Companions Chapter 16: Chaos
#16 of Companions
[Companions Chapter 16]
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WARNING! The following text contains explicit adult subject matter. It is not intended for anyone under the age of 18. If you are under the age of 18, then you must stop reading now. The author has taken steps to ensure that this story does not appear in any subject-inappropriate or age-inapropriate forum. This version has been posted with the author's permission to Yiffstar.com.
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* _COMPANIONS_
* by Evoquus
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* (c) Copyright 2002, Evoquus, All rights reserved.
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* Feedback is appreciated: [email protected]
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Rating: NC-17 for explicit sex: M/M, Human-Stallion-Mare, Anal, Oral
Chapter 16: Chaos
"Last one in's a rotten egg," I shouted trotting into the cool clear water.
Rovaun galloped at full tilt behind me, then leapt majestically from the shore of the pool and cannon-balled into the deep end, drenching me with his wake.
"What is that sulphurous odor?" he said, grinning at me as he surfaced.
"No fair! You've been here before."
I swam out to him and was surprised at how deep the water was, then couldn't resist skinny-dipping as a human. I emerged from my Hipponaur body, which still managed to tread water on its own, then did my own smaller cannon ball into the pool, making sure to return the wet favor in Rovaun's direction. I swam underneath him and tugged on his balls which drew a yelp I could hear underwater, then surfaced behind him and climbed onto his back. My equine body on autopilot continued to kick enough to stay afloat on its own.
"How does it know how to do that?" I wondered aloud.
"Why are you asking me? I do not know how you are able to do anything!"
I leaned forward and hugged his neck, continuing to ride my seahorse around the pool. He swam underneath the waterfall which nearly blasted me off of him. It was funny that I had to struggle to stay on his back, since I really wasn't physically anywhere near the falls. But just like a real human body, my virtual form deflected the force of the cascade, so my Hipponaur brain applied the same physics to my virtual muscles, just because that made the experience more real.
I knew I had the capability of reducing my virtualness to visual image only, thus allowing the water to pass through me, but it was actually easier not to. My brain seemed to naturally prefer to emphasize the "reality" part of virtual reality, even though it had to require more subconscious processing to do so. The end result was that every day, I felt my human self becoming more physically human, and I wondered just how far that would go.
When we cleared the waterfall I looked up to enjoy the perspective of the cascading flow and saw a ledge about thirty feet up that could easily be reached from the ground.
"Ever dive from up there?" I asked.
"Are you crazy?"
"Why? The water's deep enough."
I returned to my equine body and swam over to the edge to hike up the rocks.
"Companion, please don't."
"Relax," I said, starting my ascent.
He swam to the edge of the pool and got out, nervously watching me climb.
"May I remind you that you are not immortal."
"You'll be jumping off next. Trust me."
"Not bloody likely," he muttered.
Once I got to the top, I peeked over the ledge and did feel a twinge of vertigo. Rovaun paced while he watched me, and I realized I was being a jerk. I really wanted to jump and I knew I'd probably be fine, but it wasn't worth terrifying my mate, so I stepped out as a human.
"How about if I do it virtually instead?"
He heaved a sigh. "If you must jump at all, then I prefer that you do it that way, but I doubt that you will reach the water before becoming disembodied."
"Let's find out." I jumped off the ledge in a perfect virtual swan dive.
The resulting unexpected, non-virtual splash splattered Rovaun's already soaked coat. He verified that the Hipponaur was still on the ledge, then peered down through the agitated water to discern what had fallen into it. To his amazement, he saw his Companion resurface and swim toward him, miraculously continuing to increase the distance between physical and virtual bodies.
"That was GREAT! You've got to try it this time, Rovaun!"
"Companion, how are you able to maintain your form?"
"Huh? Oh, did you like it? I did some competitive diving in high school."
Daniel climbed out of the pool wiping the water from his eyes. Rovaun looked back up at the ledge and saw the Hipponaur body start to crumple. The human turned to see what he was looking at, then squinted at the startling development.
"What the hell...?"
The mare leaned forward and tumbled lifelessly over the ledge, landing in an explosion of water. Rovaun jumped in to rescue her while Daniel watched helplessly from the shore.
"Companion! Return to your body!"
"What!?"
"You are going to drown! Help me!"
Understanding only the last two words of his Companion's plea, he dove in to assist with the rescue of the mare. The water was clear enough to locate her body, which was slowly sinking to the bottom. Daniel pulled on her head while Rovaun pushed from behind to move her to the shallows. While underwater, Rovaun continued to insist that the human return to his body, but Daniel could not respond while holding his breath, nor could he understand the stallion's ranting. The two of them managed to raise the mare's head above water, but she had stopped breathing.
"Companion!! Get back into your body!"
"What the fuck are you talking about!?"
"Your Hipponaur body!"
"Zhorelle?"
Rovaun stared at him, then snorted and began performing CPR on the mare. Water spewed from her mouth and nostrils, but then her lungs inflated and proceeded to cycle normally. Tattoo asked for his mother, but Rovaun did not know what to tell him.
"Tattoo, can you find Mommy?"
"No."
Rovaun shot a penetrating look at the human.
"Rovaun," he said trembling, "why was Zhorelle up there?"
"Who are you?"
"I'm Danny Racher, your Companion. Don't you remember?"
Daniel reached out to caress the stallion's face, but received a painful bite on the arm instead. He screamed and kicked away from his rabid mate.
"You are a living human!"
"Fuck yes, Rovaun! Why is that news to you?"
His snorts boiled the water under his nose. "Because I watched you die."
Daniel could think of no immediate response to the nonsense he was hearing, except that maybe he had misheard it.
"Did you say, you watched me die or watched me dive?"
