Vallings Chapter Three: A Fork in the Road of Memory Lane

Story by bighope on SoFurry

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#3 of Vallings


After Sinew and I left the Chamber of Three we had taken the platforms to the living quarters. It was various archways with no doors leading to a brick wall. There were about fifty archways with various furs coming and going in-between them. The ones leaving their sanctuary melted through the brick while the ones going into their sanctuaries got close to the archways and a door materialized for them to go in. Each door that materialized was different, each one specifically tailored to the persons personality, either by Concord, or by the furs that decided to get creative and make their own personal slice of heaven.

"What are we doing hear Master?" Sinew looked at the archways with confusion, "Are we going to go to my sanctuary?"

"Yes Sinew," I started, "You are going into your sanctuary." I looked down into his eyes, "Listen, you can't just let anyone into your sanctuary. Your sanctuary is more than just a room. It's literally a part of you, one of the deepest parts of your soul where the darkest corners of your mind hide in the corners on your sanctuary. It is a personification of your personality, but for it to exist it must feed on your very essence and thoughts. Your sanctuary will hold all of your secrets and all of your truths and the only way for people to get in is through you. You are the only key to your sanctuary, so don't let in anyone unless you trust them completely."

"What are you trying to say?"

I gave him a tight squeeze on his shoulder and said in a slightly deflated voice, "I don't think I should go in with you."

"Master, you're the only one I trust in this world. If I can't trust you with this than who else can I trust?"

"It's not..."

"Come on Master, I trust you. I want to go through this door with you." He grabbed my paw and started to lead me to one of the archways.

"No Sinew, it's not just that." He kept pulling me to one of the archways and the crowd had died down so it was easy for him to make his way to one of the dark wood archways.

"Then what is it, is it because you think I shouldn't trust you." He said still pulling me along without turning around to talk to me.

"No...I"

"Is it because you're afraid of what you might see." He said wagging his tail in a teasing way. I started to get angry with him and tried to pull away.

"No Sinew, I don't feel..."

"You don't want to feel what Master?" Sinews voice was a little irritated, we were a few feet from the archway and I was practically being pulling by Sinew as I tried to get away.

"I don't...Just let me go Sinew I don't want to do this."

"Why, is it because you..." I was so angry with him, I didn't want to do this, but he was so sure that I was the one to share this part of his soul with, and I knew I wasn't the one to give it to.

"It's because I don't want you to feel this pain Sinew!" I shouted, "Every day I risk my life just like the rest of the people hear." I gestured my paw to the furs around me, "I might not be here tomorrow, and you are going to give me the greatest honor a fur could have simply because you are my apprentice! You can't do this to yourself!"

Sinews eyes were ablaze with fury, "You did it with Charles!" he said with a slightly raised voice.

"That's different!" I shouted, "Back then I was sure I could protect him and..."

"Are you saying that I can't protect you!"

"You can't protect me Sinew! You're not even trained! Yes, you can do a few spells that can stop common criminals, but what about other Vallings! I've come this close to dyeing thousands of times." I shouted holding up my thumb and fore claw, "Don't you see Sinew! I'm protecting you from turning your sanctuary into a prison! Every time I look at those damn books Charles put in my sanctuary I remember him. Everything about my sanctuary reminds me on him, and I can't let you do that to yourself. I just...can't" Sinew had let go of my hand and my voice got continuously softer as I yelled at him, some furs were looking at us strange.

"So this is about Charles." Sinew started, "You can't keep torturing yourself over him Master."

"It was my fault...I couldn't do anything to stop him, to protect him..."

Sinew grabbed my shoulders and forced his eyes into mine, "You're exactly right."

"What?"

"You couldn't have done anything to stop what happened. You couldn't have done anything, not because you're weak, but because Charles gave his life for you."

Suddenly I was their again, charging as much light as I could, but I was so beaten and battered and confused by McAlester's illusions that I couldn't focus more than a dagger.

"Trust me when I say this Jason," he had said in is shroud of illusion shadows, his deep voice making the walls and floor tremble, "I wish I didn't have to do this. I don't view you as a blinded lapdog of the Three, but as someone who sticks to what he believes in and won't compromise his ideals for any form of logic. But if they have their hooks that deep into you, I don't see the reason to exert such energy to put up with you. I'm sorry we couldn't be allies in this fight, and were pitted against each other by the Three, I truly am."

McAlester's power is illusions. That's how he lured me to him and asked me to join him, and I attacked him on the spot. He had made me think Charles was in trouble, separating me from my team. McAlester had called me at night so I couldn't defend myself by bending light giving him a huge advantage, and to top it all off it was a new moon. He even led me away from the city so I couldn't even use its artificial light. We were in an old observatory, I had bounded over dead astrologists to get to where I had been hearing Charles screams and shouts of help, Ignoring the pools of blood that I stepped in.

