FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

The crowded marketplace was alive with voices, echoing sounds and loud barking cries of the vendors hawking their wares to the people that had managed to stuff themselves into the crammed avenue that was filled with tent tops and vendors. Twice a year the market street flooded with vendors, though the autumn market boasted the more varied merchants as they came nearer to the end of their season and were passing through on their way home. They had the largest and most exotic hauls as they prepared for a long winter in their own homes. This was the time that Reluam that preferred to come down into the main city, intrigued and interested in what he could find hiding in the edges and corners of the odd vendors that carried more than simple supplies for farmers and rural villagers to get through the winter. He had supplies enough to last him through the winter, what he wanted was something that would entertain him, or at the very least intrigue him, through the worst of the storms that kept him locked inside of his home.

The cool fall breeze tickled the coyotes nose as he remained perched on a small stool just outside one of the more eclectic booths, his paws drawn up to lightly brace themselves on the bottom rung while he leaned over the small table that had been set up with glowing and glistening bottles of every size and color. Most of them were syrups and essences used by healers for various ailments, an entire section alone was devoted to colds and flus that ran rampant through the worst of the cold weather. He separated the ones he had no interest in by putting them on top of the uniformed colored bottles as he continued to dig through them, tapping over the edges of the cork and reading the hastily scrawled descriptions one after another.

"Will you stop making a mess." The merchant, a lean and tired looking wildcat, spoke up with annoyance in her voice as he pushed aside a few more bottles. "If you're not a healer, I doubt that you'd understand a tenth of what you're looking through."

"One doesn't have to be a healer to find something interesting." Reluam answered without even lifting his eyes, the dark edge of his muzzle parting in the slightest smile. "You said you had brought rare components and herbs, but all I see here is the same bits and pieces you always bring."

"Then go and hunt at another booth!" The wildcat's fluffed tail was lashing back and forth as she leaned forward and grabbed a bottle out of his hands. "You rightly shouldn't even be here, as I said, anything I have is going to be designed for healers to use and study, not for nosey brush tailed coyotes!"

"My coin is as good as anyone elses." He retorted and shifted some more bottles aside, picking up three out of the very bottom of the crate.

They were all well-padded to prevent being broken or hitting one another in transit, which meant it required some fumbling and digging to get them free of the trappings and bits of dried moss. One he dismissed instantly, there was little reason he would keep anything that was marketed for a common illness. Even if the tag on it was daunting, it was still something common enough that he could have spent his time studying it in a book. The second one was interesting, glowing a brilliant pulsing blue that rippled and roiled within the heavy rounded glass bottle, so dark a blue that it was even coating the cork a strange metallic color. The third was like fire, hot to the touch, pulsing and quivering so that every touch of his fingers made it leap and quiver strangely. He set aside the blue potion and cupped it in his hands, brightening a little bit as he realized the bottle was labeled with the old word for dragon emblazoned right across the front of it. Dragon blood? Dragon fire? The possibilities had his imagination.

It wasn't that he could claim he was a mage, or even had an interesting in wielding such power, but he had spent too much of his time listening to their attempts of masking magic in ritual and nonsense. His youth had been spent fighting in wars that had had lofty goals, his talents with sword and shield, as well as his own hand to hand combat had been a source of pride for him, but it had never been his passion. His passion was found in the books and scrolls where knowledge was freely accessed and gain. Most trades had their secrets, but they were secrets that could be gleaned simply through understanding the why's and how's behind that trade, mages and magicians hid their knowledge. They left false trails and nonsense to cover up the simple principles of chemicals and alchemy. And how he loved exposing their lies and smoke for what it truly was.

"Not for you!" A paw grabbed it from his own before he could even open his muzzle to make an offer, the cat glaring at him.

"I'll make a fair offer." Reluam lolled his tongue out in a sly grin, tilting his head to one side. "No one here could afford it."

"Not for sale." The cat answered stiffly and carefully placed the bottle behind the makeshift table top. "It's a gift for the healer in my own city, so you are wasting your time trying to barter with money."

"Hmm, perhaps other things?" He flicked his ears up along his head entreatingly, looking after the bottle despite the fact it was out of sight.

"No." The trader answered stiffly, not even reacting with curiosity on what the offer might be. The coyote shrugged pragmatically and picked up his second choice.

There was no label, the glass was thick and bubbled in strange places, misshapen around the edges so that it was impossible to tell exactly what sort of shape it was supposed to be when it had first been created. The label was faded and rough, nothing written on it that he could see and the edges were curled up from dry brittle glue that could no longer adhere to the polished glass. Even the cork showed wear along the edges and chipped all around the edge. It was warm in his palm, not hot, but warm as the blue light pulsed and glowed giving him ample ability to view at the liquid held inside. It was a dark metallic blue in places, swirling and twisting this way and that as if it were trying to find a way free, the heart of it pulsing and glowing like blue flames that surged and faded with pulses.

"And this?" Reluam inquired, lifting up the bottle slightly and saw it twisting around in answer to how he shifted it. "Surely you are willing to sell something."

"That?" The cat blinked a little and then frowned, her ears giving a little twitch backwards. "That's not usable for anything, it's a curiosity."

"Then why carry it?" The coyote turned the bottle about in circles. "And what is in it? Simply a bit of magic to make it pretty?"

"No idea. The fellow that threw it into a lot I bought from him told me that it was an old healing potion used half a century ago or more, but proved too dangerous and unreliable to be trusted anymore." The trader answered with a little shrug of a shoulder. "Pretty enough in the bottle, though."

_Too dangerous to use? _ The coyote's ears swung up high on his head at that, there was no such thing as too dangerous, only those too cowardly to take a chance.

"I'll give you six bits for it." He offered airily, doing his best to not show his real interest in the bottle. The cat snorted in amusement and smirked, the whiskers bristling right up along the line of his cheeks.

"Six? That's at least two silvers, perhaps gold. Yes, two gold is more likely the price, it's unique, after all." The wildcat's eyes were sly, tilting his head to one side.

"You said it's dangerous and unpredictable, you don't even know how it is." Reluam turned the bottle about, rolling it so that the light brightened. "It's a curiosity, if it were a real potion perhaps, but as something to sit on a shelf? One silver."

"Two silver, bottom line."

"One silver and six bits, and you won't have to worry about an unpredictable bottle breaking open on your ship home." The coyote ran his red tongue right along the dark splash of color that covered his muzzle. "Unless you prefer rolling the dice."

The wildcat watched him for a moment, his eyes narrowing down before extending out his hand towards the coyote. "One silver and seven bits and you can take it with you."

"Deal." Reluam took out the money with his tail wagging slowly back and forth, already anticipating what the potion must be made up of to classify it as dangerous from the start. At least it would promise him that the winter would be an interesting one.

~ ~ * ~ ~

When the winter storms came, they came howling and screaming, blizzard conditions that hammered the village to the point that no one moved. All livestock had been brought in, all houses locked up tight against the snow that locked the roads and valleys. Isolated, silent, a world where the minutes were counted with hope for spring. There was no point in going outside, no crops to tend, only animals that required food, there was nothing to be done indoors but make repairs that were swiftly done and the rest of the time was simply waiting. Waiting and boredom. In larger houses there were story tellers that would entertain with great deeds and tales of the past, but in smaller houses it was unheard of. Reluam could have gone to the tavern, he could have gone to another city even, but he found winter was perfect to experiment in.

The coyote's home was set outside of the city for winter, well away from neighbors who might interfere in his work. His winter home was little more than an alchemists dream, collections of everything from every day cures from the healers to more elaborate creations that he had spent small fortunes on when the summer had brought exotic traders in. His thick soft winter coat served him well enough against the cold that he required only a small fire as he sprawled out in front of a series of books that he had bought with the eye to trying his hand at actually recreating the more valuable potions for a fraction of what he had to spend in the market. The storm outside was blasting him, rattling the walls and interrupting his study the brief times he heard the wind hammering hard enough to shake the door.

The glowing blue vial was set on the desk in front of him, his bright eyes occasionally sliding to look at the way the swirling blue danced and shifted. Even when it was left alone it was moving, sometimes slowly, a gentle swirl here and there, but more often it created twisting riots of movement as if something were spinning and swimming through the viscous potion. It was interesting enough on it's own, but what was truly interesting was the fact that mention of a potion that fit its description was hard to find, if not impossible. He had found a few annotations to a potion that had passed through the hands of the nobles earlier in the century, but they had been vague on why it had fallen out of favor. There were no recipes, nothing to hint at how it had been created, or even if it were based on magic or alchemy.

Magic was logical. Against everything that people had told him or he had heard, he found it did have a sort of logic to it. It wasn't simply 'feeling' how much of one ingredient to add, it was an exact amount. It wasn't drawing energy from the electricity of a storm through ones soul, but through a series of metal rods and machinations to harness it. He found this pursuit more pleasurable than his younger days in battle, he had never developed a love for bloodlust or pain as others had, he preferred to use his talents only when he had too. It led him to a modest cabin in a small corner of the country where most soldiers would have been at pains to be without women or a bar. It was his life, he enjoyed it, more so, he enjoyed the long winter evenings and the entertainments they afforded him.

