FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

_ Light shone in Thicket's eyes as the interviewer shoved a microphone into his face._ "So," the interviewer said, "why do you want a harem?"

_ "I don't. I was forced to do this against my will."_

_ The interviewer sighed. "We know that, okay? But you need to give us something we can show to an audience."_

_ Thicket nodded. "I see. I'll try again."_

_ "Thank you." The interviewer turned to his cameraman. "Now, roll." He cleared his throat. "Thicket, why do you want a harem?"_

_ "Because after being a slave my whole life, I've decided to try out not being one instead. Everyone talks about it like it's better."_

_ The interviewer took a deep breath. "We can make that work," he said._

Thicket's brow was curled as he sat in his transport, rocketing toward the mansion where, if he played his cards right, his life would change forever. He strategized. He'd not seen as much of these shows as others, but he'd seen some. The key is to make alliances, he reminded himself. There were supposed to be four other slaves. If he could form his fellows into a voting bloc, he could guarantee a win. "And when I win, I'll sell off the masters, -- give them a taste of their own medicine -- and use the wealth to start toward..." Thicket's goal caught in his throat as he muttered it.

That's a hard thing to do, even if you win, he told himself. He took a deep breath, and clenched his hoof. He stared ahead, out the window which revealed the mansion to him, in the distance. He smirked. They've trained me my whole life to do hard things. It's about time it came back to bite them.

_ Alpha licked his lips as the interviewer spoke to him. Why did he want a harem? "Have you ever fucked a bitch?"_

_ The interviewer's eyes went a bit wide. He tried to speak, but Alpha cut him off. "No, no," Alpha said, "not 'have you ever had sex?' or even 'have you ever had sex with a slave?' Have you ever fucked a bitch? Have you ever held a subordinate down against a hard surface, closed your eyes, ignored their cries and really thrashed your favorite hole of theirs?"_

_ The interviewer, some dumb fox, tilted his head. "Uh... I think s--"_

_ "No of course you haven't," Alpha said. He grinned. "But I have." He leaned back and rocked in his chair. "I have, and everyone in my pack has." He leaned forward, into the microphone. "Of course, high quality fuckmeat is hard to come by. Sometimes I have to hold my boys back so they won't damage one of the only two really good bitches we have right now. Do you realize how stupid that is?" He leaned back again. "Well, fourteen new sex slaves ought to take care of that. My boys'll have all the bitches they need for a long while."_

_ "And what if you lose?"_

_ Alpha tilted his head. "What did you just ask?"_

_ The fox's brow was furled in just the most hilariously adorable way. "What if you lose?"_

_ Alpha laughed. "What if I lose? That's a stupid question."_

Alpha smiled as his transport arrived at the mansion where he'd be taming his new slaves. He felt his cock expanding out of his sheath as the driver pulled up to the gate. He turned his gaze to his crotch. "Not now, little one," he said, not that it was little compared to the others he'd encounter. "You'll get to play due time."

He felt the car stop. He stood up and walked outside.

_ Berry took a deep breath. "I'... I'm... I'm sorry," he said._

_ "It's okay," the interviewer said. He was more forgiving than any master Berry had ever had. "We'll try it again. Berry, why do you want a harem?"_

_ Berry thought. "I... well... I was sold here, uh..." Berry tensed up, waiting for the interviewer to scream at him. He'd surely pushed his luck too far this ti--_

_ "But you want to win, yes?"_

_ "I... Uh..." Berry took a deep breath. "Well, I suppose," he said._

_ "And what will you do, with fourteen sex slaves, valued at just over a million dollars each?"_

_ "I, uh... Well... I'd, um... have sex? I think? And, uh, maybe sell some..."_

_ "Cut," Berry heard. His eyes fell downcast._

Berry felt sweat run off his paws as he stepped out of the transport. He looked around. There were five, ten, fourteen other pods.

Berry gulped.

His hand shook as he started to scan over them, only to have his thoughts interrupted by a loud voice. "WELCOME, WELCOME, LADIES, GENTLEMEN, AND CREATURES OF VARIOUS ASSORTMENTS," Berry heard as he scrambled to cover his ears.

He saw some large raptor flying amidst harshly bright lights. "WELCOME, MY FRIENDS, TO, WHO WANTS A HAREM?" Oh gods, he'd thought the cursed bird couldn't get any louder!

_ _ "IN THIS MANSION BEHIND ME," he gestured to the mansion behind him, "THE FATES OF FIFTEEN FURS LIKE YOURSELVES WILL BE DECIDED. TODAY, TEN FREE MEN AND FIVE SLAVES WILL ENTER THAT MANSION, AND OVER THE NEXT FOURTEEN WEEKS, ONE WILL EARN THE RIGHT TO FOURTEEN LUXURIOUS SERVANTS! WHAT HE DOES WITH THEM IS UP TO HIM, WHETHER HE SELLS THEM FOR THE MASSIVE SUMS THEY'RE SURE TO BE WORTH, OR," the eagle sniggered, "USES THEM AS THEY WERE INTENDED. HOWEVER, EACH OF THESE MEN MUST BE VERY CAREFUL, FOR IN THIS MANSION, WELL, WHERE DO YOU THINK THE SLAVES WILL COME FROM? NOW, LET'S MEET OUR CONTESTANTS!"

With that, a massive spotlight moved to shine in Berry's face. He closed his eyes and covered them, trying to block out the searing light.

