FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

The dispatch center started bugged her on the radio to ask why she had the siren on as she blazed through town making turns that would have horrified bystanders, so she ditched the car about half a block from her apartment. After she skidded through a powerslide into a parallel parking space, she wanted to stop and take a breather to slow the adrenaline burning through her veins. After a few panting breaths to slow her racing heart, she checked to make sure that Kalokin's illusory clothes were still in place and hopped out of the car and started striding towards her apartment.

"That was... wow... It felt almost like time is moving in slow motion."

I've had a loooong time to improve on biological functions, I've gotten it down to an art. You're not -that- good of a driver though... I had to help nudge the steering wheel and the car itself, or you'd have wrecked yourself that one time you took a drifting left turn through oncoming traffic.

"Thanks for that then... what would have happened if I actually had crashed?"

I would protect you.

"How so?"

My essence is saturating your body, yes? Provided that I saw the impact coming in enough time to act, which I would, I could manifest my essence in a cushion around your body. Not only that, I could pull on every molecule of your body with an equal force, effectively yanking you to a halt.

"Um, not to doubt you sweetie, but wouldn't yanking my internal organs around kind of destroy them? They're rather squishy."

If I only pulled on your organs, yes, it would rip your body to pieces and you'd die horribly. That's not what I would do. A hard impact causes hard force, but the force itself isn't what breaks bones and bruises flesh. It's the relative_forces and how they're displaced. Think about... literally every kind of armor that exists, from boiled leather up to steel plate. A sword has force focused onto an extremely thin edge, which shears things apart. Armor can resist the cutting edge, which lets it transfer the force from a thin line across your entire rib cage. I'm taking that a step further and transferring force evenly across your body, so that if something hit you, it would be like hitting a solid steel cube. Yea, you'd go flying, but you wouldn't feel a thing._

"Wow... you make it sound like I'm almost immortal. That work with bullets too?"

Bullets would be harder because they travel so quickly. I'd have to be damn sharp on the pickup to notice the bullet and act accordingly... it's a much smaller window, but I think I'd be able to keep you alive at the very least. It takes an extreme amount of energy to push like that though. Kinetic force isn't my forte, so as always, it's better to avoid getting hurt than it is to-

They got to Shou's apartment complex and Kalokin cursed explicitly in Sandtongue, using a variety of terms and phrasing that showed exactly how creative he was with vulgarity. Shou's fur snapped darker, almost to black as she stepped into the building, but the landlord had already noticed her.

You're listed as missing, you can't just show up here! Uhh... You're her sister, from out of town, come to look through her things. That could work.

She didn't even flinch at Kalokin's impressive tirade; she had a damn good poker face. Kalokin's quick save bought them time, but she needed to sell the lie. It wasn't good, but she settled into a look of stress and exhaustion. It helped that she was worried about these events, and the tears that rose to the surface were almost convincing. A tired murmur escaped her as she drooped her ears and gave a quiet greeting, purposefully approaching the landlord.

"Hello, you must be the landlord..." A bobbing of her head, the wolf girl offered a strained smile, managing to look haggard and tired, with slightly rounded shoulders. "Lucky you're here. I'm looking for Shou's apartment? I'm Traci, have you heard any news about my cousin..?"

Sister doesn't work, I'm friendly with the landlord, he knows I have no siblings, and my folks are dead. Be prepared for me being touched.

Should I just knock him unconscious? Nah, someone else would find him.

The landlord was a male wasp, Mr. Weathersby. He wasn't the friendliest of people, but he was more gruff than unkind. He cared about his tenants, which was rare. He looked at her for a moment with a frown before speaking.

"Shou? Oh, Shouyousei, the woman who got... went missing."

He almost said "got eaten" but as Shou sobbed a little, he hastily caught himself.

"I... I'm sorry, but I can't let just anyone into her apartment. The police stopped by, said they wanted to search the place if she stayed missing or was found dead."

Shou rubbed a hand across her face as the exhaustion veritably seeped from her.

