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Chapter VI: Under a Twilit Sky

"We all make mistakes in our lifetimes. There are philosophers that say that without mistakes we would never have grown, never evolved. The thing is, what they forget to mention is that mistakes come with some pretty horrible consequences; one of which is the burden of guilt.

"People bear guilt in different ways. There are those that will carry it with them on their shoulders like a heavy weight they have to carry. Others will use it to fuel the raging fire inside of them and spurn their evolution. Others still bear it with pride.

"Me? I just freak out."

Elena Clox swept her coppery hair back, smiling brightly at the burly Bovios that she had her arms wrapped around. Her supple lips angled towards the nonhuman's ears. A blush touched the young man's cheeks and he coughed into his ale.

Aria stood idly by, her features stoic as ever. She did not understand the desire to visit the nearby tavern or Elena's flirtatious escapades as she made her 'rounds' across the room. She had bounced from one eager, hormonal man to the other. It did not seem like her. Initially, she seemed the cloistered, sheltered person who took her responsibilities incredibly seriously. This... brazen exposure of her more carnal desires was unbecoming of her and disgusted the Templar.

Not for the first time that evening, a mug of ale was dropped on the table in front of her.

She pushed back annoyance and kept her voice calm. "I am flattered at your attention but I assure you, I have no interest in your affections or attentions tonight."

"An Angel your age with no interest in fornication? Aren't you about due to pass on your line, Aria?"

She froze. That voice - that bright, masculine tenor that always seemed to have a playful edge to them - was one she could not easily forget. She was already reaching over her shoulder for Gungnir when she remembered she had left the weapon behind. Her eyes flicked to the white Wulfun that sat casually beside her, one arm resting against the table while the other held another mug of ale in his paws.

Golden eyes watched Elena with amusement before briefly flicking towards her, mocking her.

"Did you leave your Valour behind?" Harm Chronos said. "So unbecoming of you, Aria. Then again, this whole mess has undone you quite a lot, hasn't it? Has any other Angel lived to be more than two and a half thousand years?"

Her hands balled into fists. Underneath her casual clothing of a simple, white and gold silken blouse and pants, she felt incredibly vulnerable. She was unprepared. The object of her five year hunt was sitting right in front of her. Was this part of his plan? Was he going to strike her down now that he had caught her off guard? Perhaps this was never a case of her hunting Harm but the other way around.

"With or without Gungnir, I could still strike you down with one word."

Harm rolled his eyes and set down his mug. He pushed it across the long, communal table. It slid quietly along the polished surface until it settled right in front of where Elena was giggling softly at something the Bovios said. Neither of them noticed where the beer came from but the Bovios just picked it up and drank it without hesitation.

"Would you relax? I'm not here to pick a fight. Well... Maybe I am but not a physical one."

She regarded Harm curiously, puzzled but still very angry. "Are you truly here or are you just some dark manifestation in my mind to haunt me?"

"I just gave that Bovios a drink, didn't I? Hell, why don't you take a sip from your beer right now? I don't think a figment of your imagination could possible buy beer and set it on a table." A mocking grin crossed his handsome muzzle. "Although I am very flattered to know that I'm so deep in your head that you'd think I'm a figment of your imagination."

Aria was tempted to do just that but she knew better. If this was the true Harm Chronos, it would not be beyond him to drug her drink and plant the idea of effectively poisoning herself with a few choice words. She had seen him do it several times. It was how he worked. Before you knew what was happening, you were doing exactly what he wanted despite believing otherwise. He wormed his way into your mind without you even knowing it.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, trying to keep her features as stoic as possible. A thousand emotions roiled inside of her. None of them coincided with the other. One part of her was relieved to truly see him alone while another part raged at him for what he had done. One segment fumed at his brazen introduction while the other wept that they were standing on opposite sides of a battlefield.

"You know, the usual," Harm responded, his golden eyes spying the boisterous tavern around him. "Sow a little chaos, cause a little anarchy, topple governments, shatter beliefs, break worlds and assassinate the key figure or two. I was contemplating driving a couple of people to suicide but that's just dark. I thought about rape as well but, given my condition, that'd be more painful for me than it'd be for the victim." He rested his chin on his paw and glanced sidewards at her. "I believe that's what they tell the Paladins about me, isn't it? Or haven't they removed that part about 'King of Demons' yet?"

She bristled. How he knew what they briefed the Paladins on was beyond her. It did not surprise her that he knew. It surprised her that he would be so brazen about it. Clearly he had moles in the midst of the Church. Why would he reveal that fact when it could be one of his greatest weapons?

"If our time together meant anything to you..."

"Aria," he said, his eyes softening as he regarded her, "I would never trade our time together for anything in the world. However, that also means that I am still rather hurt that you would go to such lengths to erase me from existence." He didn't seem angry. As he straightened, the dark, mocking smile on his muzzle grew; an expression she knew well. It was the face he gave when he was about to drive home a piece of information that would shatter a victim's world.

"How does it feel, Aria?" he asked, his voice clear even amongst the crowded tavern. "To bear the burden of knowing that you are equality guilty of all my 'heinous' acts as I am? It must be such a blow to know that every time you preach about this General or this key figure saving a world, it was actually my paws that saved it and that you were an accomplice to this fact.

"Do you feel guilty about masking the truth? Or is it eating you inside that you can't claim glory for something you played a part in? It must be even worse now that your own family is harping on you for your obsession these past five years and their fierce belief that you have been riding the glory of your Templar status for just as long." He cocked his head to the side, his fangs showing across his smile. "I bet they're telling you 'it's time', right? How many more years do you have before you'll be forced to pick a suitable mate to impregnate you and birth another Angel? How much time do you have left before you will be forced to commit suicide to pass on your knowledge to your next of kin?" He leaned over to her, his nose hovering over hers. "How long can you keep delaying, claiming you are chasing me with little or no evidence to my crimes or progress in the chase?"

She tried to move but found her body completed unresponsive. He was using Chronomancy to hold her in place!

Harm Chronos had his lips hovering over her ears.

"Tick-tock, Aria. People think you're downright crazy. I doubt even the Generals could keep you safe from your honour and obligation to your family. Time waits for no man."

He pulled back, that dark grin still on his lupine features.

"So you better catch up."

Harm rose and quietly disappeared into the crowd, his scarf the last thing she saw of him. Her body suddenly shuddered and Aria gasped. Her eyes darted towards where the Wulfun had disappeared. She leapt to her feet and pushed past all the half-drunken bodies. The beat of her heart in her chest had reached her ears. She wasn't sure what she could do, what she would do but she just couldn't let him go... not like that.

She reached the door to the tavern and burst through.

Wham!

She hit a wall of muscle and staggered.

Her eyes lifted and she spied a familiar set of green eyes looking down at her in surprise.

"Lady Valkyrie," the other Harm Chronos said.

