The Ring by KitFox

The Ring

Story by KitFox on SoFurrySeptember 2018~64 min read

KitFox, Adult Content, Anal, Bedroom, Bestiality, Blowjob, Cat, Coming Out, Compassion, Consensual, Cuddle, Doggystyle, Emotion, Emotional, Fantasy, Feline, Feral, First Time, Forest, Gay, Human, Humping, Interspecies, Love, Lust, M/M, Magic, Male/Male, Mammal, Mature, Missionary, Multiple Species, Non-Anthro, Passion, Paw, Plot Development, Quadruped, Romance, Sex, Sheath, Snuggles, Story, Supernatural, Third Person, Zoophilia

Fae love is love

The Ring

Step Into the Circle

"Leave it alone!" Shawn screamed, pushing the other boy away from the trapped baby squirrel.

"Hey, don't push him!" the third exclaimed, taking a swing at Shawn.

"LEAVE IT ALONE! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" Shawn leaped on the two larger boys like an enraged animal, kicking and and screaming and swinging wildly. His form was not optimal, but his ferocity won out quickly, sending the other two boys scrambling away.

"Ow, ow! Okay, holy moly! Get off me!"

"Eee! Runaway!"

Shawn stood panting and watched them run, tripping over their own feet in desperation to escape. When he was sure they weren't coming back, he turned his attention to the fuzzy rodent with its tail caught on the barb of the wire. The little one was cringing and shying away from the huge human, even though this human was only a small boy.

"Okay, little guy, you're not supposed to be stuck… come on, don't panic. This'll be quick." He knew the squirrel might bite him, but he wasn't worried about it. "Calm… calm…" he crooned, using one hand to keep the squirrel's attention as the other snuck toward the trapped tail.

"There." The statement was decisive at the same time as he snagged the tip of the tail gently and tugged it backward off the barb. The squirrel squeaked in surprise and froze in a panic, but it was completely free of the prior problem. It looked around wildly for a moment.

"You're free, scoot, get mommy to clean your tail, and be careful of barbed wire," Shawn said softly. The squirrel just stared up at him.

"Who?"

"His momm… Waitaminnit!" Shawn spun around to accost the owl on the branch well above him. "I see you there, big owled owl! You're not allowed to pick on the baby either! Fair game after it leaves, but not until it gets a takeback from being stuck. Picking on stuck squirrels is cheating! And you might get stuck too. Barbed wire is mean."

The owl just stared at him intently, bobbing its head lightly. After a moment, it took wing and flew away across the field.

"Okay, little squirrel…" he started to say, but when he looked, the squirrel was nowhere to be found. He took a deep breath and nodded, happy with his accomplishment and hopeful for the squirrel. Then he headed off, the owl watching intently from the tree across the field.

Interesting…

* * *

"Dude, you're in High School now. You could totally spend that money on stuff like music or games! Why did you buy this crap? You spend, what, like two hours a day taking buckets of water to these things?" The kid followed along, not offering to help.

Shawn shook his head. "When it gets dry, animals die if they can't get water. Since they changed the lake up the hill, the stream here dries up for about a month. If the animals have to go hunting for water, they'll go places they shouldn't be, like peoples' houses. This drips so they can get water and stay here. It keeps everybody safer." He set the buckets on the dry pine needles and climbed the tree to unhook the water drip bag, bringing it down to refill.

"Why not let somebody else do it? Think of all the games you could get if you kept the money."

Shawn looked around like he was searching. "I don't see anybody else here doing it, even though they had a chance," he mentioned finally before carefully pouring the water into the bag.

"Screw that noise. I've got games to play. The animals don't care anyway." He kicked at the ground and got a few bits of leaves into the bucket of water.

Shawn paused, then fished the leaves out and finished pouring the water into the bag before closing it. "What do ya wanna bet on that?" he asked with a dangerous joviality as he climbed the tree to re-hang the bag of water so it started dripping slowly on the rock below again.

"Bet on it? What'ch'ya mean?"

"Indisputable proof that the animals appreciate it. We sit and watch from a distance at the next one, if you can truly say there's no appreciation, then you win the bet. If there is appreciation, I win."

"Ha! What'ch'ya wanna bet? Eating a cricket?"

"My next paycheck. The whole thing. You willing to bet yours?"

"Holy crap, are you serious?!"

"Serious as eating to live. Do you take the bet?" Shawn held out his hand to shake on it, staring down the other kid.

"Heh. Like you'd really hand over your paycheck. You've gotta make the animals happy," the boy taunted.

"If I don't, I'll owe you half the next one too. And half of another for each day I don't pony up on everything I owe. Same for you." He shrugged. "But hey, if you don't wanna lose…" He started to reach down to pick up the buckets with his other hand.

The guy shook his head avidly. "You're just stupid enough to keep your word, I'll do it" he said, moving to take Shawn's hand to shake.

Shawn got a smirk on his face and moved his hand past the other's, grasping his wrist briefly. "Sworn before the spirits of nature," he said solemnly as he glanced to the side, making the kid jump and pull his hand back as if the touch shocked him. He picked up the buckets and walked off swiftly toward the next bag.

"What the heck was that, Shawn?" the kid asked warily after a few moments. "You're my friend and a weird guy, but dude, that was creepy even for you."

"That we swore agreement to the bet?"

"Yeah, but… but…" He was loathe to say that he was weirded out by the tingle and shiver the arm clasp gave him. He stopped in his tracks as Shawn put a hand up.

"Shh. Look," Shawn whispered, pointing across the field ahead.

"What, where? Holy… Is that a cat?!"

"A panther. They live in the area. The water bags help them too."

"Crap, crap, crap, we should run," the guy hissed, tugging at his arm.

"Stay quiet and hold still. The bag is empty, so the cat will move on. If you move a lot he'll see you and come after you."

They stayed still and watched and sure enough, after sniffing around the drip rock and licking it longingly a few times, the feline slunk away into the forest.

"You aren't going over there?!" the kid demanded as Shawn started forward again.

"Of course I am. I'm not prey. The water keeps the boars and rabbits and deer around, so there's plenty of better food for the kitty. They prefer to avoid humans. You can stay over here though. I'll come back when the bag is up and we'll watch for a few minutes to see what animals show up to appreciate it. Can't win the bet if you don't stick around, can you?"

He swallowed and obviously thought really hard about it, but the promise of the laughter at Shawn when nothing cared won out and he ducked behind a tree.

Shawn whistled merrily as he crossed the field and set down the water bucket. A quick clamber up the tree to retrieve the drip bag and he was soon filling it. Then he climbed back up and hung it back up to let it start dripping once again. On the ground in a small jump and he nudged the rock back into place, then turned and waved to his friend.

The look of horror on the guy's face was interesting. "SHAW-SHAAAAWN! CAT!" he screamed.

Shawn paused and turned to scan the area visually, but the cat was much closer than he'd expected, peeking out from behind the tree that held the water bag.

The feline chuffed and sniffed at the air, then slunk out, watching the human warily as he sniffed at the wet rock three feet from the boy. Then he moved over to look into one of the buckets at the remaining water. He glanced warily at Shawn before sticking his head into the bucket and drinking, pulling his head back out frequently to glance at Shawn and at the wildly gesticulating boy across the field. When Shawn didn't move, the cat finally relaxed more and kept his head in the bucket to drink for more licks at a time.

