FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Note: The following is a work of fiction regarding two male werepanthers. The settings and characters are copywrited by me, so no using 'em without asking first :), anyway if this sort of thing isn't your cup of tea then go and try Earl Gray. Otherwise enjoy the read. Comments or any such thing please send to [email protected]

A New Dawn

Chapter 7

Daren and Karl sat in the lookout tower atop Knights peak, monitoring the various displays and tracking all the traffic which they displayed, whilst the rain thundered down outside. The flashes of lightning followed instantly by thunder that even shook the coffee cups resting on the center table. "Damn monsoon season." Daren voiced under his breath.

Karl grinned. Daren didn't often voice his thoughts so it always amused him when he did. "Oh, I don't know," Karl said looking out as another wind gust hurled a sheet of rain against the large windows, "It beats being stuck out in the snow up in the mountains all alone."

"Humm, you are right about that." Daren replied leaning back in his chair and lifting mug from the table between lightning strikes. "I just hate being cooped up all the time. It's driving me nuts." In fact since the Monsoon season had started nearly a month ago it had barely stopped raining.

Karl reached over from his seat next to Daren and flipped on the radio receiver, tuning it to the frequency for Tower Control at ASL headquarters. Just as something to listen to. He had always found it funny how the pilots seemed to talk in almost a different language on the radio.

"Echo Three clear to land." The tower controller said.

"Clear to land. Echo Three" Replied the pilot.

On the flight deck of Echo Three Lt. Majors fought with the controls to keep his ship on a steady approach path. Despite the large amount of inertia the big ship had it was getting bumped around a fair bit in the weather today.

"Five hundred," The flight computer called out as the Majors descended on approach, "Four hundred, Three hundred. WHOOP, WHOOP, WHOOP. The Ground Proximity Warning Alarm sounded. Go around wind sheer ahead, Go Around wind sheer ahead." The system commanded. Majors pushed the throttle up to full thrust and eased the stick back raising the nose to match the flight path commanded by the computer.

"Echo Three, Going around, GPWA wind sheer." Majors told the tower controller.

"Echo Three, make left turn climb to one thousand five hundred, you are now number three in the traffic pattern. Preceding aircraft is AR-6 Charlie Five, follow that aircraft."

"Follow the AR-6, Echo Three."

The windows of the lookout tower began to rattle as the star fighter approached, Karl turned to look out the window in time to see the wing tip of the craft slid by the window much closer then normal. The blue tongues of exhaust streaking past before the rumble slowly died away.

"That's the fourth fighter to make a missed approach today," Daren said, voicing Karl's thought, "Those boys must really be finding it hard out there."

Karl nodded soundlessly in agreement. Daren flipped off the radio again and turned his attentions back to the displays in front of him. The storm outside seemed to be picking up again and the rain was being thrown ever harder against the windows. About half an hour had passed since the last time a star fighter had gone past in the heavy weather when the intercom rang with an incoming message. Karl picked up the headset and put it on before pressing the button to accept the call. "Observation Tower, Karl speaking."

"Karl, this is Adrian at approach control. All flight ops are finished for the day so you won't have anymore birds trying to break your windows up there."

"Thanks Adrian I'll let Daren know. Have a good rest of your shift." Karl pressed the disconnect button and removed the headset, placing back on the console. "Well, that was approach control. They've finished all flights for the day."

"Well our shift will be over in another hour anyway. Then we can let the night crew worry about star fighters breaking windows and flooding the place with rain."

Karl gave Daren a light slap on the shoulder, "Don't be that way."

Daren just smiled and swallowed the last of his coffee. The hour passed quickly and Daren was just signing the last of the log entries when the elevator doors opened and the new shift stepped out. Daren and Karl both got up and saluted the shift commander, before Daren handed him the summary of the logs for his shift. The commander took the data pad and read through the summary before pressing an icon to verify that he'd read it. "Have a good night gentlemen." Daren said as he and Karl boarded the elevator. Daren and Karl had dinner at their usual table in the base mess hall before each retiring to their own quarters for the night. As Karl stepped into the shower he thought not for the first time how nice it would be to move in with Daren, but after all he'd been though in recent times he hadn't been able to work up the nerve to ask Daren. And since he didn't want to look foolish he couldn't see when he would ask him either.

The events that lead up to his meeting Daren kept running through his head as he soaked up the warm spray from the shower. Hunger tore at his mind. All he could think about was food. Suddenly Karl stopped. The light breeze carried an unfamiliar scent, mixed in amongst that of the high mountain fir trees. Someone was coming, Karl bounded up to the lowest thick branch of the tree nearest the trail. Whoever was walking the trail tonight was in for a big surprise. Karl watched as his prey moved nimbly on the trail towards him, it wasn't very bright out tonight despite the full moon. Still shafts of moonlight danced and shifted with the moving of the trees. Karl shifted his balance slightly, causing the branch on which he rested to creak softly. The figure on the trail stopped, and Karl growled at himself for being so foolish. Slowly the figure on the trail looked around. Karl just caught the faintest hint of green light from around the figures eyes and decided it would be wise to change locations. He moved quickly and silently from branch to branch. The figure had stopped looking around, and seemed to be focusing on the area he'd just moved from. Karl smiled, his sharp fangs glistening in the soft light. Slowly he started his approach, keeping his hind claws retracted so they wouldn't scrape anything. He noticed the figure move his right arm across in front of himself. This was it, Karl lunged forward just as the figure spun to face him, and a quick slap across the persons face sent the goggles he was wearing flying. The man stumbled back a few steps, looking around to try and locate Karl. Karl's keen panther night vision gave him the upper hand and he sprung onto the persons back from the branch he'd perched on. Quickly he sank his sharp teeth into the shoulder of his prey, savoring the taste. He was just about to bite through the persons neck and finish the job when a light crackling reached his ear, before he had time enough to react an energy pulse slammed into his side, the burning feeling was torturous, far worse than the change had ever been. Karl glanced up from where he now lay on his side to see another person kneeling between two trees about fifty yards away with a rifle leveled at him. Karl decided that this was now too much trouble and darted off into the trees. He stopped after a few hundred yards just to make sure he wasn't being followed. Not hearing anyone in pursuit he started for the edge of the woods, it would be sunrise in a few hours and he had a long way to go to get home.

It was nearing sunrise as Karl pounced through the window of his home. He had had a few close calls on the way home from the woods and was almost spotted a number of times. But now he was safe. Karl flopped onto his bed, he'd have to vacuum it later but now he didn't care. He was still starving, but at least the burning from his side was down to a dull ache. As the sun rose and the moon began to set a new burning began to take hold within him. Karl slid from his bed as the change began to take hold of him, since he did not want to have to replace yet another set of sheets. The change finished running its course the same as it did every sunrise after the night of a full moon. Karl pried himself off the floor and onto the end of his bed, "Ahh, what a night." He thought to himself, running his hands through his hair. Slowly he got up and made his way to the bathroom. Standing there in front of the mirror he eyed his reflection and noticed the large patch of red skin along his right side, at least it was heeling nicely. He turned on the shower and tried to think of what sort of weapon would do such a thing. Karl shook his head, well it didn't really matter he was just thankful it wasn't a proper gun otherwise he'd be the one laying on the forest floor. After finishing his shower and a rather large breakfast, Karl settled into his couch to watch some TV. As he flipped through the channels he paused on the local news in time to catch the morning headlines, "Authorities this morning closed a section of the local state park after hikers reported a large stain of what appeared to be blood along one the trails. The addition of a few pieces of clothing has prompted rangers to begin searching for what they believe could be a body in the nearby timber. And we'll have more on that story as it develops." Said the man at the news desk before rattling on about the weather for the next few days or something. Karl's mind just stuck on the fact that they hadn't found a body. He couldn't remember eating anything after being hit by that energy pulse. That other person, who had shone up, must have done something with it.

A few days past and the search of the forest was called off after no evidence what so ever could be found. A few theories got batted around as to what had happened but northing ever came of them. The month rolled on and life continued as normal for Karl, his job, bored as he was with it, kept him busy most of the time. About three weeks after that night a severe cold front moved through the region, blanketing the ground under a good two feet of snow. After that the weather stayed cool for a few days and Karl was dreading the following week. He couldn't stand to be indoors all the time in his hybrid form, but even his thick black fur would barely be enough to stave off the cold of the snow and the breeze which past over it. He had arranged for the three days off from work ahead of time, so he needn't worry about that. Karl sat the night before the first full moon about how he was going to get around the problem of his fur standing out, even at night, against the white of the snow. Then he remembered a cave up in the hills near where he'd been last month, it was out of the way and no one would bother him. So he set about packing his hiking gear and trekking pack, making sure to include all the cold weather gear he'd need during the daytime. After ensuring that he had all the stuff he would need for three days, Karl threw his gear in the back of his car and headed up to the hills. Karl turned off onto a small side road that would get him as close as possible to the cave and be out of the way so that no one would question the car being there. Just over an hour of steady hiking later Karl arrived at the mouth of the cave. He took a flashlight from his pack and flipped it on to light his way. The cave in fact turned out to be an old mine, long since abandoned, so he went back just until the cave turned a corner before setting his gear down and unpacking. It was late in the day before he had his little camp set up and a small, yet warm fire heating the cave. As the sun sank lower to the western horizon the sky turned a fiery red and orange, the moon began to show itself at the same time, casting its silvery glow down upon the forest. Karl's skin began to tingle and itch as the moon crept higher into the fast darkening sky, and before too long a large, black, panther hybrid bounded from the cave entrance. The night seemed to pass all too quickly this time and before Karl knew it the moon was sinking low in the horizon and the eastern sky was showing the faintest hint of gold. Karl made his way back to his cave, to await the rising sun. In the cave the fire, which had been left untended all night, was nothing more than a few glowing coals at this point. The familiar tingle under his thick dark fur told of the moons passing below the horizon. In a short space of time, Karl found himself in nothing but his skin and suddenly very cold. He quickly set about rebuilding the fire and got some warm clothes on. With the fire now burning again and the lost warmth returning to him, Karl curled up in his sleeping bag for a few hours rest.

The sun was high in the sky by the time that Karl awoke from his sleep. The fire had died back down, so he gave it a quick stoking from where he lay before shuffling out of his sleeping bag. He stretched his arms back, taking a deep breath as he did, before letting his arms fall. Slowly he got down on his knees and looked through his pack, pulling out a few energy bars and a small kettle for boiling water. As Karl waited for the water to boil and brew the coffee within, he munched on the bars and pulled a sketchbook from his pack. He opened it to a blank page and pulled a pencil from the spiral binding, he just sat for a moment looking at the light from the fire as it hit the walls of rock around him. Slowly he began to draw the scene in front of him, The small fire with his kettle resting across a few glowing logs, the way the roughly hewn walls caught and held the firelight. It was peaceful and dark at the same time. The sound of the kettle boiling brought him back to the moment, so he set the pad aside and lifted the steaming object from the fire, pouring the dark, rich liquid into a steel travel cup before setting the kettle back amongst the coals. Karl got up and walked out the mouth of the cave, cradling his cup in both hands, he leaned against on the walls just looking out at the forest that surrounded him. It was a beautiful day, the sun was shining brightly as the few clouds that there were rolled silently past. It had been warm enough that the snow from the branches of the pines and firs had melted away, yet the snow on the ground had remained fairly intact. It was a good day to be in the hills, Karl went back inside to finish his coffee, but soon thereafter he left the cave, sketchpad in hand, looking for a nice place to sit and draw what the forest had to show him.

