Survival

Story by MrFox on SoFurry

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#1 of Seaperate Ways, Worlds Apart


This story is largely based on a story I read here on yiffstar when I first joined. I can't remember what it was called or who wrote it, but I admired it's depth and overall direction. I hope any who read this re-written version of that story like it as much as I did the one I read so long ago.

Note to readers, this story contains both the prologue and the first two chapters. I will endeavor to finish this series because the story it is based on was left largely unfinished after a certain part. Please be patient with me and I will try to post more as quickly as possible.

Prologue

Rock music blared through the speakers of Aaron Amul's media player and the youth was pretty sure he was doing a good job of annoying his father beside him and quite possibly the lady seated in front of him. Aaron happened to glance up from the magazine he was reading and noticed out the corner of his eye his mother consoling his sister. Aaron was four years older than his twelve year old sister Alora, but he didn't understand why she was being such a sissy. Ever since they stepped on the airplane the little crybaby had been going on about how scared she was. Aaron sighed and went back to reading and listening to his annoyingly loud rock music.

Aaron was sitting by the window because he had made it clear to his parents that he was not going to sit next to his sister for such a long period of time. Even with his headphones on and music playing Aaron could still hear his sister's annoying crying. Aaron sighed and turned to the window beside him. Something outside the brightly lit orifice caught Aaron's attention, and he wasn't the only passenger that had noticed it. A large orange shape loomed out of the gray sky and the longer Aaron watched the closer it got. "What's that?" Aaron asked as the lady in front of him noticed the orange blur.

"Aaron, please stop, you're upsetting your sister" Aaron's mother said from across the seats.

"Seriously, look at that, there's something out there... dad look" Aaron said and pointed out the window as his father squinted and looked out the window.

"Looks like some sort of exotic bird" Mr. Amul said and his wife turned from their frightened daughter to look out the window too.

"Shh, it's ok honey" Aaron's mom said somehow managing to get Alora to look out the window with her. Alora screamed at the orange blur veered in course towards the airplane and the window they were peering out of. There was a sound like a roar as the orange object dipped under the plane and was lost to sight.

A few moments later the captain's voice sounded over the speakers, "We're experiencing some minor turbulence, everyone please remain calm..." a horrific scream cut the voice off as the plane shook violently and began to list dangerously to the side. Something pierced the roof of the plane behind Aaron and the rapidly decompressing cabin momentarily distracted him from the sounds of the people rustling around. A horrible sound, like a screaming roar, shook the cabin. The sound had come from the front near the first class seats. Another sound, like crunching metal, came from ahead of Aaron and then the screaming started anew.

Aaron wasn't sure if they were falling. It felt like they were or should be, but judging by the sounds coming from the front of the plane things in first class were worse than in coach. The lights flickered a few times and eventually went out. There was an explosion punctuated by gray light piercing the momentary darkness. Aaron could only describe what happened next as the plane ripping in half. There was an eerie calm after the plane came apart. Looking over at his family in the gray light Aaron was surprised to see their relatively calm faces. Mrs. Amul held her daughter's head to her breast with one hand and held her husband's in the other. Mr. Amul looked over at his son and calmly grabbed his hand too. Aaron thought he saw his dad mouthing it's going to be alright son. The sound of the wind whipping past them made talking impossible.

Darkness seemed to close over as the part of the plane Aaron was attached to fell. He thought he was dead, but in the flashes of light that lit the plane he saw brief images of the people around him screaming, and burning alive. There was an intense heat that seemed to warm him as he felt the impact of the plane hitting the ground. A yellow glow illuminated the immediate area around his body. Aaron was still inside the cabin somehow even though his seat was gone. The luminous glow must have come from the same fire that he thought was burning him. Aaron was too shocked to even try to move and eventually he closed his eyes and waited to die.

... Chapter 1 ...

A warm liquid flowed around Aaron as he lay in the flaming remains of the crash. He silently wished the persistent tugging at his legs would go away and let him be. It persisted and, regardless of his wishes, slowly dragged him out of the wreckage. Aaron was distantly aware of a man's voice calling out to him. At first he thought it was his father, but he quickly realized it was not. Aaron wanted to open his eyes, but it was like his body didn't answer him when he willed it to move. The persistent tugging eventually stopped allowing Aaron to rest for a time. The warm liquid soothed him as it washed into his burned flesh. Whatever the liquid was warmed the young man and lulled him into a deep sleep. Before he could fall asleep again the tugging returned. Aaron protested when he was dragged out of the warm liquid, but without the ability to speak coherently he was unable to stop the unseen force.

