The Eye of Serpents

Story by Brotherwolf3030 on SoFurry

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#1 of The Adventures of Cornelia Domes

The following story contains adult content that may not be suitable for some readers. Plea...


The following story contains adult content that may not be suitable for some readers. Please do not read unless you are over the age of 18. But if you do I can't stop you XD. All characters belong to me unless asked to be used by another fur. Names may be similar to other characters from other furs stories, comics, or artwork this is all purely coincidental and I have no intention to copy anyones work. Please rate, comment, and Enjoy!!!

The Adventures of Cornelia Domes

Ch. 1: The Eye of Serpents

The jungle was hot this time of year in Brazil. The humidity was thick and the sun beat down heat mercilessly. The jungle was rich with lush green foliage with the occasional cluster of colorful flowers. Sounds of the local wildlife echoed through the river valley. The steep mountains made the place very isolated and secret to the outside world.

Hidden amongst the thick plant life were stone totems scattered up one of the peeks in the valley. Ancient reminders of a once proud culture who have been long forgotten. Four animal heads; Eagle, Serpent, Jaguar, and Monkey were set at the top of some poor humans shoulders. They were arranged so that each head was looking either north, west, south, or east. The arrangement had no significants as of yet.

A young female Labrador emerged from the thick jungle brush. Her breathing was slightly elevated from the long hike to this ancient site. Her breast rose and fell at a slow steady pace. Sweat slightly soaked her white v-neck t-shirt that she wore under her khaki vest. The brim of her hat was pulled down low keeping the sun out of her vibrant green eyes. Her bright golden fur was scuffed with mud and dirt and her pants were slightly tattered with holes from all the sharp thorns of the viscous plant life. She wore a belt fitted with a compass set next to her belt buckle, a sheath for her machete on her right hip, a strap for her rope on the left, and a small satchel where she could put whatever she needed in the back.

She was Cornelia Domes. She was a professor of ancient history at Curfield University back in America. She was well renowned amongst the Society of Historians and enjoyed her work at the university. But every once in a while she needed some adventure. On her vacation time she would travel all over the world. She didn't go for the sites, however. She went to find ancient treasures of past cultures. This trip was no different.

Cornelia reached into her satchel and brought out a map. She read it drawing her finger across the course print of the old brown paper. She followed a little red line on the paper until she found where she was and tapped her finger at the end of the red line. "Mmm-hmm," she assured herself as she closed the map. She then walked over to the stone totem and started looking it over very well.

The brush rustled behind Cornelia as two other furs came out of the jungle brush. One was a dirty male Ocelot wearing only a pair of canvas pants with a piece of rope as a draw string and going barefoot. The Ocelot was helping a portly male English Bulldog out of a tangled mess of vines wrapped around his ankle. The bulldog was wearing white button shirt and white slacks that were covered in splotches of mud. His pith helmet hat was awkwardly set on his head through his struggles, nearly falling off as he was freed.

"God damn. This brush is hell to travel through," exclaimed the portly bulldog, "couldn't these ancient idiots have placed there temples in easier to get to places."

"Tomb Mr. Gory, we are looking for a tomb," Cornelia said still examining the totem.

Mr. Gory seemed to have been hit harder by the journey to this sacred site than the Ocelot, and Cornelia. He quickly found a little boulder protruding out of the ground and planted his rump on it. He was huffing and puffing heavily wiping away his sweat with a handkerchief he pulled out of his chest pocket. "Temple, tomb whats damn the difference," huffed Mr. Gory.

Cornelia quickly turned on a heal to face Mr. Gory. "Well first off, temples are a place of worshiping while one is alive," she explained. "Secondly......"

"Enough with the freaking lecture professor," Mr. Gory said putting up his hand. "I only brought you here to help find the tomb, nothing more Professor."

Cornelia frowned at the sudden rudeness out of her client. It was true she was hired for just that. Mr. Gory had approached Cornelia in the hotel restaurant she was staying at. He offered $5,000 dollars to help him find an ancient artifact. It just so happened to be her forte. She easily accepted the offer. The whole trip Mr. Gory had been a fine example of a gentleman. It just struck her odd that his tone would change all of a sudden.

She flicked a thumb over at the Ocelot and asked, "Then whats he for."

Mr. Gory stopped patting his head with the handkerchief and looked over at the Ocelot, who was squatted down drawing some doodles in the ground with a stick. He was too preoccupied with his sketch to notice they were talking about him. "Oh he's the muscle, Heh Heh Heh." his laugh was low and mostly a grumble. He coughed at the end due to the stress of the laugh.

The Ocelot , who has remained nameless, looked up at Mr. Gory and then to Cornelia, and they locked eyes for a moment. His dark brown eyes were deep, serious, and steady. Odd for a peasant, even more unusual than him being built like an All-American Running Back from the states. You don't find many like him in Brazil.

"Well whats his name?," Cornelia asked.

Mr. Gory made a slight frown and looked at the Ocelot . He seemed to be deep in thought for a second. He finally shrugged his shoulders and said, "Im not quite sure, I don't know his name and I know he doesn't speak any english what so ever. I really don't care what you call him."

