Unicorn Valley 1: Gryphon’s Heart
Lena Austin

  

 All rights reserved.
Copyright ©2004 by Lena Austin

No part of this e-book may be reproduced or shared by any electronic or mechanical means, including but not limited to printing, file sharing, and email, without prior written permission from Changeling Press LLC.

  

 ISBN 1-59596-030-9
Formats Available:
HTML, Adobe PDF,
MobiPocket, Microsoft Reader

Publisher:
Changeling Press LLC
PO Box 1561
Shepherdstown, WV 25443-1561
www.ChangelingPress.com

Editor: Peggy Roberts
Cover Artist: Angela Knight


 



 This e-book file contains sexually explicit scenes and adult language which some may find offensive and which is not appropriate for a young audience. Changeling Press E-Books are for sale to adults, only, as defined by the laws of the country in which you made your purchase. Please store your files wisely, where they cannot be accessed by under-aged readers.

  

  

  

 Chapter 1

  

 There would be no mate for him.

 Lionel brooded on that ugly fact from the ledge outside his nesting cave. It was good to be home where the air was clean and the pulse of magic strong, but that didn’t change the fact that he would die, alone.

 He folded his long, bare legs until he achieved the meditative pose his foster mother taught him. However, instead of meditating, he put his elbows on his knees and rested his chin in his hands. The loneliness threatened to overwhelm him.

 “Now there’s a dejected fellow!” The familiar voice eased the ache of loneliness. Lionel turned to see his foster brothers Brolly and Shadow make the final few feet of climb to the ledge where he sat. After a lot of masculine back pounding, Lionel invited his brothers inside. They sat on great cushions made dusty by the long months of disuse, but no one cared.

 “No luck in finding a Gryphoness, old pal?” Brolly’s human form was of a brawny young man with brown hair and twinkling brown eyes full of mischief.

 Lionel shook his head, and felt his shoulders droop with despair. Brolly put a comforting hand on his arm. Shadow looked on sympathetically, his horn knob flashing silver in the morning light.

 Lionel shook his golden brown hair out of his eyes. “No, no luck. It was horrible outside our magical home! You’d think in the sky, and as high as I fly, I’d be safe.” He pointed to a wound on his shoulder. “They’ve become more proficient with their arrows than your father estimated. Everywhere, the evidence exists Gryphons once were Outside, in statues and artwork on cloth they hang from their homes.” He pounded his fist into his hand in frustration. “But no real, live Gryphons anywhere!”

 Brolly put his hand on Lionel’s clenched fist. “Will you let me look at the wound?” As a healer, Brolly was always courteous enough to ask if his help would be accepted. It was perhaps the sole serious thing about him.

 “If you insist. I packed it with the herbs you gave me. It shouldn’t need healing.” Lionel forced himself to stillness. “I did miss the familiar tingle of a decent healer, I must say. The arrow came out of nowhere. I swear it! Humans are everywhere! Like ants! I almost was a pretty Gryphon trophy or rug for the wall!” He shuddered and remembered how close the arrow came to his vulnerable chest.

 Brolly’s brown hand was over the arrow wound in a flash. “Now, that’s a vile thought!” Brolly’s distracted voice still held a measure of disgust. “I’m sorry you’d no luck, brother mine.” The warm tingle of Brolly’s healing gift ceased, and Lionel breathed a sigh of relief. The constant ache was gone.

 “Why must I be one of the last of my kind?” Lionel complained. He studied the talons on the end of his hand. “I need a mate, damn it. Not only just to ease a lusty moment, but I’m one of the last Gryphons here in the Valley. I must make cubs if Gryphons are to survive.” He looked around his shabby nest cave. A female made all the difference between a place to sleep and a home. In his mind’s eye, he could almost see it. A nesting Gryphoness purring, games of Pounce and Tumble with the whistling laughter of Gryphlets, and the proud joy of flight lessons.

 “You’re handsome enough to get a Gryphoness, too, if there were one available,” put in Shad, in the low tones of his kind. All Unicorns were soft-spoken, but vicious fighters when need arose. “The fact is, Lionel, you must choose a mate from outside your own race,” Shad pointed out, his voice earnest. “A filly or Vampire bitch won’t suit. Fillies produce single offspring, and Vamps tend to throw too many females.”

 “I don’t want a filly, old friend. You can keep them. I don’t want an herbivore cluttering up my nest growing plants to eat. The very thought makes me shudder!”

 Shad chuckled. “In truth, a Werewolf bitch is best since they’re prolific enough to produce litters.”

 “But I want a real Gryphoness! The purity of my line…”

 “Won’t continue without a mate, Feather Wit,” Shadow interrupted sternly. “As you well know, what form you are, you become in all ways.”

 Brolly jumped in. “All she’d need to do is stay in Gryphoness form until she gave birth, Lionel. You know that.”

 Lionel grumbled, then sighed. “You’re right. I’m stooping at shadows. I must find a female willing to give up her form for me. That is difficult enough.” He grinned at Shadow. “I will look among the Werewolves first. I would prefer a carnivore.”

 Shadow manifested three glasses of wine that floated near the hands of his brothers. Brolly and Lionel grabbed up their wine glasses. The sparkling pink stuff slid down Lionel’s throat like liquid gold. He toasted his elegant brother in appreciation. “May I find a bitch, queen, or flirtatious filly who can love me enough to fill my cave with joy.”

 “That shouldn’t be difficult,” Brolly murmured into his goblet. “Since any female can be bitch, queen, or flirtatious while they bat their lovely eyes at us and make us simpering idiots.” The brothers roared with laughter at that truth.

 Unbidden, the face of Lionel’s foster sister Teema rose to his mind. Teema was a Werebitch, and a finely formed one. If only he could find one like her. She was everything he’d find desirable in a mate. Teema was not merely attractive and a master sorceress, she was also his dearest friend. They’d shared many a fine hunt in the forest.

 Brolly drained his goblet in one gulp. “Goddess knows there’s plenty of Werebitches in my pack to go around. Finding one to warm your bed won’t be hard, if you can find one to like your feline attributes. You’d best discuss this with Mama Kella. She won’t do more than suggest a few good candidates. It seems rude not to go to your own mother, but Nin-Kaa looks at this too coldly for my taste. I’d rather hunt my own prey, thanks.” Brolly, who never stayed still for long, stood and paced the length of the small cavern and back.

 “I must say, I agree with Brolly,” Shadow added. His face was apologetic. “Nin-Kaa would insist on you mating with whichever filly… excuse me, bitch is most magical in nature, shove her at you, and expect you to win her over to the idea. Kella will at least let you do your own wooing.”

 Lionel nodded. “What you say is true. The Gryphon way is to choose a mate based on who’d produce the best cubs. Like Brolly, I wish for more than a cold bedding for procreation.”

 Kella, who kept track of all her adopted children and healed half the Valley, knew more of where to hunt for a mate than any other. She’d understand his need for a life-mate as well as a mother to any cubs he might father.

 Lionel sighed privately to himself. “You’re both right. I need to talk to Kella. Want a ride down, Brolly? I know you don’t fly.”

 “Hell, yes! One of these days I’ll find a flying form I can master.” Brolly was beside him in a flash.

 Shadow nodded, walked to the cliff edge, and changed into his eagle form. Lionel relaxed into Gryphon form and let Brolly mount him just in front of the wing joints. Once Shadow leapt off the cliff and caught a thermal, Lionel snapped his wings out and soared. He could’ve carried more than Brolly’s weight, but it was difficult to leap up from a standing position on the ground. This way, he rode the same thermal as Shadow.

 Shadow immediately changed back into his Unicorn form as soon as they’d landed. His silver horn nodded once. “I just got a mind call from the Herd. Brolly, there’s a birthing. We’re needed. Let us know what happens, okay?” Brolly hopped off Lionel immediately.

 Relieved, Lionel nodded and changed to his human form. “You wouldn’t be able to stop yourself from making jokes, I know. Go, and do good healing. I’ll tell you what happens when you return.” He grinned. “You’ll tease me then, I’m sure.”

 Brolly laughed. “You never will get rid of that Gryphonic syntax when you are nervous, will you.” Then he changed to his lupine form. He set off at a lope with Shadow trotting beside him.

 Lionel watched them go with relief in his heart. He loved his brothers, but they did not feel the urgency he did. To Lionel, this was serious. As a stallion, Shadow wouldn’t mate for life, and Brolly didn’t wish to settle down with a life-mate yet.

 * * *

 Lionel padded up the slope, winding through his foster mother’s garden. Kella’s garden was extensive, but Lionel had the usual Gryphonic disregard for plants. Well, except catnip, but it was a secret vice. He shouldn’t be affected by it, considering his eagle attributes, but his feline body craved it all the same. Teema kept his secret, grew it for him in the garden, and claimed it was for tea.

 As if his thoughts summoned her, he saw Teema first when he stepped into the cavern. He’d time to register Kella and Nin-Kaa both were there before Teema dropped her tray, heedless of the crash, and ran to hug his neck, squealing, “Lionel! You’re home!”

 Lionel sighed and purred at the welcome he’d longed for.

 * * *

 “Hiya, Purrbox!” she whispered.

 “Hiya, Furface,” he purred for her ears alone. “You’ve no idea how much I’ve missed you. Meet me after I visit with Kella. Usual place.”

 Teema nodded against his neck and released him. “I’ll bring catnip,” she offered. It delighted her to hear him purr as only Gryphons did, even in human form. What was it about the Gryphonic purr she found so sexy?

