{"sf1_id":678224,"sf2_id":null,"title":"Like Cats and Dogs","author":"StGeorgesHorse","words":6208,"posted_at":"2014-03-10T18:32:00.000Z","tags":["Canine","Cat","Feline","Human","Jackal","Knot","M/F","Ocelot","Story Progression","Transformation","Vaginal"],"url":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/678224-like-cats-and-dogs","original_url":"https://sofurry.com/view/678224","image_url":"https://www.sofurryfiles.com/std/thumb?page=678224\u0026ext=.jpg","description":"#32 of Robbin Red\n\nThis one is a bit long at 11 pages. Sorry about that, but it wasn't worth breaking up. The next portion gets complicated, and if I have cut things a little short, I don't have the time to devote to double checking everything. I wish I did. As it is, I am already laying the outline for the next one, tentatively called The Sands of Time.","content":"           Jon-Tom was contemplating his\npresent situation. He liked this Lanana. Not only was she cute and adorable,\nshe had the power to help him in ways no one else had been able. His inner\nturmoil was now a fraction of what it had been. It wasn't gone, just set into\nits proper place. He thought about heading back home, but she had declared that\nleaving now would leave a void inside. He had to finish his quest. If he was to\ndo that, he was going to have to hide himself from Eve. He knew her\nwell-meaning meddling would likely screw the whole thing up. Since the Plated Folk\nwere still around in his day, the chances were good that he didn't destroy them\nnow. So what could he learn from the experience?\nHe took the precaution of hiding\nhis mind from her penetrating gaze. There was a chance she'd never recognize it\nnow after all the reworking of it, but he didn't want to take any chances. The\nlittle ocelot approved. \"I can't say what is right and what is wrong, but I do\nbelieve that sometimes you need to do things unaffected by others, even me!\"\nShe cracked a sly smile.\n\"A little late for that, don't you\nthink?\"\n\"It's never too late. Blocking your\nmind is one thing, but don't you think your human form is a bit recognizable.\nIf they start asking around, won't you be ratted out?\"\n\"Hmmm. You have a point. I don't\nhave the ability to transform anymore, but I could whip up something with my\nduar. I don't suppose you have any suggestions? Like a nice strong ocelot male\nfor you to play with?\"\n\"That does sound yummy, but I'm not\ninterested in becoming with child. Sex can be fun with all types, and since you\ncan accommodate me in any form you chose, why not pick something you haven't\nbeen before.\"\n\"That covers a lot of ground.\"\n\"Well, how about something you've\nnot been before, but is similar to something you've been in the past. Then, you\nwon't be surprised by its possibilities. What have you been before?\" \n\"As you know, I've been a unicorn,\nand a wolf, and a naiad, and a...\"\n\"A wolf huh? They're kind of\ninteresting, for a canine. But I think they're kind of big for my taste. I'd\nprefer a companion of equal size. Could you do a jackal?\"\n\"A jackal? Sure, I suppose so. I've\nnever met one that I can recall. But then, I'm still getting used to my new memory\narrangement. Who knows what I've seen and what I haven't?\"\nHe sat down and plucked the strings\nto his duar. He hardly needed a proper song anymore. The magic was in his head.\nStill, he searched for one that seemed outwardly appropriate. One jumped out, a\nrather obscure one at that, but one that on the face of it seemed good. What it\nwas hardly mattered to her or to the magic. She had never heard a single song\nfrom his world, and while there were better ones to promote his home planet,\nthis one wasn't the worse. The title was good, and if he ignored the lyrics a\nbit and concentrated on the magic, it should be fine. He broke into song;\nThe most familiar room,\nEvery implement was leading to you,\nAnd your homely sense of disarray,\nNever once the same, always rearranged,\nBut things would never change,\nIn the scene between the window frame, \nWhere the jackals preyed on every soul,\nWhere they tied you to a pole, \nAnd stripped you of your clothes,\nI was a dreamer...