Chapter 25 – Pure Heart
I woke up to a pleasant and warm feeling between my thighs. At first I thought I was simply having a good dream until my awareness of the world around me came into focus. Then I felt the tickle of hairs between my legs and knew that I wasn't dreaming. I looked down and to my delight saw the silver haired locks of Ellie between my legs. Her tongue hit a particularly sensitive spot and I moaned happily.
"Now this is a proper good morning." I said and Ellie lifted her head and smiled at me.
"Good morning sleepy head. Feel like round 2?" She said, that feint inner glow to her eyes coming back in the dim light. I noticed that the sun hadn't even started to lighten the sky outside.
"Mmm, not that I'm complaining, but how early is it?" I asked, not daring to look at my phone for the time.
"I don't know myself. All I know is that I woke up super horny and wanted more. You interested?" Ellie said, the same strange inner glow in her eyes. I realized now in the almost darkness that they were just reflecting the light, they actually did have a very feint glow to them. I made a note to ask about that later. My head turned and I saw that one of her Pokémon had joined us in our sleepy snuggle pile last night. Her shiny Eevee Aki. That gave me an idea.
"Ellie, I couldn't help but notice that you were a virgin last night, have you not been with any of your Pokémon?" I asked slowly wrapping my fingers into her hair.
Ellie's eyes grew huge and even in the dim light I could see her blush. "No! I haven't. Why? Is that a common thing? That's Poképhilia. Isn't it illegal in some places?" She sounded a little shocked and scared at the question.
"Yes, in some reserved corners of the world it is. But here in Galar it's celebrated for the connection it makes between Pokémon and their humans. Why do you think it's called the Poképhile Championship Challenge?" I asked, my fingers still brushing gently through her silver locks.
"Well…now that you say it like that, I feel kind of foolish for not…" She didn't get a chance to respond because I locked my fingers into her hair and pushed her face back into my eager pussy. Ellie gave out a stifled moan and then started to lick me again.
"Don't talk bad about yourself. You're an adorable little cinnamon bun and I wouldn't change anything about you. Welcome to Galar, we do things a little differently around here." I looked over and saw that the Eevee had now woken back up and his dark grey eyes were looking into mine. Looking back to Rei she was oblivious and happily lapping at my folds. I activated my ring and started to dive into Ellie's mind. I wanted to see what she actually thought about her Pokémon.
It didn't take long before I found the lust, she had hidden away for some of her Pokémon. She had been a breeder and watched Pokémon mate dozens of times and it always made her wet when she did. The social norms and fear of being called a freak were what had stopped her from ever attempting something with her team. Pulling back a little I dove into the Eevee's surface thoughts. He was getting turned on watching his Trainer eat me out and could smell the lust of Ellie from his spot. Aki wanted nothing more than to mount his Trainer and show her how much she meant to him.
Ellie was busy with me so I made a decision and reached over to Aki, my hand starting to rub gently at his sheath. Just a few seconds later I was given my reward as his small red tip started to poke out and grow. With a few more strokes and a bit of coaxing I was pleased to see the full length of his canine dick. For such a small creature he had a good-sized dick about the length of my hand and not without some decent girth too. It reminded me a lot of Bolt before he evolved.
My attention was taken from the Eevee for a second when Ellie got really enthusiastic about eating me out and worked me into a fervor. This only increased the desire of Aki, however. Once I had ridden out my orgasm, I decided it was time to act. I pulled on Ellie and got her on top of me, her petite breasts now pressing into my own large ones. "You ready to truly bond with your Pokémon Ellie?" I asked then moved my eyes toward Aki.
Ellie sucked in a sharp breath when she saw the large erection that the Eevee was sporting and I could feel her nervousness and tension. "I don't know Kassi…" She said but then bit her lower lip. I reached down and grabbed a handful of her athletic ass then slid her knees to my sides so her ass was up and in the perfect presentation position for the small canine.
Her lust and desire were palpable, but I needed her to vocalize her desire. I nudged Aki to get behind the girl and he happily bounded behind her and placed his upper paws on her perky ass. My hand grabbed his erect cock as he tried to line up with Ellie's slit. As my hand wrapped around the hot shaft he started to instinctively hump at my hand and I made sure that the very tip was barely pressing against Ellie's slick entrance. If she said no, then I would get the canine off, but I wanted this for them and I felt blessed to be involved.
