FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

"Sir? We've located him." The low growl of the hyena at the door brought Trentian's head up from his dinner, or rather, his contemplation of the dinner.

"And are you sure? We have already made landfall in two countries that nearly took our tails and this damnable place." The leopard growled out softly as he subdued the first rush of eagerness that rose up in his breast.

"Yes. The alchemist we brought on board this evening had reports of him and was on retainer." The dark muzzled hyena inclined his head slightly, his eyes flicking down respectfully. Mags had always been a good captain, slow, but loyal and thorough in his own way. "Ballum was there not two weeks back and there is every reason to believe he will be remaining there."

"Where?" Trentian's dark rimmed ears flicked back and he allowed the excitement to rise in his throat with the softest edge of a purr.

"The Gate. The only damned place in this side of the country that would accept him." Mags licked his lips and twitched his broad ears up. "Shall I set sail, sir?"

"Yes. Retain the alchemist, he will be... useful." The leopard's dark black tail lashed behind him, catching on the edges of his chair.

The hyena managed another bow, always so eager to please, before turning to head up the stairs to give the orders. It would ruin the peaceful air that he had been enjoying, the quiet meal and the distant sound of the port town. To some of the men that he hired, this was what they lived for, they basked in the feel of the ship rocking and the smell of salt on the air, but he had never seen the appeal. He hadn't been born for this life, he had been born for the jungles and temples that had marked his home land. Where his dark black hide and vibrant white-orange spots had given him wealth, power and enough influence that he was second in line to the throne. He should be reclining there in comfort, relaxed and contemplating his eventual rise to the throne, but that had been before Ballum had made landfall in his home and destroyed all of the carefully laid plans.

The thought of the wolf brought a growl to Trentian's throat and he reached out to grab his weighted wine glass to sip the bitter vintage. It wasn't even sweet, it was the swill that he had been able to afford when he'd set off on this journey. He had been lucky to escape with that. The wolf had arrived in the midst of a group of traders who had spoken sweetly and finely to the High Priest. They had made themselves at home and pledged that they would not stay longer than it took to gather more supplies, but at the end of a week they had left, and taken with them one of his country's greatest treasures.

Unfortunately, it had been a treasure easy to smuggle out of the country, small enough to hide in any small pack or pouch. It was an alchemist's gem that had been created by his ancestors, one that embodied the element of fire. It had been carved out of the stomach of a salamander hundreds of years before he was born and been held in trust in the midst of the royal temple. It was coated in generations of his family's blood, each one binding closer to the royal household. Trentian had stood to inherit it when he reached the throne, his blood would be added to those that came before him. As long as that gem remained in the temple, their country would prosper, the volcanoes silenced by the long dead salamander and his own bloodline, and now it was gone. Their safety was gone. Their net was gone. All for the greed of a wolf.

They had already caught up with the 'traders' he had been seen with, but it took time. It had taken them nearly a month, but when they had the men had said the wolf had wanted the gem, they hadn't realized his intent to take it. It was beyond audacious, and the leopard couldn't return home until he had the fire gem back in his possession, and for that he needed to track down the damned wolf. It was likely the creature didn't even realize what he actually possessed, he thought it only another odd bit of alchemy that he coveted. Within the heart of that gem was the soul of the Salamander that it had been torn from, locked away to keep the blessing of fire alive for all eternity. If the blasted wolf didn't understand what he had, if he tried to use it wrongly, the beast could escape. The thought was enough to make the leopard swallow a mouthful of bitter wine to steady his nerves and pushed up onto his foot paws, his ears held back.

There was a reason that the Salamanders had all been hunted down and killed, the beasts were the essence of fire in the worst way. Their emotions and tempers flared wildly, they could destroy entire cities simply by being told 'no'. They, and so many other creatures, had been forced back by the alchemists for the good of everyone and now Ballum held one in the palm of his paw. Or rather part of one, the gem wasn't simply some innocent elemental beast, it was twisted and reshaped by generations of handling. They had to retrieve it, no matter what the cost. It was quite possible he understood what he held and he was only holding it long enough to hand the power to an army that would use it for war. How grateful would the soul of a Salamander be if it found its way into a new body?

_Damn him... No wonder he has fled to the Gate. Every trader worth his salt will be there, and he can make a fortune from his theft._Trentian let out a low growl as he stormed to the deck of his ship, willing the winds to blow faster, willing for them to make it in time.

~ ~ * ~ ~

The sound and scents of Arol's Gate were unique to anyone who came to visit, ever changing, ever shifting, alive in the strangest possible ways. The Gate stood at a crossroads, not on any land locked mass, but on an Isle that had stood the test of time and withheld an aura of neutrality that allowed for traders to come with precious goods when many of the main land countries had grudges and armies that were willing to defend their shores from foreign invaders. It was a mish mash of cultures that clashed together in glorious color, with every season changing it with the traders that arrived during their bountiful seasons before setting sail again. And Varien treasured each and every moment of it, every shifting tide, every sound of the bells tolling over the ocean to announce that the gates were open. With the curiosity of a cat, he never failed to approach the new traders eagerly when they arrived.

The caracal leapt down from the stairs lightly, balancing on his paws perfectly as he peered out towards the distant port to see the sails flashing brightly in every color of the sun. He could already pick out the multi-hued sales that marked the Alchemist's Guild, his favorite season of all. His tail twitched back and forth and he adjusted the dark green of his tunic and tried to make himself presentable as he started down the narrow stairs that led towards the marketplace. The Gate was built as a giant hill, winding upwards all the way to the temple and palace that rested at the very peak. He had called it home since the time he had first been able to leave home, settling in a place that still embraced alchemy and all their strange ways.

He had never wanted to be one of the hunters and trappers that had sprung up from his family, such things hadn't held his attention nearly so much as the modest library he had grown up near. The books there had been filled with the fantastic histories of his home, flooding his mind with knowledge and information that he devoured greedily, always looking for another that he hadn't picked up yet to drink down. In the course of a year he had red nearly everything that the collection had to offer, and it had only whet his appetite for more. It was just a touch of knowledge, not enough to satisfy him, but he doubted there was enough in the entire world to truly satisfy him. It had been no surprise when he'd left his home, casting away from everything he knew to find new lands and new things to learn.

At first he had simply enjoyed reading, any scroll he could lay his hands on he devoured, but over time he learned to narrow his view to one particular type. Alchemy. The art of changing the world around him, of the elements and stones, a mystical art that was shrouded in half finished documents and hidden codes that took a master to see through. He devoured them, he loved them, everything was so gloriously organized and chaotic all at once that he was never bored when he found a new scroll. Each one held something new, something strange, something forbidden, something exotic. It was a glorious, and that was what had led him to Arol's Gate. It was a hub of magnificent culture and exchange, markets that were overflowing with foreign traders that could be bargained with for new goods.

His home was filled with piles of treasures that he examined and pulled apart, finding the ways and why's of how things were made. The market place allowed for an inquisitive creature like himself to never be trapped and bored, especially not on days like today when the ports had been opened to allow new traders into the heart of the city. It was none too soon, he had seven scrolls that he had copied and mastered, and now he had the means to trade for something more valuable. Ingredients. The uncommon ones that only the masters would have available for trade, that could be used in more advanced potions that he had been eager to try. There was no other place in the world like this one, no other place could compare, every land eventually came here to trade.

The caracal neatly dropped down from the steps and landed on his foot paws lightly, his tail balancing behind him as he shifted the pack on his shoulder to make sure that nothing had shifted or damaged in the drop. The sound of the market echoed up to him, enticing and growing louder as he knew that most of the inhabitants that stayed here were already filtering down to the ships. There would be quite a few off the market trades going on to avoid taxes, but he had never been interested in them, nothing he wanted boasted higher taxes. Most of what he wanted would be unloaded first, the things that were

He slipped along the back alleys with an eye to the crowd that moved along the main street. It took time to zig zag through the little known short cuts that got him around the crush of people that made up the main pathways. His lean body made it easy for him to slip between tight buildings until he landed on the narrow row that boasted small open shops that were still setting up their canopies. Merchants were just arriving, their carts, but had yet to unpack and that meant the best was still there for the picking. He pushed his glasses up along the bridge of his muzzle and tried his best to keep himself from purring as his eyes flicked this way and that. All the treasures of the world and he could have his pick.

He wandered from cart to cart, poking his head among the wares. Many were simply ingredients for the healers, herbs and medications from afar that had little use for what he intended to do with them. Some were unique, but... dull. A robins egg that was filled with liquid silver, fire that had been taken from an active volcano and carefully nutured for the trip, small stones and minerals form the heart of the earth. They all had uses that were unique, but they weren't challenging. He was tired of fumbling along like he was some sort of kitten. He had mastered the basics, he was ready to go further, try something new, try something that would be well and truly a challenge, but he needed to find something worthy of his time.

