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The Shapeshifter: Part III

Tannal looked around with wide eyes. He never thought that he'd ever enter the High Academy during the course of his life; though, he reasoned, he also never thought that he'd be transformed into a female animal and bound to his best friend. Still, he took it with a grain of salt and decided that he would look at this as a learning experience that he would have otherwise never had. Elliot was dressed in his best robes with his brown hair neatly combed, but his face was still pale, he still seemed a little thin, and there were still dark circles under his eyes; but still, he looked the part. Tannal, for his part, had chosen to shift into an arctic fox. Since he wasn't terrible fond of dogs to begin with and refused to take the form of a she-wolf, he opted with a fox. He figured that the white fur of his coat (and, he couldn't help but notice with a bit of pride, his coat was far whiter than a real fox's coat would be) suited Elliot's deep blue robes and made him look more impressive than a normal fox. After all, the only reason that Elliot was going to the banquet was to show him off.

They had passed the Lower Academy, where he and Elliot had met and trained with magic, the Middle Academy, where all the apprentices like Elliot had labored, and now, as a sorcerer with his own familiar, Elliot was able to enter the High Academy. At the top of one of the city circles, in the circle directly below the palace itself, was the High Academy. Elliot and Tannal passed under great archways, through halls with flying buttresses, and through gardens with lush plants and flowing fountains to get to their banquet hall. The hall itself was a huge room with vaulted ceilings, glittering walls covered in expertly woven tapestries, mighty pillars, and a huge mahogany table lined with velvet chairs. The hall was filled with sorcerers, all milling about in their robes of various colors, their familiars at their sides, and the servants who were sans familiars, gracefully moved about the people and animals with drinks and food on their platters.

Elliot took a deep breath and glanced at Tannal. "Are you ready?" he said softly. Tannal, remembering that Elliot needed him to be on his best behavior and to be supportive for this banquet, looked up and nodded. Elliot closed his eyes for a moment to steady himself, then strode in.

As they walked, Tannal could hear people talking about the missing prince and the search to find him. He heard nothing about his own disappearance. Although he was well aware that it was obviously more important for them to find the prince, he couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness that no one seemed to miss him. The entire city had thrown itself into finding the prince and in the confusion of things, he had been forgotten entirely. Depressed, he couldn't help but growl softly to himself.

Elliot paused, looking down at Tannal in concern. "You alright?" he murmured aloud, since they hadn't been bound long enough to master silent communication. Tannal looked up in surprise, unaware that Elliot had even noticed his mood change, but he was thankful he did: at least someone cared. Unable to answer, he whined softly in response and rubbed against Elliot's leg to reassure his master that he was alright.

Elliot scratched behind his ears. "Don't worry, we won't be here long," he said quietly. "I don't like it anymore than you do. We just need to make a brief appearance - "

"Elliot!" a boy their own age shouted, jogging over to where they were. Tannal vaguely remembered meeting him at one point in his life, and couldn't remember his name, only that he was a mediocre sorcerer. Now the young lean boy was accompanied by his familiar, a bright green lizard.

"Sogdan," Elliot said distractedly. "Uh, hi. How are you?"

The boy grinned happily. "Good, good," he said excitedly. "How are you? Is that your new familiar?" He looked at Tannal for a moment before looking back at Elliot. "Isn't this great? We're finally full blown sorcerers!"

"Er - yeah," Elliot said, craning his head around, trying to look past the boy. "It's great.

"I can't wait," Sogdan continued to chatter energetically. "Lady Marion said that she's going to let us pick our specialties soon. Do you know what you want to go into? I'm thinking I might want to go into familiar management, but I'm not really sure if that would be the most - "

"Sogdan!" Elliot said loudly, "I'm really sorry, but I have to get going. Sari's waving me over."

Tannal, who had been staring down the lizard looked up in surprise. Sari?! Sari was the only girl that Elliot had ever truly spoken of and spoken of fondly. She and Elliot had been friends for years and Tannal couldn't help but to admit that Elliot had great taste. She was a petite girl with bright green eyes and short, silvery hair. And on top of that, she was brilliant and powerful. She had bound herself to her familiar months ago and had spent the last few months in the Northlands on a zeppelin tour and must have just returned to the city. Curiously, he sidestepped around Elliot's annoying classmate and scanned the crowd until he saw her. Sure enough, intermixed in the crowd, was Sari, smiling and looking just as radiant as ever. Yes, Elliot definitely had good taste.

"Oh," the boy was saying, nodding. "Yeah, I heard she just got back from her trip - "

"Alright then," Elliot said quickly, already walking away. "Nice seeing you again," he called over his shoulder.

Tannal glanced at the boy, who merely shrugged in response, then quickly bounded back to Elliot.

"Sari?" Elliot called out questioningly as he approached her.

"Elliot?" The girl spun around in surprised and beamed in happiness at the sight of him before throwing herself around Eliot in a warm embrace. "Oh, Elliot, it's so good to see you!"

"Sari!" Elliot said, expressing the first signs of happiness that Tannal had seen since he's been bound to him, returning the hug, "it's great to see you again."

"I've missed you!"

"I've missed you, too," he said, releasing her. "How was your trip?"

"It was great! The Northlands are beautiful this time of year. You'd love it, Elliot." She gently touched his face. "How have you been? I didn't think you'd be back so soon after - " She stopped suddenly when she saw Elliot's face fall, but she quickly hitched on a smile again. "I - I heard you got a familiar! How's it working out for you?"

If she had thought mentioning Elliot's familiar would cheer him up, she was unfortunately mistaken. Elliot looked somewhat startled and terrified for a moment before he had the sense to mask his emotions and managed a thin smile. "It's great," he said automatically. "She's really great. Master Kensing's really excited to work with her."

Tannal wished he could have at least snorted to show his less-than-kind opinion of Kensing, but the spells kept him obediently still. He was, however, momentarily distracted by the appearance of Sari's familiar, who had padded up silently behind his master. The familiar was a silver fox and was, as Tannal's nose could tell, definitely male. He couldn't help but move closer to Elliot as he felt a warm feeling wash over his body: he didn't like other familiars, especially male ones.

"Look, El," she laughed as her familiar rubbed up against her, looking over Elliot and Tannal. "Our familiars match!"

Tannal growled softly. Only he ever called Elliot "El." Sari should have known that much at least. But Elliot didn't seem to notice. He looked down in surprise at Sari's fox familiar. "Yeah," he said. "I guess they do. For now, at least. Telsa's actually a shapeshifter."

Sari's eyes went wide. "A shapeshifter?" she gasped. "Oh, Elliot that's amazing! You're so lucky! How did you get one?"

