{
  "submission_id": "2766102",
  "keywords": [
    {
      "keyword_id": "523",
      "keyword_name": "bisexual",
      "contributed": "f",
      "submissions_count": "7524"
    },
    {
      "keyword_id": "60",
      "keyword_name": "cat",
      "contributed": "f",
      "submissions_count": "217428"
    },
    {
      "keyword_id": "3",
      "keyword_name": "dog",
      "contributed": "f",
      "submissions_count": "175824"
    },
    {
      "keyword_id": "123",
      "keyword_name": "female",
      "contributed": "f",
      "submissions_count": "1104947"
    },
    {
      "keyword_id": "19892",
      "keyword_name": "genderbend",
      "contributed": "f",
      "submissions_count": "4089"
    },
    {
      "keyword_id": "50",
      "keyword_name": "kitsune",
      "contributed": "f",
      "submissions_count": "18466"
    },
    {
      "keyword_id": "1069",
      "keyword_name": "lesbian",
      "contributed": "f",
      "submissions_count": "20710"
    },
    {
      "keyword_id": "191",
      "keyword_name": "magic",
      "contributed": "f",
      "submissions_count": "25913"
    },
    {
      "keyword_id": "165",
      "keyword_name": "male",
      "contributed": "f",
      "submissions_count": "1215153"
    },
    {
      "keyword_id": "49406",
      "keyword_name": "oriental shorthair",
      "contributed": "f",
      "submissions_count": "19"
    },
    {
      "keyword_id": "157",
      "keyword_name": "red panda",
      "contributed": "f",
      "submissions_count": "15243"
    },
    {
      "keyword_id": "1971",
      "keyword_name": "rottweiler",
      "contributed": "f",
      "submissions_count": "2278"
    },
    {
      "keyword_id": "62575",
      "keyword_name": "slice-of-life",
      "contributed": "f",
      "submissions_count": "139"
    },
    {
      "keyword_id": "5239",
      "keyword_name": "timberwolf",
      "contributed": "f",
      "submissions_count": "547"
    },
    {
      "keyword_id": "1336",
      "keyword_name": "transformation",
      "contributed": "f",
      "submissions_count": "44944"
    },
    {
      "keyword_id": "164",
      "keyword_name": "wolf",
      "contributed": "f",
      "submissions_count": "196193"
    }
  ],
  "hidden": "f",
  "scraps": "f",
  "favorite": "f",
  "favorites_count": "2",
  "create_datetime": "2022-07-16 16:40:51.833947+00",
  "create_datetime_usertime": "16 Jul 2022 18:40 CEST",
  "last_file_update_datetime": "2022-07-16 16:35:55.18765+00",
  "last_file_update_datetime_usertime": "16 Jul 2022 18:35 CEST",
  "username": "SpectralWolf",
  "user_id": "833320",
  "user_icon_file_name": "247437_SpectralWolf_7f75c211-5c99-4d8c-a80d-ee4ca4ae95ec.jpg",
  "user_icon_url_large": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/usericons/large/247/247437_SpectralWolf_7f75c211-5c99-4d8c-a80d-ee4ca4ae95ec.jpg",
  "user_icon_url_medium": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/usericons/medium/247/247437_SpectralWolf_7f75c211-5c99-4d8c-a80d-ee4ca4ae95ec.jpg",
  "user_icon_url_small": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/usericons/small/247/247437_SpectralWolf_7f75c211-5c99-4d8c-a80d-ee4ca4ae95ec.jpg",
  "file_name": "4103394_SpectralWolf_die_role_-_ch_7.doc",
  "file_url_full": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/files/full/4103/4103394_SpectralWolf_die_role_-_ch_7.doc",
  "file_url_screen": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/files/screen/4103/4103394_SpectralWolf_die_role_-_ch_7.doc",
  "file_url_preview": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/files/preview/4103/4103394_SpectralWolf_die_role_-_ch_7.doc",
  "thumbnail_url_huge": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/huge/4103/4103394_SpectralWolf_die_role_-_ch_7.jpg",
  "thumbnail_url_large": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/large/4103/4103394_SpectralWolf_die_role_-_ch_7.jpg",
  "thumbnail_url_medium": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/medium/4103/4103394_SpectralWolf_die_role_-_ch_7.jpg",
  "thumb_huge_x": "260",
  "thumb_huge_y": "300",
  "thumb_large_x": "173",
  "thumb_large_y": "200",
  "thumb_medium_x": "104",
  "thumb_medium_y": "120",
  "files": [
    {
      "file_id": "4103394",
      "file_name": "4103394_SpectralWolf_die_role_-_ch_7.doc",
      "file_url_full": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/files/full/4103/4103394_SpectralWolf_die_role_-_ch_7.doc",
      "file_url_screen": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/files/screen/4103/4103394_SpectralWolf_die_role_-_ch_7.doc",
      "file_url_preview": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/files/preview/4103/4103394_SpectralWolf_die_role_-_ch_7.doc",
      "mimetype": "application/msword",
      "submission_id": "2766102",
      "user_id": "833320",
      "submission_file_order": "0",
      "full_size_x": null,
      "full_size_y": null,
      "screen_size_x": null,
      "screen_size_y": null,
      "preview_size_x": null,
      "preview_size_y": null,
      "initial_file_md5": "02981d9743ee95fb6f916c0a8d75ead7",
      "full_file_md5": "02981d9743ee95fb6f916c0a8d75ead7",
      "large_file_md5": "",
      "small_file_md5": "",
      "thumbnail_md5": "dbd8d76d43a7659686cf3f201235e43b",
      "deleted": "f",
      "create_datetime": "2022-07-16 16:35:55.18765+00",
      "create_datetime_usertime": "16 Jul 2022 18:35 CEST",
      "thumbnail_url_huge": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/huge/4103/4103394_SpectralWolf_die_role_-_ch_7.jpg",
      "thumbnail_url_large": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/large/4103/4103394_SpectralWolf_die_role_-_ch_7.jpg",
      "thumbnail_url_medium": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/medium/4103/4103394_SpectralWolf_die_role_-_ch_7.jpg",
      "thumb_huge_x": "260",
      "thumb_huge_y": "300",
      "thumb_large_x": "173",
      "thumb_large_y": "200",
      "thumb_medium_x": "104",
      "thumb_medium_y": "120"
    }
  ],
  "pools": [
    {
      "pool_id": "75054",
      "name": "Die Role - Main Story",
      "description": "A timberworlf girl starts an unexpected new life",
      "count": "9",
      "submission_left_submission_id": "2766087",
      "submission_left_file_name": "4103370_SpectralWolf_die_role_-_ch_6.doc",
      "submission_left_thumbnail_url_huge": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/huge/4103/4103370_SpectralWolf_die_role_-_ch_6.jpg",
      "submission_left_thumbnail_url_large": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/large/4103/4103370_SpectralWolf_die_role_-_ch_6.jpg",
      "submission_left_thumbnail_url_medium": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/medium/4103/4103370_SpectralWolf_die_role_-_ch_6.jpg",
      "submission_left_thumb_huge_x": "260",
      "submission_left_thumb_huge_y": "300",
      "submission_left_thumb_large_x": "173",
      "submission_left_thumb_large_y": "200",
      "submission_left_thumb_medium_x": "104",
      "submission_left_thumb_medium_y": "120",
      "submission_right_submission_id": "2772574",
      "submission_right_file_name": "4113553_SpectralWolf_die_role_-_ch_8.doc",
      "submission_right_thumbnail_url_huge": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/huge/4113/4113553_SpectralWolf_die_role_-_ch_8.jpg",
      "submission_right_thumbnail_url_large": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/large/4113/4113553_SpectralWolf_die_role_-_ch_8.jpg",
      "submission_right_thumbnail_url_medium": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/medium/4113/4113553_SpectralWolf_die_role_-_ch_8.jpg",
      "submission_right_thumb_huge_x": "260",
      "submission_right_thumb_huge_y": "300",
      "submission_right_thumb_large_x": "173",
      "submission_right_thumb_large_y": "200",
      "submission_right_thumb_medium_x": "104",
      "submission_right_thumb_medium_y": "120"
    }
  ],
  "description": "Karen Bright is a petite and attractive, 18 year old Timberwolf girl. Or at least she was, before finding an ancient necklace in a Chinese puzzle box. Now her build, gender, gender identity and preference in sexual partners are randomly being changed by the curse that was on the necklace!\n\nKaren starts exploring two major changes in her life. One is her first serious romantic relationship, which turns out to be with an older woman! Neither Karen nor her new lover, Mia, had ever dated another woman seriously before, but something had just clicked between them. The other is committing herself, for life, to becoming an apprentice to a Kitsune mage - a supernatural creature who, scant weeks ago, Karen would have believed was just mythical folklore. Can she learn to control her curse, not to mention magical powers she never suspected she had? And can she do so without harming the girl she is beginning to love?",
  "description_bbcode_parsed": "<span style='word-wrap: break-word;'>Karen Bright is a petite and attractive, 18 year old Timberwolf girl. Or at least she was, before finding an ancient necklace in a Chinese puzzle box. Now her build, gender, gender identity and preference in sexual partners are randomly being changed by the curse that was on the necklace!<br /><br />Karen starts exploring two major changes in her life. One is her first serious romantic relationship, which turns out to be with an older woman! Neither Karen nor her new lover, Mia, had ever dated another woman seriously before, but something had just clicked between them. The other is committing herself, for life, to becoming an apprentice to a Kitsune mage - a supernatural creature who, scant weeks ago, Karen would have believed was just mythical folklore. Can she learn to control her curse, not to mention magical powers she never suspected she had? And can she do so without harming the girl she is beginning to love?</span>",
  "writing": "Die Role, by SpectralWolf, July 2022\n\n``She was an ordinary person... until she die'd.''\n\nChapter 7: First magic lessons - Self discovery\n\nA few minutes before Noon, on Tuesday, July 22nd, Kimberly, Mia and Mister Chen arrived at the locked door of the magical workroom in the shop's basement. The Timberwolf girl was dressed in loose fitting clothes, in case she transformed into Kraig again. Her feline girlfriend was carrying Kimberly's gym bag, filled with four outfits of additional clothing and shoes. Mia would keep that with herself, in case a change to other clothes was needed.\n\nMister Chen said, ``She is within, waiting for you, Kimberly. She told me to inform you that from this moment, you are to follow your instincts and her instructions faithfully, if you truly wish to benefit from her aid. Kimberly, you open the door, and go in first. We shall follow behind you, but we will stay out of the way, to record and witness. And to provide what small measure of support we can. We shall, however, not intervene in any way, even to speak to you, unless she asks us to. Is that clear?''\n\n``Perfectly,'' Kimberly replied. \n\nMia nodded in agreement. ``I'll do my best, sir. It might not be so easy to contain myself. But I will do whatever I can, for my friend.'' She impulsively hugged her girlfriend tightly, gave her a passionate kiss, nuzzled Kimberly's neck and purred, and then said encouragingly, ``You've got this, my dear! And we're here for you!''\n\n``Thanks! I appreciate that!'' Kimberly replied, as she tried keying in the electronic lock's combination from memory, and grinned as she heard the lock unlatching. ``Got it, first try! Here we go!''\n\nThe state of the room was quite unlike when they had been in it before. The entire room was pitch dark, as if a dark fog was filling the entire vholume within it, and the light from the open door seemed to reach only a few feet into the room. To their right, beside the door, a single white taper candle, on a small table provided with two chairs, fared no better in illuminating the room. The circle of light shed by it only barely reached the back of the two chairs at the table, and did not shine at all on the wall, which had to be there, behind the chairs. Two clipboards with paper and pens were also on the table, as well as the small fire extinguisher Kimberly had set aside yesterday. The door closed on its own behind the three of them, and Mister Chen silently led Mia to sit at the table, and sat beside her, calmly staring into the darkness before them. \n\nKimberly wanted to reach for the light switch, but she was somehow certain it would not work, and that this unnatural darkness must serve a magical purpose. For one thing, she felt no magic at all in front of her. And normally, she would at least detect some of the scrolls and artifacts which Mister Chen kept in this room. So she just took a deep breath, and stood there in the unnatural gloom, and asked, as calmly as she could, ``Mistress Keiko? What should I do?''\n\nKeiko's voice came from the shadows. ``Kimberly, also known to me as Karen, Kraig and Kip, do you come here at this time of your own free will?''\n\n``I... believe so, Mistress Keiko,'' Kimberly replied, ``To the extent that I can, given that I am under a curse which I do not fully understand. That curse will soon compel my actions, but I need not have come here to submit to its demands.''\n\n``A good answer,'' Keiko replied. Her voice sounded closer, but she remained unseen in the darkened room. ``What do you hope to achieve, in coming here?''\n\n``To be free of, or at least to learn to control, the curse from the necklace which I wear, and to learn to responsibly control the magical gifts that I seem to have,'' Kimberly replied. ``To use a phrase I have heard used in martial arts, `My cup of knowledge is empty.' I wish to fill it, if you are willing to aid and instruct me. I know only that my understanding of magic is woefully incomplete, and based largely on fiction written by people who don't even believe magic is real. But my curse is undeniably real, as are you. I have been told I have a magical gift, and I do know it seems easy for me to do some things which others can not do so freely. But I have also been warned that without proper magical training, my gift can be a danger to myself and others. So I primarily come here to seek your aid. The aid of a skillful mage.''\n\n``Again, a thoughtful answer. Well done. Step forward, and come to the center of the circle before you,'' said the hidden Kitsune's voice. \n\nOn the floor immediately in front of Kimberly, the outermost ring of a large circular diagram inscribed with arcane symbols and Chinese lettering began to glow with a faint blue light. The dark fog instantly dissipated within that circle, forming a wall around it. The illumination was still rather dim, but much brighter than the intense darkness from a moment earlier. The edge of the circular area was a glowing band perhaps 20 feet in diameter and 2 feet wide, which had five different colored candles on five two foot diameter tables. evenly spaced around its perimeter. These had apparently been there all along, but concealed by the strange fog. Standing at the edge of that circle, looking through a thin wall of the remaining fog, Kimberly could see that next to each of the five candles on the five small tables, each was set with some of the other items she had been told to gather the previous workday, plus a few things she did not recognise. Within that glowing outer band was a pentagon-shaped band of chalk markings on the floor, also two feet wide, with each candle's table positioned within a small circle just outward of its respective point, and a three foot diameter circle just inward of those table circles, overlapping the pentagon shape. And within the pentagon was a ten foot diameter circle, within which was a five pointed star, and within that, a four foot diameter circle at its center. Presumably, the glowing outer ring of the diagram has also merely been chalk lines, before the mage activated some sort of spell. But she still could not see the mage herself.\n\nThere was a two foot wide break of sorts in the glowing, outermost circle's rim. That one segment, right in front of the Timberwolf girl, was still only inscribed in plain blue chalk lines, which were not yet glowing. She took a deep breath, and stepped forward, into the narrow blank space between the outer circular band and one side of the pentagon shaped band. The moment she stepped over that threshold, and got past the circle's outer perimeter, she could see clearly everything within the circle. She felt magic in front of and surrounding her again, but there were far too many sources for her to make out more than an overall aura of magical power. She stepped carefully over the nested patterns of lines and symbols, and walked deeper into the center of the circle, continuing to avoid stepping on any of the chalk markings, as additional circles, lines, five pointed stars and arcane symbols began glowing on the floor ahead of her, again leaving a small, clear path to the center, which did not yet glow. Yet even now, she still could not see the Kitsune.\n\nShe got to the center, glanced backwards, and saw that as she had expected, all of the gaps she had stepped over were glowing now. She was also pretty sure that she could still not sense any of the magical items she knew should be outside the circle, concealed by the black fog. She could peer through the fog just well enough to see Mia and Mister Chen. But it was like looking at them through dense smoke. Mister Chen smiled and briefly waved a hand in her direction, so he and Mia apparently could see her, to at least the same extent that she herself was able to look through the foggy barrier. But nothing else outside the circle could be seen. Not even the door or wall, which should be very close to Mia and Mister Chen.\n\nWhen Kimberly looked back to the diagram's center, she found herself nose to nose with Keiko, who was calmly standing in the middle of the diagram, in the four foot diameter, unmarked circle.  The mage's many tails twitched sinuously behind her, each moving independently of the others, yet somehow still synchronized. The black furred Kitsune was totally nude, and her long black hair was unbound, flowing around her head, as if stirred by an unfelt light breeze. Or almost as if she was under water.\n\n``Eeep! Ohmigawd, you startled me!'' Kimberly exclaimed. ``Oh! Am I supposed to be naked too? No one said anything about that!''\n\n``Apologies. I had concealed my presence while you approached, to better observe your reactions as you entered the magic circle, without the distraction of your reaction to my appearance. You definitely can feel it, can't you? The magic in this diagram? And you were very observant and careful as you entered, not smudging a single line of chalk. That was well done!'' Keiko replied, giving Kimberly a slight grin. ``And no, I just prefer to work magic while unclothed. Particularly when I plan to be performing fire magic. It can be... inconvenient... to be wrapped in something flammable, if anything goes wrong with pyromancy. You may undress if you wish, or not, whenever I teach you. If you need to be nude, I will say so. But you are fine as you are, for the moment.''