After hiking for about an hour or so Karl came upon a large rock outcrop. He climbed the boulders and the view from atop them was awe-inspiring, from here he could see down the valley nearly the entire forest below him, sun reflecting off the snowy glades. It was warm in the sun and the day was quite still, so he removed his jacket and dusted the remaining snow from the rock on which he stood. He set his jacket on the rock, so as he wouldn't end up with a wet bottom when he sat down. Sitting down he folded his legs to give a nice solid rest for his pad. He took his pencil and set to work, not that you could call it work he enjoyed it so. For countless hours he sat sketching the panorama before him. He hardly noticed the steady drop in temperature as the sun sank into the horizon. It was only when he had to start squinting to see the lines he placed on the page that he looked into the western sky and to the fast setting sun. Quickly he flipped the pad closed and tucked the pencil back into the binding. He stood stretching quickly before lifting his jacket from the rock and starting to make his way down from his vantage, a task made harder by the setting sun. Finally he made it off the pile of boulders, which he'd been sitting on top of. The trail back to the cave was fairly ill defined but not hard all the same. Karl stumbled into the cave entrance just as that old tingle was setting in under his skin. Now it was a race to rid himself of the heavy clothes that he wore before his expanding body did it for him in a far more painful manner. Fortunately this time Karl beat the change and just had time to sigh in relief before it hit him in earnest. Before long a large, black, panther hybrid once again bounded from the cave.

This time the night passed more slowly for Karl. He prowled the upper forest in search of something to eat, he could have gone back to the cave and had something from his pack, but the thought of that didn't appeal to him at this point in time. Then he smelled it, a young doe, caught up high on the hill for this time of the year. Tonight was going to be a good night indeed Karl grinned to himself, taking to the trees to cover his approach.

It was just before sunrise when Karl made his way back to his cave retreat, traces of red still on his whiskers. He couldn't remember having such a meal in a long time. His full belly had made him rather tired and he just flopped down on top of the sleeping bag, it's down filling soft and warm against his fur. A low rumbling purr rose from his chest as he drifted to sleep. A familiar tingling under his fur rudely interrupted Karl's dreams, he rolled over with a groan. The change ran its course as always and Karl was left lying atop his sleeping bag, suddenly rather colder than he had been. He shifted around working himself down into the warmth of his sleeping bag, before letting sleep return to him. The sun rose in the sky and was finally high enough to send a shaft of light into the cave, making it just a little too bright for Karl to sleep in peace. After a few minutes of tossing and turning, he finally admitted defeat and removed himself from his sleeping bag. Once again the day had dawned bright and blue, a few clouds drifting past on the light upper winds. Karl managed to salvage the fire without having to start from scratch again. This morning again he sat, warm by the fire, waiting for his kettle to boil and brew the coffee within. He munched on an energy bar idly as he watched the flames dance about the coals and wood. It seemed to never take long for the kettle to be ready whenever he was out in the woods, or maybe it was that out here he didn't mind the time it took. Again Karl rested, leaning against the rock at the cave mouth, listening to the sounds of the wild around him. With his coffee finished, Karl picked up his sketchpad and started out towards the rocks he'd been on yesterday. As he mounted the last of the boulders in the group, a rare sight greeted him. The time and the sun were as they had been yesterday. Karl sat down and picked up where he'd left off the previous day. He didn't have much to finish really and before long he looked at the pad with a satisfied smile. Karl got up at stretched for a few minutes, looking around for something else worth drawing. In the end all he had to do was turn around, as the afternoon sun caught the snow on the mountaintop, making it appear to be bathed in fire. He knew that his pencil wouldn't do the scene justice, but it would do to capture the moment just the same. So Karl opened a new page and replanted himself on the rock, setting to work. It would be a month before he'd be back here and he might not get such a day then. Again the sun sank lower to the horizon, changing the hues of the mountain from gold to orange and approaching crimson red. This time Karl had the colors of the mountain to tell him when he should be making a move and this time he was back at the cave with enough time to get the fire so that it would last the night. And as with the previous two nights after the moon made her way into the night sky a black furred panther stalked the forest. Karl's night passed all too quickly for him again tonight, and he puzzled over way the last night of the full moon always seemed to pass so fast. But as dawn broke the next morning, he was back at the cave sitting by the fire waiting. After the sun was up and the moon had gone to rest for the day, Karl decided to get a few hours rest before heading back to the "rest" of the world.

It didn't take Karl all that long to get everything repacked in his backpack. He used some water collected from the melting snow outside to extinguish the remains of his fire before he started the walk back down the hill to his car. It was about midday when he got back to his car. Karl tossed his backpack in the trunk and grabbed a roll of paper towel. He poured the last of the water from his canteen across the windshield and wiped the dust that had collected over three days from the glass. After satisfying himself that the windows were clean enough for the trip home he got in and turned the key. The engine came to life and he was off. The sun was sinking low in the sky when he pulled up at his house on the edge of town. Karl pulled the car into the garage and lifted his pack from the trunk before heading into the house. He set the pack down by the back door and sank into his armchair to untie his hiking boots. As comfortable as they were, it was always nice to get them off. He listened to the few messages on his machine and made the few calls that needed to be made quickly. But with that done, Karl headed for the bathroom and a nice hot shower. He turned on the water to let it warm as he striped himself of the clothes he'd been wandering around the hills in. They were still heavy with the scent of pine, fir, and fur. "I'll have to do the washing when I finish this." He mussed to himself. Then he eased himself into the steaming spray and let it wash and rub all the tension from his muscles.

Work kept Karl occupied for most of the month and when he wasn't working he was working on coloring his pencil drawings. It took him most of the month to finish off the set that he'd done during the last full moon in the cave and on the mountainside. He was pretty sure that they'd fetch a good price at the local market the next weekend. It was still a week before the next full moon and the events of two months ago where all but forgotten. In fact his drawings did sell well at the markets and he was well pleased with the extra money he had made. As the full moon drew nearer he figured that he'd go back to the same spot and do a few more drawings. Besides it was far away from everything and he wouldn't be bothered. So Karl again arranged for the three days off and got all his gear packed and ready to go, only this time he brought along a set of colored pencils to draw with. Karl set off and parked his car in about the same spot as last time. This time the hike up to the cave took less time, since he already knew exactly where it was. He set up his campsite in the cave and got a fire going to make himself some coffee and dinner. Soon the sun was setting into the western sky turning the heavens shades of bright red and orange before fading into gray and finally black. The moon crept slowly above the horizon and Karl felt the change coming on deep within him. After a few minutes a large werepanther bounded from the cave, in search of yet another dinner this evening. Karl prowled around the upper reaches of the hills all night, without much luck of finding anything for dinner. So with the moon sinking slowly into the sky he made his way back to the cave. He got back with about fifteen minutes to spare, so he stoked up the fire and put the kettle on to boil and brew. As the sun started to break the eastern horizon Karl could feel the tingle under his skin as the change began to take effect.

After a month of normal temperatures and sunny days the snow from last month had mostly melted away, save a few patches higher up in spots that got little sunlight during the day. Karl sat in his cave camp, a cup of hot coffee cradled in his hands. It was going to be another good day for getting out and doing a few sketches of various things. Karl was thankful that he'd been blessed with such good weather this year. In the past he'd been running around the lower areas in deep snow, leaving him very wet and very cold. But today the sun shone in a cloudless blue sky, warm on his face, as he walked through the glades and rock outcrops. He found a good spot overlooking a spring in a small valley with a clearing on the far side. So he sat down and took out his sketchpad and pencils and set to drawing the scene before him. As the day wore on Karl managed to draw the entire scene in front of him, he also managed to get a few sketches done of some birds that were kind enough to sit still for long enough. The dropping temperature told him that the sun was fast disappearing into the western sky. So he quickly packed up his things and headed back to camp. He managed to make it back with just enough time to remove his heavy clothes before the change began its work. With another night of hunting ahead of him Karl failed to notice the faint reflection from a pair of binoculars in the distant trees. A hunter of a different kind had seen Karl go into the cave, only to watch as a very different Karl came out of it. Silently the man slipped away, back to the road and his truck, back to town to inform his hunting partners of what he'd witnessed.

Karl made it back to his camp with barely a few minutes to spare before the sun rose from its sleep. Even though the day dawned just as clear as the previous one, in was colder and the air was heavy, carrying with it the promise of a storm that afternoon. Karl sat and had his breakfast and coffee in the warmth of the fire. Today would be a day to stay inside the confines of the cave as even now clouds began to build in the heavens. It was just after midday and Karl was sitting in the entrance to the cave when the sounds of rolling thunder in the distance echoed from the hillside. Yep it was going to storm tonight, not he minded that much. He'd rather be out running around in the rain as a werepanther then just sitting in this cave as one all night. The day seemed to drag on as he sat there idly poking at the fire and sipping at another cup of coffee. Karl was relieved to see the sky outside begin to darken as the sun sank lower in the sky. He got up and stretched, removing his shirt and sweat pants at the same time. Sitting back down on his sleeping bag and just relaxing in the fire's warmth, after today it would be back to work and back to the rest of the world.

As the moon rose behind the gathering clouds Karl felt the tingling under his skin that signaled the onset of the change within him. After a few minutes he picked himself up from the floor of the cave and stretched his furred arms wide, "One more night of fun hunting and then back to the rest of the world again." He thought to himself as he stepped from the cave. He started to make his way down the hillside towards the stream he'd been drawing the previous day. It seemed like a good spot to start a hunt for dinner. Karl had gotten about halfway there when he felt a heavy impact on his right side. He pitched forward, falling to the ground with a thud. He looked at his side to find a red feather tuft and a dart stuck in his side he pulled the dart out and dropped it to the ground. He got back to his paws, but his legs would no longer support his own weight under the effect of the tranquilizer. He collapsed back to the forest floor. As his vision began to darken he saw four men step from behind trees, all of them pointing weapons at him. The last thing Karl remembered was one of the men saying, "Nice shot Frank." Then all was black and time seemed to stop.

