The Alchemist's Study: Chapter Six
The continuing series written and gifted to me by my loving kitten pet, Cyr.
Chapter Eight Chapter Seven Chapter Five Chapter Four Chapter Three Chapter Two Chapter One
Chapter Six: Running to Nowhere
I'd always seen a lot of homeless in Valtraut --- it felt like I was taking a walk in their life. Everything I was wearing was from Vince, the little bit of money I had on me from Vince, and the only place I had to stay was his guest room. I had no possessions of my own. I told him I didn't want the money but he insisted I got some lunch at least. He pawned it off on me as payment for the help at his store. That would have been reasonable enough had he not given me the watch as well. I guess I should be accepting of his hospitality. I mean I've been insistent on being independent ever since I was a kid, but there are times when you just have to accept help, right? Still, I promised myself I'd pay him back someday soon.
The first order of business was getting an idea of what I actually planned on doing today. I had the whole afternoon so I had to get something useful out of it. I strolled down the sidewalk heading towards the main street and began my reflection. What scared me about this whole thing was I seemed to be losing track of what was happening around me. I kept seeing things, hearing things, and then there was last night's horrible nightmare that felt so real. Did this have something to do with my memory loss? Had I hit my head or something?
I continued on through the next crosswalk and looked through the windows of stores I passed. The only thing that really made sense to me was to just check whatever stores caught my eye. I repeated the shop names a few times to myself to remember them when I came back around. I'd be shooting in the dark for something I wasn't even sure of. That's what they'd do in some crime movie though, right? Investigate whatever strikes a chord with the victim; search around in the most logical places first. Putting myself in the investigator's shoes made got me motivated to start looking, boasting my imagination. Unfortunately, I was also the victim in this case, so things were thrown out of place.
My first stop was grabbing a cheap lunch somewhere. I eventually found a small pizzeria and grabbed a few slices, sitting at one of the outdoor tables. A grey wolf and her two cubs sat a few tables across from me. She was writing something down in a notepad, her cubs chasing each other around the table. I quickly finished my meal and walked over.
"Hello, I'm Cyr," I introduced myself.
I'd caught her attention. "Hi there, I'm Catherine." Her cubs stopped and stood at the opposite side of the table together. I smiled at them and waved my paw. They giggled to each other and moved over to the next table, chasing each other around it.
"I just noticed your notepad." I pointed out. "I was wondering if I could get a sheet to write something down."
"Oh, sure dear," she said, "I'm just working on something for my article."
"Like, a newspaper article?" I asked.
"Well yeah." She flipped over to an empty page and handed it to me along with the pen. "I write for the local newspaper. "
"Wait, this place actually has its own newspaper?" I sat down.
"Yeah smart guy," she retorted, "this isn't a huge place but we still have things going on, especially during the holidays. "
"Hah, well if you say so," I said.
I started to write down some of the names of the stores I remembered, and wrote a branched off tree for both of the things I could remember: the dragon, and alchemy. I'd circle which places reminded me of what later, if anything. I turned my attention back to Catherine.
I clicked the pen a few times. "So you're a journalist?"
"Sounds about right," she answered. Her cubs were getting bored, they began clinging onto her.
"So you probably know most of the people here," I pointed out.
"I've lived here for 15 years, journalist for 10 if that answers anything," she said with a hint of smugness.
If she knew a lot about what went on around here maybe she'd have a clue about what happened to me. She might know of some dragons living around here too, I needed to find one similar that illustration I saw earlier. This was my first interrogation. I had my first possible lead and I wasn't about to let it slip through my paws. I tore out the piece of paper and folded it up, giving her back the notepad and pen.
"Has there been anything notably strange happening in the past few days?" I asked, "Anything that you've reported on?"
"Well..." She took a minute to think. "Not really, just the kitchen fire at the restaurant on the corner about a week ago." Her cubs grew more and more impatient, grabbing things out of her purse and crying to leave. She finally caved in to their demands. "It was nice talking with you Cyr, but I'm afraid I have to get going." She began to collect everything into her purse.
"Hey um, do you think we could meet sometime later today? Now that I know you're with the local news I wanted to ask you a few more questions." I stood up with her.
