FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

WARNING:

Okay as a change if pace this fic features consensual M/M sex between a beaver and a lion as well as a fight scene between the two aforementioned characters plus a female gecko (don't worry there's no blood, just lots of punching, kicking, chopping, swiping and all that kung fu jazz). If you are of the correct age to read this stuff (and I'm willing to bet that you are) then go on and enjoy the story, if not well consider yourself warned. I accept no responsibility for the warping of fragile little minds.

NOTES:

Chronologically, this story takes place before 'Initiation and Reawakening'.

So without further ado I'll just drop my e-mail address here ([email protected]) for those who wish to send feedback and remind everyone that this fic and all the characters in it are Copyright Klesk Vadrigaar 2005.

Okay let's get to the meat....

A Purpose Rediscovered

Written by Klesk Vadrigaar.

-Day seven of the third passage of Nhokla, 151,158 -

"...and it is with great sorrow that I must inform you of the contamination of our village by the Chasos. While it relieves me to say that Father, Skarak and I were able to evacuate out in time I fear that many of our neighbors were not so fortunate."

Skylos sat cross legged on a rock, reading the letter from his mother on the side of the lake near the Temple of Laniia. A sorrow and anguish filled sigh escaping the 18-cycler brown beaver's lips as he skimmed over the following paragraph, not really wanting to hear the more gruesome details about what had happened to the majority of his friends as a result of the elders' decision not to leave when the first sightings of Chasos infestation had been reported.

"...we have taken up accommodations in the nearby kingdom of Faltadt, please make note of the new address for when you next have a chance to come home."

Come home. Oh yeah that was a laugh, his mother really had a good handle on things if she seriously thought she could just throw some of his personal possessions around a new room and he'd instantly accept it without argument.

"Not a day goes by when I don't give thanks to the gods that you are safe and secure where you are now. I love you my special son."

Her signature looked distinctly more scrawled than it usually was, most likely a sign that the reality of old age was finally becoming stronger than her unrelenting will to keep thinking young. Skylos dropped the letter on his lap and seethed with anger.

*I KNEW this would happen! I tried to spread the warning but does anyone listen to a pre-deuce cycler with common sense? No they most certainly do not!!* Skylos held his head in his hands as his mind ran through all of the young morphs he'd known and become close friends with before being sent to the Temple of Laniiaa to hone his ninja skills. How many had there been? 20? 30? And how many were now cursed to forever walk the lands as insane rahab monsters, so ultimately consumed by Chasos that they would never again know the pleasure of peace or a simple logical thought? Skylos sighed again and placed his paws on the letter.

*Why did they have to be so hard headed? Why did they have to argue that the Chasos was of no concern to us just because it travels on the surface and we're in underground tunnels near the ocean? Why couldn't they have left with the others when there was still a chance to save the whole village?*

So many questions, so few answers and to the beaver it just made it all the more painful for him. Skylos closed his eyes and tried to block out the anger and loathing that washed over him in great big waves, until he became aware of something wet soaking his paws. Skylos opened his softly glowing blue eyes and looked down to see his paws now adorned with blue rune patterns and looking decidedly moist. With trepidation he brought his paws up and turned them over to see the pads were now soaked with ink. *Oh vlesk, just what I didn't need right now!*

Skylos took a breath and forced himself to calm down, his anger was agitating the essence in him and causing his powers to lash out involuntarily. He closed his eyes again and concentrated on relaxing himself. This was why his mother considered him to be so special, why he'd been so readily accepted by the Temple to be trained as a warrior, why he'd been able to make all those friends in the first place.

Skylos was a 'carrier'; a morph fused at birth with one of the legendary Toah spirits. Even more incredible it was a Water Toah that resided in his body, a base element that he'd gained control over. Skylos opened his eyes a crack and watched in satisfaction as more of the water molecules in the air began to condense onto his paws and mix with his fur's natural oil, causing the ink to lift off his pads. Skylos turned his paws over again and let the ink drip off onto the ground. When he'd at last gotten himself more or less clean, Skylos exhaled and watched as the indicative rune patterns gradually faded away leaving only his brown fur.

*Sometimes I have to wonder if it would've really been so bad if the Demons had succeeded and taken over. If their military tactics were anything to go by they at least had something in the way of common sense!!*

Skylos contemplated on the thought for at the most half a second before kicking it out of his head. He might've been willing to alienate a lot of powerful morphs by criticizing them for their greed and their selfishness but he didn't want to risk being branded a sympathizer.

Presently he was jolted out of his thoughts by a very slight fluctuation in the natural sounds around him. To any other morph it would've gone undetected, but to the beaver's heightened senses it was distinctly the sound of an agile and light-footed creature jumping from a branch onto the ground behind him. Skylos slowly inhaled and listened for the almost inaudible sound of tabi boots lightly grazing over grass, his body remaining still as if he was unaware anything had changed. When he judged they had gotten within the effective range for someone to attack him he lowered his head and held up his paw.

"I know Corteza, I'm sitting with my back exposed. I knew you were there the instant you dropped out of that tree."

The tall female white-faced capuchin monkey lowered her guard and stared at the back of her pupil's head. "A sound that could easily have been imitated in order to divert your attention away from the true threat."

Skylos dropped his paws into his lap and exhaled. "I think I'd know the difference."

Corteza walked around the rock and sat next to the beaver. Her gaze at him remained dubious but somewhere in the back of her mind there was a lingering trace of agreement.

*Yes perhaps he would.*

She smoothed out the front of her long sleeved gi and regarded his body posture; calm and relaxed but poised, ready to leap into action at the slightest inclination.

*Perhaps he would.*

She looked down at his paws and noticed they were soaking wet. "You lost control of your powers again." She noted as she took the letter off his lap and examined it. The ink was pretty smudged but she could still make a basic sense of what was written. "Yes I can imagine this wouldn't sit well with you."

Skylos drooped his head even further and sighed in sadness. "Why couldn't they have left at the first sign of danger sorsa? Why be so damn stubborn about it that they had to wait until they started suffering losses to move out?"

"Pride is a dangerous attribute my young student. Most morphs cannot find it in themselves to admit there are forces in this world that are superior to them." The simian curled her tail around the beaver's waist and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "What matters is that your family got out safely."

