Author's webpage: http://www.cybercomm.net/~rhiannon/sorkaslash.html

Disclaimers: All the character contained within are the property of Pet Fly productions, Bilson&DeMeo, and Paramount. I'm just having a little fun and will return them when i'm finished. If you are under the age of 18 or are offened by m/m relationships... What are you doing here?

Notes: This is dedicated to all the people on IRC that sat with me while I wrote it for it is they that encouraged me to write this thing. Thank you to Owlet and Aysah for betaing, and to Rosa, Boyd, Kitten, Cenlyn, and anyone else my tired brain can't think of at the moment.

Warnings: Okay, now for the hard part. PLEASE READ THIS WARNING. This story contains potentially offensive material that may be too much even for many people on this list. It is of a graphic nature and is depicted as realistically, but hopefully tastefully, as I could make it. While the pairing is Blair/Jim there are some... changes. If you are not sure whether you wish to be so offended please read.

This story contains consentual bestiality, aka human/animal pairing. This is not a spirit walk nor a dreamscape, if you read this and then are offended you can't say you weren't warned.

Love and Curses By Sorka

Blair wandered around the curio shop, not really looking for anything specific. He was just enjoying some free time away from the University. The semester was almost over, another week and all the students would be heading home for summer break.

This was one of the few places near the campus that had anything interesting to look at. He often would come here during his lunch break, hoping that something new and interesting would appear. Today, like many other times, was not a disappointment.

"Find something you like, Mr. Sandburg?" the old curator of the shop asked.

Blair looked up and smiled. "Yeah, this bracelet. Where did you get it?" He indicated an obviously hand carved bracelet. The design was like nothing he had ever seen before, many not-quite-formed animal-like shapes melding and merging with human ones. It was truly a work of art.

"Oh that, lovely isn't it? It was found in a vault a few weeks ago, during a demolition. No one claimed it so the company sold it and several other object that were with it at auction."

He pointed to several other items, a knife, a leather bound book, and a small jewelry chest entirely made of stained glass.

"The book and the bracelet actually go together." he said. "Its a journal of some sort, I looked through it, but didn't really understand it. I found a sketch of the bracelet inside."

Blair's eyes lit up at the thought of a new project to study during his time off from the U. "How much?" he asked.

The old man smiled. "I got them for a song, son. It was a boxed lot. I can give you the whole thing for $300."

Blair winced at the price, but then thought about his expenses carefully. He has saved up quite a bit of money since moving in with Jim. He could actually afford this gift and still have a few hundred left in his account.

There was just something about that bracelet he felt would be perfect for his partner. Taking a deep breath he got out his checkbook from his pack.

The shop owner smiled brightly at him, "I hope you enjoy it, Mr Sandburg."

"Oh, it's not for me." Blair said.

"Then you must love her a lot, though I'm not sure I'd give that sort of thing to a woman. Not elegant enough."

Blair cleared his throat, "Yeah, well, it's for my partner."

"Ah, well then," the old man shrugged. "You have a good day."

Blair took his purchases and headed back to the U. Jim would be home late, because of a case he was working on. It wasn't really a tough case, just a politial nightmare.

The Mayor's top aide was being harrassed by a man that claimed he was her lover. The guy had sent flowers and cards to her, and even showed up at her office on several occasions. He was in the hospital after the aid stabbed him with a letter opener.

So the aide was being investigated for attempted murder, and the stalker was being investigated for attempted sexual assualt.

The fact that the stalker was the Govenor's nephew only made it worse.

Blair had little doubt that Jim would need something to make his day brighter when he got home.

Later that evening, Jim entered the loft looking like he had been dragged over a cheese grater. His face was full of scratches and cuts. He had a bandage wrapped around his left hand and and a slight limp.

"Jim?! What happened to you?" Blair asked jumping from his seat next to the fireplace.

"There was a near-riot down in holding," Jim said wincing as he attempted to take his jacket off. Blair was there in moments helping him and directing him to sit on the couch. "Then a truck full of live chickens crashed into the entrance to the precinct."

"Oh man, I missed that?" Blair shook his head in disbelief. "That's gotta suck."

"That was only the start," Jim said tiredly. He proceeded to rattle off a list including: a cherry bomb set off in the bathroom, a malfunctioning microwave setting off the spricklers, and half the staff getting salmonella from the Mr. Tube Steak vendor at the corner.

"Have you eaten at all today?" Blair asked after handing his partner several painkillers.

"I grabbed a cup of coffee from Simon's office... before lunch, haven't eaten since."

Blair went to the kitchen and heated up the plate he had prepared. "You gotta remember to eat, man. Your senses can ambush you if you get too tired."

Jim sank deeper into the cushions. "I don't want a lecture, please. I know you care, but if there had been a spare five minutes today, I would have eaten."

Blair took pity on Jim's obvious exhaustion and stopped the flood of words that had threatened to spill from his mouth. He placed the dinner plate in front of Jim and sat down. "Why don't you eat and take a shower. I'll rebandage that hand afterward and you can go right to bed."

"Thanks, Chief," Jim smiled. "I appreciate it."

As promised, Blair took out clean bandages and rewrapped Jim's hand, which had been cut while trying to help gather the chickens.

Looking at his partner, tired, relaxed, and feeling a lot better, Blair desided that now was as good a time as any to give Jim his gift.

Jim looked up to see Blair standing nervously before him, a hand behind his back. "What's up, Blair?"

"Um, I got you something." he said quickly, handing the unwrapped box to Jim. "I saw this and I thought you would like it."

Jim opened the box and his jaw dropped in surprise. "Blair, it's beautiful."

Blair smiled brightly. "You really like it?"

"I really do, but you didn't have to get me something like this." Jim eyes shone with emotion that he wouldn't have dared show any other time.

Blair swallowed. "I know, but you deserve something nice once in a while."

Jim slipped the bracelet onto his left wrist. He had a little trouble getting it over the bandages, but once around his wrist it fit perfectly. It was warm on his skin and almost seemed to mold itself to his wrist. Maybe it was because he was so tired that he let go of some of his well maintained control, but Jim stood and pulled Blair into a hug. He kissed the younger man just to the left of his lips, causing Blair to gasp in suprise.

