Stray, who is host to a parasite by the name of Autumnos is woken with the urgent need of his inner-body friend to once more take up the long trip to the homeland of the Dessumnia; the parasite species. Getting there is never easy, but will coming face-to-face with a wild creature stop the trip short?

‘Father Stray, we must go now, it calls us…’ The slightly whispered voice echoed within head, like a nudge to urge him awake from the blissful slumber. ‘Father Stray?’ It came again the whisper getting louder to rouse him properly. Stray mumbles and rolled over, lying flat upon his back and slowly opening his eyes, blinking against the bright light that filtered into his bedroom from the early morning sun.

“I’m awake, I’m awake. What is it Autumnos?” He asked moving a paw to rub at an eye which held a scar. He was tired still work lately had been tolling on him hard. And it showed too not just but the dark lines increasing under his eyes but even his coat; a light olive-green/tan-brown that swept along his face, down his back and tail, curved around his sides stopping just past his hips. Where this colour ended a pale cream picked up across his front, under his muzzle and along his legs and arms down to all four paws. Tribal-like markings adorned along the middle of his back and spotted right arm and paw, it was all that set him apart really from any other wolf save his eyes; one blue the other red, a pinkish scar ran down this eye forking down his across his cheek.

‘It’s time we must go, it calls to us!’ The voice was rather more urgent than normal, upsetting actually, which wasn’t like his parasite usually spoke. The Dessumnia usually kept quiet, semblance itself as an unseen thing merely along for a ride within his body, it was part of the joys of being host to such a creature. There were many such joys; so to speak of this but something told Stray that whatever was bothering his embodied friend wasn’t one of them.

“Where must we go?” He asked but then stopped any words or thoughts for that matter when an image of a vast mountain surrounded by an ever stretching forest gleamed across his mind’s eye. “Is it time for that already?” Stray half sighed as he sat up, his heart suddenly quickening in a sense of urgency. You see the Dessumnia unlike other parasites that need a host to live within they do not just use the body of the creature for their own will but rather share it and every feeling and emotion along that resides between the both. So in other words whatever Autumnos felt Stray felt as his own and visa-versa, it was something the wolf had come to live with over time, still now and then it set him on edge; like now for instance. The parasite didn’t reply with words at the question just more glimpses of the mountain and forest, more sudden emotions cast into his body. “Alright…let me just set things out with work, I need some time off anyway and they owe me.”

Sliding from the side of the bed the wolf took a glance at his alarm clock, it was barely even five am, he couldn’t remember what time he finally fell asleep but he knew it wasn’t that long ago. First things first he scrounged for clothing, ruffled the fur atop his head and gave his chin a slight scratch, where had he left his phone…normally he was a tidy kind of guy but lately things had just gotten too busy and his room somewhat resembled the aftermath of a twister. Just as he was about to give up in searching until he’d eaten his phone buzzed from under his pillow, with an eye roll he grabbed it, just a text message though. NO WORK EVERYONE’S ON STRIKE! “Huh…well I saw that one coming. Least I don’t have to deal with the boss on getting time off now.” Stray smiled a bit to himself, his boss was an ass anyway, and it was only a matter of time before all his co-workers decided they’d had enough of the shit conditions.

He made way for the kitchen, paws shuffling along the old worn carpet of the hallway when Autumnos made an appearance again. ‘No work…can we go now. It calls to us, we must go, we cannot wait!’ Stray frowned and face-pawed his forehead trying to rub away the whispers for a moment.

“I so need caffeine…” He mumbled rummaging through the cupboards for the coffee jar, pouring it in the coffee maker till it was almost full then hitting the switch. It was going to be a long trip to that mountain. As he sat upon the high-rise stool staring in thought into the dark swirling abyss of his drink Stray thought of the last time he had to take up the long journey for his Dessumnia friend, while he enjoyed the outdoors it wasn’t an easy place to get to. While the coffee was brewing away and his mind was lost in thoughts he found a bowl and filled it with cereal, munching away by giant spoonful’s to ease the morning stomach rumbles of hunger.

‘Holy Mother’ Autumnos whispered in the back of his mind, his emotions a little more pleased at his host’s thoughts, though it felt greatly perturbed all the same. Stray merely nodded closing his miss-matched eyes of red and blue for a few moments time, before finally sipping at the sugar-filled caffeine beverage held between his two paws. He mulled over what he’d need to make the trip, more importantly how long it’d actually take to get there, it was coming close to snow season and if he left it too late the valley would be closed off for months. And putting up with an annoyed, narking and somewhat aggressive parasite within your mind and body for that long didn’t tickle the wolf’s funny bones one bit.

Once he actually felt awake and alive enough to deal with things Stray began sorting through his gear making sure he had everything needed, pushing aside the double-thoughts and visions given by Autumnos as he went for often enough he’d pack double of something then realize it only after he checked. “Right that should be everything, if I’m missing something now I can always pick it up at the last truck stop.” He mumbled to both himself and the parasite residing within him, who had seemingly withdrawn into a silent brooding emotion that he felt deep down in the pit of his stomach. “We’ll be there before you know it my friend and then things will be better again I promise.” Stray offered as some way of consoling the Dessumnia into a better mood. Even though it would take him almost a full day’s worth of driving before the mountain area was even reached, then a further half day to get to where Autumnos’ species resided within the forest.

It hardly worked the urgent and upset state of it only made stray himself feel on edge and grouchy, he shook his muzzle slightly at this. Taking up his gear and the keys to his car he headed out the door making sure everything was locked up and secure before finally beginning the first leg of their journey. Now just to get a few things straight here the Dessumnia might be a parasite, but as told before they aren’t like any others. They give more than they do take from the host that they reside within, it’s not just hitching a ride for fun, and the species chooses a host wisely and only if they feel the need to leave their homeland to learn of the outside world. They do not over-take any part of their host in fact they actually see them as a surrogate parent, they lend their host-parent abilities to aid them in times of crisis or danger should they occur, to save both their embodied vessel and themselves.