\n\n``I... well, I don't mind nudity, no. Yours was just... unexpected. But if you'll pardon me for interrupting this, err... ceremony, shouldn't we resolve today's curse transformation right away, before starting my magical apprenticeship to you?'' Kimberly replied, striving to look her new mentor in the eyes, and not look down at her nude body. A body which Kimberly currently found quite attractive and sensually compelling. ``I can already feel the curse's compulsion beginning to affect me, Ma'am.''\n\n``That black fog is an anti-magic barrier. It, together with the warding circle that I established for your initiation, will serve admirably to protect your employer and your... new lover, if my nose does not deceive me?'' Keiko replied, with a grin.\n\nKimberly blushed fiercely, the insides of her ears turning decidedly more pink through the thin white fur there, and self-consciously sniffed at herself, saying, ``Oh! I... thought I had washed myself pretty thoroughly, in the time that?s passed since we made love yesterday? But, ummmm, yes, Mia and I are lovers now. Though I'm still a virgin. I hope to find a suitable male fairly soon, to take care of my virginity. He... we're thinking of asking the aid of a guy who Mia knows well, and who has flirted with me before, when I was still Karen.''\n\nKeiko grinned again, and explained, ``No, you don't still stink like you just had sex. Not even to my sensitive nose. But I can smell two different kinds of perfume, and two kinds of fur shampoo, on you, one stronger than the other in each pairing. And faintly, even though she is several feet away from me, I can smell the same mixed pairs of scents coming from her, though in reversed proportions. And though I did not particularly attempt to read your mind, or hers, an increased level of affection for her is readily quite apparent in your surface thoughts. Please uncage the die, and roll it now. I wish to observe your transformation under more strictly controlled circumstances.''\n\nKimberly looked downward at the cursed die in her necklace, and then looked back up, directly into the Kitsune mage's eyes. ``Errrr, yes Mistress. So, there is no table or altar in this center space, and your magic circle looks like something I shouldn't try to cross until it is deactivated. Should I just roll the die on the floor?''\n\n``Again, perceptive and thoughtful. I think I shall enjoy instructing you, my dear! Yes. I want you to kneel before me. Then try to keep in mind one favorable outcome you desire from this transformation, and proceed with the die rolls, just as you did yesterday.''\n\nKimberly carefully got on her knees, acutely aware that doing so in the confined space available to her placed her nose scant inches in front of the nude Kitsune's groin, and that Keiko's scent indicated she was slightly aroused! Then she uncaged the cursed die, feeling a much more intense compulsion to roll it, the moment she touched the die itself. She carefully expressed in her mind a preference to become a bisexual female, preferably her Karen form, and then she rolled the die four times, beside herself. ``4, 3, 1, and 7,'' she said, quickly leaning down after the last roll, to place her head between Keiko's feet, so she would not fall over when the transformation inevitably caused her to lose consciousness. She hadn't particularly planned to assume such a submissive posture before the mage. But it certainly felt like she was already becoming quite submissive to her new Mistress. And then she blinked, and realized she was already changing shape, while still awake! It felt strange, but not painful, as she had feared it might, with nothing to go on but some werewolf transformations she had seen in movies, and how badly her prior transformations where she had gotten larger had shredded her clothing. She was becoming smaller, but was still feminine. And as before, without giving it a conscious thought, her coloration subtly shifted to her original, lighter grey markings on her snow white fur. Thinking of her lover, she found she was still very fond of Mia, and still interested in being the feline girl's lover. But her interest in Mia's adopted brother, Karl, was also quite strong now!''\n\n``Why... didn't I pass out?'' The now-petite Timberwolf girl asked. As she sat back up on her heels, once again looking directly at Keiko?s crotch, she could now definitely smell feminine arousal coming from the Kitsune mage! ``I feel like I am Karen again! Pretty much entirely my original self, but... well, I am definitely bisexual! Mistress Keiko? Did you do something to keep me conscious?''\n\n``Very little, as far as anything intentional,'' the mage replied. ``But the activated warding circle limited the sources from which you could draw magical power to the necklace itself, your bracelet, your own body, and... me. And I have far deeper magical energy reserves than any untrained mortal. I was wondering if, perhaps, you just had too little magical energy within yourself which was available for your use, to manage to shapeshift while conscious. So I merely provided an unguarded conduit for magical energy between us, which you could freely access, if you instinctively tried to do so. And you certainly did draw power from me, like a thirsty person guzzling water. Likely you just absorbed far more than you actually needed, but it was not at all enough to harm me in any way. In fact, I found it somewhat... stimulating. Nor should that power boost have harmed you. In fact, that excess power should prove quite useful to you, in your first lessons. Can you stand? How do you feel?''\n\nKaren stood up easily, clutching at her belt as her pants shifted position. The shirt she had worn was now several sizes too big, and the only thing which seemed to be keeping her jeans from falling down around her ankles was her hand and her tail, threaded through the button fly tailhole on the back of the denim pants. Her bra, panties and socks were similarly loose, and her sandals were hopelessly too large now for her smaller feet. ``Oops! I'm fine, but my clothes are so loose they are about to fall off. Can't complain at all about the transformation results, though. And I don't feel at all tired.''\n\n``Well, let's get the clothes out of your way then,'' Keiko said. One of her tails seemed to twitch a bit faster, she made a brief gesture with one hand, and the clothes Kimberly had been wearing disappeared, leaving Karen wearing only her necklace and bracelet. ``They will be returned to you when we are done.''\n\n``Thank you, Mistress,'' Karen replied, trying not to blush further.\n\n``Let us proceed with your initiation, then,'' Keiko stated. \n\n``Becoming an apprentice to a mage is not to be lightly undertaken,'' the Kitsune mage said seriously. ``The universe, as it is understood by modern science, is but a tiny fraction of all of reality. A mage manipulates powers which science can not grasp, and gains access to aspects of reality which could drive an untrained mind quite insane. You will learn secrets which most mortals must never know. You will attempt to control powers which could destroy you and those around you. You will learn of and interact with creatures whose nature and capabilities are unlike your own in ways that you can not yet imagine. Yet with study, diligence, and determination, under the guidance of an experienced mage, you can hope to gain that control. And I can offer you that training and guidance. What you have already accomplished is a strong indication that you have the necessary inherent abilities to succeed. If you prevail, the power of creation, as well of destruction, will be yours. You will learn to control the physical and metaphysical realms by non physical means. You will, in time, become a mage yourself. How powerful of a mage you develop into, and how long that will take, remains to be seen. Some apprentices, like your employer, Mister Chen, can only control the most rudimentary powers. Mere parlor tricks, as compared to greater magic. Even magical creatures, such as myself, may have their limitations. But for those with the true gift, and a strong will, you can create amazing miracles. The path you seek represents far more than overcoming your curse. And do note that none of what I have said so far is shaded by any moral implications as to its uses. Magic has no such limitations. What you call good, or evil is a matter of how you choose to apply it. A knife can kill. But it can also be a surgeon's scalpel, used to heal. The knife itself is neither good nor evil. The ability to draw magical power from sources outside yourself also implies an ability to give magical power as needed to others, as I did when you transformed. Used in moderation, your ability to draw power from others can be used in many ways, without harming anyone. But that same ability, used to excess, can literally drain life from them, causing them to shrivel, age, and die at an unnatural rate. Therefore, in return for the knowledge and guidance which your mage provides, you must commit yourself fully and for life to the pursuit of this path. And you must, in turn, only teach it to those you believe will use it responsibly. Do you begin to understand the serious nature of this path?''\n\nKaren took a deep breath, and replied, ``I... think I do? Dare I ask... how do you choose to use that power yourself? What you've said about moderation and success implies you at least lean toward what I think of as `good behavior', am I right?''\n\n``You are right to ask. Though some untrustworthy mages might not answer such a question honestly,'' the black furred Kitsune replied. ``I see myself as relatively neutral. Many of my species directly serve greater powers, and while they may at times seem mischievous, their actions align more often with `good' than with `evil'. Using that mischief to punish mortals who are evil, and to aid the virtuous, for example. I am more... independant. I walked that path once, but felt... betrayed, I suppose. I fell out of favor with that greater being, and left their service. Yet enlightened self interest gives me good reasons to maintain a relatively honorable path. Those who seek to use magic only to gain personal power, at the expense of others, often find all others turning against them. I primarily seek knowledge, and to benefit myself. But it is often in my own best interest to ensure that my plans are more beneficial than harmful to others. So that awareness guides my choices.''\n\n``Mister Chen implied as much, when he spoke in favor of you,'' Karen replied. ``I... just kind of needed to hear you say that, okay?''\n\n``Fair enough. And you must understand that your success is not certain. Others have sought this knowledge, and been found lacking. Even if you fail, you must still keep whatever secrets you have learned, for your entire life. If you fail as a mage, and don't kill yourself in the process of a spectacular failure, you will be placed under a geas to protect what knowledge has been shared with you, so no one else can access it,'' Keiko said. ``And a lifetime in my service does not mean you become my slave, devoting every second of your existance to pleasing me. It means making a promise to do your best at the tasks assigned to you, and a promise to be loyal to me, and to the magical realms. Some more intense tasks certainly will require your undivided attention for months, or even years. But most of the training leaves plenty of time for you to pursue a relatively `normal' life when not directly working on learning magic. As my apprentice, it will be important to me that you get trained well. But training you will only occupy a small fraction of my attention and time. There are many other matters for me to attend to, some of which are long term projects which can not be completed in your natural lifetime. If you become sufficiently valuable to me, or if your own power grows strong enough, it is possible that your lifespan might greatly exceed normal expectations. And not, necessarily, at the type of cost which your employer paid for his extended longevity. There are many other ways to extend the life of a mortal. The way I chose to extend his life was simply the most convenient and beneficial to me, at that time.''\n\nKaren looked longingly back at Mia, and then asked, ``If... a mortal mage's life can be extended, then their lover's life could be longer as well, couldn't it?''\n\nKeiko nodded, but replied, ``Of course. But mortals often find that they do not desire immortality, once they truly understand what it entails. Watching a loved one wither and die, while you remain young, for example. Outliving your children, grandchildren and successive generations who count you as an ancestor. I have given life to many offspring, not all of which inherited my longevity. So be careful about forming attachments to mortals, should you gain a greatly extended life expectancy. You cannot cling to everyone who becomes dear to you. It will prove difficult enough to prevent the mortals around you from discovering your own longevity. And if you are discovered, some people would do absolutely anything to learn your secrets, to be able to hold their own demise forever at bay. Can you imagine trying to conceal a family, or group of friends, which grows in number over several generations, yet never grows old or dies?''\n\n``It... would be difficult, I suppose. But I am not asking for a longer life just yet. Neither for myself, or for Mia,'' Karen replied.\n\n``That choice can be discussed later, then. For now, if you swear to serve me, and accept becoming my apprentice, you have my promise that I shall do what I can to train you as a mage, and to protect you. I will offer protection to your lover, as well. At the end of 80 years of service to me, we can review your contract, for possible renewal. Or circumstances may require modifying our agreement sooner, depending on your abilities and needs. So I ask you now - Knowing and accepting all of this, do you accept making a blood oath to bind you in service to me, and agree to pledge yourself to my service for the next 80 years, as my apprentice?''\n\n``Yes. I accept your conditions, Mistress Keiko. I promise to serve you faithfully for... 80 years... provided I live that long, in exchange for your instruction in using magic. Please, accept me as your apprentice mage!'' Karen replied eagerly. She paused only slightly, taking a deep breath before committing so much of her life to the service of this Kitsune woman, who she only barely knew.\n\n``Give me your left hand, palm up!'' Keiko commanded.\n\n``Yes Mistress!'' Karen replied, presenting her hand as demanded. Her eyes got wider as a jet black knife appeared in the mage's right hand.\n\nKeiko placed the sharp edge of the eight inch long, double edged blade across Karen's left palm, placed her own left hand atop the opposite edge, with her hand positioned as if engaging in a left handed handshake, and swiftly withdrew the blade, slicing both of their palms at once! Her black furred hand clasped Karen's white furred hand tightly, yet there was fairly little pain. The blade was very sharp! ``My blood to your blood, I bind you to me, Karen Bright. My soul to yours. My Ki to yours. Witnessed by my soulfire, my Kitsune Bi!'' As she spoke, a blue-white will-o-the-wisp of light emerged from the mage's chest, floated above their clasped hands, and then seemed to fade into the back of Keiko's injured hand. \n\nKaren did not even have time to cry out in pain, before the blood binding was done, and a soft, soothing, pain-free warmth suffused her hand as the ball of light entered their handclasp. \n\n``You are now mine,'' Keiko said solemnly. She raised her left hand, palm facing Karen, and it was healing so rapidly that only a thin red line and the blood staining her fur gave proof to her having been cut. \n\nOn Karen's open palm rested what looked like a white pearl, about an inch in diameter, glowing from within with blue-white light. The cut on her own hand was healing just as rapidly, and... the blood which remained seemed to be flowing into the pearl! ``It... doesn't hurt now. What... what is this in my hand, Mistress? I can feel it pulsing with life, just like the cursed die in my necklace, when I hold it uncaged.''\n\n``That is my Kitsune Bi - called by some a soulfire pearl - and it is a tangible form of my soul, if you wish. Proof of the trust I offer to you as your Mistress'' Keiko replied solemnly. ``Were it not for the binding which we just shared, if you were but to close your fingers around it, you could control and command me. But you shall not, because you have just sworn a blood oath to serve me. That you release it voluntarily, and not because I use your blood oath to force you to do so, shall be your proof to me of your sincerity in serving me.''\n\n``Your... soul? Oh my! I do freely release it, Mistress!'' Karen replied without hesitation, amazed at this moment. She suddenly remembered folklore about this aspect of Kitsune. That if another being controlled a Kitsune Bi, they could literally enslave the Kitsune with its power, just like owning Aladdin's magic lamp made the genie within it his slave - until the genie's three wishes ran out. But with Kitsune, there was no such limit. The person who held that soulfire pearl literally owned the Kitsune!\n\nThe pearl began to float above Karen's now undamaged palm, then drifted back into Keiko's chest, right between her breasts. Keiko smiled, and suddenly Karen could hear the Kitsune mage's voice echoing within her mind, **No higher level of trust can exist between us. You have held my soul, and given it back freely. The blood we commingled will allow you to reach out to me with your mind, no matter what distance separates us - even across time and other dimensions of reality. Likewise, it grants me access to your surface thoughts, even if you are unconscious. Try it. Do not speak, but picture you speaking to me in your mind, then reach out to me with your mind, and tell me something.**\n\n**Oh! That feels so strange! Can you hear me, Mistress? That was such a beautiful way to seal our relationship as Mistress and apprentice! Does this also make me telepathic?** Karen thought. She wasn't quite sure, but it felt like Keiko indeed heard her. At least, while she was trying to send her thoughts out, she had a strong impression of seeing Keiko in her mind.\n\n**Well done! And no, this form of what you refer to as telepathy is only a link between you and I. You can't use it to mindspeak to Mia, for example. But the ease with which you achieved your first contact with me is a strong indication that you could learn telepathy spells at some point.