FSE

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CHAPTER 5

This would be a great place for a temple. Tazina thought to herself. Walking around the village near the seal she found that it wasn't that bad, for this realm at least. She missed her private little pit though. She missed the screams, the fire, the pain she inflicted on the damned souls. But what she missed the most was her personal toy, even if he had begun to gain a tolerance for pain and torment. Lately he had even begun to say he was bored. Naturally she had thrown him back into the pit when he opened his mouth to utter such an insolent statement. I'll just have to look around here for a new toy I guess.

She had flown to the little village by the Tiljan Woods shortly after meeting Orgnul, it hadn't taken long at all since the citadel wasn't all that far from there. She was walking through the tiny village in open view, wearing the more accepted form of a female rat, obviously with her natural hair color for her fur, she really didn't like to change it if she didn't have to. She had realized that no one really notice the rodent species when she had observed the town. Right now she was walking towards one of the two local inns. When she got to the building, she opened the door and stepped into a lively crowded room filled with all the local color. The room contained anything from Great animals to upright rodents to upright predators. The place was crowded to the point that to get anywhere you had to rub elbows with at least three people. This will be perfect. She walked up to the bar and waved over the innkeep.

"How much for a room?" She asked when we came to her.

"Three pieces of gold a night for just a room, Five if ye want two meals a day with the room" He replied.

She reached into her purse and withdrew a handful of coins. She put them on the bar and said, "Just the room, let me know when that runs out."

The keeper looked at the pile of coin and said, "Yes, ma'am. And if I might be so bold, you probably shouldn't walk around at night with so much money on ye."

She looked him in the eyes. "Trust me, I can take care of myself."

"If ye say so ma'am."

He turned to a young otter near the doors to the kitchen doors. "Boy, show this..." he took another look at her, "Lovely lady to her room. And make sure you give her the key."

"Yes boss." He said as he bowed to the keeper. He turned to the wall near him and removed a key from a hook. After noting the number, he motioned for Tazina to follow him up stairs.

As they reached the room and he handed over the key, she looked him up and down with a scrutinizing eye. He certainly seems naive enough. Nah, he's too young. He's probably not even old enough to have an erection yet. Let alone use it. She gave him a gold coin before she decided to make sure. "How old are you boy?"

"I turn seven next month ma'am. And I know that look, I've seen it on a few of the males that rent rooms here before they 'hire' me. Sorry to tell you that I wouldn't actually be any help to you, I'm not old enough yet." He looked at her the same way she had looked at him. "And when it comes to you ma'am, I really am sorry."

Tazina let out a small laugh. "Cheeky little boy aren't you. I love your honesty though. Here," She put four more coins into his hand. "and if your body suddenly decides you are old enough, come find me." She winked at him as she closed the door and locked it behind her. Okay, maybe he's not quite as naive as I thought. He definitely won't work as a replacement. Still, should he suddenly develop, he might be worth some fun.

She strode over to the small window in her room and closed it. Not like I expected to find a new toy so soon anyway. After she locked it, she let her form slip into her normal one. The fur melting into her skin, her limbs extending, her face reshaping itself, her wings and tail regrowing from her back. When she was once again looking like a succubus, she extended her wings, and swished her tail, exercising them to make sure the muscles weren't cramped.

She sat down on the bed and toyed with the idea of aging the boy slightly to make him mature a little faster. She realized that his honesty deserved better repayment than taking a few years off his life, she truly did admire, and appreciate honesty. After all, she may enjoy inflicting pain on damned souls, she may love to torture and torment those that wander into her pit, but she wasn't evil. Those that found their way onto her plain when they died were usually pretty nasty people to begin with. She didn't enjoy punishing those that were honest and just acting like themselves. The righteous warriors of light, priests of ultimate good, and just plain goody two-shoes however, they were another story. Usually what she did to them made the agony she gave to the wicked look like nothing.

Mostly, she just liked people to be honest with themselves, and to be themselves. And that would be what was most required of her followers when she became a goddess here. Whether they were good, or evil she didn't care. she didn't even really care if they fought each other as long as they didn't take it too far. All she wanted was absolute devotion, and for them to embrace the chaos that was their nature.

She decided to go down to the common room and see if she could learn anything. Changing her shape back to the rat, she made her way downstairs, after locking her door, and started to listen to people's conversations. The boy near the back caught her attention and winked at her, smiling. She grinned at the boy. He'll definitely be a priest in the temple here. Hmm, need to get his name though.

Tazina heard something that yanked her attention away from him, and onto a nearby table. "Excuse me, but did you say something about the ruins to the west?" She asked the patron that had made the comment, since the seal she was supposed to protect was inside the ruins.

