An Elementalist Emerges

"Maybe, hun, we'll never know everything that this bond causes," she said quietly right into his ear as she teased him by breathing slowly onto it.

"You are such a tease," Telain whined as he reached behind him to wrap his arms around her. He turned his head and kissed her lightly with a sly grin on his face before something in the physical world caught his eye. He looked sadly at her and kissed her again before turning his focus and running towards the heap of cloth he saw far ahead on the side of the wooded path.

As he got closer, he thought he saw bits of dirty black fur showing through rips in the cloth. He ran faster, willing the winds behind to push him faster. Then his foot got caught in a small dip on the ground, pitching him forward suddenly. His head hit the ground hard and his vision started to blur. He struggled to stand, pushing himself off the ground and stumbling a few steps closer to his goal before he collapsed motionless on the ground.

Losses

"Wake up, Tel-ne," Kythos whispered softly.

"Huh, wha?" Telain said as he sat up. His paw shot up to hold his head as pain lanced through it. "Ky-lu, what happened?"

"Shh, love, separate your thoughts," Kythos said soothingly, brushing his forehead with her paw.

"He's awake! Doctor, room 302's awake!" a voice called as Telain heard quick footsteps coming in his direction.

"Why can't I see anything?" he asked, still directing his speech to both sides.

"You need to," Kythos started before Telain put one finger gently over her lips.

"I know. I meant to direct it both ways. I think I ended up in a hospital after whatever happened. Assuming that, these are doctors near me."

"Sir, I'm Doctor Matthews," a male voice said. "Do you know your name?"

"Yes, I'm Telain Kat," Telain said as the doctor wrote something down.

"Good, you're not suffering amnesia. You were brought in by a young otter, but she left before we could get her name. It seems that you tripped while you were jogging or something out on a back trail. You hit your head pretty hard," Dr. Matthews said in a perfectly monotone and unattached manor.

"Yea, I was headed to," Telain said, pausing for a moment. 'This is likely a normal hospital; I'd best be careful with what I say.' "I mean, I was out for a run not far from my home. I remember falling down but everything else is fuzzy. Doctor, why can't I see anything?"

Dr. Matthews hesitated for a very long moment before responding, "We're running tests, but it seems your retinal nerve separated from your eye when you hit the ground. Your vision may return, but we can't be certain at this point."

Telain recessed into his mind, hugging Kythos tight as he buried his head into her neck and sobbed silently. She held him gently as his body shook slightly. He physically was leaning over, his head in his paws as he wept. The doctor stood nearby, more than accustomed to this reaction to such news.

"It'll be okay, Tel-ne," Kythos said, stroking the back of his head. Telain lifted his head off of her shoulder slowly, looking into her eyes. She gently wiped away his tears and pressed her lips to his. "At least you can still see me, and he said your vision might return."

"Thank you, Ky-lu," Telain said as he kissed her again. "You said that things happened to me when I was your Sor-lu. Did you know this was going to happen?"

She looked him in the eye and again wiped the still running tears from his cheeks. "No, love, I didn't. I wouldn't hide anything like this from you. You should talk to the doctor; maybe he can do something to help."

Telain sat up slowly, turning his head in the direction that the doctor's voice had last come. "I'm sorry."

"It's quite alright. Many take such news worse than you did and are usually crying much longer," the doctor said.

"Is there anything I can do to help this?" Telain asked.

"There's nothing we can do but to see if it heals itself. As far as operating within the world, you can develop your other senses and learn to work without your sight," he said, still maintaining his monotone, uncaring voice.

"So then it's sit and wait?" Telain asked, disheartened.

"No, you don't have to just sit and wait for your eyes to heal. In fact, you shouldn't because they very well may not," Dr. Matthews said, hesitating before revealing the last fact. "These things are touchy, and you should do all you can to get used to being blind. If your eyes do recover, then you'll have senses that are just that much more sensitive in addition to your sight."

"Can I go home?" Telain asked next, wanting desperately to get into a familiar environment.

"We've done all that we can, and you seem to be taking it well. Do you have anyone else living with you?"

"Yes, a friend. He'll be able to help me, if that's what you mean, and no, I'm not one to kill myself. I couldn't do it if I wanted to," Telain said, keeping his voice level.