After being dragged onto something soft Aaron lost consciousness. He felt like he was floating in the ocean, but he knew that was impossible. He had landed on something hard after all, and then the warm liquid and the dragging. Nothing made sense anymore so Aaron just floated there. In time he realized he wasn't alone. "Aaron?" A familiar voice called out.

"Alora, is that you?" Aaron called out.

"Aaron, I can hear you... where are you?"

"I'm over here!" Aaron called out into the darkness.

"Aaron you have to wake up!"

"I don't understand" Aaron said to his sister's distant voice.

"You have to wake up! It's not over! You have too, for all of us you have to!" Alora said as her voice faded into the distance.

Something was shaking Aaron, "You have to wake up, come on boy! You can't leave me like the others! You have to wake up!"

Aaron opened his eyes and looked up at the man who was shaking him, "What? Huh?"

The man's eyes went wide as Aaron spoke, "Oh god! You're awake! You're awake!" he said and briefly turned away. "Here, drink, you've lost a lot of blood son" he said and wrung a wet cloth into Aaron's mouth.

Aaron's throat felt like sand paper as he swallowed the cold liquid. The man helped him drink for a while and then the man went away for a while. Aaron must have passed out again because he was shaken back awake and more water was put in his mouth. "Don't fall asleep son, all the others are asleep now, we're the only ones left! You have to get better son you have to!" the man said and shook Aaron.

"I'm so hungry" Aaron said after hours of being force fed water. He wasn't really hungry, but it gave him some time to rest while the ecstatic man went off in search for food. It must have been another hour when the man returned and shook Aaron awake. He shoved something into Aaron's mouth. It was cold, and chewy. Aaron chewed for a while before swallowing. "What is this?" he asked with a little more force than he had used the last time he spoke.

"Trust me when I say you don't want to know son" the man said and Aaron noticed that he could see the man a little better than he could before. "It's almost light now... I moved the others away from the crash" the man said. They shared a brief moment of silence and then he spoke again, "My name is Grann"

"Aaron"

"How are you feeling? It's been a few hours, you're hurt pretty bad, but I think you'll make it" Grann said and hoisted Aaron up so he could sit up.

"Why did you keep waking me up? Were there any other survivors?"

Grann looked away for a moment before replying, "There are, or there were, I pulled you out of some wreckage near where I landed, the others, the ones who fell out like me, they're asleep" he said and looked behind Aaron, "Are you hungry, thirsty? I'm not letting you leave me Aaron you gotta pull through you gotta!"

"I think, I think I'll live Grann, but I need to sleep some" Aaron said as he fought to stay awake.

Grann nodded sadly and put something soft against whatever Aaron was leaning against. "I'm going to get some sleep too, don't you dare die on me Aaron I can't do this alone!"

Aaron nodded as he closed his eyes. There was no strange dream this time, just the throbbing pain of his body as it rested after sustaining major trauma and a few really bad burns. Grann shook Aaron to near consciousness a few times and gave him food and water, but mostly Aaron slept and hurt. When next cohesive consciousness returned to Aaron he was aware of the cold.

"Grann, Grann are you there?" Aaron called out.

"You're awake!" Grann said and helped Aaron to sit up.

"How long was I out?" Aaron asked.

"A day and a night, it's morning again" Grann said and smiled as he offered Aaron some of the strange meat he had given him before. "Eat this, I'll get some water" the gray haired man said and left momentarily.

Aaron ate the meat slowly, he tasted it more this time, and he decided it tasted a lot like beef, but richer, and more gamey. Grann returned with a cup of water. Aaron drank and ate for a while longer. As he ate he looked around the makeshift shelter Grann had erected around him. There was some kind of tarp pulled over them and tied to a pole and a rock. The makeshift lean-too did a good job of blocking the stiff breeze that fluttered the tarp's frayed edges. "You did all this?" He asked the man who was sitting next to him in the shelter eating the same strange, slightly burnt meat.

"Awe, it's nothing son, just enough to make it through for now" Grann said and smiled.

Aaron noticed someone else deep in the lean-too. "Who's that? Did they make it too? How many people survived?" Aaron said as he noticed the shape was a human shape.

