loki, what powers in the cosmos has the power to alter the rules of reality like this?"

Loki smiles "the Chrono Sphere is easily disrupted. Any child of Chaos could bend time space; you, me, the Belmond. But if it was any of us there would be a fundamentally difference then what you are experiencing right now. When you are I bend space it is only you and I that can see the bend. When who did it this time did all of the Worldwalkers saw it."

Tatsu stands, his blood boiling as the will to hunt fights its way to the surface "I went to Eden hunting a monster. Is the hunt still on?"

Loki stops for a moment offering her full attention to Tatsu "How did the hunt end last time?"

Tatsu's smile melts as he drops into a sitting position "I don't remember."

Loki walks over to Tatsu, she rubs her head under his lifting his head, she slides along side him to whisper "Tatsu, take my advice, stop hunting. Once we are done here jump though the Never, find some world somewhere out there blanketed in flowers and do what Chaos wants us to do. Eat hardy and spread your seed. This fight isn't for the likes of you and I, this is a fight between Tamriel. Let them do the fighting and the bleeding." Loki turns her head offering Hetatsubachi a kiss.

Ami interrupts "soup is boiling."

Quickly Loki runs back to the stew. Tatsu is lost in thought for a moment "Loki, what will you and Ami do after we finish this ritual?"

"I will take Ami to the Realm of Nihm, I will need to keep her hidden for 5 months. she can not be touched for at least 5 months after the spell is complete. After that I am going to fallow Jloose example and find some cute alien to shack up with for a few decades." Loki starts spooning the soup into cups. "Ami, Tatsu, take these cups in your muzzles, tip your head back and swallow. You must finish the soup in three swallows or less."

The male and female wolf do as instructed. They both drink and await their next instruction. Loki stands between them. Loki places a cup with a leaf and a needle on the ground, she watches for a moment waiting for the leaf to stop spinning. "Ami, chalice of the holy blood, turn to face north. Curl your tail around your left leg and lower your breast. Hold your womanhood high."

Ami becomes dizzy as the potion takes effect, Ami looks at the needle then turns to face north, she lowers her head and hooks her tail around her leg. Loki looks at Tatsu, "lower your head to the ground, offer your prayers to the goddess of creation. With your eyes shut fallow your nose, lift your head to Ami's underside, with the tip of your tongue like the blood from her backside."

Tasu fallows instructions as his will is suppressed by the magic, not that he wouldn't happily lick Ami anyway. Loki takes a bow "With this next instruction my part in this ritual will be complete and it will be up to the two of you to finish without me. Hetatsubachi, with the taste of Ami's blood in your mouth you may consummate your relationship. Do so by placing a paw on her stomach, the other reach around her body and place it in her mouth, hold her still. See to it that you remain facing north until the spirts have left you. Ami, you will accept Hetatsubachi into your body, you will bite him. You will hold him still. Your body alone will work. Once the spirits will it you will both climax. I will now leave you."

Magic fill the blood of the two wolves. The pleasure of the energy is exhausting. For much of the evening the two of them remain stuck together by Loki's spell. Once the spirit boiling in Tatsu's body is released into Ami they both howl. Tatsu faints. Only moments later Ami falls onto her stomach falling asleep also.

***

With Tatsu's part played Loki pulls the two apart, Ami is teleported to the safe room in which she will live for the better part of the year. Loki pays respect to Tatsu for his part in this heathenistic by waiting for him to awaken.

The two gather outside, the sun is rising as is the temperature. Tatsu watches the sun rising "Loki, this is where we part ways isn't it?" there is a hint of sadness in his words.

Loki nods "It is."

Tatsu turns to face his friend "it is shameful. I should like to stay with the two of you."

"And that is why things must be this way. Don't love people, don't trust them, you will be happier that way." Loki turns to sand vanishing. Tatsu sighs lowering his head, Tatsu brakes apart into a flock of butterflies. The two of them flee Asgard with only the hope that one day the three of them will be together again.

Chapter 2 Marooned part 1

Realm: Phawks

Place: Rice Lake

Chrono Sphere: 20-04

The sky is alive, rain crashes furiously to the ground. Trees topple, lightning shatters the sky, thunder shakes the ground. Two travelers from two worlds watch the storm only long enough to know it is a monsoon worthy of legends. Ashely had gone camping only this morning under clear skies and tamed weather. She is a lover of the wild, mostly for the quiet. She plans every three or so months to spend a week living off the land. She is young and her skills as a hunter are not yet refined. But you don't need to trap and kill your own food when there are places like Midnight Market where you can pick up all the oatmeal and sun-dried grapes one can eat for barely more than pocket change.

Ashley has been doing this ever since she was in her early teens. She had noticed when she was thirteen that her scent had a powerful effect on other foxes, and in exponentially greater one if she happened to be in estrus. So, she mapped out her heat cycles and made the arrangements to always be out of town when her heat hit.

In the seven years now, Ashley has done this she has seen the strange, and the unsettling out in the woods, but never has she seen rain so harshly that the rain burns one's skin and darkens one's vision. Her clothes are soaked through in moments and her backpack saturates, her hunting coat offers her no protection from the vengeful storm. There is only one thing Ashley can think to do.

Maybe two summers ago Ashley had discovered a natural cave only a mile or so from her camp site. She must run. Reach the cave and hide out there until the storm passes. But little does the young fox know, she will hardly be alone tonight.

Even as the fox makes her way for cover lightning splinters a tree just outside her cone of sight, an ancient and powerful tree relinquishes itself to the power of heaven. Ember turns to ash, black wood peppers the ground.

From beneath the ash, yellow-green eyes spawn. A wolf grate and white pulls itself from under the cover of earth, the wolf is older and stronger than any would anticipate but brought low by a weary body. He has traveled far to get here; the wolf has run long and hard. What vile horror has the wolf left in his wake? Only the dead may know.

Philosophizing the wolf with the flower tattoo turns his eyes upwards. "it is done, the Rose burns, the road home lost to me forevermore. It seems no matter where I run, the rain falls squarely on my back. Do I chase the storm? Or do storms chase me?"

His eyes lower in hidden sadness "there is but one thing left I can do. I must find a new life, a new home, and let the past burn." A sweet sent slinks savory under the wolf's nose. Heart excited by the flowering aroma the wolf turns his head seeking the origin of the fragrances of his new desire.

Ashley climbs down into the sheltering cave, she is soaked through and through, her clothes vacuumed to her body by the rain her backpack heavy with water. Ashley sneezes and coughs clearing her throat of the rain she inhaled.

The fox discards her orange hunting coat and looks around in her bag. Her bedroll she throws to the side as it, as well as her change of clothes, has sponged up so much water as to be functionally useless, her lamp is in good working order but the seal on her oil can seems to have failed bringing it salvageability into question. The only things in her bag that seem undamaged by the white wash rain are a hunting knife, a compass, a tinder-stone, and a zip locked bag of oatmeal.

Already in uncomfortable from ministration, compounded by the irritation of losing so much camping gear, Ashely tips her head back ready to scream. But instead, jumps in shock as a second voice enters the cave. "tell me you can speak. The last person I bumped into under these conditions could only communicate via pheromone..." the growling rocky voice of the wolf comes from slightly overhead at the cave's mouth.

It is dark, Ashley sees only the silhouette of the wolf, who under these conditions is almost indistinguishable from another fox. Ashley, cold, confused, and aggravated places one hand on her hunting knife in anticipation of a fight. "Who are you! What do you want!" her lip curls into a snarl, her nose crinkles with nervous anger.

The wolf hops down to her level, "there is a long and a short version of that. I am a wolf from a distant land called Dis, trained as a warlock, blessed with the power of space manipulation by a cosmic wurm named Chaos. I am called Hetatsubachi-Una. Tatsu for short."

Ashley is confused by the reply "you will forgive me if I feel skeptical."

The wolf walks around Ashley, he sneakily slides his head under her tail giving her a quick sniff, the then slyly walks around in front of her "I would too."

Ashley goes back to work and trying to figure out how to salvage this adventure "Call me Ashley." In a fit of rage, Ashley throws one of her bottles of oil across the room complaining "no light, no heat, no dry clothes..."

Tatsu looks around, he gathers up a fist full of stones piling them up "I can amend one of those for you." His paw runs over the surface of the stone, the stones seem to turn to glass then yellow light flickers from within like a fire's glow.

Ashely watches in amazement, her eyes go wide as she sits down pulling her knees into her chest. "that is outstanding." She whispers to herself. Her eyes raise to look up at the man in the cave with her now that she has the light needed to examine him. Ashely falls partly backward catching herself in her hands as she notices the feral looking wolf sitting across from her.

Tatsu rolls his head stretching his neck to relax. "you have nothing to fear from me, I am too tired to be dangerous to anything bigger than a chicken."

"you are a wolf?" Ashley is shocked and amazed about all the oddities she has seen so far.

"and yet we seem to be getting along handsomely" Tatsu looks out of the cave, he closes his eyes feeling the air. He then turns his gaze back to his new friend "you are going to want to discard your clothes. The air is getting colder and your fur will do a better job at protecting you then saggy cloth."

Ashley is sly and this sounds like mischief, she probes for an explanation "what makes you think that is a good idea?"

Tatsu lays down on his back, he wiggles about digging himself out a groove in the sand to rest in "Keep them on thin if you like. But most animals I have come in contact with don't seem to live very long once the temperature starts dropping."

There seems to be no malice in the answer, Ashley examines herself, the air is just cold enough that her clothes are starting to feel stiff. Disrobing may be a good idea after all. Ashley nods now believing that the wolf is looking out for her better interest. "maybe you have a point, A friend of mine had suffered a deathly fever after a storm like this ... if you think it is the right move." The confidence in her voice giving out to shyness.

Tatsu watches Ashley with a repressed interest in the fox, her scent pulling at his bestial emotion "I would. You should stretch your clothes out on the ground after removing them, even dank air will pull moisture away from cloth."

Ashley pulls off her shirt and pants with some haste, unease creeps into her mind as she sees the wolf is watching her. She tries to sound stern as she points at him "panties are staying on."

Tatsu looks up at the stalactites overhead "no skin off my nose." He shrugs a hint of disappointment in his voice "Ashley, what is the delegation of this planet?"

Ashley lays down placing her hands behind her head as she tries to find a comfortable position to rest in "what?" is the only thing that comes to mind for her.

Tatsu's ears fold back "Maybe time space manipulation isn't a thing on this world yet... that places me pretty far off the grid." Tatsu changes the subject as to not provoke a counter-interrogation "Tell me about yourself Ashley, who old are you?"

The cold bites at Ashley, she rolls onto her side pulling her arms across her breast "I just turned 20." She shivers.

Tatsu watches her, empathy draws him to notice her discomfort, He can handle the cold just fine, he has endured so much more. This girl, she looks like a child and even if she is tough she is still in need of a protector "is that an adult in your community?"

She has an uneasy laugh "16 is an adult in my community, but some seem to think it is younger." Ashley knows that her body isn't generating heat fast enough to keep her temperature up. She needs something else, something to trap the heat. Tatsu is the best option, she knows this, but she has already been accusatory and hostel, can she expect him to help her? Ashely rolls onto her back and pulls her feet up to her but laying with her knees up, she tries to offer in inviting glance hopping body language will replace the need for her to ask him over.

Tatsu can see what Ashley is trying to do. He cuts to the chase for her. He walks over placing his front paws on Ashley's shoulders and pushes her knees apart with his rear paws "squeeze my hips with your thighs and place your hand on the back of my head, I will be your blanket." He lowers his weight onto Ashley as she follows his instructions. "so long as your chest is protected the rest of your body will take care of itself."

Ashley is frightened, she starts to ramble, grasping at any conversation to keep herself calm "...I had no idea that there was a storm browning, I watch the sky, I had my radio on, it just..."

Calmingly, relaxed Tatsu lowers his head onto the side of Ashley's neck. He breathes deep and slow to get her to hear his breath. His voice becomes warm and aired, he whispers gently to Ashley "stay calm, stay in control. Everything is alright."

The heat of the wolf on Ashley's chest starts to become provocative. She slows her breathing to match his, she lowers her voice to a squeak "you are so nice." Ashley's instincts guide her to push her nose into Tatsu's chest.

Tatsu groans happily, feeling the same tugging on his nature, but he tries to keep his cool "the way I see it we need each other right now, I'm lost with no way home and it looks to me like you are a house pet in need of someone with survival training..." Tatsu slides his paw under Ashley's head, as he does so his hips rock slightly, the tip of his head leaves it sheath pushing softly against her slit through her panties. Tatsu gasps silently noticing himself excite. Tatsu tries not to call attention to his indiscretion, but there is no real way to hide what happened.

Ashley notices the indiscretion, her lips part slightly and she struggles not to yelp. With a hard swallow, she gains control of her emotions "fair is fair, you help me I help you. Once the storm stops I will see if I can help you find your way home."

Tatsu shakes his head. "no, there is no way for me to go back. I have to move on." Tatsu slides his head down alongside Ashley's. his mouth opens slightly and he lets loose a warm breath on her neck. Gently he moves ever-closer, his fangs brush down her juggler vain. He offers a mild pinch. Holding her by the side of the neck, he takes a long slow breath tasting Ashley's hormone in the air. He growls happily.

Ashley's breath becomes slower, deeper, she is astonished, 'why am I so excitable right now?' she thinks to herself "Move on? Where to?" she asks an expected follow-up.

"to quote a philosopher I once knew 'wherever I may wander.' I came here by accident. I was in a conflict with another of my kind, retreat became the only course of action I could take so... I cast a spell as a distraction and opened a wild portal. I could be any time or place and there is no way to backtrack as far as I know." Tatsu offers a few more, soft rolls of his hips sliding his unit up and down the fabric of Ashley's panties. He moves his head off to the other side of her neck pressing his nose firmly there to. A lusty growl rumbles in his chest.

Ashley looks surprised, not understanding the sound "everything ok." She looks to the wolf, rubbing her hands across the sides of his face.

"the growl." He thinks for a moment. "it's nothing. You are ovulating and that is titillating to my senses." He moves his head down to tickle his head to her cheeks.

Instinct starts to get the better of Ashley, she whimpers, her heart rate jumps "Yeaahh... I know that... It's why I came out here, to get away from the hordes of guys that want some... However, you're being so nice, I won't force you to stop as long as you don't really piss me off somehow..." the threat is ideal, she is to fired-up to want to stop anymore.

Tatsu brings his head up offering to take Ashley's muzzle in his. More of his unit rolls out of its scabbard, before long seven inches of his cock have grown out and came to rest on Ashley's stomach. Ashly blushes. She grips the wolf by the back of the head and forces him to kiss her.

In the midst of a long string of kisses Tatsu speaks "so you came out here to hide and bumped into me?" Tatsu slides his tongue out licking the underside of Ashley's muzzle, then offer to slide it in her mouth. Enthused Ashley nods.

Their kiss is long and many times more passionate than either one would have expected. The powerful kiss inspires Ashley to become devilish, shacking from fevered desire she sticks her nose in Tatsu's ear whispering "Do you think I should take off my bra and panties too? They are wet and making me feel a little cold there."

A grin finds Tatsu's lips, his eyes roll up to meet Ashley's. Partly he pushes himself up to sit on her stomach, his eyes narrowed by a sense of want. He thinks for a second, the greedy notion of taking the fox by force creeps into thoughts but his more sophisticated demeanor keeps its hold. "I will not tell you what is right or wrong."

Ashley sits up, she pushes the wolf off her, she unclips her bra and throws it off to one side, she then turns her back on the wolf, she leans forward onto all fours flagging her tail. Ashely slides her fingertips under the straps of her panties slowly rolling them down. She is no less turned on then the wolf at this point, she needs love.

Tatsu moves in, as Ashley bend over to remove her bottoms he stretches his neck to touch his nose to her lips feeling her nether region. His breath becoming choppy from exhilaration. Ashley blushes v brightly and holds back another soft moan. She has come to a conclusion 'I'm starting to like you wolf.'

Tatsu moves his head down pushing it to Ashley's thighs seeing if she would allow him to run his tongue down the length of her lips, he feels her crouch and tastes her skin. Tatsu presses his muzzle against Ashley, his mouth opens wide as he slides his tongue out to roll it up her reproductive parts. He takes a moment to examine Ashley's naked body sizing her up, then he offers the same scrutiny to her feminine bits taking in their shape. He breathes hot breath on to her sensitive bits awaiting eagerly Ashley's reply.

Ashely unable to stop a moan from escaping her lips. "Oh Tatsu, that felt really nice... B-but do you like what you see? Smell? A-and taste?" she starts to act intimidated.

Tatsu pulls his head back, he is quivering from arousal. "your smell is intoxicating." He lowers his head taking a dozen long slow breaths trying to calm himself. His unsheathed unit wiggles slightly, a minute drop of his juice gathering at the tip of his head getting the scent of his lust in the air.

Ashley lets out a childish giggle from the tickling of Tatsu's whiskers on her nether region "you're really sweet, Tatsu... i-is it that good?"

"if you are asking 'Am I finished' no, hardly. If you hold your tail flagged for me I will happily mount you. But then again... we are in a precarious situation right now, aren't we?" he looks out to the raging storm a moment then offers his attention back to Ashley. "you came out here to avoid accidentally breeding with someone, it is fridge and it looks to me like some of your gear was damaged on the way here. I am low on mana. I didn't make it here unscathed either. But I could still look after you, find us some food..." he trails off mumbling for a few seconds.

"I wasn't expecting you to just sniff and be done... I'd be pretty upset if you just did that. But I also see where you're coming from, saying we are in a bad situation and all is true, but wouldn't you agree it would help us both keep warm?" Ashley pauses for a moment and looks at the storm too, "What you say about me coming here to avoid breeding is only half true... I want to breed, I'd love to be a mommy, but I don't want to be the mate of some fuckboy on the streets... I want my mate to be nice, to help me and..." she freezes almost as if I lost my train of thought "You just said you're low on what now?"

Tatsu looks down at the glowing rocks. "Mana. Every time I cast a spell it cost something. Be it energy, blood, or mass, it doesn't matter. I need to eat no less than 7lbs of raw meat a day in order to regenerate. It cost me 60% of my strength to open the door that brought me here." He looks back up from the rocks. A mischievous smile runs across his face. "you are right, sleeping together is a good way to share warmth. And a good way to become a mother if you fancy. I would be willing to bet we are chemically fertile." A silly sideways smile finds his face. Tatsu knows well that he and the fox are compatible, it is part of the dragon's blessing. No mater what world he is on he will be able to speak the language of the land, no matter the atmosphere he will adapt, and anywhere he goes people will find him beautiful no mater how alien he may look.

Ashley starts to talk fast and choppy "I'm also willing to bet we are... uh... Compatible... I mean why would you be so turned on by my scent if we were not? Hey, I can be pretty handy out in the wild here... I've been coming here for years whenever I go into heat... I'd gladly help you build up your... mana?"

with a have hearted sigh Tatsu lowers his eye "you are all too kind." His eyes close as he inhales "if you are willing to protect me until I am healed. I will protect you as long as you wish me to." Nightmares invade Tatsu's mind for only a split second before he can force his focus. He smiles to hide the pain he is in "I'm willing to take this as far as you are."

Ashley shifts close to Tatsu and gives him a tight hug "with your powers and all, and me being pretty normal... What do you think our kid would be like? Not to mention you being feral and I'm not"

the very thought invokes an exhilarated quiver. "anyone can be a wizard, it is just a matter of finding someone that can teach you. Arcana is just like any other art form..." his mind wonders, his attention drawn back into Ashley's warmth. He moves a paw onto her back moving gently down to her tail. his unit twitches in the air again calling attention to itself. The tiny drip of oil he had produced slowly streaming down its length wetting his inverted hour glass shaped cock.

Ashley offers Tatsu another kiss and nervously get on my hands and knees in front of him but doesn't lift her tail yet. " the whole you feral and me not, thing... Any clue what the kid will walk like? I just wanna know because I want a healthy, happy puppies"

"well..." he rolls his eyes up thinking "you are about 50/50 human feral yourself, I am 100% feral. So, if half the genome comes from you and the other half from me, that means that our kids would be 75/25 or so and would likely have elongated arms and an extra joint in the foot giving them the ability to shift between walking on all fours and upright at will..." Tatsu approaches Ashley from behind waiting to see what she does next.

Ashley pause to think for a moment..."I've never met anyone that I felt this way for... And knowing the kids will be just fine..." she gladly lifts her tail for him. Tastu stands over Ashly, his front paws find her underbelly, he rolls his hips touching the head of his penis to Ashley's lips then as he steps forward it slides down rubbing between her legs and up her stomach. He rocks back and forth for a few seconds as if not noticing he missed. His head lowers to the side of Ashley's he rolls back and as he moves forward again his unit slides between her vulva and butt. His sharp head parts her lips feeling just the inner folds.

Ashley gasp suddenly noticing the strange shape and girth of her partner. She considers how difficult this would be if she wasn't already wet from their cuddling. Tatsu's head pokes Ashley's opening threating to slide in at any moment. He holds still breathing slow and deep into her ear awaiting the next moment. "this is your last moment to reconsider. If you tell me to stop now I will, after that though... I don't know if I will be able to." He rolls side to side drawing little circles around her virginal opening. "you have bread in the past, right?"

"I want you to keep going... And no, this is my first time"

Tatsu can wait no longer, he offers a slow firm push seeing how much of his unit will fit in Ashly's hole. He takes a hard sniff seeing if he can detect how many eggs are waiting in Ashley's depths.

With another soft moan Ashley asks "w-what do you smell?"

Tatsu grunts, on a firm push, his slightly above average cock slipping just an inch into her womb. He holds still looking down at Ashly to see how she feels about him pushing in so hard. "you are very fruitful. Smells like you have two eggs in you already." He take another breath as he is holding still "and will likely produce two more tomorrow." His nose berries itself in her shoulder nuzzling lovingly

Ashley is surprised by the wolf once more "y-you can smell all that!?" she giggles girlishly "I'm gonna be a mommy thanks to the wolf who saved my life... Wow, I think I owe you more than helping you build up strength, but let's talk about that after" she nervously rambles as her excitement builds.

Tatsu takes Ashley's muzzle in his, he searches for a comfortable pace to start humping her. He is eager, already his unit twitches and threatens to swell, after two or three minutes in the fox Tatsu brings his head up to Ashley's ear "can a put my knot in you? Or should I hold back?" he brings his paws up to her breast offering to squeeze as he is twitching, warning of his impending climax.

With a gasp and a bark, Ashley nods "i-if you really think it'll fit, I'd love if you did"

Tatsu pushes up slightly harder, with the entirety of his unit in Ashley's hungry hole the bulb at the base of his cock inflates tying the two together. Tatsu yelps and a healthy squirt of his oil is released in Ashley's womb. Ferally, savagely, in the heat of lust Tatsu picks up speed enchanted by his fox friend.

Ashly moans and cries out with pleasure feeling the wolf seed getting sucked into her womb. Joking about their earlier talk, Tatsu whispers as his paws run down her body again he rolls his hands up and down her tummy needing at the tight skin, he whispers "I think I dripped some." He moans "I think we will know soon if this worked."

Panting, trying to catch her breath Ashly mumbles "f-fantastic... would y-you be able to smell that too?"

Tatsu nods as second drip rolls out of his body and into hers. "it takes 3-5 minutes for a sperm to enter an egg. We will know in 10 or less." He struggles to speak as his final shot is building up force he growls, his eyes close. "I hope you cum soon, I can't resist much longer."

"hmm, me?... cum?... I think I might have a little when you slipped your knot in... But I think I'd cum very quickly if you filled me a little more... I'm very full as is and it feels very nice" The pressure of wolf cum inside of Ashley is holding her right on the edge of climax, plus the idea of getting pregnant with such a dream of a mate certainly helps.

Tatsu only needs another few pushes before his unit throbs hard three more times, on the third a long squirt of puppy juice flies out of his unit, two more a second later. Ashley has a dozen little sprays of her own in return. Her body clenches holding the wolf in her waiting to calm after her climax "Oh... oh wow!" are the only words she can get out through her panting.

Chapter 3 Marooned part 2

Day turns to night, then night into day. The storm clouds slowly roll out. Thunder fades. The sounds of bugs buzz, the sound of birds awakening echoes across the forest. The birds chirp calling to their mates seeing who survived the night.

Ashley had fallen asleep in the nude, Tatsu at some point before sunrise pulled the fox coat across her chest then snuck out. When Ashley awakens herself, she finds a dead turkey prone on the ground before her, a stack of broken branches near that, Tatsu is running his fangs down a branch stripping the leaves from it.

Ashley looks around mostly in a daze. She fully expected to look around and realize that yesterday was a fevered dream brought on by the stinging cold and ministration. She smiles once she is convinced that everything she thought she had done yesterday she indeed had.

"Good morning Tatsu!" Ashley calls out in excitement "Been busy?" she looks at the cave, the wood and the dead bird.

Tatsu nods "I am hungry. Thought you might be too." He piles up the wood he had gathered in the pit of stones he had forged yesterday. Tatsu stares at the wood, his eyes flare a dark yellow, the wood smokes, a red light starts to burn beneath it, warmth starts to rise from the stones. Suddenly Tatsu looks away. The wood goes cold.

"I can't do it" Tatsu complains "I'm too tired." The wolf turns his gaze to Ashley "can you build a fire?"

Ashley nods, she puts on a pair of jeans and a flannel over shirt, "yeah, I know how to do that." Ashley fluffs up the leaves, the looks around the cave for a rock she can use as a flint. Next she picks up her big hunting knife.

Tatsu sits down watching Ashley captivated as she works. Ashley finds some dead grass and twist it about to form a wic. She grinds smooth back side of her knife on the stone, the grass and leaves catch creating a small clump of ember. Ashley gets down on all fours sticking her tail up as she leans in close to the ember. Softly she blows on the grass, feeding the embers until at last the grass grows hot enough to burn bark, then wood.

Tatsu watches in amazement. "it has been lifetimes since I saw a campfire started without need of Arcana. How strange the things we grow accustom to are."

Ashley smiles looking over "do you know how to clean and gut a bird?"

Tatsu looks embarrassed "most of the time I eat my birds still alive and kicking."

Ashley is horrified "do you ever get sick like that?" the wolf shrugs. Ashley holds her knife to the fire to clean the blade for a moment as the flames grow slowly larger. "let me show you." She starts to skin the bird. "do you eat inureds?"

Tatsu nods "stomach and liver? You bet I do." As Ashley skins the bird Tatsu looks to her "you have an amazing skill. People that can do what you are doing is a treasure" Ashley builds a spit. Tatsu watches her mesmerized by her craft.

Ashley sets the bird over the flames. Tatsu questions her as she cooks. "Ashley, tell me about your home."

Ashley nods as she starts to spin the spit " the town I come from is a pretty small town... An ex fishing village, most of the houses are old and close to the sea... Despite it being a nice spot, close to the woods, I'd much rather live out here..."

"so would I." Tatsu shutters momentarily tasting Ashley's pheromone in the air "I spent most of my youth in a large city. Really had no sense for what I really am till' the first time I went for a run across the ice ocean."

"Ice ocean?" Ashley question

Tatsu starts to weave a tale "Dis, my home country, like many others I am sure, is broken into provinces." He finds a spot to stretch out on the floor to watch Ashley work "my countryman are from the province of Canaan, a blight, or dessert. Most of the land is water, a hundred miles in any direction before you reach real earth. Unfortunately, I didn't get to see my homeland till well into my adult years. My mother had traded me away to a noble woman from the southland of Phage named Andaria. I lived in the city, I was a scholar and a cage fighter... until Andaria got board of my company."

Ashley is interested "tell me more"

The light of the fire flickers off Tatsu's fur "When you are in the service of nobles there are luxuries abound. Good teachers, cheap wine, and even cheaper pleasure. I was given a pet, a sister of mine named Pine. She was charged with meeting my needs let's say. But the wine and pleasure only last as long as your provider finds you amusing. Once my owner grew board of me I found I was the pet and my sister owned me. It wasn't long after that I started planning my escape."

Captivated Ashely leans in, she falls into a daydream imagining what Tatsu is describing. What sort of world must Tatsu's be from?

"I found my way home, for days I ran across the ice. I found a cave not so dislike this one, it had a volcanic spring running through it. I slept there, for the first time in the land of my birth. I had a dream. One of running across a field of flowers. It was the best dream I had ever had. I slept to long, my sister found me."

Ashley ask for clarification "Your sister... what did she do? Did she take you back?"

"She sent me to the court of Phage. I was given the opportunity to fight for my freedom. Win a fight agent five of my brothers and they would allow me 1 day to run as far and as fast as I can run. Then they would fallow. I spent a night with my sister, killed my brothers. Then I ran. That is the world I came from. A world of sex, backstabbing and murder. I encountered a fellow traveler as I ran. He was an emissary from a group called 'The Steel Rose. I followed him home. Just in time to watch the cycle of death continue."

Ashley thinks, 'Tatsu is a warrior, he has had to fight so much to get here'. "then what happened?"

"Seeker was the name of the betrayer, she was a mind thief. She took the mind of our captain. Burned the ship to the ground. Now she hunts the other Worldwalker like me. She is who I was running from before I arrived here..." Tatsu's gaze turns to a thousand-yard stare, he is struggling against his nightmares. 'Is that what I was doing.' He whispers to himself 'no, that was a past life. In this life I haven't meet up with the Worldwalkers yet, maybe Seeker hasn't betrayed us in this timeline'

Ashley can see the pain welling in Tatsu's face, she walks over to the white wolf and wraps her arms around him. Ashley squeezes the wolf holding him, trying to protect him from his own fear. "Well I'm very glad you did make it here"

Tatsu place a paw on Ashley's back. "I have had enough of fighting and killing. I just don't think I'm that guy anymore." He brings up a second paw and rolls one down her back gripping her by the tail offering a powerful embrace.

As the two hold each other emotion start to run high, Ashley whispers to her love "I-I feel you'll be safe here... I've never even heard rumors of anyone like you here." Such warmth, such passion, Tatsu shuts his eyes leaning forward offering to lay Ashley on her back and lick her nose.

Ashley only allows this to go on for a moment, she brings up on hand and pushes a finger to the wolf's nose "not now," she point's "food is cooking."

Tatsu nods with a grin, he pulls away letting Ashley get back to work on the food. His eyes turn upwards, he thinks about what Ashley was talking about earlier "A fishing town, hmmm... But you used it in past tense. Did the fish dry up?"

Ashley sits back up in front of the spit she is spinning "You could say that the fish dried up... The fish population got low enough that a few years before I was born, it got shut down... you were not even allowed to go out to catch some kinds of fish to feed yourself for years after"

Tatsu nods with a vocalized pause. "conservation most be on everyone's mind then." He think "so then your town is a ghost town, ala 49ers, gold rush type of thing." He walks in a circle looking for a soft piece of earth to rest atop "then you and yours are some of the last holdouts after things went south? It would explain why people are 'aggressive' as it were." He looks over "you used the term 'fuckboy' to describe the other family's around you. What does that mean?"

Ashley turns her eyes to the floor thinking about her childhood. "well, despite the main source of income suddenly being cut out quite suddenly, the current population in town is a shocking 500, but this is about 23 years after there was a stop to the fishery... I used the term fuckboy, basically describing those guys who don't care about your needs, just their own and they would NOT make a good dad" there is a darkness in Ashley's past that she tries to sidestep.

The wolf sees what Ashley is trying to do, he doesn't push any harder Tatsu nods. "I get it. But with all the work gone, why hasn't everyone uprooted to look for work elsewhere?" he rolls his eyes up considering "you yourself are an outdoorsman, a survivalist you could live just fine out here on your own. What about the others?"

"well, there were enough stores and still a good deal of logging for people to stay" she pause for a moment to look the bird over to see how it doing. "Well... Let's put it like this... Most of my skills are self-taught... As the age of technology encroached, people lost many of these skills... You think a lot of these people would just die if they didn't have their phone or computer to help with their day-to-day life"

Tatsu softly growls to himself, his eye shut as he gets lost on thought. "Forgive me if this too forward but... what if we stayed here? You, me, our puppies. We can set up a homestead here in the woods..."

Ashley's eyes go blank for a moment as she locks eyes with the wolf "Tatsu... You must be able to read minds too"

"The mentalist art I was trained with did not include telepathic art." He seems to miss the joke. His ears wiggle And tail twitches "what part did I read your mind on?" he tries to understand what Ashley is saying

Shy and soft Ashley lowers her eyes and ears, her voice drops to an airy whisper "I'd love to live out here with you and our pups!" In sudden childish glee Tatsu jumps to a standing position. He runs over placing his front paws on Ashley's chest, his lips curl into a smirk and his tongue falls out of his mouth, he seems to have no idea how to deal with his sudden excitement. Happy with Tatsu's ecstatic reply Ashly starts to pat and hug the wolf. His tail wags harshly, the idea that his past life could be behind him lifting his spirits. His head moves alongside Ashley's as he takes her neck in his muzzle offering a love bite.

Guided by instinct a rear paw lifts pawing at Ashley's pants as his roll slightly and he offers to take her muzzle in his mouth. Ashley struggles slightly speaking to her partner "careful there Tatsu, your pretty heavy" Tatsu nods placing his restless paw back on the ground.

After a few moments of kissing and petting Ashley points at the bird on the fire "there you go sweetheart, that's better... You ready to eat?"

Tatsu backs away Ears flatten, eyes squint, muzzle rolls up into a toothy grin. Tatsu nods as he get down on all fours. He let's Ashley pick her portion first. The fox picks a lag of the bird she then pushes the rest over to the wolf letting his pick a peace.

When eating Tatsu turns as unsophisticated as he has ever been, he places a paw on the bird and sinks into it almost eating the turkey bones and all . As he reaches the end he wipes his face off on one paw then takes a bow. "Thank you so much my lady."

Ashley gets in only a hand full of bite before looking up at Tatsu surprised by his monsteruse hunger hardly even gotten a few bites down in the time it took for you to eat the majority of the bird."d-do you think that's enough to keep your... Uh... Mana?... for the day?"

"About 6lbs of meat... That just about meets my requirement to replenish my mana. Yea." He looks down at what is left of the cadaver "And so long as I don't cast any spells anything else I eat is just to keep me full "

Ashley after finishing her part she looks to the mouth of the cave "I want to take a look outside, get a feeling for what happened last night."

The two of them walk outside. The landscape has become almost unearthly Ashley waves a hand before her as if to try to brush the fog away. The ground is swollen with water, trees are toppled, the ground is gray. With the sky gray but bright to match a tall bluff can be seen in the distances. A city is built on the rocks and the ocean just past that. Even with the forest devastated the city suffers no visible scars. The horror of the ruins is terrible and beautiful.

Ashley looks down to Tatsu "My dad and I had a strongbox buried out in the woods, it is only a few miles that way." She points "my father was a doomsday prepper. He thought that our island was going to sink and he was going to have to live out here alone for the rest of his life. We have food and tools hidden out there. Just about everything we would need to rebuild after the end of the world."

"your father thought he was going to survive the end of the world?" Tatsu jumps up on some rocks and looks about, he sniffs the air then points "there is a river that way, it looks like there is a settlement on both banks. Did you live up on the cliff?"

Ashley nods then points and waves "fallow me Tatsu."

Tatsu walks alongside Ashley "a man once told me 'if you are walking through a forest and find yourself staring at the mossy side of a tree you are facing the sunrise.' I think that works. I tend to trust my nose more them my eyes."

"I've heard that too... it is a good observation, but I know the way." The two of them start to jug though the woods in jubilation.

Tatsu looks about as they walk. "how far is it to town? It looks like it could be day's away."

Ashley giggles "the ocean cast an illusion half the island is bellow sea leave, if we were standing on the bluff you would get a better look."

The par follows the river downstream, before long the two of them come to a stack of stones hiding an orange moving crate. As it comes into view Ashley starts to sprint, Tatsu watches her for a moment his tail twitching, he then barks and lays chase.

When they reach the rock formation Ashley places her hands on her knees leaning forth to catch her breath. Tatsu walks alongside her, he takes a deep breath tasting the sweet air. Mouth open tongue out, this is the type of place he has always dreamed of, and the type of person he wanted to be with. "you are pregnant by the way." He points out as they stand along the river "but I only hit half your eggs."

Ashley's eyes go wide and one hand reaches up from her knee to her underbelly needing at her womb though her skin having seemingly forgotten for a moment why she was in the woods to begin with. She smiles and turns to face Tatsu "Really Tatsu?... That's fantastic!" she drops to her knees and grabs Tatsu around the shoulders forcing a hug. The wolf places a paw on Ashley's back holding her. He digs his nose into her neck sniffing at her as the embrace. After a few moments Tastu opens his mouth offering a love bite. Ashley giggles offering a bite back.

Tatsu slides a paw under Ashley's tail, he grips her by the rump. There muzzles wrap around each other's Ashley whispering between breaths "I love you Hetatsubachi." A joyful roar rumbles in the wolf's chest as he runs hiss paws down Ashley's back; he strokes her, pets her, tickles at her back. The feeling of Ashley's weight on his underside induces a whimper.

Ashley slides her head under Tatsu's chin, she pretends to be savage, her mouth opens and her fangs brush is neck. Loving lust draws the two to squeeze at each other, Tatsu gripping Ashley by the tail. Ashley setting her hands on the wolfs tuff furred chest clenching his course hair in here fingertips. Ashley blushes. Never has she felt this strange warmth with another fox, this wolf he has inspired feelings she dreamed of so often as a child, but never would she have thought it would come from this. A day in the woods with a man that would no doubt be considered a monster by her pears.

The wolf can sense Ashley's sudden shift from lust to longing, he pulls his paws into his chest lick a puppy, his head comes up slightly, his nose runs up Ashleys shirt searching for her breast. Ashley widens her eyes as she watches Tatsu. After a moment Ashley gets the joke, she pulls off her coat then up her flannel shirt showing off her chest. "Are you a hungry puppy?" she giggles.

Tatsu nods his head, Ashley lowers her body slipping her breast into Tatsu's mouth. One paw finds Ashleys opposing breast pawing at it as he sucks on one. Ashley starts to moan and yelp as her breast are compressed and needed at, she grips Tatsu by the back of the head encouraging him to keep playing with her breast. After a long few moments Ashley takes a deep breath trying to calm herself "such a sweet wolf... but how will we get any work done if we keep this up?"

Tatsu stops for a moment, He looks up "Do you want me to stop?"

Ashley smiles "In a minute... You know what they say about all work and no play" Tatsu beings his head down. He opens his mouth wide offering to take a breast in his mouth. He starts a to unsheathe, Slow and soft he nibbled hopping to invigorate the fox as he licks and slurps, nibble and thrust, smoothly milking the fox. Ashley starts to bark from excitement "I might have to learn to keep the moans down when it comes time to feed the pups" she starts scratching Tatsu behind the ears.

Tatsu wags his tail harshly enough to start wiggling his hips. His partly hard unit starts sweeping Ashley though her jeans. Ashley looks down noticing the hard unit brushing her crouch. Tatsu after some time pulls his head off one of Ashley's breast and offer the other a lick. He smiles "at what stage of pregnancy will you start giving milk?" He looks interested.

Ashley had never learned about sex in school, her community had a taboo against such things being talked about in public. "I'm not entirety sure, but I think it's pretty late into the pregnancy before I start making milk... Why?... You wanna try it?" she asks teasingly.

Tatsu chuckles as he brings his head up to Ashley's neck and offer a soft pinch. His unit is twitching from her weight sat atop him and the warmth produced by their bodies touching. Ashley starts to grind her hips rubbing the wolf through her pants. The pressure forcing both to pant.

Tatsu leans back grunting lightly with the rocking of Ashley's body. "What are you expecting to have for pups? Historical genetics favor girls over boys in a 60-40 split. Some family's having fifteen kids with only 6 boys..." He rattles off into nothing.

Ashley shakes her head "I don't really worry about their genders, just as long as they are healthy and happy" Tatsu nods closing his eyes allowing himself to be controlled for the moment.

Ashley is new to sex for the most part, the brushing against her lips cases her to pull open and she drips her creamy oil quickly enough that her juice soaks though her pants "mind if I take off my pants so we can have some more fun?"

Tatsu growls with a nod "please do." Ashley stands up, she is shacking from warmth, she can barely focus her grip hard enough to unbuckle her belt, she doesn't even bother trying to unbutton her jeans instead forcing them down. As Tatsu watches his ears lower and eyes widen his expiration filled with want, he stays on his back offering to let Ashley control him this time.

Ashley stands over Tatsu her feet straddling his hips. He rolls one paw down the stripe of her stomach, then the slit of her lips. Ashley uses two fingers to part her lips, she licks her nose as her heat infects her mind again "do you want it puppy?" Ashley ask, Tatsu nods. Ashley sits atop Tatsu slowly crawling down to line the wolf up with her vulva. She forces Tatsu to kiss her.

As the two kiss both wiggle their hips Tatsu hasn't pushed into Ashley's but he is acting like he had thanks to the new and unusual feeling of resting on his back. Tatsu is not only hard and ready to go but twitching and ready to spray his puppy juice onto Ashley's tail. Ashley uses one hand to grip Tatsu, she slides the tip of his head quickly up and down her inner lips. Tatsu can't stop himself, he releases a hard shot onto Ashley's ass and tail.

Ashley feels the spray onto her butt. She looks back at herself then down to Tatsu. "do you want to see a trick?" Ashley sits on one knee; the other lags stretches out lifting over her head like a cat stretch. She lowers her head tucking her head between her thighs. Her tongue rolls out of her mouth and down her butt licking up the cum on her underside.

Ashley holds the oil in her mouth as she brings her head up to kiss Tatsu again. She shares the mixture of oil. As they kiss Ashley thrust her hips down forcing Tatsu into her wet hole. Tatsu grips her by the hips then starts thrusting, Ashley grinding. Shortly thereafter Ashley forces her hips down, she wants his bulb in her body, she wants him to tie up in her again.

Tatsu shutters, he is struggling to resist Ashley, he wants to hold back and enjoy the moment, Ashley is not interested in holding back, she wants Tatsu's cum and she wants it now. Tatsu tries to slow down, pushing softly around in Ashleys depths "the only disappointing thing is, after I spray again you are going to come down from your heat... unless you have another egg coming tomorrow." He has a devise grin.

Ashley shut her eyes, she moans "well, even if I don't have another egg in me, and I come out of heat, I'd still gladly do it with you..." she offers a lick on Tatsu's nose. "besides... There's always next time I go into heat"

After a few pushes Tatsu moves his paws to Ashley stomach. He shakes his head and hisses "Slow down" he requests. Tatsu uses his front paws to guide Ashley, trying to find a speed where they can have fun without Tatsu cumming too quickly.

Ashley is disappointed but tries to comply in spite of her heat "just tell me when we are going a good speed for you" He nods, with Ashley on top it seems Tatsu can go as fast as Ashley want for about 30 seconds then he needs her to hold still for 10-15 before getting started again. As they are experimenting Tatsu has an abnormally hard twitch. Ashley giggles holding still not letting Tatsu spray yet. Tatsu pushes up wanting to put his oil into Ashley's body but he is forced to sit still. He wines and whimpers as he is forced to hold back. He shutters as he calms slightly, she manages to stave off his dripping.

Ashly toy's with Tatsu, she gives him a few fast thrusts building him up then slows down holding Tatsu back. Tatsu closes his eyes tightly as he is struggling against his desires. He whispers as he offers one harder twitch "I need to squirt..."

Ashley nods "perfect." She holds the rhythm, she has had enough fun, she is ready to finish herself. Tatsu holds still for a moment, he can't stop himself, he has two heavy sprays into Ashley's waiting body.

Tatsu pants a few times "I sorry, I didn't mean to do that." Ashley smiles, she is sweeting, her eyes are full of desire. Tatsu can see she doesn't mind how fast he is going. Tatsu smiles, he has a little growl. Tatsu grips Ashley by the sides and takes one shoulder of hers in his mouth, he rolls off to one side to flip Ashley over. He wants power.

Tatsu moves his hand onto Ashley's butt. He is egger. Ashley's warmth having driven him wild. The wolf pushes up trying to slide his knot into Ashley's hole. Tatsu wiggles trying to slide his knot into her body and tickle around Ashley's womb. Tatsu gives one more push holding still his knot starts to reform, he wiggles side to side waiting for himself to become tied in Ashley. Ashley relaxes laying on her back happily. She whimpers letting Tatsu control her.

Tatsu's thrust become deep and firm. He moves his muzzle up to take Ashley's mouth in his, he growls lustfully as he starts making love to Ashley at this point. Tatsu can't wait. He has one hard spray, a second passes then he has two more sprays just like last time. He lays forward resting on Ashely waiting to untie cuddling with his lover.

Once Tatsu is untied and relaxed he looks up remembering the locker. "what is that?" he points with his nose.

"just about everything we need to start building our new home."

Chapter 4 Marooned part 3

Tatsu and Ashley spend a few months building a log cabin. Ashley has all the knowledge needed to do this job. Combined with Tatsu's arcana the shell of the house takes shape in only a short few weeks. But the tools Ashley has on hand quickly ware out. They chip and crack. Ashley explains to Tatsu "well, I have to go out to town, get more supplies and to tell anyone important that I'm working on a house for a while and not to expect to hear from me for some time... I could get anything you want or need to help at town"

Tatsu needs little, his knowledge of nature is sufficient that he could live in the wilderness indefinitely. But the idea that he will need to care for others is something slightly different. There is one thing he can think of that would be helpful "if you can find a book on botany or herbology I could use one."

It could take Ashley a day to walk back and forth. Tatsu has grown to love Ashley in the time they have been together. Ashley seems to feel the same way. Ashley has offered to get a gift for Tatsu, Tatsu should do the same.

Tatsu goes for a walk in the woods. The ground is still soft, the river still swollen. Tatsu catches a rabbit for a snack "A boar." The speaks to himself "I will bring home a boar for Ashley" As Tatsu is walking around a scent slides past his nose. It is a scent he has smelled many times in the past. A wolf, female, young and fruitful, but not too young.

Tatsu chases the scent. Near the river he spots a gray wolf, just like he thought he would, she has long hair, blue eyes, she looks like she is part Siberian. Tatsu is up wind, she hasn't spotted him yet. He now can smell a second wolf. A puppy, female, she has just reached sexual maturity, her first heat has just struck. A mother and puppy.

The mother wolf finds some stones to skip across making her way to the side of the river Tatsu is prowling along. The scent of the mother and pup clouds Tatsu's mind. He growls to himself as he moves in close. He throws the rabbit to the mother wolf as a bribe.

The wolf mother is whispering to herself as she walks thought the sand "two dogs walked by here a day or two ago, one male, one female, the female is one of the half-foxes from the bluffs, the male..." she stops dead in her tracks as the rabbit hits the ground before her.

Tatsu speaks up announcing himself "Another of my kind. I haven't seen another wolf in some time now."

The wolf mother looks down at the rabbit, her mouth waters, it is hard to turn your nose up at a free meal "most of the wolves around here live up on the mountain." She looks between the rabbit and the wolf male. "what is this?"

Tatsu stares at the wolf mother, his glowing yellow-green eyes slightly intimidating. "a gift."

The wolf mother nods, she lowers her head and sticks her tail up by accident as she starts to pull apart the snack. Tatsu takes the opportunity to walk around the wolf mother. He touches his nose to her puffy black lips, he tastes the air, he shutters fully aware the mother is holding a full clutch of six eggs. She is at the peak of her esterase. She and her pup most have been wondering around here for days trying to find their way ack to their den.

Tatsu can't help himself, he steps forward standing over the wolf mother his aroused unit brushes up the wolf mother's labia. Shocked the wolf mother drops the rabbit and pushes her tail down training to cover herself "what are you doing?!" the wolf mother barks

Tatsu grunts happily as he prods against the mother's lips pushing them open "I am trying to be friendly"

The wolf growls upset, she looks over her shoulder baring her fangs "Friendly? Looks to me like you are trying to mount me!"

Tatsu brings his paws up to the wolf's underbelly, he digs his claws slightly into her soft underside, his eyes burn as he lowers his head to whisper with her "I am." His head pierces her vaginal opining. The wolf mother yelps and tries to pull forward. Tatsu pulls up on her holding her still.

"Get down!" she barks "I... don't want... to breed... with someone I have never met..." She complains, her complaints becoming weaker with each word as Tatsu starts humping her, the wolf mother's instincts taking over. She wants to be mad but she can't be, she is becoming relaxed, joyful that someone has noticed her heat and is giving her what she needs.

Tatsu whispers in the wolf's ear. "you will."

The wolf mother's hot body starts to squeeze and pull up on Tatsu's unit. The wolf mother pants and yelps as she gives in to herself after only a few good thrusts. She nods with a soft wine "you are right, I do want to breed."

Tatsu nods as he picks up some speed enjoying the hot wolf's body "then I only have one thing to ask. Do you want me to be fast and rough? Or slow and soft?"

The wolf mother wines passionately "slowly please." She lowers her front end holding her back end up. Tatsu lays across the mothers back, he tries to move slow for her. Moving slow is hard at the moment, the smell of wolf sex forcing Tatsu to twitch in the wolf mothers hole.

Tatsu forces himself to stop. He pulls out knowing that he is almost ready to knot up in her, and he wants to try to stay calm knowing there is a puppy in heat also somewhere nearby. Maybe if he is lucky he will get the changes to play with both. He just needs to play his cards right.

Tatsu growls as he stands behind the mother "stick your tail up." He orders "I want to lick you."

The wolf mother is lost in lust, she has already forgotten she was mad at this male for touching her in the first place. She holds her tail off to one side showing of her spade "Like this?" she asks. Tatsu nods, his head lowers and mouth opens. He takes her tear shaped labia in his mouth and starts slowly tugging in her. His fangs grind up the wolf mother's genitals. The wolf mother can't help but spray her feminine juice into the male's muzzle. She gasps "Careful... I... I am sensitive." She starts laughing

Tatsu's broad tongue slides along the length of the wolf mother's slit. After some time, he folds his tongue in half and tries to push his tongue into her vaginal opining. He knows he can't but it is fun to try. His soft tongue parts her sticky folds. The wolf mother tips her head back barking, begging for attention. The wolf mother whispers to herself "I can't believe I am doing this."