"You have to tell me what you want Ellie." I said while planting kisses on the girls neck and chest, still holding the horny Eevee at bay, barely.
Ellie looked like she was struggling with herself for a second then I watched as she came to a decision. She reached behind her, took Aki's cock from my hand and placed it at her entrance. "If you and Rei are so comfortable with this and your teams are this amazing, it can't hurt anything." She let go of Aki's cock and then moaned as he planted his dick firmly in her guts. "Oh, fuck that feels amazing!" She said, her eyes rolling into the back of her head. I reached up and pinched a nipple to really start sending her over the edge even as Aki started to thrust in an out of the petite silver haired beauty.
The sound of fur covered flesh slapping into Ellie's bare ass started to fill the tent and the girl was quickly brought to hiccupping orgasm. I kept up my assault on her nipple and used my other hand to reach between our pressed bodies and rub at her clit. Only seconds later Ellie had another squirting orgasm and coated the lap of Aki as well as my hand in her love juice.
"Kassi, I feel something big pressing against me. What is it?" Ellie asked between pants and I realized that Aki must have been close as well.
"That's his knot. It a bit of flesh at the base of a canine cock that swells to lock him into you and make sure you take all of his seed. It'll fell amazing, just relax and take it Ellie." I said into her ear then redoubled my effort to make her cum harder. The looser she was the easier it would be to get knotted by Aki and the less discomfort she would feel.
"Kassi, I think I'm going to pass out soon. This just feels too good!" Ellie was screaming now and I didn't doubt her for a second, she'd been climaxing for a few minutes without break and had to be at her limit. I decided to help, I freed my hand from her breast, reached down and gave Aki one helpful push. The screaming moan from Ellie told me that I had succeeded in planting the dog knot into the tiny woman. "Something warm is flooding into me. Arceus it feels so good. His dick makes me feel so full!" Ellie was screaming in her orgasm her hips wiggling slightly on top of me to get off more on the dog dick.
Once Aki had spun around butt to butt and I knew he was simply pumping Ellie full of seed I let up on her clit and let the silver haired beauty come down from her orgasm. "What did you think? Wasn't it worth it?" I asked as I planted a kiss on the still twitching girl's lips.
"Definitely." She said with a sigh and had another fit of spasms as I guessed a fresh pulse of cum sprayed into her. Canine Pokémon could cum in bursts for up to 30 minutes while they were tied and one of Aki's size might be able to produce up to a quarter liter of semen in that time. "I wish I had done this sooner, damn the stigma." She said between panting breaths.
By my guess it took almost 30 minutes for Aki to finish up and pop out of Ellie with a wet pop. She squeaked adorably when it happened and then I felt the warm combination of fluids from the two new found lovers flow over my own pussy and down my ass. It turned me on, but I could see Ellie was spent and was almost asleep as soon as she rolled over and back onto the bedding. I still couldn't see the light outside, but I needed some relief and to clean up so I tucked in the beautiful girl and made my way out of the tent.
The cool autumn air made my skin immediately break out in gooseflesh and I looked around the camp. Almost everything was still and quiet. Hope, Ruby, and Bolt, the two Ninetales and Boltund, were all curled up next to the now low burning fire. Titan, Rei's Carkol, and the two Alcremie of me and Ellie were snuggled up for warmth near Rei's tent. Mire, Rei's Sliggoo, vibrated as he snored in a patch of grass by himself. I saw that Blush and Taiko had also made their own hammock of vines and were curled up together, the Roselia now dwarfed by my huge Rillaboom. Asami, Ellie's Riolu, also sat near the fire, curled up in a bed of leaves.
I looked around the lake and didn't see a sign of Tsunami, but knew he would be there somewhere. Then I realized that Hikari was nowhere to be found. A mild panic settled into me as I looked around the clearing for any sign of the unicorn. Despite my better judgement, I took a few steps out of the camp towards the dark woods to look for her and to relieve my bladder I had suddenly realized was bursting at the seams.
I didn't step into the shadows of the trees, but I did squat next to a large trunk, nestled in its roots and let go. While I was doing something my body could handle on its own, I activated my ring and cast my mind wide into the forest. Hikari was outside of my perception and I couldn't feel her. The absence was odd and deep. I knew she had grown up in this place, but I couldn't have forgiven myself if she'd been hurt and I was unable to find her.