** Keiko replied mentally. Then she spoke verbally, saying, ``This concludes your binding to me. You are now my apprentice.''\n\nKeiko turned to face Mister Chen and Mia, and said, ``The soul binding between my new apprentice and I seems to have worked quite well. We can communicate mind to mind, and I shall be using that link in her training, to guide her mind into opening the necessary pathways for her to learn some rudimentary pyromancy spells. Where I feel it is necessary for both of you to make a record of results, I will explain things as they happen. But much of this first part will be taking place mind to mind.''\n\n``So noted, Mistress. I shall take notes of our observations,'' Mister Chen replied.\n\nMia still seemed a bit shaken by how casually the naked Kitsune had produced a knife out of nowhere, and cut her lover's hand. But the concept of binding a pact by sharing blood was something she had at least read about in fantasy literature. ``I shall do what little I can, honored one. Thank you for helping my friend, and for allowing my presence.''\n\nKeiko looked directly at Mia, then spoke solemnly. ``You are welcome, Mia. And I am glad you are still willing to help. But I must stress to you that you are expected to keep everything that you observe about her training in strictest confidence and secrecy. Normally, I would only allow my apprentices and other mages to observe magical training and the like. However, you have volunteered to participate in some aspects of her training, and to be there to support her, and I feel this will be valuable to her training. So I will allow your presence, for now. And up to this point, I have made no effort to control your mind to ensure your maintaining secrecy, in part because I wanted you to know exactly the commitment your lover is willingly entering into, and to witness her binding with the knowledge that neither of you have been forced to proceed unwillingly.''\n\n``Thank you, honored one,'' Mia replied meekly. ``I agree that, as far as I can tell, you have not forced either of us to do anything. But you said you allowed it to this point? So, for me to remain, I must now allow you to control my mind?''\n\nKeiko smiled, nodded, and continued, ``Yes, as a condition for your presence and participation, I must at this time require you to ensure your secrecy. Not binding you to serve me, as she is now bound to do. But rather, this would entail my entering your mind to place you under a geas, which will only allow you to speak of what you have observed of true magic to myself, Mister Chen, and of course, to Karen. If either Karen or you should see fit to allow anyone else to know that she can change her shape or coloration, you will both only be able to explain it to anyone else only in respect to it being due to the effects of her necklace and bracelet. You will be unable to speak of my involvement, or of your employer being anything more than a scholarly collector of strange curiosities, or of anything else you shall learn of true magic and its practitioners. Please understand, this is for her protection, and yours, as well as to protect Ru chan and I, and others in the magical community. And that is the only control this geas will place upon you. I will not be trying to control your mind in any other way, although I most certainly could, with or without your permission. So... Are you still willing to remain and observe, and to aid her where you can? Will you voluntarily accept my geas, as a condition of your participation?''\n\n``Yes, honored one, I choose to remain with her. I will truthfully admit that you frighten me, somewhat. But they both trust you, and I guess I do, as well. Your limitations make good sense,'' Mia replied. ``I will accept your geas, so I can not tell anyone you do not approve of about you. However, there are four people who I think we might mutually agree to trust with knowing that she is also Kimberly, Kraig and Kip, and that magic is real and affecting her. They would be my adopted brother, Karl; my full blood brother, Jung; and our friend Amber and her brother, Robert. I already trust the four of them with personal secrets that I would never want any else to know, and they have proven trustworthy for keeping my secrets. It... oh, all right... I may as well tell you, and Mister Chen, as a matter of mutual trust, if nothing else. Besides, if you can now look inside her mind, you'll find out pretty soon, anyway. Both of my brothers are also my incestuous lovers. Amber and her brother are lovers too. My older, adopted brother, Karl, is the male we have been considering for taking Karen's virginity. I literally trust those four people with my life. And, well, it would make life a lot easier for Karen and I, if we could both talk openly to the four of them, about her curse and bracelet, even if not specifically about you, or Mister Chen's involvement. You could do that geas thing to them too, right? To make sure it was safe to talk to them?''\n\n``Yes, if I agree to trust them, placing them under the same type of geas would be a wise choice. And it will not harm any of them, no more than my geas will harm you. Who you love matters little to me, even if it is incestuous. I will keep your intimate secrets in confidence, as I am sure Ru chan will.'' She turned to her new apprentice, and asked, ``Karen? Do you agree that those four people are trustworthy enough to allow them to know your deepest secrets? If you both agree, I will require access to the memories of both of you, that I may observe your dealings with them in your past. I will also need to observe them on my own, in person, to form my own judgements as to their character. If I judge them worthy, I will let you know. But I do not want you to speak to them about magic until I have made that determination, except in a dire emergency. Is that clear?''\n\n``Honestly, I haven't met Amber's brother yet, but I'll trust Mia's judgement for him. As for Amber herself, and Mia's brothers, I can't think of anyone else I might trust that much,'' Karen replied. ``You may access my memories of those three - Amber, Karl and Jung. And we will certainly wait for your approval before taking any of them into our confidence.''\n\n``Then you both should join me in the center of the circle, before we proceed further,'' Keiko replied to Karen, as she turned back to face Mia. She gestured at the warding circles, and a glowing walkway appeared between Mia and herself, like a bridge, just scant inches above the floor. ``Mia, that walkway will allow temporary access into and back out of the warded circle, without your needing to worry about smudging the chalk lines. Join us, please.''\n\n``I will, honored one, and certainly, you may also access my memories of all four of them. Though I rather doubt I could stop you if you chose to invade my mind by force!'' the feline girl replied. She stepped gingerly onto the walkway, unsure for a moment if the translucent band of light could really support her. But when she found it to provide solid footing, she quickly crossed over it, joining Keiko and Karen at the circle's center.\n\n``Join hands with me, and with each other,'' the mage commanded. ``Your voluntary cooperation will make this much easier. This will not hurt, nor should it take long.'' Once their hands were joined, her eyes glowed, and she entered their memories. ``I see them, yes. Amber and her brother clearly do not care about society's standards for morality, but both seem honorable and trustworthy. Karl... He tricked Mia into incest in the past, but intended a positive outcome. And he was truly remorseful that his interference in her life caused her engagement to be called off. Jung seems quiet and passive, but he thinks the world of his sister. All have been good at keeping personal secrets. And... ah, yes, that would work out well! I see in Mia's mind that they should all be at Amber's next sex party, this coming Saturday. Mia? Can you arrange for Karen and I to be invited to attend?''\n\n``Honored one, I think I can, yes,'' Mia replied. ``Between now and then, I would need to introduce you to Amber at the Inferno club, as a potential client. She would want to meet you first, and that would be the least suspicious way. As for Karen, that should be no problem... assuming she still looks like Karen on Saturday! Amber already likes her, and has told Karen she is interested in a sexual relationship, either professionally, or just as friends. But she respectfully refrains from inviting friends to her sex parties, if she believes they are abstaining from sex. If I tell her that Karen is my lover now, and especially if I say she wants to lose her virginity to my brother at that party, Amber will certainly invite her. But she probably also would invite her as long as she knows Karen is no longer a virgin.''\n\n``Mistress? You... want me to attend one of Amber's sex parties, as... your date?'' Karen asked softly, with some surprise. ``I was thinking of going to one eventually, but... losing my virginity while everyone is watching? Wow... Well, I guess I could, if you feel that is for the best.''\n\n``It's settled then. But no, my Apprentice, you won't be my date. I'll attend as a single lady. They will be told we are merely casual friends. You can be Mia's date, or Karl's, or single, as you choose. I like the idea that Karl could deal with your virginity at that time. Honestly, as your Mistress, I would enjoy being present, and even joining in, when you do engage in sex with him. Or you could arrange for that to occur sooner, if you prefer to do that more privately,'' the Kitsune replied. ``But a few hours of intimate contact with all of them should give me ample opportunity to determine if we can trust them about magic, and I could put each of them under geas to keep our secrets at the same time! And if others are also present, I can ensure that they won't notice my magical actions, either.''\n\n``As you wish, Mistress. But... I'm not on birth control. Do you have some magical way to keep me from getting pregnant?'' Karen asked.\n\n``Of course! Even though I am out of favor with Inari, she is a fertility deity, after all, and I was once one of her priestesses. I will take care of that matter for both of you, if you wish, before we conclude today. Mia's memories indicated she is taking birth control measures already, but my spell is more certain to be effective than her birth control implant,'' Keiko replied. ``And as for managing your transformation results, well, between the four of us, we shall have four chances on Saturday prior to the party, to roll your die, and randomly produce a petite, female Karen, do we not? At worst, we can force those two values, though you may be stuck with a random gender identity and sexual orientation. And if that fails, well, I can use my own magic to force a shapeshifting transformation for you, without requiring the magic of the necklace.''\n\n``As you wish, Mistress,'' Karen replied meekly.\n\n``Yes, Mistress!'' Mia replied. ``Oh! Ummm, should I call you that? Or...''\n\n``I would not object, Mia,'' Keiko said, as she released both of their hands. ``I rather like it, actually. Though you referring to me as `honored one' was quite acceptable, as well. Now, as for your geas...''\n\n``I am ready... Mistress,'' Mia replied. \n\n``Good,'' was all that the mage said, as she gently caressed the side of Mia's face with one hand. Her eyes glowed momentarily, and the feline girl closed her eyes, then opened them again, swiftly, as if she had started to fall asleep, but then jolted back to wakefulness. ``Done. That?s all it takes,'' Keiko said.\n\n``Wow! Really? I don't feel any different, though, Mistress,'' Mia replied.\n\n``Nor should you, my child,'' Keiko said with a smile. ``A geas that you can tell is affecting you is too easily circumvented. Properly done, the subject never suspects that limitations or commands are being enforced on them. It will be just as simple for me to ensure your brothers, Amber and her brother will also be safe to confide in. But it is far easier for me to lay a geas upon someone when the subject is relaxed, and can be touched by me. And if they are at that moment distracted, by, let us say, an orgasm? They won't even notice that I touched their mind at all. Now, return to the table as an observer, please. And whatever happens, try to trust that I do not intend harm to your lover. You have already seen that I can harm her and almost immediately heal her, as completely as if it never happened. Think of this as you would when observing martial arts instruction. It may seem the participants are attempting violent attacks, but it is necessary, to learn the skills. Injuries can not be completely avoided, but I do try to keep them to a minimum. You can't teach someone who is recovering from serious harm.''\n\n``I will try, Mistress,'' Mia replied. ``But before you continue, you... also made a comment earlier, about possibly training me, as well? I never asked for that, and truthfully, I don't think I have any aptitude for magic. Yes, I have successfully used her bracelet to change my own hair or fur color. But Mister Chen said that the bracelet was designed to be used even by people who did not believe magic was real. And it was hard for me to do even mildly complex changes, like doing an ombre shading between two colors in my hair. Nor have I ever heard even the slightest rumors of anyone in my family being able to do supernatural stuff. But... just supposing I do have that talent, and you agree to teach me too, I guess I would need to do that same `soul binding' ceremony that she just did? And... dedicate my life to your service? Honestly, I would need time to think about that.''\n\n``As for training you in magic, we will see. I will evaluate your aptitude, and perhaps, if you have what it takes, I could train you as well. There would certainly be advantages in training a mated pair of apprentices. But teaching you more about magic than is strictly required for you to assist in her training would, indeed, require a deeper, lifetime commitment. That step can, and should, wait for later, should my evaluation of you show some promise,'' the Kitsune replied. ``Now please, return to your chair.''\n\n``Yes Mistress!'' Mia replied. She crossed the bridge of light again, and took her seat at the table beside Mister Chen. The light bridge ceased to exist before she got fully settled in her chair.\n\n``Are you ready to begin your training, apprentice Karen?'' Keiko asked\n\n``Yes, Mistress. Though I gotta say, it is really strange being able to talk to you mind to mind!'' Karen replied. ``So, what do I need to do, ma'am?''\n\nThe Kitsune gestured around herself, and the innermost part of the diagrams on the floor not only ceased to glow, but the chalk lines for the pentagram which had been there all vanished as well. They now stood in a cleared circle that was ten feet in diameter, bordered by the pentagonal diagram with a three foot diameter circle at each point. Keiko pointed to a green circle at one of those points, next to which were two smaller glowing circular diagrams, which each held some sort of magical artifact like a rune-inscribed pillar candle, with a floating ball of blue-white light above it. The two circles around those artifacts differed in both color and complexity. She said, ``Stand there, in that green circle. Those two small pillars are each a sort of magical battery. The two different kinds of lesser wards around them should prevent you from draining either of them, unless I deactivate those barriers. But given your past abilities to ignore magical wards and barriers, they will prove as a test to see what, if anything, you might unconsciously be tapping for power, as well as determining what methods may be needed to stop your unintended attempts to do so.'' Keiko stepped into a blue circle that was across the room. ``I shall stand here. What can you sense?''\n\n``I can faintly sense the magic in those two artifacts, certainly, Mistress. Though now that you mention it, yes, I also feel something weird surrounding them. Sort of a distortion in how I sense them, like I was trying to look at something through thick glass,'' Karen said, as she carefully stepped into her assigned place in the diagram. The candelabra which Karen had prepared the previous day, its candles unlit, and the box of additional candles resting on the floor with it was in the circle on the side of the room farthest from her lover and her employer. That placed the two circles Keiko and Karen occupied equidistant from the candelabra and opposite each other, with their observers' position centered between the remaining two, empty circles. She noted that she still could not see or feel anything else in the room, past the smoky black barrier which formed the outermost ring of wards, and that the remaining parts of the diagram still formed a five foot wide band between where she and Keiko were, and where Mister Chen and Mia sat, watching them. The clothes she had been wearing before Keiko magically removed them appeared to now be neatly folded on the table in front of Mia. ``I feel a similar distortion between us and them. I guess that is the magical barrier at work?''\n\n``You are correct. And I am both impressed and concerned that your ability to sense magic not only allows you to feel where those barriers are, but also still allows you to sense the magic on those artifacts, which should be fully shielded from you! Still, the outer rings of this warding circle should keep Ru chan and Mia quite safe from our efforts, even if you unintentionally start to draw power from them, despite these precautions. If they seem to be in any danger, or if they distract you too much,  I will have them leave the room at once. However, at this time, I want you to keep your attention on me, and to try to refrain from interacting with them, unless I tell you to. These lessons will be much more difficult if you allow their presence to distract you.''\n\n``Of course, Mistress. Forgive me for being distracted. This is all so new to me, after all!'' Karen said apologetically.\n\n``Let us begin,'' Keiko stated. ``Karen, you won't be able to draw power from me, during this exercise. Only from yourself, or if you can breach the wards protecting them, from those two artifacts close to you. I have also shielded your necklace and bracelet, so you can't drain them. The goal now is for you to learn your first spells, and to try to rely solely on your own energy reserves, while refraining from accessing other sources. You should be well charged, after what you drew from me earlier. This should be simple for you. Just cantrips which any novice learns.''