Soul Mates
by Kinto Mythostian


It's autumn at the Academy. The forest canopy is a riot of reds, oranges, and yellows, and there's a crisp chill in the air heralding colder weather yet to come. Flocks of birds wing across the cloud-speckled sky on their journey to more temperate climes.  

Somewhere deep within the woods that cover most of the Academy's property, well out of sight of the nearest walking path, a weathered outcrop of bedrock rises out of the forest floor. A red-and-white checkered picnic blanket is spread across the smooth surface of the rock, and an empty basket rests nearby. Lying on the blanket, Jev and Clover are warmed by nothing but their fur. Their discarded uniforms lie in a heap next to the basket.

Jev is on her back, her large blue eyes gazing up at the sky through a gap in the vibrant canopy of the autumnal forest. She is a silver-furred rabbit, with a white belly and large, floppy ears. 

Her lupine friend Clover is resting at an angle beside her, her head resting on Jev's furry belly. Jev's right hand is draped across Clover's chest, casually fingering Clover's nipple where it pokes out of her jet-black fur. Clover's right hand rests atop Jev's hand on her breast; with her other hand Clover is idly stroking Jev's soft pink genitals, still moist from their recent romp. 

They both know they are violating several of the Academy's Rules, but neither of them is especially concerned. They both sincerely love their life at the Academy and wouldn't trade it away for anything, but it took them a long time to realize that some things are more important than unerring obedience to the ideals of the Founders. In the years that they've known each other, they developed a relationship of incredible depth and passion, and that was before they ever even acknowledged their sexual feelings for each other. They purposely keep meetings  like this to a minimum, but in their hearts Jev and Clover find them all the more wonderful for their infrequency.

"Clover?" Jev whispers.

"Yes, Jev?"

"Have you ever thought about... moving on?"

Clover is silent for a moment before responding. Her brilliant golden eyes watch a small yellow leaf spiral down from the canopy and come to rest lightly on her stomach. "You mean dying?"

"Well, more than that. Not just dying. Dying by choice."

"Of course I have, Jev. I think everyone here thinks about it at one time or another."

"But have you thought about it seriously?"

 "What are you getting at?"

"I have been thinking about it, Clover. I think it might be time for me to perform the Greatest Act."

Clover is silent. The Greatest Act is a popular euphemism at the Academy for willingly ending one's life to honor the gods. Clover's always figured she would perform it someday, but she's never given much thought to when someday might be. "Why now?" she asks her friend.

"Because I'm not as young as I used to be, I guess. I'm almost done with my education, and, well, I don't know what else to do. I'm not really cut out for staying on in an administrative position. And as for the other option..."

Clover nods; the other option is leaving the Academy and taking a husband. Jev and Clover both know that neither of them is meant for that course; they've already found their soul mates. "I see what you mean."

"So I was thinking that maybe it was time I made the Choice, and..." the bunny trails off, unsure how to continue.

"And what?"

"I...well..."

Clover raises herself up on her elbows to get a better look at Jev's face.

"It's just that I love you," Jev explains awkwardly, "A lot. Probably as much as anyone can love anyone else. And we've known each other a long time."

Clover understands. "And I'm in the same position you are."

Jev exhales, glad that Clover has figured it out. "I was hoping that you might, you know, join me..."

"End my life with you?" Clover asks, her surprise making her voice sound a bit curter than she intends.

Jev's cheeks take on a faint pink tinge under her silver fur as she blushes. "I shouldn't have brought it up," she says and stands up.

"Jev, wait..."

"No, it's alright. It's a silly idea. I should head back. I'm on duty at the stables in a little bit." She begins to untangle her uniform from Clover's with trembling hands.

"It's not a silly idea, Jev..."

"But you don't... you're not..."

"It's not that. I've just never thought about it all that much before. I love you, too, Jev."

"I know."

"It's just so sudden. I promise I'll think about it, Jev."

"You're right. I'm sorry. I don't know how I was expecting you to react."

"You didn't think I'd be up for it right now. You didn't poison the lunch, did you?"

Jev giggles. "Ha-ha, Clover." She leans down and they kiss. "You'll really think about it?"

"I'd never lie to you," Clover says softly and reaches up to stroke the bunny's soft cheek. They're still for a moment, Jev looking down at her lupine friend, black fur bold against the picnic blanket. 

They kiss again and Jev stands up straight. "But I really do have to go, Clover. If I'm late, they give me the small shovel."

"Of course. I'll see you at dinner, okay?"

Jev nods and gathers up her uniform.

