The First Rites

                            By:

                         Fox Cutter

10/20/99:

"She did what?" I asked Rachel in disbelief, then shook my
head as she started to speak. "No... no! I heard you the
first time. I just can't believe she shot him!" I just wish
I had been there to see it.

The vixen nodded, looking very serious, "No one else could
either. You need to learn to pick your friends better."

I sighed, and ran my fingers through my hair. "Why didn't
they arrest her on the spot?"

"As I said before, they were there under your clearance and
authorization. The meeting was considered Secret, so the
guards couldn't enter the room, and Oriana refused to
explain herself about what happened."

"And why am I hearing about this now if it happened three
weeks ago?"

"It took this long for the complaint to reach my desk," she
said, reaching over and adjusting my suit jacket. "It's
lucky that Grasion isn't pressing charges, or your friend
would be in trouble."

I nodded, shifting uncomfortably as the suit settled down
over my shoulders, "and so would Oria. I just want to know
how they faked my clearance."

She shrugged, "I'm not sure that they did. From the record I
saw, you were the one who authorized the visit, and all the
codes check back to your office in the CSC."

"I didn't authorize a thing," I replied with some annoyance.
I had told her so a dozen times already, and she didn't seem
to believe it. "I want to know how they got my access codes
in the first place."

Rachel tilted her head. "You didn't give them to her?"

I shook my head, causing my ponytail to bounce along my
shoulder blades. "Of course not! I do understand security.
I'm the only one who knows my codes, and they are not things
that anyone on Prid could guess, mostly in-jokes and quotes
from movies, all from back home."

"Samantha is from your world," she pointed out.

I nodded, "True, but she doesn't know me well enough to
guess what they are, and she has been out of circulation for
years. I don't think she even knows about stuff like Buffy
or Greedo shooting first."

She got the look she normally had when I went off on a
cultural reference from back home; kind of an amused
confusion. With a shake of her head she flicked her ears
back. "Rhea would know, wouldn't she?"

That hadn't even occurred to me before. "I suppose so, but I
would like to think she knows better than to do that sort of
thing. If she got caught, she might get put down," I said
with a sigh. "I need to find some way to protect her, to
have her be recognized as a person. It frustrates me to no
end that there is nothing in the laws to cover this."

Rachel nodded, "There isn't any easy way to fix that, Fox.
Prid does have contact with Oriana's world, and recognizes
your marriage to her and Rhea, but that doesn't give you
much help."

"Why don't you change the laws?" I suggested.

"I can't, not easily. Prid is autonomous now and the
Consortium can't dictate it's laws. I'll try to update The
Consortium's definition of a person, but there is so much
else going on right now that the small things are being
ignored. It seems like I spend half my time off world, and
it's only going to get worse," she said with a soft sigh.

I nodded. This was familiar territory. "I know. Once the
Consortium moves to the new capitol, you will be going with
it, and I will be staying here."

She placed her paws on my shoulders, "You and your family
could move as well. You will be needed there, and it would
be better if you didn't have to commute back and fourth."

"It's not a place to raise children," I replied with a
chuckle. "Corbin is hardly any better, but I like the house
and I already know all my neighbors."

"But I won't see you anymore," she said, pouting slightly.
It looked out of place on her mature face, showing a few
wrinkles in her fur that weren't normally there. "I miss
you, Fox, in every way," she said, as she touched the side
of my face.

I tilted my head, giving her one of my more animal-like
looks of curiosity, "Are you suggesting something?"

She nodded, "I may not spend a lot of time at the house, but
I still hear things; like that you've let Oriana go back to
her old job."

I blushed deeply and nodded my understanding of the
implications of what she was saying. "Well yes, but that
doesn't mean I'm ready to... be with someone else."

Rachel smiled at my reaction, stroking her paws over my
beard as she leaned forward, kissing me gently on the lips.
"Don't wait too long, Fox," she said as she pulled away, "I
won't be here forever."

"I will wait as long as I need to, even if that is to the
end of the world. I enjoyed my time with you, I mean I
really enjoyed it, and when I'm ready, I'll be ready, but
not before."

