This story and all characters (with the exception of Faranus, Timm, Georgie, Kickaha, and any other fur that might make an appearance who are the properties of their players) is the property of Trel'la. Nothing in this story may be copied or used without permission. This file may be distributed freely as long as it is not altered in any way, and the distributor does not profit from the distribution. All characters(with the exception of Trel'la, Faranus, Timm, Georgie, Kickaha, etc.), places and events are fictional, and any similarity to real people, events or places is purely coincidental. Dang

Oh yes! It is a beautiful spring day, isn't it? The air's still cool and crisp, but feel that sunshine! So warm! And my honeysuckles are going to be filled with flowers this year!

What's that, kittens? Tell you a story? Well, I don't know...what sort of story do you want? Hmm? About the Change? Well, that was so long ago...what? You've asked your parents about it, but they couldn't tell you? Well, of course not, silly bunny...your parents are our children, and but for Vail, they weren't around when the Change happened. And Vail wasmuch too young to remember anything about it. Maybe I will tell you about it, if you ask nicely.

Oh, thank you! That's sweet of you. Alright then, I shall tell you about the Change. And some of the others who experienced it are writing down their memories, so that we can always have a record of what happened.

We've shown you pictures of humans, and told you about them, so that if there are any left in the world, you should know them for who and what they are. But in the time before the Change, we were all of us human. Human, yet within each of us resided a spark of furriness, that made us who we are.

It was so long ago. Yet we all remember what happened so plainly. Such changes as we all went through do not fade readily from the mind. It all started at night.

There was a new star in the sky that night...well, not truly a new star, but rather, a supernova. You've been taught about them in school. When the supernova was announced by the media of the time, most of us went out to look at it. I had a large telescope, so I was able to follow its progress for about a week.

It was on that last night, the seventh or eighth of the new star, that it all began. The star had grown to be the brightest object in the night sky, other than the moon, but it had taken on a greenish hue. I stood there viewing it through the telescope for hours as it flared and pulsed strangely. At last I could stay awake no longer. It was very late, but I took a quick shower anyway. I had noticed my skin was feeling a little irritated and almost sticky, and I was hoping I wasn't coming down with another rash. After my shower, I was so tired I was asleep as soon as my head was on the pillow.

When I woke, I was groggy, stiff and sore, as if I had been running in my sleep. I also felt very warm, and strange, as if my own body didn't fit properly. I was very much afraid that I was indeed coming down with another nasty rash, and blearily I tossed off my covers and stumbled into the bathroom to look myself over.

You, who have been blessed with the gift of furriness all your lives, cannot imagine the shock and surprise I felt when I saw what had happened. To say that I had changed would have been an incredible understatement. I had altered beyond my comprehension. My ordinary human arms, never worthy of any remark, were now covered with a rich cinnamon fur. My hands no longer quite looked like human hands, but were smaller, the fingers somewhat shorter, terminating not in flat fingernails, but curved, sharp claws. I looked down at myself, and I started moaning very quietly to myself in my shock. So many changes.

I was no longer human. True, I stood on two straight legs, as any human, but those legs were long, sleek, more slender than before, the muscles rounded, and again, covered in fur. My feet looked a hybrid of human feet and animal paws, and as in the case of my hands, my toes ended in claws.

That was not the only change. My physical gender had changed as well, for adorning my chest were a pair of small breasts that I never had before. I could also see my hips were wider, fuller than before. Yet just where it had always been was a primary characteristic of physical maleness. What truly seared my thoughts, however, was that just under was a primary characteristic of femaleness. I had seen pictures of hermaphrodites drawn by such artists as Terrie Smith and Tygger, whose works we have preserved, and now it appeared I could get employment modeling for them.

And then I looked into the mirror. I couldn't help it, I had to see all the changes, how I looked, all of it all together. What about my face? How had it changed? Was it as covered and altered as the rest of me? I turned my gaze to the mirror. Yes, it was. My face looked very feline, but more like one of the smaller wild cats, rather than a domestic feline. My ears, instead of being pointed, were rounded, and graced with a black edging around the tips. I had a muzzle now, too, instead of a flat human face, and long, stiff hairs spread and curved from each side of my new muzzle. My whiskers. My eyes were not the eliptical slits of a pet cat, but were round, like a humans, or in my case now, like a tiger's or lion's. My eyes before were sort of an amber green, but now they were a brilliant emerald green in color.

I took in the rest of me reflected in the mirror. The base color of my fur was a rich dark yellow, with large black spots overlaying the coat. From my chin down to my groin my fur was an unmarked snowy white. I was shorter than I was before, and much more slender. I had hair in addition to my new fur, a luxurious growth of shiny black hair spread from my head and reached down to about the middle of my back.

I shook my head, causing that hair to toss about, still stunned at what had become of me, and what I had become. I decided I needed a nice hot cup of tea, very likely several cups, to settle my jangled nerves. Hang on, could I still drink tea? Well, I supposed I had better find out. After all, life without tea? An unbearable thought! I turned to leave the bathroom, and I yowled as I felt a sharp twinge of pain on my...somewhere behind me. I turned to see, and I found that I now had a tail to go with the rest of me, it had gotten itself caught in the towel rack, and I had pulled it as I was moving. I managed to untangle it and went to the kitchen. I desperately needed to sit down and collect my thoughts. And there was much I needed to think through.

And so, my children, that's just what I did, and dark were my thoughts. What do I do now, I inquired. I can't go to work looking like this, and I can't go shopping for food or clothes, either. My great concern was how I could fit into human society when I was no longer human. While I was pondering all my options, I pulled on a t-shirt that was now too large, and decided to see what was the prediction for the day's weather. I turned the television on and selected the channel. Strange...it didn't seem to be working. Oh, the television was on, all right, I could see that by the glow from the screen. But it was blank. I figured that particular station wasn't working for some reason or other, and changed to another channel...where I found the same time.

Well, this is weird, I thought to myself. I decided to do the Grand Tour of all the channels available, and what I discovered was most odd. Some of the stations were broadcasting, showing old movies and television shows. But those stations that were supposed to be airing live programs were dead...there was just nothing there. I was beginning to get a little disturbed. I turned on the radio. Nothing but static crackle.

Suddenly I was less concerned about my own inexplicable transformation. What the devil's going on here, I thought to myself. No television, no radio...this is just too strange! Daringly, I went to the large window of my apartment and opened it, heedless as to who might see me. My new ears swiveled by themselves as I searched for the ambient sounds of the city...traffic moving, voices, passing aircraft, but other than the songs of the birds, I heard nothing. No sounds of civilization at all.

I was becoming worried. So worried, in fact, that my fear of being seen in public like this was overridden by a demanding curiosity. If someone saw me, I'd just have to try to explain that this was some sort of costume I was trying out. Still dressed only in a t-shirt, I left my apartment and went out into the streets. No cars moving at all. I walked a bit along the street, my head twisting back and forth, listening for the slightest sound of people. I wandered down to where I could see the highway...and I saw no traffic on it, no cars, no trucks, just...nothing.

What a morning this is turning out to be, I thought. First I turn into some sort of a cat-person, and now its beginning to look as if the whole world's stepped out to an early lunch! At that thought, my heart twisted in my chest in fear. Faranus, I thought. What about my Mate from online? What's happened to him? What's happened to everyone?

I decided to find out. I walked up to the library where I work. Despite the fact it was past opening time, all the doors, even the service entrance, were locked, and the lights were off. I found a good sized brick in the parking lot, along with a couple slightly smaller stones, and I went to the front entrance. I heaved that brick and smashed in the glass of the door, then knocked out the jagged pieces that were left clinging to the frame with the smaller rocks. I then stepped in, being very careful of the glass on the floor.

My idea was that my breaking in and then just being in the library would set off the alarms for the police. I'd have a tremendous amount of explaining to do, but at least I find other people. I'd have to put up with them trying to get me out of my "costume", of course.

And so I waited...and waited...and waited. There were no wailing sirens, no police rushing up with pistols drawn...no reaction to my intrusion at all. I was beginning to feel that perhaps I was truly alone.

Like so many others, I did have the fantasy from time to time of having just about the whole world to myself, but I had never expected it to come true. Now that I was faced with it, I was terrified. But in that fear, an idea formed. I didn't know if my mate was still around or if he went...wherever everyone else went, but I had to find out. I knew where he lived, more or less. Therefore, I would go to Virginia, my birthplace, the home of my mate, and seek him out, find out if he still was.

My mind again shifted into a new direction, as my resolve to seek out my love grew. My change seemed less important, and the plans I knew I had to make to prepare for my journey help to distract me from the loniliness of this strange and empty world. For I did have to make many plans. I had never learned to drive, and had never liked cars. Therefore, I would make the journey on a bicycle. I'd have to find a new and good one, since Virginia was a long way from here, and my trusty three-speed just wouldn't be good enough for the trip. And I'd have to get supplies, too...food and such. And clothes. Since it seemed this city, at least, was now deserted, I didn't have that much concern that someone would see me, so changed and altered. So, I decided to go out shopping at a local mall.

I left the library and went back to my apartment. I got the bicycle out and pedaled onto the street. I was normally very cautious about riding in the road, due to cars, but with the streets apparently abandoned, that concern was no longer present. In fact, I decided to be daring, and I took to the highway to go out to the mall.

It was a strange feeling, bicycling on the highway. It would have been so even without the wind flowing past my fur and causing my tail to flutter behind me. And the new parts of me, parts I never had before, moved in ways to which I was unaccustomed, especially when I hit a bump. Of course, I didn't have to worry about avoiding speeding cars, but cars there were on the highway. Some had collided with others, some had crashed into the guardrails, some were just sitting in the middle of the road. It was all the same with each of them, all empty of drivers and passengers, but keys in the ignition, proving to me the vehicles were occupied when...whatever happened, happened.

I still had no idea what had happened-why I had changed into this new form, why everyone else had vanished, or if the two events were somehow related. But, looking at the cars littering the highway, I was able to make a guess as to about when all this happened. Judging from the low number of cars I saw around, I estimated that all the mysterious disappearances must have occurred at some very early morning hour, long before the sun rose.

After some time of peddling (and walking, when my legs started to feel like lead weights), I wheeled into the mall's parking lot. It was no surprise to find it deserted. My concern now was how to get into the mall. I went to each and every door, both public and service entrances, and found them all locked tight. No surprise there, either. I sighed unhappily as I realized I'd have to break into yet another place. It seemed like I was starting life in my new furry form as a criminal. Still, I supposed that if there were any security people around, and they just ignored it when I broke into the library, they'd certainly respond from my breaking into a mall. So, I smashed some more glass and let myself in.

I'd never seen an empty mall before, certainly not one so totally empty as this. It was dark, too, and I had no idea how to turn on the lights for the whole mall. That led me to ponder something I hadn't realized before. Electricity. Electricity may soon become a very large problem, without any engineers to maintain the system. But I shelved that problem away to worry about later.

I had no desire to break into each and every shop in the mall, so I went for the mall office first of all, in hopes of finding shop keys. I found what I was looking for, and having these keys would make my shopping experience a lot easier.

I decided to start with clothes. In fact, after I got the keys, I pulled off my t-shirt even before going to the first shop, leaving me naked, not that any human would be able to tell, with my fur. I entered a likely shop, and started to look through some clothes. Size was a mystery to me, and I could only grab some items and try them on. It was pretty much a process of elimination, but when I found something that fit me, I used the size labels to guide me to others. Tops...things like shirts, blouses, pullovers...presented no trouble once I got the sizes down. No, it was skirts, pants, things like that, that presented serious trouble. There was a critical element of my body for which human clothing simply was not designed...they made no provisions for a tail!

Well, of course you think it silly, little ones, but you must remember in the days and years before the change, we who wore clothes didn't have tails. So, naturally, the clothing designers never made anything that would allow tails to fit comfortably. Certainly, now, thats a little detail we take care of almost automatically, but back then, we had to do it ourselves. And not all of us, certainly not me, were skilled in clothes-making.

The solution I came up with wasn't entirely satisfactory, but it worked until I could devise something better. What I did was to snatch up some fabric scissors and eyelet rivets at a fabric shop, and I cut a v-notch in the back of the skirts and jeans, large enough to accept my tail. I put in a little stitching on the sides of the cut so the whole thing wouldn't unravel, and punched in a couple of eyelets, so I could lace it closed after my tail was waggling loose and free. Not the perfect answer to my fashion problem, but it worked for now.

After all that work of trying on clothes and fixing them up for my tail, I was pretty hungry, so I went over to the food court. All the places were closed up, of course, but I was able to get into my favorite Chinese place with one of the keys. I commenced raiding the freezer, and soon had something going on the fire. I sat and ate, idling through a book I snatched up in the bookstore, but not really paying much attention to it. For one thing, I felt all nice and tingly in my new clothes, clothes that had been forbidden to me before. But more than that, I was considering what I should do next. I mean, as far as I could tell, the world was mine and mine alone.

I realized there was little point in remaining where I was for long, and in fact, staying in any city didn't seem like a very good idea. Cities, you see, required great investments of time and labor to maintain. Without a sizable labor force, a city would soon begin to break down and collapse. Soon it just wouldn't be safe.

