The Cat's Cradle

Story by Snake Burton on SoFurry

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This was a story I submitted to the anthro anthology HEAT by sofawolf press. I suck dick at writing so it was promptly rejected, but I had a lot of fun writing it! My original idea for this story was a lot longer and much more involved and intense, but due to time constraints and school being shit, i had to cut it down to a fraction of what it was. Either way, enjoy!


Joy had to wonder to herself when exactly she had stopped feeling the thumping bass of the club's music racing up her metallic legs, or when her eyes had grown so used to the heavily saturated pink lights. She could hardly remember a time before this became her world. So accustomed she was, she could easily make out the gentle clanking of her metal heels against the pristine light up floor as she walked through the crowds. She moved gracefully amongst the jovial patrons, some far more intoxicated than others. A particularly unsavory fellow stumbled in front of her, causing her to slow her stride. If there was one thing she wished she could grow used to, it was definitely the smell.

Still, the constantly changing scents had its own sense of excitement to it, and much like the shifting odors, the drunkard vanished into the sea of bodies. Joy continued forward, her sleek black tail flowing behind her like a serpent in the grass. The panther had to keep up an air of professionalism in a place like this. She couldn't have the customers thinking they could get away with disrespecting her, and better yet, disrespecting her employees. While her waitresses and waiters paraded in risqué and seductive outfits, Joy enjoyed a much more refined look, sporting a tight black dress that clashed with the harsh sliver of her cybernetic limbs.

That conflict of style was important to her, as it was for all of those working for her. Joy took it upon herself to take those that society turned their backs to. Those unfortunate due to bad decisions, disadvantaged upbringings, or like herself, forced into such a lowly state. It wasn't the most respectable of businesses, but she did her damn hardest to make a place in this god awful city that would be safe for people like her. And a place for those with closeted desires, to tickle that dark fantasy without fear of judgement. Because that was what The Cat's Cradle is all about. A place for alternative tastes.

But that masquerade Joy put on in the open was incredibly draining, and she wanted nothing more than to retire to her private quarters. For that reason, the panther let out a deep sigh as she spotted one of the new boys making his way to her.

"Donavan," Joy acknowledge.

"Hello, Mistress Joy!" The petite sugar glider was one of the newest to work at the club. The IT department was sorely lacking after the previous tech head left to move up state, and considering the massive augments done to the boy's brain, he seemed like promising worker. But an incredible technical ability wasn't his only asset, as he eagerly leaped at the chance to join the entertainers in the dance routine. The bright light emitted from his massive electronic eyes, while a little hard to stomach up close, was simply mesmerizing on stage.

"Have something to report," I asked as I slowed my stride. His much smaller frame made it hard to keep up with her long cybernetic ones. Compared to Joy's metal clacking, his little claws only made the slightest of tipping noise. If it wasn't for having completely drowning out the music, his steps would have been silent.

"Just thought you'd like to know that we've just got in a new shipment of dresses for the routine we'll be doing next week. The dancers and I were wondering if we'd be able to try them on and see about using them for tonight's performance too. W-would you mind?"

It was hard to believe that someone so passionate about something could also be so bashful. Maybe he had another personality in his head. She could relate to that.

"If the costumes are fine, I don't see why not! By all means, you have my approval. Just make sure they are ready to be shown," the panther replied. She couldn't help but be warmed by the glider's quiet enthusiasm. It was for the people like him that the club was made, to give those augmented in some way a chance to be loved.

"Oh! T-thank you, Mistress Joy! Are you going to watch us dance," the young man asked, practically bursting at the seams.

"You're adorable! Of course I'm going to watch! And don't mention it. It is the dancers' job to make sure audience is wowed, and if the new costumes do that, then you've already made me proud. Now, I was about to retire to my quarters and recharge a bit. You know how these older mods are. Gotta refill the juice every now and then, right?" The glider merely mumbled a response and nodded, clearly embarrassed with how excited he was. The poor sap was incredibly shy; she almost couldn't believe he was also a dancer. But she had watched him dance many times, and boy how alive did he look on stage.

"Care to join me in my quarters, Donavan," the sultry panther whispered close to his ear, causing the glider to stiffen. He tried to stammer out a response, but found his words had trouble escaping his lips. Joy decided some mercy was needed.

"Don't worry about it, kid. You head on back to the lab."

He nodded as he backed up, letting out a bashful goodbye as he skittered away from the glaring predator. Joy was glad that she was in complete charge of the club, as well as having the trust of her employees. She was an HR's worst nightmare.

Teasing cherry men would have to wait, though. Her robotic limbs were becoming harder and harder to move by the second and the weight on her back was absolutely dreadful. She finally reached a faculty door near the back and forced her way inside, being greeted with sharp contrast of warm brick wall and bright yellow light. An immense wave of regret washed over her as she had to squint her eyes to avoid being blinded, the headache that she didn't know she had was agitated by the sudden change. Each step was forced from her brain as she continued her journey towards the stairs.