More rudeness from a gentleman. Thank god I am getting paid for this, Cornelia thought. She turned to walk over to the Ocelot . The Ocelot stood as she came. He was about six inches taller than her, very broad in his shoulders, and brilliant patterned fur despite that it was dirty. She looked up into his yes and spoke to him in his native language, "O que e` seu nome?"

The Ocelot seemed stunned as she quickly and fluently spoke. His eyes widened and he seemed to tense up. He looked at Mr. Gory as if he didn't know what to say. He then looked back at Cornelia who now stood inches from his face. There eyes met once again and this time it was the Ocelot who could see the sternness and beauty in Cornelia's green eyes. He relaxed a little and took in a deep breath. "Marco," he said in a thick accent, "Meu nome e` Marco."

Mr. Gory was equally astonished at the display. His surprise quickly turned to anger. "Why didn't you tell me that you could speak Portuguese?" He grunted.

Cornelia looked over to Mr. Gory. A slight smirk came upon her lips. "You employed me to find the tomb and nothing more Mr. Gory," she said mocking his earlier rude statement.

Mr. Gory started to show his anger at Cornelia's retort by gritting his teeth and balling his fist. "Just hurry and find the damn tomb," he said waving his hand in a begone gesture. His tone had a slight sense of anger in it.

Cornelia didn't care, though. She got her reprisal for his earlier rudeness. It felt good to her. She didn't like rudeness. It was just one of her buttons, that when pushed set her in a vindictive mood. But now that the score had been settled it was time to earn her cash.

Cornelia turned back to the stone totem and continued to examine it. She reached into her satchel and pulled out her note book that she used to her do research on the tomb and its secrets. Flipping through the pages, she stopped at a page with rough sketch of the same totem that stood in front of her. Next to the sketch were names of the animals on the totem with a little caption next to them. The Eagle: Messenger of the Northern Wind; The Jaguar: Fierce Warrior of the Western Mountains; The Monkey: Scholar of the Eastern Temples; The Snake: The Reaper of Southern Valleys. In swift motion she put her notebook back in her satchel and detached her compass from its belt clip. She found her bearings.

The totem heads were situated where the eagle was facing south, the jaguar east, the monkey west, and the serpent north. The alinement was wrong. This much was apparent to Cornelia but why? They had followed the serpent head all the way to this totem. All the other totems they had come across were all facing the right ways. This one was not though.

Cornelia put a finger to her lip, deep in thought. This totem had to be something else besides a trail marker. A pointer maybe? But that would mean they would have to go back the way they came. Cornelia was getting frustrated with this conundrum. The only way it would make any sense is if the heads were aligned correctly. A key?

"Marco, ajude-me com isto," Cornelia called. Marco snapped to attention with his ears turned directly toward Cornelia. He made a quick dash to her side. She placed her hand the side of the eagles head and told Marco, "Impulso."

Marco looked at her confused. Not knowing what to do Marco placed his had on hers. His hands were huge engulfing hers. His hands was soft too, another odd thing about a simple Portuguese peasant. The moment turned awkward when Cornelia turned to look at Marco. There eyes met again but this time she not only saw the deep steadiness of his eyes she could feel them. The look made a small shiver go down her spine. She quickly took her hand out from underneath his. Marco looked over his shoulder at Cornelia with his hand still on the eagle head.

"Just push the damn thing around," she said quickly not realizing she said it in English.

Marco proceeded to push on the eagle head. His muscles flexed as he pushed hard for a good minute. It finely gave in and started to turn. Slowly stone ground

against stone until the heads sunk into the totem a little. The serpents head was now facing toward the clearing. There was clinking sounds like locks turning that resonated from the whole clearing.

Mr. Gory quickly sat up from his boulder and Marco backed away from the totem. Cornelia was easing her way to the edge of the clearing. Her back was against the near vertical face of the mountain. The sounds then all of a sudden stopped.

Mr. Gory was fidgeting around staring at the ground. Marco stood still in what almost looked like a fighting stance. His face was stern and unmoving also looking at the ground.

Cornelia was pressed up against the mountain face. Her hat was pushed over her face. Good thing for her because the whole situation scared her a little and her face showed it. She took a deep breath to collect herself. Ready to go back work she pressed off the mountain face. The rock beneath her gave way making her fall backward into darkness. She tumbled down a tunnel onto what felt like stairs from the impact. The unexpected pummeling from the dark tunnel finally stopped but due to her momentum she continued to roll into a dark chamber and hit a wall.

She couldn't breath from all the hits she took. Struggling for a breath, she heaved a huge volume of air into her lungs every time she inhaled. Sitting up her head pounded heavily thumping with pain. She grabbed her side with her left hand as her ribs stung. She didn't move in fear that they might be broken.

Pain was all she could focus on at the moment. She couldn't see anything in the darkness. No shapes, no silhouettes, no sources of light, nothing. Fear crept up on her a little. With the fear her adrenaline kicked in. It helped in blocking out the pain and allowed her to think.

