[FUR] AFiW: Short Rail
Fox Cutter
not just the story, there's a brand new piece of art as well
(http://www.chaos-keep.com/AFiW/AFiWArt.html). It's pretty much 100%
fan service, so I hope you like it.
Still, even with that there is other things that need to be said. This
is the last story in the series. As of this posting "A Fox in the
Works" is officially over. There's a lot that could be said at this
point, but I'm not really sure I can say it. It's been fun to write
the series, even as it went in all sort of directions. I've been
writing it for twelve years now and I think the time has come to said
it's done.
I'll probably still write the occasional story in this world, there
are still a few loose ends to wrap up, but that's for later. For now
it's the end. I hope you enjoyed read the series as much as I did
writing it. Thanks for the Memories.
As usual, you can find the story on my website.
--Fox Cutter
(Who's a Lion Morph)
Writer of "A Fox in the Works"
http://www.chaos-keep.com/
===========
A Fox in the Works
Short Rail
By
Fox Cutter
06/08/2000:
I yawned a bit and blinked my eyes slightly in the morning
sunlight. Slowly I opened them, looking at the suns as they
rose over the top of the trees. The air was warm around me,
tickling at my fur, and the sound of the water filled my
ears. There was also the sound of deep purring right next to
me. I rolled my head over and found Rhea was lying against
my back, purring with each breath as she slept. Behind her
was Fox, non-morphic, and sleeping just as soundly as she
was.
Rolling my head, I flicked my ears back and lifted a paw to
rub the sleep out of my eye, surprised to see just how large
it was. It jolted me awake and I lifted my head. My paw was
huge, but that wasn't a surprise as I was just as non-
morphic as the rest of my family. I wiggled the digits
slightly and rolled my head up, looking down over my body.
We had slipped off to the lake house early yesterday
morning, and once we were there we all shifted, one at time,
with Fox going last. It was strange going around on all
fours, but I was able to adapt to it after a couple of
hours, so had Santhara. Ravindar was still less than nimble
on his feet but that was worth a laugh.
The five of us had spent the day running around the lake and
generally having as good a time as a lioness can have. We
had fallen asleep out on the deck as the sun went down, and
now their return was enough to wake me up. I disentangled
myself from Rhea and stood up on my four legs.
I stretched out each leg one at a time and flicked out my
tail. I padded down along the length of the dock, stepping
over the bodyguards. The two tigers were still asleep and
curled up close to each other, their tails wrapped together.
I had never seen them close like this before, they kept
their relationship private and behind closed doors, but to
see them together you could tell they were deeply in love
with each other.
Slipping past them I went back into the house to the large
bowl of water that had been set out for us. I lapped at it,
still finding it a bit odd how the water was thrown up into
my muzzle. I wasn't hungry yet, in fact I really wanted to
get back to myself. Spending a day as an animal was all fine
and good, but Kalie had to get back to the temple before too
long and Fox had to be leaving at noon.
That really was the whole point of the trip. Fox was going
to be leaving for the Neverending and we wouldn't be seeing
each other again for months. It would be our longest time
apart by far. I was nervous about it. I didn't want him gone
that long, and in a place where I couldn't find him if he
didn't come back.
I did have plans for that contingency, but they were out of
my hands. Then again, in my current form everything was out
of my hands. Even worse, Fox had hidden the norm-shift stone
after we had all changed, just to make sure we didn't sneak
around and turn back to normal. I think that was more for
Ravindar's sake than my own.
Turning back around, I looked at my family, at least the
adult part of it. Fox and Rhea looked nice together, cuddled
into a pile and sleeping as deeply as ever. I sat on my
haunches and watched them as well as our bodyguards. It
seemed right that they were with us. I couldn't imagine them
anywhere else, anymore. I flicked my ears back and smiled as
best as I could. They really were part of the family, just
as much as the children. I wasn't sure they knew that, but I
was sure.
I walked back out onto the dock, stepping back over the
tigers and walking to where Fox and Rhea slept. It was still
early, I wasn't sure of the exact time, but there couldn't
be more than seven hours before noon, more than enough time
to get ready for what had to be done.
For a moment I considered going back to sleep, but I got the
feeling that neither of them would be willing to get up
before they were woken up, and would easily sleep all day.
It was in their nature to do just that.
I moved up behind Fox and licked at the scruff of her neck.