I made my decision. I'd journey to Virginia. Its where I was born, and I'd always wanted to return...now I had my chance. And my mate lived there, and I just had to know...what had happened to him? Had he become as I had, or had he vanished with everyone else. Now there was a painful thought. I forced it down quickly, not wanting to think about that just yet.

But how to get there? Virginia's a long way from where I was sitting, and my antipathy to cars still remained. And if I did make use of a car, I might miss signs of life...thin trails of smoke, rocks piled up, anything that might proclaim "Hey! I'm here!" Walking was out of the question. I decided to stay with the trusty and reliable bicycle as my transportation, but I knew I'd need something rather better than my old 3-speed.

I made up a list of what I'd need for the journey. A new, fancy bicycle, of course. Camping supplies, definitely. This would be a journey of many days, after all. I'd need food, too, since I wouldn't be able to rely on breaking into handy roadside stops along the way. That food would have to be something easy to carry and light, which ruled out canned food. That meant I'd have to settle for the freeze-dried variety of camping food. Let's see...clothes, food, camping supplies...umm, how to carry it all? I'd have to requisition a cart of some sort from a bicycle shop...they didn't have them here at the mall.

I finished up my food and went up to raid Sears (tm) for the new bicycle. I found one that suited my size...the tires were flat but I had a pump on my clunky old machine which I used in inflate the tubes. I also snatched up a portable CD player while I was in the store...I had a long journey in front of me, and there wasn't any reason to travel in silence.

Well, that was that. Everything I needed, I hoped, was packed as securely as I could manage, my bicycle and the attached cart laden with supplies, and I was about as ready as I could ever be. Legs were still shaking, tho. After all, it had suddenly become a whole new world out there, and I had no idea what to expect of it. Was there anyone out there, human or furry, like myself, or was I all there was in the whole world? And my mate, what of him?

But then, he was the reason why I felt I had to do make this journey, to try to find him, as well as others, to see who indeed was left. And now it was time, time to set forth. No regrets, no looking back, no tears at leaving home...

And so I indeed set forth. I got myself onto the highway, slipped some music on, and started pedaling, taking it slow and easy. After all, I didn't have to be anyplace at any time, I could set my own pace, get used to my new feline body, and to the excertions of the journey. I had to stop often, to sip my supply of tea, to rest my legs, or to consult a map to make sure I was on the right stretch of road. It was Virginia for which I was bound, and I'd be very unhappy if I found myself in California.

The end of that first day saw my in Youngstown, and I was quite pleased about getting so far on my first day out. I could tell, however, I'd be paying a stiff price for the effort with sore muscles tomorrow. I broke into a hotel...I was beginning to get used to breaking into places. The electricity was still working here, so I made up my evening meal from the hotel's food supplies, conserving my own, and brewed up a fresh batch of tea. As I cooked, I wished I had my wok with me, but I left it behind as an unnecessary encumbrance. My tea, however, I most certainly brought with me. Priorities, after all!

I found myself a room which must have been the Executive suite, since it was large, and had a whirlpool/hot-tub combination. I ran some water and settled into it, welcoming the flow of the hot water over my tired muscles. As I sipped at my glass of iced tea, I contemplated the day's journey.

I had found many cars simply laying abandoned along the highway, just as when I went out to the mall, owners nowhere in evidence. Houses and buildings I could see as I passed were all still intact, affording me places to forage in case I lost or ran out of my own supplies. What had most surprised me, however, was how far I had managed to get on my first day out. I'd never have been able to accomplish this in human form. I could only imagine that this new feline body brought with it greater stamina and muscle power. A good thing, too, since I still had a very long journey before me, and I'd need all my strength for it.

Another thing I noticed on my way was the scent of the air. It was beginning to smell fresh and clean. Even if I had not the enhanced abilities of a feline nose, I'd have been able to tell that the levels of pollution were decreasing fast. And why not? After all, without the everyday activities of humans constantly pouring waste into the air and waters, the Earth could cleanse and regenerate itself, given time. I could only hope there were others still around to appreciate that fact.

With such thoughts, I went to bed. Typical hard hotel mattress, but I was too tired to care, and I drifted off to an undisturbed sleep.

I awoke in the morning, very stiff and sore from my ride. I whimpered as my legs protested each move, and I decided I wasn't going to venture anywhere this day. I'd just walk a little, around the hotel to help loosen my tight muscles, rest my aches, and soak in that large tub. And thats just what I did. I took it as easy as I could, relaxing, stretching out my sore legs, flexing tender muscles, repeated soakings, and spending much of the rest of my day going over my maps. I planned to be on my way the next day, no matter how I felt, so I wanted to be as rested as possible. What I really wanted to do was to take a couple of aspirin, but...well, I wasn't human anymore, and aspirin was a human medication. I didn't know how it might effect me, if at all. In fact, any human medicine could have unfortunate side effects. If I got ill, now or later, I'd just have to manage as best I could without medicines. That was one of those things I preferred not to think about.

Next day saw me once again on the move, in Pennsylvannia, touring the wonderful turnpike. Well, at least it was a smooth ride, a kindness considering my legs were still quite sore. I got off many more times than before to walk the bicycle, and I knew that today I wouldn't be getting too far. Well, no matter...I'd go as far as I could and call it enough. However tired I was, though, however much my legs were protesting the pedal-work on the bicycle, I was glad at least that I wasn't walking. That would have been a long journey indeed!

I pedaled into a turnpike service station and decided I'd camp out there for the rest of the day. It wasn't locked since the stops are, after all, open 24 hours, even without any humans. When I went in, however, I found it was all dark. I fetched the headlight from my bicycle, looked around, and finally found the lights. I flicked the switch a few times, but there was nothing. I tried a few other switches, but nothing came on, heated up, or made strange noises. The electricity had finally failed, and now I was truly on my own.

I needed to get a fire going. I had some cans of gelled cooking fuel, not many, but those I was trying to keep for emergency use. I saw there were trees around the stop when I pulled in, so I went to gather up some firewood from fallen branches. I got myself a small fire going just inside the doors of the shelter (didn't want to choke on my own smoke, after all), then went back out to get more wood.

As I was looking for more wood, I heard a rustle in some tall grass. I could smell something, too, something that triggered a reflex I couldn't control or stop. At that sound and smell my human side left me, and I pounced without thought, feeling something soft and yielding drop under my paws. I bent my head forward and took the animal's neck into my mouth, and I snapped down. I heard a very brief little squeak as I broke its neck, and a shudder trembled under my paws, then...nothing. The creature was still. I looked to see what I had caught...a rabbit. I sat down and started washing myself, smoothing my paw fur with my tongue.

Then, with a despairing moan and shock-widened eyes, I came back to myself and realized what I had done. I had killed. Killed like a cat. This poor bunny, simply going about its business, made a little sound in the grass, and it triggered a primal feline instinct that came with this new body. I had acted without thought, and now I felt...dirty, sick, and defiled. I cradled the rabbit's still and lifeless form and sobbed over it. There may indeed come a time when I need to hunt and kill, but I wasn't ready for this, not yet, and I felt I had lost my innocence. Being transformed didn't seem so much fun as it had before.

I took my unfortunate victim with me into the rest stop, and I reverently laid the poor thing down on a counter in the back, where nothing would disturb it for a long, long time. I surrounded it with flowers I took from the gardens around the stop. That poor bunny would be on my mind for a very long time.

And yet, I knew, I had to go on. Just at that moment, however, I couldn't think why. I was able to draw some water and prepared my food, a pack of freezed dried camp food, but I didn't eat too much. I had lost most of my appetite. Also, I had lost most of my desire for sleep. As day drew to night, I just gazed into the fire. I didn't want to face that rabbit in my dreams, I feared seeing its reproachful eyes asking me, "Why?". The night crawled slowly on.

Even before daybreak, I was on my way again, the dark road lit by my headlights I had strapped onto the handlebars. I drove myself, hard, pedaling fast, trying, I suppose, to purge myself of my guilt through physical effort, and finally, through physical exhaustion. I achieved some good distance on the road that day, but I came to the point where I simply could go no further, and had to stop where I was. And where I was looked to be the middle of nowhere, as far as I was concerned. I guess I was in between turnpike stops, but there was nothing for it, I had to make my camp here.

With a bit of struggle, I got my tent set up, a firepit dug, and a pit off to the side for my other needs. I got a fire going and this time, I did eat my supper. I was ravenous. The skies were grey and ominous, and off in the distance I could see the flashes of lightning and hear the low rumbles of thunder. Terrific, I thought. I had never much liked thunderstorms, and from the feel of the wind, this one was coming at me. At least my tent was large enough to shelter myself, my wheels, and my supplies. I figured I'd run into bad weather sometime, so wanted a commodious tent, even though it would be difficult for one person to pitch. I prayed the thunder and lightning would stay away from me, put on a tape with soothing voices, and, cocooned snugly in my sleeping bag, fell asleep.

I woke to the sound of heavy rain drumming insistently against the tent. I peeked out and saw it was surely pouring down, and I quickly made a check to see if the tent was leaking anyplace. Luckily, it wasn't. No chance of a fire in that rain, and I didn't want to use the canned heat inside my tent because of fumes, so I just ate up the cold leftovers of my supper, and a few snacks I had with me. Not hot, but at least it was filling. Then I decided to take advantage of the downpour to get a wash. I stripped down and stepped outside with a bottle of pet shampoo (human shampoo might irritate my skin), I allowed the rain to drench me, and lathered up. That rain was cold, I don't mind telling you, and after a bit out in it, it was almost freezing, but I hadn't a decent wash since I left Youngstown, and I was too delicate to give myself a complete and thorough wash in the feline manner, with my tongue. I allowed the rain to rinse me off, and I went back dripping into the tent to dry off as best I could. I only wished I could make up some hot tea.

What's that? Oh, kittens, yes...it was lonely. I'd be bicycling along a stretch of road, then I'd get off and take a rest, sip some tea or water, and scan the horizon with my binoculars, trying to find any sign of others. And each time I saw nothing...no one. Once I saw from a distance a cloud of smoke rising high into the sky, and I became excited, thinking maybe I had at last found others. As I got closer, I saw that smoke was thick and dark, as if something big was burning. I checked my maps, gauged my distance, and determined that the old city of Pittsburgh was the source of all that smoke. I remembered that bad storm, and figured lightning must have hit someplace in the city, setting a fire which then spread. I suppose I could have gone down into the city to investigate, to be sure, but I had little interest in getting caught in a blazing city.

Breezeword at last! Halfway to Virginia! It also meant I was finished with mountains. It wasn't fun, trying to climb those hills, and the chances of boulders tumbling down made me very nervous, despite the restraining fences that ran along the roadside. And as far as camping...well, just try driving tent stakes through asphalt. I didn't bother making the attempt, I just unrolled my sleeping bag and slept out in the open. Building fires might have been a problem, too, if I hadn't the foresight to stock up on wood before the ascent. Despite all the many problems and work getting up there, once aloft, the views were terrific.

And coming down off the mountains of Pennsylvannia was great fun. No need to pedal, just squeeze the brakes every so often, and hope fervently that they don't give out. As I left the turnpike to enter the town, I paid at the turnpike gate what I thought I owed. It was quite silly, but then, what further need of money had I?

So, I was halfway to my goal...what to do now? Well, first thing was to find a place to lair out for a day or two, and I knew just the place. A certain small motel with a pool which afforded a good supply of water, if I boiled it. There's a restaurant just next to the lodgings, with a smokehouse and plenty of wood. So I could indeed build up a nice fire, heat some water for a hot bath, boil some to take with me, and give myself a little celebration. And there was something I wanted to try.

That little packet of dried green herbs tempted me at every camp-stop, but I had wanted to save it for a suitable event. And this was it. I opened the package of catnip and inhaled the aroma. There was something strongly compelling about it, and I licked a finger and dipped it into the crumpled leaves. I tasted it. Odd...I'd have thought I'd get some reaction...nice taste, though...maybe try some more? I took a sizable pinch of the herb and chewed it down. Still nothing...then suddenly I found myself squirming on my back, sliding myself across the rug, pulling myself along with my claws, which I had buried into the carpeting. A low, deep growl came from my throat, not at all human, as I squirmed and writhed without the least concern for personal dignity. Feeling the texture of the carpet rubbing against my fur and skin was so intense, and I purred my delight.

And then it ended. I came back to myself, clear-minded, with no lingering effects but a slightly embarrassed feeling that I had just made a fool of myself.

On my way again. Thats some climb from Pennsylvannia into Maryland, but that scenery...incredible! There's a deep valley off to the left, rich green farmland, a beautiful sight. If there are indeed others like me somewhere, this would be a perfect spot for them. I could see, far below, small tufts of white moving around, sheep in search of both grazing and their keepers. I wondered how the poor animals would manage, now there were, as far as I could see, no humans to take care of them. And there's that little church down there, too, now as lost and abandoned as the sheep. No more services, no more worshippers. If there's any others, others like me, anywhere, I wonder what sort of religion we'd create. I could only hope we'd be kinder in our practice of our faith than the humans had been in theirs.