The stallion did not respond, and instead continued to commune with Tattoo to reassure him that his mother would be found soon.
"Are you talking to her?"
"I am talking to her son."
"Her son!? You and Zhorelle?"
Rovaun regarded Daniel again. "Companion, when was the last time you saw Zhorelle?"
"I only saw her that first time when she... linked with me, I swear."
He contemplated the enigma for a moment longer.
"Something has happened to you that I do not understand. You have somehow managed to achieve a fully human form, but it has also affected your memory. Will you allow me to scan your memories."
"If that will clear up this mess, and you swear not to bite me again, then please do. What do you need from me?"
"Just bring your forehead to mine. I will not harm you."
Daniel nervously did so, and for a brief moment he saw a blur of images and buzz of sounds being accessed in his head. Rovaun terminated the scan and backed away utterly astonished by what he had seen.
"You never went to Hipponaur," he whispered coldly while staring at him.
"We... were going to, but you wanted to show me this place first, remember?"
"None of it... happened."
"None of what?"
Rovaun looked down at the lifeless mare, which still contained a very living embryo.
"Rovaun... WHAT? Zhorelle? That DID happen! She made me do it to her."
"Companion, what is the last thing you remember before diving into the pool?"
"I don't know, we came here, we made love, we went swimming, I climbed up there and jumped off."
"How did we make love?"
"The usual way. I was on top. Nothing strange happened."
"Are we ONE, yet?"
"Y... Yes, I think so."
"Do you allow me to fully enter you?"
"No, we agreed that that probably would never be possible, and you were perfectly happy with that. Is any of this ringing a bell?"
"Frankly, Companion, it is not, but perhaps things are not as complicated as they seem. Can you simply try to merge with your Hipponaur body."
"Rovaun, what do you mean 'merge'? Have sex with her again?"
"No!" he snorted in exasperation, then calmed himself down. "You have the ability to become fully absorbed into Zhorelle's body and then take control of it."
Daniel found that to be quite amusing and even more implausible. However, he also found the thought of being able to do such a thing to be very appealing, especially if he could do it to Rovaun.
"Is this because we're all compatible?"
"Partially. Just reach over and try to enter her body."
Daniel put his hand on the mare's shoulder and pushed, but showed no signs of penetration. He shrugged at Rovaun.
"Concentrate, Companion. I have seen you do this many times. Believe in your heart that you can do it, and then it will happen."
Daniel hugged the mare with his arms and legs in order to make a concerted effort to do as his Companion had asked. He closed his eyes and truly gave it an honest try, but again remained entirely unabsorbed.
"Sorry, Rovaun. I don't know how to do it."
Rovaun snorted, still dismayed by the contradictions of the unfolding events. It was becoming more evident that this was not the Companion he had married, since both his body and his son were complete strangers to him. He looked tenderly at the Hipponaur that he still considered to be his spouse.
"We have to get her out of the water."
"I have some rope in the truck. I'll get it."
Daniel got out and ran to shore, then stopped and looked around, scratching his head.
"Son-of-a... Where the hell is it?"
"The appropriate question is," said Rovaun softly to the mare in his arms, "Where the hell are you?"
"And where are my clothes? Fuck! And my pack is gone! The bastards took all of it!"
Rovaun shook his head silently while holding his mate. "It will be okay, my Love," he cried. "I will find you."
Daniel stormed back. "Rovaun, I'm naked and I've got nothing - no food, no clothes, no shoes, and no wheels!"
Rovaun gave him a contemptuous glare, and Daniel instantly realized what an ass he was making of himself.
"I'm sorry, Companion. I know she was your bond mare. I just don't know how to help her."
"You simply need to become more motivated to help her."
Daniel rolled his eyes and shook his head at the confounding equine. "Come over here," Rovaun beckoned. He did so without verbal complaint, wading up to his chest.
"Put your head on her abdomen, and tell me what you hear."
Skeptically, he dunked under to do as he was told. Ten seconds later he shot out of the water.
"I heard it say, 'Hi Mommy!'"
"Yes, Companion," he cried. "Tattoo recognizes your soul, which of course validates you as well."
"Tattoo...?"
"Is your son."
Daniel coughed in disbelief, then recalled the Mourne's Prophecy incident. He had ultimately won the battle of wills with his mate, convincing Rovaun that he could not possibly be the Wraith. But Zhorelle was now carrying his offspring, just as the prophecy had foretold. He gaped at the inanimate Hipponaur, and the blood ran out of his face.
"Tattoo... is a Centaur?"
"No. But he IS your son. You would not have been able to hear him otherwise. He can recognize his parents."
"No, Rovaun, he's confused. He called me 'Mommy.' He thinks I'm Zhorelle."
The stallion sighed, not feeling it worth the effort to explain the details to this corrupt version of his mate.
"For the sake of the child, please help me get her out of the water."
Together, they pulled and nudged and dragged the mare to dry land. She suffered several scrapes and bruises in the process, but those wounds would heal.
"How long can you keep her alive?"
"I do not know. She is breathing on her own now, but she will need food and water to survive, and that will be more difficult to manage."
"Rovaun, you still haven't answered my question. What is she doing here?"
"Companion, she is not the one who is out of place. YOU are."
"You were the one who brought us to this place, not me!"
"No, Companion. Something happened up on that ledge. Do you remember anything odd or strange when you dove off?"
"No... well, right when I jumped I felt kind of a quick flash of dizziness, but that was just because I was in free-fall."
Rovaun pressed urgently. "When, Companion? Exactly when did you feel dizzy - near the top, middle or bottom?"
"I don't know, probably near the middle."
"The moment you became disembodied," he said to himself, as if discovering the first clue.
"I don't understand... Disembodied?"
"Companion, you do not belong here."
"YOU BROUGHT ME HERE, DAMN IT!"
