A Chance Meeting
A Chance MeetingBy Azelis DeLano
Originally written July 2002
Disclaimer:
Warning: This story contains reference to adult language and situations, graphic depictions of violence and sex, and the occasional Death of Barney the Dinosaur scenario. Just kidding about the last part. You are not being forced to read this material, which has the potential to shock, disgust, or change you in any number of ways, and I will not be held accountable, nor will any other person or group choosing to display my work, for any damages, weather mental, emotional, or physical (electric shock, carpel tunnel syndrome, and paper cuts included, but not limited to). This material is copy write © me (MysticWolf), and will not be distributed with the intent of profit unless expressed written consent is given by me and any other parties that may be involved. Uh, other than that, enjoy. Not a significant source of Vitamin C or Iron. Offer expires when you stop caring. Not valid in any part of the world that may be offended.
The Day Begins
I yawned. I yawned wide and long, exposing my sharp teeth. I yawned so powerfully that my jaw felt like it was about to fall off. But it didn't. It never does, anyway. Putting all four of my paws on the ground, I stretched myself thoroughly. I felt a slight shudder and I could smell a scent similar to roses, yet very distinct. All at once, the scent vanished. All at once, I felt painfully alone. But that, too, passed.
The morning news was of a slightly overcast day with a light shower about noon or so. The river was still a little dry, so it would be good to get some more water. And I love the rain. I love to run in it. I love to play in it. I love to swim in it.
A family of anthromorphic deer were passing just outside my den. They had no need to worry; morphs don't prey on morphs. So my thoughts turned to breakfast. It had only been 3 days since my last meal, but you never know when you'll get your next one in this life. The only animal within my yard was a very healthy moose. Not something I could bring down myself, not without a family of my own. The loneliness returned briefly. I banished it with my thoughts of a meal.
But there was one other note in the morning breeze. A creature, stranger to this part of the woods, was near. Near being maybe 15 miles away. It was a human. So I'd probably be a full wolf today when the rain comes. It's always a little embarrassing; I'm the only creature who will be out when a human comes through. The others like to watch me and, of course, full animals don't wear clothing. But that wasn't going to ruin this rain.
Still, 15 miles was outside of my yard, and maybe the human would not come this far, or go in another direction. Humans are so random, it's sometimes surprising they survived long as they did. I've heard stories about them killing each other over trivial matters such as what land belongs to who. But they fight over land sizes of a few feet! It's pointless! I mean, with us, the only fighting is done to challenge Alpha, and he makes all the decisions regarding land, food stores, etc...
Well, there's nothing left to do this morning. Might as well take a nap until noon.
A Fateful Storm
I awoke to the sound of a thunderclap. Funny, I didn't think this was going to be a thunder storm, but it made no difference. The rain was still light, and the thunder was far away, as thunder goes. I tried to read the air for signs of the human, but found none. Where ever he'd gone (yes, I was sure he was male), the rain washed away the faint traces he'd have left. I stretched the bipedal way this time, bending one leg and extending the other, with my hand-paws on the ground. A brisk run through the rain was going to feel good. I walked over to my closet. What to wear... I suppose I could be a bit mischievous and wear a mini-skirt. But no, this was for my enjoyment only today. So I slipped into some airy pants, fastening the clip over my tail, and I put on just a gray-white tank top. It would blend in with my fur when I got wet. I'd swear I saw something moving in one corner of my den, but I spun around to find nothing.
I walked out into the rain, closing my eyes and letting the water wash over my ears, muzzle, cheek ruffs, and beginning to soak my garments. I skip-trotted a little ways from my den and plopped down in the wet grass, letting the rain wash over my face, soothing my every muscle. But I had come out here to go for a run, so I forced myself to get up. I had walked East from my den, but I wanted to run West and follow the river a little ways. Why I didn't sense it, I don't know. But I turned the opposite direction to see a human male, maybe 18 or 19, standing in my doorway. My eyes got wide and my pupils got smaller. The rain was not touching him. That could only mean...