 He seldom used his human form, but his sleek catlike grace made her go into heat any time he was near. His human body was slim in the hips and wide at the chest, to accommodate his enhanced wing muscles. His skin tanned to reflect the tawny brown of his true coat, and his brown-gold mane of hair was shoulder-length. She shuddered with lust and lowered her eyes. Because he was uncomfortable with clothing, he wore nothing more than a loincloth, as he did right now. He stepped regally away to greet Nin-Kaa first, then Kella, while Teema cleaned up her mess. It was her day in the kitchen, so she repaired the cups with a small bit of magic, and went to get more tea for Lionel.

 She made short work of getting tea for Lionel, and hoped his visit with Kella wouldn’t take long. They hunted together often, and she’d missed that. What was more, he could fly! Oh, how she longed to fly, but it was the one skill she couldn’t master. No avian form worked for her. After she served Lionel his tea, she eyed his wing muscles across his chest with envy and a secret lust. Teema no longer counted the number of times she sat on a cliff edge and felt the wind in her face while she watched Lionel and the others fly.

 “I knew you’d understand, Kella,” Lionel agreed.

 “It is true you must acquire a mate,” Nin-Kaa asserted. “I could…”

 “No, thank you, Mother,” interrupted Lionel. “It is a certainty I must woo and win a Werebitch. Kella is right about that. Still, which one? How do I go about it?”

 Teema bobbled her own tea mug over that remarkable statement. She sat, ready to serve more tea or other refreshments at a moment’s notice.

 Kella grinned, and showed her fangs. “That, Lionel, must be up to you.”

 Nin-Kaa was as regal as ever, and put out from being denied the privilege of choosing Lionel’s mate, even Teema saw that. “I must insist you choose from among Kella’s brood. Only they have magic strong enough.”

 Lionel growled for a moment. “Then I choose Teema to ask to become my mate.”

 Teema sprayed tea and choked, since Lionel spoke just as she sipped. She’d decided she could placidly listen to this cold discussion over something so passionate as the choice of a life-mate, since it was no business of hers. “W-W-What?” she sputtered helplessly.

 Lionel turned his magnificent golden eyes in her direction. “You’re as near a perfect choice for a mate as is possible. You’re a Werebitch, and therefore can produce many offspring, for one. Second, we get along well enough. Third, you’re a sorceress.”

 White-hot fury rose in Teema before she thought about it. “And you’re an ass!” she shouted. Without making a conscious decision, she waved her hand and Lionel was a donkey, with wings. “I’m not a toy you may pick up and claim! I have feelings!” She swept from the cavern and ran for the hills to the north in a towering rage.

 * * *

 It took a bit of time for Kella to stop her howls of laughter and turn Lionel back to his usual form, while Nin-Kaa looked puzzled and Lionel demanded in mind-speech to know what he’d said. Between chortles, she explained. “Teema is a Werebitch. They’re an exceedingly passionate people. Unlike Gryphons, who choose their mates with calm deliberation, Werefolk choose their mates with emotion.”

 “Ahhh!” Nin-Kaa rumbled, and her feathers slicked down. “We’ve insulted her.” She turned to a thoroughly confused Lionel. “Will you allow me the right to apologize and speak with her?”

 Lionel merely nodded. He’d been so positive Teema would agree to such a simple solution and his logical reasons for naming her, he was still stunned. His mouth hanging open, he watched his mother stalk to the entrance, spread her wings, and take off.

 “I’m sorry, darling,” Kella said without looking contrite in the least. “I shouldn’t laugh. Your being the most beautiful and magical of Nin-Kaa’s brood earns you no favors this time. You must woo Teema if she is your choice, and you must do it with passion. You’ll need to convince her heart, not her head, that you want only her.”

 “I do want Teema. How do I convince her?” Lionel craved to go into a full Gryphonic display, but he knew better than to do it in Kella’s home. The last time had resulted in several pieces of broken furniture, one ripped rug, and a scorched butt.

 Kella knew her foster son well. She shook a finger at him and pointed to the cavern entrance. “Don’t you dare transform and unfurl those wings in here! Go home now, and think about it, before you ruin my rug again with your talons. I don’t want to give you another mage bolt on your tail. Shoo!”

 Lionel knew better than to argue. Kella’s hair may’ve faded from fiery red to ginger and gray, but she was still a bloodthirsty Vampire sorceress with no mercy for her recalcitrant offspring -- fosterling, adopted, or of her body.

 “Oh, and Lionel?” Kella called when he reached the entrance.

 “Yes, ma’am?”

 “Take a bath. You stink, and her nose is more sensitive than yours. Now go cool your temper and think.”

 Thoroughly chastened, Lionel took off.

  

  

  

 Chapter 2

  

 Teema stormed up to her favorite cliff side and plopped down, still muttering under her breath. “Idiot! You don’t confuse logic and emotion. They’re mutually exclusive, you brainless Gryphon!”

 She stared down at the handful of catnip she’d snatched up on her way out the cavern entrance. “And even though I’m so angry at you, what do I do? I pick catnip for you anyway.” She sighed and shook her head. “That’s telling on me, isn’t it? The heart always wins over what the head says.”

 She put her chin on her knees and put her face into the wind. “My head says that I should run deep into the forest and submit before Aahz. I’d have the pups I so desperately want before the year was out.” She shuddered in revulsion. “But I don’t love Aahz. I love you, you feather-covered oaf. I want you to cover me and make me submit. Why can’t you just do that, instead of wrapping it all up in ugly bloodlines and cold logic?”

 She could imagine it so well, she cast an illusion before her. A magnificently naked Lionel, golden and strong, snatched the miniature Teema onto her toes and kissed her. He ripped the clothes from her body with one stroke of his sharp nails until she wore nothing but a few shreds. Teema, hot and willing, spread her legs, and straddled his erect cock, begging for what he could give with her body.

 The illusion-Lionel threw her on her back in his nest-bed and dove on top of her, giving Teema no chance to change her mind. She could see the tiny Teema cry out when he entered, not in pain but in ecstasy. Lionel ignored the clawing scratches raking his back while he used her ruthlessly. Both Teemas shuddered with need, longing for release.

 Lionel withdrew and flipped the writhing Teema on her stomach to use her as any good Werewolf might. He took what was his while the miniature Teema clawed the sheets of his nest to shreds and screeched silently. Her whole body moved with the force of Lionel’s plundering as she fought to remain on her hands and knees. Lionel roared his pleasure without sound and Teema shuddered beneath him, accepting his hot semen deep within her while she cried out with her own ecstasy.

 Aching and on the verge of tears, Teema dispelled the illusion.

 She heard the thunder of wings, and remained where she was, with her knees tucked under her chin, on the edge of the cliff. Lionel wasn’t about to get an apology out of her, no matter how he blustered and displayed. He’d get the bundle of catnip she held if Teema decided he’d groveled enough.

 “I’ve come to apologize and talk with you, Teema,” rumbled a feminine voice with a Gryphonic accent.

 Teema looked up into the dinner-plate sized eye of Nin-Kaa. “Why do you want to talk to me? Why do you wish to apologize? You weren’t the brainless oaf I turned into an ass.”

 Nin-Kaa chuckled in the trilling way of Gryphons. “The brainless oaf is my son, and Kella has explained to us what you found offensive. I’m sorry, my dear, that we seemed heartless. Especially since that bundle of catnip in your hands tells me you do love the brainless oaf.” Nin-Kaa sat down beside Teema, her one visible eye winking.

 Teema looked down at the catnip in her hands. There was no sense hiding it now. “Yes’m. I do love him,” she sighed. “I’ve been hopelessly in love with him for years. That is why I repeatedly refused to rejoin the pack. Aahz is a fine pack leader, but I’m…” She shrugged. “Uninterested is perhaps the best word.” Teema looked down at the pack lands, easily visible from the cliff. It was so dark and peaceful there among the trees. Why wasn’t it home to her?

 “Let me see if I understand. You can correct me if I am wrong, no?” Nin-Kaa put her beak into the wind and breathed deeply. “First and foremost, you want the emotion of love, if you can get it. Passion, if you can’t. Correct?”

 Teema nodded. “Yes, I do. Mama Kella has taught me love matters most. Moreover, I am a Werewolf. At a minimum I expect desire before I lift my tail for a male, but I’d rather get love.” It was so strange to have a conversation on this subject with Nin-Kaa. It was so clinical and orderly, it was as if they discussed not emotions but response patterns in prey animals.

 “Ah! That can happen, I think. There is more than this, no?”

 “Lionel wants kittens, doesn’t he?” Teema put her chin back on her knees.

 “Cubs, yes, he wants those. I think he is wanting fatherhood very much.” Nin-Kaa turned her head and caressed Teema’s cheek with the tip of her beak. “Your solution is simple. If you are not objecting to cubs and wish to attract Lionel, you must become a Gryphoness. You will have his passion at minimum, possibly his love, and his cubs, if you desire them.”

 Teema jumped to her feet still clutching the catnip. “I want him to love me for myself, not a form I can become!”

 Nin-Kaa didn’t move, but she gryph-grinned and her eyes gleamed. “Ah, but he is male. He thinks first with his groin. You attract him first, win his lust, and his heart will follow. Why do you think Gryphon males are called cocks, hmm?”

 Teema stood there in shock. Such a word never passed Kella’s lips, yet the truth was there. The humor of it bubbled up until she laughed. “Is that how you wedded Ayshen?” she giggled.

 “Ours was an arranged marriage. Our population is too small for love matches. Nevertheless, I was determined that Ayshen would care for me. I snuck away from my parents’ nest and flew aerobatics. He did not resist me,” she purred. “He strutted, and displayed while I pretended disinterest. When he could stand it no more, I allowed him the privilege of my body.” Nin-Kaa chuckled and they shared a look of feminine mystery. “You must do something similar. Lionel already favors you, since you were his sole choice, and spoken without thought. Now we must see to it you win his lust. You must become a Gryphon and fly.”

 “I’ve never mastered an avian form,” Teema sighed.

