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The Shapeshifter: Part VI

Special thanks to the wise and patient help of Guri, editor and reviser extraordinaire.

As usual, please don't read if you're not the proper age or shouldn't be reading this in your area.

Malken narrowed his eyes as he observed the spell that Elliot had just, with Tannal's help, cast. "Alright," he said, crossing his arms, "that was good, but we're going to need to do it again."

"Again?!" Elliot exclaimed, pushing himself into a semi-standing position. They had been practicing protective spells for the last few hours and both he and Tannal were completely exhausted. Malken had never pushed Elliot so hard before; and - unless Tannal was mistaken - he had a look of desperation and determination in his eyes that Tannal had never seen before. Even Kiem was present for this practice session, perched on his master's shoulder, his black eyes glittering as he provided additional power to Malken's spells. "Why?" Elliot said in disbelief. "What was wrong with it the first time?"

"It wasn't good enough." Malken ran his hand wearily over his face as Kiem leapt light down onto the floor. "You need to try harder, Elliot. You need to push yourself more. You've come to the point where good is no longer acceptable. If you want to make it as a master sorcerer, you're going to need to invest more of yourself. Kensing will back here in a few days. Do you really want to disappoint him with this medicare effort? You need to work on your spells more."

Elliot swallowed, but nodded, steadying himself to retry the spell.

Malken raised his arms, then lowered them again. "Perhaps we should take a break."

"Really?" Elliot tried to keep the relief from his voice. "But I thought you said - "

"You're exhausted, Elliot. I must have underestimated your resolve to get this spell cast correctly" Malken's eyes surveyed him critically, but when Elliot's face fell in disappointment, his look softened. "Sit down and rest; I'll go make some tea."

Elliot collapsed wearily into the chair, completely exhausted. The last spell had been more than what he was used to and he and Tannal could barely handle the effort involved with creating it.

"Relax, El," Tannal said quietly, settling to the ground. "It's not going to do either of us any good if you beat yourself to a pulp."

Elliot glanced at Tannal, then nodded. "You're right," he said softly, closing his eyes wearily. Tannal settled down on the floor, trying to rest his exhausted body. Whenever Elliot did spells - especially strong ones - his own energy was sapped. Tannal didn't notice it at first after he was initially transformed; but as Elliot continued to perform minor bits of magic here and there, Tannal began to feel a slight twinge inside him with each spell. After weeks of being Elliot's familiar, their bond was even stronger than it was before and Tannal was now at the point where he was aware of every time Elliot used magic. Small magic didn't tired him; it drained Elliot of energy, not him. But whenever Elliot had to make a powerful spell - like when he was practicing protection spells with Malken - he needed to draw on Tannal for additional power. And that left Tannal feeling completely drained.

"Hey Telsa," Elliot murmured softly, reaching his hand down to gently stroke Tannal's fur affectionately. "You did really well today."

Tannal lifted his head up slightly so Elliot could scratch the right spot behind his ears. "So did you. Malken's not giving you enough credit."

"He's right," Elliot said wearily. "I should be able to make a fully-constructed pro- " He trailed off and his hand suddenly drifted from Tannal's head. "What's that?"

Tannal opened his eyes. "What?" He saw immediately what had caught Elliot's attention.

The door to Malken's workroom - that was always bolted shut - was opened slightly, revealing a sliver of light reflecting off a strange object inside. Tannal rose to his feet, shifting to a wolfhound. That door was always closed and always locked. And was definitely shut a few minutes earlier. But who had opened it?

Elliot hesitated, knowing that he shouldn't look, but curiosity got the better of him and he slowly rose to his feet and approached the door. Slowly, he grasped the doorknob and pulled the heavy door open wider. He gasped in surprise. Inside was a store room lined with shelf upon shelf and upon each shelf were several rows of small, bronze orbs with faint blueish markings on their smooth surface.

"Whoa," Elliot breathed, gazing into the room in awe. "What are these?"

Tannal stepped up beside Elliot, also marveling at the sight. He may not be an expert on magic, but as a familiar he could sense the caliber of magic an object gave off, and these orbs were practically glowing hot with power. Tannal's fur ruffled slightly from the energy that they were giving off.

"Elliot," he murmured softly. "Be careful. These are very powerful - "

"Elliot," a voice suddenly said from behind them. Elliot whirled around guiltily to find Malken behind them with Kiem perched on his shoulder. "What are you doing?"

"I - I'm sorry, Master Malken," Elliot said quickly, bowing his head to hide the blush of shame coloring his cheeks. "I saw the door open and I - "

Malken raised his hand. "Say no more." He surveyed Elliot with his strange, pale eyes. "Curiosity is a good trait to have for some things, Elliot. But as a sorcerer, it can easily get you killed." Malken lifted Kiem off his shoulder and smiled gently. "Come. The tea's ready."

Elliot obediently left the workroom and its mysterious orbs behind, with Tannal at his heels. "Master Malken, may I ask: what are those?" Elliot said, frowning slightly as he stepped away from the room.

Malken turned to look at the row of small, metal spheres that lined one of the shelves. "Ah," he said. "Those are spell orbs. They're devices that are able to release powerful spells on a timer. It allows the sorcerer who casts the spell to get safely out of harm's way before the spell goes off."

Elliot looked up and down the row of orbs. "But there's so many," he said softly. He turned to Malken. "Who would need this many orbs?"

Malken smiled sadly. "Sorry," he said, "it's Academy business." He tugged the massive door shut and clasped its lock over the doorknob. He turned back to Elliot with a faint attempt of a smile on his face. "So, would you like milk or lemon with your tea?"

As Elliot and Malken continued talking, Tannal felt a light tap on his shoulder and he turned to find Kiem at his side.

"What do you want?" he whispered irritably. The last time the lemur had attempted to talk to him, he had told him to trust Malken despite everything that Tannal had seen Malken do. And Tannal, while he took note of Kiem's advice, was hesitant to take it, given that everything he knew about Malken seemed to be the opposite of what the lemur told him. Tannal didn't care what Kiem's excuse for his master was - it didn't change the fact that Malken knew Tannal's true identity and did nothing to help him or warn Elliot about Kensing. And that, in Tannal's eyes, made Malken on Kensing's side more than anything else.

"To warn you," the lemur said in a low voice, his black eyes fixed on his master. "Much was risked by leaving that door open in the first place - "

Tannal glanced at Elliot, who was still talking to Malken. "Warn me about what?" he said softly, still not entirely sure how much he could trust the lemur's word.

