On Prefect's Pixie: A Furcadian Tale

	Prefect's Pixie, at first glance an innocent peasant mare, is, in reality, an ancient equine sorceress and erotic temptress.  Her favorite "innocent" (if ready and willing) victim is the dashing Deathmagick.  None can resist her deep blue eyes, blood-red mane, and lithe, quick body.  Males of all species flock to her mystifying voice.  Her allegiances are few in number, but none would forsake her, for an intelligent, strong-willed beauty is a handy ally.

	As a youthful filly, she was raised in the lush land of Dell Glaccia by the wizard Iadian.  At the time, she was merely a normal horse, the same shade of medium gray all over.  Until the age of three years old, by which time she was fully grown, she had never been outside.  When he noticed that his horse was constantly moping, Iadian built her a paddock outside.  Upon her release, she pranced and jumped wildly with happiness.
	The horse's spritely antics inspired the teen-aged boys of the Arthurian village to name her "Pixie".  They often snuck into her paddock at night, slipped a rough rope bridle over her face, and jumped her over bushes and fallen trees.  She enjoyed the company of these human youths tremendously.  They brought their love interests down to watch her in the moonlight.  After feeding her precious sugar and outdoing their beaus at riding, the girls would disappear into the woods with their boyfriends.  Pixie longed for a mate of her own.

Chapter 2
	Pixie's master led a fairly solitary life because of an accident in his youth.  A lesson in potion-making went horribly awry and brought a curse upon him: that after dark, he would take on the opposite characteristics of any human in his presence.  Iadian isolated himself from other people in the evenings and had few friends.

	Iadian's one true friend was a time and space hitchhiker named Ford Prefect.  He was a spontaneous individual, a perfect counterpoint to Iadian, which kept the aging wizard peaceful at night.  Ford was a handsome man in his mid-twenties.  He brought the wizard marvels from many times and places.  Ford was well-known across the galaxy for leading a wild and spontaneous lifestyle.  Girls threw themselves at his feet wherever he wandered, begging him to take them on his marvelous travels.  They always led him back to Pixie's paddock, and after a few visits he never wanted to go into the forest with them, but to stay with the mare.  He felt a special kind of bond with Pixie.  He grew dangerously at ease when around her.

Chapter 3
	One evening, while enjoying a drink with Iadian in his home, Ford grew serious for a moment.
	"That beautiful horse out in the pasture...what's her name again?" asked Ford in an offhand voice.
	"She doesn't have one," said Iadian, pouring himself another brandy.
	"The village boys and girls call her Pixie, I believe."
	"That's no concern of mine," said Iadian, and his lack of concern showed in his voice.  He sipped quietly at his snifter.
	"Well, I'd like to purchase her."
	Iadian still seemed not to care, although he surely did not want to sell his horse.  Ford's care for the beast was reversing itself slowly in its owner's mind.  "What need have you for a beast of burden, when you travel the galaxy at speeds faster than the light of the sun?"
	"I've grown rather fond of her, plus the fact that you don't seem to look after her well.  The children ride her in the evenings when you've gone off to bed.  You don't feed her very well.  No one cares after her wounds when she falls."
	"You fail to show me your point, Prefect."
	Ford was growing impatient.  "Thirty Altarian dollars, Iadian."
	"The Altarian dollar collapsed twenty years ago.  And I'll bet you knew that, too," said Iadian, rising from his chair and heading to his potion laboratory.  "I bought her for thirty-one off some poor chap who didn't."  He placed his magic wand on the table.
	"Where are you going?" asked Ford.
	"To make a stronger drink," said Iadian, opening the heavy oak door with ease.
	Now Ford was nervous.  Iadian had ingredients in his possession that could kill a man in an instant.  "Wait, Iadian!" he shouted as the door closed and locked itself.  Loud blasts and bangs echoed from inside the chamber and Ford could hear Pixie's worried whinnies from outside.  Ford tried to break down the door and failed miserably three times before he noticed the wand.  He pointed it at the door and it emitted showers of red sparks, one of which caught the lock.  The door swung open with a band and Ford dashed inside.
	Iadian held in his hand a translucent goblet of bubbling orange liquid.  "This," he shouted, walking towards Ford, "this little potion will cure all my ills forever!"
	Ford wondered how they had gotten onto this topic, but didn't wonder for long as Iadian conjured a large, lemon-covered gold brick and hit him in the head with it.  He staggered back against the wall, but recovered quickly.  "Why do you want to do this?"  He didn't realize that his sober nervousness was only convincing Iadian to do the unthinkable.  "I only want to buy your horse!"
	"You'll never know, will you, young Prefect?"  He raised the goblet to his lips, but Ford knocked it from his hand.  It ate through a spell book which had the unfortunate luck to be on the floor.  He restrained Iadian in a chair until dawn, when an owl flew in.

Chapter 4
	Iadian, now his normal self, apologized to Ford for his behavior as Ford picked up the letter that the owl dropped.  "I can't control it, especially when I lose the will to care at all.  Strange, isn't it?  Usually after dark I must control you," he said, chuckling at irony's cruel joke.
	"'Dear Mr. Iadian,'" read Ford, "'It has come to our attention that an illegal poison was prepared in your home some six hours ago.  As this is your third offense in such an area, an animal under your care has been transformed into an eternal Furre.  We beg you not to indulge in such spellwork a fourth time.  Sincerely, the Minister of Magic.' A Furre?  What's a Furre?"
	"A kind of half-man, half-beast.  You never quite know how it will turn out.  This one may be different, though, because its lifespan has been expanded indefinitely.  The Ministry doesn't like to make animals suffer," said Iadian, studying the mice in his lab for a sign of a human hand or foot.
	Ford, however, ran straight to Pixie's pasture.  The beautiful mare was lying on her side in a patch of blue and pink wildflowers, breathing very lightly.  He ran for Iadian.  They came back as quickly as they could, but by the time they arrived her transformation was complete.

Chapter 5
In the field stood a woman, not more than twenty-two years of age, with an equine face and tail, but a human body.  Her mane and tail were a deep red and she was covered in gray fur.  The greatest change, however, was in her eyes.  They were a watery blue that reflected time itself, a blue like the timeless sea.  They showed a thirst for knowledge that could never be satiated and the presence of an eternal soul.  Her mind was human, even though her body was horse-like.  She was wrapped in elaborate robes in the colors of the flowers surrounding her.  She walked to the two astonished men with the air of a lady among commoners.
Astounded by the beauty of the creature before him, Ford Prefect fell to the ground in reverence. Iadian remained standing tall, but his jaw had dropped and his eyes were open wider than they ever had been.  Pixie walked to Ford and lifted his head.  He kissed her human hand, and slowly raised his eyes to hers.  "What has happened?" she asked him.  He did not speak, but continued to stare wordlessly.  She turned to her owner.  "What's happened to me?"
Iadian closed his gaping mouth and answered calmly, "You have been transfigured from a mere Equis domesticus into a Furre, and a unique one at that."  He pulled his wand from his pocket and pointed it at Pixie.
"What are you doing?" she asked, pulling back in fear.
"Giving you magical powers," he answered, pulling up his long sleeves.  "I doubt that all shall be as enamored with you as young Prefect here, so I must give you a defense system."  Iadian took a powder out of his pocket and sprinkled it on Pixie's shoulders.  He muttered words in a strange language under his breath.  The girl was puzzled.  Ford could understand his seemingly senseless vocabulary thanks to a small fish in his ear and translated reluctantly for Pixie.
"Speak of owls, who fly at night, sing of wolves, their howling fright. Furre, now endowed with th'right to overcome with magic might, that which sings and speaks so bright.  Human, run, from saving light, for that shall bring you certain blight."  Here, Ford's eyes returned to the ground in shame.
Pixie was afraid.  The words from her master told her all she needed to know; she would not be accepted in this world for a normal human, though that was all she wanted.  She had been created above them and mere mention of her glorious power would frighten anyone who heard.  She ran from the paddock with a speed never before seen.  Ford ran after her but tired when she reached the horizon.  "Iadian, you fool," he said, turning to the old man, "you fool, she's gone.  She's gone!  And she'll never come back!"
Now the wizard recognized his folly.  "My friend, I'm sorry.  The words were harsher than her newly human mind could accommodate."
Ford paced the hard, unforgiving ground.  "She's understood more than anyone ever will in a matter of moments.  Where will she run?  You've made it perfectly clear that she's not wanted around here or anywhere in this time.  And she'll live forever, damn it.  Forever with the knowledge that she's been rejected."  He fell to the ground weeping.  "She'll never know that I loved her."
"Never fear, old friend," said Iadian, "you'll find her.  You have techno-whatsits on your side.  You can find anyone in any time."
"Not without some kind of a transport," said Ford, wiping the tears from his eyes with new hope.  Green lights appeared in the sky at that instant.  Iadian smiled at Ford.

