Footnotes of a Life 4: Propositions part 2

Story by jaded mouse on SoFurry

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#4 of Footnotes of a Life


Footnotes of a Life

Chapter 4

Propositions part 2

I

Sarah had briefly thought to go visit Jeremy instead of going to her friend's, Aralynn's house, like she told her mother, but he lived with his father on the male's side of town and she didn't want the hassle of being hit on...or worse. After all, from what she heard unattended females usually only went there to get a quick, anonymous fuck to ease their heat and bypass the need of a mating contract, sometimes with disastrous consequences.

Sarah didn't understand why anyone would risk pregnancy without a contract; they only served to help, even if it's only set up to cover a year together. Then again, she'd never gone into heat, she had heard and seen through her augmented friends that it could be much worse than her monthly periods, and maybe that was all the difference it took. She stopped, her hands coming to rest on her stomach near her navel, the pleasure she had shared with Jeremy last night, her loss of virginity still echoing deep within her.

Supposedly, sex while in one's season couldn't even compare to sex outside of it, so maybe she could understand taking the risk after all.

The young woman shook her head dismissively, and began the short walk to Aralynn's home again, letting her mind wander as she traveled deeper into the "breeders" portion of town, the portion of the populace that laid between the unattached male and female portions of the town, acting as a kind of buffer between the two genders. Thanks to her mother's and Victor's relative success in the arts and entertainment guild, Sarah had grown up relatively secluded in their privately owned home and small wooded acreage on the outskirts of the smaller, clustered guild homes.

Sarah herself had first met Victor not long after her father had died, shortly after he stopped helping her mom grieve for her loss and started courting her. Sarah remembered the painful feelings of betrayal she had felt at the time. She had hated them both so much then, Victor for taking her father's place in her mothers life, and her mother for being weak and allowing him to do it, and like any hurt and confused child the six-year-old girl had acted out, lashing out against her mother and soon to be stepfather in anyway she could.

Things got better after Altiera was born, but for those few months before her sister was born, she had been such a...a...rotten little shit. Sarah could still see the hurt, disbelieving look on her mothers face, feel the guilt over Olivia's tears at her last and worse offence during her time of rebellion. She remembered that they had been fighting at the time and how she had twisted everything Victor and her mom had told her in her childish bitterness, calling her a queen and accusing her, them of much, much worse.

Sarah shifted her thoughts from the dark corners of her mind, not wanting to dwell on the painful memories, coming to a rare moment of concern for the male otter at the time instead. Sarah had noticed Victor's nose pad bleeding and had asked him what had happened. He had brought her up to his knee and showed her a complex nose plug that he had to wear for his work. The foam padding that rested along his left nare had worn away, exposing the metal underneath allowing it to rub and cut into the sensitive flesh of his nose. She remembered asking him why he wore the appliance if it hurt him, and how he didn't respond to her for a long moment but then he softly asked if she knew how he first met her Mother. Sarah had shook her head before saying no, leaning back into him, his warm, thick fur as he began telling her the story.

Before Victor met her mother he had had earned some recognition within the town's chapter of the entertainment guild for the "mating den" he own, of course he had sought to protect her innocence and only told her that it was a guild sanctioned establishment meant to help people meet. Sarah later learned that Victor had gained his fame for how he chose to run the Ravishing Raavasta, by placing his customer's wellbeing above his profit margin, where peoples of both genders could congregate and get to know one another before plunging into their heated sexual affairs.

After word of the den's wholesome repute spread Victor began saving the excess revenue, looking to renovating the lucrative den so that its décor would matched its clientele's expectations. He knew what he wanted the various parts of the establishment to look like from a male's viewpoint, but he also wanted heavy feminine influences on the décor since it hosted both genders, so he began looking into the up and coming female artists.

Olivia's name came to Victor's attention as he began looking for an artist who would fit his requirements of being a female of low rank within the arts guild, but also having a few promising projects under her belt. Olivia's landscaping projects caught the otter's eye as he researched the various young women who meet his criteria, pushing her to the forefront of his selections, alongside a single other young female artist name Marakin, the same Marakin who would become a fast friend to their family and give birth to Altiera's closest friend, Hollyet.