A twig snapped and I glanced around. I was still mid-stream and helpless like this. "Who's there?" I asked my mind searching for whatever had come from the direction of the sound. Nothing, there was nothing there. That's when I was once again shoved from the back. This time, I wasn't able to catch myself and I fell face first into the dirt. I heard a deep and menacing cackle come from behind me.
I tried to scramble away toward the camp, but was quickly bound by what felt like coarse rope. My eyes filled with fear and I looked behind me. There stood a Grimmsnarl, his huge body covered in snow white fur and a feral grin on his face. Surrounding the hulking Pokémon were three Impidimp. I opened my mouth to scream, but an Impidimp slammed my mouth shut, causing my teeth to clack together sharply and pain shot into me, letting me know one of them might have cracked.
My mind first shot out to try and break the concentration of the Grimmsnarl that had bound me, but I didn't find anything. There was just darkness when I tried to peer into the mind of the beast. I glanced around and saw that all my captors were now staring at my naked body and one by one each came to full mast. The Grimmsnarl's cock even bigger and more bulbous than my dildo of the same variety. That's when I started to truly panic. I kicked and flailed until the Grimmsnarl tightened my bindings to an uncomfortable level. Then I reached out with my mind and sent my wave of fear and panic racing towards the camp.
The trap of hairs surrounding my body pulled my legs apart, despite my best efforts to stop it from happening. My binds dug into my flesh and I felt the burning sensation of rope burn as I was pulled in closer to the white Grimmsnarl and his massive erection. Once I was at his feet, I could smell him. He smelled like body odor mixed with candy and musk, the smell made me gag. I saw a feral grin on his face below his pig-like nose as he lifted me up and started to line me up with his shaft. One of the Impidimp perched itself on my chest in front of my mouth and I squeezed it shut for all I was worth. I felt the heat coming off the sickening tip as it drew closer to me.
Then the world lit up as a yellow sphere of energy slammed into the Grimmsnarl. The Pokémon recoiled and the Impidimp was thrown off my chest as the hairs bucked me hard. The Grimmsnarl was still up, and started to look around for the source of the blast that had shaken it. My bindings had loosened when he'd lost his concentration and I saw my chance. I kicked for all I was worth at the massive hairy balls swinging below the Grimmsnarl's erection. My aim was true and I heard the Grimmsnarl howl in pain and agony. His hair all retreated to his body and I fell the ground with a thud, getting the wind knocked out of me in the process.
The pain in my chest was intense, but I couldn't wait here. As soon as that white beast recovered it might simply kill me for injuring it like that. With no breath in my body and feeble limbs I turned over and crawled away from the now buzzing group of wild Pokémon. I made it only a few feet before I heard a bellow from behind me. My legs refused to support my weight and I was still coughing and doing all I could to get my air back when I ran into a pair of furry yellow legs. I looked up and saw a Pokémon I had never heard of or seen before.
The Pokémon stood about my full height on its two powerful legs. I was feline in appearance with bright yellow fur streaked with black lighting patterns. The chest of its chest, crown of its head, and its lightning shaped whiskers were all a vibrant blue. It looked down at me with glowing blue feline eyes and then back to the Grimmsnarl. It's cat like mouth pulled back into a snarl and it growled menacingly at the white brute. The Grimmsnarl for its part returned the growl and bristled, its white fur looking like viscous spikes.
There was a flash and a clap of thunder that reverberated in my head, but suddenly the mysterious Pokémon was gone. I looked back towards my assailants and was shocked by the scene. The Grimmsnarl and all the Impidimp were all on the ground, bleeding profusely from slashes to the chest. Their bodies also convulsed with arcs of electricity. Not only had this Pokémon cut all four of them in the blink of an eye, but it had electrocuted them as well.
The white fur of the Grimmsnarl was staining quickly with its own dark blood and I watched it taking labored breaths in an out. It had been a vile Pokémon, but it didn't deserve to die.
"I don't know your name, but thank you for saving me. This may seem backwards, but I don't want them to die, could you quickly bring me my bag?" I asked with shaky breath while rising to me feet. The Pokémon looked at them, then to me, and back to them. It clearly didn't agree with my sentiment about these four being allowed to survive. "Please. I don't their blood on my hands." I pleaded.