"I love you, Blair, thank you." He hugged him again.

"Jim?" Blair was shocked. "You love me?"

"I'm sorry," Jim said, retreating back out of Blair's personal space. "I didn't mean to blurt that out. I'm just tired."

"But you meant it, didn't you?" Blair asked, recovering enough to need an answer.

"It doesn't matter--look I'm tired." Jim said, heading for the stairs. "You don't have to worry about it."

"Jim, wait." Blair was relieved when Jim stopped half way up the stairs.

"I care about you too, in fact I love you." Blair swallowed. "I just don't know if I love you... like that."

Jim smiled sadly. "I know. We'll talk about it in the morning. Okay?"

Blair nodded reluctantly. "We will talk."

Jim tossed and turned in his bed. The bracelet on his wrist seemed to be itching his skin ever since he had tried to go to sleep, but he was reluctant to take it off. It was a gift from the person he loved the most. It was also the only piece of jewelery anyone had ever given to him and it fit like a second second skin. He planned on wearing it as long as he could, no matter what anyone else thought of it.

Finally sleep claimed him, taking from him the stray concern that the odd tingling sensation seemed to be spreading.

Blair woke the next morning early, bound and determined to clear the air between himself and his partner. There was no way he could let this fester. Jim was the most important person in his life, this was the one person in his life he had allowed himself to get attached to, and once attached he wasn't going to give him up without a hell of a fight.

He came out of his room, took care of the morning necessaties, and showered quickly. With a healthy yawn, he returned to his room and dressed himself. Coming out of his room again he side-stepped the large panther sitting next the kitchen table as he went to make breakfast.

Blair froze in place as he reached for the bacon. His eyes widened and he turned very slowly back toward the table. He slowly shut the door to the fridge and faced the impossible.

With a hard swallow he took in the sight before him. The cat had to be two hundred pounds, all muscle, its black fur gleaming in the early morning light.

"Um, Jim. You better get down here," Blair called in a relatively calm voice. "We have a slight problem."

The panther's ears twitched in response to his voice. Its tail swished side to side for a long moment, then it yawned and tilted its head to the side. Blair looked toward the stairs and wondered why his Blessed Protector hadn't gotten his ass out of bed yet.

"Jim! Get down here," Blair called. "Your spirit animal is making a house call."

Slowly inching his way toward the other side of the room, Blair watched the panther for any sudden movements.

When he was finally close enough, he sprinted up the stairs. "Jim! What the hell..." He stopped when he saw the bed was empty. His first impulse was to think that the older man had bolted sometime during the night. But Jim's wallet and badge were still sitting on his night table. Blair checked around the room, and saw no sign of a struggle. The absence of Jim suddenly hit him, as he realized he was on his own to deal with a very large furry problem.

"Okay, Blair, stay calm. There has to be a rational explanation for this." He turned back toward the stairs and saw the panther sitting on the loveseat staring at him with... blue eyes?!

"Okay..." Blair said softly, making his way down the stairs again. "Nice kitty. I'm not going to make any sudden movements, and you're not going to eat me."

The panther stayed still as Blair approached it. He swallowed nervously as he took a long hard look at the creature before him. Those blue eyes were an incredible contrast to the black fur, as was the white bandage on the left paw. Encircling the leg a few centimeters above the bandage was a bracelet that was unmistakable.

Blair stopped breathing, he stopped thinking, he couldn't even be sure that his heart was beating for that one timeless moment when he realized what was going on. "Jim?" he managed to whisper as he fell to his knees in shock.

The panther sighed, and rolled his eyes in response. Jim leaned forward slightly until he was only inches from Blair's pale face, and licked his cheek with his rough tongue.

"Oh shit, Jim." Blair breathed, his hand reached out to touch Jim's fur-covered head. "What the hell happened?"

Jim looked down and lifted his left paw. Blair followed his gaze and gasped. "You think that did it?"

Jim carefully nodded, blue eyes locking on Blair's again.

Blair nearly jumped out of his skin when the phone rang loudly. Jim jumped as well, leaping off the loveseat and pacing the floor. Blair reached over and grabbed the phone, watching Jim as he did so.

"Sandburg speaking," he said.

"Sandburg," Simon said. "Put Ellison on the phone."

Blair let out a disbelieving bark of laughter. "Umm, thats going to be a problem."

"Don't give me any lip Sandburg," Simon retorted. "I need him to come in early."

"Simon, he can't come in," Blair faught back the urge to laugh hysterically. "He's... not himself today."

Jim stopped pacing and groaned deep in his throat. He lay down on the rug and curled his paws over his face.

"Okay, tell me, what's wrong?" Simon asked, a hint of worry in his voice.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you." Blair sighed.

"If this is some Sentinel thing, just fix it ASAP." Simon said.

"Sure, Simon, what ever you say," Blair said. "Just umm, put him on leave for a few days, cause he's in no shape to even leave the loft."

"If he's that bad, maybe you should get him to a hospital."

"No, no, I can handle it," Blair said quickly. "There's nothing a doctor could do for him anyway." Blair looked over a Jim again, still not believing it himself. "A vet maybe...," he muttered.

Jim sat up at that and narrowed his eyes. With deliberate movements he stalked toward his partner.

"Listen, Simon," Blair said. "I gotta go." Not waiting for a response, he hung up the phone.

Blair backed away from Jim only to realize he was backed up against the couch already. "Now, Jim, don't take that vet remark seriously. I'd never do that to you."

Jim sank his teeth into the heel of Blair's left shoe and pulled it off in one movement. "Hey! What's the big idea?" Blair demanded as Jim sat down over his legs pinning him.

"Jim, don't you dare pull off my sock," Blair warned. "Those are brand new--" Blair sighed. "Too late. Okay, now what?"

A rough wet tongue ran across Blairs toes, causing him to yelp. "Don't do that! That tickles!"

Jim purred, reducing Blair to a panting heap as he tickled his feet. After a minute he relented and let Blair up. The grad student gulped in air, as he calmed down. "Bad kitty," Blair gasped, still laughing. "That was so unfair man." Jim stopped purring and his eyes filled with sorrow. He nuzzled Blair's hand then bounded up the stairs to his bedroom.

"Jim? Wait!" Blair scrambled to his feet and chased after him.