Chapter 6
Pixie ran out of the village.  She hid herself in a dark cave for three months, hoping she would die of starvation, dehydration, or something.  She couldn't bear this torture.  When the third month ended, she was tired, hungry, thirsty, and living in spite of herself.  She went outside to stretch her legs and wash her face of dried tears.  Sitting next to a small stream, wondering how she was going to repair her torn clothes, she heard a rustle in the bushes.  Two eyes reflected the bright sunlight, and a strange emotion dripped from them.
"Ford?" she asked the eyes.
The eyes blinked in surprise, then returned to their original stare.
"Who's there?"
The eyes did not waver.  The stare was not from the eyes of the one she loved and it did not reflect the same awe in the least.  The boy in the bushes leaned in for a closer look.  His face was full of desire and he was nearly fearless.  Pixie screamed at her first understanding of lust and threw a stone at the boy.  It engulfed his black hair in flames.  As he ran foolishly away from the water, Pixie realized the power in her hands.  She picked up a piece of grass and it turned into a needle and thread.  Upon beginning to repair her torn pink cape, she discovered that the needle sewed without her hand.  Unlike her former master, she didn't need spell words or a wand.

Chapter 7
The ship that Ford and Iadian had seen in the sky picked them up about ten minutes later.  "Where to, gents?" squeaked the squat white rat-creature inside.
"You got time travel capabilities on this hunk of junk?" queried Ford.
"Yeah.  I'll rephrase my question.  When to, gents?" he said, laughing.
"This spot, one thousand years ahead," Ford said, climbing on board.
Iadian didn't trust the rat.  It wasn't the technology in his possession or his rodent-like appearance; he was used to this from the books Ford had brought him.  It was something that escaped him...
"Come on, Iadian, we're going to a library," called Ford from inside the shiny silver ship.  Iadian cautiously went up the ramp, fingering the wand in his pocket.
"Never fear, old man, this trip'll only take a few seconds."
Iadian joined Ford in the cushioned passenger accommodations.  The walls were lined with drawings, photographs, and tri-d's of females of every species of Furre.  Normally Ford would have been studying each one intently, but he was instead deep in thought.  Iadian whispered, "Prefect, we don't even know this Furre's name.  How do we know that he is to be trusted?"
Ford nodded and shouted up to the cockpit, "Hey, what's your name?"
"Fuzzy Lamar," the rat squeaked back.
"There.  We know his name.  Can we get on with this mission now?"
Iadian wasn't convinced, but he decided to ally himself with the rat anyways.  Sometimes you must join forces with those you'd rather avoid, he said to himself, thinking back to the wizard-school books that Ford brought him once.
A matter of a few seconds later, they were walking through the streets of modern London.  No one paid much attention to Iadian's strange clothing or manner as he and Ford walked into the library in the center of town.
"What exactly is your plan, Prefect?" asked Iadian, moving the mouse of the computer nearest him.  He was surprised that the little white arrow on the monitor moved in the same manner as the mouse.  "I mean to say, we're in this grand library, but what use is this in finding my horse?"
"Okay, number one, she's not your horse anymore; she's no man's Furre.  Number two, we're searching myths and legends for sightings of creatures bearing similar features to Pixie."
"Number three, we've been followed," said Iadian, spotting Fuzzy in the doorway.  "What are you doing here?"
"I'm helping you on your quest.  I've always wanted a quest!" said Fuzzy breathlessly.  "Where do we start?"
"You start at the door..." began Iadian, pushing Fuzzy towards it.  Ford stopped him.
"Are you insane?  We'll need his ship again, mark my words."
They began their search of the library.  For three days they searched and turned up nothing.  Then, drinking his fiftieth cup of liquid which was almost, but not quite, entirely unlike tea, Ford found a book called "Seductive Secrets and Tantalizing Tales of the Middle Ages" by the witch Nethya.  It seemed interesting and he needed a break from his search.  On page three there was a Medieval painting (filled with badly drawn short people and bordered with religious icons) of a crowd of men following a woman with a horse's head.

Chapter 8
Pixie fixed up the cave so that it made a suitable home and chased away teenaged intruders for amusement.  Once they glimpsed her bathing in the stream and she bewitched the squirrels to pursue the boys with pointy sticks.  She put a charm on her clothes line so that if a human touched anything connected to it, he would receive a mild shock.  Life was slowly improving.
Once, she ventured into the village nearby.  She had woven herself some common robes to hide her identity.  As she passed by the thatched-roof cottages, she heard voices from inside.  They were generally deep, but once in a while they cracked.  The voices were telling shadows about something they saw in the woods to the south, just east of Dell Glaccia.  "It was beautiful."
"Yeah.  I saw her clothes on the line once.  I tried to steal them, but it hurt."
"Aw, I bet you didn't!"
"Did I hear talk of gambling in my house?"
"Sorry, Dad.  Go on, Bill.  Tell us more!"
Pixie wrapped her shawl more tightly around herself.  As she turned back towards the forest, she heard a kind voice behind her.
"Lost your way, madam?" asked an old man with a cart of fruit.  He was on his way to the market.  "I've never seen you hereabouts.  Where's you from?"
"I don't know myself, sir," she said.  These were the first kind words she'd heard in months.  "Could you direct me to..." she paused for a moment, nearly saying "Dell Glaccia", but thinking better of it.  "Never mind."
"Might I see the face of the lady with the lovely voice?" asked the man.  "You need not hide anything here."
"I'm sorry, but I can't."
"Understood completely," he said.  "You should drop by my home later.  We're having chicken soup for dinner and you sound in need of a good meal."
"I thank you, sir, but I must be going," said Pixie, hating to turn down his offer.  She bought an apple from his cart and turned to go, but tripped on an upturned stone.
"Let me help you, ma'am," said the kind man, offering her his hand.  As she arose, the cloak fell off her face.  The man gasped and fell to the ground with admiration.
The villagers started to gather around.  Men walked forward to greet the beautiful stranger, but their wives held their children back.
"But Mum, I want to see..."
"Hush, Tashia, 'tis a demon girl!"
"Theo, it's the wench from the woods!"
"Well, ain't she beauteous," said Theodore, leaning against a post.
Pixie turned to run, but found her way blocked from every angle.  She smiled and nodded nervously as the men inched towards her.  Bill strode through the crowd, right to Pixie.  She shied away from him, but he kept coming.
"Come on, beautiful," he said, "I won't hurt you."  He reached up and stroked her mane.
"Don't touch me," she said through gritted teeth.
Bill's eyes dripped with the lust Pixie had seen in the forest.  "Oh?  Why not?"
Pixie raised her gray human hand and hit his away from her face.  She slapped him across the face and he stumbled backwards.  When he looked up, his eyes were clouded.  "I can't see!  I can't see!" he shouted.
"It's a witch!"  "We've got a witch!"  "Burn her!  Burn her!" chanted the crowd.
The kind man with the apple cart grabbed Pixie and said, "Say 'apparacio'!"
"What?!" she shouted.
"Say it!"
"Apparacio!"  Pixie and the man were no longer pursued by the big unruly mob.
The bewildered villagers were in enough shock when a silver ship dropped out of the sky and a handsome red-haired man ran out.  "Where is she?" he asked.
"Who, the witch?"
"The witch disappeared!"
"Right into thin air!"
"And she took Bob with her!"
"She blinded my child!  My good, innocent Bill.  Poor, poor Bill," said one woman, clutching her gangly teenaged son to her bosom.
Ford ran back into the ship, leaving the confused and angry townsfolk even more confused and angry than ever.
Iadian ran to meet him.  "I told you, the book says she disapparates.  You'll be lucky to find her anywhere now that she's mastered her powers."
"Back to the library," said Ford, burying his face in his hands.  Iadian remained in the doorway.  Ford looked up at him with tears rolling freely down his cheeks.  "Tell Fuzzy to take off.  We're going back to the library."

