Cut and Run Ch. 19 (Allen Belushi Cycle 19)

Cut and Run Chapter 19

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“What’s wrong dude? You look like I must right now.”

“It involves my Old Man.” I replied, not looking at him as I continued to listen to Pirin.

“Oh? You’re on speaking terms with yours? That’s cool.” He replied. I ignored it.

“He’s gone missing,” I said aloud after Pirin hung up, “and according to that pile of clothing he left behind, it’s starting to sound like I’ve got myself a Step-Mom, now.” I said, making eye contact with him.

“A Mamono one.”

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“That doesn’t sound so bad, dude.” Alex said encouragingly, “I mean, I’ve met Qirri’s Mom and I’d say she’s a MMILF!” he replied with a thoughtful smile.

“Wait, what?” I asked, a little confused. “That’s a new one by me. What’s a Mee-MILF?”

“A Mamono-Mom I’d Love to Fuck!” he grinned. “As if there’s one you wouldn’t want to!” he snarked, laughing.

“Don’t be so sure man.” I replied dryly. That cut him short. He stopped, and looked at me all confused, blinking.

“What do you mean, buddy? Is your wife’s Mom ugly or something?” he asked in a surprised tone.

“No, not exactly.” I began, “Her name’s Herrassiss, and yeah, she’s got a GREAT looking Bod! In fact, her tits are even bigger than my wife’s.” Alex squinted suspiciously at me.

“So what’s the prob, dude?” He asked, waiting for the punchline. “What’s wrong with a bigger set of pillows?”

“Ain’t nothing wrong with that! However, the problem is her personality: she ain’t got one. In fact, I’m surprised she’s ever gotten laid considering that she’s such a sour,….” I began, but I was stopped by a box landing on my head, hard.

“Ouch! Dammit!” I shouted, distracted as that wooden box clattered hollowly to the floor.
“What the Fuck?!”  I exclaimed, looking down at the box in question, and then back up to where I was sure that it’d been sitting peacefully, for several days now.

“Fuck Dude!” Alex cried, backing away from me. “It looks like you’ve got yourself a poltergeist. That box didn’t just fall down, it flew!”

“A poltergeist?” I asked confusedly while rubbing my head, “That’s fucking weird! Hey wait a minute! Aren’t those Mamono only supposed to be haunting old places?”

“Yeah pretty much dude.” Alex replied, scrunching up his face in thought. “We got a lot of old buildings over at the Grand Canyon, just about every one of them has got a resident Geist. Don’t even get me started about how many repairs I’ve had to do at the El Tovar, because of those asshole spirits!”, he spat.

“Damn.” I commiserated, as I kneeled down to retrieve that box. “We’ve not got too many of those kind of relics in Yosemite. Any suggestions about how to get rid of them?” I inquired. Alex’s face screwed up in thought.

“Yeah, I do.” He said finally. “Dark Priests. Ask one of them over, she’ll ‘bless’ the place for ya.” He grimaced.

“So what’s the big whoop?” I asked, noticing his look. He sighed.

“They won’t do it out of the kindness of their hearts.” He warned. I sat back and expelled a frustrated raspberry. He nodded his head.

“So how much do they charge?” I asked, resigned.

“Depends.” He answered with a roll of his eyes. “On whether or not she’s horny.”

“Huh?” I asked intelligently. “Since when, is there a Dark Priest who isn’t horny all of the time?” I demanded.

“Weeeeelllll,” he began, while tilting his head. “Occasionally, there’ll be the time she’ll have had her vestments freshly coated,…’ he finished, leaving his statement hanging.

“Ick.” I gag/winced while sticking out my tongue. I remembering how disgusted I was, when I first found out what Dark Priests ‘glazed’ their outfits with. Then I sighed.
“Is there a single Mamono anywhere out there, who isn’t gonna try and take advantage of us dudes?” I griped sourly.

“Well, if you ever find one, let me know.” He shot back. “It’d be nice to just sit down and have an actual conversation with one of them.” He speculated.
“Just a little talk that wasn’t chock full of sexual innuendoes, and not so subtle hints.” He groused. I nodded my head in agreement.

“So, what’s with your Dragon-Mom in law?” he prompted.

“Well,” I began, “First off she really is a Drag!” I snarked, (Har!). Alex just gave me ‘the look’, as I laughed. I then went on to explain in more detail, what Frazziss’ Mom did to her before I met Frazziss. At first, he was shocked enough to not ask for a second beer.  But, the longer I went on, the bigger his eyes got. Finally, I finished.

“HOLY SHIT DUDE!” he exclaimed. “WHAT AN ASSHOLE!!” he shouted disgustedly. “Disowning her own Daughter, for THAT!?” he replied, making a ‘choking’ gesture. And that, was when he got knocked over by another box flying off of a different shelf.

“Yeah, looks like I’m definitely gonna need to call a Dark Priest.” I remarked, as I helped Alex get back to his feet. I then half-carried him to the kitchen to find a packet of ice, so as to bring down that swollen knot on his head.

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Unfortunately, Qirri wasn’t well pleased with me, when she got back from assisting Nizzyl.

“Loknarr! How could you allow something like this to happen!” She shouted fiercely at me with her wings at full extent. “I am very disappointed in you, to allow harm to come to my precious!” She berated me, as she began fussing over him. Yeah, she actually channeled her inner Gollum and said ‘precious’. Alex reached out a hand to me as if he was a drowning man, desperate for rescue. His eyes and mine met then in that moment, and we shared a look.

‘Yep, you’re definitely done for!’ I declared. He looked so stricken then, as if he’d heard my thoughts. Nizzyl on the other paw, just smiled indulgently at us all. I’m sure she’d seen such crap taking place before in her life.

“Allen!” Frazziss exclaimed excitedly, “It’s official now! One of my eggs holds a boy!”

“Wait! How is it possible to be so sure about that, before he shells?” I asked. It turns out that Nizzyl had the ‘ability’ to ensure that knowledge.

“According to lore, not only does your boy’s shell-scales match the pattern from on old.” Nizzyl replied, while holding up an unusual looking ‘template/stencil’ for me to see.
“I also performed a light scan upon the Boy’s egg, and determined that yes, he is in fact a boy. Also, he’s quite healthy.”

