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Subject: {ASSM} The Challenge Universe 2/4: Mind Home 1/3 Planetfall (zoo/best, asst codes, alternate reality) TBD
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Date: Fri, 13 Apr 2012 15:10:04 -0400
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The Challenge Universe 2/4: Mind Home 1/3: Planetfall (zoo/best, asst
codes, alternate reality)
---

    A style convention in all these stories is the use of normal
quotes for normal speech and doubled quotes for telepathic speech.

    Dedicated to a very special writer, she knows who she is.

    As always, I retain the copyright to my work.

    There is no sex in this story. It is intended as an intro to a
series of works about the origins of Mind Home.

    M/wolfess zoo / no sex
    ----

    Planetfall
    Beginnings - chapter 1
    ----

    There are legends about how our world was founded.

    About people.

    About other beings.

    About choices made and promises given.

    We have names.

    Stories.

    Tales told in the inner circles of the Brethren.

    Tales told to pups and trainees about our history.

    Stories told to teach.

    Even legends may have their basis in reality.

    This is one such tale.

    ---

    "There it is. Our new home."

    For the first time in far to long, the shields over the view ports
have retracted into their storage positions.

    A blue-green world hangs before us.

    Achingly beautiful, it draws us.

    "Time to resurrect our passengers."

    Julie nods slightly as she mentally relays my order.

    Second in command and also my senior wife, her eyes gleam yellowly
in the subdued light of the bridge screens.

    No human has yellow eyes you say?

    True.

    You see, Julie is a wolf. Her kind were genetically engineered
from the Terran originals.

    Lithe and supple, she still retains the awesome sense of
controlled power her ancestors are noted for.

    Bioengineered to enhance her telepathy, she is also a mutant.

    The 'tinkering' produced a wolf capable of speech.

    50 years ago, the link was finally traced and reproduced.

    There are several of her 'children' with us.

    Most of her kind remain on Earth.

    I think she and her pack members are some of the most beautiful
people I've known.

    Yes, I love her deeply.

    I was barely out of my teens when I became part of the ongoing
project of trying to save Terra.

    That was when I fell in love and our link formed.

    Very few of her kind still exist on Terra.

    Except for those living in a few isolated pockets, the mutagens of
two centuries ago wiped out most of them.

    I still remember those terrible years as the pack-mind diminished
in strength.

    The frenzy as the remaining wolves, wolflings and the humans
paired with them had desperately worked to save all the priceless
knowledge held by the group mind.

    She, and others of her kind on this ship, are part of Terra's
desperate attempt to save something from the remnants of that terrible
destruction.

    All creatures had suffered.

    Man worst of all in his initial refusal to admit Terra was dying.

    There was hope for Terra at last.

    The destruction had finally been stopped.

    A recovery program had been initiated.

    Discovered planets were to be seeded in the attempt to make sure
something remained even if Terra herself did not survive.

    Planets such as this one have been carefully chosen. Earthlike,
they have been checked carefully to insure that any changes man and
his partners make will not disrupt the existing ecological balance.

    Hopefully, we've learned our lesson.

    With that thought, I turn to face one of the other two people who
share this moment with me.

    As I do so, my eyes stop at a small plaque attached above the
Captain's station.

    A simple thing of plastic with etched and darkened letters.

    I still remember the thrill those words had given me the first
time I recited them after pairing with Julie and becoming her
life-mate.
    ---

    The Brethren's Creed

    I will never forget I am the keeper of a trust.
    That trust is to see that the world I live on and in
    Remains in balance.

    My greatest responsibility is to see that
    The ecological balance of my world is maintained.
    I will do my best to help maintain that balance.

    I will strive to never make decisions that show
    A disregard for consequences.

    Once given, my word is my bond.
    It shall bind me stronger than any chain.

    Allister Cassidy
    new year 1
    Terra
    ---

    As I come back to myself, I lift my eyes and let them rest on the
face of the man seated beside me.

    I have known him for the better part of my 200+ years.

    He looks middle aged.

    There is a twinkle in his eyes that speaks of a love for life.

    I know he was several hundred years old when I first met him.

    I have never asked him how he comes by his extended lifespan.

    Allister Cassidy.

    The man who saved not just Terra but her companions in several
alternate realities.

    The man who wrote those simple words long before I was born.

    He is a 'World-Walker'.

    One of those few who watched in heart-wrenching agony as not one,
but many worlds suffered as a result of man's blindness.

    Alternate world lines are a reality.

    His own mind-mate is still in stasis.

    Wind-Rider is a member of the equine race who's homeworld suffered
almost as much damage as Terra One during those terrible years of the
Mutagenic Plagues.

    Allister's lips quirk slightly in recognition as our own separate
memories remind us of the pain we suffered during those years.

    I wonder if my eyes show the pain as much as his do.

    It's times like these that remind me of my years.

    Julie's quiet presence in my mind helps mute the pain once again.

    Suddenly his eyes light with a joy I have not seen during the
entire voyage.

    My own link with Julie echoes that joy as all our passengers are
re-awakened and long dormant linkages are re-established.

    Linda, the last person on the bridge, sighs softly. She is my
human wife and loving mother of all our children.

    This is a colonization done by extended families.

    "I wonder what it must be like?" Her voice is softened with
wonderment.

    Careful not to disturb the moment of everyone's mental reunion she
continues... "It has to be incredible from the way you react every
time it happens."

    I smile at her.

    She has never formed a mind-link.

    Our limited pool of unpaired beings has not produced anyone she
has been able to mind-link with.

    I hope the next generation will produce a partner for her and
others like her.

    "Let's start the surface scans."

    All we have are old scans from the probes that found the planet
and we need to choose our landing site.

    As we work through the areas we had tentatively chosen, Allister
is making quiet comments.

    Finally, he stopped. "Go back to area 12.