\n                She listened to it intently, obviously liking the\nmusic but confused by the lyrics. Still, it had the desired effect. By the time\nthe song was done, he was a handsome jackal. Even his clothes had shrunk to his\nnew proportions. \n                \"That was an interesting song, though I must admit it\nbaffled me. I have never heard such strange words before. Did you write it?\"\n                He was patting himself down. Then his eyes lit up. A\ncanine body meant having a knot. He rather liked knots. \"Write it? No, I didn't\nwrite it. A band from my world called the Villagers wrote it. It's called\n\"Becoming a Jackal\" which is just what I wanted to do. I probably could have\nmade it work with any song, but I like keeping it in line with my original\nmagical talent.\"\n                \"Well, all I can say is, you're one handsome canine.\nAnd this is from someone who is pretty choosy about whom she hangs around with.\"\n                He was a shorter than before which was OK with him.\nHis normal height often left him towering over others.\n                \"So handsome, what does a lady have to do to get a\nlittle action from such a dashing male as yourself?\"\n                He about choked. \"Are you offering, or are you\nsuggesting that I should make a move?\"\n                She smiled. \"Oh, I don't know Jon-Tom, whatever suits\nyour fancy!\"\n                That stopped him dead. \"Uh, don't call me that. I\nthink that I had better go with Aiden Drake. That's been my general go-to name\nsince I had a little mishap back in Hobarrow.\"\n                \"Aiden Drake? A dragon hardly suits you now, I think.\nYou need something cool and suave to call yourself. It'll hardly matters to the\nPlated Folk what your name is, I suppose. \nBut I want to call you something that I can remember for the rest of my\nlife.\"\n                \"What, and Jon-Tom isn't good enough?\"\n                \"Yes, but you just said I shouldn't use it. We need\nto come up with something else. Hmmmm. You could take my brother's name. He was\nkilled a few years ago. No one will ever be the wiser.\"\n                \"Sounds kind of creepy, me going by your brother's\nname. Sounds a bit incestuous too.\"\n                \"It was. He was a wonderful lover. But creepy; I\ndon't think so. You're not him, nor will you ever take his place in my\nmemories. His name was Hanobos.\" \n                 He thought it\nover. The name, the way she pronounced it, sounded familiar. \"Hanobos. That's a\nnice simple name. I think I could get used to being called that. Will that make\nour sex from now on weird?\"\n                \"Any weirder than me lying under a human turned into\na jackal on his way to confront the Plated Folk? Nah! To be honest, I like you\nhuman, but my time with my brother was also time spent with family. Call it\nfreakish if you want, but I've seen in your mind; remember? Sex with your cubs\nis down the same path as me and my brother. I think you have little room to talk.\"\n                Against his better judgment, he tackled her. He knew\nshe was more flexible and more lithe, but she didn't try to move out of the way. He should have seen\nit coming. She grinned as her claws dug into his flesh. \"Ok Hanobos. Your first\norder of business is to make this girl happy. Until your quest is over, it's\njust you and I. Deal?\"\n                His thoughts went out to Sybeele. She would miss him\nwhile he was gone, but she now carried great power, so he hardly needed to\nworry about how she would get along. She seemed better suited to governing the\ncity than he, and if she had Eve around, between the two of them the world\nwould be safe for a while. That is, unless he managed to do something stupid\nonce they passed through the Jo-Troom Gate into the Greendowns. Then he had to\nwonder if the gate even stood at this time. There probably had to be something\nto keep them at bay. So for now, the world would survive.\n                \"Deal!\" He rolled her over and pinned her down. He\nconcentrated  his magic to his hand. It\nwas difficult, but not impossible. He could perform without the assistance of\nhis duar, but it was much more difficult. He placed his hand against her dress\nand watched with satisfaction as it vanished. She cried foul.\n                \"Hey, who said you could do that?\"\n                \"I\ndid.\" In the next instant, his clothing vanished without a trace.