\n\nFor the next several minutes they had a private mental conversation, as the mage guided her apprentice from within her mind. Eventually, Keiko held out her right hand, palm up, and a small ball of red light appeared above her palm. Karen did the same gesture, and after a moment she also produced a ball of light, though hers was more pink than red, and flickered like a candle flame. She grinned at her initial success, then frowned in concentration as she slowly reformed her glowing sphere to match her mentor's in color, brightness and to achieve a steady glow. As they practiced this, the magical power sources in front of Karen apparently remained unaffected.\n\n``That is good so far,'' Keiko finally said aloud. ``The light wisp we just created is a useful source of illumination, which remains intangible and cool to the touch. It can be made larger and brighter as needed, sufficient to illuminate a room. You can also send it around the room with your mind, like this,'' she continued. Her light floated over to the candelabra in the third circle, pausing in contact with each of the five candle wicks, but not affecting the candles.\n\nKaren tried to duplicate her mentor's actions, and was pleased that her ball of light also drifted across the room, and at least got close to each candle wick. ``That's not too hard. Pretty fun, really!'' she said.\n\n``It gets easier with practice. But the light can also be altered so it does produce heat, and can start a fire,'' Keiko explained. ``As you can imagine, this is a very practical first spell for an apprentice. And you seem to be taking well to pyromancy. Do you think you can make your light hot enough to light one of those candles, without me showing you how?'' she asked.\n\n``I can try, Mistress,'' Karen replied. She worked in silence until her light ball abruptly intensified greatly in brightness, and the burst of heat from it melted nearly the top third of one candle. ``Oops! Got it, but too much!'' Keiko had Karen replace candles as necessary, and by the end of ten minutes, she could light all five of them individually, and at will, without accidentally melting the candles. But on her next try, her ball of light was stopped by an invisible barrier in mid air, as if it had struck a wall. ``Mistress? Did you do that?''\n\n``And who else could it have been? Yes. I placed a simple shielding spell in its path. I shall show you that spell next, and then we will practice attempting to light the candle despite that interference,'' Keiko explained patiently. ``A simple shield spell is a flat plane of energy, which may at times be outmaneuvered. But as you gain skill forming barriers, you can form it into a sphere around a target instead, and the only way past it is to pierce the barrier, or dismiss it entirely. Let us begin.''\n\nAs they worked on the next lessons, Mister Chen leaned close to Mia, and whispered, ``She is doing quite admirably! It took me a week just to light a candle. She should become proficient quite rapidly, I think.''\n\nMia whispered back, ``It's actually rather pretty to watch, isn?t it? Like fireflies dancing.''\n\nIndeed, Keiko and Karen were soon sending small swarms of `fireflies' directly at each other, most of which their opponent blocked with invisible barriers. Then one of Karen's motes of light flared brighter in mid air, briefly causing a previously invisible surface to shimmer into visibility as she forced her way past it, to strike her Mentor in the hand.\n\n``Got ya! I can sense where your barriers are now, Mistress! I can sort of see their shapes, and feel where they are non-visually,'' Karen exclaimed joyfully, her tail wagging happily behind her.\n\n``Then see how well you can block my attacks, apprentice! Be ready to make your barriers stronger, as my attacks intensify!'' Keiko stated calmly, sending several very bright motes of light at the Timberwolf girl at once. \n\nTwo got through, and when they touched Karen's fur, on her arm and on her shoulder, she yelped in pain, realising her mentor's motes of light were now hot enough to burn her! ``Ow! Okay, I get it! Take it seriously, or I get hurt!''\n\nKeiko's next attacks encountered a resistance strong enough to stop them all. ``Well done, but don't get overconfident. These specks of light are just child?s play, compared to a more serious attack! CATCH!'' Her next ball of light was a blazing, red fireball the size of a large mellon, and it penetrated the first barrier between mage and apprentice with ease... only to splash harmlessly against a second layer!\n\n``Eeep! No fair! I almost didn?t get that stronger second barrier up in time!'' Karen complained.\n\n``Well, you did. But at what cost, potentially? Look down, in front of you,'' Keiko said solemnly, ceasing her attacks.\n\nOne of the two cylindrical artifacts which Keiko had called magical power sources was now a burned and twisted ruin, in a no longer glowing circle of blurred chalk lines. The second one remained intact, but was flickering, and the warding circle around it was smoking, as if the glowing lines were actual fire. ``Did... did I do that? I... I didn't intend...''\n\n``Yes, you did it. The perceived danger made you lose self control. And that is precisely why you need to learn to control your wild talent,'' Keiko stated. ``In your urgent need to defend yourself, you instinctively blew right through the lesser barrier, and grabbed every bit of magical energy from one of them. The stronger barrier on the other held, but you still began to drain that artifact, as well. That smoking ruin could have been Mia. Or some passing stranger or animal. Depending on how much and how forcibly you drained that source, you easily could have killed someone just then. We are done with pyromancy, for now. Let us try something less likely to force you to rely on outside power sources. Something you are already familiar with.''\n\nKaren looked genuinely frightened. ``I am so sorry, Mistress! What must I do next?''\n\n``Come to the center of the circle with me,'' the mage said. When they met, she touched the bracelet on Karen's wrist, and said, ``The barriers I placed earlier on your bracelet and your necklace have just been removed by me, and neither seems drained of power. I want you to use the bracelet's magic now, without touching it, to try your best to duplicate your friend Amber's appearance. Change your hair, fur, and eyes... any details you can recall, including subtle color patterns, just like you so effortlessly do now, every time the necklace forces you to shapeshift.''\n\n``That's all? Oh well, certainly, Mistress,'' She shook her hair, and her coloration almost instantly became that of a red fox, including amber eyes, from head to toe. Though of course, the shape of her face and body were still her petite wolf form. ``Yeah, that is becoming really easy for me now. This should be her, I think. Mia? Would you agree?''\n\n``Well, your hairstyles and hair length differ a bit, but otherwise, yes, you got everything right except for, ummm... well, her pubic fur!'' the feline girl replied, blushing slightly. ``The color is right, but she, ummm, shaves the center of her pubic area into a heart shaped bare patch. That you got so much right, without even looking at yourself in a mirror, was really impressive!''\n\n``Haven't ever seen her naked, so I didn't know she did the shaving,'' Karen said, ``I just guessed that her pubic fur would be the same color as her hair. And none of my changes so far have changed my hair or fur length. Not even when the necklace turned me into male forms. I'm not sure that either the necklace or the bracelet can even do that.''\n\n``It is impressive, yes. And all the more so because you just did it without wearing this,'' Keiko said, holding up Karen's bracelet in one hand. ``I stole it from you, when I touched your wrist before I asked you to change. I left an illusion in its place. Check your wrist, apprentice, then change back to your normal Karen coloration.''\n\n``W-what?'' Karen gasped, shocked to find that her wrist was bare. ``I... but... well, then I must have somehow used it at a distance, right? I mean, you're not that far away, and I never have needed to touch the symbols on the bracelet to make it work for me. See?'' The red in her fur and hair rapidly faded back to white, and in a moment she was `Karen' again.\n\n``That only proves that, even being aware that you don't have the bracelet to do the work for you, changing back was almost effortless for you. Perhaps, all you really needed from the bracelet, and only initially, was a source of magical energy to draw upon, and as a token, to make you believe you could do it? You see, I also lied about removing the shielding from it, so I assure you, that you almost certainly just did that on your own. Let's test that, however, shall we? Mia, dear, please join us again,'' Keiko said. She caused the bridge of light crossing the warding circles to reappear, and she handed the bracelet to the feline girl when she approached. ``You said you have used this bracelet successfully before to change your hair color. So, I really have removed the shielding from it this time. I want you to make two very minor changes with it now. First, make your fur white. Proceed.''\n\n``I will try, Mistress. It's been a while, but I do remember what to do.'' She put it on her left wrist, touched the bracelet with her right hand, closed her eyes and concentrated for a moment. Then she opened her eyes and looked at her hand, giggled, and said, ``Wow! I wish I could see myself in a mirror. I bet even my parents wouldn't recognize me like this!'' Her fur was snow white, while her hair, pinned into an updo, remained jet black.\n\n``Yes, you did quite well. Now, please change your fur back to black, but make those pretty green eyes of yours ice blue, like Karen's eyes,'' Keiko prompted.\n\n``I haven't tried changing my eyes before, but that should work the same as changing my hair or fur, right? Here goes.'' Mia easily reverted her fur color, then said, ``There. Did it work? Obviously, I can't see my eyes, without a mirror.''\n\nKeiko took the bracelet from Mia, and said, ``Only for the fur change. Your fur is black again, but you still have green eyes. And I would bet that no one else, other than Karen, can change their eyes with it. I know exactly how to create this trinket. I didn't make this one, but aside from obtaining a few expensive and difficult to find crafting ingredients, they are not a very complex item. Merely rare, as few mages are willing to expend the effort to make such a limited artifact. You see, the changes they can produce, and the method for activating it, are usually very limited in scope. The spells and runes on this particular bracelet are quite specific. Hair and fur are all that it should be capable of changing. Not eyes, skin, or paw pads. And you just proved that for us,'' Keiko stated. \n\nThe Kitsune mage handed the bracelet back to her apprentice, ``Karen, the spells on this bracelet really should only function if you touch it the correct way. I knew this, but needed to prove that you were not directly accessing its capabilities somehow. That is why I tricked you into attempting to change without it. And you succeeded in doing things which the bracelet, by itself, is incapable of. Therefore, I am certain that at the very least, changing your coloration must be a latent natural ability for you. Your bracelet simply gave you the confidence that you could do it. And perhaps a bit of a boost in terms of freely accessible magical energies, the first times you did it. But changing your coloration as well as you do is usually a subset of the shapeshifter gift. So you, my dear, are almost certainly a hereditary shapeshifter. Likely it is a trait which you inherited from your father. We need to find out more about him, but I am certain, now, that he was not an ordinary wolf, no matter what your mother believed he was. No non-magical species can begin to reach your level of voluntary control over their coloration.''\n\n``Now hold on... you're telling me that my father was, what? A werewolf? A vampire? A Kitsune, like you? Or... what?'' Karen asked, both confused and a little frightened. She put the bracelet back on, but stared at it like she had never really seen it before.\n\n``Not a werewolf or any other sort of lycanthrope, no,'' Keiko formly insisted. ``They have only two forms - a sentient form, and a bestial, feral form - and they have little to no control over their transformation. In their bestial form, true sight still reveals them as a transformed person. Your ability to change your coloration is quite voluntary, just like my shapeshifting, and your control over your coloration alone greatly exceeds any changes they are capable of. And the bracelet is mostly silver. While real lycanthropes can't be killed by silver, it does inhibit their ability to change themselves in any way. So no, you could not possibly be a werewolf. Nor could you be a vampire, as true sight also reveals them when in their animal forms.''\n\n``Well, I am thankful for that!'' Karen commented.\n\n``And you don't have Kitsune ancestry, either. I'd rather hoped that you did, but no matter. If you did - even if that Kitsune ancestor was several generations before yours - you would have a Kitsune Bi, a soulfire pearl, like mine, which would have emerged as part of my soul binding spell,'' Keiko explained. \n\n``But what am I then, Mistress?'' Karen asked. ``What could my father have been, to make me like this?''\n\n``There are a few possibilities. Many magical species can change their appearance, but only a few can remain undetectable by true sight, which you do. Dragons, in particular, are exceptionally good at perfect shapeshifting. But dragons are also not very fertile, even with their own kind, let alone with other species. When they do have mixed breed offspring, they usually cherish them. So it is rather unlikely that a dragon assumed teenaged wolf form, insinuated itself among a group of high school students, seduced your then-teenage mom, abandoned her when he found out she was pregnant, and then vanished and faked death, by taking some other form. The same could be said for most other magical species. They don't tend to interbreed with mortals very often. And when they do, it is fairly unlikely they would abandon their offspring, or abandon a chosen mortal mate. It isn't impossible, but it is unlikely.Mages, above a certain level of capability, can also shapeshift, to varying degrees of success, by using spells, even if they are not of an explicitly magical race. But their learned spells can't be inherited as a birthright. You might inherit the mage gift from a parent, but you must learn most spells on your own.''\n\n``All right, I think I follow you so far...'' Karen said, sounding somewhat uncertain. ``But... haven't you just eliminated all the options?''\n\nThe Kitsune held up her hand as she explained, ``Not quite. There is a legend which offers another possibility. For most of us who can shapeshift into more than one species - unless it is with other creatures matching our own base form, such as foxes for Kitsune - we can't communicate with or live among normal feral animals as if we were truly one of them. We don't have their instincts, and often our pheromones are not quite right, to their senses. They may perceive us as a superior, alpha version of their species, or merely `odd and suspicious'. But we remain as different to them as it would be if I polymorphed a feral lynx into the form of a sentient, bipedal girl. Other spells can enable communication with and even command of feral animal species, but still not at a level which allows them to accept that we are really one of their own. But long before I was born, one mage wanted to do better than that. No one is quite sure who they were, or even what their gender or species was. For too many generations, they deliberately concealed their origins, even from their own children. But the legends say that they were a powerful mage, who sought the secret of perfect transformation. They wanted to be able to shapeshift into virtually any vertebrate species - bipedal, quadrupedal, serpentine, or aquatic - and to be able to live and interact as if they had been born into that species. Even to the extreme of being able to bear young as, or impregnate, a mate from a feral species. They were successful. So much so that their offspring from each new mate, regardless of species, had a chance to inherit their own hereditary shapeshifting gift, as well as their ancestor's rather strong mage gift. In general, any descendant of that bloodling who is blessed with the mage gift also inherited their ancestor's perfect transformation shapeshifting skill.''\n\n``So... that means my dad could have been one of those mages?'' Karen asked. ``Would he really even have been a teenager, like my mom thought he was? Or can those people also seem to be younger than they really are?''\n\n``Well, changing how young we look is no harder than changing our stature or species. I certainly don't look my age, do I? I could appear to be a teen or even a pre teen easily enough. But he also might have been a real teenager, yes. It is even conceivable that he might not have been trained as a mage, or even known he was of that bloodline! The combined gift can occasionally skip one or more generations, which further blurred the cross-species bloodline's ancestry. Fortunately, most of the bloodline's offspring are non magical, or else by now the descendants of that original mage would have interbred with every species, and the very concept of unique species and heredity would be a chaotic mess! As it was, for hundreds of years, even the magical species remained unaware that this bloodline was among us. As adults, they tended to be either solitary, or mated pairs, and often hid in feral wolf packs and other collections of feral animals. But they also tended to raise their mage-talented children among sentient species, to ensure those special kids got a good education in the ways of the world, as well as in the ways of magic. By the time one of them came forward among us, their offspring were estimated to have bred with more than 50 species - most of whom avoided contact with each other as much as they avoided allowing the general public to know how different they were. And the family history of their origin - passed down as oral stories - varies from individual to individual. Some say the first was a male anthro wolf. Some say she was a female otter. Most are unsure, knowing only that with each generation looking back, their most important ancestor could have appeared to be of any species or gender. I think it is likely that your father came from that unique magical bloodline. And since he apparently was a wolf when he mated with your mother, then as far as any scientific tests would determine, genetically speaking, your original body is a normal wolf girl.''\n\n``But if that's what I am, are you saying that if I wanted to, I could actually become a bestial dire wolf?'' Karen asked. ``I had a nightmare that I transformed like that in my sleep. It was... very disturbing. Who are these people?''\n\n``You probably can, yes. But it is unlikely you would ever assume a bestial form accidentally. Shapeshifting to any form required focused intent, and the greater tge difference in body type, the harder it is to initiate,'' Keiko replied. ``I can imagine you really want to see if you can voluntarily shapeshift, but you need to learn to control your power manipulation skills first. As for who they are... they call themselves the Feral Folk, because they live as much among the feral animals as they do in civilized society. If that is what you are, you're only the third one I have met personally in over 700 years, and only the seventh I have been aware of who lived in my lifetime.''\n\n``Is there any way to know for sure? Aside from me mastering shapeshifting and either getting impregnated by an animal, or one of my male forms impregnating an animal?'' Karen asked, looking rather uncomfortable at the thought of bestiality.\n\n``They always know their own kind. But they are reclusive. I can see if one who I know of would be willing to meet you. But that will take time. As you can imagine, it is difficult to contact someone who might be running with a wild wolf pack, or living among some other species of wild animals,'' Keiko replied. ``If your father was one of them, then perhaps he merely faked his death? It would be trivial to do so, even if he had been a teenager at the time, barely aware of his own birthright. So we should also try to identify who he was, and confirm if he really died at all. For now, set it aside, until your training has progressed further. Let's take care of your fertility issue now, and make the arrangements to join Amber's party on Saturday, shall we?''\n\nIt took less than ten minutes for the Kitsune mage to cast a fertility control spell on both girls. She also promised to teach Karen how to cast it, so she could renew it herself for both of them, or dismiss or reverse its effects, if either of them truly wanted to be fertile and likely to conceive. Then she dismissed the magical wards, and Mia assisted Karen with putting everything away.\n\n``Thanks for being with me through this,'' Karen said to Mia. \n\n``My pleasure. Quite literally, it would seem! These developments will certainly make it easier for us to enjoy intimacy together, in all your forms,'' the feline girl replied.'' I'm quite looking forward to that, as well as to being able to share you with my brothers!''\n\n``Let's go home. My place, or yours?'' The wolf girl asked with a grin. \n\n``Yours. It's closer,'' Mia replied. They left holding hands, and quietly discussing what the next few days might entail. Whatever happened, they were determined to face it together.\n\n",
