Spirit Bound: Chapter Sixty-Eight

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#70 of Spirit Bound

It's now later on Sunday evening, Nathanial had gone home to prepare for school next day after helping Faelen with his science homework, and Liam and Faelen are preparing to retire for the night.


Chapter 68: Lost Family

Liam followed Faelen into his room, pleased that he received permission to stay the night, despite school in the morning. It was shortly after ten o'clock, and, while he wasn't tired yet, he wished to spend some time with his lover, alone. The door closed with a click; Faelen stopped, tossed a towel on the bed, and turned to face him, "Are you okay, Liam? Today must've been pretty... intense." Liam nodded, and Faelen stepped in to hold him close, "You smell slightly aroused, but not enough for me to be sure you're looking for aggressive comfort. What do you want? I'll be happy just holding you all night, if that's it. I enjoy the feeling of having you close by, it makes me feel... complete, I guess. Whole."

"As it does for me, love, that is why I wished to spend the night. I find my meditation does not achieve the same results it used to, unless you are nearby. My sleep does not alleviate my fatigue fully, nor does my food sate my hunger."

Liam felt Faelen's arms tense up and his brow furrowed in concern, "Really? Is it something you can treat yourself for? I guess we didn't know how this bond would affect us, but that sounds pretty bad. Will it be worse if I have to go back to Ireland for a time, or does the distance not really matter?"

Liam smiled and pulled Faelen's head down so their noses touched, "I believe it is that I miss you as soon as we are apart; the only distance that matters is in time, not space. I am unsure if that is what disrupts my meditations, as that is more spiritual than physical. All that matters to me is that I wish to be near you whenever possible." He tilted his head slightly and lifted himself up a little to kiss Faelen on the lips, "Like now." He stepped back and began unbuttoning Faelen's shirt, "I do not wish to suffer even the little distance caused by clothing."

Faelen smiled, a tender, warm smile. He seemed most touched by Liam's obvious display of love. He placed his paws on Liam's cheeks and leaned in to kiss him deeply as Liam continued to unbutton the pesky shirt. They continued to kiss as Faelen let Liam's head go and began removing Liam's clothes, too. Faelen let his arms fall to his sides and shrugged his shoulders to make his shirt slide down along his slightly darker back, the cotton sighed and occasionally crackled as it brushed over the fur and picked up a little static. Liam growled softly as he ran his paws over Faelen's bare chest, tracing the muscles beneath the fur. Faelen was moving a little faster than the small rottweiler, and finished unbuttoning his shirt. He hooked his fingers under the fabric, thumbs over top, and slid his paws down Liam's back, causing the young dog to shiver in delight. Liam felt his tail wag happily as Faelen cupped his paws over the round muscles of Liam's rump, avoiding the sensitive spots on his tail. It was a night to slowly raise their excitement and just enjoy each other's company, not throw themselves into wild passion.

