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"Nate?", Jacob calls for me, poking his head in through the door of Elrick's patient room where I have been recovering for the past five days since I woke from my week of unconsciousness.

"What?", I ask with irritation. It's not him, I haven't been able to sleep right since I woke.

"Breakfast.", he tells me, pointing behind himself. "The Old Man made eggs and bacon. Can you move?"

"Yeah.", I answered, struggling to sit up. "I like his taste. Nothing better than the classics."

I slowly rose from the mattress and peeked out the small window in the room. The sun hung high and shined bright and brilliant.

Breakfast? It's the fucking afternoon.

I stood from the bed and shuffled my feet across the room to grab my cloths.

Most of my body was still wrapped in bandages. I had to use a crutch to get around for the first few days. As it turns out, according to Elrick, my injuries were much more severe than I originally thought. My left leg had been fractured in the grip of the grizzly bear. As I guessed, several ribs had been broken, seven to be exact, three on my right side and four on my left. I did have a concussion which initially lead to what I assumed was a coma until Elrick confirmed it. Thankfully, temporary. The four gashes in my chest from the smuggler boss' claws were especially life threatening. Go figure. He didn't dig into my vital organs or veins but the cuts themselves bled enough, it should have drained me. Elrick says it is, by definition, a miracle I survived. He also mentioned a "probability" of how but he refuses to tell either me or Jacob, he says he'll inform us when he's positive.

I slipped my sweater over my head and strained as my arms went into the sleeves. I leaned against the table Elrick sewed my sweater on to pull my pants on. I got my bad leg in first then fell to my knees in agony when I tried to stand on it to get my other in. Jacob started to rush towards me to help but I held a hand up to stop him.

"I'm not helpless.", I told him.

I rolled onto my ass and slid my good leg into my pants. My hands buttoned and zipped them up and I began taking my time lifting myself to my feet. I stood and limped out of the room with Jacob.

On the other side of the door, we stood in a large open room. There was a wooden, four-legged table in the center where Elrick sat, eating his food next to two other plates meant for us. I looked around as Jacob took his seat.

Filled book shelves and desks crowded with paper work lined the walls alongside several different cabinets. A doorless doorway on the other side of the room showed the physicians' lab filled with beakers, tubes, strange looking liquids and other crap I don't recognize. Binders filled with more scribbled papers scattered across the benches and occupied space underneath them and a large metal table most of the glass instruments sat on.

There was a door on my left which I'm assuming to be the way out into the rest of the castle. Another doorway with no door on the wall to my right exposed a metal railing accompanied by a spiral set of declining stairs. Jacob tells me the bedrooms down there are amazing and, to make it convenient, there are three, Elrick's master bedroom and the two guest rooms, one of which Jacob had moved into. I haven't bothered to attempt going down those stairs.

"Ever consider spring cleaning, Elrick?", I asked, dragging my limp leg over to the table. I sat down and began to fork my eggs.

"I'm too old and busy to bother.", Elrick says, chewing his food. "But I suppose I have you two for that now. Worry not, lad, we'll wait till you've fully recovered."

"Oh boy.", I said, sarcastically, biting into my bacon and rotating a finger in the air. "What happened to mentoring this train wreck?", I asked, motioning to Jacob.

"We've already taken a jump start on it.", Jacob says while flipping me off. "Who do you think sewed you up?"

I swallowed my food, my jaw dropped and I stared at Elrick. "You let him stick a needle in me?", I complained, pointing at Jacob.

"Why not?", Elrick replies, looking back at me. "He learns fast and he did pretty well for his first attempt."

"I really did.", Jacob proudly gloats, pointing his fork at me. "Just wait 'till you see my handy work. Flawless."

"I wouldn't go that far.", Elrick states, glancing at him. "Nonetheless, thanks to your friend here, the physical scarring should be at a minimal."

"I never did ask how bad the permanent damage is.", I said to Elrick, fearing his diagnoses.

"Not as bad as it should be.", he told me, looking down at his plate as he chews. "At the rate your body is mending the wounds, you should fully recover within a month or so. However, you'll have a few nasty scars across your chest."

"Didn't you just say it'd be at a minimal?", Jacob questions, giving Elrick a funny look.

"Yes", Elrick answers, nodding, "I did."

"I can deal with it.", I said. "What's four more to add to the collection?"

"Don't let your mom see 'em.", Jacob tells me. "She'll have your ass."

"You don't need to tell me that.", I respond, waving my fork towards him.

Just then, there was a knock at the door. Jacob stood, still chewing his mixture of eggs, ranch and bacon, and walked over to open the door. The tiger knight who told me the reason of the smugglers' attack on the city stood straight with his shield and spear in hand.

"Anthony.", Elrick acknowledges him, wiping his mouth clean with a paper towel. "How can I help you this morning?"

"Well, actually, you can't.", he answers in his Irish accent. "But he can.", he nodded towards me.

Chewing my food, I gave him a weird look and raised my arms in question, fork still in hand.

"How can I be of service?", I asked with a fake, unenthusiastic sense of generosity.

"The king requests an audience.", he tells me. "I believe he'd like to straighten out the origin of our smuggler encounter with you, now that your capable."

"Uhhh.", I mumble with eggs and bits of bacon in my mouth. "Okay."

"Aye. Make your way to the court room when you have the opportunity.", Anthony says, nods to Elrick and walks out of sight.

"You're in trouble.", Jacob teases as he sits back down.

"You should go as well, Jacob.", Elrick tells him. "You were just as involved."

"Which means they'll probably call on Danny, too.", I mention, picking at the few pieces of egg left on my plate. "If they haven't already. This can't end well."

"Don't be so hasty to decide on such a conclusion.", Elrick says to me. "If Mr. Simons is indeed the one who brought you here, I don't believe you have any need to worry."

"That's right!", Jacob announces, pointing at me, "The king and the Hobo go way back."

"I forgot about that.", I say, swallowing the last of my breakfast. "Maybe Danny can convince him not to banish me."

I was more worried than I lead on. For all I know, this king could be a tyrant. Of course, his generosity to my village in the mountains never went unnoticed, but I can only imagine how he plans to handle a matter such as this.

I'd like to think I'm overreacting. The attack on the city wasn't my fault, but the smugglers came here looking for me, and I should have known they wouldn't have given up so easily, so maybe it was. I have no idea how to judge the situation but I suppose it's not up to me. The only thing I can do is explain myself and accept my fate.

"Come on, buddy.", Jacob tells me, standing up after finishing his plate. "Let's get this over with."

"You do know where you're going, don't you Jacob?", Elrick asks him.

"Ima fast learner, remember?", Jacob responds. "We've been here almost two weeks, I think I've made a pretty good mental map."

"I might have given you too much credit when I said that.", Elrick picked on him.

Jacob mocked him like a four year old and walked over to open the door again.

"Let's hope the king is as friendly as Danny lead on.", I state as I struggle to stand.

I limped out the door behind Jacob and followed him down a long, large hallway with red and gold lining everywhere.

The detail in the carved stone columns and walls is exquisite and smooth. Even where there were no windows, glamorous curtains hung from the walls to match the carpet that stretched the hallways' length. A variety of plant life in the most expensive of pottery sat on pedestals on both sides. Paintings of all sorts of beautiful scenery and portraits of bold men and women close to the royal family hung above the curtains.

Jacob walked down the majestic hall while I limp behind him. He lead me around a series of corners, passing through corridor after corridor.

"You sure you know where you're going?", I eventually ask him. "I don't want to know what the king will do if I don't show 'cause my thick headed brother got us lost."

"Just give me a damn minute.", he told me, inspecting the halls as we continued. "The stairs should be right...", he paused as we cut another corner, "here."

Jacob stopped and I bumped into him. I looked past him and saw another identical hallway.

"Shit.", he proclaims.

"You were saying?", I urged him to continue, burning a hole in the back of his head with my gaze.

"You boys lost?", asked a female voice from behind us.

We turned around to meet a slender, petite lioness dressed in a fine silk purple dress. She had jewelry covering her chest, face, arms, and ankles with a pair of white leather heels in a golden trim.

I instantly dropped down on one knee. I looked up at Jacob who was endless staring at the woman with his tongue hanging out. I grabbed the front of his jacket and yanked him down to his knee.

"What the hell, man?", he complained, giving me a dirty look.

"Do you not see her crown?", I questioned him, "You're eye-humping the queen, idiot."

The woman giggled, raising a hand to cover her mouth as she did. "At ease, gentlemen, I'm not as strick as my husband.", she told us.

We stood and looked at each other.

"I apologize for my disrespect, My Lady.", Jacob pleaded, quickly bowing once more.