One of Tatsu's paws grip the wolf mother by the hip, he pulls her back as he holds his nose to her opining, he nibbles at her lips as he growls in excitement, he starts rocking his own hips in the air. Tatsu desperately want to be in the wolf mother again. The mother notices, she digs her claws into the ground. She wants it too.

After a few more seconds of licking the fruitful taste of the feminine feral juice cases Tatsu to shutter and twitch. He has an accidental spray in the air. The mother giggles smelling the drip. "you aren't having too much fun, are you?"

Tatsu pulls his head away to catch his breath "Can't help it, it has been a few days since I was last with a wolf."

The wolf mother holds her tail off to the side invitingly "don't use that accuses, everyone uses that one..."

Tatsu nods agreeing "yeah. But not every wolf has mated a half-fox."

The mother looks strangle interested by that statement "did... did it work? Can we... and they... have puppies together?"

Tatsu closes his eyes and bobs his head "It looks that way."

The wolf wiggles her back end to call Tatsu back to attention "I'm impressed you could even get close to her... anyways, hop back on and breed me too please."

Tatsu doesn't argue, he needs to feel the wolf mothers warmth again "As you wish my lady." He hops up on her back, he waits for a moment being much gentler and calmer now, he lets her wiggle and line them up.

The mother can see what is happening, she licks her nose and complies. She lines him up by bucking her hips a few times, once he is in, she forces him in deep. The wolf mother is overexcited, she is dripping cream, her body suckling at the cock in her. The wolf mother seems disappointed in herself now, she is building up to fast. She is going to cum well before her partner and that is just not polite.

Tatsu offers a deep thrust, he tickles around in her creamy honeypot. Tatus bites onto the back of the wolf mothers neck and tries to move at a rhythmic pace "How many puppies do you usely have at a time?" he whispers.

The wolf yelps slightly, the male is trying to get her to talk to help her stay calm, 'smart male' she thinks "I don't know, this is only my second time being mounted. Last time I had six puppies."

Tatsu pushes he nose to her scruff, he takes a slow breath, he grunts and growls, he keeps up his rhythm as his paws start to rub her tits, he feels her six tiny firm nipples "such a nice a fertile mother you are."

The wolf mother moans talking under her breath "my baby girl would love you."

Tatsu holds deep in the wolf wiggling about tickling her womb "what was that?" he asks her to elaborate.

"I have a pup, she has been asking me for months 'when am I going to get to have puppies of my own.' I have no idea how to explain it to her. I told her once she 'is a woman' I will help her get some puppies. Low and behold her we are walking in the woods, washed down stream and this morning she pushes me awake. Her tail up showing off her drooling hole. 'look I am a woman today' she tells me..."

As the wolf mother is telling her story Tatsu can't help but start moving faster. The idea of a girl going through her first time is such a taboo pleasure. He pushes in to deep, he bulb is past her labia, if he swells now he will get tied up.

The mother looks back "I want to give you to my puppy." She explains.

Tatsu quickly pulls back barely able to pull his knot out as it is half way swollen. He can't stop himself from giving her two hard squirts into her milky hole. Tatsu has to take a moment to catch his breath. He wanted to finish in the mother, but the daughter... she should be fun too. "lead the way." He requests falling out of the mother.

The mother needs to catch her breath before they go as well. Those two drops in her womb sloshing around easily gave her a partial orgasm. Once the wolf mother has caught her breath she points. "I left her hidden over there in the underbrush." She points up stream.

The two walk together a short ways. "over where the creak parts there is a hallowed-out cove in the rocks. That is where we slept yesterday." She continues.

The puppy looks much more like clean blooded, her fur is short and fluffy, it shimmers white and her eyes are gray, she is more muscular then her mother. Tatsu looks to the mother "she is so small."

The mother explains "I am only ¾ths wolf, my grandmother came from the fox village, some sort of a half dog. My pups are two generations out, there is almost no dog left, she is all wolf as far as anyone cares."

The pup wags her tail looking up at Tatsu "did you bring him for me? Is he mine?" the pup runs around Tatsu looking at him from different angles.

"no time like the first time" Tatsu watches the pup looking him over, he brings his head down to sniff at the pup making sure one more time that she is ready. He can taste four eggs waiting in her body, it is a small amount, but the first time sometimes is, it is also still early, more could be coming still.

The mother nods in agreement to both statements.

The smell of mother and pup together is intoxicating. The puppy looks down noticing Tatsu is beginning to unsheathe, the pup knows just what to do, she brings her head down tucking it under Tatsu's body, she grabs his hourglass shaped cock in her mouth and starts to run it along his shaft. Tatsu closes his eyes turning his head up as the puppy licks at him.

The pup sticks her ass end in the air, her head lines up with Tatsu's shaft, she swallows his unit. Tatsu starts thrusting into the pup, Tatsu brings one paw around the puppy's stomach, he lowers his head to touch his nose to her butt. Tatsu's tongue falls out of his mouth as he starts licking down her lips. The puppy giggles "is it nice back there?"

Tatsu pants as he is tasting the puppies juice "I am going to fill you and your mother with puppies."

The puppy holds her tail off to the side enticingly "do you promise?"

Tatsu growls, he had enough foreplay, he picks up the puppy with the paw gripping her underbelly, he turns the pup around. The puppy knows what she wants, she lowers her torso and looks over her shoulder at the wolf behind her waiting for him to take her.

The pup is small, it takes Tatsu a few tries to line himself up, but once in position he slides his spear point up her outer folds pushing the puppy open. The pup starts panting happily, already starting to work towards climax without Tatsu even all the way in yet.

Tatsu looks to the wolf mother. "come over here." He request. Tatsu pulls the wolf mother over making her stand over the puppy. Tatsu pushes into the puppy for a few seconds. The puppy wiggles about trying to find out how to excite a boy.

The pup has little endurance. She squawks and squeals shouting happily as Tatsu is only about half way into her body, Tatsu is being nice. "I am going to be a mommy soon!" the puppy shouts.

Tatsu wants this fun to last, he pulls out of the pup and moves up, he slides up the puppies butt and pushes into the mother wolf. The mother wolf yelps, she looks back know understanding what Tatsu was setting up. "smart wolf." Tatsu lets the puppy calm down for a few moments as he pushes into the mother offering slow deep thrust.

Unfortunately, Tatsu got started with the wolf mother earlier and is feeling randy himself. The warm body of the experienced mother drives Tatsu to his midpoint quickly. After only a few dozen tugs from the wolf mother's vulva Tatsu has two hard sprays. He wants to tie up on in the mother, but he forces himself to hold back. Tatsu pulls out and has another dribble on the puppy's butt, his oil running down her lips. The puppy pushes her hips up squealing wanting the wolf to slide back into her hole.

Tatsu complies. He slides down and shoves his unit back into the puppies' hot vulva. The puppy wiggles and pushes back forcing the wolf to hold up against her cervical door. The puppy looks up with a devilish grin "you better not pull out again."

The strangely aggressive puppy is exciting. Her inexperienced form is titillating. Tatsu hugs the puppy as he lowers his head and bites onto the neck of the mother. The three of them move about fast and hot. Oil leaking form the mother, the thrusting of Tatsu against her backside forcing her to climax quickly.

The puppy squeezes onto Tatsu, Tatsu holds still, his knot slowly forming inside the pup. Once his knot is in the puppy it is almost trivially easy for the pup to force Tatsu to finish in her. His oil empties into the pup's womb. The pup falls over exhausted. Tatsu hugs the two holding them as he calms himself.

Tatsu grins "I want to keep you both."

The mother looks up still panting trying to catch her breath after the event. "We need to find our way back home. Maybe I can come back soon and let you meet your puppies."

Once the girls have had there fun they walk away. Tatsu looks around thinking. "that is right, I was looking for a treat for Ashley." Tatsu finds a wield pig and brings it home. Ashley returns home a day later fresh carpenter tools in hand.

Chapter 5 Marooned part 4

It takes four months for the two working together to build a new house. Barely two months later Ashley give birth two four puppies. The first-born boy is called Han, the second boy Aaron, the first girl Sara, and the last born is Tia. They live in the house in the woods for three years. Ashley teaches the kids how to fish and how to craft clothing and tools. Tatsu teaches them how to hunt, how to read and mathematics. Tatsu tries to teach them the art of arcana but none of the kids show any aptitude for the mystical arts.

By the time the kids are four they have the bodies of teenagers. They age both physical and mentally surprisingly fast from Tatsu's point of view. Ashley doesn't seem so surprised, maybe on this plant lives are shorter then on worlds Tatsu has been to before.

In the fall of the forth year snow comes earlier then would be excepted. Leaves only started to fall by the time the first freeze comes. Ashley taste the air. She watches the skies, she knows what is coming. The conditions are perfect for an arctic storm. This winter will be a deadly one. Ashley looks back to her house as she thinks. "our house will not stand through the winter."

Tatsu watches the kids as they are sawing lumber and cutting firewood. Tatsu looks up to his lover "what are we going to do?"

"Riverdail. We need to go back to the town I was born in." Ashley looks upset. "I was hopping we could stay out here forever."

The six of them pack up their bags and move back to town. Ashley knows the owner of an apartment complex and has no trouble getting ahold of efficiency unit. One room, one bed, one bath. It is not ideal but it is conferrable enough for a group of effectively mountain-men. The winter is just what the lot of them expected, four feet of snow before the fall festival, the temperature hardly ever getting above freezing without invoking the wraith of anther storm.

The kids show interest in seeing what the school looks like. Tatsu talks Ashley into signing the kids up for a semester so long as they are stuck in town anyway, after all, with the exception of Aaron they are all tough kids and can handle whatever primary school can throw at them. Aaron is small and often get sick or injured but even he wants to take this opportunity to meet some kids his age.

***

The kids haven't even been in school for a week before Ashley starts getting call from the school complaining about disorderly behavior.

Ashley picks up the phone "Fawks residence"

A low tenner voices comes over the line "Ms. Fawks, this is Dean Alania Puzzle."

"Is there a problem Dean?" Ashley asks.

"I have been asked to bring you into the school to discuss in issue." Puzzle explains

"what sort of issue?" Ashley rubs her neck trying to imagine what this could be about.

"Tia and Aaron were catch in the locker room engaged in lewd activity with a number of other kids." Puzzle explains a slight stutter ash she is clearly being couched by someone else in the room with them.

Ashley has to bite her tongue to stop herself from laughing "I'm sorry, is that a problem? They are kids, that is just the sort of thing they do."

Puzzle whispers "normally I would agree with you in that this is a minor infringement and could be handled by a pink slip but one of the other parents involved are threatening litigation if you and your husband do not meet with them."

Ashley barks clearly aggravated "on what grounds."

"Tia exposing herself at school has infringed on the religious rights of Mallard family."

Ashley yells "your writes end at my nose! Everyone excepts that no one has the write to enforces their preferences on another family."

The Dean explains "clearly you haven't been watching the news over the last three or four months. the Duel Earth Society has talked parliament into hearing them out in writing a new constitution."

"What!" Ashley shouts "I am on my way, I don't know what you are but us foxes don't care for having our writes infringed on!" she drops the phone and turns to face Hetatsubachi, who is sleeping on the floor of the apartment. "Get up! I have a face I need to stomp on."

Ashley slaps a leash Tatsu and marches out the door. Half way to the school Tatsu stops walking and looks at a food stand on the street corner, he points "Mad Jack Burger."

Ashley shacks her head "it's not meat. You can't buy any meat product in the city limits, part of why my grandpa didn't want to live in the city."

***

In the dean's office two ducks wait with the dean for Ashley to arrive. The first duck has green hair with blue stripes. He dresses in a black coat with white blouse and tie, the women with him has on a long black gown, she has a red ribbon tied to one leg, she has tan hair.

The Dean is a giraffe, she has red hair and a red three peace suit on, she sits with her head on the desk before her, her hands rested on her horns rubbing them to keep herself calm as the male duck can't seem to stop talking.

"And that is why my brothers and I will not allow this ungrounded, thoughtless law to go on. In the days of our ancestors perhaps it was fine that all people acted as if it was only themselves that mater. But if one lives only for the moment than how is one to think about the future?" the duck waves his wings around as he is dancing about the room boiling with anger. "just imagine if it had be my daughter that had been in the shower when that fox uncased her holiness. That could have lead to all sorts of mischief. And what if it had been the brother fox not the sister that had disrobed, can you imagine..."

Dean Puzzle tries to get a word in "in this progressively more hypothetical discussion I would imagine that they might have done what kids tend to do when left unsupervised. They would have done hands on research to understand the differences between there races."

One of the male's wings snap upwards "my point could not be clearer! A school is no place for such lewdness. Only under the watchful eye of the commune should a child bare their flesh."

Dean puzzle cuts in again "to be fair Mr. Mallard, I would like to make it known that when it was voted on to add comprehensive sexual education and health care to the school's agenda I offered an up vote. I think it would be far safer for my instructors to instruct our kids then to let the church do it in these affairs."

Mallard points with an accusatory wing "you and your godless establishment are the last holdouts. No one else holds to this flowed 'experimental science' flimflam."

Puzzle groans "logical fallacy, 'argument from popularity'. Not to mention 'at hominid attack'." Puzzle looks at the female "Ms. Mallard, can you calm your mate?" the female duck shrugs.

Ashley slams the door open walking in with Hetatsubachi. Mr. Mallard and Ashley stat talking over each other without seemingly even the need to here what the other is upset about. Puzzle wave side to side introducing everyone to one another mostly fruitlessly "Rick Mallard this is Ashley Fawks, Ashley this is Dina Mallard. I am Dean Puzzle."

Within moment the argument over who has what constitutional write dissolves into Rick hissing and Ashley showing her fangs. Puzzle stands up and trumpets at that point to get everyone to look at her. "we are going to do this civilly or I am getting the constable down here and we will be having this talk at the city center."

Rick takes lead of the conversation "Lady Fawks, your daughter exposed herself in public."

Ashley answers "that is not a crime in this community. Our district has no 'age of consent' to be seen nude."

Rick continues "my son has never seen naked flesh, this could have inspired him to go into rut prematurely."

Ashley jumps back in "never seen naked flesh? Do you have any other kids? A mate? Have you ever walked around your house with your robe loose? It is ridicules to think somehow he would never have seen it."

As Ashley and Rick fight Dina notices the feral wolf in the room with them. the magic that hovers around Tatsu is in full effect, Dina takes a deep breath enticed by the wolf. Dina unfolds her leg and leans back in her chair slightly. In no unclear way Dina rocks her hips up trying to get Tatsu to lower his eyes and look at her cloaca.

Tatsu can't help but notice Dina, his tongue slides out one side of his mouth as he licks his nose.

Rick stomps a foot "if only you heathens would join the Duel Earth Society you would understand why such ideas are immoral."

Tatsu is drawn in by this statement "Hold it right there feathers! What is the Duel Earth Society?"

Puzzle offers to explain "a pro-capitalist, anti-educational, political action comity, with a theistic agenda. If I am not mistaking isn't your convent also the one that believes the world is less than 10,000 years old and believe in geocentricism?"

Rick adds "you forgot about the part of us being sphere deniers and climate deniers."

Tatsu shakes his head violently as he tries to take in the insanity that has just been described "that is wrong, everything you just said is wrong."

Puzzle can see things are about to blow up again and tries to cut things off at the pass "to be fair, he has the constitutional write to hold this position. We have to respect his beliefs."

Tatsu barks "Shut the duck up! We have to acknowledge his point of view not respect it! Beliefs are dangerous when held dogmatically. You have the write to be wrong. And I have the write to tell you, 'you are wrong' every idea you hold should be held tentative. There is no reason to hold onto a demonstrably false idea. you have just failed at logic, and that is pitiful. Epistemology, learn it!"

There is a gambit of emotion that flashes across the room with Hetatsubachi's outburst: Puzzle grunt triumphantly almost shouting "Bangarang!", Ashley brakes down laughing, Rick jumps back in fear at the white wolf's anger.

Dina stands up "I need to pee."

Puzzle points "out the door, walk past the scrap closet. You know the way."

Rick looks between Puzzle and Tatsu "Is he a feral? Dean, do we have to take a feral seriously?"

Puzzle nods "Ashley please ask your partner to wait for you outside wall we try to defuse all of this."

Ashley and Tatsu whisper between each other "I told you someone would bring up that you look like a feral."

Tatsu grunts in understanding "im not even mad, he is just rude."

Ashley places a hand on Tatsu's head petting him "if you want to head out I can catch up with you soon."

Tatsu turns his head watching as Dina steps out "Do you mind if I fuck the duck? I have never been with a duck and she was just giving me so big-time bedroom eyes."

"if you can do it and not get caught I would say have fun."

Tatsu jumps down from the chair he had sat in and walks out of the office.

Dina walks into the storage room down the hall from the office. It is a large room filled with out of date books waiting to be recycled and damaged desk, art supplies, and anatomical sculptors as well as some posters. Dina can see Tatsu is only a few steps behind her, her blood is running hot, her skin feels sticky she is almost drooling, something about the wolf is getting to her. Dina can't remember the last time she felt such a strong need for attention.

Dina climes up on a table, she sits on it with her legs held apart, she brings down a wing and tickles her thighs easily getting vaginal cream to coat her feathers making herself glow. Tatsu slips into the dark room, his lips curled slightly he rubs his tongue across his fangs.

Dina waves Tatsu over "I don't know why I want this so bad but come here."

With a growl Tatsu bows approaching. Dina wraps her wings around Tatsu's head forcing him to stick his nose into her cloaca. Tatsu rolls his head up and down muzzling the duck. Dina whimpers, her head rolls backward. In spite with of how much smaller Dina is then Tatsu, her distinct body shape allows him to play with her comfortably. The taste of the duck gets Tatsu hard and ready.

After only a minute of being licked Dina lets go of Tatus's head and rolls over laying on her stomach, Dina fans her feathers beckoning to Hetatsubachi. The wolf doesn't complain, he jumps onto the table setting his paws at her sides. Dina lifts her hips lining the wolf up with her slick slit. Tatsu grips one thigh pulling back on Dina to get into her body.

Dina excites easily, her and Tatsu move quickly, this is meant to be fast and fun nothing else. The rowdy duck twitches and tugs smoothly at the wolf. The two of them only need to spend a few minutes with each other to be satisfied. Tatsu folds his paws under the duck's chin resting over her. His cream running out of her hole as the two recover from the quickie.

Tatsu spots on of the posters on the floor partly uncurled. It has a simple white background and spiraling pattern pushing outwards, thousands of names written on it branching out in progressively more complex ways.

Tatsu nudges his nose up pointing "what is that?"

Dina reaches into one of her pockets pulling out a par of reading glasses "it's a phylogenetics chart. A few years ago I was aqualy on the team that worked on that graphic." Dina is happy to see this relic from her past life. "it is simplified of course to make it easier for school aged kids to read. But it is still a grate graphic."

A number of voices start whispering in Tatsu's mind, pulling at him, dogging him to remember his past lives.

"what are phylogenetics?" Tatsu ask.

"it is the systematic classification of life and adaptations. All life on this planet can be tracked back to only a dozen or so animals, planet, and fungi." Dina explains.

Tatsu tips his head trying to read the chart "what is that wavy line near the center?"

"phylogenetics can only track life back as fair as there is sexual reproduction. Everything before that line is hypothetical mutations. Animals that would have lived during a time when horizontal gene transfer was possible."

Tatsu nods "what are those spots where the graph tappers?"

Dina smiles, her voice becoming bubbly as she seems to enjoy the conversation "Extinctions events. Every so often the world changes in a way that forces mass and sudden adaptation. Animals that can't change fast enough die out."

Tatsu reads along the chart "I see three extinctions. How long did it take to recover from each of them?"

"the one nearest the center was a thermal shift, this resalted in the megalamophs and everything related to them dyeing off, that made room for the rise of the therapsid, and aviamorphs. It took five million years for the world to become repopulated after that. The second was change in atmospheric conditions. The hydrogen level in the atmosphere suddenly dropped. Suddenly there was ahard cap on how large animals could grow. That took fourteen million years"

At this point Tatsu can pick up on something strange in the first to event there are huge gaps of time that pass signified by two brake marks, next to the last there is no such thing "how about that one" he points at the last event.

"that was when the fimiliara appeared on this planet." Dina explains

"what are they?"

"they are us. It is counterintuitive but all the animals you see walking around right now belong to a single species, we are all cross fertile. There is a good deal of misinformation about this but It turns out that we maintain our diversity in appearance because when we divide the loins share of our genomes are taken off our x chromosome."

Tatsu looks confused "the female chromosome?"

"right, our kids will always look like there mother. From a genetic stand point this makes sense, the female is the basil of the race, embryology tells us that all blastocyst are female until the male mutation takes place."

"how long ago did this mass change take place?" some part of that sounded wrong, Tatsu doesn't understand what part but definitely some part.

Dina speaks up "just over two hundred years ago."

Tatsu wiggles around having fun still resting on the duck's back "where you a teacher at some point?"

Dina giggles as tatsu is tickling her "yeah. Worked at the university as a biologist."

"why did you leave?"

"I wanted to spend more time with my kids."

Tatsu lowers his head onto the neck of the motherly duck, he hugs her considering playing with her again. Dina doesn't protest, she pushes her hips up encouragingly.

Tatsu shuts his eyes, the hunting memories shout at him. The voices becoming clearer all the time.

"When IT came, we surrendered to it. My world died, this one appeared in its place" the voice of a fish girl named Keyor fights its way to the top.

"My eye's can see ever farther into the cosmos; the universe is getting smaller every day." Cilverant whispers to him next.

"The Biggest of the Big fish" the man called Devil explains.

Hetatsubachi complains "Stop talking to me, me."

Dina starting to have fun wiggling the wolf around in her again looks over her shoulder "Is something wrong?"

Tatsu tries to block out the nagging voices in his mind "what happened two hundred years ago that triggered this change?"

Dina searches her mind "well, that was around the time that the church of the black moon was dedicated."

The next memory is in the voice of Charlie Belmond "She is a void worshiper!"

The lights flicker as a massive magnetic field seems to drop over the city, the feald gets stronger, metal starts to warp. Tatsu looks around, his energy sense kicks in detecting something from another world pushing its way not this one. Tatsu jumps down off the table running back to find Ashley.

Chapter 6 Runaway

The lamp on the dean's desk starts to melt, the lights overhead shatter, lighting arcs between all the electronics in the room. Puzzle, Rick and Ashley back away from the center of the room as a bubble of light catches the desk on fire and burns the rug away. The Seeker of Inferno emerges from the light, the room goes dark.

Rick holds out his wings in prayer "The Moon Rises!"

Puzzle presses her body to the wall overwhelmed by phenomenon.

Seeker turns her head side to side, she locks eyes with Ashley "you have the blood of Chaos flowing through you. But it is not yours."

Ashley looks around spotting a flag on the wall, she picks it up with a snarl "you must be her. Hetatsubachi's sister."

"Kingslayer." Seeker whispers "I hopped I would find him next." She snaps a hand down growing five swords out of her arm "I will take away that which makes you unique. I will add it onto myself. You can resist if you like, but your death is inevitable."

***

Hetatsubachi fallows his nose, he can smell a smell he has never smelled but he knows what it is nevertheless. He jumps off a wall to change direction, he then flings his body at the door to the dean's office smashing it down. The great white wolf lands an all fours, his back arched his teeth bare, ears down he growls with anger.

The wolf's exasperation shatters. His eyes go wide and he stands up slowly as he sees Seeker standing before him. One of the Seeker's hands has become a cage trapping Ashley. Seeker turns her head looking to Hetatsubachi. Hetatsubachi whispers "By the Nine, The Seeker of Eternity."

Seeker drags the cage along the ground slinking in Tatsu's direction "Demon in the Snow, Devil of the Flowers. I have come to take away that which make you unique and add it onto myself."

"Tens of millions of worlds, across hundreds of billions of realms and still you find me?"

Seeker explains "finding you was no where near as hard as you think. You had no plans of changing your chrono sphere, that more than halved the number of places you could have gone. You would have gone to a place that is geographically similar to the place you where born, late limited the number of places you could have gone again, you chose to land on a world where the animals fallowed a evolutionary path that you could understand, the number of places you could hide is now in the hundred-thousands. Turns out the cosmos aren't as big as they look."

Tatsu growls reading himself for battle, his eyes flash back and forth between Seeker and Ashley "Why are you here?"

"I must eat your heart. I must kill you and the rest of my brothers. Return your energy to the source."

Hetatsubachi digs his claws into the ground considering what he can do "what if I run?"

Seeker is cold and souls "I will chase you."

Tatsu smiles as he gets in idea "What if I fight?"

"You will die" Seeker transforms her free hand into a lance.

"Do you promise?" Tatsu knows he can't fight here. Seeker can do so much more then injure him. His kids are here, his love is here. Last time Tatsu had to fight Seeker he had half of the Steal Rose at his back helping him. He needs Cilverant by his side at the very least. Tatsu looks to Ashley, he outstretches with his Arcana whispering to her mind "I am so sorry, I will come back as soon as it is safe"

Hetatsubachi summons his cape of swords throwing it as a distraction. Seeker thrust her claws back whipping the swords out of the air. Hetatsubachi jumps past Seeker then out the window shattering it. Seeker drops Ashley tuning to liquid to chase after Hetatsubachi.

Tatsu activates his worldwalking power, he brakes apart into butterflies as he shifts into the never. Worldwalking with the Chaos energy is not safe, there are no small number of things that can go wrong. The only good thing about it is that the changes of crossing paths with another traveler midjump is unlikely. It has been a long time since Tatsu's last jump, something goes wrong. As he is entering the never something hits, pushing him, Tatsu starts tumbling though space, he loses sight of any place he has been and any thing he has seen.

***

Realm: Red Twilight

Place: G.R.W. space, Tango zone

Chrono Sphere: 47-87

Natalia Gray is an asteroid farmer. She works for a guild called Noble Steed as a piolet. Every day is much the same. Turn on the Q-Radio, flip the channels looking for who needs what trades that day. There are hundreds of space stations all the time sending out calls telling everyone what they have up for trade and what they are looking for. Asteroid farmers like Natalia look for stations that have the same needs. Radio them back, tell them where they are, and let them know that you are going to facilitate their trade for them.

The lights in the cockpit are off, Natalia seems to have passed out for some time. The raccoon shakes her head as she is fading in and out of a waking state. The HUD on her mask is flashing a number of alerts. "Warning: Med Packs Empty" it announces first "Warning: Cabin Pressure Unstable" it goes on "Warning: Fuel Leak"

Natalia unclips her mask from her face taking it off. She takes a deep breath and looks around, one hand reaches off to the side to flip on communications "This is The Runaway, I am down and disabled. Requesting assistance." She waits a few seconds for a replay then tries again "This is the Runaway. I am down and disabled. Does anyone copy? She waits a moment again to no avail "'Freedom Unite' this is Runaway, can you hear me?" nothing "'Queens Honor' are you on the horn?" nothing "'Heavy Metal' can I hear some music? This is Runaway I need an E-vak."

Natalia sighs, she looks down at her armor noticing a section of her chest peace has been broken off her, there is a shattered piece of electrical paneling on the ground next to her navigation computer. One hand feels across her stomach feeling her exposed fur "looks like my Medvac patched me up before going off line."

The Raccoon trucker undoes her seatbelt, she walks to the back of the cabin and start to strip out of her armor. She pulls a mirror off the wall and examines the net suit under her armor, she looks herself up and down making sure she isn't bleeding or injured in any other visible way. The condition of her net suit informs her that whatever broke the front plate of her armor cut straight through to her back as well. "Wow, those Medvac's are really something."

Natalia strips the rest of the way, she opens the chest under her bed pulling out another suit of armor. She only had the once Medvac suit, on what she makes she can't afford more than one of the latest and gratest body suit on the market. Thankfully she still has her UFP gear from when she was in the navy. It isn't fashionable, but she has no one to impress. She opens another box revealing a treasure chest full of rice pudding, she rips one open and starts drinking the desert.

The communication computer flips on as a transmission comes in "this is 'Queens Honor' what is your condition 'Runaway'?"

Natalia discards her surgery treat then runs over to the computer leaning over the microphone "Jarvis?"

"Jarvis Laciter, I copy Natalia, you went black 72 units ago what is going on?"

Natalia almost cries from the joy of hearing a live voice on her radio. Her voice cracks an she needs to swallow hard before she can get put a full thought "I suffered a critical equipment malfunction."

Jarvis explains "I can't see your beckon on my scanners, is your navigation computer on?"

Natalia jumps sideways and tries turning on her ship, she jumps back "ineffective."

"can you pull up your starmap?"

Natalia steps up to another computer to try booting up secondary systems "Ineffective."

Jarvis ask "can you manually read a starmap?"

Natalia looks around in her stuff, she finds a grease pin "Copy." She expresses.

"Natalia, stand under the dome of your cockpit, cut the dome into sixteen even parts and tell me what star patterns you can see. I am going to try to find you on my map"

Natalia draws a grid on her cockpit "A-1: Red shifted galaxy. A-2: 3 blue stars. A-3: 4 yellow stars. A-4 black space. B-1 spiral constellation. B-2 black space. B-3/B-4: 5 red shifted stars. C-1: black space. C-2: 1 green star. C-3/C-4 black space. D-1 silver object, unidentifiable. D-2/D-3: 6 stars, bear formation. D-4 black space."

There is a long wait as Jarvis is doing calculations. Natalia puts her mask back on and plug the communication computer into her mask so she can talk wall walking around her ship. She picks up a tool belt and climbs down into the bowls of the ship. Pushing a bulkhead aside she talks with Jarvis "you still single?"

Jarvis explains "I have recently started sleeping will Malaren."

Crawling on all four Natalia starts pulling up floorboards looking for the leek she was warned about "'Heavy Metal'? I had no idea that there was a sexual animal somewhere under all those honors and degrees."

Jarvis plays along with her "you know what they say about 'pink bats' right."

Natalia laughs "you should have asked me out, or Amala, we wouldn't have made you work so hard."

Jarvis pocks fun at Natalia as she is working "I would have needed to erect scaffolding to reach Amala. She is almost twice my high, four times yours."

Natalia finds some burning wires "yeah, kangaroos can be that way. But I hear they are wild if you don't mind taking a ride." Natalia works on soldering the wires back into place.

"How about you, done anything fun in the last 16 months?"

Natalia is an expert craftsman, she can canalize any part of her ship to repair another and that is just the skill she needs, in order to fill in a gap between two systems she needs to cut apart a part of her scanner to repair the connection to her power lines. "off the clock? No. no one has ever asked me out, and I never thought to ask anyone."

As Natalia works her HUD blinks "Warning: Proximity Alert"

"Jarvis, I am putting you on hold." Natalia is startled. No one else is on her ship. The Runaway is a one man work horse. She wouldn't bring anyone else in here. She runs back to the cockpit. She pulls out of storage a RONA. A weapon used of the Stith Kangaroos that is part flamethrower, part chainsaw and part plasma caster. It is gigantic, silly and Natalia loves it.

Natalia picks up a portable sonar device and plugs that into the side of her helmet, her HUD now equipped with a map and scanner. Natalia walks into the storage room, then into engineering searching her ship for the intruder. The search is slow and argues, at last she comes across a white wolf dragging itself across depth of the engine room floor.

Natalia holds out her gun mounting it to her hip "what are you, some sort of a mutated lupus?"

Tatsu lowers his ears crossing his eyes looking at the gun "well. I think I can guess what realm I am in."

The weapon makes a humming sound as Natalia charges it. "Realm? Are you a Planeshifter or what?"

Tatsu nods.

"if you are a planshifter where is your travel pod? How did you get on my ship?"

"I don't know, I was making a jump and something pushed me. I was on my way to go see Cilverant..." Tatsu starts to fall over.

Natalia drops the gun and helps Tatsu back to his feet "are you ok?"

"Food." The wolf whispers.

"do you like yogurt? I have lots of yogurt." The Raccoon explains. Natalia takes the wolf with her back to the main deck. She feeds him and bandages him. "My ships is damaged. Assuming I can get this thing to limp to the next planet I can get you to a D.S. port and get you back to your native dimension."

Tatsu looks the Raccoon up and down "It seem you have some idea what I am."

"sure everyone does. After the Eternity War the Steal Rose society made the existence of the plansifters public. Even sold us the tech to dimension hop ourselves. For a small price of course."

"Technomancy was part of my training back on Dis. I can help you rebuild. Tell me, what realm is this?" Tatsu asks as he is eating fruit jelly.

"Red Twilight 00-47-87-00." Natalia flips back on her communication as she seems to have a text waiting.

"47-87?" Tatsu look confused. "That is a long way from where I just was."

The voice of Jarvis echoes in Natalia's ear "Natalia, I think I found you. You are just outside of 'Umbrella zone' you are in republic space. You have drifted into Republic space Neither of us has a license to fly out there. But all things considered, it is better to have to dodge questions then freeze in space. So, I called ahead to 'Headfield Station'. Looks like you are outside sweeper range but if you can adjust your trajectory so that D-1 becomes C-3 you will drift right into them in 20 standard solar hours."

Natalia jumps to her feet and runs over to her chair, "Right, just need to fire up the engines and..." she flips the ignition to nothing more then a dry click "no power." A popping sound echoes throughout the ship and a number of lights explode in their sockets. Communications brakes up, the radio seems to burn out.

Natalia shouts madly at her computer slapping at it and kicking the floorboard "Jarvis!" she bares her fangs barking at dead space. "you metal dipped fox! Get back on the horn or I am going to go down there and... and..." quickly calms down. "I feel better now, hay wolf, want to take a walk. We need to jump start this thing."

The two walk down the later into the depths of the ship. The two of them pass though a door with a magnetic lock and a landing with exhaust pipes. There are visible dust particles in the air. Natalia explains "my ship has a magnet starter on it. It is not the best, but it is low maintenance." As they pass into the next room Natalia stops, she looks up at a twenty foot long, twelve foot wide hunk of steel hanging form the ceiling, the metal cold fussed in place. She knows well that isn't meant to be there.

Natalia brings both hands up grabbing her ears, her lips curl up and she snarls. Hetatsubachi looks up. "is something out of place?"

Natalia takes a breath then looks down relaxing. "well, I know what I hit now. That is a landing gear off of a 'B-wing prop fighter' I flow into some space garbage. Happily if you hit a hunk of metal at something around 700,000,000 mph it liquifies on contact."

Tatsu looks the metal up and down "can you fix it?"

Natalia shacks her head.

Tatsu looks at the Raccoon "can we cut around it?"

"I don't have the equipment to move this."

Tatsu sits in center of the room exsamining the alien object, "what options do we have left?"

Natalia walks in a circle thinking. "I only need enough power to charge up my landing thrusters. I could hardwire around the magnates, but I still need the power to reboot the network if I want to do a controlled burn."

"your gun, it is a RONA right, that has a nuclear containment generator or something in it. Can you run the computers off of that?"

Natalia does some mental math "we will still be short a mega pascal or two."

Tatsu examining the room gets an idea. "those magnets are generating electricity when they spin right? Maybe I can manually push them."

Natalia brightens up laughing at the silliness of the idea "eight seconds after that thing starts spinning you are going to become radioactive. I am pretty sure you will glow in the dark by the time the reboot is complete."

Hetatsubachi nods "but it will work?" even if Natalia thinks this idea is stupid, Hetatsubachi is being sincere.

Natalia's exspretion melts as she soon understands that the wolf means what he is saying. "yeah," she thinks about it looking around doing the math again "I can rig you up a harness, and drop an anchor on that wall, and one over here... once that turbine hits sixty RPM you should hit perpetual motion, then the rest will pretty much take care of itself." Natalia walks over to Tatsu placing her hands on his head "this is going to hurt just so you know."

The wolf nods, the two go to work rigging up the room for the jury-rig. Natalia takes her place at the navigation computer and radio's to Tatsu, "start running, this should only take three or four minutes once you are up to speed."

Tatsu bites onto the rope attached to the turbine. He starts running, the ship howls. The first thing to kick on is a radio, Bon Jovi's 'Runaway' plays across the ship as the wolf runs. One by one lights start coming back on.

Happily Natalia shrieks, once the navigation computer is back on line she start doing the calculations needed to steer the ship. The massive freighter is slow to move, Natalia is an expert piolet, she knows just what to do. In short order she has executed the maneuvers. Moments later the massive damage to the ship catches up with it and the engines jam. But it doesn't matter. The ship is drifting the right way at this point and all that is left to do is wait for the rescue sweepers.

Natalia unhooks Tatsu from the harness. The electricity in the air has ruffled out Hetatsubachi's fur. Electrified dust particles are fused to his fur making the wolf glow just as Natalia had joked about. Natalia looks him up and down "I think I am going to need to dust you with RADOFF."

Hetatsubachi brings up a paw to try to brush his hair down, doing so shocks him and he shakes off his paw with a whimper "I hope whatever that is will de-static me."

Natalia nods, she walks him back to the entry way, she pulls out a hoes, she flips it on and a fine dust flies out in a blinding mist. Comically, Tatsu spits up the dust he inhaled. "that was fun."

Natalia giggles "do you know how much radiation you where just pelted with? That was awesome. How did it feel?"

With a moments thought Tatsu replies "like a good long pee."

"well, I need to switch everything over to low power mode. Off the juice we have I can keep: heat, lights, and gravity running for 26 hours but let's not tempt fate." The two walk around the ship deactivating everything that they can fly without. Natalia wags her tail watching her new friend as she works.

There is a profound loneness to the tip of work Natalia does. It might have been close to a year since the last time she has spent a day with another person. Natalia smile, calmed and invigorated by the struggle she has overcome today. She unfolds her bed from inside the wall and pulls out some more pudding, she gives a spoonful to Tatsu. As they eat she lowers her head trying to look cute "Tatsu, would you like to sleep with me?"

Tatsu turns up one eye thinking "do you mean, alongside you, or inside you?"

Natalia takes that as consent, she strips out of her armor and climes into her bed, she gets up on all fours and wags her tail teasingly. Tatsu can't resist looking at the raccoon, Natalia licks her fangs and lowers her torso holding her tail up at the wolf, she nudges her head up egging him on.

Tatsu tries to play with Natalia, he hugs her and licks her, but he is clearly distracted. Natalia needs to push Tatsu a good deal to convince him to do more then just hold her. At some point Natalia is satisfied and falls asleep.

Tatsu lays in the bed with her. He whispers to himself sorrowfully "Oh Ahsley."

***

When Natalia wakes up she fails to get dressed in any way, she walks over to her Q-Radio, she turns on the antenna sweeping for background radiation. She knows what she is going to find. She has been listing to the same broadcast for weeks.

One of Tatsu's ears twitch as a new voice takes to the air.

"the year is 2022, my name is Tail Vixon, and this was earth. You may have already noticed. There is a rythmatic clicking sound playing behind me. That is a binary. Filter that sound though any scanner that can read DOS or WAVE format and you will unlock another lair to this recording. With the aid of the von Richton's and the Letters I have comprised this transmission chronicling the last years of humanity..."

Tatsu walks over to Natalia, he is feeling more relaxed now then he was a few hours ago, he is interested in what is going on and sets his head on one of Natalia's legs as in apology for largely brushing off her advances "what is this?"

Natalia looks down at him "it is a 3000-year-old broadcast being sent form an unknow location. I find it interesting, the broadcast has been being repeated every 25 days for the last 40 years. Every time it plays I try to find another part of the hidden messages. I have found 8 lairs so far. There are at least 18 from what I can tell." She flips a few switches. "here, let me tune in to the next section of the broadcast."

Chapter 7 Shadows Over Life part 1

Realm: Red Twilight

Place: New York

Chrono Shpere: 19-97

A man stands at a window tented blue black looking down from a tall tower onto the heavenly hell of the modern world. He stands in the dark, dressed in the most stylish suit on the market, a single lamp sits on a table behind him. The door opens behind him allowing in only the scantest of light from the hallway. An elderly man walks, he has a full salt and pepper beard, dressed in a green blazer, and tans slacks, he walks with a cane a book under his arm.

The suited man curls his lip slightly pained by the light coming in from the hallway. "Please close the door." He ask. The door is shut and the room is darkened once more. "Mr. Dove I presume?"

The bearded man replies in a hefty New Yorker voice "yes, I am Joe Dove."

The suited man without looking back explains "the brand on your left-hand marks you as being the property of the von Richton society."

Joe Dove nods again "good guess."

"no guesswork needed. I have seen many of you around since the 1800's. I trust you know already why I wanted to see you."

Dove places his book on the table and produces a pin from his pocket. "then how about we get to work."

The suited man sighs "yes. We should. Where should we start? My name perhaps? I was born as Claude Druand ..."

Joe starts writing looking up briefly "You are a Gaiadren?"

"Lycon, Vession, Blutbogg. I have had all these names used to describe me. I would like to not bother with such titles. Use whichever word you feel most comfortable with. The year was 1750, Dysentery has yet to reach France shores, Luis the 15th is the longest sitting king in living history, and the disparity of wealth between the rich and the pore has never been greater."

"I was born to an aristocratic family, elevated to our level more by king Luis lust then by our own merit, but that his hardly important. Luis the 15th had 2000 sons and 6000 slaves some people clamed. Across the French kingdom ballrooms have become centers of governances. A man like me could dance and make marry with the elitist of the land and even influences public policies"

Joe interrupts "you are a werewolf? Does that mean that your mother was a werewolf as well?"

Claude nods "of course. In the 16thand 17th century in France were beast could walk around in the open freely, unlike today where we have to hide under cover of night. In fact, in the flesh trade were beast women were coveted. It turns out that randy businessmen at the time found beast men to make fine chambermaids. My birth was somewhat of a surprise all though, a vession giving birth with a nonvession partner is uncommon."

Joe looks up from his writing again "vession can take lots of shapes, lizards, cats, dogs, birds. Are you all cross fertile with each other?"

"as far as I know. It seems that we are capable if sireing families with almost any man, beast, or lycon we like."

Joe nods "alright."

"but I am no expert on vession history or culture. I have almost always been an island onto myself. I am a historian of only one thing, and that is myself. I should be happy to tell you that story if that should pleasure you."

Joe wave Claude on "please go ahead."

***

Claude is a wealthy man, he has danced at dozens of balls and has friends in every influential house in France, even though he is narrowly over fifteen he is a man of prestige, he has given his life to working clay, his statuettes decorate the houses of many noble ladies. To spite having the finest clothing and living in the lap of luxury from time to time Claude still feels a burning need to walk the streets of the slums and partake of the wine and women and dancing of the lower class.

This month Claude has made a dozen trips into town, today for something more than just drinking and dancing. On his last trip, in a brothel, he spotted something that drew his eye. A squirrel women, a year or two younger then him with fiery hair, long limbs and acrobatic features, her childish shape just starting to give way to show of her womanly form.

Claude had whispered around the pub looking for the name and nature of the siren squirrel, he learns that her name is Célia Valentine, she was born somewhere in Scandinavia, and that her father had been a fur trader before moving to France. Some bad run of luck had robbed the Valentine's of their fortune and now the lot of them are stranded with little money and a practice with limited market value.

Claude soul is filled with needing, Celia has enchanted Claude, he wants her, he will have her. Night after night Claude sneaks away from his home after sunset to seek out his enchantresses. She is a playful girl, she dances with sheep one stage one night, she plays a drinking game the next, and plays a card game the night after that. It is the third night that Claude finely sits down to make his precens known.

Slipping in and out of a crowed is a skill every good nobleman has, Claude knocks on the card table to get himself shuffled in. Card games are something Claude has little experiences with but sitting and watching from afar he has come to understand the basics of the game they are playing.

The game they are gambling on today is called 'Hanging Man' all numbered cards have face value, at the end of the game you get scored on how many cards of the same suit you are holding and deducted a value for each card of the wrong suit, a Jake always cost you two points if in your hand, a queen loses you five, a black king ten but, red king forces you to discard three non-face cards and recount your score with what is left. You start the game holding five cards and the perfect hand is 5-10 black or red. If two players have the same hand tie goes to black. After wagering your first bet you may discard up to four cards and be dealt the same number.

As a gambler, Claude is both a high roller and awful, placing a comparatively large amount of coin on the table with each hand. Early in the game he represents himself as a 'good times Charlie' offering to pay of a bottle of wine to pass around the table and some dinner rolls. Celia takes interest in him immediately. Even if Celia doesn't know who Claude is she can guess where is he from. Celia takes notice of Claude mannerisms and elegances. He is no urchin, that much is clear.

Any girl in Celia's possession would of course be opportunistic, after only a few hands of cards Celia deduces that she wants to get closer to Claude, she wants to taunt him and tease him, provoke him and seduce him but most impotently leave an impression, get him coming back for more. Even living in France Celia has the noteworthy advantage of being a Swede, she knows how to act meek when it is to her pleasure but she also know that it catches Frenchmen off guard when she shows her Nordic half and chooses to act dominatingly.

'Surly this is to be a fun relationship.' Celia thinks, 'though I be pray, even mice in the northland have been known to walk toe to toe with cat. Besides, this French folk are well known for being Nancie's.'

three bottles of wine later Claude hits a hot streak managing to win three hands in a row and get back most of his coin. A musketeer that had stopped for a cheap drink and cheap entertainment grows annoyed with Claude, he draws the arquebus from his belt and threatens the aristocrat. Claude lacks a level of street smarts that would allow him to defuse the situation resorting instead standing up to the musketeer bearing his fangs.

Celia on the other hand has a much more elegant idea. She slaps another cardplayer with the basket they had been eating bread from inspiring a brawl to commences. In the ensuing confusion, Celia grapples with Claude forcing him out the side door and onto the side-streets around the port.

"If ya' wish to live long enough to see your hair gray I suggest not talkin' to nobles thata' way." Celia playfully shoves Claude.

Claude falls back against the side of a building, with a childish grin he expresses "He wouldn't have ..."

Celia slaps Claude "he most certainly would. I have seen that man shoot a woman in the street for coughing!" Celia points "you get wise, you fallow me around."

"strong and clever. Is there anything you are not?" Claude smiles arrogantly "I fine prize to be had." He grips Celia by the arms, his head tips his eyes narrow threating to kiss the squirrel.

Celia hooks her arms outwards to brake Claude's grip then she thrust her arms into his chest throwing him at the wall. Celia's hands find the cuffs of Claude's shirt holding him up. "if there is to be any of that. I'll be the one on top if ya' don't mind." Celia offers a kiss.

Chapter 8 Shadow Over Life Part 2

Joe slaps the table before him to catch Claude attention. The hunting Claude stops his monolog for a moment to allow Joe to speak his mind "Are you saying that you where courting a child?"

Claude's eyes close as he his tortured by his thoughts for a short time before he corrects Joe on the statement, "No mr. Dove, I feel that is misrepresentative of the information I have offered. I did not call Celia a child, I clammed that she was younger then I. You must understand, time and culture are fluid. When I was young it was considered a locale costume that it is not age but physical development that is key in determining ones' mature statues."

Joe claps one had over his fist as he leans onto the table at which he is sitting resting his head behind his hands "does that seem wrong to you?"

"Right and wrong are a matter of morality, unless you wish to testify to a transcendental mandator of morality, I feel perfectly comfortable considering my thoughts and actions at the time being in line with an ascendant morality. If it is the norm in your country that men marry at fourteen, then surly that must be right. But though the leans of this decade it would certainly be scandalous."

Dove folds his hands tipping his head back as he thinks "maybe you have a point. But that doesn't make it sound any less strange."

"I can't apologize for the century I was born in. May I continue my story?"

Joe picks his pen up again and waves Claude on.

"Thank you." Claude crosses his arms behind his back tuning his eyes to the sky "The enchantress and I enjoyed some time together, not nearly enough though. It did not take long before I felt inclined to sneak the urchin into my home and my compony. I can't say with any certainty how common or uncommon this action was, I can't even say that I care."

***

Claude first order of business after sneaking Celia into his mansion is to call his army of caretakers and tailors to bath and dress the street rat of a squirrel, she is stripped of her peasant garbs and fitted with an elegant white and yellow dress suited for a proper lady. Celia make quite a fuss as she is stripped and measured for her new dress. Claude has some fun at her expense, watching and chuckling.

Celia being bathed with kosher salts and oils is another sight to behold. The differences in living standards between liberoes and nobles most surly be immeasurable seeing how Celia needs to be instructed in how to apply bath-oil. Once clean, Celia looks even more magical then before. She has the face of a royal and the charm of a feral, A dangerous combination.

Claude take some time to try to show Celia how to walk and talk in public places and tutor her in how appearances have value in the upper-class. Things that Claude has known since childhood seem to be new ideas to Celia.

By day Celia is a leather smith working out of the slums by night she is a princess. Claude also enjoys the benefits of Celia being 'lowborn'. The nobility has delusions of complicated courtship rituals, politics and dowries'. Lowborn's have no such traditions, romances in the lower class is fast and passionate. Together the two of them enjoy some midnight runs through the orchards, Celia provokes Claude's animalistic hungers.

Celia wants to run, Claude wants to lay chase. Running naked though the forest under moonlight, it is something so primal, so natural. It would seem that Celia feels just as caged as Claude in many ways.

But such fun, such innocence's was never meant to last in this world. Claude could never have expected how his world would change after the new year festival. The laborers have gone from revolting to rebelling. Musketeers are attacked on the streets, noble messengers and supply trains are stopped. Knights are called in to establish order, but this time shouting and rattling swords is not enough to frighten off the sick and hunger.