"Okay, there are a few forms for you to fill out and then you can go. We'll send someone in to read them off to you in a moment," Dr. Matthews said before getting up and leaving the room.

Telain began listening closely to his surrounding. He reached out with his senses and tried to discern where everything was and how it was moving. Telain reached out his paws and realized something else. He could feel the air being pushed around by all the people. Everything that was in motion he could sense more acutely just through the air currents. He focused on the wall behind him and found he could tell almost exactly where it was because of how the air moved along it. He could almost feel the walls on the other sides of the room too. He turned his attention to the doorway, but found there wasn't enough general airflow to tell how far away that wall was, but he could tell one was there.

Kythos jumped on him and kissed him forcefully. "You're amazing. I never thought of that, and you figured it out in only a few minutes of sitting there."

"I also thought of something else. I'm not limited by my physical body here, am I?" Telain asked after returning her kiss.

Kythos sighed and rolled her eyes. "And your training becomes useless. No, you're not, and now that you know it, it's useless to train like we were anymore also."

"Sorry, hun, but I'm sure we'll find another way," he said. Telain grabbed her and rolled over, quickly pinning her under him.

"You can impose those limits on yourself though and had better before we have any real fun, or it wouldn't be fair to me," she said seductively as she grabbed his hips and pulled herself up against him. Telain was then distracted as he felt a small amount of air pushed towards him. He turned his attention back to the physical world to also hear some hard shoes clicking against the floor.

"Hello," Telain said as he smiled and turned toward the person entering.

"I see you're already getting used to compensating with your other senses," a young woman answered. "Now, I was sent in to help you fill out these forms. I'm Rena Felret, a hospice contact. Each person that is inflicted with a disability like yours is assigned to one of us as a contact for the hospital. I'll come by and check in on you at home periodically to see how you're fairing for the next year or so, possibly less if you continue to take it this well."

"That sounds good, Rena. I'm Telain Kat, a blind cat," Telain said, trying to make a joke. They sat there for around a half-hour filling out the forms. After they finished, Rena led Telain out to her car and took him home. During the long ride to his home, Rena asked Telain about his life and about Lucky. She didn't give him a second to turn back to his activities with Kythos. As they neared the house, she confirmed the address with him and pulled up into the drive.

Telain heard the door swing open, and Lucky yell as they pulled in. As soon as Telain was out of the passenger door, he was being hugged tightly by the wolf.

"Where have you been? You've been gone for three days," Lucky almost yelled in Telain's ear.

"Three days? They didn't tell me how long it had been. I'm sorry, Lucky. I got into an accident while I was out running the other day. Some girl found me and took me to the hospital. And before you ask, no, I can't see."

"You went blind?" Lucky said worriedly, pulling back from Telain and looking into his eyes for a moment before hugging him again.

"Yea, but don't worry about me," Telain said as he stroked the back of Lucky's head. He then felt the wolf pick his head up off his shoulder, so he said, "That's Rena. She'll be checking up on me every once and a while to see how I'm doing."

"Oh," Lucky said, then called over to the ferret that had brought his friend back home, "Hello, Rena, thank you for bringing him back to me."

"It's nothing. I see you're well looked after here, Telain. So, I'll be leaving now. I'll be back in a few days to see how things are and look at your house further," Rena called back.

Telain raised his paw to wave at her and then whispered to Lucky, "Let's get inside the house. I need to be somewhere that I know well."

"Okay, come on," Lucky said, letting Telain go and leading him back to the house by the paw. As Lucky shut and locked the front door, Telain walked further into the house, slowly feeling his way to the couch. "Here, let me help you," Lucky offered but Telain just pushed his paw away gently.

"I need to get used to finding my way around. This may be permanent," Telain said apologetically, not wanting to seem mad at Lucky for trying to help.

"Okay," Lucky said worriedly, walking nearby and watching Telain anxiously.

Telain found his way to the couch after what seemed like forever to the both of them but was actually only about thirty seconds. Telain could feel Kythos hug him tightly as Lucky did the same, both unintentionally working together to make Telain feel safe between the two he loved most. Kythos kissed Telain's neck and hugged him tighter for a moment, trying to get back to where they had left off. He still wouldn't get any quality time with her, however, as Lucky didn't take long to start with the questions.

