Sirin smiled. Berne, looked over his pronounced shoulders at her, his now-massive bear face giving her a questioning look. For a moment, they stared at each other, silent and unmoving. The bear retainedso muchof Berne. She couldn’t quite place it, but there was something in his eyes, his movement, that she recognized as distinctly Berne. This face echoed his as a man, and she marveled at how expressive it was.
After a short while, the large bear chuffed again and slowly crossed the room toward her. Sitting on the floor in front of the bed, he lowered his head and rested it gingerly on her lap. She’d been drawn to Berne as a man; how could she not? He was devastatingly handsome and charming in a sweet, quiet way. But Berne as a bear felt comfortable and safe.13
Sirin smiled and ventured to scratch his ears. The bear—no, Berne—closed his eyes and grumbled his happiness at the touch. She was surprised to find that the feel of his heavy head and smooth fur running through her fingers felt so familiar as if she’d done this countless times, though she knew she hadn’t. His rumble soothed her excited nerves and the peace it brought her allowed her to absorb this massive revelation.
What she knew of lunula involved augmenting existing processes or slight genetic modification. Typically, lunologists finely tuned their bodies to help them achieve things they couldn’t do without lunula. Some lunologists finely tuned their bodies to execute their given professions to the highest ability. Sirin knew surgeons with exacting eyesight and precise movements, soldiers who could lift a horse and march for days on end without eating. She admittedly wasn’t the deftest lunologist at modification that she knew, but changes on this scale? Her brain was practically vibrating with a surplus of ideas for applications now that she knew how much could be done.
She was so lost in her thoughts that she’d stopped petting Berne, and he wiggled his head in her lap and chuffed to let her know his displeasure. She giggled at this grumpy bear that was now apparently her husband.
Her husband.
They had addressed several things so far, but notthat. Berne took his large blue-black tongue and licked her cheek. A deep, rhythmic, rumbling sound came from him as he nuzzled his head into hers. She giggled again, but then looked him in the eye.
“Can you come back? Or change back? I have a few more questions.” She figured he ought to be able to understand her. None of her modifications had ever actively changed her thought processes unless that was the express intent.
Sure enough, he backed away and morphed back into a human. The process was fascinating to watch, she took note of the phases of changes as they overtook his body. His claws shrunk back into his paws as they elongated into hands. She could watch this process a hundred times and discover new details each time, she imagined. It was sopracticedand smooth, but she knew the sheer amount of changes he managed internally were staggering.
When he was a man again, he cupped his manhood and turned away, blushing.
“I’m not used to someone looking quite so intent at me when I change. Hope I didn’t startle yeh too bad,” he said as he reached for his clothes. His back muscles flexed as he bent to put on his pants. His clothes had previously obscured how much muscle he hid in his solid form. He had a plump round ass that called to her to bite it. She beamed, surveying the expanse of his body that might soon be hers to explore. Clothed, she realized, he looked very much like a big cuddly bear. His nakedness revealed his more primal nature to her; she shivered in anticipation of unleashing it.
1.A number of societies on Caihalath recognise mating bites. I have posited that the people of Sanctuary incorporated it through cultural drift.
2.I am certain you must have seen evanotypes, and of course you can still visit, but I truly regret that no one else will be able to see it as it was then.
3.In my first few weeks, Arndis was one of my biggest advocates and has become a dear friend.
4.I would say you can imagine my surprise, but at least at the time of publishing, most readers experienced a similar moment. I hope future generations can appreciate the awe of such a moment.
5.Documented answers to these and many more questions can be found in More than DNA: The Search for Answers About Our Creation by Karoleena Rebexa.
6.The accuracy of many of our myths and legends shocks me, which further supports my theory that the Lady must have imposed some sort of magical constraints, ensuring we don't stray too far from her vision for the world.
7.For a complete history of the peoples of Caihalath and their struggle against the Pathian Empire, please see Burying Our Oppressors by Megara Opalphine.
8.Seven, to be precise.
9.Disaster is an understatement. Just how disastrous is only now beginning to become clear. I have reason to believe that the world needed to be restarted on at least three separate occasions, though other evidence points to an additional two times.
10.A colleague of mine has recently started researching the similarities between gods of various pantheons, in attempt to identify them and posit what their worlds might be like.
11.Copies of The Words of Our Lady are becoming more widely available. I highly suggest it, especially as an insightful look into the motivations and character of our Goddess as she matured.
12.I’ve released several studies on the matter, and of course have spent time in study with both Dr. Calla Ghanim and the Dreamer Brier Ghanim, but there are always more questions than answers. Lunula have mitochondria, but also seem to have a second organelle,the called a dunamispiti, which that contains the power. These dunamispiti can pass through permeable cell barriers and seem to act with sentience, somehow, as if they are sentient.
13.It’s also just extremely useful to have a bear around that can lift or pull heavy things, and is as smart as a human for complex instructions. I cannot recommend having a shifter for a partner enough.
Chapter ten
Berne
IN WHICH OUR HERO EXPLAINS HOW MATING WORKS, WORRIES HE IS A ROGUE OF THE HIGHEST ORDER, AND IS GENERALLY AN OBLIVIOUS, WINSOME NITWIT
“Well,husband,”Sirinbegansoftly. Berne tensed, and she chuckled from behind him. He was not ready to face this, but they needed to.
Fuck, things were going so well. This, though—this can’t be good. Time to face the consequences of my own stupid actions. Please,he thought, please let her understand.
“You’ll come to know that before anything else, I am curious. I have what one of my professors called ‘an insatiable need to know why and how.’ You can imagine how I ended up here, looking for the source of magic,” she said.