She remembered that she had an emergency flare in here satchel. She pulled it out and lit it by striking it against the stone wall. The bright red glow from the flare blinded Cornelia for a second. Her eyes adjusted quickly enough to start making out what was around her. Walls came into view. Very ornate pictures of snakes swallowing or carrying furs and humans somewhere were carved into the stone. That confirmed that this was the Tomb of the King Serpent. Something she kept trying to tell Mr. Gory but he wouldn't hear anymore of her "lectures".

What Mr. Gory was after this whole time was an artifact known as the Eye of the Serpents. It was said to be a portal to the afterlife. Legends said it resided within the lair of the King Serpent. Cornelia never believed in the supernatural. So going and looking for an actual "lair" of a giant snake was out of the question. Her research turned up a tomb named after the ancient reaper of souls. That turned out to be a better turn out besides the beating she took entering the tomb.

Forgetting about her injuries and fear of the dark, Cornelia stood up. She continued to look around. She lifted the flare above her head to better illuminate the chamber. What looked like a shelf jutted out of the wall all around the room. It seemed to be an odd structure for a tomb. Cornelia got up closer to the shelf to examine it a little better. She had to stand on her toes to get a good look at it. Peering over the top of it she could see a shimmer of some sort of liquid. She brought the flare a little closer to the liquid when a spark from the flare ignited it. In an instant the room was lit up in a bright orange flame. The sudden burst of flame knocked Cornelia backward.

She was caught by strong arms. She looked up to see Marco and she was again drawn to his dark brown eyes. She started to feel comfortable and safe, like nothing could hurt her. The shiver went down her spine again and she snapped back to reality. She pushed herself off of him to stand.

Cornelia started dusting her vest and pants off. As she did this Marco bent down and picked up Cornelia's hat. He dusted it off with a slap against his thigh then handed it to Cornelia. Cornelia looked at Marco and the hat with a little resentment.

She didn't like being catered to like some helpless lady. In her mind she could work just as hard if not harder than any man. Any sign of weakness to the male kind of struck her as a personal opposition she had to face. But she had to clear her head and accept the fact that Marco was just being polite. A characteristic she did admire. Maybe it was the headache she now had from the fall that made her feel a little edgy she didn't know. She snatched the hat from his hand and said thanks with a low grumble this time in portuguese. Marco's face stayed stern as he nodded a "your welcome".

Marco turned to the stairs and yelled up to them, "Senhor Gory, eet ok."

After about a minute Mr. Gory came down the stairs huffing a little. "Well I can see that your ok," he said with an obviously fake grin.

Cornelia crossed her arms to hide her checking her ribs again. They didn't feel too bad now. They are probably just bruised, but she didn't want Mr. Gory or Marco to think she was too hurt to continue their endeavor. Despite her injuries Cornelia toughened up, and made it seem as if nothing was wrong. "I'm fine," she reassured him, "thanks for your concern."

"Well is this it? Is this the tomb?" Mr. Gory said. He clasped his hands together and rubbed them like a greedy business man would. His eyes were aglow scanning the walls of the chamber. With the flaming shelf you could see the gold sparkle of the serpents scales on the wall. This just added lust to Mr. Gory's face.

"Yes, we are in the Lair of the Serpent King", Cornelia said.

"What, you said that we were looking for a tomb?" Mr. Gory snapped at her.

"Yes we are looking for a tomb Mr. Gory," Cornelia said rolling her eyes.

"But you just said we were looking for a lair of some king snake thing," Mr. Gory said with a growl.

Cornelia sighed and rubbed the bridge of her nose. She was getting a little annoyed with Mr. Gory and his ignorance. Him badgering her with his stupid "buts" and "whats". It almost sent her over the edge. She kept her cool and simply answered him as she would one of her college students, "Mr. Gory, you hired me to help you find the Tomb of the King Serpent, also known as the Lair of the King Serpent. You are looking for the Eye of Serpents witch lies in the Lair or Tomb, whatever you want to call it. I have found the said "tomb" for you Mr. Gory and now I am about to help you get the Eye of Serpents witch is probably protected by traps, and God only know what else," She lifted her head up, brushing her hair out of her face. She turned to Mr. Gory who was now scowling at her. There was a very tense moment between them.

An argument started between them with Mr. Gory yelling and Cornelia defending herself. Marco observed the feud while leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. He would glance back and forth between Cornelia and Mr. Gory. Whoever was yelling at that point in time. Marco got tired of hearing the argument. He started to walk deeper into the tomb without any guidance.

He was drawn by the fire shelf converging into a single point at the end of the corridor. His toe pads patted and echoed down the damp corridor drowning out the yelling of his travel party. It was nice and quiet now. He liked the silence. The harmonic flickering noise that the fire made was all just soothing.

He began to think about Cornelia. Even though he had a job to do he couldn't help being amazed by her beauty. Maybe after all this was over and if it went smoothly he could spend a night with her. The thought quickly went out of mind. She would never want be with a dirty peasant. Maybe if she knew the real me, he thought. He shook his head and went back to doing his job

As he descended, the corridor became cold. Breathing seemed to get harder with the air starting to become thick and stale. The point at which the fire shelf came together started to split in two rows. Marco's pace started to quicken as hope of an end to this dimly lit passage would be near. His fast walk turned into a jog by the time he entered a new much larger chamber.