When he had saved enough resources for the project Victor went about setting up interviews for both Marakin and Olivia. Victor was instantly attracted to Marakin because she had decent ideas and was an attractive otter as well, but it was her mother's specialization in floral arrangements that had won her the consultant contract, as it would add the feminine flare to the beautification project Victor wanted. Olivia's expertise could also point out which flowers where best used to cover the naturally secreted pheromones of the guest, making the need to wear nose plugs during a guest visit required less and therefore more relaxing and more enjoyable.

Sarah couldn't stop her mind from wandering down the dark paths of her memories once again; in her innocence, she had asked the otter why he wasn't her dad if he knew her mother before her biological dad. She remembered him shifting uncomfortable, thinking of what to tell her and what not to, deciding between what the six year old could cope with and what she couldn't, finally coming to the conclusion that no mater what he told her, it would have to be the truth.

The renovation took almost ten months to complete, mostly because Victor didn't want to completely close down the Ravishing Raavasta, and during that time Victor began seeing Marakin and eventually entering a year long contract with her and then a five-year contract with when their son Rhett was conceived. It was also during this time that Olivia had first met her father, Darius. Victor had chuckled when he recounted the tale of her mother falling head over heels in love with her father, a simple worker assigned to the renovation project.

The years passed and the friends began to withdraw from each other, the needs of their families and work serving to drawing them apart as was natural. While Sarah's mother and father had remained together, committing themselves to a lifelong mating contract Victor and Marakin had decided not to renew their contract after it had expired, deciding that it would be better if they ended their relationship on amiable terms instead. It wasn't that victor and Marakin didn't love and care for one another, evidently it was just that they were better at doing it when they weren't under a contract together.

Victor hadn't sought her mother then; he respected and supported their love for one another too much to betray them like that. No, it was a few months later when Sarah's dad had fallen to his death while working on an AHL project that Victor sought out her mother. Sarah could remember how Victor would come over and take care of her while helping her mother as she struggled through the bouts of deep depression caused by her mourning. Eventually however the friendly support grew to something else, a cuddle here, and a caress there, a stolen kiss behind closed doors.

Sarah grimaced and shook her head, unsuccessful in dispelling the images that caused her to rebel against her parents. She had been attracted to her mother's room by Olivia's breathless moaning and when the she was barred entrance by the locked door, she looked through the keyhole. She couldn't understand what she saw back then, Victor's dark form rutting between her mother's legs, but she did know that it was something special shared between adults, something that only her father had the right to share with her mother, and not the imposter who had come into their lives.

Sarah came up short, slightly shocked as she turned the corner, realizing that while her mind wandered over how her parents had met she had arrived at the small cluster of homes that was where her friend Aralynn lived. Hers wasn't a big house by any measure, the slate grey, single story building only had one bedroom and a single bathroom, but for but for the odd ball mated couple it suited their needs just fine. Sarah sometimes wondered why the two just didn't live in separate apartments, after all the fox couldn't impregnate the skunk no matter how many times they tried, they were just too different racially. Then again, that's exactly why they formed a contract in the first place, so that they could live together, mate and not worry about the risk of pregnancy.

Sarah smiled as she knocked on the front door, remembering how Aralynn and Cody had met. It had been last spring and Aralynn was having a particular hard time dealing with her heat's symptoms, nothing truly unusual for the female skunk, since from the time when she had come into her first season nearly four years ago, she had always had difficulty coping with them, especially the cramping. It was something Sarah could sympathize with since she'd been dealing with her own period's brand of symptoms since starting her own menstrual cycle after all.

Sarah had gone over to Aralynn's apartment to be with her so that if she needed any help or support, but when she got there the female skunk was already in bad shape, the stench of her heat was almost overpowering within the small room. Her cramps where so bad that she was getting only a few fitful hours of sleep at night and her normally glossy, silken fur was greasy, drenched with sweat and badly matted. Sarah had done her best to soothe her friend during her time need by helping the heavily fatigued skunk bathe, combing the tangles out of her fur, massaging her lower back as she drifted off to restlessly nap for a few hours.