Celia sneaks into Claude's mansion at sun set. Celia had not anticipated going to see Claude tonight and so finds him in his room preparing for bed. Celia grabs Claude by the forearms and in a skitter start trying to explain where she had come from and what she had seen but her fluster keeps her from forming comprehensive thoughts. Thinking that Celia is being randy Claude pushes her at his bed, Celia falls over "I'm in no mood to hunt today, perhaps we skip to the end?"

With a second to collect her faculties Celia cut in "you: silly, silly, dog. Have you been out to the streets as of late? The marketplace is calling for blood. Louis will die at sunrise and if you are here you will as well."

"Louis is a wicked man and if there is one thing my mother stressed onto me it is that the wicked never die."

***

"In retrospect, I can hardly believe my arrogance at the time. Celia's point was made unmistakable clear when only moments later a bottle of burning oil finds its way through my bedroom window. At that point the fear of mortality is shocked into me. I pick up Celia and run out the back door of my estate to the stables. There is gunfire on all sides of us. I can't see who is shooting but both Celia and myself suffer a shot; me to the back, the slug gets trapped in my shoulder blade, Celia catches a bolt to her hip. We both manage to climb atop horses and flee."

"the anarchy that clammed my home was hardly isolated. Fires consume much of the French empire as best as I could tell. The two of us book passage on a fratire destined for America, Bostin to be precise. I was lead to believe that I would find friends there. Celia does not survive the journey. She suffers a fever and passes the first night aboard the ship. I wish I had as well, yet it seems I was cursed to live long enough to reach this godless land."

Joe joins in on the conversation "the gunshot she suffered, it become infected? And there was no one that could treat the wounded on the ship? Guns had been around for a few years by then you would think there would be surgeons around that had the training to deal with things like that."

"yes the bolt could be pulled out, but the knowledge of how to treat infections had yet to reach the high standards that you enjoy today. It is most shameful to think of how much we know and how little we understand of what we have yet to know. "

"in the fallowing days I to would suffer a fever, but mine was one of the mind not the skin. The trip to America and the death of my lover taxed me to my braking point. Once my feet found the cold cobblestone of Boston's streets I found myself in tears, I shouted to the skies for death to come for me. I have lost everything, my wealth, my home, my love, and my future. Strange enough as I called for death, death called back."

***

In a fit of madness Claude runs down the streets of Bostin, no man can hope to understand in insanity that has taken root in his mind. Be it hunger, grief, loneliness, or loss it is all the same. The hart ack he feels now is simply more then he can stand.

Claude approaches the workshop of an iron smith, he takes a satchel form the wall and starts to fill it with tools. The smith tries to talk to Claude, tries to ask him what he is doing, Claude pays no heed. Instead Claude picks up a length of chain and ties the bag to his chest with it. He then runs to the pear and stands looking down at the water.

Forty pounds of metal should be more then adequate to drag Claude to the ocean floor. He need now only drop into the water and let the sweat salt wash away his pain. The waves run softy onto the sands, the sounds of water on rock mutes every other sound. The ocean is so brightly gray. The water talks to Claude, sooths him, assures him that its embrace will cure what ills him.

Dreams of a better life fill Claude's vision. 'Yes, the sweat, sweat salty ocean awaits. Just step in and breath deep, it will only be painful of you fight. Stand with your arms open wide on the other hand and death will be merciful, she will lift you into the stars with a warm grasp and pull you away from perdition. Just one more step, that is all it will take.'

A voice call from behind. I child's voice, young and soft, not yet tainted by the sins of the world. "you are hesitating. You talk to yourself to find reassurance. You think Death will be merciful with you, but you can't possibly know that. Who are you to dictate the thoughts and feelings of the one truly neutral arbiter?"

Chapter 9 Shadows over Life part 3

Joe looks up from writing to address Claude "so when you said death you meant Death with a capital 'D'? as if a person called Death."

Claude rubs one hand down his face as if to wipe sweat from his brow then tucks his hands behind his back again "I would not be so kind as to say 'person'. What the boy was I have trouble articulating. The boy had powers that set him aside form man or beast. Death is not our advisory as you may believe, Death is kind, and should be welcomed into our homes as a friend. If I had not been so arrogant I might have known this then. Have you ever thought about death Mr. Dove? How will you great Death when you come for you?"

Joe lowers his head masking a grin, he rubs his eyes with one hand "I haven't put much thought into Death, but I have shaken hands with two Gods. I ended up have disagreements with both." Claude turns to face Joe momentarily awaiting more information, Joe fails to deliver. Claude faces the widow again.

***

The sky goes gray, color bleeds out of the world leaving Claude and the haunting boy the lone specials of color in a gray frozen world. All sound falls into silence, Claude's breathing becomes the only thing addible. "I know not who you are but it should be wise of you to keep a distance."

The boy chuckles, "go right ahead, step into the water, you will find it is harder than stone."

Still in the fever of rage Claude throws himself onto the water, he collapses atop it with a grown, the water can no longer be moved in any way shape or form. Only now does Claude look around and see the whole of the world is frozen, birds frozen in the sky, ships in water, nothing in space seems to be within the grasp of time, objects in motion remain frozen in motion.

Claude pushes himself into a sitting position to take in the oddities all around him "this cannot be..." he whispers to himself.

The strange boy speaks up "so narrow your eyes are. You assume all time is relative? Space is finite? There is more on earth thin in heaven or hell. Yet you make all haste to see for yourself what the next world holds for you. Publius Vergilius Maro was more right then he could have known when he claimed that 'life after life to be a cruelty of god.' "

"who are you? What are you?" Claude commands of the macab boy.

"I am that which grieving men fear." The boy offers a hand "Come with me and you will never need to drink of the bitterness of St. Peter's challis"

***

"What the boy promised was nothing shy of immortality. How I wish I had turned my back on his unholy offer." Claude places a hand on the glass before him as if to test the idea that the glass is indeed before him.

Joe ask for clarification "so then he did not interduce himself as the Grimm Reaper?"

"I have trouble fathoming whatever else he could have been. The boy had wealth like you would not believe, every earthly thing that one could with for the boy provided for me. He pulls me form the water and with time stopped he walks me for miles weaving in and out of object locked within the continuum of the unmovable. Hand in hand we travel to the young city of New Orleans. There the boy has set himself up as a duke of sorts. He is a plantation owner, dozens if not hundreds of min service him day and night. I am fed well and cured of my fever. I tell my story of sorrow time and time again to deaf ears it would seem, the panacea prescribed to me by my new master and his slaves is debauchery. Drink and ocean of wine and wash it down with the flesh of young girls."

Joe finds this comical, to spite the clear discomfort Claude is experiencing talking about it. "I will tell you, when I was your age I thought that was just what I wanted."

"Deces Rugal is what he called himself, and what he offered I found magical for a time."

Joe cuts in "that is not even clever wordplay."

***

The Rugal house is a large prairie style plantation, miles of fields it seems manned by hundreds of hands. The main house is set up to entertain compony nightly. Well lit, gold and silver adorning every corner of the ball room at the center of the estate. Every few days some noble family arrives to view the artwork in Rugal's care and enjoy live music and dancing.

Without fail when they leave in the morning Deces has drained them of years of their life if not pints of their blood. Deces is a sophisticated monster with a taste of royal blood. His charm and magic draws in just what he wants day after day.

Quickly Claude comes to understand what it is that Deces wants from him. Deces has walked alone for lifetimes without number and now he is sculpting himself a 'partner' someone to offer him truly romantic love, someone to share in his hunger to feed his loneliness. Claude was never Deces guest, he has always been his prisoner.

It is Deces intention to transform Claude into an addict of sorts. Someone who cannot live without continues physical stimulation, someone that must feed of the blood and admiration of others, addicted to sex and money, chained to the physical by gluttony and lust. Only by sharing his sickness with others can Deces find any form of sallies in the world. It doesn't matter if Deces pray is young or old, male or female, any flesh will do.

It is nothing by the ghost of Celia that gives Claude the need to even attempt to struggle against Deces. But it would take years for Claude to find the strength to try to fight his master. After his soul is stanned by a decade or more of cardnal sin, and Deces has begun casting the spells that would ultimately turn Claude into whatever form of demon Deces is.

The two monster sit together at their dining room table dressed in the finest fashion of the year. They sit with empty plates and empty cups before them pretending to drink, it is hours till sunset and till then nights festivities. Deces enjoys the imaginary food set before him, served by their very real slave girl who has been conditioned to believe that the food is really even if she cannot see it and to clean the dishes after the meal even though they have not been used.

Nether Claude no Deces need to eat human food anymore, Deces dark magic has seen to that. The lot of them sit in the dark, Claude at a sensitive point in his metamorphisms wherein he is aversive to light.

Deces looks up from his invisible food "Are you not eating tonight?" he offers a sincere gaze.

Claude leans off to one side of his chair his lags folded tightly two fingers and his thumb rested to the side of his face in a glare of board aggravation "eat what? We dine from empty plates and drink invisible wine from bottles drained ages ago. When was the last time we eight? Has it been a weak? A month? I honestly cannot tell anymore."

Deces places down his untenses "would you rather we go to town to dine? Surely, we can find someone to prepare us a fine meal. But I fear you will no longer find mortal food to be to your liking."

In an apseen display Claude throws a napkin form the table to the ground, raising his voice ever so slightly Claude softly shouts "since meeting you there have been a grate many things I have found not to my taste."

"It will pass. The first few decades are the hardest." Deces whips his face then folds up his napkin placing it back on the table gently. "why don't you wait here? I can handle setting up for tonight's dance."

"If you are going by way of the town ask the stable master if he has a stallion up for adoption. Our mares seem to not be taking to our current one."

Deces dismisses himself from the table "our mares seem to like you ridding them more than the stallion we got for them, don't they?" with a childish giggle Deces walks off. Claude turns his noise up in disgust.

Claude walks to the windows to watch Deces take a mare form the stable and ride off into town. One of Deces slaves, an elderly woman of conquistadoren lineage addresses Claude "you should learn not to aggravate him like that."

Claude pulls away from the from the window. "you should run. Go to the worker's hut, grab your kids and start running, go west. Don't stop till you reach Zuni Dakota."

The Spanish women tries to stop Claude "what are you planning on doing?"

"I plan to cleans this unhallowed place with fire." Claude waist no more time. He walks out to the fields with a bag filled with lamp oil and a burning touch in hand. He gives the slaves a few moments to begin running, Then lets the baptism begins.

Chapter 10 Shadow over Life Part 4

Joe looks confused "you had your fortune, you drowned yourself in gluttony, then you let it all burn. What was your escape plan in all of this?"

"Escape was never part of the plan. I wanted to test my limits, see who I was, what I can get away with."

"I have a feeling Deces wasn't impressed by your forwardness."

"Not at all."

***

Fires burn, the warm dry air pulls the flams form the fields to the main house in startlingly fast. Claude holds his arms out turning his eyes upwards, he awaits devein retribution. It comes fast enough. The red sky thunders into gray, Deces jumps down from his horse approaching Claude shouting "what is the matter with you! Is this some sort of perverted altruism! Fire?, really fire. You just plane to try to burn away our life, our livelihood? I love you! You ignorant peace..."

With a strange grin, Claude commands "then punish me. Kill me for what I have done to you."

Deces thrust one hand forth expelling magical force throwing Claude to the ground without need to touch him. "I will punish you. But you will not die. Not today, not ever. You will walk this world side by side with the thousands of other dealthless ones, you will be driven mad by your own hunger, your cardinal lust. You will cry for Death but I will not hear you. You will stock the night searching for the cure to life, and the warmth of humanity to end your suffering. But no pleasure will lessen your pain for more than a few fleeting moments, and in two hundred or so years you will come to understand how short a moment truly is."

Deces plants his lags on either side of Claude knelling atop him. Deces bites on of his own hands to draw blood from it, black tar lick blood the stinks of age and decay, he tears Claude's shirt from his chest the begins to draw on his furry chest with his acidic blood working his memorial magic. Claude is paralyzed by Deces magical blast unable to struggle against Deces in any way.

A tattoo of celestial marks burn into Claude's chest then Deces lays over him resting his head to Claude's body. "I am filled with sorrow that you and I will never speak again after sunrise. Just like with everyone that I love I offered you heaven. But like everyone I love you chose hell. Just like all the loves I feel age into sand, so to shall everything you touch. I offer you one last gift before we part ways. Like the blood from my palm and feel ecstasy one last time before all feeling is lost to you."Deces drips his blood onto Claude's noise and the two of them experience an orgasmic explosion of joy.

After the redactory period time return to normal and Deces is gone, never to be heard from again. Almost instantly Claude starts to feel the emptiness Deces had warned of. Embers cool, the fire devourers everything in sight, the sun crest the horizon and the light seems to freeze the world underfoot. This sunrise is the last Claude will ever enjoy, as every sunrise after this will melt him into sand only for the moon to bring him back at dusk. Deces curse has begun.

***

"Deces had told me something important during all of this, first he used the word Deathless, giving what I am a name. he had also claimed that there where thousands of us. This would give me something to look for. A purpose. Which is something I desperately needed. The transformation into the Deathless came with a wide range of new skills and powers. You will need to forgive me for not going into detail about all of this. For you see it would take me another hundred years to truly gain a grasp of what I am and what has transpired."

Joe rubs his eyes as he is straining to keep writing hours into the story "I need a drink," joe whispers to himself. "what happened next?"

"I would spend weeks walking aimlessly though the night. I found I not only wanted but needed the warmth of others to keep myself well. To kiss, to love, was to feed. My touch charmed girls calling them to me, should I choose to touch them it would make me strong for a day, but would bring them illness, and should I spend three or more days with anyone it would kill them. Detatchment became a requirement of my life. Every relationship lasting only a few short hours, I would take what I need from any women I could then be on my way."

Joe takes a troubled breath, "then there is only one thing worth asking. Why?"

Puzzled Claude looks to Joe with his eyes narrowed "what do you mean Why?"

"why hunt? Why tell me about it? Why go out looking for more of your kind? That is what I meant by why."

Realization flashes before Claude's eyes "ah, that is what you mean by why. That is the easy part. A distraction. Anything to keep my mind off of what I am and what I must do. I cannot say if this is a constant of what we are but I for one have a hunting preference. I seem to only be able to find pleasure in the stocking and consuming of the flesh of teenage girls. Clearly you are not a girl or a teenager. Therefor with you here tonight and me telling you my story we have saved the life of at least one child."

Joe picks up his cane resting it across his lap "and why not just close your eyes and wait for the end of time?" Joe gets up to start walking around the room, as he circles the room he pours from his pockets a gritty white powder. "the story is grate, I love it. But do you know what I think?"

"what are you doing Mr. Dove?" Claude ask

"First off I don't think there ever was a Deces, also I don't know if you ever got off the boat in Bostin, not as a mortal anyway. We are talking late seventeen hundred, right? You were shot and I don't recall you saying anything about ever getting the built pulled out of your shoulder, so maybe you never did. You did on the other hand say you contracted brain fever. Dysentery can do that, as can scarlet fever, meningitis, encephalitis. You could have been exposed to any of them on the boat. And pre-nineteen ninety recover rates on some of those where less then stunning. Maybe you died of dehydration, internal bleeding, maybe you took your own life."

Claude's calm exterior starts to slowly melt away, his youth and beauty giving way to a phantasmal skeletal form wrapped in phosphorus blue light "what interesting ideas you have Mr. Dove"

Joe continues "you are a free roaming specter. You contacted the Holy Order of the von Richton Watcher's Society, because you are looking for a cure to death. And wouldn't you know it they just happened to send their oldest and most talented wizard."

"you make a good deal of assumptions."

"since you were nice enough to offer your age and where you landed I would be willing to guess if I went to the Boston port office of vital statistics I could trace down your remains and form there healing you would take little more than some gasoline and holy water. In the meantime, I could guaranty your safety right here."

Joe goes to walk out of the room. Claude starts to chase after but finds he is frozen in place, the powder Joe sprinkled on the floor creating a wall of ghostly flames that hold him still. Joe yells back as he vanishes down the halls "I'll stop back and check on you in a day or two."

Claude calms himself morphing back into his beautiful wolf-like shape. "Nicely played Mr. Dove. I look forward to meeting you again."

***

Notations by Archivist Amarant Springfield.

This journal was field by active Watcher S-class Joseph Dove 08-28-01 cataloged in both soft and hard format under archival log SJD-2001.828. fallow-up attachments have been added by Watcher's Wright von Richton class S-hunter, and civilian asset Tarren Del'arose, an Abit field aperitive, classification Worldwalker.

1764 S.S. Dimeter on root from Paris France to the United States Boston Massachusetts under the expert handling of Captain Crag Cook. According to the logs of the ships medical professional Dr. Larnel Snow, Scarlet Fever broke out aboard the ship in pandemic proportions. 48 of the documented 83 passengers showed symptoms of the infection. In the 20 days at sea 9 men had died of complications in the treatment of this infection as well as 3 crewmen in an unrelated event See attachment SLS-1760-1786.101. The office of vital statistics has been contacted in order to attempt to secure a complete personal list of the people aboard the Dimeter.

On 09-05-01 Watcher S-class Joseph Dove secured what he believes to be the remains of Claude Druand. Fallowing the disposal procedures described in the von Richton monster hunter's guide handbook Joe Dove sanctified and burned what he believes to have been the remains of Druand. If all has gone according to plan Claude Druand should now be at rest. See attachment RVR-2001.951 for additional information and HG-B03-C10-P96.

***

Hetatsubachi stays with Natalia until rescue lights become visible before them, he offers a farewell, Natalia offers a hug in its place. The two only spent three days together from Hetatsubachi's point of view, but three days is enough time to forge a friendship, even a little passion. Natalia even sees fit to steal a kiss. But Hetatsubachi need to be on the move. There is a monster out there looking for him and it will hurt people to find him.

The white wolf understands well that if he ever wants to be with his family again he needs to separate Seeker from her magic. That may mean somehow robbing all void worshipers of their power, or just killing Seeker. Finding Cilverant offers the best change of overpowering the metal mistress.

One last smile and wave pass between the wolf and the raccoon before Hetatsubachi brakes apart into butterflies again trying to return to the Never.

***

Realm: Rogueybear

Place: Thaghta observatory

Chrono Sphere: 20-05

Again something has gone wrong, upon trying to rematerialize aboard on the Steel Rose Hetatsubachi is struck and lunched back into space. But this time he had some idea what was going to happen, he can tack control of his flight, he lands on the next inhabited planet he can find in order to try to sniff out any other members of his cabal that may be able to explain what is going on.

Tatsu turns his head to the sky and breath deeply of the air. This is a world very not like earth, plants all around him have fleshy appendages, the ground is bubbling a blue-red slime. The air is thick with hormone but not overtly sexual hormone. On this plant it seems many animals leave behind a scent trail that canvases all sorts of emotion.

One smell sticks out to Hetatsubachi, a smell that is sweet and sour, acidic but smooth. "Krane, the Living Hive." Hetatsubachi whispers to himself as he turns to face the smell. It will be a long walk but at least there is a friendly face somewhere on this asteroid

Chapter 11 Battle the Zzuragg part 1

A gloved hand reaches over slapping Kauri on the side of his mask. "Hay pup, you doing all right?" the hand belongs to prvt. Maize, she is a silver haired fox with shimmering blue eyes, not that they can be seen thought the mask she is covered with. Prvt. Kauri finds himself locked into a personnel drop ship, dressed in his full body armor: a vacuum suit, self-contained atmospheric admitter, and a slew of armored plates and tools tide to his body just like the others, not in inch of his body visible through it. Each and every one of them pacing 2 magnetic guns, a SAW called the Mg Mk VRSN 3 (or MG3 for short) and a side arm called the Vt7.

The drop ship has ten min in it, two Lt.'s from the Navy here to piolet the command ship, and eight SM's: 1 corporal, 3 privet first class, and 4 privet second class that is where Kauri finds himself.

Today is Kauri first day on active duty. After 14 weeks of hand to hand training and 46 weeks of utility training. But it turns out that no amount of utility training can prepare someone for the feeling of being on a ship, a star ship, and even if he had been in a star ship before today a drop ship is not the same.

Prvt Dover shouts over "come on, lets see if he is still awake when we touch down!" Dover chuckles, he is a red fox, young and irresponsible, a place like the SM was never meant for the likes of him. This place will brake him. Maize reaches out to grab at Dover threateningly, Dover giggles and slaps at Maize "you want to start something island girl?" Dover's behavior is childish.

Cprl Dawg Barks "knock that shit off or I'll teach both of you respect with the back of my hand."

Maize sits back and clinches the locking bar over her set. Dover giggles "I love you Dawg!"

Dawg locks eyes with Dover and points. Dawg is in old wolf, he has been in service for over twenty years, no one knows why he is so low in the picking order, or why he keeps signing up for more tours. After a long star Dawg whispers "one more word and I go get your mama."

Maize leans over Kauri "you good?"

Kauri nods "I think I'm going to be sick."

Maize nods in return "Everyone is there first time."

Kauri calls out to Dawg "Cprl. Can we get a brief?"

Dawg calls out "All right you knot-head! Damage control time. Here are the fax: A mining ship passing throughThaghta encountered a hostile. We lost contact with them 07-26-4014-23.55. we encountered a SOS at 08-03-4014-01.01 coming from the same region. We are going to investigate. According to scans taken by the SS.Titan, Thaghta is currently under the control of Zzuragg."

Maize inquires "what are Zzuragg?"

Dawg adds on "If we are lucky we don't need to find out."

Dover ask "and if we are unlucky?"

"you will find out what happened to my other eye."

Lt. Corman's voice comes over the radio "landing codes are locked in, we are making our final approach."

A new voice comes in and a video feed starts in on one side of the visor everyone is equipped with "I am Elion, I will be your navigator. Your radio's have all been linked into mine. All your broadcast will be filtered through me and in the event, that contact is lost with Crpl. Dawg I will be taking over as your S.O."

The drop ship flies around a wreckage then off in one direction in order to find the landing spot they had locked on to. The planet they witness is covered in a gray black slime, strange stone spires shoot from the ground, the party lands on a lonely stone island. The rear hatch drops open and the SM walk out in signal file MG3 in hand.

Dawg taking up the lead looks over his shoulder after completing initial perimeter sweep. Each man yelling 'clear' in turn "Ok, everyone flip on the tracing light of the man in front of you." One by one each solders shoulder mounted lights get activated. Dawg waves the last man to the front to turn on their light for them.

Dover looks to Dawg as his lights get fired up "so Cprl. Why aren't you doing some sexy desk job? You're like seventy or something, aren't you?"

"Because I want to die with my boots on."

Elion's voice comes in over the party radio "one of you has a spy bug strapped to your back. Turn it on, I will take remote control of it from here." Each of the solders search the body of the solder next to them.

Kauri call over "Maize has it."

Dawg nods "you heard the lady, fire that shit up." After a few short moments of assembling the spy bug the small brass gold helicopter looking tool starts to levitate.

Corman's voice comes in "we have eye. Seems there is a healthy amount of terrane radiation. Keep an eye on your atmosphere generators, if anyone's filter reads over 70/30 drop what you are doing and get back to the ship."

Elion adds on "your cameras seem to be flickering some. Anything you can do to boost your signal Dawg?"

"all our shit has been flicking for days. I say you should put in a call to D.S. and get us some new gear." Dawg replies frankly.

Elion signals "Copy. Now Dawg, Kauri should have a low power radar pulse emitter strapped to his arm, the entina for it is on his back, collect Kauri's MG3 and hand him the entina."

After being given the radar Kauri is pushed to the front of the team. It is a two mile walk through ankle deep slime as the lot of them make their way to the downed mining ship.

"anyone have any idea what this shit we are walking though is?" Maize ask from the third rank.

From fourth Dover calls up "do you really want to know?"

At first rank Kauri calls back "I can see something on radar. Movement eight, maybe twelve signals."

Dawg holds up his riffle looking around "which is it; eight or twelve?"

"Don't have a positive lock." Kauri declares.

Dawg talks to base "what do my eyes see?"

Radio chatter picks up as Elion and Corman speak back and forth

Corman starts the exchange "I see movement at your 10. Four confirmed."

"markings?"

"Abdominal section figure eight."

"is in an eight or an hourglass?"

"is there a difference?"

"there is."

"hourglass."

"Willow family."

"five more at your two Dawg. Marking, two rings, large and small."

Elion takes over the radio "Dawg, you have at least 2 families of Zzuragg in your proximity. Both are 3 generations displace from Hive. This could be a territory dispute you are walking into. Hopefully you can slip between them without being noticed. Your objective is to reach the crashed ship. Engage only if necessary."

Dawg prods for more info "Do we have classifications on potential hostels?"

Corman cuts back in "according to the index seven scavengers and two hunters."

Kauri speaks up "that leaves two unconfirmed."

Dawg nods "I noticed."

The walk is slow and tense, the SM unit crouches to stay hidden in now waist deep slime. Dawg keeps his head slightly higher then the other as he servase the battlefield in waiting. He knows the threat that hides in the creep below, but never has he seen it in its own environment. Kauri whispers "twenty-six, there are now twenty-six signals in range."

Skittishly Dover calls over "twenty-six? What is the range on that thing?"

Corman is the one to retort "33.334 cubical yards"

Dover starts looking around franticly "that's like 90 feet or something, isn't it? Shouldn't we have visual lock on?"

Elion whispers into her headset "take it easy Dover, they are hidden by the creep."

Maize taps her helmet to join in the communication "can we change to search mode to compensate."

Dawg picks up the back-and-forth ". This sludge is protein based and if you switch on your search mod it will overload. Stay low and a stay slow."

A winter fox from rank seven calls over "Protein? You mean this is liquefied meat?" his name is Huston, he is a pretty boy who is a charming as he is incompetent, his family is wealthy and influential in the courts, the type of kid that has a habit of skipping town when the service calls. But if Huston wants to run for congress when his mother retires he needs to finish at least one four-year tour with S.M. six years with Navy or eight years with S.D.F.

Dawg calls back to the team "four groups of two. I want you each locked at the hip, each man is responsible for covering the four through eight of the man next to them" this is a S.C.R.A.M. (Secure, Control, Retain, Aim, Move.) maneuver, Dawg is getting uncomfortable. The S.M. can feel it. The move together in teams of two, one man on point the other walking backwards covering their tail.

In double time the team reaches the crashed ship. Dawg waves the team out into cover possession, crouched and watching the horizon he then looks about, the ship is mounted in the ground at a 45* angle, it would be impossible to find entry "Demolition!" he yells, Maize brake the line to comply "we need a door"

Shadows move on all sides, chartering and creaking sounds fill the air, snarling and hissing. Spotlights light of the swamp, the threat moves ever closer, but the lights see nothing.

Chapter 12 Battle the Zzuragg part 2

Shape chargers are set, the countdown starts, gunshots are fired, the ground becomes unstable. In the blink of an eye a saga of unlikely string together that would make any Goldberg machan proud; shape chargers open an air pocket under the mining ship, the ship starts to tip, swamp gas sends a blast of rock into the air, the weekend hall of the mining ship foulds in on itself and by grace of whatever powers govern the universe the S.M. team finds themselves safely inside the ship, covered head to toe in slime, but safe nevertheless.

Dawg flings some slime from his facemask then looks around the team "Who was shooting at what?!"

Huston calls over as he finds his feet "Sorry 'bout that chaps. Artillery malfunction."

Dawg walks over and looks the winter fox up and down "do we have the situation under control?"

"Seems to be working fine now."

Dawg points at his own eyes then at Huston, he points back and forth several times as he walks around picking people up and dusting them off. Everyone understands the point Dawg is getting across, Dawg doesn't believe that was a malfunction.

Huston picks up the sand coyote that fell alongside him, she has a narrow build but a shaper tongue, she could easily be mistaken for one of the boys if not for the sent of honey that lingers in the air around her, she is the time 'greaser' everyone knows if something brakes call her. People call the Coyote Prvt. Chin but that is because no-one seems to be able to pronounce her real name Churnebogge. Chin looks up at Huston "thanks for covering for me."

Huston looks her up and down with a needing smile "what did you see out there anyway?"

Chin grabs Huston's helmet with both hands to lock their gazes "eyes here." She jokes with him.

"as if it even registers with me that you might be a sexual animal." Huston teases.

"I'm already a two time looser, I bungle another job and the fed is going to mail me home in the cargo hold. There was something out there crawling in the mud, I saw it reach up and I..." Huston holds a hand up to silence Chin

"I get it." Huston looks over to Kauri "Talking about things that are bungled." He yells out "Hay Hyena. I would love to know, is it true that on your island the women have bigger ballocks then the men?"

Kauri grunts lowering his riffle ready to scrap with Huston, Dawg steps in front of him grabbing one of Kauri arms "don't take the bait..." Dawg leans in close whispering "is it true?" Kauri offers an uncomfortable nod.

Maize takes to the head of the unit "what is our next target."

"Deck by deck sweep. We search each floor: ascertain the fate of the crew, recover any usable data and assets." Dawg explains. The party starts walking. The ship around them is falling apart. Wires hang low, large hunks of meatal stick out of the walls.

Crawling up through floors air and water pipes penetrate though the ground, frozen water sprays into the air. Maize grunts as she pulls herself up to the next deck, she drops into a crouch and sweeps her rifle side to side searching the floor, she calls out the 'clear' sign then starts helping the rest of the team up. For two floors, so far there has been nothing but twisted metal.

At last something comes into sight, but not what the team had hoped for. What would seem to be a dining room, the room is locked down, frost has covered, beyond the glass something moves. Dawg, Maize, Dover, Hutson, Chin and Kauri gather in tight to look past the frosted glass. A beast twice the size of any dog, long sharp narrow limps, six arms, four lags.

Chin pulls her sidearm and takes aim "what the hell is that thing?"

Dawg explain "that is what took my eye." Chin cocks her side arm, she takes aim, Dawg holds a fist up in the 'hold position' "Kauri, check radar, narrow the stream, how many bugs are in that room?"

Kauri looks down at his wrist mounted computer "six."

Dawg nods knowingly "they are in guard formation, one stands up to draw in pray, five to ten more lay down waiting to jump. We just keep walking. Save our ammo till we need it."

Huston complains "I'm starting to get the feeling that a Drifter Island's mining ship isn't worth this kind of trouble."

The crawl through the ship takes them next to the crew quarters and the first signs of the staffing, another hyena, this one female, middle aged. She seems to have discarded her armor and is stumbling around slouched over at an odd looking angle.

Kauri runs over to offer aid. If only he had moved slower, if only he had been paying closer attention, he may have noticed a great deal more things out of place. As the hyena girl lifts her head some things are clearly missing; her mouth is wired shut by what looks like spider hairs, from her cheekbones hooked nail emerge like the bolts on a not quite finished marionet, as she tacks notice of a lifeform approaching her joints swing loosely on their hinges unrestrained by muscular physics, her eyes are filed with teeth lick fingers sticking out of an inverted bowling ball.

Kauri is young and filled with the will to do good, not yet jaded by age and the weight of reality. Dawg shouts at Kauri, Kauri can't heir him, or maybe doesn't want to. The monster that was no doubt a chipper girl not so long ago reaches its arms out, mandibles piercing its skin pointing the puppet at its target.

Kauri has never seen anything like this, no author or artiest he has ever rub shoulders with could have dreamed up such a horror. Kauri gasp shuffle-stepping back, his arms come up to hide himself from the reality bending monster looming into him. The sounds of buzzing, clicking, humming and chirping silences all other sounds around Kauri.

The mouth of the puppet rips open, the hallow crevasse hidden by its jaw slowly fills with a par of pincers and two inner mouths with crisscrossing fangs. Dawg grabs Kauri from behind with one arm and with mantic strength Dawg throws Kauri away from the monster.

The beast body stretches and morphs in unhuman ways as it ties itself around Dawg, the four-pointed mouth of the monster clasp partly around Dawgs torso singing its fangs into his armor. Dawg howls pulling his sidearm from his hip, with a snarl he mounts his sidearm in fanning position and starts franticly firing on the monstrosity.

The magnet gun fires pea sized steel bulbs that forge a vacuum cone in the air tare sections of the monster away. But braking of the beast body sections seems to do little to stop the monsters biting into him as the broken parts grow crab like legs and start hopping around like flees.

Chin calls out "Company fire!" fallowing the instruction the team forms ranks four crouching two standing and they fill the hallway with a spray of fire. Kauri is still on the ground hiding his head under his arms. He tries to shout up to the group, he tries to remind them that Dawg is still somewhere in the mess of jumping monster but his voice is lost under the echoing of bullets bouncing of steel walls.

Pounding on the walls is barely audible till Maize notices the man alongside her stop firing. All to late they recall Dawgs warning '1 stands, 6 crouch' the hall behind them has filled with more monsters. The large ones, the six armed four lagged mantes like monstrosities they had only seen under glass before.

***

As the fighting starts Elion and Cormen jump back and forth between computer monitors observing the battle and starting to offer warnings and advice clueing in the team as to what the cameras can see that they might not have in the heat of battle. Cameras one five and seven black out, the interments in the command vehicle detect a spike in radiation levels then all the cameras fade out. For a few short moment there is only audio, shouting and gunfire, then that fades away too.

Elion tries to keep talking to the team "All units 'Rads' have jump above maximum safe levels. We are encountering destructive interferences. Repeat All units 'Rads' have jump above maximum safe levels. We are encountering destructive interferences. It is imperative that you that you fall back to a previse deck in ranks, two and two. Offer short controlled burst of suppression fire..."

Cormen takes off her headset "save it. We aren't getting though."

Elion looks to her partner "what the hell happened in there. I have studied Zzuragg battle formations and..."

Cormen looks over "that wasn't one of them. Maybe that just means we haven't survived to report this sort of attack yet." Elion takes off her headset and sighs. Cormen get out of the opperater set and walks back up to the front of the ship. "this mission is a wash."

Elion yells out "give them a minute. Our boys might still pull though."

Dover's camera comes back on line first "Base... Base... can you hear me!?"

Elion quickly put her headset back on "Dover. Copy that, we can hear you. I need a status report."

"report? We just got the shit kicked out of us."

"yours is the only readout that has reboot so fair, what is your position."

"E-112 I think. Our team has been separated. I have: Maize, Chin, Huston, and Kauri with me. I don't know what happened to Dawg and the other two."

Chapter 13 Battle the Zzuragg part 3

The condition that the remaining members of the S.M. team find themselves in is an embarrassing one. Eight men with best training, best weapons and most modern armor the United Coalition can afford beaten back by a dozen 'bugs' with barely animal intelligences. Eight are now five barred up in a cargo room.

Corman takes Elion's radio her voice replacing the other Lt. "Privet Dover, Turn your radio on to announcement mode then turn to face Privet Kauri" Dover fallows instructions as he has been programed to do "Mr. Kauri. By the power vested in me by the United Coalition Allegiances I, Lieutenant Hester Corman, hereby bestow upon you the title of standing Corporal, with all privilege and responsibility attached there to. In the eyes of this court, and in the precinces of all those that hear my voice Corporal Emmit Dawg is labeled as missing in action and it will be your first priority to complete his final mission. On your safe return, and that of your team, you will be given this tittle officially and fully. Should any see why this order should not be carried out you may speak now."

Dover speaks out "The Hyena? He is next in the line of succession?"

Huston calls out "Lt. Corman, I believe that I hold the title of privet first class and have seniority."

Corman retorts "Negative, according to coalition official documentation although you do possess the most number of years of active service a 1 tour and 3 years Kauri logged in 42,000 hours of extracurricular training, and both Dover and Maize have 17,000 hour of EX drills which is equivalent to 9 and 6 bonus years of service consecutively. If it is the feeling of this gathering that Kauri is not capable of preforming all duties that may be required then the job falls onto Dover next."

Dover needs only a second to think this over before he calls out "Let the hyena do the job."

Huston ask "what is your major Dover?"

"Rugbee"

Huston looks confused as he thinks about it "you play soccer? That is not a major."

"yeah by thee guys that work at the curriculum center don't seem to have picked up on that."

Chin approaches Kauri "give me your helmet."

"is that atmosphere stable in here?" Kauri ask

"If it isn't I'm sure you will find out soon." Chin yells out to the team "Everyone, Helmets here!" the team fallows instructions discarding their helmets. Chin picks up the helmets one by one exsamining the visor and radio units searching for salvageable parts. With some work, she is able to disassemble four helmets and get two up and running again at full power. "looks like there are five of us and three working H.U.D.S." the coyote explains "unless one of you doesn't mind me cannibalizing your M.G. for a power relay coupling."

Kauri orders "Disregard that request. No one is trading a gun for a radio."

Dover looks Kauri up and down "By the way cprl. What happened to your rifle?"

Kauri looks to the boarded up door to the room "Dawg took it."

Maize holds her rifle out to Kauri "Take mine, I'm rubbish at 20'+ anyway"

"Thank you." Kauri excepts "Everyone count your round and call them. I want to know what we have for assets before we open that door."

The party quickly counts out their inventory Huston is the first to call out "3 stacks of 32 50/50's, 1 round of 76 plus 6 loaded."

Maize is next "2 50/50's, 4 76's, and 2 concussive, 6 shape chargers." She then hands the rifle rounds over to Kauri

Dover calls out "50/50 is dry, 4 76's, full stock of corrosion."

Kauri throws a clip of 50/50's at Dover "now you have 1, hold on to it."

Chin counts out her load "I have a box of 90 50/50's that is enough for 2 clips plus a remainder, 40 76's rounds and 1 welding torch empty."

Kauri counts up the ammo he has on himself then looks around the team "Pass them around, make sure everyone has at least 2 full racks of 50/50s. load up, lock'em down. We are going back out there."

The team armors up and readies themselves to continue exploring the downed ship, Huston whispers with Dover "Soccer, that is really your plan?"

Dover nods "I really love soccer. What about you, when we get home what are you going to do?"

"I want to be a librarian."

The door opens, something has happened, the lights are flickering on and off, Chin makes a remark about the ship starting to 'come back on line' but no one takes notice. The team finds a mess hall and an egg sack hanging form the ceiling and anchored to the floor twentry feet long and twelve feet high. The group walks around the mucus oozing mass. The mass seems to breath swelling and shrinking every few seconds, light shining on them reveals the thin transparent skin of the eggs showing off the manta ray shaped monsters growing inside. Hundreds of them, swimming around in the protoplasm iterated by the lights.

But eggs are not all that hide in the stillness of the room. creeping like shadows a dozen of these monsters slide along the walls looking after their eggs, rotating them, shifting them, keeping them warm. But the intruders have them on edge, it takes the winged aliens some time to look over these strange new lifeforms.

One winged horror grows agitated and jumps off the wall starting a swarm, for crab like lags emerge form it's underside as it lands on Dover's chest, it wraps its wings over his head and two spikes wiggle there way from the mantis abdomen. Dover brings one hand up and tries to hold the monster at arm's length as he cries for help.

Maize runs to Dover's aid, the two fangs of the monster sink into Dover's arm. Maize pulls a knife from her belt and hooks it around the monster for leverage. Maize pulls the monster to the ground. A second winged best comes to the aid of the first landing on Maize back, it grows out its stinger but is interrupted by being shot by Huston.

The air grows thick as more and more monsters fall in through the ceiling, Kauri gets back to back with Chin. The two of them start firing controlled burst into the air slowly picking away at the monsters.

Kauri looks peaks over his shoulder at Chin "you have that torch handy?"

Chin nods "so what?"

Kauri watches the ammo counter on his gun starting to drop, he drops out the empty cartridge and slaps in the next, the flying beast move in closer pushing the unit ever tighter together. "Set the room on fire!"

Chapter 14 Battle the Zzuragg part 4

Elion mutes her radio momentarily to look to her partner "what are we doing here Corman?"

"Standard rescue and recovery mission" Corman keeps her eyes on the computers tracking the team

Elion puts her hands on Corman shoving her "Don't act like I'm a four-year cadet. I have been sitting in this chair for over twelve years now, you don't think I can see something is wrong here? The court doesn't call in space marinas for RnR jobs. This is an extraction. What are they in there looking for?"

"you don't have clearance..." Corman starts to explain

Elion cut her off "I don't have clearance? What do you mean I don't have clearance!"

The two opperators become forceful with each-other "I don't have clearance either, Dawg is the only person that know what the real job was!"

"Dawg is nothing but an infantry man..." this time it is Corman that cuts of Elion.

"he also has family in the courthouse." The argument is cut short by a clashing sound as something strikes the roof of the command vehicle. The two silences themselves looking around. Corman points over her shoulder "you stay on the horn, I'll take a look around."

Corman approaches the hatch to the command center, she unclips her side arm drawing her pistol, the pistol has barley left its sheath before a par of moon shaped blade cut through the door pulling it down Corman shouts lifting her weapon. A brute of a beast steps into the ship, it has a body that looks like a clam shell and no determinable head, it has scythe shaped arms and a scorpion like tail, the shell at the center of its mass parts to show off hundereds of fishhook like teeth.

Corman tries to shoot the monster but her shots are deflected by the monster's shell. The beast thrust its body at Corman knocking her to the ground with its massive size, it brings up its claw threatening to sunder Corman's body. Corman is curled up on the ground cradling one of her arms, she kicks off the ground pushing herself slowly away from the towering mass. Corman yelps and cries.

Elion jumps up from her set taking notice of the six-lagged monstrosity pushing its way into the ship. Elion picks up the nearest tool to her, which happens to be a Cold-fusion shocker. Many mettles show abnormal behaviors in low gravity, the mettle the command station is forged from for example when exposed to wide with radiation, aka microwaves, takes on a semi gelatin skin, if two or more sections of mettle with the microwave skin on them touch they melt together, this tool generates that microwave.

Elion is terrified by the beast standing before her but she must act, she gasp and jumps away from the monster before taking a stand. Elion holds the microwave stick in front of herself like a spear, the monster slaps at the stick pushing it away, Elion rolls it up pushing it between them again. The monster tries to run past the spear only to find it stabs itself.

The microwave stick sparks, the monsters shell partly liquefies, Elion takes advantage, the monster jumps, Elion chases after it. The combatants stab and thrust at each-other. Elion has reach over the monster giving her the upper hand. The beast fears the sparking stick and pulls away every-time Elion thrust at it. After some time Elion gets a lucky thrust, the monster clasp its shell shut with the spear becoming trapped inside of it.

The monster thrashes and howls, its mouth fused shut, in its death throws it picks up Elion, it lifts her in the air threatening to squeeze her to death in its claws. Elion can do nothing but grab the monster's claws and hopelessly try to elevate the crushing power. The beast might have cut Elion in half if only it had a second more strength, but oxygen depredation sets in and the monster faints. It throws Elion at the floor as its last act of wrath. Elion falls to the floor, a dozen rips broken she gasp struggling to crawl to her partner.

***

Chin sets the cafeteria ablaze, Kauri kicks open a service tunnel and waves the team on. Maize drops onto all four and is the first into the tunnel, Huston picks up Dover and is next in. Kauri calls for Chin next, Chin pushes Kauri in instead choosing to bring up the rear. Chin fires her touch down the tunnel as they crawl to discourage the winged demons from chasing them.

Kauri taps his radio to call base "we are under fire, repeat, we are under fire. I need a HUD map of HG-1016 mining frater. Repeat, HG-1016 HUD map, I need one." The radio remains silent Kauri huffs to himself "this part of the ship must be emitting radiation as well." He yells to Maize "we are blind, were fallowing you Maize."

"Grate, I love having three smelly men nipping at my tail. Next time Kauri, you go first."

Huston jokes "at least the view isn't bad."

"if you can think about chasing tail in full combat gear you have a stronger imagination then me." Kauri comments. "Dover, what is your condition?"

Dover grabs his helmet and drops it in the tunnel, his fur is bleeding color and he is sweeting bullets "it's about 200* in here and I can't breathe."

"Can you still fire a rifle?" Kauri ask

Weakly Dover nods "sure. You aim for me and I will squeeze the trigger."

Chin blast her flamethrower again keeping the tunnel behind the group clear "Dover, if you die, I'm tacking your bike catalogs from your locker."

"what about my girly magazines?" Dover tries to act optimistic

Chin adds on "I'll take those too."

"check out issue 440 of 'HEAT', it is my favorite, it has an interview in it with editor of 'Bite My Tail' I love that fox."

At the front of the team Maize tacks aim and shoots a full round ahead of her as the lights on her shoulders pick up movement coming from the other end of the service tunnel. "hard left" she calls to the team pointing at a turn in the pipes slightly ahead. Maize crawls past the turn and mounts herself into the ground to keep shooting at the monsters moving in from the other side.

A ten-armed variation of the centaur looking bugs is running at them, Maize lays down fire, the monster seeming only slightly stunned by the gunshots. Dover and Huston take the turn, Kauri stops next to Maize and point his rifle with one arm seeing now what Maize had seen already. The two of them shoot down one to reveal a second behind it.

Chin bumps into the two of them as she is crawling backwards down the tube. "these things sure can suck up rounds, can't they?" Chin complains.

"Maize, fallow Dover and Huston. Chin Trade me" Kauri offers Chin his riffle and takes her torch. Kauri looks down at the fuel gauge noticing that he is out of gas "that didn't last did it?"

Chin and Kauri sit back to back with monsters charging them from two sides "it's a welder not a flamethrower, I jerry rigged the thing." Chin sprays a wave of shells down both tunnels to keep the monsters at bay.

Kauri rolls the empty fuel canister down the tunnel then pulls out his postal. Kauri takes a single shot at the canister rupturing it. Even without gas in the can there is still prepollent and the prepollent being exposed to oxygen forces a defining blast of dark light and a wave of noise.

The monsters are paralyzed by the shockwave, Kauri and Chin chase after the rest of the team being given some breathing room. The tunnels twist and turn becoming ever more foreboding. Dover complains as he is being pushed down the tunnels "Slow down man, help me take off my chest plate. It's just too heavy"

Huston looks at Dover as if he was crazy for a moment but ultimately complies. "you know you are going to get a 'red ticket' for this"

"I don't care. the check is in the mail already." Dover drops his armor on the ground stripping down to his service greens then keeps walking. After being lost in the tunnels for a time they team comes to an exit. The team emerges from the tunnels in what looks to be the medical word. "I didn't know mining ships had such nice labs." Dover comments.

Huston lifts his ears as he looks around the dark lab. Gunfire can be heard echoing from all sides, then the sound of a grenade detonating, then chattering whispers coming from the depths.

Dover falls into a sitting position squeezing his chest struggling to keep breathing. Maize emerges next, Chin and Kauri not long thereafter. Kauri orders "Maize, I need this door charged shut."

Maize digs around in her pouches looking for her shape chargers. Dover's ears twitch as in unnatural whisper shouts in his ear, alien voices call to him in alien dialects. Dover pushes himself to his feet and walks over to Maize "Let me help you with that."

Maize looks at Dover as the two of them start to set up explosives around the tunnels hatch "you aren't licensed to do this."

"there is a lot of stuff I'm not licensed for. Are you going to stop me?"

"Maybe another day"

"Hay, Maize do you remember just before we left for the academy how you and I spent a month out on your grandparent's property?"

Maize nods "yeah, it was you and me; Clair, Victor, and Chris. We wanted to spend the summer searching the coast for sunken treasure." She chuckles thinking about it "or maybe we just wanted to go SCUBA diving."

"yeah, and your baby brother was with us. The night before we were supposed to get on the boat going back to the mainland's, you, me, and Angelo snuck away to go for one more dive. Right after we jumped off the boat you lost your swimsuit..." Dover reminisces

Getting into the memory Maize cuts in "and there was my kid brother with his underwater camera tacking snapshots of my tail, that little scamp."

"then when we got back to land you chased Angelo up and down the beach still naked." Both of them laugh for a moment remember the better parts of their childhood before Dover cuts in "I totally told your brother to do that. We both though it was funny as hell. He mailed me the pictures he took a few days later." Dover uses the distraction to pocket a hand full of charges.

"You told my brother to take a picture of my muffin and send it to you?" Maize can't tell if she is confused, offended or both.

Dover nods "yeah, that was all me."

The explosives go off burning the hatch shut not a moment before bounding on the door alerts the team that their pursuers are still coming.

Chapter 15 Battle the Zzuragg part 5

Something seems to pound on the walls making the room shake. Dover reaches one hand up and holds his own head, he starts to twitch and shake himself like someone might if they were suffering from critical nerve damage. Shadows creep along the walls. Kauri calls for the party to circle.

The ground underfoot crakes, a set of ant like jaws shoot up through the metal floor then quickly disappear ripping apart a large section of lab as it does. Kauri tries to shot at the ant like jaws but it seems to move to fast for him to lock on to. The monster appears again and Maize takes a shot at it. Maize yells back "Hit not confirmed."

Chin calls out "Keep your eyes open everyone."

Kauri taps his radio "Command, can you see anything on your end?" there is no replay. "Radio is still down." He whispers to himself.

Slowly the party walks around each other searching for both a target to shoot at and a escape route from this room. Huston whispers "are you sure the radio is out? I can still hear your transmitter buzzing." Not counting the service hatch there are three doors that go into the lab.

The ghostly whisperers shout at Dover, Dover brings his hands up to his ears and pulls them down trying to block out the unheard sound, shadows crawl on the walls and only Dover seems to be able to see them. Dover brakes formation and run at one of the doors braking it down when he strikes it then he vanishes into the dark.

Kauri shouts "Dover!" in a split decision Kauri brakes formation to chase after Dover, Maize and Chin fallow a second behind, Huston needs a second to catch up. The sting Dover had received seems to be driving him mad, Kauri fallows the light of muzzles flashes and the sounds of gunshots in the deep as he tries to catch up with Dover. A small stack of dead bugs seems to imply that Dover is clearing the party a path.

The gun shots stop, the flashes stop, there is nothing left to chase. Kauri doesn't want to give up, he chooses a direction on instinct to keep fallowing, a grenade explodes somewhere nearby. A shout comes from the back of the group. Huston calls for "Kauri!"

Kauri stops running to look back, Maize and Chin catch up and stop with him. Kauri looks around "Where is Huston?"

Chin looks back down the path they came from "I lost sight of him."

