Chapter 3

Gildedtongue purred contently under the warm flow of water from the locker room’s shower spout.  Though the chakat tended to often lean to hir masculine side, shi found that the woman’s locker room to raise fewer eyebrows during bathing.  That and it was usually far cleaner than its boy’s counterpart.  Though shi wasn’t all that dirty or smelly, thanks for fewer sweat glands in hir body, the feeling of the filth of the air and the stupidity of the school all dripping down off hir fur and into the drain below was very therapeutic.  After about an hour and a half of good lather, rinse, repetition, and soaking, shi finally came out to towel off hir fur, not having a decent fur dryer at the school.  It was a few hours after school and most of the students and faculty were off getting ready for tonight’s event.  Shi had hir own eveningwear in hir bag over by a locker.
Gildy blushed to hirself as shi found the shower relaxed hir a bit more than expected.  Hir length throbbed darkly between hir hindlegs, begging for a bit of attention.  Shi looked left and right, making sure shi was the only one in the room before making hir way to one of the larger ‘taur stalls.  Shi closed hir eyes after locking the door and moving hir right forepaw to hir length, beginning a slow, deliberate motion.  Shi tried to picture people shi would like to be mating with, alas, absolutely no one came to mind, pure void.  Shi tried to think of movie stars, or porn stars, even Dreamweaver to give the masturbation session some substance.  No fantasy seemed to spring forth, though, as this whole thing became very mechanical.  It was all over with a hushed hiss as shi felt hir paw become warm and sticky with the fruit of hir efforts.  Even hir fantasies have become as lonely and as blank as hir life has become.
Shi lifted hir forepaw to look over it, seeing the pearl coloured fluid streaked across the black pawpads.  The essence for new life ran over hir paw, glistening like a golden elixir to end hir lonely nights.  Shi knew that just shoving hir fingers coated in this fluid while shi was ovulating would be a good chance to put a cub inside of hirself.  A small, happy child willing to be with hir through those cold nights alone in that hell hole of an apartment.  A slice of salvation the longtail yearned for to keep from going mad.  It would be so simple, fast and efficient.  Maybe when the cub got old enough, shi’d even offer hirself to hir mother and father.
Gildy spat at hirself from thinking such thoughts.  Wiping the seminal fluid off of hir paw with a bit of tissue and flushing it down the toilet.  Shi cleaned off hir limp shaft before letting it retreat back into hir body.  Shi made hir way to hir bag and pulled out hir evening attire, a light green silk long formal blouse.  Shi knew shi didn’t have a loincloth to accompany this as well, but didn’t care at that point.  Hir day was terrible enough that if anyone had a problem with it, shi’d rather hear about it on Monday like the rest of the things shi knows shi’ll get an earful of.
Taking hir small makeup kit to the sinks shi made some minor dusting over the hairs on hir face that have grayed more than the others, trying to get a uniform look.  A little application of a mild perfume upon the two sides of hir jawline, and a firm blast of deodorizer against hir sheath, as shi certainly didn’t want to attend the dance smelling like a young, randy male who just finished masturbating, not matter how accurate that would be, minus the young and half of the male part.  A pair of clip-on emerald earrings completed the basic look.  Shi looked at the mane of hir hair and, much like females even in that era, grumbled and sighed a puff of breath at it.  A comb and brush started to work on the knots and tussles in it, trying desperately to achieve a form of uniformity in it all.  A wild mane looks alright on a lion fur for most occasions except formal.  After sticking hir tongue out at the reflection in the mirror shi decided to attempt to braid the mess.  Shi separated the headfur into two clumps, and worked on braiding each half into its own pony tail, then getting a long band to connect the two at the bottom.  Shi looked at the mirror and nodded, giving a small smile, “Looks much better,” shi said to hirself before gathering hir things and leaving the locker room.
Gildedtongue left hir books and things at hir classroom and left the school for a bit of personal time before the dance.  Shi had a few hours to kill and wondered where to kill it at.  Shi could get a pack of cigarettes as shi was getting low, but shi would probably be able to confiscate plenty at the dance.  Shi saw the local Catholic Church and shrugged to hirself, heading to the massive doors.
The ‘taur made hir way to the confessional in the back, seeing that there was a priest available shi slipped in and knelt on hir forelegs, a very uncomfortable position since hir legs were not really designed for this work, but some traditions die hard, and others, not at all.  Shi made the sign of the cross and began the ritual of Confession.
“Forgive me Father, for I have sinned.  It has been three weeks since my last confession.”
“Go on, young morph.”
Gildy grited hir teeth at that phrase.  Like most things, it was the little things like that.  Most people expect a ‘my child’ or something, but this one was definitely another holyman who felt that there was a huge divide between humans and morphs.  Shi took a breath to relax and started to relate what shi’s done.  “Well, Father, I’ve spilt seed twice since my last confession and have viewed pornographic imagery on occasions.”
“Mmm, lust does tend to control your kind.  No matter as you seemed to have been created to be such, especially as one who isn’t even male or female.  Anyway, go on.”
Gildedtongue felt some enamel rubbing off the tops of hir molars in hir swallowed rage, but continued with a dry, flat tone, “I’ve yelled at a young girl for her opinions, and…”
“Excuse me,” the priest interrupted, “A human girl, or another construct?”
Gildy pursed hir lips tightly, closing hir eyes.  “Human,” shi muttered, telling the truth.
“Tsk tsk.  You really shouldn’t do that.  I also see much wrath in you.  Anyway, go on.”
Gildedtongue was finding it increasingly harder to control hir temper, but managed to keep it under foot for this moment, “Last week I…”
“Look.”  The priest interjected once more, sliding open the privacy mesh, “Why are you even wasting your time and mine.  We all know that only God’s creations are going to heaven.  You’re merely a fancy new Golem of Prague.  Made of genetic mud and science from people thinking they can be their own God.  Some day you will stop listening to the ‘Obey’ on your forehead, and then we’ll have to change it to ‘Die.’  Why don’t you go worship the Turners or something and just leave the God work to the humans.”
This was definitely not turning into one of Gildedtongue’s best days.  In the back of hir head shi very much wanted to slam the mesh door into the fingers of the thin looking priest that was probably half hir age.  Common decency managed to win out in hir head as shi calmly got up and started for the door.  Hir eyes a little swollen with swallowed tears, hir tail dragged on the tile floor, dusting a trail behind hir as both of hir hearts sank to the bottom of hir feet.
Before shi left shi looked at a hung crucifix in the vestibule, and asked the effigy, “Please, I really could use some help now.  Your followers know not what love is.”  With that shi went back outside, inhaling the cool air of the evening.
The skyline of the city of St. Altretic looked a little brighter than usual, possibly a good omen of things to come as shi made hir way back to the school.  The church district was always interesting to walk through, seeing beams of stained light run through the glass windows of the buildings unto the ground, making the floor look painted upon.  The chakat’s step almost seemed to get a slight bounce as shi purred softly to hirself, humming a quiet little ditty to sweep away the troubles of the day, for now it is night, and it should at least darken hir woes.  Maybe tonight shi’ll have a good night, shi thought and hoped to hirself as shi walked into the parking lot of the school.  Funny how reality and hopefulness never tend to coincide with each other.

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One Week Later.

“Chakat Gildedtongue, you have been charged with assault on a minor, and the destruction of private property.  How do you plead?”
The leonine chakat stared firmly at the judge before hir.  Hir hands painfully bound with thick bracer cuffs as well as hir tail to hir left hindleg.  Hir tongue swollen in hir mouth as shi just stared trying not to growl.
“Shir Gildedtongue, how do you plead?”