"That's my wife..." Grann said and looked at the women sadly, "She's a sleeper" he said and sighed, "We're the only ones who made it"

"A sleeper, what do you mean? Are they sleeping?"

Grann seemed to be at a loss for words, but he took a deep breath and started speaking. "When we crashed, I woke up beside the crash next to, to that thing. At first I noticed there were others around me, they weren't close by, but they were alive, or so I thought"

"I don't understand" Aaron said.

"I found a man first, he was asleep, but he wasn't. I shook him forever, but he didn't wake up. He wasn't dead, but he sure wasn't asleep either. I thought he was just hurt so I searched some more and found someone else, same story. After running around trying to wake people up I heard the screaming. Someone was alive, but they were burning in the crash. I managed to get inside the plane, and I pulled everyone I could find out"

"Where was I?"

"You weren't in the plane, you landed near to where I landed, but you were covered in derbies so I didn't see you at first. You were covered in blood, some of it was your own, some of it wasn't" Grann said.

"What do you mean?"

"Did you see that thing? The monster that attacked the plane, did you get a good look at it?"

"Kind of, it was orange colored, I saw if from my window"

"That creature, you were in its blood"

Aaron and Grann shared a moment of silence, "You woke up in the blood too?"

"Yes, so far we're the only ones who really survived, everyone else is asleep, or worse"

"Worse? What's worse than being dead or asleep?"

"I can't talk about it" Grann said and looked at Aaron sadly, but I can show you once you can stand" he said and looked at Aaron with mixed emotions.

"I could use some more food" Aaron said and tried to smile.

"Sure thing son" Grann said and got up. This time Aaron could hear him walking around the area outside their shelter. His steps took him a good fifteen feet away from the shelter and Aaron heard a sound like cutting flesh. It was kind of sickening really, but Aaron was too hungry to care. "Here" Grann said and returned with some more of the half cooked half burnt meat. This is the last of the cooked meat, after this we're eating steak tartar"

"At least we're dining in fashion" Aaron said and smiled as Grann helped him eat the strange meat.

After their meal Grann helped Aaron stand and in a few hours Aaron was walking again. Grann helped him walk out of the lean-too and towards the lake outside their makeshift shelter. When Aaron finally reached the lake he was exhausted. Aaron groaned as he collapsed to his knees and drank the clean clear water. Grann was silent as he stood and watched. As Aaron stood his gaze fell on the stone beside him, the very one he was resting his hand on as he lowered himself to the water. Aaron yelped and scrambled back a bit, away from the stone. "It's a face!" he gasped and looked at the rock. "It's a person!"

This stone was locked in an expression of sorrow as it seemed to crawl towards the lake. Aaron looked around and noticed that there were at least a half dozen stones. "They look like they're wailing, wailing stones" Grann said and helped Aaron up.

Aaron stumbled towards another group of stones; these were a ways up the bank, closer to the crash site. When he reached them he shouted out in surprise, "Mother, Father?" Aaron said as tears sprang to his eyes. "You were right there beside me! Why you... Why?" Aaron said and embraced his mother's stony form. When he recovered from his sorrow he stepped back from the statues of his parents. They were looking out at the lake with an almost serene expression on their faces. Aaron stumbled around the other statues looking for his sister, but he didn't find her. He even looked at the wailing statues. "The standing stones; and the wailing stones..." Aaron said and looked up at Grann, "What happened? Why did they turn to stone?"

"I wish I knew son, they were like this when I woke up. I didn't understand it myself" Grann said and looked at Aaron sadly, "I'm sorry you're parents are among the standing stones"

Aaron looked back at his parents standing in the group of statues; they looked peaceful in their eternal repose. There was condolence in the thought that they had been that way before being locked in that form forever. Neither Aaron nor Grann could stand being around the stones for very long, so instead Grann took Aaron to the cave. If the stones had been eerie than the sleepers were even worse, "They look like they are dead, but they look alive too" Aaron said as he searched through the sleepers Grann had laid inside the cave. "Alora!" Aaron said and stumbled over to his sister. "Alora wake up! It's me Aaron! It's me! I heard you, I know you're alive I just know it!" Aaron said and shook his little sister. She looked so peaceful even while he gently shook her.

