The Akashic Castle

The Akashic Castle

Prologue

As I record this, we exist mostly in the High Astral, and Low Causal Realms. In other words, the whole lot of us. .
.me, Thanatos, Stefan, Deliah, Sylvia, Kevalyn, Macha, Andre; who I had not written of before, being he had just
joined us, and the animals spent all our time there as a single energy unit, and there really isn’t anything to write
about, as far as this aspect of our existence went. We were one, our thoughts and memories had lost all concepts of
individuality, and the I-we basically learned, evolved, explored, taught, and created.

Our creations were in the lower realms, and our enjoyment of those works of art is what I will be writing about; in
addition to the induction of Andre (Courtois) to our group.

Anyways. . .in the Xanon Chronicles as written by Stefan as Kyle Shannon, Kyle had written of a black marble castle
on a planet far away with two stars and six moons, where the world spun on its axis in such a way, that both polar
regions were uninhabitable due to the fact that one faced a perpetual summer, and the other a perpetual winter. In
the book, we were toward the far side of the sun, in the land of eternal twilight. In Kyle’s story, we were situated on
a high plateau, and it was always cold, though it was possible to live in it, if one dressed for it; and so it was (Though
we spent ninety nine point nine percent of our time temperature insensitive, so it wasn’t relevent to us.). The castle
was unimaginably huge, and it had a room dedicated to every civilisation that ever had, or would exist on Earth;
which was an elaborated version of what I had on Tech Duinn. Of course, one floor was devoted to a library, also
like on Tech Duinn, but bigger; again, with everything from every era. Physically, like what ‘Kyle’ had written of,
the concept of all this was not possible. Of course it was Etherically possible, being the laws of physics did not
apply on the Etheric Planes, so yeah, we (Mostly Thanatos) actually ‘built’ a castle like what was in ‘Kyle’s’ third
story. The ultimate Earth-based museum and library. One nice thing was, that our black marble castle accessed the
Akashic Library, as well.

As for the planet; we had discovered something like Kyle’s world a long time ago in our explorations of the universe,
though it had seven moons, not six. The sky was red, not blue. A place couldn’t be any better, I thought at the
moment. Of course, I’d be proven wrong, later. Much later. Later than this story.

*****

Andre Courtois. The moment he’d faded from The White City, he tracked me/us down. In his last life on Earth, he
was half French, a quarter Sudanese, and a quarter Navajo. He looked basically black, you couldn’t tell specifically
what his ancestry was, but he was very attractive. Sometimes I felt he surpassed Thanatos in the aesthetics
department; depending on what mood I was in.

Andre had been a mechanic for Boeing, and he was electricuted on the job at age twenty nine. He’d left behind a
wife and one year old daughter. Thank the gods Andre could handle Stefan’s sense of humour regarding children.
In the old times when Stefan had worked as a psychopomp (We were all completely retired from that, by now), he
treated children very well, but off the job, he was pretty bad with his ridicule; and by now Stef had even put to-gether
a mid-sized cookbook on what to do with children, but that is not going to be included in MY series of stories.

Andre’s father had been French, and his mother was Sudanese-Navajo. Andre had been educated in a private school,
and before anything, he was French. He spoke English, French and Spanish. He’d been born and raised in Trenton,
New Jersey, he’d had an upper-middle class upbringing, and he was quite sharp. You had to have a degree of
intelligence and a very open-minded attitude to deal with us. Andre had it all. This tale starts from just a little after
his arrival.

*****

I will mostly write of incidents of the Etheric Planes. All else was just regarding an energy field of seventeen
individuals (I’m including the equines, and Percy.) merged into one, doing nothing worth writing about. This is
another translation of things that occurred, in analogy. I mean if I didn’t write about how things actually happened
before, I sure as hell ain’t doin’ it now; ya know?



















































Chapter 1

Me and Stefan sat beside each other on a loveseat, Thanatos and Andre were in their own recliners. No, there was
no tea. None of us consumed anything anymore. Our interest in food and beverages had completely faded, and we
couldn’t handle it without causing ourselves undue trauma, not that we were even motivated to try. Yes, we were
surrounding a fireplace, and we were discussing my literary series.

“The stories seemed to cater to a short attention span, but I still enjoyed them.” said Andre. “You just wrote what
happened, and kept the descriptions to a minimum. ‘The Second Time Around’ was kind of shallow, you never
explained the touching signifigance of your tea rituals anywhere in the story set , and there are a few unanswered
questions in the saga.”

“What did that mysterious ritual that Stefan, or rather; Stephanie entail, that our lovely Red Tail will kill me for, if I
tell?” I asked.

“Can you tell me, now? It seems to be a closely guarded secret that’s not even in the Hall of Records.”

“You mean, you actually looked?” asked Stefan, in a slight state of shock.

Andre shrugged. “Yes. I like to have my questions answered.”

Stefan scowled. “Uh, it’s pretty stupid. Happens all the time. I just had issues with it. Still do.”

“I think I know what it is,” said Andre. “You -censored- everyone you did this with?”

“Yup! You got me,” said Stefan.

“That’s what occurred to me when I read it. A lot of people are going to figure that out. Also, I have three more
questions.” said Andre.

Thanatos didn’t even wait for him to ask. “I got upset about being compared to John Holmes because even though I
was one, I didn’t want the reputation of me being a wild conjugal partner, and no, I was not a record setter for
schlong size. Far from it. This shapeshifter accomodated his individual lovers, if you get my drift. Donn, would
you like to answer why you requested Macha to go from six to seven inch blade length for those knives she threw at
you?”

“That was the maximum length I could catch with a guarantee of no error. No, there was no phallic symbolism
involved. Any more questions?” I said.

“Thank you for clearing that up. I’m still not used to this. Can you guys please let me ask the questions first? I
mean, I just got here, you know?”

Thanatos smiled, reached toward Andre with an extended index finger, and made a stroking motion with it. “Would
you like to merge with us?”

Andre flinched. “Mon Dieu (My God), I felt that! You didn’t touch me, but it felt like you petted my nose.”

“Nice, huh?” asked Stefan.

Andre smiled. “It felt better than it should have. Do you guys all already know me?”

I shook my head. “No. I wanted your permission first.”

“Same,” said Stef.

“I have no choice in knowing,” said Thanatos. “I’ve already seen to-morrow, and you; my dearest Andre are a part
of it as far as I can see.”

Andre smiled, and nodded. “Actually, I do have another set of questions.”

“Shoot,” said Thanatos.

“It is said that what is imagined in one realm is reality in another. Then what about Seth Karnak?”

“That’s a mistranslation by Stefan. What Stef, or rather Kyle wrote about, was an incarnation of my Grandparent.
The personality about fits, not that ‘It’ would incarnate on Earth. Nice phantasy, though. That took me a little bit of
thinking to figure out, way after I read the series.”

Andre crossed his right ankle over his left knee. “It must have been interesting to just have been transferred to Tech
Duinn, and not die.”

“To say the least. I mean, to close your eyes in one location, then open them to another, not to mention suddenly
having a completely different body of lower density,” said Thanatos.

“Hm hm. It was the trip of my life,” said Stefan. “Shall we do a more thorough tour of the castle, next?”

“Please?” said Andre. “Can we go to the observatory again?” It was in our tallest tower in the building, and Andre
had been a little bit of an astronomy buff.

“Of course, you want to walk,” said Thanatos.

“I’d be a fool, not to. I mean, all the statuary, and paintings you have in the halls?”

“And the rooms will detour us every once in a while,” I said.

“No doubt. We’ve got forever though, huh?” asked Andre.

“At least. The ladies might also join us, after they’re done with their recording session. Sorry, but Sylvia came up
with a bad time to write some amazing lyrics.” said Thanatos.

“That’s another thing! I think I’d like to sit down and hear some of the music you guys wrote. Also, Donn! Stef! I
recall reading you are both killer on the ice.”

“Yeah, we can give you a performance, later,” I said.

“Actually, Than is even more entertaining to watch,” said Stefan

“Yeah. If you prefer half illusion to sheer skill,” said Thanatos.

“Uh huh! Like you can’t do a triple axel and an aerial?” asked Stefan.

“I can, but. . .”

Stefan interrupted Thanatos. “You’re better than me, dude!”

Thanatos looked at Andre, smiled, and shrugged. “I guess it’s your call.”

“I’d like to see you on skates, too.”

“OK.”

*****

It would take almost forever to get to the observatory. Andre was a great appreciator of art, history, culture, and our
progress of actually hitting our current destination was severely curtailed for it.

Our current meeting with Andre was strictly intellectual. Andre didn’t really know how to approach us. All the
conversation was directed at what we saw on this tour.

“These torch lit halls are a marvel,” said Andre. He stroked the black marble wall. “It looks so modern, yet so
ancient. What were the Tech Duinn halls like?”

“Stone,” I said. “Same means of lighting, though.”

As we were stopped, Stefan put his arm around Than’s waist, and leaned into him. “It’s still there. Shall we go visit
Tech Duinn later?” Stefan asked.

“The principle of the place was the same as this, huh? The library you said you have, rooms dedicted to the different
civilisations, and all,” said Andre.

“Only this is bigger. This has everything, of all Earthly eras.” I said.

Andre smiled. “Still give your pony spongebaths in the whirlpool?”

I scowled. “Uh. . .no. Actually, the whirlpool is something we didn’t transfer, here. No one seems to care. We’re
not into that type of pleasure or sensuality any more.” For now, anyway.

“Do you still go temperature sensitive?”

Thanatos chuckled. “Gods, hardly ever. It’s thirty degrees in these halls. We only spend time here for the visual
arts, and to create things the old way.”

“And a bit o’ snoggin’,” said Stefan.

“You still snog?!” asked Andre.

“Hell yeah,” I said. “I love a good snog, before the blend, if you know what I mean.”

“I’ve never done that High Etheric merger that you started up in The City. I never heard of it until I read your books,
and when I talked to others, they heard of it, but they didn’t know what the hell you were talking about. I’ve had
friends who tried it, but they just blended into each other with nothing but the psychological oneness. No ecstacy or
rapture in any other way.”

“It’s a vibration rate thing,” said Thanatos.

“Should I re-write a few passages to be more descriptive?” I asked.

“Don’t bother,” said Thanatos. “Someone else can do that.”

We started to move down the hall again, and ended up being detoured by the room dedicated to Babylon. Thanatos
and Stefan; who were arm in arm, disengaged and walked in, with a delighted Andre and me to follow.

Andre traced the back of an intricate, jeweled chair. “All the rooms are dedicated to royalty. Nothing to how the
commoners lived.”

I looked at him. “What would you rather see? Versailles, or a peasant shack?”

“Point taken,” said Andre. “This seems the ultimate paradise. It’s beyond my imagination. All information of
everything that ever was.”

“You should have been born later,” said Stefan. “You would have loved the internet.” Andre was killed in 1983.

“Tell me of it,” he said.

“Well, it. . .” started Stefan

Andre interrupted, while shaking his head with a smile. “No, Stef! I know all about it. What room is next?”

“Aksum,” said Thanatos.

“Never heard of it,” said Andre.

“Area is now occupied by Ethiopia,” said Thanatos.

Andre crossed his arms. “For you guys being so hung up on non-white cultures. . .”

Thanatos cut in, “We do not actively adopt people into our family. They come to us. We didn’t even intend to take
Sylvia on a permanent basis. She decided on staying, after discovering what she’d had in common with Stefan.
Thank you for coming to us, though.”

A smile crossed Andre’s lips. ‘So, Than? If I’m going to be here forever, what will our relationship be like?’ he
sent nonverbally.

‘Close. Very close. You can loosen up, and quit being so distant.’

Andre looked at me, and we simultaneously reached out to take each other by the hand. There was no telepathy
involved. It just happened, and we both chuckled a little. “Off to Aksum,” I said, and we all slowly walked out of
the room.

*****

Kevalyn switched the settings of the mixer, and said, “We almost have it.”

“Hm hm. Then shall we meet our new guest?” Asked Deliah, who was on the oboe.

Macha closed her eyes. “They’re kind of preoccupied. I think it would be good for them to finish this tour, first.
Let Andre satisfy his curiosity about the place, because quite frankly; I’ve seen it all, and I don’t want to see it all
again.”

“I know the feeling,” said Sylvia, who was only a vocalist for this one piece.

“I think this next take is gonna do it,” said Kevalyn. “After this, anyone want to go for a ride in the desert below?”

“Gods, we haven’t done that in forever. I’d love to,” said Deliah.

“No objection from me,” said Sylvia.
“You know better than to ask me,” said Macha.

*****

Andre looked through the telescope. It was moved by computer. It was too powerful and precise to be maneuvered
by hand. “This is incredible. And to be in an alien star system, and to be on a planet with multiple natural satellites.
Can we go Astral, and see them up close, later?”

“No problem,” said Thanatos. If only it wouldn’t slip our minds.

“I think I’m ready to meet with the other half of the household, when convenient,” said Andre. “Especially the
redoubtable Percy, as he’s been called.”

“Aw, Percy is a real pussycat most of the time,” said Stefan.

I looked to the ceiling. “Yeah, right.”

Thanatos’ right eyebrow went up, and for a second, a smile crossed his face that looked as devious as hell. He
kneeled, and in no time; he had one of the most beautiful ebon cats I ever saw, in front of him. Percy reared up on
Than’s bent knee, and the two nosed each other. Percy then walked over to Andre, looked up at him, and meowed.

Andre just sat on the floor, and stroked the sides of Percy’s face. It was obviously love at first sight.

Percy got up, and rubbed the side of Andre’s face. I wasn’t ready for what happened next.

Both Percy and Andre blinked out for just a split second, and then they re-appeared. Sort of. Percy came back about
a hundred eighty pounds heavier, then when he’d left. Andre had a leopard before him.

As Thanatos leaned against the wall, laughing his head off, I said, “Gods above, and below”, being in a state of total
shock.

“Percy?” asked Stefan, as the black leopard looked at him. “Is that you?”

The cat gave him an acknowledgement that sounded like a non-threatening growl. Stefan sat beside him. “Andre,
what did you do?”

Andre smiled, and shrugged. “It took a little while, and I obviously had to time trip, but I’ve always wanted a
leopard as. . .an owner, I guess.”

“He is absolutely ravishing,” I said. “Of course I can paint you two, to-gether?” I asked Andre.

“I was hoping you’d offer,” said Andre.

“He won’t be the only one,” said Stefan. “Would it bother you it I told you you were a total fox?” he asked Andre.

Andre shook his head. “I’m too evolved for that, Red Tail. It’s far beyond being an issue anyway.”

Stefan sent him, ‘I think I love you.’

Andre sent back, ‘I know I love you. I love everyone here.’

Stefan walked over to him, and extended his hand to help Andre up. “Can’t wait until we all really learn each other.”

“I assume we’ll meld when all of us are to-gether?” asked Andre, as he allowed Stefan to give him the lift.
“That would be more practical. Let’s beckon our fair other half,” said Thanatos.

“Percy in on the meld, too?” asked Andre.

Thanatos scowled. “Donn’s done that with Hesper, but I’m not sure that would be a wise idea. Percy is not a Sidhe
cat.”

“You mean you don’t know the consequences?” asked Andre.

Thanatos scowled. “I never looked. I didn’t see it.” Thanatos himself walked over to Percy, and kneeled before
him. He jerked himself back to a standing position just in time to keep his face from getting rasped by the leopards
tongue. “To absorb that primaeval intelligence. To blend that, with our own. Do we all want to become part cat?”

Stefan looked up at him. “Purr?”

Thanatos scowled. “You know damn well the panthera class can’t purr.”

“Sarcasm.” said Stefan.

Thanatos smiled. “I notice.. Let me focus on the ladies.”

*****

After a brief introduction, Kevalyn wrapped herself around the re-formatted Percy. Our generally feminine
counterparts came to us, rather than us going to them. “Andre, how in the world did you talk him into this?”

“I’ve had cats all my life. I also knew about picture thought communication since I was a child. A very young
child.”

“It’s instinctive, but trained out of everyone in the so called civilised cultures,” said Thanatos.

“I relearned it,” said Stefan.

“That’s easy enough to do,” said Thanatos.

“I noticed. I just had to be told it can be done. Or read about it; rather,” said Stefan.

“So, we all want to become part cat?!”

“Definitely,” said Deliah. “It should be interesting.”

And the leopard became part person, in our merger of acquaintanceship.












Chapter 2

I don’t know how I let myself be talked into it, and I don’t know how in all eternity I’d live it down.

Percy! My dear beloved Percy. The lovely copper eyed black beauty that had spent so much time (which doesn’t
exist) in my lap; being stroked, and purring up a storm. The ravishing creature that sometimes rested on my pillow,
as I slept, on Tech Duinn, and in The White City. I moved his black rook according to his telepathic instruction,
and I found myself mated.

I looked at Thanatos. “I just lost a chess game to a leopard.”

“So, I see,” said Thanatos.

‘Don’t be so hard on yourself, dude,’ sent Percy. ‘You never play any more, and I’ve decided to retain the skills of
Than and Macha.’

“Hey!” said Deliah.

The leopard looked at Deliah. ‘Oh, you’re good. You’re still third rate compared to those two, though. I think I can
cream you on the board.’

Deliah stroked Percy’s head. “Being what you are, please don’t use the word ‘cream’ and my identity in the same
sentence, my dear.”

Percy gently rubbed the side of his head against Deliah’s thigh. ‘I wouldn’t hurt you for the life of me, my love. I’m
not sure I can out-do you in the way you use words, I must confess. That does seem to be a specialty of yours in
which I might not be able to compete.’ Yes, he was underestimating himself.

“I wouldn’t bet on that, you little upstart,” I said.

‘You flatter me to no end, Vergil.’

I chuckled. “You little button pusher.”

Percy tilted his head. ‘Little? I weigh more than you, buster.’

“So you do!” I looked at Andre. “So now that I’ve been subjected to one of the most humiliating moments of my
existence, would you like to play this black beauty next.”

“Later, when no one’s watching, thank you. I have a feeling he’ll whup my ass, as well.”

Sylvia stretched in her chair. “I never thought I’d ever enjoy watching a chess match, but this was a bit of fun.”

I looked at her. “Especially since Percy left me in the dust, huh?”

“How many moves, Than?” asked Sylvia.

“One and forty.”

I glared at him. “What’s it Del always says? I’d hate you, if I didn’t love you so much?”

Thanatos smiled. “Something like that.” He pointed to Macha. “You guys wanted to go for a ride in the desert.
Anyone else, here?”

‘I’m game. I can keep up with a horse, now,’ sent Percy.

“Let’s,” I said. “It’s so rare we’re all to-gether like this here.”

*****

This place was Stefan’s ultimate dream. He’d even written a poem about it, long ago. The land of perpetual
twilight, where the main star was always just barely visible on the horizon; after we’d visited it, of course.

Thanatos had time tripped to find Andre a black and white pinto mustang stallion of perfect form. He was an
independent natured animal, and when he was called on for service, he was guaranteed to request a payback that
went way beyond what he’d delivered, but Andre agreed. He’d been a wild horse, never having known the touch of
man; until a bullet brought him down to turn him into dog food.

The sky was red toward the main sun, deep violet toward the opposite side, where we’d situated ourselves. The
second star was distant, offering the planet no discernable heat, but it was visible half the time. Depending on where
you were on the planet; the main sun was brighter than anything imagineable on Earth; easily visible in our twilit
sky, and all seven moons; two of which were ringed, were now in sight. It was far from a rare sight, but it was
convenient for our satallites to be so in view, now. It was beautiful, and harsh beyond belief. Of this world’s
Physical realm, life existed on a narrow strip of the planet, and we were on the very outskirts of it. The visuals were
stunning.

As we were on the desert floor, behind us was the plateau. There was no path to get up it. If we’d been Physical, we
would have had to use picks, grappling hooks and ropes to ascend to the castle. The castle loomed, and it looked
eerier than anything found on Earth, from where we were. It was taller than any Earthly castle, as well, and from the
outside, it seemed to cover many acres. From the inside, it seemed to cover many square miles.

Eight riders, and one black leopard racing through the rocky sands, toward a sun that never rose, and never set, but
circled the horizon. (Yeah! How many times am I gonna dwell on that?) There was no sound of hoofbeats.
Gravity’s seeming effect on us was an illusion. The horses and Percy could run forever, as stamina was not an issue
in our current form. I already wrote about that in a former tale of this saga; which I am beginning to wonder, will
ever have a conclusion.

Gilgamesh was in the lead. I signalled Hesper that I wanted pole position, and he sped up. I was getting off on this.
I was visualising what I was doing from outside of myself. I was getting high. I was taking in the whole scene. The
euphoria was boundless. I wanted to scream in ecstacy.

I took the lead. Thanatos looked at me, and gave Gilgamesh a request to slow.

Suddenly, I heard a pop, like a vacuum seal being broken.

I wasn’t on my pony, anymore. I no longer had a form. Thanatos decided to trigger another merger, completely
unexpected by the rest of us, but more than welcome.

I got to know Andre Courtois better, this time.

(The animals had been left behind, by the way. Even Hesper and Percy. A very PISSED Percy.)

*****

So beautiful, so wise, so at peace, so knowledgeable, so intelligent, and so discriminated against in his early years,
when he was on Earth. Yet, so unresentful he was in life. Andre had understood.

Andre came to us first because of Stefan and Stefan’s concept of Seth Karnak, second; because of me. He fell in
love with all of the characters of my tales, however. He’d waited with patience for the chance to meet with us. He
had to transcend The White City first, according to his own rules. Chronologically, we were not there when he was
there. He’d arrived later, despite the fact, that by Earth standards he had died before Kyle and Kevin were taken to
Tech Duinn.

He could have time tripped to meet us, but he didn’t. He’d re-read my tales many times, and he had all of our prints
on his walls that he could fit. At the time, he had no clue on how to relate to us. We defied everything he ever knew.
People didn’t relate like we did. To our stream of consciousness, I had been in a continuous river of awareness of
what might seem many a millenia, but had remained neurotically celibate with the most loving, beautiful entities that
existence had to offer. Then, on my second round at Tech Duinn; I went on a ‘fuckfest’ of sorts that included
everything but standard fucking (Well, except for a couple of times under duress; with Stefan and Thanatos having
ganged up on me, but I couldn’t stand it. In fact, I was so disgusted with the activity, I couldn’t even bear to come to
a conclusion, either time. Not that I minded being the recipient of a good rutting if I was in the very rare feminine;
past tense, of course. Those few times were kind of fun. OK, so I was a hypocrite, not that I wrote that much about
what happened. Come on! Let me retain some degree of dignity.), to go celibate again.

For the longest time Andre couldn’t understand how I could have been basically heterosexual, yet ultimately
disregard the gender of my lover.

Now, he knew everything. (Well, almost everything. Let’s say he knew everything of importance. Everything
relevent. Everything that Thanatos wanted him to know.) He understood us. . .me. The enigma of his existence had
finally become clear to him.