    "Yes.

    "I think it will do.

    "An older river valley that has broad beaches on either side.

    "Close to the mountains and in the temperate zone.

    "Freeze that image and enhance."

    He vanishes from the bridge. A few minutes later, a horse and
rider appear on the beach.

    The radio link comes alive.

    "Looks good.

    "It feels nice down here." The tiny figure waves towards the sky.

    "Come on down.

    "We can land the shuttles a ways up the beach from here.

    "Lot's of room to park and release the aquatics."

    I look at Linda and Julie. "Understood. I'll get them started
loading. See you in a bit."

    I hold Linda. Then Julie comes over to join us.

    As we stand together in the center of the bridge. I announce the
news. "Check the screens and co-ordinates folks. You can begin
transfer operations.

    "We're home.

    "See you all dirtside."

    With that, the three of us embrace each other.

    Julie and I reach, there is a subtle twist and we are standing on
the beach next to Allister and Wind-Rider.

    As we savor the tang of fresh sea air, I smile.

    Home.

    A new beginning.

    With a childish grin for us, Allister leans forward as Wind-Rider
rears in joy. Then Wind-Rider takes of at a dead run with Julie right
beside them.

    Hooves and feet flashing in the surf, the first tracks of our
future are being laid down.

    "Is that grass I see?" Linda tugs at my arm and pulls me towards a
patch of green.

    "Let's go find out."

    Laughing, we set off to reaffirm our love and begin exploring our
new world.
======

    zoo / no sex Bonding.
    ----

    Landing
    Beginnings - Chapter 2
    ---

    "Oh, no! They'll kill her!"

    Linda was frantically grabbing for her communicator.

    "All crews! Emergency halt to unloading!

    "REPEAT!

    "STOP ALL UNLOADING!"

    She was screaming and sobbing. Then she grabbed Julie.

    "Take me to the shuttles. NOW!" She and Julie vanished.

    I looked at Allister and Wind-Rider. Allister shook his head
slightly. They weren't sure what was going on either.

    We were settled in the shade and relaxing after doing some
exploring of the area. I had fallen asleep and Linda's screams had
jolted me more than I cared to admit.

    Julie called to me. ""Ward? Tell Allister and WR. Then the three
of you join us at the third shuttle immediately."" She was speaking in
what I called her 'command mode'. Generally, she only used it in dire
emergencies.

    "Allister, WR, they need us. Now." We moved.

    The third shuttle was painted with the piebald markings that
indicated it was equipped to handle the largest of our aquatics.

    Orcas.

    I could see that an Orca was partly unloaded.

    Blood was covering the equipment.

    That surprised me.

    How could something like that happen?

    "We're her only chance.

    "She's impaled on a piece of equipment that somehow got under her.

    "The crew didn't notice and if we try to move her by normal means,
it will shift and probably kill her.

    "I *think* the four of us can move her." Julie's voice is quiet
and filled with tension.

    I looked at the two beside me.

    Allister looked at me.

    Then he looked at Wind-Rider.

    Then he let out a deep sigh.

    Softly, "Let's hope Julie is right.

    "Let's do it."

    Linda was leaning against the Orca and she was covered in blood.

    Her eyes were unfocussed and she was sobbing.

    She was also speaking as if she were in agony.

    "The pain... Do something about the pain. IT HURTS!"

    The four us spaced ourselves around the two of them. Once we were
each touching the Orca, Allister directed us. "Out there. Just off
shore in water deep enough to cover her. On my count of three."

    "Everyone have the image? Good!

    "One.

    "Two.

    "Three!"

    We moved.

    As soon as I felt water, I knew we had done it.

    I felt Julie shift back to shore.

    A moment later. she reappeared with a medic.

    As Julie left again, I waded over to Linda.

    She collapsed into my arms.

    Too exhausted to think about trying to transfer to shore, we held
each other and waded back to the beach.

    I could see the huge piece of metal that had impaled the Orca.

    "It fell into the chute just as they started to unload.

    "Nobody noticed and she slid onto it.

    "Her weight wedged it and she knew if she was moved it would only
cause more damage.

    "That's when I heard her scream for help."

    Eyes suddenly wide, Linda stared at me.

    She whispered. "She says her name is 'Neoki'.

    "We linked!" I grabbed her as she started to collapse.

    I somehow managed to support her as we stumbled to the shade next
to the shuttle.

    As I leaned back and felt the solidity of the shuttle, I looked
out to where Neoki was.

    I could see Wave Rider teams gathered around her and helping the
medic. Her already unloaded pod members were restlessly patrolling the
area.

    Suddenly there was a chorus of shouts and the other Orcas and
Dolphins erupted into a spontaneous wave dance.

    I sighed happily. Neoki would live.

    I turned to Linda. She was radiant.

    "Go.

    "Neoki needs you.

    "I'll have the Riders get some equipment ready."

    I reached for my communicator. "All crews. Neoki will live. Check
your areas and you can resume unloading."

    Only Julie heard my soft comment after I shut off the
communicator. ""This time.""

    Wet, bedraggled and tired, Julie joined me in the shade. As she
sank to the ground next to me, we were watching as Linda waded back
out to her new partner.

    ---

    It was hours before Allister and Wind-Rider rejoined us.

    I noticed he had stopped to talk to the unloading crew of the
third shuttle.

    As he stood next to Julie and I and watched the drama being played
out before us, he sighed.

    "Neoki was very, very, fortunate.

    "First, that Linda heard her mental screams.

    "Second, that the unloading was stopped before any serious damage
was done.

    "The actual damage is a deep slice but it missed anything vital.

    "Fast-heal and a few more hours and she'll be fit enough to start
swimming again."

    He looked at me soberly.

    "Which brings us to the *real* problem. We need to get her and
Linda out of here as soon as possible."