"The spell orbs," the lemur looked around suspiciously. "They contain transformation spells. To turn humans into familiars."

Tannal's tail lashed angrily. "Great. Just what we need is more of those."

"You don't understand. Not only does it make Kensing more of a threat because the Academy doesn't know that containing a spell that powerful is possible to hold within an orb, but it makes him the perfect blackmailer. He can leave the spell in anyone's home who disagrees with or grows suspicious of him. And these new spell orbs make the transformation permanent -

"Permanent?" Tannal whispered, feeling a flicker of excitement stir deep within him. "Are you saying that the spell on me isn't permanent? It can be removed?"

Kiem looked wearily back at his master. "I said nothing of the sort. I'm not a sorcerer, Tannal. But I can tell you that Kensing tested some of the earlier models on captured humans in the Wildlands - your own transformation spell was one of the last trials. But he's been working on the spells; working on perfecting them. And these spells are strong. Malken has been working on them for a long time - you need to be careful."

"I will be careful," Tannal snarled quietly, "but I don't need you to tell me that."

The lemur gave him a curious look. "I understand that you still do not trust us, and I do not blame you for being suspicious. But trust me, from what I've heard, whatever Kensing's going to do, he's going to do it soon."

Tannal watched the lemur hop back to Malken, who automatically lowered his arm so that the lemur could swing up onto his shoulder. What were they up to? he wondered before returning back to Elliot's side.

"So what made you want to go into familiar formations and transformations?" Elliot asked Malken casually, as he sat back to drink his tea.

Malken looked up mildly. "Oh, I suppose a number of things. It's fascinating for me to see why certain people are bound to certain shapes. It was an area of expertise that interested me and that had a need for scholastic study." He shrugged. "I figured I should do something I enjoy while being useful and getting decent pay. Isn't that what everyone does?"

"I suppose," Elliot answered, but Tannal could tell that Elliot was lost in thought. Apparently, so did Malken.

"Thinking about your speciality, are you?" he said kindly.

Elliot started and guiltily lowered his cup to his saucer. "Yes," he said softly. "I need to know what I'm going to specialize in soon."

"And you already have an idea?"

Elliot hesitated. "Yes. I think I should go into transformation studies."

Malken put his cup of tea down. "You do realize that you're rushing into this decision rather quickly? You're pushing it, Elliot. I just don't want you to make any rash decisions."

"I don't think it's a rash decision," Elliot said stubbornly. "I think it's a practical one. Transformations are a valuable and important part of a sorcerer's education and have real world applications to them. And there are plenty of things that we still don't know and still haven't figured out how to do when it comes to transformations. I think it's a promising field."

Malken looked surprised and somewhat worried, but he nodded. "Elliot, does this have anything to do with Tannal?"

Tannal looked up in annoyance at the mention of his name, but Malken ignored him.

Elliot looked at Malken with defiance. "So what if it does? I swore that I wouldn't give up until I found him and I'm holding myself to that oath."

"Elliot, this is your career we're talking about," Malken said feebly, "not a schoolboy promise. You can't run around the kingdom turning over every stone until you find what you're looking for - "

"Maybe not. But I'm still going to try. It's not like anyone else is doing anything to find him. And I will find him. No one else will listen to me and no one else is looking for him! All they care about is the prince! I'm all he has left!"

Sadness clouded Malken's eyes and Tannal was surprised to see that it was genuine. Why would Malken care about what happened to him? Malken knew the truth about him, but did nothing to help him -

"Sometimes," Malken said softly, "terrible things happen and there is nothing that you can do to make them right. Sometimes, passivity is the only option."

Elliot's eyes glittered strangely. "I don't agree with that," he said softly, and Tannal could feel the emotion radiating from Elliot into him. "Sometimes you have to take action."

Malken smiled sadly. "Sometimes, Elliot, you don't have a choice."

* * * *

After Elliot and Tannal returned from training with Malken, Elliot immediately went into his workshop without a word. Tannal let Elliot vent his frustrations out on the locator device that he was still continuing to work on, despite not knowing what animal Tannal had been transformed into. Elliot had been a wreck the last week, but, even Tannal had to admit, Elliot did a fantastic job keeping it from his friends and Malken. At home, however, he didn't have to put on a show for Tannal and act like everything was alright. They both knew it wasn't.

Elliot gave Tannal a wide berth for the first day or so after they had returned from the Wildlands as he attempted to sort out his thoughts and feelings. Elliot had accepted that his familiar was human (even though, he didn't know that his familiar was a male, let alone his friend), but there had been nothing that Elliot could do about the spell. The night they returned, Elliot spent hours pouring over books, testing countercurse spells on Tannal, and attempting to quiz Tannal on whatever he could reveal about the spells on him, which wasn't much. When Elliot had failed to break the spells that were locked on Tannal, he decided to turn to a different path.

Tannal had spent hours persuading Elliot not to tell Kensing or anyone else about what he had discovered at the outpost, only finally managing to convince him to keep quiet when he reminded Elliot that there was a traitor sorcerer who would probably kill all of the transformed humans if word got out about the truth. Elliot still wasn't entirely sold on what the scribe had said about Kensing being the traitor, but he no longer spoke of Kensing with admiration in his voice, so Tannal hoped that Elliot was at the very least reconsidering his opinion on the man. So Elliot grudgingly agreed to keep quiet until he could find a counterspell to the transformation spell.

At the very least, Elliot seemed comforted that he knew that Tannal was still alive, albeit an animal. Since he couldn't help his familiar immediately (or so he thought), he threw himself into attempting to find Tannal. Once they found him, Elliot told Tannal, they'd turn him back into a human and then he'd be able to report to the king's guard all that he knew; the kidnappers who took the prince and the sorcerer who was transforming humans into familiars would be apprehended, the humans turned back, and the prince returned, and war averted. Everything would work out. They just had to find Tannal first.

But there were other problems. With their bond getting stronger by the day, Elliot and Tannal were affecting each other more and more, and with their stronger magical bond meant the need for a stronger physical bond. Tannal felt stronger and replenished whenever he was in physical contact with Elliot - as all familiars did - but with Elliot it was also different. They had been lovers before, and so before long, Tannal found himself wishing for a more intimate type of contact. Elliot refused to touch him like that ever since he had deduced that Tannal was actually a transformed human and Tannal was beginning to feel his need building more. But Elliot would only push him away when Tannal would attempt to arouse him and tell him that it wasn't right.