Oh, what a paragon, was Andre. Where had he been all my ‘life’?

*****

Macha, Thanatos, Deliah, Kev, and Sylvia left me, Andre and Stef on our own; still in the energy field. It was the
polite thing to do.

Yeah, it turned into a ‘make-out’ session. Oh, it was great. However, when the three of us ‘landed’ back in the
castle, we had a bit of a surprise waiting for us.

The ‘attack’ was sudden, but it was not for the sake of injuring me, not that this could have been done. Percy jumped
on me, placing his paws on my shoulders, and he roared, proceeded to hiss, then growl.

I ended up on the floor. ‘You abandoned me, you assholes! What’s the matter? I’m not good enough for you?’

Percy had me pinned, and we were nose to nose. Stef and Andre perceived everything he was sending me, and they
looked at each other, then at me and Percy. “Uh, no. I guess Than didn’t know this was an issue with you.”

Percy got off of me, and lay beside me. ‘Make certain this doesn’t happen again. PLEASE!’

I rolled on my side, and embraced him. “Shall we go back and include you in a little bit with a High Etheric energy
exchange? In a little bit, I mean?”

He growled again. ‘In. . .a. . .little. . . .bit, huh? What about now? How are you going to make your
inconsiderateness up to me, huh?’

I scowled, and thought for a moment. “Can I brush you down?”

‘Soft bristle.’

I sat up, and materialised a brush. I went to work. Both Andre and Stefan approached me. Stefan sat on the other
side of Percy. “Percy, are you alright?”

Percy hissed at Stefan, then conveyed, ‘Help the man brush me down, or I swear I do declare, I will LICK your
NOSE!!!!’

If that wasn’t a serious threat, what was? Stefan immediately materialised another brush, and went to work.

Percy tucked his front legs under himself, lay his head down on the floor, and closed his eyes. I swear he would have
purred, if he could have.

I’ve never been so pussy-whipped in my entire life.

Andre had to leave, before he completely lost his composure, regarding his inability to control his laughter.

I sent Andre Courtois a private message. ‘Dude! I am going to get you for what you did to this cat!’

I got nothing back.

*****

Percy was incredible. He mellowed the minute I went to work on him, and he was quite a riot, when he rolled over
into a ‘rub-my -tummy’ pose. As me and Stefan continued brushing him out, Stefan asked him, “What are you,
Percy? More cat, or person?”

‘I’d say cat, with an adopted intelligence. You know, words are such a stupid, convoluted way to communicate.’

I cut in. “I’m writing a story. I can’t convey picture thoughts as easily for any potential readers who aren’t into
telepathy to understand.”

‘Excuses, excuses.’

Stefan said, “I’m glad I don’t have to feed you anymore.”

‘I suppose a couple of goats and a dozen chickens every week would have cost you a bit.’

“I don’t know. We lived real close to three different schools, so that wouldn’t have been too much of a problem.
You could have kept yourself fed. I mean, one of them was a Catholic school, and they had elementary classes, but I
don’t think you would have been that happy as you are in an apartment, not to mention the fact that I would have
needed a permit to keep you.”

‘I don’t think the town would have been happy if I started picking off school children.’

“No, but considering the economic decline that hit a few years after I took you on, some of the parents might have
been.”

‘Yeah, right.’ He stretched, and lay on his underside, again.

I was perceiving all of this. I was struggling not to laugh.

‘Can you guys call my beloved Andre back, before we do that merger you promised me a little earlier?’

I scratched him behind the ears. “Our other black panther. Depends. Not now this minute. Is he now your
favourite?”

‘Oh, I don’t know if I have a favourite. It all depends on my mood. I mean, Stefan when Kyle used to buy me all
these fish steaks, and shrimp; until I got sick of it. She used to hand feed me, and have dinner with me, and she was
my drinking buddy, considering at least once a day, when she had a cup of tea, she’d pour some cream for me, and
we’d enjoy that to-gether. Thank you, Stefan. . .Kyle. . .whatever.’

“Welcome,” said Stefan.

“I never could have dreamed that this sort of thing could be of importance to a cat.” I said.

‘Dude! Being a telepath, and picking up what was important to Kyle, made me what I am. An arrogant, hopeless
romantic. After all, she often did concentrate on how much I awed her. If someone keeps telling you that you’re a
god, eventually you tend to believe it.’

I kissed him on the forehead. “But you give back so much. You’re with us so much of the time, when we’re
lounging about, or when we slept, or whatever.”

‘Hmmmmm. Love does existence, make.’

I lay down, and pressed myself against him. “Did you like that run in the desert?”

‘Oh, yeah! I’d love to do it again. However, if Thanatos leaves me out of the loop again, I swear I will slap him
silly.’

“Oh, don’t do that. He’s a sweetheart.”

Percy looked at me. ‘I wouldn’t seriously do that. I mean, he’s treated me like royalty as well, but what he did was
sooooo thoughtless.’

I brushed my finger down his nose. “Maybe he did that, so we’d be having this conversation, and so that you’d have
an excuse to get spoiled like this. Thanatos is not an inconsiderate individual. He’s also not the type to make a faux
pas like this. I think it was deliberate.”

‘Can you check?’

I nodded. ‘Than?’

‘How goes it with Percy?’

‘He was a little upset at being left out of our interlude.’

‘I assume you mollified him?’ came the response.

‘In less than a minute, but it seems we have a harsher taskmaster on our hands than ever, not that he’s not worth it.’

Thanatos appeared in the room. I was virtually spooning the cat, and Stefan was sitting on the other side of him, still
brushing him. “How adorable,” said Thanatos.

‘Why did you leave me out after I’m now virtually one of you?’ asked Percy of Thanatos.

Thanatos sat down at the leopards head, and gently put his hands on the side of the cat’s face. “The merger was for
Andre. You already know us. You have known us since you’ve existed with us.”

‘Now I know you from another perspective. Human, as well as feline. I am become hybrid.’

Thanatos now kissed the cat on the forehead. “Who quotes the Bhagavad Gita, to a degree.”

‘Everyone here has read it, I am both all of you and myself, and it seems I’ve adopted all your tastes and outlooks, or
rather had them forced down me throat; not that I terribly mind.’

Thanatos caressed him. “You are not us, now. You were, during your mindshare, but now you are an individual
with our memories, and we are inividuals with yours. As soon as you do another mindshare, or when we go back to
the Astral, then you are the rest of us.”

‘Hm.’ He stretched again, got up to a seated position, and put his right paw on Thanatos’ knee. ‘I guess I can live
with that. Why wasn’t my awareness increased in previous mergings?’

“You misphrased that. It’s not a question of awareness. You understood everything, but you just didn’t care. It’s an
issue of priorities. All you know now, you considered too superfluous to bother with, so you totally disregarded it,
like thinking in words. You understood everything we said, but you considered it not worth your time to bother with.
The only thing that’s changed is that now you are a more complex creature, because Andre basically force fed you
his nature.”

‘He shouldn’t have done that, huh?’

“It’s not generally advisable. What he did destroyed your true nature, but on the other hand; I don’t think any of us
wants you any other way, now. Including yourself, huh?”

‘You have something there.’

Thanatos scratched Percy under the chin. “And it looks like you are going to be the most spoiled little bastard of the
castle.”

Percy took his paw from Than’s knee, and put it back on the ground. ‘Well, you guys are just proving my ‘head of
household’ status.’’

“So, we are.”

‘Now, about that merger; though sans Andre, unfortunately?’

Thanatos looked at me and Stefan. “Are we ready for a futher Astral mental unification with a leopard?”

I shrugged. “Sure.” I kissed Percy on the forehead.

Boy, did Percy have a good life.

*****

Thanatos went his separate way with Percy, and I with Stefan, after the Astral meld.

Would our addiction to snogging on couch in front of a fireplace ever be overcome? It didn’t look like it. Well, this
time Stef was sitting down, and I lay on the couch with my head in his lap, as he was playing with my hair. The fire
was just for show, for this place could not have been heated up without central heating, and like that wasn’t going to
happen. “After we are done here, I want to paint Andre and Percy together,” said Stefan.

“Same. I think I want to paint him on his horse with Percy at his side, in Dineh clothing and accessories.”

“I’m going for the African look. No horse, just an African warrior with his hunting cat.”

“I’d like to do that after we get our fill of each other, here.”

“Do you mind that I paint mine in another room from you? You still intimidate me,” said Stefan, as he petted my
nose.

I closed my eyes. “Stefan! You’re end products are as good as mine. It just takes you four or five times longer.”

“Double that if you’re watching me.”

I worked my way to a seated position, and kissed him on the cheek. “I could watch you from a formless perspective,
and you wouldn’t even know it.”

Stefan chuckled. “And now I’ll be wondering every time I do a painting, if you’re beside me, huh?”

“Oh, I wouldn’t do that to you. I don’t get the same pleasure out of watching the completion of a painting from
scratch, as you do. To me, that’s like watching the grass grow.”

“Watching me paint is like watching the grass grow. Watching you, is like watching a flower open up.”

“That’s a beautiful line. Thank you.”

Stefan leaned into me, and put his arm around me. “We’ve about stopped writing each other poetry. I wonder if I
should do something with that line.”

“Maybe. You might trigger another spree, but what is there left to write about. Our poetry was mostly about
longing, seduction, bitching about the past, and our dysfunctionality. That’s all over, now.”

“Hm, yeah.” He faded out, and leaned into me.

OK. End of what I’m going to talk about, for this interlude.

*****

“I can’t believe what Andre did to you, and I find it even harder to believe that you allowed it,” said Thanatos to
Percy. They lay on a rug, side by side, with Thanatos having an arm around the leopard.

‘He was very persuasive. Being this way has it’s drawbacks. I mean I’m more aware at what shallow creatures you
are.’

“Is there anything less arrogant than a feline?”

‘You know damn well most cats aren’t like me. I’ve been worshipped since the day I walked into Kyle’s apartment.
What can you expect?’

“I wonder what you’d look like, if you were a man.”

Percy closed his eyes. ‘Whatever I felt like looking like. I could probably take a form to break down the currently
celibate tendencies of Deliah and Sylvia; but I don’t think I will. After being first neutered as a kitten, then
transferred to where none of it is relevent any more, I have no such inclination.’

Thanatos sat up. “That’s easily understood. Would you like to go for a walk with me?”

‘Hm. . .not really. . .unless you brush me out after, for a very long time.’

“Are all cats merchants?”

‘That’s a rhetorical question. You know the answer to that. Of course I can relate unconditionally. It’s just that I’m
in such a relaxed state, I’d find a walk rather inconvenient at this time, so if you are going to inconvenience me, I am
going to inconvenience you.’

“I’d love to give you a long brushing out. Don’t you ever get sick of that, though?”

‘Uh. . .I’m a cat. Hell, no.’

“You’re not doing much for the stereotype, Sir Percy.”

Percy stretched, sat up, and rubbed the side of his face against Than’s shoulder. ‘Oh, let’s go for that walk. No, you
don’t have to brush me out.”

“And if I want to?”

‘I guess I’ll let you.’

“Percy?”

‘Yes, I can be a bastard. I’ve been told that often enough, too.’

They both stood up. “Want to go to the observatory to look out the windows?”

‘Do you plan to actually get to our destination, or are we going sight seeing, and admiring the artwork on our way?’

“What would you like to do?”

‘Race you to the observatory.’ Percy crouched, lunged, and took off at a dead run.

Percy would be followed and surpassed by a stark white cheetah.

*****

Andre was on a three seater, snuggled against Deliah and Sylvia. Kevalyn and Macha were on a love seat that they
had temporarily materialised for the meeting. The CD player just turned itself off from the song that the women had
just recorded.

“I am impressed. If I’d been more aware of it, I would have had quite a collection of old Irish music,” said Andre.

“You wouldn’t have been able to find anything like this. It’s related, but the straight Tuatha music isn’t the same,”
said Macha.

Sylvia brought her hand to Andre’s shoulder. “Can you please untie your ponytail?”

Andre’s hair went halfway down his shoulderblades, and he always tied it up. He simple dematerialised the hair-tie.
“Go ahead. You curious too, Del?”

“Hm hm.”

Sylvia stroked his hair, first. “Nice. Soft.”

“Versatile, too,” said Deliah.

“Too bad inter-racial dating was such an issue in our day, huh?” asked Deliah of Sylvia.

“Just don’t bring that up when Stefan’s in the room. He’d rant about that non-stop for hours,” said Macha.

Sylvia pressed herself against Andre, and faded into him. He closed his eyes, clenched his teeth, and pressed himself
against the back of the couch.. “Mon Dieu (My God), I should have known better.”

“Wait for me,” said Deliah, as she also disappeared into Andre.

“Aye-yay-yay.” Said Andre softly. “Merci (Thank you) for asking, you little. . .ohhhhhhhhhhh. . .” He disappeared
from view, and the three went Astral.

Andre used to throw in a French word here and there for the benefit of his listener perhaps learning a bit.








































Chapter 3

Percy was on his hind paws, holding himself up on the window ledge with his front paws. Thanatos was beside him,
as they looked at the small part of the eternal sun that was visible. ‘I’m not all cat anymore,’ sent Percy

“And I’m part cat,” said Thanatos.

‘I’m more like you, than I am cat. You still have most of your basic identity.’

“Correction! I have all of my basic identity. It’s just that I know your life and how you think, though I am only
familiar with your thoughts. You never acted like most cats. You were and are still very demanding, and born to
rule. So, can you answer Stef’s question on having been in Ancient Egypt before this incarnation?”

‘I wasn’t, but you know that.’

Thanatos stroked Percy’s head and neck. “That, you came back to Kyle from being the cat she had when she was a
child? Yes. I found that out during our merger.”

‘I know. Can I ask how I can repay you after all this household has done for me, unconditionally?’

“You already have. Just being in my lap and purring, was enough. Your kneading behaviour also felt pretty good.
Granted, you don’t measure up to Stefan or Donn in the backrubs, but you may have noticed no one ever kicked you
out of bed.”

‘If I could guarantee you I’d keep my claws retracted, shall I give you one as I am now?’

Thanatos kissed the leopard on the bridge of the nose. “No, but here’s the why of it. We do that as much as we used
to, but more to appreciate each other’s aesthetics from a visual perspective. Art lovers, we will always be. As for
the sensualism we engage in, it’s almost always in the realm of energy exchanges.”

‘Almost.’

“We have our moments, but it’s been a while, and why are we discussing this? You know damn well, what we have
and haven’t done since we left The White City!”

‘Hm hm. Nothing worth filming, as Donn or Stefan would say.’

Thanatos laughed. “I somehow knew that you’d be as sarcastic as hell, if you were to use words, when you were still
a housecat.”

‘You are very perceptive.’

Thanatos ran his hand down Percy’s back. “And Stefan is currently your favourite. Why don’t you ask him if he
wants a backrub from a leopard. I mean he, or rather Kyle and Kev have even talked about it when they were still
alive on Earth.”

‘One of glowing red eyes. Stefan isn’t here now, yet you are. Oh, most powerful one. Can you add on a tower taller
than this, where you can actually go outside, like the watchtowers of ancient Europe?’

“The cat is now an architect?”

Percy looked Thanatos in the eye. ‘Out! Out! Out! I want ouuuuuuuuuuut!!!!!’

Thanatos chuckled. “You could almost say that, when you were a housecat.”

‘And they’d always open the door for me.’

“Come on! Let’s go outside.”

Thanatos and Percy transferred outside, but it wasn’t under Than’s power.

*****

A somewhat stunned Thanatos regained his composure. “Ye gods! I thought I was gonna do that.”

‘You suggested going out, so. . .’

“Uh, yeah! Just out of curiosity, can you install the tower, too?”

‘Where do you want it?’

“I’d say, this side of the castle, closest to the edge of the cliff, next to the entrance.”

Percy actually nodded, once. The tower appeared. ‘Want to check my work, or enjoy the scenery out here?’

“Percy, you impress me.”

‘I see you time tripped, and find it to your satisfaction.’

“Let’s stay out here for a while. How’s about sitting at the edge?”

‘Fine by me.”

They walked to the edge of the precipice, and sat down. Thanatos dangled his legs over the cliff.

They sat there for a while, and eventually faded into each other, disappearing from the site.

*****

Andre, Deliah and Sylvia sat on the floor in front of the fireplace, in the main living room. “You’re a conniver,
Andre,” said Sylvia.

“Sitting between us; with our reputation, and you playing so innocent, so coy, when you know damn well you are one
of the most beautiful, exotic, irresistable, men we’ve ever seen, “ said Deliah.

“Am I complaining?” said Andre.

“No, but you’re trying to abdicate yourself of all responsibility of what we did to you, even though you instigated the
outcome.”

Andre said, “My father said the woman should always be the aggressor. It worked for him.”

“You’ve kept to yourself until now, since you died,” said Deliah.

“I have my standards. My wife was a hard one to measure up to, before I became detached. Then I just didn’t care.”

Deliah looked at Sylvia. “He sounds like another bane at Tech Duinn, the first time around.”

“Is there one male here, who wasn’t?” asked Sylvia.

“Keith, for most of his time, there,” said Deliah.

“Only for Macha,” said Sylvia.

“How little faith ye have in me,” said Del.

“Never mind,” said Sylvia.

“Says the demure gender,” said Andre.

“Tell it to Macha,” said Deliah.

“Yeah, right,” said Andre. “Is there any way I can ask you two to take me on an extended tour of this castle out of
time, that I didn’t see yet?”

“Glad to,” said Deliah.

*****

Both me and Stefan time tripped out of the castle dwellers’ perception of it. We also had to invade Andre’s past
privacy, unknown to him, being both me and Stefan wanted to paint him with quite a bit of skin showing, and neither
one of us had seen him less than fully dressed. It turned he was a bit on the scrawny side, but his muscle lines were
quite prominent. He was another epitome of masculine beauty.

Historically, there was nothing wrong with painting Andre in a Navajo setting. The unwilling imports to the New
World adapted rather well to the Native lifestyle, for it was similar to their own back in Africa, as the New World
was being destroyed. Hey! Jimi Hendrix was a quarter Cherokee, and as I said in my intro, Andre was a quarter
Navajo.

Andre’s face was very refined. He had a narrow, high cheekboned face, wide ebony eyes, sensuous, full lips, and a
nose of medium width, that did extend from his face a bit more than it would have, had he been pure Sudanese sans
Arab blood. He wore a thin moustache that traced his upper lip, and had a chin that was neither really squared off, or
rounded. He looked artistically, aristocratic.

I had to also trip out of the place to look at Andre’s horse, who he’d named ‘Wind Warrior’. We’d just call the
stallion, ‘Wind’. Stefan time tripped to get Percy the pardale, at his finest. These projects took both uf us a bit more
effort than we’d originally thought.

After we were done, we met at the same time we left the castle, so no one would have been the wiser to us being
gone. We hung the paintings on the each side of the fireplace of the main living room, and left. This was the most
commonly visited room in the castle, and both me and Stefan decided we were too into each other right now, to be
bothered by all the accolades we’d get for these works. No one has painted anything for a while, so a fuss would
have been made over this. Now, me and Stefan just wanted to be to-gether.

*****

Me and Stefan doubled up on Shiva, and went for a slow ride on the plateau. We spotted the new tower right away,
and planned to head for it after we took care of Shiva’s payback. We rode from one end of the castle to the other,
enjoying the view of the red-violet sky. We could see four of the seven moons very clearly, the other three were on
the verge of disappearing over the skyline, the main sun was on our side of the plateau, though the secondary sun was
on the other side of the planet.. I would never tire of this alien landscape. It’s surrealistic appeal would never fade.

“What would it be like to go temperature sensitive, here?” asked Stefan.

“Painful, and your nose would fall off. Don’t be stupid. It’s twenty degrees out here.”

“I’ve been in worse.”

I was holding onto Stefan from behind, and I almost laughed. “Like the time you got sent to New Jersey in
December to do some cleanup for your data centre, and you only brought your Bay Area clothes? Oh yeah! Run
like hell through the field to the Chinese restaurant, about three hundred yards away in six degree weather, while in a
pair of jeans, and a regular cotton long sleeved shirt and T-shirt. Yup! That was absolutely brilliant, Stef.”

“Wasn’t it, though?” he asked.

“I don’t know what was worse. That, or you running for the ocean waters of Tech Duinn, dressed like you are now.”
He was in his breeches, boots, silk shirt, gloves and cloak.”

“Close call. I still act before I think, some times.”

I ruffled his hair. “I notice. It’s funnier than hell, when I write about it later. It adds to your appeal.”

“That I’m an idiot, sometimes?”

“Reckless, is a better word.”

He leaned back into me. “Gods, can I love you any more?”

I put head on his left shoulder, and pressed my face against the side of his head. “I don’t think your love for me can
be surpassed, though it’s obviously matched by Thanatos.”

“Hmmmmm. What do we do for Andre, on the ice?”

“How about Blue Oyster Cult, and Led Zeppelin? Later, though. I just want your company, right now.”

“Sounds good to me. Let’s get out of standard time, though. I treasure having you all to myself, like this.”

“Let’s let Shiva go, and you and me go Causal for a while,” I suggested.

“Oh, yeaaaaaaaaaaaaah.”

No, I’m not gonna write about that. I mean, how boring; ya know? Same moves, different story.

*****

Del and Sylvia had Andre between them again, and Thanatos was on his feet, pacing in front of the couch. “You
want me to what?” Percy was laying in front of the fireplace, focused on the conversation.

“You heard me! Add a tunnel in the back of the castle, and put a hot spring at the end of it,” said Deliah.

Thanatos stopped in front of her, and scowled. “Do you know how high this place is?”

“About two thousand feet?” asked Deliah.

“Closer to twenty five hundred, but you want me to rearrange the whole geography of the area so you have an excuse
to. . .um. . .what exactly do you have in mind, for our intrinsically evolved Andre?”

“Not much,” said Deliah. “The usual. Cuddle, snog, and you know the rest. Energy exchanges are us.”

Thanatos chuckled. “Uh, huh? More like, whatever you can get away with.”

Andre shrugged. “Well, maybe once. For the experience?”

Sylvia put her arm around him. “Excuse me, but there are two ladies at your side? If you do anything of the lower
planer sorts with her, and not with me, I will search high and low, for a way to destroy you, sir.”

“Twice,” said Andre.

Thanatos closed his eyes, smiled, and nodded his head five time. He then looked at Andre. “I note a touch of
ambivalence.”

Andre shrugged. “Only twice. I’d rather concede to that, than be ridiculed for the rest of eternity in the worst
possible way. Judging from the entries of The Xanon Chronicles, you know damn well what I’m talking about.”

“Oh, yeah. I sure as hell do.” Thanatos parted his lips, and bared his fangs, as he gave a wide grin. “But you’re
doing no such thing the first time in the hot spring.”