"Master Kensing," Elliot answered. "He knew I needed a familiar and he gave Telsa to me."

"Wow," Sari breathed, gazing at Tannal in amazement. "That's incredible. Congratulations, Elliot. I can't think of anyone who deserves a shapeshifter more than you do."

Tannal ducked around Elliot as he and Sari caught up. He had more important things to do than listen to their small talk and hesitant flirting: although Kensing might be absent from the banquet, his goons were most definitely here; besides, he felt awkward eavesdropping on Elliot's private conversations. He had only managed to slip around Elliot a take a single step before he was confronted with Sari's silver fox familiar. He stopped dead and stared in surprise.

"Hello, I'm Surem," the fox said.

Tannal stared. He had heard some familiars speak before, but not often. From what he knew about them, while they were of human intelligence and possessed human mannerisms (no doubt picked up from their masters) they were often silent in public, preferring to speak to their masters either in private or, if they were powerful enough, through their mental connection.

Surem tilted his head to the side and said in a calming voice. "You cannot speak aloud yet, can you?"

Tannal shook his head. He was sure the familiar was nice enough, but the overly male scent that he gave off made him uncomfortable and the fact that he was a more powerful familiar than Tannal (because he had been bound longer) also made him uneasy. As a king's guard he was used to being in control of a situation and he felt more than incompetent as a weakened, mute familiar.

The fox licked his paw, looking somewhat bored. "Don't worry, I'm sure your spell will be lifted soon enough. You'll be talking in no time."

Tannal made a whining sound in assent. I certainly hope so. But of course, could say nothing more on the matter. Feeling annoyed at being unable to speak while being roped into a conversation, Tannal gently bumped his head against Elliot's leg, telling his Master that he was ready to leave. He knew Elliot would be forced into conversations at the banquet, but he didn't think that he himself would be.

Elliot glanced briefly at Tannal as Sari was saying, "Well, if you'd like, I could drop off some books at your house about shapeshifters. My uncle studied them for his dissertation at the Academy years ago, so they've just been sitting around his house gathering dust."

"Yeah," Elliot said, "that'd be great. I - uh, I could swing by your house to pick them up, instead, you know." He shifted his weight. "So it's not an inconvenience to you."

She laughed and Elliot blushed at its ringing sound. "Either one's fine, Elliot," she said, still smiling broadly. "You know, we should get together soon, we could get dinner. You know, catch up - "

"Definitely," Elliot said, perking up. "That would be great. So maybe sometime this week - "

She blushed demurely. "Sure, maybe - Actually, I was hoping that maybe you'd like to -"

Elliot suddenly looked up distractedly at a tall, cold woman with a tall staff who had just entered the room authoritatively, "I'll see you later then," he said quickly, not really listening to Sari as he stared opened at the woman.

"Oh -- alright," Sari said, visibly disappointed as she stepped aside. "Later."

Elliot didn't give Sari a second glance as he hurried away but Tannal, who looked over his shoulder as he trailed after his master, noticed Sari's familiar comforting her as she watched them leave. Was Elliot really that dense? The girl was not only pretty, but she obviously liked Elliot. He sighed, Oh Elliot, please tell me you're not that hopeless with the ladies.

But Elliot didn't turn back. He pushed forward through the crowd, making his way to where the tall woman stood on the dais; he nodded when other sorcerers and their apprentices approached him, all of whom smiled at him but immediately moved their gaze to Tannal with unabashed curiosity. Tannal knew if he were human he would have been blushing; perhaps Kensing really was right about how rare shapeshifters were...

Tannal's thoughts were suddenly interrupted when a quiet voice behind them said, "Ah, hello Elliot."

Tannal turned quickly and immediately felt a growl rise in his throat. It was Malken.

"Malken!" Elliot said, jumping in surprise, then quickly collecting himself and bowing respectfully. "I didn't think you'd be here. Kensing said that he had to go - "

"Yes, yes," Malken nodded. "Kensing is very busy these days - especially with the unfortunate disappearance of our prince."

Elliot stiffened and Tannal could feel his anger suddenly boiling within him. "Everyone's been rather busy with the prince's disappearance these days, haven't they been?" He pursed his lips. "It's almost as if they've forgotten that someone else has gone missing as well."

Malken looked at Elliot sadly. "Still worried about Tannal?"

"Worried? Of course I'm worried! He's been missing for weeks! Everyone's been saying that he's - he's probably - "

"Elliot, there's nothing you can do about it. You've done all that you can. The only thing you can do now is continue to hope and do your work as requested."

"Well I'm tired of waiting for someone to find him. Everyone else is trying to find the prince; no one cares about Tannal. I seem to be the only one who even remembers that he's gone or even cares!"

"Elliot-"

"No!" Elliot said angrily. "If no one else will search for him, then I'll have to take matters into my own hands - "

"Elliot, enough!" Malken's gaze swept the hall before flickering back to the young apprentice. He lowered his voice. "There are people here who would take that sort of talk as treasonous."

"Treasonous?"

"That you would abandon your prince in favor of your friend would not be looked on highly, particularly by this crowd." Though Malken's voice was hard, his eyes were filled with pity. "Elliot, you must trust that others are looking for Tannal." Malken suddenly turned his gaze on Tannal, staring hard at the fox. "They will find him, I promise." He looked back at Elliot. "I'm sure your friend is safe and sound. Do not worry."

Elliot looked like he wanted to argue more, but he was interrupted by a brief trumpet sound that echoed through the hall, silencing the buzz of conversations.

"Attention!" a voice rang out suddenly across the banquet hall. For a moment the murmuring voices of the hall continued to mask the hall, then the buzz died down and lapsed into silence. "Attention! Please respectfully come to attention for an announcement from the royal family."

"The royal family?" Elliot said in surprise. He looked up at Malken questioningly.

Malken nodded solemnly. "With their full protection. Look what they have with them: a full escort of their own guards, personal bodyguards, and even their highland wolves."

Tannal felt a thrill of horror go through him as he saw his own master, Sir Gallan, sweep into the hall with a host of his own guards. What Sir Gallan would say if he knew what Tannal had done... But Elliot wasn't looking at the king's guard, he was looking beyond them at the approaching figure.

"Highland wolves?" he asked questioningly.

Malken offered a slight smile. "Wolves specially trained from the mountains. Fiercely loyal. And very vicious if anyone gets in their way. They've protected the family for years."

Elliot nodded, watching the guards part to allow someone from the royal family to come forward. He glanced at Malken. "Does the king usually come to these banquets?" he murmured.