Wheee! Its downhill from! I hope I've got good brakes! I camped out along the Potomac River for a couple of days. I kicked myself for not having brought along any fishing equipment, but I was tired enough of freeze-dried camp food to risk the attempt of catching some fish in this river. I could only hope all the pollution would have precipitated out by now. How long had it been since the Change? I had lost track of time.

I built up a large fire by the river-bank...plenty of driftwood laying around to use. Then I stripped off my clothes and waded into the water. Ah! Look over there...some fish! Now, lets see...And after a considerable amount of splashing around, thrashing in the water, and sometimes even falling flat on my face, I actually managed to snag a couple of nice fat fish with my claws. I still remembered that poor bunny I had inadvertently killed, but this catch was different. My sympathies don't extend to fish, and besides, it was their own fault for getting caught by someone as clumsy as I. I feasted well that night, drying myself out by the fire, and went to sleep purring in satisfaction.

And from this point, it really is downhill. It was a delight, being able to move so quickly with no effort, just gliding along, the wind ruffling through my fur. No more winding curves to eat up my time, the road now long and straight, and I knew it would continue so for miles. Once I got down from the hills, I'd have to work again on the pedals, but with a little effort, I should be able to make up some good time.

Whew! Finally, Virginia! West Virginia at least had the advantage of straight roads, something I never appreciated till now. As for the rest, though, West Virginia was quite boring. But then, I had never had much of a good opinion of the place, and that hadn't changed.

But now, I was in Virginia, home at last. I came from this land, it was everything to me, even before I ever knew my mate lived here. It felt so good to be back in the embrace of Mother Virginia. And yet I felt nervous and uncertain. I had come all this way, so far, mainly in the hopes of finding my online mate. But what if I couldn't find him? What if he went in search of me? After all, I didn't stay around in Cuyahoga Falls. Could I face this new existence with the certainty of absolute solitude, not even hope to sustain me? Well, I've come this far, might as well go all the way, wherever it may lead. And yet, I feared.

Well, here I am...now what do I do? I finally got into Dale City, the end of my journey. Now comes the hard part-looking for my mate. I had his address, of course, but there were no guarantees he'd be there. In fact, as I looked around, the place , it looked rather like a war zone. Many of the houses and buildings bore evidence of fire and scorchings, a strange circular pattern repeating, as if some ball of fire or superheated air had splashed against the structures. Certainly not as bad as, say, Lebanon or Bosnia, two of humanity's more pointless acts of violence against themselves, but certainly bad enough. And my nose told me the fires were recent, sometime after the Change. I became very worried for my mate. This city was his home.

I could feel it before I ever saw it coming...something was just not right, something threatening, something dangerous. I flattened myself against the ground as something roared and seared above me, its terrible heat scorching my fur. I rolled over and saw a gathered sphere of flame crash into a building.

Well, that's not in nature, I thought, and just my luck, too. I mean, I come all this way, looking, hoping to find my mate, to know he made it through whatever it was that happened, not seeing a sign or hint of anyone on my way, and now I'm here, some idiot out there's firing on me! I was afraid, but I was also quite annoyed.

"Hey! Whacha do that for?", I growled out.

A voice at some distance responded with the most basic of questions..."Who are you? What are you?"

"I'm Trel'la...an ocelot," I answered. I didn't stop to think about my answer, I just said, "I'm an ocelot" as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Oh god, I thought, if thats a human out there, I'm likely to end up kitty toast.

A suddenly hesitant and trembling voice called back. "T-Trel? Ohmigods, is it really you? Its me, Far!"

What? Far, my mate? Faranus? I stood up. If it was a trick, so be it, but I had to see. Trouble was, of course, my feline eyes aren't so very good at distance. But I saw a figure approaching me, and I felt no displaced air to warn me of another fireball. My ears told me he was running...oh, he stopped...my eyes were now able to focus clearly on a tall, muscular, slender form, with a ferret appearance. It was the fur color that convinced me...it was blue...at places an azure blue that matched the sky, elsewhere a deeper shade. There was only one person who answered that description, and that was my mate. Oh gods, had I really found him?

Yes, I had. Imagine, kittens, how I felt. Wandering for hundreds of miles, seeing not a hint of anyone else, not knowing there was anyone else, only to truly find my mate at the end of the journey. You've seen us together, and you know how much we love each other. What I felt then was like being taken into thick and dark woods, with only a stream to wide me. The stream sustains me and guides my out of the woods. So it is with our love...it sustains us and has always carried us beyond the thorns and brambles of life into the light.

We were in each other's arms in an instant, hugging tightly. Soon we were sobbing into each other's fur as well, all the strains for the last few weeks coming out in our tears. When we were able to stop crying, we broke apart to look closely at each other.

The first thing I noticed was his height. He was actually a little shorter than I was, not by much, but it was still a surprise. He was definitely a ferret, though...he torso was "stretched", elongated, and he was very slender. His arms and legs were shorter, too, and looked a little...well, alien, considering that I still had more human proportions in mind. His ears were small and rounded, almost hidden in the fur and hair of his head. And his fur...yes, his fur. It was all blue, with no other color. I could tell it was blue all over, because he wasn't wearing very much at all, just a pair of skimpy white shorts. I was wearing more than him! Around his eyes was a mask like decoration of darker blue, and the tip of his busy tail was so blue as to be almost black.

I could see, almost feel his eyes wandering over me, inspecting me, taking stock, comparing my reality to the image he had of me in his mind. I couldn't help wonder what he was thinking of, if he found me at all attractive...and there was that little detail, the truth about my gender, that was hidden from him by my clothes. I had no idea what he'd think of that, when it came time to tell him. Then his eyes caught sight of my transportation.

"Trel, you came all the way here on that?" The ferret indicated my bicycle. I nodded. "Gods, Love, you must be exhausted! Come on home with me..."

I explained that I took plenty of rests on my journey, but I certainly wasn't about to turn down my mate's hospitality, and so we went to his home.

It was a little ways out, into the suburbs, but I was certainly used to walking by now, and after all the distance I had covered, it didn't seem that far. There was a blue house, with the grass short, compared to the long and unkempt lawns of the neighboring houses. I noticed the driveway was empty, and I was about to inquire what sort of vehicle Far was using when he gently silenced me with a glance. I shrugged to myself...it wasn't terribly important, and I could always worm out an explanation later. He opened the front door and we stepped in. The house smelled...of ferret, but there was also some...other...scent that I couldn't place. The front hallway was decorated by a couple of artifacts that looked to be of Central or South American origin, and a professionally done picture of a ferretmorph, looking much like my mate.

Far took me into the living room and sat me down. He slipped into the kitchen and came out again with a couple glasses of iced tea and a bowl of sugar. We sipped, talked, and got caught up with each other. I told him about my trip and all that happened...the rabbit I killed, the lonliness...everything...and how, through it all, thinking of him kept me going. In turn, he explained to me how he had found he had certain, well, powers. He had wanted to come in search of me, to find out if I had changed as he had, but somehow, he found he just couldn't leave. He felt there was some...something...keeping him in one place. So he stayed, and trusted, hoped, that I, too, had made the Change and was on my way...somehow. Each day without me added to his worries and fears. But now, we were together.

That night, he cooked for me, using a large camp stove. I had promised many times to prepare a scrumptious Chinese meal for him, but I was too weary to lift a spatula. After so much freeze-dried camp food out of foil packets, it felt heavenly to eat fresh food, and Far was an excellent cook. He had raided the grocery stores in his area when he realized what had happened, and had rigged up a generator to at least keep the refrigerator and freezer going. That night he had been planning some chicken, and he cooked plenty for the both of us. It was incredible...almost too tender, and the juice just rolled down our muzzles, making our in between bite kisses very greasy. He also made some rice and veggies to go with the chicken. The rice was very good when dosed with a bit of soy sauce, but the veggies...I found I just couldn't eat them. I'm certain they were good, but to me they just didn't taste right. Far, however, didn't seem to have any trouble with them. After dinner, and a rest, Far stoked up the fireplace, building a large fire, and we slept by it, side by side, together at last. It had certainly been a long day for the both of us, and we were tired indeed.

We slept through the night, not waking until the next morning. Far had awakened a little before me, because when I opened my eyes, I saw him gazing at me. The question I was about to ask came out in a very feline "mrrr...", but my mate evidently guessed the meaning. "Just wanted to make sure you weren't a dream, Love...", he whispered softly. I smiled and gazed back at him, then stroked him, wanting to be sure that this wasn't a dream, myself. "Love, you want a shower? If you've come all this way from Ohio, you must be felling a little...", his voice broke off in embarrassment.

I laughed and completed his sentence for him. "A little funky, you mean?" He chuckled and nodded. "Well, I guess I *could* use one, the last time I was in some water was in the Potomac. But you mean you've got water pressure going here? Everyplace else there's just no water in the taps at all..."

"Well, there isn't here, either, but I've got something rigged up on the roof. We can share a good, hot shower together.", he explained.

I eeped. Share? Oh gods, this was it, I had to explain or refuse. "Ummm...Love? Are...are you sure? I mean, about sharing the shower? I..."

Far looked at me with great concern. He must have caught something in the tone of my voice. "Trel, what is it?"

"Far...gods, where do I start? Umm...you...you know that online, I was a hermaphrodite?...Well..." I just couldn't find the words anymore, so I just let my biking pants drop and show Far what I was trying to tell him. Luckily, my fear kept the male part of my hermaproditism in a quiescent state. Still, it was plain what I was. I sighed, not knowing what sort of reaction I'd get.

It wasn't the one I was dreading. Far laughed a little, then took me in his arms, even with my pants down around my ankles. "Trel, I accepted online that you were a herm, and I fell in love with you. How could that change now, if I've already accepted you? Lill kitty, I love you...don't worry about your extra parts. I'm sure we'll find a place for it somewhere. Now, how about that shower, Love?"

Well, what could I say? I let my actions take the place of words, and I stripped down completely, right there in front of him. Nothing artful, nothing teasing, although he did squirm a little when he saw what I was doing. I fumbled with the clasp of my bra...still wasn't used to the ruddy things, and I had only worn it for the bicycling. I gave up with a growl of disgust and just shredded the thing with a swipe of my claws. Far gulped slightly when he saw this display of temper, and demonstration of my claws' sharpness.

We went up to his bathroom, and he was right, he did have a system devised. He had a couple 50 gallon drums up on his roof, set up with a firebox under them. Somehow he had rigged it up so he could heat the water without burning down the house. I don't know how he did it, but it did work. We couldn't have the water running continuously, but we did enjoy a hot shower, and we also ended up exploring each others desires and needs. In fact, we spent all that day in delightful and joyous exploration, melting into each other's arms. But you're just a little too young yet to hear about that. I also made that Chinese dinner I had promised Far so many times, and we feasted that night on lo mein, pork dumplings, Orange Chicken, and many other good things.

And so Far and I set up housekeeping together. It was hard, in the beginning, with just the two of us. Our love was, and is, very great, but it couldn't feed us, clothe us, or shelter us. Far's generator we used exclusively for the refrigerator and freezer, so I had to learn how to cook using camp stoves and fireplaces. We both also learned how to keep chickens, and how to hunt. It was hard, at first, hunting, learning to kill...in fact, we focused more on our stalking techniques than the killing at first. As long as the freezer was well stocked with meat, there was no real need to kill, and to do so before a need existed would just be wasting effort, energy, and lives needlessly. But we both recognized that there would indeed come a time when we would have to kill, and we might not have any weapons, no guns, no bows, no tools but those which the Change gave us, to acquire our food.

I made raids into various craft shops to obtain candle-making supplies, and I spent my time making candles to provide us with light. Today, of course, we no longer need candles, but we still teach the skill to you, that you may know it in times of need. We have restored some of the old technology, and created new ones, but we elders are not so secure as to put our entire trust in such things anymore.

Other times I practiced with a bow, something I had been only competent with before, but with practice came improvement. I made my own arrows, out of supplies from hardware stores, bones I ground down into arrowheads, waxed string, and thick, sticky glue. The resulting arrows weren't elegant or pretty to look at, but they would do the job. We also both decided we had better learn how to shoot. It was my choice to use the older fashioned firearms, flintlocks and percussions, because the parts were a lot easier to understand than more modern weapons. The more parts something had, the more likely it was to break down. Neither of us really liked the thought of using guns, but if we had changed into what we had, what other, more frightening changes might there be out there?

One thing Far had to practice alone was his magicks. I could sit and watch, and applaud his attempts, but his was a skill I couldn't understand. He was able to...do things I couldn't. When he was asleep, I'd sneak up and out of our bed and go out into the night and try to do some magick of my own, but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't do it-it just wasn't in me. Sometimes Far would feel my absence from our bed and come out into the night for me...I couldn't tell him what I was trying to do, and I puzzled him greatly and often by sobbing in his arms for no reason that he could see. I was able to take some consolation, however, in the fact that my skill at bow and rifle was somewhat greater than his.

We talked late into the night, lit by the candles I made, about what had happened. Neither of us really understood what, or why, all this had happened, or whether there was anyone else. But we came to believe, since we had found each other, that there had to be others somewhere out there...somewhere. We just didn't know where. And we were too busy trying to learn how to live in our new world that there simply wasn't time to go in search of anyone else. It was summer now, true, but what do we do when the seasons change, and we're caught in bad weather without shelter? Next year, perhaps, we might venture out and explore, but at this time, there was just too much to do here and now.

