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[b][u][center]The Sanctuary[/center][/u][/b]

[b][u][center]For Skide[/center][/u][/b]

[b][u][center]By Draconicon[/center][/u][/b]

Cory sighed as he stepped off of the bus, his bag slung over his shoulder and his heart about a thousand miles away from where he stood as he looked up at the curved wooden sign above his head. [i]The Sanctuary,[/i] this place called itself, and he hoped that it lived up to its name. He could use one at the moment.

He stepped under the sign and followed the dirt path off of the road, heading into the forest ahead as he wondered if he would ever feel right again. The world behind him had decided that it didn’t want him in the worst of ways. His girlfriend had skipped out on him after six years, his job had fired him after ten, and his landlord had given him a week to move out after it was clear that the easy cash from his work had run out. If there was a more effective way of showing that he wasn’t wanted, Cory didn’t know what it was.

Another little sigh left his lips as he walked beneath the many-colored branches, following the directions he’d got in a letter. The Sanctuary, according to the brochure that he’d gotten in his postbox on his second to last day, was a place where he could recover, where he could get back to nature and pull himself back together. It wasn’t on any of the review sites, but…well, he was desperate enough to give it a try.

So, he walked, and walked, and walked. An hour had passed before the end was finally in sight, the trees breaking to let him see through the branches a series of cabins, and beyond them a lake that spread as far as he could see, with only a hint of green to mark the forest on the other shore. It was, in a word, beautiful.

He smiled for the first time in a while, and followed the outline of the path to the cabins, and was relieved to find a number of other people. Other humans and the animal folk alike dotted the area, lingering in small groups as they chatted each other up, as if they were all waiting for someone to come tell them what to do.

Rather than approach one of the clusters himself, Cory found an open spot and took a seat. His pack worked as a small cushion, and he stretched out his legs, getting as comfortable as he could. As soon as he was able to sit, he immediately started to reach for a pen and paper, and had to stop himself from obeying the old office instinct of taking minutes for a meeting.

[i]Not like I’ll ever be doing that again, all things considered,[/i] he thought with a slight pang of regret. [i]Other employers or not…[/i]

Not letting himself finish the thought, he found something else to do to occupy his hands. He pulled a rock from the ground and started tossing it, hand to hand, keeping himself as busy as possible rather than letting himself slip.

Finally, a wolf stepped out from one of the bigger cabins to the side, followed by three other animal folk. They stepped in front of the clusters of camp-goers, and the various groups finally dispersed, forming one solid mass around Cory. He stood up as the wolf cleared his throat.

“Ahem. Everyone, I want to bid you welcome to the Sanctuary. I know that all of you have horror stories of the world outside. We know them. We know what happened to you, what drove you to the brink and what pushed you to give up everything to try for one last, desperate push to regain your life. That is why you’re here.

“It is the purpose of the Sanctuary to give you a chance to embrace your true nature. We believe that a person that defies who they are, who strikes out not knowing what they are, is doomed to failure. The idea that someone can only find out who they are through trials, tribulations, and struggles against the world is anathema to what the Sanctuary is. Here, you will have the safety and security to find out who, and what, you are.

“I hope that in the three months that we provide you that you take this task seriously, but try and have as much fun as you possibly can. This is a place to get away from the world, after all. It wouldn’t be much use to you if you didn’t take time to rest and recover from all your trials.”

The wolf chuckled.

“So, with that said, welcome to the Sanctuary.”

Cory smiled, despite himself. Perhaps there was something to this after all.

#

[i]Three weeks later…[/i]

Cory sat at the edge of the dock, a fishing rod in one hand and a worm in the other. It didn’t take long to send it flying into the water, though, and soon he was able to relax and lean back, just watching the lake ripple and bob with its own natural rhythms.

[i]Well, I haven’t figured out what I am yet, but I’m definitely doing better than I was.[/i]

He leaned back, trying to get more comfortable with the rather rickety dock, but most of his attention was still on the outside world. He couldn’t let go of the fact that, when these three months were over, he’d be back to having no job, no home, no partner…effectively starting his life from scratch, without any of the resources that he once had. What money he had left was tied up in a bank account miles away, and he had no idea if they were still charging him rent or other utilities, considering how fast he’d run off. There was every possibility that he would have nothing left by the time he got done here.

[i]Can’t think about that. Have to…have to figure out what I am. Who I am.[/i]

He reeled his line back in, and was about to throw it out again when he heard the sound of footsteps coming down the dock. Cory turned his head, looking to see who it was.