I could use my shadow shifting powers to see through McAlester's illusions by diving into the shadow world to see if the illusions had shadows, and I could find McAlester by locating his shadow. But as soon as I would surface he would defend himself with his rapier and shroud my mind in illusion until I had no idea where I was. Not to mention the little light I was given from the stars, I could only shoot a little dust on him to burn his flesh and smell him out.

After about a half an hour of fighting I was exhausted, beaten, and mentally disorientated. That's when McAlester lowered his illusions and stepped forward, leaving behind him his shadows for the first time. I had never actually seen McAlester without his glamours, but what I can say is that he was hot.

He was a tall slender dragon, scales as white as snow that gave off an eerie glow, his underbelly was a deep violet and his violet dragon eyes were soft and sad, he wore a white tailored suit with a dark purple silk cloth in his pocket. On his head were long thin horns that slicked back into needle like tips, and a purple stone glowed on his forehead. Honestly I can't tell you how many times I had imagined how McAlester would look like, but this was definitely a shock. Of course he could still be using his power of illusions to change his appearance, but still his sight was almost breathtaking.

"Now you see me for what I am." His voice wasn't as deep and menacing as before, he must have glamoured that too, to intimidate. His voice was soft and smooth and called me like a sirens song. I was so dumb struck I hadn't even realized my maw was open. I quickly closed it.

"What?" he said in a slightly mocking tone, "were you expecting tendrils of darkness, rotting writhing flesh? I'm sure nothing like the siren than stands before you."

"The thing about mermaids" I said, "is that they use their beauty to hide the monsters they truly are. Your exterior may be beautiful, but your innards are poised by your sins."

"Well, now that you aren't trying to kill me," he said as if not hearing me, "I want to extend my offer to you once more," I was about to spit at him but he cut me off, "but I before I do, I will tell you the one thing that the Three are keeping from you. This fight needs to be balanced; the Three can't have both of you. If not you then the other, I chose you because I know your sense of justice. You take time to convince, but once someone has your trust you would jump through hoops backwards for them. Let me at least tell you the secret of the Vale before you choose to reject my offer; let me tell you what you're fighting for. If only you knew, you wouldn't be fighting me..." his guard was down, why villains decide to waste time and monolog I have no idea, but I had heard enough. I through the dagger I had been charging behind my back directly at the crystal on his forehead. Then, one second my dagger was flying through the air, the next a tendril of darkness had grabbed it in midair and kept it there.

I looked at McAlester and he gave me a sarcastic look, "You didn't think all of them were fake, did you? I see my breath was wasted on a lost cause." He twisted the shadow and flicked my dagger back at me, I commanded it to evaporate and only some glowing star dust brushed up against me.

He started to walk to me, slinking with each step, "Well now Jared Nathanial Lock," my eyes widened at my full name, it was like a small flame lit up in me, only to be extinguished by the dragon holding the rapier getting closer. "Time for you to DIE!" the shadows wrapped around him and he was his dark menacing cloud again, roaring voice screaming the last word. You know that old saying that your life flashes before your eyes before you die. Well, all I could see was Charles, the day he paid for the Benjamin special at the Raised Tail to get my attention for the first time, him showing me his powers and how to use mine, the day he kissed me completely off guard after my day at the amusement park were we found Sig, the day in Concord were the fireflies swam around him, the night we danced together in the Safe Haven ball room, and...now!

I blinked and I almost missed it, Charles was flying across the air, arms spread wide. Then I felt blood splatter and then Charles was in front of me, blade protruding from his chest. I was frozen, my mind couldn't comprehend the scene in front of me. It was something to horrific for my mind to accept.

"Not how I expected it, but now that one of you is gone, the balance has shifted. It is not even, but it is at least not so outrageously out of equilibrium. Now that one of you is dead, both of you need to die to create balance. Such a waste." He pulled the blade out and whipped the blade off to the side to get the blood off.

I broke my eyes away from Charles to look into the glowing eyes in the shadows, "You monster! I'll Kill YOU!" I made a move to get up, but Charles grabbed my arm, his eyes begging me to stay with him in his last moments, begging me not to go. Then I noticed him trying to say something.

"Charles don't waste your energy, I'll cauterize the wound, we'll get you to Doc and you'll be just fine." I don't even know if I even believed what I was saying, but I had to do something. I tried to call on my powers to burn the wound shut, but their simply wasn't enough energy in me to do it. A pool of blood had started to form and a large amount of blood stained Charles perfect chest. That's when Charles put his hands behind his head, smearing his blood through his white fur, and undid the chain around his neck. Then he pulled his locket out and gave it to me, clasping it tightly in my hand. That's when I heard him start to say something, then he went into a coughing fit and blood splattered my shirt.

"Charles, save your energy." But he still struggled to say something.