“Well that’s good to hear.” I replied. “I’ll trust your judgment then. But one other thing?” I asked.

“Yes?” she asked, looking a bit confused.

“You did scan the other egg, right? My daughter’s egg?” I prompted. She nodded. “Is she healthy too?” for some reason my question surprised her. She deliberately blinked a long blink.

“Yes, yes she is!” she replied, as a smile began to form on her face. “You’re a rare breed.” She complimented me.

“Well, yeah I am a bonafide male,…” I began, but she interrupted me by placing a paw on my shoulder.

“No, that’s not what I meant.” She smiled gently. “Please allow me to explain.”

“I have inspected countless eggs over my centuries. Now, of those eggs, I’ve had to disappoint many an Incubus-sire. Each of whom was absolutely sure that he had fathered a male dragon.” She sighed.
“Afterwards, nearly every one of them was so annoyed at my conclusion, that they walked away angry.”

“I don’t,….” I began, but Nizzyl held up a claw, asking me to wait. I shut up.

“Nearly every one of them, never once inquired as to their daughter’s health after. They each seemed to take it for granted, that she would be fine. Unfortunately, not all of them were.” She replied sadly, pursing her lips.
“But, that is the nature of my task. Now you, Loknarr!” she beamed at me.

“You are the first Dragon sire that I’ve encountered in the longest while, who was concerned with his daughter’s well-being. You have a son, yet you are also delighted with the thought of a daughter.” She smiled.
“I like that. You are a refreshing change of pace.”

“Uhhhh, thank you?” I replied, surprised. She grinned at me. I noticed then that her teeth were ALL pointed, with only a hint of yellow staining them.

“Loknarr.” She began then in a stern voice. I lifted my head and paid attention.
“Show me your home.” She demanded simply. It caught me off guard, that change in attitude. But, she was a guest, and I was the host. So, I complied.

‘I will not let it be said, that my performance as a host, will be anything less than stellar.’ I thought, as I began to give her the Nickel-Tour.

Along the way, she ooh’ed and aah’ed appropriately, when I showed her the features of the place. She asked polite questions now and again, and listened attentively the entire while. 

She didn’t seem too particularly surprised with the urinal-waterfall in the main bathroom, though. The curious thing I noted, was once she’d heard that I had a workshop, she wanted me to take her there immediately. There, she noticed a particular project that I’d been working on.

“What are these?” she demanded suddenly, coldly, as she approached the table where that project lay.

“That,” I replied, “is the Tea-Set that I’m working on. It’s supposed to be a present for a friend’s upcoming wedding.” I informed her.

“What are they made out of?” she demanded abruptly, leaning over to peer at the items.

“Alabaster, mostly.” I replied stiffly, a little incensed at her officious manner.
 Nizzyl then did something that annoyed the hell out of me. She immediately grabbed one of the pieces, a cup, and then she gripped it tightly in one paw. I found myself sweating a bit as she ‘manhandled’ that piece.

“Alabaster?” she asked herself. “Alabaster is very fragile.” She said in a determined tone, as she began to squeeze that little piece. I gasped in surprise when I saw her do that.

I wanted to shout, “Hey!”, but I restrained myself. A proper host indulges his guests every need, no matter how destructive they get. After a few seconds of watching Nizzyl grimacing as she strained to crush that cup, I was delighted to see that she couldn’t.

“Ah!” Nizzyl smiled, as she finally released it from her grasp, daintily she then put on her granny-glasses and gave the cup a closer inspection.

“Hmmm,’ she hummed, as she perused that piece for several minutes, tilting it to and fro in the light. I panted silently in relief the entire while.

“Loknarr.” She asked me sternly, looking over the cup at me. “On the bottom, I see a spiral that is vaguely Dragon-like in appearance. Is that your ‘maker’s mark’ I see?” she demanded.

“Yes it is. I decided that since I’m making something personal for a friend, I may as well put mine on the entire set.” I explained as best I could without letting my anger seep into my words.

“That’s an excellent idea.” She replied with satisfaction, she then carefully lowered the cup to join its brethren. 
“A good artist should always sign their work.” She stated off-handedly. She then looked at me silently for the longest while, seemingly lost in thought. I stared back at her. I couldn’t help it then, but I broke the hospitality rules, by being cross enough to fold my arms in plain view.

“Dragons should never apologize.” She declared then. I frowned back at her, expectantly.

“Loknarr,” she began, looking me over from my foot claws all the way to my head horns and back. She smiled admiringly the whole while. “I have a proposal for you.”

“Uhhh,” I replied, suddenly nervous.
“Look, I mean you’re attractive and all,…” I began. She interrupted me with a laugh, bowing her head down then while raising a paw.

“That’s not what I meant!” she giggled, as she raised her head to look at me steadily in the eyes.
“I wasn’t attempting to initiate a mating.” She explained. She then gave me another once-over with a speculative look on her mug.
“Though, I wouldn’t be too adverse, to such a notion.” She replied dreamily.
“But, such can wait for a more appropriate time!”

“I don’t understand.” I replied, confused.

“Let me explain. Are you aware of how Dragons maintain their records, in book format and the like?” she asked. I nodded.

“Yes, as I understand long term storage of Dragon knowledge is maintained with various methods, books, scrolls, tomes, and the like. Lessa Bookbender has given me ample tours of the Library and its Archives.”

“I would imagine, that she prefers to linger longer in some rooms alone with you than others?”

“Uhh, yeah. You could say that.” I replied, rolling my eyes. Nizzyl smiled knowingly, while glancing away for a second. Then she got serious.

“So you know that all of our ancient records are stored within pages of stone?” she asked.

“Oh, yes.” Nizzyl then reached into her satchel and pulled out a pawful of parchment leaves.

“This!” she declared, holding them up high for me to see. “was supposed to be only a temporary method of recording information. Back in the days before the Maou, once we’ve recorded the necessary information onto them, we’d take them to the Archives. There, that information would’ve normally been transcribed into books of stones. Thus, it would be preserved intact for posterity.”