"How'd it happen?" Lucky asked, turning Telain's head toward him with a paw and looking into his eyes.

"My foot got caught on a rock or something when I was running to the magic school, I think. It's all really foggy, but I woke up in the hospital and all I could see was the misty realm of my mind and Kythos. I heard everything around me but couldn't see," Telain said as Lucky continued to look into his eyes, still shining as he was used to but not focusing on anything.

"How long will you be like this?" Lucky asked a minute later, after realizing he had been just staring at Telain.

"I don't know. It may be permanent, but the doctor said it may heal. He also advised I get used to compensating for it in case it doesn't," Telain said, a hint of sadness returning to his voice.

"What does this mean for the school; how are you supposed to continue with your studies if you can't see?"

"I don't know, but I learned that I can sense things by the air disturbances they cause so I think learning to control my abilities better may help me 'see' better too," Telain said. "Speaking of the school, has Ventus been by?"

"No, I figured that something had happened at the school at first. Maybe you made it there and just don't remember."

"Possibly, it is all really fuzzy. I sure as heck can't go as I am. I'll have to train more here and wait for Ventus, or go once I can if he doesn't come. Any number of things could've happened that I just can't remember, but I know Ventus can handle himself. Nothing serious has happened to him, I know that much," Telain concluded.

"Yea, you probably just had a talk with him and tripped on your way back. If you had been attacked then you wouldn't have made it back here," Lucky said, a little doubtful of Telain's logic.

"In any case, I need some sleep. It's been a very long day, even if I have only been awake a quarter of it.

"I understand," Lucky said softly, "let's get you to bed. I've been up almost continuously since you left, so I'm definitely feeling it too." Lucky got up off the couch, taking Telain's paw and helping him up. As Telain stood there a moment and just looked toward Lucky, he finally relented and let go of the cat's paw. They both walked down the hallway and slowly removed their outerwear before climbing into bed. Telain nestled back into Lucky's arms before closing his eyes and finally turning his attention back to Kythos.

"I'm sorry, Ky-lu," Telain said as he looked at her and wrapped his arms tightly around her.

"Don't worry, Tel-ne. Lucky's your best friend, and he needed to know what happened. The important thing is we get time now to be together," Kythos responded as she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him down to lie beside her.

Telain kissed Kythos, lightly at first but quickly progressing further as the worries of the day fell to the back of his mind. He was with his love and he could see her, that's all he needed to know. Soon they both lie next to one another, panting and unclothed. Telain slipped his paw down between her legs slowly, rubbing his paw over the soft cleft hidden there. She moaned quietly and writhed as he brushed against her clit.

It wasn't long before she felt the need for more of him. She pushed him over onto his back and climbed up to straddle his legs. He moaned and arched his hips into her as she ground her pussy against him slowly, teasing him for as long as she could endure. She didn't last long; however, because he soon shifted his hips and rubbed his barbs right along her entrance. She growled lustfully at him as she grabbed his shaft and lined it up with her before lowering herself quickly upon it with a loud moan.

She leaned forward over him, pressing her lips to his as she moved her hips back and forth in time with his. They both moaned out louder as he shortened his thrusts and angled his hips to rub his barbs right against her g-spot. The stimulation was almost too much for her as he had matured a bit more and was now tugging slightly at her sensitive flesh with each motion. He could tell he was closer than she was, though, so he slipped his paw back between her legs and rubbed quickly on her clit. As she felt herself start to tense up, she thrust herself down completely onto him and dug her paws into his chest-fur. He cried out as her walls started massaging his cock, begging it to release his seed. He grabbed her hips and bucked hard against her as he was thrown over the limit and came deep inside of her.

As their orgasms faded, she slumped down over him and nibbled softly on his ear to tease him a little more. He put his paw to her cheek and turned her face back towards his to kiss her weakly, all his energy spent. He stroked her cheek softly as he gazed lovingly into her eyes.

"I love you," he whispered softly to her.

"I love you too, Tel-ne."