Chapter 9
"Chicken soup.  Does marvels for an anguished soul, as well as an aching throat," said the man to Pixie.
"I thank you for your hospitality, sir," said Pixie, fumbling with the spoon.
"Bob, miss.  Just Bob.  Or perhaps Nethya's Bob," he mused, pouring himself some soup.
"I don't understand.  Nethya's Bob?"
"My wife's name is Nethya, or Bob's Nethya.  She's a sorceress, like you.  We belong to each other.  It's a quaint custom in Dell Glaccia.  I suppose that's where you came from?"
"How did you know?"
"Your clothes suggest it.  The loose, colorful style is quite popular there, but has never quite caught on in our little town of Hypocrita."  He chuckled.  "Ironic name, eh?  I've raised the issue of changing it many times, but people here are afraid of change.  When we moved in, there was quite a riot."
Pixie gave up on the spoon and decided to dip bread in the broth instead.
"You ought to rest here for a few days.  We're just outside of Hypocrita, and the townspeople rarely leave."
"Thank you, Bob," said Pixie.
"What's your name?" asked Bob.  "You neglected to tell me."
"Oh, I'm so sorry," she said.  "It's...uh..."
"I suppose you are like most Furres."  He sighed.  "Never named.  It gives you a nice chunk of identity, and most aren't willing to give one to their subordinates.  Well then, were you ever called by any word at all?"
"Ford called me Pixie," she started, but gradually trailed off.
"Who is this Ford you speak of?"
"Ford Prefect.  He was a friend of my master's."
"You seem quite fond of him."
"Well, he cared for me.  Brought me things.  Wrapped my wounds.  This was all back when I was..." she trailed off again.
"It seems painful for you to talk about it."
"I loved him.  But I'll never see him again, will I?"
"The Lord works in mysterious ways," said Bob with a small smile, laying a hand on her shoulder.  "Now then, as you are Dell Glaccian, you must have a proper name.  To whom would you like to belong?  I suggest this Prefect fellow."
"Yes, that would be nice."
"Prefect's Pixie it is then.  Hmm, has a nice ring to it.  Well then, off to bed with you.  Sleep well."
"Thank you very much for the soup, Bob."
"Oh, you're quite welcome," said Bob.  "Tomorrow, perhaps, you'll meet Nethya.  She went out to London this morning and hasn't come back yet.  Prefers to travel the 'normal' way, my Nethya."
Pixie laid down in a corner on a pile of pillows, conjured a blanket, and drifted into a restful, dreamless sleep.

Chapter 10
When she awoke, she was in the same corner, under the same blanket, but in a skillfully crafted wooden bed.  "Morning, sleepyhead," said a soft, but quite awake, feminine voice.  "How are you doing?"
Pixie stifled a yawn and sat up.
"Bob left earlier to retrieve his cart and calm the villagers.  He's coming back in time for lunch.  In the meantime, I'm Nethya.  You're Prefect's Pixie, right?  Stay in bed, you're bound to be tired after all the excitement.  Apparating takes a lot out of me, too, don't worry.  That's why I prefer to walk."
"You're..."
"Babbling?  Hyperactive?  Yes, I know.  I'm fighting off a Caffeinating Curse that I hit myself with this morning.  Got to keep in shape!"
"No, it's something else."
Pixie had just noticed Nethya's furry ears and bushy tail.
"Oh, yes, I'm a Furre, too.  Tabby feline.  I was born this way, though, whereas I deduce you were not."  She suddenly snapped her neck to the left and her tail straightened outward for an instant.  She calmed down.  "Ah, much better.  I won't be able to look at a cup of coffee for weeks!  Now, then, on with breakfast."

Chapter 11
Over a hot breakfast of fresh bread, blueberries, and milk, the new friends discussed their very different pasts.  Nethya had grown up in the distant land of Furcadia, where everyone was a Furre.
"I have a cousin there.  Sopralto.  She's rather nice, has a great singing voice.  She's white with blue streaks about her face and she wears a lot of leopard-patterned fabric.  I can't quite fathom why, as she's already a cat."
"She sounds very nice," said Pixie, washing her plate in the small wooden bucket by the door.
"Remember that curse I hit myself with this morning?  Sopralto uses that to keep herself going all day.  Found a way to put it in a small pill so that you can get the caffeinated blast of a cup of coffee in the middle of the day.  Calls it a 'Zingo'.  Why she doesn't just drink coffee is beyond me.  Of course, she likes that a lot, too."
Nethya and Pixie walked out to the nearby stream and emptied out the bucket.  "You should check out Furcadia some time.  No humans, except for the occasional accidental arrival from a particularly wild astrophysics party.  There's some nice real estate by the lakes.  And the rivers.  And the desert, and the mountains, and the marshes, and the..."
"Wait.  Hold on.  If it's as big as you say, and with all those distinguishing physical features, then why isn't it  full of humans?"
"Magic, my friend, it's guarded by magic!  And it's in an alternate dimension, but that's beside the point.  The point is...damn, forgot the point.  Oh well."
Suddenly the air grew dense with faint shouts.  They grew steadily louder as Bob rushed out of the woods.
"What's the matter, Bob?" asked Nethya.
"Run!  They've found her out!" he shouted as he sprinted for the house.
Pixie and Nethya bounded frantically after him.  As they slammed the door behind them, the villagers, brandishing flaming torches and hot irons, came out of the woods.  "It's the witch!  Burn her!" they chanted again, and their echoing voices sent the birds of the forest flying into the skies.
Nethya opened a small trapdoor and lowered Bob and Pixie into it, following them with a small vial.  She poured a rose-colored liquid on the floor and an elaborate circle wove itself from the drops.  Green vines and red flowers smelling of dreams appeared amongst the potatoes and carrots in the root cellar.  "Furcadia," Nethya whispered.  The word swirled up in a mist for an instant.  "Jump in, you two," said Nethya.  "The dream portal will close behind me.  Go!"
Bob went first, stepping in bravely as though he were headed for his own coronation.  Pixie followed him quickly and, a few seconds in a vacuum later, found herself in a lush green field with a library to her right, a forest to her left, and a brilliant purple sunrise in front of her.
"Welcome to Furcadia," said Nethya, arriving behind Pixie and putting her paw on Pixie's shoulder.

Chapter 12
"Furcadia," read Iadian.  "A haven for Furres of all species, it is rarely seen by human eyes.  Great real estate.  The only humans who claim to have seen it were drunk astrophysicists who came from particularly wild parties and were, after their experience, afraid of strong tea.  They claim that a handsome, ginger-haired eccentric pointed the way."
"Wait, why haven't I seen it?!?" asked Ford, grabbing the book of Astrological Impossibilities out of the wizard's hands.  "I've been to millions of those parties.  And I'm that handsome, ginger-haired eccentric!"
"You won't be able to get there.  It's in another dimension."
"Which one?" asked Ford, poring over the page.  "Aha!  The sixth!  Wait, I've been there millions of times.  Great girls, great times..."  He trailed off briefly as Iadian stared in shock.  "But that's beside the point!  We've got to get to Furcadia."

Chapter 13
"Sopralto," said Nethya, "I want you to meet Prefect's Pixie.  She's new here, just arrived from the third and fourth dimensions."
"This place is getting crowded, Nethya.  A pack of weasels moved in yesterday.  They make an awful racket at night," said Sopralto.  "This is no place for a lady of such stature to stay!"
"I'm no 'lady of stature', I'm just looking for a place to sleep," said Pixie.  "Can I please stay here, just for one week?  I can start building a house tomorrow."
"Alright, then.  You can stay in my room.  Watch out for the weasels, though.  They'll take anything they can get their hands on," said Sopralto as she walked into her boarding house.  Pixie followed her.
"I'll visit some time, Pixie," said Nethya, who disapparated with Bob and headed for their summer home by the bay.
"Welcome to Dixieland," said Sopralto, sighing disgustedly at the name.  "Old owner named it.  His name was Mark.  Someone killed him a few years back, but no one thought anything of it.  Now, then, my room is on the right.  Number 206.  The rules are quite simple.  No members of the opposite sex are to come into nor be disrobed in this room.  All coffee is to be run by me for testing.  The rent is paid in coffee of any type.  Espresso is greatly appreciated.  You provide your own towel."
Pixie peered inside each room as they passed.
"Ysbaddaden, wash your hands!  They're covered in mud!" shouted a mouse to her little daughter in 210.
"K-k-k-Katie, beautiful Katie," came a discordant, mewling voice from 208.  Sopralto winced as they passed it.  "You're the only g-g-g-girl that I adore!"
Pixie walked into 206 with a smile.  It was perfect.  The bed was covered with leopard-print silk, the floor carpeted with purple shag, and the windows draped with pale blue fabric with gold stars.  It was warm and the scent of flowers filled the air.  "Thank you, Sopralto," sighed Pixie.
"You're quite welcome.  Just remember: No members of the opposite sex."
"Why warn me?  I don't know anyone."
"You will."  She shut the door.  Pixie conjured a towel for herself and set about making herself at home.