"Hmm," Shawn murmured, watching him and staying still and non-threatening as the cat drank his fill. After a moment, the feline stopped and stared at him for a moment, then chuffed again and padded off.

"Shawn-Shawn-Shawn-Shawn-Shawn holy crap, dude!" the other kid ran up, nearly in hysterics. "That cat could've like bitten your face off and killed you!"

"Why would he do that? He was thirsty and he knows I bring the water."

"But… but… BIG kitty!" He gesticulated wildly in the direction the puma had departed. "Teeth! Claws!"

"Your cat has teeth and claws too. Does she bite and scratch you?"

"No, but she's a pet."

"Which means she knows you bring her food and keep her safe. That cat knows I bring water, even though he's bigger than Patches. Getting close to me is a big risk for him. Look it up on the web sometime. So, for the bet, can you truthfully say the cat doesn't appreciate the water?"

"I… He… He just…" He strained to say something denying it, or dismissive of what had happened, but he couldn't get himself to say it. "Nooooooo…" he finally said, realization dawning that he'd just lost the bet in the most frighteningly-dramatic manner he couldn't even imagine before the incident with the cat.

"Didn't think so," Shawn said with a smirk. Then his tone softened. "The animals wouldn't have the water problem if people hadn't messed with the lake. I can't make them change the lake back, but I can help the creatures who live here."

"Dude, that's just… you're ins…"

His words were cut off by a feline snarl in the not-too-far distance, followed by the terrifyingly-haunting death moan of a deer. That was too much for him. He turned with a look of abject terror on his face and ran.

Shawn watched as the other kid vanished into the forest, then shrugged and sat, brushing his hands off and glancing across the field at the other panther watching him warily from the bushes. Had his friend known about the second one, it'd've been difficult to get him to stay. A gurgling churr of a call came from behind him and the second cat came out of hiding at the sound, limping halfway across the field.

The male who'd drank the water walked silently past him, tailtip tagging the human's shoulder as he padded by, dragging the fresh deer carcass by the neck. Shawn swatted at the tail playfully before the cat carried the deer a few feet further and set it down in front of the female. She sniffed at the deer, one ear still on Shawn, then lifted her head and meowed several insistent calls. Three spotty cubs bounded out of the nearby bushes and rushed over to chow down on the deer.

"Her paw is doing better," Shawn said conversationally. The female paused and looked at her injured paw, then gave it a lick before looking at the human.

"You should check it," the male cat replied. The human didn't even blink at the speech.

Shawn didn't question this, scooting over on his butt toward the female. She tensed for a moment before relaxing and trusting. It was difficult for the wild cat to trust humans, but the wildkin had assured her this one was good, and he did help her paw so she could take care of her cubs, while the wildkin was doing the hunting that she couldn't do as well.

"Here, let me see," he said, lifting her paw by the ankle. He looked it over. "This bump on the back doesn't look good," he said worriedly, pushing the fur aside to examine it better.

"It's an abscess. Full of puss and infection," the male cat said. "It will make her lose the paw and probably kill her."

Shawn made a face. "I wish you were allowed to heal her."

"You know wishes don't work that way either," the cat said, flopping to lounge.

"I know. But still." He thought for a moment, then let go of the big paw and went into his waist pack, pulling out a hobby razor. "Make this sterile and clean," he told the male.

"This isn't a rabbit or a squirrel. She could easily kill you by accident if things go wrong," the cat murmured, his eyes glowing briefly as he magicked the knife to a germ-free state.

"I can't not try," Shawn said with a frump, glancing at the cubs who were gnawming at the deer. He held the knife up for the female to see. "This is a very sharp thing, like a sharp little claw." A pause and he pushed the bridge of her nose gently when she tried to sniff it. "Don't stick your nose on it. It'll cut you and hurt." He knew that the male panther was making it as possible as he could for the female to understand him.

"I'm going to hold your paw and make a cut with this into the bubble of bad stuff. It will hurt, but once I get the bad stuff out it will stop hurting you and you will get better." He blinked at her very slowly and intentionally. "I need you to trust me. I will trust you not to lash out at me. I'm very breakable and weak compared to you."

Her yellow eyes stared at him intently as she digested the meaning in her feral mind, then lifted the injured paw and put it against his chest, almost pushing him over backwards with her strength.

Shawn pulled a leg up and moved the paw to rest on his knee instead. "I want your cubs to have their mother and I want you to survive," he said, taking the lid off the small blade. "Are you ready?"

She clenched her paw on his knee, letting her clawtips touch his jeans just lightly, then relaxed again.

He took a deep breath and glanced at the male, then turned his attention to the infection on the paw. "Be a good girl, I trust you," he murmured, then drew the sharp blade over the skin with the grain of the fur.

The cat's reaction was immediate and swift. The sharp jolt of pain caused her to respond instinctively to protect herself, lifting herself with the paw on the human's knee and wrapping her good forepaw around behind him to keep him from escaping as her jaws parted and took the crook of his neck in their powerful grip. The presence of the wildkin helped her understanding and comprehension though, and she managed to hold back from raking his shoulder and delivering a fatal bite to his neck. Her powerful muscles shivered and shook as she barely restrained herself.

"Careful… don't lean further forward. Your chest is pushing the blade in," Shawn murmured. He was literally painfully aware of the danger to his own person, but he was focused on taking care of her. A tilt of the handle of the blade and he was able to extract it from her paw, a welling of bloody pus following it. She snarled in pain and her jaws quivered as he pinched with his fingers, squeezing the infection out of the wound.

"There… calm… you're doing okay," he purred to soothe her, avoiding sibilants that he knew stressed felines don't care for. He reached blindly into his waist pack and retrieved an antibiotic and mildly anesthetic bottle that he tipped several drops onto the wound from.

Another clench of her jaws and claws at the sting from the liquid, but then the soothing coolness took over as the antiseptic did its work as well.

"Therrrre… done… all done. Let me go now?" He reached up and touched the side of her face gently and she let him out of her jaws with a small whine, disappointed at herself. The tension was gone since her paw was no longer in pain from the infection and she panted softly in reaction, looking first at her paw, then at him. She mewped in surprise and attacked his throat with a tongue that was meant to soothe the spot of blood from the near bite, but was far too rough for human skin.

"Hey, hey, I'm okay," he said, pushing her nose away insistently. "My skin doesn't handle your licks." The attention had left a spot rubbed raw and red. She looked sad at the additional damage and rubbed her cheek against him, chuffing for forgiveness.

"You're fine. I'm fine. You'll get better now and I'll get better too." He put some of the antiseptic on his fingertips and rubbed it on the small wounds on his neck.

"She didn't kill you, and her paw doesn't hurt now," the male said. "She'll recover from that. She thinks you're a good, strong male and would make an excellent mate when this litter has left."

"It doesn't work that way," Shawn said, blushing. "Why don't you do that for her instead, Ellyr?"

"I'm not mortal. Doesn't work that way either," the male cat said.