He found Jim curled up in his bed, looking pathetic. There was no other way to describe it.

"Why are you so upset all of a sudden?" Blair asked, leaning over the bed. Jim glanced at him and looked away, trying to crawl under the covers.

"Don't run away from me, Jim," Blair said, frustrated. He pulled the blanket away. Jim latched onto the blanket with his paws, a mild tug of war insuing until Jim growled. The deep threatening sound startled Blair, making him release the object of contention.

"Fine, you want to hide up here? Go ahead, man." Blair retorted. "I'll be downstairs, trying to figure this out."

He stomped down stairs, pissed at his fearful reaction more than he was angry at Jim. He went to his room and dug out the journal that acompanied the bracelet. He had barely gotten past the first few pages when Jim pushed at his hand with his furry head. Jim put his head down on Blair's lap and blinked with sorrowful eyes. Not able to resist, Blair stroked Jim's head gently. "We'll figure this out. I promise."

Suddenly Jim's head perked up. His eyes looked at the clock next to Blair's bed. He growled low and grabbed Blair's sleeve.

"What?" Blair asked. When Jim pulled him until he could see the clock himself. Blair realized that he had fifteen minutes to get to the University. "Shit! Jim, I can't leave you like this."

Jim butted his head against him, growling low. The panther dashed out of the room, and came back with the sock and shoe that he had pulled off earlier.

He then nudged the pile of exams that Blair had to give that day. Blair sighed, "Okay, you're right. I have to do that today. But what about you?"

Jim rolled his eyes and hopped up on Blair's bed. After a moment he stretched and lay down in a sure sign that he was going to sleep. Blair smiled at hia antics as he pulled his sock and show back on.

"Okay, I guess. Do you need something to eat? Or drink?" Blair asked. He got up, pulled out a large bowl from the cabinets and filled it with water. "I'll pick up something on the way home. Maybe a nice steak?"

Jim purred at the suggestion, making Blair grin.

"I'll be back as quick as I can." He said, and soon he was out the door, leaving Jim alone in the loft.

The quiet of the loft had always been soothing to Jim, but the moment Blair left to go to class, he wanted nothing more than to call him back. He lay in his partner's bed just staring at the four walls for what must have been an hour. He had hoped that getting some sleep would help him think.

The closeness of Blair's scent just made him more lonely. Climbing to his feet, he trotted to the living room and sat down on the couch. Briefly he thought of trying to read one of his books, but there was no way he would be able to turn the pages. He contemplated the remote and gingerly pushed it around until he could press the buttons. Jim purred happily when the TV turned on he saw that the sports highlights were beginning on ESPN.

He watched for a while, but his mind kept replaying what had happened that morning. The reason he had gotten so upset after tickling Blair was that he knew that he should have never allowed himself to physically dominate Blair like that. But in this form, as menacing as he might look, Blair seemed more accepting of his need for physical play.

Maybe it was because he was effectively mute. Whatever the reason, he felt guilty of taking adventage of it. Especially when he couldn't keep his thoughts playful.

He loved Blair so much it hurt. He knew Blair loved him too, just not that way, not yet anyway. He had been trying to slowly introduce the idea to Blair, and he had almost ruined everything last night by blurting it all out.

Now this... transformation. It was almost a relief to have woken up without a voice. There was no way for Blair to chip away at him until he got to the unvarnished truth, no matter what that might be.

Maybe he could use this strangeness as a way to convince Blair that talking didn't always solve every problem. He purred at the thought of teaching the younger man that sometimes words got in the way.

His thoughts were cut off by a pounding on the door. "Jim! It's Simon. I need you to sign some papers."

Jim was off the couch in a flash, he quietly bounded up the stairs and waited near the landing to see if his captian would actually use the spare key Jim had given him.

"Jim? Come on, open the door. I know you're in there I can hear the television." Simon called. After a minute he opened the door with his key, and came inside.

"Jim?"

He saw Simon pull his gun, obviously worried that something might have happened to his best detective. "Sandburg? Are you home?"

Jim grimaced when Simon noticed that his jacket and keys were still in their usual places, but Blair's backpack, and jacket were gone. He must have also noted that the Volvo was gone from the lot.

"Jim?" he called again, concern in his voice increasing.

He fished out his cell phone from his jacket and dialed a number. From the tone Jim guessed that he was calling Blair.

Upstairs Jim stifled a groan. By the look of things Simon wasn't going anywhere soon. He crept across the floor, and ducked his head under the bed to see if there was room to hide under it. There was just enough, and with a certain ammount of effort he crawled inside, making sure his tail wasn't sticking out.

Downstairs he could hear Simon talking to Blair. "I'm giving you ten seconds to tell me where Jim went, Sandburg. I need him to sign off on this report before I turn it into the Chief of Police," Simon said irritated.

{"Simon, I'm telling you he's at the loft sick, he can't even walk straight, let alone sign anything. Can't it wait a little while?" Blair said.}

Jim was amazed that it seemed his senses were nearly as acute as they normally were.

"That's a load of crap, Sandburg. I'm standing in the loft as we speak. Now where is he?!"

{"You're in the loft?!" Blair exclaimed. He lowered his voice. "He's fine, or as fine as he can be in his current state."}

"What do you mean 'his current state'?"

{"Simon, I'm in the middle of giving a very important exam." Blair replied. "If you will just give me an hour, I'll get back there and explain everything."}

"If he is in some kind of trouble, you have got to tell me, Sandburg." Simon kicked the large bowl of water as he paced the floor. "What the hell? Why is there a bowl of water on the floor? You get a pet?"

{"Ah hell, Simom! Just clean up the water, fill the bowl back up and go back to the station." Blair said. "Please? If you need his signature so bad, then bring it to me and I'll forge it. He lets me on occasion, you really can't tell the difference."}

"I didn't hear that Sandburg," Simon ground out.

{"Fine, whatever, just get out of there, okay?"}

"Okay," Simon agreed reluctantly. "But this had better be one hell of an explaination."

Five minutes later Simon gave the loft a last glance as he left. Jim listened to his captian enter the elevator, and with a great sigh of relief he pulled himself out from under the bed. To his utter dismay he found himself covered in a layer of dust.

