I get to my feet, stretching my legs out in front of me, twisting the kinks out of my muscles from sleeping. I let my mouth open to release a mighty yawn, rubbing the sleep from my eyes as I glance lovingly at my mate. He lays there next to me, still asleep, deeper in our den so the sun isn’t able to reach him like me. My eyes squint of their own volition, the blinding sunlight filtering into the den falling in my eyes.

 

I turn away from the light, looking my mate over. The light bathes the black fur and red rings in a golden glow, spilling over the sleeping Umbreon. I walk over, my pads silent on the stone around the nests of grass.

 

                “Hey? Love? Time to wake up now” I tell him while giving him a nuzzle, attempting to rouse him from his slumber. “Hghhuh. What? Time to get up already? Feels like we just went to sleep, though.” His eyes flutter open when he speaks, but besides that he doesn’t move more than his head so he can look at me. I lean down to kiss him, unable to keep my paws off him since we met months ago. Reluctantly, I break the kiss, knowing we should get started on the day. I pull back, chuckling as he attempts to follow after me, not wanting to stop the kiss himself. His eyes open, as he evidently closed them, lost in our brief kiss.

 

“Oh, come on. Please Lira? Let’s have another go. You didn’t even get to cum last night! That is a wee bit unfair, if I do say so myself” he says, bringing up last night in an attempt to bargain.

 

“No, Shadow. My ass is still full of your cum. In fact, how about to make it up to me, you come over me and clean me out. After all, it is your mess.” I make sure my tone of voice is light, and says I’m only half joking, actually wanting him to do it as I turn to him, raising my hindquarters and my tail to give him a clear view of that star. “No lick it clean. It is only fair, after all, I’m always the bottom. Just because I like feeling you fill me up, does not mean I like being so stuffed all day.”

 

He does start to grin as he finally gets up for the day, crawling over to stop behind me. His tongue flicks out, rubbing against my ass, trying to get at his cream inside. I give him his wish, letting him give me a few licks first before I allow even a single drop to escape. Only when I feel he has licked my no-longer- dry tailhole enough, I loosen up a bit, as many times as he has fucked me giving me plenty of experience with controlling the ring of muscle. I feel a few drops dribbling out, quickly being picked up by his tongue.

 

I let out a little more, his tongue no longer hitting my skin so I look back to see him watching me, sure he must get pleasure out of seeing his mark on me. Not able to see anything, I can only imagine his view, that thick, creamy liquid he put there just last night leaving a slight trail as it drools out, snaking down towards my hanging orbs. He allows me to let out enough that it starts mixing into the fur there, actually reaching my balls before he starts lapping again, working his way up without collecting everything in a single swoop. His tongue hits my sac, replacing the wetness of his cum with saliva with each swipe of that glorious tongue. I let my eyes droop from the pleasure, his tongue meeting my hole again, and I decide to punish him, relaxing the muscles I had clenched to keep the salty goop inside, releasing every drop at once to feel it gushing out.

 

                I sigh in relief, the liquid packed inside actually starting to bother me from being stuck inside all night, the pleasure of release akin to that of releasing my bladder after holding it all day. I timed it well enough that his tongue was just leaving when I pressed, causing him to be closest when the geyser erupted. I glance back at him over my shoulder, opening my eyes to catch my handiwork unfolding.

 

I can’t suppress my giggles at the look on his face, his eyes a little wider than normal, his muzzle plastered with his own seed, creating a stark contrast between the pearly fluid and his midnight fur. “Well, keep going, Shadow, there’s still some inside, and a bit left outside” I tease him, earning a smile at that, one of his canines showing, knowing full well he deserved that after falling asleep to leave me with his slowly retreating rod and an ass full of cum. Now that the pressure is gone, the few drips of semen remaining inside me are harder to rid myself of, but I feel my hole loosen up from his tongue lashings, slipping in an inch or so to scoop out his seed. When I feel that he’s gotten most of it, I decide to forgo the rest. I turn to face him, leaning in to groom him, licking his seed from his fur, having attained quite a fondness for my mate’s taste.

 

My tongue hits face again, lapping up the last spot. I swallow it down. “I rather love your taste. I’ve only tasted two other male’s seed before yours, but yours is, without a doubt, my favorite.”

 

“You mean there was others before me? I actually thought I was your first. What happened to them?” Clearly, my comment disturbed him, needlessly of course, and I laugh to ease the tension, not something I have to force, however. “Don’t worry love,” I tell him “those were just experimentations. Besides, I have forgiven your past, have I not? If I recall, you did force yourself upon one of your clan members. My past is in the past, as is yours, but my future belongs to you.”

 

                “I know, Lira, I just fear that one day I may turn my back, and find you gone. I despise saying it, but it truthfully is you, and you alone, that is keeping me sane. I don’t know what would happen if you ever despised me.”

 

I look him over, taking in his much healthier outward appearance. He looks much more sound than when I met him all those months ago. He filled in, gaining weight over the months, and his fur took on a luster that I had never seen on him before, shining in a way that said he was truly restored from his attempted suicide. Obviously, he may have healed physically, but not emotionally, still fearful of facing retribution for his actions so long ago.

 

“What have I said about that? Huh? No more moping,” I scold him angrily, not sure how many more times I have to reassure him that I plan on staying. “Shadow. I have chosen you as my mate, and my lover. I am not going anywhere. I will stand by your side, and take on the world with you.” I bat his face lightly, forcing his head up and wiping the sorrowful look on his face away. I brush up against him, nuzzling his face adoringly, reassuring him with my presence.

 

                I rest there with him in our den, the sunlight getting brighter by the second, the golden rays streaming through the small entrance in the rock. He rumbles beside me, my face pressed against his, creating that mingling of fur I love so much.

 

“All better now Shadow?” I ask, looking into those beautiful, deep cerulean blue eyes of his, seeking confirmation. I wait for his nod of affirmation before smiling. “Good. Now, I think we should get on with our day. Thanks for cleaning me out, by the way. I can’t believe you fell asleep still leaking cum inside me. As much as I love that hot, gooey seed you have inside you, having a full ass really sucks.” He smiles back at me, meeting my smirk with that sheepish grin of his. “I know. Let’s go Lira” he says, actually leading the way out of the den. I follow in his footsteps, padding along barely more than a couple steps away.

 

I follow along in silence, trusting in his ability to find the berry bush I’ve shown him so often, knowing he would most likely be just as hungry as I am. I can barely stand it by the time we reach the overgrown bush, my stomach rumbling with renewed vigor at the sight of the Oran berries. I approach the berry laden bush, taking a whiff to fill my sense of smell with that tantalizingly sweet aroma unique to the berry. I inhale that wonderful smell, my mind flashing back to when I first met my beautiful Umbreon.

 

                It was a day such as this one. The sun was bright, yet still rising, and nowhere near its apex. Around the same time of day, I was also getting breakfast from the very same berry bush we were at now, unfortunately, I wasn’t able to complete my breakfast that day. I find my eyes wandering, falling on the Umbreon standing less than a foot away, watching him as he retrieves a berry to eat.