"Hey, just sayin'." He felt his back where the claws had touched and was satisfied that it was okay. "Do you think that was cheating with my friend over the bet?"

"Not at all, and you'll put the money things to good use. You should get a new computer box with it."

"I don't play games," Shawn demurred. "Surely there are better things to spend it on, like helping somehow."

"Your computer box is old and slow and hard to look things up on. A new one will let you learn how to help faster," Ellyr pointed out.

"Okay, I'll listen to you. I figure if a forest spirit is telling me to get a new computer, and forest spirits normally work with, like, forest stuff, then there must be a reason and so new computer it is."

"Good." He got up and padded over, then sat and nuzzled the human. "You're a good person, Shawn. That's why I showed myself to you. I trust you with a lot."

"Except where you go," Shawn pointed out.

"That's important and it's not because I don't trust you. It's because I don't trust the other fae that are there," he said. "You should go before your friend thinks you got eaten and comes looking for you."

"Yeah. Stay safe, Ellyr," he said, hugging the cat before gathering his stuff and heading off.

* * *

"What's that?"

Shawn yelped in surprise at the voice and looked over his shoulder in the glow of the computer screen. "Noooothing," he said, trying to close the web page.

"Looked like pictures of humans mating," Ellyr said, perching on the back of the chair as a tiny bird and preening his feathers. "Humans are odd. You have all these weird thoughts about mating being wrong, but only sometimes, and you behave strangely around each other about the stuff."

"Dude, I'm only 16, I'm not old enough for this stuff yet," Shawn hissed.

"You were physically mature years ago," the wildkin said. "I'm fae and a forest spirit. Trust me, I knew the moment it happened. But your learning place has all the humans who are old enough, but not having cubs. It's very strange. The older ones let you court, but then keep the younger ones from mating."

"We have to be 18 to do stuff like that," he said, squirming and scooting his chair further under his desk to hide a bit.

"How unusual. I should peek around your learning place more to find out about this better."

"Okay, you do that. Can I have some privacy now?"

"Privacy? You want to be alone? Why?"

"Becaaause… I need to…" He huffed. It was his first time brave enough to try something like this.

"Oooooh… Shawn, I'm not human. I'm a forest spirit. But I know how the humans act weird, and I can feel how you are thinking." The little bird landed on his shoulder. "What you're doing doesn't make me upset, and I like you doing it. We fae get power from all kinds of energy, and as a benevolent spirit, I get power from good things. All the help you've given, all the care, all helps me exist. You being happy like this also is good." The bird chirped softly. "Please, don't be sad or worried."

Shawn took a deep breath. "It… it helps you?"

"Yes, when you're happy, it helps me. I'll leave if you feel too sad about it, but I'd like to stay."

"Umm… Okay…" He nerved himself and opened the web browser back up. It was a very pleasantly educational night.

* * *

"It's a nice night. Why are you sad?" Ellyr asked, flying in through the open window to perch on the back of the chair as a raven, cocking his head curiously at the human who laid nude on the bed.

"I graduated from high school today," Shawn said. "Sally broke up with me too. She's heading out of state to college and stuff. She…" He took a deep breath and rolled over on the bed, burying his face into his pillow. "She said she wants to test the waters and have some fun before she goes. Wouldn't test them with me though." He sighed.

"The female you were courting? She rejected you? Poor Shawn. Females will make up their own mind though. Find another to court, maybe another after. You will find the right mate eventually."

"Yeah, but, it still hurts," he said sullenly.

There was the soft rustle of feathers and the fae's voice was closer. "Most animals don't get hurt by the rejection. At least not the way love hurts. Maybe a claw to the face, but that's a different thing. There are few creatures that love or get that kind of attraction and link to another." The raven preened the hair behind his ear. "You don't feel like you're hurt by love though. More of a carnal anticipation lost," he said softly.

"I…" He chuckled. "Yeah, okay, you got me. I didn't plan it to be serious either. But she was gonna be a real person instead of a hand, and like, I wanted to know. Even if it was just her hand."

The fae was quiet, preening his hair for a few seconds longer, then stopped. "I'll be right back," he said, then flew off and out the window quickly.

Shawn was on his back again and daydreaming when the wildkin returned. He paused to take stock of the feline jumping in through the window. "You know it always worries me when you visit me as a cat. I could explain a lost bird to my parents, but this would be a bit much."

"They still can't see me," Ellyr said with a purr, jumping onto the bed and rubbing his cheek against the prone young man's chest.

"You never explained why that is," Shawn said, rubbing the cat's scruff and shoulders.

"I'm fae. Every human starts out with no reason to not believe in us, but as they grow older, they'll usually stop believing. When they denounce us from their mind, we're gone to them. We usually don't give them good reason to keep believing either. So anything we do and anything we affect doesn't show up to them. Their minds fill in something they can believe."

"So they'd…?"

"Probably see you sleeping, because that is what their mind would accept."

He relaxed. "You should've told me before. I'd've worried a lot less. Assuming it's true."

"Many fae can't directly lie. I'm one of them. That's a magical rule of our world. If you ask a fae if they can lie and they say they can't, then they can't. No fae that can lie can say they can't lie. They can avoid the question, or try to deceive by talking around it, but they cannot utter a direct lie. A little worry keeps you cautious and keeps you safe, but tonight I want you to relax." The cat licked his belly and he tensed, remembering the run ins he'd had with feline tongue roughness. But the tongue was soft and didn't scrape his skin. "Less worry. I'm fae, not like a normal cat, so no rough tongue trouble."

Shawn relaxed again, trying not to giggle at the licks on his tummy. "You're always so kind to me. You're like a super-powerful forest spirit. I've seen you uproot a tree just by thinking at it."

"You're a very good person," the cat purred, continuing to groom lower. "You've helped me and my forest a lot. I saw you for the first time when I thought I'd trick and punish those boys who were mean by using a fake baby squirrel as a trap. You protected the squirrel and punished them instead. That was amazing, especially for your age. That's why I showed myself to you later, and have been here for you since."

"Oooooh. That so-sounds neat. You've never done this before. All this licking." He wasn't complaining though.

"You said you had to wait until you were older. I don't understand that, but you're older now, so it's okay now according to humans."

"I meant wait until I was older for se-EX!" His words were interrupted as the feline took his flesh into his muzzle and suckled on it gently. "Oh, d-damn. But… Ellyr, you're a g-guy…" he was halfheartedly trying to push the cat away from his crotch, his heart less in the pushing with every stroke of the soft tongue. "Isn't this like, gay?"

"I have… no idea what that means…" the fae answered between licks. "Many creatures will do this. No young from it of course, but young isn't always the need or desire. You looked at pictures of male humans pairing on your computer too, so I thought..." He paused. "It feels good, right? Better than your hand? Dearheart, I just want you to be happy."

"It does. It just surprised me." He stopped pushing and gave the feline face a stroke with his hands, then dug his fingers against the bed when the cat resumed the licks. "Oh, god, Ellyr."

"I'm not a god, but if I were I'd still want to make you feel wonderful," the cat said with a purr, taking the man's hard cock to suck more avidly. Each moment further brought squeaks and grunts from a young man trying desperately not to wake his parents while the immortal feline simply delightedly at the reaction he was getting.

