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A/N: Woot! Got it out before buckling down for finals! Thanks a lot for the comments and encouraging emails; and for waiting for after finals for the next and possibly last part, I hope that I won't disappoint you. The second part was three pages shorter than I intended; but I ended making up for it in this installment; I hope that it's not too long; it might even make good bathroom reading. There's quite a bit more actual story to this one; but I hope the yiff level is up to par. C&C please; too many tests went bad and my ego needs stroking... Oh, and because I thought it was such an interesting coincidence since I came up with An'karra's name on my own: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ankara

Additional: It will help with the imagery if you've seen Stargate and played the game 'Freelancer'.

EDIT: 2021-01-15: Attempt to fix formatting issues and content lost over the years of transitions.

After the Rain: The Return Home

“I love you…” The words were a mere breath of a declaration. Jason just sat there. Had that been his voice? Rendered an unidentifiable whisper from wracked nerves? He was frozen in place. How would she react? Had he done it too soon? Was it even him that did it? His brain was too intoxicated with pleasure and fatigue to make any sense of it and sort it out. It could have been his subconscious mind taking action and speaking up. She stirred and got up off his chest to fix him with a stoic stare. That look in her eyes…was it fear? Disappointment? Rejection? Oh, God no…

An’karra just remained still, her head on Jason’s chest; neither of them moved. Had it been soft enough that the phrase had gone unheard? He wasn’t moving. His breath was soft and rhythmic. Had he drifted asleep? Was she lucky enough to have it gone unheard? She got up slowly to see if he was awake. She came face to face with him, eyes wide awake; and froze like a deer in headlights. Had she shocked him into silence? Was it too soon? Why the hell did she have to move so fast? He was frozen, eyes fixed on her; she couldn’t read his expression. She had to explain herself.

“Jason…” She whispered; grabbing his hand, from his side, in hers. “I don’t expect you to reciprocate…But I’ve come to my decision and I just need to let you know how I feel…truly feel.” He remained dead silent and immobile like he was carved of stone. _Too soon! Gods damnit…why, why, why! _Tears started to form as she prepared to make a beeline for the stairway. She ejected herself out of the chair and ran for the stairway to leave the awkward mess behind.

“Jason…” She whispered, grabbing his hand in hers. “I don’t expect you to reciprocate…But I’ve come to my decision and I just need to let you know how I feel…truly feel.” Jason sat, shocked. Giddiness started to overtake him. She had said it. She had said it! She’d confessed her love first and all he had to do was add his part of the bridge and walk across to her. The chance almost escaped him as he saw the look of utter despair overshadow her face before she launched up out of the recliner and ran for the stairway.

She didn’t get very far from him before she was yanked to a halt by the anchor of his hand still attached to hers. The jolt whirled her around just in time to lock lips with Jason as he rose out of the chair.

They stood like that for a long, long time; lips locked, hands clasped and hearts beating; as one. They slowly settled back onto the extended part of the recliner, never breaking their bond, and An’karra felt that knot in her midriff snap with relief. Tears started to fill her eyes and seep out through the lids closed so tightly. Jason placed his hands under her jaw and used his thumbs to wipe away the tears. She mimicked his form, placing her hands under his jaw, and pulled them closer together in the kiss.

They had been kissing for some time before the passion wound down in its intensity and they separated; slowly, leaving an ever expanding amount of ardor in the wake of the kiss. She opened her eyes and as her blurry vision cleared; she saw Jason, a smile that radiated his love on his face. A ghost of a smile crept on her lips as they just stared at each other. He continued to wipe the tears away from her eyes until she caught his hand, kissing his palm and running it against her face.

“I was,” Jason whispered and she gave a slight hiccup from her crying, “scared…scared to tell you how I felt.” His smile widened, “But you beat me to the punch…I don’t want to be separated from you…ever. I wasn’t sure that you would feel the same thing for me…and if you did, I didn’t know if it would’ve even been enough to keep you with me.”

“I thought, that you’d gone to sleep,” She was interrupted by another hiccup. He stroked her cheeks, attempting to calm her down. “But when I saw that you were awake, I knew that you’d heard me…and I thought that you were shocked, even mad at me.”

“Mad at you? Why would I be mad at you?” He asked, the tenderness in his palms reflecting his voice.

“Believing that I was merely playing with your emotions…” she looked down at her hand, then back up into his eyes, “but I’m not. I really, really love you.”

“And I,” he emphasized, “love you.”

“I wasn’t sure, I know I’m moving fast and I thought you might not be ready for that…commitment.”

“I came to that decision this morning…while you were gone. I wanted to tell you when you got back, but I couldn’t get the courage. I was afraid, and maybe hoping, that you would just glean it from my mind and I wouldn’t have to word it.” He smiled.

“I told you, never without permission of the individual. I never knew of your feelings for me…before now.”

“Well, you knew that I loved dragons—”

“DRAGONS?” She screeched, flinging herself away from him again, dodging his grasp this time and fixing him with a stare that transmitted such shock, such anger, such hurt; that it made Jason cringe in guilt. “You love me for what I am!” Tears of pain flowed down her face with renewed vigor, her face contorted in a look of such anguish that caused feelings in Jason that aren’t even in the dictionary.

“Wait!” he cut her off, trying to stop her from going more hysterical. “Please! Please, let me explain; don’t take that the wrong way.” She stifled whatever had been in her mouth, but the joyless, sorrowful glare remained as she continued to weep. He took a deep breath before starting. “I love you; you for who you are. You’re kind, sweet, funny, witty, intelligent and a bunch of other words that escape me at the moment. I’m in love with you, not your body. I will admit that you being a dragon; is a factor in me being physically attracted to you. I’d be lying if I denied that; but I love your personality, your soul. You could be human and that wouldn’t affect my love for you in the least. Your body is after the fact. The same goes for a guy who married his high school sweetheart who happened to become a supermodel. The body is just icing on top of the perfection. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder; your soul is beautiful, your body is attractive. But it is your soul that I love, that I want to make love to for the rest of my days; the personality, not the body. Please…believe me. I have never met anyone like you or even close to you in my existence; and I don’t want to lose you. .” He started to tear up near the end; the fear of actually losing her was settling in, and it was overwhelming. “I love you, with or without wings. If my words aren’t enough, read my mind, I implore you; see that I’m telling the truth…I can’t bear to lose you.” He couldn’t see anything through his tear filled eyes and the dark room. He didn’t hear anything. She could’ve left in the middle of his plea and he wouldn’t have known.

He felt lips connect with his. It took him a moment to register a response, but he quickly made up for it and kissed her deeply in return. He broke the kiss and pulled her hard into an embrace. He’d just almost lost her over some trivial misunderstanding and he’d just realized how badly it would affect him. Tears streamed down his face at the close call. He hugged her tight, not wanting to let go. She returned the iron grip, resting her head against his. She started to purr to soothe and comfort him; much like one would do for a child.

“I don’t need to read your mind…your words are just fine.” She whispered.

“Please…forgive me.”

“There is nothing for me to forgive. I was acting too hastily; I’m the one who was wrong…”

“I forgive you…” He whispered as he nuzzled her cheek this time.

“I didn’t ask for your forgiveness; I’m not deserving—“

“You have it anyways…”

“And you have me…forever.” She breathed, leaning her head against his.

“And I promise,” He pledged to her, “that I will love you forever and stay with you for forever.”

“And…” she hesitated about the second bombshell she was about to drop. Especially so soon after the emotional maelstrom they had just experienced. “I wish we could stay together forever.” She felt him freeze and then he backed up to look her in the face.

“You mean…?” he asked, fretfulness flooding his voice. She looked him straight in the eye, dreading her next words.

“I have to return to my home…tomorrow…” He fixed her with his equivalent of her shocked and heartbroken gaze. “That’s why is told you what I did.”

“On the night before you left?” The tears came back; for both of them. This time his voice rose in anger. So she was just playing with his emotions! “Just to leave a dagger in my back before you left? Burn some bridges on your way out?”

“No! No. I told you…I told you because…” she paused then blurted out: “because I want you to come with me.” His face dropped the hurt and took on a phase of complete surprise and bewilderment. “I told you because I wanted to know how you felt about me; if you were willing to follow me.” She saw him open his lips part and quickly put her hand under his chin and closed his mouth. “Before you answer,” she stifled his response. “You must know that there is a chance that you will never be allowed to come back…and you may even be taken away from me.” He was silent for a very long time. They just stared at one another; she gave Jason all the time he needed. This was the biggest decision of his life; whether to leave everything he knew behind and step into the unknown with her. Did she even really have the right to ask him this? She had many friends back home, but there was part of her that was still alone, loveless. Did she really have the right to ask him to leave his friends and family behind? She’d been without a mate, without a lover, for so long. It was something that she couldn’t deal with any longer. She saw him wipe his teary eyes.

“When do we leave?” He said; voice full of confidence. She smiled and hugged him close.

“Are you sure?” She whispered into his ear.

“I much prefer the risk of losing you rather than losing you for sure; which is what would happen if I stayed here.”

“Thank you…thank you so much.” She nuzzled him to reinforce her gratitude.

“Thank you for giving me the opportunity. So, when do we leave?”

“Tomorrow, late morning. The gate is far from here, but we should be able to make it in three quarters of a day, maybe less.”

“I should get packing then.” He returned the nuzzle to her neck before backing away and rising. “And I gotta tie me up some loose ends before I gets to go.” He said playfully before he headed down the stairs. She got up and skipped over to join him on the main level.