He was sorting through a large cart filled with trade items from the Khazik Islands when the wolf appeared in the marketplace. Black as pitch with a white splash running over his throat, he was scruffy and had the faintly sharp scent of someone who had just spent a long amount of time on a ship. The only thing that looked well put together was the pack he wore on his back, his paws gripped the straps possessively from the moment he came into the little square, the emerald eyes flicking around as if anticipating someone was going to meet him. He wasn't that unique or remarkable, but his bag.... his bag was. The brass glyph that sealed the bag shut caught his eye, making the caracal pause in his examinations to try and see the pattern.

It was a dragon, a twisting and curled dragon wrapped around a circle closed the bag with the narrow head turned to look outwards. Every scale was carved in detail, the eyes were bright red and seemed to glow as they regarded the world without a hint of emotion. Most of the people in the square wouldn't have thought anything about the bit of artwork, but he knew it. In Alchemy the dragon was a great serpent that twisted around the earth and ensnared it in the massive coils and holding all the elements in check save air. It was a binding sigil, one designed to catch and hold something raw and powerful, elemental and terrifying, something that set Varien's tail lashing back and forth rapidly, his large tufted ears lifted up high as he watched the wolf move around the market.

Something rare, something... unique. Would it be fire or water? Fire was dangerous, but water was powerful and subtle. It had to be something only a master would wield to require containment. That alone was enough to have him stalk the stranger, his eyes locked on the binding sigil as the wolf seemed less interested in what was being sold and more interested in space. There would only be one reason he had any interest in trying to find an unoccupied space.

"Are you here to sell?" The caracal didn't bother to introduce himself as he approached the stranger, his eyes refusing to look away from the promise of the dragon. "You have to pay a fee to set up a booth here in the city."

"And you're the guard?" The wolf's voice was strangely softer than his rough exterior, but it still held a hint of menace as the green eyes focused on him intently.

"No, but if you're here to sell, I have an interest in whatever is in that bag." He made no bones about his interest, his tail was flipping back and forth far too fast to try and pretend he wasn't interested.

"Just lookin' for a merchant to sell it too, " The wolf narrowed his eyes a little bit. "It's not a book."

"I'm not interested in a book." Varien answered smoothly. "A book wouldn't need to be bound in a bag, would it?"

"Alchemist?" The stranger's eyes brightened, ears swinging up high on his head with interest.

"Of sorts."

"Then we can deal." The wolf shifted the bag only a bit higher on his shoulder. "Names Allu, you got coin or trade goods?"

"Both." Varien flicked his whiskers forward and resisted the urge to touch the bag that was swung around to face him. "Do you have something worth one or the other?"

"I have enough for both. Fire Gem." Two words, two simple words, and the world faded away beyond Allum. For the first time in his life, Varien felt raw lust rise up and his eyes widen.

Fire Gems, barely contained essences of a fire elemental, bound to stone. As close to living fire as anyone could get. They were nearly impossible to find, nearly impossible to make, only a handful existed in the world. It was easier and safer to create one for water or air, but fire was wild and restless, it fought to break free of any container, and often succeeded. And he had to possess it, no matter the cost.

. .~ ~ * ~ ~

Varien didn't spent the day in the market the way he had planned, he had nothing left to sell and he had no coin in his pocket. It would be months before he recovered financially from one single purchase, but it had been worth it. His eyes slid towards the gem that looked out of place in his work room, but somehow still managed to fit. The gem was shaped like an egg, smooth and rounded, it was deep blood red in the candlelight, but he knew it was all an illusion. In the darkness it glowed a dark orange and yellow from its heart, not enough to illuminate the room, but enough to draw the eyes. Just looking at it made his paw itch to hold it again, to feel the warm pulsing weight against the palm of his paw and the tingle of the barely contained fire resting behind the hard outer shell.

Fire, real fire, contained and held in check by a knowledge of alchemy that he could barely imagine. Alchemist's had killed for a treasure such as this, many never even saw one, let alone possessed them. It took the death of a Salamander and the careful extraction of every bit of fire form the creature to make the gem, and even then it had to be contained and nurtured. It would extinguish if it weren't cared for properly or burst free in an all consuming vortex of flame, and he now possessed it. He hadn't been able to hide his lust for the object once he saw it, and the wolf had seen it, quite happily taking nearly every copper in his pockets in exchange for the gem. And it was still cheap for what it was.

Stolen, most likely. The feline curled his tail tip back and forth, surprised that the thought didn't bother him.

Much of what he found in the markets was stolen, that's how he collected so many scrolls and books that couldn't be found anywhere else in the world. Tonight, he unerringly went to one scroll that had been gathering dust for nearly a year. It was an original, penned by an Alchemist nearly a century ago and he had slowly and painfully translated every word. A master, a true master, one that had been inventive and innovative, who had been able to change the way that everyone had looked at the balance of the elements and objects of the earth. He had lingered over those spells, eager and frustrated that there were so little that he could do, but not tonight. Tonight, he had a key ingredient to create a potion that would challenge even a master's skills.

The masters would only be challenged because they rely on instinct and innovation alone, not on the facts. Varien returned to carefully melting the copper in the shallow pan, the other ingredients were being sucked under, the dried herbs and mineral salts burning off an acrid stench.

His eyes flicked towards his notes while he ran the heavy carved stone spoon through the copper, folding it on itself. He had settled on a summoning spell, one that had been carefully removed from later copies of the book he held in his possession. Forbidden, unlawful, dangerous, fueled by the hubris of the original author who had wanted to press the bounds of what he knew. The release of fire and creating a being from it, breathing intelligence into the creature, giving it a mind, but binding it tightly enough that it became little more than a slave. But, that was not the reason it was forbidden, it was forbidden because it required the death of an intelligent being to create another. Ritual sacrifice was forbidden.

With a flick he threw in another pawful of flaked copper mixed with crushed mineral salts, the sharp scent made him wrinkle his nose up. He wasn't so far gone as to sacrifice a live person, but that's why the gem was so terribly valuable. It had already had a sacrifice made to it, the life of the Salamander. There was death and life linked to it and he was going to draw it out. His mind was already ripe with visions of the being he could create. Perhaps he could make an intelligent salamander or even try to pattern it after a legendary dragon, or something small and flighted that could be used as a spy.

Bit by bit the shallow pan filled with the mixture, brilliant copper that tinged towards red-gold as he kept crushing bits of minerals and herbs into the mix. The sharp acrid scent filled his small room, his ears flipped back against his head as he tried to breathe shallowly through his nose. Eventually he was forced to throw open the windows to the cool night air to relieve himself of the scent of the mixture. He knew the steps, he had poured over them when he'd gotten home, and he double checked before each change. Creating the mixture wrong would end up in disaster, quite possibly even be deadly for him, but every step of the way he grew more confident in his abilities.

It was well past midnight by the time Varien picked up the gem, watching the muted glow flaring briefly at his touch. It was so warm, despite sitting in the chill night air, it still felt as if it had been sitting beside a fire. The caracel didn't flinch when he bit his own lower lip with one sharp tooth, sinking in hard enough to draw blood before he leaned down to kiss the smooth round surface. His blood flared like rubies in the noon day sun, glittering and oozing in a long droplet, smeared only when he moved his lips.

"Varien." He murmured his name and felt a throb in his chest, the fire gem grew brighter in his paws before he allowed it to slip free.

The gem hit the mixture, and for a moment there was nothing but the thunk of hard stone against metal and the acrid scent of the mixture being disturbed. He folded back his long tufted ears, nearly disappointed, before the gem began to glow brighter and brighter. It started red, but rapidly grew lighter with flickers of yellow and orange, the heart of the precious stone pulsing and stretching outwards while it rocked and twisted in place, rattling through the mixture of the potion he had created. The yellow turned to palest blue, and finally to white as he felt the heat singing his whiskers and making him stumble backwards. The gem no longer looked like a precious stone, it was cracking with white glowing lines that surrounded where his blood had touched the surface.

It was hatching. He had expected it to melt in the copper, it was supposed to melt into the copper, but it only rolled through it. Something rocked and shuddered inside of the gleaming surface, something that was desperately trying to escape. Varien jumped up onto his foot paws and stumbled away from the table as the pan was rocked to one side by a violent shudder. This wasn't right, it was supposed to melt so he could give it shape with a touch of his paws. The crash of the pan was so loud he could feel the impact through his feet before hot liquid copper splashed over the smooth wooden floors. Only luck allowed him to miss the molten metal before it seared his vulnerable hide.

"Sssssso." The hissing voice sounded like water being dumped on hot coals, and it came from the gem--the egg.

There was another crack and the caracal was forced to duck his head as a flare of white light filled his room blinding him. He threw his arm up to hide his eyes as the scent of smoke filled his senses. His ears could pick up noise of something shattering and cracking, but it didn't sound like the gem. It was far too loud, it sounded as if his entire floor was caving in, except it was still solid beneath his paws. All he could do was shoe his back against the wall and keep his head down, waiting to feel fire ripping through his home, tearing the muscle from bone and burning his fur away. He could feel the heat blasting him, wrapping around him, sucking the air from his lungs until he dropped to his knees with his jaws spread open wide, trying to suck down a solid breath.

