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"I fell in love, at just one look. Yeah, yeah, that's all it took." I listened with interest as my mate played her newest song, which was about us. Sitting on her bed, I closed my eyes and focused on the music. This was her first song that wasn't really a rock song. The melody was upbeat and gentle and I could feel the emotion behind the lyrics. It took me back to the day that changed my life for the better.

The day that I met Katarina.

The song reached its end. I opened my eyes and looked into Kat's beautiful golden eyes. A smile crept across my face. "That was amazing, hun." She inhaled sharply, like she'd been holding her breath since the final lyric. "Really?" she asked, beaming. Instead of answering her, I rose to my paws and kissed her. She leaned into me and closed her eyes. We were very affectionate, and there was rarely a moment that we weren't holding hands at the very least. It was like making up for 19 years without her.

Kat must've noticed because she pulled away. "What's wrong babe?" she flashed me a concerned look. I shook my head and smiled. "I just can't believe that I had a life before you." I nuzzled her neck, my fur against hers, and brushed a strand of her blue hair that had been recently cut short away from her cheek. "Babe," she protested. "Your nose is cold!" She squealed in surprise as my nose touched the base of her ear. "Okay, okay. Let me put my guitar down. And besides, you need a shower. You smell like coffee." She was right. I had gotten a job at the café where I first met her and always smelled like coffee. "I gotta go get clothes," I told her.

"Why didn't you bring any?"

"'Cause you said you had something important to show me."

"Right. Tell Dio I said hello."

"Will do."

Even though I spent most nights with Kat, I still lived with Dio right across the hall on the fifth floor of the apartment complex. When I reached the door, I searched my pockets for my room key before realizing that I hadn't brought it with me. "Dio!" I shouted, pounding on the door. I was soon greeted by a very sleepy-looking amber-and-sand pelted saber-tooth tiger with a recent marking--a large, matte gold star over his right eye. He rubbed his eyes and yawned toothily. "What'cha need, man?" he asked drowsily. I told him that I came to get some clothes.

He pulled the door open. I followed him through the apartment to our room, which now had a bunk bed after the time that Kat left her key card in her apartment and had to sleep in ours. She was also the reason that Dio claimed the top bunk--so that Kat and I wouldn't shake the bunk while cuddling. I watched as Dio climbed the wooden ladder and collapsed into the top bed. "Hey, Nightshade," he called. "Yeah?" I responded.

"We still going back tomorrow?"

I sighed. "Yeah."

"Yay..."

He was referring to my plans to take him and Kat to visit my old pack. I hadn't seen or talked to them since Dio and I moved a couple of months ago. It had been his idea to leave, but my idea to not tell them. And I would soon face that. I was bringing Kat and Dio as a show of good faith, and to give them a chance. Even though the reason I left in the first place was because of how they had treated me; their rules and traditions.

Remembering why I was there, I opened a drawer and pulled out a pair of black boxers. From a lower drawer, I produced a pair of red athletic shorts. I didn't bother grabbing a shirt, as I usually slept without one. I turned back to Dio, but he was already lightly snoring. With the clothes draped over my arm, I walked out of our apartment and back to Kat's. The door was still open. Kat was sprawled across her velvet sofa listening to music through her dark violet earbuds, still wearing her dark denim jeans and black sleeveless shirt. Her sapphire blue-tipped tail waved around aimlessly and she hummed the words to the song playing. I smiled and walked past her, through the bedroom and into the connecting bathroom. Before undressing, I opened the glass-doored shower and turned on the water to let it warm up. Steam soon began rising from the shower before I stepped in.

Halfway through my shower, I heard the bathroom door open. "Kat?" No response. I didn't worry because I could see her snow-white fur through the foggy glass. I heard the door close, but could still see her. I saw the blue tip of her tail as she turned around. I watched as she pulled off her shirt then stepped out of her jeans. She walked closer then knocked on the glass. I opened the door and my nude mate stepped into the shower. Not enough room to stand, I sat on the built-in seat. I was confused but speechless as she pressed her naked body against mine. Though her fur was now dripping wet, it was still as soft as ever. For a fleeting moment, I wondered if those poor furless humans felt the same about water running down their bare backs. Somehow, between kisses, we managed to get clean and--mostly--dressed.

. . .

I lay there, with Kat curled against my bare chest, and thought about what was to come the next day. I had talked to her about my pack before, and about meeting them, but with it so close my anxiety began to rise. She must've felt the change in my heartbeat, because she uncurled and wrapped her arms around me. Even asleep, she was what kept me from falling apart. This beautiful white fox held my heart in her hands, and if my pack couldn't deal with that, then fuck 'em. I kissed the top of her snout and closed my eyes.

