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Tehma continued about scientific proofs of occurrence... or something. He meandered into how the Event anomaly might come from an orbit between our planet and the sun. I clenched my eyes shut, my mind racing too fast to pay attention to the deep-voiced words of the orca.

When I couldn't take it anymore I opened my eyes and stood. I wanted out of there. Something in space? Space-time something-or-other? How was I supposed to help with that!? It was scary. It was far greater a problem than I'd even wondered about. Sure, I'd heard it was world-wide. But I couldn't go to space! NO one could with- with-

"I am sorry. I have overwhelmed you," spoke Tehma.

I nodded, rubbing at my muzzle as Shadow stood up beside me.

"Please forgive me. Sit?" the very deep voice begged.

I closed my eyes, drawing a slow breath. I sat back down. Shadow remained standing, staring at the row of food on the serving table. He was still hungry, even after clearing his plate.

I touched him, making him startle. "It's okay, Shadow. I'll just sit with Tehma. I'm not going anywhere. Get more."

When he frowned down at me in hesitation, I dug up a weak smile.

"Go," I said, gesturing with my muzzle.

He didn't need to be told twice. His tail bounced with his footpaws as he returned to gather up more food.

"Wolf loves you."

I nodded at Tehma's words. "And I love him."

The wide, wide mouth grinned at me. "Questions?" he prompted, looking eager for any of my fumbling queries.

"Yes. Um... What's the state of everything? I mean in the world, not in space." I squashed a shiver, thinking of how feeble any effort would be. I could obsess over that later.

"Hmmm. I have not kept up," Tehma hedged.

"Anything would be helpful," I admitted, not hiding my eagerness.

"Well. We fins... many of us died. The light travels into waters quite deep."

My gaze dropped. I should be thankful to meet a fin at all.

"But we fins have survived. Our technology has been retained in many deep-water places. Furdom has significant damage to lives and infrastructure especially in the Eastern area."

I nodded.

"Featherdom is in worse shape, however. Virtually their entire Western area population was wiped out by the first occurrence of the Event light. They favor open-area buildings or at least large, glass walls."

I stared at the tabletop. Featherdom was worse off? I'd thought we'd had it bad.

"They did preserve much of their Eastern population by the time the planet had rotated around for the rest of Event exposure. They had managed to communicate with some of Furdom by then and were able to protect some populations."

Some area of Featherdom had been cleared of feathers and other areas had managed some protection? I tried to ignore the ear-humming of my building shock.

Tehma said, "You might have seen how after the Event, your feral birds had... behavior anomalies. Yes?"

I nodded.

"After each Event, some fraction of the protected feather population loses their minds for a time, becoming very aggressive and occasionally suicidal."

Oh. That sounded very bad. I shivered, feeling cold strike up my spine.

Tehma hesitated. "Is it too much for you? You seem distressed, I believe? I'm not sure...."

"I'm fine," I assured myself as much as him, though it probably confused him more.

Shadow rejoined us, digging into another plateful of tasty food. I tried to nibble at mine, but my appetite was struggling even through my hunger. "Please continue."

The big orca shrugged thick shoulders. "What more would you ask?"

"The zombies evolve, right?" At his nod, I forced a bite of syrupy waffle. Around my bite, I asked, "Just how are they evolving?"

Tehma looked excited. "It might revolutionize medicine, were it researched! The Event light feeds the creepers' damaged tissues, lending energy to rebuild sections of flesh. It's haphazard on what's repaired this way, with some individuals showing more improvement than others. That the light repairs damage is incredible, and the created flesh retains the Event light longer than any other substance."

I blinked, swallowing. "But-"

"But the results are unpredictable. Some individuals show no improvement at all, while others have large areas of new growth, mimicking their original flesh."

"Um." I gulped down another bite. "Shadow got bit, and his bite started-"

"Oh, that's another possibility! The flesh of a living individual can become contaminated by the Event light and develop the unknown substance instead of flesh. It becomes another mimic of living flesh. Though the if not removed, the individual does die, becoming a creeper more quickly, with improved functions over a typical one."