 “We are not truly avian, my dear,” Nin-Kaa pointed out, and stood. “Take a good look. Four feet and fur, like a feline, begin it all. Your natural form has four feet and fur. Start there. We must work on wings and a proper Gryphon face once you become feline. Gradually is the way.”

 Teema studied Nin-Kaa’s form from chest to tail. “Feline, I may manage. Let me try.” She relaxed into her usual gray lupine form, with tail wagging. “What have I got to lose?” she mind-spoke. After but one failure, a gray-brown lioness stood where a wolf once stalked.

 “You are an unusual color, but that is to the good. Do not change that,” Nin-Kaa said with satisfaction. “Walk around for a moment, and feel the grace of movement.”

 Teema walked carefully away from the edge, and then with more surety. “Oh, my! Everything flows from one movement to the next. Oh, this feels so good!” When she stopped and returned to Nin-Kaa’s side, her purr rumbled and matched Nin-Kaa’s own purr. The bundle of catnip tempted her nose, but Nin-Kaa swatted gently at the catnip, and put it between her paws.

 “It would make you drunk right now, my dear. We’ve too much to do to indulge. We will celebrate with it after you have wings and a beak to resist it. Now let us start with the wings. Try on your own first. It is better if you do it without me transforming you.”

 “It is no wonder Lionel likes it. I can even smell it from here. Yes, let me try first.”

 The first attempt wasn’t a good one, or the second. The third was very close indeed -- enough that they decided a small bit of Nin-Kaa’s magic would finish the job. “My little bit of help will see to it you experience and know the shape of a Gryphon. You will be able to do it again thereafter.”

 A small flash of magic passed between them. Teema immediately felt the difference. Her wings, once heavy, were lighter, though they remained the gray and brown that matched her fur. Her eyesight sharpened, and elicited a gasp from the Gryphonic beak. “Every blade of grass is in sharp focus!” she cried, and ran to the cliff edge. “Oh, look how far I can see! There’s a rabbit in the meadow! It looks tasty! There’s Mama Kella in her garden. Oh, her red dress looks so bright!”

 “Yes, Teema. You see with a Gryphon’s sight now. Your instincts are that of a Gryphon fledgling that has not yet flown, though your wings are fully feathered. It is time to learn to fly. Are you ready for your first lesson?”

 Teema’s young Gryphoness beak gaped with a smile. “Oh, yes, ma’am!”

 Nin-Kaa chuckle-trilled, and Teema for the first time heard the true range of Gryphon speech, well above what even she heard as a lupine. “Then let us hope I can get you in the air in an hour or two. Look by the lake and tell me what you see.”

 Teema did as commanded, and beheld Lionel enjoying a splashing Gryphon bath near the lakeshore. She’d watched him from the shore many times throughout their childhood, and knew the fountain of water a bathing Gryphon created. His favorite sunning rock for drying his feathers was nearby, and if he followed his usual pattern, he’d sun for the next several hours. Her purr and swishing tail were all the answer Nin-Kaa needed.

 “We will make my son lust for a flying Gryphoness soon enough. One he does not know, and can’t have. He has made his choice, and for honor must abide by his decision. You will arouse him, and then you will…” Nin-Kaa whispered the plan to her future daughter-in-law. “You can do this, yes?”

 Teema trilled her laughter. “Oh, yes! I can do that.”

 “Then let us begin your lesson! Open your wings. I will not let you take to the air until I am assured you will not fall. We have much to do in the space of an hour or two!”

 * * *

 Lionel rolled over onto his back, so the underside of his wings caught the late afternoon sun. He took a nap on his sunning rock, and the sun baked the last of the tiredness from his body. He knew he looked silly with his belly to the sky. Teema used to tell him that often enough while she sunbathed naked beside him in her human form, with a blanket beneath her. His tail flopped in agitation.

 Her shadowy brown hair was lighter then, when they were innocent adolescents who used the lake and rock often. The sun bleached the brown to a dark gold, and her gray eyes turned to silver in the light.

 Lionel remembered his adolescent lust for Teema. Even before he’d finished maturing, he’d gone to great lengths to prevent her from seeing it. Even now, he felt the familiar tightening. She’d teased him often enough about staying exclusively in Gryphon form, and didn’t know it was for her own protection that he used his human form so rarely. Humans were always in season, and his cock would often rise without warning. At least in Gryphon form such things were hidden from view merely by sitting.

 “And now you’ve bungled it, old bird,” he said to himself. “You’ve insulted the one female in the valley who might be queen to your cock. Moreover, I don’t know how to make amends.”

 He was perversely both glad and sorry Brolly and Shadow had a birthing to attend in the Herd. He wouldn’t see them until tomorrow at the earliest. Unicorn births were notoriously difficult and slow. Shadow would laugh at his folly and Brolly would suggest hunting up another female.

 A shadow and movement caught his eye, flashing in and out of the sun behind him. It was too small to be a Dragon, and too large to be a Harpy. Perhaps one of his family flew around. Even Nin-Kaa’s interfering nosiness was welcome. She’d at least understand he hadn’t meant to insult Teema. She, as a queen, might have a suggestion or two! He leapt to his feet.

 Lionel sat down hard when he got a good look at the Gryphoness flying in and out of the clouds and sun. It wasn’t Nin-Kaa, or his sister. Whoever this was, he didn’t know her. By all the gods, this queen was stunning! She was gray and brown in the most unusual patterns he’d ever seen! It wasn’t goshawk patterns marked in the feathers of her wings, or any of the great predator birds, but a beauty so unique there were no words for it. His beak gaped open and his tongue lolled out. He shut his beak with a snap, but didn’t bother to try to control his tail, which flopped around like a fish.

 Whoever this queen was, she flew for the sheer joy of being in the air. Often she didn’t bother to tuck her legs for more aerodynamic flight, but rather ran in the air as if it were solid ground. It wasn’t the most efficient way to fly but it was more artistic.

 Lionel couldn’t control his physical reaction any more than he could control his instinctive need to go into full display. This queen aroused his lust as well as his interest in a way that defied description. His wings snapped open, his feathers fluffed, and he found himself poised to leap into the sky before he shook himself to awareness.

 “Hold on, old bird. You made your choice,” he muttered regretfully to himself. “No graceful queen with pretty feathers will make you lose your honor.” Lionel paced back and forth on his rock and fought the desire to meet a beautiful Gryphoness in the air. “Teema is worth ten times a momentary flirtation.” He repeated that like a mantra, until she landed in the grass before his rock.

 The Gryphoness put her head to one side and studied Lionel as he paced and tried not to display. “My, what a handsome cock you are!” she purred.

 Lionel backed up as she walked closer and put her front paws up on his rock. This strange Gryphoness was oddly forward in her interest. She even crossed her paws, as a human might cross their arms on the table. This wasn’t correct at all! Wasn’t he the one who was supposed to interest a lady? “I… I… um… Hello,” he stammered.

 “Hello yourself,” she gryph-grinned. “Well, if you won’t invite me up, I shall invite myself.” With that bold statement, she leapt up upon the rock and sidled up to rub her body along the entire length of Lionel’s body.

 Lionel backed up so hard and so fast, he nearly fell off the rock, but scrambled at the last minute to save himself from an ignominious landing. He thought fast and made the sound that was the equivalent of a human clearing their throat. “I’m done with this rock now. You are welcome to sunbathe upon it if you wish. I’ll… I’ll just go now.”

 “Don’t you find me attractive?” The Gryphoness sprawled full-length out on the rock and gave a stretch that made Lionel damn his honor while he vowed desperately to keep it intact.

 Lionel decided he needed to be honest. Surely, this Gryphoness understood a vow and wouldn’t defile it. “Yes, lovely queen, I do find you attractive. However, I’m vowed to another. Please don’t tempt me further, I beg.”

 The Gryphoness sat up and was serious. “You must love her very much then, do you not?” She tilted her magnificent eagle head to one side, just as a human might.

 However improper the question was, Lionel felt it only honest to answer “Yes,” and he felt his feathers slick down. “But she doesn’t love me.” His head hung for a moment, and then he snapped, “Oh, leave me to my misery!” He was in the sky and flying home before he realized it.

 * * *

 Teema chuckled to herself as she stretched out on the rock. “So, your mother knows you well after all. Most encouraging. Since her plan works, I’ll prepare myself for phase two.” She spread her wings and flew off to where Nin-Kaa waited.

  

  

  

 Chapter 3

  

 Lionel lay down in his nest with his feet propped on the edge, and his arms under his head. Under normal circumstances, he enjoyed the special bed Kella made for him out of linked pillows filled with his own feathers from previous molts. It was the shape of a nest, but was infinitely more comfortable than sticks poking him in soft spots of his anatomy. However, this afternoon his temper was so foul, no creature comfort softened his mood.

 “Lionel!” came a shout from the entrance. Brolly and Shadow stood silhouetted in the late afternoon light. They didn’t wait for Lionel’s permission, but as usual stepped right on in. Once Brolly got a good look at Lionel, he remarked, “It’s worse than we thought it’d be, Shadow. Well, what brothers would we be if we didn’t try to cheer you up?”

 “Alive brothers?” Lionel growled.

 Brolly laughed and dumped his basket on the floor. The tantalizing smell of roasted meat made Lionel sit up and look much more interested in the basket. “You might continue breathing awhile longer. Is that Kella’s roast boar I smell?”

 “And honey cakes baked by her own hands. She threw our sisters out of the kitchen when she realized you’ve not tasted home cooking in the many months since you left.”

 Shadow retrieved his own dinner, a huge bowl of some nauseating looking salad. Lionel carefully didn’t look at him. Lionel was one of the few of the family who got sick when he ate most vegetables, though bread-like items were possible in small amounts.