This went on until Shawn left his seed in the cat's maw, his flesh throbbing between sharp teeth as he enjoyed the first time that it wasn't his hand. The man panted, gasping for air as the cat released his spent flesh and crawled up his bare body. He embraced the furred spirit and held him close, basking in the moment.

"You're thinking really hard," the cat murmured. "I can't quite tell what."

"You know my thoughts?"

"I know creature thoughts better. They don't talk, so thoughts are all I work with. Yours? Less clear. Curious. Happy. Anticipating."

"Well, um… did I… did I do it right?"

"Right? Is there a wrong way to enjoy yourself and have pleasure with a lo… anybody?"

"I thought I came too soon," Shawn admitted.

"Humans already take a long time. The moving scenes you watched on your computer take even much longer. I don't understand it. The act is normally to give the seed to have offspring. The feeling is to make the creatures want to, so they will have offspring. If there's no chance of cubs, then it's just for the feeling. Then it feels good when it feels good. Humans just take a long time to get the good and seem to glamorize taking longer. That's silly, taking so long. I worried that I was not doing it right because it took so long."

"Not… Took so long? But…?"

"If I groomed another panther, they'd be satisfied in a handful of seconds. Maybe up to a few dozen. Definitely not the minutes that you took. Though they might do it again after that. And again. Dozens of times a day, just to make sure. Canines push in and get their knot stuck and start giving their seed in seconds too, even though they stay stuck for a long time. Prey animals are also swift. Humans are so slow about it."

"Wow. Okay, I guess so."

"You're still thinking. What's on your mind?"

"I, um…" He took a deep breath.

"Your face is turning red. It's cute," the feline said, giving his cheek a lick and snuggling him. "You want something."

"Well, yeah. I know it might be kinda gay, but not really because you're a cat. And you're like fae, so you're a forest spirit, not a guy, so not really gay, but…" He took a deep breath and steeled himself. "I kinda wonder if you like the sex stuff too."

"Of course I like you enjoying it. That's why I do it."

"Well, I mean, like, you enjoying it. Like… can forest spirits even cum?"

"Oooh. Yes, Shawn, I enjoy that too. I'm a protector though. Creatures would not do well if their body thought they would have cubs that I could not give them. So I don't get much chance to do that, lest I do a poor creature a disservice."

"Well, my hand won't be tricked into thinking it's gonna have cubs," Shawn mused quietly, rubbing the cat's flanks.

"Hmmmm… I'll let you try to get cubs for your hand if you like," the feline said cheekily, then it was his turn to let out a surprised gasp as the man slipped a hand under his belly and found his sheath.

Shawn was gentle and careful, feeling with cautious fingertips. "You have a sheath, and then your cock is inside it, right? This feels good for you?"

"Oooooh, goodness, yes," Ellyr purred, letting his hind legs drop to either side of the man's hips so he could lift himself just enough to give the hand easy access and still thrust his hips as well.

Shawn was pleasantly surprised by the feline's member as it slipped from the sheath and with the cat rocking his hips, he found that he could just curl the tips of his fingers against his friend and let him hump into the space they made. The cat's shaft was slick from both being in his sheath and the precum that he had, very different from the dry skin of his own body, and very warm. Firm little nubs drew against his fingers when the cat drew back, drawing some curiosity, but this was not the best time to see.

His friend was obviously enjoying, kneading at his shoulders with forepaws and somehow completely keeping the claws from hurting bare skin. Then, sure enough, it was only a handful of dozens of seconds before Ellyr pressed his face against the crook of the human's neck and an urgent thrust into the grip of the fingers ended with throbbing feline flesh and spurts of kitty cream into his hand.

"Happy?" Shawn purred, stroking down Ellyr's back with his free hand as he pulled the other out and gave his fingers a curious lick. Then he gagged and made a face at the consistency and feel. Not a fan of that at all.

"Very, goodness, thank you… Here, let me," the wildkin murmured, licking the fluids off his fingers helpfully.

"Well, that cancels the idea of me licking it for you," Shawn said with a small sigh and a wry grin.

"Not for everybody. Even many fae are not keen on it," Ellyr murmured, resting his haunches back down on his friend and not shy about letting himself poke the bare skin beside the man's spent flesh.

"You looked really happy," Shawn said with a smile. "Cancelling the second doesn't cancel the third idea yet."

"Third idea?"

"Yeah. You said cats do it over again? I think… I think I feel you still hard too. So… Um… I figure that if I poke a guy in the ass, it's just another way to feel stuff with my cock, and I've felt hand, and now your mouth… which is much better, but still nothing really new. Anyway, in the videos there are guys who looked like they liked it when another guy humped them in the ass. I could never ask a random guy or even a human friend, but… like you, you're my best friend, and I trust you, and so like… would you…?"

Ellyr licked his face softly. "Not all males handle it well, but if you like it, I'll do it as much as you want," he said affectionately. He started licking and nuzzling the man's neck and cheek, then did something akin to a kiss, though it was not very good of one even for a cat.

The kiss made Shawn break down into giggles after the licks had him moaning softly. "What was that? Nomming my mouth?"

"I… well, I was trying to do the human thing where you put your lips together when you like each other."

"A kiss? Oh. Try again and less face nomming maybe? You have a big kitty mouth and mine is smaller. We'll figure it out together, okay?"

The cat nodded and tried again, more gently and less aggressively. Little licks and gentle nibbles at the man's lips, and it was much more effective this time, finally getting Shawn to moan again in response. "You like that?" he asked hopefully.

"I do," Shawn murmured, hugging the fae cat and rubbing his sides. "You're warm and nice. You've kept me warm and snuggled before, but it's never felt like this."

"We will be cautious. I'm fae, and I've been alive since time began, but I don't always remember everything." He glanced down. "This is more than just mating actions with you and me. With some fae, there's more or less personal connection. Just a little with me, though some prey on mortals. They are to be avoided."

"Personal connection? Something we need to worry about?"

"It… You'll share a little of your soul with me for a little while, and mine with you. It's not dangerous, or bad." He snuggled furiously. "I would never do anything to hurt you. It will make me more sensitive to you. When you're happy, it will help me. When you are sad or angry or hurt, it will hurt me. I want you to be happy, so I'm willing to take this on."

"You're okay with this, even though I'm a guy?" Shawn asked.

"As long as you are. Fae don't worry at all about gender."

"Good. I've kinda been curious about this ever since I saw the porn pics and you're the only person I can trust for this."

Ellyr gave an excited wiggle and scooted both forepaws to Shawn's side, tugging on the man's arm. "Roll over, get comfy." He climbed off Shawn and tugged him more avidly, rolling the young man with surprising ease due to his feline strength.

Shawn rolled onto his belly and sucked in a deep breath at the touch of a big, warm paw on his lower back. The cat nuzzled between his knees and forced his nose there, using the other forepaw to pull his leg to the side. He helpfully spread both legs, sucking in a breath of anticipation as a feline paw curled against his hip and tugged it to a better angle, his rear up.