Her face fell slightly, "I know, Fox. I'll be ready whenever
you are."

I nodded, and I ran my finger over the edge of her ears.
"Now is not the time for this, though. I have about ten
other things that have to be done today. Planning to have
sex with you isn't on the list."

She blushed as a small smile crept over her face. "I
understand; we will work that out later," she said as she
adjusted the hem of her blouse, and then took a moment to
check her watch. She let out a small yelp. "We better get
out there, or we will be late."

I nodded and crossed my arms as she rushed to the door of
her office. I followed her out the door where Ravindar was
waiting for me. "I wish we didn't have to do this, it feels
a little stuffy," I said as we walked down the hallway.

"The Advisory Council was your idea, even this part of it.
At least this isn't in front of the whole Consortium like
everyone wanted," Rachel replied.

I nodded as I listened to my shoes click on the smooth
surface of the floor. "I feel like my father in this outfit,
I would have preferred a Garlat," I glanced at the vixen as
I said this, she had insisted on the business suit, over my
objections.

She said nothing in reply as we entered into the chambers.
On the other side of the doors a dozen of the highest
Consortium members were waiting for us. They were of all
different species; most were mammals, but there was a
humming bird in the group. He stood a hair under five feet
tall, with red and blue feathers. His wings had evolved into
arms, but he still had the energy of his species type.

He was the one who first approached me, "Greetings Mr.
Cutter, I'm Bastion, the Consortium representative for Prid.
It's a pleasure to finally meet you," he said, offering me
his wing.

I shook it gently, finding he had firm fingers hidden under
the feathers. His grip was stronger than I would have
expected from his form, and I shook it back just as firmly.
"I'm glad to meet you, I would like to speak to you some
time in the near future."

"Of course," he replied, a smile on his flexible beak as he
pulled his wing away.

The others in the room introduced themselves, but it wasn't
necessary. I had met them all before in the course of my
duties to the old Council, even if I didn't know all their
names. Once we all knew each other, they filed up into their
seats, and I took my place behind the table on the floor.

I couldn't think of a time in my life where being in this
position had been a good thing. I had been exiled here, sent
to prison here, helped end the old Council here, and now
this, which was quickly rising to the top of the list of bad
thing.

It was a confirmation hearing for my appointment to the
newly formed Consortium Advisory Council, and it seemed to
take ages. Nearly everyone there knew me, but not well
enough to rubber-stamp me through. They kept asking me
question after question, from my political positions, to how
I would handle certain problems. My answers were creative in
what I would sometimes leave out, like a few that got a
little to close too the Guild. I didn't want to admit that I
knew of them, or that my wife was a returning member.

As the time ticked away I keep looking at my watch, I was on
a tight schedule, and the meeting was going longer than I
had ever expected. They treated it like a life and death
situation, but for me it was just a growing annoyance. I bit
my tongue, answering the questions the best I could, and
watched the members dicker between themselves.

After what seemed like a week they finally decided, and
signed off on my appointment. I was pleased, but it only
left me half an hour to get back home and get changed.

Of course this was going to be a whole new set of problems
in my life, but I was prepared for them, and they would be
less than when I was running the IMF.

I said farewell to everyone, setting an appointment with
Bastion. I wanted to talk with him before I left, but my
time at the moment was too short. Rachel was at my side as
we headed out the door, a smile on her face.

"Well, we did it," she replied as the door closed behind us.

"Yes, we did it. I just hope we don't regret it in the end,"
I replied as I directed us towards the closest fold. I
wanted to get back to the house as fast as possible.

She nodded, following behind me, "Why are you in such a
hurry?"

"I need to meet Oria; the children are being blessed today,
and she managed to talk me into participating, but I need to
get changed before I can go anywhere."

"I see... and I'm sorry I missed Beca's birthday," she said
as she followed along. "I feel bad about it... I was going
to be there, but things came up."

I chuckled. "Don't get flustered about it. It happens in
your job; we've all learned how to deal with it," I told her
as I opened the fold.

She nodded, and followed me through the fold and into the
house. "Well, I haven't! I like your children, and I want to
be around to see them. They remind me a little of the ones I
always dreamed of having."

