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Therian Dreaming II

Epilogue

© Cederwyn Whitefurr

21stMay 2023

All Rights Reserved.

One morning, two years after that fateful night, Fawnie, now a mature Doe, her inner Therian leapt forwards and she slammed Patrick against the side of the house with her front hooves. Her once beautiful brown eyes swirled into pure black, and a feral growl rumbled deep within her chest. Fawnie leaned forwards, using her forelegs to hold him trapped as she curled her dewlaps back, her sharp fangs glistening with menace as her ears went flat.

"I don't trust you," Fawnie's voice echoed with an eerie intensity, dripping with warning and barely restrained fury. "If you ever_dare to pose a threat or lay a hand on my mother, there will be no escape from my wrath. I will hunt you down relentlessly, no matter where you hide - _human -. Pete was my sire, my true father - not- you! It is purely by my mother, the Matriarch, her command binds and compels me to at least tolerate your presence here in her herd. Make no mistakes, I see the mark you carry - I know now - what it means... I know what you once were..."

Patrick pressed himself against the wall, his hands trembling as he stared wide-eyed into the wrathful eyes of Fawnie. His own inner Therian cowered in fear, fully aware of the gravity of her words.

"I...understand - " Patrick swallowed, his voice respectful and submissive. "I will take your warning to heart, I swear it!"

Fawnie stepped backwards, dropping back to all four of her cloven hooves, as she glared at him, then spoke once more.

"Remember this moment Patrick - remember it well, never forget that which I have told you...because I won't forget who you _really_were..."

Fawnie began to walk away, her eyes swirling back to their usual woodland brown, her hackles slowly slicking back down on her neck. Patrick shuddered, the weight of Fawnie's words sinking deep into his very soul, serving as a constant reminder of the boundaries he'd never cross and the fierce protectiveness Fawnie had for her matriarch...

*

Six years had passed since that fateful night, when Kelsie had witnessed Pete's sacrifice. Patrick had taught her much, everything he could recall about his training with the Hunter's, mercilessly pushing Kelsie in exercises and training. Eventually, she surpassed him, and earned his heartfelt praise and respect.

*

When Fawnie had turned five, an adult by Therian standards, Kelsie had taken her deep into the woods, guided by an unspoken understanding between mother and daughter. In the heart of the forest, Kelsie had performed a ritual from her ancestral past, intertwining Fawnie's spirit with her Therian essence. It was a profound bonding, a co-joining of the two separate spirits, that'd forever place it under Fawnie's control.

*

Fawnie was present, holding a pistol to the back of Patrick's head, as Kelsie underwent the same ritual with Patrick. Fawnie's finger laying alongside the barrel, the pistol cocked and ready, if the ritual went bad. Kelsie bonded Patrick to his Therian spirit - with surprising difficulty - and Fawnie had watched impassively, ready to do that which must be done, without a seconds hesitation.

It was a very close thing...

Kelsie nodded, bowing her head, and Fawnie trembled, then lowered the pistol, easing the hammer back and engaging the safety, before placing it in her hip holster.

Kelsie nodded to her and spoke quietly. "It is done... they are bonded as one, from now, until their last days... Arise, Patrick, you have passed your test..."

*

Since their birth, Kelsie dedicated as much time to her twin fawns as she could, nurturing and raising them until they were weaned. Fawnie took over, as Kelsie threw herself into her training with Patrick. Under Fawnie's diligence and watchful gaze, the twins who were devoted to Fawnie, flourished and grew.

*

When they turned two, Kelsie held a naming ceremony for them. Her doe was called Cinnamon, her buck, Brandy.

Fawnie never understood why her mother laughed when she named the buck...

*

Six years passed in relative peace, the small, but growing herd, having moved far from where that terrible night had befallen them and they kept as quiet and low-profile as they could. Patrick trained Kelsie well, and one morning, after breakfast, Kelsie looked down at a roughly sketched out map Patrick had done of the Hunter's Headquarters.