 He fell to eating, and used the plates and forks Brolly found in his tiny cabinet. He generously shared the meat with Brolly, and divided the honey cakes equally.

 “Come join us in a glass of wine after you finish that, Lionel, won’t you?” Brolly muttered, trying to talk around a mouthful of succulent boar meat.

 Soon enough all three brothers enjoyed the wine Shadow provided. The ebullient Brolly was the first to bring up the dreaded conversation topic Lionel feared.

 “So! I understand you chose Teema to be your mate, is that correct?” Brolly asked, his voice rich with sympathy.

 “Yes, she is my choice. I fear it is an unhappy one. She turned me into an ass. I’m sure you heard about that. Now I wonder at the wisdom of my choice.” He looked at Brolly and complained, “I don’t understand why you Werewolves have to put emotion into what is already a complicated situation. Teema is the most logical choice.” Lionel took another sip of his wine before continuing, “Emotion just clutters up the issue.”

 “But that is the issue, isn’t it? We Werewolves are a passionate lot and you can’t change our nature. If Teema is the one you want, you’d better start thinking like a Werewolf and not like a Gryphon. A little passion wouldn’t kill you, you know!”

 “But I haven’t the foggiest notion on how to act like a Werewolf! I’m a Gryphon.” Lionel crossed his legs and adjusted his trews. How did one change his nature that far? You were affected by the nature of your form only so far! The spirit within remained the same. He was a Gryphon, no matter what form he took!

 Just then, Shadow snickered. “Then I guess you must give him a lesson in Werewolf sex, Furball.”

 Lionel felt himself flush, and growled, “Fuck you, Horse Face.”

 “You aren’t my type, however much I care for you.” Shadow popped the last leaf of his salad into his mouth and washed it down with a gulp of wine.

 Brolly jumped up. “Actually that’s not bad idea. I’ll bet you’ve no idea how we choose our mates, do you, Lionel?”

 “Of course not! I don’t do it in the woods like you do.”

 “No, you do it on the wing in front of everybody who happens to look up! Do you want to hear or don’t you?” Brolly laughed when Lionel raised an eyebrow. “People do look up now and then, you know!”

 “I suppose it can’t hurt to learn what Teema expects,” Lionel replied, chagrined. He fiddled with his empty wineglass. It couldn’t be that different. Sex was sex. It was the slippery friction between genitals. Technique was what separated a thinking creature from the beasts.

 “First and foremost, it is we males who make the first move and do the choosing. Bitches have no say, though they may indicate interest in one male over another. The pack leader gets first pick of the bitches, and we take what is left for our choices. That is why I don’t run with the pack. I want first choice, not second best.” Brolly gave a snort worthy of Shadow.

 “So Teema expects me to be the aggressor? She expects no choice? That doesn’t march with the Teema I know.” Lionel couldn’t reconcile this new information. He scratched his head.

 “Ah, but therein lies the rub,” agreed Shadow. “Mother taught her to be more independent than that. Teema expects the right to say no, but wants a male to want her and show it. In some ways, her view is more like that of a Unicorn filly than a Werewolf.” Shadow laughed, and toasted his brothers before he sipped his wine.

 “Exactly!” Brolly, who paced back and forth, turned and pointed to Shadow. “You’ve got the meat of it. She expects you to be the aggressor, Lionel, but reserves the right to say no.” That feral grin reminded Lionel that for all Brolly was a gentle and giving healer, he still was a predator just like himself.

 “This is most difficult to understand!” Lionel complained. “I’m to be aggressive, but I must back off if she says no? Are these not direct opposites?” He shook his head.

 “Females of all races are confusing!” Brolly and Shadow chimed simultaneously.

 After his foster brothers left, Lionel pondered what they said. He got up from the chair, still in humanoid form, to pace as Brolly did. It helped to do something, even if it served no useful purpose. “However lovely the Gryphoness of the afternoon was, no matter how much I wanted to fly her, I have my honor. However, honor makes a cold and lonely nest to sleep in. Logic demands I approach Teema and apologize for insulting her. Our friendship earns that, at least.” He picked up a small crystal she made for him during their mage training, merely to hold a small part of her.

 “Friendship isn’t what I want from Teema anymore. I want her also as a mate. The question is, how to approach her? Could I be the aggressor? Well, yes, I can manage that. How does one approach a Werebitch? Simply walk up and take? That seems a bit harsh and overdone.” If it weren’t Teema herself he needed to approach, he’d ask her for advice. “Blast it all, this needing a mate disrupts a perfectly well-ordered and logical life. I’ll go find Teema right now and settle the issue like the good friends we are. Together, there might be a solution.” He put down the crystal in its place on a small table, where it caught the morning light.

 He turned to go to the cliff edge where he’d transform and fly down, but Teema stood there already. Instead of her usual gray tunic and trousers, she wore a green gown cut so low in front his human mouth watered. Her brown hair was loose instead of braided, and her eyes glittered in the afternoon light. “May I come in?” she asked.

 * * *

 Teema waited at the cave entrance for admittance, unsure of her reception. Lionel might still be angry at being turned into an ass, no matter what Nin-Kaa said. The three females, Teema, Kella, and Nin-Kaa, had put their collective heads together and planned a seduction, which Kella declared “no fail.” Flying up here was no difficulty, but transforming her normal -- and much warmer -- clothing to this excuse for a dress made her hands shake with fear as well as cold.

 Lionel gaped at her like he’d lost what wits he’d possessed before he nodded. No wonder. He was in humanoid form, and therefore much more susceptible to emotions and, yes, lust.

 Teema glanced down at the bulge in his trews before she swept by him to go to the fire. The thought of what that bulge represented made her wet and threw her into heat.

 Lionel realized what his body showed because he cleared his throat and stammered like a lack-wit, “I was just going outside to transform and…”

 “Find me. Yes, I know,” Teema grinned. She conjured a mage fire to produce a little heat as well as light. She’d be damned if she’d get naked and frolic while she shivered. “You were talking to yourself.”

 “I was?”

 “Yes, you were. I’ll be happy to tell you how to approach a Werebitch if you’re interested to know. I may even show you.” Teema shot him her best seductive “come hither” look over her shoulder. “There! The fire will warm up the cave quick as a wink, if you’ll seal the entrance. It’s a bit chilly if you don’t have fur or feathers to keep you warm.” To make sure, she sealed the entrance herself with a light mage shield.

 Lionel sat down on the divan he kept for Shadow to sit upon. It was closest, and he made a vain attempt to cover his hard-on with his tunic. Belatedly, he offered, “I’d be happy to change back to Gryphon and warm you with my wings if you wish. You should’ve brought a cloak if you insist on being in human form.”

 Teema shrugged and sat down next to him on the divan. “I didn’t think of it. Don’t you dare transform. I like you this way.” She reached up to stroke the hard biceps under his sleeve. “You make an extremely attractive human, you know, with that tawny hair like a lion’s mane and those big eyes like amber. You made this form as big and strong as a human can be without over-doing it.”

 “I, uh, copied Shadow a bit.” He held himself rigid, as if afraid to move.

 “And wisely so. However, you made the chest broader to reflect your strength of wing. Did you do it on purpose?” She stroked a pectoral muscle to emphasize this was no clinical analysis, no matter what her words said.

 “No, it just feels more natural. Teema, what’re you doing? Human form is…” His gaze fell on the floor.

 “Always in season. Yes, I know. In fact, I’m depending upon it. I’m showing you how to be the aggressor, of course.” She reached down, took his right hand, and put it to her breast before she squirmed close enough to nibble on his ear. “You’ll show me you can be passionate, won’t you?” she whispered, alternating licks and nibbles to his earlobe with her words.

 His hand cupped her breast willingly. “I think I can manage that,” he purred. “But shouldn’t we wear less clothing?”

 “Mmmm… good point.” Teema released his earlobe and started to wriggle away, but Lionel’s large hand closed on the neck of her gown and ripped it away with one pull.

 “Is that more aggressive?” he asked, with his amber eyes wide and innocent.

 Teema looked down at her naked body in the shreds of her dress, and nodded. She was thoroughly wet with need now, from that one gesture of dominance. “That’s more like it, Lionel. Can you manage more?” she begged.

 “I think so,” he laughed, and pinned Teema to the seat of the divan, throwing her backwards until her head dangled over the edge. “I’m beginning to like this,” came a soft growl before he inched forward to lap gently at one pink nipple. One hand released her to cup that breast and bring it up to become a mouthful.

 Teema heard her own growl of response. If she could’ve moved, she might have spread fully beneath him, but she was effectively pinned except for the one free hand that crept up and fisted in his hair.

 Lionel paid no attention to her hand in his hair, but nibbled and nipped, and reveled in her tiny gasps and pants. He lingered until the nipple was swollen and hard as the rock walls of his cave before he bit his way to the other, nipping gently at the underside of each where the white flesh was tender. “Now here’s meat to nibble upon, but never chew,” he remarked to the new pink nipple before giving it the same treatment as its twin.

 “Oh, really? We’ve shared many a bone between us, Lionel, but I’ve got a bone in mind that also needs nibbling upon,” Teema panted. She used the thigh trapped between his legs to caress the hardness she found there, making sure he understood her meaning.

 Lionel gave one last nip to the little pink rock in his mouth before he released her. His eyes gleamed in the firelight, reminding her he was a much larger carnivore than she was, under any circumstances. It gave Teema a thrill to know he was larger and stronger. She was sure he’d have all she had to give by the night’s end.

 “If that is to be so, my darling, then I must make you wait there long enough for me to remove my own clothes, as you’re too little to remove them as I did your gown.” He grinned, showing white teeth that had recently clamped themselves around her tender flesh. “And I think you might be better for the anticipation, hmm?” His hands went to the laces of his tunic and untied them with teasing slowness.