And the more I thought about it, the more I was certain we couldn't stay here in Dale City forever. What we needed was a place that already had the facilities for a more...well...primitive, simpler, way of life, while still providing some degree of comfort. I thought I knew of a place that held just such possibilities.

"Love, there's something I've been thinking about. I think we should move to Williamsburg."

"Williamsburg? Why there?", he asked.

I ticked off my reasons, one by one. First off, well, there was just the two of us, and neither of us had the knowledge or the ability to keep Dale City sustained for very long. It would begin to decay very soon, perhaps this very winter. Also, we had suddenly been plunged into a low grade technology. Williamsburg's exhibit buildings may have been air conditioned and heated, but they still had working fireplaces in every room, and kitchen building outside the main one, with large fireplaces for cooking. Having the kitchens outside the residences might be a little inconvenient, but it would certainly reduce the risk of fire. Williamsburg was all set up for low level technology. And there was a working windmill present, mainly for the grinding of grains, but perhaps we could convert it to generate some power, although I didn't have a clue how to go about that. There was all that, plus the simple fact that I had always wanted to live in the Governor's Palace.

"Hmmm...I see your points, Trel", Far conceded, "But...well, I don't know...I...you remember when I told you I had the feeling I should stay here, to wait for you? Well, I still have that feeling. Its not as strong, but...I just don't feel comfortable going off someplace else right now."

Well, it was still summer. But I explained I wished to be in Williamsburg by autumn, to give us enough time to get settled in for the winter. I was worried that, with just the two of us, it would be a hard one, and I wanted to be as prepared as I possibly could for it. That meant a lot of work here, drying meats for jerky, gathering up supplies, getting everything all ready for the trials ahead.

And then came the time we learned we weren't alone. I had made a kill, a stray cow. I still didn't feel very happy about killing, but I recognized the necessity of it, since both Far and I required a deal of meat to keep us going. Cattle are too large for an ocelot to bring down by hirself, but I did have my Enfield with me. Far and I spent the morning skinning the cow and slicing up the meat, and by the time it got to be the afternoon, I was hanging the meat up in strips on the drying racks. I suppose I could have salted down the beef, or smoked it, but at that time, I hadn't the slightest idea how to do that properly.

I had just dipped my arms into a large kettle of water I kept by me, to rinse off some of the blood from my fur, when I noticed a plant, a weed, I thought, off to the side. For some reason, I went over to it. I knew some plants slightly, from my pre-Change interest in old medicine, but this one I didn't know.

"Yes...you do know it..." I looked around. Who had said that? No one...Far was in the house, cleaning his own fur up after the morning's work, and going over some of his notes regarding magic. The only one outside was me. So where had that voice come from?

"Oh no..." I thought, "I'm losing it...when you start hearing voices, thats a sign of trouble!" But that same voice came back..."You do know what that plant is, and how to use it..." And suddenly, I did know! I knew how to dry it, how to make a tea from the flowers, a poultice from the green leafs, and I knew that the roots had an excellent astringent quality, but should in no way be taken internally. I knew when and for what to use this plant.

I didn't understand it, but it was as if there was a teacher living inside me, instructing me about the plant and all I could do with it, and the lesson taking instantly with me, and firmly remembered. My amazement explains why I didn't hear the loud and rare sound of an internal combustion engine in operation. I knew nothing about it until my Mate came out with another fur, a lean wolf, and announced, "Trel! Timm's here!"

Well, ram me into a mortarpiece! (sorry, very old saying...) The sudden and unexpected arrival of another fur on top of that strange voice quite undid me. My legs gave out from under me and I fell slap onto my fanny.

Far and the wolf both rushed toward me and helped me up. Far looked me over in concern while the wolf nervously asked, "Trel, are you all right?". I nodded, just somewhat shaken by the strange voices in my head, and the arrival of a new fur. New, yet well known to both my mate and I, for we both knew Timm from the MUCK. They both helped me into the house, and a glass of tea set me to right. After a quick wash, I joined the two males. I had a lot of questions.

As I came into the room, I heard Timm mention his mate, Georgie. "Pardon me, Timm, did Georgie...change? Like we did?"

That was a mistake. Timm related the virtues and the beauty of his mate with all the words at his command, and a small cub of hirs, Vail. I knew Georgie, as a human, had a baby, but I had no idea that an infant would be changed. So, we had our new generation already! And he talked about the other furs he had encountered on the way, some of which I didn't know. The fact that there were others gave me hope for the future.

"You live...where, out in California? How'd you get here?" Timm explained about his motorcycle. That took me by surprise, since I didn't hear him drive in, and said so. Far looked at me with some worry. After all, my hearing was quite excellent normally, so why didn't I hear the motorbike. I could tell those were his thoughts. I'd have to explain about the voices to him later. I certainly wanted him to know, in case there was indeed something wrong with me, somewhere inside my mind.

"What takes me by surprise, Trel", Timm stated, "was that you came all the way from Ohio to here on a bicycle! Must have been work, all that pedaling..." I shrugged. "I've been used to getting around with my feet, Timm...nothing new about riding around on a bicycle...and besides, I've always wanted to come back home by bicycle...or by train. And since trains are out..."

Then something occurred to me. "Love, is this the reason why you wanted us to wait on our Williamsburg relocation?"

Far thought for a minute or two, evidently looking into himself, seeking the answer. "You know, Love, I think it is. I don't feel...well, the connection here anymore, the urge to stay. Guess that means we're free to go."

Timm glanced at us both. "What's this about Williamsburg?", he asked.

Far explained, "Trel thinks we should move to Williamsburg...shi figures it might be a better place to make it through the winter than here."

"Not just the winter, Timm...you've found other furs...the town might just be a good place to start up our own civilization, build our own community", I stated. I then proceeded to detail my other reasons for the move.

"Say, Trel, you want that I should take a swing by Williamsburg, check it out?", Timm offered.

"Yes, alright, sounds good", I replied. "Let's see...take a quick look at the modern houses first, if you can...just look them over, see if they're fairly intact...we might be able to salvage contruction materials, electronics, that sort of stuff. Oh, and check the College, too...if there's any furs in town, they're likely to be at the college. But go over very carefully the historical town, make sure the houses are habitable, go through the Governor's Palace...oh, and the Pasteur-Galt Apothecary. Watch yourself on the Duke of Gloucester, though, it's a brick street, meant for horse and foot traffic, and its pretty rough in places. After all, Georgie will want you back, won't shi?"

Timm smiled as I mentioned Georgie, then excused himself briefly and went to his wheels. He came back in with a small case. He opened it up, and I saw it was a laptop computer. Humans did some incredible wonders with miniaturization in Pre-Change, which is why we still use some of their technology, as well as our own.

He clicked on a few buttons on the keyboard, fussed with the trackball, then turned the computer to us. It showed a map of the highway system in our area.

"What's the best way to get to Williamsburg, Trel?", Timm inquired. Far and I both studied the map and suggested a route that seemed to be best, and shortest. But then, maps don't tell everything, as Burgoyne discovered back in 1777. Hmmm? What's that? Oh, Burgoyne? Silly me, that's ancient history now, isn't it? I'll explain sometime. Anyway, I pointed out to Timm that there's a lot of streams and rivers he'd be going over, and I didn't know what shape the bridges would be in, so he should be prepared to take alternate routes if required.

Then the wolf took the computer back, clicked a few more buttons, and a map of Williamsburg showed. I pointed out Richmond Road as being the best for him to take into the city...after all, it went past the College of William and Mary just before it got to Colonial Williamsburg. Then I pointed out the various places in the colonial town I wanted him to check out. I showed him where the Governor's Palace was, the Apothecary, the windmill, the carpentry shop, the printer's shop, the Capitol (we'd need a place from which to govern ourselves, after all), and the Magazine, where the colony's weapons were stored.

"You know, we should have a place were we can give ourselves the Plaza, like on Tapestries", Timm observed. "Maybe we can get that amusement park going again!"

"You mean Busch Gardens? Well, maybe, but I was thinking for now, we can use Market Green for the Plaza...getting Busch Gardens working again sounds like it might be a lot of work in itself", I mentioned.

"Love? What do we do when...if...we get too many furs living in Williamsburg? We're not going to be able to support too many, you know, not for a while..." Far asked.

"Well, you know, I've been thinking about that. If we ever approach that point...I mean, how many of us are there, anyway, and how many of us can the land support? But...if we do approach that point, I think we should spread out...branch off. We use Williamsburg as a central point, and the...well, I guess we could call them outer communities, or maybe colonies, spreading out maybe about 5 or so miles away from us...sort of like a wheel, with Williamsburg as the hub, the outer settlements the wheel itself, and the spokes being trade connections, family ties, and so on."

Both Timm and Far looked quite impressed. "Trel, you've been giving this a lot of thought!", Timm exclaimed.

"Well, like I said, we might not have to worry about this problem. You've found Georgie, Timm, and others, but who knows how many others of us are out there. Then again, who knows what else is out there. We've got ourselves a whole new world here...I can only hope we're worthy of it."

And so, children, the next day Timm left to scope out our planned new home. Which left Far and I biting our claws. We sent him off with plenty of supplies to see him though any difficulties he might meet on the road. We were both pretty tense, and we had to keep ourselves busy, to occupy ourselves, while we waited.

Far knew much more than I ever did about electronics, computers, and such things, and he scavenged through various houses and shops for such stuff as he thought we might be able to make use of, if not now, then later. I, in the meantime, went around other homes and shops, looking for good I knew something about. I gathered up cooking utensils, pots, pans, and woks that could hold up to open fires. I also found some bows at a sporting supply store, and a large amount of arrows, all of which I claimed. I'd been practicing, you see, and while I had always been fairly competent with the bow, I'd improved sharply. I felt know I could obtain food with it, or defend myself and Far with it, if it came to that. Also, arrows are reusable, which is why most of us now prefer the bow for hunting.

I also found some slag glass at one of the industrial sites. Large chunks of glass, in various colors. Far was very puzzled when I lugged the things home. "Love, what's all this stuff in aid of", he asked.

And so I showed him. I slipped on some heavy work gloves to protect my paws, and I went to work, knocking chips off the glass with a fist-sized stone, keeping the larger chips, which were very sharp, sharper than any steel blade. When I was done, I had a credible hand axe in my paw, something that could be used for digging up roots, for skinning, for working wood...for any number of needs.

"Love...I didn't know you could do that!", he exclaimed.

"Something I learned about when...well, when I was a teenager...(yes, kittens, as long ago as that!). I also learned to use gloves, not only because the small slivers got stuck in my hand, but I had bashed my fingernail once...very hard." I cringed at the memory. The doctor my family...my human family, I mean, was seeing at the time relieved the pressure behind the fingernail by heating up a paperclip and used it to pierce a couple of holes in the nail.

And so we passed the day, waiting for Timm to return. He said he'd be able to make the round in a day. I had my doubts, but...then we heard a sound we hadn't heard for a long time, that of a horn beeping. Timm had come back from Williamsburg. Far and I both dashed out of the house to greet Timm, wrapping our arms around him, purring and chirring.

"Good news, kids! Tell you all in the house...", Timm announced.

We went inside and got comfortable. I give Timm some iced tea to help him in his tale, and he related his discoveries to us.

"Well, first of all, there were a couple of bridges out...must have been some heavy rains in the area sometime, but I found an alternate route...I'll print it out for you later. Other than that, I got into town okay. Looked like the shops and houses were pretty much intact, at least from the outside. Trel, you never told me Williamsburg had so many outlet malls!", Timm said, while Far laughed. I threw a pillow at him, and Timm continued.

"I checked out the colonial part as well as I could. There's some beautiful buildings down there, and they all look pretty solid. That Governor's...umm...palace...thats intact, inside and out. They've got some strange decorations in there, though."

I looked puzzled for a minute, then, "Oh, you mean the muskets." Timm nodded and went on. "Shops and houses are all okay...I went into as many of them as I could, in addition to those places you told me to look over. That doctor's shop though...the stuff in there looked scary..."

Far couldn't resist the temptation to shiver in dramatic fear, then giggled helplessly. I growled low in my throat and pounced him, tickling him fiercely. Timm didn't help the situation any...he busied himself with throwing volleys of pillows at us. I suppose it was all that nervous tension coming out in any way it could.

After we recovered our senses, Timm had something else to tell us about Williamsburg. "I passed that college on the way in, and I looked it over. I couldn't see anyone, but...well, it just...felt...like there was something there. I could feel some sort of a presence. Don't know what it was, or where it was...it was just...all over."

Well, that certainly got our attention. "Did it seem threatening, Timm?", Far asked. Timm shook his head..."No, not threatening...not anything, really...it was just...there. Can't explain it other than that. Sorry."

I didn't know what to make of that news, but if it proved a problem, Far and I would deal with it in its own time. No point in worrying about it until then.

Timm told us what else he had seen and observed in Williamsburg, and it sounded like the town was there just waiting for us to move in. Then he made an announcement that dismayed us both. "Now that I've found you two, and know you're safe, and that Williamsburg is...well, probably safe, anyway, its time I should be heading back home. I can hole up here for a day or two, if you don't mind, that is, then I'll head back for Georgie."