"They have CCTV cameras at all four corners, here, here, here and here - " Patrick spoke, pointing with a stick. "Main entrance is here, garage for their vehicles is back here..."

Fawnie sipped the fawn milk from a bowl, as she listened attentively. She knew she no longer needed nor wanted the formula, but something about it brought back pleasant memories for her.

Kelsie had been adamant that Fawnie, Cinnamon and Brandy would play no role in the coming battle - which had caused Fawnie to rebel against Kelsie - and Kelsie had put her hoof down, making the increasingly frustrated Fawnie resentful, but she come to understand her mother's way of thinking.

"Mother - " Fawnie began, setting her bowl down and her well trimmed nails rattling against the side of the bowl.

"No, Fawnie," Kelsie spoke quietly, but the force and dominance in her voice silencing Fawnie's protestations.

I always sensed that within her - right from our first meeting - the powerful, dominant Matriarch, Kelsie would become... Patrick thought to himself. Now I see it...and I fear it...

"I understand your fear Fawnie, I do," Kelsie condescended. "I share it as well my daughter, truly I do! I must do this, I _have_to do this - not only for my herd, but for your sire...and for myself... Please, go awaken Cinnamon and Brandy. They need to be prepared for what is coming..."

Fawnie paused, torn between her mother's command, and her own burgeoning desires to protect the last of the true blood-line.

"Please - " Kelsie asked quietly, glancing at Fawnie, who quivered and quietly left to do what was asked of her.

After Fawnie had left, did Kelsie and Patrick begin to formulate their plans for a violent and bloody vengeance against those who had taken everything from them...

*

Fawnie led the twins outside, then once she was certain they'd stay there, she returned inside, something in her mind prickling the fine hairs at the back of her neck - feeling she hadn't had since was a fawn.

*

Kelsie paced back and forth, alternating between almost pure Therian rage and despondency, one finger tapping her human jawline as she thought long and hard. Seated at the table, Fawnie remained quiet, lost in her own thoughts, as Patrick looked down at the rough schematic he'd drawn from his memory.

"Kelsie," Patrick began, speaking quietly and subserviently to her. "_Think_for a moment, please? You and I both know what is at stake here! This isn't going to be easy..."

Kelsie stopped her pacing, her fingers curling inwards as she visibly trembled and even Fawnie quivered, sensing from Kelsie how dangerously close to the edge she was.

"I_need_ this - I need them..." Kelsie growled, her eyes turning dark.

"Mom?" Fawnie spoke quietly, then walked over and placed her hand on Kelsie's shoulder. "You can't change the past - you know that! What happened to Dad... It wasn't your fault! Please, stop blaming yourself for it..."

"I want them to know my pain and suffering!" Kelsie exploded, slamming her hand down on the table with a sharp slap that made the table crack beneath her hand.

Patrick recoiled, never having seen this side of Kelsie, yet Fawnie didn't even twitch, before she wrapped her arms around her mother and held her tight, as Kelsie burst into tears.

"Mother, shhh," Fawnie whispered quietly, gently rocking her sobbing mother and holding her tight. "I know your plan - I don't like your plan, but I know it - come, please? Dry your eyes, I'll wake my brother and sister, we'll hide - I promise, we'll lay low, somewhere safe - but separate - none of us will know where the others are, we'll meet back here..."

Glancing at Patrick, who sighed quietly, he nodded. "Three days - out near the clearing at the creek, you know it well Fawnie. Be safe my daughter - please?"

"I...will - " Fawnie nodded, inwardly wincing at Patrick, calling her daughter, but suppressing it. "You got the armour, its been..."

"It's safe, I promise - " Patrick nodded. "I've replaced the... it's perfectly safe, for us, I swear."

Fawnie's gaze turned predatory, her eyes going almost pure black, as she stared through half-lidded eyes at Patrick. He visibly swallowed, knowing that Fawnie had never truly accepted him into the herd, and likely, never would. Her sole attention was her mother's protection - secondary to that, were her younger siblings - the twin fawns.