 Teema grinned back at him, knowing as well as he she could’ve removed his clothes with a wisp of her magic, but willing to watch him strip out of his tunic and trews. She made to sit up to get a better view, but found a large hand holding her down.

 “No, you don’t,” he chuckled. His tunic went over his head in a flash, leaving him standing in a linen shirt and his brown trews.

 “But I want to watch,” she pouted. “With my head upside down, I can’t appreciate fully.” She wouldn’t admit that from this angle she caught a wonderful view of the bulge in his trews, and it made her mouth water.

 With his shirt coming up over his head, the sight of the full size of his hardness made her gasp, but Lionel answered, “Too true, love. Patience is a virtue, you know.” He began to unroll his trews, and as he bent down, his full hair obscured what was undoubtedly a magnificent sight. When he stood, the full glory of his erection revealed itself.

 Teema’s eyes widened. That was more than a mouthful, and certainly more than she’d ever accepted into her body before!

 With an evil grin, Lionel snatched her from the couch, and carried her upside down toward the bed. With her head so near his cock, Teema couldn’t resist. She took as much as she could into her mouth.

 A low, growling moan and a cessation of forward movement told her she succeeded in surprising Lionel, but he planned one of his own. With one hand holding her in position, he took one of her legs and threw it over his head to bury his face in her juices.

 Teema concentrated, emitting growls and tiny moans to signify when he hit the right spots, and went to work on his pleasure. Her hair brushed the floor with the bobbing of her head, moving up and down on the largest cock she’d ever attempted to swallow. Giggles threatened thinking about the appellation many bitches gave the male anatomy, since it was also the title of a male Gryphon. Scraping her teeth on the underside was accidental, but his moans indicated he liked it, so she was happy to oblige.

 Lionel lifted his head to warn, “I’m going to sit, Teema, and then we’ll fall into my nest. I’ve got you, I promise.”

 “Mmmm!” was Teema’s response. Then they fell over the edge. Teema knew it wasn’t far to the soft inner mattress from the pillowed edge ring that gave the nest its shape, but it seemed to happen in slow motion. Lionel’s impossibly strong arms held her in position. Teema released his cock to avoid biting, but as soon as the bed stopped bouncing, she sucked the tip back in her mouth ready for more. The warm, spicy smell of Gryphon filled her nostrils, reminding her of whose bed she was in, no matter what form he took.

 She tried to scramble to her knees, but Lionel flipped her expertly onto her back. “I can’t let you have any superior position, you know, if I’m to be the one in charge,” he laughed. Before she could protest, Lionel moved off her and down to between her legs. “But I reserve the right to enjoy any tasty flesh that pleases me, and this satisfies a sweet tooth I’ve not indulged in some time,” he murmured before plunging in. His hands pushed her knees until she was exposed utterly to him.

 Teema covered a shriek as he found her clit and ruthlessly attacked it. The sound of her voice echoed and bounced off the cave walls. Her sensitive Werewolf nose filled with the smells of aroused bodies, overriding the spicy scent of Gryphon, and enhancing her pleasure. Teema’s world focused on what Lionel’s tongue and lips did. Her hand fisted in his hair once more, as her pleasure peaked. “Lionel, oh gods, don’t stop. Please, don’t stop!”

 Lionel didn’t stop, but took a finger and plunged it into her wet pussy and pumped. Teema gasped, was still for a moment, like a Gryphon poised to jump from a cliff, and then she soared, screaming. Lionel lapped happily, ensuring she flew to the sun before he allowed her to subside and return. When he lifted his face, his finger remained inside, and he slowly withdrew it as she shuddered and peaked repeatedly.

 Teema held out her arms, eyes glazed and still panting, and begged for what she didn’t have the strength or wit to ask aloud. She spread her legs wide, and lifted her hips. “Please,” she panted. “Please!”

 “Insatiable, insatiable,” Lionel chuckled. He knelt between her knees, hands near her shoulders, and cock now poised at the threshold. Rubbing her clit with the head, he closed his eyes with pleasure before inching in, bit by bit.

 Teema gasped, and clenched her legs tightly around him, willing herself to open and allow so much inside. Even his slow entrance caused multiple orgasms, causing her to clench and release around his huge cock. Finally, he was buried deep inside.

 Lionel trembled above her and Teema opened her eyes to see the strain on his face. “Have me!” she begged. “Take it all, Lionel!” Her hands clawed at his back, pleading with her body just as much as with her voice.

 Teema knew instantly when his control snapped, and he plunged wildly, ramming into her with no mercy or quarter asked for, or given. Pounding ruthlessly, he took what she offered until her body released and relaxed, allowing him full access. His breath came in great pants, and the musky smell of male in full arousal overwhelmed everything else. The sound of flesh meeting flesh echoed around the cave chamber in time with his ragged breaths and Teema’s continued cries urged him onward as her orgasm began again.

 Without warning, he stopped, still breathing heavily, and fully inserted within.

 Teema focused her eyes. Lionel gazed down at her, as if memorizing her face at this moment. Then he reluctantly withdrew. “No,” she begged. “More, please, more.”

 A ragged, panting growl answered. “More you shall have, my lovely bitch. However, I wish to take you as a Werewolf might, from behind. To do that…” With a grunt, he was out. “You must be…” He flipped her over, and lifted her hips while she panted. “On your stomach!” His cock, still slick with her juices, caressed, and found the opening. He plunged in, and filled her while she shrieked her pleasure.

 Never had Teema been filled so completely, or treated so ruthlessly, as Lionel now buried himself repeatedly with greater power and faster speed. Teema found her face in the sidewalls of the nest, buried her face there, and tore the mattress with her fingers. The echoes, filling her ears as if hundreds of bitches screamed in multiple ecstasies, multiplied Teema’s cries.

 A low, inarticulate growl filled the chamber, growing louder and louder, drowning out her cries as Lionel built up to his own orgasm. He roared like a lion, and his hands grasped her buttocks, firmly holding on as he buried himself to the hilt hard and fast.

 When Teema was sure his voice would surely be lost, Lionel gave one long screech and plunged in so deeply she thought he might rip her in two. Tiny jerks told her he’d given himself completely, but she exhorted him more, begging him to fill her with all he had, and he obliged.

 When Lionel was spent, he collapsed on Teema’s back, managing to put down his hands to keep from crushing her. Teema, in soft, encouraging whispers, lowered him gently until he laid full length upon her, with nothing but his powerful arms to mitigate the weight.

 They rested there until their breathing became less labored and the air around them chilled. Lionel’s penis softened, and gave her one intimate caress on the clit before separating itself from her body to rest between her thighs.

 Nothing had prepared Teema for such a performance from the male she loved. She made her decision to be his mate and bear his young. She would become a Gryphon, and fly.

 Finally, Lionel rolled onto his back, gathering Teema in his arms. “Thank you, Teema,” he whispered. “It may not be traditional with your people, but among mine it is polite to thank a lady for the use of her body.”

 “I’ve no objections to courtesy, Lionel,” Teema assured him. “And I thank you for the most wonderful experience I’ve ever had. Truly.” She played with the hairs on his chest, and snuggled into his shoulder. “I’ve but one question,” she said, and then hesitated.

 “What is that, my love?”

 “When will you be up for another round?”

 Lionel laughed, and rolled on top. “Now,” he answered, and bent down for a long, lingering kiss.

 Teema concluded happily, there were ways to fly without wings.

  

  

  

 Chapter 4

  

 Teema woke feeling warm and safe, snuggled in Lionel’s arms. Getting out of the nest was problematical, because Lionel had her effectively pinned. He took up a large portion of the available space, no more used to sharing than she, but at least Teema ended up with the blanket she’d conjured before they fell asleep. The need to get up became urgent.

 Easing her hair out from under Lionel and getting his heavy arm off without waking him took time. Her bladder threatened to burst, but finally she was free. Standing naked beside the nest, Teema conjured her favorite tunic and pants. Then she snuck out the cavern entrance, changed to Gryphon, and took off to glide down to the meadow for a bit of privacy.

  

 Lionel woke as Teema turned to leave, blinking sleepily. With her hair tangled, and her eyes still full of sleep, she was the loveliest creature in the world to him. By the time it registered she was leaving it was too late. He sprang out of the blanket and peered over the nest edge, intending on calling her back. He was in time to see Teema change into the Gryphoness who’d tempted him to break his honor the day before.

 With his mouth hanging open, his fury rose. “What game are you playing, bitch?” he snarled to himself as she lazily caught a thermal and glided out of sight.

 He clawed his way out of the nest, so furious he forgot he was stark naked until the cold of the morning air touched his most private parts. Never one to enjoy morning, this served to double his fury. “I am not understanding,” he growled, losing his command of human tongue and reverting to Gryphonic syntax. “A deception this is? In honor, I stayed. Lied, you did!”

 He couldn’t hold on to a human form, and didn’t wish to do so. In a full rage, his talons clawed the packed earth floor, and his wings mantled. “Have this out now, we will!” He hit the cliff edge running, soared, with an eagle’s scream torn from his betrayed heart.

  

 Teema sighed with relief, still in Gryphon form. “There are many advantages to being a Gryphon,” she mused to herself. “I love this more than I ever thought I would. I’ve a thousand questions to ask Lionel when he wakes. I’ll go hunt up a nice deer for us to share, and…”

 A Gryphon’s scream above warned her, as Lionel stooped before landing. Now she saw a Gryphon cock in a towering rage, wings outstretched, talons raking the ground, and eagle eyes looking at her like prey.

 Gryphonic instinct took over, and her feathers slicked. Teema’s head went down in a gesture of submission she understood only dimly. “Lionel, what is wrong?” she begged, backing up. He was terrifying!

