FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Please comment, criticize, and vote! It's always appreciated and I'm always open to suggestions for stories, improvements, or whatever else!

Don't read if you're underage or offended by the tags!

I know it's a bit choppy and a little fragmented, but I had to make sure that I covered enough for the foundation of the story; plus, I just really wanted to get it out.

The Shapeshifter: Part II

Guilt is a terrible thing.

Elliot had never been so wracked by it before. He always considered himself to be an agreeable person: he was generally described as a kind, caring person; not a rapist. He was congenial, not aggressive; compassionate, not selfish; altruistic, not greedy; and yet for all of his so-called qualities, he had committed a heinous act that he never thought himself capable of doing. When Elliot woke up he found himself stark naked on the floor of his room, his arms wrapped around his still-sleeping familiar, and his genitals covered in dried cum. For a moment, he was initially confused: How did he get here? What happened? But then his mind snapped to the night before and he suddenly remembered everything. He had taken an innocent creature, his own familiar, a being who was not only bound to him, but who was supposed to help him; and he had abused the bound between them. Even if his familiar was alright with - he shuddered at the thought - a more physical bonding, his arousal had been so rampant that he was unable to even resist the animal in the least. The first night the poor creature was bound to him, before he had even had a decent conversation with her, before she had even adjusted to her new life as a bound familiar, he had taken advantage of his power over her and fucked her.

He felt his insides twist in guilt and shame. He had actually raped someone. He couldn't believe it. What was he thinking? What on earth was going through his head that made him think that it was alright to do that? Was it, perhaps, a side-effect of the binding? No, he knew it wasn't. Not every person bound to a familiar had sex with them... or maybe, he thought hopefully, they did and it was simply unspoken... He stopped himself before his mind ran wild with rationalizations of what he had done. No, he told himself firmly. Stop making excuses. He had raped his familiar. There would be no comfort for him in meaningless excuses attempting to justify his actions. He was a rapist. He had just ruined his own life. Master Kensing was kind enough to give him a wonderful gift, a gift that was beyond the dreams of most sorcerers, and he had ruined it. Now she would never want to be his familiar. She would tell Kensing what happened and he would be thrown out of the academy! Even if Kensing decided to stay quiet about the attack, which Elliot doubted, he would remove his bond with Telsa. He didn't deserve a powerful familiar. Besides, what was the point of being bound to a familiar who didn't trust him? The most powerful sorcerers were renowned for having very close relationships, not unlike that of a spouse or a good friend, with their familiars, a relationship that could only exist through trust, love, and loyalty. But how could he possibly achieve that after what he had done? And even if she didn't tell Kensing and she pretended that everything was alright, he and his familiar would never experience the close bond that was required for master and familiar to work harmoniously together: he would be too guilt-ridden, she would be too resentful. He sighed inwardly. It was hopeless.

But even if he could rationalize away the guilt that plagued him over what he had done with his familiar, he could not find reason in allowing himself to bask in such pleasures when so much more was at stake. The prince was still missing and the king's guards were still looking in the wrong places, while he was the only one who might have a clue as to where the prince's location actually was. And worse still, Tannal was missing. That weight was the heaviest burden to bear. He should have never told his friend about what he had overheard. He should have known better! Of course Tannal would have run off trying to be a hero; Tannal always did. Their entire friendship had started because Tannal had had the impulse to rescue Elliot from a pack of menacing school boys. It was his fault that Tannal had disappeared. It was his fault that Tannal was lost deep within the Wildlands, or maybe captured and enslaved, or worse, possibly dead. He closed his eyes. No, he didn't want to think about that. He didn't want to think about anything. But, close to the comforting warmth of his familiar, his mind continued to wander.

Elliot couldn't help but wonder if he was always a rapist. Were his rapist tendencies simply dormant, lying in wait until he had an innocent and helpless victim, unable to protest, unable to even report him? He shivered. No, that's not who he was. He never had the impulse to do something even remotely like that before. Ever. Something obviously was wrong. Maybe Kensing did the binding spell incorrectly... Or maybe his familiar did something to him. Perhaps it was she who was aroused and her arousal, through their bond, had affected him in turn. His mind drifted back to the night before. It was she, he reasoned, who technically instigated their coupling. He never tried to approach her, it was his familiar who came to him first! His breath drew in sharply at the thought of what her mouth had done to his erection. It had felt soooo good. Unlike anything he had ever experienced before.

He had always pictured what losing his virginity would be like: he had the whole scene played out in his mind of how it would go. There would be foreplay: after a nice dinner he and the girl would go to his room, kissing and exploring each other's bodies, slowly undressing, caressing and savoring one another. He would be gentle, tenderly inserting himself, listening to her gasp sharply in surprise then moaning in pleasure as she was spread. He pictured himself slowly hilting himself in her, then waiting, kissing her face and stroking her cheek, whispering words of comfort, murmuring words of love and devotion. They would move together in joy and pleasure, their bodies warming with love and its rush. Their climax, he imagined, would be shared, strong, and mind-blowing. He would wake up the next morning with her body nestled in his arms. He would gently wake her, kissing her cheek and she would blink sleepily at him, a slow smile on her face as she murmured "good morning." He never thought it would be a heated, animalistic fucking. He could never picture himself savagely gripping the sides of his partner, slamming his hips violently into hers, taking her like a feral animal. While his first time was technically with an animal, that was no comfort either. He had lost his virginity to a wolf! Never, even in his wildest dreams, did he think that would ever happen. He never pictured himself fucking a muzzle of an animal, lovemaking to the sounds of barking and howling, or waking up to find himself spooning with a furry, albeit soft, animal. Something was terribly wrong with him.

He felt Telsa shift in his arms and heard her whine softly. Panic gripped him. He wasn't ready to face her yet. What would he say? What should he do? He needed more time to think, to plan, to organize his thoughts. But his mind was still reeling and she was awake. And he only could guess what was going through her head.

* * * *

Tannal slowly opened his eyes. His body ached all over: his sides were bruised from where Elliot had gripped him, his rump hurt from where Elliot had slammed his hips into him, and his pussy throbbed from where Elliot had penetrated him and shot his seed deep into his womb. He shuddered just thinking about it. Seeing Elliot so out of control was terrifying. Elliot never had acted anything like that before and Tannal hoped that Elliot never would again. He had never even pictured that Elliot was even capable of something like that. He didn't even think Elliot had that kind of rage in him and that had frightened him the most.

He was still determined to overlook what Elliot had done: he hadn't been in his right mind. It was all Kensing's doing. His transformation, his humiliating gender change, his rape; it was all Kensing's fault. He blinked, his eyes adjusting as he looked around Elliot's room. He was still on the floor. Stirring, he started to push himself up into a standing position when he realized that Elliot was still laying beside him. Surprised, he turned to his best friend.

Elliot looked completely terrified. Since Tannal was unable to talk he forced himself to stay still, waiting for Elliot to say something. For a moment he feared Elliot wouldn't, but then his friend tentatively stirred from his frozen state. "Are you - are you alright?" he stammered quietly, moving slightly away from his familiar, as if he were afraid he'd hurt the wolf again.

Tannal whined softly, trying to reassure Elliot. He would be fine. He would deal with this. After all, the king's guard had trained him well and he knew how to cope with trying situations. He would recover, he just wasn't sure how to communicate that. He wanted to comfort Elliot but stopped as Tannal realized, with a wave of embarrassment for his friend, that Elliot was still naked. Aware of the dried cum and other fluids that coated his rump, Tannal quickly sat down, feeling self-conscious. He wished Elliot would say something to make it less awkward since he could not.

Elliot swallowed. "I know I can't take back what I did," he said softly. "And I can't even begin to tell you how sorry I am, but I want you to know that I will never let that happen again. What I did last night - it wasn't me. I don't know if it was the spell or - something else, but I promise you, I would never try to force someone to do something against their will and I would certainly never - " he swallowed again, "never rape someone. I don't know what came over me. But I promise, it won't happen again."

Tannal barked in acknowledgment and wagged his tail. What else could he do to show Elliot that he would be alright? It wasn't like he could hug Elliot, or give him a comforting word, but Elliot seemed to understand and he visibly relaxed. "Thank you," he murmured, his words filled with relief.

A knock at the door suddenly interrupted the moment. "Elliot?" Kensing's voice drifted through the door. "Elliot, are you in there?"

Tannal's ears went back against his head and he growled softly at the sound of Kensing's voice. Elliot looked up, wide-eyed. "It's Kensing!" he hissed unnecessarily, looking frightened, but for an entirely different reason then Tannal; he was lying on the floor with his familiar, completely naked, and covered in sexual fluids: he could only imagined what Kensing would say about that.