Liam moved his mouth away from Faelen's and dropped to his knees as he began unbuckling Faelen's belt, his boyfriend had dressed up for their tea meal, and kept it on after his grandfather's unexpected arrival. Once undone, Liam slowly unbuttoned and unzipped the pants, not forgetting to unfasten the tab over the tail, and slid the pants down, letting Faelen step out of them. Liam stayed where he was, and placed his paws on either side of Faelen's broad body, along the elastic of his underwear. While Nathanial appeared to slightly favour boxers, and Liam favoured boxer-briefs, Faelen appeared to prefer regular briefs. Black ones. Liam pushed his nose under the heavy and full pouch, inhaling Faelen's scent, and enjoyed the pleasant musk. Faelen sighed and gently scratched around Liam's ears, occasionally taking the floppy end of an ear and rubbing it between his thumb and finger, or just tapping it to watch it sway. Liam suppressed a chuckle and glanced up to see Faelen's smile, the one often seen when a person is looking at a young pup. He almost expected to hear 'D'aww...' from the wolf. Liam unfastened the Velcro tab over the tail and pulled Faelen's underwear down, keeping his eyes fixed on the treasures he was revealing. Faelen was showing an inch of flesh poking out of his sheath, and it appeared he had not emptied his testes recently either, promising a rewarding session for Liam. He growled softly, again, as he buried his nose into the smoky grey fur, pushing the genitalia around as he drew in as much of his love's scent as possible. Faelen quivered beneath him, placed his paws on Liam's shoulders, and drew him back slightly, Liam managed to quickly lick the tip of Faelen's member before he was pulled out of range, "Sorry, that was tickling too much," Faelen drew him up to his hindpaws, "And I want to get to look at you, too. It's not fair that I'm the only naked one, especially since you're the one with the perfect memory." He picked Liam up in his arms, and began kissing him as he slowly carried him over to the bed, "You're wonderful, love. I'm never so happy as when you're beside me. I know you're still upset at the thought that I'll become an Ancient One like you, but, honestly, knowing that I'll be at your side from now till... whenever is the greatest news I can imagine." He kissed Liam, deeply, keeping his eyes open. They stared into each other's eyes, brown into blue, as Liam felt himself getting lowered onto the bed. Faelen quickly stripped Liam's pants and underwear off, throwing them aside and sat at Liam's hindpaws. Liam almost felt self conscious as Faelen let his eyes travel up the full length of his body and back down. Faelen picked up one of Liam's hindpaws and began massaging it, a little clumsily compared to how Liam would do it, but still most pleasing. Faelen looked a little amused for a second, then lifted the hindpaw a little higher and began massaging his calf with one paw and licked the leather pads at the same time, occasionally working his tongue between the toes. Liam whimpered in pleasure, his back arched slightly whenever Faelen licked along the top of his metacarpal pad, where the toe pads nearly touched it. Faelen noticed the reaction and slid his tongue in between the pads, making Liam gasp in surprise, "You really are highly sensitive, aren't you?" Faelen sounded close to laughter.

Liam pushed his hindpaw back toward Faelen's muzzle, "Yes! So do not stop just when you find a new source of pleasure!" He laughed, "It is too cruel." His eyes slid nearly shut as Faelen began cleaning his pads, "Oh, that is just wonderful." He dug his fingers into the bedding then relaxed them, focusing his on letting all of his muscles relax as he enjoyed the attention of his love. Faelen kept up his ministrations for a minute before switching hindpaws. Another minute passed and Liam raised his head, "Stop, Faelen. I do not wish for you to harm your tongue, I have other plans for it." He raised his arms, "Come here, lay upon me for a time." Faelen moved up and lay on him. Liam thought, with amusement, that he must be entirely hidden from sight by the bulk of his boyfriend and the give of the bed. The amusement disappeared as they began kissing, slowly; Faelen may doubt his skill in many areas, but he was a master at kissing. As they kissed, Liam ran his paws down Faelen's back, sending small trickles of chi into his nerves to stimulate the pleasure receptors and to help the muscles relax. Faelen moaned into his muzzle and Liam felt a bit more of Faelen's weight on him as he fully relaxed.

"Your touch is magic, you've got to teach me how to do that."

"Once you are able to manipulate your chi, I will. Now, roll over, I wish to massage you for a time." Faelen rolled over, and put the towel under him, "While I may be on your back, right now, I wish for you to take me, this night. I desire to feel you within me and filling me, that I may carry something of you." He paused, "Or perhaps in the morning, so I may have your essence through the day."

Faelen took his paw, "Why not both? I'm just as happy topping or being topped, and while I enjoy having you cum in me, you like it more. I guess it's because you can feel the energy in it and I can't." He kissed Liam's paw, "If Geoff can fuck Nathanial every morning, I can have you now and then, too. We have time for you to top me later tonight."