Clover rolls onto her side, propped up one elbow, and watches the bunny dress. Jev pulls her tights back on, the beautiful silver fur of her legs secreted away again beneath the unadorned white wool of her uniform. Clover smiles, knowing it is a sight reserved only for her; a private view from her dearest friend and soul mate. She realizes that she's already made her decision; there's no path she'd rather follow than whatever path Jev has chosen. Their fates are linked, and she wouldn't have it any other way.

"Let's do it," Clover whispers, knowing the bunny's sensitive ears can hear her perfectly well.

Jev turns. "Really?"

"Absolutely. Let's give up our lives. You and I. Together."

Jev smiles and drops half-dressed back to the ground to embrace her recumbent friend. Clover playfully tickles her friend's exposed white belly, catching Jev off-guard and making her shriek with laughter. Clover pushes off from the stone and sends them both tumbling; they roll across the leaf-strewn ground, giggling and covering each other with kisses. Eventually they come to a stop, Clover on top looking down at Jev's beautiful smile, her long lapine ears splayed out on the ground.

It was love. Clover knew it beyond any doubt, and she knew there was no other being she would rather have by her side when she entered into the Celestial Realm.

*One week later*

Many of the trees are already bare, and those that aren't soon will be. A chill breeze rattles the bare branches and sends a shower of leaves tumbling down through the air. The cold, however, doesn't perturb Clover, warm in her Dark Blue formal uniform. She sits primly on a bench at the edge of the woods, one of a half dozen benches arranged in a neat hexagon by the side of one of the many gravel paths that lace the Academy campus.

A soft sound of scrunching gravel coming from the direction of the stables, steadily growing louder, causes her to stand. Jev is approaching, leading a pair of horses. 

"Hello, Clover," she says. Jev is dressed in her own Lilac formal uniform with a matching silk flower clipped to her ear.

"Hello, Jev. You look beautiful."

"You always say that."

"It's always true."

Jev blushes; they embrace and lightly kiss.

"Did you bring them?" Clover asks.

"In my saddlebag, yes. You packed us lunch?"

"Of course," Clover indicates towards her satchel on the ground by the bench. "I made your favorite."

"Thank you, Clover."

"It was nothing, really."

"I wasn't talking about the lunch, silly. I meant for doing this with me."

It was Clover's turn to blush. "There's nothing I would rather do."

They mount up, Clover on a black mare and Jev on a palomino stallion, and ride into the woods together. They ride in silence for a while, not in any hurry and taking their time to appreciate the beauty of the mortal world one final time.

"So, Jev..." Clover says as she roots around in her satchel.

"Yes, Clover?"

Clover holds Jev's sandwich aloft. "Are you saying you're *not* grateful I made this lunch?" she teases playfully.

Jev sticks her tongue out and responds in kind. "No, I've never liked your sandwiches."

"Then in that case, you won't mind if I just eat it right now?" Clover pretends to nibble at the wrappings. 

"Hey, that's mine!"

"Try and stop me, then! Hyah!" Clover urges her mare into a run and takes off down the trail.

Jev lets out a whoop of laughter and gives chase.

The rhythmic pounding of galloping hoofbeats and the melodious laughter of the wolf and the rabbit echoes through the forest. Birds take flight and small mammals scatter at their approach, and leaves stir in their wake. Sometimes Clover will slow her horse, allowing Jev to get close, and then take off at a gallop again. Neither of them feels much like stopping. The cool autumn air whips at their faces, ruffling their fur, sending their dresses rippling in the wind behind them.  

They are without a care in the world, their worries behind them. Soon, all of their fears and concerns will cease to matter. All that is important is each other, and the joy and the glory of this, their last day.

At a fork in the trail, Clover hauls on the reins and finally brings her sweating horse to a stop. Jev stops right beside her and grabs her arm.

"Ha! Caught ya'!" she pants, out of breath from laughing so hard.

"Mm-hm, you did. Guess I'll have to let you eat the sandwich I made for you in the first place."

"Maybe I'd rather eat you." Jev leans across the gap between them and passionately kisses her lupine friend. They remain locked for several seconds, their eyes closed, working over each other's lips. They hold onto each other, stroking each other's headfur, neither one wanting to be the first to let go.

Eventually they release, and continue their ride in silence, smiling and occasionally exchanging loving glances.

They leave the main path to follow a narrow dirt trail that leads into the forest along the banks of a burbling stream. Guiding their horses in single file, they duck their heads to avoid overhanging limbs and try to fend off other branches that would catch at their dresses.

The trail opens up into a secluded clearing out of sight of the main path, where a leaf-strewn patch of soft grass slopes gently to a still pond created by a dam across the stream. Leaves drift lightly on the surface of the pond and water burbles mellifluously as it trickles over the dam. Rising above the grass and the pond, a large oak tree stands silent guard, its spreading, sturdy branches still laden with beautiful red leaves.