    I nodded. "I know. We hadn't planned for something like this. It's
been a long time since we had problems unloading from a shuttle.

    "Did you find out exactly how it happened?"

    "Not completely.

    "It looks like a weakened bracket finally broke.

    "Unfortunately, it happened just when the crew was turned away to
finish adjusting things.

    "With all the noise, the only one who noticed was Neoki.

    "With no Wave-Riders nearby, there was no way for anyone to relay
to the crew."

    Another sigh. "I've ordered that all unloadings require a Bonded
pair of that type present until unloading is complete."

    He leaned on Wind-Rider's back.

    From the tenseness in the way he stood, I knew he was blaming
himself for not thinking of such precautions beforehand.

    I spoke privately with Julie. ""Relay the word to everyone. We've
just had a vivid reminder of what can happen if we get casual about
things.""

    She nodded and took off to pass the word.

    "Allister." I went over to where he was leaning on WR. I gently
placed a hand on his shoulder and turned him towards me.

    "You can't be responsible for everything here.

    "Accidents do happen. This was one of them."

    I smiled tightly. "If anything, it was my responsibility to have
people watching each unloading.

    "How about the two of you go find some shade and relax? Consider
that a strong suggestion from a concerned friend."

    Wearily, he raised his head and looked at me. I could see the
exhaustion and pain in his eyes. He nodded.

    I watched as he placed a hand on Wind-Rider's shoulder for support
and the two of them staggered off.

    Both of them??

    I froze in shock.

    Where was the nearest medic?

    Shuttle five.

    I transferred, spun the medic and ordered, "Quick, the emergency
depletion kit. Move, woman! It's Allister and Wind-Rider!"

    Eyes wide, she spun and sprinted for the kit with me right beside
her. As soon as I knew she had a grip on it, I grabbed at her and
transferred for where I had last seen Allister and WR.

    As we reached them, they were still staggering.

    I had to stand in front of them to stop their progress.

    She was good.

    She had been reaching for the Human injector when I had grabbed
her at the shuttle.

    She completed the motion and stabbed it towards Allister.

    She dropped that one and her hand dived for the Equine version.

    Hand a blur, she injected Wind-Rider as he started to collapse.

    Wind-Rider slowly fell over and his chest stopped moving.

    Time froze for one awful moment.

    Then, their chests heaved in unison and settled into steady, if
shallow, rhythms.

    For all of us, time began again.

    The medic sighed with relief. "We barely made it in time. It was
about the closest I ever want to be to not making it."

    I helped Allister over so he could lie next to Wind-Rider.

    He sighed and leaned against WR's neck.

    I saw a soft smile as he relaxed and re-established their link.

    At the same time, Wind-Rider relaxed and the tenseness left his
body.

    I nodded at her. "Thank you. Ahhh..." Embarrassed, I waited for
her to supply her name.

    I got a grin at that.

    Then she smiled. "Why, father. I don't believe you can't remember
me."

    I looked.

    Sure enough, it was my oldest daughter.

    "Cheryl!"

    I hadn't seen her since she went into stasis for the trip.

    Dropping the smile for a frown of concern, she became all
business.

    "We can't move them for at least 48 hours.

    "No transferring, no physical movement."

    She smiled ruefully. "I've had previous experience with these two.

    "Nothing this bad. I'll tear strips out of their hides later."

    She surprised me by reaching down and tenderly stroking Allister's
cheek.

    He smiled as she gently spoke to him.

    "Dear, sweet, man. You've done it again. I do hope I don't have to
do this again for another hundred years or so."

    Briskly. "We need to get something here for shelter.

    "Move, people."

    ---

    Julie and I were finally back under the trees.

    The excitement over for now, we had made arrangements for Allister
and Wind-Rider to be taken care of.

    Cheryl had taken over and there was no chance of them moving
anywhere.

    Linda had been given a hastily constructed raft and in a couple of
more hours she and the other Wave-Riders in Neoki's pod would be
leaving for the high seas.

    She too was in good hands.

    Some hasty rescheduling had brought the rest of the pod down to be
unloaded.

    "Ward?"

    "Yes, Julie?"

    "The schedule is drawn up for the rest of the landing isn't it?"

    "Yes. You should know, you helped."

    "Good. Let's turn everything over to Cheryl and Allister and take
off for a while.

    I paused in my lovemaking. "Are you sure?"

    "No. But I think we both need the break.

    "Neither one of us has had a real break since before we left
Earth.

    "Linda will be at sea for at least a month.

    "When you think about it, our jobs are done here.

    "We're explorers.

    "Always have been."

    I let myself think about her words.

    She was right. Our jobs were done for now.

    I could feel how tense we were from the pressures of being in
charge of things for so long.

    That and the aftermath of the problems earlier in the day told me
we *did* need to take a vacation.

    I cradled her head in my hands and kissed her. "Agreed. We leave
in the morning."

    With that, we resumed our lovemaking.

    Later, as we faded into sleep, I had one last comment for her.

    ""It's a beautiful world.

    ""Almost as beautiful as you are.""
=====

    More non-sexual stuff for the most part.

    Neighbors, With my Equine's World/ Challenge universe, I'm world
building. A world in which zoophilia is as accepted as heterosexual
coupling is here. So, animal/human sex is regarded as unremarkable and
treated as casually as a normal part of many relationships.

    The sex will happen, but it will happen in the context of it being
right and natural in a given situation.

    Don't expect stroke material

Note:  I left in the reference to the new world as 'Equine's World'.
It is in a lter story that the name 'Mind Home' is used as the
official name."
    ---

    Drifting
    Beginnings - chapter 3
---

    ""It's too quiet here.""

    ""That's to be expected dear. We're the first ones away from the
landing area.""

    ""Everything tastes funny.""

    Linda chuckles. ""Is that *all* you can think about?""