Deliah scowled. “Why?”

“Because there’s a storm incoming. Electrical. I’m coming with you to our new spa.”

“Oh my god!” said Sylvia.

“Let’s get everybody!” said Deliah, as she made an immediate effort to contact all castle dwellers resembling
humans.

‘I think I’ll pass,’ sent Percy, to everyone. ‘This isn’t my idea of entertainment.’

Thanatos went over to Percy, and scratched him behind the ears. “Understood, love.” He closed his eyes. “Donn
and Stefan are Causal now, but they’ll time trip back to a few moments from now. The hot spring is set up, and
Macha and Kevalyn are already looking at it, thanks to Del.”

“Will you transfer us to the tunnel?” asked Sylvia.

“If you like. I even added the beloved multi-coloured torches to the scene,” said Thanatos.

“Sounds interesting,” said Andre.

“Temperature sensitive?” asked Deliah?

“I would really wait, until I was actually in the water, or at least just about to step into it.” said Thanatos. “I also
wouldn’t do anything stupid, like get out of my clothes by actually taking them off.”

“Didn’t the guys in Tierra del Fuego run around naked?” asked Deliah.

“Del, if you really want to suffer. . .”

She gave Thanatos a sarcastic smirk. “This once Jewish rich bitch ain’t that masochistic, babe. I’ll take your advice,
my love.”

Thanatos transferred them to the entrance of the new tunnel. A black marble beauty, where you could see you
reflection on the walls, and flames of every gas on Earth and here, burning on the walls. Yeah, there were a few
undescribable colours

*****

Me and Stefan ‘landed’ at the door of the tunnel a few minutes (Yeah, yeah, yeah! No time. It’s that illusory
perception thing again, OK?) after everyone else had come this way. Percy’s new tower would come later. We were
a little dazed, in an elated sort of way, having totally gotten off on our total Causal energy and mind-share. We
walked slowly down the hall, stumbling every so often, and laughing about it when it happened, but we didn’t
actually talk to each other. We didn’t need to. There was absolutely nothing left to say to each other, unless one of
us just thought of some sort of witticism to share, and believe me! Neither one of us was feeling terribly creative,
right now.

Due to a lightning strike, the sky lit up in a brilliant red, right as we got out of the tunnel. That was the only time,
this place actually saw ‘daylight’. The clouds weren’t quite over us yet, but the freezing rain was coming down
hard, and hitting us; due to the high winds. Everyone was sitting by the edges, conveniently submerged up to their
chins in the Thanatos-made, seemingly natural (yeah, right) hot spring, with a ridge that surrounded the interior of
the sides, that was of varying height, so everyone could find an area suited for them. Me and Stefan, our arms still
around each other, simply waved to everyone. Everyone waved back. No one said anything.

I dematerialised my clothes, entered the pool, and went temperature sensative. Stefan, uh. . .Stefan, being Stefan,
dematerialised his clothes, went temperature sensative and entered the pool very slowly. Inch by inch, so to speak.
Our minds were still connected, I could feel what he was going through, and I felt like getting up, and pulling him
into the water. I think I had goosebumps, despite the fact that I was soaking in roughly hundred and five degree
water, give or take. He was shivering up a storm, yet he did not budge on his slow motion entry into the water.

OK! I suppose I could have disconnected myself from him. On the other hand, that would have put a damper on
what we’d just done in the Causal Realm, so I didn’t. I was relieved, when he was up to his waist. It had taken him
about three or four minutes to get there. Probably closer to three, but to me, it felt like a week. I sent him, ‘Stefan,
if I didn’t love you so much, I would vice-grip your nose, for you for what you’re doing right now. I don’t want to
lose touch, so I have to suffer with you, you masochistic fool!’

‘I’ll make it up to you,’ he sent back.

He waded over to me, put his back against the wall, and proceeded to sink into his seat, taking a couple of minutes to
do so. The steam of the hotspring could have helped, if the virtually gale force wind, didn’t drive it off. After he
was completely seated, he put his arm around me, rested his head against my shoulder, and drew me into complete
bliss.

Would Stefan ever get over that ‘It feels so good when it stops’ agenda? Uh, yeah, there’s no time, but if there was,
how long would we have been to-gether by now? Over a century, quite easily. It was still happening.

No, it would never end.

*****

We were enraptured by the fantastic light show. Even when the clouds came over us; they had breaks, so you could
still sometimes see our main sun, the one far distant that looked a little larger that the earth’s moon, and the currently
two moons in our skyview, at different times. We sat in the toasty water, and the freezing rain cascaded on us
sometimes, and drizzled at other times. It was a metaphysical experience. That, with me being still so strongly
linked to the storm obsessed Stefan, made it an experience beyond ecstacy.

Still, no one said anything. We stayed there, until the main sun circled one fourth of the horizon. Finally, Thanatos
said, “If we stay here much longer, we will look like prunes.”

Macha said, “Yeah, I think I’ve had enough. I think I’d also like to transfer into the heart of the castle, with
temperature sensitivity gone.”

“I’m with you there,” said Andre.

Thanatos said, “Let’s go to the main living room. Andre, you haven’t seen the pictures Stef and Donn did, of you?”

Andre looked at me. “You did pictures of me? You didn’t tell me!”

“Sorry,” I said. “Things just piled up.”

“You couldn’t have sent me a thought?”

I shrugged, “We wanted to surprise you, to tell you the truth. We figured you’d have been in the main living room,
by now.”

“Let’s say I got distracted.”

I looked at the rapt Sylvia and Delia. “So I see.” (Andre looked pretty content, himself.) I extended my hand to
Thanatos, who took it. “We ought to do this more often. This was an amazing experience. Let’s join hands and get
ourselves back in the castle.”

“OK,” said Thanatos. We did, and we ended up all standing to-gether, fully dressed, in front of the paintings. I will
not bore everyone with the endless stream of compliments me and Stefan got.

Then, me and Stefan checked out Percy’s tower. It was a nice addition.

*****

“Where’s Percy?” asked Kevalyn, as we all sat in a circle in front of the fireplace in the main living room, after a
slight, temporary re-arrangement of the seating.

Thanatos closed his eyes. “He’s on the sunny side of the habitable part of the planet. He’s on an exploration trip.”

“I’d like to do that one day,” said Sylvia.

“Same, but it’s low priority. I mean, note that I haven’t bothered yet,” said Deliah.

“I’m still into ‘Give me Niflheim, or give me death.’ I’d rather not. I never want to see daylight again. You all can
just send me the thought pictures of what you saw,” said Stefan.

“Percy can show us, when he gets back,” said Macha. “I’d like to spend some time mollycoddling that gorgeous
creature.”

“Can I help?” asked Kevalyn.

“We both know he’d appreciate that,” said Macha. “He’s always liked to be spoiled in stereo.”

“Tell me about it,” said Stefan. “Now he’s big enough to be spoiled in quadrophonics.”

“At least,” said Thanatos, “but what a remarkable creature he is. Thanks for persuading him to become like this,
Andre.”

Andre smiled. “Welcome. Now I find that though I’ve always wanted a pet leopard, there’s not even such a thing as
a pet cat.”

“Household despot, is more like it.” said Stefan.

“The only way to relate to them,” said Deliah. “Cat’s make better rulers than people, it seems.”

“They do tend to be more reasonable,” said Thanatos.

“Reasonable? As long as you cater to their hedonism to the nth degree. I mean, I’d come home from a double shift,
and can I just open a can of cat food and leave? Nooooooo! I had to measure out a half a pound of shrimp, thaw it
in the nuker, and hand feed it to him one by one. Not the little ones. He liked the big ones. Nine dollars a pound,
you know? If I didn’t hand feed him, he’d go hungry, and I’d feed the waste to the ferals. Sometimes he ate too fast,
and he’d throw up. Arrrrrrgh! It’s like, I could have eaten that,” said Stefan.

“It was a touching sight to see,” said Kevalyn.

Stefan smiled. “So, it was. I mean, I didn’t always hand feed him. If I was eating my own dinner, he’d feed himself.
Just as long as we ate to-gether. Percy really is quite a romantic (As I’ve said before). In fact, I am tempted to
beckon him.”

“Of course we were the first to declare dibs on him,” said Macha.

“Fine,” said Stefan. ‘Percy? Have you had your fill of the hellside of the planet yet?’

‘I will not pounce on the beasties, I will not pounce on the. . .’

Stefan chuckled. ‘I hope you are being sarcastic.’

The leopard materialised at Stefan’s side. ‘Of course. You know, only about twenty two percent of the surface of
this planet is habitable?’

And we were on the far outskirts of that habitable region.

Stefan asked, “Are you a geologist and mathematician, now?”

‘Hey, zone-case! I know everything that you and everyone else knows; that they have chosen to share with me now.
Remember? I have all of everyone’s memories and knowledge, here. In fact, I retain things better than you, because
I have a higher degree of perpetual self-awareness than you; you damn space cadet. I am a CAT!’

Stefan kneeled, and kissed Percy on the forehead. “Macha, Kev? You can have ‘im. He’s being a bit cantankerous,
here.”

“Well, considering that you did just insult his intelligence. . .” said Macha.

Stefan embraced Percy. “I’m sorry love. I hold everyone to my own standards, and they appear to be lower than
yours.”

‘I notice, but I forgive you. After all, you’re only just a person.’

Deliah laughed. “Ye gods.”

Stefan looked up at Andre. “Dude! Do I pet your nose, or slap you upside?”

“Hopefully, neither,” said Andre.

Percy got up, and stepped away from Stefan. Suddenly, it wasn’t a leopard that was standing beside Stefan, but a
man.

We were all absolutely stunned. Even Thanatos. Stefan was the first to speak. “Holy shit! David Selby, eat your
heart out!” Percy did look a bit like the young David Selby, though with copper eyes. Only better, if that could be
imagined.

“Thank you,” said Percy. “Now can we all start realising that there is more to me than just a desire to sleep in front
of the fire, or a desire for a tummy rub and play time? I mean, you gave me all your shallow traits to top the basic
personality traits of my own kind. You hybridised me, and I suppose now you have to pay the consequences of
putting up with me.”

Stefan scowled. “If you were still a cat, I’d kiss you on the forehead, but you’re not, so I don’t think I will.”

Percy smiled, and shook his head. “Stefan, Stefan, my dearest Stefan. You know, you must be the most confused
individual in existence, regarding issues like this.”

“You mean, it’s not me?” I had to ask.

“Don’t flatter yourself, Donn. Not only does Stefan take the cake in what ‘it’ is/was, and what ‘it’ wants/wanted, but
it’s taken the whole damn bakery, as the expression goes.”

“My former cat, the psychologist,” said Stefan.

“YOUR cat?” asked Percy.

“You didn’t exactly open your own cans of catfood, dude.”

“That’s what slaves are for,” said Percy.

“He’s got you,” said Macha.

“I think I’ll quit while I’m behind,” said Stefan.

“Wise decision, Stef,” I said.

Percy went over to Stefan, and embraced him. “Thanks for everything, love.”

A tear trailed down Stefan’s face, as he returned the gentle hold on Percy.

Percy did get that kiss on the forehead, after all.







Chapter 4

Thanatos took Stefan, me and Percy away from the rest of the lot. This time, it was Percy who was wrapped around
Stefan, as we were led to the room devoted to Scotland.

Stefan had gotten himself well under control. “Percy, I really wish I’d payed more attention to you. I didn’t give
you one tenth what you deserved.”

“You had other things to do. I mean, it took a lot of money to keep me in the royal style you’ve got me accustomed
to, and I knew that even when I was alive, as if you let me forget. You gave me a lot more attention then most
people give to the felines they share their households with.”

“Why didn’t you sleep with me more, on Earth? I mean, you seemed to enjoy it?” asked Stefan.

Percy chuckled. “Cats are notorious grudge holders, and I was very immature. Whenever you did something I didn’t
like, I punished you by depriving you of myself. You weren’t always a good enough telepath for my taste.”

Stefan and Percy sat next to each other on a three seater, while me and Thanatos pulled up a chair in front of them.
“Do you know how confusing it is to relate to you, now?” asked Stefan.

“Would you prefer I become a leopard again?” He didn’t say so, but in reality, Percy preferred it so.

“Sometimes, maybe. The form you wear!”

“I took it from your mind,” said Percy. “You thought I’d look like David Selby if I were a person, and I just couldn’t
resist improving the look according to your standards. After all, you saved my life from becoming a tragedy when
you adopted me. You also gave me the best food available. The high class sea food? The organic cream? The
Nutro catfood? The bottled water? Then there was the cat structure, and all the toys you bought me? Those times
when you brushed me out? The snogging sessions, where you acted like you were scent marking me back? You
really cared about me. You still do. And all you wanted from me, was that I sit in your lap and purr.”

“You did a lot more than that. You even got me to work on time, when I forgot to set my alarm.”

Percy ran his right index finger down Stefan’s nose. “I was accustomed to eating at a certain time. Cats a sticklers
for schedules. We don’t like to be kept waiting.”

Thanatos asked. “Considering the heavy duty nose petting that’s going on, shall we leave you two alone?”

Both Percy and Stefan laughed. “Gods, no,” said Stefan. “I guess I just had to clear up some guilt feelings.”

Percy pointed at Stefan. “You know, you treated me better than you treated Kevin? You rather slept with me than
Kevin.”

“You didn’t snore.”

“Tell me about it,” said Percy. He looked at me and Thanatos. “I also thank both of you, for all you’ve done for
me.”

“It was our pleasure,” said Thanatos.

“Totally,” I added.

“Thanks. Now, might it be possible to cater to me in satisfying my curiosity about some things?” asked Percy.

“Like, the intimacy of the tea rituals we used to have a long time ago?” asked Thanatos.

“I remember the days of Tech Duinn. You’d all sit on the couch under cover in front of the fire place, and everyone
would have a cup of tea, and sometimes I’d be in someone’s lap, enjoying the heat of the fire if I’d decided to go
temperature sensitive.”

“I was never even aware of you having the ability to turn your senses on and off, like that,” said Thanatos.

“I guess you just took it for granted that I had everything figured out and didn’t play stupid games like that, huh?”
asked Percy.

Thanatos smiled. “A polite way of putting it.”

“Well, I did; being the hedonist that I am. I’ll forgive you. I mean, you obviously thought of me as more than just a
cat.”

“I would hope so, Sir Percy,” said Thanatos.

“Your master, your liege, aye?”

Thanatos winked, and pointed at Percy. “Only when you’re a cat. In this form, you can open your own damn cans.”

“As if you ever fed me.”

Thanatos cocked his head. “That can be arranged, if you like.” His tone of voice was a bit on the suggestive side.

Both me and Stefan jerked our heads in his direction. Both our lower jaws had dropped, too. “Say, what?” I asked.

Thanatos said, “Read me, babe.”

I did. It was only said in jest. “Ye gods! Remind me to establish a stronger connection with you, before you give
me a cardiac.”

“As if,” said Thanatos.

I smiled, and shook my head. “You are something else. Stef, mind if we time trip Percy to Tech Duinn?”

“Not at all.”

Thanatos raised his right hand, and flicked his wrist, with index finger extended.

Suddenly the four of us were in Tech Duinn, in the main living room with the perpetually burning fireplace, a thick
blanket was on the couch, and four cups of creamed China black tea were on the table. Percy and Stefan sat in the
middle. It was one of the most beautiful nostalgic moments we ever had. Of course none of us could even think of
getting the tea down without gagging, though we did enjoy its scent; which was the only reason we materialised the
cups.

*****

“We are the same. All creatures, all objects. Exactly the same,” mused Andre.

“Eventually,” said Macha.

“Every mammal, bird, reptile, insect, fish, rock, and speck of dust.”

“You knew that,” said Deliah.

“From an intellectual perspective,” said Andre. “Now I know it intrinsically. I ‘grok’ it, so to speak. I understand
everything Carlos Castaneda wrote about regarding inorganic life forms, and all. I feel like another blanket has just
been lifted from over my head.”

“It’s a wonderful feeling,” said Sylvia. “I know exactly what you’re talking about.”

“Unfortunately, I seem to have lost the company of a leopard.”

“Would you like another one?” asked Macha.

“I’m not sure. Percy is something special. Because of all the care he’d gotten, he was pretty anthropomorphised
even before I did my complete mindshare with him. He had a lot of Stefan in him. Those two are virtually soul
mates. Donn didn’t write about that,” said Andre.

“He didn’t consider it worth writing about.. We’ve all talked about it, though. Percy was rarely mentioned in the
Xanon Chronicles, but he did spend one hell of a lot of time with us. If there was a lap available, he’d be in it much
of the time. He also liked to sleep with whoever was asleep that day or night,” said Macha. “He was a very
affectionate animal.”

“Still is, from what I can tell,” said Sylvia. “Whatever the hell I should consider him as being.”

“I might have married him, if I’d met Percy in life in his human form,” said Deliah.

Sylvia snorted. “He’s legions over Ted.”

“I thought you forgave Ted?” asked Andre.

“I did, but I also stated a fact. I mean, by now Ted Hughes is pretty much a dead issue.”

“Brilliantly phrased. I’ll have to remember that line for Stefan,” said Deliah.

“You and Stefan seemed to have almost everything in common, when you were alive,” said Andre to Sylvia.

“I loved my children, and I was comfortable with my femininity, unlike Stefan. I was also a hell of a lot more
jealous and possessive of my slutty husband, not that I was easy to live with.”

“Neither was Stefan, or should I say, Kyle?” said Andre.

“I think I was worse,” said Sylvia. “Me and Kyle did have a lot of overlapping issues, though.” She looked at
Kevalyn. “You know how goddamn weird this is, talking about you guys in the past, when you were alive? I mean,
not only didn’t you keep your names, you didn’t even keep the facade of the gender you were.”

Kevalyn shrugged. “Stefan doesn’t even like the concept of gender.”

“I could tell,” said Deliah. “He was also such a frustrating lover.”

“No, he wasn’t,” said Kevalyn. “He was damn good.”

“Depends on what you wanted,” said Deliah. “You weren’t going to get unbridled passion or a good fuck, from him.
Same with Donn and Thanatos. They were all the same. So artsy, do controlled, so deliberate, so appreciative, so. . .
goddamn quiet. I mean, why be so self conscious of your dignity at moments like that? Never once did I get wild
abandon from any of those three, not that I really wanted them after the first time. Man, how can anyone feel more
unused, you know?”

Andre had to laugh at that last line. “Is this a bad thing?”

“I couldn’t make those guys lose control of themselves,” complained Deliah. That did wonders for my ego. I mean,
LOOK at me.”

“You’re very beautiful,” said Andre.

“The time is gone, though. I don’t really even care if you don’t cater to my rather weak curiosity on what you would
be like in bed,” said Deliah to Andre. That attitude wouldn’t last with future adoptees, regarding Deliah.

“Then maybe we shouldn’t, because I must confess that I have no desire whatsoever,” said Andre.

“All right,” said Sylvia. “Let’s let our lower bygone instincts stay at rest, then.”

Andre smiled, and said, “Anyway, I admired Donn and Thanatos so much, I’d be incline to imitate their style.”

Sylvia scowled at him. “If you had Stefan’s priorities, I’d threaten to bite your nose off, for saying that.”

“I’m glad I don’t share what’s important to him, then. My nose also doesn’t extend halfway across the room.”

Everyone laughed over that one.

*****

“This is nice,” said Percy. “Now, while we are back at Tech Duinn, what is it like to swim in the ocean, to ride a
horse through the surf, to sit in the perfumed spa, or to sit under the English gazebo on a foggy night as a person?”

Thanatos looked at me. “Looks like we’re going to be here for a while.”

I shrugged. “Fine by me.”

“Would you like an equine ally?” asked Thanatos of Percy.

“No! Can a borrow one?”

“Hm hm. I’ll ask Aslan.”

“Thank you,” said Percy.

Aslan was cool with being ridden.

*****

Percy ended up preferring to ride double, not that riding really mowed his lawn. Despite his now human form,
Percy was still such a cat, and he liked being in close contact with someone else.

He liked romping in the surf, and hitting the ocean. Leopards don’t have an aversion to water, and that carried over
to the human Percy. Even when Percy was a housecat, he used to love playing in the rain, although he wasn’t too
thrilled with baths. Nevertheless, he tolerated being put in the tub without a fight, when the situation called for it, on
those days when he’d been trapped on Earth.

We ended up spending quite a bit of time, playing in the ocean. I had fun, myself. We stayed temperature
insensitive, of course.


We’d had to time trip to get to a foggy night in the garden for the stint under the English gazebo, and Thanatos had
no problem directing us to the conditions we wanted. Afterward, we walked through the garden. The neglected
torches were still burning, and everything was just as we’d left it.

We walked to Percy’s final experience of curiosity. The spa.

Percy wanted to experience the self torturous method of disrobing in the hall while being aware of the uncomfortably
cold temperature, and feeling the relief, as one walked into the steamy room. We all did that. Would this be my last
time?

Gods, I didn’t know. Before now, I thought I’d never see Tech Duinn again. The whirlpool would be filled with
jasmine oil, thanks to Thanatos. Percy used to love the scent when he was a housecat, and that hadn’t changed.
Percy entered the water first, and he all out revelled in it. He sat between us, and rubbed the side of his face first
against Than’s shoulder, then against mine. We ended up having a platonic make-out session of sorts, basically
treating Percy like he was still a cat. Mutual scent-marking behaviour, light snogging, and me and Than traded
places on giving him a light, something of a back and shoulder rub. If we’d been filmed for a controvercial flick, the
audience would have been bored to tears. Stefan, not being next to Percy, just sat there.

When it all ended, the four of us did a sensuous energy exchange, and we went Causal to do another complete mental
merger. It was sweet. Percy had a quality about him, that wasn’t found in people. An innate knowledge. An
alien innocence.

We time tripped back to the Akashic Castle to the moment before we had left, but to that room devoted to Scotland.

*****

Andre, Deliah and Sylvia stood outside of ‘The Room of Akasha’. “Past, present, future, anywhere, everywhere,”
said Andre.

“Hm hm,” said Deliah. “Every world that exists, in every time frame, on all levels of existence.”

“Will I come out sane, if I enter?”

Sylvia smiled. “It’s not a case of ‘Abandon hope, all ye who enter here.’ You just view it internally. You just know
it.”

“And you can just open up, and let the knowledge flow,” said Andre.

“It hits you all at once. A good analogy might be, you getting seven thousand tomes downloaded into your memory
banks in less than a second,” said Deliah. “It’s cool. I’ve done it lots of times. Just don’t develop any passions with
your knowledge. That’s very counterproductive, and unless you can gaurantee yourself that, you don’t want to go in
there.”

“I remember that from our merging, but I’m not sure I’m ready for this,” said Andre.

“Then let’s go read some books, for now,” said Deliah.

“Sure. The library seems to go on forever,” said Andre.