The coyote flicked his tail slowly behind him as he sat up, sneezing at the stray dust that tickled his nose. He had already gone through most of his potions and examined them, they had been interesting for a brief amount of time, but he had easily been able to find cause and effect, creation and deconstruction. He would have never picked up the vial if it had been an easy solution, though, half of the interest was in trying to figure it out without relying on the knowledge written in books. Reluam reached out and plucked up the container, feeling the warmed glass in the palm of his hand as it twisted and turned wildly, roiling and almost vibrating against the pads of his fingers.

"One way to try, at least." He murmured down at his find, his claw trying over the smooth edge.

He had always had a bit of a recklessness in his personality, the itch to push the boundaries and limits and the potion had been teasing the back of his mind for days now. It was a healing potion, that much was sure, but why had it not been favored? If there had been any sort of severe side effects it never would have been sent out into the world, it would have died in the first few tests, so it had to be mild, if inconvenient. He could deal with mild and inconvenient, for all he knew, it could have something to do with magic being in its nature. Magic came with its own set of rules and laws to follow and abide by, and while he didn't possess those powers, he did find them fascinating... alluring.

It was that alluring interest in the magic arts that made up his mind. A silver blade from the table was easy to find, easier still was drawing it right along the back of his arm, sinking past the fur to cut three inches up towards his elbow. He didn't cut deep enough to damage permanently, but he did cut deeply enough that blood welled out almost immediately and spilled through the thickness of his fur, trailing towards the floor so he was left scrambling for rags to wrap around the wound before he stained the wood. The pain wasn't immediate, instead it set in when he wrapped the wound with a soft hiss at the sharp sting.

"Damn.." He breathed out and saw the blood welling up into the cloth immediately, not enough that it had hit an artery, but enough that he had done some real harm. Which was what he wanted, the potion might not target small wounds such as a cut finger.

Reluam had to fumble with his good hand, pinning his hurt arm to his stomach as he grabbed the bottle and tried to work at the top. The cork was old and crumbling, falling apart under his claws as he tried to pry it out. He had to eventually give up and lifted it up to his muzzle so he could use his teeth. It was harder than it should have been, but he finally dug his canines down into the top and wiggled it back and forth, twisting and turning the bottle to loosen the seal. The blood was soaking the cloth by the time the cork popped out with a loud noise, splattering some of the blue stuff right on his nose and chin, a strange harsh scent flooded his nostrils as he spit the cork out onto the ground.

He didn't think about what he was doing, if he thought about it he might decide not to risk it, and it wasn't in his make up to back down from a challenge. He briefly debated dumping it on his wound, but most potions weren't meant to be put on wounds, especially not ones with magic. He tipped the bottle back, the thick viscous liquid spilled onto his tongue as he gulped it down, tasting something harsh and strange, burning like fire down the back of his throat as he got a good mouthful down before setting the bottle to one side. It burned going down his throat, fire tearing through him as he gagged a few times and crinkled his lips all the way back, his stomach revolting at the sudden assault. He could almost feel it moving as it dropped into his stomach, the swirling liquid settling while he shuddered and stumbled away from the table.

"Not.. smart..." He chuffed out and felt a wave of nausea that he could barely keep down, his wounded hand dropping down to just help keep him braced up as he struggled not to empty his stomach.

The burning sensation didn't leave him, it made his fur feel too thick and heavy, his tongue lolling out with short shallow pants as the wave of sickness steadily started to taper off. He drew in full breaths, ignoring the after taste on his tongue, trying not to think too hard on the burning sensation in his gut. And, nothing happened, nothing at all, his hand remained throbbing with pain and heat, the wound aching beneath the cloth while another wave hit him and he tried to gag, his muzzle opening up wide in the process, before he calmed his gut through sheer force of will. The cold finger of fear made him stumble up onto two paws, fumbling towards the one potion he did have that was a true healing potion, especially against poison. Perhaps the seller had been wrong, perhaps it had been designed as a nobleman's weapon of choice for a rival, disguised as something meant to heal. Perhaps

-CRACK-

The sound of breaking glass, the splatter of something and the sudden assault of smoke sent the coyote leaping back with a high pitched yelp of shock. The open potion bottle had exploded on the table, thick blue fluid splattered all over the wooden top and was leaking towards the ground in thick heavy drops. Smoke was twisting up from it, thick blue plumes that rapidly filled his home so he had no choice but the scramble for his front door, storm or no storm. One of his foot paws hit glass as he fled, the sharp pain of the glass making him cry out before throwing himself against the door and shoving it open, the wind nearly yanked it out of his paws the moment he had it pushed out, whipping it back towards the door. There was a brief glimpse of blue fire erupting behind him, engulfing his table and part of the wall, before he threw himself into the snow, trying to run before the hungry flames engulfed him as well.

~ ~ * ~ ~

Avalerion shuddered and hissed, snarled and screeched out his defiance the moment the bottle had been broken, the ancient seal pierced so he could surge past it without even a brush of magical manacles to hold him. In the past, the magicians had been ready when they released him, their collars of magic and metal normally snapped around him the moment he began to become corporal, binding him to their will. This time, his fire burned brighter and hotter, surging through the small room as he leapt outwards and followed the trail from his prison and into the real world. Were they so stupid that they believed he would obey them and heal? That he was broken to the point he would only obey?

The gryphon erupted into the physical world with a flashing of his wings, the fire raging along his back as he opened his beak and screamed out to his tormentors, his claws raking the wooden floor. It was disorienting, time had no meaning in his prison, but it felt strange to feel the cool air running over his true body, ruffling feathers and fur both. It should have been something he could have basked in with pleasure, but instead of pleasure he felt only fury. How dare they capture him? How dare they try to keep him? He drew the fire around him to protect himself, his head lowered as he turned to face them, the old men who would try to own and possess a gryphon boasting the blood of the phoenix burning through his veins. And came face to face with an empty looking cabin...

The drake blinked a few times, flicking his broad wings against his sides as he suspiciously turned his head about to look at the place. When he had been summoned before it had been in great castles and estates, places of obvious wealth and luxury as the most powerful rulers paid steep fines to have their illnesses and wounds healed with phoenix flame. The building he was in looked like a farmers house, the rough wood scored and carved inexpertly, the fire place was made of mismatched rocks and bits of hardened clay, the furniture bulky and primitive. Avalerion lashed his tail and turned about, his large body crashing against the remains of a table and the broken bottle. His confusion overtook his outrage as he snuffed down at the glass that had held him, the magic was old tasting, stale, brittle enough that there was little wonder he had been able to get free without one of them unsealing the containment enchantment.

"Nnnph..." A groan brought the drake's ear tufts up and he turned his broad blue beak towards the open door.

Snow was swirling into the cabin, melting at the presence of the blue flames dancing over his feather and fur, fading away and turning to water at his forepaws. It was night outside, but the snow made it easy to see the dark shape pushing up onto hands and knees unsteadily, the flick of a thick furred tail as the form tried to get up. It was a canine of sorts, the faint scent teased his nose as he padded forward, his head held level with his shoulders while his tail began to lash back and forth. He could feel something flickering from the staggering form, a taut ribbon of magic drawn between them. Avalerion lifted his talons and ran his toes along the invisible strand, stroking his way down the line as the stranger got up onto two legs and staggered slightly. Injured...

There was no denying the scent of blood on the air, the coppery scent was absolutely unmistakable and it splattered the snow where the canine had fallen. The gryphon's tail snapped behind him in outrage as he reached down the unseen bond, tracing it towards the form. The little beast had drunk part of the containment potion! It was there the moment he felt the bond tightening and relaxing, the telltale stink of ancient magic that had been used to trap him. The coyote, for it was a coyote, managed to turn with a dazed look in his eyes before finally realizing that he was no longer alone. The drake stood in the doorway to the cabin, his heavy beak parted in a silent snarl as he watched the form struggling up from the snow.

It certainly wasn't the sort he was used to seeing, whenever he smelled a magic user they tended to be older and greyer, reeking of hours in some cramped work room with little ventilation, this one smelled rather mundane. The gryphon's feathers roused, taking in the strange dark markings that ran along the narrow muzzle, the dazed look in the eyes as the coyote froze and simply stood in the snow. There was no expectation in those eyes, just a shock at being faced with the unexpected. There wasn't even a primitive protective circle drawn around the summoner. The drake's ears flicked up and he parted his beak in a slightly sly smile, tilting his head to one side as he watched his 'master' stumble backwards, staring to try to run. There was nothing to stop him from putting this would be mage in his place, nothing to keep him from breaking free of the damned spells once and for all.

:Well, you certainly didn't think this through, now did you?: He sent telepathically, ruffling up his feathers before stepping into the snow. :Or did you simply believe I would be broken enough to bow to your wishes?:

~ ~ * ~ ~

Blue. Reluam had never seen a blue so intense as it was on the mythical creature picking his way from the cottage. It was as dark as a night sky, but glowed beneath the edges with a hint of fire and sparks that erupted and fell to nothingness in the snow. The beast's eyes blazed the same color of the potion as it watched him, leaving the coyote scrambling backwards in the hopes that he could escape before the creature could attack. The moment he started to move backwards, a voice slid through his mind, the thoughts strange and foreign as the gryphon clicked his beak and sent another ripple of sparks falling down the back of his neck and along the edges of his shoulders.

