Jinxtigr.com

(continues the story from the comic strip at tallyroad.com, but can be read standalone)

Dawn broke gradually over the city of Verss- washed vivid orange by smog, filtering grudgingly around tens of thousands of tall buildings woven around each other, stacked into a single mountainous structure alive with its wolfish inhabitants. Some levels, some depths of urban crush, never saw daylight at all.

Some depths of urban crush were literally that- subway caves that had once been upper levels in the forgotten past, that were now not merely abandoned hellscapes of acrid air and failed lighting, not merely home to the most desperate failures the city held, but were tombs to those ragged wanderers when the weight of Verss produced another subsidence- when the world groaned, sagged, and made those forgotten ones a part of itself.

Nobody of importance would be found near enough to those dangerous areas to hear any screams- one would literally rise in Verss, spending one’s time nearer the top of the city, if one could afford to do that. One would try not to think about the levels one came from- one would try to forget that in Verss, fate literally stretched vertically from the abodes of the impossibly wealthy down to corpses without even the rank, stale air left around them anymore, bodies that had been shunned while life remained and were now the tortured soil Verss rested on.

But then, this city forgot everybody eventually.

Dawn broke over a spot which wasn’t exactly at the peak of the city, but was very much on the outside layer. A small cafe basked in the lurid, smog-painted glow, a cafe with a wide, sandy patio and green trees in terracotta planters. The color alone told a story of wealth and privilege- to the wise, it told a story of teams of gardeners switching out weary, pollution-worn trees for fresh ones, and whisking the sick ones off to special nursery bubbles with clinically purified air and fresh water, to recover and then serve another tour of duty outside at the cafe.

Dawn broke over one of the first arrivals to the cafe, and her guest. Jennis didn’t think of it in this way, but in the ecosystem of the cafe she rated as less important than the trees- certainly, they were given lives in the nursery where they were cared for and given the strength to go to the cafe and do their jobs. In turn, she returned to the cafe not to give strength but to gain it- and, replenished, return to her job. Today, she was bringing Allie, who was new to this job.

Jennis felt a bit envious, though her spirit was well enough to appreciate it vicariously- Allie had been increasingly awestruck as she ascended to the level of the cafe, and stepped out onto the patio as if she was a princess arriving at the ball. It was understandable, thought Jennis- though the cafe couldn’t claim the staggering view as its own creation, it certainly made the most of it- and paid for it in property taxes. Jennis knew that for the same reason she knew she was welcome…

Jennis paid for this welcomeness with barter, with hedonism, above all with discretion. The manager was a driven, gaunt wolf who was constantly getting in fights with his wife, and his fanaticism for maintaining his exquisite cafe and his pose as a debonair maitre d’ was matched only by his fanaticism for blowing off steam in bed and perversity when in it.

And Jennis was not merely a whore- she was the straw-boss at the notorious “Mistress Elistary”. She was more than able to handle the manager’s desperate needs, she was big and rangy enough to cope when he got crazy, and she was more than street-savvy enough to turn a few minor injuries into a free subscription for entrance to the cafe- for life. The small electronic card which opened the gates was one of Jennis’s prize possessions. It still cost a great deal even to have breakfast there, but without a little careful blackmail she’d not have been allowed near the place.

Now, she watched her new employee look around in awe, and played it cool. There were many things this Allie didn’t know- Jennis felt quite concerned for her, while at the same time fighting off the enviousness. Allie seemed so vulnerable and was clearly on the run from some terrible abusive situation- earlier conversations had made that abundantly clear. Allie was on the young side, had nowhere to go, and wished nothing more than to escape to Verss, and- what? Jennis doubted that Allie’s plans had read ‘get fucked for money’, but the young wolfess was so unprepared for the biggest of the big cities, and her options were frankly terrible.

Allie had light brown fur with a white blaze running from breasts to belly to right under her tail- she sported a ‘two-tone’ pattern that Jennis knew was money in the bank. Allie seemed totally unfazed by the idea of selling her pussy for money, which again said ‘fleeing abusive life that makes being a whore seem relatively cozy’. Allie had no ID, no licenses for any form of work, no connnections for getting on the waiting list for an apartment, nobody she knew in the city at all. Allie had no idea how to get any of these things, no clue that if she turned up at a shelter she would end up fought over and claimed as a prize, which was to say slave, or even a corpse if the fighting became too intense. Allie, in fact, acted like a rich kid who was sheltered from the real world- or more accurately, kept from the real world by some family member who wanted the stunning two-tone wolf girl all for himself.

Jennis knew that some of those never made it out. Some committed suicide. And some fled- often to Verss, in the belief they wouldn’t be found easily. All too often, they were found by the dregs, and the city gradually crushed them without a second thought.

This one had turned up in a room at Mistress Elistary, and Jennis was expected to make a working girl out of her. It seemed like Mistress Elistary had some way of finding these girls- they would turn up, often emotionally shattered, and go to work like whipped dogs, terribly obedient and fearful. Allie had turned up shattered and fearful, but without that obedience- again, like a rich kid on the run and out of options. She wasn’t going to find another place to live that was remotely acceptable, and Jennis was going to have to train her or see her turned out on the street.

As she watched Allie gawk at the view, Jennis felt both envy and anxiety. This girl was going to make a bundle, hopefully without being hurt too badly, and she seemed to be aware of neither her beauty, nor the unfairness of her situation. Jennis was going to have to be her boss and teach her all the things school had never hinted at.

As they accepted cups of coffee from the cafe’s morning staff- who treated Jennis with great but mocking deference- Jennis thought that was going to be a real bitch, and hoped desperately that the lovely wolf girl would be impressed by her street-savvy and den-mother loyalty. She had to gain that upper hand, for if Allie copped an attitude or acted entitled like a rich girl, she’d be thrown out by Mistress Elistary in no time at all. Jennis knew she had to get Allie up to speed or see her sucked into the maelstrom of Verss and lost forever.

The cafe staff had given Allie a menu for breakfast, and did not give Jennis one- they gave her, instead, the faintest possible smirk, but she dared not rebuke them. She quickly told them, “Yeah, the usual” and hoped like mad that Allie’d take it as a symbol of special favor.

As she watched the younger, prettier wolf who was to be her subordinate poring over the menu, Jennis glowered briefly, then fought back her rage at the cafe staff. She’d tell the manager, when she got a chance, of what they had done.

They knew Jennis could not read.

Allie looked around, and her eyes sparkled. “Oh, this is nice!” she cried, and Jennis suffered another pang of jealousy. She’d never had a cute little voice like that, even when she was young- if you wanted to call it ‘young’.

“Yeah,” said Jennis, “always have a nice breakfast, in case the johns are assholes that day. They ain’t there to take care of you!”

She caught a look of alarm in the younger wolf’s eyes. Good, she thought. You learn respect, missy, and maybe we won’t lose you after all…

“So, what’ll you have?”

The alarm turned to embarrassment, and Allie looked down, not meeting Jennis’s eyes. Oh, no, thought Jennis- I called it. She’s remembered what I am. She’d forgotten. Next, she tries to get away, makes some excuse.

“Just the coffee, thanks- I’ll pay you back!”

Sure you will, thought Jennis. “Ya sure? I better get you more. You know it’s physical work, right? What’ll you have?” said Jennis, and thought, there you are, my dear- picture it. If you’re going to run, do it now, so I don’t have to see your damned pretty face over breakfast, knowing what’s likely to happen to you.

The girl didn’t react well. Jennis, alert to the small telltales of Runge behavior, saw her draw a breath and look about anxiously. The older wolf’s mood soured further as she gauged the tantalizing heave of Allie’s breasts under the low-cut t-shirt- when she’d had that, she made half again as much damn money a night. Allie’s paw scratched at the patio sand. Her tail bristled faintly, as did her ruffs and facefur, all very subtle but dead giveaways to the experienced observer.

The experienced observer sat, waiting. Just you say it, missy, thought Jennis. Just dare to suggest I’m not good enough to be seen with.

“Oh no, no.” breathed Allie. “I couldn’t!”

That was enough for Jennis. She didn’t even let Allie finish the little apologetic eyeroll she was in the middle of.

“Now, look, Missy! If you object to a whore buying you breakfast, I got nothing but bad news for you. Now. What will you have?”

That sank in. Jennis wondered if she’d been too brutal- Allie cowered as if trapped, and then looked down, her eyes filling with tears, making no reply. She heaved a shuddery, woe-is-me sigh, and Jennis watched her breasts rise and fall again, and thought, that’s another twenty credits to you, if only you knew it. Or are you the kind of rich girl who knows it quite well already? If so, you’re about to learn it doesn’t work on me.

“I just ruined your day, huh?” said Jennis, levelly. “Well, you’re ruining mine.”

Jennis began counting seconds to herself- in expectation that the girl would stand about fifteen seconds before springing up and rushing off to her fate- but before three had passed, the lovely tan wolf had looked up, and Jennis found herself staring into pleading amber eyes, brimming with tears.

“It’s not that!”

Jennis blinked. This was seriously off the script.

“I want to be like you…”

Seriously off the script! What?

“More than anything… but…”

It was Jennis’s turn to be off balance. If this wasn’t contempt, what the hell was it? Jennis faced her stunning young subordinate, would-be whore, possibly somehow hero-worshipper (how on earth did that happen to a brazen shaggy byotch in a white ribbon bikini with tits like melons and a cunt like a muscular goddamn cavern?) and tried to find less harsh words.

“Really? ‘But’ what?”

Allie’s eyes dropped again, miserably. “I don’t have any money.”

Jennis laughed, startling her. “Oh please! Spare me. Look at you! A little coaching and you’ll be filthy with it.”

Interestingly, the girl didn’t look at herself- or brighten up, or show any sign she’d been paid a compliment. Jennis considered this. Girls usually had some degree of vanity, but then there were some that were so damaged they couldn’t get their heads around the idea. Self-image was so goddamn relative. You could count on those ones to not quit, or throw a fit over conditions (even when one ought to be thrown), or demand more money- but there was a price you paid that Jennis took very seriously. Those girls didn’t protect themselves well. They could be talked into stuff that hurt them- they attracted creeps like crazy- and you had to look after them, because if they lost their center, if their world got too dark and empty, they weren’t just no good to themselves, they weren’t even any good at their job.

And when their job was to be fucked by strangers… well, you could say that didn’t help. You had to keep a pretty level head for that not to mess with you. It was almost a job requirement- if you were in it for the long haul, anyhow.

Allie looked up again, with a very polite pleading gaze. “I don’t have any now. Can I borrow some? Like, properly- with interest and whatever?”

Jennis looked at her in astonishment. “Why the flying fuck do you want to pay me interest? I’m your fucking boss, not a bank! Explain.”

It seemed like this was unexpectedly hard to explain. Allie’s eyes dropped yet again, and she bristled harder, the Runge equivalent of a blush, and her ears went back as if she expected a blow, but it was a psychological blow rather than a physical one.

“I… don’t ever want to depend on anybody, ever again.”

With that, the young wolfess looked up, a strange intensity in the way she held Jennis’s eyes, and she continued with alarming conviction, as if it were a matter of life and death- “You shouldn’t have to buy me breakfast.”

Jennis was taken aback, but now she knew exactly what was up.

“You are poor, aren’t you? You’ve got that pride they get.”

Allie winced. “Please, stop it…”

“Or should I say, new poor? You’re acting like someone who was raised with a life. You wanna tell me anything about what happened?”

“I… I…”

“Take it easy.” said Jennis. “You’re safe enough now. Though some people wouldn’t see it that way, let me tell you. But… some of us know better, don’t we?”

It took a while for Allie to pull herself together- she would try to look at Jennis, and tear up or become upset, but the older wolf watched with approval as Allie got a grip. That was going to be a useful skill- it boded well. Finally, she was able to trust her voice, and Allie spoke again.

“We?”

“I was six. Looks like you hung in there for longer than I did, my dear. That probably gained you some good things, you know. I really did hit the streets too early.”

“Really?” said Allie, fascinated. “Too early for what?”

“I bet you’ve got more schooling than me. Am I right?”

“Um… yeah, probably. You stopped at six? I was still going right up to last month when… when all this started happening.”

“There you go.” said Jennis. “It might not get you very far in this city, but that’s a resource. I bet there are lots of things you can do. I hope you trust me, though, because I’m telling you there are lots of things you don’t know- and I honestly don’t want you to be hurt. You fell into a job that you will be able to do- I promise you that- but you’re going to have to start learning all over again.”

Allie thought, and Jennis let her think. The two Runge sat quietly, sharing the beginnings of an understanding. When Allie spoke again, it wasn’t about what she was expected to learn.

“Why did you run away at six? I didn’t understand what was happening to me when I was six. I didn’t understand it was… different.”

Jennis gazed levelly at the younger wolf, but her eyes were chilly.

“I thought I’d better leave while I still had one unbroken arm.”

Allie actually cringed at this, unable to meet Jennis’s gaze, as if the shaggy black-furred wolf was the bearer of a reality too terrible to look at directly. When Allie’s eyes found Jennis’s again, the older wolf had not looked away, and the gaze of the wolf girl was full of awe.

That’s it, thought Jennis. I’ve got her. I’ll never thank that bastard for what he did, but every time I’m able to reach a kid like this, the pain’s not wasted. This one’s not going into the shelters, this one’s not turning junkie or chew-toy if I can help it…

Okay, call it even money she makes it, then. That still beats the usual one in four. …this goddamned city!

Jennis shook her head, dispelling the grim calculations of survival odds for pretty young runaways with no street sense. Across from her, the pretty young runaway perked her ears, wide-eyed, and drew a breath expectantly. Again with the heaving tits, thought Jennis. I can’t believe you aren’t aware of that. No, I guess I can, I’ve seen it before. You might be a crawling worm, in the privacy of your own head. I was.

“Okay, listen. Boss speaking.”

“I’m listening.” said Allie eagerly.

“We’re having breakfast. You’re getting what I get. That way, you don’t have to choose.”

“…okay.” said Allie, suddenly abashed again, and feeling outmaneuvered.

“While you have this breakfast, I’ll tell you about some things to expect. You will pay attention to all of it. You will not be paying me back for the breakfast. You’ll pay attention, that’s what you’ll pay, missy. Understood?”

“…okay.” said Allie, planning to buy this amazing woman something later to square it.

“You can be rich and sore and buy your own breakfast tomorrow.”

Allie laughed, in spite of everything.

“Heh! Okay…”

Boodins was just totally off balance.

Seriously, it was all about half again too much, even though it was crazy exciting. This cat lady was walking along a hallway, but it was just a big ledge that you could fall off of. He’d had to climb a rope ladder just to get up here. There weren’t any curtains on the windows! You could look right in at the ground floor and see her. You could stare right at her from off the street.

Boodins was staring at her too. It was kind of hard to avoid. He hoped like hell it wasn’t rude to do it, but she was stark bare naked, from her pawpads to the tips of her ears, and everything in between.

He’d got a darn good look at the everything in between, and it turned out he couldn’t really STOP looking, and now his ears were really hot and his face bristled its short canine fur in a blush reaction, and the fur at the back of his neck was standing up for the same reason- it was worse than with that crazy little pirate kitty Magarce, because with her, he kind of didn’t have a choice, did he?

With Magarce, she’d dragged him off on an adventure, ripped his clothes off and lost them, yelled at him until he was curled up like a cowering puppy, and then she’d jumped on him and the next thing you know, he wasn’t a virgin.

And the next thing after that, they’d hit this huge bump in the road (which kinda was one problem with getting sexually attacked on the back of a moving truck) and it jolted them so hard that he’d tied her AFTER swelling up. Dad said never ever to do that, too. He made it sound so terrifying and awful, as if he thought Boodins was some creepy guy who was going to force a swoled-up knot into a girl and hurt her, and he really wouldn’t, especially since he didn’t even know how to suggest pushing the front part of his dick into a girl for starters. Dad being all weird- well, that just made it seem even scarier and crazier.

Boodins didn’t think he was going to tell Dad about the pirate kitty. It was actually the scariest thing that had ever happened to him, and also a secret, dark fantasy. He’d spent many late nights, clamping with his fingers behind his knot, coming steadily and imagining the exotic Nerre on him, taking his cock and then (and he was unclear on how this worked and vague on the mechanics) doing that scary, forbidden thing, taking his knot while it was fully big.

Sometimes he imagined the kitties’ pussies like folds of furry velvet, reaching out and enfolding him. Sometimes he got a bit confused and imagined it like a hole in a wall, empty on the other side- it was vaguely frustrating that he had no idea what happened or what it felt like, but it didn’t even matter. The general ideas were as exciting as they were confused.

It turned out the real thing was startling and unexpected, and that he’d had a lot of time to memorize how it felt- so that the next time he had his fingers locked behind his knot he’d know how it felt and smelled and sounded. Most of all, it had been quick- one huge wham against the flat bed of the truck, and Magarce’s full weight slammed down, impaling her onto him regardless of his inflated state.

The pirate kitty had screamed and fainted as Boodins knotted her, and he’d panicked, terrified that he’d killed her. It was like popping a cork into a bottle, and he’d yiped at the tautness of her, but quickly been distracted, because she remained very much alive. The pirate kitty had shuddered and shook all over, was very hot and wet on him, squeezed spastically at him, even squirmed and wriggled and cried out in harsh shrieks and wails, driven beyond endurance and trying to wake.

Boodins had quickly learned several ways to stop that from happening. Whether it was hunching his hips, stroking her body, playing with her nipples, even playfully tugging her tail, he discovered that he could flip her into a stunned, shuddering, moaning, quivering state at will- and he was alarmed enough at what would happen when she did come around, that he did it again and again until her cries were weak and hoarse, and only when she could barely move or lift her head did he allow her to regain consciousness.

This had turned out to be the dumbest thing ever, as the truck they were on was being stolen by bandits…

Now Boodins walked along a corridor in a whorehouse, following another Nerre who was in some ways even more intimidating. This one was named Daucery, and she was almost bigger than he was, and quite possibly stronger as well. Very likely stronger. He didn’t dare tell her he’d changed his mind. He wasn’t sure if he did change his mind, either. This one got paid to fuck, and he was getting a sort of freebie! They’d said, “Poor thing. Daucery will show you how to have it nicely.”

Boodins just wondered what that meant, because he knew how to have it nicely. It involved his hand, and he knew what to expect, and it wasn’t anything like this frightening, unless he thought Mom was going to open the door on him.

Suddenly, this Daucery wasn’t leading the way- her tawny breasts were smooshed against him, her body pressed to his side like she was butter someone had spread over him, and she had a paw right down between his legs, feeling the front of his pants with surprising gentleness. Boodins yipped.

“I said, how come you’re hanging back, honey? I won’t hurt you. I’m not like Mags, she’s kinda crazy, and I don’t think she balled you nicely. Let me show you how to be more than a cat toy. I’ll make you a man.” purred Daucery, looking saucily into his eyes.

“It’s, uh, different?” Boodins squeaked. He glanced frantically at the big plateglass windows downstairs, terrified he was being watched.

“Aw.” said Daucery. “Sure it is… I’m sorry, puppy, I wasn’t thinking how embarrassed that would make you. Can I do it again when we’re behind closed doors?” She stepped back, clasped her paws behind her back, and her tail made cute curlicues in the air as she glanced coyly at him.

Boodins tried to get some dignity back, but he was panting and even that little paw-fondle had caused his cock to try and leap forth. Currently it just hurt because it was straining against his pants, which were borrowed from Rai and already too tight to be comfortable.

“Uhhh…”

Daucery earned a few points then- she glanced quickly at the windows, grabbed Boodins’ paw in hers, and made for the nearest bedroom with great haste. Ginger feline and frantic young whelp burst through the door, and with a click, it closed behind them and there was privacy.

“Oh, honey, I’m sorry. Open those pants before it hurts you even worse. I promise, I’ll let you catch your breath. I’ll even look away if you want…” said Daucery, and then giggled. “I’m gonna peek, though. It felt biiiig under my paw…”

“Um.” said Boodins. “Good? I mean, I guess you’re into that? Uh, nice line of work for it…”

Daucery flowed up against him again, and this time rather than slipping a paw between his legs, the ginger Nerre’s paw went between her own legs, fiddling around while her tail twitched eagerly.

“I’m not sure how you want it, sweetie,” she purred, “so just in case- there! That oughta be okay if you’re fixing to just grab and take me. Is that your pleasure?” She twirled languidly against him, rubbing breasts, belly, hips against his body until he was frantic to lose the over-tight pants.

“Um! Uh! mm!”

Daucery suddenly hugged him, pressing the whole front of her body against his from chest to thighs. “C’mon. I’m all set. I’m ready right now. You’re totally free, take me!”

“That’s what’s scaring the shit out of me!” yelped Boodins, and screwed his eyes shut. He was terrified he was going to start crying, and also terrified he was going to start coming, or get knot-swoled-up too soon. As he pictured the shame of standing there spurting come and tears in equal proportion, his nose was kissed- and when he opened his eyes, Daucery was looking into them, a lot less demandingly.

“I keep forgetting that Mags shouldn’t count, and you’re still basically a virgin. And a cutie nicie-pie,” she said, and kissed his nose again.

“It’s that obvious, huh?”

“Sure. Cheer up, I just… I thought I could get certain things out of you, that’s all. Selfish of me. I can do better than that, B… Boodin?”

“Boodins. Boodins Earncy.”

“Poor guy. But you seem well favored, I wasn’t even fooling about that. Well- it’s a habit, I do tell guys that anyway. But what I’m saying is, I can do better than I was doing. Here, you need to loosen those pants, but we’ll just sit down and talk a bit, okay? I’m rushing you, being selfish again.”

“I don’t get it,” said Boodins, letting his erection sproing gratefully out and sitting on the bed. “How is that selfish? I thought it was just whore stuff and I wasn’t acting right. Um, I’m sorry! I called you a… name.”

“In this city, sweetie, it’s a job description. That’s what Arle puts on our taxes.”

“Arlie?”

“Demarle. You know, the big bouncy white fluffball. I’m lucky I snagged you instead of her- well, probably lucky. That’s a nice dick. Are you a rowdy puppy in the sack, sweetie?”

“Huh?” said Boodins, embarrassed again, and looking away.

“Crap. I am making a total hash of this. Poor guy, I’m no better than Mags with you. That’s a lie, I’m sure I’m at least paying better attention. How the hell did she take that? She’s promiscuous as hell, but I don’t think she does any particular exercises.”

“Uh- we hit a bump in the road, and I couldn’t help it. I didn’t mean to knot her like that!”

“Wow.” said Daucery. “I bet she hurt your ears, even in better circumstances she’s pretty noisy.”

“She fainted.”