The party turns back to look for Huston, but their search is cut short when they find the hallway behind them as caved in as has seemingly three floor down. For a moment, Kauri start to break down, his hands find the back of his helmet and he shouts incoherently.

Stress effects everyone in one way or another and everyone has their own defenses mechanism, Kauri shout, Chin starts rambling, Maize shutters despair starting to take hold of her thoughts. "what the fuck is going on, what the fuck is going on!" Chin starts to work herself into a rage to keep control of her emotion.

Maize tries to tack charge "we can double back the other way, look for a way around..."

Chin starts to shout "this is shit! We have the best gun and the best armor in the galaxy! And we are getting the shit kicked out of us by a bunch of Cambrian monsters!"

Maize turns to Chin "Keep your cool coyote."

Kauri tries his radio again "Command, do you copy Command..."

Chin barks "there not picking up!"

Maize become impatient "your shouting isn't going to change that Sheman." The remark was meant as a joke, a reference to a book Maize read years ago, clearly Chin doesn't understand.

"You think I don't have ovaries? You don't think I can throw down bitch?" Chin shoves Maize into a wall then puts her hands up ready to start boxing "I am all women under this armor."

Maize pushes herself off the wall and drops into bladed stance waiting for Chin to ruch her "I should have known a coyote..."

"A coyote what?" Chin throw the first punch. Maize steps in to meet the punch forcing them into grappling range with each other.

"Coyotes where the last race to sign the nonaggression pack. Apparently that was for a resin." The two women start rolling on the wall slugging each other.

The fighting comes to a sudden halt when Elion's voice come on over the radios "this... is Command, ...what is your condition?..."

Kauri still aggravated replies "I would say tits up would describe it pretty well. Dover is AWOL, Huston went MIA, and I would say we need an E-VAC SAP. If the court wants this ship back we are going to need more hand, more boot, and more guns" Kauri notices the lag on the radio "what is your condition?"

Chin jokes "I would say F in the B would sums it up"

"Command was attacked..., I needed to place Cormen... in the freezer. I'm not doing grate ether."

Kauri thinks a moment "it is time to regroup, we need to get back to the Salarus and get central on the horn."

Elion agrees "you are absolutely correct, find the nearest Jerry tube and make your way to the hall, I will get us in the air." She freezes a moment looking over the specs "Dawg's transmitter just turned back on." She flips over the switchboard noticing that Dawg's transmitter is on the wrong channel "Dawg. If you can hear me you are broadcasting on channel 00-09-00 that is not a secured line, I need you to reset your radio." The single scrabbles "is his transmitter damaged?"

"LT. can you see anyone else?" Kauri ask

"yeah, Dover and Huston are both transmitting also."

"you don't have a lock on Dover, he discarded his armor after getting stung."

"Dover is moving, I'm going to jack into his net." Elion's finger dance on her keyboard as she types. She locks on to his transmitter to talk to Huston and so she can see out his visor. "Huston, you are outside the communications room on the second deck, I read twenty heat signatures within 7 meters of you." The images on the visor are unclear, there is movement, light, but everything is reading inverted. "Huston, I want you to look to your right. There should be a door there. I want you to open it as soon as your 20 is clear." Huston refuses to comply.

Elion yells "Huston, are you reading me? Do you copy?"

Something moves in front of Huston's visor, A cockroach like monster stands on Huston's chest looking into the armor studding it. The roach opens its mouth reveling a warm like creater parasitically attached to the roof of its mouth. The warm lets go of the roach and jumps at Huston's visor, the signal cuts off.

Elion does not see what happens, but the mirror neurons in her brain peace the rest together in gory detail. Elion's hands find her chest as she imagens the worm breaking the helmet Huston was wearing in half then crawling into his chest using any hole it can find.

Elion sits frozen for a short time before being snapped back into the moment by Kauri "Command, do you have a lock on the others? Where are we regrouping?"

Elion shakes herself slightly to calm down the looks over maps and schismatic she has of the mining ship "Kauri, turn to face 6, in 515 feet you will see a 'T' intersection you will turn to face 9" the S.M. team starts fallowing Elion's directions, Elion switches to Dawg's channel for a moment "Dawg, you are still on 00 frequency , I need you to reboot then change to channel 700."

The hallways have grown still, scratching and chirping make up a hideous ambient noise, the clanging of metal boots on metal floor echoes like thunder, the clawing behind the walls like rain. Kauri calls back to his team "Remember to sweep 3 before turning to 9."

Elion comes back in "130 feet there will be a hatch at your 3, the number over the hatch will be 4-228-W. if you have opened the right hatch there will be a vertical shaft on the other side of the door."

"And if not?" Kauri ask

"then you opened 4-228-E, and 4-228-W is at your 6." Elion act playful briefly "I will be cutting radio off my radio for a minute, I need to get the bird off the ground. Try not to die will I'm away."

The team finds the door, Kauri jumps into the pipe first and starts to climb, Mazie stands guard for him, Chin waves Maize forward as she then brings up the rear. Growling and hissing can be heard on every deck, the bugs are fighting each other, slime drips from the walls.

At the top of the ladder Kauri tries to push the hatch to the roof open but it seems jammed, he examines the door "Bulkheads are dropped. Maize I need a charger."

Maize pats herself looking for her chargers "out."

"Torch." Kauri request

Chin yells up "I gave it to you."

"Do we have anything that can cut a bulkhead?"

Chin nods "Yeah, how many 76 do you have on you?"

"do you really want me to count them now?"

"is it more than 5?"

"yes."

Chin reaches around Maize and crawls up to get noise to noise with Kauri. Chin places her feet up on Kauri hips for balances as she lies on the wall "turn to face me, place one of your knees on me stomach, I need a flat surface, you are going to need to tuck one of your arms behind your back to stabilize yourself and push yourself against me to pin us both in place."

Kauri complies "this is very uncomfortable."

Chin takes several of the tools form her belt and starts disassembling bullets "Just be happy I'm not a man." Chin then pulls one of the lights off her armor and breaks it apart to get to the wiring inside, Chin cuts the bullets into a flower like shape and weaves the electrical wire through them.

"did they teach you how to do this at the academy?" Kauri inquires.

"no this is how my mom got over the boarder wall." Chin starts to glue the wire of bullets to the ceiling.

"are you unlicensed?" Maize questions

"I am licensed. My mother wasn't. but you know what they say '...everyone that can run jump or swim...' my mom was a clever girl, she showed me how to kick ass and blow shit up. Just in case I ever needed it." Chin moves the last bit of wire down, she twist it around the power cord of her light assembly "now this part is going to really suck. Keep your heads down and fold your ears in if you can."

Chin turns on her contraption, the chain of bullets explodes in organized chaos cracking the lock and the hinges of the bulkhead. Wall the team is still rearing form the blast fingers reach into the door and fling it open, the zombie hyena looks down into the pipe. She reaches in and wraps a hand around Kauri pulling him out of the tunnel.

Chapter 16 Battle the Zzurage part 6

Kauri topples and rolls along the roof of the ship, the zombie hyena's might unpredictable. The hyena slams the bulkhead shut on Maize and Chin as the two of them struggle to gain their balance, the monster vomits on the door burning it shut. Maize punches at the door trying to open it once more, Maize yells at Chin "Open it!"

Chin crawls over Maize to reach the door "Out of my way fox." Chin starts constructing another I.E.D.

Kauri grunts pushing himself up to a kneeling state. The zombie walks to him, she whispers in a ghastly voice, sexuality oozing from her lips "you don't need to fight me, just let me be inside you."

Kauri reaches for his pistol but the puppet of a hyena is atop him before he has time to take aim. The hyena girl claps her hands over the gun and collapses Kauri wrist making his throw his weapon across the roof. Kauri is forced to adjust his defenses, he throws in uppercut into the zombie's pelvic girdle then pushes off its hip-flexors to push himself into a standing.

"What are you?" Kauri draws his knife from his shoulder holster.

The puppet walks slowly, unintimidated by Kauri's threats "Just another link in the chain of life." Kauri rushes the zombie, he throws out a flurry of slashes at the monster: backhanded slash to the neck, fronthanded slash, backslash across the underbelly, cleave down the noise, stab to the chin.

Claws and teeth grow from every wound sealing them shut as quickly as they are made. The monster brings both arms down atop Kauri knife-hand pilling his arm to her breast. A pair of spider like arms tare from her back and snap around in front of the puppets body to forcible hug Kauri. The monsters mouth drops open and a stinger climbs out of its throat.

Kauri brings up his free hand wrapping it over the eyes of the monster and pulls back on its head to force it to look up. The rooftop hatch blast open again, Maize and Chin jump onto the rooftop. In an instant Maize sees the struggle underway and runs over jumping onto the zombie's back to aid her partner.

The zombie disengages off Kauri chest sending him toppling away, then snaps her spider lags backwards to grab Maize and spike her at the ground. The zombie vomits it's flaming goo onto Maize setting her armor on fire. Maize crawls away discarding her armor as quickly as she can stripping down to nothing more than her government issued undergarments in record time, the heavy metal gear boiling away like sugar in water.

Chin covers Maize by dropping into tripod stance and laying into the beast with her rifle. The monsters skin chips away like paint reveling dozens if not hundreds of insectoid monstrosities intertwined around a hyena skeleton. The bugs pull and stretch at the skin forcing it back into its original shape to the best of their power. Clearly the hyena body is nothing more than armor.

Enraged by Chin the zombie runs at the coyote. Chin tries backhopping to keep away from the zombie but it seems the zombie is unnaturally speedy and dextrose. The beast wraps a hand around Chin's head and hoist her into the air. It snaps it's spider like claws into Chin's arms shattering her armor. Chin screams. The zombie opens its mouth again ready to sting Chin and clam ownership of her body but ends up getting distracted by Kauri.

Kauri finds his pistol and tacks a few shot at the demon before them, quickly the last of his shots are fired. The demon throws Chin's broken body at the ground and turns to face Kauri. This monster is unlike any other, guns don't harm it, they only make it mad, knives are useless, in melee range no one can hope to overpower this thing.

In the blink of an eye the zombie is standing over Kauri again, it slaps him to the ground breaking his helmet apart. "enough fourplay, I want your body." The monster stands over Kauri straddling him. It lowers itself down and places her hands on his chest, slowly its head moves in ever closer sensually, it offer a forceful kiss and grinds it's body lightly before pulling back and summing it's stinger, it clotures stiffening in anticipation. All this, this fighting, this killing, to the zombie this was never a war, this was a mating dance.

Kauri is to tiered to fight, Maize has no weapons and no hope, Chin is to injured to do anything but lay on the ground and bleed. Kauri drops his head back and awaits whatever may come next.

A spotlight fills there vision, the command ship floats down before them, the wings glow and a trail of laser-fire rains down on the mining ship. This is enough to frighten the zombie, she drops Kauri and crawls along the ground ferally. Elion tries to blast the monster chasing after it with the ship 'till the thing jumps down off the side of the ship vanishing into the swamp.

***

Corporal's log

Mission statues: Active

Corporal Dawg: MIA

Report: transmitter signal still firing. Has moved out of range. Inquirer with upper command has been responded to as CLASIFIED.

Privet Howe: KIA

Report: Privet Howe's body was recovered by Bata team alongside Privet Stine.

Details: death by internal bleeding. It has been postulated that Howe and Stine survived the encounter with life form KRAIN possible with the aid of Dawg. Concussive damage to armor resulted in hemorrhaging and eventual death.

Privet Stine: KIA

Report: death via artillery fire

Details: body recovered by Bata team alongside Howe, Stine suffered multiple gunshots to the abdomen, visor was broken and head trauma seems to have occurred. If this was before or after death is unclear.

Privet Dover: MIA/ presumed KIA

Report: Armor was recovered by Bata team. Body has not been found

Details: Under republic law a solders body must be recovered before death is deemed official. A delta team is currently on the surface attempting to find the remains of Dover and Huston. Dover's family has been contacted.

Privet Huston: MIA/ presumed KIA

Report: transmitter data from command ship Morphus suggest that Huston was attacked by unknown life form.

Details: unlike in the case of Dover, Huston's armor was not found on the sight. As the mining ship Natulus is being recovered a hand full of its crew hands have been found with inverted skeletal structures. There are still 44 bodies unaccounted for. It is my fear that Huston has suffered the same fate.

Privet Maize: Active

Report: Maize after recovering from critical epidermal damage has been restored to active duty.

Details: Maize is currently aboard the SOLARUS receiving secondary training in heavy armaments

Privet Churnibog: Medical leave

Report: Chin has been pulled from active duty and is receiving reconstructive surgery.

Details: lifeform KRAIN had broken both of Chin shoulders and seemed to leave behind a corrosive substance that did considerable damage to muscle tissue but slowed bleeding at the same time. Chin is expected to return to active duty.

Lieutenant Corman: UNKNOWN

Report: N/A

Details: N/A

Lieutenant Elion: FOOTLOCKER

Report: According to official channels Elion has been removed from her post for insubordination

Details: unofficial channels tell me that Elion made contact with Dawg 48 hours after Delta team arrived. What happened after that is unclear.

Privet Note: after my encounter with lifeform KRAIN I started suffering from night terror. I will be seeing specialist afforded to me by HQ. I found life form KRAIN terrorizing, yet my thoughts are hunted by what she must have been before the bugs took her, and I want to be with her...

***

Hetatsubachi runs across the swamp for an untold amount of time. The smell of salt hangs in the are think and bitter. The white wolf comes to find a battleship rolled on its side and burning. The sweet and sour scent he had been tracking has brought him here. Tatsu jumps atop the melting stack of metal, slim creeps up the side drawing an impregnatable line to stop the crawling fire.

A hollowed out humanoid skin rest discarded on the ground. Seven termites crawl around nearby, two feet long each, each with a single exaggerated body part, a shell of needles grow from their backs, long antenna and mandible grow from there heads.

Hetatsubachi smile as he approaches the termites "that is a new look for you Krane."

The bug with the longest antenna speaks "My shell was damaged, I needed to shed it."

"How do you get a new skin?" the wolf walks around the bugs looking them over.

"I need to find a freshly dead mammal, burn out it's insides, then marinate the skin in the juice from my salvific gland to harden it. Then we can climb in and claim the body for ourselves."

Tatsu looks at one of the bugs with an oversized terga and distended abdomen "Krane, I have been trying to get back to the Steel Rose. But it seems to be somehow locked."

The main bug turns to face him "Did no one tell you?"

Hetatsubachi brings his head down sniffing at Krane's multitude of bodies "I haven't seen anyone but Loki in some time." He next steps up to one with a elongated stinger "you have seven bodies but only one brain between them?"

Krane makes a strange happy sound "seven? At the moment there are only seven of me. There have been times when I have needed to divide myself 500 times in order to inhabit a body. This body was just small and needed very few moving parts."

The two of them sit up looking out into the middle distance. The sky is bright, the air is warm, the night is inviting. Krane leans over resting on Hetatsubachi's side "Cilverant is no longer under control of the Steel Rose."

Tatsu looks down at Krane. "you help me in a hunt once Krane. Will you help me again?"

There is a long silence. The two watch each other trying to understand what the other is thinking. Krane lowers her eyes in shame "do you understand what you are asking of me?"

Tatsu shakes his head "truthfully I don't. I don't know what your relationship with Seeker or Cilverant was."

"find Jloose and Jessica, if they will fallow you so will I."

Chapter 17 Biting Wind part 1

Realm: Gia

Place: The Deep Green

Chrono Sphere: 20-04

It was a strange night in the savanna, even before anything truly had begun. The morning was sweltering, it is the dry session, as the sun sets clouds gather thick and dark. The moon rises and cyclonic winds rip though the valley. Thin ice grips to the sides of the elephant grass. The shock of the change in temperature sends many animals into hiding. To any brave enough to watch the skies, thier gaze is enchanted by a floating hadron dropping though the clouds and settling in the shadow of the moon.

It takes on the shape of a flower cascading with bioluminescence, a blue light radiating off of everything that seems to fall below the floating island. What is this thing? What is it doing? These are questions no one in the savanna could hope to answer. It is what it is. When the moon sets and the sun rises the flower blocks out no small amount of the sun creating a shadowy globe on the land miles long.

The air taste bitter, Niya notices, the wind smells of something she can hardly describe, it is not the scent of death, but it is something more than just a little distasteful. 'what wickedness has befallen my land?' the spotless cheetah whispers to herself.

Cordell, a lost kitten Niya adopted but a few nights ago echoes her thoughts. "that thing in the sky, it doesn't belong here."

Niya's stomach hurts, it has been almost 2 days since the last time she was able to catch a good meal. Mice and rabbits will keep one alive but that is hardly enough to stop the hunger pain. Niya looks to the kitten that she has been looking after. "it has yet to do us harm. We keep our distance and perhaps it will do the same."

"I have looked at it." Cordell explains "if you stare at it for but a moment It stares to stare back"

"speak not of wickedness and hate will not become you." Niya looks to the east. "we go to the water pit then off to the flats. I am hungry."

The two make good time on their way to the pond, few beast have found their way there, the ones that have share a great deal of gossip.

"I saw a stranger at the high rocks" an antelope explains "a wolf with strange markings on his face."

A coyote adds on "one of my pack was claimed by sickness."

A hippopotamus whispers "there is a wooly spider walking near the crossed trees."

Niya finds much off this to be meaningless banter. If she could she would take a drink thin kill the antelope right now, the coyote is probably thinking the same thing. But there is a rule that no one dares brake during the dry session. Water is neutral ground. No hunter shows their teeth here, (the alligator's being the exception.)

Cordell looks to Niya "Wooly spiders near the crossed trees? They live out in the jungle, they don't come to the flatlands."

Niya is older, experienced, she knows that the jungle and the flats have a good deal of crossover, whenever there is a sharp change in the weather some beast choose to wait out the weather across the borders. "sometimes when it rains the spiders come out this way."

"is spider meat good food?" Cordell asks

"taste like fish, you can only eat the legs and spinner though. Unless you are a hyena or vulture."

Cordell is young and full of wonder "why can't we hunt here?" he whispers with the older cat

"there is limited water in the lowlands, if we hunt and kill here today many might die of fear and there will be less food next year." she looks to the young boy "do you want to try hunting the spider?" The kittens tail perks up and his ears lift, he is cute, innocent, if the need should arise maybe even a worth wile partner for a day. But for now, he is her child.

As the noon hour approaches mother and son walk together, the hold their bodies close to the ground as to stay out of direct sunlight so much as they can. On the hunt the two come across more than a hand full of carrion, the skin is black and oily, diseased and festering. The kitten wants to take the free meat, Niya stops him. Eating cold meat is already distasteful, but the idea that birds and hyenas aren't here already picking at the meat means something is wrong with it.

The two find the spider, it is big as a tiger, wide as a hippopotamus, its body a gun-steel blue, a red stone hart glows beneath its body. The hadron in the sky seems to shift slightly watching the spider as it walks through the tall grass. The monster stops moving, it feels the warmth of the cats nearby. A voice, grinding and electric, high and sexual echoes from its breast.

"Stand before me cats. Give yourself to me. I will take that which makes you beautiful and unique and add it onto myself."

Eyes wide Niya grips Cordell's tail in her mouth pulling him backwards sneaking slowly away from the extraterrestrial spider, under her breath she whispers "what is...?"

She need not finish her thought, the spider replies "I am the Seeker of Eternity. I offer to let you join me in my quest to become whole."

A forth voice shouts from behind Niya, this voice low and growling. "You are a liar and a trader!" the voice belongs to a white wolf with a flower shaped mark that runs up his nose, around one eye and across his shoulders, he has dark rings around his eyes and fangs that peek over his lips. The wolf looks unrefined, but regal, feral but full of majesty, he is as elegant as he is wild.

Seeker looks past Niya, turning her gaze onto the white wolf with the glowing eyes "King-slayer, Demon of the Flowers, Phantom of Snow, Hetatsubachi-Una. I am becoming confused. Am I hunting you, or are you hunting me?"

"you betrayed our mother, killed our friends, stood up to have yourself counted with defiler of our way! I failed to stop you at Zion, and I paid for my mistake. My teeth will taste your flesh today."

The spider seems to smile at the wolf "you couldn't protect Cilverant from me. You couldn't protect the Steel Rose. You will fight, you will yield. There are no other possible outcomes."

The voice of the wolf enters Niya's mind, he is calm, collected, this is a calculated act. He is a hunter to his core, this is a distraction. 'Cat, I can't overpower Seeker alone. I will need you to help me. I don't expect you to understand what I am saying only that you try to understand. Seeker is a Changeling from the land of Esper. When she uses her arcana, her hart will become visible. I need you to get alongside her, and when you see her heart, touch it. If you fail, she will eat us."

The two monsters run at each other, Tatsu with his mouth wide showing off his sabers, a crackle of lighting splits the air behind the wolf and a cloak of knives pour from the Nether. Seeker stretches her body out becoming a amorphic mass of claws and teeth. Seeker descends on to Hetatsubachi, Tatsu leaps of to one side and throws his cloak of knives up at the beast.

The knives fail to brake Seeker's armor, instead becoming lost in her jell like body. As water she swings around to attempt to tie herself the wolf. Tatsu's body burns with mania, a sphere of warding seeming to freeze the changeling in place for a few short moments. Tatsu barks at Seeker "I invoke the law of Dominion! This land and all the beast with in it are under my protection."

The watery body of the monster bubbles, it pulls and stretches against itself trying to brake Hetatsubachi's circle of protection "the write of dominion is not yours to claim. You are not our mother, you have no right to this land."

As the slime and the wolf are locked in their mystical struggle Niya sees what Tatsu was talking about, the slime as it peals ever thinner reveals an orb in its back, wrapped in bronze spinning rings. A split decision must be made, can the wolf be trusted? Between mammal and mechanism, Niya will sooner believe that two animals can work together for a greater good then a cat and whatever eldritch entity Seeker is.

Niya calls on all the speed and strength a cat can to dash off to one side then throws herself in the air. Niya smashes through the idioplasmic membrane of the alien life form, she grips the core of the beast in all four paws and her mouth as she falls out its other side. the hart pulled from the monster's body it falls to the ground and erupts in a geyser of mucus. Everything in 20 feet covered in viscus slime.

The heart in Niya's claws dies. The two cats and the wolf left standing silently in the valley, questions of the world they suddenly share burning in her soul. Who is this wolf? Where is he from? What was that monster? Did she really kill it? Or simply force it to go to sleep?

Chapter 18 Biting Wind part 2

The heart in Niya's claws dies. The two cats and the wolf left standing silently in the valley, questions of the world they suddenly share burning in her soul. Who is this wolf? Where is he from? What was that monster? Did she really kill it? Or simply force it to go to sleep?

Fear and anger override any other feeling, Niya spits the stone at the ground and jumps to face Tatsu, she shouts faster then she can think, tripping over her own words "What is that? What was that? What are you...?"

The white wolf calmly shuts his eyes with a nod of understanding "predictable." He takes a breath "you deserve at lest that much. Sit down and let me tell you a tale."

Niya looks at Cordell expecting him to have something to say. Cordell instead sits alongside Niya and watches the white wolf.

Tatsu begins his story. "there is a land far from here. One where there is no sun in the sky, one where night last forever. In this place animals act differently then they do here. There all the beast have only one mind that they must sure between each other. The beast of the land have done strnage and magical things in this way. They have learned how tunnel for water and food, they have learned how to make wind and rain. There whenever one dies antoher is born that is just like the one that died. It was in this place that Seeker was born, but where she should have been just like her father in every way something had changed. She could feel that thoughts of the hive, just like everyone else, but she was not a slave to the hive. She had two brains. One that was the Hive, the other which was her and her alone."

"Seeker tried to be what she was meant to be. She tried to be who her father was, she tried to shut down and follow the will of the Hive. But she could dream. Her dreams provoked her, gave her a hunger not just for lust, but for love, and her dreams filled her with fear and realization. Seeker knew she was alive, and she knew that she would die someday. To her this was unexpectable, after-all what is the meaning of breath if death followed by necessity? She postulated that the Hive needed to be like her. If she could think then it to must be thinking."

"under this assumption Seeker traveled to the heart of her land, she needed to see the body of the Hive, she needed to reach out and touch the only other thing in the world that she knew was like her. Seeker, was gravely disappointed. Whatever was the hive, was the link that held them all together was, seems to have died long ago. She found an unliving, unfeeling construct that was nothing more then a conduit that held her people together. Seeker inserted herself into the skin of the Hive, her and Hive became a single life form. Now not only could Seeker feel the thoughts off her kin-men, she could control them. she could see though their eyes, feel with their fingers. She was all of them, all at once."

"now as one-hundred-million bodies with a single mind Seeker set the land ablaze seeking out any morsel of knowledge or truth that may help her understand what she is or what she is meant to do. That was when she found Cilverant. Another creature from another land that had done everything she had done. Cleary the two of them were cut from the same cloth. 'Maybe Cilverant would help me discover who I am' she most have thought. Cilverant was kind to her. He brought her to the Worldwalkers, and to the Steel Rose." Tatsu points at the floating hadron. "but Cilverant was slow to share his secretes, Seeker did to him what she had done to her own hive. She drew him into her body and her mind consumed his."

"Understandable, myself and the others living on the Steel Rose where cross about this. Cilverant was everyone's older brother, he protected all of us. We tried to pull her plug. She fought back. Now she is looking for us. She wants all of us to become a part of her."

Niya interrupts "I killed it."

Tatsu lowers his head thinking "I don't know if you did. That thing we killed, that was only skin. It is the mind that is the monster, I don't know if that can be killed." Again, he points to the flower in the sky "Cilverant in an attempt to dodge mortality made himself one with his machines. When Seeker became Cilverant she to gained the protection of the Steel Rose. How does one kill the land atop which they stand?"

Cordell has had his fill, the kitten jumps to his feet "If that monster comes back it will be looking for you right, wolf? We can deliver you to it and it will leave us alone?"

Niya sits up, her head lowers in contemplation "there is no way to know that for sure. This wolf has protected us once already. Surly he can be convinced to fight by our side again." Niya stretches her back end lifting her tail calling attention to her feminine feline form. "you will stay till we are sure that the monster is gone, wont you?" she opens her mouth lightly letting her long tongue wrap around her nose.

Tatsu sits, his eyes lowered, her growls at himself thinking. Niya decides to brake his concentration, she walks. She walks over sliding her head under his muzzle then walks along his chest brushing her side up his body till at last her tail slides across his lips. Niya is smart, she is manipulative when she needs to be, she knows that men will act against there own interest given the promise of pleasure. In times of desperation she has paraded herself before men looking for food or shelter, and if she has to pay up in the end needing to take some seed into her body isn't the worst thing that she has had to indoor.

Tatsu's head turns, his eyes open looking at the cheetah, Niya know he is looking at her, she holds her tail slightly off to one side and arches her back making sure that the wolf gets a good peek at her delicate underside. Cordell lowers his head looking under Niya's tail also.

Tatsu grins, he is a cunning one as well and he can see Niya is willing to play ball. if he is going to stay here there are things he is going to need; a safe place to sleep, some one to teach him the laws of the land, a guide that knows the lay of the land, but getting to play with the cat could be a lot of fun as well. Tatsu states his case bluntly. "so long as the Steel Rose hangs in the air I will stay with you."

Cordell finds himself filled with feeling his doesn't understand, he is short of breath, his mouth is watering, almost like he is hunting a horse he jumps at Niya gripping her by the hind quarters, his head comes down and he grips her by the back with his fangs.

Even if Cordell doesn't know what he is doing Niya does, and she is surprised, she meows having not realized that the kitten could become aroused. Not knowing what he is doing Cordell has no idea what to do next, Niya lowers herself rubbing her rump down the kitten's chest and stomach. She finds his unit. It is small, under developed, but still the very idea that it is becoming unsheathed could mean that he is ready and capable of breeding. Niya lets Cordell's unit slide just past the outer folds of her vulva. Cordell gasp, his heart rate jumps, Niya's fur rubbing his underside and the brushing of her smooth lips across his shaft is stunning. Cordell's body shakes, Niya thinks that he may climax even without needing to slide into her slick hole.

But Niya is still hungry, she wants the kitten, and she is interested in the wolf. But she has no interest in making love before breakfast. Niya stands up making Cordell fall over backwards. She walks away a few steps and tucks her tail making sure she is covered up. "There is a fallen tree that way, that is where I have been sleeping. We will go there, but first I will go catch us some food."

Niya runs off, she smiles and giggles to herself, she can't seem to recall when the last time she was in heat was but heat or no heat she is excited. She has two partners she is working, a virgin kitten and an exotic wolf. If she isn't in heat this will be a fun night, and if she is all the better.

Chapter 19 Biting Wind part 3

Niya walks deep into the valley, her mouth drapes open salivating as she finds her pray, a small, sick looking horse. The beast limps along. Why is it limping? How did it get so far from the herd? These things don't matter. This colt will make a fine meal for her and Cordell with more then enough left over for the birds to pick at. The only problem is how far she is from her cradle. She will have to eat her fill now then chew though the bone and carry what she can home for latter.

Niya lower her body to the ground, her tail lifts, her nose twitches. But there is a smell that catches her nose, one ear wiggles, something is near by watching her. Niya will have to put it out of her mind for now. She has waisted to much of her strength already, she needs this kill. Niya's claws fig into the ground and she throws herself at the horse.

The tiny horse never sees her, Niya strikes it from the side, fangs around it shoulders one around its chest and the other under its head. Niya's speed and weight push the horse to the ground. It struggles for a moment to try to pull away, but once Niya starts pulling the meat away from its front quarters the horse submits.

For a short time, she gourds herself eating deeply of her feast. Again, the strange smell passes her. Vigor restored by the meat she turns about seeking out the strange smell, the scent of exotic flowers. She comes nose to nose with the white wolf Hetatsubatchi. The two stare at each-other for a moment before Tatsu speaks "Lots of food there. How are you going to get it back to your cradle?"

Niya looks at her hunt. "I was going to rip of a lag, bring that home for Cordell."

Tatsu looks over Niya's head at the pile of food "and the rest?"

"that is for the birds." Niya explains.

"Maybe I can help you carry it." Tatsu looks to Niya. Wolves are strong, but not stronger then cats, if the wolf thinks he can drag a dead horse half way across the savannah he is welcome to try.

Niya nudges her head upwards "If you can lift it you can have it."

This was meant as a sly insult, the wolf doesn't notice. Instead Tatsu nods his head. The wolf's eyes burn, a dozen wholes open in the sky and a web of hooks and chains descend onto the horse spearing it then drag it into the air. Tatsu points "your home is that way isn't it? I don't know the area yet." Niya's eyes widen as she sees the horse held in the air by seemingly nothing.

After a considerably long pause Niya nods and starts to walk. Niya looks to her alien friend as they walk "there are still things I don't understand."

Tatsu nods with a grunt "speak."

"is the shapeshifter your sister? You said she 'betrayed your mother' or something like that."

Tatsu smiles as he thinks "now that touches on the hart of our mythology. We are not siblings in the way that you would think about it. Clearly, I am not a metal monster, I am all organic just like you. What we do share is that we were both baptized by the cosmic serpent Solis-Chaos. We just call her Chaos."

Niya has no knowledge of the spirit world and no concept of gods or baptisms, in her world there are no so things as good or evil, there is only survival. Niya has no need for forgiveness or sin, no understanding of purity or pain. These philosophical ideas simply never came into being. Here nature is the one thing everyone understands. Niya some up these ideas in a single phrase "I don't understand."

Tatsu squints thinking "I must truly be far from home at this point." He whispers to himself "blood is power" he begins "ever since the first fruit fell from the Tree of Beginnings and Yggdrasil birthed the Gardiners of Edan blood has always been the life the universe. Chaos appeared before each of the Worldwalkers and dripped her blood onto our tongues, that is what binds us. With her blood guilt we have been blessed. Perhaps you have noticed I can speak your tongue?"

Niya tries to simplify "so a snake bleed into your mouth and now you have abilities?"

"dose sound silly doesn't it?"

In short order the two are back at Niya's cradle. All three of them fill themselves on the meat of the hunt. Niya's sleep is uneasy, she feels warm, she can't hold still, she rolls about, stretches and meows, she thrashes and kicks fighting with her dreams. At first her mind is filled with hunting images but as the hours roll on the nature of her dreams change. Feral desire replaces survival reflex. It is not anger or fear that snaps her from her slumber but hungry lust. She needs physical gratification.

Shacking off sleep paralysis Niya gasp, she is sweeting and short of breath, it takes several moments before she is fully alert. Her body feels heavy still from her meal and she is almost shacking from exhilaration. Tatsu sits atop the fallen tree that marks Niya's lair, Cardell is asleep on his side one foot kicking in the air as he is running in his sleep.

Niya's mouth drapes open, she licks her nose as she stares at her sleeping kitten. She fantasias about how he had jump on her earlier nearly kicking herself for having not taken advantage of him then. If she had she might still be sleeping soundly.

Tatsu calls over softly as he is watching the night sky. "I would be carful if I where you. He isn't strong enough to take care of you after this course of action reaches its inevitable end."

Niya is almost drooling as she is daydreaming, she can feel her lips winking, her cloudy cat juice is no doubt coating her legs already. "who do you know what I am thinking?" she shouts in a whisper.

"I can smell it." Tatsu explains "you released about an hour ago. You have 4 eggs if that is something you care to know." He turns and jumps down to her level.

Niya is intrigued. "you know how many kittens I will have if I breed today?" Her tail wags trying to cool her body "another part of your blood magic?"

Tatsu walks over, he slides around the cat sneakily sniffing at her and trying to get a peek under her tail "Nope, had that ability before I was baptized. I can smell blood from over a mile away. As a tradeoff I don't have a: yellow, blue or red vision cone in my eye. So... can't see all that well."

Niya knows she is being looked at and she like the attention, she holds her tail slightly off to one side letting the wolf glace at her peach slit, twitching and drooling tasty vaginal oil. Tatsu can taste her hormone in the air, his heartrate jumps, Tatsu licks his lips. Niya is courses "you are a wolf, I am a cat. I have never known a cat to sleep with a wolf. Could you give me kittens?" she lowers her torso holding her back end up, tail wrapped around one leg.

Tatsu can't hide his lust, the curve cat showing off her womanhood inspires him to lower his head and slide his nose up her underbelly and across her lips getting a taste for the cheetah. He exhales a cold breath onto Niya's salty skin. Niya meows digging her claws into the soft earth at her feet. Tatsu replies to the cat's inquiry "I have knocked up one or two aliens in my travels. I may get lucky."

Niya's meow awoke Cordell, he has sat up and is starching to get the sleep from his bones. The panther kitten opens and shuts his eyes a few times to clear his vision. He looks at Niya, he watches her as she is presenting herself. Tatsu offers her a soft lick up the backside then pulls his head away.

All eyes are on Niya both boys wait to see what Niya does next. Both men seem like a fare choice. But whichever one mounts her first will most likely get to clam her eggs. Niya lowers her ears and closes her eyes seductively as she considers her next move...

Chapter 20 Biting Wind part 4

The sun has set, the shadow of the Steel Rose stretched across the Savannah. Atop a fallen tree Hetatsubachi stands watching the night roll by. Eyes narrow, gaze fixated on the future. His nose wiggles as he tastes the air. Has he slept? Can he sleep? That has yet to be seen.

The young spotless cheetah is uncomfortable in her sleep: the heat cycle is now close to reaching its peak but Niya had yet to experience the feverish phase when she would be entirely focused on the mating. She lifted her lithe neck to observe the moon glowing over the savannah and think about her situation. The meeting with the young black panther cub has been unexpected but having raised few litters herself she found natural to adopt Cordell: it was a surprise to discover how the cub was probably growing up at higher pace compared to cheetah cubs. But the most surprising meeting has been the one with the exotic canine named Hetatsubachi: she was aware of mysteries and weird races all around the world, but it was the first time she met someone who probably came from far far away.... surely a more charming and welcoming face than the beast they fought the other day

Tatsu had left the den before sun up. He returns in short order with some small game to share with his company. Nothing big, more of a snack. Three fat rabbits. He drops the food on the ground, He nods his head acknowledging his host "Niya." He lowers his eyes to her

Niya at first is too distracted to notice the arrival of the canine, but as soon as her nostril catch the smell of fresh food she turns her head. Without a word of gratitude, she snatched one of the rabbits and walks away with it under the shelter of a bush, releasing a little grunt to acknowledge the presence of the alien canine before tearing apart the prey with a ravenous mood: her whole attention focused on gulping down quickly the tender innards while her lithe tail waved a bit.

Hetatsubachi follows the cat, his head slightly down, his lips curled only partly showing off his fangs, he watches her tail wag, he runs his tongue along his nose to stop himself from salivating as he can taste the cats blood in the air, a momentary thirst for flesh creeping into his mind. Tatsu sets his share of the morning snack on the ground between then then flops down into a resting posture. He looks at his female feline friend eyes half shut in the midst of a fantasy. 'Could this be it, could this be the last time my family and I need to run? Could we find a life here?'

Cordell rolls over, his mouth opens and shut a few times biting at air as he forces himself awake. "Food?" He mumbles "you have food now?" He stands up and runs at Niya. The kitten jumps up gripping his mother by the shoulders and tries to roll her over playfully.

Niya patiently let the young one to play with her, but she releases a sigh of patience seeing Cordall is clearly stronger and thicker in bones and muscles compared to a cheetah cub, and his own playing will soon become too much for the cheetah to bear. Still she moves a paw covering part of the meat carried to her, allowing the cub to take some snacks from the already munched meat. "I have no idea what your kind could consider as a proper home, but the savannah is a vaste world and I guess there is space for everyone... your kind seems to care lots for the collective interest. While this appears to clash with our lonelier lives, we too behave in accordance of natural laws meant to protect the balance". While talking, Niya could guess how the exotic male was thinking at something else, and she wondered if it was her own present scent.

Tatsu lays down, his eyes turn to the sky "I remember the ice ocean. If ever I had been happy it was then." he turns to Niya. Tatsu smiles, he licks his nose as the cat's scent pulls at him. he tries to stay focused. "imagine a binary moon, a realm not so unlike this one, it travels five days in all directions. I have a memory of this place, from so long ago. it feels almost dreamlike. there were ten of us then. the oldest women in my tribe walked at the front of the group. we were going someplace. I don't remember where. the strongest of us walks at the back, his job is to see to it we are not followed. the young, myself included are packed tight in the middle of the crowed. I remember a smell. so strong, so powerful, the old women smells it also. she starts to run, we start to run. the smell of flowers in the wind a stark contrast to the salty ice we are surrounded by. the old women tells us 'at the end of the ocean of ice we will find paradise.' what is this paradise she speaks of? I dream of a land where beast stomp on the earth, covered in roses, food enough that no one will ever be hungry. we will find paradise and we will be reworded for our efforts by a swarm of beautiful people." Tatsu closes his eyes tight, his nose curls up as he swallows his pain and lost "maybe this is where the old one was looking for. she would never find paradise." Hetatsubachi remembers his childhood

Cordell hugs Niya, he paws at her chest. he stops for a moment turning his eyes to the wolf "Aren't you a robot or something?"

Tatsu shakes his head "I am a man, I was never anything else."

Cordell lifts his head thinking "But your sister?"

Tatsu relaxes "I thought I was clear about that, she was not my sister in birth, she was my sister in faith. we were members of a brotherhood, we called our fellow worshipers our brothers and sisters."

Cordell climbs onto Niya's back, he bites at her scruff playfully, if her tail where moved off to one side he would likely touch her nether reigns. "I don't think I understand that brotherhood thing." he looks at Niya "what is a brotherhood?"

There were lots of many things the cheetah did not understood well concerning the alien wolf. And she could only reason on few specific points of his speech. "Well... if you and your kind are searching for a "paradise", I am not sure you are going to find it exactly on this land: life it's hard, and while there are many good things is life, they are earned and not simply gifted." She let the young black cub play with her, only partially aware on how his playing could turns quickly in something more mature. "Still I hope you can find what you search in this place and well..." she turned to lick the panther between her hears "Brotherhood usually imply male siblings living together, as it happens for my kind, Cordell. But you're not a cheetah, so you will carry on a lonely life when the time will come for you to walk on your own path." Still she was a bit uncertain of the meaning of Tatsu' words, probably he implied something more, but Niya guesses it was best not to bother the cub with information that could only lead to a string of never-ending questions. She rather tried to relax under his playful rough ways, and out of instinct she found a more comfortable sitting position, with her tail moving off to one side.

Tatsu adds on to what Niya is saying "The term brotherhood has a number of possible meanings, the most common vinocular being exactly the one which you are making reference there too, but the word Brotherhood can also be used to describe any organization of individuals held together by a singular philosophy or theology..." He is going to continue only then picking up on the idea that the two cats luckily don't have any concept of philosophy. "Never mind. I can tell you all about it another time."

Niya's tail brushes across Cordell's underside, her wet lips natural line up with his juvenile unit. Her tickling the kitten ever so innocently triggers him to unsheathe. Unaware of what is happening he still bites at his mother playing with her until his tiny unit slides up the length of her slit pushing her lips open. Cordell meows in surprise and steps away. He looks up and down at Niya and at his aroused unit not sure what he did. His first thought having been that he harmed her in some way and stands frozen waiting to see what the two adults have to say.

The young female cheetah looked toward the exotic canine with sleepy eyes, sure he enjoyed to talk much and there was an abyss about his culture that she did not fully understood... nor she felt the need to understand it. At the moment some other issues troubled her mind, especially what her own step-cub was attempting by instinct to do with her body. The heat status strong, and there was no blood-relation between her and Cordell to prevent her own instinctive taboo to restrain from a mating. She shifted on her long legs, crouching on a better position when she felt the intruding penis of the young male poke and briefly penetrate her pussy. "Don't worry little one..." she said with a sweet yet warm voice, losing a bit of the motherly instinct and giving away some other lustful desires. "We talked about it remember? How a male is supposed to mate with a female... there is no harm to be done on my side, darling..." she purrs a bit, wondering if this would encourage Cordell and how Tatsu was going to react at such display.

Tatsu loses his sophisticated demeanor, the look, the smell, it is too much to handle, he needs to satisfy his hunger. as Niya talks to the kitten, Tatsu walks over, he steps around behind the cheetah and slips a paw around her underbelly, "come her." he whispers pulling back and up on her stomach to make the cheetah mother stick her back end up. with a slow breath he breaths hot air down her neck as he stands over her. the paw on her stomach slips down slightly digging his claws lightly into her pelvis. as Tatsu hugs Niya she can feel him starting to excite, the wolf seems to know what he is doing he is lined up already no doubt once he is fully up he will slide right in. his head moves off to one side as he lets his tongue fall out. he licks the side of her face.

Cordell as he is watching is hard, he brings a paw down to tickle himself "that was fun." he rubs himself up and down a few times as Tatsu is lining up with Niya about to get started. "Mama, can I rub you a few more times? I liked that one little push and want to do It some more." Niya can see the kitten has no really lasting power, his tickling himself is getting him to twitch already and a small drop of his kitty cream leeks out of him.

The female purrs slowly while the alien-looking canine moves toward her. "Oh? someone is clearly aroused it seems, right?" she said, with a slightly taunting tone yet Niya does nothing to prevent or escape an incoming mating. She allowed the male to shift her body and lift her rear: their anatomy different, yet size difference was similar and could help with technical difficulties. Her long lithe tail moved off to one side, leaving free space for the male behind her to find a proper position, meanwhile Niya's attention was also moved on her step-son. The young black feline clearly aroused and affected by the heat status and instincts driving him while his own mind was probably not up for the task.

"We talked about it once, remember?" She purred gently, stretching forward one paw and stroking the male feline on his soft underbelly. "The big wolf here seems quite intentioned to claim me, but my paws can show you what pleasure it is"

The wolf is a tease, he rubs himself up and down Niya, He slides his unit lustfully between her lips and her but. He takes the scruff of her neck in his mouth pulling on her softly. His paws dig into her underbelly holding her tight. His shaft pushes her lips apart, he slides it across her hole but doesn't slide himself in. He waits for her to do that, he wants her to take the next step and force herself on him.

The kitten has his head tipped back, he rests his paws on Niya's paw dogging her on. He rocks his hips up making her run her paw up and down his shaft. She has no trouble teasing out two healthy sized sprays of his kitten juice. He cries for attention. "I want more mama." He falls over laying on his back, Cordell pulls up on Niya trying to get her to climb up and play on him.

The female cheetah released a soft purr of welcoming at the sensation of the male's cock bumping on her sensible flesh: yet it was soon merged with a feeling of unsatisfied need, almost a teasing without the proper penetration she needed. Her tail moved a bit on thrill and expression of desire while her back arched more lifting her rear to adjust their position and push back her own loins to slid the erected cock of the male inside her warm wet pussy. The need to satisfy herself made her ignore the demand of the cub for a while, "One second dear..." she said with purring voice, until she perceived the wolf' cock finally penetrating her. After releasing a moan, she lowered her muzzle, admiring the grown length of the black panther. "I will attend you too..." she said, and her soft tongue started to caress the sheath of the cub.

Hetatsubachi leans over Niya gripping her, one paw on her stomach the other he rolls up her chest. The paw on her underside rubs up and down across her teats, the one on her chest moves around to grip her by the pectoral, he makes her turn her head so he can touch his tongue to her nose in a lusty display. He rolls his unit around in her. It is a strange shape, sharp at the tip, a bulb half way down then it narrows again. As the wolf rocks Niya back and forth, thier wet skin making a sloppy sucking sound. Niya feels the wolf starting to grow a second time almost like the erection had was only half of one. Tatsu rolls slowly deeper approaching her cervical door, the wolf wants to invade her womb. He whispers with her "four kittens sounds like a good start to me."

Cordell breaths quickly. The thorns on his unit mushroom out as his body is trying to lock them together, but a mouth is not a pussy and he can't possible lock up in her mouth. He rubs his paws down her mother's neck tickling her as she plays with him. Two more drops of his fertile oil drips from him. She knows she will be able to make him finish quickly like this. Cordell meows "slow down mom's," he requests.

The golden cheetah tries to focus her efforts on giving pleasure to her step-son: the young kit clearly new to the pleasure of sex and probably never experienced orgasm before. "Don't worry dear.. let it go..." she said briefly, before resuming her licking and sucking of the young leopard's penis. The flavor not dissimilar to the one of other male cheetahs she sucked before: and soon the salty taste of his cum splattered on her tongue. Despite her efforts to focus on the little kit, Niya could not ignore the waves of pleasure and dominance coming from the coupling with the exotic alien being: the cock penetrating her body was very dissimilar to anything she experienced before, yet it was comfortable and filling her with pleasure forcing her body do leak more and more juices. "Um... you're really intended in fathering a litter, right?" she chuckled, teasing him and prompting him to proceed to invade her womb, while stroking her long lithe tail against his. When the muzzle of the canine moved closer to hers, she could perceive the wave of hot breath coming from his jaws.

with a few more healthy pushes Tatsu's knot ties the two of them together. Tatsu pulls back, his bulb pulls on Niya's cervices demonstrating that he is stuck in her, Tatsu whisper with the lovely cat "I was going to pull out so we can have some more fun but looks like your heat was to much for me to take." he offers a minute of fast passionate thrust, his voice turns to a crackling whimper as he replies to her statement "I want you to have kittens for me." he tries to resist the urge to spray, his breath is shacking, he wants to fill her womb with his puppy juice, but he wants to make sure she has had her fun also.

Cordell's rear paws pull up to Niya's neck, his front paws rest on her head. he can't hold himself back. the kitten has three more sprays into his mother's mouth. he roars to the best of his ability as he falls over onto his back and then rolls into a ball. the kitten is young and weak, but he will recover quickly. Niya could imagine that if she could get the wolf to keep humping her for 5-10 minutes, after he cums Niya would have no trouble getting Cordell to go another round with her.

The young cheetah moaned lowly, while feeling the swollen knot inflating inside her pussy and overstretching her vaginal walls. Juices drippes from the full cunt, while her body arched by instinct and her loins welcomed the thrusts with small motions to prompt the male's release. "D...do it.... fill my tummy with your alien offspring..." she said, briefly wondering what kind of cubs the canine could ever sire. The cheetah licked her lips, from the salty cum of the young leopard: he briefly admired his small black body, and while wondering about possibly mating with him also, all her desires and wishes for Tatsu to breed her at last.

The wet, sticky, cat tugging on Hetatsubatchi makes a low pitch whistling sound. he happily and rhythmically rolls around in her womb. Niya easily wearing him out. Tatsu paws at Niya's undercarriage and muzzles at her neck wanting her to cum. regardless as to if she does or not Tatsu can only hold back for three or four more minutes in her fertile hole. with three more throbs he starts emptying his load into her body giving the cheetah a healthy amount of his love juice. he slumps forward winded, his grip weakening.

Cordell sits up as the wolf is finishing up. he smiles looking his mother up and down, he waits for the two to finish.

Tatsu's eyes are heavy, his breathing slow. it takes almost five minutes for his knot to swell down and let them pull apart. once untied Tatsu slides down laying on his stomach needing to recover from his orgasm.

Cordell waves Niya over walking around the hill side with her. "Niya," he whispers with her, using her given name maybe for the first time in his life "I love you." he lowers his head bashfully "is it ok for more than one man to love a girl?" he turns to face her licking one of his fangs as he observes the sway of her body.

The golden cheetah enjoys the orgasm of the mysterious male, and waited patiently until his canine knot deflated. When the creature was resting, she had a time to walk with her step-son Cordell: he was quite clearly affected to the whole affair he's been it. "It can happen, but it may also bring unpleasant things and make you fight and get hurt with other males... you're young, and you should instead focus to mate with different females. I will ever love you, little one... but you are no cheetah, and neither Tatsu is one. You are destined to hunt on high grass and carry on your prey on trees while I will run on the plains."