Malken shook his head. "No," he answered softly, looking somewhat disturbed, "especially considering the disagreements he's been having with the sorcerers lately. He's never come to one of these before; he must be getting desperate."

Elliot looked worriedly back to the king. His face was impassive but Tannal could sense his friend's deep anxiety and quickly pressed himself closer to Elliot, reassuring him.

A man stepped forward, of average height but with broad, imposing shoulders, his figure clothed in bold colored and rich clothing, ornamented with embroideries. He had a stern but kind face that was tanned from years of being outside with a neatly trimmed beard that was evident of his high status. A charcoal grey wolf also accompanied the man, its silken fur well groomed, and a collar of deep, royal purple around its throat; its yellow eyes gleamed menacingly as it surveyed the hall. The man reached down and stroked the animal's fur, as if to comfort the animal's distress, then looked up regally at the people in the hall. Tannal's eyes widened: it was the king himself!

The entire hall froze, then everyone immediately bowed, all the servants genuflecting, the sorcerers bowing deeply in respect for their liege lord.

"Please," the king said, raising his hands, "I promise I will not take up much of your time." He looked sadly around the hall as its occupants straightened to a standing position.

"I am sorry for interrupting your banquet," the king said, his deep voice resonating through the hall. "I know that it was held in order to commemorate you accomplishments in the Academy and this day should be a celebration for all who are here." He looked around the hall steadily, his gaze flickering from all the faces of the sorcerers standing at attention in the hall, listening. "I would like to therefore give all of you my sincerest congratulations; I know you have all worked hard to get to the Upper levels of the Academy and you deserve all the praise I can give. But however gratifying this may be, it is also a sobering occasion. It serves to remind all of you what this Academy stands for: excellence and dedication in sorcerery. You men and women are the best, not only in this kingdom, but in all the kingdoms. And I know that you are all gifted individuals."

He took a steadying breath. "As you all know now, my son has been missing for almost a month. My guard has searched everywhere throughout the kingdom and they are convinced he is elsewhere. They are convinced that he is outside the kingdom, but they are also convinced that he is alive. My son would serve no use to these kidnappers dead. I therefore come to you, all of you, to ask for your help. I cannot bring this kingdom's armies to the doorsteps of our neighbor's boarders just to satisfy a hunch; and we certainly cannot accuse the innocent of wrongdoing. But the fact remains that my son is still out there, and no one knows where he is. And so I am asking you, the most powerful and gifted sorcerers of all the kingdoms, to do whatever you can to help me find my son. I know you are all busy people with live of your own, but this kingdom is unable to move forward until the prince is returned. Please, if there is anything that you can do, I ask that you do it soon. Thank you."

The king stepped down from where he was standing and immediately was surrounded by his guards who warded off anyone who might try to swarm the king with questions and conversation. As suddenly as the king had appeared, he had also disappeared. But the entire hall was now buzzing with excitement and talk about what his announcement and plea had meant.

Elliot glanced up at Malken. "What does that mean?"

"That we're going to have a lot of work ahead of us."

"And what about Tannal?"

Malken looked away. "I'm sorry, Elliot."

"But - " he started but Malken interrupted him.

"I must be off now." He surveyed Elliot. "Will you be alright on your own?"

"I'll manage," Elliot said coldly.

Malken turned away then paused. "Oh, and Elliot?" He said over his shoulder. "If you're wondering, Sir Gallan is still lingering in the hall over there." He gestured to the far corner of the hall. "I hope you find some answers."

Elliot's head jerked up in surprise. "That's Tannal's master!" he murmured in disbelief.

Malken watched Elliot dart away, his fox shaped familiar trailing after him. "I wish you luck," he murmured.

* * * *

"Sir Gallan! Sir Gallan!" Elliot cried, running through the hall to catch the seasoned guard as he was about to leave. "Sir, Gallan, please, a word!"

Gallan turned in surprise, and his face immediately changed to that of pity. "Ah, Master Apprentice Elliot," he said kindly. "It's good to see you out and about; and with a familiar - "

Elliot brushed that aside. "Sir, do you have any news?" he said quickly. "About Tannal?"

Gallan sighed heavily. "I'm sorry, Elliot, but I told you that you'd be the first to know if I did. After the tip last week led us nowhere - " He trailed off sadly.

"No!" Elliot whispered. "No! You're not giving up! You can't!"

"Elliot, I know that this is hard, but Tannal knew the risks of being a guard. He knew that sometimes bad things happen and - "

"No! Tannal's alive and I know it!" Elliot looked furious. "How can you abandon him so easily?"

Gallan's face hardened. "Nothing that I do is easy, especially calling off the search for one of my men." He ran his calloused hand over his face. "He was my student, Elliot. I cared for him, too."

"Apparently not enough," Elliot said, his eyes flashing dangerously.

Gallan looked furious. "You are out of line, young man!" he snarled angrily. "How dare you question - "

"Sir Gallan!" a sharp voice cut off Galan's snarl. Tannal, who found his hackles raised in support of Elliot's angry looked up in surprise to find the cold looking woman who Elliot had originally wanted to go to see. She was tall and thin, her face white, her light hair pulled back in a no-nonsense bun at the base of her neck, her pale eyes icy and unforgiving. She was dressed richly in a dress of white and blue, all adding to the effect, and her snow white owl was perched watchfully on the top of her staff. "Is there a problem here?"

Sir Gallan immediately straightened and bowed. "Of course not, Lady Marion. This apprentice was being highly disrespectful."

Her eyes flickered to him then to Tannal. "Your name is Elliot, is it not?"

Tannal had never seen Elliot's face so pale. "Yes, my lady," he said in a soft voice.

She surveyed him for a moment, then turned back to Sir Gallan. "Gallan, I believe you ought to be with the rest of the guard, escorting the royal family out." She held up a hand as Gallan opened his mouth. "I will deal with the apprentice."

Sir Gallan bit his lip, but nodded and slowly turned away and stalked off. The woman motioned for Elliot to accompany her to her seat, where she gracefully seated herself majestically into her seat.

Elliot approached tentatively. "Lady Marion," Elliot said, bowing respectfully. "I - "

"You need not apologize," she said. "Sir Gallan is often impetuous and quick to anger if he thinks he is being insulted."

"I wasn't - "

"I know." Her cold eyes flickered from Elliot to Tannal. "I've been meaning to speak to you for a while - since I've heard about your shapeshifter familiar. Congratulations. It is a rare find."

"Thank you, my lady," Elliot answered. Tannal did his best to look dignified for Elliot's sake. He didn't know what Elliot wanted with this Lady Marion, but he had a feeling that it was important and the more he impressed her, the better.