It was an osprey, one of the many animal folk that were using this trip for something of their own. He had seen this one when he arrived, one of the birds that were talking to each other like they were all part of some club. No name had been mentioned, but he’d gotten the feeling that this one was a little more chill than the others. He slowly raised his hand, waving slightly, and the bird waved back with a feathered arm.

“Hey there. Catch anything yet?”

Gesturing at the empty bucket beside him, Cory shrugged. The bird chuckled.

“Heh, sorry to hear that. Mind if I join you?”

“Fishing, or company?”

“I was thinking company.”

“Sure.”

He scooted slightly to the side, and the bird sat down by him. There was none of the thump that would come from a human being sitting down beside him, and much more grace in the process. Taloned feet stretched past the edge of the dock, kicking back and forth over the surface of the water. After a few minutes, the osprey smiled.

“I’m Zackary, by the way.”

“I’m, uh, Cory.”

“Cory, huh? So, what’s brought you all the way out to the Sanctuary?”

“I think it’s more a question of what hasn’t brought me out here.”

“That bad, huh?”

“Uh-huh.”

Silence fell again, and he just stared past his fishing rod towards the waters of the lake. He didn’t want to talk about the outside world, didn’t want to think about how much he’d lost. He just wanted…he wanted a new beginning, was all.

The osprey seemed to recognize that, and didn’t push him. Instead, he just sat there, giving him some company, and Cory slowly leaned over, finding himself drawn to the silence and the presence of someone else. It was hard to describe, and hard to understand himself. He just…liked the feeling of someone else being close by, giving him some support, something to lean on and feel like there was someone else around that understood him. It was…comforting, when everything else fell away.

He found himself leaning slightly on the osprey’s shoulder, and blushed, quickly sitting up straight again.

“Sorry. Must be, uh, tired.”

“Heh, don’t worry about it. Come here, bro.”

The bird pulled him over with a wing, and before he knew it, he was comfortable nudged under the other man’s arm. The feeling was different, almost like he was being pulled in against his will, but at the same time, the stability was something that he needed. He let it happen, going along with it. The feeling just felt…right.

His fishing line twitched, and he tugged it in, finding that he’d caught a little biter of a thing. He let it go, and put the line out again.

As the day wore on and the pair of them continued to lean on each other, he slowly found himself talking about his old life. He talked about the office that he’d worked in, how he’d ranged from secretary to personal assistant and back again, depending on who had found him most useful on that particular week of work. He had never managed to rise higher than that, despite doing his best to be useful to everyone that might have a reason to give him something back, and had never gotten the attachments in the business world that might have rescued him from this job.

He talked about his girlfriend, how they had been engaged, how they were planning on getting together before too much longer before she had skipped out on him, finding another man. Cory hesitated before mentioning it was one of the animal folk, someone that was probably…more endowed than him, and Zackary chuckled.

“You’d be surprised. Some of them are pretty damn small.”

“You’d never guess it from the way that they talk about us humans.”

“Well, you get that sort of thing. When you have humans on the top of so many businesses, we find our own way to get back at them.”

“Just sort of a thing, huh?”

“Just sort of a thing, yeah.”

It was surprisingly easy to talk to the bird, and he found himself getting more and more relaxed around Zackary. Maybe it was just that the osprey had made the first move, or maybe it was the fact that there was a need to fill the silence between them, but more and more kept spilling from his lips, from his personal woes to what remained of his ambitions, which were, mostly, just staying alive.

Through it all, the osprey nodded and patted his back, giving him a bulwark of support that he hadn’t even known that he needed. That night, when they separated and he went back to his cabin, he honestly had the best night of sleep that he’d had in weeks as a result.

#

[i]Five weeks into the stay.[/i]

He stepped out of his cabin, smiling to himself as he hurried to one of the many dirt trails that led in and out of the Sanctuary. He knew that he was slightly late, but Zackary was always at least ten minutes off from their meeting times. Whatever time he got there, he knew that he’d be fine for actually meeting the osprey.

As he reached the signpost, he came to a stop, panting and gasping for breath for a few seconds before his heart started slowing down again. He leaned back against the pole, relaxing as he waited.