\n\"I happened to like that dress!\"\n\"Me too. Don't you think I can\nbring it back when we're done?\"\nShe suddenly got coy. \"Done doing\nwhat?\"\n\"This.\"\nHe folded her into his arms and\ngave her a deep, passionate kiss. Being in such close contact sent shivers up\nand down his spine. He didn't know how she did it, only that he liked it. She\ncould feel his excitement grow in his body even as she could feel it through\nhis contact. For her the link was often only one way. A few of her former\npartners could feel the bond, but even then none so strongly. With him it was\nlike floating in an endless blue sky. They were two clouds intermeshed with one\nanother.\nThat was what was happening with\ntheir bodies. He was as experienced as any lover she had ever taken. He worked\nhis cock in like the expert he was. She was almost disappointed when it wasn't\nhis normal one. She should have figured it would change with him. He picked up\non her thoughts and made the proper adjustment. \"Never let it be said that I\nwould purposely disappoint a lover.\"\nShe dug in and pulled him in as\nclose as she could. She then left her body and entered his mind. \"From what\nI've seen, I don't think it's possible. Do you mind if we make love here in\nyour head? It seems a nice place to do it now that it's more relaxed.\"\n\"I suppose we could, but then why\ndid you have me change? It seems I could sculpt my intellect and my persona\ninto anything you might what at any time you might want it.\"\n\"Silly man! Our bodies will be\nmimicking what we do here. I could have had you change into a bull, and in your\nmind I would survive it, only to find my body broken and bloodied. So don't be\nstupid if you can help it.\"\n\"Stupid? Yes, I can be that at\ntimes. The best way to save me from myself is to get me to shut up.\"\nShe sat on his lap and kissed him.\n\"Shut up dear human.\"\n\"As you wish!\"\nFrom that moment on they were lost\nin each other. For her part, she had never had a lover who was so open, and\nopen in so many ways. His mind was filled with glorious things, but all she\nwanted right now was to feel his embrace. She could also feel a rise underneath\nher, coming from a very hot and prominent cock. She had never taken a canine\nlover before, and while he didn't qualify as a legitimate one, he was filling\nthe part quite nicely.\nHis cock grew right up to greet her\nmost private area. She knew it was happening in real life too. It wedged up\ntight against her slit. She spread her legs even wider pulling her lips apart\nand exposing her glistening pink moistness. He slipped in, his head pushing\naside her furry lips. He stopped for a second. She knew right away he was\ntoying with her. The head of his cock was barely inside. She could feel him\nexpand it until she winced just a little.\n\"Is there a point to this exercise?\nI am well aware of your ability.\"\n\"Being aware and experiencing are\ntwo sides of the same coin. Experience is your best teacher. I was just showing\nyou what I could offer.\" She could feel him shrinking.\n\"Right there will be fine!\" She\ncooed. His cock was slipping in farther now, and it was filling her up from the\nentrance to her deepest, most hidden spot. Thankfully, for the moment, her\nposition kept her from taking the whole thing. She was a feline. A knot was a\ntough thing to take for a non-canine. He knew quite well that what felt good to\na male didn't necessarily feel as good to his partner.\nHe was therefore surprised when she\npressed down where his knot was. She could tell what he was thinking. \"If your\ncock is so large I have to complain, then how bad do you think your knot would\nbe? I'm no fool! All things in proper doses!\" In the next instant she forced\nherself down, engulfing his right to the hilt. His knot expanded to fill the\nvoid.\nOnce that happened, they were\nlocked together until it faded. He didn't know if she knew it or not, but he\ncould control it. She didn't let on, but she did know. All they needed to do was\nto quit thinking. After all, they were essentially making love in his seat of\nintelligence; his mind. \nStill, I made him think. This was\nthe first time he had ever made love to a feline as a canine. There was the\nwhole thing about fighting like cats and dogs, not screwing like them. Funny\nthing was, except for the jackal body form, he could have changed his cock at\nany time.  