The irony was not lost upon her. Not for the first time, she wondered if the two Harms were somehow sharing the same body and different personalities existed that somehow magically transformed the same matter into different beings. However, as her eyes drifted past the towering, typical Wulfun, she spied the snow-white, not so typical Wulfun standing only a few short feet away, giving her a dark smirk as he vanished behind a branch.

"You look frazzled," Harm said.

She rapidly adjusted her features. "I am fine, Harm... I..." A wince crossed her features as she gently pressed the sides of her head with her fingers. "If it is alright with you, would you mind if I referred to you using your callsign?"

"You're asking?" he laughed bitterly. When she shot him a piercing stare, his laughter stopped. "Sure. It's 'Hunter'... like you didn't already know that."

"Thank you... Hunter." She sighed heavily, reprimanding herself for that slip of emotion. "I am weary. Please, excuse me."

Aria did not think she could bear another antagonistic encounter from another Wulfun and slipped past the towering engineer. Her heart was still racing and with the heavy weight buried deep within, every beat was like the thunderous footsteps of a giant against the inside of her chest. It made her dizzy and sick at the same time.

"You didn't happen to see a Lupus around here, did you?"

She lifted her gaze. "If you mean to say if I had seen Smallfang, no, I have not."

"No. Not Smallfang. Another Lupus. A Paladin. Has a Valour called Comet."

Her heavy heart instantly leapt to her throat making her visibly choke. "Eton Slater?"

Hunter's ears perked up and his eyes brightened. "Yeah. Do you know him?"

Every aspect of her existence began screaming in protest and fear. Eton Slater... that meant that Serena Whitefeather would be present. How could she not see it before?

Somehow, those two were tied to Harm's plot!

"We are acquainted, yes," she responded. "If you will excuse me, I am weary."

Hunter looked utterly puzzled but he gave her a brief nod. "Alright. Hope you feel better."

The gesture fell on deaf ears as Aria immediately spun and hurried away.

Eton and Serena were in Mirecragg...

That that meant, she was unsure but the implications filled her with dread.

*****

The tavern was crowded and Harm 'Hunter' Chronos guessed that was because it was happy hour. The moment he entered, another woman slammed into him. For a moment, he considered the possibility that he was a 'chick magnet' then decided that probably wasn't the case. The mad dash to his room had him fishing out some of his more casual clothes that were far from what most people on Haven would consider 'sociable'.

Plus the 'chick' was Elena.

"Hunter," Elena said, staring up at him in surprise. "I don't suppose you saw Lady Valkyrie leave, did you?"

"I did," he responded. "Why?"

The former mayor of Clockwork obtained a hard, calculation expression on her features. "Something is deeply bothering our resident Templar and she has herself locked up so tightly that I fear it is affecting her work."

Harm lifted his eyebrows. "You care about Aria?"

"Not in that sense," she replied, lightly slapping his chest. She seized the collar of his red, collared shirt and pulling him aside. "Move here, you are blocking the entrance."

"Ah, right." He glanced over to the door as a couple more nonhumans made their way in, laughing and immediately heading towards the bar. "Why would you care how Aria is doing? She's a bitch and an ass."

"Have you ever considered there might be a reason for that?" Elena asked, gesturing towards an empty booth. They sat down on the fluffy, straw-filled cushions inlaid into seats grown from the wood of the very walls. "Lady Valkyrie is a Templar. They are privy to many secrets we are not. If something has her stressed, I doubt it is something trivial."

"Got that right," Harm muttered. Neither Smallfang nor Elena knew about the Redaction Spell. Aria had made it very clear that they were not to know. "Just because she's stressed, doesn't mean she gets to take it out on the rest of us. I mean, Andy and Tanar are in the same boat as her and look at how well they get along with everyone else."

Elena flagged down a passing waiter and ordered them two beers. She handed the man a few pieces of the strange Incendian currency - cogs, bolts and gears. "We all take stress in different ways," she continued as the waiter wandered off. "I've noted that whenever you are under much stress, you tend to pull your... what do you call them? Headphones? You pull those devices over your ears and retreat into your own little world."

"It helps me concentrate!"

"Perhaps we are merely interrupting Lady Valkyrie's concentration?" Elena offered. "How would you react if someone tore those things from your ears as you are on the verge of a revelation?"

He hadn't considered that. Aria had mentioned that they were here to accuse the King of the Vampiri of attacking Clockwork. Some part of him was rather detached from it all. He knew that was a grave accusation and something the entire Vampiri population wouldn't take too kindly. But with Aria there, it felt like he had a shield between him and the angry King. If people attacked, he could always just claim he was a lowly engineer doing Aria's bidding.

"I guess I never considered that," he admitted begrudgingly. "Wait..." His eyes lifted as he regarded the woman. "What was she doing in a bar if she was so stressed?"

Elena blushed and ran her hands through her hair. "I was trying to have her relax a little more. As it turns out, I don't think she approved of my more... flirtatious exploits."

Before Harm could ask what that meant, a tall, lean Bovios wandered over and dropped a beer in front of her while clutching one in his hands. Harm was left dry. They exchanged pleasantries before Elena promised to come over after she chatted with her friend.

"Boyfriend?" Harm asked when the nonhuman was gone.

"A recent acquaintance," Elena admitted with a wave of her hand. "I may have been a little more focused on my own enjoyment than hers. Though I will admit I haven't got the faintest clue what a two millennia old Angel considers enjoyment."

Shrugging, Harm said, "Honestly? I think the thing that'll make her happy is finding the guy she's chasing."

Elena rolled her eyes. "You mean your doppelganger? That will fulfil her mission but I sincerely doubt it will do anything to make her 'feel better'."

A smile slowly crawled onto his features. "You don't see it, do you?"

"See what?"

He leaned back into his seat, draping his arms across the booth. "Wow, imagine that. I know a piece of gossip that a girl doesn't." A frown crossed his features. "I am gay..." He shook his head free of the thought. "Aria is in love with the fugitive."

Elena's eyes widened and she leaned forward. "Impossible!"

"Come on! You never see it? The next time you have her on some rant about what they did together, she gets this wistful smile on her face and she touches her lower lip like that was where he kissed her! Oh and her voice softens like she's about to swoon! Plus, last time I accused her of it, she blew up in my face."

She laughed brightly. After a quick sip from her drink, she said, "Would that not be such a tragic tale? Two lovers who fought to protect the world for thousands of years finding themselves on opposite sides of a war... a war one of them started!" Elena let out a soft sigh like a swoon and leaned back. "No wonder she is so agitated."

Looking at it from a step back, Harm did have to admit it was understandable in a way. Almost all of them had ties to the Chronomancer. He had his name, Elena was saved by him, Aria was chasing him and he was sure Andy and Tanar had ties as well. They were following the mysterious golden-eyed Wulfun for some reason.

"Doesn't mean she has to be a bitch to the rest of us," he said. Their drinks finally arrived and Harm took a drink. He gagged at the fruity, sweet taste of the brew. "Gah... What is this shit...?"