The cat climbed between his legs and got his hips with both paws, making him squeak in surprise at the strength the fae had when he was lifted and pulled until the front of his hips rested on the feline's shanks, which were flat against the bed. The warm body cuddling into the curve of his own was exciting and he tilted his rear up further at the urging of the paws' grip.

He wasn't quite sure what to make of it when his friend pressed a slippery feline cock between his cheeks and rocked there, hot-dogging in the space. It was a wholly new sensation, the rubbing and gentle pressure against his ass grabbing the focus from the soft, warm fur of the body pressed against him. Something didn't feel quite right as the cat rocked and humped though.

"Is… are you in?" Shawn asked, huffing and tensing his legs.

"Not yet," Ellyr purred, getting a better grip with his forepaws to pull Shawn's hips further up and let the hot tip of his feline flesh rub past the puckered hole. He was huffing and growling happily. "You're not a female, so you don't make your own slipperiness, so I'll make some for you." He pulled back further to draw the front of his nubbed shaft along the man's fuzzy taint, then gave two rapid little thrusts. The second ended at the tight pucker again and the fae feline snarled in pleasure as he started to grace the human's bare skin there with a warm source of slippery stuff.

"Oh, I feel that warm… Ooooooooooohhh…." Shawn murmured, his observation interrupted as the cat let only two spurts of kitty juice splash outside his pucker before moving. A big, strong forepaw moved to his upper back, pressing him into the bed as the powerful pouncer shifted his position forward and used the better angle to press the very end of his tip forward, invading the tight ring. The kitty was still cumming for a bit more, but now the slippery cum was being put a little deeper with each jerk of the cat cock as Ellyr pushed a teensy bit further after each pulse of his flesh.

Shawn reached down with a hand and grabbed the paw that was holding his hip, squeezing and kneading at it and holding it closer as the cat pressed half his length in, barely thinner than a human male but about the same length, and much, much warmer. "Ellyr…" he whimpered softly.

The fae froze in place worriedly at the sound. "Shawn, are you okay?"

"Yessssss… oh god, yes… I can feel you twitching, but you stopped," the young man said, gasping for air. "Do… do the thing. Like in the pictures. Do a kitty thing… fill me up."

Ellyr gave a squirm and pressed more firmly on the human's back, very much turned on by his partner's response. He nuzzled and nibbled at the back of the bare neck. "That's half…" he purred, then he pressed forward until his furred balls met the curly fuzz of the balls beneath him. Yellow feline eyes squeezed shut as his sheath was pressed back by the ring of muscle he delved into and he gripped the hip more possessively. "There… all of me."

"All of the best," Shawn moaned, approving of the action, his thighs tensing as the hindpaws of the cat clenched into the bed below them. The pictures made him curious and he knew his cock enjoyed rubs, but now he knew he liked this too. A whole bunch.

"I want this," Ellyr purred, pulling out. "I NEED this…" His haunches started up a swift dance of pleasure for both of them. "I need YOU," he whispered before his jaws parted to gently hold the bare neck between killer teeth as he kept the wonderful human close throughout the feral dance of carnal delight. The last seconds culminated with his head thrown back, a snarl of pleasure on his face as he unloaded into his dear friend.

He was panting furiously, still giving little thrusts with his hips when Shawn's fingers clenched at his paw.

"Get off," Shawn whispered suddenly, squirming.

The cat pulled back in surprise, letting the man go and pulling back, climbing quickly off to the side and looking him over worriedly. Had he done something wrong?

Then Shawn rolled over onto his back and lunged at the cat with a needy look on his face, struggling at the weight of the big feline as he pulled the fae onto him. He pushed and tugged and nearly shoved the cat into place between his legs. "Again…" he whispered huskily, clinging to the plush fur of the feline and nearly wagging his hips as he gazed into the cat's golden eyes.

Ellyr was pleasantly shocked, immediately glomming onto the man and hunching his haunches. It took two prods that missed before Shawn pulled his legs up and they found the right spot. There was no slow and careful this time, just a full thrust with both of them clinging to each other such that even a tornado wouldn't pry them apart.

The human was hard again against the cat's belly and the feline fae was delighted to share another moment. The bed creaked as the powerful creature rocked into his human lover, pulled closer by the man's legs and cling with forepaws that refused to release his companion, but would never put claws into his skin.

Then, even with the recent sucking, Shawn found his loins tightening and with a cry that was far too loud for the time of night, he dug his fingertips against his strong friend and splashed his seed on the immortal spirit's belly fur. The squeeze was quick to please the kitty and the yowl was muffled by the fae pressing his muzzle against the man's throat and finally parting his jaws to hold the tender skin, loving the trust that he was shown as he left his own hot gift deep inside again.

"Shawn? Are you okay? I thought I heard a noise in..." His door opened as his mother peeked in and he froze in absolute terror as she stopped talking when she saw him. Nude on his back, clinging passionately to a panther who was very obviously fucking him in the ass and holding his throat in his jaws like the cat was about to kill him too.

Seconds ticked by and Ellyr purrred and slowly let go of the man's throat, his tongue caressing the sensitive skin there. Then the woman ducked back out the door.

"He's sleeping," she said softly in the hall. "I'm surprised the sound didn't wake him up, but he's had a long day with graduation." The door clicked shut gently.

Shawn let his breath out, incredulous.

"I told you they can't see me," Ellyr said comfortingly. "Without me here, you'd still look completely unbelievable, so their mind denied her the idea and filled in something she could believe."

"Almost like you don't really exist, but you do," Shawn said in wonder. He pulled the surprised cat to him and made progress on a better kiss. "Are fae sometimes the cause of 'imaginary friends' that kids have?" he asked, somewhat accusingly and amused.

"Probably," Ellyr agreed, then relaxed and purred and loved on the man. "You're wonderful, Shawn. Do you want more?"

"Just hold me close," he said quietly, a haunted look on his face as his eyelids drooped sleepily.

"Always," the cat said, purring the human to sleep. This was a moment in his long life that was special.

* * *

"You're sad?" the fae said softly.

"Jen dumped me," Shawn said sullenly, tossing a small rock across the field.

The weasel-shaped forest spirit leaned against the man's knee. "I thought you two were doing so well together. You brought her out here often and you two seemed happy."

"I bet I'm a crappy lay," the man frumped.

"You're not, you're wonderful," Ellyr assured him warmly. Though there'd been no more between them since that night half a year ago and Shawn responded to his fae friend just a little differently.

There was a spark of joy in the human and he felt like his old self. "You're just saying that because…" Then he stopped in mid-sentence and the gloom returned. But he lifted the fae and snuggled the fuzzbutt against his chest. "Anyway, lots of girls out there and several of them seem to like me."

* * *

Shawn was shaking, sobbing. "They had so much more life to live." It was just sinking in that he was alone in the world now. His father had been killed instantly by the impact, and his mother was declared dead on arrival to the hospital via flight for life. The car was a wreck and Shawn himself was bandaged and buffeted as well.

"I did everything I could," Ellyr murmured to his dear friend, stricken by the man's grief but unwilling to leave him alone despite the agony the negative emotion inflicted on him. His nose was pale as he curled around the balled up man, trying to console and comfort him. "I'm so glad you're still alive."

"I don't want to be! I should've died too!"