“I’m envious. But that’s no concern of yours, right now I’m just wondering if I’m the right girl for you. How about I try to tone it down, okay? Maybe we should have asked Faisand. Mind you, I’m not sure you’d pick her out… but it would be your loss, we love Faisand a lot and she deserves to keep some of the regular thing in her life…”

Boodins was beginning to get confused, but it was a welcome distraction. He was terrified he’d start coming before the ginger kitty even touched him. It would be better to keep the distraction going. “Who’s Faisand?”

“You don’t know her? You’ve probably heard of her. She practically invented us- the first expatriate superstar cat whore on the Runge homeworld. Without her, we wouldn’t have this place, or the reputation. She’s our mum-cat. She’s exquisite.”

Boodins was still casting about for conversation that wouldn’t inflame him. “Did you say, you’re not sure I’d pick her out?”

Daucery shot him a glance. “You’d better not repeat that. Don’t you dare repeat that. I’m not going to hurt her feelings again. I know I’m blunt, but I have such respect for that lady…”

“I won’t, I won’t! But what did you mean?”

The stunning ginger feline heaved a heavy sigh, and some of the sex-appeal she was exuding in every direction diminished, to Boodins’ relief.

“Okay, we all have our preferences, right? Faisand is getting, well, old. Maybe you’re a breast guy. Hers are going pretty slack, were never very big to start with. She’s always been bony and lithe, now she’s more scrawny. I happen to know if you’re a cunt guy, a sensation guy, she’s still your cat- that lady could dent a goddamn steel bar, she’s astonishing- but the rest of us are getting the normal trade. Faisand is doing specialty stuff that she doesn’t care for all that much, that’s all I’ll say.”

“So, you mean, if I liked an old lady I should be with her instead?”

“Please, honey, don’t call her that. You have no idea how much we love her, and she has her pride. I wish we could do more.”

“Uh, you mean it would be good if I did fuck her so she’d feel better?”

“Now hang on- that is so not what I’m suggesting. You’re flagging, honey, do you want me to fluff you a bit?”

“No no!” yipped Boodins. “I actually wanted to settle down some and talk. Unless you don’t have time to do that? You tell me what I can do. I wanted to talk until I wasn’t freaked out.”

“Aw! I’ve got a good amount of time, it’s early in the day still. We don’t get a lot of walk-ins during the usual work-day, though there are always some. After hours is usually the way, sometimes we’re up pretty late. But that’s not your problem. I’m awake. Barely. So, you a breast guy?”

“Um- yup! Yes, I certainly am!”

“Oooh. I like how you sounded happier. It would be either me or Demarle, then. I’m rangier, Arle is more several tons of fun- don’t tell her I said that. Good, good. Titty-fucking, then? I mean, is that how you’ll want it?”

Boodins blinked. “I’m not even paying! Shouldn’t you tell me how you want it?”

“Oh no. You tell me what YOUR pleasure is.”

“Oh no no! You tell me!” retorted Boodins, ears perked.

“I asked first!” teased Daucery.

“Yeah, well, I, uh…”

“Come on, you must have a pleasure! Think it over, what’s your heart’s desire? I’ll make it happen for you or get someone who can. Your first real fuck ought to be special for you, not goddamn Mags raping you.”

“Um.”

“You’re stalling.” purred Daucery, whiskers curling in amusement.

“I’m THINKING.”

“What is it, anal or something, that you don’t want to admit? We’ve seen it all, sweetie.”

“No, no! It’s just…”

Daucery tilted her head. Her emerald eyes glinted with amusement and a hint of predatory desire. Her whiskers were a picture of feline anticipation.

Boodins took a breath.

“If it’s up to me…”

“It so totally is, cutie.” replied Daucery.

“I want to do whatever would turn you on the very most that you could possibly ever be turned on. Ever.” said Boodins in a rush.

Daucery’s eyes widened. “Really.”

“Uh-huh!”

“Really.”

“I just told you!”

The beautiful, rangy, muscular ginger cat seemed to shrink into herself a bit. She looked thoughtful. “You know, that would be perfect- and thank you, Boodins, thank you so much- I believe you can. You mean it?”

“Yeah! Um… what are you thinking? I kinda hope it’s not really weird, okay?”

Daucery laughed, but there was a curious lack of humor in it. “Depends what you’d call weird. It’s not something I talk about because it won’t really help business. You’re okay with me telling you? Faisand knows too.”

“Of course, and you better tell me before I get freaked out again, please?”

“Oh, no no, we’re not talking anything you’d not like. Um, you might hurt your back, but you looked young and excitable and I was actually trying to get you to do this without saying what it meant to me…”

Boodins whined. “What?”

“I mentioned Magarce. Boodins, I want to BE Magarce.”

“A psycho pirate kitty raping people on trucks?”

“No!” said Daucery. “What I mean is, look at me!”

Boodins looked. It was pretty rewarding. The ginger Nerre was a tall, powerful creature, well muscled with large breasts and boldly flaring hips. Just looking her over was exciting. “Oooh.”

“Heh. You like that, I can see. Good for you, you’ll be happy. Boodins, at heart I would like to be tiny like Mags. Just a little fluff. I’d like to romp as boldly as I do now- but at that size. It would be overwhelming, and I wouldn’t feel like I was looming over everybody awkwardly. On this planet, I don’t have to be the tallest female in the room all the time- I’m kinda normal size. I left Ause because on our homeworld I’m a freak, Boodins, just a freak.”

The lovely cat looked bitter and sad saying this, like it was old pain she was re-feeling, and Boodins’ impulsive heart went out to her. “But… you’re just beautiful! I mean, oh my God, your boobies, and your body, and your boobies, and…”

Daucery glanced at him inquiringly. “You counted my tits twice.”

“There are two of them!” replied Boodins promptly.

Daucery laughed. “Good boy! So that’s the deal. You wanted to know. It’s nothing exotic that I need, it’s just a personal fantasy. Actually I often run with that fantasy while at work.”

Boodins’ ears were splayed comically in confusion. “So… so what do I do? I don’t know how to make you feel tiny. I don’t want your boobies to be tiny, even if you do. Now what? I’m all confused.”

“What you gotta do- is what I was trying to get you to do. I bet you can do it, but I can see you’re just too nice to do it without being told.”

“Uh. It sounds like you want me to HIT you. Do what?”

Daucery’s eyes glittered and went very green. “You’re a young Resten male. You’ve got a hell of a big dick, and you look strong and healthy.”

“…yeaaaahhh?” said Boodins, fascinated.

“I’m going to explain a few things to make sure you understand.”

“…yeaaaahhh?”

“And then, you’re gonna grab me, and fuck the SHIT out of me like you’re trying to break me.” purred Daucery, and her eyes gleamed with a wild light, and her nipples were standing up outrageously stiff.

“Ooooh.”

“Probably you’ll get the most aggressive humping if you’re on my back, because you guys naturally go for that- you can play with my tits all you want later.” said Daucery. “I want your hips free, and I want you to have your feet well planted. I’ll hold myself like I was a Resten so your body doesn’t get confused or strained…”

The ginger cat was wriggling, and panting, and Boodins was getting heady scents of female feline arousal- a strange pungency that was flaring to extraordinary sharpness. She continued, urgently. “Understand, I do this for a living. You’re a sweetie, you’ll want to be careful. I don’t want you to be careful. I want to feel like a lil’ fluff in way over her head. That’s my kink. Now you know. So when you’re ready, let’s get it going, and then baby- go fucking crazy in me. Knot me and start churning, as hard and deep as you possibly can…”

Boodins’ eyes were wide, and his tongue lolled in delight. “I think I can do that!”

“I’m gonna love this. You young excitable Resten are GREAT at this. I’m gonna love this…”

“Um,” inquired Boodins, “should I be doing things to, you know, warm you up?”

“Are you joking?” purred Daucery unsteadily. “I’m about ready to get off just telling you all that.”

“Do you need to be in some kind of position, or do we need to, you know, get ready or… I don’t really know what I’m supposed to be doing, though I bet I can figure it out…”

Daucery twisted away, sprang into the center of the bed with a powerful leap that startled Boodins terribly, and crouched facing away from him, her face pressed to the sheets. Her tail was held so hard to the side it twanged, her behind jutting up boldly, legs spread and braced so hard that her muscles stood out. Her claws dug into the bedsheets savagely. Her little pink anus, surrounded by tawny fur, poked out, then tucked in, then poked out, as if Daucery’s body was madly tensing and then melting into the pose, and beneath it, framed by that same tawny fur, Daucery’s pussy- pouting open and glistening with feline gloopy lube.

Boodins stared transfixed, and a waft of the ginger cat’s pussy juices hit him, an olfactory note that seared through his brain with its alien urgency. As he watched, she suddenly adjusted her position, presenting at a shallower angle for his canine conveninence.

Daucery’s legs were trembling. A lot.

“Whenever… you’re ready… oooh boy… come on! Your body knows what to do!” cried Daucery eagerly.

Boodins sat on the end of the bed, nonplussed but very pleased. He glanced at the door, but nobody was going to come in- or if someone did, it’d be another sex-mad kitty and that would be kinda cool. He glanced at Daucery’s butt. Her tail was quivering. That was kinda cool too…

Boodins Earncy slowly realized that, for all practical purposes, this was his turn. This Daucery seemed honestly frantic for his lovemaking- apparently because she craved rowdy excitable guys, and she figured his inexperience would make him freak out and go at her like a pile-driver. She’d more or less begged him to do that.

No- wait- not exactly. Boodins’ ears perked as he put two and two together. It wasn’t that she wanted him to be an excitable kid- she didn’t need that from him. She was hoping to be ravished- she wanted to feel like a kittenish waif, rather than the tall, rangy, athletic creature she really was.

Boodins began to wag against the bedsheet. He was going to remember this one for a long time. He was going to get a clear scent of something he hadn’t expected to meet for a while yet- and yes, he was going to please the kitty.

“Come ON, puppy!” cried Daucery.

“Hush.” said Boodins, moving up behind her.

“Come on, give me that…”

“Hush.” said Boodins, and his voice wasn’t what it had been. It wasn’t much deeper, but… authoritative.

Daucery glanced back at him, startled. Boodins didn’t look away- he gazed solemnly back at her, his muzzle raised, his bearing confident. He saw her eyes go wider, and he smiled.

“You’ve got lots of time to be noisy. For right now, Daucery, hush. I want to remember the sound this makes…”

Boodins played with his sheath, quickly becoming fully erect. He thought briefly of trying to get his knot going- but no, there was another idea. Ideas were just popping into his mind left and right now. If he was in control- maybe he could use her imagination, not just his…

“Close your eyes.”

She obeyed him immediately, her feline ass wriggling slightly in anticipation. Boodins marveled at her delicious body. These kitties must make vast sums, he thought- this is amazing. Well- time to amaze. Let’s see if this works.

“This is my finger.”

She must surely have expected penetration- her claws dug at the bedsheets- but it wasn’t that she got. Boodins was remembering some things he’d done to Magarce while she was incoherent. This one had got her clenching and moaning drunkenly- combined with the fantasy, it might do a number on this Daucery. Boodins wished himself luck- and thumped Daucery’s tailbase firmly with his whole hand.

“Nghhh! Uhhh!”

The effect exceeded his expectations. Daucery bought into the fantasy with an urgency that amazed him. She pressed to the bed, panting great heaving gasps, and didn’t try to look back at him- and that elegant feline pussy was pouting harder and harder.

“Hope I won’t be too rough! I have to pet you with just one finger.”

Boodins thumped her tailbase again, then stroked down her back with the edge of his hand, putting the full force of his arm into it. He did some more petting, down against the base of her tail, again trying to mimic the impression of a giant male finger caressing a tiny, increasingly frantic kitty. From the sound of things, Daucery was losing her mind- moaning unrestrainedly now. Boodins hoped the next things went according to plan.

“This might not fit if you tense up…”

Boodins let her tense up- expecting that she’d take the hint.

“It might be a little much for you, don’t tense up…”

The ginger cat moaned, and thrust her butt in the air, before remembering she was trying to hold a Resten-like posture. Boodins smiled. Losing track of things a little… good.

“This is my dick.”

Boodins thumped his fist, knuckles formed into a cock-like point, against the pouting, wet, Nerre pussy- and pushed fairly hard, while frantically working his sheath and praying for stiffness.

That got the ginger kitty’s full attention. Her body convulsed, she grabbed the bedspread with four sets of claws, she let out a shriek and began twisting around and stammering hysterically. “GYAH! No but if you, I mean I know it might seem like, I mean…”

“Don’t tense up!” snapped Boodins. The frantic feline couldn’t decide whether to play along, or to go limp expecting a Resten fist to thrust into her- and in the anxiety and confusion, just as Boodins had hoped, Daucery stiffened and tensed up rather than relaxing.

And that was the moment Boodins Earncy chose- to seize Daucery’s hips, and in a single fierce shove, thrust his stiff cock fully into her frantic, wildly aroused yet panicked pussy.

Boodins noted the bold juicy slurp of it, for just an instant- and then folded his ears back, for the ginger cat let out a godawful shriek and clung to the bed like it was the ceiling. He braced his paws well, and took a deep breath. Her cunt felt awesome- clenchingly, quiveringly alive on him.

“Hang… on!” gasped Boodins, and with that, the young Resten gave himself over completely to what Daucery had begged him to do to her. His body bucked and thrashed as he threw himself into it- he grabbed her hips, then wrapped his arms around her, then grabbed her hips again when his lower back began to hurt, and he devoted himself wholeheartedly to thrusting his canine cock as violently as he could within his lover.

Daucery’s reaction was gratifying- after the initial clinging to the bed in shock, she had apparently figured out he hadn’t fisted her- but all the setup had done what he’d hoped. She reacted very much as if he was really what he’d suggested- her puss had stayed very tight, to the point that it was deliciously uncomfortable on him, and the sounds she was making were outrageously exciting. The ginger cat writhed and wailed as if tormented by joys too intense to handle.

Very quickly, Boodins felt himself tying her. It was a savage, noisy flurry of thrusting and wet sounds and shrieks, and it was all just too exciting, not to mention intimidating. As his knot swelled harder and harder, he thought Daucery would twist around and disembowel him in her hysteria- he noticed huge shredded rips in the bedsheets, with alarm.

In the end, Boodins simply grabbed his feline lover’s body in a tight embrace with his arms, toppled over onto his side holding her, wrapped his legs around hers as best he could for good measure, and just hung on, gritting his teeth as his knot swelled up harder than he’d ever felt it.

Daucery could not settle into his embrace- the beautiful ginger cat twisted and writhed, her ears laid back as the knot inflated inside her. She kicked a leg back, then she kicked both legs back, paws clawing at nothing as her rump squeezed Boodins’ sheath- and in that position, Daucery let out a wavering shriek that was jolted and broken up by a series of brutal clenches and shudders.

She ran out of breath before she ran out of orgasm- Boodins felt her buck and jerk as her ragged voice gave way to little harsh squeaks and mews. This, thought Boodins, is Nerre orgasm. This is that holy grail. It’s way better than I thought it would be, and I can’t believe I didn’t get clawed to bits. Next time, not so fucking dramatic.

…my back hurts. Wow, my back really hurts…

Daucery trembled, taking great heaving gasps of air, and began to relax- whether from satiation, or simple exhaustion, wasn’t clear. With relief, Boodins loosened his death-grip on the powerful feline, and with gratitude felt her pussy loosening its death-grip on his cock-base.

Boodins began stroking her breasts, her belly, her thighs, her pussy where his cockbase transfixed it, the slight lump that betrayed the titanic pressure of his knot wedged in her. The ginger cat moaned, trembling not in a steady motion, but in sharp little spasms that racked her as if thunder was echoing around inside her.

Boodins kept stroking her, feeling his nuts empty in steady, insistent spurts into the depths of his lover. She was feverishly hot. Well- friction? That and exertion. He’d barely been able to hang on to her. Boodins stroked her ears, and she nuzzled against his caress.

There had to be something to say at this point, but amazingly, it continued to be ‘silence’.

No, wait- ‘purring’. Wow- deep, intense purring.

Made him wish he could do that, too, because that was just how he felt.

The door remained closed. On their side of the door, nothing broke the silence. On the other side of the door- two felines, of utterly different ages, also not breaking the silence- but, unknown to Boodins, at least one was listening, listening in awe and some alarm.

Alonifi didn’t come up much past the door handle. Faisand was somewhat taller than that, but in spite of a proud bearing, she showed signs of being bent, slipping inexorably towards what one would describe as being wizened with age. Alonifi was nude, taking advantage of the legal status of the hallway and defying her elders. Faisand wore an elegant, sheer dress that complemented her silvery fur. Alonifi was listening at the door, and Faisand stood, arms crossed, as if she had delivered a lesson.

Alonifi’s eyes were wide. She whispered furtively to the old feline, “That was real?”

Faisand nodded. Her voice had a raspy, dried-up quality, but a sweet sternness to it as she said, “Too rich for your blood, little one. Let’s walk this way, shall we?”

As they quietly padded clear of the door, Alonifi asked, “When am I gonna be ready to do that?”

“Not your concern. That wasn’t meant to entice you! I suspected Daucery was going to have a challenging time, and as you can see, I was right. Have I made my point?”

“It sounded like toilet plungers!” said Alonifi. Her ears were laid back a little, and she glanced back at the door with fearful, sidelong glances.

“Yes,” said Faisand with satisfaction, “it certainly did. Let that be a lesson to you, little one.”

“You say they’re too big and too rough. How big does it have to be to make that noise?”

“Big as your arm. You stay away for now.”

“I’m almost as big as you, and you can still do it.”

“Not like I used to,” lied Faisand, “you know Cery is nearly as big as they are. My point is, you must NOT flirt with the wuffies. I will not stand by and see you injured.”

“But you won’t let me do it EVER!” whined Alonifi.

“You heard what was happening in there.” said Faisand. “Think about that! Or… hrmph… well, don’t think about it… or think about it and play with yourself for all I care, we’re just trying to protect you.”

“Daucery says you don’t want me to have sex with the johns. She says you don’t want me to join all of you.”

“She talks too much, that one.”

“Daucery says you don’t want me to become a whore.”

“May I say that perhaps I have a better idea than she has, of the future you’ll be heading for?” said Faisand tartly.

“Daucery says you’re overprotective.”

“Somebody ought to be, and I hasten to add that Demarle agrees with me entirely.”

“Daucery says she wishes she was me.”

“I’m sure she does, dear, but she doesn’t have to be.”

“Daucery says if it was up to her, I should auction off my pussy and get really rich and do whatever I want.”

Faisand whirled. “Stop it! You’re staying safe and that’s all there is to it.”

“You mean boring!” cried Alonifi, her small tail lashing.

“No, dear,” snapped Faisand, “I mean safe. I’d hoped that hearing that Resten boy with Daucery would impress upon you the physical demands involved, but it’s only inflamed you further.”

Alonifi had the grace to look away. “Yes. It has.”

“Do you understand that such treatment would hurt you, possibly injure you permanently?”

Alonifi thought. “Can I ask you something? I’m try’na be grown-up about it.”

“Well, that’s a blessed relief, dear. All right- ask.”

“Okay- I understand you and Arle are protecting me. But you’re used to me the way I used to be. You know I’m not ever gonna be tall like Daucery, but I’m still growing up. You KNOW I’m having feelings, but everything you’ve ever said about them is a big NO…”

Faisand said softly, “Maybe it’s because we know about those feelings. They can make you do foolish things- and we’re not on a Nerre world. It’s important that you listen to us, Nifi.”

“Yes, but… we ARE here, and I AM having these feelings, and can’t you tell me what I’m supposed to do?”

Faisand’s eyes were worried. “Nifi- I’m not entirely sure what you should do. You don’t want to return to Ause, and I don’t want you to do what I’ve done.”

“You’ve done everything I could want to do!”

“Well, dear, the bloom fades.” snapped Faisand. “I want better for you. I don’t want you to end up- like this.”

Alonifi teared up. “But, Faisand- we love you.”

“Oh, Nifi…” said Faisand wearily, and hugged the young feline for a time. Afterwards, no further words being of any use, they padded down the hall and out of sight of Daucery’s door.

By the time Daucery was done with Boodins, everybody in the Cathouse was up. She didn’t hurry him, which was surprising- but she explained that she liked to take time for herself, too. He counted as ‘me time’. Boodins found this gratifying, and by the time he had his pants on and was wandering back out into the common area, he was further gratified by a plethora of kitties.

Daucery was talking with the fat white fluffy Nerre in the black ribbon bikini- Demarle? Yes, Demarle… and the little one, Alonifi, was talking with Faisand. She caught sight of him, but Faisand led her away.

Dene was trying to talk to Rai, but she was having some difficulty, because Rai had given Boodins his pants. The elegant little ninja was not the least bit self-conscious in only a shirt, and apparently the Nerre way was to make no mention of this, but Dene wasn’t a Nerre, and she was visibly trying not to look at his small fuzzy testicles.

Leaving them to sort out their problem- or not, since Rai seemed unaware of a problem- Boodins joined Daucery and Demarle.

“Here’s our big boy!” said Daucery jovially, elbowing him.

“Really? Me? I guess you’d know, huh?”

“Sure. You might even need to tone it down with some of the others. Like we talked about, I’m not exactly a little waif myself…”

“Oh now, you must be joking,” said Demarle. “Seriously?”

“I told you,” said Daucery, “he’s a rowdy puppy in the sack.”

“Yeah, I know.” said Demarle. “You always grab those ones. You know you shouldn’t try to work them up like that…”

“Come on, gimme a break. You don’t do it that way, Faisand either, Brittery is the opposite thing- somebody’s got to let the wuffies and puppies cut loose. Right?”

Demarle tsked. “I know you’re tough, Cery, but it’s really not a great idea. They’re still happy with the rest of us, and we don’t have to make emergency runs to the hospital.”

“That was once! And that was a couple years ago! C’mon, Arle.”

“We panicked. Magarce had to drive you. She thought it was the coolest thing ever. She’s… odd.”

“I’ll say!” said Boodins.

“Yes, you’d know, wouldn’t you?” said Demarle. “How does our Cery stand up to the notorious Magarce, anyhow? I’m damn sure Cery’s roomier, for what that’s worth.”

Daucery glanced hastily at Boodins, but he was in a generous mood.

“Cery was way better. It felt more good.”

Demarle purred. “I should hope so, dear. I’d never let her hear the end of it if she didn’t. We’ve got standards to uphold. But I suspect she had some kind of personal motives as well?”

Daucery shot Boodins another nervous glance.

“Dunno. I was busy.” said Boodins loyally.

“Hm.” said Demarle, and fell silent, studying him. It was a little disconcerting, and after a bit, Boodins asked, “Did I do something wrong?”