He ended up hunched against the wall, eyes squeezed tightly shut while he moved his hands up and over his head in a vain attempt to protect himself. The crack and rumble turned into a groan as the fiery white light began to fade away leaving him staring at dancing afterimages. He'd missed something, some key ingredient, some nuance he had translated wrong. The only blessing was that the heat and fire didn't overwhelm him and destroy him as it had so many others. There was only heat, not fire to burn him alive, but a warmth that made the air feel heavy and humid.

"Varien." His name filled the air, vibrated his body and ran through his mind, wrapping around it as he jerked his head up in response. Something was in the room with him, something large enough that the floor groaned in protest. "With your name and blood I came alive... Varien..."

"What... what are you?" The caracal's voice cracked slightly as the creature shifted and he saw the outline.

There was no body, only a rippling like heat dancing in the summer air, a hint of some large form that stood on two legs where the cracked gem was scattered over the floor. Varien remained frozen in place, hunched down over his legs as the rippling displacement of the air moved again, lurching forward so the floor hissed beneath invisible clawed feet. Even in the darkness he could see the wood burning and scorching. They were large paw prints, obviously a predator, with the tips of the claws leaving white scrapes in the midst of the burned out areas. The rippling outline was soldifying, dragging the darkness of the room to create a body out of nothing.

Varien kept his back pushed up against the wall as he watched fur slide over the barely seen body, black as night with the faintest flare of blue highlights that ran right along the chest and shoulders. Eyes parted, but they were unlike any eyes of a living creature on this earth, they were pale blue with a white edge towards the center. The slit pupils glowed an eerie yellow-orange, like captured flames above a short broad muzzle. A great cat, larger than Varien, larger than even the guard and he stalked forward with muscles rippling along the velvety dark fur. Every step made him more solid, losing the surreal edge and bringing with it the harsh scent of metallic blood.

"Varien." The beast purred his name seductively again, and with that single word, Varien felt claws sliding through his mind. Not claws to tear and rend, but to slip through the cracks of his thoughts and spread them open.

The caracal's pupils flared open wide, barely a line of color showing as he pulled back in on himself, a wave of fear hit him as the feline continued to stalk him. The inky darkness of his fur changed as the slow stalk moved around the table. Flares of flame like spots blossomed, red and orange, white and yellow, palest blue and caresses of vermillion, they were all there in rosettes that dotted him and ran along his chest, his back, smaller more delicate ones trailed over his forehead and ridged his ears. The form he took was nothing like the salamander that must have been sacrificed to create the fire gem. And those strange terrifying eyes were watching hungrily while velvet claws pried through his thoughts, slipping deeper until he was choking on the taste of metal on his tongue.

"You are bound!" He got the words out, trying to sound authoritative, but the words were being choked by the feel of the creature's mind pressing against his own. He scrabbled for the words, the bindings that would subjugate the summoned creature. "Marked with my blood, c-called through my alchemy, locked wi-"

"Not with your blood, Varien." The leopard paused barely a foot from him, moving with a rippling of his abdominal muscles. The sound of his name took away his ability to speak, his tongue felt thick and heavy in his mouth.

The movement brought light to the fact that the creature was most definitely a male, whole and entirely male with a heavy set of orbs hanging down between his dark spotted legs and a sheath that was slung low on his belly. The orange and white tipped tail flipped back and forth against the ground, drawing Varien's eyes briefly before one large hand paw reached out to cup beneath his muzzle. He was forced to look into the strange pale pupils that tried to draw him in, but he struggled against it. It shouldn't work like this, his blood had called the creature into being, his blood had given it access to this world.

"I had hoped it would be another to call me.." The creature rubbed his thumb along the sweep of Varien's cheek. "They soaked me in their blood, their memories, I'd almost forgotten myself, until you..."

"Stop that." Varien pulled backwards, his head nearly hitting the wall as he felt the fingers curl a bit harder against his cheeks.

"But you... you aren't one of them, are you Varien?" His name tightened the hold, it made his chest tight and his tongue still. "You taste of curiosity and dabbling, your room reeks of untried things and magic you have fumbled with, and failed."

"Stop!" Varien hissed and smacked the paw holding his chin, only to feel claws sliding free to grip him.

"Ahh my pretty 'master', I think you have mistaken who is in charge here." The creature purred, the grip on his mind caressed him, drawing a gasp from his throat. "Your blood bound us, have no doubt, but you are a small young creature. How can you rule over one who has lived for centuries? Your will is a fragile thing, already crumbling, can't you feel it?"

"I-" He started to protest and the other hand moved to curl along his throat, the fingers flexed and pinched on either side of his larynx, making his voice turn into a short gagging sound as the pressure grew.

"Shhh Varien, you can relax now. Your struggles are at an end." The scent of metal and fire filled him as the eyes swallowed him down. He felt as if he were falling, tumbling into darkness, his throat stilled until there was nothing he could do as his eyes tinged black around the edges. "You will be my key to the kingdom. As.. thanks for freeing me from an eternity of servitude."

"Please..." The word was choked and strangled past his lips, coughed up almost violently while the other hand moved down to slip along the line of his chest and the loose robe he wore.

"Begging? Oh my sweet one, I don't wish you to beg so soon, we have so much time to get to know one another." The sweet words purred through his mind, twisting through him, every thought being pushed away. "Sleep, Varien, sleep now, we have a new world to explore you and I."

~ ~ * ~ ~

The ebb and flow rocked the boat up and down, the roiling movements threw Varien against a pile of soft covers as he struggled to get up. The moment he did, he regretted it, his body was throbbing with a dull ache that spread along his chet and lower belly. He felt bruised and sore, something that wasn't helped when the boat hit a wave and he was thrown back against the bed with a yelp. The moment he was he moved his paws out to catch the edges to keep from being thrown down to the ground. Only his claws clutching the base board kept him upright, his heart was hammering in his throat as he looked around wildly, trying to sort out where he was and how he'd gotten here.

It was a captain's room, he recognized that much, but it was a small crowded one that had a small bed he was one and a desk pushed into one corner. There was a trunk near the edge of the bed, but no other personal effects that could tell him what ship he was on or where it was heading. The world was blurred without his glasses, but he could see well enough to feel an ever growing sense of panic while he slipped his paws out from under the thick feather stuffed covers and moved out of the bed. The moment he did, he found two terrifying truths. One, he wasn't wearing a stitch of clothing, not even small clothes and two, there was a mark right on his chest above his left pectoral. A perfect fiery rosette marked his pale tan fur, almost glowing in the light.

He stood up, grabbing at the covers to try and cover himself as best he could, his long ears pinned down flat to his head. Where was the creature? There was daylight filtering in from the window set above the desk, but what day was it? Had he only been out for a single evening or had he been out for days? Where were they sailing too? He felt a wave of dizziness as the questions mounted one on top of another, none of which had an answer. He didn't even recall getting the mark on his chest. Or why he was nude in a strange bed.

"I want you to keep close to the islands." A familiar velvety voice purred from outside the room, muffled, but clear enough that Varien jerked the covers up higher on his shoulders.

"We can try, but we'll have to go further out to sea when we near the rocks." An unfamiliar, slightly accented voice answered. "It'll be quicker to take a direct route on the slip stream."

"Quicker isn't what concerns me. You'll get extra coin for the time spent." The creature answered, and then said something softer that the caracal didn't catch.

The door swung open after a quick 'aye, sir' from the sailor, and Varien stumbled backwards to try and avoid the heavy oak cracking him on the legs. That put him jammed up against the desk in the small room as the ebony leopard padded into the room, but he looked... different. Almost mundane, if a being could look mundane with the vibrant fiery spots that coated his body and the surreal eyes that flicked around the room. The scent of metal and fire was gone, instead there was the scent of sea and salt, tinged with a male scent that made Varien crinkle his nose back in disgust. The creature was wearing clothes, his clothes to be exact, one of his larger shirts that was still too tight on the chest and a pair of pants that clung like a second skin to the muscular legs.

"You're awake, Varien." The creature's eyes ran over him slowly, intimately, lingering along his barely covered chest. "I had hoped you would have awoken earlier, but I understand your new situation takes... adjustments."

"Where am I?" Varien hated the way that his voice broke, but he couldn't stop it when the creature closed the door and stepped further into the small room, making it seem crowded.

"At sea, although, I assume you are intelligent enough to understand that you're on a ship." The creature bared his teeth in a smile, the fangs incredibly white behind the dark lips. "Or do you wish to know where you are going to go?"