“So, what’s the problem?”

“The problem Loknarr, is that we needed male Dragons to do the transcription!”

“Oh!” I exclaimed, as a light went on in my head. She smiled, while nodding.

“Do you understand what it is I’m proposing?” she asked. I thought so.

So, what it essentially turned out, was that she wanted to know if I’d be interested in doing some side-work. Namely, helping the Archivists transcribe all of the backlog of information into its appropriate record book.

“That sounds like a monumental task.” I replied.

“Indeed it is, Loknarr. But, it is something that we Dragons consider to be important. We would be nothing more than overgrown lizards without the knowledge of our history.” She told me with a wink.
“I would imagine it is something that would be important to you as well, now.” She finished, alluding to the fact that such bureaucracy would appeal to my now Dragon form and sirings. I found that I wasn’t too terribly impressed with her appeal to my ‘patriotism’.

“I would be interested in volunteering some of that, transcribing is it?” I asked. She nodded somberly.
“But, the problem is I’ve already gone a crap ton of stuff to do around the house now, even with,…”

“Loknarr, as the Chief Archivist of Records, I can authorize a suitable retainer. You would get paid.” That got my attention!

“Paid?” I asked, my Dragon blood beginning to stir.
“Paid, how?” I asked, squinting my eyes suspiciously. She smiled like that cat who got the canary.

“Gold.” She almost whispered, as I felt my pulse start to quicken.

‘Oh crap!’ I realized with alarm, ‘I’m more Dragon now than I thought! It seems like every day, I’m a little less human.’

“Gold?” I replied aloud, trying to hide the fact that my saliva was beginning to overflow my mouth. Nizzyl smiled then at the sight.

And thus, our negotiations began.

But, before we could get too far. Frazziss just sort of ‘magically’ appeared out of nowhere, and took over the haggling for me. Thankfully.
I later learned, that she’d instinctively overheard me saying the word ‘Gold’. But don’t ask me how she had. She just did.

Well long story short: I would get paid piece work. X amount of Gold, for each volume of Archive book that I filled. Now, it wasn’t going to be a Danuki-like minimum amount of effort on my part, and then get handsomely paid-kind of transaction. Oh no.

Instead, Nizzyl informed Frazziss and I, that I would be judged harshly on many things: Proper spelling, grammar, accuracy, spacing, and most importantly ‘penmanship’. ‘Quality Pay for Quality work’.

They, the Archivists, expected that their Dragon Runes to remain at a certain level of fineness, and nothing less! Which, in all fairness I could understand.

I then requested that I be given a few ‘practice books’ ahead of time, to start monkeying around with. Both Nizzyl and Frazziss liked that idea, and they eventually agreed on my getting paid for that practice time too. Though not as much.

All in all, I was comfortable with the notion. It’s always good to have an extra source of income. Particularly now that I’ve got some Were-kittens on the way.

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So, in the end it was another good encounter. Dame Nizzyl left happy. As did Qirr, after I’d explained what had happened she forgave me the injury done to Alex. And I made a friend with Alex, excuse me,…. Alexander! My bad.

‘Wedding bells are in the air,…’ I sang to myself as I waved goodbye.

And Frazziss was happy, at first. After we’d gotten everyone off through the Wyrmhole, I turned to Frazziss and asked.

“Uh Frazziss, would it be Ok with you, if I went and searched for my Old Man?” she frowned at me then.

“Why?!’ she demanded, pursing her lips. I then went on to explain about Pirin’s call.

“It’s obvious what’s happened to him Allen, he’s gotten himself snatched. It’s about damn time too, if you ask me.” She huffed, crossing her arms and tightening in her wings.
“I need your help more, here!” she exclaimed.

“Help?” I asked, “Help for what?”

“Help with getting my nest, excuse me.” She hesitated, “My HOME,” she emphasized, “ready for our babies.” She finished with a glower.
“We have all of my belongings here now, I want everything to be in all of their proper places!”

“Frazziss!” I exclaimed, raising my arms and spreading my wings in frustration. “Our babies won’t be shelling for what, two, maybe three months? We’ve got plenty of time for all that!”

“The sooner we get started, the sooner we’ll be done!” she replied simply with a tone of finality, as she continued to glower at me.

‘Ah crap!’ I sighed, as I glowered back. ‘So much for logic. Oh wait!’ I smiled. She looked at me suspiciously.

“What?” she demanded.

“Groceries.” I replied. She got a surprised look, then a thoughtful one as she turned her head to look in the direction of the kitchen.

“Oh yes, that’s right. Food.” She sighed. “We are in need of a few sundries.” She decided. “Very well then! Take the Portable Hole with you and bring back a goodly amount.” She ordered, as she turned and smiled at me as she placed her paws on my shoulders.

“Just don’t take too long on your expedition.” She smiled sultrily as she began rubbing her boobs on my chest. When I felt her hardened nipples poking mine, my best buddies began to stir in anticipation at her unspoken promise.

Yeah, we both knew that I’d be stalling, searching for my Dad. Which is why she got all physical with me. To give me an extra bit of motivation to return sooner. It worked, eventually.

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“Crap.” It, was all I could say when I finally got back to Frazziss and I’s old dorm rooms, and saw what had been left behind by my dad.

“What’s wrong?” Pirin asked curiously, looking up from her kneeling position next to my Old Man’s clothes.

“This ain’t right.” I replied, as I looked all over the place suspiciously.

“C’mon Loknarr, I would imagine your father isn’t exactly hurting right now, in fact I’d say he’s probably enjoying himself rather thoroughly!”  She joked. I sighed then, and shook my head in negation.

“That’s not what I’m getting at Pirin.” I grimaced. “My dad? He’s a Chief-God follower, through and through! There’s NO WAY,” I emphasized, “that he would’ve willingly gone and allowed himself to be snatched.” I explained as I began stepping lightly as I could around the rooms. I was looking at various things and taking mental notes.

“What do you mean? Very few members of the Order are willing to, at least at first.” She smiled saucily at me then, as she got to her feet.

“Well, let me illustrate. You’ve seen my Mom, right?” Pirin nodded. “Does she look nice to you?” Pirin nodded enthusiastically.

