Crisis of Power, Chapter 5

Story by FrostDragon on SoFurry

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#5 of Crisis of Power


After a long wait, here it is, the next chapter.

if you're under 18 years of age, leave.

CHAPTER 5

I was shaking in my sandals...Amber and I stood on Jordan's doorstep, waiting for him to answer the door. He'd gotten himself a really nice dorm at the local business college, and it was, like, 5 in the morning or something...I yawned and rubbed my eyes.

"Aw c'mon Tony, do you know what time it is?"

"Yeah...tooearly o'clock."

"Jordan has the day free, what better time to show him?"

"We don't know--"

"You called him last night, he said he didn't have anything to do and wasn't planning to do anything."

"But we could've waited...like, 5 more hours or somthing..."

"We need--" She broke off as the door opened. Of course, Amber stood slightly behind me since I was Jordan's better friend.

"Hey guys..." He yawned and ran his hand through his dark hair. "Something up or..."

"Nothing much, just, y'know, you had nothing to do today..." I said, and he rolled his eyes and yawned again.

"Early bird gets the worm but the late bird gets the cake the early bird rushed over. Couldn't this have waited, like, 5 more hours or something?"

I sideglanced at Amber and she rolled her eyes. "We just...well, we need to show you something pretty damn important."

"Is this time-dated material or something?"

"Not really."

"Then why the early start?" he asked me, and I looked sideways at Amber without moving my head and he got the message. "Nevermind...I'm up, you're up...come in. Nevermind the mess, had a study group here two days ago and just got done with my papers right before you called." He tightened his robe as we walked past into his room.

"Robe...that'll make this easier," I heard Amber think to herself.

"Amber, c'mon, does he really need to strip?"

"Yes, unfortunately. I'm about as thrilled about it as you are, Tony. Seeing you naked is one thing, but this is gonna be hard for me."

"For you?! Amber, he and other guys are gonna think I'm gay or something, stripping in front of them! It was one thing stripping for you, but the fact I'm here is gonna make it all the worse for him!"

"Dragons long ago didn't care about gender, it's something we'll need to overcome if everyone's gonna be clustered together in that cave."

"Dammit, do you always hafta be right?"

"I'm a girl and your mate, of course I'm always right."

Jordan yawned again and stretched. "You guys, uh, want some breakfast or somethin'?"

"Actually, breakfast sounds good," I said, and felt Amber's curious glance and directed my thoughts to her. "Comfort zone, Amber, let him serve us and feel more at ease before we break it."

"Any particulars?"

"Eggs and bacon?" I asked, looking at Amber, and she nodded. Jordan grinned.

"Luckily for you guys I got the thick crunchy strips of bacon last night. I likes me mah meat." We both laughed and he went to the fridge at the far end of the room by the small stove and took out a carton of eggs and some packages of bacon strips. He quickly got the pans buttered. "So, uh, what's this super-important thing you had to tell me at...wow, 6:18 in the morning?"

"We'll tell you after we've eaten, it's better on a full stomach," Amber said, looking over the flowers on his table. "Who gave you these? They're pretty!"

Jordan gave a half-grin and scratched at the scanty goatee on his chin, his dog-like ears tracking the sounds outside the door. "My new girlfriend...she and I have been secretly going with each other since 11th grade and we found each other a month ago." He cracked a few more eggs and stirred them into the scramble already cooking. "She was at the study group and afterwards we had a little...special night. Nothing sexual, mind you, if either of us did that we'd get kicked out and de-funded. Very tempting that night, but we both have a bit too much at stake right now." He scraped the pan and turned the eggs over. "You might know her...Susan Garsim?"

"Susan...Susan..." Amber thought back. "Oh yeah...human-Lab hybrid? Blond?"

"Yep, that's my Susan...apparently she's adjuncting the high-school business courses."

I sat back a bit. "That reminds me, how's that grant coming?"

He sighed. "Well...they tell me I have a lot of potential in business strategery, but they don't like me being so flexible in my stances on matters; they want me to be bull-headed when I come to a conclusion. Kinda stupid; with money, you hafta be flexible. Only took five minutes for the last major depression to fly into effect." He hissed sharply and sucked on his finger as the bacon spat on him. "Shit, that hurts...But as for the grant, they're willing to give me 25 percent more than what I asked for because I spotted a potential hazard their 'expert teams' completely overlooked."

After breakfast, he leaned back in his chair. "Soooo...now that we've eaten, what's this super-important thing?" He saw our faces and his smile went away. "Something pretty serious, huh?"

"Could be life-threatening..."

His joking grin came back. "What, Tony wants to marry you and you're looking for a second opinion?"

We both laughed and I set my glass down. "Actually...well, we're already..."

His eyes widened. "Wait, you two...did you..."

