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Subject: {ASSM} Man and Muse 2/4 The Second Five Years (zoo/best. asst codes and topics) TBD
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Date: Fri, 06 Apr 2012 09:10:05 -0400
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More canon from the second five ears of posting 'Man & Muse' scenes.
---

I introduced Mahika to the world of alt.sex.stories.d on May 10, 2001.
What follows are the posts from 2007-2011
=====

As I recall, the whole thing started as something of an amusement in
the newsgroup alt.sex.stories.d. Someone else, perhaps a few someones,
had posted short scenes or comments about their Muses and how they
interacted.

I decided to join in, but in my own way.

That meant, amongst other things, a bit of research to find a suitable
name for the person who would become my 'Muse'.

I found that name on a site with Algonquin names on it.

Mahika means 'wolf clan' and the decision was made.

Technically, Mahika is not a Muse. What follows is, for the first
time, a description of Mahika as I envisioned her from the first.

She was born in the very first days that man gained wit enough to
ponder his place in the universe and tell tales. Her creator was close
to the earth and the world around him, with a special reverence for
wolves. We would call them his totem animal, but Mahika was more than
that.

She was earthy. She was brave. She was pragmatic. She was, then, a
fairly simple goddess, if one can call such as she anything other than
an elemental idea.

When this man told tales, he was telling them in praise of her, for
her. 

Yes, he was a bestialist, yet not a bestialist. His worldview was
simpler than ours. There were probably semi-domesticated canines
around but he loved wolves, had even made himself part of a pack's
life, enough so that he and at least one of the female wolves were
lovers, mated. Perhaps he was the then equivalent of a Shaman.

Certainly, Mahika was made in the image of the lover he wished to
have. Wolf. Shape shifter. Human. More than human.

Mahika was called forth and given form.

The man's creation, his vision, out lived him.

Elementals, once given form, cannot die.

Ages passed, tale tellers created other elementals, other muses, other
forms of giving credit for what inspired them.

Mahika, as time passed, found herself teamed with others. Some fitted
her heritage better than others. Few ever understood her fully.

Then, after tens of thousands of years, most of them spent holding
herself aloof from the mundane world and the worlds of the gods, she
felt a faint calling to her soul.

It was the call of one who, unknowing, was laying the foundation
stones of a life that would lead to something she'd waited for so
long.

The long odds of chance paid off. Soon she would have a creative
partner who understood her as well, or sometimes better than the one
who had created her.

The tales of 'A Man and His Muse' are the story of our partnership and
what it means to us. 

Over time characters I've created have crept in, to give us glimpses
of their off stage lives.

But, most importantly, we are not adversaries. We are partners,
lovers, and sometimes we use guile or pretend to be partakers in the
great game men and women play.

Lovers do that, you know...

When their love for each other is as deep and sure as ours is.

Thanks for taking the time to peruse the brief glimpses into our
lives,

Thomas Galahalt and Mahika
====

&M, Glass Lounge, monologue 
-----

Glass Lounge Memories
A Man & His Muse
-----

Tom snuggles with Mahika and nuzzles her throat.

He's settling in for a nice, cuddly afterglow session when the chime
announcing an incoming message disturbs his enjoyment.

"Mmmmm"  He ignores it and goes back to nuzzling.

"Aren't you going to at least see what it's about?"   Mahika's comment
is filled with the tones that indicate her mixed feelings about the
interruption.

He pauses in his nuzzling, then sighs and rolls onto his back. Gazing
at the ceiling he enunciates.  "Voice-commands.
Latest-message-playback."

They listen to the message and he sighs.  "I'd call him a lazy sod but
I know he's busier than I am with getting this forum going."

She hugs him and laughs.   "I don't mind.  It's good to feel your
creative touch."

"Yah.  There is that..."  He drifts away, searching in his memories.

Finally, "Voice-commands.  Hopper.  New item.  Glass Lounge Memories.
Begin."
===

I can't talk about the lounge without mentioning Desdmona's Fish Tank,
which inspired it.

Way back when, in ASSD (alt.sex.stories.d) Desdmona started a
structured system for helping authors improve their work.  It ran once
a week, for something over 70+ weeks.   Eventually she decided that a
web based version would let her do things with the FT that she
couldn't do in usenet and she moved it to a dedicated web site where
it's busier than ever.

That move left a hole in the activities in ASSD.  There was lots of
talk about the FT but nobody seemed to want to actually start a
replacement.

Eventually I tackled the job and after some discussions with others,
the Glass Lounge was born.  Essentially the rules were the same but
instead of one person encouraging people and handling the initial
posts, I set the GL up to be freely available to anyone who wished to
use it, with my only input being the assignment of index numbers.

Unfortunately, by then the membership in ASSD had changed
significantly and there was little to no interest in actually using
the GL.  After a few, 4 or 5 uses iirc, I let the GL quietly die off
and eventually turned all of my working notes over to Yotna and Esu,
who had expressed an interest in reviving it in some form.

From there, the story is mostly theirs.  All I remember is that their
attempt to revive it pretty much fell on deaf ears and again, it was
dropped into limbo.

In December of 2006 there was some mention of the Fish Tank and the
Glass Lounge, as things done in the past, but now dead for lack of
support and interest.  As a result of this, I quietly posted a 'Man
and Muse' short called 'Drunken Promises' in which I unofficially
reopened the GL in ASSD.

There was also some discussion by a couple of people who might, or
might not, use the GL tag when they asked for help.

And there things stood, until Yotna and Esu created 'Writer's Block'.

Some discussion, some apologies on my part for forgetting that I no
longer had any rights to the GL and then, finally, what you see here.

I don't know what form it will take, other than being the name of this
board.  Those decisions are up to Yotna and Esu.

Thanks friends, for reviving the Glass Lounge.  I'm looking forward to
whatever happens with it in its new home.

<unashamed shill>
Please, neighbors, give it your support and participation.
</unashamed shill>
====

M&M, La Taverna, monologue
-----

Holding Out for a Hot Muse
A Man & His Muse
----

(For those of you unfamiliar with Tom and Mahika, they are both shape
shifters. For this performance he is in his human form and much like
he was in his twenties. Mahika has taken on her anthrowolf form, with
pure white fur. If you insist on knowing what their voices sound like
for the following number, imagine a sultry Karen Carpenter and Dean
Martin.)

Tom and Mahika step on the stage and whisper to the band. Words are
exchanged, the arrangement agreed on and...

They step into the spotlight.

Tom bows. "Ladies and gentlemen... We thought we'd provide you with
something a bit less serious than our usual work. For your amusement,
we give you...

"Holding out for a Hot Muse.

(Mahika:)
Where have all the good words gone?
And where are all the dogs?
Where's the word-wise dog of keys
To quench my blazing needs?
Isn't there a write knight with his fiery need?

Late at night I toss and I turn and I dream of what I need.

(Tom:)
("Hit it!")

I need a hot Muse.
I'm holding out for a hot Muse 'til the end of the write.
I cannot be wrong
And it's going to last.
And it's gotta be fresh and done right.
I need a hot Muse.
I'm looking out for a hot Muse 'til I'm doing it right.
She's gotta be near
'Cause it's gotta be done
And she's gonna be part of my life.

(Mahika:)
Somewhere in my dark night.
In my deepest fantasy.
Out there just beyond my reach.
He's calling, reaching out for me.
Filling me with wonder and filling me with heat.
He's gonna be the only one to keep me when we meet.

(Tom:)
I need a hot Muse.
I'm holding out for a hot Muse 'til the end of the write.
I cannot be wrong
And it's going to last
And it's gotta be fresh and done right.
I need a hot Muse.
I'm looking out for a hot Muse 'til I'm doing it right.
She's gotta be near.
'Cause it's gotta be done
And she's gonna be part of my life!
====

Understanding the Differences
A Man & His Muse
---

Tom pauses to lean on the door frame and study La Taverna, and its
patrons. His eyes drift, and once in awhile he nods thoughtfully, or
shakes his head as his thoughts drift. 

Mahika, standing at his side with an amused smile on her face, touches
his shoulder lightly. "Sketchbook?"

"Hmm?" He turns his head slightly and studies the stage. "Yah. That
too, love."

She turns her head slightly to see what has caught his interest. "Ah."
There is a tone of sudden understanding in her exhalation. "Here." She
hands him his sketchbook and a pencil.

"I'll get you a bar stool and make sure everything is working."

He straightens from his position and idly kisses his Muse. "Thanks."

She lightly strokes one of his cheeks with a claw tip, then walks
purposefully away. Her smile, barely visible, is both amused and
content.

* * *

He opens his sketchbook to a blank page and places it on the podium.
Once he's satisfied with its position, he glances at Mahika and nods.

There a brief flare of light, quickly dimmed to a level that's bright
enough for the camera to get a good image, but not so bright it's
blinding. That's followed by the almost sub audible hum of the pa
system.

Tom settles on the stool and begins a sketch. As he sketches, he
speaks.

"Relax, neighbors. No lectures this time. No vitriolic pointing out of
our shared problems and all the stuff I usually bring up when I settle
here."

He looks up, scans the room and smiles lopsidedly. "I've had too much
time to think recently, and I'm going to share some of that thinking
with you."

He drops his gaze to his sketch and goes back to working on it.
There's a circle, to which he adds the male and female symbols. Then,
he fills the circle with the yin-yang symbol. Satisfied, he leans
back.

"I like to study people. I also enjoy studying myself. One of my
hobbies is trying to figure out what motivates people."

He chuckles at something, then continues. "I suffered from *that*
curse long before I started writing.

"Anyway, and I'm certain I'm rediscovering fire here, I've come up
with something I want to share and get your thoughts on.

"We talk a lot about the differences between men and women. I've seen
a lot of theories, but none of them are really satisfying as an
explanation I can live with.

"So, every now and again I pick at it."

He reaches and touches his drawing. "This is the symbology that
expresses what I've come up with."

He leans back and faces his audience. Mahika, well used to his
routines, has brought him a glass of herbal tea. He sips it, gathering
his thoughts, then sets it down and continues.

"I believe men and women can understand each other."

"I also believe that most of the theories we currently base that
attempt to understand on--are too complicated.

"I think I've distilled all the complications and figured out what
might be considered the 'fundamental concepts' that drive us all." He
chuckles again. "Or at least I've come up with a working hypothesis
that I'm comfortable with."

"What drives us all is survival. Beyond that basic drive is the the
desire to reproduce.

"And I think that the two aspects of that reproductive drive are what
ultimately defines who we are. They lead to every action we do, and
every emotion we feel.

"The desire to reproduce ourself and continue the individual.

"The desire to reproduce as a means of continuing the species."

He leans forward and touches the yin-yang area. "And it is a mix of
those two drives that defines the difference between men and women.
Tilt it one way, and you have 'a man'. Tilt it the other way and you
have 'a woman'.

"It's that 'simple'."

He leans back and grins. "But like the fundamental particles in
physics...

"It leads to the bewildering complexity that makes us who we are."
====

Action and Words, Together
A Man and Muse Story
----

"Happy anniversary, love"  I settled on the several times recovered
hide-a-bed on our porch and grabbed Mahika's hand.  We intertwined our
fingers and I lifted our hands to my lips.  I studied the face I'd
come to know so well, then kissed the back of her hand lightly.

She slowly smiled and touched my face.  While her fingertips spoke
volumes about what we shared, her words were soft and simple: "Indeed,
it is."

The next move was mine, as usual, and I touched the sides of her neck
with my free fingertips.  "Cuddle?"  She shifted and was quickly
settled on my lap.  That led to a rearranging of the parts until we
had our arms around each other.

She squeezed gently while my own arms pulled us together firmly.  My
head bent down and my lips pressed against her neck  She moaned a bit
and I knew things were going well.  My next move was obvious and I
made it.  I left my lips in place, opened them...  And then my tongue
slid out to barely touch a special spot I'd come to know well...

The moan chopped off as she jerked in response to the jolt of
pleasure.

I kept up the contact, lightly stroking my tongue across the spot I'd
discovered on one intensely satisfying night together.

I waited patiently until...  "Enough!"

Chuckling, I relented.  "Good."

I leaned back, satisfied that I'd 'won' the opening round.

"Doesn't seem like it's been that long since I introduced you to the
rest of the world, yet it seems like forever, too."  My hands shifted,
randomly exploring, reminding us of what we shared, and promising that
we'd create new memories together.  "Six years, love.  Six amazing
years."

Noses touched and we smiled at each other.  Fingertips touched lips in
a shared agreement--and promise.

Then, again, in a routine we shared so easily, we wrapped each other
in a shared cuddle that left us gazing at nothing special, yet seeing
everything that was special to us both.  Joy, accidental pain,
reconciliation...

And the one thing that no longer needed to be said, but was the most
important thing of all.

We knew that no matter what, we'd share the future in the same way we
shared this anniversary.

We'd see it together.
----

Thomas Galahalt,
Celebrating six years since the official introduction of my Muse,
Mahika.
May 10, 2001 to May 10, 2007

"Together, my love."
====

Tom walks up to the stage and looks it over thoughtfully: 'Doesn't get
much use these days, does it?'  He shrugs a bit, mostly to himself,
then
drifts away to gather in a bar stool.  Once he has it positioned, and
the
microphone adjusted to his satisfaction, he settles and gazes out at
the
patrons--and at something else--before he smiles a bit sadly and
begins
speaking in a soft, gentle voice.

"Hasn't seemed much point, lately, to coming here, or for that matter,
expending the effort to come up here, and saying anything.

"We all go our own ways, sometimes touching others, sometimes not,
just
sharing a few carefully hoarded memories or maybe sometimes daring to
speak
about a dream we have.  

"Acting on them?  Nah.  What's the point?  The fire's gone.  A few
embers are
left, but it's not worth the effort of stirring them to see if
anything can
be rekindled.

"Or..."  He brings his gaze back and studies each person briefly.,
searching
for something.  "Is it that it isn't the fire, the warmth here that
needs
rekindling, but the fire within?  The kind of fire that doesn't need
symbols,
a place where it is expressed, Just..."  His right hand reaches out as
if to
grasp something, then returns to open itself against his chest, over
his
heart.  "The kind of fire that lives here and burns undiminished
through
time, carrying one forward to meet whatever happens?"

He smiles slightly and continues.  "Answering those of you who wished
me well
on my birthday got me to thinking.  Another year has gone by.  Where
have I
been?  What have I done?  Where am I going?

"A few things stood out.  And yes, I'm going to share some of those
thoughts.
Listen or not, as *you* choose."

He looks at the bar and catches the eye of Mahika, who has been
settled
there, unnoticed, and he nods before miming drinking something.  She
brings
him a glass of herbal tea, which he sips thoughtfully, before handing
it
back.

"Very well. 

"I'll have no children of my own.  I accepted that long ago.  It's a
regret,
but one I've chosen to live with.  But I've always wondered what I
would
choose to pass on to them, and there are some things I deem worthy of
passing
on to anyone.

"A few lessons I've learned about love, and the work it takes to keep
a
relationship going.

"Never promise that you won't hurt each other, sometimes in
gut-wrenching
ways.  Instead, commit to accepting that it will happen--and that you
will
always be able to work past that.

"Never say: 'Don't ever change' to your partner.  Instead, say 'We
will grow
and change together--and we will work together to live with any
changes that
happen, to either of us, being honest about whether we like or dislike
them.

"Sex can be incredibly selfish.  Don't fear that selfishness.  Accept
it as a
fact of life, and while sharing the mutual joys that can be shared,
don't be
afraid to look at your partner and tell them 'I *want* you to be
selfish. Use
whatever we do for your own selfish desire to have the most intense
orgasm
you can.'

"No matter how long you've been together, don't fear to explore who
and what
you are to each other.  You may not enjoy the knowledge you find, but
you
will learn more, making what you have deeper, stronger.

"And while I have many other bits I could share, there is really only
one
more thing on this subject that I think is worth mentioning right now.
I
would never tell my children, or anyone else, 'I'm telling you this
and
hoping you don't make the mistakes I did.'  That's bullshit.  Don't be
afraid
to make the mistakes I have.  Make them knowing that you'll be able to
find a
solution.  It may be the one I found, most likely it will not.  All I
ask is
that you learn from those mistakes, as I hope I have."

He falls silent and gestures again for the glass of tea.  Sipping,
gathering
his thoughts, he wonders if he should say more.  He looks at Mahika,
holds
out a hand and tips it, as if pouring something out.  She tilts her
head,
then reaches to lightly stroke his face before she gently holds his
upturned
hand and mimes pouring something into it.  He smiles, nods, and hands
her
back the empty glass.

"What can I say?  How do I answer the questions that aren't asked?

"Do I owe anyone anything?  Do I have a duty?  What sort of duty could
it be?

He shakes his head slightly.  "No duty, not really.  Just a felt
obligation
and a recognition of part of reality.

"To the silent ones--and anyone else who feels the need--here and
elsewhere.
I'm here.  If you need a 'leader', someone you can follow until you
can find
the strength, find the courage to create your own ventures, until you
are
able to stand here, where I am, and speak in your own voice...

"I'll believe in you when you can't believe in yourself.

"After all, a few here have given that gift to me.  It's only *right*
that I
pass it on to any who need it."

He bows his head, tears glistening... and slowly walks away, barely
noticing
when Mahika and his SO gather him into their arms.
---

TANSTAAFL  --Robert Anson Heinlein--
====

A throw away line in a new story...

"I hadn't angered her that much since..."
----

Anger Mismanagement
A Man and Muse Story
----

"I'm sorry, love.  I can't promise you I won't change."

I stared at the screen in frustrated disbelief.

The words were *mine*, spoken honestly.

They were also the words that ended a miracle.

*She* was gone.

I let the tears flow.

Tears are supposed to be cleansing.  They are supposed help you heal.

All these tears did was get my face wet.

Through the pain, my mind twisted and churned.  I kept returning to a
simple fact.  *I'd* written the story that led to the end.  Therefore,
to make sure I'd never cause her any more pain by reminding her of
what had happened...

I had to delete the story.

How can such a simple action cause so many memories?  How can a single
mouse click drive a dagger through the center of my being?

Deleting the copy of the email that had sent it to her wasn't easy,
but it wasn't that hard, either.

Gone.

Next was the finished copy of the story.

With a click...

Gone.

The backup.

Gone.  Destroyed.  Random electrons.

I can't see the monitor.

My breathing is ragged.

I can't go on.

I must.

I wiped my eyes clear, they stayed so long enough to let me see while
I deleted most of the archived versions.

Click.

Click.

Click.

Then, through the new tears and silence that engulfed me I heard a new
clicking.

Toenails.

I ignored them.

I felt a chin settle on my shoulder.

Have you ever smelled the raw anger of a wolfess?

Have you ever felt the rumbling vibration of a suppressed snarl of
rage?

I did.

And I ignored it while I brought up the last copy, and earliest
version of the story.

Shuddering with the sense of loss, not of the story, but of the
completeness, the oneness...

I pushed firmly

CLICK!

Deleted.

And my head fell forward into my shaking hands.

I wept.

Wept as a howl of unspeakable anguish knifed into my right ear.

Wept as 120 pounds of angry wolfess drove me out of my chair, to land
on the floor, where I curled up in withdrawal.

I ignored the feel of fur as she straddled me, just as I ignored the
sneeze of absolute, fury driven disgust that blew into my hair from
inches away.

"You.  Deleted. It."

"I had to."

"No.  You didn't."

"I HAD to."

"You wrote it.  I felt your joy while you wrote it.  AND YOU DELETED
IT!"

I rolled slightly, grabbed Mahika's muzzle, glared at her from inches
away and shouted.  "DAMNIT MAHIKA!  IT COST ME HER!  I.  HAD. TO.
DELETE IT!!"  Disgusted, filled with the pain of loss, I shoved her
head away and curled back up.  The effort of shouting through my pain
had exhausted me.  My voice was weak, a barely audible whisper as I
moaned about what had happened.

"I hurt.  I can't live through this again.  Every time I love... First
her.  Now She's angry with me too.  Get it over with...  Damnit, stop
hurting me like this.  Doesn't understand.  Doesn't want to
understand..."

I turned my head one last time to coldly gaze at Mahika.  "Go.  Away."
It was a command.

Her anger changed into astonished silence...

And she vanished as if she'd never shared my life.

"Good.  She can't hurt me, too."

Why then am I curled into a fetal ball and weeping again with the pain
wracked sobs of the deepest sense of loss I've ever felt?
---

Obviously, we did reconcile our differences and the bond between us is
stronger than it was then.

But that's another story.  :)
====

Wandering in my hopper can reveal many things...  Including this short
one that was incorrectly labeled unfinished.

I wrote it just before a halloween, which year I don't remember.
---

Wandering Words
A Man and His Muse
---

I felt Mahika's hair flow across me as she leaned over my shoulder and
whispered..."Trick or treat?"

I rotated my chair and helped her settle on my lap.  Once we were
comfortable I reached out to tilt her head up so I could watch her
reaction.  "From you, my love, a trick would be a treat."

She groaned.  "The trick to treating with you is to find a trick that
works a treat."  

It was my turn to groan.  "So that would mean that to be a treat, my
trick treats me to a trick that treats me to a t?"  

Before she could make things worse I kissed her.

"Mmmmm."  She pulled her lips away and grinned.  "The wind is blowing
so I thought I'd get you away from your blow-by-blow account of your
characters' latest exploits to blow your mind by giving you a blow job
that will blow your rocks off so completely that you will feel like
the top of your head has blown off."

"Not too bad.  You were straining things a bit at the end, though."

"So?"  She gave me one of her 'purest innocence' looks.  