We sighed, but nodded our heads. We understood the pull of a mate. I whispered something to Far, and he nodded.

"Timm, bring Georgie here. And Vail, of course. Bring this Stormy, too, even though we don't know her. Let's all of us make a home in Williamsburg.", I offered.

"Thanks, Trel...maybe we'll do that! But it won't be till after winter. I don't want to risk Georgie, and especially not Vail, traveling in the winter...who knows what the roads will be like, up north there...", Timm said.

"Well, at least we can make sure you're properly fed for your homebound journey", Far stated.

I added, "And we can make sure you've got plenty of food to take with you, too...after all, you won't be finding too many rest stops with restaurants open on your way home."

"That's right, Timm", Far said. "Trel's got a lot of dried meat and fruits stored up for us...we can load your saddlebags, or whatever they're called, with some. We've got a goodly stash of freezed-dried camp food, too...you wouldn't want to live on the stuff, but they're really not bad tasting, and easy enough to make. Oh yes, we'll have to make sure you've got enough water, too..."

So, for the next couple of days, we feasted Timm...we fed him so much he could barely move. I found out that wolf table manners aren't up to feline standards, but he had helped us out in scouting Williamsburg, and most important, he was a friend. He was facing a long journey, and while he promised to come back when he could, who could say if we'd ever see him again?

And so, Timm set off for his journey, while ours was just beginning. After Timm left, Far and I found ourselves a large recreational vehicle, and a trailer to go with it. We packed into the trailer all the supplies we had scrounged. Into the rv itself we placed some of my Mate's personal items, treasures of his memory he simply couldn't bear to leave behind, along with the items Timm had brought for me from my old place in Cuyahoga Falls. We lashed my trusty bicycle in the top, after all, it had gotten me all the way from Ohio to Virginia, and I couldn't bring myself to abandon it. 

Williamsburg. Now we were home. It was a long drive, since we went a little slower than we could have...we didn't know what shape the roads were in, in spite of Timm's report. I even spelled Far at the wheel and drove a bit myself, on those stretches that were long and straight. But it certainly took less time than it would have bicycling, thats for sure. Once we got onto Route 60, I found myself in familiar surroundings, and going past Lightfoot, I knew it wouldn't be long.

And then...Williamsburg. We drove up to the Colonial Williamsburg Visitor's Center and parked there. Somehow, it seemed right. The building was locked, of course, but we managed to break our way in. Without electricity, we didn't even have to worry about alarms going off anymore. I'm afraid I headed straight to the bookstore and started plundering, leaving my Mate to do the more important work of looking for the keys to the various exhibition buildings. But sometimes, you know, a feline just has to give in to hir instincts. After I was finished in the bookstore, and Far had rounded up likely looking keys, I dragged him from office to office in the center.

"Wha...Love, what are you looking for?", he stammered. I barely heard him, for I was muttering curses and words like, "C'mon, its gotta be around here somewhere...just *gotta* be!" And then I opened up one door and squealed my delight. To my Mate's confusion, I pushed him away so he couldn't see inside.

"Trel? What's going on? What's in there?", he asked, confused by my actions. I shushed him with a kiss, and told him to go visit the bookstore. There was something I had to do in that room, and I might take a little while. He shrugged and left for the books.

I don't know how long I took, but when I emerged from the room, I found my ferret snug and cozy in a chair, with a pile of books by his side. He must have heard the rustle, for he looked up...and his jaw dropped .

I posed for him and spun around, showing off my finds. You see, the room I was looking for, and had finally found, was the costume storage room, and I was in in paradise, going through all those wonderful, exquisite clothes, looking for some that would fit...trying one a long skirt here, a bodice there, choosing and discarding colors, until I was dressed in attire proper for a pleasant little stroll in the town. I also set aside some men's clothes for Far to try...later...but with his proportions rather more ferret like, he'd be harder to fit.

I blush to confess it, but I also showed Far what I was wearing under my skirts...which wasn't very much. Not much at all. I must admit, I was stimulated and excited after finding the costume room, and we did something, right there in the Visitor's Center, that wasn't normally done in busy and crowded rooms.

Once we had relaxed, and I had calmed down a little, and we had both cleaned up, we took the path down from the Visitor's Center into Colonial Williamsburg. I was home at last. I wasn't born here, of course, but I had so long dreamed of living here. We came out onto the Duke of Gloucester street, Williamsburg's main road, and I pointed out various buildings to Far, explaining what was done in each...or at least, the ones I knew about. I had to giggle, thinking about the sight we must have presented. A blue ferret walking around in ordinary 20th century street clothes, arm in arm with an ocelot dressed exquisitely in the finest 18th century fashions shi could lay hir paws on. Such a picture as we must have made would certainly have gotten onto the front page of the Virginia Gazette, if there were anyone still around to publish the newspaper.

There was Bruton Parish Church...and just up from there was Palace Green. Far and I took the road up.

"Whoa! What's that building, Love?", he asked, impressed by the sight.

"That, my Mate, is the Governor's Palace...you see why I talked about moving into it?", I responded. "And the inside is even better!"

The gate to the Palace was open, but the doors were locked. Far fumbled around with the keys, trying to find the one that would, hopefully, open the Palace. A couple of cats came out of the shrubs decorating the residence, one of them a black and white short hair, the other a rather tangled looking all white long hair. They hopped up onto the steps and both gazed up at me. The black and white one stood up on its back legs to get a better look at me. We opened the doors of the Palace and stepped in. So did the cats. We looked around in wonder and delight at the exquisite furnishings of the residence. We took a tour of the house, accompanied by the two cats.

Far gazed up at the ceiling, puzzled. "Say, Love, you know more about this than I do...why are the ceilings so high?" As indeed they were, much more so than in the homes we spent our human lives.

"Air conditioning", I replied. He looked at me, confused. "Well", I went on, "with Virginia summers what they are, and heat rises, having a high ceiling allows all that hot air someplace to go, leaving the cooler air down here. Must be a pain to heat in the colder winters, though."

As I spoke, the black and white cat stood again, and deliberately reached out with a front paw to tap my leg. "Looks like someone's trying to get your attention, Love," Far giggled. I knelt down, then lay myself flat on the floor, on face level with the cat. Both felines sniffed at me, nose to nose. I sniffed back. I guess they were both satisfied, for they pressed their muzzles and foreheads against mine, and we exchanged scents.

Far knelt down too, and the cats investigated him as they did me, but more cautiously...sniffing, stepping back, then sniffing again. Content, they nuzzled him as well.

"Guess we've been accepted, Love," Far observed as he reached out for my paw. "I wonder what they're called..."

I reached out, and the cats permitted me to pet them. I found no collar on either of them, no hint of previous owners or names. So it was up to us, or rather to me, to dub them. "Let's see...you (I pointed to the black and white cat) will be Panda...and you (the white longhair) shall be Avalanche."

Far gave me a funny look. "Panda I can understand, Love, but...umm...Avalanche?"

I assumed an expression of pure innocence as I explained, "Avalanche is better than no lanche at all, Love..."

He smacked his lips, as if at an unpleasant taste. "Trel, if there was something big and soft in here, I'd bop you with it!" I giggled, and the cats purred approval of their names. Panda and Avalanche it was.

We spent the night in the Palace. We found the beds very comfortable, and we made sure to muss up the blankets a quite a lot before we drifted off to sleep. The trouble was, the cats wanted to play, too. It was strange, sleeping..and stuff...in the Governor's Palace, but it was now our home, and we could do within its confines what we wanted. And why not play while we could? Tomorrow promised to be a busy day.

It was, too! The cats woke us up, demanding breakfast. After they were fed, Far and I ate a little bit, then it was time for work. First we got the rv down from the visitors' center parking lot and found a service entrance to the Palace grounds. We unloaded the stuff we had brought with us, I placing the bicycle in the carriage house. Seemed right, that.

We also needed a place to store our food, to keep it and preserve it. The cellars of the Palace are very large, and we figured we could keep both a freezer and a large refridgerator down there. There was that ice house in the back we could have used, but there wasn't any ice to be found anywhere at that time of year, and even if there was a good source of ice someplace, just two furs would have more than their paws full trying to transport all of it.

Hmm? What's an ice house? Oh, its a place where ice could be stored and kept through the warm months, mainly in order to keep food. And do you know where it is? No? Why, its that great big and deep hole inside that hill behind the maze, where you play so often! We added the steps, to make it nice and safe...it used to be just a deep, dark pit!

We found a place in town to get the freezer and fridge, but we also needed a new and larger generator to power them. We also needed to figure out some way to allow the exhaust to escape from it...rig up some sort of piping from the basement to the outside. I didn't much care for using a gasoline powered machine, but there wasn't too much choice. My nutritional needs were simple enough, mainly meat and fish, but Far also needed vegetables and fruits. And even in the case of meat, I prefered to cook it, and I needed somewhere to store all the sauces for it.

The kitchen itself was roomy enough, with an immense fireplace, and all the pots and pans I could possibly use. No woks, though. They didn't have them in 18th century Virginia. The woks I could, and did, find someplace else, but there was another problem with the kitchen. It wasn't inside the Palace. You see, way back then, they reduced the chance of fire by building kitchens outside of the houses for which they were meant. While it kept the house safe from fire, it also meant that the food had to be carried from the Palace to the kitchen to be cooked, and back to the Palace again for eating. Thats why Far and I took to eating in the kitchen. Also, with a fireplace that large, if we had a really hard winter, we could leave the Palace and move into the kitchen. There was less room, to be sure, but it would be easier to keep warm.

Settled fully into our new home, it was time to set to work. We knew Timm, Georgie, Stormey, and little Vail were in their own home, but that was thousands of miles away to the west, and we couldn't call on them for help if we got in trouble. We had to rely on ourselves, and what we could scavage, for our survival. It was much too late to plant any crops, but the stores still had canned vegetables and fruit that Far could eat. As for me...well, my problem was that I needed mostly animal proteins to keep me going, and all the meats and fish in the groceries were long since spoiled. In fact, it was so bad that neither Far nor I could stand to be in the stores for very long. Luckily, the smoke-houses of Williamsburg were fully stocked, so I had plenty of ham, and I did a lot of fishing in the nearby lakes and rivers. I learned how to salt-dry fish, to keep them in case our freezer failed, but we also took the chance of stocking the freezer.

And we had to hunt. There was no help for it. Far, as a ferret, didn't need quite the same amount of meat I did, but he still came from predator stock, and fresh meat was a requirement to our survival. You can manage only so long on jerky and smoked meat. So we set out together about once a week to see what we could find. We took rabbit and deer, mostly, being very careful to take only enough to match our needs. Wild game was beginning to filter back into the region once they figured there were no more humans, and we didn't want to chase them away with over-hunting.

There was also the matter of generating power. Neither of us were very happy about using gasoline...for one thing, we had to pump it out manually, with no electricity running. That was bad enough...that, and getting the nasty smelling stuff on our fur from time to time. But we also didn't want to fall into the trap of constant use, filling the air with exhaust fumes. So, another part of our survival strategy was coming up with some other means of producing power. That was Far's department...he could understand all the technical schematics, all the wires and cross circuits better than ever I could.

So what was my area? Well, a big concern of mine had been in the matter of health. After all, with just two of us, and altered from our old human form as we had been, the medicines we could find in drug stores could well be fatal. And there was the matter of injuries to worry about, too. So, I had to rely on that mysterious inner voice, instructing me on the virtues of various plants, minerals, and clays, and how to compound suitable medicines from them. I could Far about the voice, and while it startled him, he didn't seem very concerned. After all, it was giving us helpful advice, or so we could only hope. Looking through some of the books on herbalism I had found, in regards to the plants, at least, it didn't seem the voice was guiding us wrong...there were no poisonous materials in the collection I was building.

So, while Far spent time at the College of William and Mary, gathering information to build a solar power generator and some windmill type generators, I was at the Pasteur-Galt Apothecary, busy taking stock and cataloging the various materials in the shop, and examining the medical implements for possible use. Some of them looked quite unpleasant, but I knew what each one was, and generally how to use it. I didn't need the voice to guide me, either...I had developed an odd interest in 18th century medicine in my time as a human, and had learned the tools of the trade.

Sometimes our work took us into the evenings, although we met to eat our meals together. Night was coming earlier now, and winter was slowly beginning to approach. It was during one such evening that Far burst into the Apothecary with startling news.

I was busy with an inventory of some medicinal plants, and taking notes from what the Voice told me. I was just thinking about bringing the work to an end for the day, since it was getting dark, when Far came dashing in, panting hard and eyes wide.

"Love? What's wrong?, I asked. He looked like he had seen a ghost, which, considering the history in the city, was a possibility.

"Trel, you've got to come with me (pant) to the College (pant)...I...there's something there, I'm (pant) sure of it..."

So I closed up the Apothecary and went with my mate to the College. On the way, he explained that he was poking about one of the science labs, looking for some material for a solar collector when he suddenly sensed a presense, one he never felt before. Needless to say, he was excited, and tried to find where the source of the presense was, but he couldn't locate it, so he went for me.