"Key!" he hacked out and shook my hand with the locket in it, "Secret!" he hacked out.

"What are you talking about Charles what key? What secret?"

Then Charles pulled something out of his pocket. A piece of paper, then he said something under his breath.

"Charles please, stop trying to struggling!"

"Portalita!" he coughed out and the piece of paper lit up in a golden light. I looked at the paper and a rift started to form. I caught a glimpse of the symbol on the paper, it was Prtalita. It is a rune to open a portal to get to the other twin symbol made from the same paper. He was trying to save us.

That's when Charles pulled me in close and whispered his last words in my ear, "run..." followed by a sickening gurgling sound as the air and life left his body.

"Charles?" I squeaked, "Charles!? Charles don't go! Don't die on me! Charles Please! NOOO!" I felt something inside me break, sadness melted from my heart, ice ran in my veins. My heart felt dead because it died with Charles. I collapsed in sadness, "Don't Die!" I kept saying over and over as if it would bring him back, but necromancy is a myth.

That's when I started to feel the pull of the portal, and I couldn't fight it. I looked up, my anguish turning into rage "Mark my words McAlester! I will not eat! I will not sleep! I will not stop looking for you, tracking you, fighting you until you are DEAD!" I whipped out my cell and dialed 911, the phone locking as soon as I did. This way the police will at least find the body.

"Your threats fall on un-inquiring ears Mister Lock. Now that the balance has shifted away from the Vale with this mans death, it can finely be torn! The Vale no longer has one of the pillars and will now FALL!" I saw the flash of a blade as it ripped through the fabric of the Vale, creating a void were dark shapes were writhing. I was so confused, how could this be happening, no one had the power to tare the Vale except the Three. Had McAlester really become that strong! Before I got the chance to find out the portal pulled me in. The next thing I knew I was in the basement of the mansion, Sig activating the other half of the Portalita rune.

Not long after that I had realized that it was true. McAlester had become powerful enough to tare the Vale and unleash demons. The bright side was he didn't have enough power to control those demons. And that is the story of how I lost my phone...o and how I lost the love of my life to a crazed flaming hot dragon.

"Master Jared, I know he didn't die that long ago, but you do need to at least come to terms with the fact that he is dead. You have to let him go." Sinew shocked me out of my trance, and anger erupted from my core.

"How dare you." I saw the shock in Sinew's eyes, "I was their when he died!" I had never raised my voice before against one of my team members but Sinew was seriously starting to tick me off, "I was there to see the last glimmer of light leave his eyes as blood seeped through my fingers!" I shot my hands up for emphasis and shoved my paws in his face, "I held his dead body in my own two paws and you think I don't know he is dead!"

Sinew's eyes changed from that of fear to that of annoyance, "Well do you Jace!" I was a little shocked, that was the first time he had called me Jace, "You still think about him as if he is still hear. You still run to the door whenever the doorbell rings. You still think he's alive don't you Jace. That someday he will just show up and you two will just pick up where you left off. Sorry that I have to be the one to say it Jace, but you need to let him die!" Now Sinew's voice was rising.

"He is Dead Sinew!" I shouted.

"So let him go then!" Sinew shouted back, no one on the team had ever shouted back at me, not even Jewel, and she is as bitchy as they come.

"I CAN'T!" I shouted and then instantly regretted it. I thought I had let him go, I thought I was strong enough to do this on my own, but I guess I...

I looked back into Sinew's eyes and it felt like I was looking up into his eyes even though I was looking down. That's when I had my head slapping moment.

"Sinew, were you jealous of Charles?"

Sinew didn't even blink when he answered, "I was almost elated when you told me he had died." The anger and rage still dominated his hazel eyes as he said this, "The only reason I didn't rip his throat out was because he would have killed me first, and because it would have hurt you. I cared about you far too much to kill him, and when you told me he was dead, I was so happy. You and me could finely be together, but you just won't let him die! You keep him alive with that damn locket, and the main reason I was sick from the shadow shifting was because of your demand thoughts about Charles. They made me green in the face with envy!" Like lightning I was on Sinew, I grabbed him by the throat and pinned him to the floor, teeth bared, growls rumbling my entire body, and the fur on my back standing on end.

I didn't even try to do it, it was almost impulsive, and now when I looked into Sinew's eyes I saw nothing, they were back to emotionless and unreadable. I eased my grip on Sinew and my anger ebbed, Sinew didn't even make a move to fight back, he just laid their on his back looking into my eyes with his emotionless ones, and I saw in the reflection of his eyes just how I looked to him. I was a mess, deep bags hung under my hollow eyes, my fur matted and rumpled from a lack of preening, and worst of all I didn't recognize who I was. That's when I realized that it was all an act, he played me like a mother fucking violin. He had shown me my weakness and how it was eating away with me, and changing me from the inside. I wasn't fooling anyone, and with that I felt all my bravado leave me.