He stood leaning against the earth that was my doorway, looking at me with an indifferent expression, his arms crossed at a slant over his chest. I must have whimpered slightly because he nodded and only the smallest hints of a smile crept across his face. If indeed he was a mage, I could make a pretty good guess why he'd come here.
I immediately bolted in the other direction! I wasn't about to become some ingredient for some obscure spell! I was running faster than I'd ever gone in my life, but something didn't feel right. I was concentrating too much on dodging trees to single it out, but I looked back. With my eyes, I could just barely see him still leaning against my entry way. And I ran into a tree knocking the wind out of me.
I fought my lungs long and hard to convince them to breathe again. When they finally obeyed, I sucked in as much air as I could hold. I was feeling a little dizzy, and I thought it was from lack of air. But the breathing didn't help. I opened my eyes and I was staring into the steely face of a full-grown mage. His eyes were glowing a slightly bluish color. I closed my eyes and whimpered, waiting for it to be over. Here I was, a female wolf of 18. I had never had a mate, much less tried to seek one. And I was about to die.
But the dizziness vanished. I slid out form under his gaze, tried to stand up, but fell down. My head landed on a shoe. I could feel hands on my shoulders. They were trying to help me up. I chanced a glance, and I saw the same person who'd been in my doorway. He was smiling warmly this time, looking right into my eyes. I stood up and was about to thank him, but his attention turned back to the other mage. I looked over and saw the other mage with eyes blazing red now. This, I knew from the Alpha, was an attack sign. The younger mage who'd helped me up stood in front of me, blocking me from the older mage. I soon saw why. The rain, which had not been falling in this area, now came to swirl around the younger mage just as the older one loosed a fireball at us. Most hit the rain shield, but a thin cylinder went around. Had I been taller, I'd have charred ears.
My rescuer took a fighting stance now, his right hand pointing stiffly deeper into the forest, his left forming some kind of symbol in front of his eyes. He stood that way for a moment before swinging his right hand to point at the opposing mage. His left hand clenched and punched into the air bringing the right into a defensive position across his chest. A brilliant blue flare shot towards the other mage. It engulfed him completely. He died noiselessly and without a word.
The younger mage turned around to look at me again. Seeing I was all right, he smiled and collapsed on the ground. The rain returned to its normal patterns again, one last clap of thunder mourning the mage's falling.
Recuperation
The boy was a mage. He'd been spying on me. But he saved my life. The only thing I could do was try to help him. I carried the boy back to my home, laid him on my bed. He didn't seem to have a fever, he wasn't sweating or shivering. Really, he just looked wiped out. So I made sure he was comfortable. It was all I could do, he just seemed to need rest.
It was still raining outside. I was aching to be out there, but I dared not leave the boy alone. Of course, I may have been safer leaving him alone. But I had things to do in my den, anyway. The weather was just about right to start deepening it again. So my work carried me a few feet further today. By the end of the season, it would hopefully be doubled. I hadn't lived here long.
I heard a rustling noise from my bed. Silently, I crept over. The boy had only turned over. I was about to go back to my work when I heard the sheets again. This time, he was sitting up. There was this feeling of confusion about him. He shut his eyes for a second. When he opened them, they got slightly wider. I didn't know what to say, so I stayed quiet for a while.
He continued to look around my den. That was strange seeing as how I didn't have much to look at. His eyes fixed momentarily on the outfit I'd been wearing before I changed. He tried to get up, but staggered. Some instinct of mine compelled me to hurry over and catch him.
"Hey! Are you all right?"
There was a look of fear and confusion on his face. He backed up quickly, hitting the bed, and falling over. For some unknown reason, I felt very suddenly playful. I got onto the bed, straddling his legs. It was the funniest thing to me. Every time he scooted back a bit, I inched up on him until he hit the wall. I inched up until my muzzle touched his nose. He stared, wide eyed and unblinking, into my eyes. I couldn't stand it any longer. I rolled to the side, laughing like there was no tomorrow.