It was an immense circular room about fifty feet in diameter and hundreds of feet high at the ceiling. The walls were honeycombed with rectangular spaces that housed skeletal remains of furs and humans all dressed in a simple cotton robe. About every four spaces a main support column protruded out further than the edge of the slots for the dead. The columns were carved to look like giant snakes with there heads resting on the floor. You would trip over them if they didn't seem to be looking at you. The snakes were all adorned with patches of gold and stone patches giving the columns more of the texture of scales.

On the other end of the room there was a statue of the King Serpent. His body was coiled with his head extending several feet above above himself. His head was shaped to where the ridges looked as if he were wearing a crown. He looked fierce and angry ready to strike at the one who stood in front of him.

Marco walked over to the statue. He stared it down as he got closer. For some reason Marco felt on edge with the way it looked at him. His muscles tensed up, his breathing got faster, his senses became acute. The faint smell of death just increased his anxiety in the situation. He continued to look deep into the angry eyes of the King Serpent unable to look away. Marco found it hard to stand his ground. It was like the statue was alive and breathing ready to fight at a moments notice and take his life. He was afraid.

Marco closed his eyes and shook his head to come out of the hypnotism. He was rubbing the bridge of his nose when a small hand touched the back of his shoulder. He was driven by reaction, not his own intention. In a blur he quickly and fluidly smacked the hand away and brought down the one who it belonged to with an aikido style move. His fist was raised ready to exact the final blow. His eyes refocused to see who his assailant was. It was Cornelia.

Cornelia was pinned by the throat with Marco's hand. Her eyes wide with shock and horror. She thought he was really going to finish her. His face looked savage. Ears flattened against his head, fist clenched tight, fangs were barred, brows brought down low nearly shading his eyes completely. He was no longer Marco the Peasant he was death.

All at once Marco's savage face became one of bewilderment. He quickly came off of Cornelia. He sat down in the middle of the floor sprawled out supporting himself with his hands. Cornelia slowly got up making sure Marco was not poised to attack again. He now looked as if he was in shock too, staring at the floor blankly. She was still full of adrenaline so she didn't feel the pain of the impact despite her other injuries. She never thought she would ever see him like that. Uncertain and shaken. Cornelia found her fear turn into sympathy.

Marco started to look around gathering his surroundings. His gaze rested upon the statue of the King Serpent again. Following Marco's stare, Cornelia looked at the statue as well. Her experience in the ancient world artifacts, and skepticism, protected her from the allure of the King's stare. She did see that some how the statue did affect Marco in some way. "Are you ok?" she asked.

Marco nodded his head and said, "Eu sou pesarosa." He hung his head low. He really felt bad for what he done and hoped that she would forgive him at least.

"Sim," she said. For some reason she felt concerned for Marco. Even though he just pinned her to the ground her heart went out to him. She'd never seen such a hard individual get shook up so bad. She went and knelt beside him. She wanted to comfort him. She placed a hand on his shoulder. He still kept his eyes to the floor. He was ashamed of himself for letting his fear get the best of him. He couldn't look her in the eye. Cornelia decided that the best thing to do was leave him alone, let him collect himself.

She got up and walked over to the King Serpent statue. The coils that made up the King's body were a little wider and taller than she was. They were layered in an almost pyramid like fashion. At the top the King's neck stood out a little from the coils holding his head up high and proud like a true king would. Cornelia's keen observation skills helped her notice that the bottom jaw was hinged. It was a separate piece from the top of the head. She continued to look around and found a lever on the right side of the king slightly hidden by the curve of the coils. Cornelia went over to the lever. In her experience pulling a lever would send poison darts flying toward you or drop a huge boulder. Then again never did she not pull a lever. She pulled it down.

The same loud clinking lock sounds boomed into the huge chamber. The King's coils started to rotate back into the wall. Cornelia nearly leaped back hoping to avoid some unseen danger. There was none. The sounds stopped when the coil disappeared. Only the head remained. There was now an empty body shaped were the coils were. There nothing else but dust. Cornelia was expecting to find an alter with the eye resting upon it. "Shit," she said under her breath.

Marco came up to her side apparently recovered from his ordeal. His face seemed to have changed into a lost and hollow look different from what it was earlier. He was even collected enough to speak, "Que e` errando?"

Cornelia glanced at him and sighed, "No tesouro." She lifted her arm up to present her findings.

"Nenhum ha`," Marco said as he pointed up to the statues head.

Cornelia looked up to see the jaw of the head drop amongst all the commotion. She was more worried about what the coils were doing she hand't noticed the heads reaction to the lever. There was a shine of gold in the back of the the King's throat. Cornelia had to squint her eyes to make out what it was. It was a golden sphere about the size of a softball with a hole drilled into it. Just around the hole was one design making it look like the slit of a snakes eye.

"Thats it," Cornelia said excitedly, "that is the Eye of Serpents." She had finally found her quarry. Her attitude instantly turned good. She could finally give it Mr. Gory; get her money; and go home.