He hadn't cleaned under the bed in several weeks and the dust had gotten a chance to collect. He shook himself vigorously, causing some of it to shake loose and fall to the floor.

The dust got in his nose and he spent time dealing with a serious sneezing fit. Letting out a large, disgusted sigh, he headed downstairs to the kitchen to get a drink of water.

When he finished he resisted the need to try to get the dust off his fur. He rubbed his body along the couch, rolled around on the carpet, anything he could think of, but none of it worked well enough.

//I can't believe I'm going to do this// He padded over to sit the carpet and began to groom himself with his rough tongue. //At least Blair isn't here to see this.//

As strange as the experience was, Jim had to admit in some small part of his brain that he was enjoying this. There was something almost meditative in the rhythm of his tongue sliding across his fur.

He was giving his tail a final swipe when he heard keys at the door. He sat up, surprised that he had been so absorbed in his grooming that he hadn't noticed Blair coming home.

Blair came in carrying several grocery bags in his arms, and Simon on his heels. They were arguing the whole way in. "I don't want to hear any more bull out of you," Simon said heatedly. "I want to know where Jim is, now!"

"He's home," Blair said tiredly. "He never left the loft all day."

Simon grabbed Blair's arm, squeezing with more force than he meant to. "Then where is he?"

Jim growled a low warning as he stalked toward his captain. Friend or no, he wasn't going to let Simon use his size to intimidate his partner.

Simon's eye went wide at the sight of the panther coming toward him. "Blair, get out of here!" he yelled as he drew in gun and pointed it at the panther.

"Simon, no!" Blair grabbed his arm. "That's Jim."

"That's what?"

"The panther is Jim." Blair said quickly. "I know it sounds crazy, but it is the truth."

Simon looked at the large cat the was still giving him the eye and growling low, then turned to Blair's earnest face. "Sandburg, I do not want to know. You got that?"

Blair nodded, sighing and Simon put his gun away. "Thank you. Now give me those papers and I'll take care of it."

"You sure you can forge Jim's signature?" Simon asked.

"Yes," Blair said scrawling his rendition of Jim's name on the papers. It was a nearly perfect match. "Just give us a few days off, personal days, unused vacation time. I don't care, I need time to find a way to change him back."

"I don't care what you do, Sandburg. Just make it fast." Simon said, heading for the door witht he papers. "I don't want to end up visiting Jim at the Cascade Zoo."

After the captain left, Blair closed and locked the door tightly. He turned to Jim who was sitting in front of him patiently. "He's going to need so much theropy after he get promoted," Blair commented.

Jim yawned and stretched in a way that expressed a complete lack of concern for Simon's mental state.

"That's no way to behave," Blair admonished. "He's gone through a lot since he found out about your abilities."

Jim rolled his eyes and padded over to the counter where he could smell fresh meat in one of the shopping bags. He leaned on the counter with his forepaws and stuck his muzzle in the bag.

"I guess that means you're hungry," Blair sighed. "You know, this sucks big time. Not only can you not talk to me, I have to cook for you too."

Jim looked up at him with sypathetic eyes, he leaned over and rubbed his head against Blair's chest in an effort to comfort him.

"Oh, Jim," Blair smiled affectionately. "It's okay. It's not your fault. If anything, it's mine."

Jim butted his head against Blair's chest, in disagreement. There was no way Blair could have known his heartfelt gift would have done this.

"I'm serious," Blair said sadly, taking out one of the steaks from its package. "You want it raw or cooked?"

Jim looked at the steak and thought about it. If this was a temporary thing, he didn't want to wake up with raw steak in his digestive tract.

He got down from the counter and nudged the broiler. He purred loudly as he saw Blair's amused smile. "Okay, so you want it well done?" Blair asked.

Jim managed to make a suitably disgusted sound out of his muzzle at the suggestion.

"Okay, I guess some things are the same." Blair sighed. "Medium-rare? Just this side of mooing?"

Jim purred even louder, jumping up and placing his forepaws on Blair's shoulders and licking his face from neck to temple in one grateful pass. He then dashed into the living room and settled down on the couch to get out of the way.

Blair was stunned by his partner's actions. His hand came up to wipe his face dry, the realization swept over him that if Jim had been human, that lick would most assuredly have been a kiss.

Blair cooked the steak, and looked up in surprise when he heard the TV turn on. He saw Jim holding the remote carefully between his paws trying to change the channels, and succeeding for the most part. He shook his head at the ingenuity he was seeing. Not everyone could handle this life-altering occurance with as much ease as Jim seemed to be having. But then, Jim had already had to deal with his heightened senses, after that almost anything would seem easy.

"Anyway, Jim. I was reading that journal that I bought with the bracelet while I was giving the exam."

Jim perked his ears up to listen.

"It seems the last guy to own it was some sort of scholar of things mystical. His journal talks about how he learned of it and how he believed the bracelet was created to be a test of some sort." Blair said. "I'm not done reading, but I get the feeling he thought it had the ability to meld the spiritual animal totems with the person wearing it."

He finished cooking the steak and set it on the counter to cool. He looked at it thoughtfully for a moment, then he cut it up into several smaller pieces before bringing it over to the couch. "I know this breaks a few rules, but somehow I think you'd find it hard to sit at the table in your condition."

He set the plate on the coffeetable and stabbed a piece with a fork. "Open up, Jim. Time for dinner."

Jim felt like a baby letting Blair feed him, but he didn't want to eat off the plate like, well... some animal.

"You know," Blair commented taking a few bites himself. "I think the answers are in that journal. I just need time to study it. I mean, obviously there has to be a way to reverse this."

Jim nodded in agreement, taking another bite of steak and chewing it carefully.

Blair got down to the last piece and smiled. "Open wide, Jim. The airplane is coming in for a landing." He made silly whirring noises as he fed Jim the last piece. Jim took the last piece, rolling his eyes as he did so.

"That wasn't so bad, was it?" Blair asked teasingly, leaning back on the couch.

Jim purred deeply in his thoat, his eyes narrowed into slits, as he looked at Blair's amusement. He liked it when Blair was happy, even if it was partly at his expense. With a happy sigh, he lay down next to him to watch TV, he rested his head on Blair's lap and closed his eyes.

