Chapter 14

"You both know that Neko and I can talk to each other in our minds. It's a power that some twins share. What you don't know is that when we touch tails, our way of communicating changes. Instead of just talking, we can send a lot of information at once, like what we see, hear, smell, and even feel."

Leonard and Harlow looked at Niko with fascination.

"While I'm not sure if you two can achieve the same type of communication as we do, I think you should be able to communicate much faster if you touch tails," Niko said.

Leonard and Harlow looked at each other, then shrugged simultaneously, which brought a smile to their faces. Leonard took Harlow by the hand and pulled him close, their tails extending towards each other and wrapping together.

Niko stepped close and placed a hand on each of their shoulders. "I've never had the opportunity to teach this technique to anyone else, so I hope this works," he said. "I can walk you through the exercise verbally, or if you're open to an additional mind or two joining in, I would be honored to connect tails with you."

Lennard looked at Harlow and said, "I've been in contact with these two before, and I have no problem doing so again. It's up to you."

Harlow had known the Poldare family for a long time. They were one of the few people in town who had always been there to help him. And since Lennard trusted them enough to join tails with them previously, Harlow had no objections.

"Please feel welcome to join us, Niko," Harlow said. He paused for a second before adding, "And Neko."

Niko smiled at Harlow and extended his tail to join with theirs.

This was Harlow's first time having another Canursid, besides Lennard, connect with his tail. A little fear and apprehension passed through the connection to Lennard, who squeezed Harlow reassuringly.

Niko's tail slowly moved forward and wrapped around his leg. He then moved it in between Lennard and Harlow, who moved their tails forward to intercept. With a gentle touch, Niko weaved his tail around the other two.

At first, Niko's tail was just a touch. Then it became a tickle of another presence. Then a light, soft feeling entered into Harlow's and Lennard's private connection. Finally, as Niko's tail secured its place around the lovers' tails, his presence entered into their connection fully.

Harlow was unprepared for the onslaught of emotions and sensations that flooded through the connection. He reeled at the abrupt introduction, and for a moment, everything went black in his mind.

But then, his consciousness slowly reappeared, glowing like a beacon in the darkness. A light blue aura emanated from his presence, illuminating the area around him.

The darkness began to swirl with shades of reds, blacks, purples, and browns. The colors rotated and spun around him like a kaleidoscope, vaguely resembling images but never quite coalescing into anything concrete.

Harlow lingered for a moment in this strange place, taking in the feelings of nothingness and wholeness at the same time.

Eventually, Harlow became aware of another presence. It was Lennard. His lover's aura began to glow a soft white with a hint of yellow, adding depth to the swirling colors but not quite bringing them into clarity.

There was a connection between the two of them, a vortex of brilliant rainbow colors that attached them together. Harlow realized it was the same vortex from their vision, a swirling mass of images from their lives. Images they had both already lived as well as things yet to come.

Having Lennard's presence here in this place brought a sense of foundation, strength, and calmness to Harlow's mind.

Lennard's presence, on the other hand, was confused and afraid. Fear pulsed from his aura, which Harlow felt as though it was a part of him. Harlow sent feelings of reassurance and peace over to him, affirming their bond and acknowledging each other's presence.

Next, Harlow became aware of a small glowing string that stretched from his orb of light. It went out to meet a third presence, which glowed orange with red hues. Harlow could feel that this aura belonged to Niko. The light from his aura increased the visibility of the swirling shades in this place, bringing them to an almost identifiable precision.

Branching off from Niko's aura, another glowing string attached to a fourth aura. Harlow could sense that this aura belonged to Neko. His aura was similar yet opposite to Niko's. Its color was a vibrant red, but streaked with orange.

Harlow realized that the streaks within each twin's aura belonged to the other twin. They were connected and shared pieces of each other's soul. The mixing of the colors made sense, as they were such a large part of each other's lives.

Neko's aura's glow didn't add much to the shades of images which swirled around in this place. The definition was still cloudy and unreadable. Harlow understood that it was Neko's lack of physical connection to him that diminished the strength of his aura and therefore his light didn't affect the surroundings.