"Do you want to set up first, or should I?" Jev asks.

"I'll do it," Clover says.

Jev nods and removes a length of rope from her saddle bag and fashions one end into a noose, which she hands to Clover. Clover tosses the other end over a suitable branch a couple times while holding the noose at what she judges to be the proper height. Jev ties the other end around the trunk of the tree. With Clover's help, Jev does the same with her noose on an adjacent branch.

Satisfied, Jev and Clover dismount and tether their horses to trees at the edge of the clearing. They spread a red-and-white checkered picnic blanket on the grass, and reclining beside each other share a last meal under the patiently waiting nooses.

They talk and joke as they normally do, but as she eats, Clover can't help but notice how Jev keeps glancing upwards.

"Are you alright, Jev?"

"They're awfully high..."

"I know. Our feet won't touch the ground."

Jev nods.

"Jev, if you're having second thoughts..."

"I'm not. This is right. I *know* it."

"It's just, you look worried."

"I've never died before. I'm trying to imagine what it'll be like."

"I'll be right beside you the whole time, Jev. It'll be wonderful. Our bodies will fight it, but we won't have to be afraid. We can choose to disobey instinct; we can seek out death and welcome that suffering upon ourselves. The pain, the agony, our whole existence reduced to that terrible sensation, and then..."

"And then...what?"

"...Release."

Jev smiles. She doesn't say anything, but her expression tells Clover everything she needs to know - how glad she is to be at the Academy, how thankful she is to have Clover in her life, and how prepared she is to sacrifice herself.

"I'm ready whenever you are, Jev."

"Not just yet, Clover. I haven't had dessert yet."

"Dessert? I didn't pack any dessert."

"Spread your legs." Jev licks her lips and Clover understands.

Clover leans back on her elbows and Jev crawls into the Dark Blue tent of Clover's dress. She undoes the clasp that holds the lupine's underwear in place around her tail and pulls down Clover's lacy panties, exposing her soft pink genitals amidst her jet black fur. Jev softly strokes her friend and Clover's arousal grows.

Jev works her tongue slowly, sensually around Clover's vulva, savoring the erotic taste of her dearest friend. It's a familiar taste, but one she's never grown tired of, and she is determined to make her last taste her best. Clover's feminine musk combines with the vaguely floral scent of her freshly-laundered uniform and delights her nostrils. She runs her hands up and down Clover's stockinged thighs, the thick, Dark Blue material fuzzy and warm. 

Clover, for her part, can see nothing of the bunny except for her lower half protruding from her dress between her own stocking feet. But Clover can feel her - oh, can she feel her - pleasuring her as she has so many times before. Clover lets out a sudden yelp of delight and clenches her toes as Jev's tongue penetrates and probes her sensitive flesh. 

Jev inserts a finger into Clover's vagina and begins to smoothly stroke her friend's clitoris, eliciting a blissful moan from the wolf. For several minutes, Jev artfully prods and teases, bringing Clover close to orgasm but always stopping just short of climax. Clover pants and moans, loving every moment of Jev's little game, torn between wanting the release of orgasm and not wanting Jev to stop.

"Jev... oh, Jev... I'm gonna..."

Finally, Jev sends Clover over the edge and the wolf cums with a howl, coating the bunny's fingers. The sharp, musky scent of Clover's juices assaults Jev's nostrils; more than a year ago, the first time they did this, Jev found the odor to be a bit repugnant, but now she has come to associate it with some of her happiest times. Jev wipes Clover's nethers clean with her handkerchief and refastens her panties before crawling out of her dress.

Clover is lying on her back, panting. Jev cozies up next to her and kisses her friend on the cheek.

"That...was...amazing."

Jev blushes. "I couldn't go without doing that one more time."

Clover turns her head sideways to look at Jev better. "Thank you," she says and kisses the bunny on the nose, licking up a stray spot of her own cum as she does so.

"I'm ready now."

"Nuh-uh. You don't get off that easy; it's my turn now!" Clover rolls over on top of Jev and the bunny giggles as Clover playfully pins and tickles her before crawling between her legs and up inside her Lilac dress.

Clover isn't quite as slow or as patient as Jev, and Jev already has a sympathetic arousal from her friend's orgasm. The bunny cums within only a few moments of the first touch of the wolf's tongue against her vulva, moaning and arching her back as she does so. Despite the brevity, Jev is supremely satisfied; the sensation itself is less important to her than the knowledge of who's responsible.

Clover dutifully cleans and dries Jev's genitals and thighs before returning to the sunlit world outside the bunny's dress. She lays down beside her and they embrace and kiss.

"Can you die happy now?" Clover asks.

"All I needed to die happy was to have you at my side."

