Vicktor rose from his slumber a bit more naturally this time. He heard the quiet sounds of ughing and the smell of bacon, fresh sage and eggs wafting at his prone form. His stomach grumbled, but teleportation always left people extra hungry for a few extra days. Something about hormone receptors needing to acclimate.

  Vicktor grabbed a heaping tray from the cooks and went to find a seat. Nora and Ar were already sitting at a table, breaking their fast. Ar hawked down a whole sausage in one movement and then licked his beak while looking straight at Vicktor.

  “Hey Vicktor,” the avian trilled a greeting.

  “Hey Ar, Hey Nora” Vicktor said, putting down his tray and then lowering his voice. “Do uhhh, people often have sexual intercourse in the barracks? In this case, I don’t think they needed prophyctics, but still…”

  “Hey Vicktor”, Nora responded with a grin, “It’s pretty common, usually they go to a section of the showers reserved for that, helps with clean up.” She winked, ”Actually doing it in the bunks is much more common on my side of things, but people tend to be pretty quiet. There’s actually a way to channel your mana to eliminate the risk of pregnancy, I can show you how if you want?” Nora smiled directly into him. “The nurse can also show you if that makes you uncomfortable. I'm sure Ar wouldn't mind either.”

  Ar nearly regurgitated a pellet.

  “Does it require me to be naked.?” Vicktor asked curiously. Trying to ignore the cute sputtering.

  “Not necessarily but it does help, I’d also recommend waiting until Master Tosk says you're ready… If you can help it”, batting her eyes. ”It makes progression easier in the future, if you learn things in the proper time and order.”

  Vicktor nodded.

  “Oh and it's not about ‘waiting to have sex’, you can have that mostly whenever you want. There's no cosmic force that will bind your soul to another if you fuck. You seem to have a good head, maybe two but I don't presume. Just maybe not all the way with a biological females for a while you know?” Nora mimed plunging a furry finger between a loop of her other hand “Learning how to do it would be like jumping before you can walk. Biological males though...”

  She flicked her eyes to the still coughing bird, "Have at it"

  “Thank you, I appreciate it Nora.” Vicktor lowered his head in thought and continued eating, trying to ignore a rising feeling in his clothes.

  “No worries.”

  “Vicktor, after your training today, the three of us should get lunch around noon.” Her tail was definitely wagging faster.

  “Of course.”

  'But first underwear, robes and returning these rags to the teleportation Mage'

  The foxkin, Zorra, walked by the table and waved so the other two apprentices couldn't see. The man was even prettier during the day...

  By the sun and the stars, he was going to get into some trouble...

  ***

  “Vicktor, this is Master Zert, It will be your main teacher for molding and shaping. It has a simir foundational principle to yours.” Master Tosk expined.

  I am the earth

  It wasn't a deep voice, far from it, but it resonated in his bones.

  The rge mole nodded its small furred head and bck eyes. It was less than 3 feet tall and wore a full bodysuit with eyelets on the internal and external sides of the strange garment. It was ced up and fully taut around its form.

  'I guess moles are definitely mammals huh?'

  "It?" Vicktor said intensely confused, "You aren't an inanimate object, Master Zert, we're both members of humanity?"

  "It's not a feature of Talpidae culture, although I doubt you've met one before. As part of truly understanding myself, I simply determined I was not a he, she, or they. I am an it." It continued.

  I am the earth

  "I can't say I understand personally, but I'm starting to get the feeling that my upbringing in the Blue Hills and the Academy was not as consistent across humanity as I had thought"

  “Thank you…”, the vaguely feminine voice responded “Vicktor… follow me,” and turned and waddled away. Master Tosk departed with a word of thanks and a nod paired with a sly smile.

  They walked for a few minutes until they came across an empty office. Opening the normal sized door. Master Zert waddled over to a small cupboard and produced a dull gray rod, six inches in length and one inch in diameter.

  “This is manacy, you may have heard of it. Cy impregnated with a mana conduit. In this case, it is a form of zinc. When you are able to master it, I will provide a series of more difficult devices and ways for you to improve. Now sit there.” the mole pointed at a decorated spot on the floor of the office.

  Vicktor moved and sat cross-legged, the sides of his bare feet feeling nice on the stone floor.

  “Breathe in…. breathe out…. Fill the rod with your mana.”

  'Wrong rod Vicktor'.

  Clearing his head slightly, he guided his mana from his hands slowly into the manacy. After a few moments he felt mostly in control of the rod and nodded “Done.”

  “Now, change the cross section from a circle into a square.”

  He willed the rod to become a bar. It began to shift, but Vicktor was astounded by how much mana it took the small object to move. As he pushed against the rod it flowed mostly to the shape he had in his mind. It now has four ft sides but was still incredibly round on each edge. Minor imperfections and contours were visible where the magic had not flowed equally.

  He sighed and looked towards Zert, “This is all I can do right now.”

  It appraised the rod. “Better than average, usually there's more of a taper and curve. Next, extend the rod as far as you can while keeping it straight.”

  He complied as much as he could, the bar lengthened a foot or so to a total of 18 inches. It didn't look thed, but it was retively straight, very simir to a small stick off of an oak.

  “Interesting, above average length, good boy.”

  His other rod twitched slightly.

  “Now a sphere.”

  Vicktor was happy how this shape turned out, almost a perfect sphere, very simir to a pool ball if a bit lumpy.

  “Good” the mole pced its hands on its hips. “Now, st exercise for today. This works so well with boys like you. Close your eyes. Breathe.”

  He did so, letting his impure thoughts fade from his heads.

  “Shape the rod into your cock, now.”

  He felt his cheeks blush and his impure thoughts returned with a vengeance. He nodded.

  He pulled from his memories of st nights self exploration, and his rare but needed moments of alone time at the Academy. He breathed in, then out. He willed the cy and it obeyed, it felt easier and more malleable, enjoyed the feeling of control as it flowed, an extension of himself. The end result felt off somehow, but unable to tell the difference in his mind, he sighed once more and opened his eyes.

  He immediately realized what was wrong with it, he was trying to shape the cy without having enough cy to shape. His equipment, when aroused, was identical to this except the manacy sculpture was missing the entire head.

  “That was an above average amount of cy, you'll be popur aye? Now let me show you some interesting things.”

  She grabbed his cy phallus and turned it around, his real one twitched sympathetically.

  “You did an excellent job of the part you normally see, but you weren't quite accurate with the other side. The general shape is there but it's not even close to as lifelike as the top.”

  It slid a wide padded finger across the sculpture as it moved away.

  “I'll give you another rod, usually I only give out one. Work on the previous exercise and any other shapes you can think of. Return to me when you can create a full and accurate copy of your cock and balls with your eyes closed, then I'll compare and we will move on to harder things”

  “Yes Master Zert.” Vicktor said

  As he was walking away from its office, he stopped and thought back

  “I'll compare” he whispered, “oh.. OH.”

  He really needed a shower. He had lunch with the other apprentices and didn't want to start things off smelly.