Amber cleared her throat. "Yes, Jordan, we're mates. How so, that's part of what we need to reveal to you." She leaned on the table towards him and lowered her voice. "This is a huge secret, Jordan, one that could threaten not only your life but ours and countless others."

He just stared at her. "What are you, a government spy or something?" Amber looked at the table. "Oh shit...you're not serious?"

"You've heard of Project Dragonsearch, right?" I asked, and he nodded. "Before we go any further, we need your word that no matter what we reveal here, you won't totally freak out, okay?"

"Uhhhh....okay, if it's life-threatening..."

Amber cleared her throat again. "It may come as a shock, Jordan, but Project Dragonsearch is not some random surplus-expenditure...their targets are real. And you could be one of them. All three of us could be targets."

His blank face slowly changed to confusion. "Wait...hang on here, you're saying...dragons are real? And that I'm a dragon?"

"May be hard to believe, but we can prove it...though, it's a bit embarrassing..."

He smirked, obviously not believing us. "Well, go ahead and prove it."

"We have your word you won't freak out," I reminded him, and he shrugged. His shrug stopped when Amber stood up and slipped off her shirt.

"Whoa hey, what the hell?!"

I clapped my hand over his mouth. "SHH!! If someone hears and finds this, we could be killed!"

"I could get expelled if she's caught naked in my room!" he said, prying my hand off his mouth. "Amber, what the fuck is going on?!"

"I'm sorry, Jordan, but this is part of proving ourselves." She kicked off her panties and I could tell that even though he was shocked at this, Jordan obviously liked naked girls. His eyes almost popped from his head when a second later, instead of my vixen girlfriend standing there, a silver-scaled dragoness with long, graceful translucent-skinned wings kicked her clothes to the side. "Now will you believe us?"

For almost a minute he just gaped at her, gasping for words like a fish out of water. He turned to me, his face pale. "Tony...this is a joke, right?"

I stood up and held my arm off to the side, relocating my clothes onto my arm as I shifted into my dragon form. "No, Jordan, this is not a joke. We're here to help you awaken your inner dragon and join us in rebelling against our out-of-control leaders."

He just sat there, gaping at us in total disbelief. "So...so all those games...and you two talking about dragons all the time..."

Amber sighed. "That was me trying to convince Tony, but he didn't get it until, like you just saw, I stripped and changed right in front of him."

Jordan shook his head, unable to take this in. I was scared...he could blow our cover, this could be the end of a friendship...but at length he stood up with a determined sigh. "Alright, I'll play this game. If I am a dragon, what do I do?"

I smirked as I felt Amber's mind stop...she hadn't planned this completely. "Well...okay, which of us do you feel more comfortable with?"

"Tony, you don't know how to do the call." I stepped aside and Amber approached Jordan. "This may seem really, really awkward but...in dragon culture, a sign of trust is to, as we've just done, take off your clothes. Clothes are seen as defensive, and if you trust someone, why feel you need protection?"

Jordan's face went beet-red. "Guys, this isn't funny. I'm not stripping in front of either of you."

"So you don't trust us?" I asked. "I'll turn around if it'll make you more comfortable, or I could step into your bathroom."

He hesitated, and with a sigh he untied his robe. "I did say I'd play this game..."

"Off with the boxers."

"Why?"

"You see Tony or me with ours on? Besides, this is also a precaution. If you do succeed in transforming...well, when I first did it I almost set the house on fire with my shirt."

"Eesh..." He looked down and blushed deeply at the tent in his shorts. "Ah dammit..."

"She's used to it," I said, and she shot me a glare and I stuck my tongue at her teasingly. Jordan hesitantly kicked off his shorts...now I was uncomfortable; I'd always hated the boy's locker rooms. But, seeing how it was a trust issue I steadied myself. Jordan just stared at the floor, and to his surprise his erection went away like mine had.

"Yep, dragon power at work," Amber said. "Now, this gets even more nerve-wracking but after this it gets far better." She closed her eyes and Jordan stepped back in fear as she felt his shoulders. She stopped on certain spots. "Okay, got it. Now, put your hands on my shoulders and mimic my hand placements. And no, this isn't anything sexual, I've already got Tony for that." Helpless, Jordan did as told, and he suddenly gasped loudly when his fingers hit the same spots on her shoulders as she had on his. "Okay! Good! I thought Tony was gonna be the only easy call." She stepped back and Jordan looked at his arms...apparently he was feeling something there. "Okay...this was the longest part with Tony, you need to find yourself. That's the best I can put it. Try to find your inner dragon that has just been awakened."

She turned when I put my hand on her shoulder. "Let me try something." I walked up to him and put my hands on his head. "This may not work...but I'm gonna try to project my memory into you and see if that can give you a better starting point than what I had...which was nothing."