"Oh no!" he groaned, leaping to his feet. While Elliot frantically ran around the room pulling on his clothes, Tannal slinked behind the couch. He was somewhat repulsed and rather ashamed at the thought of having to do this, but he knew that if Kensing and his familiar went inside the room, Kensing would either see the fluids coating his rump or his familiar would smell them. The last thing that he wanted to do was to give Kensing the satisfaction of seeing proof that he and Elliot had followed his plan like puppets and actually had sex. He had to cover the evidence somehow and there was only one way he could think of since he didn't have the time to take a bath. Sighing inwardly, he curled around and faced his rump. He had never seen his own female sex before, nor, he thought bitterly, had he ever seen an actual human female sex before, and so he was a little curious as to what he'd find, but when he saw his netherlips coated with Elliot's cum, he couldn't help but be repulsed. Now he would have to ingest another male's seed. Sighing, he closed his eyes and slowly stuck out his tongue.

A strange twinge of pleasure blossomed from his vagina when his tongue made contact with its lips. Shuddering, he quickly swiped his tongue over it, tasting Elliot's dried cum. He was surprised at the taste of it and hated himself for thinking that it didn't taste bad. No! he told himself, I don't like this! But he knew he had to get rid of the evidence, so he quickly continued to lap at his opening, determinedly not pushing his tongue anywhere further than it needed to be, and swiftly cleaned himself up.

Tannal heard the door open. "Good morning, Master Kensing," he heard Elliot say as Tannal peeked around the corner of the couch. He couldn't help but feel a stab of fear and hatred as none other than Kensing and his white dragon entered the room, and looking completely innocent and trustworthy.

"Elliot!" Kensing smiled as he strode in. "Good to see you again. How's your new familiar holding up?"

"Good, sir," Elliot said quickly, a faint blush tinged his cheeks as he immediately busied himself with shutting the door. "And thank you again for such a gift."

Kensing waved his hand genially. "Don't mention it," he said, "you earned it. Now, I just swung over to check on both of you and make sure the spell was holding up before we leave. Is everything good so far?"

"Yes, well, I think it is." Elliot looked unsure of what to say. Tannal glared at Kensing to the best of his ability, but he wasn't sure how well his human emotions looked on a wolf. The dragon was, at the very least, watching him and seemed to understand his message of hated, but merely lashed its tail around itself and ignored him.

"What? Is something wrong?" Kensing said kindly, though he knew perfectly well there that was indeed something very wrong.

"No! No, of course not!" Elliot said quickly. Tannal could tell that Elliot was doing some very quick thinking as he tried to find the words to ask about his sudden behavioral change without implicating what he had done. "I was just wondering if you - if you might have made the spell a bit strong?"

Kensing feigned surprise. "The binding spell?" he asked. "No, everything seems to be in order. Why, did something happen?"

The spell prevented Tannal from snorting at Kensing's apparent concern. As if Kensing didn't know what had happened! Elliot, who was unaware of Kensing's involvement quickly said, "No! No, sir, everything's fine. I was just double checking."

"Ah, well, nothing wrong with double checking." Kensing said happily, casting Tannal a satisfied smirk. "Speaking of which, I came down here to see if you were coming to the Academy banquet next week. I've had several people ask about you since you've been absent from your studies and I'm sure they'd like to meet Telsa."

"What?" Elliot looked surprised that something as mundane as a banquet could possibly take place after what had happened. "Oh, uh - I'm not sure yet."

"Elliot, Elliot," he admonished, "think of your future! This banquet is full of people who will be your future friends and coworkers. It's important to at least make an appearance. Please. I went through a lot of hoops to get that shapeshifter for you, you know."

Elliot hesitated then meekly said, "Alright. I'll be there."

"Excellent," Kensing said, clapping his hands together. "Now, why don't you go get ready and I'll stay here and wait with Telsa. We're going to be late if you don't hurry up, you know."

"Late?" Elliot frowned. Then his eyes widened. "The meeting!" he exclaimed. "I completely forgot!"

"I assumed as much," Kensing said in amusement. "It starts in less than an hour. Go! Get dressed. I'll wait out here."

Elliot looked slightly scared, obviously thinking about the events that transpired the night before, and stammered, "Alright, sir." He cast a desperate look at Tannal, as if pleading with him to not say a word, then he obediently backed out of the room.

As soon as Elliot was gone, Kensing smiled and knelt down beside Tannal who, despite his impulse to shrink behind the couch, stood his ground. "Hello, Tannal," Kensing said. "It sounded like you and Elliot had a fun night. Did you enjoy it?" Kensing laughed softly as Tannal raised his hackles. "Bruine," he said quietly. "Go and see."

Tannal growled again as the white dragon slinked around him, its eyes glittering darkly. The dragon nipped at Tannal, warning him to stay still, then nudged at Tannal's rump. Tannal immediately jumped angrily and moved away, keeping his tail between his legs. What was that dragon doing?

"Tannal," Kensing said sharply and the she-wolf felt a wave of power roll through him and he knew yet another spell had been placed. "Hold still."

The dragon moved forward again and nudged Tannal's tail aside and licked Tannal's vagina. The dragon looked at its master and Kensing frowned. "Deeper then." Tannal wanted to protest, but was unable to do anything as the dragon butted its muzzle against Tannal's cunt and slipped its tongue inside. The spell held him as he felt the impulse to shiver as the dragon's long tongue plunged deep within the wolf. A flicker of pleasure went through him again at the touch of the dragon's tongue, but he ignored it. The dragon, after tasting Elliot's cum, withdrew itself quickly and nodded to Kensing who laughed.

"Oh, poor, poor Tannal. So Elliot did go through with it." He smiled in mock pity. "Imagine being raped by your best friend. That must have been terrible. So terrible, in fact, I doubt you'll ever want to admit it ever happened."

Tannal growled but was unable to do anything more.

Kensing stroked his dragon's ears when it returned to his side and laid down near his feet, still watching Tannal closely. "Do you know why I bound you to your friend?" Kensing said quietly, looking up at Tannal as he continued to absently pet his familiar. "I actually never intended this to happen. Finding you in the Wildlands was quite a surprise, I'll admit. Believe me when I say that I never wanted to hurt you or Elliot. But somehow you knew where the prince was, you knew something that you weren't supposed to know. I had to do something. I didn't have a choice."

Tannal hissed softly. He wasn't buying it. It sounded rather sweet for Kensing to make an attempt at a sentimental moment, but he knew better. Kensing was only trying to justify what he had done to make himself feel better. He couldn't handle the guilt of what he'd done and Tannal wasn't about to forgive him for it.

"I was going to originally just turn you into a familiar and sell you to a random person," Kensing continued, "but then I realized that if your master discovered the spells that I've personally placed on you - and tried to take them off - I would immediately be implicated in the prince's kidnapping. And, since you happened to take the form of a shapeshifter, you are a powerful familiar in your own right, meaning that you'd get assigned to a powerful sorcerer; someone with as much power and influence as myself. Such a discovery could ruin me. So I knew that I had to give you to someone I could keep an eye on. Elliot seemed like a good choice: I knew he was having trouble finding a familiar, he's powerful, and he's very loyal. He trusts me and I doubt he would go against me."

Tannal snorted. Obviously he didn't know Elliot very well. He would kill Kensing the moment he found out what his master had done to Tannal.

"But," Kensing continued, "if Elliot discovered my silencing spells, which he probably will since he's an intelligent sorcerer, he would discover your identity." He sighed. "I almost wondered if I should have killed you, but my familiar is rather opposed to such violence and I personally would rather avoid having blood on my hands. So I decided instead to turn to a form of blackmail. If Elliot ever discovers who you are, he'll never say a word. Who would believe him? And even if someone did, he'd have to confess that he had sex with his childhood friend, not only that but raped you, his best friend, while in animal form, while you were a female. Can you imagine how humiliating that would be for you both? No, I think the shame of that will keep both of you quiet, don't you?"

Tannal's ears went back against his head, but Kensing had a point. If Elliot told anyone that Kensing was involved with the prince's disappearance, then Kensing would immediately reveal that Elliot was bound to his best friend. If anyone discovered that Elliot and Tannal were bound both of them would be humiliated for the rest of their lives, not to mention the perversion of their couplings. The Academy would break their bond and Elliot would be without a familiar and would be forced to find work outside of the realm of sorcerery. Tannal would be discredited as a member of the king's guard. Their friendship would be ruined, their reputations destroyed. No, no one could know the truth. Kensing had made the perfect blackmail for his plan. The worst part was that Tannal wasn't even that sure what Kensing's actual plan with the prince was; he had no idea to what extent Kensing was involved with the prince's kidnapping, only that Kensing had played some part in it.

Tannal shuddered as Kensing reached out and stroked his head, unable to retaliate. When the dragon can near him, however, the spell did allow him to swat angrily at the familiar's pearly white hide, causing the dragon to withdraw with a hiss. Kensing shook his head. "Tannal the longer you refuse to accept this, the harder your life will be. Familiars and their masters have a powerful bond that you need to understand. Elliot's pleasure, his pain, even his emotions will be shared with you. Everything he feels, so will you. You can even heal one another! This connection is far more than a means to amplify power for the sorcerer. By binding you to Elliot I ensured that you two will be close friends forever, even more than friends! Can you imagine a friend who experiences the same things as you, feels the same way, thinks the same way? A familiar is a sorcerer's anchor to this world! Denying that will only hurt Elliot. Is that what you want? To hurt Elliot? I know you weren't thrilled by what happened, but I had to force you to make a deeper connection to him. Now you two will be bound forever by that experience. And admit it, it was pleasurable, wasn't it?"