I opened my muzzle.

The large orca arms swung in a wide gesture, interrupting my mental space. The very deep voice boomed. "Beyond living beings, the Event has an effect on the weather, changing patterns. Though most satellites have not survived, despite their shielding. The more severe Events roughly every four days are due to a harmonics with our own atmosphere!"

"I-"

"And the Event has some effect on substances, far more than ordinary light! With the varied vibrations and effects, many large structures are becoming compromised. Some buildings have collapsed. Dams have burst."

"Well, we did hear one dam-" I started.

"Yes? How far away were you? I've never heard a dam burst, outside a FurTube video."

When did the fin even breathe!? I held up a paw. It was too much information! Too fast! "Wait," I said as he was about to continue. The biggest question came to mind. "Will it end?"

The excitement in the orca dimmed. "Hard to say unless we are able to stop it. We theorize if it's stopped, the weather will return to normal, and the creepers will cease all function in a matter of days. Without exposure to the Event light and energy, they do perish. But... those dead cannot return."

His deep voice had faded. Who had he lost? He looked upset, at least I was pretty sure. His body and facial expressions were different than anything I'd ever seen. Similar, but different.

My paw stilled, loaded fork hovering.

"Um. We have seen no sign of it stopping on its own," Tehma spoke slowly. He wouldn't meet my eyes.

Shadow continued to wolf his food down, nearing the end of his stomach's tolerance. It had to be full!

"Shadow," I said.

"So good. So much!" he mumbled around two bites.

"So, pup," the orca tried for a smile, but it looked more like a sharp-toothed snarl. "I hope you can help."

"What do you need?" I asked.

The strange smile faded. "Well.... We can discuss it in the morning. You perceive quite a lot of the Event?"

"Yes," I said.

The fin nodded, eyes still sad. "Then you may very well be useful to our proposed solution. The last Listener we had nearing your reported capability was.... Well a matter for tomorrow."

He'd caught me yawning. It had been a very long day, traveling and confusions leading us to end up in such a place.

Tehma raised his thick hand, gesturing to a fur threading through the crowd. Shadow tensed at the sight of the wolf, then grew tenser, eyes widening when the gray-patterned wolf neared. My Wulf's paw met mine, and his head dropped, eyes staring at the floor.

"Amarok!" greeted the orca. "I need you to take these two to a room. One room, I presume?"

I nodded, trying to dip my head to meet Shadow's eyes. He looked away, turning further away from the stranger while tucking his tail.

"Yes, one room for the two, Amarok." The orca moved away, towards a small group of stressed-looking furs.

"You're the new fox," said the unknown wolf gesturing us to follow as he stalked towards a hallway. "Come this way."

"Hi," I managed, stepping forward to follow. I felt like growling and didn't know why.

Amarok's back was already turned, the fur stalking with impatience down the nearby hall. Evenly spaced doors stretched far ahead. I didn't think anything of them until I saw one open, revealing a tiny space with a single-sized bed and a narrow dresser. These were housing units for the creatures in the bunker; a shared bathroom was set at regular intervals.

Just how big was the population here? It was far from full. Why weren't they housing more refugees in these safe depths?

I wanted to ask, but between Shadow trying to hide behind me and the impatient Amarok, I was too unsettled to pull myself together. My Wulf's strained breathing was making me tense in turn.

"This room is yours," Amarok paused before a closed doorway. "Access cards to program the door is inside. Excuse me, I was in the middle of something. I'll check in on you later if you need."

"Thank you," I said managing to get out of the way, the gray wolf hustling back the way we had come from. I doubted the wolf would return.

I shrugged, turning my gaze to Shadow, who was behind me, shaking and clinging to my shirt. His shoulders were hunched, his eyes wild and darting around the floor.

"Shadow?" I brought my paw to his shaking shoulder. "He's a wolf. I understand. Let's get you inside, and we can both calm down."

Shadow shook his head, almost stumbling from the movement. Something was wrong, but the long hallway was not the place to discover it.