"Thank you, Ky-lu," he whispered as he kissed her again. He may have lost his ability to see, but he could still see her and that would be enough to keep him going.

Much Needed Rest

A voice nagged at Telain's mind as he fought off Ventus. His teacher of over half a year was now fighting him tooth and nail; he even was using abilities Telain never knew he had. They had been fighting for well over an hour, it seemed, and Telain had just now started to gain the upper hand with Kythos's help.

"You can't beat me, Telain," Ventus said with a cold sneer as he launched another ball of fire at the cat.

"I can't, but we can. I don't know what's come over you, but if this is how it's going to have to be, then so be it!" Telain yelled as he brought his paw up, pushing a gust of wind along with it to deflect the flaming missile. He then flung both paws straight in front of him as a torrential current rushed forth from them and pinned Ventus against the wall. Telain could see the small cuts that started appearing through the bat's fur as he pushed harder and focused small knives within the overall current.

"Wake up, Telain," Lucky's voice cried desperately, waking Telain from his dream. He opened his eyes slowly, returning once again to his sightless world. He heard fur slide against plaster and then Lucky's quiet whimper from the same general direction. He stumbled across the room, feeling his way around the bed to the far corner that Lucky had retreated to.

As he came closer, he could see Lucky was rocking slowly and had his arms wrapped around him. Telain reached out to the wolf's cheek but when his paw brushed against the soft fur of Lucky's cheek, Lucky flinched. Telain withdrew his paw for a moment before reaching out to Lucky again. This time Lucky almost leaped up from the position he was in and onto Telain, knocking him over. Lucky wrapped his arms tightly around Telain and pressed his muzzle against Telain's chest as he continued to whimper pitifully.

Telain stroked down Lucky's back gently in an attempt to sooth him. He almost gasped as he felt small cuts and loose fur over a good portion of Lucky's midsection, arms, and legs. He tried to focus on healing the wounds, but the dream was still far too fresh in his mind to allow him any sort of concentration.

"Shh, you'll be okay. What happened?" Telain said as he studied Lucky's wounds gently as he could. None seemed to be very deep, but he did still manage to draw another whimper from the steadily calming wolf whenever his paw ran over one that was particularly sensitive. Lucky lifted his head slowly from Telain's chest. He looked up into his friend's useless eyes for a moment, unable to believe that Telain had no clue what happened.

"You," Lucky started, his speech broken by a few sniffles, "You attacked me, in your sleep. You were tossing and turning for I don't know how long, but it woke me up so I went to take a shower. When I came back into the room, you threw me up against the wall. I could see your mouth moving, but the sound of that wind is so loud."

"And I caused all these cuts?" Telain asked, a strong undercurrent of sadness detectable through his voice.

"While I was pinned the wind started cutting me, like lots of little razors. I don't think they're very deep, but they sting like oblivion," Lucky answered. He licked Telain's cheek weakly before he went on, "Don't worry about me. I'll be fine; our first priority should be figuring out what caused that outburst. Maybe we should go see Ventus about it?"

"No!" Telain yelled, growing confused as he wondered why he felt so strongly that they shouldn't go to see his teacher.

"Why not? Think Kythos can help you with this too?" Lucky asked.

"I don't know," Telain said slowly, "for some reason it just doesn't feel right to go to Ventus. I don't know about Kythos helping either; I think she may have been affected by the dream too. It's all fading away; I can't remember it very well anymore. It was so vivid though, seemed so real."

"It's okay; it's over now. It may have just been the stress of everything that's been happening finally needing to get out," Lucky offered hopefully.

"Maybe," Telain replied as he hugged Lucky tightly. "Something's still bothering me though. I should probably go train a while to help get rid of the feeling."

"Good idea," Lucky said, trying to sound cheerful. "I'll head to the store and buy us something for lunch. I forgot a few things the other day, so I've been needing to anyway."

They stayed there in each other's embrace for a while longer, Kythos joining in behind Telain as she nuzzled his neck. They all felt immensely relieved after cuddling for almost thirty minutes. Kythos was the first to notice how long it'd been and nudged Telain gently.

"We should get to it, hun, while there's still daylight," she said, trying to sound playful and push the blame onto him.