"Hey! I tried at least!"

I laughed. "I know, Amber, I'm being mean." I closed my eyes...and recalled the memory...and Jordan apparently felt my memory being revealed to him.

"Will it work though?" she asked as I stepped back. "It's different for everyone."

"It's something at least, it may help, it may not."

We watched as Jordan searched inside himself...now that he didn't have clothes, I saw that he was more husky than I'd thought was in him---his lower body had longer hair, and his lower legs were a bit more animal than mine were. I'd always seen it but it never really sank in until now---he had a tail. Wow...ever had one of those moments where something has been there for a while and you only just notice, and then you feel incredibly stupid afterwards? Here he was, one of my best friends, and only just now had I actually taken to mind that he had a tail. Amber was mentally laughing at me though she gave no outward sign as she and I both watched him. Jordan's eyes clenched tightly, and the next thing we knew he had morphed into a red-scaled dragon, with pale-yellow belly-scales fading through orange to the red of the rest of his body. His wings bore two sets of sharp blade-like scales on the outer edges, and the translucent skin of his wings glittered with a metallic sheen befitting the deep-gold color. He opened his eyes and pure wonder and amazement washed over his face as he looked himself over. Like me, he had a row of spines running along his back, which he found he could fold flush against his back. He ran his hands over his wings, flexing the new fingers and feeling the whole new muscular system jutting from his back. He looked at us, his mouth hanging loose, and Amber and I just grinned triumphantly.

"So, believe us now?" she thought to him, and he looked at her oddly.

"Wait, you...I can hear your thoughts?"

"Jordan, remember how you kept thinking you were hearing things around me?" I asked mentally, and realization entered his eyes.

"So...it wasn't just me..." He looked over himself again, suddenly excited. "Oh my gosh...wow...I can't believe this but...wow..." A thought entered his mind and he looked at us again. "You two said you were mated? I don't understand that...how does it pertain to dragons?"

Amber looked at me shyly and I cleared my throat. "Well...uhhh...well...okay, maybe some background on the situation...we were attacked in the woods by Dragonsearch soldiers, and they gassed Amber and I had to kill them to protect us both. Afterwards I hid us both in a cave and when she came to, well..." I could feel myself going red in the face. "I don't know how it happened but, we ended up sharing each others' firebreath and somehow...we were joined."

"How so?"

Amber motioned for us to sit down. "Okay, here's the really basic scoop behind Project Dragonsearch in answer to your question. Dragons lived long ago, we're living proof. The planet flows with its own energy source that was channelled through dragons, like lightbulbs in a circuit. Take out the lightbulbs, where does the energy go without an outlet? The planet has been containing that energy. Now, once all dragons are eradicated, the planet will supposedly enter a 'Power Age', in which something, we don't know what, will happen, but in the end the planet will end up disintegrating. The energy of this planet---for centuries called 'magic' because people don't understand it---runs in lines, interconnected between everything, and all of us are vertices in that complex web. Tony...basically, he summed it up by saying that, on that night, our two vertices became a single point." She leaned on me with a happy grin. "And no one else in the world could possibly match him."

There was a loud knock on the door and we all jumped. "YO!!! JOR TO THE DAN!!!"

Jordan blanched. "Oh shit..."

"Hide in the shower!" Amber hissed, and Jordan ran to the shower as I materialized our clothes on us and we shifted to our regular forms. I unlocked the door when Jordan got the shower running. A group of gangly teenagers stood there, dressed in overly-baggy clothes that were barely staying on their bodies. The one in front had about ten gold chokers around his neck, basically locking his head in one position unless he wanted a few lacerations.

"Yo, Jordan in here?"

"Sorry, he just got the shower started." Behind me, I felt Amber tense, and through our connection she told me these were undercover P.D. agents...the one addressing me had instructed her a few years ago. "He asked us not to let anyone in while he's getting ready."

They smirked. "Heh, still uptight about that test is he? Let 'im know we'll be by later." With that they walked off, and Amber sat down with her face in her hands.

"Oh my gosh...how did they know?!"

I rubbed her back comfortingly. "Hey, it's fine. I'll go get him situated as Jordan the husky and we'll put a blind eye to all this until later." She just nodded, obviously shaken by this, and I went into the bathroom. Jordan stood there staring at the water running from the showerhead, and sighed and looked at the floor when I approached him.

"Sorry, but I...I read your minds and..."

"Dude, we were gonna tell you anyway. But, don't go prying. Now, let's see about getting you back to being a husky hybrid." After a bit of focusing with my help he reverted back to his normal form, and I teasingly scruffed his hair and walked out. "He's set," I thought to Amber, and she grinned but stayed staring at the table.

"Tony...either that was coincidence, or P.D. somehow found us and we just narrowly escaped detection. That was way too close."