[i]Still can’t believe how fast we’ve gotten to be friends,[/i] he thought with a smile. [i]One day out on the dock, and then out for a couple of drinks, and…[/i]

It was weird. He’d never gotten a friend this quickly, and certainly never with this sort of effect on him. He’d always been hard-up for friends, even before his life had gone to hell. Even when he had friends, he had been a bit of a follower, but never quite to the degree that he was experiencing with the osprey. It was like he was dealing with some sort of supernatural effect on him, something that was drawing him out of his shell and making him into this eager little helper that he couldn’t quite stop being.

His smile fell slightly, but he shook his head. He was probably just scared of losing the one friend that he had. That was all. He didn’t need to be worried about it. He wasn’t doing anything weird.

“Hey, Cory!”

Whipping his head around, he saw the bird right off the bat, jogging down in a pair of shorts and a t-shirt that allowed his wings maximum freedom. The bird gave him a high-five, and then a smirk. How he smirked with a beak, Cory didn’t know, but then again, the bird did a lot of things that were strange.

“Sorry for making you wait, bro. You got everything?”

“Yep.”

He turned around, presenting the pack for inspection. The osprey immediately started picking through it, listing off items as he went.

“Jerky, water, bug spray, netting, blanket, good. Looks like we’re all set.”

“Where are we headed?”

“Heh, to something awesome.”

The osprey pulled him along, and soon they were headed down the path at a good pace. They were moving quick, jogging rather than walking, and at times Cory had to call out for the bird to slow down for a little while for him to get his breath back. Every time, he felt that there was something in the osprey’s eyes that looked down at him, that saw him as something less, but every time that he looked to see if it was really there, it was gone. He was probably imagining things…probably.

But he still followed as fast as he could, not wanting to disappoint his friend after getting invited out here. They walked under the trees, over a set of rivers, and then started to slowly climb up a rather formidable hill. Cory groaned as he followed, weighed down by the pack, and he half-wished that Zackary would offer to take it for a while. The avian never did, though, and he just pushed himself to move a little bit faster as a response.

By the time that they reached the top of the hill, he was exhausted, and groaned as Zackary came to a halt. He panted softly, throwing the pack down on the ground, and he flopped down beside it, catching his breath little by little. The osprey chuckled at him, shaking his head.

“Bit of a wimp, aren’t you?”

“Hey, you try…”

He paused, shaking his head.

“Yeah, heh, guess I am.”

“Hey, no shame in that. If you are what you are, then what’s the problem?”

“Yeah, but, what if I don’t want to be a wimp?”

“Does it matter, if that’s what your real nature is?”

Cory sighed under his breath. It was something of a conversation that they kept having. Ever since he’d spilled his guts about the nature of his life before Sanctuary, the bird had been pushing him to admit that maybe he was just the loser or the wimp or the failure that he thought he was. It was never done in a cruel fashion, always as a what-if, but it was hard to take the idea of being just a failure by nature.

“Don’t start that again. I’m not a loser.”

“Okay, maybe not, but I had a different thought. Tell me what you think of this one.”

“…I’m listening.”

“What if you’re not a failure, but you aren’t meant to be chasing after things? What if your real purpose, the real you, [i]is[/i] just that assistant job that you were trying to get past?”

“I don’t think that’s a possibility. I mean, seriously, I’m good at what I do.”

“And what do you do?”

“…”

“Huh, huh? Come on, say it.”

“[i]Assisting.[/i]”

“Hehehe. Told ya.”

The osprey cracked open one of the drinks that they’d brought, turning his head back and pouring it down one side of his beak so that it flowed into his mouth. Cory shook his head, just trying not to think about it. Unfortunately, Zackary didn’t want to let it go.

“Come on, it’s not that bad being an assistant. Lots of people go for that.”

“Yeah, maybe the secretaries and wives of the world do. I’m not trying to be like that.”

“But do you think you could be?”

“Anyone could be.”

“Heh, I wouldn’t say just anyone. They’d have to love it. And you…well, you seem to like it a lot. I’ve seen lots of people try and run around, helping others, but that’s, like, all you do. It’s all your life.”

“…”

Cory tried to ignore that, but it was true. Now that he thought about it, it was what he had done before coming here, and it was what he had done after getting here. From helping with the fishing, to cleaning up in the kitchen, to volunteering with admin stuff, to carrying Zackary’s things, it was the thing that he defaulted to doing when he didn’t know what else he was supposed to do.

[i]Maybe…maybe that is all I am…[/i]

“Hey, cheer up, man. Assistant or not, you always got a friend here.”

The osprey leaned over, pulling him over, and just like always, he leaned in and rested his head against the bird’s shoulder. Rough as it was, it was still comforting.