"I.. No, I didn't believe you were broken. I didn't know you were trapped in there!" He pulled his arm in close to him, feeling the blood still welling against his fingers. It wasn't healed, it hadn't even slowed down.

What had he been sold? It obviously wasn't the healing potion he had thought it was, it wasn't a potion at all, the beast was larger than life as it padded out with the large wings flashing open. He was as large as a draft horse at the shoulder, the rippling feathers made him more imposing as the ear tufts pricked up high. The pictures and legends didn't do the animal justice. It was no natural color, it was more like a phoenix gifted with feline attributes than the muted colors that legend gave them. It was a riot of movement, dynamic and enraged with every feather along the back of the neck sticking up straight in the air, the eyes focused on him as it continued to stalk forward.

:Didn't you?: The voice snarled through his mind, making him shrink away as it stepped forward again, the beak clicking together loudly. :You are bleeding, are you saying you simply happened upon my prison wounded and decided to open it?:

"I-No! I thought it was a simple healing potion." He stepped back again, a flash of fire erupted along the wings, his stomach twisted painfully making him tighten his hold over it. It felt like fire spreading over his lower stomach in answer to the flames flashing over the gryphon.

As he stepped out onto the snow , it melted around the forelegs that steamed through the snow, the sapphire eyes pinned him in place as he was backed up in front of the beast. Fire tickled over the feathers, flashing and curling, running along the rise of the crest while the beast took a breath, the beak spreading open wide for a brief moment to flick a tongue out into the air. Reluam felt trapped, he couldn't breathe, couldn't move, remained pinned in place as the beast walked around him, padding in slow circles while the length of his tail started to lash and twitch back and forth.

:Thought? You didn't bother to think at all, did you? Playing with things you have no knowledge of like a child with a toy.: The voice trilled through his mind while the coyote stumbled to one side, feeling the drag of a long tail running over him, caressing in a smooth stroke.

"I... what are you?" The coyote swallowed, trying to gather his wits through the ache along his belly and the beast suddenly sent out a lapping curl of fire.

:I am Avalerion, born of Sky Haven, one of a noble line bred from phoenixes and once imprisoned by your people.: The fire didn't burn, it shocked him, prickled over his fur harmlessly as the flames made him startle backwards.

"I am Reluam Blokkum and I did nothing to you." He protested, his ears tipping backwards as the flames enveloped his injured arm. A wing swept out, forcing him back against the bold large form.

:No, you didn't, but you summoned me to heal you, and I will.: The fire was crackling louder in the coyote's ears, burning over his arm with stinging heat that drew a whine from his throat. :But you will pay for my services.:

Before Reluam could refuse him, the fire burst brighter, white-blue, so bright that he could barely stare at it while his arm felt tingling warmth, almost like pins and needles stabbing into his arm. He tried to jerk it away, but he couldn't feel his arm below the elbow. The beast's body came close to his, pressed so intimately that he could feel the sides rising and falling, taste the strange sharp scent of the drake on the air. The pins and needles feeling became rapidly worse, numbing in his fingers , he couldn't even see his hand for the flames. He dropped to his knees as there was a shock of pain, nauseating and frightening as he curled forward and swallowed a groan.

It hurt nearly as badly as it had getting the wound, he could feel the skin tightening rapidly, the flames banked and dulled, becoming a dim blue as he swallowed a gasping breath. Beneath them, he could finally see what was happening to the cut he'd made on himself. The skin was knitting together, reaching and pulling together, the muscle beneath it joining one another where it had been cut. It hurt, every twinge, every bump, every throb he might have felt healing naturally occurred in fast time. He hunched over his arm, holding it tightly as his muscles started to twitch and spasm, his hand shaking and fingers twitching in reaction as the fire healed him. It wasn't painless as it had thought, it wasn't even as fast as the most common healing concoctions used by the temples.

Tears streamed down his dark patterned muzzle, calling down from his nose as he sucked in a breath and tried to stop the whimpers from escaping his muzzle. Steadily, the wound healed itself, the fur began to grow over the ragged angry scar, but the cost had him dropping into a ball as he heard the heavy paws moving around him. The snow was blessedly cold when compared to the heat pouring over him from what the gryphon was doing. It was a relief when his vision started to darken, when it became harder to pay attention to the world around him. He swayed, the dizziness enveloping him as he squeezed his eyes shut. A wing swept over him as the darkness claimed him, the sound of the gryphon rumbling chased him into dreams.

~ ~ * ~ ~

Reluam stirred from strange dreams filled with creatures from legends, his arm throbbing in time with his heart beat as he let out a groan and shifted, feeling something soft beneath him. It was so warm that he felt as if he had fallen asleep nearly hugging the fire, certainly not how he expected to find himself. With a shift, he rocked against the bed, pushing his hands down, one of them dully aching with phantom pain. His fingers sank into something soft and furred, the creature grunted and the coyote snapped his eyes open as his dulled mind snapped back into reality while the form shifted and rolled him to the ground, landing with a grunt onto the familiar ground of his cabin. His arm gave out, feeling partially numb, landing him on his chest as he whined out shallowly.

:Are you awake?: A voice ran through his mind, warm and amused while the coyote gave a shake and pulled himself up onto his knees, his eyes snapping open to see the great blue form taking up a good portion of his cabin.

"Rrrmph? Oh god.." He curled his lips back slightly, seeing the flashing blue sparks that fell down from the line of the thick neck feathers. "You're real."

:So much has changed that the sight of one of my kind makes you question reality?: The blue eyes fixated on him while Reluam pushed himself up, his ears splayed as his mind felt heavy and strange.

He had thought it was all some fever dream, a reaction from drinking the potion, but the dream was falling away in the sight of the gryphon heaving himself up to sit on powerful equine haunches. There was no fire in the cabin, the fireplace was empty, but the entire room was almost uncomfortably warm as the creature radiated heat. His kitchen table, his supplies, even his bed had been shoved against the walls, the covers and pillows dragged to form a sort of nest on the ground, he had been partially laying on it apparently, and disturbingly had been tucked up against the side of the haunches. He had been drug in from the outside, the snow and stripped from his clothes.

The second realization was a dull one, he should have felt some amount of humiliation about standing in nothing but his fur in front of the gryphon, but he didn't have room for emotions at the moment. His cabin showed the size of the beast plainly, if the gryphon had opened his wings he would have hit either side of the wall. He radiated magic and fire, there was nothing mundane about the beast that regarded him. It could have left

"Nothing like you exists in this world." He answered slowly, standing up and drawing his arm up to look at. "At least not now."

:A pity, there were once hundreds of my kind, but your people saw it better to use us for your own reasons.: Avalerion, that was the creature's name, sent the words through his mind. :I suppose they used many of my people in much the same way.:

"I've never heard of your people." He wanted to laugh hysterically at talking to a creature that seemed as if he had walked right from the history books.

The wound was gone from his arm entirely, there wasn't even a scar or missing fur, it just felt vaguely numb as he ran his hands over it. The gryphon stood up and regarded him, the gaze showed a glimmer of anger as he moved, parting his beak slightly to show a dark tipped tongue. Standing up made it impossible to ignore just how big the gryphon was, he was as large as a horse, the head brushed the roof and the gathered herbs swayed back and forth.

:I will not return to my prison.: The drake lowered his head, the blue eyes sparking brightly. :I will not return to a bottle like an ingredient gathered on some hill top.:

"I had no intention of putting you back!" Reluam retorted, taking a step back as the gryphon ruffled up his feathers, the wings stirring. "Go, leave, be free and enjoy your freedom!"

:Ahh, but tomorrow or the next day, or the next, you might tell the tale that I have risen once again and others will come.: The feathers ruffled and the eyes pinned him in place. :You drank my essence, they will offer you much money because you and you alone can locate me at will.:

"You have my word!" The coyote protested, raising his hands up, but the gryphon was moving, stalking him.

:How can I trust your word? Now, yes, you will say what you might, but a year from now? Two? I will always be on the run, always waiting for them to come for me, to try and capture me again.: Avalerion's eyes were fever bright as the long crest feathers lifted higher in the air.

"I have more honor than that." Rel bristled, his ears held back against his head. "If they have kept you prisoner, than be free, I won't ensnare you again or help any others to do it."

:A pity that so many before have taught me your words are empty, or I might believe them. You owe a debt to me for healing you, and my price is ensuring my freedom.: The drake stalked him, moving with a deadly grace that rippled the muscles along the line of his back, trailing down the spine.

"So you'll kill me?!" He snarled, fear curling in his stomach, fear he refused to show the beast that stalked him.

:Kill?: The gryphon let out a trilling sound, like laughter. :You see the difference between our species'? You think of death as the answer, I am more interested in life.:

"You aren't going to kill me?" He jerked around as the drake padded around him, the large head held level with his shoulders.

:Oh no, I have no taste for killing creatures that can think.: The wing flashed out slightly, a brush that hit right against his side. :But, I also have no taste for males either.:

Reluam jerked around in a circle, twisting away as a paw reached out and curled around him, the talons brushed along his hip as he was drawn back towards the beast looming above him. There was a grin on the beak, the edge pulled up as the blue drake curled himself around the coyote, his body large and powerful as a wing dragged him in and he saw the sapphire eye dropping down close to him, the pupil flared open wide. It was almost too warm, it radiated from the curved side, lapping against him while a low rumble trilled from deep in the avian throat. There was no where to really run in the small cottage, the gryphon was so large that he took up nearly the entire room.