“Oh, no- I’m just deciding whether to give you the madam’s bed after you rest up. It’s that one over there.”

“I’m not sure I can sleep in the daytime, or with those big windows there.”

“You misunderstand. It’s a special thing we have for certain clients. I’ve got this room zoned as my bedroom- so I can have fun right out here if I like. The rest of the girls have to stick to the regular bedrooms. Furthermore, if you’re getting the madam’s bed, it’s a sign of special favor, and you may not be asked to pay. It’s been a while since I’ve given it.” The white Nerre looked sour. “I’ve been doing bookkeeping for this place, and keeping abreast of the legal situation.”

“You have a legal situation?” asked Boodins.

“This is Verss. There’s always a legal situation. It’s just a matter of who you can influence to deal with it. Faisand is a huge help there.”

Daucery had padded off in search of more coffee, presumably, leaving Boodins with the fluffy white madam. She was eyeing him up as if he was a questionable side of beef. “Faisand says you were rough with Daucery, dear.”

“I’m sorry! I… she didn’t seem to mind…”

“No, our Cery doesn’t mind that, but I hope it didn’t give you wrong ideas. I said she’d show you how to have sex nicely, but I didn’t mean just nice for her. I don’t think you’re learning very useful things, Boodles.”

“Boodins.”

“Sorry. The point stands. And it might matter- your friend Rairate says you’re here on some mission that is now more confusing, because you’re supposed to be finding and rescuing Elistary, and believe me, you won’t have trouble finding her now, but rescuing is going to be a bit of a problem…”

Rai, hearing his name, padded over. Boodins noticed that Rai kept well clear of this Demarle lady. “You were saying, ‘aons?”

“Honey, you might want to not remind us of the protocol back home, okay? Some of us ran away from that on purpose.”

Rai didn’t reply to this. Boodins knew the little word, ‘aons, was short for a hell of a lot of kitty expectations and rules- he hadn’t followed the whole explanation, he’d got bored, but it meant something like ‘listen to me without interrupting, please’ or maybe ‘let me have my way as long as I ask politely’. Rai certainly came out with it more often when he needed to be bossy.

“You were speaking of our mission- repeat, ‘aons?”

Demarle rolled her eyes. “I was saying, it’s easy enough to find Mistress Elistary, but I’m not sure how you propose to rescue her. Anything that gets her out of our way would be great. She won’t want to go.”

“What’s she…” “What exactly is she doing?” Boodins and Rai looked at each other, each ready to apologize for interrupting the other. Demarle looked on, more amused than she had been.

“Maybe you’d heard. She runs the house ‘Mistress Elistary’, and she’s our main competitor. Faisand thinks she’s trying to send us rough trade, but I think that would take too much effort. What I can’t figure out is what’s making her so obsessed with it all. You can see she comes from money. She wears pearls around. I’ve heard she’s had them snatched, and she just gets new ones and carries on.”

Rai said, “Yes, she comes from money- her family is paying handsomely for her rescue. We were told she’d been kidnapped.”

“Not her! She came into town and bought a damn building and started running her show. Honey, some Resten ladies come to the Runge homeworld because they like that wolfish flair- though, honestly, Resten guys are every bit as well hung. I’ll test that on you later, sweetie…” winked Demarle.

“I don’t suppose I could stop you.” said Rai. “I’ve rather given up on trying to protect this boy from himself…”

“From what Daucery tells me, you might need to protect me from him!”

“Not interested, ‘aons.” said Rai coolly.

Demarle lifted an eyebrow. “Hm.” She regarded Rairate with matching coolness. “Let me speak your- okay, our- language, all right?”

Rai nodded, carefully.

“I don’t mind your haughty attitude, Nifi’s been spared much contact with our culture, and the girls- Brittery and Daucery- they’re busy working their trade.” said Demarle. “I ask that you be courteous to the old grey cat you’ve seen here, Faisand. She was the first of us and the treatment she received from our people still haunts her. You will not scorn her- vraonse.”

Rai said, awkwardly, “I… understand things have changed… for some of our people who’ve travelled far from home…”

“Faisand was here before anybody understood. Seriously- you will not scorn her, ‘aons.”

Rai nodded slowly. “I… may understand a little of what she felt… though I have kept faith.”

“Yes, dear.” said Demarle, softening her tone. “We all understand that. And just because we don’t obey protocol, it doesn’t mean we… okay, never mind. I saw how that made you frown.”

Rai looked unhappy. “I’ve given offense…”

Demarle smiled wryly. “Actually, we like you. It’s amazing you care. I can’t believe we have a Hse-Nerre in here, with the claw implants and everything, and you’re caring what we think and not just gutting, say, Cery for things she’s done…”

Rai looked still unhappier, mewing “Nooooo…” while Boodins became alarmed.

“Why would he do that? No way! Rai, you wouldn’t do that?”

“Hush, puppy, he’s not doing anything of the sort, or we’d have called the police on him hours ago…”

“We’ve met them.” said Rai politely, “and please don’t tell me any more about this ‘Cery’, ‘aons!”

“Certainly not.” said Demarle, more in command now. “You may not think it, but we still feel obligations towards you, maybe less… formally.”

Rai blinked. “What other sort are there?”

“You’d be surprised. If I know your type, you’re bound by protocol like any Nerre on Ause, but you may have ideas that here on the Runge homeworld there are things that don’t count…”

Rai unaccountably looked away, which interested Boodins. Did this have something to do with that mysterious night at the anarchist base? Where, the morning after, Rai’d looked amazingly smug and said nothing?

Rai’s reaction wasn’t lost on Demarle, who continued, “…like almost every Nerre who figures out the gaps our protocol was never designed for. Okay, honey? You’re right, there are things that are just not covered in your obligations.”

The deadly ninja-kitty nodded bashfully, still looking away, his hips tilting coyly.

Demarle chuckled. “Runge guys! Equal opportunity kitty crack. I think I get it. But listen, Rai- ‘aons?”

Rai looked back at her, hesitantly, as if she’d caught him doing something and might yet let him go.

“Just because we don’t obey protocol doesn’t mean we have no rules. We want to do right by you- and those yummy wuffie playtoys? Those are people, honey, we want to do right by them- but sometimes they’re terribly alien, and we have to try to understand what they need and want.”

“…ump…”

“What’s that, honey?” said Demarle, her ears perking.

“…I’m pretty sure what some of them want!” said Rai.

“Of course you are, but how much do you really know about them? Sometimes what they need is terribly complicated and peculiar. We’ve actually got one coming in who’s all of that, and I’ve got to talk to Brittery right away and find out if she’s okay with it…”

“Yes?” called a sultry voice from the upper level of the Cathouse.

Boodins glanced up to see a striking new kitty. This one was shorter than Daucery, and probably Demarle as well, but not as tiny as Magarce. She was covered in short black fur, dense and glossy- lying so close to her body that her figure remained shockingly well defined. She was curvaceous, but not in the manner of Demarle, whose roundness was only exacerbated by rampant fluff- this one was more muscular, like some small huntress. Though her fur was black, her eyes were not unlike Magarce’s- ice-blue, and wild.

“Tery! I need to talk to you.” said Demarle.

Brittery swarmed down the wooden pole that the kitties used as stairs. Boodins couldn’t help but stare as she did- the compact, lithe little creature made effortless work of the climb, and every angle of her motion revealed more elegant, muscled contours to her body. She resembled a feline gymnast crossed with a fertility goddess. Boodins stepped back as she approached, as if he’d be burned by waves of erotic hotness. She moved as if she believed that as well, and liked it…

“Is it this boy?” purred Brittery. “Any special requests?”

“I’m afraid not.”

Brittery stepped back. “You didn’t.”

“I can still call him and tell him deal’s off- but yeah- it’s Buckets.”

“NO way!”

“Aw, come on, honey- it’s worth your while!” pleaded Demarle. “It’s good for all of us when the margin is that high!”

“You don’t have to put up with him!”

“I would in a second, Tery! It’s not that outrageous, honestly! I’d do it for him, but he doesn’t want me.”

“He KNOWS I don’t want to do it! He creeps me out with all that stuff! I don’t like knowing his little routine!”

“Well, supposing that’s why he wants you…”

“Of course it is! He wants me exactly because I don’t want it! I don’t get paid enough to put up with this b…”

“Three thousand.”

Brittery froze.

“You wanna repeat that again, Arle?”

“I spent ten minutes on the phone telling him he was done. He doesn’t want to be done. Three thousand. I told him I’d run it by you.”

Brittery looked angry and disgusted. “That’s crazy. How can he have that much?”

“You know he travels from Restred just to do it with you…”

Boodins’ ears perked, but he watched without interruption.

“It’s got to stop, Arle,” pleaded Brittery. “I don’t like not wanting to work. I don’t like cringing.”

“Tery, honestly! It doesn’t hurt! Well… not in the usual way, not in any severe way! You’re just too damn fastidious.”

“Fine! You do it. With my blessing!”

“He’s not offering three thousand for me, Tery. It’s gotta be you.”

“I shouldn’t have to do such things!”

Demarle lost patience. “What? I’m the one who unclogs toilets around here. I wash the sheets afterwards. All you have to do is wash your fur…”

“Eeeesh, stop saying the WORD…”

“Listen, they all have some private thing, okay? I’m sorry that this one is hung up on you. I’m sorry he likes the fact that you don’t like it. I’m even sorry he’s offering three thousand. But I want you to stop wasting my time and decide if YOU are going to put up with it for three thousand, or whether I call him back and tell him not to come. And that had better be soon, because you know he always rushes right…”

Outside the Cathouse, there was a motion towards the door, and it began to open.

“Tery. Now. Yes or no?”

Brittery remained staring at Demarle, as the door opened, and kept staring as an elderly Resten priest shuffled in. He spotted Boodins and gave a start, making an ‘erk!’ noise, but after peering at him for a moment, shrugged and continued approaching the two kitties locked in the staring contest.

Boodins was staring a bit himself. This fellow seemed quite harmless. He was your perfect middle class Resten shopkeeper/vicar type, rather potbellied. He had the short arms and legs, the long dangling ears and droopy muzzle. He seemed to waddle a bit.

“Yes.” said Brittery. “You should have told me. Now that he’s here, yes, damn you.”

Boodins looked back and forth, perplexed at the bizarre conflict. This Resten priest fellow, this hound-like innocuous guy, didn’t seem to justify this level of tension.

Rai padded off unobtrusively, on the assumption that whatever was about to happen, might well be disturbing or even impossible to tolerate.

Demarle met Brittery’s eyes, and looked stricken. “I should have been quicker. I… forgot, your thing about professionalism. Are you sure? I ought to be able to say no FOR you if you really need it…”

Brittery turned slowly to face the Resten. He trembled, slightly, just looking at her.

“No,” she said. “He is our guest. Tomson, damn it, I told you. No more! Why don’t you take one of the other girls? Daucery would love to do it for you.”

“Hell, yeah!” said Daucery, from across the room. “You told me more than enough!”

“No…” said the Resten. “No, it’s you I need.”

“You’re a damn sicko. I know it’s harmless enough, but you want me just because I don’t like it. It’s not comfortable. How long did you wait this time?” demanded Brittery.

“I’d rather not say.”

Brittery looked at him, gritting her teeth. “You know I have my pride. You’re here now. I want to break my own rules and tell you to get the hell out.”

“Four thousand.”

“Where the HELL are you coming up with this money, Tomson? I don’t give a fuck HOW much…”

“Five thousand.” said the hound priest.

Brittery’s ears went back. “…you promise not to do that thing with your fingers?”

“Ten thousand.” said the hound priest.

“Holy shit.” said Brittery. She was trembling as well, now. She had the feeling she was being outmanuevered. “You realize you’ve just gone to five times what you used to pay? You do realize that’s going to be hard to keep up? That you just won’t be able to do it as often as you’d like?”

“I don’t care. Ten thousand. I need you now. I can’t tell you how bad I need it.”

Brittery padded forward very slowly, and touched his nose with a paw. “I think you just did. Damn you anyway. You’re so nice, except for…”

“I need my except-for. Please. I have to go back home and be endlessly nice again.”

“You realize you could go to Mistress Elistary and be really mean for much cheaper than that? If it’s not-nice you want… why does it have to be your goddamn, insane, ridiculous kink?”

“Ten thousand to go along with it. I can’t help how I’m made. Not now. Yes, it has to be my way. Please.”

Brittery sighed. “Come along, damn you. I should cut you off. I can’t believe this is good for you. Among other things, you’ll injure yourself one of these days…”

“No, it’s not dangerous, honestly.” said the Resten, following her with his peculiar waddle.

“You’re even walking funny! God damn it.”

“I know what I like.”

“I’m going to regret this.” said Brittery.

“I know.” said Tomson.

“Yeah, that’s your favorite part.”

“I’m so glad I met you.” said Tomson.

“Yay.” said Brittery bitterly.

She led him into one of the back rooms, not too quickly- neither seemed inclined to move too fast. Brittery gave a sudden leap, pantherlike muscles convulsing in an outburst of nervous tension, and pounced onto the bed. “Let’s get this over with, shall we? At least the beginning is always nice.”

“Funny,” said Tomson, “it’s the ending that does it for me.”

“You’re teasing me, doggy. Any chance you won’t go through with the whole damn ritual?”

“Nope.”

“Well… for God’s sake, fondle the hell out of me at the start. You know we’re on the same page for part of it. Oh shit you’ve gotta be kidding me!”

Tomson had dropped his already low-hanging pants. “Don’t take that name in vain, Brittery.” he said, but it wasn’t his reprimand that had shocked her.

The Resten man stood revealing the first suggestions of a simply enormous canine penis- and two blue-balled testicles, already huge enough to affect his walk, engorged with abstinence and self-imposed frustration until they looked horribly sore. Tomson’s balls looked like they were about to explode.

Brittery bit her lip gently. “Damn it, Tomson. This can’t go on.”

“Nobody else can please me like you do.” said the Resten.

“Because you have that ridiculous fantasy! Why does it have to…”

“But it does,” he said. “It does.” He removed his shirt, and began carefully working his turgid sheath. Very quickly, Tomson’s erection began to appear, already leaking precome, pliant and shockingly bulky.

Brittery licked her lips. “You’re sure I can’t… just enjoy you the way I’d like to? God, Tomson, it would be something. Why must you spoil it?”

“You can enjoy the beginning. I’ll even touch you the way you like. But you must allow me my turn.”

“Devil’s bargain.” purred Brittery softly, licking her lips again.

“Please don’t say that. But it’s in character. Shall we?”

“Character, hell. It’s hard for me to resist that humongous cock. You’re even nice and gentle with it, which at your size is helpful. C’mere.”

The Resten priest didn’t need a lot of persuading- but he did have to walk carefully, almost wincing with each step. “Harlot.”

“And damn proud of it. And good at it. Come HERE.”

He did, still working his sheath awkwardly, and the sensuous black Nerre fell upon him hungrily, stroking his body and favoring his swollen member with tiny delicate licks.

“Nhh!” said Tomson, as he grew even stiffer. “You’re trying to get me off early. Won’t work. Harlot.”

“Hope springs eternal. How do you want me, she asked knowing what he will answer?” said Brittery, mockingly.

“You know.”

“Tell me. At least I can get you to blush.”

Tomson did, a bit, at that. “I want you to straddle me like the harlot you are, and pleasure yourself in the most sinful manner imaginable. That’s what I want. Same as ever.”

“Just think,” said Brittery, “the first time it was just me acting natural. You know, the other girls are just as good at harloting? Well… nearly as good.”

“I want you. Nobody could be as good.” said Tomson.

Brittery crouched, her paws set apart, her tail lashing, taking in the sight of the Resten’s shocking, bountiful cock, bobbing with his pulse and gleaming in slickened red, and she hesitated no longer. She might dread the end result, but in the immediate moment, her feline pussy pouted hard, heavy and swollen with urgent need, and the cure was right there asking her to pounce it. The lithe black cat specialized in her predatory air, her seeming ferocity- it was said that nobody and nothing in Verss compared to her intensity.

She sprang- and in moments, the trembling feline was straddling Tomson’s larger, bulkier body, and pressing back against his erection, which she had effortlessly aimed for and tucked between her labia in a simple, graceful swoop of her hips.

Brittery lifted off Tomson’s body, rising up, guiding his cock with her, until she was poised atop it, sitting bolt upright, her hips swivelling lustily as if she was trying to chalk the tip of him like a pool cue. Tomson’s eyes nearly crossed with the sensation, but they couldn’t cross because they were needed for staring at the wanton Nerre. She was running her paws up and down her body, over all the clearly defined elegant little belly muscles, fondling her perky breasts until the nipples stood out boldly. Her eyes were mere slits, her teeth bared in a snarl of pleasure.

Then, her paws dropped to his chest- she leaned forward a bit- and began to press back onto him, her pelvis writhing and twisting as she forced the swollen Resten cock into herself, beginning to moan more and more loudly, eyes still passionate slits with glints of ice-blue peeking through.

Tomson was frozen with excitement as the black cat took him, inch by inch, his shudders matched by hers. She was so taut, so impossibly excited- such an utter harlot and virtuoso of lust. As if of their own accord, his own hands slowly came up to either side of her bold, curvaceous hips…

Brittery more than suspected she was going to have help- she had lingered and gone slower than she had to, just in the hope that she’d get more action out of him. Her eyes opened wide as his hands grasped her, partly because it was good form, but partly because an honest jolt went through her as she realized what he was going to do. And then, he did. In a single, very firm motion, Tomson pressed Brittery down all the way, his fat canine cock thrusting powerfully and deeply into her until it took her breath away and left no space, none at all.

Brittery shrieked- she knew just how to combine the sounds of pain and savage pleasure, and the Resten’s cock was so ridiculously bulky that she didn’t have to try, it was pretty much authentic. He held her there, and the black cat reeled and caterwauled, heaving deep breaths and releasing them as ragged screams, gripping his arms as he gripped her hips, locked in a tableau of erotic tension. Very quickly, Brittery began coming hard enough that her tail bristled and thrashed, and her feline pussy clenched and spasmed on Tomson in frantic rhythm, begging and demanding his own release.

She tried to hold his hands onto her hips, but the Resten had become alarmed and anxious, and before she could stop him- one hand had vanished between her legs, to encircle his cockbase in the manner of Resten masturbation- except for one thing.

As always, he’d managed to pinch her pussy shut around him, in a very stubborn handgrip. It wasn’t that uncomfortable- by itself.

Brittery was coming so hard she could barely focus, and that was a mercy, but she managed, “….ohfuckhereitcomes…”

“Say it!” begged the Resten priest.

“Hhhh! Ngyaah! ReOWWll!”

“Say it! Oh please say it say it!”

“Hhhh! Hhhh! Damn you! Can’t… breathe, hh!”

“Say it, you’ve got to say it!”

“Dammit! Tomson! hhhh!”

“SAY IT!” howled the desperate Resten, his teeth gritted, his cock impossibly hard in her still spasming pussy.

Brittery set her jaw, a feral grin on her face as the orgasms shook and tossed her. Well- this was IT. And she satisfied- no matter what. And through gritted teeth, with blazing scorn, looking Tomson right in the eye, she hissed…

“You… can’t… wash… MY… sins away!”

Tomson’s entire body bucked under her. It was like he exploded… He didn’t unpinch her, as much as she would have liked that to happen. Instead- he let go, and those agonizingly swollen testicles vented themselves in a torrent, expressed in jets of come so forceful she could feel them blasting her insides. The first blasts kicked her into still hotter orgasms, because under normal circumstances, it was unspeakably erotic to have your lover spurting into you that forcefully and passionately.

With Tomson, circumstances weren’t normal.

Brittery mewled, and squirmed, at the sensation, one she’d felt before, one that always seemed just entirely too much. Even on a normal day, when you were knotted, it tended to cork you up and the come didn’t escape until after. Tomson was huge and didn’t leave room to start with- and his fingers didn’t let go- and Brittery’s ears laid back and her tail bristled hard as she felt him keep coming, and coming, and coming- pumping into her, the hot slippery liquid oozing into her feline womb, and steadily filling that, and not stopping…

Tomson didn’t let up. It was rather frightening, his eyes burned and he no longer looked like the fumbling, gentle Resten priest. He was like the cock of an angry God- transfixing her, flooding her, and with the help of his very stubborn fingers, pumping her full of come until she whimpered and begged, stabs of pain poking her insides obscenely from the pressure. Even then, he didn’t let go- only when her wails turned to sharp screams and her claws gripping his arms drew blood did he relent.

His fingers pulled away, and he drew Brittery down belly to belly with him, and held her as she sobbed. He shifted his hips, and the motions worked the knot within the hysterical feline, and come began oozing urgently out… more urgently than he’d expected.

He wondered if he’d blown it for good, this time.

Slowly, the black cat’s head lifted, ears flattened, and he saw the cause of the weeping. This was not a harlot to be shattered by pain and ill-use. It was tears of rage he saw in her eyes.

“You… fucker. You’re… hhh… done.”

“Ah. Um. I… may have held on too long…”

Brittery tried to rise, but her body trembled and would not heed her demands. The maddening thing was, there was a huge dose of post-coital limpness involved. The stupid fucker had taken her to some of her highest peaks and THEN hurt her by inflating her like a damn balloon with come. She’d been coming so hard that it just took her into sensations she’d never imagined, combined with the pleasure to flare outward into indescribable planes of experience. Ones she hadn’t asked for, and didn’t wish to explore further.

“You… stupid… fucker…”

“Oh, no. Oh, dear. I… I injured you?”

Brittery wriggled, feebly. It was tempting to tell him yes- to claim he’d done terrible damage. She was almost certain that would be a total lie. As the hydraulic pressure had been released, as the shiftings of that vast cock in her coaxed the come to squirt out and soil her leg fur and his crotch fur, the pain had vanished. Now, her body glowed, as it often did after an intense fucking, but at the same time it felt like her womb, and every hollow place in her body, was literally filled with warm Resten spunk. The feeling still unsettled her terribly- but the experience had taught her something.

Brittery considered herself very competent, an artiste and business-woman equal to any situation. She stared at her impossible client, considering the arc of his behavior, what he was doing to himself and to her.

“I should have said this a long time ago. I can’t believe I didn’t figure it out.”

Tomson stared at her, terrified.

“The part I can’t take is… that pinching. I don’t know where you got that, but you did it a lot harder this time. You’re done.”

The Resten priest’s eyes filled with tears. It was as if she was sentencing him to death, as if his life held nothing but this.

“…with that. Next time, I don’t care if I have to handcuff you, you will NOT pinch me shut. Ever! Not ever again.”

“…n.. next time?”

Brittery nodded weakly, and let out a tiny, exhausted purr. “Damn if I know what else to do with you. And I’m gonna soak you, but never ten thousand again if it causes you to take liberties like this. And you’re going to give me some time to recover- and you’re god damned well going to beat off or something, between sessions!”