I shot back up, covering my mouth with my paws, "Sinew I..." Sinew got up and brushed some dirt off his pants, and looked to me, and I turned and ran. I ran as hard and as fast as I could to one of the arch ways, just so I didn't have to see myself again in those eyes. Sinew didn't make a move to stop me. The archway had just enough time to register my DNA and change into an elegant iron gate just before I burst through it, closed it, collapsed, and started to sob.

***

I don't know how long I sat, back against the iron gate, tears flowing out of my eyes, howling into the night sky of my sanctuary. A crescent moon that hung in the sky was the only thing listening to my cries of anguish. Thousands of stars salted the veil of night, framed by the full branches of forest that surrounded the courtyard of my sanctuary. The stone pathway I was sitting on felt cold under my rump and the air a frigged cold. A light dusting of snow covered everything; it looked like a scene from summer that was thrown into the first snow of winter.

The stone pathway leading into the square garden courtyard gave way to a giant ornate circular fountain of a wolf pack on a bolder, with a flight of stairs curving around it on either side leading to the main entrance. Two double glass doors outlined by a three story mansion. Vines, now salted with snow, rounded their way up the walls of the mansion, around the columns and the statues.

It took a minute or two, but I eventually pulled myself together enough to make my way to my sanctuary doors. I needed some time to sort things out before six were I would meet up with my team for dinner. It was around four, so I would have a good hour to pull myself together, take a quick shower and make my way to the dining hall. I entered the grand foyer and took my shoes off and let my foot paws hit the cool white and black tile. The walls of the grand foyer were a special kind of wall paper that if you looked at it directly it looked plane white, but if you looked at it from an angle you could see designs shimmering in a stain sheen. When I entered I instantly saw two white ravens taking flight and swirling designs bursting out in front of them just out of the corner of my eyes, and as I moved further into the foyer the walls morphed into designs of wolfs in a dead run with the same explosion of swirling design and various other animals and designs in the same explosion design. The other floors circled around the foyer, leaving two balcony's and a clear shot to the sealing were a dome skylight with wolves circling a moon on it was filtering dark moonlight.

As I walked into the mansion the lights on the walls and in the tiles lit up, the small section of myself that was used to make this place welcoming me. I went over to one of the couches and plopped down onto it, felling the soft white fabric framed by the dark wood carved into elegant designs. I grabbed one of the plush pillows on the couch and buried my face in it and I screamed. I screamed and let all the anger and hurt feelings rend my vocal cords as I let it out into the pillow. It felt good, so I kept going, letting all my energy flow into the fluff and fabric of that pillow, each scream ripping through the pillow and sending shockwaves and echoes of anguish through the manor.

I did that for I don't know how long, and when I felt like I was going to smother myself, I ripped the now ruined pillow from my face and onto the floor taking in the cool air. My burning lungs sighing in relief as oxygen found its way into them. In my half haze I looked around the foyer and my eyes landed on the large book case, filled to practically over flowing with Charles books. I shakily got up and made my way to the shelf. I looked over the spines of all his books, some of them from the library, some from his personal collection. But one stood out from them all, one worn black, brass bound journal.

Charles would write in that thing all the time, he said it was filled with what was most precious to him. When I asked him what that was he just looked at me with one brow raised, "I thought that would be obvious." Then he would go back to his writing. He never did let any one look in it, not even me. He said that just writing about the darkest corners in his mind made his secrets bearable. Without even a second thought I grabbed his journal and pulled it close to me, squeezing it close to my chest, almost as if I could squeeze the memory of holding him out of its pages. I took in a deep whiff of the book, and Charles's sent and dust made tears run down my muzzle.

I had to do it, I needed some sort of scrap of his memory. Something of his essence that I knew, if anywhere, would be in this journal, the one thing that didn't die with him. I undid the black ribbon keeping it closed and opened to the page marked with another black ribbon connected to the binding, it was a poem with no title.

I was lost in monotonies cruel hold

Born of darkness and living light

To be better I dared so bold

To grow in strength and hold to might

I sought a man to kill and tether

A man of might rode up in darkened steel

His sword clashed with mine one together

His strength won out with unyielding zeal

His sword pierced my still cold heart

But not death waited at the end of his sword

Then I became a man not of one but of part

I proved to this man my worth with word

For my heart now beat, but now with my decision

Of making the one great and powerful creation

I never got poetry, but I knew exactly what he was talking about in this sonnet, well it looks like a sonnet, it follows the rhyme scheme, but not the syllable rule of five feet and iambic pentameter, but whatever. This was about the first time me and Charles spent a night together. He seemed so much more radiant after that after we decided to be together.

I remember it like it was yesterday...