"Don't say that," the fae exclaimed worriedly. "You know they'd be sad at that idea. They love you, and they always will. Trust me, the soul goes on."

His words were unheard as Shawn had cried himself to sleep in exhaustion. The fae took a shaky breath at the relief from the pain. Reprieve was short lived though as the nearby cell phone bleeped and woke Shawn up in a panic.

Shawn grabbed the phone. "Mom?! Dad?!" He stabbed at the screen and stared, then wailed and threw the phone across the room to bounce and shatter on the far wall.

The fae cringed. The emotional pain was nearly too much for him, but he held onto the man firmly as he was pummelled weakly with fists. The blows wouldn't hurt the powerful spirit at least. He weathered through the agonizing emotions from his friend until the human fell asleep again. Then he very carefully slipped away to the broken phone.

A text message from Becky: "I can't handle more people with bad days. Don't call me anymore, it's over."

He sighed and shook his head, then used a small bit of magic to repair the phone and clean up the sharp shards of glass on the floor. Becky was Shawn's girlfriend for a whole year and a half. He returned to the man and curled up around him protectively. He wasn't going to leave Shawn alone, no matter how much it hurt.

Ellyr perked an ear as Shawn murmured, "Thank you for trying to save them. I know you tried so hard."

"Every death has a time and a place, but that doesn't mean I won't fight the threads and their keepers, even if it's for my own selfish reasons," Ellyr murmured. He was a very strong forest spirit, but that meant the Kitsune only gave him a warning of what was to be so he could be ready for it. He didn't get preferential treatment.

"I… I need to be alone," Shawn mumbled. "I need to take stock. I need to figure things out. I need to get ahold of reality now."

Ellyr's heart sunk. Those were dangerous words that had the potential to drag his beloved friend from him forever. "I… I'll be here for you, but I'll go for now. I'll come back tomorrow, okay?"

"No…" Shawn said.

The word stabbed through the fae's heart like a dagger.

"Don't come back until I call you," Shawn muttered.

The spirit winced and was silent for a moment, then climbed off the bed. "As you wish. I will not return until you call my name. But I will always be there while you are in my forest, and I will always be listening for your voice." He took a deep breath, then left, whispering as he did, "Please don't forget me."

* * *

"Yes," she said with a smile, taking his hand and the ring it held.

Shawn was overjoyed. "I love you, Holly," he said, standing and hugging her. He had a twinge of regret that his father was not there to be proud of him for getting a good girl. Now they could plan the wedding, and have a family, and his father's spirit could rest. Spirit? Yes… a dear friend had assured him that there was a place for their souls after death. Who…?

"I love you too, Shawn," she recited, giving his hand a squeeze. "We'll sell this house first, right? It's too far from everywhere and gives me the willies. I still feel like something is watching us all the time, and I see flashes in the forest. It's creepy."

"Yes," he said, bucking up and hiding the reluctance in his voice. Then he thought some more. "We'll get a nice place closer to where we work and big enough for a family," he said vacantly.

She brightened at the mention of children, but only for a moment. "Good. You own the house fully, so it'll give us a huge buffer of savings on the new mortgage."

Shawn brightened suddenly. He remembered! "Honey, I'm going to take a walk in the woods by the berry patch. There's somebody I need to…" He paused, realizing that his words would make no sense. "...remember. Before I leave forever."

"Okay, be safe," she said, tossing a hollow smile in his direction. "I'll send out the cavalry if you're not home by dark."

Shawn grinned obliviously, too happy about the proposal. "I'll be back soon. You know where to look if I get attacked by a panther or something." He headed out the door, musing about that as he did. He knew there were several large predators in the area, but they never harassed him. He had a vague thought that he had reason to know it'd be fine.

He strolled along the faint path in the evening light. A flutter of motion caught his eye and he looked across the area. A raccoon was sadly inspecting a large flat stone by the tree, gazing up at the timeworn remnants of the drip bag that hung from the branches. Wow. That was a memory from years ago, when he kept those bags full of water for the local creatures. They loved him for it. But it took so much time, and as life demanded more of that scarce resource, the water trips faded into the past.

There was one memory that dragged him out here now though. A fantasy. A friend who was a powerful forest spirit. Time dragged that from his mind too, but now he was going to be married and leave the forest. It was a whimsy, but it was his whimsy. His little traipsing trip back to happy times.

The path led through a field. Another drip bag hung forlornly from the tree here. There used to be a panther that frequented the water the bag provided, but he hadn't even tried to catch sight of her in years. No pawprints graced the soft ground of the field. She must have moved on when he stopped providing water.

He felt a twinge of regret. When he was young, he'd imagined that he helped her with a wound on her paw. The whole experience was amaaaaaaaaazing. He used to have such a great time daydreaming. But now she was gone, and he had no idea where.

His feet brought him to the edge of the berry cane patch. This was the place. There was the little game trail that his friend always came from. Imagination or not, that was the happiest time. He wanted to believe, and he'd humor his imagination. He sat and looked around, and waited.

It was relaxing out here, though the new airport meant that planes flying high overhead interrupted the peaceful tranquility at a regular rate. But his friend didn't show up. He didn't think he would. But there was a small part of him that hoped anyway. Soon enough dusk began to darken the forest floor, and it was time to start heading home.

There was a flicker of a glow from the thorny berry canes that caught his attention as he moved to stand up, and he paused, leaning on his arm. He stared at the game trail. Nothing. But when he glanced away, there it was again. In the corner of his vision.

Never peeked on that trail. Well, it was surrounded by berry canes, which had wicked thorns. He vaguely remembered his friend telling him to never try to go in there. Maybe his mind made that up because he got stuck by thorns sometime. Hmm. He'd never be here again, and the flicker made him curious.

On his hands and knees, with his head down, he was able to carefully squeeze along the game trail. A race of adrenaline coursed through him as the path curved and he saw a faint glow through the plants ahead. Maybe he shouldn't go this way. Something didn't want him to. Something he had to name.

But another feeling tugged at his desire to go look, and so he did.

The space in the mound of berry canes was astounding. He'd never imagined a place like this could be here. The plants were lush and dense and moist and the surroundings were beautiful. Vines and flowers hung from branches, the colors still bright despite the fading light and bad season for them. The game trail led through a thick carpet of moss to a ring of tiny, glowing mushrooms.

"Hi human person! It's so wonderful to have a visitor!"

He froze in surprise at the little voice, taking a step toward it instinctively before a feeling of something that seemed to want to scream at him not to brought him to a halt. His gaze swung to the mushroom ring and lighted on a tiny, nude woman who was absolutely beautiful. There was no way to hide the look of shock on his face.

"Oh, you can see me! How delightful! You win!" she exclaimed, more cheerful than anything should be allowed to be. She threw her arms up and a rain of cash and even gold coins suddenly appeared. "Come, get your prize!" she cried gleefully, dancing around in the falling money. "Your family to be will love it and your fiance will be so happy!"

He blinked his eyes hard a few times, then looked away for a moment. "We're fine with finances," he demurred. "I'd have a really hard time explaining where it all came from."

"You can tell her you stashed it away for the future. That's why you came out here. To get it," she cajoled.