"Oh, don't you worry", she said to him, "It's flattering."

"Could we trouble you for directions to the court room?", I asked, leaning against the wall.

"The court room?", she repeated, "Darlings, you've been going the complete opposite direction."

"Of course we have.", Jacob says, turning in frustration with himself.

"I'd be happy to guide the two of you", the queen says then turns to me, "But you don't look like you should be on your feet, honey. What happened to you?"

"He went looking for trouble.", Jacob answers for me.

I sighed and shook my head. "Technically, he's not wrong.", I said, putting emphasis on the first word, "But if you'd like to hear the whole story, you're welcome to join us. I'm more than positive the matter is related to the kings' reason for summoning me."

"I don't suppose I have anything better to do today.", the queen says, walking past us, back the way we came. "Come with me. I'm assuming you're the young man who the smugglers raided the city looking for?", she asks as we follow behind her.

"Yes, Ma'am.", I said. "I claim full responsibility for what happened."

"That's a tough claim.", she says, turning a corner. "The consequences could be dire, even equal to treason should you be found guilty."

I tried to swallow my heart when in rose into my throat.

"But, of course, Henry is not a cruel king.", she continues. "If your story is just, you may have nothing to worry for."

"Fingers crossed.", I reply, looking over to Jacob who gave me a worried look. "If you don't mind me asking, My Lady, will you be judging along side the king?", I asked.

"Not necessarily.", she answered as we came out on a balcony above a large open room.

Ahead of us is an enormous set of stairs curving downward from both directions. We walked down the floating hallway and I dragged my gimp leg down the stairs.

"As you know, I don't have final, let alone equal say as him.", she added, "But I do possess a particular sway over him."

The queen looked back at us, grinning, as she lead us down a wider hallway under the stairway with two large wooden doors protected by guards and barricaded with iron bolt locks at the end. The two guards moved aside, opening the door for their queen. She passed through, Jacob and I still following behind her. The doors closed behind us and another set of guards locked it down to prevent any entry or exit as the queen walked up to a throne encrusted with the rarest of stones and gems accompanied with a mixture of silvers and golds. She sat down next to her king, a large, buff lion, twice Daniel's' size, dressed in red silk robes, decorated in just as much jewelry as his queen, sitting in a throne even more significant than hers. The room stood tall and stretched wide. Columns one hundred times the size of the ones in the hallways lined the walls on both sides. Daniel had already made his appearance and now stood next to the columned wall, waiting to be excused. He nodded to me and I nodded back. Several other guards stood in the room including Anthony the tiger as well as civilian-like faces who are most likely other members of the kings' court.

Jacob and I approached the king and knelt down on one knee.

"Rise.", the king said with a stern voice, standing from his throne. He walked up to us as we stood and stopped only feet away. "Which of you is Nathaniel?", he asks.

"I am, Sire.", I answered, bowing again.

The king nodded in acknowledgment then looked over to Jacob. "You are Elrick's' nephew?", he asked.

"Yes, My Lord.", Jacob answered. "Jacob Holland."

The king nodded again, walked back up to his throne and sat down.

"Explain to me, Nathaniel", the king began, resting his head on a fist, "Why my city was desecrated in spite of you."

"To put it short, My Lo-

"Don't.", the king interrupts, raising his hand to me. "I want to know everything. Every last detail."

"Alright.", I respond, thinking of where to start. "This all started two days before the attack. Danny", I rose a hand to Daniel, "Had been kind enough to give Jacob and I a ride into the city."

"And what was your reason for coming here?", asked one of the court faces, an armadillo man.

"Elrick offered Jacob an apprenticeship.", I reply.

"I know that.", the man said. "I asked what YOUR reason was."

"Oh", I mutter, feeling like a cornered rat, "I came to support Jacob."

"Very well.", said the armadillo.

"Continue.", the king told me.

"Two days before the attack on the city", I began again, "The smugglers jumped us. The three of us were knocked unconscious and woke a few hours later in holding cells in an underground hideout."

"Their base of operations?", the king questions.

"I'm not sure, Sire.", I answer, "It very well could be. Then again, it could be one of hundreds."

"Let us hope not.", the king replies, then motions me to continue.

"We escaped.", I said. "At the expense of the deaths of a few of their men."

"It was you that took their lives?", he asks me.

I looked down at the ground. "Yes, Sire.", I answered.

"How?"

"Archery, My Lord." I say. "I was raised as a bow hunter."

"So it was your skill that gave the three of you the advantage to escape.", another councilman, a redbone hound, says, skeptically. "You and your bow alone?"

"I wouldn't have been able to escape on my own.", I said, "Daniel and Jacob played their parts."

"He's being modest.", Jacob cuts me off. "The second their jailer walked in the room, Nate slammed his face into his cell 'till it knocked him out. After that, Danny and me waited in the hall while Nate snuck past the boss man to get our stuff. They saw him as he was coming back through and if it wasn't for him, we wouldn't have gotten away. Danny and me would be nothing more than traded coin if Nathan hadn't come along for the ride in the beginning."

"You must be very talented.", the king said to me. "Daniel has told me the same. What happened next?"

"After we escaped and got back on the road", I start once more, "The smugglers proceeded to chase after us on horseback but must have gotten turned around in the fog at some point. They didn't catch up to us until the next day. Our buggy fell to pieces that morning so we were forced to continue on horseback as well. Just before we came out of the fog and trees, the smugglers had us in sight and charged after us. We shook them off our tails by crossing an old rope bridge across a ravine just north of the city."

"That particular bridge hasn't been used in years.", the king tells me. "Daniel told me that you split the support after you crossed.", the king looked over to Daniel, "With two arrows, simultaneously ."

"That's correct, Sire.", I assure the king.

"Do you have any idea how precise a shot like that must be?", he asked me, looking more curious by the second. "To hit two identical targets as small as a length of rope at once? From horseback?"

"About as precise as hunting a bear with a single arrow.", I answer.

"How would one do that?", the king questions further.

"If the arrow doesn't strike between the eyes or deep, and I mean DEEP, through the ear canal", I answer, "Well, you might as well run."

"Astounding.", the king announces, sitting back in his throne. "Imagine the discipline such skill requires.", he says, looking over to the queen and the faces of his council. "Go on.", he tells me.

"That's about it, My Lord.", I tell the king. "After that, we arrived at the city and the smugglers attacked the next day."

"So it was all for retaliation.", the bloodhound states.

"Yes.", I say. "I accept full responsibility for the lives lost during the attack." I paused for a brief moment to swallow my tongue. "And the consequences."

"I see no reason to punish you, yet.", the king says. "But you're story is not concluded. Anthony, tell him what you told me.", the king says, motioning Anthony from the sidelines.

The Irish tiger walked forward and stood with aspiring honor. "The defendant, Nathaniel, questioned me for information.", Anthony said, looking forward to the other side of the room. "When I ordered him to retreat to safety, he disarmed and immobilized me."

"Care to explain that?", the king asks, locking his hands together.

"I...", I hesitated, choosing my words carefully. "Acted in frustration. I simply wished to know what was happening so I could help."

"Assault of a Knight of Canniban is punishable by dungeon time.", the armadillo tells me. "Do you accept the charge?"

"Yes sir.", I answer.

"Very well.", the councilman says. "What happened after you obtained the information you sought?"

"Anthony told me he heard the smugglers were looking for an archer.", I say.

"You?", another civilian face asks, a cougar woman.

"Yes, Ma'am.", I answer. "I pinned one of the smuggler grunts to find out where their boss was waiting for me. I received my answer and went to face him."

"By yourself?", the king asks.

"Yes, Sire."

"And you did indeed face him?"

"Yes, Sire."

"What's next?"

"When I found him, he had no knowledge that your citizens were being slaughtered.", I told the king and his council. "Or so he lead on. He ordered an archer like myself, a white rabbit, to return to the city and call off his men."

"Like yourself?", the king questions, "he is as skilled?"

"No, My Lord.", I tell him. "Nowhere near it."

"What leads you to believe their leader did not know of the attack?", the cougar asks.

"He knew of the attack.", I assured her, "It was the killing he knew nothing of. When I revealed it to him, he became outraged with the rabbit. He said he told him to 'get our attention', punched him then ordered him to call off the men."

"It sounds like the killing would have gone on if you hadn't made an appearance.", the queen says, crossing her legs.

"That's what I had assumed, My Lady.", I respond. "Provided it wasn't all just a ruse. But judging by the fear in the rabbits' eyes, I doubt that is at all the case."

"At what point did you decide to act?", the king asked.