"Indeed, that is true. The thought may, perhaps, be disturbing to some, but I truly enjoy being filled by you and keeping it with me." He crawled onto Faelen's back, sitting just below his rump, and gazed across the expanse of fur and muscle; seeing the dark grey, light grey, and even some isolated strands of white and black fur rolling and shifting as Faelen arranged himself on the bed to his satisfaction. Liam waited for him to still and began to rub his paws through the fur, continuing to stimulate and simultaneously relax. Further stimulation occurred as he would lean forward to reach Faelen's upper back, which caused his swelling member to slide between the twin muscles. As time passed he reached full arousal and began to prod the opening which he so often enjoyed entering. Now was not the time, however, no matter how Faelen began to whimper and tried to move so Liam would penetrate him. "No, my love, we have agreed that it is I who get to enjoy feeling myself opening to envelope and please the other. Perhaps you wish to cease the massage and switch places on the bed?" Faelen growled loudly, bucked upward to lift Liam's weight off him, and rolled so Liam landed on his upper thighs. He sat up and grabbed Liam's neck and kissed him passionately. He rubbed his penis, Liam could feel a bit of precum hitting his stomach, and rubbed his slickened fingers over Liam's tailhole. Liam pulled his head away for a second, "We are going from amorous to aggressive?"

"Da's not the only one that gets really worked up by someone poking their tailhole." Faelen's fingers slid in, making Liam gasp and Faelen pause, "Sorry." Faelen seemed to force himself to go more slowly and moved forward so Liam lay on his back with Faelen sitting between his legs. Liam rolled back a bit farther to expose his entrance to Faelen, who got the hint and put his muzzle into the tan fur. Liam growled softly as Faelen's tongue lapped over the sensitive flesh. The needy passion bled out of the wolf's movements and were replaced by gentle care as he prepared Liam for what was to come. Faelen took his time before he even tried to push his tongue in, which caused a slight moan and an increase in the volume of Liam's purring growls. Faelen chuckled and withdrew his tongue, "You sure you were never a cat in one of your lives?"

"Not entirely, but I am almost positive I was not. However, I will still scratch you should your tongue remain in your muzzle and not my ass." Faelen laughed and resumed burrowing his tongue into Liam. A few minutes later Faelen moved his head back and lowered Liam's hips, placing the tip of his penis against the slick ring of muscle. He gently rubbed it around, stimulating the two of them and coaxing a large jet of fluid to shoot forcefully out of Faelen's penis. It splashed over Liam, and Faelen pushed in a little, his blue eyes watching Liam's carefully for any hint of pain. Another jet of precum and Faelen started to slowly slide his full length in, pulling back slightly every so often before resuming his journey. Liam watched him with a small smile and with his eyes nearly closed as he enjoyed the feeling of heat and pressure stretching him open and filling him. His growls deepened for a moment as Faelen's tip pushed along his prostate, causing his own penis to twitch and a bead of precum formed at the tip. It grew as Faelen's penis slid along his prostate, the wolf was only halfway in, before it was large enough to roll off the tip and slowly drop down toward his belly like a glistening spider on its silken thread. They both grinned as they watched it go until it moistened the black fur on Liam's stomach. Liam massaged the next drop over his penis, making his muscles twitch around Faelen, who paused as he gasped in pleasure. Faelen eventually hilted himself, his knot was already swollen enough that Liam could feel it pressing between his cheeks outside of his body. Faelen kept his hips still, letting Liam tell him when he was ready, and rubbed his paws over the lithe dog, occasionally tweaking a nipple.

"You doing okay, pup?"

Liam smiled up at him, but still felt a twinge of emotional pain at the question, "I am far older than you, pup, but, no, I am not okay." Faelen immediately looked concerned as Liam continued, "I am wonderful. I feel complete and truly at peace. I enjoy aggressive or passionate sex, but this is more precious to me in many ways. That is all about pleasure, this is love. Do I truly seem so... little to you? I know I have the body of a fourteen year old, barely fourteen, but do you see me as a pup?"