But last night, Tannal had awoken to a need so strong it ached between his legs; and he knew why. Elliot was aroused as well, but despite his best efforts, was unable to climax. Tannal went to him immediately and Elliot hadn't been able to help himself. They fucked hard, desperate to satisfy themselves and ignoring the consequences of it, until the next morning. Elliot was shamefaced and Tannal was sore and neither of them made eye-contact the whole morning until their practice session with Malken.

"Elliot?" Tannal said softly, slowly walking into the workroom as a tabby cat. "May I come in?"

Elliot glanced up from where he was pouring over his locator device. "Sure," he gestured carelessly, then resumed what he was doing.

"Look, Elliot," Tannal said carefully. "I wanted to apologize. For last night. I know we shouldn't have, but I was just - we were both - " He trailed off and looked at Elliot wearily.

Elliot glanced up from the device. "It shouldn't have happened. The first time shouldn't have. And the time after that, and the time after that." He threw the marking chalk onto the table angrily. "And last night shouldn't have, either. I don't know why I can't help it."

"Nothing's wrong with you, if that's what you're thinking."

"That's one of the things I'm thinking," Elliot said bitterly.

"Elliot, come one. You can't fall apart every time this happens."

"I'm not falling apart," Elliot snapped. "I'm just trying to get my life - our lives - back in order. And every time things start to work out, I mess it up again - "

"You're a guy," Tannal said soothingly. "Don't worry, it's normal to - "

Elliot spun around angrily. "There is nothing normal about what I do to you!" he shouted.

Tannal quieted. "I'm sorry," he said softly. "I know the position I put you in must be difficult. I never meant to - to make your life this complicated. I'm sorry for putting you through all of this."

Elliot sighed, his anger dissipating. "No, Telsa," he said. "It's not your fault. I shouldn't have yelled at you. None of this is your fault. I didn't mean to sound like I was blaming you for this. I just - I just want this to be over with. And I want to know that when it is, you'll be able to forgive me for what I've done; and maybe then I'll be able to forgive myself."

Tannal knew better than to attempt to make Elliot feel better about himself when he was feeling the guilt of his actions. The best thing was for him to distract him. "I didn't know you were thinking about going into transformation studies," Tannal said, changing the subject as Elliot bent over the device again. "You never told me that."

Elliot didn't look up from what he was doing. "That's probably because I didn't know until a little while ago that I would be going into it," he answered stiffly.

Tannal hesitated. "You're not going into that because - because of what the scribe said, are you? About the transformed humans?"

Elliot wiped his brow off with his shirt sleeve. "I think that part's done," he said wearily.

"Elliot? You didn't answer me - "

"So what if I go into transformations? It's a good field. It's the field of both of my teachers! Why wouldn't I want to go into it?" A dark look crossed Elliot's face. "If that scribe was right and there are more transformed humans out there, then I have a duty to help them." He looked curiously at Tannal. "I though you of all people would be the first to support that, especially given your circumstances."

Tannal snorted. "My circumstances?" "I appreciate what you're trying to do, Elliot, but Malken has a point: you shouldn't throw away your life and waste it on something you don't care about, just to prove a point."

Elliot glared at him. "Forget it, Telsa. It's my decision and I've already made it, alright? Now can you just drop it? You're starting to sound like Malken."

"Malken?" Tannal blanched at the thought. "I hope not." He paused, wondering if he should press his luck, but Elliot seemed only minorly distracted by cleaning up after his latest part of the locator device spell, so Tannal decided to chance it. "What do you know about Master Malken?" he asked curiously.

"Malken?" Elliot glanced up from where he was twisting some of the metal wires of the device together. "What about him?"

Tannal shrugged. "I was just curious. He doesn't have an apprentice of his own, but he seems to awfully concerned about taking you under his wing - "

Elliot, to Tannal's surprise, laughed. "What?" Elliot asked. "Don't tell me you don't like Malken, either? Eventually, Telsa, you're going to have to warm up to either Malken or Kensing. You can't go the rest of your life hating both of my teachers."

Tannal snorted, sincerely hoping that he wouldn't have to go through rest of his life in the position that he was currently in. "I guess he's fine. I just don't trust him." His mind flickered back to when he saw Bruine mounting the man before he himself was taken by the dragon. "Something about him doesn't sit right with me."

Elliot shrugged, gathering up the books he had used to help him construct the last part of the device that he had just finished building. "Well don't be too hard on him," he said, making a pile on his desk. "He's a fantastic teacher. And he hasn't had the easiest life, either, you know."

Tannal shifted into a large lizard and sprawled out on the floor. "I'm sure," he said in a tone that indicated he thought anything but.

"No, really." Elliot slid some of the thick tomes back into their places on the bookshelf. "You don't know? He lost everything and he's still here as one of the most powerful sorcerers alive." When Tannal gave him a doubtful look, Elliot straightened. "A few years ago, when Tannal and I were still at the Lower Academy, Malken was made a Master Sorcerer. He was incredibly powerful - maybe even more powerful than Kensing. He specialized in transformation spells, too. From what I've been told, he was a favorite among the council to become the next Head Sorcerer."

"Good for him," Tannal said, rolling his eyes.

Elliot ignored him. "He was very popular back then: he was powerful, he had excellent connections, he was well-liked, and he had just married one of the queen's ladies in waiting - "

"What?" Tannal's head jerked up. Malken had married a woman? That was the last thing he would have expected, especially after seeing Malken being willingly mated with Bruine. Before Tannal could ask more about that, Elliot continued to speak.

"Yeah," Elliot said, nodding, apparently unaware of Tannal's surprise. "They had dated all through his Academy training and when he was made a full Master they were married. Malken apparently used to be very social - didn't you ever wonder why his familiar was a lemur? Apparently, he actually used to be really outgoing and happy - but that was a long time ago."

Tannal stepped forward, in complete disbelief that Malken used to have a playful side. The sorcerer always seemed so quiet and calm. Yes, he was wise, and obviously capable, but never struck Tannal as being sociable. "What happened to him?"

"Well," Elliot said quietly. "No one really knows the full story. All I know is that Malken took on his first apprentice - a boy from the rural parts of the kingdom. His apprentice had just passed all of his training tests and was about to be set up with his own familiar when there was an accident."

"What kind of accident?"

"I don't know," Elliot frowned. "But Malken's apprentice died in it. That's why he's never taken another apprentice to train. Until Kensing had him help me."