He was left to wonder what\nthey looked like, locked as they were, in their physical forms. \nHe didn't dwell on it. Right now he\nwas inside her, tightly wedged by a male canine's best friend. He made several\nmore adjustments until he was packed in tight. She let out a gasp and a squeak,\nbut that was as far as she would go. She did open her eyes a crack when she\ntried moving. She found herself stuck fast. \n\"Hey funny boy! I want to make\nlove, not feel like I landed on a Billy club!\"\nHe winked. \"So I'm enthusiastic and\nwell endowed. Maybe you should let me take over!\"\nShe shook her head. \"Oh no! I see\nwhat you're planning. I want to be able to walk to the Gate under my own power.\nHaving you smash me to bits and then heal me back to normal isn't going to cut\nit!\"\nHe sighed. \"Oh, it wouldn't be that\nbad! I haven't been able to fully get it on with a knot since Orath. Now that\ngirl could take a knot!\"\n\"Yes, as could your children. So\ncan I, if you don't get too carried away. I'm not into masochism, but I can\nhandle myself quite well. So either you behave, or...\"\n\"Or what? You and I are now locked\ntogether.\"\n\"Silly man. I know you're being\npurposely obtuse, but let me remind you. We are in a dream state, but our\nbodies reflect what we do here. Thus, if I want to, I can do this.\" She\nsqueezed her muscles, those surrounding his cock, until tears came to his eyes.\n\"I like your enthusiasm, but let's keep it civil for now. Just because you're\njaded doesn't mean I am. It also doesn't mean I'm not.\"\nHe was intrigued. He was going to\nhave to spend more time with her than he first thought. She was extraordinary\nin so many ways. He shrunk his cock down until it was a nice snug fit. She\nresponded by purring. \"That, my handsome man, is what I'm talking about.\"\nThey made love until the early\nmorning hours. At some point their consciousnesses migrated from his mind to\ntheir proper bodies. About an hour after that they were both too tired to\ncontinue and drifted off to sleep. They awoke well after the sun had crossed\nthe horizon. They made some food and got underway.\nJon-Tom knew they were getting\nclose when they passed a huge quarry filled with detritus and huge stone\nblocks. The Warmlanders had carved out half of a mountain to build the wall. It\nwas such an ambitious project that in the end, a huge number of blocks were\nnever moved. Apparently some politician or governor had decided enough was\nenough and quit spending money on a necessary project when it was only\nhalf-ways done. Jon-Tom contemplated the stupidity of those in power and kept\nwalking.\nThey arrived at the Gate. It was\nmuch smaller than Jon-Tom remembered it. It blocked the pass between the peaks\nof Zaryt's Teeth, but it was both thinner and lower than in his day. There was\nan encampment where the soldiers that manned the wall lived. They were a\nrelaxed and happy crowd. Since there had been no sign of an upcoming war with\nthe Plated Folk, most of them considered this to be a forced vacation from\ntheir regular duties.\nTheir approached was immediately\nnoticed, but no one made any attempt to stop them. After all, the wall was more\nof a tourist attraction at the moment. Small groups of people came daily to see\nthe great stone rampart and hear the tales of past wars. There were a few old timers\nthere, ones who had participated in small skirmishes whenever the Plated Folk\ntried to test the wall and its defenses. There had been no major offensive\nhowever in a fairly long time. Alma had participated as a dragon, but she would\nnever be available to tell her stories. She was now restricted to a single\nlocation until such time as he felt she deserved to be freed.\n The two, the feline and the jackal, climbed\nthe steps to the top. The view down into the Greenlands was breathtaking. It\nwas difficult to imagine the place being the scene of so much destruction. It\nwas full of lush and verdant growth, extending from the base of the wall to as\nfar as the eye could see. Lanana had never been here before. \"Why is it so\ngreen? I was expecting to see nothing but a barren wasteland.