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The sky was overcast, weather not befitting of the gravity of the day. It seemed as if the heavens would pour at a moments notice, but they never did. It remained dry, with a chilly wind and a gloomy atmosphere. The black haired youth stood with his gaze upward, contemplating the weather. The day he had long awaited had come, and nature seemed to be of the same mind as him. At least, he thought, he was warm, protected from the cold breeze by fine adornments. On his shoulders he wore a hefty furred cloak, atop a simple leather shirt. Around his waist was a matching furred wrap, with leather leggings, tied along the length of the leg. A hood on the cloak obscured his face. Onlookers could only see his black hair and vibrant green eyes. And onlookers there were. The entire city had gathered, all to watch the youth and others like him on this day. Their day. It was a day for which he had been prepared since he was a child, but it was not a day for which he was ready. He stood on a stage at the center of the city, and on the stage with him were two other youths of the same age. They shared his black hair and green eyes. Rising into the sky, joining the dark clouds, were pillars of smoke from ritual pyres scattered across the city. The pyres were only lit once a year, on the day of the Birthrite. They would continue to burn, even if rain poured. The convenience of magic. It was a city of magic, and the people embraced magic and all that it could give them. So the people were gathered, and watching the boys on stage expectantly. Behind each boy stood a man, each in similar attire to the boys. They also shared the gem like eyes. The people were not rowdy, they didn't cheer or yell. Instead, they hummed. Together, in unison, their voices became one as they hummed a familiar song. It had been drilled into the youth's head constantly. He wondered how they had the nerve to hum that song, when they knew so little of what it meant to be born with the green eyes. They would revere those with green eyes, and accept their magic, but they didn't understand the burden. The other two boys that stood adjacent wore proud smiles, they were excited that their day had come. The youth could hardly remember their names, though he had lived with them for years. They were just as bad as the onlookers, they didn't understand the burden that they faced. They would carry the weight of an entire culture on their shoulders. And yet they smiled. The people hummed, voices carrying throughout the city. The boy felt a hand on his shoulder, the man that stood behind him was a high priest, and he was ready to begin to ritual. When the hand raised into the air, the humming died down, though it continued at a low volume, a white noise to the ceremony. "Today, we witness our children, those blessed by the Gods, shed their youthful forms and become men. Not just men, but pillars. Pillars that support our civilization, and pay tribute to the Gods. They will be our future leaders, our future hopes." The man spoke, his voice booming, ensuring the entire crowd could hear. It wouldn't do, for anyone to miss what he said. At the side of the stage, three attendants approached. Stepped up on stage, they walked across the stage, each one stopping in front of one of the boys. In their hands, they held fruits, Sapientia fruits. They were special, only to be eaten by the chosen on the day of the Birthrite. The attendant before the youth was one that he recognized, he had been a helper to the boy since he had been a child. Certain monks would devote their lives to raising and training the chosen. He held out the fruit. As the other boys took theirs, the youth in the center of the stage stared at his. He didn't reach for it. "Riley." The attendant said, nodding, shaking the fruit in the air. The people watched with rapt attention. Riley looked at the priest behind him, who gave him a stern gaze and a quick nod. There was nothing else to do, much as he wanted to avoid this day, it had come, and he hadn't found a way to escape it. The boy took the fruit and bit into it. The flesh was sweet, pleasant. It even seemed to calm his nerves. It wasn't long before the fruit's medicine began to set in. The low humming from the crowd grew louder, and Riley thought he could taste the song. He shook his head. You don't taste sound. You taste colors. You feel sounds. As Riley's mind set to work sorting out which sense was for what, the priest behind him unfastened his cloak and pulled it back in a dramatic fashion. "Look upon the faces of these boys. Tomorrow, they will be the men we need to lead our people!" The priest shouted, handing Riley's cloak to an attendant. With his face now revealed, Riley knew he should have been glaring at the people, he didn't plan to enjoy this day. He didn't want to give them to pleasure of thinking he was doing it for them. Instead, a smile crept onto his lips, though he wasn't sure why. He wobbled in place, feeling his muscles relax. A nap would be nice, but he wouldn't be able to nap in front of all these people. The attendant that had