"I didn't know that."

"It gets worse. As soon as the apprentice died, Malken's wife went missing. They said that she ran off with one of the king's knights and left Malken alone with his grief. No one heard from her again, so the king had no choice but to recommend that Malken get passed over for a promotion. It doesn't look good when ladies in waiting go missing and children turn up dead on your watch, you know. Malken lost everything. All of his friends abandoned him, his family disowned him, and the kingdom withdrew its support. The only thing that kept Malken going was Kensing. He supported Malken and made sure that he was taken care of."

Tannal lowered himself back to the floor. Part of him wondered how true that story was, but the other part of him wondered if that was why Malken was always so quiet and sad.

Elliot shook his head. "That's why when Tannal disappeared, Kensing told me to try to not become Malken. He didn't want me to lose myself in my misery and guilt."

"You shouldn't," Tannal said, surprising himself. "You shouldn't lose yourself in your sorrow. You shouldn't give up, but, you also can't give in."

Elliot gave Tannal a curious. "I'll remember that," he said, frowning slightly.

Luckily, a knock at the door interrupted their conversation before it could continue.

"I'll get it!" Tannal said, leaping to his feet as a German Shepherd and dashing to the door while Elliot shrugged and continued to pack his books away.

Tannal, shifting fluidly into the form of a gold monkey, turned the knob and opened to door to find Sari and Surem standing there.

"Telsa!" Sari said, smiling. "Hello, how are you doing?"

"Master Apprentice Sari," Tannal said, moving out of the way, bowing. "I'm sure Elliot will be pleased to see you. Please, come in." He watched the silver fox smoothly pad past him as he followed his mistress. "I'll go get him."

But Elliot had already appeared. "Sari!" he cried out, going to meet her. "What are you doing here?"

"Elliot!" She embraced him tightly. "It's so good to see you again! I hoped that you'd be home before I left - "

"Left?" The smile flickered from Elliot's face. "What do you mean?"

"I'm leaving, Elliot," she said softly. "My master went into the Southlands a month ago and has just sent word that I should join him there. It doesn't sound like I have much of a choice in the matter. He wants me to leave tomorrow."

"Tomorrow," Elliot repeated. "But that's so soon."

"I know," she said, tucking a silvery strand of her hair behind her ear, "but that's why I thought I'd stop by tonight. I wanted to see you before I left."

"How long will you be gone?"

Sari hesitated. "It could be a week; it could be almost a year. I don't know. But I'll be at the safehouse for a few weeks before I set off. So I'll at least be somewhat close for a bit." She hesitated. "Do you want to sit down and - talk - for a bit?"

Elliot wordlessly gestured to the doorway to the sitting room, leaving Tannal and Surem alone in the vestibule.

"Hello," Surem said in his quiet, melodious voice. "Nice to see you again."

Tannal felt his tail tuck automatically between his legs. "Hello, Surem," he managed softly, his fur bristling.

Surem gave the closest thing to a smile a fox can manage. "You look anxious, little wolf," he said. "But do not worry; I will not mount you here, in front of our masters."

"Oh?" Tannal asked, keeping his eyes on the fox.

Surem seated himself majestically on the floor. "I do not know what sorts of horrors you were subjected to before me, but I have told you once, and I will tell you again: I will not force you. I never force my mates. I simply saw your need and acted upon it, as it suited my own. If that is not the case today, I will not grudge you for it."

"Good," Tannal said, lifting his muzzle into the air to maintain some shred of dignity. "Then see to it that you behave yourself accordingly."

Surem barked a laugh and shook his head in amusement. "You really are something, Telsa," he said as he walked away to join his master.

Tannal fumed.

* * * *

After a few minutes of listening to Elliot and Sari speak to one another in quiet, urgent voices and gazing into one another's eyes, Tannal became both bored and a little embarrassed and thought it might be best to leave.

What would they do? Tannal's mind flickered back to his first time with Elliot. Elliot had been consumed with need; there had been no love, no tenderness; it was entirely lust. But if he were to couple with Sari - ? Tannal found himself wondering what kind of lover Elliot would be. He knew it sounded ridiculous, since he had copulated with Elliot multiple times. But all of those times had been more so out of need rather than want.

Tannal was in the middle of his thoughts whirling in his mind about Elliot and Sari together when he was interrupted by a soft sound behind him and he spun around to find Surem watching him.

"Hello, Telsa," Surem said softly.

Tannal blushed, furious not only that Surem had found him alone in the study but also that he has found him alone in the study thinking about his best friend and Sari sleeping together.

Surem tilted his head to the side, his amber eyes watching Tannal closely. "Why are you embarrassed? Are your thoughts reflecting on our previous encounter? Because I certainly wouldn't mind revisiting that - "

"No!" Tannal blushed even more, backing up quickly. "No, that wasn't what I was thinking about. I was - I was - " But suddenly a scent caught his nose. It was - so intoxicating. So overpowering. So masculine -

He gasped and stumbled backwards. "What - what are you doing? What are you doing to me?"

Surem, to his credit, looked worried. "I must apologize, Telsa," he said, taking a step back. "My body was reacting to your scent."

"My scent?" Tannal repeated softly.

Surem nodded. "You are aroused. I assumed, when I entered the room, that you were picturing something arousing, like our last coupling."

Tannal shook his head blearily. "I - I was." I looked up fearfully at the silver fox. "I was thinking of something. I didn't think it would be arousing. But I guess it was. I just - I didn't think its effect would be that strong."

Surem nodded, the dominance he usually exuded withdrawing into himself. "Very well. I will leave you to your thoughts, then," he said as he began to turn away.

"Wait!" Tannal cried out before he could stop himself. Surem turned back and for a moment, Tannal could have sworn that he saw a grin on the fox's face. "Don't - don't go yet."

"Telsa," Surem said gently. "Do you want something?"

Surem's male scent was flooding Tannal's mind. He was vaguely aware of a voice in his mind telling him to run, to tell Surem to leave - but a stronger voice in his head had clasped onto Tannal with the strength of steel, demanding that he go to the wonderfully male fox. Tannal shuddered, feeling an all-too familiar throbbing under his tail.

"I - you're right. I am - aroused." He murmured, almost to himself. "I - I can't - "

"You seem confused," Surem said softly. "What is it that you want?" He took a step forward. "Either you want me to leave, and you can tend to your thoughts. Or, I can stay. And I can give you all the pleasure you desire. What is it that you want?"

