The Journal Entries

"Commander? Can you hear me?"

I heard the words dimly, through an awful haze of drugs and pain. I tried to talk, and a croak came out. "Yea. I c'n hear ya."

"My name is A'l'emad. I'm your nurse. You've been in an accident." The thought made me smile. I wouldn't exactly call what happened just an 'accident.'

"A'l'emad? You're a Mustel, huh?" I asked.

"Yes, sir." Was that disdain in his voice?

"How're you handling your assignment?"

"Sir," he said, and I heard amusement that time, "I was advised by your coimelin that you would begin asking me questions about myself. I am your nurse, sir. Please take my advice, and, to quote Doctor Traken, shut up and rest."

"Oh, damn," I breathed. He was right, though. My throat hurt like hell.

---

"Ken?" It was P'nyssa's voice, and it was sweet to hear.

"Hi, sweetheart. How are we doing?"

"I am doing better, now that we're sure the two of you are going to live. How do your eyes feel?"

"Hard to say, with the painkillers. How long am I expected to be blind?"

"A few weeks. We need to get your renal system working to a level that can handle the kind of glucose we need to fix your eyes. Nanotech doesn't work without fuel." I nodded. "Oh," she continued, "I took the liberty of reactivating Voll. He's at the foot of your bed. You should be able to walk in a few days."

"How's Amanda?" I asked.

"Better. Tell me, what do you remember happening?"

"Is this a debriefing?"

"No. Etta wants to handle that personally."

"Does that mean Amanda is in trouble?"

"Kathy came out of it unscathed, so I'd say no. It was an accident, and that's how it's going on the books. There's a slight indication of operator error, but it's not enough to strip either Kathy or Amanda of rank."

I relaxed. "Good. Well, I heard the first... it wasn't an explosion, really. It sounded more like a lot of metal being sheared violently. I ran down to the lab to see what was happening, and I saw that the Benetti field was running, and about to shatter the ceramic platform. I grabbed Kathy and I almost threw her out of there, but when I went back to Amanda she was just to heavy, so I tried to shield her from the explosion. I figured I was in better shape than she was. The explosion was a little more powerful than I figured, because I remember hearing the breach alarm, and the sound of air rushing. I don't remember much after that."

"Well, I'll finish it for you. You and Amanda got swept out. The breach was pretty big. We launched SDisk Coordinate Trackers that grabbed you and teleported you to the SDisk in the exosickbay. We treated you both there."

"How's Amanda?"

"Well, you kept her from going blind, holding her face against your stomach. And your training kept you pretty healthy. You were only in vacuum for eight seconds. You've lost one eardrum, both eyes, and a little of your toes from vacuum frostbite. Amanda's a little worse in that respect. She's not blind, but she is deaf. And I'm afraid that her GI tract was not treated kindly. But we've already got that fixed, and her urinal tract survived pretty well. Yours, on the other hand, tried to turn itself inside out."

"Joy." I paused. "So, what's next?"

"You go in for surgery. A little cyborging to support the repair mechanisms, and you'll be ready to get out of bed."

"Queen bee module?"

"You got it. Ready?"

"Yes."

---

Ah, out of bed at last. I'm being led around by my seeing eye robot, Voll. I feel kind of queasy, and my high-sugar diet is making me regularly light-headed. But I've got a QBM inside me now to fix my eyes, and it runs on raw glucose.

The Queen Bee module is a supercomputer and nanotech assembler system. Normal cells repair themselves, so small wounds are healed by mechanisms local to the wound. The Queen Bee system is different; it's the housing for a healing mechanism that travels through the body to repair sites, then returns to the housing. It's called the Queen Bee by analogy; a beehive suffers when its drones die, but those drones are replaced, and the hive is 'healed' as a whole, by the queen bee.

I walked through the a very different 'Elen from the one I was used to visiting. I was blind, and I now relied upon Voll and Liffip. Smells and Sounds reached me. I was only fifteen days away from having the bandages taken off, but in the meantime, I was blind, and darkness was again my friend. I stress friend, because I'd been blind before, and for a longer time. I'd recovered, and although that blindness was hundreds of years in the past, I hadn't forgotten how to deal with it. I could still read Braille, and P'nyssa had gotten me a Braille PADD.

It isn't true that smell and hearing get more acute when one goes blind. No, it's more that I'm paying more attention to those senses. People close their eyes to enjoy the smell of food, after all.