She whimpered softly and flopped a paw on Rhea's back, but
didn't wake up. I would have loved to tell her to wake up,
but only Fox and Rhea could talk, and Fox could only talk to
Rhea. They rest of us were mute.
Bending down I nipped at her ear, but that didn't wake her
either. Letting out a snuff I grabbed my transgendered
husband by the scruff and pulled her away from Rhea. She
only let out a snort, but continued sleeping. At this point
she might have been playing, but I wasn't going to take the
risk.
Once there was room between the two lionesses I slipped
between them and then pressed my head against Fox's belly.
She grunted as I pushed her over the planks of the dock,
pressing one of her paws against my face in protest. Finally
she lifted her head, her eyes half closed and still taken by
sleep. She let out a chuff in curiosity as I butted her one
last time and sent her rolling off the dock and into the
water.
She let out a cry as she splashed in, coming up a moment
later and sputtering a bit, slapping the water with her paw.
She gave me a dirty look, her ears held back and her lips
parted slightly.
<<Why did you do that?>> Rhea asked, her mental voice heavy
with sleep.
I looked back at her and flicked my ears and let out a chuff
of my own. I turned around to head back to the house when I
felt the other lioness's weight crash into my side. I
tumbled off the dock, followed by Rhea, and we crashed into
the water together.
Coming up out of the water I sputtered and kicked my legs,
trying to stay afloat. Rhea came up next to me and slapped
more water in my face. <<Fox says you're even now,>> she
said.
I snorted a bit and splashed Rhea in return, then started
swimming back towards the shore. All the commotion had woken
the bodyguards, and the two tigers were looking over the
dock at the three of us. Fox was slightly ahead, and she
glanced up at the white tiger. The tiger snorted in
amusement and Fox glanced back at Rhea, and she looked up at
Santhara.
Before he knew what was going on the tigress shoved the
white tiger over the edge and into the water. Ravindar
landed right next to Fox, sending up a huge splash that
reached the dock. He came up lacking any of his normal
dignity and just started swimming to shore.
My bodyguard looked down at all of us, then shrugging her
large shoulders she leapt into the water, landing just in
front of me. The wave from the impact sent water up my nose
and caused me to sputter. I swam towards her as fast as I
could, reaching her just as she broke the surface. Before
she knew what was happening I placed my paws on her head and
forced her back down.
She kicked at me, pushing away and quickly came back up. She
gave a stern look but I just splashed her. She splashed me
in return and then we both swam back to shore, being the
last two to make it out of the water.
Fox looked at us with a smirk and shook the water out of her
fur. She flicked her tail and gave a kick of her leg.
<<We should get back to normal,>> Rhea said.
I nodded and looked at my husband. She smiled at me and
flicked her ears back. Slowly she walked over to me and gave
me a lick on the cheek. I pulled back a bit and gave her a
stern look. The time had come for us to get back to normal.
She looked hurt for a moment then nodded her head. There was
a flicker as her body shrank, the mass bleeding away as she
pulled into herself. A moment later Fox was back to his
normal self, and wearing his clothing thanks to the spells
Ken had given him when he was cursed. The spell was as much
a part of him as his shifting ability to which it was
attached. Of course that didn't remove the water and his
skin and hair were soaked, as was his clothing.
I snickered a bit and moved up to him, rubbing my wet fur
against his legs. Rhea did the same thing to the other side,
bringing out a groan from him. "I can't go get the stone if
you're pinning me in."
The two of us stepped away from him, and he turned and
started back to the house. <<Bring towels! And extra for
Ravindar.>>
He nodded his head and gave us a wave as we walked into the
house.
I turned to look at Ravindar. The poor tiger was sitting on
his haunches, his fur clinging everywhere on him as he tried
to look at us. At least Santhara had the smarts to shake the
water out of her fur, but not the white tiger, he just sat
there dripping all over the grass.
It took longer than I would have l liked for Fox to come
back, to the point that I was ready to go look for him when
he finally came back down. He had changed clothing and dried
himself off. He had a stack of towels under his arms and the
norm-shift stone in his hand.
Fox dropped the towels next to me and then bent down to
drape the necklace over my head. Once the stone had settled
down onto my chest, I reached up and took it in my paws. I
concentrated on it for a moment then pushed my will into the
stone. There was a flair of warmth from the gem for a moment
which stopped when I wrapped my fingers around it.