"No taste for males?" He tried to struggle out of the hold, but the beak snapped out and opened, catching along the curve of his shoulder with a powerful flex that made him cry out.

:No, I don't.: The words were covered in an emotion that sent a blush running towards his ears, he stepped away and felt the beak gripping harder. :But such a problem can be fixed... easily.:

~ ~ * ~ ~

No matter what Avalerion's thoughts were on his imprisonment, he lacked the bloodthirsty nature to demand blood payment from an innocent creature. Well, perhaps not so terribly innocent. The coyote had the faint tang of magic on him, his home had been revealing of the nature of the person that had found him. There was nothing that smelled of a female or family, nothing that hinted at long visits or presences besides the creature that had released him. He had searched, even going so far as rummaging through the small cubby of a bedroom to snuffle through the blankets. If there had been others... The gryphon gave himself a snort and felt Reluam writhing in his hold, struggling to get out.

He didn't know what he would have done if there had been companions, family involved, but that wasn't a worry, he couldn't let the coyote go. The bond between them from the containment potion was drawn taut, no matter where he flew to or how far he went, the coyote could find him with just the barest touch and concentration. He didn't want to be found again, he had had enough of this civilization of magic and enslavement. To keep himself safe he would have to give the coyote a real reason to remain silent, or else drag the canine with him into the wilds never to be seen again. He had no desire to have a stranger for constant company, but giving the little thing a reason for silence now that had true interest to him.

He had been trapped in an incorporeal state for so long that he had half forgotten what it felt to have a physical form. He had already eaten heavily, leaving the unconscious coyote long enough to take down a deer, the rich red meat had been a delight, the feel of his stomach being full had lulled him to sleep, wrapped around the creature that had freed him. Perhaps it was the fact he had been well fed, slept and there seemed little risk to being imprisoned again, but his mind had shifted to another bodily need that was far more pressing as he crowded Reluam, his wings mantling ever so delicately. No, this wouldn't be his first choice, but he could heal because he could change, and there were such lovely changes he could give the outraged coyote.

"Let go!" The snarl was mocking as Avalerion forced the canine back, using the broadness of the beak to shove the furred form backwards.

The drake didn't bother replying, he ducked his heavy beak down and parted it to run his tongue along the soft furred belly, his breath spilling out. It was an old spell, but he had had little else to do in his containment besides recall old far away days and spells. The coyote cried out, jerking backwards, but Avalerion was ready with one large forepaw, curling it around the sweep of the back as his tongue gave a slow curl upwards, extending his aura out over the trembling form while his beak ran through the soft plush fur, running higher in the air. He had no doubt the bold browns, tans and blacks would look beyond attractive on a female, especially once he put his own little additions. Even the thought stirred him, false sparks glittered down the length of his tail as he worked his tongue towards the male's nipples.

~ ~ * ~ ~

Reluam realized, with a vivid touch, just what the gryphon had meant about not liking males. It had been such an off conversation with a myth that he hadn't realized that the drake had been discussing something sexual. When the tongue touched him, he stiffened, his hands reached for the thick feathers as a strange fire trailed behind the tongue that brushed upwards. It wasn't like what had happened when his arm had healed, it was something that curled deep below the surface and caught in his breath as the rasping tongue tip flicked up right at the bare nub of his nipples. The sapphire eyes rolled up, watching him intently, the growl rising into a deep bone trembling purr that rang through him like a tuning fork.

"What are you doing?" His words came out tight, almost a whine as the rasping dark tongue tip flicked upwards.

Avalerion didn't answer, the creature's thoughts were silent as the warmth spread along the expanse of his nipple. He had never considered them to be anything sexual, certainly not had anyone seek them out, but the warmth was spreading over the nub and tightening it. His fingers dug into thick soft feathers, feeling sparks fall down against his wrist. The tongue was textured like a felines, the miniscule barbs raked in slow circles, twisting around the edges and flicked upwards in a slow drag that drew a hiss from his throat. The skin grew taut and swollen feeling as the edge of the beak raked against his neck, he tried to back away, but the paw on his back flexed down tightly and pulled him in closer.

The strokes of the tongue steadily began to pull and rub the broadness of the base right along the tip of the nipple, rolling back and forth, curling and twisting around the edges as the skin felt feverish. It was as if he had some sort of infection, the same throbbing heat formed, growing more sensitive until he whined out and writhed backwards at the feel of the avian barbs dragging and lapping over the area around his nipple. He felt as if he was experiencing each barb by itself, plucking and rasping almost to the point of it being painful, every drag threatened to draw a sound from him as his fingers balled down and jerked back against the feathered head.

The tip of the beak raked against his nipple in response, a sharp snarl burst from the creature and made him jerk away, only to feel the tongue drag up again. The rounded edge of the beak pushed against his chest, oddly dimpling it in so Rel jerked his head down and tried to pull backwards again. The skin was swollen, more than swollen, it was puffed out against the beak, rising up in a mound in answer to the avid tongue pushing against him. He let out a stifled sound, his ears tipping all the way back against his head before jerking backwards, digging himself into the claws that held him. The gryphon's eyes snapped open, the pupils flared as he made a point to coil his long agile tongue around the thickened nipple and pulled outwards in a slow slippery brush.

:Be still, coyote. Be still, Reluam.: Avalerion's words were slow and purring, musical as they slipped through his mind.

It was hard to push the voice away, harder still to struggle as the musical croon that spilled over his thoughts became wordless, but too loud, the sound vibrating over his thoughts. It wasn't a noise he could stop with his ears, but he still freed the gryphon's head to move to his other nipple while he attempted to hold his ears down to block out the sound. The croon rose up, pushing away his frantic attempts to rationalize and analyze how to escape, and became a simple demanding presence as the barbed tongue rasped over the tip of his untended nipple and began to repeat what he had done the first time.

"Stop!" He barked out, his voice pitched loudly to escape the musical croon in his mind, but it only grew louder.

His eyes squeezed tightly shut as he dropped his weight and grimaced, his lips pulling back while a heavy avian paw suddenly moved up to slide along his inner thighs. He knew he should fight away the touch, but the thought was pushed away at the beast's mind voice toning it out, he could only think about the sound as he cried raggedly and suddenly he felt a powerful paw pushing upwards. He stood back up as the talons ran right along the underside of his furred orbs, the padded toe stroking while the sharp claw tip traced the back of his ass.

~ ~ * ~ ~

Avalerion had the image in his mind that he wanted to create, and he drew it with his tongue and touch while he felt the canine trying to writhe away from him. He sang in his mind, a croon that wrapped around those pesky thoughts, the desire to escape, the need to fight, and blocked them out. A mage would have shrugged away the touch, but this was no mage, this was a fumbling canine that was writhing under his touch. He called out what he wanted, swallowing and working his tongue in forceful strokes that rasped the thickness of his tongue right over the perked nipple, feeling it starting to thicken as his paw lifted higher in the air and reached between the furred haunches.

The balls were small against his toes, he curled lightly against them and brushed back and forth, feeling the way that bumped against the tips of his toes and heard the high pitched whimper. It had been so long since he had touched anyone, let alone with an ounce of desire, he felt almost light headed as his dark shaft began to push from the furred pouch of his sheath. There was little he could do to stop it, despite Reluam not being the gender he was truly after, it was glorious to feel the way the body arched and squirmed, bowed and quivered. He blew out a hot breath, panting shallowly before running his tongue downwards along the sweep of the chest and stomach.

The breasts were soft, white and tan furred, the nipples bright pink as they jutted out, lovely to caress his beak against and called to mind those few two leggers that had once sought his bed. They had never left unfulfilled and his heart began to throb faster against his chest as he nudged and licked harder, rasping against the tip of the nipple again just to hear the lad cry out in obvious confused pleasure. The gryphon reared up, his haunches straining to hold his weight as he spread his wings open in the narrow room for balance. He used the hold between the male's legs to draw the coyote in closer and tilted his head downwards. The form was masculine, too masculine, the mind too angry and fighting for control, he needed to overwhelm it, claim it with passion and need so that Rel began to lose focus on his fight.

:Get down, drop down, there's no need to stand any longer.: He whispered the words through the active thoughts, breaking his croon for just a moment as he wove his song into the words. :Pay for your healing and your freedom, lovely Reluam.:

The name he sang, a true name, how had the world changed that they handed over their true name to any creature that asked. His own name was engraved on his heart, he could use the name given to him by those that found him, but that could never be used to control him. The coyote cried out, the pitch growing as the gryphon's paw ran upwards, cupping along the length of the newly formed breasts, his magic spilling wild through the malleable body. The shoulders began to soften, becoming more delicate, a soft padding to hint at a feminine form, and he had only just begun. His cock quivered along the underside of his stomach, the fleshy nubs of the barbs raising upwards along the edge as a glistening glowing blue drop formed at his tip.

:On all fours, Reluam.: He sang through that teasing mind, already imagining what a canine tongue might feel like on him.