The owl ruffled its wings impatiently. "You have a request, do you not?" she said, stroking her familiar gently. Tannal marveled at how well the lady and her owl complimented each other: their movements and attitudes seemed to mirror one another, and their looks completed their ensemble. Tannal couldn't help but find himself wondering if he and Elliot would ever compliment one another so well, then he came to his senses and shook his head. No, he thought angrily, I'm not going to be stuck like this long enough for that to happen.

"Yes," Elliot answered. "If you would be so kind to listen to it." He waited patiently and when the lady inclined her head solemnly, he continued. "Lady Marion, I would like to respectfully ask to take a leave of absence to continue my training as a sorcerer at a different location. Master Kensing is a great master and a wonderful teacher, but I'm afraid that my desire to seek a transfer of location is stronger."

Tannal looked at his master in shock. Elliot wanted a transfer? He couldn't believe it. Elliot loved the city. He loved (to Tannal's distaste) Kensing, the Academy, and everything about the society here, and he had given no indication that he wanted to leave. So why was he suddenly seeking a transfer?

"A transfer to where, exactly?"

Elliot didn't flinch. "The Wildlands outpost."

The woman that Tannal assumed was probably one of the head people at the Academy looked sharply at Elliot, then suddenly, her face softened. She sighed and absently petted her owl's shiny feathers for a moment, deep in thought, before she looked up again and said, "Elliot, I know why you're doing this. I heard about your friend - the one who was one of the king's guard."

"Who is a king's guard!" Elliot corrected fiercely, mindless of how sharp his voice was. Tannal felt a surge of affection toward his friend : Elliot really hadn't given up on him yet!

The lady sighed. "Elliot, I'm sorry, but I cannot allow you to give up a promising career in order for you to go gallivanting off to the Wildlands to search for your missing friend." Elliot tried to speak but the lady held her hand up to silence him. "Masters Kensing and Malken has put a lot of time and effort into your training and I'm not about to waste all of your considerable talent and potential just to have you get captured by slave traders and sold off to the highest bidder. I'm sorry, but that is the way things have to be." She hesitated. "I'm sure they'll find your friend. Just give it time."

Elliot looked desperate. "If he's been captured, he doesn't have time," he said softly. "Please -"

The lady shook her head sadly. "I'm sorry, but that is the last I'll here on the matter. Your request is denied."

* * * *

The banquet the day before had been nothing more than a qualified disaster: not only were all of the people looking for Tannal being pulled to help find the prince, but all of the sorcerers, Elliot included, now were forbidden to do anything except make seeking spells for the prince and all current projects were halted until progress was made on locating the prince's whereabouts.

Tannal sighed in annoyance. It had now been several days since Kensing's false letter of his whereabouts and his subsequent discovery of Malken's apparently enjoyable pastime, and Tannal had been trapped inside Elliot's apartment ever since. Of course, so had Elliot. Poor Elliot had been barricaded inside in room for hours at a time, leaving only to pace around his living room, running his hand through his hair wearily. He barely ate and barely slept, working tirelessly on his ever-growing workload. All of the sorcerers had been given the same amount of work, and all of them were completely overloaded. Elliot hadn't even spoken a word to Tannal in two days and was probably unaware of all the new forms Tannal had learned to amuse himself.

Tannal, at least, had been productive. In the brief frame of time that he had been a shapeshifter with little more to do than be Elliot's assistant and daydream about extracting revenge on Kensing, he had, through sheer boredom, mapped out a complete plan detailing his shifting sequence advancements. After he finished mastering the canine sequence the next sequence for him was the rodentia (he skipped the insects) then at least ten more. Still, he had a lot of animal forms ahead of him, but it didn't bother him. He learned them quickly and although he knew he wouldn't be trapped as a shapeshifter forever, he also knew that the faster he progressed, the more powerful Elliot would get and the quicker this nightmare would end.

Still, the rodentia sequence was a rather large one: he often had to start as a small dog, usually a puppy or a fennec, then downshift to one of the small mammals. He learned very quickly, so quickly that even Elliot was impressed and, Tannal knew, secretly pleased. Tannal managed to get the mice, rats, shrews and moles down pretty easily, then worked on beavers and weasels. He was almost done with the sequence, but needed to at least get the capybara and the porcupine mastered before he could move on. And with all the spare time he had, he had little problem spending his time learning his shifting. Well, at least he had been productive. Elliot, on the other hand, claimed that he had been forced to stop working on his personal locator spell for Tannal, but whenever Tannal would poke his head in Elliot's study to make sure his friend was still breathing or not passed out in a pool of ink, he noticed that the ring that Elliot had taken from his apartment was always near Elliot's work table. So perhaps Elliot was still secretly working on trying to find him -

"Telsa!" Elliot said abruptly, slamming his book shut with a snap. "I'm not getting anywhere with this spell." He surveyed the pine marten. "I'd rather at least get something useful accomplished today - how would you like your ability to speak to be restored?"

Tannal leapt up at that, nodding his head furiously. He would give almost anything to be able to speak and not just growl like an animal!

Elliot grinned. "Well, at least you're enthusiastic." He turned to his bookshelf and selected a particularly thick volume. "Alright," he said, lowering himself into a chair. "Are you ready?" he asked, his eyes aglow.

Tannal nodded. Of course he was ready! He couldn't wait to have his speaking ability restored.

Elliot still hesitated. "Are you sure you won't tell Master Kensing that I took the spell off?"

Tannal rolled his eyes and let out a soft growl. Just take the damn spell off!

Elliot sighed and nodded. He looked one last time at the book, then took a steadying breath, opened his hands, gestured at Tannal, and began to recite the spell. Tannal shuddered, feeling the spell take hold within him, breaking the previous spell that forced him into silence and establishing a new one that would allow him the use of projecting a human voice regardless of the animal form that he was in. The warmth in his body surged throughout him, then focused on his throat before it faded into nothingness.

Elliot looked questioningly at Tannal. "Well?"

Tannal shook his head, as if to clear it, then cleared his throat. "Did it work?" he asked aloud and was immediately pleasantly surprised to hear a human voice. "It did! I can talk! I can - " He stopped, realizing that he had leapt to his feet in joy and looking (and sounding) like a bit of an idiot.

Elliot laughed, looking amused. "Looks like you're happy about it."

"Thank you! Thank you so much, master!" Tannal froze. He was going to say "Elliot" but somehow when he formed the words they twisted in his mouth and it came out as "master." He stared in shock at Elliot.