"It's no use Aaron, they are sleepers, and they don't wake up. I... I tried everything to wake up my wife, she's just like these. While you slept I became so lonely. Something about this place, it seems like another world Aaron. I don't think we're on earth anymore"

Grann showed Aaron the monster next. It wasn't far from the lean-too and was so large that Aaron didn't have to get close to see it. The great orange furred thing was burnt on its side and it was clearly dead. Grann had been harvesting the meat around the burn for them, but that was running out. "So that's the monster that took us down?" Aaron said and glared at the strange creature.

"Yes, but if not for its death we wouldn't be alive now" Grann said and helped Aaron move towards the creature. "I looked for food that might have survived the crash... I didn't find much of anything. There are clothes and a whole bunch of other things that I hid in the remains of the crash, but not much I can really use" Grann said as they approached the beast.

Aaron put his hand on the cold dead carcass, "It looks like some sort of mammal, but look" Aaron said and peeled off a large flake from the area around the burnt part of the creature, "It has scales, almost like a furry lizard"

Grann inspected the scale and shrugged, "It's decomposing faster than I thought, we might have to start eating the meat raw" Grann said and sighed. His stomach growled loudly.

"I think I'll pass for now" Aaron said as his stomach growled too.

For the rest of the day the two slowly explored the area around the lake. They quickly found that they were in a deep valley and that there was no way out. Parts of the plane were scattered on the cliffs above them, but the vast majority was at what they called the crash site. Just down from the crash site the standing stones looked out over the shallow side of the lake along with their wailing cousins. The lean-too and the monster's body were on the broad end of the lake, where it curved, and Aaron judged that the lake itself must be at least a mile long and about half a mile wide. The lake occupied the lower part of the valley forming a strange L shape while also being the only natural source of water for this strange eco-system.

At noon the clouds burned away and a hot blue sun heated the cold valley to a pleasant temperature. The strange blue light made the already lonely valley seem even more depressing, but both males welcomed the warmth. At first they thought there were no plants, but they quickly found that what they thought were just weird colored rocks were indeed plants. A prickly bush with dull gray leaves grew in the lower parts of the valley, while a more exotic orange bush grew on the elevated ground. The orange bush was more like the plants on earth, but neither plant offered any kind of fruit, and neither man wanted to chance eating the leaves. There were birds in the valley, they were pretty quiet in the morning, but began to sing in the afternoon as the valley heated up. The birds pecked at tiny bugs and worms. The only other animal was a kind of rabbit that ate the exotic plants. The timid creatures evaded all attempts to catch them though so those were off the menu too. The only logical source of food came from the lake itself. Though their camp and the crash site were on the smaller foot of the L the larger body of water that stretched about a mile in length held quite a large amount of fish. The fish varied in size, but after fishing for hours Grann and Aaron gave up on trying to eat one for dinner.

...Chapter 2 ...

A loud grumble woke Aaron in the night. "Grann, are you awake?" Aaron asked in the pale light of morning.

"Yes" The older man said.

"Steak tartar is starting to sound really good" Aaron said as his stomach rumbled audibly.

The two males stumbled towards the dead beast. Even in the dark it seemed huge. Grann motioned for Aaron to follow him around the beast to its backside. Gran had found a knife in the wreckage and he now used the blade to cut into the creature's thick meaty tail. There were large bony protrusions that jutted out of the tail and Grann used these protrusions to start his incision. To their surprise the meat was still pretty tender, even if it was a little tough. Aaron had trouble with the first few bites, but as he ate he decided that he could almost learn to like the tangy iron taste of the creature's blood and the wild natural taste of the raw meat. As they finished the tip of the tail and moved up Aaron was surprised to find his appetite increasing. He discovered that if he pried just right he could pull the skin away from the flesh with relative ease, exposing the rich meat beneath the thick hairy scales. Light aided the two in their task, and by the time the day was done they had finished the tail and neither seemed like he was ready to stop eating!

Aaron moved effortlessly into the monster's flank, this meat was tougher, but Aaron didn't have much trouble eating it. Grann was eating on the burnt side so he had to pick his way around the inedible burnt flesh. To his surprise he found the half cooked meat to be a chore to eat. He much preferred picking at the fatty meat around the monster's ribs, but hunger drove him to clean as much burnt meat off the corpse as possible. Time seemed to pass without either male noticing. They didn't really even sleep as they fed endlessly, but subtle changes began to creep over them. Their hair began to grow wildly and spread onto their necks, back, and shoulders. Eventually the hot blue light didn't seem to burn them due to the protective blanket of fur that covered them. It was about five days after starting their feast that they finally picked the last scraps of edible substance from the corpse. The two males staggered to the lake and began to drink gallons as their bodies groaned from the massive overload of substance. Grann wrapped his arms around Aaron and pulled him into a protective embrace as they both passed out from exhaustion. As they slept their change neared its completion. In the darkness of the night their unnatural moans and screams echoed in the small valley and into the night.