#

[i]Eight weeks into the stay.[/i]

Zackary pulled him along, and he didn’t know whether to go along with it or just stop it. The moon above didn’t help, casting all the world in the same grayness that his life seemed to have become outside of spending time with the osprey. He shivered as he realized just how dependent on his friend he’d become, for everything from simply having someone to talk to at mealtimes to…

Well, everything. There was no other company but what Zackary gave him, in terms of friends. There was nobody else interested in spending time with him. The ladies that he had been curious about had abandoned him for other males. Everyone but Zackary ignored him. The osprey was the only one that seemed to know he existed anymore, and as much as he needed the osprey, he didn’t know how he could keep going with his life as it was.

They walked down by the side of the lake, the bird stopping at the shore. He looked out at the moonlit waters, chuckling to himself, while Cory stayed a few steps back.

“Why are we out here? You never said.”

“You know why this is called the Sanctuary, really, Cory?”

“…No.”

“There’s two meanings to the word. One is a place of safety, security, warmth. A place where you can go and recover, a place where you can be safe from the world. The other one, however, is a little more accurate.”

The osprey turned to face him, a glimmer in his eyes that had never been there before. Or had it, and had he just ignored it because of just how much he needed a friend?

“The other meaning is a place of breeding, a place where wild ones can find their mates, a place where things can be rebuilt. I came here for that reason.”

“Why are you telling me this? What does that have to do with anything?”

“I’ve been testing you, seeing if you would be a good wife for the last few weeks, Cory. Everything I’ve done, every bit of pressure that I’ve put on you, you’ve handled and come through with flying colors. There’s nothing that I’ve done that you couldn’t handle. And now, it’s time to claim you for mine.”

“You can’t – I’m a guy! And a human.”

“That doesn’t matter in the Sanctuary. I’ve made my claim. Before the moon, I’ve made it, and now…you’re mine.”

Cory took a step back as the osprey gestured at him, almost feeling like a set of hooks had been laid in his shoulders like ancient talons, grasping him and pulling him towards the great bird predator. He tried to turn, but found that his body no longer obeyed him. It was still, unable to move, except towards Zackary.

“Come to me, Cory. It’s time for you to take on your new shape, and your new, true self.”

He took a step, groaning as his body moved without his consent, taking him closer and closer to this crazy maniac. The human tried to turn, tried to run, but no, all he could do was take another step, and then another, and another, until he was within the bird’s arms. Zackary held him tight, squeezing him, and against his will, he felt that ever-present need for the support of the other male. He felt that horrible, powerful strength that carried him forward so far, and that he still needed.

He couldn’t move as the bird stripped him down, pulling his shirt over his head before pulling his pants down. Everything was taken away, thrown into the lake as if it was so much trash. He shook his head, trying to protest, but nothing could stop the horrible theft of him, of his identity, of everything that he was.

Zackary pulled him close again when he was naked, feeling and stroking him as if he were a pet of some sort. The osprey’s touch send shudders down his spine, and the moonlight seemed to glimmer through the feathers. Cory opened his mouth, whispered ‘please,’ but there was no mercy.

Suddenly, he felt a prickle along his back. He groaned, trying to pull his arms away, but there was no release from the strange magic that held him prisoner, no escape from everything that held him back. All he could do was stand there as the prickle spread, running up and down his back, spreading to his shoulders and down to his ass. All the while, he could feel his body twitching, muscles tensing, changing. Already his back felt like it ached, like something had shifted. His shoulders felt heavier and his chest felt lighter, only for the weight to continue to fade away as something changed inside of him.

“Yes, that’s it…lose that humanity…take what I offer you…”

Cory could only shake and shudder as he felt more and more of his body coming apart, his head starting to shrink slightly as his arms and legs started to tremble. He looked down, managing that much at least, and stared as he saw what was happening.

[i]Feathers.[/i] Feathers were sprouting from his arm in the place of body hair, spreading down along his limbs and covering them like a shirt or a coat. It was like staring at the worst nightmare come to life, something impossible changing him from the inside out.

That was what the lightness had been. His bones had been thinning out, becoming hollow like those of a bird. There was no stopping it, now, no stopping the transformation, even as he was pushed down to his knees. He felt the prickles of claws at his feet, the slight edge of the heel talon starting to press up against his ass from the way that it was growing in his new position. The feathers spread ever faster, covering him from head to toe in short order, leaving him staring up at Zackary.