handed him the fruit took what was left of it and it disappeared. In his hands now, replacing the fruit, was a paintbrush. Another attendant set a bowl of paint on the stage next to them. Riley remembered the paint, they had practiced that before. They had practiced the entire ritual before, so much so that he could repeat it in his sleep. Never with the fruit though. The priest behind Riley grabbed the bottom of the boy's shirt and tugged upwards. Riley raised his arms into the air, and the shirt slipped off. The cold air kissed his skin, but it didn't feel chilly. He felt warm, as if he was still wearing the furred cloak. He stood with his arms at his side, waiting. The attendant dipped the paintbrush in the paint, and pressed it to Riley's face. As the attendant painted, the priest spoke more, but Riley couldn't make out the words from the humming. The attendant finished painting a pattern on his face, and moved the paintbrush down his neck to his chest. Riley glanced at the other boys. They looked equally enraptured, faces painted and bearing the same stupid smile. The paintbrush felt nice on his chest and belly as the attendant finished the patterns. After the painting was finished, the brushes were put away and the attendants left the stage. Riley felt the priest's hand on his waist, and next the furred wrap was thrown off in a billow. The fingers moved down along his rear, to the leather cords that held the leggings on. With knots untied, the leggings were last to be removed. Riley, and the other boys, stood on the stage now with a simple strip of cloth wrapped around their loins. Riley thought he would normally have been embarrassed by this. Not by the nudity, he had been naked in front of his attendants and other initiates a number of times, but by the number of people watching him, staring at him as if he were a different species. He didn't feel embarrassed, he assumed it was the fruit. He smiled at the people, and they were given time to look at his body. And then the world went dark, as a blindfold was placed over his eyes. He was led by a hand on his shoulder. First they carefully climbed off the stage, and then he was led through the city. He wasn't sure where they were going, but he could hear the humming of the people becoming quieter. It seemed to be hours that they were walking around, and he was certain he was lost by the time they stopped. The blindfold was removed, and Riley found himself in a dark room, dimly lit by a few candles. A quick glance around revealed the room was empty, save for himself and the high priest who had stood behind him at the ceremony. "Where are we?" Riley asked, the light of the candles pulsating. "We are at the place where your childhood ends." The priest spoke. He stood behind Riley, the same as before. In front of the boy, the smoke from the candles was beginning to gather and swirl in a flurry. He assumed it was the fruit again. Inside the smoke, a large beast came into being. It was tall, muscular, and bestial. Riley recognized it as a badger. He also recognized that it wasn't wearing clothing, finding his eyes nearly drawn to the sheath and sac that hung between his legs. "Born with those eyes, you are chosen to become one of us, a priest." The man behind Riley spoke. "To do so, you must make a pact with a spirit animal. An Indicia." Riley looked at the badger that stood before him. And Indicia. He knew all about them, he had been taught of them for years, and yet he had never been allowed to meet one. Today would be his day to form a pact with an Indicia. "Looks like he'll make a fine spellcaster." The badger said, leaning down, inspecting the boy's body closely. His whiskers tickled Riley's skin. "But maybe not much for close combat." "I agree." The priest said. "Riley, this is Besson, my Indicia." The badger leaned back, nodding at the boy. Riley nodded back. He had planned to run away if it got this far, but he hadn't accounted for the fruit. Instead, he felt agreeable. He would have let them do almost anything, and he wouldn't have tried to stop them. The badger stepped aside, and in front of him, Riley could see a shimmering something in the air. The dust was alive, shining like gemstones. "Normally, we are unable to see the tears in reality that connect to the world of the Indicia. When under the influences of the wisdom fruit, they become known to us, and we can travel through them. With the help of a priest." Riley was told, as he watched the glimmering dust closely. "When you form a pact with an Indicia, you accept them inside of yourself. You become a part of them, and in that, you are no longer a boy. You are no longer human. You will be as bestial as the Indicia themselves. And you will gain power. The power to lead and protect the people." Riley felt the priest's hand on his lower back. "Step forward into the other world, find an Indicia, and become a beast." The hand slid down, tearing off Riley's loin cloth, leaving him nude. With a gentle nudge, the boy stepped forward, towards the tear in reality, and it was as if the blindfold had been returned to his eyes, when the world went black.