~ ~ * ~ ~

Heat and fire, lightning and thunder, Reluam found it harder to think as they hammered over him and made his breathing come in a faster pace, lurching through his chest while the croon became louder. He was trembling, the warmth wasn't designed to burn, it stroked until his skin felt tight and swollen, every touch a caress over nerve endings that shocked sounds from his throat. He had always been able to think, to rationalize and examine, it was a part of who he was, but the voice in his mind wiped the thoughts away demandingly, leaving him struggling simply to stand up under the weight of the commands. Claws raked along the mounds of his breasts, and only then did shock give the gryphon what he wanted.

The brief flutter of his thoughts let the suggestion slip through as he realized that his chest was swollen as if it were injured, plump soft breasts were forming beneath his fur, complete with thick perked nipples. His hands hit the ground as a beak ran along the length of his spine and spread heat spilling to either side. The drake moved above him, the flashes of blue sparks fell down to either side, scattering along his shoulders as the powerful furred haunches loomed in front of him. The musical croon pushed through his thoughts louder, more demanding, making it hard to register what he was seeing hanging down along the length of the belly. It was something dark, the glowing blue just another part of the gryphon, until he moved forward and something brushed along the ridge of the coyote's muzzle.

A rasping tongue pushed beneath his tail, working between his thighs so he called out as the viscous glowing precum spilled out over his muzzle and fur. The rich scent of the gryphon filled his senses as the cock tip nudged along the edge of his cheek and slipped backwards, the fleshy barbs caressed against his whiskers as the tongue bathed along the back of his balls. They rolled against him, rubbing with slow powerful caresses that danced beneath the weight of them, rolling them back and forth. It distracted him, that was the game, dimly he realized that everything that was being done was one grand game meant to distract him from what was happening and even that knowledge didn't save him.

All his life Reluam had believed in cold logic, even in his search with magic he had approached it with a good basis of the logic beneath it. It was what made magic users detest him, his superiority, his surety, and now it meant nothing in the face of the gryphon. The dark tapered cock tip glided down and pushed along his lips, the salty-sweet taste of the precum oozed along the curve of his tongue as the beast rolled his hips forward with a deliberate stroke that pushed into his muzzle. A paw curled along his hip, lifting it upwards as the tongue lavished strong powerful strokes over his orbs, and where he touched, the warmth and heat spread, pouring like liquid over him as he tried to pull his head backwards. The silence of his mind vibrated with the song, interwoven with commands that came with not words, but with thoughts and feelings.

The coyote's tongue flicked out, running around the strange shaped cock tip and was rewarded with a strange, not at all unpleasant, taste spreading over his taste buds. The tip nudged forward, catching between his lips fearlessly as he felt the rumbling purr bursting from the gryphon's beak, an approving tone as the fleshy barbs caught right along the line of his broad tongue. He licked out again, the glowing precum spilled out, running towards the back of his throat, his thick soft tail brushing up along the side of the gryphon's beak. It felt... good, a warm caress that spread through his belly and made his body warm despite the winter chill. The song comforted and roused, caressed and teased until his thoughts felt as if they were mired in swamp mud, every struggle only ensnaring them deeper.

He pushed his tongue out in a slow stroking push, dragging down the shaft that wedged forward while his balls felt tighter, pulling up between his legs to force a protesting hiss from his throat. The tongue bathed them, dragging and pushing as the sharp edge of the beak gently ran along the inner crease of his thigh. It was a startling touch, the sharp hard edge traced lightly to off set the gentle rolling tongue that pushed higher in the air, coiling in a delicate stroke that pushed him forward. It became easier to work his muzzle, easier to suckle along the thickening girth, feeling the length of the shaft rolling forward. He had to struggle to hold it, his jaws spreading wider with slippery strands of saliva coating along the dark spire, the precum rolling down his tongue as he cupped the broadness of his tongue right beneath the girth and pushed downwards, tracing over a faint bulge that ran right along the glans. His normally sharp and demanding mind twining with the song spun through his mind.

~ ~ * ~ ~

_Gods... How long has it been? _ Avalerion closed his eyes and sank his hind claws into the wood floor, suppressing a snarl of pure pleasure.

The coyote's mouth was gentle around his cock, swirling over it with a tongue as soft as damp velvet, wrapping around him and coaxing more of his girth from the heavy pouch of his sheath. It was a force of will not to drive himself into Rel's maw and try and bury every last inch inside of him, but that would break his hold. He could feel the active mind pushing against his phoenix song, trying to find a way free. It was nothing like the frantic or brute force minds of those he had tried to bespell in the past, there was logic there, enough so that he was forced to rise the pitch to try to drown it out. It worked, but it intrigued him. Perhaps if he had been thinking of more than just the pulse of his body he might have mulled over the repercussions, but for now that hot silken mouth.

It felt even more delightful to stretch out his magic and aura, feeling it changing and roiling beneath the coyote's coat. If Reluam hadn't drank part of the containment spell he might have found it harder to enact the changes, but the bond between them was easier to draw out. His tongue rolled under the furred orbs as he rocked his hips, delicately running his barbs back and forth as he pushed them upwards. He used the flat of his tongue to force them upwards, the furred sac wrinkled slightly as he puffed out a hot breath against them. He felt the muzzle tightening around him, the hold wrapping around his foreknot while his hips started to nudge in deeper, wedging and pushing towards the back of the muzzle. He puffed out another breath, the edge of blue smoke twisted around the plump cub-makers and felt them starting to draw backwards.

The drake lifted his forepaw up and grasped the base of the soft tail and squeezed it, his beak dipping down further while his feathers started to rouse upwards. Where the smoke curled, the small two legged creature changed, the sounds that came from beneath him almost protesting them. The orbs faded easily against the powerful caresses and soon there was just a soft brush of pale white fur that he could tease with his tongue tip. He could see the masculine body, but he knew what was beneath it, his cock pushed entirely from his sheath, the base knot nudging it downwards as he pushed his head between the furred thighs and towards the sheath. Only a glimpse of the dark red shaft was visible, but soon there wouldn't even be that.

_:Reluam: _ He breathed the word through the coyotes mind, putting weight on his words before he ran his tongue up along the soft furred pouch.

~ ~ * ~ ~

Reluam trembled at his name, his jaws opening wider while his paws moved to hold the heavily furred forelegs. The glowing precum coated his senses, making his body throb in time with his heart beat while he felt his stomach turning. It was like when he had first swallowed the potion, the rush and fire of it wrapped lower until his hips gave a shivering push forward. The rasping tongue kissed the base of his sheath, he felt the feathered cheeks pushing between his thighs as the tongue stroked from the base all the way to where his tip was nudging out into view. He tried to suck in a breath, but the powerful haunches pushed forward and wedged the tip towards his throat, gliding over the back of his tongue as more of the too large girth pushed itself into his maw.

He tried to swallow, but the swollen tip pushed deeper to run over the oral muscles in a light caress that sent the barbs flaring out. He nearly coughed around the swollen meat, his tongue roiling beneath it before he felt something hot and soft stroking against the tip of his cock. It was an automatic response of his body, a slip and push out of boned shaft along the length of the beak. His rough cry hampered by the slow drag back and the drooling tip that pulled from his maw. All he could smell and taste was the gryphon, an alluring spice in the air that had his pupils dilating in the same way being drugged might have. This wasn't him, it was as if Avalerion was carving away the cool logic and replacing it with something made of fire and abandon. The tongue flicked again, a slow powerful stroke that ran along the edge of his sheath.

:Do you want to see what I will make of you, Reluam?:_ _ The words echoed through the song in his mind and the coyote startled backwards as the haunches drew away, the slow drag leaving a brief strand of glowing pre clinging to his tongue before he snapped it up. :You will be my finest creation.:

"What... do you want.. with me? My word?" Rel managed the words, though they were slow and slurred, truly it was like an exotic drug as the tongue pushed harder along his sheath and he felt the furred pouch bunching up oddly.

:I want you, Reluam.: His name seemed the key, every time the creature said it, he felt his solid ground trembling. :I want relief, I want assurances, and I want you.:

The coyote's words turned into a harsh cry of shock as the forepaws moved up to cup against his rump cheeks, one sliding towards his shoulders as the beast reared onto his hind legs. The wings were beating, his meager cabin suffering under the rising winds as he was lifted from the ground and the controlled hold slowly flipped him over. For a moment he panicked, not even the thrum through his mind and the drugged sensation could stop him as he went upside down, but it passed as he heard a rough thud and his back pressed down against a furred curved stomach, the hind legs splayed to either side as Avalerion reclined on his back and peered down at him from between his own legs. The face was hungry and eager, a mortal look on something that had no business existing.

The tongue dipped down again, his head settled back so that the length of the shaft rested along his cheek as he watched the terrifying beak parting. He didn't even feel the hard edge of the hooked tip, he only felt the rub of the tongue as it bathed along this shaft, stroking and pushing in steady caresses that drew sounds from his chest. He had a brief moment of clarity, of upset and fear, knowing his loins were different, the bare fur where his twin orbs once rested gone, but it was snatched away as the heat of the tongue bathed over him. The sapphire eyes were rolled up as the beast watched him, daring him without words to watch as the tongue tip curled delicately right around the tapered tip of his emerging cock.