 “Lied, you did! Why did you not tell me you were the Gryphoness who tempted me? Deceived, I am! In honor, I stayed when you tempted me to disobey! WHY?”

 Horror and shame made Teema’s nares flush. If she’d been in human form her face would be red, and she looked down at the ground. She backed up further without answering.

 Lionel took this for an admittance of guilt. “YOU LIED!” he roared. Birds and small creatures fled the meadow.

 Out of the corner of her eye, she saw movement. Kella’s household heard his roar. From up the hill, at the entrance to their foster home, several figures boiled out. Such was his rage it seemed to Teema as if it didn’t matter to him if the whole world heard.

 “No, Lionel, I didn’t lie,” Teema cried. She changed back to her human form. “I was afraid!”

 “Afraid you were? Afraid of what?” he demanded.

 “Afraid you wouldn’t love me as I am!” she sobbed. “You mother taught me to become a Gryphon so I could give you kittens.” Yesterday was the most beautiful day of her life. Learning to fly and finally spending time in Lionel’s arms was the fulfillment of lifelong dreams. Now they were hollow victories.

 “Cubs, damn it! Cubs!” he interrupted.

 “I like kittens!” Teema shouted back. “But I was fearful you’d love the Gryphoness and not me! Did you really love me , or was I merely a bad second choice? You proved me wrong, Lionel, or at least I thought so!”

 “Honored my vow, I did!” Lionel roared.

 Tears streaming down her face, Teema looked up as Shadow and Brolly pounded into the meadow. So intent on reaching the scene, they’d not bothered to change from their humanoid forms. Brolly still held the remains of his breakfast in his hand.

 She looked back at Lionel, her face now bitter. She hoped he’d hear the tinkle of her heart breaking. “So it wasn’t love that kept you from the Gryphoness’ temptation, but your stupid honor. You can’t know how sorry that makes me.” She shot a significant look at Brolly, who stood there in open-mouthed shock.

 “You aren’t sorry you deceived me?” Lionel demanded. His talons raked the ground, tearing huge furrows.

 “No, Lionel, I’m not sorry. I might’ve been if we’d not had this little chat,” Teema answered, her lip curling and her voice dripping with sarcasm. “I went to you last night, sure of your devotion, but wanted one last proof -- a night of love with Teema, not a pretty Gryphoness. I would’ve happily shown you my new form when I came back this morning, sure we’d fly to the sun together, and I’d give you kittens.” Another dream shattered. She had so looked forward to being a mother.

 “Cubs,” he muttered.

 “It doesn’t matter now, does it?” Teema tossed her hair. “You’ve proven to me your honor means more to you than love. I hope you enjoy the cold bed honor brings you.” She turned and started to walk away, but stopped and looked over her shoulder. “I became a Gryphon for you, Lionel. I would’ve learned how to live in the sky for you. Would you learn lupine to interest me? Would you learn the passions of the Werefolk? I doubt it.” With that, she transformed into a wolf and ran toward the forest, lost from sight.

 * * *

 Lionel stood as if rooted to the spot, beak hanging open, as a lonely howl sounded. “I am not understanding,” he said softly to the breeze.

 “Would you like an explanation, from a Werewolf point of view?” said Brolly’s voice from behind him.

 “Yes, in simple terms a Gryphon can understand,” sniggered Shadow. Many creatures could not stand up to the look Lionel shot him. Shadow laughed, as always.

 “All this before breakfast,” complained Lionel. A deer appeared out of thin air with a startled look, courtesy of Shadow’s magic, and Lionel got a short chase to relieve his frustrations before settling down to eat with typical Gryphon greed.

 Shadow and Brolly, after years of sharing meals with their foster brother, were not offended. Shadow resumed his normal shape and knelt in the grass of the meadow with the perfect grace of the Unicorns. Between gnawing on his own bone, Brolly settled down with his back comfortably against Shadow’s side like a giant gray pillow. Finally, Brolly tossed his bone into the tall grasses where it made a fine meal for insects and small scavengers. “All right then! We’ve all broken our fast, and I think your temper has cooled a bit by now. What happened? Start at the beginning.”

 With most of the deer now residing in his crop, Lionel was in a much better frame of mind and spoke calmly. “Yesterday, I met a Gryphoness at the lake where I have my sunning rock.” Both brothers nodded, knowing the place well. “She tried hard to seduce me to fly with her, but I chose Teema and resisted. My honor demanded this.”

 Shadow’s horn flashed silver in the sunlight as he nodded again. Brolly was more vocal. “I got that part. That was Teema in disguise. Why didn’t you tell us you’d met a Gryphoness?”

 “It was unimportant. I resisted her temptations. I am for Teema.” Lionel glanced at the forest where Teema fled, with an ache in his chest. “After you left last night, Teema came to me. She was in human form and extremely seductive. This time there was no need to resist. She said she was teaching me to be aggressive, like a Werewolf male was. It was,” he hesitated, “good.” Good was hardly the word, but he didn’t have the words to describe the events of the night. “I thought I achieved the passions of a Werewolf. She seemed pleased.”

 Brolly howled with laughter. “Sex is not all the passions of a Werewolf, dear brother! Go on! This becomes a good comedy of errors.”

 Lionel shot him a baleful look. “It isn’t comedy to me. This morning when I awoke, I saw Teema change into the Gryphoness. I was angry at the deception. I flew down to confront her. I’ll have no deception with my mate.”

 Shadow shuddered to give Brolly warning, then stood up and shimmered back to human. Brolly scrambled out of the way. “Let me see if I understand the situation, Lionel. She has now refused to be your mate twice. If I understand Gryphon conventions, if she refuses you a third time, you’ve no claim upon her, or she on you. Is that correct?”

 This was a side of Shadow Lionel rarely saw. The son of the Herd Stallion spoke now, titular heir to the ruler of the entire Valley. That indefinable cloak of dignity settled on Shadow’s shoulders. Shadow participated in the judgment council presided over by the Herd Stallion, or his designate. Shadow often performed this duty under the watchful eye of the Stallion, Tanne Brae.

 Lionel responded to his brother’s dignity with the respect due him, and bowed his head. It was not often Shadow assumed the mantle, but when he did, it commanded respectful answers. “That’s correct. It isn’t a legal bonding until she has flown in the skies with me.”

 Lionel stirred, reminded that the lovely Gryphoness who tempted him was his beloved Teema. He pictured them in the skies, with her shooting him a “come hither” look from those incredible eyes. What was he angry about? He couldn’t remember.

 “Then, my dear brother, you’ve but one chance left to make Teema fly with you. The fact she can do so should make you want her all the more,” Shadow said, with a purely male look of satisfaction. He raised one eyebrow in a canny imitation of his father. “It should make you as hard as your sunning rock that the bitch you love can also be the mate of your dreams.”

 Brolly stood and joined Shadow. In a voice so full of earnestness and sincerity, it was unlike Brolly, he said, “It all comes down to this question, Lionel. Do you want Teema, and Teema only? Do you love her enough to prove it and erase all her doubts?”

 The intensity of the question startled Lionel into answering in the same vein. “I’d do anything to prove I love Teema. Yet all I do isn’t good enough. I showed honor and devotion. I made love to her as thoroughly and as passionately as I know how. I don’t know how to prove it further.” What was he supposed to do? Turn into some sexual acrobat?

 Brolly laughed, returning to his usual self. “The answer is simple, Lionel. She already gave it to you. You must become a Werewolf and prove your affection in a way a Werewolf understands. Think on it. I’ll be on the edge of pack lands most of the day today. You will be able to spot me from the air easily enough in the red shirt I’m wearing. Shad and I will be gathering herbs. Let us know what you decide, won’t you?”

 With that, Brolly turned and gave Shadow a courtly bow. “And now, Great Prince of the Unicorns, if you’d be so kind as to provide me a ride and my tools, we’ll get to work!”

 “Great Prince, my ass. You try it sometime, Fur Face. Why can’t you be magical enough to fetch your own damn basket of tools, hmm?” With that, Shadow changed, complete with saddle and the disputed basket fastened to the saddle horn.

 Brolly laughed louder and mounted up. “You thought me plenty magical the last time, when you decided you must try making love with a Dragoness who caught your eye. How long did it take me to heal you from that little tryst, hmm?”

 Shadow didn’t bother answering, but bucked a little before turning toward the forest and giving Brolly a jolting ride for a few steps. Brolly’s protests lingered on the breeze long after they were out of sight.

 Lionel flew to the cliffs above his nest. He hoped, with the wind in his face, he’d clear the miasma of churning thoughts and settle things into a logical pattern. There was no need yet to go to the edge, and he needed to pace without the temptation to fly around and accomplish nothing. So he paced among the rocks, even sharpening his claws on a convenient log, just for the sake of tearing into something.

 What was it Teema said that Brolly felt was the clue? Yes, his honor meant a great deal to him. However, so did Teema. This didn’t fit. He tried talking to her. However, the time was long past for conversation. Talk was based on the assumption that you can get somewhere if you keep putting words together. Words had failed. He closed his eyes and forced himself not to keen.

 He’d tried to make love. It wasn’t his first time, or hers, and he personally believed both found pleasure. That too wasn’t enough.

 He sat down to preen, and was a bit too vigorous in his frustration. A wing feather broke, and fell out. Caught by the wind, it floated away and became lodged against a rock. Lionel’s gaze followed the feather, half in irritation he’d lost a perfectly good feather, and half envying the lazy flight. When the wind blew it against the rock, his eye caught a tiny flash of red in the grass surrounding the rock.

 Curious, he saw the red was a small ribbon tied around a withered bundle of catnip. The catnip bundle was wedged into a cleft in the rock along with a tuft of gray fur, now joined by his feather.