Patrick quietly left the room, as Fawnie kissed Kelsie on the forehead and used her thumbs to wipe away Kelsie's tears.

"It'll be alright mother, I promise..." Fawnie whispered, giving her a hug as she stepped back and wiped her own streaming eyes. "We'll hide, as you told us - we won't do anything to draw attention to ourselves..."

Kelsie sniffled, then hugged Fawnie in a crushing grasp, as her fear rose exponentially within her. Fawnie hugged her back, then sighed.

"Mom? We got to go - it's better you do what you must, but please, please, don't let your.."

Kelsie smiled weakly, then nodded. "I won't, I promise..."

Fawnie looked over her shoulder, then turned away as she left the kitchen and went to wake her siblings.

*

Finding Patrick in the room they'd assigned as a crude armoury, Patrick was pulling the class 5 body armour off the hangers, then he stopped, his nostrils scenting Fawnie's approach and he paused. Fawnie walked up behind him, her body quivering, before she breathed lightly against his left ear.

"I don't trust you... Bring her back, alive and unharmed - remember my warning..."

Fawnie turned and left, leaving Patrick trembling as he recalled that memory against his will.

*

Kelsie squirmed uncomfortably, feeling the weight and constriction of the heavy body armour pressing against her body. The ill-fitting design, not intended for a woman, pinched her abysmally in sensitive places, causing her to tug at the tight and restrictive collar that felt like it was trying to strangle her.

"Honey," Patrick sighed softly, his voice filled with concern as he pulled the SUV to the side of the road and turned off the engine. "We can not afford for you to damage the armour. It's our disguise, and if its compromised, our infiltration will become that much more difficult."

Kelsie's breathing became shallow, her anxiety and stress escalating exponentially as her inner Therian's instincts pulsing and screaming in its insatiable thirst for vengeance. She wanted nothing more than to tear off the suffocating armour, as if it were literally strangling her self, and her spirit.

Sighing softly, Patrick stepped out of the vehicle and retrieved the two heavy helmets with visors from the back seat. Closing the door behind him, he approached Kelsie, handing one to her. Reluctantly, she took it and placed it on her head, adjusting it until she could peer through the visor.

Patrick tightened the straps under her chin, ensuring it was a tight, but secure, fit. Kelsie's eyes swirled and went almost pure black, her anger and resolve visible behind the protective armour.

"I swear," Kelsie's low, menacing growl reached Patrick's ears. "Once we're inside, this armour is coming off - willingly - or not. It's suffocating me, and I won't let it hinder me any longer than absolutely necessary!"

Patrick understood her feelings, the need to shed the heavy burden that lay upon her heart. He nodded, his eyes reflecting both sadness and determination of her resolve and inner strength.

"Once we're inside, and alone, we'll find a way," He reassured Kelsie. "We'll make sure you're safe and then get it off you. Just, please? A little longer my love, I promise..."

Kelsie swallowed, then slowly unclenched her fingers, flattening them against her thighs as she breathed in and out, trying to calm herself.

"Let's do this - now..." Kelsie growled, forcing her inner-Therian back into submission, her eyes returning to their normal brown.

*

Patrick held a hand against Kelsie's armoured chest, as he stopped her and looked around the corner at the lone patrolling Hunter. He wasn't armed, apart from a radio and ear piece in his ear, and from his pose and slow, methodical pace, he'd been on duty for hours and was ready for a break...

Which was exactly what Kelsie provided...

As quiet as a wraith, she crept up behind him, placing both gloved hands either side of his helmet, then there was a soft crunch as Kelsie growled and twisted her hands, snapping his neck. Before his corpse could hit the ground, Kelsie gripped him under the helmet and dragged his body back around the corner and into the abandoned building next to the HQ.

"Really?" Patrick murmured, taking the radio and earpiece, clipping it to his own ear. "I could have -"

Kelsie's dark, baleful glare silenced him, as Patrick quickly retrieved the security card from a belt pouch pocket and checked the body for other useful items before he gasped and snatched his hand away, clutching his burned fingers with the other hand.

