Part - 20
#18 of Reincarnation: Dragoness
Part - 20 Credit - Seth and Dor were created by Chris and Dan. Thank you guys so much for what we had been though. I miss you both, maybe you will read this and we can reconnect again, who knows...
Dedicated to my Big Kitty. I love you, even if you never read this story, i do want to say that i do love you. No matter what happens to us.
After staying with the old woman for so long, it was nice to be out and about again. I still perfect to travel in human form, though i now switched to dragon form to get away faster. I had been learning about my powers, and found how to counter my changes and stay in the anthro from that i had slipped into that time. I sighed, remembering my master the fallen angel, or what ever he was. He said i wasn't what i seemed. I had always wondered what he meant. The old woman had said something like that as well. That if i was really what i said i was i would have been dead a longtime before i found her. As i wondered, i began to see others like myself. Other creatures who seemed half human, half animal. I had stumbled into a furry community with out realizing. Not that i minded, they all seemed accepting of me, weather i was in anthro, winged human, or dragon form. I smiled inwardly to my self, thinking that i finally had found where i belonged.
"Welcome to The Anthro Bar and Inn. How May I help you Ma'am?" The proprietor smiled, bowing as i entered the door. "I'm looking for a place to stay, maybe a place to work as well. I don't have allot of money left from traveling around so much." 'No problem. I'm Seth, I own this place. I can always use an extra set of paws around here." Thus it was settled. I would work at the Inn with Seth, and instead of just a temporary thing to pay off my stay it became a permanent thing. A full time job as it were. The regulars were a good crowd, there was Dorma Fox, the gay kitsune and his partner Terry Rabbit. There was the wolf pack from up the lane, they always stayed with us when Mr. and Mrs. Wolf were fighting. Every now and then we'd get a Gryphon and a Dragon from the protected forest. I found it fascinating, though i noticed every time i started talking to a male dragon Seth would tense up a bit. One night i approached him on it. "Are you ok Seth, you've been acting strange all night since that party from the northern mountains came by. Did something happen?" "No, it's nothing like that... it's just..." he started blushing, turning away from me. "What is it?" "Well... I don't like the way that blue dragon was looking at you. I've seen others have that look, and well when they do they female they look at usually leaves with them. If you weren't working he might have tried to take off with you and i don't know what i would have done." "It's alright Seth, i know how important it is to help around here. I wouldn't leave until i found a good replacement." "Your planning on leaving?" He looked up at me, a pained look in his eye. "I ... i hope i didn't do anything to make you want to go." "No, nothing like that. I need to leave, because i have to find some one. A pirate, Captain Jack of the Kraken. I have to thank him for helping me find a cure when i was ill. It shouldn't take too long, he's pretty famous you know." "When are you leaving?" "Not for a while. It's winter so he'll be beyond the Sea of Picies. When it gets closer to spring I will keep my ear out for news and if i hear anything i will search for him again. After i find him, if you want me to I'll come back. I don't know how long it will take me, but i will come back if you still need me." "Oh god Anna, i need you. I have always needed you, but never known it. I wish you never had to leave. I think I'm in love with you..." he blushed again looking away. "I love you too Seth, that's why i have to find Jack. I need to settle my debt with him before i can be happy with you. I have had more than my share of love and heart ache, ever since i was a child. Trust me, the sea herself could not keep me from returning to your side. "
A few months later there was news of the Kraken, and i set off. Dor would take my place at the bar. His Mate was taking care of their cubs. they had adopted two little bunnies of their own, who loved to run around the inn getting in every one's way. I set off, taking my winged human form until i reached the edge of anthro territory and then shifting to a mini dragon form to fly out over the forest to make faster time The rumors said the Kraken had been approaching the harbor to the south, so if i timed it right i would get there at almost the same time. I would find Jack, make my peace with him and then return to my lover like nothing had ever happened. It took me a week to reach the town, but i did. People were evacuating. "Is the Kraken that bad?" I asked to the bar tender as i ate my dinner. "Aye lass, they say it can lay low a port town in a mater of minutes It seems to be driven by the devil himself." I sighed to my self, what had Jack gotten himself into now, why did people fear him so much? it had never been like this in the old days. I went to bed, rising before dawn to go down to the beach to wait. I stood on the sand, barefoot, wearing a black dress and a silver cape covering my wings. I watched the sunrise over the water, unaware that i was in the most terrible danger of my life. Nothing could have repaired me for what lay upon that beach. It did seem strange that i saw no ships in harbor, or on the water. Where was Jack? why had he not shown up yet? He really should have been there by now. I stood lost in thought as my doom rose behind me. I heard a sound, turning i saw what i had never expected to even exist. The thing about rumor is that is not always true. Even if it is true, it can get confused very easily. Now The Kraken was the name of Jack's ship, but it is also the name of a fierce beast. Now this creature before me was not infarct a Kraken, rather just a giant squid... but still the mistake could easily be made. Being cut off from land by the tentacles that were tracing closer to me i spread my wings hopping to escape as it reached for me. It seemed almost to expect that, shooting a blast of water to knock me out of the air. I shifted my form quickly in mid fall, a little dazed, but not hurt. A large dragon could survive a short fall with ease. It reared it's self closer to the shore, luck had brought it to the area at high tide. It's tentacles wrapping around me as i recovered from the fall. I roared, my claws reaching out, digging into the exposed flesh of the beast. it screamed as well, trying to drag me closer to the water. Oh how i wished for the power to breathe fire... I leapt at the beast, teeth bared ready to go. It met me with a wall of tentacles, it's beak catching my tail. Thus we battled upon the surf, two misunderstood creatures, neither of us really knowing what we were doing there, but knowing that if our adversary got the upper hand we were done for. I plunged under the water, trying to get under it and find a more vulnerable place to attack from, it followed , wrapping me close, binding me below the surface to try to keep me from the air. I struggled but in vain. The more i fought the harder it was to breathe.. this time i did not rise from the water...
