The Alchemist's Study: Chapter Four
It's been awhile since the last update, sorry for the wait! Cyr has been busy with some other things lately.
The continuing series written and gifted to me by my loving kitten pet, Cyr.
Chapter Eight Chapter Seven Chapter Six Chapter Five Chapter Three Chapter Two Chapter One
Chapter Four: Puzzles
"...Damn these rough roads."
I was woken by the rumbling of my body being knocked against a window. An unfamiliar voice spoke to itself while I remained half asleep with heavy lids, staying rested against the window. It took a few moments to kick in, a reminder that is, of escaping. I let out a cry and jumped up in my seat, noticing I was in a truck. It must have startled the driver because he jerked the wheel for a second causing me to topple over into his lap.
"Hey, easy there we just met," he chucked, "bad dream?"
I blushed, face down in his lap. Quickly pulling myself back up, I was now apparently someone's passenger. The morning sun, which forced me to shield my tired eyes, was happily beaming through the windshield. We slowly passed by trees and telephone poles with a house or two in the distance. It took me a few minutes, "wait," I thought to myself, "am I...free?"
My body felt so groggy and tired it took me a bit to actually come to any conclusion. My head bobbed in and out of the realm of sleep. Finally, I peered down to notice I was all torn up and covered in dirt from the last night. My cheeks became even hotter thinking how awful I must have looked. Did he actually pick me up looking like this? "Wait a second," I thought, "someone really picked me up? I made it?"
Knots grew in my stomach. Not from nervousness, but from an immense relief. My muzzle opened and closed, trying to come up with something to say. All I could do was turn over and look at the stranger who rescued me. He was a clean-cut lion, wearing a buttoned down shirt and black jeans. He looked a little older than me, giving the way he dressed and his neatly kept hair---was he off to work or something? Whatever the case, I owed him my life, but I couldn't do anything but stare at him rudely. Not long afterwards he started the conversation for me, bringing a bit of clarity to the situation.
"I uh---I saw you there, near the road. I was driving by and basically slammed on the breaks seeing you face down at the side of the street. I thought I'd make sure you're alright. You didn't really look in any shape to be out so I picked you up, if that's alright with you. "He glanced over.
"N-no," I blurted out, "thank you."
"It's the least I could do," he said, "what's your name?"
"It's Cyr," I answered.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Cyr. I'm Vince."
I moved my attention to the side window thinking to myself with great reprieve. A great weight had been lifted off my shoulders. There were a few boxes sitting in the back of the truck that slid around every now and then. In the cab there wasn't much laying around, but a crack blemished the middle of the windshield.
"Have you moved here recently? Don't think I've ever seen you around town. Then again, I haven't been paying a lot of attention to recent event events around here lately. Seems like my entire life revolves around work or hobbies lately, I rarely have time for much else. "
I searched for any familiar signs of home, somewhere to mark where I was. There were no indicators of me being even remotely close to where I live. Outside of the flat fields, there was nothing but small houses and dull scenery as far as the horizon.
"Well I'm not really from here---or at least I don't think I am. I'm from Valtraut City, right at the northern border of Soltra. "
"Valtraut huh? I'm up north all the time but I don't believe I've ever been there," he replied. "You must've traveled quite a ways to get here if you're from the border."
I wondered how far away from home I was, or even where I was for that matter. Somehow I'd made it --- but where exactly did I make it to? The only positive sign was that the lion at least knew of the region I was talking about, so I couldn't be too far, right?
"Hey uh, I'm really grateful for you helping me out, but where are we?" I asked.
"We're in a small place called Allicson. I'd say about 60 miles from where you live."
"What??" I nearly choked. "How'd I end up so damn far? Ugh...this just keeps getting worse."
"Tell you what," he said, "how about you stop over to my place and I'll lend you some clothes. We'll have some brunch and you can figure out what you want to do after that. Sound good?" He looked over at me.
Unsure of how to answer, I rubbed the back of my neck and thought about it. I was really hesitant in trusting anyone at this point, especially going with them alone. But hell, things couldn't get much worse right? He seemed like a nice guy to me anyways. It was a gamble but I decided to take my chances and see where it takes me.
"Sure," I replied.