"Mirecragg beer," Elena answered. "Why? Not what you're used to?"

"Hell no," he grumbled, pushing it away. "Way too fruity for me. Probably not something you'd hear from a gay guy but there you go."

She shook her head and laughed softly. "You people from the Upper Stations always surprise me. It amazes me how we are all under the one Church, belong to the one world and yet we can be so different."

"What's so surprising?" he responded. "We've got humans, nonhumans, Angels, demons, Paladins, Templars, werewolves, vampires and who knows what else? With all these different cultures, is it so odd that we all act differently and like different things?"

The entire tavern was a mix of countless species. Humans and nonhumans mingled unabated. A Canonian would sniff a human as a greeting and the human wouldn't mind. A human would shake a paw and the Vulpunus would just smile and accept the greeting.

"I'm not entirely sure," Elena answered at length, her eyes still at the vast collection of faces in front of her. "When you look at Mirecragg, you don't separate people by their species. They are all 'people of Mirecragg'. There is no 'human' and 'nonhuman' here."

Harm snorted derisively. "Wish that were the case elsewhere." He set an arm on the table and leaned forward. "You know I just discovered that people treat Lupus around here like they carry an infectious disease?"

Elena drained half of her beer. She held the brew in her mouth of a few moments before swallowing it. "Ah, the old Lupus controversy. It does not help that King Leandros perpetuates the stereotype that all Lupus are homosexual and will turn anything and anyone they can get their paws on into one of their own. The Alpha Protocol does not help either. Five years ago, only humans were 'at risk'. These days, every male is."

She nodded and jabbed a finger into the table. "That is why Moonclaw is actually rebelling. Apparently, he wants the Lupus to secede from the Church just like the Vampiri and to have a second spell cast to allow for the production of Lupus females."

"You make it sound like the poor girls are products right off the factory floor," Harm murmured, gazing wistfully into the crowd. He wondered how many of those people despite all of their open-mindedness for one another would actually accept a Lupus amongst their ranks. It seemed hypocritical to him that a busty Vulpunus barmaid would make out passionately with a Draconis and not exchange the same liberties towards a Lupus.

"Do you think that if a person is thrust into a situation where he is surrounded by guys who do it with other guys because of a racial stereotype that makes him gay?"

Elena lowered her drained mug and reached for Harm's. "Are you speaking from personal experience?"

He gave her a pointed look. "Lady, the only racial stereotype Wulfuns bear is that we form gangs and 'packs' that bully and intimidate others."

"Very well." She ran a delicate finger around the lip of her mug. "I believe that you cannot choose what the heart wants. While that person may participate in the act, it is just a carnal response to lustful need. Nothing can tell this person what he wants unless he wants it himself."

"That's the thing though," he responded, looking to her in confusion. "What if he has participated in the act so many times that it's numbed his sense of desire? He's convinced himself that's what he wants because he's done it so many times."

A look of pity crossed Elena's features and she reached across the table, gently gripping his paw. "Like I said, if you are having your doubts, that is just your heart telling you what you truly want."

Harm flinched. "Wait, what? You think I'm talking about me!?" He pulled his paw away from her. "No! I'm seriously talking about another Lupus I met! Geez!" Sitting back as far away from her as he could, he said, "Come on, I've only have sex twice; one with each gender. Quite frankly, I consider myself well-educated and well-informed!"

She gave him an amused appraising look. "You've had sex only twice?"

He smacked his forehead, growling at her. "This isn't about me. Can we go back to Eton?"

"Eton?"

Folding his ears back and finding himself instinctively shrinking into his seat, Harm said, "The guy that I would-actively-not-theoretically-think-of-kissing-in-some-sense."

Elena blinked several times before breaking into a broad smile. "I find it utterly amusing how that rapid-fire admission spelled out 'want to kiss'."

Harm scowled at her. "Is everyone here a master of acronyms?"

She leaned back in the booth, setting her boots on the table as she lounged back. "So tell me of this Eton? A Lupus I take it?"

"A Lupus who got scared when I mentioned the possibility that the waters of the public baths could potentially obtain sentience and devour us all in an attempt to feed itself."

Elena frowned at him. One of her eyes narrowed while the other remained open as she took a sip from her mug. As she set down her drink, she said, "I know better but there is still some part of me that thinks you might not be lying... Though I have no idea what you're lying about."

"Talent of mine," he said proudly. Then he frowned. "Huh... Eton didn't think I was lying... Never even questioned it..."

"And what does that tell you?"

He flicked her an aggravated stare. "You sound like my therapist."

"You have a therapist?"

"No. I was lying."

"Damn," she cursed. Shaking her head she straightened once more. "I can tell you are clearly affectionate about this Eton. Enough at least that you are sorely considering what he wants and how it lines up with yours."

Harm banged the table lightly with his fist. A growl escaped his lips as he turned away, eyes cast into the crowd. "That's just the thing! I'm not sure what he wants. Hell, I don't know what I want. He told me that he fell in love with a girl and when that girl spurned his affections, he became a Lupus."

Elena nodded sagely and let out a soft 'ah' of understanding. "So now you fear that his preferences are only implanted upon him because of what he was exposed to. You believe that his body merely goes with the motions in concurrence with the world around him." Her sharp, eyes fixed him in their headlight-like gaze. "Are you afraid that were you to invest in such a relationship, he will break your heart if he were offered another? Or perhaps you are more afraid that he will turn you down for a female?"

Though he had not been considering it at the time, the thought of losing Eton to a woman felt a bitter taste in his mouth and a terrible sensation in his stomach.

He winced loudly. "Is it horrible of me to think that losing him to a girl is worse than losing him to another man?"

"Completely and utterly," she responded, taking a sip of her beer. "You should be torn apart by all the demons of the Void and have your carcass dispensed into the vast expanses of the nothingness which is their home world." She set down her drink once more. "But I can understand how you feel."

"How? Ever been stuck in a situation where you had to choose between being perpetually alone or risking your heart?"

Elena stared at her mug for a long while. Then, she nimbly leapt off the booth. "Follow me," she instructed. Shrugging, Harm tailed her as they left the tavern and went once more into the vast twilit forests of Mirecragg.

Crickets were perpetually chirping and somewhere, an owl hooted. There was a serene beauty to the world around them but it was also hauntingly empty. The two of them alone gave him the awful sense of a thousand eyes watching them from every corner.

When they were a good distance away from the tavern and indeed many of the homes, Elena turned towards Harm and reached down her blouse. She pulled out a, heart-shaped locket about as big as her thumb. With a nimble, practised hand, she prised it open. A small piece of paper was folded within. She took off the locket and handed it to Harm.

There was a single black and white picture on the inside of the locket. A proud, slightly rotund man with a thick beard stared coldly at the camera while his wife had a delicate smile on her porcelain features. The baby in her arms stared idly at the camera, looking somewhat stunned.