“Almost,” said Deliah. “It’s a student’s dream, huh?”

“Would you forgive me if I said, ‘totally’?” asked Andre.

“We would,” said Sylvia. “We say it periodically. Thank you, Stefan.”

“I love it,” said Andre, “but can we walk?”

“Seeing that you want to see more of the castle, it seems the library isn’t your highest priority,” said Deliah.

“You haven’t seen it all, yourself,” said Andre.

“No. Not by walking through it. I absorbed it,” said Deliah.

“And I want to actually see more of it. I know what you know about it, but I want a more in depth experience.”

Deliah smiled, and put her arm around Andre. “Then, let’s go!”

*****

After we got back to the castle, I had an intense desire to blend with Stefan, but I refrained. Instead, I embraced him
as well as I could with one arm, and sent him the warmest feelings I could, along with a ‘Thank you for having taken
such good care of Percy, and paying so much attention to him.’

He looked at me. ‘What brought this on?’ Stefan returned the telepathic transmission.

I smiled, and brushed my head against his shoulder. ‘By catering to him as you did, and by having been aware of
how to communicate with him when you were alive, you helped him become quite an intellectual creature.’

‘He struck me as having been born that way.’

I couldn’t resist this. ‘Well, he was smarter than your average cat.’

Stefan’s eyebrows went up. ‘My love, my liege! Have I ruined you, with my memories of silly childhood cartoons?’

‘Call me ‘my liege’ again, and I may ruin you, nostrils for brains.’

Stefan had to laugh. “Oh, Donn! I can’t believe how adorable you are,” he said aloud.

Percy then said, “I couldn’t have asked for a better liege, myself.”

“Percy!” I exclaimed.

Percy smiled. “I perceived every thought you guys shared with each other. Now, that telepathy stint wasn’t polite,
was it, my dearest Tuatha prince?”

“Oh, spare me! Please,” I said.

Stefan ruffled my hair, turned to Percy, and kissed him on the cheek. “Mi gatito bonito!”

Percy raised his left eyebrow. “Your pretty kitten, Stefan? Now?”

“Mon chat? Mon leopard?” (Leopard has an accent over the ‘e’, but. . .you know the story on my software.)

Percy chuckled. “Andre is rubbing off on you. Spanish suits you better. French in an Irish accent is atrocious, and
at least you have the decency to adopt a little bit of a Mexican accent when speaking Spanish.”

“Thanks. . .I think,” said Stefan.

Percy leaned into Stefan. “I’m glad our relationship hasn’t changed with my form.”

“How can it? Will you ever take the form of a leopard again?”

Percy tilted his head. “Oh, how you’d like to be pressed against my back, with your arm around me, as you pass out
on a cold evening, under an electric blanket, before a raging fire, on a nice, soft bed. Of course, I’m becoming a
leopard again. This form is deplorable. So weak, and inefficient.”

“I haven’t slept in forever, but that does sound nice,” said Stefan.

“Yes, it does. I’ve never slept with a big cat before,” said Thanatos.

Percy looked at him. “Take a number, babe.”

We found that statement quite amusing.

Yeah, I wanted to experience crashing out with Percy in leopard form, as well. An alternative would do, however. I
looked at Thanatos. “Remember the time we first met, when you introduced yourself as Keith?”

Thanatos shook his head, gave me sardonic smile, and suddenly a snow leopard sat, where formerly was either the
first or second most attractive thing in humanoid male I ever saw, was; depending on my current taste.

*****

Snow leopards are nowhere near as big as a true leopard, but Than’s soft, lush fur, more than made up for it. In a
rare show of this type of hedonism, I crashed out with the lovely cat. Sleeping with my face against his neck, was
nice. I wondered why we hadn’t done this, in so long. It’s been since my early days on Tech Duinn, when me and
‘Keith’ first met, as I shall now confess.

Thanatos wouldn’t be sleeping with Percy in leopard form, or any other form, though. He wasn’t as curious about
crashing out with a large cat, as he’d verbally implied.

*****

Andre stopped in front of a statue of an Oriental jade dragon. “I was pretty good at geography, and now I find that I
didn’t know ninety odd percent of these nations existed.

“You were good at what was your current geography. You weren’t exactly a histroy major,” said Sylvia.

“I studied it to a degree. So much was ignored,” said Andre.

Deliah put her arm around his waist. “Gods, I love people with a penchant to grow intellectually.”

He stroked her hair. “It takes one to know one, eh?”

Deliah cocked her head. “I suppose so. Too bad we were born in different times and countries.”

“What would your father have said, if you were dating a black man?”

Deliah scrowled. “I think he would have had a cow, and died in the delivery room.”

“And people wonder why I couldn’t adjust, in life,” said Sylvia. “Having to live with attitudes like that, you know?”

“And, you should have seen how many people went into shock, when I displayed any level of intelligence,” said
Andre.

Deliah snuggled against him. “And you were never bitter.”

“My father told me, that if anyone ever gave me any of this garbage, just to look at the situation objectively, and
remember that I had a private education, I had more money in a trust fund that most could dream of, and that with my
choice of careers, I was going to make four times the national average in salary. Granted that is not a very spiritual
philosophy of dealing with the situation, but it worked, I never got defensive, and I actually made a few friends
which originally never dreamed they’d be associating with a nigger.”

“I hate that word,” said Sylvia.

Andre stepped forward, and rubbed his left index finger down her nose. “Then I won’t use it again, but you have to
promise me never to call yourself a former Nazi bitch.” (I didn’t think that was worth writing about in my tales,
though it’s happened with regularity..)

“Deal.”

Andre stepped back into Deliah’s, now firmer grip, but looked at Sylvia. “You are not your ancestry. There never
was a reason to feel guilt over having German blood. Sylvia, you were one of the most enlightened people of your
time.”

The three started slowly moving forward, again. “Too bad Tech Duinn couldn’t have been like this,” said Deliah.

“If it were, you’d still be there. You wouldn’t be one third finished with exploring it, and you couldn’t have left until
you saw every last inch of it on foot. Anyway; I wasn’t there, so that would have curtailed our meeting. We couldn’t
have had that, now could we?”

Deliah and Sylvia looked at each other. “But now that we have met. . .hmmmmm,” said Sylvia. She looked at
Andre. “Shall we ask Thanatos if he can arrange for one more round at Tech Duinn, so we can scr. . .”

“No! No. . .no. . .no! Good place to visit, but not to live. I have no desire to devolve to re-evolve. Anyway, I’ve
vicariously lived through all of it during our mental merging. May I also say that I would disappoint both of you, in
bed. I don’t care, anymore. You’d find me too much like. . .uh. . .Stefan, would be the closest thing. There’s no
way I could measure up to Donn, much less Thanatos.”

“Not that there’s really much of a difference, but never mind,” said Sylvia.

Andre ran his hand through her hair. “And why waste our time on that, when we can do this?” He went
‘holographic’ (He raised his vibration rate, I have found is the best way to phrase it.), and put his hand into her
shoulder. Sylvia started to sink to the floor, but faded out before she got there. Deliah immediately joined them.









Chapter 5

Later on, Andre and Percy were sitting on the steps to the main entrance of the castle; with Percy in human form, and
the sun was almost directly in front of them. It was a partly cloudy sky. “You were one strange cat, Percy. Your
level of intelligence, and what you valued, were something else. And the games you played in San Jose?”

“Like me and Kyle chasing each other around in the courtyard of the apartment, and me jumping out from behind a
bush to attack her ankles?”

“And the way you used to jump from tree branch to tree branch? And the time you bit Kyle’s nose front and centre?
And the time when Kyle made snorting noises at you, and you returned the noises the same amount of times she
made them, and then you did the same for Kevin, just to prove that you could? But you only did that once!”

“I wasn’t a performer.”

“Yes, you were. You repeatedly kept them entertained with your antics, like jumping straight up in the air once or
twice, or on rare occasion, three times, and the time you took these vertical leaps into the air, all the way to the front
door, and then you reared up on your hind legs and put your front paws on the door with a “let me outta here” look,
and all that?

“Kyle used to dream you spoke English, until she tried to leash you,” said Andre.

“When I was a kitten, I had a brief interest in learning it, but when she leashed me, I got pretty upset. I never forgave
her for it, for as long as I lived. You don’t need to leash a cat when taking it for a walk, if you have a close
relationship with it. They just follow you.”

“As Kyle found out,” said Andre. “You and Kyle and Kevin used to walk around the neighbourhood in San Jose,
and people who saw you would trip.”

Percy smiled. “I remember. I used to love those midnight walks. Sometimes me and Kyle would run together for
half a block or so. I used to feel sorry for her, since she was so damn slow and clumsy.”

“She made a damn good servant for you, though.”

“When she wasn’t on overtime. Or should I say, when ‘it’ wasn’t on overtime?”

Andre laughed. “For the umteenth time, I have never met someone who has such a gender identity problem in all my
life.”

“I never thought about it. I can’t say I was into the concept of gender, either. I got neutered while I was in my
adolescence. I never knew what I missed, not that it ever mattered.”

“And if you were to materialise on Earth as you are, you’d have women throwing themselves at you, left and right.”

Percy scowled. “I wouldn’t do that, and I’d consider that attention a major nuisance. Unless of course, they wanted
to brush me out, give me tummy-rubs, and dangle a string in front of me.”

Andre shook his head. “You sound like Stefan. Gods, Percy. Your wit astounds me.”

Percy cocked his head. “You think I jest?”

“I certainly hope so.”

Percy’s scowl turned into a smile. “I do. Kyle/Stephanie/Stefan/whatever, left quite a strong mental imprint on me.
When people give an animal their full attention and awareness, and focus with an intent to communicate, they do
leave something of themselves behind in the animal’s personality, if there is a trust and love there. I mean, with our
telepathic natures?”

“You could even see if someone was lying to you.”

“Unfortunately, not all can. That’s been the cause of much avoidable pain and misery.”

“Not that you care that much, anymore.”

Percy shrugged. “Oh, I suppose not. I mean, everything is as it should be, huh?”

“So I’ve been informed by our lovely Thanatos, in our merging.”

“I also have nothing to complain about, in my last life. I mean I was the sire in a comfortable middle income
dwelling, and I didn’t have to do anything but be myself. My two slaves generally behaved themselves quite nicely,
except for Kevin not liking me on the table when he was eating, but I usually let him get away with removing me
from said table.”

“Usually! Uh huh! Yeah, right!”

“I trashed his studio, once. Rearranged it a bit.”

Andre nodded. “Yeah! You moved the speakers on the table, and you dragged everything on the work table across
the room. I remember those images. That was funnier than hell. And what about right after, when Kyle hissed at
you repeatedly for doing that, and you went into the cabinet and dragged out the catnip?”

“Oh, that chastisement hurt. I felt I was justified in what I’d done in the studio, and the love of my life yells at me. I
just couldn’t deal with it. At least Kyle was kind enough to open the bag all the way, being I’d somewhat destroyed
it, and serving me enough catnip so I didn’t care anymore. She learned never to treat me like that again. I mean, it’s
not nice to drive your cat to drugs.”

“Tell me about it. Especially not one like you. You know; despite what you look like, you still seem so feline to
me.”

Percy looked at Andre, and smiled. This was the perfect excuse to go back to his preferred form. He moved closer
to him, and suddenly a black leopard sat next to Andre. ‘Better?’

Andre put his arm around the big cat. “Sometimes. Do you mind that I love you?”

‘Not at all. I appreciate it. Thank you for hybridising yourself with me. You’ve made a better man of me.’

“And you’ve made a better cat of me. Want to go back inside?”

‘Sure. Let’s walk.’

“Telescope tower?”

‘I’d dig that.’

*****

I actually ended up alone, somehow. It was a rare occurance, and I used the opportunity to hit the ice. I actually got
out of my usual black tunic, and switched to one of the same design, though in multi-coloured flourescents, and a few
extra sashes. I went gravity-lite, and ice-danced to only the things I or my adopted family had written; of the Tuatha,
or later Irish styles. I also drew forth Astral-Etheric energy for a light show, and divided myself up so I could skate
and watch at the same time, and I stepped out of time so I could keep myself entertained for a short eternity, and not
have anyone miss me.

Gods, I was no so aware of what a work of art I was. I went into full grace mode rivalling Thanatos, and matching;
no surpassing the shows he so impressed me with when he strutted his stuff on the ice. The music, the colours, the
flow, and the artistry were a mind blower.

This was one of my rare moments of a narcissistic indulgence. In fact, I wondered if I should do a self-portrait of me
either at the high point of an axel, or in the middle of a flying leap.

I decided on the axel. I’d do that out of everybody else’s time frame, as well. It would give me a little ‘time’ to
reflect on the newest member of our lot, the transformation of the lovely Percy, and maybe just completely relax, and
think of nothing.

But for now, I was still on the ice. I got lost in the music, and the Etheric/Astral flow.

*****

Stefan and Thanatos went to the room of the Akashic Library connection, and sat on the floor, hand in hand. “I’ve
done this with so many other cultures,” said Stefan. “I’ve never been that bothered by their passing.”

“This is different, love. This is something you can’t imagine.”

“Knowing Atlantis isn’t as bad as visiting The White City from Tech Duinn, is it?”

“It might be comparable, to you. Then again, you might surprise me. You have come pretty far.”

“I know it a little bit of Atlantis.”

“Through me, yeah. Getting the full force of that whole civilisation through the Records all at once isn’t like
watching an Ed Wood flick. You won’t have a buffer of any kind.”

Stefan smiled. “I’m aware of that.”

Thanatos moved closer to him, and put his arm around him. “You want to do this without me guarding your mind?”

“I think I can handle it.” Stefan returned his hold, and they ended up in a half-cocked embrace.

Stefan locked his mind onto one of the greatest civilisations that ever was.

He managed to remain dispassionate, as the information innundated him.

Yes, Stefan handled it quite well.

*****

I felt so good, after my time on the ice. Kind of high, I guess. Also kind of hedonistic. More hedonistic than
anything at the castle could provide. I ended up transferring Causal for some experiences which are literally
indescribable, for lack of wording, in the English language.

*****

Percy looked at the sun, from the tower. ‘I always used to wonder what motivated people. All the strange
distractions they had that took their attentions away from me.’

“You used to love it when Kyle surfed the web,” said Andre.’

‘Oh, yeah! Sit in her lap, getting perpetually petted, purred at, and nosed; once in a while.’

“Hm. You know, it is so interesting to see all these alien constellations. I don’t think I’ll ever tire of this place.”

‘I just take everything for granted. I’ve had it so good since the day Kyle took me in, I just can’t imagine existence
any other way. Even before Kyle took me in, I wasn’t ever in need. I mean, I was rescued by some people the same
day my mother was killed by a car, and when they abandoned me, the apartment complex kept me fed and watered,
and I was only living outdoors for about three weeks,’ sent Percy.

“If only everyone had it that good.”

Percy looked out the window again. ‘Yeah. I like this place better than Earth. The darker sky?’

“Another perpetual twilight lover, huh?”

‘I’m a cat. What can you expect?’

Andre looked at him. “Leopards too, huh?”

With that, Percy changed himself into a housecat again, and raced up Andre’s left leg into his arms. ‘Sometimes,’
he sent to Andre.

Andre cradled the cat. “Those claws of yours, you know?”

‘Those wounds of yours heal instantly, now.’

Andre kissed Percy on his feline forehead. ‘I suppose you want me to carry you downstairs.’

‘To Persia. Please.’

Andre transferred them. “Carry you all that way? You’re a big cat, Percy.”

‘It was a nice thought. Put me down, please,’ sent Percy.

Andre gently put the cat on the floor. “Here ya go, my currently little leopard.”

Big leopard. Percy shifted his form. ‘How’s about a heavy petting session?’

Andre shook his head, and laughed. “Cats will be cats.”

Percy stretched. ‘Especially the spoiled ones.’

“Oh, I don’t know. You seem pretty fresh to me.

*****

I came back from the High Causal, having meditated, and more or less communing with Chaos. The feeling of love,
couldn’t be any stronger; not to mention my feeling of peace.

I remained formless for a while, after I got back to the castle. I had a vague desire to see Thanatos, and I drifted off
toward our Akashic Library connection. I know I could have transferred, but I was just enjoying all that is, and was
in no rush, so. . .

I knew he was with Stefan, and I dreamily floated toward them.

I went down the halls, and through the closed door. Thanatos and Stefan were wrapped around each other,
unmoving. Both had their eyes closed, and they were in a mind-share. I was invited to join them, and I did. I
hovered into them, in my formless state.

Stefan’s grip on Thanatos tightened, “Aiiiiiiiyah,” he said softly.

I gave him a mental caress. ‘So, you saw Atlantis from a personal perspective.’

Stefan smiled, and answered me in thought. ‘Hm hm. Impressive culture. Impressive end, too. Pretty dramatic, but
they deserved it.’

The two of them dismissed their forms, and became like me. Me; in total bliss, Stefan; the freshly sated one in the
realm of curiosity, and the evolved as they come Thanatos, became as one. Thanatos transferred us back to where I
just came from, and like I was going to argue?

*****

Macha and Kevalyn were in the library. “This place rocks, as the old cliche goes,” said Macha, as she pulled a copy
of ‘The Divine Comedy’ from the shelf.

“It’s nice to be able to come back to it, but I’m more into a Socrates mood. You know, I just love walking through
these aisles. Ancient dreams of childhood still haunt me.”

“That’s why we’re here,” said Macha.

“Will there ever come a time, when I don’t care anymore?”

“There’s a lot of things we don’t care about anymore.”

“I never thought I’d not want tea anymore,” said Kevalyn. “Some forms of nostalgia just won’t let me go, though.”

Macha smiled. “Like the embrace of a loved one?”

“Oh, yeah! It still means so much even after a complete oneness with everyone. Or sharing that communal
whirlpool in the storm, or looking at the horizon of eternal twilight. There are just some elements that I can’t get out
of my system.”

“Getting them out of your system isn’t the point. They have to leave on their own.”

“How many times has the crew discussed this, already?!”

Macha chuckled. “As if there’s a point to any of us conveying anything to each other, any more?”

“Old habits die hard, huh?”

“To say the least.”

They transferred to the ‘philosophy’ section of the library, and started walking down the aisles. There were fifteen
foot long shelves, each with torches at the ends. When standing outside the library, it seemed large, but a bit more
finite, than when actually standing inside the room.

That’s how this place worked. From the outside, it may have seemed a hundred thousand square feet, or so. From
the inside, it was many a square mile. None of us had any problems with this MC Escherian math.

The ceiling of the library went forty feet up. There was a level over the floor along all the walls that contained only
books dealing with absolute fact. They were not books of the Earth, but those compiled by those who were beyond
Earth. They weren’t necessary, but some people just get an itch to do pointless things. My adopted family was in
that catagory.

I mean, we were innately High Astral-Low Causal, but here we bide, in the realm where we experience a sometime
Physical perspective of a Physical world, from a view that bordered the Astral-Etheric. How absolutely frivolous of
us.

“This place is so surrealistic,” said Kevalyn.

Macha scowled. “Do you know what you just said.”

Kevalyn laughed. “I think that comes from having Stefan around too much.”

“Must be,” said Macha, with a smile. “Having him a part of you does have its. . .effects.”

“A nice way of putting it.”

Macha put her arm around Kevalyn. “Aren’t you glad he unloaded you on me?”

Kevalyn looked to the ceiling. “Oh gods, yes. I’ve never had such a good relationship with even Kyle.”

“I know. But who could measure up to her Donn and Thanatos?”

“It used to bother me a little. It also made me feel bad, that she wanted those two so bad, but she had to stay alive to
take care of me. I felt like a hinderance, every once in a while. I knew she resented me some times, but I’m glad she
loved me enough to stick around.”

“So am I,” said Macha.

“Back to the here-now, I’m also damn well aware that Stefan wouldn’t mind it one bit if the only two he would see
for all eternity was Donn and Than, even now.”

“And Percy, and the horses. It’s been like that since he/she/it was alive, babe. Some devotional states never fade.”

“Such sweet torture, to have been rescued by Donn.”

Macha shrugged. “Torture to love him, in those early days. What a confused fuck-up he was.”

Kevalyn tilted her head. “Like, Kyle wasn’t?”

“Hey! They were meant for each other.”

“Tell me about it.”

“Here we are. The S section.”

“S-O, a way down.”

*****

When me, Stefan and Thanatos landed on our world again, we ended up on the far pole from the sun. Of course, we
weren’t stupid enough to perceive any of it. Not the cold, not gravity, though from an outside perspective we were
grounded; so to speak. There was not any sort of sensation for us, whatsoever. We we ephemoral observers.

The distant, secondary sun, and three now visible moons from here; gave us light.

It was freezing, and covered with ice.

Thanatos tilted his head, raised his left eyebrow, and smiled. “Let’s have some fun.”

“How?” I asked.

He extended his hands. “Take my hands, you two.”

We did, and suddenly our location changed.

We looked before us. “Holy shit!” said Stefan.

“Gods above, and below,” I added. A volcano was erupting before us, about five miles away. If we’d been solid, we
would have been hit by debris. If we didn’t have enhanced sight, we’d have been walking through an ashy volcanic
night.

“To be able to see that, this close!” said Stefan.

“Want to get closer?” asked Thanatos.

“Sure,” I said. “Shall we pretend to walk?” If we’d been physical, we couldn’t have done it. The ground was
unstable, hot, and ‘physical’ visibility was close to zero.

“Fine be me,” said Thanatos. “Nice lava flow, huh?”

“I have a confession to make,” I said.

“I’ve never seen anything like it, either,” said Stefan, who was on to me.

We went through the motions of walking through steaming slush, ash, not leaving any prints or evidence that we
were there. We would have needed oxygen tanks, if we’d been Physical.

It was so weird, when things fell on me. They went through me, there was no resistence, but there was an awareness.
I felt something. What does an electric current feel, when another electric current hits it? It’s the only thing I can
think of, even though it sounds like a totally psychotic comparison.

We approached very slowly, by choice. We took in everything. We were like people walking through a hologram
set, only we were the holograms.

The volcano exploded. The top was ripped off, and the lava flow increased. A hole appeared in the side of the
mountain, and we could see the orange flaming molten rock, within.

The earth shook. We didn’t. If I’d not been stablised by Thanatos suddenly putting his arm around me, I might
have done some interesting things, from the disorientation I was feeling. Fallen? Probably not, but I was having a
hard time dealing with my perception of the situation. I closed my eyes, and leaned into Thanatos.

To my concept of touch, all that existed was Thanatos.

We had stopped moving forward. Stefan was having the same problems as me, and Than supported him, as well. Of
course, none of this was an issue with Thanatos. He just braced us, until the temblor was over. “OK, you guys can
open your eyes again.”

We did. “Thanks, love,” I said.

“Ditto,” said Stefan.

“No problem. That’s what I’m here for.”