“According to Mom, she did try to seduce him a couple of times after she became a Dark-Mage apprentice. She did it in an effort to bring him to the ‘dark-side’,” I air quoted. “But it didn’t work.” Pirin gaped in surprise at me then.

“My old man is just THAT stubborn!” I explained, “Knowing him as well I think I do, he would’ve fought any attempt at seduction tooth and nail!”

“But he didn’t.” I sighed fearfully.

“How do you know that?” Pirin asked me quizzically. I didn’t answer at first, instead I knelt down next to his clothes and did a quick inspection.

“Just as I thought.” I replied with a sigh. “He left here naked, willingly.” Pirin glared accusingly at me.

“All right, I’ll explain.” I said as I got to my feet. “His clothes are folded neatly. Too neatly.” Pirin shook her head uncomprehendingly.

“Here.” I began, as I picked up my father’s pants and shook them out. “Fold this.” She hesitated with a slight frown, but she did as I asked. Within a couple of seconds, she was done. She cocked her head when she noticed that it now lay looking longer than they had before.

“Thanks.” I acclaimed happily. “Now tell me, how did you fold it?”

“Uhhhmmm,” she began as she checked her work, “in,….halves?” she replied, still confused.

“Ok, now tell me how the rest of his clothing is folded.” She did a quick inspection.

“Oh!” she exclaimed with a surprised look. “They’re folded in thirds.” I smiled.

“Exactly!” I declared. “In thirds, is military style. During his time in the Marine Corps, my dad learned to fold all of his own clothing that way. Most everyone else, folds clothes in half. Which tells me, he left here willingly.”

“But you said that he’s a follower of the Chief God.” She pointed out. I nodded.

“That’s the problem! This tells me that only one thing must’ve occurred: Mind Control.” I blew out my breath, making my cheeks bulge.
“A powerful one at that.” I decided.

“That’s quite a leap of logic.”

“Yes, yes it is.” I agreed. “But, what else would fill the bill?” She thought about if for a few seconds, and then replied.

“Well, there’s always the possibility of Traffickers.” She shrugged.

“What?!” I chuffed. “Wait a second here! Are you talking about that wild-ass rumor that’s been floating about?  The one in which some Mamono capture lone-dudes, then turn them into sex slaves to be sold-off in far-away lands?” I asked incredulously. Pirin nodded sheepishly. I sighed as patiently as I could manage then.

“That’s just an Urban-Legend, Pirin! It’s too outlandish to exist in real life!” I scoffed.

 “Well it DID happen, to a friend of my Father!” she squeakily frowned back at me with her arms crossed.
“That’s how he got the notion to go and join the Order, just so that he could go and rescue him!”

“Ok, Ok!” I replied, raising my arms in ‘surrender-mode’. “I believe you! But answer me this. Have any of the stories you’ve heard of, ever involve a man as old as my father getting shanghaied?” I asked patiently. It took her a while to reply, she thought about it so hard, what with her eyes shifting back and forth.

“Well,” she began. “Nooooo.” She admitted quietly, shaking her head. “All of those who get snatched, are usually young men. Practically still children.” She said, reluctantly.

“Well there you go then.” I pointed out. “I mean c’mon here. You’ve met him! Which kind of Mamono would be interested in someone as old and crotchety as he?” I demanded. Pirin didn’t answer at first, and when I looked back at her, she wouldn’t meet my eyes.

“Pirin?” I asked, all curious. After a short while, she still wouldn’t reply, as she started to fidget nervously.

“No way!” I stated, disgusted.

“Well, I think he’s cute.” She replied huffily, as she stood up straight and finally looked me in the eye.

“Oh c’mon Pirin. I would’ve expected you to have at least a bit more taste in men.” I stated with my tongue stuck out slightly in revulsion.

“Stop teasing me, Loknarr!” she replied indignantly, glaring at me through her scaly eyebrows. “You have to admit, that he does smell a little bit like a Dragon!” she justified.

“All right, all right!” I replied, waving my paws in a shush. “I’ll stop teasing you.” I smiled. Then my face froze. “Wait! Are you serious? He smells like a Dragon?” I asked, all surprised. She grinned and nodded.

“Damn.” I leaned back. “I had no idea. Honestly, I never thought to check his scent. Ok, let’s get back on track. Any other thoughts?”

“Well, maybe he didn’t go too far away. After all, he wouldn’t be inclined to leave his clothing behind, would he?” she pointed out.

“No, he wouldn’t.” I replied. “Did you ask around the dorm?”

“Yes, I did. No one remembers seeing or hearing anything out of the ordinary yesterday.  A couple of folks did mention seeing him working alone, and offered to help out. But he politely, yet firmly, refused them all. Repeatedly.”

“Now that, sounds like my Old-man! He’s always insisted on doing things himself!” I exclaimed, then I sighed.

“So what should we do?” Pirin asked, worried now. I looked around the room some more.

“The place is cleaned and fixed up properly. Which is also his style.” I decided. “I’d say it’s ready for final inspection. We should probably go ahead, collect his clothing, and turn the place over to the Dorm Mom. The housing managers do want the place back to reassign as soon as possible.”

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Still, in a way it was hard to let go of the place. Frazziss and I had had many a good time there. Yet, in the end I knew that she and I were going to be making many more good memories, elsewhere.

Surprisingly, the Resident Assistant/Dorm Mom accepted everything on the first go. Which I found to be weird. All my life, I’d never encountered someone in charge of a Dormitory to EVER be so easygoing.

After that was taken care of, I was walking my way out of the building, when I got a wave from one of the old neighbors, a skinny Kobold. But then, they all usually are skinny. All that running.

“Oh hey Poruto, how’s it going?” I asked cheerfully. She smiled back.

“Allen?” she asked, “I understand that you’re looking for your father? That he’s gone missing?”

“Yes, I am.” I replied happily. “Would you happen to know anything?”

“Maybe.” She replied mysteriously, “Step into my rooms and I’ll explain.” She hinted, with just a bit of a smile. Me, being me, I did so without thinking twice. Once I got in, she had the door behind me closed lickety-split, and I didn’t notice her locking it. Which, more fool me, I also didn’t catch onto at first.