_ Orion waited in the chair for the interviewer to speak. He'd prepared his answers to each likely question carefully. "Orion, why do you want a harem?"_

_ "For my colony," Orion said._

_ "To use or to sell?"_

_ "Likely some mix, depending on the prices they fetch. Actually, the other night, I worked out a scheme to weigh individual pleasure for the colony against monetary gain from sale. It was complicated. there are a lot of factors to weigh."_

_ "I'll bet. You must have spent all night working on it."_

_ "Oh, no, I'd never risk a sleep debt, and it only takes good planning to avoid one. I simply--"_

_ "Very nice." Orion's face scrunched up a bit. "But tell me, out of your entire colony, why did you come?"_

_ "We have a reputation for studiousness," Orion said, "but me most of all. I've spent an enormous amount of time prior to this competition studying sexual techniques, as well as reproductive biology for various species. I consider myself well prepared."_

_ "Did you have a reputation for sexual prowess?"_

_ Orion tilted his head at that, and squinted. "No," he said. "That's why I had to study so hard for it."_

Orion watched the rabbit shy away as the spotlight hit him. He felt a pang of pity for the creature. "Just move the spotlight away from him," he thought, but someone else actually said.

"You might want to dim the spotlight on him," a deep, grumbly voice said. Orion looked over to its source. His eyes widened a bit. He hadn't heard there would be a dragon.

The host looked at the dragon, then down at the bunny and to Orion's surprise, gave a signal to dim the lights. The bunny opened his eyes, and turned toward the dragon, who gave him a nod. The host carried on. "This little bunny here is one of our five slaves, offered a rare chance at true, legal freedom if this competition ends in their favor. Possessing a reputation at brothels around Rubyton for his," the host smirked at the camera, "gentle touch, Berry has a lifetime of experience on his side. But, will that experience lead him to victory?"

The whole look of the creature was nervous. He shook as though his knees might fall from under him at any moment. It almost seemed cruel to allow a wreck like that into the competition.

The host flew over to another contestant, a purple jaguar, and shone the spotlight on him. "Speaking of Rubyton," he said, "Ankur Cotton is a native. Born free, though on the lesser side of town, fourteen slaves would certainly be an infusion of wealth into his family." Everything paused for a moment, as if to give the audience a chance to laugh. Orion looked the jaguar over. He was conventionally attractive, but a free person in poverty likely had little in the way of experience or knowledge, at least of the high quality sort. He wasn't a major threat.

"Next up," the host said, as the spotlight shifted to a lion, "we have a man some of you may have heard of before. He's the only true noble to feature in our competition, I give you, Urian Nocturn, scion of the lord of the Sapphire coasts!"

The lion waved his hands and blew kisses at the audience as the spotlight fell on him. "A true lord?" Orion thought. He hadn't expected a person of such high standing to enter the competition. They'd seemingly have so much to lose, and so many ways to gain all the sex slaves they really wanted. Resources were a consideration for his colony, but for a man like this? What could he gain from it? What possible ploy could it serve?

By the lion's smile, he clearly enjoyed even the brief attention he was now receiving, but it surely wasn't so petty as that.

Before Orion's thoughts could labor long on it, the spotlight had moved again. "Our next contestant, ladies and gentlemen, is not a lord, but a man intimately associated with the slave trade. Why, it's the CEO of Pleasurecorp himself. Audience, I give you, Carden Strike!"

The tiger gave nothing but a respectful bow as the spotlight hit him, but several of the contestants were wide-eyed. The deer next to Orion looked almost like he was drooling. Joining this competition almost made sense for such a person, Orion decided. It was likely a publicity maneuver. Still, the risk... Orion was a servant to his colony. He had little to lose. But these rich and powerful men...

The spotlight shifted again, this time to a Lizard. "And now, my lovely audience, we move to a man of an entirely different sort. Deep from the jungles of South Sarcenia, I give you an exotic lover like no other, Achaeron Sun! Head of the 'Tribe of the Sun,' this creature has led his, admittedly modest, people as they've eked their way in those harsh jungles."

Orion looked up and down the lizard. He was something of an exotic beauty, though Orion wondered how exotic he really was, and how much of it was for the cameras.

The spotlight moved from there to a massive bull. It was getting close to Orion now. "Next up, we have our most... controversial candidate. This is Zatus Gnayer, and if any of you recognize his name, it might be because you heard about his case." The host's smile, though ever-persistent, was weaker. "Zatus has never owned a slave in his life, but he has raped all the same, and not gently either. His savage killing spree shocked the Empire, but here, in this mansion, this man just may earn a second chance. Will he receive a legal outlet for his, heh, favorite form or recreation, or will he be on the receiving end of it?"

Of all the contestants, this one perplexed Orion the most. The creature had no chance of winning. He'd be voted off quickly. Still, since when did the emperor's knighted police allow this sort of thing?

Then again, was it more shocking than some of the snuff he'd seen on TV?

Orion didn't worry about being such a victim himself. Of all the people here, there was none less likely to be victorious than such a being as that.

From the bull, the spotlight moved to the mouse next to Orion. He'd come after this. "Next up, let no man say only free criminals have a chance here. Don't worry, everyone, Astro here is no rebel, well, not in the militaristic sense. He is, however, famously difficult to tame."

With the spotlight illuminating him, Orion could make out old whipping scars on the mouse. The creature would have had to be awfully disobedient to warrant that, but then again, with the bull on here, it was hardly impossible.

"Will this creature win his freedom in this mansion, or will the task of taming him finally be accomplished by the winner of this competition?"

With that, the spotlight moved to Orion.

_ Astro lay back across the chair. They'd told him he needed to sit up proper, but after he persisted for a while, they said they would spin it as part of his "screen persona." If they wanted to paint him as the kind of guy who would lay back and not bother with anything, Astro had no objections. He'd appreciate having an excuse later._

_ "So," the ugly fox said, "why do you want a harem?"_

_ "Because the alternative is to be in a harem, and I've had nineteen years of that at the hands of you fucks."_

_ The fox seemed genuinely angry about that last part. "Look, we can only sell so much wryness from a slave if you want the public to like you--"_

_ "I don't. I don't care."_

_ "Well I do." He grumbled. "Just answer it again, but without that last part. Rephrase it if you need something like it."_

_ Astro nodded. "Okay."_

_ The fox signaled for the camera to resume rolling. "So, why do you want a harem?"_

_ "Because otherwise I'd have to be in a harem, and I've had enough dickhead masters to--"_

_ "CUT!" The fox growled. "May I remind you that you are a slave? Do you not think we could punish you if it became necessary?"_

_ "No. I know you can't. I read over everything very carefully. You're not allowed to."_

_ The fox let out a low growl, before snorting at Astro. He turned back to his cameraman. "We'll cut something together from all of that," he said. "I want it out of my sight."_

Astro turned to his left as the spotlight moved to a bat. "By contrast, our next contestant is a very cooperative member of his community." The host was bad at insulting him. "A member of the Black Jade colony, Orion Tiberius is a genius with an IQ of over 170. But, will this bat's brains allow him to win his prize, or will brawn crush him in this battle?"