"I understand," I replied, closing the fold after Ravindar
had come through. I remembered what she had told me before,
and knew that for her such dreams would always be just that.

"Do you have any plans for the rest of the day?" I asked her
as I punched in the code to unlock the door.

"I didn't know how long the hearing would last, so I kept
the rest of the day open," she said as the steel door slid
open. "Why do you ask?"

I smiled as I walked through the door, and started down the
hallway. The house seemed strangely silent with Oria, Rhea,
Kalie and the kids on Hr'raal. Sora was at her class, and
Samantha was off on her own for the day. Santhara was still
here, but she was off in her room. Sometimes it surprised me
how many people I had in the house, but I didn't mind, I
liked to keep my friends close to me. They were like family
in their own way, which helped me as I saw my real family so
rarely.

I chuckled, "Well, you could come along if you would like. I
know Oria wouldn't mind."

A flush ran over her face, only showing around her eyes and
in her ears. "Really?" she asked, sounding excited by the
idea.

I nodded, "Of course. You're family to us. It would be nice
to have you there," I said as we came to the bedroom door.
"You wait here, I'll be right back," I turned my attention
to Ravindar, "and you can go get ready. I'll be fine on my
own."

The tiger nodded sharply, and turned away, walking back down
the hallway with what could almost be called a small bounce
in his step. I smiled to myself at this. He and Santhara had
started to go on dates when Oria and I left them behind. It
apparently had started as a mutual griping session, but had
started to grow into a relationship. I knew about it only
because Ravindar came to me, asking about a nice place to
take her.

I slipped into the bedroom, leaving the vixen to wait for me
in the hall. As soon as the door closed, I started to rip
off the suit, throwing each piece to the floor as it came
off. My Garlat was waiting for me, folded on the bed. I
picked up the top, and felt the soft, almost silk-like
fabric move through my fingers. I carefully pulled it over
my shoulders, lacing up the top near the collar. The pants
fit easily, and I tied the belt closed around my waist.
There were matching shoes, an accommodation for me, but I
decided to forgo them.

I put a few choice items into the pockets, and walked back
to the door. The fabric moved and swayed as I walked,
swirling around in the air currents created by my passage.

Rachel was still waiting for me in the hallway, a small
smile playing over her face as she saw me. "Is that what you
wanted to wear?" she asked.

I nodded as we started back to the fold room. We would both
need a Matrix chip before we left, but I had enough extra.

She ticked her tongue, as she looked me over. "It fits you a
lot better than the suit did. That seemed to hang off you,
but you really are wearing this."

I chuckled, "Told you so."

She nodded and touched the small of my back, "This is from
Oriana's world?" she asked.

"It is," I replied as we came up to the door to the fold
room. The door had locked itself while we were gone, so I
had to re-enter the code.

"You really have embraced her world," she said as we walked
in to the room.

"You were the one who told me I was 'Going Native'. I just
took it to heart," I told her as I walked to the wall of
shelves. It only took a moment to select the chips, one went
into the controller in my watch; the other I put into a
spare controller and handed it to Rachel.

She took it from me, wrapped it around her wrist and gave it
a few quick words. A few moments later a lioness stood in
her place. She rubbed her eyes, blinking quickly. "I forget
how that looks," she said.

I chuckled, and activated my own. As we weren't going to
Rose's house, there wasn't any reason to delay it. "How
often have you used one?"

"Three or four times," she replied, "but that was years
ago."

I nodded, opening the fold. I didn't have to think about it
anymore, it was as ingrained into me as the fold back to
Earth, and the one in the house. I could open them in my
sleep.

We stepped through, and the fold snapped shut behind us,
leaving us in the back alley a few blocks away from the
House.

"The rest of the world looks better than this," I said as we
walked down the alley to the main street. I used half my
attention to watch where I stepped, the warm sidewalk
feeling strange against the soles of my feet.

She nodded. "They usually do," she replied as we reached the
street. I hurried to wave down a cab, as she watched the
people walk past us.