Harlow was drawn to the connection between the twins. It was different from the connection between him and Niko, but similar to the connection between himself and Lennard. It swirled with colors, indistinct images spinning too quickly to see. "A soul connection," he thought.

"Very good, Harlow," Niko's voice entered the space. "And yes, it's a soul connection between me and Neko."

"Very observant, Harlow," Neko's voice chimed in.

There was a silence for a moment, as Harlow tried to grasp where they were and how this was all possible. Lennard was less curious and more unnerved. "I can hear you in my brain, can you hear me?" he asked hesitantly.

A sound of chuckling entered the shared psychic connection, produced in harmony by the twins. "Yes, Lennard, we are all connected now," Neko's voice said.

"You are doing this, Harlow?" Lennard's voice asked.

"Yes, I think so. But this is as new to me as it is for you," Harlow spoke mentally.

"We can't speak to how other's abilities function, but this psychic link is very similar to the one we began many years ago," Niko's voice sounded within the space, seeming to come from everywhere at once. "I assumed I would have to show you how to manifest a psychic space like this, but it seems the connection between the three of us automatically created it in your mind. I am very impressed by the strength of Harlow's ability. To be able to link to Neko at a distance shows just how strong your ability is."

Harlow watched the auras pulsate as each of them spoke telepathically. With each word, the shades surrounding them moved a tiny bit slower. "So, this place is inside my mind?" Harlow asked.

There was a pause before Neko answered. "Yes, but not exactly," his voice now the one speaking and filling the area with sound. "This is more like a space your brain creates, a place where you can connect to us. This space can take any shape, just as our images can look any way you want them to. It takes time and practice, but you will be able to mold this place into anything you want or need. We call this phenomenon a mindscape."

The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

"It's almost more like a dream," Niko continued. "At first, everything seems random and chaotic, but as you train your mind, you can shift the way the people you allow in to perceive things."

Both Harlow and Lennard were a little confused, in awe, and excited at the same time. The connection between them allowed their emotions to manifest to each other simultaneously. "So, these...images which are swirling around," Harlow paused, looking for the right word. "They are my brain's way of showing me I can transform this place into something else?"

"Not exactly," Niko answered. "If I am not mistaken, these shades of images are what your physical body is currently perceiving."

Neko continued the thought. "Our bodies are all still on the physical plane. I don't know about you three, but I am at the library and was looking at the pages of a book. So my eyes are still open, I'm not actually in a dream."

"Then if someone is looking at you, you are just staring off into space?" Lennard asked. "I've seen you two do that before."

A synchronized chuckle came from the twins. "Yes, Lennard, that is exactly it," Niko said.

"The mindscape often begins like this, but after some time, it will become more like a second vision of what's around you. When we were younger, our mindscape showed us facing each other. It was a strange panoramic view of ourselves." Niko explained.

"Here's the part which will really blow your minds though," Neko chimed in. "Time moves much more slowly in this place. If we have our tails joined and go to our mindscape, we can hold a conversation for hours while only a few seconds have passed."

Niko then added, "While I don't think the time dilation will be as profound with Neko not physically attached, were we to separate now, it would probably be only a few seconds since we connected our tails."

"Amazing," Lennard and Harlow spoke in unison.

There was a moment of silence. The twins waited for more questions, the lovers waited for more explanations. When neither was offered, Niko broke the silence by saying, "Let's start this experiment then."

Niko was able to use the connection between him and Harlow to teach him how to transfer not only voice, but also other types of information through the connection between him and Lennard. However, Harlow was only able to push voice through the connection between him and the twins. The connection between Harlow and Lennard was much stronger. The chord that bound them, the swirling rainbow that was their life vision, was thick and braided, whereas the connection between Harlow and the other two resembled a thick string of light.

“Now, Lennard, think of the conversation we had earlier,” Niko encouraged. “Don’t focus on the words or the time it took to have the conversation, but rather the conversation as a whole. Once you have it, try and push it over to Harlow, like setting a paper boat in a stream.”