“So,” I asked, turning around. “What can you tell me?”

“I may have something for you!” she smiled. “I’ve been hearing noises coming from the vicinity of my closet all morning.” She finished worriedly.

“What kind of noises?” I asked.

“Well,…uhhhmmm, strange noises. I think.” She hemmed and hawed. I gave her a cold stare. She continued to give me what seemed like a strained smile. She continued.

“Well, the noises kinda sorta sounded like someone was, you know, all tied up, yet still having some kind of fun.” She explained all in a rush. I shrugged my shoulders noncommittally.

“Would you be so kind as to check it out for me?” she asked nervously as she fought down a grin. Mentally I brushed that grin off, nodded and headed to the main closet door.

“Oh no, not that one!” she waved. “I meant the one in my bedroom!” she replied desperately. I immediately changed course and started stomping my way over to her bedroom door.
And right then, was when I connected all of the dots. I froze in the doorway of that bedroom, and turned my head around to look behind me. Sure enough!

“Poruto, why are you taking your clothes off?” I demanded stiffly, still standing in that doorway. She froze like a deer in the headlights of a car, her hands already halfway down her blouse’s front, undoing her buttons.

“Uhhhh,” she began, with her mouth agape, surprised at being caught. Then she smiled pleasantly as she reached out and surrounded me with her arms, her hands on either side of the door frame- blocking my exit.

 “There really hasn’t been any strange noises coming from the vicinity of your closet, has there?” I frowned.

“Well no,” she admitted, trying to look innocent, “at least, not yet there isn’t.” She smiled hopefully.

“Stand down.” I frowned at her. Poruto started pouting.

‘Ah c’mon Allen!” she whined. “You’ve gotten me all hot and bothered with that body of yours!” she said as she started to lightly stroke my chest. I knocked that hand away with a fist. Her eyes flared with indignation.

“SERVICE ME!” she demanded. I growled at her then. She yelped and jumped back.

“You’re not helpful!” I replied testily while elbowing her out of my way. I guess it’s only fair that she got a bit testy with me back.

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‘Is there a single Mamono alive, who doesn’t always have sex on her mind?’ I asked myself rhetorically, after getting hurt/huffy-Poruto’s door slammed resoundingly behind me when I hurriedly exited.  I just barely missed getting my tail’s tip slammed in between the door and the frame, then.

Well, I then continued to check around with some of the other dormitory residents. At first I knocked on the door of Eifurn the Centaur, she was the neighbor in the rooms to the north. With her, I discovered who it was that lived in the rooms above Frazziss and I’s old place. They, were a trio of Succubi, all with one bed. I’ll let you fill in the blanks there, pal.

Which, now that I think about it, kinda explained a lot of the curious sounds, I’d been hearing emanating from their place during the last few weeks.
You know the kind of sounds I’m talking about. Not the, ‘oh yeah someone just took off their boots and dropped them from chest height’ kind of sounds.

No, no, no, that’d be too easy to explain. I’m talking about the kind of sounds you hear, that make you wish you had X-ray vision. You wish that, because your brain just sort of shuts off, after having tried desperately to conjure up something, anything, that would explain what THAT noise that was just made was.

Yeah, those kind of noises.

Then, there was Lateef the Anubis, in the rooms to the south, and Una the Cyclops in the place directly across the hallway. They too, were willing to talk with me, and guess what? Just like that ‘hot-to-trot’ Eifurn, (Har!) and that Succubus trio, they all had their own version of ‘mysterious noises’ that they’d feel a lot better about, if I personally went inside to go and check-up on.

‘Sheesh! I’m just not gonna get a straight answer out of anyone, am I?’ I realized. So, I gave up.

Instead, I went to the store to stock up on supplies. At least there, I knew ahead of time some Monster Girl was bound to ‘accidentally’ stumble into me, and then cop a feel. You know, honest sexual harassment.

Afterwards, I never stopped thinking about my Old Man.

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Eventually after a week of no clues as to my dad’s whereabouts, everyone I knew started to tell me to not be such a worry wart. They’d all smile and tell me pretty much the same thing: “Chill Allen, you know he’s probably not suffering!”
Believe me, when I say, I tried not to. Worry that is. Yeah, I know that he’s an adult and he was probably having the sexual time of his life now. Somehow, deep down, I couldn’t help but worry.

Don’t ask me why, but I had a ‘gut’ feeling that something wasn’t on the up and up. That there was something important I was overlooking.

I did try filing an automated missing person’s report online. But it left me disgusted. Why?

Well, right there underneath the identifier information on that online form, in that one section dedicated to ‘Suspected Reason for Disappearance’, were a couple of check boxes.
The first one read: Mamono Abduction, and the other: Not Mamono Abduction. I clicked the first one, and got a message telling me that I needed to wait longer, much longer than the time I had already.

“Crap!” I had said aloud, frustrated.

I tried going back and filling in all of the information for a second go, then clicked the second box. What happened? I get a message asking me if I was REALLY sure it wasn’t a Mamono abduction. I threw my hands/paws up in despair.

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A few weeks went by.

During those weeks, a few things happened. Every few days, Frazziss would demand from me the “Dragon’s Kiss” to give our kids some of our Essence-blend. But, I soon began to notice, that the days in between those kisses, were getting more numerous.
Also, she and I got the Cave pretty much set up the way she wanted, which put her in a good mood. I had to admit though, it was nice to see her all smiles again. In fact, once in a while I could hear her practicing a few strained notes on her Piano, floating down the Cave’s hallways.

Pirin, went on her little jaunt to see her Creche-sister’s shelling ‘event’. When she got back, she was simultaneously sparkly, yet kinda down too. I tried to ask her about her experience, but she refused to discuss it. So, I respected that and didn’t nag her about it. Maybe I should’ve?

And Angelique, my were-cat wife? She’s been purring. A lot. In fact, it’d be easier to count the hours in which she hasn’t been purring. All because she got her wish about her ‘getting some were-muffins in the oven’ so to speak.

One day, a shipment of her personal goods showed up in the post.

“So, what’s all this Angelique?” I asked, as I set down a big wooden box inside her room.