Something in the back of his mind felt like it was screaming at him. His name… His…

"You're a fae," he said, realization dawning.

"Yes!" she exclaimed, doing a little twirl, her hair flowing around her and sparkling. "You've lived in this forest for all your life. You've never come to visit. But we fae know. You're a good human. You put up the water bags and helped all the creatures. I want to reward you."

The money would be useful, a part of him thought. But at his step forward, once again that sensation of something screaming at him not to.

He looked around and smiled a little. "I'm happy to meet you, but I can't take the money. I did that for the animals because I wanted to, not for a reward. It would feel wrong to take something for it. Especially…" he looked down sadly. "Especially since I stopped."

Shawn sighed and squatted at the edge of the ring. "You're beautiful, and I'm glad I was able to help the forest and make somebody like you happy," he said with a genuine smile. "I'm just here looking for my friend."

"Your friend?" she asked curiously, perking attentively and pausing from gathering the bills and gold into little piles.

"Yes… I…" he twiddled his fingers sheepishly. "I left the house thinking that he was imaginary, but now that I've met you, I know he had to be real. He was… he was a forest spirit. His name was…" He put his fingers to his forehead, thinking really hard.

"This is a faerie ring!" she exclaimed, breaking him from his thought. "If he was a forest spirit, then you can find him if you step into it. It's like a portal, it lets you enter the fae realm. Then we can try to find him together!" She did an excited little bounce and ran to the middle of the ring, holding her hand up to him.

NO! … Something still seemed to be screaming at him not to. "I don't know. Is it dangerous to me? Does it react badly to humans? Like shrink me forever?"

She laughed merrily. "It's a gateway, silly. Forest spirits even go in and out of the fae realm through it. They can only change their physical form in the fae realm." Her eyes widened and she bounced happily. "That's why he'd come back here and come from here. In the fae realm is where he changes shape to see you."

Name… name…. "He… he didn't want me to ever come in here," Shawn said, trying to remember better.

"Do you think it would be bad if lots of humans found this because you accidentally told them? They might think you were crazy too and take you away from seeing him." She pouted. "If you can't remember his name, it could be quick to look for him."

Something occurred to him, and he gazed at her piercingly. "Can you lie?"

She laughed merrily, a musical sound. "No, no I can't lie! Your friend taught you some about fae, didn't he? Come on. It's getting dark, so you want to get home soon."

He relaxed. It was such an old memory, but it made him more comfortable. "I want to find my friend," he said longingly, then he stood and took a step forward, over the edge of the mushroom ring and into the circle.

The world fell silent. There had been a plane overhead but its engine noise was instantly gone. The whole forest was subtly different.

"Welcome to the fae realm!" she exclaimed cherrily.

"How do I find my friend?" he asked, looking around hopefully.

"You don't," she said, bouncing a little and doing another spin. "You need to remember his name. When you told him to leave, he said he'd stay away until you called his name. He can't lie either. He is magically forced to stay away."

Shawn hung his head and winced. "He did say fae could be tricky. This is a waste of my time. I'll go home and remem… rememb..." He couldn't say the words, no matter how hard he tried. He couldn't say that he'd remember his name.

"Not back to the silly mortal world," she decreed. "For all but the most powerful of spirits and watchers, the fae ring is a one way gateway. Welcome to eternity! You're a fae now!" She laughed and clapped her hands gleefully.

"Wait… what?"

"When a mortal steps into the circle, their soul goes into the fae realm too and becomes fae. You'll never grow old, you'll never die! The stupid planes and guns and smog can never touch you again! No more stupid humans and cars and sadness!" She sighed happily. "I'm so glad you joined us! Nobody else ever came to this ring in a long time and you're such a wonderfully good and strong soul."

He shook his head. "Nonono… I want to get home to Holly!" He looked around and realized that the berry canes were ghostly, non corporeal. He didn't care if they really would bite him, he ducked and headed out the game trail. The thorns were not there though, and as he ran he found that many other things were not there as well. He didn't recognize the forest here at all. Such lush trees and plants. The drip bags, the trails, nothing was there. Then he got to where his home was, and found nothing.

Almost nothing. It was like a ghostly sparkle. A constellation of pinpoints of light. An afterimage of the mortal world at most, of Holly calling for him though he couldn't hear her voice at all.

"HOLLY! HOLLY, I'M HERE!"

"She can't hear you, silly. Only at the ring, where the worlds touch."

He spun on the little woman only to find that she was not so small now. Still beautiful and still quite bare.

"Nonono! I lo…" Words stuck short of his voice again. "I just proposed to her! I want to get back!"

"You can never return," the fae said softly, for the first time not super-cheery. "You are one of us forever." The words were haunting.

Shawn gesticulated wildly as the sparkles of Holly in the mortal world started out along the path. "She's going to try to find me!" he exclaimed, following the subtle ghost of his fiance to find his way through the unfamiliar terrain. Soon they were near the ring, the mushrooms glowing brightly in the dim light. The ghost of the woman moved around, then started to move away.

"Wait, come back!" he exclaimed, to no avail.

"You really can't go back," the fae said. "Soooooo… why don't you have her join you?"

"I can do that?!" he demanded.

"If she believes you exist she can see you and hear you when you are in the fae ring. If she steps into it, she will be here too." The fae was big still, and sounded like the anticipation was going to make her explode.

He ran to the circle, careful of the mushrooms, and skidded to a halt in it. "HOLLY!"

"Shawn?! Where are you?!"

He had a rush of hope. "Holly! I'm in the berry patch! Take the little trail, be careful, you'll have to crawl. Don't get stuck by thorns. I need help. I need you."

"Shawn, what's going on? Do I need to get the police? Medical?"

"Please, Holly, just come and see."

"Shawn, this is creeping me out," she called, but her voice was closer and he could see her ghostly sparkles turning more to a solid form as she crawled through the path. "Ow! Thorns, why did it have to be in here, Shawn?" She finally cleared the berry brambles and looked at him, stepping toward him angrily, then stopped and looked around.

"Just come here, Holly," he said, urging her to continue.

"It's pretty, and those mushrooms are weird, but what the hell, Shawn? You come out with me and come home. You promised you'd be home before dark, not that you'd make me worry and look for you and drag me through scratchy berry bushes."

"Holly, just come here, please." He held his hands out to her and she leaped back, a look of terror suddenly on her face.

"What the hell, where did you hands go?!" she demanded. He realized he was reaching over the mushrooms and yanked his arms back. She looked around wildly. "What was that? What's going on?"

"Holly, this is a fae ring. It's a portal to the fae realm. I stepped into it to look for a friend and now I can never go back to the real world. Holly, I lo…" He choked, unable to get the words out. "I don't want to lose you. Please, come here. You'll come into the fae realm to and we can be together."

She shook her head. "Shawn, that's insane. That's too much to ask, I don't love you through something this stupid. I can't even begin to believe something like…" Her eyes widened. "Shawn?" She looked around searchingly. "SHAWN?!"

"I'm still here, Holly!" He brightened as she stepped forward into the ring and opened his arms to embrace her, but his touch went through her as if she wasn't there.