"Silver..." Kelsie gasped. "Why would they..."

Patrick shuddered, feeling his fingertips burning like he'd dipped them in acid - never thinking for a moment, about his finger-less gloves would prove a hindrance.

"Fuck that hurts..." Patrick moaned, fanning his fingers and blowing on them. "Those bastards never used too..."

Kelsie pulled the dead Hunter's gloves off, then threw them to Patrick, who peeled his own off and looked at the black fingertips as he splayed out his hand before his eyes.

"You'll heal - " Kelsie muttered. "Soon enough..."

Patrick wasn't so sure...

*

Sliding the card through the reader, Kelsie's heart leapt into her throat as she stared at the red light on the code door, before it turned green and a quiet click of the electronic lock unlocking was heard. Pulling it open a few millimetres, Kelsie's heightened hearing listened attentively, before she pulled it up and let herself and Patrick inside, closing the door quietly behind them.

*

Gaining access to the service entrance, Kelsie stripped the helmet off and as she moved to throw it aside, Patrick's gently hand on her armoured shoulder stopped her. With a sigh, Kelsie crouched down and set it so it'd act like an alarm if the door was opened from behind.

"This is the service hall - " Patrick whispered against her ear. "We - they - usually use it for the hired security forces. Their break room is about twenty feet down the hall, on the right. Opposite it is the lockers and showers. I suggest taking those boots off, when we make sure that its safe, you'll be a lot quieter in socked feet..."

As they crept like mice down the hallway, a door clicked and began to creak open, its hinges obviously in need of oil. Kelsie snarled, then as a startled human reached for his radio at his belt, his eyes wide, Kelsie grabbed him by the hand and crushed it in her grip, He gasped and dropped to his knees, holding is wrist, before Kelsie used her free hand to slam up under his chin - his neck breaking as easily as she'd wring the neck of a chicken for dinner. Patrick shuddered, as Kelsie snorted then straddled the convulsing body, twisting herself around to drag it into the locker room.

Inside, Kelsie's human nostrils flared as she sniffed the air, then sighed.

"Human senses are - " Kelsie began, before she propped the body against the counter and twitched - some second sense warning her as she hurried around the large bank of lockers and pressed herself up against one of them, splaying her fingers out and staring at Patrick, who followed her lead.

A handful of seconds past, then the door squealed, slapping hard against the wall as another human rushed in, wearing the unmistakable black shirt, trousers and leather boots of the one's Kelsie swore would suffer...

"Fuck, fuck, fuck..." He gasped, awkwardly waddling towards the lavatory. "Must have...who the...urk..."

Kelsie grabbed him by the throat, both hands gripping his neck tight as she bodily smashed him against the waist high wall. In a heartbeat, his bladder and his bowels let go explosively, pooling around his ankles. Kelsie wrinkled her nostrils, before she held her breath and in one savage thrust, bend him backwards over the railing and snapped his spine. Paralysed, he fell to the ground, choking and trying to scream. Kelsie stepped away, a disgusted look on her face as she headed back towards the door.

"Kelsie you can't... not like..."

"Like what?" Come the barely human growl, Kelsie's eyes pure black. "Let him suffer..."

Patrick stepped away, then there was a sickening gurgle, before Patrick come back around the lockers, wiping blood off the blade that he sheathed at his hip. "We're not monsters my love..."

"You haven't seen me turn into a monster... pray... pray you never do... Now, get me out of this...or - I - will..."

Patrick swallowed, then hurriedly began unfastening the buckles that bound the armour, dropping it to the floor as he peeled the pieces off and dropped them on the ground. Already, he heard the sickening crackles of Kelsie's bones, and he resorted to cutting through the straps, freeing her changing form as Kelsie slithered to the cold floor and grit her teeth as the agonising transformation commenced.