"Well, these two are always a handful." She grabbed the arm an exceptionally rambunctious cub that couldn't stop trying to climb her. "But I should be able to meet you around 6:30 tonight in the city park if you'd like. Their father would be home by then to give me a break."
"I can definitely make that." I grinned. "Thanks for your time, Catherine. I'll see you again at the park."
"Enjoy the afternoon." She left quickly with the two circling around her and giggling.
The few hours I had to kill were spent backtracking to the stores I wrote down. I was really anxious to meet up with the journalist later so I kept at a brisk pace. Some of the stores had a decent interest about them but nothing that really connected with me. I eventually snagged a pencil from one of the stores and began crossing off my list, periodically checking my watch.
It was a friendly town from what I gathered. Everyone would give you a casual hello, in stores they'd welcome you with legitimate sincerity, something I wasn't used to. That was another thing I had to pay attention to, the community around me. I moved back into my investigative mode. I should be looking through every window, not missing anyone on the streets, hoping to find a dragon here somewhere. Although, where I to actually see one, I hadn't actually figured out what I'd do. I mean really, what would I ask them? Are you the dragon I think is inside my head? Truth be told, if they were anything like I envisioned them, I probably wouldn't want to meet them alone on the streets. I took the notion that whatever happens, happens. It would just be my intuition, my instincts that guide me in how to handle them.
I had about an hour left now. I'd been through the majority of stores around that seemed interesting at all. I missed a few places from having to stop and rest a lot; I was still not feeling myself, but I got through most of my plans. I ended up talking to some of furs working there and it turned out there was in fact a few dragons that lived here our outside of town. I put on my imaginary investigator's hat, trying to get more information but all I could get out of them was a short description of them and that they rarely visited town. At least I had something to circle on the list, a few short descriptions as well. There was only one dragon that really fit the identity I sought after: A red and white dragon that frequented a few different shops. All of them described him as a highly reserved character who always looking for the same things. None of them knew exactly where he lived but one of them did confirm he lived a short ways out of town.
I decided to walk to the park a bit early, nearly on the other side of town. There was something I really liked about this place: character. Every store had its own distinct look, large chains didn't exist here. Everything was owned and built up by an individual from what I'd been told through the day. The streetlights were still lamplights and posters and advertisements had a heavy vintage nod --- sort of a cultural statement. It reminded me of certain area in Valtruat I'd always run off to for inspiration. There were tons of street vendors, graffiti, and just interesting furs all around. Though, it was sort of a slum compared to this place---and often times dangerous for visitors.
I was finally at the park. I headed in through the gated entrance, past a small playground with some younger leopards running around. I stopped where Vince and I had: at the benches near the fountain, and took a seat. I listened to the calm of water rushing down, the birds' joyful chirping in the soft orange clouds. There was another 40 minutes to kill so I rested my eyes, feeling worn out.
"...We need to let him go, get him out of here..."
"...There is no we, and he's going nowhere..."
"...But everything went..."
"...everything went perfectly. He's still not going anywhere..."
I was daydreaming for about 30 minutes in my slumped over position. My neck was feeling a little sore from the way I'd been sitting. I yawned and sat back up. I checked the watch, then the pathways. The leopards were still sitting at the playground but no Catherine. Hopefully she was able to come here after all. It'd be really disappointing otherwise. Taking out the piece of paper, I skimmed over it several times trying to make something of it. Notes of a red dragon was the only useful thing I'd gotten out of my search, my best lead. What had he done to me though? He was an empty portrait, following me with nonexistent eyes. There was nothing good relating to my thoughts of him: it brought me a sense of dread, a ghastly chill spiking up my fur. I'd never felt anything like it before, yet I've had my share of enemies and dangerous situations in the past. Then there was the subject of alchemy, which all I knew about it was a few cartoons or story books I'd read probably 10 years ago. I didn't take that part anywhere near as seriously as the scaled mystery man.
Catherine came walked up the pathway a few minutes late, alone this time. I folded up the paper and stuck it back in my pocket. She joined me at the bench after I waved her down. Time to see what else I could figure out, the anticipation was palpable.