\"\n\"Every time there's a battle, the\nbodies of the fallen Plated Folk are left to rot. The soil here has to be the\nrichest around. I'm almost surprised someone hasn't tried farming this. Then\nagain, who would want to risk it?\" he explained. Only later was the reason\nexplained to him.\n\"That sounds kind of gruesome. I\nmean, I don't like the damn bugs and their desire to kill all that is good, but\nstill. Why doesn't someone bury the bodies?\"\n\"The Warmlanders have enough to do\nwith their own dead and wounded after each battle. The Plated Folk seem to have\nno compassion for the dying. They leave them to lie where they fell.\"\nShe shuddered a little, despite the\nwarm sunlight. \"I can't imagine being that unfeeling.\"\nHe smiled. She was a wonderful\nperson, inside and out. She had few expectations from anyone. His cynical\nnature found that appealing. People weren't apt to let you down if you didn't\nhave high ideals for them. She had found him to be exceptional, yet despite\nthis, she accepted him as a fairly ordinary person. She never asked for favors\nthat couldn't be granted normally (like the sex) and she never asked to be\ntreated any better or worse than he would anyone else. Of course, she also knew\nhis nature. She had a heads-up on how he really was. The fact that he went\nabove and beyond was his own doing.\nThey stayed at the wall for a few\ndays before preparing to go over the edge into the Greendowns. No one knew\ntheir intentions; otherwise there would have been a fuss about it. The only\nones allowed by law to enter those lands were the scouts who patrolled the\nregion daily. In real life, the guards wouldn't stop anyone from going into the\nGreendowns. Anyone wanting to go was probably crazy and a threat to themselves\nand those around them. Let the bugs finish them off!\n The day before they planned on leaving, a\npatrol came back running at top speed. Whatever it was that had spooked them,\nit wasn't good. \"Lord Commander! Plated Folk are making their way up the\nvalley. They will be here in three day's time!\"\nThe commander was perplexed and\npeeved. \"Why now? And how many?\"\n\"I estimate a good ten thousand\nstrong sir! We don't have enough troops to protect the wall from so many!\" The\nscout was nearly in tears. His pants were soiled, and not from riding!\n\"No we don't. Send a dispatch to\nthe military governor. Tell him of the impending attack. Tell him to send\nwhomever he can find. We have weapons for several hundred more hands, but I\ndoubt it will be enough. I can only hope the wall will hold. With that many\ndamn bugs, their dead piled in front of the wall will make a ramp for the rest!\nWe'll be overrun.\" He dropped down in his chair in defeat.\nJon-Tom coughed. \"Commander,\nperhaps I can help?\"\nThe normally stoic wolverine looked\nup and shook his head. \"I can always use a good arm for throwing a spear. Going\ndown fighting is a far better thing than cowardice.\"\n\"That's not what I was thinking of.\nYou can't get more men here in time; that seems obvious. How about taking a\ndifferent route? Why not shore up the Ja-Troom Gate?\"\nThe commander twitched his nose.\n\"Oh, what an excellent idea! That would only take five times the men we have on\nhand. Why didn't I think of that? Tire the men out before the attack!\" He went\nback to sulking.\nJon-Tom wasn't put off. \"I'll tell\nyou what commander. If you allow me one favor, I'll do it myself.\"\nThe wolverine bared his teeth.\n\"What are you, some kind of nut?\" Then he saw the duar as the jackal pulled it\nfrom around his back. \"Or something you haven't let on about?\"\n\"I am what I am.  I can reinforce the wall in time for the\nonslaught of the insects. Then your men can hold it until such time as extra\ntroops can arrive.\"\nThe wolverine stared at him with narrowed\neyelids. \"I don't know who you are, but by the old gods, if you can do it, I'll\ngive you anything you want.\"\n\"Good! Now hand over your two\nstaffs of authority.\"\nThe commander glanced over to the\nsymbols of his power. \"They won't do you a bit of good. They are mere baubles\nthat some old fools gave me to show my rank and authority. They haven't been\nout of my tent in a year. Everyone will follow me, not those gold covered\ntoys!