"The second Anthony informed me of the reason for the attack.", I answer.

"Why then?"

"I'm not one for killing, My Lord.", I tell him. "I know that must sound strange coming from a hunter. But when I learned innocent lives were being lost because of me, I could do nothing but react. Whatever price I had to pay."

"What price did you pay?", the queen asks me.

I pulled my sweater off over my head and lifted my left pant leg to reveal my bandages. "I almost paid with my life, My Lady.", I inform.

"You beat him, then?", the king asks, "The smuggler boss is dead?"

"No, My Lord.", I tell the king. "I left him bleeding. For all I know, he probably still breathes."

"Why would you not finish him?", the redbone asks, sounding slightly enraged. "You let a fugitive of Canniban live? After the mayhem he brought to you and the people of this city?"

"As I said, I'm not one for killing.", I respond.

"Yet, you killed the others in their home when you were captured.", the king says.

"The lives I took then were the first of man.", I inform the king. "After I realized what I did, I vowed never to take another life. Man or animal."

"So what will you do when - IF - the smugglers retaliate once more?", the armadillo asks.

I looked down to the decorative marble floor again. "I'll have no choice but to break that vow.", I answer. "I'm praying it doesn't come to that."

"As am I.", the king says, leaning forward in thought.

I put my sweater back on and dropped my pant leg as I waited for more questions.

"Is there anything you'd like to add?", the king asks.

I thought for a minute to make sure I had told the king and his council everything that mattered. I feel as though I'm forgetting something. It must not be important.

"No, My Lord.", I finally answer.

"So be it.", the king says, standing and slowly walking over towards Jacob and I again. "I do not see you responsible for the lives taken. Though you are technically responsible for the initial attack, I do not hold you at fault. Personally, I must thank you."

"For what, Sire?", I asked in curiosity.

"For saving the lives that could have been lost. And the life of my dearest friend." The king glanced over to Daniel then held a hand out to me. "You made the right decision in confronting the head smuggler at any expensive. I admire that."

I shook the kings' hand feeling a sense of undeserved honor, then the king turned and walked back to his throne. "Unfortunately, I must punish you for assaulting one of my knights.", he says, sitting down. "By Canniban law and the power vested within me, I sentence you to thirty days in the dungeon."

The king looked to Anthony and another guard and motioned to me. They instantly approached me, pushing Jacob aside, and restrained my arms behind my back, which stung my wounds and hurt like hell.

"Honey.", the queen says, leaning forward to whisper to her king. She mumbles something into his ear then looks him in the eye and nods.

The king leaned back in his throne and took a long pause. Anthony and the other guard stood behind me, holding my hands at my back with a trained grip. Jacob stood inches away, looking back and forth between me and the king. Daniel stood in his place alongside the wall, looking at his oldest friend. I saw the suspension in all of them.

I watched the royal lion without blinking. I read his facial expressions, saw the intense consideration of whatever his wife had told him in his eyes and just watched. The king looked me in the eye. I stood calm and collected, showing no expression expect the small amount of pain I was receiving, waiting to accept my fate.

"I'll leave the choice to you, Nathaniel.", the king tells me. "You can either serve your sentence in the dungeon or work it off."

Like that's a hard choice.

"What would you have me do, My Lord?", I asked.

The king snickered as if he was hoping I'd ask to work off my debt.

"Release him.", the king says, waving off Anthony and the other knight.

They did as they were told and backed away just a few feet.

"Normally, you would preform community services under watch.", the king tells me. "Instead, I will arrange for you to mentor our archers." The king rose from his throne again and approached me. "If you are indeed as skilled in the art of archery as you claim then our knights would greatly benefit from your teachings."

"Forgive me, My Lord", says the bloodhound, "But I hardly think that is a suitable punishment."

"Well then it's a good thing it is not your call.", the king said, shooting the man down. "You will have complete authority over those you teach but ONLY while you are doing so. I'll appoint Anthony to supervise the sessions who will have complete authority over you."

"Forgive me as well, Sire", I start to say, "But I agree. This isn't a punishment, it's a privilege."

"What are you doing, Nate?", Jacob whispers to me. I pushed him away.

"If I'm too work off the wrong I've done, I'd prefer to actually be put to work for it.", I told the king.

"Look at yourself, son.", the king began. "Do you really believe you could preform any laborious task in your condition?"

I waved my head as I accepted his point.

"If you truly wish to feel punished", the king began, "Then think of it as the consequence you did not want."

The king grinned as he looked at me. The queen was grinning as well, shaking her head. I felt a small grin stretch across my face as well.

This isn't a punishment, it's a reward as much as it is a privilege.

"Thank you, My Lord.", I said. "When do I start?"

"I'll send for you.", the king says. "Until then, you are dismissed."

I bowed then looked at Jacob who just stood there. He looked at me then rushed to bow as well. We rose, waited for the guards to unlock the door and walked out of the court room.

As the doors shut behind us, I leaned against the wall of the hallway under the staircase and slid down it onto my ass. I buried my face into my hands as I let out a long exhale.

"I have never been that nervous before.", I stated through my hands.

"The king has that affect on people.", says a British voice from the door. It came from a black labrador, one of the knights guarding the court room from the outside.

"So I've gathered.", I reply, dropping my hands to my sides.

"We heard most of that.", the black lab says. "If you were telling the truth, you never had anything to worry about."

"Why do you say that?", Jacob asks him.

"Are you kidding?", asks the other knight, a chocolate lab with a Canadian accent.

What a pair.

"If I had a silver every time someone was brought through these doors for assaulting a guard, I'd be as rich as the king himself!", the chocolate lab tells us.

"That's all you heard?", I asked but blew off the question for another, "How'd you know the king wouldn't hang me or something?"

"Well, he's not a brutal man.", says the black lab. "So you gave Anthony a beat down, big deal, he's had it coming for a while anyway."

"As for the rest", the chocolate lab starts, "A child could see you weren't at fault."

Jacob and I looked at each other.

"Exactly how well can you two hear from this side?", Jacob asked.

"Aboot as well as we can hear you now.", says the Canadian. "Sound travels, Eh."

"Right.", I said, lifting myself up. "I need a smoke. Can either of you point me towards the closest tobacco shop?"

"There's one right outside the castle.", the British man tells me. "It's called 'Native Ash'. Head out through the front, you won't miss it."

"How do you expect to buy anything?", Jacob asked me. "You spent the last of your cash on a hotel room, remember?"

"What do you mean?", I asked Jacob in response. "You're paying."

Jacob gave me a dirty look that said, "What the fuck are you talking about?"

"What, you think I didn't notice the fat coin bag hanging from your belt?", I asked, pointing at his waist. He looked at himself and gave me a smile as if he just remembered it was there. "You mooched off your uncle, didn't you?"

"Hey, it's not like he can't afford it.", Jacob excused himself. "Come on, I could use a smoke, too."

"Thanks.", I said to the labradors as we walked off. "Please tell me you're not gonna get lost trying to find the front door.", I said to Jacob as I followed behind him.

"The thing's the size of a fucking skyscraper.", he replies. "How hard can it be to find?"

"Its through the doors on the other side of the staircase!", I hear the chocolate Canadian lab yell, his voice echoing through the large room.

Jacob was walking back up the steps.

"Smartass mutts.", he complains, stomping back down the steps.

"We heard that!", the black lab yelled.

I laughed as I limped down the hall across from the stairs. Jacob and I passed through the doors and found ourselves in the main hall where the enormous wooden door stood. All six stained glass windows lit up bright from the sunshine outside. The giant pot leaf with its red, yellow and black stripes glowed just as bright. The mixture of colors is even more beautiful from this side. A huge chandelier hung from the ceiling riddled with a hundred lanturns to light the room. The door we came out of is in the corner of the room on the right side of an even bigger set of stairs than the last. Two hallways stretched at the sides and another door on the left side of the stairs became visible as Jacob and I proceeded to walk out the humongous front door that had been cracked open early this morning.

Once outside in the summer heat, we looked around for the shop the labs told us about. I waited for my eyes to adjust to the sun's' harsh rays then spotting a large dark brown building with a sign that read "Native Ash" sitting at a corner of a side street.

"Over there.", I told Jacob, walking and pointing to the building.

Jacob and I made our way to the smoke house, weaving between bystanders and the huge crowd of people occupying every inch of elbow room. It took us a few minutes but we finally made it to the front door.

We walked inside and my heart stopped when I looked in front of myself. Someone stood at the counter, speaking with the store clerk. It was a woman, she had a delicious little bubble butt, but a large set of feathery wings blocked my view of the rest of her and the clerk as well. The thing is, I would recognize the color pattern on those wings anywhere.