Astro chuckled. As though there was a battle. Perhaps between the tiger and the lion. More likely, one of them was running this competition and had it rigged from the start. He almost felt sorry for the bat. Almost.

From there, the spotlight panned over to a tall deer. "Next, another slave. This creature's name is Thicket. Thicket has a reputation among lords and rich men for his skills in bed, but thicket's real skill is on the field. Up until four years ago, he was the champion foot-racer in the empire, as in he won the championship race five years in a row, and don't think he's record's been bad since. He's placed second or third every year since then, and retains the local championship he's had for most of his career."

Astro's instinct was to hate the deer. Any slave put to work on a sport, who not only kept himself from getting whipped, but put true effort into his work, was a traitor in his book. However, there was something on the deer's stoic, determined face, some fire in his eyes, which made Astro second-guess that instinct. He somehow didn't look like the submissive type, despite what Astro had just heard, and the fur sure was determined to win. Poor, sad thing.

The spotlight moved on to a large horse as the host spoke again, donning a smirk. "From a Lord, and a CEO, from a slave and two criminals, my friends, we move on to a god, or at least, that's what many a man and woman around the empire would tell you." Astro hated him already. The horse smiled at the camera, moving between different poses, flexing his arms, then his legs, then his chest, like the most colossal tool. "I'm sure most of you are aware of this magnificent specimen: Bolt Aladdin, model, widely accepted most-attractive-man-in-the-empire. But can his looks alone lead him to victory?"

Astro laughed. If they wanted to make it clear that this really was rigged, could they have even done better than to add in a model to be enslaved? The joke was on horse.

The camera moved over to what Astro judged to be another asshole, as big, though perhaps slightly less stinky; an otter who was actually jumping in place right the fuck now like he was high on cocaine. Maybe he was. "Our next contestant is more of a local celebrity," the eagle squawked. "Known at his local brothel as the 'virgin stomper,' not for his size, but sheer energy and apatite." And Astro was once again right about someone being an asshole.

The camera moved on to a gigantic rhino. Astro took a deep breath as soon as he saw that creature's face. "Next up, another slave. This lovely rhino is named Spartan. My friends, if you've never heard of Spartan, or at least a slave like him, then you have very vanilla tastes. However, I assure you that the cock of a well-trained slave is just as grand a thing to enjoy as any of their holes, and Spartan has the greatest cock of them all."

He was the greatest cock of them all, the bird brain meant. Astro had met this thing before. It had been attempt #762 to tame him, by having this creature rape him all day and all night until he learned to like it. It'd gone on for seven cursed days. The only thing to dull his hatred of the rhino was its near mindlessness. They always say slaves aren't people, but of Spartan it was really true. Fucker talked like it was a wild, non-sapient rhino who stood up but didn't otherwise change.

The spotlight moved again, this time to a slender wolf. "Our next contestant is a proud wolf, head of his pack. This is Alpha Nightwalker." As the creature's name was spoken, Astro could have sworn he shot him a look, and licked his lips. Astro shuttered, but he took a deep breath. "Alpha's pack is one of the most successful in his district. Said by all who know him to be a confident wolf, will he prove to have the skills needed to back it up?"

Astro took a few deep breaths as the camera moved on to another face he thought he recognized, though he wasn't entirely sure. "My lovely viewers, among the slaves we've covered so far, there have been famous ones, infamous ones, athletes and courtesans, but if you want the greatest slave in the empire, acknowledged by nearly all, I give you the fabulous fox himself, Andro!"

"Traitor," Astro muttered as Andro waved as obnoxiously as the horse had, though mercifully he did not flex. He was more of a sleek creature than a musclebound one, and while Astro saw what about him appealed to masters so much, he knew that anyone so beloved of babyfucking monsters must be an asshat of the highest order. No one just doing what they had to do to keep from being beaten gained a reputation as the best in the Empire. Whichever man rigged this, he hoped he made life hell for this fuckwad.

_ "So, Andro, why do you want a harem?" the interviewer asked._

_ Andro smiled, eyeing the camera like it were a client's hungry face. "Well," he said, "I'm pretty good at what I do, as I'm sure you've heard. To be honest, I can't imagine a kinder fate than spending the rest of your life getting the same treatment highborn men and women have paid my owners millions for." He leaned back in his chair. "So I guess that's your answer. I want a harem out of the goodness of my heart."_

_ "Great response!" the interviewer said, shutting the camera off. Andro took a deep breath. "So, eh, you busy tonight?" the cameraman asked, almost shyly. Andro looked at him and smiled. "I wish I could," Andro wasn't sure if he wished he could, "but we're not allowed anything outside the challenges until we're eliminated or win."_

_ "Oh, I see," the interviewer said. "Will you win?" he asked._

_ "Probably," Andro said. "It's a sex competition, and I'm a guy people pay a million dollars to have sex with. I think I stand a good chance."_

Waving and blowing kisses at a crowd, even one on the other side of a camera, was second nature for Andro. His thoughtspace was free to contemplate other matters. The idea of being free had never occurred to him before, not even as a child. That must have been what they liked so much about him back then -- that plus the fact that he was already quite skilled by the time he could speak.