    The pod was well out to sea. Spread out and exploring this new
world, they were also Bonding Linda to them. Linda was on the raft and
relaxing after a swim that had involved her in a joyous dance of love
that had involved all the Orca and human members of the pod.

    Now, after all these years, she felt she was finally doing the job
she was truly meant for. No administrative details to distract her
now. The long established oral traditions of the Orcas would let them
all perform their duties and record things in full detail later. Once
territories were established, the seas of this world would become
parts of a linked whole.

    Just as, after many centuries, the seas of Earth had become linked
again.

    This world's sea creatures would not suffer the disruptive noise
that had devastated the oceans of Earth until technology and public
awareness had advanced enough to let people and supplies travel the
oceans in ships that made no noise other than the sound of water
against their hulls.

    Equine's World's oceans would be traveled by sailing ships and the
silent travel lifts.

    Here, as on Earth, sonic booms and other sonic disruption
resulting from travel would be a thing of the far past. All travel
that could produce such effects would be done at altitudes that
prevented the sound reaching the ground.

    A matured human race had finally lost the desire to hurry at all
costs. Hurry now meant waste later. A lesson driven home by the
terrible ecological disaster Earth was still recovering from.

    Something else humanity had finally relearned was the ability to
enjoy silence. Silences were such a normal part of life that Linda
shuddered at her memories of tales Allister and Ward had told her
about the way things had been.

    One of the things the Wave-Riders had access to were the sagas of
those times. Already, she had heard some of the Orcas' sonic memories.
A sacred commitment a Wave-Rider made was to never allow a return to
that past.

    She smiled as she remembered when an interviewer had first called
the people of Allister's Institute 'Guardians' when she was talking
about their efforts at rebuilding Earth's ecology. Few ever realized
that they were also guardians of the memories of the past. Or, as the
advanced teams knew too well, the future.

    Guardians who remained ever vigilant in a silent war against
mankind's constant desire to dominate and control his environment
rather than live as part of it.

    ----

    During the previous days of travel, Linda had shared with the
other human Wave-Riders who were members of the pod.

    Languidly, she briefly wondered how Ward and Julie were doing. 'Is
this what they share? No wonder they seemed so complete. So... self
contained and comfortable with themselves and the world around them.'

    She marveled anew at the years she had spent with Ward and Julie.
Now, Bonded with Neoki and the other members of her pod, she was
learning just what it had meant when Ward and Julie had asked her to
join them those many, many years ago....

    * * *

    "Hello Linda. Welcome to the Institute. Julie and I will be your
advisors until you get settled, find a partner and begin advanced
training."

    She had been awed by them at the time. Next to Allister and
Wind-Rider, they were one of the best known teams of 'World-Walkers'.
Yet, they had taken their turn at welcoming newcomers.

    Later she learned that this duty was shared by all teams in
rotation. At the time, it had surprised her that they would do
something as seemingly inconsequential as being advisors to newcomers.

    "And years later, when I had to do the same, I found out it wasn't
as easy or as simple as they made it look."

    "Linda?" That was Dan. One of the Wave-Riders sharing the raft
with her.

    "Sorry Dan. Just remembering out loud. Thinking about Ward and
Julie and how we first met."

    Softly. "I never had a full Bond such as they share. I was able to
mind-link with some of the animals at the Institute, but I never
Bonded until now, with Neoki."

    ""Yes dear. I know you're special."" She chuckled softly as Neoki
broached near them and eyed her before going off and exploring again.

    "Anyway, here I was, fresh from my preparatory studies and being
welcomed by those two. They made it look so easy. It was years later
that I found out the amount of skill and preparation that it takes to
welcome people to the Institute. The *training* you go through before
you welcome people for the first time.

    "I had no way of knowing that they had studied everything
available in my records. They had even viewed the tapes of my
interviews. All I knew was that they seemed to know me better than I
knew myself." She paused to savor again those long ago feelings.

    "Linda, all welcoming teams do that as a matter of routine. It
helps us to place people properly from the start."

    "I know that now Dan. At the time, it just made me feel special.

    "So... *welcome*. "

    She hugged him and whispered. "All of us *are* special. No matter
who we are or where we are or what we do. Members of the Institute or
plain citizens of Earth. Human, animal...

    "It doesn't matter a bit. We are *all*, in our individual ways,
*special*.

    "It took Ward and Julie to make me realize that.

    "Is it any wonder I fell in love with them?"

    As she fell silent, she let her mind drift to her past again.

    As though it had happened just recently, she remembered....

    * * *

    It was months later. She had done trial teamings with many of the
unpartnered animals at the Institute. During that time, se had
mind-linked with many of them. Eventually, she drifted back to her
first love. Canines. When she bothered to think about it, she decided
that since her earliest interspecies sexual relationships had been
with dogs, she should have expected that she would have an affinity
for the enhanced canines and wolves.

    She never tired of just relaxing and watching the advanced canine,
lupine and vulpine teams do their training exercises together.

    At first, she worked with already paired animals that she could
mind-link with. Eventually, after weeks of short sessions with
unpaired canines, she met Snowflake.

    Actually, his name of record was Maxmillian. In a fit of whimsey
shortly after they had decided to work together longer, she had
privately called him Snowflake. Pure white with a silken coat, his
effortless grace reminded her of silently drifting snow. Amused, he
had kept the name as his working one.

    Now, after several weeks, the two of them had agreed to pair
permanently. During lunch and the usual conversation with Julie, she
decided to announce what they had decided.

    "Julie?" Linda was hesitant.

    "Yes Linda?"

    "Snowflake and I have decided to become a team." She blushed. "He
and I.... Well, besides the fact we fit well together, we also enjoy
the sex with each other. There's more to it than just good fun or
'scratching our itches.' We love each other already...." Her voice
trailed off into an embarrassed silence.