Lennard tried to recall the conversation. He remembered Niko’s explanations, his references, and his unused drawing. He tried to package it as a whole like Niko had explained, and then attempted to send it out.

Harlow awaited and watched Lennard’s aura glow brighter. However, nothing happened. It seemed Lennard had been able to pick up the technique, but was struggling with the exercise.

In a desire to help his lover, Harlow extended himself through their connection. He wasn't sure what he was doing, but he knew he wanted to help Lennard somehow. His aura reached out and into Lennard.

Harlow's view changed then. The dark place with swirling shades disappeared, replaced by the waiting room in the clinic. He sat on the couch, looking at Niko. His large arm hurt from being stabbed, so he reached into a pocket of his robe and withdrew a sprig of Wanetta, placing it under his tongue.

Niko turned to him and said, "Now that he's gone, Lennard, we need to have a little chat."

Harlow spent the next few minutes living inside Lennard's body, seeing what he saw, smelling what he smelled, and feeling what he felt. He listened to Niko and asked questions in Lennard's voice.

Then he heard the rear door of the clinic open and close. He looked back to see himself walking down the hall. A feeling of utter love and contentment filled Lennard's mind. He then asked, "Did you get everything put away?"

To which Harlow replied, "I wasn't sure where to put my things. I didn't know if I should mix our things together yet."

With the last statement, the conversation Lennard was attempting to send to Harlow was over. Harlow's mind snapped back into his own consciousness. "Whoa...that was completely surreal," he spoke to the others.

"You're telling me," Lennard added.

"What just happened?" the twins asked in unison, their voices filled with concern and interest.

Harlow explained to the twins what he had experienced. Niko asked excitedly, "You were IN Lennard's body?"

Neko followed up immediately, "Where did you go, Lennard?"

Harlow was more interested in Lennard's response, so he offhandedly answered Niko's question with a "Yes."

Still not able to catch on to the nonverbal part of the communications, Lennard tried to explain. "It was like I was there, but not in my own body. I watched in the same way Harlow did, but in the third person."

The three gasped mentally, and Harlow reached out to his partner to comfort him. "It wasn't a bad experience, I wasn't scared," Lennard explained. "It was more like joining in with Harlow's mind, but on the fringe."

Feeling no rush to leave this place, the four of them discussed different theories of what had happened with Lennard. The displacement of his consciousness and Harlow's ability to fully immerse himself within Lennard's memory.

Harlow explained to them how he was able to retreat into his own memories and relive them when he entered a certain state of mind. None of them had heard of anyone being able to do that before, and decided it must be another part of Harlow's mental prowess.

Lennard, who had shown very little aptitude at any of the mental abilities the other three had, began to wonder and worry about himself. He had never felt he had any extrasensory perceptions, even with his tail.

His feelings of being excluded and unable to compete turned Harlow's attention to him. "Lennard, it's obvious you have at least some psychic abilities or you wouldn't be here with us," Harlow said.

The twins caught on to what Harlow was saying and encouraged Lennard as well.

"This is just one part of what having a psychic ability can be," Neko said.

"You may very well have another area where we all will have no talent in," Niko added. "We all know you have an amazing brain and an obvious gift. It may take time to find it, that's all."

"Speaking of such things, I think we have one last thing to discuss before parting," Niko said to the group.

"What's that, brother?" Neko asked.

"You weren't with me earlier, so you didn't see what happened to Lennard. His entire being was altered when he became enraged. I think we should talk about it here, where Lennard is completely safe," Niko explained.

All eyes, so to speak, were on Lennard now. It was as if his glow diminished slightly. "I am not sure if I can go there again yet," he said.

"You are safe here, Lennard," Neko's voice said.

"We are here for you," Niko added.

"We know you wouldn't and couldn't hurt us," Harlow concluded. "We just want to help."