"Stop playing games!" Varien bristled and tried to hide the fear in the presence of the unnatural being. "Who are you? How did you get a ship? Where-"

"Varien... so many questions." With his name spoken in such a soft sweet tone, the bonds snapped into place, thrumming and burning through his mind, making him choke on his words. "I am called Cigma to the soldiers, but not to you, never to you. I am Master to you, my lovely alchemist. As for how I procured the ship... Your home was a treasure trove of buried wonders. You are as greedy as a magpie when it comes to knowledge."

My scrolls! He nearly snarled as Cigma stepped closer to him, the broad dark paw reaching out to caress the covers he held to his chest.

"I can feel that anger, it tastes so sweet on my tongue..." The leopard let out a throaty rumble as the fingers moved to spread the covers open with a gentle run of a claw against Varien's chest. "Do you know the wonder of being at the sea, my lovely alchemist?"

"What?" The word was soft, a whisper as he felt the bond between being stretched open as the blanket was steadily being peeled off him, slipping past his shoulders and running down towards his back.

"You are parted from your identity, your familiar homes and surroundings, you are torn away from everything until you are but a loss small creature on the rolling waves." The covers were slipped lower and he wanted to drag them upwards, he struggled to hold them, but the creature just pried the material from his numbing fingers. "You are stripped of what made you unique, your scrolls and workroom, your notes and knowledge, but that makes you ready to accept who you should become."

"Stop." He whispered, but it lacked force as he felt the warmth sliding through his mind, spreading deeper and making the world slow down.

"Why should I stop?" Cigma stepped in closer, bringing with it a ripple of heat as the blanket was pried entirely out of his fingers and allowed to drop to the floor. "I am here because of you. I cannot travel without you, my bond to the mortal world, but that doesn't mean I have to be so mundane as keeping you in a cage."

"Please." The word was harder to say, the moment he closed his muzzle he felt a stab of heat tearing through his mind. It was fire burning and drawing a cry from his throat as an arm slipped around his hip.

"Master. You must say the word if you wish to speak." The voice whispered in his ear, hot and tickling along the inner ear. He felt the chest pressing against him, warm and broad, the rumble of a purr vibrating it.

Varien opened his mouth, but the moment he did, all that came out was a pained cry as the fire burned through his mind and closed his throat off. He writhed in place, feeling the heat running through him like a fever, while the paws began to slide over his smooth fur.

"What did you want to say, pet?" Cigma's tongue flicked out and rasped right along his outer ear and the teeth nipped just hard enough to draw a noise from the caracal's throat.

"Noth-" He started to answer and then cried out as the heat ran through him again, burning down the line of his spine and overwhelming his mind.

"Say it.." Paws moved to dig in against the curve of the ass cheeks, pulling him in forcefully close and pinned him firmly in place, his loins forced up against the larger felines.

"Ple-" He tried again and the heat rolled over him again, his skin felt tight and swollen, his tongue dry as he pulled backwards and struggled against the hold and the possessive grip against his ass that held him close. "Master!"

He couldn't stop the word, it erupted out of his throat and the moment it did he felt the heat ease back as he gasped for air and shuddered in place, the burning pain sliding away from him as the paws kneaded him. He was so close to the creature that he could almost smell the sun warmed fur, he could certainly smell the familiar homey scents of his shirt, the mix of minerals and wood fire. He could think past the heat, now, though it still curled through his mind, waiting and lapping at his thoughts. He let out a short whimper while the fingers worked up along the line of his spine and suddenly gripped against his scruff, squeezing and giving a forceful tug that drew a hiss out of him.

"But this body, it is lovely..." Cigma moved to one side, the grip of the paws held Varien in place as he did so. "But it is not to my tastes, if I am to have you as my companion you should be able to pleasure me."

Varien squeezed his eyes shut and sucked down a shuddering breath as the paws ran along the line of his hip and moved upwards. There was something in the way he moved, spoke, something in the run of the fingers that made a flush rise to the caracal's cheeks. It was seductive and sensual, a promise of sex that he'd never seen in another male's eyes. A shiver ran down his spine, but not one of fear, not when the fingers teased up towards his chest and one paw pad swept over his bare nipple. The powerful feline moved around him, the long tail caressed right along the length of his legs and twisted around one ankle. The warmth brushed lower while the lips brushed right along the curve of his neck, his teeth nipped lightly before he was drawn away from the bed.

To his humiliation he could feel at least his tip pushing out of his soft plush sheath and into the light, something that was drawn to his attention as one of Cigma's thumbs ran right along the tip and made him jerk in place. When he dug his feet against the ground he felt another spike of heat run down along the line of his spine and made his skin feel tight and sensitive. As he passed Cigma, the leopard reached out and ran a finger right along the line of his throat. It was a caressing touch that spread to either side, almost choking him before the claws slipped outwards and dragged through his fur. He jerked backwards, but found himself pushing right back against the broad chest and the other hand reached around his waist and pinned him in place.

The claws traced a circle around his neck, digging down just hard enough that he could feel welts being raised under the soft fur and constricting his throat. He couldn't writhe free, but when he opened his eyes he stared at himself in a spotty looking mirror set above the desk. It was barely large enough to see his entire face, and even then it was blotchy and warped, but it showed his neck. Where the claw went, his fur began to change to a dark velvety black, exactly like the coloring of the leopard at his back. It was two fingers length wide and edged with a deep red color that chased away the sandy brown of his fur. It was like the mark on his chest, but larger and more eye catching. When the fingers touched each other he felt the marking tighten briefly, burning against his smooth skin.

"Isn't that better? Doesn't that feel like it belongs?" The voice rumbled in his ear, teasing him as the world tilted wildly. "You enjoy this, Varien."

It felt strange, he was almost floating as he swayed in place and kept his ears flat down against his head. He knew this was wrong, but that voice, warm and seductive, slipped through every one of his thoughts and rolled them over. The use of his name just made it so much easier for the creature to find the chinks in his armor and exploited each and every one without shame. It felt warm and soft edged, making him uncomfortable as the hands caressed his nude body possessively. It was a lovers touch, running over his chest before he was pulled backwards and drawn down. He felt Cigma dropping down into the chair, but he was drawn down as well, dropping right back into the lap so that every last inch of that warm masculine body was pushed up against him.

The feel of the lap under him was mockingly sensual, the slight curve of the hips, the rock upwards that let him feel the swell of the cock rubbing right along the crease of his ass. The pants barely contained it, but feeling it covered somehow made it even worse as the hips rocked and pushed harder upwards. The dark paws slid along his belly, teasing and smoothing along the fur lightly. The claws ran furrows through his fur, while the other paw moved down to caress right along his sheath. He wanted to shove the hand away, but the moment his arms twitched he felt the hold on his mind tighten with a rippling of heat. And not only that, his neck was heating up, where the mark had been burned into his fur he felt it tightening.

"You have to understand, Varien." His name made the caracal suck in a breath, his mind felt heavier. "I can't lose you, I have no wish too. Anyone in the world could have summoned me, but you were the one who released me. Not a wrinkled and greying old man or woman, but this lovely young form, the blush and passion of youth, and you are mine..."

Varien flushed hotly, hating the way that the praise made his throat barely start to rumble with an edge of a purr. That silky voice made it the sweetest thing he had ever heard, caressing over him and willing him to just give in. He tried to struggle away, his thoughts surging forward against the fiery bond that kept them together. Cigma ran through him, refusing the give him even that much power, instead he had to hold still as the fingers curled along the pouch of his sheath, running to either side and pulling down against the velvety warmth, tugging it lower to briefly flash the tip out into the light before kneading around the covered girth.

He could have handled it if it had been painful, he could have dealt with ignoring it better, but the touch was sensual and teasing. The fingers were so warm against him, rubbing and massaging, kneading to the point that he arched his back with a soft noise as his cock tip began to slip outwards. The glistening tip rubbed right along the line of his belly, the wet dribbles trailed against his belly and pushed up higher and higher in the air. His breathing came out in short bursts while the finger pads curled around his cock and squeezed gently. The wet ooze of precum started to spill over the edge as Cigma's paw pushed up higher in the air, pumping lightly as inch by inch flexed in the air. His toes curled and he pushed backwards harder, his ears burning hotly in humiliation to his own reaction.

It felt so good, like soft silk brushing over the head of his cock, gathering up the slickness of his precum and running it down to catch along the edges. The fingers found the most sensitive places to trail around, circling slowly so that he arched high and cried out. Inadvertently, he pushed his hips back against the loins that rocked against him. The other hand ran along his chest, trailing along his nipples, caressing with paw pads that felt all too soft, even for a cat. They ran in circles, flicking lightly so that he was startled into making short noises that he couldn't hold back.

"You know what you want..." The voice whispered into his ear, so warm, and they sank inwards, leaving no room in his mind for anything except for the pounding of need rising. "You just don't wish to admit it.."

