The Bonding Chronicles Ch. 18

"Damnit, Andrew. I don't want to sleep with Thunderfoot."

Andrew took a deep breath, punctuated with an empty swallow, his tear filled gaze finding its way to Sara as he said, "I know, but you also have these desires that it seems I can't fulfill. I..."

His eyes turned back towards the road as he tried and failed to express himself, a few false starts ending after no more than a couple of meaningless words.

Their strengthened bond allowed Sara to know that he loved her as much as he ever had, and that his turmoil was not centered on a fear of losing her, but of not being able to satisfy her needs.

The last time they had been through something like this, she had been afraid of losing him because of his anxiety about Karen joining their family. Her introduction had seemed to cause Andrew to question everything, and at the time Sara had been afraid that included her. In Andrew's attempt to shelter her from his own confusion, he had pulled away and made Sara feel isolated. All she could sense was his anxiety and fear, which fed her own worries that she might lose Andrew over what was happening.

It was amazing to both of them how much they had grown, and how much more they could feel through their bond. Ever since Sara came into her powers, their connection had given them such a profound insight into the other person, that they knew without trying that their adoration was still there.

"Beastiality is not something I'm comfortable with, sweetie," Andrew began, "but I know you have these new desires that need to be met."

Andrew thought for a moment, and then laughed. "Sometimes, I really hate magic. I thought that so much of our lives would be better once you were made whole, but of course there had to be a catch, didn't there?"

Sara reached out and caressed his cheek, speaking in an almost reverent tone, "I'll never be able to thank you enough for giving me this gift. I've always tried to convince myself that I was complete and happy how I was, but the truth is that I was stuck between two worlds. Somehow, becoming a full Therian has not taken me out of the human world like I thought it would, but made me feel like I'm part of both. I finally feel comfortable and content with who I am, and that's only because of you.

"Yeah, there are these confusing emotions, and..." She bit her lip as she imagined her mate's claws gripping into her furry back, a long tapered dick sinking into her, its barbs keeping it from pulling out. "Desires, these intense desires that I need to get under control, but we'll get there."

Andrew felt her arousal at whatever thought had taken her away for that blissful moment, and he knew he wanted to be the one to satisfy those needs.

"Well, maybe I can figure out a way to become an Ailuranthrope like you, and then I bet I'll find you as sexy as I'm sure you are in your feline form."

Sara smiled, a hopeful glint to her eyes as she rested her head on his shoulder. "That would be amazing."

Andrew rested one hand on her knee while she drifted into her mid-morning nap, pleased with how well the conversation had gone. The moment her dreams took her, he allowed his own worry to rise up, wondering if he could possibly become like Sara, knowing that he was something completely different.

***** Renovations *****

Tani'm's heart raced as she stormed into her house.

"What the FUCK!" her words echoed through the small structure as she screamed at her own spiraling emotions.

Her chest rose and fell as her eyes darted around the carnage that had once been her life. Shards of wood and glass were scattered throughout her traditionally spartan living room, seeming to mirror the fragmented ideas of what she thought she wanted for herself. Karen and her family had thrown everything into chaos, and even the prospect of leaving Quinault seemed as difficult to grasp as the idea of staying. What should she do? What could she do to find peace?

The sight of Karen's expanding belly played in the back of her mind, her friend's luscious and blissful moans standing as evidence to the joy she saw on the older woman's face. There was no way for her to deny that Karen had wanted whatever Andrew had done to her, but the sheer absurdity of what she had witnessed was impossible for her to ignore.

She was not unfamiliar with sex, but watching as Andrew pumped Karen full of cum, the sight of her midsection as it grew beyond anything she thought possible was far more than her imagination could bear.

Tani'm stood there, frozen in doubt and uncertainty, monstrous indecision taking the strength from her legs as she continued to survey the remnants of her house. The sweat on her body began to cool, seating the morning chill deep into her bones. Her t-shirt clung to her flesh, while her hip-length hair pulled at her scalp, both soaked thoroughly by her frantic escape from Karen's house.