"And all of my best friends suffered a fate worse than Madeus!!" Skylos angrily spat out. "The elders were supposed to know what's best for the village yet they did naught but just sit on their backsides in their plush comfy houses and wave off all the sightings of Chasos that might be heading our way. Those lyeserks never lifted a finger to even warn us! Never tried to get any barriers set up! Never advised us what was going on! Never..."

Corteza stood up and took hold of Skylos' head. Gently she lifted it up until Skylos eyes were locked with hers and tuned her gaze to a piercing glare, knowing that Skylos would immediately shut up if he thought she was angry with him.

"Calm down Skylos." She said softly but firmly.

The beaver's harsh words trailed off and he closed his muzzle.

"Now breathe,"

He took a few deep breaths.

"And listen to me. Your village elders made a costly mistake and I have no doubt that fitting retribution will be enacted on them because of it. Now while your compassion and trust for your friends are both qualities I admire in you, you must not let them give way to anger. Anger is as much an enemy to the ninja as fear. It clouds your judgement and blinds you to the battle." She knelt down so she was now on eye level with him. "If you wish to become a true warrior you must learn that some things are beyond your control. Sometimes there is nothing you can do about it aside from make sure that it never happens to you."

"Then why won't you let me fight anyone sorsa? You've made me hone my ninja skills and my Toah abilities to near perfection over the cycles; you know what I'm capable of. Let me see if I have truly learned from your teachings. Let me spar with the other students and test my skills."

Corteza shook her simian head and stood to face the lake with her arms folded over the front of her ninja outfit. "What you say is true, you have the heart of a great warrior Skylos, and you have made many leaps and bounds in all respects under me." She took a breath of the air, noting how clean everything smelt at dusk. "But still you wish to engage in combat for the wrong reasons. Your desire to fight is born out of your expectancy that the world around you is such a hideous and unforgiving place you will always need to be on your guard."

"I've yet to see anything to the contrary." Skylos said bitterly as he regarded the letter on the ground.

"But you are still wrong my young student. Yes there is evil in this world but that is only because there is also good. Much of Artauk is peaceful in nature and many of the races wish for nothing more than the simple pleasures of being allowed to live and prosper."

She stared at the setting sun as she contemplated. "In fact I have long believed that even in the lands of Mueradav there are demons who do not follow the same decrepit paths as their brethren. Why else would the Demon Master make allowance for his subjects to come and go as they wish?"

Corteza turned back to the beaver. "Only when you have learned the true purpose for which you are being trained here for, then I will allow you to fight." She began to walk back off towards the temple. "In the mean time there is a more pressing matter for which I came here to tell you about. Grand Master Jaku has a task for you."

Skylos groaned. "I'm not being put on stall cleaning duty again am I?"

"No, he wishes for you to go to our orchard and check if our trees are budding yet. It is approaching summer after all."

"Oh gods, that's even more pointless!"

The capuchin merely kept walking on. "The sun is rapidly going through its final movements of the day. I advise you start soon before you have to grope about blindly in the dark." She walked out of earshot as Skylos stood up and wiped his wet paws on the front of his do-gi jacket.

"That damn mouse, what's the point of hiring servants if he's just going to have us do all the work?" The beaver looked out at the setting sun. "For a ninja master he has some screwy ways of thinking."

"Hardly what I'd call trusting words, don't you think?" A strange, distinctly male voice called out.

Skylos whipped around and surveyed his surroundings. There was nobody in sight anywhere. Narrowing his eyes, the beaver quickly assumed a combat stance and stood ready for battle. "Show yourself!" he commanded

As a response a black object suddenly came shooting out of the trees and slammed into him at mach velocity. Skylos' first impression was that he'd been viciously rammed in the stomach by a low voltage lightning bolt. The blow knocked him off his feet and sent him crashing into the rock. The beaver quickly leapt back up and spun around to see a small, black, unraised bird alighting on the rock. It looked the same as any of the other thousands he'd seen in his life except for one small detail: it was wearing what appeared to be a golden band around its head. Skylos remained on guard as the avian cocked its head this way and that while staring back at him.

"Hmm, first you show distrust for your master, then you try to attack something just because it tries to say hello. Corteza was right, you really do expect the worst out of everything." It said.

Skylos cocked an eyebrow in confusion, which quickly gave way to surprise when the bird suddenly exploded into a huge cloud of the thickest, blackest smoke imaginable. He stepped back as it shifted and dispersed, and Skylos found himself staring at a six foot hooded black cat, dressed in chain mail and plate armor and covered in a black sleeveless version of the flowing robes normally worn by wizards. Its face was hidden by the shadow of the hood, leaving only the golden band and its feline eyes on display. Around its neck was a large golden medallion and its gauntlet covered paws were clutched around a tall black staff mounted with a large obsidian stone in the hook at the top.

Skylos steadied himself and advanced on the feline, who simply held out its paw, pad side up.

"Ah ah ah."

Skylos watched in amazement as rings of magical energy surged up through the cat's gauntlets and transformed into a mighty crackling bolt of dark lightning that shot up from his palm into the dusk sky.

"It's not worth your while kid. Stand down, you have my word I won't do anything to hurt you. Well, physically anyway."

Skylos sighed in aggravation but nonetheless he lowered his guard. "Who are you?"

"Name's Rael Rathiman, Dark Mage of Artauk. I take it you're Skylos?" The mage turned his paw 90 degrees so that it was in the normal position for a paw shake. Skylos looked at him warily.

"Hey kid, if you're not going to trust someone who's just given you the sacred promise of a wizard then you're really going to be in trouble later on."

The beaver nodded and shook paws. As expected nothing happened.

"That's better, see it's not really that bad when you try it."

Skylos regarded the mage in perplexity. "What are you doing here? I've never heard of any wizards coming to the temple."

Rathiman shrugged. "I generally don't go around announcing my presence. Plus since I draw all my powers from the night most morphs usually aren't up long enough to notice my being here." He glanced down at the rock. "And as you just saw I also have a excellent means of disguising myself."

The beaver sat down on the grass. "That still doesn't answer my question, what are you doing here and more importantly, what do you want with me?"

Rathiman got off the rock and also sat down on the grass. "Well the answer to question one is that many, many cycles ago I swore allegiance to a most noble family, after one of their number did me the favor of saving me from a very unpleasant fate."

Skylos caught the faint indication of a grimace in the shadows of the hood.