He bent down and offered me a towel. "Enjoy yourself?" he
asked.
I took the towel away from him, wrapping it around myself to
preserve my modesty. He might have free clothing with his
transformation, but the rest of us would be nude. "It was
fun," I said, flicking my wet hair back from my head.
"I told you," he said with a chuckle, taking the gem from my
neck then kissing me on the lips. He picked up another towel
and walked over to Santhara, letting her use the stone.
In a few moments she was back to herself. She stood up,
stretching out her arms and not bothering to hide anything.
"That was _fantastic_!"
I smiled to her and gave her a quick appraisal. She might be
my bodyguard but I could at least admire her body. She was
reasonably fit with a nice chest on her, one that I wouldn't
mind teasing if she ever had the mind to it. I doubted she
would be interested, but it was a nice thought.
I scooped up another towel and threw it to her. "Dry off," I
said with a laugh.
She easily caught the towel and wrapped it around her head.
She took the towel Fox had brought her and used it to cover
everything else. I rolled my eyes at her as I worked on
drying myself off with my towel, allowing her a quick peek
at me if she was inclined to look.
Fox looked over the tigress and held out his hand. "The
norm-shift stone?" I asked.
She shook her head. "I think we should leave him like that,
at least for a bit," she said, looking down at Ravindar. He
glared up at her and lowered his ears, snorting softly.
My husband laughed and shook his head. "That wouldn't be
fair. I'm back to myself so he should be as well," he said,
then smiled. "I'll let you give it to him."
The tigress nodded and smiled down at her boyfriend. He just
shook his large head and lay down on the ground, placing his
paw over his head.
"Can I get one of these?" she asked, fingering the gem.
"I'll ask Ken," I said as I worked another towel over my
hair. Once I was sure it was dry enough I walked back into
the house, up one of the staircases and into my old bedroom.
Dropping my towel on the floor I started to pull my clothing
back on. I was still damp enough that everything clung to my
fur, but it wouldn't last very long. As I was pulling my
hair back, the door opened and my bodyguard peeked in. She
still had the norm-shift stone around her neck.
I smiled and held the door open for her. "How long are you
going to leave him like that?"
She shrugged, dropping her towel on top of mine and smiling
back at me over her shoulder. "I'll give it back to him when
I'm dressed," she said, flicking her tail.
"Take your time," I said and slipped out of the room,
closing the door behind me. We really shouldn't have been
teasing him like that, but he was so ungainly non-morphic,
and we could all use a boost. The day was going to be somber
enough soon, so a little morning entertainment was nice.
I walked over to the kitchen and picked up some of the jerky
we had brought with us for snacks. I chewed on a piece as I
walked back down the stairs, carrying some extra for Fox if
he wanted any. As I stepped out of the house I had to
suppress a giggle. My husband was hunched over his
bodyguard, drying off his white fur one towel at a time.
I walked up to my husband and offered him some of the meat.
He took a piece from me and chewed on it as he worked a
towel over the tiger's head.
"How are you doing?" I asked him.
He shrugged a bit. "Okay I guess. I'm a little nervous, but
I always am before this sort of thing. I don't like being so
far away from you and for so long."
I moved a bit closer to him and slipped my arm around his
back, pulling him close to me. "I feel the same, hon, but we
can't do much about it."
He nodded and with a sigh threw the towel to the ground.
"No, there isn't. It still pisses me off that I was backed
into the corner."
"You didn't have a choice," I told him, nuzzling slightly at
his neck.
Fox let out a soft purr and nuzzled me in return. "I'm not
going to have that option this time. If everything goes
wrong, I'm just stuck there."
I nodded and stroked a finger over the side of his neck.
"Don't talk like that. If you talk like that you'll start
thinking like that and you'll get stuck that way."
With a chuckle he shook his head and then kissed me firmly
on the lips, his arms wrapping around me and pulling me
close to him. I returned the kiss, our tongues playing with
each other as his hands slipped down to stroke the base of
my tail. My own hands ran over his back until they were at
the back of his neck, teasing the skin under his ponytail.
My husband finally pulled away and gave me a knowing look.
"Gods, I'm going to miss you," he said, squeezing my ass.
I giggled and licked his nose. "I'm going to miss you in the
same way. Find someone to spend time with, don't just leave
it to yourself."
