Spirit Bound: Chapter Fifteen

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#17 of Spirit Bound

This chapter is mostly sex, there is some fleshing out of characters and families near the end of the sex about half way through. The last few pages resume direct plot development. This contains group sex (gay): anal, oral, rimming, and fingering. There are multiple orgasms, indirect incest, minor inflation (very minor), and swearing.


Chapter 15: Stories From the Bathroom

Nathanial was surprised to be picked up, tossed over Conor's shoulders, and carried out of Faelen's room. He was getting used to how strong these Wolves seemed to be, but every now and then, like now, he was forcibly reminded just what that meant they were capable of. He was also a little leery of what he was expected to do. Liam was right, he would have no serious qualms about sucking off Faelen, but Conor? His boyfriend's straight dad? The one who had been so kind to him, and opened his home to the strange Fur who was being hunted by the same people he'd moved across the Pond to keep away from his son? Then to find out this Fur was a gay Mage and dating that same son? He wasn't sure if he could do this. Though, the decision seemed to be out of his paws, at the moment. Conor had walked into the bathroom during his inner monologue, and put him on the tiles around the built in hot tub. He turned on the water, checked it's temperature, and then sat on the seat. "Let's get started while the tub fills up. No sense in dallying." Nathanial felt his tail curl up between his legs as he quickly checked out Conor. Even sitting down, Conor looked tall, with a broad enough frame to keep him from looking lanky. That frame carried large muscles, the tone and size only slightly softened by his bluish grey belly fur. The dark grey fur along his back spilled across the front of his thighs and covered his lower legs. Nathanial's eyes were drawn to the slightly thickened five inch (twelve and a half centimetres) sheath resting on a plump scrotum. As he looked he saw a pink tip poke out of the sheath, slightly darker than Geoff's, otherwise the size and shape of the McDougal's sheaths and scrotums were almost identical.

Nathanial slowly crawled into the tub, his hindpaws tentatively testing the water before submerging into the ankle deep water. "I'm n-not entirely comfortable with this. You've already done so much, I can't really ask you to... um."

Conor smiled, a little uncomfortably, "Just be glad I'll be the one explaining this to Avery, my wife. And really, this is mutually beneficial. I really need to get my rocks off." Nathanial's jaw dropped, uncertain if he heard what he thought he heard. Conor leaned in and whispered, "I've played around with guys twice before. I'm mostly straight, but I can appreciate handsome guys. Seeing all of you guys running around naked the last few days, and fooling around, has gotten me a little... tense."

Nathanial smiled and felt himself relax, 'Okay, not so bad. It's not like he's suffering through this, or finds this disgusting.' Liam walked in followed by a very sheepish Geoff. Nathanial couldn't resist a little teasing, and pretended he didn't see him, "Well, Daddy," he ran his paw up Conor's thigh to tickle under his scrotum, "Let your puppy show you how bad he can be. I may need some discipline after this." Liam and Geoff both stopped in their tracks, jaws dropping. Even Conor look surprised for a second, sheath twitching. Nathanial leaned in and sniffed Conor's groin, rump up in the air, and tail curling over his back. He heard two whimpers behind him. "So, Daddy," He licked the crease between Conor's thigh and scrotum, making him moan, "What should your naughty doggy do?" He took one of the large balls into his mouth and rolled it around, stepping slightly to one side so his audience could watch as he subtly wiggled his ass. Conor moaned. Nathanial released the orb, "Or this?" He slid his nose under the sac and made a long and firm swipe with his tongue along Conor's taint. Conor spread his legs further apart and slid forward to provide more access to him. Nathanial grinned evilly inside his mind, and made several more slow licks, the last three teasing along Conor's anus. The moans switched to whimpers, and the large piece of meat by his ears fully slid from its furry tube. Nathanial kept up his wagging and slight swishes of his ass, enjoying the reactions of Geoff and Liam. He made one last swipe before drawing his tongue up across 'Daddy's' sac and along the underside of his seven inch (seventeen and a half centimetres) penis, cleaning off the rivulet of precum that had accumulated. 'He is almost identical to Geoff! Even the amount of precum is the same.' He made an innocent smile, as he sat on Conor's lap, the twitching member pushed down between his cheeks, "Are you okay, Daddy? Is your little puppy not pleasing you?" Conor had his head back, tongue lolling out the side of his mouth. Nathanial clenched his glutes around Conor's penis, making the large Wolf shudder and sit upright with a gasp. The water was moving up to the bottom of the seats, in another minute or two it would be up to waist level.