~ ~ * ~ ~

Avalerion had toyed with the notion of letting himself go in that tight slippery maw, he had wanted it, nearly impaled the boy so that his knot swelled and securely locked him in place. It was almost painful to stop, but he managed it with a gritted beak, covering up his discomfort by lying back and sprawling out, the coyote atop him. He had no intention of letting loose so early in the game, not when it might mar his concentration. Instead, he used the hold he had on Rel's mind to see the wide eyes watching his tongue began to work along the sheath, already feeling the lean muscular form starting to soften under his touch along the hips. The soft mound of the breasts rested perfectly, the nipples peaked and peeping form the fur invitingly.

He used his paws on the curved hips to knead as he began to roll his tongue downwards, pouring his magic through his touch as he pulled along the pouch with the tip of his tongue. The rolled flesh became warm and malleable after a few strokes, pulling down to reveal the spire that jutted up in the air. His paws gently ran through the soft fur, his talons unfurls to drag lightly through the thick soft fur, raking with a flash of sparks. Where he ran his paws, the fur began to darken, azure blue began to bleed through in a series of long stripes that he trailed towards the curve of the navel. There were already bold dark markings on the fur, and the azure ones crept like a stain to join them as he felt the mind stirring in his hold.

He held the coyote's eyes, purposefully locking them in place as he ran his tongue down along the sheath and pulled it backwards. The edges were fattening and growing thicker while the strokes of his tongue forced the fur to recede where he caressed. He toyed slowly, in no hurry to force the change, instead he teased it, felt the mind squirming under his hold with increasing attempts to find logic in the madness. How calculating a creature that might think he was a being of mathematics and physics. He found it even more delicious to roll his tongue downwards, pushing into the sheath itself and draw out a whimper of shock while the shaft began to grow thinner under his attention.

The fur along the shoulder was a soft caress along his girth, his orbs so tight it was near painful, but it was easily ignored when he heard a high pitched cry spill from that parted dark muzzle. The tongue was a bright pink, glowing faintly blue as a testament to what had been done, and Avalerion couldn't help but rumble a low laugh to himself. Feathers began to form where the blue marks were spreading in lines along the hips and towards the curve of the ass, called from the mammalian body with a light touch. When he was done Reluam would a beauty the likes of which the world had never seen, and he would be the first to have her. The thought brought his tongue down harder, gathering the sheath as the shaft continued to pull backwards, guiding it with a control brush of aura.

~ ~ * ~ ~

Rel could hear his own panting in his ears, so loud it became one with the crooning sound in his mind. The feel of the tongue pushing down his sheath was painfully pleasurable, caressing nerve endings that had never been touched before. The fur faded away under the tongue, his cock growing smaller as he was caressed, the changes less dramatic than the blue stripes, but no less terrifying as the beak spread open wider. The heat of the breath tickled over him as the rasping tongue tip started to swirl over his tip, lapping with slow powerful movements that made his hips give short shallow jerks and arches, his ears falling backwards. It felt good, no matter the strangeness and fear, it made his body react as the sheath bunched oddly and was pushed down along his inner thighs.

He tried to find out how this was happening, if he knew the source of it, he could find a way to get out of it, find a way to stop it. The problem wasn't so easy, not when the thrum pushed through his mind and he felt the heat pouring over him with every stroke. The tip of his cock was more sensitive than it ever had been in his life, he could feel every stroke, every caress of the barbs rasping against him while one of the paws moved to cup against the curve of his hip. The large toes brushed along his sheath, caressing and pulling, dragging it right along the edges as the coyote threw his head back, panting shallowly. The slow powerful swirling touches began to build up while he writhed in place, his toes curling slightly.

When his eyes flashed open again, it was to the sight of delicate feathering chasing along his hips, the glowing and sparked plumage matched the gryphon's color. He could feel the feathers along the base of his tail, the curve of his ass, a brilliant spill of color distracting to the eye, if other things weren't dominating his attention he might have felt more fear and concern for that change. But the real attention grabber was found in the push of the tongue along the narrow tip of his cock, the thick lips of his sheath had been pushed downwards, feeling hot and malleable as his cock became little more than a small swollen nub that the gryphon teased over. The dark sapphire eyes were closed as Rel started to squirm backwards along the furred belly, his foot paws pushing out to try and force the head away from him.

The tongue tip suddenly pushed harder along the nub of his cock, it slid down towards the mound of his sheath, stroking with a sweeping push. What had been a low slung pouch steadily changed in ship as the tongue tip pushed inwards, the spike of heat and pressure grew as the tongue tip dug forward and the beak pushed against him. He struggled, his hands reached out blindly to grab either side of the furred haunches while there was fire lapping through his loins, and not unpleasant fire at all. The tongue began to steadily wedge inwards to a place there was no room, and Avalerion began to force it forward. The bright eyes opened to watch him as the beak spread open wider, the tongue tip slide inwards with a spike of pressure and pain both.

Reluam's jaws opened up and he let out a shrill high pitched sound as walls spread open wide and started to wrap around the tongue. The spade shaped sheath was spread open wider around the tongue, the slender tongue started to work through him, caressing with a rasp of barbs. The coyote grabbed the furred haunches, balling his...her fists up as the tongue explored and rolled through her slippery taut walls, stroking outwards with a startling caress of the barbs. It wasn't a sheath that was being spread open, even in her most fevered moments she couldn't have called it that, her mind knew what it was. The gryphon pushed through her outer walls, running the tongue tip in a slow caress that dragged backwards and plunged forward again, the beak gaping open to rasp right along the curve of her naval.

"Ahh!" She squeezed her eyes shut, writhing while she intimately felt the heat molding her passage. "Th-that's enough!"

:Enough? Reluam, I have hardly begun.: Avalerion deliberately used his tongue to swirl and flicker, the tip swirling to drag right along a spot that made her hips rise upwards.

There were muscles that she had never had contracting and squeezing, the sensation of them shifting was startling and pleasurable all together. She felt the tongue working through her, fighting the inner muscles so she was intimately aware of the barbs ragging through the newly made channel, the gryphon's rumble becoming deeper while the song in her mind pulsed and coaxed out the soft noises from her throat. They were still almost masculine, but lighter in pitch than they should have been, light enough to match her changing body. Her foot paws pushed outwards, catching the furred shoulder as she arched her back higher in the air, biting back a sound that threatened to escape.

The warmth was being used to stretch her, the push forward let her feel the widening point of the tongue rasped along the sensitive passage, coaxing out a brush of wetness that she'd never made before. She could feel it, mingling with the saliva, pushing out around the edges of the rasping tongue, the tip plunged deep inside of her. Her cunny lips grew swollen and sensitive around the tongue, the slow caresses making sure that her body started to squirm and twist in place, her back bowing upwards. The drake rumble, the purr vibrating through her as the slick honey ran along his tongue when he drew it backwards, the eyes looking entranced while his paws moved to cup right along the line of the her back, lifting her upwards. The tail feathers that formed just above the rise of his ass cheeks flared open, the blue streaks glittered brightly. Her body steadily began to become unrecognizable, the beast molding her in an image of his own making.

~ ~ * ~ ~

Avalerion closed his eyes and pushed his tongue in deeper, bathing along the line of the plush inner walls that quivered and squeezed. He loved the way she felt, the sweet taste that was being scooped upwards that made his shaft pulse and quiver along his belly and the curve of her shoulder. The feminine form was stretched out against him, the feathers forming a full tail to match his own, the blue stripes glowing and pulsing while he guided them right along the smooth furred navel. She looked good with the azure color pulsing against her, changing her deeper inside than his tongue could reach. The soft noises teased him, made it harder to want to wait to stake his claim on her.

Slowly, oh so slowly, he dragged his tongue out of her taut passage, feeling the way the walls squeezed in protest as he tried to hold onto him. His breath came out in a hot rush, the sparks rippled down his side and trailed towards the rise of his wings while he lifted his beak, tasting the slick feminine arousal clinging to the edges o fhis beaks. He licked with a sweep of his tongue tip, swallowing with a croon as Rel blinked her eyes rapidly and focused on her, the eyes wide and slightly panicked looked on her face as he lashed his tail tip back and forth and reached a paw up to run it along the sweep of her belly, trailing his claws over her to feel how her body was starting to change beneath the furred body.

"Why?" She panted out, her voice slurred as his presence in her mind remained rolling it over with his phoenix song.

:Because it is my payment for healing you, Reluam, and my surety that you will never betray me.: He answered and rasped his tongue upwards along the belly, dragging towards the dimple of the navel with a sweeping stroke.

"I... won't... please! I didn't..." Rel's words were panted out, confused and garbled while the coyote writhed beneath his touch.

Avalerion rumbled his response and carefully shifted, his body contorting in the small cabin as he carefully slipped the coyote from his belly. He felt her writhing, letting out a protesting bark as his paws slide along her back, unerringly finding the tail feathers with his toes so that they flashed a bright echoing azure. There would be no doubt that she had been marked by him, owned by him. He let out a low growl of pleasure as he nearly crashed into the furniture that had been pushed to one side of the cabin, rolling back to all fours with his hand paw moving down wrap around the soft plush tail while the coyote tried to struggle to stand up. His breathing came out in a hot rush, fire burned over his feathers, his aura flaring unencumbered by the containment spell, growing and expanding as he rasped his tongue along Rel's spine tenderly, his shaft pulsing beneath the sweep of his belly.