Reluctantly the cat disappeared in another flash of lightning and clap of thunder then returns mere seconds later, holding my bag and my clothes. I didn't have time to worry about getting dressed but I pulled out 4 Hyper Potions and set to work healing up my four would-be rapists. The entire time I was under the watchful gaze of the strange yellow Pokémon. The first ones I healed up were the Impidimp, they had less blood to lose from their tiny bodies and had been cut badly. As soon as each one was back on its feet it fled rapidly into the forest.
Finally, it came time to heal the Grimmsnarl. His entire white furry chest was coated in black blood and it still held a defiant snarl on it's lips. I raised my hand to pour the healing potion over the massive slice on its chest but it raised a hand and stopped me. The Grimmsnarl took a few wheezing breaths and growled at me.
"If I don't treat you, you'll die! Don't you understand that!?" I screamed in his face. Tears burned my eyes and for the life of me in that second, I couldn't have told you why I cared if this monster lived or died. Then Tsunami's face flashed through my mind. He had actually raped me when we'd first met and I now loved that big brute as much as any other member of my team. I growled back at the Grimmsnarl, right in his face, to a point where I watched several flecks of my spittle splash onto his face. "I don't care if you want it or not. I'm going to heal you. Now, I can do it now and you can go on your merry bloody way and stay wild. Or I can but you in a ball and heal you by force, your choice!" I practically spat the last word. My light blue eyes bore into his scarlet orbs, I would not be the first one to blink or look away.
A full minute past, the Grimmsnarl still staring into my eyes. Finally the Grimmsnarl had to cough and it was forced to look away. "That's what I thought, now hold still." I said and splashed the potion onto the brute's chest. It winced in discomfort as the medicine seeped into and sterilized the cut. I watched as the flesh started to knit itself back together while steam poured off the healing wound. A few seconds later and the Grimmsnarl was back to rights, minus a substantial loss of blood.
I backed away from him slowly and stood next to my savior. This was a clear sign that he was good to go, but we would be wary of him. The white Grimmsnarl stood up and took a couple of steps towards the edge of the woods, then looked back at me and nodded his head once, and continued on his way. Once his form had faded into the woods my knees gave out and I collapsed to the ground. My heart was thudding a million miles an hour and I felt like it would burst out of my chest at any second. I looked to my savior and smiled weakly. "Thank you, for saving me. I don't know what I would have done without you." I said honestly. The strange Pokémon nodded once then motioned with a clawed paw back towards the camp.
Standing outside her tent along with half the camp's worth of Pokémon was Ellie. She was eyeing me and the electric cat with interest and holding the rest of the Pokémon back. I returned the nod and scooped up my belongings. As I turned to walk back towards camp, I saw another flash and heard a clap of thunder behind me. I spun around and there was nothing but some sizzling grass and the smell of ozone.
As I walked back to camp I simply pulled a hooded sweatshirt over my naked body and was grateful for the warmth. The half of my team that had been in the immediate vicinity came rushing for me and I was quickly knocked over by Bolt barreling into me at full speed, followed by Hope then Taiko carrying Ana. They all dog piled me and my mind felt like it was going to burst as they all asked at one time if I was ok, if I was hurt, what happened. I reassured all of them and tried to calm the storm of their thoughts.
Several minutes later I was allowed to get back on my feet and wander into camp. The commotion had brough Rei out of her deep slumber and she now stood with a look of concern next to Ellie. I walked up to both women and threw my arms around them. They both started to ask what happened and if I was doing ok. I told them that I wanted to bathe and talk it over as we ate and broke down camp. All three of us disrobed and stepped into the chilly spring water.
As we all soaped up in the cold water, I let them know about what happened. They both seemed shocked and horrified at the situation. When I got to the part about the mysterious Pokémon and describing it Rei's eyes went huge.
"Are you sure that's what you saw Kassi?" She probed.
"Yeah, of course that's what I saw!" I said frustrated at her question.
Rei looked hurt for a second that I would snap at her like that, but then I saw her face soften and she moved over to embrace me. "Hey, I'm sorry. I know what you just went through was stressful and scary. I was just surprised is all. You saw a legendary Pokémon by your account, babe. That was Zeraore, the Thunderclap Pokémon. There's only a tiny handful are said to still exist in the world and they're incredibly powerful." Rei said. All of a sudden, I felt like I was speaking to Sonia and getting a history lesson.