Geoff stammered, his leaking cock making a small pool between his hindpaws. Liam shook himself, and said, "Um. Yes. Good boy, let us check Daddy's energy levels, shall we? Whether or not it is sufficient, I do not believe you will be permitted to leave before you finish what you started."

Conor regained use of his voice, "Gods, Geoff! I don't know how you can control yourself around this pup! If he doesn't move, and soon, it..." he shuddered and gasped as Nathanial flexed his glutes again, "Gods! It won't be a blowjob I get. Shit!" He picked up Nathanial and moved him off his lap. He was breathing heavily, as he struggled to control himself.

Geoff seemed to be waging an internal war, Nathanial flashed him an evil grin as he 'balanced' himself on Conor's shoulders, his ass fully exposed, tail still wagging. "I-I-I" Geoff seemed to be having trouble speaking, "I almost want to see you take him." He blushed and looked down, he heard water splash a bit before Nathanial kissed him. "I'm sorry, Nathanial. That was just so incredibly hot! I'm sorry if I offended you."

Nathanial laughed, "I'm not offended. It's like Liam-sensei said, if we have to do this, it may as well be enjoyable. If you guys get too hot, have fun yourselves. I won't be offended, or jealous. You love me, and I know you do, so relax. I love you, and you know I do, so I decided to give you a bit of a show when you walked in." He moved back to the tub, "So, Daddy, does your little puppy need to be disciplined?" He turned around and put his paws on the edge of the tub, looking over his shoulder at Conor, "Or does he get a bone as a treat?" Conor looked over Nathanial's head, eyes pleading.

Liam moved past Nathanial and put a paw on Conor's shoulder. The tub was half full, "At this rate of increase, if he manages to last until the tub is full, his Yin will counter the Yang from your semen, McDougal, and an easy half of the Yang you put into him this morning. That will be sufficient, as long as you do not have sex with him or sleep with him for a day. I am, of course, assuming his semen output is the same as yours."

Nathanial looked forward in time to see Geoff nod, the pool between his hindpaws noticeably larger. Nathanial looked back at Liam, as Liam tore his eyes from Nathanial's rump and started to move back from the hot tub. Their eyes met and Nathanial flicked his eyes toward Geoff and wiggled his eyebrows. Liam looked at the nearly steady stream running down Geoff's shaft and scrotum and his eyes widened. He looked back at Nathanial who stuck out his tongue slightly and subtly licked his muzzle. Liam grinned.

Conor placed his paws on Nathanial hips, growling in satisfaction. He rubbed his slick member around the teasing pink hole, making it slick. He rubbed his finger across his groin, picking up some of the lube that had pooled there, and pressed against his target. He gently pushed in, pausing when Nathanial instinctively clenched, and resuming carefully pushing in when the pup relaxed, He chuckled deep in his chest, "Gods, Son, I'm going to enjoy this."

"I may enjoy it more, Daddy. But let me move over a bit." Nathanial moved over in the tub so he was almost side on to the door, so Geoff would get the best view possible. 'I may be turning into as bad an exhibitionist as Nicholas.' He grinned over his shoulder. Conor slicked up a second finger and carefully worked it in. Nathanial hissed slightly, he wasn't nearly as worked up as he was last night, and was feeling more of the pain. Liam stripped naked, apart from his choker, as he slid up beside Geoff. He dropped to his knees as the white Wolf was staring at his father working his fingers into his boyfriend. It looked like he still hadn't decided if he was upset, turned on, or both. He shuddered and almost fell when he was taken by surprise as Liam took him down to the knot in one gulp. He was longer than Nathanial, so a good portion of his shaft went into the Rottie's throat and began to get massaged by the rippling muscles. He clapped his paws onto the black and tan dog and gave a small howl.

Nathanial yelped as Conor stopped carefully moving the second finger and plunged it in, shocked by Liam's sudden lunge. He heard Conor moan at the sight of Liam deep-throating Geoff. Nathanial started to laugh, "Good, isn't he Geoff? I need to get pointers so I can do that for you." Liam gave him a thumbs up as he suckled and worked on Geoff. Geoff had a dreamy expression on his face, and started to gently thrust into Liam's mouth, before nodding eagerly at Nathanial. The water in the tub was getting close to the top, so Nathanial turned it off. Conor began working in a third finger.