"Hello again," she sat down.
"Hi Catherine, glad you were able to make it," I shifted towards her.
"So what is it you wanted to talk about?" She folded her legs.
"Well you know a lot about what's going on here so I was hoping you could help me find something." I started to explain.
"Ok, well what are you looking for?" She asked.
"I don't really know myself." She tilted her head a bit. "I'm sort of looking into a few things but there hasn't been a lot to go off of. Are you sure there hasn't been anything strange going in lately? I asked again.
"Nothing I know of, besides the fire," she said.
I tried something else. "Do you know of any red dragons here? I was told there was one that lived nearby."
She folded her paws in her lap. "Well, the only red dragon I know around here is Akro."
My ears perked straight up. "The suspect, " I mumbled to myself,
She gave me a confused look. "Excuse me?"
I cleared my throat. "Oh, have you met the guy? Do you know where he lives, anything about him at all?" I asked.
She looked up into the clouds. "Well I don't really know how long he's lived here but he's definitely been around since before I moved here. He used to be pretty friendly towards me but I haven't spoken with him much these past few years. "
"You actually talk with him? What's he like?" I edged closer to her.
"Well we haven't really talked in the past few years. I used to see him in the library or the café once in a while and he'd discuss articles I was writing with me. In return I'd look over science journals with him and talk about the field's future impact. He wasn't friendly to everyone but he was always polite. He stopped coming to the café though, and eventually he stopped saying hi to me the rare few times I did see him. "
From what she continued to tell me he was supposedly a decent guy. He became more secretive over the past few years and frequented the town less often. I was hoping she still felt close enough to visit him so I'd have an excuse, but that wasn't the case. That part was completely up to me at this point, scary as it may be. She did give me his address at least which I wrote down on my paper. We talked briefly about the subject of alchemy, but she had about as much knowledge of it as me: childhood nostalgia.
We ended up talking for more than an hour, moving towards more casual subjects. After mentioning I was an art major she gave me some suggestions for good schools. It turns out she was actually friends with a lot of well-known artists and authors, she had a lot of connections for where she lived and what she did. When we finally said our goodbyes it was getting dark, I still had a while before having to get back to Vince. I walked with her out of the park and thanked her again before going our separate ways.
I headed down towards the library through the yellow glow of streetlights now waking up. There were some places already closing up, and getting ready to head home. Strangely enough the town didn't seem to be influenced by either time of the day. There were about the same amount liveliness in the nighttime as there was in the day: a small step up from flat-lining.
I turned onto the next street and all of that changed. There were grey figures all around me, cars lining the sides of the road and fluorescent spectacles all around as the view panned forward. I was tired, out of breath, but there was no time to stop. I weaved through the figures, and obstacles around them, too nervous to look back. Every alleyway was empty, why hadn't we made a plan of where to meet up afterwards? There was no way I'd find him if he was making his best efforts to fall off the face of the earth. If I were him, I'd be trying to make it to the other side of town where it's safe though, so it was probably best I kept going.
Following the streets I knew I kept my head low and still tried checking wherever I could, getting worried. I hadn't seen any signs of Allen or the dealers after us for a while; they all went after him when we ditched the car. Calling for help wouldn't do anything, he'd be in just as much trouble if the police caught him. Hearing someone that sounded like Allen yell about a block away shot my adrenaline back up. I got my second wind and rushed towards the voice.
I slid behind a car, peeking through the dirty windows and over the hood. There were figures in the alleyway, the streetlight wasn't enough to make out the faces but I knew who it was. I clenched my fist trying to make out their arguing. One of them was knocked into a pair of trashcans, a silhouette of my friend. Three other figures were huddling over him; one pulled something out of their pocket. What the hell was I supposed to do? I looked around for some type of weapon, some type of distraction. There was more arguing in the shroud, becoming increasingly louder. I was on the other side of the street trying to get closer.