"I don't know!" whispered Tannal. "I shouldn't. It's wrong. But - it felt so good last time. And I - I want it - "

"What are you so afraid of? Pleasure is pleasure, little vixen. Why do you shy away from it?" Surem licked Tannal's face gently. "You need to learn to embrace it. Pleasure is not an evil thing. But you must first decide if it is what you want. Do you want this?"

Tannal looked up at Surem. "It's not wrong, is it?"

"No, little one. It is natural. Listen to your instincts. They will not steer you wrong."

Tannal hesitated. "Will you - will you still be gentle? Like before?"

Surem was practically purring now as he began to circle the trembling she-wolf. "I will try," he said. "It will not be a rutting, but I must warn you, it has been a few weeks since I last bred, and there is a need upon me." Tannal shivered at this, but didn't move as the fox circled closer. Surem sniffed at Tannal's folds. "You've been bred already," he said softly, nuzzling at Tannal's rump. "I didn't know you were so non-discriminate."

"I - I'm not," Tannal murmured, his protest ending in a moan as the fox's tongue began to lap at his folds. "Ohhhhhh, Surem."

Surem paused for a moment in his ministrations. "Interesting," he said, licking snout clean. "You taste like a human - like your master - "

Tannal whirled around and pounced on Surem so quickly, he didn't even realize that he had shifted into a massive she-wolf until he was standing over Surem's comparatively small body, his jaws inches from the fox's throat. "If you ever," he growled dangerously, "ever, think of telling a soul about that, I swear - "

"I will not tell a soul." Surem didn't bother to struggle. He simply laid limply in Tannal's jaws, waiting until Tannal had calmed down.

Tannal backed away from Surem, still on guard.

The fox, however, did not seem to be concerned in the least. "Many familiars enter in carnal relations with their masters," he explained simply. "It is certainly not unheard of. And with your - variety - of forms, I'm not surprised that Elliot wanted to experiment a bit."

"It wasn't Elliot's idea!" Tannal said vehemently.

"Then it was yours?" The fox moved around the wolf, watching Tannal closely. "You can't seem to get enough of it, can you?"

Tannal blushed, but stayed still, determined to not let the fox get to him.

"This is interesting," Surem said, inspecting Tannal. "Is this the form your master mounted you in? I can tell from the way you smell - it is even stronger in this form." Surem gently nosed against Tannal's folds, before dipping the front of his snout into Tannal.

Tannal moaned, pushing back on Surem eagerly until the fox withdrew.

"I must admit, the difference is intriguing," the fox said softly. "But I'm afraid that size difference will render my ability to satisfy you to be a bit - underwhelming. I understand that amongst foxes, I am quite endowed, but I do not think a wolf would find it as, shall we say, thrilling. Perhaps something smaller? And not that I'm partial, but I do prefer foxes. I have never mated, nor do I have the desire to mate with another species other than my own."

"Of course," Tannal said, shifting down. Tannal shifted into a fox, but made himself black this time, instead of white, as he was the first time they had mated. Surem seemed to be amused by this, as he turned his amber eyes to Tannal. Tannal felt his ears go back against his head in a blush as Surem surveyed him approvingly.

"This fox form is smaller than the first one," Surem said matter-of-factly.

"It's what?" Tannal looked over himself.

The silver fox's eyes glowed with lust. "Smaller," he repeated. "Which is good. It will be an even tighter fit, then."

"Even tighter?" Tannal repeated in surprise, already feeling his folds throbbing. He couldn't believe that his mind became so addled by lust so quickly; something about that fox just smelled so enticing! Tannal flagged his tail, waving it high in the air.

"Yes," the fox said, moving slightly so that Tannal was at an angle with a view of the bright red, throbbing meat that was swollen beneath the fox. "It will be even more pleasurable, as well."

Tannal nodded. He had time. Elliot was with Sari. And if Sari and Surem were both leaving, he might not ever have the chance again to experience the virile fox... "Good," he said softly, giving into his lust and spinning around so that his rump was up in the air. He lowered the front of his small body to the floor and waited in his prone position for the fox to mount him.

"Ohh," Surem breathed, his amber eyes aglow with desire. "You're like a little kitten, just waiting to be pounced on." He mounted Tannal, making the vixen moan in excitement. Gently, he wrapped his paws around Tannal's waist and gripped the vixen tightly before pulling himself up to better meet the smaller fox. Holding Tannal securely in his grasp, he thrust his hips upwards until Tannal felt Surem's tapered penis nudge against his folds.

"Surem," Tannal whispered hoarsely, feeling the hot tip of the fox's cock stab at his nether region, unsure if he was going to tell Surem to stop or to keep going. The large fox made up Tannal's mind for him when his penis found Tannal's cunt.

"Ohh!" Surem cried out, unable to help himself as he thrust the first half of his cock into Tannal, sheathing his cock into the wet warmth of Tannal's grip.

Tannal whined in pain and squirmed under the fox's weight, gasping at the thickness of the cock invading him. "Ughh - Surem - oh!" he panted, desperately trying to focus on anything but the pain. "Please - wait!"

Surem laughed quietly at that and gently nipped at Tannal's ear. "I'm only halfway in," he murmured in Tannal's ear. "Just one more thrust. Just one more - and then you can relax."

Tannal's head jerked up at that. "Surem," he whispered, "please wait. Surem, don't - "

The fox gripped Tannal even harder than before and thrust with all his might, spearing himself through the tight cunt of the little vixen.

Tannal cried out at that, feeling the white hot brand of Surem's penis barrel deep within him; deeper than anything he'd ever felt before. He clawed at the carpet, snarling in pain as he felt the invader stretch him to his limits, pain searing at his obscenely-stretched entrance.

Surem sighed, settling his weight down on Tannal's back. "There's a good girl," Surem breathed in Tannal's ear. "Such a good vixen. A good bitch."

"Ahhhh, Surem," Tannal gasped, feeling the throbbing thickness of the fox's meat buried deep within his clenching folds. "You're splitting me in two."

"Shh, shh little one," the silver fox murmured softly in Tannal's ear, his front paws squeezing around Tannal's chest as he held the smaller fox tightly to him. "You can take it. Don't worry. I told you, I'm always gentle with my lovers. I'll give you time to adjust, so you can time to enjoy - " He rolled his hips as he said this, causing his penis to rub Tannal's insides.