Liam pulled off Geoff, causing him to pant and whimper. Liam looked up at him, "If you do not mind missing some of the show, I think your father has a good idea." He stood up and walked toward the tub, tail up, "If your boyfriend does not mind. I am hoping he would enjoy sucking on me while his tail is otherwise occupied."

Nathanial grinned, "Sure! On both counts. If Geoff is unable to take me for a few days, and has to watch this, you guys may as well have fun." He frowned and focused for a second, "Good, they're both downstairs." The bathroom door closed itself and locked. Geoff chuckled, and began licking Liam's tail-hole. Liam growled deeply in his chest in pleasure. Geoff kept this up for a few minutes, during which Conor got his third finger in, and felt Nathanial start to relax. Conor seemed almost entranced and perplexed by the sight of Geoff rimming Liam, and how much Liam enjoyed it. Geoff lifted his head and slicked up one of his fingers, and worked it into Liam's tail-hole. "Geoff. Turn your paw so your palm is facing down." Geoff complied, "Pull your finger out slightly. There, stop. Now push the tip of your finger down slightly, and rotate it in a small circle."

Liam suddenly gasped and made his purring growl deep in his chest, eyes nearly closed in pleasure. He smiled, "Ah, you are a good student, Nathanial-san. And a good teacher. Ah, gods! A second finger, if you would." Conor lined himself up behind Nathanial and gently pushed in, moaning as his tip slid in. He paused, and Nathanial slowly began to bounce back and forth, going slightly farther back each time. Conor hissed and his fingers began to knead Nathanial's hips as he struggled to stay still. Geoff got both fingers in and began to massage Liam's prostate. Once Conor was hilted, Nathanial stayed still for a minute, while Liam had Geoff remove his fingers. Liam grabbed two towels and folded them up. He put one in front of Nathanial and kneeled on it. He placed the other one slightly behind him, for Geoff, "If you would be so kind as to mate with me, McDougal. And Nathanial-san, I would be pleased if you would begin sucking. Be warned, I may ask you to stop, I do not wish to reach my orgasm until I have been tied. It is highly enjoyable to have a knot pressing on my prostate while ejaculating. Even more so than fingers." Geoff lined himself up, "At your leisure, sir. I am quite capable of taking it a bit roughly." Geoff slid in to his knot with one slow motion, Liam growled and leaned back, rubbing his short dark muzzle against the white one, "Ah, delightful." Conor began slow and deep thrusts into Nathanial, the Akita whimpering and pushing back against each thrust. Nathanial opened his muzzle when Liam slapped it with his penis, and began suckling. Geoff watched, entranced, until Liam nipped his muzzle as he pushed back with his hips, "Penises are for fucking, not lounging around in my anus." Everyone paused momentarily to stare at him. Liam arched an eyebrow, "I feel neither sucking nor copulating, if you prefer. Gods, fuck me, dammit!" Conor burst out laughing, and struggled to resume his tempo. Geoff licked Liam's ear before biting on his neck, starting a fast and rough pace, his hips and balls slapping against the dog. Nathanial grinned around the pink flesh in his mouth and began bobbing and sucking. "Much better, mmph, thank you."

After a time, Liam put his paw on Nathanial's head, "Stop, for a bit, I am getting too close." Nathanial pulled off, noticing that Conor's tempo was becoming erratic. He relaxed as much as he could, and pushed back on the next thrust. He heard and felt a pop, and clamped down as hard as he could around the large knot that began swelling inside him. Conor gave a final short push before letting loose a howl that echoed off the walls. As the echoes began to die, Nathanial heard Geoff and Liam gasp in concert, before Geoff howled into Liam's neck. Nathanial latched onto Liam's twitching penis, trying to swallow as much as he could. He copied Liam's trick and wrapped his tongue beneath the knot and clamped his teeth down onto his tongue. He felt the tip of Liam's penis enter his throat, and swallowed around the gagging feeling. It abated almost immediately, but was replaced by a large gush of semen. Liam's deep growl accompanied his paws as they both possessed Nathanial's ears. Liam held the Akita down for a minute as a large volume of semen was shot into his gullet. He let Nathanial go as soon as Nathanial felt himself getting short of breath. Nathanial opened wide and released the knot, quickly wrapping his paw around the base as he began sucking on Liam again, working out the last few shots of semen. Conor collapsed onto Nathanial's back. Geoff was struggling to remain upright, and quickly sat back when Liam relaxed into him. "That was very well done, both of you. It appears you have learned my trick, Nathanial-san. It may be difficult to use on your boyfriend, as his knot is quite large. Use caution, or you may be suffocated. Would we be able to work our way into the tub? Some water may have to be released, first." Geoff nodded, and slid his paw under Liam's rump, and lifted him up as Geoff walked to the tub on his knees. Nathanial pulled the plug for a bit, telekinetically, as Conor pulled him onto his lap, sitting down on the opposite side of the tub.