The large male bear looked at her with fierce eyes, but upon seeing she was a female his eyes became more gentle. "Surely you've heard about the archaeological expedition lass?"

"Actually no, I just came into town. I had planned to see the ruins for myself." She told him.

He turned a little more to better face her, "Well, a group of professors from the local school have decided to look into those buildings and see what they can learn. Supposedly the expect to find a trove of ancient elven relics or some such. All I know for sure, and really care about, is that they offered me a cut if I agreed to help store some of the objects in my shop down the street."

This might be what I've been looking for. "Could you tell me the name of the leader so I might speak to them about maybe letting me explore the ruins a little ahead of them?"

"Sure, his name's Blakad, he's a little mouse about half a head shorter than you. He has a tell-tale mark on his head that looks like a drop of water. You should be able to talk to him at the school in the morning."

She held out her paw to the bear. "Well, thank you very much mister..."

He grabbed her hand lightly and shook it. "Please, call me Mathùin."

"I'm Tazina." She followed a whim and leaned forward to tell him in a low voice. "You should probably remember the name, you'll know why when you hear it again." He looked at her puzzled.

She stood up again, "Thanks again Mathùin. I guess I should get some sleep if I'm to meet professor Blakad in the morning."

"Right, goodnight then lass, sleep well." He said with a slight wave of his hand as she started up the stairs again.

"You as well." She replied.

When she got back to her room, she locked the door again and let her form return to normal. I hate taking male form, it can be fun, but not my first choice. Still, this should be aboslutely perfect for what I need. She grinned widely to herself and lay upon the bed.

Tomorrow I guess I'll see if i've found a way to get rid of this "Firus".

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Sayuri looked down a her feet as she began to tell her tale. "The small portion of my blood that is a Tigra came from my mother. She was actually a quarter Tigra and showed it a hell of a lot more than I do, she also never hid it. She had a wolf's head, body and tail, but her fur coloring was smoky grey with stripes black as onyx. Her eyes were slitted like mine but they were a brighter green, and they seemed to glow in the dark. She even had fully retractable claws. Even her demeanor was more like a great cat. She was a lot more independent than others, she felt that if she couldn't do it herself, then she shouldn't try to do it at all. But that only hid the yearning inside of her, a longing to be part of a larger group, part of a pack. So she decided it was time to have a family."

Sayuri sighed. "Shortly before that, she had met my father. He was full Lupanos, not even any Great Wolf in him. Amazingly, they supposedly loved each other and got along very well at first, even my mother said so. At first, they say that not only did he not mind my mother being such an odd and blatant hybrid, he actually enjoyed it. And then she became pregnant with me and my brother. We were twins, born only ten minutes apart. Our names were Ren, and Sayuri. The lotus, and the lily. We were the 'Moon Flowers' of Mizuki, the beautiful moon."

Sayuri covered her face as she remembered. "At first my father was proud that he was a father, and that he had twin children. Then he realized that his children were hybrids like my mother. For a long time, nothing seemed to be wrong, we were just one happy family. Then he started to become bitter. His family had disowned him when he became my mothers mate, because they said she was "tainted", that her blood wasn't pure. At first it didn't bother him, he thought he was better off."

"But it began to eat at him. When it started, he just seemed to yell a lot, even over the tiniest thing he just seemed to explode. Then he started to hit things. It began with the wall, then furniture, the table, even doors. Then he hit my mother. Naturally when he did that, her instincts kicked in and she hit him back. They fought for maybe an hour, biting, kicking, scratching, whatever they could do to inflict damage. Then he broke from her and ran to the kitchen. When she went after him, my brother and I started to follow. Then she screamed."

Firus sat down beside her and put his arm around her shoulders. Sayuri looked into his eyes. "When Ren and I got to the doorway, she was on the ground lying in a pool of her own blood, with a knife in her gut. She wasn't dead yet, and when she saw us she said 'Run my flowers.', so we ran. We made it out of the house and into a nearby forest. We managed to live there for years before he found us. We were only nine years old when we ran, but we managed to survive for five years. We eventually found a cave that we could live in, and decided that we would do so from then on. Ren and I became close in that time. Very close. Closer than we could have if we were still in normal society."

"Our father was still looking for us even five years after he killed our mother. When he finally found us, we were in a rather... compromising position. That only served to disgust and infuriate him even more. He howled, and ran into the cave wielding the same knife he killed our mother with. He hadn't even ever cleaned it. By the time we realized he was there and what he was doing, it was too late. He had grabbed Ren by his head and slit his throat, going nearly through his spine. Blood sprayed everywhere, was all over the cave we had made into our home. It was all over me. That sent me into a rage. While he was dropping Ren's body to the ground, I pounced onto his chest. We went down and when we hit the ground I ripped his throat out with my fangs, and started to shred his chest with my claws."