Even if he won his freedom, he'd keep working. A night with him was worth half what he'd be winning here, or it would have been were the price of whoever was enslaved here not inflated by having been a contestant on a reality TV show.

Andro sighed once the spotlight was safely off him. Perhaps he'd only set himself up for disappointment by counting his chickens before they hatched. He turned his attention to the dragon next to him. "Last but not least, my splendiferous viewers, I give you a real, live, flesh and blood dragon." The creature's scaled body stared nobly up at the camera. "If he's not as big as you expected, that's because, while he's legal, don't worry, Rynarth, Lord of the Red Sky did leave the nest only recently. Will he establish a hoard of slaves in this mansion, or will be become the first of his kind to enter a life of servitude himself? It's about time for us to see. For that, my dear audience, is all of the contestants. And with that, the competition shall now begin!"

The huge spotlight which had been shifting between all of them split into fifteen parts, the rabbit's dimmer than the others. That dragon was persuasive, Andro had to give him. "Now, before your first challenge begins, I think each of you deserve a nice meal, no? Well, there's a wonderful buffet awaiting you in the mansion. Please, eat, chat amongst yourselves before the first challenge begins. After all," the eagle grew a sinister smirk, "the first elimination will occur tonight."

With that, the eagle flew off.

Andro turned toward the mansion. It was spectacular; half a hundred feet high and ten times as long, adorned with faintly glowing columns. Without the spotlight in his face, Andro could really drink in the fountain around which they'd been standing. It must have been thirty feet tall, with five platforms down which water trickled in an intricate pattern which would have taken Andro hours to trace.

As Andro walked into the mansion, he smelled the fresh food; carnivore's delight to the right, carrots or something to the left. Inside, well-treated oaken tables sat atop a silky red and gold carpet with an intricate floral pattern, each covered in a white tablecloth.

Andro got himself some feral lamb and sat down. Almost as soon as he did, the deer sat at the same table as him, setting down a tray of shredded grass and broccoli. He leaned forward. "Hello," he said, extending his digeted forehoof for a pawshake. "I'm Thicket."

"I know," Andro said, accepting the pawshake. "The eagle was very clear about that fact."

The deer smiled, though Andro couldn't get a read on whether or not it was genuine. "I want to talk about forming an alliance," Thicket said.

"Alliance?" Andro asked, smiling and leaning forward like he would with a client.

Thicket leaned forward too, getting a bit quieter. "Me, you, and a few others will collude to vote together. We'll target people inclined to vote against us first, then non-members in general. If we play it right, we can narrow it down to just the four or five of us who end up in the alliance."

"And what then?" Andro knew it was a good idea, and he should probably accept unless he got a better offer from someone else.

"We go our separate ways and let the dice fall where they may," Thicket said. "I only intend on inviting persons I consider to be acceptable winners into this alliance."

"Who?"

Thicket hesitated for a moment, but finally leaned in closer. "The slaves. That's you, me, the rabbit, the mouse and the rhino."

Andro took a bite of his meat. "Wouldn't it be better to have an alliance not united by a theme? It'd be harder for the others to figure out."

Thicket leaned back a bit, seeming genuinely taken aback by that. "Who else would you be willing to risk winning? Someone who will rape us? Someone who will sell us off to someone who will?"

Maybe that was a decent point. Andro sat back. "Consider yourself to have a tentative yes from me," he said, "depending on how teams are split up."

Thicket nodded. "Okay." That seemed to satisfy him, and he walked off.

_ Rynarth sat in the chair, though he suspected the other contestants would regard it as a couch, across from the interviewer. "So," the interviewer said, "why do you want a harem?"_

_ "To me, it is not a harem," Rynarth said, "to me, it is a hoard."_

_ "A hoard?"_

_ "Or at least, the foundations on which a hoard may be built. With a harem of fourteen, I can begin to amass wealth through their sale and rental, apart from the fact that they are themselves wealth."_

_ "How many of them will you sell?"_

_ "Likely none. My instinct will always be to never sell anything in my hoard. I imagine I could amass quite a bit if I opened up a brothel with all of them and expanded it from there."_

_ The interviewer smiled. "And will you enjoy them yourself?"_

_ "Oh, of course," the dragon said. "I'll enjoy them very much."_

Rynarth took a long looping path around the room, feigning an attempt to find a table to sit at. His real purpose was espionage. If Rynarth was glad about one thing, it was that he had been born a dragon. Any other race would have to be at a table to hear anything from it. Rynarth, though, sat down right by the deer and the fox as soon as he saw them whispering.

Their talk of an alliance of slaves piqued his interest, though there was something prejudiced about the idea that only those born into bondage were acceptable victors. As Rynarth listened, he heard the rabbit approach him. He turned, looking down at the small creature. "H... hey," it said, "thanks for... for... for what you said about the lights..."

Rynarth smiled. "You're very welcome."

The rabbit sat across from Rynarth. "I, err, hope you win."

That made Rynarth's eyes widen a bit, but his composure swiftly rejoined him. "So do I," he smiled, "but I'd think you'd hope you win."

"I..." the bunny looked down, rocking from side to side in his seat. "I guess I do but... I don't think it's very likely. I'm not a... a real alpha, the... the sort who could manage a bunch of slaves, you know?"

Rynarth raised an eyebrow. "Who told you that?"

"I... I thought it as soon as I was sold to this show..." He looked up at Rynarth, and flashed an apologetic smile. "I'm... I'm not really the uh... dominant type."

Rynarth had a hard time disagreeing with that self-assessment, but he also felt sorry for the rabbit. He was the sort of creature who required tenderness to deal with, but such creatures always rewarded tenderness well. "You don't have to be the dominant type to win here. This competition is about prowess. You're famous for your prowess, unless the eagle lied."

The rabbit blushed. "He... he uh... I, uh, guess I do have a... reputation."

"Then you have a chance," the dragon said.