Geoff lowered himself into the hot water, sighing. He nibbled Liam's neck, "So, do I still have to call you Smith?"

Liam chuckled, "It is very hard to be formal and distant with someone when they are knotted inside of you, Geoff-san. You may use my first name. As may you, Mr. McDougal. While you may not be tied with me, activities such as this are good for forming bonds."

Conor laughed, "Too right. And it's Conor, please. I've never enjoyed being called 'Mister' outside of diplomatic or other formal situations." Liam nodded his acquiescence. "If you could check my 'output', Liam-sensei, since that was the purpose of this activity, it'd be appreciated. Not that it wasn't enjoyable. I just don't know how I'm going to explain this to Avery. Oh, sorry dear, I just fucked my son's boyfriend's ass while Geoff fucked one of his friends in the ass as said boyfriend sucked that friend off. But it was medically required, so that's all right."

Liam gave a small smile, "I can write Nathanial-san a prescription for one ass fucking, to be filled out by you, if you wish."

Geoff frowned, "I'm rather surprised by all your swearing, Da. You always get angry when I swear. And I don't think Mom will like this, she tends to be jealous."

Conor shook his head ruefully, "Like mother, like son. You take after her, that way. And, yes, I hate inappropriate language, but in some situations swearing seems very appropriate. This is one." He smiled as he shook his head. He nipped on Nathanial's ear, "Sorry, Son, I usually take a half hour to deflate. We're stuck here for a while."

Nathanial flexed around Conor, making the Wolf moan, "That's all right, Daddy. Geoff and I were interrupted last night, and I never got to enjoy being tied. While I'd prefer to be tied to Geoff right now, this is still nice." Liam leaned over into the water and put his paw on Nathanial's groin, just above his penis.

He sat up, wiping water off his face, "I am impressed. You are powerful and were very pent up. If Nathanial remains in the presence of Faelen or you for the day, I believe he can be bedded by Geoff, once, tonight. And sleep in the same bed. Conor, if you would please hold Nathanial up so Geoff or I may pleasure him, it would be appreciated. He has not had his orgasm yet."

"Oh! Sorry, Son." Conor stood up, supporting Nathanial as he moved over to his real son. Nathanial put his hindpaws on the seat, on either side of the pair, and leaned back against the muscular chest. Liam leaned a little to the side so Geoff could have access to his boyfriend. Geoff leaned forward and began sucking. Conor made small thrusts up into the pup, rubbing his knot against Nathanial's prostate. It took less than a minute for Nathanial to yip and then howl as he shot into Geoff's mouth. Once he was done, Conor moved back to his seat. "Make that thirty five minutes, now. Gods, that felt great. I almost felt like I could go for round two the way you were squeezing around me. But while Avery may eventually tolerate one ass fucking, two would be too much."

Liam got an evil grin, "You have not finished one until you separate. The number of orgasms is irrelevant."

Conor's eyes gleamed, "I like the way you think, but, no. I would consider it two." He moaned as Nathanial began flexing around him again, "Though, I can be convinced otherwise. Ugh. Oh. My." He started to make short thrusts into Nathanial. "N-no and, mmph, oh, yes!" He lifted Nathanial up to the edge of the tub, facing away from the other two. He was making sharp, short thrusts, panting. Liam stuck a finger into his mouth, making it wet and slick, before rubbing it on Conor's tail-hole. A loud moan was his answer. Liam carefully worked it in and began massaging. Conor's leaned down, giving Liam easier access and bit into Nathanial's scruff, whimpering and growling. Nathanial continued to flex his muscles, feeling a second orgasm of his own starting to build from the abuse his own prostate was receiving. In a surprisingly short amount of time Nathanial howled as he shot all over the tiles, without anyone touching his dick. His orgasm and Liam's ministrations set Conor off again. Nathanial felt his belly swelling from the volume of cum that was being pumped into him. He felt very full once Conor stopped. It took Conor a few minutes of panting on his back before Nathanial felt himself getting picked back up.