Clover blushes, but it's hardly visible beneath her black fur. Only Jev, who knows what to look for, can see it. Clover recovers quickly, "So now you can die *really* happy."

"Mm-hm. Are you ready?"

"Let's do it," Clover whispers.  

They stand up and lovingly embrace one last time on solid ground; it is several moments before they part. They untether their horses and mount up, guiding their steeds into position side-by-side beneath the spreading oak.

Clover lifts her ready noose over her head and tightens it around her neck, the rope coarse against her soft black fur, while across from her Jev does the same. 

The rabbit smiles shyly; Clover thinks her friend looks beautiful, posed for death in her Lilac dress on the back of a strong palomino stallion, prepared and willing to end her own life. Jev, meanwhile, admires how the autumn sunlight filters down softly through the red leaves of this beautiful old tree to illuminate her friend's face, her black lupine fur shining like flecks of obsidian as she smiles back at her. They lean across the gap between them and kiss, the ropes pulled ever so slightly taut, already choking them softly. 

Jev removes two black blindfolds from her saddlebag and passes one of them to Clover. Without breaking their gazes, they blindfold each other. Their last sight in the mortal world is their soul mate smiling back at them; in their hearts they know it may very well be their first sight in the Celestial Realm, now only moments away. There can be no turning back now, and they are both fully prepared to go the distance.

Clover reaches out with her left hand and finds Jev's right at her side. They grasp hands and hold tight, waiting in silence for the perfect moment.

Clover feels Jev squeeze her hand ever so gently. She urges her horse into a slow walk as beside her Jev does the same. For a moment, the two riders move forward with their mounts, but then the rope is pulled taut and they begin to slide backwards. There's an increased pressure around her throat and Clover feels her mare's rump passing slowly beneath her, rising slightly as she reaches the croup. Instinctively, she tries to grab hold with her feet, but her stockings just slide across her horse's hide.

She and Jev are squeezing each other's hands tightly as their mounts keep obliviously moving forward. Jev's instinct is to panic, but instead she fights to remain calm. Then, suddenly, the horses aren't there any more, gone from underneath them. They slide off into empty air and swing backwards.

The tightness, the pain is intense. Jev and Clover choke and gasp, kicking and struggling. They remain holding hands, squeezing tightly, seeking and offering reassurance. Their free hands rise instinctively to their throats, but there is nothing that can be done to relieve the torment.

Above the pounding sound of her own heart, Jev can hear her friend beside her wheezing in suffering. She is glad Clover is here, giving up her life at her side. Clover is giving her life up for Jev, and Jev is doing the same for Clover.

Clover feels Jev give her hand an extra squeeze and mentally concentrates on the sight of her friend's smiling face, her beautiful long ears, her adorable pink nose, and all the happy times they spent together. She can't imagine life without Jev. She can't imagine dying without Jev by her side, and she knows she is right where she ought to be. 

Between the knowledge of Jev by her side, the lack of oxygen, and the blood gathering in her loins, Clover unexpectedly finds herself becoming aroused for the second time today. She rubs her thighs together, trying to elicit one final orgasm.

A single stimulus penetrates Jev's own mental fog of all-consuming pain. The sensation is weak, but she knows it right away: it is the familiar, wonderful, erotic scent of Clover's arousal, and within moments Jev has one of her own. A strangled moan escapes her throat as she works her hips and her head lolls from side to side. They squeeze each other's hands, and a fresh trill of pleasure shoots through both of them. 

They continue like this for several moments, their passion growing stronger as their deaths draw nearer. Finally, in such rapid succession as to be practically simultaneous, the two friends climax, filling their panties with their cum.

Drained of energy and in a blissful haze, Clover lets her struggling body relax and she waits patiently for death to claim her.

Jev feels Clover cease struggling beside her, but she knows her friend isn't dead yet; she can still hear her straining to breathe. Jev knows that if Clover can be calm in the face of death, then she can, too. She wills herself to stop fighting; when death comes she will welcome it into her body without resistance.

Two pairs of stocking feet hang several feet off the ground in the silent sun-dappled shade of the oak, sometimes twitching in half-hearted reflex. Clover and Jev's breathing slows and becomes shallower and shallower. 

Their horses lap at the edge of the pond before wandering riderless back to the stables.

Jev and Clover dangle at the ends of their ropes in the cool autumn air. A fly, drawn to the clearing by the scent of death, lands on the sleeve of Clover's Dark Blue dress and crawls down to her hand. Without taking off, it crawls onto Jev's silver-furred hand and up her Lilac sleeve - their hands are still linked.










**

Author's Notes

First draft began November 22/23, 2009, on paper. Transcribed onto computer and first draft completed January 5, 2010. Editing completed January 5, 2010.