She stood up and I walked behind her and hugged her. "Hey pretty...it'll be fine. We'll get Jordan to the caves after his finals, and then we can continue." She turned around in my arms and buried her face against my shoulder, and I kissed her ear. "I know you're scared and jumpy with all this..."

"There's so much at stake, Tony..."

"I know. The fate of the world, the fate of the dragon race..." I looked over at the bathroom door and mentally called. "Hey, Jordan! When're you done here?"

"Middle of next month is the decision for the grants," he replied. I gritted my teeth...his business mind would potentially be a good asset to our cause, but he was really into his education. Amber nuzzled me for comfort and I gently pulled her down onto the couch nearby and just held her close. Why she was freaking out so much about this, I had no idea...but then again, I didn't know half of what I should have in regards to Project Dragonsearch and dragons in general; Amber had a far better handle on just how serious this was. Finally Tony finished his shower and came out with a towel around his waist, using a smaller one to dry his hair. "So...what's the plan for the rest of the day?" he asked as he passed us to the folded piles of clothes on his counter.

"I dunno...Amber's the one with all the plans." I let her go as she moved to sit up.

"Well...we'd take you to our secret hideout, but it's about half a day into the mountain range to the north of here."

"Secret hideout?" Inside I prayed this conversation would remain mental and not spill into verbal discussion. "What is it, a cave or something?"

"In the more dangerous parts of the range..."

He picked up a pair of underwear, and stopped to consider. He smirked. "Ah, what the hell? Trust, right?" He dropped the towel and kicked it to the side, and slipped into his clothes for the day. An idea popped into his head and he looked at us. "Hey...uhh...think, think maybe Susan could be a dragon?"

Amber sighed. "I honestly don't know. Tony's more 'receptive' than I am; he can feel other 'shrouded' dragons nearby."

"Shrouded?"

"With the decline in dragon power, a dark veil has formed between natural dragons and the world's connection, inhibiting me from knowing where they are. Tony, though...he seems to be able to see through that veil in tiny pieces, enough to tell that someone is a dragon."

"Well, should I invite her over? She's got nothing much to do today, and it'd be a win-win...if she's a dragon, chalk one up. If she's not...well, chalk one up for me, my wallet's aching for a steak dinner for two."

Amber and I laughed, and shared the same thought. "Yeah, go ahead. Why not?" With that Jordan went to his phone and Amber and I cuddled on the couch while he called Susan. He hid our intentions with the guise of a study session, and ten minutes later there was a gentle knock on the door. Inside, I grinned as Susan walked in...behind that slight golden fuzz on her limbs and the long brown hair hanging over her shirt and jeans, I sensed a dragon. Amber nodded to Jordan and I felt her send a mental "yes" to him.

Three hours later, Amber and I biked home as fast as we could through the rain; a popcorn thunderstorm had sprung up. I just now realized, I haven't described our community, but I can sum it up by saying we can bike everywhere, and it's only about five or so miles to the mountain park entrance where we started our secret-hideout search. Our whole lives we've biked wherever we've needed to go. With that out of the way, Amber and I had fun pedalling as fast as we could and just gliding, sometimes having to readjust our bikes suddenly when the tires hydroplaned. We finally arrived home, soaking wet, with a count of two more dragons on our tally. Amber was ecstatic, and while she and I dried each other off in my room she kept going on and on about what we could do next.

"I could teach you and Jordan and Susan how to do the call and then we could branch out after you've found other dragons...we should go to the mall and hang out in a store and grab peoples' addresses..."

I laughed and hugged her tight. "Easy, foxy! Damn, when you get excited you just pour! Let's just take it easy right now...and get your fur brushed." I just had a towel around my waist because I was a bit chilly, and I sat on the bed and Amber sat on my left leg while I brushed her fur.

"I'm sorry, Tony," she laughed, brushing her hair back, "I'm just...ooooo! It's so exciting!" Her clenched hands were shaking in excitement and her thighs tensed around my leg as she squealed to herself. "It's just so cool knowing we're not on our own!" She pressed her hands on my knee as she leaned forward, giving me better access to her back. "Mmmm...oh, right there under the shoulderblades...ohoooo yeeeah..." Her claws dug into my knee and my leg involuntarily jerked up.

"Sorry...claws in the knee."

"Oops, sorry..." I kept brushing gently, and eventually Amber fell back against me with a content smile as I worked on her front, reaching around her. She sighed unhappily and looked up at me. "Tony...why don't you have fur?"

"What kind of question is that?"

"I dunno, I just...I feel guilty I can't do anything for you like you're doing for me right now..."

I just hugged her. "Hey, you're fine. I don't need anything." She smiled but I could tell she wasn't going to take that for an answer. Mrs. Nacyl knocked on the door and looked in, grinning when she saw us.