 

He takes a bite of the berry, and I have to force myself to hold back my laughter, glimpsing a drop of berry juice escaping from the bite to dribble down his chin and mingle with a speck of forgotten cum. Instead of telling him, I take that step closer, cleaning the spot off for him, the odd taste of cum and berry juice a rather weird concoction. I can feel him swallow at that precise moment, the berry hunk traveling down his throat as my tongue swipes across his chin.

 

He turns towards me, a questioning look on his face. I stop the question about to leave his mouth in its tracks, mashing my lips against his, parting them slightly to force his open and follow suit, so my tongue has a clear passage. I work my way in, swapping saliva with him, without a doubt letting him taste the mixture I got from his cheek, while getting my own taste of all that cum he swallowed not too long ago.

 

                I break the kiss, pulling back slightly, catching the hint of red on his cheeks from the kiss. “I still can’t get used to that. Even how long we’ve been together, and how many times we kiss, it is a new experience each time.” I lick his cheek affectionately, no ulterior motives this time, simply doing so to show my gratitude at the comment.

 

“You sound like I was the first person to kiss you, Shadow.” I say it teasingly, regretting it almost instantly though, his face falling as soon as the words pass my lips.

 

 “Actually, you are. Besides… you know what, I was a virgin in almost every way when we met.” He blushes heavily at his own comment, his cheeks burning a bright red even through his dark fur. My throat vibrates as a chuckle leaves, not catching him blushing very often.

 

                “Well that’s sweet, Shadow, I never would have figured I would be your first kiss, of anything.” I tell him, approaching the bush myself and yanking a berry off a particularly overgrown vine back the recesses of the bush, just begging the be taken. Taking a bite, the juices explode from it, the sugary sweetness of the Oran berry soaking my face, the overripe berry falling apart when my fangs pierce it. I feel it streaming down my face, soaking into my fur and streaking down my chin, dripping to the ground below me. The flavor explodes across my taste buds, saturating every pore as I finish the particularly good berry. It’s silent for a bit while we eat, each of us taking berry after berry.

 

He eats faster than I do, managing to put down roughly eleven or twelve of the blue fruits, to my eight. Nothing more is said until we each eat one more berry, my tenth on its way to its doom when he speaks up. “Hey, Lira, I’ve been wondering. It isn’t really all that important, but does Lira stand for anything though? It just… I mean, you are a guy, like me, but like you, your name is rather feminine.”

 

“Yes. It is. Which is why I chose it. My name I was given when I was born, was actually Liranor. I never much cared for it. I asked my parents once, and it turns out that Liranor is a family name, having been around for generations. Apparently, it means ‘Great Wanderer,’ and it gets passed down every other generation, so it belonged to my grandfather. Mostly, we are a clanless group. We wander around, in pairs of twos or threes, picking mates from larger clans or lone wanderers like I did. I never liked the name, it just never seemed to fit me, so I shortened it.”

 

“Oh. Alright. I like Liranor though. It fits you. It might fit you better than the shortened Lira does.”

 

“That may be so, but I also prefer Jariah over the name you gave yourself of Shadow” I say, giving my rebuttal and a rather cheeky grin laced with sarcasm. I catch him laughing, even though he turns his body to act like he’s reaching for another berry, trying to hide the laughter shaking his shoulders. I turn back myself, eating a last berry, getting full on the sweet, blue orbs. I finish up, taking a few steps away from the bush to clean up, licking a paw to get it wet. Using the wet paw, I scrub my face clean, making sure I get all the stickiness around my muzzle, licking it off my paw from each swipe to get the juices that accumulated there. By the time I’m done with my impromptu bath, Shadow is done eating.

 

                I’ve noticed he eats more than others I’ve known, possibly to make up for all the food he missed out on when he attempted to starve himself. From watching him, he had to have put away at least sixteen or seventeen of the berries. He catches me watching him, turning his head slightly to lick his own paw clean. Being a more careful eater, and having a mouth larger than mine, one wide enough to eat a few of the smaller berries whole, leaves his face tidier than mine.

 

I trace his features with my eyes, landing on the muscles rippling in his legs, showing off his past. He left that life, one full of fighting, training, and violence, always trying to prove himself the strongest. Even after leaving that behind, his body is still heavily muscled, some of it atrophied from the time he almost wasted away, and all the time since then. I move up, my eyes landing on and following the fur of his face, tracing each feature to put it memory, the sunlight streaming through the trees around us, bathing him in the golden glow and accentuating his features.

 

“You know, Shadow, you look really good in the light. I love how your coat reflects the sun in the perfect way.” I confess to him, truly meaning every word. My life was boring and lonely before I met him that day in the forest, just living each day like the last, with no variation to the next. Shadow brings change, and fills my life with more brightness than I’ve had since I was just a kit. I may have only known him for a few months so far, but I know that I don’t want him leaving me.

 

“Oh, uh, thanks. I never thought I would describe my fur as glossy enough to reflect light, though.” I approach him once more, nuzzling him slightly before lining my muzzle with his to lock lips, dragging him into another kiss. He parts his mouth to let me in, which I do so gladly, swapping saliva and Oran Berry juice with him. I let my tongue swirl around his mouth, making sure to tongue the inside of his cheeks, hitting the sensitive membrane under his tongue that he adores so much.

 

                When we finally break the kiss, we’re both out of breath, him more so than I, practically gasping for oxygen. “Looks like I literally took your breath away, didn’t I Shadow?” He doesn’t answer my question, choosing instead to lick my cheek, and I return the favor, aiming for the one spot of fur that he made a mess of when eating breakfast.

 

“Hey, Shadow, I was wondering,” I start when we’re ready to leave, getting ready to head out. “You said that after you had your way with Kyson, you were both Eevees, and your father kicked you out of your tribe, right?”

 

He stops walking to meet my gaze, turning just enough for me to see the look in his eyes. That look told me he did not want to talk about this, and I wonder why I brought it up in the first place, until I remember that pitiful, sodden rag of a Pokemon I met, and I know we need to talk about his past, and possibly his future. “Yeah? And? Why bring it up suddenly like this?”

 

“I know it seems sudden, but I’ve been thinking about it for a while now. Hear me out, please sweety?”

 

“Fine, make it fast, I don’t like talking about my past, you know that” he tells me, turning to sit down in front of me, his entire body facing my direction now, and I sit across from him, resting on my haunches.

 

“I know. We need to talk about this though. So, you said that you beat him in battle. Many times in fact. After a while, you started to think there was something between you two. Why did you think that it would be alright for you to go after him? What signs did he give you that he was interested?”

 

                He stares at me pensively, staying completely silent for so long I think he’s hoping I drop it. I can see the gears turning in his head, and I wait for him to speak, sticking my ground and refusing to budge with this. Finally, after our stare-off has gone on for way too long, and right as I reach my limit, about to tell him to forget it, he speaks up. I cheer inwardly, ecstatic he finally gave in and decided to confide in me.

 

“When we fought, and trained together, he would follow me. Trail after me like a lost pup. He would make every excuse to be around me. I would continuously catch him staring at me, eying me like a trophy. We were actually from the same season. Due to the fact that the females in the clan all go into heat at about the same time, most of us would be born in roughly the same week, emerging from our eggs together.”

 

I sit down on pad of some loose moss nearby, getting more comfortable for his story, letting him continue with no interruption.