"Selina?", I called out as I limped up behind the woman.

She turned around to show her face.

"Nathaniel?", she questioned, "Oh my God, hey!"

She started to throw herself at me to give me a hug but I stopped her, and just in time, too.

"Sorry.", I said to her, lifting up my shirt to reveal my covered wounds. "Not that I don't wanna, I just wouldn't be able to take it right now."

"Oh my..", she says, raising a hand to her mouth. "What the hell happened?"

"I, uh..", I mumbled then came at a loss for words.

"He went looking for a fight.", Jacob answers for me, walking up next to Selina and I.

"Selina, this is my brother, Jacob.", I introduced them. "Jake, Selina."

"Nice to meet you.", Selina says with a smile.

"Very nice, indeed.", Jacob says, checking her out from head to toe.

"Eyes up, Romeo.", I tell him with a sudden territorial tone.

"How bad is it?", Selina asks, pulling my sweater off. She covered her mouth again when she saw the bandages covering every inch of my torso and right arm down the my wrist.

"Not as bad as it feels.", I tell her.

"I would punch you for being reckless.", Selina says. "But I don't think I could without causing you more pain."

"Get to know him a little more.", Jacob tells her. "You'll start wanting to punch him a lot."

"Hey, Jake.", I say to get his attention. "Full flavors, please.", I said, pointing to the store clerk standing at the counter.

He mocked me and walked up to the counter.

"I was wondering when I would see you again.", Selina says, carefully pulling my sweater back over my head.

"Yeah, I, uh", I mumbled, wondering how she would react to what I was about to say, "I was in a coma."

"A what?", she asks, looking at me with wide blue eyes.

"I know that's probably the worst excuse a guy has ever given you", I joked, "But, yeah. For a week."

"I'm guessing that fight wasn't your average bar brawl.", she says, hands on her hips.

"Not exactly. Close though.", I told her, trying to lighten the blow.

"How is that close?", Jacob questioned, walking over and tossing my pack of full flavor cigarettes at me. "You know that smuggler raid on the city about a week ago?", he asked, pointing at Selina.

Selina's' jaw dropped as she looked at him, hands still at her hips, then turned her view to me. "What the hell did you do?", she asked me.

I shot a dirty look at Jacob. "Thanks, Jake.", I said sarcastically then looked back at Selina. "I'll explain later.", I told her. "Are you busy right now?"

"Not really.", she answers. "Just came to town to get some smokes. I was gonna head home after this."

"Man, it must be nice flying everywhere you go.", Jacob said, daydreaming.

"It has its moments.", she replied.

"Stick around for a little while.", I told Selina. "Jake was just about to buy me some more weed."

"I was about to what you some more what?", Jake babbles, giving me the most surprised look ever.

I looked at him and reached into his back pocket.

"Whoa, buy me dinner first, pervert.", Jacob yelled as I pulled my tin case out.

I flipped the lid open with my thumb and stared at him while he stared into the empty metal case. I glanced down to see nothing but purple specs left from the eighth I bought from Selina.

Jacob gave me an awkward grin, waiting for me to say something.

"I know you too well, Jake.", I told him, stowing the tin case in my pocket.

"Ah, God dammit, fine.", Jacob surrendered, storming out the door.

I laughed and held out my good arm to Selina. "Ya comin'?", I asked.

"Sure.", she said with her sexy smile, wrapping her arms around mine. "Why not?"

Selina and I followed Jacob out of the tobacco shop. The area being new to me and Jacob's' short term memory being of no use, I asked Selina to guide us to whatever building sold the best of the best. She dragged us halfway down the main street and lead us up and down several side streets. We walked for a good thirty minutes, weaving in and out of the crowd as usual, until Selina stopped in front of an old, beat up single story building. The stone used to craft it is cracked and slightly disintegrated, the windows are stained and blurred any view of the inside and the wooden door is split in several places. Its hinges are so rusted, its surprising they still hold the door on.

As Selina stood in front of us, looking at the building, hands to hips, Jacob and I looked at each other.

"This place?", Jacob asks her. "Seriously?"

"What?", Selina questions, turning around. "My dad owns this shop."

That makes sense. It reminds me of hers.

"I buy a lot of product here for my store.", she tells us. "My dad owns a farm south of the city so he's always stocked and he has a lot of regular customers."

"Why sell in the shitty building if he's got good business?", Jacob asked.

"We don't really care for the popularity the stores on the main street get.", Selina answers. "Criticism, business rivalry, not to mention the way they swindle their customers. That's why I opened up my shop outside the city. It's about the people, not the money."

"I always thought it was about the weed.", Jacob kids.

"I'll bite.", I said, walking past Jacob and Selina to open the door. "We liked her stuff."

I opened the door and walked inside. Bells rang above my head as the door opened. Jacob came in behind me after Selina ran in and around the counter to hug a large, wingless blue and white wolf. He had muscle, clearly, but there was chub in there, too.

"Hi daddy!", Selina says, joy in her voice as she threw herself at her father.

"Hey, kiddo.", the man says, hugging her back. "Bring me some money?"

"I didn't.", Selina replies, "But they did."

I walked up to the counter to hold out my hand. "Nathaniel.", I introduced myself.

"Pete.", the man replied, giving me a stern handshake. "So you're the boy my little girl's infatuated with."

Dear God, what'd you tell him, Selina?

"I suppose I am.", I said. "This is my brother, Jake.", I attempted to introduce Jacob who was drooling over the shelves upon shelves of marijuana in the showcases.

Pete's' shop really is a lot like Selina's', inside and out.

"You two look nothing alike.", Pete says, staring at Jacob.

I looked at Jacob, too. "He's adopted."

"Well, I know what you look like now.", Pete tells me. "Hurt her and I'll crush you."

"Daddy!", Selina hollers, slapping his arm.

I felt a grin stretch across my cheek.

I highly doubt that.

"Point taken.", I respond, nodding my head.

"So that's out of the way.", Pete announces. "What can I getcha guys?"

"Surprise me.", I answer, "And don't hold back on the expensive stuff."

I saw Jacob shoot me a look out of the corner of my eye when I said that. I looked at him and smiled wide.

"I got just the thing.", Pete says, raising a finger and walking into a back room. He came back out with a sandwich baggie containing bright orange bud and about a quarter of it. The hairs were white and the crystals were thick. The few stems there were had a yellow shade with light green streaks.

"This, other than my daughter, is my pride and joy.", Pete says, leaning over the counter as I examined the fat bag. "Created this strain myself. I call it 'Mexican Mix'."

"On account of the cheesy coloring?", Jacob asked, looking over my shoulder.

Pete looked at Jacob, speechless. "Yes, actually. You're the first person to guess that."

"Booyah!", Jacob exclaims.

"I love it.", I tell Pete. "How much?"

Pete raised a hand to me and shook his head. "First one's free."

My jaw dropped and I looked at Jacob who stared back at me.

"The whole bag?", I questioned, pointing at the deliciousness in my hand. "There's at least twenty gold pieces here."

"That's why you'll come back.", Pete tells me, pointing a finger. "And it's more like thirty."

"Come back?", I repeated. "Pete, I've never asked anyone this before. Will you be my dealer?"

"It's true, he's never asked that before.", Jacob says, nodding his head.

Pete laughed and stood up. "Gladly.", he said with a grin.

"How 'bout a toke?", I asked, looking around to all their faces. "Got any blunt wraps, Pete?"

"Stupid question, son.", Pete replies, walking into the back room again as Selina followed behind him. "Come on back."

Jacob and I walked around the counter and went through the doorway into the back room. The room is a rectangular shape, to the left of the doorway is a large sectional sofa accompanied by a round coffee table and two side tables with lit candles.

On the right, an indoor grow station. The wall is covered in aluminum surrounding a dozen plants of Pete's' Mexican Mix. A sky light took up most of the rooms' ceiling letting in the sunshine to reflect off the aluminum and nourish the plants. There were buckets of fertilizer and nutrients up against the wall and seedling trays on another table across from them. Plants that had just begun to sprout are lined in front of the matured ones catching their share of sunlight in smaller plastic pots. Everything is set up so neat and perfect, the buds thick and sticky but not quite ready for harvest. The fat crystals glistened in the sunlight shining from above.

I walked over to the beautifully displayed mini garden and stuck my snout into the buds. I didn't sniff or inhale the aroma, I simply just stood there and breathed it in and out.

"Fan-fucking-tastic.", I proclaim, turning around to join the others on the sofa. "You're a master, Pete." I tell him, sitting down. "Truly admirable work."