"Jace, you have to be more careful" Charles had said in his motherly tone, "when you're battling demons. You can use light to destroy them; you don't have to full out attack them." I was sitting in a bath tub completely naked, and it was filled with water up to about my navel. Special herbs and spices that made my cuts burn as I uncomfortably sat in the water.

"Just do the Damn spell Charles..." I said getting a little agitated with his lectures, "you know how much this shit burns." Charles face never changed from its loving parental gaze, and I instantly felt bad, "Charles I'm..."

"It's ok Jace," he dipped his claws in the herbal water and anointed my forehead with a star, "Vostali, nosse, contarle, dsstin, met." He said them at each tip of the star. Instantly the water lit up a deep forest green, he then pulled out the pound of raw hamburger and threw it into the water with a splash. The meat was to add organic material for the spell to use to mend my wounds. The meat instantly dissolved and the water started to snake up my body and I closed my eyes to revel in the practically euphoric feeling of relief as my wounds closed up.

I've seen the spell preformed many times before, the water roots it way up your body and the herbs start to form little veins in the liquid that send pulses of green light through the water, slowly healing the wounds. The water was about half way up my chest, hugging my muscles as they went. It was like a trail of kisses making its way up my body each sending a feeling of euphoria through my skin as they eradicated the pain. I started to feel my cock break the surface of the now lowering water, now half erect from the feeling of the water.

I would do this to whack off if I didn't need someone to perform the spell for me, and since Charles was gay I don't think he would care if he saw my cock. He never really seemed that interested in sex anyway, he didn't seem to eye far too many guys either, so he seemed like the guy to keep it in his pants. I do like the guy, but...he just doesn't show any interest, every time I try to show off my body to him, he just sort of ignores me. How am I going to get his attention if he doesn't want to pay any?

I let out a sigh that was a cross of euphoria and exasperation. "Charles do you..." I opened my eyes to see that he had silently stepped out. I guess he had seen all that he wanted to see, I let my hurt feelings fester as I let the water do its magic and I closed my eyes again. The water was up to my throat now and starting to work its way up my muzzle. This was my favorite part. I opened my maw and waited for the water to reach it.

It only took seconds, but it felt so much longer. The water stopped at my nose for just a second like a hesitant lover and then moved its way forward and wrapped around my muzzle and into it. I imagined Charles coming up to me and pressing his lips against mine, just were the water was right now then gingerly insert his tongue. I started to kiss back and lap at the flavored water; it seemed to be a slightly different flavor this time, like it had a hint of...tomato in it. I hated tomatoes, but I pretended to like them for Charles sake, he grew them in Doc's garden out back and he absolutely loved them.

Just before our mission today he ate one like an apple. I hated it when he did that, I almost gaged, but I turfed through it so he wouldn't think anything of it. The warm member started to press deeper and deeper, passionately making its way farther into my begging maw, mashing against my teeth as it made its way deeper all the time dancing with my tongue. The member was desperately looking for any wounds to heal, hungrily ravishing my mouth.

I was completely hard by the time the member started to make its way out, even if someone came in they would understand, the stuff makes you horny form the feeling of the warm tentacles healing you, relieving your pain like a thousand kisses. All I had to do was wait till I knew I was alone and then I could whack it all I wanted, but for now I just had to keep it cool, just in case someone came in. I may be a horn dog, but I still have some sense of decency.

As soon as the member made its way out I heard a small smacking as it collapsed in on itself. Then I heard a soft...murr...RED FLAG! My eyes shot open, alarms ringing in my head, to see Charles face inches from mine, panting slightly, and the tip of his tongue sticking out. I was taken back, then instantly rage boiled up in my stomach.

"What the HELL," I said breaking out the water tendrils to tackle Charles to the bathroom floor in a heap. "were you doing!" he was still in his dark jeans and white dress shirt, as I pinned him the shirt road up a little showing a small bit of his stomach, just enough to see his navel.

His face never changed from its chipper happy demeanor, "I guess you could say I was taking advantage of you." Then a big smile played across his face, "You have no idea how long I've wanted to do that. You taste like that nasty rosemary bread Doc makes." I thought Charles like rosemary...

"What," I started in a raging voice but my voice got softer as I went, "do you mean you wanted to do that for a long time."

"O please," he said, "I know you wanted it just as much as I did. You take every chance you can to show off your body to me, but in the way that doesn't look cocky, I have no idea how you do that."

"But you always turned away," I started, "you never paid more than five seconds of attention before you just up and leave."

"Yah, about that," he said breaking my gaze, "I sort of go to...blow off some steam if you catch my drift." I started to blush under my fur...

"But...you kissed me. I didn't even realize..."

"Come now Jace, I saw someone who liked it." And he nodded to my sixteen incher completely hard.