 

“He and I hatched within minutes of each other, and were rather close. We grew up together. Trained together. Mostly him following me around though. Everywhere I was, he was there. I couldn’t get any alone time. Around the time when mating season began, the first one I went through, I realized something about myself. The smells around me, the females in heat, dripping their juices all over the forest, the scent permeating and seeming to cover all the leaves, all the males in rut, and in a seemingly constant state of hardness. I wasn’t interested. Everyone else caught one whiff of a female begging for it, and they would go crazy, but it never intrigued me. I would pass female after female, wondering why it wasn’t making me horny.”

 

I start to twitch at that, his own story starting to make me bothered, noticing he just sits there across from me, calmly relating his story.

 

“I passed by a rutting couple one day, staying and watching them go at it for hours. I did find, however, that what I was most interested in, was that beautiful red cock of my clanmate pistoning in and out of that dripping snatch. I could feel myself getting more and more turned on each time I saw it throbbing inside of her, pumping that tantalizing white liquid inside of her, his thrusts throwing it all over the place, letting it pool beneath them.”

 

                “I never got a mate. I never met another male interested in guys, another gay member of the clan, like me. It took me two mating seasons to realize that’s what I was, and why I didn’t get the insatiable urge to put my pups inside anyone. Over the years, I never once saw Kyson going off with anyone, never once caught him with anyone. I just always assumed it was for the same reason as me. I never made my move. I was so sure of myself. I felt like the world revolved around me. I just KNEW he liked me in the same way. I never thought about what I would do if I happened to be wrong.”

 

“I decided it was time one day, and chose to seek out my evolution, knowing I would have to beat my father if I wanted to take over the clan. Prove I was the strongest. So I chose something with what I thought would be a huge advantage over my father’s Espeon form, and Umbreon. So that’s what I did. I was training with Kyson, a few months after I evolved, learning all the secrets that my new body held. During that time, it was slowly catching up to mating season again, and I finally had enough. He had yet to choose an evolution. In our clan, you had to prove you deserved one by seeking out the method of evolution yourself. During a sparring match, I hit him rather hard, taking him down and beating him mercilessly. I stopped though, before I hurt him too badly. It was just a sparring match, after all.”

 

“I wanted him. I needed him. I took him. I’m not saying what I did was right. It was wrong, it was horrible, and it was the worst thing I’ve ever done in my life. I didn’t care right then. All those years, I was so certain he felt the same way, that I just snapped when he turned me down. I took what I felt belonged to me. He did not like that.”

 

                I watch him closely, ready to halt the story at the first sight of distress when he stops, and I wait a couple of minutes for him to finish, when I realize he has. From his story, I see how he could have been confused. How he could have thought what he did. He did, in fact, do a horrible thing, but he has atoned for it. From the pure loneliness in his voice, I can tell he has been alone his whole life, this… Tyson, probably the only one who ever paid him any mind in his life.

 

“You were alone, weren’t you? Other than Kyson, no one has shown you any love, have they? You have me, Shadow, and I hope you can forgive me for saying this.”

 

He looks up, meeting my eyes, curiosity shining through, and I have to ask.

 

“Have you thought of going back? It would do you a lot of good. You need to do this. You will forever live your life wondering what could have happened, or what could have changed. We need to do this.”

 

Shadow looks away from me, the pure, unadulterated terror in his eyes flashing vividly before he turns away, shaking his body violently, his head swinging back and forth. “NO! No, I can’t go back! Are you kidding me Lira? Why the hell would you even suggest something like that? They kicked me out! I could never face Kyson, the clan, let alone my father. The shame on his face. There was no regret there when he banished me. If you think it would be wise to return, to show my face to them, then you have to be even more crazy than I thought. I mean, you did take me in, though, so what can that say about your sanity?”

 

I get angry at his outburst, especially so when he almost insults me, possibly the only one to truly love him in his life. I smack him, not nearly hard enough to do damage, but enough that he feels it and stops talking.

 

                “Now listen to me Shadow. This was your family, and I know I see you as my family. I don’t know if you feel the same, I hope you do, but that isn’t what this is about right now. You are strong, willful, and I can see that you truly care about others. I don’t know what caused you to claim this Eevee like you did, but I can tell that based on your actions for such a long time afterwards, you truly hated yourself for what you did. That is over and done with, we’re moving past it. The only way for you to move past it, is to face it. You have to conquer this fear of yours, you must face it, if you ever want to live your life. If you keep running, you will always be running. Please, Shadow, for me?”

 

He turns to me, his anger vanishing from his face by the second, soon transitioning into contemplation. I can see the gears turning in his head as he goes over what I told him. How I wish I could tell what was going on inside his mind. I give him, knowing he needs it to process what I’ve told him, think about what he wants to do with his life.

 

“What if… what if they still despise me? I’m still banned! I’m not allowed to step foot on any land the clan has claimed. And with such a small land, they have chosen to take over a small valley dotted with trees. I step one foot in the valley, and someone will know. I can’t go back.”

 

“And what is the worst that could happen, Shadow?” I demand an answer, knowing this is the best thing for him right now in his life. I can only do so much, but I want him to be happy, and I know that won’t happen properly while he dwells on his past so heavily. “What are they going to do, banish you? Attack you? Kill you? You’re being silly Shadow. They’re your family. You need closure. You are torturing yourself for no reason. Frankly, I’m getting a bit tired of your ‘woe is me’ attitude about this. I love you, more than anything in this world. There is nothing I would not do for you. This, this is FOR you. I’m only thinking about you, Love.”

 

“I know, Lira, I know. I wouldn’t even know where to start.” He looks scared again, or maybe more uncertain than scared. Frightened of where his future leads if he listens to me. I can tell we’ll need to start small.

“How about, for beginners, we just go see your old home. Take a look, and see how it goes from there. I would like to see where you grew up.” I try to get more out of him, wanting him to be happy for once in his life.

 

“Ok. We’ll go see the forest. That’s where everyone went to get privacy. It was so beautiful. The plain had wide open fields towards the center, a fantastic, pristine lake to one side, and a portion of the forest we’re in now. It was edged with a river, and the only way across the river was to swim. That’s how you knew when you were on our land. We used the river like a boundary. That’s all the way on the other edge of the forest though, it will take us all day to walk there. The sun just came up, but we won’t arrive until well after dark.”

 

“Well then, we should probably get started then, don’t you think? Come on Shadow, we’ll head out now, and we’ll get there a little by dark. I’ve never been to that side of the forest. It will be exciting to see the new sights” I confess to him, telling him once more that we have to get moving, but he will have to lead us. I watch his ears droop a little, still unsure of himself, clearly not wanting to go back to his birthplace. He nods slightly, and I grin heavily, knowing I’ve won.

 

“Yay! You won’t regret this Shadow; I promise you that. This is, and will be, extremely good for your well-being, love. Come on, I can’t wait to meet your family.”

 

He does start to lead the way, but only after he hesitates for a while, most likely hoping that I will forget about it. I hold my ground, refusing to budge on the matter, and he fully gives in. I follow along behind, and slightly beside him, letting him lead since I don’t know the way.