It was not quick, it _certainly_wasn't painless... Patrick felt the gorge rise in his throat as mid-way through, Kelsie was neither fully human - nor deer - but some inside-out hybrid of the two. Her whimpers and groans made him long to hold her, to soothe her and to comfort her - yet even after the transformation had completed - Kelsie was still hyper-sensitive to touch and was nearly ten minutes, before she stood, panting and trembling.

Neither of them heard the door, Patrick focused on Kelsie, whose ears were slicked back and her legs quivering, as a third security guard entered then gasped. Before Patrick could move, Kelsie slashed out with her hind left hoof, but only managed a grazing blow to his thigh that slammed him back against the wall - the air exploding from his lungs.

"No, don't..."

Patrick yelped, as Kelsie snarled and turned around, then snapped her jaws just mere millimetres from the terrified security guards nose. A large stain formed on the front of the guards trousers and his eyes grew to the size of Jupiter, as he stared helplessly into the shark-like eyes of the enraged Therian.

"Please..." He wept, remaining almost driven completely mad, by what stood before him, her hot breath washing over his face, her eyes barely seen behind her three-quarter closed eyelids. All he saw was her sharp, saliva dripping fangs as her dewlaps curled back further.

"My love, please... He's not...one of them, he's just hired help, he had nothing to do with..."

"I don't want to die - " Sobbed the security guard.

Kelsie's nape to tail prickled like a mohawk, her ears slashing backwards as she began to tremble in barely held back blood lust.

"No, please! Let him go...he's just... he's an innocent!"

Kelsie twitched, before she held the terrified guard helpless, before she took a half step back, her dewlaps slowly lowering.

"Run away...NOW..." Kelsie whispered menacingly. "A single cry for help and..."

Kelsie stepped back further, then the terrified guard scrambled away on his hands and knees, before he tore the door to the locker room open and fled.

"Thank you..." Patrick shuddered.

Kelsie glared at him, then growled threateningly. "I didn't do it for you..."

Patrick realised then and there, his bond to Kelsie wasn't as deep and strong as he'd perceived it to be. He'd follow her lead, and gods help anyone who got in her way...

*

Kelsie glared at the security locked door, her body trembling as Patrick swiped the stolen card - then the door buzzed and Kelsie shrank back, her expression one of pain as the door clicked from red to green. Turning the handle, Patrick walked in like he owned the place, decked in his Class 5 armour, balaclava and helmet.

"Oh, hey!" A human voice spoke. "I wasn't aware of any operations going down - "

"Just a practice run down on the range, you know how it is - got to stay sharp and the monthly performance, prove we can move and fight in this stuff..." Patrick chuckled good naturedly. "I'd kill for a cup of coffee, mind making me one whilst I start pulling this crap off? Gods, its hot in this armour..."

"Uh, sure, why not..." Chuckled the Hunter, as he set his own cup down on the table, standing up and turning his back to the door as he walked over to the small serving cabinet. "How you like..."

Patrick's knife sliced through the thin trousers, instantly severing both human Achilles tendons. As the human began to scream in agony, Patrick slapped a hand over his mouth and twisted them both around, then kneed him cruelly in the back of the knees, driving him to the floor.

"A fu..." He began to scream, his eyes wide, before Kelsie launched herself at him, kicking him hard with her forelegs as Patrick braced himself.

An explosion of blood erupted from the human's mouth, as Kelsie's powerful forelegs crushed his rib-cage and caused traumatic internal haemorrhaging.

He began drowning in his own blood, his choking gurgles making his exhalations of blood frothy and bubble, before Patrick snorted and dropped him to the floor.

Kelsie turned away in disgust, and Patrick stepped over him, then turned back and snapped the lanyard with the badge ID on it.

"Now, my love - " Patrick told her, as he held the badge up where she could see it easier. "Now is the time for your long-awaited vengeance... happy hunting."

*

Many of them perished under Kelsie's cloven hooves, or sharp, razor like fangs - a few of them tried to run - much to Kelsie's Therian's delight...

They didn't get far...