It was not cold where he found himself. On the contrary, the weather was sunny and almost too hot. He started to sweat almost as soon as he landed in the grass. Landed, because he had apparently crossed between the worlds about a foot off the ground, and when he stepped through the rift, he had fallen and twisted his ankle. Now he sat on the dirt, rubbing his injury as he looked around. He didn't often get to venture outside the temple, much less the town, so he peered in wonder at the plants and trees that surrounded him. It was hot enough that he was glad that he was naked. Clothes would have become drenched in sweat shortly enough, anyhow. The next thing he noticed was the quiet. It was silent, even less noise than night time in the temple. The breeze rustling the leaves in the trees didn't even make a noise. Standing, he put hesitant weight on his ankle, and found that it didn't hurt too much. He could walk. Where to, he wasn't sure, but he could walk. It was known that he needed to find an Indicia, and make a pact with one, but that was where the instructions from the priests got hazy. They never explained exactly how that was done. He decided to walk forward, and eventually, he would have to stumble upon an Indicia. And he walked for what seemed like hours, again. Traveling through the forest was tough, and without clothes, the branches of trees and bushes scratched his skin constantly. Rocks and roots bit into his feet, unprotected by shoes. With a frustrated huff, he crossed his arms and stopped walking. This wasn't working. "Hello? Are there any Indicia out there, so I can go home?!" He called out to the forest. The sound didn't echo like he would've expected it to. And there was no answer. Looking all around, he saw a river through a thicket. Perhaps he could wash some of the dirt off. Making his way carefully to it, he sighed in content as he placed his sore foot into the current. It felt good, the river wasn't too cold, but it wasn't warm like shower water. Exhausted and frustrated, Riley dove into the deep of the river, swimming down and around, washing himself off. When he breath ran out, he swam up, breaking through the surface. He took a deep breath as he treaded water and relaxed in the gentle current. This wasn't so bad. Maybe he could stay, and never go back. All he would need to do is find food, build a shelter. That couldn't be too hard, it was a lush forest. Those thoughts were torn from his head as something swam past him in the river. He turned to look at it, but by the time he did, it was gone. He felt it swim back past, behind him. He spun around again, but too late. He couldn't stop it as it grabbed him from behind. It laughed as it wrapped it's arms around him, brushing claws gently against his chest. At first, Riley flailed, trying to get free, sure that he was going to drown or be eviscerated. But as the claws raked over his skin, he settled. Whatever held him was warm, and felt like a furry blanket. "Hi." The creature spoke, though Riley couldn't see what he looked like. "Uh, hi." Riley responded, treading water to stay afloat with the creature. "I'm Rain." The creature said, and Riley felt the claws idly wandering lower along his belly as they stroked him. "I'm Riley." The boy said, for the moment simply glad that the claws weren't tearing into him. The arms that held him were covered in a dark brown fur. "It's nice to meet you, Riley." Rain said, resting his chin on Riley's shoulder. Copious amounts of whiskers brushed against the boy's neck and head, and they tickled. Riley couldn't help but giggle as he leaned his head away. "I guess it's nice to meet you, Rain." Riley responded. "Great!" Rain yelled, spinning Riley around in the water. Now the boy could get a better look at the creature. It was an otter, though not like any otter he had ever seen. This otter was as tall as him, with an overly long torso that disappear into the water. Brown fur covered most of his body, with a cream color dominating his chest and chin. And then there were the whiskers, so many whiskers. Riley stared at the otter, unsure of how to react. Rain leaned forward and pressed his lips to Riley's. Riley leaned back, shaking his head, partly from surprise and partly to escape the whiskers. The otter looked defeated, though his arms, wrapped around the boy's back, didn't let go. "I'm sorry, I'm a little confused." The boy said. "I just wanted to get to know you a little better." Rain said, looking down at the water. Riley felt a twinge in his chest, guilty over nothing. "That's how you get to know someone?" "It's the best way." Rain grinned toothily, leaning in close to Riley again. "And I'm not sure why else you'd be here." "I came to make a pact..." Riley started, but the otter cut him off. "The only way to make a pact is to get to know each other!" Rain shouted excitedly. One of the paws on Riley's back slid down, grasping his butt. The claws dug in a bit. Riley yelped. "I think I'll go make a pact with someone else, then." Riley said, trying to squirm out of the otter's arms. But the creature was stronger than he looked. "There's no one else around for awhile." The otter chirped, other paw sliding down Riley's back, claws raking sensually. "You don't sound very sure of yourself, besides." "I didn't want to make a pact in the first place." The boy admitted. Arguing against it had never gotten him anywhere, and he didn't expect it to make much a difference now. "A funny place for you to be, if you didn't want to be here." Rain replied, still stroking gently over Riley's back. "It wasn't exactly my choice." Riley said, looking away. "Its my eyes. Any boy with these eyes, they're chosen. We aren't normal humans. We're part animal." "You look human to me, though I admit I haven't seen all that many." The otter scanned his eyes all over Riley, looking for anything inhuman. "It's just the way of our people. My eyes mean I was born to be Collared, and so that's the life that I lead. It was the only choice I had, even if I didn't want it." "Why didn't you run away? It's what I would do. If I wanted to be free, and I like being free, I'd go somewhere where I could be." The otter said. "Where would I run away to? I was a kid. I'm just old enough to be a man today. I had nothing to run away for. No one in the country would take care of a run-away Collar. Serving the people is our duty." Riley replied, sounding defeated. "I've never met someone here who didn't want to be a Collar." Rain mused, looking at Riley. He raised a paw and placed it on the boy's head, pulling it so they were face to face. Then he studied the boy's eyes. "Green, like the forest." Riley didn't struggle when he felt the paw engulf his face. The claw seemed like they could rip through his flesh if they needed to, even if they'd been used for a lighter purpose thus far. He tried not to blink as the otter looked into his eyes, and in return, he studied the otter's. They were brightly colored, reminded him of the earth itself, seemed to possess a spark of life that most didn't. He wasn't sure how to put it, other than the otter looked 'alive' in a way that was unique, a way he had never witnessed before.