 Then it hit him. Teema’s face, glistening with tears, saying, “I became a Gryphon for you, Lionel. I learned how to live in the sky for you. Would you learn lupine to interest me? Would you experience the passions of the Werefolk? I doubt it.”

 She gave up her fur for feathers, all for him. Could he give up his feathers for her? In all honor, he should. There was more than honor at stake here. His half-hearted attempts at Werewolf love failed because he hadn’t believed in, or wanted, the heart of a wolf. He wanted but one Werewolf heart -- Teema’s. To get it he must, not merely in honor but also in love, become a Werewolf. That is what Brolly meant. Form didn’t matter. The heart did. The breeze tossed the tuft of fur on top of his feather, and the meaning was not lost to him.

 That was the logical order he sought. He mustn’t only learn the form of a Werewolf, but also become a Werewolf. The passions would follow. Werewolf males sought their mate out of the pack and made them theirs. Brolly said so. He had a thousand questions for Brolly, now. A glance at the sun told him it was afternoon. He didn’t have long before night fell to learn all he needed to know. He made an undignified scramble for the cliff edge and went soaring.

 Brolly’s red shirt was indeed easy to spot, even if Brolly knelt on the ground, digging. Even as he landed, Brolly brandished some odd looking root in triumph to Shadow.

 Lionel changed to human form. This was no time for misunderstandings. “I understand now,” he said without preamble. “It is time to commit all, like a hawk stoops for prey. I will pull victory from the jaws of defeat and I’ve much to learn. There is but one way to the heart of a wolf, and it isn’t logic and reason. It is more than the form I must possess. I must have all the emotions of the Werewolves to truly understand Teema’s needs and be all she wishes and hopes for, even if it goes against my Gryphon logic. Tell me what I must do to leave my logic behind with my wings.”

  

  

  

 Chapter 5

  

 Teema was with her pack sisters and trying not to mope when a new wolf appeared in the pack gathering clearing. He was huge, even for a male in his prime, and tawny brown in color. While light-colored Werefolk weren’t rare, they often didn’t survive to adulthood. Compared to dark gray Aahz, he shone in the moonlight, and it wasn’t merely the silky health of his coat.

 It wasn’t unusual for a lone male to come to the packs, but more often than not, they enticed one bitch away without confrontation of the pack leader. Only the bravest and most experienced directly challenged Aahz. Even if he suffered defeat, the stranger would have respect for his bravery.

 Vera, one of the bitches about Teema’s age, wagged her tail before remembering this was a stranger and unwelcome until he proved himself. “Will you look at that? Grrrrr! Wouldn’t I love to have that one cover me!” she whined softly.

 “You can have him,” said Teema dispiritedly. No matter how handsome he was, she didn’t care about males or sex anymore. Her disinterest was such that, after her initial assessment, she didn’t care to even look further.

 “Girlfriend, I don’t know what has gotten into you!” Vera declared with a woof.

 “No one YET,” laughed another bitch Teema didn’t know. “But Aahz will no doubt cover Teema at her next heat.”

 Teema’s ears pinned back, and her tail sank beneath her legs. She couldn’t help it, but all she felt for Aahz was revulsion. He was a nice fellow and a good leader, but about as interesting to her as eating grain. She hung her head and would’ve slunk off to cry alone and in peace, when the words of the stranger penetrated the babbling bitches.

 “Yes, Aahz. I’ve come to claim one of your bitches,” the stranger rumbled.

 “Just one? As well you should try to claim them all, Stranger!” declared Aahz. “You know the Law, Lone One.” Aahz circled, but the stranger stood perfectly still, unmoved by Aahz’ raised hackles and bared teeth.

 The stranger cocked his head to one side, and his tail wagged. “Recite the Law for me, then, Aahz, so I may be sure you know it. I would have things fair and ethical between us.”

 This calm, confident stranger stunned Teema. Aahz made all the threat displays of one determined to defend his entire pack. Was it confidence or ignorance that made The stranger wag his tail and grin?

 “Very well, Stranger. It is the Law that the pack leader must defend his pack from all who would harm it, giving no bitch to another male unless he has earned her in a fair fight.”

 The stranger sighed. “Very well, Aahz. One can’t argue with the Law. However, I’ve a Law of my own. I must ask if you’ll spare yourself harm and yield now.”

 Aahz and the others howled their laughter while the stranger sat on his haunches and waited them out with perfect calm. “What a shame. You’re a good pack leader by all accounts, Aahz. I’ll try not to hurt you too much,” the stranger promised.

 Aahz couldn’t ignore that insult. He lunged for the stranger’s throat, intending to end it all quickly. Instead of leaping out of the way, the stranger pulled the oddest of moves, reaching out and swatted with one forepaw, sending Aahz rolling away. He hadn’t even moved from his seated position.

 Aahz leapt up from the roll and howled in anger. “What fighting is this?” he snarled.

 “My own, of course,” replied the stranger.

 Behind the stranger, and barely in view, Teema spotted Brolly pad in and sit, half-hidden by a bush. Brolly’s tongue lolled out, and his tail fanned the ground, sweeping a small arc behind him. Teema was relieved to see him. No matter who lost, and the question was now in doubt, Brolly was there to patch them up. No member of the Clans need be lost, not even a Lone One.

 This time, Aahz went in more slowly, but with the same ferocity, intending to close with the stranger for a good hard fight. When the pack leader leapt, the stranger rolled onto his back and flipped Aahz away again with a raking motion to Aahz’s belly.

 The stranger now stood, his head low, but his ears pricked forward. Teema would’ve sworn she heard “Oops!” in an undertone, but she wasn’t sure.

 Teema winced in sympathy for Aahz, as did several other members of the pack. The stranger’s tactics were new and didn’t follow a pattern any of them understood. When Aahz stood back up, his back arched, signifying the stranger’s back claws caused some damage. How much, was anyone’s guess, but the fact that Aahz showed any evidence of injury spoke for itself.

 “He has injured Aahz!” someone shouted.

 The stranger sighed again. “I’m sorry about that, Aahz. I’m trying to be gentle, really I am. Won’t you yield and let me claim my mate?”

 “You’ll die for that insult, Stranger!” Aahz snarled. He paced around again, looking for a weak spot or opening in the stranger’s defenses.

 “Aw, shit. I must be good at insult when I mean otherwise. Oh, well, we can talk about it later,” the stranger said, seemingly as chagrined as his words sounded.

 Why did those words and the way they were used sound so familiar to Teema? She paced back and forth and pondered. “I know you,” she said in an undertone, “but from where?”

 The stranger glanced at her and grinned, showing all his gleaming teeth. “Ah, there you are! I’ll claim you in a minute, okay? I’m a bit…” Aahz took advantage of the distraction, came in low, intending to bite the stranger’s forelegs and break them. It didn’t work. The stranger leapt straight up in the air. “… occupied!”

 The stranger came down hard on Aahz’ back, but Aahz was a wily wolf with a long history of fights to his credit. He flipped onto his back, intending to get under the stranger’s guard, but the stranger was faster than Teema thought possible. In a moment, he had Aahz by the throat. Aahz lay still, beaten. With one simple movement of his jaws, Aahz would die.

 “Do you yield, Aahz, or must I be wasteful and kill you?” the stranger mind-spoke publicly, his jaws being occupied with ruff, skin, and meat.

 “Gaaaah! I yield! You’ve won my pack, Stranger. I submit.”

 The stranger released his hold on Aahz’s throat with no further ado, and sat back on his haunches, allowing Aahz the dignity of rising. “Wonderful fight, Aahz! I don’t suppose we could spar sometime after I finish with my mate?” the stranger asked cheerfully. “And let’s clear something up. I don’t want your pack. All I want is Teema, over there. The rest I yield back to you.”

 Teema stood there in shock, and flattened her ears. “No,” she whispered. “No!” She turned and fled, too frightened to think.

 * * *

 Lionel chuckled to himself as Teema turned tail and ran. “Well, I’m off to claim my mate. Brolly, I’m sure, will see to your injuries, Aahz. See you around!” He glanced at Brolly, who looked in the direction Teema fled, while laying on the ground panting in Werewolf laughter.

 It was an easy trail to follow with his new sensitive nose, even if her tracks didn’t clearly lead him along. He loped after her, with an easy pace that was a combination of both lupine and feline grace. She was headed for the meadow and probably Kella’s home, thinking she’d be safe there. He caught up with her at the edge of the forest.

 “Hey, Teema! Wait up!” he called, using his own voice now. It was brilliant of Brolly to suggest he alter his mind-voice a bit.

 Teema slowed, looking up at the sky for the Lionel she knew. It gave him enough time to pounce, forcing her to the ground on her stomach. “I win!” he laughed in his growling Werewolf voice, feeling freer than he ever had. “You were right, Teema. Werewolves feel ever so much more.”

 “What?” she panted, looking confused.

 Lionel remembered who and what he was. “Have I not won you fair and square, according to pack law? Do you submit, bitch?” he growled. He’d dominate her, and planned to enjoy every moment. There’d be time enough to tell her later how much he came to relish Werewolf sex. Cold logic be damned.

 If she’d been in her human form, she’d have been sobbing, he thought. However, he also smelled her arousal. “I submit,” she whined. “But please, I love another!”

 “Oh, really?” he snarled. “Do you think I care? You’re beautiful and therefore desirable. Your wishes, at this moment, are no concern of mine. Do you understand, bitch?” He enjoyed this little deception. “Return to human form, and not clothed,” he commanded. “And don’t look at me. Hang your head, and prepare to be used.”

 Teema transformed, sobbing, her hair hanging down to cover her face so she couldn’t see, and on her hands and knees. Lionel transformed with her, and took a handful of her hair while he still loomed above her back. With his other hand, he checked her juices, and found Teema wet and just as sweet as before. At her gasp, he chuckled. “You’re a sweet one, aren’t you? Also, very ready. Don’t look. You made me chase you down. You don’t get to see my human face yet. Only what you need to know, and what you need to know right now is this.” Lionel put his rigid cock between her legs, poised to enter from behind.