Tears started to fall as she recounted the tragic event, and Firus wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close. She wept into his shoulder for a little while before she went on. "When I finally calmed, he was nothing more than a pile of meat and bones. Then I went back to Ren's corpse, and I cryed, for hours I cryed over my brother's body. When I couldn't cry anymore, I took Ren into the forest to a meadow that we had found, and would sometimes make love in at night when the moon was full. I buryed him there where so much love had been shared and memories made, I rolled a rock that had been nearby into place and carefully scratched 'Ren, one of the two 'Moon Flowers' born of Mizuki. Love of Sayuri'. My claws were worn down to the quick when I was finished, they started to bleed by the time I finished my own name."

"When I had finished grieving for Ren I returned to the cave and moved our father's shredded remains into a small clearing no where near Ren, and I set fire to him. I burned him to ash and then left the ashes where they lay. I returned to my brother's grave and wept more, letting the tears soak into the ground. When I stopped again, I started to think. My brother and lover lay dead. Our mother died years ago. My father was no more than ashes. I couldn't stay in the forest any longer, and with the bastard gone I could finally leave. So I grabbed a piece of bark from one of the trees, and started to carve a crude map with a rock I found. Just Ren's grave and whatever direction I went in till I found a town."

"When I stumbled into the small village I was weary, fatigued, and dehydrated. A middle aged female mink found me collapsed on the outskirts and brought me into her home. She fed me, bathed me, tended my small injuries, mended the quick on my claws, and just over all took care of me. When I finally could speak I asked her where I was, and she replied 'Oh, Sayuri, don't you recognize the village you used to live in? We all remember you.'

I looked harder at her face, trying to remember and found that I actually did. 'Mrs. Vison, I'm so sorry. How could I have forgotten you. You babysat me and Ren for...' Remembering Ren like that made me start to weep again, it took me years before I could mention him without crying. Mrs. Vison just held me close, and told me that it was going to be alright."

Sayuri leaned back a little and looked into her Fire's eyes. "When she asked me what had happened, all I could say was 'He found us, he finally found us.'

" 'Shhhh,' she said. 'Don't worry about him, we'll all protect you from him.' "

"I replied 'You won't have to, he's dead. I killed him after he...' and I just fell silent.

"She looked at me and said 'Well then thats done now. You won't ever have to worry about it again.' I wrapped my arms and hugged her tightly. After that I started to venture out of her little house, and meet the people I used to know. Old friends, friends of my mother's. The only thing that they ever said the same way, was that it was odd not seeing Ren at my side. Every time they said that I just fell silent, and they tried to find a new subject. When I turned sixteen, I realized that the village wasn't home to me anymore, and that the only way to get away from the bad memories was to start a new life. So I decided to join the Academy, hoping that the rigorous training, hard exercise and constant work would make it so I couldn't think of it. I also hoped that afterwords, I wouldn't even remember, except for Ren."

"Two years into the Academy and I had taken somewhat of an authority position among the younger students. They would come to me for advice, no one would mess with any of them as long as I was around, every once in a great while one of them would actually look at me when they got an order from one of the instructors, as if seeking my approval. I was happy to have my group. I loved taking care of them. And then you showed up and showed them that I wasn't the best, wasn't the most talented, wasn't infallible. Every time I tried to beat you at something I couldn't, except in things like History. It was maddening, I hated the idea that this new kid had uprooted my position."

"Then reluctantly, I came to know you. I spent as little time around you as possible at first, but I gradually got over my hate of your abilities and realized that you weren't trying to upset what I had made, the talent just came naturally. After that, we became good friends, and started to share the sort of position that I had fallen into. Then, eventually, I realized that when I looked at you, I was feeling the same as when I used to look at my brother when we lived in the woods. At first I was appalled, and sickened, and like I was betraying his memory just to think like that."

"The night I realized that, I had a dream. Ren came to me and said 'What was between us, Sayuri, was indeed love, and it was true. But it was never meant to last. It was foreordained that we would be torn apart like we were, and that you would meet another. There is a reason you feel for Firus the same you did for me, and that is because we are the same. Not the same person, but we are the same. We are identical in almost all spiritual ways, and he will take care of you, and love you as I did. When you cross over to this world, I will be waiting, and we will all be together. I have been told that the two of us shall both be with you, and that we shall all be happy. Sayuri, you are not betraying me, or anyone else by loving him. Indeed, by not loving him, you are betraying all of us. Love him Sayuri. Be with him. And be happy. I will see you when you finally cross over, my love.'"