"You shouldn't frown so much." Rain said after awhile. "Your eyes, they could practically glow if you smiled more."

"So? A smile isn't what they want me for. Its my powers. Your powers." Riley spat almost resentfully.

"I don't care what they want you for." The otter said, and Riley's heart skipped a beat. He'd never heard that before. He'd always been told what his purpose was. "What do you want?" He thought it over for a minute. The water was running gently against the pair, and the wind was pleasantly cool on his exposed skin. The otter's fur felt quite different from the furs he was used to wearing. Being so close to someone else, someone who was asking what he wanted..."I don't know. It's never been an option, so I've never thought about it." At this, the otter's grasp finally loosened. Riley felt a twinge of regret as the warm body slipped away from his. "I'm sorry, then." The otter spoke now with a softer voice, less energetic. "I can't make a pact with someone who doesn't know what it is they want." Riley treaded the water, staring at the otter as he swam, now a foot or so away. Just a minute ago, he didn't care. He didn't want to form a pact, to submit and become a tool for some otherworldly being. And now, he was already being manipulated by one. He wanted to otter to come back, to hold him again. It was a trick, one that made the usual resentment and anger flash in his belly, and his face wrenched into his usual frown. He swam purposefully towards the bank, where he climbed out of the water and sat down on the dirt with his knees pulled in close to his chest. The priests used the same tricks, tried to convince him he wanted what he was being given. When he was given a simple comfort, he had it taken away shortly after, just to remind him how important it was to him. The Indicia was doing the same thing. Offer him freedom, trick him into a pact, and then take it away. He'd be a willing slave, but worse, he'd be a fool. Better to be a slave to someone who called it what it was. The Indicia followed him to the edge of the river, and climbed out of the water alongside him. "I didn't mean to give up." The furry creature sat down next to Riley, mimicked his way of sitting. The otter was short, slightly shorter than the boy, with a long torso and stubby legs. It was nearly comical. His body was covered in brown fur, as Riley would have expected, with slightly lighter shades on his belly and chin. His army of whiskers shook and bobbed as the otter moved his head or muzzle. "You're an Indicia. Your job is to find a human slave, so you can do...something in my world. You just need my body, as a vessel." Riley said, not looking over at the otter. "That's such a broad generalization. Can you fault us for having goals? And you don't even know what mine are yet." Rain shrugged, crossing furry arms on his chest. "Does it matter? If I'm your slave, how different is that from being any other Indicia's slave? A slave is what I was born as, and that's all I have to look forward to. And you ask me what it is I want." The boy spat, his voice rising as he worked himself up. "I asked what you want because I wanted to see if I could help you find it. I...like helping others. It's just who I am." "Oh, I'm sure. You want to ride my body into my world so you can help everyone. People who you've never met, and who you have no connection to. Why would you want that?" Riley was nearly shouting now. The otter kept his voice calm, and he spoke as if he was having a normal conversation. "I don't really think I can explain it. I just do. It's my reason. It's what I want. There must be something you want." Riley threw a rock into the water, and watched it sink as it started to float away. "I want to be my own person. I don't want to be a slave to some animal!" "I'm not looking for a slave." The otter placed his paw on top of Riley's hand. The boy glanced over at the otter, and then back to the river. His face was flushed red, a mixture of embarrassment and anger. "I'm looking for a friend. And it doesn't sound like you have any." "How could I? What good is a friend to someone whose only purpose in life is to be a servant to a god?" Riley slipped his hand out from