The streets were suddenly vacant of any life except for the alley. I started to move to the next car but saw the thug raise the object in his hand and instantly knew what it was. My eyes widened. My heart stopped. The only sound left in the city was the distant roar of a train. A pause, then a flash of light and the sound of the barrel, they did it. They actually did it. They'd shot Allen. I slumped against the side of the car and held my head in my paws. Why hell did this happen? I knew Allen was digging himself a hole being around these people but did it really come to this?! I told him to stay the fuck away from all this shit. I told him what would happen and he shrugged it off like a fucking idiot. Why the hell didn't he listen to me?!
"Shit!" I turned around and punched the car as hard as I could.
The car alarm went off and the thugs started to head this way. I had to move. Basically on all fours, I started running, staying as low as possible. I kept that up until I got to the end of the street but they'd still spotted me. I had no idea if Allen was still alive. Leaving him behind was the last thing I wanted to do, but if I didn't find help we'd both suffer the same fate. My palms were sweating; I couldn't stop replaying what happened in my head.
I'd known him since I was a kid, we did everything together. He started dealing drugs to pay rent when he got kicked out of his place at 16, eventually using them himself. I offered to let him stay with me, my family was fine with it, but he always made up some excuse. He wouldn't admit he had a drug problem and he was driven to be independent. It was beneath him to ever accept any help from friends. I hated what he was part of sometimes but if it weren't for him I'd have never become an artist. Him bringing me to all the underground spots, all the creative scenes around the city was what inspired me to be who I was, he introduced me to more opportunities than I could count. He can't just be gone, not the way things went. No one deserves that, especially not him.
I ran for as long as I could remember, not stopping for a second. I wasn't even looking at the roads or where I was going, what direction I was heading. I just ran. Finally I stopped in the middle of a road, completely exhausted and drenched in sweat. Looking up I saw a blinding light, no, two blinding lights. They got closer and closer with nowhere for me to go. I stood there panting, back arched, as they swallowed me up whole.
The lights were kind enough to soon spit me back out onto the street. I was under the spotlight, looking up at the library with heightened senses. I crinkled my muzzle and swept my tail up. If what I remember is true that happened nearly a week ago. I had to find out what happened with Allen, immediately. There should be a payphone in the library, so I crossed the street to the entrance. Inside the lights were off, but the door was still open. I stepped inside seeing the light of a backroom on the other side. Eton was probably still here.
I stopped in the entryway which had the payphone as well as the bathrooms before the second door to the library. I picked up the receiver only to realize I don't have any change---I'd tossed it into the fountain out of boredom at the park. I put the receiver back and was going to find Eton to use the library phone. There was only one problem: I was becoming drunk on lust again. I wanted to make the call as soon as possible but my body convinced me it was worth pawing first. I sidestepped over to the bathroom and wasted no time.
I flipped the lights on and leaned against the wall out of sight from the door. This was the first time I'd ever done something like this somewhere public but I just didn't care for some reason. Undeniable urges fogged my head, instruments of my desire. I pulled down my pants and worked my already throbbing shaft the best I could without stop. The heat of my body, the swirling vibrations caressing every sensitive area found my voice and forced it out, echoing through the walls. Each squeeze of my begging arousal felt like I was seconds away from my dramatic climax, bringing forth another even more aggressive stroke.
This time the dragon was much clearer in my head. Voices went off again, this time decreeing the dragon's importance. My head was filled with ideas of who he was, who I was. It worked out to me being far too focused on my physical needs to control the thoughts I was having, there was no turning them off. They licked my ears, soothed them with a chorus of chants that grew more suggestive with time. I was being a bad boy they said, follow the dragon's words they told me. Nothing made sense but I had no inclination to dispute any of it. Again, I had come to the point of no return. The pressure capped off at the tip of my shaft, but I was denied just as I was the previous night. The warmth, the tingling, the pressure, the voices and imagery, everything went away instantly without the satisfactory feeling of an orgasm. One thing different this time was a dull pain in my balls.
Frustrated and confused, I put in another attempt. This time I tried controlling my thoughts, taking myself to whatever would make me horny again. I collided with the familiar and misunderstood thoughts, continually brushing them off. After a few minutes of struggle I noticed I couldn't easily grow hard with my own thoughts; I went soft again almost instantly. With time being a factor I just let myself go again, the voices warmed up and the images burned in. The results were the same, brought to a higher plane and then slammed back to earth head first. The pain grew again before subsiding shortly after. Half an hour went by before I finally just gave up. Hopefully Eton hadn't left yet.