After Aralynn had gotten up from her nap, the two friends began to talk about her woes and Sarah had mentioned going to the Ravishing Raavasta to seek a quick lay and easing her heat's symptoms. In hindsight Sarah's agreeing to go with Aralynn for moral support, to help her select a "worthy" male, to shield her from any undesired attention was a bad idea, considering Victor ran the Ravishing Raavasta. By the time Sarah had explained why she was at the Den to her enraged stepfather Aralynn was bent over one of the loveseats in the waiting room with Cody vigorously mounting her, his glistening maleness standing out against her black fur as it bobbed back and forth before disappearing into the skunks eagerly awaiting sex.

Victor had rushed to get the newly acquainted mates into one of the private rooms and get somebody to clean up the "mess" they had caused. He had made them sign a yearlong mating contract after they had finished, but it was so worth seeing how pissed Victor was with them and the mess of things they had made, exposing His customers, His daughter to their scent let alone the sight of them mating.

II

Sarah's musings were cut off as her friend opened the door, standing slightly behind it to cover her naked, furred body. "Sarah? What's up?"

Sarah gave the female skunk a wry grin. "Nothing much, just needed to get out of the house for a bit, so I thought I'd come over."

Sarah noted Aralynn's weary stance as she leaned against the door, her shoulders sagging slightly. "Everything alright Ara?" The young woman reached forward, allowing her fingers to play through the black fur of the skunk's cheek affectionately before lifting her muzzle and leaning closer so she could examine her friend's bloodshot eyes. "You look tired."

The female skunk chirred as she instinctively shifted her muzzle into her friend's concerned caress. Aralynn opened her eyes and gently took Sarah's hand into hers. "Yeah everything's alright. I'm just a little tired is all. During the last week, I've been feeling antsy like when I'm starting to come into season and sure enough last night I entered my heat."

Sarah grimaced for her friend's discomfort. "How are the cramps?"

Aralynn's ears fell backward almost disappearing into her head fur in embarrassment before she stepped backwards, opening the door further and allowing the human girl into her home. "Manageable so far. Cody and I...mated last night" The skunk could feel her face flush and her ears burn as she spoke about the bedroom activities of her and her mate. "And earlier this morning."

It was Sarah's turn to blush as the female skunk sheepishly spoke of her sexual activities with her mate; it was a little too much information for her, a little too close to home as well considering the activities that she and Jeremy had partook in as well last night. Sarah covered up her embarrassed discomfort by moving deeper into the medium sized fifteen by fifteen foot living room and sitting down on the couch, groaning as she fell back into the well-used piece of furniture.

Sarah shifted into the cushions, getting more comfortable before speaking again. "So, any plans for the spring festival?"

Aralynn's lips pulled back in pain as she grimaced through a sudden, unexpected muscle spasm along her lower abdomen and hips, effectively silencing her response to Sarah's question. The skunk slid her hand along her hips and dug her thumbs into her back, massaging the complaining muscles as she begun to stretch herself out, rocking her upper torso in a series of circular motions to try to ease the suddenly tender muscles.

The female skunk's pause made Sarah look up from the series of cards she found next to her on the couch. "Ara?"

Aralynn growled softly, her ears falling flat as she raised a hand to stop Sarah from rising from the couch. "I'm fine, just a sudden, VERY sharp cramp."

The female skunk sighed in defeat, bowing her head in shameful guilt. "I... haven't been entirely truthful with you, Sarah." She flexed her fingers stiffly, she could feel the uncomfortable pulsing caused by her heat's increased blood volume making her feel hot and flushed all over her body, and not just in her face. "Beyond my heat's usual symptoms, I've been feeling hot and bloated...as if my body is...is overflowing with blood and every time I get to sleep I wake up a few hours later sweating and panting, my own libido attacking me until I can get with Cody."