"To show my gratitude I promised to act as guardian and guide to any of their newer members who need help in getting through their lives." He gestured back at the temple. "And it just so happens that one of their latest descendants is training here."

"Really? Who?" Skylos asked, his suspicion giving way to curiosity.

Rathiman sighed in what almost seemed like sadness. "I'm afraid it's part of my duties to never reveal that until the descendant in question becomes aware of me and seeks me out." He laid his staff across his lap. "The answer to question two is that I may know of a way that you can help me out and maybe, if you really want to, yourself as well."

"I find that hard to believe" Skylos said as he looked down to regard the grass. "What do I have to do?"

"Go and carry out that 'pointless task' Jaku asked you to do. It may seem like a trivial thing but I guarantee you'll help someone become a better morph by doing so."

Suddenly Skylos' head shot up to look at the mage with his glowing eyes. "You really mean that?" he asked incredulously.

"Hmm, so now he's interested all of a sudden. I do believe I've found this kid's driving force." Rathiman leaned in. "So you like helping others improve themselves do you?"

Skylos just nodded, the prospect was still registering on his brain.

"Well then get up and start checking those fruit trees. I think you'll find a few other nice surprises waiting for you there as well."

Skylos quickly got to his feet and turned to leave, but then stopped as a thought occurred to him. "Wait, how do you know this?"

He turned around but the mage had vanished with even more speed than he had appeared.

*Figures, they never say good-bye.* Skylos thought as he headed for the orchard.

****************************************************************************

Skylos walked along the neat rows of trees, examining each one carefully for any sign of bugs or sickness. All looked normal and healthy, which didn't quite sit with what the beaver had been anticipating.

*By doing this I'm going to help someone become a better morph? What was that supposed to mean?* Skylos walked on, puzzling over the Dark Mage's words. Eventually he came across one row that seemed to already be bearing jumjin fruit far in advance of the others. Curious he picked one off the nearest tree and sniffed it.

*Already ripening, interesting.* He checked that there was nobody around and then bit into the fruit with his large front teeth. A surge of tartness mixed with sweetness flowed over the beaver's tongue. *Hmm, not too bad. Could this be what he meant by 'a few other nice surprises?' * Skylos contemplated the fruit in his paws, somehow he'd been expecting more.

*Well, I do like them, especially with a bit of wood pulp but I don't see how...*

And there it was again. The virtually undetectable sound of someone touching ground near him.

Startled, Skylos dropped the jumjin and whipped around, ready for anything. He was rewarded for his quickness by the sight of a young female gecko standing up with her head bowed. On closer inspection, Skylos noticed she wore a training do-gi like him. She had a huge mass of light blue colored hair which was done up in a Mohawk/braided ponytail tail with a blue headband and reached down past her waist. Her scales were a luscious green color and on the whole she looked very fit and healthy.

There was the other matter that at that moment Skylos thought she was the most beautiful reptile he'd ever seen but that's not important.

"Umm, sorry may I help you?" the beaver asked in confusion.

The gecko raised her head and opened her eyes. Skylos saw that they glowed a soft blue like his. *So she's also a Toah carrier. Wonder if she's Water like me?*

All pondering on the subject suddenly ceased to exist for the beaver as the gecko then brought her hands together and bowed formerly to him.

*What!? No way!!!*

"Y-you're here to fight me??" Skylos could barely believe it.

The lizard regarded him in silence and then nodded.

*By the gods!! Corteza, she must have relented!!*

Realizing one of his long time desires was finally coming true, Skylos immediately dropped into a combat stance as the gecko did the same. For a while neither moved, both sizing up their opponents as the sun continued to set.

*Okay kid, you've got maybe at the most two more movements before darkness falls. How can we finish this in that time?*

Skylos slowly began to inch over to his left as the gecko followed suite. The two combatants began to circle around, their eyes never leaving the other.

*Air is too dry here; powers aren't going to be of much use. Be better by...wait that's it! The lake! But she's blocking the way there...*

Skylos analyzed the situation.

*Well then, I guess I'll just have to make the first move.*

And with that Skylos charged at the gecko. His eyes remained fixed on her hands and legs, looking for any preemptory signs of movement and seeing none. He judged the distance he was covering and calculated where the best place to initiate an attack was. Methodically working it out, Skylos waited until he was within a meter of the gecko then leapt to do a flying kick. He made sure to keep his foot aimed just to the side of her head rather than straight on (didn't want to do anything permanent) which made it all the more shocking when at the last second she ducked and caught his leg in the air. Skylos barely had time to register the change of events when she whirled him around and sent him flying into one of the trees.

*Damn, she's a fast little thing.*

Skylos quickly looked up and rolled out of the way as the gecko jumped and attempted to bring her own booted foot down on him. He leapt back to his feet and let fly with a sideways chop. The gecko deflected and countered with a flurry of punches which Skylos blocked easily. Skylos followed by dropping into a crouch and attempting a foot sweep but the gecko leapt over him and landed a backward kick on his back.

*They really spared no expense in choosing an opponent for me.*

The gecko tried to land another blow but Skylos grabbed her by the waist and threw himself backwards (a move Corteza had termed 'Reed in the Wind'). At the apex of his throw he let go of the gecko and she dutifully went flying across the orchard.

*Right, now to even the playing field.*

"Hey if you're up to it I'd like to add some spice to this match with a chase." Skylos said and took off running for the lake with the gecko in hot pursuit.

*****************************************************************************

Skylos arrive back he'd been only moments earlier and turned to find the gecko nowhere in sight.

*Huh? I can't have lost her!*

And he hadn't, she'd just taken an alternate route through the trees.

A fact Skylos discovered all too soon when a pair of tabi boots nailed him in the back.

"Oogh" the beaver grunted as he flipped himself over and quickly brought his foot up to bash the gecko in the side and sending her off her intended course of hitting him yet again. Skylos was back on his feet in no time flat and so was the lizard, sending a flying roundhouse kick his way which the beaver only barely managed to evade. Skylos shuffled to the right, keeping the lizard busy with punches and chops as he tried to get closer to the water. He soon got his wish, though not quite in the way he'd have preferred, when the gecko caught both his fists with one hand and used the other to deliver a powerful blow to his stomach sending him hurtling several feet into the lake.