"Of course... of course, I understand... I don't... I'm not really sure why I even came. We didn't part on the best of terms, yanno? After Auntie's funeral, we got in a huge fight... and then she stormed off and left... And we knew she was here, but -- and now this?"

There was a strangled noise, and then tears. Remembering the day her family was lain to rest, the fight she did have with a cousin. The truth made it ring even sharper, a bitter memory for a sad lie.

"She's my baby cousin... w-what if... do you really think she... They have to find her!" And then she broke down into tears. They were crocodile tears though, real enough to be seen but not enough to inhibit her thoughts.

Nothing upsets men more than an emotional, off balance, crying woman. Just make sure he doesn't turn his thoughts towards calling the cops, because I'm here and I can handle the rest.

Kalokin had to admit that he was impressed by her. He wasn't picking and choosing who Khaesho could fall in love with, but he was happily surprised by her penchant for misdirection.

Build a lie from the truth. You do know your stuff. I have to ask though, what kind of sick, heartless bastard would call the cops on a bereaved woman? I have two of the best actors in the world as my acolytes... oh the things we could do together. No doubt you could convince him, given enough time, but this is far easier quicker.

The Wasp looked as if he struggled with indecision, but his eyes flashed pale blue for the briefest of moments, and then his reservations collapsed.

"Don't worry dear, I'm sure they'll find her soon. The caves running through that mountain are extensive, she probably just got lost. These outrageous stories about a man-eating snake are just hype. Do you have a place to stay while you're in town? Shouyousei paid until next month, I'm sure she would be fine if you stayed in her apartment while you're in town. If they haven't found her by then, then the coppers will send someone by tomorrow morning to look through her things, to see if she left any indication of why she would vanish like this."

Not heartless, more out of misplaced concern, being a family member of a missing or dead person gets the police asking lots of worried questions - and sticking their nose where it doesn't belong.

There was old resentment in her words, but it faded as quickly as it had come and she sniffled softly. She looked at him with splayed ears, utter misery written all across her face. A small nod, and she sniffled a little bit again as more tears rolling down her cheeks.

"I.. no, I don't have a place... If... if you really don't mind... I... please... I'm just so.. so tired!" And more tears fell as her shoulders shook with tears. Accepting the condolences of the wasp . "C-could you show me the way..?"

In her mind, she clicked her tongue playfully at Kalokin. You learn all sorts of tricks as a girl, Kalokin. You'll be in for a treat if you ever manage to get me in such a position again!

I might be impressed, but I doubt I'll be surprised. I'm the god of thieves, remember? Hard to show me a new trick.

Weathersby stepped forwards, placed his arm around Shou's shoulders, and walked with her towards the stairs. Kalokin's hallucinations worked, apparently... he didn't notice the difference between the fur and scales beneath his arm. They stopped outside of apartment 211, where he reached into his pocket and handed her a key to the door.

"If there is anything I can do to help you during this hard time, let me know, please."

After taking the key from him, she gave a trembling, watery little smile. "Thank you so much."

Then she hugged him tightly, and hid her face momentarily against the males chest, crying softly. As she clutched his shirt, her shoulders trembled and she seemed to be seeking comfort, needing the reassurance. He started to wrap his spindly arms around her, but she pulled back a little and blinked those damp watery eyes up at the wasp, bottom lip trembling as she murmured her next words.

"W-will you wait to tell the police I'm here u-until the morning..? I just... I want to try and g-get some sleep, a-and... I'm sure they'll come banging on the door s-soon as they can if t-they learn tonight..." Hiding her face again, she sniffled softly, ears drooping.

Weathersby shifted uncertainly, glancing back and forth as if looking for an excuse. "I... I really should at least let them know you're here..." He looked down at her scared, hurt, and emotionally tormented face. "Then again, it's very late, and the police are busy looking for your cousin. I wouldn't want to bother them right now, that can wait until tomorrow morning. Sleep tight, Tracie." He extracted himself from her arms to gave her a warm smile and a pat on the shoulder before he turned to leave.