He blushed and nodded his head. "Yes, dear," he told me, and
then kissed me again.
We kissed a bit longer then pulled apart, sharing a knowing
smile. He took a few steps away from me and bent down next
to Ravindar, running a hand over his damp fur. "You might as
well go inside. Maybe you can convince her to give you the
stone."
He looked up at my husband and glared slightly, flicking his
ears back and twitching his tail. He rose up to all fours
and kicked out his legs, shaking off a little bit more.
Fox turned back to me and smiled a bit. "You guys should get
out here sometime. It's still summer and it would be nice
for the whole family, maybe a bikini," he said, looking me
over with a familiar eye.
I giggled softly and cocked my hips to the side. "We have a
little time before you go, we can stop by the Market and
pick up one, for both of us," I told him, leaning in
slightly and flicking my tail tuft quickly.
My husband blushed even more and turned away. "I'm not
really sure--"
Walking up to him I placed my paw over his mouth. "If I get
one, you get one. And we'll trade pictures when you get
back," I told him with a wink.
"I think that would look fantastic on both of you," Santhara
said as she came out to join us. She gave up both a long
look and smiled a bit. "You would look good in light green,"
she said, pointing at me, "and you in dark blue," she told
my husband. Beside us Ravindar lifted his head, looking
directly at the stone held in her other paw.
He shook his head. "I'm not getting a bikini. I'm going to
be a fox most of the time, not female," he said.
I smiled and poked his nose. "If I get one, you get one,
that's fair."
Fox thought for a moment and finally signed. "Ya, I guess it
is fair. If we have time we'll get them."
My bodyguard smiled and clapped her paws together. "Then
we'll find the time, and I'm going to help both of you find
one," she told us, then bent down and dropped the norm-shift
stone over Ravindar's neck. Her boyfriend let out a soft
growl and dashed off into the house.
Letting out a soft sigh Fox ran a hand over his head. "I'm
going to regret this," he said.
I shrugged and opened my wrist band, looking at the time.
"The Grand Market won't be up for an hour. We could always
stop for breakfast, and then go to the shops as soon as they
open," I closed the watch and smiled at him.
Ravindar walked back out with us and gave Santhara a nasty
took. His fur was poking out in every direction from the
mostly dry fur. "You're going to pay for that," he told the
tigress, then threw Fox the norm-shift stone.
She smirked in return and shook her head. "And you'll pay in
return."
The white tiger rolled his eyes and crossed his arms over
his chest.
I shook my head. "Let's just run though the house and get
everything picked up, we don't want wet towels saying around
for a month," I said, then stepped away from my family and
headed back inside.
* * *
Fox shook his head as we walked into the house. He had a bag
in one hand while the other one was rubbing his head. "I'm
not wearing this." He had been saying much the same thing
since we had picked out his suit, a blue two piece that
showed much more than he was comfortable with.
"It's very flattering to your female self," I told him as
Ravindar closed the front door.
"If I wanted the beach bunny look, I'd learn to be a vixen,
or maybe a bunny," he said, dropping the bag onto the couch.
I gave him a knowing look. "Oh, you look much better as a
fox then you would as a vixen."
He shook his head. "That doesn't help. Either of my male
forms would look silly in that thing."
<<Not to mention your full-lioness form,>> Rhea added as she
padded out of the living room.
"I'm not even sure I'm going to be able to wear it where I'm
going," he added with a small huff.
I walked over to him and reached into the bag, pulling out
the suit I had gotten for myself. Just like Santhara had
suggested it was a light green that flattered the color of
my fur. It had more fabric than Fox's, which was funny; as a
female he was bustier then I was. "I'm going to find a way
to wear mine. You'll find a way to wear yours."
He looked me over one more time and finally let out a sigh.
"I'll see what I can do, love, but I won't promise
anything."
Letting out a soft sigh I kissed him one the nose. "Just do
what you can. You need to spend more time female."
"Now you sound like Starker," he replied.
I shook my head and touched him between the eyes. He hadn't
gone to see his therapist since the whole mess with Clark
had come to an end. He had mastered the excuses he needed
not to go, and I had given up trying to make him. I had
called the doctor to tell him what was going on, and he
wasn't surprised. He had given me a few things to talk to
Fox about, but they were hard to bring up.