My nurse, A'l', was annoyingly insistent about helping me. He's a good sort, and a Mustel, the newest race born to Pendor, but he can be annoying. Even though it's an android, he was still annoyed by Voll's presence next to my bed. "We can't have a dog in here, sir," he said.

But I got him to leave me alone. After all, I think I surprised him by my ability to read, and to navigate by Voll.

I palmed the door alert. At least, I hoped that's where it was. I heard the chime, and from it I heard Amanda's voice from inside. "Who is it?"

"It's me, Ken."

There was a squeal, and I heard the door swish open. "Kennet!" I heard, and arms swung around my head. "I'm so glad you're okay!"

I responded by putting my arms around her torso, and sliding them down until I came to her juncture. "I'm glad you're okay," I replied. "Can I come in?"

"Yes, yes, come in, come in!" She pulled me in. "Sit down, make yourself comfortable."

"Amanda?"

"Huh?"

"Uhm... where?"

"Ohmifa, I forgot. I'm sorry, I'm sorry. Over... to your right. There's a table in front of you. Go around it and there's a couch for people."

I laughed, and tugged on Voll's harness. It led me easily around the table and I found the couch. It felt slightly overstuffed when I sat down. "So, how are you?"

"I'm fine, really. I've got my hearing back, and Dr. Merta said I'm in... in... top-tip shape?"

"Tip-top. That's an old expression."

"Yeah. Well he said everything healed perfectly, and I'm in better health than I was the day before the accident. How are you?"

"I'm better. All that's left is my eyes. Everything else is just as healed as yours."

"I'm sorry about your eyes." She was moving about. I heard the common 'suck' sound of a refrigerator door, and she asked, "Is there anything you want to drink?"

"How about a carmel soda?"

"Yuck. I can get it."

"No, that's okay. Apple juice?"

"I've got that."

"I'll have that. And I won't be hurt if you don't give me glass."

"I trust you." I heard the sound of her hooves as she walked over and handed it to me. "It's in front of you. Here." She took hold of my hand and let it to the glass. I heard her settle down to the carpet, and her voice now came from a lower angle. "Father..."

"Amanda," I said, interrupting her, "please don't call me that. I hope you won't be angry with me, but I checked your lineage, and the earliest point is four away. At best, I'm you're great-great-great- grandfather."

"Okay, Kennet," she said in a very small and girlish voice. "The crew in sickbay told me that, if you hadn't come, I'd be blind just like you are now. I would also have been in a lot more pain when I woke up. Because you wear your uniform all the time, you took a lot of the laceration from the ceramics without getting hurt, but I would have been a lot worse, and I could have died."

"Died?" I asked. "How?"

There was a long pause. "I never had a sc gorget done."

I realized what that meant. The only major 'weak' spot on a centaur, or most Pendorians, is the throat. After Donna Lewis was killed, the sc gorget procedure was invented to reinforce the skin beneath the neck. "Okay, I can understand. Some people don't think it's very sexy."

"That's not why," she said. "I just never thought about it. I never expected to be in combat, I guess. But, what I mean is, you saved my eyes by shielding me from the vacuum, too."

"Amanda, I was trying to shield your face from the shrapnel, because I knew my uniform would handle most of it. I had no idea the lab going to get vacuated by the explosion."

"Whatever your reasons, Kennet, I can't thank you enough. You saved my eyes and my life."

"You make it sound so dramatic."

She took my hands in hers. "It was dramatic. It's the most dramatic thing that ever happened to me. When I get home, I'll be able to tell my friends that I was in vacuum without a space suit, and that Shardik himself saved my life."

I laughed. "Yeah, I guess you will be able to tell your friends that." Is it just me, or is there a hint of stress in this room? I let loose her hands and sought my glass, taking a long drink after I found it.

I put it down, and said, "Well."

"Yes?" she said.

"I just wanted to come by and see how you were doing, Amanda. I guess I'll get back to work." I rose and grabbed Voll's harness.

"Wait," Amanda said.

"What?"

"Kennet, I.. Uhm... I can't think of how I'd want to say this, but... I want to thank you for what you did, and I wonder if you would like to... rhysh... with me."

I smiled. And I couldn't help it, but I felt laughter, and I couldn't hold it back. I began to laugh, trying to hide it with my hand over my mouth.