I had been in the College several times myself during the day, going through the medical areas, looking for surgical equipment that I could actually use (and fervently hoped I would never need to), equipment to use for any distillation porcesses I might need, and sterilizers...particularly sterilizers, since I knew there wouldn't be any at the Apothecary. But in all that time, I never sensed anything, not even a bug.

Far took me into a chamber that was cluttered with equipment, books, plans, and notes. "This is where I was when I felt it, Love..." he explained. I could see him concentrate slightly, and he nodded. "Yes, its still here", he affirmed.

So I tried to feel what he felt, tried to sense...whatever it was he did. I had no success. "I don't feel a thing, Love", I shrugged.

"But, Trel, its there, I sure of it!", he insisted.

"I don't doubt you, Love, but I can't feel it...guess I'm not magical enough", I stated. I tried again and...what was that?

"You feel it, Love?" he asked. I hushed him brusquely and concentrated, bending my head and swiveling my ears. For while I still couldn't sense anything, there was...something I was hearing, or at least I thought I was, at the very top register, almost out of the range I could hear...and as a feline, there wasn't much I missed. I coughed in surprise deep in my throat as I heard it again

"Did you hear it, Love?" I asked Far. He shook his head.

"What was is, Trel?" he asked. I stumbled over the words, trying to explain just what I heard. "I...I don't really know how to put it...just a...sound...like...well, you know those old war movies that have a submarine in them...the sound the sonar makes? Something like that...hey! There it is again!"

We never did find out what was causing the sounds, or Far's feeling of being watched. All we knew was that something was watching us, intent unknown. From time to time we heard and felt its mysterious presence...always at night, never in daylight. It generally happened around the College, but we noticed it elsewhere, as well. One night we were at the Williamsburg hospital, seeking supplies and knowledge, when we felt it. It seemed we were being followed on occasion. And soon, other strange things began to happen.

Nights were getting longer, and fresh meat somewhat harder to find. There was still the cattle and sheep of the surrounding farms, but they were beginning to wander from their homes. Various wild animals had begun to move back into the area, but they were still few in number. So, it was quite a surprise, one evening, when Far stepped outside for a minute, and came back in with the words, "Love, did you order a rabbit?"

"What?", I asked. What did he mean, order a rabbit? He came into the room, with a rabbit in his paws. "Where'd you get that, Love?"

"Found it on the steps, just outside the door. Seems fresh...looks pretty healthy, too. Can't imagine why it came to the steps just to die there...", he puzzled. My mate place the rabbit on a table and we bent to examine it. As he said, it was fresh...the body hadn't even stiffened yet, limbs still pliable. No evidence of wounds or injuries, no hint of illness. We couldn't figure out what killed it, if anything. Maybe it just did come up to our steps to die there

Well, no point in looking a gift rabbit in the mouth. We took the rabbit out to the kitchen and set to work. I got the cooking equipment out as Far skinned the creature. Then we both set to the dismembering, and there we noticed something most peculiar. Despite the knive slicing in and out, there was no flow of blood. It was as though the rabbit had been drained. This fact, while certainly most curious, didn't stop us from making Rabbit Stir-Fry in Oyster Sauce. It was good, too.

Every now and then, another rabbit appeared on the steps, in the same condition as the first, in other words, perfectly healthy (except for being dead) and emptied of its blood. Some one, or something, was evidently leaving them for us. Was it the same source as the feelings of being watched? Whatever it was didn't seem hostile, if it was leaving food for us, but it never revealed itself to us. I started leaving notes in the various places we felt its presence, or heard it...one time, we pinned a note to the door of our home, but it rained that day and just left a smudge of runny ink on sodden paper. And then, something happened...

Far and I were relaxing at home in the Palace one snowy evening, playing a game of Go, with some music of Altenburg playing softly in the background. We, or rather Far, had rigged up a system to supply us with most of the electrical power we needed, so long as we didn't make too many demands on it. Most of our heat came from well-stocked fireplaces, and our lighting from many candles, oil lamps, and battery powered camping lamps. But we had hot water whenever we wanted it, and a working freezer. So we had almost all the comforts of the homes we were used to. Of course, we couldn't go visiting our friends...after all, Georgie and Timm were hundreds of miles away, and if we were to go out to eat sometime, one or the other of us would have to bring the food and cook it. Still, we tried to maintain a decent upkeep on all the historical buildings in town...we felt as if we should be caretakers for the town.

We retired for the night, and slept well until the early morning light entered the windows, waking us both. We stirred, arose and stretched, and I went to the window to look out at the cold, clear morning, Far joining and nuzzling me. Then we saw something, something unusual, at the front of the Palace. It looked...furry. We almost fell down the stairs in our frantic efforts to reach the front door.

We flung it open. Far was just behind me, readying some magick in case the whateveritwas should prove a threat. What we saw was certainly unusual, but hardly a threat. There was a small mouse-morph, about the size of a small human child, gazing up at us with fear-widened eyes, visibly trembling. I suppose having a big cat and a ferret open a door *would* set a mouse to trembling. A little beyond it was the form we saw from the window, a slender and delicate bat-morph, laying spawled just in front of the steps. The bat wasn't moving, and we could both see and smell the blood oozing from several wounds.

I bent down to examine the visitors, which sent the mouse into a new fit of mortal panic...it kept squeeking, "Please don't hurt me...please don't hurt me...please don't hurt me", repeated over and over as if a prayer or a mantra.

I murmered as gently as I could, "We're not going to hurt uou, Mousie...just let me exa...", which is as far as I got before the mouse, with a terrible moan, fainted away. I moved the strange bat creature just enough to carefully remove the mouse from under her...that it was a female bat there was no doubt...there wasn't much concealing the fact.

I did a quick check over the mouse, but found no injuries. No physical ones, anyway. Evidently, though, the poor thing had been through *some* sort of experience...it was still trembling, unconscience though it was.

"Love, take mousie here up to bed. Make sure its nice and warm...maybe you'd better strap it down, too...looks like the thing would have gone scampering away from us if it could, and I don't want it to run away until we can get some answers from it", I instructed.

"Should I leave some soup for it?", Far asked. We always kept a kettle of broth going through the night, just in case we ever *did* have any surprise visitors, and it did make a tasty breakfast. And having something hot close by might help to reassure the timid creature somewhat. I nodded, and Far scooped the mouse in his arms and went back inside.

With Far putting the mouse to bed, I approached the bat. It was about the same height as the mouse, but was much lighter, I perceived. I did a cursory check, and clucked my tongue at what I found. Several ribs broken, a leg broken, close to the knee, and some very nasty cuts and lacerations. Not good. I checked inside her mouth and nostrils, but didn't see any blood, which meant no internal injuries, like a loose rib piercing a lung. The gossamer wings also had some damage.

Far came back out just then. "I've got the mouse tucked away, Love...and I made sure its not going anywhere. How's the...the...what is it, anyway?"

"Bat, Love...and she's in bad shape..." I reported. "Nothing internal, at least that I can tell, but she's got broken ribs, broken leg...and I've got all my equipment at the shop, and I don't wnat to move her because one of those ribs might just pierce a lung..." I hissed in frustration.

Suddenly, the bat rose a few feet off the ground. I blinked in surprise, then turned to look at my mate. Far wore an expression of intense concentration. He muttered, "Better get moving, Love...can't keep this up forever..." My mate told me later that while the bat was surprising light, evidently for efficiency in the air, there was still the matter of inertia to overcome. Physics are the same, human or FurFolk.

We hurried to the Apothecary, in such a rush that we didn't even close the door. Panda, ever curious, decided to follow us. We got to the shop and I opened the door...I never locked it, after all, what was the point? The main room was where the doctor/apothecary would have done the business and shopkeeping end of the trade, compounding and selling the medicines of the time. But there was a room to the side, with a leather covered couch, where the doctors of the period would have done their surgeries. It was into that room we brought the bat, my mate visibly straining under the effort of his levitation. I covered the couch with a sterile sheet of plastic that I had pilfered from the Williamsburg Hospital, and the bat settled upon it. Far staggered, then pulled up a chair and collapsed on it. Panda hopped onto his lap and nestled there, purring.

I stripped the bat of its garments, which seemed to mostly consist of leather thongs wrapped cunningly around her. An erotic outfit, but it had to go...I just cut it off and let it fall to pieces. I put some water on to boil, placed some bandages, splints and medical instruments into the sterilizer, and got myself scrubbed up.

The Voice started instructing me, but I bid It stop for a minute. The Voice might be able to tell me how to cope with all these broken bones, how to stitch up the cuts and lacerations, but it didn't seem to know anything about antiseptics, antibiotics, or infection in general. That was something I had made a particular effort to study on my own. I took a razor out of the sterilizer and removed the fur around the wounds. I washed over them with an antibacterial soap, and sprinkled a sulfa drug on it. Then I opened up the wounds with my fingers, covered in ill-fitting rubber gloves that weren't designed at all for FurFolk paws, and examined within. I was looking for any foreign material that might cause further infection, but the wounds were clean inside, so I took needle and thread and stitched them up.

Suddenly I blinked in surprise. I could feel her muscles twitch and quiver under my paws. The bat was awake...and more than awake, she was trying to get up! She struggled against the effects of being unconcious, and it surely seemed that she was going to make a break for the door, which would undo all the work I had done.

"No, wait! You'll..." I began to protest as she sprang off the operating bench. I tried to block her, but she easily dodged me. Far leapt from his chair to guard the door, but the bat was incredibly fast...if she were whole and intact, her speed would have been truly marvelous. But she wasn't whole or intact, and with that leg of hers...

The bat dropped to the ground, evidently trying to go into a crouch. But her broken leg failed her, and she crumpled to the floor, screaming. I'd never heard a cry of agony like that...my paws flew to my ears to block the piecing sound. Far did the same, but then he did something that terified me. He crumpled to the floor.

I forgot about the bat in my need to get to my fallen mate. There was bleeding at his ears, and I could barely feel a pulse. That scream...it had done this somehow...that bat had hurt my mate!

I turned to her in a fury, claws out, ready to rend and tear. "Why? Why this? We were trying to helpyou, there wasn't a need!" My words were as sharp as the claws I was preparing to bury into her.

She gazed at me with wide eyes, then she very delibately leaded her head back, exposing her throat. While doing that, she spoke, hesitantly.

"I am sorry. I can help him, if you will let me. My scream was a mistake, I could not help it, but let me make amends for it...let me heal him..."

Her head back, her throat bare, offered evidence to her sincerity, but I was not ready to trust, not after what she had done to my mate.

"Please", she begged, "what I did you cannot undo...only I can help him..."

The thought of Far dying because I didn't try everything possible, including allowing this bat to help, was more than I could take. "Then do it...and if you should fail...", I snarled...

She nodded and dragged herself to Far. I was cradling him in my lap. She lay her paws over his chest, over his heart, and mantled him with her wings. I bristled and hissed as she did this, but didn't interfere. She muttered words, strange words, in a language I didn't understand, then she brought her wrist to her mouth, and bit into it, deep.

In a reflex, I reached up to stop her, but she was strong, even in her wrecked condition, and she succeeded in resisting me. And then I dropped back in surprise, as the air around her became luminate, glowing softly. I was beginning to feel very much out of my depth.

She caught the blood that issued from her wrist, and pressed a drop to each of Far's ears, and one on the middle of his forehead, almost like a sacrement. She...did things then, with her mind, I guess. I could feel my mate relax under me, his pulse strong and firm now, and his breathing normal. I snuggled Far, my arms wrapping protectively around him as the bat said, almost whispering, "The injuries I caused are now healed. He shall sleep for a while, then awake, with no memory of what I did to him." My whimper of relief almost caused me to miss a very slight shuffling sound. Almost. I've always had good hearing.

The bat had somehow pulled herself to her feet, and was making her way to the door, using the wall as a support. With my mate better, my rage calmed somewhat, and the need to protect another of us, the FurFolk, emerged. I laid my mate's head onto the floor, very gently, then blocked the door.

"Just where do you think you're going? You're in no shape to leave here...and we don't even know who you are!", I protested.

She spoke, her voice very weak. "My name is Kali'Ya. It is for your own safety that I must go...now. Please take care of the mouse for me...he has had a bad time of it and is in need of gentle care."

"Kali'Ya?" I stumbled over the name. I didn't remember any fur by that name on the MUCK, but..."who were you before the Change?"

She looked puzzled. "Change? I know of no change. I know only my world, and then this world. I thought I was the only one here, until I saw you and your mate. I watched you, giving you food when I could..."

Food? Then I realized that this...Kali..must have been the source of the rabbits that had so mysteriously appeared on our steps...and possibly was that other...Presense...we felt at the College. But what did she mean, "for our own safety..."?

Then she fell, her injured leg failing her at last, and her knee impacted the floor. She visibly restrained the scream that tried to tear itself from her lips. That inner Voice within me insisted I go to Kali's aid, and despite what she did to my mate, I didn't argue, but dashed as quick as I could to her crumpled form supporting her.