It was very late in the night when Karl came to as the effect of the dart wore off. He rolled over onto his back and put a paw over his face letting out a low moan. As he lay there he noticed the ground didn't feel right, he put his arm out and it struck something. Something cold, hard, and unmoving, the realization hit him like a train. He was in a cage. One of the men noticed that he'd woken from the darts effects and moved over to the cage. "Well now," the man said, "Glad to see that you're still alive. Some zoo or research lab will pay us big money for you." The man laughed and went back to the fire to rejoin his friends. Karl couldn't help but whimper and tears started to form in his eyes. The storms that seemed to loom earlier had passed by without even some much as a drop of rain, a few clouds still lingered casting shadows in the moonlight. Karl was still huddled in the back of his cage when a faint new smell reached his nose. He sniffed, trying to identify it. It was familiar, but new at the same time. He looked around slowly trying to figure out where this new scent was coming from. The cloud shadows and the shadows of the forest seemed to shift and he couldn't see anything but the woods and the underbrush. The fire nearby crackled and flashed, but there was another noise in there, not made by any fire. And that flash had a different color too. Another new smell, slightly acidic but deep and rich at the same time, he knew that smell, the smell of fresh blood. He looked over at the fire. One of the men, Frank the man who'd shot him, looked out of place stiff and unmoving. Then a breeze picked up a bit and Frank fell forward to the ground, stone dead. The other men stopped their laughing and looked at Frank then at him. Karl backed into the corner of his cage even more, as if to say "Hey I didn't do it." They all stared at each other trying to figure out what had just happened. None of them said a word, just looking at each other in shocked silence. Karl saw something shimmer behind the group and a large black clothed figure appeared from nowhere. He scurried backward, but the bars of the cage wouldn't let him move. The three men turned to see what Karl had been looking at when a low hiss issued forth and a lightning blue blade of light came to life. The figure impaled the man standing closest to him before leaping the small fire and cutting down a third as he stumbled backwards in terror. Two clicks sounded and Karl knew it was from a gun being loaded. The remaining hunter tried to take aim at the new arrival, but the shadowy figure was too fast for him and with a quick upstroke of his sword cut the rifle in two, setting off the ammo in the magazine. The hunter stumbled backwards, tripping over the log he'd been sitting on moments before. The figure just stood there and looked at him, sword blade humming. The man decided it would be a good time to run, and Karl wished he could do the same. The hunter started to run, but before he'd gone six steps a high-pitched whine, which hurt Karl's ears split the air. The man was thrown off his feet and hung a few inches off the ground from a large knife holding his shirt to a tree. The figure walked slowly over to him, the blade of his sword vanishing with a hiss. The figure grabbed the hunter by the front of his shirt and leaned down to tell him something. Then using his free paw, wait a second, that person has paw hands, pure black like mine. Using his free paw pulled the knife from the tree and dropped the hunter to the ground, letting him run off. The figure turned and began walking over to Karl. Karl tried again to back away from his approach but he couldn't escape the bars of his cage. "Please...please don't hurt me." Karl pleaded. The figure stopped and laughed at him. "If I had wanted to harm you, I would have done so long ago." He replied. The figure dropped down and rested on his haunches, pushing his paws out of his sleeves he pulled the hood that covered his face back. Karl couldn't believe it. If it weren't for the clothes he could have been looking at himself in a mirror. "You don't remember me do you?" the panther asked.

Karl shook his head no. The panther began to explain who he was and after a while Karl realized where he knew the scent from. He tried to apologize, but the other panther just laughed again and said that he'd actually done him a favor. The panther stood up, "Well now, let's get you out of there shall we." He said. He took a step back and pulled a shiny metal cylinder from his belt. "Cover your eyes. I don't want to get any sparks in them." He said. Karl did as he was told and put his arm across his face. He heard the hiss of the blade coming to life and he couldn't help but cringe at the crackling and scratching of the blade as it tore trough the steel bars. Then with a quick swipe of his paw the other panther tore the door away. He reached in and held out his paw to Karl, "My name's Daren and I never asked you yours."

"Karl...My name's Karl."

"Well Karl, I may be the first cat in the ASL but I'd hate to be the last." Daren said with a smile. Karl took Daren's paw and pulled himself from the cage.

"Now then Karl, you have a choice to make here. Either I can take you home and drop you off or you can come with me back to my base and get some rest before day breaks here and then I can bring you back here if you wish."

"Umm, I don't want to be any trouble. But I'd like to go with you."

"Very well then." Daren said. He looked down and tapped his wrist comm. "Dark Knight one, two to transport."

A voice from the other end of the line said, "Stand by."

"Oh, I forgot to tell you. This might tingle a bit."

Karl was about to ask what when the transport bars appeared and swept through him. The next thing he realized he was in a well lit room with a man standing behind a console looking at them. "Welcome back sir." The man behind the console said, "Captain Ford asked me to let him know when you got back. I think he wants to speak with you."

"Well let him know that Karl here and I will be down in the lunchroom."

"Yes sir."

Daren walked Karl down to the lunchroom explaining this and that and doing his best to answer all of Karl's questions. Soon the pair where seated at a table, Daren watching as Karl devoured his food.

After finishing his steak Karl looked around at all the people milling about in the large eating area. He noticed that no one was taking any special notice of him or the panther sitting across from him. "How come nobody's looking at us?" Karl asked felling suddenly very shy.

"Simple," Daren replied, "They work with weres like you and I all the time so to them having a couple of weres sitting and sharing a meal is nothing special."

"How could they be used to being around weres all the time?"

"Is there room for one more here?" A rather large brown furred wolf asked.

"By all means Captain, please sit and join us." Daren answered.

The wolf walked around the table and took a seat next to Daren. "Well now who is our guest this morning?"

"Oh, sorry sir. Karl I'd like you to meet the head of the Dark Knights unit, Captain Jonathon Ford. Captain Ford this is Karl."

"Good to finally meet you Karl." Jonathon said extending a paw across the table.

Karl slowly extended his paw and shook Jonathon's. "Why do you say finally, sir?" Jonathon laughed, "There's no need to call me sir. My name's Jonathon, sir is what ensigns call me. As for the finally bit, well I was watching Daren when he came to get you and I saw the time that you attacked him two months ago. But it's nice to finally put a name to the fur."

"Oh, so what are you going to do with me now?"

"Well it will be daylight in a few hours and you've had a hard night, so after you finish with Daren here, he'll show you to your quarters for the night. After breakfast in the morning we can talk about what happens next. Now if the two of you will excuse me," Jonathon said standing from his seat, "I have to get back to work. Daren get your report on my desk before end of shift tomorrow, if you don't mind." With that he waved a paw and walked off down the hallway to resume whatever it was he'd been doing.

Karl had a worried look on his face and Daren noticed it. He waved a paw in a dismissive gesture, "Don't worry Karl. When he said what happens next, he just meant what you wanted to do. If you want we'll drop you back at your car and that will be the end of it."

"So you mean he's not mad about you or anything like that?"

"No, just the opposite in fact, he like's having a new were around." Daren got up from his seat. "Come on it is late and you need to get some rest. Time spent unconscious does absolutely nothing for you." He said with a laugh. He laid a paw on Karl's shoulder as he got up. The two of them walked off down the hall toward the accommodation wing, Daren pointing out this or that as they went. When they finally got to the guest quarters that had been set aside for Karl, Daren showed him how everything worked and told him how to get in touch with him if he should need anything. Then Daren bade him goodnight and struck off to his own quarters.

"Attention all personnel, ten minutes to sunrise." Karl awoke with a start as the intercom system gave its usual warning. He rubbed his paws over his face. He couldn't even remember lying down on the bed a few hours ago, yet there he was covers pulled up in a large soft bed. Karl squirmed under the blankets, stretching as wide as he could, before tossing the covers off and rolling out of bed. He had just started to make the bed when a tingling itch signaled the onset of the change within him. Karl toppled to the floor as the change began to take hold in earnest, the thick carpet was much nicer then the hard stone of the cave floor where he had spent the past two full moons. After the change finished running its course, Karl just sat on the foot of the bed for a few minutes to regain his balance and composure. After a few minutes he finished making the bed and headed to the bathroom for a hot shower. He decided to just have a quick shower now, and then he'd have a nice long bath when he got home. While he waited for the water to come to temperature, Karl looked in the closet and found that a set of uniforms where hanging inside. There were various sizes so he found the one that he thought would best fit and laid it out on the bed, before jumping in the shower. After toweling off Karl put the uniform on, it was more or less just a pair of pants and a shirt in the ASL uniform colors, because it had no marks or badges on it. Karl just finished buttoning the shirt and was looking at himself in the mirror when the doorbell chimed. "Yes, who is it?" he asked still looking in the mirror.

"It's Daren." Came the reply through the door.

"Oh, come in Daren."

The door slide open with a soft hiss and Daren walked in. A smile spread across his face when he saw Karl looking at himself in the mirror. "Well you don't look half bad in that uniform Karl. Perhaps you should think about having one full time." He said jokingly. Karl smiled and laughed, even though he was half considering it. "Well what now?"

"Now we eat. Jonathon has asked us to join him and his mate in the lookout tower for breakfast this morning."

"Well lead the way then. Because I'm starved."

This time it was Daren's turn to laugh, as he led the way out of the quarters, the door sliding silently shut behind them. Daren took Karl via his favorite spot, the upper forest catwalks, on the way to the tower elevator. As they made their way along the raised walkways, Daren pointed out some of the various plants that were only found on the island and some of the birds that flitted through the trees. After about ten minutes of walking they finally arrived at the elevator, Daren removed his pass card from his shirt pocket and slid it through the reader next to the door. The light flashed to green and the doors opened with a chime. After the two of them got on the elevator began its rapid ascent of the mountain. After about thirty seconds the elevator slowed and finally bumped to a halt, the doors opening with the same chime as before. Karl couldn't believe the view, as he stepped off the elevator.

"You can see the entire island from up here." A soft voice said, speaking his thoughts. Karl turned around a bit startled, since he hadn't noticed anyone there before. A young woman, dressed in a normal uniform was leaning against a control panel. "I'm Trisha," the woman said, "I'm Jonathon's mate." She held out her hand. Karl took the opportunity and shook her hand. "Did you sleep well?" Trisha asked.

"Yes I did thank you. To be honest I don't even remember getting in bed I was so tired." "And you looked it as well." Jonathon said, closing an outside access door behind him. "Well I think it's about time we got something to eat." He said

Jonathon collected all the orders from everyone and input them into the food transporter, a few seconds later a large tray appeared in the inset of the wall. Jonathon grabbed the tray and carried it over to the center table, where everyone else was already seated. Jonathon sat down himself and they all got down to eating the large meal. "So Karl," Trisha said kicking off a conversation, "What is it that you do for a living back home?" Karl finished chewing before taking the time to answer, "Well I'm a data analyst, for an accounting firm back in Wyoming. It can be boring at times, but it's a good job." Trisha nodded and placed another bite in her mouth.

"What is that you do around here, Trisha?" Karl asked returning the question.

"Well, I work in communications as a supervisor mostly. But I do a few other things like show new people around and get them settled in, things like that."

"Sounds like a lot of fun and hard work, with a place like this."

"It can be at times, but I wouldn't trade it for anything." Trisha said smiling at Jonathon. Who smiled back. "Well now, I guess we had better get down to it." Jonathon said. "Last night I said that we would discuss what happened next, so Karl, what do you want to do now?"