“What are you going to tell your family?” She asked coming down the stairs.

“Oh, I think something along the lines of ‘I’m going on a journey of self discovery in the Alaskan wilderness. Don’t know when I’ll be back.’ That should suffice.” He looked at her for approval and she nodded in agreement and he set about, preparing for his departure.

Jason ended up stuffing all he could in his hiking pack while An’karra mended her tattered clothes. She also started to talk a bit more about her personal life; telling him who he was going to meet.

“I can’t wait to show you to all my friends,” she stated with delight.

“Oh, so I’m like a trophy, am I?” He joked.

“What? No, no, you know what I mean.” She snorted playfully in apology. “I want to introduce you to all of them.”

“I just hope I can remember which names go with which person.”

“You’ll know her when you see her. She’s one of the few gryphons that has mainly all silver plumage; besides the gold inner secondaries.” An’karra chatted from the couch as Jason walked back and forth, collecting necessities. “She’ll like you; she likes everyone. I just hope you like her.”

“Why do you need to hope for that?” He asked as he walked into the bedroom.

“Because she’s my roommate; and I won’t have you two fighting.”

“I’m sure that it won’t be a problem. Anyways, I’ve had a fair mount of roommates that I didn’t agree with when I was in college. I’m pretty sure that I’ve perfected the art of living with someone you can’t stand to live with.” He finished packing his pack and leaned it against the wall.

“I hope that it doesn’t come to that.” An’karra said as she started to yawn. He ogled her as her head leaned forward and jaw opened wide; several pairs of long canines gleaming in the light and her long tongue stretched out far into the air.

“Don’t,” He started to yawn as well, “do that; it’s contagious.” She smiled and got up off the couch, stretched high into the air before she walked over into the bedroom. She grabbed his arm as she went by him and pulled him into the bed.

Jason awoke the next morning, in his bed and near the left edge. An’karra was asleep on top of him once again; curled under his arm with her head on his chest; managing to occupy more of the bed than he did. He felt totally rested, relaxed. Something he hadn’t felt in a long time. They had fallen asleep in each other’s embrace; and had enjoyed it just as much as if they had had sex. He gazed lovingly down at her…he would walk to the ends of the Earth to remain with her; and he was about to do just that. He saw his hiking pack stuffed to the brim and set against the wall over near the door. He mused to himself; was this really what he wanted? He loved her; that was no lie. It didn’t matter what she looked like or what she was; it was the who. He had drifted apart from his family and friends in the past years, so that made things an edge easier. The only people that he talked to regularly were his sister and his close friend; his editor. Maybe he should tell them something more? They would understand; they always had been the ones to know him best. He was ready to start a new life; but he wasn’t sure if he was quite ready to leave his old life.

“Don’t go then,” An’karra’s delicately accented voice softly spoke from his chest; startling Jason and causing him to tumble off the bed; arms flailing as he hit the floor. An’karra giggled and smiled at him as she fully opened her eyes and fix him with a glance that soon turned sad once more. “You’re having doubts; you shouldn’t come with me.”

“You know,” he said picking himself up off the floor, “we have got to work on this ‘reading my thoughts in bed’ thing. I just might get some naughty ideas.” A quick flare of a smile crossed her face before it returned to its darkness. “I’m going with you;” he laid a kiss her on the tip of her snout in reaffirmation before leaning his forehead against hers. “I have never broken a promise in my life and I don’t intend to start now, especially with you of all people in my life. I pledged that I’d love you for forever and never leave you alone; and that’s exactly what I’m going to do.”

“Thank you,” she said as she pulled up to him and hugged him close, extremely tight. It took him a moment to realize, but he felt wetness on his shoulder…tears? She shuddered softly; she was crying! He pulled back slightly to look at her and be sure; he was.

“Are you okay?” She responded with a slight nod, tears still slowly fell from her eyes; he wiped them away. “Something is definitely wrong, tell me, please. You’re acting like…like you’ve been alone for your entire life.” She squeezed her eyes and looked ever so slightly down. “Your last relationship end up hurting a lot?” He guessed and she gave an affirmative nod. “I’m sorry,” he sighed in sorrow and pulled her into his embrace again; stroking to calm her and whispering apologies. She just remained silent, thankful that he didn’t inquire any further into her past. She still didn’t know how she was going to tell him about Era’kanath; she would have to eventually.

It took several minutes for her to calm back down and Jason was all too willing to just sit on the bed and hold her. He didn’t question the cause of her emotions; he just let her vent and recover as he provided a steady stream of soothing words and caresses.

“Thank you…” she whispered when her sobbing had come back under control. “I know that I owe you an explanation about all of this,” he just shook his head and tried to shush her. “I do…I do, but I don’t know how to tell you.”

“When the time comes you will know what to say. If it doesn’t, so be it. It doesn’t affect me in the least and it shouldn’t affect you either. I don’t care who you are, where you come from or what you’ve done; so long as you love me.” He said, quoting a song that he would never admit to having listened to. She looked up at him, fixing him with the most love struck stare he’d yet seen. He kissed her on the nose again and she gave the purr he liked. “We should get something to eat and get going; it’s almost ten o’clock.”

They showered together, playfully groping one another; unfortunately, all too aware of the time constraints. They cleaned out the fridge after eating and An’karra snuck out the back as Jason took out the garbage and shut the power to the house. No sense in running up the bill while he was gone. He met up with her at the edge of the forest behind his house and they began they trek to the gate, An’karra taking point.

They trekked for miles; through the forest, mountain ranges and rolling fields. An’karra kept insisting on helping him carry his pack and they eventually compromised; switching carrier every now and then. They kept up a conversation during the flat portions of the journey. An’karra talked about how her world operated; cultural and political aspects that he would need to respect or abide by; while he inquired on anything that he felt interested in. They were extremely more open than Earth’s society. Same sex marriages had been legal for over a millennia; and there was also the open door aspect towards sex. Practice with your friends makes you perfect with your lover. He guessed that it wasn’t all that different from his surroundings; just that more than a pickup in a bar was usually a prerequisite for sex. Although he was more intrigued by their level of technology; star travel was still science fiction on Earth, but her people had been doing it for centuries. Good thing he packed his camera. They were in another stretch of trees when he noticed the frequency at which An’karra kept looking at the sun; trying to discern the time.

“I know, I know; I’m going as fast as I can.” He said, catching her in mid sun glance.

“What? Oh, it’s not that. I’m just trying to keep us on the right path. We’re actually making pretty good time.” She said as they entered a small clearing in the trees before a canyon formed in front of them. There was a large, flat sun warmed boulder in the center with other smaller counterparts. She took a look back at him and saw how profusely he was perspiring and fixed him with a frown. “You need a break! You should’ve told me.”

“No, no! I’m fine, we have to keep moving.” He protested as she walked over and stripped him of his pack without resistance. She pulled out the water bottle and handed it to him as he slumped up against a tree.

“Don’t push yourself. We still have a ways to go.” She wiped his sweat away with a small towel before doing the same for herself.

“I’ve been doing this for years, I think a can use a challenge.” He passed her the water and she took a swig.

“I’m not going to let you. I don’t want to break you before I get you into my bed.” She smiled and passed the bottle back. He packed it away as she walked over to the huge boulder and placed her hands on it, absorbing the warmth. “You know, you’re not that heavy. I could carry you.”

“Like hell you will!” He protested from his tree.

“Think about it! Leave the pack behind, I carry you some distance and then I come back for the pack; leapfrog it.”

“Do you think you’re up to it?” He said, not hiding his skepticism.

“Sure, I might need to rest for bit after, but I can do it. C’mon,” she turned her back towards him. “Mount me, let’s give it a try.” She said, all too soon realizing the implication of her words.

“What? Out here? I didn’t think that you were that shameless.” He joked as she just hung her head and gave a sigh. Then the warmth from the boulder ran up the veins in her arms and into her brain. Why not? We’re far from anyone. It’s high time we take a rest stop.

“Well, you have what I want, and I want it now; and will do anything to have it...” She raised her head and slightly hid behind her wing, coquettishly staring back at him as she leaned forward and raised her tail, arching it over her back. Jason chuckled, then stared at her, realizing she was serious. She wiggled her arched rear at him, reasserting her invitation. He looked around; knowing that her senses were more acute than his, but feeling the need to check for others anyways before he walked up behind her.

He placed a hand on her tail base and massaged it as she arched her head over her back and kissed him upside down. He teasingly ran his hands along the repaired fabric of her pants, along her sex and she moaned. She rolled over and sat on the boulder and took her top off, lightly cream and orange colored pert breasts slightly jiggling in the sunlight as they were freed. He leaned over her to massage them as she ran her hands up his shirt and kneaded his chest. They kissed as she pulled his shirt up and off and tossed it to the side. His nimble fingers undid the button and zipper on her pants and he slid them off, caressing her inner thigh as he passed. The boulder was the perfect height for their activities, and he got down on his knees and started to lick her slit in the ways she liked. She leaned her flexible neck forward and started to help him, licking her pussy and Jason’s face.

She licked her clit and moaned as Jason slowly pushed into her with two fingers and began to massage her insides. He kissed her on the nose and gestured for her to lean back and leave it to him as he started to push deeper. She laid back on the rock, adjusting her wings for comfort and reveled in the warmth from the sun and the rock and the joy from her snatch which had quickly become wet; her juices dripped down her tail. Jason switched hands and stuck the already lubed up fingers into her tight tail hole which lay exposed mere centimeters down.