I matched it with my own version of 'the look'. "Point."

We studied each other to see who would lose 'the look' first.  I
smiled.  "Let's fuck.  A blow job would be a treat but right now I'd
rather be treated to a trick."

"AAAARRRGGH!"  Anything!  Just stop it with the rotten word play!"

"Fair enough.  An affair with my Lady fair beats beating on the
keyboard about characters who spend their time beating their meat to
the beat of the Beatles."

She glared at me and I grinned back.  One of her hands shifted to
caress my penis while the other raised so she could point an imperious
finger at me.  "Bed.  Now."

I started to say something but her finger moved to gently rest on my
lips.  She finally raised an eyebrow--and grinned.  Discretion won.  I
nodded.  "Bed.  Now.  Will you get up so *I* can get up and go there?"

She hesitated so long I began to wonder what she was thinking about.
"Finished?"

I winced at the acid tone.  "No, but I can save it for later.  You
know how I get sometimes."

That got a smile.  "Good.  Much later.  Weeks later would be even
better."  She stood and offered me a hand to help me out of the chair.
====

The Dilemma
A Man and His Muse
---

The wolfess nestled between my arms after our evening love-making
woke, stretched seductively--then slowly changed into a human female.
Once her transformation was complete she turned in my arms and kissed
me.  The wake up ritual complete, she smiled and hugged me before her
hands slowly walked up my spine to my neck.  She started to pull me
into another kiss, paused, frowned slightly and then gently pushed me
away.  "Roll over."

I started to say something, saw her raised eyebrows, changed my mind
and without a word rolled so I was face down on the bed.

She straddled me and began gently massaging my neck and shoulders.
"You haven't been this tense for quite awhile.  What is it this time?"

"Specifics?"

She kept massaging me while she thought things over.  Finally, a bit
tartly, "I need more than tense muscles and vague feelings of outrage,
dissatisfaction, frustration and resigned amusement to work with."

Her words took a few seconds to sink in.  When they did I rolled over
so we could look into each other's eyes.  "Mahika, love, it's not
inspiration I need.  I need direction.  I know what I want to say.  I
even have a good idea of how I want to say it."  I took a deep breath
and then let most of it slowly escape through clenched teeth.  "The
*problem* that has me so frustrated-- is that I don't know if I should
*say* those things."

Her eyes widened and her mouth opened slightly before she clamped it
shut.

I grabbed her hands and kissed them gently.  "I'm not their private
Cassandra, though I seem to fall into the role far too often for my
tastes.  I don't want to fall into the role of being a 'mentor' who is
so full of advice and tales of his own successes and failures that
people ignore my ramblings and any 'lessons' they may contain.  And
now...  Now this 'escape from the prison of christianity' thread has
me..."  I kissed her hands again for lack of anything better to divert
my thoughts.  "I've been on at least three of the sides of this one. I
don't *want* to point out the obvious--yet again."

She nodded.  As she raised her head she smiled impishly.  "You don't
need a massage.  Dr. Mahika prescribes the couch on the porch--and a
good cuddle."

She gently pulled her hands from mine and touched my forehead lightly
with a finger  "You don't need a lover or a Muse.  You need a
friend--and a shoulder."

I closed my eyes and fought back tears.  "What I need...   What I
*want*..."

"I'm here."  

Two words, spoken quietly--and I could no longer hold back the tears.
Without opening my eyes I held out my arms to the person who knows me
best of all.  "Vel."  As soon as I felt her next to me I wrapped her
in a fierce hug, buried my face in her fur and cried myself to sleep.

* * *

"Feel better?"

Familiarity made me aware of the fact I was on our porch.  When I
opened my eyes I saw food on the coffee table, a vixen at my side--and
no sign of Mahika.

"Morning, Lady."  I shifted so I could kiss her.  "A bit.  Maybe.
Thanks."

She untangled us and rolled to her back.  "Before you ask, yes, I
know.  Only role I'm performing is 'friend with shoulder'."

Ever suffered through having your perceptions turned around?  Vel and
I had made a friendly ritual of me asking: 'Who are you, this time?'
when she stopped by.  This was the first time she ever deliberately
said: 'Not this time.'

I looked out the window and sighed.  "Damn."

For an answer she rolled to her side and trailed her fingertips across
my chest.  When she finished she bent and gently kissed my chest,
right over my heart, before she settled at my side again.

"Yeah.  Thanks.  Again.  'Be true to thyself before all others'. Go
ahead, giggle a bit at how obvious the solution is."

"No.  It wasn't obvious."  She worked an arm under me and gave me a
gentle squeeze.  "Drawing the line is never easy when so much is at
stake."

I returned her 'hug'.  "Right now it hurts a lot.  But, I won't let
myself get drawn in this time."

Vel stayed silent.  There's something to said for having a Rabelaisian
Bard for a lover and friend.  Of course that was especially true since
we were what the other would have been, had we lived on the other's
world.  It isn't that we think alike. We don't. We *feel* alike and
that makes a huge difference at times like this.

My mind wandered away from thoughts of religion, faith holding--and
atheism.  "She's getting better.  So am I."

"Who?"

"Sorry.  Mahika.  I was just thinking that we're past the 'we can fix
anything together if we try' stage.  It hurts a bit but recognizing
that sometimes we need someone else to help..."

Vel's tone was slightly acid, but tender, too.  "Both of you have
spent too much of your lives alone."  She stroked my chest lightly.
"Or with close companions you can't completely share with."

"Point."

I rolled to face her and helped her shift until I could enter her.
When I felt the fleshy ring of her vulva settle against my pubes I
stopped.  "Share, like this.  Sharing bodies is easy.  But sharing my
mind..."  I slowly stroked in and out, content to let the passion
build while I let my mind wander.  "You're here, and I appreciate it,
as you well know.  I still hope that someday I'll meet a human partner
I can be as relaxed with."

My stroking stopped again and I pulled her close.  Vel was strong
enough to feel comfortable when I gave her my most demanding 'Don't
leave me!' hug.

Her tongue came out and licked my tears away while I cried again.
"Don't give up.  Hope is something precious, and all too easily lost.
Let the emotions flow, my love, but don't cling to them and let them
exclude the future."

Eventually my arms loosened and I let my hands wander her body.  She
was so much more than my usual lovers yet so much the same that I
could lose myself in her completely.  Sex with her was comforting,
familiar.  She was able to communicate the tenderness that I needed at
times like this.

She understood me completely.

Mahika, for all we were close, was too old, too different, to have the
empathy I sometimes needed.

And it hurt both of us.

I looked at Vel.  "Will you stay with us?"

She kissed me, then touched where we were joined.  "For as long as you
need me."

"Thanks."

I raised my head, and my voice...  "Mahika!"

The white wolfess I knew and loved appeared in the doorway.  "Stas?"

I took a deep breath and let it out slowly.  "I need you, love.  Never
more than now.  I know..."  I fought back tears.  "I know that we have
problems understanding each other.  Vel's agreed to help.  Will
you?...  Will you join me?  Us?"

Before I completely lost it and cried again I whispered...

"Please?"

Toenails clicked, then the hide-a-bed shook as she landed on it.  I
felt fur at my back and then Vel gently helped me turn to face my real
love.  Mahika smiled and her nose touched mine.  "Of course I'll join
you."

A Vixen's delicate touch rejoined us, then lupine legs and a vixen's
furry arms wrapped me in their love while I rediscovered love, and
hope.
====

The wolfess and the dog strode into La Taverna.  The dog glanced at
his partner.  "Quiet night."

She turned her head slowly, studying the patrons.  "For now.  Were you
thinking about doing something about it?"

He sighed.  "Point.  No, love."  He headed for their usual table and
settled underneath it.

Mahika watched, her mixed concern and amusement showing in her eyes.
Then, she sighed and headed over to join him.  

She mentally made a note: 'It had better be damn soon--or I'm going to
do some inspiring that a few doctors aren't going to appreciate.'
====

Tail, Tongue and Toenails
---

Tom chuckles...  "C'mon, then."

He headed for La Taverna.  "I need a partner for this."

Once inside he lifted his nose and inhaled through it.  "Good, she's
here."  He laughed...  "And I'm not talking about my SO or Mahika,
they're elsewhere and we have agreements."

He worked his way across the room, then settled on his haunches to
study the tall, slender--and naked--waitress who was facing away from
him.  "Woof!"

She jerked, then turned to face him.  "Stas!  You startled me.
Where've you been?"

He grinned.  "Better than a cold nose...  Hi, Bev.  Bev, meet Mat.
Mat, Beverly.  Mat's a good sort.  You two might find each other
interesting, but that's for later, eh?"

She knelt and hugged Tom.  "Mmm...  Yeah.  Later...  Then she pulled
back to glare at him suspiciously.  "Waitaminit...  Not like you to
just walk in and introduce me to someone.  Usually it's the cold nose
and some action.  What are you up to, *dog*?"

"I was getting to that."  He used his nose to point at the stage. "You
know how it is.  Some conversation.  Random remarks. Alliteration."

"Get to the point."

"Tail, Tongue and Toenails."

She leaned back and started laughing.  "The show?"

"Got it in one, M'Dear."

She sobered enough to study Mat, then nodded.  "Let me get this
gentleman settled at a table near the stage.  I'm a working girl
first, you know."

Tom snickered and said nothing, just headed for the stage.

* * *

While he waited he set the lighting and turned on the background
hologram.  This time he chose a brick fireplace with a fire that had
burned down to glowing embers.  He thought about adding some music,
then decided to leave the sound system off.  The show was primarily a
visual one and didn't really need any music in the background.

Satisfied, he curled up in front of the fireplace and seemed to go to
sleep.

Shortly after he did that Bev walked on the stage from the left.  She
paused and studied the dog for awhile, then smiled.  "Tom."

The dog lifted his head and turned it towards her.  His tail thumped
happily a few times then he stood and stretched before walking over to
greet her.

She held out her arms, as if inviting a hug.

His tail wagged slowly, then he effortlessly raised himself up to
plant his front feet on her shoulders.  Bev was nearly six feet tall
but his head towered over hers by at least a foot.  He brought his
chin down and placed it on her hair.

She hugged him briefly, then used her fingers to scratch both sides of
his chest.

He rumbled his approval of her actions.  This scratching went on for
several minutes then he pushed himself away from her slightly.

With the ease of familiarity he lifted his right paw from her shoulder
and lightly touched her face with a toenail.  She turned her head
slightly to make it easier for him.  They held the pose for a few
seconds, long enough for her to cover his paw with a hand, then remove
it.

His paw moved, slowly tracing its way down her face.  She lifted her
head and he stroked her chin before he slid the toenail down her neck.
She moaned throatily.  Her eyes closed and he slowly stroked her neck,
teasing her, obviously exciting her further.

He turned his head slightly and winked at Mat, as if to say 'I ain't
done yet.'

The paw resettled on Bev's shoulder.  Her mouth was slightly open and
she was panting slightly, obviously aroused by what he had just done
to her.

He brought his nose forward and touched her lips with it, then pulled
back slightly and slowly extended his tongue to press against her
lips, obviously asking for permission to enter.

Her lips parted and his tongue slid through them.

She closed her lips firmly over his tongue and he slid it back and
forth slowly, teasing her, hinting at pleasures to come.  At times her
cheeks bulged as he stroked the inside of them.

She was moaning almost constantly now and her hands were sensuously
stroking his body at random.  Sometimes they would link over his spine
and you could see his muscles tense as he resisted her efforts to pull
him closer.

Eventually he pulled his head back far enough to pull his tongue out
of her mouth.  He touched his nose to hers, then  slid from underneath
her linked hands to settle on his haunches.

She opened her eyes and smiling, reached to pet him between his ears.
The movements of his tail indicated he was quite pleased with the
attention he was getting.

Bev settled on her knees and hugged him again, then shifted to lie
face down in front of him.

Once she'd settled he stood, then carefully straddled her legs.  A paw
came up and he started stroking along her spine with the tips of his
claws.

She arched into his touch and moaned loudly.

He continued the slow stroking until she gasped suddenly and rotated
to her back.

His raised paw lowered to the floor.  His head slowly approached her
stomach and he paused with it not quite touching her.  

She moaned and grabbed his head, then jammed his nose into her flesh
and let go.

He licked her from navel to neck in one slow stroke and she arched
upwards violently.

He carefully continued the stroking with his tongue, paralleling his
first stroke but moving his head so he eventually covered her whole
torso from just above her pubes to her neck.

Bev's breathing had changed from soft, steady moans to gasping
inhalations followed by long sighs.

Seemingly finished, He backed himself until he could put his nose
between her knees.  She spread her legs invitingly.

He carefully lay down between her legs and stretched his nose forward
until it was near, but not touching her vulva.  He held that pose
briefly, then turned sideways to lick one of her inner thighs.  He
slowly stroked her with his tongue, going from her knees almost to her
vulva before moving away on another stroke.

Suddenly her legs came up and she shivered violently.

He pulled away and waited patiently. 

Finally her muscles relaxed and her legs settled on either side of him
again.

He stood, then moved to her side.  He settled with his head resting on
her chest.  The gesture looked both tender and protective.  

Her hand came up and as she gently petted his head their eyes closed.

They held that pose for a couple of minutes, then he got up and shut
off the hologram and lights before he went back to Bev.  She rolled to
her side, then braced herself on him while she got to her feet.

The show was over.

* * *

They walked over to Mat's table and Bev settled in a chair with Tom at
her side.

Tom chuckled.  "And that's it.  We've never done anything more with
each other."

Bev bapped his nose.  "Idiot.  You got me out of the gutter.  That's a
hell of a lot more and you know it."

"I was talking about sexually, Bev."

"You think I didn't know that?"  She turned to Mat. "Ya gotta
understand.  I was on the streets, didn't want to be a whore so I was
picking up enough money to survive on by robbing suckers who had more
money than sense.  Here I was, hungry, no cash and along comes this
woman who was walking her dog as if she didn't have a worry in the
world.  They reeked money.  Lots of it.  Her in that flowing robe, him
wearing that jeweled collar that he favors.  Hell, the collar would've
pawned for enough to let me live comfortably for at least a year.

"So I stuck the knife in her face and demanded everything she had...."

He chuckled.  "Should have seen the look on her face when I laughed at
her and suggested that she really didn't want to make that mistake."
He winked.  "You'd think she'd never met a talking dog before."

He got another bap on the nose.  "I hadn't.  I wasn't exactly happy to
wind up staring at a huge white wolf who was laughing at me, either!"

He looked at Mat and contrived a shrug.  "I liked her attitude and
told her that if she wanted any of our money, she could damn well earn
it.  Offered her a job doing whatever she wanted to do here, and as
long as she did it well, she'd get paid.  She wound up working as a
waitress."

She glared at him.  "Mahika told me about that later.  You like to
pick up strays if you think you can help them."

"So?  You complaining about one of my hobbies?"

"Hmmph.  No."

She turned back to Mat.  "It was late, I was exhausted and *he*
offered me a massage.  I thought he was crazy but what the hell, the
way I felt, anything that let me get off my feet was going to be
helpful."  She licked her lips sensuously as she thought about what
had happened.  "The massage was...  Well, it got out of hand.  A few
weeks later, it was a slow night, I was bored and wanted to liven the
place up a bit... 

Tom laughed.  "So we did the massage here, on stage--and called it
'Tail, Tongue and Toenails'."

He winked again.  "She's 'Tail'.  I'm 'Tongue and Toenails'."
====

Looking Ahead - Zoosexuality and the Future(caution, zoo/best
discussion)
---

Looking Ahead - Zoosexuality and the Future
---

Tom and the wolfess wander between the tables, slowly working their
way to the stage. Once there he settles on the stool and puts on the
microphone.

There's a long pause while he gathers his thoughts...

Then he reaches up and taps the mic. When Mahika starts to move from
his side he shakes his head slightly. His words are softly spoken, but
loud enough to be heard over the pa system. "Stay, Love. We don't need
the lights--and by the time I'm done, it's likely that there will be
some who will be glad the room is in shadows today."

She stops and turns her head so she can study him thoughtfully.
Finally, without a word she returns to settle on her haunches by his
side.

His right hand settles on her head and you can see his fingers slowly
scratching her. It is a gesture naturally done and today it has
meanings far beyond the obvious one of 'companionship, shared and
openly expressed'.

"Hello, Neighbors. Listen to my words, or not. Hearing what I say, is,
as always, up to you.

"Long before I 'became' a writer, I was a dreamer who lived in worlds
other than this one. I spent much of my time reading and while I read
most anything, I found, then developed a special love for science
fiction--that has lasted my entire life.

"But, life had a special irony waiting in the wings, just for me.

"Some careful thinking about my past has let me figure out that my
first sexual activity, including full penetration of a girl near my
own age, happened when I was about 7 1/2 to 8 1/2 years old.

"I only note that in passing, as a way point on a future journey that
I had no way of planning for, or, for that matter, no way to envision.

"A couple of years later, I discovered science fiction. This was after
becoming familiar with and enjoying 'traditional' children's stories
and novels. I had already inhaled things such as the complete Dr.
Doolittle collection. Little house? All of them, in order. The same
was true of the entire Sherlock Holmes collection, along with many
other children's stories.

"When I wasn't settled next to the comic rack at the local market, I
was across the street fine toothing the library and then taking home
my 'bag limit' of books. Within days, rarely more than a week later, I
was returning the read books and finding another batch to inhale. By
the time I was eleven I had an adult library card and an easy
familiarity with all of the librarians.

"There's even a twist here. A few years later, when I was on the work
experience program in high school, I wound up working at the same
library for one summer. Part of my job was helping with the summer
youth program they ran, as an aide who helped by doing things the
younger kids weren't allowed to do. It was another step on the path to
becoming, unknowingly, someone who later realized he enjoys teaching
and being a guide for those who seek to learn new things.

"Living in a small town with a good library was childhood heaven for
me--and it shaped my life as much as being raised by a divorced,
bitter mother did.

"There's another twist in my life, one that is, to say the least,
bitterly ironic at the least and oddly appropriate at most. Even
though my actual experience with sex was brief, by the time I entered
puberty I had a more complete, more *balanced* understanding of love,
sex and the complex interactions involved than my mother ever
had--until, thirty-five years later, when I finally lowered my shields
and revealed the 'real me'.

"To explain, to help her understand my own sexuality and the way I
feel and think...

"I found myself teaching my mother about herself."

He pauses and sips from the glass of water Becky brought over and set
within easy reach.

"Stay with me, folks. Please. This isn't a ramble, nor, even now, is
it that easy to do. Oh, the speaking is easy. It's the focused
thinking to make sure I say what I want to say--that makes it
difficult.

"Ahhh... Puberty. That wonderfully confusing time when my body changed
and the physical enjoyment of life started involving my emotions on a
level beyond what words and my early experiences with sex had prepared
me for.

"By now, my knowledge beyond my years had cursed me with the gift of a
lack of practical experience to temper the harsh lessons.

"I feared getting involved with girls, not because of the sex, but
because I was too aware of how the system treated the man when a
relationship ended. I'd already fought for everything I had. Gifts
were rare, very rare in my life. Toys were often salvaged ones,
carefully repaired. Casual friendship I had in plenty but even then I
was more comfortable with adults than I was with kids my own age.

"I saw my mother's bitterness, knew a lot of the reasons for it and I
never wanted to be the man who did that to a woman--or any of their
children, ever.

"My reasoning was simplistic, but it was all I had. 'I've fought to
get what I have. I don't want to lose it all to some girl's whim if I
get married and something happens to break us up.

"Therefore, and I had no experience to understand the faulty chain of
logic, I decided I'd never get seriously involved with a woman.

"I still had the daily school interactions, but I deliberately avoided
social interaction with girls.

"Eyes open, I unknowingly denied myself the chance to gain the life
experience that would have been the foundation that let me fully
understand what I already 'knew'.

"Remember that decision. I do--and it's one of the few irreversible
ones I've made...

"That I regret."

Another sip of water, some thoughtful silence as he orders his
thoughts...

"Puberty.

"Of course I was obsessed by sex. Worse, I already knew how good it
felt--and I wanted more of it.

"But my fear limited me to masturbation, until..."

He laughs...

"Well, we had a dog and a bitch. Both were intact and she went into
heat, which naturally caused our dog to focus on sex with her.

"And, one day I decided to try fucking her. It wasn't love, although I
didn't want to hurt her. No, in my mind it was only for the sex. How
was I to understand that my very real desire to avoid hurting her, and
the ability to override my lust to make sure I didn't, was really
something else?

"Love."

He shakes his head sadly as he remembers the denial, the lack of
understanding in spite of his knowledge.

"All I could think of was the sex. I was in it for me. That was all I
could see, all I could understand.

"I didn't have the life experience, or someone I could turn to, for
more. Even then, I knew I couldn't ask for help in understanding this
part of myself.

"Anyway, I tried to penetrate her, several times. I never succeeded.
She was a small dog and I couldn't force my way into her. However, I
did hold her for the dog, and he did tie with her while I held her and
watched them.

"Here's another irony. Had I taken the time to think, I would have
realized that he, when swollen, was bigger than I was. He stretched
her and if I had had the knowledge I do now, I would have kept up my
efforts and eventually fucked her, because she was *aleady* stretched
enough to easily accomodate me without injury. Or, after she gave
birth to her puppies, she would be even more stretched and able to
accept my penis comfortably.

"But, that's a might-have-been because my hormones wouldn't let me
think past the sex. I couldn't fuck her, so lacking knowledge and
patience...

"I gave up. We stayed bitch and owner, happy with each other, but it
never went past that to something more complete.