Blair let his hand travel down the well muscled, fur-covered body of his sleeping friend. He couldn't help but wonder how he would have handled a similar situation. Would he have just taken it in stride as Jim seemed to be doing, or would he be completely flipped out?

Blair was loath to move Jim from his lap, because of the closeness he was feeling between them. He wondered how the discussion they were supposed to have that morning would have gone.

Reluctantly he had to admit to himself that he would not have very recepetive to anything Jim might have said. At the time he was so freaked by that declaration of love that he might have tried to hurt Jim. Not physically--he wasn't small, but Jim had him beat in height and muscle development--but emotionally he could easily rip him to shreds.

He had grown up with the knowledge that is wasn't the package that mattered, but the person inside, but when that was applied to practical everyday life it was easier said than done.

Yes, he had found himself attracted to several male friends growing up, but he'd never worked up the courage to even think about pursuing one of them.

He had so much riding on his career that he felt it was safer to ignore the occasional feelings that sprung up.

Blair looked down at his sleeping friend and sighed, "I'd never admit this of you were awake, but I've been shoving my feelings for you so far into the back of my mind that I never thought about it."

He stroked the soft fur as he spoke. "I mean, not only do we work together, but you are my thesis. If I got involved it might compromise my research. People would question my objectivity.

"I wonder if that Ph.D. is even worth it, though. I mean, it's my work, but it's your life." He shook his head. "I never considered what it was like to live as a cop before I met you. I mean, you're so high profile in Major Crime that I'm surprised no one has put a contract out on you."

Jim lifted his head, and looked at Blair. He had been listening almost from the beginning of Blair's words but had been reluctant show that he was awake.

He got up off the couch and gently took Blair's hand in his mouth. He pulled Blair to his feet and headed for the stairs.

"Jim, what are you up to?" Blair asked. He didn't pull away, but he was nervous.

Once upstairs, Jim tugged Blair onto the bed. Using his wieght as gently as he could, he pushed Blair down until he was laying on the mattress.

Jim then curled up next to him, laying his head and a paw across Blairs chest. "You want me to sleep with you?" Blair asked the obvious question.

Jim purred in responce, leaned over and licked Blair's face again. Blair smiled, "Okay, but let me up to get undressed." Jim relented and soon Blair was stripped down to know more than a tank top and a pair of boxers. Then he settled down in the bed to get some sleep, lulled by the constant purring that seemed to vibrate through his body.

Blair woke slowly several hours later to the intensely erotic sensation of Jim's rough tongue gliding along his chest. Some time during his nap his shirt had gotten bunched up above his chest. He opened his eyes to look into intensely blue orbs that were locked onto his face as the dark pink tongue swept over his right nipple, making it a tight nub.

Blair gasped at the sensation of the large furry body draped across his length. The deep purring coming from the barreled chest sent signals to every part of his body, including his groin.

"Jim, oh man. Do you... know what you're doing?" Blair gasped.

In answer Jim bared his sharp teeth and nipped at the flesh he had been laving. Blair arched his back at the sensation, his hands coming up to hold the great feline head in place.

Jim needed no other encouragement, licking and nipping the tasty flesh with great enthusiasm. He moved over to the left nipple and gave it the same treatment until it was erect and red from attention, but not sore. Blair pulled his tank top the rest of the way off when Jim pulled back briefly to survey his work.

Jim's forepaws kneaded the mattress on either side of Blair's chest, in time to Jim's purring breath. Blair trembled slightly, both from excitement and apprehension when his panther-love devoted his attention to Blair's neck and shoulders.

A bubble of ticklish laughter dissolved into a moan as Jim flattened his tongue and lips at the juncture of Blair's neck and shoulder, and sucked hard enough to leave a mark.

"Jim! Oh yes, that feels good." Blair moaned, his rational mind slipping away, caught up in the sensations. He dug his hands into the fur covered shoulders as he arched his back.

Jim would have smiled if it were possible, he could feel Blair's erection through his shorts pushing up into his belly. His own cock was sliding out of its fur-covered sheath for the first time. It was an odd sensation, but not uncomfortable. He pulled away from Blair's luscious neck, looking down at his mark. A growl of lust erupted from his throat to mix with Blair's panting groans, and his own purring.

Blair watched Jim pull away and climb off of him, feeling the cold of the loft distinctly after being covered with Jim's heat. He leaned forward to see what his new lover was doing, just in time to see the great cat grab his boxers with his teeth and pull them down to his ankles. Blair kicked them off the rest of the way.

"I can't believe this," Blair whispered as Jim settled between his legs. The rough tongue made hot wet trails along his inner thigh, as Jim explored his most private and intimate areas.

Jim worked his balls with his tongue, then licked the length of the leaking shaft as it stood straight and achingly hard. He worked downward, pushing Blair's legs as far apart as he could to access every part of him. Blair felt like he was going to explode when he left the gental nip of sharp teeth on his perineum.

Blair shrieked with pleasure as the long tongue licked him from the crack of his ass to the back of his balls in serval long sweeping strokes. He had never been touched that way before, and it left him panting and crying out for more.

Then the hot mouth, and sharp teeth encircled the tip of his hard penis. He wailed in pleasure as he was sucked by a slowly desending mouth. The rough tongue wrapped around his erection. Each inch increased the sensations until Jim's muzzle had engulfed his entire length. Blair grabbed frantically at the furry head and thrust deep. With a final shout, he exploded, shooting his semen into the panther's throat. Jim swallowed all he could, savoring the flavor like a precious gift.

Blair collapsed boneless into the big bed, panting hard, eyes wide but not really seeing.

He blinked after a minute to look down at his lover, Jim's head was resting on his stomach as he panted softly. Slowly he sat up and looked around. His lover's eyes were closed and Blair leaned down and kissed the top on his head. A soft sad smile spead across his lips as he wondered how this could possibly be worked out.

He ran his hands down Jim's flank, caressing the strong body that contained the soul of his best friend. Jim rolled onto his side, exposing his belly to Blair's roaming hands.

Blair gasped at the sight of Jim's erection hanging between his legs, hard and needing attention. It was long, thin, and reddish pink. He slipped his hand down to feel its heat, and realized it was covered in soft
bristle-like hairs. It wasn't the same as a human penis, but it was beautiful nonetheless.