Using the mirror, I fixed myself up. I looked down towards the sink to wash my hands and there was a cold gust of air against my shoulder; feeling like someone was behind me. I turned around but there was nothing there. Shrugging it off, and at this point, just chalking it up to me becoming crazy. I walked out to find the light still on in the back office, the door open about half way. Down against the floor, I could see a pair of shadows in the trailing light. I moved up through the isles, clinging to the darkness as a way to eavesdrop.
I could tell the second voice was Eton, but who was the other one? I tried to get a look into the room from the other side of the shelves. Suddenly there was a breakthrough in the case. The dragon shrouded in all this mystery was standing there in the backroom with Eton. Well I had left everything up to my instincts, so what was I to do now?
"Oh, that brings me to my next problem. You haven't even finished translating volume three. I'm keeping you around, providing you these luxuries so you can get my work done. If you can't do that then maybe I should just set this place aflame, it wouldn't take much with all this paper sitting around." He waved a claw in gesture.
"No, please Master! These books are my life, some of them are priceless!" Eton pleaded.
Wait, did he just call that dragon...Master? He was right next to the dragon, probably about a foot and a half shorter, bowing his head. Catherine told me he was a nice guy but I was really having doubts hearing his threats.
"I don't think you're getting the picture here, Eton. Let's remind you of your place around here shall we?" He pulled out a red stone and held it out close to the fox's head.
A red flash lit up the room for a second and he put the stone back away. Right before my eyes, Eton began a transformation. His fur pulled into itself, his skin turned to scales. Small wings sprouted out of his back; with a low cry his muzzle grew outwards. This must have been alchemy, incredible that something like that actually existed --- something out of a science fiction movie was happening right in front of me. Just what exactly had he done to Eton though? I inched closer. Through a clear view I could see Eton now as a small black dragon with a grey underbelly. The friendly fox I'd met earlier was gone. He let out a low growl, his eyes a dim red.
"I'm taking away your species privileges for a while; you can just be another minion whore till you earn it back. On all fours, your punishment isn't over yet."
The small dragon did as he was told without a single sign of hesitance. The red dragon stood over him for a moment before kneeling down behind him. His cock was visible from an angle and I saw it push against the poor black dragon's tail-end.
"I'll miss that cute little fox running around for me during your punishment. Why must you disappoint me so?" The red dragon asked.
A shrill cry shattered my ear drums as the dragon mercilessly forced himself deep within Eton. I gritted my teeth from the noises as the larger dragon sped up, pulling all the way out and smashing his hips back against Eton. He growled and leaned in, biting the black reptile on the neck, probably symbolizing his dominance. The two were interlocked by a frenzy of anguish and pleasure. It went on for several minutes before I was over the initial shock well enough to move.
I couldn't handle watching, or especially hearing what was happening. Surreal wasn't a good enough word to describe the situation. I quietly padded out the door, nearly tripping over myself every time I heard Eton, or, whoever that was, howling. There I was again, holding onto the door and letting myself get away---I wasn't sure which of the two made me feel more nauseated. I, almost regrettably, headed to Vince's shop, now realizing just how far this town was far from ordinary. I didn't know what to expect anymore, being the actor of an ever changing play. And no, I wasn't just talking about my imaginary detective role.
I'd made it back to Time&Time around 9:30. Vince was sitting in the backroom; he came out when he heard me walk in. Should I tell him what I'd seen? How would I even explain it, no one would believe what I saw. Someone had to help Eton though. I couldn't just ignore his cries for help.
"Hey Cyr, you ready to head home?" He asked shut the door and switched off the lights.
"We have to go to the library. Eton's in trouble. " I held the door open.
He gave me a bewildered look. "What's wrong with Eton?"
"I'll explain on the way, hurry!" I urged him.
edit: woops! somehow a few paragraphs at the end didn't get copied over, but everything's all good now! Thanks for reading---hope you enjoyed it!