It still felt a bit difficult to breathe, but nothing compared to last night. I hummed quietly to myself while watching the clouds pass by. I wasn't even humming anything in specific, just attempting to relax and derail any unwanted thoughts. We turned down another road and finally into a driveway of a ranch-style home which was presumably Vince's. Shrubs and few trees decorated the otherwise bare yard with a few chairs on the porch.
"Hey we're finally here" He smiled.
I returned the smile and stepped out into the warm sunny day. There was a really satisfactory feeling of getting out and stretching, taking a deep breath of fresh air despite coughing and almost choking on it. That brisk feeling was cut short though when I took my first step forward. My vision blurred into a haze of ghostly white light. My foot didn't meet the pavement; it fell through, and brought me back into a fuzzy state of nothingness.
"...you were only supposed to keep him for a day..."
"...well after what happened I changed my mind; I'm doing both..."
"...but you..."
"...he brought it on himself..."
I woke up inside, greeted with a cozy feeling. Wood furnishings and earthy colors filled the rooms, keeping the small town feeling of the area. I must've not been as well as I first thought---did I pass out in the driveway? The lion was sitting in a recliner reading a magazine. He noticed I was up again and set it on the small table between us.
"Maybe I should've taken you to the hospital after all." He looked worried. "You passed out just trying to get out of the truck."
"I think I'm ok now," I assured him. "I could really go for some food though if it's not too much to ask."
I got up slowly and scavenged whatever energy I could find. We walked into the kitchen where he offered me a seat before excusing himself to find some clothes for me. Cleanliness didn't really seem to be one of the lion's strong points; there were dishes stacked up and newspapers stacked up everywhere. After his generosity I wasn't really in any position to complain though. However, I was half tempted to rummage around for food, noticing it was already 10:00.
"Here, these might fit you," he called from the hallway. He brought out some boxers, a pair of jeans and a grey t-shirt. "Try them on, bathroom's two doors down on the left. " He pointed down the hallway. "You can just leave your old uh---clothes in the basket on the floor." He eyed my battered clothes curiously.
"Oh uh, sure, thanks," I replied.
"And don't worry; I haven't worn the boxers in almost a year. They're clean." He assured
"I'm not too worried about it," I joked.
In the bathroom I slipped out of the torn clothes, throwing them into the basket. My wound had bled through the leggings, but it was feeling and looked better now. It took me a few minutes to actually put on the new clothes instead of just standing there staring at the old ones.
Vince knocked on the door. "Hey, do the clothes fit alright?" He let himself in as I slipped on the shirt and stepped over to me, resting a paw on my shoulder.
"Oh good, I was a little worried but they actually fit you. You look good, check the mirror." He gave me a nudge.
"....look in the mirror and say it with some meaning, some passion..."
The words just kept replaying in my head over and over. I tried to block out the chant, the scattered visuals that were beginning to haunt me, but I couldn't. I shook my head in my paws with eyes squeezed shut. The lion dropped his paw from my shoulder, probably thinking that was what was bothering me.
"Are you alright Cyr? Are the clothes too tight?" He asked.
"Y-yeah I'm fine, and they're great thanks. Can we please get something to eat?" My stomach growled.
"Of course," the lion said, exiting the bathroom with me following. Once back in the kitchen Vince began to look through a pantry and fridge, muttering to himself. Meanwhile I lightly tapped the table feeling much more comfortable in my new clothes. When I looked over, pretty much everything he went through was almost completely empty. Was he ever actually home or does he just head out to eat a lot?
"Sorry, looks like I don't have much here for breakfast. I haven't really been to the store this week, how about I treat you to a meal in town?" He offered.
I perked my ears at the idea of heading to a restaurant for a nice warm meal and happily accepted the offer. He grabbed his keys and we headed off towards town. Trying to wrap my head around what was going on really just made my mind go blank. I was still just too far out of it to clearly contemplate anything; as long as I could get some food finally I'd be happy for now. At least this guy seemed to be trustable, he even opened the door of the truck for me---it seemed a bit much but maybe it was just something to do with living in a smaller community. In the city you see so many people but rarely do you actually know who they are, from what some cousins had told me it's different where they live. Everybody knows everybody.
"So, what exactly happened to your Cyr? Why were you just lying there near the street all torn up like that? Did someone hurt you?" He asked.