 Teema gave a sound that was half-gasp and half-sob, and then whispered, “Yes. You’ve the right.” Another sobbing whisper, “I’m sorry, Lionel. I’m so sorry.”

 Lionel couldn’t resist. “Are you apologizing to your former lover, sweet Teema? It’s too late for that. You’re mine now.” He plunged in, hard, and nearly slammed her into the dirt of the meadow.

 Teema cried out, not in pain as one might expect, but in pleasure. “Oh, Gods! You’re as big as he is!”

 He rode her hard, barely giving her time for a pause, pounding into her with a need he’d not known he possessed. With every thrust, she gave a small, whimpering sound, as if determined not to enjoy the experience and fighting her body’s own reaction. He bit his lip to keep from roaring his pleasure, as he’d done the night before. Her cries took on a different note -- one of shrieking ecstasy, and the pulsing of her orgasms pushed him close the edge.

 It was the hardest thing he’d ever done to slow and stop before he spewed within her too soon. Lionel stayed planted deep within Teema’s pulsing body until she, too, subsided.

 “Wh… why did you stop? Oh, please, finish and have done with me!” Teema begged. However, her body told Lionel a different tale. More, it said. I want more .

 Lionel tugged on the hair he still held in his left hand. “I ask again, Teema. Do you submit?”

 Weeping, she nodded. “Yes, damn you! Yes!”

 Lionel let go of her hair, and returned his voice to normal. “Then why didn’t you turn me into an ass again?” he laughed, and pushed her until she fell over facing upward, still beneath him.

 Lionel counted the heartbeats while Teema’s mind assimilated it was Lionel who’d fought the pack leader, won, and dominated her even as he fucked her to shrieking orgasms. “Lionel!” she screamed.

 “Surprise, my darling!” he laughed, thrilled with the emotions that now poured out of him. “I love you!” Without giving her the chance to answer, he kissed her thoroughly until her arms grudgingly came up around his neck.

 When Lionel kissed her neck, the first coherent words formed on her lips. “You… you love me?” She bared her neck in submission and trust.

 “With all my heart, my beautiful mate,” he whispered to the little morsel of an earlobe he chewed on.

 “Oh!” she moaned, as he moved lower to satisfy a taste for perky pink breast meat. “But Lionel, you didn’t come yet.”

 Lionel devoted himself to the twin on the other side. “True, my darling. I’ll get to that in a bit. Still, I’ve a mind to enjoy myself and take my time.”

 Teema’s eyes glazed over, and she answered thickly, “Oh. Well, be my guest.”

 “No.”

 Teema’s eyes flew open. “No?”

 Lionel grinned and grabbed her arms. “No,” he said firmly. “I’m not your guest. I conquered you, and you submitted. Do I need to prove to you who is in charge here, again?” He made to flip her back over on her stomach.

 Teema yelped. “I’m sorry! I’m sorry! You’re in charge! I submit!” She panted, and her eyes betrayed her need.

 “Good. Then we understand each other.” Without warning, Lionel grabbed her ankles, and put them on his shoulders, sliding in effortlessly, and began to fuck Teema with all his considerable strength. This was no gentle lovemaking, but rather that of a male who knew his power and wasn’t afraid to use it.

 Teema bucked wildly, clawing the earth, as she matched him stroke for stroke in perfect rhythm. “I’m yours! I’m yours! Claim me!” she howled, her eyes as feral as her nature. There, raking the earth with her nails was Lionel’s perfect mate. He reveled in that knowledge, even while his body demanded release.

 Pounding furiously, he put all his effort and attention to planting his cock deep within Teema’s willing body, with her shrieking encouragement. It didn’t matter who heard or saw, though it was convention in the Valley, those particular sounds meant to give the area a wide berth lest lovers be disturbed.

 Lionel didn’t bother to stop or slow down when he poised at the edge of the precipice. He roared, “Say it, Teema! Say it while I claim you!” He needed to hear the words from her lips, unforced. He needed to know she loved him as much as he loved her.

 “I love you!” Her body shuddering with orgasm, she kept repeating, “I love you!” while Lionel gave himself over to his own orgasm, roaring at the top of his lungs. The shrieking cries of a mating cat melded with the howls of a wolf. No doubt remained in Lionel’s mind that he had won the heart of his wolf. She would be his for all eternity, and there would be fur and feathers both in his nesting cave.

 When Lionel finally collapsed into the grass beside Teema, he drew her into his arms and murmured in her hair, “I love you too, Teema.” Both were asleep before they realized it.

  

 When Lionel awoke, dawn broke in all its glory. However, it wasn’t light in his face that awakened him, but Teema’s lips wrapped around his cock and sucking vigorously. He was already rock-hard, and the erotic dreams he’d had melded seamlessly into reality.

 Teema, alert to his awakening, went to work with a will. To tease him, she nursed on just the head until he thought he’d go mad. When he began to quiver, she released him to flick out a tongue and catch the gleaming crystal-clear drop that formed at the tip.

 Her hand held him upright for easy access, stroked and played with his shaft, keeping him aroused while allowing him a moment to cool down.

 Lionel sat up on his elbows. He blinked the sleep from his eyes and noted that Teema’s hair was wet. There was a stream not far from this place, so he assumed she’d made use of it. She smelled as fresh as the meadow that surrounded them.

 The twinkle in Teema’s eyes told him she’d observed he was fully awake before she attacked his cock, taking as much of him into her little warm, wet mouth as she could.

 Lionel didn’t bother to stop the moan that escaped his lips. Teema’s soft tongue slid up and down the bottom of his shaft, while her free hand caressed his balls or stroked the area beneath them. He threw back his head to stare at the sky and roar his release as he felt his balls tighten in preparation. He preferred to plant his seed deep within her, but he decided to let her have her way this glorious morning.

 Suddenly, she released him and sat back on her heels with a smile. “Good morning!” she grinned.

 “And good morning to you too, my love,” he laughed, and reached for her.

 Teema moved out of his grasp, with a wicked smile. “I realized something this morning, Lionel!” she announced. In a twinkle of magic, she changed to Gryphon form. Laughing, the Gryphoness took to the sky. “We haven’t made kittens yet!”

 No Gryphon cock could’ve resisted the look she shot him over her wings. Lionel scrambled to his feet and followed her into the sky, laughing and shouting, “Cubs, dammit!”

  

  

  

 Epilogue

  

 Shadow winced as another ear-piercing whistle rent the air. He didn’t know how much more he could endure tonight, but he was determined to visit Lionel and Teema’s nesting cave as often as he could stand the noise.

 Lionel batted one of his Gryphlets across the room with one wing while the other three pounced on his back or worried his tail with a small beak. His purring laughter bounced off the cavern walls.

 Teema, already pregnant with the next litter, batted her son back into play with one swipe of her wings as he bounced against the nest. Another whistling shriek of laughter had Shadow longing to cover his ears, but smiling nonetheless. He toyed with his wineglass and prayed the game would be over quickly.

 Lionel bounced to his side and casually dragged the one worrying his tail along with him. “They should tire shortly, Shad! Sorry for the ear-splitting racket.” He bound back into play.

 Teema leapt from the nest and waddled over to lounge next to his divan. One little Gryphlet came to snuggle against her side and was fast asleep. “I’ll be glad when their flying lessons start next month.” She leaned in to preen a feather back into place on the little snoring head. “Is it true the Herd Stallion is thinking of retiring soon?”

 Shadow sighed, unafraid to show his unease. “Yes, Teema. Will you be able to join us for my challenge fights at the summer solstice?”

 Teema purred. “I should be, Shad.” She watched as Lionel deposited the other three tired Gryphlets in the nest for a bed.

 Lionel changed to his human form and came to sit next to Shadow with a tired sigh. He clapped Shadow on the shoulder. “Your playboy days are nearly over!” His teasing came out breathlessly. “Have you a filly picked out to be your Queen Mare?”

 “No.” Shadow knew that one word came out flat and rude. He attempted a smile to hide his heavy heart. “I’m too busy for that right now.” He got up and caressed Teema’s beak in goodbye, then punched Lionel’s arm.

 Laughing, Lionel hit back. “Too busy sampling all that’s offered, no doubt! You’ll never settle down with a whole Herd to pleasure.” A bawl from the nest sent Lionel running.

 Shadow stepped out into the cool, quiet night air. The sounds of night insects and the rustle of a gentle breeze were all that he could hear. His breath whooshed out in relief. “Never is a long time, my brother. If I could find a filly as peaceful as night’s music, I might.” He sighed. “I don’t want to rule alone.”

  

 to be continued…

  

 Unicorn Valley 2: Stallion’s Heart

  

 It's bad enough Shadow must win the position of Herd Stallion by challenge, but if the herd found out he loves an Elf, he'll have more than one fight on his hands…

  

  

 Unicorn Valley 3: Healer’s Heart

  

 What's a simple Werewolf healer to do when a goddess, who can swing both ways and wants that in a mate, falls in love with him? 

 

  

  

  

 Lena Austin

  

 Lena Austin is a “fallen” society wench with a checkered past. She’s been a licensed minister, hairdresser, realtor, radio DJ, exotic dancer, telephone service tech, live-steel medievalist swordswoman, BDSM Mistress, and investment property manager. Not necessarily in that order. She never finished that degree in archaeology, but did learn to scuba. After a life like that, gardening is pretty restful. Of herself, Lena writes, “I’m tall, presently red-haired, and I look like an unholy mating between an Amazon and a librarian.”

 Visit Lena’s website at www.geocities.com/voiceomt2002/Lena-Austin.htm