From here, he could see the power of the other bird, see the strength. The more he changed, the more of the magic of the place he felt, a constant tingle in the air that spread over his body and claimed him, taking away his humanity and leaving him with more and more traces of avian biology. He could feel his chest getting covered in thick plumes of downy feathers, his hands getting covered in scales and feathers, his eyes getting sharper than they had ever been before. Everything was changing, everything was leaving him.

As his cheeks were slowly pursing, his beak starting to take shape, Zackary reached down and started pulling off his own pants. Cory groaned, knowing what was coming. He spoke, his lips clacking as they hardened.

“Please. Please don’t…please don’t do this…”

“I told you before. You were meant to be an assistant…and now, you’ll assist me with this.”

The osprey pulled him forward, forcing that cock down his throat without any further preamble. The sheer thin-ness of it made it easier to take than he expected, but it was no less violating as it shot down his throat, thrusting away against his face. Even as his beak came in, when he had something sharp and dangerous sticking out from his face, he couldn’t bring himself to use it. All he could do was kneel there, take it, feel it going down his throat like he was some sort of fuck toy.

Zackary chuckled above him, happily thrusting away, using him like he was some sort of toy, using him as an assistant to getting off. It was humiliating, it was horrifying, and as usual, there was nothing he could do to stop it. In and out, in and out that cock went, feathery crotch grinding against his face every time that the bird pushed in closer.

He groaned, trying to fight his own instincts to stay still, but the magic of the place and the power of the male was keeping him pinned. Even as the transformation continued, stripping him of his hair and replacing it with feathers, he could only kneel there. The weapons of his feet and his mouth were useless, because he couldn’t bring himself to use them. They were just things on his body, not the weapons that he could use to actually bring down this monster.

In, out, in, out, the taste of pre was strong in his mouth as it was slathered over his tongue with every thrust. In and out, in and out, driving him crazy. He shuddered, feeling his body change even more with the tingling magic, taking away more of his humanity…and now, his masculinity.

As he knelt there, he had feel his cock between his legs, felt the feathers against his sack and his shaft, but they were slowly disappearing. They were pulling up inside of him, he realized, and he whimpered. He didn’t even fight, but whimpered, too weak to do anything but something that pathetic. He shook his head as the bigger osprey pulled himself back, that cock right in his face. He could bite it, he realized, but…no. He couldn’t. He couldn’t bring himself to harm the one friend that he had, even though that friend had betrayed him.

“Hehehe, that’s exactly what I thought, little slut bird. I knew you could take the magic, become something proper for me. Now, let’s see how the rest of you is progressing.”

Cory let himself – rapidly becoming herself – fall backwards, not fighting as her legs were pushed apart. The power was what she blamed, but there was enough of it around that she couldn’t be sure anymore. Was she forced to do this, or was she allowing it? She honestly couldn’t tell anymore.

Feathery, sharp hands worked along her thighs, pushing them apart, and Cory looked down to see the last of her cock disappearing, sliding between her legs and slurping out of sight as if it had never been. She shivered as she realized just how easily she had been conquered, and realized that there was no chance for her anymore. If anyone in the outside world remembered Cory the human, they wouldn’t believe that this had happened. They would expect it to be a joke, something told by some crazy animal folk that were trying to leech off of benefits, or worse. She shivered as a finger stroked across her new sex, drawing away droplets of liquid as it did.

“Mmm, you are already becoming mine. It won’t take long. The magic of the Sanctuary will see to that. Now…on all fours.”

She didn’t have a choice. She did as she was told, feeling a tingle running down her body as the beginnings of breasts began to form. It felt wrong, very wrong, for a bird of prey to have even the slightest cups along her chest, but there they came. Bigger, larger as she was fondled from behind, her ass getting squeezed and her pussy getting rubbed more and more with each passing second. She blushed worse, feeling that finger hooking upwards and into her, rubbing along her inner walls.

“Yes, yes…I’ve been hoping that you would be a good, tight girl. The magic doesn’t disappoint. Now…let’s see how you feel wrapped around my cock. You did such a good job sucking it, so I bet you’ll do an even better job when you’ve been fucked by it.”