"I, uh, thanks..." the rabbit said.

Rynarth noticed the deer moving out of the corner of his eye. He turned. He had sat down to talk with that insolent little mouse. Rynarth turned back to see the bunny staring at him. "My apologies," Rynarth said. The rabbit nodded. Their conversation continued.

_ Tumble fidgeted in his seat. The light was bright. Why was it so bright? Cameras used to need bright lights, but surely that wasn't still true? The camera on his cell phone didn't need bright lights. Oh, hey, they were taking the lens cap off. The lens was shiny. Tumble wanted to touch it, but he couldn't reach it from here. Tumble heard a beep._

_ "And, we're rolling." Rolling? Tumble liked rolling, but these people were standing up. Oh, they meant rolling like a camera rolling. Duh. Why was that called rolling, anyway? The camera was just a big box with a lens on it. There wasn't anything that rolled. Maybe they just called it that to sound fun? It did sound fun._

_ "Tumble, look at the camera," the fox said. Tumble did. "Now, Tumble, why do you want a harem?"_

_ "To have sex with, duh. Right now I always have to pay for it but if I win this competition, and I will because I am awesome, I get to have fourteen people to have all kinds of good times with. It'll be so much fun, for me and them!"_

_ "I see," the cameraman said. "Could you say that again, but a bit slower? You talk very fast, and we need more than a few seconds of footage."_

_ "Oh, okay, sorry," Tumble said._

"I don't see much point in that," Astro said. "I think the whole thing is rigged."

Thicket's eyes almost widened. That couldn't be true. He clenched his hoof under the table. "Why?"

"Think about it. All of these nobles and capitalists enter a competition to own some of the most desired slaves in the Empire, along with some of the most desirable non-slaves. If it isn't totally rigged, it's rigged to come down to the piece of shit noble or the piece of shit slaver, mark my words."

Thicket looked down for a split second. "What about you?" he said. "Why would anyone want to own you, no offense."

Astro smirked. "Offense? That's the greatest compliment you could give me." He leaned back. "To snuff me, maybe? The cats are both, well, cats, maybe one of them wants someone to vore?"

Thicket clenched his fist. "Don't worry," the mouse said. Thicket looked up. "I'm sure whoever it is will have you racing and fucking like you've been your whole life."

"And you think that's an acceptable outcome for me?"

"You seem to have been happy enough with it really to put your antlers into becoming best racer."

"Have you ever heard of a lie?"

Astro took a big gulp of his drink. "Yeah, it's when you say something untrue that doesn't give money to babyfuckers."

Thicket leaned in a bit closer, and whispered. "Not necessarily. You can lie with every part of you, every part of your body, mind and soul. For years, I've lied with my feet, made them think I care about making them money. Every time I'm rented, I lie with whatever part of me they want. I make them think I want to be with them, and that I want them to enjoy me."

"Pff. Pathetic. You spend your whole life lying for them."

"I lie to them," Thicket said, "and the lie is almost over." He sighed. "Look, just in case you're wrong, could you vote with me? What's the worst thing that could happen? I don't think you care about punishment."

Astro flitted his tail. He sighed and sat up. "I suppose. Tell me how to vote and I will."

Thicket smiled. "Thank you." He started to get up.

"Oh, one more thing," Astro said.

Thicket sat back down. "What is it?"

"Spartan, the rhino, he's loyal, like, really loyal. Like, rape me for days to try to break me loyal. He doesn't think without their permission. Don't let him in on this. He'll bust us."

Thicket nodded. "Good to know." He stood up.

Thicket turned away and crossed the room. If the rhino would be a poor one to invite, that just left the bunny. He looked over. Crap. The bunny was talking with the dragon. Thicket looked at the clock. It was after 2:00. This lunch probably wouldn't go on too much longer.

Thicket thought. He could sit down with them, but that would accomplish little. Any obvious attempt to get the dragon away would tip him off to what Thicket was doing, and an alliance like this would be most effective if it were a secret.

Thicket looked around the room. Who here would be the easiest to trick into helping him? On this short notice, it'd need to be someone rock stupid.

"Hey, how are you? Are you doing good today? I'm doing good today. Do you want to sit at a table together? Hey, you're the runner aren't you? I can run really fast. I used to be the fastest runner at my school. You know how when you're a kid how popular everyone is is decided by who can run the fastest? Ooh, I bet you were the most popular kid at your school. Or, wait, you're a slave right? Do slaves go to school with everyone else, or is there like, slave school? To they teach you other things about how to be a good slave at slave school? Like, I bet there are super-advanced erotic arts classes, way more than I ever took. Man, that makes me feel insecure."

Jackpot.

Thicket turned around and knelt down to meet the otter at eye level. "Hey, little guy, could you do me a favor?"

"Only if you say Pleeeeeeeeeeeease."

"Please?"

"Okay. What do you want me to do? Do you want me to bring something somewhere? Ooh, maybe you want me to go get you something. Or do you want me to tell someone somethi--"

"Shh, shh, I'll tell you. I think that dragon over there dropped one of his gems on the front lawn. I'd tell him myself, but you know how dragons can be about their gems. It'd be better if someone other than a slave told him. He might thing I stole it."

"Wait, why? Do dragons not trust slaves? Is it for a reason? Do slaves steal things?"

"Can you do this for me, please?" Thicket asked.

The otter looked down, and then nodded. "Okay." He walked off. Thicket leaned back against the buffet line. He watched the otter go up to the dragon. As soon as he spoke to him, the dragon stood up in a rush, and ran out the door, looking half-panicked at the thought that he just might have lost the tiniest fraction of his precious hoard. Thicket grinned and walked over to the rabbit's table.