"Hey guys, just letting you know, we're going to the mall downtown, so you two have the house to yourselves."

"Okay Mom," Amber said, nuzzling backwards against me.

"Try not to burn the house down," she said, and we laughed and she closed the door. Eventually Amber and I were lying on the bed facing each other as I brushed her side. I petted her cheek and she smiled and hugged me.

"You have no idea how happy you make me, Tony," she whispered.

"Is this a come-on?" I asked jokingly, and she giggled and shook her head.

"No...but I've been thinking, we really should get married so it's official in this life and not just our secret life..."

"I was hoping you'd say that soon," I said, and she giggled as I ran my open hand over her face and along her head to her ear. She murred as I scratched her in her favorite place by the ear. "Oh hello, what's this?" Her eyes opened in confusion and she looked up as I brought my hand back down, and I grinned as her eyes widened, the ring in my fingers reflecting brightly in those light sapphires of hers. Her hand went to her mouth and she stared, watery-eyed, at the ring. I held her hands in mine. "Amber...what's your say? Will you agree to be my wife, not just my mate?"

"With every ounce of my being," she whispered, and I hugged her tight and she cried happily against my shoulder.

The ensuing week was chaotic...I thought Amber was joking about browsing the town with me, but it seems she was even more serious than that. In seven days we had a list of at least fifty-six others to dragon-ize, and had covered the mall, the college, and pretty much the entire neighborhood and surrounding area. I took down the names, Amber used her innate beauty and charm to derive information from others. A few guys tried to hit on her, but stopped when they realized she and I had similar engagement rings.

Finally, Sunday rolled around, and after going to church and discussing our marriage plans with the priest Amber dragged me through town yet again...this time, though, it was a shopping run, and she had my bike hitched up with the "buggy" as she termed it (she somehow thinks "buggy" is a cute term...) The thing was like one of those rolling child-ride things you attach to the bike and tow toddlers in. I had no idea what she had in mind, but something told me it was for the hideout. Sure enough, instead of her favorite haunts in the strip-mall with the small diners and clothes and games stores, we hit the hardware store and she bought about twenty small solar-powered halogen lamps, some heavy-duty harnesses and cables for us in our exploration, steel pegs for tying said cables, hammers, a sledgehammer (she let me carry that by hand), and some hardhats with lanterns on the front.

"And how...are we gonna...carry all this...up there?" I panted as I pedalled behind her. She kick-flipped the bike 180 degrees and started riding backwards---that always freaked me out but I still had yet to see her fall.

"We'll manage, but I'm gonna rope Jordan and Susan into it. More muscle-power." She flashed me a mental note, "You've noticed dragons are far stronger than humans and furries, right? It won't be that hard now that we're not expending more energy searching for the cave." She flipped the bike back around but fell back so she was riding next to me. The solar-powered lamps weren't all that heavy, but twenty at once along with the cables, steel pegs, and hammers...and the hill leading up to our neighborhood...what a bitch. I don't mean Amber, but I was close to thinking that right about then as she pulled ahead to get the way ready for us. Damn, how I wished I had a car or even just a driver's license...

After an exhausting fifteen minutes getting everything ready to transport to the mountains, I dragged myself upstairs and just stood in the shower...oh man, how good that warm water felt on my sore muscles...wanting to lie down and relax I closed the drain and let the tub fill while I stood there. Suddenly, I heard the door open and felt Amber tiptoe in, and I pulled back the curtain to find her, as usual, completely in the nude. "Something up?"

She just smiled and shook her head, stepping towards the shower. "Okay if I come in there with you?"

"Sure I guess..." I stepped aside and she stepped in and closed the curtain. "What's this about?"

"Just...wanted to thank you for putting up with me today..." She kissed me and as tired and cranky as I was after the ride I couldn't help but relax at that and she murred as I wrapped my arms around her. Our kiss deepened and I felt my penis stiffen against her wet fur, and she grinned against my mouth and spread her legs a bit. She turned away from me and braced herself on the wall, leaning forward and lifting her tail. She looked over her shoulder at me and shook her hips invitingly, and I just couldn't resist her. I heard a soft moan of pleasure escape her lips as her tight depths spread around my now rock-hard erection. She was so soft and warm...I reached around her front and fondled her breasts as I thrust into her, and she murred and flicked my chest encouragingly with her tail. It felt so good...pretty soon I was almost pushing her into the wall, and she kept pushing back on me, yelping and begging me to go harder. Not wanting to hurt her I picked her up and turned her around quickly, and before she could react I slid her down and penetrated her again. She wrapped her legs around my hips and I grabbed her thighs, and we lost ourselves in a deep kiss as my hips went into autopilot.

"Mmmph...Amber...I'm..."