"No, Companion, I did not. Another Rovaun - your Rovaun - brought you here, but I am not he. We are from different... destinies."
The human sat dumb and mute at the gibberish the equine was spewing.
"My Companion dove off of that ledge at the same time that you did. Somehow you two switched destinies, at least, I hope he is now in one of our worlds, otherwise I do not have a prayer of ever finding him."
Daniel chuckled and shook his head. "I think Occam's Razor might have some issues with that explanation. An alternate universe? Come on."
"I scanned your memories of the last eighteen days, remember? I am telling you, they do not correlate with my own recollection of our time together. You and the other Rovaun, who has a lot of growing up to do, spent the entire time copulating!"
"Yeah? So??"
"My Companion...," he looked down at the mare and said, tenderly, "did great things."
"Rovaun, look at me. I am your Companion, not Zhorelle. You know what I think? She's doing this to you. I bet she's faking it and is screwing with YOUR head this time. Why don't you bite her!"
"Companion," he said calmly, "where are your clothes?"
"Zhorelle took them."
"And your truck?"
Daniel sighed. "I don't know."
"I know where they are. They are on another planet."
"That's bullshit, Rovaun!" Then Daniel softened up. "What kind of great things?"
"He died to protect me, for one," he said, nuzzling the mare.
"What do you mean he died? You just said he dove off the ledge at the same time I did."
"He was very talented," he said, continuing to softly kiss and nuzzle her. "He cheated death several times. I fell in love with him every day."
"Rovaun, it's ME you're talking about."
"No, Companion, it is not you that I married."
Daniel gasped silently and sat stunned by that revelation. "You two got married!?"
"I see you understand the implication of Hipponaur matrimony."
The human turned slowly away. "My Rovaun told me that we didn't need to get married."
"Why does that not surprise me," he snorted. "It shames me that he is so spineless."
"Stop it! Stop treating him and me like a pariah. I didn't ask to come here."
"Forgive me, Companion. It is just that today I got married to my soul mate..."
He broke down and sobbed into the neck of the mare he cradled in his arms, fearing that his destiny now followed a path side-by-side with Parceph's. Daniel could not understand how Rovaun could be so in love with such a different person, when that person was him. Rather than rejoicing that Daniel was still alive, the stallion much preferred to mourn his death. He pitied his weeping mate but was at a loss as to what to do. Rovaun was in love with a fantasy - a "great" version of Daniel. Wasn't becoming one with him great in its own right? It HAD been until a half hour ago, but now the bar had been raised from "great" to "heroic." Perhaps that was the key to winning him back.
"I wish there was something I could do to help..."
Then he got an idea. Jumping to his feet, he scrambled back up to the ledge.
"Rovaun, I'm going to dive off again, just like before, okay?"
Rovaun lifted his head. "It is worth a try, Companion."
He did another swan dive into the pool, but when the human hit the water, Rovaun closed his eyes and brought his head back down to his mate. When Daniel resurfaced, he saw his Companion still grieving over Zhorelle, and knew he had failed. He climbed out of the pool wiping his face.
"Maybe you have to participate, too, Rovaun. When I dove the first time, you were standing over there."
"If that were true, Companion, then it would just as likely be true that she would have to participate as well. And I do not see how we can get her up on that ledge."
"All right, then let's look at this practically. You're here, I'm here, Tattoo's here, and Zhorelle is... not really here. The way I see it, we're both getting a better deal. I'm alive! You should be thrilled about that. And I have a son..."
Suddenly, Daniel had a troubling thought. "Rovaun, do you think I had a son in my own... world?"
"I am sorry, Companion. Zhorelle probably would have killed him by now."
His body began to shake with rage as he stared at the mare with renewed hatred. "Then why the fuck are you shedding a tear for that murderous bitch!"
Rovaun closed his eyes to control his anger. "This murderous bitch is YOU. You died and your soul ended up here. I married YOU. I am now mourning YOU."
"But - I - am - HERE!"
"You are not the same person."
"How can you say that? Can two and a half weeks make such a difference?"
"They obviously can. Only one of us got married today."
"Well, I'm willing to make a fresh start, Rovaun."
The stallion opened his eyes and stared at him in disbelief. "And what about YOUR Rovaun? And what about MY Companion?"
"I don't know... Won't they also have each other?"
Rovaun considered the implication silently, then his expression slowly changed from severely annoyed to wide-eyed bristling terror. Daniel's spine tingled, just like the time he had witnessed this same expression before, when Rovaun first suspected him of being the Wraith.
"Oh, no..." whispered the trembling stallion.
"Wh... What is it?"
"If my Companion, truly switched places with you, his soul would have likely entered your Rovaun's body. Do you know if he ever scanned your memories?"
"You mean like what you did to me just now?"
"Yes, only it would have taken a few seconds longer."
He shook his head, "I don't think so, unless he did it while I was asleep. Why?"
"Because my Companion's soul will wake up inside your Rovaun's head without knowing his identity. And when that happens, Rovaun will assume that you died. Without your memories to sustain his soul, it will only be a matter of days before he is gone forever. I don't think Rovaun will evict tonight, but tomorrow is possible... We have to find him before then."
"Rovaun, please, listen to yourself. Find WHO? I'm right here."
He glared at the human. "Don't you care about anyone but yourself? Don't you care about YOUR Rovaun who is probably grieving for you now?"
"You don't KNOW that. I don't know that. I REALLY think Zhorelle is doing something to your head, and even if it's true, I don't see the point, Rovaun. I have enough problems of my own. I can't start worrying about problems that aren't even in this solar system. And what really bugs me, is that I don't get why you do!"