Faelen hooked his paws under Liam and lifted him up so he sat in Faelen's lap. Liam usually enjoyed this position, a lot, but right now it reminded him of how little he was. "Sometimes you seem small. You are barely fourteen, physically, you still have a lot of growing to do. I'm not exceptionally tall, but, like a lot of O'Conall's, I'm pretty bulky. I dwarf you, and sometimes I feel like I'm going to hurt you without meaning to. Do I see you as a pup? No, I often feel the opposite, like you see me as one. I... feel your age, more often than not; in the way you hold yourself, the things you say, and when I look at your eyes. You have old eyes."

Liam laughed, "Not the most romantic thing to say, love, but most likely an accurate statement." He kissed Faelen as he wrapped his arms around him, tightly holding them together, and began to bounce himself on Faelen as he flexed his intestinal muscles. Faelen groaned as he squeezed Liam and rocked his hips in time with Liam's bounces. Liam could feel his belly fluff starting to get damp from their sweat and his precum as his penis rubbed over both their stomachs. They kept it up for nearly ten minutes, at a slow, leisurely pace, before Faelen grunted and tipped forward. Liam landed on his back, and immediately rolled his hips up a bit so Faelen could start thrusting more forcefully. His love began making deep and hard thrusts, abandoning his kissing to focus entirely on the sensations coming from his dick. Faelen's breaths quickly became heavy pants as he picked the tempo up even faster, occasionally shuddering as Liam clenched more tightly around him, and threw his almost erratic tempo off. Liam growled loudly at the waves of pleasure that flowed out from his abdomen, an involuntary bark escaped him as Faelen suddenly thrust his knot into him and bit into his neck. Liam kept growling as Faelen howled into the fur and flesh, and felt an expanding pool off heat erupting into him. He was amazed at how much Faelen was shooting into him, tonight.

Faelen eventually calmed down and sagged in exhaustion, "Fuck, that was intense." He smiled and looked into Liam's eyes, "How do you want to get off?"

"Have you the strength to sit up?" Faelen nodded and sat up, and Liam rolled his upper body to place his muzzle by his penis, "Are you able to reach my tail?" Faelen grinned and wormed his paw under Liam to squeeze the base of Liam's tail. Liam growled loudly as he began to suckle on his penis. Faelen rocked his hips, grinding his knot into Liam's prostate and managed to get one of Liam's hindpaws up to his mouth to tease his tongue between the pads. Liam felt like he was going to go into overload at the combined sensations and almost immediately began filling his muzzle with his own seed, he didn't even have time to fit his knot into his mouth. He quickly swallowed it all, keeping pace with his output, then kept the last mouthful in his muzzle as he lay back. Faelen grinned as he dropped Liam's hindpaw and lay down to share Liam's offering.

Once done, Liam and Faelen managed to work themselves into a spooning position under the covers. Faelen nibbled on Liam's ears before saying, "And we have all the time we want to do that over and over again. Don't regret what we have, Liam, I don't. I love you and I never want to be apart, not in life and certainly not in death." He turned Liam's head and kissed him before he could answer, and began thrusting again, working their way into the second part of a very long night.


Nathanial smiled as Geoff gently brushed his fur as they finished drying off. Faelen seemed pretty sleepy as they washed off some dried cum, surprisingly little, though, considering Liam was over last night. "Are you two going to be okay, today? You look pretty tired."

Faelen nodded, "Yeah, I'll get a good dose of steam after our workout. That'll get me through the day."

Liam smiled, "I have more than ample chi to keep me going, though I am a little on the yin side. I should take advantage of that and do some muscle building exercises today, though I must be cautious with my caloric intake." He frowned, "I wish to do an experiment at some time, Nathanial. I would like to see if it is possible to produce a medicine to boost yang. Correction, there are many medicines to do so, but I would like to see if there is one we could produce together, amplified with Dark energy. I do not know if Dark energy can be channelled into me safely, or if it will cause any medication it enhances to break down too rapidly to be of use."