"Ha ha ha! Oh, c'mon! Where's your sense of humor?"
The fear was gone from his face. Now, he still stared at me, but the look was more or less inquisition. I could tell he was burning to ask me a question, but his mouth didn't open even a crack.
"You want to know something? Well, ask away."
He dropped his head, shaking it back and forth.
"What's the matter? Some vow of silence?"
He looked me right in the eye, this real serious look on his face. He mouthed something out, but I didn't catch it.
"What?"
He mouthed it again.
"You can't speak?"
He slowly nodded.
"Well, how do you talk? I mean how do you communicate."
He held up a hand to my head. My initial reaction was to back off, but he did the same. So I stood still, letting him brush my fur for a moment. I was getting drowsy, when all of the sudden.
I was in this place. I can't describe it. There were no trees, no grass, no hills. There was no light, yet I could see. The only thing there was the mage. When he spoke, I didn't so much hear as understand. And he never moved his mouth.
"This is how we talk. It is the only way. It is like... I don't know. We can talk to one another over great distances. And, yes, I cannot speak. Not normally, anyway."
I tried to ask why, but I was only able to move my mouth.
"No, you can't speak here. You are not a magic user. You can only listen."
Very suddenly, I was back on the bed, the boy beside me. His hand was still on my head. His eyes were closed. He took a deep breath as he removed his hand. Then he opened his eyes. There were glowing a faint greenish color. Instinctively, I gasped and backed up. He shut his eyes and turned sharply away. At first, I thought I'd offended him, but I heard a sniffle. I looked over his shoulder. He was holding an object. It was about the size of an apple, made of some kind of metal. It hand a rounded base with 4 prongs coming out of it. There was some kind of needle on the bottom.
"What's that?"
He looked over at me. He raised his hand, and I closed my eyes in anticipation. But he never touched me. I opened my eyes. He made a motion as though to stab me with the device, though he didn't.
"That... That's what you use to..."
He nodded once, slowly.
"Why?"
This time, he didn't hesitate. I was in the strange place again.
"This collects the life force of beings, their mana. The force is strongest in morphs. It gives us more power."
"Why did you save me?"
His face was visually stunned. "How did you speak?"
"I... I don't..."
There was a moment of silence.
"I came here with the intention of... Well, I saw you changing. And I just couldn't bring myself to do it."
"So who was the other mage."
"That was my father. This was my 5th try. He said that if I didn't succeed, he'd do it for me. And then kill me."
"Your father?"
"Adopted father. When I joined the mages."
"Why did you join?"
There was another pause.
"When I was very little, there was an accident. It made me lose my voice. It is the hardest thing, not being able to speak. So I heard about the mages. They give their voices, among other things, for the initial power. When they collect life force, their voices are the first things they regain. But it usually takes a lifetime to achieve, and they are used to not speaking by then. I thought I might be able to get my voice back. But I never knew what it required."
"So, that thing would... kill me?"
"Only if I collected all of your life force."
"But you could take just a little."
"I won't."
"I want you to."
He terminated the link. After I came fully back, he was already heading for the door.
"No, please. I want to talk to you. Please, do it."
He stopped and turned around. For several seconds, he stared at me. I couldn't read his expression. But he shook his head and turned back around. I grabbed his arm.
"I want you to."
He looked back at me again. I think he was sighing, but there was no sound. He led me back to the bed. He laid me down. With a knife on his belt, he ripped off a few cloth pieces from his shirt and tied down my arms and legs. I was beginning to think that this was a bad idea. He produced the device in a flash of blue light by cupping his hands. He held it near my eyes. The needle popped quickly out, then back in. I was scared, but I nodded again. He shook his head. I thought he'd refuse, but he pulled up my shirt and pulled down my pants about an inch or so.