"Well for a start, thanks for the nice meal," Karl said wiping the corners of his mouth before setting the napkin on the empty plate.

Jonathon waved a hand dismissively, "It's the least we can do for a guest. To give them a comfortable bed and a good meal, think nothing of it."

"Still thanks all the same, it doesn't happen to me very often." Karl said. "Well what options do I have?"

Jonathon smiled, "Well you can stay here for a few days if you wish, and take some time to rest up. Or Daren can take you back to your car in Wyoming and that will be the end of it. Or finally you can stay here permanently as a member of the staff. We always have a few spots open for data analysis or you can pick another field to work in."

Karl leaned back in his chair and gazed at the ceiling for a minute, thinking about his options. "I think I'd like to go home for the time being anyway." He said after a minute or so.

"As you wish, Daren will walk you to the Transport center after we finish here." Jonathon said. "Until then enjoy the view."

Karl grinned and couldn't suppress a chuckle.

Later Daren walked Karl back to the transport center. As the pair entered transport room four, Lt. Carman beamed at them from behind the control console, "Now then where are we off to this fine morning." He said.

"Just sending Karl here home Carman. You should have the location of his car up linked from the geo sat network."

Carman pushed a few buttons on the control panel and brought up the desired location. He quickly entered it into the targeting system and set it to standby. "All set, when ever you're ready to go."

"Just one second," Daren said, he pulled a standard looking business card from his left shirt pocket and handed it to Karl. "The number on there will get you to the main switchboard here if you ever change your mind or need help with anything. Just ask the officer who answers to put you trough to me and I should be able to help. Remember you have friends here, and we're always around to lend a hand or a paw as the case may be." Daren smiled and held out his hand. Karl wasted no time this time and shook it vigorously. "Thanks for everything Daren." Karl said, letting go of Daren's hand and stepping up onto the pad. "All set. " He said, taking a deep breath.

Carman nodded and tapped the execute key, bringing the system online, and the light bars sprang up and swept through Karl before vanishing again.

At the other end of the line the light bars appeared and swept through each other placing Karl back right next to his car. He smiled and looked around. He turned and started hiking off up to the cave to get his pack and camping gear. The sun was just starting to set by the time he got back to his car with all his gear. As he was putting it in the back, he wondered why he hadn't just asked to be dropped of at the cave entrance and save himself a hike. Oh well he had all his gear and was off home so it didn't matter much.

It was well and truly dark by the time that Karl got back home. He pulled into the garage and lifted his pack from the truck of his car, before heading into the house. He set the pack down in the laundry and headed upstairs for a shower. He took his time in the shower letting the heat from the water soak through him. After a good three quarters of an hour he finally turned off the water and hoisted a towel from the rack on the wall. After drying himself thoroughly he took the uniform that he'd been wearing and hung it in his closet. He dawned a new pair of boxers, some sweat pants, and a sweater before heading back downstairs to sort out the stuff in his pack and do some washing that he'd neglected before leaving. With that sorted he went to the kitchen and made himself a cup of coffee and sat down at the kitchen table to think about what had happened over the last two days. On the one hand he really enjoyed his work and the friends, few though they may have been, that he had here in his hometown. But with that he had to hide the other part of his life. He would constantly have to be worried that what happened the other day could happen again and that next time he might not be as fortunate. On the other hand he really enjoyed his time with Daren and the ASL crew, short as it had been. There he could be himself all the time. He wouldn't have to hide anything, but he would have to learn to control himself better. In any event he figured that he had at least a month to work out what he wanted to do. But he made up his mind to decide and telephone Daren one way or the other by the next full moon. Anyway Karl finished his coffee and set about getting his house tidied up after his weekend away.

Daren sat below on of the windows of the observation tower, the light breeze rustling his hair and the bottom of his pant legs. He held a coffee in his hands as he stared out at the ocean spread beneath him. He was so engrossed in his thoughts that he didn't hear the personnel door open or notice when Jonathon slid onto the ground beside him. "Penny for your thought's" Jonathon said, breaking Daren out of his trance.

"Oh, hey Jonathon. I didn't hear you come out here."

"I'm not surprised. You couldn't have been farther from this planet if you where on fighter patrol. What's on your mind mate?"

"I was just thinking about Karl. I mean since he left I don't think I've stopped thinking about him. He just seemed so alone, so scared. I've never had to deal with that."

"Well that's because when you were changed into a were you had Alex, Jeffery, Trisha and the rest of us here to fall back on. He hasn't been so lucky. But I don't think that's the last time we'll hear from him." Jonathon said pushing himself to his feet.

"What makes you say that?"

"Well he likes you. You'd almost have to be blind not to see that."

"I think that was just gratitude for getting him out of a bad situation." Daren said rising also.

"You could be right about that as well. But time will tell, and I'll bet before the next time the full moon rolls around in Wyoming he'll call you. If for nothing more then to say thanks one more time. But he will call."

Jonathon made his way back to the access door and went inside, closing the door after him, but holding it so that it didn't latch shut. Daren lent against the plexiglas of the tower, the coffee in his mug having long since gone cold. He tossed the remainder on the coffee and went inside. His shift would start in an hour, so he saw no real point in leaving.

Back in Wyoming Karl soon became caught up with the details of his work and Daren's phone number posted of his refrigerator door was nearly forgotten about. But as the moon cycled through towards full again Karl began to think more and more about what he was going to do for this full moon. He sat idly sipping a cup of coffee and thumbing through his mostly empty notebook. With the pressure of work lately he hadn't had time to do any sketches or even color in any previous ones. A slight draft caused the papers on his fridge door to flutter slightly. He looked up to make sure that nothing had blown free. A reflection drew his attention to a card partly hidden from view. A silver emblem caught and reflected the light. Karl cocked his head to one side slightly. It took him a moment to place the card, but then he remembered. He got up and pulled the card from the magnetic clip. Written on the back was Daren's name and number. He sat back down at the table card in hand. For a long time he just sat there looking at it, flipping it from front to back. Even if I just went back for the full moon, he thought to himself. At least then I'd be around people that I don't have to hide from. He made up his mind. He'd at least ask if he could just come back for the full moon. He lifted the handset of the phone and began dialing the number. After the first set of numbers there was an odd tone in the line for a second but then it went back to normal. He finished dialing and the line rang twice before someone answered, "Main Switchboard." The male voice on the other end of the line said.

"Oh ah, hi I was hoping to speak to Lieutenant Daren if I could."

"Stand by please." There was a pause and Karl considered for a second that the line had gone dead, since he couldn't hear anything. Then there was a click from someone picking up the other end. "Lieutenant Daren Brook."

"Hi Daren it's Karl here."

"Hello Karl," Daren said a bit of excitement creeping through his voice, "I wasn't expecting to hear from you. What can I do for you?"

"Well I was just wondering, that is if Jonathon will allow it, could come and stay with you over the full moon." Karl bit his lip nervously.

"Actually I was talking to the Captain the other day about such a thing. He said it wouldn't be a problem. In fact I'd love to have you back here. It gets boring just having wolves and wild cats around here."

"Thanks Daren, but umm... how am I supposed to get there? I mean do you need my address or anything?"

"Ah well not really, no. See I already have your address. The phone system here automatically traces calls so I know where you're calling from. Anyway what time do you want me to pick you up?"

"How about five thirty."

"Ok. I'll be at your door at five thirty. Just bring that one uniform with you that you had last time."

"Alright, see you then." Karl hung up the receiver and sighed. He was going to enjoy seeing Daren again.

For the rest of the week time seemed to be permanently stuck in slow motion, but finally the first night of the full moon came around. Karl made sure that he got home early so that he'd have time to pack and get ready. Karl was looking at the alarm clock at his bedside when the display changed to five thirty. A few seconds later his doorbell rang and he quickly ran down the stairs and opened the front door. Daren was standing on his porch in his uniform, fairly plain except for his brass name badge and the silver ASL logo on his left shoulder. Daren took his hat off and beamed a smile, "So you ready to go." He said.

Karl returned the smile and stepped out of the doorway, "Just about. I just have to get changed, so come in and I'll be right back."

Daren stepped inside and looked around the entry of Karl's house. "No need to rush on my account." Daren called after Karl as he bounded up the stairs, whether or not Karl heard him didn't really matter. After about five minutes Karl came back down the stairs dressed in his uniform. Daren watched him come down the stairs and couldn't help but grin. "You look good in that uniform, you know."

"Thank you, I think it's a good look as well. So shall we go."

"Well if you've got everything locked up here then, yeah we'll get moving."

Karl went around and did one last check to make sure that he'd locked everything up and turned everything that didn't need to be on off. "So how do we do this thing?" Karl asked after finishing his last round.

"Well come over here and stand beside me." Daren said.

Karl strode over and stood next to Daren. Daren looked at his watch and tapped an icon on the face. The watch beeped and a voice spoke, "Transport center." It said.

"Two to return." Daren said back into the watch comm.

"Stand by." The voice said.

A low hum split the quiet two pairs of light bars appeared and swept threw the pair before shrinking into points of light and then vanishing all together. A few seconds later those same light bars disappeared in the transport center of ASL headquarters leaving Karl and Daren standing on the transport pad. Carman was at his usual position, behind the transport control console. "Welcome back to our little island home Karl, it's good to see you again." He said, a genuine smile shining from under his hat. "Say," Carman said looking at his watch, "The two of you had better get a move on if you intend to make it back to your quarters before sunset."

Daren looked at his watch and nodded his thanks to Carman, before taking Karl by the hand and leading him from the room down the corridor to the living area. It took the better part of the five minutes for them to walk the distance to Karl's quarters for the full moon. Daren walked Karl inside his quarters. "I'll be back to pick you up for dinner in about a half hour, so just wait here."

Karl Just nodded and Daren walked out letting the door slid shut behind him before sprinting off down the hall to his own quarters.

Karl felt the tingle under his skin as the change began to take hold. He quickly removed his uniform and let the change take its course. After a few minutes to get his bearings back, he made his way to the bathroom and turned on the shower. As he let the water heat up he looked at his reflection in the mirror. He smiled despite himself, his white fangs glinting in the light, for the first time since he'd been bitten he didn't have to hide from anyone. He quickly got into the shower and washed his fur. After he got out of the shower and dried off he pulled a robe from the closet. It seemed to fit ok. But it was a bit tight around the arms. He sat on the edge of the bed waiting for Daren to return. After a few minutes the doorbell chimed and Karl opened the door, to reveal Daren on the other side of it. He had a small box tucked under one arm and his black tail twitched back and forth. "Well you look handsome in that robe, but I don't think it will do for dinner. Anyway you look to be about the same size as me so I picked this up on the way here." Daren said handing the box to a rather dumb struck Karl. Karl opened the box and pulled out another uniform, but this time it was big enough for him to wear as a panther and had the standard ASL symbol on the shoulder. Karl put the box on the bed and hurried to the bathroom to change into his new uniform. A few minutes later a well-dressed panther emerged. "Ah, that's much nicer." Daren said looking up and down Karl. "I'm glad you think so." Karl replied.