Chapter 21 Parlay

A few weeks pass on this dream like world. Tatsu needs to sleep, needs to rest, worldwalking is hard. In that time Niya is kind, she is accommodating. Quickly the cheetah starts showing signs of carrying kittens. Tatsu hunts for her. Yet the Steel Rose hovers overhead. The sickness he had seen before continues to sweep the land. More mettle spiders show up day after day.

Tatsu starts to understand. Seeker is still looking for him. How is this? How did she follow him between two worlds? Did she steal some technology that allows her to trace him? No world will ever be safe. There is no place anywhere where Tatsu could live without to threat of Seeker chasing him. This world has its advantage, here, life is simple and mobile. But nevertheless, Tatsu must find a way to disable Seeker.

Tatsu hunts spider after spider. He studies them, he needs to understand how Seeker thinks. After a few dozen kills his Arcana grows. So, does his understanding of his enemy. Seeker has branded her workers with a gyromantic brand.

"this symbol," he growls as he looks at the magic charm on the dead monster's body. "this is some primitive variation Aura Script, she tried to hide it by overlaying secondary calligraphies. I can read this..." Tatsu draws out the emblem on the ground, then draws and redraws it time and time again slowly removing the characters that don't make sense looking for the original image, the once she started from.

"this is such an old and outdated magi chant. Why use such an old..." Tatsu freezes as he can finale see past the fluff to the real spell hidden underneath. Tatsu throws his head up laughing "Spirit Craft! She is reading from my old spell books!" the wolf can hardly contain his laughter.

Hetatsubachi runs back to the den, he waits until nightfall when Niya and Cordell return home from their hunt. He explains to them that he has found. Of course, they don't understand. He doesn't expect them to. But the thing they do understand is the most important, he can chase away the Steel Rose. Hetatsubachi tells Niya that he has to go, he can protect them from the monster hovering over their world, but he may or may not be able to return afterwards.

***

Realm: Gia

Place: The Steel Rose

Chrono Sphere: 20-04

Hetatsubachi opens a portal going to the Steel Rose, this time he understands what Seeker has been doing, he can sneak around her magic. Tatsu lands in the garden outside the courthouse. The flowers are all dead, the ground has been lined with mirror like metal. The fountain runs dry, the hundreds of armors Cilverant inhabits stand lifeless in the yard. A swarm of clockwork bugs run around skitter around performing who only knows what task.

Hetatsubachi digs a claw into the metal drawing markings into the glass. "Seeker!" he shouts. "show yourself!"

The dead armors rumble and groan, ghastly lights shine within the armors one by one the flock stand up. All of them turn at once to face the white wolf. This is Cilverant's body there is no question there, but it is not his mind in side of it. When they speak, it is Seeker's voice that leaves his chest. "you have come to give yourself to me?" They all say at once.

Tatsu growls and punches the ground "Don't you dare take a step closer to me." He points at the drawing on the ground. The magic markings shimmer as they take effect. "I want to talk. But not to some shadow, I want to talk to the Seeker of Eternity in the flesh."

The Armors slowly creep closer "you have come to give yourself to me. I will take away that which makes you beautiful and add it onto myself."

Tatsu's eyes turn to flashlights as the burn yellow and green "By the Nine I swear if you touch me you will never be seen again." Starlight sprays from the ground "I have locked the door to this place on you Seeker and if a drop of my blood leaves my body that door will never open again."

All movement freezes. Seeker believes Hetatsubachi is telling the truth. Lights on the ground light up drawing a line leading down the street and across the road to a lighthouse. A powerful glow calls to the wolf "I am the Seeker of Eternity. If you wish to speak to me 'in the flesh' we will speak there."

Tatsu smiles "why thank you." The wolf follows the light heading into the tower. The ground is cold, his claws click loudly on the steel floor as he walks up the steps to the parapet. As he pushes open the door to the last room of the tower there she is. Seeker sits before a window looking down at the courthouse. Her skin is blue, her face is pink, her eyes green, she heart visible spinning in her chest a fiery flickering illuminating her from the inside out.

Seeker need not look at Hetatsubachi, she is plugged into the Steel Rose, she can see everything on the space station all at once. "you will not understand, but I am happy to see you."

"Parlay." Tatsu states loudly.

Seeker does the honor of turning to face the wolf "what do you wish to gamble?"

The wolf stalks over to the Seeker standing nose to nose with her "Souls, lots of them."

Seeker rest one of her three fingered hands on the side of her face leaning off to the side. "I have little interest in such trivial things."

"I want you to never return to Phawks, I want you to leave Gia, and I want to know why you betrayed our brothers." Tatsu orders.

"And what do I get in return?"

"you get to continue to chase me across time and space." Tatsu smiles taking few steps back relaxing.

"then I assume you will also need safe haven and food to eat in order to worldwalk again."

Tatsu growls "I think that part is a given."

"and then you unlock the door to this realm so we can continue our game?" Seeker asks

"yes." Tatus explains.

"then the bet is made. I will honor our bargain. You will have 36 hours in your planets time to eat sleep and ready yourself for your next jump." Seeker rubs one hand under her chin "Of course that does mean implicitly that Gia and Phawks will be out of your rich also."

Tatsu finds a place to sit down himself "Seeker, now, why did you turn your back on our brothers?"

Seeker looks down at the wolf "you have made a miscalculation. You believe I was once your sister. In that you are in error. I have never tasted the blood of the Eldermother Chaos, and such I was never a Worldwalker."

Hetatsubachi rolls his eyes thinking "But how..."

Seeker finishes his thought "was I mistaken for one of you?" Seeker is happy to continue the conversation "look there" she points out the window to the planet that they are orbiting "that world looks just like every other world that Chaos has blessed. The world is covered in water, the rules of the realm allow simple proteins to fuse and become complex life. Plants and Animals have found there way to every point of the world."

"and still you were able to confuse Cilverant." Hetatsubachi questions

"A am not an animal, I am a disease. I eat and I divide, I impregnate everyone I touch I have no choice in this. It seems that somehow, I attracted Mammon in this propagation. That being what it is I seem to be becoming Mammon."

Tatsu growls "you are becoming the enemy of life."

Seeker at this show passion, anger, longing, she slaps the chair she is siting in and leans forward shouting "I have no choice, I was never alive! I kill, I consume. It is inevitable!"

Tatsu barks "Why? What does that mean? What do you want?"

Quickly Seeker returns to her soulless calm "I want to live intel I die." She looks at Tatsu, ponderance in her eyes "you?"

Tatsu lowers his eyes and ears relaxing on the floor. "I want to be free, I want to do whatever it is I want to do. I want to eat too much, make bad decisions, sleep in late, chase girls, I want to be chased, I want to hunt I want to kill. I want freedom, I want peace, I want whatever I happen to want..."

The two have a day and a half of uneasy peace. Seeker honors her deal. Tatsu is fed, he allows himself to be pet. The two act like friends for a day. Seeker laments that she and Tatsu can never meet eye to eye. Then the two of them part way. Tatsu trying one last time to convince Seeker to follow him, the two of them as friends, maybe the two can even rebuild the Steel Rose. "you could come with me, put all this madness in the past."

Seeker explains sorrowfully "I must be what I am. I have no choice."

Never again will Tatsu and Seeker share a moment of peace with each other.

***

Realm: Nimh

Place: Silk Valley

Chrono sphere:20-05

It is dark times, deep in the mires, the overbrush grows thick, the brush darkens the sky. Gina, the youngest daughter to Skoll of Lupu Pin. A princess amongst wolves, runs through the swamp, she has been running for a day and a half. She has seen red flags grace the boarders of her land, the flag flown by Kuro, King of Rabbit. A decade ago these barbarians come across the south sea and clashed with the Gaiadren, that battle saw the burning of many of villages under Gina's mothers protection. Skoll had managed to push Kuro back into the sea then. But it was at a high price. A price Gina can not afford to pay.

The princess of wolves has ordered her min to watch the water tirelessly, they must stop Kuro form coming ashore at all cost. The wolves are not likely to beat the rabbits in a land battle a second time. Still Gina understands that she need more the vigilant men, stone walls and quivers of arrows. She needs the favors of heaven. She need Jessica the Weaver.

The mice have come to the aid of the wolves in the past. In battle mice are of limited value but it is well know that they have talented hands big imaginations. The mice train all the most gifted foragemasters across the land be it gears of war or opulent churches there will be a mouse builder watching over the construction. Jessica the Weaver is the most famous of mice. Some call her a witch, some a seer, others use more flattering names, the Eldermother, or the Weaver.

Gina stops to sniff the air, the scent of ginger looms nearby, this spice does not grow wild on this island. That can only mean Jessica is just around the next bend. Gina falls onto all fours making haste, her dress is crumbling from the clay dangling from it cat weeds bite at her exposed fur, the road has been hard. But at the price of Jessica's wisdom cuts, bruises and naked skin mean nothing.

A light, a tall mound of clay, a window sticking out of the mud, a door forged from rock. Gina has managed to sniff out the Eldermother. Gina has arrived. Gina need not knock on the door, as she walks up to it a mouse with long tan hair, a ribbon around his neck and a fencer's coat pulls the door open for her "Gina of Lupu, please come inside, my mother awaits." The boy sidesteps the threshold and waves the wolf inside with a bow.

Gina steps into the main room of the Weaver's lair. One side of the room is stalked high with flowers of all shapes and sizes, across there from there is a pile of scrolls. There is a fireplace and a wooden door. A table with an assortment of nuts and fruits site near the center of the main room. Flickering orange light illuminates the chamber. Two dozen urns wrap around the edges of the room and there are four mice walking around.

Jessica sits on the floor inking a scroll as Gina walks in, Jessica names each of the mice for Gina as she looks around "The boy that opened the door is Lucius Dane LaMarsus, he like to be called Luke. The girl sorting the herbs is Sarra Bell Lamarsus, she is Luke's twin, the two of them share a single soul, and so can never be more then 100' apart with both falling ill. The girl kneeling in the corner with the needle and thread is Mia LaMarsus, she is wearing a scarf around her eyes to conceal that she was born without eyes, she is blessed with 'touch of sight' her hands and feet can feel things that you and I will never see. The girl cutting vegetables is May. She is the daughter of Pepper Odidimus the second, she like you is a princess searching for peace." Jessica waits for Gina to nod in understanding then finishes her speech "And I am Jessica the Weaver, it is me that you are here to see."

Luke steps up along side the wolf "If you would like to give me your gown I will have Sarra wash and mend it for you."

Gina seems confused by the statement, she looks to Jessica waiting for advice, 'is this some sort of a joke? Did he just ask me to strip?' Gina thinks. But then Jessica waves her hand inviting Gina to do as Luke asks. Gina complies, this must be some sort of a custom of the mice. Gina removes her outfit and folds one arm over her breast the other she tucks between her thighs to hide herself.

Jessica has not yet looked up from her work as she speaks "you need have no fear of your body, there is nothing about you that is alien to us."

"I am not confident it is proper for someone of my upbringing to roll in the mud nude with mice." Gina tries to tell a lighthearted joke, the racy nature of the statement not dawning on the wolf princess.

Jessica dryly suggest "I am sorry you feel that way." Jessica places her pin behind one ear then looks across the room "Sarra please leave the gown with Mia. I should like you to light the furnace and ready the bathing oil. Fetch the filing stone from your room also on your way down stairs." Sarra does not speak, she just nods and walks off to carry out the request.

Luke tries to be gentlemanly but can not stop his eyes from drifting over looking down Gina's back and admiring her fluffy tail. he is a lone boy at this point living in a house with four girls. It isn't that he has never seen a nude girl, in fact he and his siblings alike enjoy walking around naked most of the time, but a nude wolf princess, that he hasn't seen.

Gina tries to redirect the conversation "Am I to understand that you also know already why I am here?"

Jessica rolls up her scroll and hides in it a casing "you want me to fight Kuro."

Gina nods "Yes!" she jumps up and down acting like a little girl for a moment.

"No,' Jessica explains "I will not fight Kuro. I will not tell you why, that information would not benefit you, I will only say that I cannot do so."

Gina pleads with the mouse "Teach me a spell, Give me a weapon. Kuro is coming her and he is going to kill us."

Jessica nods "That is unavoidable."

Gina drops her mouth open taken aback by Jessica's directness "Thin there is nothing you can do?"

"I did not say that." Jessica corrects her "I said I could not fight Kuro, and that Kuro would kill many of us. Fate has already cast that dice."

Gina unfolds her hands from around her body and briskly approaches the Weaver "what do you Dice and Fate? I don't understand."

The glasses hanging from Jessica's nose glow as she calls on her ancient power to show her what is to be "I will tell you the history of what is yet to come. The events are already written, the only thing that can be changed is the order in which they transpire."

A light wind blows as the Weaver stretches her mind out across time living the future as she whispers it with Gina, Gina's fur fluffs out and she folds her arms under her breast to keep out the cold. "at he foot of mt. Ceto 100,000 men will stand, Kuro will rise his arm overhead, I will plead forgiveness, my plead will not be heard, the sky will darken and 100,000,000 arrows will fall from the heavens, 10,000 wolves will fall having never pulled their swords from their hips. Lupu will raise the rabbit flag, a child warrior named Aki will be bathed in holy oil and will be crowned Battle Queen of Kuro. Two children will be born to a child mother, they will be called Sun and Moon. Skoll will come down from the mountains. She will command a sacrifice be made in her name. Moon will be burnt atop an altar. A mouse will kneel at the feet of the Rabbit Queen, her name will also be moon. The queen of rabbits will turn her back on her lover and rabbit will kill rabbit. Here and here alone is where the wheels of time can be pivoted. If Aki lives and Kuro dies Lupu will fly the flag of the hammer once more, if Kuro lives and Aki dies, your children will be the last of the free wolves born in this land."

Gina can't seem to comprehend the numbers in whole "10,000 wolves die not even fighting back. Why must so many die?"

"Fate has claimed their souls as a tax to pay for the birth of the next generation. If it was not the hands of Kuro that slays them the it will be another hand." Jessica explains

"Can you not call down wind and rain to stop this tragedy?" Gina pleads

Jessica pushes her glasses up to rest on her nose centered "If I do nothing and 12 men are harmed, is that less of a tragedy then if I stand and one dies? Is it moral to order a man to slay himself? Is an edict to sacrifice truly distinguishable from an order to murder? I do not know these things. Do you?"

Luke slaps the table in the room becoming flustered as he has been thinking "Events Can't change, order can. Then that means If Gina and I go to the rabbit and find Aki now we can arrange for the to fight and stop the war here and now."

Gina looks to the mouse boy "Is that right?" she looks at Jessica "Is he right?"

Jessica becomes visible angery with her child "it is not that simple, you cannot force Fate's hand."

Luke steps in-between Gina and his mother "And why not? What make the whim of Fate grater then the will of mice and dogs?"

"Will you lower your voice please." Jessica whispers a shout, one hand balling into a claw, Jessica digs her fingertips into her palm to deaden her anger.

Sarra can see that Luke and Jessica are getting ready to fight. Luke has made up his mind. Luke will end the war, he doesn't need Jessica and her holy magic. Sarra places a hand on her twin and pushes him slightly away as she addresses Gina and Jessica "the oil has been warmed and the bath is drawn."

Jessica's eyes start to fade into violet, she turns her back for a moment and shuts her eyes tight as the demons in her soul start shouting in her ears. "Luke please lead Gina down stairs. I will fetch the fish fats and follow in a moment."

Luke folds one hand behind his back the other he holds out to Gina as he lowers his nose to her in a chivalrous display. Gina takes the mouse boy by the hand. The two walk into the depths of the Weaver's home. Strange steam machines grow from the clay walls of the dwelling. The two walk past a number of doors that if were not lit by lamps would be invisible in the dark. Then they come across

Then they come to a single door clearly meant to be seen, it is a twin panel door, the frame is bronze polished to a mirror shine, the door is decorated with rudimentary art deco, there is a knit carpet half circle cut thrown on the ground in front of the door as well. The door canvas to any that would see it there is something important here.

Gina has always been surrounded by wealthy and proper wolves, something about Luke reminds her of just the types of people she like to interact with. Well-greased hair, a practiced smile and slightly uneven eyebrows that betray the animal instinct masked by a vail of sophistication. Luke was not presented as a prince, but Gina can taste in the air around the boy that he has walked with the high class, even if only pretending to be one of them.

Thoughts of forbidden romance invade Gina's waking mind, her tail wages and one ear wiggles. Gina's eyes drift down the body of Luke, she entertains the daydream for only a second before forcing her eyes to face front. No small part of Gina wants Luke to grab at her farcically and educate her in the one thing she has not practiced that every lady knows, physical pleasure. Now maybe the could push the point herself, do something to let Luke know that she is a sexual animal also in need of love. But a lady of Gina's age never takes the lead in hasty affairs. The two may have five minutes of quite in the hallway, that is more then enough time to enjoy ones' self is it not? Gina smiles.

Luke opens the door to revile a large room, a copper bathing vessel sits in the center of the room. Near the back of the room stands a device that seems to boil liquid and drip it into a chain of bucket that are piled there around, flames softly wisp from under the device. Six braziers hang around the room. Two of the pots of glowing ember hang over the door, one at each side of the bath, two sit in front of the boiler.

Gina steps up to the tube, which is already part way filled with water, she leans slightly forward, her tail wagging, as she reaches down to feel the water. "It is warm, much warmer than most baths"

Luke points at the ground. "there are flame vents on the ground. When Sarra came down her she opened the vents to heat the bath. Spraying burning steam at a brass tube seems to be a good way to heat water without boiling it."

Gina tries to act seductive without acting aggressive, she picks up one knee and places It on the rim of the bath, one hand balancing her at the same time, she lowers her breast enough so that she can feel her womanhood exposed to the cool air of the room. She looks over her shoulder at Luke. "Should I get in?"

Luke takes a slow breath as he notices the action, he walks up to Gina "let me help you." He grips one of her hand, the other he places on her rump to guide her into the water. Luke tries to feel up her lady bits without looking like that is just what he is doing. The both Gina's feet in the water Luke grips Gina by the shoulder and the tail and slowly lowers himself into a kneeling stance and leads Gina to sit in the water.

Luke looks over the Princes of wolves. They are both children, there is no doubt about that, and leaving the two of them alone like this as without fault lead both to having romantic thought. Luke touches his nose to Gina's, Gina as a quick gasp as the kiss plus the hot water brings her an unexpected level of excitement.

Jessica is right on cue. She pushes the door shut to signal her arrival. Luke jumps back as if he thinks that would make it so his mother had not seen is not quit gentlemanly behavior. Jessica places a bowl of what can only be whale fat on the ground next to the bath.

Luke picks up a cup and drags in urn out of one corner over to the bath. Luke reaches around Gina's neck and rubs her chin to get her to look up "shut your eyes." Luke asks. Gina does, Luke pours down the wolfs face a warm sweet smelling oil.

Jessica stands nearby, her arms tucked into the sleeves of her robe "I wanted to let you know, Luke is right. If you where to find your way to Kuro castle you would get the opportunity to meet Aki Battle Queen of the Rabbits." Jessica ends her statement there.

Gina smiles as the oil runs down her fur a look of satisfaction glides across her muzzle as she pulls her feet tight into her body and hugs her knees "then Lupu gets to wave the flag of the hammer once more."

"I have instructed Mia and Sarra to take May to Natsu village. They are leaving with all haste." Jessica explains. Luke turns to face his mother a look of shock on his face. Jessica goes on "Gina, Luke will stay by your side from now until you reach the capital city."

Luke tends to his labor, he hides his unease, it has been such a long time since he has been apart from the other half of his soul, he can't seem to remember what it feels like to be apart from his twin. As much as he can recall is that it did not end well for him last time. "Gina, please lean forward and stretch your tail out behind you."

Gina failed to notice the change in Luke's voice, she is distracted by a feeling of satisfaction. Coming to find Jessica was just what she needed to do, Gina can now change the world. Luke scoops the whale fat between both hands then rubs his hands up Gina's back rubbing the fat into her fur. The cold jelly get her whimpering gently. The mice do no how to care for their guest.

"Luke, once you have finished oiling Gina's fur take her back to your room to rest. Be sure you file her nails for her, use the lime stone to grade the dead skin from her paws also before you fall asleep. When you file a wolf's paws you start from the heel and pull forward." Jessica looks to the door. "and if it isn't too much trouble place the oil urn in the dugout behind the furnace after rinsing the fat from Gina's fur."

Jessica withdraws her flute from her pocket. "I will need to finish mending Gina's traveling clothes. I will hang them from the red tree in the front yard once I am done." Jessica looks to Gina "If you are uncomfortable sleeping in the nude I have a house coat I can give. It will be short on you but it will offer a small amount of protection."

Luke looks to his mother "Do you mean Corn's cape?"

Jessica nods "it was my cape, I loaned it to her. She brought it back." Jessica walks out the door leaving Luke and Gina to their own.

Luke takes a deep breath to calm himself, something is amiss, Jessica saw something about the future but refused to say it. Something terrible is going to happen in the mire tomorrow, Jessica sent Mia and May away to protect them from it, whatever it is, and her he and Gina are being left to face it... unless, Jessica is going off ahead of them to try to head it off. And that is the problem with having a visionary for a mother, you never know what they are thinking.

Luke get another handful of oil "stomach or tail first?"

"Tail." Gina rest her tail across her back to bring it into easy reach of Luke. "who is Corn?"

Luke explains "My mother had wanted to give up the life of a seer. Corn was going to replace my mother as the Weaver of Graywall Keep. But then she didn't" Luke just stops the story there. Luke runs his hands up Gina's tail greasing up her backside at the same time. Luke doesn't know anymore if this is intentional or unintentional but Gina has left herself exposed to Luke. Luke doesn't dare touch the princess without explicit consent.

"so what happened? Why wouldn't Corn have finished her training or whatever it is?"

"I was never given the full story, but I do know that I should have two older brothers and two older sisters that I don't" Luke moves his hands onto Gina's underbelly and rubs up her breast covering her in a thick lair of slime, Gina's fur clumping and vacuum sealing to her body seemingly.

"War? Famine?" Gina asks

"the church got involved in some way." Luke get anther cup full of oil, as he pours it down Gina's back the oil eats the fat and Gina's fur fluffs outwards, smooth soft and glowing from the soap and oil. Gina's fur hasn't looked so full and fluffy since she was a puppy. Luke doesn't stray from the path set before him. Luke sees to it the Gina is made to look as beautiful and desirable as she can be.

***

Jessica does not sleep, she sows up a new robe for Gina to were and adds it to the traveling gear that Gina had brought with her. Jessica hangs a drying wire between two branches of the old red tree then pins the outfit to the tree knowing it will never be worn. Yet still Fate dictates that the work must be done.

After hanging up the clothing Jessica drops the lock on the font door, meaninglessly, then climbs out the window of her house and sits with her back pressed to the door. She brings her flute up to her lips and plays only a few note to catch the key she is in.

Jessica softly sings a song to herself as she is waiting for the touches and drums that are in her destiny.

"Love is so Red,

Red- er than any flower,

O-love how I miss you, my cruel mistress.

For you, I was born,

and now for you, I must die,

Love, love, so red.

O- you are my beginning, and you are my End,

O-love,

My love, why do I need you so?"

Jessica is not kept waiting. Drums crack the sky like thunder, slow meaningful drums, drums that are a heartbeat. Ta, da dum, ta, da dum, ta, da dum. The pattern is unmovable, unchangeable. It is the sound of Kuro's O'bons. A team of men that follow him and keep the king of rabbit's rhythm. Kuro has told his men many times in the past. "The drums never stop playing."

The King of Rabbits emerges from the darkness of the swamp, his two most trusted friends by his side, and twelve strong arms at his back. Rabbits in this land are often described as tail, lath and beautiful. Not one of these worlds fully canvas what Kuro is. Kuro is not tall, he is a giant, nor is he lath, he is in fact highly mescaline, muscular in such a way that combined with his size, his balk would allow his to stand nose to nose with even the fittest of wolves. As for beautiful, maybe once upon a time, back when he could grow a uniform coat of fur, the rabbit king is no unattractive, but he is not beautiful, thousands of cut marks on his chest and face have seen to that.

Jessica places her flute back on her belt. She pushes herself up to standing and using one foot picks up her bird headed staff and moves it onto her hand. Jessica looks to Kuro, she stares down her staff and talks in a threatening tone "Son of Ceto, Father of Rabbits, this is holy ground, and you are uninvited."

Kuro calls back, he keeps his distance for a short time, amused by Jessica "Daughter of Ceto, Mother of Mice, Surly you saw me coming, And still you sit and wait? With your clothes out to dry, a flute in your hand. Have you no fear? No respect?" Kuro need not reach for his sword, he walks standing tall.

"I indeed saw you coming, and I chose to wait." Jessica slide steps backward, she knows what is coming, but that doesn't mean she is happy about it.

"Holy ground?" Kuro barks. "you pray at the alter of birds. There is no bird church on this side of the bay. Your holy men have no teeth, your carrion goddess power here, and your blessing holds no weight. That staff in your hand is the last relic of a dyeing age." Kuro points at the staff. "why stand your ground? Why not run and hide in your hole?"

Jessica grips her staff in both hands, she digs her claws into the ground, she readies herself to haphazardly charge the rabbit king "I have made up my mind, I will stand, I will protect who and what I can. I will pay a price in blood. But I will set in motion events that will see the red flag of the rabbit emperor fall."

Jessica bends her knees and almost manages to jump as Kuro throws his arm across his body and in one swing of his fist slaps Jessica face down in the mud. "I have made up my mind also. I will take what I want. I will bring you with me to Mt. Ceto, you will watch as I slay the last allegiance of Dogs and Rats. Then you will help me kill the foxes, the monkeys, the snakes, and pigs. This land will then be made of only me. I will see to it that your children find homes in Dagger Pass, and your treasures will fill my coffers."

Kuro looks back to his men "Henson, Setkura, smash the windows and brake down the doors, bring any jewels or arcana you find to me, keep the rest for yourselves."

***

Luke fell asleep on the bed along side Gina, his arms wrapped around the wolf hugging her. Luke's ears wiggle as he can faintly hear voices outside. But then the sound of braking glass snaps him awake. Gina jumps up to her feet also, she looks around trying to assess what is going on. Luke picks up his short sword from alongside the door to his room, he peeks out into the hallway.

"Gina, I want you to go to the bathing room, hide in the crawlspace behind the furnace. I will come and get you once I know what is going on." Luke sneaks out into the hall ready to protect his home.

Gina shouts softly at the mouse as he is vanishing into the hallway "do you see how ridicules this sound?" Gina never the less does as she is told.

Luke walks up the steps to get back into the main room. He peeks though the crack in the door. He can see six rabbits ripping apart the front room. One strange looking rabbit with snakes tattooed on his arms and legs and thick ragged looking fur is sniffing around, the strange rabbit has fangs that peek over his lower lip. This rabbit is half wolf.

Henson the wolf rabbit points at the door going down stairs, he waves at someone that is hidden from Luke's view. Henson stands in front of the door and calls in "Hay kid. If you want to save yourself some skin, I would say you should drop the knife and come out here."

Luke flips his blade around gripping it against the back of his arm. Luke kicks the door outwards and charges at Henson howling like a wild animal. From along side the door Luke is struck acorss the knees by a staff, then he is struck on the back forcing him to crouch. A feminine rabbit man called Setkura stands over Luke. Henson offers a punch to the side of Lukes head before he carries on to search the lower levels.

Setkura picks up Luke "you will be coming with us I think."

Gina hides in side the walls of the Bath chamber. She can hear the rabbit wolf Henson outside. She folds her hands around her muzzle to keep from crying. She can feel that the rabbits wish her ill will.

Henson walks around in the bathroom "you know, people like to joke about people like me. Half-bloods, I have met more then a hand full of people that thought I was some sort of a mythilogical monster, something like me can't be real they tell me. After all, how can a wolf and a rabbit ever love each other." Henson walks slowly to the back of the room, his nose twitching as he can taste Gina's blood in the air

Gina quivers, she is terrified by this tattooed rabbit. Her fear scares the fluid from her bladder. Gina can see though an eye sockets cut into the dugout. Henson's nose crinkles, he can taste Gina's urine hot in the air.

Henson gets down on all fours, he starts to crawl into the dugout. Gina pulls her legs into her chest. She has never had to fight before, she doesn't know what to do. Henson grabs Gina by one leg and tugs on her, Gina falls onto her back and is pulled under Henson. Gina screams "I am Gina of Lupu, daughter of Skoll the wolf Queen!"

Henson kneels over Gina like a predator "is that a fact?" the wolf rabbit growls.

Chapter 22 Fractured Memories Part 1

Realm Dodish

Place Southland

Chrono Sphere 20-05

As I sit in this train car my thoughts turn back to my school days, better days some might say. I can't disagree more, whenever I think back to sixth grade I remember only pain and discomfort, I couldn't reach my twenties fast enough. I write in this journal struggling to piece together half remembered day's gone. I recived a letter in the mail from a 'friend' I have not spoken to since before middle school.

Samur Mike Ashcroft. He was a exchange student. I am tolled he cames from a well-to-do family. He was an acquard one. A hyena if I am not mistaking, he had black hair and sharp green gray eyes. he dressed in the same outfit almost every day of the week; a cap that was not quit a bowler but not modern enough to be called a ball cap, a sliver sports coat with a number stitched into the caller, and black slacks with fade marks running down the lag where the cuffs have been stretched. These outfit bassed on its wear must have belonged to his father before him. It was a look from a generation earlier.

Mike was never unkind to anyone, but we were kids and kids tend to act dumb, we never understood Mike when he talked and the older kids amongst us seemed to have fun ruffing him up after school. I remember a smell, Mike had the worst cologne in the world. It was something between watermelon, honey, and gasoline. Every boy I knew talked about how bad it was. Maybe the girls liked it, I cant remember.

I do remember a field trip on the other hand, the one where Samur and I first talked. It was the fourth, fifth and sixth grade classes, we had gone to a nature reserve, and swimming at the end of the trip. When Mike sripped down to his swimsuit almost every boy in my grade broke out in laughter, his swimsuit was something hideous long black trunks that swung around his knees and a skin-tight undershirt that was clearly cut for a girl. Mike was quit and sensitive, he broke into tears and ran into the woods screaming. I was the first person to go looking for him.

In the fallowing days Mike was quick to track me down and we spent some time together. I was even invited over to his house. To spite him having claimed to come from a family with both wealth and influence the home he resided in was a house of modesty. Not even so much a house as a room in the upper floors of what at one time might have been a palace but now is a multiplex.

Something that I came to learn was that Samur really couldn't speak my language fluently. History tells us that in a time not so many decades ago there where sixteen kingdoms, all isolated. They had their own church, their own tongue, their own costumes. It was the construction of the railroad that brought the kingdoms together.

Honestly Samur wasn't that bad at catching on as the schoolyear trudged, one thing Mike never seemed to grasp was that in this land words have gender. He never seemed to use the right variation on words, espousal when talking about himself or his father he always used the wrong word, time and time again refereeing to his father and himself using feminine terms. I tried constantly to correct him.

In the later years, our land has slowly married into four mega kingdoms, the land I was born in has found itself as part of what we call the Westernlands and I am now exiting my home and moving into alien tarator. The next trainyard I reach will mark the crossroads of the four lands, I will be borading a train next talking me into the Southkingdom.

Why? Did I not say? Included in Mike's letter to me was a train ticket. I don't know why but I feel inclined to go to my one-time friend. The letter was less then specific with its instructions saying unclear words like 'I need you.' And 'there is something you must do for me' as for what these thing might be that is the part that was left out. Nevertheless I packed two bags and left my house in the hands of a acquaintance of mine and now here I go.

On the second train, I board I am greeted by wolves. A strange people they are, being from a land of cats I have never seen dogs best as I recall. In my land, there are no wolf actors or wolf poets. They provide me with a fine dining experience, they offer me a plate of a meat called something like horse-lag served with a side of eggs and a bitter drink that they serve warmed. I though the horse was a ruff meat and the drink did not suit my pallet but I was happy to entertain the company. They seemed to have more than a hand full of question to ask me as I did them.

We talk back and forth about nothing of interest for some time till at last I reach the last connection in my trip. The roads leading to Mike's house I understand are uneven, unsafe for motor vehicles to travel in the spring. So, a charioteer awaits to escort me the last few miles to meet my friend.

The property that spreads out before me is like nothing I have seen in my homeland. A fence wraps around the estate that must be five miles long, a whole town fits within the walls. A cobbled brickwork path leads up the side of a hill at the center of town leading to a house that might be a castle. But unlike the one he stayed at in school this one looks functional. An old castle, the type that old-world lords and ladies lived in.

My shock and aw does not recede as I am pushed up the stairs and into the gate. The inner hall is painted in a blinding yellow, mirrors line the walls bouncing light every which way transforming each candle into a hundred or more candles. A grand stairwell wraps around the floor leading up the castle into the highest reaches, five landings can be seen where one could exit the stairs and look down to the floors beneath.

A rope and bell hand from the wall on the left just inside the door, the walls are decorated with spears and shields, armor is set up on mannequins at the foot of the stairs and before each door. As a man with in interest in history I have collected a hand full of knives and helmets, but mine are old and worn, these are splendid, and show platina put are still in good repair. These armaments have seen battle and returned home.

"Mike!" I yell having little idea what else to do.

A voice, calm, sexy calls down from the second floor, my eyes roll up searching for its origin, my eyes catching a goddess like figure looking down at me, well formed, generously shaped, wide hips and moderate breast wrapped in a glowing gown that looks like fish scales forged out of rubies, thick black hair rolling down her back and flashing blue green eyes. Her fur is speckled between tan gray and black, with a dark ring around her noise and over her ears.

"You sound ridiculous when you say my name. it is the western tongue, you like the hard 'I' and you forget the 'E' I will not have more of this silliness. You will call me Madam Ashcroft or Sumar, no more of this 'Mike' business." Her voice is low and commanding but she is trying to make it sound high and inviting. "my lovable Mr. Dirhon Lovecraft. Why should it have taken you so long to come to me?"

I am in shock; the hair, the voice, the body they are all wrong. But the eyes, the inflections they seem right. But this can't be my friend, can it? "Sumar, you are a girl.?." I don't know if that is a question or a proclamation, my heart is suddenly pounding as she starts her way down the steps and her 'hideous perfume' finds my noise and suddenly I remember it, I understand it.

"Did I not say so much a hundred times when we were younglings?" her voice echoes down the chambers as she fallows the twisting spires down to me. "as a girl, many times your face invaded my dreams, my body wanted you, even then, even now. Did you never see it?"

It was never perfume, it was musk, she was leaving a hormone trail and somehow not I nor anyone else understand it. It was puberty, her body was shouting for attention, how did I never work that though in my head?

As the hyena reaches the bottom landing and moves in close I take a step back pressing my back to the wall trying to collect my emotion, I am overwhelmed by confusion. Sumar is not. One of Sumar's long then hands finds my face, she grips me by the back of the head and forces me to lean into her, her mouth opens, her muzzle parts, her fangs wrap around my lips, she kisses me with a depth and passion I would never have expected. I get lost in the kiss.

Chapter 23 Fractured Memories part 2

Just for arguments sake I want to say I am not from a poor family, the Lovecraft's are a respected lot, my father was a respected poet, my grandmother worked for a concert and stage company and I myself am an artist of sorts, I clean and repair damaged artifacts for the county museum. Many would say the Lovecraft's are rich. Now let me tell you, there is a fine line that divides the rich form the wealthy, you can lose riches. Have too much fun over a weekend, get attacked to fast cars and fast women and your riches will be gone before you know it. Wealth is something else altogether.

Wealth builds cities, shapes cultures. Wealth is the cornerstone of governments and communities. When you have real wealth you can lose that, the people around you won't let you. Even if you lose the money society will remember your name and doors will open for you that won't open for people that are only rich. If your name happens to start with something like; Dutch, Barron, or Czar, you will find that there will always be work for you to do and people that will offer to take care of you.

The Ashcroft's are in the latter category and I never would have known it. I knew the name, everyone has seen it somewhere but it is so omnipresent in many of our lives and you wouldn't associate it with a person, it's more like a place and a thing: the Ashcroft library, hospital, museum. Grew up on Ashcroft street. Meeting someone with that name seemed trivial.

Samur is the owner and operator of Ashcroft Vineyard and Winery and the fourth largest distribution center in the world (as far as I know anyway). The Vineyard is where I am now. Samur takes me out to the barn, she interduces me to her prize winning astro, it is a beast of burden a bird green in color with a rainbow tail weighs about 900lbs, his name is Grimm. Samur takes me on a ride, shows me the compound.

Truth be known I should have been able to work this out back when we were kids, the clues where there but I thought it was all miscommunications and misunderstandings of the usage of words, phrases like "my family grows wine" sounds insane taken out of contexts.

I have never ridden a bird before, I end up needing to in front of Samur, I sit on her lap laying forward onto the back of the peacock looking beast, she rests forward onto me as we run across the vineyard. Samur has under her command a village worth of employs; men to pick fruit, men to sort it, men to peal fruits and man to grind them, a facility to wash the produce and at last a place to barley age the nectars that will become the most widely consumed wine in the country.

Samur is happy to talk at lengths about the wines that are bottled at her vineyard. She tells me how the cheap and sweat wines are made for daily needs and how that is different form the dark bitter wines that are only sipped by the most sophisticated coinsures. I must confess yesterday I would never have imagined what I am getting to see today.

After a long ride, we return Grimm to his coop and walk back to the main house. Samur takes me to the dining room and interduces me to two of her retainers. The first is a man named Griswold, he is in charge of Samur's dietary needs, the second is a woman named Vidal, her job seems to be meeting any needs not related to eating or working out.

Griswold is a happy fellow, he offers to ready a meal for the two of us and is more than happy to attempt a feline recipe that might be more to my pallet to me then what he is accustomed to prepping. I assure him that I am adventurous and ready to try anything he is willing to place on a plate for me.

This possibly loos phrasing end up getting me a plate piled high with what looks like grilled spiders with lobster claws, a boiled snake, and a thick yellow soup that I never could place the flavor of. I might have thought this a tasteless joke till Samur reaches over the table to take some of my fried spiders for herself.

After dinner, I walk around the house, I am shown a privet theater, an indoor swimming pool, I am given a bedroom. From there it is off to the basement, and that is where thing start getting... of color let's say. Somewhere in the maze of a basement we come to a door with a red spotlight cast on it.

The red door is pushed open to reveal a well-lit room with an oversized bed and a collection of toys I dare not descried today. There are lights on the wall the spell out the words 'Dungeon Master', a small bar is off in the corner and a table with seating for two. Samur's teeth find my shoulder and one hand reaches around me in a lewd way, I suffer a small bite then her fangs move up my neck and around one of my ears, his an airy voice she whispers to me "and this is my game room." Something gets pushed into my lower back, it is rubbery, not hard but stiff.

The color must have started to melt form my face as once more I feel confused and overwhelmed. Samur is so commanding, so needing, some confident. What am I to do? Her is a woman that is everything I can ever want and yet I can hardly find the words to speak. Why am I afraid? What is that she is holding agents my back? "do you want to play a game?" she breaths the phrase into my ear.

"what game?" I galp

Samur walks into the game room and closes the door, hidden behind it is a wooden target board, she picks up from the table in the room a par of dirk. "every throw knives before?"

"Once or twice."

"let me see" Samur hands off the short blades. I may have exaggerated my ability to throw knives. With my first throw I fail to even hit the door with my next I hit the target with the blunt end and bounce it off.

Samur picks up the knives next, she throws like a wimp, not a one of her throws landing. Something feels wrong, did she miss because she doesn't know how to throw knives or did she miss because I missed?

I pick up the knives and try again. I don't do much better. Samur hands me the knife to try again then jokes with me, her tails flicking about "do you like gambling?"

"I have been known to flip a few cards."

"I make you a bet. You get two more throws, my next one will be closer."

I saw her throw, I know she can't do this, I think. So I take the bet "what is on the table?"

"I want a pet."

"A pet?"

She pulls a dog caller from under the bar "I want you to be my pet."

"what if you miss?" I know sounds stubbed, I know this is a bad idea but I am feeling good about myself.

Playfully Samur clips the caller around herself "you get to be the master."

Suddenly my balls take charge. I know I can do this, I wined up and throw my first knife. Bullseye! Too bad it was handle first. Second throw I cut the lower right corner off the target. That is worth something right?

Samur smiles brightly, her eyes narrow and as she picks up the knifes she leans forth and sticks her tail high in the air mocking me, forcing me to look at her tail. She looks over her shoulder as she stands back up and scandalously comments "A true killer I see. Where you just playing with me with your first throw?" Samur's hands draw up her body calling attention to her sharp hips.

She walks up alongside me one foot slightly in front of the other as she turns to face the target. A quick twist of the hips and her left arm swings out in ridge-hand two fingers on one side of the knives handle and her thumb on the other side. her throw isn't good, it isn't masterful, it is downright artful. Like some sort of an assassin stepping off the canvas of a middle age poem the knife strikes the target cutting the horizon perfectly.

I mutter "that can't be."

Samur clearly hears me as she brings her other hand up and slaps her shoulder lunching an underhanded throw from her right side slinging the other knife into the dart board just under her first knife the two of their handles crossing in a 'T' shape.

Samur turns her eyes to me with a uneven grin on her face. She takes off the caller she is wearing and wraps her arms over my shoulders clipping it around my neck. I can only assume that if you have the sort of money that the Ashcroft have you can afford to spend time doing things like learning how to throw knifes. Samur smirks darkly "It now looks as if I should own you."

Chapter 24 Fractured Memories part 3

The Hyena touches her noise to my neck then playfully pushes me away. She walks over to the table on other side of the room and reaches into a folder that is sitting in wait on the wall. "Now let us get started with the real game. I should like you to write your name here." She points out a dotted line in the lower right corner of a piece of paper she has on a clip board, there looks as if there should be writing on the paper but it is in a form of ink that seems to not be visible under the neon lights of the 'Dungan Master' sign. I pick up the page and try to see the writing but it simply can't be done

Samur takes the clip board from me and places it back on the table "Silly kitten, just sign." She pulls a check out from between her breast and sets it on the table, now this I can read clearly, this is a casher check for over ten times my annual salary "I get you to sign this paper and I give this to you or who so every you want me."

I can't turn that down, just think about what you could do if you had ten years pay in your hand right now. I do as I am told, Samur kisses me in turn and hands me the check. "Now, I should like you to take these." She pulls out from under the table a stack of paper that looks to be pressed from leather, then she pulls out a candle and a pin that can't be less than 200 years old with the inkwell to go with it "Write for me three letters and seal them with wax; one for your mother, one for your best friend and one for the museum. I need you to tell them that there is work that you must do abroad and you regret that you will not be home for three months."

I turn my head, my eyes find Samur's "three months? You want me to stay here for the next three months?"

Samur smiles placing her hands under her chin batting her eye's cutely "do you wish to not? For I think it should pleasure me much if you should stay. Maybe you can say it to be a vacation from your little art job. How does your job work anyway? I should like to know more."

I need time to think, I can't grasp all at once how a weekend trip could turn in a three moth long one or way, but again I think about the money I was just given, and then about the question of what I do "I am on artist by trade, I am specially trained in the handling of antique artwork, and its repair"

Samur waves me to sit down giggling happily "the paradox of art. Everyone wishes they can make new art that everyone can love. But there in is the problem is it not? If you should think about all the things you love are they not all things they have? And all things new are things you cannot know that you love. "

I laugh embarrassed "yeah, that is why people that clean paintings get payed so well" Clearly suffering a lapse in judgment I sit down to start writing. I take note of a watermark on the pages, an emblem; three question marks, one backwards, one upside down, one backwards and on its side, all connected by a single ring in-between them. I can't say why this caught my attention, only that it did, and that it will again.

The letters, something about them and the way Samur asked me to write then feels like something I have seen before, something from the past. Samur reaches under the table setting a hand on my lag as I write. She tickles me to keep my attention. I feel hypnotized.

After I finish the letters Samur places them in a set of envelops, she produces a wax stamp and seals them shut, the embroidery on the stamp resembles the letter 'V' and a set of wings. At that Samur is overtaken by animalistic urges. She pushes me at the bed in the room and forces me onto my stomach. She grips me by the haunches and pulls me up to all fours. She lays on my back play humping me as she nibbles at my neck.

For some time Samur bites and kisses at me, her heat builds and her hips rock up against my butt. That same soft, stiff feeling starts to arise again. I am nerves, uneasy, Samur reaches around be clawing at my chest. I have never been pushed on to all fours like this and never has a girl rubbed my rump so erotically. If I may I would also like to say that I never thought I would be with a girl from outside my kingdom.

Samur slides her hands into my pants offering to push them down for me. At that point I try to pull away and tell Samur that 'I'm really not that excited'. I get as far as saying "I" then she rolls me onto my back and pulls my lags up to her sides as she lays me in missionary position. She takes my muzzle in her moth and she forces me to his her. Her tongue slides into my mouth and I can do nothing but except her lust.

At some point during all of this I can only assume I fell asleep. I awaken what I can only guess to be hours later in the room that was given to me on the second floor. I don't think I slept with Samur but suddenly the thought is on my mind. If she starts to act so rowdy again I might just have to try to reach down and get a feel for her little hole. Thinking about it I am disappointed I didn't have that thought earlier.

I go for a walk around the castle, I find most of the doors locked. Ultimately not unreasonable. I do find a few open doors, the door to the basement, a door on the second floor that leads to a study, and a door that leads into a theater room. As I walk a hand full of thoughts keep creeping to the front of my mind, first that way Samur said "...three letter." That sounded so strange to me, the words and the idea alike seemed in so many ways wrong, second everything in the mane wing of the castle, why is it all painted bronze?

I come to a mirror at the end of a hallway on my walk, the mirror is eight feet wide and ten feet tall, it is pointed down the hall to a second mirror of identical diminutions, the two mirror reflect each-other creating the illusion of a hallway without ending. The glass is backed by a yellow metal giving the mirror a sickly reflection, everything looks aged and yellowed, the glass itself is imperfect, it has slight ripples in it that make the edges look like they are reflecting throw water.

There is a gold molding around the outside of the mirror with elaborate carvings in it, fish like shapes swim up the sides of the mirror, then there is a watery brake in the molding that marks fish turning into birds flying up to the keystone of the mirror, a sun like shape... but what is that? The same shape I had seen in the watermark of the paper, the three question marks and the ring. There inside the sun. what is it? What does it mean? I reach up to try and run my fingers along it but then feel the need to try to find my way back to my room instead. I will need to remember to ask Samur about the etching.

For the next day or two I don't see Samur. I ask Griswold about it and he can only tell me that she is not available. I should have expected so much. Someone like her surly cant afforded to sit around all day right? The strange mark I had seen had almost slipped my mind before I returned to my room the fallowing night to find a peace of paper on my bed with writing in red ink on bronzed paper that reads "Have you seen the mark?"

The letter seems ghastly but I discard it ready to lay down and hopes of seeing my friend in the morning. I hear whispers in the back of my mind as I way down.

"...Silly Kitten, Just sign..."

"...Now the real game can begin..."

"...All the things that you love are they not things that you have..."

"...Just sign..."

"...Have you seen the Mark..."

My eyes snap open, I feel something pressing down on my chest, something large and heavy is sitting atop me. My arms can't move, my lags can't move, I want to shout but my body will not allow it. I hear roaring, I feel wind rushing out from under my bed and out the door like some sort of air tunnel, I see a haze rolling form beneath me, I smell cold in the air, I taste something bitter in my mouth. Hands reach for me from the foot of the bed, my heart pounds. Hands rest on my chest. The bitter taste like blood and gasoline chocks me.

Chapter 25 Fractured Memories part 4

Rumbling quakes the bed, hands crawl up my chest. I struggle, I try to shake from side to side but no part of my body will reply to my commands, it is almost as if I am outside myself looking up. Some sort of prerecorded memory playing out in real time, as if I can't fight become I didn't fight. I yell at myself in my thoughts I cry, is swear, I want to do something, anything.

The hands inch ever closer, they move up my chest and around my caller, they move to my cheeks then. Eyes come into sight, blocking my vision. Shadowy blue eyes, I feel a squeezing sensation. I experience a flash of light; my vision fades to black.

Suddenly it is mid-morning, birds are chirping, I can hear men working outside. My skin feels sticky, my eyes are swollen from the clay in the air and I have an uncomfortable hard-on. After rubbing my eyes and growing, waiting for the sleep to leave my body and my unexpected arousal to reseed I climb out of bed and take inventory of my room. Surly whatever was in my room left something behind to prove it was truly there.

I find what looks like claw marks under the bed, water resin on the floor, but no monsters. I find the crumbled up note that I had discarded earlier. Holding it up to the light it has the watermark that the leather paper from the dungeon had "Have you seen the mark?" I whisper to myself, yes, I have. In my heightened sense of awareness, I can see hair floating throw the air. As well as a beam of light trailing across my room that is filtered an off color, this light is moving against the rest of the light, it's not coming in from the window it is coming out of the mirror in the corner of my room...

Surly I must look mad if anyone where to look at me at this very moment as I run at the mirror chasing the light. I find it! A chip in the mirror! Evenly at eye level a chip only slightly larger than the head of a tip of a ball point pen. I press my face to the glass struggling to look past the mirror. There is a room on the other side of the wall, simple and gray, a t.v., a radio, boxes stacked floor to ceiling in one cornor, and no doors or windows visible.

I pull the mirror off the wall to reveal a hole drilled into the drywall around the size of a small coin, otherwise the wall is smooth. Paranoia grips at my soul, what is this room? Is it related to what I saw last night? I run out of my room and search the hallway for a way into the room adjacent to my-own.

I find the next nearest door on the right side of the hallway and haphazardly push it open, it is a bedroom, Vidal's bedroom. Vidal screams when the door opens, she is standing mostly in the nude before a mirror on her side, she tucks a hand between her thighs hiding her feminine bits and folds a hand over her breast. She shouts at me in the common tongue of the land and waves at me in a threatening way.