Pain! Immense pain! Burning! Freezing! Itching! All at once! I was swimming in agony, the fact I couldn't move just adding to the feeling! It lasted forever! Seconds, minutes, hours, days. It went on and on! Blackness was coming in. The pain was getting more distant. I was dieing. He was killing me.
My eyes opened.
I was no longer tied up. I was in his arms, and he was shaking me.
"Are you ok?!"
His voice. He was speaking.
"Unh. Why did you have to do it for so long?"
"That was only about a second."
I saw the device in his hand. There was some kind of a liquid in the center, glowing a whitish color. I pointed to it.
"Yes, that is life force."
I noticed that it flashed every time he spoke.
"Will it run out?"
"Yes, in time. That is why so many mages take so many morphs."
It was already considerably dimmer.
"You said it gave you other talents, too."
"Yes. If my father had used one of those, we would not be here, even with my magic."
"What else did you have to give up?"
"Life."
The word held no feeling to it. It was stated as a cold, hard, heartless fact. But his eyes. They were so sad and empty. The only thing I could do was be near him. I snuggled up to him, giving him a small lick on the cheek. He backed off again.
"Why don't you like to be near me?"
"Because I... I..."
In that instant, his voice had gotten very hoarse. Soon, no sound came out of his mouth. He hung his head. He looked ready to cry. I inched over and snuggled up to him again. He didn't back off this time. I felt something wet on my fur. Not wet. Freezing!
"Ah!"
I backed off quickly. The feeling faded fast enough. For me. He was holding the right side of his face, his mouth wide open trying to produce screams that it couldn't. My instincts kicked in. I grabbed him by the shoulders He quit moving so violently. I gently pulled his hand form his face. There was a dark colored liquid in and around his eye. Once again, this was all instinctual for me. I bent in and started licking his eye, like I would any wound. His tensed face relaxed gradually. I used my paws to lay him on his side, still licking his eye. When he was calm, I regained my senses. What I'd done was incredibly dangerous. But it worked. This mage, this child. He was trapped in a world he didn't understand, even loathed. And he'd saved my life. There was only one thing I could do for him.
"I can help you. I can take away the pain. If you'll trust me."
He took the device, now empty, and threw it across the room. It vanished in a flash before it would have hit the wall.
"No, not that. I have my own way. But you have to trust me."
He looked right into my eyes. I could feel his longing. But he shook his head and touched the spot where he'd put the device. It was slightly painful.
"It doesn't hurt me. Not at all. In fact, I kind of like it. But you have to trust me. Otherwise, I can't help you."
It took several moments, but he nodded.
"Thank you. I can't do it now, it'll take a week or two to get ready."
He nodded. He got up from the bed and headed for the doorway again.
"Hey, do you have anywhere to stay?"
He stopped and looked at me. It took a second, but he nodded.
"C'mon. I can tell you're lying. Now do you really have a place to stay?"
He shook his head.
"Well, you might as well stay here."
He shook his head, more forcefully.
"You saved my life. I'll probably never be able to repay that, but I want to come as close as I can."
Once again, he hesitated, but he agreed.
"OK. Um, you'll have to stay in here, and don't let anyone else see you. I'll take care of food and all."
He shook his head and pointed to himself.
"It's not safe for you to go out. If the Alpha came upon you and found you're a mage, he'd kill you in a second. Yes, he's done it before."
The boy thought for a second, then got up and headed toward some leftover meat I'd been saving. He lifted his hands above it, shut his eyes, and concentrated. Moments later, the scent of fresh cooked meat filled my nose. I laughed.
"OK, you can cook."
He smiled and took a rather large bite. I guess he was hungry.
The Ritual
I didn't tell him how I was going to help him or why it'd take two weeks. I knew he'd refuse. Especially since I'd never done it before. Not many morphs had. Granted, most near me had mated at some point, but not with a human. It'd be my first time, animal, morph, or human. And that would change him. With the proper preparations, it would change him into a morph. He could leave his life behind, not that he had much of one now. And I can say, I was really looking forward to it. I know that's just the pheromones talking, but I've had to listen to them every season since my coming of age. It was time to obey them.