Jim let out a low growl as Blair encircled his length with his hand. He was so hard he thought his new body was going to die from the need.

"You've been so good to me, Jim," Blair whispered, running his free hand along Jim's belly as he pumped the impressive organ. "You must need this so much."

He squeezed harder, pumping with more vigerous strokes, as Jim began to thrust in time to his ministrations.

Blair teased Jim's fur covered balls with his other hand, squeezing lightly. He smiled when Jim huffed and panted harder, purring constantly, slipping into a growl on occasion.

Jim's forepaws dug into the mattress, heedless of the damage his sharp claws were doing to the bed covers.

Remebering the times he'd played with house cats, Blair releases Jim's balls and rubbed the base of his tail in time to Jim's trusts. That was all Jim needed, and with a sequence of hard thrusts and short strained growls he fell over the edge. With a final roar that reverberated all through the loft, he came, pumping his seed all over Blair's hand.

Blair watched in amazement as the now flacid penis sank back into it's sheath. Jim was a limp ball of fur on the bed, his chest heaving, and purring in a soft contented way.

Blair grabbed his night shirt from the side of the bed and wiped himself and his partner clean. He pulled the comforter up over the both of them, and settled down to sleep once more.

Blair was woken again by an insistant pounding on the door. He blinked hard and looked at the clock. It was only nine-thirty, so he hadn't been sleeping for more than an hour. He climbed out of the bed, sleepily looking for his clothes.

"Sandburg, if you don't open this door in five seconds I'm coming in." Simon bellowed.

"Oh shit!" Blair exclaimed. He grabbed his jeans and pulled them on quickly, trying not to pinch any skin in the process.

Jim's fur covered head shot up from under the comforter. He looked over at Blair then looked down at the door. He leapt from the bed and trotted down the stair ahead of his lover who was desperately trying to pull his flannel shirt over his head.

The door burst open, and a frustrated Simon Banks entered the loft. He was clenching his lit cigar tightly in his mouth.

Blair skidded to a halt, at the kitchen table, wondering what had gotten the captain so pissed.

"Haven't you fixed him yet?" Simon demanded. "The Mayor is all over my ass for giving Jim time off in the middle of this mess."

Jim jumped up on the kitchen table, flicking his tail in irritation. Not only had his captain woken them both up, but he had a nerve to break house rule #15: 'No lit tobacco in the loft'.

"Simon, I can't just fix this. It's not a Sentinel thing," Blair said in frustration. "I'm trying to find a way to cure him, but the text that contains the data is written by hand. And some of the pages have been faded by time."

"Well, have you figured out at least how it happened in the first place?" Simon asked, glancing nervously at Jim, who was still staring at him with narrow eyes.

"Yes," Blair admitted. "It's that bracelet on his arm." He pointed to the ornament.

"Then why don't you just take it off?!" Simon demanded.

"Because! I don't know if taking it off would make this change permanent." Blair shot back. "And I'll be damned if I'm going to curse him with the form of his spirit animal for the rest of his life."

"You think that's possible?" Simon asked, stunned.

"It's possible; it's also possible that this is a temporary change." Blair said, finally getting his shirt on properly.

"Then there is a chance that he could suffer from sporadic transformations for the rest of his life."

Jim turned to stare at Blair; he hadn't even considered any of those possibilities. He just figured that Blair would be able to help him like any other time.

Jim reached over with his paw, and snagged Blair's sleeve to pull him over. With a rumbling purr, he sat on his haunches and pulled him into an awkward embrace. Blair wrapped his arms around Jim, taking the comfort his partner offered.

Simon gaped at the sight. "It really is Ellison, isn't it?" He staggered over to the sink and got himself a glass of water. "You know, I was ready to think you were pulling some colossal practical joke to get him away from the Mayor's wrath for a while."

"There are limits to how far I'm willing to go for the sake of a joke, Simon." Blair commented dryly.

"Okay, okay," Simon said in way of apology. "But how is he doing? Is he in any pain?"

"No," Blair said. "I don't think he's in any pain. In fact I'd say he's enjoying some of this."

Jim pulled out of Blair's arms and gave him a playful swat on the arm. The last thing he needed was to be thinking about how much fun he had been having up in that bed.

Jim looked over at Simon and growled at his cigar. He considered grabbing the offensive object, but then he would taste tobacco in his mouth.

"What is wrong with him, Sandburg?" Simon asked. "He keeps growling at me."

"I would think that's pretty obvious, Simon," Blair said. "You're smoking in his territory."

Simon glanced at his cigar. "Hell, he expects me to remember shit like that under these circumstances?"

Jim sat on the table, his front paws crossed casually, as he growled low to make his point.

"I'm not going to argue with a cat. There's no point." Simon sighed and snuffed out the lit end in the sink. "Okay, until you two get this thing straightened out, I'll put you on personal leave. And Sandburg, don't go doing anything stupid. You can't afford to screw this up."

"We'll be careful, Simon. We just need time to get all the facts together."

"One more thing, Sandburg." Simon said. "I'd tell your girlfriend to be a little more restrained. Your neck looks like it's been mauled."

Blair's hand shot to his neck, and he blushed to the roots. "No problem," he squeaked out. "I'll go start my research now, if you don't mind."

"Good, I'll get out of your hair then. Make sure that Jim doesn't have to go outside for any reason. I don't want to hear about Animal Control being called in to handle an exotic cat." Simon joked.

Blair laughed with him, but didn't find any humor in the joke. When the captain was finally gone, he slumped down into one of the kitchen chairs. He dropped his head into the crook of his arm. "Oh my god what a mess."

Jim nudged him with his muzzle, wanting to comfort him, but Blair wouldn't lift his head. He grew annoyed at Blair's stubborn attitude and decided that enough was enough.

With as gleam of mischief in his eyes, he stuck his long wet tongue in Blair's ear.

"Damn, Jim!" Blair shot up in his seat, wiping the saliva from his ear. "Are you trying to get my attention or what?"

Jim gave him a hard penetrating look and swished his tail back and forth. They had better things they could be doing other than moping, and he was determined that they start.

"Okay, I get the point. Let me just get my notes and we'll work on this thing together." Blair brushed his hair out of his face and headed to his room.