He heard her sigh and felt her anal muscles push against his entry as he slowly entered up to his knuckles before wiggling his fingers around inside bother of her orifices; extracting loader moans and head thrashings from her. His erection was at full power in his jeans and was painfully confined by the unforgiving material. In the interest of relieving the pain, he forwent teasing her and quickly picked up speed to bring her over the edge.

She gave a mild roar and arched her back as she came. His fingers were clenched tightly in her ass as well as her pussy as she came. A torrent of hot liquid love splashed him in the face and he quickly began to slurp up as much as he could; continuously teasing her clit. She eventually rode through her orgasm and just laid there as Jason cleaned her nether regions up, teasing her in preparation for the main course.

She sat up as he stood up and she cleaned his face as her hands deftly undid his belt and pants. She pulled his boxers down with them and his cock sprang out from its prison, landing on her exposed pussy. He immediately pushed forward and slid into her still aroused slit, not letting her return his favor. She hugged him close, moaning over his shoulder as he hilted himself deep in her core. He pulled out and started a deep, hard rhythm. She quickly started climbing again and her juices coated his shaft, a large excess leaking down over her tailhole before falling onto the rock.

She stopped him and pushed him back before she got too far along; pulling him out completely while ignoring his confused look. She spun on the rock again so she was on her knees and arched up her rear high into the air for him. She pulled her tail up again, exposing her slit which still looked oh so tight; and seeped with arousal. He placed his tip up against the entrance and was about to take her from behind but she stopped him again, grabbing his member from between her legs before he could advance. She pushed upwards and let the tip rest on the slickened indentation of her virgin tailhole before giving control back to him. He was surprised to say the least.

“Uh…An? Are you sure?” he asked as his hands stroked her butt cheeks tenderly. She looked back over her shoulder at him and grinned.

“I’m ready for it…and willing. And I know that it’s something that you’ve been wanting to try…but have been too afraid to voice a request.” He looked down, slightly ashamed for his dirty thoughts.

“I didn’t want to hurt you. I still don’t want to hurt you.”

“Well, you’re naughty little thoughts has got me wanting to try it. It’s clean.” She said as she wiggled her hips, teasing the tip of his cock; begging him to enter her untouched hole. “I’ve never done it before, but I’m willing to give it a go. Provided that you don’t tear me a new one.” She smiled reassuringly.

“Alright,” he said after some deliberation, “but you tell me the moment you’re even the slightest bit uncomfortable.” He said as he leaned forward over her. Her rear was arched in such a position that made her cheeks part and left her tailhole exposed all on its own and needed no helping hands. She sighed and forced herself to relax as she coped with the odd sensation of pressure against her seal. His lubed head parted her skin, stretching its way inside her and she gasped as it penetrated. It slipped its head in suddenly and a shot of pain made her wince; Jason halted, waiting for directions.

She nodded gently and he began his advance. She shuddered at the new feeling of being filled, but having nothing to get rid of. Her ring was stretched, but the maximum width was already in and so it needn’t go any wider; the pain had started to subside. Jason kissed and nuzzled her neck comfortingly as he stuffed inch upon inch in her back door. She heard him moan and pant during his kisses as her virgin passage played a tight vice-like host to his rock solid shaft. It had now become an oddly thrilling sensation; having something buried deep inside her nether path that wasn’t what it was made for. She moaned as he finally made his body flush with hers, his entire length embedded in her intestines. He paused once again, letting her insides shift to the intruder; waiting for her discomfort to subside so that she would only experience pleasure. He continued to moan, kiss and nuzzle her to pass the time.

“Mmm…I’m good,” she arched her head back and moaned into his ear. She gave his shaft a squeeze for reinforcement and saw his gasp of pleasure. He kissed her one more time before he straightened back up and proceeded to pull out of her. She moaned as the familiar feeling of her bowels being vacated, pleasured her in a way she’d never experienced before. He pushed back in, slightly faster; aiming on starting a pleasureful rhythm. His thrusts were slow and deep, maximizing the pleasure and still allowing her to adjust to his intrusion. The sun shown brightly and warmly down on the forest; and for a while, the rustling of wind through leaves of the canopy and the sound of the occasional animal was mixed with the moaning, panting and fleshy slapping noises of the two lovers’ activities.

She started to try and squeeze him out, increasing the pressure for his thrusts. Her arousal dripped from her pussy, down onto the rock and started to pool around her knees. He kept his hands steadily fastened on her hips and pistoned in and out her tail, grunting in excitement. The slippery pistoning rhythm mixed with the slapping of his balls on her wet pussy only served to heighten their arousal and they soon began to lose control over their orgasms.

An’karra reached between her legs, stuck two fingers in herself and cupped her clit; rubbing at an insane pace until she started to scream. Her body went curved as her head arched towards the sun, her wings flaring out to full extension as she climaxed; juices spraying out in full force and splashing on the rock, on her legs and even managing to bounce back up to coat Jason’s crotch. That warm paint job, splash coating his balls, was enough to send Jason over the edge; and he let out a yell of euphoria as he hilted himself in An’karra’s pink, abused tailhole. Despite the rawness of her tailhole sending her sore impulses, she thoroughly enjoyed the new sensation of Jason emptying his hot load into her rectum and closed her eyes as she continued to rub slippery snatch as it hosed her legs. She squeezed his shaft with her tired muscles, trying to coax out as much of his load as she could.

Jason leaned forward again, panting as his head came up behind hers. She angled her head around and they kissed; she gave his shaft several playful squeezes; still buried deep inside her core. They kissed for a while, sharing their afterglow until Jason propped himself on the rock and began to withdraw. An’karra moaned and reveled in the feeling of something long, leaving her tail cavity and gave a moan as there was a slight pause and more pressure exerted before the head was forced out with a squishy popping sound. It felt odd without something to take up the stretched, empty space; cold almost.

She rolled onto her back once more and spread her legs wide. Her juices coated her entire nether regions, including all of her thighs and her knees; her entire tailbase reflected in the sunlight. She felt a tingling sensation and saw a trail of Jason’s cum start to leak out of her rapidly tightening tailhole. She leaned forward and, much like any animal that is lucky enough to have the ability; began to clean herself with her tongue. She licked up all her excess juices and Jason kneeled down to lend his tongue. Their tongues made short work of the mess, save the trail of Jason’s. An’karra leaned lower without reservation and slurped it up. She started to probe herself to get as much as she could, enjoying the sensation she had never tried herself.

It took Jason a moment, but he eventually dropped his qualms and joined An’karra in her cleaning duties. She approved with a deep purr and pulled back onto her elbows, letting him take lead. He picked up where she’d left off, probing her stretched hole for his own seed. Finding his tongue of insufficient length, he put his lips over her tailhole and was able to suck out some of his emission, providing more pleasure in the process.

The taste was odd, salty and something else. He came up and locked lips with An’karra; juices mixing between them. Breaking contact, she leaned down and quickly gave him a cleaning before coming back up to nuzzle him. She clamped onto him, hands over his shoulders and legs around his waist and he lifted her off the rock into the lee of another rock with a ledge for them. Sitting down, they silently and mutually agreed for a brief siesta before continuing the journey. She spun around so she lay on top of him and purred until he drifted into slumber; it was better than a lullaby by far.

“WHAT THE HELL IS THIS?” A screeching voice woke Jason some time later. “We’ve all been worried sick about you, being a week overdue; and here you are; in the middle of the woods, getting your rocks off!” Jason didn’t recognize the voice, but he did realize An’karra was on top of him, covering him with her wings.

“Wait—” He heard An’karra started before she was cut off again.

“Get dressed, we have to go; didn’t you sense that there are humans close by.”

“What?” An’karra asked, completely befuddled by that statement. “I don’t smell any…” She slowed as she realized that the only human in the area was the one that she’d grown accustomed to sensing; and had known was not a threat. “Oh, there’s only one anywhere close to here.” She said, taking a nonchalant stance with her arguer.

“One is enough to blow your cover, Karra. I never thought that you’d be so reckless.” The other voice replied in exasperation.

“I’m not being reckless, he won’t reveal our secret.” She said, trying to placate to newcomer.

“He?”

“Livianna,” An’karra said as she retracted the wing that was concealing Jason. “Meet Jason.” Jason recognized the name and the figure across from him—a silver gryphon with gold feathers on the inside of her wings and white hair—squatting on the large rock; Livianna Maesarn, An’karra’s roommate. She and he shared a shocked expression as they just stared at each other for a moment.

“Uh, hi.” Jason waved and tried to smile. Livianna stared at him for a second before responding.

“Hi to you too.” She put on a light smile, edges of her beak turning up before she fixed An’karra with a stare. “Explanation?” She actually had a slight southern accent to her voice.

“Get dressed dear, we’ve got to go.” An’karra gave him a peck on the cheek before she got up to join Livianna. She grabbed her by the arm and guided her to the edge of the clearing where she explained the whole past week. He found his pants and shirt and dressed. He also saw An’karra and Livianna out of the corner of his eye; Livianna would look over at him now and then as An’karra went on; she touched her broken horn once.

He did his own reconnaissance on Livianna as he dressed. She was truly silver; not white or gray, but a shiny silver. Her wings were folded neatly against her back, gold feathers barely visible. There was a piercing through each membrane near her back to allow clothing, which she had little of; a sports bra and high cut pair of shorts. Her belly fur was exposed; covering still well defined abdominal muscles with a shiny, slightly tainted white coating. The rest of her was silver with vary little variance; apart from the faded yellow beak and nares. Even her hair was silver. Her ear tufts were a medium long, shorter than An’karra’s horns, but suited for her head. Her tail swished slowly from side to side, the soft looking tuft of fur on the end bending in the wind. She also had a small pack attached to her hip from a belt.