"Yes, I vaguely remember masturbating while this was going on.

"There's another twist here. A couple of years later, I started
fucking the dog on a regular basis.

"So, for years, my experiences with bestial sex were gay ones. I'd
fuck him, he'd fuck me. It was a give and take that felt good."

Tom chuckles...

"Anyway, that leads to the point I'm really trying to make.

"My point is simple: 'Shortly after learning to dream of different
worlds, I started, unknowingly, to gain experience in *building* new
worlds.

"The first world I started, one I'm still working on, is the world of
my own sexuality, a sexuality vastly different, yet in many ways
similar to the one most people accept as 'real'.

"And *that*..." He leans back and stretches... "finally gets me to
what I really want to say today."

"I'm going to make some predictions that many will find 'unpalatable',
to be gentle about their reactions."

"1. The continuing research into genetic and neonatal environments
will eventually reveal a 'gene complex' that will 'predispose' someone
to 'alternative gender identities and sexual orientations'.

"2. Because of (1.), bestiality, zoophilia and zoosexuality will be,
at long last, recognized as part of a spectrum of inherent sexuality
choices based on environmental conditions throughout a person's life,
with the person having a 'built in' tendency to make a 'default'
choice that may not be seen as 'normal' to most people.

"3. Sexuality will become individual choice, based on awareness,
instead of something that is culturally made in advance.

"4. It will be considered natural and normal if a person's sexual
orientation and gender identity vary over time.

"With 'zoosexuality' accepted as part of a spectrum instead of an
aberration, there are some interesting extrapolations that can be
made:

"1. As 'One World' and 'Animal rights' become more a part of world
thinking, the people who share those views will tend to seek mates
amongst like minded people. As a result of this 'selective breeding',
the overall percentage of bestialists and zoosexuals will increase.
Given the acceptance of sexuality being cross species as well as cross
gender, at some point zoosexuals will have less to fear when 'coming
out of the closet'.

"2. They will also have something waiting for them that I never had:
'Both sides of the story', with information about the reality of
zoosexuality made available by people who have 'lived the life'. For
the first time in history that I know of, there will be available, for
anyone interested, enough information about all aspects of
zoosexuality that children, pubescent children, teens, young adults
and adults can make an informed choice, *at the time they decide*,
about their emotional gender and sexuality, whether it is the first
time, or later in life.

"3. More research will discover that the human race has, all along,
been selectively breeding itself to have a genetic predisposition for
zoosexuality, both emotional and physical. Study will confirm some
current theories that this tendency helped lead to successful animal
domestication and the abilities some have that makes them more capable
than others at working with animals.

"4. I say sexuality, but I include emotional bonding in the term
zoosexuality. The more usual 'close emotional bonds without sex' that
are now taken for granted will be seen as a socially approved denial
of the 'real spectrum' of zoosexuality.

"5. Instead of fearing taking a relationship to the next level, that
of sexual interaction, people will be able to openly ask questions and
make the choice based on awareness--and their choice will be accepted
as 'right for them' instead of 'completely wrong', no matter what they
decide."

He stands and stretches again, then starts slowly pacing the stage.

"If you think I've given you a pretty far fetched scenario for the
future, I've saved the best for last.

"There  is another form of pressure that in my view, will make the
acceptance of zoosexuality not inevitable, but much more likely.

"Space travel and the 'what if' of interacting with aliens.

"We'll need people with empathy, and the ability to 'think like an
alien species'. We'll need these people as ambassadors and
interpreters, if nothing else, just as the aliens are likely to have
their own versions of these people.

"Isn't it deliciously ironic that the people most folks want to
destroy could, quite easily, be the ones we have to use to represent
us to aliens?

"The next time you condemn Zoosexuals and Furrys as 'deviants', you
should ask yourself what might happen if the aliens, based on broad
experience, consider them to have the more 'normal' cross species
awareness that is essential to a true galactic culture...

"There's a lot of science fiction written in which the aliens accept
one culture, or even an animal species as more suited for acceptance
into a galactic civilization than the human race in general, based on
their ability to interact with other species they share our planet
with.

"Think about it. Dogs and Horses, to name two species, are far more
'successful' as species when it comes to communicating with different
cultures, than we humans are. I can easily envision an alien race who
decides to offer *them* membership in a galactic culture before we
humans are offered the chance to join.

"So, ultimately, my final prediction is a simple one.

"Zoosexuality, as a spectrum of emotional and sexual interactions with
other species will become more and more acceptable until it is seen as
'just another lifestyle'.

"It won't happen because of self promotion or scientific studies that
take it from 'aberration' to 'an inherent option', but from pure
social and economic selfishness.

"Zoosexuals, given the chance, will learn and share knowledge about
this world that can be gained in no other way.

"And, like it or not, we, as a race, will *need* that knowledge to
survive in the long term."

He resettles on the stool and smiles...

"So.

"My deepest secret is out, now.

"I've always dreamed of a world where I and others like me can be
ourselves. Ever since I got on the net and started writing, I've been
looking for ways to build towards that world, if not for me, for all
of us to at least have the chance to chose how we live in this one.

"Not in my lifetime, but someday...

"It will happen.

"If current trends continue, that's not a prediction...

"It is inevitable."
-----

Thomas Galahalt
January 31, 2008
---

"There are two major problems with winning all the time: 'You never
know if you are doing your best' and 'you never have a chance to learn
your limits'. The first leads to laziness and the second discourages
growth." 
====

A Meeting of the Minds
A Man and Muse Story
by Lady Chrystal
-----


I was watching the news when I felt a  warmth in the back of my mind.
"That's strange."

Merlin looked up from his reading.  "What?"

I shook my head slightly.  "I thought I felt the call of a mind-mate."

He frowned.  "No new tourists for a few months yet, right?  Would that
sense reach from here to Rabelaisia?"

I thought about it and shrugged.  "I can't feel you from there, and
nobody has ever said they keep the mind-mate connection over that
distance.  I guess not."

He smiled.   "Are you certain it wasn't me?"

I swatted at him playfully.   "You're always at the back of my
thoughts.  This was something sharper, more intense, the kind of
feeling that happens when you meet a mind mate the first time."

I probed myself gingerly.  "It's gone, now."

He looked at me and finally shrugged.  "You're the expert but if it
was someone from your homeworld, wouldn't you have felt it when they
arrived on Earth and you met them during the orientation lecture?"

I nodded.  "So it has to be a human who triggered it--if it wasn't my
imagination."

He went back to his reading and I went back to watching the news.

Later, over dinner, we got involved in a discussion of some of the
things I'd seen.

"Merlin?  Sometimes I'm amazed at your technology.  I think you let it
run your lives too much."

He smiled.  "Different mindset, love.  Where you folks find social
solutions, we go for technological ones."

I thought about it.  "Maybe.  I think it's more than a mindset.  It
could be instinctive for you."

His spoon stopped on its journey to his mouth.  "Instinctive?  I've
never heard it put that way."

I smiled and held up my paws.  "We came late to the concept of tool
using.  It was imposed on us.  I'm not complaining, but it does affect
our world view quite a bit.  For us, it's not as 'natural' to think in
terms of deliberately manipulating our environment." I paused and
added the usual caveat.  "Except for the primates.  Even with them,
they haven't had the time to get very far with the sort of conscious
manipulation that comes with human level intelligence and hands."

He thought about it.  "Hmm.  Maybe that explains how you folks
developed The Bardic Way almost as soon as you were created.  Social
solutions are more realistic than physical ones when you can't easily
change your physical surroundings."

I smiled and studied him.  "Perhaps.  It was a quick solution to a
major problem.  Ruth and Runner never thought it would become the
basic ethos of our world."

He laughed.  "The wings of a butterfly can reshape the world."

I giggled, then turned serious.  "You make my point for me.  Most of
your famous sayings take for granted the idea that it's the
environment that changes, not the person.  It's an arrogance in
thinking that's never been a real part of our mindset.  We're the ones
who adapt."

He nodded slowly.  "When I was younger, I would have said that being
passive automatically implies you are reactive to situations.  Kay
disabused me of that naive assumption.  Your people, and at least at
first, especially the Bards, surprised me when I learned how proactive
you are in your planning, while being so 'fanatical' about remembering
your past so you don't repeat mistakes."

He laughed at himself.  "I suppose that's the main reason I felt such
a kinship with your culture when I was there.  I've spent my life
remembering our past while trying to integrate new discoveries with it
in a way that doesn't destroy my personal 'world'."

Then he tapped his head lightly and grinned at me.  "Out with it.
Something's bothering you.  I can tell."

I sneezed at him.  "You're right, of course.  It's what you people are
doing with your technology that's bothering me.  I know it's not
really my problem to solve, but..."

I laid my ears back and slumped.  "Piracy and slavery.  I keep
worrying about how much of your sea borne technology is going to be
imported to Rabelaisia, how it will affect us, and how it will affect
the family fleet."

He reached and stroked my tear streaked muzzle lightly.  "Vel?  One of
the things you're going to have to learn to live with, is watching the
world change around you.  Perhaps I've been doing it too long, now,
but I still remember my own pain while I watched so much change, often
in ways I felt were for the worse."

He grabbed my paws and squeezed them.  "You can choose for yourself,
but you have to let them choose, too, no matter what the personal cost
can be, sometimes."

I sighed.  "I know.  Sometimes the fight catches up with me, and here,
on Terra, it's a terrible experience sometimes when I remember that I
live here by choice.  Individually, so many humans are so wonderful it
makes me glad I'm here.  Collectively though..."  

I sighed and worked a paw free so I could touch his face.  "What you
people have done to yourselves makes me want to lash out and remind
you of our past, and what happens when power outstrips wisdom.
Sometimes, when I watch the news, I fear for my people, and yours."

He sighed and held on while I let  my frustration and anger flow
though me until I wept freely.  I knew, deep down, I was seeing what
my world could become if enough of us embraced the Terran way of life,
and abandoned the ethos that kept us working together.

When I slowed down and started to recover, he let go, then came around
to reattach himself to my paw.   He tugged gently.  "Come on.  I have
something I want you to see."

We wound up in his library, sharing the bed and looking at a video I'd
never seen.  "What is *that*?"

He laughed.  "Something out of the USA's past.  A riverboat.
Ostentatious, isn't it?"

I watched, bemused, while her crew cast off the lines and she pulled
away from the dock.  There was a stately elegance about the way it
seemed to drift away, then turn and head for the open sea.  "Merlin?
She'll never survive the first storm she runs into, if I'm any judge
of her seaworthiness.  Whoever owns her has to be crazy, taking her to
open water."

He pointed at a couple who were standing on the flying bridge.  "Never
met them, but I know he'd be the first to say he's probably somewhat
crazy."

I focused on them while they went about their duties.  "She's..."  My
ears went as far forward as they could go.  "I don't care what she
looks like now.  She's a wolfess.  Has to be.  Nothing else moves like
that."

He smiled.  "Right.  She's an elemental.  Hasn't manifested very often
in the millennia since her creation.  This time she's in her primary
role of being a Muse--and life-mated to the man beside her."

I glanced at him and then returned my rapt gaze to the screen.  "I've
never seen an elemental before.  We don't have them."

He chuckled.  "Well, we have too many of them, I sometimes think.
She's one of the oldest, and by her own estimates, figures she has
been alive for around 50,000 years, linear."

I caught his odd emphasis of the word linear.  "Linear?  Are you
saying there are other types of time?"

"Yep.  She time travels, and is capable of taking ordinary people with
her when she does.  Don't ask me how she does it, because I don't
know.  Wouldn't have believed it except..."  He blushed.

I caught the blush, grabbed the remote from him, and paused the video.
"What happened?"

He shook his head.  "I thought you would ask me how I learned all
these details."

I smiled.  "You're Merlin.  You've been gathering information about
the ways of power for centuries.  I'm not surprised you'd know about
her."

He snorted and hugged me.  "Ouch.  I had that coming.  But, in this
case, I learned about them accidentally, on the net.  He has a web
site and..."  He blushed again.  "The man's a writer, of course.  He's
written a few things based on his 'interpretation' of the Merlin
legends.  Some of the details are 'uncomfortably accurate', and could
only be known by someone who was there--or had an especially good feel
for the people and times involved."

He was shaking his head.  "I made the mistake of contacting him.  The
answers I got back once I convinced him I was the 'real Merlin',
were...  'Unsettling'.  I'm not used to thinking in terms of my entire
life being an open book."

He rolled and hugged me.  "Anyway, the two of them can time travel, so
I have to specify which time stream they are in when I'm talking about
them."

"I see.  Theoretically, he could be mentally older than I am."

"Yes, I suspect he is.  He's not as old as I am, but he's far more
'traveled', on Earth."

"Hmmph.  If he'd been to Rabelaisia, I'd know it, since somebody back
home found out I was here and made me Senior Ambassador, then put me
in charge of managing the tourism and political stuff."

He laughed.  "You could have turned it down."

He got my best 'Vixen's Glare'.

His hands went up, as if he was warding me off.  "OK.  I really do
know you couldn't turn it down."

"Arrr..."  I growled and pounced.  "You...  Man!"

We made up and he took the remote away from me.   "You haven't seen
the best part, yet."  He unpaused the video.

This time I focused on the man and...  "Merlin?  He's human?"

"Yes."

"Hard to believe and..."  At that point my mind froze briefly as I was
overwhelmed by the intensity of the link that formed.  After I fought
my way back to awareness of the outside world I realized Merlin was
watching me intently and there was concern in his eyes.

"Love?"

For once I dodged.  "He moves like a wolfhound, not a human."   

I must have frowned because Merlin stopped whatever he was going to
say, in favor of waiting for me to finish.  "He's obviously some sort
of shape shifter, but it's more than that.  It's as if his human form
is something he wears because he has to, and he isn't really as
comfortable in it as he should be."

He frowned in thought.  "Shape shifter?  You're certain?  I can't see
it and I can usually spot them easily because of their effects on the
currents of power."

"Hmm.  Maybe it's because you haven't met him yet?"

"Could be..."  I felt him start to 'reach' and suddenly he screamed in
pain and slumped.  "Whoo!  They bite!"

I couldn't stop my giggle.  "Caught you peeking, did they?"

He laughed.  "Yeah.  Nobody's done that before.  Told me to mind my
own business and that since they'd respected my privacy, I should
respect theirs.  Gave me his phone number and told me to call after I
recovered enough to think some sense.  Then I got a 'face full of
teeth' from both of them, he nipped me--and finally they  tossed me
out."

He shook his head wryly.  "You're right about the wolfhound.  He
manifested in my mind as a Borzoi.  Amazing.  Makes the twins look
slow and ponderous."  He looked up and I could see the amazement in
his eyes.  "He didn't go through my shields.  He got to me before I
realized he'd spotted me.  Their control is amazing.  If either one of
them had wanted to kill me, there was nothing I could have done."

He winced at his memory of what had happened.  "They *both* detected
me, reacted, evaluated the situation and dealt with me before I had
time to figure out I'd made a serious mistake."

I shook my head and laughed at him.  "I take it you'll believe me now;
when I tell you about some of Nikki's adventures?"

Movement on the screen grabbed my attention and I found myself gaping
in disbelief.  "Merlin?  Is that thing...  Shape shifting?!"

He chuckled.   "Something like that.  You're watching the 'Mississippi
Stealth Riverboat Samuel Langhorn Clemens' as she deploys on her first
anti piracy run."  He turned and grinned at me.  "She doesn't worry
about storms at sea.  She outruns them at over 125 knots, if she has
to."

I was rapt while I watched the rooster tails form from the newly
revealed hydrofoils.  Transparent shields slammed into place,
protecting her artwork and the crew.

Her speed slowly increased until her hull was clear of the water, then
she seemed to spring forward eagerly.

"She's beautiful."  It was a breathless admission that her lethal
majesty had captivated me.  "I think I'd enjoy a ride on her,
someday."

A new voice startled me.  "Ask me nicely--and I might let you go
joyriding with us."

My mental shields slammed up and I felt Merlin start to react as we
jerked around to face the newcomers.  I didn't see anything until I
lowered my gaze slightly.  I was facing a Wolfess and a Borzoi--and
both of them were grinning at us.

He spoke.  "Sorry.   When I black out briefly, then wake up with a
mind link I can't get rid of, I sorta want to know why it's there.  We
traced it and wound up here."  He turned his head slightly.  "Hello,
Merlin.  Sorry about the headache.  �I was on automatic when we caught
you trying to sneak in.  Two strange happenings got my attention, and
for being discourteous enough to show up uninvited, I apologize."

He turned back, then shimmered and changed to a form that I
recognized, for all its subtle differences from the one I was used to
on my homeworld.  Anthrowolfhound.

He held up his paws in an achingly familiar gesture, the greeting of
mind mates.  "I did some research, of course.  Writers do that
sometimes.  Is this an appropriate response for what I think I might
be feeling?"

I let my ears fold back, almost flat on my head, as I let him see, and
feel, my bewilderment.  "Maybe."

He frowned.  "Maybe?  I don't understand."

I sighed.   "I don't either.  It started out feeling like a typical
link between mind mates, but the second time, when it completed
itself, it changed.  It's not the life mate link, either."

I took a chance and opened my shields enough to let the link fully
form now that we were together.  I felt him, and knew when he felt me
and relaxed. 

He spoke quietly, calmly, in my mind.  >>What will happen, will
happen.<<

We...  merged, and in that merging found the understanding we so
desperately craved.  With the understanding, came something else, the
ability to separate ourselves again.

We looked at each other and his mental smile warmed me.  >>Lady
Chrystal.  My newly discovered Love.<< 

  >>Tom.  My newly discovered, and welcomed, Mate.<<

I nodded at him and smiled openly.  "I've never heard of this gift, to
meet the one who is yourself, expressed on another world. What Merlin
and I share is quite similar, of course, but it's not as complete a
match, now that I've experienced it on this level."

He looked not at me, but the wolfess.  "Mahika?"

She shifted to her human form and hugged him.  "Of course.  The pack
grows by one, or many, at once, my Alpha."  Incongruously, she
giggled.  "At least with these people, we won't have to hide anything
from them."

He sneezed his amusement.  "I doubt if Merlin would stoop to seeking
without permission, again."

I felt Merlin's blush before he rallied.  "I didn't know a shape
shifter could hide from me.  I wanted to see if you were, that's all."

"And now you know."  He was laughing.  "Satisfied?"

Merlin winced.  "No."  Then, he chuckled.  "Never mind.  The quest for
knowledge never ends, thus I will never be 'satisfied'."

To my surprise Tom sobered and studied Merlin.  "Indeed, that is so.
How it must frustrate you to suddenly discover this reality is not the
only one some people live in.  Even if you understood it fully, you
will now spend time wondering if you will ever get the chance to
explore those newly revealed realities, too."

Tom raised his hands again and then looked at me.  "Ambassador.  Lady
Chrystal.  The person who is half of 'one-who-is-two'...   Those we
live with need something tangible to understand what we mean to each
other."

I got off the bed and walked over to intertwine my fingers with his.
"Of course."

He grinned the sort of grin that meant he was up to something, even
though he knew I could feel his sense of anticipation.  He hugged me,
then pulled away and laughed.  "When you're ready, our house and our
lives are yours, and your pack's, to join."  He glanced the door.
"We'd stay for the explanation, but we really do have things we should
be doing."

They vanished just as Kay and the twins slammed through the door.

Kay was holding Excalibur, and she was furious.  "What's going on? Are
you all right?"

Merlin started to chuckle, caught her anger, and sighed instead.  "Put
Excalibur away.  It's over, and it wouldn't have done any good, to
boot."

The flare of light dimmed and the sword vanished.  Before she answered
Merlin she watched the twins as they angrily worked their way through
a search pattern that covered the room completely.  When they finished
they were flanking me and snarling.  "Nothing.  Not a damn thing.
Nobody's been here."

Kay nodded.  "Somebody had to lock us out, and that sort of power had
to have been generated locally."

Merlin jerked upright.  "What do you mean: 'Nobody's been here.'?"

Cathy glared at him.  "Just that.  No traces of power, no scent,
nothing we can detect to indicate there was ever anyone except you two
in this room..."  She broke off and glared at me.  "Something happened
though.  Vel smells like a bitch in the middle of her estrus."

"I what?!"

"I didn't stutter.  You're in heat.  Horny.  Ready and willing to be
fucked.  Do I need to get cruder so I can get past that befuddled
thing you have for a brain well enough you understand simple English?"

I inhaled through my nose and finally understood her disgust.  Instead
of answering directly, I put my paws on their foreheads and shared
images of what had just happened.

Predictably, it was Becky who reacted first.  >>Handsome.<<

Cathy gave her a mental sneeze of disgust.  >>Wolves mate for life.
You don't have a hope, sister.  Big, too.  I bet he'd fill a bitch up
so she feels it.<<

I laughed at their sour words.  >>Life, yes.  Doesn't mean monogamous,
and I know this one isn't.  I'm a member of his pack, now.  You've
been invited, too.<<

I removed my paws and smiled at them.  "Don't go trying to sneak up on
them.  Merlin did and got a headache in return."

Kay broke in.  "Would somebody tell me what's going on?"

Merlin sighed and looked at me.  I grinned and gestured that Kay was
his problem.

"Love you, too, Vel."  He grimaced and turned his attention back to
Kay.  "Remember that writer?  The one who runs that stealth
riverboat?"

She nodded slowly.

"Good.  He and his partner were just here, after I'd tried to mind
read him, and failed."  He winced again.  "I didn't fail, I was caught
and tossed out after he nipped me for my presumption."