Tannal moaned, shuddering at the feeling of the larger fox on top of him. The fox had hilted his throbbing foxhood deep within Tannal, who felt every part of his passage stretched to its limit;but along with the pain was a slight twinge of pleasure as well - that was growing stronger by the moment.

Surem gently drew his hips back, drawing his glassy penis from Tannal's stretched hole, then slowly moved his hips forward again, sheathing himself deep into the vixen.

Tannal shuddered, feeling his inner walls part for the swollen cock and clench around it, milking the organ with his hot, wet walls. "Ohhhhh, Surem!" he whispered.

Surem grunted and began to develop a rhythm, thrusting back and forth within Tannal. The vixen's passage was wet with her own arousal and was burning hot. The way that it gripped his cock, the way that she smelled, the way that she moaned and squirmed under his weight made him even more aroused than before. And he was more than ready to breed his female.

Tannal yipped softly as Surem's speed picked up. Surem continued to thrust into Tannal mercilessly, every thrust resulting in his heavy balls slapping against Tannal's sore entrance and his thick shaft slurping out of Tannal's tunnel, followed by it being drilled back in and stretching it all over again to its limit.

Tannal, for his part, was unable to help himself from crying out, heedless of whoever might hear him. He dug his claws deep into the carpet and threw his head back, whining desperately at the sensation of the large fox fucking him. He could feel his tunnel heating up from the friction of Surem's thrusts, fluids from Tannal and from Surem's gushing cock coating his passageway so that it was slick. When Surem's knot began to batter against him, Tannal moaned loudly. He knew what was going to come.

"Are you ready for my knot?" Surem breathed breathlessly into Tannal's ear as he continued to hunch violently into the small fox. Tannal tried to protest, but only a whine of pain emerged, which Surem ignored and thrust even harder, preparing to tie his bitch. Surem wrapped his front paws tightly around Tannal the pulled him back onto his cock roughly. Tannal yipped in pain, feeling the knot bash against him insistently, and squirmed in Surem's tight grasp.

Surem growled softly as he felt Tannal struggle somewhat in his grasp. Lunging forward, he seized the back of Tannal's neck in his jaws and gripped him, holding his mate in place. Tannal's ears splayed against his head as the large fox began to slam himself against Tannal with even more force; each thrust creating a loud, wet slapping sound as Surem began to tie with his bitch.

"Ughhhhn," Tannal gasped, feeling Surem's knot slowly begin to push into him. Every thrust forced the knot a little more into him, and every withdrawal made the knot pop back out again. But Surem wasn't about to give up. He only gripped Tannal harder and thrust more violently. But Tannal didn't mind. It only drove him even more wild. Barking, he began to hump hard against Surem, desperate to get all of the fox's cock deep within him.

Tannal groaned again as the knot squeezed in even deeper. He could feel it at its threshold point; just a little more and it would be in. He gasped in pain and lust, thrusting his hips back against Surem. "Ugh, Surem! Tie me! Tie me!!!"

Surem snarled and gave one final thrust. His knot popped in with a loud squelch and Tannal's entrance closed around it, swallowing Surem's cock whole. He howled, feeling Tannal's hot folds engulfing his straining prick, and immediately began to jackhammer thrust into Tannal, his swollen knot only allowing for short, rapid strokes.

"Take my seed," Surem moaned quietly, feeling his balls begin to draw up and his hot cum boiling up as it began to shoot down the length of his penis. "Take it all!"

Tannal gasped, feeling his insides filling up from Surem's twitching cock. His insides were burning from Surem's cum, his womb heavy with Surem's searing load as he stood there, quivering.

The fox continued to spray Tannal with huge volumes of his watery cum, making sure his bitch was properly bred. Every few moments, he would give a firm tug on his knot to make sure it was securely in place, and Tannal would whine in pain and pleasure as the swollen ball of flesh rubbed against his sore folds that trapped the male inside him. Instead of sliding off and turning around like most canines did, Surem stayed on top of Tannal, panting from the effort he had exerted, but every so often leaning down and licking the side of the smaller fox's face. Tannal knew that Surem's other partners were probably actual canines and not sentient familiars, and so he appreciated the extra effort Surem put into their couplings to make him feel like he was more than just a fuck toy to the fox. The extra affection made him feel better about begging for Surem's cock.

"I'm going to pull out now, alright?" Surem breathed softly, tugging gently at his knot. "It might hurt a little."

Tannal squirmed under the fox, feeling how large the fox's penis still felt within him. "Wait! Surem, not - not yet. It's still too big!"

Surem chuckled softly and Tannal could feel the vibrations go through his body at the sound. "It's not going to get much smaller, little vixen. As I said before, you are smaller than before. But you took it well, and you'll be able to take this as well."

"No! Just - just let me shift into something larger," Tannal pleaded desperately, a part of him dreading the feeling of the fox pulling out and another part of him wanting it. He pushed those thoughts aside. "Even just the fox form I was in from before. It won't hurt that much, then - "

"No, little one!" Surem said sharply. "If you can take my entry and rutting as this fox, you can handle my withdrawal. I will wait another minute, but no more. We must head back soon."

Tannal realized that Surem wasn't going to allow him to change at all, so he quickly focused his mind on the larger form. Usually shifting was effortless as breathing, but when he was in certain state of minds, he simply couldn't focus enough to do it without calming himself down first. Tannal swiftly began to picture the larger white fox form in his mind, preparing to shift, when Surem suddenly moved.

The fox hadn't pulled out, but he had suddenly leapt off Tannal's back and twisted himself around so that he and Tannal were standing ass to ass, the fox's cock still buried snugly within Tannal.

"Ohhh!" Tannal cried out, feeling himself being pulled backwards a step as Surem moved. Surem's entire penis had just rotated inside of Tannal, causing his body to be wracked by feelings of pleasure. "What did you do that for?"

"You were going to shift," Surem said matter of factly.

Tannal groaned, but Surem's cock finally pulled free of him, released a surge of cum after it. Exhausted, Tannal collapsed onto the floor, panting as he felt his netherlips aching.

Surem whined softly as returned to Tannal's side. Gently, he nosed under Tannal's tail and lapped the extra fluids from Tannal's opening, soothing Tannal's sore slit.

* * * *

When Tannal and Surem had finally managed to untangle themselves from one another and groomed themselves well enough that they could rejoin their masters in the sitting room again, Sari and Elliot were in the middle of a deep conversation. They were sitting close to one another, talking in hushed voices; for a moment, Tannal was thankful they were so invested in their conversation. It made it more likely that they had been completely unaware of their familiars' activities in the next room. But when Tannal saw their faces, he felt a flicker of uncertainty: Elliot looked deeply troubled and Sari looked shocked and confused.