The fingers on his chest moved up and forced his head backwards, his smaller muzzle suddenly pressed against the creatures. He didn't have a chance to even fight as a hot broad tongue plunged into his muzzle and with it, liquid fire. It was too much, it was pouring through him and running through his veins, his scream swallowed against the one holding him as the fingers worked along the pouch of his sheath and suddenly drew downwards. His skin felt as if he had a fever, a fever that nothing could cool, not even the air that brushed along his throbbing cock. The grip on his sheath grew demanding, rolling it down to the point that the soft pouch was pushed right against his balls.

He couldn't breathe, the harsh scent of the male began to change from strange to something familiar. Thick male scent flooded his senses, aroused male, almost cloying as he swallowed it down and felt the thumb brush right up against the tip of his cock. The push down made him curl his lips back while the tongue pushed in deeper and he swallowed another wave of heat. The finger pushed downwards over his glans, shoving roughly to the point that he struggled and shoved back against Cigma, his thoughts wild as the pressure grew and built up. The thumb was replaced with the other hand that pushed lower and lower, forcing his hard cock down towards his sheath.

"STOP!" He cried the word out, before fire burned through his mind like the lash of a whip. "MASTER STOP!" He didn't care for his pride, only for the pain and pressure to stop.

"I am giving you what you are destined to be, lovely alchemist..." The words were deep, almost a growl that thrummed through him. "You know what you want, your body knows and accepts what you are."

Varien frantically twisted in the hold, his shoulders hit roughly against the broad chest as the fingers continued to tease his cock, but now he could see that he was changing. Radically so. His cock was being forced down, alright, but it wasn't withdrawing into the sheath, it was growing wider and shorter as his entire body felt the force and shift. His cry of fear turned into a hiss as fangs gripped the back of his neck and he watched his body changing. His sheath looked puffy and filled out, the fine velvety fur that normally covered it was being pushed away under the massaging fingers. He was being molded by the touch, as if he were clay that could be shaped.

His ears pinned flat back against his head and he sucked down a breath, almost choking on the rich male scent. Before it had been an annoyance, but now it flooded his lungs and filled his senses, the slight tinge of wood smoke almost as appealing as the heat of the musk itself. The moment he even thought about that musk, the palm on his cock suddenly pushed downwards and he felt his insides roiling and cramping. Something was happening within his lower belly, a tightness that he'd never experienced as the syrupy dribble of his precum spilled down along his sheath that spread open and began to elongate. He could see either side filling out, smooth and glossy pink, teasing him with vivid images of former lovers.

The cold bite of terror helped him fight off the fires burning in him, helped him struggle to try and win his freedom. For a moment he could feel his thoughts surge to the forefront of his inhibited mind. He kicked out, one foot paw caught on the desk and shoved roughly, uncaring of the bulge that rested against his ass he fought for his freedom. But the creature only snarled out and jerked roughly against his scruff in response, pulling on sensitive nerves that he had never had stimulated in such a fashion. He went limp and his eyes widened as the fingers moved away from his quivering cock, the sensitive bundle of nerves throbbing in time with his heart beat.

They returned against his orbs, curling upwards with a forceful press that made him let out a weak noise from low in his throat, only to feel the next shove begin to force the orbs up tighter to his body. He flicked his eyes down, his vision blurring under the hold on his scruff, but he could see the steady push upwards, the cramping of his loins as things began to shift inside of him. His cock no longer jutted proudly against his belly, it was snugged and barely visible between a pair of plump feminine folds. His orbs were being coaxed inwards, stretching and pushing, melting between his legs while he was helpless to stop them. What could he do?

Nothing... you can do nothing, my pet. How could you serve me as a male? No, you must be the perfect vessel... The voice thrummed through his mind, tearing away at his will as the fingers sank upwards.

His stomach tensed up, his entire body arched from the lap with a wordless cry, his tongue curling slightly as one thick finger pushed up where his balls had once been. They wedged up between the soft lips of his cunt and spread the folds open before he could come to terms with what had happened. A part of his body he had never had was suddenly being stroked by the fiery hot pad of the finger, the dampening finger that wedged upwards and caressed through his body and made foreign muscles clamp down in reaction. He closed his eyes, muffling a despairing groan as the finger pumped steadily in and out of him, gentle strokes that worked to drawn another noise from him.

And he loved it, nerves that had been worked up were being rubbed over, the finger ran lightly outwards, trailing and found a spot just inside of him that had him lurching forward with a blind groaning noise. It was just inside of his passage and the finger pad worked over it as Cigma pumped his digit gently in and out of the caracal. There was no ignoring the sensations, they were all wrong, but overwhelming none the less as he writhed against the lap. It felt good, it felt so deliciously good to feel the thickness of the finger prying the passage open.

A second finger began to curl upwards, spreading the folds open gently, but firmly, prying them apart them open to the point that he could feel the inner walls contracting in protest. He tried to swallow down a breath, but it came out in a whimper when the finger began to push inwards, making room in him. The contracting walls tried their best to hold him, to pull him in deeper as the nerves felt raw and nearly ached for that touch. Every breath was filled with male scent, mocking him, teasing, and worse, making him draw in deeper breaths as parts of him tensed and reacted to that scent. It was alluring, promising and made his thoughts pull away from the horror of what was happening.

With a slow stroke the fingers slipped outwards, they felt slippery and wet as they trailed along his outer folds and ran upwards. The moment one gentle pad stroked where his cock had been the caracal bucked his hips upwards and writhed in place. He didn't care that he could feel the heavy cock pushed right along the line of his ass, he didn't care that he wasn't able to think about anything but the need to feel that shaft in other places, all he cared about was the warm rolling finger rubbing along his clit. It made him lean backwards and let out a humiliating pleading sound in his throat, the soft noise trilling out as he gave his hips another little bump backwards.

Eventually, the finger moved away from the newly formed cunny, slipping upwards while Varien panted shallowly, his tongue half hanging out of his jaws. He had drugged himself in the past, he was always curious about what they would do, there were even drugs that could make one desire things such as what the beast was doing to him, but they were different. He had still been able to be in some amount of control, now it was shattering apart to the point that he didn't think when a slick digit ran up along his protruding tongue tip. It tasted strange and seductive, almost sweet.

"You learn swiftly, lovely one..." Cigma praised him in a soft voice while Varien flicked his tongue out against the offered digit.

He ran his tongue over it, sweeping from one side to the other, gathering up the taste of female arousal and swallowing it down with a low noise of desire. It was delicious, clinging to his tongue and making him work out again to run over the edges of the tender paw pad that had known just where to touch. He leaned forward, despite the fact he felt the other hand moving down to run claws right at the base of his expressive tail. The taste was what he wanted, he could drink it down and still crave more. As he worked his tongue down towards the base of the finger, the hands trailed around his tail and tickled at a spot where it joined his lower back.

_Gods!_He startled and shifted forward, leaning in the lap so that he was balanced on his toes under the tickling touch of his tail.

The finger started to slip away, and he worked his tongue again, sweeping under the paw pad before it slipped back down between his thighs. He was giddy with sordid desires and needs that he had never possessed, his worries pushed away until he couldn't remember why he had been fighting that touch. When the digit pushed between his folds, the caracal groaned out and placed his paws against the desk, his head tilted back as the gentle penetration worked along vulnerable swollen walls and began to work in deeper. This was what he wanted, yes, this, he craved this.

"Beg me to give you something far more.. satisfying than a finger, Varien.." The beast whispered in one of the caracal's ears, the purring voice almost mocking as it did so. "Beg sweetly for your master."

"Please... Please master.." Varien started to beg, it seemed only natural, but then he felt something slide along his tail. Something that wasn't fur or pants, something hard and fleshy brushed right where the fur was thinnest. "NO!"

The word was yelped out with a rush of fear and humiliation, his ears burning hotly as he writhed his way free of the grip on his body and tried to hide himself. He used his hands to cover his mound, his mind still threatening to sink back under the thoughts that the beast had forced upon him. It was a struggle to keep his mind sane, but he managed it, barely. Turning around meant he had to face his tormentor, though there was no rage on the creatures face, not even annoyance as he leaned back in the captain's chair and tilted his head to one side. Almost as if he were pleasantly surprised by something instead of having his 'toy' think for himself.

He made no attempt to hide himself as Varien did, the shaft was resting against his belly, large and imposing with the tip ridged in fleshy barbs that were just barely lifted up. The glistening length was violet-red, the dribble of wetness gleaming as it ran downwards, glowing a brilliant blue-white as if it were captured fire. Even as the caracal watched in horror, his fingers felt what he no longer possessed. He could feel the soft lips of a female sex resting against his finger pads, so slick that he was making his own paw wet from his touch, warm and sensitive to the point he had hold himself entirely still to keep from humiliating himself.

What has he done to me? Can it be undone? His thoughts were wild and terrified, but one above them all rose up. I can never return to civilization like this, never go home...

"I don't want that.." He started and barely felt the fiery lash building before continuing, his ears blood red. "Master."