"That's adorable," he said, smiling at the picture. There was something... moving about the colourless image. He wasn't sure what. "Is that you?"

"No. That is the daughter I am replacing."

His eyes snapped towards her as she unfolded the burnt piece of paper. Her hands did not shake as she handed it to him.

"This is a death certificate..." he whispered.

"Of the real Elena Clox," Elena supplied. "You asked me whether or not I have ever been in a position where I have had to choose between perpetual misery or the risk of happiness at severe cost were I to lose." She shook her head, rosy lips curling ever so slightly in a sad smile. "I live that every day of my life. My father barely loved me. He always saw me as a replacement. My mother died unable to touch me and still every day, I do what I can to make my parents proud."

There were no tears on her cheeks as she puffed out her chest proudly. "I believe that it is better to be striving for a fruitless goal than to be wallowing in misery without any hope of change." She smiled and shrugged. "Even a tree that does not bear fruit offers shade, right?"

"Unless it's long dead."

It took him a second to realise she had been referring to her father and instantly began stammering an apology. Elena merely laughed at his bluster and lightly swatted at his chest.

"You need not apologise," she said. "My father is dead. I only now wish to find the people responsible and get an answer for them."

It must have been crushing to know that all those years of striving, of making that investment, all came crashing down in such a horrific reward. He found himself admiring her strength. Somehow, she had managed to keep it together. There was no lust for vengeance in her eyes. She seemed truly at peace.

"Be honest with me," he said, arms crossed, "when you find the guy responsible, what are you going to do?"

Elena cocked her head to the side, her curly red hair tumbling over her features lightly. "What would you do in my place?" she replied, brushing aside her hair.

"I'd stuff them into a cannon, set them on fire and shoot them into a pit of spikes covered in faecal matter." He shrugged. "But that's just bluster. To be honest, I don't know. I don't know what I'll do when I find Harm Chronos. I don't know what I'll do when I find Duke Dalzemor. I'm just moving forward because right now, that's the only direction I can go. If I look back..."

Memories of that poor Tigris who had erupted from the inside out and those two children that had been massacred by the Vampiri returned. He shut his eyes briefly. Their dead eyes stared back at him and he couldn't stare back. When he opened his eyes, he found Elena's features regarding him curiously and even those he could not meet. "I just don't know."

Her supple hands gripped his paws lightly. "Some would advise you to listen to your heart," she said softly. "Others still would tell you to do what you believe is right. Both pieces of advice rely entirely on what you want. My advice?" She gripped his paws tightly. "Regret is the only thing that will tear you down. When on the path of either wallowing in regret, using it to fuel you or completely ignoring it, you can either be torn apart by the choice or do the hardest thing of them all."

"Turn away and run?" he offered meekly.

"Let it go," she responded, smiling and squeezing his paw tightly.

He inclined his head. "That's how you're okay with losing your father despite all the years you spent severing him without thanks?"

She shrugged and released his paws. Her peaceful, serene smile just inspired him. "What is dead is dead. They can never be brought back. If I let regret rule me throughout my entire life, I will never be able to make another sound decision because I will forever be haunted by some false premonition of what could be based on an entirely different scenario. Let it go. Learn from it but let it go."

He opened his muzzle to say something but then realised he had absolutely nothing to say.

Elena smiled and slipped by him, striding back towards the tavern.

Harm realised he was still gripping her locket. "Hey! Don't you want this back?"

She spun around, grinning brightly with her eyes sparkling with true joy and freedom. "I no longer need it." Elena flung her arms into the air. The twilight around her just seemed to ease like she was radiating pure light. "I have let it go!"

The revelation struck him like a bolt of lightning and he could not help but break into a bright grin that matched hers. Elena waved at him, skipping back towards the tavern. He stared at her locket, unable to keep the smile from his features.

She let go...

*****

After a week on the road sleeping only in tents and sleeping bags, Harm was grateful to be back on an actual bed. So much so that when he woke and he saw that it was still pretty early in the morning, he rolled over to avoid the early morning light, pulled the sheet over his head and went right back to sleep. Frustratingly, he couldn't drift off into the land of slumber. He was caught in the middle state of the comforting, warm embrace of the sheets and his body telling him he had enough sleep.

Harm growled loudly and flopped onto his back, draping one arm over his eyes. His other paw flailed around and seized his Telecube which lay on the bedside table. He flicked it open, spying another hundred or so messages from Daniel that made him chuckle. It said the time was 1 in the afternoon and his growling stomach mirrored that statement. However, the sky outside the amber windows clearly showed that it was still early morning.

Oh wait... Mirecragg...

With a sigh, he sat up and became very aware of the emptiness of the bed. Glancing to his left and right, he found himself alone on the fluffy mattress without any trace of Smallfang. Puzzled, he swung his legs over the edge and sniffed the air. He caught the scent of frozen pine but realised that it was coming from him. His eyes fell on his borrowed clothes. Eton's hazelnut scent was still very prominent and it caused a little tingle down his spine at the thought of wearing the big Lupus' clothes.

A yawn worked its way up his chest and he stretched out as it emerged from his muzzle. He sleepily rose to his feet and wandered over to where his bags lay. Thankfully he had some spare clothes that he could throw on. A bath was necessary and this time, he would definitely remember his own soap. Thinking about the soap, his addled mind slowly began to process the little quirk about Mirecragg's bathing system... predominantly that it was a public affair.

His tail fluffed out as he straightened.

Was bathing in the middle of a heated pool around similarly naked guys such a good idea?

Especially when it was a prerequisite to go in nude?

He shook his head and in the process, caught a glimpse of a little golden locket sitting on the bedside table.

Just let go.

He gave himself a firm nod and threw his clothes back into his bag. Shoving his feet back into his military boots, he marched out of his room and up two flights of stairs. He found his way to room 103 and knocked on the door very quickly. At that very same moment, his Telecube buzzed loudly. Eton's heavy footsteps were already making their way towards the door so he had precious few seconds to quickly fish out the cube and flick it open.

'Would it help if I said I was gay too?' offered Daniel.

Harm realised he hadn't responded to his best friend for over a week and had to hand it to the guy for being so diligent... if not persistent.

'You're not. I know. Talk to you later. I'm about to make out with hot guy.'

As he shut the cube, he wondered just how truthful that statement was. Eton's door opened. The massive bare chest of the Lupus met him mixed with the musky scent of a very manly man having just finished a workout in his own room. Eton was sweating and his white shorts were plastered against his thick thighs.

"Hunter," Eton exclaimed in surprise. "I... Uh..."

"Hey," he replied with a faint smile. "I... um..." He thought fast. "I came to get my clothes. Did they deliver them?"

Eton blinked a few times. "Oh... yeah! Yeah, they're over here." He stepped aside and allowed Harm to enter the surprisingly cool room. Large barbells and weights made completely out of ice lay scattered all over the room melting. "Sorry about the mess," Eton murmured. "I've been working out all day."

