Mistress Alexandria: A Furry Tail

She was human, but she wasn't... It's hard to explain.  At least most of her
was human.  She was originally an experiment.  Half of her genes were human,
the other half were that of an albino tigress.  The way she turned out is just
fine by me.  She is covered by short, fine fur, her head is somewhat tigerish,
and she has an exquisite tail.

It really doesn't matter.  All that is really important is that we love each
other and that we love what we engage in.  She is my mistress, and I am her
pet.  I had made arrangements for the two of us to live together.   Don't ask
me how... it is a rather long and complicated process.

This is merely one truly incredible weekend we spent together... at home.  I
love her more than anyone that I have ever known.  I hope that we will be
together always.

                                    *****

I got home first.  She had told me that tonight she would master me.  And that
her little pet would enjoy himself to no end.  I was looking forward to this
night's games.

As I walked in, there was my collar on the table by the front door.  I smiled,
picked it up, and put it on.  I knew she wouldn't be happy if she got home and
I didn't have it on.  After that, I made myself a sandwich and sat down to
watch the evening news.  I also knew that I might not have anything to eat for
a while, so I didn't want to start hungry.

Just as the news ended, I heard the front door open...it had to be her.  She
walked in, a huge grin on her face.  "Are you ready, my little pet?" she
asked.

"Yes... mistress," I replied.

"Go to your bedroom and wait for me."

"Yes, ma'am."

I went, gladly.  I knew she had something special for me planned.

I sat waiting for her on the bed.  As she came in, she looked sternly at me.
"Aren't you a little overdressed?"

I knew what she wanted, I was stupid not to think of it before.  I immediately
began to remove my clothes and put them away.

"Good boy.  I have a surprise for you."

My eyes grew wide with anticipation.  The tone in her voice told me that she
really did have something new and probably exciting planned for me this
evening.

She took a duffle bag from behind her back and unzipped it.  Alex pulled out a
leather suit of some sort.  It was all rolled up and difficult to distinguish
just what it did.  She laid it out on the bed and unfolded it, so that I might
better see it.

As I examined it, it became quite clear that she had been working hard to
design this for me.  It was a jumpsuit of sorts.  But, it opened up the back
and the sleeves were rather long, much too long for my arms. Not only that,
but they were closed at the ends and had some sort of strap extending from
them.  AH!  It was a straitjacket affair!  I looked on.  There were straps and
buckles at the knees and angles, as well as D-rings securely fastened to the
ankles, waist, and the shoulders.  I smiled.

"Would you like to put your playsuit on?"

I nodded eagerly in agreement.  Alex took up the suit and held it open for me.
I stepped in and slid my arms into the sleeves.  Alex reached down and guided
my ever stiffening tool through a slot that had been created for my more
tender parts.  I hadn't noticed that before, but I realized that it reached
all the way between my legs to my waist in back.  Interesting....

Alex made quick work of fastening the back up and then cinching my arms
tightly across my chest.  "Sit!" she commanded.  I complied.

I soon found Alex securing my ankles and knees together.  I gave a little
struggle, but she had seemed to have secured me well enough that even if I had
wanted to free myself, I probably couldn't have.

Alex sat herself down beside me and began to run her finger under my leather
collar.  She smiled, moved closer and began to nibble on my ear.  That didn't
seem to feel too bad.. of course not, I LOVED IT! Her fur began to rub gently
against my face.  Not only that, but she began to slide her tail back and
forth across my exposed shaft.  At this point, things began to tingle.  I
think I was in heaven... I'm not sure.

Alex sat up and grinned.  Next, she moved her face down to my shaft. I knew
what she intended, and I was hoping for it.  She began by rubbing the fur of
her muzzle up and down on each side of my erect manliness.  It was almost
maddening!  Then she let her tongue slip from her mouth and slide up on my
shaft.  I inhaled sharply and shivered slightly.  It felt incredible.  Her
rough tongue made me even stiffer.  Alex reached down and began to tickle my
bare feet.  There was nothing I could do -- I was helpless, and she loved it.
I laughed.  She grinned and licked again.  Yes, I think I was in heaven.

Alex suddenly stopped.  I looked down at her, wondering.  She maneuvered me
over to the center of the bed.  Once there, she took out six straps from her
duffle back and secured me to the frame of the bed via the D-rings on my
playsuit.

"What are you going to do with me, Mistress?" I asked.