Tannal seethed quietly. He didn't want to think about it, but he couldn't stop his mind from wandering over what had happened last night: he had suckled Elliot's penis, he had encouraged Elliot's coupling, he had howled in pleasure as he came in tandem with his friend.

Kensing slowly rose to his feet. "You must accept that this has happened to you and stop trying to fight it. Do you understand how difficult your life will be if you shy away from this? Familiars need physical contact. I comforts them, it strengthens them, it solidifies their bound. If you keep refusing to go near Elliot or anyone else then you're just causing yourself this pain. Accept it." Kensing sighed when Tannal growled softly in response. "I'm sorry for what had to happen to you, Tannal. But in time you'll learn to accept your fate. Think of all the good you can do as Elliot's familiar! You two were such good friends and I'm sure that your bond will help you become a powerful pair. In time, Elliot will become strong enough to remove the spells I have on you and he will discover the truth, but by then it will just be easier on the both of you to continue the charade. You'll understand someday, but I can't have you ruin my plans. I truly am sorry."

Tannal growled and curled up tightly. He hated not being able to defend himself.

* * * *

Elliot and Kensing went to the meeting without Tannal. Kensing claimed that Tannal needed some time to adjust before he was paraded around the city, but Tannal knew it was because of the way he was acting around Kensing. Kensing's spells prevented outward signs of antagonistic behavior, but small signs, like the way Tannal recoiled at Kensing's touch, the glare in his eyes, and the soft growl that sounded from his throat whenever Kensing walked in the door were a bit obvious. Kensing didn't want to have to explain away why Elliot's familiar was acting so strange around him, so he made sure that the two of them could avoid one another. Elliot, however, had a mournful and apologetic look on his face as he left his apartment with his master, leaving Tannal alone. He felt a little better that Elliot was sad to leave him by himself and not for the first time did he wonder if it were because they were bound and it forced him to forge a connection with Elliot or if it was because they were friends and Elliot was his only source of comfort in this nightmare.

For a while, Tannal was happy to be alone. He didn't want to think about had happened. He didn't want to remember any of it, and seeing Elliot's worried face only reminded him of the night before. So for an hour he paced Elliot's room, already very familiar with it from being over at his friend's house so often; he tried to visualize it as his house, too, but he was unable to. It would still be Elliot's house and only his house would still be his own. Still, he made use use of the time alone he had (he had a feeling that as a familiar he wasn't going to get much more alone time) and decided to get himself cleaned up. In most cases, he was sure that a familiar's master would just do a quick cleaning spell, but Elliot had left in a hurry and had forgotten to do so.

He closed his eyes and tried to think of a simple cleaning spell so he could do it himself, his mind tracing over the patterns and words that together would form the spell. He could visualize the spell forming, he could see it taking shape, and when it was finished, he felt his entire body hum slightly. Tannal opened his eyes and looked himself over. He was still a she-wolf, his fur a soft and thick silvery grey color with darker shadings on top and lighter markings on bottom; and it was still covered in cum. He sighed, ok, so I'm not allowed to do magic then. He racked his brain trying to remember if familiars even had the capabilities to use magic at all, but his basic training in the Lower Academy didn't help him with this. People in the Lower Academy never had familiars, only graduates from the High Academy ever received them, so he had never learned much about familiars. He never needed to: he was supposed to be a king's guard, he was never supposed to be mixed up with magic, he was never supposed to be put in a situation like this. But as a king's guard, he was also taught on how to handle any situation, how to endure any trauma, and he would endure...

Fine, he thought, we'll do this the old fashioned way. Grudgingly, he pushed open the bathroom door with his nose and walked inside. He stared at the tub. I can do this, he told himself, I'm not an invalid, I can make myself a damn bath. Tannal put his front paws up on the lip of the tub and looked inside. It was a simple white tub or normal size and shape. Nothing remarkable about it in the least. And yet, he already knew it was going to become a problem for him. From outside the tub he tried to move the taps by pawing at their gleaming silver handles, but his front paws lacked the strength and dexterity of hands, and so he was unable to. Resigned, he had no choice but to leap inside the tub and attack the taps from within. After several minutes of useless pawing, he finally gave up and used his jaws, clamping his teeth around the silver taps and twisting them with a wrench of his jaws. Tannal almost cried when water finally started to pour from the facet. He never imagined that getting a bath draw would be so difficult! For a moment he stood there triumphantly, resting from his embarrassingly exhausting efforts with the tub and leisurely listening to the joyful sound of water splashing down, then he snapped back to reality. Oh no! he thought, the plug!

Tannal eyed the taps, knowing that if he turned the water off to put the plug in he might never get it back on again. Figuring that he was going to get wet anyways, he plunged his head under the waterfall coming from the facet and attempted to get the plug wedged into the drain. Finally, he managed to put the plug in and stumbled back, water cascading off his soaking fur. He felt fifty pounds heavier with wet fur and had to resist the urge to shake the water loose from him. No, he told himself, I'm a human, not a dog. He stood there waiting for a while, basking in the warm water as the tub filled up, but as it began to get closer to being full, he realized he had another problem. How was he going to turn the facet off? Tannal swore to himself again. This was getting ridiculous. All he wanted to do was to was purge any evidence of what had transpired and move on from it. But apparently something as simple as a bath would prove to be more difficult than he assumed. He clamped his mouth around the tap and wrenched it, frantically trying to twist it i his jaws. Water began to spill from the tub onto the floor. Swearing in frustration and humiliation, Tannal finally managed to twist the handles to off, effectively stopping the flow of water. But the bathroom was already thoroughly soaked. Sighing, he did his best to clean himself - inside and out. He was so tired; he hadn't slept since before his coupling with Elliot. He trusted Elliot, but he didn't trust Kensing, and so he had been having trouble sleeping. Exhausted, weary, and completely emotionally traumatized and mentally drained, Tannal collapsed on the bathroom floor and fell into a blessed sleep.

Tannal jerked awake when he heard the front door shut with a snap. He swore to himself: Elliot! The bathroom was still a disaster and he was still soaking wet, having fallen asleep in a puddle.

"Telsa?" Elliot looked around in shock at the state of his bathroom. His wash room, usually immaculate and cleaned to perfection, was a complete mess. Water was everywhere, soaking the towels, pooling on the floor, even streaking on the mirrors. His eyes traveled from the almost overflowing bathtub to the puddles on the floor, and even swept up to the ceiling before his gaze fell on Tannal.

Tannal shivered, not expecting to be caught in such a compromising position. He wracked his brain, trying to remember what kinds of punishments sorcerers inflicted on their familiars when they misbehaved. Would Elliot physically strike him? yell at him? send him in a corner without food for a day? punish him with magic? Tannal didn't know what a typical punishment for a familiar was, so he waited wide-eyed as Elliot stared at him. He knew that the Elliot he knew was not a violent or even an angry person, but then again, the Elliot he knew also wasn't a rapist, so he wasn't going to put anything past his friend while he was bound to him.

Elliot stared at him for a little longer. Then he looked around the room again. Then he began to laugh.

Tannal started in surprise as Elliot broke down into laughter, apparently finding the waterlogged wash room humorous. He whined softly and felt his tail go between his legs shamefully.

"Telsa, what did you do?!" Elliot stepped forward gingerly into a small puddle, heedlessly getting his robes dipped in the water. "How did you even manage to do this?" He waded through the water and plunged his arm into the tub, felt around, then wrenched the plug out. With a gurgling noise, the water twisted down the drain and began to recede. Elliot waved his hand toward the wash room door. "Stand over there," he said, lifting the sopping towels from the floor as Tannal slowly plodded over to the door.

With a gesture and a murmur, Elliot said a water removal spell over Tannal. Water lifted itself in sheets from Tannal's fur and from the floor around him, hovering in midair like a shimmering ribbon and floated, under Elliot's direction, to the tub, where he deposited it into. Now dry, Tannal slinked from the bathroom and jumped lightly into one of the chairs and curled up, listening to the sound of Elliot depositing the remaining water into the tub, where it went down the drain.

When Elliot came out of the bathroom, completely dry, he immediately went over to Tannal. "Telsa - " he began, reaching his hand out to him. Tannal flinched away before he realized what he was doing. He immediately regretted it when he saw the look on Elliot's face. His friend was not used to being treated like a monster. Tannal cursed himself. Elliot's not a monster! Why did I have to flinch away from his touch like he was? Elliot took a deep breath.