Patrick helped himself to the armoury, taking an AR15 and six magazines, as he embarked on his own hunt throughout the HQ, but those who he'd once called his friends - he left them for Kelsie's own justice to be wrought upon...

*

Patrick, bleeding from a few bullet holes, coughed and shuddered, having done what he could to bandage them. Already, he knew his Therian within him was doing what it could to heal him. None of them were fatal - but they sure_hurt_...

Kelsie had been shot herself, a grazing wound across her right hind leg, that slowed her down - but really - only seemed to make her even angrier than she had been. Blood and worse spattered her pelt and had soaked her head up to the tips of her ears and down her chest. Panting heavily, Kelsie stood outside the last door - a large - ornate double door, behind which she smelt multiple human scents.

"Kelsie..." Patrick gasped, as he leaned against the wall and shuddered, then slumped to his knees, breathing heavily. "Wait...please..."

"What..." Kelsie's therian snapped, its control over her almost complete.

"Here..." Patrick coughed up blood and shuddered. "Come..."

Kelsie sighed, then looked at the ballistic vest he held up to her. "Please... put this..."

Awkwardly, he slipped it over her head and neck, then clicked the buckles into the catches and tightened it until Kelsie gasped and wheezed, the tight fitting vest restricting her breathing to half breaths. Patrick smiled weakly, then coughed again, as he reached into his vest pouches and pulled out four small cylinders with ring pulls on them.

"My patience..." Kelsie growled dangerously.

Patrick pulled the rings on three, then used his teeth to pull the fourth, before he got Kelsie to press up against the door - forcing it open a crack and Patrick rolled the canisters in as a terrifying explosion of gunfire tore part of the door to splinters, one bullet passing through Kelsie's left ear and making her shriek in agony.

A half second followed, then loud concussive bangs, so fast even the two Therian's could barely distinguish them, went off and Patrick racked the slide.

"Go...now...hurry..." He choked up more blood and leaned heavily against his side of the door.

Kelsie used her right shoulder to force open the door, as she leaped through it, her cloven hooves skidded on the wet marble floor and slid from under her.

Kelsie shrieked, as two Hunter's rose from either side of the desk, and emptied the remaining rounds into her - the impact of the bullets shredding the ballistic vest and cracking some of Kelsie's ribs.

Patrick rolled over, then brought his stolen AR15 to bear, firing in semi-auto. In the smoke from the concussion grenades, Patrick's aim wasn't as accurate as he'd liked - but he smiled in satisfaction as the two Hunter's jittered and spun about then dropped.

Without warning, a smartly dressed man rose from behind his desk and fired five times, the bullets striking Patrick, who stumbled backwards, then fell heavily and stopped moving.

"You..." Kelsie roared, as she stumbled back to her cloven hooves, nearly slipping again.

"Well, well, well," He laughed mockingly. "if it isn't our elusive therian adversary. Your kind have been a thorn in my side for far too long. How nice, you saved me a trip - and come to me..."

"I'll..." Kelsie began, her Therian locking her throat in its rage.

It braced her, her presence radiating defiance and determination. Her black eyes glared at him, unyielding and resolute in her and her Therian's, determination.

"Your cruelty knows no bounds - " Kelsie ground out, fighting through her Therian's black rage that tried to silence her.

"What, do you know of cruelty? Oh, my dear, sweet, misguided doe...Your kind are nothing more than a plague upon humanity! Fit only to be eradicated. Your vengeance? Pah, I spit upon you and your kind! Your perceived vengeance is inconsequential in the grand scheme of things! I will take you, I will break you... and when I'm done with you? You'll wish you'd died that night as a fawn...."

As he walked closer, Kelsie stumbled backwards and tried to circle him, before her cloven hooves slipped and she squealed as she fell to her belly on the ground, all four legs splayed out in opposite directions.

Without warning, he snatched his pistol up and emptied the whole mag into her already ruined vest - the powerful projectiles tearing into fur and flesh with cruel and savage pain.