Aralynn began pacing around the living room, wringing her hands together while avoiding looking towards Sarah. "I've been studying to get my mind off of my...needs because if I can keep my mind off my heat, then I won't want to masturbate, and if I don't masturbate, then I'll be able to really enjoy myself when Cody gets home tonight."

Aralynn stopped her pacing, jumping slightly at Sarah's touch on her shoulder, and barely catching her friend's concerned words. "Hey now, Ara, come on and lay down on the couch, I'll give you a back massage to help you relax, or sleep till Cody gets home."

Sarah chuckles, a grin brightening her face. "When does he get home anyway?"

The skunk shuddered, knowing how close to tears she had been as she allowed her friend to guide her to the couch. Suddenly she thought of something and broke free from Sarah's light grip with a quick apology before moving down the hallway, disappearing into the bathroom. Moments later Aralynn returned with an off-white towel in her black paws, her ears folding back into her head fur in embarrassment as she caught Sarah's quizzical look as she laid the cloth down on the couch. "It's so...you know how...well how relaxed and good a massage can make you feel. Well right now something might...dribble out...and I... don't want to stain the couch."

Sarah patiently waited for her friend to settled on the couch before gently brushing the skunk's long tail to the side so she could place a knee between Aralynn's thighs. Sarah leaned forward slightly working her fingers into the mostly black fur near the base of her friend's tail, Aralynn's soft semi-tense chirr at the brief touch rewarding her. She slowly slid her hand up along her spine, letting her fingers play out to Aralynn's flanks as she sought the spots where her muscles where warmer, indicating irritation or soreness.

Aralynn almost purred as Sarah stopped the searching pat down and began kneading her fingers and thumbs into the small of her back gently, beginning to working out some of the tension and soreness found there, caused by her heat. As the young woman worked her magic, she allowed herself to relax some, her black furred muzzle falling agape and her eyelids to droop half-lidded from the pleasure building within her.

Aralynn stirred however as the wet tingling of arousal began to seep into her relaxed pleasure, tainting it with sexual need. She shifted slightly under Sarah's administrations, turning her head so that she could talk with her friend and hopefully take her mind off the growing needs of her body. "Have you heard about the offer the Ahl announced the other day?"

"No" The verbal shrug audible in her voice. "What did they say?"

"They announced that they're starting to take applications for immigration to their colonies on the moon, especially from non-augmented women."

"Hmmm...that would be kind of cool, me on the moon, looking up at the earth, watching the wonders slowly pass me by. But I wonder why they're so interested non-augmented women."

Aralynn shrugged. "Evidently a reporter asked the same question and the representative had said something about wanting the first wave of immigrants to look more or less like them so that the acclimatizing, or something, process would be easier for both us and the Ahl natives."

"That part makes sense then I guess, but don't they already have augmented living up there with them?"

"I've read that they don't have very many augmented up there because of a colony wide lock down during the End War, that they couldn't trust either side of the warring factions to leave the hostilities behind them or something."

Aralynn could feel her friend shrug as she made a non-committal grunt. "Do you want to go and apply? Because if you do I was planning to go over to their embassy in a few weeks or so and we could go together."

"Oh? Why do you need to go the Ahl embassy?

Aralynn's ears fold back and to the side and she turned her head so she could look at her friend, watch her expression as they talked. "You know how my mating contract with Cody ends next month right? Well...lately I've...we've been thinking about having children, and how we can't have a litter of our own. Well, while I was at the embassy doing my research for my graduation paper I happened to do some side research and I read that the Ahl might be able help us conceive a litter."

Sarah frowned in thought as she kept working her fingers into warm flesh beneath the soft fur of her friends back. "But doesn't that mean your kids would be chimera? Wouldn't it be better to mate with a skunk or let Cody find a vixen?"

Sarah felt Aralynn stiffen, becoming defensive. "Yeah, it'd be easier, but they wouldn't be our kids, just his or mine and that's not what we want. We want to either have children together or adopt one of the given* so that either one of us wouldn't feel more or less burdened then the other."