As he was being turned around he heard Geoff gasp, and Liam say, "Gods! Lower his legs a bit, Conor." Conor let Nathanial's legs drop a bit, and looked down over Nathanial's shoulder, as Nathanial looked down. His belly was visibly distended. He poked it and felt a little squishiness and some sloshing. While he wasn't cartoonishly inflated, it was still about a pants size. Liam chuckled as he placed his paw on the bulge, "Two very large loads has filled you up, Nathanial-san. Be glad the McDougal's are not horses. Or that it was not Faelen who took you after getting so pent up. You are free to have as much fun as you wish with Geoff-san. As soon as you process this," he prodded Nathanial's belly again, "anyway. I do not think you could take any more without damaging yourself." He chuckled again as he leaned back.

Geoff looked at him in curiosity, "Nathanial and I are still -san, and Faelen isn't?"

"I have only had relations with you once, Nathanial-san twice. Faelen and I had a lot of exercise, yesterday." Nathanial was amazed he could say that without blushing. Geoff started spluttering, and Conor laughed. Suddenly Geoff let out a moan then whimpered as he humped up into Liam. Liam grinned, "Do you wish to try for Rottie butt part two?" Geoff whimpered again, then picked up Liam and repeated what Conor did to Nathanial. Liam moaned and looked back at Nathanial, "You may take this opportunity to find Geoff's prostate. See if he enjoys it as much as his father." Nathanial looked up at Conor who merely grinned. Nathanial smiled back and worked his finger into Geoff. The Wolf made an odd half growl, half howl as Nathanial pressed against his prostate and started thrusting faster. Nathanial just had to keep his finger still and let Geoff do all the work. Liam was stroking himself as Geoff went wild. Geoff shot a minute before Liam came again. As Geoff lowered them back into the tub, Liam rubbed his stomach, "Pleasing, but not the same volume as your father, Geoff-san. You had the pleasure of emptying yourself last night, so that is understandable. I will have to let you be, I wish to do the weight lifting form of exercise soon, and prepare for school. I will be going today. I can bring back notes for those who share any of my classes, I may even write them in English."

Geoff looked confused, "What else would you write them in?"

Nathanial smiled, "Chinese, of course. He has remarkable calligraphy skills. I bet he does that so people aren't tempted to steal them to cheat." Liam nodded, once, a half smile on his face. Nathanial frowned slightly, "If I may ask, Sensei, what is the choker and feather you wear for?"

"You may ask, I will not answer." Liam said impassively, "At least not yet. Partly because I do not have a full answer, partly because I do not wish to. I will likely tell you at some point." Nathanial wasn't sure if he was offended or not, and it looked like Geoff was thinking the same thing. He looked over and noticed Conor just smiled. Conor looked back, and gently rubbed around his ears. Nathanial leaned into the rubbing and sighed.

Later, Liam and Nathanial gently worked themselves free of the Wolves' knots, keeping as much seed inside themselves as possible. Nathanial so he could absorb the Yin, and Liam merely because he said he enjoyed the feeling. He admitted to a logical reason as well, to balance some of the effects of Faelen's Yin, and to replenish some more of his depleted Chi. They dried and the younger Furs went downstairs, Liam carried his clothes down without dressing. Faelen and the two pups were coming out of Faelen's bedroom as they entered the rec-room. Faelen yawned, it looked like he just woke back up. He brightened as he saw Liam, "Hi, Liam. Looking for some more exercise?"

Liam grinned, as Geoff smothered a laugh, "The weight lifting kind, yes. I am going to school today, and wish to adhere to a semblance of a schedule. If there is time after, I may have sex with you, but no tying." Nicholas and Micah gasped. Micah looked delighted, while Nicholas looked shocked. Nathanial thought he noticed a bit of jealousy in Nicholas' expression, too. "Will it just be the three of us lifting weights?"

Nathanial scuffed the floor, "Is strength important for Kung Fu, Sensei?"