"All day?" Harm questioned, approaching the pile of clothing that lay cleaned, pressed and folded to the side of the room. "Shouldn't you be resting after an hour or so?"

"Supernatural regeneration, remember?" Eton hefted one of the enormous barbells, and set them aside away from the open area of the room. Thick veins pulsated across his biceps. "Thing about normal people is that the slow burn after exercising helps you sheer off the fat and build muscle. With the Lupus, because we recover so fast, your muscles just switch back to 'relaxed' state a lot quicker. We get less gains in the long run while using up the same amount of energy. If we want to get big, we need to work out for longer."

"Huh..." Harm bent down and plucked his clothes from the pile. He became very aware of Eton's eyes roving his butt and straightened almost immediately. "Go figure."

"Don't you ever get that? Don't you regenerate quickly?"

Harm gestured at Zero Hour. "Only when this thing is filled with Time."

"Time?"

"Yeah. When I active this son-of-a-bitch, anything that touches the sword gets their Time drained into the weapon. I then use that Time to regenerate. No Time, no regeneration. As you can imagine, I don't use it that often."

Eton's ears flicked towards him in amusement. "So you telling me that you can actually live forever if you wanted to?"

"So long as there's shit to stab, yeah." He held his clothes against his chest. "But who wants to live forever? All the bullshit we go through is enough for one lifetime."

"Don't you think all the good things are worth it though?"

Harm rolled his eyes. "Let's take last night for one thing." He began counting things off with his fingers. "I made a complete ass of myself to a complete stranger in a smouldering hot tub with carnivorous water."

"They're going to rise up," Eton said gravely.

"You realise I wasn't being serious, right?"

The Lupus frowned. "Really? I honestly didn't know."

"It's a talent of mine." Harm lifted another finger. "I got drunk off my ass. I threw up on myself. And I think I have a girlfriend."

Eton's eyes widened and he was halfway to rising. That sent a spark of joy through Harm's system.

"By that I mean a girl who is a friend. Elena is surprisingly insightful for an adopted, neglected, nymphomaniac."

Relief crossed Eton's "Who?"

"Don't worry. You'll like her." He lowered his paw and gave Eton an idle shrug. "And for what it's worth, the only good thing that came out of last night was meeting you. But even that was soured when you walked out on me."

The Lupus' ears perked up. "Oh... Well, you know... I was... you were... We..."

"You're still hung up on Serena, aren't you?"

"No!"

"That was way too fast."

Eton winced loudly and spun around, burying his muzzle into the sheets. Harm set his clothes down and sat down next to the Lupus. He gently stroked the big wolf's back.

"Hey, it's okay. Can I be honest with you and tell you that I've sort of still got a crush on my childhood friend?"

Lifting his muzzle lightly, Eton said, "Did she spurn your advances, crush your heart with the heel of her boot and drive you to becoming a Lupus out of heartbreak?"

Just let it go...

"No... But what does it matter? You can't change the past. You can't change what already is. The best you can do is make the best of what you've got, right?"

He eyed him suspiciously. "Last night, I wouldn't have guessed that'd come out of your muzzle."

"Remember that girlfriend I mentioned? Yeah, turns out she's adopted, been pining for her father's approval only to be constantly spurned and recently found out he died in that crazy shit that hit Clockwork. Despite that, she let it go pretty easily." Harm straightened and puffed out his chest. "So, all that considered, don't you think if she can do it, the two of us can do the same?"

Eton frowned at him and rolled onto his back. "Is this your way of asking me out?"

He gave the Lupus a lopsided smile. "Would you laugh if I told you I never asked anyone out?"

The surprise on Eton's face was priceless. The Lupus sat up, brow furrowed but a half-hearted smile on his muzzle. "No way! Come on, you're hot!"

"That's the problem," Harm replied with a shrug. "Well, not so much. I was a pretty late bloomer. Here, check it out..." He reached into the pocket, fishing out his Telecube. He momentarily ignored the message from Daniel and flicked to the still photographs. It showed images of himself ten years ago when he was just fourteen years of age.

"Damn! You were a scrawny little pup, weren't you?" Eton laughed, staring at the pure-white furred Wulfun that was dwarfed by the rest of his family.

Though he was six foot-four, with the rest of his family towering over him at seven feet - the average height for Wulfuns - he was small in comparison. Everyone was also quite built, even his mother. His athletic build looked frighteningly malnourished compared to them.

"Yeah," Harm chuckled, flicking to another image. "My dad adored me. But this is me three years later, senior year in high school. Got my growth spurt that year."

Eton's eyes boggled. The Wulfun standing there was more like the rest of his family; brimming with muscles, standing past seven feet and with broad, masculine features. The grey crest on Harm's chest was also visible, breaking the otherwise white fur all over his body. His hair had also grown out a little more, giving him a roguish, spikey disarray.

"Wow, you shot up!"

"Took three years but yeah, I shot up," Harm snickered, tucking the cube away. "Joined the football team, got really into machines and was hated by my father. Honestly, I think my dad had an incest thing going and had a thing for little boys..." He shook his head. "Fact is, before the summer of my senior year, I was scrawny, short and most girls didn't give me a second glance. I never asked anyone out because I had some serious self-esteem issues. Then, senior year, I was suddenly one of the jocks."

"That must've been a culture shock."

Harm shrugged. "I was an ass. All that muscle went to my head." He tapped his temples. "I was horrible to my old friends. I drank beer like it was the only beverage left in the world. Working out was half my life and the other half was grunting and ramming into others. It was stupid. Amazing how popularity can get to you and how easy it is to simply slip into a role because your body fits it."

Eton suddenly reeled back. Then, he leaned forward, eyes narrowed. "Heeeey... Is that your way of telling me that I'm not really gay because I'm still in love with Serena and that my homosexuality was just part of conformity?"

Harm swore and punched his fist into the bed. "Damnit! So close!"

The Lupus smirked and wagged a finger at him. "Ha-ha! You were convincing but I got you in the end!" He shuffled over to Harm, one arm draped around his shoulder. "Look, the only thing I bear for Serena is regret. It hurts like hell that I spent ages pining for her and we're not even friends. You said you can't change the past. That's true. Doesn't stop me from remembering it either."

That's what you think, Harm thought bitterly, recalling the Redaction Spell.

"I'm gay, Hunter," Eton said firmly. "I know that." He poked Harm's chest. "Nothing you say or try to psychoanalyse out of me will change that."

Sighing, Harm turned and found his muzzle just inches away from Eton's. The temptation was there to cross that gap but he held back for just an instant to ask, "Alright... seeing as you're gay... Any chance you'll go out with me?"

Eton gave him a sad smile. "I'd love to but I am a Paladin and a Lupus. Paladins are meant to be caste."

"Actually..." Harm fished out his Telecube, opening it to the browser mode. After a quick search, he found the official Church of the Tower Website, particularly their question and answer stage. "Did you know that General Halcyon Solomon actually had that clause revoked not too long ago?"