“So,” Livianna mused, “he saved your life and you ended up falling in love with him.”

“That’s the gist of it.”

“…You really love him?”

“Yes.” She replied without hesitation. Livianna sighed and smiled.

“I guess that this was bound to happen…I glad that it did, for your sake. You deserve him. It’s my time then, I’ll have to move out.”

“What! Nonsense, you’re my closest friend. I don’t have to lose that; I don’t want to lose that…I was actually hoping to persuade Jason to let you join us in our ‘nightly activities’ and it would be a lot easier if you only had to come from the next room.” An’karra seductive smile.

“Oh you…” Livianna replied, playfully slugging An’karra in the shoulder before taking on a more somber persona. “It’s good to see you smiling so much, Anne; and loving again. I don’t want to ruin that.” She said looking down, avoiding a direct glance.

“You won’t; trust me.” She gave Livianna a pat on the shoulder.

“So, your life’s back in sync; back on the horse and riding again, so to speak.”

“Oh, I’m definitely riding again.” An’karra chided.

“But your jokes still need a lot of work. C’mon, we should get going.”

“I was thinking, with you here, do you think we can fly?” An’karra asked as they turned and started to walk back to Jason who’d finished dressing and was leaning against the same tree.

“I carry him; you carry the pack?”

“Other way, stupid.” An’karra rolled her eyes at her friend and Livianna smiled. “If I remember correctly, weren’t you the one who was transporting that antique vase of your mother’s when it mysteriously succumbed to gravity.” Livianna just cocked her head and feigned ignorance. “Come on, luv; we have to get going.” She called Jason to attention and he started to pick up the pack. “Give that to Liv, dear.” She ordered, more for Livianna than Jason, as she put on her pants.

“Yes, m’lord.” Jason bowed to accent the joke and An’karra took on a royal pose of dignity before chuckling. “I’m Jason, by the way.” He joked, a belated introduction. “I don’t usually let people see me naked until they’ve known me for at least an hour.”

“Oh, she told me all about you; in exquisite detail.” She seductively winked at him as she took the pack from him. “I guess we’ll have to wait until later to get to know one another.” He tail lightly brushed his crotch as she turned and leapt off the cliff, taking flight towards the gate.

“What exactly did you tell her?” Jason asked as An’karra walked up behind him, finishing pulling her shirt down.

“Nothing that wasn’t the truth.” She replied defensively. “C’mon, let’s go; your new life awaits.” She walked in front of him, spread her wings and gestured for him to hop on.

“Are you sure about this?” She just turned her head sideways towards him and smiled.

“Trust me.” She gave a jerk of her head in the canyon’s direction, “it’ll be like a piggyback ride. Put your arms around my neck, and your legs behind mine.” He did as she bade, enjoying the soft smoothness of her hide against his arms; it felt almost like suede. He enjoyed touching her; and her touch in return. “Hey,” she brought him out of his reverie, “you aren’t scared of heights are you?”

“No,” he replied, just a bit apprehensive of what the question was going to lead to.

“Good!” She yelled as she dove off the cliff, fast enough to cause Jason’s head to snap back as he let loose a startle cry. She dove and headed for the deck, picking up speed; and preparing give Jason a thrill ride. The wind rushed past them as An’karra slowly extended her wings, preparing to bring them out the dive. The deck was quickly coming upon them and Jason was about to voice his warning when she arched her back and quickly pulled them out of the dive, forcing Jason hard against her back as she skimmed the canopy. He automatically let out a whoop as she shot into sky, crossing the first low lying cloud layer. His joy ebbed in the wake of his concern and he angled his head towards her closest ear.

“Are you okay?” He yelled above the passing wind.

I’m fine. Her voice, unmistakably, said in his head. He jolted at the surprise. He could actually feel her smiling on the other end; pleased with her catching him completely unaware. He couldn’t explain it, he just felt her emotions. Surprise. _She said. _Just think your words, I can hear them.

_Why didn’t you tell me that you could? _He replied, picking it up effortlessly; which surprised An’karra in turn.

_Well, that’s simple; you never asked. _He felt a mental chuckle from her.

_Why I oughta- _he said, unpleased with her answer.

We are creatures of magic. There are many things we can do that you’ve never experienced on your planet, let alone seen or heard of.

_What else can you do? _He asked, feeling her grin this time.

_Keep your head down and hold on. _She warned. He laid his head against her neck as she stopped flapping, entering a glide. Her left wing was in view; and the air directly in contact with it seem to deform. It took on a look like heat waves, or how natural gas would distort the air. A trail extended out in the wings wake and suddenly they were catapulted forward by a burst of acceleration. Jason looked on in awe as the landscape started to move incredibly fast beneath them.

Assisted Flight. _She said with a hint of amusement in her voice. _No need to flap; enables us to carry heavier loads.

They’re like jet engines!

_No pollution though. _He shrugged in response. There was a brief pause as Jason took in all he could. The wind rushed by, like fingers caressing his face and running themselves through his hair.

_God, I’ve missed this. _He said, almost causing An’karra to falter a step.

Missed?

You know what I mean. _He said sheepishly; trying to direct her to the answer that she would’ve gained from reading his mind. Her silence indicated she didn’t, so he went on. _I always wanted to be a dragon myself. Always wanted to be able to fly through the clouds and make loops in them, feel them against my skin; have the wind rush through my hair. I used to find the tallest place I could and just sit there, letting the wind pass me as I closed my eyes. The closest that I could’ve come to that is being a pilot in the air force. But due to several medical conditions, I lost that chance. And now…here I am; the love of my life has given me back what I lost. _He nuzzled the back of her neck and felt the equivalent of a return in his mind. Thank you again…thank you beyond words._ He felt the rumbling of her purring response through his neck. There was another thought with a brief pause before she spoke again.

_Tell me where you want to go. _She said definitively.

What?

_Think where you want me to go and I’ll take you there. My body is yours to fly; take the controls. _This entire past week had been one of surprise; and here he was again, surprised into silence. A picture appeared in his mind; An’karra’s view of the sparsely clouded landscape sprawled out before them. He felt a mental nudge forward, urging him to take the reins. He took control, guiding her as she took them there. It was an odd feeling to say the least. He thought which way to turn, which way to bank, and she emulated his thoughts.

There was a big cumulonimbus off to their port and he banked towards it. They penetrated the lower portion and cut through the thickest part. Jason carefully reached out a hand, reveling in the feeling as the cool mist passed through his fingers. He pulled them up and cut a swath through to the top and out the side of the cloud. They emerged over a field of fluffy white. They seemed to float at the peak of their arc; the afternoon sun shown a brilliant gold with a hint of orange on the cloud ocean below. He pulled an Immelman and took them down to the top of the clouds, An’karra’s wings clipping the tips and dispersing them. He felt tears in his eyes as he ducked and weaved through the towers of mist, occasionally plunging through one.

He could not even attempt to mask his joy. He let out whoops and yeehaws constantly. Tears of pure joy started to come to his eyes; the wind grabbing them and flinging them far behind him in their wake. They had been flying for some time when Jason felt fresh rain drops on his face. It took him a moment to realize that it wasn’t rain; he could see the trail of tears streaming from An’karra’s eyes and flowing back to him.

_Oh my God, I’m hurting you. _Was his first gaspingly horrible thought.

_No, dear heart; I’m just happy. _A brief pause to collect herself; then she seemed to sigh. _I’m just happy that you’re happy. _He gave her a hug, both physically and mentally; he was growing adept in mindspeak quite quickly. Then he felt something; a drain. He started to feel lethargic. He felt as if he’d just run a marathon after swimming the English Channel.

It was An’karra! He’d tired her out flying through the clouds. She had been hiding it from him, but now it leaked across the mental link because of her diminished capacity. He was about to protest when she cut him off.

_I’ll be fine Jason. _She said reassuringly, but firmly. _ But I’m afraid that that’s all for right now. The gate is just over there; we’ll just glide there. _There was a change in the pitch of the noise coming from the passing wind and Jason saw the shimmering aura disappear from her wings and they started to slow down. The view faded from his mind as An’karra took control once more.

I’m so sorry. _He started, I was being selfish. I shouldn’t have used you for my own happiness like that._

_There is nothing to be sorry about. _She mentally shook her head; knowing that he’d most likely be apologizing for the next month or until she could convince him otherwise. _Your joy is my joy. I was just giving you what happiness I can; a fraction of the same happiness that I get from seeing you happy or when I fall asleep in your arms at night. The happiness that I want every night. _

God, what did I do to deserve you…_he hugged her tightly and she briefly touched her arm to his in response. _I hope that I never wake up from this dream. I hope that I never wake up apart from you.

Believe me, this is no dream; and that should prove it. She pointed him towards a vertical gash in the canyon wall that they were quickly approaching.

That’s the gate?

_No, the gate is inside. Brace for impact. _She flared her wings wide, cupping a massive amount of air to slow their descent. There was a jarring thud as An’karra’s legs took the heavy force of the landing; she fell to all fours and Jason immediately let go and slipped to the ground; running around front to help An’karra stand back up.

“Please, sit down,” he said aloud now, “and promise me that you’ll never do anything like that again.”

“No, really, I’m fine. I did it for you.”

“Fine, sit down for me then.”