Fox pulled away from my fingers then reached up and took my
paw. He brought it down and kissed the tip of my finger and
then leaned forward and kissed me. Our arms wrapped around
each other and we pressed together, still kissing. As the
moment grew longer we pressed even closer together, the
warmth of our bodies spreading between us as the kiss broke.
He pressed his face against my neck and let out a soft cry.
"I don't want to leave you," he whispered.
I nodded and reached up and placed my paw on the back of his
head, holding him close to me. "I don't want you to go," I
told him as I motioned for the bodyguards to leave the room.
They did so without a single word.
My husband looked up at me, his eyes dull and half closed.
He looked someplace between crying and strength. With a
shake of his head he tried to compose himself, but he wasn't
able to shake it. Taking in a long breath he looked me in
the eyes. "I love you so much," he said.
"I love you too," I told him, stroking my arms over his and
then reaching up took his chin in my paw. I held him in
place for a moment and smiled. "We should try and send
notes. I'm sure Rebecca could arrange that," I said.
Fox winced softly. "I would rather not rely on her for that.
I don't really trust the new version of her."
"I don't either, but it's all we really have," I told him.
He thought for a few moments then let out a long sigh.
Lifting his hand up he placed his finger between my eyes, it
only took me a moment to return the gesture. We held that
position for a few seconds before finally pulling apart. I
could see that Fox wanted to say something, but he bit back
the words.
"This isn't the time to hold anything back," I told him.
He frowned a bit then shook his head, pulling away from me.
"I just... The last time I was away from you everything went
to hell. I'm worried that this will be the same, that I may
never see you again. I don't want to be the guy who leaves
his family and never comes back."
Placing my paws on his shoulders and I gave him a knowing
look. "I believe in you, Fox. You'll find a way, you always
find a way." It was true, at least true enough. I knew if
there was a way for him to come he would, I just hoped it
was in one piece. The last adventure had really hurt him,
hurt him in ways he still hadn't recovered from, and now he
was going off to do it again.
My husband looked at me intently, his clear eyes showing
just as much worry as I felt. "Thank you, Oria. That means
so much coming from you."
I leaned in and kissed him again. He kissed me back, but it
was a bit half-hearted. Not a loving kiss, more of a goodbye
kiss, at least a temporary one. We pulled apart and looked
at each other one last time before he took up the bag and
walked out of the room.
I watched his back until he turned around the corner, then
let out a sigh. I slumped for a moment then fell back onto
the couch, laying my paws over my eyes for a few moments. I
wanted to run after him, but it wasn't the time, it wasn't
the moment, not that I knew what the moment really was.
When I looked up I saw the edge of Kalie's tail sticking
past the edge of the door. "You can come in," I said.
The otter peaked in through the door and smiled a bit at me.
"Oriana?"
I smiled back to her and motioned for her to enter. "Thank
you for watching the children."
Her smile grew a little bit wider as she came over to me and
sat down, her thick tail lying at her side. She was dressed
in casual clothing, a long shirt and some jeans, but they
looked strange on her now. "I miss children. There aren't
many at the Temple," she said with a slight frown, her hand
reaching down to touch her belly slightly.
"Are you thinking of having one of your own?" I asked in a
teasing voice.
She paused for a moment then shook her head. "No... well
maybe, but not for a while. There's too much to learn at
the Temple to go back home and find a man."
I giggled a bit and gave her a smile. "When the time is
right you'll know it."
"I would like to take my vows first, but that's still a few
years away," she said in a soft voice, looking down at her
paws.
"I'm sure you'll make it," I told her, reaching out to place
my paws on top of hers.
She looked up at me and gave me a smile. "I don't doubt
that, but it's not easy. There is so much to learn and not
just about Thryn, there's the whole history of your world."
I smiled to her. "Don't be afraid to ask me, it is my
world."
Kalie nodded her head and smiled. "I will."
Leaning over I gave her a friendly hug and smiled. "You had
better get going. The Priests will be waiting for you."
The otter nodded and stood up, brushing a paw through her
short fur. "I guess I should. Stop by sometime, I would like
to see you, and I'm sure you could use the company."
I stood up with her and placed a paw at the center of her
back. "I suspect I'm going to be spending a lot of time at
the Temple, and Cleansing."
"Don't do it too much, you can only clean your soul so
often," she replied and then hugged me before heading off
towards the fold.