Catatonic slumber gripped the two for three days and nights after their radical transformation. Aaron woke first, but when he opened his eyes he was looking into the face of the monster. "Gran, Gran come help! The monster is back! Grann help!" Aaron said as he jumped backwards, but his body felt all wrong and twisted up. Unable to coordinate his own movement Aaron stumbled away from the white furred monster and eventually tripped. Something heavy was weighing Aaron down from behind, and there was something heavy on his back too. Aaron's legs didn't want to work right, and every time he fell he felt more and more tangled up. A large orange clawed hand hit the ground beside Aaron and he froze. "There's another monster, it must be right behind me" Aaron thought. He stood stock still for at least five minutes before he dared to move again. He started by shifting his weight slightly and to his horror the monstrous arm moved too. Aaron was so still that he could feel the breeze blowing the hair on his arms. In fact it tickled him just a bit. "Wait" Aaron thought and reached out towards the arm. Aaron's heart was pounding like a drum in his chest as he reached for the arm. He briefly closed his eyes and then quickly grabbed the large furry arm. Aaron felt an odd sensation, like he had just grabbed his arm, but had used his own arm to grab it. The logical solution was that Aaron was somehow feeling what the monster was feeling.

"Oh no" Aaron thought as his mind raced. "The monster has attached itself to me and now I'm being absorbed into its body!" the hysterical youth thought, but the truth was far more horrific. Aaron slowly tried to move the arm, and found to his surprise that he could. He looked down at himself and was surprised again by the thick orange-brown fur that covered his body. Aaron sat back and looked at his furry body. Inspecting himself revealed that he was now completely covered in thick orange-brown fur. His arms, or his human looking arms, were slightly lower on his trunk forming an extra pair of pectoral muscles below his larger and more thickly muscled upper arms. His lower arms had softer fur with brown tiger stripes on them while his upper arms had thick shaggy dark orange fur. Aaron's belly was covered by the same soft orange-brown fur as his lower arms and was segmented by slabs of muscle that helped him contort in ways his human body had never been able to contort. Below Aaron a thick muscular tail throbbed due to the lack of blood its owner's weight was causing. After staggering forward and catching himself with his larger arms Aaron decided that moving might be a little harder than he had first anticipated. Something big and unwieldy was moving on his back, almost like arms, or... wings. Aaron stretched his strange new appendages and managed to catch a glimpse of the huge wings behind him.

After a few tries Aaron managed to stand up, even though his legs didn't want to work right.

A brief inspection of his feet revealed that they were no longer shaped for walking, but were larger, and more paw like. Long sharp claws extended from the tips of his paw like feet and made getting traction easy, even if balancing on a smaller center of gravity with way more weight above them made walking a chore. The obvious solution was to walk on all fours, and even though he had an extra pair of arms to hold things while doing it Aaron disliked it. The young not-man sighed as he looked at himself in the reflection of the lake water, while his transformation was disturbing, it was also fitting. "Ugh" Gran said a few yards away from Aaron. The white furred version of Aaron stirred briefly causing Aaron jump in fear. Even though Grann was a monster now too he didn't know he was one. Aaron needed to hide so he made a mad dash for the lake.

As he dived into the cold water Aaron was aware of a strange feeling in his chest. When Aaron breathed is it wasn't through the nostrils on the end of his short furry snout, but through a strange series of slits on the sides of his neck. In the water he noticed something else too. On his brow two horn like protrusions jutted up from his forehead, curving slightly backwards. These horns were covered in short hairs that normally were sensitive to changes in the air around Aaron, but underwater they acted like super sensors detecting ever the slightest movement in the water. Even though the impulse to hunt the fish in the water was strong, Aaron was more concerned with Grann. By the time Aaron had returned to the surface Gann was already awake and trying to stand. The older not-man was taking his transformation in stride, but was clearly concerned. He called out to Aaron a few times, and when there was no response he started to panic. "Aaron! Aaron where are you! Are you safe? Are you hurt? Aaron, answer me!" Grann's last words turned into a roar as he fought to stand, but was unable to coordinate himself.