I spent the first two nights in with him, trying my best to make him comfortable. I would have spent more, but he would begin to suspect then. On the third day, I rolled over in my bed right into him, as I'd done before. And, as before, I cursed myself. Today more than ever, I wanted to leave before he awoke. See, being only human, he got cold at night. Having my own fur coat, I don't keep any blankets or anything. Some do, but I prefer a more natural life. So, to keep him warm, I had to sleep right up next to him. For some reason, though, I plow into him every morning.
He stirred a bit but did not wake. As quietly as I could, I got out of the bed and tiptoed towards the door. I didn't need to dress as I kept my clothes on when I slept. Just as I got to the entry way, though, I heard him slide off the bed. I glanced back. He was looking at me with a questioning expression. I blew him a kiss and left. I could only hope he would take it as a joke.
"Krisha. Are you well this morning?"
I must have jumped a full mile into the air. The Alpha, Jalnyl, was standing right outside my den.
"Oh! Oh, you scared me."
I put my paw on my stomach while I was breathing hard and winced as I hit that spot. Jalnyl saw that and grabbed me out of concern.
"Pup, are you alright?"
"Mmm, fine. I just pulled something running with the last rain."
"Pup, I wish you would not go out into the rain. There was a mage in this area when the rains came. I was out looking for it, but found it destroyed. Maybe by its own kind. I can only hope."
I was getting very nervous by this point. Did he suspect anything?
"Well, good day. Let me know if you find anything strange."
Strange? The entire week has been all about strange.
"I will, Alpha Jalnyl."
He glanced at my den but moved on. I knew he would not go in without telling me he would do so, but thought that accelerating my plans may be a good idea at this point. See, it's not all mating. Not if I'm trying to turn a human into a morph. The first thing I needed was fresh river water to bathe him in, or for him to feel water. I'd just say it's more of my thanks to him. Who knows if all this is necessary, but I wasn't about to take the chances. I grabbed the bucket outside my den used to collect rainwater and dumped it out, then headed for the river to the West.
Yes, he was hesitant about me pouring a bucket of water over his head. At last, though, I convinced him that it would do him good. Laughing afterwards, I think he believes it was all a joke. All the better for me to keep my secret from him. Though, I couldn't help but lick his cheek that night and taste the river on him. Made him understandably uneasy.
The next part was to smell the earth. I insisted on making dinner that night, and I don't think he will let me "season" our food again. Third was to see the wind. I had to make an excuse for us to see the constellations one rather cold night, when it was cold enough for us to see our breath. Fourth was to hear fire. I had yet to do this one. Fifth, then, was to taste the essence of thy mate. And, through every other use of "essence," I had come to know this as blood. To complete the ritual, thy must mate. Well, 3 down and 3 to go.
He would not admit to it, but every day I saw him weaken substantially more. Without realizing it, I completed the fire stage one morning. He felt very cold and I had feared him dead. He was still breathing. I quickly built up a fire near the bed. The crackling, I can only hope, awoke him. However, this was also my fatal mistake.
"Krisha? Why is there a fire in your den?"
It was the Alpha.
"Jalnyl! Don't come in!"
Big mistake. Not paying respects to him enraged him. He stormed in fully intent upon punishing me. Until he saw the young mage behind me. His voice took on a venomous tone I had never before heard.
"Mage! Why is that dirty filth in here?!"
"Jalnyl, no! He saved my life?"
"I am Alpha Jalnyl to you, pup!"
He unsheathes his dagger, the one he had claimed over 100 mages with and shoved me aside, also kicking over the fire. I was instantly in tears.
"No, please don't! I owe him my life!"
Alpha Jalnyl made no move to stop but raised the dagger high above the boy's heart. And then froze.
"Kr- Krisha..."
That was the boy's voice. He staggered to his feet and fled out the door. The Alpha fell over looking dead. I was torn between my Alpha and my savior. Presently, though, Jalnyl began to move as if in great pain.