With a deep breath, she forced herself to focus on her body, slowing her heart as her breathing settled into a less labored pace. The feeling of her magic skittering through her and loosening her muscles was a welcome familiarity, Tani'm's aches vanishing as her gift worked unbidden — a touch of something normal in what felt like a maelstrom of chaos.

She ran her left hand along the back of her neck, before leaning backward and pulling her wet hair away from her body. As she swung her hair forward and pulled her shirt off, Tani'm was once more surprised by how quickly she had adjusted to losing her right arm. While many tasks seemed to take her quite a bit more effort, she was learning how to compensate faster than she expected.

In no time, she was luxuriating under the warm spray of hot water, her shower sweeping the sweat and grime from the red flesh of her naked body. Tani'm tried not to think about the many frustrations of her life, and the uncertainty that she was now faced with. Andrew and his family were no longer a concern, she knew that. Whatever craziness she had bore witness to was too shocking for her to even consider, and not something she wanted to understand.

The lewd and erotic desires that kept that family so codependent seemed, to her, like a deep abyss that you could too easily drown in, and never find your way out of. Her needs were simple, and while the companionship they offered was tempting, especially when she thought of Karen, the baggage and danger to her independence seemed all to real.

Tani'm stayed within the shower far longer than she intended, the warmth too enticing to abandon as she kept revisiting the reasons she had chosen to abandon Karen to Andrew's power. He wasn't an evil man, she was forced to remind herself, but they were all caught up in something none of them seemed to understand.

At least, that was what she tried to convince herself of as she turned off the water and strolled out into her bedroom. Pieces of glass and wood crunched and slid along the floor as she walked casually across her room, Tani'm's calloused feet resistant to all the damage the shards tried to inflict.

"Dammit Tani'm, stop thinking about them," she muttered as she pulled a fresh towel from her closet and slung it around her shoulder. While she struggled to dry her long, hip-length hair, her mind started to drift to other things, and a familiar pain echoed out in the back of her mind, causing her gut to tense as anxiety built up within her. Again, her thoughts returned to Andrew and how glad she was to be rid of him, the distant echo of long lost pain faded back into the past, as her mind returned to more recent frustrations.

The truth was, she was too skilled at hiding from her feelings to have noticed the trick that she had just played on herself. She climbed into bed, finding the one place where bedsprings did not poke her in her side, and the shredded mattress stuffing did not tickle her face. It was in that brief window of comfort that she closed her eyes, and continued to find sleep a distant and illusive acquaintance, memories from the past circling her conscious mind until her thoughts once more returned to Andrew.

"Fuck it!" she yelled, standing out of bed and throwing on a pair of panties and a t-shirt.

The grass felt wonderful as she strode out of her house, the voice of the forest once more seeping into Tani'm's mind. Her property was not large, but it was wild and free. A sanctuary for all of the animals of the forest, where deer and fox would wander side by side, fight and flight a distant memory in the light of peace that seemed to settle upon her homestead.

It did not take her long to collapse into the grass beside the small pond that rested about fifty yards from her house, and even less time for a rabbit and a few mice to find their way to her, nuzzling up against her body. The soothing voice of the forest kept her demons at bay, and once more she felt the peace she had found thanks to Eddie, the leader of the Quinault Indian Nation, who had done more for her than she suspected she knew.

As sleep swept her into its arms, it was not Andrew who crept into her thoughts, but her mother and father, who watched her with sorrow and loss in their eyes. Tani'm could almost hear her mother's voice, "But we'll starve if you don't let us."

Panic rose up within her, and then vanished in the darkness of sleep as it consumed her.

Five minutes away, as the snow owl flies, Karen was just waking up. A large and joy-filled smile spread across her face, as her arms reached out and her fingers splayed in every direction. Her feet shot out of the warm duvet, landing on the floor with barely a noise, her thin and feminine calves tensing while her toes wiggled into the thick carpet.

Everything looked so crisp and clean, the few things she had left out of place were back in their proper location.