“Oh! It finally arrived!” she exclaimed happily, suddenly jumping to her feet from her napping spot, her fur bouncing.

Me? I was glad to see that she’d been keeping her promise about eating more. As a result, her coat looked a lot fuller and shinier, and she was starting to ‘fill out’ nicely. Particularly, her boobies. (Yay!)

Out of that box, she pulled a whole bunch of her personal stuff, and started placing them carefully around her room. But there was one thing that caught my eye in particular, I wasn’t sure why at first.

 It was just a small portrait picture that fit into one hand. It looked like a Daguerreotype, but instead of one that held a clunky metallic looking portrait, this one had color. But not like the ‘painted on’ colors you see from the days of old. This one had honest to goodness authentic looking colors. A ‘Cowfeeatype’ I think it was called.

But that wasn’t what caught my eye. It was the person in that portrait that did, so I picked it up out of the box, and took a closer look. It appeared to be another Were-cat that looked a lot like Angelique, but there were noticeable differences. The biggest one being, that this one’s fur was an all-black coat. Then, I got a chill up my spine when I finally recognized her.

“Uh, Angelique?” I asked, “who is this?” She turned, came over and looked over my shoulder.

“Oh her?” she asked with a toothy grin. “That’s my Ma-Ma.” She said matter of factly. “Papa said that she died giving birth to me.” She added, letting her whiskers droop sadly.

‘That’s not quite what he told me.’ I thought to myself, as I decided to not correct her thinking. ‘He probably didn’t want to tell her what really happened.’

But you know what? Despite the fact that she died when I was just a kid, I’d seen that face before.
It was just after I’d saved Angelique from drowning. I was so exhausted from the efforts from same, that I’d fallen asleep atop Frazziss’ and I’s bed, alongside Angelique. During that sleep, I dreamed a strange dream.

I dreamed of being woken up being pet by a Were-Cat. But, it wasn’t Angelique who was doing that petting. It was someone else. That were-cat who did then, looked exactly like the one in the portrait in front of me now.

“Chloe”, I said aloud in a whisper. That was her name from what her father had told me. ‘Now, I understand.’ I thought, ‘You must’ve been there to thank me for saving your daughter.’

‘Should I tell her?’ I wondered, as I lifted my head up and made eye contact with Angelique.

“What?” she asked me with a smile, her eyes alight.

“Do you ever wonder if your Mama loved you?”

“Of course she did, silly!” she replied. “Papa saved me a letter she’d written to me before she died. In fact, here it is!” she cried happily, as she snatched up an old browned folded piece of parchment.

She sat down on her bed and started to read it aloud to me. But she couldn’t keep going long. Because that was when she started to cry. Naturally, I sat down next to her and gave her a side-hug, prepared to be there for her for the long haul.

“You’re right Angelique.” I whispered into one of her tufty ears. “I am silly. Of course she loved you, and she always will.” That comment, made Angelique turn her head and snuffle into my shoulder.

Just for a second, and only a second, I felt some cat claws scratch lightly upon my scalp. But, they weren’t Angelique’s. Her claws were busy making muffins on my back.

That ghostly light touch, humbled me. Angelique and I stayed like that for what seemed the longest while. And I, decided against getting a Dark Mage over to the place. Some ghosts had a right to stay.

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Finally, after five weeks, I got tired of waiting for and not getting any, sign of my Old Man. I then did something desperate.

I called my Mom.

Yeah, I know, heavy stuff.

“Hello Allen!” said my Mom’s cheerful voice when she picked up her phone.

“Hi Mom.” I replied nervously. We then went through the usual pleasantries everyone makes on the phone, then we got down to business.

“So Allen, I’m curious. Did you call me to let me know, I’ve a bottle or two waiting for me to pick up?” she asked pleasantly.

‘Oh shit!’ I thought in alarm. ‘I totally forgot that she wanted some samples of my Jizz!’ She had said, that she wanted it for ‘medicinal’ purposes. The thought of which, still squicked me out.

“Uhhhhh, no.” I replied guiltily. “Sorry.” I tried to apologize.

“That’s all right.” She replied, in that Mom way that left me feeling even more guilty.

“Don’t worry yourself about it. After all, you did say you’d think about it. Have you?”

“Well, yyeeee,..” I started, then stopped. I knew she’d through my lies. She’s a Mom after all. Moms can tell these things.

“Actually, no.” I replied. “The thought completely slipped my mind. You know how it goes, work, life, the eggs…” I began. It took her what seemed to me, like the longest time to reply. But when she did.

“That’s all right, Allen. I understand.” She replied in a tone that left me feeling that she was disappointed in me.

‘Ah crap!’ I whined. But, in an effort to try and make up for it, I began to say something else, but she interrupted.

“So, Allen, why did you really call?”  I took a deep breath in preparation.

“Well, actually,…I called about Dad.” I clenched my eyes to wait for her to explode. She surprised me.

“Oh that? I take it, that you’re calling to find out if I know anything about your father going missing?” she asked. Which, surprised the shit out of me.

“You know about that?” I asked, incredulous.

“Of course I do Allen. I make it a point to stay up on your Father’s whereabouts.”

“Oh?! Then you know where he is?”

“Actually, no I don’t. But I have my means of finding out. A long time ago, just as our divorce was being finalized, I went ahead and made a tracking charm for him. Thus I could get an idea of his location if I felt I needed to. Luckily, he proved to be more mature about the divorce than I expected, and didn’t stalk me.”

“So, do you think you could, maybe, I don’t know? Use it now for me?” I asked hopefully.

“Actually, no I can’t Allen. I filed it away somewhere in my house. It would take me awhile to dig it out.” She finished, leaving the sentence open.

“Ummm, do you think you could scare that thing up?” She was silent for the longest while. Finally, she spoke again.

“Allen, I’ll make you a deal. If you come by tomorrow at my place of employment. Be at the home of the Dark Mage I’m apprenticed at. You know, your Auntie Mock’s place in Fresno? I’ll have that Charm ready to hand over to you, then. But after I do, there’s someone I’d like you to see.”