"Much obliged.", Pete says, handing me a blunt wrap. "You can roll, right?"

"Can he?", Jacob says, "You won't meet anyone better."

"Is that so?", Selina asks, sitting next to me. She looked at me then watched my hands. "Let's see whatcha got."

In mere minutes, I broke up my cheesy new bud and rolled it in the wrap so perfectly, I felt so proud, I wanted to frame it.

"Not bad.", Selina compliments, giving me that seductive smile.

"Let's light this puppy!", Jacob exclaimed, leaning forward and rubbing his hands together.

Pete handed me a matchbox he had in a drawer of the side table closest to him. I struck the match and lit the blunt. It has such a wonderful taste. The smoke passed over my tongue and smoothly flowed down my throat into my lungs. It's most definitely a harsh strain, it almost made ME cough.

I passed the blunt to Selina, or at least tried to. She just puffed it while I held it for her. I rose an eyebrow and looked at her with a grin, she looked back and blew the smoke out of her nose into my face. I reached over her to pass the piece to Jacob then blew my smoke in her face. Jacob puffed and passed to Pete who did the same then passed back to me.

"So Nathan.", Pete says, leaning back, smoke rolling over his lips. "Is it alright that I call you that?"

I rose a hand to him. "Whatever you see fit.", I said then took my puff.

"Fair enough.", Pete replied as I held the blunt for Selina once more. "What happened to you?"

"I'm sorry?", I asked, giving him a weird look.

"You're obviously wounded.", he says, motioning to me while Jacob takes the weed. "The limp in your left leg. Your facial expression when you move too abruptly. The way you randomly grip your chest for no apparent reason."

"You're very observant.", I said to Pete. "I caught myself in a bit of a scrap."

"A BIT of a scrap wouldn't have put you in a coma.", Selina says to me. "C'mon, you said you'd tell me what happened."

"You were in a coma?", Pete asks, leaning forward.

"I was.", I answer. "For a week. Felt like minutes to me."

"I have to hear this from the beginning.", Pete announced.

And so I spent the rest of our time puffing on the blunt explaining the story. With Jacob's' occasional, um, assistance. Most people would call it 'butting in' but whatever.

I told of our run in with the smugglers after I met Selina. I told of our capture and the blood I spilled to save our lives. Pete sidetracked me by asking where I learned to handle a bow so efficiently so I spoke of my father and Tony. The things they taught me as well as my father's' miraculous disappearance and the story behind the nickname I inherited from him. I explained the missing chunk of my left ear when Jacob clipped me with an arrow. Selina asked about the bend in my right ear which I always assumed to just be some sort of birth defect.

Eventually I returned to the original story, picking up where I left off. Selina and her father learned of the chase the rabbit archer gave us. They put two and two together and realized that the raid on the city was because of me, at this point, they sunk deep into the story. They were both stunned when they heard that I faced the smuggler boss. Pete asked me to go into detail about the fight so I did, to which Jacob then gave me his full attention to learn exactly what had gone down.

I explained each of my wounds, including the wolf bite on my right arm and the story behind it, and showed Pete the bandages. I told of the damage I did to the grizzly bear and the hopes I possessed to not be forced to kill him (provided he's still alive) or anything else.

Then I spoke of what happened after the fight. My blood pooling around me as I laid on the ground, helpless. The caterpillar crawling up the bark of the tree I fell into. The black flooding my vision as I passed out and the bizarre mental adventure I went on that showed me all my recent regrets while I was in my coma. I told of my visit with my father but I said nothing of the cave he mentioned or the man without a face, Victor.

Eventually my story came to a conclusion after they heard Elrick's' diagnoses. Selina and Pete laid back in their seats, astonished to learn of the turmoil I had gone through. Even Jacob looked at me in shock when he learned that which he didn't already know. Silence filled the room as I smashed the roach of our burnt blunt into an ashtray and lit a cigarette.

"Jesus, Nate.", Jacob says as he and Selina light their own cigarettes. "I knew it was bad but..."

"I take back what I said about crushing you.", Pete says, leaning forward to bum a cigarette from his daughter. "You might give me a run for my money."

"How did you get out of that alive?", Selina asks, holding her cigarette in the air in a girly fashion.

"That was me.", Jake steals the spotlight. "I found him and sewed his helpless ass up."

"With Elrick's' coaching.", I added, puffing ash. "If he wasn't there, you would have punctured an artery."

"For your information", Jacob informs, pointing a finger around Selina and in my face, "My dad gave me my fair share of medical training long before we ever left!" He pulled his hand away and crossed his arms. "You woulda been fine if the Old Man was there or not."

"You're right, buddy.", I said, smiling and thumping my ashes. "I don't give you enough credit. Thanks for saving my life."

"That's more like it.", Jacob says, holding his hand out over Selina.

I slapped him five then we fist bumped. An old signature handshake we came up with when we were kids. Its been years since we did that.

"Now, hold on.", Pete says, speaking smoke. "I thought you said the smartass was your adopted brother?", Pete points at Jacob.

"Smartass?", Jacob repeats, dropping his cigarette.

"At heart, he is my brother.", I explain, picking it up and giving it to him when it rolled around Selina and and between my feet. "We grew up together. Him and his father moved into the mountains when I was five. He had just turned nine. As my mom would put it, we've been "inseparable" ever since."

"Its hard to separate someone from the one person they're mentally linked with.", Jacob threw in.

Selina looked at him, puffing tobacco, then at me. "Is he serious?", she asked, pointing at Jacob, smoke rolling out of her mouth.

"'Fraid so.", I answered. "You wouldn't guess it from first glance. Uh, any glance, actually."

"Care to test that theory?", Pete asked.

Jacob and I looked at each other then back at Pete.

"Bring it.", Jacob says, nodding.

"Alright.", Pete continues. "When I count the three I want you both to blurt out your answers, okay?"

I shrugged. "Mkay."

"Any number between one and... one thousand", Pete told us. "One. Two. Three."

"Sixty-nine sixty-nine.", Jacob and I say in unison.

"Oh my God.", Selina prays, covering her blushing, smiling face.

Pete laughed at his daughter's' expense, as did Jacob and I.

He's a pretty laid back guy. I like him.

"Why that number?", Selina asked, thumping her cigarette. "Why not just sixty-nine?"

A smirk spread across mine and Jacob's' faces.

"You thinkin' what I'm thinkin'?", I asked him.

"I do believe so, brother.", Jacob replies, grinning wide.

"On three?", I ask.

Jacob held up three fingers then dropped one, then another, then the last.

"Because two times is better than once!", Jacob and I blurt out simultaneously. Pete instantly broke out in laughter.

"Booyah, baby!", Jacob exclaims, throwing a fist into the air as Selina covers her face again, wishing she hadn't asked.

"Hell yeah!", I exclaim as we slap five and fist bump again.

"I'll give you boys credit.", Pete says. "That's a pretty unique bond."

"It has its advantages.", I respond, putting my cigarette out.

"I hate to be the bearer of bad news", Jacob cuts in, standing up after putting out his cigarette, "But I gotta get back to the castle. The Old Man wants me to take some kind of test so he can determine exactly where he wants to start my training. Or some crap like that. I guess putting a needle and thread in my hand and saving Nate's' ass wasn't good enough." Jacob turned his gaze to me. You comin'?", he asks.

"Nah, I owe Selina a date.", I tell him, waving my hand. "How 'bout lunch?", I asked, turning to her.

"Sure.", she says, smiling. "Do I have to guide you to a good restaurant, too?"

"Not unless you feel like getting lost.", I joked.

I felt a small weight fall into my lap and heard the high pitched clank of metal striking metal. I looked down and saw Jacob's' coin bag sitting on my zipper.

"That's pretty much yours.", Jacob says. "I have a rich uncle to mooch off, anyway."

"Oh. Shit.", I babble. I forgot I didn't have any coin. "Thanks buddy." I gave him my empty bag and tied his filled one to my belt loop.

"Yeah yeah.", he says, walking off. "See ya later." And Jacob disappeared out the doorway. We heard the door bells ring as the front door opened and closed. Seconds later we heard the bells go off again.

"And that's the end of my break.", Pete says, standing to his feet. He walked across the sectional and kissed his daughter on the cheek. "Stay safe, kiddo."

"You too, daddy.", Selina said as her and I followed Pete out of the back room.

I noticed a few people crowding the showcases as we walked into the front of the store. I nodded to Pete and tailed Selina out the front door.

She lead me back almost the exact same way we came. We cut unfamiliar corners and crossed over the city square into the other side of town, her hanging on my arm every step of the way. She took me to a nice two story red brick building with several window gardens of lovely roses. As it turns out, this place is actually a hotel on top of a fancy restaurant.