Thankfully neither Stray nor Autumnos had ever come across any circumstance as yet; they’d always had a mutual and well bound partnership of host and parasite, even if one did get on the other’s nerves more times than counted. Time passed swiftly as Stray left the confines of the city, heading out further away still into the open plains and soon enough in the distance a vast mountainous ridge could be seen peaking over a never ending stretch of thick forest before them. But the change of scenery was welcome, even if the ending of Autumn and beginning of winter had turned the land from rich green to wilting sandy colours, at least within the forest many of the trees were evergreens where he was headed.

The mountain that the Dessumnia lived upon was often just as daunting as it looked; the closer the car gained the more anxious the parasite seemed to become in getting there, and Stray found himself having to back off on the gas pedal before he got pulled over if a State Trooper just so happened along the road. Sighting the turn off his ears flicked hearing the change as his tyres moved from bitumen to harsh gravel, but it lulled his friend and enabled him to concentrate on finding a good place to leave his car, somewhere hidden out of sight until he could return back down from their journey up the mountainside in a couple of days from now. Stray could tell already that this area was a far sight colder than within the city, mostly from the cool breeze that had him winding up his windows just before the forest line came into view, thankfully he’d had a mind to pack warmer clothes. He had on thick tan pants, tough hiking boots and a sleeved dark shirt that stopped at his elbows which was half hidden by a leather jacket that stopped a good foot from the ground, this he left in the backseat of his car just before he got out, swapping it for a warm jumper. He wasn’t going to ruin another good jacket in this place. No matter how urging the parasite had suddenly gotten now that they were close enough to literally feel the mountain that his species called Holy Mother.

It was like a deeply ingrained sense, almost pulling just as Autumnos pushed at Stray’s mind to keep going. “No rest for the wicked.” The wolf uttered with a sigh as he strapped on the large camping bag to his back and set off through the trees. It was only an hour into walking before Stray had to stop, it might be close to winter but he was getting hot lugging around all such heavy gear in the every densely growing forest around him.

‘Father Stray, why have you stopped, we are close?!’ The words whispered through his mind ever so softly now, less urging but rather curious. Really Stray didn’t need to speak aloud for the parasite to hear, just thinking the words was enough but, old habits die hard.

“I need a break for a moment is all I’d forgotten how this place could be.” He replied taking the water bottle from the top of the bag and putting his jumper in place of it, it really was a beautiful place when you could take a few moments to take in the sights of course. Tall shaggy pines stretching high up skyward grew mostly there but it was all the smaller trees, shrubs and other such plant life that made it a battle to get through and reach their desired destination. It was somewhat like a maze but it kept wanderers from nosing about and the Dessumnia liked it that way, if they required a host they would find them easily enough.

Thankfully the breeze soon cooled Stray down and he headed off again, stopping only when the parasite felt the need to inspect things along the path the wolf took it was certainly winding Stray down from all the troubles he’d been having with his work. Nature certainly had ways of doing that, but it’s not always nice and peaceful and he was soon to find that when he pushed his way through a thick twisting brush and almost came muzzle-to-muzzle with a large grizzly bear. Stray’s ears pressed down against his head as he took a step back, his breath caught in his throat but the grizzly was swift to anger and reared on its hind paws, towering over him with ease and letting out a furious bellowing growl at him. Stray could take care of himself in a fight but this way a little out of his league and Autumnos felt his worry and fear as his own and reacted in kind to the threat upon his father-host that was when things went from possibly bad to worse in a matter of seconds. The parasites instantaneous reaction to the threat of the grizzly bear set in motion one of the abilities that the Dessumnia lend their host…the ability to mutate the host form for protection. In this case a hard-as-stone exoskeleton with thick spines jutting out along it almost everywhere over his body.

Something tweaked within the deep brown eyes of the bear it had seen this form before and knew well the outcomes, it uffed and backed up a few awkward steps before dropping back to all fours and slowly turning to lumber off. It knew a lost fight when it sensed one. It wasn’t until the Autumnos was sure the grizzly wouldn’t return before he allowed the mutation of his host released and stray merely blinked about. “Um…where’s the bear?” He wondered aloud, his ears lifting up and head gazing about but he only saw tracks leading off down a steep slope to his right. “Ah, right.” Stray sighed both thankful and curios as to what had taken place, for the first few moments of mutation the host would ‘black out’ and not know of what was going on until the first blow was dealt; if it was at all.

‘The Holy Mother awaits us Father Stray.’ His friend nudged into his mind as he retrieved his camping bag, now lying on the ground riddled with holes, Stray frowned and slipped into the only strap that wasn’t broken, he continued on after making sure that it was actually clear of any creatures of the big and grizzly kind. As the sun reached the highest point, suddenly bursting through the snow-filled gathering clouds that threatened over head the wolf reached the top of a ridge, about twenty feet below stretched out around a giant mountain was the forest of the Dessumnia finally they had made it. ‘Home…’ Autumnos hummed with all emotions of joy that one body could hold Stray couldn’t help but smile feeling this happiness too as he began down the other side. He’d find a place to settle and let the parasite soak in all he needed for the next couple of days from his homeland.


An older piece back when I just started out taking requests, this one is one of the few I wish to keep.

Please note: my older stories are very raw & somewhat unedited, so don't mind any writing faults, I've not had time to revise them yet.

It is written for, and from the ideas of as such he has full copyright to the characters & storyline of this piece.