Sarah gave a noncommittal grunt as she pushed her knuckles into the slightly warmer muscles just above Aralynn's right hip, choosing to focus on her work rather then upset her friend by speaking rashly without thought. She couldn't understand why they would feel as if kids born to either of them alone wouldn't be their kids, after all the liter would be brought into this world so that they could take care of them together. If it came down to it she would rather see them adopt then conceive a chimera together. It wasn't that she thought that chimera where abominations or anything like some, it was because of the high risk of birth defects and the health problems that would arise later in the child's life.

Sarah sighed as she made up her mind. "Listen Ara I...I can't really agree with everything you're thinking but if you still want me to go with you for moral support I'll go and while you go have your check up or whatever they need to do, I'll go and look into that application."

Aralynn relaxed again with a contented chirr, she was happy that Sarah had given the question some thought before answering, although she half wondered what her friend disagreed with. Silence fell as Aralynn shrugged reflectively, whatever Sarah didn't agree with about her going to the Ahl didn't matter, she had agreed to go with her and that's all that really counted in the end.

Aralynn could feel the warmth of the massage working deeper within her, working to ease her stress and let her body's fatigue lure her to sleep when a stray memory wandered through her quickly slowing thoughts. "How did your non-date date with Jeremy go last night?"

Sarah paused, the pressure from the heels of the girl's hands on the skunks middle back area easing as she thought of what she should, could tell her friend. "I don't know. Everything was going so well, almost perfectly and then he... just left, said he had to get home before curfew."

Aralynn's warm drowsiness vanished, replaced with concern when she heard the underlining stress in Sarah's voice. She began to shift, making Sarah move around as she tried to sit up and turn to face her friend. "What's wrong, what aren't you telling me?"

Sarah bowed her head shamefully, trying to hide her tears from her friend. "The night was going so beautifully and I was enjoying myself so much, we danced, had a splendid dinner and the play was wonderfully done. I didn't want the night to end so I... we made love. I gave him my virginity and afterwards he...he just left me there in the field naked and alone."

The female skunk sat in shocked silence for a long moment, if the accusations were true then it meant that the bastard had used her friend, taken a precious moment in her life and then dumped her when he was finished with her. Aralynn personally knew that Jeremy could be a jerk at times and she could see the possibility of the accusations, but she just couldn't bring herself to believe what Sarah was saying, it was something far beyond just snide remarks and sarcastic wit, it was downright cruelty.

Aralynn's mind came back from her tumultuous thoughts as she became aware of the heavy silence that had befallen the room, looking up she saw her friend sitting on her side of the couch, head still hung low in shame, her trembling shoulders betraying her silent tears.

Aralynn leaned forward out of concern for her friend, allowing herself to fall upon the prone human and embrace her in a warm, protective hug, stroking her hair as she whispering soft words of comfort. "Shhh, shhh...It's going to be okay, you'll see."

Aralynn closed her eyes and laid her head down against her friends shoulder and neck, feeling the warmth of their closeness seep through her fur and into her body, luring her to sleep as the quiet minutes between the girls began to stretch from the afternoon and into the evening.

Aralynn awoke to Sarah's uncomfortable shifting beneath her, the sun's dying golden-crimson light low in the front windows of her living room. "How long have been out?"

Sarah shrugged as she stood up and stretched her stiff legs, back and shoulders. "Not long...maybe an hour. Be right back, gotta pee"

Aralynn smirked and waved her on as she herself entered the kitchen to start a dinner for them and her mate. "Want anything specific for dinner?" Sarah's muffled distant reply echoed down the small home's hallway. "I'm the guest so anything you're making is fine with me. Thanks though."

Once she was finished relieving herself Sarah wandered into to the kitchen and leaned against the doorframe it shared with the living room and watched the female skunk working with some vegetables. "Need any help?"

Aralynn turned, shooing her away with a wide grin on her muzzle. "Nah. go ahead and entertain yourself for now, my art supplies are put away in the closet."

Sarah shrugged with a nod, calling a quick "Kay, call me if you need me" over her shoulder as she returned to the living room and proceeding to the closet near the front door. The young woman was about to open it when a small stack of cards lying on several pages of paper on the table caught her attention, curious she picked up the cards and read the first one.