She grinned.  "Good.  I've been after you about that filthy habit.
That doesn't explain why they would lock us out of this section of the
castle."

I giggled and he blushed again.

He hurried on.  "Never mind.  The short form is that he and Vel are
something more to each other than mind mates, and she's now a part of
their pack.  They invited the rest of us, too.  We had no idea the
area was being blocked.  It happened so fast I never thought about the
possibility you or the twins would notice anyone was here.  Obviously,
they did--and did something about it."

She glared, then sighed.  "A flaming white wolfess who gently chides
people, telling them 'Go away children, and play while the adults
discuss serious matters', is definitely 'doing something'."

She turned furious.  "She not only handled the best I could throw at
her, she made it look effortless."

I grinned at her.  "My, my, so they were yanking your chains, too.
Very Bardic."

Merlin laughed at Kay's glare.  "Vel, It would be, since the two of
you are one person.  Anyway, it's over."

Something made me look down at the twins.  When they realized I was
watching them, they deliberately flagged me, mocking my own heat.

I laughed.  

"No, Merlin.  Something tells me it's just beginning."
====


A Man, A Muse, and A Bitch
---

The main doors creak eerily as a nose pushes against them and forces
them
open.

The nose sneezes violently, and then it's followed by a lean and tall
dog
with glossy black fur that can remind a person of midnight on the
tundra, or
the inky, unknown depths of a mountain cave.  He casually leans
sideways,
shouldering one door into its locked open position, then he stalks
slowly
into the room, his head and eyes moving constantly as he scans and
catalogues
his surroundings.

He looks confident, but if they were there to see him, those who know
him
well would the see sadness and wistfulness in his eyes.

When he reaches the middle of the room, he stops moving, then turns
around to
face back the way he came.

Two forms emerge from the shadows, and slowly join him.  One, a
wolfess who
wears fur that is the blinding white of an arctic summer, wears an
expression
similar to his own.

The other, a golden furred Labrador Retriever bitch, enters with her
tail
high and wagging slowly.  By the time she joins the other two, it has
drooped
between her hindquarters to hang limply.

She settles on her haunches and scans the room.

It is she who breaks the silence.  "So many memories in here.  I can
feel the
camaraderie, the shared laughter, and the shared pain.  This..."  She
shakes
her head from side to side slowly.  "This place was never intended to
be
dusty and silent, remembering her past, alone."

The dog nods, then shimmers, to replaced by a tall young man with
bright red
hair.  He looks around again, then smiles a bit twistedly and moves
behind
the bar.  He finds an abandoned bar rag, shakes the dust out of it and
then
starts to casually polish the counter top.  "Welcome to La Taverna,
Ladies.
Some folks call me one thing, others another, but my friends call me
Tom. An'
what'll you lassies be havin' this evenin'?"

The wolfess shimmers, to be replaced by a tall, slender, and red
haired woman
in a flowing white robe.  The bitch simply changes without fanfare,
into a
muscular young blonde woman that might make a knowledgeable observer
think of
Viking longboats, and raiding parties, until they noted that she moves
with
the suppressed lethality of a warrior goddess.  Aye, she is a prize
worth
raiding for, but it would take a seasoned warrior to carry her off.

For now, however, she chooses to be an ordinary woman, or as much of
one as
she can be.  "Well, Tom, I've been hearing a lot about this place, and
you."

"You have, have you?  An' I'll be willin' ta wager that the tales are
a mite
exaggerated.  Facts have a way of bein' ordinary don't ya know, so
most folks
as want to liven them up a bit when they passes them on."

She nodded slightly.  "So I understand."  She smiled and her cheeks
dimpled.
"An' how much of the exaggeratin' of those tales would be your own?"

He leaned backwards and roared with laughter.  "Well said, Lassie!  A
mite,
don't ya know.  A man such as meself has a reputation to maintain."

She giggled.  "Never known a man who doesn't have a reputation, of
some
sort."

He laughed again, then leaned on the area he'd dusted.  "An' ain't you
after
being the charmer this evenin'.  Do you even remember the question?"

She sobered.  "Of course I do, Tom.  I'll have some Memories, straight
up,
with a Laughter chaser, for starters.  After that, who knows?  I might
be
hungry by then, for something with a little more substance to it."

"An' here I was after thinkin' you'd be seekin' to challenge me."

"Maybe later."

He nodded, then turned to the other woman, who had settled on one of
the bar
stools to watch the byplay.  "An' what might you be askin' after,
Darlin'?"

She smiled.  "Laughter.  Straight.  I'm driving, this evening."

He took her hand and lightly kissed the back of it.  "I'm
after thinkin' I may be the driven one, if I don't watch meself around
you."

Their eyes met and something passed between them, but she merley
smiled
again.  "Perhaps."

He let go and straightened abruptly.  "Well, now.  Let's be about
satisfyin'
you two lassies.  Can't have you leavin' me unsatisfied, now can we?"

They giggled and shook their heads.

He looked around thoughtfully, then stepped out from behind the bar
with the
rag still in his hand.

His first stop was the piano.  He leaned over, then ran the rag across
a spot
near the middle, revealing a few dimples in the wood.  "Toenails did
that,
and a memorable party it was, too.  Folks always seemed to find
something
special to do during Winter Solstice and that year they outdid
themselves,
even by their standards.  More than few lads and lasses stood there,
too,
over the years.  Laid there, sometimes."

He sat on the bench and lifted the cover, then idly ran a quick
arpeggio
across the keys and winced when he heard the sour notes.  "Out of
tune, now.
That never used to happen."

He gently closed the cover and stood, then turned and grinned.  "Bet
some of
those folks are glad that wood can't show what it's seen."

He was rewarded with some giggles and he smiled, then started
examining the
booths and tables.

"Had more than our share of odd folks come though those doors, or
otherwise
gain admittance."  

He bent down to examine the seat of one booth, then snorted his
amusement.
"Heavy fellow used to come in here all the time.  Turtle, of all
things. Good
sort though, but it was a good thing he always had problems with that
atomic
flame thrower he always carried.  There were some times I was worried
that
the place was gonna go up in flames.  Didn't though.  Now that I think
on it,
we generally had other sorts of flames burning in here.  I remember
some
times when he and those Girl Scouts came in for the evenin'..."  

He shook himself and smiled.  "He settled down with another regular,
eventually.  Guess he found another path to travel.  Wish him well,
too."

He left the booth and went looking for a certain table.  "Ah.  Been
moved.
Look here.  Hobnails did that, and those gouges are from one of the
most
wicked knives I've ever seen.  Hell of a woman.  Memorable in more
ways than
one, too.  That's another tale, though, and not fit for polite ladies
like
you folks."

That got him laughter, and he smiled back again.

"And there's this other fellow, another good hearted sort, but he
always
likes to sharpen his pencils with that damn Vorpal Blade he carries.
Still,
though, there were times when it was nice to have him around as a
regular. He
likes his pencils, but he was deft with a blade, too.  Folks always
respected
that, and generally left him alone."

Both of them smiled at the images he evoked, then nodded for him to
continue.

He looked around again, then walked over to the wall and touched a
framed
certificate.

"This wasn't the first one of these awarded, but I think it was the
most
deserved.  Potato Peeler Dueling was quite a fad for a couple years,
and it's
fitting that the woman who inspired it, did, eventually, get one of
these."

He sobered and briefly lost himself in his memories, then shook his
head
sadly and turned away.  "Gone, now.  But never forgotten, I hope."

He sighed and went over to sit on the bar stool that was on the stage.
"Lots
of things happened here.  Laughter, sorrow.  For awhile we bought
soapboxes
by the truckload, and replaced them every month.  People had things to
say,
and they were encouraged say it.  Hell, you couldn't stop them from
speaking
out."

"Had some memorable birthday parties, too, especially when the nymph
was
running them.  She had personality, she did."

That bit of understatement earned him some more giggles, and he nodded
slightly and pointed at the red haired woman.  "I wasn't here for some
of
them, but I understand you had something to do with some of the
shenanigans
that went on here."

She laughed and pointed back.  "I had some help, usually.  There was
this
dog...  Didn't have much sense and sometimes he went further over the
top
than he should have..."

They grinned at each other and the blonde laughed at them.  "I've
heard about
that dog.  Always sounded like one of the exaggerations."

Tom rocked his outstretched hand from side to side.  "He was an
exaggerated
sort of fellow, don't ya know?"

She nodded.  "Sounded like it.  I prefer to learn some things on my
own."

He smiled.  "Wise of you."

He lowered his hand to his lap, then looked around thoughtfully. "Lots
of
memories here, if you know how to see them.  Mostly good, a few bad,
and a
few terrible, but La Taverna was real, and life doesn't always let you
choose
what types of adventures you'll have, and how you remember them."

The blonde watched him, then whispered softly.  "Could it be brought
back to
life?"

He shrugged.  "Sure it could, if the right folks wanted to get
involved."

She nodded slowly.  "Could you do it?"

He was silent a long time, then he slowly shook his head sadly.
"People
change, Love.  Nobody can build a place like this used to be, without
a lot
of help from special people.  Takes the kind of people who can make
others
believe, and they have to want to stand in front of the crowds and get
noticed, along with other qualities.  Empathy helps, and a willingness
to
visibly adapt enough to let people know their views are appreciated.
There's
an atmosphere it takes to entice new folks in.  An open, welcoming one
that
actively encourages the expression of differences..."

He stood and calmly brushed the dust off his clothing before he gazed
at his
reasons for living.  "Mahika.  Wolf.  The dust tells its own story, to
those
who know how to read it--and I haven't been the type of person that it
takes
to rebuild a place like this for years, if ever."

He shimmered and returned to being a dog.  "Let's go home."

They changed back to their original forms, joined him, and then the
three of
them ambled though the door, leaving it open for anyone who might
wander by, notice it was open, and then wonder what was hidden behind
it.
====

Fade to Black
---------

Tom looks up from his dinner and smiles a little sadly at his dinner
companions before he sips at his tea.

"Time, loves.  I don't think I have a lot of it left.  Never will feel
I have
enough, but there're some things I want to say, parts of me I want to
be sure
are left behind, and there's nobody else to say them, or they are
decisions I
don't want to burden them with."

Mahika and Wolf have been watching him intently, then they nod slowly
before,
as one, they reach for his hands.

Mahika speaks first, and it is calmly, even though her tears are
flowing.

"I'll miss  you."

He tilts his head in what has now become a habit, a legacy of his
ability to
shape change at will.  "And I, you, if it is given to me to remember."

Wolf leans over and kisses him tenderly.  "The bitch I was wouldn't
have
hesitated to join you, even though I've become immortal, if I choose
to be."

He smiles.  "But?"

She glances at Mahika, smiles a little sadly, then turns back.  "I
understand
you better than she does, and know that she will need me.  And, I love
you
too much to die for you, and that will give me the strength to
remember that
you have always wanted me to live.  If there's anything I will regret,
it
will be that the choice was not only never given to you, it was never
offered."

"Thank you.  Both of you."

He stands and stretches.  "Mahika?  Would you show Wolf the proper
controls,
then join me--as yourselves?"

"Of course."

She and Wolf get up and walk to the control console, where they get
involved
in a discussion of what does what.

Suddenly there's the subdued *thump* of the sound system coming on
line, and
that is followed by the sudden brightness of a quickly dimmed
spotlight that
sweeps across the stage to settle on a dusty bar stool that looks
strangely
forlorn and abandoned.

They both shift to their natural forms, then Mahika gently picks up
one of
the lavaliere mics before they pad over to join Tom.

He bends down, takes the offered microphone and then carefully pins it
on.
With that done to his satisfaction he turns it on and taps it gently,
testing
it.

"Testing...  Louder..."

The appropriate control moves on its own as Mahika adjusts it, using a
rare
display of her powers.

"1.  2. 3.  Better...  A little more..."

He repeats the test one more time and then, satisfied, nods his head
at his
companions and gestures.  "Shall we?"

The three of them work their way to the stage, where he settles on the
stool
without bothering to wipe it off.  After they flank him and settle on
their
haunches, he touches their heads lightly before settling in to look
out at
the shadows.

"Good...  Afterdaytime, since I know each booth and table is capable
of being
in its own time zone and reality, yet leave a portal open to the
primary
reality, if there ever was such a thing in the first place."

"Call it La Taverna's primary locus and leave it at that."

He chuckles.  "After all, I helped build La Taverna, so I know better
than
most, what many of its inherent features are, even if I've never, or
seldom,
used them."

"Anyway, this isn't intended to be my own eulogy or announcement of my
retirement, because the truth is, I'm writing more than ever, at a
sustained
pace I wasn't willing to maintain until now.

"But, as I believe Asimov once said when he was asked what he'd do if
he was
told he had one more year to live, my answer is the same as his was:
'Write
faster!'

"Life has a way of giving you warnings, sometimes, and mine was more
vivid
than many people are given.  I have a gut level feeling that I have
five to
ten more years left to live, and yes, I'm angry about it, but I'm not
going
to deny it.

"I'll take what I can get, you know?  Or perhaps you don't.  Some of
you do,
and for the rest, I hope that if you get the warning, it is far
gentler than
mine was,  and it comes much later in your life."

He pauses, reaches and pulls a glass out of the air, sips, and then
puts it
back.

"I want to be remembered for more than my writing.  I'm a real person,
who
makes right decisions, poor ones and downright memorable wrong ones,
at
times.

"Like all of you, I'm much more than the simplified caricature you've
had a
chance to meet, and, regretfully, I have to admit I like it that way
most of
the time.

"You see, I really do have friends in real life, and things I do here
could
seriously fuck up their lives after I die, so my choice of how much I
reveal
about myself has always come from that awareness.

"Egotistical?

"Certainly.  But it's no different than what each of you does when you
decide
what to post.

"Consider my position:  I'm well known here for my sexuality, which in
almost
any current culture you can name, is considered 'odd', at best, no pun
intended.

"Because of that, I can be open about it only here, yet if I speak of
the
ordinary things in my life, those who would desire that I, and those
like me
be destroyed, would find it that much easier to seek us out.

"It also costs me many chances for deeper friendships, but that's a
price I
chose to pay before I made my first post after realizing where the
future
might lead me, those many years ago.

"There's a lot more to say, things like how I don't plan on ever
completely
leaving La Taverna behind, unless something happens in my life that
forces
that decision.

"I was hoping, this year, to close out my life and writing as 'Thomas
Galahalt', but that wasn't destined to happen, no matter how much I
desired it.

"I'll try to explain that.

"I did some figuring, and learned that the average American paperback
of 150
pages contains about 34,000 words.  The working figure I base that on
is 226
words per page.

"After the first two months of the year, I sat back and looked at what
I'd
accomplished and decided that a realistic goal was to average 2,000
words per day, 5 days per week.  This would let me settle in and treat
my writing as a
job for the first time, instead of the hobby I've always kept it, even
though
I was offered several chances to 'turn pro' and compete in the print
world.

"Anyway, what the numbers mean is that during the years I've been
writing,
I've only produced the equivalent of a little over twenty-three 150
page
novels.  Some folks here have done that much in a year, or less, but
my
original style was shorter and more condensed, so I never worried
about my
lack of volume.

"2007 was a watershed year for me.  My 'Summer Solstice' story and the
work
that followed broke me through the 'short story' barrier.  The result
has
been that now, in 2009, I am comfortable thinking in terms of novels
as my
primary form of expression as a writer.  In fact, I no longer consider
ANY
work near completion unless it has hit 35,000 words, minimum.

"Combine that with my goal for daily output, and the result should be
a
sustained output of around 40,000 words per month.  It's not a lot for
a
working author, but I felt that over the long term, I should be able
to
sustain it.

"It was a realistic goal to set myself, and as events have proven, so
far, I
nailed it.

"I missed a few weeks, but still, on May 31, I broke through with
203,000
words of new work.  Much of that work is in the 22,000 word to 35,000
word
range, with some of that being sequels to each other.

"Unfortunately for my peace of mind, I was slightly dismayed when I
realized
76,000 words of that has been postable only  under this name because
of the
zoo/best content.

"You've seen only a small portion of it so far, and the other 60k or
so isn't
going to be posted until I'm satisfied with its completeness.

"What's going to happen to the rest of it, the other 128,000 words or
so?

"Well, some of that was new work that I might attempt to get
published.  The
rest of it got added to already written work to continue some long
term
projects I've been working on for publication.

"Guess I'm trying to say that it hurts to live with a constant
awareness of
how mortal I am, but I'm using that and the now platonic love of my
dog, to
keep me going, instead of giving up.

"There's a hell of a lot more I'd like to pass on to anyone willing to
listen, and over time I'm sure the pressure will build until I can't
hold
back.

"Then I'll sit down, call my partners to my side, and we'll revisit
the place
that has done the most to encourage me to become the best writer I can
be...

"La Taverna."

He stands and stretches, then smiles and conjures a mirror he can look
into.

After gazing at it awhile he makes it vanish with a theatrical waving
of his
hand, then smiles at the shadows.  "Wondering what I saw?

"Each and every one of you were there, and I could see you in me, and
appreciate you, and everything you've done to help make me who I am.

"Thank you."

With that he turns off the microphone, bows deeply, then steps down
with
Mahika and Wolf at his side as the spotlight fades to black and they
return
to their booth in the shadows.
====

I looked up from the keyboard when two sets of paws hit my shoulders
and neck at the same time.

Then, when Mahika and Wolf giggled, I turned to glare at Makika.

"You could have warned me about this, you know."

She tried to play innocent, but I was watching her eyes.  "Would you
have done anything differently, if I had?"

I sneezed at her.  "I might have focused more on becoming an artist,
instead of my writing."

Then I turned to glare at Wolf.  "And you...  Bitch.  You haven't
helped any, with your 'just being an unobtrusively supportive Golden
Retriever' routine."

She ignored me and grinned without saying anything, until I had to
laugh and hug her.  "Yeah, life is fun again, isn't it?  And that's
all that really matters."

She giggled.  "Feel better?"

"A little, but I'll definitely feel better once the three of us are on
the hide-a-bed on the porch."

Mahika touched my face and turned my head so we could watch each
other.  "We got it ready hours ago.  Just been waiting for you to hit
a break point."

I shook my head.  "Well, I have, for now.  61,000 words in 16 days,
with 53,000  of those words being one story, is a lot, even for me.  I
wish I'd known that the decision to turn my writing into a reliable
tool was going to be this productive.  I'm starting to think that
setting myself a goal of 2kwords per day, 5 days per week was a
seriously low estimate, now.  That 4 days in a row of about 8kwords
*each* wasn't the strain it would have been even a year ago."

She smiled.  "So what *is* your daily average, these days?"

I chuckled.  "About 4kwords.  With that recent increase, I'm going to
be pretty close to what I'd hoped for, for the first half of the year.
I'm thinking I'll hit 250kwords of postable material by the end of the
month, and that's a lot closer  to my goal than I expected to be,
after those two long breaks."

She started to grin and I glared at her again before she could say
anything.  "Not a word, DAMNIT!  I *know* that if I keep it up,
there's a good chance I'll write as much in less than two years--as I
did in just over fourteen.  I've already written twice as much as I
did *last* year, and it was one of my most productive, posting wise."

She nodded her head slightly.  "Are you counting the stuff you wrote
but haven't posted anywhere, yet?"

"No.  Nothing that was in my hoppers before the first of this year. If
I did that, the total for all of the stuff in my hoppers is about
730kwords, including the 240kwords I've done this year.   The
unfinished Man and Muse stuff accounts for only about 40k of that
total and the rest of the TBD stuff totals about 325kwords.  The rest
is distributed amongst the other pen names I'm currently using.

"There's a lot I've been working into other work, and I know there's
some I'll probably never finish or post.  I might put a lot of it in a
'giveaway-story-starter' zip somewhere and post that, but I don't
know." 

I sighed.  "And there's the stuff in the major series and serial work
I've been doing over the years.  I'd love to close some of that out,
someday, but I just don't know if I'll ever be interested enough to
take the time to do that."

I snorted mildly.  "I guess I've done ok for a part time amatuer
writer.  In 15 years of serious writing, I've produced about 1,500,000
words, not counting all the email, usenet and other posts I've done."
613 words

It was a dark night, but the only storm brewing was the one behind the
eyes of the largest of the three wolves walking confidently along the
sidewalk.

When they walked past a familiar door his nose twitched in that
direction, and one ear twitched slightly, but that was the only
indication he knew where he was.

The other two slowed slightly and looked at each other across his
back, then they sped up and flanked him again.

His lips curled into an incipient grin, then he changed his mind and
let them curl into a difficultly suppressed snarl, instead.

They both noticed, and instead of honoring the implied warning, moved
closer, until they had him pinned between them.

They slowed, eventually forcing him to stop, then the white one glared
at him.

"Hold still."

Before he could react, the three of them vanished.

* * *

They reappeared in a grassy clearing that overlooked a small, tree
filled valley that had a stream running through it.

He turned and grabbed the white wolfess by her throat and growled at
her menacingly.  "Why?"

It was the other wolfess who responded calmly.  "We're tired of you
hiding from yourself, again."

He let go of the white wolfess, sighed, and suddenly a middle aged man
was standing in the wolf's place and he was bent over, as if he
suffered under some great load.

"Damnit.  You two know me too well, sometimes."

The young wolfess who had spoken calmly, nodded her head, and then
changed form until she was a large Golden Retriever.

When she was done shifting she settled on her haunches and watched him
with love in her eyes.  "Merry Summer Solstice. Love."

His lips twitched, then he sighed.  "Yeah, Wolf.  Thanks, I guess."

He turned to study the white wolfess and then raised his eyebrows.
"Well?"