  "writing_bbcode_parsed": "<span style='word-wrap: break-word;'>Die Role, by SpectralWolf, July 2022<br /><br />``She was an ordinary person... until she die&#039;d.&#039;&#039;<br /><br />Chapter 7: First magic lessons - Self discovery<br /><br />A few minutes before Noon, on Tuesday, July 22nd, Kimberly, Mia and Mister Chen arrived at the locked door of the magical workroom in the shop&#039;s basement. The Timberwolf girl was dressed in loose fitting clothes, in case she transformed into Kraig again. Her feline girlfriend was carrying Kimberly&#039;s gym bag, filled with four outfits of additional clothing and shoes. Mia would keep that with herself, in case a change to other clothes was needed.<br /><br />Mister Chen said, ``She is within, waiting for you, Kimberly. She told me to inform you that from this moment, you are to follow your instincts and her instructions faithfully, if you truly wish to benefit from her aid. Kimberly, you open the door, and go in first. We shall follow behind you, but we will stay out of the way, to record and witness. And to provide what small measure of support we can. We shall, however, not intervene in any way, even to speak to you, unless she asks us to. Is that clear?&#039;&#039;<br /><br />``Perfectly,&#039;&#039; Kimberly replied. <br /><br />Mia nodded in agreement. ``I&#039;ll do my best, sir. It might not be so easy to contain myself. But I will do whatever I can, for my friend.&#039;&#039; She impulsively hugged her girlfriend tightly, gave her a passionate kiss, nuzzled Kimberly&#039;s neck and purred, and then said encouragingly, ``You&#039;ve got this, my dear! And we&#039;re here for you!&#039;&#039;<br /><br />``Thanks! I appreciate that!&#039;&#039; Kimberly replied, as she tried keying in the electronic lock&#039;s combination from memory, and grinned as she heard the lock unlatching. ``Got it, first try! Here we go!&#039;&#039;<br /><br />The state of the room was quite unlike when they had been in it before. The entire room was pitch dark, as if a dark fog was filling the entire vholume within it, and the light from the open door seemed to reach only a few feet into the room. To their right, beside the door, a single white taper candle, on a small table provided with two chairs, fared no better in illuminating the room. The circle of light shed by it only barely reached the back of the two chairs at the table, and did not shine at all on the wall, which had to be there, behind the chairs. Two clipboards with paper and pens were also on the table, as well as the small fire extinguisher Kimberly had set aside yesterday. The door closed on its own behind the three of them, and Mister Chen silently led Mia to sit at the table, and sat beside her, calmly staring into the darkness before them. <br /><br />Kimberly wanted to reach for the light switch, but she was somehow certain it would not work, and that this unnatural darkness must serve a magical purpose. For one thing, she felt no magic at all in front of her. And normally, she would at least detect some of the scrolls and artifacts which Mister Chen kept in this room. So she just took a deep breath, and stood there in the unnatural gloom, and asked, as calmly as she could, ``Mistress Keiko? What should I do?&#039;&#039;<br /><br />Keiko&#039;s voice came from the shadows. ``Kimberly, also known to me as Karen, Kraig and Kip, do you come here at this time of your own free will?&#039;&#039;<br /><br />``I... believe so, Mistress Keiko,&#039;&#039; Kimberly replied, ``To the extent that I can, given that I am under a curse which I do not fully understand. That curse will soon compel my actions, but I need not have come here to submit to its demands.&#039;&#039;<br /><br />``A good answer,&#039;&#039; Keiko replied. Her voice sounded closer, but she remained unseen in the darkened room. ``What do you hope to achieve, in coming here?&#039;&#039;<br /><br />``To be free of, or at least to learn to control, the curse from the necklace which I wear, and to learn to responsibly control the magical gifts that I seem to have,&#039;&#039; Kimberly replied. ``To use a phrase I have heard used in martial arts, `My cup of knowledge is empty.&#039; I wish to fill it, if you are willing to aid and instruct me. I know only that my understanding of magic is woefully incomplete, and based largely on fiction written by people who don&#039;t even believe magic is real. But my curse is undeniably real, as are you. I have been told I have a magical gift, and I do know it seems easy for me to do some things which others can not do so freely. But I have also been warned that without proper magical training, my gift can be a danger to myself and others. So I primarily come here to seek your aid. The aid of a skillful mage.&#039;&#039;<br /><br />``Again, a thoughtful answer. Well done. Step forward, and come to the center of the circle before you,&#039;&#039; said the hidden Kitsune&#039;s voice. <br /><br />On the floor immediately in front of Kimberly, the outermost ring of a large circular diagram inscribed with arcane symbols and Chinese lettering began to glow with a faint blue light. The dark fog instantly dissipated within that circle, forming a wall around it. The illumination was still rather dim, but much brighter than the intense darkness from a moment earlier. The edge of the circular area was a glowing band perhaps 20 feet in diameter and 2 feet wide, which had five different colored candles on five two foot diameter tables. evenly spaced around its perimeter. These had apparently been there all along, but concealed by the strange fog. Standing at the edge of that circle, looking through a thin wall of the remaining fog, Kimberly could see that next to each of the five candles on the five small tables, each was set with some of the other items she had been told to gather the previous workday, plus a few things she did not recognise. Within that glowing outer band was a pentagon-shaped band of chalk markings on the floor, also two feet wide, with each candle&#039;s table positioned within a small circle just outward of its respective point, and a three foot diameter circle just inward of those table circles, overlapping the pentagon shape. And within the pentagon was a ten foot diameter circle, within which was a five pointed star, and within that, a four foot diameter circle at its center. Presumably, the glowing outer ring of the diagram has also merely been chalk lines, before the mage activated some sort of spell. But she still could not see the mage herself.<br /><br />There was a two foot wide break of sorts in the glowing, outermost circle&#039;s rim. That one segment, right in front of the Timberwolf girl, was still only inscribed in plain blue chalk lines, which were not yet glowing. She took a deep breath, and stepped forward, into the narrow blank space between the outer circular band and one side of the pentagon shaped band. The moment she stepped over that threshold, and got past the circle&#039;s outer perimeter, she could see clearly everything within the circle. She felt magic in front of and surrounding her again, but there were far too many sources for her to make out more than an overall aura of magical power. She stepped carefully over the nested patterns of lines and symbols, and walked deeper into the center of the circle, continuing to avoid stepping on any of the chalk markings, as additional circles, lines, five pointed stars and arcane symbols began glowing on the floor ahead of her, again leaving a small, clear path to the center, which did not yet glow. Yet even now, she still could not see the Kitsune.<br /><br />She got to the center, glanced backwards, and saw that as she had expected, all of the gaps she had stepped over were glowing now. She was also pretty sure that she could still not sense any of the magical items she knew should be outside the circle, concealed by the black fog. She could peer through the fog just well enough to see Mia and Mister Chen. But it was like looking at them through dense smoke. Mister Chen smiled and briefly waved a hand in her direction, so he and Mia apparently could see her, to at least the same extent that she herself was able to look through the foggy barrier. But nothing else outside the circle could be seen. Not even the door or wall, which should be very close to Mia and Mister Chen.<br /><br />When Kimberly looked back to the diagram&#039;s center, she found herself nose to nose with Keiko, who was calmly standing in the middle of the diagram, in the four foot diameter, unmarked circle.&nbsp;&nbsp;The mage&#039;s many tails twitched sinuously behind her, each moving independently of the others, yet somehow still synchronized. The black furred Kitsune was totally nude, and her long black hair was unbound, flowing around her head, as if stirred by an unfelt light breeze. Or almost as if she was under water.<br /><br />``Eeep! Ohmigawd, you startled me!&#039;&#039; Kimberly exclaimed. ``Oh! Am I supposed to be naked too? No one said anything about that!&#039;&#039;<br /><br />``Apologies. I had concealed my presence while you approached, to better observe your reactions as you entered the magic circle, without the distraction of your reaction to my appearance. You definitely can feel it, can&#039;t you? The magic in this diagram? And you were very observant and careful as you entered, not smudging a single line of chalk. That was well done!&#039;&#039; Keiko replied, giving Kimberly a slight grin. ``And no, I just prefer to work magic while unclothed. Particularly when I plan to be performing fire magic. It can be... inconvenient... to be wrapped in something flammable, if anything goes wrong with pyromancy. You may undress if you wish, or not, whenever I teach you. If you need to be nude, I will say so. But you are fine as you are, for the moment.&#039;&#039;<br /><br />``I... well, I don&#039;t mind nudity, no. Yours was just... unexpected. But if you&#039;ll pardon me for interrupting this, err... ceremony, shouldn&#039;t we resolve today&#039;s curse transformation right away, before starting my magical apprenticeship to you?&#039;&#039; Kimberly replied, striving to look her new mentor in the eyes, and not look down at her nude body. A body which Kimberly currently found quite attractive and sensually compelling. ``I can already feel the curse&#039;s compulsion beginning to affect me, Ma&#039;am.&#039;&#039;<br /><br />``That black fog is an anti-magic barrier. It, together with the warding circle that I established for your initiation, will serve admirably to protect your employer and your... new lover, if my nose does not deceive me?&#039;&#039; Keiko replied, with a grin.<br /><br />Kimberly blushed fiercely, the insides of her ears turning decidedly more pink through the thin white fur there, and self-consciously sniffed at herself, saying, ``Oh! I... thought I had washed myself pretty thoroughly, in the time that?s passed since we made love yesterday? But, ummmm, yes, Mia and I are lovers now. Though I&#039;m still a virgin. I hope to find a suitable male fairly soon, to take care of my virginity. He... we&#039;re thinking of asking the aid of a guy who Mia knows well, and who has flirted with me before, when I was still Karen.&#039;&#039;<br /><br />Keiko grinned again, and explained, ``No, you don&#039;t still stink like you just had sex. Not even to my sensitive nose. But I can smell two different kinds of perfume, and two kinds of fur shampoo, on you, one stronger than the other in each pairing. And faintly, even though she is several feet away from me, I can smell the same mixed pairs of scents coming from her, though in reversed proportions. And though I did not particularly attempt to read your mind, or hers, an increased level of affection for her is readily quite apparent in your surface thoughts. Please uncage the die, and roll it now. I wish to observe your transformation under more strictly controlled circumstances.&#039;&#039;<br /><br />Kimberly looked downward at the cursed die in her necklace, and then looked back up, directly into the Kitsune mage&#039;s eyes. ``Errrr, yes Mistress. So, there is no table or altar in this center space, and your magic circle looks like something I shouldn&#039;t try to cross until it is deactivated. Should I just roll the die on the floor?&#039;&#039;<br /><br />``Again, perceptive and thoughtful. I think I shall enjoy instructing you, my dear! Yes. I want you to kneel before me. Then try to keep in mind one favorable outcome you desire from this transformation, and proceed with the die rolls, just as you did yesterday.&#039;&#039;<br /><br />Kimberly carefully got on her knees, acutely aware that doing so in the confined space available to her placed her nose scant inches in front of the nude Kitsune&#039;s groin, and that Keiko&#039;s scent indicated she was slightly aroused! Then she uncaged the cursed die, feeling a much more intense compulsion to roll it, the moment she touched the die itself. She carefully expressed in her mind a preference to become a bisexual female, preferably her Karen form, and then she rolled the die four times, beside herself. ``4, 3, 1, and 7,&#039;&#039; she said, quickly leaning down after the last roll, to place her head between Keiko&#039;s feet, so she would not fall over when the transformation inevitably caused her to lose consciousness. She hadn&#039;t particularly planned to assume such a submissive posture before the mage. But it certainly felt like she was already becoming quite submissive to her new Mistress. And then she blinked, and realized she was already changing shape, while still awake! It felt strange, but not painful, as she had feared it might, with nothing to go on but some werewolf transformations she had seen in movies, and how badly her prior transformations where she had gotten larger had shredded her clothing. She was becoming smaller, but was still feminine. And as before, without giving it a conscious thought, her coloration subtly shifted to her original, lighter grey markings on her snow white fur. Thinking of her lover, she found she was still very fond of Mia, and still interested in being the feline girl&#039;s lover. But her interest in Mia&#039;s adopted brother, Karl, was also quite strong now!&#039;&#039;<br /><br />``Why... didn&#039;t I pass out?&#039;&#039; The now-petite Timberwolf girl asked. As she sat back up on her heels, once again looking directly at Keiko?s crotch, she could now definitely smell feminine arousal coming from the Kitsune mage! ``I feel like I am Karen again! Pretty much entirely my original self, but... well, I am definitely bisexual! Mistress Keiko? Did you do something to keep me conscious?&#039;&#039;<br /><br />``Very little, as far as anything intentional,&#039;&#039; the mage replied. ``But the activated warding circle limited the sources from which you could draw magical power to the necklace itself, your bracelet, your own body, and... me. And I have far deeper magical energy reserves than any untrained mortal. I was wondering if, perhaps, you just had too little magical energy within yourself which was available for your use, to manage to shapeshift while conscious. So I merely provided an unguarded conduit for magical energy between us, which you could freely access, if you instinctively tried to do so. And you certainly did draw power from me, like a thirsty person guzzling water. Likely you just absorbed far more than you actually needed, but it was not at all enough to harm me in any way. In fact, I found it somewhat... stimulating. Nor should that power boost have harmed you. In fact, that excess power should prove quite useful to you, in your first lessons. Can you stand? How do you feel?&#039;&#039;<br /><br />Karen stood up easily, clutching at her belt as her pants shifted position. The shirt she had worn was now several sizes too big, and the only thing which seemed to be keeping her jeans from falling down around her ankles was her hand and her tail, threaded through the button fly tailhole on the back of the denim pants. Her bra, panties and socks were similarly loose, and her sandals were hopelessly too large now for her smaller feet. ``Oops! I&#039;m fine, but my clothes are so loose they are about to fall off. Can&#039;t complain at all about the transformation results, though. And I don&#039;t feel at all tired.