Opening the door revealed a narrow room with a general gray appearance. A bed was attached to the wall and a narrow dresser filled the remaining space, leaving just enough room for a single fur to move about. On the gray dresser a baggie with my precious items lay next to one access card. Shadow's familiar backpack sagged at the gray base. Gray, windowless walls surrounded the space and blue-gray industrial carpet made a poor attempt to soothe the footpaws.

I sat on the firm bed with a sigh. It wasn't the best bed, or the most comforting space, but it was safe, deep underground. I patted the bed, looking up at Shadow lingering in the doorway.

"Shadow," I called softly.

His head jerked up, eyes distant and dilated. He stepped forward at my welcoming gesture, nearing the bed, but keeping out of paws' reach. When the door shut behind him, the large paws clenched and the black body shook.

"Shadow?" My voice caught with concern when he flinched at my raised black paw. "It's okay, Shadow. It's okay."

I stood. Taking two careful steps brought me close enough, but raising my arms still brought his paws up in defense. With his paws clutched to his chest, I drew him in for a careful hug.

It twisted my insides with a burning claw to see him so terrified. I raised my paw to the back of his head, bringing his whimpering muzzle to my shoulder. After a tense moment, his rigid form relaxed, paws moving to clutch at my t-shirt.

I petted his nape, feeling his heaving chest slowing with my scent. Wolfy paws slid up the back of my shirt, pushing it up to feel into my fur. Flexing fingers ran through fur to my shivering skin,. When I shifted towards the bed, intending us to sit, he growled, tightening around me.

"Stay."

He said nothing else, shivers slowing in the safety we shared. I didn't want to stand there forever, but we had not shared enough physical comfort in all the chaos. His breathing slowed, body growing heavy. I tried to pull back, worried he was going distant on me, but he growled again.

"Stay."

I grinned, hiding my snicker into his clothed chest. Nudging my nose into his shirt fluffed the fur beneath, giving me extra bits of wolfy scent. The wild undertones, the maleness, was addicting.

The moment called for Shadow's comfort, as he was clearly struggling. He clung to me, body still tense, though his shivers had stilled.

"It's all going to be okay, Shadow. We're here together. We'll survive together, right?"

He shuddered and remained silent.

"Shadow. We've been rescued to a safe place. We're among friends."

He didn't respond, only shuddered harder.

"Shadow. What's wrong?"

"I can't-" he mumbled. He was silent through another shudder. "I can't do this. I can't do it again...." His muzzle worked through more words on my shoulder, but he didn't vocalize them.

"What do you mean?" I frowned in my confusion. "You mean go distant? Make new friends?"

He shook his head over my shoulder, and I mentally cursed that I couldn't see his face, see his response or his fear. I pulled back, or at least tried to. Wolfy arms tightened, and he dug his muzzle into my shoulder with a growl.

"Shadow. Shadow, look at me. Please?"

He stiffened, still overcome with upset. With slow and deliberate effort, his arms relaxed. His heavy head lifted off my shoulder with a sniffle, and he moved his paws to my shoulders, face coming into view.

He had fresh tear tracks on his muzzle, flashing in the industrial lighting. A new tear slipped to his lips. He sucked it away, watching me with trepidation. I frowned and touched his cheek, moving to trace his muzzle scar. He leaned into my touch, closing his eyes and allowing another tear to add its wetness.

What worried and scared my Wulf so much? He looked ready to panic and flee down the halls.

"Was it the orca?" I frowned, knowing it didn't make sense.

Shadow shook his big head, opening his eyes and finally meeting mine. Those golden moons caught my eyes, searching for hope, for safety, for me.

"Was it the wolf?"

At his stiffening spine, I knew the wolf was the cause.

"Is it just because he's a wolf?" I asked, feeling my own nerves rise. I'd thought he'd settled with being around wolves, as he'd seemed to tolerate Daws.

He dropped his eyes, shivering. He shook his head, seeming unable to answer in words.

I didn't want to pressure him, but I couldn't help if I didn't know the cause. Maybe I could get him to talk about it, talk it through with me. I dipped my head, offering a reassuring smile. "Was he someone you know?"