Tomson’s tail began to wag, beneath the two of them.

“Seriously, why, Tomson? You’ve always done that. I can’t stand it, nobody else ever does it. Whatever gave you the idea that was okay?”

Tomson looked woebegone. “I… with my fantasy… I just need to be washing you clean. I do it because I want to pretend that I’m filling you completely. Which is probably impossible, so I have to pretend by, you know. I pinch, and then I imagine I’m filling you up…”

Brittery gave him a weary look. “Tomson.”

“Yes? Beloved harlot?”

“Tomson, you’re huge. Why the fuck do you think I scream? You’re already taking up all the room in my pussy by the time you do that. Your knot is a motherfucker of a knot, it’s right at the limit of what I can handle. Knots are MADE for that purpose. Don’t you get it?”

“You’re saying that…”

“Yes. You sweet, cruel idiot. By the time I’m screaming and struggling, you have ALREADY filled every bit of me with come and not noticed it, and kept going. Liquids don’t squeeze, dummy. You’re over-filling the cat every god-damned time. Is that really part of your stupid fantasy?”

“Why, no! No, it certainly is not! There’s… that little room in you?”

Brittery’s expression was the height of exasperation. “Darling, your dick is the size of part of my forearm. It’s impressive enough I can accomodate that. We do exercises to not just stretch out in every direction. You stretch me in every direction anyhow. Why do you think I let you keep doing it?”

“For money?”

“How about we cut the money back again, and do it in a way I can enjoy? That’s really all I wanted from the beginning.”

“Are you sure you’ll be okay with that? And me, besides… I mean… well, I like the way I triumph over your wickedness… um, no offense…”

Brittery sighed. “Okay- how about, you don’t pinch, I don’t hurt- that will help a lot, you have no idea. And… how about instead of me saying that mean and haughty, like it’s a fight… how about, right when you need to let go…”

Brittery leaned closer to Tomson, eyes big and cute in her best innocent-kitten look (something few johns got to see).

“Won’t you wash my sins away?”

Tomson’s eyes widened, and next Brittery moaned and melted against him, for the outlandish canine cock had suddenly given a surge of hardness in her. She nuzzled his chest, and purred loudly.

Tomson wagged manically. “My. That should work.”

Brittery purred louder. It was a good day when you could tame the nasty excesses of the notorious Buckets, and keep the bits you usually didn’t get to appreciate.

“I daresay I shall even, ah, masturbate, and not build up such a quantity of seminal fluid…”

Brittery gazed up at him with half-lidded eyes.

“Liar.”

“I’m afraid so.”

Brittery kept purring. Life was improving.

Demarle didn’t recognize at first what she saw coming down the corridor. It looked a heavyset Runge wearing some kind of coat, or some guy she’d never seen before.

When she realized it was the guy she’d let in, and Faisand, she was startled.

A moment later, when she realised he was effortlessly carrying Faisand because she was tied on him, she was beyond startled. Demarle was astonished, which didn’t happen often.

They walked right up to her, while she stood openmouthed with her tail still foofed out from the initial startle, and they rotated to the side so that Faisand could speak directly to her friend, rather than over her shoulder. The grey feline wriggled a bit, and a small amount of wolfcome dripped to the floor.

“Allow me to introduce Anzende Ndeschwin- police chief for the city of Kiesens, and my secret lover who will now be less of a secret. He has information that you all need to hear- we can start with you, Arle. Can we sit on your bed? Anzy is heroic and strong, but deserves to sit comfortably while I’m stuck to him.”

“Um. Sure.” said Demarle. “This is a bit of a… surprise.”

“We’ve kept our secret well.” purred Faisand.

Anzende walked over nonchalantly and sat on Demarle’s “madam’s bed”, a large firm mattress in the middle of the room that Arle entertained clients on. As he sat, Faisand shuddered and mewed sweetly at the jolting of his wolfhood trapped within her. Anzy stroked her back, as she clung to him.

“Okay,” said Anzende. “There’s no easy way to say this- your friend Magarce has been hurt, and what’s more she’s just killed quite a few Verss cops. I must ask that you keep us informed of any contact you may have with her. I’d like to see justice done, and for what it’s worth, not Verss justice- Runge justice, the way it ought to be everywhere on this planet. I’ll do what I can to try and get her medical assistance if she turns up, but she must be taken into custody and charged with her crime.”

Demarle’s surprise and astonishment had turned to a completely stunned look. “You’re kidding. Mags? How did… How can you say that? Listen, buddy, I’ve turned that kitten into a happy puddle, how could she possibly kill off a bunch of cops?”

“He’s not kidding, Arle.” said Faisand.

“But how? Faisand! Back me up here! There’s got to be some mistake!”

“No, Arle. I suspected this might happen. And she shot them. Anzy has an eyewitness. Haven’t you seen Mags shoot before?”

“I didn’t pay that kind of attention.” muttered Demarle, a paw to her eyes. “I got upset when she… I don’t like to think about that night.”

“We can’t behave like that stuff is normal, Arle. Just because the guy she offed was a total punk…”

“What?” interrupted Anzende.

“I’m sorry, Anzy. You know how in Verss sometimes people die and aren’t missed? We had one like that. Mags shot him. Verss cops don’t care about some of the lowlifes in this city. One less problem.”

Anzende Ndeschwin didn’t speak for a moment.

“You know that’s how it is.” said Faisand, gently.

Anzende glanced at her, looking sad and irritated. “Hey, don’t squeeze my dick when you say that, okay?”

“I’m sorry.” said Faisand, her ears going back slightly.

Anzende petted her, but he looked even sadder and angrier. “That’s the whole problem, though, it really is. How are we expected to have justice done when it’s a complete nightmare every day and most of the cops are as savage as the criminals? I could run you in as an accomplice for that.”

“Now just a minute, dear heart…” snapped Faisand.

“I could. Good luck trying to run. I don’t need to cuff you, you’re tied. Admittedly the desk sergeant would give me a really funny look…”

Faisand looked extremely affronted. “Are you joking? You do understand what this city is like, don’t you? Do you expect us to work in a fantasy world where we are safe and the cops police our rough trade?”

“No.” said Anzende. “No, no… I’m not going to run you in. But… I just wish you could have a bigger picture on all this. I have to. It’s my job, okay? I can’t believe you concealed a murder from me. You left that one out when I was asking you about what went on in this city…”

“Do you still love me?” asked Faisand quietly. Demarle stared.

Anzende looked her right in the eye, levelly, for some time. Faisand sat, tied firmly to his wolfhood, clearly not trying to squeeze at him or affect his answer in any way. The only sign of tension was that Faisand’s tailtip twitched ever more agitatedly, but still she didn’t drop her gaze.

“Yes. Yes, I will always love you, and you are still mine.”

Faisand didn’t speak- but her eyes filled with tears, and with a curious dignity she buried her face in Anzende’s shaggy-furred chest. As his arms enclosed her, Faisand’s slim body shook roughly- first in silence, and then a harsh sob escaped her.

Anzy held her tightly, not letting go. Demarle watched with wide, wide eyes, and was for once entirely speechless. Finally, Faisand lifted her tear-streaked muzzle to look at Anzende again.

“I’ll do whatever you ask. What should we do now?” she said.

Anzende petted her. “Start doing it my way. Tell me if you hear from Magarce. It might save her life. The Verss cops are going to try a vengeance killing- they’re going to blow away everybody who left the scene, rather than arrest them. I can get her to safety and she can stand trial and probably end up locked up for the rest of her life- but can you really blame me for that, after what she’s done?”

“There we agree.” said Faisand. “I do really wish I’d been able to stop her.”

“Love- the type that do that one day, are a little beyond your ability to stop just by reasoning with them.”

“Yes… I didn’t say I thought I could have stopped her, Anzy. But I wish it anyhow…”

“Are you really sure?” asked Demarle, in a small voice.

“I’m sorry, hon.” said Faisand. “I’m sure. I believe him. You did see who she ran off after?”

“Yeah. I recognized him. What exactly happened? She’s been hurt, but she also killed a bunch of guys? How can that happen?”

Anzende explained patiently. “Those guys were doing a raid on that anarchist base, the one that calls itself Ungovernment…”

“Excuse me.” said Rairate, who had drifted over silently. “Please repeat, ‘aons?”

Anzende glanced at him. “You again. That’s right- Voustrets had sent you and your friends to try and check the place out. Did you get anything?”

Rairate did not bat an eyelash. “Yes. Their leader told me they were running supplies to a company named Dinsam Industrial Fabrication. I didn’t get any farther than that.” In fact, the feline ninja had gone a great deal farther than that, and had learned this information in bed after seducing and being seduced by that fellow, but Rai kept that to himself.

“That’s actually pretty impressive. Nobody else has learned much from that guy. And they’re not going to be getting any more information out of him, either.”

“Why? ‘aons?”

“Magarce caught those cops as they were finishing up at the base. They’d already killed everybody there.”

Rai stood up suddenly and walked off, away from everybody.

“So what happened,” continued Anzende, “was this- they tried to corner Mags as she was facing off with some Tompar. What I get from the one survivor was, they thought they were going to rescue the little Nerre girl, who apparently was naked as well…”

“She was when she left us.” said Demarle. “It’s not surprising.”

“Yeah, they figured they’d rescue her from the Tompar, and then all bang her. The guy who survived is a friend of mine, who’s tried to tone those raid guys down. He doesn’t succeed, but he tries. He says the next thing that happened was, the Tompar dives out of the way, all the raid guys try to shoot the Tompar and before they know it, the Nerre girl’s nailed all of them in a sort of frenzy. They didn’t even have time to aim. She shot most of them in the eye or the forehead, or sometimes right dead center on the badge.”

“How’d she get hurt?” asked Demarle.

“One of the guys wasn’t quite dead, and she ran out of ammo.”

Demarle cringed. “I guess I believe you.”

“I think we must believe him.” said Faisand. “I vouch for Anzy’s honesty, and Arle- I saw this coming. Didn’t I insist that Magarce couldn’t work alongside us?”

“Yes, you did.”

“What will we say to her if she shows back up here?”

While this conversation went on, Denenke Tieschtet wandered in, and began to pay attention to it- but something distracted her. Rai stood where he’d walked, by the front windows of the Cathouse, stood motionless and too tense, facing away from everyone, and Dene sensed something was very wrong without knowing quite what. She approached Rai cautiously, for she wasn’t sure if it was acceptable for her to try and talk to him.

As she came around to where she could see his face, she saw he was silently weeping, with his jaw set very tightly.

Dene was startled- she’d missed the beginning of the conversation, and she was nervous about asking Rai anything. But she couldn’t bear to see him in such obvious, silent distress, and she took the chance.

“…Rai? What happened?”

“He’s dead now.” said Rairate, quietly.

“Who?”

“That’s what troubles me.”

“I don’t understand.”

“I knew his body.” said Rai. “I knew his passion. I even knew the shudders of his orgasm- but Dene, do you realize, I never knew his name?”

“Rai? Who? What are you talking about?”

“The Runge at the anarchist base. You saw him. They say everybody there is dead now.”

Dene’s paw flew to her mouth. “What? What about the kids? What is this?”

“This Runge cop says they were all killed.”

Dene turned, staring at the new face, sitting naked with Faisand in his lap tied to him. “There were kids there!”

“I’m sorry.” said Anzende. “The survivor didn’t say anything about the raid squad killing any children. That would actually be a little out of character for them. I know they killed the others, and Magarce killed them in turn.”

“How did this happen?”

“It was an illegal settlement. The raid guys from Verss tend to do it that way. If it’s any consolation, I wish I could stop that, but it’s tough to deal with…”

Rai continued staring out the window.

Dene was thinking furiously. “You say they didn’t talk about any children?”

“No,” said Anzende. “This guy would probably have mentioned it, too. He may not have seen everything.”

“I don’t know who you are, but I need to go back there. I met two kids there. If they’re still alive we need to rescue them…”

Rai kept looking out the window.

“Rai!

The deadly little Nerre turned slowly, still silently weeping.

“Rai, can you help me? I don’t think I can do it alone- I mean, if it’s dangerous.”

Anzende said, “The cops are dead, but after a situation like that, they’ve probably got some major looting going on.”

“He mentioned a son.” said Rai.

“I know exactly which one would have been the son of the leader.” said Dene. “Not only that- I know where he hides. They might have survived…”

Rai nodded, slowly. “He mentioned a son. Perhaps in some way I can honor him by rescuing his son…”

“And the little girl is an absolute sweetie.” continued Dene. “Please, Rai!”

Anzende looked between them. “It’s very dangerous, what you’re talking about. But your friend there, he’s very dangerous also… and you know, I can’t really trust any of the Verss cops to do it. You, Runge lady, you say these children know you?”

“Yes, absolutely, and I know where they might be hiding. They might remember my voice.”

“You, mister Rairate, you’re okay with doing this? Can I ask you to try and stay nonviolent unless you guys are truly in mortal danger?”

“How do you define mortal danger, ‘aons?” said Rai.

“Let me put it this way. I want you to not kill any more punks, mister claw-fighter Nerre. I want you to get this lady in there to find those kids, and then back out of there alive- without killing anybody. The guys who killed the adults there are now dead anyhow. Don’t add to the corpses.”

“I understand.”

“Will you give me your word on it?” said Anzende.

Rai hesitated for a long time, long enough to suggest the seriousness of the Runge cop’s request. The very reluctance he showed was testament to the weight of his promise. He clearly didn’t want to say it.

“Mister Rairate- will you give me your word?”

“Yes.” said Rai. “For the duration of that journey, I will not add to the corpses.”

“I’m happy to hear it.” said the Runge cop wryly.

“How shall we get there? Denenke and I walked to Verss from there, and it took some time.”

“Well… there I think I might be able to help you out. My cruiser will go a lot faster than that.”

“You will drive us?” asked Rai.

“Um- you probably don’t want to pay close attention to my lap right now… I’ll just say that I can’t drive you. Can you drive, mister Nerre claw-fighter?”

Dene broke in. “I’ll drive.”

“You sound pretty decided.” said Anzende, an ear quirking in curiosity.

“We need to get there fast.” said Dene. “I’ll drive…”

“You’re sure you can handle it?” said Anzende. “They’re very fast. It’s no use to anybody if you paint yourself across the divider wall on the high-speed conduit.”

“I’m telling you, I’ll be okay. Actually I’ve always wanted to drive one of those.”

“I don’t want you using any of the weapons. I wish I had something more suitable for you to take, but I came here in my police cruiser and that’s all I have to offer.” said Anzende.

“It’ll be all right. I promise I won’t shoot anything. I don’t even know how.” said Dene.

“But you don’t know how to run the autopilot either! I’ve always thought it was a stupid idea to make it so complicated that we have to take classes to operate it. They never took into account the idea that we might need to have a civilian operate it… like if they’re driving injured cops away from a situation…”

Faisand wriggled on Anzende’s still stubbornly rigid erection. “I thought you were civilians.” she said.

The wolf cop looked cranky. “You’d be right. I guess it’s easy for the Verss flavor to rub off whether I like it or not…”

“I could hang onto you more, so you can go out and show her how the car works,” suggested Faisand. “Would that help?”

Anzende considered it. “I don’t think so. Put it this way- remember how I’d like you to be obeying the law a little more than you’ve been doing? Walking nonchalantly outside with my dick stuck in you was not what I had in mind for setting a good example. Actually, I’d like it if we could go to a room without outside windows. Can you do that for me?”

“I’d like to know how I could possibly stop you.” said Faisand wryly.

“Um- you could have me walking real funny, I’ll say that much. Please, darling, I’d like to get out of here. Maybe I can tell this lady how to disable some of the automatic stuff.”

Dene was watching closely. “That should work. I’ll need your key, right?”

“Worse.” said Anzende. “My badge is chipped- and so am I. You can’t have my body but you’re going to have to wear my badge even to get into the car. Once there, you hit the pad-scanner…”

“My pawpad? Which one?”

“Nah, your nose. It’ll activate the text entry and then you have t… you… um.”

“Enter text, I assume.” said Dene.

“The pass phrase. Oh geez. Oh GEEZ.”

Anzende’s dismay had aroused the attention of everybody within earshot- Faisand looked fascinated, Demarle’s ears were perked in total curiosity, even Rai looked interested, though in his case he also looked wary, as if the phrase might be distressing.

“Do you want to whisper it to me?” suggested Dene.

“Ma’am, these lovelies can hear a lot better than we do. Oh geez.” Anzende’s facefur was bristling terribly in embarrassment, and he sighed. “Okay… I want you all to understand that this is just private and I don’t mean any harm by it, please don’t give me too hard a time, okay? Oh geez.”

“Oh, just say it.” said Dene. “How bad can it be?”

“I am NOT prejudiced. You might say I’m the reverse, and I can’t help it now…”

“Anzy?” said Faisand, whiskers curling in amusement. “What have you been hiding?”

Anzende gulped. “The password, and it has to be all caps, is ‘once you have cat you never go back, exclamation point one one one exclamation point.”

“Really!” said Faisand, startled. Demarle burst out laughing. Rai backed off a bit and pretended to ignore the conversation again.

“It’s your fault, darling, for being too unforgettable. Since that first time, that’s been my passphrase.”

“Really!” said Faisand again. “Why on earth do you add exclamation points and ones?”

“You have to have some numbers in the pass phrase… and I add exclamation points because I mean them… my darling.”

Faisand purred and melted into Anzende’s embrace. “Keep it. I might say the same sort of thing.”

Dene looked a little cranky. “When you’re done, can you tell me what I do next?”

“You’re going to type, clear inside passengers for multistage transport. Level three- we want you to be able to re-enter the vehicle as well as drive it, so it has to know you’re allowed to open it once it’s activated. I left it powered down because I don’t want it targeting people in the back alley- it’ll be fine in passive mode. I think active mode is pretty bullshit- more military crap if you ask me. A real cop doesn’t need to be a soldier.”

“So pacifist, darling.” said Faisand.

“Come on, you know me well enough. I’m serious. Verss in particular has gone the wrong way. Half the stuff I asked you to spy out has to do with my fellow police.”

“Not half, surely?”

“Maybe not. It seems like it.” said Anzende.

“Shall we retreat to a more private room for our very intense cuddling?” purred Faisand. She visibly wriggled, and her belly muscles were seen to work in an odd motion. There was no telling what she’d done to Anzende’s cock, but he bit his lower lip softly and let out a little whine. The two clung to each other, the wolf cop stood, and they moved carefully towards the hallway and the back rooms.

That had been half an hour ago…

“Hey, Allie!”

There was a disturbance on the floor, and Jennis was in the thick of it as usual. Allie looked over to try to see what was the matter. She was trying to balance on one of the little posing stands, and having a tough time of it as she was a bit shakey and sore- after her disastrous first time with a john who got upset and rushed off without paying, she got even- literally- by landing a couple johns in the course of the evening, coaxing fairly high payments out of them, and getting paid by them. She turned her take over to the enforcers, and no longer owed Jennis money. She was now working on scoring food money for the following day, to take Jennis out to breakfast and even that score.

“Allie!”

It was hard to see what was going on, because whoever was with Jennis was getting mobbed by the more desperate, cheaper whores, who apparently smelled money.

“Show ‘em some claw, honey, back them off. Back off, you! Since when has he ever picked you?”

“Oh yeah, baby, hurt me!” sang a cracked, mocking voice.

“Back off or I get you fired. Allie!” yelled Jennis. “Get your ass over here, I got somebody who wants to meet you!”

Allie hopped off the stand, wobbling as she landed, and hurried over to where Jennis was shooing away the more haggard, drug-ravaged girls, but long before she got there it was obvious what Jennis had found for her.

Allie had never seen such a tall Nerre. The fellow stood, head high and tail twitching in apparent disdain, looking sidelong and haughty at the rejected wolf girls, and as she approached, she saw his eyebrow raise. It would have been hard to tell, for he was jet black all over, but his brow whiskers showed it clearly.

“Allie, this is Rencer…”

“R…what?”

“Rencer- it’s a Nerre name.” She whispered hastily to Allie, “…if I remember, he’s not too long but kinda fat, don’t forget not to pinch!”

“You’re right.” said the Nerre male, in a soft but deep voice that startled Allie. “This one does look fresh, doesn’t she?”

“Are you kidding?” said Jennis. “Allie’s just barely starting out. I kinda don’t like that much, but you know this city, at least here I can keep an eye on her. She’s just started today, possibly first time ever.”

“They all say that.” said the Nerre, disapprovingly.

“Yeah, but do I say it to you? Come on.”

“That’s true. You’ve been very honorable.”

“Allie’s also a sweetie. Maybe you can warm up to her a bit, not be so damn aloof. How about it?”

“No, I don’t think so.” said Rencer. “But I am pleased, do understand that. You’ve done very well. I thank you.”

“You’ll be thanking her later. Well…” said Jennis, “…I guess that would be awful unusual for you, right?”

The Nerre looked Allie over with a dispassionate eye. “It’s possible. We’ll see. You say her fur patterning is attractive?”

“Hah. If I know you, you’ll be pleased.” said Jennis, while Allie bristled in embarrassment.

“Shyness, yet!” said Rencer. He padded gracefully over, and ran a paw down Allie’s side, and over her pert buttock, and down her tail. Allie shivered a bit at the bold, entitled touch. This big cat had absolutely no reservations about what he wanted.

He turned to Jennis, with an air of decisiveness. “Two hundred. I’m that pleased with your efforts. You’ve done very well.”

Jennis’s ears were a bit laid back, sign of some conflict. “I’m not sure I… look, Rencer, I think Allie’s a little special. Her first guy tonight basically wanted to marry her. Can you at least talk to her?”

“I don’t understand. What would you have me say?” His tail flicked.

“It’s just polite. How pretty she is, or whatever. You’re talking only to me.”

“But I’ve noticed that already. Very well.” The big Nerre addressed Allie, with the hint of a mocking tone in his voice. “My dear lady, I propose to mate with you until my back gives out. You are two hundred credits of aesthetic ecstacy, if I’m to believe Jennis, and if your feel lives up to your looks, I shall come so hard you’ll be a two hundred and fifty credit wolf next visit. How is that, Jennis?”

Jennis rolled her eyes. “God, you’re a hopeless romantic. Rencer, you’re impossible.”

“Oh, I don’t think so. At any rate, you’ve not complained, have you?”

“Certainly not.” said Jennis. “You’re lovely in the sack. I just wish you could be more… oh, I don’t know. Allie, are you game to take on this fellow? I gotta warn you, he’s sure not going to try to marry you after. But he is yummy as hell, and he’s totally trustworthy and good for the money. And in his way he is appreciative.”