"Would you..." I said sheepishly as I still pinned him, "like to...do that again..." and before I knew it his muzzle was in mine. I let go of his shoulders and put my weight onto him, leaning into the kiss. I wrapped my legs around his and held his head with my paws. We became a writhing mass on the floor as we tried to dig deeper into each other's tonsils, try to lean into each other harder.

I, surprisingly, was the one who broke the kiss, I looked into Charles disappointed eyes. I gave him a dark grin and I grabbed onto his dress shirt and tore it open, revealing his firm toned chest. Charles had a swimmers build, flat chested, but corded with muscle. Charles smiled and cocked one eye brow up as if to say "What now stud." And I dove for his mouth again.

Months of fanaticizing about Charles and months of wanting to kiss him, all welling up into an enormous sexual tension, all releasing into a sex drive of insane desire. I started to grind against Charles jeans, by swollen cock leaking small amounts of pre that made small stains over the tent in his pants.

A question formed in my head while I was kissing him so I pulled away again, "Why did you come back this time, if you left to...blow off steam, why did you come back?"

Charles looked me state in the eyes, "Because when I was walking down the door, my head swimming with a thousand different things I could have done to you, I realized what a pussy I've been, masturbating in the shadows like a stalker. So I decided to grow a pare, come back, and I froze. You were their getting ready for your kissing thing and I didn't know what to do, I thought 'Charles that would be wrong' then I said fuck it and I kissed you."

"That is the first time I have ever heard you swear." I said in a low growl, "You dirty boy." I leaned in and started to kiss him again. Then for a third time I pulled away, gathered him up in my arms and carried him out of the bath and into the hallway where Jewel was standing. She looked at me, frozen, half an ice-cream sandwich in her paw, mouth a gape. I strode pastern her without even a second glance and got to my room. I kicked the door in and slammed it shut, magic repairing the splintered wood instantly. I threw Charles onto the bed pinning him there, his snow white fur looking like a beacon against the black satin sheets. I looked into his emerald eyes and he looked into my sapphire ones, each of us panting like wild dogs.

I then moved in and placed my mouth against his, "You know you can do more than just kiss with these." I said into his lips. He instantly knew what I wanted; he grabbed me and flipped me over so that he was on top. He then started to leave a trail of kisses going down from my muzzle to my neck. I laid there, my cock going crazy when Charles fur brushed against it, tickling it with his downy belly as heat rolled off of him. He stopped at my chest and gave each of my mountainous pecks a squeeze before he kissed each nipple, sending shivers down my spine, and continued his way down. Then he kissed each of my abs, all eight of them, teasing the tip of my cock as his muzzle brushed it on the last four.

Then he kissed me from the center of my shaft and continued down, his cold nose tickling the sensitive flesh. Then he reached my kiwi sized balls and started to lap at them, taking a nice long lick, before moving onto the other one to suckle it.

I let out a moan of pleasure as my cock burned for release, at The Raised Tail I would have pinned the fur and rutted him like a feral beast, but Charles deserved better, he deserved the best. So I took it like a man as he started to make his way back up. His slick tongue gliding over the pulsing surface of my phalice, driving me mad with pleasure. I wanted to take him so bad, to pin him to the wall and rut him, but I restrained myself, held myself back. I wanted this to be memorable, to be special, and what other way than to torture myself with pleasure.

Finely, he reached the leaking tip of my cock, and gave it a good lick, a strand of pre dangling form his tongue as he tasted it. Then he slowly moved his soft warm lips over the tip, his warm breath going over the shaft, and started to suckle.

"How..." I started to say in-between gasps, "did you...learn how to...do that." I had started to gently thrust into his maw by clenching my ass cheeks, and he now greedily started taking my pre. He never did answer me, he just started to devour my cock, going up then going a little farther down each time. Inch after inch of my cock vanished into his snow white muzzle until eight whole inches of me had disappeared into his eager maw. By now my thrusts could no longer be described as gentle, and Charles had slowed to a stop just to let me muzzle fuck him, I could only put nine of my inches in before Charles started to gag, so I did quick little thrusts that didn't do much for me.

I had started to whimper and wine when Charles started to pull off of me, I tried to follow his muzzle, but he held me down. He opened his maw and a mixture of pre and saliva spilled over my cock, the other eight inches instantly being washed in the cascade of liquid. I desperately thrusted into the cool open air, desperately wanting something warm around my cock.

I lifted my muzzle to look at Charles and I froze. Charles back was turned to me, and I heard the ominous sound of a zipper coming undone. The dark jeans fell away, revealing a black jock strap and a tight clenching pink pucker. Charles turned his head to look at me, "Do you want me big boy?" I just thrust harder into the air. Charles turned and I saw that his cock was contending the elastic, his hard deep red cock stretching the fabric and wetting it. He then used his shadow powers to make dark tendrils pull the underwear off for him as he slunk back over to the bed, the red cock flopping out. He is about ten inches long, and about two inches thick. I was longer, but not as thick.