God, stairs. She thought of taking the elevator, but it was better to leave that for the working girls and boys. Better to save it for someone who needs it. Besides, she was an adult! She could take the abuse on her body; better to exert herself climbing stairs than letting herself grow fat and old! She considered for a second rather or not that would be a moot point considering her artificial legs, but she shook the thought off. Anything to get her to her bedroom as quickly as possible.

The Panther finally reached the peak of the urban mountain, and with a heavy groan, she pulled herself along the walls until she reached her private quarters. Too tired to care about manners, Joy twisted the door handle and threw her body's dead weight into it, causing her to fall forward into her bedroom. Instead of falling flat on her face, however, her limbs suddenly shot out in different directions and balanced herself out. The panther felt all of her energy drained from her, and her body was slumped forward despite her limbs staying straight. As the door swung back closed behind her, the weight of her body moved her forward, the gears and joints of her limbs whirring loudly as they did their best to stabilize her.

"Jesus fucking Christ, Joy, do you wanna eat carpet?"

Joy stumbled forward, despite the voice in her head. Thankfully, her bed was directly across from the door, and it wasn't long before her limbs finally gave up and let her drop face first into the plush cushion. With her face buried in the fabric, she spoke.

"Oh, just let me die already," she mumbled. Her words were nearly unintelligible, so she was glad that she didn't technically need to speak out loud.

"You should cut me some slack, Joy. Keeping you upright all the time, you should be paying me overtime," the voice in her head joked. Her laugh was silenced by the bed.

"Me making money is the same as paying you, so keep doing what you're doing anyway! Now, flip me over before we suffocate," she said. She could feel the voice sigh as her limbs moved her onto her back. With the aid of her arms and a few strategic bends of her back, the panther scooched up closer to the headboard, getting her head comfortably on one of the many pillows. Taking a few deep breaths, the panther let herself stew in the isolation of her own quarters.

"You doing okay, doll?" Joy felt comforted by the voice. Even though she was alone, she would never be lonely.

"Doing just fine, Hal. Don't call me doll." It was definitely strange having to house two minds in one body. Sure, she missed when Hal was able to physically rest beside her, at times she wished for it more than anything in the world. Back when this all started, she wasn't even sure she would be able to live like this, but now, lying in bed with the gentle vibrations of the bass only just barely making its way through the thick walls of her room, it reminded her of how much she appreciated the feeling. Instead of being physically wrapped up in his arms, she felt as though he was covering her entire being, a warming force as emotional as it is mental.

It was moments like this that she hoped would last forever. Sadly, life had a way of moving too fast. She could feel how unresponsive her body was becoming, even without having to use them.

"Joy, we should probably," He began to trail off as the woman nodded. She could feel the whir of machinery as her hips rotated, lifting her body up by the power of its joints alone. Once vertical, Joy rotated an arm backwards and let Hal handle the zipper near her neck. With a practiced grace, Hal and Joy unzipped her dress and lowered it down her body. Joy had once feared that what was left of her body would grow fat and atrophy, as missing one's arms and legs made the concept of working out quite the conundrum, but with a bit of research and the help of some nutritionist and bioengineers, she kept in shape through diet and core exercises, as well as burning an incredible amount of energy through the stress of her cybernetics.

The tight dress took a little work to bring down past her shoulders and sizable bust. She was proud of it, but it did leave her feeling silly at times like this. Not wearing a bra at least meant less work for her, and once her arms were freed, she made quick work of rolling it further south. Her toned stomach was easy enough, but her hips brought a new can of worms. She shifted her weight forward and moved so she was on her knees. Trusting Hal not to let her fall, she daftly hooked her thumbs under the silk and gently rotated it side to side, twisting her hips as she did it. Soon, the dress was past her impressive hips, and with the dress around her thighs, she was finally finished with the hard part.

Having robotic limbs had its drawbacks, but it also made some things easier. Now that the dress was off of her living body, she signaled Hal to start unlocking her legs. She felt the junction of her living hips and her metal thighs jerk as the connectors disengaged. Her legs popped off, and Joy moaned at the sudden lightness of her body. She took the moment to enjoy herself and closed her eyes while Hal took over the arms, taking both of the legs and lifting them up. With the dress still keeping the legs together, Hal used the legs to fling the discarded garment across the room. Now free from the fabric confinement, Hal placed the legs onto the charging ports on the left side's dresser.

Once both legs were safely being charged, Hal decided to take a moment before removing their arms. Thanks to winning a bet with Joy, Hal was able to convince her to install access points around her private quarters that he could operate. Using the cameras installed around the room, Hal was able to look upon the resting cat. Even so misshapen, she was still the most beautiful person he had ever met. So sleek but curvaceous. Her body spoke of a speed and grace but offered so much to touch and hold onto. Her fur was especially something to behold. From a distance, it would be easy to simply say her fur was completely black, but up close painted a different picture. The length of her torso was broken up into pitch black spots by lines of a deep cherry color, the likes of which accentuating the nipples running down her chest and abdomen.