"T-thank you..." With a soft sniffle, and she carefully unlocked the door and slipped into her apartment. She sighed then and rolled her shoulders before flipping on the light.

I wasn't saying that I know better than you! Just that I have a few tricks due to my feminine wiles.

No question there Shou. Women as a whole are far more conniving than men. Men get less practice, they don't lie as often.

That's true, women do get more practice at it. Not really something I'm proud of...

The tears and sorrow melted away like snow in the hot sun, replaced by a calm smile as she locked the door and leaned against it. Home... Everything was just as she had left it, and she let her eyes trail through the two bedroom apartment. It was cozy, it was warm, and it was hers. For now. The short hallway opened into a kitchen on her right, with outdated but lovingly used tools and appliances. A small room on the left had the washer and dryer, moderately new, seeing as they belonged to the landlord. Straight ahead, and connected to the kitchen, was her living room. Shelves of books were stacked to the walls, and odd workout equipment littered the space.

Small weights and yoga mats lay scattered across the floor and strength bars were mounted on the visible doorways. The bright yellow rubber of stretchers hanging from the doors made her glance at them almost longingly, wishing she had more time to say goodbye to her home.

She headed through the living room and into the short hall that led to the two bedrooms and the bathroom. One door lay open to reveal the bedroom that had been converted into a painting room. Scents of turpentine and paint wafted through the opening from paintings long dry that adorned the walls like an art gallery. Many paintings were only half finished... and now they never would be. She paused as she passed, giving a loving glance into the room that had brought her such peaceful serenity on so many occasions... there was no way she could take her paintings with her. Everything she wanted, she'd have to carry on her own two legs.

When she pushed open the door to her bedroom she took in the appearance of the smaller room for the last time. The sheets were still slightly mussed on the twin bed she'd slept on for so long. Paintings hung on the walls in here as well, accompanied by stacks of books and ballet shoes. Clothes were strewn everywhere, and costumes glittered innocently from their place in the open closet. A full body mirror hung on one wall, and her dresser was as she had left it; half open with her tights hanging out.

"Home sweet home..." None could have missed the bittersweet twist to her words, least of all Kalokin. He'd felt her sorrow and nostalgia from the time they'd gotten through the door, and he came to realize then exactly how much she had to lose by joining Khaesho and he. She had a happy, comfortable life, a career, friends... they were asking her to give up everything on a hope and a dream.

Shou, I... maybe we didn't think everything through, didn't explore every scenario. Maybe we still have a chance for them to "rescue you," and still keep them ignorant of what's happened. Maybe if... if we...

He tried to think of a plan, but the only ones that had even a chance of being convincing would have needed action while they were still in the caves. In the end, he had only half of a decent idea.

We could hit the ground running. I know the Labyrinth, we could take a shortcut through the mountain and get you to the other side, deep in the wilderness. Find a stream, rough up your clothing, and then I lead the enforcers straight to you. You got lost in the caves and found daylight on the other side through sheer luck. We might convince them that....

It was a bad plan, with so many holes in it that Shou didn't even need to point them out. Kalokin was really just grasping at straws now. She sighed as she flopped onto the bed, content to simply lay there for at least a few minutes as she wrestled with her emotions.

I just don't want to see you give up everything for us.

She had to though... It was a realization that Shou had back in the caves, when she had suddenly realized her career, her entire life was changing. Everything was different now, and she looked at all of it as if seeing it for the first time. When her worry and panic had begun to well up Kalokin had re-assured her. They would be fine so long as they had eachother. She'd committed to her path, but being faced with exactly what that sacrifice entailed was far from easy. She was different now from the wolf who wandered into a cave, and not just physically. There was no way to go back, no way to regain what she was about to lose...

Sometimes, you need to get rid of a canvas so you can start a new painting. I knew what the price would be back when you saved my life. What I have here... things can be replaced. Things will be replaced... You two are worth it.

Kalokin didn't have words for that... he was wrestling with inner turmoil himself, and her words only stirred his soul more. He gave a weak pulse of affirmation, a weak nod of approval, before he faded to the back of her mind to think.