“Only if it’ll make you shut up.” She leaned into his neck and kissed him before turning her back to him and plopping herself onto the ground, using him for support as she closed her eyes.

“I thank you from the bottom of my heart; but please, don’t do anything like that again. I don’t want to lose you.” He said, hugging her close and whispering in her ear.

“It’s not what you think. We can’t over drain ourselves into death. We just faint.”

“But you would’ve fainted and fallen to your death.” He wrapped his arms protectively around her.

“You don’t know that; you’re only able to guess because it didn’t actually happen.” She smirked, but he couldn’t refute the claim.

“And where have you two been?” Livianna asked coming from the crack in the mountain. “I hope that you weren’t having fun without me?” She said, placing her hands on her hips.

“Oh, we did.” An’karra smiled.

“But not what you think.” He hastily added as Livianna started to pout. “She took me flying through the clouds;” Then he turned back to An’karra and modified his tone for a little third person patronizing. “But she didn’t tell me that it would tire her out so bad.”

“Of course she wouldn’t; she’s too selfless. Are you okay, deary?”

“I’m fine,” An’karra replied, opening her eyes. “That’s what I’ve been trying to tell him,” she nudged Jason with her shoulder, “but he insisted on making me sit down.”

“Martyr, martyr, martyr,” she tsked and shook her head. “She knows her limits, Jason. We should get going; everyone back home is worried about her.”

“Fine, two to one; I concede. Let’s go then.” He got up and offered a hand to An’karra. She looked at it, then smirked at him; getting up on her own and walking into the cave. Livianna just gave a shrug and they followed her.

He crossed the long, dark and narrow passage. His eyes had started to adjust to the dark when he saw light up ahead. There was an unnatural illumination inside, no visible light sources. He exited the passage and stumbled into a large chamber inside the mountain. Still no lights on the roof or anywhere else; Jason saw that the walls themselves were luminescent and lighting the chamber. The room had symbols and architecture carved into it; very alien in nature. Symbols, ornate columns and statues adorned the room.

And then his eyes focused on the far wall. A large ring mounted on it; the bottom fifth of the ring was buried in the floor in a ramp that lead into the gate. His first thought was a stargate. His father had shown him the old show and movie when he was growing up. But he noticed several differences right off the bat. The device was charcoal colored and there seemed to be two rings; an inner and outer one. The outer one was flawlessly carved, decorations but no actual symbols; and the inner one was completely smooth. There were nine smooth boxes adorning the outer ring and the circumference of the outer ring seemed to glow a bluish white.

He saw An’karra standing at some sort of rock podium. The top had been pulled open on a hinge and she was pressing several buttons. There was a sound of something charging and the inner ring slowly started to spin.

“This is a ‘riftgate’,” An’karra explained as she kept punching in buttons. “It generates a rift in space, a wormhole, to the dialed gate.” Jason just stared in awe at it.

For a second the outer ring had lighting arcs walk over it; then the inside started to move faster. The second ring kept spinning clockwise, then a came a weird electrical sound, almost like a splash of water on more water. A symbol flashed on the lower left part of the ring, imbedded in the smooth square face. It glowed a brilliant bluish white. The noise came again and a different symbol flashed on, several feet above the first in another square. “Each gate has a certain sequence programmed into it that makes it unique.”

Soon there were eight symbols on the ring, four on each side, the top still bare. At the top, a ninth symbol came into being, but it didn’t flash into existence like the others; it grew from the trail of a point, like someone was carving it. And this one glowed a brilliant orange.

With the circle symmetrically covered in these symbols, the inner circle came to an abrupt halt and flashed a brilliant white. The empty hole in the circle suddenly filled up and seemed to explode outward in a single column. It reached a length of about twenty feet, just short of where An’karra and Livianna was standing, and then fell back into the ring. The void in the ring had taken on a look of water being illuminated by fluorescent lights and hummed with activity.

An’karra gestured for him to join them at the bottom of the ramp. He walked down the path and picked up his pack which lay at the bottom. He strapped up and started up the ramp when An’karra grabbed his passing hand. She pulled him close to her, staring deeply into his eyes for a moment.

“I’m going with you.” He stated stoutly before she could voice her question. She smiled and hugged him tightly; a gesture which he returned.

“This is your last chance to back out.” She whispered.

“I refer to my previous statement.” He said, stroking her neck. A shrill whistle broke the moment and they both turned in time to see Livianna urge them onwards and disappear into the gate. They smiled at one another and An’karra grabbed Jason’s hand and led him up the ramp, into the gate.

There was no feeling, but the sight was incredible. It was all black at first, then a circle of white light ahead of him. His vision shook as he seemed to accelerate past the speed of light. Yellow lines started to appear, traveling parallel to his direction as they revolved around him. The surrounding black flashed and turned into waves of blue and white. Light and dark blue hues crashed together in a surrounding ocean. It was beautifully blinding; then it was gone. It all stopped at once and Jason was back in, what he could only assume was, normal space. An’karra was still holding her hand and looked back at him; smiling at his slack jawed awe struck expression.

“Pretty cool, huh?” He could only respond with a slight nod. “Come on.” He took a look around the room. There were perimeter lights, but not much anything else. The room was a cube with smooth walls, no doors. He was about to try and voice something when he saw Livianna place a hand on a colored spot on the wall. There was a funny tingling in his whole body as his vision flashed whit and he was suddenly in a large hall; it was like a train station. Sunlight filtered in through the windows in the roof and around the massive columns that dotted the structure. He saw more gryphons, a few dragons and many other species that he could only equate to cats and dogs; or the same family. They seemed to be very much like his book; like An’karra had said. He saw others, singles and groups, disappear in what could only be described as a series of green and white vertical lines. He guessed that they were heading to similar rooms with gate like the one he’d entered. He could only surmise that the rooms were designed to keep anyone who didn’t know the system from entering the main population.

“You’re correct.” An’karra said, still leading him by the hand through the crowds. “I’m sorry; I know I should stop doing that.”

“It’s okay, not like I got anything left to hide since you seem to tell all to anyone we meet.” He chided. She guided Jason onto a tram; trailing right behind Livianna. The tram quickly accelerated, but dampened the force for the passengers. It was overwhelming Jason; all this advanced technology was almost too much for him. He stared out the window as they left the city and the ‘airport’ behind. Despite all the technology, the world still had a primitive look to it. Tall silver gleaming spires dotted forests and were clumped together to form the city he was leaving.

They started to enter the countryside. They crossed a large forest until a sparse amount of building began to pop up once more. The car slowed and they got off; An’karra gestured widely to the town.

“This is Vyeslae, your new home.” She started walking off the ramp and into the heart of the town.

“So who decides if I get to live here or not?” He managed to ask.

“That would be Jask. I guess you could call him the mayor. The proper term is Elder, but he doesn’t want people to use it. Plus, he’s quite young; only a decade older than me.”

“And how old are _you _exactly?” He asked and she fixed him with a faked shocked stare.

“A lady never reveals her true age.” She smiled and shook her head before conceding. “392.”

“Although it’ll be ’93 in a week, actually.” Livianna chimed in.

“I better get you something then.” Jason said, trying to shake his stunned demeanor.

They walked to a large house, complete with a massive front lawn and spotless porch. It looked like a southern plantation house almost. Walking up to the door, An’karra pressed the pressure plate that was the doorbell and they waited. It took a minute and another ring, but they eventually heard footsteps on the other side. The door opened and in the doorway stood a black gryphon; wings and fur stark black with a purple under hue. He wore a robe over a pair of jeans, oddly enough. His hair was noticeably disheveled.

“What do you w—Anne!” He jumped her with a hug. “Man, Liv, you weren’t lying when you said that you’d be right back with her. It’s good to see you both, and safe!”

“Thank Jason here for that.” An’karra replied and he pulled away from her; noticing for the first time that a newcomer stood on his porch.

“Well thank you for whatever you did, kind sir. An’karra is quite an integral part of life here; we don’t know what we’d do without her.”

“That’s laying it on a bit too thick, Jask.” An’karra angled her eye ridges at him.

“Terran?” He asked, fixing a stair at Jason before looking at Livianna then An’karra.

“Uh, yessir.” Jason managed to respond. The gryphon held out his hand.

“None of that needed here.” They shook hands. “Name’s Jaskvitar Rhiliatharsen. Don’t,” he said putting up his other hand, “bother. ‘Jask’ is just fine. We’d run out of oxygen otherwise. So, I’m guessing you want to live here.” Jason nodded. “Well, you’re in the right place. Come in, all of you. Tell me your life and death story first; business later.” He stepped aside and gestured for them to enter. “Hey, Parm?” He yelled into the houses upper level. “An’karra and Liv are here with a friend; can you get us some coffee?” He looked around to make sure the choice was acceptable.

“Anne’s back?” Came a male voice in reply from upstairs. A lightly colored green dragon appeared and came skipping down the stairs; also in a robe and sporting disheveled hair. His eyes lit up as he saw An’karra. “It’s good to see you; we thought something had gone wrong over there!”

“Something did; but I’m here now.” She said, giving him a hug before flinching back. She looked down; there was a noticeable lump on the front of his robe. “Oh, I’m sorry; we interrupted something.”

“No, I’m just that happy to see you.” The dragon grinned and An’karra gave Jason a sideways glance that indicated that there was no substance behind the comment and he should just ignore it. Parm smirked before he turned towards another room. “Go ahead and sit down, I’ll join you in a minute.”

“Wash your hands first!” Livianna called after him. A response of extra loud exaggerated splashing came from the kitchen.