"Thank you, Sonia. Now, can you help me with my homework too? Fractions are hard." I said with the biggest shit eating grin I could manage.
Rei laughed and kissed me. "You're on your own Slut." Rei replied, mimicking our red-haired friend, "Fractions are indeed a bitch."
We both looked to Ellie that was watching our exchange with wide eyes and clearly doing a poor job of not checking us out. Rei and I looked at each other, nodded then attacked in perfect unison. I held the girl while Rei tickled her mercilessly until she begged for mercy.
I was thankful to have my friends and Pokémon to distract me from the trauma of this morning. While we all dress and broke down camp we chatted happily and played with our Pokémon. Rei said she was sure she'd been successful in breeding with Genos and happily patted her belly like she was already starting to show. About the time we finished breaking down the camp I felt Hikari grow close again.
A minute later the beautiful unicorn wandered back into camp with half a dozen other Rapidash and Ponyta in tow. I was able to pick out Hikari immediately and saw that she walked behind a powerful looking Rapidash. Her horn was enormous shone with a constant dim glow.
"Kassi, this is my Dam. Mother, this is Kassi, my true Trainer and bond of my heart." Hikari said once the small herd had made their approach, indicating with her horn. I gave a respectful curtsy to the ancient looking Rapidash then tried to look her in the eye.
As soon as my eyes locked with the Rapidash I felt the overwhelming strength of her mind flood my own. In an instant it felt like my entire mind was pulled out, laid bare, strip searched, spanked, then put away wet. Somehow through the disorientation and the discomfort I was able to maintain standing up.
"Interesting human. I have not seen one of your kind in many moons that shared our powers of the mind. The last one was much stronger as well. A true monster in her own right." The voice of Hikari's mother was much like her daughter. Deep and sonorous, but hers had an unearthly multitone to it. "I find your heart to be pure and I see your love for my foal is genuine. I did not scan the boy she left with before and I see now that was folly on my part."
"T-t-thank you." I said, rubbing at my temples that felt like they had been spanked raw.
"You are interesting human. I see the inner potential of your mind. Would you like for me to open it up to you? You could become a powerful psychic user in your own regard." The ancient Rapidash asked me. While I processed that, I watched as one of the Ponyta stepped up towards Ellie and its small horn began to glow.
Once the glow stopped the little Ponyta began to hop around happily and rub up against Ellie. The Rapidash looked away from me and to Ellie. Once again, the horn of the Rapidash flashed and Ellie crumpled to the ground, eyes rolling into the back of her head.
"Oops, please tell her I am sorry. Those that are pregnant are more sensitive and I did not realize she was with a young one." The Rapidash said then turned to her little one and was clearly communicating something to her.
"Wait, pregnant?!" Rei and I yelled in unison.
"How is that possible? She was a virgin until last night. The only male contact she's ever had was her Eevee not an hour or two ago." I asked, dumbfounded.
The Rapidash turned to me and a smile came across her intense features. "I know not the how, just the what. Arceus the Creator works in strange ways through both man and Pokémon." I blinked several times trying to process the information that was being thrown at me. Ellie started to slowly come to and roll over. This little cinnamon bun was pregnant, and there was no way to tell how or what. I didn't doubt the Rapidash's words or power, but this was truly crazy!
Once Ellie has come to the Rapidash closed her mind to only the silver haired beauty and Rei and I watched one emotion after another flash across the young girl's face. First confusion, then happiness, follow by shock, fear, then happiness. Finally something seemed to overwhelm the girl entirely and she once again passed out.
"She will be ok. Just too much at once I fear. Have you thought of my offer Kassi? Would you like me to unlock your hidden potential?" The Rapidash addressed me once again.
"Well, what do you mean by that? Right now, I can turn my abilities on and off, which is nice. Would it always be noisy if I do this? Getting to this point has almost killed me twice, could that happen this time?" The Rapidash lit up her horn and I fell silent.
"All I am going to do is move you along to the end of the growth you are going through now. You would eventually become this strong anyway, I'm just speeding you along the journey." She said and her face softened. "I can't say that it will be a pleasant experience, but it will not kill you and will not change your ability to have peace. Indeed, it should give you greater control." I barely had time to nod a terse agreement when, for the third time in only a couple of weeks it felt like my head exploded and my world went dark.