Water momentarily blinded his eyes but Skylos quickly brought his head back up and found he was mercifully only knee deep.

*All right girl, it was a good move but it's going to cost you dearly.*

Skylos used his large flat tail to flip himself back up and closed his eyes. The familiar prickling sensation began to reverberate around his body as his rune patterns glowed intensely. He checked for the gecko and found her still standing on the banks watching his every move. Satisfied, the beaver raised a tidal wave and sent it hurtling towards the gecko.

*Now let's see how YOU like getting wet.*

Skylos watched, waiting for the gecko to attempt to jump out of the way but strangely she did not do it. Instead she slowly began to bring her hands together as her eyes glowed brighter and her own rune patterns began to reveal themselves.

*What's she doing? No way can she have anything to counter that! Unless...*

Realization dawned as the air around the gecko began to condense and then crystallize, coming together to form a slowly pulsating ball in her hands. As the tidal wave neared her, the lizard threw her arms out in front of her and the ball shot out into a continuous flow that hit the wave and turned it from destructive natural force into a glistening white glacier.

*She isn't Water!! She's ICE!!!*

Skylos groaned in frustration and confusion. How on Artauk did a reptile come to be fused with an ice Toah? The two just simply didn't gel together. For starters there was the whole problem with the cold blood and...

Skylos suddenly saw a way out of the predicament. Quickly he moved closer and summoned a large stream of his own. A raging torrent of water raced towards the gecko, who promptly countered by generating an ice barrier around herself. Skylos took advantage of the momentary delay this created and leapt into the air to deliver another flying kick and smash through the wall of ice.

The gecko somersaulted backwards and Skylos chased her with a helix spout. The reptile glared and launched two separate blasts that froze the spouts of water and allowed her enough time to generate an ice slide so she could gain some distance. Gritting her teeth she primed another ice blast and launched it at Skylos' paws. The beaver jerked his torso to side and summoned another water stream, managing to deflect the blast by an inch at the most before moving in to pounce on the gecko, who was now panting heavily. As he'd expected she was much more lethargic now that she'd lowered her body temperature several times to generate the ice. It was only a matter of time before he was at last able to grab hold of the gecko and throw her to the ground. He held her there for a long time before she finally gave him the look that said she would surrender.

"Well thank you, that was a good mat..." his response began, before another boot in his jaw cut him short. Skylos was sent reeling as another morph landed in front of him. He managed to make out that it was a lion, lean and agile with, if he honestly had to admit, a very cute set of facial features and lovely golden hair.

*What the? What's going on? Surely Corteza didn't...*

The lion reared up and launched a spinning kick to the beaver.

*She did.*

Skylos ducked and the boot hit the tree behind him as he rolled underneath. The lion landed and spun around to start piling on the punches. Skylos tried his best to counter but the lion had caught him off guard and he was unable to recover in time. His torso was pummeled heavily causing no small amount of agony. He eventually managed to grab the lion's arms and twist them around but the feline merely just twisted his body around too and dragged the beaver off his feet and onto the ground. Skylos attempted to get back up but the lion saw to that by placing his foot on the beaver's stomach and leaning on it.

Discouraged and dejected, Skylos had no choice but to lay back down and admit defeat. He closed his eyes in disgust as the lion foot was removed, and strangely he then became aware of clapping. Skylos opened his eyes to see Corteza and a much older lion (Master Najin as he remembered his name was.) standing to one side applauding and smiling.

"Brilliant, all of you." Corteza walked over to the bowing lion. "Neiran that was a flawless entrance and opening attack, keep that up and no enemy will ever be able to lay the first blow on you."

Neiran nodded and thanked her for the praise but Skylos couldn't help picking up a very faint trace of regret passing the feline's face.

"And you Kai." Najin said as he helped the gecko up. "You've gotten to be very good at enduring the pain of using your ice powers, well done."

"Of course you deserve the most congrats Skylos." Corteza said as she approached the beaver.

"I-I thought you didn't think I was ready to fight yet."

"In all honesty I didn't but it appears Master Jaku thought otherwise. However after witnessing how much you were hurting for your friends I can see I was wrong." The simian gave an understanding smile. "I see now that you clearly do know the true purpose of your being trained here, you just need to develop a better focus on it." She gestured to the other two combatants. "And that is exactly what you've done here."

"What are you talking about? I LOST!!"

The capuchin monkey helped him up and nodded. "True, but in doing so you exposed the crucial flaws in both you and young Kai Sikahr here." She gestured to the gecko. "Now we can alter your training to focus on improving those areas thus making both of you even more formidable as warriors."

Skylos looked at his simian mentor and scratched his head. "Sorsa, I-I don't understand."

Najin smiled and folded his arms across his chest. "While it is necessary that each ninja here must know how to survive on their own, it is also vital that one appreciates the strength of numbers." He knelt and held the beaver's shoulder. "You may have lost the match Skylos, but you've greatly helped our forces here by showing how you and Kai can be made to be stronger and better prepared to aid us."

*Helping someone to become a better morph. Was that what he meant?* Skylos pondered Rathiman's words as Corteza observed the scant few remains of the sun as it disappeared over the horizon.

"I think that's enough for today. Skylos you'd better go and clean yourself up." She said observing his wet and muddy clothes.

"Kai, Neiran you two should do the same. The hot springs should be fairly empty now. " Najin said.

*****************************************************************************

Skylos tossed his clothes in one of the inferno cupboards to let them dry out. Taking a moment to stretch his lithe, nude form, the beaver's mind was still fixed on trying to figure out Rathiman's words.

*Helping someone, helping someone, well I did make an improvement in the overall fighting force of this place, but Rathiman clearly used the singular term, meaning I'm meant to help someone in particular. The question is who?*

The beaver kept dwelling on it while he grabbed a towel and walked out into the bathing area.

*Who could this morph be? Even more to the point what can I possibly do? Adults have never listen to me, what are the odds someone of my cycle collective is going to?*

Skylos looked up at the sound of splashing water and practically froze when he saw Kai getting into one of the smaller baths. Now free of her garments and with her hair undone, the gecko looked like something out of a wet dream. Her athletic, lightly muscled body looked incredible with the mist of the geo-thermally heated water wafting around her green scaled curves, curling around her large-ish breasts and drifting up past her pretty snout. Skylos swallowed hard as Kai brushed a lock of her trailing hair behind her and sat down on one of the seats cut into the sides of the bath. She tilted her head down with her eyes closed as though deeply meditating on something. Skylos shook his head violently and turned around to avert his gaze away, only to see the equally attractive lion behind him looking up from another bath.