The coyote's whimper was music to his ears, challenging and coaxing him while he ran the pad of his thumb down between the feminine thighs, brushing along the puffy spade shaped sex. She was slick with his own saliva and her arousal gathered over the tip of his talon while he stepped over her, feeling the wood under his hind paws starting to peel from the heat of his body. He could have burned the cabin to the ground with his lust, but he contained it with a force of will in deference to Reluam as he pulled the haunches up, trailing his cock tip downwards along the softness of the feminine ass, the brush of feathers tickling his tip while glowing blue spills of precum fell downwards messily.

~ ~ * ~ ~

Rel couldn't breathe, the heat was stealing it from her lungs as it pulsed along the length of her back and made it impossible to escape. Her tongue spilled from her jaws while she dug her fingers against the wood, trying to stumble forward while wings swept to either side of her, flames chased towards her quivering body so she yipped out in shock, the sound high pitched and wild. The fingers dug down against the base of her tail, dragging her hips backwards towards him as she squirmed. Her body felt hot and swollen, her skin drawn taut over her frame as the heat drew down her body, the flames lapped against the line of her spine as her feathers began to glow bright in answer. Feathers she had never had in her life, feathers that spread while her tail was being held forcibly up, rising her hips so she was forced to stand up higher on her foot paws.

She felt it, thick and swollen, the cock slid along the crease of her ass in a smooth line that sent ropes of glowing precum along the crease of her ass and lower. She swallowed down a breath that was filled with the gryphon's scent, her body shuddering as the cock tip dragged down to nudge right along her pucker. The fleshy barbs teased over the vulnerable opening, making her whine out shallowly while her lips curled backwards. He was going to do it, her body trapped in that moment of need that had nothing to do with her normal wants and desires, and part of her wanted him. She would have never acted this way, she had always been aloof with matters of the body, finding them pleasant enough, but not like this.

The gryphon was forcing her to address entirely new feelings, the cock tip trailed over that opening, rubbing and teasing so that the fleshy barbs had her yelping out in a distinctly feminine tone. The oozing dribble of precum started to trail over her as he nudged forward, the force starting to pry open the taut anal ring. Her eyes bulged in shock, her claws raked against the wood floor roughly, tearing at it before there was a sudden rock. The cock tip started to splay open his walls, the gentle nudge spreading the taut opening wider so she jerked forward, jumping forward and writhing before the massive beak clamped down roughly against the back of her neck. It was large enough that it nearly encompassed the entire neck as Rel let out a protesting sound before the hips slipped downwards.

The gooey strands of precum clung along the dark tapered tip as the beast's haunches shivered and tightened around her. A low growl hit the back of her neck, running down the line of her spine until she was nearly vibrating with the force as the cock tip suddenly pushed against her newly formed spade shaped sex. She felt his growl, felt his pleasure through her mind in a seductive caress before his tip caught against her plump outer folds and began to force them inwards. The pressure build up, the slickness of her own arousal, the gryphon's saliva, they worked together to cling along the tip as the fat thick spire began to force it's way into her virginal body.

Reluam tried to snap out, her voice turned into a high pitched cry as the beast pushed his hips forward and trilled out his pleasure. She felt it in her mind, the quivering heat and tightness that were working together from him, urging her body on as her taut inner walls splaying open wider and wider. The hot glowing precum was flung into her, she felt it burning ever deeper into her passage as the glans forced her wider and wider, her hips being pushed higher in the air as she heard the wet sound of some of the arousal being pushed out of her as she was impaled. Her body quivering and tightening around him, squeezing in ways she had never experienced as she writhed in his hold. Everything was burning, the world was burning, and she burned with it.

~ ~ * ~ ~

Avalerion shifted his hold on her scruff, tightening and mouthing as he pushed himself in past the too tight walls that were struggling to hold him. She was gloriously tight, every squeeze and contraction that pulled around him coaxed another hot ropey ooze of precum into her body. She was beautiful, glorious, writhing and squirming beneath him as she impaled him and started to push in deeper so his fore knot sank past the tight ring and edged inwards with a powerful push of his hips that forced her hips up to the point that she had to scrabble with her foot paws just to balance herself.

He let her feel his pleasure in her mind, pouring it into her thoughts wildly so that she could feel the way she was moving him. His beak pulled back a bit more firmly, letting out a groan before he pushed forward past the squeezing muzzles and slipped his way through her body, savoring the way that the inner walls started to massage gently, suckling working around him as he had to bear down against her, pushing harder while the hips were forced higher in the air, the ass cupped against her loins while he began to wedge himself in to the point that the spade shaped tip of his cock nudged right up along the smooth spongey length of the cervix, brushing over it delicately as the warm precum smeared over her.

The walls suddenly clamped down, a tight hold that made him hiss out and release the scruff, his fire starting to burn hotter along the length of his back. He couldn't even pull backwards as the walls rippled and adjusted around him, her wetness pushing out towards the base of his cock and the thicker knot there that rubbed back and forth teasingly, pushing right up along her cervix. He moved one of his paws down, pinning her lower back in place while his talons kissed along the line of the spine before he started to tense up. It had been too long since he had done this, it was all he could do to keep himself from losing control as he started to drag his hips backwards, his muscles tensing while his fleshy barbs flared open wide and raked through her virginal body. The hold on her was back the only thing that kept her in place as he did so.

"GODS!" The canine's yelp rang gloriously in his ears as he ran through the tight body, dragging nearly all the way out.

~ ~ * ~ ~

Rel's eyes flashed open wide as the too large shaft dragged back through her changed body, the firm pull raked the barbs through her body and ran along the clutching passage. She squeezed around them, digging them into her body while crying out, the barbs seemed to find the most sensitive places to rake over as the wetness clung around the dark shaft that ran backwards. She writhed and twisted, turning about this way and that as the thickness of the tip nearly pulled all the way out, stimulating the barbs along passage mockingly, making it impossible to think straight. The powerful hips jerked backwards, and with a wet popping sound the glans pulled free, a strand of oozing precum clinging from the tip to her spade shaped sex.

She felt his tension, it strummed through her mind, his desire to hammer home all the way without stopping. It merged with her thoughts until she wasn't quite sure where his desire stopped and hers started. There was no room in her for to contemplate it, not when the drake pushed forward, his cock impaling her with a full powerful thrust that drove through her body and drew another cry from her parted muzzle. She was spread wide, too wide, she felt as if she was being split in two as the beast only held still a moment before dragging backwards again, raking the barbs through her passage to make her walls clutch down tightly, her legs quivering in an effort to hold herself up.

The thrusts worked through her, the tip forcibly kissing up against her barrier at the apex of each thrust, just over half of his length fitting inside of her. He was far too large, but every draw of the hips worked him in, forcing muscles to adjust. Her claws left furrows against the wood, raking downwards as the tip pushed harder against her cervix at the apex of the thrust, caressing and nudging against it with a painful roll that had her squirming forward. The beak yanked her backwards against him, one of the large paws curled along her stomach to support her as the beast kept driving forward with increasingly demanding strokes. Her attempts to writhe away were stilled by his hold as his thoughts pushed over her mind, his need, his desire.

She knew what Avalerion wanted, knew the reason the tip was so oddly shaped with the broad underside and fore knot. He pushed harder, letting out a low growling cry as he pried against the narrow opening she had never possessed, her body protesting with contractions that made him shudder and pause, but never for long. The hot breath blasted against her, the flames were dancing over her fur harmlessly save for the feel of building heat that was a new constant in her life. The hips jerked forward and gave a sudden push right up against the narrow channel of the cervical passage. There was something hot and wet splattering out against the barrier, burning and loosening muscles that weren't meant to be loosened in such a way.

Steadily, slowly, he opened up wider and wider, straining to hug around the thickened tip that slipped forward. The next ooze of precum spilled deeper than it was ever meant to go, she felt the heat like a shock, her jaws snapping shut while the hips kept pushing forward through her contracting passage. The muscles worked greedily, no matter what her feelings, they were working on pure instinct as she was splayed open, burning slightly as the powerful thrust drove forward with a short burst of movement that made her intimately let out a short shrieking cry as she felt it slipping past the ring and driving into her vulnerable womb, the heat pouring out of the tip and spreading deeper.

~ ~ * ~ ~

It was the smallest brush of magic needed to spill through the waiting womb and cervix, just an extension that turned the narrowed opening looser, letting it mold around Ava's cock tip. He nearly screeched out the moment he pushed forward and felt the narrow passage spreading open wider, slipping it forward into the incredibly tight hold that was nearly painful to feel rubbing over him. His fleshy barbs were pushed down around his foreknot before he pushed all the way through, feeling his magic running deeper inside of her, modifying her until he was pushed so far deep that he could feel his base knot sinking inwards, pushing the folds inwards with a powerful thrust.

He could feel the bulge along the slender belly, the tip of him starting to swell open wider as he tried to drag his hips backwards, pulling right along the narrow opening as he gave a little jerk, but he couldn't pull backwards. He plunged forward again, doing narrow short strokes forward, bumping and teasing his length through the quivering form as she started to squirm and twist beneath his weight, her walls tightening around him so deliciously as he ground his base knot against her. He could feel the lump of his cock driving along her stomach, moving and pushing deeper as he hunched his shoulders. He was done easing her into it, done toying with the game to make it last, it had been so incredibly long, too long.