"Oh!" Elliot quickly flipped through his book. "Sorry, I forgot about that - " He scanned the page quickly. "Hang on - "

Tannal heard him mutter an additional spell and he felt the subservient spell break as well. Excellent! The more spells down the better! He was moving closer and closer to being able to tell Elliot the truth. "Thank you," he said carefully.

"You can call me Elliot," he offered with a slight smile.

Tannal's tail wagged. "Thank you, Elliot." It was a relief to at least be able to call his friend by name.

Elliot grinned. "Of course, Telsa. It's nice to have you able to speak."

Tannal closed his eyes in relief. "You have no idea how nice it is to be able to."

Elliot closed his spell book. "I would imagine so. I understand why they want familiars to be dumb when they're first bound -- to help establish their bond, but sometimes I think it's just unnecessarily cruel."

"I agree completely." He wasn't back entirely: his voice was still feminine sounding, Kensing's spells of silence regarding the truth of his condition were still in place, preventing him from telling or even warning Elliot, and Elliot was still completely unaware that his familiar was in fact his missing friend. But at least he could speak. One step at a time --

Elliot hesitated, looking extremely apprehensive, then cleared his throat. "And have you thought about what I said before?"

It took a moment for Tannal to try to remember what Elliot was talking about. "What do you mean?" he asked slowly, unsure of where Elliot was going.

"I just wanted to know if you - if you wanted to stay and still be my familiar?"

Tannal looked up at Elliot in surprise. "Yes! Why wouldn't I?"

Elliot stared at Tannal. "After what happened, I thought that you'd want a different master - "

"No," he said softly jumping down from the chair and approaching Elliot. "You're the only one that I would want to be bound to."

Elliot looked pained. "You're not angry?"

"I was - but not at you." Tannal sighed and rubbed up against Elliot.. "I'm angry at a lot of people, but there's nothing I can do about it. What you did wasn't your fault - "

"I hurt you," Elliot said softly.

"No, you didn't!" Tannal said it before he realized what he was doing. But when Elliot looked at him in surprise, he swallowed. "I - it was - it felt good." He looked away. "I didn't want to do it, but I wanted to help you more, and when it - happened - I was alright. I'm ok. Really."

Elliot frowned. "You swear?"

Tannal purred. "I swear." He leapt up in Elliot's lap and rubbed against Elliot's chest. "Now don't you have some work you're supposed to be doing?" He asked, giving Elliot a playful swat.

Elliot grinned and Tannal felt relief sweep through him. Obstacle one overcome, he thought, just ninety nine more to go --

* * * *

"Here you are," Elliot said, sliding a bowl full of diced meat and magically enhanced protein cubes (or at least, that's what Elliot told him it was) toward Tannal in his largest dog form. "Dinner."

Tannal wrinkled his nose as he inspected his meal. "Are you sure it's edible?" he asked, looking up so quickly that his drooping ears swayed like a pendulum.

Elliot shrugged. "About 60% sure," he answered, but a slight smile touched his lips.

Tannal growled suspiciously. "Well, that's reassuring." He bent to take a bite when he noticed that Elliot was retreated back to his study without any food in hand. "Elliot! Aren't you going to eat?"

"I'm not hungry now," Elliot said carelessly. "I'm going to go work on some stuff first."

"Stuff?" Tannal rose to his feet. As a person not entirely fond of dogs, he knew little about breed, but he knew whatever form he was in currently was massive and intimidating. "Elliot, I haven't seen you eat all day! I know you've been out of sorts since the banquet, but - "

A knock at the door interrupted him.

Elliot frowned. "Who could that be?"

A thrill of fear went through Tannal when he realized it could be Kensing, but then he caught a whiff of something entirely pleasant, but very masculine -- He shifted into a lizard form to ignore the scent. "It's Sari and her familiar!" he said.

To his surprise, Elliot groaned. "Not Sari!" he said. "She knows now's not a good time."

"And what's wrong with now? Too much stuff to work on?"

Elliot's eyes narrowed as he surveyed the door. "No, she just knows that I won't want to talk right now."

"Elliot, please!" The knocking continued. "Please let me in!"

Tannal sighed and looked up at Elliot, his tail lashing. "She's not going to leave, you know."

Elliot glanced at Tannal. "I don't want to talk to her. I know why she's here."

Tannal rolled his eyes. "Other than to see you?"

"She wants to talk to me about Tannal," Elliot said softly. "She's probably here to make sure I don't do anything stupid."

Tannal perked up considerably at this. "Would you do something stupid?" he asked, trying to keep the hope out of his voice. "In terms of finding your friend?"

Elliot shrugged. "Probably. I'm just trying to think of a plan first - "

"ELLIOT! IF YOU DON'T OPEN THIS DOOR, I'M GOING TO BLAST THROUGH IT!"

Tannal squeaked and darted under the table in a mouse form. "Maybe you should answer that," he said, peering from around a table leg. He could practically taste Sari's magic rolling in through the door.

Elliot shook his head at Tannal, but rose to his feet and unlatched the door. "Yes?" he said, opening it.

Sari stood there with her hands on her hips, looking less than thrilled. "Ignoring me, were you?"

"I - uh - no," Elliot stammered. "I just - I just didn't really feel like talking to anyone right now."

Sari looked concerned. "Oh, Elliot, I know this must be hard for you - "

"I really don't want to talk right now," he said sharply.

She paused. "Alright." She bent down to lift a cloth bag filled with books. 'Theses are my uncle's books," she said, "about familiars. I just came to drop them off."

Tannal sighed to himself. Oh, poor Elliot. He's either too depressed to understand what's going on or he's just oblivious. Shifting to the form of a swift, he flew to Elliot's shoulder and squeezed it with his feet, hoping to jolt Elliot out of his anti-social behavior.

Elliot did seem to come back to life. "I - uh, thank you Sari. That's very kind of you." He paused. "Would you like to come in?"

Sari, who had draw back in surprise at Tannal's sudden appearance, looked even more surprised now. "Yes," she said slowly. "That'd be nice."

She entered Elliot's apartment with her familiar and seated herself on the couch and Elliot sat beside her while Tannal darted to the floor as a coyote.

"Elliot, I just wanted to make sure that - "

"I'm fine, Sari," he said shortly. "I already told you that."

"I know, but - "

Tannal stopped listening to Sari and Elliot's conversation when Surem padded up to him. "Hello Telsa," he said quietly.

Tannal drew himself up to his full height, which was quite larger then Surem's, and nodded a greeting. "Surem."

The silver fox wagged his tail happily. "So you have been granted speech already. Congratulations. Your master is as impatient as he is kind."

"Do not insult Elliot!" he hissed protectively.