under the otter's paw. "That isn't your only purpose." Rain whispered, though he left his paw on the dirt. "Then what is?" The boy asked. "I don't know yet. You haven't found it yet. But you will. You say that you've been raised for a purpose, to get to this point. But you've forgotten about what comes tomorrow, and the day after. What is it you can do now. Now that you're finally there." Rain smiled as the boy looked over at him. "Your life doesn't end today. It starts here. Who you want to be, what you want to do. Your eyes are the reason you're here, but they're not your purpose." "I don't want to be a priest. I want..." Riley looked up at the canopy of the forest. He closed his eyes, and sighed deeply. Everything here was so beautiful. The feelings, the smells, the colors. "I want to see the world. I want to see places like this." "You want to be free." "I want to be free." The boy kept his eyes forward, on the river, as he dropped his hand on top of the otter's waiting paw. "Then all you have to do is come with me. Freedom is sort of my thing." The otter grinned toothily, and winked, which elicited a gulp from the boy. For the first time, Riley imagined what he might do the next day. He thought about visiting a forest like this, in his world. Swimming free in a river, feeling the water against his skin. Not living his life devoted to the church, but doing what he wanted. Every day. It was something he hadn't considered before, but now it suddenly seemed in reach. "So what do I have to do? To form a pact?" "You have to smile. I want to see your eyes glow." The otter said, still beaming. Riley wasn't used to smiling. But it seemed simple enough. He tried to wrench his lips into a smile, but it felt forced and unnatural. "Good?" Rain bit his lip. "Not quite. But you'll get it eventually." The webbed paw that rested under Riley's hand flipped over and grabbed it tightly. "Come on." "Where?" Riley asked, even as he was tugged back into the river. Swimming together, the otter pressed his body up against the boy's. With bellies pressed together, the otter's arms were wrapped tightly around Riley's back. The Indicia's fur covered belly felt funny against Riley's, but he didn't dislike it. He enjoyed being close to the otter. It was good that he enjoyed it, because the otter intended to get a lot closer. Once more, without warning, his lips pressed against Riley's mouth. Riley didn't pull away this time, but he still didn't properly kiss the otter. "As I said before, the only way to make a pact is to get to know each other." He said as he pulled back from the whiskery kiss. "I'm still not sure what you mean by that. The priests never told us how the pact was actually made." Riley tentatively ran his hands along the otter's long back, felt the base of his powerful tail as it thrashed in the water. This caused the otter to grin brighter than ever. He leaned his muzzle close to Riley's ear and he whispered, "We have to mate." He placed a quick kiss on the ear before leaning back. Riley burned red, and he thought about changing his mind, swimming away. Would the otter even let him go at this point? He didn't think so. "I've never...uh...mated before." "That's fine. You can just follow my lead, I'm experienced." Rain laughed, running his claws down Riley's back until they came to his rear. Grasping one cheek in his webbed paw, he held the other on the boy's back as he leaned in for another kiss. Riley pressed his lips against the otter's as they met for their first real kiss. The whiskers tickled his face, but he hoped he would get used to it. The otter's tongue slipped into his mouth, and it felt surprisingly rough. It tasted earthy, rather how he would have expected the otter to taste. The tongue wrapped around his, explored his own mouth, ran along his teeth, learned him. And then it pulled back.

Riley took the hint, and pressed his tongue forward, into the otter's muzzle. He felt the sharp teeth that it contained, ran it along the rough tongue, his mouth filled with the earthy taste. As they kissed, hands roamed through fur, felt the strong muscles underneath that the otter used to swim. Webbed paws explored his body, claws raked his skin.