_ Ankur sat in the chair. "Sit up straight, please," the cameraman said._

_ "Sorry," Ankur said. He sat up straight._

_ "Now," the interviewer said, "why do you want a harem?"_

_ "My mother is sick," Ankur said. "The surgery to save her is expensive. It's more than I can afford." He looked up, and smiled. "Unless I win here, that is. One sex slave would be worth enough to pay for it five times over, let alone fourteen." His smile grew wider. "We'd be rich. We could rent them out and we'd get loads of money for them, or we could sell them."_

_ "How many would you sell?"_

_ "I don't know. I, hmm... I might go by what they preferred unless they all wanted to be sold." The interviewer and cameraman looked at each other strangely. Ankur tilted his head. "Was that wrong?"_

_ "No," the interviewer said. "We can play it off as charming naiveté. Now, would you use any of them?"_

_ "Probably," Ankur said. "It'd be a hell of a thing to show off to my friends."_

_ "I see," the interviewer said. "That will be all I think."_

Ankur's head snapped toward the door as the host entered. "Contestants, come outside. It's time for the challenge." Ankur could hear the creature's smirk in his voice. "It's time to figure out which one of you will be eliminated." Ankur gulped. He clenched his paw. He wasn't afraid. He had to stay determined. He stood up, and walked with everyone else out the door.

On the ground was a row of machines. They looked like vacuum cleaners, almost, but they had a transparent chamber on top of them. "The machines you see before you are... pleasuring devices." The host grinned. "Of course, most people have slaves for that, though the machines are a smidge cheaper, so they're used in some homes, and by hospitals when there's a medical reason to collect semen.

"Now, these machines are designed to bring you to climax. Your task, my dear contestants, is to subvert that design. You will each be hooked up to one of the machines, and they will be turned on. You may notice that the receptacles in the machines are sized differently, so as to be fit for each of you. Don't worry; they're otherwise identical and fair. Once the devices begin their work, your goal will be to hold back your own climax as long as you can.

"You will continue until all but one of you fail. From there, today's elimination will begin. Whichever two of you were the last to give will become team captains. You'll take turns picking among your fellow contestants, dodgeball style, with whichever of the two winning contestants who lasted the longest picking first." The host gave a devious smirk. "Now, you may have noticed that there are an odd number of you. Well, that's the truly elegant thing about this challenge. Once both teams of seven have been formed, one of you will remain unclaimed by either team. That contestant will be eliminated. Does anyone have any questions?"

The otter raised his hand. "Very good then," the host said. "Take your places."

Ankur scanned the row of machines. One of them had his name written on it. He walked over to it. The tube that came off of the box was the right size and shape for its stated purpose, he supposed. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, trying to think of unsexy thoughts as he lay the thing over his cathood.

_ Zatus leaned back in the chair. He scratched his head near his left horn. The interviewer looked at him, hesitantly. "So... heh heh... Zatus... why do you want a harem?"_

_ "To fuck."_

_ "To fuck?"_

_ Zatus nodded. "To fuck. To fuck in the ass. To fuck in the mouth. To fuck in the cunt."_

_ "But the contestants are all ma--"_

_ "If I want a cunt to fuck I'll cut them one."_

_ The interviewer nodded. "I, err, see." Zatus huffed. The interviewer screamed and lurched backward. "I, uh..." he looked at his notes. "Will you, er... do with any of them what you did to--"_

_ "No," the bull said. "Then I'd be back at square one."_

_ The fox tilted his head. "Why would you go to jail for killing slaves?"_

_ "Not jail, you idiot. I'd be back where I was when I was fifteen. I'd have all of my urges, and not a slave in sight to exercise them on." Zatus licked his lips. "No, no, I'll keep this crop alive. They'll get to be my pets for a long time." Zatus chuckled. The interviewer gave a nervous chuckle of his own._

"Everybody's in position," the host said. "The machines will start in three, two, one, go!"

Zatus leaned back against the grass as the machine tickled his pecker. He smiled, before remembering that he had to hold himself in. He took a deep breath. The machine formed itself around his cock, flaccid, but pent up from the prohibition on sex for the last week, and slid something up and down it. He let out a moan, but regained his stern face. He smirked. It was a new experience for him, trying not to get off.

Another gasp spilled out of his lips. He closed his eyes. What wasn't sexy? He tried to picture the oldest, fattest, most disgusting man he could imagine. He couldn't make the tangy stirrings on his cock go away. He let out another gasp as he felt himself stiffen, though only partway. He heard a loud moan to his right. He turned. He saw the otter making an O face, his machine filling with seed. Zatus chuckled. Already? Had it even been a minute?

He lay back, gasping with pleasure as his shaft came to full staff. He closed his eyes again. He tried to imagine the old man from before, but covered in snot. His cock didn't deflate, but he thought he was turning himself off a bit nonetheless. He snarled. He had to hold himself in. He wasn't exactly popular. If he wasn't a team captain, the odds that he'd get picked would be low, and he may lose right here. He gasped a few more times as the machine slid over him. He heard another fur achieve release. He turned. It was the rabbit. He murred. He'd enjoy that rabbit most of all when he won.

He seethed. He couldn't think about that right now! Come on! Old man covered in slime. Old man covered in slime. Old man covered in slime...

_ "So, why do you want a harem?"_

_ Achaeron thought about the question. "It is split," he finally decided, "fifty fifty. I want the money they are worth and I want to use them for myself."_

_ "So you will sell at least one of them?"_

_ "We will see," the lizard said. He smiled. "I am sure I will not give away the best ones, not even for rental. The best ones are just for me."_

Achaeron murred as the little ring in the machine moved up and down his manhood. He took a few deep breaths. He clenched his cock. As the machine caused his tail to twitch with pleasure, he tried to clear his mind and focus on something else. Strategy. He tried to think about strategy. He moaned. It was hard to think too much about strategy without knowing who would be on his team and who would not. The best he could do was to contemplate general principles. The slaves were the strongest candidates here. They had been trained to pleasure others their whole lives, to varying degrees. The jaguar was probably the weakest, and the bat. They both had no experience.