Nathanial paused to think, "I think I can give you some safely, I'm more used to... processing it than Geoff, and I think the stuff I draw in is different than his. Mine is already routed through Snow, and I think our connection alters it, somehow. My chi isn't affected by Dark energy in nearly the same way that the Light energy from Zhaohui affects it. But why do you want to? Geoff and Dirk are here, both are willing, though Dirk is probably praying to Aphrodite daily for a chance to balance your chi." Faelen smiled widely at that, Liam chuckled, too. "If I can channel Dark energy into you safely, that'd negate the need for the medicine and chi balancing sex. Though..." He paused to try to frame this the right way, "While I love Geoff, romantically, and you two as friends, I still enjoy having sex with you, even if it's Geoff penetrating me. It makes me feel closer to you, somehow. I'd kind of miss it." He leaned back into a slightly disgruntled Geoff, "I still choose you, first and foremost. I love them, I'm in love with you."

Faelen laughed, "Perhaps there's hope for you in diplomacy, yet. After you left, Da told me how you lit into Poppy last night. You seem pretty good at it when you think about what you're going to say."

Liam turned off the shower and began rubbing his paws down Faelen's body to get rid of as much water as he could, "Indeed, and I agree with you, Nathanial. I also have my love, but love my friends. I enjoy sharing physical intimacy with you two, whether actual intercourse or merely being in close proximity while mating with my love. I prefer, however, to be with Faelen and just the two of us, most of the time. It may just be what is referred to as 'the honeymoon period', as I have always been quite free with my sexual attentions. We will see how things progress, but I do not wish to end our closeness. There are two others who must provide input in this, and they must feel free to openly state their feelings, all of their feelings on the matter."

Faelen shrugged, "I'm a bodyguard, I assumed there wouldn't be any privacy for Geoff and me. It doesn't bother me at all. I enjoyed having sex with Da, a lot, and Geoff and Nathanial have very hot sex, so I like being in the room with them. Nathanial has a great ass, Nick probably would, too. All said, I agree with you, Liam. I want you, as long as you're there everything else is just gravy." He paused, "And gravy doesn't go with every meal."

Geoff grumbled, "Makes me out to be the bad guy."

Nathanial turned slightly to put his paw on Geoff's chest, "No, not at all. If you aren't comfortable with it, you aren't. I choose you, Geoff. I can still be friends with them without any sex, or having sex in the same room as them. I'm a little surprised since you jumped me while Faelen was sitting right there with Liam, after Liam passed out cleansing dad. Would you really say no if I gave you my ass right now?"

Nathanial saw Geoff start to get erect right away and his ears perked up. Geoff shook his head, "Uh, no, I wouldn't, but we have exercise to get to and school before long." He still bit into Nathanial's neck, and gently thrust his into him, "Fu...ck." He growled and stepped away, eyeing Nathanial's ass hungrily. His erection was soon throbbing and drooling a long string of precum.

"Sorry, I didn't think that'd provoke that drastic a response." Nathanial grinned and dropped to his knees, swallowing Geoff down to his knot. Geoff whimpered and began gently thrusting, Faelen grinned in amusement.

Liam's voice was dry, "I believe we have an answer, he does not object to sex with us around."


Nathanial looked a little sore, but happy, as he ran with them toward the front doors of the school. Geoff was not content with Nathanial's muzzle and ended up taking him as Liam and Faelen dried off next to them, though they did not tie. Liam smiled at the memory, Nathanial had known Geoff was too worked up to avoid tying of his own volition, and Nathanial was busy bracing himself against the wall, so he had asked Liam to keep Geoff from pushing his knot in. Feeling Geoff pulse in his paw as he ejaculated into Nathanial was most erotic, perhaps more so because he was able to feel Nathanial's marvellous ass.