Surem whined softly. "I wasn't insulting him," he said kindly. "From what I've heard from my mistress, your master could really use a friend right now. And it seems like he found you."

Tannal stared at the fox in surprise as he returned to his master's feet. Surem was right: all the other familiars that he knew of, or that he'd ever heard of, had called their masters "master" in public, but not him. Elliot had specifically told him not to. He shook his head. It was probably because he wasn't a true familiar, he was a human! That was why -- but still, Tannal felt a slight swell of pride, knowing that he and Elliot's friendship was able to transcend their forms. He turned back to Elliot.

As their conversation continued, Elliot looked deeply saddened, she wordlessly wrapped her arms around him. "I know you don't want to talk, Elliot, but if you ever do, I'm here." She held him close. "I know how much Tannal meant to you."

The feeling that was centered around Tannal's genitals began to grow in a pleasant tingling that began to gently pulse with a rhythmic insistence. For a moment, he couldn't figure out why he was suddenly getting these sensations around his female sex. Then it hit him: Elliot was becoming aroused! But this arousal was different: it was still strong, still insistent, but it didn't overwhelm Tannal with a burning need; it didn't consume him. And even Elliot seemed less on edge. Sari had released him and they were now talking about something, but Tannal could no longer focus on their words -- he could only focus on something else --

Yes, Tannal could tell that he was still aroused, but he wasn't in pain, he wasn't frantically trying to lessen his lust-filled state, he was simply turned on. For a moment Tannal panicked, remembering what had happened the first night they were together, but then he realized that because Elliot's arousal was different, he wasn't in danger. Elliot's arousal, he suddenly realized, was a naturally occurring one, not one cursed by Kensing. He glanced at Sari's familiar, who made a soft sound in his throat, as if to confirm Tannal's thoughts as their masters continued their conversation.

Elliot's voice shocked him out of his dazed realization. "Yes," Elliot was saying, squirming slightly in his chair. "That sounds great, but - "

"Alright, alright. I know you're busy; you always are."

"Sorry," Elliot said automatically, smiling faintly. Tannal whimpered softly as the feeling grew a little more intense. Before he even knew what he was doing, he had shifted into his white fox form. What was going on? "Maybe we could work something out? Dinner or - "

Surem slowly padded over to where Tannal was fidgeting on the carpet, uncomfortable and uneasy in his sudden arousal. He could hear Sari saying, "That would be great, Elliot! We could - "

"Telsa," Surem murmured softly, interrupting Tannal's eavesdropping of the conversation. "Come with me."

Without a second thought, Tannal obeyed. It was as if he were drawn to the fox, and why, he could not say, but he knew that he was so overwhelmingly enticed to follow Sari's familiar that he dare not hesitate. Leaving their masters talking in the living room, Tannal followed Surem into Elliot's bedroom.

As soon as Tannal pushed his nose through the door, Surem turned and faced him, his glittering eyes fixated on the vixen. "You're aroused," he said simply.

Tannal stared at the fox. He wasn't really sure what to say. It was impossible to deny or to laugh it off, after all, the fox could smell his need, but what was he supposed to say to something like that? He swallowed. "It's nothing," he said.

The fox's tail waved in the air behind him, its deep color catching the light in the dim room and spreading a scent of his own. "I can help you with that."

Tannal shrank back, inching toward the door. "No, thanks, I'm fine."

"Telsa." Surem padded toward him so that their bodies were close to one another. "Let me help you. I can make you feel good. I can take away the need."

Tannal blinked. Surem's pheromones were flooding the room with his scent, his very male, very aroused scent. And somehow it smelled just right to Tannal. It made his genitals aches with want, and though his mind screamed for him to get a grip, his body longingly moved closer to the fox. Suddenly he didn't care that he was a male trapped in a female animal form, suddenly all he wanted was for his need to be fulfilled, and his desires satisfied. He cursed his treacherous body.

"Don't worry," Surem murmured, rubbing against Tannal's slowly-heating body.

Tannal heard himself whimper needily in disbelief. He couldn't believe that he was actually desiring this sort of attention. It was as if another person was controlling his body, making him submit to these advances, but he knew perfectly well that there wasn't a spell on him, there wasn't a spell on Elliot; he was simply, aroused. Tannal flinched away from Surem's nuzzling snout, backing away worriedly.

Surem looked up in surprise. "What's wrong? I can smell your heat. Do you not want this?"

Tannal whined softly, "I - I don't know. I don't understand."

The fox tilted his head, then slowly stepped forward. "Don't worry," he said gently. "I'm not going to hurt you." He rubbed himself against Tannal, pressing his soft, furry body against Tannal's.

Tannal shuddered, feeling pleasure at the very touch of Sari's familiar against him. "Why - why am I - "

"Our masters," Surem said quietly. "They spark our arousal. But they only instigate the feeling; the arousal is our own. If you do not wish to sate your desire, I will not force you." He licked Tannal's face tenderly. "I am a kind lover. You have nothing to fear."

"But Elliot!" Tannal gasped, thinking with a thrill of horror of what Elliot's face would look like if he knew, "he'll know!"

Surem chuckled. "No he won't," he said softly. "Elliot will never know - he won't be able to feel it with a bond this new."

"I don't know why, but I - I think I want this," Tannal closed his eyes tightly. Before it hadn't been his choice, it had been rape. But suddenly, there wasn't a thing he wanted more in the world than to have the fox mount him.

Surem whined in encouragement. "It's your choice," he said, nuzzling against Tannal gently.

Tannal closed his eyes. He desperately wanted to leave the room and refuse Surem, but Elliot's arousal for Sari and his own need were building into something far too strong. And why shouldn't he have a form of release? He was a female so he might as well seek pleasure as one, and Surem was certainly willing to give it. Plus, it would allow his arousal to be satisfied without Elliot having to fuck him, which was far worse than the fox. And Elliot would never know...

Tannal opened his eyes. "Surem - "

The fox understood. With a soft whine, Surem turned and Tannal suddenly caught sight of his engorged shaft. It was massive to his eyes, bright, throbbing red, with an already swelling knot at the base of it. Surem growled softly in dominance, then walked behind Tannal, causing the vixen to make a soft, involuntary sound when he felt the fox's warm breath on his swollen netherlips.

Tannal shuddered in pleasure when he felt Surem's long, thick tongue lick his quivering heat. He could feel the heat coursing through his body, centering on his netherparts, warming them up to a pleasant tingling sensation. He closed his eyes and moaned, pleasure surging through his body with every eager lick from his fox companion. The pleasurable heat began to build, stronger and stronger, building into electric pulses that rocked through his body in powerful waves. "Ohhhh," he said softly.

