FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Author's note: There are ten original chapters of this story, but I never liked the tenth as much, so I've re-written it here. Also, if you enjoy this series, thank [Vishki](%5C) - shi's the inspiration behind Sul'ava.

* * *

I woke up the next day and stretched out, groaning a bit. I felt exhausted still. But there was something hard on my chest. Grasping for it, I lifted my head and looked - it was the diamond pendant I'd created yesterday with Sul'ava's help. It felt warm to the touch.

Looking closer, I realized there was a silver caging around the diamond, attached to a leather strip around my neck. It was an intricate piece, holding the diamond perfectly snug, with plenty of small swirls and accents - beautiful, really.

I let the diamond fall to my chest as I sat up and stretched again, twitching my ears as I listened for Sul'ava. The warm sunlight through the window meant it was at least mid-day, if not later. I stood up and weaved my neck around a bit to loosen it up, then grabbed a robe and headed out the door and down to the kitchen.

Sul'ava was there, at a table. Shi looked up as I entered.

"Oh, Taka, you're awake!" shi said, smiling. "Thought you were gonna sleep the whole day. Want a late lunch?"

I nodded. "Yes, definitely," I said. "I'm starving!" I was, too. The energy we put into that crystal must have really been something.

"Go grab some meat and bread, and milk, too," shi said.

I set the items on the table and sat down next to hir. Shi closed hir eyes and furrowed hir brow as shi concentrated.

I was always fascinated when I watched the dragon work. Especially now, with the sun shining, glinting off hir perfectly smooth scales, and the way hir delicious blue color faded into a lighter, creamy blue around hir midsection. Hir long hair was pulled back today in a light ponytail, a vibrant blue against the black band. Even the tattoo on hir neck, intricate as it was, looked slightly more perfect in the late afternoon sunlight.

I could feel the magical energy swirling around the room. The meat started to sizzle, then, in the blink of an eye, the milk was replaced by a fine-looking cheese and the bread was sliced and stacked. The roast was perfectly cooked, slightly pink in the center, and cut into bread-appropriate chunks.

"Ah, perfect," shi said, smiling at me. "I have to admit I was trying to impress you yesterday - it's easier to do this when the ingredients are already out in front of you."

I grinned at hir as shi playfully reached out and rubbed the top of my head. Shi looked so gorgeous all the time, and I couldn't complain about hir predilection to avoid clothes. I leaned forward and laid my head against hir breast, purring happily as shi stroked my neck and back slowly.

"Hmm... you'd better eat," shi said finally, kissing my ears lightly. Pushing me upright, shi stood up and smiled at me. "You need your strength for our next lesson."

I nodded and smiled back at hir before digging in, making and eating three whole sandwiches before I was filled. Shi'd left the room while I ate - I could hear hir in the study, going through books.

By the time I was finished, shi was back with a stack of heavy, leather-bound volumes. Setting them in front of me, shi handed me the one on top. "This is your homework - a study on rune-based magic," shi said. "We won't use it much, but it's good to know the basics." Shi indicated the tattoo on hir neck and smiled ruefully.

"That's where the tattoo came from?"

"Not a tattoo," shi said, sitting down next to me again. "The unfortunate result of a late-night prank gone awry. After Angarth, when I was on my own, I took up with a few scholars to learn. Back then, my sense of humor wasn't quite as developed as it is now, and I thought rigging the candles to smell like sulfur would be a laugh."

I couldn't help but smile. "That's a pretty good one," I said.

"I thought so, but the leader of the group decided it wasn't, and gave me this," shi said, motioning to hir neck again. "Took me a while to find someone skilled enough to change it. It's not really a tattoo - the coloration of the scales themselves was changed, and it didn't look like this. It was several very rude words. Can't get rid of it yet, but it's not so bad."

"I like it," I said, sliding my fingers over hir shoulder, feeling along one black line of smooth scales.

Shi smiled and leaned in to kiss my cheek before turning back to the books. "This one covers the basics of pendant magic. Nothing is better for it than actually using it, but it'll help you know what to look for. It's really all instinct, anyways."

Shi pointed at the other three books. "General magic knowledge, mid-level stuff. You know all the basics already, and even some higher-level magic, so we don't need to go over that again."

I nodded, remembering how shi'd drilled me on the basic rules and laws during the trip here. "So what's the lesson for today?"

I nearly yowled when I felt hir paw suddenly reach out and snag a grope at my rump.

"Well, much as I'd like to take another day off to spend with you, Taka, I have to take care of a few things," shi said. "I'll be back tomorrow. Read up while I'm away - when I return, I'd like to try some basic transformation magic, like we did with the food, and also teach you more about using the pendant."

"Where do you have to go?" I asked.

"I'm going to go pay another visit to that village," shi said quietly. Seeing my expression, shi continued. "No, nothing like that. I just want to go over a few facts with them and get them sorted out. Reputation is almost as important as ability when it comes to magic, Taka. It won't do to have rumors spread about me, or you, for that matter."

I nodded, shivering as I remembered how closed I'd come when I'd tried to rescue Sul'ava, though I found out quickly shi needed no help.

Sul'ava pulled a cloak and backpack from a rack near the back door in the kitchen and put them on. Fastening a loose belt around hir waist, shi turned and smiled at me.

"I never did thank you for what you did that night." Shi held up hir hand, forestalling what I was about to say. "No, listen. I think I was... avoiding those feelings. Any feelings. For a long time. My self-imposed punishment, I suppose." Shi sighed and looked down at the floor, face dark. "Taka... you've helped me, more than I could ever help you. I just want you to know that, and how much what you've done means to me."

I could see hir tail swinging back and forth and tell shi was agitated. I sat still, saying nothing, knowing shi would continue.

"You trusted me when I didn't trust myself," shi said finally, looking back up at me. "I'm... feeling again, I suppose you could say. It's hard to show too much emotion. I feel like a monk who took a vow of silence and suddenly joined a choir. Just know how much I appreciate you."

Then shi was gone, out the door quickly, before I could respond. My heart swelled up a bit as the door closed and I turned to look at the books, thinking about what shi'd told me. Shi really suffered for a long time, I realized, and only now was shi starting to forgive hirself. I just hoped the visit to the village would go better than that last, and that the villagers would see hir as I saw hir.

I sighed and reached for the book on runes. I was never any good at runes, but if Sul'ava thought they would help, I'd be willing to give it a try.

The next two days passed incredibly slowly. I had no idea how long Sul'ava would be gone. And the books, while interesting, could only contain my curiosity for so long before the worry would creep up inside me again. It was hard to not know where Sul'ava was or what was happening.

The second day drug on and on, until the sun set and I had to light a candle to continue reading. I'd already gone through three of the books, learning quite a bit on the way, though until I internalized the knowledge through practice, it wouldn't do much good.

* * *

I don't know when I fell asleep, or for how long, but I woke to Sul'ava's fingers caressing my ears. I blinked sleepily at hir as shi smiled at me in the darkness, the candles having long since burned to stumps, save one.

"Sul'ava?"

Hir smile grew in the dim candlelight as shi pressed forward, kissing me.

"I missed you," shi said, hir voice low and husky. There was a fire in hir eyes, a desire I'd seen a few times before.

I let the robe drop from my shoulders as I stood up, watching the dim light flicker across hir pale blue features. "I missed you too."