Faelen led the way into the building, with Geoff right behind, and they were greeted with cheers and congratulations. It appeared people were still talking of the soccer match that had occurred on Saturday. Many people were coming forward to heap accolades on the two wolves for their efforts on behalf of the team. Nathanial was surprised by the noise, but quickly recovered, perhaps thinking of his own time in the spotlight. Geoff was in top form, accepting the attention and praise while diverting it from Faelen with great skill. It appeared Faelen appreciated it, and Geoff managed to do it all without appearing to hog the spotlight. He also managed to minimize contact with his schoolmates, which Liam found quite interesting. He permitted it to continue for a few minutes before saying, loudly enough to be heard over the commotion, "Okay, I've got to talk to Principal Davis for a minute, then talk to Coach Paul, I'll see you all around." The crowd dispersed slowly, and they slipped into the office.

Liam immediately noticed that Mr. Gomeche, the secretary, was very distraught. His chestnut coat was looking a little dull and his black mane was not properly brushed. He held a picture, printed on paper, in his hand and he stared at it with tears in his eyes. Nathanial immediately paled and began to quiver, drawing Faelen's attention. Geoff was in front of his boyfriend and did not see, "Mr. Gomeche? Are you okay?"

The horse gave a start and put the picture down on the edge of his desk, grabbing a tissue to blow his nose. The picture slipped off the desk and fluttered to the ground, gliding a little as paper is wont to do. Geoff picked it up and paled as well, Liam and Faelen stepped over to see it. It was an image of a younger mare, with the same coat and mane as Ahmed Gomeche. She was laughing at something and showing an engagement ring on her finger, as Joseph Harper embraced her and held her other hand. Liam did not know the cause of their reaction. "She is your... sister? What is the matter?" He did not add the obvious 'other than her poor choice in mates'.

Geoff passed the picture back to Mr. Gomeche, who said, "It's not your business, I shouldn't be bringing personal problems to work with me like this. It's just been almost a month since I heard from her. I can't even get a hold of Joseph to see if he has; CSIS is just giving me the run around, denying any knowledge of him. Even her pastor and most of his staff have dropped out of contact. Right, sorry, never mind. You can't help, so don't worry about it."

Nathanial's voice shook, "Her pastor was Yuke, wasn't it? She went to the Rock Church, the same one Lily, my mom, went to."

Mr. Gomeche jumped to his hooves, making a loud clatter as his hooves clopped on the tile and his chair rolled back. His eyes were full of desperate hope, as was his voice, "You know her? You know where she is!? Please, tell me! Anything you know; just, please, she's my little sister, I need to know!" Mrs. Davis walked out of her office, paw held against her head. She looked as well dressed as ever, but it appeared she was suffering a headache as she carried herself stiffly and winced in the bright light of the front office. Nathanial stepped back, paling further. Mr. Gomeche ran around the desk and grabbed him, "Please!" He shook the pup roughly, "Tell me!"

"I-I don't know, exactly. She w-was..." Nathanial appeared terrified, almost unable to speak.

Mr. Gomeche was about to say something, but Geoff grabbed his arm angrily and Mrs. Davis spoke, "Ahmed, let the pup go and sit down. Please, stop shouting. Mr. McDougal, release my secretary." Liam quickly walked over and pulled out a chair for her, then helped her sit down. Mr. Gomeche returned to his chair and Geoff pulled Nathanial away from the door, wrapping an arm around him for comfort. Nathanial's voice was shaking uncontrollably as he tried to talk, "She was there, the day... the day Mom..." He drew in a quivering breath, his chi was so disturbed that Liam could feel its contortions from across the room. He was lying and upset about many things. "I was holding her, Mom, she was bleeding, dead, on the floor. I heard a click, a gun, behind me. It was her. Your sister..." Mr. Gomeche looked like he couldn't understand a word Nathanial was saying, but he kept silent. Faelen looked too impassive, but Geoff was poorly concealing his surprise. Perhaps not too poorly, if one was unfamiliar with him, but to a trained observer he would have revealed Nathanial's deception. "She, we looked at each other for a minute, as she pointed her gun at me, but she couldn't... she just couldn't shoot me or try to capture me. She was ordered to bring me in alive, but she couldn't tranquilize me or anything. She radioed someone and said the cops were here and she was pulling out. She saved me, um, spared my life." Mr. Gomeche was praying quietly under his breath in Arabic, rocking slightly in his seat. Nathanial continued after half a minute, "She used to belong to the cult Mom and Mr. Harper did."