“Oh, certainly!” said Rencer. “Come along, dear lady. I feel quite confident that I’ll enjoy you. Jennis has truly outdone herself.”

Allie glanced between Jennis and Rencer- and extended a paw to Rencer, who took it courteously.

“I hope you do. Enjoy me, that is… Let’s go see.”

Rencer purred, and unexpectedly led the way back towards the rooms. Apparently he had a preference- he certainly didn’t stop to ask Allie’s. Just as well, thought Allie, for he probably knew the place better than she did…

The big Nerre led Allie to a room she hadn’t been in before- one that disturbed her, for its walls were heavily padded and decorated with… equipment.

“Um.” she said. “Is this going to be, uh… more complicated?”

Rencer drew her up against his body in a curiously languid motion- as if he was following some sort of dance that decreed how quickly he could grab a woman and crush her to his muscular chest. It reminded Allie of the concept of momentum- there was a dangling moment where she clearly could have drawn back, and then as she closed with him, the power ramped up, and in the end she wound up enfolded in his arms in a tight, fierce embrace.

“Is that what you wish, little wolfpuppy female?”

“I’m not that little, and not exactly.” said Allie. “I’m trying to figure out what you’re going to do with me.”

“But I told you. I’m going to mate with you until my back gives out. Have you been having other males, puppy-girl?”

Allie figured it was pointless to deny it. “Several. Apparently that’s what whores do, okay? I think I did it fairly well, too. Why? Would you rather be the first one I got with?”

The Nerre licked his lips. “On the contrary. I hope you haven’t been too tidy.”

Allie blinked. “Thought you wanted me fresh. Wasn’t that the point?”

“You’ve- rinsed yourself out, or whatever it is you do? Oh dear. But I don’t feel like waiting.” Rencer began removing his clothing, also black, to reveal a fluffy white chest.

“Oh! Pretty! I’ve got a white blaze as well.” said Allie, and pirouetted to show the strangely polite Nerre her body.

“Thank you, and indeed you do. It’s a shame you tidied up from the last…”

“Oh! Really? Um- I didn’t. So wait, for some reason you want sloppy seconds?”

The Nerre’s eyes widened. “You did not? This session gets better and better. Show me.”

“What?”

Again, it was that odd dancelike motion, this time with Rencer moving in and very gradually sweeping Allie off her paws. It began with a lead-in that telegraphed what motion he was going to make, and when her body did not make motions to turn away or resist, all at once the big cat pounced and seized her in his arms, cradling her like a baby. He had to be very strong, to carry her so lightly, but he wasn’t going far- he plunked her down on her back, in the middle of the bed, and flipped her legs apart, rolling her hips back so her paws were around her ears.

“Show me. You’ll feel the best if you are as juicy as a Nerre lady.”

Allie blinked. “Oh, I guess I get it.” She reached down, Rencer following her motion with gleaming eyes, and hesitantly spread her wolfish vulva which tended to jut out in this position. She wasn’t sure if the Nerre would accept her, but a tentative wriggle of her hips reminded her that she did feel pretty marinated, what with the last two guys. It reminded her that under normal circumstances, she’d damned well want to tidy up- but these weren’t normal circumstances.

Rencer licked his lips rapidly, one ear flicking.

“Well?” said Allie.

“Your white chest-blaze runs down between your legs.” said the Nerre, ear flicking again. “It bisects your buttocks, and goes down the underside of your tail. There is a drip of wolf semen oozing out of your vagina.”

Allie bristled in embarrassment, her eyes going tragic. “I’m sorry!”

In an instant, Rencer’s paw flicked out to catch her muzzle as it turned away, and with the same deliberate grace, met it and then when there was no resistance, drew it back to face his steady gaze.

“It is the most beautiful thing I have ever, ever seen, sweet wolfpuppy. Laux venste ai aillelier mairau?” he purred.

“Okay, you lost me. What’s that mean?”

Rencer paused, and for the first time, looked uncomfortable. It was an awkward moment for him, because he crouched in a predatory way over her, and he was beginning to show a serious erection- from his small fuzzy sheath protruded the tip of what might be a very daunting kitty-cock. She couldn’t see much of it, only that it tapered smaller towards the tip- and clearly did the opposite towards the base.

“You’d not know. It’s a Nerre phrase. I probably don’t need to say it with you, Runge aren’t delicate.”

“Okay, now I really want to know what that meant.” said Allie. “Please?” She calculated the odds of getting away from this guy if she had to. If he always did that slow-fast thing she’d have a fair shot at evading him, or she could kick at him.

“Oh dear.” said Rencer, whiskers drooping. “Can’t you…”

“No. C’mon, tell me, or it’ll drive me crazy.”

Rencer sighed. Between his legs, his hard-on kept emerging, getting stiffer, quiveringly eager- apparently this secret phrase hid something pretty fierce, and revealing it was exciting him more.

“You must promise not to tell your kind. You’re so beautiful- but we are so private.”

“Some of us probably know anyway. Rencer! Tell me what’s working you up so.”

“I just… didn’t expect you to become so real… it’s hard to explain. I will tell. It is hard to translate…”

It’s making you hard as well, thought Allie. “Please try?”

Rencer was panting a little, trembling. “Don’t usually drag that part out this way, it’s like neither a yes or no answer… I expected to be inside you soon after…”

“Rencer!”

“It means… sort of like… may I take you beyond the scream, is the literal translation.”

Allie watched, wide-eyed, loomed over by this powerful cat held in check by his own obligations and culture’s protocol. That feline erection was massive, it looked fantastic. She still couldn’t see the base for his sheath.

“You said we weren’t delicate. Does ‘beyond the scream’ have to do with lady Nerre being delicate?”

Rencer trembled more. “I am… rather tall and large for my people… if I mate a female who might be… overexcited… and unwise…”

Allie was thinking fast. “You’re asking if you can let yourself go, in case…”

“In case I cannot tell… the scream of climax from a scream of injury.”

“Wow.” breathed Allie. “Yeah, you’re fucking huge, I can see why you came here…”

“Say it, ‘aons, say it please…”

Allie thought faster and faster. “Before I ask what you need me to say- may I touch you? And I mean, on that sheath of yours. Something I should know.”

“Of course, of course… I think I know what you mean to learn…”

Allie wasted no time. She reached down between his legs, and grasped the base of his sheath firmly, and thought, ye gods- no wonder Jennis warned me about this. But… I think that’s not too long for me, and I think that’s not too thick…

Allie realized she was panting too, her nipples standing out rigidly, her hips squirming in slow motion- her body had already decided what was about to happen. Her mind ran a few last frantic calculations, waved its okay, and leapt aside like a truck was thundering toward it.

“Tell me what I say, tell me, tell me!” panted Allie.

Rencer’s head went back, and he stared into space, shivering in tension. “If you will risk the wrong scream before I am done… you will say… viez.”

“What’s that mean?”

Rencer grinned bared teeth at her. “You’re mad. You’ll see.”

Allie grinned back. “Tell me or I hold you hostage. That looks uncomfortable.”

“You’re… squirming.”

“Tell me what it means or we both die of horny right here. I’m just as bad off, but I’m curious about things. Tell, tell!” begged Allie.

Rencer grinned more- sensing the new rules, the unexpected protocol that would lead to his most savage desire being unleashed. “I could make you squirm just as badly as you are making me shake.”

“Tell me, please!”

“Viez… means… I melt into limpness, take me. That’s pretty much it. It is surrender to the oncoming storm, no matter how fierce.”

Allie gazed into his eyes, which burned with a predatory wildness held in check by his unyielding protocols, and felt like she was pulling the pin on a hand grenade. She’d worked him up to a terrifying pitch, and perhaps should not have got her first Nerre this excited.

She’d worked herself up to a terrifying pitch as well. Her heart pounded, and she couldn’t stop watching his tail lash over his powerful hips, poised in that lewd crouch. Anything could happen, anything.

“…viez.”

Allie half expected the big cat to explode into a frenzy- but this was not his way. Even now, her expectations were deliciously confounded.

Rencer shifted a paw. He let out a long, shuddery sigh. His tail lashed- and again, and poised quivering- and then, in exactly the same slow-fast motion she’d come to recognize, the rock-hard Nerre took her.

Allie gasped in shock and pleasure at the sheer differentness- Rencer’s penis tapered so much compared to a Runge male that he seemed to slip into her effortlessly, smoothed by the cocktail of eros juices that coated her insides- but the taper did indeed go both ways, and the feline smoothly thrust almost all the way into her, without quite pushing it, as if to get a sense of her.

Allie’s legs went around his body, awkwardly because he’d arched his back so boldly- Rencer held himself as if crouching over his lover, paws set apart, hips splayed lewdly- rather than cuddling belly-to-belly, he seemed to be bracing for warfare, and his eyes were wild. He didn’t come down with Allie’s legs around him- he lifted her butt slightly off the bed and made some fluid thrusting motions that rocked Allie’s psyche, and she decided to hold him with her arms- but let her legs roll back into a curled-up posture.

“Yes.” said Rencer softly. “Let me move.”

And he did. Rencer’s claws dug into the bed, and he began a strange, slow thrusting- that swelling, tapering Nerre cock gliding deeply into Allie’s puss, always with that alarming, alien thickness at the base. There wasn’t a hint of the usual gleeful humping, the knot, the tying and staying- Allie fought to stay relaxed as the big cat’s equipment plumbed her with insouciant grace, seeming to grow bulkier with each elegant, unhurried thrust.

“You’re not pinching.” he purred.

Allie fought her way from dizzy realms of sensation to say, “…thought I… shouldn’t…”

“Oh, sweet wolfpuppy. You’ll know when.”

“Nhhh! mmh! you… want that?”

“Aillelier cuts both ways. I forgive…”

Rencer had begun an astonishing trick- surely it had to make even feline hips sore, but he had begun tugging almost totally out of her, then thrusting smoothly to her depths. His rhythm, once regular, began to develop startling little variations- his teeth would grit, and those powerful hips would lash forward with alarming boldness, but his startling dexterity made it seem almost machinelike- he’d plunge so accurately that Allie’s pussy barely noticed the aggressiveness, instead it felt like a sudden, explosive eruption of Nerre cock in her. Not there- then suddenly, balls-deep, cramming her lovingly, his body rippling with muscles in balance with each other. And then, it would tug out, slowly or quickly, and once again, that machinelike burst of effortless strength.

Allie suddenly realized she was shuddering violently and about to explode… something about this elegant, detached creature, pleasuring himself in her, called forth something in her. Something that said, damn expectations, to hell with what might happen- I can do this, this part of life doesn’t have to be about constantly trying to please, to put on an act and play the part, to cry out whatever the fellow wants me to, for fear of his displeasure.

This one doesn’t seem to care what I do, he’s obviously about to erupt anyhow, his rules seem to say I can do anything I want.

This one’s for ME.

Allie rode the surges of this strange new freedom, reeling as Rencer’s coordinated, sophisticated lovemaking took her- low grinding of his belly against hers as his cock thrust deep, rising up to draw nearly out and tease with shallow, tantalizing strokes into her, leaning forward to give in to powerful, graceful lunges… and then, all at once, Rencer drew back, reared up above her, and Allie realized that she could not stand his pause right then, could not possibly survive it, that her heart pounded and her fur bristled and the moment was right now.

She did not cry out, because nobody was making her do so. She simply grabbed at Rencer with her arms and legs- and the scream was silent, for her, as silent as she could make it, white light flaring in her consciousness as the powerful Nerre finally really cut loose.

It was terrifying and wonderful. Were she not in a blinding orgasm, she’d have been quite alarmed. Rencer’s body convulsed, and Allie’s body was brutally jolted by the savagery- he grabbed her tightly, and that strange feline cock thrust still deeper, painfully deep, the bulk at the base splitting her with just a bit more thickness… and then a mighty throb, as he began to come.

Allie couldn’t help making a shrill yipe from between gritted teeth, in spite of her determination to not vocalize- and another, that wavered as it was shook by the force of her orgasm- and she clung to the powerful Nerre for dear life, because he would sag for just a moment, and then convulse on her again with a hiss or a yowl. He held nothing back- she feared broken bones, and was too busy to care. She caught herself trying to tie on him, in a moment of semi-clarity, glimpsed that his ears were laid back in apparent pain, and that he was ramming it as deep as he could regardless. She writhed, panting, and tried to relax and melt around him- the savage penetration helped, for it was quite impossible to tie much. It really was like trying to tie on a knot. Allie just gave in to the sensations, so utterly different. Nobody had ever tried to thrust so deep in her before- it was like some alarming compulsion, which combined with Rencer’s large and muscular body, led to uncontrollable forces that Allie was just rugged enough to withstand.

Withstand, hell. It was a little bit of hurt combined with a whole bunch of incredible. Allie nuzzled Rencer as he snarled, hissed, doubled up with the intensity of his body’s need to sink it right up to her ribcage. Her vulva was actually sore from how hard he was pressing against it. She writhed and yipped and half-fainted with unrelenting orgasm, all driven by the amazing hunger and passion of this alien creature.

Gradually, the savagery of the big feline subsided, and as Allie swam drunkenly in post-coital dizziness, the world still going white on her from time to time, she got the hang of the relaxing thing, and her pussy stopped pinching him. This helped him settle down- in fact, he settled down so much he sprawled across her as if he’d been poured there.

Rencer started to purr, a huge resounding purr that vibrated Allie’s whole body. He seemed quite happy to just lie on her and purr. Didn’t ask if she was okay, possibly didn’t care beyond general politeness, didn’t scold her for doing it wrong or complain about how she’d locked on him a couple times… Rencer was in the moment, completely, and the moment was bliss.

Allie suddenly realized she was crying, because she required nothing more from him either. She was sure he wasn’t going to cheat her- she got to stay with him for at least a little while- and the moment was hers, also.

Allie turned her face from the big, contented Nerre, enfolded him in her trembling embrace, and wept tears of relief for a little while.

This part of life, stolen from her so long ago, could indeed be hers.

Eventually, he spoke.

“Ahhhh… most pleased… if you do not object, sweet wolfpuppy, I shall indeed return…”

“Yes please.” said Allie, with a sniffle. She wiped her eye with the back of a paw.

Rencer noticed this, and his ear quirked a bit. “Oh. Shall I get assistance? Do you feel damaged?”

“I don’t think so.” said Allie. She was a little off-balance at his tone. The big cat sounded simply curious. It was as if their agreement to go ‘beyond the scream’ had freed him of any concern for her well-being: his attitude was no more guilty than if he had walked in to find her riding a pneumatic drill.

Of course, it did cut both ways, Allie remembered. “I hope I didn’t pinch at you too much?” she said. “I forgot myself for a moment.”

“No matter.” said Rencer. “One takes these chances. You are the proverbial biter, but you got past it, which is unusual.”

“Jennis tried to coach me. Ye gods, proverbial biter? Really? I’m so sorry!”

“I must thank her, then.” said Rencer, who was putting his clothes back on again. “Yes, that’s what it’s like.”

“I’m so sorry.” stammered Allie. “I’ll practice, I promise, it won’t happen again…”

Rencer glanced at her with some amusement. “Practice releasing, wolfpuppy. A little of that is spicy, you know. It’s only unpleasant if it continues on and on- as it sometimes will do. Did I seem very displeased at that moment?”

“Um. You snarled and laid your ears back and tried to deep throat me from the other direction. I’m not sure if I’d call it displeased. A little frightening?”

Rencer had gotten dressed, and appeared debonair once more, the only hint of the savage creature within being his height and build. “We get that, yes.”

“I wouldn’t think it to look at you. We have rough males in our species, too, but you were kinda special…”

Rencer lifted an eyebrow. “You are sure you don’t need medical assistance?”

Allie shook her head, eyes very wide. “Oh, no no. Um…”

“Yes?”

“Maybe I want a hug.” said Allie, and bristled in embarrassment, looking away.

When she peeked back, sidelong, Rencer had not moved. He still looked polite, curious, not a hair out of place, the very opposite of the creature who’d snarled and fucked her nearly to the point of fainting.

Rencer’s ear flicked a couple of times.

“I shall tell Jennis, for you certainly deserve one. Until next time, dear wolfpuppy.” And with a swish of his slim black tail, he made for the door.

Allie stared, stricken and limp with satisfaction, as he went. He opened the door without looking back, swept out elegantly, pausing only to speak briefly with the enforcer and pass him something- her payment. As he left, Allie saw him speak to Jennis, who seemed to have been hanging around near the door, and Jennis darted for the room just as the enforcer said “Uh- wait!” and went after the departing feline. They bumped into each other outside the doorway.

Jennis looked very flustered. “What? What’s he done?”

“He’s paid her twice!”

Jennis laughed out loud. “Nice kind of problem! Don’t you worry about it, scuse me, out of the way… you just let him go, he knew what he was doing. Scuse me…”

She hurried in, hopped onto the bed, awkwardly hugged Allie. “Are you okay? Did he do any damage, honey?”

Allie was still reeling from emotional whiplash and severe post-coital daze. “Only to my heart…”

Jennis hugged more. “Oh, honey. He’s made quite an impression, I see. I hope like hell you don’t mean that literally because you can’t carry on that way. Your audience awaits…”

Allie shook herself. “No, no- well, not exactly- no, I don’t think so. It’s a little hard to explain…”

“Honey,” said Jennis, “you just made the house a double commission and probably got yourself a steady customer. I’ve rarely seen him that… oh, now, just a moment, you’ve been crying? If that’s not from physical pain I’d like an explanation, sweetie. You’ve got to keep a level head here.”

Allie drew away, a bit. “Let me collect my thoughts.”

“Of course, knowing our Rencer as I have, it could BE physical pain. How fierce was the kitty?”

“Fierce.” admitted Allie.

“Okay, next question. Did you like it, or did you not like it?”

“Oh my God.” said Allie. “Liked it. Liked liked liked it.”

Jennis smiled, a bit warily. “So far so good… do you want to follow him out of here and never return? ‘Cos that might not be real practical.”

“What? No! Um… well, no! Not really… what do you mean, not practical?”

Jennis sighed. “Listen. One of the things about males is, they go. Rencer is no exception- he’s almost the perfect example. He’s a wonderful gentleman and he might return to you over and over, but he is going to leave again, every time. I happen to know that he doesn’t allow anyone to live with him, even as friends or roommates. That alone should tell you how wealthy kitty-boy is, but he does it anyhow. He keeps his distance. You’ll find all johns keep a distance unless they’re stupid romantics, or crazy…”

Allie was thinking. “That’s just it, though…”

“What is? I do hope you aren’t falling in love with the guy. He’ll break your heart, and you bring a bit of class to the place- and obviously you can bring more than your share of money in here. You’re not falling for him?”

“I’m turned on by him, there’s that. I can’t wait until he comes back. I don’t think that’s quite the same thing. This is going to be hard to explain…”

Jennis hugged the younger wolf-girl. “Try me.”

“Okay.” said Allie. “So, yeah, he was crazy exciting in bed… but there was this weird… detachment.”

“Certainly. That’s Rencer all over. Even for a Nerre he’s reserved.”

“Well… here’s how it was like. I’ve had, um, experiences before, and not real good ones… and it was always, act this way, say this, move like that, and even before I really understood what it was about, I resented all that…”

Jennis hugged tighter, and said nothing.

“And then when my body started to… well, I just couldn’t stand it, I had to get away. It was like I was somehow agreeing. So much hate and so much pleasure at the same time, and I had to put on this whole act and suddenly not all of me is acting…”

“Oh, honey.” said Jennis. “But you know you’re not alone. I’ve been there.”

Allie blinked. “I thought you ran away because the guy broke your arm.”

“I’m thinking a few years after that.” said Jennis, levelly. “Go on.”

“With what?”

“I still want you to tell me why you were crying.”

“But that’s just it.” said Allie. “This guy was smoking hot, but it was like he really didn’t care what I did. It was a whole lot of complicated bad stuff that just dropped away, and there I was- and I realized I could do him any way I wanted. There was this thing we said…”

“He’s had me say it too, but I’m not sure what it means. Other than, kitty play ROUGH, which is the most obvious translation.”

“Kinda…” said Allie, remembering that Rencer didn’t want her to reveal his secrets. That was a little warm feeling, too. “It’s sort of permission to go at it extra fierce. It was permission for me, too.”

“Whatcha do?” said Jennis. “Whatever it was, it got you a huge tip. Care to share?”

“I didn’t really do anything. I did start to tie on him and then forced myself to relax again. Thanks for that- he liked that part.”

“No problem. Hmmm… useful little thing to know.” said Jennis.

“But never mind that- I was explaining, it was like suddenly I understood what his detachment meant. He wasn’t going to care how I reacted- at least that’s what it seemed like at the time.”

“And that means?” inquired Jennis.

“For once in my life, there was amazing sex- and it was all mine.”

Jennis didn’t react for a moment, then she hugged Allie tightly. “Honey, you just convinced me you’re one of us at heart. Good to have you on the team, may you wear down the pointy ends of thousands of horny wolves…”

“What? Okay, now I’m confused. It’s supposed to be like that?”

“Fuck no, honey. Most of the time, you’d better be trying to bridge that gap, so long as it’s safe to. Most of the guys, they need to be making some kind of personal connection, you know what I mean? You’d better be ready to help them, let them feel you care in some way. The ones who really want value for money, they won’t go after you because some of those other bitches will happily go cheaper than you.”

Allie tried to figure out the point. “Okay… fine… I can do that… but then why are you pleased with what happened with Rencer?”

“If it’s his detachment that hit you so hard, you already have that private place inside yourself that you need- and it got to go play with the kitty. Is that what happened?”

“Yeah.” said Allie. “Yeah, that’s what happened. I wasn’t sure it could happen, and then, boom, there it was.”

“He’ll be back, honey. Not to stay, of course. But he’ll be back. Let that carry you as you practice the art.”

“I’m a little wobbly… dunno how much more practicing I can do tonight.” said Allie.

“Are you kidding? You’re glowing. Just tell ‘em you’re on scale-and-a-half because you’ve had too much pleasure. Certain johns will light up about that, they’ll like the idea of giving you more.”

Allie’s ears went back slightly. “Do I have to put on the act to convince them it’s working?”

“Honey, this might be your chance to define your own style. Let’s find you some of those lady-pleaser types, and then you tell them what to expect if they’re succeeding. Suits?”

“I think that might work. I think if I… yeah, that should work. They won’t mind if I can’t walk real well?”

“Highest compliment, sweetie.”

The two walked out of the room back into the fray of the Mistress Elistary floor, haltingly, as Jennis was supporting some of Allie’s slight weight. Sure enough, some heads turned with interest at the sight…

He was gonna be one of the show-offy ones. Word had got out, apparently. He’d agreed to double scale without even blinking, and there was a presence about him that said he fancied himself quite the lover.