Stefan looked at the volatile volcano. “I wish I’d related to you two differently, in the past.”

Thanatos kissed him on the temple. “It’s OK. We’re all where we’re supposed to be, now. Everything that
happened, should have happened, and your motivation was always right in everything you did for us. When I was on
my second incarnation, and when Macha had me in her clutches, mine wasn’t.”

I moved forward, and reached toward Stefan. “I wish our relationship had been different, too.” I kept my thoughts
guarded for this moment.

Stefan touched his fingertips with mine. “I’m sorry,” he said sadly.

I smiled. “I wish I’d been warmer to you. Maybe not so hung up on retiring a virgin, the first time around.”

“It’s OK. You made me appreciate you even more,” said Stefan.

As we headed on to the volcano, we ended up ‘walking’ on top of a river of lava. We might as well have been
walking across the Phlegathon.

No, we didn’t walk up to the crator. We went up to where the side of the mountain was blown out, stayed there a
while, and went back to the castle.

No one had been aware that we’d even been gone.
















Chapter 6

When the three of us got back to the castle, I wanted to let everyone in on what we’ve just experienced to the fullest
degree, being everyone else was too occupied to get more than a trace of our experience, in our connective thread of
unity, but Stefan over-rode me. He wanted some more time with me and Thanatos, alone.

We transferred to the outside of the front of the castle, where the sun wasn’t. We walked the half mile to the edge of
the precipice, and Stefan lay face down, overlooking the edge. There were many square miles behind the castle.
Surprisingly, none of us had actually gone to the far edge behind the castle, even via a transfer. We just didn’t care.
“None of us ever jumped off this thing,” said Stefan.

“Transferring is easier,” said Thanatos. “If you’re thinking of floating down, a gust of wind could smash you into the
side of the plateau. You’d always have to concentrate on shifting your state on a nano-second’s notice.”

“Never mind,” said Stefan.

Both me and Thanatos sat beside Stefan. Than stroked his hair. “Will you ever stop being so impulsively
ridiculous?”

“Probably not,” said Stefan.

“Good,” I said. “Don’t want to lose the high amusement factor.”

Stefan looked at me, and blew me a kiss.

Thanatos looked up. “Clouds coming in.”

“Water the lichen desert, huh?” asked Stefan. With the low light, cold temperature, and harsh winds of the area, that
was almost all that grew in our vicinity. We had a few low lying scrubby plants here and there, but they weren’t
much to look at. The fungi got pretty lush in some of the rockier areas.

Thanatos closed his eyes. “Eventually. Not anything to stay out for, though. No electricity in this one.”

“You can fix that,” said Stefan.

Thanatos looked down at him, put his forefinger, under his chin, and gently guided Stef’s face up to look him in the
eye. “Red Tail, we get enough electrical storms here. This isn’t the Bay Area of California.”

“‘Tis true.”

“I’d rather time trip, than mess with the weather, babe,” said Thanatos.

Stefan sat up. “It’s OK. Wanna walk to the edge of the castle so we can see it come in from there?”

“Sure,” said Thanatos.

We all stood up. Stefan immediately took off at a run.

Me and Thanatos looked at each other, and he shrugged. We took off after Stefan, with Than not going all out to
leave me in the dust. Well, that was one way to get there faster.

Stefan stopped as soon as he got to the front gate, and we caught up with him a few seconds later.

Yeah, I enjoyed the run. I still liked to do that. “Have fun?” I asked.

“Totally,” said Stefan. “I still don’t see the haze of rain.”

“Give it time,” said Thanatos. “After this, shall we get the others to-gether to share the volcano experience?”

Stefan put his arm around Thanatos’ waist, and invited me over for the same. Of course, I complied. “Sure. I think
I’ll have my fix of you two alone after a few hours in the rain,” said Stefan.

Thanatos looked at me. “A few hours? As if we wear watches, based on Earth time?”

Stefan then said. “Hm hm. And after we all do that, would one of you be kind enough to read me the Bucolics
again?”

“Ye gods! By now we know everything that man wrote by memory, except for the Anneid! I wouldn’t have to read
it. I could just recite it. Give us a break, laddie,” said Thanatos.

“Gods, you’d think he liked Maro’s poetry better than our own,” I said.

“Bite your tongue. Our own, I know from memory! Every piece we ever wrote,” said Stefan.

“Let’s go for a ride, instead,” said Thanatos.

“Can I double up with you?” asked Stefan.

Thanatos looked at me. “One less horse to service.”

“I’ll ride Shiva, then,” I said. “He’s not as demanding.”

*****

After the ride, we did the mental merging with everyone; which included the animals, and it was mutually decided
that we would time-trip back, and have everyone experience the volcano incident first hand. We approached the
erupting volcano on horseback. Deliah decided to go for the dramatic effect, and she wore a sheer, layered, midcalf
dress with jagged edges, coloured in flames. Andre had a hard time not staring at her, everyone knew it, and he
knew that everyone knew it. Finally he said, “Can someone do me a favour and paint this Jewish princess, as she
currently is?”

“I can’t say I’m Jewish, anymore,” said Deliah. “I haven’t identified with that religion since the day I died. Thank
you, though.”

“Can I volunteer?” I asked.

“Of course. I appreciate it,” said Deliah.

I smiled. “So do I. I’ll get right on it, as soon as we return from this adventure.”

“All this ash falling through me feels weird,” said Sylvia. Because of the very low visibility, we saw everything
through the dark haze, with Astral Sight.

‘Tell me about it,’ sent Percy, in his preferred pardale form.

“Wait until we re-experience the earthquake,” I said.

“Should we all dismount and sit down for that?” asked Kevalyn.

“You don’t have to sit down. Just brace yourself. It might be hard on the horses, though,” said Thanatos.

“I’d dismount now, and tell them to prepare,” said Macha.

“That’s a pretty good idea,” said Thanatos. “It will be a while, though.”

Macha got off of her grey mare. “It’s OK. We shouldn’t ride any farther, anyway.” Macha went and kissed her
horse on the nose, and closed her eyes, sending the beautiful creature a picture of what was to happen.

“For the sake of our perception, I’ll have to agree,” I said, as I got off of Hesper.

“It is kind of weird,” said Stefan. “Can we go to where the side of the mountain gets blown out?”

“Sure,” said Thanatos. “but if you think riding toward the crater now is a dizzying experience, are you sure you can
handle it?”

“You’re being sarcastic, I assume,” said Stefan.

“Yes. Actually, that’s a very interesting idea,” said Thanatos.

“I’m staying on my horse for a little while longer,” said Andre.

“Same,” said Deliah.

So did Kevalyn, though she didn’t say anything.

I took Stefan’s hand, as we progressed.

*****

We made it to the point of the pending structural explosion well before the time, and everyone else just got off their
horses/ponies/whatever, and we made the motion of sitting down on the shallow slope; being ghosts in the
environment.

Almost. We still felt everything that hit us and fell through us, like an energy surge.

Everyone was in both mental and physical contact with their equine companion, though me and Stefan also had our
arms around each other.

When the volcano did it’s major eruption, it was a complete mind blower.

Imagine that you are just there, unmoving, as what is under you starts to shake, and a mountainside gets blown to
smithereens, and everything goes right through you, and everything is smoking from tremendous toxic heat that you
can’t feel in the slightest. Lava goes right through you, but you may as well be surrounded by whisps of fog, for all it
mattered.

Now, to have half ton rocks, both molten and not going through you, is quite an experience. I could only feel those
energy surges, but I just had to flinch and react as if it were affecting me. Me and Stefan disengaged from each
other, I actually covered my face, and curled up a bit. At least I wasn’t the only one; and after it was over, I looked
at a very unphased, highly amused Thanatos. I pointed at him. ‘Don’t say it.’ I conveyed.

He chuckled, and shook his head. ‘I won’t.’

We all looked each other over, and even Percy, who was flat on the ground with his chin on his forelegs looked up at
me with a ‘Who me?’ expression, though he didn’t convey anything to me.

Only Thanatos had not reacted, and the rest of us, while the volcano was still madly spewing, just busted up over our
nonsensical reactions.

We stayed a little longer to watch the rivers of lava, and hear the violent rumblings of the volcano, and then
everyone. . .animals included, blended into each other, and we went High Causal.

We stayed ‘Home’, in the realm we really belonged for quite a while, from our perception.












































Chapter 7

The first thing I did after we got back to the castle, was paint Deliah in the outfit that she’d worn on the volcanic trip,
on Aslan. She and Andre had really gravitated toward each other, and they both ended up watching me complete
about half the painting. Those two were the only ones with me, when I did my work.

Though for how I loved Stefan, I was a bit relieved he wasn’t there. He’d always be a pacer, walking around me,
staring over my shoulder, just being as distracting as hell. If I was lucky, he’d sit down for an (illusory) twenty
minute stretch.

They sat on a couch sort of behind me, angled so they had a relatively full view of what I was doing. They were
snuggled up against each other. Their conversation was not to be perceived by me.

‘There’s so much we could have done, if you’d been here earlier,’ sent Deliah.

‘We’ve both done everything. Just not with each other; not that there’s a point to that anymore.’

‘Some things I just can’t bring myself to do, anymore. Those cups of tea, I used to cherish so?’

‘I couldn’t stand consuming anything even before I got to The White City. Odd, considering I was French.’

Deliah smiled. ‘You were practical. Like the animals. You dropped everything that wasn’t innately you, anymore.
Everything that no longer had a function. You didn’t carry over any habits or addictions.’

He traced his left index finger down her nose. ‘I never lost my appreciation of feminine beauty.’

‘I’m almost curious enough. . .’

‘I have a better idea. Let’s do an energy exchange, and hopefully we’ll get back before Donn finishes the painting.

‘That sounds like a wonderful idea.’

*****

Thanatos and Stefan went back to the now ‘heavily modified’ volcano. It was still smoking, but now there was a fair
amount of visibility, and the landscape had been re-arranged a bit. Two hotsprings had been exposed, and this area
was beginning to look a bit like Iceland in the winter, in the middle of a moonlit night.

Actually, it was a bit brighter. The distant sun and currently four visible moons gave enough light so even Stefan
didn’t need a torch.

For Thanatos , there was no pitch blackness. His glowing eyes saw all. They walked to the edge of the hotsprings.

“This looks so cool,” said Stefan.

“Don’t even think about it. The temperature of the water is hotter than you could physically handle; unless you want
to be stew meat, the temperature outside of the steam is way colder than the coldest Antarctic night, and then there’s
those winds.”

“Not gale force.”

“At the moment.”

“Can you bring me here some time when it’s snowing?” asked Stefan.

“You really love this place.”

“It’s beautiful. I’m just thankful I don’t have to feel it.”

Thanatos chuckled. “So am I. Anyway, Red Tail! If you were affected by the cold, your nose would get frostbitten,
and have dropped off before the hour was up. We couldn’t have that, could we?”

“Heavens forbid! No! I’d fade away in agony. I love my nose as much as I love you and Donn.”

Thanatos petted that nose. “I’ve grown quite attached to it myself.”

Stefan smiled. “Let’s go up to the crater.”

Thanatos looked up. “Let’s transfer.”

“That’s what I meant. I assume you knew that.”

“Even if I weren’t a chronic low level telepath, I’d know that.”

They took each other’s hands, and transferred.

*****

When I put my brush into the water can for the last time, I turned around, and found I was alone.

*****

Deliah and Andre landed on the equator of the planet, after their energy exchange. They had a change of heart, as to
coming right back to watch me finish the painting. There was a lot more life here. They’d touched down in a
rainforest.

“Stefan won’t even consider coming here?!” commented Andre.

“Nope. He’s allergic to light not given out by fire.”

“This place is so beautiful, though.”

Deliah shrugged. “He’s seen it vicariously through everyone else who’s been here, so he doesn’t have to come here,
himself. Our telepathic unions spare him the trouble.”

“This has got to be the most wonderful bunch I ever met. Also the strangest.”

Del and Andre took each other’s hands, and started walking through the thickly canopied forest. A heavy mist hung
in the air. “Don’t worry. You’ll adapt,” said Deliah.

Andre stopped, and the ‘in tune’ Deliah turned to face him. “I wish we could have been alive at the same time, in an
era where in was OK for us to be together.”

They embraced. “We’re there now,” said Deliah.

“You are soooooo short.”

Deliah looked up at him, and laughed. “I like it like that.”

Andre laughed, too. “Yes, my dear shapeshifter. I know it suits you, or you would have done something about it.
Still, I think you must be the most beautiful thing I ever laid eyes on.”

“Surely I’m not more beautiful than Thanatos, Donn, or Stefan’s nose.”

Andre looked to the right, then back at Deliah. “All right! I have a confession to make. You are as beautiful as
Thanatos and Donn, but all three of you are slightly behind Stefan’s nose.”

“Andre? Would you consider making out here, as we are?”

He scowled. “After what we just did! On the Causal! How can you even go there?”

“Once?”

“I’d have to force long dormant desires to surface.”

“Is there no degree of curiosity?”

Andre stroked her hair. “You’re demanding, wild, and hard to please. We’re not compatible like that. You’d find
me boring, because I wouldn’t compromise my style like Thanatos did that one time he did, and I never was as into it
as Keval. . .Kevin used to be on Tech Duinn. I know you. I know everyone. There is no need for curiosity.”

She pressed the side of her face against him. “I think I’ll take your council, and not bring it up again.”

Andre kissed her on the forehead. “That’s probably a good idea. Let’s move forward, shall we?”

*****

Stefan and Thanatos stood at the top of the crater, or should I say, ‘pretended’ to stand on top of the crater. The
roiling lava was an impressive sight.

‘It’s so nice, being in the state we’re in,’ sent Stefan. It was easier than yelling over the thundering volcano. ‘To
actually be able to see things like this, up close.’

‘I don’t share your awe, but considering your past limitations, I can understand what you’re going through’

‘I take so much for granted, but at the same time, I don’t.’

‘You never really took me and Donn for granted.’

‘I used to cuss both of you out for not being there in such a way where I could touch you.’

Thanatos shrugged, ‘It was understandable, but not possible. If it were possible, it would have been stupid. I might
as well have cut your head off.’

‘I could have lived with that.’

Thanatos looked at Stefan. ‘Tell it to Anne Boleyn.’

‘Another historical tragedy.’

‘Considering neither she, nor any of those executed with her, were guilty of any of the crimes charged against them,
but it’s of no importance to any of them any more.’

Stefan chuckled. ‘Tell it to Ann Boleyn. That’s a carved in stoner.’

Thanatos nodded, and closed his eyes. ‘I just sent the conversational sequence to Donn. He found it amusing, and it
will be recorded on his word processor.’

‘The one that doesn’t do accents?’

‘That’s the one.’

Stefan ‘appeared’ to sit down, and dangled his legs into the crater. ‘There was a time we would have gotten a kick
out of sitting here, and having iced lemonade.’

‘So many of us here are still so hung up on this stuff.’

‘Isn’t that why we’re here in the first place? I mean, even you still paint and enjoy the music and visual artwork of
the others.’

‘‘Tis true. Sylvia’s the only one who’s stuck with the poetry, though. I ought to get off of my butt and start working
on some more of that.’

‘I still feel like I’ve said everything there is to say,’ sent Stefan.

Thanatos ‘sat’ beside him, and he turned Stefan’s face toward himself, gently with his fingertip. ‘You still dwell
much on the past. I’m sure you’ll dig something up to gripe about, and you may trigger mine own creativity.’

‘You have a point,’ sent Stefan, as the noise level and the lava started rising. ‘She’s gonna blow.’

Thanatos put his arm around Stefan’s shoulders. ‘Let’s stay.’

‘Sure.’

They were soon perceptually completely enveloped in lava. Actually, they were one with the lava.

*****

After I put the brush down, I just couldn’t help myself. I was into this again, and I couldn’t stop. I was on fire. I
stepped out of everyone’s time frame, and went balistic.

I did a total of three more paintings. Deliah and Andre on Andre’s pinto, with both dressed in Navajo clothing and
accessories, Percy and Thanatos snuggling; both in feline form, and Percy in human form, facing Stefan , both in
profile, and touching fingertips. Stefan was in his usual uniform with cloak and gloves included, and I painted Percy
dressed like Quentin Collins, of Dark Shadows; who he resembled, in all out Victorian finery.

That satisfied my need for a fix. I didn’t tell anyone, and just hung them up. They’d be noticed, soon enough.

I was alone.

What did I want to do?

Did I want to go for a solitary ride? Did I want to run like hell up to the observatory? Run like hell to the library,
and pick out a book?

I was feeling kind of amped. I just took off down the halls for the front exit, then raced to the edge of the plateau. I
looked over that edge, and just went nuts. I materialised a very heavy metallic spike into the ground, with a very
long rope going over the edge, to ground level. I changed my boots to a pair of mountain boots with cleats, and a
good pair of thick cloth gloves made of hemp, fastened myself to the rope, and actually rappelled down, going
gravity lite.

I wasn’t the type to generally do this sort of thing, but once in a while, you just have to try something new. Of
course, being that injury would not be a problem, I was pretty reckless, and went faster than would have been wise
for a member of the Physical Plane, but I just went with what I could do.

I had a blast. I momentarily contemplated what it would be like to take a hang glider off the top, but only
momentarily. Surprisingly, absolutely none of us knew how to do that. Off the cuff, not even Thanatos, though he
could learn in no time. He’s probably say, “Why bother? I can just become a falcon or an eagle,” which was a damn
good point.

It was a long drop, and it took a while for me to hit the bottom. I ended up laughing pretty hard over my detour
from my general mode of behaviour, and just sat down against the wall of the cliff after I dematerialised the rope and
spike.

I wasn’t going to go up the same way. There was no challenge in it for the likes of me, and I most certainly
wouldn’t have enjoyed an ascent in such a fashion.

The sun was behind me, on the other side of the plateau. Gods, I loved this perpetually eerie landscape as much as
Stefan. I wasn’t much into landscapes, but I’d have to paint this, one day. Kevalyn already had a few dozen
paintings up, of various scenes of the area, but I knew damn well that I could come up with something new. Maybe
not of the immediate area, but hey! This was a whole world. Maybe I could do a picture of the sere landscape at the
pole closest to the sun.

We didn’t call it North or South. We called it dark pole, and light pole, and facing the light pole, it was left or right.

There wasn’t a cloud in the sky. I faced the dark pole. If I could feel it, it would be cold enough to make water
freeze. When it was cloudy, it was usually a little warmer. Granted it didn’t get as cold as North Dakota in January,
but it wasn’t something I wanted to experience.

The winds were strangely nonexistent, now. Gale force occured with regularity, though hurricane force didn’t
happen.

I dematerialised my gloves, and got back into my regular boots. I stretched out, and simply sat there for a while,
listening to the silence. What little wildlife was in the area wasn’t terribly noisy. Again, we were at the outskirts of
acknowledgable surface life. It existed, but sightings were hard to come by, and nothing came up to the castle. The
ground up there was so barren, not even the lichen of the desert floor grew there.

We all took well to Stefan’s idea of paradise. Red Tail’s imagination from the earlier days was quite a boon to us.
In fact, so was his imagination in the present. He could still be as funny as hell.

‘Hesper,’ I called him. ‘Want to spend some time just walking with me in the desert?’

I got an affirmative in a nonverbal fashion, and he appeared by my side. I put my hand on his shoulder, and we just
walked.

*****

From under a sea of flowing lava, Stefan and Thanatos materialised back into the castle, straight to the room
dedicated to Egypt’s golden age. They sat across from each other, on the floor. “I can’t believe I can still
experience new things,” said Thanatos. “You’ve actually found something I haven’t done.”

Stefan simply shrugged. “Neither have I. I can’t wait to call that meeting later, to share this.”

“Hm hm.”

“I kind of wish Donn was here.”

Thanatos closed his eyes, and smiled. “Let’s leave him alone, for now. He’s communing with Hesper, down
below.”

Stefan looked down. “Can I confess something to you?”

“You don’t have to. Everyone knows me and Donn are ultimately your whole life.”

“Is it a lie I’m telling to myself?”

Thanatos shook his head. “No. You’ve been like that since you first remembered us.”

“I used to dwell on that. Is it wrong?” asked Stefan.

“It means you can’t be totally unconditional, but to tell you the truth, no one else is, either. I mean, Macha and
Kevalyn are hooked on each other, Andre and Deliah, us three. . .Sylvia seems to show the least preference, but her
poetry is more important to her than anything else.”

“But you’re unconditional.”

“Technically, but I choose to exist here. With you. I do have preferences in some things. I mean, if I have to be
somewhere, why not be with those who’ve helped me realise myself after I temporarily destroyed what I was
originally meant to be?” asked Thanatos.

Stefan raised his hand foreward. “Than? I really want to be one with you. Can. . .can. . .I know it’s so backward,
but. . .”

Thanatos brought his fingertips to Stefan’s. “A roundabout way to our conclusive merging.”

Stefan nodded, and closed his eyes.

They stayed like that. Face to face, with only fingertips touching. Through Tantric focus, they drove each other and
themselves over the edge before blending in the usual energy exchange, and they ended up going High Causal.













Chapter 8

Well, I got to vicariously experience what it’s like to be in a river of lava, and not be effected by it. All I can say is
that it was very interesting, and I’d really rather not actually do it myself. The rest of the domicile was in full
agreement with me. Percy was convinced both Thanatos and Stefan needed therapy, after the information exchange
of our household merging. He could have done quite well without the images. Feline personalities are very
practical, and they just don’t do some things. For having such a curious nature, they don’t tend to dwell on
traumatising their senses.

We did the complete merger in the low Causal. The equines were a part of the package as well, and though they
thought Thanatos and Stefan were off their rockers as well, they did deal with it a bit better, being simply amused by
the pointless things people did.

When we got back to the castle, we split up again. Macha, Kevalyn and Sylvia off to record their latest, Deliah,
Andre and Percy as a leopard off to do some snogging and philosophising, and me, Thanatos and Red Tail, to do our
own thing.

*****

Thanatos immediately dragged us to the hall where I’d put my new paintings up. We had what amounted to about a
half hour viewing, I had to deal with all the compliments, and then we just slowly walked the halls, looking at the rest
of the old paintings, while we ‘talked’.

I fought my way into the esteemed middle, and I wasn’t going to give it up. I had Than and Stef by the hand. “No
matter how far we go, we always come back,” I said.

“That’ll have to stop evetually,” said Thanatos. “It will be of our own choosing, though.”

“I can’t imagine ever not wanting to see stuff like this again,” said Stefan, as he waved his hand across the wall
before us.”

“You’ll always see it. Just not in the same way, and that’s why we’re here now. I’m enjoying this as much as you,
by the way,” said Thanatos.

“We have changed a lot, since we first met,” I said.

Thanatos made eye contact with Stefan, and smiled. “Some of us have changed more than others.”

Stefan scowled. “Hey!!!!”

I looked first at Stefan, then at Thanatos. “You didn’t?!”