"Telsa," he said, looking somewhat unsure. "I'm not mad. I'm not going to punish you or hurt you in any way." He slowly lowered himself beside Tannal, looking at his familiar earnestly. "It's my fault. I should have remembered to look out for your needs, too. I just got ready in such a rush I didn't think that you needed - " He paused, stopping his speech suddenly before continuing. "I know that it must be hard, not being able to speak. Typically for the first few months of a binding, a familiar's speaking ability is silenced by spells in order for it and its master to create a stronger mental bond, but under the circumstances - " He took a steadying breath. "Under the circumstances I think that I should restore the speaking spell on you. Talking is the only way we're going to be able to establish a solid form of any sort of communication. And - and I can only apologize so many times for what I did." Tannal was glad that Elliot was no longer tiptoeing around him. He had accepted what he had done to his familiar and was finally attempting to start anew. Good, Tannal thought, the quicker Elliot gets over what happened the sooner I can find a way to get this spell off me. "Until I can remove the silencing spell, which won't be for another week or so, we're going to be stuck together. So until you decide whether or not you want to continue to remain bound to me, we're going to have to stick this out. All I can do is give you my word that I won't hurt you. Would you be alright with that?"

Tannal nodded eagerly, feeling his tail involuntarily wag.

Elliot looked relieved. "Good," he said, pushing himself up to a standing position. Tannal could already tell that now the unmentionable issue was out of the way, the wheels in Elliot's head were already spinning. "When I take the spell off in a week we can talk. Until then I have to train you as I would train my permanent familiar. Is that alright with you?"

Tannal barked in agreement. Just hurry up with it and get this spell off me!

"Alright then," Elliot said, rubbing his hands together. "I guess I should probably tell you what being a shapeshifter familiar entails." He darted off to his desk and began to rifle through its contents. "Shapeshifters are renowned for being tricky, but I think we'll be alright. Basically, once you're bound, you're limited to one form and one form only, as you've probably figured out." Elliot paused, finding the book he wanted and threw it onto the desk's cluttered surface. Curious, Tannal hopped down from the chair and joined Elliot at his desk, jumping up on a nearby chair to get a better view of the book. Elliot;s brow knit as he flipped through the book as he explained, "Once you master a particular form, meaning you can not only perform free range movement but that you know how to properly generate, hold, and release your energy in sync with me, then you'll be able to move onto the next form." Elliot found the page he was looking for and slid the book toward Tannal. "This is a list of the order of forms that I'm going to teach you." Tannal peered down at the page and saw several complex spell diagrams and a long list of canid animals ranging from jackals to dingoes, foxes to wild dogs, coyotes to dholes, and all sorts of things that he had never heard of, but by the picture he knew to be canines. "You already know your wolf form, so after that you'll learn all the other dogs forms. By the end of the week, you'll know the entire canine sequence. Then next week we'll start another sequence until you'll eventually you'll be able to shift into hundreds of different forms."

Tannal sighed inwardly as Elliot launched into an excited babble about shapeshifters and magical logistics. He wasn't overly fond of dogs and it seemed like he was going to be stuck in a canine form for a while now, at least until he mastered them and could move on to a different form. His mind had begun to wander and he wondered what form he would be given next when he quickly stopped himself and shook his head clear of those thoughts. No, he told himself, there wouldn't be another form. He was going to get out of this. He was going to find a way to tell Elliot that he was trapped and cursed, he would find a way to break the spell on him, he would find a way to turn back. But until then he needed to stop thinking like a bound familiar and start thinking like an independent human being again.

* * * *

For the first time in several days Tannal was able to leave the house. It was refreshing to finally be free again in a familiar setting. After weeks of traveling to and in the Wildlands, then his capture and imprisonment, then his transformation followed by his binding to Elliot, Tannal had been away for a long time. Elliot had kept him mostly in his apartment all day while he was out, which was most of the time. Familiars usually always went wherever their masters did, but since Tannal was new, Elliot was supposed to give him space in order to allow him to adjust. Tannal thought he had been given too much space. He was locked into a house all day stuck as a familiar while his best friend avoided him and barely spoke. So when Elliot told him that they were going to be out and about, Tannal didn't care where they were going. All he knew was that as soon as the door was open, he happily bounded out of the room.

He had to walk obediently at Elliot's side, but at least he was outdoors and no longer cooped up. And at least he was with Elliot. He tried to ignore what Kensing had said about physical contact, but he had to admit that the last few days had been terrible. Elliot, determined to not repeat the events of their first night together as master and familiar, had found various excuses to not come home at night, leaving Tannal alone in the apartment and without Elliot's reassuring presence. When Elliot was home he couldn't help but to give into the impulse to rub against him or lay his head on Elliot's lap and his tag would wag on his own accord whenever Elliot petted him. Kensing was right, the physical contact was comforting and Tannal needed all the comfort he could get. Elliot at first seemed a little unsure about his affectionate familiar, but after a few days he simply accepted that it was one of his familiar's personality quirk. Tannal was sure that the thought never crossed Elliot's mind that his familiar was his missing friend.

Elliot took him through a part of the city that he was unfamiliar with: it was the Academy's district, so he obviously never had much of a need to explore this particular district. Tannal looked around interested: the streets were more narrow here and the buildings were taller, but it was still as nice looking as the rest of the city. Elliot at least seemed to know exactly where he was going, though he seemed a little quieter than usual. Finally, they entered into a large courtyard that had a wide, open space with a burbling fountain in the middle of the gothic architecture. Tannal only managed to get a brief glimpse of it before Elliot steered them to a door off to the side and knocked firmly on the wooden surface.

There was a sound from within, then a moment later the door opened to reveal none other than the white dragon familiar. He looked over Elliot and Tannal, then made a chirping noise and stepped aside, letting them enter. Elliot walked right in but Tannal was more hesitant. He didn't want to get into anywhere near Kensing if he could help it, but with Elliot inside, he seemed to have no choice. Plastering his ears against his head, he ducked into the room behind his master. Within a small, dark room lit entirely by candle fire was Kensing and another man. They were seated at a wooden table covered in books and flickering candles and were talking in low voices until Elliot stepped inside; then they both rose to their feet, smiling.

"Elliot!" Kensing said genially as Elliot and Tannal entered the room, ignoring the looks of hatred Tannal was casting to him and his dragon. "Come in, come in. I have someone I'd like you to meet." He gestured to a man standing at his side. "This is Master Malken. He specializes in familiar formations and will be able to help you with the specifics of Telsa's shifting."

The man bowed. He was also young, like Kensing - but several years older than Tannal and Elliot - but was thin with dark hair and tanned skin and matched well with his familiar, a lemur with cream colored fur and a dark brown face, hands, and feet. "Nice to meet you, Elliot," he said in a mild voice. "Kensing has told me so much about you; I look forward to working together."

Elliot bowed. "It's good to meet you, Master Malken." Tannal inclined his head, still keeping a wary eye on Kensing.

Malken clapped his hands together. "Alright then, are you ready to get started?"

"Just a moment," Kensing said softly. He gave a meaningful look to Malken, who nodded and quickly busied himself with the bookshelf, his lemur pretending to do the same, but throwing looks at Elliot and Kensing over its shoulder.

As Malken started sorting through books, Kensing moved toward Elliot and gently touched his shoulder. "What is it, Elliot?" he said softly. "You've been acting out of sorts lately. What's wrong?"

"It's nothing," Elliot said, looking a little surprised. "I'm fine."

"Elliot," Kensing said sternly. "Talk to me. What's bothering you so much?"

Elliot shook his head. "It's nothing. I'm just worried about Tannal."

Kensing's gaze flickered quickly to Tannal then back to Elliot. "Tannal?" He lowered himself into a chair and sighed heavily. "Elliot, I know it must be difficult for you - "

"I'm fine," Elliot said sharply. "It's nothing." He had said the last phrase so firmly that even Tannal looked up. It sounded as if he wasn't concerned at all, as if he had put his friend's disappearance entirely out of his mind. Tannal whined softly, confused and hurt by Elliot's apparent sudden disinterest in his disappearance.

Kensing looked surprised for a moment, the nodded. "Alright," he said softly. When Elliot had turned away again, Kensing cast Tannal a rather wicked look that clearly said 'he no longer cares about you - he's trying to forget you were ever a part of his life.' Tannal whined sadly and laid down on the floor, more miserable than before.

"Alright," Malken said businesslike. "Are we ready to get started?"

"Yes, sir," Elliot said immediately. Tannal grudgingly assumed his position beside his friend.

"Excellent," the sorcerer nodded. "Will you be staying for this, Master Kensing?"

Kensing looked apologetic. "I'm terribly sorry, Elliot," he said. "But I'm afraid I won't be able to. I received word earlier that I need to leave today for a while. I just wanted to make sure that everything was set up with you and Master Malken. He will conduct your lesson today and get you started on shifting Telsa. Can you handle that?"

"Yes, sir," Elliot said, his face set.