\"\n\"I don't doubt it. I want them to be\nable to place magic into them. I have my own way of doing things. I came here\nto cross the wall and to confront the Plated Folk in their own lands. Now it\nlooks like they are coming to me. I have no desire for bloodshed on either\nside, but I will do what I came to do. The staffs will find a good use. If I\nput power into both of them, then two people can work on the wall, making the\njob faster.\"\nThe commander rubbed his head in\nconfusion. \"Oh, just what I need, a wizard. Go! Take the damn things and do\nwhat you will. I can't stop you. But if you can raise the wall higher in three\ndays time, then I will give you every ounce of gold and silver I own!\" \n\"Keep your money commander. I have\nno use for it whatsoever.\" Jon-Tom picked up the ornate staffs and walked out\nof the tent. Lanana followed close behind. \"What are you going to do? Turn them\ninto weapons?\"\n                He\nshook his head. \"No. There are enough spears and swords lying around for that.\nIf I put my power into one of those and it got lost in the shuffle, then it\nmight get picked up by someone who shouldn't be wielding it. These staffs are\nunique and therefore recognizable. They are pretty to look at but useless for\nprotection.\"\n \"So what are they going to be for?\"\n\"I'm going to use them to move the\nold cut blocks from the quarry we passed. Each one will be imbued with power\nand attuned for levitating the stones from there to here. It will be tedious,\nbut I don't want to make this too obviously easy. If they think I can just\ndamper the severity of the oncoming threat, then I will have done a great\nservice. I don't want to influence history more than is necessary.\"\nShe snickered. \"Boy, that' a change\nfrom a short while ago. You were willing to disrupt time itself to achieve your\nends.\"\n\"And you showed me the error of my\nways. Now, down to business. In my time the wall was much higher and thicker.\nThe quarry has hundreds of those multi-ton blocks. I would guess we would be\nbetter put to building the wall higher first.\"\nHe sat down and fiddled with his\nduar, tuning it. He wanted a song that would evoke the need for power. Having a\nsong with the word in the title and/or lyrics would be best. The problem was,\nhe was on short notice and his memories were still falling into place. But\nthere was one, an oldie of sorts from a remarkable band. His fingers ran over\nthe instruments dual strings. The distinctive sounds echoed from within the\nresonance chamber. He smiled. He had always liked Boston.\nHe belted out \"Higher Power\" with\nthe decibels of a rock concert. Soldiers stared and gaped at the couple as the\nmusic bounced off the nearby mountains. Lenana had her paws over her ears.\nHalfway into the song the staffs began glowing, from yellow to orange to red.\nBy the end of the song there were white hot. If this world had any link to\nnormal physics, the staffs would have been molten slag. When the music was\ndone, the colors faded back through the spectrum until both were their normal\ngold color.\nLanana refused to touch them. \"Are\nyou sure they work?\"\nJon-Tom picked one up. He pointed\nit at her and concentrated. She yelped when she rose off the ground. He hoisted\nher a good fifteen feet before leaving her to hover. His audience gasped.\nHaving been attracted by his impromptu rendition of a song not yet written,\nthey were now being amazed by the results of his magic. He lowered her down,\nfeet flailing. \n\"Fine, so they work. Please don't\ndo that again! I'm afraid of heights!\"\n\"You did ok on the wall!\" He was\nreveling in the immense power he had built into each one. Wiser yet, he had\ngiven them the ability to regenerate their power from the sun. Solar powered\nwands! That meant that when they were done, he could return them to the\ncommander. They would go back to being useless little emblems of his power\nhere, but they would still have the potential for greatness.\n\"Yes, and I had solid stone under\nmy feet, not thin air!\"\nHe was amused, but was kind enough\nto stifle any more comments. They set off towards the quarry. \"Jon-Tom, there\nare an awful lot of stones to move. Even with two of use, how will we get them\nthere in time?\"\n\"We may not, but it won't stop us\nfrom trying. I think that if we move them in a stair step pattern; moving\ngroups of them together over shorter distances, we'll get enough there to raise\nthe wall by a good ten feet.