"You don't want me?" Cigma raised his brows slightly, mockingly looking as if he were surprised. "Well, my beautiful alchemist, I will have to wait until you are ready to beg."

"I will never beg, Master." Varien put all the hatred he could into those words, even as his body felt as if it were throbbing in time with his heartbeat. He could ignore that desire and need, he wasn't a whore, he wasn't a slut, he was an alchemist who had studied every ancient text he had ever been able to get his paws on! He would overcome this!

"It's so easy to give in, Varien." The sound of his own name made him flinch, stilling as the creature stood up and pulled open one of the drawers. "You have already learned that lesson, you simply need more... incentive."

"I am not yours to teach, master!" He snarled the words, his teeth curling back before he saw what was being drawn out.

Leather restraints, broad and supple looking, almost patterned after the sort they used on the mad to keep them from hurting themselves, but they were of higher quality and make. The leather looked soft under the leopard's hands, bending easily as the broad cuffs were tugged free and he reached deeper into the drawer to take out a muzzle, the sort one would put on an animal. Varien stepped back, but in the cramped quarters there was little room to escape save for the door. His eyes flicked towards it briefly, but a rumble dragged his gaze back to the demonic beast.

"I would not recommend running, my beautiful pet." He stood slowly, his pants sagging down to boast the dark black orbs that hung full and promising between his thighs. "The sailors are men who I hired from the dregs of your society, I doubt they would care if you were truly female, only that you had a slit that they could claim for a little. Of course, if you truly wish to be made 'ship's boy' on this voyage...."

The mockery was there, promising him a fate that would be worse than death if he continued. He swallowed down an urge to run just to spite the beast, but he held still as the creature stepped towards him with the restraints, the eyes bright with barely contained laughter. When the warm black paw began to slide along him again, Varien did his best to stop the shudder of pleasure that threatened to break free. Those warm , almost hot, paws that rubbed against his fur made him want to arch against the touch, to rub and purr in pleasure as they ran along his back. It took all his will power to keep the urge in check, meaning he was pliant as the leather was pulled over him.

His wrists were pulled backwards, bent at the elbow so that they were nearly pressed against the line of his spine and pulled tightly together as the leather was slipped over his hand paws and worked all the way to the elbows. This left his changed mound uncovered, feeling the cool air caressing the soft outer lips with its own strange pleasure teasing him. His clit felt so swollen, even the press of the plump lips on either side were a torment as he closed his eyes and tried to stop the urge to grind backwards against the large male. He wasn't female, not even a natural born female would act this way! He was acting like something less than a person as the leather was pulled down and Cigma pushed him forward over the desk.

For a moment he felt the heat of the bared cock pushing against the crease of his ass, large and intimidating, the drool of precum nearly scorched his fur making him snarl out. The threats were weak ones, especially when his body flared as if it were made of fire. Some sordid part of him wanted this, wanted to feel his tail lifted, to be forced to feel the spread of the large barbed cock tip pushing into his quivering aching sex. The thought made him dizzy, his breathing was sucked down with a gasping noise while his eyes remained firmly closed. No, he wasn't going to behave that way, he was better than that. At least, that's what he told himself as the leather wrapped just above either knee and buckled in place.

When the hips moved, the slow grind nearly brought the treacherous pleading cry from his throat as a pair of soft plump orbs pushed up against his cunny, rubbing along it. He balled his fists up, sinking his claws into the palms of his hands as he fought the urge, nearly shaking as the weight shifted back and he was allowed to stand up awkwardly in the restraints. For a moment, he expected Cigma to do something more, to tease him, to try and make him be the one to break and beg for what he wanted, but he was only pushed back into the bed as the last bit of leather came out.

"Please, don't do this... m-master." Varien stammered before the solid leather ring was pushed up and over the bridge of his nose.

"If you wish to remain my cat, you must be... broken in." The leopard leaned down as the straps went around the back of the caracal's head. "And you will enjoy it too, I can feel it in your body..."

What does he want from me?! Varien tried to speak, his jaws struggling against the muzzle, but he was barely able to pry it open. Why does he want to torment me? Does he just want me to say that I won't leave his side? That I'll help keep him on this plane?

The soft leather caressed right along the bridge of his muzzle, making sure that he could barely push his tongue out to lick his lips as he was settled into the softness of the bed. His legs were pulled beneath him, his back propped up by the pillow so that he was put on display, no way to hide the fact that he was changed. His folds were chilled by the brush of air, driving home just how wet he'd grown from the gentle strokes of the fingers that had roused him. He hated himself for that, that his body was aroused and he couldn't do anything about it. The only relief of being bound was the fact he wouldn't give in to the urge to touch himself. He glared up at his captor, his ears pulled down tight to his head, lips curling backwards just a touch to try and show his anger.

The leopard drew out a small cream colored jar from the desk, the squat thing looked like the sorts of jars that were found in apothecaries stored their balm in. The wax seal was pierced with one claw and pried back to reveal a pale cream that was whipped up into spikes from where it had been mixed together. One dark finger sank into the mix, dragging out a thick dollop that began to melt along the heat of the paw pad and trickle down towards the base. The caracal squirmed in place, tried to move to one side as he the creature came closer, the pale pupils spread open wide to show a hint of fire as he approached. Whatever the fire born creature wanted to do with the balm.

"So suspicious.." Cigma murmured softly as the free paw moved up to catch him under the chin. "I'm just going to help you, alchemist."

The finger slipped down and brushed right along Varien's sensitive folds, the lightest caress as the balm ran along either side of the plush folds. He let out a short noise in his throat, the touch was so gentle, but it still made him let out a muffled whimper of pleasure. He could feel the warmth building up inside of his lower belly as the finger worked between the folds and smeared the cream along his clit, over the inner folds and the snug empty passage. As it smeared over the edges, and where it coated him he felt itching heat spread over him. The nerves were roused and caressed as the mixture made him suck in a ragged breath and whimper his protest. His eyes squeezed shut, writhing in place as the finger gently began to work inwards, spreading his quivering walls open.

It seemed to sink deep inside of him, the ache and quivering itch that spread along his belly and made it nearly impossible to ignore. He twisted his hips in place, his inner walls started to contract and squeeze around nothing, caressing along the inner passage and around nothing. His clit felt swollen and puffy while he let out short noises under his breath while his hips gave a short rocking push against the finger that trailed outwards. The light caress drew a moan from his throat, one that he couldn't stop as his heart began to hammer faster against his chest. When the finger slipped away he was left with the aching itching sensation burning through him, his eyes flickering open to see the leopard stepping back with a slow smile.

"I think you simply need to learn to accept your new.... form." Cigma purred, the sound low and steady with amusement. "When I return, perhaps you will rethink your position in my care."

The caracal glared up at the creature, bristling angrily, his entire form tensed up with barely suppressed rage and lust. He couldn't separate himself from the two as he folds felt achingly swollen, every throb of his heart was accompanied by the feel of his inner walls contracting and squeezing. Glistening arousal coated his outer lips, clinging to them as the leopard cleaned his fingers with a swipe of his dark pink tongue before turning away. Cigma didn't even look back as he buckled himself back into his stolen pants and stepped out of the cabin. Leaving Varien alone, in the darkness, trembling, frustrated, and aching with need.

~ ~ * ~ ~

A day, and most of a night Varien was left alone in the cabin, burning with need and lust that he couldn't fully control or contain. The air, the feel of his heart, the brush of the covers all made for reactions that had him muffling noises. They weren't enough to ease that need, if they had been he wouldn't have had a problem. He would have been mortified by the fact he had given in, but it would have been a relief to have the need taken away. Instead, he was forced to be tied in place, no distraction to take his focus away from the balm that kept his body overly stimulated. He had counted the animals that were carved into the bed post, studied the grain, he had tried to find the ceiling and the muffled voices interesting, but it had all failed.

How could he think when the deepest part of his changed body was still alive with sensations that made him want to clutch around something he craved and was horrified by. His body wasn't equiped to deal with this, his body wasn't designed for the way his nerves were aching and burning. At times, he writhed in place, not caring how he looked as he tried to twitch his hips down against the covers, every attempt to grind met with only teasing hints of sensation. He was losing it, his pride, his vanity, his very identity was slipping away by the moment until he felt as if he were just one burning fiery nerve that wanted to be caressed and strokes.

Three times he had been given a break in his madness, when the leopard had come in to feed him or allow him to tend to... natures needs. Embarrassing and degrading, he hadn't been able to escape it, he'd been forced to endure it before being left to his own devices. By the time night came and he could hear the sailors laughing and sharing their end of day meal, he was nearly unable to think from the effects of the day. The smell of male filled his nostrils as he lay against the covers, his arms aching from how they had been bound, his hips no longer even twitching as he rested in the darkness, his ears splayed to either side as even his nose felt as if it were burning and hot. He didn't even move when the door opened, didn't stir, didn't do anything more than twitch his tail as he felt a brush of cool air running over his fevered form.