Suddenly, he was inside of her, and Cory’s eyes went wide. The power of the Sanctuary rushed into her, filling her mind with images of submission, with the thought and sights of being underneath the bird behind her in every conceivable way. It was wrong, she knew that. She had been here to learn who she was, what she was…this was…

[i]Nnngh…he…he’s good…[/i]

She panted softly as he started thrusting harder, faster, unwilling pleasure coursing through her. It was changing her, working her to change more for the bird, become different than she already was. The camp had taken her body, and now his cock was taking her mind. Something was wrong with that, something was taking her from what she had been, making her something else.

[i]Making you what you always were.[/i]

No, that…that was wrong…she wasn’t…

[i]Assistant. Carrier. Helper.[/i]

That wasn’t all she was…was it?

[i]Slut when it is called for. Helper when nothing else is around. Always there, always willing, always able.[/i]

She wanted to say it was wrong, but more and more of it made sense, the tingles settling deeper and deeper into her mind as the world warped around her. She wasn’t male anymore. She wasn’t human anymore. Everything that had been a constant had been ripped away. What was left, what was the only thing that she had ever been, had already come out.

[i]Helper. Assistant.[/i]

And what better assistant…

[i]Slut. Wife.[/i]

Was there than a wife?

She moaned as she came, his cock driving an orgasm from her, and her mind shattered beneath the physical assault and the mental one combined. She couldn’t fight it, and started rocking back to meet him, her sex dribbling all over the ground. The transformation claimed her, ripping away the last shreds of her humanity and replacing it with the body of a female osprey, completely under the command and control of her mate.

Cory looked back over her shoulder, panting and shivering, watching as the powerful male took her and shoved her down against the ground. She wanted him, wanted to feel him claiming everything she had. She pushed back against him, grinding her feathery ass against his crotch.

“Please…please…”

“Please, what, my mate?”

“Claim me…claim everything…”

“I already have.”

“No…not…”

She reached back, her fingers grabbing her ass cheeks and presenting her other hole to him. He chuckled, pulling his cock free of her pussy. She felt the slimy length pressing up against her other hole, nudging it, grinding softly against her rim, before he lined up properly. Her eyes went wide as she felt the pressure on her ass, feeling him sliding in bit by bit, until –

“AH!”

She let out a screech, so birdlike that she almost shocked herself. Her rim burned as it was spread open, feeling so stretched even around such a thin shaft…and it felt good. It felt good to be claimed, used, owned by the bird behind her.

Cory started riding that cock, bucking back against it again and again, eagerly pulling it inside of her ass until her mate started to groan behind her, holding her tight and humping away. She felt his claws against her breasts, felt them pricking at the feathery globes, and panted harder, begging for his seed. She needed it. The camp magic demanded it. It was the only way that she could keep him.

Hump, hump, hump it went, clapping against her ass, filling her to the brim and then some. She moaned, her beak wet with something. Tears? Who knew, she didn’t. All that mattered was that hot, thrusting heat back there, how close he was, how much he was going to spill inside of her.

“Please, please, cum…cum in me…cum in me!”

“Almost…there…”

He suddenly pulled her back, almost lifting her off of her feet as he slammed up into her. She moaned, her eyes rolling back in her skull as he suddenly came, filling her. Hot, wet, slimy, and oh so wrong inside of her ass…but oh so right.

#

“Get me a beer, hon.”

“Yes, Zackary.”

She shivered as she stood up, hardly believing that this was happening. Even in her changed state, something about this felt wrong. Something about this felt beyond wrong, as if she had stepped into the realm of horror.

They’d left the Sanctuary after three months, and Zackary had kept her as his personal...thing. He had never claimed her as a wife, nor as anything that was that official. She was his, though; that had never been disputed, and would never be. The power of the Sanctuary saw to that. But rather than going back to some wild place, as she had assumed would happen with what Zackary had told her, they went to some apartment in a big city...a big city that seemed so...familiar.

Cory couldn’t remember her old human life clearly, but she remembered bits and pieces. She remembered the logo of the building that Zackary worked in, now, where the people inside stared in shock and amusement at her after her mate had introduced her. She remembered one of the men who Zackary worked with, somehow…

And she remembered the human woman that was with them for dinner tonight. She was familiar, somehow, the most familiar of anything that she had seen so far. The tiny piece of her that remembered humanity hurt worse seeing this woman than anything else, particularly as Zackary moved in on her during dinner.

But that was wrong, of course. Zackary was the stud bird of the nest. He could have as many girls as he liked. The bird had no reason to be jealous...and yet, she was as she got the drinks for the table, much as she tried to drown it. She just hoped it would fade in time.

[b][u][center]The End[/center][/u][/b]