She turned until her haunches were facing his direction, then she
flagged him and looked back over her shoulder.  "Use the force, Tom."

He shook his head wearily, but his eyes betrayed his humor when he was
enveloped in a white corona.

He pointed, and a white bolt of energy lanced from his extended finger
to stop just before it touched her vulva.  Then it thickened and
entered her, and she gasped and jerked backwards.

They held that pose for a few minutes, then the wolfess slumped and
her head dropped.  "Enough!"

The corona vanished, and he knelt to hug her.  "Sorry I've ignored
both of you, Love.  I've been hurting too much to know what to do."

She turned and licked his face.  "We know.  But now?"

He sighed and held out an arm, inviting Wolf to join them.

She nestled into his hug, then raised her head to lick his face
tenderly.

He sighed again, smiled slightly, then let go of them both, settled
into a half lotus, and gazed at the valley before them.

"Now, Loves?  We go on, of course.  Things will be different, yet the
same, again."

They looked at each other, then settled to lie on either side of him
so he could pet them while he meditated.

Mahika settled her chin on her outstretched legs and sighed with
relief.

"Good."

The crisis was over.

* * *

Note to my readers:  "Sorry folks.  I sorta had something planned for
the Summer Solstice, but RL took over again, and it didn't happen.
This is my apology.  Hopefully, things will change and I might get
something done for Fall Equinox, or even Winter Solstice.

"Who knows?

"I certainly don't, any more.

"Take care of yourselves, eh?  And thanks for putting up with me all
these years.  It means a lot."
====

On Tue, 7 Jul 2009 23:16:55 -0700 (PDT), Gary Jordan
<gary.s.jordan@gmail.com> wrote:

>A few days back, I posted to the ASSTR_ASSM_Authors Yahoo Group the
>following post, then said to myself, "ASSD might enjoy talking about
>story mechanics, too." So here it are:


Tom looks up blearily from the herbal drink he's been idly
contemplating
whilst he waits for Mahika to earn her keep, and unravel a plot point
he's
been too lazy--and too tired--to focus on.

"You know..."  He mutters to no one in particular, "If semicolons had
to
depend on me for survival, they'd be on the endangered species list.
Nice
enough, I suppose, when you get to know them well, but generally
speaking, I
have no use for them.

"None at all, at all..."

His voice trails off into silence, then he brightens a little.
"Ellipses and
emdashes, now, those things are like coat hangers around my place.
Always
getting mixed up in everything, but I don't mind.  Ellipses are handy
to have
around when a character gets contemplative, or distracted.  Make a
nice way
to let folks know there's a lot more going on than is visible..."

Mahika settles opposite him and shakes her head wearily.  "Nasty one.
Too
many ways to solve it, but none of them are right for the direction
the story
is headed.  Need more time."

He smiles slightly.  "Got it.  'Bout time you had a chance to earn
your
keep."

Her lips curl into an almost snarl, but she's unwilling to show how
irritated
she is.  She'd known he was saving *something* to hit her with, as
part of
their game, but she wasn't going to admit how downright nasty and
difficult
this problem had become.

She decided to finally admit he'd scored.  "Make's a boar's dick look
straight."

His lips twitched as he suppressed a grin--but that was his only
acknowledgment of his victory.

He lifted his mug and shifted it so the contents formed a small
whirlpool,
matching the turbulence of his thoughts.

"Emdashes.  Hate to admit it, but I need to find more work for them.
Hasn't
been a lot in my life--or writing--that I've wanted to emphasize,
recently.

"Weary of it all, or most of it.  Patience gets boring, when you've
had to
use it as much as I have, but I suppose I should be glad it's there
when I
need it."

His head comes up, and he studies the third member of their group.

Her head tilts slightly, and there's no mistaking the worry for him
that
she's been barely able to control.

He sees it and nods.  "Watching it by observing my past, and living
through
it are a tad bit different, eh?"

She sneezes.  "Mildly so, yes."

"Not as bad this time, or I'm getting used to it, again."

 He sighs, lifts his mug, and drains it.  "Doesn't matter.  You grrls
done
here?"

The two women look at each other and Mahika laughs gently.  "Told you
he'd
know what you were doing."

Wolf sneezes delicately.  "Never doubted it.  Works better when the
victim is
willing.  The rest of the cure is best applied in a bed."

She stands and holds out her hand.

The mug gets set back on the table, then he takes hold and rises into
a hug.
"Slow, might take years."

"So?"

"True."

His head turns back.  "Well?"

Mahika nods, and the three of them vanish.
====

The Power of One - Man and Muse
---

Wolf glared at me.  "Don't you *ever* quit?"

I laughed at her.  "Of course I do.  When I'm not writing, fucking you
and Mahika, or eating, I sleep."

"Bullshit!  Even your dreams get turned into stories."

"Not always.  I don't put everything into the hopper."

She snarled, then settled on her haunches and sighed.  "Get it out of
your system.  I'm going outside, though."

Then she turned her head so she could sneeze her disgust at Mahika,
who had come in to find out what was going on.  "And you!  You get off
on this--so you *encourage* him!"

Mahika laughed and came over to rub my shoulders.  "If I didn't, you
wouldn't be sitting there.  Bitch."

Wolf's jaw dropped.  "You...  You...

"MUSE!"

Then she stood and shook herself vigorously before she stalked out of
the den.  "I'm going to go chase my own tail, or do something equally
pointless--like digging another hole in the flowerbed."

I grinned and spoke to her retreating form mildly.  "Thanks.  It will
make it easier to thin the Iris.  Been meaning to do that, anyway."

That earned me a growl and an angry flick of her tail.

After we heard the dog door swing shut I tilted my head back so I
could grin at Mahika.  "She thinks I think too much."

She raised her eyebrows.  "Uh huh.  There's more to it than that. What
set her off *this* time?"

I contrived a shrug without breaking eye contact.  "The Power of One."

She groaned, then shifted to her lupine form and left without saying
anything.

I stretched, chortled--and then went back to my writing.
====

I like to do something for the Solstices, usually, and at times, I'll
come up with something inspired by one of the Equinoxes...
----

The Wandering Wolves - Balance
----

We'd hiked to one of our favorite overlooks and I'd settled on the
sleeping bag Mahika had packed in.

Then, she and Wolf had 'gone natural', romped a bit, and eventually
joined me for some attention.

I'd been brushing them for awhile when I chortled, and Wolf looked at
me suspiciously.

She sneezed delicately, then asked me the inevitable question.  "What
was that for?"

"Just a whimsical thought.  'Even the extraordinary have to live in
the mundane world.'  Guess it's 'that time of year', and my mind is
making odd associations."

She sneezed her disgust.  "Try again.  You're a working author.  It's
always 'that time of year', for you."

Mahika, who I thought was asleep, opened one eye to study us.  "Are
you sure you want what's coming?  'Whimsical' is a sure sign he's gone
metaphysical on us."

Wolf twitched an ear in Mahika's direction.  "Good.  As a Muse, you
have your compulsions, and that's fine.  As a Golden, I have mine, and
understanding my person is one of them."

Mahika sighed and reclosed her eye.  "Don't ever say I didn't warn
you."

I shook my head and chuckled.  "Draw."

Wolf rolled to her back and spread her hind legs.  "Keep brushing, and
keep talking."

She closed her eyes and sighed contentedly.  "I like your touch--and
the sound of your voice."

"A couple of fetishes I can feel comfortable encouraging."

I went back to gently brushing her and each stroke was matched with a
verbalized thought

"Equinox.

"Balance.

"Male and female.

"Yin-Yang.

"Or, pertinent to my earlier chortle, 'extraordinary vs. ordinary',
and the need to balance that in my life."

I paused in my brushing and nibbled her stomach with my fingers.
"Petting you is ordinary."

I moved and gently rubbed along the edges of her vulva.  "Even this,
is ordinary, when looked at dispassionately."

Then I shifted so I could cradle her head and kiss her nose.  "Ahh...
But add the mutual love, and the ordinary becomes quite extraordinary.
Thus, a balance is reached.  Granted, it's a dynamic one, but it's
there, and without it, neither aspect of my life would be noticeable
enough to be properly appreciated."

I let go of her head and ran my hands over her again.  "People
sometimes ask me how I can so easily see what others do not.  They
wonder that I can take the extraordinary for granted, yet see the
ordinary as a miracle--and treasure it at least as much as I treasure
the extraordinary in my life."

I laughed.  "Balance is what lets me do it.  The act of balancing
things forces me to see both, and their relationships to each other,
and myself."

I picked up the brush and studied it briefly before I used it to
gently tease her chest hair into order.  "Even you do it, every time I
brush you.  The balance of the pleasures of being brushed, vs the
pleasures of enjoying how you feel when I stop.  Without both, would
you appreciate either--as much as you do?"

She opened one eye to watch me.  "Metaphysical pomposity.  It sounds
good, but I think the truth is a lot simpler, even for you."

I chuckled.  "Likely.  My interpretation of my current truth depends
on my mood.  Enlighten me."

She laughed.  "Call it a reinterpretation, since we're pretending to
be searching for the meaning of the whichness."

I nodded and went back to slowly bushing her.  "Fair enough."

"Intelligence seems to have a need to make the simple, complex.  Once
I reached a threshold in my awareness of self, I found myself doing
it, and it annoyed me."

I nodded.   "Everything is simple, or complex.  Any author can tell
you that allowing for the pov of the reader is at least as important
as choosing the right pov for the story itself.  It affects
interpretation, significantly."

She sneezed disgustedly.  "We've both heard you bitch about *that*
problem.

"But, after I reached another threshold, call it 'maturity of
thinking', I found myself searching for simplicity again, and much to
my surprise, *that* simplicity made the simplicity of my youth seem
complex."

I raised my eyebrows as I thought about her words, then nodded slowly.
"I think I can see that.  Go on."

She laughed again.  "I don't have a lot more to say.  I think your
reason for appreciating things so well is very simple.  You don't take
anything for granted.  Given that, the rest is inevitable."

Instead of responding directly, I set the brush aside and lay beside
her.  Then I worked enough of her fluids out to lubricate her so I
could enter easily.

Once I was sheathed, I paused and hugged her while we kissed each
other.

Then, I pulled away enough to whisper my last words of the morning.
"But isn't it fun, sometimes, pretending life is more complex than it
really is?"

She giggled.  "Fun's over.  Fuck me."

I did.
====

Curse you, White Wolfess!
-----

Here I was, calmly working my way along and trying to get some
momentum back
so I could meet my writing goals for the year.

Succeeding, too.  259 days into the year, and I was only about 26,000
words
behind.  Naively, I figured I could relax and work on existing stuff,
cleaning out some of the hopper material, in addition to adding the
odd, and
*small*, bits of new work that would help me catch up by the end of
the
year...

So, this morning, I wake up from a dream and decide it's memorable
enough to
jot down as a new story idea.

"Stupid move, ya ol' dog!"

6,200 words later, The 'jot' has become the *beginning* of an intro to
a new
novel.

Obviously, it put a 4,200 word dent in the number of words I need to
write,
if I want to catch up, so that's good...

But I think, at this point, I'd prefer to have a few nightmares,
instead of
inspirations.

*Those* I can forget, and then move on with my life!

.
.
.

"Sometimes I can't stand living with a proactive Muse!"
---

afterword:  For the unaware, my goal has been  to average 2,000 words
per day,
five days per week.  As of 9/17 that means my target word count, based
on 186
productive days, in theory, was 372,000 words. My actual production
was just
over 352,000 words.

IOW, I'm actually quite content with the situation, and would be even
if I
had to stop writing.
====

The Price of Admission Is...
A Man & Muse scene
---

I glanced at the two canids settled on either side of me and sighed.
"Well?"

They looked at each other, then shrugged with their ears.

Mahika spoke easily.  "You're the author, it's your problem, not ours,
this
time."

I managed a sneeze of disgust.  "You're ducking."

"No.  My job has always been inspiration, or doing whatever it takes
to get
you started.  Finding the words is usually your job."

I looked at Wolf.  "What about you?"

She grinned.  "Since we're role playing, I'm the contented bitch who
is happy
to be settled at her Master's feet, sucking up whatever attention he
can
spare while he cudgels his brain for a way out of the problem he set
himself."

"Heh.  Would have been simpler to say you're not a Muse, and never
will be,
'bitch'.

"True.  Been around you too long."

I shrugged.  "Any suggestions, anyway?"

"Sleep on it."

"With you?"

She sneezed.  "I should have seen that coming."

I grinned at her while Mahika sneezed her amusement. "You will, if I
sleep
with you."

She sighed.  "That's part of Mahika's job."

I turned my head slightly so I could study Mahika.  "Not this time.
That's
part of the attention you can suck up."

"What is?  Doing your job for you?  Forget it."

My eyebrows went up, then I sighed and nodded.  "Sorry.  You're right.
Mind
if I think out loud while I pet you?"

"Get the comb."

"Right."

I stood, stretched, then went and found the comb before I settled next
to
Wolf and started gently grooming her.  

"Sorry, Love.  Stupid stress getting to me again, and I was treating
you like
I do Mahika.  I know better, usually."

She sneezed.  "How the fuck can I help, when I don't know what you're
talking
about?  Besides, I don't share your obsession for communication."

I sighed.  "Ok.  The problem is fairly simple, I suppose.  I'll miss
my
production goal for the year, and it depresses me, even though I know
this
has been my most productive year, since I started writing and posting
the
results.  Then there is the problem of what to do with everything I've
written.  I can't make up my mind if I want to just toss it all out
there
under one pen name, or go ahead and try to sell some of it."

She rolled to her back.  "Still afraid of success?"

"Yeah.  Success would give me at least some temporary financial
stability,
but..."

She closed her eyes and thought about it while I kept combing her.

I kept finding debris mixed into her fur.   "Where on Earth have you
been,
this time?"

"Hunting, and I was taken on a long run through a bramble patch."

"I noticed.  Want me to check for ticks?"

"No.  I shielded my body."

"Kay."

She opened her nearest eye, studied me for awhile, then snorted
softly.
"Think it's about time you admitted your real problem isn't the
writing?"

I winced.   "Yeah.  Ok. You nailed it."

"Of course I did.  I'm a *companion* bitch, one that's from a
bloodline
that's been bred to get along with humans.  Didn't need immortality to
help
with that ability."

She suddenly rolled to her feet and nuzzled me forcefully before she
backed
off slightly.  "You aren't normal, Tom.  Never have been, never will
be."

I broke contact with her eyes by lowering my head.  "Yeah.  Wish I
didn't
keep forgetting that."

She sneezed.  "You do, though, and that's a human thing more than it
is an
animal one.  We keep our dreams simpler, and more selfish."

I wanted to deny what she was forcing me towards, but I knew better,
really,
so I let the silence between us drag out before I eventually sighed.
"I hear
you, Wolf.  I know what the decision has to be."

"People who don't know the real you will try to get you change your
mind."

I snorted.  "Like they don't do that already?"

She sneezed again.  "Point."

This time, when I brought my head up, I let go of the control I'd been
maintaining, and let the tears flow.  "One more illusion, that I have
to let
go of."

"Say it."

I nodded tiredly.  "I've never been normal, and no matter how much I'd
like
to force myself to be normal, it's time I admitted it's always been a
dream,
a delusion, that I could someday be 'a real human being', and expect
to have
a long term relationship with a human."

She waited, and I sighed.  "Wolf, you and Mahika are my perfect mates,
the
ones I deserve to be with, the people I've earned in my life, if
you'll have
me."

She presented herself and flagged me, without saying anything, then
looked
over her shoulder before she headed for the bedroom.

When I looked at Mahika she had a slight smile on her face, then she
shook
her head.  "Not this time.  I'm only your Muse.  Wolf is your Wife.
Admit it
to yourself, and go to her."

"It hurts, Love.  I hurt for *you*."

She nodded.  "I hurt, too, but this has to be done, and we will have a
better
future because of it, so be selfish and do what you must, for
yourself, this
time.  I will be waiting for you."

"Promise?"

"Of course.  Now, go do some more growing up--and start being the
person you
were always meant to be.  Your wife is waiting for you."

I nodded my thanks, then did one of the hardest things I'd ever done.
I
turned away from Mahika without saying a word, and left her lying on
the
floor without an invitation to join us, while I went to the bedroom to
let my
wife help me adjust to reality as it was, not the reality I had always
deluded myself into thinking was the one I should be living in.
====

Ever wonder how Merlin, and his family, celebrate Winter Solstice at
home?

As you might expect, when the ways of power are involved, things can
quickly
turn interesting, and a little complicated, especially when you add in
their
close friends, Tom, Mahika and Wolf.

Quick, raw, but still, something of a romp, especially for the people
who
lived through it!

Happy Solstice, neighbors.
---

Solstice at The Castle
---------

I moved a pin a fraction of an inch and then stood, stretched and
turned Chrys around so she could study the result in the mirror.
"Well, Ambassador?"

She moved a little, then raised and lowered her arms.  "I can't see
any difference when I'm standing still, but whatever it was you did,
The gown is a lot more..."

I chuckled.  "Slinky and enticing?"

She suddenly went hipshot and studied the effect.  "Elegantly
seductive, Tom.  I'm supposed to look proper and demur, not like a..."

She giggled.  "Vixen in heat.  Which I will be soon, unfortunately."

She turned and hugged me carefully.  "Thanks for all the time and
effort you've put into this.  Kay couldn't have done better."

I chuckled.  "Of course not, and you have my memories, so you know why
she couldn't."

Chrys frowned slightly.  "We all know you taught her how to be a
seamstress.  That's not what I'm talking about, this time."

"Oh?"

"No.  There's another reason I asked you to make my gown, once I
cleared it with Mahika and Wolf."

I stood next to her and studied us in the mirror.  "I can feel your
amusement, Love.  But I'm not going to dig this time."

"Thanks for that courtesy, but you know I have never worried about the
lack of privacy our links force on us."

"You're welcome."

"The reason I asked is because Kay would be seeing the effect of my
gown as a woman who wants to tastefully seduce her audience.  You, on
the other hand, see it through the eyes of a man who is also my lover,
and wants to get others to see the person he's in love with.  You've
done what I would have said was impossible, which is make a tastefully
elegant ball gown into something the most wanton seductress would
blush to wear in public, when I want it to be that way."

"Thank you, Chrys.  It wasn't easy.  I'm truly sorry you had to spend
so much time standing still, and then posing and moving for me."

She let her ears show her mixed amusement and agitated frustration. "I
don't mind, and you know it.  It's been a long time since I was the
sole focus of a man as intensely focused as you were.  I...  Needed
that."

I sighed, because I knew what was on the menu next.  "I can feel the
effort you've been putting into maintaining your control, and I know
it's slipping rapidly.  Let me help you out of that gown so I can hang
it up."

She let me carefully disrobe her and once she was naked she stretched
and I could both see her rapidly rising wantonness and feel her
control spells dissipating even though she fought to keep them in
place.

I took the time to send a thought to Mahika and Wolf, then I grabbed
her in a hug, kissed her...

And place shifted us to a mountain clearing, since I knew a time shift
wouldn't do anything to reduce what she was feeling, when we got back.

When she felt the currents settle, she was all over me, and through
the last of her awareness, she whispered words I hadn't heard cross
her lips in years.  "It's been too long.  I have to let go,
completely."

I kissed her tenderly.  "I hear you, and I'll be with you,
completely."

Then both of us let go of everything that made us civilized.

We grabbed at each other, not caring if we hurt the other person or
not.

Her scent engulfed me, and I roughly jammed my fingers into her
dripping cunt while she grabbed for my penis and began milking it
hungrily, almost jerking it off my body with each pull as she tried to
get me close enough she could move to jam me inside her.

I wanted the same thing she did, so I removed my hand and let her
guide me as I lunged forward.

I bent, but didn't break, then she moaned and moved me enough the
release of pressure drove me deeply into her body.

She let go, and her claw tips became talons that drove into my
buttocks as she jerked us together and started to hump me.

It was painful, and part of me knew I had to be bleeding, but the pain
was pleasure, and it only inflamed me even more as I rutted with her.

Both our orgasms came quickly, and when I screamed from the shock of
pleasure that jolted me forward before my arms locked in an embrace
that could have killed her if I'd had my hands in the wrong places,
and hadn't been an immortal, she howled a counterpoint as she spasmed,
and drew long furrows into my butt with her claws.

I didn't care.  I wasn't even aware I was bleeding profusely, or that
I had snatched huge clumps of fur out of her buttocks.

All I knew was that I wasn't done, and I started pumping again,
seeking another orgasm.

She joined me briefly, then managed to jerk free and kneel until she
could close her jaws around me to suckle eagerly.

The scraping of her teeth served to do what her cunt couldn't have
done, which was get me to reach my second, and then a third orgasm,
without wilting.

At the end of my third orgasm I deliberately fell forward, using my
weight to drive her body flat before I slid down and roughly jammed a
fist into each hole.

She yipped from the initial pain, which made me drive even deeper and
harder, then she started the high pitched keening that told me she was
orgasming.

My ego gloated at this sign of how good a lover I was, then I
deliberately fisted her harder, and kept an eye on her until she
passed out.

At that point I knew she was mine, and I crawled up her body and
stabbed her with my now erect penis, again.

I was brutal, and even in her passed out state, I could feel her body
responding and her cunt spasming forcefully.

When I felt the spasms slow, I started brutally tweaking her nipples,
until her body spasmed again.

Eventually she was as unresponsive on the inside as she was on the
outside, and with that, my ego took over and made me grin at her inert
body.  "So, Vixen.  Can't handle a real lover, can you?"