III

Intrigued Sarah read on, it seemed to be the notes for the paper Aralynn was working on for her educational guild final.

*** I ***

Project: Give a detailed pre-war historical report, refined by AHL records, on an approved subject

History of the augmented?

Approved

*** II ***

Quick overview of Augmented today

Before separating by species, the medical guild separates the human race of today into four main divisions, all but the chimera having their own sub-categories. The three main races are Humans, Augmented, and Feral. The Chimera are treated as a division all their own due to the medical needs.

-The AHL call the sub-categories Augmentation class,

Or class # "animal" augmented.

Classes range from 0 (human) - 6 (animal)

*** III ***

Breakdown of racial divisions by augmentation class

Human

0 = human, also known as base or pure

1 = humans with minor genetic modifications, usually claws, eyes or tails

Hybrid

2 = usually have large amounts of body hair or downright fur, and an animalist cast to their features

3 = full hybrid of both human and animal species

Feral

5 = heavily modified by their animal subtype, many find it easier to move along on all fours, standing usually requires support or another's aid.

6 = Muzzle and underdeveloped larynx give only the rudimentary ability to speak, may or may no have thumbs.

}---*---{

Sarah pauses as she pondered on this bit of revelation, her face dipping wholly into a frown, she just couldn't understand it. If Ara was at least aware of the problems facing a chimera, then why would she even be thinking of trying to have one with Cody, was her newfound desire to have children so driving that she was willing to take the risk of crippling her child before it was even born?

Sarah shook her head sadly before reading on, ultimately it would be Ara and Cody's choice, but it was one that she hoped they didn't make.

}---*---{

***IV***

Common physiological Medical Problem, by "race"

  • note common rare defects only to save space

Human: Birth defects: Partial development of a cleft lip/ pallet, low setting ears, partial tail development.

Hybrid: Birth Defects: smaller then average skull placing pressure on brain and causing retardation/neurological damage, Partial development of a cleft lip/ pallet, small or missing eyes, incomplete transition from plantigrade stance to digitgrade.

Feral: Birth Defects: smaller then average skull placing pressure on brain and causing retardation/neurological damage, Partial development of a cleft lip/ pallet, small or missing eyes, abnormalities in spine and skeletal structure causing difficulty or inability to stand/walk upright, underdeveloped larynx, incomplete finger development, especially in thumbs.

***V***

Breeding compatibility between classes and species, based on AHL medical studies

Human: Traditionally speaking humans can have children with anyone but a Chimera partner although a class one may have difficulty outside of their species.

Hybrid & Feral: Again traditionally speaking may only have children with a member of their species or its super group, I.E. felines, dogs or rodents. Chimera children are the exception.

***VI***

Estimated Charts, AHL have no or very little conclusive results as of date

Same Species Parents

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 Chimera

0 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 0%

1 100% 100% 97% 94% 91% 88% 85% 0%

2 100% 97% 100% 96% 92% 88% 84% 0%

3 100% 94% 96% 100% 95% 90% 85% 0%

4 100% 91% 92% 95% 100% 92% 84% 0%

5 100% 88% 88% 90% 92% 100% 84% 0%

6 100% 85% 84% 85% 84% 84% 100% 0%

Different Species Parents

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 Chimera

0 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 0%

1 100% 67% 50% 33% 16% 0% 0% 0%

2 100% 50% 33% 16% 0% 0% 0% 0%

3 100% 33% 16% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0%

4 100% 16% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0%

5 100% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0%

6 100% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0%

}---*---{

Fascinated by the depth of her friends notes, Sarah moved back to the couch distractedly, folding her legs underneath her as she read slowly on, and taking her time to digest the history of her ancestors.

}---*---{

*** VII ***

Chimera

Chimera are the children of two augmented parents of different species and may fall within any of the augmented classes between 1-6. They are always sterile and usually have severe physiological and psychological defects that varies by parental species and augmentation class but birth defects are similar to both feral and hybrid notes.