All of the waiters and waitresses were dressed in the finest of formal wear. Round tables spread out across the carpeted floor, wall to wall. Each table had its own assortment of customers shovelling the quality food into their mouths. A large, rectangular window in the back revealed the highly skilled cooks frying their customers' food on high burning fires. Two separate sets of stairs leading to the rooms above took up the space between the kitchen doors and the side walls.

We were lucky enough to arrive when the waiting room was practically empty. I ordered us a room and a table. We only had to wait maybe five minutes until someone came to serve us.

"Awesome.", I said as our waitress seats us at an empty table next to the window.

"I know, right?", Selina says. "That's why I like this place. Watching them cook your food just makes it that much better!"

"I'm glad you think so!", says our teenaged pink bunny waitress with a smile. "Lando, here, will be preparing your meal this evening." The girl motioned to an orangutan on the other side of the glass.

The orange man dressed in the robes and hat of a classy chef waved to us, we waved back.

"Here are your menus.", says the girl as she places laminated booklets in front of us. "Take your time, I'll be back in a few moments to take your orders." The pink rabbit smiled again and strolled off.

"I already know what I'm having.", Selina says, pushing her menu aside. "They have the best fucking lobster ever."

"Lobster?", I questioned. "What the fuck is lobster?"

Selina's' jaw dropped as she stared at me in shock. "Seriously?!", she asked, shaking her head.

"What?", I replied, "I grew up in the mountains, remember?"

"Unacceptable.", she proclaims, ripping my menu from my hands. "You have never truly tasted flavor until you've had the spice boiled goodness that is the king of crabs."

I continued to give her a confused look. "And a crab is?"

"Ooo, I should slap that smirk right of you're cute face.", she said, waving her finger in my face.

"Save it for the bedroom, sweetheart.", I said, winking at her.

She giggled in the sexy way that she does and smiled. "I've always wanted to live in the mountains.", Selina says, drifting off into a daydream. "I love the snow."

"Why don't you?", I asked. "There's lots of space and good hearted people. Plenty of snow, too."

"It wouldn't be good for business.", she tells me. "I turn a pretty damn good profit where I'm set up now."

"So do you live in that town?", I asked leaning on the table.

"Yup.", she answers, crossing her arms and perking up her tits. "I moved out of the city on my eighteenth and ended up signing off on a mortgage on a small cottage in the woods behind the village. Rented out that old building, started selling and I've been there since."

"How old are you?", I curiously ask.

"I turn twenty-two in a couple weeks.", she says.

"Really?", I question, "What date?"

"June eighth.", Selina tells me. "What about you?"

"I turn twenty-one on the seventeenth of December.", I answer.

"That's cool.", she said. "I like younger guys."

She smiled at me and leaned over the table. I looked into her eyes and gave her the most seductive look I could. I watched her bite her button lip but I don't think she noticed she did it.

"You know, I gotta side with Jake.", I said. "It really must be nice flying everywhere."

"It really is.", Selina told me, stretching her wings. "The best stress outlet I've ever had."

"Think I could take a ride on your back?", I joked, grinning wide.

"Only if you want to crash and burn.", she kids. We both laughed at each other as our waitress showed up out of nowhere.

"Ready to order?", she asks with a quirky smile.

"Yes, my dear, we are.", Selina says, handing the girl our menus. "We'll be sharing a single one pound lobster."

"Wonderful choice.", the bunny told us, scribbling on her notepad. "My boyfriend and I come here on our days off to get the same thing."

"See?", Selina says to me, "Good stuff."

"I absolutely love the lobster here.", our waitress said, then held a hand up to her mouth as if she was whispering a secret. "To be honest, I come here a lot just to piss off my supervisor. He's always the one that gets stuck cooking my food."

"That. Is. Hilarious.", I tell her, chuckling. "Way to stick it to the man."

The girl giggled and held her pen to the notepad again. "What can I get you for drinks?"

"I'll take an Appletini.", Selina says.

The young waitress gave Selina a strange look. "Really?", she asks.

"Hey, it's five somewhere.", Selina jokes.

"So true.", the girl says, writing on her pad. "And you, sir?"

"Do you have Bacardi?", I asked the girl.

"Yes sir.", she answers with a peppy tone.

"A bottle of that and half a glass of grape soda.", I tell the rabbit.

"Yuck.", the pink girl proclaims, scribbling on her pad.

Selina laughed as the young waitress turned away.

"I'll be right back with your poison.", the waitress says, smiling as she trots away.

"So I fly to blow off steam.", Selina said when the girl disappeared. "What do you do?"

"I always have weed for that.", I tell her. "Smoking a joint in the woods and tripping out to the sounds of nature has its moments, too."

"That's right!", Selina exclaims, pointing a finger, "The Great Father Kush never goes anywhere without a rolled up sack in his pants." She giggled at her own joke and I chuckled at her laughing at herself.

"So what's with the grape soda?", she asks, leaning over the table.

Her girls are in my face again. Yummy.

"I like mixed drinks.", I answer. "And grape is my favorite."

"Weirdo.", she picks, grinning.

"Okay." I said, crossing my arms with a smile. "What would you mix with Bacardi?"

"Cream soda.", she says. "I like my cream." She gave me her sexy smile, bashing her blue eyes.

Haha. Cream. She's really pushing my good buttons.

"And you call me a weirdo.", I tell her. "I can't stand cream soda."

"You're crazy.", Selina says, smacking my right arm.

I clenched my teeth and let out a grunt as I pulled my arm away.

"Oh my God, I'm sorry!", Selina freaks out. "I thought the bite was on the other arm!"

"I'm okay.", I told her, relaxing my muscles. "You just caught me off guard."

That was a lie. It hurt like hell.

"Still tender, huh?", she asks, kissing her two fingers then placing them softly on my arm.

"A little bit, yeah.", I said, lifting and kissing the back of her hand.

"Can I ask you something?", Selina asked with a serious expression.

"Sure.", I said.

"Were you scared?", she questions, "When you took him on?"

"Shitless.", I answer, staring her in the eye. "The bastard towered three feet over me and quadrupled my size. But, I guess, it's accepting the fear that got me through it."

"I hope, for everyone's sake, that asshole learned his lesson.", She says.

"You took the words right out of my mouth.", I told her.

"Will you really kill him if he comes back?", Selina asked me. "I know what you said about taking lives. It can't be easy being under all that pressure."

"I don't want to.", I said. "But at this point, it'll become an obligation if he tries striking back. Again."

"Whatever happens, just stay alive.", she tells me. "Jake needs you. I can read it all over his face."

"Is that right?", I asked, leaning forward. "And what do you read on mine?"

"Hmm.", she sounds, wrapping an arm under her breasts and rubbing her chin in thought. "You're not as easy to read as he is.", she finally says.

"The tough ones are never are easy.", our pink bunny waitress says as she takes our drinks from a platter in her hand and sets them on the table.

Where the fuck does she keep coming from?

"Alright!", Selina exclaimed, taking her drink from the girl. "Tini me, baby."

The girls giggled at each other while I filled my half glass of soda to the rim with Bacardi.

"You're food will take about ten to twelve minutes.", the girl said. "Starting now."

The rabbit pointed to the glass window where Lando the orangutan stood. Selina and I both looked and watched him pull out a large glass pot from under his station. He filled it with water and set it to boil.

"Enjoy the show.", the waitress says with her usual peppy tone then turns to disappear.

"Excuse me, Miss?", I call out before she gets too far. "Can I steal a piece of paper from your pad?"

"Sure.", she says, ripping a blank sheet off for me. She smiled then turned around again and vanished.

"I love these window seats.", Selina said as I started folding the paper. "The chef slides your dish on the table through this sliding door the second it's done." She poked a long horizontal slit in the glass where our table met the wall. On the chefs side, it had a small metal nob to slid it open and closed.

Her gaze averted the window and met my hands fiddling with the piece of paper. "What are you doing?", she asks.

"Something my mom and I used to do all the time.", I answer. "She always told me if you fold one thousand of these suckers, a wish will come true."

I handed her the finish paper crane.

"That's so cool.", she said as she examined the fake animal. "I suck at origami. How many does this make?"

"I lost count years ago.", I told her, chugging my drink. "Let's just say this is number one."

"Works for me.", Selina replies. "I'm gonna hold onto this." She folded the crane flat and stuck it in her pocket. "You're going to teach me how to do that."

"Another time.", I assure her, raising my glass. "A toast?"

"To good times.", she said, tapping her glass to mine.