Cornelia patted Marco's shoulder and motioned to give her a boast up. He went behind her and knelt down. She straddled his broad muscular shoulders and braced herself on his head. He easily squatted her up to where she was well within reach of the eye. She took a moment to get her balance. Cornelia took both of her arms and reached into the mouth of the statue. She wrapped her little fingers around the golden sphere and gave it a little tug. To her surprise it easily came free. Her nerves were on end with excitement. Her scholarly side kicked in and she closely examined the ancient work of art. The pure craftsmanship of the Eye was amazing. The engravings were complex and neat. She began to stare deep into the eye.

The hole that was the iris of the Eye started to glow in a vibrant purple. Cornelia found herself locked in the gaze with the Eye. The purple glow got very bright. Her right eye started to feel as if it were being sucked out of its socket. She was struck by fear as the idea of this mere object stealing a piece of her came to mind. She was screaming at herself to get away but no words were yelled and her body did not move. The Eye then exploded in a brilliant purple explosion knocking her and Marco down.

Cornelia woke up in a daze. She could only see blobs of color and shapes. A dark shape was over her. It then grew to cover he field of vision. Something soft was pressed against her lips. Air was being forced into her. Her mind became flooded with memories that was not her own. She saw a folder lying open on a desk with a picture of Mr. Gory in it. It quickly flashed to a hotel room over looking the outdoor patio where she had met Mr. Gory. She saw herself talking to Mr Gory. Mr. Gory slid her an envelope that contained her down payment. The images flashed again and she was seeing the statue of the King Serpent. This time she felt an emotion that was not her own, fear. The imaged blurred and then refocused. She found that she was looking at herself. She saw the horror in her own eyes. The fear was then replaced by regret. Finally she saw a blinding purple flash and herself lying on the stone floor. She felt scared again and the sight shifted as if someone else was controlling where se was looking. The controller pulled toward her face then away. Two furred hands came into view and set between her breasts. They pumped her chest. The images stopped once the soft flesh came off her lips.

She quickly snapped out of her daze to see Marco over her. Her chest was sore and she felt like her lungs had been stretched to there limit. She sat up and took a deep breath. Marco was struck with relief. Getting a sense of where she was, she realized that she had been blown back about fifteen feet from the statue witch now had no head. She looked down and saw her shirt and vest was black with char. Marco's own fur was nearly all black. A few cuts were found on his face and a ragged piece of his ear was missing. Earlier renditions about Marco changed. Despite his own injuries he came to her aide. She was grateful but didn't knowing what to say to him.

Marco looked as if he were about to say something but then stopped. Cornelia could see that he wanted to say something but he was held back by some unknown reason. Cornelia then remembered all the images she saw before. Could all of those been Marco's memories? She couldn't fathom this idea but it was the only thing that made sense to her.

"Do have something to say to me Marco?" she asked him. Marco looked up at her like a cub would if they were caught doing something they weren't supposed to. "Please tell me."

Before he could answer a click sounded from behind them. The both turned to see Mr. Gory with a gun in his hand. The hammer was back and pointed directly at them.

"Get up,'" he demanded. Marco helped Cornelia up . In doing so she realized how much more injured she was from the explosion and from falling down the stairs than she thought. She was also very weak. Marco was the one holding most of her weight up. Mr. Gory came closer to them. " Where the hell is my Eye," he snarled.

Cornelia then remembered that the Eye had exploded. She didn't want to say that to the now crazed Mr. Gory. She glanced up at Marco. He was back to his old self, stern and deep. He seemed ready for a fight but Cornelia did not want to risk his safety. A feeling she didn't understand but she accepted. She was about to say that it wasn't here but Marco spoke first. "It's gone, it just blew up."

Damn it Marco, She thought. Her earlier suspicions had been true about him though but it didn't matter at the moment. Mr. Gory looked at Marco with mix of surprise and fury. He brought the gun high over his head and brought it down hard on top of Marco's head. Marco lost his balance for a moment almost falling. He brought his head up. Blood streaked down his muzzle and into his eyes. He kept his arms around Cornelia not bothering to wipe the blood away.

"Blew up? What the hell do you mean that it just blew up?" Gory yelled. Spit flew from his jowls hitting Marco in the face.

"That's right when we got it blew up," Marco said, his eyes closed shut from the blood.

Gory put the gun under Marco's chin and held his head up to be eye to eye. "Your lying. Where the hell did you put it? Hmm? In the bodies? Witch one God damn it?"

Marco didn't say anything. Gory's attention then went to Cornelia. He grabbed her arm and pulled her away from Marco. Marco tried to hold on to her but a smack from Gory's gun sent him down to the floor. Cornelia was in so much pain that she cried out in agony. Gory switched his grip to her hair and pulled her up by it. Cornelia grabbed his hand to try and pry herself free. Gory tightened his grip and put the gun to her temple. "Looks like your boyfriend isn't talking," Gory said, "but I bet you will."

He pointed the gun at Marco who still was on the floor. "Tell me where the eye is, or he dies."