He dug his beak harder against her nape, his flames seared the top of the cabin, flashing and twisting wildly as the entire place was steaming with the flames burning through it. He sealed the coyote from burning, his aura protecting the writhing form, savoring the way the puffy outer lips began to spread open wider, her juices coating his base while he pushed onto his toes. The extra push allowed him to sink forward, steadily beginning to feel her opening around his base knot, making it harder by the fact he was swelling open wider and wider by the moment. His breathing came out in a hot harsh sound, ears folded back tight to his head before pulling her backwards, hearing Rel's cry like music to his ears as he forced her open wider.

:My Reluam..: He sent the thought, thick and heavy with his mounting orgasm, feeling her body suddenly spread wide about him.

~ ~ * ~ ~

Relaum cried out, the sound bursting free of her throat in a high wild sound as her haunches were lifted away from the ground and she was drawn backwards. Her stomach felt so full, swollen as the tip pushed deeper and started to pulse and spread, locking itself in place. It wasn't that knot that worried her, it was the base that wedged itself into her. Her lips were splayed wider, her body feeling as if it were being torn in two as the beast continued with short battering thrusts, his beak releasing her neck in a wave of heat. His claws raked along her stomach, forcing her backwards for one brutal stroke, hard enough that her high pitched cry hid the popping sound of his knot driving home.

It flared wider, stretching her to her very limits, within the first breath it was too large to pull out and her canine body behaved exactly the way it was supposed to. Those soft muscles clamped down, locking around the girth and tightening to keep it held deep within her where she had no hope of getting away. His body arched up, the wings flared until she could smell fire building and crackling through the polished wood, the furry orbs hit right between her legs before the shaft started to steadily throb within her passage. She squeezed and pulled about him, feeling the raw wave of pleasure pouring though her mind in a torrent before he gave voice to a song. A song like the one in her mind, trilling phoenix song filling the air as the first hot wash of cum erupted from the tip of his cock.

It was fire in her vulnerable womb, thick glowing ropes of seed spilled into her as she intimately felt the knot quivering and throbbing, helping to push up every gooey strand. Her walls closed tighter, holding around him, trying to milk him instinctively as a low pitched moan spilled from her throat, one she couldn't stop as she hung her head down and felt him rocking back and forth, tugging and teasing himself through her while his paws worked along her stomach, the tender gentle caresses worked over her, the paws spreading wider as the thick sperm rich flood claimed her body, her mind awash with the sensations of the gryphon, sharing the tightness of her body, the quivering of her walls as he gave another powerful buck forward.

As she felt the paw gliding over her stomach, she realized that something had changed, something was still changing, the heavy flood was filling her like she was a hen of his own species. She could only imagine that they would have been the size of a drafter, but her far smaller body wasn't made for it. The knot at the base, the knot at the tip, both secured her so that the cum had nowhere else to go, it bulged out her lower belly, making it strain and stretch roundly against the stroking paws. She squirmed, trying to relieve the pressure, but the gryphon only crooned and nibbled the back of her neck, his thoughts radiating a content to lull her body into relaxing for him.

~ ~ * ~ ~

:It will do.: Avalerion eyed the cabin critically as he padded back and forth, his dark beak extended out towards some of the new wood and gave it a rap. :At least for the season.:

The gryphon nearly glowed under the spring sun, his colors shaming the sky above and Reluam remained sitting on the fence post with her oversized clothes doing their best to hide the blue on her own body. The creature looked pleased at his handwork in rebuilding her fire charred home, and perhaps he should have been considering the lack of hands that he had to work with. Most of the timber had been burned down and scorched down to the proper size while his talons had raked through to reveal the pale wood beneath. He paraded about, proud in his handy work, and showing off for her in a way she was all too familiar with.

He had spent the winter with her, despite her increasingly desperate attempts to make him leave, he had insisted. Logic dictated she allow him as her home had been all but ruined by his fire and he had taken time to turn it into a cozy nest for himself. Gone were the work tables and worn weapons of her past, they had been replaced with whatever clothing the gryphon had scrounged up to make his nest and kept her warm simply due to the fact that he burned hot. The times he left her she was left with his fire, a source that burned through the bed without harming her. He never burned anything when he was in his right mind and not rutting her like a beast. Her ears tipped back and she looked away as he made another showy trot around.

:Are you not going to thank me?: He pressed, his ear tufts pricked up high and expectantly while he began to approach her again.

"You were the one that burned it." She pointed out, trying to sound cold to the beast, but he only trilled laughter at her.

He had grown more relaxed in the winter months, the anger and accusation in his eyes fading and becoming more mellow as he spent time around her. She wondered if it was because he finally realized that she had no damn intention of turning him in or if it were because he watched her belly starting to swell day by day. Either was likely, and her eyes immediately looked away from the twin saddle bags hung on his haunches, made from roughly tanned leather and padded with furs to keep the eggs snug and protected. She had nearly panicked when she'd laid them, and had another attack when he had tried to argue he should let her tend them as a proper mother. His ideas about things were oftentimes alarming, especially when it came to how her body had changed and how he enjoyed it.

:Yes, but I made it better, and I left a fire in your pit.: He waved a wing, chasing a bit of breeze towards her. :Perhaps I should stay through the summer, I could thatch the roof for you as well...:

"No!" She yelped out and jerked her eyes up to meet the warm sapphire ones, heat tinging her cheeks. "I mean, that's quite alright."

:Well.: He sounded offended, the mercurial beast clicking his beak a few times. :That is that then, once I'm well enough away you'll go back, I'm afraid.:

"So you said." She glanced down at herself and tried not to linger. She was getting a bit too familiar with this body.

It was a spell, or an affliction, she would remain in this form as long as she was within range of the gryphon. The closer she came to him, the further she would change, until she reached close enough to be changed entirely and he would be alerted. In the beginning he had threatened her with it, saying that any party that she led to him would find a female in the midst ripe for the plucking. The threats had been pointed and growled at her every time he had felt threatened or felt the need to remind her that he wasn't going to tolerate her chasing him. In the last month they had become something else entirely, hints that should she need him or be in trouble he would be able to locate her easily as she came for him. Some nights she even heard him growling unhappily she refused to consider remaining in this body.

:You might come with me for a time?: He offered as he spread his wings a little, flexing them enough to raise the wind around her. :I'm going to the far northern forests, places so dark and strange that your kind have never ventured there. There would be treasures and adventures should you wish them.:

"And how would I get back?" Rel replied, hearing the wheedling tone in his mind voice, the creature did have that redeeming feature. He couldn't lie with his voice in her mind, his truth was always there, at least his version of it.

:Why would you need to get back? The whole of the world is out there to see!: Avalerion gave a wider smile, his beak parting hugely. :Imagine the adventures!:

"No." She responded, not liking the fact he made it almost sound.. tempting when he used that tone in his mind voice. "This is my home."

Avalerion sighed heavily, his sides heaving as he stepped forward with a soft and familiar chirp. She had no illusions that he thought of her as anything like a mate, it was more a strange kinship forged together that he seemed loathed to leave. Perhaps it was simply he was the last of his kind, perhaps he felt concerned about being alone, but no matter what she couldn't go with him. As well go and take up a whale's offer to swim in the ocean, adventures perhaps, but certainly not ones that attracted her away from her cabin, her home, her life. If she let him, he would over run it all with his own grand plans and ideas.

:It was well met, them, Reluam. Well met and well parted.: The gryphon purred softly as he came before her with a small smile on his beak, bringing with him a tinge of warmth. :I will think of you and this winter with fondness.:

"I--" She almost snapped back, but the gryphon pushed his head forward to rub his cheek along her affectionately, a purr bubbling up from his throat as he did so. "Take care of yourself, alright? Don't get captured again."

It was weak sounding, but it was honest, and that's all she could offer him as he stood there rubbing his soft cheek against her as if he was an overgrown cat. He was a myth. A bit of legend. He had no right to exist, but that had lost its glow over time. She didn't know or when, she certainly didn't know why, but he had simply become Avalerion, the strange beast that had kept her company through the winter with wild and fascinating tales of the years gone by. She reached up and touched his cheek lightly, gliding towards his cheek before something fell against her palm from his crest. One glittering feather the length of her forearm rested in her fingers as he lifted his head up and gave one sly wink towards her.

:Perhaps I might, and then you will set me free again.: Avalerion laughed through her thoughts before turning with a flick of his tail. :Should you ever need me, just think of me and concentrate, and you'll find your way. Take care of yourself!:

The gryphon crouched down, his wings flaring open wide with a flash of the long blue tips before leaping upwards with a powerful kick of his hind legs. The wind whipped around her, twisting and battering her fur as she jumped down from the fence and shaded her eyes to see the strange creature surging up into the sky wildly, his tail snapping as he lunged for the clouds. One beat, three beats, seven, she heard him screech down at her as he faded into the sky, arrowing towards the north as he had said. The coyote remained posed with her hand shading her eyes long after he became little more than a speck against the blue sky, until the teasing caress of heat rippled over her with the first hint that her body was changing. Her other hand held the only proof in existence that what had happened was real, a memory, a reminder, a glowing azure feather that put the color of the spring sky to shame.