I close the door and walk back a hand full of steps, I slide down the wall sitting down as I think. Or maybe I just sulk. I force myself into a state of calm and walk out into the grape fields. It would not be too much of a hyperbole to say I was born on the far end of the lake from here, "across the pond" is the phrase kids used in school to describe foreigners. I cumbersome weight strikes my mind as I think about how big that pond really is.

At home I am someone, people know me, know my work. Given the condition many take for granted the niceties extended to them. You know your own customs, the way people talk and act in public, but when you are a stranger in a strange land it becomes crushing when you notice you no longer understand the tone of peoples voices or the words the use.

In a bout of loneliness I approach an elderly women and try to grate her, she sees me and understands that I am trying to talk to her and she talks back but it is clear that she doesn't understand the words I am saying, and I can't understand her. I spend some time in the 'village' hopping to shack some hands and learn about the area before I start to draw the conclusion that Griswold and Samur are the only people around that understand the western tongue.

This actualization is enough to convinces almost anyone to turn their eyes to the sky and contemplate "how big is the world?" or "how small am I?" a day's walk from home but it feels like a different world, I don't know if the words exist to adequately descried the depths of space, and if the words to descried such a thing can be found I have trouble fathoming the idea that our minds would be able to embraces the vastness around us. Thinking about the way we measure things and the variable scale that one could conceive of, it seems to me that from a plot in space in which you could properly perceive the cosmos, looking back to my tiny earth you would not see distinctive valuable live so much as meaningless scant growths of semi-intelligent symbionts blindly fumbling to grasp at the value of the world on which they sit. What horror? What vast emptiness awaits anyone foolhardy enough to reach their hands to the stars and wish to be a part of them?

I am thankfully distracted from my existential moment when I hear the bird Grimm squawking and I see Samur riding nearby. I wave, Samur notices, she turns Grimm to face me and runs into the fields where I watch the sky. The peppy hyena jumps form her mount landing atop my chest throwing me at the ground. Her arms reach around my neck and her noise touches mine as her eyes lock with me.

"Silly kitten, what are we doing now?"

"cloud watching" I try to play off my anxieties

Samur rings the bell around my neck with one finger "I think I grow hungry. Let us return home, Griswold will take good care of us." Her teeth rub my shoulder as she whispers "lest I take a bite out of you?"

I can't possible turn this invitation down, for the last almost two days I have felt a longing that I knew Samur could heal. Samur picks me up and dust me off. As we mount Grimm heading back to the estate I whisper with Samur "Have you seen the mark?"

With a bubbly smile, she calls back "what for do you mean?"

"I'll show you" the two of use return to the castle. I take Samur to the hallway in which I had seen the antique mirror. I point out the sun symbol in the center of the molding. The image vexes me, the wavy lines, the ring within the ring. I fear the symbol even without understanding it.

I look to my friend "what is it?"

"old, I can tell you that much." Samur stars into the mirror watching herself, she turns from side to side and pulls on the sides of her dress holding in to her body examining her features. "I think I have seen 'it' in the book depository. Something to do with some river goddess as I recall."

"I have seen it more than once in the last few days." I express

"Maybe. This mirror, my grand-mama took it from the skeleton of a burned church. Perhaps the church wants it back." The tone in Samur's voice is far to calm, to happy and playful for talk of such grisly things. "I have not walked down this hallway in some time. Tell me what else have you seen?"

"A room full of boxes and a television hidden in the wall of my room."

Samur laughs "show me!"

I cant understand the way she is acting, I am quivering and she is giggling. Yet still we rush back to my room and I show her the hole in the wall that leads to the storage room. I exsplain to her that I couldn't find a way in, she tells me how she thinks that the way in is through the floor. So she leads me back down to ground level and start counting her footsteps looking for where my room would be.

With some pocking around we find a closet with a trap door leading up. The door is nailed shut and the nails bent off to one side forming hooks. Samur pulls up her dress and withdraws a skinning knife from her garter belt. Utilizing the hook at the end of the knife she pulls the nails from the ceiling and a ladder falls leading the way up.

We climb into the tiny room together and stat exploring. the t.v. still seems to work as does the v.h.s. player hooked up to it. The boxes seem to be packed tightly with cosset tapes. As I start pulling open boxes I take notices of the dates on them. Most of these seem to be only a few years old. The two of us dig about looking for the last tape. We pull it out then load it into the tape deck. I hit play.

Chapter 26 Fractured Memories part 5

The tape plays, it looks like some time of a student/ avant-garde, expressionistic peace. The film is grainy and the images that flash by the screen seem softly out of focus and in gratinate grayscale. The first image on the screen is a moldy looking tome on a turntable, it starts to spin, slowly at first but then to an excessive speed. A white flash dissolve, then the image turns to what looks to be the antique mirror in the hallway, somehow the camera man stays out of frame. Next image is a boat, a barque perhaps, the image jumps nauseatingly from the side of the ship to the sails then back to the water, next to the helm in a sequence of quick cuts. Then on the screen flashes a murder of birds, then a snake of some sort, then back to the book on the turn table.

My eyes catch the faintest glances of words flickering on the spine of the screen.

"I"

"am"

"The"

"lord"

"there is no"

"escaping"

"I am"

"Everywhere"

"love"

"me"

"I am"

"truth"

"grace"

"peace"

"I"

"am"

"Cravixs"

"worship me"

The next image on screen is a candle lighting, it is a reversed shot so the lighter never comes into view, instead the flame burst to life. Trees, the sun, more words flash by

"Have"

"you"

"Seen"

"IT?"

I look to Samur to see what she thinks, she has leaned forward onto all fours sticking her tail up as she is fiddling with the TV settings trying to adjust the focus. I call to her "Samur!"

She looks over her shoulder at me wagging her tail "what?"

"what was that?" I ask

"don't know, couldn't see it."

"rewind it, I want to see it again."

Samur rewinds the tape, she plays it again, we find nothing but white noise on a second viewing Samur looks at me with a concerned gaze "I think I broke it. What was it?" Unable to find a simple way to sum it all up I shake my head and lower my ears in jittering melancholy. With a smile and a wave Samur calls to me "we can get back to this, I am still hungry."

When we go back to ground level my ears are assaulted by strange sounds, copper clanging, hissing, chattering. I watch Samur seeing if she reacts to the strange sounds, but if she can hear them she is showing no outward signs. When we reach the dining room the otherworldly echoes stop all at once.

Samur yells of Griswold, he appears in the room with some sort of alien lifeform pulled across his face. I jump out of my chair backing away manically. I point and scream to draw attention to the flesh toned scorpion like monster wrapped around Griswold's eyes, its tail clearly growing out of his back.

Griswold tucks his heand behind his back paying me no heed, Samur fails to react as well as the tow of them start talking about what is on the menu for the day. I gain my faculties and grab the chair I had leapt form with intention of smiting the intrusive alien with the utmost of zeal. Griswold places one hand on the back of my chair holding to the ground with surprisingly little effort.

Griswold ask me what I would like for my supper. I can't seem to pull my eyes away from the grotesque cancerous mass attacked to his face. Samur recommends something but my thoughts are too far distracted to tell what she had ordered. Griswold turns and vanishes into the kitchen area.

I shoot Samur a shocked glance, there is simply on way she hadn't seen what I had seen. I try to ask about it but she insist that she simply could not see what I sow. I force myself to calm. Griswold emerges for the kitchen with our food. Two bolls of boiled onion, steamed roots, and squid with ink sauce. This time Griswold is devoid of face eating parasites.

After eating Samur takes me to the library to search for anything we can on the mark we had seen earlier. Taking notice that my privet journal is running short on pages at this point I ask for another book. I come to find there is no shortage of journals to be had in the library.

Samur hovers over the spines of books for a time before turning to face me "where do we start looking?"

"Marks, churches, river gods, Cravixs, I don't know."

Samur starts picking up books "that is much ground to start with." Samur is happy to sit in the library with me diligently pureeing over books looking for any trail that could help me understand the things I am seeing. I can't help but wonder, why is she not as frightened by the mark as I am?

It is well past sundown before Samur seems to find something of interest. Like an energetic child, she leaps to her feet and pushes the books at me, she nearly lays on my back as she guilds my line of sight "the Icon of Chaos. 'Chaos is a primal goddess, the youngest of the Gardeners of Eden. she is a mother god, with the power alter life.' It seems to say."

"Alter, what does it mean alter?"

"that part is not clear."

"what about the other name Cravixs?"

Samur sits on my lap wiggling till she is comfy then leans forward to flip through the book for a few more pages looking for the name. "Cravixs is the anti-god, one of thousands of names given to the Void."

"Anti-god? Some sort of a demon?" I find myself asking.

"looks more like a negative god, a god that has the power to wish out of existence things that other gods wish into existence, a neutralizing power I guess."

"why would such a thing exist?"

"why wouldn't it? If the universe IS by necessity, and the universe see fit to create a lifeform that had all conceivable power then like and antibody the universe may have created by necessity something that has the power to take away all conceivable powers."

"then why have gods in the first place if you are going to create a god the lives to kill other gods."

"maybe the gods were part of some sort of first draft, an attempt to create a universe wherein there is space of all things, a universe where nothing isn't." Samur seems to have thought about this one before, as she already read this book and is simply remembering it as we talk?

Samur turns around sitting on my lap facing me, her lags find my hips and her arms my neck, she squirms about making me rub up her body. "is there anything else you would like me to look for so long as we are here?"

I express that we have read enough for one night. I take the book that Samur had found with the description of Chaos and Cravixs in it. I tuck the book under my arm and start to make my way back to my room with it. Samur fallows, she takes one of my arms and holds it to her side in a pseudo hug.

My hand finds her crotch, I feel around slightly playing about I feel something unexpected. When I rub past the thick firm mass between her thighs her head lifts in a pant, and I look down confused. I just came to terms with the idea that Samur is a girl but what I touched doesn't feel like anything I have seen on a girl before.

I fumble about trying to ask what I just did to her and my ignorance seems to affined the hyena, with an annoyed growl she shoves me into my bedroom then talks off in a huff. Are dogs so far removed from cat that I they have such different hardware to work with? I just hop at this point my stupidity hasn't done irreparable damage.

I lay down to read, I keep my notebook alongside me, I have decided to give this notebook a name. I am calling my new journal "The Mark" and I ingrave the cover with the 'Icon of Chaos' in obsession I record my every thought as I read from the pages of this moldy book.

Just as my eyes get to heavy to read my ears spring to life, a crackling inside the walls triggers my survival instinct, white light is bleeding past walls. I stand up and walk to the crack in the wall of my room. I look into the TV room to find the television has been moved into center frame form my hole in the wall. Yellow paint mask the screen, there is the Mark burned into the static on the screen. The screen flics back and forth between white noise and images of snakes and worms swarming.

It haunts me, it hunts me. The Mark. What does it want? What is it drawing me into? It wants me. It needs me. It whispers in my ear in a tongue I cannot speak.

I have seen it!

I have SEEN IT!

"I have seen the Mark."

Saying those words out load seems to have momentarily appeased whatever spirt hides in the dark. The TV turns itself off. My room goes dark. The night falls into silences. "I have seen the Mark." I whisper again.

Chapter 27 Fractured Memories part 6

Weeks pass. Things are peaceful. Since the night, I proclaimed aloud "I have seen the Mark" the mark has made very few appearances. No more nightmares, no more noises or monsters hiding in the dark that only I can see. But still it is burned onto my mind. I have cut the symbol into the palm of my left hand to make sure I never forget what it looks like.

The next time a strange note appeared in my bed the quotation it asked was more of in order depending on the way you look at it. This time the note reads "Love me" no period, no question. Just a statement "Love me".

Things smooth over with Samur fast enough. She seems to understand that I was not trying to be off-putting with her, I am no lie, childishly unaware of the shape of a dog's body. Till Samur explained it I didn't even understand that hyenas are not wolves. Looking at them head on they look pretty much alike after all. But no. hyenas and wolves are related but they are more like cosines then siblings, sounds like hyenas might also be cosines to skunks rabbits and even cats through some sideways logic and genetic gymnastics.

I spend days walking around the vineyard, I spend some time talking to a young girl, between the two of us we start to learn each-others languages. We have fun together. Wall Samur spends her days at work I spend more than a handful of them with this hyena child running though the fields and struggling to understand one-another. She is cute, she is funny, it would be nice to have a child like her. I still haven't figured out how to pronounce her name right to me it sounds like Isis.

Six weeks into my vacation. Still nothing else strange.

Late at night Samur shows up in my bedroom. I can taste her pheromones in the air. I have taken to sleeping in the nude and am more than surprised to see her open the door and waltz in. Samur's hair is amess, her eyes glazed over with physical need. Samur drops her dress off her body and for the first time I see her body in its full glory.

Samur is covered head to toe in almost perfectly symmetrical white, tanned, and black spots. I see firsthand for the first time her naked breast, she has three sets of tits, all a glossy black, and then my eyes find her clitoris, five and a quarter inches long, the head of it oozing thick white jelly.

The shape of a hyena's vulva is like no other animal's that I know. The vulva of a hyena is attached to the end of their clitoris and comes out of front of their pelvic girdle instead of off the bottom like with a cat or wolf (from what I understand). Samur climbs onto the bed, she crawls over me. Samur doesn't talk, she forces my muzzle into her mouth. One hand slides under the covers and Samur throws the blanket off of me. Samur's legs find my hips, she tickles my chest with one hand, her other hand grips her clit and starts tugging on it till it becomes stiffened.

Samur's honey drips form her clit onto my manhood, I can't believe how quickly the hot juice smearing arouses me. I grunt, my hands hind her rump squeezing it greedily. Instinctually I pull up on Samur's hips to try to find her lips treating her like a cat. Samur lays forward correcting me, one hand still on her swollen clitoris she wiggles her unit against mine till finely the head of my penis slides into the hole at the tip of her clit.

Samur squeals feeling the ruffe hooks on the underside of my foreskin. It takes a moment for both of us to get comfortable. Samur exhales slowly, her weight rest atop me, the jelly-sleeve that is her vulva wraps around me balling up around my testacies. After I am as deep in her as I can get Samur starts to raise then drop her hips. Her vulva loosens as she lowers her weight then tightens as she pulls back, this creates a strange vacuuming feeling, her tension quickly shifts from well experienced partner to childishly tight. Even my first time I wasn't with a girl that can squeeze to firmly, and my first time I was 13 and so was my partner.

Samur is such an exotic feeling, there is nothing quite like a whet hyena sitting on top you. She keeps rested forward, kissing lustfully. Samur gets progressively faster in her thrusting, her body seals in moister, I can't help by start sweating after only a few short moments of her on my lap. I can't stop myself, after what couldn't be more than three or four minutes I find myself spraying into her sheath. Samur is not quite satisfied she places her hand on my chest and even after I finish she keeps thrusting on me. It takes another fifteen minutes before she is satisfied and allows me to fall out of her shaft. I pass out.

The fallowing few days Samur pays me a visit early in the moring to 'play' with me, she then goes to work, and at night we eat together and talk. Another few weeks' pass, Samur sees me back to the train station and doubles the pay she had already given me. I part ways with my friend, our relationship having gone farther than I had ever hoped. I will miss my friend. I can only hope we see each other again soon.

After getting home I take up a new hobby, I start writing. I find a magazine that specializes in suspense stories. I start sending in regular letters, short stories, and within 10 months I have a full manuscript ready to be reviewed.

I still find myself looking around, searching for the Mark. One day I find it. In my mail box, a box about 18"/9"/12" it is from Samur, there it is on the top of the box painted in golden lipstick it seems. The phrase "I found the Mark." Written beneath it.

I open the box to find a hand full of things in it: A C.D., a VHS tape and player, A letter folded up and sealed with wax, a rubber stingray painted pink with crab claws and a monkey like tail glued to it, and a book entitled "Mind's Eye: the Darkest Depths". It is a modern looking book like the kind you seen in gaming stores that explain the rules for complicated table top games. I think I had seen it in Samur's dungeon, but unable to speak the Hyena tongue I would never have known.

I set of the VHS player first and watch the tape. I fear I know what it is. Samur appears on the screen, she is in the dungeon the film quality is shockingly good. She is dressed in a loose fitting white gown, obviously pregnant. Samur waves innocently with a wide smile. She picks up a peace of paper form the table in front of her. It is the contract.

Samur speaks "Lovecraft, I was playing with you. I feel the need to explain everything. First, the Mark: it is a holy symbol yes, but a fake one, it is from the game 'Mind's Eye Theater', the mirror with the Mark on it and the book in my library are both forgeries I made as part of a large-scale game I was setting up. But as the game was going on I could see that I was hurting you so I stopped. The ghostly voices, that was nothing more than an atmosphere tape playing over some load speakers, and the monster in the kitchen, that was a chew toy and some makeup nothing more. Also, the ghost in our bedroom was Vidal, we set some fans under your bed and a fog machine outside your window to give her the otherworldly look. Griswold also had the grate idea to expose you to a neurotoxin Succinylchonline that should have paralyzed you and cussed minor hallucinations. "

"Lastly there is this." Samur unfolds the letter she is holding "I, Samur Ashcroft, am going to try to scare you, the undersigned, as part of a live theater event. You will be brought to a secluded location populated by actors hired by the above signed. Over the cores of this performance we may choose to utilizes: make up, prosthetics, light manipulation, radio and camera equipment, costumes and mind-altering chemicals strictly within limits described by the surgeon general. We will shock and thrill you but myself and the other actors are all under order not to do in form of physical harm." She folds the letter up again setting it before her.

"the document was written in lemon-based ink, it was invisible till the paper was heated. you really where nice to me Lovecraft, and I hope you would be so kind as to come see me again. Next time I will have an all new game for us to play." Samur kisses her hand then blows on it, she waves and turns of the recording.

A game, was it a game? I think hard for a moment. Maybe I do want to go around one more time. I start writing a letter back to Samur, I want to make sure I have a clean notebook on hand. I can't wait to see what she comes up with for my next visit.

***

Hetatsubachi sits atop the train as it is pulling into the next station. He watches the birds fly, the lake flashing in the distance, the sun cresting the sky. The air is warm, the world is calm. This is a place Hetatsubachi would like to spend more time in but time is something that seems to be running out. The wolf jumps from the train and walks down a dirt road finding his way to a wine bottler. He looks up and down the rows of grapes. He sniffs at some of them. the smell is repulsive.

"How strange." Tatsu whispers to himself. "why would the people on this planet hunger for such a bitter fruit?"

A voice from the past comes to call. Loki, she has taken her elf shape, the loins maim, the spiked yellow hair, shimmering skin and mismatched eyes "the people here live short lives, one of the greatest pleasures they have is exiting this world under their own terms." She is wrapped in a cloak woven out of owl fathers.

"Loki." Tastu walks over to his friend, his lips curled into a smile, his ears down demonstrating his calm. "tell me you aren't looking for me."

Loki lowers her head and widens her eyes in a sexual display "I would say I have found you." She knells down to grab Tatsu by the sides of the face holding him. "how has your immortality been treating you?"

"I am still chasing fate it seems." He brings his head up to kiss Loki "have you seen Jessica the Weaver lately?"

The two share a short kiss, Loki pulls away with a disappointed sneer "then you are still on the hunt? It seem there is no talking you out of chasing your whale." She has a soft sigh then nods "it just so happens that I do know where Jessica is. I bumped into her when I was on Nimh, she was bunkered down at Dagger Pass." Loki rolls her eyes up thinking.

Chapter 28 Ghost Dog

Realm: Nimh

Location: Dagger Pass, East Ilse

Chrono Sphere: 20-04

It is the thaw, for weeks the ground has been frozen, endless snowfall has halted any travel across the land. The last 27 sessions have been an age of endless bloodshed. The Giaidren and the Usagi have been locked in an endless battle. Every ship constructed by the two clan have been sunk. Every town in East Ilse outside of the bunkers and military camps have been abandon or burned.

Two armies gather at the foot of Ceto Spier, the last and largest alliances of Kobolts and Usagi stand facing the army of Giaidren. Mice and Rabbits stand to fight Wolves in a glories struggle. Hundreds of thousands of bodies line up, shields and spears shine in the sun, swords and axes rest at sides, drums thunder, flags fly. The battle at hand is one that will shape the world in the next generation.

Shogun Kuro is the greatest and mightiest rabbit, he stands large as a wolf, he requires no armor as he walk through the snow, his chest bear, a sword that looks like a sharpened galley oar. By the side of the Shogun walks two trusted friends: Setkora, a scribe, and Henson, a beast tamer. Also, with them walks a single mouse maiden, Jessica the Weaver, a wizard from the south land.

Kuro looks out across the battlefield as the sun crest the sky. The Shogun takes a deep breath placing a hand on the back of a soldier that stand before him, a young girl, one that looks far to young to be on this field, her name is Aki. The Shogun laughs hardy "Tell me, what do you feel on the wind?"

Aki watches across the field "Fear," Aki explains "I have overheard my brothers whispering, the dogs, some are so strong as to crush two rabbits with one snap of their jaws, and eat a mouse whole"

The scribe explains "we must hold this line today shogun. If we do not take the hill before sundown tonight we never will."

The shogun bellows mightily "hear them not, today victory will be ours."

The Rabbits wave flags, bet drums and ready themselves as the last minutes before the charge. A whistle blows in the distance. 'The Iron Mare' constructed by the mice 107 sessions ago. Horse fifteen mice tall, twenty wide, thirty-five long. Iron Mare eats 100lbs of metal a day, she is so powerful she can hold in her carriage the weight of 10,000,000 rabbits, she can drag behind her a million pounds of cargo. She can lift a boat singlehandedly. Then run from one side of the island to the other in an hour.

Everyone to come to the island has wanted to learn the secrets of the Iron Mare. That is what the wolves wanted, that is what the rabbits needed, and that is what the mice bring to the war. The largest and most beautiful of machines. Artisans of legendary skill.

Wagons are pushed to the front line, atop them sit many armed crossbows, many strings netting them together, barrels of chains hang off one side filled with thousands of arrows each. A cog and wheel on the back that is used to draw the many strings. This is the newest and most frightening machine the mice have constructed.

Jessica mounts her staff in the ground leaning on it. She speaks to the Shogun "Kuro, do not order the kobolts to use the new bows." Her glasses glow in the soft light.

Kuro flips his sword around staking it in the ground, he whispers with Jessica "why?"

"if these bows fire, you will experience a fear like no other." Jessica explains.

"can we win this war without the mice war machine?" Kuro asks

"I don't know." Jessica expresses.

"then I will do what we must."

Horns blow. The wolves charge across the field. Kuro shouts orders "Hensin, take your beast to 3ed rank, hook the flanks. Satkura, ready the spears. Hold your swords high. Every rabbit will fight, we fall or we stand with our countryman. Glory today, or never!"

Aki watches the dogs get ever closer, she shakes, she digs her feet into the ground, she has never seen blood spilt. She shutters filled with fear. Kuro standing behind Aki, he grabs her by the arms "hold your sword tight. I have given you this blade, and I stand by you. I have given you, the youngest of my sword barriers three maneuvers the will humble any beast if only you have the courage to strike."

The Shogun's eyes narrow, the dogs are ta the tree Setkura named 'Midway' now is the time to let the arrows fly. Kuro points to his bannerets. The knight holds his flag overhead, the mice fire the bows. Drums hammer, the drums will never stop beating.

The wheels turn on the bows, arrows fill the air. Each bow firing a thousand arrows a minute. The sky grows dark. The power of the arrows shatters bone, brakes swords, bends shields. The arrows fly so far and fast they seem to splinter on contact with the earth. The speed at which the arrows come is like nothing the wolves have ever seen.

Before the wolves are even within range to fire their bows and slings back, the volley mice arrows have halved the wolves' forces. The wolves will be quartered before they are in range to draw their swords.

The machines of the mice are more horrifying then Kuro could have imagined. The Shogun folds his hands in 'the prayer of nine cuts', grass turns to red clay underfoot. Wolves hold up shields pulling in tight to protect each other. Only five minutes of arrow fire has slain more dogs then days of hand to hand battle could possibly have.

Hensin and his beast charge in from the sides once the arrow fire has stopped. Swords men brake ranks to run into the field to fight off the remainder of the wolf front line. In an unheard-of demonstration of strength dogs fall before rabbits at a rate of nearly 200 to 1.

Before the sun has reached its zenith, the battlefield lay baron, hardly a whimper can be heard from the wolf camp. Kuro stands stunned, his sword barriers never having needed make naked their blade.

It is clear the battle is over. Mice and rabbits alike throw their hands up in celebration. All but Kuro and his advisers. The four oldest and most time worn warriors feel an overwhelming melancholy "Setkura," Kuro speaks as he is lost in the sadness of silence "I want boats, fill them with maidens, and send them to the 10 nearest lands to us. I want flowers. 1 million of them. planted here, under my feet." Setkura nods, "Hensin, take these bows, bend them around the trees. Never again will we fire them."

Jessica places a hand on Kuro's back. Kuro lowers his head "we have slain a generation; their sacrifice had no honor." He rests a hand on Jessica's head "the monks from the wolf clan told tails of a field of endless color. We will make this battlefield into the wolves' holy place."

"Aki,' Kuro looks to the rabbit guard that he stands with "Gather the doe' start digging graves. We must sanctify this ground, Jessica go with them and ready the dead for their final journey."

***

The sun burns in the sky, the smell of blood stains the air. The bodies of wolves are thrown high atop a pile. The doe work hard to dig graves for the fallen. A single wolf girl, cold and dead takes an unexpected breath. The doe' digging near her squeal as one point at the newly animated dead. The wolf opens her eyes, a blue white light shimmering in her eyes.

A hand full of rabbits point at the wolf as she dizzily pushes herself up to all fours. A number of rabbits' whisper all sorts of strange phrases leave their lips: "A Krishna!" one explains, "the Buddha?" another inquires.

Jessica is pulled over by a rabbit child who points her to the waking wolf. The wolf slides her head down picking up a chain of wooden beads, a gold triangle burns into her scalp, a glowing blue ring appear around her eyes. The fur of the once dead wolf sparkles as the color burns out of it. She has turned whiter then snow.

As the wolf finds her feet Jessica waves the doe' behind her. The mouse maiden grips her staff in both hands waiting to see what happens next. Jessica's glasses shimmer in the light her eyes sparkle pink behind them as Jessica taps into her ancient power studding the monster before her.

Hinsin shouts to Jessica and the others as he dashes to their aid sword in hand "Jessica!"

Jessica tries yelling to Hinsin "Stay away!" she offers a warning to the beat tamer

Hinsin is a courageous rabbit, he fails to brake his stride as he charges the undead wolf women. Hinsin draws his sword overhead shouting a powerful "Kie-Ie" the battle cry of the Bushi family.

The white wolf jumps sideways sliding out of Hinsin's reach, the beast master follows the momentum of his sword spinning into the wolf to slash at her again. The shadow of the wolf grows many arms, the shadow of the dog grabs the shadow of the rabbit, Hinsin's physical body react to his shadow being touched as if he was struck. The rabbit is lifted into the air by the shadow then throwing to the ground.

Setkura sees something is astray and rushes in to join the fight. The scribe takes a takes a bow from a nearby warrior. He draws the bow and fires on the wolf. The shadow of the wolf pulls away from ground to catch the arrow. The shadow howls, many rabbits crouch and back away from the sound as the wolfs howl shakes the ground.

The wolf looks to Jessica, the beast tries to throw it's voice at the Weaver, Jessica is pushed for a moment but then smalls the staff of Kari into the ground throwing a protective wall around herself to stop the magical attack.

Jessica pushes her way ever closer to the wolf, her ears wiggle, her nose twitches. Light burns from the staff, Jessica's divinity neutralizing the power of the demon wolf. "that smell, the shape of your eyes. You have the blood of a Worldwalker in your veins."

The wolf's eyes are filled with fears, her head turns side to side searching for some form of understanding. She is confused, she is lost. The wolf struggles to understand the event she has just seen, she is not attacking the rabbits of her own will, she is acting on instinct, she is protecting herself. "I am Vevavita-una." The wolf expresses.

Jessica squints "Una?" she thinks aloud "Hetatsubachi?" she whispers.

More and more rabbits gather around: Kuro in the lead, Aki standing in his shadow, Hinsin, Setkura, then dozens more.

For a moment the Vita's eyes soften, she is starting to calm, starting to understand. As the rabbits close in Vita lowers her head and snarls. Fire burns in the wolf's eyes. The ghost hound thrust out with her will, dirt and rock are thrown in the air, wind howls. Rabbits are pushed away, Jessica presses one hand to the back of her staff forcing her will against Vita's.

Jessica looks back to the army "flee." She orders "I will face her."

Hinsin and Setkura turn to Kuro. Kuro grunts, he has never trusted the mice. But Jessica, she is blessed. She has powerful magic, everyone has seen it. Kuro shouts to his army "back away! This battle belongs to the Weaver."

Vita calms herself. Jessica stand before her, the two wait and watch. Eyes lock, once the rabbits have moved back 50 body lengths Vita's shadow returns to her body. Jessica addresses Vita "Return to the wolf camp. I will follow you."

***

Vita and Jessica walk together across the rivers of the dead. The camp is empty it seems. Vita is the only wolf warrior left in the camp. Vita turns to the mouse at her side "where am I? what am I?"

Jessica places a hand on the wolfs side "when you where asleep, were you visited by a dragon specter?"

Vita nods her head "I was."

Jessica turns her eyes upwards "you are what I am. You are one of the eternal Worldwalkers."

Vita ask "how, why?"

Jessica explains "metamorphosis. You shed your skin and emerged in the shape you are now. Death was the catalyst of life."

A flock of feathers flash before the two followed by a flood of butterflies. Loki emerges from the cloud of feathers Hetatsubachi quickly behind. Loki smiles, standing next to the tiny 3-foot Jessica and Loki in his elf shape stands a mammoth 6 feet. "Vita." Loki calls attention to himself "you are more amazing looking then I could have hoped."

Vita squeals happily "Grandma!" she runs over to Loki but freezes as she spots Hetatsubachi. "what are...?"

Loki waves to Hetatsubachi letting the two look each other over "effectively your clone. Vita, you are made up of all the duplicated, redundant or unusable peace of the spirt that could not be copied onto Ami during her transformation."

Hetatsubachi narrows his eyes looking up to Loki "Transformed, not birthed?" Hetatsubachi takes a moment to try to remember the ritual he participated in "I thought that Ami was going to give birth to our wolf goddess."

"I guess that depends on what you think the word birth means. During the transformation a birth accrued. Two children in fact. Both of them being equal parts Asgaurd and demon. And both having abnormally powerful influence over arcana."

Tatsu looks Vita up and down a few times, he walks around her admiring her shape "she looks healthy."

Jessica steps in tapping her staff to the ground. "If I may step in on this conversation." She looks between Loki and Tatsu "What are you doing in my land? And what sort of ritual magic are we alluring to?"

Loki smiles "I so would hope someone would ask me that." Loki sways her hips as she reaches down to pet Jessica between the ears. Jessica places her staff to Loki's hand to push it off to one side. Loki shrugs and explains "I have harvested the blood of the Tamriel. I have mixed the blood of Chaos with the blood of Mammon to create a new Tamriel. One I can control, one we can use to fight Cravixs when he come looking for us."

Jessica snorts "Never have I heard such buffoonary!" She takes a deep breath pushing her chest out trying to look intimidating "What sort of foolishness have you subjected us to?"

Loki tips her head to try to look cute but condescending "there is much truly complicated math and chemistry behind what I have done. It involves much recycling of denominators in order to transform a roboid acid into a nucleic acid, hundreds of years of genome manipulation."

Jessica looks to Tatsu "and what part did you play in all of this."

Tatsu throws his paws in the air with a shrug "I came her looking for you because I want your help in reclaiming the Steel Rose."

With all haste Loki changes the subject "Before we do anything stupid. I would like to ask your help with something."

Tatsu growls "Last time you asked me for help I was drugged and sexually assaulted."

Loki sneers "You are welcome. But this time no drugs will be involved."

Jessica pushes her glasses up on her nose, "and what is the nature of this work you are asking of us?"

Vita lowers her head looking disappointed "Loki must mean my sister." Loki nods.

Jessica shakes her head in irritation "why must I spend so much of my time cleaning up after irresponsible wizards?"

Hetatsubachi growls "what did you do Loki?"

Chapter 29 Evil Book Part 1

Realm: Nightspore

Place: New Masson

Chrono sphere: 20-05

I'm not a rich man, I never was. I spent most of my twenties working for a day labor compony surrounded by people that don't speak the common tongue of the land. Day labor attracts three tips; kids that don't know what they want from life, forty-year old's looking for a fix, and men that can't prove their citizenship. I'm not going to waste our time telling you where I fit in.

But I will say that I got luckier than most. I got in tight with the lady in bookkeeping, she is this tiny girl with amazing feminine features, slender form, small tight breast, and a little bronzed skin, the type you see on girls from the middle east. She is the type of girl that doesn't need to work, no doubt she could find a half way good guy with more dollars then sense to their name to look after her.

Turns out it is her old man that owns the building I work out of, and about fifty more in my neighborhood. I started seeing the bookkeeper socially I'm going to call her Asia, and she changed my life.

Through Asia I met the girl that would become my wife (her idea not mine) I'm going to call her Cassandra. Cassandra works for Asia's old man just like me, but Cassy on the other hand is a high-class privet contractor. Cassy manages a team of environmental service experts (which it took me some time to understand means maintenance and laundry) that's right, she is a maid that makes $75,000 a year. Putting my $15,000 to shame by the way.

I was married to Cassy six months after we met, she paid for everything, a trip to Europe, three days in Cuba, and in outdoor ceremony (she told me I could pay her back latter. Clearly, she is joking.)

I still see Asia, but she has pushed me into construction clean up, one step up form day labor, and that is when my life started getting odd. Not much more than a few weeks ago, one of the old man's renters defaulted on his shop. As small shit shop if you ask me, this guy, whoever he was, rented out a four-story office building in let's say the scavy side of town. He nailed shut most of the door and used the main floor as a so called 'antique shop'.

Myself, Asia, Asia's pup Anya and guys from Cassy's team should up the day the cops finished moving the sucker out and we took a look around. The antiquer had a taste for taboo art. If the stuff the cops left behind were any indicator; photographs of horses and dog in all sorts of lewd position. Strange photomorphs of women merged with rats and cats. I can't even imagine how that would have been done pre 1990. But the smell of the place, that is what I couldn't get over. The other clean team guys will tell you...

Old things have a smell, people, have a smell, and dead things have a smell, all of which once you have smelled you will know for the rest of your life. But what I smelled in the antique shop is unlike anything I have smelled before, I can't even tell you what it was like, it wasn't bad, but it was offensive. The only thing I can compare it to is the smell of one's balls after a day of rock-climbing, sorry if that was to colorful, but even that is mild by contrast.

As Asia and the others started spraying down the first floor with an industrial equivalent to Fubries I was given the job of hammering down the doors on the upper floors to see if there was anything worth salvaging. Anya fallowed me. I love that dog, she is a Russian Shepherded, almost 150lbs of love and fur, tan and brown mostly hair long in back, short on top, look it up, she looks just like you are thinking.

After seven or eight hours of digging around in piles of waterlogged wood something finally popped. A box, looks like stone, two feet by two feet by sixteen inches. This thing. It is a treasure chest with a sliding lip cover, almost like sarcophagus. Anya growls at the box, her tail squeezes tight to her underside, almost without a thought my hand finds the latch under the lid of the box and I push it open.

Inside, there is a book bound in snake skin, wrapped in a blanket. I don't know why, I feel compelled to pull the book from its cradle, the book whispers to me, it tells me "I know you are filled with lust. I know you know you should be happy with your life. But something is missing. Let me give you everything you never knew that you wanted."

Footsteps echo behind me, Asia calls my name, Anya barks at me. I don't heir any of it. All I can here is the book whispering. "slide your fingers softly over my pages, peal my cover open, expose my secrets and they are yours."

I am enchanted, I can do nothing short of fallow the books lead. I open the book, light spills from the pages with such force it blinds me, moans and cries fill the air. As white fades to black then black to color I find I am on my back, there is a weight on my chest. Anya runs her tongue up my cheek. Then into my mouth.

In confused laughter, I try to push Anya off of me, only to find long strong werewolf claws around my biceps. Am about to scream when Asia's voice leaves Anya's body "don't you want this?" the beast atop me is not Asia or Anya, it is both, But this shape, something about it... It is hard to explain, all Asia's best features are in the monster, if not better. Her breast are the size of a wine glass, with two extra pairs of teats in her stomach. Her hips have widened taking away her childish appeal and giving her motherly qualities to her shape. I have never slept with Asia, I want to say that now, she and I just aren't there, I never would have thought that we would be.

But it seems Asia has other plans now. She pushes off my bottoms and slides herself up my body sitting on my pelvis. Was Anya in heat? I of course didn't look under her tail to find out, why would I? Anya or Asia or whatever, her body is soft and inviting, her alien shaped lips part smoothly for me whipping thick sticky oil off on my lags as she movies into position.

The book speaks to my mind. "isn't this nice? Don't you want more?"

The book is right, I don't even think that I wanted to have sex but all of the sudden, my senses are sharpening, I can taste the blood of this animal in the air, I want it! It seems she also knows I want her. The werewolf opens her jaws, her fangs find my neck and softly she applies pressure. My hands find her tail, I pull forward on her suddenly finding myself wrapped in her warmth. She growls as do I, she pants and barks, her excitement grows.

That smell, the one I couldn't place, I smell it again, it is coming from Anya. I don't know how, I don't know why, but I know what it is now, ovum, I can smell the eggs in Anya's body. Anya's claws find my chest, I am twitching and shaking in her, my tension is mounting. 'I want her eggs' I recall thinking. I feel she somehow knows that is what I am thinking. Her weight drops on me holding me in her, I can feel her womb, she giggles girlishly, her lips squeeze her vulva pulls, I can't stop myself from spraying in her. Anya's head drops onto my shoulder, she bites me to stop herself from squealing. I have never felt better then I did right there, in that moment, in that monster that was both Asia and Anya.

Once I have regained my wits it dawns on me that is it dusk. I pick up Anya, and the book. I don't know what I have done, but I know I need to do something. Anya is asleep, even if I was only in her for two or three minutes I guess she enjoyed it. I drive Asia's car back home. I hide Asia, still as Anya in the office in the basement of my house.

I don't know what I am going to tell Cassy when she sees Asia's car but no Asia. My senses are strong, I can heir Cassy, smell Cassy a block away, I can heir mice in the walls of my house, I can smell their heat. Cassy is walking up to the door, her keys ringing, her heals clicking. The book whispers to me "expose my secrets and they are yours."

Cassy is unlocking the door, my hands are around the book already, the mice in the walls scratch and moan endingly, what I have done, what I am thinking about doing, what will happen the next time I open the book?

Chapter 30 Evil Book Part 2

As if drunk off the power that I now know that I weald I smirk finds my lips, my hands sweet as a clench my grip on the book ever tighter. The door before me opens, there she is, Cassy, her blond beehive hair, lanky Scandinavian form, crevasses hips and milk-tanks that look like honeydew. she is dressed in all white as she typically is after work; a ruffled silk blouse, laird skirt, tube socks and flat-bottomed shoes. This is in opposition to the men under her that she orders into boiler suits. Cassy is better than them and she is not afraid to let them know it.

In her right hand Cassy is holding a set of keys; the key to the house is pinched in-between her pointer and thumb, bangling below that is the key to her muscle car, on a second ring can be found the keys to her office and a chain with a doll of a cartoon cat she found in France. I her left hand is a plastic bag with the logo on it from our local taco house. The smell of grilled onion is thick on her.

Cassy throws the bag at me with an intoxicating smile. "Anything fun happen today?"

I tell her how I 'flipped a property' I left out the part about finding a magic book.

"I see Asia is here, should I go get some more tacos?"

Cassy doesn't expect a thing. I am twitching in anticipation already. 'no,' I explain 'the drive from here to her office is shorter than the drive home, she needs to be back at work early. She is asleep in the guest room.' Most of that is true, Cassy believes me.

We step into the den together, we have a dining room but Cassy only likes to eat here with her friends, Im just as happy in the TV room myself. I watch Cassy as we eat, somehow, she doesn't notice the book sitting on my lap as we eat, that or she doesn't care. I hear Anya whimper in the basement as she awakens. Cassy seems not to.

Cassy gets up to go wash up, I can't wait any longer. I need to try the book again! Slyly I stand up, I hold the book out and with both hands I pull it open, my head turned away from the light. Having evaded the flash this time I get to watch as the book takes effect.

One of the mice in our walls gets pulled across the room and into Cassy's hands, the mouse then turns to light and get sucked into her breast, Cassy shrinks about a foot and a half, white fur covers her body, her eyes turn red, her feet ark, she grows claws, a long fleshy tail, four extra teats under her meaty breast, whiskers and fangs. Her clothing dangles loosely from her now much smaller body,

Cassy looks at me, her noise twitches, she is confused, she shrinks away from me docilly. I can smell the lust in the air as I grab Cassy by the cheek, she doesn't fight me, she doesn't complain, she doesn't ask why, she remains silent. I lead Cassy upstairs to our room. I feel in animalistic growl bubble in my chest. Cassy stand before me shacking, waiting for me to tell her what to do.

I fail to close the bedroom door, fail to turn on the lights, I'm just to existed to think. Both my hands find Cassy's muzzle and I plant a kiss on her typing her head upwards. Cassy opens her mouth and lets our tongues touch. Once she understands what I want she starts kissing fervently. This gives me the opportunity to push down her skirt, then drop her blouse from her body. Cassy has never been so ready to fallow my lead.

With her close off, Cassy grabs me by the belt and walks backwards falling onto the bed. She rolls onto her stomach and pulls her legs into her chest, her tail flags off to one side as she shows off her womanhood to me. Such a rosy pink, glowing greasily from the slight illumination from the hallway, her vulva parted letting me look into her depths. I know Cassy, I know how she acts when she is horny, this isn't it. The book, it knows my wants, it changes people to make them act the way I dream of them acting.

I don't want to wait any longer, Cassy's tail is up, I want in. I push down my pants eagerly, I take Cassy by the hips and I line her up with me. I slide my manhood into Cassy's waiting body, she is smaller, tighter than ever. Her body pinches me, holding me in. her tail ties itself around me.

My hands caress through Cassy's fur, I feel her breast and her teats as I start making love to her. Cassy starts dripping a hot jell from her vulva, as it cools it becomes elasticy, holding me, forcing me to push in deeper, then hold me there once I give in. Cassy never makes a sound, her arms fold under her chin and her moth hangs open as if trying to screem but she never does.

With glue gripping from Cassy's neither region I come to find after some time that I can no longer thrust in her but instead end up wiggling about, I find the sources of the glue also as it seems I am being held up against her cervical door tickling it, prodding it. Only now with orgasm in sight does Cassy make a sound and it is the softest sweetest squeak you could hope to hear.

I can't hold out, five maybe ten minutes in Cassy and I find myself having one of the hardest ejaculations of my life, one hard spray which I can feel get sucked into Cassy's womb, then two softer ones which paint her cervices.

I slomp forward onto Cassy, we both melt onto the bed, it takes about twenty something minutes before I feel the glue holding us together start to drip away. I'm ready to get started again, and it seems Cassy is to as she bounces her hips slightly when she feels me sliding out of her but she slides too far forward and I end up falling out, he glues still around her lips pulls them shut and seals off her vulva. Some sort of a mating device of mice I assume, some way to make sure that once their lover has sprayed in them that the juice stays in long enough to do its job.

With a mildly disappointed look on her face Cassy curls into a ball and falls asleep. Me on the other hand, actualization starts to take hold. I have transformed two of my friends into animals, and mindlessly I have had sex with both of them. Not yet even thinking about the possibility that I could have knocked them both up I start to think, how do I turn them back? What happens when they change back? Can they change back?

There is only one way to get answers. I lock all the doors to my house and close all the blinds. I pick up the book and try to flip it open. The book resist, I slide my fingers under the lip and with grate force pull at the cover, the book refuses. I curse at the book; the book tells me "Im not in the mood right now."

Fear, anger, frustration. A whole gambit of other emotions run though me. The book taunts me "what do you want anyway?"

"Change my friends back."

"no."

"why not?"

"I like them more this way?"

"I don't"

"What A lie. Hear me hot stuff, just do what I tell you and I will give you everything you could ever want, And right now what I want is more girls. Now be a good boy, go pick up the phone and order us up some room service." The book is laughing at me, and my hand is reaching for the old touch tone phone on the wall.

I look at the presets I have listed on the index card, the fist number is 'Cassandra's Cook Clean and Home Maintenance Service' the second is 'West Meadow Animal Clinic and Rescue' I don't know if it is me or the book but one finger is outstretched and starting to dial.

Chapter 31 Evil Book Part 3

I slam down the phone. I'm not going to drag anyone else into this twisted dream. The evil book shouts at me. "Are you actually thinking about fighting me little dog? Do you somehow think getting you off is the limit of what I can do? I have been playing nice so far, but if you are going to act like a fool you just wait and see what comes up next."

The book has never been so loud and clear with me, this is no whisper, no passing sensation, this is clear as day, the book shouting. I feel like a lunatic as I stand over the book and point at it "I want you to put my girlfriend, her coworker and dog back where you found them, do you got that!"

The book goes silent for a few short moments then starts bellowing back "Hell No little dog! There asses now belong to me! And so, does yours you dammed fool! Now stop wasting time and bring me more girl."

I pick up the evil book shacking it angrily "now you listen here you..."

The book cuts me off "No! you listen dumbshit. Your friend's souls are mine. You go ahead and keep their bodies, the rest I'm keeping. Now if you want to keep up this foolishness go head and stick your head in the kitchen and see what is waiting for you."

I can't help but wonder what the book is alluring to I look into the kitchen and there I see something I could never have imaged, a fifty-foot man eating viper stretched out on my floor. I jump back in surprise, this thing I see can't be, vipers can't live in a climate this cold.

The book cackles at me darkly. I pull the kitchen door shut and rest my back on it shocked. The book is laughing "what you going to do now little dog?"

I point at the book "Ill tell you what I am going to do. I'm going to call animal control."

"Go right ahead." The book smirks "but maybe you should get the front door first." Steam starts to spray from the heater in the living-room, condensation gathers on the walls and windows transforming my front room into a jungle.

The doorbell rings. I run to the door. I open it reviling Lidia from work behind the door, she is a fifteen-year-old school girl, she joined the union under a student apprenticeship program. She is dressed in her work uniform, a boiler suit and tool belt. "You called me boss" she flicks her long yellow hair form her eyes as she greet me.

"NO!" I bark. I didn't call, I didn't call anyone. Did I?

The snake has come into the font room, it slides past me inching ever closer. The book contest "you are going to invite that girl in here or that snake is going to fuck then kill both of you."

I turn and yell "Shut up book! I know what...!"

The book cuts me off again "think hard little dog, think hard about what you are about to say."

The snake is drooling, it is arced along the lintel of the door. It is looking down at me waiting for me to close the door, as soon as I do it will drop onto me and... I don't want to think about what happens next.

Lidia is looking at me one side of her lip slightly curled in confusion as I must be visible aggravated. Schizophrenically I turn my fear and anger into a cartoonish smile "Come on in Lidia, do you like hot chocolate?"

Lidia stares for an uncomfortably long time "did you just tell a book to stop talking?"

The snake slides away hiding somewhere in the house. I fail to address the question at hand instead continuing my own thought "I love hot chocolate."

Lidia produces her phone "If there is someone in your house with you just nod your head and I will call my brother. He is a detective, he will be here in 3 minutes or less to take care of them."

"I have had a very strange day." I sidestep waving Lidia in. Lidia apprehensively steps in.

I take Lidia into the kitchen. The book seems satisfied. I open one of the cabinets to look of a block of Spanish chocolate, an octopus holds a box down to me. I take it laughing madly, Lidia seems to fail to see the monster in my pantry.

Lidia tries to make small talk as I prep the drinks "it is hot as hell in here you know that, right?" she unzips her top and pushes it down.

"I have a demon book holding me prisoner." I try to explain. As a distraction in owl headbutts the window over the sink. "I mean, there is a monster in my Livingroom." The snake peeks its head out from behind the freezer. "I mean, I turned my wife into a rat." A bear appears on the patio. "do you prefer milk or cream?"

The book is clearly letting me know that it owns me at this point. If I try to run, try to fight it will hurt me. It can call animals into being from anywhere at any time. What the hell does it need me for anyway?

The book yells at me from the next room "What are you waiting for. Wish for the girl and let me work my magic!"

Lidia jumps up suddenly aware of the animals gathering around and the demon book in the next room. Lidia pulls out her phone, her phone gets pulled from her grip by an unseen hand. The doors in the room start to open and shut sporadically, lights flicker, the room starts to fill with bats the book drops form the ceiling onto the table.

Lidia looks at me terror gathering in her eyes. Invisible hands grab Lidia and hoist her into the air stretching her limbs. The book mandates "tell me what you want little dog."

"this is maddness! What do you want!" I command.

"I want you to make a wish before I make one for you." The book has grown eyes and a mouth, it is no longer even trying to hide what it is from me.

"Do you know how old she is? She is only a child!"

"and why should you care about that? The is subjective at best. What is objective on the other hand is that she has compatible parts we can use."

I have no chose in this, I have to do what the book wants. I try to think, try to remember what I had done the last two times. I place a hand on the book pull open the pages. The book cackles "you know just how to touch a book don't you?"

There is a flash of light and a thunders crash. When open my eyes, Lidia has become a part of the snake. Her head, shoulders, and torso all remain her-own, everything form hip level down has become the snake with a brief few inches of stomach that are flesh toned scales.

I whisper to myself upset "I'm going to burn for this."

"burn?" the book seems to ask "how unimaginative."

Lidia's eye glow golden, she smiles predatorily. One of her hands grips the table between us, she flips the table smashing it to peace's against the wall alongside us. She lowers her torso and wiggles her tail hypnotically.