She did not respond.  Alex merely grinned rather evilly.  Once again, she
reached into her duffle bag, and took out a gag.  She pushed it in my mouth
and buckled it snugly before I could ask any more questions.

Alex got up and looked over me, admiring her handiwork.  She seemed pleased.
My Mistress bent over and began to pet my erection.  I moaned as she worked at
me.

"Now, my little pet.  I want to introduce you to a new toy."  She took a box
from her duffle bag and removed some sort of tube from it.  Alex sat down
beside me and held the toy out so that I might get a little better look at it.

It was almost like a test tube in shape.  But, at the open end, there was a
small box attached, about 1" by 1".  Extending from that was a rubber cup-like
sack.

Alex reached down and took hold of my shaft and then guided it into the open
end of the tube.  I bucked slightly as she slid it down into place.  For, you
see, on the inside of the tube were little spines that excited me as they
moved down my manliness.  Next, my mistress pulled the rubber part down over
my scrotum.  This held it down securely.

Alex took hold of the little box that was on the toy and I heard a little
switch click.  Suddenly, the whole unit began to vibrate.  The little spikes
began to move back and forth, and even the rubber sack carried the vibrations
throughout all of my tender areas.

The sweet vibrations of this new toy did not take long to bring me to a
climax.  As my pleasure reached its apex, I bucked and tried to turn, but my
playsuit held me firmly.

Alex sat down beside my head and began to run her fingers through my hair.
"I'm glad that you like your new toy, my pet.  Now, my little slave, I think
I'll go get something to eat and find a comfortable place to sleep for the
night... See you in the morning."

My eyes grew wide as she walked out the door.  I tried to say something, but
anything that came out was totally unintelligable because of my gag. I was
just stuck with this torturous pleasure for the rest of the night... I exhaled
deeply and began my night's trial.

                                     ***

The next morning, Alex came in to inspect her exhausted little pet. She sat
down beside me and switched my little toy off.  Then she unbuckled my gag and
kissed me.  "I see you enjoyed the night, didn't you, my pet?" she asked.

I managed to smile a bit.  "Yes, mistress."

"Good.  Now I have a job for you."

Alex wiped the sweat from my brow and began to remove the straps that held me
to the bed.  Then, the straps binding my knees and ankles. She pused for a
moment to take a wet washcloth and wipe up the mess that I had made overnight.
Finally, she released my arms and unzipped the playsuit.

"Take off your playsuit, lay it out on the chair, and go and fix me breakfast.
And leave your little toy in place."

"Yes, ma'am," I responded as I slipped out of my suit.

I left the bedroom and went into the kitchen.  My little toy kept me erect as
it excited me with the mere movement of my own body.

As I put the eggs, bacon, toast and coffee on the tray, I had to pause for a
moment.  I had to rest because my loins were tingling.  I knew if I didn't
calm myself down,  I would climax shortly.  I didn't want to do that, my
mistress had not given me permission to do so.  If I did, she would not be
pleased.  I gathered as much strength as I could and started back towards the
bedroom.

I walked in and there was my mistress, stretched out on the bed wearing
nothing but the soft fur that she was born with.

She was beautiful!  Alex's shapely body was perfect.  I was so lucky to have
her as my mistress.

I took the tray over and sat it beside her.  I stepped back and stood there
waiting for her next command.  She took a piece of bacon and began to eat it.
She motioned for me to move closer.  I stepped up to the side of the bed and
she reached out and switched my toy on.  I moaned as pleasure began to course
through my being.  Within a minute, I had reached the apex of my pleasure.
She switched my toy off.

"Thank you, mistress," I said.

"You deserved your reward for this delicious meal," she replied.  "Go and put
your playsuit back on."

"Yes, mistress," I replied, as I moved towards the chair where I had left my
suit.

After I had put my playsuit on, I returned to her bedside in order for my
mistress to zip up my back and secure my arms.  Alex paused from her breakfast
to buckle my arms firmly behind me.  Once again, I stepped back and awaited my
mistress' next orders.

Alex set her breakfast tray aside, half finished.  She looked at me. "Kneel at
the end of the bed, my pet."

I wasted no time in carrying out my mistress' command.

"Are you hungry, my little slave?" she asked.

I nodded.

Alex picked up a piece of bacon and held it out.  "Very well, my pet. Come and
get it," she said, as she moved the bacon down between her legs next to her
thigh.

I got down on my belly and moved forward until I could reach the bacon with my
mouth.  She teased me for a moment, pulling it farther and farther away.
Finally, she set it down right on top of her feminine midsection.  "Oh, that's
what she wants," I thought.  Very well... what my mistress wants, she gets.