"Well now it's off to dinner and then I'll give you a proper tour of this place." Daren said. He walked out of the room into the hallway and Karl followed. The two took there time making their way down to the base café. When they got there Daren placed the orders and got a quiet table just slightly away from everyone else so that the two of them could talk.

"You know," Karl said taking a bite from his food, "when you first brought me here last time I thought that I was in a world of trouble. That you were really mad about what I did to you and that I was going to really pay for it."

Daren almost choked on his food from trying to suppress a laugh. "Oh don't you worry. For a time I was really upset and yes, you probably would have been in for it had I got my hands on you." He put his fork down and looked straight into Karl's amber eyes. "But after a while I got used to it. The month of training up at base one helped a lot with that. And the more used to it I got the better I felt about it, and well after about the first two and a half weeks I stopped being mad. Now I wouldn't have it any other way."

Karl looked away, the red in his cheeks hidden by the black of his fur. A trace of pink made its way into his ears and Daren grinned, "Are you blushing?" he asked quietly. "No" Karl replied shyly.

Daren sniffed the air with his big sensitive nose, "Yes you are," he chirped giving Karl a push on the shoulder. Karl looked down even further trying to hide his embarrassment. Daren frowned, "Ah, come on." He said softly. "I'm just playing with you. It's just a silly habit I guess I picked up living here. I'm sorry if I embarrassed you."

"It's ok." Karl said looking back up at Daren. "It's nice to be able to sit and talk, and not to have to hide from everyone for once."

Daren nodded and the two finished the rest of their dinner quietly.

Afterward Daren took Karl on an extended tour of the base. He took him to just about everywhere, leaving out a few of the classified areas like Sat strike control. He showed Karl all his favorite places to just sit and relax. They spent the better part of a half hour leaning against the railing of the upper catwalks in the rainforest. Just watching as the various nocturnal creatures went about their business amongst the canopy or on the forest floor. Daren pointed out one of the islands jaguars, as it stalked among the uplifted roots and ferns, looking for its supper. Karl had to agree, by the time they moved on, that it was one of the best places for a panther to get away from everything and have some quiet time. After a fair few hours of wandering the base going here, there, and everywhere the pair ended up just sitting atop the lookout tower on Knights Peak. From here the world seemed to stretch away in all directions and one could see the entire island as well as the waters that surrounded it. The quiet of the night was almost deafening, with just the light nighttime breeze rustling around them. "So where is this Base One anyway?" Karl asked breaking the silence of the moment.

Daren was caught a bit off guard by that one, "Why do you ask?"

"Well it's just that you've referred to it a few times tonight and I was just wondering is all."

"Oh, well," Daren said trying to find the best way to explain it, "Look up. And tell me what you see."

Karl looked into the night sky. A few small clouds drifted past on the breeze, the stars looked down on him with the moon sending its rays brightly over the distance. "I see the stars, a few little clouds, and the moon." Karl said more than slightly confused about what Daren was getting at.

"Well," Daren said turning his face skyward as well, "If you look at the moon and follow the dark sea up the left side of the moon you'll find a set of mountains and if you follow those up you will find a small break before another set. Base One is tucked back in between those two mountain ranges."

Karl looked at Daren, a bit lost for words for a moment. "So you're saying that this place is on the moon?"

Daren just nodded his head, his eyes never leaving the heavens. "I can take you there tomorrow if you would like."

"So we can just up and leave the planet, just like that." Karl said snapping his fingers.

Daren couldn't help but giggle, "After everything that you've seen and experienced why it that so hard to believe?"

"I don't know it's just the thought of leaving the earth and setting foot on another place." "Yeah that can be a bit hard to get a handle on." Daren admitted.

After a while they decided to head back inside, they walked for a while longer just talking about this or that, but nothing in particular. Before either of them realized it the base p.a. system was announcing that the sun would be rising in another ten minutes. So they made their way back to the living quarters area and Daren bade Karl goodnight at his door before setting off to his own quarters. Karl striped himself of his uniform and hung it up carefully in the closet before turning down the covers on the bed. He was rather looking forward to seeing what it was like on the moon the next day. So wrapped in his thoughts was he that he hardly noticed the onset of that familiar tingle beneath his fur. Over in Daren's quarters he too was undergoing the shift between forms as the moon sank below the horizon. After a few minutes the change had finished its work and Daren wasted no time in getting into the shower. He had left himself just enough time to shower and change before his morning shift started, something he had neglected to mention to Karl during the night, since he didn't want Karl to feel guilty about him staying up all night. Anyway it wasn't the first time he had stayed up all night only to pull a shift the next morning, so he knew he'd survive.

It was mid afternoon by the time that Karl awoke from his sleep. He stretched and yawned in the comfortable bed before tossing the blankets back and getting up. He pulled down his daytime uniform and laid it on the foot of the bed. A nice hot shower was what he needed to get going this morning, and so he headed for the bathroom.

Daren was sitting in the observation tower monitoring the various instruments when Jonathon walked off the elevator. "So how was your evening with Karl?" He asked pulling one of the rolling chairs over and sitting down.

"It was good, we just wandered and talked and I showed him around the base for a bit." Daren replied leaning back and taking a pull at his coffee. "By the way," Daren said before the though slipped his mind. "I was hoping to take him up to Base One tonight if that's alright with you."

"I don't see why that would be a problem. When you get back the pair of you can join the other weres and I for dinner in Jeffery's old office on SL two." Jonathon replied. Jonathon looked over at Daren noticing the red around the edges of his eyes. "Did you get any sleep before coming on this morning?" He asked.

Daren just shrugged his shoulders and took another sip of coffee.

Jonathon frowned, "Daren you really should have gotten at least a little sleep in before doing a full shift." He chastised.

"I'll be fine sir it's not the first time I've done it."

"Yes but the other times you weren't planning on spending a full day at Base One right afterwards either. So I'm pulling you off duty early today. I'll get one of the relief officers to finish out the day shift, and you go home and get some sleep. I expect to see you logged out of here at fifteen thirty and not a minute later Daren, I mean it." Jonathon said getting up and pushing the back to where he'd gotten it.

"Yes, captain." Daren said watching Jonathon's retreating back as he walked over to the elevator.

Jonathon was on his way back to the comm. center when he came across Karl in one of the hallways. "Sleep well?" he asked falling into step with him.

"Yes I did, thank you." Karl replied. "Captain, have you seen Daren this morning? I went by his quarters, but he wasn't there."

"Oh," Jonathon said a little shocked that Karl didn't know that Daren was working this morning, "He's up in the observation tower on watch duty. Didn't he tell you that he was working this morning?"

"No, he didn't actually. If he had I wouldn't have let him stay up all night."

"No matter." Jonathon said, "He'll be off duty in another two hours. So until then feel free to wander around. If you're looking for a nice walk, try heading out to Sea Wolf Cove. It's quite nice this time of year over there."

"Thanks Captain, I think I will." Karl said before turning off down a side corridor. Jonathon kept walking, making his way back to the comm. center.

Two hours came and went, and Karl was standing at the bottom of the lookout elevator still trying to get the last little bit of annoying sand out of his right shoe after his walk on the beach at Sea Wolf. He had just managed to get the sand dislodged and into a spot where it wasn't bugging him when the doors opened and Daren stepped off the elevator. "You didn't tell me you had to work this morning." He said. Catching Daren totally off guard.

"Well I didn't want you to feel guilty about me being up all night with you." Daren finally managed to stammer out. "Anyway, I have enough time now to get something to eat and then get a few hours sleep before we go to Base One."

"So where to for lunch then?" Karl asked.

"Same place as always." Daren answered, indicating the base café was where they were headed. This time it was Karl who watched as Daren quickly ate his meal, before walking back to Daren's quarters with him. At the door to Daren's quarters they parted company, but not before arranging a time for Daren to get Karl and head for the transport center. Daren half pealed his uniform off, as the effect of being up for so long caught up with him. He pulled the blankets back on his bed and flopped onto the mattress. He barely managed to get the blankets back over himself when sleep enveloped him.

A tingle under his skin woke Daren from his dreams. He had been so tired that he never noticed the ten-minute warning on the base p.a. "Well this is a first." He thought to himself as he threw the blankets off. Daren rolled out of bed and onto the soft carpet of the floor. Stretching as the change ran its course. After a few minutes he planted a large black paw on the edge of the bed and hauled himself to his feet. He stretched and yawned again, that few hours sleep had done him good. He pulled a uniform from his closet and got dressed. Karl would be expecting him in a few minutes. He didn't bother to pack anything, since they were only going for the day and he already had a bunch of stuff at his quarters up there. So Daren just grabbed his hat off the nightstand and walked out, flipping out the light as he did so. It didn't take the panther very long to cover the distance between his quarters and Karl's and in a few minutes he was ringing the doorbell. Karl opened the door and smiled. Daren thought not for the first time that looking at Karl he could almost be looking in a mirror, especially since they now wore almost identical uniforms. "So you ready to go?" Daren said, returning Karl's smile. "I think so." Karl said stepping out of his quarters, letting the door slide shut behind him. The two of them started walking to the transport center in silence. After a few minutes however Daren spoke up, "There's one thing that I think I ought to tell you about Base One before we get to the transport center." He said stopping in the middle of the hall. "And what's that?" Karl queried.

"Well I told you that the base is on the moon." Daren said and Karl nodded. "Well being on the moon has a funny effect on us weres. You see from where the base is the earth never sets and as a result there is no shifting between human and were form. So up there we are in this form all the time. And trust me it can take some getting used to." Karl looked at Daren in stunned silence for a while, and Daren thought that he was considering changing his mind for a moment. "So as long as we are up there we are like this?" Karl said. Daren nodded. "Well that is interesting. This should be a lot of fun then." Karl said and started walking again. Daren smiled, sprinting a few steps to catch up with him.

As Karl and Daren entered the active transport area of the center Daren noticed a pair of feet sticking out from under the control console. The two of them went over to see what the problem was, but as they approached a bright flash emanated from under the panel above the feet. "Bloody stupid..." Was all that they managed to hear before a pair of hands came out from under the console and Lt. Carman pulled himself from under the panel. Daren stood there in shock. Never had he heard Carman lose his cool like that. Karl on the other hand just took is as a normal thing, not knowing the Lieutenant very well. Carman sighed and picked up the tool he'd been using off the floor, setting it on the panel before turning to face Karl and Daren. "Well lads. I'm afraid this transport unit is going to be out of action for a while. So you have a choice, you can either wait for me to get another system powered up or you can take the scenic route."

"So how long will it take you to get another system ready to go?" Daren asked, hands on hips.

"Oh," Carman thought for a second, "probably about as long as it would take you to get to Base One in a Bravo. So it's six of one and..." Daren held up a paw cutting him off mid sentence.

"Well Karl, it looks like we're going to take the scenic route this evening." He grabbed one of Karl's paws and led him out of the transport center.

"Umm, what's a Bravo?" Karl asked.