I throw my hands in the air and run away, arms flailing like soggy spaghetti in the wind. Lidia chases. She fallows me out of the house and in to the back yard. Outrunning a lamia is a hopeless endeavor, she leaps forty feet easily overtaking me once we are outside. A hand pinches around my trachea, in a single swift move the monster that was Lidia lifts me ten feet in the air then throws me at the ground.

Every bit of energy that I thought I had is robbed of me. The snake coils around my lower body, she lowers her head to get to eye level with me. Lidia hisses, rolling her torso across mine as she sizes me up. I can't struggle, falling ten feet onto ones' back is painful, being thrown at the ground is a lot more like a thirty-foot drop, and at that speed the differences between grass and gravel becomes travel.

The Lamia grips me by the caller and pulls off in either direction, her strength is supernatural, she shreds my shirt as if it had been made of paper. Her head snaps down to my breast as she sinks her teeth into my abdomen. Lidia jiggles side to side drunk off my blood on the other hand I cry out in mortal agony.

As the snake licks the blood from my arm and neck the scales along her pelvis part softly reveling a hole about for inches in diameter. Her tail slips into the waistband of pants, she forces my pants down.

Mightily she drops her weight atop me, my cock being slide into her generous hole, the lamia makes her body tight quickly finding the right amount of tension to start to tug me off. I get no say in what is going on. I lay stunned under Lidia, she forcible rolls on me. After serval minutes sliding around in her soggy opining, I find the power to reach around Lidia and hold her by the tail. I find myself crying in pleasure as I hold her tail, she milks me till I faint. Maybe longer.

Chapter 32 Evil Book Part 4

** I wake up, I'm somehow in Lidia's car. Lidia still as the snake is rolled into a ball in the back seat, her tail hole having sealed up but my cream still marking where her opining is. I feel panic welling up in me again. I just got fucked by a fifteen-year-old, that can't be good. There is only one thing I can think to do. I will drive Lidia home then walk back to my place then...then...**

** Alright, I have no plan after dropping off Lidia. I run back in side, I find her jumpsuit and keys in my kitchen. I run back out to the car and I start to drive. I have been to Lidia's house once. I mostly remember the way there.**

** I am nervous, I drive recklessly. That doesn't go unnoticed. I am only a few miles from my house when I start getting fallowed. It is dark, I can't see who is fallowing me but I think I know already. I am in the car of a girl from a family with a cop in it. If I am driving half as bad as I think I am there is no doubt in my mind it is Lidia's brother behind me.**

** Red and blue lights flash in my rear-view window. I do what is right, I pull over. There is chuckling in the set alongside me. The book, the evil book is sitting in the set next to me. There is no escaping that unholy thing. Everywhere I go it fallows me. I turn in my set and push my body to the door. The book giggles at me, it knows I am frightened, the book seems to be getting off on my fear.**

** There is a tap on the glass, I turn in a sharp jump to look out the other window. There are two cops walking around the car, a man and a woman, both dressed in tactical gear. Past the lights, I can catch a glimpse of their nametags the man is named Geovanni the women Gray. My mind jumps back and forth as do my eyes,**

** The women comes around to the driver side. She taps the glass, I roll down the window to greet the officer, she shines me with her flashlight, her face hidden by the light. The cop called Gray addresses me "how are we feeling today?"**

** "A-little stressed out to be honest."**

** The book can't stop rolling around balling "Are you a 'fan of the Man' little dog?"**

** The officer Geovanni flashes his light into the back seat. He must see the monster in my back seat. There is no way he hasn't. Geovanni mumbles something, the two cops talk back and forth between each other.**

** Gray lowers her head to speak to me again "Can I see your I.D. please?"**

** I dig around in my pockets looking for my wallet. The snake in the back seat springs into a sitting position. The book laughs opining itself, light sprays out of the car. The behavior of the book changes, it seems to no longer need me. Geovanni punches through the door of the passenger side now in the shape of a fox, Gray reaches thought the window, now as a giant raccoon.**

** I scream, I put the car in drive and run away. The creature that was Lidia reaches over the seat teasing me. The book hackles. I speed off into the night. My heart is pounding, I feel lost. I turn left, then right, I see fog rising from the road.**

** The book mocks me "you shouldn't have ran little dog. We could have had a lot of fun with those two."**

** "This game has gone far enough. You can't just turn people into monster" I protest**

** "and what are you going to do about it?" The book retorts.**

** I spot a sign on the road. Lake st. and Calhoun. I'm a block from 'Lake of the Isles' I can throw the book in the lake. Maybe that will stop the madness. I pull over and grab the book. I jump out of the car and lock Lidia in. I run to the waterfront and pull the book back ready to throw the unholy thing into the water.**

** It comes to my attention far too late that the monsters that are all around me are still just as smart as they were before there transformation. The raccoon Gray, the fox Geovanni, and the snake Lidia are all around me. I try to throw the book away. The book offers one more tease as I do "Not going to work Little dog."**

** The book opens up mid throw. Light pours out, the monsters start to get sucked away, and I do as well. The book sucks me in. when the light fades away I am in some sort of animated negative version of my own world. I am surrounded by animals with hungry eyes.**

***

** The book falls to the ground complaining "well shit. Now I need to find a new host. Why oh, why do people keep running away from me?" the book has barely had time to finish that though before a pair of shoes comes into sight, someone is moving towards where the book has fallen "Fresh fish." The book thinks aloud.**

Chapter 33 Evil Book Part 5

Antiquing, in the upper middle class is as good of a way as any other to prove your stripes. Parma, and Artus Mus are siblings, brother and sister to be particular. Parma is the elder by 10 months, He and his sister have a strong relationship, some even describe it as in unhealthy one. They went to the same school. Took the same classes, when Parma moved out to start college Artus fell into a sickening depression for the sevral months before she could fallow.

Parma spent 6 years studying to become a laboratory technician, Artus had hoped to do the same but ended up fallowing a different path instead find she had a knack for veterinary medicine. The two of them found work in the town of La-sur, bought a house together not long after.

Parma tries to act the way a young sexy 'doctor' should act, bringing home girls regularly, he has a new live in roommate every 18 months, but Artus is his true love and there is nothing he can do to hide that.

Artus has a passion for trying to look good in front of her community, to that end the sibling spend their Saturdays in the summer searching for craft show, estate sales and a fleet stores looking for anything that looks old and valuable to dress up their din.

As the par dig around on a table of collectables for sale at a craft sale in st. Peter, the next city over from La-sur, Artus holds up an egg-shaped glass doll "what's this thing?"

"Matryoshka" Parma explains.

"it worth anything you think?"

"$20-$40" Parma shrugs as he shifts around some knitted blankets.

"looks like a mouse, I like it." Artus giggles.

Parma brings one hand up and tugs on one ear hearing an irritating sound mumbling nearby. Parma turns his head searching for the sources of the sound. The noise draws him to a book shelf housing a few dozen leather bound books with gold trimming. When he puts his hand on a particularly tattered looking book wedged between a par that are in shockingly good shape the noise stops abruptly.

The tattered book has sun spots on the cover, water damage on the spine, and a sweat-and-sours stink resonating from it. There seems to be no title, but sometimes older books simply don't have the title on the cover. Parma is about to open the old book to take a peek at the cover page when Artus yells over to him, "look, a bronze backed mirror." Parma tucks the old book under his arm fallowing his sister.

Parma rubs his eyes dizzily after they have been walking around for some time, a whisper in his mind cohering him, pushing him towards unsavory thoughts 'long, thick, platinum hair, concaved stomach, tight ass. You sure that is your sister marshmallow? God she has a nice backside, breast a little to high and tight for my taste but the rest looks fine'

Artus notices Parma staring at her as she is leaning over a box of stuffed toys, she places her feet slightly apart and wiggles her hips teasingly "something wrong doctor?" she smiles looking over her shoulder at her brother.

"I think I need a drink, grab that mirror, and that wall scroll and let's call it a day." Parma rubs his eyes and hisses clearly experiencing some level of discomfort.

Artus stands up straight approaching Parma concern heavy on her face, "hand me the keys, I'll drive us back." Parma nods hand over the keys to their truck. "oh, I also like that short bow. I think I will get that also."

The trip home is short and sweat, their house is one of the nicer homes on their block, on one end of their street is a church, on the other is a school, the house is on a hill, the church at the dale, the school on the crest. Artus is the type of person that can't help but bring her work home with her, the whole second story of their home is filled with cages and animals of all sorts that she has rescued, mice, rats, crows, cats, dogs, even a hand full of exotic reptiles.

As the two of them inter the house Parma's current partner is asleep on the Livingroom floor, she is a younger girl named Junny Elray, Jun for short, Parma picked her up at a barista. Jun is a poet, she is struggling like so many others to find real work in the field she loves, truth being what it is the two of them find themselves in a relationship of conveniences. Jun needs a place to live, Parma provides that, and in return Parma gets a girl 7 years younger than him to mess around with, Jun gets to tell her friends she is with an older man that takes care of her, Parma gets to bost to his friends that he scored an artist. In the end, not that bad of a deal for anyone, and strange as it is seeing that Parma was honest about what was going on with Artus, Artus is just fine with the circumstances as well.

Artus takes Parma upstairs to get showered and relax, whispering echoes in the back of Parma's mind bringing him some amount of pain 'will you look at that, your sister has all sorts of fun stuff up hear marshmallow, I'm going to have all sorts of fun here.'

Parma looks about trying to find the source of the whispers "Artus, is there someone here outside of us?"

"Jun." Artus looks confused.

"no, I thought I heard someone else, an older woman maybe."

Artus shacks her head "you don't look good at all, take a shower and lay down."

Parma nods thinking about it. "I hear cats can transmit parasitic infections to humans. I hope I didn't contract Purple-eyed Broodsack from one of your cats."

Artus chuckles slapping Parma on the rump, "you work in a chim-lab, you are just as likely to have caught Rynfields Disorder from one of your co-workers."

Parma steps into the bathroom, he wipes sweat from his face then steps into the shower. The disembodied voice that had been fallowing him since the craft show nearly shouts at Parma 'Are you really going to keep ignoring me?! You are starting to piss me off.'

"Who are you? Where are you?" Parma start to become distraught

'Thank you marshmallow, but you don't need to talk out load, if you just think in my direction I can hear you. My name is Evee, I am a Shikigami, and I am here to bring your dreams to life.'

Parma whispers "Like some kind of jinn?"

'something like that.' Evee whispers to Parma.

Parma smile somewhat interested by the prepossession "ok Shikigami what are the rules to this game? what does it cost? What do I get? And what do you get?"

Evee, laughs hideously 'Finally, someone that gets me.' There is a short pause as Evee seem to think about it 'there are a lot of things I can do, but creating something from nothing is not amongst them, you tell me you want something, I need to go out and find it, or make it from whatever is laying around. I am a creature of the night, that is not to say I can't walk around in the day, clearly, I am here talking to you right now, but at night I am stronger. I am a transmuter, that should tell you a lot right there. I am here looking to have fun, if whatever you say sounds fun I will play along, if not, you are going to have a bad time.'

"Transmuter? I don't understand." Parma expresses

'I turn things into other things, I can also manipulate thoughts and invade dreams.'

Parma's eyes almost burn with greed, "Ok Evee, show me how it works."

Evee shrieks in laughter 'this is going to be the most fun I have had yet.'

Parma falls over in crippling pain, his hand twist into claws, he shrinks to about a third his height, a long thick prehensile tail springs from his tailbone, knees invert, fangs grow out fallowed by whiskers and a sharp snout. Parma crawls out of the shower and pulls himself up onto the sink to look at himself in a desperate attempt to piece together what has happened. Parma strikes the mist form the mirror to reveal he has become a monster that is something between a man and a kangaroo rat, pouch included.

Parma has barely begun to process what has transpired before the bathroom door opens, Artus crawls on all fours into the bathroom in a matching rat like shape, her eyes wide and clouded. Parma jumps down to meet with Artus, it not yet registering with him that they are both nude and no longer human. "I,...I don't know what I just did." Parma explains.

Artus fail to replay, her eyes lock with her brothers as she places both hands on his chest pushing Parma over. Evee continues laughing, her laughter becoming evermoor hysterical. Artus crawls forth standing over Parma, her slick body rubs across his, one of her hands slides down his body gripping him by the crouch.

Parma cannot resist his sisters advance, he doesn't even try. A bestial lust overtakes the two of them, Parma's hands find Artus back, he holds her to his body, once Artus has forced Parma into her body everything else fades into a black out, only the need for lust remaining.

Chapter 34 Evil Book Part 6

Parma is shocked awake, how much time has passed is unclear, the fog has cleared from his mind, as has his monstrous mutation melted. Artus on the other hand seems to be missing. As if jolted awake by night-terror Parma spins about collecting his surroundings. He is on the bathroom floor, the shower still on, running cold. Parma jumps to his feet shouting "Artus!"

Ice crackles spreading sharply across the mirror of the bathroom, Parma cries out for his sister two more times before the mirror yells at him. "Bite your tongue marshmallow, unless you are looking for a fight. Artus is fine, she is with me in the book."

Through the spreading ice a face forms in the mirror: a hauntingly Stunning, vaguely human, grotesque vestige, discreetly feminine, pearl white skin, eyes sown shut, hair replaced with hooks and chains flung back from the scalp, an empty slit running down the neck giving the only sign of color, a bright pink gash against sliver white backing, its lips black like coagulated blood.

Parma locks eyes with the monster in the mirror, the mirror orders him "go down stairs, grab my book, I want Jun next. Pick one of your sister's animals and I will turn the two of them into a striking forbidden pleasure for you."

Parma's mouth drapes open as he gazes on the inhuman creature "I can see you."

"I coming, becoming more like what you are, coming closer to your world."

"for what purpose? What are you after?"

"What do you care Marshmallow? You benefit all the same."

In a half-intoxicated state Jun stumbles up the steps having heard Parma yelling. "Parma? Everything good?" Jun notices the Ice, she is shocked into alertness. Jun catches the smallest glimpse of the monster under glass. Jun turns to flee, Evee notices.

Evee shouts at Parma "Get the book, bring me Jun." Parma enticed by the prospect of power Evee is offering turns to face where Jun had just run from and lays chase.

Jun rushes down the steps and to the front door. The door locks itself, Evee giggles, excited by the game they are playing. Jun rounds the corner making her way across the kitchen, she scoops up a mop as she runs sliding it under her arm as a bo-staff. Parma catches up shortly.

Jun tries to open the back door with the same results as before, the door locks itself. "Jun, wait!" Parma calls. Jun thrust out with the mop jabbing Parma forcing him to buckle forward, she then sidesteps in and swings down braking the mop over his back.

Evee whispers with Parma "just tell me what you want from this scrappy dog and I will make it happen."

Parma sits up, darkness finding his eyes, the promise of power boiling his blood. "what is a god idea, I think my sister has a wolf puppy, use it." Light flashes, the book on the table snaps open flooding the floor with magic.

Jun picks up a folding chair from the front room in preparation of punching out a window. The magic dust filling the room loosens her grip, her eyes widen as the chair drops, her will to fight robbed from her. Apatheism overrides all other feelings, Jun's head tips back, her jaw stretches, white fur covers her body, her arms and legs stretch, growing new joints and muscular structure, her clothing peals away from her body. Merely moments after the light fades Jun is gone and a monstrous shewolf out of Norse mythology has replaced her. Seven feet tall, hunched forth onto all fours, hands and feet wider then a human chest, hooked teeth two inches long each. Her clothing stretched and ripped in ways that make it functionally useless

Evee cackles "here you go marshmallow, your own personal wolf bitch. Anything else I can do for you right away?" Parma approaches wolf Jun. he walks around her looking her up and down. Under her white fur her skin has turned a coal black, her eyes retain their human expressism. Jun stands still in a blank state, her mind still rebooting after the shock of her transformation. "Go ahead, tell her to do something."

Parma shacks he head "this is so wrong."

Evee snarls "you are already balls deep in this, Don't you dare go soft! You have power, use it!"

Parma starts to complain "But..."

Evee cut him off before he can finish a thought "It's only skin."

Parma's mind is warped, his thoughts twisted, Evee invades Parma's lower brain pulling at his most beastly nature "Jun," Parma orders "stick up your tail. I want to take a peek."

Jun recognizes the voice, she must comply. Jun lays forth, her hind quarters extend and her tail lifts sticking her ass end in the air, her head turns and ears drop as she watches Parma. Parma sets a hand on Jun's back petting down her back and up her tail, his head lowers as he looks at her underside, quickly his hand moves from her tail to her underbelly, then his hand wraps around her spade shaped lips.

A tiny drop of fluid forms at the tear of Jun's lips. Parma moves both hands onto Jun's hips, he rubs up and down her sides, his hands ruffling up her course white fur. Jun's tail falls off to one side flagging, her mouth slides slightly open letting the tip of her tongue leave her muzzle, her eyes widen with a soft wine. Jun can taste the lust on Parma's body, the lust infects her.

Jun jurks her hips from side to side rubbing Parma off on her, Parma allows his unit to be slid into Jun. Parma gasp as Jun's lips squeeze down, Jun starts bobbing her hips up and down forcing Parma to play with her fast and harshly.

Parma grips Jun by the hips holding her back against him, he gives her what she demands, Parma pushes hard into Jun then starts giving her quick strokes. Jun can't take the pleaser for long. After only slightly over five minutes of being played with Jun has a sticky spray of feminine juice onto Parma, Parma falls forward onto Jun's back and empties his love into her body in return. Jun collapses overwhelmed.

As Parma is recovering the book slams closed, Jun vanishes drawn into the books pages. Parma rolls onto his side, a stinging pain pushing throw is body. He growls and barks rolling around on the floor. Parma's body is molded by Evee, Parma grows younger, thinner, his hair darkens, his eyes become hypnotic. Parma jumps into the shape of a wolf momentarily, then a rat, then back to himself before the pain stops.

Evee is no longer just in Parma's mind, she is now in his body as well, ever time Parma calls on her a peace of him will vanish and a peace of her will replace him. The possession has begun. Once half Parma's body belongs to her, Evee can kill of her host and be brought fully into this world unhindered.

"Parma, my love." Evee whispers, "how may I pleasure you next?"

Chapter 35 Evil Book Part 7

Parma locks himself in his apartment, he bars the doors, he pushes furniture pushed before the windows. He knows something is wrong, something horrifyingly wrong. But wood and locks are of little good, the demon is not attacking him from without, he is being attack from within. As the night falls Parma becomes ever more bestial. A hunger for flesh drives Parma to call on unholy power and smash down the walls of his home. Parma runs off into the night searching for that which will satisfy his hunger.

Parma runs for miles, touched by moonlight, he falls onto all fours running like a feral monster. Parma's hands become claws, her feet paws, his arms and legs act as springs lunching him half a dozen yards with each bound. Parma's eyes burns with starlight, his noise twitches guiding him through the darkness.

A fairground lures Parma in, the scent of barnyard beast inspiring ecstasy. Now outwardly more monster then man Parma brakes into a display building, walls of cattle are lined up. Parma in savage greed starts sticking his noise against the tails of sheep, horses and cows alike filling himself with all-consuming yearning for flesh. He considers reliving himself on a nameless beast but Evee stops him. "save your energy, a cow soul trades for so little. Find a woman first, then you can have your mare."

Embraced by the umbral Parma crouches in the dark, his eyes lights shimmering in shadow. Parma isin't kept waiting long. A girl with sand yellow hair steps into the barn building, she is dressed in skinny jeans, and an orange knotted blouse, she has a fedora cast out of rawhide and matching high-topped boots, the lanyard around her neck has her photo and name, A.J.

Parma's blood runs hot, he pants in exhilaration at the young flesh that has walked into sight. "Evee, I want the cow girl." Wolfishly Parma whispers.

Evee snickers "how would you like her?"

Parma looks about then locks eyes with a sheep, "like that." He points

"you, filthy wolf. I like it."

The panting, wheezing and mumbling of the wolf-best hidden in the corner of the room does catch AJ's attention. AJ is a rough and tumble girl, she had grown up in Arkansas with four brothers, that being what it is she learned how to look after herself. AJ took boxing classes in school, and after graduation she got a hunting rifle and a six-shooter, she learned how to use them as well. Aj never leaves the house without a hunting knife and her six-shooter.

AJ approaches the sounds of whispering, one hand on her hip holding her gun, the other she grips a tactical flashlight in. AJ looks over a dividing wall, kneeling down she spots a monster that is something between a giant and a wild dog, Parma is laid forward onto all fours, unsheathed and playing with himself driven half way to madness by the scent of sexuality.

Truth be told AJ can hardly comprehend what she is seeing, as wise man once said, "under stress no one rises to the occasion, everyone falls to training." In one fluid move AJ pulls her gun, tucks her flashlight beneath it, and shoots the monster before her three times with the gun tucked under her breast to compensate for short range shooting. Three shots fired, three hits to the chest. Parma falls onto his back.

Evee shouts angrily, her voice echoing in from all sides, "Parma you weakling. It's only a scratch, get up and lets fuck this cowgirl." Wind howls, loose piles of tools lift off the walls and fly before the exits forging walls of blades that one would need to contest in order to reach the outside. Pins brake open and thunder roars frightening the livestock.

AJ pulls from her back pocket a phone in order to try to call for help, unsure what can or should be done to stave off such an otherworldly abomination. Evee will have no of it, consumed by wraith Evee starts to materialize in a physical form. But even powered up by rage at the moment Evee con only muster becoming simi-tangible mist pulled together into a body that mostly resembles her own. Unaware of her own restriction Evee outstretches her arms to grapple with AJ.

Evee cannot yet touch AJ but the apparition alone is enough to scare the phone out of AJ's hands, AJ falls over backwards scrambling away from the extraplanar atrocity, Evee walks forth, a wisp in the shadows struggling to keep within this transiently reality. Even with Evee's body not yet solid her magic is yet unchained. With a wave of a hand Evee offers sentients to chains and leashes, tools used by ranchers to restrain beast now slither along the ground like serpents.

With her back to the wall AJ pulls herself upright, she slides a hand behind her back producing her hunting knife. Animate chains snap out in attack. AJ fights back, with one slash of her knife she frightens one away, with two more a second, but then a third catches her unaware, gripping the cowgirl by one lag it pulls off to one side throwing her off balance. Leashes tack AJ by the arms dragging her across the barn, the chains tie her to one of the sheep Parma had sniffed.

Girl and sheep tied together, darkness mounts, light fixtures rumble then burst. Evee's evil magic distorts the creatures into a single one. The fusion monster has gray back skin on its face and underbelly, accented by pink patches, think curly white wool covers much of its body, hands hand feet give way to three clove pseudo hands. This fusion is less perfect, though the body mutated the brain is left untouched, the beast being only a skin.

Evee pulls AJ over to a wooden horse, the living chains binding her hands to the horse chest, her legs to the wooden effigies hind quarters. "Why do you fight?" Evee ask, an almost earnest crackle bleeding past the dominating grow. "you would be having so much more fun if you submissive."

AJ squeals, she wiggles and shouts trying to brake her binds. AJ is strong, but not stronger than a demon. Evee slides over to AJ, she tucks her hands between her thighs to lean in nose to nose with her slave. "you see AJ, I am trying to be human with you, I want to talk. But if you on the other hand are to rude to offer such a simple curtesy so be it. My avatar is going to use your flesh, then I am going to use your soul. Let me send you to heaven, before I send you to hell."

AJ has nothing to say to Evee, what even could be said? She can only whimper and fight waiting for the wolf beast to come back to life and have his way with her. AJ isn't kept waiting long, Parma stands up, dry blood clinging to his fur. Parma drools hungrily. The sheep is all gift rapped and set out for him already.

More animalistic then anything Parma slides over to AJ, he stands behind her and grips the sheep by the haunches. He starts to rub his hips up and down hers, quickly his cock slides out of its scabbard. The small sheep is surprisingly loose, comfortably Parma parts AJ's lips and slides into her soft wet body.

At first AJ struggles, but after a few moments her body turns on her, she starts having fun. Parma moves fast and harsh, but AJ seems well suited to take it. Drunk with pleasure Parma pulls up on AJ to find a comfortable angle, AJ pushes her back end up to the best of her ability wanting him to do so.

The sex is fast and savage, there is biting and kicking involved but all in good fun. Parma's unit swells plugging up AJ, AJ twitches and shakes booth loose themselves in the pleasure. Both faint after Parma empties his love into AJ...

***

Hetatsubachi has become a pack leader, he runs across space with Jessica the Weaver at his left, Loki at his right, Vita at the center of the pack and Ami at the end. To run at the end of the pack is no disgrace, the wolf in the rear of the run is charged with watching the rest, to protect their back and ro be in a place where one can run in to join at any post.

It takes Loki a dozen tries to find Vita's twin. When Loki had discovered that Evee was uncontrollable, driven only by hunger and desire Loki protected himself and his family by casting Evee into the mist sending her spiraling across space with no direction

Thankfully Loki had gotten her scent and was able to lay chase after some backtracking. Once the lot of them are in the right pace it becomes frightfully clear. The town that the five of them finds themselves in has been tainted by evil magic. People have become animals, animals have become people. Everyone that Evee has touches had become consumed by a need to eat and fuck endlessly every moment of every day spent in search of food or a mate. Only preteens and woman late in pregnancy are shown any form of mercy.

The group find here way to a dairy farm, the smell of sex and blood in the air the wolves all find distracting. This give a bull the opportunity to try to sneak up of the group. Vita gets picked up by a monster that is mostly cow but with human arms. Vita bark. Ami comes to her aid. Ami jumps in a circle, her tail leaving behind a trail of burning light with it. The laser like tail slash get the monsters attention.

The bull turns to attack Ami instead, Hetatsubachi and Loki Jump at the bull grabbing it by the back legs. Ami grabs it by the neck. These three hunters drag the beast to the ground and force it to submit to them.

Five cows walking on there back legs sway over, they hold out there arms like jiangshi they have locked on to Loki and Hetatsubachi, they salivate, the cows will not be happy until they have forced themselves on the two wolf boys .

Jessica the Weaver takes her staff from the sling on her back and swings it across her body, the mouse calls out of the earth a spire of flames between the wolves and the cows. The cows pay no heed to the inferno, instead waltzing through the flames at there targets.

From the streets a horde of love hunger animals can taste the raw unused body of Vevavita una, the idea of unsoiled flesh calls them to feast. Hetatsubachi summons his cloak of blades, Ami's tail shimmers like silver, Vita transforms her beaded necklace into a whip, Loki shows her fangs. Jessica mounts her staff in the ground and holds one hand overhead, clouds gather and thunder roars.

Vita looks to Loki. "Grandma, what is going on?"

Loki looks to Vita offering a very quick and easy explanation "you are a virgin. I imagine that comes with a premium on a planet like this one."

Hetatsubachi turns his eyes watching as the crowed gets into melee range "was that before or after you sent a love crazed Nephilim here?"

Loki make fun of it all "Market value may have been inflated."

Jessica thrust her hands at the ground calling on a monsoon lightening. This proves to be enough to frighten the approaching monsters.

Loki looks to Vita with a grin "Plan B was to offer you as a sacrifice by the way."

Jessica holds her hands up reading a second wave of holy vengeance "will you kindly stop playing around and find this half Tamriel. I will not be able to throw lighting endlessly."

The wolves leave Jessica behind to deal with the horde as they carry on to the barn. The barn doors burst open. Evee knew well that the wolves where coming, she is waiting with her newest and her favorite creation. The wolf beast Parma shows his fangs, the sheep AJ grows a three-pointed mandible like jaw with turtle shaped teeth.

The wolves assume a wing formation, Tatsu at the front, Ami at the right, Loki on the right and Vita along side Loki. The battle is underway without a word. AJ gets down on all fours, she runs forward with her mouth open, she intends to swallow Hetatsubachi whole.

Loki comes to Hetatsubachi's defense, Loki holds a paw forward reaching out with her feelings, Loki orders in a soft yell "Stop!" this seems to have an unexpected consequence. AJ freezes in place, her eyes roll back, AJ faints. Evee was already controlling AJ and once Loki pressed her will on AJ there was simply more psionic power flowing through her.

Parma lunges forth, he brings his claws out to pick up Vita and Ami in a swipe. Hetatsubachi interrupts the attack by possessing a plank of wood and smashing it over Parma's back. Vita follows up throwing her necklace which acts like a choking snake dragging Parma backwards. Ami slashes her tail in the air conjuring six phantom knives. Two slashes across Parma's neck, one down his nose, one slashes from liver to kidney, the next pins Parma's jaw shut, the last spikes him throw the chest into the ground. Parma is crippled in an instant.

Evee watches the overpowering strength of the wolves' attack. 'A Nephilim, an Asgard, an Angel, and a Demon. I am be out classed.' She thinks. Evee tries to confuse the wolves, convince them to attack each other. Evee erects her field of sexual magic. She tries to tack control of the wolves'.

Hetatsubachi grins as he growls slowly swaying over to Evee, Hetatsubachi taunts "Nice trick. What have you been practicing with, Mortals?"

Evee understands that she is bet. In this 4 on 1 she can't hope to win. Evee turns herself to a spectral shape, she tries to run. Hetatsubachi has seen magic like this before, he runs his claws across the ground drawing out an anchor spell. The doors are shut, Evee can't run, the wolves must stay and fight also. At some point Evee will need to drop her phantom spell. Once she does the wolves will rip her asunder.

Hetatsubachi is in control, he knows it. Tatsu reaches into the mist, he produces a tengu mask. "Here is the deal." He throws the mask on the ground. "you cannot win this fight, you are two dangerous to be aloud to walk around freely. You can give up now, I can protect you. You will step into the mask, I will cast a sealing spell. I will find you a safe place on some world where everyone looks like you. That or I wait here, kill you, and eat you. Simple as that."

Evee thinks it over. Maybe the wolf's offer is worth consideration.

Chapter 36 First, Therefor, Because

Realm: The Never

Place: Clocktower, Steel Rose

Chrono Sphere: 20-04

Seeker walks up and down the halls of the Steel Rose. She rubs one of her three fingered hands onto the back of her neck rubbing herself harshly. "What is this feeling?" she turns to face the other direction "Something is wrong with me. I am not functioning optimally." Swiftly she turns around again "Hunger? Is this hunger? Why would I feel hungry?" both hands find the back of her head as she ducks her eyes in frustration. "I have never felt such things. Not I, not my father, not my grandmother, or grandfather..." Suddenly Seeker looks up. She can feel something moving, something that doesn't belong. She melts into liquid steel and flies from the clocktower.

A memory plays on a loop 'Hetatsubachi, what do you want from life?'

'...I want to be free...'

'what do you want from life?'

'...I want to do what I want to do...'

'what do you want from life?'

'you could come with me.'

'I have no choice.'

Seeker's hands find the back of her head, she screams at herself trying to quite he memories.

A sound like that of a air raid horn blows. A beast has forced its way into the Never. Something that doesn't belong to this world or any other that Seeker has seen. It has the head and chest of a bird, wings 80' long, a lashing fleshy tail that snaps around making the most horrifying whistling as it snaps about in the air, 8 crab-like legs rupturing form its chest, a second mouth with hooked fish teeth running from sternum to pelvis.

Seeker shifts back into her humanoid shape standing under the monster looking up at it. The monster creates a sound, it is not a voice, it is not speaking, but the vibrations in the air seem to become words as Seeker studies the monster from another world. "In cosmos before the cosmos that are, lived the Nothings. We saw the stars falling into each other, the black at the center of the cosmos growing larger. The cosmos that were will be the cosmos that are once more. I birthed the beast called Scara, I loved the beast called Cravixs. My love, my beloved, fell into the door to nowhere. I have fallowed. The blood of my love is in your chest. Bring me to my love or..."

Seeker haws grown board of the monster standing before her "what does it mean to be before the beginning? Time is temporal by necessity. There is nothing before the cosmos."

The monster flaps its wings moving closer "Look into the stars, see the sky is turning dark. Time has been broken, the cosmos are in tatters. Your time-space is coming to apart. I must return to the world before this world with the other Nothings. If these things do not pass, my world and your world come asunder."

Seeker snaps one hand down showing her claws "you are not a part of this world. There is more then one way to exit this reality. You are beautiful. I will take away that which makes you beautiful and add it onto myself. You will resist, you will die. It is inevitable."

***

Realm: Neopan

Place: Lair 1, outer wall

Chrono Sphere: 20-04

War has broken out, every few days the Steel Rose descends onto the people of Lair 1. At first the Steel Rose stayed well outside the cities, instead throwing hammers into the Grate Sand Sea, harvesting some unknown minerals from the sand then vanishing but now it drops hammers before the outer wall.

The hammers make a horrifying grinding sound, then brakes apart and giants emerge from the shell. 60 foot tall monster made of metal stomp up to the walls red light flairs from their eyes burning the walls down into a liquid shape and carry it away in section.

The people of Neopan will not put up with such a violation of their independence. By the second day of the giants eating the walls Neopan has raised an army specially armed to fight the monster. The 'Powns' typically used to fly around the city wising magnets, now being used to scale the giants. Swords with split blades the hum like tuning forks strapped to their legs. The vibrating sword once used by pipe workers to cut metal now used to cut down monsters, and postage handlers like Yt, are now Major's in the army.

The sky is broken, the Steel Rose drops into sight. A dozen hammers hall from space. A dozen giants appears. Yt stands on the walls looking out into the sand, 2 dozen man by her side ready to jump into action, Yt taps the radio on the side of her head "this is umbrella, I have visual contact on 20 metal heads. Anyone have eyes on 21?"

The radio chatters "this is Harbinger, I have eyes on 22."

Another voice comes in "this is Whitey, I have 21 on my side."

Yt draws one of her swords "I got the head. Whitey, Harbinger grab the haunches. I want to see the streets clean before suppertime."

One of the min brake rank as they see the shadows of the colossus creeping up on them. "Yt, where do these things come from?" he is shuttering at the sight of such a massive monster.

Yt shrugs "space." Taps her blades together, a high pitch hum echoes in the air. Yt points, "to battle!" the warriors around Yt throw their Pones into the air. The magnets lock onto the bodies of the giants. Warriors fly through the are then run up the body of the monster. Swords slash, steel hums. The battle is under way.

***

Location: Lair 1 City Hall

The rat samurai Xia, and the merfolk Jloose are pushed into the Judges chamber, Xia dressed in a kamishimo, Jloose dressed like a 'Rom Baro'. The mayor stands in the middle of a room filled with men and radios, metal clicks and electric grinding fills the air. The mayor shouts for people to bring him his reports.

"where are the police? What is the condition of the supply line? How are the walls holding up? When will I have contact with Cilverant?" the mayor notices that Xia and Jloose have entered the room. he points at Jloose with an accusing finger "you are the head of the special committee the facilitates the trade between us and the Steel Rose. Where have you been?"

Jloose and Xia are highly alien, both worldwalkers stand at 5'5" the people of Neopan on the other hand barely reach 4'0" at their tallest. Style on Neopan is fairly uniformed, with so little ground where cotton can be grown, leather clothing is far cheaper and easer to work. The Worldwalkers on the other hand have fabrics and materials from across the cosmos. Almost no one on Neopan has ever seen an 'Athro' so a furry monster like Xia is unmistakable

Jloose walks forth "Cilverant is not currently piloting the Steal Rose."

The mayor shakes his head "what does that mean?"

Xia folds her arms and flicks her tail "the ship has been commandeered, Cilverant has been kicked off his ship and his weapons have fallen into the hands of his enemies."

The mayor looks between them "and what am I supposed to do about this?"

Jloose looks back at the door "if we don't want this planet to die, we need to get me and a strike force onto the Steal Rose and take control back."

The mayor looks to Xia "so why haven't we done this already? You worldwalkers..."

Xia shakes her head "the two of us don't have the firepower to take and hold the Steal Rose. If we had the entirety of the inner circle maybe..."

"then what?" the mayor throws his hands up in anger.

Jloose thinks for a moment "we need to somehow hold the Steal Rose still; Xia and I need to contact as many wizards as we can then find a way to dock. We have to storm a space station."

The mayor stares down Jloose. "I want that thing shot down. Just tell me what you need."

***

Yt joins her team in fighting the giants. Using magnetic spears to climb these monsters is easy compared to what Yt typically does. Yt is a postage handler as her day job, she can't afford a car on her salary and so uses her Powns to 'hitch'. Yt swings around one side of the giant to get it to look at her, this makes room for two of her men to jump up and slash at the beast eyes. The monster thrust its arms down to try to throw the warriors off of it.

Yt throws her spear to strike the head of the monster, she tries to pull her self up to face level, one good slash and she should be able to slice the monster in two. The giant swings his hand in to clap the halfling warrior. Yt spins her self around in the air becoming a Buzzsaw flying through the air. Yt cuts though the monster's hands then flings herself over the monsters head. She takes both swords in one hand then slingshots downwards. Her blades cut from eyes down to hip. The vibration of the tuning forks seemingly causes the monster to uncoil.

Once on the ground Yt taps her radio "that is one down on Umbrella side, how are you guys holding up."

The radio comes to life with screaming, the voice of the caption of one team becomes clear again "this is Whitey, something new just showed up. Some kind of jelly monster. It is fast."

The voice of Harbinger comes in next "I see it, Yt, keep yours eyes open. It is moving your way."

Yt looks side to side, she thinks aloud. "Harbinger and Umbrella both saw it?"

A howl shatters the air, a flock of butterflies descend onto Yt. Jessica, Hetatsubachi and the others appear. Yt startled turns to face Jessica as the Weaver has pushed her way to the front of the group. Jessica orders "One side Yt."

Seeker in her liquid shape rises from the ground behind Yt. Jessica points her staff. As Seeker becomes solid something is clearly wrong with her; the blue metal sections of her body have been partly covered in black feathers, the red stone in her chest has turned magenta with black and red fluid sloshing around in it, her skin and hair cannot become opaque.

Seeker grinds her claws together "Hetatsubachi, I am happy to see you again. I have finally tasted dragon blood. This feeling is like nothing I have experienced before." Seeker swings one hand out and grabs Jessica's staff. The staff sparks pushing Seeker back. The Weaver and the Seeker both freeze in place staring at each other, something strange has happened. These two powers seem to be repelling each other, what can this be? Why would such a thing happen?

Loki slips around Yt. "you will have to forgive me young lady, I am not always so direct, but I need you." Loki wraps his arms around Yt and teleports away carrying her.

Tatsu backs slowly away from Seeker as his eyes run up and down her body, he whispers to himself "something isn't right."

Seeker's hands stretch and hook becoming oversized moon shaped blades. Seeker lowers her head, she reaches around herself holding her head for a moment as if hiding from an unheard sound. "I want to be free." She growls. She repeats herself a dozen times as she holds her head between her hands.

Vita and Ami snarl, the two of them circle Seeker ready to attack. The two wolves jump in. Seeker brakes apart into two entities dodging in independent directions. Vita throws her necklace, it hits the slimy body of Seeker sinking in and vanishing into Seekers body's depths. Vita jumps backwards to avoid an incoming spear-hand strike.

Ami slashes her tail conjuring a phantom sword. Seeker is broken into 4ths, but this is of no concern, Seeker can continue to act unhindered by being broken apart. Seeker transforms two of her bodies an iron-maiden lunging at Ami. Vita throws her shadow out to cover Ami.

Seeker shouts at Tatsu "I have no choice!"

Jessica pushes her staff at Seeker, Seeker transforms into a par of wings and thrust her body in all directions throwing the wolves away from her so she can focus on Jessica. Seeker glows as she locks eyes with the mouse maid "You must be what the missionary is looking for."

Hetatsubachi watches the battle, he is lost in thought, something is strange about the way that Seeker is talking. 'is her will not her own?' he ponders. His eyes flash side to side noticing Jessica is in the clutches of a four-pointed attack. Tatsu stomps a foot and calls on his Arcana, he pushes his will at Seeker. Seeker just as before is pushed by Hetatsubachi's technomancy.

Seeker twitches and thrashes about in odd ways. She shouts "Make this stop! Give me the spirit!"

Hetatsubachi grows as he replies "I don't understand what you are trying to say!"

The golems move in, giants stand over the party threateningly, from Seekers chest springs a pair of metal globes, the globes turn to drills and saws.

Jessica thrust her staff outwards throwing a wave of light, a golem thrust a hand at the ground protecting Seeker. Ami and Vita charge in to continue the attack. Loki warps back onto the battlefield, Loki opens a gate for the group to flee through, Loki calls out "It is time for us to leave!"

The orbs lock onto Loki, Vita nods and retreats following Loki's instructions. Jessica follows only a step behind Vita, Ami is next. One of the orbs strikes Loki in the arm. Tatsu flees, Loki at the end. As Loki steps back through the portal to escape the mechanized army's approach she is struck in the back by one of the orbs, it tunnals into her shoulder and down her arm. One arm falls dead from the metal entwining around Loki's muscles. Loki drops her head back swallowing the pain as she fall into the portal.

***

Location: Lower Residential, Lair 1

Yt house is a dozen wreaked cars cut together. She lives just above the poverty line. Unlick most of her friends she spends little time plugged into to the "Lairs Network" Yt could live better, money spends the same on Lair 1 as Lair 1.5 and Lair 2. But Yt has little interest in indulging herself. Yt has a cousin that was born sick, Yt saves her money to take care of her cousin just in case he gets worse.

Jloose waits with Yt and Xia as the party falls into the room. Vita looks over she shoulder "what is that monster!"

Xia explains "She is called 'the Seeker of Eternity' she is a sickness."

Loki quickly turning pail expresses "Seeker is not herself. There are no less than 2 other people living in her skin." Loki takes a hand full of steps then she falls on her side.

Jloose adds on "I could feel that also."

Jessica's glasses shimmer as she looks across time.

Vita and Ami run over to Loki, the two girls try to pick Loki up.

Hetatsubachi calls over "Loki!"

Jessica yells at Hetatsubachi, "Tatsu, you need to rip off Loki's arm."

"what?" Tatus looks confused.

"Vita isn't strong enough, Ami is to frightened. Seeker is inside Loki's skin and you and I are the only option. If I do it she will die, if you do she might. There is no universe in which Loki live without you eating her arm." Jessica swiftly explains herself. There is a moment of hesitation. Jessica becomes angry, her eyes narrow, she shows her fangs "you will do it now! I need no more blood on my hand!"

Tatsu has killed in the past, he has fought, he has done horrible things back when he was a cage fighter in Dis, But attacking one's friends, that takes conviction. Jessica shouts Again "Tatsu!"

The wolf bears his fangs, he snarls and growls. Loki's skin starts to turn black, her veins bulge. Loki's eyes roll upwards. Hetatsubachi barks calling on the most savage parts of his nature. Tatsu jumps at Loki grabbing her infected arm in his mouth one paw on her breast, he rips sideways wrenching the arm off. Loki doesn't fight, Loki can't fight. The room goes silent

Chapter 37 Siege part 1

Jessica uses her necromantic training to bandage Loki, there is nothing Jessica can do to give Loki her arm back. But Jessica can stop the bleeding and bandage Loki's wounds. Loki lays in a bed in Yt's room. Hetatsubachi leaves to find Krane, the Living Hive, it takes two days for Tatsu to return with Krane in hand.

The team gathers in Yt's bedroom: Loki, Jloose, Xia, Jessica, Yt, Ami, Vita, Krane, Hetatsubachi. Loki it seems is not likely to recover from her wounds. Yt looks to her lover Jloose "Ok, I think I am owed an explanation. Who are all of you and what is going on?"

Jloose looks side to side, "I think you know Xia already. She is a skaven swordsmen." She then points at Jessica the Weaver "Jessica is the Weaver of the kobolts of Graywall Keep."he points next to Krane "that horde of termites is Krane, they were a member of my mage guild. And lastly, he points out Loki "and that is Loki, Loki is a menace, and generally unwanted in polite society."

Loki choughs and puts on a smile "no play nice Jloose, you found me as beautiful as everyone else."

Jloose turns to face Yt "she was banished from the cabal after using a sweeping enchantery to force fifteen members of the court to participate in an orgy."

Loki smiles and chuckles to the best of her ability "that was fun. Keyor wouldn't talk to me for months after that."

Jloose shoots his gaze back to Loki "that was why Cinder and I had you thrown out."

Loki tips her head back trying to stay relaxed "you should have just joined in. a merfolk like you could have a lot of fun with someone like me."

Jessica seems annoyed by Loki's shenanigans "shouldn't you be in an unimaginable amount of pain and enable to think with your reproductive parts?"

Loki whimpers lightly, still trying to hide her agony "personal incredulity aside, this is slightly more agonizing then child birth."

Jloose looks up and down the rest of the team, "I don't think I know the rest of you?"

Hetatsubachi steps forth to clarify to Yt, he takes a bow, "Hetatsubachi Una," he waves off to one side "Vevavita Uni" then to the other "Ami..." he looks to Ami, "is that your full name?"

Loki adds on "the name I gave her was "Amaterasu-Omikami."

Ami speaks up "Skoll is the name my mother called me."

Jessica squints paying attention, her eyes narrow and ears lower. Jessica whispers "the wolf that eat the moon."

Hetatsubachi redirects the conversation "Jloose, I have been to the Steel Rose, Seeker is in control, Cilverant is nowhere to be seen."

Jloose rest his back to the wall sliding into a sitting position "he is asleep, I could wake him up if... Did you say you have been to the Steel Rose?" Tatsu nods. "I have been trying for weeks to teleport up there but I keep getting blocked."

"I can get passed the block." Tatsu explains.

Jloose looks around the room seemingly counting or looking for something hidden in the room. He snaps his fingers and points "Xia, you have the ring Cilverant gave you?" Xia nods "and Jessica, I see you are still wearing your necklace." Jessica confirms the statement "and Krane, your crown?"

Xia opens her eyes wide "you are going to reboot the Steel Rose computer system?"

Jloose enthusiastically "Seeker is acting like a virus, if we reboot the mainframe then the Steel Rose should be able to kick her out. Then so long as Cilverant's heart is undamaged he should take control again. "

Xia wags her tail "and if Cilverant is hurt?"

Jloose points at Krane "the Krane can fix him."

The central bug that makes up Krane explains "I can't possess the living, every time I have tried I ended up killing them."

Xia folds her hands behind her back, she walks up and down the room, her head down "then hopefully this doesn't become an issue."

Hetatsubachi looks to Loki "Can you still fight?"

Loki shakes her head "I think I am going to have to sit this next one out."

Jloose takes charge "what do we each bring with us to the table?"

The leader of the bugs that are Krane is first to speak "I am conjurer, I am immune to poison and acid, and I can manipulate dead flesh."

Xia picks up next "I have psyche-metabolic and limited gravitational manipulation."

Jloose dryly throws his training in the air "Invocation, mentalism, elementalism, and I have limited training in divination."

Jessica looks between them "my primary training was in alchemy, I also have done some studying in phonomancy, and most recently I have started studying clairsentience."

Jloose looks to the three wolves aside from Loki "how about you Hetatsubachi? What training do you and the wolves have?"

Hetatsubachi nods "I am a sorcerer of Dis, that says a good deal already. Spiritcraft was the first thing I studied, I am also a front-line invoker, technomancer, with secondary training in enchantery and elemintelism."

Ami comes in behind Tatsu "I have a fundamental understanding of alteration and prestidigitation."

Vita backs away shyly from the others. Jloose locks eyes with the youngest of the wolves "and you, young lady? What training do you bring with you?"

Vita turns her eyes upwards "my magic is wild at it's best. I have no training."

Jloose looks confused "A child of Loki with no training in the arcane arts? How old are you?"

Vita explains "I am 10 sessions old in Nimh years."

Loki clarifies "that is 2 years old in Neopan time, with something like a reminder of 90 so odd days."

Jloose looks confused. "I am not accustomed to having toddlers follow me into battle."

Vita barks "I am no toddler, I am a woman. In my homeland I am a buddha."

Hetatsubachi steps in between the merfolk and the angel wolf "Jloose, do you have an attack plan?"

The merfolk spell slinger nods his head as he turns his eyes to the sky. "I don't think you are going to like it." His eyes shut as he searches his mind for the answers to the quandary "If Seeker is the beast she appears to be from the world I know her to be from then we will encounter the armies of her home world protecting her, she will also have the combined forces of Cilverant's army. We will need to brake thought them. In the court house, under the judges podium we will find a stairwell, more of a shaft really, one hundred eighty feet deep. At the bottom is the mainframe. We will need to cut power to it then unlock the hidden door under the court that leads into Cilverant's room. Make sure his heart is still there. After that." He freezes "we wait."

Tatsu grunts and lowers his head "I am at least 50% ok with this." Tatsu looks between the worriers that he will be following into battle. "how soon can you all be ready?"

Chapter 38 Siege part 2

Location: Steel Rose

Jloose plan is remarkable bad, the only thing that makes this idea useable is the stupidity of it all. After all what sort of person would dare charge head long into a military stronghold knowing that they will be out numbered, out gunned and almost surely our maneuvered. Such an attack is suicidal, no one would try such a thing.

The part, now without Yt or Loki, appear at the summoning stones atop the Steel Rose. The Steel Rose has become ever more symmetrical. The thousands of metal bugs walk around. In droves they turn to face the appearing party.

Hetatsubachi, Ami, and Vita make up the first rank. Jloose and Jessica make up second rank. Xia and Krane bring up the rear. A Fifteen-foot-tall spider charge forward to capture the ranks. Tatsu pulls out his cape of swords, Tatsu lashes the monster four times to stun it, Vita flings her necklace three times to smash the beast to bits.

A swarm of six-foot mantises come in from the flanks as the party run at the courthouse. Jessica points her staff calling on a monsoon lightening, Jloose conjures a six-armed sea beast to block the mantis charge.

A swarm of juggernaut sized bees move in from behind the group. Krane is momentarily distracted, Krane looks down at her shadow noticing that it is no longer attached to her body as it seems to run off ahead of her. Krane calls out to her friends "Please tell me that I am not the only one that just saw that."