“Come, have a seat guys.” Jask gestured into the living room.

“Are you sure we shouldn’t come back later? It’s not a problem.” An’karra protested.

“Psssh, it’d do him some good to wait.” Jask said, taking a recliner. Jason shucked his pack and laid it against the couch before sitting down. An’karra could sense how uneasy he was and sat next to him; trying to relieve his anxiety. Livianna took the third spot, stretching as she settled in. “So, come on lass; what happened?” Jask said, leaning forward in eagerness. An’karra cleared her throat and looked him directly in the eyes.

“Well, I had finished my survey, actually a day early, and was on my way to the gate when…”

An’karra repeated the past week, some parts in exquisite detail, up to the previous night; Jason covering her rescue and recuperation. Parm came back with some sandwiches, coffee and a pitcher of some kind of juice for all of them. He took a seat on Jask’s armrest and listened intently.

“And we fell in love.” An’karra said, taking a sip of some juice and patting Jason’s hand on his thigh. “I invited him back here to live with me…and here we are; at your mercy.” Jask gryph-grinned at her.

“You seem to have forgotten the part where I found both of you butt naked in the forest and fast asleep.” Livianna cracked.

“Well…I gave the abridged version.” An’karra said slightly uneasy under the stares from Jask and Parm.

“We’re deeply indebted to you, Jason; and your discretion in the matter.” Jask said while leaning back in his chair. “Gods only know what would happen if she had been discovered by anyone else.”

“It was fate,” he replied squeezing An’karra’s hand affectionately. “That I found her that day. I just played my part, sir.” He said, almost involuntarily.

“Come on, lighten up a bit; you’re making _me _uncomfortable.” He joked.

“Sorry, it’s in my nature. This is as relaxed as I get in these kind of situations.”

“Relaxed? Hardly! You’re so clenched that if you stood up right now, you’d take the couch with you!” He laughed and took a swig from his mug before settling back down. “Still, your selflessness is something that we don’t see much of anymore on your planet. We are honored by your presence and that you have come to stay with us.” Jask stated, very solemnly.

“I’m the one who is honored. To even be allowed to see this marvelous world of yours; I’m grateful for even being given the opportunity to live here.”

“Speaking of which, I suppose that you want to get my approval on that now.”

“It is what we came for.” Livianna bluntly stated, rolling her eyes.

“Aww, I thought you wanted to visit some friends,” Parm said with feigned heartbreak.

“Well, it’s a simple process.” Jask started, ignoring the side conversation.

“Since when?” An’karra interrupted, genuinely surprised at the lack of red tape.

“Since I decided it was; fifteen minutes ago.” Jask said with a chuckle. “Perks of the position, as it were. I just need to read your mind; look for any hidden agenda, anything against the law, any evil tendencies.” He left it open ended.

“Evil tendencies?” Jason asked.

“Murder, rage, vandalism and the like.” Jask said counting on his fingers. “But judging by how highly An’karra speaks of you, I don’t think that it will be an issue.” He smiled reassuringly.

“Oh, I thought you meant it like in a religious sense. Like ‘masturbation is an evil tendency’ or something.” Jason remarked, drawing a loud scoff from Jask, Livianna and Parm all at the same time; he thought he even heard something from An’karra.

“If pawing off was illegal, we’d all be on death row as multiple repeat offenders.” Jask laughed. “No, no, nothing like that. We’re…actually a bit more open about such things; I guess you could say. I mean, we’re not shameless, but your home is your castle and your preferences are your own. So, come over here and let’s get this over with.” He said, gesturing for Jason to sit on the edge of the coffee table in front of him. Jason did as he was told and settle carefully onto the table, making sure that it could take his weight before he fully committed to the downfall.

Jask performed the same procedure that An’karra did their first night together. He lowered his head and gesture for Jason to do the same. Grabbing his hands, Jask gave the same instructions that An’karra had.

“Relax, empty your mind of every though; and watch.” He closed his eyes and suddenly, there was the bright flash in his mind’s eye and then, the memories.

His life began to replay for him. He didn’t consciously remember every moment, but he remembered it as it came up and passed; forgetting it again as it receded into his long term memory. His childhood, early schooling, high school years, friends, holidays, gatherings, college, his work life, his family. The recent wedding, birthday parties, meetings with friends and then his discovery of An’karra. It definitely wasn’t surfacing in order, but he knew it all. His imagined memories then came to the surface: what he’d pictured for his stories, as well as the ones he hadn’t written yet…and his inner most thoughts. He felt uncomfortable again, sharing these ludicrous thoughts that he’d had since high school. He’d imagined himself as a dragon, a bronze-orangish one, and had had many dreams of it. He’d actually birthed his stories from these dreams. He’d also made himself have a mate as a dragon, another dragon; a golden one was his ideal mate. His sexual fantasies came about now, his mate and him, in a bedroom in the middle of passionate lovemaking; many different times. He was still in contact with his body and he felt himself start to become aroused be these memories; like he always did when he thought of them. He squirmed a bit, starting to think that this wasn’t such a good idea. Jask seemed to stick with this series for a bit longer than An’karra had. Pulling up images from his point of view, looking at his mate below him, riding him or asleep in the empty space of his body. His fantasy wedding appeared and faded into the honeymoon. The image shifted again to the fantasy of An’karra on the beach with him and he felt his face swell to three times its size as he blushed; really starting to feel uncomfortable with someone picking over his naughty thoughts.

The image shifted again, more random events then the last week came up. Everything was replayed. The rescue, dragging An’karra through the woods to his home, hefting her up the stairs, coming home to have dinner with An’karra, the power outage, the couch intimacy, his slight interruption, being led to the bedroom and participating in a night of passion. He woke up, he and An’karra went into the shower and coupled again; An’karra pleasuring him on the living room floor, waking up and watching the sunset, An’karra coming to stand behind him. Then waking up again to find An’karra gone, her return and backrub, the sex on the terrace and then the confession of love. It skipped ahead to their ‘rest stop’ in the forest, being found by Livianna; the marvelous flight on An’karra through the clouds was the last thing that he saw before the link was ended and he was back in control of his body and mind.

Jask leaned back and stared at Jason. Gryphons had their faces covered in fine fur, and thus, they couldn’t go pale face. But the stare that Jask was giving Jason covered for the lack of that ability very well.

“Could you all,” he said, speaking slowly and picking his words extremely carefully, “give me a couple of minutes; to think.” They were all caught off guard by the request, but Parm recovered the quickest and gave Jason a hand up off the table.

“We can go wait in the kitchen,” He said, leading the way for Livianna, An’karra and Jason.

“Not you, An’karra.” Jask almost ordered, taking a sip of coffee; not quite setting it back down but mulling it over in his hands. She and Jason looked at each other; she tried her hardest to give him a reassuring smile before she returned to her seat and clasped her hands nervously. Jason and Livianna exited to the kitchen and Parm shut the door. An’karra nervously gazed at Jask, scared that he might have reason to turn down their request. “I need to talk to you about Jason.”

“I guess that that’s not a good sign,” Jason said as they sat at the dining table while Jask and An’karra decided his future.

“I’m sure that it’s nothing to worry about.” Parm said reassuringly as he poured another round of drinks.

“Judging by the way you all were caught as unaware as I was, I’m pretty sure neither of you expected this to happen. So I can assume that he’s trying to break the news that we can’t stay together.”

“Optimism, Jason!” Parm ordered, clouting him on the back.

“He’s right, Jason. Worrying about it is only going to make it worse.” Livianna added, handing him a cup. “Besides, think about your position. You saved a life that led you here; and one of his best friend’s on top of that. So, unless you’re a mass murderer?” She inquired.

“No!” He scoffed, more harshly than he meant; his anxiety was getting the best of him.

“Political extremist, arsonist, rapist?” He shook, feeling that if he verbalized his answer, he’d blow her clothes off. “Then you got nothing to fear. Even if you pilfered a couple of apples from your neighbor’s while growing up.”

“Try to focus on something else for the time being.” Parm interjected.

“Like what?” he blurted, “An’karra is all that’s left in my life at the moment. I can’t lose her. What else could I occupy my mind with? I just got here, I don’t know anything.”

“Oh, I think we can find something to your liking.” Parm said, taking a drink through a seductive grin as his tail slithered under the table and brushed Jason’s crotch. Jason was completely startled by the action and was sent flinging from the table, almost knocking it over and falling out of his chair. “Oh, I’m sorry!” Parm quickly apologized as Livianna steadied the table. “I just thought that we could do something to pass the time; I didn’t mean to startle you so bad.”

“Uh,” Jason started, “as much as I’m flattered, I don’t think that I’m quite ready to experience the ‘openness’ of your society for myself.” He said, cautiously scooting back to the table.

“I guess we’ll just have to persuade you otherwise…” Livianna said before she leaned forward to nibble and lick Parm’s snout. Parm kissed and nuzzled her soft fur as he scooted closer to her; neither of them took their eyes off Jason. Parm reached down and started to stroke Livianna through her extremely inadequately sized pair of shorts and she started to moan; Jason couldn’t turn away. Part of him said that it was wrong to watch, another part said that he should embrace the openness of the culture, but a big part of him didn’t feel like being unfaithful to An’karra. He ended up just staying his ground; watching, but not partaking. His body couldn’t help but react as he saw Parm and Livianna trying their hardest to entice him. His jeans started to grow tight as he watched the scene unfold in front of him; unable to turn away. But where could he go if he could look away? This wasn’t his house, he shouldn’t…his line of thought was interrupted by a moan from Livianna and his gaze was drawn back to the couple before him.