I propped myself up on my elbows and Charles came in and kissed me, I couldn't taste any of the tomato any more, just the sweet tang of my pre. I felt his cock rub up against mine, sending shockwaves of pleasure into my head. When he pulled away from me a strand of pre was connecting our muzzles and many more connecting our cocks.

"I'm ready for you big guy." He said, the cord never breaking as he said so.

He started to climb onto the bed, and I put my paws on his hips as he slowly started to lower himself onto me. He grabbed my cock and lined it up with his ass, the pre coming from it was enough to keep it lubed. I was going insane having to wait for Charles to lower himself onto me, but I bit my lip and waited all the same. Then my tip slid into him and I let out a low moan. Inch after inch of my cock was forced into Charles tight warm ass.

"Ugh...how am I doing Jace. It's been a long time so I'm a little rusty."

"Shut the fuck up. You're amazing and so tight." I moaned out and I grabbed his hips and started to thrust into him. Charles let out a little yelp after each thrust, but they soon started to turn into murrs of pleasure and he continued to lower himself onto me. I was pulling more than half of my cock out and pushing it back in when I lost my control. I let out a low growl and wrapped my paws around Charles.

With a surprised yelp I flipped him over and bent him over the bed. Charles turned his head to look at me, his tongue flapped out of the corner of his mouth. A dark grin played across my face as I started to thrust into Charles. I grabbed his tail and yanked it up as I pushed more and more of myself into him. The lube from before helping me in.

I threw my head back and started to thrust wildly into Charles, my cock going crazy, pre leaking out onto my now swelling knot and down onto my furry sack. Charles clenched down onto me once he felt my knot, knowing if I forced it in it would be all over. I put one foot paw on the mattress, then the other and started to take him doggy style. Thrusting harder and harder, but making shore my knot didn't make its way in.

My mind was ablaze with pleasure; I had gotten what I wanted ever since this world started to make sense. Charles...

"Jace, tie with me please, I'm so close, you have to do it now." With that I wrapped my arms around Charles and rolled him onto his side. I lifted up one of his legs and started to thrust as hard as I could, my knot spreading Charles's red pucker. I was so ablaze with pleasure I couldn't stop thrusting even if I wanted to, my vision blurred until I could see nothing but Charles blazing fur against the darkness. I was getting close, I might not make it in before...then with one powerful thrust I buried my knot deep in his ass. Then as if on cue Charles clenched down on me in orgasm, sending me over the edge. Charles howled out in ecstasy, and so did I. My deep howl complementing Charles higher pitched one.

For about two whole minutes I continued to thrust into Charles as I came, still howling in triumph. Charles just laid there, his tongue hanging out of his mouth, cum all over his chest and across the black fabric.

When I was done I settled in, knowing that my cock would give off small little spurts when I tied with someone for about fifteen minutes or so. I moved us under the sheets and into a comfortable position and I rubbed Charles slightly swelled belly warmth building between us. Heat rolled off of us and filled the blankets. For about forty five minutes we stayed tied, my cock sending off little intermediate spurts of seed, keeping me and Charles in a constant euphoric high.

After that my cock started soften, "Charles?"

"Hmm?" he murmured.

"Does this mean..." Charles turned and took me into a deep kiss.

"Yes Jace, we are a couple now. You're my mate. There will be no other...and if you break my heart I'll break your legs." And then from then on we were mates and lovers.

I shook the memory away, it was too painful, and I turned my focus back to the open pages of Charles's journal. Next to the Poem was a wolf in ebony plate armor, completely done in ink with a long sword that was longer than the warrior and thicker than his head. But the most prominent thing about him was his wings. They weren't regular bird wings, but swirling lacent lines that connected together into beautiful translucent wings. Charles could draw something that he had seen only a glimpse of down the amount of hairs it had on its ass, but I couldn't draw a straight line to save my life.

I couldn't stop crying, the more I looked the foggier my vision got. I fell to the floor and sat there with my knees held close to my chest as I sobbed, I rubbed my eyes with the paw holding the book while I used my other to support myself. It hurt so much to think of him, to even look at people that kind of looked like him. Damn it! Damn him! He didn't need to do what he did. I would have happily died instead of him, that way his memory would be bleeding me of my life, I would just be dead.

Damn him, damn him, damn him! I pounded my fist so hard against the tile that one of them cracked, but the manor quickly healed it up. I got to me feet and ran over to the book shelf and tore through the books throwing them through the air letting pages fly from their bindings. Tears and spit flew as I viciously clawed at Charles books. I didn't stop until the entire bookshelf was bare and I turned to look at the mess of papers and scattered bindings, but it wasn't enough, I still felt this powerful sense of rage.