"I know, dreamy isn't she?" he said.

Skylos swallowed again and nodded.

"Don't worry about it. Actually she kind of likes being looked at."

Skylos turned back to look at the gecko and saw her staring back at him with a slight smile. "It's always nice to feel appreciated." Kai said in a calm, rather soothing voice.

Skylos relaxed and nodded before dropping his towel and getting into the bath with Neiran. Sighing in contentment at the soothing feel of the warm water soaking his body and undoing the strain of the day, Skylos immersed himself up to the neck and tried to forget about all his worries for a while.

*Help someone, dammit why can't anyone ever say what they actually mean?*

"Uhm, Skylos?"

The beaver looked across the bath and saw the lion looking back at him with a hint of nervousness. "Yes Neiran?"

"Y-you aren't upset that I defeated you today are you?" he gulped.

Skylos cocked his head and looked at the lion in bafflement. "Well no, I guess not. It was my first match after all." He gazed back at Kai. "Though I don't quite understand why they felt I needed two opponents."

"Grand Master Jaku knew you'd figure out Kai's weakness eventually. If she wasn't able to put you down before then I was asked to finish the task." the lion scratched the back of his neck and looked down into the swirling mists of the water, almost as if he was ashamed of what he'd done. "I'm, I'm sorry."

Skylos shook his head. "You beat me fairly and honorably, there's no need to apologize." He sat up and placed his paws in his lap. "Though if you don't mind my asking Neiran, why does this bother you so much?"

Neiran sighed. "Sorry it's just a, phobia of sorts. I'm always afraid of alienating morphs."

Skylos was even more bewildered. "Well this is a ninja training ground. You're expected to fight to win, nobody is going to hold it against you."

"Still, when I engage in combat I go into a sort of trance. I don't try to hold back, I just keep piling it on until my opponent goes down and even then sometimes I..." Neiran shut his eyes tightly, but not before Skylos caught sight of two tears running down his muzzle.

"Neiran? You okay?"

The lion quickly wiped at his face. "Sorry again, just stirred up a bit of an unhappy memory there."

"Anything you want to talk about?"

Neiran looked away into the trees as he hugged his shoulders. "I...I don't know."

"You have to at some point. Keeping it in will only serve to make it grow worse with age." Kai stated, looking both concerned and sternly at the lion. "You've seen Skylos around the Temple, you know how trustworthy he is."

Skylos looked between lion and gecko. "Uh, hey if it's a personal matter then I'm not going to force you to..."

"No, Kai's right." Neiran took a deep breath to steady himself. "Thing is, about two or three cycles ago I'd gone back to see my family one last time before I dedicated myself fully to my training here." He sighed heavily. "I figure since I probably wouldn't see them again for a long time I should settle the score and tell them the truth about a few things."

The lion splashed his face as though trying to wash it but Skylos had a sneaking suspicion it was to hide more tears. "My family didn't take it as well as I was hoping. My father said he'd never approved of my being enrolled at the Temple, preferred that I'd stayed at home where there'd have been no danger of me becoming an independent morph. He blamed my mother, saying she should never have allowed me to come here and that being here had made me a monster and an utter disgrace. They got into a fiery argument and I left to wander around the village in hopes that it would allow the air to cool between us, but then someone grabbed me and tried to rob me."

"What happened?"

"I fought back. He called several more of his friends out of hiding. They all attacked me simultaneously so I started really laying into them."

Neiran grit his teeth, partly in anger, partly in despair. "I got the upper hand, made sure a lot of them would never be able to pick another purse, never ever again."

Skylos looked back in shock. "You mean you..."

Neiran nodded mournfully. "As I said, when fighting, I don't hold back."

He looked down into the swirling mists of the water. "But they kept attacking so I kept laying them out. Eventually the commotion brought several of the perimeter guards along with a whole horde of villagers, one of whom was my father."

Neiran seized his fists up as thought trying very hard not to cry. "He was still so full of rage at me that he never saw that I'd been attacked, only that I'd hurt others, and as such he immediately tried to convince everyone that I was too dangerous to be there anymore. My training in his eyes made me a threat to everyone."

More tears trickled down his cheeks. "And since he's the governor of the province it was of little difficulty to ostracize me right there on the spot and ensure I would never be allowed to return, all because of what? Because I'd made the mistake of defending myself!" Neiran finally gave up trying to retain a strong composure and just let the tears of pain flow freely down his face.

Seeing the lion like this, something snapped in Skylos. The untold desire in him to help anyone in need began burning with a intensity to rival that of the sun and suddenly Skylos found himself rushing across the pool to wrap the feline up in his strong arms and just hug him tightly as he cried.

"Sssshhh, it's okay Neiran." he whispered soothingly to the lion, all the while trying to ignore the growing feelings of arousal creeping over him at the prospect of holding such a cute, well built feline. He quickly glanced over at Kai and found her nodding in approval at his actions.

"F-F-F-Forgive me, Skylos. I-I didn't mean to lose control like that." Neiran wiped his cheeks. "It just hurts so much that my own sire would be so unforgiving!!"

Skylos continued to shush the sobbing feline as his paw reached up to stroke through his hair. It felt wet and very soft around his fingers. "It's not your fault. If your father couldn't comprehend that your life was in danger and your were responding accordingly then it's his failing as a parent, not yours for doing what any other creature in this world would do in that situation."

He gently took hold of the lion's head and tilted it back so their eyes met. "Just be glad you let loose at a bunch of lyeserks instead of someone closer to you personally. They attacked you first, provoked you into defending yourself, they're the ones to blame."

Skylos let his words sink into Neiran's mind, a sense of relief coming over him as the lion began to calm down. Gently the beaver wiped away his remaining tears while stamping down the inclination of just how much the young feline was growing on him.

"Thank you Skylos." Neiran said as he placed his paws on the beaver's shoulders. "It's times like this I wish I was a carrier. Being fused with a Toah spirit seems to make you guys see things in a much more realistic light."