Jim hrumphed at the thought of research. He was thinking of some more physical things they could be doing. But he had to admit that if he didn't want to end up wearing a collar and tags for the rest of his life, they'd have to reverse this.

"Okay," Blair said coming back in the room. "I think this is the chapter that has the history of the bracelet. I figure if we can understand what he means in these passages, we'll be able to learn how to help you."

Jim looked at the open page, and read the opening paragraphs easily enough. The tight scrawled words were quite similar to the way his father had written.

Blair held open the book and they both read it. He would look to Jim before turning each page, to be sure he was ready. The story was fascinating to say the least.

The bracelet had been created by a shaman hundreds of years ago as a way to test the bonds of certain key members of the tribe. If the bond was strong and working well, nothing would happen. But if there were problems of acceptance of one or the other's roles in life, the wearer would undergo a transformation that could not be reversed until they both accepted who and what they were to each other.

"I understand the need of a test like that," Blair sighed in frustration. "But what has that got to do with you? I mean I know you're a Sentinel. But I'm just teaching you how to deal with you senses. I mean honestly, even with what Incacha did, I'm not some mystical shaman destined to guide you. I'm just a grad student working on his Ph.D."

Jim swatted the book out of Blair's hand with a growl.

This was the problem that they had always had. Blair wasn't willing or able to admit that he was more of the equation than a researcher.

Jim jumped off the table grabbed the book with his teeth and headed upstairs.

"Jim!" Blair scrabbled to his feet. "Come back here with that book! It's the only way we're going to figure this thing out."

Blair heard a scraping sound as Jim opened his dresser with his claws. Blair cautiously made his way up, not sure what Jim was up to. He stopped half way up when Jim came back to the landing holding a photo in his mouth.

It was beat up and folded, like it had seen a lot of travel. Blair carefully reached up and took it from him. As he stared at the picture understanding crept into his mind.

The photo was from their first year together. A police banquet celebrating the retirement of one of their own. The photo was a candid shot of Jim standing next to his partner near the bar, as Blair regaled tales of his many travels. Though Blair wasn't aware of it, he had spent the whole dinner at Jim's side, keeping the Sentinel grounded in the echoing hall. In the photo, Blair's hand was on Jim's shoulder while Jim was touching Blair's stomach.

It was intimate and loving, Rhonda had taken the photo and given Jim a copy. He treasured it as much as he treasured everything else that had to do with his partner.

Blair slowly made his way up the stairs until he reached the bedroom, his eyes never leaving the photograph.

"You must think I'm the world's biggest jerk for not seeing this before." he said sitting down on the bed. "You've known about this, about our 'bond' since this photo, haven't you?"

Jim tilted his head, and nodded solemnly. Blair flopped backward on the bed, which forced him to look up at Jim's bright blue eyes.

"Why didn't you say something about this?" Blair demanded.

Jim raised his eyebrows and swished his tail back and forth, trying to find a way to explain. In a flash he was down the stairs, in Blair's closet, he grabbed Blair's 'panic sack' and dragged it to where the it could be seen from the bedroom.

The sack contained enough spare clothes and supplies for several days worth of travel. He always kept it ready, even after living together for over nearly three years.

Jim hated it, and he had learned to despise the little ritual that Blair performed every three months when he washed everything inside it, then packed it away again. It was a part of Blair's life of travel, of solitude, that Jim had realized was over the moment he had moved into the loft.

In a moment of impulse born of frustration, Jim took the sack in his claws and ripped it apart. He growled his anger at Blair's unwillingness to accept being tied to one person. When he was satisfied there was no repairing the object, he left out a roar of triumph.

He met Blair's eyes where he was watching with a mixture of fear and disbelief. He knew he had just done a terrible thing, but had needed for Blair to understand.

That fear he saw broke his heart, especially when Blair ducked back into Jim's bedroom. Unable to see his guide, he listened and heard the rapid heartbeat of someone who was frightened.

That was the last thing he has wanted to do. He had never wanted to scare him. He couldn't stop the wail of sorrow that burst from his chest. It was the only way cats could cry, and he felt like he had just destroyed everything in his life by that one selfish act.

Blair's head shot up from where he had been sitting, trying to calm himself. The savage destruction of his panic sack made him realize just how dangerous Jim's present form really was. But the wailing downstairs was like that of a child, impossible to ignore.

He bounded down the steps and wrapped his arms around the great fur covered body, holding him tightly. He spoke soothing words of comfort and love, not just because it was what Jim needed to hear, but because it was how he felt.

Jim inhaled the scent of his guide, so close to him, and stopped crying. It was an act of bravery and forgiveness that Jim almost couldn't believe. He leaned into Blair's arms and snuffled his neck.

"Jim, god, I've been trying to tell myself for two years that I didn't need that bag anymore," Blair admitted as he rocked their bodies back and forth. "I was just too afraid to admit it.

"You can't know what it's been like trying to convince myself that you aren't going to walk in one day with someone by your side, and tell me that you've found the person that was destined to guide you.

"I've never been the center of anything, never been more than a pinch hitter for whoever needed a replacement at the last minute." Blair buried his face in the luxurious fur. "I didn't want to get attached to you, only to be tossed away again. So I kept myself detached. I had no idea that I was hurting you by doing it."

Blair kissed the top of Jim's head and stroked his fur. Holding him tight, until they both stopped shaking.

"Come on, Jim," Blair whispered into his ear. "Let's go upstairs."

Blair took off his hastily donned clothes and crawled into the queen-sized bed. Laying there, naked and hard, Blair could help the shivers that ran through his body as his lover lowered his muzzle explored him inch by inch.

He watched with anticipation as Jim's rough tongue darted out to lave him, starting with his toes and working his way up. He had never had a tongue bath before, and it was obvious that this was exactly what he was getting. Jim licked in the direction that the hairs were growing. making each wet trail a sensual glide.

When he reached Blair's crotch, he gave the inner thigh of Blair's right leg a light nip. Blair gasped at the sensation, bucking his hips in response. Jim's eyes twinkled when he leaned down to the straining erection and breathed on it.

Blair groaned in frustration when Jim otherwise ignored his erection and moved up to explore his navel. The long tongue delved deep to find the hidden tastes there, and his sharp teeth nipped at the above rim, making Blair shout with pleasure.