"I'm sorry... I didn't mean to be so..." I heard her voice. "I'm sorry, Kennet. Please, forget I-"

"No, no, no. Please, Amanda. I'm sorry. Really." I felt so unfairly awkward. "Amanda, really. It's just been centuries since I've heard it called that. Oh, gods, it's been so long. I guess it is true what I said a long time ago."

"What was that?" she asked. There was hurt in her voice.

"I once said that rhysh was for young people."

"But you sleep with Doctor Traken!"

"I know, I know. But we don't call it that, Amanda. I mean, let's face it, it's making love, and that's about it."

"But... why is it 'for young people?'"

"Amanda," I said, still chuckling, "when kids are growing, the first thing they discover about sex is what they're interested in. Basically, you know, whether they're gay or straight, or what. And then, going outside their species, that's another step, I guess. And, that step needs a name. But, after a while, we stop calling it that, and start calling it- lovemaking. 'Cause, that's what it is. You're not having straight sex, or gay sex, or rhysh sex, or gay rhysh, or whatever; you're just having sex. Or making love. With someone, that's the whole point."

"Oh." She said it with a very small voice.

I smiled. "Amanda, can I tell you something?" There was a pause, but she didn't say anything. "It's a deep secret, Amanda. Only Kathy knows about it. And I want to tell you."

"What?" she said.

"Ever since I boarded the 'Elen and met you, I have wanted to get to know you."

"You have?" Her voice brightened.

"Yeah. I have. On a physical point, I've never made love to a Centaur. But, you have, although I can't see them right now, the prettiest eyes, and the sweetest voice I've been near in a long time, my coimelin not included, for obvious reasons." She chuckled at that. "But, even past that, I want to know you. You're like Kathy is, and she means a lot to me, and you seem to mean a lot to her, so I want to know why."

"Do you want to... now?"

I thought about it. "No, I don't think so. Can you wait a few weeks, until I can see what I'm doing?"

"O-kay," she said, with a little grumble. "Can I ask you a question?"

"Sure."

"What is that think on Kathy's leg?"

"What thing?"

"The black mark... the 'eldar,' four stars."

"You mean my symbol. That's a brand."

"A what?"

"A brand. Uh... a scar, made by a burn."

There was a long quiet. "You made that?"

"Yes. She asked me to. As a reminder of our relationship together, back in '512."

"Did it hurt?"

"You'd have to ask her, but I imagine it hurt like hell."

"Then why did you do it?"

"Why don't you ask her? She actually wants you to ask her."

"She does?"

"I think so." There a small buzzing sensation on my wrist. My watch was telling me it was time attend to some duties. "Amanda, I've got things to do. Just do me a favor, and talk to Kathy. And I'll see you sometime soon."

"I'll do that." I heard her lean a little closer, and I moved forward as well. Her hands found my face and we kissed, softly, briefly. Then we kissed again, for a little longer.

"'Bye."

"Good-bye, Kennet." I grabbed Voll, and we left her to think about our conversation.

---

In the following weeks, I found a lot of time to myself. I was relieved of my lab duties but I continued to teach, much with Liffip's visual aid. I saw a lot of Kathy and Amanda, and apparently they had had their discussion, because Kathy kissed me and hugged me and thanked me for it.

---

"So?" P'nyssa asked.

"So, what? I can see again. Thanks."

"Don't thank me, thank Liffip. He's done all the internal surgery. And, by the way, here." She handed me a bottle of pills.

"What're these?"

"Take one every six hours, sleep or not. They're chemical balancers while the QBM disassembles itself and you basically piss it away."

"Nyss? Does this mean I'm dangerous to someone else?"

"Not at all. I just don't like the idea of my coimelin getting chromium poisoning."

"Fair enough. Is it just me, or is it very red in here?"

"We've got low red lights on. Red's the easiest color for the eye to adjust to. Whenever you're ready."

"I'm ready now." I stood up and walked to the door. When it opened, I was blasted. "Yeow!"

"Told you," she said.

I waited, and my eyes adjusted. It resolved into sickbay. "I can see again," I repeated.

---

"BOO!"

"Ack!" I turned around to see my attacker and came face to face with Amanda. "You!... Hi! What are you doing here?" We were on the planet of Sendra, around the star of Sen. The natives are vaguely ursine, with wide-spaced eyes and vanilla-colored noses. Sendar is an economic power in this sector of the galaxy, and we were here to check on a claim by a Terran vessel that somewhere in the Sen system was a pirating consortium. I had trouble believing it; piracy is too expensive to be profitable. On the other hand, the captain of the Pegasus was considered trustworthy, so here we were.