    "Good. No reason to be embarrassed. That 'love' is an important
part of being paired. Ward and I loved each other long before we met
in the flesh. That we wound up teamed was a bonus that we could only
hope for. Many of us spend years here before we meet our 'partner'.

    "How about you and he come over tonight and we'll make it official
and have a small private party for you. Just the four of us so you
won't have to worry about making special preparations for it. Just
drop in when the two of you are ready."

    ---

    "I welcome the newest team to the Institute. The pay is poor and
the work is often hard. There will be pain in your future but there
will also be many, many rewards. More than enough to compensate for
the hardships."

    Ward had raised his glass of juice in a toast to Linda and
Snowflake. "Allister and Wind-Rider send their regards as well.

    "Any plans for the future yet?"

    They were sitting on the grass on Ward and Julie's porch. It was
early evening and they were relaxing as they watched the ever changing
colors of sunset.

    Ward and Linda were sitting with their backs against the wall.
Julie and Snowflake were resting their heads in their partner's laps.
The mood, though serious at times, was the relaxed one shared by close
friends who can say as much with silence as they can with words. The
four of them had shared other evenings together like this as they
discussed Linda's progress, hopes and fears. Often, Ward and Julie
would regale her and her current partner with tales of their own
adventures. Early on, Linda had learned that in spite of all they had
been through, they had never lost their sense of balance that let them
see life with the clear eyes of children. However, that vision was
tempered with the hard-earned wisdom of adults.

    That quiet, unassuming confidence gave her hope for herself and
her future when she was having problems.

    Ward had his left arm around Linda. He hugged her briefly. "The
two of you will be a good team. The administrative staff has been
after me to ask you if you would be willing to work with them until
you decide what your permanent duties will be." He chuckled. "Someone
finally got around to checking your files and discovered your
organizational skills. Frankly, we need a person of your abilities.
Most of us are explorer types and have very little skill at keeping
things flowing smoothly.

    "No, you wouldn't be tied down permanently. Everyone here has to
do field work of some type. If you could help us get better organized
though...."

    Wistfully. "That alone would make our job so much easier. Much of
our time is spent in trying to find out what we already know or have
done in the past. Things happened so rapidly in the early years that
the records were poorly kept."

    He sighed deeply. "We were too busy saving worlds to worry about
keeping paperwork organized. Now that we've stabilized things, we
discovered how big a mistake that was."

    Julie lifted her head to look deeply into Ward's eyes. He nodded
slightly. She faced Linda.

    "There's one more thing he isn't telling you. Something we're not
sure how to ask without making you feel under pressure. Actually, he's
afraid to ask you so he's letting me ask you as one female to another
so you can *know* that I agree with him in this. Fully.

    "If you are willing, we'd like to have you join us. You see, in
the months we've known you, he and I have grown to love you. For the
first time, we want to invite someone else into our lives on more than
a casual basis. You and Snowflake.

    "No need to decide right away but the offer will always be there
for you."

    * * *

    "Dan, I was stunned. Ward and Julie had been paired for over 150
years. Now, they were telling Snowflake and me that *we* were the
first people they wanted to invite to join them?

    "It took years of being around Bonded pairs before I realized even
part of what it meant to make an offer like that. The Wave-Riders
don't have the same type of relationship that the Canid and Equine
teams have. Whatever it is that makes them different, it makes it much
harder for the Canid and Equine teams to form long term pairings with
unbonded humans

    "Generally, they pair with humans who are Bonded with the same
species. For Ward and Julie to invite a human/canine team to join them
was doubly unusual."

    * * *

    I turned to them in shock.

    "Me and Snowflake? Join the two of you? That doesn't make sense.
Surely there have been others."

    Ward leaned his head on my shoulder. Surprisingly, he started
crying softly.

    Through his tears and with many pauses, he explained.

    "Julie and I generally live alone.

    "There have been those we have shared brief periods with. Even
after years together with them, Julie and I never felt as comfortable
with them as we do with you. In the few months we've been around you,
we've discovered a quiet peace in your presence.

    "The lives of World-Walkers are often lonely ones. Because of that
and for other reasons, we seldom form intense, long term relationships
with others.

    "Another, unspoken reason is that some of us who have Bonded are
going to have lifespans vastly longer than 'normal'. I'm about 175
years old now, I should be displaying signs of extreme old age. Yet,
you see me as I was when I Bonded with Julie. Julie is 200 years older
than I am. Allister and Wind-Rider are about 400 years old. Always,
there is the knowledge in us that unless we happen to find a life-mate
of our species within those rare few who share our extended
life-spans, we will watch our mates age and die.

    "Still, we are open to the possibilities. Julie and I agree that
with you and Snowflake, there is a real chance of deeper bonds forming
between the four of us.

    "Because of that, Julie and I both felt we had to ask. Give you
and Snowflake a chance to think it over.

    "We've deliberately held back until you teamed. Both of us want to
make love with you. Share our happiness with you. Share as much of our
time here with you as possible. Yes, even share our pain with you.
Being 'World-Walkers' isn't all good feelings and successes.

    "For as long as you are willing, we'd like to join our lives with
yours.

    "More importantly though, we don't want you to feel forced into
this.

    "Take your time. We'll be around each other for many years.
Patience above all else is the one thing you learn at the Institute."
He fell silent and with his head still on my shoulder, I could feel
him simply gazing off and waiting. He briefly hugged me and then all
was quiet as he left me with my thoughts.

    * * *

    "Dan, Ward and I made love under the stars that night. While
Snowflake and Julie stayed at the Institute, he and I hiked out to a
clearing in the surrounding forest.

    "It was... A love I had never experienced. The tenderness and
feathery touches that awakened all my desires. Hands and lips that
told me of so many years of loving that I couldn't imagine the skills
he had had time to learn.

    "Yet, those skills were combined with a tentativeness that made me
think of someone newly discovering sex.