Aaron wanted to respond, but he knew Grann hadn't come to grasp with what had happened so he wisely stayed hidden. After a short while Grann began to explore his new body. After a few minutes of exploration the older man suddenly looked up from his self inspection. Aaron knew now was as good a time as any. "Grann?" the young monster asked from the water, "Grann this is Aaron"

Grann looked up suddenly and towards the water. "Aaron, are you alright, what's happened to me?"

"The same thing that happened to me" Aaron said and stood up in the shallow part of the lake he was hiding in. Grann looked surprised to see the smaller orange monster, but Aaron wasn't too sure because he wasn't used to seeing his friend's face covered in shaggy white fur. Aaron helped Grann learn to stand, but it was the lake that they fell in love with. The lake was completely different when you were inside it, and being able to breathe in the water made it easier to explore. Aaron discovered first the delight of hunting the larger fish. The wily things fed on the orange leafy plants that grew up through the clear blue water. Aaron and Grann caught three a piece and gorged themselves. The two dragged themselves out of the water and curled together to protect their wet bodies from the cold. When they were dry and warm again in their thick fur coats they checked on their wards and the stones. Aaron towered over the statues, and he was amazed that he could almost fit an entire hand around his dad's stony form. He had gained a lot of mass and size. Aaron talked to his parents for a while. He knew it sounded stupid, but it made him feel better. As he talked Aaron began to look up at the cliffs above him. As his mind wondered he began to realize how small this little valley really was.

"Do you ever wonder what lies beyond those cliffs Grann?" Aaron asked when they were done checking on the sleepers.

The gray monster paused and looked at his smaller orange companion. Something passed over his alien face and he was sad for a moment. "I do, but this is where I will stay Aaron, I can't leave the sleepers, I can't let something happen to them" he said and looked up at the sky.

"But there's a whole world out there! We don't even know what the outside looks like! We don't even know!" Aaron protested.

When Grann didn't respond Aaron gave up. The young monster wanted to leave this sad little valley. The next morning found Aaron running up and down the lake shore flapping his wings. He was so exhausted by noon that he was too tired to hunt for himself, and had to accept the two fish Grann caught for him. The older monster laughed at his friend, "I might try throwing you into the air; that would give you some height!"

"Why would we have wings if we couldn't fly?" Aaron asked and glared at Grann.

"Why did we turn into amphibian reptile mammal monsters to begin with?" Grann asked as he lay belly up on a rock.

"Why did it take eating the thing to make us change? How come we didn't turn into rocks, or even bushes?" Aaron asked and stood up on his hind legs. They were feeling stronger even though it was still hard to walk on them alone.

Grann growled and swiped his tail at Aaron catching the other monster on his thick legs. Aaron stumbled forward and whipped at his aggressor and then playfully pounced on him. They wrestled for a while and eventually ended up exhausted and panting. Aaron was glad for the company, and though he wished more than anything that Grann would reconsider, he knew the gray monster was right. Someone needed to stay here and watch the sleepers. Someone needed to hope they would wake up one day. Aaron continued practicing every day, he found swimming helped strengthen his wings, and after ten days he was able to glide over the surface of the lake. "Grann, look at me!" Aaron said as Gran raced on all fours to match Aaron's speed.

"That looks like fun! Think you can teach an old timer like me how to do that?" Grann asked as they raced along the ground.

" Sure thing old timer" Aaron said and laughed.

Aaron and Grann spent the rest of the day practicing with their wings. Though the limbs were already massive and strong, they needed to be able to support the entire weight of the creature they belonged to, and that meant they needed to be worked regularly. Fortunately laps of the lake afforded them both exercise and an opportunity to catch some food. Hard work made them hungry, and hungry monsters can eat a lot of food. The two eventually retired for the evening, full of fish and exhausted.

Life in the valley continued this way for around three weeks, in which time Aaron and Grann grew very close. One need seemed to punctuate their closeness, but their still human minds couldn't allow them to act on it. It was the night after Aaron and Grann had successfully flown over the edge of the mountain. Aaron had been expecting more than what he had found, Gray Ocean and rough seas. The two had returned to their valley tired and exhausted. That night was unusually warm, and Aaron was having a hard time resisting his male urges. Aaron wasn't sure how his new anatomy worked, but he knew that it was getting harder and harder to resist in more than just one way.