"Shopping, what else?" She smiled broadly.

"No, no. I mean, out of the entire planet, why are you here?"

"The Capital city seemed as good a choice as any. I see you can see now."

"Yup. Are you, uhm... still interested in what we discussed earlier?"

"You mean..." I nodded. "Yes! Of course! When?"

I laughed. "You're so anxious. How about tonight?"

"Tonight? Sure. Where?"

"How about my room?"

"What about Doctor Traken?" I liked the fact that she seemed earnestly worried about P'nyssa's reaction.

"I've already dealt with it," I said. Actually, I had. There would be no conflict.

---

The doorbell rang, and I ran to open it. I wanted to greet her at the door.

She stood there, dressed simply in a long, light blue shirt that ended right on her back but trailed down the front until almost between her legs. Her hair had been carefully cleaned and brushed, and the pastel blue tint had returned. She smiled. "Do I look pretty?" she asked.

"Beautiful," I responded. "Come in." She stepped in and the door closed behind her. She jumped a little when it did. "Nervous?"

She nodded. "I'm sorry, Kennet. It's just..."

"What?" I asked. "Here." I handed her a glass of champagne.

She shook her head. "I don't know. I feel... strange. I don't know, maybe this isn't a good idea."

I sat down on the floor. P'nyssa and I had decided to not have furniture, but instead go with a thick carpet and throw pillows. I feel comfortable sitting on a floor. I gestured for her to come down with me.

She sat down and said, "I don't know. I mean, I'm only twenty-five, and you're seven hundred years old. I guess I just don't know how to deal with... the differences."

"You're not bothered by my being Vatare', are you?"

She shook her head. "No, not really. Well... A little. But it's not that big a deal."

"Well, I'll tell you this. I feel a little manipulative, and certainly a little bit like a dirty old man."

She laughed. "No, I don't think so. Does it bother you that I'm a Centaur?"

"Well, I've never slept with a Centaur before, so this a bit of an experiment. Will you be upset if I make a complete fool of myself?"

She shook her head and sipped her wine. We talked for a while. I found myself getting caught up in her talking about herself, and yet I was also surprised by how rapt she was when I talked about the events of my life before she was born. I have such a life history, I imagine it's easy to get caught up when I talk about my adventures, but she was just absorbing it all. And her beautiful brown eyes sparkled as we talked.

I ended up lying on the floor on my back, she on her side. We crept closer to each other until our heads were just cents apart, and then I closed the distance and kissed her on the cheek. She lazily turned her head towards me and kissed my lips gently. We kissed again. And again. Her lips were sweet and a soft, her breath warm. Between her and the alcohol, I felt very safe and relaxed. She'd been drinking more than I had, but then she had four times the body mass I did. I wondered if she was as relaxed as I was; from the kiss it felt like she was. We parted, and the smile she gave me assured me she felt as calm as I did.

There was absolutely no rush, no pressure. I kissed her forehead, and she giggled. "Is it safe to say, 'I love you?'" she asked.

I pulled back and said, "You don't even know me."

She shrugged and said, "I know. But I think I can trust you."

I kissed her throat and said, "Doesn't mean you love me."

She shrugged again and said, "I still love you."

I laughed and kissed her jaw. She took my head in her hands and began to pepper my cheek with kisses. It tickled. I laughed and slid my hand under her shirt. Her human half was warm and smooth as I caressed her belly, then slowly moved my fingers over to her side and tickled her. I got very little response. She looked at me and said "I'm not ticklish."

"I bet I could find a place on you that is ticklish."

"I don't think you will," she said in a sing-song.

"You just wait." I pulled gently on her shirt, and she propped herself up to help me ease it off. Her breasts were large and firm and I controlled my instinct to dive right in. I realized then what it was about her that made her so magnificent in her own way. Even lying down, it was clear that she had a perfect posture, and that her h-spine was straight and she made it look so easy. I reached around behind her and caressed her back, rubbing gently. The effort brought us close together, and I kissed her again. She cooed softly as I rubbed and scratched her. Her hands returned the favor.

I rose up to a sitting position, and eased myself over until I was behind her. I began to give her a comprehensive backrub, and she splayed out on the floor and enjoyed it. I reached her scage and worked my way down her e-spine as well, dodging her tail which flicked idly back and forth and finally ceased moving at all. The thought ran through my mind that usually, I do this to put P'nyssa to sleep.