Then I passed out and collapsed on top of her.

* * *

I woke to the touch of paws sliding over my body.

I started to stretch, screamed because of the pain I felt, then
realized I was on my back and my butt hurt like hell.

I searched my memories, and finally found the ones that told me what
had happened, which made me jerk partway up so I could look at Chrys.
"You ok?"

She laughed.  "I hurt, but at least I'm satiated enough the edge is
gone, and Merlin can deal with me until I go out of heat.  He
understands the situation, and it doesn't bother him that much, any
more."

She looked me over and smiled.  "You look as bad as I feel.  Ready to
be put back together?"

I looked at her hips and chuckled a bit ruefully.  "I see I removed
fur this time.  Can't say I'm really sorry, considering.  I vaguely
remember you damn near strangling my prick when I did it."

She giggled.  "I guess I'll have to be careful about what I expose at
the Solstice Ball."

I pulled her into a hug and kissed her tenderly.  "Relax.  I've
learned a few tricks with power since the last time.  When I'm done,
you'll have all your fur back, and no scars."

She nodded.  "I should have remembered that,"

Then she grinned.  "You'd have to do it yourself, anyway, because I
can't see back there."

I laughed.  "Well, Love, I won't mind another close look at your
backside."

She pulled herself free and looked down at me with a grin.  "I feel
the same way about you.  I did the front while you were still passed
out.  Roll over, Old Dog."

I grinned back, then rolled over and relaxed while she went over my
body and made repairs.

I felt her pause for a long time while her hands were on my butt, then
she sighed.  "This is going to take awhile, I managed to severely tear
the muscle on one side.  Sorry."

"No problem.  Part of the experience, and I know it.  We can't kill
each other, so I'm not worried about the damage, since it's
temporary."

She gently patted me.  "Thank you.  Merlin, with all his experience
and knowledge, isn't that understanding.  Now, relax and let me focus
for awhile."

I winced a few times as she put things back the way they should be,
and finally I sensed her relax before she patted me again.  "Fixed."

I rolled to my back and she surprised me by frowning.  "Oops.  Don't
move.  I almost forgot something."

She cupped my balls and even though her touch was gentle, I couldn't
completely stifle my scream of pain.

The pain vanished almost immediately after I felt it, and she
eventually removed her hand and studied the results of her work.

She winced, then stroked my penis gently, and I felt my skin shift
slightly.

She pulled away again, nodded, and then smiled at me.  "I don't
remember doing it, but at some point I must have put my claws through
your balls.  Your scrotum was full of blood and looked about ready to
burst..  Looked like I ripped a pretty deep gash in your penis, too."

I shook my head.  "Felt like you were getting ready to rip them off
when you touched them.  Now I know why."

Then I took the time to study what I could see of her body and I
winced.  "Sorry, Love.  We'd better switch places so I can make
repairs on you.  You must be in a lot of pain."

She shrugged.  "It's suppressed, and I took the time to stop the
bleeding before I checked you over.  As you say, nothing permanent,
and while the damage is a result of unrestrained lust, the lust was
allowed free reign out of love.  The only regret I have is that Merlin
will never be able to satisfy me when my need is as great as it was."

I nodded, then sat up while she settled.

I sighed when I looked her over.  "I know you've suffered worse, Love,
but I did more damage than usual, didn't I?"

She sighed.  "You did, but not nearly as much as a hare would have
done, and you know it."

"True.  Wrenched a hip out of place, didn't I?"

"Yes."

"OK.  Same drill.  Relax while I do the repairs.  I'm going to start
with the internal repairs."

I put my hands on her pubes and 'felt' for any damage I'd done, then
winced when I realized how much I'd stretched her and torn her in
places.

Instead of saying anything, because she already knew the toll, and
would have repaired herself if she'd had to, I gathered power and
started encouraging  her to heal.

When I was done, I could see some of the tension had left her body,
but she was still suppressing a lot of pain, so I took a deep breath
and gently worked her hip back into position before I placed a hand
over her vulva and made the cosmetic repairs that would return her to
her normal appearance.

Her ears had flattened when I brushed against her clit, and her lips
peeled back in a silent snarl, but she kept from doing anything else
while I soothed her until the swelling and redness had left.

When I was done I chuckled.  "No wonder you were satiated so quickly.
Your clit had to have been supersensitive with all the damage I did to
it."

Her eyes snapped open.  "How bad was it?  All I could tell was that it
hurt and was swollen."

"Search my memories."  I opened myself and let her see what I had seen
while I was working on it, and she winced.

I sighed.  "I must have accidentally sliced it with a fingernail,
somehow."

She finally sighed and relaxed.  "Not as bad as what's happened in the
past.  I had one lover bite it almost all the way off.  Wasn't much
holding it on, but there was enough for me to reattach it."

It was my turn to wince.  "I hope I forget that by the time this
happens again."

She smiled.  "We can compare notes after you get done."

I laughed.  "Right."

I fixed the damage I'd done to her colon, then the rest of the repairs
were fairly simple ones like dealing with the tear in one nipple, and
healing the various scratches and holes she'd picked up from my
fingernails or the rocks she'd landed on.

When I checked her muzzle, I frowned.  "I don't remember doing
anything to your head, so how did I manage to tear your lip like
that?"

She giggled.  "I kissed you after I woke up, and you were still passed
out.  For some reason, instead of kissing back, you bit me."

I shook my head.  "Not a clue, Chrys.  Write it off to the wolf in me,
I guess.  Anyway, hold still while I repair that."

I ran a finger over it to guide me while I healed the tear, then I
went back over it and carefully made sure her fur was back the way it
should be.

I pulled back and studied the results, then sighed.  "I think I got it
right, but you'd better check yourself in a mirror and make any
changes I missed."

"Thanks, Tom.  I'll do that."

"Ok"

Then I grinned at her.  "Roll over, and I'll fix the cosmetic damage
on your butt."

She giggled as she rolled over, then relaxed while I ran my hands over
her and used power to make her skin heal and her fur grow back.  When
I was done I couldn't see any evidence of scaring or missing fur, so I
patted her gently, then stretched out beside her and hugged her.  "All
fixed, Chrys."

She nuzzled me.  "Thanks.  It's a lot better when we fix each other,
instead of doing it ourselves."

I sobered a little, and ran my hand over her body.  "Get it out of
your system, Love.  I know you need to externalize things."

She sighed, then shifted until her head was against my chest.  "Hold
me."

I rewrapped her in a firm hug, and wasn't surprised when she wept the
great, wracking sobs of frustration and emotional pain that had been
held under tight control for far too long.

After all, she'd held me more times than I could count, while I'd done
the same thing.

It was the price, and joy, we shared, for being who we were.

I was mostly blank when she hiccupped a few times, and her sobbing
slowed.  My reaction was both automatic and deliberate, just as hers
was.  I reached and ran my hands over her head, and made it a point to
work her ears while she ran her hands over my body, and gently
explored, as if it was our first time together, except she didn't have
the tentativeness of a new lover.  She knew what she wanted to do, and
feel, so she did it without hesitation, and with the same confidence
her hormone driven lust had forced on her.

Eventually she slowed her movements and resnuggled.  "I love both of
you, more than I ever dreamed was possible, until I felt it."

I knew the script she was using, so I kept my answer simple.

"But?"

"Neither one of you is the other, and both of you are flawed, in
different ways."

I sighed.  "We are all flawed, Love, and we learn it as children, or
kits."

She giggled briefly, then sobered.  "True.  For Bards, that knowledge
can become a burden, because we have to be aware of our racial flaws,
not just our own."

"Go on."

"I may point out the path to change and improvement, for others, but I
dare not walk all the way down that path, myself."

"Ambassador, you haven't been a true Bard for generations, and you
know it."

She flinched, then relaxed.  "You would have gotten along well with
Nikki, when the two of you weren't at each other's throats,
metaphorically speaking."

I laughed.  "Based on your memories, I have to agree with that
assessment.  But, Love, Ash and his mate are the ones I would have
liked to meet, and talked with if I had been able."

"Oh?"

I smiled.  "I would have felt a kinship with you and Nikki even if you
and I weren't linked.  We're much alike, the three of us.  Agents of
change and stability who can seldom change, themselves.  Ash and his
mate, on the other hand, were products of the changes you and Nikki
nurtured until they bore fruit, and that fruit matured."

She was smiling when she looked at me.  "You'd never be a good Bard.
You aren't subtle enough."

"I'm only human.  I can allow myself to change, but I find it nearly
impossible to deliberately change myself."

"Give it up.  I'm part of your environment, change me."

"You won't have the excuse, any more.  It will be your conscious
choice, as it is for me, every time.  That's not an easy thing to live
with."

"But it will give me the one thing I've craved, all my life."

I kissed her tenderly again.  "Control."

"And since coming to Earth, the other thing I've craved, Merlin."

"Kay will know, and Merlin will fight you, at first."

"You let me worry about that.  He'll go along, once he realizes what
the goal is.  He's only inhibited, not unaware."

I chuckled, then closed my eyes and put one hand over her womb and the
other hand on her forehead.  "Take me deep into your center, Love."

She put one of her hands on my forehead, the other one on the one that
was on her stomach, then we opened to each other, and went on a
journey that only mind mates who had the ability to control power,
could make.

When it was over, she kissed me tenderly.  "Thank you, Tom."

Then she vanished.

I chuckled again, stretched, then went home so I could finish her
gown.

* * *

The three of us looked each other over, made a few minor adjustments
to get our clothing perfect, then touched hands and place shifted to
the entryway of Merlin's castle.

The twins were there, in elegant evening gowns from a bygone era, and
they smiled before they hugged us.

"Welcome, all of you."

"Thank you, Cathy."

She curtsied.  "Enter, and be prepared for a new, and radiant,
Velvet."

"Thank you for your welcome, and the warning."

She touched me lightly.  "Kay is upset with herself for not helping
Vel long ago, and Merlin, of course, is dazzled."

I brought her hand down so I could kiss the back of it.  "It was not a
solution Kay could provide.  She is a woman, after all.  As for
Merlin, I think he will quickly become undazzled, and surprised when
it happens."

Becky tipped her head in inquiry and I grinned at her.  "Be patient.
It is my hidden Solstice Gift to the two of them.  You'll know when
they discover it."

Her eyebrows rose.  "They?  You managed to keep it hidden in spite of
the links you and Vel have?"

"Even a Master Bard may be misdirected."

She flinched, then suddenly straightened.  "You didn't!"

"She did it to herself, with my guidance."

"You are a very devious man, Thomas."

"I know, and I love her."

She moved aside.  "Enter, all of you, and enjoy yourselves."

"Thank you."

Mahika and Wolf flanked me, then we linked arms and walked the hallway
until we got to the entry to the Great Hall.

The subdued sounds of a Ball in progress flowed over us when the doors
swung open to reveal Kay, who had disdained the frivolity of a gown
and chosen to wear a frillier version of the gingham dresses she
favored.

"Welcome, to all of you.

"Ladies, if you would release Tom to my care, I will not harm him
while you take the time to help the Ambassador beguile our guests. She
will, I'm certain, appreciate the lessening of the crowd that has
surrounded her since she made her appearance on Merlin's arm."

Both of them looked at the crowd that surrounded Chrys, hugged me,
then worked their way over to stand next to her, at which point I
looked at Kay, who had also watched the trek. 

I  laughed softly when she gasped and turned to me with surprise in
her eyes.  

"The outfits I created for Mahika and Wolf are designed to add to Lady
Chrystal's allure, of course.  This is her home, and we did not wish
to detract from her presence."

She linked arms with me after she motioned me out of the Hall and
closed the doors, then she walked us to her office.

We settled on her couch with her on my lap, then she sighed with
relief.  "I can't decide if I should thank you, or curse you.  Once
word got out about Vel, the twins have been kept busy turning away
gate crashers, so I and the staff have had to deal with everything
else, which, to tell the truth, hasn't been doing much more than
making sure the buffet is kept stocked."

She giggled and touched my hands.  "Vel told us you changed her, and
helped her get the control of her hormone driven lust, that she has
always wanted.  What else did you do?  You had to know I'd see the
changes, even if I didn't know what they were, in detail."

I nuzzled her neck.  "Nope.  If I tell you, she'll dig it out of my
mind, and that would spoil the surprise."

Kay laughed.  "So that's the way of it, is it?  Whatever it was, thank
you.  She's been more radiant and ravishing than I've ever seen her,
ever since she put the gown on for the ball.  All the men, including
Hubert, have been drooling over her every time she teases them, and
most of the women are so awed they haven't had time to be jealous.  I
thought you taught me all your tricks, but that gown of hers..."

She sighed.  "When Vel first modeled it for us girls, she looked
properly elegant.  We decided she was ready, so we called Merlin in.
He did his usual inspection and absent minded nod of appreciation,
then uttered the appropriate words.  She must have been upset with his
indifference, because she shifted a hip, his eyes got wide--and we
thought he was going to take her right there and bedamned to her gown
and his formal robe, before she shifted again and he came out of his
lust induced trance!"

I was laughing when she finished.  "Good!  It took far longer than I
expected, to get that effect, and we barely had time to get it off of
her before we place shifted and she let the last of her control
dissipate."

Kay giggled briefly, then sobered and turned in my arms so she could
kiss me.  "We knew, of course.  Hubert...  Took it well, for him, and
I comforted him as best I could.  He didn't come completely out of his
funk until she returned and confirmed what he'd felt the two of you
do.  I don't think he quite believes what she told us about never
needing you or anyone else that way, again, because he will be able to
satisfy her when she has the need that intensely."

"It will take time, before he can.  They both have much to learn
before they will feel fully comfortable with the new conditions."

We both flinched when Chrys suddenly appeared in front of us, even
though I'd felt the sudden change in her emotions.

"YOU!"

I grinned.  "Yes?"

"How dare you!.  I never asked for that!"

"I didn't do it.  You did.  Unintended consequences,  Love.  Are you
really displeased, or was my Solstice Gift adequate--and something you
would have never thought to give yourself, as a gift has to be, to be
a true gift?"

She glared at me, then her eyes went wide.  "I'd better go soothe
Merlin.  He's in a towering rage, for all the wrong reasons!  I'll
deal with your smugness, later."

She vanished.

Kay put her hands down and let go of the defensive spell she'd
started.  "What was that all about?"

"They found the hidden gift."

She spoke tartly.  "That much was obvious."

I hugged her and chortled.  "Chrys had a blind spot, and I took
advantage of it.  She only saw the results of her decision, that she
wanted to see.  When she learned the control, it also gave her the one
thing every Mage Born has always dreamed of, but never dared to reach
for.  She can now choose to be human, instead of an animal, which is
all the Mage Born have ever been, in spite of what the Mages did when
they created them."

Kay stiffened.  "Oh.  My.  Conscious control of her instincts.  Of
course she and Merlin would have fits, because now that she can be
human, she can help him learn to choose to be an animal, in the way
you can choose."

"Exactly."

She shifted on my lap, then reached to rub my crotch lightly.  "Vel
isn't the only one with needs, and the ball will survive without us
for awhile."

I hugged her and kissed her neck.  "Do you have a preference?"

She sighed.  "Stonehenge, of course, but I know it will be crowded
right now, and I desire privacy.  This couch will do, once I set the
proper spells so our guests will remain unaware of what we do.

She stood, made the appropriate gestures while I stripped and
carefully set my clothing aside, then she stripped and we settled on
the couch with her on my lap, and my penis inside her welcoming
womanhood.

We nuzzled each other for awhile, then she began to gently move on me
while I worked her chest and stomach with my hands.  Before we
completely lost ourselves in our shared love, I hugged her and
whispered the words I'd been saving for her, ever since she'd greeted
us.

"Happy Winter Solstice, Kay.

"My Love."
====

From the Heart - Christmas Eve
----

Tom uses his finger to idly stir his glass of tea into a whirlpool
that matches his thoughts.

While he studies it moodily, his thoughts wander aimlessly, until he
sighs and leans back to look around and study his surroundings.

"Lots of ghosts here, tonight."

His eyes squint briefly, then he nods knowingly.  "Too many Muses,
too.  Could be good, could be bad.  Mahika will know, and take steps
if she needs to.  Won't mind if they drop by to look over our
shoulders, just for old time's sake, and to give them something to do
while they wait.

"Get's lonely, being a Muse, sometimes.  Part of life, but that
doesn't make it enjoyable when it happens."

He chuckles almost inaudibly.  "Know how they feel, when your main
reasons for living are snatched away without any warning, and the
snatching doesn't kill you at the same time.  Takes time to adjust.
Nice to have someone to help, even if all they have is a free
shoulder."

He finishes his tea, then stands and leans back while he stretches out
the kinks in his back.

Once he's satisfied, he looks around and smiles slightly.

"We'll be at the computer most of the evening, and a sizable chunk of
tomorrow.  Got plenty of ideas and words, more than enough to host a
party, if folks have a mind to drop by and share some loneliness.  Be
the same way New Year's, too, so you if you can't make it this time,
you'll be welcome then."

Then he turns and salutes the seemingly empty stage before he turns
and leaves.
====

It's a little early, but...

Tom shrugs.  "The title should explain the reason *when* it's posted,
doesn't really matter."
* * *

From the Heart:  Christmas Day, 2009
------

Tom and his companions step though the door and pause to stamp their
feet
to get rid of the accumulated snow on them, then remove their cloaks.
They
shake them out and hand them to the hat check girl, who's eyebrows had
gone
up when she'd seen the snow covering people on a clear day, then she'd
smiled
and shaken her head when she recognized who they were.

After she had taken the outerwear, she smiled.  "Spare me one of your
'short'
stories, Stas, and go get warm."

He leaned forward to offer a peck on the cheek, which she refused by
planting
her lips on his, instead.

After he pulled back, they grinned at each other.

Then he sobered.  "Don't know if it's a story or not.  It happened, I
think."

She giggled.  "Uh huh.  I know you folks too well.  Things don't 'just
happen' when you're involved."

"You trying to say we create situations?"

"Three Alphas living together?  It's in your blood.  Inevitable."

He grimaced.  "Point.  Bend an ear towards the stage in a bit.  Then
you can
decide."

* * *

Tom settled on the stool waiting on the stage, and sighed.

"You folks know the routine.  Listen if you wish, or not.  Consider me
part
of the ambience, and ignore me, if that's what works for you."

He sipped at his glass of tea and looked around before he ducked his
head and
began...

* * *

Did it really happen that way?

Strange twist of the strings of life, if it did.
----

The young girl was still bending over after taking off her roller
skates when
the earthquake hit and people started screaming.

She froze in terror.

"Run!"

She didn't question the order, and something urgent in it broke her
paralysis.

She was still running when she slammed into something yielding.

Hands grabbed her to keep her from falling and she heard gentle
laughter.
"It's over, little Lady."

Then the hands gently turned her to face back the way she'd come from.
"Look
there.  See that pile of bricks?  Used to be the old water tank folks
have
been too lazy to tear down.  Don't have to worry about it, now."

She shuddered.  "Is that one of my skates, Mister?"

"Yes."

"Was it you that told me to run?"

"Yes, again."

"Thanks for saving my life.  Can you come home with me?  My folks will
want
to thank you for your kindness."

The hands let go, so she turned to look at the man who had saved her
life.
She noticed that he had a funny sort of smile.

"Sorry, Maggie.  I can't do that.  I can tell you they're fine,
though, and
worried about you, so you'd better get home."

Then he knelt and hugged her tightly before he let go and looked into
her
eyes.  "Someday, Maggie, you'll do something real important, that will
mean a
lot to a lot of people, all over the world.  You weren't supposed to
die yet,
so I had to save you, because that's what was supposed to happen."

He smiled at her and her heart sorta fluttered.

"I know it's either late, or early, but since I won't see you again
for quite
a few years, Merry Christmas, Maggie."

Then he vanished and she stared at where he'd been.

"WOW!  My very own Guardian Angel!"

She sprinted for home so she could tell everyone what had happened.
She felt
like she could run forever, and her heart was soaring.

* * *

When he looked up after finishing his tale, his eyes had a haunted
look to
them.

"Maggie wasn't her real name, of course, but the event was as real as
I am, I
think."

He sipped at his drink and sighed.

"Wish it were just another tale, you know?  Something done to make a
point,
or just to relax."

He shuddered suddenly.

"If only..."

His head shook wearily.  "Sometimes I get tired of things happening in
my
life.  Be nice to just kick back and be...

"Ordinary.

"I was just a kid the first time my mother told me about how she would
have
died in that earthquake, if someone hadn't told her to run, just
before the
wooden tower holding that brick water tank, collapsed.  She didn't
remember
seeing anyone, and she hadn't recognized the voice.  All she
remembered was
that someone had told her to run."

He sipped again.

"Now you folks know the way my life tends to go, and how I like to
wander
around in time and space.

"Well, I decided I'd go back and see what had really happened.  Might
say I
had a special interest in knowing who'd saved my mother's life."

He grimaced.  "While I'm usually pleased with the way life has treated
me,
sometimes a man has to let the bitterness flow for a bit, to get it
out of
his system."

He chuckled.

"Relax, this isn't one of those times.

"Nope.  *They* refused to let me come here until I got it out of my
system.

"Anyway...  This is where I deliver my traditional 'Holiday Message',
and
wish all of you a Merry Christmas, and many more to come.

"Sometimes we know what will happen when we make a decision, sometimes
we
don't.

"But, if you want to help make sure the consequences are good ones,
keep one
thing in mind.

"You have to make your decisions...