"Well maybe you'll get this. You do not belong here. In this world Daniel Racher was a wanted criminal. Daniel Racher was murdered by the FBI. Daniel Racher now has NOTHING left of human possessions. My Daniel Racher was perfectly happy with that. Are you?"
Humbled into silence again, the human glared venomously at the mare that was the source of all of his troubles. He could not stand to be near either one of them, but had nowhere else to go. If what Rovaun said was true, then he was now in serious trouble, not only being without the basic human necessities of food, clothing and shelter, but also being unable to obtain them. He needed his Companion now more than ever. But if Daniel was right and Zhorelle was causing Rovaun's delusion, her motivation could only be to split them up, and he was damned if he would allow that to happen.
"Okay, Companion," he said with new resolve, "I don't know what's going on, but I will assist you anyway that is humanly possible. I can try to go for help."
"I appreciate that," sighed Rovaun, "but I fear I would lose you as well."
"Okay," said Daniel trying not to take offense, "I can stay with Zhorelle while YOU go for help."
Rovaun did not want to leave his mate, but there was no alternative. He could summon Hipponaurs from the nearby clique to assist with protecting the body, but none of them would likely know how to feed her. Human veterinarians would be able to do that, but he had no idea how or where to find one. Then he considered the human, Nadine. He could contact her and probably convince her somehow to come back with him, but she was eight hours away, and if he spent the whole time bringing her here, then his Companion's soul would be in serious jeopardy by the time they returned. The only solution was to find his Companion, and the place to start looking was where he had last seen him.
"Companion, please stay with her. Alert me if her condition changes."
"What are you going to do?"
"I am going to find my Companion."
"Okay. This human pile of chopped liver will just sit here, then."
Rovaun ignored him and proceeded to climb up to the ledge while Daniel studied the comatose mare, contemplating his next move.
"I know you are doing this to him, you bitch," he muttered to her.
He placed his ear to her belly and heard the tiny voice greet him again.
"That's total bullshit! I'm not its Mommy. It probably isn't even talking to me. You know what Zhorelle, I don't think it is even talking at all."
Daniel watched the stallion continue his ascent.
"I'm not as gullible as your bond mate. You're doing it, and I can prove it. Just watch me miraculously bring you back to life."
Daniel maneuvered himself to block Rovaun's view, then closed his palm over Zhorelle's nostrils. Her body fought the blockage for a few seconds, then relented.
"You don't fool me. I wonder how long Hipponaurs can hold their breath. Shall we have a little contest? Let's go."
He took his own deep breath, then held it and smiled at his Companion.
At the top Rovaun surveyed the pool below, but there was nothing to see. Logic told him to jump, and logic also told him that he would be wasting his time and risking serious injury. The only way to truly simulate what had happened would be to jump virtually, but he had no way of doing that. He stood still and silent, trying to detect the faintest signal from his Companion, but none was forthcoming. The human below sat as motionless as his mate.
Daniel let the stale air out of his lungs, then inhaled fresh air a few times and held another breath. He awarded Zhorelle her minor victory, but was still convinced it was all a ruse. He bent down to see if she was cheating by breathing through her mouth, but her lips appeared to meet without any gaps. Just to make sure, though, he locked his thumb under her jaw, confident that in a few seconds, she would find some excuse to wake up and shake him off.
From his distant vantage point, Rovaun now considered his two mates more objectively. Intellectually, he knew the situation was hopeless. The Companion he married was gone, and there was no way of finding him. And some fluke of destiny had brought an alternate version of him back to life. He was not quite the same, but he was not that different, either. Rovaun had taken an instant dislike to the impostor, but he understood this to be a natural reaction to the strange and frightening events that had taken place. There was no doubt in his mind that this man was indeed some real version of Daniel Racher. It probably would not take long to fall in love with him again.
Furthermore, if his Companion was fully human again, then Malaya's dream made more sense. The Anthrauns, in reality, could be Tantau's brothers and sisters. He and Daniel could make as many Anthrauns as there were Hipponaur mares willing to carry them. That would not be a violation of their marital vows, in fact, his marital status was now seriously in doubt. He sighed deeply at the thought of no longer being married, and coincidentally, he saw his Companion below sigh deeply as well.
"Okay, Zhorelle, that's two for you," said Daniel catching his breath, then holding it again. "Shall we go for three?"
Now Rovaun was forced to confront a fear that had been dogging him ever since Zhorelle had shown up with Tattoo in her womb. No one had mentioned ever seeing Tattoo in a dream. Tantau seemed to have a bright future, but Tattoo's was dark, unseen, and perhaps non-existent. Rovaun knew the terrible chances of the mare's survival if his Companion did not return to her body, and Tattoo, unfortunately, had those very same chances. Had someone been able to offer the stallion a glimmer of hope, then he would not have felt so utterly helpless. In this beautiful paradise that had fallen from grace, he cried for the mare and the tiny life she harbored within. The tears he shed dropped silently into the innocent waters below, too subtle to be noticed by the human who was slowly murdering his son.
After Daniel exhaled his third loss to the mare, he became concerned that maybe she really was in trouble. He placed an ear to her belly again, but this time his heart stopped, for there was no tiny voice there to greet him.
"Fuck you, you fucking BITCH!" he cried, "I know it's just a trick!!"
"Is something wrong, Companion?" the stallion called from above.
There was no hiding the truth anymore. "Rovaun, I don't think she's breathing."
The stallion shut his eyes tight, forcing the well of tears to empty out in order to see his footing better as he wearily descended the cliff.
Daniel wondered if he would be able to live with himself after what he had done. He listened for a heartbeat but could find none. Then he stopped checking, rationalizing that the longer he didn't find a heartbeat, the more likely it was that she didn't have one. He pleaded for her to wake up and then prayed for her life. Though he hated and feared her, he could not bear the thought of being responsible for the death of an immortal. He purposely did not entertain the idea that he might also have caused the death of his own son, for that thought truly was unthinkable.