. . .

I watched the ground fade beneath me through the window beside me as the plane took flight. It was my second time on a plane, but Kat's first. And she looked more than a little frazzled as she squeezed my paw so hard it hurt. "It's okay hun," I reassured her. "I'm sitting in a damn tin can going thousands of feet above the ground," she complained. I looked over at Dio, whose chest convulsed with restrained laughter. "Just relax. It's alright," I told her, looking into her eyes.

It wasn't long before we reached cruising altitude. I pulled Kat into my lap as soon as the pilot announced that it was safe to leave our seats, then signalled a flight attendant. "See babe," I said, pointing out the window. "It's not that bad." She began to calm down more as the flight attendant finally reached us. "Is there anything you two need?" the blonde female human asked politely. "Can we-" I gestured to Kat, Dio, and me "get three stacks of blueberry pancakes and O.J. for each of us?" The lady nodded and jotted our order on her notepad, then moved along her route. Kat and Dio looked at me with both appreciation and hunger. Dio pulled out his phone and furiously typed something in. My phone buzzed as it received his text. "Show her," it read. I pulled out my silver earbuds and handed one to Kat, who pushed it into her ear. Instead of opening Spotify as usual, I opened up my gallery and pulled up a video. Before hitting the play button, I put the other earbud into my ear.

The first shot was Dio, standing on a stage in a packed auditorium with a microphone in front of him. He was wrapping up one of his more recent long routines, when he shouted out a famous producer who happened to be in the crowd. The producer walked on the stage, a dark-skinned human with braided cornrows dressed in a sharp black suit, and tried to silence the frenzied audience. "Now, now," he began. "Before the show, this cat here-" he pointed at Dio, who was almost a foot taller than him "and his wolf friend came up to me and asked if I would listen to something. At first I thought naw, man. It's just some wannabe tryin' to get famous." He paused to let the crowd chuckle slightly. "'Cause that shit happens all the time. That was before they told me the artist was someone who wasn't looking to be famous but deserved to be. So I decided I'd give it a chance." He paused for emphasis. "And I'm glad I did. I'm used to artists who lack quality but make up for it in potential, but this one wasn't one of those. I sat there, utterly speechless by the first lyric of the song. I'm not gonna give too much away, but if you're listening to this--Katarina, I'd like to hear your music in person, at my studio. Don't leave me hangin'!"

Kat stared at the screen in shock, even though the video was over. "I know you're a small artist, and-" I explained. I stopped when Kat's tail started excitedly thumping against my leg. "You mean that D-Kane wants to hear my music?" she asked. She was very happy. I could tell by not only her tail, but by the way she was shuffling in my lap. "Yep. The day after we get back, we're going up to the studio," I assured her.

"Oh my God!"

"It's only to see about a single-album deal, but-"

"That's perfect! It'd be great to get my music out there. Just one would be perfect!"

My mate performed at small gigs every now and then, but--unlike Dio--she wasn't about the spotlight. She didn't care about being famous, only that her music was heard. Much like classic rock, her songs told stories. I could tell that the only thing keeping her off me was the fact that we were on a plane surrounded by people. So she just pulled the lever to lay my seat back and snuggled up to me. My tail brushed hers, sending a jolt down my spine. A red blush found its way to her white cheeks. She strategically positioned her leg over my lap. I thanked her with a blushing smile that matched hers. She whispered a sincere "thank you" before nuzzling my cheek and closing her eyes. She was soon fast asleep, as was Dio. I didn't blame them. We had to get up pretty early that morning, and Kat and I were tired for...reasons. Soon enough, I felt my own eyes begin to droop.

A few hours and a stack of pancakes later, I was awoken by the pilot announcing that the plane was about to begin descent, and we should return to our seats. Kat stood to stretch before sitting back down in her seat beside me. "Kat? Could you get your tail out of my face please?" I asked, blue and white fur tickling my snout. She giggled then pulled back her tail and sat down.

As the plane got closer and closer to landing near my hometown, my worries only built. I hadn't seen or talked to my pack since I moved away about three or four months ago. Even though I had been fine with most of them, I couldn't take the stress of contacting any of them. That also meant that none of them knew anything about Katarina. Then again, I didn't either the first time we met but I still fell in love with her. And I was reassured by the fact that it didn't fucking matter if they didn't like her. She was my mate. And, no matter how hard they tried, they wouldn't come between us.