 

We follow an all too familiar path at first, heading along the well-used trail that leads to the lake, planning on making a stop before we truly start the long trek through the forest.

 

By the time we arrive at the lake, the sun hasn’t quite hit its peak yet, quite a way to go, roughly two hours or so, before that. We make a brief stop at the lake, both of us taking a long drawl out of the water, not knowing when the next time we’ll get water will be on the hike. We only stay a few minutes, both of us wanting to get on our way. Once we finish drinking our fill of the water, we continue on our way.

 

We walk around the lake, sticking close to shore for as long as we can. On the other side of the lake, we’re forced to leave the shore, heading further north, towards his birth lands. Leading me through the forest, we come across a few scattered Pokémon, but none of them pay us any head, a few barely even giving us a glance as they go about their own busy days. We climb through brush and twigs every so often, making sure nothing snags in our fur.

 

                Most of the walk is done under a heavy canopy, the leaves numerous and dense enough to block out the sun, so we go long periods of time without being able to tell the position of the sun.

 

 

Hours later, I can feel my stomach rumbling heavily, and can hear my mate’s grumble in protest practically in sync with mine. Looking up, I pause, gauging the time based on the suns position in the sky. It appears that it has already passed it apex, and has sufficiently moved past that. “It’s probably about time we stopped, or at least made a detour to find some food. I’m getting rather hungry, and you could attempt to deny it all you want, I can hear your stomach complaining too. It must be past midday, which means we’ve been walking for hours, and haven’t eaten since we woke up.”

 

Sensing my pause, Shadow had already stopped as well, turning to look back at me, curiosity on his face turning to comprehension when I explain, eliciting a response from him. “Yeah, but if you remember, the trip was your idea. I’ve only been in this part of the forest twice. Once on my journey to find my evolution, and then again after my banishment, when I wanted to get as far away as possible. I know it’s this way, but I don’t know where to get any food, sorry” he apologizes to me, making a lot of sense in his explanation. I lift my nose up, sniffing around, sure that I would be able to find some food for us.

 

Sniffing around, I do manage to catch the scent of something extremely spicy, just the scent of it enough to cause me to sneeze a few times. Since that’s the only scent I’m able to pick up now, I follow the trail, hearing Shadow behind me now. Following that enticingly spiced fragrance, I end up leading us to another berry bush. This one, going off the smell alone, is obviously not an Oran berry bush. Giving the bush a quick once over, I can see that the five berries on the bush are roughly six inches in diameter, black in color, but covered in white swoops. I start to get excited when I actually realize what they are, panting in anticipation.

 

                I rush towards the bush, my mouth salivating heavily. I reach the bush first, Shadow coming up slowly behind me as my eyes grow wide, truly excited at the berries we found, able to reach out and pluck one of the delicious berries off the bush. “Do you know what these are Shadow? Do you have any clue what we have found!? Oh, Arceus!” He is clearly confused. Confused, and amused, if the smirk on his face is anything to go by.

 

“A rather large black berry?” He takes a whiff of one, his nose wrinkling and he pulls back, letting out an involuntary sneeze. “Allow me to rephrase that. A rather large, extremely spicy, black berry, that I am very hesitant to let pass my lips. I feel like the smell alone is enough to burn my insides!”

 

I laugh, taking a bite of the berry, having to wrap my lips around the dry, yet spicy berry, too large to fit in my mouth at once, so I have to tear off a chunk, chewing it up and swallowing it down. The fiery heat of the black and white berry burns as it goes down, the heat blasting across my tongue. Once I swallow, I have to open my mouth, panting and waving a paw in front of my mouth too attempt to alleviate the burning. I loved every second.

 

He gets a rather dubious expression on his face, eyeing the berry I had just taken a bite out of wearily. Clearly, I must explain, and I do so.

 

“It’s called an ‘Enigma Berry.’ Very rare, very spicy, and very, very delicious. Spicy is my favorite flavor. If my tongue is on fire, I’m happy. This berry, I have never found a bush of before, and have only ever had one of these amazing orbs before. It is, to my knowledge, the second spiciest berry in our world. The first is something I have only heard about, and no one has ever seen before. I believe it is called a ‘Touga Berry.’ I’ve always wanted to try one, but I don’t even know if it exists. No one does. It is said to be so tremendously spicy, no one has finished an entire berry before.”

 

                “That sounds horrible! Why would anyone want to eat anything that spicy?” He looks horrified, and I can’t help but giggle at our radically differing taste preferences.

 

“Well, the berry we are eating now, it is so thick and full, it only takes two berries to fill you up. It also has rejuvenating properties that put those of the Oran Berry to shame. They say if you can manage to eat an entire Touga Berry, you gain immense power. Eat up, we can get back the strength we lost from the hike here.”

 

He doesn’t look like he believes me, but he picks one of the four remaining berries on the bush anyways, not wanting to eat, it but taking my word for it, he takes a rather large bite of the berry. He looks like he is about to gag, his cheeks bulging as he tries to swallow it as quickly as he can. “That is foul! That has to be the hottest thing I have ever eaten. It feels like my throat is burning, and I can feel it making its way down further.”

 

He starts hacking, coughing from the sheer heat of the berry I find so delicious. “Oh, Shadow. Don’t be such a child. Now, eat your berries. Based on what you told me, we still have a bit of a ways to go.” He looks like he’s going to throw up, but he finishes off the berry he’s holding as quickly as he can, whereas I savor mine, eating it slowly. With how dry the berry is, I don’t need to worry about getting my fur dirty, just taking several more bites out it, but unable to get more than four bites out of it. He finishes up his one, but refuses to get another, so this time he must wait on me while I finish eating, taking my time to savor the second berry.

 

As they say, the berry is heavy enough that it only takes the two to fill me up, getting stuffed from the two succulently spicy berries. Once I finish up, we continue on our journey, heading northward towards his old familial home grounds once more.

 

 

While we keep walking, I think about my mate’s life before he met me. He tries not to talk about it unless I specifically bring it up, so I don’t know too much. From what I know of his clan, it is stationary. Unlike my old clan, they have been in the same are for generations now, only growing bigger instead of splitting up. The clan now is up to roughly a couple hundred members, possibly larger since he left it. He’s told me they try not to let it grow too quickly, only having a few pups each generation. They haven’t had to claim more land since they first took it over all those generations ago. It covers an area roughly 10,000 acres; an area large enough that it would take several hours to walk from one side to the other.

 

There is the massive lake on the one side, which is where most who choose Vaporeon spend most of their day, the wooded area on the other side of the wide river, conversely, for the Leafeon. In the middle, is a wide open plain, and apparently, the Jolteon of the clan are rather fond of that area. The others spend it mostly on the edge of the forest, as that is where most of the clan’s food comes from. The Glaceon of the clan however, prefer it cold, and the area is in a natural basin, right at the foot of a mountain, which is where they prefer to be, which is also the primary reason they have staked the claim on that area.

 

A thought occurs to me, and I have to ask it. “Shadow, how does your clan avoid trainers? I’m sure that such a large clan of Eon’s like us would attract a lot of unwanted attention from humans who want to capture us. That’s one of the reasons my family stays broken up. You can’t catch what you can’t find.”

