FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

The Reaches of a Dream Chapter Three:

Purpose

By Lucian Canad

Have you ever felt, right after you wake up, when you would love to sleep some more, but your body doesn't allow it, as it's fully rested? When I woke up the morning next, I felt like that. Apparently I didn't move in my sleep the whole night, since I was still in the same position I fell asleep: hugging something warm and furry. Furry... After that split second of post-sleep total unawareness, I remembered what, or rather who the thing I was hugging was. I slowly opened my eyes, as if fearing I could break the fragile fabric of a dream.

It was no dream. I closed my eyes again, and prayed a silent "Thank you" to Mother Nature. Obeying my body, though grudgingly, I took my arm off Meeya and got up from the bed. It was only then I realized I had spent the whole night, from carrying her to the room to lying down with her, stark naked. I couldn't help but chuckle as I made my way to the dresser to grab some underwear and a nightgown.

I found Rheia had already provided a rich breakfast for us. That is, after I laughed my guts off in seeing her avatar dressed up as a chef, complete with hat, apron and utensils. I don't need to tell she got quite angry at this, but heck it was funny! She cleared her throat.

"Your breakfast, sir. Made it myself"

"Yourself, eh?" I cocked an eyebrow "I did download cooking skills into your database, didn't I?"

"Actually, you did. From American fast-food to French cuisine, including Italian, Chinese, Japanese and, of course, English" She said, even angrier. Obviously, I only asked that to annoy her even more. Anyone who looked to the table could see the dishes were made by an expert chef.

"You know..." I said after my laughter faded to only a smile "...I still find hard to believe we have actually made it"

"Why is that, sir" She walked till she was next to the chair I sat on, her chef clothes vanishing.

"This is a life's dream fulfilled, Rheia. It's hard to accept it has suddenly came true"

"I see. You expected some more fireworks, then?" We both laughed

"That's right" I said, between laughs "You totally broke the mood, but you got it right"

After we settled ourselves again, I continued.

"Another thing you may find strange about humans is that we don't actually expect our dreams to come true" She stood silent for a moment.

"You're right. This *is* strange" I smiled, then proceeded to explain.

"We keep our dreams dear; it's because of them we have something to look on to. When someone's deepest dream is fulfilled, that person feels confused and empty at first. Because the thing he wished for the most was given to him. He doesn't know what to do next"

"That's the secret to life. Replace one worry with another"

"Applying popular wisdom against me?" I raised my eyebrow again, and she giggled.

"I take a guess in saying your dream now is to extent as long as possible the happiness for both of you" She gently put her hand on my shoulder.

"Yes. May it be endless for as long as it lasts" I quoted a poet whose name escaped me.

Rheia watched silently while I ate the food she had cooked

"Would you do me a favor, Rheia?"

"Absolutely, sir"

"Keep an eye on Meeya. When she wakes up, bring her to the dining room and let me know" She nodded "I have a few things I must check on the lab"

___________________________________________________

Meeya was still fast asleep, enveloped by sweet dreams, as her happily serene face gave away, and was the first thing Rheia noticed when her avatar materialized in the room. She spent a long time gazing at the sleeping feline with an almost dreamy face. Her master's voice echoed in her mind.

"We have actually made it, Rheia"

Yes, they had done it. Christopher Reagan's deepest dream was granted, his greatest love was there, before her eyes, and the only reason she couldn't reach out and touch it was because she didn't have a hand. She giggled at this; Chris' dream was made true, perhaps hers wasn't so impossible as well...

She checked her internal cronometer. Ten past nine, perhaps it was time for this baby to wake up. She looked at Chris's stereo and quickly scanned through the music list she got stored in her memory. At her command, it turned on and started playing her favorite song.

A soft piano intro gives way to a voice of a woman humming. She starts singing:

So this is love, Mm-hmmm So this is love So this is what makes life divine I'm all aglow, Mm-hmmm And now I know (the voice of a man joins in) The key to all heaven is mine

My heart has wings, Mm-hmmm And I can fly I'll touch every star in the sky (the man joins in again) So this is the miracle that I've been dreaming of Mm-hmmm Mm-hmmm So this is love

Rheia had her eyes closed, appreciating the song, until a voice in the room startled her.

"That is something good to wake up to..." She turned around; Meeya was sitting in the bed, halfway covered by the sheets, apparently listening along with her.

The avatar smiled "It is, isn't it? I love this song"

Meeya answered her with a heart-melting smile of her own.

"Would you care for some breakfast?" The cat's eyes glinted with curiosity.

"Breakfast? What is that?" Rheia couldn't suppress a smile.

"Food. Things to eat, to keep you healthy and strong. I believe your organism has already consumed the reserves you received during your maturation. You must be hungry"

The feline blinked. She understood nothing Rheia said after "strong", but she nodded "My... belly is... strange, and I really want to bite something..." She blushed at the declaration.

"Yep, that's hunger all right. Probably mixed with a bit of your instincts. You'll feel better after you have eaten something, but first I should give you some clothes. As much as Chris wouldn't mind you wandering around the house naked..." Both girls giggled at this "Society gives value to good clothes. Follow me"

Meeya got up from the bed and followed the hologram to a wood cabinet in the corner of the room.