I turned back to head and kissed her neck, gently biting her. She moaned softly. I began nipping her down along her spine, and she shuddered in response. I made my way down to the barrel torso of her equine half, and over her to her forelegs. I again slid over her and slipped my head between her forelegs. "What are you doing?" she murmured. I didn't answer with words; instead, I found my target and bit my teeth down around where her ribcage and shoulder came together, gnawing softly. She exploded into paroxysms of laughter. I didn't stop, but continued to nibble on her.

"Okay! You win! You win! I'm ticklish! I'm tickl..." she couldn't complete the word, she was laughing so hard.

I stopped, stuck my head out between her legs and looked up the length of her body. "I guess you are."

"How did you know that?" She said, still gasping for air.

"Carroll told me that, a long time ago. She said she's never met a Centaur who couldn't be tickled that way."

"She was right. Come here?" I guess this is the first time I've ever had a lover that was so large I had to physically move significant distances. I eased my way out from between her forelegs and over to her. I kissed her gently and caressed her teats gently with my fingers. "Wait," she said. "There's something I want to try."

"What?"

"Well," she said, "I've never been able to do this with my Stalfriends... Lie down and take off your clothes." I complied willfully. She bent over and without much ado took my cock into her mouth. It hardened almost immediately in response.

She wasn't experienced, as she had admitted, but she was definitely enthusiastic, and I lay back and enjoyed it. My cock lengthened to it's fullness and I could feel her engulfing the entire length, her lips pressing against my belly and balls. I shook with the intensity of sensation.

"Do you like that?" she asked, softly, pulling away.

"Do you?"

She looked at me and said, "Absolutely." She gave a mock frown and said, "I think I'm going to have to date hominids more often. I've definitely found a taste for..." I laughed.

She returned to what she was doing. I found just enough thought to grab one of the larger throw pillows and propped myself up to watch. She brushed her blue hair out of the way so I could, as her lips slid along the length of my cock and her tongue pressed hard against the base, and slowly my orgasm rose... "Amanda..." I gasped. She stopped and looked up, but didn't take my cock out of her mouth. "Careful," I said. She shrugged and then did take my cock out, saying, "I'll never know if I like it until I try it."

I eased back against the pillow as she swallowed my cock. She pressed the head of my cock against the back of her throat. She seemed to have no trouble with it, and very soon she had me trembling, desperate for that last, single thrust I needed. She teased me mercilessly, slowing down and speeding up, until she gave me one last thrust and I came, groaning loudly and pushing my hips up against her mouth. "Oh, Amanda..."

I opened my eyes and looked at her. She was watching me, smiling, one tiny droplet of my thick semen clinging to her chin. I eased myself up to a sitting position, leaned over and licked the droplet off, then kissed her. She tasted thick and salty and wonderful, and somewhere in that kiss we began to giggle simultaneously.

"So how was I?" she asked.

"Incredible. Simply incredible. That has to be one of the best I've ever had."

"Really?" That girlish tone again.

"Really. That was awesome."

She kissed me again, throwing her arms around me, and said "I'm so glad you liked it! I loved it too, and I want to do it again!"

I giggled. "Why don't we wait until I'm ready?"

She nodded, and my hands found her breasts again, slowly caressing them. I bent down and began to lick softly, enjoying the firm smooth texture. She cooed softly.

I looked up at her and said, "Since that was your first time, why don't I return the favor?"

"How so?"

"I've never gone down a Centaur, myself." I made my way down her body, feeling a little daunted by her size, wondering idly just how much effect I was going to have with 320 kilos of Centaur. For that matter, while I was aware, on an intellectual level, of Centaur sexuality and the changes I'd made from the equine basic, was I really going to know what I was doing?

"Kennet?"

"Hmmm?" I said quietly as I made my way down between her hind legs.

"I took your advice, and took a bath before coming over."

"My advice? How so?"

"I read your book." I laughed. I've been getting some interesting responses since Dave and I started publishing the Journal Entries, but this was the first time I'd ever gotten one from a lover.

"I wasn't worried, sweetheart." But I was pleased that she cared enough. I worked my way down between her hindlegs, but she rolled over onto her back and supported herself by stuffing a heavy comforter under her self and using my throw pillow to support her head. Where her two spines met was an incredibly supple support, like all Centaurs.

But I felt a little odd. Because she was so large, her entire body was splayed before me. It was as if I was settling down for a meal. But then, I guess I was.

