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The linen sheet of the Grand Master’s bed had long been pulled away from Varka’s nude body, exposing him to the cool breeze wafting through the open window. He groaned, scratching at his rugged chest, and something atop his head tingled as the distant call of a hunting pack reached him on the wind.
A fleeting thought crossed his mind: had he always heard the Lupical from Wolvendom this clearly? It sounded as though the pack were gathered right outside on his balcony. Varka scrunched his eyes and turned his head on the pillow.
He cracked an eye open to see Lohen sleeping peacefully beside him. All the bed sheet was gathered up around the younger man, giving him an appearance akin to a Liyue dumpling. Only his face and the tips of his mint bangs were visible, his lashes fluttering faintly in a dream.
Varka went to stretch, reaching out to tug the delicious looking dumpling toward him, when he felt a weight thrash suddenly behind his lower back.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
The noise sounded like a sandbag being punished in the training grounds.
Huh?
Varka froze, and so did the movement. Reaching behind himself, his fingers sank not into soft cotton, but into a thick coat of coarse hair covering an appendage that gave another involuntary swish against the mattress.
He turned slowly, almost dreading what he’d find. And there it was—a remarkably bushy golden tail, firmly attached at his lower back. It wagged at its own discovery.
“What in Barbatos is this…” Varka breathed.
His words didn’t carry his usual bright boom, but rather the husky rumble of a territorial beast.
Beside him, the sheet dumpling shifted with a disgruntled groan. Lohen’s voice was muffled as he complained within his cocoon. “Varka… quit whatever that is would you? And why is it so loud outside? Is there a festival or something?”
Varka listened too. He heard the pots clattering from Good Hunter and the voices of Margaret and Marjorie gossiping down in the plaza. It wasn’t a festival, just the usual city life—only his hearing had far more range now. And apparently, so did Lohen’s.
Gods among us.
Varka’s hands shot up to his head, patting frantically to confirm his suspicion. Sure enough, his ears had relocated to the top of his head, pointed and alert.
“Lohen, get up.”
Varka’s call to order came out more authoritative than intended, thanks to the low vibration in his voice.
“Eek! What is it?!”
Lohen bolted upright with an uncharacteristic squeak. He shot a look at Varka, his brows lifting beneath his still veiled bangs.
“Um… Varka? Why are you wearing a costume this early in the morning?”
As Lohen tilted his head, the bed sheet slipped. Two long, velvety ears popped free—one standing erect, the other drooping past his chin. The outer fur matched his mint-green hair down to the root.
Varka’s jaw dropped taking in the sight. Lohen blushed faintly, his nose twitching ever so slightly in scrutiny. A primal instinct flickered in the back of Varka’s mind.
Mine.
“Hey, old ma—”
Varka reached past Lohen’s protest and pinched the tip of Lohen’s drooping ear between two fingers. A purr rumbled in Varka’s chest at the sensation; the new ears were unbelievably soft, and warm to match the young man’s flush. The tail thumped the mattress again.
“Wha-What are you doing?!”
Lohen swatted away Varka’s touch and in a blur of mint and white, scurried back to the foot of the bed. His nude body was fully exposed, allowing Varka to notice that other than his ears—now both pointing alertly upright, he was otherwise normal. From the front at least…
“Lohen, I need you to calm down, because—”
Too late. He was already patting around his head for the reason why Varka was staring. His fingers quickly found the furry base at his scalp, and squeezed.
Lohen’s entire body jerked ramrod straight, then slumped in dizzying shock.
“Varka,” Lohen pulled both ears down to frame his face, staring with widened eyes as he inspected the soft tips between his fingers. “…Why do these feel real?”
“Well, uh…” Varka was already reaching up to scratch his ears in the correct location. “Probably because they are. Look.”
He scooted his rugged frame on the mattress, giving Lohen a full view of his back and his tail, swishing to and fro.
Lohen gasped, his ears rising back up. “You’re a—you’re a puppy!”
“What? No! I’m a wolf, obviously!” Varka gruffed, turning back around to face him. “Now, show me your ass.”
“Excuse me?” Lohen pouted.
“You might have a tail too!” Varka clasped his hands together, grinning shamelessly. “Please, Lohen—show me your pretty ass!”