Mr. Gomeche's voice was choked, "Why are you talking in the past tense? Where is she?"

Nathanial's head dropped, "She's... dead. They don't accept failure. She probably tried to run, but Mr. Harper... If she was marked for death by the cult..." He shook his head back and forth repeatedly, "She would've called you by now if she got away. Even if just for help, or something. Pastor Yuke said they got the traitor, it must've been her. I'm sorry, she'd be alive if it wasn't for me. I'm so sorry." He turned and buried his head into Geoff's chest, shaking even harder. Faelen rubbed his nose, and stepped away, slightly, looking nauseated.

Mrs. Davis choked out, "Oh, Ahmed, I'm so sorry. Go home, I'll call Rufus to drive you." She stood up and walked over to hug him. He was as still as a statue, completely unresponsive. She held his head to her shoulder as she hit the intercom, "Rufus, I need you in the office, immediately. Bring your coat and keys." Liam could hear it echo in the staff room, and the door open seconds later. "Would you three please bring Mr. Marks to the nurse's office?" She winced slightly and put her paw to her head for a second. "Shit."

"Joseph killed her? My baby sister?" Nathanial flinched.

Mrs. Davis sighed, "We don't know that, Ahmed. The pup doesn't, either. CSIS has both the pastor and him, we can get them to try to find out who did it and where she is, so you can have a funeral."

Nathanial spoke again; his voice was harsh, almost cruel, "The harbour. She would be in the harbour close to the Atlantic, I overheard them mention that once. A burial at sea so no one can visit the grave of a traitor; silence around the death so their loved ones will suffer as their cause suffers their failure."

Ahmed picked up the picture of his sister and raised it to his lips with trembling hands. He gently kissed it before pressing it to his heart. Mr. Pablo, the chemistry teacher, came into the office wearing his coat. Geoff pulled Nathanial toward the door, pausing as Mr. Gomeche said, "Thank you, Nathanial. I owe you; I'm glad she did right, at the end." Nathanial flinched, again, and they ushered him out.

As soon as they left the office, crowds gathered again, everyone trying to get close to Geoff and Faelen. Geoff turned to Liam, "Get him to the nurse's office. We won't make much headway like this. I'll see you in homeroom, hopefully. " Liam nodded and led Nathanial onward.

As soon as they were a little distance away from the wolves, things calmed down quickly, and they reached the office with no problems. Liam sat Nathanial down and tapped his temple, Nathanial nodded, *Nathanial, what truly happened? It was most evident, to me, that you were lying.*

The nurse, Amy Neuranski, bustled in, hooves clicking quietly, "Oh, dear. Nathanial, the stress is getting to you, again? Life's been really unfair to you. Do you need me to call Mr. Ryhorski, or do you just need the quiet for a little while? I can let you lie down on the exam table, if that'd help." She was a matronly looking bighorn sheep, her horns curled back over her head, and her short brown-grey wool looked very soft. Liam found her to be a little vapid, but she was very kind and good at treating the typical schoolyard injuries. She was also aware of his credentials, and was quite content to work with him. He corrected his thoughts slightly, she did have the presence of mind to check his credentials, too. She also took very detailed notes on the symptoms of his 'condition' and how to treat it, should he be incapacitated.

Nathanial looked around blankly, so Liam answered, "I believe he just needs to relax. I will stay with him for a time, if that is permissible."