He went rigid, his eyes snapping to mine, but hardly seeming to recognize me.

Oh, there was the cause. "Who is he?" I asked, touching Shadow's fluffy cheek.

He surprised me by pulling away, licking his lips nervously. He angled towards the door, but I firmed my gentle touch on his cheek, guiding his muzzle to look at me. His eyes were dilated, his breathing hot and fast. He looked terrified.

Whoever the wolf was, his presence wasn't good for Shadow. I wanted to go out and insist the fur leave the facility or I wouldn't help. Shadow had the right to safety, and I had the right to insist he get it.

No. I couldn't keep demanding on such grounds. It wouldn't continue to work.

I brought my muzzle to his, giving the wolfy muzzle a chaste nudge with mine. His eyes flashed to me, taking longs seconds for recognition to come to the wild cast of his golden eyes.

I picked up his trembling paw in my own, drawing us to the bed. He didn't resist, curling into the bed, facing the wall fully clothed. I curled up behind him, hoping my presence might soothe the hard shivers overtaking the lean body.

I nudged my nose into his nape, wrapping my arms around his middle, pulling him close. He whimpered every few breaths. After several minutes, he began to sob into his paws. It was good. He needed this release, this expression. It was better for him to let it out than to bury it and shut down in his disappearing numbness.

"It's okay, Shadow. Let it out." I whispered more quiet things in his upwards ear, anything I could think of to reassure and encourage him.

It made him cry harder, sobbing into his paws. But we were alone, secure in a safe place, tucked away from the world, away from the chaos and the Curtain. I wanted the best for him. He should never have to cry, but sometimes you have to let it all out.

"I was too-" he sobbed, mumbling out more things I couldn't understand. "I'm sorry, so sorry," he cried, sounding angry and mournful at the same time.

I nuzzled into his nape fur and hugged him, letting him know he wasn't alone. I kept my silence, allowing him to say anything while I stroked his side. My Wulf went quiet, save apologies mumbled between sobs.

It wasn't until he said, "Daddy, I'm sorry," that I realized. It was his past. The wolf was from his past, likely from his horrible pack which should have been his family, should have been his safety and sanctuary.

I managed to hold in a growl, but it was a near thing. Shadow noticed my tightening arms, and it triggered panic.

"No! No more. Let go. I'm sorry!" he howled into the close space of the tiny room. It reverberated, making my ears smart.

I firmed my hold when he shifted, tensing. I voiced my heart to help his. "It's all going to be okay, Shadow. You're safe. It's over."

He calmed down a bit under those words, returning to soft, broken sobs. "I'm so sorry," he mumbled.

"You don't have anything to be sorry about," I said against his nape. "Nothing you did was wrong. Nothing at all. You're safe. I'm yours, and you're mine, Shadow. You're my Wulf, and always will be."

He mumbled out a 'sorry' every other quiet sob. It was wrenching and terrible, but no one can be upset forever. No one can maintain fear forever. He calmed into a sniffling, whimpering mess. I needed to make sure he didn't go into the strange, numb state he was prone to. I wouldn't let him disappear on me.

"It's okay, Shadow," I said, kissing his nape. "You're okay, Shadow."

He nodded, attempting agreement. His breathing slowed, slowed more. He grew heavier, beginning to sink too far. He'd gotten pretty upset, and maybe he'd crash into his numbness faster.

I needed to keep him in the present, not allow him to slip into his past. "Stay with me Shadow. You know me, right? What's my name?"

He snickered, his first positive expression. "Tyler, you're a goof."

I grinned into his nape. "Only the best goof for you, Wulf."

"I'm sorry, Tyler. I didn't mean to lose my cool. It was just...."

I waited for him to finish, but he seemed unable to complete his thought. "It was too much, huh?"

Shadow nodded, his paw touching my arm at his waist. Me, his Foxy warmth, comforting his Wulfy sadness. His past was too much, meaning he'd need help processing it all. I knew furs like him would need therapy, but I didn't know if he'd get any in Furdom's future.