When the mare began to spasm, Daniel turned away to avoid the horror of her final death throes. Her body and mouth twitched as muscles reacted to random impulses fired by her fading brain, like a candle wick that had lost its flame, yet refused to let go of that final smoldering spark of life.
As Rovaun reached the ground his Companion got up to meet him, but the stallion walked past him to pay his final respects. Unlike Daniel, he chose to watch his mate's final moment on Earth, and whinnied mournfully at her side. But he had witnessed Hipponaur death before, and there was something different about this one. The mare's spasms were not entirely random, particularly around her mouth. The movement of her lips was not random at all, but made the same motion over and over again. She was sending an SOS.
Rovaun whinnied with renewed hope and brought his head down to hers. Daniel noticed her lips, too, and silently rejoiced as well.
"Is she saying anything?"
"She is not communing."
Daniel got down and placed his ear next to her lips but could not discern any intelligible sounds, then he studied the repetitive lip motion.
"I'm not much of a lip-reader, especially horse lips, but it looks like three syllables... Luh - Wuh - Muh."
With a snort, Rovaun pressed his head hard against the mare's. Daniel shrieked from the painfully piercing link that emanated from the stallion. From another dimension they both heard a loud oncoming rush, then the gasping mare opened her eyes.
I saw the world I had been locked out of for the better part of an hour, and the first thing I saw in that world was my loving mate.
"Husband," I said tenderly, "Thank you for bringing me home."
"Companion!" he whinnied tearfully, burying his head in my neck. "I thought I lost you, my Love," he cried. "I was so afraid."
"I know, Husband. I could see you, but I couldn't get back on my own."
I noticed Daniel and then remembered my duty. "We have to return you right now. Everyone up on the ledge!"
I got to my feet and climbed back up to the ledge with Rovaun and Daniel close behind, then I stepped out as a human and prepared to dive again.
"Jesus Christ!" screamed Daniel at the sight of his doppelganger.
"Not even close. Listen to me. We have to jump together, you on top, me underneath. I'll be spread-eagle to create the biggest hole I can. You need to tuck, in order to pass through it. I think we only have one shot at this. Rovaun, start linking with me as hard as you can right now. Okay?... Ready... JUMP."
Rovaun watched the two Daniels leap off the ledge. Halfway to the bottom they both vanished with a "foomp" as the sudden resulting vacuum filled with air. Two seconds later, he heard my soul return on the beacon of his link.
"No time to explain, Rovaun, we both have to jump. Side-by-side on the count of three... Ready? One - two - THREE!"
I heaved my Hipponaur body off the ledge followed by a hesitant Rovaun a fraction of a second behind me.
"YEEEEHHAAAAAAA!" I shouted during the free-fall. Rovaun wasn't quite so expressive, saying something that sounded more like "eeep."
When we hit the water, the resulting depth charge reached back up to the ledge. I got the wind knocked out of me as did my Companion, but we both made it back to the surface without incident.
"Whew! Are you okay, Husband?"
"Yes, Companion," he said, catching his breath. "Why was it necessary to jump into the pool."
"It was necessary to make a really big splash," I laughed.
"You BITCH!" he snorted, then swam over and dunked me.
One nice thing about being Hipponaur was that I could laugh underwater, and to my delight, my husband could do so as well when I pulled him under. We wrestled beneath the surface, then terminated the horseplay as usual with a passionate kiss that slowly brought us back up. Exhausted and bruised from the impact, we climbed out of the pool and rested on the shore. He smiled adoringly at me as I lay in the sun. I returned his gaze and batted my eyelids flirtatiously.
"You Bitch," he smiled. "You beautiful, wonderful, amazing, miraculous, sexy Bitch."
"That's me. I'm yo' Bitch. Now kiss yo' bad black mama."
He happily did so, kissing me deeply, but the tears also returned, and I could tell they were not all tears of joy this time. I emerged as a human and hugged him so tight that I felt his circulation struggle.
"It's okay, Husband. I'm safe, and I don't think I was really in that much danger."
"You nearly died!"
"Oh... yes... you're right. I was thinking more of my soul - it didn't feel like I was in any peril, but Tattoo could have died. You saved us again, thanks."
"That is what husbands are for," he sighed, cheering up.
"Rovaun, it was so strange. I was stuck floating above the pool, unable to move."
"That is the point where you became disembodied."
"But I was coherent the whole time, well, sort of. And the really weird thing was, I could see you, Daniel, and my body, but you were all semi-transparent. And there was another Rovaun who was going crazy, continually jumping into the pool, swimming to the bottom, then getting out and running around the edge. He passed right through you several times. It was like two movies made on the same set, superimposed on top of each other. From what I saw of the two worlds, I figured out that Daniel had somehow passed from his world into ours, but for some reason, I didn't make it all the way into his."
"Were you successful in returning him to his own world?"
"I think so. I saw him nearly clobber you when he hit the water."
"Too bad he missed."
"Rovaun!"
"He was a twit, and so was his Companion. They deserve all the clobbering they get. You on the other hand," he said lovingly, "deserve nothing but kisses."
He proceeded to plant one on every square inch of my body, to which I protested not.
"How did you know how to send him back?" he asked while working on my left thigh.
I thought carefully about that question, and the only answer I could come up with was, "God told me."
He raised his head. "Excuse me?"
I sat up. "I heard a voice tell me not to worry, and it told me what to do to send Daniel back. It insisted that I hurry up, though, but I couldn't do anything while I was trapped. It's a good thing you decided to link with me when you did."
"YOU told me to link with you."
"I did? I don't remember doing that. And I don't see how I could have."