"Yes! Tony..."

"I'm gonna drop you..."

"Oh...please...don't stop!" she pleaded. I braced her against the wall and pushed hard into her, feeling her velvet tunnel squeezing my penis tight as she moaned and panted. "Tony...harder...please, harder; oooh...feels so good..."

I rammed myself into her and she arched her back and sat up on me as she yipped, those heavenly juices of hers dripping down my cock each time I pulled out of her as her insides massaged my member. She panted heavily, moaning, and her hand wandered up and started squeezing and rubbing her breasts. As hazed as I was with bliss and pleasure, I took over for her and leaned down a bit. She gasped and grabbed my shoulders as I lightly nipped at her hardened nipples, pressing them between my teeth and getting a pleasured twitch inside her each time. She shrieked again as she came, and I couldn't hold back any longer as her vagina milked me for my seed. It felt so good, I didn't realize I was moaning loudly as I finally came inside her. We just stood there, the water pouring on us from the showerhead, panting into each others' mouths in our afterglow. Finally I set her down, and she murred in disappointment as my cock slipped out of her. After washing each other off (Amber enjoyed me paying extra attention to her hair and breasts) we headed back to my room to comb her fur...but she had more in mind; apparently my reward wasn't fully paid. As she lay against me while I brushed her front, her hand found its way to my malehood.

"What're you doing?" I asked a bit playfully, trying not to pull too hard at a knot right below her breast.

"Oh, I dunno..." Her soft hand made me go stiff again, and she snickered. "Just wanted to...try something..." I kept brushing, trying to be nonchalant as her fingers wrapped around my girth and she started caressing my length, but she had the magic touch...a minute later she was kneeling in front of me while I leaned back, trying not to thrust into her hands as she jacked me off. She smirked at me and before my pleasure-addled mind could react my penis was enveloped in her warm mouth, her tongue slowly, agonizingly exploring me. It felt sooooo good...and then she started sucking on me and slowly pulling herself back and forth, running her teeth gently along my cock. We both knew she had no real idea what she was doing, but we were enjoying it so much we could care less. Those adorable eyes of hers kept glancing up at me and she smirked when she saw my face...I was in a realm of total bliss, and it only kept getting better as she sucked harder. My cock started throbbing and I couldn't hold back the pleasured moaning in my throat, and she went faster and harder, pushing me right to the edge with a loud yell as I finally released my cum in her eager mouth. She murred and took as much of my member into her mouth as she could, and through my haze I could just barely feel her tongue flicking all over my penis...apparently she really liked the taste of my cum. I fell back on the bed, panting as she slowly cleaned me off, and she crawled onto the bed and draped herself over me with a smile, running her fingers slowly through my hair by my ear.

"That was awesome..." I whispered, and she giggled and kissed me.

"Just for you." She curled up on me and I held her tight. "I love you so much, Tony...I don't wanna know where I'd be without you." We just stayed there on the bed for a while as I gently rocked her back and forth on me, and next thing I knew she was asleep. It was growing close to 6:00, I needed to go help mom get a surprise dinner going for the Nacyls, so I carefully rolled Amber over onto my bed and pulled the covers over her. She was just so beautiful...I couldn't help running my hand a few times through her hair before I left. I put on some loose carpenter pants and my open-front shirt I habitually wore when grilling, and quietly closed the door behind myself, stealing a quick glimpse at my mate before heading downstairs.

Plans...life tends to be a funny thing. Amber did indeed rope Jordan and Susan into helping us lug all the stuff up to the cave, but the cool thing: Mr. Nacyl, the man of many links, had located some other underground anti-P.D. helpers, and they helped us transport the goods to the cave. Even cooler---there were five of them, and three were dragons! Amber used this opportunity to teach me "the call"...and soon we were no longer four, but seven. The other two, I was afraid they'd be jealous, but they were so awestruck they pledged their allegiance to us right then and there. It was very, very awkward; they treated Amber and me like a king and queen, insisting on kissing our hands, but when things settled down it felt really good to know we had friends out there. But, that was about the only good thing that happened in the next two weeks, aside from what happened when we were ambushed. Dragonsearch apparently kept a tally of their members, and the soldiers I'd dispatched not too long ago were replaced by twice their number, this time with swords made of the same material as the knives that had scarred my wing. What they weren't counting on was my insane expertise with weaponry, or the fact that my hide was too strong for bullets. I had to kill two of them to save us, but somehow, I disarmed the others...and to my knowledge, I have no idea how, but I talked them out of Dragonsearch and even somehow erased their memory of Dragonsearch just by talking to them. Amber was scared of me, but also very proud...that pride was probably what got her through the rest of the two weeks as hell just loosed itself on us. She was coming into heat...you probably know what that means. I had a sex-crazed vixen for a mate. I would've given in to her every need, but on her first day of her heat I was called to a court hearing that afternoon. Amber was infuriated...not only was I not there for her like I told her I'd be, but this psychotic girl had confused me for someone else and was demanding I repay her a good 50 thousand callors for an insult during a supposed "intimate night". Amber thought I'd been seeing another when she heard about it, but the incident took place while we were in the mountains...it took me quite some time to talk some sense into her, and by then I had a nice tattoo of bandages on my arm from her claws. I wanted to be with her that night, but she wanted to cool off from her fit so I slept in the hallway. The following days were a mess as well...I was the only one in the house that knew CPR and basic life-saving techniques, and what happens when someone brings a car into our community? He sideswipes a bicyclist, right outside our house. Being the one who responded to the scene, and having seen what happened, I had to accompany the rider to the hospital and then give the police a detailed report...which wouldn't've taken so damn long if they hadn't forgotten I was sitting in the office for half a day. Amber wasn't happy when I got home, but neither was I and it was a very quiet, lonesome night. The rest of the week was filled with random crap that kept me away from home...