Cornelia was horrified. What was she to do? The eye was gone and if she didn't tell Gory what he wanted to hear Marco was going to die. Her heart felt like it sunk in her chest. Tears built up behind her eye. She didn't know what to do. She looked over to Marco, who had wiped the blood away from his eyes, for guidance. He shook his head telling her to not say anything. Her lip curled trying to hold back her sorrow.

Gory pulled the trigger. The shot rang and echoed within the tomb. Marco's body convulsed and then went limp. Cornelia closed her eyes in reaction to the shot. A tear ran down her cheek. Gory then threw her down to the ground.

The impact sent a shock of pain through out her body. She rolled over on to her stomach and propped herself on her hands. Gory put the gun in the waste band of his pants. "Well looks like I am going to have to teach you a lesson about keeping things from me." Gory said. He walked over to Cornelia and unzipped his pants.

Cornelia never felt so helpless in her life. The man that risked his life to keep her safe was dead and now she was about to get raped by a crazed fur. She closed her eyes not wanting to see events unfold.

She felt a surge of energy build in her stomach. It continued to build making her squirm in discomfort. Gory was knelt down beside her trying to get her into position. "Quit squirming bitch this is going to happen wether you like it or not," he said. The energy became overwhelming. It started to move to the back of her right eye. She grabbed her head as the pressure increased. Gory finally got his hands on her and pulled her in under him. Cornelia was still trying to contain the pressure that was about to push her eye out. Gory pried her hands off her face and spread them out. Cornelia couldn't hold the energy back any longer. To try and relieve the pressure she opened her eyes.

Gory only got a glimpse of the golden serpentine stare that resided in Cornelia's right eye. The last thing he saw in his mortal body was a bright purple flash. He felt himself become weak like he was growing old. His strength completely faded away and now he was being pulled away from his body.

Cornelia saw what looked like a purple ghost of Gory appear on top of Gory's body then depart from it. The purple ghost tried to get back into Gory's body but was pulled out of reach by an unseen force. A portal opened up behind the ghost. Ghosts expression became horrified as it was drawn into the portal. It gave a final soundless scream before disappearing into the light.

The now silent chamber went dark. Cornelia used the last of her strength to crawl out from under Gory and over to Marco. Sorrow overwhelmed her as she looked over the lifeless body. She caressed his cheek. Tears fell from her face as she felt the chill of death on his fur. She saw the hole in his chest. It was perfectly round with a little bit of the flesh seared by the hot bullet. A stream of blood was coming out of the fatal wound. She placed her hand over it like she were trying to stop the bleeding. Her heart sank even heavier and she began to sob.

She didn't want this to happen. Marco was the first man she had ever cared for in a long time. Even if it was only for a couple of days, she got to know him pretty well. Now he was dead and she was probably going to die here in the tomb with him. She just wished things could have ended differently. The same energy from before surged in her body again. But instead of painfully building up it flowed down her arm and out her hand. A shimmer of purple flashed underneath her hand. Feeling the last bit of strength leave her, She blacked out.

A bright light flooded Cornelia's vision. Her eyes burned from the intensity of the Brazilian evening. She shielded her eyes by putting her arms over them. In that time she could only take in her other senses. She could smell the faint aroma of her clean bed sheet. The actual sent alluded her bet it was very relaxing. The bed was soft. She didn't feel any sort of metal spring jutting out of it at all. The quiet humming of some sort of electrical device could be heard. From the rhythm she could tell that it must be some sort of ceiling fan.

Cornelia opened her eyes to see the fan spinning above her. She smiled knowing she was back in civilization. As she sat up she felt a little sting in her right arm. She looked down to see that she was attached to an IV line. She pulled it out of her arm with a little yelp escaping her lips.

She got up rubbing the inner part of her elbow. She was wearing an oversized white cotton button up shirt that went past her hips with no pants but she had panties on. Her fur was nice, clean and shimmery gold. Her hair was tied back loosely like someone didn't know how to tie a ponytail. She noticed a few scrapes and cuts on her arms. All which where healing very well.

The hotel room she was staying in had only one bed which she was was lying on . A small closed door was in the back corner of the room presumably the bathroom. There was a couch facing the front door. There was a coffee table placed in front of it with a diamond shaped place mat. The couch had a blanket and a pillow on it. Who ever rescued her must been sleeping there while she hogged the bed. Who ever they were they definitely had manners. It still left the thought of who her rescuer was. No one was in the room so maybe they were out running errands.

There was a table in the center of the room with two chairs. On one of the chairs there was her vest, belt, and satchel. She checked her satchel just in case her rescuer swiped something of hers. She didn't want to seem ungrateful but in this country you couldn't be too careful. Everything was there. On the table lye her burnt cloths from the tomb. They were neatly folded with her hat on top of the pile.

The sight of her cloths made her remember the time in the tomb. Regret, along with her heart sank deep into her belly. If only she had done something Marco would probably still be alive. She hated herself for what she did. Maybe she could pay her respects. She sat down and began to cry. She held her head up with her hands while tears flowed uncontrollably down her arm. What made things worse is that she cared for him even with the short amount of time they have known each other.