Warmth stirred inside of Riley's body, and it flowed to his loins. He felt himself harden against the otter's fur. It felt like the otter was hardening too. Curious about how the otter was built, Riley slipped a hand around between them. First he pressed his fingers against the otter's inner thigh, and he ran it up until he reached the cross between his legs. There he found Rain's furred pouch, tight little balls hanging close against the body. Above those, the sheath was attached to the groin for a short bit. A pink tip had started to emerge from the tip of the sheath. Rain broke the kiss, and the two gasped for breath. The otter giggled, smiling at the boy. "So are you ready?" He asked, running a claw sensually down the boy's chest. Riley's hand was wrapped around Rain's sheath, fingers testing how rigid the otter's cock had become. "Ready as I'll ever be." With that, the otter used his strong arms to spin the boy around in the water. With his paws on the boy's chest, he held him close. Riley felt the pink cock against his lower back, and he swallowed as he thought about what was about to happen. He'd never mated before, and he wondered what it would be like. Rain was nice, he wouldn't do something that would hurt him. The Indicia pressed his lips to Riley's neck, and started to suck on the skin there, lightly brushing his teeth against the flesh. The boy moaned, reaching his arms back to grab onto the otter behind him. One of the otter's free paws slipped down, along Riley's belly, until it came to the boy's own cock. It was hard, from the petting and kissing, and that made Rain chuckle through his muzzlefull. The large webbed paw wrapped around the boy's length, and it fit snuggly into the otter's grasp. Behind him, Riley felt the otter's cock slip around his lower back and rear as the Indicia positioned himself. It felt as if the rest of the length had emerged from its sheath, but it was hard to judge how long or thick it was from in front of it. He felt the tip of it slide easily between his cheeks, and the otter held it there patiently. His tongue rasped against Riley's neck, and the boy groaned at the mixed pleasure, the treatment to his neck and his length. The paw on his cock had begun to move very slowly, up and down, in meaningful motions. No one had ever paid his body attention, but Rain was paying specific attention to his needs before he took to the actual mating. Riley wrapped his hands around Rain's tail, held on tightly. The tail was about the only thing he could reach that he could grab onto. Now that he had something to squeeze, the otter pressed his tip against the boy's hole. Riley winced, squeezing tightly on the tail, as the tip slipped inside. It burned, and his muscles felt like they wanted to push it out. Rain waited, holding still, with his tip just inside the boy. The pain faded, and Riley breathed slowly, still kneading the tail in his hands. The paw on Riley's cock picked up the pace, moving quicker, hoping to distract the boy. Rain pushed a bit more of his length inside, and it burned again. The boy almost cried out, but he bit his tongue, wanting to stay strong. The pain faded again as the otter held still. Riley moaned as the paw worked on his cock, a slight tingling sensation building in his loins. Before long, the boy felt the otter's body pressed completely against his, and for a moment, they were one. The water rushed around them, indifferent to their joining. Riley held the large tail in his hands, and waited for Rain to make the next move. The Indicia rested his chin on Riley's shoulder, and held him tight with one arm. He shifted his hips back, sliding his length out of the boy almost half way before pushing back in slowly. Riley's mouth hung open, noises escaping that varied between yelps and moans as he was overwhelmed by the sensations. Riley was beginning to lose himself in the moment. The water washed over their bodies, the furred arm that held him was warm and strong, and he felt a strange longing each time the otter pulled out of him. He didn't want the Indicia to let him go. The paw that held onto his cock was moving quickly now, in unison with the otter's thrusts. The river splashed as the two flailed together. Rain's rutting was picking up in pace as well, and Riley was pleased to find that the pain was subsiding. As the otter thrusted harder and faster, he held onto Riley tighter. There was something inherently animalistic, something bestial, about their pairing. Before he knew it, the building sensation in his own loins reached its peak, and Riley felt his body racked by pleasure. The feeling pulsed through his body as he shot his seed into the water. The otter didn't stop, even as the boy came, he continued to pump his large paw over the length. The pleasurable pulses continued as the boy's climax ebbed. He heard a soft, bestial growl as the otter pushed in one final time, and he felt the length shoot its load inside of him. The Indicia's cum was warm, almost burning hot, but not painful. Riley shuddered in Rain's grasp as the two clung close together. The two breathed heavily, and Riley was glad for the otter's strength, which kept them both from floating away down the river. All the boy wanted now was to stay in the otter's arms, to stay close to the Indicia. He knew he would have to leave soon, go back to the priests, convince them to let him leave. It wouldn't be easy, but Rain had opened his eyes to new possibilities. Something to live for. The silence continued for awhile, until Riley realized that Rain was waiting patiently, letting him rest until he was ready to move on. So the boy spoke. "Is that it, then?" "One more thing." The otter said. He raised his paw from the water and brought a claw to Riley's neck. He traced the tip of the claw around the boy's neck, and where he touched, there was a green mark left behind. The telltale mark of a Collar, the colorful band around their neck. The tattoo signified the boy as a Collar, belonging to an Indicia. Riley had expected to feel ashamed of the mark, but instead, he was proud. It represented power. "So I can use magic now." He said, though it was more of a question than a statement. [That's right. You can use magic now. And I can talk to you, I can be with you, wherever you are.] The voice echoed in his head, as if it were coming from far away, but it was unmistakably the cheerful voice of his Indicia. "So how do I do it?" The boy wondered aloud, looking back at the otter for guidance. [Oh, this is good. Very convenient. You are fluid, changing. And so your magic reflects you, as a pool of water. The river runs through you, as your blood runs through you.] "What do you mean?" [Magic is our will, exerted over energy. The power of our will is based on who we are. Our personalities, that decides what our magic is. Our magic is a reflection of who we are. And you are a fluid personality, ready to change. Your power is that of control over water.] "I can control...water?" Riley splashed his hand in the river. It seemed a bit far-fetched, even given the situation. "What is your power, then? How does your magic reflect you?" [That's for later. For now, you need to learn to use your magic. Place your hands in the water.] Riley nodded, and lowered both of his hands into the current. [Feel the water run past you, feel it run through you, as you flow through it. As you remain still in the water, make the water the same. Make the water still, with you.] The otter placed his paws on the back of Riley's hands, and threaded his webbed digits through Riley's fingers as best he could. Together, they sat in the water, silently. Riley closed his eyes, tried to tell the water to stop, though he still wasn't sure what that meant. He began to notice that the water was flowing past him, and he could feel the blood flowing similarly through his veins. The water became an extension of his body. The river was a part of him. A part that he commanded to stop. The current halted instantly. The water remained still around them, as if they were in a pool. Riley had the uncomfortable sensation that he was being forced to keep his body from moving, and the accompanying need to move. The water was tranquil, silent, and for a short while, it belonged to the boy. A part of the world that was under his control, it was something he had never experienced before. But the need to move was starting to overtake him.