“Oh, for crying out loud… fine!” Lohen huffed, rolling his eyes. He mumbled something about being an ‘ass man’ under his breath, not seeming to realize Varka could hear him. He shifted on his knees and leaned forward onto all fours. His eyes squeezed shut, his limbs trembling.
“What’s it look like…?” Lohen asked, his tone turning timid. “…Why do I feel so nervous?”
Varka’s mouth watered at once, despite his partner’s hesitation. Right above the peachy curve of Lohen’s rear sat a small, pale-green tuft of fur, twitching to the rhythm of the young man’s racing pulse.
“Well, that settles it.” Varka purred. He wiped at the corner of his mouth just in case. “You’re a hare, Lohen.”
“I don’t believe this!” Lohen exclaimed, reaching blindly behind himself to grip the tiny tuft. “Oh, fuck no! No-no-no!”
He was genuinely panicked, but Varka was waging a losing battle against some dark instinct. Watching the bunny tail bounce, all the Grand Master could think about was sinking his teeth into that soft exposed flesh. He swallowed hard, his throat dry.
Varka’s rationale was muddled. It wouldn’t be too much different from what he usually did, right? They just had fur where there usually wasn’t. In fact, he should be making the most of this situation.
Mine!
Lohen was still turned away but had hunched into a ball now, his feet thudding the bed in frustration. He had pulled his ears over his face, mortified at his appearance.
He was muttering something about keeping hidden, what could have happened to them, when he felt the mattress move beneath him.
“Are you even listening to me?!” Lohen snapped, darting a dirty look over his shoulder.
Varka was looming over him, his silhouette blocking the light from the window. His ears were pinned back, and he was… growling?
Lohen’s expression sank into despair, his eyes widening and ears flattening against his shoulder. His pulse hammered.
“…Varka?”
“I want you,” Varka growled, reaching out for Lohen’s hips.
Panic flared through the younger man, a primal thought screaming at him.
Run! He’s going to eat you!
Lagomorph instinct took over. Lohen leaned forward and coiled his lower body like a compressed spring—then kicked. His slender legs snapped backward with all the strength he possessed. He let out a loud squeal as the flats of his bare heels connected square with Varka’s jaw.
Wham!
“Gah!”
The Grand Master flew backward off the bed in an upward arc, crashing shoulders first onto the hardwood floor of his quarters with a heavy thump.
As Varka groaned on the floor, rolling onto his side with his ears flat in pathetic defeat and his golden tail tucked firmly between his legs, Lohen scrambled to the center of the bed. He gathered the bed sheet to his chin and peered down over the edge of the mattress at the defeated giant. Lohen’s tuft and nose twitched rapidly in sync with his thundering heartbeat.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to—”
Varka raised his hand to cut him off, rubbing his sore jaw with the other.
“No, I earned that one. You’ve got a hell of a kick on ya, bunny.”
“Don’t ‘bunny’ me, you overgrown mutt!” Lohen snapped, his voice cracking with fury, though the blush on his cheeks burned all the way to the tips of his mint-green ears. He pointed an immaculate finger at Varka. “You were trying to eat me!”
“What! No, I wasn’t!” Varka exclaimed, genuinely offended. “Sure, I was feeling a bit amorous looking at you like that, but eat you? No!”
A silence stretched in the room, broken only by their heavy breathing. Their heightened hearing picked up each other’s heightened pulse. Elsewhere in the building dwelled the murmurs of other Knights, gossiping about the source of the strange noises.
Lohen remained frozen in place, the sheet clutched tight over his shoulders. His pupils were dilated, fixed on Varka in hyper-vigilance.
“I’m not kidding when I say it is taking every ounce of my willpower not to bolt out that door right now,” the young man choked. “I hate it.”
Varka sat up fully, wincing as he readjusted his sore muscles. The predatory fog cleared instantly on hearing his partner’s distress, replaced by a deep pit of guilt.
“Lohen… hey,” Varka said softly, keeping his hands low to the floor. He stayed where he was. “I’m sorry. I crossed a line. I won’t come near you.”
Lohen swallowed hard, his velvety ears flicking forward to frame his face.
“I know it’s you, but my body is terrified,” he admitted, his cheeks somehow flushing darker than they already were. “I’ve got a prey instinct. I’m turning into an actual, panic-ridden, weakling bunny.”
Varka let out a breathy chuckle, though he stifled it when Lohen glared at him. The Grand Master’s golden ears drooped lower in apology.
