TASTE OF LIFE

Written by & copyright of Foxonian Foxonian@aol.com

Featuring Cassie, Shiva (Cassie's security chief) and Foxonian (Cassie's husband)

Cassie, the Rock & Roll Vixen
http://www.cassietherockvixen.furtopia.org

Please read the prequil, "The Golden Chord," Featuring Cassie, Cassie's Band and Yang Li at
http://www.cassietherockvixen.furtopia.org/the_golden_chord.txt
Please read the sequil, "The Long And Winding Road," Featuring Cassie and Foxonian (Cassie's husband) at
http://www.cassietherockvixen.furtopia.org/the_long_and_winding_road.txt

All characters created by & copyright of Earl Bacon except Laretta, who is created by
and copyright of Andre' Cotton, Alex, who is created by and copyright of Donna Fritz,
Vixina and Cloudchaser, who are created by and copyright of Cloudchaser Shaconage and
Victor & Ben, who are copyright themselves.

Cassie put the last box of Christmas decorations away in the closet.  She straightened out her white blouse and pulled up
the waistband of her black flared jeans.  She looked down at the large oval belt buckle on the black leather belt that
had been a gift from Cindy (along with the black jeans).  She then turned around to check on her large fluffy fox like
tail that poked out of a tail slit just blow the waist band.  Seeing that it wasn't dirty and giving it a playful
flick, the rock vixen adjusted her black neck choker with it's oval blue gem and ran her right hand paw through her
long mane of sable black head hair.

Cassie sighed and went into the kitchen to pour herself a cup of tea.  So far,the Holidays were a bit of a bust.
Her husband,the human known as Foxonian, had been sick with the flu.  As such, Cassie had to cancel the Christmas
party that she had been planning for the band.  Worse still, Foxonian's illness prevented him from spending Christmas
eve with his father in the Home.  Though he was getting better, Cassie still felt that she should avoid seeing his
dad until she was certain the anti-biotics he was given were doing their job.

As she put her water on to boil, she wondered what it was like to get a cold.  Furry-morphs had been gen-teched to
resist most forms of illness.  Only synger's syndrome was a major condition that struck them and not all furry-morphs
got that either.  While the water simmered, Cassie sat down at the kitchen table to read the latest news in her
recording industry mag.  Of course, the main subject that concerned her was Furversity.  The female group's
lead singer/guitarist, a blond furry-morph vixen named Sahsa Reynhart had been doing a good job of trashing Cassie in
the press over the last two months, harping on everything, from Cassie's age to the Rock Vixen's "wardrobe malfunction"
at Live 8 last summer.

The lawyers from Cassie's record label had been pleading with her to file slander charges against Reynahrt, but the
Rock Vixen knew better.  That was exactly what that blond vixen and her managers wanted.  More free publicity.  Well,
Cassie had been around long enough in the industry to see that trick played and wasn't going to go along.  At least
the reviews of Furveristy's debut album had been mixed, with most critics harping on it's negative content and
"derivative" sound.  Cassie especially liked the one critic who said that Furversity would sound better if they tried
to "emulate" Cassie's Band rather than "immolate" them.  "Your water is boiling," a voice said from the doorway.

Cassie turned to see Foxonian, dressed in a plaid shirt and blue jeans pointing toward the kettle on the stove.  "I see
you are looking better.  How was your nap?" the Rock Vixen asked as she turned off the pot and poured the water in to a
tea pot filled with four tea bags.  "Just fine.  I think I am finnaly shaking this thing.  Can I have a cup?" the
human asked as he got a cup from the cupboard.  "Of course you can!  Silly!" Cassie giggled as she wrapped her arms
around her husband's waist and turned her head to give him a kiss on his lips.  As both Cassie and Foxonian were locked
in an embrace, a faint sound could be heard on the window pane over the kitchen sink.