    "In the languid afterglow of our shared satiation, I asked him
about that difference."

    * * *

    "Ward?"

    "Yes, Linda?"

    "Something bothers me."

    "Ask."

    I paused to collect my thoughts. There was no polite way I could
think of to ask my question. Finally, I decided to trust that Ward
would understand this and make allowances for my asking a question a
lover should never ask their partner the first time they are together.

    I snuggled against him and spoke quietly as I stared unseeingly at
the stars.

    "You seemed.... Tentative. Unskilled at sex in some ways." I
blushed. "Yet, even through that, I could feel your skill. A
tenderness and understanding that overwhelmed me."

    As I started speaking, I felt him tense slightly. Then, as I
finished, I felt him relax again. He had understood what I was asking.

    There was a long pause during which I could somehow sense him
searching for an answer that would explain in a way I could
understand. Had I asked a question for which he had *no* answer I
could understand?

    Finally, he sighed. Nuzzled me a bit. Then he gently turned my
head and looked into my eyes.

    "I *am* unskilled at this. Not as you may think though. Almost all
of the women I've had sex with are Bond-Mates. We've shared our
feelings through our links with our partners and once in a rare while,
directly. Because of that, I've never really learned to read body
language only. The feedback to my actions has always been quicker,
more direct than that. I had to learn you through touch alone without
your emotions in my mind.

    "It was, for me, an unsettling experience. I didn't know if I
could read you well enough to communicate through body language alone.
I had to constantly remind myself to pause and feel your body
movements to learn what you liked. Thus, my tentativeness and seeming
inexperience.

    "It's been more years than I care to remember since I made love as
*just* a man to a woman. To have sex with a partner with only their
body language to listen to."

    He fell into an embarrassed silence.

    In the shared silence, I pondered this revelation. It was the
first hint I had about the essential differences that set linked pairs
apart from others. Dimly, I could begin to understand a comment Ward
had made soon after I arrived at the Institute.

    "Only zoophiles are allowed here. We don't allow non-enhanced
animals here either. This is our heart. Only those like us will ever
fully understand what we share here. Your being without a current
animal partner in your life is a bonus that will make it easier for
you."

    Thinking back over the recent months and the times I'd had sex
with Snowflake and other animals I was mind-linked with, I realized
that I too was starting to react to the their emotions rather than
their body signals alone. Was *that* the reason that the sex with
Ward, even though intense and satisfying, had seemed 'lacking' in
something? Had I been as tentative as he was? I decided that it would
be best to not know the answer to that question.

    More reflection told me it wasn't important anyway.

    We had been new to each other and anything we did together was
what happened. Tentative or assured and confident, it would be ours
alone. That Ward had been willing to give me an honest answer to my
rather tactless question was another quiet affirmation of what he felt
for me.

    My question had proved to be tactless. It had also been necessary
and he knew it.

    In those few short minutes, I grew up a lot. For the first time, I
could see and understand how I was changing. From this point onward, I
realized much of my growth and future changes would be consciously
directed. Instead of being acted upon, I would be consciously aware of
any changes I allowed. This level of awareness was one I had not
expected to reach until many years had passed.

    In those quiet minutes I changed from a woman who unconsciously
expected certain things of her lovers to a woman who could partner and
expect only what was given.

    Ward had taught me a lesson I didn't even know I needed to learn.
Did he know that?

    The woman I had been before having linked sex would never have
understood this difference and what it would mean.

    Ward and Julie had been 'Bonded' for over 150 years. How hard it
must have been for him to make himself so vulnerable to me, a relative
stranger. Someone he can't begin to share any sort of link with.

    Though satisfied far more than I had ever been by sex with any
man, I yearn to have sex with Snowflake. To feel the completeness that
I didn't realize we shared until now.

    My thoughts skitter and jump again. After a few times of having
sex with a partner I share a simple mind-link with, sex with a man who
has enough skill to leave me satisfied as no man ever has leaves me
feeling like something is missing.

    What must sex be like for a Bonded pair such as Ward and Julie?

    Ward and Julie tell me that even without that, they want us with
them?

    What can we give them that they don't already have in each other?
Will I ever know? Ward mentioned 'peace'. It can't be *that* simple.

    Can it?

    Puzzling thoughts indeed for a person as totally satisfied as I
was at that moment.

    With my new awareness, I reach and bring his head towards mine.
Just before our lips meet in a soul-transfering kiss, I whisper....

    "Thank You."

    As I relax into his warm and comforting embrace, I know that
further words would be wasted.

    * * *

    "Dan. That evening and night with Ward was spent mostly in quiet
discussion when we weren't making love to each other.

    "Ward believes, and I agree, that zoophiles, especially the
mind-linked and Bonded ones, if allowed to be themselves, reach the
level of consciously directed growth sooner than other people. He and
Allister have discussed this theory and Allister, while not a
philosopher himself, agrees that his unconscious acceptance of a
similar yet undeveloped theory is what led him to decide that zoos
would be essential to helping to rebuild Earth. Ward and Julie have
spent a lot of their time thinking about what such a concept implies."

    Linda laughed softly. "Few people realize it but Allister and
Wind-Rider are, for the most part, practical, action oriented people.
They are most comfortable as ones who act on the world around them.

    "Ward and Julie are, at this point, our greatest philosophers. Our
deepest thinkers.

    "Me? Well, as Ward pointed out years ago, I'm the organizer. I'm
the one who wound up in between those two pairs.

    "Allister and WR had the original concepts. Ward and Julie have
put them into words that let us all better understand ourselves and
our places in the world. I'm the one who generally had to make sure it
all flowed together and dealt with the day-to-day details of applying
those concepts.

    "At least until I Bonded with Neoki.

    "Cheryl, already paired with Allister and Bonded with Runner, will
be my replacement. She's well suited for it.