Skylos' expression became decidedly more downcast at the comment. "Maybe, but let me tell you right now, it doesn't account for much around most parts." He dipped his paws back into the pool and focused on creating a large bubble of water.

"I mean look at me. I'm harboring a Water Toah inside my body and I'm pretty intelligent as well." He carefully lifted his arms back out of the water causing the bubble to rise up with them. "Sadly it appears none of my village elders thought so when I warned them about the increasing risk of Chasos infestation."

Neiran looked on, mesmerized at what he was seeing and nervous at what the beaver was telling him. "What did they do instead?"

"Exactly that, pure sweet NOTHING!!!" The beaver almost yelled in anguish as he let the bubble splash back into the water. "They argued that Chasos wasn't dense enough to seep through the ground to our tunnels so we'd be quite safe if we just boarded the entrances up and waited for it to pass!!"

"But it did didn't it?" Neiran asked solemnly.

Skylos held his head in his paws. "I just got a letter today from my mother. While she and my family got out, all of my best friends, whom I've known before my teeth were even sharp enough to chew through a twig, got trapped underground. Now they're rahab, doomed for the rest of eternity to a living death, all because...because of those...those, IDIOTS!!!" He smashed his fist against the edge of the pool, creating a considerable sized crack in the stonework. Skylos grimaced and shook his paw as pain shot through from the blow. He looked back at Neiran who tentatively reached across to take hold of his paw and rub it.

"Wow, guess I'm not the only one hurting." He looked sympathetically at the beaver. "Sorry Skylos, I had no idea."

Skylos shook his head. "As I said before, don't apologize. If anything, it actually feels a lot better talking about this with another trainee."

Neiran nodded and it was then that the beaver noticed he was smiling slightly. "That's why I hang around with Kai, she's kinda of had to go through a similar ordeal much earlier in her life so she's pretty good at helping others through hard times."

Skylos turned to the gecko. "What happened to you, if you don't mind my asking?"

"She was abandoned in an ice cavern some time after being laid. It's only thanks to the gods that a dragoness, Danya I believe her name was, discovered her moments after she'd hatched and brought her here."

Neiran draped his arm around the beaver. "You and I at least know who our families are, she doesn't even have that luxury."

Skylos stared wide-eyed at the lion before looking back at Kai who was nodding slowly. "While it has haunted me for much of my life, I've always taken comfort in the fact that at least some good came of it."

She placed her fingers on top of a puddle near her and froze it solid. "I've survived worse than any other reptile on this planet and come out stronger and with something none of them will ever be able to possess." She smiled at the gaping beaver.

*Wow, she is wise for her age.*

For a while Skylos just stood there in amazement as Kai went back to cleaning herself. Gradually however he became aware of a paw gently running down his bicep. Turning back he found Neiran absently stroking over his arm, feeling the firm muscles under the fur.

"Oh sorry." The lion apologized again and removed his paw.

"No, no don't stop, that actually felt pretty good." Skylos held the paw and placed it back on. Neiran breathed anxiously as he hesitantly moved his paw upwards to feel over the beaver's shoulder then traced along his collarbone to proceed downwards to his chest. Seeing the beaver wasn't objecting, Neiran reached out with his other paw and began a simultaneous massage of Skylos' pectorals and nipples.

"Ooooohh, yeah that's what I've been in need of today." Skylos sighed as the tenseness in his muscles began to dissipate under the tender ministrations. For the first time that day, Skylos actually found a suitable cause to smile at the lion as he wrapped his arms around his hips and brought the two of them closer together. Several minutes passed, during which neither beaver nor lion said anything, they just basked in the comforting warmth of being in contact with each other.

"Erm, Skylos?"

"Yes Neiran?"

"There's something I have to tell you. The reason my father got in such an uproar in the first place was because I told him..." Neiran averted his gaze.

"Go on, I'm not going to think any less of you because of what you have to say." Skylos assured him.

"Because I told him I prefer males over females." He swallowed and waited for the expectant violent outburst.

Instead Skylos moved one of his paws up to scratch the lion's back. "Then he's even more of a fool than I thought, there's nothing wrong with liking your own gender." He held the feline tighter. "Probably upset because no girl will ever have the pleasure of knowing such a cute lion."

Neiran looked surprised. "You...you think I'm cute?"

Skylos nodded, finally deciding to admit it.

"Well, I think you're pretty handsome too." Neiran said as his paws moved even further downwards to feel over the developing abs. Skylos murred quietly at the feeling of being touched intimately by a guy, while he'd always felt the need to pay any pretty girl a second glance, it had always seemed to be more out of admiration and respect than lust. Even with Kai, whom Skylos had to stifle a giggle at when he saw she was now watching them intently.

By now Neiran had pretty much memorized the contours of Skylos' stomach and his paws were once again heading south, a little more hesitantly this time as they knew what lay in wait for them.

"Skylos do you mind if I?"

"Sure, if you want to."

The lion thanked him silently and knelt down in the tub to bring himself more on line with Skylos' sheath. Tentatively, the lion reached out and ran his thumb over the furry tube, a sense of excitement overcoming him when he felt the organ inside grow and twitch. Hearing a distinct moan of approval from above, Neiran began to squeeze and massage the sheath, watching in delight as Skylos' arousal began to poke out of the top. Trembling with excitement he took hold of the dick and tenderly began to rub his fingers up and down the skin, coaxing the rest out bit by bit until he was staring at a nice 8.5 inches of tempting beaver cock, standing proudly in wait for him to continue. Several seconds past while Neiran just stared in admiration at what he'd been presented with, a strange but enticing feeling of exuberance trickling through him at the notion that Skylos was actually aroused by his actions.

"Skylos, before we go any further, I have to admit that this is the first time I've ever done anything like this."

For his response, Neiran felt a pair of paws gently descend to stroke through his hair. "Then just take it slowly and do what you want to do. I'll let you know if it's too much."

Neiran nodded and sighed in contentment. Slowly he brought his muzzle over the head of Skylos penis and sniffed at the male musk. Spurned onwards by the fragrance he extended his tongue and gave the cock a quick lick. Finding the taste to be to his liking, he licked a little slower, feeling over the veins and relishing the smooth feel of the skin on his tongue. He licked up to the slit at the top and then kept it there as his muzzle moved down to meet it.