"Those are Chris' clothes" She informed the cat when she opened the dresser "But we need to give you something worthy of a woman"

She waved her hand. The hanging clothes slid backwards into a hole where the wall opened. Its place was taken by dresses, nightgowns and other pieces of feminine garments. After some minutes surveying through the clothes, they settled with a purple silk nightgown, just enough to cover Meeya's nakedness. Rheia didn't want to push too hard her mind; she was only two days old, after all. The avatar gave the final directions to her and the cat was dressed. It fitted her perfectly.

"Not bad... not bad at all" She giggled at the feline's blush "Come with me, I'll lead you to the dining room"

___________________________________________________

My mind was still full of unanswered questions, possible answers for them and what all that could mean. I entered the dining room to see Rheia already back and apparently telling something to a purple-clad Meeya. I approached silently the two to eavesdrop on their conversation.

"... and then a candymaker decided to add sugar to the drink, afterwards he discovered it would become solid at a lower temperature, so..."

"So he had just invented chocolate" Both jumped then looked at me. I took the last steps forward and gave Meeya a kiss on the cheek "Good morning, my love"

"Good morning Chris" She smiled warmly at me "Rheia was just teaching me about this candy you call chocolate"

She waved a chocolate-filled muffin in front of me. I lunged forward and took a bite off it, making her squeal, then giggle "So, you liked the lesson?" She nodded cutely.

"It was very good, although I have no idea of who this Monte... Monti..." She stammered.

"Montezuma" Rheia helped out.

"Right, this Montezuma was, and what is this America, I found it fascinating"

"I'm glad" I smirked at her "When you are done with the cooking classes, there's something we have to talk about"

"Okay" And both resumed talking about the various dishes that consisted the breakfast table.

After quite some time, which allowed me to go to my study, seek out Virgil's Bucolics, come back and even read a few poems, the two appeared to be finished.

"Aren't you a curious being" I joked to Meeya as they drew near me "You probably questioned her about every dish she knows of"

"And I don't know too few" Rheia smirked "Run along now, you two. I have to clean up this battlefield"

She motioned to the ravaged remains of the vast breakfast. We laughed and, taking Meeya by the hand, I left the room.

___________________________________________________

I led her back to my study, where we took seats in one of the couches.

"Now, love, there is something we have to discuss"

"What is it?" Ah, that eternally curious look, so adorable.

"There probably are hundreds of better situations for me to try and explain this to you, but I have the feeling that you should be fully aware of your own condition in our world, as soon as possible"

"Right"

"You see, a person such as yourself, with fur over his body, and traits common to lesser animals, like your ears and your tail, don't otherwise exist in the world of flesh and bone"

She stared at me for a good while before manifesting any reaction, and that was to lower her ears and gaze.

"So... I am alone?"

"You won't find anyone like you in the world, no. But of course you aren't alone. I'm here, and Rheia and you'll meet new people as you live on"

"I... see"

"That is because I created you. I designed you to be as you are and I brought you together to grow and be born. And this, love, was something I have yearned to do since I was a little boy"

She looked at me, the smallest vestige of a tear in her eyes.

"And this is something I wanted you to know, before anything else. You are my reason to exist. Before, my task was to bring you into the world, and now, it is to stay by your side forever"

She smiles. Such a heavenly sight.

"You are my purpose, Meeya. You are, to me, what people seek for their entire lifetimes, sometimes beyond"

"Thank you" She leaned in and hugged me, a gesture promptly returned.

"But, as you might deduce for yourself, now that you are a living being, you need your own purpose as well"

"You are! You are my purpose, Chris" she held me tighter, and a chuckle escaped my lips.

"Thank you dearest, but you don't know enough of the world to trace your purpose yet. You are an engineered organism"

She tilted her head at the term.

"Ahn... never mind that, you wouldn't know what it is. Now, understand: I wanted you to be my lover, my mate, not my daughter, so I created you to be, physically, the same age I am, perhaps a bit younger. But you are a child in mind. You don't know how to read, how to write, and many other things that are primal in our world"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that you are not ready to be a part of the world yet. You need to be taught. You need to learn at least some of what a person with your physical age is supposed to know. You need to go out into the world, learn from it, know how it works. And, someday, you will have the conscience of yourself as related to the world, and then you will be able to start tracing your purpose"

"Conscience... of myself? Related to the world? Tracing my purpose?" She held her paws to her forehead delicately.

"Blast! Please forgive me, dearest, I sometimes sail away in my own speeches. You don't have to understand what all of it means now. The bottom line is: You need to learn how this world of ours works, and I will teach you as much as I'm capable of. I just wanted you to be, at least, partially aware of who you are: a wonder of the world"

She stood still for a moment or two before, once again, cuddling up to me and saying "Thank you"

I rubbed the fur of her head gently "We will begin immediately. And, as you learn, everything will start to make sense..."

To Be Continued...