 

“That’s actually a funny story. There were a lot, way back when. Along the time when our clan first started getting together, there used to be a lot of humans getting wind of us, and who decided to come try and find us. The more aggressive leaders of the pack, actually banded together and beat them, even killing one or two of the more stubborn humans. Eventually, they got tired of that happening, so they stopped coming. Last I heard, there was a warning about us. You know what they say. Strength in numbers.”

 

“Of course, there are still foolhardy humans who try, so when it is as rare as it is now, to keep the peace, we simply have the Espeon break their minds, and rebuild it so they leave, never come back, and spread stories to get more people to avoid the clan. Mostly, that works. There hasn’t been a death in years. Many, many years before I was born, I would say.”

 

I think over what he’s said, noticing the failing light for the first time. The sky is getting that dark, amber red that says the sun is going away for the night, turning into dusk while we walk. It makes sense, though. If you have a large clan like that, you do what you can to keep it secret. Keep it hidden. Keep it safe.

 

I look overhead, the clouds drifting by lazily through the leaves, the sun’s amber rays streaming through the branches casting oblong shadows over everything. Finally, after a long day of walking, long after the sun has started falling, the expansive river acting as a boundary to the clan grounds coming into view. The dying light bounces off the swiftly flowing water.

 

“That river must be moving pretty rapidly if we can see the white crests and the current from this far away. Can we cross it?” Curious if he will attempt to use this as an excuse to turn back, I have to ask him.

 

“It is. It is just another reason this area was chosen over anywhere else. The river has rapids strong enough to bother even the strongest swimming Vaporeon. The guards help anyone cross who needs across. Otherwise, you would be almost immediately swept downstream as soon as you step foot in the river. It goes on this strong for miles, and is just as wide throughout the whole thing.”

 

We approach the river together, the sound from the rushing rapids getting louder and louder as we get closer. Right up on the river, it’s not deafening, but it certainly makes a lot of things harder to hear over it. This close, I can’t hear the bugs in the trees, Shadow’s footsteps, or even my own feet stepping on fallen leaves and twigs.

 

“HALT! Who treads on Eon lands?”

 

“Oh, shut up Kia! We’re not on Eon Lands. This is still outside your lands, and you know it!”

 

“Jariah? Is that you? You know you still aren’t allowed to step foot on our lands! This is no longer your home. Leave! Turn around, and head back to where you came from.”

 

I look back and forth between the two, both of them having to shout to be heard over the rapids. The one on the other side of the river appears to be a gruff, rugged looking Leafeon, his face scarred, marred with long the healed marks of battle.

 

“I can’t do that Kia. I’m not here for me, I’m here on behalf of my mate. He wants me to find closure, at least, according to him that’s what he wants. My mate felt it was right for me to come here, and so I did. I’m not so sure it was a wise idea, though.”

 

“He did? HA!” The Leafeon says with a barking laugh, standing right on the edge of river like us. Standing close enough to the water like this, we’re almost close enough that if I wanted, I could probably reach out and play with the foam rushing by over the top of the water. “I always knew you were a faggot! Taking another male of the tribe against his will? You’re a pitiful excuse for an Eon. You make me sick.”

 

                I decide that’s enough, choosing to interject before the two proud Eons could continue arguing, which would probably go on all day, and it was getting late. “Alright, enough. My name is Lira. I am not of your tribe; I belong to the Wanderers. I come wishing to speak to whomever is in charge. We are not here to argue or fight.

 

“Yeah, I’ve heard of your tribe” he yells back, ignoring Shadow now. “Another faggot, eh? So you the so called ‘mate?’ Has he told you what he’s done? Why he is no longer allowed to step foot on his own lands? Why he has turned his back on all of us? I refuse to allow him to cross.”

 

I watch him plant his foot in defiance, as if to strengthen his point. “I may be gay, but I know who I am, and I know that I am no lower than you. Fine, how about you allow me over for a moment, let me talk to you alone.” I hope he goes for it, and I can see him thinking.

 

“Fine. I shall allow you over, and you can talk to me. I am tired of yelling over our border. You only.”

 

As he finishing speaking, I notice his tail flicks rapidly to one side, and, seemingly out of nowhere, a dozen vines erupt out of the ground near his feet. They soar towards me, and I take an involuntary step back, worried for a moment he is attempting to attack me. I soon realize my fears are unwarranted, breathing a sigh of relief as the vines slam into the bank on our side, anchoring themselves in place. I step towards the newly formed bridge, admiring the neatly made overpass. Roughly a foot in width, it’s about as wide as I am, and I have to tread carefully as I start to make my way across, mumbling a “stay” to Shadow.

 

Reaching the other side, I step off, turning to the Leafeon standing his ground in front of me, clearly putting himself there to halt any further progress.

 

“Far enough, Espeon. Now, why are you here, and why have you brought him back?” The way he addresses Shadow, his voice full of contempt and dripping venom, he must feel strongly about this.

 

I ignore his questions for the most part, simply starting in with my explanation. “Thank you for letting me cross. It is much easier to talk while we are standing right next to each other, than attempting to scream across such a wide expanse of water. As I was saying, my name is Lira. I have come to talk to the leader of your clan, hoping to ask for forgiveness for my mate. I know what he has done, for he has kept no secrets from me.  I came across him several months back, as he was attempting to starve himself to death, claiming he no longer wished to live. I saw promise in him, and decided to help him.”

 

“And you let him live? You’re a bigger fool than I thought” he says with a sneer, his face contorted in hatred and disgust.

 

“My parents always taught me that everyone needs love. Especially those who don’t love themselves. I love him, and that is that. But that is not why we are here. I know what I want, and I have chosen him to be my mate in this life. I want him to be happy, and for him to be happy, he must find peace, and forgiveness. For that, I have convinced him to come here, and speak once more with his father, and beg forgiveness, so that he may carry on living. We don’t plan on staying here.”

 

“His father? His father left years ago. I thought you knew everything, oh wise one” he asks me, not even attempting to hide the sarcasm coating his words.

 

“I thought I did.” I glance back to the other side of the river, watching Shadow sit there patiently, but he must notice me watching him, as looks away quickly, refusing to meet my eyes across the water.

 

“Years ago, he challenged his father for his spot as leader. He beat his father badly; I’ve never seen someone so clearly the victor. He won, and attempted to take over the clan. Arguably, he is one of the strongest Eons to come from our clan. Due to what he did not too long before the challenge, no one listened to a word he said. Shortest amount of time I have ever seen someone be clan leader. Leader for less than a day. He left, fleeing the lands, because he knew he would have been run off if he’d stayed. His father left in disgrace shortly after he lost.”

 

                “That is not the story he tells. He told me his father banished him for what he did. That his father beat him with the same odd skill I seem to have picked up with my parents. Is that not true?”

 

“I don’t know what he told you, but considering his father was a rather powerful Espeon, even he stands no chance against a dark type. He lost. Horrendously. Jariah wasn’t actually banished, but that doesn’t mean anyone wants him here. For all intents and purposes, he was banished in all but name. Give me one reason I should let him onto our lands.”