"Sorry Karl. A Bravo is one of the AR-5 advanced trainers that we have. The squadron is Bravo flight, so all the ships in the unit are called Bravo's."

"Ok, so what's an AR-5?"

Daren chuckled, "You'll see soon enough. We're almost at the hangar." After about another hundred yards they rounded a corner and came to a set of very heavy doors. Daren took a pass card from his shirt pocket and slid it through the reader. The LED on the face of the panel flashed green and the doors slowly began to part. As the gap between the doors widened Karl was faced with row upon row of rather large, heavily armed looking aircraft. "Welcome to hangar two." Daren said walking through the open doors.

Daren pulled a clipboard down from a hook on the wall and studied the data listed on the screen. A smile parted his features as he found what he was looking for and pressed a few buttons logging the ship out. He placed the clipboard back on the wall and turned to Karl. "Come on. I got our ride logged out and ready to go."

Daren led Karl down the second row of star fighters, right down to the second last in the row. It had a big dull gray five imprinted on the black hull. Daren started at the front of the ship running his paw down the side of the fuselage and the underside of the wing before placing it on a pad by the rear door. A green light bar scanned his paw print. The system beeped twice then a loud click filled the air followed by a rush of air as the door opened and the boarding ramp slid out. Karl smiled as Daren looked back at him. Daren expression changed to a, what's the smile for, look and Karl snickered slightly. "Perhaps I should leave the two of you alone for a while." He said.

Daren dropped a shoulder and glared a little, "Alright wise guy get in." he said gesturing up the ramp. Karl laughed and walked back to the ramp and up into the fighter, followed closely by Daren. Daren closed the door before he ushered Karl up the front of the ship and got him settled in the right hand seat, settling himself into the left.

"So this is an AR-5 then." Karl said looking around the cockpit at the various, currently, blank displays.

"Yep, in fact this was my old ship from when I was a full time pilot." Daren said as he began switching things on one by one. He hit a switch and all the displays in front of him and Karl came to life, sending a vast array of color into the previously dull area. "You never said you used to fly." Karl said as he watched Daren run through the checklists with practiced ease and speed.

"You never asked. Besides up until about ten minutes ago you didn't even know that we had these star fighters here."

Karl nodded, he couldn't argue with Daren on that one.

Daren threw a few more switches to get the ship ready for start, "Computer begin start sequence." He said aloud after pressing one last button. Almost immediately a low hum filled the cockpit and one of the displays changed to show the stats on the engines as they started. One by one the three sets of indications changed to show that an engine had started. Each start accompanied by the sound of rushing air. Daren just let the ship sit there idling for a few minutes while he set up all the navigation systems, it was only a short flight, but he didn't want to embarrass himself in front of Karl by doing something foolish like miss a waypoint.

With all the navigation systems set he pulled a small headset from a rest on a side panel. "There's one on your side too." He said pointing at the far side panel. Karl nodded and placed the headset on. It felt funny resting over his feline ears. Daren quickly tuned the radios and listened to the weather information before switching to the ground control frequency. "ASL Ground, Bravo Five an AR-5 requesting taxi and airways clearance for Base One."

There was a short delay before a young sounding woman answered, "Bravo Five. You are cleared to taxi for runway two seven. Airways clearance is for a standard departure thence direct to Base One. Expect arrival instructions from Base One approach control at checkpoint Saber."

Daren read back all of the important parts of the clearance he'd been given before releasing the brakes and edging the throttles forward, causing the craft to lurch forward slightly as the pressure in the brake lines was released. Once the ship was moving Daren pulled the throttles back to idle. He smoothly tracked the yellow guidance lines around the lines of parked fighters, as they approached the big main doors leading out to the runway and outer taxiway system Daren flipped a switch and the front windscreen took on a green hue. "What's that for?" Karl asked looking over at Daren.

"That's the enhanced vision system. I probably wouldn't need it tonight, but no sense in taking chances."

As the ship rolled closer to the doors they started to part and quickly gave the fighter more than enough room to fit. After clearing the doors Daren took a quick right turn and soon the ship was sitting at the start of the runway. Daren changed the radio frequency to the tower controller, "ASL Tower, Bravo Five. Runway two seven ready." This time there was much less of a delay and a man replied, "Bravo Five good evening, cleared for take-off, contact departures on three three nine mark seven five after passing one thousand five hundred feet."

Again Daren read back the required part of the instructions and pushed the throttles forward whilst holding the brakes on. The ship's brakes strained under the load, but held. Daren looked at the engine instruments, as the power indicators passed through seventy-five percent he took his feet off the brakes and the ship leapt forward under the massive amount of thrust produced by the engines. As the ship accelerated down the runway a computer voice caught Karl by surprise, "One hundred." The monotone voice said. Shortly afterward again the computer spoke, "V1," a pause, "Rotate." At the command Daren pulled back on the controls and raised the nose off the ground. After a few seconds there was a slight bump as the main wheels left the ground. Once the ship was climbing at a good rate Daren looked at one of the center monitors, "Gear Up." He said, and a little symbol change to indicate that the computer was following his commands. As they passed through fifteen hundred feet Daren contacted the departure controller and got all his departure instructions. After he set up the navigation computer and the auto-flight systems where engaged he looked over at Karl. Karl at this point had his nose pressed firmly against the window looking out at the little, rapidly shrinking island behind them. "Good view, isn't it?" Daren said, more as a comment then a question. Karl looked across the cockpit at Daren just in time to see the last hint of blue fade into black out the window. "It's very nice, but shouldn't we be wearing space suits or something out here? I mean with the zero gravity and all."

Daren smiled and couldn't help but giggle a bit, "No, not really, these ships are designed to stand up to flying into and out of the atmosphere all the time and we have a gravity generator on this thing so, sorry but no zero G. Besides it makes you feel sick anyway."

Before long the blue of the sky faded from view behind them leaving only the ghostly black of space ahead. The rest of the flight passed in silence, with Karl to busy looking at everything going on outside to really talk anyhow.

Before long the earth had shrunk to a little blue and white ball behind the star fighter, and the moon loomed large in the windscreen. Karl heard Daren talking to the controller in the background, but his attention was focused on the large white lunar landscape that was laid out before him. Daren smiled as he looked across at his passenger. He banked the fighter left and pushed the nose over to begin the descent into Base One. "Hey," Daren said tapping Karl on the shoulder as they rounded the last peak in the passing mountains, "Look over there." He pointed out the left side window as the expanse of Base One came into view. Karl's jaw dropped at the sight of the huge base and at how it had managed to remain hidden for so long. "Well we're almost there." Daren said. He keyed the transmit switch for the radio. "Base One Tower, Bravo Five on final approach for pad Charlie three."

"Bravo Five cleared to land, contact surface movement control when ready for pad retraction." The voice from the other end of the radio replied.

"Cleared to land." Daren responded back. "Well," he said turning to Karl, "We'll be on the ground in about two minutes, and in having dinner in about five."

Karl nodded as he watched Daren maneuver the aircraft towards the lit pad before them.

"Landing gear down." Daren said without taking his eyes off the lading pad in the front windscreen. A low hum filled the cockpit as the landing gear extended then clicked into place. Daren eased the throttles back and pulled back slightly on the controls, causing the nose to rise a few degrees. Daren set the ship down on the center of the pad with a gentle bump and pulled the throttles closed all the way before pulling the levers up setting the engines to standby. "Base One Ground, Bravo Five read for retraction." A few seconds later the ship surged slightly as the pad began to descend into the underground hangar. Daren pulled the headset off and set in back in its rest on the side panel. "Well welcome to my second home." He said unclipping his harness. Karl followed suit and unclipped his but the pair stayed in their seats until the platform came to a stop in the hangar. Daren got out of his seat, followed closely by Karl. Daren opened the main door and was greeted by a young man in a pair of coveralls, "Have a good flight up sir?" the young man asked as Daren and Karl walked down the ramp. "Not too bad ensign. Just put her on the line and someone will fly her back in the morning." Daren said patting the side of the fighter.

Daren lead Karl straight to the base café and the two sank into a pair of seats before having a rather large dinner. "Well," Daren said finishing the last of his meal, "What would like to do first?"

Karl paused in between chewing for a moment to think. "I guess you could show me around first."

"Alright then," Daren replied, "But before we get started we'll drop off your gear in our quarters"

Karl coughed in mid swallow, "Did you just say "our" quarters?"

"Yes I did. Why is that going to be a problem, because I can arrange guest quarters for you. But I just thought it would be easier if you stayed with me tonight."

"No that's fine." Karl said quickly.

Daren nodded and finished off the last of his coffee before leaning back and watching Karl finish the rest of his food. It didn't take long for him to finish and soon the pair were off down the hallway to Daren's quarters. "So where is your favorite place to be up here?" Karl asked as they walked.

Daren grinned, "After we drop this stuff off we'll go there first. I think you'll really like it."

They rounded one last corner and Daren stopped in front of the door to his quarters. He removed his pass key from his shirt pocket and slid it through the reader to unlock the door. After the light on the reader changed to green, Daren placed his hand on a panel beside the door and it slid open. "Well come on in. Just set your pack down on the bed over there." Daren said pointing to the larger then average bed.

Karl looked at the bed as he laid his pack at the foot of it. "They obviously had were's in mind when they built this thing."

"Yes that they did." Daren said. A soft click filled the air as Daren unclipped his sword from his belt. Gently he placed it into the rack above the bed. "Right, all ready to go now?"

Karl nodded and Daren took him by the paw, leading him off down the corridor. As they walked Daren explained how Base One was almost a complete back up for head quarters minus a few minor things. After a good fifteen minutes the two panther's stood in front of a very heavy looking armored door. "So what's with the big door?" Karl asked.

"Well this is probably one of the most precious places that we have and so the security is pretty tight about it."

As Daren finished talking a small panel in the door lit up and began to issue instructions. Daren and Karl followed the commands the door gave and soon a pale green beam sweep through them. After completing two passes through the pair the door opened with a faint hum of the drives.

Daren stepped through the door half pulling Karl in behind him. As the door slid shut and locked with an audible click of the magnetic locks, Karl's jaw nearly hit the floor as he looked at his new surroundings. The cold concrete of the corridor floors had given way to the warmth of polished marble and granite. The hard florescent lights were replaced by soft luminescent beams which supported the roof high above. The path which he and Daren stood on wound its way through a tropical forest. The faint sounds of a waterfall could be heard off in the distance somewhere. "I can see why you like this place." Karl said as he continued looking around.

"Well there's a lot to see in here, and it has a tendency to be very peaceful. Come on I'll show you the rest of it." Karl let Daren lead him around until they came to a split in the path. In the middle of the fork, but off the path itself, sat a large black stone. This stone seemed to absorb all the light that struck it except for an area on which rested a brass plaque. Karl read the inscription and the names listed below it. He looked up at Daren, who was avoiding looking at the plaque. Karl looked back at the list of names and spotted one that was different. "Daren, what's this mean?" He said pointing at a name on the list. Daren leaned in to look at the name Karl was pointing to. "D.K. (W). That's Charles Fox. He was a good friend. He died about three years ago now. The W means that he was a werewolf. And so far he is the only were to be killed in the ASL."