\"\n\"And if the Plated Folk storm over\nit anyway? Will you destroy them?\"\n\"I don't know. I guess I'll figure\nthat out if it happens.\"\nLanana had to get used to using her\nmind to control the wand. It fit in her hand, but just barely. It was an\nunusual thing with a cross piece and a loop on the end. It was an old symbol\nthat signified the right of the commander over life and death. The loop\nrepresented a noose, and the crosspiece the beam to which it was tied. It was\nembossed with the sigils of the local rulers who held sway over the army. It\nwas ugly and gaudy and right now, in her hands, it was getting a greater use\nthan it was ever intended to have. \nHis was a flail, an old symbol for\nthe submission of all those who fell before you. This one would conveniently\nlock into one solid staff. It too had the sigils of the local governors. He\nused it expertly like a wand to lift the blocks and float them, from his\nstanding position, to a spot nearly a quarter mile away. She quickly followed\nhis example and was in no time as adept as he in moving them. When they each\nhad moved about thirty apiece, they moved up to where they were at now and\nmoved them again. They made a good team.\nGetting them up on the wall was a\nlittle more challenging. The commander demanded that his men stay at their\npositions, so placing the blocks without crushing anyone proved alarmingly\ndangerous. Still, by the end of the second day, the wall was another twenty\nfeet higher. The stones weren't locked into place, but they were heavy enough\nthat they weren't going to be moving on their own.\nThey spent that night in a private\ntent the commander had set aside for their use. The sound that came from their\ntent would have attracted a lot of attention in a normal military encampment,\nbut seeing as this one was semi permanent, females in the form of girl friends\nand wives were abundant. The creaking cot and sighs and moans were ignored\nexcept by the loneliest of soldiers.\nThe next morning there came a shout\nfrom the wall. Everyone, females alike, hastily dressed, grabbing whatever\nweapons were closest. There were already piles of spears on the newly elevated\ntop of the Ja-Troom Gate. With any luck, there would be no need for the swords\nand such. Jon-Tom had his duar and his levitation flail. Lanana had hers to.\nThey might not be too valuable in a battle, but they were better than nothing.\nThere were a group of Plated Folk\nat the front of the line, but as they approached the wall, they moved to the\nside. They knew well enough that those closest to enemy were the first to die.\nJon-Tom strained his eyes to get a good look at the group. He figured it would\nconsist of generals and captains. He saw the colors of the uniforms and assumed\nhe was correct. Then he paused. One insect was hidden within the folds of a\nback robe. A robe had no military rank. That could only mean he was a wizard. A\nwizard was always bad news. Something told him that they were probably not\nexpecting one on this side of the wall.\nJon-Tom pulled out his duar and\ncheated. He performed a quick song that improved his vision to that of an eagle.\nHis eyes could now distinctly see the Plated Folks faces. The robe slipped back\nrevealed a dark blue, iridescent beetle. Sure enough, his robe had magical\nsymbols on it and he was fumbling with some jars of powder. His overall shape\nand actions reminded Jon-Tom of Clothahump.\nNow, it seemed as though it was\nfate that had drawn Jon-Tom here, at this time. He dismissed it, remembering\nhow he had destroyed any hold fate had on this planet. Then he stiffened. That\nwas a long time into the future. Fate may still be at hand here and now. As it\nwas, a typical attack on the wall would probably be defendable, but a wizard\nmight turn the tables. He reported his findings to the commander.\n\"I hate wizards! No offense sir,\nbut they are too hard to contend with. It's hard to deflect magic like you do a\nspear or an arrow. What do you propose?\"\n\"I suppose the wisest thing would\nbe to go down and confront him in person. I think it's safe to say that between\nthe two of us, I'm the stronger wizard.