I turned back and headed towards the bedroom. Much as I
expected him to be, Fox was putting his things into a duffle
bag. I walked over behind him and peeked into the bag, he
had a selection of clothing, his gun, a dozen boxes of ammo,
his bikini, a few other pieces of female clothing and a pair
of norm-shift stones.
"You should pack a dress," I suggested.
"I don't own any dresses," he said, walking past me.
"Then take one of my skirts. It will fit better than your
normal pants," I told him, walking to the dresser and
picking out two nice ones that would flatter his female
figure as well as a simple blouse. I took them back to the
bed and set them next to his bag.
He came back a moment later and looked through them, a small
smile flittered over his face as he place them into the bag.
"I'll think of you when I wear them."
I slipped up behind him and kissed him on the back of his
neck. "Do you have the items?"
He nodded his head and pulled back the clothing. I could see
the hollowed out book at the bottom of the bag resting on
top of the super computer. "I'm ready, as ready as I can
be."
"I know you are, hon. Are you sure you have everything?"
Fox paused for a moment then shook his head. "I have no
idea. I have my clothing, my guns, and all the stuff I need.
I'm not going to bother with makeup and I guess I can get
everything else there, I'm staying long enough."
I thought for a moment as something jumped to my mind. "How
about the book Brian gave you?"
He came to a stop and closed his eyes. "Gods, forgetting the
spell book would be dumb."
"Then I'm glad I reminded you."
My husband gave me a smile and ran his hands through his
hair, then tucked a few lose stands behind his ear. "I'm so
glad I married you," he said, then turned back and headed
out of the room.
I sat down on the bed, my tail curling around my rear. I
pulled his bag into my lap and went through it, just to be
sure. There didn't seem to be anything missing, he even had
his glasses for his female form, but I decided to add a few
extras. Setting the bag back down I went into the bathroom
and dug through the medicine cabinet. I took out a bottle of
painkillers, just in case he had one of his headaches, as
well as one of my prescription bottles. If he was going to
spend time female I wanted to be sure he didn't go into
heat.
Returning to the bathroom I put the bottles into his bag,
tucking them away so he wouldn't see them. I sat back down
on the bed, then got back up and headed for the dresser.
Sitting on top was a pad of paper and a pen. I thought for a
moment and wrote him a quick note; something I knew would be
meaningful to him, and then tucked it in the bag, putting it
inside the book where I knew he would find it.
I pulled my hand out of the bag just as he came back into
the room. He walked past me and kissed me softly on the lips
as he put the book into his bag. "I think that's
everything."
"I think so," I said in agreement.
He closed up the bag and let out a sigh. "I guess--" he
started to say, but was cut off by Ravindar clearing his
throat.
"She's here," The tiger said.
My husband nodded and picked up his bag, holding it tightly
to his chest. "This is it, then," he said.
"I guess so," I replied.
Fox gulped and took in a deep breath. As he let it out his
form slowly changed, leaving him in his fox-morph form.
I took the glasses off his face, picked up the case for them
from the bedside table and put them inside. I then placed
the case into his bag. Taking his paw in mine, we walked out
of the bedroom and down the hallway.
Rebecca was waiting for us in the living room. The
pantheress looked a bit fidgety, but seemed to relax when
she saw Fox. "Ready to go?"
"I'm ready," my husband replied, picking up his jacket from
where he had left it the day before and folding it over one
arm.
I leaned over and gave him one last kiss. "Be safe," I told
him.
"I'll try," he told me as he returned it and then pulled
away. We gave each other one last look, his form blurring as
tears formed in my eyes. I could see he was crying too, the
fur already starting to mat around his muzzle. We had both
tried so hard to hold back, to keep it inside, but now that
the moment was here it was all flooding out. There was no
time left to say anything and no more words that could be
said. We held each other's paws for a few more seconds,
holding onto each other for just one last moment before we
finally stepped away from each other.
Carefully he reached out, holding out his paw. Rebecca took
it in silence and gave me a pained look. Whatever she might
have become, it hurt her to do what she had to do.
Then without a sound, Fox was gone.
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This story (AFiW #513) is copyright 2008 by Fox Cutter.
Hardcopy reprints limited to one per person, all other
rights reserved. This story may not be distributed for a fee
except by permission of the author, and this copyright
notice may not be removed.