Shou, for her part, rolled off the bed and set her shoulders back. She'd spent enough time moping, they needed to move. She strode purposefully to the closet and she crouched down to dig through sparkling costumes and pull out a sturdy hiking backpack. Inspecting it, she nodded to herself.

You're worrying far too much, Kalo... Her affection bled through her mind to comfort him, but he felt... strange... weak, almost. A ripple of tension snapped out from him, and the "clothing" he'd been holding around her vanished.

S-sorry... just... so tired... so hungry... the dark moon is vanished towards the sun...

It was indeed the phase of a New Moon, so the dark sky was filled with starts... but his comment didn't seem to make much sense. She could feel the fatigue radiating from him, so she let him be and called cheerily out to the sun goddess as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

"Shelandra, if you're listening dear, I have a request for you!"

She's not your patron, she won't hear if you just shout her name. It's night time, so she's probably halfway through a kinky sex party... but she likes you, and might answer if you call. She gave you her blessing, remember? You should be able to feel it, the same way you can feel me... instead of calling outwards, reach inwards towards the part of her you're holding and call to that. She'll hear... and if she's not busy, she'll answer.

Shou did as she was asked to do... she could feel the shard of Shelandra, tucked like a warm ember in her mind. Her will poured towards that with a question, a summoning, and she felt her thoughts slip through into Shelandra's mind. She got a vague sense of warm scales and comforting friction before the connection passed. It didn't take more than a few seconds for Shelandra to answer; her essence poured through Shou and into her apartment, sliding down into her coppery self. A worried frown decorated her face as she noticed the surroundings and the lack of a certain Naga.

"Good night, dear. What mess has my brother made this time? Where's Kesh?"

Shel's somber tone put her off for a moment, but she shrugged it off as she stood from her packing chore to stretch. A wide grin adorned her face as Shelandra's habitual warmth seeped outwards into the room."Hello, beauty! I have a request, that I would be greatly appreciative if you could manage for me... well, two things really."

Kalokin pulled a form together, beside and slightly behind Shou, so he was just on the edge of her vision. A single spine of energy shot through Shel's eyes at the sight of him before she turned back to answer Shou.

"That depends, love. I have my specialties, just as Kalokin has his. Tell me what you need, and I'll see how I can help."

Shelandra was far from a good poker player; worry was written far across her face, and she glanced between Shou and Kalokin anxiously. Shou was still moving though, and she didn't quite notice. She grabbed a few articles of clothing and a knife and set about customizing the pants to fit her new tail. It didn't take long to get herself fully clothed, but she kept her mouth moving as she worked.

"When dawn rolls around, can you set my apartment on fire? Nothing big, or overly dangerous - I don't want anyone to die after all! But enough to burn a bit...? Start it near the kitchen, so it looks like a gas leak..? Oh! Speaking of, I'll need to leave something on the couch... a flash burn there, superheated and violent - to char the remains of the poor cousin who stayed in the apartment."

Once she was certain she had everything she needed, she would then grab a few momentous that she didn't want to lose. A picture of two wolves, likely her parents, a pair of her ballet shoes, a token here and there. Before she nodded to herself, and sectioned off that part of the backpack. Glancing up at the Shelandra, then to Kalokin, she only distantly noticed that Kalokin was several shades darker than he usually was, almost black. Her words provoked an instantaneous reaction from Shelandra though, who turned to glare at Kalokin with an accusation

"Brother dear, why is my new favorite mortal asking me to light a building on fire to fake her death?"

Kalokin cringed slightly before giving a reckless and guiltless smile.

"I swear that this time it actually isn't my fault! The Civilized have a much more indepth and accessible way to keep track of people. She's half Serpent now, she can't just go to a new city when there are pictures and records of her as a wolf. We didn't do anything illegal, honest!"

"Have you ever been honest in your entire existence?"

"I know, right? It's a weird feeling, but honesty has its uses."