"Andrew, you wonderful little man."

She followed the sound of her voice as it carried her to the bathroom, where she showered and became swept up in the warm feelings that lingered from her remarkable dream. Everything seemed so wonderful, the colors of her art appeared more vibrant, while her soaps and oils smelt more intense, deeper and more intriguing. Her nerves felt more sensitive, her loofa bringing a moan to her lips as she cleaned the residue of sex from her inner thighs.

With a trembling hand, she leaned against the pebble work wall, her mind searching her body for what was going on as pleasure tingled across her flesh. Her skin was even more elastic than it had been the last time Andrew had blessed her with his gift. The deeper she looked, the more differences she spotted, magic infused into every nerve of her body, each cell thrumming with excitement as Andrew's spell finished its work.

Karen allowed the warm water to cascade down her back, her athletic muscles hidden beneath a thin layer of padding that obscured them from view, channeling the water along delightful curves that hinted at her bodies potential. Even as Andrew's influence within her cells began to fade, she could feel a faint and yet familiar essence hidden within each and every one of them. She had studied her body for much of her life, most of her learning about her gift having come at the expense of her own flesh, and yet she had never felt that hint of magic that stood out before her.

The supernatural energy felt familiar and comforting, something she had felt through the course of her long life, radiating out from the center of her being and powering her gift. As she fought back wonder, amazed at what Andrew had done, she realized that the level of detail she was finding within her body was like nothing she had ever experienced. In the past, Karen had influenced the flow of blood within a person's body, or stimulated tissue to mend itself, difficult tasks that were required to heal her patients over the years. But, for the first time she was bearing witness to the inner workings of the miraculous little machines that made her body function.

She watched as proteins reacted to their environment, opening and shutting passages that allowed chemicals to enter or exit from the cell membrane where the protein resided. She smiled at the sight, creating a magnificent ballet of synergy as the muscles in her face used chemical reactions to contract, shifting molecules from one state to another so that her muscle fibers would be pulled together.

Karen followed the path of those molecules, amazed by the scale of work that was being undertaken, just so her lips would curl into a playful grin. Her blood delivered oxygen, which was used to reconstruct the molecule that had been used to constrict her muscles. So much for such a minimal expression, and yet there it was; a miracle to behold.

She could sense her magic resting within every cell, helping her body to remain healthy and strong. Her previous thought about Andrew, and how amazing it was that he had managed to strengthen her in such a fundamental way, was replaced by breathtaking wonder as she realized the truth of his gift to her.

What she was seeing was not a change that Andrew had made. Karen could not prove it, but somehow she knew that her cells had always been infused with her magical essence. The change she had undergone was not a physical one, not primarily anyways, it was a gift of perception. A strengthening of her gift in a way that allowed her to perceive biological functions to a staggering level of detail.

As her mind danced through her body, studying the minor changes that had been made to her eyes, ears and even olfactory systems, she paid close attention to the spell that her gift was using to drive her perception. At first it seemed the same as it always had, but as she focused on the details she began to notice small areas of complexity that seemed to have been introduced, as if the spell itself had been changed.

In what felt like a common occurance to Karen these days, she wished she had spent more time studying magic through the course of her life. Andrew had awoken an interest in her magical arts that had died long ago, and as she opened her eyes and finished her shower, she grew excited at the prospect of sharing her discoveries with her man.

A few minutes later, she entered the kitchen, the curves of her body hidden beneath a large towel. She saw the note from Andrew on the counter, but as a grin spread across her face she chose to ignore it, and instead opened the refrigerator. If anyone had been watching, they would have noticed how effortless she went about her work, her lips whistling an ancient french song she used to sing as a child, while her body danced through the room preparing her breakfast.

No moments were lost as she completed her tasks, a few slices of bread with generous dollops of butter spread over their surfaces rested on a tray beside her favorite armchair. The note from Andrew sitting beside that. The warmth radiating into her hands from the ceramic mug of hot chocolate she held felt blissful as she sat back into the chair.