When Seth learned the news, his heart broke. He had begged to come with me, i had refused but told him to prepare for me on the fist day of summer. He had decorated the Inn, and was ready to propose to me when instead of his lovely dragon there was a messenger with the news of the battle. Dor and Terry did their best to keep him calm. They didn't know how to help him at all, and the new fox, Dessie wasn't much help either. She had a crush on Seth and it didn't help his mood having her around when his Anna was gone. :"I just need to be alone for a while. Your in charge Dor, just don't let the place burn down while I'm gone ok?" He tried to smile as he hugged his friend, taking off into the hills to seek retreat from the world. He was planning on finding a quiet, peacefully spot where he could end it all, but he kept walking. After a month of walking, with sore footpads he reached the beach where the fateful battle had occurred. He wiped a tear from his eye as he sat looking at the ocean. "Why, why did you have to take her away from me? What did i ever do to you, or to her to make this happen..." He shook his head and curled up next to the rock. He would just go to sleep, and when the tide came it, it would take him with it.
"Where am I?" Seth looked around. The little cave was dry, except for the inlet that led back to the ocean. "Careful, you don't want to strain yourself, you almost drowned you silly foxie." "Anna!" He cried sitting up and staring at me. "How, how can this be...what happened to you... you don't look the same... i thought that the squid had, had..." "It did." "But then...." "I'm not what you think i am." I moved, kneeling next to him, i leaned closer kissing his cheek. "It took the squid to show me what i really am." "What are you?" Seth asked, his eyes showed the fear that was in his voice. "I'm a shape shifter... i never realized that i wasn't a dragon before because that's the form i was always in. Also i am part Phoenix. I can't die, after the encounter with the squid i washed up in here, very much like a child. I stayed here, eating nutrients from the algae and fungus in the cave. As i became stronger i looked at my form, i was starting to resemble the squid. I concentrated and was able to fully change to a small squid, learning to swim and catch fish to eat. I'm sorry i hadn't come back to you. I wanted to be sure it was safe for me to leave, then when i saw you in the water i had to do something. The squid is gone, so when your better we can go back to shore." "Wait, how do you know all of this?" "When a Phoenix dies, it is reborn. While it's body is reforming, it's conscious goes to the place where all Phoenix are one. I met my mother. She was unsure of my father, other than he was a spirit who shifted his form and seduced her. When pure Phoenixes mate they dies to give life to their chick, unable to regain their form after that. She had no way of knowing that this male was untrue. " "And now...?" "And now i am back. Since i am not a true phoenix i can not die from mating, but because i am a crossbreed i do not know if i will be able to have a chick, cub, kit, offspring of what ever you want to call it... I wouldn't feel right being our mate now, knowing this... " "Anna, i don't care if we can never have a child. I love you and all i want is to be with you, for now and forever. As long as i can. I don't care that your immortal, we'll deal with that when it's my time.
So that is how my story goes. Seth and I married, spent our honeymoon in the Northern Mountains. We returned to live at the Inn, running it for many years until Seth became too old to run it any more. I used my skills of transformation to age myself to match him. When Seth passed away, I faded away into the hills, returning later in a different form. No one ever suspected, but then again Seth and I had always kept it a secret. Now, after all these years I run the Anthro Bar and Inn. If your ever in the area, feel free to come by for a drink. ~The End~ ~A Note to my Readers ~ My thanks to every one who influenced me, role played with me, or helped me in any way. Thank you to Andrew, Dusk, Crystal, Jin, Sirus and Drake for help with the yiff sections. Also thank you to all my friends and readers. If you hadn't guessed, Voice of a Phoenix is about Anna's Mother. Thank you to my readers as well, who encourage me still to keep writing. I know i have allot of ideas, and some short stories that could be expanded, most were requests (big brother little sister, and beyond the reef) so they will not actually have more coming. I will be working on my new series Kittens. I've had some good reviews on the first chapter, and i will be releasing the second chapter soon. I hope those of you who have enjoyed this story will come to read that one as well when i get it out. Thank you also to my Kitty. I know i haven't been with you for long, and your not my mate yet... but still I love you. When your ready, I'll be here waiting for you no matter what choice you make.