Turning to see the cause, Cassie saw what looked like a barn owl perched on the ledge.  Foxonian saw the owl and
asked "Doesn't that look like Shiva's owl?"  Cassie nodded.  Neither of them had seen the silver back vixen since
the summer.  Not even Dominic knew of her whereabouts.  Though he did say that neither Foxonian nor Cassie should mount
any kind of search for her.  He said that it might endanger her life to do so.  Slowly walking out to the back deck,
both Cassie and Foxonian saw the owl pearched on one of the railings.  Sitting on the wooden deck floor was Shiva.  She
was wearing her black leather sleeveless thigh-slitted dress, but her legs & human like feet were bare.

She wore no boots.  Foxonian noticed that her dress looked ragged, like she had been in it for weeks.  And her long mane
of white head hair was tussled and unkempt.  But the thing that un-nevered both Cassie and Foxonian was Shiva's blank
wide-eyed stare and total silence.  The silver black vixen sat with her human like legs straight out in fron of her,
her back was against the deck rail and her arms were loosely at her side.  For a moment, Foxonian thought she might
have been dead, but he noticed that Shiva was still breathing.  "Shiva, it's Cassie.  Foxonian's here too.  Are you
okay?" Cassie asked as she knelt down next to the silver-black vixen.  Shiva made no response and continued to stare
into space.

Foxonian then knelt down next to the silver back vixen and tried was about to open his mouth, when suddenly, Shiva
quickly turned her head to face Foxonian and placed both her hands on the human's forehead.  "Foxonian, you are hearing
my thoughts.  I am dying.  You must help me.  Do you agree?" the human heard inside his head as a shocked Cassie looked
on.  "We can bring you inside.  I can call Dominic," Foxonian said in his thoughts before Shiva cut him off.  "There is
no time.  I must know now.  Will you save me?  Please?" Shiva sent as she continued to stare wordlessly as Foxonian
holding his head firmly to maintain telepathic contact.

"Yes, Shiva.  Do what you have to do," Foxonian sent.  The silverback vixen then grabbed the human's arm and sank her
fangs into his flesh.  Cassie screamed and tried to pull Shiva off her husband but Foxonian pushed her away
screaming, "Don't interfere Cass!  It's Shiva's only chance to survive!"  "Oh, My God!!  She a Vampyre!!!  Hun get
away from her!  She will kill you!!!"   Cassie said hysterically.  "I will not kill him, Cass.  He just saved my
life," Shiva said as she pulled her fangs out of the human's arm, licking the last drops of his blood as she did
so.  Cassie pushed Shiva out of the way as she looked at her husband's arm.  The two puncture marks were disappearing.

"H-How are you,Hun?"  Cassie asked in a trembling voice.  "I am very tired.  But I'm okay.  I just feel a little
strange," Foxonian said getting a little shakily to his feet.  "He needs to rest now, Cass.  My saliva has a
natural coagulating agent.  He will recover, but I had to take some of his blood, so his volume will be low," Shiva said
as she rose to her feet.  "STAY WHERE YOU ARE SHIVA!  I'll bring Foxonian inside and rest.  Then we will have a talk.
A GOOD ONE!!" Cassie yelled at the silver-black vixen as she took her husband by the hand and led him into their home.
"Am happy you are well, Mistress!" Gandalf sent as he flew circles above Shiva.

Shiva looked at the owl for moment before sending, "at least you are glad.  I, however, am a selfish person."  Just
then, Cassie came out of the lodge and said to Shiva "Foxonian is resting peacefully.  What did you do to him and
why?"  Shiva then closed her eyes and began," I am sorry that I never told you my true nature.  I was afraid that
such knowlege would put you at risk."  "Why's that?" Cassie asked.  "I was afraid that you would have feared me and sent
me away.  That would have put you at risk from your enemies.  Trust me, you do have many.  Including those of my
kind," Shiva replied.  "H-How many of your kind are there?" Cassie asked.  Not many, but our numbers are growing.  I,
like the other first ones were made vampyric by human vampires.