Chapter 14
She went outside about ten minutes later and walked around the countryside.  She found a prime spot for a house, on a river near the woods, and immediately set about building it.  She started a digging spell to make the foundation.  It would be a small house, she decided, with room for a good kitchen, a table, a bath, and a bed.  When the spell had finished itself, it was nearly nightfall.  She put a charm around the hole so that no one would fall into it and headed back to Dixieland.  On the way, she passed by an outdoor stage.  She could hear a loud, barking voice shouting, "Where is Clarice?  She's been missing for five rehearsals!"
"Probably off gallivanting with Brian again," came a deep bass voice.  Girlish giggles resounded from throughout the amphitheater.
"That's it!  She's out!  If her love life comes before her minor role in my play, then she can forget her minor role in my play."
Pixie wandered in the door that led to the stage.
"What about her?" said the bass, a red-haired wolf named DuResio.
"You, girl!  Can you carry a tune?" barked the bulldog director.
"Yes," said Pixie.
"Can you play an instrument?"
"I've never tried, but I probably could," she said.
"Do you mind gingham?"
"What's gingham?"
"Welcome aboard!" said the director, shaking her hand vigorously.  "Marianne, alter Clarice's costume.  We've got our meaningless extra at last!"
"But, what's gingham?"
"Never you mind, you got in without an audition!" said a cat on the steps.  He had green hair and a gray face.  "I'm Anno.  Welcome to Stagemasters."  He introduced her to all the players.  "Your fellow extras are Dark Wind and Brunson."  He indicated a black cat and a golden ermine.  "I suppose you know Sopralto already.  Dark Wind is her brother.  That over there is DuResio."
"Who is this?" asked a dashing black and red horse with a purple mane, dressed all in black.  "I don't believe I've had the pleasure of meeting our newest player."
"I'm Pixie," she said nervously.
"Deathmagick," he said, conjuring a bouquet of black roses for her.  Pixie blushed as she summoned a translucent red vase to put them in.  "Mind the thorns.  Your bewitching hands are far too pretty to scar."
Deathmagick walked her back to Dixieland after practice.  They took the long route, strolling through the dark woods.  When they arrived at Dixieland, most of the lights were off.  "No men in the room!" shouted Sopralto from her temporary room on the third floor.
"Good night, then," said Deathmagick.  "It's too bad it couldn't have lasted just a bit longer."  He squeezed Pixie's fair hand and disappeared into the night.

Chapter 15
"Fuzzy, can your ship handle inter-dimensional travel?"
No answer.
"Fuzzy?"
No excited shriek of, "Hoorah, the quest continues!"
Ford dropped the book and ran out the door.  The silver ship disappeared with a loud bang just as Ford came to it.
"No!" he shouted.  "Come back!"
Of course, as the adage goes, it was too late.  Fuzzy was gone.
"Had you noticed, Prefect," said Iadian, running up behind him, "that that first book has a page missing?"
Ford flipped quickly through the pages of "Seductive Secrets and Tantalizing Tales of the Middle Ages".  The portrait of Pixie was gone.
As Fuzzy Lamar zoomed out of the third dimension, he stared at the print of the beautiful Furre that had joined the other portraits on his bedroom wall.

Chapter 16
Mid-way through her fourth exhausting day of building, still hours before her second rehearsal, Pixie decided to take a break.  She headed to the nearest jazz café, The Beat, and sat down with Sopralto and a steaming mug of hot chocolate.
"Coffee, Pixie.  Cof-fee," Sopralto said slowly, as though trying to hypnotize Pixie out of her order.
Anno stood on the stage.  He snapped his furry fingers in strange syncopation between the lines of his newest poem.  He was the most famous poet in all of Furcadia.  His latest work was entitled "Hero".  When he finished, he grabbed an ice pack in each hand and sat down with Pixie and Sopralto.  "How'd you guys like it?" he asked as the applause continued all around them.
"Brilliant," said Pixie.  "You're amazing!"
"You guys should go up there some time," said Anno, massaging his aching paws.  "Give me a well-deserved break."
Pixie smiled.  "I've been working on a poem for the last few days.  Maybe I'll give it a try when I perfect it."
"Oh, come on, there's no time like the present!" said Sopralto, glancing towards the window.
Anno walked up on the stage and said, "Now, everyone, we have a promising new artist who's going to take the floor.  I'd like you all to give a warm Beat welcome to Pixie!"
She walked cautiously up to the center of the stage.  "I've only been here for a few days, so I guess you don't know me yet.  I'm Pixie, and this poem is called 'Ellipsis', as in three dots.  Maybe I'll come up with a better title later.  Hope you enjoy it."
The bright lights shone so harshly on her that she didn't see Deathmagick walk inside.
"Great solitude engulfed her soul / As songs all crept away. / In depths beyond imagining / No light came with the day."
A small cloaked figure entered now, standing quietly in the shadows.
"Her drowning mind could reach no air. / No kind smiles met her eyes. / She died one hundred deaths alive / And no one said goodbyes. / But in the dark, a blackened knife / Cut through her sorrow's shade / And majesty did strongly wield / The ancient bloodstained blade. / "The savior caught unworthy eyes, / I must admit," said she. / "But in my life, those eyes have seen / No greater light than he."
The applause was tremendous.  Pixie felt the great heat of the lights and the eyes which all focused upon her.  It was too much for her tired body and spirit, and she fainted.

Chapter 17
When she came to, she was laying on the ground and a familiar hand held hers.  "Come on," came a strong, yet worried voice.  "Wake up."
She was outside.  Pixie could smell the grass and dirt before she recognized the voice.
"Wake up," said the voice again as Pixie felt a hand on her cheek.
When she opened her eyes, she could not see.
"Oh thank God!  You're alive."  The owner of the voice was greatly relieved.
Pixie tried to sit up and speak at the same time.  "Dea..."
"No, lay down.  Save your strength."
"Deathmagick?"  She could make out a faint form sitting to her right.
"Yeah.  You scared me for a minute there.  Make sure you have some sugar in you the next time you go on stage.  Especially tonight at practice.  Mark won't take kindly to his most beautiful extra passing out."
Pixie smiled.  "Where's..."
"Sopralto and Anno went to get you a drink.  Even after that fantastic poem, the manager's still making them pay for a glass of orange juice for you.  We got you out here by the lake first.  You've been out of it for about an hour."
"You liked it?"
"Everyone did.  It was a huge hit!  They all want you to come back again."
Pixie smiled again.  She felt wonderful out here.
"Do you mind if I lay down?" asked Deathmagick.  "It's been a long day."
"Go ahead," said Pixie quietly.  "I might drift off again, though.  Won't be very good company."
"Ah, doesn't matter.  Nothing really matters.  Anyone can see..." Deathmagick started humming a quiet tune as he stroked Pixie's red mane.  She whinnied softly.
The happy pair fell asleep in the bright sunlight, unaware that a pair of red eyes was watching them from a nearby bush.

Chapter 18
"What was that?" exclaimed Pixie, sitting bolt upright.
Deathmagick was already standing up, staring at a rustling bush.  "Someone followed us."  The bush stopped moving, but the sound continued going into the woods.  "I'm going after it."
"No, it's already gone.  Besides, it's nearly sunset.  Mark will be quite angry if we don't get to the theater soon.  Come on, let's go."
"Well, if you insist.  We should keep an eye out, though.  Something's after one of us, and I don't think it's looking for me."  Deathmagick held Pixie's hand firmly and they started a brisk walk to the theater.

Chapter 19
"There you are!  We only have five minutes until we start.  Tonight's the first dress rehearsal."  Marianne ran to Pixie with her dress and bow as Mark yelled at Deathmagick and Pixie for their apparent tardiness.
"It takes one minute to get changed and another for makeup, which we don't even need tonight because it's only a rehearsal!" said Sopralto, who was passing by, already changed.
"It's not only a rehearsal!  It's a chance to perfect your inherent imperfections.  An opportunity to better yourselves.  A new day..."
"Yeah, yeah.  Come on, guys."  Sopralto led Pixie to the dressing rooms.  "Yours is over there, Deathmagick," she said, noticing that he had followed them and pointing to a door across the hall.  "You should know that by now."  Pixie changed into the childish dress very quickly, hardly listening to Sopralto's lecture on how art comes first and how everything else was vulgar.
"Marianne!" shouted Mark when Pixie came into the auditorium.  "This costume is entirely wrong!  She doesn't look like a child, she looks like a human teenager."
"Well, she's not exactly a child, Mark," said Marianne, a white ferret.  "Nothing will make this woman look like a little girl."
"Do what you can!"  He tossed Marianne a roll of duct tape.  "Make her look younger!  Make her look like a child!"
"Why not just give her a more adult costume?  I mean, it's not like her character fits the costume either.  I've read the script, Mark.  We're doing 'Rachel's House'.  This is not exactly 'Look Homeward Angel', Mark!  The costume notes say 'tie-dyed halter top and flowing skirt'."
Pixie, of course, could not follow this conversation at all.  "What are they talking about?" she asked Anno, who had just arrived, wearing a leather jacket and blue jeans.
"In this dimension, time has no relevance in matters of literature.  We have access to plays which will be written far in the future.  The costume that Mark had suggested for your character fits the play 'Look Homeward Angel', which takes place in the 1910's.  My costume is a leftover from 'Grease', which was written about a Chicago, Illinois high school in the 1950's.  The play we are performing, 'Rachel's House' was written by two human reincarnations of Furres, Rachel Adler and Bess Karner, in the year 2001.  It's based off of a 1960's protest/drug culture song by Arlo Guthrie, so they kept the costumes in the 1960's time period.  You play one of Rachel's friends who make tea after midnight and form an anti-typecasting movement.  I am one of the mean, nasty, ugly-looking actors.  DuResio is Officer Andy, and Sopralto is Cecelia, Rachel's best friend and the overall lead."
Mark was showing signs of weakening.  So many people found that their costumes were entirely unsatisfactory that they had forced him into a corner.  "All right, you can change the costumes, but we've only got a few days to do so!"
"Oh, shut up, Mark, there's a whole month," said Marianne.  "That's plenty of time for this kind of costume."
The actors and actresses jumped and shouted with joy and stormed the dressing rooms to change back into their regular clothes.  Deathmagick and Pixie hugged each other and the voice of a techie rang out, "Oh, get a f***ing room!"  Pixie blushed.  Deathmagick shrugged it off.