I picked up the bacon with my teeth and ate it eagerly.  Then I looked up at
my mistress.  "I'm still hungry.  May I...taste you?" I asked.

"Yes, you may, my pet," she replied.

I pressed my face into her midsection.  I opened my mouth and pushed my tongue
deep into my mistress.  Her tail began to snake around my neck, helping to
hold me in place.  I could hear her begin to moan... then purr.  I licked even
harder.

My mistress reached down and began to run her fingers through my hair. Her
foot slipped down underneath me.  I paid little attention to what she was
doing, as I was concentrating on my attempt at bringing her pleasure.
Until... I felt my own member begin to pulse as my toy began to vibrate.  She
had managed to switch it on with her toe.

I redoubled my efforts to pleasure my mistress in order to show her how much I
had enjoyed the pleasure that she had allowed me to have. I licked harder and
deeper...

                                    *****

I'm sorry, but that's all that I can recall for the moment.  That whole
weekend seems to run together in one big blur.  When I do remember the rest,
I'll be sure to tell you. --

RETURN=next, S)can, R)ead, D)ownload, P)ost, U)pload, Q)uit, ?=Menu

(1) Pleasure-Dome: G38

ASCII or (Hex)? 

                                  Cat Story

I was tired, and in desperate need of a bath.  Having just finished a game a
Powered Armor Soccer, an awful game in which even the ball shoots back, I was
desperate for a long, soothing bath in my own tub, preferably alone; A time
where I could pick up a book and fall asleep and not have to worry about
anything.

So of course, the moment I walk into my own home, "Hi Dave, any news for me?"

"Of course, Ken.  Do you want the good news or the bad news?" the thing asked
me.  Set, Dave, I don't need this now, I'm tired.

*Sorry, Ken.* He switched back to verbal, "You might want to take a bath and a
nap, then.  The bad news, other than the news-news, is that P'nyssa won't be
home for a while."

"Trouble?" I asked.  Having a doctor for a lover can be worrisome.

"Date."

"May I ask who?"

"You may, and I will answer.  It's Tachete'."

 Oh, ho.  Fascinating.  "Okay, and what's the good news?"

"At about twelve ID Ember wants you to meet her at the Arc dining hall for
dinner.  Tomorrow's her hundredth birthday, you know.  She asked me not to
tell you that, but you asked me to remind you of important birthdays.
Tomorrow's also Beth's birthday, and Ricarn Settng's, both of whom are on your
list of want-to-knows."

"Oh, okay, thanks."

"Ken?"

"Yeah?"

"Your bath is ready." Goddamn.  Does everybody know my personal habits by now?
Well, it does kind of figure Dave would know, he does see my every move.
Notice, also, he didn't ask for an RSVP on M'Bawr's invitation?  There is no
way I was going to miss this, and he knew it.

Twelve lome'.  (Editor's note: until this time, the notation 'I.D.' has been
used to designate 'In the Dark,' since on Pendor the concept of night is
extremely relative to one's position.  In keeping with Pendorian standard,
henceforth the words "Lome'" and "Arie'" will be used to designate "night" and
"day" respectively.) I was as grateful as always that The Castle and D'Tangent
Arc were on the same schedule, since I hate position-lag.  I navigated among
the green plants and white chairs of the enormous dining hall, admiring the
incredible array of ferns and leafy plants hanging from the matrix of
hydroponics tubes on the ceiling.  I could see the stars beyond them, and the
night air was cool with just a hint of a rainstorm recently passing.  I
scanned the room, trying to pick out an off-white and black shaped Felinzi
among the all the white and shadow.  Despite the lowered lighting of nighttime
operations, I found her.  Of course, other than a party of three centaurs in a
quiet corner, she was the only person in the place, and she waved me over.

I walked towards her, and as I approached she rose and smiled.  "Hi," I said,
and returned her smile.

"Hi to you, too, father." She helped me with my chair, and then sat down
herself.

"This is kind of odd, isn't it?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, usually it's me who asks the birthday...uhm...'victim'...out to dinner,
and help her with her chair, and such.  What's with the special treatment?
And why so late at night?"

"Oh, I dunno.  I just wanted to see you.  Tomorrow's a special day."

"Is it?"

"Well, it is my hundredth birthday."