"Elliot?" he asked softly, stepping forward. "What going on?"

"Nothing," Elliot said quickly, straightening once he caught sight of his familiar in the room. "We were just having a talk before Sari left." He frowned slightly. "Where were you two?"

Tannal looked worriedly at Surem, but the silver fox had already stepped forward. "We were exploring the house," he said smoothly, surprising both Elliot and Tannal, as familiars generally never spoke to anyone but their own masters. "We assumed you both wanted some time alone."

Elliot blushed slightly at that, and so, to Tannal's surprise, did Sari. "I wanted to talk to Sari about what we saw at the outpost," he said quietly, watching his familiar's reaction closely. "I told her about what the scribe said - about a traitor sorcerer who's been turning humans into familiars."

Tannal looked from Elliot to Sari. "And?"

"I told her about you." Elliot provided. "I had to. I know you wanted to keep these things quiet, but we're going to need to have people on our side. People we can trust. Should the worst happen, we need to have a backup plan so this can be stopped."

Sari looked at Tannal pityingly. "I swear, I'm going to do all that I can to help turn you back."

"And you'll do it quietly?" Tannal said anxiously.

Sari nodded. "Of course. You have my word, Telsa." She turned to Elliot. "We need to get going soon; is the device packed up?"

"Packed up?" Tannal repeated, looking at the two humans in confusion.

Elliot nodded. "I decided to send the locator device off with Sari. She'll give it to her master. And hopefully, they'll be able to work something out. Since I don't know Tannal's form, I won't be able to help him with that device. But maybe Sari's master can."

As Elliot left to get the device, Tannal looked up at Sari, who was watching him closely.

"He used to be so happy," she said, shaking her head sadly. "I haven't seen him smile in weeks. He misses Tannal. This will be the best chance he has at finding Tannal. And now, at least, he'll have more time to devote to untangling your spells."

Tannal glanced up at her but made no other sound.

"I hope he finds him," she continued softly. "If he doesn't - if something terrible happened to Tannal, then I don't know what - " She stopped, closing her eyes as if to steady herself. "We need to be realistic. Tannal's probably - in all likelihood he's - he's probably dead."

* * * *

Hours after Sari and Surem departed with the locator device in tow, Elliot called for Tannal to meet him in the workshop.

"Are you alright?" Elliot asked softly when Tannal entered as a small coyote.

Tannal blinked. "Err - yes. Why? Is something wrong?"

Elliot grinned sheepishly. "No. Nothing's wrong. I just - I know that you've been through a lot lately." He took a deep breath. "I'm sorry that I told Sari everything without consulting you first. But I thought someone else should know. And I think it did some good. Sari told me that I needed to rearrange my priorities; and I think that she's right. I shouldn't be focusing so much on finding Tannal; I should be focusing on helping you. You're the one who's been going through all of this suffering; you're the one who's been directly affected by everything that's been happening."

"That's - that's very kind of you, Elliot. But I think you should do what it is you think is best."

"And I will. Starting with helping you. I've thought about what you've said about Kensing - about what the scribe said - and I think I should not only take it under advisement, but take it seriously. All we know is that there's a very big threat out there and right now, Kensing is the only possible suspect that could be behind all of this."

Tannal sighed in relief. "I'm glad that you feel that way."

Elliot nodded. "Sari showed me some spells that her master taught her. They're spells that are used to identify curses and spells that may be placed on a person or object."

"Meaning?"

"Meaning I'll be able to see exactly what spells are on you. Familiars should only have a binding spell and sometimes an obedience spell. But since you're a transformed human, you should have a transformation spell and a binding spell. It's just a precaution that I want to take to make sure there aren't any more residual spells that might be locked on you. Do you mind if I - ?"

"Go ahead," Tannal said immediately before he could stop himself.

Before he knew it, Elliot's spell was weaving over him, his hands combing through Tannal's fur as he attempted to find the other spells that might be there. Tannal shuddered at Elliot's touch; what would he find there? Part of him desperately hoped that Elliot would find the other spells, and part of him was terrified that Elliot would. What would Elliot say if he found all of the spells that were on him?

Elliot frowned. "This is strange," he said softly.

Tannal looked at his worriedly. "What do you mean? What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Elliot said, continuing to frown. "Nothing's wrong. I just - there's a spell here - one I haven't seen before."

"Is there?" Tannal looked at Elliot anxiously.

Elliot's brow furrowed. "I'm not sure - it looks like - " He jerked his head up in surprise. "It looks like a gender locking spell."

"A gender locking spell?" Tannal repeated.

Elliot swallowed. "It's a spell that - changes your gender - and locks you in the opposite one." He stared at Tannal with wide eyes. "You - you're a - you're not female?"

Desperately, Tannal stared at Elliot. "I - I - " The obedience spell that Kensing put him on prohibited him from saying. "I cannot say - "

"You're male," Elliot whispered, understanding what Tannal's silence meant. "But I - I've been - we've had - " Elliot's eyes were wide in horror. "I -"

Tannal leapt up on the counter, facing Elliot. "Pull yourself together, El!" he snapped. "None of this is your fault. Now get that through your thick skull, stop feeling sorry for yourself, and help me!"

Elliot looked taken aback, but he swallowed and then nodded. "You're right," he said, his voice wavering only slightly. "I should be focusing on getting you back to - to the way you were before."

"Thank you," Tannal said softly. "Please, just don't stop now. Find the spells that are on me. Please!"

Elliot, though pale-faced, nodded and continued to run his hands over Tannal, feeling for spells. Tannal could feel Elliot's hands shaking, but Elliot said nothing about the shock and horror he was feeling and instead focused on Tannal. Finally, Elliot lowered himself into his chair. "Alright," he said quietly, "I think I've figured it out. There are five spells on you right now in addition to the binding spell."

"Can you remove them?" Tannal asked hopefully.

Elliot hesitated. "I'm afraid I can't remove all of them," he said. "At least, not yet. I can take some off, but the rest require a Master sorcerer and one that I trust." He looked stoically at Tannal. "Someone did this to you and has been doing the same thing to others. And they have to be pretty far up the Academy ladder to get this far without being noticed. So whatever I do, I'm going to have to be careful not to get caught. But some of these spells might alert whoever did this to you if I take them off, so you might have to wait a bit. Are you alright with that?"