Expecting to find her breathing her last, he laughed in contempt and stepped closer, dropping the magazine from his pistol, then with a snort, he threw it aside and reached to his belt, where he pulled out a cruel, wicked looking long knife, the silver gleaming in the fluorescent overhead light.

"I've changed my mind... I'll mount your severed head on my..."

He suddenly screamed, as the chatter of the AR15 rang out and his shins were pulverised by the bullets that shredded the flesh and bone. Shrieking, he collapsed backwards, his hand slapping the wet marble with a crack as the blade spun out of his hand.

"Kelsie..." Patrick gurgled and staggered to his knees. "Get up...get up my love..."

Kelsie choked up blood, as she shuddered and hung her head, before she lifted her blood splattered head and steadied her quivering legs.

"I may bear the form of a doe, but I am so much more..." Kelsie gurgled, her voice growing stronger by the second. "I carry within me - the echoes of my herd - all - of them, their spirits live within me..."

Kelsie crept closer, as he shuddered and his palms squeaked against the wet floor, trying to get purchase, as Kelsie stepped over his shattered legs and moved her way up his body. Her lips curled back, her jaws widened, as she glared at him with a look of absolute disgust and violence in her eyes.

"Now..."

Kelsie's head twisted to the side, as she sank her fangs into the junction between shoulder and neck. His collarbone snapped as she snapped her jaws shut, tasting the flesh and blood through the material of his suit. Her salivary glands went into overdrive, filling her muzzle - and the wound - with her saliva.

"No...please..." He shrieked, smacking her shoulder violently.

To Kelsie, it felt no more irritating than the sting of a mosquito, as she bit down even harder then released him and stepped backwards.

"Now...they'll reside with_you_..." Kelsie spoke quietly.

Kelsie stepped off him, as she turned around and went over to Patrick, gently nuzzling him.

Behind her, the Commander of the Hunter's screamed and clawed at his face, the terrible images, pain and suffering his men had delivered to the Therian herd - all of it, all their pain, suffering and torture that'd been done to him - descended upon his mind...

"Please..." He gurgled with his last threads of sanity. "Kill me..."

"Kill you?" Kelsie snorted. "No..."

Turning back, she bit down on his arm, rolling him over onto his belly, before she pondered for a moment, then with one snap of her foreleg cloven hoof, she crushed three vertebrae in his back, instantly paralyzing him.

Kelsie felt the chill fill the room, as she looked about, and out of the walls themselves, stepped the ghosts of her slain herd...every one of them. First and forefront, were her father and her mother. As they bent their knee, the other leg stretching out, their heads bowing, the rest of the herd did the same before Kelsie.

Kelsie felt the tears well in her eyes, before she bowed her head, then turned away.

"He is yours..."

Kelsie didn't even bother to flick an ear, as she knelt her front legs, letting Patrick grip her around the neck and she helped him stand - him leaning heavily on her, the two of them staggering out of the chamber - leaving the Commander within and screaming helplessly behind them...

*

Six months later, Patrick lay with his back against the tree, a heavily pregnant Kelsie resting her head on his lap, as he lightly stroked her velvety-furred ears, and Kelsie sighed softly. Nearby, Fawnie watched over her siblings, in between grazing as they played together.

"I can not believe - " Patrick whispered, as he stopped his gentle stroking of Kelsie's ears.

"Mmm?" Kelsie's sleepy voice answered him, as she lifted her head to look up through her long eyelashes at Patrick.

"It's... over - we can finally live in peace..."

Kelsie trembled, then lay her head back down, closing her eyes as the late afternoon summer sun warmed her - just like it had all those years ago - her hind legs splayed out and she closed her eyes, lapsing into a light slumber, her ears slicking back against her neck.

*

In a well air-conditioned room, in London, United Kingdom, a room filled with powerful computers and machinery that hummed and chattered to itself. A LCD monitor flickered out of standby, instantly the edges of the screen began to strobe red and a klaxon alarm began to wail stridently.

Text appeared across the screen almost as if typed by a ghost.

"Australian HQ infiltrated, all staff deceased, priority one."

END