There was also that peculiar self-absorption, the hunger and coldness that said- you are an instrument, to be played for the pleasing of my ego, and I rise to the challenge. I expect unusual satisfactions for my unusual skills.

He was already rising to the challenge, peeking scarlet out of his blonde-furred sheath. He had no words for her, but sly, knowing glances in abundance. And she had few words for him, but she brushed the back of a paw against fuzzy balls and that sheath, with a look that was partly haughty and partly a secret, shared amusement. Somehow, word had got out about the way she was, and they were drawn as if by magic pheromones, already knowing her secret.

Allie nestled against the blonde-furred guy with a lithe wriggle, as if she were one of the feline Nerre, allowing him to draw her nearer, wordlessly. Some of them talked. Sometimes she talked… up to a point. It was what happened after that point that seemed to draw more and more of them to her.

He was a handsome enough wolf, apart from that funny coldness- he apparently worked out, for his body was rather flashy. Flashier than his dick was- it didn’t look like it was going to be one of the fat boys, but Allie was a little worn out this late at night, and wasn’t honestly hoping for a sensory assault. She hoped she could get him off without ending up too sore.

Some of them had apparently heard that she’d been taken to the heights of ecstacy by a big Nerre, and this blonde fellow had such a ‘I know the secret to you’ attitude that he might well have been told this. It might prove a nice end to the workday if he had, because when the wolves tried to make love like Nerre, they didn’t often get it exactly right but they almost always made a point of not pounding her pussy like a Resten street urchin on his first bitch…

Allie experimented a bit- talking with touch and motion, and going wordless and soundless earlier than she might have done, to see if the fellow picked up on it. She nuzzled against him, rubbing her paw down his taut abdomen to tug his sheath downwards a bit more, drew apart from him in a sensuous twirl that showed off the striking two-tone patterning of her wolfish rump and tail, glanced back at him with her chin raised, mouth ostentatiously closed and a coy half-lidded appraising glance, and flowed back against him, her trim belly pressing his swelling erection against his own.

He didn’t speak, but he was smiling, with his mouth firmly shut as well. Yes- this one knew.

Allie delayed no longer. With a paw around by the fellow’s back, she coaxed them over to one of the room’s little amenities. In fact, it wasn’t a reassuring amenity- there were shackles on it, and spikes, and it was upholstered in shiny black vinyl with a few rips in it.

But it was also a sort of shelf or seat, and Allie knew it would place her at just the right height to proceed. She wouldn’t need the shackles and devices. What she had was on another level- for those who craved it.

She hopped up gracefully, perching on the little shelf. Sometimes they really seemed to like that, it was just unusual enough to make them feel like they were stealing illicit sweetness, perhaps imagining she was sitting on the edge of a kitchen counter- or a principal’s desk? Allie dismissed the thought- she really didn’t think she needed or wanted to know the details. It was enough to know that for some of the guys, it worked.

Sometimes they dropped to their knees, got into a big licking thing- which on the one hand was arousing, but on the other, she cringed a little at it. Not because it felt bad, but because so often the guy would be licking into her pussy for all he was worth, while looking up at her in naughty expectancy, and the idea that she was expected to react tended to ruin it for her. She didn’t like those ones, and couldn’t wait until they moved on to intercourse.

The funny thing was, it didn’t seem to matter a bit if she cringed. She could bite her lip, make unhappy faces, whatever, and they’d only get more erect, and eventually move on to the next stage. Once she’d said ‘come on!’ eventually, and that had worked. She was damned if they were going to get a peep out of her with that stuff.

This fellow didn’t seem to need to make her cringe- again, it was like they were comparing notes. He was smiling, and bent his knees a bit to do something more pleasing- took his fairly stiff wolfish erection in paw, and began wiping it against her vulva. Now that was foreplay worth coming to work for…

Allie wriggled, spreading her legs more, tilting her hips back a bit until the fellow had the best possible angle, and she shut her eyes, biting her lip very gently and breathing through her nose as she gave herself over to the sensation. Quicker arousal meant slipperier entry, more comfortable motion, a slickened path to her eventual peak- and they did so seem to love that peak, it was amazing how hungry they were for it. It puzzled Allie a little, but she wasn’t complaining, not one bit.

The solid, eager presence of the wolf’s cock tip kept stroking against her, as her vulva swelled in arousal and grew slicker, as the cock tip began parting her labia and tucking between her melting folds, and then the fellow’s breathing, so near, paused for a moment.

“Shall I?” he said.

Allie didn’t speak, but she grinned a wicked grin, and simply nodded.

He hesitated, but it seemed as much for his own anticipation as hers. Shifted, getting his paws braced, the end of his cock tucking into her… as he did, it prodded for a moment and drew back, a pleasingly solid feeling alerting her body to new developments, briefly delayed.

Allie glanced at him, in case something was wrong, but he was only looking her up and down- from her two-toned rump, up past where his cock wedged lovingly into the arch of her vulva, up her white-furred belly to where the two-tone pattern cut across her firm fluffy breasts- he seemed, one could only say, artistically inspired by it all.

Satisfied by all he surveyed, he let his eyes close, and his hips shifted firmly up and forward- and his decent medium-sized wolf cock thrust unhurriedly into Allie.

Allie didn’t cry out, because Allie never cried out if she could help it. This was the word that was getting around- or some variation of it- and perhaps it was curiosity, or perhaps something else, that drew these guys to see and feel for themselves, but the two-tone girl was as advertised- the only sound was the gentle wet noise of wolf cock penetrating her.

Then, an even fainter rustle- as Allie caressed, and gripped, the guy’s arm. And another wet noise- nobody had ever said the two-tone girl wasn’t enthusiastic. She’d wriggled her hips lewdly- and clutched at him- and some more soft rustles as she stroked his body, and languidly wrapped her legs around him.

There was still no sound but breathing, as the blonde-furred guy wrapped his powerful arms around her in turn. Possibly the faintest of wet or rushing sounds, as his penis responded to its eager surroundings by swelling harder- but mostly, that eerie silence, a silence which did not come only from Allie.

The wolf with her had laid his head over her shoulder, his ear right at her muzzle, and held her in that position- listening to her breathing raptly- as he began, as if in a trance, to move.

It wasn’t much- faint wet noises broke the silence as his hips shifted that solid wolfcock out, in, out, in, just a tiny amount, a cozy rocking motion. Allie’s paw stroked the blonde fur of his muscular back. If this was his version of Nerre lovemaking, she was good with it. On the one hand, the fellow was such a hunk, yet on the other, he was so comfortable to fuck, and the motions were dreamy.

The wet noises were joined by the hint of a gasp, by the blonde wolf’s ear.

He pretended not to notice, as Allie stubbornly fell silent again, and she rewarded this with more caresses all down his back, and some squirming and squeezing that had him erf between his teeth in pleasure- and the faint wet noises changed slightly, sounding tighter, showing that the blonde guy was becoming as hard as could be, and his knot was beginning to expand.

He drew back a little, but only because he needed to fondle Allie’s breasts… he took a minute to caress the insides of her thighs, and stroked her belly lovingly just over where he still worked his erect cock in her… and with that, he resumed, and now he was serious.

Muscular arms enfolded her again, lifting her against him, and now his pace was no different but he tugged powerfully against the tie of the knot, and thrust into her with a fluid force, grinding his belly against hers, all the while making no sound. The wet noises tightened still more as Allie allowed herself to tie more firmly, knowing he wasn’t too large to get away from, and she nuzzled drunkenly against the side of his head, giving in to the feeling.

His embrace was so powerful, and yet so un-rough. She wrapped her arms and legs around the blonde wolf’s muscular body and just clung to him, feeling his body working, feeling it shift that nice solid cock within her as she clung to that too…

By his ear, the wet sounds were joined by a faint squeak, as Allie’s breath started to come in urgent pants and gasps.

The blonde wolf seemed unaware of anything but the languid rhythm of his body’s motion, surging like ocean waves that flowed through Allie’s smaller, trimmer frame, both pressing her body fully against his, and tugging and thrusting that wolf-cock within her against the solid anchoring of his arms.

He felt the trembling start, and exulted, without revealing it- his eyes were shut, his full attention on touch and sound.

By his ear, the sounds of Allie’s wet pussy were joined by the hint of a whine, quickly suppressed.

The big wolf guy grinned to himself- perfect.

The rhythms of his body did not shift or alter, but somehow they became even more insistent. Allie was stroking him feverishly now, her legs clinging to him, her lupine hips squirming unabashedly, and her breathing was fierce as the nice solid wolf-cock worked slowly and ruthlessly within her. She was tying onto it tighter and tighter, making it hard to hold out any longer.

Perfect, thought the blonde wolf, and he gritted his teeth, his erection becoming achingly stiff, and continued his motion with grim determination, silently set on his prize.

Allie stood twenty seconds of this, and by the end of it she was writhing against his blonde fur, her body trembling, her ears laid back- and then, all at once, she jolted, and jolted again- the long slow build leading her to a climax that rocked her mercilessly.

And as Allie’s body shook and convulsed in the tight grip of the blonde wolf, something happened that kicked him into violent, hunching, spurting orgasm.

By his ear, the two-toned girl could not force herself to be completely silent- and for second after second, she gave voice to piteous whimpers, rocked and wavered by the force of her orgasms.

As he came in her and bucked against her, she mastered her voice again and simply clung to him, shuddering silently- and as his body settled, she gave vent to a burst of passion and clung madly at him, stroking frantically and writhing against him so fiercely that his subsiding orgasm gave a surge and fired up some more.

Silence returned.

The blonde wolf stared at nothing, as Allie gradually subsided herself, petted him more gently, embraced him in the afterglow.

Perfect. As if… well, best just to think of it as perfect.

Best of both worlds, even.

Allie thought she might just turn in for the evening. It was crazy how busy she’d been, for a first night, and she was still nervous and depending on Jennis’s advice. The other girls weren’t talking to her, but as far as Allie could tell, that was no loss…

She spoke to the blonde guy, trying to remember if she’d got his name and forgotten it. “You good? Hm? Hon?”

He yawned, exposing gleaming and well-kept teeth. “Oh yeah. Here, I’ll get out of your way. That was… special.”

“They keep… nh! saying that,” said Allie, as the blonde guy tugged his dwindling knot out of her with a polite squelch.

“Well, they’re right.” said the blonde wolf. “It’s… not easy to explain. Just don’t ever change, okay? I feel so lucky to have found you. Um, out of curiosity… you do… seem to like it, don’t you? It’s a bit… mixed messages.”

Allie thought about this. “Yeah- for the most part, yeah, I do. It could be not so good but somehow, guys like you, you’re able to let me kinda have it my way. I didn’t know it was going to be like that. I expected worse.”

“So that’s your way, is it?”

“Call it reserved.” said Allie. “I thought I’d have to ham it up. It’s like… this is a funny way to earn a living, isn’t it?”

The blonde wolf, half-dressed, padded over and lifted Allie’s chin with a gentle finger, gazing into her eyes. “It is your way. I’ll be damned.”

“What?” said Allie, pulling away.

He laughed. “Well, you know, plenty of people figure I’ll be damned anyhow, don’t be shocked. Maybe you’re a nice counterbalance. Allie, right? You’re Allie. Allie, the silent one.”

“Yeah, that’s me. Who are you? Is this your way of saying you’re coming back again?”

“I’m Wern. You wouldn’t have heard of me… not lately. Are you new to this part of Verss? Like, in the last ten years?”

“I’m new to Verss period.” said Allie. “…you figure I would have heard of you ten years ago?”

The blonde wolf winced a bit, and his gaze was suddenly a lot older and wearier. “Perhaps not. And yes- I would like to come back to you, as much as I possibly can. That OK? I didn’t leave you too sore?” He seemed to be artificially flippant, suddenly.

“Nah, you’re not too big.” said Allie, and gulped in horror as she realized what she’d said. “I mean- um, it was wonderful and the way you moved, delicious, and…”

Wern silenced her by leaning in and kissing her soundly, and his eyes were fascinatingly alive- dancing with amusement, and yet some dreadful sadness at the same time- but the grin was back, deliciously wicked.

“I’m glad I’m not too big.” he said. “I like it that way.”

Allie blinked. “You do?”

“In fact- you help me to like it that way.”

“Um, okay!” said Allie, now seriously confused. “That sounds good at least! I think I’m done for the night. Why not end on a really nice guy, right?”

Wern didn’t respond to this immediately. He was looking away, as Allie got up and headed towards the door with him. Then, unexpectedly, he hugged her, real tight.

“Yeah… right.” said Wern. “Thank you…”

Jennis was waiting outside the door. That was a bit odd, she wasn’t usually keeping quite as close an eye on Allie at this point- she took in Wern with a gaze that was unreadable, and pulled Allie aside.

“I thought I’d see how you were doing vocally.” said Jennis.

“Vocally?”

“Yeah, it’s a good idea to get some noise going. I had a feeling you were a little out of the ordinary there, and then when… certain guys took an interest I wanted to check what you were doing. I’m gonna suggest that you should make more noise.”

“Oh, no!” gasped Allie. Wern, moving off, perked an ear- and loitered.

“No, honey, you don’t understand. Unless you’re intentionally working a thing about that, you’ll get a better class of guy when you howl your pleasures like an enthusiastic lady, know what I mean? I’m not sure how far I want to go in explaining myself…”

“Oh, no, no…” said Allie, and Wern picked up on her distress and drifted back, as if pulled by some force he couldn’t resist.

“Hold on a moment.” he said.

Jennis’s eyes were slits. “You spoke?”

“Excuse me.” said Wern, to Jennis, and then to Allie. “Excuse me- I’ve got to try explaining to her why you should get to have it your way.”

He led Jennis off a bit, with Allie looking tragically after them.

“Listen.” he said. “You’ve got a long memory, lady, but this Allie girl is something special. Don’t ruin it for me. This isn’t wrong.”

“A lot you know about right and wrong.” said Jennis quietly.

“I know enough to know that she’s got some problem about making noise. Are you seriously going to try and force her to start? Did you see how she reacted?”

“Point.” said Jennis. “I’m not sure what to do. I don’t like you with her.”

“I’m not going to answer that. I’ve done my time, lady. I know there’s worse out there that could happen to her…”

“You would know.” said Jennis.

“Stop it. I’m back on the street. And you seem to care nothing for the fact that I’m here- understand? Of all the places I could be, look- I’m here, meeting your friend Allie. She’s good for me. Do not fuck with me over this.”

“Nice. Allie’s your hostage, so you don’t hurt others?”

“Allie’s a whore. I would think, being her boss, you’d have figured that out. Apparently one with a heart of gold… I’m not sure I can make you understand what that means to me.”

“We can have a restraining order on you in thirty minutes.”

“Allie’s not going to go along with that. She knows I wasn’t hurting her. She was having a great end of the night until you showed up.” said Wern. “And you’re wrong, she does make noise, the b… She does make noise.”

“What were you going to say?” demanded Jennis. “Say it!”

“Fine. The best noises ever. Only when she comes, and that should tip you off she’s having a good time…”

Jennis glared at Allie, suddenly angry, and beckoned her over.

“He says you came, you were having a good time. Is that true?”

Allie was alarmed at how all this had escalated, but annoyed at Jennis for apparently doing the escalating. “Actually, yes. He moves really nice, his dick isn’t too big…”

“Depends who you ask.” hissed Jennis. “You came for him, yeah? Real hard?”

“Yes.” said Allie defensively. “He got me off real hard. He’s coming back as often as he can. I’m looking forward to it, okay?”

Allie suddenly noticed, with further alarm, that a new figure was listening in on the argument. Pearls glinted in the subdued light. Mistress Elistary was out of her private rooms, and didn’t look pleased.

Jennis was unstoppable. “So, you came real hard, but you’re trying not to make noise for God knows what reason…”

“And you’re going to try and force her to, when she doesn’t want to?” said Wern.

Jennis turned on him like a prosecutor. “You said, best noises. She makes the best noises. I didn’t hear any. Describe these best noises, that she only makes when she’s coming so hard she can’t control it.”

Wern looked trapped, and he couldn’t meet Jennis’s eyes. He looked down, his shoulders sagging.

“…whimpers. Little… whimpers and whines.”

Jennis snapped her fingers sharply, causing him to glance up into her burning stare.

“Get the fuck out of here.” snarled Jennis.

“Wait.” said Mistress Elistary.

“Mistress, you need to trust me on this one.” said Jennis tightly.

Elistary didn’t speak directly to her. Instead, she drifted over, eyes half-lidded, toward Wern.

“You like my little Allie?”

Wern glanced between Elistary, Jennis, and Allie. “Maybe I’d better be going…”

Elistary’s arm reached up, around Wern’s neck, as she moved closer. Her other hand idly stroked his belly.

“Of course not. You’re coming back to her? Often?”

“What’s it to you?” said Wern.

“Somebody came,” crooned Elistary, “complaining about you.”

Wern began to say something, but Elistary talked straight across him.

“Complaining, that you were with the new girl and gave her double scale. Isn’t that a silly thing, dear?”

“Um…”

“I might almost complain,” crooned Elistary, “except that I get triple scale, dear. Do you know why?”

Wern looked more and more uncomfortable. Jennis was clearly furious, but didn’t dare say anything, and Allie seemed terrified.

“Answer me, boy.” snapped Elistary. “Do you know why?”

“Uh! No- no, I don’t know why.”

“For triple scale, I could show you.” breathed Elistary. “I have just one question for the likes of you…”

“Um, if it’s about how well hung I am, it’s nothing s…”

“Oh no. It is this. Have you been… a BAD boy?”

Wern stared at her. Glanced at Jennis. Looked sidelong at Allie.

“You’re god-damn right I have. I think boss-lady here doesn’t like me, and I need to be going…”

“What did you say?” snapped Elistary. “I’m not sure I heard you correctly.”

“Your boss. This lady. I think I should be going…”

“Mistress,” said Jennis, “let him go. Trust me, it’s the best thing to do.”

Elistary’s eyes narrowed. “You dare to tell me?”

Jennis snapped. “Yeah, I fuckin’ dare! You,” she said, whirling on Wern, “you get the fuck out. And I’ve got some things to explain to you, Mistress, some things about what kind of people you want coming in…”

“Rannt!” barked Elistary, eyes flashing. One of the bigger enforcers came running over- they had been eyeing the altercation warily for some time.

“You don’t need him!” said Jennis. “I’ve got this guy c…”

“Rannt,” said Elistary, “she no longer works here. I want her out NOW.”

Elistary’s finger, shaking with rage, pointed directly at Jennis.

Jennis was rendered speechless for a moment, a moment while even the enforcer Rannt paused, startled.

“You… are… shittin’ me!” managed Jennis.

“Out, now!”

“You unprofessional, stinking, trustfund bitch!” yelped Jennis. She whirled on Rannt. “Don’t you touch me! You don’t have to touch me, I’m going! Why I ever agreed to try to run this shithole…”

She allowed herself to be herded out, while Allie watched in silent horror.

Elistary turned to Wern, all courtesy again. “There. I do apologize, it seems I’ve hired the occasional low quality help. But you will come back? I believe you find my Allie to be most satisfactory?”

Allie was anything but satisfactory right then. Mistress Elistary was flipping between charming and hellish as if by some hidden switch, the scarier working girls were drifting over, delighted that their straw-boss had been kicked out, and the only comforting presence was this blonde wolf who had apparently done something terrible- but who had been kind to her.

Allie, trembling and with her tail between her legs, slunk over beside Wern, and allowed his arm to shelter her.

Wern still looked trapped. Some of the girls glared at him with frightening hatred, yet he dared not insult Mistress Elistary. “Yeah… yeah, she is.”

“Who was really the boss lady around here?” demanded Elistary.

Wern blinked. “Uh- you were. Are.”

“Call her Mistress!” whispered Allie, panicked.

“You are. Mistress.”

“Good boy.” crooned Mistress Elistary.

“I think… you’ve upset Allie.” said Wern carefully. He declined to mention how badly she was shaking, and simply held her closer.

“Oh, honestly.” grumbled Elistary. “But obviously she is a favorite, isn’t she? Would you like me to do something nice for her?”

Wern didn’t say anything, because the situation had spiraled so far out of control he couldn’t imagine a safe response. The circle of whores watching seemed to lean forward- all except one, who looked a little more gaunt and a little sharper-eyed, and that one seemed to draw back, mouthing oh no, oh no no…

“She’s obviously special, to draw double scale on her first night. She shall have Jennis’s job! Save me the trouble of going out hiring again. There you are, how’s that? Now, unless you wish my special attention…”

The circle recoiled, with curses and angry glances at Allie. Elistary noticed this, though she was already walking off.

“Rannt!”

“Yes, Mistress?”

“Get rid of anyone that doesn’t respect my Allie.”

“Yes, Mistress.”

Miraculously, the curses vanished. So did the glances. In fact, nobody would even look at Allie.

Wern felt her still shaking against him. He could hardly blame her- though he was a big, husky guy, he was just about shaking himself from the emotional whiplash, the exposure and the rapid shocking events. He called out, “Mistress!”

Elistary turned. “What?”

Wern thought fast. Put it in her terms, he reasoned.

“Mistress, may I stay the night with your Allie?”

“Paid?”

“…yes.”

“Yes, you may. Don’t bother me again.” With that, Elistary swept off.

Allie didn’t remember returning to her room. She seemed to remember something Jennis had said, something about how johns weren’t allowed in your room- union regulation- but maybe it was different if you were in charge.

It was a bit late to object. Wern was already in there with her.

“Do you need to sit for a little while?” he said.

“I don’t know what I need.”

“Okay…”

“No, wait.” said Allie. “I need to ask you something.”

Wern didn’t respond in words, not right away. What he did was move away from Allie- move, and lower himself, and the next thing she knew, the blonde wolf was sitting on the floor, a little hunched over, not looking right at her.

“Please do.” he said.

“What’s that about? I’m not gonna… hit you, or whatever it is you think I’m going to do.” said Allie.

“Maybe I’m being a little manipulative. I see you’re having a tough night, and I guess I don’t want you to send me away. I’m not gonna say this while looming over you. I’m safe. Okay?”

“Say what? Can you please not act all weird, Wern? I need a hug, not more bullshit.” said Allie, shaking again.

“You needed to ask me something, and you should be able to. I just think I know what it is. Go ahead.”

“Okay, okay.” said Allie. “You seem… nice. Up to now, that is, now you’re fucking weird. Why does Jennis hate you so much? Some of the girls didn’t look too friendly either. M… Elistary doesn’t seem to mind you.”

“There’s no easy way to say this…”

“Oh, for God’s sake, Wern, spit it out! You’re making it worse.”