The plane touched down at the airport closest to my hometown. Kat looked more than ready to get off and relished the moment her paws were once more touching solid ground. I got off right behind her, followed by Dio, then led them to the baggage claim. Surprisingly quickly, our three suitcases appeared, closely followed by Kat's guitar in its new purple soft case. We left the baggage claim area and went to where someone should've been waiting to pick us up to take us to my old territory. To my astonishment, a lot of my pack was waiting for me, filling up most of the room. Upon noticing me, they quickly surrounded me and momentarily ignored Kat and Dio. I was bombarded by questions about everything in the new city. I had left them without warning, but here they were treating me like I had never left at all. "Okay, settle down!" I ordered. They backed off a little and quieted down. People passing by were giving us the strangest looks. "Okay," I started. "There'll be plenty of time to catch up over the weekend. Right now, there's someone I'd like you all to meet." I pulled Kat into the center of the crowding wolves. "This is Katarina, my..." I prepared.

It's not that I was embarrassed of her. I was just afraid of their reaction. But one look into my mate's eyes made that fear evaporate. I grabbed her paw and held it in mine for all to see. "My mate," I said with newfound confidence. I didn't waver in the following silence as I waited for their reaction. Completely opposite of what I had been expecting, cheers broke out among my pack. A few spoke genuine compliments while the rest complimented by whistling and catcalling. Kat basked in the attention as I stood there in shock. After taking a moment to adjust, a smile crept across my face. I could also see Dio smirking as a grey wolf and a red wolf, both females, flirted with him. That's when my smile changed. Before, everyone had treated Dio like a total stranger. But now, he was being treated like anyone else.

I pulled aside one of my formerly close friends, the grey-and-white wolf Matthias, and asked him about the pack's change of heart. When I asked what caused it, he simply answered "you did." His paw squeezed my shoulder as he told me that I had changed their views about tradition. "You remember Annalise?" he asked me. I nodded. "She's carrying the first cross breeds of the pack."

"Really?"

"Yep. Twin coywolves."

"Holy shit."

"What about your girl?"

"Not yet."

Kat and I had talked about starting a family many times. We agreed that we would, in time. But for now, we stayed apart during her heat cycles. And that hadn't been easy. The first time was the worst. I wasn't even able to go near her because of the rise in hormones. Not only were they powerful, I wasn't used to fighting against something like that. Basic instinct. It got easier over time, but I still didn't trust myself to be alone with her during her cycle. And then there were the complications with the cross breeding itself. Breeding between foxes and wolves had a higher risk of unsuccessful fertilization. Though our four-legged brethren couldn't do it at all. I suppose we, as anthros, were lucky to be able to raise families with those we loved, regardless of species. Kat noticed me staring at her and padded over. "Are we ever gonna leave the airport?" she asked me. Matthias gathered the others and we finally left the airport.

Of all the vehicles that could've been parked outside to pick us up, I never expected the one that was actually there. A big, repurposed school bus painted jet black waited for us. Dio, Kat, and I looked at each other and proceeded to laugh our asses off. I gestured for Matthias to come over, and when he did, I asked what was up with the bus. "Yep. It's the party bus," he told me, somehow with a straight face. "Okay, can I say it?" I asked him. I whispered something in his ear. He cringed and nodded enthusiastically. "ALL ABOARD THE PARTY BUS!" Dio and Kat laughed even harder at that. And we all joined the others on board the bus.

Kat and I got a seat to ourselves. Dio tried to sit alone, but the two wolf girls joined him, one on either side. Now closer, I realized that I recognized the girls. The grey wolf was Valence and the red wolf was Sierra. But I only knew their names. They were all over Dio, who was loving the attention.

I watched the world pass by through the window as we left the city behind for forests and hills and clearings. Kat took in every passing scene with wonder as we neared the territory. The bus crossed over a short stone bridge before the territory came into view. Set in a large open field backed by a dense forest was a huge Victorian manor; the pack house. The outside looked like something right out of the medieval era. "You lived in there?" Kat asked me in shock. I nodded in response. "So do a lot of others in the pack. It's not just one house, it's more like an apartment, really." I told her. The bus pulled up closer to the pack house before coming to a stop. We grabbed our bags and her guitar from the back before stepping off.

. . .

"I suppose there's no avoiding it, huh?" I asked Kat, slightly rhetorically. "Nope, it's gonna happen hun. Might as well try to have a good time," she told me. We were laying on the queen-sized bed of our room, talking about the party that my pack was having in honor of my return. Honestly, I would rather have stayed in with her, but I owed it to my pack. But there was no way that I was going to stay for the entire thing. There was somewhere that I wanted to bring her. I looked out the window at the sky, tinted a rose pink by the gradually setting sun. "I could stay like this forever, with you," I stated. I looked into her eyes, which glinted in the fading light. She smiled and touched her nose to mine. "Well," she began, rolling over until she was straddling my waist. "We still got a little time, what's the rush? Besides, they can't start without us." She smiled down at me enticingly before bringing her lips to mine. Her body lowered until she was on top of me. I wrapped my arms around her waist, right above her tail. The heat between us quickly got intense as her body began to move. No space between us, her breasts pressed against me and she ran her paws through my mane.