She began to fantasize about him. She could still remember how soft his hands were when they touched just for a moment. She imagined how those hands would feel against her body. His big strong muscular arms holding her in a loving embrace as they made love. She could feel herself getting wet. Slowly she leaned back and slipped her fingers under the waistband of her panties. She tickled her clitoris between her index and middle finger as she thought of Marco's head between her legs.

She was interrupted by a loud creak of the bathroom door. She immediately stopped and got up from the table. She stood as if she had't been doing any thing. She wiped her fingers on the back of the fringe of her shirt. She blushed heavenly in embarrassment especially since she didn't know who it was. The fact that they were in the bathroom this whole time made it even worse.

The door was only cracked but steam was spewing from it. The door then swung open revealing who her rescuer was. He had spotted fur arranged in complex patterns of back and brown with a white underbelly. He had a blue towel around his waist hiding what Cornelia wanted to see most. His fur was very short and damp showing off his very defined musculature. His toned abs and big pectorals were enough to make Cornelia quiver with arousal. He was drying his head off with another towel so she couldn't see his face. With a final rapid rub from his hands he slid the towel away.

Cornelia's eyes looked as though she had just seen a ghost. Memories of his lifeless body flooded her thoughts. The touch of cold flesh was to real for this to happen. How could he still be alive? Marco stood before her young, strong, and very much alive. Cornelia was speechless.

Marco had noticed her astonishment. Not knowing from what, he quickly noted it, "What's wrong?" he asked.

Cornelia was joyful, yet in disbelief that Marco was alive, and standing right before her eyes. Her hand covered her mouth. Marco didn't want to move or say anything to make sure she wasn't suffering from some sort of trauma. She slowly walked over to him staring at the at the circle shaped scar on his chest where his heart was. She reached out with her hand and touched the scar trying to see if it was real. Its rough edges and smooth center with no fur confirmed her fears.

Marco then realized what was troubling her. "The bullet just barely missed my heart," He whispered, "I was able to patch myself up and get you to safety." He took her hands into his and bent down to be eye level with her. "Everything is ok."

Cornelia sniffled and shook her head. "No, you don't understand," she whimpered.

"What then?" Marco asked.

Cornelia then embraced him burying her head deep in his chest. "You died Marco," her yell muffled by his chest, "you died back there in that tomb. I saw you get shot." She stopped to catch her breath. Her breathing then become slow and calm. He lifted her head from his chest and turned it so she was no longer trying to breathing through his flesh. She began to whisper, "I felt your body lying there on the ground. You were so cold."

He wrapped his arms around Cornelia to better comfort her. He held her head like he would a new born cub. He rubbed her back and said, "I am ok you don't have to be scared anymore."

His words indeed made Cornelia go at ease. His own embrace made her body relax. Yes, she was safe now in his arms. She looked up at Marco's face her eyes glistened from the tears. The thought of who he really was came to her. He was the man she knew as Marco and that was it. She wanted to know the true man that risked his life to keep her safe.

"Who are you, really?" she asked.

He sighed and looked down at her. It took a few seconds for him to admit his deception. "My name is Coen, Coen Taylor. I am a agent working for the Bureau of Ancient Artifact Research and Control. We monitor anything or anyone dealing with ancient artifacts. My assignment was to arrest Gory and stop him from getting the Eye and killing another treasure hunter.," he said.

"Me."

"Yes," Coen took Cornelia's face into his hands, "and I wasn't going to let that happen."

Cornelia let her desire take over her actions. She went on her toes to reach his lips. Coen helped by leaning down. They kissed holding there breath to savor the moment. They both parted their lips to allow their tongues to twist and explore in each others mouths. They stopped only for a moment to take a breath.

Cornelia could feel something hard being pressed up against her belly. She reached down with one hand to find Coen's rock hard throbbing penis hiding underneath his towel. Coen growled in pleasure as she slowly stroked up and down his length. She made him buck his hips when she flicked her thumb across his barbed head. With a quick tug Cornelia pulled the towel and let it fall to the floor.

Coen reached around and squeezed her plump rear forcing her to grind against him. He began kissing down her neck. At the base of her neck he bit down just hard enough to cause Cornelia to moan in pleasure. He slid his hands up her back lifting the oversized shirt over her head. Cornelia raised her arms letting the shirt come off. Her breast were now free with her nipples peaked and sensitive.

Coen picked her up easily by her luscious buttocks with Cornelia squeezing her legs around his hips. He carried her over to the bed. He laid her down gently across the bed with him leaning over. His arms were situated on both sides of her head as he lowered himself to another kiss with Cornelia. He switched his attention lower taking her right nipple into his mouth as she moaned with pleasure. He used his free hand to message her left breast in gentle rotations. His tongue danced with the erect nipple as he rolled it around in his mouth.

Cornelia was in a trance of ecstasy, breathing deeply as she focused on what his touch was doing to her. She has never been with a fur who could make her feel this way with the simple touch of his hands. She hoped that he wouldn't stop. In her mind she was hoping he would continue going lower to more intimate regions.

Coen had a switched breast using the same technique. His saliva left her nipples feeling cold further increasing their tenderness. The breeze it self sent ripples of pleasure through out her body.