When I woke up my head was resting on two soft pillows. I nuzzled my face into them and breathed in their soft berry scent. I reminded me of Rei and her perfume and my heart lifted.
"Goodness, I didn't know you liked my perfume that much. I'll make sure to keep more of it around." Rei said above my head.
"Wha…?" I asked and cracked my eyes open. I was lying on the ground, my head resting on her creamy thighs.
"It's funny, while you were asleep your mind was racing and I was able to see what you were dreaming about." The corners of Rei's mouth lifted up in a smirk. "You really are perfect for me. Your mind is just as dirty as mine." She said and ran a hand through my hair.
I smiled and enjoyed the attention for a minute before sitting up. My head didn't hurt. In fact, I felt amazing. Like a new person! I looked around the camp and saw that everyone was milling about. Ellie was speaking with the Ancient Rapidash, the Ponyta that had paid her a lot of attention now snuggled up into the girl's side. Hikari took notice of my rousing and walked over to me.
"Kassi, you need to calm your mind, we can all hear your thoughts. Focus on being a singular entity." She said. Indeed, now that she mentioned it I realized I was connected to everything around us that had a mind. Taking a deep breath, I focused inward like I would during yoga and tried to clear my mind. My view of the world shrank until I felt like I was back within myself.
"Truly impressive young one." The Ancient Rapidash said to me. "Your power will be mighty once you gain greater control. Once you have recovered enough to ride, we intend to see you safely to your destination. You've already had one encounter with the Fairy King, you may not be able to walk away from a second." She said with a serious tone in her voice.
"Fairy King?" I asked.
"The White Grimmsnarl. Oberon, The Fairy King, as he calls himself. He is a nasty piece of work, but extremely powerful and although you spared him, he might not look fondly at his loss to you today. We will whisk you out of the Glimwood Tangle as quickly as possible for fear he will seek you out again. Take pride, a Rapidash does not lightly let someone ride their back." She said and I cast my eyes down. I didn't want to think about the white Grimmsnarl or what had almost happened today.
"I'm ready I think." I said and stood up. My legs were shaky, but I wanted to get out of here. Rei, Ellie, and I started to put all of our Pokémon away in their balls. Interestingly Ellie held out a ball towards the Ponyta and it disappeared in a flash. The Ancient Rapidash left instructions to one Rapidash staying behind to watch over the remaining Ponyta then we mounted. I rode Hikari, Ellie on the Ancient Rapidash, and Rei on a sturdy looking male Rapidash that hadn't spoken yet.
Once we were all settled the three Rapidash took off at a full gallop. The dimly lit forest flew past us in a blur. The bioluminescent flora and fauna creating a fantastic kaleidoscope of colors. All three of us let out a girly giggle. This was every little girls dream at some point, to ride a unicorn through an enchanted forest, and we were actually living it.
It took only an hour to reach out destination at the outskirts of Ballonlea, the magical city carved into the enchanting Glimwood Tangle. The other two girls dismounted and we all wished our new equine friends deep thanks and safe travels. I noticed the Ancient Rapidash say something to only Ellie and the girl blushed fiercely. Then she powerful Pokémon turned to me.
"Kassi, you must follow my foal's instructions to truly master your powers as quickly as possible. My Future Sight has told me that you will be pivotal to all of our survival soon. They might just help you succeed in saving all of us." With that the Rapidash took off back into the forest.
"Uh, what?" I asked Hikari, still riding on her back as we walked into the glowing lights of Ballonlea.
"Don't worry about Mother. She likes to say mysterious things to get you to think harder and not overlook things. She did congratulate me on finding you though. Said that this time, I found a Trainer truly worthy of me." She smiled her horsey smile and I laughed at the silly face.
We stepped foot into Ballonlea and had little idea the Challenge that awaited us ahead
***Message from DmDrewDragon. Thank you all for making it so many Chapters with me. I never dreamed I would take this story so far and the support and love from all of you and those on the GTIG discord have kept my fire lit and powerful. If you want to join us in fun discussions and maybe collaborate on artistic works please join the GTiG discord dot gg slash F5QdwRk /F5QdwRk
I would also like to thank FreeSoul, Chaoslord, NovaDazzler, and CrisisofInfiniteMisses for collaborating and bringing their respective characters to life. I cherish your friendship and this wouldn't be the same story without all of you.***