The paws were almost silent on the ground, the light click of the claws as the flash of moonlight spilled into the room and then it went dark again. Varien blinked his eyes open, the shadows and light barely different as he tilted his head up and sucked in a breath, a slight shuddering breath escaped him. The sound of cloth echoed in the room, the spill of it thudded to the ground as the leopard didn't say a single thing or acknowledge him. The room was filled with the sounds of someone getting ready for bed, the rasp of the shirt being drawn over the dark head and the caracal turned his head to see the dark shadow of the creature in the small room. They eyes glowed in the dark, the pupils reflecting light as they flicked towards him, narrowing slightly.

Had Cigma spoken, perhaps Varien would have been able to draw what little of his dignity around himself and stopped anything from happening, but the leopard didn't. Not a single word as the dark form padded towards the bed with the glowing eyes sliding along the changed felines form. He tried his best to keep his ears down, tried to pull away, but the silence held him in check as the dark creature padded to the bed. The thin bands of moonlight that came from the windows made the spots almost glow in the light, the splashes that ran along the line of his sides and hips. The warm male musk filled the air, running down Varien's throat and making his body tense with a need that was foreign and overwhelming. He gritted his teeth and squeezed his eyes shut, trying to ignore the humiliating urges that were rising, his mind throwing him visualizations that brought the heat to his cheeks.

He let out a muffled whimper as a paw moved to rub right along his hip, the fingers curled lightly and brushed claws through the plush fur, just barely running along his sensitive skin. The caracal fought the urge to squirm as the claws ran downwards and traced along his outer thigh, the bed shifting as the creature loomed over him. The taste of male scent had him breathing shallowly, his nostrils quivering as he drank it down. With a slice and pull the leather that bound his legs was sliced through with one sharp claw, dropping down and letting him close his legs together for the first time in hours. The relief at no longer being forcibly held open made him let out a soft noise, even as he could feel the pressure of his own inner thigh brushing his sensitive folds.

"That's better..." Cigma murmured softly and ran his paw up and down the caracal's leg.

"Nnnf..." Varien lifted his head, blinking his eyes to see the fiery leopard leaning in closer, the pale light flashing in his eyes.

The paw on his leg slipped around the edges, sliding up so that the fingers brushed right along his swollen folds. He let out a ragged noise as he felt the fingers curling upwards and rubbing over his inner folds, teasing along the length of his cunny as he was left arching in place. It felt so good, he'd been thinking about this for hours and now the gentle massaging touches made his stomach muscles tense up, he threw his head back and let out a higher pitched moan as the fingers pushed forward. The gentle nudge of the digit began to spread his inner walls, making his entire form lock up as just the single inch of finger nearly pushed him over the edge. Except, the leopard didn't continue forward, he only pulled back as soon as he had gotten a reaction, slippery strands of arousal clung to the digit.

Varien humiliated himself by letting out a protesting noise, his breathing came out in short shallow pants while he arched his back and writhed against the bed. He struggled free his arms, twisting and squirming, his back arching up while his body flared hot. He couldn't take it, his body was still throbbing and it was growing worse, he wanted that touch again. With a whimper he shifted his hips higher up in the air, his body rolling so that his chest was suddenly pushed against the bed and he tried to push his hips up higher in the air and towards the paw that was running towards his ass cheeks. His tail twitched up while the fingers worked around the edges of his tail base.

"Feet off the bed..." Cigma purred, his voice was intimate and warm, suggestive and Varien flinched as he shifted his foot paws off the bed.

Don't do this.. stop... He tried to get his body to listen, but the paw rubbed right along his inner thigh, drawing a groan from his throat. He wanted this, he wanted it so badly it nearly hurt and it was all too easily to stand up with his ass over the bed.

His chest was pushed a bit more firmly against the covers as a hand paw rested heavily between his shoulders, the fingers curled lightly, scraping claws along the back of his neck. He was mortified, but the embarrassment wasn't enough to keep him from flipping his tail up to reveal his glistening folds. His eyes squeezed shut and he pushed backwards, squirming in place. The warmth of the furred loins pushed up against him, a caress that teased along the base of his tail while the fingers gripped the scruff of his sensitive neck and pulled the skin taut along his throat. He felt the heavy sheath caressing the curve of his ass, but the fear and need to escape never happened, just humiliated defeat as the caress of the sheath made his hips arch up higher in the air.

"You want this, don't you pet?" The leopard purred, the warm weight slipping along the curve of his back. "It just took some time for you to understand your place in things."

The cock was pushing out of his sheath, Varien felt it, the slow slide of wet heat pushing up along the line of his ass crack, the tapered tip that slipped along the base of his tail. With a low groan he shifted his hips upwards, pushing higher in the air as the soft furred balls bumped right up against the soft folds, the velvety fur and the caress made him push backwards, grinding. He wanted this, his body wanted it, there was no point in trying to fight it. The idea of being left in this room, untouched and still burning with lust was enough to hide the outrage at what was being forced on him.

Where was his pride when his body was nothing but aching need? When he had spent hours wanting, lusting, fantasizing about this creature's fingers inside of him as they had been? The harsh male scents spoke to him at every level, demanding that he give in, he wanted to give in, and that's what made it all the worse. His ears remained folded back against his head as he drew in a shuddering breath an tried to lick his lips, the muzzle straining around his nose as he tried to part his lips. Something hot and gooey oozed out of the tip, running right along the base of his tail and ran down towards the line of his ass crease. His fur was sticky and smeared, the running strokes of the shaft worked until the length had settled between his cheeks.

"Beg pet, show me how badly you wish me." Cigma leaned forward, his paws slid possessively around the caracal's hips, pulling them upwards. "I want to know you burn for me."

He pulled backwards, dragging as the tapered cock tip pulled backwards and slipped downwards. The heat of the precum clung to him while he balled his fists together and went still, breathing in short shallow bursts as the glans slipped down and ran lightly right along his puffy folds. The syrupy strands of wetness ran downwards, making him bite off a cry of need as the male went still above him, not trying to thrust forward, nor forcing himself inwards, just holding that tip tantalizingly against his achingly sensitive pussy. Varien wanted this, he needed this, and Cigma wasn't going to force himself inwards, he was making the caracal make the choice. Taking away the smokescreen of denial of the leopard forcing himself inwards where he couldn't stop it.

The heat was pounding in his ears and cheeks, humiliation and need as the cock tip traced up and down against him, the glowing demonic strands of precum being worked over the swollen lips. It wasn't what he wanted, he knew what his body wanted and he let out a whimper and lowered his head against the covers to try and muffle the sound. He just wanted this to be over, he wanted to be able to think again, to be himself again, he'd do anything for that. Varient gritted his teeth and pushed backwards, grinding and wedging the cock tip roughly against his thick folds and began to spread them open as he did so. The narrow tip spread the walls wider and wider, glassy smooth at first while the first thick rope of precum was flung into his passage as his inner walls contracted greedily.

It was overwhelming to feel the length slipping in deeper and deeper, he pushed backwards, impaling himself without visible shame as he tipped his ears flat back to his head. His rippling walls began to suckle and squeeze around the cock when the first shudder of pleasure hit him. It didn't take much, just feeling his nerves finally being stroked and rubbed over were enough to set him off and his walls contracted down tightly, feeling every inch pushed into him while they began to suckle and pull greedily. Cigma snarled out in pleasure and the claws gripped either side of Varien's hips before the weight slammed forward. The cock forced through his spasming walls as inch by so thick inch pried him open painfully wide with a lewd wet noise.

It didn't matter, it felt so good to be filled, his body shuddered and squirmed under the weight that pinned him down harder. Sharp teeth snapped out against his scruff as the balls pushed up roughly where Varien's used to have been, the tip nudged roughly right against a barrier deep within his body. The inner rippling walls began to work and caress, swallowing and trying to keep the girth deep inside of him as the fiery heat of the precum was oozing deeper into his body, smearing against that vulnerable barrier. Briefly, he felt fear, could he get pregnant? How far had he been changed? Was that even an issue?

The thoughts were torn away when the hips dragged backwards and Varien let out a snarling cry as the barbs flared open inside of him. The fleshy nubs pulled through him, raking all the way out while the inch after slippery inch pulled out of his aching cunny. He gripped around the barbs, forcing them in harder as shocks of pleasure ran down his spine and made his hips give short little jerks. The beast drove forward with a powerful slam, the slap of flesh on flesh rang in his ears as he cried out again and felt the balls clapping up between his legs. The tip drove right up against the barrier again, nudging and rubbing along it while the caracal sucked in a breath. Another spasm ran through his passage, tightening and relaxing as gooey precum was smeared over his cervix.

The thickness of the shaft stretched him open as far as he would go, almost too much, straining to the point that he was splaying his legs open wider as he stood on the tips of his toes. He didn't try to drop his hips to escape, even as the last of his orgasm faded away, his need didn't dissipate, he wanted more, he needed more. He rocked his hips and felt the pressure grow and grind against that barrier, the shot of heat pushed deeper before the drag backwards rocked the barbs through him only a few inches before the leopard slammed forward with a near violent thrust. Humiliatingly, Varien responded to it with a high pitched cry as his back bowed with the force of the thrust.