"I'm fine with it," Tannal replied. "I trust you, Elliot. Just do whatever you can."

Elliot nodded. "Other than your binding spell, which I have to remove last - otherwise I won't have the power to remove the other spells - there are five that I can tell. There's, obviously, the transformation spell, which locks you in the form of a familiar; there's what looks to be an obedience spell, which is set up to trigger an alarm to whatever sorcerer did this to you, so that one will have to be dealt with later; there's a silencing spell, which is usually used to prevent people from revealing particular secrets, which is, again, probably not a good idea to remove." Elliot cocked his head to the side. "But there's something strange here. I can see the gender lock spell, which forces you to - " he swallowed, " - remain in a female form, but it also seems to be interwoven with another spell that I almost missed - "

Tannal shifted his weight nervously. "What does that mean 'interwoven'?"

Elliot frowned. "Well, soemtimes sorcerers weave smaller spells within bigger spells to make them less noticeable to people who are searching for them. In this case, it looks to be a - an arousal spell - that's hidden with the gender lock." Elliot looked at Tannal with wide, frightened eyes.

"An arousal spell?" Tannal repeated softly. "What does that do?"

Elliot looked extraordinarily uncomfortable. "It - it makes you aroused. It sometimes happens at random times or based off extenuating circumstances. or, in your case - " Elliot looked like he'd rather die than continue, but finished his sentence in an almost inaudible voice, " - because your arousal was started through your connection to me - because I was aroused." He looked very pale. "I'm - I'm sorry."

"El," Tannal said gently. "Don't - it's not your fault. You're a guy, you get - you know. It's a part of nature. You can't blame yourself for this - for any of this." He rubbed himself against Elliot. "None of this is your fault, alright?"

"Alright," Elliot said in a soft voice, but Tannal could feel that he was uncomfortable with a human male rubbing against him, so he backed up.

Tannal swallowed. "Well - that at least explains why we've been - we've been - you know."

Elliot nodded. "It doesn't excuse it. But it does explain - a lot." He closed his eyes and let out his breath slowly. Though he didn't say anything, Tannal could feel relief flooding through him; Elliot's guilt over what he and his familiar had been doing was, though not absolved, at least somewhat eased by the discovery of the arousal spell. "Telsa - " Elliot sighed. "That's not even your name. That's a girl's name. Why don't you at least tell me your name so I can at least I call you by your real name."

"I'd rather not," Tannal said quietly. "Just focus on getting these spells off me and I'll explain everything."

"You don't want to say your name?" Elliot said in exasperation, still fumbling with the knot of spells around Tannal. "What is wrong with you?"

"I have my reasons. Just leave that be for now."

"Fine." Elliot's frown deepened. "Then what were you doing in the Wildlands, exactly?"

"Elliot! I'm telling you; stop asking all these questions. Just take care of these spells, alright? Then I'll tell you everything." Tannal tried to keep still as Elliot continued to wrestle with the spells around him. He had been trying so hard to get Elliot to remove the spells from him so that he could know the truth that he hadn't stopped to consider what would happen when Eliot did discover the truth. And how would Elliot react to finding out that his familiar that he was fucking was actually his missing best friend. Probably not well. Tannal just hoped that Elliot could get the spells off quickly. Then he could report Kensing to the king's guard and get himself turned back without anyone needing to know all the details -

Elliot dropped his hands. "Just tell me: why are you keeping secrets from me?"

Tannal sighed. Not this again. "Because I'm trying to protect you!" he said exasperatedly.

"From what?" Elliot said stubbornly. "I'm trying to help you - "

"And I'm trying to make sure you don't get hurt - "

"I can take care of myself! I just need to understand what you're trying to hide from me!"

"I'm not trying to hide anything from you, El!"

"Why won't you tell me? What are you hiding from me?"

"I'm answering your blasted questions the best I can - "

"Then why were you in the Wildlands?"

"Because I was looking for the prince!"

There was, for a moment, a terrible silence. Elliot stared in shock at his familiar, confused and dumbfounded at what Telsa had just claimed to be doing; while Tannal was beside himself. Tannal felt shock and joy welling up in him: the spell hadn't prevented him from saying why he was in the Wildldands! It didn't tell Elliot directly who he was, nor did it implement Kensing in his plans, but saying that he was looking for the prince was almost as good as telling Elliot - Tannal froze. What had he done? He had wanted to tell Elliot the truth, but exactly how, he never worked out. And not like this.

Elliot slowly rose to his feet from where he had been crouched next to Tannal. "You were looking for the prince?" he repeated softly.

Tannal took a deep breath, still in shock that the spell had actually allowed him to say that; and that he had actually just said that. "Just leave it be, alright?

"How can you possibly ask me to leave that be?" Elliot said softly, staring at Tannal in shock.

"Oh, come off it, El. Why do you always have to keep pressing the issue? Just leave it be."

"I always have to press the issue?" Elliot repeated numbly, a strange look in his eyes.

"What?" Tannal said, distractedly. "No, just - just forget about it, ok? Just forget I ever said anything. I'll explain everything later, alright? Just, not right now - "

"No," Elliot said, "you - you said that - " his brow furrowed. "No," he breathed. "That doesn't make sense. It wouldn't - "

"Elliot, what are you talking about?"

"You - " Elliot took a deep breath. "You were in the Wildlands. Looking for the prince. Except no one was authorized to go looking for the prince there."

"El, don't go there - "

"Kensing bought you from the Wildlands. Except shapeshifters aren't from there; so you'd have to be a transformed human. And the only transformed human that was searching for the prince - "

"Elliot," Tannal said suddenly. "Stop. Don't go there. Please, for both of our sakes, don't."

But Elliot's eyes were already widening. "Our bond," he said, "everyone's said that it's stronger than anything they've ever seen before. It's like we've been together for years - "

"Elliot - "

"NO!" Elliot whispered, slowly beginning to back away from where Tannal stood. "No! You can't be - you're not Tannal."

"Elliot, please," Tannal said softly, stepping forward, but Elliot only backed up more.

"Not Tannal," Elliot whispered in terror. "Oh god. Oh god no, not Tannal."

"Elliot, please!" Tannal shrank back, not knowing what to say.

"No," whispered Elliot, tears of desperation and horror welling up in his eyes. "No. Just - just stay away - "

And before Tannal could say another word, Elliot turned on his heel and fled.