She clawed him playfully, then turned back to Shou.

"I doubt such a ploy would work, for any number of reasons. I could spark a flame easily enough, and I think I could even make it look like an accident, but unless I make an inferno large enough to devour the entire building, they will immediately know that you did not perish in the flames."

"She has a point Shou. Besides, in my experience, simple is always better for a con. How about this. You're an opportunistic thief who read the local paper, knew Shou was missing, and thought it would be a good chance for a burglary. You sweet talked your way past the landlord, stole everything of value small enough to fit in your pockets, and vanished during the night. If you really want to, we can still set your apartment on fire, a particularly callous burglar might do that to try and prevent anyone from tracking him. Simple, easy, and guaranteed to work, and it'll fit because I imagine you'll want to bring any jewelry anyways."

As the two communicated, she turned a little and offered a small smile. Shouldering her backpack, she stood she moved over to the pair and cuddled up to Kalokin, which in turn brought her close to Shelandra. Not that she minded the Goddess, especially hearing that the female was fond of her. As the two started to talk, she pursed her lips and nodded a little bit.

"That's certainly true, how unfortunate..." Eyes trailed the room, and she ruffled her claws through the fur on her head, tail twitching and swishing a little bit. The glimmer of scales caught the moonlight and scattered it over the bedroom like a thousand tiny stars. "The biggest problem with that, Kalokin, I don't have much in the way of valuable anything... I have books, and paintings... The only expensive things I own are my costumes, and they're tailored...

Her eyes sparkled in delight, and though she knew she didn't have the time, she moved to the closet, and pulled out a sequined dress, twirling to show the pair - she was showing the Goddess more than Kalokin. It was crimson and golden, with a wide tutu and an elegant feathered headdress.

"Oh! Shelandra, this is my costume from the ballet, The Firebird!"

Shelandra pulled a little from Kalokin's embrace to gently touch the shining fabric. She cooed with delight as the soft material ran through her fingers.

"Ooohhh, that is pretty... such bright colors, such vibrancy. You must have been beautiful on the stage... Is there no way she could take these with her?"

"No."

The lie was delivered perfectly, but not even Kalokin could lie to another god.

"Oh come now Brother, look at her! These outfits are very important to her. As a thief, surely you've found some way to steal more than your pockets could carry."

"Sister, no, I can't. If you're thinking of the one heist that I pulled with Si'Kharn, then don't fool yourself. We hid the gems on site, stole them back bit by bit."

"Clever trickster... Still, you must have some idea. You know more about magic than any of us."

"And I'm telling you, it can't be done. Not even by Brother Ghoz, and his specialty is physical magic. Turning something into nothing is just as impossible as... making something from nothing..."

He stared at his own hand for a several long moments. Idly, he dug a claw through one palm, cutting through scales to reveal the pale flesh beneath. He hadn't bothered with extreme accuracy, so beneath his scales was naught but a white material with the consistence of muscled flesh. He stared at it for several long seconds as he thought. Shou could feel his mind burning, churning through equations, ideas, memories, dashing through a whirlwind of thought that made her dizzy just to feel it.

"Shou, I have an idea. Get everything that you want and care about and make it into a pile. I don't care how much you get or what it is, just pile it together."

Shelandra beamed as Kalokin apparently found the solution. Expecting nothing less than the best show of the century, she slithered out to the living room, where the most floor space was available. She coiled there to await what would happen next. Kalokin followed her into the living room and coiled in a large circle, marking generous boundaries for what she could bring.

As a girl, well, Shou adored her chance to dress up. More than that, she was a ballerina; her collection of past costumes was her life, her pride and joy. She'd spent a lifetime building them, and even if they wouldn't fit with her thick tail, she still wanted to keep them. With bright eyes, she nodded excitedly.

"I have about a dozen! From the time I made my debut! Kalokin and Khaesho have seen me dance a little bit... and I'm off balance with my new tail... b-but when I figure it out again, I'll show you! I'm sure you'll like the.. the costumes..." And she glanced over her shoulder at her tail, realizing how difficult it would be to fit into a highly tailored costume, when her shorts hadn't even fit properly.