&#039;&#039;<br /><br />``Well, let&#039;s get the clothes out of your way then,&#039;&#039; Keiko said. One of her tails seemed to twitch a bit faster, she made a brief gesture with one hand, and the clothes Kimberly had been wearing disappeared, leaving Karen wearing only her necklace and bracelet. ``They will be returned to you when we are done.&#039;&#039;<br /><br />``Thank you, Mistress,&#039;&#039; Karen replied, trying not to blush further.<br /><br />``Let us proceed with your initiation, then,&#039;&#039; Keiko stated. <br /><br />``Becoming an apprentice to a mage is not to be lightly undertaken,&#039;&#039; the Kitsune mage said seriously. ``The universe, as it is understood by modern science, is but a tiny fraction of all of reality. A mage manipulates powers which science can not grasp, and gains access to aspects of reality which could drive an untrained mind quite insane. You will learn secrets which most mortals must never know. You will attempt to control powers which could destroy you and those around you. You will learn of and interact with creatures whose nature and capabilities are unlike your own in ways that you can not yet imagine. Yet with study, diligence, and determination, under the guidance of an experienced mage, you can hope to gain that control. And I can offer you that training and guidance. What you have already accomplished is a strong indication that you have the necessary inherent abilities to succeed. If you prevail, the power of creation, as well of destruction, will be yours. You will learn to control the physical and metaphysical realms by non physical means. You will, in time, become a mage yourself. How powerful of a mage you develop into, and how long that will take, remains to be seen. Some apprentices, like your employer, Mister Chen, can only control the most rudimentary powers. Mere parlor tricks, as compared to greater magic. Even magical creatures, such as myself, may have their limitations. But for those with the true gift, and a strong will, you can create amazing miracles. The path you seek represents far more than overcoming your curse. And do note that none of what I have said so far is shaded by any moral implications as to its uses. Magic has no such limitations. What you call good, or evil is a matter of how you choose to apply it. A knife can kill. But it can also be a surgeon&#039;s scalpel, used to heal. The knife itself is neither good nor evil. The ability to draw magical power from sources outside yourself also implies an ability to give magical power as needed to others, as I did when you transformed. Used in moderation, your ability to draw power from others can be used in many ways, without harming anyone. But that same ability, used to excess, can literally drain life from them, causing them to shrivel, age, and die at an unnatural rate. Therefore, in return for the knowledge and guidance which your mage provides, you must commit yourself fully and for life to the pursuit of this path. And you must, in turn, only teach it to those you believe will use it responsibly. Do you begin to understand the serious nature of this path?&#039;&#039;<br /><br />Karen took a deep breath, and replied, ``I... think I do? Dare I ask... how do you choose to use that power yourself? What you&#039;ve said about moderation and success implies you at least lean toward what I think of as `good behavior&#039;, am I right?&#039;&#039;<br /><br />``You are right to ask. Though some untrustworthy mages might not answer such a question honestly,&#039;&#039; the black furred Kitsune replied. ``I see myself as relatively neutral. Many of my species directly serve greater powers, and while they may at times seem mischievous, their actions align more often with `good&#039; than with `evil&#039;. Using that mischief to punish mortals who are evil, and to aid the virtuous, for example. I am more... independant. I walked that path once, but felt... betrayed, I suppose. I fell out of favor with that greater being, and left their service. Yet enlightened self interest gives me good reasons to maintain a relatively honorable path. Those who seek to use magic only to gain personal power, at the expense of others, often find all others turning against them. I primarily seek knowledge, and to benefit myself. But it is often in my own best interest to ensure that my plans are more beneficial than harmful to others. So that awareness guides my choices.&#039;&#039;<br /><br />``Mister Chen implied as much, when he spoke in favor of you,&#039;&#039; Karen replied. ``I... just kind of needed to hear you say that, okay?&#039;&#039;<br /><br />``Fair enough. And you must understand that your success is not certain. Others have sought this knowledge, and been found lacking. Even if you fail, you must still keep whatever secrets you have learned, for your entire life. If you fail as a mage, and don&#039;t kill yourself in the process of a spectacular failure, you will be placed under a geas to protect what knowledge has been shared with you, so no one else can access it,&#039;&#039; Keiko said. ``And a lifetime in my service does not mean you become my slave, devoting every second of your existance to pleasing me. It means making a promise to do your best at the tasks assigned to you, and a promise to be loyal to me, and to the magical realms. Some more intense tasks certainly will require your undivided attention for months, or even years. But most of the training leaves plenty of time for you to pursue a relatively `normal&#039; life when not directly working on learning magic. As my apprentice, it will be important to me that you get trained well. But training you will only occupy a small fraction of my attention and time. There are many other matters for me to attend to, some of which are long term projects which can not be completed in your natural lifetime. If you become sufficiently valuable to me, or if your own power grows strong enough, it is possible that your lifespan might greatly exceed normal expectations. And not, necessarily, at the type of cost which your employer paid for his extended longevity. There are many other ways to extend the life of a mortal. The way I chose to extend his life was simply the most convenient and beneficial to me, at that time.&#039;&#039;<br /><br />Karen looked longingly back at Mia, and then asked, ``If... a mortal mage&#039;s life can be extended, then their lover&#039;s life could be longer as well, couldn&#039;t it?&#039;&#039;<br /><br />Keiko nodded, but replied, ``Of course. But mortals often find that they do not desire immortality, once they truly understand what it entails. Watching a loved one wither and die, while you remain young, for example. Outliving your children, grandchildren and successive generations who count you as an ancestor. I have given life to many offspring, not all of which inherited my longevity. So be careful about forming attachments to mortals, should you gain a greatly extended life expectancy. You cannot cling to everyone who becomes dear to you. It will prove difficult enough to prevent the mortals around you from discovering your own longevity. And if you are discovered, some people would do absolutely anything to learn your secrets, to be able to hold their own demise forever at bay. Can you imagine trying to conceal a family, or group of friends, which grows in number over several generations, yet never grows old or dies?&#039;&#039;<br /><br />``It... would be difficult, I suppose. But I am not asking for a longer life just yet. Neither for myself, or for Mia,&#039;&#039; Karen replied.<br /><br />``That choice can be discussed later, then. For now, if you swear to serve me, and accept becoming my apprentice, you have my promise that I shall do what I can to train you as a mage, and to protect you. I will offer protection to your lover, as well. At the end of 80 years of service to me, we can review your contract, for possible renewal. Or circumstances may require modifying our agreement sooner, depending on your abilities and needs. So I ask you now - Knowing and accepting all of this, do you accept making a blood oath to bind you in service to me, and agree to pledge yourself to my service for the next 80 years, as my apprentice?&#039;&#039;<br /><br />``Yes. I accept your conditions, Mistress Keiko. I promise to serve you faithfully for... 80 years... provided I live that long, in exchange for your instruction in using magic. Please, accept me as your apprentice mage!&#039;&#039; Karen replied eagerly. She paused only slightly, taking a deep breath before committing so much of her life to the service of this Kitsune woman, who she only barely knew.<br /><br />``Give me your left hand, palm up!&#039;&#039; Keiko commanded.<br /><br />``Yes Mistress!&#039;&#039; Karen replied, presenting her hand as demanded. Her eyes got wider as a jet black knife appeared in the mage&#039;s right hand.<br /><br />Keiko placed the sharp edge of the eight inch long, double edged blade across Karen&#039;s left palm, placed her own left hand atop the opposite edge, with her hand positioned as if engaging in a left handed handshake, and swiftly withdrew the blade, slicing both of their palms at once! Her black furred hand clasped Karen&#039;s white furred hand tightly, yet there was fairly little pain. The blade was very sharp! ``My blood to your blood, I bind you to me, Karen Bright. My soul to yours. My Ki to yours. Witnessed by my soulfire, my Kitsune Bi!&#039;&#039; As she spoke, a blue-white will-o-the-wisp of light emerged from the mage&#039;s chest, floated above their clasped hands, and then seemed to fade into the back of Keiko&#039;s injured hand. <br /><br />Karen did not even have time to cry out in pain, before the blood binding was done, and a soft, soothing, pain-free warmth suffused her hand as the ball of light entered their handclasp. <br /><br />``You are now mine,&#039;&#039; Keiko said solemnly. She raised her left hand, palm facing Karen, and it was healing so rapidly that only a thin red line and the blood staining her fur gave proof to her having been cut. <br /><br />On Karen&#039;s open palm rested what looked like a white pearl, about an inch in diameter, glowing from within with blue-white light. The cut on her own hand was healing just as rapidly, and... the blood which remained seemed to be flowing into the pearl! ``It... doesn&#039;t hurt now. What... what is this in my hand, Mistress? I can feel it pulsing with life, just like the cursed die in my necklace, when I hold it uncaged.&#039;&#039;<br /><br />``That is my Kitsune Bi - called by some a soulfire pearl - and it is a tangible form of my soul, if you wish. Proof of the trust I offer to you as your Mistress&#039;&#039; Keiko replied solemnly. ``Were it not for the binding which we just shared, if you were but to close your fingers around it, you could control and command me. But you shall not, because you have just sworn a blood oath to serve me. That you release it voluntarily, and not because I use your blood oath to force you to do so, shall be your proof to me of your sincerity in serving me.&#039;&#039;<br /><br />``Your... soul? Oh my! I do freely release it, Mistress!&#039;&#039; Karen replied without hesitation, amazed at this moment. She suddenly remembered folklore about this aspect of Kitsune. That if another being controlled a Kitsune Bi, they could literally enslave the Kitsune with its power, just like owning Aladdin&#039;s magic lamp made the genie within it his slave - until the genie&#039;s three wishes ran out. But with Kitsune, there was no such limit. The person who held that soulfire pearl literally owned the Kitsune!<br /><br />The pearl began to float above Karen&#039;s now undamaged palm, then drifted back into Keiko&#039;s chest, right between her breasts. Keiko smiled, and suddenly Karen could hear the Kitsune mage&#039;s voice echoing within her mind, **No higher level of trust can exist between us. You have held my soul, and given it back freely. The blood we commingled will allow you to reach out to me with your mind, no matter what distance separates us - even across time and other dimensions of reality. Likewise, it grants me access to your surface thoughts, even if you are unconscious. Try it. Do not speak, but picture you speaking to me in your mind, then reach out to me with your mind, and tell me something.**<br /><br />**Oh! That feels so strange! Can you hear me, Mistress? That was such a beautiful way to seal our relationship as Mistress and apprentice! Does this also make me telepathic?** Karen thought. She wasn&#039;t quite sure, but it felt like Keiko indeed heard her. At least, while she was trying to send her thoughts out, she had a strong impression of seeing Keiko in her mind.<br /><br />**Well done! And no, this form of what you refer to as telepathy is only a link between you and I. You can&#039;t use it to mindspeak to Mia, for example. But the ease with which you achieved your first contact with me is a strong indication that you could learn telepathy spells at some point.** Keiko replied mentally. Then she spoke verbally, saying, ``This concludes your binding to me. You are now my apprentice.&#039;&#039;<br /><br />Keiko turned to face Mister Chen and Mia, and said, ``The soul binding between my new apprentice and I seems to have worked quite well. We can communicate mind to mind, and I shall be using that link in her training, to guide her mind into opening the necessary pathways for her to learn some rudimentary pyromancy spells. Where I feel it is necessary for both of you to make a record of results, I will explain things as they happen. But much of this first part will be taking place mind to mind.&#039;&#039;<br /><br />``So noted, Mistress. I shall take notes of our observations,&#039;&#039; Mister Chen replied.<br /><br />Mia still seemed a bit shaken by how casually the naked Kitsune had produced a knife out of nowhere, and cut her lover&#039;s hand. But the concept of binding a pact by sharing blood was something she had at least read about in fantasy literature. ``I shall do what little I can, honored one. Thank you for helping my friend, and for allowing my presence.&#039;&#039;<br /><br />Keiko looked directly at Mia, then spoke solemnly. ``You are welcome, Mia. And I am glad you are still willing to help. But I must stress to you that you are expected to keep everything that you observe about her training in strictest confidence and secrecy. Normally, I would only allow my apprentices and other mages to observe magical training and the like. However, you have volunteered to participate in some aspects of her training, and to be there to support her, and I feel this will be valuable to her training. So I will allow your presence, for now. And up to this point, I have made no effort to control your mind to ensure your maintaining secrecy, in part because I wanted you to know exactly the commitment your lover is willingly entering into, and to witness her binding with the knowledge that neither of you have been forced to proceed unwillingly.&#039;&#039;<br /><br />``Thank you, honored one,&#039;&#039; Mia replied meekly. ``I agree that, as far as I can tell, you have not forced either of us to do anything. But you said you allowed it to this point? So, for me to remain, I must now allow you to control my mind?&#039;&#039;<br /><br />Keiko smiled, nodded, and continued, ``Yes, as a condition for your presence and participation, I must at this time require you to ensure your secrecy. Not binding you to serve me, as she is now bound to do. But rather, this would entail my entering your mind to place you under a geas, which will only allow you to speak of what you have observed of true magic to myself, Mister Chen, and of course, to Karen. If either Karen or you should see fit to allow anyone else to know that she can change her shape or coloration, you will both only be able to explain it to anyone else only in respect to it being due to the effects of her necklace and bracelet. You will be unable to speak of my involvement, or of your employer being anything more than a scholarly collector of strange curiosities, or of anything else you shall learn of true magic and its practitioners. Please understand, this is for her protection, and yours, as well as to protect Ru chan and I, and others in the magical community. And that is the only control this geas will place upon you. I will not be trying to control your mind in any other way, although I most certainly could, with or without your permission. So... Are you still willing to remain and observe, and to aid her where you can? Will you voluntarily accept my geas, as a condition of your participation?&#039;&#039;<br /><br />``Yes, honored one, I choose to remain with her. I will truthfully admit that you frighten me, somewhat. But they both trust you, and I guess I do, as well. Your limitations make good sense,&#039;&#039; Mia replied. ``I will accept your geas, so I can not tell anyone you do not approve of about you. However, there are four people who I think we might mutually agree to trust with knowing that she is also Kimberly, Kraig and Kip, and that magic is real and affecting her. They would be my adopted brother, Karl; my full blood brother, Jung; and our friend Amber and her brother, Robert. I already trust the four of them with personal secrets that I would never want any else to know, and they have proven trustworthy for keeping my secrets. It... oh, all right... I may as well tell you, and Mister Chen, as a matter of mutual trust, if nothing else. Besides, if you can now look inside her mind, you&#039;ll find out pretty soon, anyway. Both of my brothers are also my incestuous lovers. Amber and her brother are lovers too. My older, adopted brother, Karl, is the male we have been considering for taking Karen&#039;s virginity. I literally trust those four people with my life. And, well, it would make life a lot easier for Karen and I, if we could both talk openly to the four of them, about her curse and bracelet, even if not specifically about you, or Mister Chen&#039;s involvement. You could do that geas thing to them too, right? To make sure it was safe to talk to them?&#039;&#039;<br /><br />``Yes, if I agree to trust them, placing them under the same type of geas would be a wise choice. And it will not harm any of them, no more than my geas will harm you. Who you love matters little to me, even if it is incestuous. I will keep your intimate secrets in confidence, as I am sure Ru chan will.