"Oh. Sorry."

"No need to be. He was a good person to be around. He could always make me laugh, even on the days when it seemed like the world was against you."

"Wish I had got to meet him."

Daren smiled, "A lot of people say that. Anyway there is still much to see."

The pair continued on and after a while they arrived at the base of the waterfall. Karl just stood and looked into the pool at the base of the waterfall, immersed in the fine mist that the cascading water kicked up. Daren could see Karl getting lost in the spray and fragmenting light and after about fifteen minutes he gave him a nudge to bring him back to reality. "Come on, we have to get moving. There is something else that I want you to see."

Daren lead Karl out of the garden, leaving the door to close behind them. Walking down the corridors of Base One Daren could see that Karl was fading quickly. The pair stopped for a moment in an area where the walls where made of heavy Plexiglas. Through the glass the Karl could see the layout of the base and the lunar landscape surrounding it. Karl was awestruck at it stark beauty. "Is this what you wanted me to see?" he asked.

"It's a beautiful sight, but no. I'm just hoping that you have enough energy left to get up there." Daren said pointing to a large observation tower nearby. Daren couldn't help but grin at the look on Karl's face. "It's not that far and after this we'll get some rest."

Karl let out an audible sigh. In fact Daren was right and it wasn't quite as far as it had looked to the entrance to the tower.

"Come on," Daren said looking at his watch, "We don't have much time to get up top."

Karl started up the steps at a quick but steady pace, Daren close behind. It took about two minutes to climb to the top of the tower. Once there Daren flipped a switch to open the blast shields that covered the windows. The heavy armored shielding plates began to retract into the lower window sills. "So what are we here to watch?" Karl asked his head slumping onto his shoulder.

"That." Daren said pointing out the window at the little blue and white ball floating in the black sea of space. As Karl watched a gentle glow began to appear from behind the eastern mountains. The Sun began to rise, Karl started to shield his eyes but soon found it wasn't necessary. He looked over at Daren, who was leaning back on the center table. "The glass is very heavily polarized, so there is no glare from the sun." He said.

As they watched the sun continued to rise until it began to pass behind the earth, a partial halo forming around the edges of the planet. "I just thought you'd like to see a sun rise from this point of view. It puts new meaning to the term "Dawn Breaking"."

Daren took Karl by the paw and lead him from the tower, flipping the switch to raise the widow shields as they left.

Karl could barely manage to keep his eyes open as Daren opened the door to his quarters. "Come on," he said guiding Karl over to the bed. Karl flopped onto the bed and Daren knelt down and removed his shoes for him. Karl squirmed his way under the blankets, not bothering to remove his clothes. Daren stood and grinned at the sleeping black form in his bed. Silently he walked over to a wall panel and turned out the lights. He removed his uniform, hanging over the back of a chair before lifting a blanket from the bottom of his closet and settling in on his couch. As he lay there looking at the blank ceiling, he could hear Karl tossing in bed, it was the first time he'd ever tried to get a full nights sleep in panther form. For Daren on the other hand sleep came rather easily.

One thing that Daren hadn't counted on was that his body clock had readjusted itself back to his old training schedule when he arrived at Base One. So he found himself lying awake on the couch long before he had really wanted. Try as he might he couldn't get back to sleep, so instead he got up and tip toed past Karl, who was finally fast asleep, and silently retrieved his sword from its rest. Quietly he got dressed and taped a note to the screen boarder of his computer to let Karl know where he'd gone and that if he wasn't back by the time he woke up to come and find him. Daren made his way down to hangar two and his old training center.

When he walked through the heavy doors a familiar sent caught his nose. Daren smiled, Alex was here having a workout as well, silently he drew his sword and activated the shielding from his wrist com unit. He could hear the wolf moving around on the mat in the center of the surrounding obstacle course. Using what little shadow there was to its fullest Daren slowly crept up on Alex. Finally he peaked around a corner of a platform support and saw just what he wanted. The wolf was facing away from him. Daren exploded from his hiding place, rushing forward he brought his sword down upon Alex. Alex felt the cold metal of Daren's sword come to rest on his shoulder. Slowly he turned his head and found himself looking into the grinning panther's face. Daren lifted the blade from Alex's shoulder. Alex turned to face him, "I must be getting old. I didn't even hear you come in."

Daren slid his sword back into its scabbard, "I remember the same thing happening to me with Jonathon on my first day of training." He said extending a paw.

"So how long are you up here for?" Alex asked.

"Just until nightfall back at HQ then we go back."

"We?" Alex asked looking rather puzzled.

Daren smiled, "Long story Alex, but I'm here with another panther named Karl."

"So where is Karl?"

"Unless I miss my guess, he's back in my quarters asleep. He had a big day yesterday."

"I see. So what are you doing down here?"

"I couldn't sleep this morning so I thought I'd come down and get a workout in before Karl wakes up."

"Well in that case, care to workout together?"

"Well since we're both here, why not."

Alex nodded and activated his wrist com shield before stepping out into the center of the padded area to join Daren. He and Daren began sparring as they had done during Daren's training.

Karl stretched and opened his eyes. Looking up at the ceiling he thought how odd it felt to be waking up after a full nights sleep in panther form. Lazily he threw the blankets back and rolled his legs from the bed. His foot paws sank into the carpet. He rubbed his paws over his face before standing up and stretching again. After stumbling into the bathroom Karl washed his face and brushed his teeth, nearly shredding his toothbrush at the same time. After he managed to rinse the last of the stray bristles from his teeth Karl turned on the shower and stepped out of his clothes as he waited for the water to heat up. After about fifteen minutes Karl heard the front door open over the shower. "Morning Karl." Daren's voice called out from the living room.

"Good morning Daren." Karl said loudly over the shower.

Karl went back to rinsing the shampoo from his fur and started to rub conditioner through it. After finishing his shower Karl pulled a towel from the rack and dried his fur before wrapping the towel around his waist and walked out of the bathroom. Daren was sitting at his desk looking at his computer. His shirt was hanging from the back of the chair soaked with sweat. "What have you been up to?" Karl asked.

Daren spun around in his chair, his towel hung around his neck, "I couldn't sleep this morning so I went down to the training center and worked out with Alex. Anyway how long have you been up."

"Just about a half hour, long enough to have a shower but that's all."

"Sleep well last night. I know it's a new thing for you."

"I had a hard time getting comfortable but after that it was nice."

"I had the same problem when I was up here doing my Knights training, you get used to it after a while. Anyway I'm going to have my shower now. If you want a coffee there's a pot on the desk here, just ask the computer for anything else." Daren said standing up and walking towards the bathroom. Daren closed the door behind him and started the shower. Karl poured himself a cup of coffee and walked over to a small inset in the wall. As he approached it the control panel above it lit up. He punched in what he wanted and a few seconds later it appeared in the inset. Karl stirred the milk and sugar into his coffee as he listened to the shower.

Daren came out of the bathroom with his towel round his waist. Karl was just sitting at his desk sipping his coffee. "You can check your email from there is you want. Just logon like any other computer."

"Oh ok thanks." Karl replied turning around and flipping on the screen. Karl logged on to his email and dealt with the things that needed to be attended to before he got home. Karl logged off and turned around as Daren finished lacing his boots. He stood up brushing his uniform pants down to remove a few black hairs from the tan cloth. Karl was leaning back just admiring the form of the panther standing in front of him. "Hey," Daren said bringing Karl back to ground level, "You better get dressed. I don't know about you but I'm starving."

Karl rocked forward and out of the chair. Making his way over to the foot of the bed he pulled his pack from under it. He pulled a neatly folded uniform out of the pack. Picking the uniform up he walked into the bathroom quietly closing the door behind him. A few minutes later Karl emerged, dressed in his uniform, and this time it was Daren who stood and starred, a faint grin creeping across his muzzle. "Come on lets go get something to eat." He said turning toward the door before Karl could see his expression.

Breakfast was a fairly silent affair with neither of the two saying very much. After finishing breakfast the pair again set off and Daren continued his tour of the base. Daren found himself having a hard time avoiding taking an extended sidelong look at the panther walking next him as they wondered the hallways throughout the base. He noticed that they were fast approaching the training center in hangar two. This would give him a chance to occupy himself with something other then looking at Karl. "Well," Daren said clearing his throat, "This is the Knight's training center up here and it's where I spent the better part of the last month before we finally met properly." He slid his pass card through the read next to the door and the massive doors began to slowly part. Karl entered the huge space behind Daren and was amazed be the expanse of platforms and other bits and pieces that made up the obstacle course. He looked at some of the gaps between platforms then looked at Daren, "How can anyone jump that?" he said unable to envision the moderately built creature next to him making such leaps.

"You get used to it after the first couple of tries. I felt the same way when I looked at it for the first time and I fell off it more then once."

Daren and Karl sat on the bench beside the training mat in the center of the course just talking, discussing this and that. A beeping from Daren's wrist com brought their conversation to a halt. "Yes," Daren answered into the wrist com.

"Hello Daren, it's Jonathon here. I hope I haven't caught you at a bad time."

"No sir not at all, Karl and I were just talking is all."

"So he's there with you?"

"Yes he is."

"Ah good. Because what I have to say concerns the both of you. It will be sunset down here in a few hours as you know, now I would suggest that you skip lunch up there because the rest of the wolves and I were hopping that you would join us for dinner this evening."

Daren looked over at Karl to see what he wanted to do. The beaming smile across his muzzle seemed to be perfectly clear about his answer.

"Sounds like a good idea to us Captain. What time would you like us there and where should we meet you?"

"Well how about 1845 at Jeffery's old office."

"Ok sir we'll be there." Daren said before clicking the channel closed.

"Well what do you want to do for a couple hours?" Daren asked.

A big grin spread slowly over Karl's features, "I want you to show me how you managed to get around this thing." He said waving a paw around the room.

Daren sighed a little and started removing his shirt, laying it on the bench beside Karl. "You know I'm going to get you for this later."

Karl just laughed as Daren made his way to the start of the course and set off through the first section.

"I still can't believe that you made that jump so easily." Karl said to Daren as he finished buttoning his shirt.

"I told you it gets to be fairly easy after awhile, and I've probably done this course fifty times by now."

Daren had taken a nice easy pace through the course, compared with the pace that he'd done it in training this had been more like a nice stroll. With the amount of time that Daren had taken to finish the course the pair were now left with just enough time to get back to his quarters and then down to the transport center in time to make dinner back at headquarters. "Come on Karl or we'll be late." Daren called from the doorway of his quarters.

"All right I'm coming." Karl said hauling his bag from the bed. He made short work of the few paces to the door, flipping off the lights as he passed. He and Daren walked quickly down the corridors to the transport center. "Good evening gentlemen." The ensign behind the control console said, a big smile on his features showing he was genuinely happy to have someone stop by. "Now then how can I help you Lieutenant?"