*** VIII - XIII ***

Ahl history of the augmented (ELF's)

-all notes have the historical dates of the ancients

For quicker article reference.

2048 AD

First viable Engineered Life Form (ancestors to the augmented) creation announced. The hybrid rat was nicknamed Lola, and was described as the "Avatar of a new era" an era free from genetic frailties and diseases.

2064 AD

The creation and experimentation of Elf's where deemed ethically immoral by an assembly of the Era's ruling countries. That although they started as animals the Elf's now showed intellect, the ability to learn and a sense of identity, and must be treated as any human would be under the laws that governed the fair and ethical treatment of humanity.

2066 AD

All known Elf production laboratories shut down, the scientist disbanded 2090 AD Photographs of "military grade augmented" leaked form secret laboratories in Russia. "Secret" military investigative teams were sent in to discover the truth of the allegations when the Russian government denied sponsorship of the creation of Elf's for military purposes. Later that year they couldn't deny the allegations however when an attempt to invade and take down the laboratories by the united nations was repelled largely due in part of these same Elfs.

2091 AD

Due to Russia's Kodiaks world leaders were forced to reexamine the effectiveness of the Elf's as BWMD, biological weapons of mass destruction. Shortly after the fall of Russia, the countries began to reopen the ELF production facilities. This time however there were laws placed to ensure their fair and ethical treatment.

2096 AD

The birth of the first Elfs under the new laws are announced.

2111 AD

Many activist groups denounce the "enforced slavery" of the Elfs and are quoted as saying that they should be treated better, have more chances at a "civilians" life.

2135 AD

Records, mostly criminal, of individuals with illegal genetic modifications begin showing up. They are considered the first augmented.

2142 AD

By this year scientific census show that every major country had a standing Elf military.

2144 AD

First line of "safe" civilian genetic modifications offered.

2145 AD

Many begin to discriminate against the "augmented" causing a rift in society and stir the beginnings of an augmented segregation movement.

2154 AD

After a world-renowned celebrity undergoes genetic modification many wealthy began to get modified, Genetic modification becomes a fad.

2155 AD

Genetic augmentation becomes a status symbol, forever crushing the debates for legal segregation of human and augmented.

2175 AD

By this date nations relied so heavily upon their Elf combatants to wage their wars that if a significant number in its standing ranks were incapacitated that country was considered defenseless

2193 AD

A class two lion augmented is born to non-augmented mother, parental test prove that the father is only a class one augment. All news accounts for the next year show the world falling into chaos as more and more groups rise up, calling for the separation and/or death of the "infected", those augmented with animal genes.

2195 AD

As war erupts the Elf join the fight on the side of their augmented brethren.

2196 AD

The Endwar ends in a nuclear holocaust

-oddly enough only a few scraps of information of the AHL during the end war

After 2196, all records point to the extinction of humanity on earth.

}---*---{

The remaining cards seemed to have specific article references that Aralynn thought was useful but Sarah quickly grew bored since they held nothing but dates and the articles catalog number.

Stretching slightly as she got from the couch Sarah returned the stack of note cards and made to grab the sheets of papers to read, but stopped when she heard someone at the door.

The coppery, rust colored fox nodded to her. "Hey Sarah, where's Ara?"

Sarah gave Cody a small wave of greeting before pointing to the kitchen. "Making dinner."

Cody's lips pulled into a lopsided grin as he moved to the kitchen. "Thanks"

Sarah shrugged and grabbed up the papers and taking them back to the couch so she could sit down and read, again folding her legs underneath as she got comfortable. She didn't get very far however when she heard Aralynn giggle then moan pleasurably followed by heated, lustful whispering.

Aralynn giggled again and quickly came into the living room panting. "Sarah can you finish up dinner? Cody and I..." she stopped and looked into the kitchen when Cody called out "Ten", a sing song quality to his voice. The female skunk gave a playful shriek and turned, running to their bedroom with the fox close behind her.

* The Given: Children born outside of a mating contract and given to a guild, usually the mother's guild, to be raised.