Chapter 20
"Deathmagick, you have to be more angry, more fanatical!  This character is insane!  The director has no mercy for his students' worries and shortcomings.  Now, try the scene again."
"Director," said Sopralto, who was playing Rachel's friend Cecelia, "I want to jive.  Jive!  I wanna, I wanna see kids dancing and singing and jiving and act.  I mean jive, jive, JIVE!"
So Sopralto started jiving and jumping up and down and yelling "Jive, jive" and Deathmagick, who played the director, started jumping up and down with her and yelling "Jive, jive!"  A mouse named Ysodria said from offstage, "Then they realized that it was Thursday," and they said "evij" a couple times and stopped.  Then Deathmagick patted Sopralto on the back and said, "You're our girl."  Sopralto didn't look too happy about that.
"Good job, everyone," said Mark.  "Go home, sleep, come back tomorrow, and we'll see what remains to be improved."
Deathmagick and Pixie walked through the woods together again.  They passed the skeletal form of Pixie's house, whose main structure was nearly finished.  "Looks nice," said Deathmagick.  "How big is it going to be?"
"Big enough for me to live in, with room for a guest, if one comes along."  She realized what she had said and quickly changed the subject.  "I-I'm putting up the walls tomorrow, then the ceiling on Wednesday." 
They arrived back at Dixieland far later than expected.  "No student-teacher relationships!" shouted Sopralto's voice from the upstairs window.
"That's going to get really annoying," said Pixie.
"Why should that matter?" said Deathmagick.  He pulled Pixie in close and ran his fingers through her mane.  "See you tomorrow," he whispered in her ear.
"Bye," she said, opening the door and heading inside.  When she got up to her room, she looked out the window and saw Deathmagick turn his black face to her, smiling.

Chapter 21
"Mister!  Hey, mister!"  Someone had followed Ford back to the library, where he was sitting sullenly on the steps.
Ford looked up and saw a young man, tall and wearing thick glasses, perhaps nineteen years old, running toward him.  "What do you want?"
"Did you see that thing?  Amazing, wasn't it?  Incredibly aerodynamic.  It's probably really fast.  The metal was very interesting.  A piece fell on the ground near me.  Dark and shiny on one side, pale and sticky on the other.  Almost like duct tape, but it's obviously some sort of titanium alloy."
"Really?" said Ford, who wasn't interested in the least.  He was starting to think that giving up was the best plan of action.  All this hard work was taking a lot out of him.
"No, it was lead," said the boy sarcastically (undetected by Ford).  "It's got to be a light metal, man.  That structure was built to escape the force of a black hole.  It's semi-reminiscent of the Heart of Gold, in my eyes.  Didn't you notice the specially curved..." he trailed off and sat down next to Ford , adopting the same expression and stance.  "Sorry, I tend to bore people.  So, what's your story?"
"My only love's half horse and lives in an alternate dimension.  You?"
"Wow, nothing that exciting."
"You believe me?"
"Yeah.  It's kind of my job.  Ish.  I go to Adams Memorial University, but I came over from the States to do so.  I'm an astrophysics major with minors in chemistry and the history of science fiction.  Have you ever read the works of D..."
The street lights turned on and a young child rang a bell as Ford saw his chance.  "Astrophysics, you say?" he said, cutting the boy off.  He put his arm around the lad.  "Come, my boy, we're going on a grand adventure!"
"We are?"
Ford looked dramatically up at the sky.  "Yes, you and I, young...um...what was your name?"
"Dan."
"Right.  You and I, young Dan," said Ford, returning to his dramatic gaze at the sky, where the stars were starting to shine, "are going to the Sixth Dimension."  He pointed at some random star, as if trying to find a direction to start in.
"Wow," said Dan, trying to follow Ford's hand as it pointed at a different star across the sky from the first.
"But first we must get my friend and head to a party."
"There's one in my dorm tonight," said Dan as the two headed inside the library.
"Excellent.  It will do nicely," said Ford.  They came to the desk where Iadian was staring blankly at a book.  The glow of the setting sun on the horizon made his white hair shine with gold, but he hadn't noticed.  "Come on, Iadian, we're going to a party."
"Why?" asked Iadian, who didn't know nor really care what Ford was talking about.
"You said it yourself, my friend.  Dan here is going to get me badly drunk and take us to Furcadia. Isn't that right, Dan?"
Dan nodded, but stopped quickly when he really noticed Iadian.  "Dude, you look exactly like Albus Dumbledore," he gaped in awe.
Iadian nodded to Dan, remembering the wizard-school books again, then turned to Ford.  "This time I cannot agree with your methods, Prefect," said Iadian, closing the book and looking at his old friend.  "You cannot just show up inebriated in Furcadia.  It just isn't done."
"Why the hell not?  Wait a minute, how do you know the standards of conduct in another dimension that you haven't even been to?"
Iadian sighed, finally defeated.  "I lived there once.  I was very young at the time.  I came to the third and fourth dimensions for an exchange program once, during which time I participated in that particularly ill-fated potions course.  One of the other side effects was the fact that I completely forgot the way back, so I never got home, which is probably for the best.  I received a letter a few years back telling me that I was going to have to stay here for a few years.  Those years ended about...fifty years ago.  I still have not remembered the way home."
"Which is precisely why we must go to this party!" said Ford while Dan wiped his tearing eyes.
"But I just found the instructions on how to get there!  It turns out that the rat left them in here when he tore out that portrait."
Dan grabbed them, read over them, and exclaimed, "The portal is right around the corner!"
"Damn," said Ford.  "I really needed a drink."

Chapter 22
Pixie was woken up the next morning by a rather large bird flying in her window.  "What the..." she exclaimed as it alighted on her shoulder and dropped a note before leaving.  "Meet me at the river's edge in one hour.  I have your boyfriend," it read in an untidy blood-red scrawl.  Pixie pulled on her robes and ran out the door of 206.
"What's the matter?" asked Ysodria, poking her head out her own door.  Her little sister Ysbaddaden sat in the sunlight, reading a book about quantum physics.
"Someone's got Deathmagick!" Pixie shouted as she ran by.  "Tell Sopralto when she gets up."
"Where are you going?"
"The river!"
Pixie sprinted down the dirt road to Pharaoh River, past the theater, past the inner structure of her house.  When she arrived, she realized, "Wait a minute... Deathmagick is in Bree this morning."
"You're early," said a high-pitched male voice.  "How wonderful."
Pixie turned to face the voice and found herself facing a metal wall.  Suddenly the other two sides of the wall sprang up around her, capturing her in a silver triangle.  She called out for help, but her voice tired as hours went by.
"Don't struggle, milady.  No good can come of it," said the voice at noon, when the sun shone directly overhead and made the metal chamber feel like an oven.
"What do you want?" she asked.
"What do I want?  I want you.  Plain and simple.  You are my desire."
"Look, I'm not a witch.  I'm not a harlot.  I'm just trying to find somewhere to belong.  At this moment, you're hindering that attempt, so kindly let me go."
"Really?  Well, of course, I'll set you free immediately."  The walls came down and Pixie sighed with relief.  "But freedom isn't without its cost," said the white rat in front of her.  Pixie shrank away, but found that she was bound to the earth by invisible shackles.  "Oh, I'm dreadfully sorry.  I haven't introduced myself.  Fuzzy Lamar the twelve hundred and ninth, at your service.  Well, actually, it seems to be the other way around, for, you see, I happened to be watching you for the last few days.  You have gotten awfully cozy with that young equine male.  I doubt very much that one Mr. Prefect would much approve of that."
"So, you're blackmailing me?"
"Au contraire, ma petite," he said slimily.  "I came here precisely so Prefect would not find you.  If he knew where you were, how to get here, et cetera, I would be in a rather precarious situation, having captured you and all."
"I fail to see your plan."
"My plan, girl, is to have you by my side for ever."
"That is not going to happen," she said, trying to keep a bold face.
"Oh really?  What have you got up your sleeve?"
Pixie remained silent.
"I'll give you one hour to be rescued.  Then you will be forced to give in to my will."
A tear fell from Pixie's blue eye.  Fuzzy grinned broadly.