"Perhaps it was serendipity, then. My only concern now, Companion, is how do we prevent this from ever happening again?"
"Well, for one, I sure as hell am not going to go around disembodying myself willy-nilly anymore."
"I am very happy to hear that. I believe you may still safely exist virtually, as long as you maintain a strong link."
"I think so, too. It was snapping the link that did it. You know Rovaun, it has become second nature for me to just step out of my body on a whim, and I practically have substance now. It must take a massive amount of Hipponaur mental energy to do that, but I don't even get a headache. And when I dove off the ledge, the energy in that link must have tripled in order to maintain it as long as it did. Then it broke like a rubber band, instantly releasing it across the space between my physical and virtual bodies. For a split second it must have ripped a hole between parallel worlds, and my soul fell into it."
"That is one explanation," he said, rolling his eyes.
"Well, how would you explain what happened!? How did a real live Daniel Racher end up in a world where he was dead?"
"I do not know. There is no explanation for his existence. He did not travel through time, because his memories accounted for the same number of days since we have been together. His memory of our first day matched my own, but by the second day, it diverged into a separate destiny that he shared with my other self."
"He passed through a fifth dimension!"
"Don't be ridiculous."
"I'm serious! On a quantum level, nothing is certain until it is observed, right? If a situation leads to only one of two possible outcomes, then until the outcome is observed, both outcomes exist simultaneously. Every decision we make in our lives might create a parallel world, but we're only aware of the world that we observe because it contains the choice we made. It stands to reason that there's a duplicate world where we made the opposite choice, and it wouldn't take long for the destinies to head off in different directions."
"A nice theory, but then each of us would have countless parallel worlds in which we dwell."
"Nearly infinite, and that's what defines it as a fifth dimension. The fourth dimension is time, but we're not talking about time travel, here. The fifth dimension is the same place and same time but different destinies shaped by the choices we make. Most of your parallel worlds are different from mine, but we exist together in a lot of them, and in this particular one, we got married."
"Then I am living in the only one that matters," he whickered, returning his kisses to my mouth.
"Mmmmm, me too, but it's fun to imagine how much sex we must be having in all of those other worlds."
"My mind boggles," he chuckled, "And I shall now make it my goal to see to it that the vast majority of sex occurs in this one."
"Woo-Hoo!"
I allowed him to make good on his threat, lifting my tail while I laid on my side. He entered me gently, and I held my human head up lazily with a hand resting on my elbow so we could kiss during the low-key, but no less gratifying encounter. Having sex with my Companion now seemed as natural as breathing, and just as necessary to survive. But my mind could wander, and so could his, and neither of us would take offense that the other wasn't necessarily devoting one hundred percent toward the successful completion of his partner's orgasm. We just liked to fuck a lot.
"Rovaun, what do you think the odds are that of all the parallel worlds I could have ripped open, it happened to be one that also had a live version of me diving off the ledge at exactly the same time."
"The probability of such a thing is undeniably infinitesimal."
"If it were pure chance."
"You do not believe it was?"
"How could it be?"
"I do not know, and I do not care. I got you back. That is all that matters."
"But it also matters that we sent Daniel back to his Rovaun."
"Yes, I suppose. I am glad that everyone had a happy ending."
He continued to grind and kiss me, and I sensed him tightening up.
"And speaking of happy endings, I am about to have one."
"Care to share it with me?"
Being outside of my head at the moment, I couldn't feel my side of the union, but he linked with me and we experienced his side together. How I envied his balls that unloaded their lively cargo into me, but it was silly to envy them, because I could have them any time and any way I wanted. Even though feeling his sensations through the link was the closest thing to having stallion balls of my own, it just wasn't quite the same as actually toting my very own pair. On the other hand, if I were the only one wearing them, then I couldn't also have them for breakfast, lunch and dinner. I guess even Hipponaur life had compromises, but I had no regrets.
"Mmmm, nice and sloppy," I sighed.
"Sloppy and very nice, indeed."
I pulled him completely down to me and wrapped my arms around his neck. "Thank you for saving me, yet again," I whispered.
"Is this going to be a daily occurrence?" he smirked.
"I sure hope not! Just for once, I would like to have a WHOLE day where nothing goes wrong. We make love a dozen different ways and no one interrupts us and no one tries to kill us and Destiny goes fishing."
"I am not so sure," he said. "I think I met a version of you that lived that lifestyle, and you were not entirely to my liking."
"So we are better Hipponaurs for daily fighting tooth-and-nail just to stay alive and together?"
"Of course. It builds character."
"But even humans get weekends off."
"Okay, we can be hedonistic slugs on the weekends."
"Is it the weekend now?"
"I can't remember."
"Hee-hee-hee, how convenient."
That deserved another long, involved, sloppy horse kiss. Tattoo was starting to get bored with all of the time Rovaun and I spent loving each other, but he tolerated it as long as we paid some attention to him, too. Rovaun re-taught him his now favorite tavern drinking song while I scratched his mane and laughed in disbelief.
"What?" he snickered, innocently. "He was bound to learn it from Tantau, anyway."
"Even the 'Four hundred and Forty-one Moles in the Hole' version?"
"No, that one he learns only from his genius of a father."
"Come here, Genius!" I squeezed the life out of him, and then felt renewed life growing inside me. "Ready for more?"
"You have that affect on me."
Instead of a grind, he started a slow in-n-out. I slipped inside to enjoy it on my own this time. And again, I felt so at ease with the love-making that I resumed my philosophizing.
"I wonder if you could connect with the other Rovaun," I pondered.
"Why would I want to do that?"
"I don't know. Maybe to compare notes."
"You mean, have a pissing contest with myself?"
"Well if you're going to be that way about it, you'll never learn anything."