Attempting to force out any details of what happened made my head hurt. There was so much information to take in and link together that it was impossible to see any one part of it clearly. Trying to pull together the events and explain them was like trying to swim against the current with a broken arm. With the town popping up in the horizon and a loud gush of wind flowing through the window I decided to just relax for now and try again later.
"I don't really wanna talk about it, my head's kinda foggy right now, "I said defensively.
I shifted up and flipped the visor down against the sun, averting his stare as we made it into town. A mix of houses and shops were lain out along the streets, noticeably empty of traffic. We stopped at an intersection noticing a small group of furs dressed casually and talking with one another on the sidewalk. They were stealing glances at us as they passed still laughing at something. Seeing them pass made my smile; it showed me that there was liveliness even in a place as small as this. It didn't matter where you were in the world as long as you had that confirmation of society, the energy others seem to give off no matter their form.
"Hey Vince I've got a question," I said.
"About what," He asked.
"Have you ever had so many things running around in your head that they just collide like a train wreck? Like they're clear for a few seconds and then bam, they're greyed out blobs?" I shifted in my seat.
"Well I guess if I had that problem I'd just take a deep breath and let them all go. If they're something you needed to know they'll come back to you eventually," he replied.
We pulled into a little restaurant which was probably about halfway into the town. There were only a few others there, but I guess that's to be expected of such a lowly populated area. A raccoon waitress greeted us and brought us over to a table with some menus. We sat down at a particularly sunny spot; a warm glow surrounded us.
"Go ahead and order anything you'd like Cyr, my treat," he said.
"Really? Thanks Vince!" I exclaimed over my stomach grumbling. I quickly skimmed the menu on a hunt for whatever sounded decent. "Want that---that---ooh definitely that," I whispered to myself running down the list.
The waitress came back to our table and wrote down our orders. Vince just ordered a coffee and a bagel. I, on the other hand, had quite a large meal planned. She probably regretted asking me what I wanted because she didn't have a pen and paper to remember it all.
"I'll have: the blueberry pancakes with whipped cream, French toast, eggs, sausage, hash browns, oatmeal, a pitcher of orange juice, and a muffin." I basically ordered the entire menu, letting my belly do the talking.
"Heh---gosh you sure eat a lot for someone your size," he chuckled.
"Oh, sorry," I replied, not realizing just how much I'd actually ordered. "That'll be all, thanks," I said to the waitress.
"She took the menus and hurried away. I'd be amazed if she actually remembered half my order. I rested my arms on the table and let out a yawn. Hung over might not really be the best word to describe how I was feeling but it seemed close enough.
"This town doesn't really seem too alive. What do you do around here Vince? Sheriff? Saloon? " I smirked.
"Hah, well actually I'm a watchmaker. It's definitely tedious work, but I love the satisfaction in actually finishing a difficult project. I guess I just appreciate the intricacies that go into it, "he answered.
"Oh you are? I've always wanted a nice watch but money's tight ya'know? I replied. "You'll have to show me some of your work sometime."
"Ironically, I don't wear normally wear a watch myself. I'd be happy to show you sometime though. Yes this town is a quiet little place, but we all enjoy the peace here. We're sort of all a family here. Even if I wanted to leave that just wouldn't be an option," he insisted.
The waitress came by with our drinks and mentioned that the food was on its way. She placed a hot cup of coffee next to Vince and the tall pitcher of orange juice next to me with a glass next to me. I poured myself a glass.
"You mean because you've all lived here together for so long? " I asked, bringing the glass up to take a drink.
"I guess you could say that," he said.
"So how about you Cyr, could you tell me a bit about yourself? He poured some cream into his coffee. "A good looking tiger like you must lead an interesting life," he teased.
"Well," I paused, "I live in a big city like I said before. I'm used to seeing a mass of people everywhere I go so this is a bit different to me." I looked around the room. "I'm an art student at university. I've loved art since I was little; I draw and paint all the time."
"So you must be pretty creative then," he gestured.
"I guess so," I said.
Soon our table became filled with all the food I'd thoughtlessly ordered. Surprisingly she remembered the entire order without missing a single plate. The air became filled with a mix of aromas and I practically drooled smelling it all.
"Are you sure you don't want any of this?" I asked Vince, feeling guilty about how much I'd gotten compared to him.