“That makes two of us with fried brains this morning,” Varka said, shifting his position to give his tail room to swish calmly behind him. “But you’re not weak, Lohen, you near took my head off with that kick of yours. Have you always been able to do that?”
Lohen’s ears flapped forward to hide his face. He let out a shaky breath, the tension in his shoulders finally beginning to ebb away. “…It felt surprisingly natural,” he muttered.
“Well, there you go. You should add that move to your repertoire. Not the bedroom one, just so we’re clear.”
Lohen huffed a laugh. “Ha! We should be more worried about how we’re going to get out of this mess. I don’t fancy walking around like this long-term.”
“Aww, why not? I think you’re really cute, Häschen.” Varka’s voice drawled on the pet name.
“That’s exactly why!” Lohen snapped, jabbing his finger toward him again. “C’mon, Grand Master! Think! Who or what could have done this to us?”
Varka put a hand to his jaw, rubbing the sore spot as he thought.
Yesterday went by just like any other day, now they were both back home near full-time. Varka went to Wolvendom at dawn to see Razor and clash fangs with Boreas, before settling in at HQ to review paperwork with Jean. After lunch, he’d go to one of the company bases to see how his plans for the next generation were coming together.
He’d gone to see Lohen. The Fifth company was thriving despite the leadership hiccup stemming from that incident. An interim Captain had been appointed—a veteran Knight from the third corps—but they merely provided their wax seal. Lohen had since come up in spades; for one, he was forcing far less of his report writing onto his peers.
They had watched the sun sink into the harbor's water while laughing over bowls of Lohikeitto, then made their way back to Varka’s quarters in the city together. A few monster camps were dismantled along the way—a typical couple bonding activity for them. Recalling how Lohen now laughs and smiles outside of battle, was enough to bring a tear to Varka’s eye—
“Hey, old mutt, I think I can see smoke rising from your ears. Is thinking too hard for you now?” Lohen interrupted, examining his nails with a raised brow.
“I’m getting to it, hold on!” Varka groaned. He looked around his quarters. Last night, they’d come back here and showered off, and just before Lohen pounced him, he managed to light the—
Varka leapt to his feet and scurried over to the sideboard, where the burnt remains of an incense rod sat. Lohen was by his side in the next moment, apparently no longer caring for distance. Both tails swished in curious unison.
“The incense? Where’d you get it?” Lohen asked, leaning down to sniff at the ash. His nose bobbed—a detail that almost distracted Varka from tracking the scent.
“Alice gifted it to me some days ago. I was, uh… saving it for a special night.”
“Alice!? Hexenzirkel Alice!?” Lohen spun around and began pacing the room, tugging his ears in opposite directions. “What made you think using a gift from the mother of mischief was a great idea?!”
Varka’s tail sagged. “C’mon, she was being really nice! She said it was thanks for keeping an eye on Klee!”
“Argh! You’re so gullible, it’s unbelievable!” Lohen stomped his foot, making a loud thud. “Did she say anything else? Leave a note? Anything?!”
Varka ran a hand through his hair, rubbing sheepishly behind one of his new ears. Eventually, he sighed.
“Look, this is embarrassing, Lohen… but she said it would help me ‘get in touch with my wild side’.”
Lohen froze for a second, threw back his head, and burst into hysterics.
“Bloody Barbatos! Hahaha!” He doubled over, clutching his bare stomach. “You thought it was an aphrodisiac? I—I can’t!”
Without warning, Lohen sprang into the air, twisting mid-flight to kick his feet off to the side. His mint ears fluttered along with the acrobatic flourish before he landed back on his feet and continued his laughing fit.
“A classic Varka moment! Hahaha!”
Varka stood frozen, his golden tail perking back up into energetic wags.
Did he just…?
Watching the young man bounce with innocent lagomorph joy made Varka’s heart do a flip of its own.
Unable to help himself, the Grand Master lunged forward, scooping up his mate into his arms. Lohen let out a surprised squeak as in the next second they both plopped back onto the bed together with a soft bounce.
“Varka! You—”
Lohen’s protest was cut short as Varka’s lips pressed against his. His prey instinct froze him in place at first, but as Varka let out a needy whine for better access—those broad hands settling at his back as they always did—the primal fear receded.