We both downed our glasses and ended up ordering another Appletini for her. I asked the waitress to just bring me the bottle of grape soda and to put everything on the room bill.

We enjoyed our drinks as we watched Lando drop a live red creature with large claws into the boiling glass pot.

So that's a lobster? I hope it tastes better than it looks.

Selina and I watched the orange man work his magic with all sorts of spices and liquids. Over the process of torturing the creature, we downed a few drinks each. By the time Lando began the finish touches to our dish, Selina had four empty Appletini glasses (and had just ordered a fifth) and I found myself with less than half a bottle of Bacardi left. Which I was absolutely fine with. I don't drink often so it was nice. Tonight's about fun anyway.

Our chef squeezed a lemon slice, pouring the juices all over our now dead food and slid it through the window.

"This probably sounds bad.", I began. "But this thing looks a lot better when it's dead."

"Just wait till you taste it.", Selina told me.

She ripped off one of the claws, which made a loud crunching sound as the shell crack, dipped the white meat end into the yellow sauce on our tray and held it to my snout.

"Consume.", she ordered.

I took a decent bite and felt my taste buds fall in love. And burn. "Holy shit, that's hot!", I yelled under my breath.

Selina laughed hard as I blew on my tongue. "I probably should have warned you about that.", she says. "My bad."

"Worth it.", I tell her. "That's really fucking good."

I lick my lips as Selina dipped the claw again and blew on it. She held it to my mouth and and I took another cautious bite.

"Mmm.", I moaned, savoring the exotic buttery flavor. "Are you gonna eat or do I have to feed you, too?"

"Help yourself.", she giggled, dipping the claw and blowing on it for me again.

I extended my index finger and cracked the shell of the lobster's' other arm with my claw. Selina stuffed another bite into my mouth, spreading a mess around my face and broke out in laughter. When she came to her senses again, she took the napkin from her side of the table and wiped my mouth clean. I dipped the claw I broke off for her in the sauce, blew on it and feed her a mouthful.

"Mmm, God, that's good stuff.", Selina moans as I chug another drink. "It just melts in your mouth."

Selina feed me another bite as I did to her, only taking pauses to laugh at nothing and sip our glasses.

Okay, so we're drunk.

Selina and I feed each other the sea creature that had been boiled alive until the poor thing was completely unrecognizable. Our waitress gave us a take home box the put the leftovers in. The bunny faired us a found farewell as we tripped over ourselves to the staircase leading to the bedrooms. Selina caught the top step with the tip of her shoe and fell to her knees. She leaned against the wall as she laughed at herself. I almost fell over laughing trying to help her back to her feet. We both found ourselves again and decided to hug the wall for safety.

We searched, blindly, for several minutes looking for the door number that matched the one on our key. We backtracked up and down the hall numerous times then finally found it at the very end. We stumbled inside and looked around as I shut the door behind us and locked it.

There was a large king size bed with a huge fuzzy comforter draped over four white pillows. There were nightstands with classy scented candles and matches. A square table stood against the wall with two chairs and an icebox for our food.

I limped over to the icebox and placed our leftovers inside it. Selina caught me by surprise when I turned around to find her perking her chest in my face with the smile that drives me crazy.

She inched closer and closer and wrapped her arms around my neck. Her tongue slid into my mouth as my arms wrapped around her waist. I pulled her to me, compressing her body tight to mine. Her hands softly caressed down my chest, careful not to irritate my wounds. They came up under my sweatshirt and pulled it over my head. Selina dropped my sweater on the floor, grabbed the button of my pants and pulled me in front of the bed. The button came undone, the zipper came down and Selina's' hands pushed me on the bed after my pants and boxers fell to the floor.

She instantly grabbed my length, stroking with the same passion she showed me in her shop. My face fell into her belly as I gave in to the sensation. I nudged her blue tank top up with my snout, pulled the waistband of her booty shorts down and sensationally kissed just above her clit. Her hips twitched when my lips smacked and she let out a soft whimper.

As she continued to massage my dick with both hands, I slipped my fingers under her panties and pulled everything down over her yummy round ass and let them hang at her knees as I ran my finger up and down her pussy that had the same purple color as her coat. She let go of me and crossed her arms to pull her tank top off. As one of her hands went behind her back to undo the clip on her bra, the other pushed me further back on the bed, making me scoot back as she crawled on. She wiggled her shorts and underwear over her knees and kicked them off onto the floor with the rest of our cloths. She started to crawl on top of me but I held a hand in front of her as I carefully sat up.

"Oh no.", I said, squeezing her ass in one hand and one of her delicious C cup tits in the other. "I went first last time. It's your turn, sweetheart."

I kissed the base of her neck a few times and pinched her perky nipples. She sighed roughly and moaned in my ear as I carried on. My hand that had ahold of her tight little butt came around her leg and started playing with her pussy. My fingers slid back and forth over the lips, picking up her wet juices as they went by.

I touched my tongue to her neck and licked up to her cheek. She looked at me, eyes and mouth partially open and face red with lust. I kissed her cheek as my index finger ran over her clit. She gasped and took a firm grip on my erected cock.

"I can't.", Selina said, spreading my precum over my shaft as she twists and strokes with determination. "You can't ask me to keep my hands off you."

I grinned wide and started massaging her clit, tossing it around like a soaking wet toy. Selina cried out and lightly fell into my chest, panting and trembling on her knees. She spit in her hand and softly began to rub my balls, rolling them around with care as her other hand continued to pull on my hard dick.

I put my hand between us and pushed her onto her back. She laid there, drooling and anxious as she seductively started into my eyes. She held a finger to her lip as the other hand laid motionless above her head. Her knees closed together while her feet spread apart and a thin trail of juice rolled over her ass from her wet pussy.

I leaned down on top of her and licked her lips. Her tongue came out and pulled mine into her mouth. I wrapped my hand under her head as we frenched in the hot intensity of the sun shining through the window. I traced her side with my finger and brought the free hand back to her drenched cunt. My tongue still dancing between our lips with hers, I spread her pussy lips apart and shoved a finger in deep, nice and slow.

Selina's' body quivered and her lips smacked off mine as she opened her mouth to shriek in response. The finger softly slid back out and thrust back in over and over. Her claws dug into my arm and her voice raised with every sound.

"What's wrong?", I whispered in her ear. "Too much for you already?"

"Not enough!", she cries through her moaning, reaching for my cock pressed against her belly.

I grabbed her hands and pinned them above her head. "I told you", I whispered again, "It's my turn to play."

I kissed her again, hard and slow. I gave her another quick peck then started trailing my tongue down her body. From her steaming lips down to her neck. Over her chest plate and circling around one of her nipples while I pinched and twisted the other. I ran my tongue over her tit while she squirms on the bed underneath me. I sucked it into my mouth and nibbled, pulling with my teeth. Selina's' breathing became heavy with desperation.

Her lips mumbled words that made no sense, her hands gripped tight on the fur on my head and her slender legs twitched beneath me. Her breath heated my face as she watched me toy with her. I softly kissed her nipple then moved over to play with the other. The tip of my ear slid into her mouth and pinched between her teeth. Her moans and yelps echoed into my eardrum as she pulled hairs out of my body in reaction to the sensation of my touch. I slobbered and drooled on her tit, taking in the taste of her fur and sensitive skin. My fang scraped across the tip and she jumped.

"Dammit, boy, quit teasing!", Selina says, pushing my head down between her legs. "Give me what I want."

I rested my head on her pelvis and looked at her with a smile. "I thought Nate Jr. is what you were after?", I asked, massaging her pussy under my head.

"He.. Ahh! Oh, God... He is.", Selina mumbles as I run a finger up and down the length of her purple cunt. "But at the moment," she continues, grabbing my head and shoving my snout in her crotch, "THIS is what I want."

She caught me off guard at first but I came around and wrapped my arms around her thighs, kissing her clit. She let out a tiny whimper, grabbing my left ear and tearing the sheets with the claws on her other hand.

"I'm gonna have to pay for that.", I told her then ran my tongue up and down her juicy pussy.

"Good thing you go-ahhhh-t... a rich uncle to mooch off..", Selina moans.

I chuckled then jammed my tongue inside her. The sheets torn more as she gripped them and my ear tighter, crying out in pleasure with rosy cheeks and wrapping her tail around my neck. I wiggled it around like a worm before pulling it and and slowly licking up her cunt to her clit. I jammed a finger inside her and started circling her clit, tonguing and bouncing it around. My finger slid out, drenched, then thrust back inside with another. My hand twisted back and forth as my fingers pushed in deep and slipped slowly back just to repeat again and again. My tongue didn't stop for a second, creating a mess on my face and soaking the fur on her legs and cute butt.