&#039;&#039; She turned to her new apprentice, and asked, ``Karen? Do you agree that those four people are trustworthy enough to allow them to know your deepest secrets? If you both agree, I will require access to the memories of both of you, that I may observe your dealings with them in your past. I will also need to observe them on my own, in person, to form my own judgements as to their character. If I judge them worthy, I will let you know. But I do not want you to speak to them about magic until I have made that determination, except in a dire emergency. Is that clear?&#039;&#039;<br /><br />``Honestly, I haven&#039;t met Amber&#039;s brother yet, but I&#039;ll trust Mia&#039;s judgement for him. As for Amber herself, and Mia&#039;s brothers, I can&#039;t think of anyone else I might trust that much,&#039;&#039; Karen replied. ``You may access my memories of those three - Amber, Karl and Jung. And we will certainly wait for your approval before taking any of them into our confidence.&#039;&#039;<br /><br />``Then you both should join me in the center of the circle, before we proceed further,&#039;&#039; Keiko replied to Karen, as she turned back to face Mia. She gestured at the warding circles, and a glowing walkway appeared between Mia and herself, like a bridge, just scant inches above the floor. ``Mia, that walkway will allow temporary access into and back out of the warded circle, without your needing to worry about smudging the chalk lines. Join us, please.&#039;&#039;<br /><br />``I will, honored one, and certainly, you may also access my memories of all four of them. Though I rather doubt I could stop you if you chose to invade my mind by force!&#039;&#039; the feline girl replied. She stepped gingerly onto the walkway, unsure for a moment if the translucent band of light could really support her. But when she found it to provide solid footing, she quickly crossed over it, joining Keiko and Karen at the circle&#039;s center.<br /><br />``Join hands with me, and with each other,&#039;&#039; the mage commanded. ``Your voluntary cooperation will make this much easier. This will not hurt, nor should it take long.&#039;&#039; Once their hands were joined, her eyes glowed, and she entered their memories. ``I see them, yes. Amber and her brother clearly do not care about society&#039;s standards for morality, but both seem honorable and trustworthy. Karl... He tricked Mia into incest in the past, but intended a positive outcome. And he was truly remorseful that his interference in her life caused her engagement to be called off. Jung seems quiet and passive, but he thinks the world of his sister. All have been good at keeping personal secrets. And... ah, yes, that would work out well! I see in Mia&#039;s mind that they should all be at Amber&#039;s next sex party, this coming Saturday. Mia? Can you arrange for Karen and I to be invited to attend?&#039;&#039;<br /><br />``Honored one, I think I can, yes,&#039;&#039; Mia replied. ``Between now and then, I would need to introduce you to Amber at the Inferno club, as a potential client. She would want to meet you first, and that would be the least suspicious way. As for Karen, that should be no problem... assuming she still looks like Karen on Saturday! Amber already likes her, and has told Karen she is interested in a sexual relationship, either professionally, or just as friends. But she respectfully refrains from inviting friends to her sex parties, if she believes they are abstaining from sex. If I tell her that Karen is my lover now, and especially if I say she wants to lose her virginity to my brother at that party, Amber will certainly invite her. But she probably also would invite her as long as she knows Karen is no longer a virgin.&#039;&#039;<br /><br />``Mistress? You... want me to attend one of Amber&#039;s sex parties, as... your date?&#039;&#039; Karen asked softly, with some surprise. ``I was thinking of going to one eventually, but... losing my virginity while everyone is watching? Wow... Well, I guess I could, if you feel that is for the best.&#039;&#039;<br /><br />``It&#039;s settled then. But no, my Apprentice, you won&#039;t be my date. I&#039;ll attend as a single lady. They will be told we are merely casual friends. You can be Mia&#039;s date, or Karl&#039;s, or single, as you choose. I like the idea that Karl could deal with your virginity at that time. Honestly, as your Mistress, I would enjoy being present, and even joining in, when you do engage in sex with him. Or you could arrange for that to occur sooner, if you prefer to do that more privately,&#039;&#039; the Kitsune replied. ``But a few hours of intimate contact with all of them should give me ample opportunity to determine if we can trust them about magic, and I could put each of them under geas to keep our secrets at the same time! And if others are also present, I can ensure that they won&#039;t notice my magical actions, either.&#039;&#039;<br /><br />``As you wish, Mistress. But... I&#039;m not on birth control. Do you have some magical way to keep me from getting pregnant?&#039;&#039; Karen asked.<br /><br />``Of course! Even though I am out of favor with Inari, she is a fertility deity, after all, and I was once one of her priestesses. I will take care of that matter for both of you, if you wish, before we conclude today. Mia&#039;s memories indicated she is taking birth control measures already, but my spell is more certain to be effective than her birth control implant,&#039;&#039; Keiko replied. ``And as for managing your transformation results, well, between the four of us, we shall have four chances on Saturday prior to the party, to roll your die, and randomly produce a petite, female Karen, do we not? At worst, we can force those two values, though you may be stuck with a random gender identity and sexual orientation. And if that fails, well, I can use my own magic to force a shapeshifting transformation for you, without requiring the magic of the necklace.&#039;&#039;<br /><br />``As you wish, Mistress,&#039;&#039; Karen replied meekly.<br /><br />``Yes, Mistress!&#039;&#039; Mia replied. ``Oh! Ummm, should I call you that? Or...&#039;&#039;<br /><br />``I would not object, Mia,&#039;&#039; Keiko said, as she released both of their hands. ``I rather like it, actually. Though you referring to me as `honored one&#039; was quite acceptable, as well. Now, as for your geas...&#039;&#039;<br /><br />``I am ready... Mistress,&#039;&#039; Mia replied. <br /><br />``Good,&#039;&#039; was all that the mage said, as she gently caressed the side of Mia&#039;s face with one hand. Her eyes glowed momentarily, and the feline girl closed her eyes, then opened them again, swiftly, as if she had started to fall asleep, but then jolted back to wakefulness. ``Done. That?s all it takes,&#039;&#039; Keiko said.<br /><br />``Wow! Really? I don&#039;t feel any different, though, Mistress,&#039;&#039; Mia replied.<br /><br />``Nor should you, my child,&#039;&#039; Keiko said with a smile. ``A geas that you can tell is affecting you is too easily circumvented. Properly done, the subject never suspects that limitations or commands are being enforced on them. It will be just as simple for me to ensure your brothers, Amber and her brother will also be safe to confide in. But it is far easier for me to lay a geas upon someone when the subject is relaxed, and can be touched by me. And if they are at that moment distracted, by, let us say, an orgasm? They won&#039;t even notice that I touched their mind at all. Now, return to the table as an observer, please. And whatever happens, try to trust that I do not intend harm to your lover. You have already seen that I can harm her and almost immediately heal her, as completely as if it never happened. Think of this as you would when observing martial arts instruction. It may seem the participants are attempting violent attacks, but it is necessary, to learn the skills. Injuries can not be completely avoided, but I do try to keep them to a minimum. You can&#039;t teach someone who is recovering from serious harm.&#039;&#039;<br /><br />``I will try, Mistress,&#039;&#039; Mia replied. ``But before you continue, you... also made a comment earlier, about possibly training me, as well? I never asked for that, and truthfully, I don&#039;t think I have any aptitude for magic. Yes, I have successfully used her bracelet to change my own hair or fur color. But Mister Chen said that the bracelet was designed to be used even by people who did not believe magic was real. And it was hard for me to do even mildly complex changes, like doing an ombre shading between two colors in my hair. Nor have I ever heard even the slightest rumors of anyone in my family being able to do supernatural stuff. But... just supposing I do have that talent, and you agree to teach me too, I guess I would need to do that same `soul binding&#039; ceremony that she just did? And... dedicate my life to your service? Honestly, I would need time to think about that.&#039;&#039;<br /><br />``As for training you in magic, we will see. I will evaluate your aptitude, and perhaps, if you have what it takes, I could train you as well. There would certainly be advantages in training a mated pair of apprentices. But teaching you more about magic than is strictly required for you to assist in her training would, indeed, require a deeper, lifetime commitment. That step can, and should, wait for later, should my evaluation of you show some promise,&#039;&#039; the Kitsune replied. ``Now please, return to your chair.&#039;&#039;<br /><br />``Yes Mistress!&#039;&#039; Mia replied. She crossed the bridge of light again, and took her seat at the table beside Mister Chen. The light bridge ceased to exist before she got fully settled in her chair.<br /><br />``Are you ready to begin your training, apprentice Karen?&#039;&#039; Keiko asked<br /><br />``Yes, Mistress. Though I gotta say, it is really strange being able to talk to you mind to mind!&#039;&#039; Karen replied. ``So, what do I need to do, ma&#039;am?&#039;&#039;<br /><br />The Kitsune gestured around herself, and the innermost part of the diagrams on the floor not only ceased to glow, but the chalk lines for the pentagram which had been there all vanished as well. They now stood in a cleared circle that was ten feet in diameter, bordered by the pentagonal diagram with a three foot diameter circle at each point. Keiko pointed to a green circle at one of those points, next to which were two smaller glowing circular diagrams, which each held some sort of magical artifact like a rune-inscribed pillar candle, with a floating ball of blue-white light above it. The two circles around those artifacts differed in both color and complexity. She said, ``Stand there, in that green circle. Those two small pillars are each a sort of magical battery. The two different kinds of lesser wards around them should prevent you from draining either of them, unless I deactivate those barriers. But given your past abilities to ignore magical wards and barriers, they will prove as a test to see what, if anything, you might unconsciously be tapping for power, as well as determining what methods may be needed to stop your unintended attempts to do so.&#039;&#039; Keiko stepped into a blue circle that was across the room. ``I shall stand here. What can you sense?&#039;&#039;<br /><br />``I can faintly sense the magic in those two artifacts, certainly, Mistress. Though now that you mention it, yes, I also feel something weird surrounding them. Sort of a distortion in how I sense them, like I was trying to look at something through thick glass,&#039;&#039; Karen said, as she carefully stepped into her assigned place in the diagram. The candelabra which Karen had prepared the previous day, its candles unlit, and the box of additional candles resting on the floor with it was in the circle on the side of the room farthest from her lover and her employer. That placed the two circles Keiko and Karen occupied equidistant from the candelabra and opposite each other, with their observers&#039; position centered between the remaining two, empty circles. She noted that she still could not see or feel anything else in the room, past the smoky black barrier which formed the outermost ring of wards, and that the remaining parts of the diagram still formed a five foot wide band between where she and Keiko were, and where Mister Chen and Mia sat, watching them. The clothes she had been wearing before Keiko magically removed them appeared to now be neatly folded on the table in front of Mia. ``I feel a similar distortion between us and them. I guess that is the magical barrier at work?&#039;&#039;<br /><br />``You are correct. And I am both impressed and concerned that your ability to sense magic not only allows you to feel where those barriers are, but also still allows you to sense the magic on those artifacts, which should be fully shielded from you! Still, the outer rings of this warding circle should keep Ru chan and Mia quite safe from our efforts, even if you unintentionally start to draw power from them, despite these precautions. If they seem to be in any danger, or if they distract you too much,&nbsp;&nbsp;I will have them leave the room at once. However, at this time, I want you to keep your attention on me, and to try to refrain from interacting with them, unless I tell you to. These lessons will be much more difficult if you allow their presence to distract you.&#039;&#039;<br /><br />``Of course, Mistress. Forgive me for being distracted. This is all so new to me, after all!&#039;&#039; Karen said apologetically.<br /><br />``Let us begin,&#039;&#039; Keiko stated. ``Karen, you won&#039;t be able to draw power from me, during this exercise. Only from yourself, or if you can breach the wards protecting them, from those two artifacts close to you. I have also shielded your necklace and bracelet, so you can&#039;t drain them. The goal now is for you to learn your first spells, and to try to rely solely on your own energy reserves, while refraining from accessing other sources. You should be well charged, after what you drew from me earlier. This should be simple for you. Just cantrips which any novice learns.&#039;&#039;<br /><br />For the next several minutes they had a private mental conversation, as the mage guided her apprentice from within her mind. Eventually, Keiko held out her right hand, palm up, and a small ball of red light appeared above her palm. Karen did the same gesture, and after a moment she also produced a ball of light, though hers was more pink than red, and flickered like a candle flame. She grinned at her initial success, then frowned in concentration as she slowly reformed her glowing sphere to match her mentor&#039;s in color, brightness and to achieve a steady glow. As they practiced this, the magical power sources in front of Karen apparently remained unaffected.<br /><br />``That is good so far,&#039;&#039; Keiko finally said aloud. ``The light wisp we just created is a useful source of illumination, which remains intangible and cool to the touch. It can be made larger and brighter as needed, sufficient to illuminate a room. You can also send it around the room with your mind, like this,&#039;&#039; she continued. Her light floated over to the candelabra in the third circle, pausing in contact with each of the five candle wicks, but not affecting the candles.<br /><br />Karen tried to duplicate her mentor&#039;s actions, and was pleased that her ball of light also drifted across the room, and at least got close to each candle wick. ``That&#039;s not too hard. Pretty fun, really!&#039;&#039; she said.<br /><br />``It gets easier with practice. But the light can also be altered so it does produce heat, and can start a fire,&#039;&#039; Keiko explained. ``As you can imagine, this is a very practical first spell for an apprentice. And you seem to be taking well to pyromancy. Do you think you can make your light hot enough to light one of those candles, without me showing you how?&#039;&#039; she asked.<br /><br />``I can try, Mistress,&#039;&#039; Karen replied. She worked in silence until her light ball abruptly intensified greatly in brightness, and the burst of heat from it melted nearly the top third of one candle. ``Oops! Got it, but too much!&#039;&#039; Keiko had Karen replace candles as necessary, and by the end of ten minutes, she could light all five of them individually, and at will, without accidentally melting the candles. But on her next try, her ball of light was stopped by an invisible barrier in mid air, as if it had struck a wall. ``Mistress? Did you do that?&#039;&#039;<br /><br />``And who else could it have been? Yes. I placed a simple shielding spell in its path. I shall show you that spell next, and then we will practice attempting to light the candle despite that interference,&#039;&#039; Keiko explained patiently. ``A simple shield spell is a flat plane of energy, which may at times be outmaneuvered. But as you gain skill forming barriers, you can form it into a sphere around a target instead, and the only way past it is to pierce the barrier, or dismiss it entirely. Let us begin.&#039;&#039;<br /><br />As they worked on the next lessons, Mister Chen leaned close to Mia, and whispered, ``She is doing quite admirably! It took me a week just to light a candle. She should become proficient quite rapidly, I think.&#039;&#039;<br /><br />Mia whispered back, ``It&#039;s actually rather pretty to watch, isn?t it? Like fireflies dancing.&#039;&#039;<br /><br />Indeed, Keiko and Karen were soon sending small swarms of `fireflies&#039; directly at each other, most of which their opponent blocked with invisible barriers. Then one of Karen&#039;s motes of light flared brighter in mid air, briefly causing a previously invisible surface to shimmer into visibility as she forced her way past it, to strike her Mentor in the hand.<br /><br />``Got ya! I can sense where your barriers are now, Mistress! I can sort of see their shapes, and feel where they are non-visually,&#039;&#039; Karen exclaimed joyfully, her tail wagging happily behind her.<br /><br />``Then see how well you can block my attacks, apprentice! Be ready to make your barriers stronger, as my attacks intensify!&#039;&#039; Keiko stated calmly, sending several very bright motes of light at the Timberwolf girl at once. <br /><br />Two got through, and when they touched Karen&#039;s fur, on her arm and on her shoulder, she yelped in pain, realising her mentor&#039;s motes of light were now hot enough to burn her! ``Ow! Okay, I get it! Take it seriously, or I get hurt!&#039;&#039;<br /><br />Keiko&#039;s next attacks encountered a resistance strong enough to stop them all. ``Well done, but don&#039;t get overconfident. These specks of light are just child?s play, compared to a more serious attack! CATCH!&#039;&#039; Her next ball of light was a blazing, red fireball the size of a large mellon, and it penetrated the first barrier between mage and apprentice with ease... only to splash harmlessly against a second layer!