Finally, things settled down, and Dad took us to a special place I'd booked while at the police office. I sat in the back seat of the rental with Amber...she was still a bit miffed with me, but also at herself for being so unrealistic with my absences and especially the false affair. She sat there, staring out the window, and sighed as she saw the scenery change from flat grassy land to rolling hills. "Where're we going?" she asked, looking at me, and I just grinned.

"Oh, we'll just hafta see..."

"You and your secrets..." She sighed again and looked out the window, and I gently stroked her tail. Her thighs tightened and she uttered a restrained groan...it was back again. Dad glanced in the rearview mirror and smirked.

"You two can settle her heat if you want..." he said with his joking grin and we both stared daggers at him.

"Being naked is one thing, but I'm not so desperate I'd start making out in the same car my father-in-law is driving."

"I won't look...I'll just get the camera here..." He reached to the passenger seat and took out a camera, pointing it at us and laughing.

"Dad, please, it's not all that funny..."

"I know, I'm being cruel. But the camera is for you two, figured you might like some snapshots of your trip." I reached forward and took it from his hand, and Amber and I spent about fifteen minutes looking it over and messing around with the settings. Holography was still fairly new, but becoming incredibly common, and the preview screen on the camera had a holographic display that would show what you're looking at in 3D, to better line up shots. It also had a 10-slot holo card to boot...

"Hey, let's try the holopics," I said, and pointed the camera at Amber. She gave a silly smile and it came out very well in the display. She took it from me and grimaced.

"I look like a total dork..."

I looked at it again and grinned. "Nah..."

"Yes I do! I look like an idiot!"

"Well, if you're so dead-set on that, guess you're my idiot."

"Well...now that you mention it...that is a pretty good pic of me..." Dad laughed and I rolled my eyes...girls made no sense at all at times. We spent the rest of the ride taking and deleting practice pictures...but kept the one of Dad's hilarious face he made in the mirror when he realized the camera was pointed his way. Mom would probably have a laughing fit...finally we reached our destination, but I had Amber close her eyes while I blindfolded her. She didn't like it, but couldn't help grinning in anticipation as I carried her to the building. I set her down and pulled off the blindfold, and her hands went to her mouth... "Tony...no you didn't!"

"Five-night reservation for two here at Lorcasa Falls and Caverns," I said triumphantly, hugging her from behind. She just stood there, holding onto my arms and staring in awe at the wide-open lobby building around us. An attendant approached us with a smile...she was a pretty lioness-human hybrid with some silver streaks of fur and bright gold eyes.

"Are you the Ralos couple?"

"Yes we are," I said, not letting go of Amber. "Reserve number 52-31-A67."

She took out a holographic pad and punched in the numbers, then nodded with another smile. "Would you like to see your room first, or explore the falls and caverns?"

"Room first?" Amber said, looking up at me, and I shrugged. It was her call, and the lioness led us off to the side through a large set of thick glass doors. Here was the dining area, and it was fairly busy, but the lodging building was past all this, right by the falls. A quick elevator and a convenient baggage cart took us to our room in hardly any time, and I couldn't help smiling as Amber wandered into the room in sheer awe. The far wall was solid glass, looking out over a very scenic spot of the falls. Thanks to the digital walkthrough of the lodging provided on their website, I'd selected this room simply for the view---the rooms were all the exact same layout, just different vantage points. Amber walked by the beds, testing them, and I went over and stood by her.

"You like?"

She threw herself on me with a delighted squeal and hugged me tight. "Oh Tony!! This is just too awesome!!" She held on tight as I spun her around, and she nuzzled against my face and I kissed her quickly.