And even as he thought that, he heard a loud purr. A quick turn of his head told him he'd been right about the jaguar, though his reasoning was immediately challenged by the mouse's release not long after. Of course, endurance was not the only factor in question here.

Achaeron's thinking was further confirmed by the sound of the bat releasing his load. Achaeron moaned. He had no right to judge. He himself was close. Gods, this machine was good at its job. Achaeron let out a few gasps and grunts before finally giving in with a loud moan.

_ "So, why do you want a harem?"_

_ Carden laughed at that question. "I already have a harem!" He laughed louder. "I have a hundred million harems, if I wanted them. If you've ever bought a slave, there's a one in three chance it was from me."_

_ "I see. So, why did you join this competition?"_

_ "A few things. First, I wanted the publicity and all of that. Second, it was going to be the best way to get my hands on a few prized specimens whose owners won't sell." Carden smiled. "Finally, it will be fun."_

_ "Fun, sir?"_

_ Carden nodded. "Yes, fun. Take Andro, for instance. Now, once I own him, it'll be financially irresponsible to use him myself. He needs to spend every waking moment printing me money. However, over the course of the competition, I'll likely end up with him at least once, and it'll be glorious." He smiled. "The deer, too. I've always wondered if running fast was helpful in bed, and I would love to feel that bunny's famous soft touch again. I actually did buy a night with him once, you know. Gods, it was wonderful! He's so tender, so meek." Carden let out a moan just thinking about it._

Carden moaned as the machine pleasured him. He gripped the ground with his claws trying to hold back. He looked around. He saw the bull cum. He smiled. That was one fewer. He turned to his other side and looked around the field. Perhaps this was a bad strategy, but it sort of paid off as the horse winked at him.

Carden smirked. That was a challenge if he'd ever seen one. He closed his eyes. He tried to think of the least attractive thing he could. His punishment pits, he decided, full of burnt flesh and gore, meant to make an example of rebellious slaves. He took deep breaths as he pictured them screaming. He felt himself leave the edge.

_ "Lord Urian," the lion heard as he sat nobly in place, his back arched up proudly. "Why do you want a harem?"_

_ He smiled. "Why, it's only fitting that I, the high lord Urian, should have one," he said. "And not just one, but this one in particular. This is looking to be the best harem in the Empire by the time it's all done. Why, does a lion so fine as myself deserve anything less?"_

_ "Certainly not, milord," the interviewer said. "So, you will use all of them?"_

_ "Oh, certainly," the lion said. "So many of them are just so fabulous!"_

Urian lay back as the machine's mechanical machinations massaged his meat. He moaned. "Come now," he thought. "Think of when it's all done. Motivate yourself." He thought about what it'd be like to feel the wolf's snout over his cock, as the dragon massaged his thighs and the fox lay over him.

Crap! Crap! That was a terrible idea. Urian worked to hijack his imagination. He tried to turn them into withered corpses in his fantasy, crawling with worms and maggots. Wait, were maggots worms?

Urian didn't have long to contemplate that question as he let out a loud moan and failed the challenge. "Drat!" he shouted as he panted.

Thicket fought off erotic thoughts as the machine milked his length like a prize race horse. There was something deeply fitting about that, actually. He wondered if his spunk would be frozen and sold.

If Thicket were a heartless, money-grubbing slaving rapist, he'd probably sell his spunk.

"Come on, focus!" Thicket held on to the image of his mission. He pictured slaves being struck free of their chains, being allowed to go out into the world, and pursue happiness, with no masters. Right now, he was the best hope of that becoming a reality. The ring around his cock moved up and down. Thicket tensed up, trying to hold himself shut, but to no avail. His muscles gave out as his cum exploded out of him.

"Wow, it looks like you really are fast," he heard the wolf shout from across the lawn.

_ Bolt flexed a bit for the camera, subtly, trying to make it look like an accident. "So, Bolt, why do you want a harem?"_

_ "Well, I can't say I'm too creative to be honest." Bolt gave the camera a seductive wink. "I just want to fuck 'em, and I think they'll feel the same way back. After all, millions of men and women do."_

_ "Will you use any of them to make money?"_

_ "Probably," Bolt said. "I may well let some of them continue at any occupations they might have. Truth be told, other than having to deal with this," Bolt gestured toward his groin, "I don't know that their lives will change all that much, even the ones who were free before." Bolt gave the camera a stronger flex, not bothering to make this one look like an accident. "Maybe they'll even be better off."_

Carden was finding it harder and harder to hold back. He heard a soft canine moan across the field. He decided to risk looking over, even if he saw something sexy. Past the muscle-bound horse was the wolf, who seemed to have spilt his load, and the fox followed him right afterward. Just two more left. Carden huffed. Just two more needed to go and he would be safe for this round. He would be... gods that felt goo-- he would be a team captain. Carden heaved. He heaved. Fuck... He moaned. He failed.

He closed his eyes as pleasure struck him like a wave.

_ "So, Spartan, why do you want a harem?"_

_ Spartan looked forward, his eyes all but dead, but his voice firm. "I will compete because I was commanded to."_

_ The interviewer blinked at him. "I see. Well, what would you do with a harem should you win?"_

_ "I do not know. Donate them, perhaps."_

_ "Oh. I see."_

_ There was an awkward silence._

Rynarth moaned and huffed as he tried to keep his load in just a bit longer. It was just him, Spartan and Bolt. He just had to outlast one of them. He closed his eyes, thinking about his hoard, about the mounds of gold and jewels he would amass as he grew over the thousands of years which would be to come for him. All of that would start here.

At the same time, he thought about the bunny. The adorable little thing wouldn't stand a chance if the wrong person won. He thought of the mouse too, for other reasons, and the deer. The thought of their conspiring made him huff, and just as he did, he heard a loud orgasm. He opened his eyes and turned to his right. It was the horse, Bolt. He smiled, moaning from the machine's work on his scaly member. He would be a team captain. Now, he just needed to outlast Spartan so he could pick first. It was a small advantage, compared to the other, but still worth fi... still worth fighting... still wo...