\"\n\"You sound confident. You also\nsound cocky. You'll be doing nothing for us if you're dead. I'd rather have you\non the wall chucking spears than doing a fool's errand down there on the\nGreendowns. But...you will do as you will. You fortified the wall, and for that,\nI owe you everything. If you think you can neutralize this threat against which\nwe have no defense, then do as you see fit.\"\nLanana latched onto his arm. \"We\nwill do it together!\"\n\"Like hell we will. I know that I\ncan come through this intact. You have no such assurance!\"\n\"Sure I do. You'll not let me come\nto harm. I'm going. Two are always better than one. If nothing else, I can hold\nwhile you punch!\"\nHe knew better than to argue. They\nwent over the wall, lowered by ropes. They headed down into the depression that\nlay before the gate, where the horde of armed insects waited to cut them down.\nAs a matter of fact, a troop of them were headed their way. Jon-Tom pulled out\nhis duar and strummed the strings. He wasn't looking to do anything with\nfinesse. He immediately belted out Ozzy Osborne's Crazy Train. The duar\namplified his voice. The initial \"all aboard!\" was enough to send the bugs\ntumbling in all directions. He kept the song up to discourage the others from\nattacking in their stead. The old bat-biter would have been proud!\nWhen he stopped, the insects were in\ndisarray and immobile. Well, they at least didn't attack him. There was sort of\na hive-mind appearance to them, like someone was controlling their actions. He\nlooked up to see the beetle wizard standing with his robe pulled back. His head\nwas cocked as he examined the Warmlander from afar.\nHis voice was as stiff as a\nstarched shirt. \"So. The warm-bloods knew of our plan. No matter. In a short\ntime you will be dead. Your noise may scatter my legions, but when I focus\ntheir mind to mine, they will act as one. I, Khepri, the Lord Wizard of the\nPlated Folk, hereby decree it. This day will go down as a glorious one!\"\nJon-Tom laughed. \"And I was told I\nwas cocky! Well Khepri, prepare to be thoroughly swatted!\"\nThe beetle threw a powder that\ncoalesced into a giant, carnivorous dragon fly. Unlike the small ones that the\nhuman used to find around ponds, this one was a cross between a true dragon and\na fly. I was three to four feet long and belched fire. It lunged at Jon-Tom. He\nsidestepped it and slammed his fist on the top of its head. It hit the ground\nout cold, smoke billowing from its mouth.\nKhepri hardly waited to see the\nresults. He made a gesture and created a globe of ball lightning between his\nhands. He flung it towards his counterpart. Jon-Tom batted it aside as easily\nas he had the dragonfly. The next was fountain of lava that seemed to erupt\nfrom the ground underneath him.  Jon-Tom\ngrabbed some of it with his new wand and flung it into the air, where he formed\nit into a glowing orb. It suddenly shot downwards like a meteor. The wizard\ndove to the side just in time. The fireball decimated one of the Plated Folk generals,\nleaving nothing but a smoldering husk.\nJon-Tom could have crushed him at\nany time, but he didn't want to give a full display of his power. No one needed\nto know. Khepri was gearing up for another attack, and Jon-Tom was going to\nmake it look good. That was when Lanana stepped in beside him. She aimed her\nstaff at the beetle. He rose off the ground and flew high into the air. Jon-Tom\nhad just gotten his duar out and was preparing to play a devastating song.\nKhepri was speaking some spell, despite his awkward position. Jon-Tom got his\nsong started. The spell, whatever it was, came flashing down. Jon-Tom\ninstinctively held the duar up to absorb the blow.\nThere was a momentary dizziness.\nThen the light was gone and he was surrounded by cold nothingness. He tried to\nbreath, but there was no air. He tried to move, but it was as if his limbs\ndidn't exist. He couldn't tell where the Greendowns were, where Lanana was, or\nwhat had happened to the wizard. The seconds ticked away. He wasn't certain if\nhe should be worried or not.  He\nrecognized time travel by now. The question was; which direction was he going?\nAs long as it was taking to transpire, it could be anywhere far in the future,\nor somewhere far in the past. There was no way of knowing until he came out of\nthe time vortex. Hopefully, Lana would be close. The other wizard could go to\nhell for all he cared."}