<HTML>    Things have moved along at a slow pace for WA but we are approaching the end. HONEST! This is the second to last part for WA. Tomorrow night will come the LAST PART of Winter Assault!    Christian Okane    The Lurking Fox    MK universe Controller    *****    They were both sitting in his apartment with nothing between them and an adequate fire that popped and crackled in the fireplace but a thickly knit quilt and their own fur. The two animal morphs had reclined upon the couch and were snuggled deeply into it and against each other. Kayla sat enclosed tightly in Rickkter's arms, idly enjoying how his fingers were slowly, rather absently, playing with the fur on her chest.    Not that there was anything sexual about that gesture, nor their position at all, really. After that final battle, the final push to expel the invaders from the keep had been completed and the majority of the injured and wounded taken care of, the pair of lovers that now reclined on the couch had made their way to the baths. Luckily for all, the invaders had not reached that point, or if they did had not though anything significant of it. And luckily for Rickkter and Kayla, they managed to get one of the small, private rooms. While some may have objected, none did. No one was in the mood for another fight, let along with a blood red raccoon.    No one was in much of a mood for anything, really,  and a pall hung over all of Metamor. For the first time in well over a thousand years, the great edifice had fallen to an invader. But the inhabitants had rallied, repelling those who had sought to overwhelm them. The keepers routed the lutin army and reclaimed their home.    But the price, oh the price was a high one to bear. From the number of dead being taken out in preparation for burial, the losses on their side looked to be almost one in five. Almost one in five dead. The wounded from the battle numbered many more thousands above that, almost the entire fighting compliment of the entire Keep having injuries of one manner or another..    Everyone had been affected in some way by what had happened.    For Rickkter an Kayla, it was a marked lack of enthusiasm in anything. Whereas the bath would have most likely been a sensual affair at any other time, now it had simply been a means of washing away the blood and grime that had accumulated over the many days and battles. Neither had spoken a great deal during the course of the whole affair. When it was over, they had come to an unspoken agreement to return to his place for the night. Neither one wanted to be away from the other right then. That was also probably the feelings from the rest of the keepers; few wanted to be alone at such a time.    Rickkter stopped his idle scratching and smoothed over the longer white fur of the skunk's chest. He took one deep breath and then began to slowly nuzzle his cheek against Kayla's head. This had in fact been the most sensual gesture he had made all night; Kayla's grooming kit and the massage oils still sat untouched within the nearby bedroom.    "Some first Yule together, isn't it, love?"    "I suppose you could say that," said Kayla as her paws moved up to close on top of her raccoon's. "I'm just glad that you made it out of all those battles alive."    Apparently done with his nuzzling, Rickkter pulled back and planted a small kiss on the back of one of her round, black ears. "I'm glad we both made it. My greatest fear in all this was that something might happen to you. If anything did, I don't know what I might have done."    Closing her eyes, Kayla wriggled a little against the soft fur of his chest. "What do you think will happen tomorrow?"    "I don't know. I don't really care, either. I'm too tired to do much else besides sleep."    "So do you want to do that here or go to your bedroom?"    "I don't care either way," he said, adding a small shake of his head.    Kayla knew from both his manner that night, and from the feel of his sheath where it pressed against her back, that he was telling the truth in his desire for simple sleep. "Then let's just stay here; it's warm."    "Okay, my dear. Okay."    "Merry Yule, Rick."    "Same to you, love." The two lovers fell into a deep slumber, each holding the other in their own embrace, to the slowly dying flames of the fire and the light tinkle of snow on the windows outside. The End </HTML>