"Excellent." Kensing slung his bag over his shoulder and turned to leave. Tannal growled in warning, waiting for the arousal spell to be placed again on Elliot, but Kensing evidently thought otherwise. He shook Elliot's hand without giving him any sort of a spell, then nodded to Tannal and left. Apparently, Kensing's conscious was bothering him today and he wouldn't be humiliating Elliot or Tannal this time; either that, or he only needed them to have sex once to make proficient blackmail. Well, at least I won't have to go through that again tonight.

"Alright, Elliot," Malken said as the door closed behind Kensing. "Let's get to it. Now I know you probably already know a bit about shapeshifters, but I'm going to go over the basics to make sure you understand exactly what they entail. Shapeshifters are very rare and elusive creatures. They are also very powerful. To have one as your familiar is a privilege and a gift. Treat your familiar well, forge a close bond with it, and you will become more powerful than you ever thought possible." He paused watching Elliot closely. "Having a shapeshifter as a familiar will allow you to create a bond more powerful than most sorcerers can even dream of. They are versatile creatures, they are strong, and they will allow you access to power that many would kill for. But they are also renowned for being difficult. A shapeshifter is but the culmination of thousands of animals. Studies have been done attempting to locate their true personality and characteristics, but all have been inconclusive because a shapeshifter is the combination of so many different types of creatures. Most, however, do have a primary form, which is the form they are most comfortable staying in, and most also have primary personality, which is the animal traits that they most often assume. For example, a shapeshifter could have a primary form of a gazelle but the primary personality of a sloth, so instead of exhibiting the traditional gazelle characteristics of staying on guard, skittishness, and speed, they'll be more likely to act as a sloth would - slow, lethargic, and prone to trees. Do you see how this can be confusing if you have one as a familiar?"

Elliot glanced at Tannal,as if wondering what his familiar's traits might be, then looked back up at Malken. "Yes, Master Malken."

The sorcerer nodded. "Do you know of any possible traits that your familiar might have?"

Tannal looked curiously at Elliot. To be honest, he had no idea what his primary form might be, but he was hoping that whatever it was, his primary personality would be his own human one. At least, that's how it seemed to work for him. Again Elliot glanced at Tannal, then he shook his head. "No, sir. I've only had Telsa for a few days and she's been bound to one form."

"I see," the sorcerer nodded. "It will probably take some time to really iron out what your familiar's like and because of the bond, you will probably have a better read on your familiar and therefore shapeshifters in general than most people have ever had the opportunity to have. As I said, they're very rare."

"Master Malken?" Elliot said suddenly. "May I ask you something? Why did Kensing give me Telsa? I mean, I knew shapeshifters were rare, but I didn't think they were this rare. Why would he give something like that up?

Malken looked surprised at the question. "I'm not sure," he said slowly. "That's something you'd have to ask him. But I'm sure that it was because he's quite fond of you. You have great potential."

"Master Kensing wouldn't want a shapeshifter for himself?"

Malken smiled. "I'm sure he would. But once you develop a bond with your familiar, as Kensing has done with his dragon and as I have with my lemur, then they become like family or close friends. You'd never cast aside your family or friends, would you?"

Elliot swallowed. "No," he said softly.

"And neither would we." Malken looked fondly at his lemur, who chattered happily at his side. "Now," he continued, "one of the problems with shapeshifters as familiars is that not only does the sorcerer have to learn how to harmoniously exist with his familiar, but the sorcerer must also learn to help their familiar shift into different forms. So far, Telsa has only been in her wolf form, but she has thousands more. Many she will learn on her own, but the more popular ones she will learn with you. And that is what we are going to do today. Who put her in her wolf form?"

"Master Kensing did."

Malken frowned. "Usually a shapeshifter starts with small forms, fish, rodents, birds, things like that. But since Telsa's already learned a larger and more useful form, I suppose we should continue with this." He pushed an opened book toward Elliot. "If Telsa is going to master the canine forms, she must learn at least all of the ones on the list here. You will help her with these, just in the same way a sorcerer would help a novice with their transformations, but once Telsa has shifting down, then she'll be able to learn and acquire forms on her own. For now, however, we'll start with the canines. All the canines on this list are called a sequence. Once she learns the canine sequence she can move on to other ones."

"I know."

"And do you understand, Telsa?" He looked at Tannal who felt a sudden surge of affection toward the sorcerer for not ignoring his presence like everyone else did. He nodded. He was ready. The sooner he could transform, the sooner he could talk.

"Good. Here is the first form."

Tannal glanced at the picture. He caught the word "jackal" and then the book was swept away.

"Are you ready?" Malken said to Elliot.

Elliot glanced at Tannal, who tried his best to look strong, ready, and prepared, and Elliot inclined his head in assent to Malken. He was ready.

Malken nodded to Elliot. "Just start slowly," he said. "Don't try to release too much magic or Telsa might get hurt or might shift improperly."

"Alright," Elliot said softly, closing his eyes. Tannal didn't know if it was just his imagination or if his bond with Elliot was stronger than he realized, but when Elliot closed his eyes he swore he could feel the energy inside him, that always seemed to be roving, changing, pulsing with its own life beat, sudden alining and become an ordered structure within him. Surprised, he looked up at Elliot, who exhaled deeply, then opened his eyes, completely focused. Tannal made sure to stay still; with everything that had happened he had forgotten that Elliot was actually a very powerful sorcerer in his own right and with a familiar, who knows how powerful he was now.

"Now," Malken said softly, "extend your power into your familiar - slowly - feel her the shape of her form. Do you have it in your mind?"

"Yes." Elliot's breathing was calm and steady; he was concentration was absolute and unshakable.

"Visualize the new form you want your familiar to take. Now gently release the new form, let it inundate her form, visualize your familiar shifting into the new shape."

Elliot slowly released his breath. And with his release, Tannal felt a strange tingling fill him. Energy pulsed through his body, evenly timed and swelling with slow mounting power. Tannal sucked his breath in sharply when he felt his entire being flare with power, then it felt like his entire body dissolved into particles, or dust, or light - he wasn't sure, it happened so fast - and then completely reform, stretching, shrinking, flexing, shifting until all of his proportions were altered and he became something entirely new. He blinked, looking over himself. He was smaller, his fur less silky and a lighter dusty brown color. He was a jackal, just as he was supposed to be.

"It worked!" Elliot looked dazed as his gaze traveled over Tannal.

"Well done, Elliot!" Malken smiled. "You and your familiar will be quite the powerful pair in no time I'm sure. It looks like you two are ready to get approved by the board, then you can start attending Academy meetings. You'll be a valuable asset in our search for the prince."

Elliot bowed respectfully, his cheeks still tinged with a pleasant blush. "Thank you, Master Malken."

Malken nodded. "I'll see you at the banquet, then. Until then, keep practicing your familiar's shifting and keep doing the locator spells on the prince. With the amount of people we have on this assignment, we'll find him in no time!"

While Tannal was happy they were at least looking for the prince, he couldn't help but think, What about me?

* * * *

Tannal paced around the room in his german shepherd form. He had been in Elliot's apartment for several days now and while learning new forms and assisting Elliot with his spells was tiring work, he wanted a change of routine. All they did day in and day out was do locator spells for the prince and when they weren't doing those, Elliot was working on a more powerful locator spell yet again for the prince. Elliot knew, from his own information, that the prince was somewhere in the Wildlands and he knew that Tannal was last seen there, too, but instead of searching around the Wildlands for his liege and his friend, he spent all his time working on areas of the kingdom where he had been assigned to scout. Tannal had nothing to do but pace the room in increasing desperation. He had been locked in Elliot's apartment for far too long and had witness inactivity on his search more often than not and was beginning to lose hope. Was Elliot really just content with letting other people supposedly "search" for him? He couldn't help but feel betrayed. His own friend didn't seem to care in the least that he was gone. After he searched for the prince in his workshop (which is what all the Academy sorcerers were doing) he would come home, work with Tannal on his shifting, then immediately start working on an even stronger locator spell for the prince that was a strange metal contraption that took up the entire table. Tannal gave up on practicing his shifting and paced restlessly. He needed to get out.

He got his chance when Elliot, who was on his way out, stopped and called to him. "Do you - do you want to come with me?" he asked tentatively, watching Tannal carefully as he lingered by the door. "I'm just going out for a bit to run a few errands, but if you want to tag along and get out of here for a bit, you're more than welcome to come."

Tannal couldn't help but wag his tail. He desperately wanted to get out of Elliot's apartment, he wanted to run around, be free! As a king's guard he was always traveling, always outside, but a sorcerer's way of life was very different. They were constantly indoors, studying, staying in the same room for hours. He had to get out. Barking joyfully, he darted out of the open door, jumping about the hall like a madman. What did he care if he looked like a fool? It's not like anyone knows it's me, anyways.

Elliot looked torn between amusement and wondering if his familiar was actually insane. But he grinned and said, "So I take it you still don't like being cooped up, then?"