Hal remembered how much he used to lover her legs. He remembered how much she used to hate them, saying they were too fat for her, but he adored it. Now though, he didn't like to dwell on that. They were stuck like this, and while it was painful, he loved her more than anything. Which is a good thing, considering how their relationship is as much romantic as it is symbiotic!

Taking advantage of the energy left in the arms, Hal ran the artificially warm hands over her shoulders, gently massaging her while she relaxed. Once she was warmed up, he moved down, tracing the metal fingers along her collarbone before coping a feel of her breasts. He gently squeezed the flesh, careful enough not to cause harm but hard enough to stimulate, and reached one of the digits towards her nipples. With smooth, lazy circles, Hal rubbed Joy's fur covered nubs, eliciting a mewl from the panther as she enjoyed the ministrations.

Even without his body, Hal still enjoyed foreplay. The very act of pleasuring the big cat was a reward in and of itself, but now that they were connected, Hal was able to siphon some of the feeling she got and experience it himself. That sure made the first time they fooled around like this fun; Hal never expected how hard Joy's orgasm would hit him, but by god if he didn't want to make her feel it over and over again. He was almost jealous. He was missing out that much back then?

Joy, however, was really starting to get into his ministrations. She let him continue to have full control of the remaining limbs, opting rather to contort her body as the surges of pleasure demanded. The work being put into her chest was igniting a fire within her, and she could think of no better way to recharge than to have a little fun. However, before she could say anything, she felt her left arm disconnect from her body.

"What do you think you're doing, Hal," Joy whined as the hands left her. Hal lifted the arm up into the air as a cable lowered from the ceiling. With a magnetic pull, the cable lodged itself into the arm so it could charge.

"Making sure we'll have enough juice for your next appointment. Don't want us to get too into things, only to have to stop midway and go through the rest of the night with just your torso," Hal replied. The right arm disconnected, leaving Joy hapless on the bed while the newly freed arm bent upwards towards another cable. It connected with a soft pop, and once certain that it was firmly secured; the hands released each other and dangled above the prone panther. Joy mewled as she tried to move her hips on the bed, now very aroused from Hal's playful exploration. But the big cat wouldn't have to wait long, as the hands began to descend towards her.

"Besides," Hal's voice was like a ghost in her brain. "We can still have plenty of fun while they charge."

The limbless panther was defenseless from the lowering hands. The sound of the cables extending closer and closer to her only built up her anticipation. The feeling of dread and nervousness overwhelmed her, sending heart and body into a panic as she lost all sense of control over the situation. Without the arms being connected to her body, she wouldn't be able to stop Hal, who was connected to her limbs wirelessly. He could do whatever he wants with the quad amputee panther on the bed, and no one could stop him.

To say it sent a sexual thrill unlike any other through her body would be an understatement.

By the time the fingertips grazed her body Joy was already soaking between what was left of her thighs. The hands took hold of her plush flesh in order to steady themselves, causing the cat to gasp as she was roughly handled. Hal was familiar enough with every part of her body that he knew just how to toy with her and he wasn't afraid to play rough. Fortunately, he was still linked with her, so he could always tell when the pain got too much for her.

While one hand handled her left hip with a firm grasp, kneading her muscles beneath the fur, the other hand curled before unleashing a heavy slap to her lower body. A meaty thump was followed by a breathless groan as Joy tried to steady herself. Hal wasn't going to go easy on her. She could only watch as the arm curled once more before slamming the metal back hand into her groin. She clenched her teeth and tried to stand the sting of metal striking flesh, but she couldn't keep it up for long as another slap broke her composure and she howled out in pleasured pain.

As this was happening, Hal made sure not to get lazy with the other hand. As he continued his assault on her flesh, he moved the other hand in between her legs. He took a moment to enjoy the sight of her matted fur and puffy vulva with his digital 'eye.'

"Oh, Doll. You're so wet! We haven't even started the real fun," he said. Biting back a moan, Joy fought to speak.

"I told you not to call me," her voice broke out into a heavy groan as Hal slid a finger over her engorged clit. She screamed.

"Doll!"

She could feel him laughing as she desperately and useless tried to hump her hips into the air. She had never been more grateful for being feline than in that moment, the ability to bend her spine alone made her orgasmic thrashes so much more bearable. Not being able to use legs made every motion awkward, but she they were both far too aroused to care.