"I'll drink to that, but in that case we need to order." At which point,
almost on cue, a Tindal came striding over and said "Hi Ember, Hello Shardik,
can I get y'all anything, or do you just want to sit and talk for a while?"
This person was unfamiliar to me, but Josh, the Arc AI, identified him as
M'Aaden, and said he was an excellent cook.  Of course he recognized me, but
apparently he knew Ember as well.

"I'll have my usual, sweetheart," Ember said.

"And I'd like whatever you think is good, and two glasses of Orange Juice and
Champagne, it's almost breakfast time," I said.  An old friend had introduced
me to OJ&Champagne, and I found I rather liked it.

"Okay, I'll send out a domo with the drinks, and I'll bring breakfast around
in a few minutes." He strode off.

I turned to Ember.  "Who is he?"

"M'Aaden?  He's just the late-night cook for the Arc.  He's the only night-owl
around here who's willing to try and cook for this place.  Of course, the only
ones who come here are me, those three quiet drinkers, and a couple of flyboys
who are out practicing late-night drills.  No big deal."

"No other staff?"

"Why bother?  Like he said, Josh'll run out most of the extras, and this place
is great this late at night.  Deserted and quiet.  I come here often."

"You stay up this late often?" I asked, incredulously.

"Sure, why not?  After all, when I'm up all night working on a new program,
you know how it gets...you lose all track of time.  I usually end up here."

"I'd think you'd teleport to some daytime pub and get some action."

"Why?  By then, I'm tired.  I just want a quiet meal and to return to The
Castle and crash out."

I shrugged.  "I suppose." A TDisk floated over and we took our drinks off of
it.  She sipped hers, at first dubiously, then in a full draught.  "This is
good."

"Like it?  Diane taught me that."

"Diane?  Who's she?"

"Just a friend.  Sister of another old friend." I smiled.

She caught the smile and said, "Oh, THAT kind of friend."

"Yeah, that kind of friend." I grinned.  She returned the grin.  We sat
sipping our drinks and staring at each other over our glasses, then began
giggling uncontrollably.  I looked into her slitted eyes, and she returned the
look, then leaned over kissed my cheek.  "I love you, you know," she said.

"I hope so," I said.  "I'd be crushed if you didn't." I paused for a moment.
"Ember, I love you.  I know that after Donna was born I began treating a lot
of people like they were less important, and when she...  died, I was a real
jerk for a while.  I just wanted to let you know that I'm sorry for that, and
that I love you very much."

She sighed, a little, and said, "Thanks.  I needed to hear that.  You don't
say that very often, and I sometimes wonder why."

"It's just me.  I don't give my heart so quickly, sometimes."

M'Aaden again appeared out of nowhere, and dropped a pair of omlettes on our
table, one for each of us.  "There you go, try this.  It's your
granddaughter's favorite." He walked off before I could even say "Thanks."

"What is it with him?" I asked Ember.  "Does he have a stepping disk in his
kitchen, or what?"

"No, he just likes to cook.  I dunno about the rest." She dug into her food
with her fork.  I did the same, and found the food to be an incredibly fluffy
omelette with just the right touches of garlic and jalapeno', but it wasn't
hot to the tongue.  In fact, it was wonderful.

Very little was said as we ate, and when we were done one of Josh's
peripherals floated down and cleared the table, while scurriers cleaned up the
floor around us, as if I'd dropped anything on the floor.  Ember rose, and
took my hand.  "Father, come with me," she implored.

I followed and she led me to a stepping disk, and when we stepped onto it I
found myself on a beach.  No, turning around, I realized I was in a desert, as
there was no ocean.  A magnificent silk tarpaulin was erected, with a soft,
thick cloth under it, lain with pillows and candles.  A warming wind passed
over the sand, and a moon was overhead.  "Ember, what are we doing on
Pandora?"

"You don't like it?"

"No, no, I do, I do, believe me, it's just...why?"

She smiled a small smile, and said, "Well, I just wanted to celebrate with
you, and I thought you might like a quiet, romantic setting like this." She
walked onto the cloth under the tent, undid the clasp about her shirt so it
was open, sat down, and reclined against the pillows.  "Come here, Father.
Make love to me."