An’karra sat back on the middle of the couch, across from Jask. She watched Jason and Livianna go into the kitchen and Parm shut the door behind them. An’karra nervously gazed at Jask, scared that he might have reason to turn down their request.

“I need to talk to you about Jason.” Jask said, looking up at her, but still fidgeting with his cup.

“Please, Jask,” she interrupted his next thought. “Before you say anything; please, I’m begging you, don’t do this.” Her eyes started to tear. “I’m pleading with you, as friend, don’t do this to me.”

“What? Do what?” He exclaimed; leaning back, totally unaware of what she was getting at.

“I love him. It’s been so long since I’ve been in love; I can’t-” she gulped for air as her reserve broke down and she started to sob. He got up and walked over by her side. “I can’t survive losing another lover. Please, don’t take him from me. I—” she started to sob and speed up her groveling when Jask cut her off.

“No, not about that, Anne!” He sat down next to her; and when she still continued to sob, shook her to momentarily stun her and acquire her attention. “Anne, he can stay!” That stopped her dead silent. He held onto her firmly and looked her straight in the eyes to get his point across. “He can stay; by Gods, of all the people in the Federation, you should’ve been the one to know that. Like you’d fall in love with anyone who’d be turned down for Acceptance.” He smiled reassuringly as he took her had in his. She sniffled and looked at him, wiping her eyes.

“Then what is it?”

Parm’s hand reached up to fondle Livianna’s right nipple, skewing her bra up and out of the way to expose both of her shiny white, pert breasts. She got up and placed herself on the table, facing Parm, but still giving Jason a good show of what he was missing. She reached down into the folds of Parm’s robe to tease him a minute before breaking contact and pulling her bra the rest of the way off and then she unbuttoned her shorts and Parm slid them off to expose her moist pink lips. He leaned down and his tongue slithered over the outside, causing her to moan in pleasure for several moments, before he pushed into her folds. She gasped and squirmed as his long muscular tongue pushed into her several inches. She continued to eye Jason and fondle her breasts as Parm tongued her pleasure center. He quickly brought her to orgasm and she gave a mild scream as she tried to pull his head more into her. Jason heard some squishy sounds as Parm cleaned her up and withdrew his tongue before standing up and pulling his robe part for Livianna to return the favor.

Jason had considered himself bisexual in his high school and early college years; he would’ve had sex with anything as long as it was a dragon; he’d even imagined a gryphon from time to time. The feeling had tempered out during the past years, becoming more hetero for only dragons and maybe still a little towards gryphons as well. For years, he’d felt an affinity for only females, until now. He couldn’t stop staring at Parm’s exposed rock hard cock. It was a few inches shy of a foot and had a series of encircling ridges in the middle just behind the head; which was more pointy than a human’s, but resembled the general shape. He saw Livianna gently lick the tip, eliciting a moan from its owner and saw a very large drop of precum bead on the tip and dribble down the side where it was licked up. She opened her beak and took the whole thing into her mouth, it reached far back into her throat and she used her throat’s muscles to massage it in absence of lips.

She continued to pleasure his whole member in her mouth for several minutes, breathing heavily through her nares to cope with the intruder in her gullet. Jason’s own breathing was become erratic, his hard on raging inside his pants; painfully stressing against the unstretchable fabric, his mind a jumble of conflicting views. He watched as Parm grabbed fistfuls of her silver her and cried as he came in her gullet. Jason saw quiet a bit of the pure white liquid, that she hadn’t managed to gulp, seep from her mouth and down over Parm’s sack.

“My,” Parm sighed as Livianna cleaned up what had leaked out. “You get straight to the point, don’t you?” She just smiled and laid back on her arms, spreading her legs to him for maximum access for him and the best view for Jason. Parm took up the invitation and proceeded to spear her in one fluid motion. He quickly formed a rhythm and soon they were both moaning in pleasure. Her head lulled back and she gave Jason a seductive sidelong glance, licking the edges of her beck; trying to entice him. He just gestured with his hand that she was on her own and continued to watch. She just turned back to Parm and wrapped her legs about him as he pounded her faster and faster.

Livianna soon screamed again as she came, juices spurting out between her and Parm, who followed and slammed hard into her and grunted as he let loose his seed. Jason’s eyes went wide as he saw several well sized globs of dragon cream spurt out of Livianna from having no other place to go. It was quite a lot, especially for a second climax. Parm waited a moment and withdrew from Livianna as she released him from the clasp of her legs. Jason was shocked even further to see and almost obscene amount of cum pour out from Livianna’s slit and flow onto the floor. Parm knelt and licked her pussy clean, even sucking a bit of their juices out of her before he stood back up and let her clean him.

“We dragons like to make big messes.” Parm said to the shocked Jason, correctly guessing why he was so wide eyed. “No doubt you’ve experience it first hand with An’karra,” he smiled warmly.

“I-I just thought all females are like that.” Jason said as his face went red, embarrassed. Gentlemen didn’t kiss and tell.

“Well, as a species, out libido is quite high and if you have that for several millennia, the body adapts to it. Greater stamina, greater capacity and less down time.” He smiled seductively and brushed his tail against Jason’s bulge. “You’re free to try me on, if you like.”

“Uh, I don’t…uh”

“Swing?” He asked and Jason responded with a nod. “Well, my door is open if you ever feel the need to experiment with a male.” He winked and gave a slight moan as Livianna started to bring to the edge again.

“What’s this? Are you ignoring our guest?” Jask asked as he entered, smiling, behind Jason, having opened the door silently; An’karra was behind him. Jason stood up and faced Jask; and his sentence.

“Uh, no, I don’t—” Jason started but Parm cut him off.

“We tried, but he’s extremely faithful. You’re incredibly lucky to have such a devoted mate, Anne.” Parm said as Livianna released him and sat up on the table.

“Yes.” An’karra whispered, slowly coming out from behind Jask and walking to Jason. “I am very lucky.” Jason looked at her and fear struck him to the core. Her eyes were red and blurry, her shirt stained with tears—Jask’s had them too, from shouldering her—and she was whispering and sniffling slightly. She had been crying; heavily. She slowly walked to Jason and wrapped her arms around him. Jason felt his stomach lurch; the Goodbye Hug. He hugged her tight, inhaling her scent and trying to remember it for all time wherever he was sent. And then she whispered into his ear: “And now we can have each other for all eternity.” Jason gasped and hugged her even tighter, kissing her neck as he gave a cry of joy.

“Yes, we will be together…forever” he said as Livianna clouted him on the back.

“What’d I tell ya?” She claimed in joy as she patted him one more time. Jask gave him an…odd smile, almost sad, but a different emotion all together. He extended his right arm and Jason shook it, smiling back at him.

“Thank you.” Jason said as he shook Jask’s hand firmly.

“No thanks are needed…Jason. But, I think that its time to go, Anne, you need to get your new toy home.” He grinned.

“Yes…” she said as she pulled away from him. “Are you coming or staying?” She asked looking at Livianna.

“I already came, so I guess I’ll go.” She smiled, pleased with her witty response as everyone else rolled their eyes.

“And you say I’ve got bad jokes.” An’karra said as she gave small hiccup. She started for the door, never letting go of Jason’s hand.

“Thanks, sexy.” Livianna nibbled Parm on the cheek, like a kiss, before she quickly dressed and jogged to catch up with Jason and An’karra. Day had fallen and dusk was setting in.

“Hey, Liv,” Parm called after her; she turned around. “You should tell Delkanth that’ you’re back. He’s worried about you going off world by yourself.”

“I will; thanks!” She said as she ran down the path to where it joined the street and where An’karra and Jason stood, waiting for her.

“Hey, Liv?” An’karra asked.

“Hmm?”

“Would you mind showing Jason home; there are some things that I got to tie up before the day is over.”

“Sure thing, no problem; deary.”

“Thanks.” She kissed Jason, “I’ll see you soon, luv.” She leapt and took flight, showing no signs of drain from earlier. Jason watched her go into the failing light, still remembering his experience not to long ago; still wishing that he could do that. He’d always wanted to ‘fly’ his mate as the term went. Well, An’karra could lift him; so they technically could…

“Hey, lover boy!” Livianna thumped him on the head and giggled at his jogged expression. “Come on, we’ve got some road to cover, since you can’t fly.” She turned around and started off down the road.

They ended up going several miles, through the town and several rural roads. At a point Livianna took the pack and took flight as Jason jogged below her. It took less time than she had originally planned for, so she was pleased when she landed in front of her and An’karra’s house. She got the water bottle out just as Jason came up, breathing hard and deeply. She held it out to him as he bent over for several moments to regain some breath. He straightened up and took a swig from the bottle.

“This is it?” He panted before taking another swig.

“Welcome to your new home!” she broadcast, gesturing to the multi tiered structure. Jason gazed at it in the failing light. It looked beautiful. It was set back on the side of a lush mountain. Three stories, the first was straight in front of him, the second was skewed back to match the angle of the mountain, the same with the small block that was the third level. The outside lights had come on and Jason could make out a pool reflecting on the face of the second floor. It looked built into the roof of the first. There was a set of double doors and large, elegantly decorated archway that comprised the entrance; situated on the left side. There weren’t any other windows or doors; no garage or anything. Of course, why would they need one?

“It’s beautiful; both of you live here?”