Chapter 23
"Three...two...one...time's up.  No white knight came to carry you off.  No lightning struck your shackles.  You haven't dropped dead suddenly.  It would seem that you are mine now," said Fuzzy.
Pixie sat silently on the riverbank.
"Whatever will you do?" Fuzzy taunted.
She finally broke down, laid on the shore, and wept.
"Oh, don't do that, sexy," said Fuzzy.  "Now you're stuck there as well."  Pixie tried to rise, but found herself handcuffed to the beach.  "Now, now.  Don't cry.  A beauty such as yourself should have no reason to cry."  He ran his hand along her body, from her ears to her back hooves.  She shuddered.
"Stop it," she said.
"What, this?"  His claws cut through her robes to her skin.  She cried out as he tore away each layer of fine silk.  "Marianne was right.  You'd never pass for a child with a body like this."
Pixie tried to hit him, but was only held closer to the ground.  Sparks shot from her fingers but she couldn't angle them properly to break her irons.  She whinnied loudly and tossed her head as Fuzzy started slowly ripping her most intimate garments, starting at the neck.
"Get your stinking paws off her, you damn dirty rat!" came a voice from the woods.
"Deathmagick!" shouted Pixie.
Fuzzy stood up and turned to run, but Deathmagick reached out his hand and the rat was suspended in midair.  He then ran to Pixie, who was still tied to the ground.  He broke the invisible locks with his hands and Pixie embraced him.  She cried on his shoulder and explained, in a choked voice, what had transpired.
"Ssh, ssh, it's all right," he said, rocking her back and forth gently.  He didn't judge her or scorn her, but let her cry.  "You're safe now."
"Oh, get a f***ing room!" cried Fuzzy.
"That's more than I can say for you," said Deathmagick.  "Calling a girl out here on the pretense that you had kidnapped her love, then trying to..."  He struggled to find an appropriate word.  "It makes me sick."
"For the love of God, you don't believe this harlot, this whore, over me, do you?" responded Fuzzy, who was now spinning in midair.
"How dare you?" said Deathmagick in a low voice.  "How dare you say that when you know her words are the truest ever spoken?"  Deathmagick set Pixie down and walked over to face the rat Furre-to-Furre.  "What the hell is wrong with you, rat?"  Deathmagick didn't wait for an answer.  He snapped his fingers and Fuzzy flew into the sky, still shouting his objections.
"Shall we?" he asked, offering his arm to the bewildered Pixie.
She nodded.  They walked off together to have a very quiet lunch at the Beat.

Chapter 24
Pixie and Deathmagick walked inside together, drawing looks of shocked sympathy from the audience who had gathered for Anno's new poem and a guitar performance from Sopralto.  Pixie had Deathmagick's black towel (which he wisely carried everywhere) around her shoulders to cover her torn robes.  The long, sun-lit walk hadn't dried her tear-stained gray face.  Sopralto stopped in the middle of the bridge of her song to run to her friend and fellow actress.  Dark Wind, who worked as a waiter part-time, showed them to a table by the corner window and brought them some soup and salad.  Anno sat down across from Deathmagick and Pixie, still in shock.
"So, what happened?" asked Sopralto when all was settled.
Pixie started to tell them what happened, breaking every now and then to wipe her eyes on the towel.  "It was so frightening.  I was tied to the ground by invisible handcuffs that I couldn't break."
"Ah, bondage isn't for everyone," said a passing ginger cat with big blue eyes.  She sat down with them and noticed Pixie's face.  "Oh.  I'm sorry, I didn't mean to..."
"It's okay," responded Pixie.
"A rat tried to rape her this morning, Prika," said Deathmagick, putting his hand on Pixie's shoulder.
"Rat in the literal or figurative sense?" she asked with a little wink to Pixie.  "Sorry about all the joking and such.  It's my defense mechanism."
"Literal.  Fuzzy Lamar the twelve hundred and ninth."
"What does he look like?"
"Scrawny little white thing with red eyes."
At that very moment a scrawny little white thing with red eyes fell out of the sky.  Everyone rushed outside.  Prika looked down at the twitching form on the patio.  "That him?"
Pixie nodded.  Prika kicked him.  "Quite gratifying.  He went after me a few years ago.  I was on business in the third dimension."  Anno and Sopralto looked at her with disbelief.  "Okay, I was picking up unsuspecting humans in the third dimension.  What's the difference?  Anyway, he started following me everywhere.  Looking in through windows, creeping around in bushes, you get the point.  He confronted me with all this 'I love you, I can't live without you, you're so hot' crap at one point, so I knocked him upside the head with my handcuffs, found a portal while he was still out of it, and disappeared back into good old Furcadia."  She sighed.  "You don't seem to have had the luck I did.  Tell us all about it."  She put her arm around Pixie and the group walked back inside and sat down at a bigger table, leaving Fuzzy on the deck.

Chapter 25
"So that's how it happened," she concluded, after telling the story for the third time.
"I think we've put her through enough pain for one day," said Deathmagick.  "She'd better get home and get some rest."
Sopralto left to get the room cleaned up.  Dark Wind cleared the table quickly and went to wash the dishes.  Anno and Prika hugged Pixie.  "See you around, girl," said Prika.  "Try to have a good day, 'kay?"
Pixie and Deathmagick walked back to Dixieland.  They didn't talk much.  When they arrived, Pixie was very tired.  In fact, she could hardly stand up.  She sat down on the steps and said, "Thanks."
"For what?" said Deathmagick, sitting beside her.
"For saving me today," she replied.  "I never thanked you."
"No need.  I did what anyone would have done."
Pixie shook her head, but stopped because doing so made her quite dizzy.  "But no one else did, and I was about fifty feet from the road."  She put a hand to her head to calm the spinning.  It hadn't stopped and was showing signs of worsening.  "How-how did you find me?"
"I went to your future house to give you something before I left for Bree, but you weren't there.  Then I went to Dixieland to see if you were still there, but Sopralto said that I wasn't supposed to be there because I was kidnapped and that you had gone down to the river to look for me.  I ran down there as quickly as I could, heard you screaming from the road, broke through the trees, and you know the rest."
Pixie took off the towel to dab at her sweating face and found that it was very wet.  Deathmagick stood up and called out for help.  "What's...hap..."
"You're covered in blood," he said as Sopralto came downstairs.  "Lie down."  Pixie's chest was torn badly from Fuzzy's claws, far worse than she had guessed.  The towel had covered her wounds, so no one had noticed.
"What is it?" Sopralto asked, then dropped her coffee cup in shock.  "Get her inside.  Room 206.  I'll send Nethya an owl."  Deathmagick picked Pixie up and carried her upstairs to her room.  He put her down on the leopard-print bed and held her hand tightly.
"Dea..."  Pixie could hardly be heard.  Breathing was extremely difficult.
"Shh, you'll be all right.  We're sending for a doctor.  Just try to stay awake."
"Deathmagick..." she whispered.
"I'm here, Pixie.  Come on, you can make it."
"I...l..."
Pounding footsteps came up the stairs.
"...love y..."
"Stay with me, now..."
Nethya and Sopralto rushed into the room.
"I love you..." she gasped before she tossed off the burden of trying to breathe and slipped into unconsciousness.  Deathmagick fell beside her and wept as her hand relaxed in his.

Chapter 26
"She's still alive," said Nethya, going into the hallway, "but barely."
"Will she pull through?" asked Deathmagick, who had been put out of the room.
"I'm surprised she's doing as well as she is, honestly.  She lost so much blood from those gashes on her chest, and with the shock of the day....We're going to keep a close watch on her and do all that we can."  She put a hand on his shoulder.  "There's nothing more you can do here.  Go home and get some rest."
He sat down on the floor.
"Okay, I guess you can stay here, but you can't go inside the room.  Due to the placement of her wounds, I'm afraid that Pixie's modesty would be at stake if a man came in while we administered treatment."
"Understood."
He kept a silent vigil outside the door of 206 all night.  Between desperate prayers, he listened for the faintest breath within the chamber.

Chapter 27
In the meantime, the sun had just set as Ford, Dan, and Iadian arrived at the portal just as the sun set.  "You go first, Mr. Iadian, sir," said Dan respectfully.
"I'm not exactly certain that I want to," he replied.
"Come on, Iadian.  We're going to Furcadia!" said Ford.  "We've found the way, you're going home, and everything's going to turn out great!"
Iadian turned around and headed back for the library.  Ford ran around in front of him and stopped him.  "Come on.  You're going.  You said you wanted to."
The wizard looked up at the sky.  "London's so pretty at night," he said, sitting down.
Ford looked up, then to the west, where the last remnants of red were slipping away.  "Oh hell," he swore.  "Come on, old man, we are going!"
Ford called to Dan and they picked him up and pushed him through the portal.  Ford followed.  Dan came after him, still puzzled and bewildered by the events of the last five minutes.