I leaned over and kissed her belly. It all seemed just a little surreal, and perhaps just a little perverse. Up until now, almost all of what we'd done had concentrated on her hominid nature, not her equine.

I kissed my way down until I felt the soft ridge of flesh that marked the top of her Centaur cunny and ran my tongue over it. She cooed, and her body shuddered. I worried idly about her hooves.

Her cunt flexed softly, and I felt that with my tongue. I smiled. It was more important that she enjoy what I do than I wonder about what I was doing. I licked my way down into the large crevasse that was her pussy, tasting her juices and finding the small, tight ridge where all the nerve ending come together, the Centaur clitoris. I avoided that for a moment, and licked around, surprised about the how much I had to move my head. It was idly like licking a small bowl, or perhaps a coffee cup; that's how large her cunt was. I turned to her clit and began to lick, firmly and insistently. She groaned and gasped. "Yes..." she breathed. I ate her, enjoying the taste and surprised at my own enthusiasm. "Kennet... I'm coming..." and her body shuddered, easy spasms running along her body. I looked up at her and she smiled.

"You're good at that."

"Thank you," I said.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"I dunno. I guess I don't feel big enough, physically, to feel like I'm making an impact on you."

"Come here," she said again, and this time I stood up and walked over to her, sitting easily on her equine ribcage and leaning over, holding myself up with one arm so that I was right over her.

"Kennet, when you did that, no matter how big I am compared to you, everything really became concentrated on my pussy, really it did. I don't think it matters if you're human or Centaur."

"Tell me something," I said.

"What?"

"Well, because all Stals are, well, hung like horses, it's like you said, it's kind of hard to go down on them. Are Stals reluctant to eat Mares?"

She thought for a second and said, "I don't think so, no really. Most are pretty enthusiastic about it. I think you'd have to ask a Stal about it though." She batted playful at my hardened cock which stuck up firm against my belly. "Wanna do something about that?" she asked.

"Like what?" I asked.

"Well... I'd really like to be fucked right now."

"Amanda, compared to the average stallion, there's not much my cock is going to do inside you."

She pouted and said, "Yeah. I know!" She grinned mischievously. "Why don't you put it in my hind?"

"Have you ever had anal sex before?" I asked.

"No. But I know I'd like it with you."

"But... wouldn't you like to have something in you cunt?"

"Like what?"

"Well..." I thought for a second. "I've got a dildo you could use."

"That's very sweet, Kennet, but I doubt any dildo you own could be a lot bigger than your penis."

"You just watch," I said, laughing. I rose and ran into the bedroom. I came out with my hands behind my back. "Ready?" I asked.

"Let me see it."

I showed her one of my favorite toys. She reeled back and said "MyFa, that thing's larger than most Stals. Kennet, that thing is bigger than your arm!"

"Amanda, meet Mjolnir. Actually, that's a comparison I've never made before." I held the dildo against my forearm. "Actually, it's not really larger. It's about the same size."

"It's still huge! You can take that? Or is that P'nyssa's?"

"It's mine. Trust me."

"What was it called? Mi-ol-"

"Mi-yol-nir. It's from Terran mythology, it's the name of the hammer of the thunder god Thor of the Norse religion."

"Where did it get a funny name like that?"

"Well, it's a long story."

"Tell me?" she said with that childlike tone.

"Well, did you and Kathy talk about our relationship?" She nodded. "Okay, well a long time ago, I had a master who gave me a large, black dildo that I thought he rather callously nicknamed 'Luthor.' It wasn't nearly as big is this. But later he gave me a larger one, and he said I should name it. Somewhere between the first toy and the second, someone told me that the name Luthor meant 'Little Thor,' and was a diminutive phrase. I've no idea how true that was, but I decided to call the new toy 'Thor,' which sort of got around the embarrassing sterotyping of the original toy. It also sorta elevated the practice of playing with my toys to the sort of spiritual exercise that Leathermen so love to analogize with. Dannel used to order me to go 'worship Thor.'" She smiled.

"Well, anyway, somewhere along the way I lost Thor, don't really know where. So when I found this thing, which is just a little bigger than Thor was, I decided to nickname it 'Thor's Hammer.' When I found out the traditional name, it stuck. Besides, when I go to Rick's Underground, it lets me tell this story."

She laughed. "You set me up!"

"I did indeed. I set everyone up who asks me why this thing has such a funny name." I leaned over and kissed her. She kissed me back, hard and fast, her hands seeking out my cock, which needed little urging back to full flare.