"Kali, I told you you're in no shape to be moving. Now look at you...you shouldn't even be on your feet...", I scolded. I felt something damp on my fingers, and looked. "And now you've opened your stitches! I am not letting you out of here!" So saying, I got her back on the couch. She reached around to her side, feeling her wound, and pulled her blood stained fingers away to examine them. She licked them off and reached back for more.

I smacked her paw as if she were a little kitten, and scolded, "Stop that!" I ordered her to stay put on the couch, then went to attend to Far, still sleeping on the floor. With some effort I picked him up and deposited him into a thickly padded leather chair. I kissed his muzzle and he murmured something in his sleep, squirming a little in the chair. Panda, who had hid away the minute Kali first started to move, almost as if she knew what was coming, emerged from her concealment and hopped again into Far's lap.

That brought a question to my mind. If Kali could heal my mate, why could she not have healed herself? I asked her.

"I do not have the strength to heal myself. None of us can...", she answered.

Us? There's more? I was asking myself that when I heard Kali mutter something. "What was that?"

"Nothing. I have to leave. Now."

Didn't this bat learn? "Kali, I'm not letting you off this couch...you'd just better get used to that fact. Just why is it so urgent that you go, anyway? If you're worried about whatever attacked you, I can assure you there's enough muskets here to equip a regiment...and some artillery. We can protect you here."

Kali tried to get up, but I caught her. A terrible fever was plainly noticable. "Kali, you're burning up!"

"It is a healing fever. When we are injured our bodies speed up to repair the damage. If we are not hurt too badly it is not a problem", she explained.

I wasn't buying it. Maybe it was a healing fever, or maybe she was suffering a very nasty infection. "And if you are badly hurt, Kali? What then?"

"We die. We either starve or we burn out from the fever. That is why neither you or your mate are safe with me here. I can already feel the hunger. I cannot fly, I cannot hunt...if you keep me here I shall surely attack one of you! Please! You must let me go!" Her words, which started so matter-of-factly, grew increasingly desperate.

I spoke, very calm, very quiet. "No. Far and I can trap some animals for you to feed upon...there's always the local cows. If we can't get them, we can supply you with enough smaller animals to get you through this...need of yours. But here you are and here you shall stay, until I decide otherwise. There's the long and short of it..."

I don't know how much she heard. The strains she made on her body were tremendous...she had done some very stupid things, and now she paid for them. She passed out.

I took advantage of Kali's unconscious state to replace the stitches she had tore in her struggles, and in order to prevent any more nonsense from her, I strapped Kali's inert form down onto the couch. Then I heard motion coming from my mate, and went over to check on him.

I ran my paws over him, feeling for pulse and other damage while he watched me, bemused. "Ummm...Love? What happened?", he asked.

I shushed him with a kiss. "I'll tell you later, Love...but for now, I want you to just sit there and rest a little. That bat, though, has been real trouble..."

Far scratched his head in confusion. "What'cha mean, trouble, Love? She got up, stood on her bad leg, and she went down...hey! I...I don't know *what* happened after that! "

"Don't worry about it, Love," I reassured him. How do you feel? Have any headaches, dizzyness...anything like that?"

"No, why would I?" he puzzled. "Something happened, didn't it...something...bad?"

I nodded, and started to explain, when something finally settled down in between my kitty ears. I still had another patient! That mouse we left strapped down at home!

"Love, I gotta go...that mouse, remember? Have to see to him, too. You stay here, rest...I know, you don't know from what you should be resting, but rest anyway. And if that bat should wake and give any hints about moving, any at all, if you can, use your magicks to keep her still, even if it means you have to knock her out." I didn't trust her entirely, to keep still or with my mate, but I didn't want to leave her alone. "Oh, Love? Her name is Kali," I called on my way out.

Geez, I thought to myself, what a day this was turning out to be. I dashed to the Palace, to home, to tend to my other patient. I closed the door behind me and hurried up the stairs to the room we had the mouse. But there was no mouse within...the straps that had held it down had been chewed through...but the soup bowl we had placed by the bed was empty. Well, that was something, anyway...at least it was fed. But now, where to find it?

I sniffed at the straps, taking in the mouse's scent. After all, I've got this kitty nose, its about time I made proper use of it. I followed the scent out the room...downstairs...into the...hah! Strong here! My ears swiveled at a brief sound, and I knew the mouse was in here.

My first impulse was to hunt for it, actively seek it out...but the mouse was undoubtedly afraid, and if I wished to help it, that would most certainly be the wrong approach. Instead I knelt where I was, and called out...

"Its all right, mousie...I know you're in here...and I know where, too...I can smell you...so you might as well come out. I'm not going to hurt you...I just want to help you, clean your injuries, look them over...then you can go on your way."

There was a shuffle, then the mouse emerged from behind the tall chair that had been its concealment. In its trembling paw it held a flintlock pistol...pointed at me.

"Keep away from me," the mouse squeaked in a quavering voice. "Don't touch me...don't come near me...I'll shoot you if you do..."

I tried to reassure him of my intentions. "Look, mousie, I know you're afraid...but you're still alive, aren't you? If my mate and I had wanted you as breakfast, we could have killed and gobbled you down as you were unconsconcious. And that soup we left for you was not there to fatten you for later."

"Besides, look at you. You stand, you talk...you were once human, but human no longer. My mate and I...and that bat we found you with...we were all like you before things changed. Your fear...its understandable, but its your mouse instincts working. Think...why would we kill an intelligent, reasoning being, one that could perhaps help us to survive? Please, let me help you..."

The pistol dropped ever so slightly as the mouse looked me over. I made no move. Then the pistol fell to the floor... "Its just...I've been so scared...ever since all this happened...Everythings been so bigger than me...I'm not used to that...I used to be a carpenter...big, muscular...I don't want to be afraid...", the mouse sobbed. I kept still and tried to be as comforting as any cat could possibly be to a mouse. "Shhhh...we can help you...you can stay here with us, if you trust us...we can protect you...we have the means, you've seen all the guns here...you even picked one out...it can be yours, to keep...just let us help..."

The mouse sniffed a couple of times, then took a step forward. "I...I don't trust you, not really, but...", and he came to me. I told him to strip down, and he obeyed, still trembling, but not quite so noticably. As I looked over his wounds and injuries, i kept up a steady stream of small talk, about myself, who I was when human, about my mate...about anything at all to calm my new patient.

He allowed me to touch him, to clean and bandage his wounds...cuts and scratches, generally...none requiring stitching. As I worked, he relaxed, and talked a bit about himself. He told me his name was Jonathan...now.

"Jonathan? Not...as in Jonathan Brisby? Secret of NIHM?" I asked.

"He nodded. Then..."Trel'la...can I ask you a question?"

"Sure...you're one of us now," I replied

"Well, when I had that pistol on you...you weren't afraid...You just stood there and talked to me...Are you really that brave?"

I smiled. "No, not really. Not brave at all, just afraid of different things, I guess. Besides, there was really nothing to fear from the pistol. You see, we don't keep any of them loaded...that would require loose gunpowder, and that's very corrosive...attracts water like anything, makes rust, that sort of thing. Besides, those are flintlock pistols...and as you can see, there's no flint in the jaws of the hammer. Thing couldn't have fired even if it was loaded. No ignition system."

Jonathan eeked at the realization of his useless pistol. "Then...then if you wanted to, you could have jumped me...anytime you wanted..." He shivered at the thought.

"That's right, I could have," I said, "but I didn't. You're not an enemy, after all...and we certainly weren't a threat..." Then a couple thoughts occured to me. "I'll have to show you how to use a flintlock...you're not from here, are you? And you did say you used to be a carpenter?"

"No, I'm from Norfolk," he explained. "I used to be a carpenter, thats right...but what I can do know, I don't know...I don't even know where to go..."

"Why go anywhere? Why not stay here? I'm wanting to make a community here, and the more we have, the better we can all survive. There's a carpenter's shop down Duke of Gloucester street...it can be yours, if you like. Of course, you'll have to learn how to do your work in the old-fashioned way...no power tools, after all...no electricity...but you'd be doing useful work." I offered.

And thats how it begun, our new community, our own civilization. It was Faranus, Kali, Jonathan, and myself...and Far and I knew that Timm, Georgie, and Stormy was out there somewhere. We hoped they were managing to get through the winter...the windswept plains can be a harsh place at that time. We often wondered, when time allowed, just how many of us new FurFolk there were. We didn't know, but would soon.

But there was much work to be done, kittens, and it was hard, with only four of us. I had told Jonathan that I feared different things than did he, and that was true. You see, being of prey animal stock, he tended to fear personal harm the most. For me, I feared what might happen to our town if any intruders came upon it. Now, I realized it would depend on their intent, but I felt a need to set ourselves upon a footing of defense. To that end, I started to train our little band in the use of muskets. Colonial Williamsburg had plenty of flintlocks, but they were smoothbore, and relatively inaccurate. Fortunately, I found a stash of Civil War type muskets in a few houses...likely the property of re-enactors. They had the virtue of good range, good accuracy, and quick to load...well, as quick as any muzzle loader. And there was some artillery, too...cannon, with all the types of ammunition I could want.

I also sent Far out a couple times to the naval base at Yorktown to stock up on more modern weapons. With weapons of, well, of historical interest, I knew how to use and maintain them, but with more lethal hardware, I was as much in the dark as Kali and Jon. Far saw to our training with that equipment.

Now you must realize, kittens, I didn't want to use any of this stuff. I was hoping our new world would be a peaceful one, with room enough for all of us. But I also knew that there's times things do not go at all the way we would like, and there might be times we had to fight for our homes and hopes. If such a time came, I wanted to be ready.

Unfortunately, the muskets were too big and heavy for Kali to manage properly. Still, she could fly, and had excellent night vision, better even than mine or Far's. She also seemed to have some sort of network...beings with whom she was in constant contant, in some way that I couldn't understand. I took her aside, once, after she had recovered from her injuries.

"Kali", I asked, "there's something very important I have to ask of you. If you wish, you can turn this down, but I need someone to patrol the area at night. Since you're active then, and you...hunt...from the air, I was thinking that in the course of your hunts you might keep eyes and ears open for...well, anything unusual, anything out of the ordinary...not that there's anything ordinary about us..."

"Trel'la, you have already helped me so much...you helped me heal, you fed me when I could not feed myself, and you have given me a place to live. You could have sent me away, especially after what I did to your mate...others have done worse. I owe you a debt of honor, Trel'la...I will be your patrol", Kali affirmed.

I breathed a sigh of relief, yet at the same time, I was puzzled. Who were these "others" of whom Kali spoke? Didn't she change from a human to her new self, as did the rest of us? And this wasn't the first time she had made some strange reference that I didn't understand. Some evening, Kali, you and I are going to sit down and talk this out, I promised myself. But for now, it was enough that she agreed to my request. I had the feeling we'd need her help, sooner or later.

Now, let me see. When was the first time we realized there was more of us, of the FurFolk, than I thought? Oh, yes, that right...it was when the gypsies came to town! Oh, thats right, excuse me...force of old habits, you know. They're really called Roma, of course.

It was toward the end of our first winter, and we few who were then in Williamsburg had found our niches in our new existance. All but Kali...there was a deep mystery about the bat, and I could sense she was troubled. I tried to help her, hoping the nighttime patrols she performed would give her a sense of purpose, and a belonging with the rest of us, but she still kept to herself. And of course, there was some tension between her and Jonathan...he didn't entirely trust her...understandable, considering how they met.

It was during one such patrol that Kali came to me with news. "Trel'la! I have spotted something on the roads! There's a...a caravan of some sort...wagons, drawn by horses, moving this way!"

As you might guess, kittens, that got my attention. "A caravan? Wagons? Were they human or Fur?" If it were humans, I had no idea what to do...what would *humans* do if they discovered us?

Kali set my mind at ease on one point, at least. "Fur, Trel'la. About 20...maybe 25, I think...there could be more in the wagons. They were odd looking wagons, too..."

"Odd? In what way?", I asked.

"They were...I do not know how to say it...they were shaped a little like...barrels. Long and cylindrical, and painted in bright colors..."

I began to have my suspicious about this caravan. "Kali, how were they dressed?" "I do not know...I was too high up...I could only tell they were were of Fur...who do you think they are?"

"I don't know...they could be trouble. How far away were they?" I needed to know how much time we had to prepare a proper greetings for these folk, assuming they came through town.

"They stopped and camped at that small town...Lightfoot. I think they might reach here tomorrow night," the bat explained.

So...that at least gave me a day, if Kali's estimate was correct. Kali might not have recognized her own description of the wagons, but I certainly did. Gypsies! I had certain prejudices about gypsies, from popular culture of my human days, like Dark Shadows, and from my mother's stories of encountering them in her childhood. But they were FurFolk, too, and they might have knowledge that could help us survive, or at least some information about the world beyond these parts. So, for those reasons, and for security, I wanted them here, where I could at least keep an eye on them until they left.

The next day, we built up a large pile of wood on Market Green, next to the Magazine, to be lit the minute Kali brought in word the gypsies were on the move again. I felt helpless during the day, not knowing if our "guests" would show up unexpectedly, without warning. In this new world, after all, the old rules of social behavior were gone, and I had no idea how this traveling band would react when, if, they found us. For that matter, I wasn't too sure how *I* would react.