Chapter 28
"Deathmagick?" said Sopralto, shaking him awake.  He had fallen asleep on the hardwood floor outside room 206.
"Is she okay?" asked Deathmagick frantically, going for the bedroom door.
"The same as before.  We need you to go into town and get some bandages and herbs.  You're the only unoccupied one who can apparate."
"What do you need?"
"Here's a list and some gold," she said, handing him a piece of parchment and a velvet bag.  "Go quickly."
He popped out of sight and into the town, where he found a band of confused strangers staring at the purple sky, which seemed quite ordinary to him.  He went into the apothecary and bought the necessary supplies.  Upon going outside to disapparate, he saw one of the strangers running up to him.  "Excuse me, we're looking for a gray, equine young woman.  Perhaps you know her?  Her name is Pixie," said the old wizard.
"She's at Dixieland boarding house.  Gravely wounded.  I'm headed there now," Deathmagick replied.  He nodded to the young men who were still fascinated by the sky.  "Can they apparate?"
"No, but I can.  We can each take one with us."  He turned and shouted to the others.  "She's been hurt.  This young man's going to take us to her."
"Hurry."
Ford took Iadian's hand, glaring slightly at Deathmagick, whose hand Dan took, marveling at his companion's half-human form.  They appeared in front of Dixieland a moment later.

Chapter 29
Deathmagick bolted up the stairs with the medicine and bandages and knocked on the door.  Iadian and Dan ran up with him, but Ford lagged behind.  The door opened and Sopralto poked her head out.  "Thanks," she said.
"How is she?" Deathmagick asked, handing Sopralto the supplies.
"Not good," answered Sopralto sadly.  "We don't know how long she's going to last."
"She can't die!" shouted Deathmagick.
"Actually, that's correct," said Iadian.  "She's been given eternal life by the Ministry of Magic."
"So there was no rush, really," said Ford, reaching the top of the stairs at last.
Iadian whirled on him.  "I'm beginning to think that you don't care for her at all."
"Well, that would explain why you're caring so much at the moment," Ford replied sullenly, leaning against the door of 207.
Dan, oddly enough, was not listening to this conversation.  He stared in awe of Sopralto, who was so beautiful and cared for her friend so much.  Dan began to feel that he was falling in love as well.
"Despite the feelings of your...acquaintance," said Sopralto, "Nethya and I must administer treatment immediately, so I'm going to have to close the door now."  She smiled at Dan, then turned to Deathmagick.  "Since it's become apparent that she's definitely going to make it through, perhaps you should head home and get some rest."
"Brilliant idea, woman," said Ford, turning to go.
"I think I'll stay here," said Deathmagick.  "I want to be here when she wakes up."
"Don't you care for your own health, beast?" asked Ford, facing Deathmagick.
"Don't you care for her health, man?" retorted Deathmagick, standing a good nine inches above Ford.  Needless to say, Ford backed down.  "May I come in when she's been treated?" he asked Sopralto.
"Of course, but we don't know when she's going to wake up.  It could be days."
"I'll wait."

Chapter 30
About half an hour later, Pixie was rapped in a gauze corset of sorts under the leopard-print blankets and Deathmagick and the travelers were allowed inside.  Deathmagick took her hand in his again, kneeling beside the bed as if at prayer at some fine alter, remaining there for hours.  Iadian discussed herbology, remedies, and "Seductive Secrets and Tantalizing Tales of the Middle Ages" with Nethya, a book she actually hadn't gotten around to writing just yet, and Dan watched Sopralto make coffee again and again.  Ford flipped through books and wandered the halls.
Twelve hours later, at around nine at night, Ford, Iadian, and Nethya had fallen asleep.  Sopralto offered Dan a cup of coffee and the two started to talk.  He was quite the connoisseur of espresso, apparently, and rather handsome once he took off his glasses and put in contact lenses.
Deathmagick had stayed at Pixie's side.  He watched her chest rise and fall ever so slightly, touched her beautiful face gently, and waited patiently.  Every now and then, a tear would fall out of his eye and slide down his handsome face.  He took no food or drink, not even Sopralto's strong coffee, mugs of which were now lining the tables.
The minutes ticked by agonizingly.  No caffeine was strong enough to counter the silence of the room.
Suddenly, at nine forty-two p.m., Deathmagick felt a slight pressure on his hand.  The dainty gray hand had closed around his rough black one.  Pixie moved her head very slowly and opened her eyes.  "Deathmagick," she whispered, smiling weakly.
"Hi," he said, smiling back.  "Welcome back."
Sopralto came over, laughed in surprised elation, and woke the others up.  "She's awake!" she shouted, running for a cup of coffee, which she offered to Pixie, who politely refused.
Nethya felt Pixie's forehead.  "No fever at all," she said.  "It's a good sign, especially since she never had one in the first place.  How do you feel, Pixie?"
"Tired," she said, "but happy.  Thanks."
"No problem," said Nethya.
Sopralto introduced Dan to Pixie.  "He's probably going to stay here for a while," she said.
"Where?  Is there an empty room?"
"Not exactly," said Sopralto, winking at her.
Iadian walked up to the bedside.  "You're an amazing creature.  Did you know that?"  Pixie smiled in response.  "I really mean it.  I heard your story from Sopralto and Nethya.  Not many Earth-born Furres would have found their way here, even by accident."
"Thank you, mas..."
"Please.  Iadian," he said, cutting her off.
"How soon can the bandages come off, Nethya?" asked Deathmagick.
"Yes," came a voice from the floor.  "How soon?"  Ford stood up, yawning.
"That's not how I meant it," said Deathmagick, noting the lustful tone in Ford's voice.
"Welcome back, love.  Shall we go, then?" he asked Pixie, ignoring Deathmagick.
"Oh.  Ford."  Pixie hadn't noticed him.  In fact, she had nearly forgotten him.

Chapter 31
Iadian spoke quickly to her.  "Pixie, don't go with him.  He's not the man for you.  This man is a womanizer, a liar, and a drunk.  He doesn't love you like this Furre does.  Please, stay here where you're safe and loved."
"What do you mean, Iadian?  She's got to come with me.  I do love her."
"But you don't.  You didn't run to help her," said Dan.
"That's because she can't die!"
"You wanted to come here by way of a wild astrophysics party," said Iadian.
"It's the only way I knew of!"  Ford was starting to lose his ground.
"Do you even know what happened yesterday morning?  Why she's lying in bed, critically wounded?" asked Sopralto.
Ford thought for a while.  He opened his mouth to retort, but closed it again and thought for another while.  "That's beside the point."
"No," said Deathmagick.  "It isn't.  Not in the least."
"And according to your friend here," said Nethya, "you're the one who hired the rat in the first place."
"What is everyone talking about?"  He walked over to Pixie.  "Look, you still love me, don't you?"
She bit her lip guiltily.
"You don't, do you?" he said, finally defeated.
"Sorry, but I love Deathmagick.  He cares about me.  He's given me a place in this world."  She squeezed Deathmagick's hand softly.  "I'm really very sorry, Ford."
"Ah, it's all right."  He turned to leave, but then said, "Does anyone know where I could find a good party around here?"
"Follow the Pharaoh river to the south bridge.  There's supposed to be a pretty wild one there tonight," said Sopralto.  "No alcohol, though.  It's a coffee tasting."
"Can't stand the stuff.  Thanks anyways, though.  Is there a transport anywhere near here?"
"Ship takes off for the Betelgeuse system in three hours at the port in town," said Nethya.  "That's enough time to walk down, get a ticket, et cetera, right?"
"Sure.  Thanks."  He shook Iadian's hand, bowed deeply to Pixie, and left Dixieland for the spaceport, closing the door behind him.