He then left her breast and kissed her gently down her stomach, making sure he was pleasing her with every touch. He then reached under her lifting her up and drug her panties off with his teeth. He tossed them on the couch.

Cornelia was reluctant to open her quivering legs. Coen leaned down and kissed her gently on her neck, and whispered "relax" in her soft ear. He didn't know wether she was playing hard to get or just nervous. He slid his hands up and down the inner part of her thighs coaxing them to open. He did this enough to the point he could slide his hand between them and reach her sex. Coen used his index finger slip into Cornelia's folds. She clenched her legs closed in surprise. She raised her head looking down at Coen.

"I will be gentle," He said. He then wiggled his finger a little. Cornelia was shocked by ecstasy she then rested her head back down. Her legs relaxed and Coen was able to spread them open. He continued to wiggle his finger inside her. Cornelia griped the bed sheets and bit her lower lip trying to keep her moans quiet. It didn't work at all.

Cornelia felt a pressure build within her. With every flick of Coen's finger the pleasure increased along with the pressure. Then he stopped.

Cornelia took a moment to catch her breath then propped herself up on her elbows. She wondered why he had stopped. He had a huge grin on his face. He then dove down and quickly slid his warm wet tongue across her sweet clitoris. She cried out feeling her self about to explode. His rough tongue delivered just the right amount of pain and pleasure at the same time to where by the third lick Cornelia came. Her sweet juices flowed from her sex. Coen tried the best he could to make sure none of it went to waste. With every extra lick Cornelia jerked erratically.

Cornelia was still in her after glow when Coen lifted her from the bed. He repositioned her so her head was lying on the pillow. Coen laid over her and gave her a passionate kiss. He placed the base of his shaft against her moist slit and rubbed up against her. Cornelia moaned loud, being tossed into an endless euphoria. To her they were the only ones on the planet sharing this time with each other.

Coen felt the same way. The only problem was that he couldn't be with her. The Bureau would never allow it and he couldn't risk her safety. He wanted this but he had to make it memorable for her.

Cornelia broke the kiss and said, "Take me."

Coen placed the tip of his member at the entrance of her sex not pushing in yet. "I must warn you this might hurt too much. If you want me stop let me know."

Cornelia opened her eyes and kissed his cheek. "I am ready, please take me now."

Coen slowly began to push his long barbed shaft into her. Cornelia wrapped her arms around Coen's neck holding on tight whimpering with every inch he went in. He finally hilted himself to her and stopped. Cornelia took the moment to recuperate from the ordeal.

"Are you ok," Coen said' his eyes deep with concern.

Cornelia exhaled deeply and whispered, "Go slow."

Coen easily began to enter his shaft into her tight wet pussy. He made sure to keep a steady rhythm to make sure he didn't cause her anymore discomfort. She moaned louder with every deep thrust. He could feel his own pleasure rising, as it is burning in his loins.

Cornelia dug her claws deep into Coen's back. The line between pleasure and pain became a blur as he continued thrusting into her. Again she felt a pressure build in her belly. The amount of pleasure was very intense causing her to scream loudly. It has been too long since she has had any kind of intercourse with another fur.

Coen began to pick up his pace going faster and harder. He could feel himself about to cum. He tried to ignore the inevitable. But it didn't work. He was able to get in a few more fast thrusts before he lost his control.

With one final powerful thrust they both explode with their orgasms. Cornelia tightly held Coen against her as hot strings of his seed shot into her. There was enough to fill her and more. Cornelia continued to milk Coen's shaft as he finished. They both shared the moment of their after glow.

Coen rolled over off of Cornelia withdrawing himself from her. He pulled her in close and kept her in a loving embrace pulling the blanket over them. Cornelia rested her head on his chest. The whole activity left her tired and drowsy. She was glad though. She finally knew for certain what Coen thought of her. She just hoped that she showed him the same. Thoughts of the future gave that night dreams reassurance.

Cornelia awoke to the morning sun shining through the window of her hotel room. She rolled over to find she was alone in the bed. She sat up and looked about the room hoping to find Coen. He wasn't there. She got up from the bed and rushed to the bathroom. It too was empty. She sighed and decided to take a shower hoping Coen would be back from wherever he went by the time she got out.

She quickly took a hot shower. She dried off and walked back into to room nude. Coen still wasn't back. She picked up the oversized shirt she wore last night and put it on. She walked past the table with her clothes on it. There was a folded piece of yellow paper. Her heart leaped hoping for a love note. She smiled acting like a little girl all over again.

She opened the note and read:

Dear Cornelia,

_ The time we spent together was simply amazing. Even though we both showed feelings for each other this can not continue no matter how much we both want it to. I am leaving to ease the pain for both of us. I know how you must feel right now and please don't hate me for this. I am sorry and hope you can forget about me. Good-bye._

_ For what it's worth, Love,_

_ Coen_

Cornelia wasn't hit as hard as she thought she would be. She just looked out the window into the new day. Maybe it won't be so bad. She will just go back to work as a Professor at Curfield University and forget this whole thing. She rubbed her right eye and began to prepare to return to America.