"From the Heart."
---

Merry Christmas, neighbors, and I hope I'm around to wish you many,
many,
more of them.
====

The Imp
A Man and Muse Short
----------

The inside of my left foot cramped and, startled by the sudden pain, I
looked
down and scanned it.

Much to my surprise, there was a difference in my aura, and I could
see a
small ball of energy.

"Whatever you are, you really shouldn't be doing that."

There was a long silence.  The ball of energy suddenly contracted,
then
shifted until it was hovering over my foot.  "Sorry, buddy, I got a
job to
do."

It started to shift towards my foot and I gestured slightly.  "Stop."

"Hey!  Mortals aren't supposed to be able to do that!  Matter of fact,
you're
not supposed to be able to see me at all...  Buddy, I gotta warn you,
Central
isn't going to like it if they find out you're interfering with me."

I shrugged.   "What are you?  We can talk about Central, later."

Then I raised my voice.  "Mahika!  Wolf!  Get in here!  We have
company!"

I heard them hit the dog door, then they scrambled through the door to
the
den and settled on their haunches before they scanned the room and
focused on the space just above my foot.

They both sneezed and Mahika's ears perked all the way to the front.
She
spoke calmly, but I could hear suppressed anger.  "An Imp."

I nodded.  "Thanks."

I refocused.  "Don't need one.  Got a Muse."

"New policy.  All mortals have to have an Imp in their lives."

"Mahika?  You missed any meetings?"

"No."

"Wait a minute.  You never said how you were able to detect me."

"You made my foot cramp.  Then you got something else wrong.  We're
Avatars.  Haven't been mortal for several million years."

"Yeah?  Records say you're an author and about sixty.  Rules say you
need an
Imp, buddy.  Now you got one.  Me."

"We're time travelers.   Do our work in the past.  Records knows that,
so
someone's playing a game, and it isn't me.

"Wolf!  Retrieve."

She lunged and captured the Imp in her jaws, then brought it  to me.

I took it, then brought it up so I could study it.  "You want to
rethink your
position, and come clean?"

"Look, buddy, times have changed.  We're stuck with each other."

"Want to bet your life on that?"

"I can't be killed.  Energy can't be destroyed, only transformed."

"Your education is lacking.  It can be dissipated, too.  Want to see
if you
survive the experience?"

"I'm connected to the general field.  I can block it from happening."

I sighed.  "I'm tired of your game.  I was busy being an author when
you
showed up, and I'd like to go back to work."

I clenched my hand slightly, and the Imp screamed.

"How'd you do that?  You disconnected me from the field!"

I shrugged, then tossed it back to Wolf and grinned.  "Go enjoy your
new toy
until I'm ready to talk to it again.  Be a few hours, at least."

Mahika laughed.  "Need any help?"

"Not yet."

"Good.  I'm going to check in and find out what's going on, then I'll
go help
Wolf play with her new toy.  I never did like Imps.  Oh, they serve a
purpose, but they get uppity sometimes, and the rest of us have to
sort them
out."

She vanished, and Wolf headed off to do whatever she was going to do.

The Imp stayed between her jaws and cursed us all, impartially.

 * * *

I finished what I'd been working on, fixed myself a snack, then
settled on
the couch on the back porch to watch Mahika and Wolf, who had changed
into
their human forms and were playing catch with the Imp, who was still,
after
almost five hours, weakly cursing them both.

Finally, Mahika held on to it and came over to settle next to me.

"Assignments just shrugged and told me we could do whatever we wanted.
They were wondering where it was, after it didn't show up where it was
supposed to."

Then she giggled.  "This one has a name."

"Aren't they nameless?"

"Yep.  Special case."

"We're dealing with a *special* Imp?"

"Relax.  It's the only one that's special."

"Really?  I always thought they were identical."

"This one's sort of a pet, because something went wrong when it was
created."

"Just trying to do my job, Lady."

"True."

"Thanks."

My eyebrows went up.  "It's learned courtesy?"

"Mister?  I didn't know there was such a thing as an advanced course
for
Imps, but Wolf made me take it, anyway."

I looked at Wolf.  "Advanced course?"

She settled on my other side and grinned.  "Imp, meet entropy.
Entropy, meet
Imp."

I laughed, then focused on the Imp again.  "So, what's your name?"

"Inept."

I roared my amusement.  "It fits."

"Yeah, I know.  Innate, so nobody can do anything about it.  Can you
imagine
what it's like?"

"Yep.  So what do we do with you, now that you're here?"

"I don't know.  Can't stop you, and refuse to try again, now."

I sighed.  "Is there anybody we really, really hate that much?  I
can't think
of anyone."

Mahika studied the Imp and sighed.  "I can't think of anyone, either."

I looked at Wolf, and realized she was grinning.  "Turn it around.
Send it
to someone you love."

Mahika started giggling, and I chuckled before I looked at the Imp
again.
"Just to make sure you don't get lost, I'll send you."

Then I focused  [[Chrys?]]

[[Hello, Tom.]]

[[Got a new toy for you.  Something unusual that I think you'll enjoy.
Ready?]]

[[Sure!]]

I looked at the Imp and waved at it.  "Shoo!"

[[Ooohhhh!  It's so cute!  What is it?]]

[[An Imp.  Central named it 'Inept'.]]

[[I should have guessed!  Thank you!]]

[[Enjoy yourself, Chrys.  Yak later.  I can tell you're going to be
playing
for awhile.]]

I got giggles as my farewell.

I refocused on Mahika and Wolf.  "I quote:  'It's so cute!' "

Both of them giggled, and I went back inside, to start a new story,
with the
code 'true'.

After all, even his own life is story fodder, for an author.
=========

Afterword:

This one, like so many of the Man and Muse shorts, began with a real
life
event.

The muscles in the arch of my left foot cramped and woke me up this
morning.
While I was waiting for it to go away, I had the whimsical thought
about how
nice it would be, if the cramp had been caused by something external,
which
led to Imps, and their reputation for perversity, which...

Stayed with me long enough that it got written down, and this little
romp is
now part of the Man and Muse canon.
====


There's an elegance to working with long established characters.

The easy interplay that takes place.

The sex..

Personalities so well known, they can be dumped into ANY odd
situation, and you know how they will react.

The sex.

This one, as usual, was err...  Inspired, by a real life situation.

Just as Tom is, I was bored, didn't feel like working on anything that
was already started, and couldn't think of any good ideas for a new
story.

When I'm blocked like that, I really do sometimes do what Tom does...
---

Hump Start!
A Man and Muse Scene
---

"Light.  Bright.  Fight.  Sight.  Bight.  Rope.  Soap.  Dope.  Cope.
Saw.  Law.  Raw.  Fuck.  Suck..."

Wolf finally opened an eye and studied me.  "I'm tempted to bite,
literally.  What are you doing?"

I sighed.  "I'm bored, and trying to get some sort of new story
started."

"I don't know about you, but *I'm* inspired, and since I'm not going
to be able to go back to sleep with you mumbling, I might as well get
up and do something about it."

"Oh?"

She got up, stretched, then came over to stick her nose in my crotch
and clamp her jaw around my penis and balls.

[[You want it this way, or do you want to go to bed and get
comfortable?]]

"Bed.  You interested in sitting on my face while you finish what you
started?"

She came off, turned to face the door, then flagged me before she
ambled out the door and down the hallway.

I was still in the hallway when I heard Wolf sneeze emphatically, then
there was feminine laughter.

Mahika came out of the bedroom to hug me, then looked at my glistening
crotch before she briefly touched my erection.  "Good.  You'd better
get in there and get busy.  Smells like you might as well forget about
writing, for at least two weeks."

"Smells?  Two weeks?...  Oh.  No wonder I was distracted and couldn't
write.  What about you?"

"About six months, yet."

"Good!"
---

end scene, for now...
====

When all else fails, turn the writing problem over to Tom, Mahika...
and Wolf. 
---

Spring Equinox 2011: Balanced Wheel
A Man and Muse Story
---

I was sprawled on the rug in front of our fireplace and intently
studying the toy gyroscope I'd discovered in the shed. "There *has* to
be a way to make this thing work..."

Wolf looked up from idly grooming her fur and spoke casually. "Looks
complete to me. Set it down. Put a finger on the top to steady it,
then pull the string, briskly, and let go. It should do the rest for
you. That's how you made it work when you were a child."

"What? Oh. You cheated and checked, didn't you?"

"Of course."

"Thanks, but that's not what I meant when I said 'make it work'."

She thought about my distracted comment, and my intent focus, then
sighed before she raised her muzzle and howled an ear piercing call
before she lowered her head and gunsighted the doorway.

Mahika showed up, leaned on the door jamb, and spoke mildly. "I was
only in the kitchen. There was no need to be *that* loud."

Wolf sneezed her disgust. " *He* is in one of his moods, again. I knew
that you'd be near your orgasmic peak, because of his focus, so I
wanted to make sure I was able to get your attention."

Mahika's eyebrows went up then back down, but she managed to keep
silent, and wait.

Wolf finally twitched an ear in my direction. "I need a wolfess on his
other side, and she needs to settle so her position is a mirror image
of mine."

Our eyebrows shot up, we looked at each other, and I shrugged. "I
don't have a clue, other than she's in a mood, and I do know better
than to ask silly questions."

Mahika twitched her lips into a brief smile, nodded, then shifted and
settled on my other side.

Wolf waited, then looked at me and sneezed again. "Ok. Tom, pull the
damn string."

I did, she watched the gyroscope until it ran down and fell over, then
she glared at me. "You have balance, got to be a kid again, and got
play with your gyroscope. Tell the world about what happened, and you
have your story."

She curled, and just before she stuck her nose under her tail, she
spoke mildly, without looking at us. "I'm going back to my nap."
---

End: 'Balanced Wheel.'
====

Happy Anniversary, Mahika!
---

May 10, 2011, is a special anniversary for me.

On that day, ten years ago, I introduced my Muse, Mahika, to the
world.

Then my life got interesting.

Her origin was a bit of whimsey.  I wasn't the first to mention a
Muse, and make them 'real', and I know I won't be the last.

Originally, the 'Man and Muse' scenes were just that.  They were a
means for me to relax, and make topical posts about current events,
that were intended to be more personally intimate than a dry
commentary about how I felt about something.

Those posts were, and still are, a form of practice that helps me
refine my skills as a writer.

As of this date, the 'Man and Muse' canon consists of 61 posts,
(including this one), totaling about 64,000 words, and the vast
majority of those are under1,500 words in length, as befits their
purpose, of being personalized commentary about things that have
caught my interest enough to make me decide to say something.

Then, for the Summer Solstice in 2007, I decided to use the characters
in a more formal story that was linked to the Solstice.

It...  Got away from me, and became the two chapter story called 'Lay
Lines', which brought in some new characters and became, so far, a six
chapter spin off.

'Lay Lines' was the beginning of an ongoing series that is linked to
the Solstices and Equinoxes.

It also introduced a new regular, Wolf.

Somewhen in there, I linked 'The Tails of Rabelaisia', with 'The Luck
Bringers'.  For several reasons, it made sense to link 'The Luck
Bringers' to 'Man and Muse'.

That link was solidified when I revealed in 'Wandering Wolves:
Stonehenge', that Tom, Mahika, and Wolf, were Lady Kay's first tutors
in the ways of power.

'Lay Lines' currently contains six works that total about 70,000
words.

Then, in late 2010, I decided to write a Winter Solstice story that
would more fully develop the kids I introduced in 'Lay Lines'.  The
result of that inspiration, is 'Marie's Solstice'.

That story has turned into a romp that has seen 111,000 words posted
in five parts, with three parts still in the hopper that contain an
additional 40,000 words, so far.

For not being a 'Traditional Muse', in a 'Traditional Relationship',
Mahika has certainly done her job well.

"Happy tenth anniversay, My Love."
---

Thomas (The Black Dog) Galahalt,
May 9, 2011
====

Inspired by Uther's post in ASSD 2010-02-11:  He commented about me
not needing more ideas, and getting Mahika angry at him...

Which led to the following question...

"Is there a stress management program for overworked Muses?"
---

Enough...  Is Enough!
---

"No.  No!  Nonono...  Oh gods...  Please stop..."

My eyebrows shot up and I took time out from my typing to study
Mahika's slumbering form.  'A nightmare?'  That didn't make much
sense.

Too much sex?  I dismissed that one as absurd.

I watched her body warily, and after she seemed to relax, I turned my
attention back to the novel I'd been working on.

I hit the first key, and screamed in surprise when Mahika's lunge took
me sideways, out of my chair and to the floor.

When I recovered from my shock, I realized I was gunsighted.  "Mind
telling me what that was for?"

"I had to stop you.  I couldn't deal with it, any more."

Now, I was definitely confused.  "Stop me from WHAT?"

"Writing.  Being creative."

"Mahika.  You're my Muse.  You've been hooked on my creativity, and
specifically my writing, for decades.  You've even been after me for
not doing it enough."

Her lips curled in disgust.  "I never dreamed I'd say this:  'You're
writing too much, and when you aren't writing, you're thinking about
writing, too much.'  If you love me, quit.  Immediately."

"QUIT?!"

"Not permanently.  I need to assimilate things and recover from the
overdose.  After that, we need to discuss modifying the way you work,
and how much you plan on producing."

"Umm..."

That got me a snarl.  "Don't."

"Ok."

I raised my voice.  "Wolf!  The Den!"

"If I leave now, breakfast will burn!"

"Emergency!  Time slice!"

She appeared in the doorway, in her human form.  She studied us for a
few seconds, then spoke carefully.  "Whatever it is, I know better
than try and pull Mahika off of you."

I sighed.  "It's not as bad as it looks.  All you have to do is close
everything and turn off the computer.  And..."  I sighed.  "Be a good
bitch and hide it from me until Mahika says it's ok for you to bring
it back.  While you're at it, take the laptop, and my PDA.  Umm...
Hang on before you do all that."

I studied Mahika.  "What about my cell phone?"

Mahika rumbled from deep in her chest, then sighed.  "No texting about
writing!"

"Right.  Ok, you heard her.  You can leave the phone here."

Wolf studied us a bit longer, then shut the computer down, gathered
things, and vanished briefly.  When she reappeared she was grinning.
"Consider them hidden."

I looked at her warily.  "Consider?"

"I gave it all to the twins, and asked them to hide it all, since you
don't have any links to *them*.  Then I mentioned that they would be
wise to only dig them up if Mahika was doing the asking."

Mahika sneezed her amusement.  "Good!"

She backed away and went human.  "Let's go have breakfast."

She turned and brushed past Wolf, who stepped aside when it was
obvious Mahika was quite willing to go through her.

After Mahika was out of sight, she turned back to me and spoke mildly.
"That was a unique experience.  Be nice to know what I just did."

"Helped me make sure I don't do any writing for awhile."

"What?!  An enforced vacation?"

"Well...  It's really Mahika's, and she doesn't want it disturbed."

"Talk sense."

"Sorry.  I was writing, and thinking about writing, too much.  She
overloaded."

"Excuse me??  She's your Muse!"

I sighed.  "Apparently, not enough of one to be able to handle such a
sustained effort by whoever she's linked with."

"She's getting agitated.  I think you'd better leave the den.  I'll
finish shutting it down, then, since this is an emergency, I'll have
one of the twins seal it so you can't sneak back."

I got up and hugged her.  "Thanks."

I settled across from Mahika and let Wolf serve me.

Once Wolf settled with her own food, she ate some of it and studied
the two of us before she spoke thoughtfully.

"Tom?  You'd better stay out of this for now.  If you can, don't try
to find any solutions, just listen to us discuss the problem."

"Should I leave?"

"No."

"Ok."

"Mahika?  Is it all creativity that causes the problem, or just the
creativity related to writing?"

Mahika frowned.  "Give me some time to think about that.  My nerves
are pretty raw, still."

"No problem.  Before we try to do something like mute your link, is
there a chance it could be cut completely?  I'm also wondering if
there are any lesser links acting to maintain a background noise
level.  If there are, could we block those, and maybe get you further
away from your threshold?"

Mahika suddenly shifted to her lupine form, snarled with the kind of
rage that meant death to her target, and vanished.

I shoved my chair backwards, lunged for Wolf, and as soon as I made
contact, time and place shifted us to our campground.

We tumbled briefly, separated, took the time to recover, and Wolf
sighed.  "What was that all about?"

"It hasn't been me, it's been Chrys, and Mahika just realized it.
We've been getting positive feedback from each other, and never
realized it.  Mahika lost it, reverted, and sees only one solution."

Wolf shivered.  "Death.  That's impossible."

"True.  If she were able to think, she'd remember that."

"You have a plan?"

"A hope, more than a plan.  I want you to go find us a present day
location with very little power, or none, then grab Kay and Merlin and
take them to it so they can drain it completely, and keep it drained."

"You think you can shift Mahika to it?"

"Doesn't matter.  If Chrys shifts, Mahika will follow, right?  Since
Chrys will be busy diverting all that power, I'll warn her just before
Mahika shows up, then go back to being linear so I can shift her to
wherever you folks happen to be."

"Won't work.  Mahika will be expecting a trap of some sort and she'd
come in from a distance.  Someone will have to make physical contact
and shift her while she's focused on Chrys." 

"Damn.  Have to be the twins.  Becky to shield, Cathy to do the dirty
work.  Warn...  Hang on.  We're getting company."

Chrys appeared.  "Mind telling me what set Mahika off?  She's pure
wolf right now, and wants me dead."

I sighed.  "You standing her off?  Guess I didn't get there in time to
warn you."

"You did, but before you could tell me more than to be ready to defend
myself, Mahika showed up.  Everyone else is busy shielding the castle
and surrounding area."

"Damn.  Well, no help for it, since we know I missed my timing.  Do
you think Becky and Cathy are good enough to make contact and shift
the three of them to a place of no power?"

Chrys' ears went vertical.  "So *that's* how Stefan and Sabrina did
it!"

"You lost me.  Did what?"

"Stopped a renegade Bard."

She vanished.

We looked at each other and I shrugged.  "Go find a good spot.  I know
what she's thinking, and it's a pretty elegant solution, except..."

Wolf managed a grin.  "Mahika isn't a Bard."

"I'll wait here."

She vanished.

Everything hit me at once.  Chrys' shock, Wolf's 'Ready!, and Kay's
'Come get her before we lose control!'

I went linear, transformed to my wolf body, place shifted, spotted
Mahika, lunged and got her throat in a solid grip, then followed
Wolf's link when I place shifted us both, before Mahika could block
me.

I felt the loss of power, but managed to keep my grip while she fought
me, until I gave her my best deep chested warning rumble.

She went limp and collapsed.

I held on.  >>You back yet?<<

>>Where are we?  I can't feel any power.<<

>>No clue.  I'm too focused on keeping you from doing anything more stupid than what you just tried to do.<<

>>I'm not ok, but I won't fight anyone.<<

I loosened my grip slightly, and when she stayed limp I backed away
and gunsighted her.

She rolled to her feet and shook herself, then settled on her
haunches.  "It wasn't you, it was Chrys."

"We figured that out, after you attacked her.  Took all of us to stop
you."

"I'm...  Sorry."

"You'd better be."

I sneezed my disgust with her.  "Tell me, since the link with Chrys
hasn't been a 'formal' one, can it be blocked, or something?"

"I don't know."

"We have a problem, then, because normally, we'd die, and that would
solve things.  Unfortunately, we're all immortals."

"True.  I'm under control, now."

"Good.  I'll be right back.  There's something I have to do."

I walked far enough I could access power again, then went non linear
and warned Chrys. Once I was done with that, I went back so I could
finish dealing with Mahika.

Once I was in front of her I settled on my hainches and stared at her.
"Back.  I *think* all the loose ends are taken care of, time wise."

She took the time to look at where we were.  "Elegant solution.  Who
had the idea?"

It was my turn to look around.  "Wolf.  I told her to find a place and
have Kay and Merlin drain it of power."

"I suppose that if I tried to leave, you'd get physical, again?"

"Definitely."

"Don't blame you.  That insanity has never happened to me, before."

I sneezed my disgust.  "I would have said it was impossible.  Maybe
that's the reason it hit so hard."

"Maybe. I think it was because the two of you aren't living in the
same time zone.  One of you stops, the other is still going, and both
of you have a tendency to take your work to bed, and use your dreams."

"Whatever.  I notice you've ignored the fact she and I are permanently
linked, no matter when or where we are."

"We have a small favor.  I don't get anything from her, through that
link, as far as I can tell.  Right now, I'm not willing to do any
checking."

"Understandable..."

She spoke coldly enough I could hear the frozen helium that was
driving her attitude.  "What are you thinking, Thomas?"

I winced.  When I hear my name, in that tone of voice, I know I'm at
the bottom of the cesspit, and she is getting ready to stomp on my
head to keep it there.

"I have...  A couple of possibilities I think we should look at."

"Oh?"

"Glad you don't have access to anything except your personal power.
Anyway, Chrys has a 'pet'.  What do you think of asking it to enhance
your link to Chrys?"

"Enhance?!  Are you INSANE?!"

"No.  Desperate.  What's the one thing we know for certain about that
Imp?"

"It's...  Inept..  Doesn't mean it's inept, all the time.  Let's save
that while I think about your other idea."

"Contact Central, and have them assign a full time Muse to Chrys.
Maybe, by doing that, whoever it is, will divert enough of it, that
what's left won't keep you on the verge of overload."

She looked around and studied the people who surrounded us.  "Now, I
know how the stag feels, when he's confronted by the pack."

"Well?"

She sighed before she gunsighted Wolf.  "My Alpha!  I need a new
context!"

"I heard.  May I touch link, to find out where I'm going, and how I
should behave?"