    "When the settlers for this world were being selected, we
consciously applied that theory about zoos. Thus, the heavy emphasis
on already Bonded or linked pairs. We hope those teams will form the
core of what we are calling 'The Guardians'. What we never announced
is that their duties will eventually involve far more than just
ensuring that we don't make the ecological mistakes we made on Earth.

    "Ward and Julie have spent most of the last 20 years working out
the Guardian 'Code of Ethics'.

    "Allister's 'Brethren's Creed' is only a small part of it.

    "Anyway, Ward and I never really said anything to each other about
me joining them. Over the next several years, we spent more and more
time together. Finally, we picked out larger quarters and moved in
together. By then, our being together seemed natural. We didn't need
to talk about it.

    "Then, about ten years or so after that first night together, we
decided to have children. Cheryl was first. Then others.

    "That's strange. Until now, I never wondered how come Ward, in all
those years, never fathered any children. I wonder if I'll ever
know?...

    She lay there in thoughtful silence.

    Then she laughed softly. "Ward can be blind sometimes. I don't
think he knew Cheryl and Allister had paired until the incident with
Neoki."

    "Now, after all these years, we go our separate ways. Ward and
Julie will live on and I'll eventually become nothing more than a
memory to them."

    She reached and hugged Dan fiercely.

    "Hold me.

    "Love me.

    "Help me remember that though I've lost part of my past, I still
have a future."
====== 

    Song of the Sea
    A Poem
    ----

    Endless.
    Windswept.
    Waves.
    Horizons.

    Sandy
    Shores.
    Rocky
    Cliffs.

    Endlessly
    Changing.
    Always
    Same.

    Orca.
    Dolphin.
    Human.
    All.

    Exploring.
    Nurturing.
    Watching.
    Caring.

    Peril.
    Death.
    Loss.
    Sorrow.

    Living.
    Loving.
    Birth.
    Joy.

    Renewal.
    Continue.
    Ahead.
    Future.

    Sea.
    Land.
    Joined.
    Together.
======

    Exploration
    Beginnings - chapter 4
    ---

    "It's beautiful isn't it?" My voice is soft so as to not break the
mood of the moment.

    "That it is." Julie is uncharacteristically quiet herself.

    We've been exploring on foot for almost a month now. Our only
contact has been through Julie's link with the other wolves.

    In a fit of wanting to do something unusual, we had decided to
find the headwaters of the river that met the sea where we had landed.

    Well, we had found it.

    It was breath-taking.

    A mountain valley fed at one end by a waterfall. From the ridge
line, we could see the lake that fed the waterfall.

    ""Home"" With our senses fully merged, it is a shared thought.

    "The Brethren have agreed. It is a fitting place for us. For all
of us."

    She's shared her vision and other senses with the others on
planet.

    "I won't argue." I hug her to me.

    "Shall we consecrate it my lady? In *our* way?"

    My question is not an idle one. She knows what I mean. Many years
ago, long before this trip was planned, I had extra cells implanted.
As did all men who had other species partners. A mental twitch of an
implanted valve and I will be able to father wolves.

    All men here have the capability of fathering not only human
offspring but that of their partner's species. Many of the males of
other species have the capability of fathering human children.

    Due to the nature of founding a new world, it had been decided to
carry as much of our joint heritage as we could within us. All our
medics have been trained to be able to continue this tradition.

    The survivors of Earth have learned caution.
    ---

    Instead of speaking, she walks away and turns to face me. For long
moments, we gaze at each other.

    Then, shared smiles and she returns to push her nose gently into
my crotch.

    Our love-making is gentle and intense. Even after all these years
and children, when we mate to reproduce, it is special for us.

    ---

    "No more exploring, Dear Lady of mine. At least no more than this
valley for a while."

    I am resting with my back against a tree and idly stroking Julie's
body. A familiar ritual, this sharing of the evening's silence.

    "Dearest Ward. I want to make this my home. You and I both know it
will take years for just this one place to be explored fully.

    "There. Near the waterfall. That's where I want to settle."

    "Ever the practical hunter aren't you Julie?" I chuckle. "Very
well then. We will go looking for a suitable place.

    "I think where we are now will make a good location for our
headquarters. Let the others know."

    I fall silent and we relax into each other and let the darkness
enfold us in its embrace.
    ---

    During the following weeks, more of the Brethren come to the
valley we had started calling 'Mind-Home'. By unspoken agreement, that
became the official name of our valley. Mind-Home.

    Slowly, pairs had been finding places to build their homes.

    Julie and I found a small clearing near the waterfall. Situated at
the base of the cliff, it also had a small ledge that reminded us the
porch we left back on Earth.

    We lived in our tent and that's where Julie had her pups.
Surrounded by the other teams, she gave birth to three females and one
male.

    Over the next few months, many more were born. All in Mind-Home.

    Maybe we were being superstitious. We wanted this valley to be
imprinted as their home. For many years to come, wolves would conceive
and give birth only in Mind-Home.

    I spent the next two years building our home. I completed the
first room shortly after her pups were born. After they were weaned,
we went exploring again. As we explored, we slowly learned to transfer
from point to point.

    Always, we would return to Mind-Home and I would spend time
working on our home.

    Rough and made of stone, it represented our place here. Just as
our quarters on Earth had been ours, this was ours. Ours in a way
those rooms had never been.

    For *we* had designed and built it to suit ourselves.

    We also spent time learning the 'hidden paths'. Those ways by
which we could transfer anywhere on this world.

    We were cautious at first but as we learned them, we grew more
confident.

    Ultimately, overconfident and careless.

    Thus, we made the 'mistake' that led to a new future for all
worlds.

    ---

    We were in the habit of spending parts of our evenings at a
secluded cove on the lake. It was the closest we had found to a place
on Earth that we had used for the same purpose.