"Go ahead and enjoy." He waved off my gesture.
I nodded and began to stuff my face accordingly. There was a delicious assortment of flavors and textures; the food was much better than I expected it to be. Then again, I was used to fast food chains and takeout. The atmosphere inside was relaxing; I loved not hearing the normal massive chatter and hassle around me---I could get used to this.
"So what do you plan to do now, Cyr?" He asked.
"Well I---"
I set down my fork and thought about it for a moment. That was a good question: what exactly had I planned to do now? I feel like there's something in this place I needed to find. There was a reason for being here but I couldn't remember it. What I could actually remember was that I needed a vacation. This wasn't the most ideal place but it worked well enough, and maybe if I stayed here I'd be able to finally understand what was going on.
"Well, I don't know, I'm enjoying my time here in peace compared to the big city. It's a relaxing change," I replied.
"You can stay with me for a few days if you'd like," he offered graciously. "I wouldn't mind the extra company."
"Are you sure? That'd be great as long as I'm not intruding or anything," I replied, "I'd happily take you up on that offer."
This was perfect, it gave me time to investigate around town and maybe color in those grey areas. There had to be something that would spark my memory, something to make me remember. Maybe I'd figure out why I was feeling so weird all the time now too.
"Well then it's settled, you're staying with me and taking a vacation." He smiled.
I finished up what I could of the enormous meal, thanking him again. "The food here's delicious. Thanks for the food Vince!" I rested a paw on my bloated belly.
"The food's always pretty good. It's one of my favorite little restaurants around here," he said in agreement.
It was nearing noon when we paid for the meal and headed out of the restaurant. Vince decided to show me around town, so today I'd just lay low and enjoy myself. He started pointing out his favorite shops and what fun there was to be had around town---which wasn't a whole lot. The town was very pleasant, the streets and buildings were clean and there were few cars crowding the streets. Shops were decorated with flowers and posters covering the windows, casting a vibrant welcoming to anyone passing by. There didn't seem to be any major stores I'd recognize though, everything seemed to be a self-run business or family store.
Everything was great except I couldn't help but notice people went out of their way to avoid us, or were overly kind and eccentric when greeted or introduced by Vince. Were they not used to seeing a stranger's face, or was it something about Vince? I couldn't really tell what it was. There was one exception though when a particularly friendly fox greeted us at a book store. He'd rushed over when he saw us enter and offered his name, Eton. He brought us around to all the latest editions, faming his favorites. His glasses seemed about two sizes too big, bought so was his head apparently. Turned out he had a photographic memory and ended up memorizing most of the books that found their way here. So he was very well read.
We headed up to a second floor spanning out in isles where one book caught my eye in particular. There was a dragon on it, soaring in the skies over a razing village. The title read "Draconian Folklore" and something about it drew me in. I flipped through some of the pages---it was series of legends concerning dragons' and their history. I stopped on one of the stories which spoke of something about a Great War. There was a picture wrapped in the heading above, depicting a red and white dragon breathing fire onto a bright red stone. My paws started to shake and I didn't know why, I felt like I knew him but I'd never befriended any dragons before.
Vince came over and I showed him the picture. I could feel some sort of connection but nothing specifically. He didn't say anything about the picture; in fact, he seemed to disregard it completely. With Vince not wanting to show any interest I decided to take it over to Eton who was organizing books across from me.
"Hey Eton, have you read this book? Do you know who this dragon is?" I showed him the picture.
"OH hey, that's the dragon folklore book yeah?" He studied it.
"I read this the first day it came in---one of my favorites! The dragon's name is Gamut. He was one of the generals in the dragon forces nearly a millennium ago. He led hordes of dragons through the skies planning tactical warfare and havoc amongst his enemies, a cut-throat dragon with no sympathy for anyone including his own men. Eventually had a son named Akro with the love of his life Amele. Despite the military ties he had passed down from both his general father and cleric mother he was never interested about the idea of going into the battlefield. Let's see...what else is there to tell briefly..."
The more he told me about the story the closer I felt to it. Vince was off in the nonfiction section but I think I'd heard him call my name, so he probably wanted to leave soon. I had time for a little more of the story from this quirky fox.
"Right, I should go over the war!" He said.
"Actually," I interrupted, "could you tell me more about his son?"