“Technically, no,” said Stefan.

“I hate it when you use the word, ‘technically’,” I said.

“No contact Tantra,” said Stefan. “Then energy exchange, then High Causal unity. We just took a circuitous
route.”

“Whatever,” I said, and I just had to chuckle.

Stefan said, “You know, no matter how absolutely gorgeous the higher mergings are, there just isn’t any point to
painting them. I mean, the overlap of two or three or however many clouds of different pretty colours just leaves me
feeling absolutely nothing. I mean, I’d rather look at a picture of a space nebula.”

“Tell me about it,” I said.

“That’s obvious from our erotically themed artwork,” said Thanatos. “From a visual perspective, I’m with you all
the way.”

“Aren’t you supposed to be too evolved to care?” asked Stefan.

Thanatos adopted a comical lopsided expression. “My love of our paintings has nothing to do with my personal
evolution, you provocative little button pusher.”

Stefan winked at him. “I’m just being a twit, of course.”

“I just told you that, though I phrased it a tad more politely,” said Thanatos.

“Israel is coming up,” said Stefan. “Can we just crash-land in there for a while?”

“Sure,” I said.

*****

Deliah lay pressed against the pantherine Percy with her arm around the cat, and Andre sat to Percy’s other side in
the violet grass, a bit closer to the Light Pole, than where the castle was. Percy had his eyes closed, his tail was
twitching slightly, and he looked like he was smiling. He was in seventh heaven. We must remember, Percy and Del
took to each other immediately when Percy was a housecat in the White City.

Andre stroked Percy’s forehead, and scratched him behind the ears. “Gods, where were you when I was alive.”

‘I wasn’t born yet, dude. You died twenty years before I was, and I wasn’t quite the big, black, beauty you have
before you.’

“Details,” said Andre.

“Nice being with my two black panthers,” said Deliah.

‘YOUR black panthers?’ asked Percy. ‘If anyone owned anyone, it’s more like you gave yourself to me, than the
other way around, you little cat slave.’

“Figure of speech, Percy. My friend, of many transitions,” said Deliah, as she ran her hand sensuously down his
side.

‘Mmmmmmmmmm! I’d purr, if I could.’

“Aren’t you a shapeshifter? Can’t you re-arrange yourself so you could both purr and roar?”

Percy looked at her. ‘I’d have to ask Thanatos about that. It never occurred to me, and I don’t have a clue on how.’

“Oh, why bother,” said Andre. “You’re fine as you are, and if we absolutely must have someone purr for us, I’m
sure you wouldn’t mind switching back to your former form.”

‘Not at all, if someone will hold me in their lap. I’m a real affection-monger, in case you haven’t noticed.’
“We’ve noticed,” said Andre.

Percy rolled over on his back, out of Deliah’s hold. ‘Tummy rub?’

“Oh, yeah,” said Deliah, and Andre rubbed the appreciative cat under the chin.

*****

We all ended up sprawling on whatever couch, mat or pillows were available. “The House of David probably never
had it so good,” said Stefan, as he closed his eyes, and threw his right arm over them.

“You tend to state the obvious, my dear,” said Thanatos.

“I suppose I do. In fact, I myself have never had it so good. Do you mind hearing for the billionth time, how
grateful I am to both of you?”

“Only if you don’t mind hearing for the billionth time, that this wasn’t exactly a one-way deal. We wouldn’t be here,
if it weren’t for you,” said Thanatos. “In your own, strange, Stefanesque way, you’ve improved our lives just as
much as we’ve improved yours. You’ve re-routed us in ways I wouldn’t have dreamed of, considering what a
nut-case you are.”

I chuckled slightly, as Stefan said, “And what would you like, for the highest compliment you just gave me?”

“You could pet my nose, at your convenience,” said Thanatos.

I laughed. “Ye gods! You’ve been converted!”

Thanatos looked at me. “Should I enhance mine own schnozz the way Stefan had, so many transitions ago?”

“Oh, please don’t. I like not having to look into a mirror to see myself,” I said.

“Of course, you could enhance your own nose,” said Thanatos to me.

“Don’t you dare!” said Stefan. “I don’t need no competition. Anyway, if you do, I’ll make mine bigger.”

Thanatos looked up to the ceiling, then closed his eyes. “I see it now! The war of the noses. With every
schnozzular increase of one, the opposing party does the same, and before long, those in the war will literally be
ninety-nine point nine percent nose.”

“Oh gods, that sounds sexy,” said Stefan in a really histrionic tone of implied awe.

“I’m just glad you guys are kidding,” I said.

“We are?” asked Stefan, still playing.

“As if,” I said.

Stefan cocked his head, and smiled. “Yeah, right.”

“After we’re done lounging around here, wanna go to the library, outside on top, down below for a ride, or Causal,
where we belong?”

“Yes,” said Stefan.

I looked into him. “Hm! I see our lovely redhead really wants to snuggle in bed for a reading session, and go from
there.”

“Sounds good to me. Perhaps we should do this out of everybody’s time frame, or they won’t see us again for a few
days,” said Thanatos.

I wasn’t about to complain.

*****

Percy stretched out, and extended his claws. ‘The three of us have something in common.” he sent to Deliah and
Andre.

Deliah stroked him again. “A life of no regrets.”

‘Hm hm.’

“The only way to die,” said Andre. “The only way to move on.”

“It’s so strange.” said Deliah.

“That Thanatos has one regret?” They’d discussed it before.

“Hm hm. The fact that he destroyed himself over losing Donn’s company again?”

“And that he regrets Keith’s whole life.”

Deliah wrapped herself around Percy. “Do you know how much I loved Keith by the end of Donn’s first story?”

“Yes. So did I. Not in the same way of course, but. . .”

“He was capable of changing gender.”

“Something he refused to do at the time, but that’s not the entire issue. You felt maternal toward him, in addition to
wanting him as a lover. I would have seen him as a mentor. I could have handled a physically close relationship
with him, like what he had with Donn. Platonic lover, light snogging buddy. I couldn’t have dealt with a gay sexual
relationship on Tech Duinn, though. I wasn’t capable of that until I landed in the White City, not that I had any
relationships at all, after I was killed.”

“You never got over your wife, for the longest time.”

Andre shrugged. “Or my daughter, even though I barely knew her. I was so at odds with myself. I was so in love,
but so detached, at the same time. I was such a paradox.

“My death didn’t really bother me. Tonya was very well taken care of. I had a very good insurance policy, my
father loved her and his grandchild, and she got married again to a wonderful gentleman two years after my death,
but it’s like I just didn’t want to know anyone else after her. . .until I read the Xanon Chronicles.”

“I fully understand.” Deliah reached her left hand up. “I’m so glad you’re here.”

Andre caressed her hand, and then put his own under hers, so their fingers’ bottoms were touching each other.
“And I’m glad you’re here. Such beauty and intelligence are hard to find, in conjuction.”

“Thank you. I’ve got to say the same for you.”

“You’re not as sarcastic as you were.”

“I still have my moments. Also, you’re not Stefan.”

Andre smiled. “He’s great.”

“Our resident zone case. Everything he thinks of seems to happen, though.”

“He gets a lot of good ideas.”

“I notice. He just moves too fast, some times. He’s always existed by the ‘leap before you look’ philosphy, but he’s
so adorable, despite having been the worst goddamn bedwarmer I ever had.”

“It helps if your bedwarmer had wanted you, and you hadn’t coerced him against his will. He never really wanted
anyone but his two psychopomps.”

Deliah shrugged. “That’s why I didn’t hold it against him. I mean, at least he was mechanically adequate.”

“I’m glad I’m on your side, Del. I’m also glad I’ll never be in what was Stefan’s postion.”

Deliah laughed. “If I really wanted you, I’d have you.”

“I believe that, but I think you know better.”

“I do.”

Percy raised his head. ‘I think she needs neutering more now and when we lived in the White City than I did on
Earth.’

Deliah scratched him behind the ears. “You would have cost more in hospital bills, kitten.”

‘Oh, I suppose so. It seems I was obligated to keep my looks, huh?’

“Well, you had to do something to earn your keep,” said Andre.

‘I kept everyone well entertained.’

“So you did. You still do,” said Deliah.

*****

I was re-reading a novel called ‘The Running Man’, Stef; who took middle position was working on a reread of
‘Theory of the Leisure Class’, and Thanatos was reading ‘Metamorphoses’. We were all in a modified bed with
heating pad, electric blanket, extra fireplace, and I was wearing thin gloves, being we decided to be stupid, and go
temperature sensitive. We also had an electric blanket behind us.

Neither me nor Stefan had noticed that Thanatos had closed his book, and was simply staring ahead; being we were
pretty into our own books.

Stefan read three more chapters, before he noticed Thanatos wasn’t involved in what we were allegedly here, for.
“You cold?” asked Stefan.

Thanatos smiled, and shook his head. “No. I was just triggered into thinking about the past.”

“You OK?” asked Stefan.

“Fine. I’ve got everything resolved. Everything is as it should be. Everything is now.”

“What’s so distracting?” I asked.

“Nothing, anymore.” Thanatos put his arm around Stefan. and kissed him on the temple. “Stef. . .Stephanie.”

“You want me to change?”

Thanatos nodded. “Somewhat.”

“Somewhat?” asked Stefan.

“I’d like something softer at my side, if you don’t mind.”

In a split second, a woman was between me and Thanatos. He picked up his book again.

Stephanie scowled. “You asked me to switch gender, and you don’t want to do anything with me?”

Thanatos scowled back. “I just find it preferable to have a woman at my side, at the moment.”

Stephanie handed me her book. “I don’t like being like this, so much. I’ll do it for you and Donn, but considering I
find my current state not to my tastes. . .”

The scowl on Than’s face turned to a smile, and he petted Stephanie’s nose. “I think I can make your current state
worth your time?” He closed his book again, and put it on his end table.

I put my own book down, and did a thorough read on both Thanatos and Stephanie. I closed my eyes, gave a sigh,
and snuggled next to Stephanie. “Ye gods. Is this moving backward?”

“Not really,” said Thanatos. “I just want a little extra TLC to justify, and ease my mind on that everything is as it is
because of what I did, and what was done to me.”

Stephanie did her best to pull Thanatos toward her. “You already knew that.”

“But I was reflecting on the worst of it, like I knew I shouldn’t.”

Stephanie maneuvered herself up, so she could put her arm under my neck, and she beckoned Thanatos to get into
position, so she could do the same with him. “Shall we pass out?”

“I’d like that,” said Thanatos. “In a little bit, anyway. We’ve not slept once, since we’ve been here. I’d like to do it
at least that many times. . .shortly.”

“Gotcha,” said Stephanie.

I moved myself into the crook of her arm. I dematerialised my gloves, and my tunic; though the leotards and socks
stayed. I put my left arm around her, and got all the way under the covers. “Gods, this is nice.”

Stef stroked my hair. “Isn’t it, though?”

Thanatos positioned himself like me. He was in heavy, black silk pajamas with Asian dragons all over it, and
socks. “Let’s pass out in a complete mind-share.”

“Oh, yeah,” said Stephanie.

We absolutely revelled in one another, for a while.

Three as one, we eventually passed out.

Love really was the ultimate ‘high’.

*****

Percy rubbed his head against Andre’s hip. ‘You know what I would really like?’

Andre looked into him. “White City. See the view from the top of your old home from a person’s perspective, and a
walk in the park.”

‘You got it.’

“I’m game,” said Deliah.

Andre looked down at the leopard. “Shall we hold hands, or hands and paws?”

Percy altered his form. “Let’s go.”

“All right,” said Andre with a smile.

They connected, and tansferred to the rooftop of their old flat in The White City.

It was as they’d left it.

After they’d gotten their fill of the rooftop, they checked out the old apartment.

Everything was the same, except for the fact the doors were all gone, and there were a few books lying around on
various tables. Percy about went into shock, when a finch landed on his shoulder, having just flown in from an
unpaned window.

“What the. . .” Percy started, as he put his left index finger up, sending the bird a mental image of her rearranging her
perch; which she did. “Ye gods, as you say.”

“You’re not an Earthbound cat, now,” said Deliah.

“I never killed anything other than insects. I never caught a bird, though I did have the drive to go after them. I
didn’t even kill any rodents, though I’d played with a few.”

“We know,” said Deliah.

Percy gently stroked the finch. “I must have been the worst hunter of the feline world.”

“You never had to do it for survival,” said Andre.

“Gods, I would have had to deal with fur or feathers in my teeth. I think not. I mean, when you get what I got, who
needs to waste the energy killing something that you wouldn’t even recognise as food anymore?”

You were a pacifist cat,” said Deliah.

“As long as I got my way,” said Percy, with a smile.

“Which was about ninety nine percent of the time,” said Andre.

“At least,” said Percy. “They only issue there was, is that Kevin didn’t want me on the dining table during meals, or
on the computer table, but I really preferred someone’s lap anyway, so hey. It’s just that I was so heavy, they had to
pick me up and recross their legs, being I would cut off their circulation. I didn’t like that, but it came with the
territory, and sometimes even I decided to take the bad with the good, although I did often protest.”

“Yeah, you could really make Kyle feel bad, with your rebukes,” said Deliah.

“Oh, well. It never damaged our relationship. It gave her another reason to call herself ‘pussywhipped’.”

“We do seem to use that word a lot, because of you,” said Andre.

Percy shrugged. “Being default head of household has its advantages.”

“Only when you’re in panthera or felidae form, baby,” said Deliah.

“Then I’ll just have to be the preferred cat the majority of the time. Mind if I slide down the rail?”

“We have to get rid of the post at the bottom of the stairs,” said Deliah.

Percy scowled. “I am not Stefan. I don’t think so.”

“This, I’ve gotta see,” said Deliah.

“Let’s go,” said Percy. “I’d like to see more of the park from this perspective.”

They walked out the front door, and Percy looked down the spiral staircase. Deliah put her hand on his shoulder.
“So much for feline caution, huh?”

Percy winked at her, as he disengaged from Deliah, and mounted the stair rail. “No problem.”

“See you in a few,” said Andre, and he and Deliah transferred to the bottom.

Both Andre and Deliah focused on Percy, and saw vicariously what he was going through. He was going down
sidesaddle, and his speed was something Stefan couldn’t touch. Percy’s sense of balance and control was far greater
than Stefan could ever hope to attain.

When Percy was almost at the bottom, he simply jumped off, landed on the third step from the bottom, and
pirouetted to the landing with a grace that would have left Bruce Lee in the dust. He then bowed histrionically. “I
am innately a cat.”

“So you expect us to be less impressed for that fact?” asked Deliah.

“Oh, I suppose not. Going up there was a waste of time. I’m sorry,” said Percy.

“How about going to the park, and then the museum across the street?” asked Andre.

“I’ve never been to The Gallery. I’d like that,” said Percy.

“You never expressed an interest before.”

“Cat’s can and do appreciate beauty, but see no pleasure in paintings. That’s more for birds.”

“Understandable,” said Andre.

They went outside, and crossed the ‘street’, to the park.

Percy took a great delight at looking at the statuary, the gardens, and the fountains. In this land without night, they
walked every last path the park had. Deliah walked in the middle, holding the hands of both Andre and Percy, for
most of the trip. The three of them had a grand old time, and when they finally got to The Gallery, they saw or
absorbed every last MS Escherian square foot of it, being so much of it was new to even Deliah and Andre, by now.

*****

I woke up first, and immediately repositioned myself, and covered the temperature sensitive, unconscious Red Tail,
to her neck. I pressed myself against her, as I myself got almost completely under the covers. I debated making the
freezing temperature irrelevent to me, but decided to go the masochistic route.

My movement woke both Stef and Thanatos. I brushed my nose against Stef’s upper arm, with Stef still retaining the
Drakkar scent. “Hi,” I said.

“Gods, I’m cold,” said Stephanie. “I almost can’t feel my nose.”

“You threw the blankets off when you were asleep,” I said. “I just covered you up all the way less than a minute
ago.”

“Of course, we could do the wise thing, and go temperature insensitive,” said Thanatos.

“Don’t wanna,” said Stef. “Move closer to me, Great White.”

He did. “Stephanie sandwich.”

“May I switch to my other more masculine facade, now?”

“Oh, I suppose so,” said Thanatos with a reluctant edge.

“You obviously prefer I wait ‘til we leave this bed,” said Stephanie.

“Obviously,” said Thanatos.

Stephanie smiled. “Then I’ll wait.” She brushed her head against Thanatos’ shoulder, then turned to embrace me.
The fireplace was suddenly fed spontaneously by Thanatos, and the fire couldn’t have gotten any bigger. “You two
had nice dreams, I imagine?”

“Mine were Nirvanic,” said Thanatos.

“You’ve got to take us there, one day,” I said. “Mine were High Causal.”

“Same,” said Stephanie. “Can I ask something stupid?”

“You want to go into a star that is in the process of a supernova,” said Thanatos.

“Hm hm.”

“Can I sit this one out?” I asked.

“Sure,” said Thanatos. “And while we’re at it, shall we also find a galactic collision, where they half destroy each
other?”

“Sounds great,” said Stephanie.

“I’ll read you when you come back. I think I can do without the direct visual sensory overload,” I said.

Stephanie reached into me, and I grabbed the side of the mattress in shock. “How about another type of sensory
overload.?”

“Ye gods,” I said through clenched teeth. Her Ethereal arm was still in me, and what I felt was becoming more
unbearable, by the nonexistent nanosecond. She slowly blended into me, and I held out as long as I could, before
becoming like her. Then Thanatos blended into us, and we ended up winding our way through the Astral Levels, to
the High Causal.

It turned out, that my plans of not joining those two on their interstellar adventures wouldn’t go as I’d planned them.

I was pleasantly coerced into going on the tour.



































Chapter 9

Imagine being boiled alive in the brightest liquid fire that can possibly exist. Imagine a noise that is beyond the
concept of loudness. When we experienced the collision of two stars as getting hit from two directions, I swear I
would have gone insane if Thanatos hadn’t stablised me, even though it was only like a hologram to us.

It was magnificent. It was beautiful. It was overwhelming. I’m glad all we were, was perception. Gods, but I really
wasn’t ready to deal with what I saw, without help. My mind just couldn’t fathom it. Things like what we were
experiencing just weren’t meant to be experienced.

Another thing that blew me away, was to actually be aware of how fast things move in space. You don’t have time to
think. Also, Stefan reminded me of a line of one of my oldest poems, about catching a comet by the tail.

Yes, we figuratively ‘rode’ a comet, an asteroid and a very large meteor, all the way to the surface of a planet, as it
burned up.

After that, I felt like I experienced all there was to experience.

Well, almost.

When we got back to the castle, Thanatos made sure we landed sitting on the couch. Two of us needed that.
Without warning, the always slightly in tune Thanatos then reeled his head toward Stefan, barely controlling his
impending laughter. “Stef! Are you nuts?”

Stefan did start laughing. “Uh, yeah. A little.”

“Go ahead! Say it,” said Than, with an escaped chuckle.

“Than, do stars have atmospheres?”

Thanatos closed his eyes, and nodded. “Yes, Stefan. They do.”

“But they burn, so they have oxygen. So we can breath on them, right?”

I looked at Stefan. “Where in the nine hells do you come up with this?”

Stefan just shrugged, as his chortles subsided. “No clue.”

Thanatos shook his head. “Where is Stephen Hawking or Carl Sagan when you need them?”

I looked at Stefan. “You will never change.”

“I hope not,” said Stefan.

Thanatos said, “To tell you the truth, I hope you don’t change either, Red Tail.”

“The monarch of brilliant idiocy?” asked Stefan.

“Something like that,” said Thanatos. “When everyone else gets here, we’ve got to ask them if they want to see this,
though I think all the equines but Hesper will decline.”

“Percy?” I asked.

“I’d rather not disturb him, now. He’s just finished doing a museum viewing in The White City with Andy and Del.”

“Andy, huh?” asked Stefan.

“All right, Andre. Yeah, I know you like the sound of that better. You know Stef; for having such a lofty opinion
for the French culture, you sure came down on them a lot.”

Stefan shrugged. “Easy target. Everyone did it. Only I did it better.”

“Well, with more imagination, anyway. Lily Pond. You are the only one who ever called the nation of France that,
from the day you first said it. Of course it’s caught on by now; being our lovely Donn Ui’Midir did record it in his
ongoing series, but. . .”

“I’m really writing more?” I asked.

“Hm hm,” said Thanatos.

“What is this?” I asked “A never ending story?”

“Oh, it’ll end. The prose, anyway,” said Thanatos.

“Might be a while, huh?” I asked.

“Yes, it most certainly might,” said Thanatos, as he ruffled Stefan’s hair.

“But what else do I have to say? I mean, even I have to admit that the quality of my writing has been diminishing, as
the series progressed,” I said.

“You’re just a very direct writer,” said Thanatos. “Like what Aurore Dupin told you. You get to the point, and there
is no fluff. You don’t put much into the description of scenery, or atmosphere, and such. You write what you think
at the moment.”

“I never claimed to be another CJ Cherryh.”

“This is true,” said Thanatos. “On the other hand, your poetry is something I feel compelled to re-read periodically.”

“Isn’t that ‘our’ poetry?” I asked.

“Yes. Our compilations, but you are damn good. What could one expect from a Tuatha prince?”

“Thanatos, shut up. My Earthly origins are no longer relevent, and I’ve rejected that stupid title from the day I knew
what it meant.”

Thanatos blew me a kiss. “Another reason I love you so much.”

I smiled at him. “Thanks.” I returned the virtual kiss. “I love you, too.”

Stefan leaned back into the couch. “I won’t say it.”

“Yeah, damn fruits,” I said.

Stefan looked at me. “You’re as bad as I am, some times.”

“Now, if that isn’t a compliment. . .” I said.

Thanatos finished the sentence. “What is?”

*****

“Let’s go up to the old flat again,” said Deliah. “I’d like to hit the spa.”

“That is so boring,” said Percy.

“Surely you don’t have a housecat’s aversion to baths, now,” said Deliah.

“No, and nor will I say that I’ve got a tongue, and I know how to use it,” said Percy. “Not around you, anyway.”

“You just did, and I’ll take it in the proper context, oh formerly raspy tongued one,” said Deliah.

Percy smiled. “Cat licks.”

“Not Catholics?” asked Andre.

“No. Cataholics,” said Deliah.

“Stefanisms. Let’s transfer upstairs,” said Andre.

“I’m not going in the water. I’m going to check out the prints at a more leisurely pace,” said Percy.

“OK,” said Deliah, as she held out her hands. “You can reserve the right to change your mind.”

Both Percy and Andre took one of those extended hands. “I won’t,” said Percy. “Hot tubbin’ ain’t ma thang.”

Andre scowled. “I don’t talk like that.”

Percy tilted his head. “I am a black cat, when in feline form.”