"You may."

Wolf joined us, then reached and placed a hand on Mahika's forehead.
After a few minutes she removed it and sighed.  "This could take
awhile."

She walked away, and once she was past the cordon, she vanished.

* * *

Several hours later, she returned, and held out her hand to Chrys.  "I
need your toy."

Chrys perked her ears, then nodded and handed Wolf the ball of energy
that was the Imp, Inept.

Wolf studied it, then smiled and shook her head.  "Hello again,
Inept."

"Yeah.  Hi, Wolf."

"Relax.  I have a message for you, from Central."

"Oh?  Can't be good news, if you're involved."

"It's definitely mixed.  First of all, they are a little bemused, but
will take what they can get.  No matter.  They send a sincere 'well
done'."

"Well done?  For WHAT?!"

"Well...  For being an Imp, of course."

"I don't get it."

"Chrys has become a friend, right?"

"Yeah.  I guess she has.  At least she lets me be me, instead of...
Being mean, and mocking me because I'm not a real Imp."

"We'll talk about that in a bit.  So, friends help friends, and you've
done your best, to help Chrys out?"

"Yeah.  Been real careful about that.  She's able to do things that
aren't in any book I know about."

"Right.  She uses a different book than we do."

"Yeah.  I know."

"Imagine you would, by now.  Anyway...  Your 'Imp Field' is on all the
time.  Not blaming you, it's just part of being you, ok?"

"Thanks."

"Welcome.  I'll get back to you."

"Ok."

Wolf glanced at Chrys, shook her head again, then turned to Mahika.
"Took us awhile to track down the problem, and figure out a way to fix
it."

Mahika sneezed her disgust.  "It can be fixed, right?"

"Yes.  Chrys will get her own Muse, finally.  She and the other Bards
fell through the cracks in the system, because nobody took the time to
figure out how to handle aliens.  She calls on a different wavelength,
so nobody had a reason to look at her and the others as more than
'interesting aliens'."

"That's not telling me the original problem."

"Well...   She doesn't know it yet, so she can be excused for not
realizing her...  Creativity has been put into overdrive."

"Quit ducking."

"The Imp's field, over time, did what Inept couldn't do consciously.
It created a hole in her anti-fertility spell, then made it so
Merlin's human sperm could successfully fertilize one of her eggs.
She's pregnant.  Once she has her child, her creativity shouldn't keep
you on the edge.  Just to be sure this doesn't happen again..."

She lifted her hand and studied what she held.  "Inept?  You're an
ugly duckling, and it's time for you to become the swan you should
be."

"Swan?"

"Of course.  You were always supposed to become Lady Chrystal's friend
and companion, because you're really a Muse, and the special one she
will need, until the end of all."

"I'm...  Not an Imp?  I'm really a Muse, in an Imp's body?!"

"Yes."

"Umm...  Would you hand me back to Chrys?  I don't want to make any
mistakes about this."

Wolf held it out and offered it to Chrys, who took it and studied it.
"A Muse of my own.  Did you know we don't have them, on Rabelaisia?"

"Really?!  Who inspires you?"

"Our friends.  The world itself.  Life, and living it.  All of it."

"So...  It's like you live inside a giant creativity field?"

"I suppose it is."

"Hey...  Sorry.  I wasn't trying to do anything to you, or for you."

"I know, so there's nothing to apologize for, since you were only
being yourself, right?"

"I guess.  So you're not mad at me, for making it so you got
pregnant?"

"I'd like to thank you for it.  I've always wanted a child fathered by
Merlin.  May I thank you for your incredible gift, by giving you a new
name, to go with your new job?"

"You going to help me learn how to be a Muse, and be as tolerant of my
mistakes as you have been?"

"Of course.  This isn't a good time to be asking Mahika for advice.
Besides, I'm not typical, so we're going to have to work together, to
make this work.  Mostly, I'm going to have to keep you around, so you
can keep my creativity from leaking over and bothering her."

"How will I do that?"

"I don't know.  While Tom is on vacation, I'll spend some time being
more creative, so you can scan and figure out what changes.  After
that...  Well, a Muse uses that to feel good.  You can make
suggestions, too.  Once we have things figured out, Tom can ease back
into his writing.  By then, Mahika should be able to tell if what
you're doing is working."

"Ok.  You mentioned a new name?"

"I did.  What do you think of being called 'Destiny'?"

"Wow!  What a hit!  No wonder Muses get upset when they haven't been
working in a long time!"

"Glad you like it.  You ready to go home and start working?"

"Yeah!  Let's do it!"

They vanished, and eventually Mahika sneezed.  "Was that the Zeitgeist
*using* me?"

I sighed.  "Probably.  Took him long enough to get around to you."

"I hope it's longer before he does it again.  Mind taking a walk, far
enough so we can go human, before we come back and get comfortable in
this no power zone?"

"Don't mind a bit.  You get upset if I wait a few days, before I
officially consider the crisis over?"

"No.  Now that it's started, we might as well make it a long
vacation."

"Nothing pressing.  Want to make it a sabbatical?  Been quite awhile."

She sneezed, then faced me and gently licked my muzzle.

"Thanks.  Let's take that walk, then we can come back and find other
ways you can express your creativity."
---

End: 'Enough... Is Enough'
====

One thing is certain, about Thomas' and Lady Chrystal's love life:

It's *never* normal!
---

Chrystal!
---

"Rrrr!..."

Chrys had her lips peeled back as the rumbling growl escaped from deep
inside her chest.�� Her eyes were closed, her head was tipped back
until her neck and chin were almost a straight line and the growl was
continuous.� She'd started it seconds after my lips touched her vulva
and my hands had started working her nipples, and it hadn't stopped
unless she'd been panting as an orgasm smashed its way though her
body.

When her breathing started to slow, I deliberately stroked her clit
with my tongue and she tried to curl into a ball.� 

"Ahhhhh!� Godohgodogoh...�� Don't stop!"

The fingers of one hand entered her, then I worked them back and forth
until my whole hand was wet enough for what I had planned.

Chrys must have sensed I was ready, because she curled and presented
herself better.� "Now!� Oh god...� Now!"

I shoved, hard, until my hand was completely inside her, then I curled
my fingers into a fist, and waited.

A few seconds later her entire vagina spasmed and she began a high
pitched keen.� Her walls unclenched, then started spasming strongly.

She eventually stopped her keen, and started gasping for breath.� That
kept up until her vagina stopped trying to crush my fist.

I waited some more, and finally she relaxed, then let her breath out
in a long exhalation.� "Don't move, Thomas."

"What about moving enough to lick you?"

"No!� I've had enough, this time."

I chortled and she matched it with a tired giggle.� "Don't you dare
try to remove your fist while you get in position."

"And what would that position be, oh passionate Bard?"

"I need something to drink, to replace what I've lost recently.� 'Milk
of Man', will have to do, since I'm too limp to get out of bed, even
if I wanted to."

"Insatiable Vixen.� 'Milk of Man', coming your way."

I carefully repositioned myself so she could reach my penis with her
muzzle, and once she had a good grip on my hips, I relaxed and let her
take control of that part of my body, while I focused on using my fist
to simulate the random movements of a tie.

Her tongue and teeth were expertly used, and within a few minutes I
drove my hips at her and spasmed when my pubic bone his her nose.

Incredibly, she choked slightly, then I felt her use her fingers and
mouth to massage me empty.� Just to make sure she had it all, she
suddenly jammed a finger in my ass and used a claw to massage my
prostate, which sent me into another orgasm, and la la land.

When I came back, I dipped my head and kissed her clit lightly.

She gasped, then shuddered and relaxed.� "Gently, Tom.� I want to stay
awake, not pass out."

"Coming out..."

She moaned.� "Easy!� Stop!� Now slow..."

When my hand appeared she gasped.� "Ahh!� Finish it!"

I got my hand out of the way, then covered her with my mouth, and
simply sucked and swallowed, while she ran her hands over my body.

Eventually she stopped, and licked my penis a few more times.�
"Thanks...� Get up here and snuggle."

I turned around again, then stretched out on my back.

She wrapped me in a hug, then slowly petted me while we both
recovered.

Eventually she turned my head enough she could lick my face, and I
laughed.� "What am I now?� You personal salt lick?"

"Yes.� I've always enjoyed the way you taste."

"Sounds like you have a fetish for human males."

"Two of them, Old Dog.� Just like you have a thing for tall vixens."

"Got me."

"And I'm going to keep you for awhile."

"Nothing new about that."

"No, but the way I'm going to keep you here, is."

She slid me down her body, then I felt something probe my ass.� "You
wouldn't!"

She giggled.� "Oh, but I shall!"

I felt the unmistakable sensations of a canid penis slithering into
me, and it kept going a lot longer than I was used to.� Eventually I
felt it stop, and it expanded in a few seconds, until I knew that the
knot wasn't going to come out the normal way.� If I wanted to get
away, I was going to have to place shift, or simply wait for the
swelling to go down.� 

"Sneaky, Chrys.� Been taking lessons from the twins?"

"Yes.� Hope you're not in any hurry to go away, because I've added a
small refinement."

"I'm where I want to be.� What's the refinement?� Just to make my
guess official, is all."

"The swelling doesn't go down until I let it."

"My kind of herm.� Since you're not doing anything else, you might as
well make me pass out."

She laughed, and started working me expertly.

"One orgasmic nap, coming up."
---

End: 'Chrystal!'
====

Author's note:

This one got set aside before it was finished.  I've tried to remember
the rest of the stuff I wanted to put in the original, and recapture
how I felt when I started it, two months after I had my 'mild' heart
attack.

My frustration and depression was real, in spite of the support I had
from my friends, such as Esu, and others.

I wish I'd been able to feel a hint of what has happened since.

It would have helped, a lot.
---

Along with other quirks I've developed over the years, is one I try to
give free reign to this time of year.

I try to do a 'look back and thank you' appreciation post around
Christmas time.

Generally, I've posted it to ASSD.  This year, however, I'll do it
here, as a small gift to the folks who have helped make Writer's Block
what it is.

That's ALL of you, members and non-members, participants and lurkers.

Thank you, for sharing.  I've been lax about saying how much I
appreciate what each of you has done but, as Yotna and Esu know, I
*have* appreciated it all.

Now, I hope you folks know it, too.

I still have plans for things I want to contribute, and, I hope,
somewhere in amongst all the other projects, to get started on a
major, long term project for WB.

Stay tuned, but don't stop breathing while you wait.  <g>
---

2007 - A Year of Memories
A Man and Muse Story
--------

"You remembered."

I glanced down, and to my left.  "Yah.  Too much time to think, this
year."

The white wolfess sneezed her amusement.  "You're here *to* think.  Be
glad of it."

I laughed, and bent down to kiss her nose.  "Oh, I am glad.  That was
a hell of a wake up call, you know."

"Indeed, love."  Her nose met me halfway and we shared so much with
such a simple gesture between us.

Eventually we separated and I studied one of the people who has, over
the years, become such a normal part of my life that I no longer
worried about them ever 'not being there'.

"Mahika."

She gazed at me, then nodded slowly.  "La Taverna?"

I smiled, then tilted my head slightly, deliberately playing with one
of her favorite gestures.  "Of course.  Let's walk.  I want to savor
the experience."

She shimmered slightly and I faced her human form.  

We took our time, but eventually we stood in front of a familiar door.

I pulled it open and waved her in.  "After you, Love."

She nodded slightly, and once we were inside, we handed our coats to
the coat check girl, exchanged pleasantries with her, then entered the
main room.

After we stopped at the bar for our drinks, and to order our meals,
she used her head to gesture at the stage.

I thought about it, then shook mine.  "A booth."

We settled, and while we waited for our food, I leaned against the
wall and started thinking out loud.

"What a year this has been.  So incredibly up, then to end it so far
down I was wondering what the point of going on, is."

I sipped, and smiled when she waited me out.

"To meet, and spend some time with a couple of the people I met on the
net, was...  More than I ever dreamed it could be, I guess.  Then, to
see Stonehenge in person, and dowse it..."

I was watching her face, so I noticed she managed to mostly control
her grin.

"Yes, Love.  Stonehenge is so small, yet it has had such a profound
impact on so many lives, including ours.  The stones take up such a
small area, they amazed me.  All the pictures made me feel it was much
larger.

I sipped again and relived the experience.  "Incredible, to have
touched power like that.  It's a memory I will always treasure, but
the one I treasure most, is the friendship."

I looked into my glass and spoke softly.  "Acceptance.  I hope I never
forget that.  I suppose, if I need a reason to keep going, that one is
good enough.  It's a reason to keep looking outward, instead of
inward."

"Then, there were the plans for a return.  Were they a dream?  Seems
so, now."

I looked at the room, and the other patrons, but all I could see
was...

What happened on that early October morning.

I managed to shake the memories off, and smile slightly.  "I shouldn't
forget the personal impact Stonehenge had on our lives.  I never
dreamed that someday, I would break past the barrier that has kept me
from writing novellas and novels.  I wonder where that will lead,
assuming I live long enough for the full impact to hit."

Our food arrived, and we ate in companionable silence until the edge
was off my hunger.

"The heart attack.  That was...  It's devastated me, and changed
everything important in my life.  I'm far weaker than I'm used to, and
I have no endurance, to do the things I'm used to doing."

I held my hands out and studied them.  "So much has changed.  I can't
get any answers, but I expect I only have five to ten more years left,
at best.  What should I do with those years?"

I sighed.  "I don't know.  Will I get any better than this?  Do I want
to keep going?  Should I retire?  Change directions?"

I shook my head, then glared at nothing in particular.  "And...  The
final insult.  The economy collapsed, and what I thought would be my
fallback option, was taken away from me.  Oh, it will still give me a
couple years, maybe, but I'd planned for longer.

"Still more dreams, that were taken away."

I looked at my companion, and sighed.  "Now, Mahika, I know what it
feels like, to be ready to die.  I'm not going to seek death, but I
won't fight him off, when he comes for me."

She finally nodded, and we didn't speak of the fact her head stayed
bent, in an attempt to hide her tears.

I dug my wallet out, left the money for our meals, plus a tip, then
reached across the table and lightly touched her face before I lifted
her head.

Once we made eye contact I smiled sadly and spoke quietly.

"I'm sorry, Love.  I can't bring myself to give you my usual cheery
Winter Solstice and Christmas thoughts.  If I'm still around, I'll try
to do better next year."

She touched my hand and nodded without saying anything.

We silently communed for a few minutes, then I sighed.

"I'm too tired, still.  You'll have to take us home."

She nodded slightly.  "Now?"

"Now."
---

End: '2007: A Year of Memories'
====

Philosophy on Wry
Another Man and Muse Story
---

Tom and Mahika step through the doors of La Taverna and pause. There's
activity, but the atmosphere is muted even though some patrons are
obviously having intense conversations..  Or, he notes to himself, the
ones who are having conversations are very involved in them. Mostly,
though, there is silence, the silence of people with their minds
elsewhere, or the silence of intense focus.

He shrugs out of his jacket, hangs it up, then turns to Mahika and
holds out a hand.  Her eyebrows quirk upwards briefly, then he
chuckles and takes her coat as she offers it.

He offers his arm and she hooks hers into his with a gentle smile. He
glances around again and then steps towards the bar.  "Just another
night, it looks like."

She only smiles and nods.  She recognized his mood the instant he
hesitated after stepping inside.  Patiently, she waits for the
results.

She settles on a stool while he moves behind the bar.  The waitress
currently running the bar hugs him briefly, then moves to take care of
the other customers.  She, too, has seen Tom in one of his 'moods'.

Fully into the role now, he reaches for a bar towel and starts
polishing a glass as he stands in front of Mahika.  His smile is
professional, slightly distant, but not concealing his genuine
interest in people in general.  "What'll it be tonight?"

She shifts a leg slightly, exposing a knee to point it at him.
"Philosophy, served with wry."

His smile never wavers as he glances at the knee, then refocuses on
her face..  "You got it.  Anything liquid?"

"Tears of joy, with a laughter chaser."

"No problem."  He studies her thoughtfully.  "Might take a bit of time
to prepare.  Do you mind a short wait?"

She turns away slightly to look around the room, then glances back
over her shoulder to dazzle him, and the nearby patrons, with a gentle
smile that's filled with love.  "In here?  I don't mind."

"K."  HIs lips barely shift, acknowledging the hit, then, straight
faced, he goes on:  "While you wait, have some fresh cranberry juice.
It's a bit tart, but refreshing--and it will do healthy things for the
inner person."

Gravely, she nods.  "Thanks.  I'll have some."

He pours, and watches closely as she sips and smiles appreciatively.
She nods slightly.

He nods back, then reaches for another glass to polish.

* * *

After waiting on a few customers and polishing a few more glasses, he
stops opposite Mahika and lightly touches her shoulder to get her
attention.  "I think your order is ready."

She gazes at something across the room for a few more seconds, then
turns back to face him fully.  "Well done?"

He chuckles briefly.  "More likely half-baked."

Her lips quirk, then she manages to get them under control.  "Can't
hurt to try it.  Your version can't be much worse than some others
I've had."

He nods at her hit and begins:

* * *

"Remember the old children's show 'Romper Room'?"

She nods.

"Well, I guess it's as good a start as anywhere else.  Used to have
the 'Do Bees' and 'Don't Bees'.  Now, after all these years, I'll
admit to being pretty vague about the details, but they aren't
important.

"The whole idea now is they make a good place to take off from.

"The word 'do' is such a simple word we tend to overlook that it
really doesn't mean much until it has a modifier.  Then, we really can
begin to appreciate how important it is in our lives.

"Can do.  Should do.  Will do.  Shall do.  Do not do.  Will not do.
Shall not do.  Can not do...  All are simple phrases, very clear in
intent.

"Yet, in addition to being simple, when a person applies them to their
life, they suddenly define who we are.  When we add a concept, or
action to each phrase, and apply the result to ourself and the way we
live, we have defined our personal ethos, the framework we use to
define who we are and what we will do in any given situation.

"Are you with me so far?"  He leaned back, stretching out some kinks
in his back.

Mahika nodded slowly.  "So far."

"Let's see if I can keep you with me for the entire ride."

She noded slightly, so he continued.

"Can do.  A simple statement, that says a person is confident, and has
the skills needed to perform a task.  One thing we can say about it,
is that whatever the task is, if they can do it, even though it might
challenge them, it probably isn't going to stretch them past their
limits.  Only real danger, is deciding if it will lead to casual
competence, or complacency.  Not important, this time."

She tilted her head slightly, then she nodded before she sipped her
drink after she shifted enough her knee was pointed at him again.
"Should do?"

"Should do, is a statement of intent.  I suppose, to many, it's a
weaselly way of saying 'need to do'.  It is also...  The weakest
expression of intent, of the phrases I've mentioned."

She smiled slightly.  "Because it doesn't express a true commitment to
the task?"

He flipped his bar towel open and reached for one of the empty
glasses.  After he started polishing it, he nodded.  "What I should
do, is pay respect to that slowly swinging lower leg, and take you
home, or somewhere else.  Instead, what I will do, is stay here, and
see if I can keep up the slow foreplay, to keep you edgy for later."

She raised her glass and offered a salute, before she sipped again.
"Go on."

"Will do.  A clear, unambiguous statement of intent, than has nothing
to do with already learned skills.  Something needs doing, and it is
going to get done, somehow.  It's similar to 'can do', but a lot more
definite about completing the task.  This one allows for stretching
beyond one's limits, and encouraging self discovery that leads to new
limits that might someday be pushed further outward.  Succeed often
enough, and to some people, 'casual competence' will appear to be
arrogance.  Even failure teaches, and if failure is kept in
perspective, growth is possible, because you've learned something
new."

Set set her empty glass on the bar, and tipped her head at it.

He smiled slightly, again, and then picked up her glass.  "Shall do,
is a clear statement of intent.  'I shall fill this.'  Succinct, and a
clear prediction of a future action."

He smiled.  "Same, again?"

"Please."

He refilled the glass, then set it on the bar and studied it.  "Do not
do.  That is generally assumed to be advice of some sort.  It could be
given to oneself, or it could be spoken to someone else.  Implicit in
the statement, is the assumption that unless the tone says otherwise,
the advice is intended to be helpful.  Implied, usually, is a warning
of some sort, that may, or may not, be based on personal experience."

She studied him, then gestured at her knee.  "One thing I do not do,
is point my best knee at a man, unless I feel he deserves it.  So,
wouldn't that make one aspect of a properly used 'do not do', a
promise?"

He tilted his head while he thought about it, then grinned.  "Promise,
or a threat."

She glared briefly, then decided she should laugh.  "We will not
discuss the nuances, here."

"Excellent!  A clear statement of immediacy, with the possibility of
something being done in the future."

"I shall not do more, unless your knee, and the now swinging leg that
is attached to it, stops swinging."

She drained her glass, set it on the bar, then stood up.  "The leg has
stopped swinging.  You can not do any better than you have, so it is
time to escort me to someplace private, so we may...  Explore the
nuances of your creativity, as they apply to the proper expression of
your relationship with your Muse."

He put the glass he'd been polishing where it belonged, then he put
the towel away.

After a quick hug of the waitress, he stepped from behind the bar and
hooked his arm.  "Perhaps my Muse would like to swing both her legs
while we go get our coats?"

"Your Muse would enjoy that very much, as long as what follows...
Stops your jaw from swinging!"
---

End: 'Philosophy on Wry'
====

End: Man and Muse: The Second Five Years

-- 
Pursuant to the Berne Convention, this work is copyright with all rights
reserved by its author unless explicitly indicated.
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