Selina's' voice rose higher and higher, hyperventilating while she moans my name. She screamed and convulsed, her wings stretched the width of the bed, squirting in my face as I ate her out to her orgasm. Her hands clenched both my ears tight as her body bounced around the bed, curling her legs and arms and squeezing every time she twitched. I gave her a few more slow, wide licks then kissed her clit once more before raising my head, her hands still tightly holding my ears, to see her blushed, tongue-hanging-out-panting face. Finally, she relaxed her muscles as the orgasm came to an end.

"That was fast.", I said, resting my head on my hand. "Done already?"

Selina gave me a smirk then slowly turned around on her stomach and rose to her hands and knees. Her legs spread apart and she looked down between them to see me watching her dripping pussy with a grin.

"Not even close.", she answers. She whipped my face with the tip of her tail as she raised it in the air. "What are you waiting for?"

"Just taking in the sights.", I say as she dripped on the end of my nose. I stuck my tongue out and licked her juice off. "I'm liking this city more and more."

I rose to my knees and scooted closer to her small little bubble butt. I grabbed myself and rose the head of my dick to her pussy, slapping and splitting the lips. Her tail started wagging as she anxiously looked over her wing back at me, twitching every time my cock smacked her cunt and bouncing the bed around.

"What'd I say about teas-

Her question was cut short by me slamming myself deep inside her, shoving every last inch in hard and fast.

"AAAAAAAAAHH!", Selina screamed as the thrust pushed her head into the mattress.

I pulled out quick and jammed back in faster and harder each time. She screamed louder as she looked back at me, red faced, mouth drooling over her tongue and eyes barely open. I grabbed her tail and moved it to the side, rising to one foot and bending over her on my hands. Her head rose as she cried the Messiahs' name. I put her ear in my mouth and bit softly as I endlessly slammed myself inside her. My cock, wet with her cum, slid in fast, my balls smacked loud and my stone hard dick slipped back out, more soaked than it was going in every time. I jammed it back in, clenching my teeth as her tight, warm pussy tighten around me.

"Oh my God...", Selina cried as I grunted loud. "It's", She yelps in the middle of her sentence as my dick slides back in, "Too", and again, "Much!", and again. "I can't stay up like this!"

Selina fell to her side, my dick whipping her juice into the air as it slid out. She clenched the pillow under her head with both hands and lifted a leg.

"Don't stop on my account.", Selina tells me, giving me her sexy grin.

I crawled over on my knees, wrapping my arms around her elevated leg and resting it over my chest, her foot hanging over my shoulder. I brought my dick head to her clit and rubbed it around. She twitched more and groaned loud then took it upon herself to reach down, grab my cock and slam her cunt down on it. I involuntarily moaned as her pussy muscles squeezed tighter than ever.

She's so slick and warm.. I'm not gunna make it.

"Are you in heat?", I asked, not skipping a beat.

"Just came out.", Selina huffs through her noises.

"Good.", I said, closing her legs together to make her squeeze tighter and leaning over her again. "I'm about to!"

I lifted a hand to bring her lips to mine as I came closer and closer to filling her. Our sloppy tongues had their own way with each other as Selina started to dig her claws into my back. I heard them pop through the bandages as they pressed into my skin. It stung but it brought me that much closer to finishing. We both grunt and moaned into each others lips. My orgasm rose to the surface and I dug my teeth into her shoulder. I slapped my cock inside her tight little cunt harder and harder, picking up the pace, eager to bust. My mouth opened wide and I groaned loudly as I came inside her.

"Mmmm...", she moaned as she pushed against me when I thrust back in.

I spurted a few times as I grunted into her shoulder and let my cock slip out when I finally stopped.

"Feel better?", Selina asked, kissing my cheek and reaching down between her legs to stroke my drenched, still hard dick.

"Oh yeah.", I huffed, burying my face into her neck. "But we're not done yet." I rolled over her onto my back and looked at her. "I still got more for ya. Sadly, my leg is killing me. Ever ridden a horse?", I asked.

She giggled and rose to her hands and knees, crawling over to grip my dick with both hands and press it against her cheek.

"Maybe a few.", she says, slowly stroking and licking the head.

She kissed my tip and slid her lips over it, shoving me in her mouth.

Jesus, I love that warm tongue.

My cock slipped in and out of her mouth as she sucked and stroked the base. She dragged a claw up and down my sack. It tickled a little bit but it added to the sensation. Selina moved her hand and slowly took me in, sliding her tongue over every bit of skin until she jammed her nose in my pelvis. She held it there a few seconds and wiggled her head as she pulled it back.

"Oh God...", I groaned as she did it again.

Selina pulled back again and popped me out of her mouth. "You got enough left to feed me a snack?", she asked, smacking my cock head against her tongue. "I love how yours tastes." She smiled in her sexy way at me as she waited for my answer.

"Kinky.", I said, looking down at her. "Lemme give it a shot."

Selina giggled and slipped me back in her mouth. She bobbed her head slow from tip to base over and over and over. I threw my head back, giving in to her sweet lips and sloppy tongue. I thrust into her head as she came back down and made her gag. She didn't seem to mind so I kept going. It felt amazing and at this rate I'm bound to cum again. I felt it slowly rising in me. I placed my hand on the back of her head and pushed her down, forcing my cock down her throat. She gagged every time I went in but she just gripped my legs and gave in. I looked down at her face as I consistently shoved myself in her mouth. Her eyes were shut tight, her cheeks lit up bright red through the white and purple fur but she pushed into me with my force waiting for me to cum. She was enjoying this as much as I was.

We both sped up, sliding my dick down her throat faster with each thrust. My orgasm came quicker this time, rising fast but pleasing me just as much as I shot my wad in her mouth. I let go of her head, letting her take back over, and clawed the mattress as I moaned through the entire bust. Selina rocked her head down hard on my cock a few times as I came down her throat. I finished again, she popped me out of her mouth, swallowed, licked her lips then slowly up the length of my shaft before kissing it and jumping up to prepared to ride me.

"Mmm, you animal.", she growled, leaning down on top of me.

"It's in my blood.", I said, licking her nose.

She looked down between our bodies at my dick splitting her pussy lips then back at me. "Still strong.", Selina says. "Ready to give me a ride, horsey?"

I linked my hands behind my head and relaxed. "What are you waiting for?", I ask, grinning.

She smiled and rose her ass into the air, reaching down between us to grab my cock and point it up. The head slipped into her pussy and she began swiftly slamming her sexy butt into me, rocking back and forth, taking in as much of me as she possible could. We both grunted in unison and she started screaming in my ear as she was before.

"Ooo, Yeess..", Selina mumbled, slowing slightly as we both embraced her sopping wet pussy gliding up and down my shaft, trailing her juice and spreading it everywhere between our legs.

"Shit.", I grunted, gripping her ass with both hands. "It's coming fast."

I pulled her forward, stuffing her face into the pillow next to my head and took control. Slamming her ass down as I thrust hard and fast, my breathing picked up and I started huffing loudly as she screamed into my ear with each pound.

"OhmyGod, keepgoingimcummingtoo!", She screamed into my neck.

I picked up the speed and rammed her sweet cunt as hard as I could. I held back as long as I could as I gave her all I had, she sounded as if she was going hoarse from screaming and I couldn't hold back my voice any longer. I cried out her name and moaned every time I pounded her. Again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again until neither of us could take it any longer. I blew my third load deep inside her as she screamed at the top of her lungs into the pillow, squirting again with my cock still thrusting inside her. Her cum splashed out around my dick and soaked the sheets underneath us. My hips slowed as I shot the last of my cum inside her then she rolled over onto the bed and we both went limp.

"Sweet virgin Mary, that was amazing.", Selina says, hyperventilating and catching her breath as we looked each other in the eye. "God, I'm still trembling."

"I know the feeling.", I said, raising my hand to her chin as I kissed her. "You know how to treat your men."

She giggled and shut her eyes. "I'm exhausted."

I looked over her and to the window. Sunshine still shone through with an orange sky in the background behind the other buildings, signalling an early evening.

"Me too.", I said. "Its still daylight out."

"Oh well.", Selina shrugs. "I'm still buzzed enough to keep me out through the night."

Oh yeah.

I was so focused on the sex, I forgot I was drunk.

"I could go for a nap.", I mumbled, shutting my eyes. "See you in the morning?"

"Definitely.", Selina answers, scooting over to cuddle with me.

The sex had drained my energy and the alcohol added onto the physical exhaustion causing me to drift into the first sound sleep I've had in nearly a week.