“Ok!” I replied happily. “It’s a deal.” After that, we made the usual banter. But when I cut the connection, I was feeling a lot better about the situation. Then I got a bit suspicious.

‘Something’s up.’ I decided. ‘She didn’t try to guilt me about my not providing her any of my semen. What the hell is she up to?’ I thought worriedly.

I found out what, the next day.

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There I was, standing in front of my Auntie the Dark-Mage’s place at 10 o’clock sharp. I was standing in front of a nice looking gray Victorian house, with white trim. I double-checked the address just to be sure: 1007 R Street.

‘Yep, this is the place!’ I decided, as I stomped up to the wooden stairs to the front door. Just as my Dragon fist was about to knock, the door swung open to reveal my Mom.
Thankfully, this time she wasn’t wearing any revealing clothing. Instead, she was wearing a more ‘traditional’ and professional looking Dark Mage outfit of a semi-witch’s robes sans hat. Yet, her robes were cut so high, that I could see over the tops of the standard horizontal-striped thigh-high socks. But my Mom being herself, she was still a stunner, looks-wise.

“Allen! She cried happily upon seeing me. “Come with me!” She then latched onto my hand and practically yanked me into that house! How, I’ve no idea. By rights, she shouldn’t have been that strong. Yet she did.

“This way!” she stated as she weaved her way through what seemed to me a kind of New-Age gimcrackery place. It was full of ‘Healing’ crystals, knock off Athame, and cut rate Tarot decks, all of which was meant to be sold to the wannabe human-witches of California.

It took a bit, but eventually she dragged me behind the counter and into the back of the store. There, the scenery changed to one that looked a lot more professional looking.

At first glance, it looked a lot more like a Chemist’s lab. Bottles, both filled and unfilled, were all over the place. But, unlike a Chemist’s lab that would be filled with jars like: Hydrochloric Acid, Potassium Permanganate, or Nutrient Agar, I noticed that this place had stuff with names like: Liquid Red-Mercury, Cintamani crystals, and Eitr-extract.

Finally, we came to a stop in front of a particular desk. My Mom looked it over, as if she were searching for something. Finally, I saw that her eyes lit up, when she espied a particular item.

“Ah!” she cried. “There it is! I knew I’d left it around here somewhere!” she giggled fetchingly. She then reached WAY up to the tippy-top shelf, in such a way that her robes trim hiked up above,…

‘Oh shit!’ I realized in embarrassment, when I saw her robe hike up enough to expose my Mom’s butt!  Two things happened then, that didn’t help my composure:
1) I discovered that she wasn’t wearing panties, so I got the full-moon view of my Mom’s ass.
2) I also noticed that my Mom had herself a nice looking ass!

‘Aaaaahhhh!’ I silently whimpered. ‘Eye Bleach! Stat!’ I cried silently as I twirled myself away from that not-so ghastly sight!

When I got my composure back, I turned to her and saw that she had a shit eating grin plastered on her face.

“You did that deliberate!” I accused. She feigned shock.

“Allen! How could say such a thing?” she demanded as she lay a spread hand on her chest, then gave me a stern expression. I just stood there and glowered back at her. Our staring contest didn’t last long. Because after a few seconds, she smirked involuntarily.

“I KNEW it!” I yelled in triumph.

“All right, maybe I did.” She admitted, forcing down a giggle. “Allow your mother, her opportunity for fun.” She mildly reproved me, waggling a finger. She then handed something to me. It looked like a worn out, weather eaten baseball.

“What’s this?” I asked, distracted. It, turned out to be Mom’s ‘Father-Tracker’ charm, she went on to explain. Since my Old Man loved Baseball so much, she filched one of his old worn out ones to use as a spell component.  After a bit, she instructed me on the proper way to invoke it, and how to listen to its ‘readings’.

Afterwards, she was ready to send me on my merry way.

“So,…that’s it?” I asked. Confused. She nodded.

“You’re not going to, you know, ask me for anything else?” She shook her head. I stood there and blinked a few times.

“Ok, Mom. Surely you’ve got some,….” I began.

“Allen!” she interrupted. I stopped.

“I’m not going to make any demands of you. You’re concerned with finding your father. I’m helping you, it’s that simple.” She replied, then shut her mouth. I sighed.

“You did say that there was someone you wanted me to see, right?” She nodded.

“I’m not going to force you, or guilt you Allen. If you don’t want to see her, then that’s perfectly fine by me.” She stated neutrally. I started fidgeting then. But Mom just waited patiently for me to say something. Finally, for what seemed the longest while, I spoke.

“Well, maybe it would be polite of me to at least say hello.” I whispered, not looking at her.

Mom just smiled, turned to her left and made a ‘follow me’ motion with her fingers, Zipangu style. I did. As we went, she also made a ‘shushing’ sign of holding one finger over her pursed lips.

A couple of rooms later, she tip-toed her way over to a small two-way mirror set into a wall. Peering through it, she looked at something for a second and then nodded, seemingly satisfied with what she saw. She stepped back and motioned for me to look. I did.

When I looked through, I saw on the other side of that mirror a waiting room. Inside it, was just one person, a Mamono of one sort or another sitting back in a chair, reading a magazine. I looked around, and couldn’t see anything out the ordinary. Finally, I took a closer look at the Mamono and decided that there was something,…’off’,…about her.

“Tell me Allen, who do you see?” My Mom whispered into my scaly ear.

“Uhhh,” I began. “She’s got leonine features,…..hmmmm,….a ruff around her neck. Oh wait!” I exclaimed silently as best I could. “She’s a Manticore!”

“Yes, she is Allen. But is that all that you see?”

“No, there’s something off about her, I’m not sure what.”

“Keep looking, it’ll come to you.” She encouraged. I just stood there, and kept scoping her out.

‘Blonde hair, nice tits, well-groomed fur,…’ I thought, then it hit me.

“Wait!” I gasped. “She doesn’t have a tail!” I exclaimed, shocked, as I leaned back away from that mirror. I saw Mom nodding at me then with a somber look on her face.

“What happened?” I demanded, shocked at her condition.