Liam looked over, "Yes. And no. All martial arts, and life in general, benefit from a fit and strong body. However, it is not a requirement. If you are considering asking me to train you, if I choose to accept students, then, yes. You will be required to begin strength training. I demand dedication and discipline in my students, and while I do not require them to achieve the level of the Wolves, here, weight lifting provides a visible indication of dedication. I also require flexibility, as many moves are difficult or impossible to execute without it." He walked into the gym and began stretching. With some prompting he showed all five of the teens (including Micah) some entry level stretches. Geoff and Faelen helped the Marks' begin some weightlifting while Liam performed his stretches and some Kung Fu forms. Liam moved into the rec-room as soon as he noticed how distracting his stretches proved to be.

Liam had left on time for school, without retiring to Faelen's bedroom, and had enjoyed portions of the breakfast Dirk prepared. It turned out he didn't eat meat, unless he was certain it was 'ethically raised and killed'. He had similar restrictions on dairy and eggs, but Dirk always insisted on free range eggs, he thought they tasted better. Nathanial found the more he learned about Liam, the odder he seemed. He noticed no hesitation in the Monk's movements when he killed the Hunters and Demons, but he wouldn't eat bacon that may have come from an improperly raised pig. Nathanial shook his head and came back to the present. He and his brothers were being driven back home by Dirk and Conor. It was half past ten, and he'd just received a text from his father saying he was home. Nathanial hesitated before talking to Conor, "Conor. Um, I, I think you should avoid saying anything about who you guys are. Garret is all about himself. He wouldn't hesitate in selling someone out to further his agenda. Don't trust him."

Conor and Dirk exchanged glances, "That's pretty harsh, Nathanial. You don't trust your own father?" Nathanial shook his head, "Well, considering events yesterday, I'll take your advice. I still can't understand it, it's just so far removed from everything I've experienced. I just hope you're wrong, for both of your sakes. Maybe this whole thing will show him that he needs to patch things up with you three."

Nathanial felt that vicious anger building in his chest again, and laughed harshly, "It's too late for that. The best thing he can do is just leave us alone." Micah flinched and edged away from him.

Conor frowned, "It's never too late, pup. Don't throw away the chance to rebuild a relationship with him. No matter what happens, he is still your father. I know you're still hurt by what your mother did, but they are different people."

Nathanial didn't answer, but pressed the button on his remote to open the gate. Conor drove in, and parked behind one of the police cruisers. A handsome Akita was talking to Agent Ella and a chubby male Rabbit police officer by the front steps. They all looked over as the Jeep stopped, and its passengers climbed out. The Akita pups hung back, but Garret swiftly walked over to hug Nathanial. He stopped when he saw Nathanial's expression, and took a nervous step back. Agent Ella's eyes narrowed behind her dark glasses. Nathanial suppressed his revulsion and stepped forward, paw extended. Garret shook his paw and moved to Nicholas. Nicholas glanced at Nathanial before shaking Garret's paw, they noticed a bit of disappointment in Garret's expression. Garret moved over to shake Conor and Dirk's paws, the hurt on Micah's face was evident. Agent Ella's tail began flicking. "Hello, gentlemen. I'm Garret Marks, the father of these pups." He waved at them, a gesture that may or may not have included Micah. "I want to thank you for helping them so much last night. I just can't believe Lily would do such a thing, I can't believe she's... gone." The pain on his face and in his voice seemed genuine, but Nathanial still struggled to keep the snarl off his face. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Micah sidle a bit farther from him. He silently sighed and took a few deep breaths, trying to calm down.

Conor had begun talking, "I'm Conor, Geoff's father. This is Dirk, Faelen's father. It was the least we could do to help your three boys. All of them seem to have become quite close to our sons over the last few days. Nathanial is in most of their classes. They're welcome to visit whenever they want, just give us a call. We have their overnight kits at our place, it seems like they plan to sleep over until they're free to return home, but just let us know if plans change. They have our numbers. We'll let you catch up." They exchanged a bit of small talk, and Conor and Dirk got back in the Jeep and drove off.

Nathanial kept his voice calm and neutral, "Garret. I believe you failed to greet your third son. He is waiting for you to say hello, at the least. So am I."

Garret froze, then turned to the small black dog, "Yes, yes, how careless of me. Hello, Micah." Garret didn't meet Micah's eyes, but looked over his head. Nathanial saw tears well up in Micah's eyes and growled. The other three Akita's flinched, Garret extended his paw and Micah shook it.