“The next time you take the form of a housecat, I may pick you up, transfer you here, and throw you in the water if
you keep that up,” said Andre.

Percy winked, and smiled. “I dare you.”

Andre transferred everyone up to the living room. After they landed, Andre kissed Percy on the forehead. “Don’t
worry, mon chat. You could beat me up even as a housecat.”

“But I wouldn’t do that, my love.”

“Of course, mine own threat was quite idle.”

“I’m aware of that, but the sarcasm was amusing,” said Percy.

“Darn tootin’” said Andre.

“Ye gods,” said Deliah, as she looked at Andre. “Let’s go hit the whirlpool.”

“I’ll sit with you later; though out of the water, depending on who finishes getting their jollies first,” said Percy.

“Sounds fair to me,” said Deliah.

“See ya,” said Percy, as he more or less dismissed them.

Andre and Deliah walked downstairs.

*****

Stefan reloaded the fire in front of us, for visual enhancement. Stefan leaned back, and having the treasured middle
position, he put one arm around me and the other around Thanatos. “Here we are, in the Akashic Castle, where we
have all information of what happened, what is happenning now, and what will happen everywhere in existence, and
here we sit, watching a fire before us, whilst seated on a couch.”

“You find a lot of the information upsets you,” said Thanatos.

“I like exploring ruins,” said Stefan.

“Uh huh,” said Thanatos. “Then you go on to research the civilisation, you familiarise yourself with their birth, their
golden age, their disgusting or tragic end, and then you get all emotional about it,” said Thanatos.

“Sometimes,” said Stefan.

“Usually,” I said.

“I’ve got a hankerin’,” said Stefan.

“You know just about everything in Earth’s recorded history, on a subliminal level, and everything of every
civilisation that ever caught your fancy,” said Thanatos. “How’s about another visitation of different worlds?”

“Can we see some dead ones, and you tell us about them?”

Thanatos smiled, and stroked Stefan’s hair. “Sure. We’ll do a mindshare while we explore, and I’ll spare you the
goriest details of the personal experience, and we can talk about those gory details later, so you won’t experience
them first hand.”

“That sounds good to me, too,” I said.

“Yeah,” said Stefan. “Now?”

“Fadeout,” said Thanatos.

Our facades disappeared into a gaseous cloud, and we were off, three as one.

*****

Deliah and Andre sat acrosss from each other, in the water.

“Your wife was very beautiful,” said Deliah.

“Second generation American. One hundred percent Masai. She was a classic beauty. I’m glad I found her.”

“What if she found you again? From your memories of her, I like her quite a bit.”

Andre shrugged. “I’d welcome her back. What are the odds, though?”

“We could search for her.”

“She’d gotten married again. I’m not sure it’s a good idea. I only did enough research to find out that she was taken
care of.”

“Let’s look her up, later.”

“OK, lets.”

*****

Yellow skies, pale violet skies, orange skies, red skies, green skies, glorp skies. . .oh I’m sorry, but again we have
those colours with no definitions, for they exist not on Earth.

We were under the direction of Thanatos. He knew what we wanted, and he knew where to find it. Long destroyed
worlds, where no one would live again, until another race found it from a distant planet.

Some ruined architecture was similar to Earths Classical Ages, like Greece, or Gothic Europe, but some was really
alien. There were structures that reminded me of segmented insects or myriapods. One I found interesting, was a
structure made of a smooth ceramic that looked like plastic, and there were a number of large domes, connected by
tunnels that only went halfway up the dome. Nothing had any windows, but when we went inside, all the domes
were two stories up, and had a basement and sub-basement. There were furnishings inside the structures, but
everything that could move, had been smashed to bits. There was no sign of anyone who’d lived there.

A huge Earthquake had taken the immediate region down. The mess had started with an astroid shower hitting the
place. That triggered all kinds of little niceties, like setting off a Caldera bigger than Yellowstone’s, other
widespread volcanic activity, tsunamies, and weather from hell.

Sometimes I really wanted to throttle Stefan. We were originally supposed to explore ‘dead’ civilisations. Stefan’s
curiosity just couldn’t be contained, and he had to ask Thanatos to time trip us back to the days of this world’s
destruction.

It was one of the saddest, most disgusting things I’d ever witnessed, but at least the reasons were right.

It was a very evolved utopian world. All of it. The people could transcend no more, and they were removed from
the scene by divine intervention, but I think it would have been far kinder to simply take them Etheric, like what
we’d done with ‘Kyle’ in my first story. Just transfer them, instead of killing them, some over the course of a few
months.

Well, both me and Stefan were kind of on the devastated side, after witnessing the holocaust of space and nature. It
wasn’t as bad as it could have been, being Thanatos anchored us, but sheesh!

Yes, I know I could have withdrawn from the situation. I also knew I had incremented my knowledge, and that just
because I didn’t know about it didn’t mean it didn’t happen, and I was due to know about it in the end anyway,
but. . .

That didn’t stop me from materialising a feather duster, and taking it to Stefan’s face, after we got to the castle, while
calling him a morbid bastard. Hey! It worked on cats. When Stefan was Kyle, she’d done that a few times to Percy
when Percy was being a bad puddytat, and it would discourage him from his indiscretions for the moment.

I don’t know who laughed harder; Thanatos, or Stefan. After the incident was over; we all sat down to-gether, and
entangled ourselves amongst each other, as usual. One good thing came out of the situation, and that was that I got
the middle position, this time. I told Stefan; who usually got it, that he owed it to me to give the coveted seating
arrangement, for putting us through what he’d put us through with his desire to see yet the end of not only another
civilisation, but an entire world.

“This sort of thing always hurts us. Why do you persist in instigating it?” I asked him.

“Why do you go along with it?” He asked, in turn.

“Because I’m a stupid idiot, I love you, I like to share experiences with you on the same level, and I wanna know
too.”

“Then, quit yer bitchin’.”

I looked at Thanatos. “I can’t counter that, can I?”

“Not considering what you just said before that.”

“I thought so,” I said.

Thanatos managed to give us a cock-eyed scowl with his smile. “You two are becoming more and more alike, every
day.”

“Thank you,” said Stefan.

“Heavens forbid,” said I. “If I become much more like Stefan, all we’ll be talking about is noses.”

“Like there’s something wrong with that?” asked Stefan.

Thanatos chuckled. “Ye gods. You are going to write this down, eh Donn?”

“Oh, I suppose so. Prove to all existence on how silly we can get?”

“I’m mildly amused,” said Thanatos. “You two are also dealing with the destruction of that planet a bit better.”

I pulled both of them closer to me, to the best of my ability. “Oh, yeah.”

*****

When Percy walked back to the whirlpool, Andre and Deliah had moved beside each other, and were in a mental
merging. Percy, being Percy; shifted to his leopard form, and roared.

Both Andre and Deliah jumped. ‘Haven’t you been here long enough?’ sent Percy.

“Ye gods! You could have time tripped,” said Deliah.

‘Maybe next time. Man, if I’d stayed in here much longer in human form, my clothes would have been sopping wet,
with all this steam. Now I just have to deal with wet fur.’

“If you’d been in human form on Tech Duinn, you might have gotten into this,” said Deliah.

Percy sat down right behind them. ‘I’m not sure about that. I was never fool enough to go temperature sensitive
when I was there. I’m not sure I’ll ever do it again. It’s not a practical thing to do. I get no pleasure from suffering.
Just let me lay my head in your lap, and you can stroke me, scratch me behind the ears, or best yet; under my chin.
Or hold me in your lap in the form I was born to. Now that’s what I like.’

“Or a jasmine oil backrub or having your hair brushed out in your human form?” asked Deliah.

‘Sounds nice. Try it, some time,’ sent Percy.

“Before, or after we look up Tonya Kinyanga-Cortois?” asked Andre.

“Think we should do what’s more important, last?” asked Deliah.

‘Sure. I can wait,’ sent Percy.

Andre looked up at him. “No, I think you’re getting your rubdown first; you beautiful little snot.”

Percy put his chin on Andre’s head. ‘Little? I’m as big as you are, now.’

“True. And you would like your backrub in Egypt, no doubt?”

‘Of course,’ sent Percy. ‘Deliah can brush out my hair, and you can give me that backrub.’

Percy lifted his own head from Andre’s, balanced himself, put a paw gently on both Deliah’s and Andre’s heads, and
transferred them.

*****

Both Andre and Deliah had to transfer out of the room dedicated to Egypt for a split second to both dry off, and
dress. Percy in human form, wore a pair of flared jeans and heavy socks. He didn’t bother with shoes for what was
pending. He simply sat down, materialised a brush, and held it up. “Del, my love?”

Deliah got behind him, and took the brush. She first ran her hand through his thick raven hair, then proceeded to
drag the brush through it. “Ever planning on wearing longer hair?”

“It’s hardly short. It touches my shoulders. I’d find what you, Donn and everyone else but Andre wears, a nuisance.
This feels nice, by the way.”

“As good as getting scratched under the chin, as a cat?” aske Deliah.

“No. I don’t think anything feels as goods as that. From what I was permitted to know about, anyway.”

“That’s not a hint, is it?” asked Deliah.

“No. Just a statement of fact.”

Del kissed Percy. “Kitten, and if I wanted you?”

“No. I also know damn well it’s only a theoretical question.”

“True,” said Deliah. “I just had to verify.” She stroked his hair again, before resuming with the brush.

“Hmmmmmm. You always did know how to treat a cat.”

“You hung around in my apartment enough, buster.”

Percy closed his eyes. “Because you knew how to treat a cat.”

“Spoiling you rotten,” said Deliah.

“It’s the only way, huh?” asked Andre.

“Darn tootin’,” said Percy.

“Says the most sensualistic species in existence,” said Andre.

“You’ve got that right,” said Percy.

Deliah said, “You know Percy, when you were a housecat, you always used to play the masseur. I’d like to pay you
back.”

“When you weren’t bitchin’ about my claws. Later. I know both your styles from our mind shares, and I like what
Andre used to do with Tonya, better than what you used to do with your lovers, here.”

“You spare no one with truths untold,” said Deliah.

“Nope. I’m a cat.”

“But there were times when you did stuff wrong, and you’d give Ste. . .I mean Kyle and Kevin that ‘Who, me?’
look,” said Deliah.

“But I never denied doing it.”

“Is there a way of doing that in Catonese?” asked Deliah.

“Of course. Everything you can convey, a cat can convey; if only the person can understand.”

Deliah said, “Kyle was damn good at figuring you out.”

“She got good at it. During our last few years, it never took more than three translation attempts to give me what I
wanted, and she often got it on the first try. Earlier, it might have been seven or eight times. At least she
endeavoured, and did successfully learn my lingo. Which reminds me. After you two are done serving me my silver
plates, I think I would like to see Stefan. . .as a cat, of course. Of the panthera variety.”

“Of course,” said Deliah. “That’s how you get his best attentions.”

“Don’t I know it,” said Percy. “I love your light touch with the hairbrush, Del.”

“Thanks. I figured you like the same treatment, regardless of what species you are?!”

“Big time.”

*****

By now, me, Thanatos and Stefan were walking the halls. We were headed toward the library at a leisurely pace, not
for the sake of getting any books, but just to experience the atmosphere of the place.

“It is so weird,” said Stefan. “The minute a culture stagnates, be it bad or good, it is destroyed.”

“The point of existence in any realm is evolution, and once that stops, you are taken out of there. If you hit a low
stagnation point, you reincarnate, if you hit a high stagnation point, you move to the next level. It’s like a video
game,” said Thanatos.

“That makes it sound like all we are to The Source, is a game of Tetris,” said Stefan.

“That’s a very basic way of looking at it, but it’s a good analogy,” said Thanatos. The highest level is when you hit
Home, but you knew that.”

“That’s a pretty innovative way of phrasing it,” I said.

“I know the pain stops as soon as the transition is complete, but the horror of that transition is so damn common.
Knowing what I know, it just all seems so unnecessary, even if people do agree to die they way they do, before they
are born,” said Stefan.

“Isn’t it amazing, that you used to think that once you transcended the Physical Plane, you thought you’d innately
understand everything?” asked Thanatos.

“On a subliminal level, I do,” said Stefan. “At least all that you let me know of you, but in the foreground, I’m still
me. I can only access most of what you’ve shown me, in meditations.”

“Stef, I’m still learning, too. Before what we just did, I never rode a comet, or floated between colliding stars, or
any of that. It had never occurred to me to do that,” said Thanatos.

Stefan smiled. “Thanks.”

“I’ve got to call a meeting later, to share all that,” said Thanatos. “If I leave it to randomly all get to-gether again, we
might as well be waiting the equivalent of a century.”

“We’re so much more cohesive, yet we’re not,” I said.

“Well, we always seem to be aware of one another, but our interests and tastes have diversified so much, that there’s
no point to existing like we did, when we’re in a place like this.” said Thanatos.

“So weird, how we’re completely one in the Astral and Causal Realms, but here, we have grown more separate than
ever,” said Stefan.

“We revel in our short bursts of illusory independence,” said Thanatos. “I admit, I do.”

“I thank you both for staying with me,” said Stefan.

“We wouldn’t leave you for anything. Now, I wonder what other adventures you’re going to come up with?” said
Thanatos.

“ We could investigate the digestive function of a cow, first hand,” said Stefan.

“No!!!!!!!! Never!!!!!!!!!” I said with a vehemence.

“I’ll sit that one out, as well. You can tell us about it. I don’t think I even want to do a mindshare on that one. I
mean there are some things even beyond me, I find now that I must admit,” said Thanatos.

Stefan started laughing, and the rest of joined in, at the thought of engaging in his repulsive concept of an adventure.

Yes, he had been joking.

*****

Macha, Kevalyn and Sylvia turned the horses back to the castle. “Damn, we’ve come far,” said Sylvia. The mesa
looks mighty small.

“If it’s OK with our mounts, we could get the rides of our existence, back home,” said Macha.

Kevalyn stroked her black equine companion. “Nova! Want to make a mad dash home? I’ll give you the longest
grooming you ever had, after we get there.” Thought pictures were sent, as well.

The way to a horse’s heart, was definitely through it’s hedonistic tastes.

All three took off.

*****

Percy was stretched out on a silk covered mat, with his head resting on a silk covered pillow, and his eyes were
closed. “Hmmmmm. I almost feel like making purring noises.”

Andre poured more of the jasmine oil on his back, and gently rubbed it into Percy. “I’m that good, huh?”

“Oh, yeah.”

“And why can’t I do it?” asked Deliah.

“You brushed and played with my hair. Maybe next time, if you study Andre, and promise to try and stick to his
technique.”

Andre said, “Next time you want me to spoil you, I want my black leopard back.”

“That can be arrrrrrrrranged,” said Percy lazily.

“Me too,” said Deliah. “I can take a soft bristled cat brush to you.”

“I’d like that.”

Deliah sat beside his head, and started stroking his hair. “It’s almost hard to not think of you as a cat, even though
now you have human form.”

“Good, if you’re going to treat me like this.”

Deliah wrapped an index finger around some of Percy’s mane. “You know Percy? I really, really wish you’d shown
up before we moved to Tech Duinn, in ‘The Second Time Around’.

“No you don’t,” said Percy. “You would have gotten me very upset. I wouldn’t have screwed you then, either. I’m
not like you. Animals are different.”

“What about now? What are you, now?” asked Deliah.

“I’m still innately a cat. I would not have eaten, or joined any of your silly rituals on Tech Duinn. Also, don’t forget
I was neutered on Earth before I even mated, and we are completely devoid of all mating drives after we transcend
the Physical Plane. You would have gotten me very upset if you’d tried to relentlessly seduce me. If we didn’t have
those obnoxious mating drives so firmly ingrained on the Physical Plane, we would have let ourselves all die out.”

“All animals?” asked Deliah.

“Yes.”

“I didn’t pick that up in our merger.”

“It’s pretty far back in my mind. I don’t think about this, spontaneously, but that’s the way it is. We aren’t so stupid
as to perpetuate Physical existence voluntarily.”

“But you chose to be born,” said Deliah.

“Yes. As for your next question, the answer is, love. I saw what I was due for, before I lived. You think I was going
to turn that down?”

“What about lab rats, and other vivisection victims?”

Percy chortled. “Huh! We’re no nobler than the human race. We have to suffer to evolve too, sometimes. I already
paid my dues in former lives, just like you.”

“The last life of everyone isn’t always paradise, though mine was.”

“Sylvia had a hard life. Ste. . .Kyle! When will I stop refering to that mortal incarnation as Stef? Anyway, Kyle’s
life wasn’t easy. She always had enough to eat and a roof over her head, but she had to work her tail off,” said
Percy.

“So that’s why she didn’t have a tail,” said Deliah.

“Yeah, right,” said Percy. “She always put me first, when she could. I mean, she gave me the whole bag of
langostino most of the time. Other times, she might filch two or three from the one pound bag, but she spent more
money on me, pound for pound, than she did on herself most of the time. I mean, I got organic cream, while to
compensate her budget, she put half and half in her tea.

“I did what I could, to pay her back. The kneading, the waiting to eat with her if she had her dinner on the table with
me, the request for cream when she was having her tea, so we could be drinking buddies. . .it meant so much to her.”

“You are very sweet.”

“I loved her more than anyone. She tried so hard to learn to understand me. Most people don’t bother, and they read
a bunch of garbage into us. It was so nice to be treated as an intelligent individual, instead of a goddamn toy, you
know?”

“I know,” said Andre.

Percy said, “Andre, you can stop now, and I really am very grateful to both of you, for doing this for me. We can
trade places the next time, if you two aren’t totally fixated on spoiling a leopard.”

Andre closed his eyes, and tilted his head down. “Stefan-Stephanie-Kyle is the main reason I’m here.”

Deliah reached over to him, and stroked his tied up hair. “We know. The Seth Karnak trigger.”

“Interesting, how Stef is the only one who doesn’t go by the latest past life name.”

Percy said, “Well, you know how it goes. Those who come back to life exclusively for the sake of serving the
‘Cause’ of re-intigration by any other name, retain the identity they had when they volunteered for the un-necessary
physical torture of living another physical life, even though they don’t have to; the moment of transition to the
Etheric.”

Andre chuckled. “Not personally. Considering what a case Stefan is, I’m almost amazed he/she/it falls into that
catagory.”

Percy shrugged. “Intent and priorities are everything. Being happy in your dedications isn’t a requirement. Stef, as
Kyle felt compelled to do what she could. No, she didn’t have a major impact on the world like she’d wanted before
she insisted on returning to the Physical Realm, but to even help one individual is enough, and she’d helped way
more than one.”

“It is so strange, referring to someone of varying genders,” said Andre.

“Gender is a dirty word, with Stef,” said Deliah. “In fact, if he switched to chick, it’s kind of hard to tell that he did,
in those clothes of his. Stephanie’s a little thinner, but you really have to know what you’re looking for.”

“Voice is a little higher, and adam’s apple gets less noticeable,” said Percy.

“I can hardly tell with the voice,” said Deliah. I guess it’s a cat thing, huh?”

“We are more sensitive, and I refuse to compromise my senses when I take this form,” said Percy.

“Understandable. There’s one other thing about you all that really made no sense to me,” said Andre.

Deliah stroked his hair again. “How some of us waited to experiment with the wildest of the sensual experiments,
after it didn’t matter anymore? Yeah, that was pretty weird, but some of us did have issues; the biggest one being
shared by Donn, Thanatos and Stefan.”

“Gotta make love for the sake of the other party. Yeah. And then only doing something once or twice for the sake of
experiencing it, and never again, regardless of how good it felt?” asked Andre. (Don’t ask.)

“You have to admit, from a philosophical perspective, love can reach no higher apex, than what those three feel for
each other,” said Deliah. “Can you untie your hair, and let it go as it was meant to be? It feels nice, like that.”

Andre nodded. He dematerialised the hairtie, and ran his hand through it. He dematerialised for a split second, and
came back with an Afro. “Better?”

She caressed his hair again. “This softness is not what I would have expected, when I was still alive.”

Andre said, “Their love for each other is as plain as day, from their poetry. I can’t imagine a bigger treasure, than
having been let into their circle.”

“Tell me about it,” said Deliah.

Looking at Deliah, Percy asked, “If I become a leopard again, will you pet me, too?”

“I thought you’d had enough?” asked Andre.

“Enough of your skills as a masseur, dude. I’m still a cat, despite the form I now wear. I’m getting jealous.”

Andre and Deliah looked at each other, and both smiled. Deliah said to Percy, “Go ahead. Take something closer to
your true form, and we’ll fawn over you.”

“Purr.”

The three stayed to-gether for quite a while, until Percy grew bored and left them.
Chapter 10

Later, Andre met Stefan and the pantherine Percy in the halls of the paintings. Andre looked at Percy. “So that’s
where you went, you little deserter.”

‘I’ll ‘little’ you, Andre. Remember that Stefan, by any other name, is my main servant. Always has been, so I should
give him some time, shouldn’t I?’

Stefan scratched Percy on top of the head. “You have such a way with words, dearest.”

‘Purr. Anyway, should we go toward the Light Side, or the Dark Side for my next picture?’

“Another painting?” asked Andre.

“Oh, yeah. Percy in attack mode. I’m debating on whether to put him on a snowy cliff, or in the tropics,” said
Stefan.

‘I think black on white is more dramatic,’ sent Percy.

“OK, then we’ll go Dark Side.”

‘You know what I’d really like?’

“What?” asked Stefan.

‘On the side of your volcano, with lava streaming beside me, and omit the ash in the atmosphere.’

“Sounds cool,” said Andre.

“I’ll do it. Wanna go over and pose, so I can do a mental snapshot?”

‘Sure,’ sent Percy.

“Can I watch?” asked Andre.

“Oh, I guess so,” said Stefan.

“Maybe I’ll get into painting myself, one day,” said Andre

“The more the merrier. Let’s go,” said Stefan.

The three of them transferred to our favourite volcano, and Percy took the most fiercesome pose he could.

*****

Me and Thanatos were on Gilgamesh, on a rare ride toward the Light Side of the planet. I rode in front, Than was
wrapped around me, and Gil was going at a fast walk in a temporate meadow. The orange red sky and the violet
leaves in the bright of the day was a rare sight for me. I loved the alien nature of this locale as much as ever. We
materialised enough of ourselves to be affected by gravity and touch. We could not now go through anything.

None of the animals were afraid of us, and we’d had a few curious birds land on us. Everything had the same basic
design of two sense organs like eyes, ears, nostrils, four legs, tails, claws, or hooves, and such. Of course the colours
and more intricate details of the animals varied a bit more, and there were some non-insect land animals that couldn’t
be remotely be classified as mammalian, reptilian, amphibian, or anything else. There were leathery looking, slime
covered creatures which left a residue on you similar to a slug, if you petted them, there were others with a body
cover similar to raw cotton, and things that would remind you of pre-history.