"Oh, god, Shawn, don't do this! This isn't the time for games! SHAWN!" She cringed away from the surroundings, rushing back to the exit path and out.

"Holly…" he whispered. "What happened?"

"She disbelieved," the fae said. "You're fae, and she could believe in you even when she didn't believe in me behind you. But then she stopped believing in you. She'll probably never see a fae again, nor the ring, nor the fae realm in the clearing here. It's quite scary at night without the pretty fae realm."

She put a hand on his shoulder. "You tried. She didn't love you enough to join you. You couldn't lie that you love her either."

He spun on her and struck her hand away. "You tricked me!" he screamed. "You ruined my life!"

"I brought you to the fae, so yes, you could say I ruined your mortal life, since it's gone forever" she said softly, taking a step back. "You'll live forever now. You'll get over it in time. The fae world is truly wonderful. When you stop being mad at me, I'll come back and maybe show you around." Then she vanished.

"I… fae?" He looked around, fear rising. "Come back?" He was alone, and afraid. The world was beautiful, but this moment here, it was so lonely. He sank to the ground and wept.

* * *

"You're sad," a soft, little, haunting voice said.

Shawn looked up. He'd sat dejected for days. Maybe weeks. He wasn't sure. Holly hadn't even come back with police or search or anything. Time seemed wrong. His mind seemed wrong. Like he was losing himself. "What?"

"We're not supposed to bug new fae," the voice said. "You're so sad though, and it's making your friend hurt. You're not losing your sad like you should." The voice was moving all around him, hard to focus on as it seemed to jump from spot to spot, even within a given word. Reality was not acting real.

"My… my friend?"

"You're losing yourself, but not your sadness. The forest is suffering, and Tallia locked herself away from helping you. But I will. I will help you. I will help you feel better. It will help your friend, and help the forest. Maybe we can be friends forever too."

"I… I had a friend," Shawn murmured, realization returning. "His name… his name was…"

"Ellyrrrrrrrr," the voice whispered, fading away in a purr.

"ELLYR!" Shawn exclaimed.

The response was immediate as he was tackled by a huge cat. "Oh, gods, Shawn! Are you okay?! Please be okay! Please don't have lost too much! Please don't have forgotten me!"

"Ellyr…" Shawn said softly, tears flowing again. "I… I'm remembering you… Remembering so much about you." He hung his head. "I wanted to tell you about… about somebody. It was going to be important. I thought I loved her, but…" He squeezed some tears out. "I don't think she truly loved me. I don't think I really loved her either."

"Hush, hush. You'll be okay," Ellyr said, licking the tears gently from the man's face.

"I thought I had love with her, but it was a lie. Only now that I can't lie do I understand that," Shawn moaned. "Nobody lo…" he coughed and choked. "No… nobody… I can't say…" He shut up in awe.

"Shawn. You're fae. You can't lie. You'll learn more as you experience it. You'll know lies just by thinking them, and use that as a roundabout way to know the truth. When you can think you can say it, it's true."

"I can't say that nobody loves me. Somebody… loves me…" The new fae was trying to wrap his poor, befuddled mind around the new magical restrictions. Then he tried to be sad again. "It's probably just my parents. Yeah, definitely jus…" The words stopped again and his eyes went wide.

"Somebody loves me. Somebody loves me right now and is not my parents. Not platonic love, like a brother, even though I c.. c…" He paused. "I do love somebody. It m…" Again a pause. "It's not somebody from school, or work."

Ellyr kissed him to shut him up. "Shawn, I'll help. I love you. I love you dearly, you wonderful, silly youngling. I…" He paused and sighed, though it was not a trapped lie pause. "I was sad a little. Fae can love mortals, and it's devastating when the mortal they love dies. But I decided you were worth it. I tried to think that I would be okay when you died, and I couldn't."

The cat looked down. "I took that to mean that I would be devastated beyond anything imaginable when you died. I never imagined that you would become fae. I never wanted to take your mortal life from you, so I told you to stay away from the fae ring."

Shawn took the feline face in his hands and stared into the yellow eyes, then took a chance. "I love you, Ellyr." He gasped. "I said it! Holy crap I said it! Oh my god, you've always been there for me, and you've always been so wonderful and I didn't always treat you well at the end, but god, I love you, I really love you! Why couldn't I admit that to myself?! I…"

He thought and thought and shook his head gently. "I'm gay. Yup. Said that too. I didn't want to admit it to myself, because my dad wanted grandchildren so much. He'd ki…" he stopped, then made a face and chuckled. "I thought he'd kick my butt if he found out I was gay, but… he'd be fine with it. Holy shit, I was able to say that too. Oh god, Ellyr, this not lying thing is so creepy! I don't need to know it's a lie to not be able to say it!"

"It's a strong fae power, but not everything," the cat agreed. "It can only tell you what is not, and what is precisely not. It can't guarantee what is." He took a deep breath. "It's… dangerous… for a powerful spirit to fall in love with another immortal. But the magic gives us a clue… Shawn… will you love me and be good to me forever?"

"I will," Shawn said, slightly awed.

"I will love you and be good to you forever as well," Ellyr purred. "And I thought that it was true, and it wouldn't be true if you turned on me as fae are prone to in their fickleness. When I could think to say it, I knew that either you wouldn't ever turn on me, or that if you did I would just accept it. I…" He buried his face against the man's chest. "I could've just tried to say you would eventually turn on me and immediately know you wouldn't. But I couldn't bear to find out that way if you would. I had to hear the truth from you. I love you so much. It hurt to be away from you, and after we shared, it hurt when you hurt. But I promised to stay away until you called my name. Part of me regrets that, but another part…"

He pulled his head back as Shawn put a hand over his mouth, but the man smiled. "If it had been any other way, we wouldn't be together now."

The cat smiled. "True."

"How did you know I was gay?"

"I didn't. I'm a forest spirit. I am male, but only kinda?" He waggled his head. "We only get genders because whatever created us gave them to us, and if I really wanted to, I could take a female form. But I love who I love. Maybe I'd never be able to be with you physically, but I guess I got lucky, and so did you." He caressed the man's face. "Even if you were gay or not gay, maybe you wouldn't have loved a forest spirit at all ever because of all the fur. Every person I've ever loved before always grew out of even believing in me or eventually died. Old age came pretty quick back then. So I'm extra lucky."

"I don't remember you having fingers," Shawn said accusingly.

"Oh, I can only take the shape of a normal animal when leaving the fae realm. Here, I can take any shape I like. So… yeah. Kind of like a human-shaped cat. Fingers are surprisingly useful you know."

"The… wait… no…" Shawn looked around. "I want to learn, not just know, so I won't say to know." He grinned sheepishly. "So… this place looks really empty. Is there more to the fae realm than it seems?"

The cat grinned like he ate the canary. "Plenty. Are you ready to find out?"

"Maybe not, but I'll try," Shawn admitted. Then he got a mischievous grin. "First though… I want to do something that I loved a lot and that I missed for years because I was a stupid human and lying to myself."

"What's that?" Ellyr asked curiously. Then he jumped and gasped in pleasure as his lover caressed his sheath.

"I think I'll show… not tell…"

"Oooooooooooooooh…"

Now do this...

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