 

I’m a bit upset he lied to me, but on the other hand, I completely understand why. How he told it, he was forced to leave. The truth through, is that he chose to leave because he gave up. He finally got what he wanted, and found it wasn’t what he truly needed. He needed me. Someone to hold him. Someone to accept him. Someone to love him.

 

“Do not do it for him. I just want him to forgive himself, and show that he can live his life. I’m asking as a personal favor to me. If you let me in, so he can say goodbye properly, I promise you, I will take him away from here, and you will never see him again. Just let me do this for him, please.” I am not against begging, and show that to the gruff Leafeon, hoping he agrees.

 

He looks dubious, thinking my question through, and apparently reaches a conclusion after looking back and forth between the two of us. “I don’t know. If I let you through, there is no guarantee that I can keep you safe. I have to stay here, and others that see you may become physically violent.” He doesn’t look too worried about it, probably hoping that someone will attack us, but yells over the water anyways.

 

“Come on over then, Jaraiah. You may cross.”

 

Shadow doesn’t look too happy with me at the moment, but he can suck it up. He hops onto the vine bridge, waltzing across it much more acrobatically than me, the years of practice he got doing this being put on display. He makes it across in half the time it took me, but did it much more gracefully than I did.

 

As soon as he reaches this side of the river, the vines retract, drawing themselves back into the ground they burst from. “Actually, it’s Shadow now.” He tries to tell Kia when he’s across, getting less than a grunt in response as the Leafeon retreats back to the trees.

 

 I walk over to him, not mentioning anything that Kia told me, but something tells me he knows, even with me trying to hide it.

 

“I understand.”

 

“I’m sorry.”

 

“I know you are. You don’t have to apologize to me, Shadow.” I lead the way this time, mostly on Shadows behalf, leaving Kia behind. With me leading, he doesn’t have to see my face; see the hurt there that I try so hard to hide yet still shows up.

 

                The sun is practically gone now, fallen entirely behind the equator except for a tiny sliver peeking out. I notice a few Leafeon hidden among the leaves, catching the flashes of green as they try to stay that way. I manage to glimpse of their faces, this one completely free of any marks, but full of such hatred it makes me want to curl into a ball myself, and I am not the one it’s directed at.

 

I glance over my shoulder at Shadow trailing behind me, his head hanging low, that beautiful tail of his drooping.

 

We make our way through the last acre or so of forest, eventually reaching the plains. Not a single Eon we found looked all that welcoming, whether it was a Leafeon, or the spare Jolteon. They were all barely containing hate and disgust, or, in the case of a few younger looking Eevees, curiosity. The other branches of our family must be hiding somewhere else, not spotting anything but the grass and electric forms, plus those who hadn’t gotten their evolutions yet.

 

Making our way across the open field, I see a patch of some tall, dry grass off in the distance, a few brown blurs bobbing in and out of it. Staring straight ahead, I don’t notice the giant red streak hurtling towards us, only hearing the grunt and whoosh of passing air behind me. Turning, I find a larger than normal Flareon standing where my mate was just a minute ago, now screaming at Shadow.

 

“You dare show your face here? You dare come back after what you did to me!? I should kill you where you stand, you asshole!”

 

“What I did to you? Kyson? Could it be? You… evolved.” He struggles to get to his feet as I rush towards him, helping him to stand back up. “I told you I shouldn’t have come here Lira; I knew this would happen. Stand back. I need to take my punishment. I need to beg for forgiveness.”

 

I can’t believe he would do this, but he does it anyways, shrugging me off and stepping forward to face his childhood friend.

 

“I didn’t come to fight you, Kyson. I came to talk. I came to apologize. Beg you to forgive me for the mistakes I made in the past.”

 

“Forgive you!? You raped me, you bastard! I looked up to you. In the end, I even took over the clan when your father left. That’s right, Jariah. I’m the strongest one in the clan. I’m the most powerful! After you left in disgrace, that left no one to protect the clan, so someone had to step in.”

 

I can’t hide the surprise on my face at that, and neither can my mate, a flicker of doubt crossing his features to mingle with the shock.

 

“You? I mean, I’m surprised, but not too surprised. You were the only person to ever beat me.”

 

“And I will beat you right here, and right now. Just to show you I’m not that same little Eevee pup who lost to you all those years ago.” Without even waiting for a response, he attacks. His mouth opens wide, a jet of pure fire pouring from the depths of his body, streaming towards Shadow. My mate is quick to dodge, but not fast enough, the fire stroking his leg.

 

Shadow lands a foot or so to the right, stomping his foot to ease the pain of the fire that kissed it. I want to rush to his side, but I hold myself back. This is Shadow’s fight.

 

“Please! Stop this Kyson! I don’t want to fight you!” He yells out to the enraged Flareon, but to no avail, another jet of fire striking the place where he was standing mere seconds before, this time getting away completely unscathed. “If you keep attacking me, Kyson, I will have to fight back.”

 

“Good! This won’t be much of a challenge if you don’t.” He streaks forward, his movements propelled by a Quick Attack, rushing towards my mate. Right before he reaches Shadow, his mouth opens again, a ring of fire matching his jaws as he slams them down, managing to catch Shadow’s tail in the Fire Fang.

 

                I cover my ears at that one, my Umbreon letting out a pain induced roar, reaching around with a bite of his own, biting down on the Flareon’s leg. They let go after only a few seconds, both knowing they would get nowhere with just bites. Shadow stands there, and I wonder if he is planning anything.

 

Kyson rushes forwards once more, this time surrounded by a strong, deep red aura. Shadow doesn’t even attempt to dodge, and I let slip out a yell, attempting to warn him. He ignores me, planting his feet and taking the brunt of the Flare Blitz head on, being pushed back almost four feet with how strongly the Flareon crashes into him.

 

I see what he was planning though, when that gloriously golden ring on his head gets cloudy, seeming to suck the firey-red aura into it. A fraction of a second later, it erupts, blasting out the same aura, only now it has a dark, purple tinge to it. It pours over the Flareon, much too fast and too close to avoid, it hits him head on, throwing him off his feet and propelling backwards.

 

The Flareon lays there, in the dirt for a mere moment, quickly jumping back to his feet. Before he has a chance to recover, Shadow steps forward, rearing up on his hind legs before bringing them back down, a ring of pure shadows forming around his paws and emanating outwards, mostly heading towards the prone Flareon.

 

He must be too slow to react, as the ring of shadows strikes him, picking him up and tossing him back another dozen feet. He actually goes back far enough that the Sylveon standing there has to move before she gets bowled over, and it is just now that I actually look around. While they were battling, I was paying rapt attention, not wanting to miss a second, and failed to notice they got an audience. Looking around, there are dozens of other Eon Pokémon around, of all the different branches.

 

                I have to chuckle, even amidst the intense battle, as a Vaporeon rushes forward, spitting water on a patch of grass that caught fire. He rushes back into the crowd, his job done.

 

I look over and see Kyson getting back to his feet, stalking back over to us. “You made me do this, Jariah. Just for you, I went into the forest and had the Breloom teach me a rather special move, just in case I ever saw you again. One that is sure to bring you to your knees.” He gets close enough once more, preparing a move.