“Cancer, Allen. She used to have a tail, but she got a rare form of Cancer that affects certain Mamono. They, the Doctors, did everything they could to save her life. But, in order to do so, they were forced to amputate her tail.” Mom looked sorrowfully at me.

“That’s horrible!” I cried, unconsciously waggling mine. “I’d hate to lose something so precious!” Mom nodded.

“It’s especially horrible, when you consider what a Manticore’s tail means to her.” My eyes widened something fierce then, when I got her message!

“A Manticore’s Tail, is her favorite set of sex organs.” I declared in utter shock at that Mamono’s loss.

“Yes it is Allen, yes it is.” She commiserated sadly.

“How does she cope? It must have been an awful ordeal for her!”

“It was Allen, but, eventually she found a therapist who did her a world of good. He found a way to get her to accept that loss, and for her to move on with her life.”

“But why is she here? Why did you want me to,…” I stopped, when I finally began to get it. I remembered something Mom had said to me when she first approached me about my donating my Semen.

“Regenerate Lost Body Parts, you said.” I replied, looking at my Mom in that darkened room. She nodded.

“Yes Allen, that Manticore is but one of many others, that I asked you for your help in my making healing potions for. Potions strong enough to replace major body parts. Such body parts like,…” she said, but I interrupted her.

“A Manticore’s tail.” I finished for her, humbled. Mom didn’t say anything to me then. She didn’t have to. My own conscience did instead, however.

“Ok, Mom.” I replied finally after a minute of silence. She tilted her head quizzically.

“Show me the way to the collection spot.” I finished. She smiled proudly at me then. Almost enough to make my heart melt. Instead, she showed me to an antiseptic looking area, and directed me to a small bathroom in which I sniffed around and smelled an almost overpowering scent of cloves. She was all set to leave me alone for ‘the deed’, but I had to say something first.

“Uhhh, Mom?” I asked. She turned and looked at me curiously.

“Two problems.” I stated flatly. She motioned for me to continue. I did.

“One, those collection jars?” I said pointing to them. “They’re too small.” She gave me a surprised look.

“Well we’ve got a bigger set, but not much bigger.” She said, then stopped when she saw that look on my face. “How much bigger?” she asked, fighting off a smile.

“Uhhh,” I began, not looking at her. “Do you have any Mason jars?” Mom’s composure faltered for a second. I glared at her when she smacked her hand over her mouth. Then she bent, doubled over with her efforts to repress her laughter.

“Mason jars?” she finally said in between snickers.

“Yes.” I growled in embarrassment.

“What size?” she asked, making eye contact- somehow. I sighed aloud.

“Quart-sized.” I said at last. Mom couldn’t help it then, she started guffawing, and snorting.

“Oh Allen! I know Dragons have a reputation for being jokers. But, you really had me going there, Quart-sized? Oh my!” she started to say, then she saw the look on my face. That I wasn’t kidding.

“Really? Quart-sized?!” she demanded, with her mouth hanging open in awe.

“I tend to produce a lot.” I explained, all embarrassed. “Not that I’m bragging or anything.” I added. Then I saw her making a gesture. She was holding up her right hand at eye level, with her forefinger and thumb held a fraction of an inch apart.

“Ok, maybe just a little.” I admitted.

“Oh Maou!” she managed, before another round of laughing. I just stood there and took it, passively looking around the room staring at nothing.

“How many jars?” she asked then, tears falling down her face.

“Just one.” I sighed resignedly.

“All right! Oh wait, you mentioned two problems didn’t you? What’s the other?” She asked, more than a little curious.

“I’m going to need a Funnel. A canner’s funnel to be precise.” I said heavily. Somehow, Mom managed a super-human effort to keep from laughing at that request.

“Oooookkkkaaaayyyy.” She replied. “Why do you need a funnel?” she said with ‘the look’. I then went on to explain to her, the problem any guy would have masturbating with two dicks.

“Allen!” she replied, utterly astonished. “I had no idea!” she said, all shocked and amazed. Then, she tilted her head down and looked at my loin cloth speculatively. I caught that gaze.

“NO!” I said firmly, covering them up with my hands. “You don’t get to see them!” I huffed. “I’m willing to set aside my squickiness to help out that poor Manticore, Mom! But I’ll be damned if I start flashing around my dicks in front of my own mother!”

“All right!” she said, raising her hands in surrender. “I won’t push it. I’m happy that you’re willing to help me, and directly, that Manticore. Thank You.” She replied.

Eventually, Mom had me stay in that little room, and came back with two quart-sized mason jars, and the funnel that I said I needed.

“Why the second jar?” I demanded, suspiciously.

“Just in case, the first isn’t enough.” She smiled with a mischievous look. I let it go. After that, she left me alone in that room with a Mamono-Porn mag, (Yes, they exist), some paw-lotion, and a roll of paper towels for clean-up.

Looking around just before I got started, I suddenly got the strangest notion that someone was watching me. I Ki-Sense-checked all of the walls for two-way mirrors and peepholes or people. But I couldn’t find a thing. So, after shrugging my shoulders I got down to work. I had to admit though, that paw-lotion came in handy. (Har!)

I got the job done quickly enough, and filled that first jar. In the end, I guess that I was more backed up than I thought. It turned out, I did in fact need that second jar.

The damned thing was, all during the proceedings, I couldn’t shake that notion that I was being watched!

Well, Mom was tickled pink with my production efforts, and let me go without too many more jibes at my expense, thankfully.

But, before I left, she promised to let me know how things went for the Manticore. To be honest, I really did want to know how things went for her.

Just after we parted with a Son/Mom kiss goodbye, that lasted just a little too long for my taste, Mom then gave me a few pointers about how best to use that Dad-Tracking-Charm.

Which I put to good use, once I flapped my way back to Yosemite Valley. Starting at the Mamono Ranger Dormitory, I was able to latch onto my Old Man’s trail within a short amount of time. But the trail ended all too soon.

When it did, I had a really bad feeling wash over me.

For you see, there are certain spots that a ‘Wyrm-hole’ can only open into, in ‘our’ realm of California. My dad’s trail ended at one of them. Which lead me to the one inevitable conclusion.

“My dad’s in the Dragon Realm.” I said aloud.

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