I could support him in any way I could, but I was no specialist or had any kind of experience. I could only hope Furdom would pull some semblance of society and technology out of all that had happened. From what little I'd seen of the refugee camp, it would be a difficult struggle. Who knew civilization was so fragile?

But the old civilization had failed Shadow. He was with me, wounded by the old society. Any new society had better be an improvement! Shadow tensed in my arms, and I stilled my growl.

"Sorry, Wulf," I whispered. "I'm just thinking."

He shivered in my arms, felt down my length. "Thinking?"

I nudged my nose into his nape before I spoke. "Nothing bad, I promise." When he relaxed I smiled into his fur. "I want Furdom to be better for you. I want it to become better than what made your dad so angry and hurt you. I want to be a better fur to help you. I want us stronger, both of us together."

He sobbed, and I realized he'd started crying again. When I started to say something, he shook his head, voicing his own thoughts through stuttered breaths. "I want a better life. But I can't imagine anything other than...."

"Other than pain?" I filled in.

"Other than the heartbreak, the chaos, the fear. I don't know Tyler. I don't know if I can take it any more."

His body shook with harder sobs into the firmness of the pillow. I stroked his back, the tiny room warming with our heat. His cries and sobs clung to my heart, but when I'd cried, I'd felt relief after. Mom had let me cry about Dad- Mr. Evans' rejection, telling me to let it go, let it out.

My Wulf needed the same opportunity to cry out his heart in a safe place, in my comforting arms. In our joined privacy, he let it all go. On the thin rumpled blanket, he found release.

I started to cry too, not the hard sobs Shadow let loose, but my own sadness. I cried from relief; I thought I'd die in that tree. I thought I'd die at Bradley's thick paws. I thought I'd die many times in the last few weeks, and knowing I was safe.... Was I really safe?

No, I was still scared. Somehow, I was still scared. I was exhausted of being scared, tired of dealing with each horror. My heart mourned the loss, the loss of friends, family, and strangers. It was the loss of illusion. The loss of everything I'd known. It all hurt inside.

It was supposed to be Shadow's time to cry, but I'd lost myself too. He turned in my arms, and we clung to each other, sobbing.

And somehow we were both grinning while still sobbing. I felt such a relief, such care in our warm circle of arms and legs. We gently tapped our skulls together, his so large next to my diminutive one. Wolfy paws came up, holding me still for an incoming kiss.

I accepted, allowing whatever he guided. His tongue pressed my lips, and I opened to his slippery tongue, absorbing wolfiness. His tears rolled into my muzzle and mine into his, sharing the essence of our upsets.

I calmed first and turned my attention to soothe my Wulf. He calmed, but a few minutes later was bawling again into my t-shirt. I stroked his back through his rounds of upset and calm until he fell into an exhausted sleep, unwashed tear-tracks cutting his muzzle. I keyed a switch on the wall next to the bed, feeling satisfied when the overhead light went out. Settling back against the sleeping wolf, I wasn't awake long. I joined him in my dreams, where we cuddled, sharing warmth by a gently lit stream.

***

>>>>[[[[NOTE: DAY 25]]]]<<<<

Awareness grew from aching eyes, catching light from a crack under the door. I stretched those eyelids wide, glancing around the darkened room. When I shifted, I felt the warmth and pressure of a Wulf snuggling against my back. In his sleep, his arm tightened over me. He was pressed all along me.

And of course he was hard in his shorts. Damn, what consistency.

I tried to hold back a snicker, but failed. My tiny jolt had brought the wolf to awareness, and he mumbled into my nape fur. The paw around my middle flexed, and I brought up my paw to grasp over the warmth of his. Lips parted at my nape, teeth against my neck in a Wulfy grin.

My sense of him was stronger in the dim room. Shadow snuffled into my nape, tickling his breath down my shivering spine. My lower core brightened and tingled.

I thought I heard a whispered 'Mine', but the feeling in the sound was impossible. It had sounded full of wonder and affection. No way could I cause that.

No. That wasn't right. Shadow loved me. He was entranced by me, as I was with him. It was time I accepted he saw in me, a wonderful fur. I might have my insecurities, but I didn't need to devalue Shadow's perception of me.