Eton's eyes widened.

Harm quietly thanked Andy's frighteningly accurate memory of all things about the Church and the Church website.

"He did?"

"Totally." He decided not to mention the fact that the reasoning behind it was that if Paladins got it on and produced children, there was a possibility that the child could also possess a Valour. It wasn't purely a gesture of goodwill. The Church wanted more Paladins. After the disaster five years ago, that was perfectly understandable.

"Huh..." Eton sat back, frowning. "Does it say anything there about a gay Paladin having a relationship?"

"Yes," he responded, making a show of shifting through the screens. "It says here that if a homosexual Paladin has a relationship with another of the same gender, they are obligated to at least donate sperm or eggs to the Church in the hopes that their genes will continue. Purely to continue the line, of course. The child will go to the Church if the parents don't want it."

Eton did not fall for that. The Lupus shoved him hard, causing both of them to laugh heartily. Harm found himself tumbling onto the bed with Eton suddenly on top of him, the big, bare chested Lupus hovering over him, their flesh just inches from one another.

"You're an ass," Eton laughed.

"Then I'd make perfect match for your dick then, right?"

The Lupus rolled his eyes and rolled off him. "If we're going to date, you have got to work on your lines."

Harm's ears perked up, his tail wagging excitedly behind him. "Does that mean we're dating?"

He did not like the sly look Eton was giving him.

"I don't know. You haven't asked me yet."

"Son-of-a..." He took a deep breath and straightened. "Okay... Eton Slater, it would be my honour if you would -"

"Are you proposing to me?" Eton laughed.

"Fine!" Harm snapped leaping off the bed. He leaned casually against one of the bed posts. Lowering his voice a couple of octaves, he said, "So, I've been checkin' you out and I think we'd go well together."

Eton's face lit up in hilarity. "Where are you getting these lines? Fifty year old movies?"

"Gah!" Growling Harm thought fast. As always when he thought fast, he panicked. In his panic, he didn't think very well. He seized borrowed pants and pulled them down. "Look! I'm naked!" He growled at himself. "What the hell!?"

Eton fell back, clutching his stomach in outrageous laughter. "Can't... breathe...!"

"Oh! Does that mean I take your breath away?"

More laughter and Harm was starting to burn up from the heavy blush on his cheeks. "Okay! So I suck at asking people out! I told you, I've never had to ask anyone." A bitter sigh escaped him. "That part was painfully true." He pointed at Eton. "And just so you know, I didn't doctor any of the images on my Telecube. That was all true. I really was a late bloomer. By the time I packed on the muscle and looked like a real Wulfun, everyone had already been fucked out."

It took a few seconds for Eton to stop giggling and came down to snickers. "Surprising from what I hear from Havenese teenagers." The Lupus sat up and gave him a sad smile. "I like you Hunter. I really do. But I'm still a Paladin and you're a starship engineer. If we start something, we'll end up separated when you go back to your ship and I go back to my post. It won't work out."

Harm was still in panic mode so he said the first thing that came to his mind. "So what if I apply to be a Paladin?"

Eton sat up, surprised. "What?"

"I have a Valour. I've got a Templar helping me and two references. Can't I be a Paladin based on that?"

"You'll need training."

"So?"

Eton shook his head. "You're making a rash decision based on your hormones. It's sweet, Hunter, but come on." The Lupus looked like he was almost pleading him to stop. "You spent years avoiding becoming a Paladin and now want to become on because of me?"

Harm returned the pleading look. "Doesn't that say something about how much I want this?"

The Lupus sighed, pinching the bridge of his muzzle and massaging it lightly. "What if it doesn't work out? What if we break up over... I don't know... a misplaced towel? Hell, I'm a Lupus. It's in my nature to sleep around."

"So? Threesome!"

"More like twenty-some," Eton muttered bitterly. "Hunter... Just..."

Harm lifted his paws, desperate to get a 'yes'. "Okay, how about this?" He strode over to the window and pushed it open. "The Mother Goddess chose you to become a Paladin. If the Mother Goddess wants us together, she'll make it rain within the next ten minutes."

Eton looked utterly baffled. "Are you seriously challenging the Mother Goddess?"

"Not really. I'm just stalling for time." Harm's knees fell out from underneath him and he found himself kneeling in front of Eton. "Come on, man. You said it yourself. You like me. And I'm very fond of you too!"

"Did you just hear yourself?" Eton laughed. "You can't even say that you like me!"

"I was going for 'love' but then I thought that would be too strong."

That earned him a shocked expression. "I... Are you being serious?"

Harm found himself laughing partially from hysteria and partially from desperation. "Honestly, I don't know. I just know I really like you, Eton. You're funny, your kind and you have a level head on your shoulders. In the past twenty-four hours, you've shown me more romance than all the sappy rom-coms I've watched in my underwear with a bucket of ice cream in one paw and an ice cream scoop in the other! We bathed together! We had dinner together!"

"It was a buffet."

"It still counts!" Harm was waving his paws wildly. "Somehow, you've stepped right out of fantasy and into my life. Hell, you know how to have fun and between you and me, we never have to worry about having kids!"

Eton shied away. "I..." He cut himself off when thunder peeled just outside.

Both of them spun to face the window in utter surprise. They exchanged stunned glances before slowly approaching the window. A cold breeze blew in, whipping the silken curtains against them and spraying them with a light drizzling of rain. Lightning crashed above them as dark thunderheads rolled in and began pouring all of Mirecragg in a deluge.

"What...?" Eton whispered. "You don't have the power to make it rain, do you?"

"Last time I used any serious magic, I turned a guy inside out," Harm confessed. His eyes slowly turned towards Eton. "If it helps, I'll admit now that if you still rejected me, I was going to do a rain dance."

The Lupus laughed, their eyes meeting. "I guess we're meant to be together..."

"We got the big girl's blessing," Harm answered, pointing upwards with a sheepish smile. "Doing otherwise would be blasphemy, right?"

Eton's big, warm paws wrapped around his waist, pulling them close together. Harm's cock stirred in his sheath at the contact, a shiver running up his spine while his tail wagged joyously behind him.

"I don't want to blaspheme..." Eton whispered, his ice blue eyes sparkling. The worry on his features faded and his features softened, revealing the stunningly handsome, gentle features that simply took Harm's breath away.

"Just for the record," Harm began, his eyes half-closed and his muzzle tilting to the side. "You didn't accept me being a Paladin..."

"Just shut up and kiss me."

Their lips met, passion blossoming at the contact. His arms wrapped around Eton's broad shoulders while Eton's large paws curled gently around the back of his neck, guiding him to the side to grant their muzzles greater access to one another. Their tongues meshed together in a passionate dance, lips smacking against one another between their lustful moans and heavy breaths.