Chapter 32
"Could we have a moment alone?" Deathmagick asked the remaining people in the room.
They all nodded and left.  "I'll check on you later, Pixie," said Sopralto, leaving last.
"Do you mind if I sit on the bed?" asked Deathmagick.
Pixie shook her head, and he sat down beside her.
"I'm so glad you're alive," he said.  "You don't know how horrible it would have been to live here without you."
"I can guess," she said softly.  "Have you been crying?"
He smiled and nodded.  "Not ashamed to admit it."
"I wouldn't be, either."
They sat for a moment in silence, just looking into each other's eyes.
"Can I ask you something?" asked Pixie.
"Go right ahead," responded Deathmagick.
"This afternoon..."
"Yesterday afternoon, you mean.  You've been unconscious for quite a while."
"Yes, you said that you stopped at my house to give me something.  What was it?"
Deathmagick leaned over close to Pixie, ran a hand over her soft red mane, looked into her blue eyes, and gently kissed her lips.  He pulled slowly back a moment later, as if waiting for approval.
"I'll treasure it forever," Pixie said, blushing and smiling.  She raised her head slightly and kissed him again.
Sopralto came in at that moment.  "Get a f***ing room," she said, laughing.
"We're in a..."
"Not mine."  She tapped her foot impatiently.
"I'd probably better let you get some sleep," said Deathmagick to Pixie.  "I'll come back in the morning."
Sopralto offered him the cot in 210, where Ysodria, Ysbaddaden, and their mother Yadyeko lived.
"Thank you, Sopralto, but can you bring it in here?" asked Pixie.
"No, our policy clearly states 'No men in the room'."
"But what about Dan?"
"I'm the proprietress.  I can do whatever the hell I please.  Now, you," she said to Deathmagick, "can stay in 210 or in your own home.  It's your choice."
"210, then."
"And this door will be locked, so you can't just come in and make out all night."
"Damn.  She's onto us.  Hurry, to the window!" whispered Deathmagick loudly, so Sopralto could hear him.
"Haha.  Off to bed with you," said Sopralto.  Deathmagick stood up from the bed, bowed to Pixie as Ford had done, and left with a swish of his black cloak.  "You, too," Sopralto said to Pixie.  Pixie closed her eyes and instantly fell into sweet dreams.

Chapter 33
Three days later, Pixie was well enough to walk outside and enjoy the sunlight.  She immediately got to work on her house, which had only about two days' worth of work until completion.  Deathmagick arrived at about noon and they walked to the Beat for lunch, where Dark Wind was to perform an interpretive dance entitled "Stardust".  It turned out to be a lot of glue-mixing and jagged, yet upward movements.  "Thank you, thank you," he said as he finished.  "Now, for my encore presentation of 'The Owner of a Lonely Heart'."  He started into a skit about some song from the 1980's, which was hysterically funny.  When that finished, he said, "I will now perform Monty Python's 'The Lumberjack Song'."  After that finished, he tried very hard to juggle plates until the manager dragged him off with a cane.
"Well, that was certainly amusing," said Pixie as they left.  Deathmagick put his arm around her and kissed her neck.
Dark Wind's voice echoed from the glue-mixing room, where he was repairing the plates he had broken.  "Get a..."
"I'm working on it!" Pixie shouted back.

Chapter 34
Pixie had nearly finished her house by the time the sun set.  That evening, Deathmagick and Pixie walked hand-in-hand into rehearsals.  "Where have you two been?!" shouted Mark.  "You've been gone for three rehearsals.  You'd better have a good explanation.  My play comes first!  For this..."
"No, I will not mix any more glue!" came Dark Wind's voice.  He had just arrived, and seemed to have been missing practice as well.  Mark then turned his attention to Dark Wind and away from Pixie and Deathmagick.
Pixie started to tell Mark what happened, but Deathmagick stopped her.  "Don't even try.  You could have died and Mark would have said it was a nuisance."
Rehearsal went brilliantly that evening, concluding with the entire cast, including Officer Obie and all the "mean, nasty, ugly-looking actors", singing the chorus, "You can get anything you want at Rachel Adler's house ("Excepting Rachel," cut in Sopralto).  You can get anything you want at Rachel Adler's house.  Walk right in, it's really cool, just a few miles from the high school.  You can get anything you want at Rachel Adler's house."
Then Sopralto took her solo, "Yadadadadadadada, at Rachel Adler's house!"
"Better," said Mark.  "Thank God we've still got three weeks until the performance."
Pixie stayed after practice to get her new costume fitted.  She put it on in the dressing room and walked out to show Marianne, who pinned it in the proper places and took it home to sew it.
"Incredibly sexy costume, Pixie," said Deathmagick as they walked back to Dixieland.  "Much better than that gingham dress, though the bow for that one was nice."
"Thanks," she said.  "Do you have yours yet?"
"No.  I'm supposed to get it tomorrow night.  I have to wear a purple suit and tie, for some strange reason.  I've never seen a director wear a purple suit and tie, but that's the way it goes.  Really would prefer black."
"Do directors even wear suits?"
"I really don't know.  Mark doesn't."  He put his arm around Pixie's waist as they walked along.
When they arrived at Dixieland, Pixie put her arms around Deathmagick's neck and kissed his cheek.  "See you tomorrow," she said.
"I'll be looking forward to it," he said.
Pixie whispered in his ear, "I love you."
"I know," he answered.  As always, he squeezed her hand before he left, blending in quickly with the black night.  She walked upstairs, bid Sopralto goodnight, and went to sleep.

Chapter 35
Pixie finished her house early the next morning, furniture and all, and invited her friends to a luncheon on the front lawn.  At one o'clock, they all arrived, each with a gift.  Sopralto came first, bringing Pixie an elaborate leopard-print ensemble for her bedroom, a matching silk nightgown, and a fresh batch of Zingos.  "I have a feeling you'll need them," she said with a wink.  Pixie put the sheets and blankets on the bed immediately so that she wouldn't forget later.  Iadian brought Pixie a bookshelf full of famous literature and spell books.  He came with good news.  "My curse has been lifted!" he exclaimed.  "Oddly enough, I just needed to get back in Furcadia to be cured.  Irony hates me."  Dark Wind actually forgot his present at work, but offered entertainment for the afternoon, which Pixie gladly accepted.  Anno brought a book of poetry and a guitar for her, so that she and Sopralto could perform together some time.  Bob and Nethya gave Pixie a tapestry for her wall which depicted Pixie's tale in precisely woven detail.  She received a package from Ford, who had actually settled in the far south of Furcadia rather than returning to hitchhiking.  Inside was a leather-bound copy of "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy", which Dan could not stop talking about.  Dan, by the way, brought Pixie some basic potion ingredients, a Jell-o mold and the wonderful news that he and Sopralto were going to marry in three months.  Prika gave Pixie many outfits to add to her quite small wardrobe and told her to visit the Goth store she ran in the village ("Black is really your color," she had said, "and I'll give you a discount").  Deathmagick brought her an owl so that she could send letters and a red notebook with a black rose on the cover.  "For your poetry," he said.  "You really must write more often."
When everyone was settled, Pixie thanked them all for their gifts and introduced Dark Wind, who started into song immediately.  After his performance, Pixie clapped her hands and food appeared on the tables.  Everyone had a wonderful time and no one left till nightfall, when Sopralto had to check on all the boarders.  Dan left with her.  Dark Wind's throat was killing him and he desperately needed some tea, but since Pixie had none he went to Dixieland with Sopralto and Dan, much to Sopralto's dismay.  Bob and Nethya disapparated after they helped with the dishes, offering her their best wishes for the future and the promise of frequent visits.  Prika and Anno had a late show at the Beat, so they left together, and Iadian followed them.  His house was right on the way into town.



Chapter 36
Before long, only Deathmagick remained with Pixie.  "Could I have a tour, possibly?" he asked.  Pixie opened the door and they went inside.  She lit the candles in the front sitting room by touching them lightly with her fingertips.  "This is the living room," she said, "and straight ahead is the kitchen.  There's not much in there yet.  Still have to put in the stove and all that."  Pixie led Deathmagick upstairs.  "Over there," she signaled to the left at the top, "is the bath, and over here is the bedroom."  She opened the door and lit the candles inside.  "Sopralto gave me the blankets.  They're kind of like hers, but a smaller print.  Care to sit down?"
They sat down on the feather bed, which sunk in like a marshmallow.  "So, what do you think?"
"It's great.  I could never build something like this in a million years."
Pixie laughed.  "Sure you could.  You've been able to for far longer than I.  In fact, I'd bet you could build one tomorrow and it would turn out better than mine."
"I don't think that's entirely necessary," he said, putting his hand on hers.
"You know what?  I don't either," said Pixie, sliding her other hand onto his leg.
"Fine, then I won't," said Deathmagick, stroking Pixie's mane.
"Good," said Pixie, kissing him.  They swung their legs up onto the bed and laid down slowly.

Chapter 37
"You know what sucks about this relationship?" said Deathmagick a few hours later, running his fingers through Pixie's hair.
"What?" said Pixie, who was entirely out of breath.
"You're going to live forever, probably staying just as beautiful as you are now, whereas I'm going to get older and eventually die."
Just as Pixie was getting downhearted, an owl tapped at the window, whose drapes had been left open.  She slid her leopard-print nightgown on and reached for the letter.  The owl flew away into the starry night.
"Dear Ms. Pixie," she read aloud as Deathmagick rose and put his arms around her waist, "Due to extenuating circumstances, including the lifting of an accidental curse from your old master, you have once again been given a normal lifespan.  However, since it seems that you're rather enjoying your present body, we have decided to leave you to that with our blessings.  Many apologies for the confusion.  Sincerely, the Minister of Magic."
"Well, then," she said, rolling up the parchment and tossing it aside, "that clears up that little problem."
"It certainly does," said Deathmagick, picking her up and carrying her back to bed.

The End of a Very Long Tale