Surem pushed his snout against Tannal's rump again, nosing the tip of his muzzle against the female fox's moist lips. He licked his partner one more time, allowing his long tongue to linger, flittering on Tannal's pleasurable places, before he withdrew. "Are you ready?" he asked gently.

Tannal closed his eyes tightly, completely in disbelief that he was actually going to admit it...but he was more than ready. He panted, his entire body wound up and reeling from the sensations of Surem's tongue, waiting for more. "Yes," he whispered, ashamed that he was actually bowing to the sensations. "Yes."

Surem wasted little time and climbed up on the vixen, mounting Tannal expertly. Tannal shivered, feeling the hardness of Surem's stiffened penis probed against Tannal's netherlips and he whimpered softly in anticipation. The fox familiar wrapped his forelegs tightly around Tannal's torso then thrust lightly once, twice, then nailed his mark.

Tannal grunted loudly, feeling the first few inches of Surem's cock stuff itself into his cunt. "Ohhhhhh, ohh Surem!" His cock was almost the size of Elliot's, but Tannal was being mated in a much small form. It completely filled him, stretching him pleasurably wide with only a twinge of pain.

Surem growled softly, pleasure radiating down this massive rod as the first half of it was squeezed tightly by Tannal's little hole. The vixen was warm and receptive and her cunt rippled deliciously around his throbbing foxhood and only made him want to bury himself deeper into her. He thrust a little harder and felt himself slide in deeper, inch by inch, into her. His cock was spurting precum in rivers now and made it easier and easier to slid in deeper into the vixen's hot, moist tunnel.

Tannal gasped, feeling himself stretched out even more as the cock finally hilted within him completely. A warm feeling was beginning to radiate within him and he realized it was the flood of precum deep into his womb. A flicker of panic went through him. Could he get pregnant? He had never mated with the same species before and he knew little about familiars and their reproductive qualities. But the thought quickly left him when Surem grunted and pushed the rest of his cock into Tannal, all the way up to his thick base, right before the swelling knot, making him hiss in pain.

"Good girl," Surem said softly.

The fox paused for a moment, letting Tannal adjust to his girth, then he began to mate his willing partner. At first, he used slow, deep thrusts, carefully sliding his massive length into Tannal's cunt, making Tannal bark softly in pleasure. The vixen's tunnel squeezed him so firmly that he felt he might cum right there and then; but he restrained himself, forcing himself to slow so that he could draw the pleasurable experience out as long as possible. When the pleasure began to mount, he made a soft yipping noise and began to hump his hips faster against Tannal's, listening to the lewd, slapping noises they were making.

Tannal was so tight that Surem could barely control himself. Tannal yipped at the pain of being forcibly penetrated by Surem, and moaned in pleasure at his slow withdrawals. Tannal spread his legs farther apart, bracing himself, encouraging Surem to thrust even deeper. And Surem did.

The fox familiar let out a low growl and began to mate Tannal like a vixen in heat. He heard his partner cry out needily and he obeyed, thrusting as hard and as deep as he possibly could. He hunched down, gripping Tannal's neck in his jaws, his hips thrusting frantically. His thrusts increased in speed, slamming his cock deep into Tannal's cunt.. Tannal mewled desperately, feeling Surem's throbbing length spurting his warm pre-cum deep into him.

Then Tannal felt it: the knot. He was torn between dreading it and relishing it, horrified at the thought of being locked to another male's penis but also thrilled about the thought of being spread so pleasurably wide. Tannal could feel his netherlips beginning to stretch around the canid bulge, slowly but insistently. He gritted his teeth and a growl escaped from him.

Surem readjusted his position atop Tannal. "What do you want?" he murmured gently.

Tannal whimpered, bracing his legs out on carpet so he could hold his stance as the knot battered against his rump. He opened his mouth and words began to fall from his lips, words he wasn't even aware of thinking or wanting, but what he was saying nevertheless, "Ohh, knot me. Please, tie me. Please! Please!"

Surem growled softly. "As you wish," he murmured, his voice in Tannal's ears. He gripped Tannal's neck in his jaws to steady himself, then began to thrust even harder, biting down on his vixen's neck to secure himself atop her.

As Tannal arched in surprise at the sudden bite, Surem let out a whine and grabbed harder and began working his cock hard into Tannal's insides, grinding the huge knot of his cock into Tannal. Tannal gasped in pain, moaning loudly as he felt the fox stuffing his massive ball of flesh into his cunt. Surem seemed to be growing larger and larger within him, his penis still pulsing strongly within Tannal's throbbing walls and still he pushed, harder and harder at Tannal's entrance. Tannal stiffened as he felt a knobby ball on Surem's penis start to grind into his cunt, gently at first, then more and more insistently. Tannal gasped as it tried to push past the lips of his vagina, the fox familiar whining, pushing harder and harder, desperately trying to tie them, until it snapped into Tannal with a popping sensation. Tannal's head swam with the mindless pleasure that washed over him, his body surging with heat as the fox nuzzled him, whining in pleasure.

Tannal felt Surem twist his hips so that his knot stirred deep within him, letting the whimpering vixen feel the hugeness of his length as he tried to fuck his mate harder. Tannal's eyes widened as he felt Surem's balls mash against his netherlips even harder than before; he knew what was about to come.

Gripping Tannal's neck even tighter, Surem felt his balls began to churn in their sack and he whined lustfully and then began to thrust harder and harder, barking in pleasure as his balls began to pump their seed down his shaft.

Tannal gasped as he felt Surem's cock expand so that it felt even larger within him, then moaned when he felt the hot, stiff length heat up even more as the fox familiar's cum surged from his balls down his throbbing penis. The fox's cock exploded within Tannal's depth, gushing its fiery hot seed into the vixen's quivering cunt. As the fox threw his head back and howled joyfully, thrusting harder and faster into his partner's vagina. Tannal yipped loudly, feeling his own walls contract with spastic pleasure as his own climax surged through his throbbing walls inside of him. As Tannal came, Surem hunched down and thrust his hips even faster, making Tannal's hips buck rapidly, locked by the fox's knot. Even after the fox's climax slowed, he still gently humping into Tannal, causing the sensitive female to yip in pleasure as Surem ensured that his knot was indeed locked into place.

Surem whined softly in contentment and nuzzled Tannal's face lovingly as he waited for his knot to go down. He didn't turn around so that they were rump to rump, but he simply remained where he was atop of Tannal, basking in pleasure and panting in exertion.