"Go ahead," she said. I stood up and walked around to her hindquarters, kneeling down. She lay down along the length of her own body, so that when I pushed her tail out of the way the brown hair of it mingled with the purple hair of her head. I was looking into her eyes, and down at my erection that was poised at her anus. Her forelegs were fully folded up and her eribs pressed to the floor; her hind legs were not folded so tightly, so that when I kneeled we were perfectly matched. With my fingers I spread lubricant over Mjolnir before her eyes, then over my cock, which was more out of her sight. I took Mjolnir and pressed it into her cunt. She closed her eyes, and began to breath deeply. Her cunt spread open until the head was in and then the dildo slid completely into her, the flared base being the only thing hanging out. I grabbed a pillow, shoved it between my legs and up against the dildo to hold it in place. "How does that feel?" I asked.

"Filling..." she said. "I can't believe that thing fits in you. In me it feels so big."

"I can. Ready?"

"Yes." Her eyes had opened, and I looked into them. With one hand I guided my cock against her anus, and I watched as I pressed it against her and it slid into her. She gasped. I slid all the way into her, my hips pressed against her hindquarters. I could feel the knot at the base of her tail pressed against my belly. And she was tight, oh she was tight.

"How's that?" I said, barely above a whisper.

"Feels... like it's burning, a little."

"Hurt?"

"No... No. Go on." I obeyed, pulling out and then sliding back in. Although I'm no stranger to anal sex, I'm always amazed by how different, how incredibly smooth and soft it is compared the textured insides of the vagina. I breathed deep and looked down at her. She smiled at me and held her arms up to me. I bent over and kissed her, her arms around me. I moved up to her breasts, which I could just barely reach if I stretched. I concentrated on fucking her asshole as I nibbled gently on her nipples, and her mouth sought out and returned the favor to my nipples and her hands reached up and grabbed my cock.

It was incredibly complex, for a second, and it was so different. If she'd been human, it would have taken at least two of her to do what we were doing. My cock began to take over, though, and I raised up and grabbed her hindquarters firmly, starting to pound her, to fuck her hard. She moaned.

I moved my legs a little closer, and shifted the pillow underneath us so that with every thrust I'd push against the pillow, and the dildo in her cunt, which in turn pressed up against my cock buried in her asshole.

My cock tightened, and I stopped concentrating on anything else. I began pounding her as hard as I could. I wanted to come, and I leaned over so my head was pillowed against her magnificent, firm teats as I pounded her for my last, final thrusts and screamed my pleasure and lust for her.

I gasped for air and picked myself up off of her. My cock slithered out of her with delicious wonder. "Kennet?" she asked.

"Yeah?" I said.

"I'm impressed."

I began to laugh. "Thank you. Impressed with what?"

"You don't have to be a Centaur to get my attention."

I kept laughing. "Oh, thank you, Amanda. You okay?"

"I'm wonderful."

"You're also gorgeous." We lay together for a while, and then she twisted some of my hair in her fingers and said, "Think we should clean up?"

"I think we should." I stood up and stretched, then bent over and picked up Mjolnir. I reached to her and I helped her up. She rose unsteadily on four wobbly legs. I dropped Mjolnir in the bathroom sink and then I said, "We're going to have to go to your room. My shower isn't big enough for you."

"Can I have a towel, then? I think I need to clean a little before we go."

I smiled and tossed her one from the bathroom, then pulled on my jumpsuit and grabbed a second, cleaner one. We went to her cabin.

---

Late at night, I awoke. I was not lying in my own bed, and it took me a while to remember that I was in Amanda's cabin. She lay on her side, a pillow under her head and another between her forelegs. She lay fully stretched out, along the length of her body. I shifted over against her and put my arm around her torso. My hand nestled against her breasts. I found the sensation delightful, and as I touched her I found fascination in the small hairs of her body tickling the hair on the back of my hand. I enjoyed the angles of her breasts against her body, and the softness of her belly, which still felt of baby fat. As my hand sought down further, I found the rougher hair of her forecage, and then down over her foreshoulders and the rising and falling of her equine ribs. The hair of her equine back tickled against my legs.

All of it fascinated me. I began to enjoy that sensation, of being fascinated. I kissed her shoulder, wrapped her closer to me and closed my eyes. Good night, Amanda. And you're right, I thought, it is okay to love me. I smiled as sleep claimed me.