His next hip bump caused the world to tilt, his hardened line nudging between my rear cheeks. Shadow sighed in such deep satisfaction, I thought he might sing in his next breath. Instead, he moaned my name and pressed harder.

Our arousal filling the tiny room had me peeking from my own sheath. I gripped his paw, and he moved our two paws under my t-shirt. We'd both slept above the blanket, and I wished we'd taken the time the previous night to get unclothed. Shadow must have agreed, for he tugged at the bottom of my shirt.

I raised up, and he yanked the shirt off my body, surely stretching it. He pressed me into the firm bed, burying his licking muzzle into my belly, causing my giggles. He poked at my sensitive groin with his tongue, holding my paws down while I wiggled. The feeling was almost too sensitive, making my belly muscles twitch and ripple.

That wide, soft tongue lapped a steady path starting at my belly button, making a fresh line to the edge of my shorts. My giggles went quiet, my mood turning more serious, more focused. His tongue lingered while his paws gripped the waist of my shorts. I lifted up, and he drew down my underwear and my shorts in one go.

When I was bared, he rose, stripping out of his own clothes in the dimness. He didn't sink back onto me right away, fingers prodding gently into my inner thigh. More ripples of sensation joined in my heating core. I didn't wriggle away, but every touch released energy into the room in my faint gasps.

When he changed the shallow pokes into gentle, long caresses, my gasps turned into little sighs. When those little caresses moved upwards, brushing my balls, I moaned. The fur there was finer, and the touches felt more intimate.

"Shadow," I whimpered when the heat was building. I wanted him inside. I needed him inside, to be complete, be whole. I wanted to feel him in me, feel my unknown vulnerability filled.

His grinning teeth flashed in the little bit of light from under the door, and his dim form hunched low. He snuffled there, under my balls taking in my musk, tickling me with his tongue. It was all enhanced by feeling with my body, not trying to track his actions with my eyes.

The scent of his arousal grew, and I felt his damp tip brush against my leg. He groaned, rubbing the sheathed length over my fur. Gold eyes flashed, and he found a bit of friction in another, firmer rub against my leg. I whimpered at his open need, unwilling to speak in the close dimness.

Approaching voices came from the hall, but I didn't pay any attention. Shadow brushed my inner thighs and licked the sensitive spot, causing my head to tilt back, voicing a low moan. The voices passed and faded, without a care for what we might be doing.

Not that Shadow would have cared if they'd known. I'd have cared though. I didn't want-

Warmth slipped over me, lips pushing my sheath down, sucking me in. I couldn't think, couldn't react, just tighten with need. I brought my paw to the big wolf head, my other grasping the single pillow with the faint idea it might keep me grounded.

A rising urgency had me shifting my hips, unwilling to be still to the heat surrounding my cock. An uncontrolled whimper slipped my lips, and Shadow's need was felt in the slow humps along my leg.

A firm growl, rippling over my cock, almost had me climaxing. I whined a breathless complaint when the warmth left me cooling in the empty air. Firm paws gripped my ankles, stopping my restless shifting, and my legs draped around his hips. Heat poised, ready at my core.

But he didn't press in. A hardness, long and hot, rubbed my revealed cock. A finger massaged at my entrance, sensitive and heightened in the dark. I felt the urgency again and the newly familiar ache. I ached only for him, would welcome only him. I had chosen him to be my mate as much as he had chosen me.

The gentle finger circled, prodding at my ultimate vulnerability. I whimpered and felt him shift. A muzzle connected to mine, tongue pushing against mine. I fought a hot battle with the wet muscle, but neither of us needed to win. He went for my neck with small but demanding nips, lighting tingles through me.

He pulled away, causing me to wonder, even as I trembled with arousal. Something rustled, a backpack zipper sounded in the silence. The muzzle returned, but the digit returned wetter, with a focused intent of pressing into me.

I bore down a bit, feeling his single finger pass the muscled entry. A second lubed finger joined, causing an initial sting. The two fingers spread, the sting dissolving into my need, taunting my ache.