The younger man parted his lips with a soft sigh, allowing the kiss to deepen. As his tongue mingled with Varka’s, he could feel that the tips of the Grand Master’s canines had grown sharper.
No biting, or he gets the muzzle. He noted internally.
Eventually, the two parted for air, remaining tangled together on the mattress. They held each other’s gaze in dream-like contentment.
“Well, you’re in a better mood now,” Varka drawled, a satisfied purr rumbling in his chest.
“Quit it. We haven’t figured out what to do next.”
Lohen tried to maintain some semblance of displeasure in his voice, but his body betrayed him—his cheeks were a deep rose and a single ear perked up in affection.
Varka chortled. “I wouldn’t worry about it. Alice isn’t that cruel. I say we stay holed up and sleep it off—knowing her, this will pass before tomorrow.”
Lohen worried his lip. “If you’re so confident, fine. But as Grand Master, don’t you have a schedule to adhere to as well?”
“Ahh, I’m allowed to be ill once in a while.” Varka chuckled, pulling the sheets back up over them both. “Because we are sick, aren’t we?”
Lohen sighed, rolling his eyes as he sank into the warmth of Varka’s chest. “When you put it like that… sure. Let’s play truant.”
Varka leaned in to plant another kiss on Lohen’s crown, between his lagomorph ears.
Before Varka could get too comfortable, Lohen planted a hand on the Grand Master’s shoulder and shoved. Caught off guard, Varka rolled onto his back with a soft grunt, and Lohen swiftly straddled his hips, pinning him down.
“If you think a hex is going to make me lie down and be pliant, I’d say you don’t know me that well,” Lohen murmured.
He leaned down, his mouth crashing over Varka’s in a more hurried, commanding kiss than the previous one. Varka’s eyes widened in brief surprise before a low purr of satisfaction rose in his chest, his golden tail thudding happily between their legs despite being on his back.
When Lohen parted, he nuzzled his chin against Varka’s stubble with a smug huff of approval.
They stayed under the bed sheet together like that for a while, the distant sounds of the city playing out like any other day.
Longer, tender kisses were exchanged. Hands roamed lazily, and they snickered whenever their fingers brushed each other’s animated tails.
Eventually, Varka pulled Lohen back against his chest, curling around him. Lohen’s lashes fluttered at the edge of sleep, lulled by Varka’s heartbeat and the rumble of his chest as he hummed the Favonius Anthem.
Despite their current situation—with Lohen taking on the form of his partner’s prey—he felt at home, and safe. He was imagining running through the fields of Millhaven, the fragrance of the Windrest blooms making his nose twitch, when he felt something wet, and flat scrape the length of his ear.
Lohen recoiled at once, his ears snapping forward.
“Blurgh! Are you grooming me, mutt!?”
“Unn… wha?” Varka groaned, a snort escaping his nostrils. He'd apparently fallen asleep too, or was wisely pretending that didn't happen.
“Urgh, whatever. Just, don't do it again…” Lohen yawned, relaxing back into his mate's warmth.
Over an hour later, Jean had lost her patience after fielding the first meeting alone, and sent Wyratt up to the Grand Master’s quarters, to “at least see if he’s still among us.”
He rapped on the thick oak door twice.
“Grand Master? Are you well? You missed the first briefing.” He leaned closer to the door, lowering his voice. “Just say the word, and I’ll come up with an excuse.”
He heard the crashing of wood and crack of pottery—unmistakably the sound of furniture being forcibly rearranged was taking place inside, but no voices. No. Was that a growl?
“Grand Master! Are you drunk? Under duress?”
Wyratt was already drawing his sword, and no response was forthcoming.
“I’m opening the door!”
To his surprise, it was unlocked without the need to breach. Wyratt threw open the door, just catching a golden blur at the window leading to the balcony.
He ran over to the railing as it flew over the edge, looking down at the rooftops below.
Is that a wolf? And on its back… a green hare!?
“Holy Lyre!” He turned and scarpered back to report, shouting for the Acting Grand Master.
As the fully transformed Varka and Lohen bounded along the rooftops toward the plains outside the city, they picked up a merry voice from elsewhere.
“Ah! Finally, it was about time…” the woman cleared her throat. “Darling~ Let’s go to the lake for a spot of fishing! I have a feeling we will have an uninterrupted, splendid time! And perhaps, we might meet some new, fluffy friends to play with Dodoco too~”