With the telepathic assurance that we meant no harm, many a creature came to us, to check us out; and we were quite
cordial to all that were interested. Not quite Eden, it was. Of course, these creatures still ate each other.

We remained insensitive to the temperature. When we got to a small brook, we detoured, and rode along side of it,
upstream. When we got to a small waterfall, we stopped, and dismounted.

“Want to stay here for a while?” I asked.

“Sure. A few nostalgic moments. It reminds me of a young Earth.”

I sat down at the edge of the pool by the waterfall. I dematerialised my boots and leotards, and put my feet in the
water. “I’ve only seen that through you.”

“It was like this, only in different colours. The nice thing about this place, is nothing like man will ever set foot
here.”

I smiled. “Unless they’re High Etheric, or Low Astral.”

“We’re kind of Physical now.”

“For a little while, but I know what you mean.”

Gilgamesh lay beside me in a feline fashion, tucking his front legs under him, with his head and neck erect. He
looked at me, and I leaned into him. Me and the stallion exchanged a few mental waves of peace and love. He
nosed my shoulder, I stroked his forehead, and scratched him behind the ears.

Thanatos sat a little behind me, slightly off to the side. He then got to his knees, crawled foreward, touched the
water, and sat behind me again. “I think I’ll pass soaking my feet.”

“I haven’t done it, since we’ve been to the Elysian Fields. I wonder what the water tastes like, but at the same time, I
recoil at the thought of trying it, even if I could get it down.”

“It’s not our world. I don’t think it would be wise to test it, though I know it wouldn’t instantly kill our kind, if we
were capable of being poisoned. It’s dihydrogyn oxide, but the mineral content is not what you’d find on Earth. I
think I’d definitely not go there. Even my curiosity is a bit tempered in this case. If I were still into sampling food,
foreign worlds are best left alone. This is reality, not Star Trek. We’d get sick and die here, if we had to breath the
air for too long, though it could keep us alive for a little while if we were mortal.” (Proof we were really
communicating telepathically, and not talking, but let us now forget the scientific facts behind this story, please.
Now, back to Analogyville.)

“Sage advice, noted. I assume we have no name for some of the tastes available here.”

“We have that problem even on Earth, as far as the specifics of sweet, salty, bitter, and all that go. On the other
hand, we have good, bad or indifferent.”

I chuckled. “True.” I reached for him, and he embraced me from behind.

“Too bad our everso morbid Stefan is so hooked up to the castles area or the Dark direction.”

“How in the past he’s bitched about full daylight, I think it would be better to leave him in the twilight world, and
just share this moment with him vicariously.”

“Hm hm,” said Thanatos, as he ran his fingers through my hair.

I trilled softly.

I ‘knew’ Thanatos had raised his vibration level and faded to a higher form without looking at him. I felt his Etheric
form trace me delicately across my back, within my back. The pleasant electrical sensation made me tense. “My
dearest Donn,” he said softly.

“Ye gods,” I whispered, as he did it again.

He blended slowly into me, and he actually kept me from going Etheric.

By every deity in the pantheon, it felt good. On the other hand, it was sheer torture.

Here we were, overlapped. Etheric on Physical. Oh, it wasn’t much to look at on the provocative scale, but it got to
be pretty unbearable in a ‘couple of minutes’ of illusory time.

Thanatos kept me trapped, until I about exploded. This had never happened to me before. Then, he let me fade
Etheric, and it started all over again. I automatically reset when I switched form.

We were out of there. The same procedure was followed on the Astral, the Causal, the Mental, and the Highest
Nirvanic Realm there was. He’d dragged me higher than I’d ever been, to feel things I’d never felt before.

When we got back to the castle, Thanatos made sure we landed on the couch. I was so overtaked by what had just
been done to me, I keeled over sideways. As I passed out, I had a smile on my face. Thanatos dematerialised my
boots, as he rearranged me to make sure I was comfortable.

What sweet dreams I had, as he sat beside me rereading Medea, by Ovid.

*****

Percy had switched to human form to watch Stefan paint, and Andre sat beside him. Stefan threw on a white acrylic
undercoat, let it dry, and then sketched the lovely part time black panther in attack mode, with bared fangs more than
slightly elongated.

“I swear you were a cat in a former life, Stefan,” said Percy.

“Not how it works,” said Stefan, as he started filling in Percy. The first colour he worked with, was light blue.

“But you are hybridised, now that we’ve done such an intense mind share. You’re part cat, now.”

“Yeah, I guess so. I’m trying not to go over there right now, and rub my head on your shoulder to claim you as my
property.”

Percy chuckled. “You know Stef, you’re quite welcome to do that any time. Of course, I’ll scent mark you right
back to claim you as mine, instead.”

“So we’d have a scent marking frenzy?” asked Stefan.

“I’d love to see that,” said Andre.

“Might be a while,” said Stefan. “I’m not going to put my brush down for that.”

“Understandable,” said Andre. He looked at Percy. “Do you have any desire to mark me as your territory at the
moment?”

“I suppose I can accomodate you.”

“Can you become a cat, first?”

Percy narrowed his eyes, and gave Stefan a mental signal to turn his head toward himself and Andre. As soon as
Stefan turned around, Percy turned into a leopard, pounced on Andre, rubbed his cheek on Andre’s, and pinned him
to the couch. ‘OK, Andre. You’re mine. So what shall I do with you?’

Stefan laughed. “You asked for it.”

Andre smiled. “So I did.” He managed to kiss Percy on the bridge of his nose. “All right, kitten. You can let me
up, now.”

‘Purr.’ Percy let Andre sit up, and he lay beside him, resting his head in Andre’s lap.

*****

A bit later, as I stirred, I found myself under an unnecessary blanket, and I suddenly found my hair caressed. I just
had to smile. “Than?”

“None other.”

“Gods, that was great.”

“I should have asked.”

I stretched out, and sat up. “I indirectly invited you, didn’t I? And like I’d turn down the full treatment from the
love of my existence?”

“The full treatment, is becoming one with Chaos, love. What we did was just another little indiscretion that took you
one step higher than what we’ve done in the past.”

I rested against him. “And what can I do for you?”

“Silly question. I was just as involved in our unifying experience as you. Everything you went through, I went
through. The only thing is, you can’t instigate it yet. In a little bit, I’d like to do it again, but only with our currently
occupied Stefan, with us.”

I closed my eyes. “Painting.” I zeroed in on the project. “Nice one of Percy, though it’s a little stylised. The cat
looks a cross between a leopard and a smiledon. Gods, those teeth and muscles.”

“Want to join Andre and Percy?”

I wrapped myself around my virtual twin. “Oh, sure. In a few. Shall we run, or transfer?”

“Let’s run, and I’ll pace myself to you, OK?”

“Thanks.”

*****

Deliah crossed her arms. Macha, Kevalyn and Sylvia closed their performance. “You guys have been might busy,
here,” said Deliah. “That was absolutely beautiful, as always.”

“I never thought the Morrighan could make music to rival Apollo,” said Kevalyn.

Macha chuckled. “Hey! I am of the Tuatha de Danaan.”

Deliah uncrossed those arms, and leaned on the right armrest of her chair. “That’s a good of an excuse as any.”

*****

When me and Thanatos got to the art studio, Andre and Percy were totally focused on each other. Their eyes were
locked, and Andre was stroking the leopards temples. They both looked hypnotised. With Percy sprawled out along
the length of the couch, there was no room for me or Thanatos to sit down, and I ended up kneeling before the cat,
and running my hand over his neck and shoulders. Andre backed off to let me kiss Percy on the forehead, and then I
stood up and went over to Stefan. He hadn’t gotten very far, as applying the paint, went. I went back to the others.

Thanatos leaned over Andre. ‘Let’s you, me, Percy, and Donn go to the Akashic Library for a few. We’ll time trip,
and no one will be aware of us being gone.’

‘OK,’ Andre replied.

*****

Andre scowled. “Tonya! She’s in the White City!”

“She hasn’t forgotten you,” said Thanatos. “She thinks of you, often.”

“Gods, I still love her so much. But now there’s Deliah.”

“And Percy,” said Thanatos.

“But Percy’s a. . .”

Percy immediately transformed into his human form. “Percy’s a what?”

Andre looked at him. “Cat.” He swallowed. “Sometimes. Uh. . .never mind.”

Percy smiled. “Right, lover.”

Andre looked down, and brought his right hand to his forehead. “Oh gods.”

I laughed. “Who cares if you love Deliah. You love everyone here, and you think Tonya is going to care? We are
not Earth dwellers any more. I know you’ve never considered another until you came here, but what was, is no
more.”

“You’re going to bring her here?” asked Andre.

Thanatos stepped toward Andre, and put the tips of his fingers under Andre’s jaw, gently tilting his head up. “Shall
she read about us before, or after?”

Andre caressed Thanatos’ wrist, as Andre’s eyes started tearing. “You’ll actually transfer her, here?”

“Of course. She gave so much of herself, using her wealth to benefit humanity. She’s right for us, and right for you.
I can honestly say, that she belongs here.”

“Let’s let her read the series first,” said Andre.

“You deliver it,” said Thanatos to me.

“Me?” I asked

“Yeah! You wrote the thing,” said Thanatos.

“I’ll tell her Andre sent me.”

“You do that. You also can time trip outta here, and come back when you finish with your next story, and you give
that to her, as well,” said Thanatos.

I scowled. “Say, what?”

“You heard me, babe.” He went telepathic, and it was directed only at me. ‘And before you do, as soon as Stefan
finishes his painting. . .I’m taking you both to the edge of High Nirvana. Everyone else; later.’

I tilted my head foreward, and looked down. “Let’s go back to Stefan.”

































Chapter 11

Thanatos got us back to the moment of departure, with Stefan. We weren’t missed.

Percy, back in his leopard form, jumped off the couch, and walked over to Stefan. When Stefan rinsed his brush,
Percy stood up on his hind legs and put his paws on Stefan’s shoulder. ‘That is so flattering, I might even take the
form you represent me as in that painting, once in a while.’

After getting over his initial shock, Stefan said, “Thanks. I’m glad you’re not mad at me for misrepresenting you.”

Percy gently scraped his fangs on Stefan’s neck and shoulder. ‘Complimenting me, is more like it.’ Percy put all
fours on the ground, again. In a split second, he was more muscularly defined, had a heavier bone frame, and his
fangs extended over his lower jaw by three and a half inches. He turned to me, and yawned.

“Wow,” said Andre.

Stefan turned around. “Percy! By gods, you are gorgeous, like that.”

‘Purr.’

“Purr! That about explains everything,” said Thanatos, as he came over, and kneeled beside the cat. “I don’t think
we have a leopard, anymore.”

‘You don’t want one back, I sense,’ sent Percy.

“Not if you give us this as an alternative,” said Andre. “Whatever your species is, now.”

‘It doesn’t exist,’ sent Percy.

“It does, now,” said Thanatos.

“I don’t want to paint anymore,” said Stefan. “Not with you looking like that, Percy.”

‘Sorry,’ Percy took his human form again. “but can I motivate the fire within you again, to finish this project by
threatening not to become a cat again until you do?”

Stefan walked over the part time man, and stroked his hair. “You always get your way with me, don’t you?”

“Almost.” Percy stroked Stefan’s nose. “Thanks, but you do understand.”

Stefan smiled, and said, “Hell, yeah,” as he went back to the painting.

“We’ll have to beckon the ladies, pretty soon,” said Thanatos.

“Deliah is going to be impossible to pull away from Percy after she sees him with the longer fangs,” I said.

“I find it hard to stay away from him, myself,” said Stefan. Stefan looked at him. “When he’s a cat, anyway.”

Percy narrowed his eyes. “Stefan?”

Stefan looked at him. “Kidding, love. Want a backrub later?”

Percy smiled. “Sure. After you finish the painting!”

*****

When Stefan stepped back from the painting, we were pretty enthralled. It must have been the painting of the most
‘bad-ass’ looking feline that had ever been painted.

“That is so beautiful,” said Percy. ‘Stef; I know I repeat myself, but I don’t know if I can love you any more. I have
never met anyone who has put so much of themself into me,’ he sent nonverbally.

I scowled. “Isn’t it amazing, that even though you would be the only one of your kind on Earth, if you materialised
there like this, someone would want to shoot you?”

Percy shrugged. “I’m glad I’m never going back.”

I put my arm around him. “So am I. You’ve been wonderful company.”

Thanatos took Stefan’s hand, and brought him closer to me and Percy. He winked at Andre. “Thank you again, for
all you’ve done for us. Percy, thank you for choosing to be with us.” He blew Andre a kiss. “Andre, the four of us
old timers have something to see to. We’ll be back in a minute, to your perception. Just have a seat, and we’ll set
you up for your wildest dream.”

Andre pointed at Thanatos. “I know what it is. Thanks.”

Thanatos took me, Stefan and Percy out of there. We ended up on the other side of the equator of the planet. Poor
Stefan had no say in being forced to see daylight again, but he didn’t complain.

*****

Thanatos pointed at Percy. “Actually, I want to take care of a further bonding with you, and pleasure before
business; not that it should matter to Andre, for I told him th truth. Can I take you to the border of the point of no
return with us before Donn writes his next book?”

Percy tilted his head, and raised his left eyebrow. “Before my time? With another class of being?”

Thanatos smiled. “We know you. We’ve been one. We are all hybridised. We have different origins, but we are all
the same, now.”

Percy smiled. “In a unity that’s about as overtly sensual as you can get, as well as intellectual, among other things?
That’s been denied me, since I was a kitten. I suppose I’ll have to try that.”

Thanatos looked at me and Stefan. “Step into us.” Thanatos, then blended into Percy, who immediately clenched
his teeth, and tensed up.

Me and Stefan went to the two overlapped ones, and Stefan faded out and stepped into them next. I was last, and
again, I/we was/were trapped in the state I/we was/were in until we were blasted Astral in our High Etheric energy
culmination, to do it again, through all the highest levels of all the Planes, until we hit Nirvana, which was the final
stage of our complete unity, for this set of interludes.

After this, there was truly no difference between us and Percy at all. The bridge of the human (Tuatha and second
generation from The Source, included.) type and animal type had been completed.

When it was over, three of us had to pass out, and we did. Under the shade of a grove of trees, in the soft purple
grass of the Light Side of the planet.

After we awoke, Thanatos transferred us back to the castle, and I ended up in front of the word processor.

*****

“So, I just type up a concise review on what we’ve done since we’ve been here on this little vacation from the
Causal?” I asked.

“Yeah,” said Thanatos. “Then you go down to the White City, and give a copy to Tonya.”

“And the story ends with me sitting here, now?”

“No, your sarcasticness. Speculate on the future, and make it happen.”

I scowled. “You make it happen. I can’t do that.”

“Well, just write what you’re expecting. It doesn’t have to be exact. In fact nothing you write ever is like what
actually happened anyway. You yourself admits to writing in analogy in the books, so what’s the deal?” asked
Thanatos.

“I can’t believe I’m hearing this,” said Percy.

“I can. It’s been stranger,” said Stefan.

“That I will have to admit to,” said Percy.

“OK,” I said. “I’ll see what I can do.”

*****

One more short story, of review. I was one hell of a fast typist, and it was one hell of an easy project. If I’d been on
Earth, and needed no sleep, it would have been done in under three days.

I knew damn well that I’d be writing another tale, very soon.






















Chapter 12

The minute I finished my book, we came back to Andre; and it was more like a few seconds to him than a minute.
After that, we called everyone for a meeting in the hall of my newest paintings

Deliah, Kevalyn, Macha and Sylvia were sitting around the sabre toothed Percy, none of them being able to get
enough of the re-formatted leopard. Yes, they all loved my painting of him.

“So, we are actually going to aggressively pursue an individual to kidnap them?” asked Sylvia. “I thought we
weren’t supposed to do that.”

“No, we will not kidnap her,” said Thanatos. “It will be Tonya’s choice, and I guarantee that she will choose to
come here. She’s evolved enough to exist here. She can’t come Causal with us for very long, but staying here until
she is ready is hardly a sacrifice for us, considering how much we enjoy this place.”

“It will be so nice to share her company again,” said Andre.

“Nice to have another foxy chick on board,” said Stefan. “One more gorgeous art project to work on. Putting you
two down to-gether is something I can’t wait to do.”

Andre smiled. “Thanks.”

“You two really are a beautiful couple,” I had to agree.

Andre shrugged. “Unfortunately I know better than to say it was an accident of nature.”

Thanatos said, “Well, what’s a little vanity among friends. Let’s drop the story set off.”

*****

Tonya was on the fifth floor in our own very former place of residence. I had Percy with me, and an awkward eight
odd hundred page book.

When I knocked on the door, Tonya wasn’t the one who answered. Instead, it was a young Asian man. He
recognised me. “Donn! You’re here?!” he was delighted to see me.

“Have we met?”

“No, but I’ve seen you before. I was at your Irish bash, when you played. Unfortunately I didn’t read your books
until after you moved, but I am so glad to see you. Tonya?”

“Yes?”

“Donn Ui’Midir’s here.” (I hated it when people said that. For those of you who don’t know, ‘Midir’ is pronounced
‘Meer’, and yes, Stefan had been known to say, “Never fear, Donn Ui’Midir is here,” and I swear! If he ever says it
again, I am pouring a bucket of cold water on him the next time he goes temperature sensitive.)

“Don’t leave him standing out there. Let him in.”

The man looked at Percy. “Cat, too.”

Tonya came to us. “Donn! Come on in.” She looked at the cat. “Who is that?”

“Percy. Have you read my stories yet?”

“No. Only your poetry. Ronin’s read them, and he recommended them to me.”

“I added one more story,” I said. “Andre is with us, and I was supposed to give these to you to see if you’d want to
join us.” I handed her the book.

Her eyes lit up. “Andre? My first husband?” She kneeled down, and stroked Percy.

“Same. He still loves you like anything, though he also has another girlfriend.”

“Can Ronin come, too?” she asked.

I shrugged. “I guess so. I don’t see why not.”

He extended his hand. “Ronin Sakanashi. Me and Tonya have been friends since she first got here.”

I shook his hand. “Nice to meet you.”

Tonya stood up, and motioned for us to follow. “Have a seat. Would you like some tea?”

Me and Percy followed. I sat on the couch, and Percy remained on the floor. “Thank you, but I have an impossibly
hard time getting anything down anymore. You just come to a point where you just lose the desire to continue in the
habits you had that you needed to survive.”

“Understandable,” said Ronin. “We don’t consume things either, except for extenuating circumstances. Social
ritual, and such.”

Tonya scowled. “There is a problem with us leaving, now.”

Ronin sat down. “Yes, there is. Warren Colfax! We can’t leave him in the lurch.”

“Channel?” I asked.

“Yeah,” said Ronin, with a mischievious grin. “English channel.”

I chuckled. “That’s bad.”

“He’s a sweet kid. He’s into music with a message. We can’t desert him.”

I held up my index finger. “Wait a minute.” I closed my eyes. ‘Thanatos. I’d be bringing back both Tonya and her
friend Ronin, but I’m not sure if they can come now. They have a channel.’

‘So many White City dwellers do. What year?’

“What year is it, to Warren?” I asked.

“Two thousand six,” said Tonya. A pre-Ahau Kankin date. Lovely. Well, that’s existence, out of time.

‘I got it,’ said Thanatos. ‘Look into him. If he’s OK, and he’s OK with it, transfer him. There’s so little time left, I
think I’ll be excused for authorising this.’

“I heard that,” said Tonya. “He’s OK. Very benevolent and thoughtful. Helpful to a fault, kind of shy, and bothered
with the state of world affairs. He’s way ahead of his years.”

“How old?”

“Twenty one,” said Tonya.

“That’s not much time to get ones self established. How’s the music?”

“He’s personally established, but musically, not. He has our shared ideas, but he can’t do it alone, you know?” said
Tonya.

“So getting professionally established won’t happen at all,” I said.

“The best he could hope for, is to be another Kyle Shannon,” said Ronin.

I had to say it. “If he’s another Kyle Shannon, he can stay where he’s at. I’m sorry, but one of those in my existence
is enough.”

Ronin crossed his arms. “You know damn well, I meant from a musically professional standpoint. He’d help a few
people along if he had the time to do it. He’s another one who exists for others. Besides that, his work and future
brilliant lyrics would only go to a small audience and be buried in the Akashic Library.”

“Well, our group always has room for more musicians. Can I take you guys with me now, or would you like to read
about us first, Tonya?

“Ronin told me all about you. I don’t have to read it, and how’s Andre?” she asked.

“He’s a treasure. We’re glad he came to us.”

Ronin beckoned Percy. “I’ve never seen an animal shapeshift before.”

‘I bet you’ve never seen an animal form sentences before, either,’ sent Percy.

Ronin stroked the cat. “No, I haven’t.”

“Andre’s doing,” I said. “He unified himself with the cat, and talked Percy into becoming a leopard, among other
things. Percy took this form after Stefan painted him like this. He’s also quite an attractive gentleman, in human
form.”

“What a trip,” said Ronin.

“Totally,” I said.

Tonya said, “So Percy! Are you going to satisfy my curiosity, and take on your human form for a moment?”

‘Oh, I suppose so. Will you acknowledge me as being a part of this conversation, then?’

“I’m sorry, kitten,” said Tonya. “Most animals don’t care for human conversations.”

Percy shifted his form. “I’m not most animals. I’ve been hybridised.”

Tonya’s lower jaw dropped. “My god! You look like Quentin Collins without the muttonchops.”

A look of shock crossed my face. “You used to watch Dark Shadows too?”

“Oh, yeah! David Selby was such a babe,” said Tonya.

I looked to the ceiling. “This is getting more interesting by the moment.”

“I think I’ll go back to my feline form, thank you,” said Percy.

“Mmmmmm. And how about coming to me, after?” asked Tonya.

Percy looked at Rodin. “Chicks! I swear!”

Tonya tilted her head, put one arm akimbo, narrowed her eyes, and with her mouth slightly skewed to one side, she
said, “Neutered pussies! I swear.”

“Ye gods! Please don’t go there,” I said.

Percy pointed at Tonya. “I’m kidding, if you are, with my derisive implication.”

Tonya chuckled. “Of course, I’m kidding.”

“Good! You know what I’m gonna do?” I asked.

“What?” asked Percy.

I lifted my book. “I’m going to drop this set of stories on the dining table of Warren’s house, and if he takes to us, I
will take him to the Akashic Castle, myself.”

“Sounds good to me,” said Tonya.




























Chapter 13

I lay the book on the end table next to his bed, instead. He still lived at home with his parents, so I couldn’t have left
it in a communal area. I also found out what he looked like, just then.

A flawlessly featured, green-eyed, red-brown haired lad.

Thank the gods we were where we were, on the evolutionary scale.

If we’d still been on Tech Duinn, I don’t think he would have been allowed out of the bedroom for an eternity, at
least.

*****

OK, I just finished this tale. I guess I’ll have to get busy on the next.