Finally one came to a stop, and she and I climbed into the
back. I told the driver to take us to the Grand Temple of
Thryn, and we were soon off.

"Shoes aren't that common here," Rachel said, looking down
at her feet. Her disguise made her look like a lioness, but
didn't hide her clothing, or the short pumps she wore.

"Not really," I replied, brushing my fingers over the shirt.
It was strange to see my hands as paws, but without all the
other feeling I had associated with not being human, like
having a tail.

The disguised vixen looked down at her feet, and slowly
pulled her shoes off. "Well, it's best to blend in," she
commented.

I nodded, and pondered if I should explain some of the
details of Oria's religion. In the end I decided not to;
there was no reason for her to know that Thryn, or the High
Priest were both she-males. It wasn't obvious, and I hadn't
known until my wife had told me.

It didn't take long for us to reach the Temple. Kalie was
waiting for me on the front steps. At least I assumed that
it was her as she was using her own Matrix Chip.

"Fox?" she said, coming over to us as I paid for the cab.
Her voice confirmed my first guess.

"I'm sorry, the meeting went long," I said as I started
towards the Temple. "It hasn't started yet, has it?" I
asked.

She shook her head. "Not yet, but you've cut it pretty
close. Oriana was a little worried that you wouldn't come,"
she glanced back at Rachel, "And who is this?"

"I gave her my word that I would be here, and that's
Rachel," I answered as we crossed over the threshold, and
entered the temple. Once we were out of sight of the street,
Kalie and I dropped our disguises. Rachel followed suit a
few moments later.

Kalie lead us into the main hall, where everyone was waiting
my arrival. My wife smiled as she saw me, coming forward to
meet me, giving me a tight hug. "I'm glad you could make
it," she said as she pulled away.

I nodded, "But remember, you owe me one," I replied in a
whisper, smiling to her as I continued down the sloping
hall. Oria stayed behind for a moment to greet Rachel. Then
they both joined us, along with everyone else, in front of
the altar.

Rhea was watching the children as they slept, each one
dressed in a simple yellow shirt that hung past their knees.
Rhea herself was wearing her collar, and the large marriage
bracelet that showed the world that she was married to Oria
and me.

My wife was in her own Garlat, gray where mine was black.
Kalie was in a simple dress that highlighted the dark brown
color of her smooth fur. The otter seemed the most excited
of all of us in the room.

A few of the young lions who worked at the temple were in
the room as well, there to help the High Priest when he
arrived. Half the young men had manes, the other half did
not. One of the little quirks of genetics in this world.

I reached down to touch Rhea's head as I looked in on the
children. Beca was the biggest, being a few months older. It
was hard to believe that the young skunk was a year old, and
harder to believe that it had been a year since Naomi had
died. She was growing fast, and had just started walking.
She was still a quiet child, not really close to speaking
yet, which worried Oria until the doctor told us that it
appeared normal for her species.

The twins were both growing like weeds, and had a tendency
to babble a lot. At seven months old they still looked
alike, and they would for many years to come. They were
identical twins, even with their different genders. I wasn't
sure of the details, but it had something to do with how
gender was decided during development, and not by genetics.
It wasn't that uncommon on Oria's world.

I reached down and touched each of my children as they
slept. Though Beca was actually my granddaughter through
adoption, that wouldn't change a thing about how she was
raised.

"I see that everyone is here," the High Priest said as she
walked into the room. She was a well-built lioness, very
busty, with a slim body that seemed to exaggerate it even
more. The white dress that she wore helped to emphasize it
more. She, like all of the High Priests, had started as a
proper male, but reshaped herself into the likeness of
Thryn.

Most languages didn't have the pronouns to handle that sort
of thing. Ral'lari, Oria's language, was one of the few that
did, probably because of Thryn and his followers.

Oria, Kalie and the other members of the Temple bowed their
head as the High Priest entered, a moment later Rachel did
as well. I, of course didn't, but that's me. Rhea just
didn't seem to care about it.

The priest nodded, and motioned for everyone to lift their
heads. She gave me a smile, and nodded at my reaction. "It's
a pleasure to be here today," she said as she came to the
altar. "Even though I do many Blessings, they are still
special, and this one even more so, as you have been blessed
directly by Thryn himself."