    A place for us to get away and relax.

    One evening, we were feeling a bit nostalgic and decided to go
there. Unfortunately, we had just finished remembering our place on
Earth.

    After we appeared, both of us froze in shock.

    "Elk?! There are no elk on Equine's World!" My words startled him
away from where he had been drinking.

    Julie's 'voice' was a whisper. ""Earth? But I thought...""

    She sat on her haunches and started trembling.

    Me? I staggered to a nearby tree and used it to steady myself as I
lowered my shaking body to the ground.

    On hands and knees, I made my way to her and hugged her.

    ""Julie?"" My 'voice' was weak with shock.

    Both of us were trembling as we gazed at the clearing we had
'known' we would never see again.

    ""You have returned at last. Welcome.""

    My head jerked around in surprise. Behind us was a pack of wolves.
In front, still as beautiful and powerful as I remembered her, was
Mist.

    "Mist?" I held tight to Julie. Then I looked around again. When I
got back to the other wolves, she was still there.

    More long minutes while her pack relaxed around us. Julie's
trembling gradually eased as she reintegrated with their minds.

    I stayed merged with her and felt my own trembling slow and
finally stop as the truth was confirmed.

    Somehow, we had returned to Earth.

    Then, our next decision. Should we stay here, go to the institute,
or try to return to our new home?

    Reluctantly, we decided to go to the institute. We didn't know how
we got here and until we could understand *that*, to try and return
home would be folly.

    After several hours of relaxing with Mist and the others, we left
them.

    When we appeared just inside the gate, we were greeted by alarms
and wary guards. After the shock wore off, genetic matching confirmed
who we were and we were allowed full entry. At which point, we were
given temporary quarters and allowed to relax.

    * * *

    "So George, here we are. How we got here is still a mystery.

    "We were transferring to a place where we relax by ourselves and
wound up on Earth.

    "Julie and I have talked it over and we think we know what
happened."

    Julie picks up for us. "We *think* that is was because we had just
finished talking about relaxing at the lake here on Earth.

    "We'd gone into great detail about it and then decided to transfer
to our spot there.

    "Apparently, and we want to check this with the theoreticians
here, our shared image of this place was stronger than the one for our
new home."

    I shrug and smile wryly. "After all, we've been visiting this one
for decades. With all the ties here, the image was bound to be vivid.

    "So, our being here winds up being a result of carelessness rather
than any other reason.

    Now, we are both silent as George ponders things.

    "Well, you know very few World-Walkers stayed here. And only a
couple of those teams can transfer.

    "I suggest you go to Wind-Rider's line. There's a team there who
has been doing some studies and they've made a couple of discoveries
of their own.

    "I think you better hear it from them directly."

    Julie and I confer for a bit. Julie speaks for both of us.

    "You better send a team to warn them. Then, tomorrow, we'll go to
the arrival area at the branch of the Institute there."

    George nods slightly. "Good point. I hope you figure out what
happened and make it repeatable.

    "I hope to see you again soon. *After* you've been back to your
new home again."

    We transfer back to our temporary quarters and wait.

    ---

    "Ward. Julie."

    This time, we are met with warm smiles instead of alarms.

    "George sent a messenger ahead to warn us.

    "Your arrival on Terra One confirmed something we've been working
towards."

    Tim's smile is wry. "Nobody here was confident enough to actually
try it to confirm it though."

    "Now, you've added the final piece.

    "In the case of mental transfer, the image is the map. And the
reality.

    "You see, George didn't tell you something. He also ordered the
others to keep it from you until you got here...

    "You've traveled in time as well.

    "Your ship has been gone less than a year."

    I sagged. I felt Julie begin trembling again.

    As the two of us comforted each other, Tim watched and waited
patiently.

    The implications staggered both of us. We could see that Tim had
had time to get used to the idea. A true scientist, he was calm in the
face of having a theory confirmed. Obviously, nobody had really
considered the implications behind our newfound ability.

    With that, I straightened and Julie and I made a full merge to
discuss something. The outside world vanished. Seconds became hours as
we considered alternatives.

    After a few minutes, we returned to see Tim watching us. There was
a quizzical look on his face. He knew what had happened.

    I sighed. "I'm making a command decision, Tim."

    He looked at me calmly and nodded.

    "A lot of people know we somehow returned to Earth. And, that the
ship couldn't have made it to landfall yet.

    "Except for you and George and anyone else the two of you have
told, the time aspect is not to be mentioned.

    "Leave it that we accidentally returned to Earth during a time of
meditation.

    "Of the entire crew, my and Julie's deep ties to Earth are well
known.

    "There are implications to this that we need to discuss with
Allister and WR."

    Julie took over. "You'll have to trust us Tim. One of the teams
will return. Probably Allister and WR. They've missed Earth. Their job
on the new world is essentially finished."

    The three of us looked at each other for a long moment.

    Finally, Tim nodded. "I understand."

    I took a deep breath and Julie and I carefully formed up the image
of our home as we had last seen it.

    I knelt and hugged her to me.

    Then, as I let out my breath, we transferred.

    ---

    I sagged in relief. We had made it.

    Julie headed for the ledge and lay on it.

    I went inside and made a call. "Allister, when you have time,
Julie and I would like to talk to you and WR."

    Then, I went and joined Julie.

    Together, we settled and watched well into the night.

    Our eventual love-making was done more to reassure each other than
out of any need. Neither of us orgasmed. But, the intimate contact let
us comfort each other.

    Eventually, our chaotic thoughts stilled and we fell asleep still
coupled.

    All we knew for sure was that tomorrow would bring the beginning
of a future that none had dreamed of.

    Together, in the clear light of dawn, we would face it fully.
======

End: The Challenge Universe 2/4: Mind Home 1/3: Planetfall

-- 
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reserved by its author unless explicitly indicated.
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