Tannal growled in response and then took off again, running as fast and as far as he could before his binding spell twinged and made him impulsively turn around and return to Elliot's side. Elliot, for his part, didn't seem to mind Tannal's antics and let the dog run about without a word of admonishment. Tannal smiled inwardly. Just another reason they were the best of friends.

After he grew bored of running around the grounds, he returned to Elliot and trotted alongside him, wondering where they were going, but unable to ask. Wordlessly, Elliot passed by all the fun parts of town: all the taverns and halls, all the city squares and markets, even the libraries, which Tannal knew that Elliot usually enjoyed. They passed all of their usual haunts and even the more unusual ones, moving down from the residential district of the sorcerers to the district below them. After some time consisting of Elliot meandering aimlessly about the lower districts of the city, he finally stopped and looked at Tannal.

"You can go home if you'd like," he said softly. "I just have to go one place and then I'll be done."

Tannal, who would have rather gone anywhere than back to the apartment and the memories that lived there nuzzled against Elliot's leg, telling him that he wanted to stay; besides, he was far too interested to leave. He had never seen Elliot attempt to be secretive before and he couldn't help but be curious as to where his friend was going.

Elliot smiled thinly. "Alright then. It's not far." He led Tannal through a few more winding streets in the growing darkness until they came to a street that Tannal knew very well: it was where he used to live. Surprised and somewhat apprehensive, Tannal followed more slowly now as Elliot led him down to his apartment building and slipped inside. Following Elliot up the stairs, Tannal found himself on the landing of his own house, staring at his front door. He had no idea what they were doing at his house, but he assumed it was for some sort of closure, which didn't bode well for him. If Elliot gave up and thought he was dead then who would keep looking for him?

"This is my friend Tannal's apartment," Elliot said quietly, facing the door. "He's missing right now. But I know he's out there - somewhere." He seemed to be saying it to himself, to reassure himself more than saying it to Tannal for clarification. But, of course, Tannal didn't need any explanation. It was his apartment, after all. Elliot stared the the door for a while, looking sad. After he gently touched its surface he took a deep breath and made a gesture at the door and Tannal could feel the power blossom within him, an effect of being Elliot's familiar. The door shuddered and opened.

Tannal couldn't help but whine softly. He remembered the day that Elliot had put the spell on his door: he had insisted that Tannal would be safer with a friend-finder spell on it. From what he remembered, the spell would keep the apartment and its occupants safe, only allowing entrance to those who were permitted with Tannal's permission and barring entrance from anyone else. After Tannal's first mission with his master in the king's guard he had become somewhat shell-shocked and upon his return home found himself becoming increasingly paranoid, thinking that men were following him about. It was a rookie paranoia, but at the time he had been deeply frightened and Elliot had come and helped him. None of his superiors knew about the spell, certainly not his master, but he felt immensely safer with it on his door as a form of an adult security blanket. Even years later, when experience had hardened his doubting fears, he still liked the spell. It reminded him of Elliot was always there for him. And now the spell was gone.

Elliot slowly walked into the empty apartment. It was just the way Tannal had left it. The apartment was small but tidy, only a few things thrown about when Tannal had packed in a hurry. Now there simply seemed to be a deadening air to the place, empty, but lingering. Elliot stood still for a moment then did something that Tannal did not expect: he began to weep.

Tannal was struck by the gesture. He had never, ever seen his best friend cry. He had always teasingly mocked Elliot for being soft, but the truth was, even though Elliot may have spent more time in the library than most would consider to be acceptable before he violated the conditions of masculinity, Elliot was the strongest person that Tannal knew. He never cried, never complained, and he was always there for him, supporting him with whatever he needed. Being a sorcerer may have been a career choice that involved less physicality or action than doing something like the king's guard, but Elliot was damn good at it. He was powerful, strong, and even sometimes a bit ruthless. And these weren't the tears of a child or a boy; they were the tears of an adult. He wasn't weeping because he lost his favorite watch or because hadn't gotten his way, he was mourning the loss of his best friend. Elliot truly missed Tannal. All the while Tannal had been off on his missions bragging about all the adventurous things that he'd done, he had somehow missed Elliot's own maturation. Elliot, the only constant figure in Tannal's life, was now dealing with very adult problems and he had to do it all alone. It was his own fault he got captured. Elliot had told him not to go off on his own, Elliot had told him that it was too dangerous, that they would thinking of something else, that it was probably nothing; but Tannal hadn't listened. And now Elliot was paying as much of a price for it as Tannal was.

Tannal whined softly, and rubbed himself against Elliot's leg. What else could he do? He was trapped in this form without any way of communicating the truth to Elliot. The only comfort he could give his friend was that of an animal companion. So he did his best.

It seemed to work for Elliot. He gently stroked Tannal's fur, still looking about the apartment with a lost look on his face. "I don't know why you're so good to me," he said softly, composing himself. "I don't deserve it, not after what I did." Tannal whined softly and impulsively licked Elliot's face. It was the only way he could show forgiveness and reassurance as a dog, but Elliot understood the gesture. Still, he looked depressed. "It's my fault that Tannal's gone," he said miserably. "I might as well have killed him myself. After everything that Tannal's done for me I was stupid enough to send him off to his death." He shook his head hopelessly. "He's probably alone right now in a cell or dying in the desert, waiting for me to come and help him, and I've just been sitting around here doing nothing while he's out there somewhere." Elliot paused, trying to compose himself. "I think you'd like him," he said softly.

Tannal looked up in surprise.

"Tannal likes animals," he said quietly. After a moment he smiled to himself. "But not dogs. You'd probably have to take a different form when you're around him. When he was a kid he was bitten by one of the hunting hounds and he's hated dogs ever since. But cats - Tannal's always liked cats."

Tannal whined softly, affection for his friend welling up inside of him. Elliot did care.

Elliot smiled sadly for a moment, as if savoring the memory, then headed toward Tannal's bedroom. Tannal slowly followed, wondering what his friend was doing, and when he entered, he found his friend rummaging through his chest. He couldn't help but feel a stab of personal violation. What was Elliot doing? Then Elliot pulled back. "Found it," he said softly.

Tannal stared. In Elliot's hand was one of his rings. A ring, he remembered upon closer inspection, that he had received from the Lower Academy when he had graduated before he became a member of the king's guard. Why on earth would Elliot want that? It was just a metal ring with the sorcerer school's crest stamped on it; nothing special. Yes, the school was where they first met, but it was years ago, the school meant nothing to either of them, and yet Elliot seemed to place some deep significance in it.

"Look," he showed the ring to Tannal. "It's the perfect size and shape for the spell."

Spell? What spell? Tannal followed Elliot as his friend dashed from the room, jabbering excitedly.

"We're going to find Tannal," Elliot said, clutching the ring. "I know it! Don't you see, Telsa? He's out there and we're going to find him!" Tannal barked. What was going on? But Elliot was already explaining for him. "I'm going to use this as an imprint of Tannal," he said happily. "This should be strong enough for the locator spell. It might be Tannal's only chance!" He suddenly looked slightly guilty. "Technically, there aren't supposed to be any unauthorized locator spells being set up because it might interfere with finding the prince, and technically it's a pretty strong spell that's above my level." He didn't seem terribly perturbed by this. "The other sorcerers won't try the spell because it's dangerous and all of these are unsanctioned or in use, so I had to build my own. But I have to try! He's out there, Telsa, he's out there and I'm going to find him!"

* * * *

Feeling a great deal happier on the way back, Tannal couldn't help but notice that he walked with a certain spring to his step. Elliot was going to find him! It didn't matter that when Elliot put together where Tannal was that he would realize what happened between them, all that mattered was that his friend was going to find him. He couldn't help but be excited.

Even Elliot noticed that his familiar was in a surprisingly good mood. "Alright, Telsa, alright," he said as he tied together two metal rods in a contraption on his table. "I get it, you like going outside. I'll try not to keep you so cooped up, ok?"

Tannal barked. Who cared? Elliot was going to find him!

Elliot hung Tannal's ring on one of his homemade contraption's metal hooks. "Alright, Telsa, it's almost done." He glanced at the familiar, who was now running around the house in the shape of a puppy. "I've been working on this since before I got you, you know. As soon as he went missing." He grinned at the puppy, who rolled around on the carpet happily. "This you'll be able to handle the spell?"

Tannal barked again in assent.

Elliot laughed. "Well, probably not. Most fully-realized sorcerers couldn't do this spell, and I'm definitely not a master yet. But, if I practice, I think the spell will be ready to go in a week or so. Will you be ready for that?"

Tannal trotted up to his master and lapped at his hands. They tasted like the metallic tang of magic and metal. Elliot smiled and scratched behind Tannal's ears, making his tail wag. "We'll find him," he murmured softly.

A sharp knock at the door snapped them both to attention. Frowning, Elliot went to the door and pulled it open a crack. Tannal listened as a messenger verified Elliot's identity and then preceded to relay a message to him. Bored and unconcerned with what the message might be, Tannal settled down on the carpet again, staring up at the locator contraption when his thoughts of freedom were interrupted by Elliot's exclamation.