Lennard paused long before speaking. "It's not just me not wanting to go back there," he said. "I'm not really sure where I went during that time. I can't actually recall doing anything. Only feelings of anger and hate are there when I think about it."

They all took a moment to consider this. Harlow finally asked, "Do you want me to go back there for you, Lennard? Like I did earlier?"

"Do you think you can?" Niko asked.

"Would you be okay with that?" Neko asked at the same time.

Courage and optimism surged down the connections. "Yeah, I'll be fine, but it's up to Lennard," Harlow said.

Hesitantly, Lennard agreed. "Make sure you don't get caught up in whatever took hold of me. Be careful," he told Harlow, sending feelings of love and trust his way.

With a mental nod, Harlow reached out to Lennard's consciousness once again. "Think of the last thing you remember."

Instantly, Harlow was back inside Lennard's body. He heard his voice scream, "Leave! Now!"

A sense of danger infused him. He was now a part of Lennard, and the danger was not for Lennard, but for him. He stood up and the jagged bottle ripped into his arm. He screamed, the sound releasing anguish and pain, but infusing him with anger.

This was the last he felt of Lennard’s mind. It was replaced by something dark and primal. Harlow’s vision changed again, and he found himself in a dark jungle. The trees were so thick that they all but blocked out the daylight. Vines and brush surrounded him, except for in one direction. In a small copse, stood a shadow darker than the others. Its eyes glowed yellow without pupils, like miniature suns.

The shadow stood on four paws and moved back and forth lithely, like a large jungle feline. But the stance and bulk were wrong for a feline. The paws were too large, the chest too thick, and the head too wide. Harlow realized the creature wasn’t actually moving, but the shadows which made up its body morphed in and out of different forms. For a second, it resembled a bear, then it morphed into a large canine shape, only to be replaced by a reptilian form. The only constant were the eyes staring back at him.

Harlow felt a chill run down his spine. He knew that he was in the presence of something powerful and dangerous. He took a step back, but the creature didn't allow him to move. It just continued to stare at him with its glowing eyes.

The creature spoke then, its voice deep but thin, like a whisper from a giant. "Who are you and how do you come here?"

Harlow was wondering the same thing himself. He dared not anger this being, though. A sense that it could cause him harm even in this disembodied state filled him with dread. "I don't know," he said. "I'm sorry."

The form continued to stare at him, boring its eyes down into Harlow's soul. It spoke again. "You are the catalyst. We are the origin." It paused and seemed to sway again, the forms still shifting between different species. "We know you and see you. The time is drawing close."

Harlow was confused, not understanding the meaning behind this creature's words.

"You have our protection, catalyst," the creature said. "Our chosen vessel is the bond from whence you came." It paused a moment again, the eyes glowing brighter for a second. "Do not disturb us again, and you may not speak of us. But know this, you can use your bond to temper our rage."

The world around Harlow spun. The eyes of the dark changeling streaked in Harlow's vision, leaving trails of yellow until they disappeared. With a bright flash, Harlow was back in his own consciousness, the dark psychic place with the shades of color swirling around the edges and the glowing strings of connection streaming out from him to his friends.

All three voices spoke in unison, "What happened?"

Harlow was dazed for a moment, the connections flickering in and out. But he was able to recover and once again gain control over the psychic connection. He heard the others ask him for details and felt the concern coming from all three.

Harlow tried to push the memory out so that they could all understand, but it wouldn't work. Next, he tried to tell them what had happened, but as he came to the part about meeting with the primal creature, he found he couldn't speak.

"I don't know what to say. I apparently can't tell you," Harlow spoke to the group. He sent a sense of being blocked to them.

"This is crazy," Niko said.

"I've never heard of anything like this before," Neko added.

"You wouldn't though, would you? It obviously can't be talked about," Lennard chimed in. "I knew there was something strange and frightening there. Be careful Harlow. You two as well. If you see me go to that dark place again, run."

They all agreed and decided it was time to disconnect. They needed their own minds to contemplate this conversation and its ramifications. Niko removed his tail from the other two and severed the connection.