Hardness was against my leg, twitching in its own need, wetness drooling into my fur. Wolfy breath moaned into my ear, and I made my own encouraging noises between the heated movements against me.

Needing more, I shifted, trying to get the prodding digits into where they felt best. Fingers nudged my spot, and I whimpered when they moved away. I wanted more, wanted him to fill me, to make the ache go away. I needed us to connect again. I craved the assurance of his presence, to reassure him of my presence too.

The fingers pulled out, leaving me emptier and needier than ever. I reached for him with a whine, begging him to come join our beings in the close dark. Paws fumbled for mine, finding and pinning them above my head. His touch left, arms moving to support his weight on his elbows. His paws gripped my shoulders, and I shivered at the closeness, the intent I could sense.

His body leaned closer, the big head nudging mine to the side. He nipped at my neck and jawline, giving me delightful shivers and twitches. He arched over me, his hips starting a slow hump. His heat rubbed against my exposed cock and my bunched sheath.

A hard neck nip had me whimpering and shivering to my toes. Shadow growled in satisfaction, chewing on that spot, worrying it while my toes writhed in deep twitches. When I felt his damp length, not a furry sheath, it meant his friction pushed his own sheath down towards his balls. Those balls were tapping against my rear, touching on my ready hole.

The image of us burned behind my closed eyes, and I bumped my hips up at him. I whimpered and whined at Shadow, wanting him to- to-

With a sudden shift, he sat up. The covered steel was thick and hot at my entrance, wanting me, gaining ground. I gasped at the burn when it slipped past, but was beyond caring, whining and writhing.

But with a nudge of his hips against mine, shifting my legs over his kneeling thighs, he reminded me he was far from done. He bit back a curse, a growl matched with a whine escaping from his muzzle.

I reached out for him. He understood me, leaning to shift my footpaws into the air. He introduced himself to my depths, into my heat with a few humps. And I felt it, the press which drove me nuts. With another nudge of his hips into that moan-inducing spot, he rubbed me with his delicious, throbbing heat.

Though it was exactly what I wanted, we were both far from satisfied. Shadow panted in my ear, and I put a gentle paw on his head. He was holding back, holding back for me. He wanted so much to do it right, to show me the wonders of being intimate.

"It's okay," I managed through my own pants. "It's okay to let go."

I wanted him to lose himself in me, wanted to feel all he might give.

His gasping breaths shuddered, but his body responded with more clarity. He tried a test bump into me, then another, harder. He twitched inside of me, and when I moaned my encouragement, he finally let go. He didn't hold back any more.

With what sounded almost like a snarl, he rose up, pounding into me hard, making my body rock against the bed. There was nothing in our previous encounters to compare. I burned inside a few initial seconds, and the discomfort blended into the heat and desire for more. More I needed more.

My muzzle spouted nonsense, unable to help the groans and whimpers. I didn't care where we were, or when it was. All that mattered was our joining and the intensity of our heat.

He was thicker, deeper, twitching in me. He pulled one of my legs up to his shoulder and leaned halfway to me, finding a new angle. He leaned over, his balls slapping my rear with every hard thrust. His grunting muzzle above puffed breaths on me, and I sucked in as much of him as I could from both ends.

The sudden rise of urgency didn't last long before my body seized. I shot through the dark air, splattering my own muzzle. My innards rippled around him, and he pressed deep, grinding in harder and harder. He lowered my leg and leaned close. Large jaws opened wide, sharp teeth meeting either side of my sensitive neck and clamping down with a firm gentleness. The gentle pricks belied his fierce growling.

When I whimpered through another hard shiver of aftershocks, my eyes sparked tiny spots, pathing and turning in the dark. My tip drooled remnants onto my twitching belly. I couldn't think, could only experience.

A greater hardness fitted in me, filling my ache with accepting pressure. The knot filled me and filled me more. Shadow's growling turned into a long, pained whine at my neck. The gentle bite firmed. My eyes clenched shut in the dark, seeing galaxies of sparks. Heat from wolf seed spread deep, deep, deeper into me. The whine ended in heaving wolfy breaths. He gasped and shuddered in my neckfur, twitching in me.