"Krisha. You have betrayed me. Why?"
"He saved my life."
"He stole life force from you. I can see it. Just as he did from me. Yet you keep him here?"
"He killed his own father to save me."
Jalnyl was momentarily thoughtful. "So that explains why I couldn't sense both of them. But you must know that no two mages exist from the same family. More than likely they were fighting over each other's power. The boy accidentally killed his father without getting any life force and fell. You took him in and, instead of killing you right away, decided to wait until he was better again."
"No, he's been dieing. He gets weaker every day."
"And what would you do about it?"
"I- Anything I can."
The Alpha looked deep into my eyes. "The river. The fire. It all makes sense now. You were going to turn him. Damn you, girl! Do you have any idea how powerful he would become?! No, that is unforgivable. You will be punished. But I must find him first before he takes any more of us!"
With that, he stormed out to leave me crying on the floor of my den.
Repercussions
It had been two days since I'd heard from the Alpha. On the third morning he stopped in to inform me of the news.
"He fled our lands. I daren't follow him but I let all the surrounding tribes know of his presence and I'll know when he's found. Now as for you. What in the name of Mother Gaia were you trying to do?!"
I kept my head low and eyes downcast. "I wanted to release him from his life."
Jalnyl's voice was not compassionate but scolding. "Then you should have killed him. Their lives are cursed beyond the skill of any to heal. All you'd have done was to hide him from immediate identification. Don't you understand? He could have moved about us, ALL of us, taking every life and no one would be the wiser."
"He wouldn't..."
"He would. They do. Don't you get it? They're like parasites. They live on the living and die without them."
I couldn't bring myself to speak anymore. Part of what he said made sense and I hated him for that.
"You may have had good intentions but ignorance is no excuse. If you were more social or had a family I'd cut you off from them but you're already a recluse as it is. I'm sentencing you to public display for one month. We'll see just how far you see good intentions going because you'll be depending on them to live."
He walked out as his Beta Guard came in and hauled me away.
By the end of that first week I was extremely hungry. I hadn't been given food by anyone. I have the distinct impression the Alpha told everyone not to help me. I didn't even bother to beg for food anymore. It was pointless. The last time someone was put on public display the pups had delighted in pelting the poor wolf with rotten fruit and I'd have been thankful to even get that much now. Instead I was either avoided or scolded by everyone, more the former than the latter.
Late one night I had a visitor. He seemed to pass right by the guards and held a finger up to his mouth to keep me quiet. His hood stayed in place but I knew it had to be the boy. He placed his hand on my head.
"I'm sorry I caused all this trouble. Is there anything I can do to help?"
Again I tried to reply but couldn't. I got a wordless feeling of disappointment from him.
He removed his paw. I got the impression he was debating something. He crept very close and whispered, "How long?"
I whispered back, "Three weeks."
"I should leave," he whispered and turned away. I struggled in my chains, snapping the guards out of their trance. They looked about to yell out the alarm, but seemed to forget what they were doing and turned back around. I looked back from them to where the boy had been but he was gone.
All through the next day I got exponentially worse. When the Alpha came to check on me he sounded more concerned than usual.
"Have you learned your lesson yet?"
I managed to have my eyes meet his but could do nothing else.
"I think you've suffered long enough."
He released me and brought me to his own family to nurse back to health. Yet nothing seemed to help and for two days I was left like that. On the third I improved a little. On the fourth I improved much. On the fifth I was permitted to return home.
Physically I was in perfect shape but emotionally I was drained and in bad shape. I wanted to curl up and sleep for a week but found my den was not empty.
"Who are you and why are you in my den?"
The voice was merely a whisper. "I am Tremlin and you invited me to stay here."
The name I didn't know but I realized it was the boy and I also realized I'd never known his name until now. I rushed over intending to hug him, then held back remembering the Alpha's words.
"You're scared of me again. I don't blame you. But as I went away I got sick and only when I stopped did I not get worse. I started moving back and got better. I think I may have accidentally tied my life to yours."