 

                “Please, Kyson, stop this. I told you I don’t want to fight!” Kyson look beyond reason now, his body starting to surround itself with a flickering blue aura. It slowly slides over his body, starting with is tail and flowing up it, then covering his legs, working its way up his chest to coat his mane, completely encasing the Flareon in blue. He throws himself forward, and, not surprising, Shadow jumps to the side, attempting to dodge. Kyson stops short of where my Umbreon was a moment ago anyways, not planning on contact, copying Shadow’s movements from his Dark Pulse.

 

As the Flareon brings his legs down though, instead of creating his own flare of light, the ground cracks open instead, the blue aura surrounding him seeping into the cracks he’s made, and I realize too late what it is. Before I am able to utter a single syllable of warning, the ground erupts under Shadow, blasting him into the sky, and letting him rain down once more, his body hitting the ground with a thud.

 

I move to go to him, to make sure he is alright, when a leafy tail is put in my path, blocking me. I turn to the Leafeon it belongs to, noticing Kia for the first time. He shakes his head ‘no’ at me, and I know he’s right. This is not my fight, and I have to believe he will be ok.

 

He looks injured, barely moving, and completely unable to summon the strength to get up. The primary thought on my mind at that moment, is wondering how a Flareon managed to learn such a strong fighting type move as Superpower. As he lays there, immobile on the ground, Kyson finally approaches him. I start to get worried again, hoping he is finally done with him. He stops a few inches from Shadow, standing over his body. I see his head move, so I know he is at least still alive.

 

“I loved you! I wanted you, so badly! Then you had to go and evolve! Leave me in the dust! I idolized you! You were my whole world Jariah.”

 

I don’t know how to respond to that, not that I have to, but still absolutely not expecting that kind of a response from the hot-tempered Flareon. Everyone is silent. Not a single blade of grass rustles, no one moves, and, like me, I think some are even afraid to breath, not wishing to miss a single word.

 

“I know.” I have to strain to hear, even being as close as I am, when he starts talking back. “I always knew. You were always there, always around. I felt the same about you, and eventually, I just couldn’t help myself. Please, Kyson. Please accept my apology. I never meant you any harm. You have to believe me. I always believed you felt the same way about me, but I never knew how to ask.”

 

“Of course I did! I wasn’t ready! You took me against my will! I begged you to stop, but you didn’t. I pled for the pain to go away, and just sat there, while you raped me. I wanted to die. Why you couldn’t just wait longer. I wanted to evolve first, before I let anything happen between us.”

 

“I never realized. I really am so very sorry, Kyson. I know that can’t take back what I did, but please, don’t hate me.”

 

“Hate you? I don’t hate you. I did. For a long time. I trained. Harder and harder. Specifically, with beating you in mind. I couldn’t think of anything else. I want revenge. I wanted you to suffer. I wanted you to feel pain. That is gone. I stopped hating you long ago. I accept your apology, Jariah. I do not hate you, but I still do not wish to see you any longer. I have seen how the Espeon on the sidelines has looked at you throughout our battle. Go to him. Leave with him. And do not return. You are hereby banished.”

 

“Go, live your life with this Espeon. He is of the wandering tribe; this I can see. Even if I were to accept you back into our clan, he would never be happy. I hope he can make you happy. As happy as my own mate has made me. You may stay for the night, but I want you gone at sunrise.”

 

He pivots, turning a full 180 degrees, walking back towards wherever he came from in the first place. I wonder who he could have been referring too, but not for long as the very same scruffy Leafeon who allowed us across the bridge walks away from me, intercepting the Flareon with a nuzzle under his chin to lift his head higher. I watch them walk up a hill, vanishing over the crest.

 

Only now do I rush to my mate’s side, crouching over him to check his injuries. He lies there, unmoving, and I nuzzle him softly, attempting to rouse him. I fear he may have finally lost consciousness, his head tilting slightly to look at mine the only sign he was still in the land of the living. His eyes crack open, having closed at some point.

 

“What do I do now? It was your idea to come here in the first place.”

 

“I know,” I affirm to him, glancing up to watch the on-lookers now dispersing, all heading in their own separate directions. “You let him win, didn’t you?” I look back down at him as I ask, managing to catch the involuntary wince he tried to hide at that question.

 

“You caught that? How? I was so careful. Yes, I threw the fight. I had to. I knew that there was nothing else I could do. If I won, it would have only caused more anger, and more hate. More self-loathing. You are right, my love. I have to move on. What I did was horrible, and I can never make up for it, but you were right. This was good. Both for me, and him.”

 

“Of course. As for what we do now? Simple. We go home. I think we are done here, and when we get some sleep, we go home. Come on, Shadow, let’s go find somewhere to bunk down for the night. Frankly, we had a long walk to get here, and now that the climax of our trip is over, I am exhausted.”

 

He nods, pulling himself to his feet. I see him struggling, pushing forward with my own weight so he can brace himself. He may have thrown the fight, but he is most certainly not faking his injuries from the battle. I walk slowly beside him, letting him lean on me. Letting my eyes wander around the large clearing, I see that everyone is gone, minus a scant few stragglers. I do let slip a slight growl when I hear footsteps, quieting myself when I see that it’s nothing more than a small Eevee. He walks up, and I notice the Sitrus berry hanging from his maw.

 

                He stops a foot or so away, lowering his head to the ground to deposit the berry there, stepping back after leaving it. “Here. You look hurt. If you eat this, you’ll feel better. That’s what mommy always says.” I nudge Shadow forward, knowing he’s most likely hungry from only having one of the rare Enigma Berries, not to mention the damage dealt to him in the battle.

 

“Go on. Eat it. Get your strength back” I tell him, and he does so, eating the lumpy, orange spotted berry. The effects are noticeable almost immediately. His fur starts to get that black sheen I love so much, his rings start to get their healthy glow back, and the bruises fade away. Around the last bite, he starts to look normal, holding himself with the strength with which I had grown accustomed to seeing in my mate.

 

“Thank you, little one,” Shadow says to the Eevee, who, once seeing he was no longer needed, decided to scamper off, his tail wagging behind him happily, joining the other two Eevees waiting for him. “He’s a good kit. I wonder who his mother is. Oh well. Come on Lira, let’s go. I do feel much better from that healing berry.” We leave together, heading back towards the river we crossed to get here. By now, the sun is long gone, having vanished over the horizon in order to be replaced by the moon. I look to the sky, the moon hanging there in a thick crescent shape. Not very thick, it doesn’t have much light, so the forest on the edge of the plains are bathed in darkness as we head to the trees.

 

                It’s a long walk home, and I know we both decide to sleep in the forest tonight, staying on this side of the river. We enter the woods, and it is a short hike to the river, and we head far enough up stream to give us some privacy. “They patrol on this side of the river, but they don’t really pay attention to this side, mostly making sure no one crosses in the middle of the night. Too many drowned ‘Mon that way. They really don’t want anyone from the other side of the river getting across without them knowing either.” I nod to him, but he doesn’t see it with us walking side by side in the dark, his eyes facing forward.

 

A short distance into the woods though it may be, I look around and find that it is far enough to the river to not be able to see the other side of the trees, the plains now entirely out of sight. We approach the river, the noise getting louder the closer to it we get, but we stop a bit of ways away. We do a bit of hunting, eventually managing to track down a large enough patch of moss to fit the both of us.