When he shifted a bit, the whine came again, along with a reflexive snap of his hips. He slumped on me, releasing my neck and gasping whimpering breaths into my ear. I rubbed his back, attempting to soothe him.

Was he okay? I felt something drip on my neck and realized it was a tear.

"Shadow?" I managed through my own shivering breaths.

He didn't answer, but his breathing caught up with his body's needs. He wasn't gasping any more, and I didn't want him to move his heaviness. I wrapped my arms around him, feeling his body relax.

"Shadow, are you okay?" I whispered into his ear, giving it a gentle lick.

His head nodded. After two more breaths he managed, "Fuzzy balls...."

I didn't bother hiding my smirk in the dark. Well, at least he felt good. I felt a bit achy, but so fulfilled and satisfied with a sense of rightness. Also filled to capacity by his throbbing knot.

Except I struggled to draw good breaths. It was taking me longer to recover my breathing. He must have noticed, because he lifted onto his elbows, bumping his muzzle into my cheek before finding my lips in the darkness.

The kiss was slow and steady, mimicking the twitching rhythm of the cock locked deep inside me. He wasn't crying any more. Done with the active part, I could feel places I would be sore later. I could give a rat's furry behind.

Shadow slumped heavier onto his elbows, and I took the opportunity to give his ear a good licking. His sigh told me I did well. His paws slipped under me, holding us close to each other.

His arms would get tired soon. "Shadow," I started, shifting my hips.

It shifted him in me, and I snickered at his low, growling complaint. There was no way I'd be scared of my Wulf, or unsure of my mate. We'd been through a lot, and though we had not been together long, we'd had our confusions and insecurities. We'd met in the middle, in the warmth shared between us. We'd joined our heats and our hearts.

Minutes passed, and Shadow shifted on his elbows. I knew it, he was getting tired. He rose with a little sigh, still locked within me. Pulling my leg up, he slipped in behind me, shifting to cuddle close at my back.

He reached around my hip, taking up my paw, joining our fingers and pads. We lay in silence, paws joined. I stared into the darkness, broken by the slight edgings of light from under the door.

Had anyone heard? Quite possibly. I couldn't bring myself to care. Shadow was rubbing off on me.

My Wulf gripped my paw, tightening his fingers through mine. His muzzle rested over my shoulder, coexisting with me while his cock worked to fill me with wolfy seed. If only I were able to have pups. That would be nice.

Though, what if I let the Curtain into me? It might fill me, and somehow I might evolve to be able to give Shadow pups? I scoffed at the thought. Now that was ridiculous.

Shadow made a curious sound behind me, and I responded, "Nothing. Just wishing... wanting to have your pups."

He was silent through two of his cock twitches. When he spoke, his voice was low. "I'm not worried about having pups. Even if I were the last male wolf out there, I'd only have you with me."

"Really?"

"Yeah," he sighed, his head heavy on my shoulder. "It's pretty short-sighted, I know. But I don't care, Tyler. I've chosen you."

"And a female wolf? If one showed up you liked?"

He harrumphed behind me, his great heave of breath shifting us. "Like I'd ever go for someone else. Unless.... Did you ever want a surrogate?"

"Hmmm? Like a pup-mom for us?"

I felt Shadow's nod.

"I don't know. I hadn't ever thought about it."

"Well, we have time. All the time in the world, Tyler."

"If it's time like now, I'll take it all," I said, grinning in the dark. "I guess we have Brynn in the meantime, if we want to try parenting."

Shadow hummed behind me. "She's a good kid."

"She is," I agreed.

We were quiet again. Shadow's twitching grew weaker, and soon I couldn't feel it anymore. His natural hold in my rear was weakening, though I might have wanted it there forever. Soon we would part, and all to show how close we'd been would be seed coming out of me. I also would smell of Shadow for hours.

"So what now?" I didn't want to face the day, but we had to start somewhere. I should have expected his reply.

"Food?"