Tannal slowly lowered himself onto the carpet, wincing as he felt the strong tug of Surem's knot against the inside of his netherlips. The fox familiar gently licked Tannal's ears and continued to nuzzle against him, reassuring Tannal and occasionally tugging gently at his knot, causing Tannal to whimper in pleasure, still feeling his partner's cock spewing deep within his depths.

"Good girl," the fox said again, still nuzzling against Tannal. "Did you enjoy that?"

Tannal closed his eyes. "Yes," he whispered, feeling Surem's cock still stretching his insides out. He gripped the carpet tighter with his claws, squeezing his eyes shut and gasping, "Ohh, ohh, ohhhhhh!"

"What is it?" the fox said softly, his muzzle near Tannal's face.

"You're - you're so big. So big." Tannal's mind was lost, completely broken as he stood there in a daze, content for a moment to be a happily mated bitch.

Surem chuckled. "Yes. But you took it all." He licked Tannal's face. "You did very well. Do you feel better now?"

"Yes." Tannal murmured. "Much better."

"I told you I was a gentle lover."

"Yes."

* * * *

When Tannal stepped back into the living room he heard Sari saying, "Of course. Anything, anytime, just give me a ring," to Elliot, who was holding an armful of books.

He glanced at Surem, who looked completely calm, as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened; but Tannal could tell that the arctic fox was, at the very least, satisfied from their coupling. Tannal couldn't help but shudder when he thought of it: how easily he had been seduced, how willingly he had allowed the fox to mount him, how he actually asked to be tied. To Tannal's great relief, he was at least spared the humiliation of cleaning himself up afterward, as Surem was kind enough to do so without complaint. But Tannal couldn't get the disturbingly pleasant sensation of feeling Surem's tongue inside him out of his head...and how good it felt inside him. He shuddered, suddenly feeling uncomfortable around the fox.

Surem caught his glance and whined, almost in apology for what had happened. They could both sense that their masters were still aroused despite the fact that their familiars had taken the edge off their own need. Elliot and Sari were at least standing by the door, so Tannal hoped that that meant they she was going to leave soon. He shuddered, thinking about Sari's familiar inside him and he hoped that they wouldn't talk much longer or he'd have to head to the bedroom again to take care of his lingering heat. The two sorcerers stood for a moment, staring stupidly at each other, then Sari's familiar, looking slightly anxious, nudged against her legs, letting her know it was time to leave. Sari blushed slightly and her smile widened as she stepped closer to the door.

"Here," Elliot shifted the stack of books to one hand and fumbled with the door knob with the other. Tannal was pleased to see that Elliot at least did not have a fully-fledged erection, just a slowly hardening shaft.

"Oh. Thanks," she laughed nervously as Elliot opened the door.

"Sure." He pushed the door open. "No problem."

She tossed her head when she laughed so that the silver strands of her hair caught the light. "Elliot, you're such a gentleman." Sari stepped out of the door, but lingered there, a smile still on her face. "So, I'll see you later?" Tannal saw Surem roll his eyes.

"Yeah. I'll see you around." Elliot stood awkwardly at the door. Again, they stared at each other for a moment longer than what was necessary, the awkwardness growing with every passing second. Then Elliot looked away and cleared his throat. "Well - ah - later then."

Sari was shocked back into action. "Yeah. Later." She waved as she turned away and left, her silvery fox trailing after her.

Elliot gazed after her for a moment, then slowly shut the door. When he turned around he looked stunned, dazed, and frightened all at the same time. His face was still a little red and his arousal, from what Tannal could tell, was still doing more than lingering. He leaned against the door, taking a deep breath to steady himself, and ran a hand through his hair. When he looked up again, his face was a picture of anticipation and, more so, happiness.

Tannal couldn't help but duck to hide his grin. Elliot liked Sari. He didn't think that he would ever see Elliot so ridiculously smitten with a girl before and while he wished that he could be human so that he could comfort and encourage Elliot as his friend, at least he was there. He watched in minor amusement as Elliot hurriedly excused himself to his bedroom and shut the door. When Elliot emerged from his room again he looked a lot better. His face was no longer flushed and his arousal was, as Tannal knew, taken care of. Elliot seemed rather relieved that he had managed to handle an erection without hurting his familiar because he looked rather happy as he strode into the workshop room that was adjoining to his study.

"Alright," he said. "I better get started with this searching spell for the prince."

Tannal, now in the form of a weasel, slinked forward to his master. "What about Tannal?" he asked, watching Elliot with his beady eyes closely. "You said something about trying to find him when you went to his apartment and took that ring - "

"Yes, I know." Elliot said softly. "I think I have a plan for that, too." He looked excitedly at Tannal. "I've been working on plans for a new spell to find Tannal - but I have to get this one started first, or Kensing will kill me! He's coming by tomorrow to check my progress - "

"Kensing?" Tannal said, twisting into a snake.

Elliot raised a brow. "Yes," he said. He opened a huge book and began to gather up small diagrams and jars of various herbs into his arms. "He is my master, you know. I still don't understand why you don't like him."

"Who said I didn't like him?" Tannal said stubbornly.

Elliot laughed, tossing his materials onto his desk. "I did. I'm not an idiot, you know. I can tell."

"Oh? Then tell me now, oh wise master of mine, why don't you make a move on Sari?"

Elliot froze for a moment, then he quickly began to flip through a book, a faint blush rising on his cheeks. "Why would I do that?" he asked thickly.

Tannal leapt up onto the table as a sparrow. "You like her, don't you?"

Elliot started. "What? What are you talking about?"

"Sari," he answered, shifting into his housecat form. "You like her."

Elliot stared at Tannal, blushing deeply. "I - I - she's nice - "

"She's nice?" Tannal repeated, laughing. "El, you're ridiculous!"

Elliot suddenly froze and paled. He drew his breath in slowly then slowly turned away. "Yeah," he murmured softly. "I guess so."

Tannal frowned, rubbing against him. "What? What did I say?" Tannal peered at Elliot. He couldn't understand why Elliot was suddenly rigid.

"It's nothing," Elliot said quickly. "Don't worry about it."

"Hey," Tannal went up to Elliot and rubbed against him, the physical contact making both of them feel better. "Talk to me. What's wrong?"

Elliot took in a deep breath. "You called me 'El,'" he said softly. "Only Tannal ever called me that. Hearing it, it just reminded me of him."

Tannal drew back in surprise. "Elliot, I'm - I'm sorry - "

"It's fine." Elliot looked away so Tannal didn't see the sadness on his face, but it didn't matter: Tannal could still hear it in his voice and he felt a brief pang in his chest, resonant with Elliot's own feelings; our bond must be getting stronger, he thought.