Sayuri scanned Firus' eyes for any disgust or negativity and found only empathy, and compassion. "The next day, I told you how I felt, and you fell silent. When I started to walk away, embarrassed to high heaven, you grabbed my shoulder, spun me around and kissed me. Passionately, slow, and lovingly. Right then I knew that Ren was telling the truth. And you know the rest."

She buried her head against his chest and asked "Do you still love me, even knowing what I went through, and who I loved?"

Firus wrapped his arms around her tighter and started to stroke her head fur. "Sayuri..." he whispered. "It hurts that you even ask me that. The only reason in your story that anyone could ever deny you for, was loving your brother. And not only is that not a problem for me, but according to you, he said that we all three would be together and be happy." He raised her head so he could stare into her eyes. "Sayuri, of course I still love you. Nothing could change that. In fact, if nothing else, I owe your brother my deepest gratitude for taking care of you, and making sure you got through that part of your life. I love you Sayuri, and I always will." He kissed her gently, trying to express all his love in that single moment.

Sayuri broke the kiss and touched her forehead to his. "I love you too Firus." She changed her voice to a slightly more seductive tone. "And right now, I'm going to prove it to you."

The moon shining in from their window gave them ample light as she blew out the lantern.

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Tabol was sitting at his desk, doing some of the paperwork that allowed the Temple to be active while he waited for the party to awake. He heard the door open and close, he looked up briefly and saw the wolf and fox pair come in. "Ah, Firus, there you are. Where's Sayuri? And why aren't you wearing any clothes?"

"I would assume that she's still in bed with my brother. And I'm afraid I don't have any clothes."

Tabol's head jerked up to face the wolf. "She's in bed with Kanto?! Wha..." He looked closer at the wolf's eyes. "Wait a minute. Kanto?"

Kanto grinned and nodded his head.

Tabol practically leaped around his desk to pull him into his arms. "My gods boy. What... How..."

Kanto returned the embrace then pulled away, grabbing Hatako's hand and looking into her eyes. "Magic." He said simply.

The head wol looked from one to the other. "Well I'll be damned. I knew that she could actually use the magic, I knew that there was something going on with you two. But never in a thousand years did I think..."

Hatako stopped him. "And neither did he. I did it on my own whim, for my own reasons. I didn't even know it was a dream of his until it was done. The spell is only supposed to be temporary, however with a second spell, I made his new form permanent."

Tabol looked at her, and then looked at Kanto again. "Kanto, I hope you got on your knees and thanked her profusely."

Hatako spoke before Kanto could open his mouth. "Oh, he did." She looked out of the corner of her eyes at Kanto. "Getting on his knees and everything. All night long."

Tabol stared at her with a shocked expression, which caused both Kanto and Hatako to sprout smiles on their faces. "Well... I... You..."

He looked up at the door. "Firus, so nice of you to save me. I mean, join us."

Firus stopped just a little ways inside the door, and held Sayuri behind the cover it provided. "It would be nice if I knew who we were joining." He said with a low growl in his throat.

Kanto looked at him. "Let's just say my lower self won out." He said with a smirk.

Firus blinked and did a double-take. "Oh my goddess, Kanto." He reached forward and pulled his brother to him. "How is this possible?"

Kanto hugged his brother close to him, "Magic." He said.

Sayuri stepped inside he room and saw he two wolves hugging. "Kanto?"

"Yes, It's me." He replied.

Firus stepped away from Kanto, and looked at Hatako. "You did this to him?"

"On my own whim, and for my own reasons. But he asked- Hey!" She screamed as he picked her up in his arms and kissed her. When Firus put her down again she continued, "But he asked me to make this form permanent so I did."

"Thank you." He said. He looked at Kanto, "You better have-"

Kanto cut him off. "We've already been through that, and I did. And if it weren't for the waterfall you would have heard me doing so all night long."

Firus laughed. "At least you behaved yourself." He said with a wink.

Kanto laughed with his brother. "Anyway, I believe you had something to tell us Tabol?"

Tabol cleared his throat. "Indeed. Firus, some of the priests here did tests on the knife you brought to us. A few even ventured to perform the rituals to ask questions direct of the gods, which is not something we do lightly. It can lead to insanity, coma, or several other things. But we found out that the knife is indeed magic. And we found that the magic used to make it was not wild. But, probably the most disturbing thing we found out about it is that, while there are a decent number of these kind of knives that have survived being around for thousands of years, this one was created recently."

Firus looked skeptical. "How recently?"

Tabol looked confused. "Actually, we think it was made two months ago. Approximately twenty years after the last truly arcane magic disappeared."