I was halfway in disbelief, halfway thinking it was my fault. "How can that be?"
"That's why most mages don't leave a morph alive, because that can happen. Our essence mixes with theirs and it ties us inescapably together. It's probably why I have a little bit of a voice now."
"Our essence?" I asked in a stupor. He nodded.
If that's what was meant then I had only one step left. But still Jalnyl's words haunted me.
He broke the silence. "There is a way to break apart but I hesitate to mention it."
"What?" I asked.
"The mixing is part of a cycle, a process that the mages know about but don't know the reason for. Some kind of exchange. But mating completes it and releases the two."
I only nodded, wondering how much he knew. "Do you...want to then?"
He didn't look at me. "Honestly? Yes but not for that reason. I've..." He trailed off.
"Do you know what will happen if we mate?"
"It will be extra sensitive because of how we're tied, but then we'd be released. That also means...that if one of us died...the other..."
"You mean if one of us dies right now the other will too?"
He nodded, still not looking at me. I thought for a bit, then turned away and dug my claws into my leg. He cried out in little more than a whisper and doubled over and I was certain he told the truth about that last part.
"I'm sorry, I had to be sure."
My heart was racing as I put my paws on his shoulders. He looked up, his eyes meeting mine and those hormones and pheromones took hold of us both.
It didn't last long, it being the first time for both of us, but Gaia were the feelings strong! At the end there was a feeling like I was draining out and then filling up again, not physically, but spiritually. It's hard to explain. But when I got my senses I saw that the ritual had worked.
I was now laying on top of a white wolf with black gloves and boots. He had these emerald green eyes and silvery-gray hair. I could tell he hadn't gotten his senses back yet. And when he did he had quite a shock.
His voice, when he found it, had a melodious ring to it. "I...I'm...What happened?"
I snuggled into him more, realizing that not only were we still merged, but that he'd tied with me in the manner of wolves. The change wasn't exactly sudden or gradual, but natural that I hadn't noticed it. "I said I could help you," I whispered.
He whispered back, "But it's an exchange, so what did you get from me?"
I shrugged and rolled us both onto our sides, hugging him.
"So now what?" he asked, seeming still confused and maybe a little shocked.
The words cut right though my euphoria bringing the reality of our situation back to me. "We'll have to leave. If the Alpha realizes who you are he'll kill us both."
He tried to push away and found out for himself that we were tied together. "What...?"
I laughed softly and put my paw over his lips. "It's much more fun this way. Don't worry, we're not stuck forever."
He was silent and I couldn't tell why until I heard another voice.
"I am extremely disappointed in you Krisha. And I'm sorry it's come down to this," Jalnyl said, sounding very sad indeed.
"Please just leave us alone," Tremlin pleaded.
"You bastardization of nature, you've taken her virginity and her life force, what more do you intend to do?! Say you have pups, what will you do to them?!"
There was something in his voice then, something that actually made Jalnyl give pause. "I will protect her and I will protect them and that includes from you if you mean us harm, Alpha."
"And what do you gain from all this?"
"Life."
A New Day
I think more was exchanged between us than we knew that night. We did indeed have pups but there's no way to know if it was from that first time because when Jalnyl left, well, we didn't get much sleep. I never heard of a human being able to choose a mate so quickly like he did, but then again he wasn't human anymore.
And what did I get from him? There have been many mages that have come this way since and not a one has been able to stand against either of us. We're both mages and Jalnyl was partly right. No one can tell that he was ever a human save for myself and the Alpha who know the truth, but neither he nor I need to take life force to work our magic.
Our pups, we're told, will probably be the same way and we need to take care to train them to hide their abilities. Tremlin isn't opposed to this but I'm not so sure. I think you should be who you are and proud of it. But there are no two ways about it, we've started something here. And as the sun rises on a new day, I can hear our pups trying to wake their father. It's time to put my pen down I think, and get on with yet another new day.