"I learned all I care to learn about that other world. You and I belong here."
My clitoris lapped lazily against the flow of his cock while I thought about far off lands.
"How is the sexual tension down there?" he asked.
"No shortage of supply that I can detect, Biggus. Just enjoying the long smooth ride and wondering where it'll take me."
My thoughts returned to Daniel. There was no way that it was merely coincidence that he entered our world. If it were, then it would also have to be coincidence when I sent him back to HIS world. No freakin' way! There had to be some sort of order, here. Something predictable that followed certain physical laws. But why did it find another Daniel? Why not someone else? And why didn't something like this happen the other times I became completely disembodied?
It had something to do with linking, I was sure of that. When my link snapped, maybe it latched onto the nearest thing it could find that resembled me, and that thing was ANOTHER me. Why not? Who's to say the link reached out in only three dimensions? What was it anyway - An invisible mental connection that passed through walls as easily as through air. But what if the conduit was more than three-dimensional?
Then it occurred to me that Hipponaur already existed four-dimensionally. Their subconscious minds regularly traveled backward and forward through time. That was how they were able to see destiny so clearly in dreams, but they only saw glimpses out of context which were easy to mistake.
However, if conscious linking used projections into the fifth dimension to get from point A to point B, that could explain everything. The fifth dimension reduced the actual distance that the link had to travel in 3-D space down to zero, just like the length of a pencil essentially reduced to zero when viewed from its point. That also meant that the link was capable of traveling vast distances without requiring any additional mental energy. It just had to be focussed somehow in the right direction into 5-D space. Perhaps the reason I didn't get headaches was because I really wasn't expending additional energy - I was just getting better at directing it. The more I exercised my virtual talents, the more my Hipponaur brain seemed to figure this out. Yet this growing knowledge remained hidden from my conscious mind. I could easily perform virtual miracles, but I still didn't know how I was doing them.
Rovaun could see that my thoughts were somewhere in another dimension, but rather than bring me back down to Earth, he decided to join me there.
"So... you talked to God, eh?"
"He did all of the talking, actually."
"Are you sure you are remembering it accurately? Your soul had no access to your brain."
"I'm not convinced that that is entirely true. Most of my senses were dulled while I was trapped, but my visual senses still functioned, and I think I can remember the whole thing. I can play it for you if you like."
"That will not be necessary. I do not wish to revisit that episode at the moment."
"Yes, I can imagine it might dampen your mood."
I squeezed his cock and wiggled my clitoris, to let him know I was still with him. He grunted in appreciation.
"What does God sound like?" he asked.
"What do you mean?"
"Is he a baritone? Does he have a British accent? Speak with a lisp?"
I stared at him intently, suddenly realizing something about The Supreme Being.
"What is it, Companion?"
"It only just occurred to me now. I... think I recognize his voice."
Rovaun waited for the rest of it while I tried to recall the fuzzy memory. I found myself gaping at him more and more as the memory congealed.
"Was it MY voice?" he asked, misinterpreting my expression.
"No," I said, shaking my head slowly, still gazing at my Hipponaur mate who quite possibly had some of God's blood in his veins.
"Well... tell me!"
"What's the matter, Husband? You do not really enjoy this type of sex play?"
"Please don't take this personally, but... whose voice was it, you Bitch?"
I decided to end the torture while we were both still having fun with it.
"It was Varyl's."
Rovaun gaped back at me. "Varyl is God?" he laughed.
"I guess so," I joined him.
"Then there is no question that you are going to Hell after what you did to him!"
"I'd better ask for forgiveness."
We both laughed uncontrollably, causing Rovaun to collapse on top of me unable to continue. Even Tattoo found our hysterics contagious and couldn't help but giggle, which of course made it all the more funny.
"Do you think Varyl knows he's God?" I asked.
"He has certainly acted like it for millennia."
"Why don't we ask him?"
"Ask him what? If he is God, or if he KNOWS he is God?"
"Now you're making fun of me."
"That is what husbands are for."
We giggled some more, but I wasn't about to drop it, because something that had been bothering me about Tantau's destiny suddenly came to light.
"I'm serious, Rovaun. I've been thinking..."
"Oh, Varyl!"
"Hear me out. How well do you remember Malaya's beach dream?"
"The image is less than perfect, but I remember it."
"Have you noticed anything not quite right about it?"
"I assume you are not referring to the marauding Centaurs in the foreground."
"No. Just Tantau, Malaya, and the other Anthrauns."
"There is not enough detail to make out much of anything, Companion."
"What about their ages?"
"Both Tantau and Malaya are young, but so are nearly all of the Anthrauns."
"Don't you think they are a little TOO young?"
"Perhaps, but that could be explained if they were all Tantau's and Tattoo's siblings."
"What!?"
He snorted at the silliness of what he was about to say. "Suppose we found a way to... um... impregnate other mares like Shianna... Oh hell, nevermind."
I laughed in disgust. "You actually thought that they might all be OURS? The way that some of them were making out on the beach? That's gross!"
"Well, a new race has to start somehow! Humans have saved entire species from extinction by mating siblings."
"Fortunately, I don't think the Anthraun race is fundamentally based on incest. When I first saw the dream, I thought Hipponaurs took a long time to reach maturity, so I never gave it a second thought, but I just found out today that they don't. What would you estimate is Malaya's age in that dream?"
"She is perhaps eight or nine years old."
"That means Tantau is seven or eight, but he looks like he's seventeen if he were human."
"That is about right if he matures as a Hipponaur."
"Rovaun, in eight years, Tantau will be riding Malaya on a beach that is overflowing with Anthrauns, many of whom have to be at least second, third, or fourth generation, based on the percentage of Human/Hipponaur mix."
"...Which cannot be possible," he conceded, "assuming, of course, that the two in the dream really are Malaya and Tantau."