In the darkness of the night Aaron grunted as his monster-hood pushed out of the slit between his legs for the first time. Most conscious thought was lost in the sea of hormones that washed through the young monster. Grann wasn't exactly conscious either as he rubbed his lower abdomen against Aaron's giant erection. Their ritual of pleasure eventually ended up causing Aaron to slip into the older gray furred dragon. A deep groan escaped Grann as he was entered in a way he had never felt, or even imagined before. Aaron on the other hand was making an entirely different sound as his slick pole pumped in and out of Grann's hot orifice. After a few hours of grunts and growls Aaron began to feel the pressure inside him mount. A few babbled words were all he managed to say before he released himself into Grann causing the other monster to howl as his insides expanded to allow for the influx of liquid fire. They clutched at each other in their moment of instinctual ecstasy, but in the hours after sleep gripped them they slept apart for the first time in their time together in the valley. Though they didn't understand it they were simply following their own instincts, and considering what they were, it was their nature to seek mates, but to part when those mates weren't meant for more than a moment's passion.

The next morning neither monster had much to say to the other one. Aaron didn't remember much about their passionate coupling, but he did remember enjoying it. Grann wasn't saying anything about it so Aaron didn't either. There wasn't any regret in either monster's heart, but they both knew they weren't meant to be together like that. Their time together in the valley was rapidly coming to a close, by the next morning they had gathered the few things precious to them and stored them inside a backpack for convenience. Aaron couldn't wear the backpack on his back, so he looped the straps around his lower arms and wore it with the pack on his upper abdomen.

"So you're leaving, no matter what?" Grann asked as Aaron picked up the bag of treasures.

"Grann... I have too, I don't know why but I have too"

The backpack was despairingly empty, but what it did hold was more precious to the two monsters than most of what still remained in the valley. Aaron had packed his media player, with enough juice to still play music. Grann had given Aaron his knife, and five of the ten candy bars he had found in the wreckage of the plane in the long days after their transformation. There had been twelve but Grann and Aaron had eaten one a piece to celebrate the discovery of the bars. There were a few articles of clothing, a flashlight, a magazine, and a book Aaron had read a few times. The most important thing of all was the lighters. There were only 5 all together and Aaron had insisted Grann keep three of them to himself. Grann had made it up to Aaron by giving him the only pack of matches that had survived the crash.

Aaron looked up at Grann and tried to look cheerful. "I don't want you to leave Aaron" The large white monster said and looked away from his smaller orange companion.

Aaron looked at Grann and smiled to himself. Grann had both pairs of arms crossed and was baring his teeth in addition to scowling. It was a strangely human gesture from something that looked so inhuman. "Grann... I don't understand what I'm feeling right now, but I can't stay. You want to stay here and help the sleepers in case they wake up. That's great, but what if there's more to this world than this tiny valley. What if there are other humans here or other survivors somewhere else?"

They had counted the statues and the sleepers, the total population of the airplane had been much higher than those who had survived. There were about thirty sleepers and half as many petrified people. "I know you're young Aaron, and I know you want to explore this new world, but remember, this is where your past is. Promise me you'll come back to me one day"

"I promise Grann, I'll never forget you or what you've done for me" Aaron said and embraced his only companion and best friend. "If I find someone I'll come back. Even if I don't I'll come back one day"

Grann nodded and looked down into Aaron's eyes. "Once you leave it won't be easy coming back. "Stay alive out there Aaron, and don't be too proud to come back if you need me for anything" Grann said as he laced his four hands together and Aaron stepped into them. Grann roared as he used all his strength to throw Aaron into the air. Aaron ascended a good twenty feet into the air and spread his wings. Just like they had practiced he caught the rising thermals from the lake and began to circle and ascend.

"I'll come back one day! I promise I will Grann!" Aaron called down to the white monster just before Grann was lost to view.

... Note from the Author ...

Well that's it for now. I hope you like it! Feel free to leave any comments you might have. I know the sex scene wasn't as long as it might have been. There will be more later on so don't give up on Aaron yet!

Oh, and can you guess what Aaron is??? Good luck and thanks to all my loyal readers out there!

Foxmuscle

Edited 5/26/2009