"So tight, little alchemist..." The leopard hissed against his neck, the rasping tongue dragged out to work along the neck before gripping the scruff again.

When the hips drew back, the barbs flared out, raking through him and making him arch his back against the bed. The cries that erupted out of the muzzle were barely muffled as the beast began to work his hips back and forth, driving the cock into him with near violent thrusts before dragging back again. The barbs caught against the inner passage and ran through them, the glowing precum began to mingle with the caracal's own arousal. He could feel it being pushed out by the sheer thickness of the base. Each thrust smoothed the barbs down around his master's shaft, caressing and working through him before the slide backwards stimulated parts of his body he had never had.

It should have been painful, the sight of them had been terrifying, but feeling them was another thing entirely. Every burning itch that he had felt was scratched and smoothed over, raked and dug in deep when the muscles started to contract to hold him. It made his stomach tense and relax as he burrowed his head against the bed and cried out, the moans erupting no matter what as the thrusts rocked through him. His tail curled higher up, baring himself while the teeth clamped down tightly and gave a rough yank backwards that forced his head up. Any hope of keeping the ship ignorant of what was happening last as the claws dug roughly into his hips.

The heat of the precum was being pushed deeper into him, burning him in ways that had him rolling and grinding backwards to try and help smooth the barbs down. The barbs continued to tease him no matter what, faster and faster they built up, the teeth gripping so hard they were nearly drawing blood with their possessive hold. Bred like a female, pinned in place and impaled, and the thought didn't bring with it crushing humiliation, only arousal. The walls started to clamp down tightly, squeezing and pulling around the too large spire, his eyes closed as the grip on his hips suddenly yanked him backwards and up, his foot paws lifting from the floor.

The tip hammered against his cervix, lewd wet noises kept escaping as the precum mixed with Varien's arousal was pushed out around the edges as the tip wedged and ground upwards. The heat was growing, his walls contracting down painfully tight so that the barbs were locked into place as they rose up and caught around his silken walls. The narrow tip wedged roughly against his cervix, hard enough there was a spike of pain that was lost in a roll of pleasure. His body went stiff and he writhed in the hold of the paws that kept his hips pulled up tight against the loins. The shaft began to thicken in him, throbbing and pulsing, and he felt every twitch that only pushed him onwards.

His yowling cry wasn't that of a male cumming, it wasn't remotely masculine, it sounded like a female in heat as he screeched out. His walls began to clutch down tightly, pulling and wrapping tightly around the shaft as the tip suddenly pulsed right against the barrier of his cervix. The first hot jet of cum erupted from the tip, syrupy and heavy it slammed against the narrow opening that led deeper into his changed form. He could feel the burning heat spilling in deeper as his body, running in waves that had him writhing and twisting under the weight. Only the grip on his scruff and the weight on his back kept him in place as he was flooded with the seed, millions of sperm rushing into his vulnerable belly.

He milked the cock, squeezing and suckling, trying to pull the cum deeper into his passage as every tremor ran down along the line of his spine. His fingers balled into fists, hating himself, but he couldn't stop enjoying every moment. His body was on fire, but this was easing the ache, making him bask in the golden edge of pleasure as his eyes closed and he let out a soft noise under his breath. It was like nothing else in the world, nothing he could imagine, he couldn't move away, he didn't want to move away, not even as he felt the syrupy ooze pooling deep inside of him. So hot it was nearly burning, but not painful, it was pleasurable. The jaws lifted from the nape of his neck, the tongue flicked out and worked along the nape of his sensitive neck.

"We just needed to understand each other, right pet?" One of the paws moved to reach up to slide the muzzle from Varien's head and away from his nose. "Do you want me to pull out, Varien?"

Varien flinched and opened his jaws, working against the stiffness and licking his dry lips. As he did so, his legs were dropped and the leopard pushed forward, grinding his softening cock through the caracal's quivering body. He could feel the dribble of cum oozing out around the edges and running along his inner thighs messily.

"Answer me." The low growl purred in his ear, the warm breath teased out around the edges and Varien flinched again. "Do you want me to pull out?"

He wanted to lie, to snap out, to make some sort of angry retort, but it didn't come. His eyes lidded, feeling a golden edge that clung to his mind, his body, made everything slow feeling. It was too hard to fight, too much effort to lie.

"No, Master." He whispered, shivering as the hips jerked forward in another forceful thrust before dragging backwards again. "Don't pull out."

"Good boy."

~ ~ * ~ ~

"Sir!" The hyena nearly fell down as he came to a stop in Trentian's tent, his eyes wide and fearful.

The leopard lashed his tail in annoyance, his eyes narrowed slightly as the youngster panted with his tongue hanging out trying to get in breath. He should have never brought in this clan, they were failing him, failing to find the gem, failing to prove themselves worthy of bearing his standard. One of the mountain clans would have been better. The wolves, perhaps, or one of the mountain cat families, ones that would have been better ready to answer his commands. Not these creatures. They chased their own tails, were constantly struggling to make the smallest of decisions and he had come to doubt even the rumors that they brought to him about where the gem had gone and where it could be found.

One month, one month since they had found the wolf that had stolen it. One month and they had nothing to show for it except for rumors and chasing phantoms. It had become a bit of legend, something that had disappeared and he had finally returned home. His hope had to be placed on something else, on the fact that someone would turn the thing against him, and that meant returning it to their homeland. The idea of facing such magic made his tail fluff and his hackles raise, but he had already dragged out every hedgemage and witch in the country. He would be ready, he would not be toppled by some artifact of years gone by, even if it were soaked in his family's blood.

"Have you found it?" He snarled and resisted the urge to kick the canine as the youngster got up on his paws again, not even waiting to be asked to stand up.

"R-requests an audience sir, he just showed up." The babbling canine earned a snarl. "One of the royals. He just showed up. Didn't see him appear, just there within the guard posts!"

"One of my family?" Trentian flicked his ears upwards slightly, his eyes narrowing down to slits. "Which one?"

"Like you, sir. Please, he's waiting and is not... happy to be kept there." The hyena licked his jaws nervously and glanced back behind him.

"Like me." Trentian curled his lip and pushed past the guard. It had to be one of his relatives from the eastern borders, they had been sending hints and pressure about his suitability to take the throne.

As if his markings didn't prove that it was divine intervention that placed him to become ruler, no matter what they said. He had lost the gem, but he would find it again, and he would crush them if he had to. Starting with whatever applicant they sent to try and sway public opinion. No one would look at a the golden fur and dark rosettes of a leopard and be impressed when they were compared to him. His fire marked coat and ebony base were more impressive, more regal and he would crush any that stood in his way. That was how one held the throne, and with that in mind he pushed out of the tent with his lip already curled in a slight baring of teeth.

And it froze in place as he stepped out into the camp and came face to face with the creature waiting for him. He stared into the mirror, at least, almost. The leopard who stood there was gleaming black from nose to toe, the rosettes fiery yellow-orange and red as they spread across his body. The only clothing he wore were a pair of loose pants that were gathered into tight cuffs around his ankles. The handsome broad head was held up, aloof looking while his teeth were bared in an amused smile. But the eyes, the eyes were glowing in the light, the pale pupils narrowed down to slits as the stranger tilted his head slightly and took a step forward.

"So glad to finally meet you." The stranger's voice was deep, almost painfully deep, and amused sounding as the strange eyes lidded. "I've been waiting for ages."

"Who are you?" Trentian bristled. If another marked cub had been born his family would have known about it, the rumor would have been spread far and wide.

"Cigma." The leopard bared his teeth in a slow smile. The name sent terror rising up in the back of Trentian's throat. Cigma. Vengence in the old tongue.

"You aren't real." He hissed out and the eyes flared brighter red around the iris. Red like the gem, red like fire and blood.

There was movement behind him that made Trentian's eyes flick back to see a slight figure standing behind him. A slight nude figure that was standing with his tail tucked between his legs in an awkward pose. The caracal was looking at the ground and nothing else, his ears held back so that they were almost flat to his head. The only thing he had been given to wear was a silk harness wrapped around his upper chest, polished red with brass fittings. His sandy colored fur was marked with the same rosette pattern of Cigma, but more importantly, there was a mark around his neck. A collar. A bound slave...

A bound alchemist... He swallowed as the summoned leopard stepped forward with a low laugh.

"I believe... we need to talk." Trentian managed to keep his voice steady as the stranger padded close enough he could smell something metallic on the air.

The caracal stumbled after the leopard, his head held down and his ears twitched back. The perfect little pet, broken and tamed, not the master of the summoned creature. Uncontrolled, powerful, bathed in the blood of generations of his family and now it had a physical body....