I shuffled my feet at this. Oria's God was real, and fairly
sane. He had taken an interest in us, and even shown up in
person a few times to chat. As much as I hated to admit it,
I genuinely liked the guy. He was humble for a god, and
seemed a little lonely. He hadn't shown himself in ages, not
since my wedding. I personally hoped he would stay away this
time.

The High Priest spread her arms out, and motioned that she
was about to begin. We all moved forward to stand before
her, Oria at one side, and Rhea at the other.

"Today we do not give thanks to Thryn, but to the goddess
that created him. To she who breathed life into this world
before history, and shaped all that is born unto it," The
High Priest recited as she cast her eyes out the stained
glass windows, towards the noon-day sun. "Today we give
thanks to Aurata for these new lives, and bless them in her
name."

A soft chorus of amens passed over the room as she paused.
Everyone said it but me. Rhea, to my surprise, joined in
with the others.

"Today the parents stand before you, to bring their
children. The father, Foxeris Ryoga Cutter," she pointed to
me as she said my name, "a man not of this world, but who
treats it as if it was his own. The Birth Mother, Oriana
Keening Shripon Cutter, a strong woman who has survived a
hardship that most could never imagine, and who came out
stronger in the end. The Second Mother, Rhea Cutter," Rhea
raised herself higher as the attention came to her. "A
unique woman who would give her life for their children."

The High Priest stepped down from the altar and walked
towards us. "The three of you are a unique family, and I
believe will raise your children to be just as unique," she
paused in front of us, and smiled. "May I please have the
first child?"

Oria nodded, and picked up Beca. She held the child gently
as she passed her to the High Priest. The Priest held the
child with practiced hands as she returned to the altar, and
held her in the light of the sun. "Rebecca Tabitha Cutter.
Today you are blessed in the light of Aurata. May your life
be long and filled with great happiness in the course you
choose for it."

Beca shifted in her arms, but remained asleep.

The High Priest stepped back down, and returned Beca to
Oria's arms. She then turned her attention to me. Without a
word I went to the children and picked up Romana in my arms.
Gently I passed her to the priest.

"Romana Ellie Cutter," she repeated, "Today you are blessed
in the light of Aurata. May your life be long and filled
with great happiness in the course you choose for it."

Soon my daughter was in my arms, this time it was Kalie who
picked up Adric and gave her to the High Priest.

"Adric Rathal Cutter," she said once more, "Today you are
blessed in the light of Aurata. May your life be long and
filled with great happiness in the course you choose for
it."

Soon Kalie was once more holding my son. I was expecting the
ceremony to end at this point as everything I had been told
said it would, but instead of giving the parting words, the
High Priest did something I hadn't expected.

"Rhea, will you please come up here," she said.

She nodded, slipping away from my side, and moving to sit
next to the altar. Her tail was tucked between her haunches
as she sat, looking up at the High Priest.

"Rhea Zoie Cutter, you have made a request of me. You have
asked, as a grown adult, to join with your children on this
day."

Rhea nodded her large head, but said nothing.

"It is not common to bless an adult, though you are less
than two years old. If you are willing to accept this
blessing, I am willing to give it."

My wife and sometimes sister, to my total amazement, nodded
her head. I was surprise by that. So much of her personality
was based on my own that it had never even occurred to me
that her beliefs might be different than mine. From the look
on Oria's face, she was just as surprised about this as I
was.

The High Priest touched Rhea's head, and once more repeated
the words of the blessing.

Rhea walked down from the altar and took her place once more
at my side. I glanced down at her in disbelief. She gave me
a happy, and slightly smug look in return. From the look on
Rhea's face I think she was hoping I would question her, but
she said nothing.

In all honesty, I wasn't tempted at all. I just sat in
silence as the High Priest looked us over.

"Today your children, and you as well, Rhea, have been
blessed by Aurata and her touch. May her guidance lead you
throughout your life, and never should you forget her love
for you all."

Another chorus of amens filled the room, my voice the only
one silent.

--------

This story is copyright 2004 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.