Trying to shake the feeling, he pulled his hands away from Rain's, out of the water. As he broke the contact, the current started again. Riley's body was once again his own, and the river was separate once more. The exhausted pair noticed the strength of the river now, and the otter began to swim the two to the bank of the river. The boy was grateful for the land as the otter placed him down, outside the river.

Riley lay on the dirt, huffing desperately for breath. He hadn't been prepared for such strenuous activity. The otter lay down next to him, snuggling in close as he wrapped his arms around the boy. Riley was on his side, and the otter was close behind him.

"I had no idea you were so hopeless." Rain whispered, stroking his paws over the boy's chest.

"What do you mean?" Riley whispered back, enjoying the feeling of the whiskers on the back of his neck.

"I can see your mind. You are a part of me now, and I can see you. I see all that you have been. And I didn't realize, until I saw it, how alone you felt."

The boy didn't respond, instead, he pressed back against the otter.

"I want to help you find a purpose. I want to give you the freedom that you didn't think you could have." Rain said.

"And what do you want, in return?" Riley asked, still sure that there was a catch. The Indicia wouldn't lend his power for nothing.

"All I'm looking for now is a friend." Rain said simply, and that was enough.

The two lay together, as the river flowed by. For a brief moment, the river had been one with them. From now on, the boy would be one with the otter. Since the day he was born, Riley had been told his purpose was to serve an Indicia. Now he knew that wasn't his purpose. His bright green eyes stared up at the sky, wondering what the future had in store. He wondered what purpose he would find, and he wondered for what reason he had been born.