“Oh? Fine. I was in jail, Allie. I fucked a little girl.”

Allie blinked. “Uh. I guess that explains a lot.”

“Yeah. It was kind of a big step for me, getting with you. It wasn’t just duty- I really liked it. But it makes me wonder… what your own history is like, if you got to me so strong.”

Allie sat on her bed. She didn’t say anything for a moment. Then- “Good call, sitting over there like that.”

“Yeah. The shrinks told me what to expect. I didn’t figure I’d have to take their advice until now.”

“Shrinks told you to sit on the floor? And not look at me?”

“Mostly just one. She was great. I’m still seeing her once a month. Going to a whorehouse was her idea- she says, my body is different, my internal dialogue is different, now I have to give myself counter-fetishes.”

“You’re kidding. A shrink said that?” said Allie.

“You should meet her!” said Wern, perking up. “Hell yes she did. Her exact phrase was, I’d better give myself ‘fuckin’ counter-fetishes for all I’m worth’.”

“Did you?”

“I’m not sure. It’s hard to… well, basically you can’t undo what you did to yourself early on. But you’re not slave to your impulses, so you can add other stuff and use that instead, even if it’s not as direct…”

“You learn this stuff in jail?” said Allie.

“There was time.”

Allie looked at him. He seemed early thirties, though his eyes looked older. “Exactly how much time are we talking about?”

“I was in jail for fifteen years, Allie. And before you ask- I’m thirty-six, and I’ve been out for about two years now. You know, putting a life together.”

Allie was doing the math in her head. “You were nineteen? You were a kid! Then how…”

“She was nine.”

Allie winced. “What the fuck?”

“She said her Mom wouldn’t pay attention to her. If she did sex, Mom would have to pay more attention, and she knew I was watching her…”

“I don’t know if I want you to say any more.” said Allie. “I do know that’s not how it was with me.”

“Just as well. The story doesn’t get better, for anybody. So I was right- you’ve been hurt, but in a different way?”

“Yeah, Wern, you could say that. I didn’t ask for anything. I got taught things I didn’t understand, more and more things… and I kept having to do more and more…”

“Like make happy noises? Just guessing here.”

Allie glanced at him sharply. “Aren’t you observant? If you’re so smart, what were you doing with a nine… hang on. Were you watching her?”

“Yeah.”

“Can’t be much to see on a nine-year-old. What the hell were you doing? Just the idea of you doing that is creepy.”

“Okay, granted…”

“For fuck’s sake, dude, you were handling me like I was little, and I’m se… twenty.”

Wern didn’t react to the obvious gaffe, though Allie bristled in embarrassment. Instead, he said, “I weighed half what I do now, when I was nineteen. Nobody would so much as look at me, and I decided I had the body of a ten year old and would be jacking off alone until I died- the ol’ PNP, post-knot-pinch. Which is of course a misnomer, but kids don’t spell very well…”

“I guess you were wrong, huh?”

“That’s what I told myself.” said Wern, wearily.

“What happened to the girl?”

“She died.”

Allie gasped. Then blinked, realizing what he’d said.

“You’re NOT that big, buddy! I don’t believe it. Okay, speaking as someone who had to deal with that, from a man with a couple inches on you…”

“No, Allie. She told her Mom. Her Mom still wouldn’t pay attention to her, because intravenous drugs were more interesting, but she did mention it to her connection, and word spread. Meanwhile, the girl told her schoolmates, thinking she would impress them, and got shunned for her pains- and jumped in front of a bus. She’s dead.”

“Shit.” said Allie. “I thought I had it pretty bad.”

“Shrink keeps telling me to own only my part of it, which is enough. I’m not sure I believe her. She tells me I’d better choke down the part that’s mine, because if I try to eat it all, I won’t be able to, and I’ll eventually turn away from it and act again. Do you think that makes sense?”

“I don’t know.” said Allie. “I only meant… well, I knew better than to tell any schoolmates, and my Mom wasn’t doing that. She was busy being perfect. My folks look real good on the outside. If you don’t know about the back room, they look like good people. Well-off.”

Wern quirked an ear. “Back room. Don’t tell me- heavy carpeting, maybe a pool table, big stereo… soundproofing?”

“You’re good. How did you know that?”

“Maybe I understand what it’s like being too clever and not having normal desires.”

Allie glanced at him. “I don’t know about that. You were fucking me, and pretty damn well. You were scoping me out. You even fondled my tits, like you meant it. I didn’t get a sense that you wished I was a lot smaller.”

“Okay, so I can be flexible…”

“You DID wish I was?”

“Whoa, hang on- no, believe it or not, no, I didn’t. Allie, you are so amazing-looking I didn’t have to wish for anything. Didn’t I say you were good for me? Even if it was just that once.”

“You didn’t wish I was like that girl seventeen years ago?”

“Allie… I’ll probably be able to respond to that, until I die. I don’t have to make choices based on how I’m wired- and I can put in more wiring and ignore the old wiring, okay? Let me be clear, though- if you were you, the se-twenty year old adult wolf lady, and you were also the shape from seventeen years ago… that’d work for me.”

Allie considered this, uncomfortably. “That’s put very carefully. What if I were that shape and also like that kid?”

“Actions have consequences. Hell no. Not twice in a lifetime.”

“Another thing.” said Allie. “It kinda creeps me out real bad. You said I make the best noises. I try to avoid making any noise at all, and that’s what gets you. I guess I can understand the creepification factor of why you’d be turned on by that… but you’ve got to tell me. Is it the same as that girl?”

Wern didn’t have to think about it at all. “No. Absolutely not. In fact that was getting in my way the whole time. I was wanting this whole suppressed-passion thing, and it was totally not like that at all.”

“Really? What was she like, then? Tell me. For me it was always being told to sound a certain way.”

“Exactly like she was normally. And too dry. In my head I wanted her to get into it, maybe without understanding much…”

“Creepy factor, up lots. Just sayin’.” said Allie.

“But that’s the thing.” said Wern. “I had a fantasy that I’d made up. The shrink says it was about me feeling so powerless that she had to be totally passive, without an agenda of her own.”

“Yeah?” said Allie. “And she had one?”

“Oh my God yes. Telling me how it had to go. I’m glad she was quick to say if anything hurt- but you mentioned creepy factor, to me it was creepy the way she simply didn’t seem to get it. She’d decided to do this thing to make her Mom change, and it had all the erotic significance to her of scratching her ear, or wagging her tail.”

“Yeah. It starts out like that, yeah. For me, it only got unbearable when I started to respond like an adult. When it was just poking and being told to put on an act, it was just life sucking.”

“You’re… good at responding like an adult. Before you knew about me, that is. And when you can do it your way.” said Wern.

“Seems like you liked it.”

“I feel like an idiot now. I’m sure I’m not helping- but I told your boss I’d pay to stay with you all night, because you were upset. Screwed that all up, but that said…”

“Hey.” said Allie gently.

Wern glanced cautiously at her.

“Life’s full of creepy. You’re creepy- but you weren’t MY creepy, and I’m trying to do this job where you’re supposed to fuck me…”

“I’m hoping I didn’t ruin it for you too badly.”

“Hey!” said Allie. “Listen, you. Come here.”

Wern reluctantly did that, sitting next to Allie.

“I liked you better when you were weird but less miserable.” said Allie. “I realize you’re creepy, but you should realize that when Elistary sent Jennis away, you were the only friendly thing left in the room for me.”

“Yeah, I’m just a bitch for those little whimpers…”

“Stop it.” said Allie. “I don’t believe that. I’m not stupid. Is it so hard to believe that you might have decent feelings as well?”

“I guess…”

“If you were just trying to fuck me again, would you have gone and sat on the floor and told me all that stuff? Because you know, I’m not in the mood at all, after all that.”

“Of course not…”

“There, you see? You started out, ready to do whatever it took so I’d feel better. Um… what does an overnight stay even cost, by the way?”

“I’m not sure. Nobody ever does that. I think your boss is a little strange, actually…”

“I’ll help you with it, don’t tell anybody. But listen- you may be creepy, but it seems like you’re on my side. Aren’t you?”

“I’m yours. Yours.”

“Okay, creepy again, watch it… but it’s an improvement, for you… anyway, I’ve lost Jennis and I don’t know what’s going to happen now and don’t know how to do what Jennis did, but I know one thing.”

“What’s that?”

Allie glanced at the clock. “It’s two in the morning. I need to be up tomorrow, so I can start trying to do this new job. I need to drop by a certain cafe because I bet I can meet a certain somebody there… and I’m still shaky and my head’s too busy, but I have to sleep. So, hold me.”

“…what?”

“I mean it. Not fuck me- hold me. C’mere- we’re sleeping. I get inside spoon. Hold me. You did that awful well before, you can work on your sins by cuddling me to sleep. Hold me until I don’t shake anymore.”

He didn’t even undress- though she was almost totally undressed just in normal work attire. Perhaps his head was too busy with guilt and desire to even entertain the idea. Wern cuddled around Allie in a very good spoon-fit, and as asked, he held her wrapped in his strong, muscular arms.

Allie’d mostly stopped shaking, and she was thinking of their lovemaking strictly to distract her racing thoughts, when she realized he was shuddering. Feeling wetness against the edge of her ear, she realized Wern’s shaking was because he was weeping, so hard it rocked his body. He seemed to draw back, refusing to clutch her to him, possibly in fear he’d cling too tightly, and he just wept.

It was rather frightening, feeling the emotions shake him, but before too long, the big blonde wolf quieted, snorted back stray tears, and with great gentleness, embraced her to him, just as she had hoped. His arms were warm and comforting.

Allie slept.

Jennis followed the white feline in, and noticed with a touch of professional jealousy that the kitty wore her few extra pounds better than Jennis did. It seemed to have gone to her butt and breasts, where Jennis’s had apparently gone to her belly and shoulders. Well… it didn’t matter so much now, she’d be doing other work. With a bit of luck she’d keep her hand in. She was not at all ready to just abandon eros in favor of muscle- but in this place, she wouldn’t be the main attraction. Far from it.

The door opened on a large common area, like an atrium that opened on two floors: the lower floor featured a curtained wall with a central corridor extending off from it. The upper floor also showed a central corridor, but also a balcony, with no sort of railing, and no sign of stairs or ladders- no, wait, there was the end of a rope ladder hanging over the side, which Jennis didn’t see at first because of the telephone pole in the way.

Jennis blinked in surprise. Yep, that was a telephone pole. Could it be a sort of giant scratching post? Her curiosity was very quickly satisfied, as Demarle swarmed up it almost without breaking stride, and scampered down the upstairs corridor, calling “Tery! Cery! Business!”

Jennis looked blankly at the rather clawed-up pole. She’d just have to wait- it wouldn’t be a simple matter to follow the white kitty. That, presumably, was the point.

But there was no harm in showing her ingenuity.

Jennis ran up and made a determined leap, slamming against the curtained wall just short of the end of the ladder- missed! She took a moment to remind herself how stupid that would’ve been if the curtains hadn’t been against a wall. They looked purely decorative, but you never knew.

As the white kitty’s voice was heard in the upstairs hallway, returning with co-workers in tow, Jennis tried again, and just managed to snag the end of the latter before crashing to the ground once more. The ladder spilled over the edge, and Jennis bounced up and scrambled to get to the top. She prepared to stick her head up like an unexpected jack-in-the-box with a cry of “You call this security?”

She didn’t even get the first word out. As she started to pop up into sight, her progress was halted by an iron grasp on her tail.

Jennis glanced down in alarm, to see a burly and heavyset older Runge gentleman, with a graying muzzle, a disapproving look, and no clothes at all.

“Ma’am, I don’t think you’re supposed to be up there.” he said.

Hot on his heels was somebody Jennis recognized instantly, a grey feline with a shape that still hinted obliquely at her former glories, a face and presence that Jennis had known of since her youth.

Of course it could only be Faisand- the real Faisand, whom Jennis had never been this close to. There seemed to be something the matter with her left ear, but Jennis didn’t have time to look further, because Demarle and two other kitties were rapidly approaching.

“Whatcha doing, trying to follow us?” said Demarle.

“Yeah. Mind telling this guy to let go my tail, please?”

“Not until you state your business.” said the naked lupine gentleman.

“This lady’s thinking about hiring me.” said Jennis, clinging to the rope and held by the tail. She considered taking a well-aimed kick at the guy, but didn’t think it really gave an impression of professionalism.

“Is that true, Arle?” asked Faisand sternly.

“Yes, completely.” said Demarle. “She says she’s a bouncer. She wants to take over Mags’ job.”

Faisand and the Runge guy looked at each other.

“How do they know, so quick?” she said, dismayed.

“It’s the word on the street, okay?” said Jennis. “Listen, I’ll come back down, now would you let go my damn tail already?”

“She’s pretty aggressive.” said the guy.

Faisand shrugged, elegantly. “Enforcers often are. That might be a good sign. Go ahead, let her go.”

He did, and Jennis descended the rope ladder, noting that Arle, the white kitty, hastened down the telephone pole but the other two stayed up. There was a huge ginger one and a smaller black one, and they watched fascinatedly.

“Thanks, dude.” said Jennis wryly.

“Go get your clothes on, Anzy, there was no emergency.” chided Faisand.

Jennis added, “I didn’t want to hurt you, otherwise I’d have made you let go.”

“Oh?” said Anzy, cocking his head to the side.

“Yeah. It wouldn’t be professional. Not what you call an audition.”

“Do you want one?” said the big wolf guy. “Demarle, do you want me to audition this mouthy lady?”

“What’ve you got in mind? You’ve been full of surprises so far.”

Jennis felt the situation slipping out of her control, making less and less sense. She was almost certain she’d seen two kids peeking from the upstairs corridor, and not even Nerre kids- Runge, like her. That was wildly incongruous, even a violation of Verss code in some situations. She fought to keep things moving in a useful direction. “Demarle, how about I disable this guy without hurting him? I need to ask first if it’s okay for him to hit the ground hard.”

“Oh, nice!” said the guy. “Demarle, I’m throwing her out. If I can do that, don’t let her in, she failed…”

Jennis flexed her wrists unobtrusively, and braced her paws well. “If that’s the way you want it, come on.”

“Get back, Arle!” cried Faisand. Above her, a ginger and a black feline face watched avidly, now joined by two little Runge cub faces, black and blonde.

“One.” said the guy. “No, let’s make that ‘one half’.”

He lumbered forward at her, hands out to grab her, a slightly mocking expression of aggressiveness on his face- and in a blur of motion, he appeared to flip himself over, for his hand had gone out and been grabbed by Jennis and twisted. The guy hit the ground with a bone-jarring thump, but he kept moving. He rolled and sprang to his feet with a grace that startled Jennis very much, and now he was grinning.

“Level two.” said Anzy- and began to move in again.

Jennis stared warily at the guy. What the hell was he? He didn’t look tough, but here he came again, and it was going to be embarrassing at best if she couldn’t take the guy down. At worst, she’d get injured, break up the place, and still not get a job. She put such thoughts out of her mind determinedly.

Fine- if he wanted to play, let’s skip the games, thought Jennis.

“Fuck your levels, fat boy. You’re the one hitting the floor. Come on.”

It was too much to hope that he’d lose his temper and rush her again, for this time she wasn’t fooling around… but she saw that her taunt had an effect, for the guy stepped back, and looked at the floor for a moment. He looked up again real quick, for Jennis feinted at him right then.

“Come ON!” she cried.

He glanced at Faisand, as if in apology, and strode right over- directly at Jennis, who didn’t back off an inch, and things happened very quickly after that.

Anzy went for Jennis again, and again fell for a wrist-lock and flipped over as if flinging himself to the floor, but as he hit, he twisted around and kicked Jennis’s paws out from under her. She dropped, and tried to scramble clear, but was yanked to a halt by another grab of her tail.

She kicked at his arm, but he only grabbed tighter despite a few solid blows, and he was just beginning to twist when Jennis doubled up, ignoring the pain, and came straight at his eyes with her hands formed into points. He flinched, which was good because she wasn’t planning to soften the attack for him- and in doing so, he let go her tail and Jennis had freedom of movement again.

She went for him, but he scrambled backwards directly towards Demarle and Faisand, who scampered out the way in alarm. Jennis wondered if he’d meant that on purpose, and quickly decided that yes, he fucking well had- for he took the opportunity to bounce to his feet again, and obviously was about to go on the attack. The guy was a fucking nightmare, what the hell was he?

Desperation gave Jennis inspiration. As she closed with the guy, she twisted in a convulsive kick that both took his legs out from under him, and dropped her to the ground as well… under him, with her left arm flying up as if about to grab onto him for support, crossing his field of vision. He had just a moment to decide what to do as they fell, and he went for the bait- attention toward the left arm, reaching for it to get a joint lock.

It was too bad for him that Jennis wasn’t about to grab him with the left arm at all… instead, it flexed back uncomfortably, out of reach for just long enough to let her unheeded right hand grab his wrist and twist, ferociously, moving that arm behind his back.

Jennis thought for an instant, as they hit the floor, that she’d taken it too far- she sensed how near she’d come to breaking his bones. It didn’t slow her, for she knew she had to handle this guy as if he was on drugs or in a rage. In an instant, she was atop him, paws braced, twisting his arm in a vicious joint-lock, and she barked three words with life-or-death urgency…

“You! Stop! Now!”

Anzy’s free arm waved frantically for a moment- and then he slapped the floor, three times, hard.

Jennis released the pressure just a hair, and panted, “You better not be faking…”

The free arm slapped the floor twice more, and Anzy panted, “Whaddya want it in writing? I give, lady!”

Jennis released the pressure more. “What the hell are you, guy? I’m trying to figure out if you’ll come at me again once I let you go.”

“I’m a cop, dammit! Let me go!”

“He’s a cop.” confirmed Demarle, who seemed most amused. “Among other things.”

“Oh, fuck!” was all Jennis could manage, as she hastily got to her feet and helped Anzy up. “I am so sorry!”

“You could’ve been sorry a little quicker,” said Anzy, “damn near broke my arm, lady!”

Faisand ran over to provide mixed comfort and scolding. Her paws were gentle on Anzende’s arm as she inspected it and remarked, “Serves you right, carrying on with another woman…”

“So, does she get the job?” said Demarle.

“Come on, I was just kidding.” said Anzende. “That’s yours to decide. I just wanted to see if she was yanking your chain.”

“Or pulling my tail?” said Demarle.

“Well, now,” said Jennis defensively, “that, he started.”

“Yeah, people don’t usually try to get upstairs.” said Anzende. “That was unusual. And you’re a woman, the clientele here is mostly guys…”

“Mostly?” blinked Jennis.

“Um.” said Anzende. “Maybe that doesn’t really count.”

“Professionally I’d like to know about any unusual situations, officer… Anzy?”

“That would be Anzende. Sergeant Anzende Ndeschwin to you- I probably should let you use my personal name, since we’ve been sparring honorably. At least I think it was honorably… I’m not sure where you’d have drawn the line, and I’m not real comfortable with that. We’ve had enough renegade enforcers in this place.”

Jennis picked her words carefully. “Yes, I understand sparring in the dojo is different. We’re not in that place- and I needed to make you stop whether you were trained or not, whether you were on drugs or not. You’ll never know whether I would’ve done you serious injury, because you yielded.”

“Oh?” said Anzende, not liking the answer.

“It’s not a half-ass job, Sergeant Ndeschwin. Nobody gets through me, civilized or uncivilized.”

“Nobody gets through me either, ma’am.”

“I did. Sir.”

Demarle was taking all this in, but the last exchange won her over. “We’re keeping her. Unless you’re going to arrest her? Please don’t, it looks like she’s perfect for the job!”

“Oh, Arle.” sighed Faisand.

Anzende glanced between her and Demarle. So did Jennis, who looked somewhat taken aback. “I’m not sure just what happened.” she said. “Who does the hiring around here? White-kitty? Or Faisand? Bring me up to speed, please.”

“Oh, great!” cried Demarle, and stalked off to jump on her bed and sulk.

“Okay, seriously…” said Jennis.

Faisand left Anzende and padded over demurely to Jennis, looking up at the larger wolf-woman with a level gaze. “Probably nothing that would concern you. It has to do with Anzy’s remark earlier.”

“That being?”

“It’s true that we mostly have male clientele, as you’d expect. And Demarle does the hiring and runs the place, but I advise. I’m going to ask you, how comfortable are you with Nerre females?”

“I’m gonna have to be!” joked Jennis.

“I mention it,” continued Faisand firmly, “because some of us are male-oriented- Tery and Cery, for instance. Our Arle is different. She will happily perform with males but her first love is other females…”

“Oh…” said Jennis, uncertainly.

“Particularly dominant ones.” finished Faisand. “It’s best you have all your information before you decide.”

“Oh.” said Jennis. “You’re saying, that just turned her on.”

“Terrific!” cried Demarle from her sulk.

“And I’m spoiling her fun,” added Faisand, “by telling you all this, because she’d rather seduce you, but the last time we did that we got Magarce and that didn’t work out too well.”

“Really.” said Jennis. “And other than that, it doesn’t matter to you, does it?”

Faisand gave her a haughty look. “Our morals are our own affair, dear. If you don’t like that, walk on out.”

Jennis thought hard. This made things more complicated, that was for sure. Was there a way to manage this?

But of course there was- given a little creative interpretation of the role of ‘boss’. Faisand appeared to be prepared to go along with all this, and was giving her information largely so she could say yes or no. It would be up to her.

Jennis padded over, sat on Demarle’s bed, and as the white fluffy feline looked around in startlement, Jennis slapped her plush buttock solidly and held up a finger for attention, addressing her ‘boss’ in a very authoritative voice.

“Not while I’m working. Got it? I don’t mix work and play.”

Demarle nodded meekly, wide-eyed.

“You will not interfere with my job, or distract me.”

Faisand was looking on, fascinated.

“If this is the way you want to play it, these are the rules. It’s called boundaries. What you get when I’m off work depends on how well you respect my boundaries when I am at work. Do you understand?”

“When do you get off work?” breathed Demarle.

“Oh, Arle.” chuckled Faisand.

Jennis playfully slapped Demarle’s quivering, fluffy rump again, and the white kitty gasped.

“Ya ain’t hired me yet!”

“She’ll do.” said Faisand, amused.

“Yeah.” said Anzende, rubbing his shoulder. “Convenient.”

Faisand gave him a look. “I’m not sure I like the way you said that, darling. What’s on your mind?”

The naked wolf cop looked abashed. “Maybe I’m just off balance- and I don’t like losing. I’m not sure what anybody would gain from screwing with you guys that they can’t get from, well, screwing you guys. It just seems like funny timing.”

“It’s wonderful timing!” said Demarle.

“Sure. I ought to go get dressed, just because it’s my day off doesn’t mean I can’t have standards. I do wonder where this lady came from, why she’s suddenly free to come here.”