“Yup, come on in.” She said, picking up his pack and heading to the door. He heard the deadbolt click as she walked close to it. “Biometric locks.” She said, placating his unvoiced question. “No keys needed or anything. Here,” She stopped in the hallway from the door, near a panel; it came alight and she began to punch a series of buttons. It beeped a couple of times and then went dark again. “I just added you, so you don’t have to be with one of us to get in.

“Oh, thank you. It’ll be kind of weird, not carrying keys anymore.”

“You’ll get used to it. Come on up.” She called after him as she ascended a flight of stairs at the end of the hall. There was a door to his right with a window. He could see the wall of the pool and its machinery. So the first floor was just housing the pool. What an interesting design. He made it to the stairs and slowly climbed, babying his sore muscles. He came to the second, main living level, as the lights came on and was taken by the beauty of it. There were several plants, arranged perfectly around the place to give it a natural appeal. On his right was a wall of windows that gave an unhindered view of the pool and the valley which the mountain over looked; most of the curtains were drawn at the moment. On his left immediate left was a living room with some furniture and a screen of some sort; a fireplace on the wall behind him. There were several natural paintings and sculptures placed about the room and a lavish chandelier hung from the ceiling. Further away on his left, against the mountain, was the kitchen; a spacious one. She set his pack against the wall in front of the stairwell and gestured for him to follow her.

“Time for the nickel tour; here’s my room.” She said as she entered into a door left of the end of the stairwell; on the right side of the house. He followed her in and observed the new surroundings. It was of an oddly feminine nature, slightly lavender walls and some stenciled designs near the ceiling. There were several stuffed animals about the place, a large bed against the living room wall, in the corner. A desk, some bureaus, a dresser and random clothes littered about the floor. Not a mess, but enough not to be deemed a clean freak. “One of the bathrooms is down there.” She gestured to her right, to a hallway that branched into a closet and ended with the bathroom. “My door’s always open,” she said as she came onto him again, brushing her tail against his crotch as she put her hands on his shoulders. “If you’re ever lonely, don’t hesitate to come on in. Hell, even if you aren’t lonely; I might be.”

“Uh, Livianna.” He said, pulling himself back.

“Liv is fine.” She whispered as she advanced again, closing the distance. He inhaled her scent. He could smell the earthy musk from the outside, on her and mixing with her own natural scent.

“Liv, I’m sorry, I can’t. Yes,” he stifled her as her beak parted to say something. “I do find you attractive; and very sexy. I just can’t.” The edges of her beak curved up in a smile.

“You’re a good man, Jason. An’karra definitely deserves you; and you her.” She lowered her hands and grabbed his. “You know…she and I…we have our own fun on a regular basis.” She hinted towards him and he took a mental step backwards. “We’d be delighted if you joined us.” Jason just stared at her blankly. “What, she never told you?”

“No, she just said you were roommates. Not that she was…into females; and that…you two were involved.”

“Well, she goes with both, like most everyone,” She hinted to his uptightness. “But she loves you. I’m just a friend, but you’re her lover; that’s a whole different level.” He continued to stare at her. “We can still have our fun, she won’t mind; she actually wants you to. To embrace our culture, or something like that.”

“Well, I’m honored, but its going to take some getting used to; so maybe later.”

“Okay. Pity, she told me some things that you two did, that I’d like to try.” She said as she walked past him back into the living room.

“Try? Like what?”

“Oh, maybe I’ll tell you later.” She smirked and returned fire at him as they walked across the living room to a door on the opposite side. “This is An’karra’s room. I guess this is where you’ll be sleeping.” He couldn’t help but smile. Her room had a larger bed against the far left wall, in the middle of the room; a desk in front of him against the back wall. There were more stuffed animals littered about the place, mostly dragons of some sort. It had the same grayish, purple hue as the living room; not the lavender like Livianna’s. Livianna walked to the desk; it had many framed pictures on it. He saw a lot of ones of An’karra with Livianna in various outings with groups. Some had Jask and Parm, and there were a fair amount of ones that he didn’t recognize. He walked back from the desk and to the left side of the bed. On a nightstand, under a lamp, was medium small frame facing the bed. He picked it up and looked at it. It was a beach setting, midday. An’karra was leaning over the shoulder of another dragon; they were under some kind of outdoor ramada on the shoreline with table heavily laden with tropical delights. She was in that sexy two piece bathing suit that he’d fantasized her in and she wore a pair of sunglasses on top of her head and some beautiful earrings. The other dragon was sitting down in front of a heavily laden table. He had a tanned orange hide, no breasts so Jason assumed it was male, and a muscular chest. They were both smiling into the camera and Jason noticed an oddity on the orange dragon. On his snout, the left side near the nose, was a white slash back towards the eye; but only halfway down the snout. It was a scar of some sort, or a birthmark. In all the other pictures, he’d never seen her smile as big as it was in this one. Yet, it was as big as the ones she managed to give him. Was this his predecessor? An’karra’s previous love that had left _her _scarred and emotionally adrift inside? Would he be mad and seek revenge on Jason?

“Hey Liv?” he held up the picture as she looked at him over the bed. “Who’s this? The dragon that Anne’s floating over.” He said fingering the subject.

“That,” her voice went flat and very solemn, “…is Era’kanath. You would’ve liked him, you and him are so alike.”

“But who is he? An’karra’s brother or something?”

“She never told you?” Livianna said taken aback.

“Told me what?”

“I…it’s not my place to tell you. She’ll tell you when she’s ready.”

“Liv, come on.”

“I can’t.”

“Come on, Liv. Who is he? Or who was he?”

“He…was my husband.” An’karra said from where she’d been standing in the doorway. Jason whirled towards her, surprised by her sudden appearance; but more surprised by her answer. He took one last look at the picture as he tenderly set it back down on the night stand.

“Husband?” he whispered and gazing at her with shocked, empty eyes. Was he the replacement? Would this Era character come back and beat the tar out of him for sleeping his wife?

“I’m sorry. I tried to tell you sooner, but I couldn’t summon the courage to.” She walked towards him and picked up the picture. She stroked the face gently. She could sense his distressing thoughts. “He…he died, 247 years ago. I wanted to follow him; I almost killed myself after his death happened.”

“I, I don’t know what to say,” His voice reflecting the total change in his attitude as he put his hand on her shoulder and turned her towards him, giving her a hug full of his love and sympathy. “I’m so sorry…”

“I’m sorry…I should’ve told you sooner…” he shushed her and rubbed her back as she slowly set the picture back down. “I’ve never loved anyone since he died…not like I felt for him.” She pulled back and looked into his eyes. She wasn’t crying like she had on the previous occasions of the subject. She was just soft and stable. “Until I met you. You saved my life, in more ways than one; and I fell in love with you. You were so kind, so caring, so selfless; you reminded me of him.” Did that mean he _was _the replacement? Filling in the void left by her husband? She reached to a monitor on the wall above the lamp and displayed an article of some sort. It had a file photo of Era’kanath and Jason read the text. His eyes shot open as he absorbed his predecessor’s deeds. Sure, he’d made it into the paper for rescuing that guy who’d drove into the canal; but nothing even close to this magnitude! Era’kanath sacrificed his life to rescue others trapped in a burning building. Jason didn’t feel right with taking Era’kanath’s place at An’karra’s side. “You made me laugh, made me smile again. Something in me knew that we were destined to be together.” He turned from the wall monitor and looked at her, still wide eyed. “I thought I was moving on, but it turns out that I wasn’t.”

“What do you mean?” He asked, unsure of where she was going; boggled by her words. _Not moving on? _Was this a dumping? Surely not…

“Somehow I always knew.” She started to choke. “There were hints, but I dismissed them as mere coincidences. But Jask is a better mind reader than I am; and he confirmed it. At first, I thought that he was just playing a horrible joke, but then all the pieces fell together.”

“What?” he asked again. She reached into a drawer from the nightstand and pulled out an ornate birthday card; it was addressed to her.

“He died, that day. I found that on my nightstand when I woke. He’d already left for work.” Jason opened it and read the handwritten message aloud.

Happy Birthday to you, my darling.

The tiniest bit of happiness that you have gifted to me,

_ is more than enough to fill this entire day _

_with joy and delight for every world in the heavens. _

_May all your dreams come true, _

on this special day of days; and forever more.

Be well, my love; I miss thy sweet company.

No matter how short we are apart,

Your absence still rends my heart.

But it is a great comfort for my soul,

to know that you are waiting for me.

Forever, you are mine,

Forever, I am yours.

Take care and enjoy yourself.

I will see you soon,

my sweet autumn sunset.

Tears started to stream from her eyes, but her will kept her going strong. “Those were his last words to me. I never saw him again; I thought that I had lost him forever; until I found you.” He continued to stare, baffled, at her. “Do you see what language that that it is written in?”

“What?” he looked back down at the card. It was an organized linear mess of slashes and some symbols which he couldn’t identify, even though he’d just read it. What the hell was going on?

“You could read that for a moment, even though you’d never seen the language before. You knew what it said without having to actually read it. Jask told me: you have fantasies and memories of a gold dragon, your mate, in your head that aren’t fantasies…you called me your autumn sunset back on your roof. And now I know…” He stared back up at her, coming to the realization just as she voiced it:

“You _are _Era’kanath.”

A/N: Woot...I hope that it was more of a surprise than I hoped for; but probably not with all the hints that I dropped in the previous chapters. I also wished that someone (who shall remain nameless...) Didn't bring it up on the board for the previous chapter. Anywho, please stroke my ego on your way out. :P

_ __ And yes, 'The Return home' is meant for both of them._