"Why of course! Well like I said, despite his military blood, he wasn't at all interested in the subject. He was instead interested in the rising world of science. With the higher education he was offered, thanks to his families' position, he went into the field of chemistry and biology. Through the later half of the millennium he was revered as one of the top dragon scientists in the northern hemisphere. From the young and inspired to the old and reserved, everyone respected his work."
Vince had found us standing in the isle. "Oh hey, there you are Cyr."
"Hey Vince, find anything?" I asked.
"Just checking for anything useful to my work, how about you? What's that book you two are huddled over?" He looked over my shoulder.
"Draconian Legends --- err, I mean folklore!" Eton exclaimed. "Cyr wanted a little description of it, he seemed pretty interested. He's got an eye for great literature."
"Well sorry to cut you boys short but Cyr and I have to get going," he insisted. "Take care of yourself Eton; you've done an incredible job with the place this past year."
"Vince is it alright if I stay for a few more minutes and finish up this story? There's something about it that really draws me in." I looked over to him.
"Actually there's another place I'd like to take you before the sun goes down. Let's get going shall we?" he gestured towards the stairs.
"Oh, well ok sure. " I handed the book back to Eton, "sorry maybe I can come back in another time to hear the rest. Thanks for the story."
"I'd love to! Thanks for stopping in boys, have a good evening." He adjusted his glasses and closed the book, setting it on a cart in the isle. I kept a mental note of the title.
We stopped at a park in the middle of town and sat on one of the benches near a fountain for a bit. There were a few statues and an archway at the entrance. The sidewalks were traced with shrubs and flowers. I threw a flipped a penny Vince gave me into the fountain for fun and made my wish. I wished I could've stayed there for a little longer but the Vince had been so welcoming and kind that I didn't want to seem rude. Once the sun started going down we got in his truck and headed back to his house, holding light conversation about the day.
"So what do you think of this place Cyr? I know it's not much compared to what you're used to," he asked.
"No, I actually really enjoyed the day. Everything's so much more welcoming and acquired here than back home. One thing I noticed here though is people seemed kind of awkward around us whenever we got near them," I pointed out.
"Well I guess you could say this entire town is their home, and you walked in unexpectedly. Don't worry though, they'll grow closer to you after a few days I'm sure, You'll feel like part of the town soon enough," he assured.
Back at his home he showed me the guest room where I'd be staying at. It was a little more modern looking than the rest of the house. There was a dark wood floor and black furnishings. The bed looked really comfy, filled with patterned pillows and a solid white comforter. I sat down on the bed and reflected on the story Eton had told me. There was something about that dragon book stayed with me---that picture of the dragon in the Great War. It felt like I knew that dragon but obviously that was impossible.
I got back up and headed towards the kitchen. Vince had begun preparing some food for us already. With him sitting there reading a newspaper and waiting on the food I decided to join him.
"I still can't really remember what happened to me," I said.
He folded down the paper to where he could see me. "Sometimes we forget because we don't want to remember. Whatever happened to you didn't seem to be too pleasant, you were pretty torn up."
"Are you saying that maybe I shouldn't try to remember what happened?" I asked.
"I'm saying there's a chance you'll regret remembering what you've blocked out. If you remember in the future then so be it, but for now just let it go. Well, that's what I'd do anyways."
I thought about it for a minute. Maybe he was right; I wasn't even that far from home, I could just head back in a few days and pretend this never happened. It would eventually blow over and I'd forget about it right? There was one thing I couldn't help but be curious about though: that book. With everything it made me feel I couldn't help but think it had some sort of connection or symbolism to what happened. It's like when you forget what you were planning to do. You start tracing back further or repeating previous events. Eventually something you do or something you see connects with it and you instantly remember.
"Well I uh---"A phone began to ring as I struggled to think of a good answer.
"Excuse me, I have to take this," he said as he rushed off into the other room to answer it. "Hello? Yes, it's going fine. Yes, I know what to look for...No I don't think there's anything yet..." He was talking in a low voice but I could still make some of what he was saying. "...yes I understand, bye." I heard the receiver click down and he came back with an anxious look on his face.
"Sorry about that, had to answer some questions about a watch for a customer. The foods about done so let's eat shall we." I agreed, somewhat curious about the phone call.