We have since created others of our kind by biting other furry-morphs.  I have never heard of any of our kind biting
a human and having him change, so that may be in Foxonian's favor.  Still, I do feel mentally linked to him," Shiva
said with a bit of sadness "Why did you do it, Shiva?  Why did you go off on your own like that?  Why did you let
yourself get like you did?  I assume you don't attack people to meet your "needs" Cassie said as she placed her hands
on the silver-black vixen's shoulders.  Shiva shook her head as she replied "No.  I usually consume blood from a blood
bank supply.  My kind has a network that keeps us well stocked.

But I intentionally didn't take my supply for a few weeks.  You see, Cass, I was trying to commit suicide."  As if
the biting of her husband wasn't enough, Cassie was becoming numb from all the shocks to her system this day was
bringing.  This revelation from Shiva simply left her speechless.  "You have no idea what my life is like,Cass!
The bloodlust and the telepathy can drive me to the brink of insanity.  Add to that the fear that I might turn "feral"
as some of my kind have and degenerate into a mindless blood-sucking killing machine.  That made me feel that I didn't
want to live like this anymore.  So one day, after I had starved myself sufficiently, I walked out of my lake cottage,
went into the woods and lay down upon the leaves and closed my eyes,waiting for my death."

As Cassie digested this info, Shiva held back the real reason for her suicide attempt.  Her love for Foxonian had grown
so strong, she could no longer bear it. Now, after she had bitten her love to stay alive, her greatest fears were
realized.  She was now bound body and soul to her friend and employer's husband.  A bond that she could never escape.
Her only hope was that the bond was less for the human than it was for her.  And she prayed that Cassie would
never suspect.  "Shiva, why did you choose to live?" Cassie said as she sat down on the deck seat next to Shiva.
"Gandalf was responsible for that.  As you may have guessed, we communicate with each other telepathically.
Gandalf convinced me that my life was worth living, especially since I had sworn to protect both you and Foxonian.

A promise that I was selfishly breaking.  He had me use my last remaining strength to come here.   I am sorry for what
I did and not telling you about me, Cass.  I broke your trust and for that I am so sorry."  Tears then began to run
down Shiva's face.  It was the first time Cassie had ever seen the silver back vixen show any kind of emotion.  "Shiva,
you did break my trust.  But I am not mad at you for doing what you did to Foxonian.  I am mad at you for going off
like you did.  We care about you!  Foxonian and I were worried for months!  Only Dominic kept us at bay.  He's one of
your kind, isn't he?" "He was the Progenitor.  The first of our kind.  He's venerated by all furry-morph vamps.  That's
why he's so closely guarded.

Don't be concerned.  Ratchel knows and has promised to keep his nature secret.  Even from you," Shiva replied before
taking Cassie's hands in her's and saying," Cass, I would NEVER intentionally hurt Foxonian.  I asked him to help me of
his own free will and he agreed.  I swear to you on my life that I will never bite him again."  "I will hold you to
that, Shiva, Cassie began putting her face so close that Shiva's and The Rock Vixen's noses almost touched, " because
if you EVER do that to my husband again, I will kill you myself, Understand?"  Shiva nodded and picked up the leather
pouch that Gandolf had dropped next to the two vixens.  "Take it and look inside" Shiva told Cassie as she handed the
pouch to her.

Cassie found a dagger made out of silver and wood.  "That will kill me if plunged through my heart.  I didn't have
the courage to use it on myself.  I give it to you to seal our pact.  Please do not hesitate to use it on me if I
should ever bite Foxonian again."  Cassie looked at the dagger for moment, then put it back in the pouch before
saying "Come on in, Shiva.  You look like you need a good bath and change of clothes.

Plus, I'll call Andy and let you two go over security arrangements for the tour.  You missed a lot of band meetings
and have to catch up."  Shiva stood up and replied "Thank you Cass.  you are the best friend I have even known.  To take
me back after what I did to your husband.  I am forever in your debt."  Cassie then smiled and said "Don't worry.  I
know you are good at repaying your debts. No matter how large."  Shiva nodded fallowed Cassie into the cabin.

THE END