"Hey, it's almost..." My eyes shot open as Matthias burst into the room. Kat froze on top of me, burying her snout between my neck and shoulder in embarrassment. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him quickly look down as an uncomfortable expression and blush crossed his face. "It's uh... it's almost time. For the uh... for the party. Bye." He hurried out of the room, the door closing behind him. Kat pulled her head up and looked at me and we couldn't help but burst into laughter. The moment over, she gave me a quick kiss before climbing off me. "I need a minute to get ready," she told me. "Okay, more than a minute, but I'll be down there soon." I stole one last kiss, pulled back on my black tee, and smoothed the wrinkles out of my dark jeans before leaving the room, completely overlooking the rosy blush in her cheeks and the wistful sparkle in her eyes.

I heard shouting coming from the ground floor, so I jumped the last of the stairs to get there quickly. Matthias was being pinned to the wall in a chokehold by a rather angry-looking red wolf that I didn't recognize. I ran over and pulled the guy off of Matthias, who looked at me with gratitude. The wolf that I had pulled off promptly swung at me. Adrenaline surged through my veins, launching my senses into overdrive. As my old friend Matthias knew, my 'fight or flight' response was limited to just 'fight'. I ducked under his fist and tackled him into the wall. I heard Matthias run off to get help. Finally alone with the crazed red wolf, I allowed a deep-seated part of me to surge forward. My eyes were met with a slight burning sensation and I smiled devilishly, my gums throbbing as my canines lengthened by about an inch. A low, hellish growl escaped my throat. The wolf's eyes went as wide as saucers right before he blacked out from fear and collapsed. I calmed down, my features returning to normal. And just in time, as Matthias came bounding down the stairs, Dio hot on his heels. Dio, the only other one with a clue to what I did, asked me "is he-" To his obvious relief, I shook my head and answered "he's just unconscious." Though Matthias still looked a little rattled from the encounter, he didn't look injured. "I don't even care what the fuck went on," I began. "Let's just go to the party." He and Dio nodded in agreement. We all stepped over the red wolf's unconscious body and finally left the pack house.

Matthias led us to the back of the manor, where the entire extended pack waited for me. There was a collective, deafening cheer as I walked into view. Surveying the 'audience', I saw both faces of those I knew and faces of those I didn't. I saw Annalise with a noticeable pregnant belly and a circle of empty space around her, save for an oak brown coyote that must've been her mate. The crowd parted in front of me as I walked to the center, most of them reaching out to touch my shoulder as a gesture of respect and kindness. Members of the pack came up to me and talked shortly then made way for others. Suddenly, the entire crowd went completely silent and began looking over each other at something behind me. I turned when I felt Dio tap me on the shoulder and what I saw took my breath away.

Kat was walking towards me, dressed in a flowing, strapless blue gown studded with white diamonds that sparkled in the last rays of the setting sun. Her sapphire blue hair was lightened at the tips to an ice-blue color that matched the streak on my snout. Her bodice was the same ice-blue and formed a heart over her chest, revealing more than just a bit of her fair-sized curves. The loose, flowing skirts of the dress brushed the ankles of her bare feet as she neared, with her head held high and her hips swaying confidently. She had a heart drawn on her lips in dark purple lipstick. I felt like I was looking at an angel.

And that angel's golden eyes were looking back.

I felt like I had the first day I met her, unable to look away or form any rational thought that didn't involve her. When she finally reached me, my nose picked up on the gentle notes of roses and honeysuckle from her perfume. Two things that almost didn't go together somehow blended perfectly into a somewhat intoxicating scent. She leaned closer. "Why is everyone staring at us?" she whispered in my ear. "Well, they were expecting me to say something, but now I assume everyone feels incredibly underdressed," I whispered back. "Damn, Kat," Dio interjected. "You clean up nice." She smiled at the compliment and twirled. The white diamonds caught whatever light was left in the sky and nearly blinded me. With her back to me, I could see that her tail was hidden underneath her skirts. For as long as I had known her, Kat had never worn a dress. Not even when I took her on dates. She always just wore whatever, usually a concert tee and dark jeans. "So, what are they expecting us to say?" Kat asked a little louder. I cleared my throat. I knew what I wanted to say.