Xia draws her swords and jumps at the bees to face them in hand to hand combat "saw what?"

"my shadow just detached itself from me." Krane explains.

Jloose clarifies "we can all see it."

Jessica adds on "altered space is intruding on local time."

Hetatsubachi gorwls "I have been seeing this that for weeks."

Krane watches the shadows move around "some of the shows are wrong. Where Vita is standing I can see Keyor's shadow, and attached to Ami is Cinder..."

Hetatsubachi calls back "you are seeing the Battle of Eden. "

Krane can't seem to catch up with what is going on "Was I there? I seem to be remembering..."

Jloose cuts her off "clear your thoughts. Focus on the struggle at hand."

The Bees begin to overwhelm Xia, Krane turns to face Xia, Krane falls back to protect her fellow worldwalker. The mass of oversized termites that make up Krane's body leap at bees, acid dripping from their fangs.

Xia once she can push the bees off of her channels the bulk of her power, she marks herself as a gravity beckon, the air around her becomes thick, the mass of objects around her all start becoming grater. Soon the air is to heavy, the bees fall to the ground unable to support their own size any longer.

The court is in sight, only a few more yards. Then the way is blocked, fifty or more of Cilverant's armors walk out from behind the court to block the parties way. Ami swings her tail conjuring her phantom blades. Cilverant stands unphased. The armor's all talk with Seeker's voice "you will fight. You will die. It is inevitable."

A siren howls in the air, the armies of Seeker return to their work paying no more heed to the invading party. Jloose looks around, he feels something, Ami drops her attack also searching the air for the origin of the sound.

Hetatsubachi stalks closer to the armors. "you can't beat me Seeker. My magic is serval times grater then any you can hope to mimic."

one by one the armors punch there chest and there eyes suck up light. The air grows hot. The mouth on Cilverant's chest opens and blue plasmatic flames bellow from his body. Hetatsubachi lowers his torso, a set of wing shaped shields ark around his body to part the flames. More armors come out from behind the courthouse, followed by a set of titans. They all chant "it is inevitable."

Xia, Hetatsubachi, Krane and Ami charge forth to meet their foes in hand to hand combat.

Jloose calls out "Hetatsubachi, can you control them with technomancy?"

Tatsu replies "to much mass, I can only control three times my weight at any give time."

"Do you need to control the full body at one time?" Xia ask Tatsu as she strikes one of the armor's arms to push it off balance.

Tatsu's eyes widen "that is a thought." He takes control of an armor's weapon forcing the monsters to attack each other.

Vita lowers her eyes, she thinks about how she had seen the warriors of Neopan attacking the giants "Jloose, what sound is it that the fork swords make?" Jloose shrugs, "Can you hum the sound?" Jloose tries, Vita looks to Jessica "what key is that?"

Jessica turns her ears forward thinking she may understand what Vita is thinking, Jessica pulls off of her belt the flute carved from a bird's foot. Once held by Mother Corn, used to summon the roc Warwing. Jessica plays a few cords on the flute. Jessica finds the sound and calls over "E minor"

Vita stomps her paws to tap out a rhythm, she starts to sing

"Come follow me to the sands at the bay.

Watch the horizon at the end of day.

Here in a place deep in the fog.

Please take my hand, there are voices in the bog.

Search with me for the long-forgotten lights.

Here at the long-lost road, you can see the light.

The long-forsaken light at the end of the world.

A long-forgotten light at the end of the world."

_ _ As Vita sings Jessica whispers to herself "The Grate and Powerful Rodney, this was the song he wrote for his sister. Vita must have learned it from Meredith." She brings her flute to her lips to play along with the song. As Vita starts a second round Jloose claps his hands joining in.

A number of the robots freezes in place paying attention to the singing instead of the battle. Jloose squints thinking 'Cilverant has noticed we are here. He is trying to help us.'

The fourth round of the song starts with Xia joining in in. she wags her tail and sways her body calling attention to her lively curves. Hetatsubachi notices that most of the robots have turned to face Vita, he looks to Krane "what are those fools doing?"

Krane takes the opportunity to approach the door to the courthouse and unlock it. "I don't know but it seems to be slowing them down."

***

Even in death like sleep singing reaches Cilverant's ears. He thrashes and pulls against himself. He shouts and clenches his fist, Xia, his orderly, and Jloose, his stenographer, are still fighting. Cilverant must join them, he must stand by their side. The only way evil prevails is in the absence of good. Cilverant will do whatever he can to oppose evil and build peace.

Cilverant searches around in the cyberspace of the Steel Rose, he looks for anything he can find, and window or circuit he can try to crawl out. Any unprotected programs he can trigger. There is no way Seeker can have her attention evenly divided between keeping him asleep and fighting to protect the Steel Rose. Somewhere, there is something she isn't paying attention to, he needs to find out what that is.

With some work he finds it. When Seeker took over the computers on the Steel Rose she didn't overwrite the 'Admin' account she had instead concocted the equivalent to a second user profile. Cilverant is still logged in to the computer, his passwords are still active. Which makes since, Cilverant had wired the Steel Rose into an organic component and attached a kill switch to it. If she had unplugged Cilverant from the network the ship would have imploded.

But the idea of using a remote-control to patch together a ghost account using the navigation computer as a back door was crude. Granted, Cilverant himself didn't think about it but the idea is sub optimal. There are just so many holes that need to be plugged when trying to use navigation to override the mainframe. Cilverant can't shut down Seeker from here but he can limit her power by triggering maintenance routines.

***

As Krane brakes the lock off the courthouse door all of the robots seem to shut down for a few moments. The party dashes into the safty of the court then lock the doors behind them. Tatsu runs up to Vita overjoyed, he rests his head atop hers offering a hug "How did you shut down the sentinels by singing?"

"I remembered what Yt's sword looked like and seeing that her sword was a tuning fork I guessed that these automatons were sensitive to sound in some way."

Krane takes the lead showing the party the way to the judge's main hall "there is no way that should have worked. There is something going on that we couldn't see."

The air raid siren sounds again, Jessica's pendent shimmers, the ground trimmers. Jessica looks up and down the group, "that is not an earth quake, we are not on earth."

There is an uneasy stillness as the group sneak through the darkened halls of the courthouse. The silences is so think that footsteps and heartbeats echo in the stillness. Only as they reach the central room does the grinding metal of the outside world become clear again. A voice calls from the shadows as they unlock the door to main hall.

"I have learned how to dream." Seeker sits startling on the judge's podium, her head is tipped upwards, her hands rested on her knees, she rubs her thighs acting abnormally sexual. "the magic that his been shown to me is outstanding. My eyes can see far, my hands can hold the unknowable." Her hands grip at her stomach, she rolls off to one side hugging herself as she squeals seemingly in the throes of menstrual pain.

Jloose walks forth courageously "Seeker, let us pass unhindered."

Seeker sits up her arms wrapped around herself struggling to hold herself upright, Seeker is sweating, looking more human then ever. "I...I..." she struggles to speak.

Hetatsubachi helps her "...Will take away that which makes you beautiful and add it onto myself."

Seeker tries to finish her ultimatum "you will fight, you will..." she drops her head painfully

Hetatsubachi helps her again "...you will die. It is inevitable."

"Thank you." Seeker smiles to Hetatsubachi as she stands up. She snaps her claws downwards drawing her blades.

Jessica whispers "you are hurt, why are you still fighting?"

Hetatsubachi repeats Seeker's script for her "the universe is deterministic, I have no choice."

Seeker straightens up, the pain having abandoned her momentarily "Hetatsubachi. I knew you would come to understand me."

Hetatsubachi walks to the front of the group, he summons his enchanted chains using them to push the group behind him. "please Seeker. Lower your claws. Join me." Tatsu closes his eyes and lower his head making himself vulnerable.

Seeker softens her eyes "Hetatsubachi. I want to." The pain takes her again, Seeker doubles over. She snaps back to attention, Seeker pulls her arms off to the sides reading herself to attack.

Ami and Vita charge in to fight Seeker, they to wolf girls protect Hetatsubachi. Ami Yells back to Jessica, Jloose, Xia, and Krane. "Find Cilverant!"

Vita throws her necklace, one of Seeker's arms are pulled backwards. Ami opens her mouth wide grabbing the other arm. the two wolves try to pull Seeker to the ground. Seeker has supernatural strength. Seeker easily able to pick up and throw Ami into the air. Vita leans forward to grab one of Seekers legs.

Hetatsubachi convinced that he has done all he can do to try to protect Seeker, his mouth drops open. He barks and jumps forward to tackle Seeker teaming up with Vita.

Xia pulls out a sword, she pops open the door leading into the lower levels of the court. The worldwalkers drop down to the next level leaving the fight in the hands of the wolves.

***

The tubes are narrow, just wide enough that the group can walk side by side. but doing so almost pins their arms to their bodies. Jloose brings up the lead, Xia the rear, Jessica and Krane walk between them. the tube zigs and zags moving only about ninety feet down but with several hundred feet of spiraling tubbing.

As they drop ever deeper into the darkening depths, lights dim, steam valves vent. After some time the hallway opens up into an octagon shaped room with seven door, and eight computer panels.

Jloose walks up to the first visible computer, he reaches onto his belt and pulls out an elephant head dagger. Jloose unscrews the counterweight reveling a key hidden inside, Jloose plugs the key into a slot under computer. The screen on the computer unlocks. As jloose waits for the network to log in he looks to the others.

Xia knows what Jloose wants, she takes off her armbands and hands them over, Jloose pries the stones from them finding the key hidden within. Jloose logs into a second computer using Xia's key. He next looks to Krane, one of the beetles with oversized jaws approaches the one with the elongated antenna pulling the gem out of her skull handing it over. Jloose turns on the third computer with it.

Jloose turns to Jessica "hand me your necklace please."

Jessica shakes her head "No, I cannot."

Jloose looks concerned "why?"

"my pendent has been modified with Arcana, I can not take it off without doing some harm to myself." Jessica explains "I have a sickness of the soul, my pendent holds the sickness at bay."

Jloose nods "I understand. We can continue without it."

Jloose steps up to the first computer again, he directs Xia to step up to the second. Xia mounts her feet into the ground and lashes her tail lively. The two wizards have fantastic command of the Steel Rose computer, the par know just what to do and how to do it. Once the first computer has been logged in and rebooted Jloose pulls out the key and throws it to Xia, she catches it with her tail and plugs it into the fourth computer as she finishes going through he reboots commands.

The reboot only takes the par about 10 minutes, with an extra key the two may have got it done three minutes faster, but they are still swift enough. With all eight computers updating an eight door opens in the chamber.

Jloose looks to Krane, "now it is time for you to play your part. We need to find Cilverant's heart."

***

The ceiling to the courthouse caves in, a hundred-foot tall armor looks down into the main hall. Seeker smiles. The Seeker of Eternity has lead the armies of Esper since she plugged herself into this liquid metal body, since she abended the relegation of Seeker of Esper. Now with dragon blood in her veins, all the weapons of the Worldwalkers at her command, having tasted the flesh of two elder beast, it is time to take a new name. The Seeker of Eternity is now becoming the Seeker of Inferno, for she now has the power to bind and forge all things to her will.

Seeker has the power to shape the cosmos, she has the will to do away with the imperfect, the asymmetric, the weary and the rusted. The Architects of Peace are broken, the worldwalkers are scattered. If it was power Seeker wanted, she now has all of it she can hope for.

That pain in her stomach, it is coming back, a crushing weight rest atop of her heart, Seeker is damaged is some undetectable, unrepairable way. The siren, the sound of it still makes her body vibrate, the sound passed so long ago but she can still feel it.

The Missionary, that foul eldritch thing. Seeker feels It whispering in her thoughts "do not waist time with these childish games. I need your hands and your eyes, point me at the next Void Church, that I may become one with my love once more."

A second voice whispers in Seekers ear "you are the most beautiful of abominations, bind your knee to me, kill my enemies, become indomitable. I, the king of Tamriel, offer you life overflowing in exchange of this sacrifice of flesh."

Seeker brings her hands onto the back of her head, pushing the wolves away as she tries to quite the voices in her mind "I am a queen, I bend my knee to no one! Be gone from my thoughts specters from outside time."

The king of Tamriel tightens his grip, he threatens to crush Seekers mind. Her body bends in ways only she can bend, Seeker has no power of the Tamriel. But the kings softens his grip "who is that third voice? Who else is in here with us?"

The Missionary addresses the king of Tamriel "I am she who comes for the cosmos before the cosmos that are. We seek to become one again with that which we love and that to which we ae beloved. We come from the Void in search of our lost pieces." The missionary's words inspire a level of fear in the king he has never felt. Mammon falls silent as now he too struggles with the demons living under his skin "deliver that which is mine to me or the ramifications you will face will not be on my head."

The colossus brings its hands down, it scoops up the wolves, it could crush all three of them at once if not for Hetatsubachi and his cloak of swords holding his hands apart. Kingslayer growls, his eyes light on fire, he has no intention of dying today.

Hetatsubachi shutters as he is being taxed to the limit of his might "On to Valhalla, today is a good day. Should you fall to your knees and find the tall grass covering your eyes, have no fear. You have entered into Sovrngard. The land where the brave live on forever!" Hetatsubachi turns his cloak into a sawblade cutting the fingers from Cilverant's hands. The demon of the flowers leaps from the giant's hands and calls from the mist a chain and anvil, he strikes the giant across the face and the beast freezes. Tatsu looks confused as he hits the ground. "I didn't hit you that hard..."

Chapter 39 Siege part 3

The hidden door has opened, a room that was meant for Cilverant and Cilverant alone is now made itself know to Jloose, Xia, Jessica, and Krane. The room is set up to look like an office from and 19th century hardnose book. The floors are made of tanned wood, the wallpaper is a simple flower pattern. But that is only the beginning of the strangeness of the room.

One of Cilverant's armors stands at the back of the room, this one is not like the others, it has a Fabergé esthetic, lined with polished stone, wrapped in acid etched sliver. This armor was not made for battle like all the others, this one was made to be a sarcophagus to house the last remaining human parts of Cilverant's body.

The walls have dozens of framed new paper articles adorning them. there is a T.V. in the room with a V.H.S. player running a tap on a loop. A C.D. player fills the air with rat pack music the T.V. contrasting it with a documentary.

***

The first person on the T.V. is an aging man in a stripped suit and, the shot is in close up, a thick film grain partly brakes up the image "Why am I doing all this? Let me tell you. The Law is the Law and the Law, and if you forget it Mono am going to remind you."

The narrator takes over "Kram Mono, he was called the Unshakable cop, the men working under him were Unbreakable. Let's set the stage. The state of Jorden has been trapped in a sandstorm for 36 months, the governor has lost control of the state. With rule of law suspended. Powerful gangs have moved in from around the country to take advantage of anarchy."

The screen jumps over to a historian with the name Mike Sherman "it was a lawless decade. Between the Dovers, the Gorman, the Owls, and the Jesuit. There was no place you could go where the mob wasn't there looking for their cut. There was no confidence in the state. So, what does Mono do? He starts reminding people that there are honest people left in the world."

A second historian joins the conversation named Ester Fenni "This was a man that published his check book, and he told his coworkers to do the same. Under Mono's management there was no money being slipped under the table."

The narrator comes back in as a cluster of newspapers start showing up on the screen 'the Owls' and 'the Dovers' go to war with each other, drugs become cheap, women are exploited."

A clip of a much more aged Kram Mono plays "me and my boys had a plan, the mob got their power by giving people what they think they wanted. Cheap drugs, cheap thrills. So, I went to the mayor and I asked him 'can we do this cheaper and better then the mob?' and he looks to me, he takes me by the arms and he told me 'In will see what I can do.' Five months later, I am at the ground braking part for a state sponsored strip club."

The narrator shows a number of photos of police raids on drug dens "Fast, Clean. That is what Mono offered.

Cut back to Sherman "Mono became larger then life. He made friends in some high places. Stage performers, illusionist. It wouldn't be published for a lifetime after his death, that he had men like Jim Randi and 'Bedstone' hiding in the wings giving his so-called superpowers. Thankfully the Owls are easily intimidated."

Ester is the next presenter on "Mono was called 'the best law man ever to live.' But I feel like he was also the best show man ever. He was shockingly persuasive. But he was not without vice. It was not an unknow fact that Mono had a relationship Mocha Fenni, she was a high-ranking member of the Dovers family. Mono also let it be known that he kept a call girl on his staff."

Older Mono comes back on "people tell me they think I can do anything. That simply isn't true." He brings a hand up and takes off the gloves he is wearing showing off a dark blue scar on one of his hand "I can't hold a riffle, can't even close my hands all the way, when I was 12 I was at school, we where in the shop room building knives as part of some sort of public work's thing, I was drilling a hole for a tang, I drop the drill and cut a hole in my hands. That never healed."

Young Mono appears in the grainy footage, he is standing atop a wooden barrel surrounded by cops cutting apart similar looking barrels "you all think your are tuff, I am tougher, you think you are smart, I am smarter. I am smarter then the smarties and tougher then the tuffies. You seen Mono coming for you, give up, 'ant no one ever out ran Mono, Mono is coming and Mono is going to catch you."

Sherman come on "in the book 'The Magician with a Badge' the coolest thing Mono ever did in my opinion; the day Mono was offered the position chief constable. Mono went to a press party. He was grabbed by three Owls, stuffed into a bag then dragged down to a construction yard. Mono is thrown down into the foundation then a cement mixer is pushed over and buries him alive. Seconds later there is an explosion, wet cement covers everything in 60 yards. Then here comes Mono crawling from the hole, his hair smoothly slicked back and in a cleanly pressed suit. The Owls went running." Sherman pulls out a photo "but who where those Owls?" he starts pointing at the gangsters in the photo from the scene "three friends of his, Robert Fred England, Wes Craven and the Amazing Randy. Three talented actors, I will tell you if I wanted to fake my death, these guys would be on my short list of people to ask to help out."

Sherman continues "I had the opportunity to talk to the Amazing Randy, I asked him how this was set up and here is what he told me 'After we dragged Mono away strangely no one checked to make sure it was him in the bag and not a dummy with one hundred and eighty pounds of dynamite tied to it."

The camera flips back to Mono "That may have been one of the stupidest thing I have done. The stupidest thing of all times was going into the Fisk club..."

The frame freezes as the Narrator plugs in some missing data "Tony A. Fisk, a gambler with a hunger for money and sex. He is a smoker, a drinker, and a tyrannical business man.

The camera cuts back to Ester "one thing my contemporaries seem to neglect, is the relationship between the Dovers and the courts. In public Mono would attack the Dovers no less so then any other gang. But behind closed doors Mono and Mocha had a physical relationship. But not only that, they were political partners, in my book 'Tainted Brass' I collected a long list of declassified files where Mono uses his mob connections to extort people to advance his own agenda."

Older Mono continues his story "I walk into the VIP area, I slap the table and I tell Fisk 'As the Chief Constable I can make people disappear, but do you know what else I can make disappear? The bounty on your head.' Fisk almost spits up the beer he is drinking laughing at the idea of a cop showing up in his club making demands. He snaps his fingers and the guy standing to his left hands him a gun. Now, I don't have my gun with me, I am in my service whites as I just came from a charity ball. as Fisk holds his gun up ready to take a shot at me. Then from the kitchen a woman walks out dressed in a mini-skirt and a dog costume. She steps in-between me and Fisk and she declares 'you are going to hear out Kram.' Fisk ask 'or what?' Mocha takes off the mask and drops that off to one side, she pulls a lighter from the strap of her skirt a lighter saying 'I attacked a Freon gas pipe to the AC, you are going to do what Mono says or we are going to ask our creator what he thinks we should do.' We are all flabbergasted. Everyone is convinced that Mocha plans to kill all of us. Somehow it doesn't dawn on any of us that Fisk had a burning cigar sitting in the ashtray at his right hand. Mocha lied, be all bought it."

***

Xia looks around the room "what is this?"

Jloose looks at one of the newspapers on the wall "a shrine."

Krane points out a gold star on the wall "hero worship of some kind I would assume."

Jessica stands under the armor examining it. Lights light up behind the eyes of the jeweled armor. Jessica fails to notice as she turns to face Jloose. "Jloose, have you ever been down here?"

Jloose shakes his head "no one has ever been in here exept Cilverant and Sigh." Jloose notices the armor having come to life, Jloose yells "Xia!"

Xia notices what Jloose had she jumps over grabbing Jessica and pulling her out of the way of the armor as it steps forward to stomp on the mouse.

Jloose calls over to Krane. "Find the heart now!"

The armor pulls one hand across it's body and slaps Xia, Xia falls onto her side the punch from the armor having cracked the bone around her right eye, she pulls her knees into her body and holds the side of her face struggling to stand back up.

Krane brakes apart into her parts in order to start digging around looking for the heart to finish the reboot. Jessica points her staff reading a spell to hold the armor at bay. Cilverant pushes past the hold spell, the armor grabs Jessica's staff away from her and with a might thrust of his other hand throws the Weaver at a wall.

Cilverant is mighty, as far as anyone knows Cilverant is the oldest and most powerful of the worldwalkers. He has no flesh to burn, no mind to crush, Cilverant is all metal and malic in the rudimentary shape he is currently in.

Jessica knells before Xia pulling out a set of surgical tools from the pockets of her cloak, she shouts over to Jloose. "Why is Cilverant attacking us?"

Jloose throws both hands out conjuring a pair of flails forged out of magical water. "Cilverant isn't on line, this is a security drone on a self-containing server."

Cilverant steps into Jloose taking a arcing swing with one of his metal fist. Jloose ties his magical flails around one of Cilverant's arms, the Merfolk jumps onto the back of the metal giant. Jloose tries to drag Cilverant to the ground. Cilverant grabs one of Jloose legs and throws the fish man to the ground.

Krane as she is digging around the room finds the editors copy of the book 'Tainted Brass' she pushes a few cabinet doors open reveling a brain in a jar, it is partly drowned in living steel.

Krane yells over to Jloose "Is this it?"

Jloose is pinned under one of Cilverant's feet. Cilverant turns one of his hands into an energy weapon. Xia pushes Jessica away as she dives at Cilverant's arm off line to protect her merfolk friend.

Jloose calls over "Yes! Sting it."

Krane calls back "I will kill him If I do that."

Jloose replies "no you won't."

Krane shouts "yes I will."

"Krane, what is the oath of Soles-Chaos?" Jloose ask

Krane remembers well, she reads it aloud "I cannot stop you from being killed, but I will not let you die." Krane sends out a hand full of her body sections to attack Cilverant to hold him back.

Jloose clarifies, "to Chaos and the Tamriel intentions matter. If you say that you wish to help Cilverant and Cilverant wishes to be saved then Chaos will intervein on your behalf."

Krane uncaps her stinger, she looks down into the jar, her stinger sways as she hesitates. Jessica joins the struggle to try restrain the metal monster.

Krane whispers as she zeros in on the brain ready to do as she is told. She swings her tail down whispering "Cilverant, I will save you." She stabs her tail into the brain. Every light cuts off. The Steel Rose dies, but only for a moment. As the venom is sucked from Krane's tail the brain in the jar turns black.

But then the brain vibrates, the lights turn back on, the living metal in the jar seems to burn away. Cilverant lowers his hands to his sides. He turns his body to the wolrdwalkers in the room with him. All eyes turn to face Cilverant. "Thank you. I am better now." There is a sigh of relief.

***

Cilverant is back in control of the Steel Rose. But Seeker has yet to be defeated, the wolves throw themselves at the corrupted life form time and time again. And time and time again they are tossed aside by her unnatural power. The wolves grow weary, but they must fight, they must by time form the others to awaken the true master of the Steel Rose so that they may not only defeat but conquer this evil.

Seeker could not have fathomed the power that Cilverant could have given her. Cilverant was once human, Seeker never was. Cilverant has technomantic power many times stronger then that of Hetatsubachi's. Cilverant is aware of every part of his ship, he can control every peace thereof with his thought.

Seeker had attacked Cilverant originally form the shadow knowing that she could not overpower him in single combat. Cilverant is well aware of what he must do to overwhelm Seeker. As Cilverant makes his way to the courthouse, he has a hundred of his bodies construct a web of magnets to hold Seeker in place, another pumps the room full of a ionizing powder to make Seeker venerable to the magnets, and a hand full more develop a hardening agent to remove Seeker's shape shifting power.

In the time it has taken Cilverant to walk from the bowls of the ship, up to the court, he has developed all the tools he will need to capture Seeker.

Seeker backs away from the wolves, she lowers her head and hold herself up mounting her hands on her knees looking winded. Her hands shrink form there claw shape into her three fingered talons, she holds her hand off to one side trying to reshape weapons. Her claw fail to extend.

Cilverant climbs out off the depth, Seeker is in retreat, a hundred more armors walk into the room to offer backup. Seeker rest her back to the wall. Seeker is ready for one last push. Cilverant helps Jessica up to their level.

Cilverant kneels down to whisper with Jessica as Seeker is bracing herself for her final charge. "that chain around your neck. Is that the Avalon stone called 'Guardian of the Moon'?"

Jessica holds the stone out in front of her to look at it. The bronze chain, the ruby heart stone, eight ruby slivers. "Yes," she explains "It was given to me by Walker, son of Selina goddess of the white moon."

Cilverant explains "this symbol of the moon has the power to banish the beast that imprisons Seeker's soul. Touch the Guardian to Seeker's heart."

Jessica looks back and forth franticly "this could have dangerous ramifications."

Cilverant's armors start firing electrical webs at Seeker to hold her to the ground. Seeker even without her shapeshifting power maintains superhuman strength, Seeker can still rip apart the webs. The armors change tactics. Imagination is the greatest limiter of Seekers abilities, she cannot fathom Cilverant having his multitudes working to separate goals all at once.

Seeker is grabbed from behind by one armor, by the arms by two more, Seeker thrust her arms into the air lunching the armors into the air and away from her. There is not enough time to take a breath before five more Armors have reached up to try and pin Seeker to wall.

Seeker explains weekly as she is running out of energy "I will fight."

One of the armors replies "no, you will not."

Jessica does as she is asked, she grips her necklace in both hands, she walks to Seeker stretching her hand out to Seeker's exposed heart. The energies are like polarizing magnets, Jessica's pendent and Seeker's heart try to repeal each other. Cilverant places a hand on Jessica's back to hold her, his other hand reaches around to grip Jessica by the hand. Cilverant forces the two to touch each other.

The gyro in Seeker's chest stops spinning, all at once Seeker crumbles to the floor. Everyone takes a moment to breath. After so much time and such a harsh struggle on the behalf of some many it seems almost strange to think such a cleaver and deadly enemy could be defeated.

Many eyes turn at once to face Cilverant, the force of their will convenes silently what many are thinking 'Is Seeker dead?' Cilverant responds to the unspoken inquiry "The Seeker of Eternity never lived in that body, she was only housed within it. Like all the minds of Esper, Seeker's truest shape is that of a code within the HIVE mainframe. I will need to return her remains thereto."

Seeker's body stirs. It twists and thrashes in strange ways, the heart in Seeker's chest cracks and from within it is born a tiny pink abomination, it is shaped like a lobster, it has starfish arms growing out the top of it's body and six squid like tendrils pultruding from the top of its head. The monster rolls on the ground trying to find its feet. A toothless mouth runs from the things head down to the tip of its tail. the mouth opens reveling a spiraling red channel in its body that glows with fetal lights. The endlessly stretching fallopian void showing of dead black space at the end of the cosmos if anyone dared to look into the nexus. No one would dare look so deeply.

The flopping, sicky looking embryo is hardly a foot long but seems to glow with an aura that even the oldest and most battle-hardened warriors cower from. The infantile monstrosity takes a single struggling breath. The world around it starts to brake apart. The beast body links two dimensions physically. A high-pressure and low-pressure system meet, gravity is warped, a vacuum is formed around the monster's mouth. Anything with three yards when it breaths its first breath is stretched and contorted into a strand of matter lined up in a single file line, then dragged into the world on the other side of the beast mouth.

Jessica's hand come up to her mouth, her jaw drops in abject horror. This display of outworldly power driving her to the brink of madness. Xia falls over crawling away, nerves shaken by this thing that should not be. Each of Krane's body parts brake away hiding in the corners of the room. Jloose drops to his knees overwhelmed his mind incapable of understanding what he is looking at.

After the first breath the monster grows in size eight times. Cilverant quickly turns side to side noticing how many of his friends are in shock of this oddity. The many armors that are Cilverant quickly come to understand what will happen when this beast takes it's next breath, the armors pick up and pull away people from the calculated zone of destruction.

Hetatsubachi walks slowly backwards. He thinks deeply, he has seen a variation of this monster once. But Tatsu's eyes are grown elsewhere. Cilverant did not see Seeker's heart rolling away. Hetatsubachi holds his breath as he runs forward to pick up Seeker's heart in his mouth. The monster takes a second breath, a number of Cilverant's armors brake apart getting sucked into the mouth of the monster.

The group retreats from the court as the void beast levitates smashing through the ruff, air is thicker then water. Hetatsubachi monologs to himself a he is fleeing "void mages, Cilverant once described Charlie Belmond as using Chaos energy, Mili Malaguard saw Charlie use his magic to teleport. The gate summoned..." Tatsu looks back at the monster. His eyes drawn to it's mouth. "Cravixs, is it a name? is he a person? Or..." Tatsu looks into the depths of the monster's body. He watches the spiraling space trapped witching the void "or, a descriptive term!" Tatsu looks back to Cilverant "Xzoner, Cravixs and Missionary are all the same race! They are the Nothing! The deities Vistel and the other void worshipers pray to."

Civlerant looks confused "Deities?"

"the Void Mages think so!" Tatsu clarifies.

"How do we stop it?" Cilverant asks, his voice becoming frantic.

"who is the enemy of the void... in their own mythology?" Tatsu asks in return.

"Yggdrasil," Cilverant whispers "birthed in the water of life, she drinks from the sea of memories... the source of the river of mania." Cilverant hypothesizes "over feed it? How?"

Hetatsubachi's eyes burn with green and yellow fire "feed it all the energy we have."

Jloose has started to regain his wits, Cilverant's army is franticly working to assemble a new weapon to try to fight this monster from outside space. Cilverant looks to Tatsu as they are working on a plan of attack "I can not and will not order one of my people to their deaths, this is a clear violation of the primary directive." Cilverant tries to do some mental math "besides wouldn't this plan require enough energy to implode a universe?"

Hetatsubachi nods "just a small one."

Jloose gets up to his feet and dashes at the monster to protect the Steel Rose from further damage "Allow me to try." It is not a request it is an order. The merfolk howls a battle cry worthy of any Olympian hero. His fist burn, his eyes light up with arcana, he draws energy from the never drinking in as much power as his body can hold then drinks some more. He moves in close.

Jloose know what is going to happen, he knows he will not survive, but Jloose has something to protect. A home, A idea. Jloose will never see Yt again, he will never sit by Cilverant's side again. But maybe, if all his life energy aligns in this single strike Jloose can strike a fatal blow and save the Architect of Peace and prove to everyone not even the Void is unbeatable.

Jloose thrust his hands together throwing and ocean of energy. Jloose unleashes the furry of a lifetime, all the strength any merfolk could ever hope to have thrown out in one mighty attack. Jloose is disintegrated by his own spell, he strikes the monster in the mouth. It works, Jloose conjuration and the Voids negative energy neutralize. Jloose and the Void are both unmade.

Chapter 40

Afterlife

Fourteen days pass, the courthouse is rebuilt, Loki, and Yt are brought aboard the Steel Rose. Cilverant walks through the greenhouse with Yt, the giant places a hand on the back of the halfling walking with her. Yt understands what has happened, Cilverant feels inclined to clarify. "We will organize a mock ceremony for Jloose, I would like to see him honored under your family's traditions."

Yt walks with her head down, she looks up to the giant "I know that Jloose wasn't what I am. But he and I still had a relationship. Where were talking about moving out into the dessert and building a home..." she wants to say more but she seems to be halving trouble forming the words.

Cilverant looks up to the five moons. "Do you know what Jloose was?"

Yt thinks "I think once he had talked about a planet called Attluse. He was a dolphin man or something like that. A water born mammal..."

"on one in every millionth world, one and a million children born will have the power of the plainshifters, one in a million of them will awaken, they will partake of Dragon Blood and become Worldwalkers. Jloose, he thought that you may be that one millionth child. You may have immortality and magic just like his."

Yt stops walking to offer her attention to Cilverant in full. "what does that mean?"

Cilverant turns to look down at Yt. "nothing unless you chose to harvest this power. Most of the time people with this power start to manifest it when they have their sexual awakening, but not always. I could try to force the transformation if you would like."

***

Hetatsubachi sits at the summoning stones with Krane and Jessica, Krane now with a new puppet body "what was in that underground chamber?" Tatsu ask, Tatsu has been carrying Seeker's heart with him for days

Jessica folds her hands over the bird head on her staff "a shrine to a hero."

Tatsu looks between the girls "Is Cilverant a Shintoest?"

Krane lays on the ground folding her arms under her head basking in the light "Clearly he had some form of reverence for this hero of his."

Jessica thinks "Cilverant may not be a man at all. Krane, what was that book sitting next to the heart?"

Krane thinks "I didn't get a very good look at it but I think it was the book from the movie 'Tainted Brass'." Krane turns her eyes looking at Jessica "But don't you have the power of prophecy?"

Jessica shuts her eyes lazily "I do, but I don't choose what I see, not all the time anyway."

Tatsu rolls over onto his back showing off his underside "Prophecy is the strongest form of divination. When Xia reads bones she has to have a binary question in her mind, when I read cards I can only see what would happen without my intervention. What do you see?"

Jessica opens one eye looking between them, her glasses shimmer, she whispers under her breath as if not wanting to speak her thoughts aloud "pain, I only ever see people in pain. It is then up to me to find out how to stop it."

Krane asks "why?"

Jessica replies "Because I am driven by compassion. The powers that govern the cosmos know that if they show me something unpleasant it will encourage me to fight..." Both of Jessica's eyes open wide as she gasps for air, she is drawn into a hallucination only she can see. A sun fading to blue. a city covered in ice. a fox takes her children in her arms, wind takes the fox away. a siren howls. a lonely black bird feather falls before Jessica's eyes. A wolf Cries. All is dark. A flash of lighting, all turns red. Teeth fall from the heavens. A whale sings. Jessica jumps to her feet "Krane, Take Seeker's heart to Cilverant. Tatsu fetch Vita and Ami, we must fly."

***

The Kami Sigh has taken Loki to a regeneration chamber, Sigh grafts a new arm to Loki's body. Ami and Vita stand by watching as the holy fox works his white magic. One of Civlerant's armors stand along side the bed as Sigh works.

Sigh speaks to Cilverant as he is working "I wish you had brought Loki her sooner, this would have gone much faster had I not needed to cut the wound back open."

Cilverant jokes dryly "I was unavailable." Cilverant changes the topic quickly "did things go well with your brother?"

"Hanz has chosen to leave the Kami, he has taken twenty men and eighty women with him. They have moved out into the highlands and began construction of a new temple. He will continue to honor Origen but not under the laws of Sister Nine."

Cilverant clarifies "then sub optimal is what you mean to say."

Sigh talks as he works to sow the new arm on "what I did to my brother was horrendous. This is the best outcome I could have hoped for."

Hetatsubachi approaches the wolf girls as they stand outside the room watching Sigh work. Tatsu barks "It is time for us to leave."

Vita looks confused "Are we returning to Nimh?"

Tatsu nudges his head backwards pointing at the door he had just passed through. "Didn't ask. But if Jessica says we are leaving, it must be time."

Ami doesn't bother asking a word, she makes for the door. Once Ami is moving Tatsu leads the way, Vita falls in at the back of the group.

***

Krane, Xia, and Cilverant gather in a room filled with star maps. Krane places Seeker's heart in Cilverant's hand. The room spines slowly as Cilverant looks around. A whisper echoes across the cosmos Cilverant speaks to his other bodies scattered across time-space. A single map lights up. Cilverant points "that is the planet Seeker was born on. That is where I will take her."

Xia folds her arms and wags her tail, after her last battle half of her face is horrifically marred. She hide her scars and missing eye under a phantom half-mask "why not just throw her into the Never? Let her drift between realms forever."

Cilverant looks to his rat warrior "that would not be conducive to peace." A magic door opens before Cilverant, his gate is formed of a twirling clocks and twisting light. "I will not ask you two to follow me."

Krane backs away, she knows what is on the other side of that door and she will never willingly go there again. "I will wait here."

Xia turns her nose up with a grunt "I will not allow you to carry on alone."

***

Realm: Esper

Place: H.I.V.E. # 00-E

Chrono Sphere: 20-05

There are no stars in the sky, there is no sun on the horizon. The world is round, the land cut into squares, formed out of interlocking triangles. The land is carpeted in smoothened concrete. A single diamond hangs in the air, cylinders of silver draw rays from every dwelling pointing at the diamond. The world is balanced, the world is perfect. The last of the unclean things have been burned away.

The earth is hollow, every grain of sand has been cleaned and polished into glass. Every stone refined into oar, ever protein harvested for carbon jelly. The only scar on the world is a hand full of Mechons from antiquity that still hold on to the mask of humanity. They are imperfect, but still somewhere out there in the emptiness of space there are other imperfect lifeforms, these antique Mechons seem to have some luck in organizing trade with the flowed entities.

H.I.V.E has a hunger for carbon jelly and it is often more efficient to trade out dated hardware for the treasured jell then to take it by force. Another advantage of the antiques is that they had been manufactured at a time when H.I.V.E had limited reach and so the Antiques when traveling abroad would need to have simplified onboard computers in order to function when in radio black-zones. This sometime resulted in paces of code being modified for functionality under unexpected conditions. This is where the need for the Seeker modal become beneficial.

The trips to harvest new Jelly are becoming longer, the life-giving fuel has needed to be rationed. Large sections of the planet have been turned onto power saver mode until a new stalk of jelly can be found. Today 30% of the planet is running on minimum power. Only H.I.V.E is aloud to continue running at 100% efficiency. If in the next 362 days a new shipment of jell hasn't been delivered another 25% will need to go into standby. But so long as 40% of the workers remain functional there will be no need to reduce fuel consumption by H.I.V.E

Xia and Cilverant pass through the magic door to H.I.V.E, no one takes interest in the two. Xia takes in her surroundings. "I do not find this place settling."

The diamond in the sky is the first and only thing that seems to notice the approach of the travelers "what is the function of this convoy?" the diamond asks.

Cilverant holds up the heart showing it to H.I.V.E "to build peace."

H.I.V.E flickers white and gray "you have found the lost Seeker." There is a moment of silence "you are a Zion from Paradiso. It is the custom of your people to exchange gifts at times like this. I do not cry for the dead. But I can offer you knowledge gathered from across space. Are you a trained physicist?" Cilverant nods. The diamond in the sky continues its thought "you may have noticed already that there are stars missing from the sky, and in no small number. I believe I know where they went are you adept in the art of cosmology?" Cilverant nods again "have you ever been outside the light barrier?"

Cilverant turns his eyes up looking into the stone "I have not, nor do I recall ever hearing of anyone else traveling outside the light barrier."

The diamond pulses with light "the Worldwalkers are practiced at traveling in and out of many worlds. But the so many world, so many look so alike. So many worlds constructed using the same parts. We should like to postulate a hypothesis. There are at least three cosmoses proliferating simultaneously. I should like to call them: the Deep, the Light and the Ferment. You and We, live in Ferment, we travel only within other parts of the Cosmoses living in Ferment. Ferment itself divides Deep from Light, Ferment is made up of equal parts Deep and Light. What is above can not travel below, that which is below can not travel above. But both can live here. The above is sinking into the Deep, we are sinking into the Deep."

***

Realm: Phawks

Place: Rice Lake

Chrono Sphere: 20-05

The wave of butterflies that is Hetatsubachi's teleport compile forming into the group of Vita, Ami, Jessica, and Tatsu. They arrive outside the schoolhouse from where Tatsu originally fled. The snow is even thicker today. The snow has now reached the second story windows of the school. The snow has turned blue, the sky nightshade. The thick icy snow fails to give way under foot, something has taken the snow and given it the properties of stone. Anything under the surface no doubt suffocated.

Terror runs across Hetatsubachi's face as he looks around confused by the changes to the land. The air is still, the breathing of the party being the only sound for miles. There footsteps echo like thunder. Hetatsubachi knows where he is, he knows the way home. The wolf turns to run, dashing off into the wilderness, only treetops guiding the way. Fear fill the wolfs heart, he calls on his arcana to quicken his step, flames roll off the wolfs body living a trail of embers for his friends to follow.

Jessica looks up to the sky, she reaches into on pocket and pulls out a silver coin. Jessica throws the coin out in front of her, it hits the ground and sinks leaving behind a pit 20' deep and 20' wide. She whispers to herself "Chaos protect us."

Vita looks between Jessica and the hole in the ground unclear about what has happened "what was that?"

Jessica shakes her head "five grams of silver, nothing more."

Ami walks over to the coin, she lowers her head picking it up in her teeth to return to Jessica "But how?" Ami request.

Jessica points up to the sunless, moonless, sky "this planet is dead, sinking into the cosmic furnace. The water alone is allowing this world to keep its shape as gravity is rapidly rising."

Vita looks at the coin as Ami hands it back "Gravity is changing, how, when?"

Jessica turns to looks in the direction Tatsu has ran "days, maybe only hours. But once the sun turned black it wouldn't matter how much time has passed. No sun, no life. Once the light of the star faded, everything here died all at once."

Ami asks "why are we alive?"

"We are being protected by Soles-Chaos."

Hetatsubachi runs hard, he runs until he can smell his home underfoot. Tatsu shouts "Ashley!" he holds up his ears waiting, he shouts again "Ashley!" he sniffs the air, he knows he is home, he calls out into the night sky "Tia! Sarra! Aaron! Hon!" no one calls back. Desperate crying slowly fades into a sorrowful howl. Tatsu tips his head up howling into the silence, painfully shaking he howls time and time again waiting for any voice to call back.

In time Jessica the Weaver catches up to the sorcerer of Dis. Jessica sits in the snow alongside Tatsu, Tatsu howls again, his voice becoming weak. One of Jessica's hands finds the wolf's back. Hetatsubachi can not find the power to keep calling out to a dead world, he falls over sideways, his head falling into Jessica's breast. The ancient mother wraps her arms around the demon wolf holding him like one of her own young.

Tatsu mumble struggling to talk, his powerful voice crumbling away into sobbing "how long was I gone? How long? How long?"

Jessica whispers "only a few weeks as we see time."

"I can fix it. I can bend time and space. I can put everything back to where it was." Tatsu can not seem to hold a clear thought in his mind.

Jessica rubs the back of the wolf's head to quite him, she whispers in his ear "you can." She brings her head down to kiss him "but could you steal from yourself to feed yourself?"

The mighty wolf turns his eyes up to the motherly mouse, his eyes red and swollen from sadness. "explain." He requests

Both hands find the back of the wolf's head as she hushes him, she shakes the wolf and hums calmingly "All realities are equally real, every you that you can imagine is or has been in some corner of spacetime. Somewhere in the Cosmos there is a you that stayed here, maybe you died alongside your family, maybe you and your family escaped. The shadows of space cast a reflection on time. There is a world that looks just like this, where you are right now with Ashley and your puppies. I can take you there, let you see them. but you dare not touch them. for they will be a shadow to you just as you are a shadow to them, the most dangers thing that a worldwalker can do is touch himself from another time."

Tatsu chokes on his words as he whispers to Jessica "I need to see."

Jessica turns to wind carrying the wolf away with her as she steps into the timestream she brings Tatsu to a world that is the dream of his home he thought he would be returning to. A cruel trick of the gods.

***

Realm: Phawks

Place: Rice Lake

Chrono Sphere: 01-20-05-00-0E

The snow is starting to melt, the air is damp, the ground is soft. The fight between Hetatsubachi and the duck has lead to some controversy in the town. Ashley had at first planed to go back into the woods first sign of thawing but with Tatsu being dragged into a political affair, they will need to stay for a short time longer. This may not be the planet that Hetatsubachi was born on but that doesn't mean that he loves it any less.

Under the guidance of Dean Puzzle, and with Hetatsubachi at her side the school board has gone on a warpath. For the first time in forever the school isn't reacting to claims by special interest groups but on a full-on offensive.

Ashley has been playing her part by organizing public demotions, Aaron has shown a grate interest in computers and has been teaching his mother and father how computers can make their job of talking to people. The top bill on ever article it seems is comprehensive health education. People have a right to understand their bodies and how they work, what makes us sick and how to get better, how does illness transfer, how does one get pregnant, how can one prevent this?

For a decade or more it seems every family values group to arise has picked a fight with the school and the school has head to try to clean up the mess post-hawk. As spring sets in Ashly and Tatsu tack it upon themselves to do some door to door action, walk around the city and take a serve, see how many people are on their side of the issues and of the ones that are not why?

Come the fall there will be a town hall meeting held and the school has put everything on the line. Teachers get to teach or the city has to bring in a new roost of teacher. Ashely looks down at the map of the town that she has "Hugo Long, sheep, single father, one daughter, 13 years old." Ashley explains as they walk up to the door.

"Hugo Long? Well that is a manly name" Tatsu jokes.

Ahsley knock on the door. The door is opened by a sheep man of diminutive size, he has on egg shaped glasses and a white blouse which is untucked, he has on a tie that has been pulled loose and he is struggling to tighten his belt as he pulls the door open, he overall looks like a mess. Hetatsubachi sniffs at the sheep and offers a playful smile.

Ashley holds out a hand "Mr. Long, do you have a moment to talk about our school?"

Long nods finally getting his belt to clip right, he is panting clearly short of breath "yeah. What want to talk about?"

Ashley pulls out her phone to look over the script Aaron gave her to read. "First of mister or missis insert name hear, I would like to ask you if you are a registered voter and can legally vote in this community?"

Long fails to notice the strange phrasing of the question "I am."

"have you or is anyone you know currently attending school?" Ashley continues.

"Both," Long Explains. "I attended school in this district for my 6th through 15thyears of education. Margaret has been enlisted in this district for her whole schooling career."

Ashley nods as she scrolls down on her script "Are you familiar with the health and physical education curriculum in our district and are you confident that this curriculum provides our children with all the information we can reasonably make available in a timely fashion?" Ashley reaches behind herself swating at her tail and she whispers "Tatsu calm down."

Tatsu looks up then back trying to understand what she is asking as he hasn't moved form where he sat when Long opened the door "I am calm."

Long answers the question "actually I feel like we should have far more time dedicated to this topic, and that it should be made available to a larger net of students. When I was in school health and physical education was available to all sixth-grade students and up. Looking over the class listing it looks like this year and last it was only open to 10th grade students and 13up."

Ashley gets back on topic "have you been made aware of the number of unexpected pregnancies reported in the school in the last seven years and what are your feelings on this topic?"

Long nods "I am aware of it yes. I think the school should take a much more hands on approach to making students aware of their bodies, the risk of sexual contact, and the school I feel should provide birth control to it's student at no charge as well as a class showing them how to properly apply their chosen form of protection. In fact, I feel like this is such an oversight that I have contracted a privet tutor to come into my home and train my daughter and I in just that."

Tatsu jokes "no one loves their daughter like their father. Right?"

Long nods again "yes. I think you are right."

Ashley gets to the end of her script "Can I trust that you will be with us at the school on the 30thto bring up your concerns with the Parent Teacher Commission?"

Long enthusiastically looks back and forth, "please add me to your mailing list."

After a short talk the two leave Tatsu smile to Ashley "I like mister Long, he seems like a very honest fellow."

Ashley looks up into the clouds "I think he was shagging his little girl when we knocked on the door."

Tatsu looks up and down the street "who is next on our list?"

Ashley looks down at her print up of their flight path "Jessica Brisbane, mouse, single mother, widowed, nine kids enrolled in the school today, three graduated. Well she is a active women."

Tatsu looks up at Ashley "Brisbane?"

Ashley looks down "an old lover?"

Tatsu rolls his eyes side to side thinking "an old friend. Maybe."

The two quickly find there way to a four story Victorian estate. Jessica sits in the gazebo in the front yard playing her flute. Jessica lowers her flute, she squints into the distance looking around. Her ears wiggle, her nose twitches, she cant see anything strange but she can feel it.

The shadows whisper "she cant see us can she?" Tatsu's shadow whispers to Jessica's shadow.

Jessica's shadow replies "No, we are outside the light spectrum."

"why does it feel like she is looking at us?" Tatsu's shadow asks.

Jessica's shadow replies "I don't need my eyes to see."

"How is she here, aren't you on Nimh right now with Vita?"

"this isn't the past, this is right now. I am with you on Phawks." Jessica's shadow explains to Tatsu's shadow.

"But there is a second me and a second you here?"

Jessica's shadow calls over to Tatsu's "you still don't get it. Every reality is equally real. This timeline required two things to change, one is you killed Seeker on Gia..."

The other Jessica speaks to the shadow "I can see you Jessica. I must ask that you not give in to greed. This is my home, these are my children, no mater how much they look like yours, they are mine and I will not let you take them away."

Jessica's shadow finishes her thought "... and I did not let Odidimus take my children from me."

Tatsu's shadow looks between Ashley and Jessica, he wants to start crying again but forces down his pain "I could have Ashley again."

Jessica looks at the shadow of the wolf "Only if you could kill yourself and take her, your life would be a lie. As fare as Ashley knows the wolf she is with now is the only Hetatsubachi there is. You could pretend to be him, Ashley may not ever notice the difference. But you will."

The shadow opens its eyes wide as it remembers something "the ducks." He mumble to himself "Jessica, the ducks, the women was a teacher, she showed me a chart of evolution, there were brakes in it and..." he starts trailing off mumbling things that only make sense in his own mind but then comes back "The Church of Kari is the link between them. this world didn't die, it was murdered. Please send us back."