Skylos tensed a bit when he initially felt the lion's sharp teeth graze over his senstive tool but as Neiran swallowed more and more of him he felt them rise off and break contact, leaving only the wonderfully hot tongue to swathe over the flesh. "That's it Neiran, just do what you're doing now."

Another content sigh escaped the lion's lips as he began to suckle on the beaver prick. He'd wondered for a long time what another boy's cock would taste like and the flavour of this one pleased him to no ends. He sucked with more enthusiasm, every moan from the beaver encouraging him to keep going at it while his paws went to cup and feel his balls underneath.

"Mmm, Neiran, wait, just stop for a moment."

Neiran let the cock drop out of his mouth and looked up. "What's wrong, I thought you liked what I was doing."

"I do, it just looked like fun so..." Skylos went over and lay down on the bath's shelf. "I thought I'd give it a try as well."

Neiran was confused but Skylos beckoned him over and showed him how to get on top of him. Soon he was faced again with the beaver's throbbing erection and wasted no time getting it back into his mouth. He began to suck again, bobbing his head up and down on the shaft and was rewarded for his efforts by a splash of liquid coming out of the head. He paused momentarily to let it sink onto his tongue and get a taste of it. It was thin and runny but with an oddly appealing flavor. Neiran sucked a bit more and soon found a second splash flowing into his mouth.

On the other end, Skylos was experiencing much of the same thing as he fondled and licked at the lion staff. He found the feline barbs to be immensely interesting and took exceptional care in licking all of the flowing pre-cum off them. This earned even more vigorous sucking from the other end, sending a torrent of welcoming sensual pleasure up through his body and putting the beaver in a much better frame of mind. As he continued to lick (he was a little reluctant to try taking the cock in his mouth for fear of hurting Neiran with his huge teeth) with as much energy as Neiran was putting into his sucking, Skylos noticed something was changing in him, the anger he'd been harboring for most of the day was rapidly leaving his body as was his despondency. He felt better about a lot of things, he knew what he was doing with the lion was right, that it was what both of them needed right at the moment and that the future didn't seem so desolate any more.

So consumed was he by both the revelation and the feeling of his mounting orgasm that it was a bit of a shock when he laid his head back and saw Kai looking down at him. A moment of sheer panic gripped him at the notion that she'd wandered over to watch more closely while they were busy performing fellatio on each other but it quickly collapsed when she smiled warmly and tucked her hands under his head.

"I didn't want you to risk banging your head against that hard shelf." She gently lifted it back out of the water to provide more support while he kept pleasuring the lion. Skylos' eyes half lidded as he gazed up at the gecko's face, just letting himself get lost in her captivating beauty which mingled very nicely with the increasing waves of pleasure bathing his body.

"Can I just say how absolutely gorgeous you look?"

"I know." Kai said softly as she ran her fingers through his head fur while he raised his paws to grasp the lion's butt cheeks and claw at his tail hole. Slowly he teased the pucker as Kai lifted his head further up so he could dart his tongue out and lick at that too.

Neiran shivered at the new sensation but didn't find it to be any less pleasant so he let the beaver continue while he kept sucking on his wonderful shaft. The cock was now spurting pre like a river and Neiran was only too happy to keep licking it up. His eyes were watering at how good it felt to finally be doing this with another male, to taste and sample the alternative and equally appealing delights and have them enacted on him at the same time. By now Skylos was beginning to buck his hips into the lions muzzle and he knew it wouldn't be much longer before the best part occurred.

Skylos meanwhile was desperately inserting and withdrawing his tongue from Neiran's tail hole, not finding the action the least bit repulsive. He was rapidly approaching his own climax and wanted to make sure the lion shared in the moment. He kept feverishly licking, rimming and massaging until his world at last exploded and he seized up in Kai's hands as the vice of pure euphoria gripped his body.

It was all Neiran could do to stop from crying again as his face was splashed with water from the beaver's slapping tail and a huge gush of tasty cum shot into his mouth and slid down his eager throat. This continued for several seconds until Skylos tapered off and shivered in post-orgasmic bliss as Neiran licked and cleaned his cock.

"Wow, that was...unbelievable." He said as the lion got off him and he sat up. "Neiran, I don't know what to say."

He again wrapped his arms around Neiran."Except, thank you." He brought their head together and kissed Neiran passionately, relishing the taste of his own seed on the kitty's mouth. He eventually pulled back and noticed the wanting in the lion's eyes.

"Skylos, I'm sorry to ask but I'd really like..."

Again he was shushed.

"I know, and you will." The beaver got up and leaned over the side of the bath. "Though I think you'll find this to be a safer option than my mouth."

Neiran approached with trepidation and felt over the beaver's firm rear. "Are you sure Skylos? I mean I may not have done this before but I know it's supposed to hurt."

"I'm a ninja trainee. I need to be able to handle pain." Though Skylos didn't look as convinced as he sounded. "Just, do it slowly okay?"

Neiran nodded and gripped the beaver's hips. Placing the head of his cock against the tight wall of anal muscle, the feline exhaled before slowly pushing in.

Skylos grit his teeth and shut his eyes trying to bear the pain. It wasn't quite as sharp as he'd been expecting but it was continuous, a searing hot agony shooting through his back as Neiran fed in inch by precious inch. He felt someone take hold of his paw and cracked his eyes to see Kai now lying in front of him, clutching his hand tightly with an understanding expression on her face. He gave a strangled smile as Neiran reached the base and stopped to let him adjust to the sensation of their bodies now being one.

"You feel amazing Skylos." The lion said as he leaned in to stroke his back.

"It's starting to become mutual." Skylos panted as the pain at last began to subside, leaving only the lovely feel of having such a nice thick kitty cock filling his inards and completing him.

Neiran began to pull out again, causing Skylos to moan in delight, and pushed back in.

"Nergh, oh yeah, mate me Neiran!" Skylos own eyes began to water at the incredible feeling. He held onto Kai's hand with all his might while he felt his cock beginning to grow hard again under the ass fucking. Quickly Skylos reached behind and guided Neiran's paws down to his beaver hood to stroke and tease that while he enjoyed the ultra tightness that can only come from a virgin ass.

"Oh Skylos, Skylos I love it! I love being in you!" Neiran gasped. He was in absolute ecstasy, tears of happiness were streaming down his cheeks as he rammed into the vice grip of the other boy's ass. His cock felt like it was about to burst at any second but still he continued to piston in and out, wanting nothing more than for both of them to treasure the experience of their first time.