She took a sip and sighed, finding flavors within the chocolate and milk she had only ever seen hints of before. The bread was even better, the butter melting ever so slightly as she dunked it into the hot chocolate, and everything fusing together within her mouth and creating a symphony of delight. Karen looked up towards the ceiling, a smile on her face as she purposefully savored that moment.

Her eyes glanced at the note as she appreciated another bite of her tartine. Karen thought she had waited to read the note because she was excited to see Andrew's words, but as she looked at it, she knew she was afraid of what it might say. Through her bond she could tell that Andrew was anxious about her reaction to something. What, she could not tell, but if she had to guess, she assumed it would be Tani'm.

"Bonjour Mademoiselle,

"You were so cute dreaming, my little seafarer."

Karen stopped reading for a second and her eyes bunched up — how had he known she was dreaming of the ocean?

"We're both super intrigued about what you're dreaming, so expect Sara to harass you about that all day. Just thought you'd appreciate a warning. :)

"We'll head directly to Taneem's once we track down all the things you asked for. I hope you'll be able to beat us there and warn her that I'll be coming over.

"I really wanted to tell you this in person, but since fate and my demanding french mate seem to have other plans, I need to tell you something... Taneem rejected the bond last night, I'm no longer linked with her.

"Sara thinks it might be because she saw us together last night, and witnessed what happened. It's kinda' crazy how quickly we all got used to that, but it seems she was pretty shocked. Anyway, I know this was not what you had hoped for, but I hope you're okay. Last thing I wanted was for you to meet up with her and be blindsided by this news.

"Je T'aime, A

"PS: don't text or call, the phones have ears."

Karen read the note a few times, finding little joys hidden within as she could almost hear Andrew playfully delivering some of the lines. She read the part about Tani'm closely with every pass, expecting to feel a swell of emotion each time, but with every reading she was surprised that it never came. If anything, she was relieved.

She ruminated on that thought while she finished her breakfast, quickly realizing that while her feelings for the young woman were exactly as they had been, Tani'm's decision to remain outside of their family meant nothing to their friendship. Of course, she realized that had huge implications for their chances for a romantic relationship, but she resolved herself to figure that out later, when she had a chance to talk with Tani'm in private.

Though, given the conversation they had shared earlier that morning, Karen was pretty sure that Tani'm would avoid facing the decision she had made. Worse still, Karen knew she could not force the young woman to face her demons, and could only help guide her through the troubled emotions of her difficult past.

Karen cleaned her dishes before getting dressed into something casual, surprised to find the jeans and blouse looser fitting then they were the last time she had worn them. As she applied a small amount of makeup, she was amazed by how different she looked, considering how slight the changes from Andrew's spell had been. The few wrinkles she had earned were no longer present, and the slight signs of age that had begun to show in her skin were gone, tight smooth flesh gave a lie to the many years she had spent in the world.

Even her breasts were standing at firm attention, their size defying gravity as her supple flesh held them aloft. Every detail was crisp and clear through the large eyes that looked back at her from the mirror. Her irises seemed giant, even if she knew they had only grown a small amount. There was an angular shift to her face. Nothing like Sara, who was looking more and more like the cats she identified with, but something else; something familiar.

She looked great, and she knew it. It was hard not to smile, but as she winked at herself in the mirror, admiring the late-twenty year old that looked back, she was forced to admit that she was nervous. Her anxiety had nothing to do with the changes to her body, and everything to do with the changes to her gift.

Was Tani'm going to be the strong and capable woman that Karen knew she could be, or would she be the frightened and defensive girl she had met that morning. There was so much struggle within that poor girl, and Karen was self aware enough to know that if Andrew had changed her gift so that she could see her own cells, what had he done to her empathy?

"Well, no reason to wait," she stated towards her reflection, confidence projecting forward, but echoing back as hollow bravado.

She gathered her purse and moved through the living room, her eyes turning towards the closet that rested in the corner. Seldom used, but ever present. Her thoughts turned towards her adopted son, and she shook her head.