Nathanial noticed Agent Ella was watching closely, her tail was now lashing the air. Nathanial met her eyes, and rolled his eyes. She flicked her ear at Garret, and Nathanial grimaced slightly. "I believe you met Agent Ella, Garret? She was here last night, and was a great help. Have you had a chance to speak to her in private, yet?" Garret shook his head, "Then perhaps we should do so. I imagine there's a lot for us to discuss." He walked over to the police officer and Agent Ella, "Pardon me, Officer. Is it all right if we go to the pool area? I wish to talk to my father in private."

"You Nathanial Marks?" Nathanial nodded, "Yeah, but I need to go over your statement first."

Nathanial called over to Garret, "We'll talk by the pool. I need to speak to the Officer for a moment."

The Rabbit introduced himself as Sergeant Heimdolf, the lead inspector on the case. "I'd like you to tell me what happened last night. I have the statement you gave to Jay... huh, I don't have a last name. Anyway, I need one directly from you." He pulled out a small voice recorder, "From the top, please." Nathanial went through the story he told the Agents to use. He saw his mother again, lying in a pool of blood on the floor, and nearly broke down. Agent Ella put her paw on his shoulder. He stopped and took some deep breaths, a few tears trickling down his face. He continued, shakily, and finished his story. He kept many parts of it vague, citing difficulty remembering details.

Sergeant Heimdolf seemed set on pressing him, but Ella stepped in, claiming she was a lawyer for the family. Nathanial felt a tingle of magic. Ella cast a Charm type of spell on the Rabbit, "Sergeant, Nathanial has been through enough. You have a statement relayed to you from Jay, right after the incident, and one directly from the witness, now. As everything is accounted for, there's no further need to traumatize my client."

Nathanial noticed the Sergeant's eyes narrow. Nathanial focused for a moment, the Rabbit wore a Knight's Shield around his neck. This was different from the one the Priest had worn, a white background with a red cross. Heimdolf waved them off. Ella led Nathanial around the corner toward the pool, Nathanial paused once he was out of sight of the front steps, "Agent Ella, he's a Knight. I don't think the Charm worked."

She looked at him, trying to conceal her surprise, "And how do you know any of that? You've seen him before? What makes you think I tried to use any magic on him?"

Nathanial looked down, "He wore a Knight's Shield around his neck. And I just know that you tried to use magic on him. I assume it's standard procedure to avoid awkward questions. Are you really a lawyer?"

The Panther's eyes narrowed, "It is standard procedure, but that doesn't answer my question. How do you know there was a Shield? How do you know I used magic?"

"Your statement wouldn't have been sufficient to get him to back down, otherwise. It just makes sense. His expression indicated he wasn't convinced or willing to let me go, but he did. He was even more suspicious after you spoke than before. I saw a glimpse of the Shield through a gap between his buttons. I recognized what it was." Ella didn't look convinced, but let it go. 'Dumb mutt. Don't go volunteering information. She's the enemy, even if you like her.' They continued on to the pool. The three Akitas were sitting around one of the patio tables, a sudden silence led Nathanial to believe they were talking about him. "I trust I'm not interrupting anything." His voice was dry.

Nicholas scowled at him, "Did she really beat you all these years? Did you let her, thinking you were protecting us?" Nathanial glared at Micah, "Back off, Nats! He was right to tell us! You should have told us long ago!"

"What would that have done!? You guys would have been upset, and unable to do anything! It's not like we had anyone around who could have stopped it, or would have cared! If the schools or police or whatever found out we would've been sent to foster care and split up. I'd happily take those beatings again to keep you guys. You're my brothers."

Garret stood up and spoke softly, "I'm sorry. I never knew. If I had..."

Nathanial cut him off, "No! Of course you didn't know! You abandoned us! You spent every moment you could away, and even when you were here, you put as much effort as you could into not learning anything about us! Mo... Lily hated our guts and tried to avoid us, too, but she still knew more about us, and spent more time with us than you! She never saw us off to school, or was there for us when we came home, unless she needed something from us. But she at least made a token effort to acknowledge Nick and my birthdays, and Christmas. When was the last time you gave us so much as a card, or had supper with us?! Micah never had supper with you once, and never got so much as a 'hello' or 'happy birthday'! Don't give me that 'sorry' crap! I don't give a damn about you or what you feel! Just have things continue on the way they were, it'll be cheaper and easier for everyone involved. Go off to wherever in the hells you go, and I'll continue being their father. I'm a damn sight better than you've ever been." He stalked off to the backyard, tears running down his face. Silent stares followed him.