"You feel great, oooh, in me, ergh and touching me too!" Skylos was melting under the combined stimulation of being fucked and jerked off. He looked at Kai and smiled when he saw the lizard was using her tail to perform a similar act of penetration on herself. Skylos shook his head and grrred, being ridden by an adorable cat was heavenly but knowing a pretty girl was getting off on watching them go at it was like being able to touch the stars as well, and soon it proved to be too much for the beaver. With a surprisingly high-pitched scream, the beaver again came, thick ropes of white spooge shooting out into the water as his body was again torn limb from limb by euphoric pleasure. (Kai thankfully had the foresight to grab his tail so he didn't batter the lion behind him).

Feeling the beaver under him go off again was all it took to finally set Neiran off too. Skylos sighed in satisfaction at the deep throated roar coming from behind him followed by the feel of hot lion seed splashing all over the interior of his anus.

Quickly Skylos pulled himself free and whipped aroud to catch the exhausted lion and just hold him tightly as they kissed and basked in the after glow.

"Thank you Skylos, that meant, so much to me." Neiran said as he wiped the tears from his eyes.

"More than happy to do it." He gently lowered the two of them back into the water and lean against the side of the bath. "It always makes me feel better when I know the morphs around me do."

Neiran closed his eyes and snuggled up to the beaver. "I'm just thankful to the gods that I was able to find someone willing to listen to me, to let me indulge in what I've always wanted to do." He rested his head on Skylos toned chest and breathed in the beaver's scent.

Skylos smiled gently and dipped his paw in the pool. Focusing his Toah powers he made the water form into waves that gently lapped at the two of them, soothing them with their warmth as he felt sleep rapidly catching up with him.

"That was a very considerate thing of you to do." Kai remarked as she reached down to massage the beaver's shoulders.

"Hey, I'm just doing what I can to help someone in need." He sighed at the feel of the massage. "Are you always this nice to your opponents?"

"Only to those who prove themselves to be worthy enough, and you were certainly a very worthy adversary." She contemplated the now sleeping lion. "As well as an able healer."

Skylos looked up "What do you mean? All I did was let him get intimate with me."

Kai nodded. "And by doing so you've given Neiran the assurance he needs that there are morphs on this planet who will love him for what he is, not what he should've been." She stroked his shoulder. "Neiran will go on to become an even stronger warrior, as will you now that you've learned how to let go of your anger."

Skylos was just stunned at the gecko's wisdom. Tentatively he reached up and ran a paw over her side. Her scales felt very smooth and cool to the touch. Skylos thought it was wonderful.

"So what about you? Is there any way at all I can help you?" He asked looking at her with all the sincerity he could muster.

Kai shook her head and got up to grab her towel. "Your offer is very much appreciated, but in time I will find my own answers, I'm sure of it." She flung the towel over her shoulder, and then pulled it up a bit so the beaver had an unhindered view of her rear as she walked away.

"Kai?" Skylos called out from behind. "Thank you, for putting up such a good fight today."

Kai turned back to regard the beaver with her softly glowing blue eyes. "Just rest now Skylos, you've both taken the first step to becoming better morphs." She smiled gently and left as the beaver turned back flabbergasted. Rathiman's words began echoing in his mind as he looked down at Neiran and smiled the biggest smile he'd done in what seemed like years.

*So THAT'S what he was referring to!*

He hugged the lion tightly as a long forgotten sense of happiness at last took residence in his body again.

****************************************************************************

Kai walked down the hallway of the temple to her room, a nice feeling of satisfaction radiating through her at every time a passing morph had to stop and admire her nude body. When she finally stepped inside the confines of her bedroom however, the feeling quickly vanished. Kai cast her eyes down on the ground as she sensed the familiar feeling of loneliness creeping in. The feeling that she knew nothing of her family, that she was here, by herself, with no backing to face the world. Sighing she tossed her towel aside and contemplated her own troubles.

*Why am I here? Why can't I find any answers to my origins?*

The questions continued to pour in as she drew the bed covers back and lay down.

*It's not that I'm angry at Najin or Grand Master Jaku or anyone here for wanting to keep me solely focused on my training, it's just,* Kai sighed in sadness. *I want to at least know who my parents are! It doesn't matter if I never meet them, I just want some assurance that I had them! Is that really too much to ask?*

A single, lonely tear trickled down the gecko's cheeks as she pulled the covers up over herself and stared up at the ceiling.

*If I have to face my life alone, then I only ask that I be allowed to do it with a peace of mind.*

Kai sighed again and steadied herself. The answers to everything would come in due course. Regardless of where she came from she was definitely here for a purpose. Her life did have an objective, even if she didn't know it yet. All she needed to do for now was be patient.

Taking comfort in the thought, Kai turned over and let herself drift off to sleep, never taking notice of the large black bird that watched her from the shadows of the tree near her window. A bird that gazed in equal sadness at the gecko as moonlight reflected off the gold band around its head.

*Be strong my little Kai Sikahr.* It thought. *I knew Skylos would help you along your way. And when the time is right, for better or for worse, you will know what your heart desires to know.* The bird wiped some tears off its beak with its wing before turning to fly away. *I swear it!*

*****************************************************************************

You can make it, stop complaining

There's a purpose for your life

Mama's been where you goin'...it's gonna

be alright

He'll never put more on you than you can bear

It's temporary, it's gonna get better

Yes it will

There is a light that's shinin'

And soon the dawn will come

You'll find a purpose

Purpose in your storm

Soon you'll discover, peace like a river when the

rain clouds form

you'll find your purpose, purpose in your storm

Mark my word

Keep on livin'

I must have heard this a thousand times

Daddy told me things will happen

Go on ahead and cry

Whoever said it would be easy

walk'n the street called life

You can make it, you'll survive it

yes you will

There is a light that's shinin'

And soon the dawn will come

You'll find a purpose

Purpose in your storm

Soon you'll discover, peace like a river when the

rain clouds form

you'll find your purpose, purpose in your storm

Michelle Williams - Purpose In Your Storm

************** FINIS ****************

And that concludes our story for today. As usual if you like what you've read, please make note of my e-mail and post some feedback. If not, well post anyway, I'd like to know that someone's reading my stuff.