"Just wanted to apologize for all this shit going on when you needed me...could also be a honeymoon in case something forces us into hiding after our marriage. And speaking of which..." She stood by me as I reached into my pocket. "I don't know how your dad does it but...with your permission, given our circumstances, the priest we talked to will, well...he just so happens to be here this weekend..." I said suggestively, and her eyes almost popped out of her head and she gasped. "So...sound good to you?"

"YES!!" she shouted excitedly, and I yelled in surprise as she tackled me onto the bed behind us and hugged me tight, tears running through her fur. An idea popped into her mind and she sat up with a worried espression. "But...our parents are gonna want to be here..." I didn't respond but her face went from worried to astonished as her eyes searched mine. "You bastard!" she laughed. "You think of everything!"

"Hey, I know how to please my girl," I replied with a smug grin, running my hand through her hair and then scratching her in her favorite place behind the ear.

That night, while Amber was treated to the "curing" room---manicures, pedicures, etc., non-guy stuff---I sought out the priest and found him and Mr. Nacyl conversing in the dining area. Amber hadn't wanted our union to be a big huge event, just a casual family-friends event, which made the planning a hell of a lot easier. Usually the girl's family plans the event, and Mr. and Mrs. Nacyl had planned quite a bit with help from Amber's aunts and uncles, but one thing had been overlooked almost entirely---ringbearers. I was rapidly trying to think of someone who might help with that when another lioness came up and caught my attention.

"Excuse me, Mr. Ralos?"

"Yes?"

"Well, I uhh...I'm still a fans of yours from your basketball career, and I just noticed a friend of yours is here. Umm..." She looked at her pad. "Jordan?"

My mouth dropped. "Jordan's here?! Where is he?!"

"I'll take you to him." I excused myself from the table and followed her. "I couldn't help but overhear your discussion there and thought this might help," she said as she led me down a hallway to the outer lobby area.

"I hope it does! Jordan's about the only one local that I could ask for ringbearer."

She giggled and led me up a sweeping staircase to the meeting room areas. We wandered into an empty room and I looked at her curiously. She looked confused. "They must've left or something..."

"Who left?" came a familiar voice, and a black-vested Jordan stood up, accidentally hitting his head on the table. "Ouch! Dammit..."

"Are you okay sir?" the lioness asked, and Jordan nodded, rubbing his head and putting his dropped notepad into his pocket.

"I've taken harder hits on my own..." He caught sight of me and froze. "Tony?!" He raced up and punched me in the shoulder with a grin. "What're you doing here?!"

I rubbed my neck and looked around a bit nervously. "Well, things have been hell up until now and I saved a room here to apologize to Amber...and, well..."

He eyed me, nodding with a sly grin. "Ahaaaa...I think I see what's going on here..." He looked at the lioness standing by me. "But why'd you bring him here?"

"He has an issue he hopes you might be able to help with.." She stood back, nodding to me, and I smirked and pulled the ring out of my pocket. She and Tony eyed me oddly when I knelt to Jordan, holding the ring.

"Will you be our ringbearer?" I asked, but broke out laughing with them at how ridiculous this looked. Jordan helped me up and punched me in the shoulder again.

"Are you serious? You two are marrying?"

"Yep! Amber's in the curing room and we're finalizing the event while she's occupied."

"I'd love to be the ringbearer, but first I gotta clear it with Susan. I don't expect a 'no', though, seeing how she and Amber are kinda close friends."

"Oh thanks, Jordan, you're the best! But...come to think of it, how're you here with Susan? I thought you had some big project?"

Jordan snorted and laughed. "I did, but I just finished a meeting with the manager here, he wanted my insight into a possible venture. Figured I'd bring Susan along and give her a treat."

I noticed the lioness standing there, looking a little anxious. "If you have somewhere to go, you can."

"Nah, actually, I need help finding my room again," Jordan said, blushing a bit, and she laughed.

"Okay, follow me. Glad I was able to help with the wedding plans," she said to me with a smile, and I followed them out of the room and backtracked to the dining area. Jordan found us later and gave the all-clear, and he just barely slipped out as Amber returned. Holy crap...goddess alert! Quite a few heads turned as she padded over to our table, and she sighed and fell onto my lap, resting her head on my shoulder.

"Okay, Tony, I've had enough catering, you go find yourself something."

"You sure? I want you to have a good time."

"It'll be better for me knowing you've done something," she said with a grin, kissing me. "You eaten yet? I don't smell food on your breath."

We all laughed...that wasn't something you hear often. "Actually, I haven't...but I was gonna get something when you got back."

"No, you stay here, I'm gonna go be pretty at the counter and get you something. I think I've got a good handle on what you like." Heads kept turning as she wandered to the counter, and I grinned to myself...how had I managed to befriend the deity of beauty?

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How, indeed? :P there's more in store for them...