I smiled, and crossed the sands towards her.  She was right about the setting;
It was romantic, warm, with just a hint, a zephyr, of wind.  I settled down
next to her, reached an arm around her and kissed her soft feline muzzle.  She
responded warmly, her mouth opening to meet me and her rough, soft tongue
against mine.  My hands caressed her back, my nails scratching along under her
wonderful soft fur, the scent of soap embedded lightly on her.  I rubbed her
back slowly while I nipped her jawline, my fingers seeking her spine while my
teeth sought her throat, and as I shifted my weight to reach the back of her
neck slight, subdued growl escaped her.  As I pressed against her neck, those
spots where I knew my granddaughter was most vulnerable (in a nice way), her
voice rose in response, her body shuddering.

I grinned.  I love feeling my Ember respond to me, like I do many people.  I
love, and I love to show it physically.  My hand caressed her sides lightly,
tickling her fur, small tufts of fur caught in my teeth as I nipped along her
shoulders, my teeth against my lip, her flesh between.  Her growls became loud
mewls of pleasure, and finally she pushed herself forward away from me and
said "Enough!  You're going to drive me crazy, you know what that does to me."

I smiled back.  "Yes I do."  And lunged for her.

She dodged, and as I went sprawling across the cloth, she slid over on top of
me, and put her paws gently but firmly on my biceps, effectively holding me
down.  I watched intently as her eyes shone in the moonlight, and she alit her
teeth gently against my nipple, tugging at it, her tongue abusing me utterly.
I was agonized by the detail she spent on a single nipple, the sensations
making me wild, the pleasure so strong I had trouble breathing.  She lifted
her head and looked at me, her feline eyes moist and soft, but no hint of
finality in them.  I panted, my breath returning, and gasped "That's...that's
damned unfair!"

She smiled again, "I know what to do to you, too, father, We've only made
love, what, a hundred times or so?"

"Something like that." My hands caressed her legs at the knees, which was
about as far as I could reach.  She released my arms, but I continued to
gently play with her fur about her knees, up her legs and against her belly,
avoiding the dark furrow of feline-gray fur between her legs, and she sighed
in warm pleasure at the hints I gave.  I continued my soft caresses over
familiar warmth, and my fingers slowly trailed between her legs and then out,
teasing, not yet through the delicate fur of her cunt.  Her breathing was an
easy susurrus, and I loved listening to it, looking at that face, the closed
eyes, her ears still cavorting about like radar.  That always made me smile,
but didn't break my concentration.

My fingers sought her lips, and parted them, her inner lips already moist, her
clitoris not yet fully exposed to the moonlight.  My fingers gently ran along
the sides of her cunt between her inner and outer lips, not yet ready to touch
her sensitive core.  She whimpered aloud.  In the years I'd known Ember, she'd
become a loud, passionate lover, not so reserved and quiet as when I'd taken
her kittenhood.

I became bolder, and I slowly slid out from under her, trying not to jostle
her as I caressed her.  My other hand, once free from the effort, slowly
pushed her back down until she was again resting against the pillows, her legs
opened, her cunt glistening pink.  I kneeled at her feet like a moslem to
Mecca, and kissed the small mound above her cunt, and began to gently kiss
around her cunt, working my way down until I'd kissed the small eye of her
anus and the base of her tail, then worked my way back up.  I ran my tongue
along the inner lips where my fingers had gone, and inched my way towards her
clit, tasting the changing flesh from soft pink to engorged white and back
again.  There was a slight musky scent I recognized at once, and I smiled; her
menstrual cycle had just ended, and what I tasted was blood.  That's okay, I
like the taste.

Her mewls were working their way towards howls, and occasional "Oh, Fathers"
escaped her when she managed sentience.  I licked her clitoris, now
incessantly, and as I did so I slid a finger into her cunt to press against
the soft ridge of her inner flesh, where I knew there was more sensitivity.
She growled, and her cunt clamped down against my finger and her hips bucked
as her first orgasm washed over her.

I pulled back, letting her settle down, my tongue lapping her lips and around
her clit, which I knew was too sensitive after she'd come, but in a short time
I was again barrelling against her clit, pushing her on towards her second
orgasm.  Ember's pleasure rises, each orgasm coming more quickly then the last
until she's almost continually coming, and I wanted to see that.

I kept on, and her second orgasm rose over her, both harder and softer than
the first, and kept on, my tongue lighter over her abused clit, not to hurt
her but to push her further, and her third orgasm rose quickly.  Tiny muscles
along my jaw that I rarely heard from started jangling achingly but I ignored
them, continuing.  Her climaxes were coming, faster and faster, and she
writhed and wauled in pleasure, until finally she pushed me away, covering her
cunt with her hand.  After a few seconds that I spent smiling, she opened her
eyes, and, panting, said, "No more...please...that's....enough," as she gasped
for air.