He laved the arrow of chest hair, taking his time travelling all the way up to the base of his collarbone and back down to Blair's crotch.

"Please, Jim, please, please, please," Blair chanted. "Oh god, I'm losing my mind."

Jim purred deeply at Blair's soft litany. He knew he couldn't last much longer under all this attention. He laved his way down Blair's left arm, he licked and nibbled the inner wrist. Blair gasped again, amazed at how intense the sensations were.

Blair reached over to scratch the base of Jim's tail, the panther's body arched in reaction to the stimulus. Jim closed his eyes and kneaded the bed, he felt like he could cum just from that scratching. He pulled away from it though, wanting this night to last.

As with their first time, Jim sucked on Blair's neck, this time at his pulse point, when Blair turned his head for better access. Blair stroked his fur in time to the sucking, which was augmented by the vibrations of Jim's constant purring.

Blair felt more than saw the reddish pink erection slide out of its furry sheath, as Jim's own excitement grew.

Blair reached down and stroked it, feeling again the soft bristles that covered its length.

Jim growled in appreciation, and his panting breath and rhythmic purring increased in tempo.

Jim pulled away again to settle between Blair's legs. "Oh please, Jim, please," Blair panted hard.

With a lust-filled growl Jim took the entire length of his leaking erection into his mouth, and sucked hard. Blair wailed and thrust into the hot moist tunnel, the barbed tongue created an incredible friction on his sensitive flesh. Blair couldn't hold back and came hard, crying out his lover's name.

Totally breathless and sated, he didn't resist when Jim nudged him onto his stomach. Blair sighed and shivered as his legs were spread wide, allowing complete access to his body.

Jim wet his tongue with saliva and gently probed between Blair cheeks, seeking his tight anus. His long agile tongue dipped easily inside, wetting the outside thoroughly. With great care and concentration Jim inserted the tip into Blair's center, causing him to whimper with need.

Jim's purring vibrated his probing tongue, and Blair couldn't help but thrust back on it, trying to increase the sensation.

"Yes! Oh fuck, oh man," Blair panted. His erection was returning with all the sensations rushing through him. "Don't stop, please. Don't stop."

Jim was achingly hard--he wanted, needed to be inside his most beloved one. He removed his tongue from Blair's anus and moved forward, poised with his hard penis pointing at his lover's opening. As much as he wanted to thrust right in, he would never forgive himself for hurting his lover. Blair seemed to sense this, Jim watched as he reached into the night stand with trembling hands and found a tube of KY. He trembled when he felt Blair raise himself onto his knees and heard him opened the tube.

Blair reached around with lube coated fingers and liberally coated the hard length behind him. He trembled as the heat of Jim's panther body covered him. He took several deep breaths has relaxed himself as much as possible waiting for Jim to enter him.

The tip of Jim's length pushed against his opening and held still. Blair could feel him tremble with the effort to hold back. "Jim, please, don't stop now. Fuck me, please. I need you. I--" Jim thrust forward gently as his need allowed. "--LOVE you!" The initial pain of entry was accompanied by the indiscribable sensation of the lube covered bristels massaging his inner walls.

Jim pushed forward with short strokes sheathing himself in Blair's body, until his velvet-like fur covered balls came to rest against his ass. Jim's forelegs were on either side of his lover's chest, holding him still as he began to thrust deeply into him.

Blair had never dreamed of feeling anything like this in his life, the soft fur surrounding him, the hot breath on his neck, the purring that felt like a living vibrator, all combined to leave him in a nearly mindless state of ecstacy. The initial pain of entry was replaced by the feeling incredible pleasure. He whispered words of love as he moaned and thrust back in counterpoint to Jim's thrusts.

The soft bristles covering Jim's erection caused Blair to squeeze his sphincter reflexively with each thrust, increasing the sensations for both of them. Jim reacted by pumping harder, taking hold of the back of Blair's neck with his teeth to keep him still, but not hard enough to break the skin. Blair felt his orgasm building to a crescendo. Jim's thrust slammed against his prostate and he arched his back and came with a mindless shout. Jim felt and heard Blair's second orgasm of the night as it was pounded out of him.

The feel of internal muscles clenching him, pulling him deeper sent Jim off as well with a series of fierce thrusts. With a roar he released Blair's neck and came. Both lovers collapsed on the wrecked, semen covered bed in a sweaty heap.

Some time later Blair opened his eyes, feeling like he had just been ridden hard and put up wet. Every part of his body ached in a wonderfully satisfying way. He slowly stretched his body, then remembered what had happened. He sat up quickly, groaning as his body protested the maneuver.

He searched the bed for his lover and saw a large lump under the comforter. He carefully pulled it back, worried about what he would find.

He breathed a sigh of relief as he saw the sleeping, handsome, human, face of Jim Ellison laying next to him. He crawled under the covers next to him, wrapped his arms around Jim's human body, and drifted back to sleep, relieved that they had by some miracle beaten the curse, by loving each other.

Epilogue

Blair woke the next morning feeling great. He was a little surprised that Jim wasn't in bed with him, but he could hear the shower on downstairs so he didn't worry.

He smiled, figuring that his lover would want to wash himself after being covered in fur for nearly twenty-four hours.

Grabbing his boxers from the previous day, Blair made his way to the bathroom. He opened the door and took care of his necessities, then said, "Morning, Jim. I bet you're feeling a lot better."

Jim pulled back the curtain and smiled. "Yeah, you could say I'm feeling human again, Blair." He pulled Blair in for a deep penetrating kiss. The one thing he couldn't do as a cat. "I love you, Blair. I've loved you for so long. It drove me crazy that I couldn't tell you."

Blair wrapped his arms around his wet lover, savoring the smooth muscular body. "I love you too, Jim. But maybe this wasn't such a terrible thing. Maybe we needed this kick in the ass to admit how we feel."

"I guess so," Jim replied, kissing him again, savoring the taste of his mouth. When he pulled back he said, "There is one little problem, though."

"What?" Blair asked apprehensively.

Jim lifted his left arm, where the bracelet still resided on his wrist. "It won't come off."

The End!?

Thank you for reading. Questions? Comments?