She nodded and wrote a note in her logbook, before moving into a back room. Nathanial wrung his paws in his lap, turning them over and over. *I killed her. I did, not Joseph. I killed her. It's her voice I hear the most, the gunshot, screaming.* He seemed distraught and afraid, *She led the team that tried to invade our basement, I think. Her name... her name was Jocelyn. Jocelyn Gomeche, I guess; she was getting married, maybe be a mom someday. She had people who loved her, family and friends that she'll never see again, that'll never get to say goodbye to her.*

Liam growled and gripped Nathanial's arms hard enough to hurt him. He knelt in front of the startled dog, *She invaded your home and she was prepared to kill pups! Micah! She did not care about your brothers, nor about Geoff or Faelen! She did not care about you! Do not believe what you told Mr. Gomeche for one second; she did not spare you, nor did she attempt amends at the end. She was a cold blooded murderer, a Hunter. She would not have gone on that mission had she not believed that you should be sacrificed, that all Spirits, Mages, Fey, and all other magic entities are the same as Demons. She wished to kill everyone in the Hidden World, except for those who are like her. She was evil and deserved to die for what she sought to do!*

*But she was injured! She wasn't able to fight anymore; she was lying there crying in pain and I shot her! She wasn't a threat!*

Liam could hear the doubt in Nathanial's words, so he pressed it, *No? Truly no longer a threat? Mr. Harper was never released after his role in things, nor any other Hunter? Do you believe that those who have not been sent to the Underworld for judgement will never come back to continue their assault? The Hidden World is not like the mundane one...* He paused, *Perhaps a correction, it is very much like parts of the mundane world. It is like the unstable areas with terrorist attacks and intransigent peoples who utilize violence with no thought of the consequences to achieve their goals. Who seek to force their will and vision of things upon others. She was one such terrorist, and there will be no jailbreak to free her, now.*

Nathanial froze, *Jailbreak? Joseph Harper can get free? At least I know why he hates me; I killed his fiancé, that's usually a good reason.* The dry sarcasm in his voice reassured Liam that he was not going to break down. *Where does the Society lock up their crooks?*

*I do not know. In the British Isles, when I was Lowell, it was a small island off of Clew Bay in Ireland. It was uninhabited, desolate, and quite difficult to get to. I would place my first guess on Sable Island for here, it would be even more difficult to reach than the prison I was familiar with. If it is true, then they will not return without permission.* The bell rang, home room was starting, "Are you well enough to go to class? I can remain if you wish, or call someone to retrieve you."

"I'm good, it just took me by surprise." Nurse Amy, as she liked to be called, which Liam thought was a foolish attempt at abating the even more foolish fears of her charges, came out at the sound of voices. Liam refused to call her or think of her by that name. Nathanial continued in a sorrowful tone, "Poor Ahmed, I hope he can find comfort knowing that his sister is gone, and not suffering somewhere."

Ms. Neuranski's hands flew to her mouth as she gasped. She pulled out a tissue and dabbed her eyes, "Oh, no. Jezebel is dead? Poor, poor, man. He was beside himself with worry for weeks." Ms. Neuranski blew her nose then washed her hands, "Oh, no, no, no."

She composed herself as she dried her hands, but Nathanial cut in, "I thought her name was Jocelyn."

"She hated the name Jezebel, I can't blame her. Who'd want to be named after that woman? I don't know the details, but Joseph and Ahmed got into several fights over..." She shook her head, "It's not something we should be talking about, dearie. Are you off to class? Or home room?"

Liam stood, "Our first class is Canadian History, with Ms. Paul, it is the same location. We must visit our lockers, first, however. We would appreciate a note, regardless, just to follow proper procedure." Ms. Neuranski wrote one out and passed it over.

"Thanks, Nurse Amy." Nathanial smiled a little weakly at her as he stood.

She hugged him tightly, "You're most welcome, dear. My door is always open if you need me, so is Bjorn's. Pardon, Mr. Ryhorski... well, unless he has another student with him." She giggled quietly and let him go.

Liam gave her a small bow, "Good morning, Ms. Neuranski, thank you for your assistance." Liam turned and left before she could try to hug him.