<br /><br />``Eeep! No fair! I almost didn?t get that stronger second barrier up in time!&#039;&#039; Karen complained.<br /><br />``Well, you did. But at what cost, potentially? Look down, in front of you,&#039;&#039; Keiko said solemnly, ceasing her attacks.<br /><br />One of the two cylindrical artifacts which Keiko had called magical power sources was now a burned and twisted ruin, in a no longer glowing circle of blurred chalk lines. The second one remained intact, but was flickering, and the warding circle around it was smoking, as if the glowing lines were actual fire. ``Did... did I do that? I... I didn&#039;t intend...&#039;&#039;<br /><br />``Yes, you did it. The perceived danger made you lose self control. And that is precisely why you need to learn to control your wild talent,&#039;&#039; Keiko stated. ``In your urgent need to defend yourself, you instinctively blew right through the lesser barrier, and grabbed every bit of magical energy from one of them. The stronger barrier on the other held, but you still began to drain that artifact, as well. That smoking ruin could have been Mia. Or some passing stranger or animal. Depending on how much and how forcibly you drained that source, you easily could have killed someone just then. We are done with pyromancy, for now. Let us try something less likely to force you to rely on outside power sources. Something you are already familiar with.&#039;&#039;<br /><br />Karen looked genuinely frightened. ``I am so sorry, Mistress! What must I do next?&#039;&#039;<br /><br />``Come to the center of the circle with me,&#039;&#039; the mage said. When they met, she touched the bracelet on Karen&#039;s wrist, and said, ``The barriers I placed earlier on your bracelet and your necklace have just been removed by me, and neither seems drained of power. I want you to use the bracelet&#039;s magic now, without touching it, to try your best to duplicate your friend Amber&#039;s appearance. Change your hair, fur, and eyes... any details you can recall, including subtle color patterns, just like you so effortlessly do now, every time the necklace forces you to shapeshift.&#039;&#039;<br /><br />``That&#039;s all? Oh well, certainly, Mistress,&#039;&#039; She shook her hair, and her coloration almost instantly became that of a red fox, including amber eyes, from head to toe. Though of course, the shape of her face and body were still her petite wolf form. ``Yeah, that is becoming really easy for me now. This should be her, I think. Mia? Would you agree?&#039;&#039;<br /><br />``Well, your hairstyles and hair length differ a bit, but otherwise, yes, you got everything right except for, ummm... well, her pubic fur!&#039;&#039; the feline girl replied, blushing slightly. ``The color is right, but she, ummm, shaves the center of her pubic area into a heart shaped bare patch. That you got so much right, without even looking at yourself in a mirror, was really impressive!&#039;&#039;<br /><br />``Haven&#039;t ever seen her naked, so I didn&#039;t know she did the shaving,&#039;&#039; Karen said, ``I just guessed that her pubic fur would be the same color as her hair. And none of my changes so far have changed my hair or fur length. Not even when the necklace turned me into male forms. I&#039;m not sure that either the necklace or the bracelet can even do that.&#039;&#039;<br /><br />``It is impressive, yes. And all the more so because you just did it without wearing this,&#039;&#039; Keiko said, holding up Karen&#039;s bracelet in one hand. ``I stole it from you, when I touched your wrist before I asked you to change. I left an illusion in its place. Check your wrist, apprentice, then change back to your normal Karen coloration.&#039;&#039;<br /><br />``W-what?&#039;&#039; Karen gasped, shocked to find that her wrist was bare. ``I... but... well, then I must have somehow used it at a distance, right? I mean, you&#039;re not that far away, and I never have needed to touch the symbols on the bracelet to make it work for me. See?&#039;&#039; The red in her fur and hair rapidly faded back to white, and in a moment she was `Karen&#039; again.<br /><br />``That only proves that, even being aware that you don&#039;t have the bracelet to do the work for you, changing back was almost effortless for you. Perhaps, all you really needed from the bracelet, and only initially, was a source of magical energy to draw upon, and as a token, to make you believe you could do it? You see, I also lied about removing the shielding from it, so I assure you, that you almost certainly just did that on your own. Let&#039;s test that, however, shall we? Mia, dear, please join us again,&#039;&#039; Keiko said. She caused the bridge of light crossing the warding circles to reappear, and she handed the bracelet to the feline girl when she approached. ``You said you have used this bracelet successfully before to change your hair color. So, I really have removed the shielding from it this time. I want you to make two very minor changes with it now. First, make your fur white. Proceed.&#039;&#039;<br /><br />``I will try, Mistress. It&#039;s been a while, but I do remember what to do.&#039;&#039; She put it on her left wrist, touched the bracelet with her right hand, closed her eyes and concentrated for a moment. Then she opened her eyes and looked at her hand, giggled, and said, ``Wow! I wish I could see myself in a mirror. I bet even my parents wouldn&#039;t recognize me like this!&#039;&#039; Her fur was snow white, while her hair, pinned into an updo, remained jet black.<br /><br />``Yes, you did quite well. Now, please change your fur back to black, but make those pretty green eyes of yours ice blue, like Karen&#039;s eyes,&#039;&#039; Keiko prompted.<br /><br />``I haven&#039;t tried changing my eyes before, but that should work the same as changing my hair or fur, right? Here goes.&#039;&#039; Mia easily reverted her fur color, then said, ``There. Did it work? Obviously, I can&#039;t see my eyes, without a mirror.&#039;&#039;<br /><br />Keiko took the bracelet from Mia, and said, ``Only for the fur change. Your fur is black again, but you still have green eyes. And I would bet that no one else, other than Karen, can change their eyes with it. I know exactly how to create this trinket. I didn&#039;t make this one, but aside from obtaining a few expensive and difficult to find crafting ingredients, they are not a very complex item. Merely rare, as few mages are willing to expend the effort to make such a limited artifact. You see, the changes they can produce, and the method for activating it, are usually very limited in scope. The spells and runes on this particular bracelet are quite specific. Hair and fur are all that it should be capable of changing. Not eyes, skin, or paw pads. And you just proved that for us,&#039;&#039; Keiko stated. <br /><br />The Kitsune mage handed the bracelet back to her apprentice, ``Karen, the spells on this bracelet really should only function if you touch it the correct way. I knew this, but needed to prove that you were not directly accessing its capabilities somehow. That is why I tricked you into attempting to change without it. And you succeeded in doing things which the bracelet, by itself, is incapable of. Therefore, I am certain that at the very least, changing your coloration must be a latent natural ability for you. Your bracelet simply gave you the confidence that you could do it. And perhaps a bit of a boost in terms of freely accessible magical energies, the first times you did it. But changing your coloration as well as you do is usually a subset of the shapeshifter gift. So you, my dear, are almost certainly a hereditary shapeshifter. Likely it is a trait which you inherited from your father. We need to find out more about him, but I am certain, now, that he was not an ordinary wolf, no matter what your mother believed he was. No non-magical species can begin to reach your level of voluntary control over their coloration.&#039;&#039;<br /><br />``Now hold on... you&#039;re telling me that my father was, what? A werewolf? A vampire? A Kitsune, like you? Or... what?&#039;&#039; Karen asked, both confused and a little frightened. She put the bracelet back on, but stared at it like she had never really seen it before.<br /><br />``Not a werewolf or any other sort of lycanthrope, no,&#039;&#039; Keiko formly insisted. ``They have only two forms - a sentient form, and a bestial, feral form - and they have little to no control over their transformation. In their bestial form, true sight still reveals them as a transformed person. Your ability to change your coloration is quite voluntary, just like my shapeshifting, and your control over your coloration alone greatly exceeds any changes they are capable of. And the bracelet is mostly silver. While real lycanthropes can&#039;t be killed by silver, it does inhibit their ability to change themselves in any way. So no, you could not possibly be a werewolf. Nor could you be a vampire, as true sight also reveals them when in their animal forms.&#039;&#039;<br /><br />``Well, I am thankful for that!&#039;&#039; Karen commented.<br /><br />``And you don&#039;t have Kitsune ancestry, either. I&#039;d rather hoped that you did, but no matter. If you did - even if that Kitsune ancestor was several generations before yours - you would have a Kitsune Bi, a soulfire pearl, like mine, which would have emerged as part of my soul binding spell,&#039;&#039; Keiko explained. <br /><br />``But what am I then, Mistress?&#039;&#039; Karen asked. ``What could my father have been, to make me like this?&#039;&#039;<br /><br />``There are a few possibilities. Many magical species can change their appearance, but only a few can remain undetectable by true sight, which you do. Dragons, in particular, are exceptionally good at perfect shapeshifting. But dragons are also not very fertile, even with their own kind, let alone with other species. When they do have mixed breed offspring, they usually cherish them. So it is rather unlikely that a dragon assumed teenaged wolf form, insinuated itself among a group of high school students, seduced your then-teenage mom, abandoned her when he found out she was pregnant, and then vanished and faked death, by taking some other form. The same could be said for most other magical species. They don&#039;t tend to interbreed with mortals very often. And when they do, it is fairly unlikely they would abandon their offspring, or abandon a chosen mortal mate. It isn&#039;t impossible, but it is unlikely.Mages, above a certain level of capability, can also shapeshift, to varying degrees of success, by using spells, even if they are not of an explicitly magical race. But their learned spells can&#039;t be inherited as a birthright. You might inherit the mage gift from a parent, but you must learn most spells on your own.&#039;&#039;<br /><br />``All right, I think I follow you so far...&#039;&#039; Karen said, sounding somewhat uncertain. ``But... haven&#039;t you just eliminated all the options?&#039;&#039;<br /><br />The Kitsune held up her hand as she explained, ``Not quite. There is a legend which offers another possibility. For most of us who can shapeshift into more than one species - unless it is with other creatures matching our own base form, such as foxes for Kitsune - we can&#039;t communicate with or live among normal feral animals as if we were truly one of them. We don&#039;t have their instincts, and often our pheromones are not quite right, to their senses. They may perceive us as a superior, alpha version of their species, or merely `odd and suspicious&#039;. But we remain as different to them as it would be if I polymorphed a feral lynx into the form of a sentient, bipedal girl. Other spells can enable communication with and even command of feral animal species, but still not at a level which allows them to accept that we are really one of their own. But long before I was born, one mage wanted to do better than that. No one is quite sure who they were, or even what their gender or species was. For too many generations, they deliberately concealed their origins, even from their own children. But the legends say that they were a powerful mage, who sought the secret of perfect transformation. They wanted to be able to shapeshift into virtually any vertebrate species - bipedal, quadrupedal, serpentine, or aquatic - and to be able to live and interact as if they had been born into that species. Even to the extreme of being able to bear young as, or impregnate, a mate from a feral species. They were successful. So much so that their offspring from each new mate, regardless of species, had a chance to inherit their own hereditary shapeshifting gift, as well as their ancestor&#039;s rather strong mage gift. In general, any descendant of that bloodling who is blessed with the mage gift also inherited their ancestor&#039;s perfect transformation shapeshifting skill.&#039;&#039;<br /><br />``So... that means my dad could have been one of those mages?&#039;&#039; Karen asked. ``Would he really even have been a teenager, like my mom thought he was? Or can those people also seem to be younger than they really are?&#039;&#039;<br /><br />``Well, changing how young we look is no harder than changing our stature or species. I certainly don&#039;t look my age, do I? I could appear to be a teen or even a pre teen easily enough. But he also might have been a real teenager, yes. It is even conceivable that he might not have been trained as a mage, or even known he was of that bloodline! The combined gift can occasionally skip one or more generations, which further blurred the cross-species bloodline&#039;s ancestry. Fortunately, most of the bloodline&#039;s offspring are non magical, or else by now the descendants of that original mage would have interbred with every species, and the very concept of unique species and heredity would be a chaotic mess! As it was, for hundreds of years, even the magical species remained unaware that this bloodline was among us. As adults, they tended to be either solitary, or mated pairs, and often hid in feral wolf packs and other collections of feral animals. But they also tended to raise their mage-talented children among sentient species, to ensure those special kids got a good education in the ways of the world, as well as in the ways of magic. By the time one of them came forward among us, their offspring were estimated to have bred with more than 50 species - most of whom avoided contact with each other as much as they avoided allowing the general public to know how different they were. And the family history of their origin - passed down as oral stories - varies from individual to individual. Some say the first was a male anthro wolf. Some say she was a female otter. Most are unsure, knowing only that with each generation looking back, their most important ancestor could have appeared to be of any species or gender. I think it is likely that your father came from that unique magical bloodline. And since he apparently was a wolf when he mated with your mother, then as far as any scientific tests would determine, genetically speaking, your original body is a normal wolf girl.&#039;&#039;<br /><br />``But if that&#039;s what I am, are you saying that if I wanted to, I could actually become a bestial dire wolf?&#039;&#039; Karen asked. ``I had a nightmare that I transformed like that in my sleep. It was... very disturbing. Who are these people?&#039;&#039;<br /><br />``You probably can, yes. But it is unlikely you would ever assume a bestial form accidentally. Shapeshifting to any form required focused intent, and the greater tge difference in body type, the harder it is to initiate,&#039;&#039; Keiko replied. ``I can imagine you really want to see if you can voluntarily shapeshift, but you need to learn to control your power manipulation skills first. As for who they are... they call themselves the Feral Folk, because they live as much among the feral animals as they do in civilized society. If that is what you are, you&#039;re only the third one I have met personally in over 700 years, and only the seventh I have been aware of who lived in my lifetime.&#039;&#039;<br /><br />``Is there any way to know for sure? Aside from me mastering shapeshifting and either getting impregnated by an animal, or one of my male forms impregnating an animal?&#039;&#039; Karen asked, looking rather uncomfortable at the thought of bestiality.<br /><br />``They always know their own kind. But they are reclusive. I can see if one who I know of would be willing to meet you. But that will take time. As you can imagine, it is difficult to contact someone who might be running with a wild wolf pack, or living among some other species of wild animals,&#039;&#039; Keiko replied. ``If your father was one of them, then perhaps he merely faked his death? It would be trivial to do so, even if he had been a teenager at the time, barely aware of his own birthright. So we should also try to identify who he was, and confirm if he really died at all. For now, set it aside, until your training has progressed further. Let&#039;s take care of your fertility issue now, and make the arrangements to join Amber&#039;s party on Saturday, shall we?&#039;&#039;<br /><br />It took less than ten minutes for the Kitsune mage to cast a fertility control spell on both girls. She also promised to teach Karen how to cast it, so she could renew it herself for both of them, or dismiss or reverse its effects, if either of them truly wanted to be fertile and likely to conceive. Then she dismissed the magical wards, and Mia assisted Karen with putting everything away.<br /><br />``Thanks for being with me through this,&#039;&#039; Karen said to Mia. <br /><br />``My pleasure. Quite literally, it would seem! These developments will certainly make it easier for us to enjoy intimacy together, in all your forms,&#039;&#039; the feline girl replied.&#039;&#039; I&#039;m quite looking forward to that, as well as to being able to share you with my brothers!&#039;&#039;<br /><br />``Let&#039;s go home. My place, or yours?&#039;&#039; The wolf girl asked with a grin. <br /><br />``Yours. It&#039;s closer,&#039;&#039; Mia replied. They left holding hands, and quietly discussing what the next few days might entail. Whatever happened, they were determined to face it together.<br /><br /></span>",
  "pools_count": 1,
  "title": "Die Role - Ch 7",
  "deleted": "f",
  "public": "t",
  "mimetype": "application/msword",
  "pagecount": "1",
  "rating_id": "2",
  "rating_name": "Adult",
  "ratings": [
    {
      "content_tag_id": "4",
      "name": "Sexual Themes",
      "description": "Erotic imagery, sexual activity or arousal",
      "rating_id": "2"
    }
  ],
  "submission_type_id": "12",
  "type_name": "Writing - Document",
  "guest_block": "t",
  "friends_only": "f",
  "comments_count": "0",
  "views": "81"
}