But the day passed without inciden, and that evening I put Kali back into the air. She quickly brought back word that the gypsies were on the road, and moving into town. I set torch to the woodpile, and it quickly blazed into a bonfire. Even if they couldn't see the fire itself, they might be able to see the smoke (some of the wood was green), or at least smell it and come to investigate.

And we were preapred to welcome our visitors. Far and I were both armed, with modern weapons, to make the maximum impression, and Far also had the power of his magick, if need be. Kali continued to be my eyes in the sky, bringing me reports on the band's progress and location. Jonathan I figured would not be of much use in a fight, so I gave him a pistol to protect himself and set him to tending a kettle of stew I had also set up. I didn't want these folk wandering through town, getting into houses, but I didn't want them to think I was a bad hostess if they had only peaceful inclinations.

So the gypsies arrived, their wagons, pulled by large horses, following the Duke of Gloucester down from the Capitol. They rolled onto the Green where we were, and a figure alighted from the lead wagon. I advanced and introduced myself. "I'm Trel'la, and this is Willamsburg. Are you here to fight or to eat?" I hoped they'd buy the bluff...because if they didn't, we wouldn't stand a chance.

"To eat, fair one, if its food you're offering. We've been on the road many days, we're tired and just want a place to rest. We're not looking for any trouble, and if you prefer, we'll leave, the wolf announced. He was scruffy looking, his richly embroidered clothing in need of a wash, and he did indeed look tired, despite a sense of power and leadership about him. I approached, looked at him carefully, shrugged mentally, and made my decision.

"How many are you?" I asked, my tone softening slightly.

"Nineteen..." he answered.

I pondered. "Nineteen (that was bad enough for a fight...I hoped he was telling the truth)...I suppose we can mange to feed that many...we have a goodly store of ham here, if you fancy that. But I'd like to see all of you, if you don't mind." I learned to trust my feline instincts by now, and those instincts told me all was square and above-board, that these travellers were indeed who they said they were, but I still wanted to see what I was facing. Call it caution and a deep curiousity about what other forms we FurFolk might take.

The wolf went along his wagons, tapping on each and speaking softly in a language I couldn't understand. The occupants emerged and lined up, badgers, weasels, bears, cats, canines, male, female, children, gazing at me as I studied them, looking at me in curiousity, nervousness, or hostility. A motley crew, to tell the truth. There was one, however, that caught my attention, one that stood just ever so slightly away from the others...a female rabbit, standing demurely, eyes downcast, paws folding in front of her.

The wolf went down the line, naming each, with his own being Stefan. They all had names that sounded Eastern European to me, not that there was a Europe anymore, in any practical sense. Then he came to the rabbit. "This is Nyghtfyre...she's gadje, not really one of us, but she asked to travel with us, and we accepted. She's free to stay or leave as she chooses."

Nyghtfyre curtsied low before me, then bowed in a Chinese or Japanese way. I clumsily returned her bow. I started, then, my eyes widening slightly. It wasn't because of the rabbit, but rather because I heard Kali...in my head. *I am here. I am watching. He is telling the truth right now. There is something else in his thoughts. I do not know what. I shall continue to watch.* Far glanced at me and nodded briefly, from which I guessed he 'heard' the same thing. That was *some* comfort, anyway, knowing now that Kali was watching from above. I set about busying myself with ladling some stew for our guests into a set of small wooden bowls we pilfered from the taverns in the city. Each gypsy took a bowl with varying expressions of thanks, but when I came to Nyghtfyre, she refused. "I'm sorry, I don't eat meat..." she looked rather embarressed at the confession. I smiled lightly and offered her some bread, which she accepted. And then...that voice again...Kali's thoughts speaking directly into mine. *I am coming down now. I will be approaching from behind the wagons.* There was an almost impeceptable sound as the bat touched down onto the ground. Stefen caught sight of her and took a couple of steps back in shock and surprise, glancing at me nervously. "Greeting, Master Faranus, Mistress Trel'la." the bat said. "There are no others within 20 hundred span of this area. Sir Wolf has not attmpted to conceal any of his numbers away from our sight. His numbers are as he says, nineteen." Well, that was a relief. I didn't know how much a 20 hundred span was, but I figured it was some distance, and knowing now that there were indeed only nineteen in our visitors band made me feel a bit more secure. The bat then turned to the gypsy wolf. "Sir Wolf, greetings. I am Kali'Ya, Protector of this place and those who abide here. (was it my imagination, or was there something slightly different about Kali? as she spoke?) Misstress Trel'la has bid you and yours welcome and comfort. As long as you are here, I offer my protection to you and your People. Know this however, any action taken against those who make this place home shall be dealt with harshly. I was impressed. From the way Kali sounded, one would think we had ten or twenty of her type here, instead of just the one. Was she making her own bluff? And then, to soften the implied threat, the bat offered, "If there are any of your People that are injured or sick, I offer you my services as a Healer. My Ability is not great, but I would do as I could to aid them." The wolf gulped and swallowed nervously. "Ummm...no, there's none of us injured or ill. Trel'la, you didn't tell me you had one such as...as *this* here...", as he gestured to the bat. I guessed it was more in shock and surprise than loathing in his voice. I hoped. I shrugged and smiled sweetly. "I'm sorry, it must have slipped my mind." Despite my innocent act, I sent a mental thank-you to Kali, for now I felt we had an advantage over our guests. With both sides now feeling slightly more secure, we gathered around the fire. I had Jon bring out a couple of our larger hams, and the gypsies had their own story of food they had pilfered and preversed from the ruins of civilization. Some also brought out guitars, violins, and flutes, starting up some music. Kali seemed quite taken with it, and also taken with a quiet feline who sat with the musicians, her tail keeping time to the music. Stefen offered Far and I a drink from a ceramic jug. I sniffed it cautiously, never having much liking for alcoholics, but the liquid smelled safe...odd scent, though. I sipped. "You said something about a darkness in New York. I can only guess you meant something more than just an abscene of light." "True, Lady", Stefen affirmed. "What it was, we don't know, but there was something in the city that felt...(he grasped for the right words...) wrong, somehow...slimey, might it be?" I grunted and made an uncharitable comment. "Must have been my cousin Bertha, then..." The wolf looked puzzled as Far spluttered behind the paw he raised to his muzzle. "I'm sorry...its a family reference...ancient history now, I guess...", I explained. We talked further, Stefen relating the travels of his band, and what they had seen on their way. He confirmed what I suspected about the lack of safety in the big cities. "When it all happened, whatever it was, and once we found there were no longer any humans, although we didn't think of it like that then, and we were all there was in the city, one of the first things we did was to go to all the zoos and free the animals. Don't know if any of them made it from then til now, of course, but at least we gave them a chance...been a shame if they all just starved in captivity." I nodded, but wasn't really listening anymore. One of the gypsies was singing now, and her voice was so enchanting, so compelling, that most of my attention was on her. When her song was finished, I found myself rising (I couldn't help myself), and sang in a language I did not know... "Ab yul ann I dy-ad awt en yab na log a toc na awd taw may on ommadawn egg kyowl ommadawn egg kyowl ah..." ("The cat is in the kitchen, drinking milk, I'm a fool and I'm laughing."...its from Ommadawn, Mike Oldfield)         I felt slightly dizzy, and I glanced down at my drink.  I didn't *smell* anything alcoholic about it, but there was definately *something* affecting me.  Maybe it was just Gypsy Magick.  By then, though, it didn't really seem to matter, because an impromptu party had broken out. Far was entertaining us with some conjuring, and I had lost what remained of my old human inhibitions and was dancing to fiddle music a gypsy was scratching out on his instrument.  Even Jonathan, the shy and hesitant mouse, relaxed, and I *think* I remember seeing him talking to one of the gypsies before they both disappeared into the shadows.         The next morning...was it morning?  Maybe it was afternoon...Whatever time it was, our visitors announced they must continue on to...whereever.  And to tell you the truth of it, kittens, I was none too happy about it!  Oh, I knew they would leave sometime, of course...its in their nature.  But still...well, think about it...there we were, a small band, less than a pawful, really, and then of a sudden our numbers are increased by nineteen.  It proved, for one, there were more of us...perhaps many more...out there in the world, and their numbers made us all that little bit safer.  And now they were leaving.         Not being happy about their departure didn't prevent me from being a proper and gracious hostess, however.  We all helped to load their wagons, and I offered them gifts of Virginia hams to take with them, so not to forget so quickly their time here.         "Stefan, I don't know where your path will lead you, or how you'll fare on your journey...but I hope you'll find your way back here, and soon.  You've given me hope there's others of us out there somewhere.  Please take care of yourselves..."  I came close to tears.         Stefan put his arms around me and pressed his muzzle to mine.  "Lady, if we find anymore of us on the road, if they seem good folk, we'll tell them of your generousity, and of what you're building here...I'll tell them myself that if you found it in yourself to shelter as scruffy a group as us, then you're sure to welcome more seemly folk..."         The gypsies mounted their wagons and slowly rolled away from the green, waving.  But as the last of the wagons rolled away, it revealed two of their number standing aside...the rabbit, Nyghtfyre, and the tiger I had seen with Kali.         "Ummm...if you're going, you'd better hurry...you can still catch up with your band," I prompted.        The rabbit shook her head.  "If its acceptable, Mistress Trel'la, we'd both like to stay here with you, if we may..."  The bunny kept her eyes focused on the ground rather than on me...I didn't know if she was shy, or just relied more on her ears than her eyes.  And what was that about "Mistress Trel'la"?         Still..."Well, you're welcome to stay, of course, both of you, and we've plenty of empty houses for you to choose from...but...well, its not really my business, but why?  Why stay here instead of travelling with your friends?"         "I think we both have our individual reasons for staying," the tiger answered (without telling me anything)  "But for myself, part of the reason, and only part, is there's power here...this is a special place, and your efforts and work here makes it yet more special...and thats all I can tell you for now."

A light snow covered the ground...rare for the time of year. I had again slipped out, late at night, to stand naked under the stars. I'd been doing a lot of that recently, sneaking out, trying to sort through the troubles that were plaguing me. I had even snapped at Far earlier, over some silly, minor thing...completely unnecessary, but my tember was short and my nerves frayed. I was worried, you see. Worried about our survival. We had successfully bluffed the Roma, but would we be so lucky the next time? When Kali admitted she was feeding from our visitors...well, to be honest, I was furious. Not at her as such, after all, she was just trying to survive, same as the rest of us. And after she explained herself, her needs, I could at least *begin* to understand why animals weren't enough for her. But still...we were so few...and I was beginning to feel responsible, for all of us. When Kali flew off...well, we needed her, as we needed everyone...and that expression of horror, her screams that pierced ears and seared minds...I had no idea what triggered it. I was close to tears...no, that's wrong...I *was* crying, when I felt something bump against my ankle. Surprised, I looked down, and saw Panda. She had evidently followed me out, but how? I was certain I had closed the doors back home when I slipped out, but with everything on my mind, I must have forgot. After all, there wasn't any way she could have got out otherwise, was there? Panda stood upright and tapped my leg with a forepaw, and I slid down to cuddle the cat. I sat there, back to a tree, just listening to panda's steady, gentle purrings, and being comforted by them. i felt myself sinking ever deeper into her soft rumbles, and didn't hear the slight rustle or the quiet thump behind me. "Are you not cold, Mistress Trel'la? Your mate is worried about you...he would be yet more worried if he saw you out here without your coverings", Kali chided. I suppose, with my dark mood and thin temper, I should have reacted badly to being approached from behind like that, or at kali's unexpected arrival after her disappearence. Instead, calmed and relaxed as I was from panda's soothing purrs, I just didn't have the energy. Kali went on. "Why are you out here? Faranus asked me to look for you...I stopped at your home, and he told me you were acting strange...there is something troubling you...what is it?" And so I told her (OKAY, GEORGIE, I MIGHT BE ACTUALLY INSERTING CONVERSATION HERE, BUT FOR NOW...). I don't know why, but I told her everything. All my fears, my hopes, my dreams and nightmares. Sorrows and burdens I hadn't even shared with Far. I told her about the Change, since she somehow didn't know of it. All the while, Panda lay on my lap, her purring growing ever louder as I unburdened myself. MORE STUFF HERE... "Mistress Trel'la, may I ask you a question?" There was a seriousness to kali's tone, and a tenseness in her body, that brought me finally to full alertness. I nodded. "Do you think me a monster, for what I do, for how I survive?" That took me by surprise, but it seemed a time for honesty, time to clear away the things that stood between us. Time, too, to try to bring her fully into our small community. "Kali, under the naked stars, what I'm about to tell you is the truth...or at least as much of the truth as I know..." "No, Kali, I do not regard you as a monster. Your ways...well, they're alien to me, and I don't really understand them, or you, fully. I don't know if I ever shall. And when you told Far and i about your...well, your 'food', and what you call Life, I was plenty surprised and shocked. I don't know if I can ever come to completely accept it. But no, you're not a monster, just...strange to me. I'm beginning to suspect there's a lot of things on this new world of ours that's going to be strange...to all of us."

TO BE CONTINUED...YOU'D BETTER BELIEVE IT!

Dec. 5 1998