"What?" Elliot yelled. "You found him?"

The messenger sighed. "A sighting was reported," he said. "I can neither confirm or deny whether or not he was recovered."

Tannal looked up in shock and hope as Elliot's breathing quickened. "Where is he? Is he alright?"

"Sir," the messenger said. "It's just a sighting. it doesn't prove anything. It might not even be him."

"But where? Where is he?" Elliot pressed. Tannal rose to his feet and slowly moved toward the door. Hope swelled in him...

"In the Wildlands," the messenger said promptly. Tannal's hope shattered. The Wildlands? No! He was here! Here! The messenger added, "In the far west of them. I'm sorry, but that's all I can tell you."

Elliot's eyes blazed with a life Tannal hadn't seen in days. "But if we at least have a location," he said, talking excitedly, "then we can do other spells to confirm his identity - "

"Sir," the messenger said again. "I feel that it's my duty to inform you that if he's in the Wildlands, he might not be human any longer. You know what those bands of criminals do to the innocent people they catch. You should be prepared, you shouldn't get your hopes up for nothing - "

"Nothing?" Elliot repeated, spinning around to face the guard. "Nothing? You think it'll be nothing if I find Tannal? Even if he's an animal, I don't care. I'll find a way to break the spell. I'll find a way to help him! I just have to find him first!"

The messenger hesitated, then said, "They're going to do a locator spell for your friend in the third audience chamber in a few minutes. You and your master should be there to help."

"Of course." Elliot said quickly. "I'll come with you now. Just let me send a message to my master first - Telsa! Come here! I need you to deliver a message to Master Kensing."

Elliot was so preoccupied with the thought of finding Tannal that he didn't notice the tone of his voice; the command that he issued was strong enough that Tannal immediately had no choice but to step forward, obediently and blindly following his master's orders. While the messenger relayed the information he knew, Elliot was nodding as he listened and loosely tied a scroll around Tannal's neck. He told Tannal where Kensing's house was and told him to deliver the message immediately before he dashed out of the house following the messenger. Downtrodden, Tannal obediently made his way to Kensing's house. Elliot did want to find him - he was just looking in the wrong place.

* * * *

Tannal pushed the door open with his nose and padded softly into Kensing's apartment. It was empty and dark, with no sign of Kensing or his dragon anywhere. Tannal poked around, investigating the room, sniffing at its contents, trying to derive some clue from the currently empty apartment. Then he heard a loud thump from upstairs.

WIthout thinking he darted upstairs to see what was going on and stopped abruptly in front of the bedroom. The door was slightly ajar and he was utterly shocked by the sight he found there: the first thought that crossed his mind was: I guess we won't be asking him for help after all. Malken was naked on his hands and knees on the floor, the white dragon familiar upon his back, thrusting its penis deep into the sorcerer's bowels.

"OH YES!" Malken moaned, clutching behind him at the dragon on his back. "Ohhh mate me! Fill me with your seed!"

Tannal stared in shock as the dragon's eyes rolled back and it grasped Malken's neck in his jaws, snorting as he continued to violently thrust into the man. Tannal could see the thick, throbbing girth of the dragon's cock pierce Malken's tight hole, stretching it open forcefully before withdrawing, then doing it again. THe dragon's wings were now slightly unfurled and beat powerfully to give itself more leverage into the man and to steady its own frantic thrusts. Its chest was heaving as it panted heavily, straining to properly fit its monstrous log within Malken's tight anus, causing the dragon to writhe atop the man, wracking its claws into his skin.

Malken gasped and shook from the pleasure. "Ooooh, oh yessss! Ohhh Bruine! Ohhh, you're such a big dragon! So big! Ohhhhh fill meeeee!"

Tannal wanted to back away, wanted to turn away, wanted to run, but somehow he found he couldn't turn himself away. Malken was into being pounded by his friend's dragon familiar? His friend's very male dragon familiar? He couldn't believe it: Kensing was letting another sorcerer be fucked by his familiar? It was definitely unexpected. Although, he remembered, Kensing did seem to enjoy jerking me off as a cat...

Malken interrupted Tannal's thoughts with a shriek. "OHHHH YESS!!!! Ugh! Ugh! Ugh! Deeper! Harder! Yes!"

The dragon thrust even harder, slapping its balls against Malken's even more forcibly, creating a loud, lewd slapping sound. The dragon grunted louder and louder, moving faster and faster.

"Tie me," Malken moaned desperately. "Knot me, oh please. Tie me!"

The dragon snarled as he thrust one final time, worming his hips around as he tried to bury his fleshy knot within Malken's ass. WIth a pop the knot pushed into Malken and the man groaned and shuddered deeply while the dragon roared, pumping it hips harder in sharp jabbing thrusts. The dragon was cumming. Malken closed his eyes, clenched his jaw, and gripped the carpet below him as the dragon beat its wings, holding its penis deep within the man it was locked to. After a moment, the ring of flesh that swallowed the penis bulged and a second later a small burst of white cum flowed forward and dribbled out of Malken, despite the knot's tight seal. Malken shuddered and collapsed onto the floor, the tied dragon settling on top of him, looking content.

Tannal blinked, and slowly withdrew quietly from the room when he heard a voice behind him.

"Hello, Tannal," Kensing said pleasantly, emerging from the shadows behind Tannal. "What are you doing here?" When Tannal said nothing, Kensing smiled. "Like what you see? I'm sure it brings back found memories of you and Elliot. Why don't you come inside?"

Tannal stared. The dragon was still resting on Malken's back, his enormous cock still lodged in the sorcerer's hole, and still spewing, causing a trickle of cum to continuously drip onto the carpet below while Malken's own limp cock dangled between his legs as he waited in a kneeling position for the familiar's knot to go down. Malken looked up in a daze. "Who are you talking to, Kensing?" he said weakly.

"You remember Tannal, don't you?" he said. "Or Telsa, as it is now. Elliot's familiar."

"NNnnnnugh," Malken closed his eyes as the dragon murred softly, more cum spilling from the sorcerer's nearly-plugged rear. "Mmm, that feels good." He looked up in shock at Kensing, then Tannal. "Elliot's familiar is Tannal? The missing guard?"

"Yes," Kensing said impatiently. "And I'm sure he makes a rather good female." If Tannal could talk, he would have had some very choice words to say to Kensing. But since he still under the silencing spell, he remained silent, but fuming.

Malken didn't seem to care. "Ooohhhh, Kensing! You're familiar! He's so big! Nnugh!"

Kensing didn't look remotely amused. "Are you almost done?" he said, a slight frown on his face as he surveyed Malken's red, stretched ring and his familiar's massive cock lodged inside.

"Ah, don't worry. His knot will go down in a few minutes. He doesn't need to stay tied to his partner for long. Trust me, if I were a female, I'd be pregnant already. These dragons are very fertile. I - ohhhhh - mmmm," Malken almost fell entire on the floor again when the familiar shifted his weight on the man's back. "Yesssss, oh yes." Tannal's eyes widened as he noticed Malken's cock twitch, as if it were able to come back to life again. Malken, however, didn't seem to notice. "What's he doing here anyways?"

Kensing glanced at Tannal. "I'm assuming it's to deliver a letter," he said, undoing the message strap. "And if I'm not mistaken, it'll say that the guard's had a sighting of Tannal off in the far western portions of the Wildlands." He looked carelessly at the letter, then tossed it into the nearby fire. "Too bad I was the one who sent that message to Elliot. I didn't realize how dedicated he would be to finding his old friend. I had to throw him off the trail. Now get that thing out of your ass."

Malken whimpered but obediently reached back and tugged at the dragon's cock. He grunted, closing his eyes and with a soft pop the dragon's penis slipped out, followed by a surge of cum.

"Uhhhhhhh," Malken sighed, feeling what looked like a gallon of cum pour forth from his loosened hole. "Ohhhhh that was nice."

Kensing surveyed the scene before him. "Clean him up," he commanded curtly. Malken didn't object to being ordered about and quickly reached over to the dragon's genitals, its massive cock still thinning and shrinking back into its sheath. "Come here," he murmured gently, reaching out to the dragon. He gently took the dragon's penis in his hand and began to rub its sheath tenderly.

The dragon whined loudly, thrashing its tail so that it thumped on the floor.

Kensing watched Malken fond the dragon's balls and Tannal's nose twitched, smelling musk. He commented disinterestedly to Tannal. "One of the most amazing things about this particular breed of dragon is that they are able to breed several times before they run out of juice."

Tannal stared, wide-eyed as Malken leaned forward so that his face was inches away from the dragon's sheath and he lapped at the slit, making the dragon murr.

"Trust me, Tannal," Kensing murmured. "You'll love this."