We each had a big bowl of pasta and some chocolate cake for desert---all of it smelled delicious. I shared some stories from back home with him during the meal and had a few good laughs. We took things into a lighter note from what's been happening and just enjoyed the conversation. As we continued to learn more about each other we finished our meal and set the dishes into the sink.
He told me to make myself at home and switched the television on in the living room. I flipped through the channels and watched bits and pieces of everything. I rarely ever watched anything at home so nothing sparked me as interesting at first; until I found one of the few movies I liked which had just begun. Sitting there I noticed my breathing was becoming a bit heavy again, I started to get hard as a small arousing sensation fluttered through my lower body. Vince entered back into the room and joined me on the couch. Why was I starting to feel like this out of nowhere?
"I haven't seen this movie in ages," Vince noted. "The fox is trying to find a way to pay back his debt right?"
"What? Oh, yeah," I answered.
I began to lose focus of the movie, giving attention to my arousal and trying to hide it from the lion. Secretly I began rubbing against a paw against my pants feeling incredibly sensitive to every touch. I was clenching my footpaws each time. Why was I so horny all of the sudden; I'm better at controlling myself than this. I looked over at Vince who was watching the movie intently, leaning against the sidearm and looking pretty tired. The sensations were becoming too great; I couldn't hear myself think anymore so I had to excuse myself to the bathroom.
"I'll be right back." I walked around the couch out of his view and locked myself in the bathroom. The only lights were the television and a dim lamp so thankfully it wasn't too hard to sneak past without being exposed.
"Sure thing," he replied.
I locked myself in the bathroom and pulled down my shorts. My cock was throbbing hard, giving it a squeeze led me to gasp from pleasure. In response to the sudden burst of heat I threw off my shirt, beginning to stroke myself slowly as the sensations circled around my balls and ran across my thighs. Closing my eyes brought blurry images of a dragon into my head. The image, it was similar to the picture in that book.
"...there's no guarantee these will work together..."
"...that's exactly why we need to test it..."
"...but there are other ways of..."
"...are you daring to question me after..."
I couldn't stop pawing now, leaning against the bathroom sink while stroking quickly as my hungry arousal began to spit globs of pre onto my abdomen. My body wanted to cum as hard as it could, as if it knew it was the only way to satisfy the riving vibrations and teases it was enduring---it was the most intense thing I'd ever felt. All I could think about was the image of the dragon, and strange thoughts that seemed like conversations running through my head in fragments. I was folding under into a deep, lustful trance.
"Oh god, I'm so close, just a little more," I thought to myself.
I pawed and squeezed harder, unrelentingly throwing myself into a daze of pleasure. I braced against the sink and let out a moan, not caring if I was heard from outside. I braced against the sink ready to feel something grander than I'd ever felt my entire life. I could feel myself at the edge of diving into a world flooded with euphoria. Suddenly, when it felt like I was beginning to orgasm, and the sensations were on fire, there was a blocking feeling that intervened. At the last second the swirling sensations decided to block me from being allowed to cum. All intensity I had gathered up became underwhelming quickly---I was denied the desires they'd enticed me into.
"What the hell is going on?" I thought. "Why didn't I cum?"
My arousal pulsed in my paw as if it were, but to no avail. Another few strokes granted me nothing more. Worried about taking so long and probably being heard, I hurried back out to Vince, hoping he wouldn't think anything. He was still sitting in the same position on the couch. I sat back down to watch the rest of the movie.
"Welcome back. You missed some of the best parts." He said
"Oh, thanks. " I responded "You don't mind if I lie down and watch do you?"
"Of course not go ahead and make yourself comfortable Cyr."
I rested my head on a pillow as I curled up a bit into a ball careful to leave Vince room. That wasn't too hard though seeing as the couch was a pretty decent size. I was beginning to grow quite tired and began to nod off while half paying attention to the movie. I actually ended up stretching my legs out and resting my foot paws near him and he didn't seem to mind. In fact, he gave me a quick smile before turning back to the screen. The lights flickered against the insides of my eyelids as I finally gave in to their weight.
With impeccable timing, the final scene faded as the credits began to roll onto the screen. The lion sighed as he peered over to me. Hues and splashes of color bounced against my white fur as I laid there, sound asleep. "How's that for a well-timed ending?"