Harm gasped suddenly. Both of them looked down at his crotch which was pressed firmly against Eton's muscular thighs. A bright red cock bobbed between them, eagerly drooling streams of precum at the touch of the Lupus' hard cut abdominal muscles covered in glistening sweat and short black fur. Eton took hold of the borrowed shirt and tore it right down the middle, shreds of fabric dropping to the floor as they stared at one another.

Harm threw himself at the Lupus, colliding with the thick wall of furry muscle that sent both of them crashing onto the bed. He seized Eton's bent in between his fangs and tugged at them like a wild, feral wolf ripping flesh of his prey. The buckles loosened and the pants came flying off a moment later. Eton's red, tapered cock sprang free, bringing a sigh of relief from the Lupus. Harm eagerly shoved his muzzle into the thick crest of crotchfur that carried the heady, masculine scent of the Lupus deep into his nostrils.

The Wulfun shuddered, every part of his body urging him on while his mind reeled in disbelief. He couldn't believe he was doing this nor could he believe his heart was bounding so fast in anticipation. His tongue briefly pushed out between his smiling lips, gently brushing the underside of Eton's heavy sack. The thick, muscular thighs framing his head quivered, inviting his paws to gently caress their iron-like cords and the chiselled grooves which separated every muscle group.

The brief taste was not enough and he yearned for more. Harm gently pressed his lips against Eton's ball sack. The heady musk and salty taste was the appetiser and he moved onto the entrée, gently cupping the ball in his lips while lathering it generously with his spit. Eton let out a boyish whimper. He wanted it bad and Harm did too but he wanted to cherish every moment. He wanted to run his tongue over every chiselled muscle on Eton's body, feel every inch of the Lupus' body against his and press his own flesh against every strand of fur that covered the magnificent specimen's body.

He pulled his muzzle away from the glorious throbbing cock and kissed the bugling thigh that lay beside him. His cheek brushed against the tree-trunk like form. Sensing Eton's need, he gripped Eton's cock with his left paw. His right went to exploring the thick leg that lay before him. Every rippling muscle, pulsating vein and rigid groove was committed to memory. A shiver ran down his body as he pressed he slowly shuffled his entire body up from Eton's legs, his tongue lapping over the grooves of his waist and following the valleys of muscle directly to the plateaus which were his perfectly cut abdominal muscles.

His tongue pushed into every crevasse and in between each strand of fur. Eton's abdominals tightened, urging him to soften the hard muscles with more licks and kisses. His left paw never left Eton's cock even as he slowly wrapped his own legs around the muscular Lupus' and their balls pressed against one another.

Kiss by kiss, Harm moved up from one abdominal muscle to the next, migrating his way to where the twin mountains of Eton's pectoral muscles crested. His Lupus' heavy breathing was amplified when Eton reached for his own nipples and gave them a tight squeeze. For a moment, Harm was confused - he didn't know tweaking one's own nipples would be so pleasurable. He moved his right paw over Eton's right pectoral muscle, squeezing the muscle there and eliciting a groan of pleasure from his lover.

Harm pushed their chests together, Eton's arms moving around his back and squeezing them together. Their hard packed, muscular bodies pressed against one another, precum squeezing out from their compressed cocks. Harm could feel it all dribbling between his fingers. They stared at one another, panting heavily, lost in one another's eyes and no words capable of expressing how they felt.

Their lips collided once more, passionate moaning rising from their throats. Harm's hips instinctively gyrated into the Lupus and Eton replied with hard thrusts that sprayed more and more precum across their furry, muscled chests; glue that stuck them together. Eton's huge paws moved over Harm's bubble ass, squeezing them tightly by being gently swatted by the Wulfun's wagging tail.

Eton broke the kiss suddenly.

"Fuck me."

Harm blinked several times. "Huh...?"

Eton suddenly shuffled a little away from Harm before he spun around, gripping the headboards of the bed in his paws. "Fuck me, Hunter! I want you in me!"

Harm found his throat going dry. In his mind, he imagined their first time would just be spent cuddling and maybe stimulating one another until orgasm. But outright sex? He was overwhelmed. Though his body knew exactly what to do. With shaky paws, he gripped Eton's legs, shivering at the touch of those hard, corded muscles. Slowly, he brought himself closer to the Lupus, his cock resting on top of Eton's tailless ass. He got an eyeful of the Lupus' back; a venerable mountain range of plateaus and perfectly symmetrical mounds that made him dizzy just looking at it all.

His body began grinding into Eton, bringing louder and louder whimpers from the Lupus. His left paw crawled around the Lupus waist, seizing the throbbing cock that was soaking the bed sheets with his pre-orgasmic fluid. With his right, Harm guided his tapered cock slowly into the waiting ass. The moment the tip of his wolfhood pressed into Eton's pucker, a jolt of electricity rippled through his body.

Instincts took over and he felt more blood pumping down to his nether regions, his knot blossoming. Panting wildly, the Wulfun pushed himself into Eton, feeling a slight resistance as the Lupus instinctively squeezed down. The hot walls of Eton's ass milked more precum out of him, making them both shudder. Harm pushed himself deeper into the Lupus, forced to lean forward and grip the Lupus around the chest with his right.

Eton's back pressed up against Harm's chest, the Wulfun's heartbeat coinciding with every pulse of the Lupus' cock. Harm's hips began slowly thrusting into the Lupus, feeling less and less resistance each time.

"Oooh..." Eton moaned, a lusty grin crossing his features. His eyes were closed and his head thrown back in pleasure. His hips began bucking, humping Harm's paw. "Yeah... urf... That's it... Fuck..."

Harm let out a low growl, burying his muzzle into Eton's neck and taking a long whiff of the Lupus' heady musk. Every thrust he made grew longer and longer. He was pushing himself deeper and deeper into Eton, growing closer to hilting with the Lupus. The desire to orgasm grew more and more and he let out a soft whimper when he felt his knot push hard against Eton's pucker.

"Fuuuuuuuuck..." Eton moaned.

Harm could feel Eton's knot pushing against his paws. He rapidly began running his paw up and down the throbbing prick, bringing more desperate pants from the Lupus. Soft cracking met his ears. Wood splintered where Eton's massive paws gripped the headboard. The sheets tore where their clawed feet curled and tensed.

"Yeah... Yeah... fuck..." Eton grunted. "S - Say something... Hunter... oh fuck...!"

Harm didn't know what to say. Being inside Eton felt so... rewarding. There was a future here. It felt right. There was something he wanted to say but it was too soon. He grunted he lifted his muzzle over Eton's ears.

"Take it," he growled, thrusting hard into Eton. "Come on! Say you want it!"

"Fuck yeah!" Eton howled loudly. "Fuck me! Yeah!" He thrust back into Harm, his ass widening slightly to admit Harm's knot. "Yeah!" He pushed deeper. "Yeah!"

Pop!

Harm growled loudly, his claws digging into Eton's thick pecs. He thrust into Eton, his cock sufficiently tied to the Lupus. The sensation of his wolfhood pinned inside the Lupus sent primal mating hormones coursing through his veins. Every part of his body demanded that he fuck the man beneath him and he willingly complied.