Malken pressed his face up to the dragon's slit and began to lick deeper and deeper, creating a vacuum with his lips and sucking deeply. When he pulled away, the dragon's slit and Malken's mouth were covered in clear slit fluid. Malken looked somewhat curiously at the slit, then dove back in, lapped away like a kitten to milk. The dragon hissed softly and Tannal saw a tip of the dragon's penis emerge, peeking out from its hideaway, then surging forward as it hardened again.

Kensing glanced at Tannal who was watching, as instructed, but with wide eyes. "Watch," he commanded. But Tannal couldn't look away.

The dragon made a soft screech in the the back of his throat as his penis emerged. It was larger, far larger than Elliot's cock, thick and long, and it was a bright ivory color. But what was the strangest thing about it wasn't its color but its appearance. Its length was tapered, ending in a point that was covered in what looked like wrinkled skin, its length covered in veins and every few inches a ridge of hardened flesh. But what was most spectacular about the dragon's penis was that at its base was not one but two knots. Malken licked the dragon's slick cock, causing the familiar to murr in delight.

"Watch" Kensing whispered again horsely. But Tannal already was. At Malken's ministrations, precum was beginning to stream from the dragon's tip; and the first knot was beginning to move. The smaller knot at the base of the dragon's penis had moved up from its base slowly up to the tip of his cock, where the skin was tapered and shriveled. Then Tannal understood what the smaller knot was for. At Malken's encouragement, the knot continued to travel up until it entered the tip and immediately began to swell outwards. The shriveled skin at the tip of the penis surged forward, expanding and suddenly became a huge knot that swung pendulously at the end of the dragon's penis while the other knot remained at the base. The penis bobbed, its stiff length suddenly too top heavy to stay jutting outward with the knot at its tip.

"Just a little more," murmured Kensing, watching as Malken licked the underside of the bulb once more and squeezed the end of the dragon's penis, right behind the first knot. The dragon groaned, its tail lashing and suddenly, the bulb bloomed. The rounded ball of flesh actually opened, like a flower bulb with petals, with each petal like a stiffened section of skin, the inside of which was covered by little barbs that bristled in pleasure as Malken eagerly licked their entire surface. The petals blossomed slowly, and Tannal could only imagine what it would feel like inside of him, slowly spreading his walls with a persistent pushing and expanding and tickling barbs. As Malken continued to coat the familiar's cock with his glittering saliva, the center of the "flower" pulsed gently and as Tannal watched, pushed forward, like a thin second penis made of extremely sensitive flesh that made the dragon's length even longer. Malken quickly closed his lips around its tip and suckled hard. The dragon threw his head back and roared in ecstasy, thrusting its hips into Malken's mouth as hard as it could, face fucking the sorcerer eagerly.

When the dragon had finally finished, Malken withdrew, cum dribbling from his mouth. He sighed in contentment and laid down on the floor.

Kensing looked at Malken in distaste. "Alright, you've had your fun," he said. "Now go!"

Malken looked up mournfully. "But he'll be ready to go again soon! Please, Kensing!"

"I said no! Our deal only requires me to lend you my familiar for one coupling and I've given you two. Now get out!"

Malken slowly pushed himself to his feet, casting a sad look at the dragon. "Very well," he said, looking rather put out. He took a deep breath to compose himself and he would have been recognizable as the man who had taught Tannal how to shift only hours before if it weren't for the thick white cum draining from him. "I thank you, Master Kensing." He bowed.

Kensing nodded curtly. "See to it that you continue to keep your end of the bargain as well."

Malken's eyes glittered and they flickered to Tannal, but he quickly looked away, gathered his clothes, and left the room, cum still seeping from his anus.

Kensing watched him go, then he knelt down next to his familiar. "Good boy," he murmured softly, stroking the dragon behind his ears. The dragon snorted and nuzzled against its master, obviously thrilled to be given a sexual partner. "Now," he said softly. "While I disagree with letting Malken - let's say, overindulge - himself, I cannot let my familiar go unsatisfied. And he typically likes to go several times, isn't that right, Bruine?" The dragon trilled softly in assent and the scent of musk filled Tannal's nostrils again.

"Tannal," Kensing said softly. "I would highly recommend that you shift to your wolf form in order to accommodate Bruine better. He's a rather large dragon, you know."

Tannal growled. Was Kensing out of his mind?

Kensing reached down and gripped his own crotch and the dragon closed his eyes. "Remember what I told you: once the two of you coupled, you became connected not only mentally, physically, and emotionally, but also sexually. Your bond will be far stronger than most sorcerers will ever experience. When you two coupled, your climaxes combined were much stronger than they would have been if you were with another partner. But, you see, Bruine is ready to go again, and I have a lady friend waiting downstairs for me, so Bruine and I both need partners for this. I'm afraid, though, that we'll need your help for the last part. Don't worry, Elliot won't know what you're doing; he'll just be really horny. But I suppose you're both relieved that you're not in the same room when he gets aroused." Kensing smiled. "You'll have fun, I'm sure." Tannal stared at him in horror, but Kensing pretended not to notice. "I think you'll do quite nicely for him, actually. Now, stay still."

Tannal couldn't move as the dragon clambered up onto his back. He felt the warm weight of the dragon's surprisingly soft scales rub against his own as the dragon slid up onto him. Tannal looked pleadingly at Kensing, but the sorcerer was sitting upright, his erection straining through his pants. "I'm sorry, Tannal," he smiled, gathering his clothes. "Enjoy. I'll be back when you're done."

The dragon snorted and Tannal whined fearfully. He had the presence of mind to shift at Kensing's suggestion, morphing from his smaller dhole form into the much larger she-wolf. There was a pause before the thrust, a pause that felt like an eternity, then the dragon's hips slammed his penis home. Tannal yowled loudly as the dragon buried its length inside him, the enormous penis spearing into Tannal's cunt painfully. The cock burned when it plunged into him and its ridges tore into his walls when the dragon pulled out. Luckily, because the dragon had already just mated it didn't take him long to reach his climax.

The dragon hissed loudly, trumpeting its pleasure as it pushed itself even deeper into Tannal as fast as its hips could slam. Tannal could feel as the dragon continued to thrust in short, jabbing strokes, the smaller knot beginning to travel up the length of the dragon's penis, moving ever so slowly up from its position at the dragon's base. It was halfway there now, pulsing with the dragon's hot blood, pushing Tannal's walls and moving deeper into Tannal's slick walls. He could feel the tapering end of the dragonhood swelling with the sudden rush of blood that propelled the knot farther and farther up the length of the cock. Then, he felt, with a shriek of pleasure, the knot come to the tip of the dragon's rigid hardness. The shriveled end of the dragon's cock bulged outwards, as Tannal had seen it happen with the dragon when Malken suckled on his tip. The bulb of the dragon's penis then swelled into an orb that the dragon thrust deep within his womb, making the she-wolf yip as his cervix was pummeled with the dragon's knot.

The dragon was close to filling him. Grasping Tannal's neck in his jaws, he bit down and thrust a final time. Tannal felt, deep within his vagina, the dragonhood swell a final time, and then it blossomed completely. The dragon snarled in feral pleasure as he felt the bulb of his penis finally bloom, feeling its petals open, pushing his nether penis out a little more, feeling the outer penis's skill retract, pull, and push firmly against the walls of the quivering female. The dragon's inner penis extended, its fleshy tip throbbing with its sensitiveness. Feeling his petals stroking their bristly folds against the female's walls while having his entire length caressed by rhythmic contractions made his balls clench. As his balls bunched up toward his body, he felt their boiling treasure stream down the length of his dragonhood, ready to be released through his nether penis into the womb of the willing female.

One moment Tannal was being pounded into, the next all he could feel was the spreading and insistent pushing of the dragon's penis petals against his insides. Then the finger of extra penile length extended and the barbs on the petals gripped him and he was lost to the sensations. The pleasure was too much for him. He screamed in pleasure, the feeling so intense that the light seemed to dance around him and he felt as if he was ripped from the world and thrown into another. Throwing his head back and howling as the dragon came, his walls tightening rhythmically in climax, he came as well, feeling another female orgasm grip him with relentless pleasure.

Finally spent, the dragon collapsed atop of Tannal, panting heavily as it tried to regain his breath, feeling his dragonhood still spurting, the first knot keeping them locked together. As they laid tied together, the dragon snaked his head around to face Tannal. "You must be careful," he whispered in a hushed voice, starling Tannal. "My master is not a good man. He will do anything to make sure his secret stays safe." He shifted his weight, causing Tannal to hiss in pleasure. "Little one," he said, licking the side of Tannal's face, "you have the opportunity to free us both. Do not ruin your only chance."

Tannal nodded breathlessly but the dragon seemed to be done speaking, though he was still spewing into the female under him. They laid tied to one another for a few more minutes until the dragon's knot had shrunk enough for him to pull out. Gently, he licked Tannal's entrance clean of the fluids that spilt there before tending to his own dragonhood, purring in contentment. Weary and exhausted, Tannal collapsed to the floor, waiting for Kensing to take him back to Elliot and the comfort of his friend.