Rynarth felt a gale of pleasure wash over him.

Thicket stood back as the host shouted into his microphone about how the challenge had concluded. He thought. He had managed to get three others to agree to his alliance. Ideally, all four of them would end up on the same team. With teams of seven, that would give him complete control over the votes, and absolute safety provided they lost fewer than four times before the teams split up.

If his allies were split here, on the other hand, he'd have to risk letting a master into the alliance.

"Spartan," the host said, as Thicket's attention returned to him. "You have won this day. Your, heh, resilience has not failed you. You, sir, will be the captain of the Crouching Courtesans!" Fanfare followed, but the Rhino was either oblivious to it or didn't care about it in the slightest. The host walked over to Rynarth as he recovered from his orgasm. "And you, Rynarth, Lord of the Red Sky, you too have won a great victory today, though not quite as great as our friend over there. Still, you shall be the captain of the Rising Rascals!"

The host turned to the camera and gave some spiel, summarizing what had been said earlier about how elimination would work. Thicket crossed his fingers as the host announced selection would begin. At their machines, where each of the contestants stood, a holographic nameplate was displayed.

After a moment, Spartan pointed and spoke a name. "Andro," he said, gruffly.

Rynarth looked out at his selection. He had been planning to make the same choice, if allowed to. He thought about his options. The deer and mouse left bad tastes in his mouth. The otter was a fool. The bull was a monster.

He took a deep breath. He needed to build the strongest team he could. Without Andro, there was another obvious choice. "Bolt Aladdin," he said.

He immediately thought about his next choice. He liked the idea of having the rabbit on his team, but was that just his empathy, or was he right to think the slave's reputation for skill meant something? That was a silly question. Of course it did. "Orion Tiberius," Spartan said.

"Berry," the dragon countered.

"Urian Nocturn," Spartan said in reply.

Rynarth gritted his teeth. Of his remaining options, the last to have lost this challenge were Carden the tiger and Alpha the wolf. Neither of them had made a good impression on him at lunch, or in Carden's case, before it. What Rynarth knew of Carden's business practices made him want to vomit.

He seethed, quietly, before forcing his face back into proper form. Unless he wanted to pick from those who did quite poorly, there was only one tolerable choice left.

"Thicket," the dragon said. Thicket breathed a sigh of relief. He was on for at least another round. His plans were still alive. Now, if the dragon picked Astro, he'd only need one person he could manipulate one the team besides them. He wasn't sure who that might be. The otter wouldn't do for a long term alliance. He didn't seem the type to keep secrets.

"Carden Strike," Thicket heard. Just hearing that bastard's name made him huff, but at least he was on the other team. Along with Andro. Thicket looked down.

"Achaeron Sun," the dragon said next. Thicket looked back up. A bead of sweat ran down his hoof. C'mon, Astro. Get picked.

"Alpha Nightwalker," the Rhino said. The dragon seemed to deliberate for a long while over his next choice.

Good, Thicket thought. Debate. Come to the correct conclusion.

"Ankur Cotton," he finally said. Thicket seethed. Astro, serial killer bull and the otter were all that was left. The odds had just become shitty that Astro would end up on his team, though he suspected the Rhino would pick him. The bull was the obvious one to leave unselected.

"Zatus Gnayer," the Rhino said. Thicket's eyes widened. Why would you want him in the game? Perhaps to sponge votes away from yourself? Thicket felt his heart beating, and sweat leaking out between brown tuffs of fur. No one in their right mind would spring for the otter, right?

Rynarth looked up and down his remaining options. He didn't like either of them. There was Astro, the rebellious, defiant little slave-who-did-not-know-he-was-a-slave, and there was the otter, who would be a liability on his team, to be sure.

Rynarth took a deep breath. If this were wholly about gameplay, he would have taken Carden and Alpha. He had to vote with his conscience.

"Tumble Spray," Thicket heard. His eyes went wide. "Fuck," he said aloud, causing a few of the contestants to look his way. Thicket looked over at the mouse. His eyes were wide too, despite his having insisted that he did not care about the results of this competition.

"And with that," the host said, "our rebel slave's fate is decided. Hopefully, whatever master he ends up with will be to his liking." Thicket shed a tear as two gruff-looking guards, a hippo and a giraffe, grabbed Astro to carry him away. He waved goodbye to Astro, and Astro waved back.

"You will have a master to your liking," Thicket whispered. "You'll have the only master that ever could be. You'll have none."

"The west wing of the mansion," the annoying bird said, "is for the Rising Rascals. The East wing is for the Crouching Courtesans. Go inside at your leisure. There are many slaves about, any of them can escort you to your room."

Thicket stood in place and silently seethed as the rest of the contestants dispersed, mostly to go inside. The dragon stood on the lawn with him as the transport Astro had arrived in drove away with him. Thicket clenched his hoof and stomped up to the dragon, who noticed him only once he was a mere few feet away. "Why?" he asked, through gritted teeth, his face red.

The dragon looked down at him, sternfaced. "Because a slave like that needs to learn his place, not change it." Thicket huffed, but the dragon took a step toward him. He looked Thicket straight in the eye. "You too need to learn your place, not change it," he said. "When I win, I'll have your lifetime to help you with that, and I intend to do everything I can to make you happy in my service."

The dragon turned and walked away. "Yeah?" Thicket said, his voice loudening as the dragon walked off. "Well when I win, you'll wish you'd never hatched. Do you know what kind of hell a master can engineer for a slave? You can look forward to that!"

The dragon turned around, and walked back over to Thicket. "I do know what kind of hell a master can engineer for a slave," he said. "I'm a kinder man than to wish it upon anyone, even one who would wish it upon me." The dragon turned around. "I wish you nothing but a happy life in my service."

The dragon walked off into the mansion.