"Don't worry Shou... I'm handy with a needle and thread, we'll find some way to make it work. Go get your costumes."

His voice sounded... decidedly wrong. It was higher, much higher than she was used to, almost more indicative of a female than a male. His scales were definitely black now, but they somehow seemed to be getting darker by the moment. She pushed the odd coloration out of her mind though... perhaps he was simply preparing some great feat of magic.

"O-oh... alright! T-they... the chances of them fitting are slim... b-but... Thank you." She settled them into the pile in the center of his coil. Truthfully there weren't as many as she thought; fourteen glimmering costumes that were beautiful and had been tailored for the wolf girl she had been before. It was a smaller pile than she thought. Her ears splayed a little bit as she looked at them.

"Hold here a moment... let me... let me grab a bag for my paints!"

Then she turned, and left the bedroom, to enter her little gallery. As she grabbed her supplies bag, and started to stuff her paints and brushes into it. Folding over cloth and wrapping it up, she made sure to fit what she could carry into it. Kalokin and Shelandra both watched her patiently, waiting for her. Kalokin's somber, yet unnaturally high voice called out again then, earning a look of worry as Shelandra noted the change in tone.

"You sure that's everything, Shou? Keep the bag of essentials to yourself, there's no guarantee this will work, and even then, it'll be a long time before I can get them back to you."

"I don't have anything else of value... my life before that hike was --" She cut herself off, not wanting to sound self-depreciating as she paused to consider what her words were. Brows knitted a little, and her tail twitched. "Full. I didn't have time for anything trivial. If it was not dancing, or painting, it wasn't worth considering."

She had been driven. Focused on nothing but ballet and being everything she wanted, but now? Now she wanted this, more than anything. Shelandra voiced the question on both their minds though her voice was a quite a bit more eager than Shou's thoughts were.

"Brother, what exactly are you intending to do?"

"Something incredibly stupid."

"Like...?"

"Remember that one time Rikh dared me to swallow my own tail?"

Shelandra connected the dots herself, and a look of horror swept her face.

"Brother, this is a bad plan."

"But you remember what happened, right?"

"You almost killed yourself! You were weak for weeks, and even then it took half a year to fully heal!"

"But you remember what happened, right?!?"

Shelandra paused for a moment before recognizing the gleam in Kalokin's eyes. It was the gleam he got whenever he pulled off a particularly impossible trick, the gleam that showed whenever he gave a solid middle finger to the rest of the world. This time though, he intended to one-up physics itself.

"N-... Kalokin... You don't need to do this!"

"But if this works, I'll be able to rub it in Ghoz's face for an eternity!"

"And if it doesn't?"

"I have Vessel, I can put myself back together easy."

"You Imprinted on her?"

"Of course...? That's what we do with vessels."

"And you're still imprinted on Khaesho?"

The implications of what she was saying sank in, but even after he realized what she meant, he just laughed. The moon was empty, and he was in no mood to play it safe. Shelandra gave up trying to convince him, but the eager expectation in her eyes had turned to fearful anxiety. Seeing her afraid split a spike of worry through Shou's own stomach, but her lack of divine mechanics meant that she didn't quite understand what would follow.

"Why does his imprinting on me matter..?"

Kalokin fell into an insane, giggling fit, unable to stop the laugher from spewing from his lips. That left it to Shelandra to explain.

"If we have a Vessel alive at the time, we can Imprint the basic layout of our souls onto that person. Should something incredibly devastating or tragic happen, and one of us dies, our souls shatter into many pieces. These pieces can draw themselves back together, but it takes much time, decades, centuries even if it is particularly bad. An Imprint helps work around that. It draws in all the relevant energy that we normally would, and fuels that energy towards creating a new soul. That new soul then can pick up the scattered pieces of the old, and we heal in a matter of days rather than centuries. IF something goes wrong, and IF Kalokin shatters, then his two imprints may well end up creating two separate souls. Such a thing has never happened before, and I doubt it would be good, especially with his... condition."