I sat back on my heels and waited for her to recover.  She rested a few
minutes, and then, slowly, she rose to a sitting position, and with her paw
she reached for my shoulder and pulled me towards her.  I bent for a kiss, but
instead she began to lick my face clean of her juices.  I sat still and waited
for her to finish, enjoying the eroticism of her tasting herself.

Her muzzle covered my mouth, and the kiss we played out then was hot and
wonderful, much like Ember herself.  She leaned into the kiss, pushing me off
balance until I fell backwards.  She gently coerced me into a lying position
with her paws, and she eased herself into a straddle over me, my semi-erect
cock directly below her cunt.  She smiled, and said "I bet you'd like to put
this somewhere," as she stroked my sex into full hardness.

"You'd win." I smiled, and she pointed my cock into her and lowered herself
down onto it.  I felt her cunt surround my cock, and she sighed as her hips
met mine.  She stroked herself up and down on my hardness, and the pleasure of
each stroke sent little shocks along my body, my mind full of a friendly kind
of lust for my granddaughter, no longer so little or so innocent, but still
mine. "Ember..."

"Hmmm?" Her voice was a purr, animalian.

"I love you."

She grinned, and was that tantalizing slowness continued.  On one stroke,
though, she pulled all the way off of me, and her paw grabbed my cock.  She
leaned forward, supporting her weight with one arm while with the other she
aimed my cock...back?

"Ember?" I asked.

"Shhh..." she implored me.  I waited, and looked at her face.  Her eyes were
closed, and slowly, my cock slick with her juices, she lowered herself onto my
cock.  I felt like I pressing against a wall, and slowly I felt her give way,
her anus taking me in, slowly.  A small mewl of...
pain?...pleasure?...couldn't tell, escaped her, and she lowered herself onto
me.  My erection almost felt like it was going down, in worry for her, but she
slowly slid down until I was all the way in, then, pausing, her eyes still
closed, she began to pull away, stroking my cock with her ass.  I was worried
for her.  Her body shuddered.

She stroked my cock slowly, the tight ring of her backside constricting me
painfully, but what wonderful pain.  Her eyes opened, and she seemed to be
easing.  "Fatherrrr?" Her Felinzi accent returned, in full.

"Yeah?" I breathed.

"Do you rememberrr what tomorrrrow is?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you rememberrr what we did on my sixteenth birrrthday?"

"Yeah?" I urged her on.

"Do you know what you just did?"

I smiled.  "I think I do.  Do you like it?" I asked.

"Urrr...It's fine," her voice trailed off, apparently in pleasure.  She began
to stroke in a wonderful rhythmic play that sent shivers up my spine that made
my teeth ache, and my cock too.  Her ass was tighter, hotter than anything
I've ever felt.  There was something there that sent heat into me faster than
anything, on man or woman, I've ever felt.  It almost hurt, it was so intense,
and she sped up, slowly.  "Fatherr...come forrrr meeee..."

I began to respond, pushing my hips up slightly as she came down, our bodies
beginning to come together in utter passion, slamming together, the speed
becoming blinding, and we were moaning in pleasure.  I was only vaguely aware
of her tail tickling my legs, and the sun rising to meet her birthday, and the
sex we were having went on, faster, faster, the need in me stronger, until I
came, shooting my semen into that incredible dark heat.  I screamed.

And subsided.  She was looking down at me, her eyes concerned.  "Fatherrr?
Arre you alrright?"

I panted.  I wasn't back yet.  I waited, quietly, dizzy, for reality to assert
itself, and the world stabilized into my lovely Ember's face, the sunlight
just coming over the horizon striking her from the side, lighting up her
black-and-white fur pattern, and somewhere inside me I wished for a camera, or
a paintbrush.  She was smiling, and I realized that she'd gotten off from on
top of me and was just sitting there, kneeling, waiting.

After a while, I said, gasping, "I think...I'm fine..." Then another long
pause of gasping and wheezing.  "Ember...I...Oh, Gods, Ember, I love you...you
didn't have to do that."

She smiled.  "But I did.  I waited this long, I just figured it was...right."

"You are...you are a wonder, sweetheart.  Thank you, that was...that was
incredible.  Bless you.  Happy Hundredth, beloved."

She hugged me to her, and we lay in the rising sun and the warming sand, and
waited until we felt the time was right and the day growing to hot, and we
returned home, bathed together, and went to sleep in each other's arms in my
bed.