I grabbed a handful of books and ran to the back of the foyer, past the furniture and my grand piano to the grand fire place, cold and empty and I chucked the books into the brick fireplace. Then I started to haphazardly collect light, letting the light form into any shape, it didn't matter. I looked to see a floating ball of golden crystal forming. I kept building it until it was the size of a basketball, normally that wouldn't have taken to long, but I wanted to do it without focusing, it used more energy that way. I looked into the fireplace one more time and then back at the ball of crystal and wound up and threw it as hard as I could into the fire place.

BOOM!!!

I commanded the ball of energy to explode instantaneously and funnel through the fire place. Fire lit up the night sky as it blew into the sky from the mouth of the chimney. The books had completely incinerated and the crystal was still exploding up the fire place. I ran back to the pile of paper and books and grabbed them and kept feeding the flames that were practically shooting up the fire place. It looked like thousands of bullets of red orange and yellow fire going up the chimney at lightning speeds. The books as soon as they hit the back of the fireplace were practically ash as they shot up the brick channel, only to plume into a cloud as they reached the open air.

I don't know how many other books I grabbed I kept throwing them into the fire, constantly yelling into the fire, shouting, forcing the light to keep going. It got to the point where channels of light were bending into the fire place to fuel the fire along with thousands of pages of literature. I was throwing in other books in when I saw a flash of copper go through the air, and time froze, I threw Charles's journal! Like lightning I jumped after it and caught it in midair. I was half way to the fire place when I commanded the light to stop and go into crystal form.

I landed on the brick floor of the fire place, despite all the paper I threw into the fire place, no ash was left at the bottom. The force was too strong to let the ash stay at the bottom. I saw the crystal dissolve into light slowly threw the tears in my eyes. I quickly got up and brought Charles's journal back to the book shelf, stepping over ruined books and papers. It looked funny being the only book on the shelf. Then I turned, I knew what I needed to do, and I started walking.

I kept walking till I got to my destination, the black grand piano in the center of the foyer surrounded by furniture for spectators. I pulled back the bench and sat with my paws on the keys, but they wouldn't move. I couldn't pull the music out of me, so I pulled out my inspiration. I undid the clasp of the locket and opened it by twisting the rose on the front, instantly the room came to life, the pictures on the walls moving out of the explosions of design and sat intently waiting for their orders as the music box started to play.

"Show me Charles." I said and the mirror facing me in the locket melted into mercury. After what seemed like an eternity of waiting it showed a recently filled grave with lilies growing next to it. The music from the locket was a slow lamenting melody that shifted from the sadness of the present to the illation of the past, only to come crashing down with sadness when it realized that there will be no more of those moments.

That's when my fingers started to move with my locket, warping and mixing with the music of the locket to form a perfect harmony. Out of the corners of my eyes I could see the animals dancing with their twin counter parts during the memories, and during the sad parts their partner would fade into the paper and then they would lament in anguish.

It hurt, a good kind of hurt, like pulling out a thorn. Playing this song was like ripping open my chest to heal the scars on my heart, a good pain that I hadn't actually gone through yet. I guess I never actually accepted that Charles was dead, but looking at his grave and playing my final song to him was forcing the matter.

The animals in the walls, now alone started to form into furs, each with a different instrument. A chorus of strings started to play with my sad song, then trumpets moaned in, and then the rumble of large drums. Then unexpectedly the song started to build, other wind instruments clarinets, flutes, French horns came in. Then with a warm up on the symbols, the song burst into a triumphant marching. The music clashing and mixing in a way that gave the impression of a hart broken man facing the next day with dignity and pride, because he knew that life would never change unless he moved forward.

That's when something miraculous happened, the empty spot left in my chest from when Charles died swelled, I wasn't over him, but the pain became bearable, and for the first time in five days, it felt like my life was worth living. Then I heard the song slowly coming to an end, my own paws slowing on the piano. Then one by one the instruments faded, and the images bowed and faded into the wall paper. Every instrument was done except for the locket. I looked into the image of the grave in the locket as it slowly started to close, and for the first time, the locket struck a final cord and I heard the whorl of its clockwork come to a stop.

Then with a final click the locket closed shut. I knew exactly what it was mimicking in my heart. I had finely made peace with the fact that Charles was dead. I wiped a tear from my face and went to grab the locket, but just before I touched it, it shot across the room onto the book shelf were it knocked Charles's journal off. The book fluttered open as it hit the floor.

I stood their dumbfounded; it had never done that before. I got up and went over to pick up Charles journal and when I did, the page it was open to had a perfect illustration of the locket on it, but what shocked me was what was written on it.

"The Key" in swirling script was written above it and on the next page was a picture of my piano, and above it written in the same style was "The Lock". And with that the locket fell from the book shelf and on top of the picture of my piano.