At this news, Shou promptly stormed over and smacked Kalokin right on the nose as he laughed, scowling at him.

"Absolutely not! These... these... things aren't worth half of what you mean to me! I don't care if you think it's fun, or cha-" Kalokin gave absolutely no warning to his action, he simply threw himself through the air in a straight pathed tackle. He did not soften her landing with his coils either; he landed on her hard enough to break a mortal's ribcage. Her bones were stronger now, but it still knocked the breath out of her and bruised where she landed.

"Silly mortal! You are so adorable when you look like that. You see, you miss the part where you don't have the authority to give me commands."

His face was inches from hers now, but she discovered that she was looking into the face of a stranger. Gone were the sharp lines and easy smile of Kalokin's face; in his place was a curved visage, a feminine mask adorned with manic glee and utter apathy for Shou's pain. Her milky, pale eyes frothed with barely checked menace as she laughed again, a long, drawn out peal of insanity that chilled Shou to the bone.

When she glanced up at him, he got the fear he wanted, there was defiance and anger, but there was also a sharp spike of a new terror that had never been there before. Suddenly she was afraid. Afraid of Kalokin and what he could do. Afraid of his reaction, and reprisal. Afraid of this monster that had been hiding beneath the calm, careful Naga shed known. Staring into his empty eyes, she suddenly realized how easily he could cause her pain, how easily he could do absolutely whatever he wanted to her. His action chilled the warmth she had for him from a healthy flame to the ghost of a dying.

"Your fear... You fear me... You fear FOR me... Your fear is misplaced, but it is still delicious."

She felt something pulling, dragging, inexorably drawing her soul up and into the monster atop her. The feeling stopped suddenly as the being snapped her head to the side.

"No! She is precious... I must... must not... Must atone... Forgive me... "

She pushed herself up off of Shou, then slithered over to her pile of precious memories. Before Shou or Shelandra could do or say anything more to dissuade her, she picked up her tail and stuffed it into her mouth. Shou lay where he had knocked her, and watched - dispassionately - as Kalokin started to consume his own tail. Shelandra, though, paid no attention to her brother as she slithered over to lay Shou gently atop her coils. The warmth from her hands seeped into the wolf's bones, healing as it flowed through her.

"I take it they both forgot to warn you what happens to my brother during the dark moon. You might have noticed, I'm a bit more... passionate... violent... during the daytime, and much less so at night. Kalokin is similar, except he is the moon. Kalokin, he... he has a problem... his history is long and dark, filled with regret. Once a month, on the night of the dark moon, that regret controls him, fills him with vicious rage. At dark moon, he becomes... insane, I think is the only word for it. He stops caring completely about what damage he causes, to either himself or others. He needs this now... he needs to hurt himself to keep from hurting everyone around him. There's... something else they haven't told you also, but that's something he needs to tell you himself, when he's ready. Good luck, Shouyousei... I've a feeling you'll need it. I must leave though... my vessel needs me."

She dissolved with a spiral of coppery fire, leaving Shou alone with the Thing that was quickly consuming its own body. As its tail disappeared into his maw, it started losing its features. Arms melted into its sides and its scales streamed together until Kalokin was simply a black smear in the air. The circle grew smaller still, and the space inside of it began distorting, twisting in a similar fashion to heat waves over hot cement. Its face melted away then too, and then it was just a glowing band of energy, squeezing tighter and tighter. Rather than move through the space that separated the circle though, it seemed as if the compressed the space itself; everything within the loop grew smaller as it shrank. Compressing, distressing the bonds of matter and space, putting tension on the laws of physics. When the circle was naught but two feet in diameter and the glowing light made a hemisphere around the pile, there was a flash of light and an implosion of air rushing to fill the space it had previously occupied. Then there was silence. Kalokin was gone. Her costumes were gone. Even Kalokin's presence in her mind was gone, leaving nothing but a hole in her mind as wide as her heart and several eternities deep.