They body devolved into rutting, wild animals, their words just coming out as grunts and wild, barely intelligible grunts. Hot cum bubbled up deep inside Harm's balls, churning with every quake of their sweaty, muscular bodies. He felt it creep inch by inch towards the tip of his dick, ready for release with each thrust. He thrust his muzzle deep into Eton's neck, taking one more whiff of that thick, heady, pine and hazelnut scent before -

"FUCK!"

He arched his back and let out a shuddering gasp. Harm bit his lower lip, his eyes forced completely shut as every resource in his body was devoted solely to the pleasure of orgasm. His hot cum came shooting out of his dick, spraying wildly into Eton's ass. He felt it fill the Lupus before washing back and wreathing his cock in its molten embrace.

A second wave hit him like a truck and he was thrown on top of Eton, his body exhausted from the first release. The headboard broad from Eton's iron grip and they both crashed into the bed. Harm's body twitched as a third shot erupted form his cock, starting his form into a quivering mess that ended with his arms securely around Eton's muscular chest.

He felt hot, sticky cum on his paws and realised Eton had cum too.

Harm's ears were ringing. He caught the ending notes of Eton's howl. His head spun as he held the panting Lupus against him, still securely tied to the big werewolf.

"Oh shit..." Eton panted. "Goddess... I've... I need... fuck..."

Harm nuzzled the Lupus' neck affectionately and to find a nice, soft spot where he could rest his head. "Yeah..." he murmured sleepily.

"Hunter... I... Oh man..."

"Yeah..."

Eton was silent for a moment, his panting starting to slow. "Hey... You can recover quickly, right?"

"Yeah..."

"I got fast regeneration..."

"Yeah..."

He felt, more than saw, Eton's grin.

"So... round two in thirty seconds?"

Harm found himself grinning. "Yeah!"

*****

Harm woke to the crow of a rooster. He felt tired, utterly exhausted and sore all over. When he tried to yawn, he nearly choked on the feathers that had stuffed themselves partway into his muzzle. He spat and sat up. The moment he did, he winced as a sharp pain shot up his ass.

"What the...?"

He gazed around him.

The room was completely and utterly trashed. The bedposts had been torn clean off and the bed itself had collapsed. One half of the mattress lay in ragged chunks beneath him while the other was halfway across the room. The furniture lay shattered and in pieces and there were traces of cum everywhere. The walls looked suspiciously clean, however.

Beside him, laying partially off the ground with one arm draped across Harm's thighs, was Eton, his fur matted in places where cum had dried. Harm had the distinct feeling of being filthy and ran his fingers through his fur. He was relieved to find himself free of sticky patches. Except for his muzzle which was surprisingly very wet and salty.

"Goddess... what did we do last night...?" he murmured.

Eton snorted and blearily opened his eyes. The moment he saw Harm, the Lupus broke into a bright grin. "Morning stud."

Harm couldn't help grin in return. "Morning to you too." He peered down at Eton's crotch and gripped the raging boner there. "Good morning, sir."

"Ass," Eton snickered, swatting his paw away.

"I distinctly remember you fitting that description last night," Harm replied. His memories were still rather hazy. Was it possible to get drunk on sex?

"Well, not the entire night."

Suddenly, his memories were starting to return... as well as the reason for his rear hurting so much. "What do you mean...?"

Eton sat up proudly. "I wasn't on the bottom all night." He grinned broadly and leaned forward, their noses pressing against one another. "The only way we were going to get rid of all your excess Time was to have you on the receiving end, after all."

Harm's eyes widened, pulling away in horror. "W - Wait, what!?"

The Lupus looked confused. "Don't you remember? Last night decided we'd go at it all night until you would stop regenerating." He grinned broadly. "Man that was a fun eight hours... Can't believe we killed three hundred years in that amount of time."

Dread slowly crept up Harm's gut. "Oh... Okay... Well, we stopped after I stopped regenerating, right?"

"Oh hell no!" Eton looped one thick arm around Harm's head, catching him in a headlock that wafted Eton's manly scent right into Harm's nostrils, stirring the primal part deep inside of him. "We went at it another three times! Or was it four... I sort of lost count."

Harm let out a loud cry and pushed himself away from Eton, confusing the Lupus.

"What's wrong?"

Harm pointed an accusing finger at Eton. "You fucked me!"

Confused even more, Eton said, "Yeah... So...?"

"Y - You're a Lupus and you fucked me!"

"That was established. And?"

"I stopped regenerating!" Harm looked at his own paws in horror. He could almost see them start to grow, transforming into monstrous tools of war. His tail was oddly stiff and he had the horrible sensation of it shrinking away into nothingness. "That - That means I'll turn into a Lupus! You infected me!"

Eton looked dumbstruck... and then angry. "Wait... What's wrong with being a Lupus?"

Harm scrambled to his feet, desperately sifting through the rubble of their lovemaking. He had to find Zero Hour. If he had at least one second left. Just one, it would be enough.

Please be there... just one second... That's all I need!

"Hunter!" Eton demanded, seizing his shoulder and spinning him around. Their eyes met. Eton's cold, icy eyes were sharp and accusing. "What is wrong with being a Lupus?" he asked slowly.

"Nothing!" Harm protested, swatting away his arm. "It works on you but I like being a Wulfun. I like having a tail."

Eton's brow furrowed. "Just a second... Are you telling me that you went into this relationship on the condition that I, in no way, infected you?"

Harm turned towards Eton with a frown. "Well... duh. I mean it's like you have a... a..."

He realised all too late that he had just started on a very bad path. Eton's features darkened and a frown crossed his features, giving him a terribly frightening expression.

"A what?" the Lupus growled. "A sexually transmitted disease? An incurable ailment that will damn anyone I have sex with!?" His voice was rising, shaking the entire room. "So everything that you said last night, all that bullshit about loving me, destiny and being together, it was all on the condition that I don't infect you!?"

Harm was suddenly feeling equally angry though he knew he was in the wrong. He knew he should apologise but in insane part of his brain reasoned that Eton should have known better. Wasn't he meant to ask first? Didn't this constitute as rape in some way?

"I didn't say I loved you," he growled back.

"But you wanted to!"

"But I didn't!"

"Yeah? Well so what? I thought love meant you were meant to accept a person whatever happened, to love and to hold through sickness and in health?"

Harm straightened. "You make it sound like we're married! And I never said I loved you!"

"But you said you wanted to!"

"I lied! It's one of my talents!"

Eton's hackles - no matter how sticky - rose. "You're an asshole!"

"To you, clearly I am! An asshole you can just dump all your Lupus germs on!"

That seemed to hurt him.

Harm's first reaction was, 'Good. He deserved it.'

Second was, 'Oh... I hurt him.'

Third... 'Oh shit...'

"Get out," Eton rumbled darkly.

"But -"

"GET OUT!