"We have to get back to HQ. So if you would be so kind as to send us home please." Daren said.

"Yes sir, if you would take your places please." The ensign said waving his hand towards the transport pad.

Karl and Daren stepped up onto the transport pad while the ensign tapped away at the control console, adjusting the various settings and waiting for the all clear from the transport center down at headquarters. When the light flashed on the control panel the ensign pushed the execute key. As the light bars of the transport system sprang to life the ensign waved, "Have a good trip." He said as Karl and Daren faded from view.

A few moments later the light bars disappeared and the ever present smile of Lieutenant Carman greeted Karl and Daren. "Welcome home then gentlemen." He said before looking at his watch. "You've arrived just in time, Captain Ford and the others are waiting for you."

"Thanks Carman. Can you see to it that Karl's gear is taken back to his quarters for us?"

"Yes sir, have a good time at dinner."

Karl and Daren nodded their thanks to Carman before setting off for the elevator down to the sublevels. The ride down was short and quiet, as the elevator bumped to a halt and as the doors opened Karl was, for the second time today, shocked at what he saw. A thin layer of dust covered everything and the lights overhead flickered dimly. He gripped Daren's paw tightly as if he was scared that at any moment something would jump from the shadows to devour him. Daren grinned and squeezed Karl's paw in return to assure him that there was nothing to fear. After a short walk they came to one door that was free from the dust that rested on everything else. A small brass plaque beside the door read "Lt. Jeffery Tunstan." Daren raised a paw and knocked on the door.

"Come in." Came the reply.

Daren opened the door and ushered Karl inside before slipping in himself and silently shutting the door after him. Gathered around a large table were six werewolves with fur of differing colors. The large wolf at the head of the table rose as the two panthers approached. "Welcome gentlemen, please join us for dinner." He waved his paw toward two empty seats at the table.

"Thank you captain, we would be delighted." Daren said before leading Karl around to the empty seats at the table.

Jonathon reseated himself and looked around the gathered faces, a smile on his muzzle. "Jeffery, would be so kind." He said.

Karl was confused about what was happening as Jeffery picked up a small remote and pressed a button. A low hum filled the room as the walls seemed to part revealing the deep blue of the Pacific Ocean. The light of the full moon above was made to dance on the floor and walls by the wave action above. Most of the talk over diner centered on Karl and what he thought of the ASL and how he enjoyed his time at Base One.

Karl did his best to answer the questions that were thrown at him. As dinner progressed it became fairly clear to Jonathon that Karl was tiring of the questioning. He raised a paw and drew quiet from the assembled group. "Now then people I think we've interrogated our guest enough for one evening. Let the poor fellow eat his meal and ask us questions for a change."

Karl quietly nodded his thanks to Jonathon and returned to eating his food. After he finished most of his plate Karl turned to Jonathon. "Actually Captain there is one thing I was hoping to talk with you about and I guess now is as good a time as any."

Jonathon leaned forward in his seat to give his full attention.

"Well," Karl continued, "I was hoping that the offer you made when we first met was still available."

Jonathon clapped his paws together, "Of course it is my dear Karl. I certainly have no problem with your joining us here, and since we have the majority of the council here anyway I trust that there is no disapproval."

Heads nodded around the table. "Good then. Welcome to the ASL Karl." Jonathon said getting to his feet and raising his glass. "Karl, I know that you have had more than your share of dark times in your life. Some of them quite recent in fact, and it was those which brought you to us. I hope that you always remember that the darkness is always chased away by the coming of the new dawn. Let this night be a new dawn in your life."

Karl nodded his appreciation for his kind words and raise his glass in reply, shortly followed be the rest of the group around the table. Karl felt Daren's paw rest on his shoulder and he turned to face him. He found himself looking into Daren's bright yellow eyes, full of warmth and caring and his white smile almost out of place against his coal black fur. He placed his paw atop Daren's and returned the smile.

It had been about two and a half months since that night Karl thought to himself as he lay in his bed looking up at the blank ceiling. The morning following that dinner he had gone back home and given notice that he was leaving the company. When they had asked why he told them for personal reasons and left it at that.

For the last month and a half he'd been getting used to working the various shifts and even working in panther form a few times. He had gotten Daren to help him learn the systems in the observation tower so that they could work together. And as Daren had said just before their shift ended it had been raining for the last month almost solid and he too was getting annoyed with not being able to walk the beach in the sun or through the rainforest without having to spend the next half hour trying to get dry again. He knew he loved being with Daren and he knew that he was in love with him as well, but he just couldn't bring himself to tell Daren as much. He'd have to figure out a way but at the moment he couldn't see how. The workload of the day was quickly catching up to him and it wasn't long before he couldn't keep his eyes open any longer. He dreamed of him and Daren lying next to each other at night, of having that beautiful body next to him every morning. He dreamed of having that someone who would love him always, someone hat he would never have to hide from. He slept well tonight.

Karl's alarm clock awoke him rudely the next morning and he rubbed his face, keeping his eyes closed in a vain attempt to hold on to his dreams for a few seconds longer. But it was no good and he knew it. He tossed the blankets back and rolled out of bed. In the bathroom he turned on the shower and brushed his teeth as he waited for the water to heat to the right temperature. As the first hints of steam began to roll over the top of the glass shower door he stepped in. The warm water felt good on his skin, like a thousand tiny fingers working the sleep and tension from his system. For a while he just stood there in the spray and let it warm him to the core. He soaped up and rinsed himself off before washing his hair. He always liked long showers and after the better part of half an hour he turned off the water and stepped from the shower. Karl pulled a towel from the shelf on the wall and dried himself thoroughly before hanging the towel up to dry and making his way over to his bedroom closet. He paused for a moment and regarded himself in the mirror. He smiled, he always took great pride in his appearance and his trim well toned figure showed it. He sighed and slid the door open, reaching in and pulling his uniform shirt and trousers down and laying them on the bed. He pulled on his shirt and buttoned it up before pulling his pants on and treading the belt through. He lifted his pass card from the bedside table and placed it in his shirt pocket. His shift didn't start until after lunch but he'd made plans to met Daren for breakfast before he went on duty. Karl walked into the café to find Daren already seated with a steaming cup in front of him. He walked over and slid into the seat opposite, "Decided to start without me did you?" he said in a mock accusing voice.

Daren looked up from the data pad that he was reviewing and smiled. "Well you can't expect me to wait here and starve until you get here."

Karl gave him a hurt look and Daren laid the pad on the table. "Come on, you get the food and I'll get you a tea, how's that?"

They both giggled as they stood up. Daren went and pulled a steaming mug from the drink dispenser and Karl came back to the table with a large tray holding breakfast for the two of them. They didn't talk much over breakfast, they didn't have to, and they both could tell that the other had something on their respective minds. But neither of them brought the subject to light and it wasn't long before Daren had to leave for his shift. Karl bid him good bye and watched him leave before burying his head in his hands. He was so caught him in himself that he didn't hear Jonathon walk up.

"Mind if I sit down?" Jonathon asked, bringing a startled gasp from Karl.

"Oh, no sir." He said shyly.

"Save the sir for when you're on duty Karl, now what on your mind?"

"It's nothing."

"Come now I know it's something. I can tell when something is bugging you."

"It's just that..." Karl started and then couldn't think of how to continue.

"You love him don't you." Jonathon said more as a statement then a question.

Karl's face began to turn red and he nodded, "Yes, but I just can't tell him that."

Jonathon smiled, "There's no need to be embarrassed about it Karl. I could see it in your eyes for a long time before now. I just want you to be happy. He loves you too you know."

Karl looked at Jonathon questioningly, "How do you know that?"

"Simple, he said so, and just like you he's afraid to tell you because he doesn't know that you feel the same way. You should tell him how you feel. But of course that's just the opinion of this old wolf." With that Jonathon got up to leave.

"Thanks Jonathon." Karl called after him as he walked away. Karl walked slowly back to his quarters after finishing his tea. When he arrived he went straight to his computer and sent a message to Daren in the lookout tower to arrange lunch.

Lunch had never taken so long to arrive as today. Karl sat in the café almost wringing his hands waiting for Daren to arrive from his morning shift. Finally Karl spotted him as he walked in from the hallway. Daren smiled made his way over to the table where Karl was sitting. As he approached Karl got to his feet. Daren was expecting the usual handshake and a smile but instead found himself enveloped in Karl's arms has he gave him a big hug. Daren took a few seconds to recover from the shock but then returned the hug. After a few more seconds, which seemed to last forever, Karl stepped back. "We need to talk."

Daren pulled the chair out and slid into it across the table from Karl. "What's up?"

Karl took a deep breath and held it for a moment trying to think of the right place to begin, "I've been putting this off for a very long time. But I can't any longer, Daren I love very much and ever since that night you showed up to rescue me I've been wanting to tell you. I was just scared that you might reject me and I couldn't handle it."

Daren stared at the table between them for a few seconds before sighing, "To be perfectly honest Karl I've felt the same way. About a month ago Jonathon talked to me about it. He has a habit of being able to pick up on these things."

Karl reached out across the table and took Daren's hand, "Well now that we've gotten that out of the way I was hoping that we good get our quarters together, because for the last month I haven't been able to stop dreaming about you."

Daren leaned in on the table, pulling Karl's hands in close and forcing him to lean in as well. "That makes two of us." He whispered.

The two of them made it a very quick lunch and went immediately to the base directory office to get new double quarters. It took a little longer then they had planned and Karl had to run in order to avoid being late for the start of his shift. Fortunately for Karl the afternoon passed quickly and just after what would have been sunset, had the sky not been choked with storms, he was at the door of his new home. He opened the door to find the sound of running water coming from the bathroom. Karl walked over to the computer desk and sat down to take his boots off. He was just finishing when Daren emerged from the bathroom in nothing more then his skin. Karl just leant back in the chair and smiled. Daren grinned and blushed slightly before picking up a pair of boxers from the bed and pulling them on. "Shower's free." He said.

"Thanks Daren." Karl said rocking up out of the chair.

Karl turned on the water and waited for the temp to come up before getting in. As he showered he couldn't help but think of the beautiful figure waiting for him in the other room. For the first time in who knows how long Karl rushed through his shower and before long he was turning off the water and pulling a towel from the rack on the wall. He finished drying himself and hung the towel up before leaving the bathroom. Daren was sitting on the edge of the bed as he walked out of the bathroom. This time it was his turn to blush as Daren leaned forward and looked over his body. "I knew that night when I looked at you and I realized that we could have been each others reflection that I loved you. And now I know it even more." Daren said standing up and pulling Karl into a tight hug. "Come on it's time for bed. We have a big day of packing and unpacking tomorrow."

Karl smiled pulling on a pair of boxers himself before the two of them crawled into bed next to each other. As they lay there close to each other, he could feel the warmth of Daren's body next to him, and as sleep slowly overcame him he knew that at last his dreams had come true. He was finally in a place that he could be himself without any worries that someone would try to hurt him and he was with someone that would always be there to love and hold him.

End Transmission...