 

We lay down on the impromptu bedding, curling together for comfort.

 

“Did I do the right thing? Letting him win, I mean.” I lick his cheek softly, both of us laying in such a way as to allow me to press my forehead to his, which I gladly do, showing him that I am there for him.

 

“I think so. He forgave you, long ago. From what I witness, and from getting close to you, I would say you never truly hated yourself. You hated what you did, that you believed you ruined his life, stopped him from ever finding love. I saw differently. He has love, he has forgiven you, and you can finally find peace.”

 

I watch his eyes close in content, and all I can hope is that he will finally head my advice.

 

                We sit there like that, basking in each other’s presence, but not doing anything about it, for what seems like hours, but based on the moons position, is more than likely only fifteen minutes or so. I can’t help myself, and I have to break the silence, teasing him slightly. “You know, Shadow, I never got a chance to get off. Maybe you should make it up to me, for going all day.”

 

Even in the darkness of the forest, I am able to see him blush heavily, his face turning a beautiful shade of crimson under that dark fur of his. I chuck softly, bringing him into a kiss. He breaks it shortly afterwards, not really into the kiss. “Here? Now? But… someone could see,” he whines softly, seeming to get extremely shy at the idea of being caught by his used-to-be clan.

 

“Oh, come on, Chicken. Any noises will be drowned out by the river. Besides, I’m not asking you to fuck me; you got to do that last night. It’s my turn to get off. You cleaned me out this morning, but now, I want you to empty something.”

 

He’s quiet for a moment, but he knows his hands are tied, and if he wants my ass in the future, he’ll have to do this, and, besides, I know he loves it. I roll over onto my back, letting my legs dangle in the air. He slides down, knowing how I like it, planting soft kisses on my stomach as he heads south. The kisses continue, and I murr softly, feeling them on my inner thighs and groin. He pointedly ignores my sheath, already getting hard inside the protective skin. He kisses all over, up and down my inner leg, then back down again.

 

He knows me too well though, and knows how much teasing I’ll take before I snap, and finally moves in, planting more of those sensual touches over my sheath. I let him continue, feeling that wonderful maw of his making contact with the skin which soon starts to feel too tight, and he lifts a paw up, rubbing the base. The rubbing is the final straw, the last he needs to do to coax his prize out, the tip of my cock peeking out. His paw makes contact, gently rubbing the exposed portion of my member, using the pads to enhance the pleasure with the odd texture. He moves down a bit more with his maw, lapping softly at my orbs laying against my tail. He takes one into that cavernous maw of his, suckling gently on the sensitive orb.

 

A groan rips itself from my throat, escaping into the night air, only to be whipped away by the river so as to not be heard by anyone but the one that caused it. He repeats the process on the other testicle, sucking a bit more firmly on this one, drawing it into his mouth entirely, closing his teeth around it carefully, applying just the right amount of force that I let out another groan. He moves back north, leaving the twin orbs dripping with his saliva and throbbing with the seed hidden away inside.

 

He attacks my rod now, having managed to coax a good half of it out, a full two inches exposed. He wraps his tongue around the tip, drawing no more than an inch into his mouth, applying pressure with the tip of his tongue to the hole on the end where his treasure awaits. My hips buck of their own volition before I can stop them, thrusting off the ground the one time as I want more inside of him.

 

                He pulls off, and I whimper softly, wondering why he stopped. My unspoken question is answered when I feel his breath caress my hardness, my hind paws clenching tightly to the air, my claws extending. I let out a hiss as he blows lower, the hot air going over my now exposed knot, barely any bigger than the rest of my cock. Just as I feel he’s teasing me again, he takes me back into his mouth, swallowing my entire rod into his maw, all four inches buried, and I touch the back of his throat before he pulls back. He starts a steady rhythm now, bobbing his head up and down, swallowing me all the way down to the base, his lips touching my sheath scrunched up below my knot, just barely big enough still to keep my sheath from trying to cover me up.

 

I can feel myself throbbing inside his maw each time he lowers his head, extremely careful to not let his teeth do more than graze the sensitive flesh, not nearly enough to hurt, but just enough to drive me crazy.

 

He knows all the right spots to his, his ministrations causing my knot to swell slightly, and I can tell he is starting to have difficulties going past it, but he is still beyond careful of his fangs. He presses that broad, wonderful tongue of his against the bottom of my member, the natural roughness of his tongue rubbing the flesh as he attempts to coax the seed out. I let a paw fall slightly, resting it on his head as he continues to bob up and down, every third down stroke he stops, choosing to apply suction instead. With how hard he’s sucking, I don’t know how long I’ll last before giving him what he’s working so hard to attain. He quickly starts bobbing though, bumping into my knot now, actually having it swell enough to stop his downward progress.

 

I think he gets tired of the motions though, as he lifts a paw to my knot, kneading around it with one paw to speed things up, hoping it will help me reach climax sooner. It doesn’t take long for it to take effect, knowing exactly what gets me off best from how many times he has done this. I can feel myself throbbing violently on his tongue, the orbs he was sucking on earlier starting to clench, just waiting to send their load rocketing up and out, and into the waiting maw of my lover.

 

I don’t warn him, but then again, I’m sure he knows, as I quickly approach my climax. The first spurt must take him by surprise though, as he falters. He quickly recovers though, as I let out a grunt, my eyes slamming shut as I am unable to keep them open any longer, stars exploding behind my eyelids. As much as I wish to watch him swallow my seed down, the pleasure is too immense, my erection thrashing around wildly in his mouth as it erupts, spraying spurt after spurt of my cream down his throat. He swallows quickly though, not wasting a single drop, all of it flooding his maw to go down his throat and into his stomach, heading off to join his own seed he got from inside me that morning.

 

I lay there for I don’t know how long, basking in the glow shining on me, the pleasure still radiating from around my groin. I’ve stopped spurting, but my member is still throbbing, and he keeps licking, probably hoping to extend the pleasure. Eventually, I have to stop him, his rough tongue starting to hurt on the hyper sensitive organ.

 

                I’m breathless as he crawls back up to join me, and my eyes open to stare lovingly into his, kissing him deeply. I feel his tongue demanding entrance, and I accept it, swiping across it with my own, our tongues finding each other easily in the tunnel caused by our lips meeting, and I can taste myself on his tongue, a taste I thoroughly enjoy. I break the kiss, glancing down at my retreating member, glistening in the pale moonlight breaking through the trees, its job done.

 

I stare into his eyes, and I rest, exhausted from the pleasure that racked my body such a short amount of time ago. “Thank you. That felt… beyond words. You always do know how to get me to cum harder than the last time. Now, let’s get some sleep, Shadow. We have a long day ahead of, one full of walking.”

 

“No. That is over. No more Shadow, I am dropping that. Just… call me Jariah. That is my true name, after all.” I nod in affirmation, nuzzling him softly.

 

“Alright then, Jariah. Let’s get to sleep. I do love you. So, so much.”

 

“I’m glad you didn’t let me die.”

 

“I know,” I tell him with a laugh. “So am I. Now, go to sleep.” It isn’t long before I pass out, completely exhausted from my orgasm, falling asleep next to my favorite Umbreon.