"First things first, I'm sorry for leaving. It was really no one's fault, so don't take it personally. But in my defense, the pack was much different before I left. Now I see that everything that made me want to leave has been changed. I brought my mate and friend here to give you all a chance to change, but I found that you had already changed. As a pup, I never really felt at home here. I felt so out of place, even more so because I was being groomed for the role of Alpha. I am truly sorry that I left, but so much happened because I did. My life actually started. In fact, the day after Dio and I moved into our apartment, I met the most amazing white fox." I saw Kat blush slightly and smile at me. "We made a bet after he suggested I try his favorite flavor of coffee," she continued for me. "That if it was as good as he said, then I would kiss him. And let me tell you, it was the best damn coffee that I'd had in a long time." She paused as the crowd laughed. "And so she kissed me," I picked back up. "And then we met again, in an elevator." I saw her cringe at the memory. "And after an unfortunate encounter with a very shocked human, she brought me up to her apartment where she asked me to be her mate." Popping into my head suddenly was the expression of pure vulnerability that Kat had on her face several months ago when she had asked me. I shook it off as she wrapped up the story with an overview of our time at the concert I took her to as our first date.

"Coming back here, I was kind of expecting a different reaction to Kat and Dio," I said. "But instead, you loved them like your own. I guess the big picture of this whole speech is to thank you for listening. And now, I finally feel like part of a family again." Kat looked at me like she wanted to ask me something, but held her question. But I knew what she was going to ask me later. Having heard the end of my 'speech', the crowd dispersed into groups.

I smiled at Kat, who immediately understood. I grabbed her paw and skillfully weaved my way through the loose crowd toward the forest. We came upon a quasi-hidden natural path. As we walked along it, she gazed in wonder at the scene illuminated by the rising full moon. "How in the world? Why are the trees like this?" she asked, pointing out that the branches curved over us to form an archway. "Does somebody cut them?" I answered by shaking my head. "Nope. They've been like this since I found this place. In case you're wondering, nobody removes any rocks from the grass on this path either." Even in the dark, I could see her stare at the ground.

"There is no way in Hell that this is natural."

"It's not."

"What do you mean? You just said-... No way. Are you saying that it's-"

"Magic? Probably. But just wait, you haven't seen anything yet."

I led her further down the path until we came to a cave opening with a stream cutting through it. "Ready to have your mind blown?" I asked adventurously. She nodded, nervously grasping my paw a little tighter. I reached into my pocket with my free hand and produced a small, polished sapphire shaped like a marble. Kat stared at me curiously as I pushed the marble into an unseen slot in the stone walls. Her jaw went slack as the stream running through the cave began to glow, illuminating the length of the cavern. I continued walking as she followed closely behind me.

After a bit of a walk, we reached what appeared to be a dead end. But I knew better. I placed my paw on the 'wall' and a glowing red circle outlined it and branched outward into a strange pattern. The pattern flashed, and I pulled my paw back as the disguised door slid down. "Go ahead, Kat. Trust me," I urged her ahead of me. She walked into the darkness beyond the entrance. As soon as her foot touched the ground beyond the entrance, another strange circular pattern--this time blue--outlined her foot, flashing once then fading. The fountain appeared in a glorious rush of blue-green light as the water in the hollow began glowing. When I stepped past the entrance behind her, yet another red circle appeared. The 'ceiling' of the hollow took on the appearance of the starry night sky, though we were about a hundred feet under the surface. "Is this real?" she asked wistfully, looking back at me. "Yes," I started. "Kat, welcome to the Fountain of Kalvakarr."

"But I thought that was just a story..."

"You tell me. Is this just a story?"

The Fountain of Kalvakarr was a place that flowed with pure magic. In the center of the hollow, the fountain itself stood, surrounded by a ring of glowing water. The ring was fed by a small waterfall that poured out of an unseen opening in the cave wall. It split and curved around the small, raised piece of dry land that the fountain sat on, forming a perfect circle then flowing back towards the fountain through the channel that fed it. The excess disappeared into a deeper channel that led out of the cave and to the waterfall nearby. The fountain itself was a beatiful, intricate carving that depicted a dragon rising from the water collected in the base. Water poured from the dragon's mouth into the base. The dragon was menacing and fierce, in opposition to the calming effect of the rest of the hollow. "Kat," I called. She turned to me and cocked her head curiously. "Earlier, you looked at me like you wanted to ask me something," I invited. She thought for a second, then asked "Nightshade, why haven't I met your parents?"

To be continued...

-Nightshade