As he turned to leave, Jennis answered, “Mistress Elistary,” and the room fell silent. Anzende Ndeschwin froze in his tracks, and turned to look at first Faisand- who wore a horrified expression- and then Jennis herself.

“No,” he said, “I guess you’re going to have to tolerate my state of attire, because I’m not missing a word of this explanation.”

“You’re a spy!” cried Faisand. “You’re here to finish the job!”

“What? No!” said Jennis. “What’re you talking about? What job?”

The elderly grey feline was trembling, perhaps with rage, perhaps with fear, and most of the other people in the room looked more embarrassed than anything, not sure what to say. Anzende stepped forward, then stopped, as Faisand padded deliberately forward with her prim little walk which betrayed her age, and stood directly before Jennis, whiskers bristling.

“Do it.” she hissed. “Go on. I’m too old to run, and I’m tired of the fear.”

Jennis was horribly dismayed at this turn of events, to the point that her tail began to tuck between her legs. This one-time heroine and role model now stood, enraged at her, for no reason Jennis could underst…

Faisand’s ears were pretty close to flattened, but not entirely- and Jennis could easily see they did not match. The left ear was notched now.

Warily, Jennis reached out. As she did, Faisand’s ears flattened even more, but the old cat stood her ground, teeth gritted and chin held high, not resisting as Jennis’s finger lifted the wounded ear for inspection.

“Tell me who did this to you.” said Jennis in an icy-cold tone.

“Don’t play with me.” said Faisand. “Finish it.”

Demarle called, “Faisand… she’s not here to hurt you.”

“Yes, she is!”

“Tell me who did this to you.” said Jennis, again.

“Elistary did this.” said Faisand. “Not with her own teeth, oh, no. She sent somebody to do it. But why am I telling you something you know quite well for yourself?”

“No.”

“She’s sent you to finish the job.” said Faisand, shaking- and then unexpectedly shrieked, “I don’t want to die, damn you! Don’t fucking drag it out like this!”

Jennis reached suddenly out and took the elderly feline’s head in her hands, thumbs under her delicate chin to force Faisand to meet her gaze. This startled Anzende so much he nearly rushed them- and Faisand’s bravado was visibly splintering, the grey Nerre keening with anxiety.

“She’s a BITCH.” said Jennis with deadly conviction. “I fucking hate her like nobody else on this planet. She’s unprofessional, and up to something, God knows what, and she’s just fired me. She fired me for trying to keep riffraff out of her place, so she’s not only a bitch, she’s a stupid bitch.”

Faisand’s lower lip began to quiver, and she couldn’t look away from Jennis’s fierce eyes.

“I’ve known about you for most of my life, Faisand. I grew up idolizing you, no shit. You’re the best.”

Faisand’s eyes began to fill with tears.

“And nobody will hurt you again. I’ll die first. No way is anybody getting past me. For you… it’s not just for the job.”

Jennis released Faisand’s head, and grasped her frail, elegant shoulders.

“For you- it’s personal.”

That did it. Faisand needed no more convincing- every word Jennis said was from the heart, and also obviously from somebody with no gift for sophistication. The bluntness that so often worked against the burly wolf lady had come to her aid for once in her life, and perhaps that once made up for all the times she’d made enemies with it or got herself fired with it.

Faisand burst into tears and wails, and fell forward into Jennis’s waiting hug, with Demarle and Anzy left to watch in astonishment.

“Why didn’t I ever think of that?” marveled Demarle.

“Wouldn’t work for you.” said Anzy. “And I’ll bet anything you care to name that she’s not changed her mind about the basic idea…”

“Hey, did you notice? She said Elistary’s up to something. What if Faisand hasn’t been wrong about all this?”

“I think I’d better question this lady. Uh… when she’s done…”

“Sure.” said Jennis, petting Faisand while she hugged. “Here, c’mon, honey, come sit down…”

Jennis led Faisand over to Demarle’s bed, and took a position that she privately thought of as an ‘I win’ position: sitting up, cuddling Faisand with one arm while Demarle snuggled against her on the other side.

Anzende noticed this. “Looks like you’re settling in nice and quick, huh?”

Jennis shrugged. “Suits me. You’ll understand soon enough why this seems like a big step up in the world for me.”

“Well, it is, lady… Demarle, did she even tell you her name?”

“Now that you mention it, no.” said Demarle.

“I’m Jennis. What did you want me to tell you about?”

“Actually, hang on.” said Anzende. “You good where you are for now? Don’t start talking yet, because I seriously am going to go get dressed.”

He hurried off, and Jennis considered her situation. She probably wouldn’t have got round Faisand so completely if the old cat hadn’t jumped to that alarming conclusion. Jennis was still quite awestruck that she’d ended up cuddling Faisand. She was also rather distracted by Demarle’s attentions, for fluffy white paws kept sneaking into her lap or to other places on her body.

“H… hey! Kitty, cut that out, okay?”

“You said yourself, I haven’t hired you yet…” purred Demarle.

“Yeah, but I’m about to talk to a cop. Seriously, give it a rest!”

“Agreed.” said Faisand quietly. “Let her be, Arle. I want to hear her story. I told you Elistary was trying to destroy us.”

“I’m not sure I can say that. I could say she’s doing a pretty good job of destroying herself, at least in professional terms.”

“Good.” said Faisand.

“I don’t think she’s trying to destroy you, though.” said Jennis.

“Yes she is.” said Faisand, as Anzende hurried back, buttoning up his shirt.

“Okay.” he said. “You say Elistary fired you. Why did she do that?”

“I told you- well, I told Faisand. She’s a bitch and I was trying to keep riffraff out of her place. Did you ever hear of this guy called Wern?”

“I know five guys named Wern, all in Kiesens. I’m not a Verss cop, if that’s what you were thinking.”

“Well, this one raped a little girl, a lot of years ago, and got out of prison within the last year. He was coming around Mistress Elistary- the house, not the person- and I was trying to keep an eye on him. He hadn’t got in any trouble, but then Allie…”

Jennis broke off, with Faisand and Demarle looking at her curiously. After a moment, she said “Give me a minute.”

“Who’s this Allie? Somebody at Mistress Elistary?”

“Dammit.” said Jennis. “What was I thinking? I shouldn’t have gone off like that.”

“Who’s Allie?” repeated the cop. Behind and above him the boy cub Hallem heard the cop-tone in his voice, peeked over the edge of the ledge, stuck his tongue out and ducked out of sight. Then, Brittery could be heard demanding, “Put that down!”

“What’s he doing, Tery?” called Demarle.

“He wants to throw a chair!”

“Sorry about this…” said Demarle to Anzende. “We didn’t know that little rescue mission was going to turn out this way.”

Anzende Ndeschwin glowered. “I doubt it would help if I told him I was Kiesens and not Verss. I really can’t blame the kid, but I’m not gonna let him throw chairs at me, I’ll tell you that. And my friend Voustrets would never forgive me if I didn’t do this questioning- he might have to come down here himself.”

“Wait,” said Jennis, “do you… Voustrets? The Estrai detective guy? Voustrets Talanstre Laimontre? That one? He’s your friend?”

“Yeah, unfortunately.” said the cop.

“Can I meet him?” said Jennis.

“How much can you tell us about the operations at Mistress Elistary?”

“I was the floor manager until she fired me. I had to hold everything together, keep the accountant from quitting when she made him cook the books…”

Anzende whipped out a phone, and pressed one button. He listened for a few seconds, and said, “Vu, it’s me. Get over here. I’ve got that informant you wanted to find.”

He listened again, and said “Yeah. And what’s more, I have survivors from that Ungov…” and broke off, as a chair hit the floor behind him. “Shit! I’m not going to put up with much of that.”

Demarle called up to the balcony, “Tery, Cery, stop him from doing that!” and heard only swearing coming back.

Anzende glanced at Jennis, who’d finished very little of her story. “You want to see Mistress Elistary taken down a notch, do you?”

“Hell yeah.” said Jennis.

“Cooperate with me and Voustrets. He’s trying to figure out something about her that doesn’t add up, and you can help. But there’s something you can do even sooner than that.”

“What?”

“Go get that kid and bring him down here. He might have another piece of the puzzle… bring him here, don’t hurt him, don’t let him hurt me either.”

Jennis glanced up at the balcony, in alarm.

Anzende caught the glance, and grinned humorlessly. “Yeah. Let’s see how good you really are. No armlocks this time, ma’am.”

Jennis glanced at him, gently coaxed Faisand and Demarle to back off so she could get up, and sprang for the rope ladder without hesitation- only to see it vanish, pulled up onto the balcony by small hands.

“Hey!” cried a feline voice. “Cery, grab him! They want him downstairs!”

There came a low chuckle, and a “Get away from me!”, and Jennis decided that she’d get nowhere letting the upstairs kitties play.

She jumped up as high as she could and grabbed the telephone pole, to the surprise of Demarle and Faisand, who knew she didn’t have claws. That was perfectly true, but she was in a hurry, and if the rope ladder wasn’t available, she’d manage other ways.

Jennis hung on with her arms, splayed her legs out, and grabbed the pole between her feet- and proceeded to swarm up the pole about half as fast as the Nerre did, just alternately grabbing with hands and feet, distracted only slightly by hearing Arle below breathe, “Oh, dibs on that one…”

At the top, she braced her paws and jumped over to the balcony, to see the tall rangy butterscotch kitty stalking the male cub. She was clearly enjoying herself, and Jennis imagined the amazing assortment of neuroses and fetishes the kid would get if she allowed the kitty to ‘catch’ him.

“Cut it out!” she snapped.

“It’ll only take a moment…” purred the butterscotch kitty.

“No, I mean it.” said Jennis. “Back off!”

“Do as she says, Daucery!” came Faisand’s voice from below, and Daucery promptly turned and padded off, with a definite ‘I meant to do that’ air to her. Jennis wondered again at the strange pack arrangements of these Nerre, but only for a moment, as she had bigger problems.

“Hey!” she called to the kid.

“Fuck you!”

That wasn’t helpful, but trust these amateurs to stampede the boy into complete rebelliousness- since he’d begun by throwing chairs, there was no point assuming cooperativeness.

“Hey, I need your help with something.”

“No way! Fuck you!” the kid replied, looking cornered. He eyed the drop over the balcony, apparently calculating how badly he’d be hurt if he just jumped and ran for it. The answer was not reassuring, so he stood his ground.

“I mean it. I need you calmer, able to talk.” said Jennis levelly.

“Yeah, to the cop!”

“Hey, you know Mistress Elistary?”

“What?” said the kid.

“Do you know Mistress Elistary?”

“I don’t care. Fuck off!”

“It’s a whorehouse, kid. Ever heard of it at all?”

“So is this! I don’t care about that stuff, and I don’t care what…”

“They fired me from that place, because I was trying to get rid of a guy that hurt a little kid like you.”

“So? And I’m not that little, and…”

“I hate Elistary. That’s the lady that runs that place. It’s named after her, you know. She’s the one that fired me.”

“Tough luck. Why should I care? You’re all a bunch of coercive assholes, I need to get me and my sister out of here…”

“You fuckin’ crazy, kid? Where you going to go?”

“I can run down a bunch of levels to where the cops don’t dare to follow. I thought we’d be okay here for a while.”

“Listen, I need to use that cop. Quit throwing chairs at him.”

“That’s a laugh. Use a cop? You’re joking.” said the kid.

“What’s your name?” said Jennis unexpectedly.

“Uh, Hallem. No, don’t tell me, you’re gonna start using my name and sounding all parental,” he said bitterly, “and you think I’m going to trust you ‘cos of that…”

“No, kid, you’re gonna trust me because I’m not jumping you and because I called off the big kitty. She coulda taken you down in seconds, you saw her.”

“True.” said Hallem. “What do you mean, you’re gonna use the cop?”

“Ever heard of an Estrai detective who lives in Kiesens? A Voustrets Talanstre Laimontre?”

“Um, yeah? That guy’s famous. He’s kinda cool, I guess. Not a real cop.”

“Ever been to Kiesens?”

“No,” said the kid, “only Verss. And h… and home.”

Jennis kept throwing in conversational twists, keeping the kid off balance. “I think this cop here is wrong. You think he’s wrong?”

“Uh… on general principles yes totally,” said Hallem, “but what are you talking about?”

“Well, on the one hand he figures I can’t bring you down to talk to him…”

“Fuck that!”

“But he also probably expects me to just grab you, and you can see I’m not doing that…”

“You try it!”

“Give me a break, kid, seriously! Can’t you see I’m doing things differently from that? I coulda just had the kitty pounce you. And the cop is wrong in another way.”

“Oh yeah?”

“Yeah.” said Jennis. “Listen up. He said he doubts if it would help if you knew he was from Kiesens and not Verss. I’m gonna explain to you exactly why that does matter. It’s shit you need to know anyhow on the streets, so you have every reason to pay attention…”

Downstairs, Anzende stared hectically up at the wolf madam and the orphan kid. What a clusterfuck, he thought- where do you start? How do you fix something that’s gone that sour?

“Hon?” said Faisand.

“Erf?”

“You looked so angry. You’re not going to arrest that kid, or our new bouncer, are you?”

“No, no, I didn’t.” mumbled Anzende.

“Oh, yes, you did.” said Faisand tartly. “I’m not sure it’s advisable, it does seem like the last thing that child will tolerate.”

“She’s right.” said Demarle. “You looked- frightening.”

“I’m not, really.” said Anzende. “Not if I don’t need to be. That bothers you?”

“Do you mean me, or Arle?” said Faisand.

“Demarle, of course.”

“Well…” said Demarle hesitantly, “yes, I guess I have to admit that. I don’t like admitting it. When Magarce is away I am the main bouncer, because I’m the biggest and strongest apart from Cery, and she’s… odd about aggressive Runge males and can’t be trusted to deal with them. I shouldn’t find you intimidating, but I do.”

“I don’t think I’ll have to be intimidating with you. Apart from you guys concealing stuff from me, but that won’t happen again, alright? Say, you need to tell that new lady the same thing- no hiding information, especially if it’s rough stuff. I’ll look after you but I need the truth.”

“Uh-huh.” said Demarle. “At this point I’m okay with that. I thought we could be safe with Magarce because she was so aggressive, but I guess we were wrong…”

“Listen, if you find out about her, or she turns up- don’t hold out on me. You know she needs to be kept somewhere safe. Maybe they can even make some progress with her.” said Anzende.

“Don’t bet large sums on it.” said Faisand, wryly.

“Hang on- why’d he say of course? You asked if he meant me or you,” said Demarle, “about his anger bothering us. He said me ‘of course’.”

Faisand leaned over and snuggled against Anzende’s side. “I trust him- but also I’ve seen him like that so often. You never have, because he was playing a big baby to get in here secretly. We’d talk about what was happening on the street…”

“As soon as I realized you guys were fooling me I wondered what you were really doing all those years…”

“Fucking, darling.” winked Faisand. “But he was also picking my brain for everything I knew about street-level Verss. I could observe things he couldn’t. I’ve been a spy. It was all rather sexy and exciting…”

“But… fucking can’t have made him angry! You’re way too good at it for that!”

“Thank you, darling,” said Faisand, “and of course it wasn’t that. I often used it to try and soothe him- we do love each other, have for years. No, what I mean is just that- street-level Verss.”

“He wants to fight criminals, then?”

Faisand thought. “I’m not sure how much of this he’d like to have explained…”

“Go ahead.” said Anzende. “I think you’re all sort of stepping into that role.”

“They’re not going to share everything I have with you!” replied Faisand. “If I’m yours, well then, you’re mine!”

“Of course not,” said Anzende. “I’d think you’d understand Runge by now, maybe your line of work confused things. I’ll be faithful, totally- what I mean is, they can help be my eye on the street.”

“This is weird, Faisand.” said Demarle. “Since when did you abandon your career?”

“It’s sort of abandoned me- we’ll talk. But enough about that, you wanted to know about Anzende, why he’s so angry.”

“Sure. It’s not about the crime, then? I would think that would be enough.”

“Crime’s not as bad in Kiesens, at all. They’re doing a lot of community outreach. Anzy’s behind a lot of that. His friend Voustrets advises, too. He’s got this theory that crime is part of a feedback loop that includes the responses to it, and the extent to which cops know the people they’re supposed to be policing…”

“Really? That sounds very dangerous. There’s murders every day in Verss.”

“Do you know how many murders in Verss are committed by police?” said Anzende, and there was a hint of that anger again in his voice.

“I know occasionally they get some celebrity, or somebody who’s got money or influence, and it makes the papers. Come to think of it, these kids that are here…”

“More than half.” said Anzende. “How many in Kiesens?”

“More than whuh? You’re kidding. All right, how many in Kiesens?”

“None. The p..”

“Just last month there was! It was in the papers, a sort of drug kingpin…”

“That guy’s no longer a cop.”

“They made it out to be a hell of a fight… the cop, he was like a hero…”

“He got reviewed, he did justify his actions, though I wouldn’t call him a hero. He’s not a cop anymore. He’s retired. Mandatory.”

“Are you joking?”

“Dead serious. If you want to remain a cop in Kiesens, you have to bring guys in without killing them. Some of the bad guys are a lot more worried about other bad guys than about us. It’s like, if our guys kill they’re retired or put in jail- and if the bad guys get in too hot water, sometimes they turn to us for protection. Guys will go to jail if they know they’re being seriously hunted on the outside.”

“That works? I mean,” said Demarle, “that really works?”

“It works a little.” said Anzende, and he sounded a little proud of himself as he said it.

“That’s awesome. So why are you so angry, then?”

The anger immediately showed.

“Here in Verss, they just hunt the bad guys themselves.”

“But… these kids that are here now, they almost got killed too!”

“No shit.” said Anzende bitterly. “And they wonder why they have a war on their hands.”

“Anzy becomes very upset with this city, at times.” said Faisand.

“It’s just such a huge problem,” muttered the wolf cop, “it’s hard to know where to start…”

“Hey, they’re coming down!” said Demarle.

They were indeed. The rope ladder flipped over the edge, and first to start down it was the boy cub. They couldn’t see his face, and Jennis was waiting for him to reach the first floor before descending herself.

“Don’t approach him, dear.” said Faisand softly, and Anzende stayed put.

The kid turned, and glared- clearly Jennis hadn’t changed his mind much, but he walked over anyhow, to stand in front of Anzende with his paws on his hips.

“She says you’re not a Verss cop.” said Hallem.

“Yeah, I’m not a Verss cop.”

“She says you’re from a place called Kiesens.”

“Yeah.”

“She says you’re really different in Kiesens, and you might be trying to do something that doesn’t suck. Are you different from a regular cop?”

Anzende stared back, but it was more of a glare- perhaps just through frustration and the pressure of anger and mistrust. The kid didn’t flinch, and just waited for an answer.

Suddenly, the cop moved, and Hallem did flinch, but all Anzende was doing was taking off his hat- and for good measure, taking off his badge. He put them on the bed beside him, and drew a deep breath.

Anyone expecting statements like “I’m very different” was going to get a bit of a shock.

“I AM a regular cop.” growled Anzende. “It’s the clowns in this city who poison that for people like you.”

“People like me? You mean criminals?”

“Come off it, kid. You’re no criminal.”

“I’m an anarchist. What do you think about that?”

“So what? Do all you anarchists throw chairs at people you don’t like?”

Hallem was taken aback at this. “You’re an enemy! It was sort of self defense.”

“Yeah, kid, but I’m just sitting here. Is it the anarchist thing to just attack people for sitting there?”

“Of course not,” said Hallem. “You’re a coercer! That’s your whole job, so don’t try to weasel out of it.”

Anzende wished he had the wit of his friend Voustrets- failing that, he did his best to stay sharp. “Coercer, huh? But you see I’m still just sitting here. What if I do nothing? I’m from Kiesens, I work a desk job. You’re obviously not from Kiesens, huh?”

“Runge lady says it’s different there.” said Hallem guardedly.

“Bigtime. Kid, I gave civilians my police cruiser so they could go rescue you. It came back with the two civilians, two kids, and a Tompar who’s out having lunch with the civilians. Name one Verss cop who’d do that.”

“Why didn’t you go?” asked the kid shrewdly.

Anzende looked down, awkwardly. “Uh…”

“We were making love.” said Faisand.

“Yeah. That.” said Anzende. “As strange as it may seem to you…”

“Is that ALL you were doing?” asked the kid.

“What do you mean, all?” said Faisand. “Dear child, you may not understand yet, but between a Nerre and a Runge it’s quite a procedure, let me just say! It had my full att…”

“No!” said Hallem. “What I mean is- was he really only doing it for romance, or maybe he’s really using you as a spy to learn about stuff he can’t find out for himself?”

Faisand was speechless, and Anzende blinked in surprise at the kid’s insight- assuming he hadn’t simply overheard snatches of conversation from upstairs. Even if he had, he was slanting it in a bad direction.

“Both, kid.” said Anzende. “Seriously, both, to the Nth degree. I love this Nerre lady with all my heart and don’t want anybody else. But hell yeah, she’s my spy.”

“On what?”

“What do you think?”

“On criminals. Like us. But it’s just me and my sister left now.”

“Yes and no, kid. On criminals- but more and more, it’s the ones with badges.”

“Do you expect me to believe that?” said Hallem.

“Damn right I do. For starters, I want to know as much as you can stand to tell me about the cops that raided you…”

“Why?” said the kid.

“Because it’s out of character, even for a Verss raid squad, to do what they did. You can believe that or not, I don’t care, I’m just telling you. They never did anything like that before, did they?”

“No.” said Hallem. “They never did anything like that before. We’d have been ready if they had, we didn’t expect it.”

“Did they say anything- anything at all- to suggest a reason for what they did?”

“You fucking go ask them. If you’re a cop and all…”

“Okay,” said Anzende, “this is gonna cheer you up, kid. I can’t do that.”

“They won’t talk to you? They hate you for being a wuss from Kiesens?”

“As a matter of fact, some of them do take that attitude, but that’s not the reason. They’re dead, kid. All but one.”

He waited for a second, and said “This is your cue to say ‘good’, ‘kay? I won’t hold it against you.”

“No,” said the kid, “I wouldn’t say that.”

“Charitable of you.” said Anzende. “What would you say?”

“I’d say whoever did it was t.. too l… too late…”

Hallem stood very straight, with his arms by his sides, but with that he broke down completely and silently, weeping with his chin held high and his teeth clamped tight.

“Oh, hell.” said Anzende after a moment. “Somebody? For God’s sake somebody go to him, I sure can’t…”

Jennis was up in a flash, but made a point of not just grabbing Hallem. She saw his terrible, brittle tension, and just put one arm across his shoulders, not attempting to draw h