"Is there any doubt of that?" I asked, the thought never having occurred to me.
"Yes, plenty."
"Well, let's assume that it IS Malaya and Tantau, for the moment. Anyway, the Wraith is supposedly the first man to successfully mate with a Hipponaur stallion, right? And since everyone seems to agree that I am the Wraith, then that makes us the first Anthraun parents. But maybe there's a parallel world where someone else is the Wraith and they beat us to it a long time ago. And maybe Tantau and Malaya somehow manage to travel to that world, just like Daniel managed to travel here."
"...Which was an accident."
"Coming here was, but not going back!"
"You have a point."
"And I think the reason that it was DANIEL who materialized and not some total stranger is directly related to the fact that it was MY link that caused the phenomenon. It didn't connect two random worlds - it specifically connected two of MY worlds. If it had been your link that snapped, you might have snagged someone completely different, since you probably have a zillion more parallel worlds to choose from."
"You have only this one data point to which you are drawing these conclusions. However, I cannot deny their possibility. And if Malaya's dream is true, it would certainly explain that as well."
"So tell me, dear Husband," I spoke with a rhetorical grin, "if each of us has the potential to open a door into one of our own parallel destinies, who do you know whose parallel destinies is 'Varyly' likely to include a world full of Anthrauns?"
Rovaun's ears rose up as his grin spread between them. "You are a genius!"
"Only if I'm right. Let's go find him."
"What about our honeymoon?"
"Oh, come on. Our whole life is going to be one never-ending lurid honeymoon of sex. I want to talk to God!"
"Okay, Companion," he said, kissing me then getting up. "Today must be a weekday."
Varyl wasn't hard to find. He was engaged with the rest of the clique in a riotous post-wedding-reception bash, which involved everyone standing around, quietly grazing.
"Rovaun and Wraith, I am surprised to see you back so soon."
"May we speak privately, Varyl?"
"Certainly, Wraith," he said, escorting us away from the others. "Dear me, I hope you do not require marriage counseling already."
"Not at all," I assured him. "More like spiritual guidance."
"I see," he said, sounding quite intrigued. "How may I help you?"
"Varyl, do you believe in God?"
He smiled politely, but was expecting a more engaging topic. "I am sure my beliefs are no different than Rovaun's in that matter."
"Has God ever talked to you?"
He snorted a guffaw, then caught himself. "No. Has he talked to you?"
"I think you had better show him," said Rovaun.
I played for Varyl my memory of being trapped in limbo, and of his calming vocal influence over me that eventually set the two worlds right again.
"Astounding..." he said to himself staring off into space. The link changed his demeanor dramatically, and Rovaun and I looked at each other, wondering what we had unleashed. He turned slowly away from us, oblivious to all but the long forgotten ancient memory that he now desperately tried to reconstruct. When he spoke, his voice had lost its usual air of confident authority, and he directed his vehement words not to us.
"Help... me... Mourne..."
His behavior was bizarre and erratic, as if in a trance, turning one direction then another, stepping forward, backward, and rotating around, and all the while pleading for his dead grandfather's help.
Rovaun watched nervously as the great Hipponaur faltered and whimpered. "Your Eminence..."
"I cannot find it... I cannot find... Help me find it... Mourne help me..."
He continued his dance of the dead while we stood powerless to help him find what we had no idea he was looking for. His ritualistic moves seemed to repeat and then stagger, and his pleas became more intense as he failed to achieve the elusive goal. During the increasingly frantic shuffle, his right leg crossed in front of his left while he moved forward causing himself to tumble violently to the ground. He snapped out of his trance but remained prostrate, whimpering like a very old man.
"Are you injured, your Eminence," asked Rovaun, but he didn't reply.
"I can't do it anymore..." he sobbed into the earth.
I hated to see any Hipponaur cry so I stepped out of my body to console him as a human, just so that he wouldn't get the wrong impression. Varyl looked up at me with renewed vigor in his eyes.
"Wraith, I need your assistance. Your virtual body," he said, returning to his feet.
"How can I help?"
"I need you to push on my left side while I search."
With both hands I pressed into his ribs, but nothing happened. Then he returned to his trance and slowly rotated his body. I moved with him, maintaining the pressure on his ribs, then suddenly lost my balance when my arms disappeared into him.
"That's it!" said Rovaun, causing Varyl to hold his position while remaining entranced.
I pulled my arms out and looked at them. They appeared to be unchanged. Then I reached over and carefully touched Rovaun. He felt perfectly solid. I touched Varyl again, and my hand passed through him like vapor. Rovaun approached him and nudged him with his knee, but Varyl did not yield to him.
He turned to me nervously. "It appears that the doorway will permit only you to pass, Companion."
"Maybe it only allows a link to pass through, not a physical being."
"If that is true, Companion, then this is not the way Daniel came through. We do not know where this doorway leads."
"The Wraith will not be harmed..." uttered the catatonic Varyl. It was his voice, but there was no telling who was speaking through it.
"What do you think, Husband?"
"I think I am very nervous about this. I already lost you once today."
"Someone's watching out for me, Husband. And something tells me this is my destiny."
He hugged me deeply. "I agree with you, Companion, for I have the same feeling. I have always known that you were destined for greatness, and now Destiny has opened this door just for you. You have my blessing if you choose to step through it."
I kissed my mate for good luck. "I'm going through, but keep a link on me, because I think that's what holds the door open. If you sense trouble, don't hesitate to pull me back."
"I will not hesitate. Please be careful."
"I'll go slow and maintain contact as long as I can."
I took a deep virtual breath then carefully stepped into another dimension.
[End of _COMPANIONS_ Chapter 16: Chaos]
[Next in series: Chapter 17: Order]