Hal stopped his attack on her and instead moved to harshly rubbing along her side, ruffling her fur and nearly bruising her in his path. The other hand grew far more courageous, as the deft fingers slid themselves around the outskirts of her sex, spreading her primal lubricant all over both her crotch and the metal fingers. Once thoroughly coated in her juices, Hal felt it was time to start the main event. Using the hand that wasn't already occupied with her nethers, Hal moved up and held her agape maw shut. Before she could question, he mentally silenced her.

"I hope you're ready, Doll."

Hal's slick digit dove straight into her depths, the smooth metal allowing for an easy entry, but the size of it drove Joy wild. She fought against the hand restraining her as she screamed without her mouth. Despite her violent shaking, she couldn't free herself from the hand, and simply accepted the forced silence. Though, silent was relative, as Hal inserted a second finger, Joy began to thrash and scream to the best of her ability.

Her warm tunnel quaked around the robotic fingers, the likes of which quickly heating up to adapt to far higher internal temperatures. She could feel every bend and twist and thrust as Hal toyed with her insides. It had been awhile since she last had the chance to play like this, and with her heightened sensitivity, she could almost feel the fingers inside of her rub against each and every individual bump and ridge. Every in and out motion sent shivers down her spine, every twist another groan, and every time he curled his fingers caused the defenseless panther to go into another fit of spasms.

Unable to open her mouth, the shaking woman could only breathe heavily through her nose, almost panting like a dog as she did her best to hold off. She was quickly climbing closer and closer to her peak as Hal dug his fingers into her. It was a truly bizarre experience, to know what are practically her own hands being used by another person to toy with herself. It wasn't like normal masturbation, she couldn't predict every motion Hal would perform on her heat, every little nuanced twitch in exactly the right spot. The taboo and perverse nature of the act only added to her arousal.

The hand holding her muzzle released her, and she took in a sharp gasp as the hand moved to join its partner on her lower parts. The digits already inside her began to slip out, leaving a painfully empty ache inside of her as she did her best to keep breathing. By this point, she knew better than to question Hal about these kinds of things. With both hands outside her womanhood, the hand that held her muzzle closed gently inserted the index and middle together, before spreading apart and holding her open. With her sex pulled apart, the other hand liked up with her opening.

"Tell me, Doll. Are you ready," Hal asked.

Joy was about to speak when she felt him shush me.

"Fuck toys don't speak." She only nodded to him.

She could feel his grin. The fingers lined up with my passage rotated until his thumb was pressed up against the big cat's pucker. He massaged the pad into her tight hole while the hand holding Joy's lips apart moved a free pinky over her clit.

"I want to make you scream."

The true wonder of technology was that, unlike a living person, a machine can multitask with perfect precision. And as Hal thrusted into both of her holes, using the constantly curling motions of his thumb as an anchor for the two digits positioning themselves in and out of her sopping wet vagina while his pinky brutalized the poor cat's clit, Joy was truly glad to have been born now instead of the past. Her body was wracked with micro orgasm after micro orgasm, each one building upon the other as she felt her world completely wrecked by the impossibly gifted hands of her now AI lover. The pleasure she felt ascended any idea of heaven in her mind, and as she twisted and flung her body in any direction she could, she was strangely thankful that her limbs weren't in the way of stopping such an attack on her body.

Joy's tunnels was a constantly quivering mess, her messy cunny filled the room with lewd sounds, only overtaken by her own erotic gasps and moans. Her wetness was flung around between her legs as the fingers holding her open made the whole endeavor just that little bit more dirty, no longer having a barrier to keep her own nectar inside to lubricate her already gushing, spasming tunnel.

"I love you," Hal whispered as he buried the fingers as deep into her as he could. He grinded what was outside against her lips as her body began to suffer a massive melt down. Her orgasm completely destroyed her, sending her wild like the primal ancestors she was based on. Hal always knew what to say and when to say it. Her chest expanded with every mighty breath, and she felt as if she were about to explode. She was so shaken up that she couldn't speak no matter how hard she tried. But she didn't need to speak.

Her mind was a whirlwind of 'I love yous,' as she reached out to Hal in her mind. Despite all the awful things to happen to the both of them, she was so glad that he was still with her. Hell, being this close was something else entirely. She had never felt a connection so deep and intimate, even when they were together physically! It was awful kind of luck that brought them together, but now she grew to cherish it. People on the street look at people like her as if they are all trash. If not being a purebred human wasn't enough, an augmented furry? She used to feel so alone in the world, so completely separated from the world around her.

But now it's different. That's why she made The Cat's Cradle. So others with robotic limbs or cyber implants, consensually done or otherwise, can have a place where they don't have to be alone, and those that aren't against it can feel safe from judgement. There was nothing worse than being alone, and in this fucked up city, far too many were left in isolation, but there is a light and there is support for people like her.

Losing so much of herself had taught her that. Waking up and finding out that Hal was taken from her taught her that. And when she escaped the people who had done this to her, and found that they had put Hal inside her, she had wanted to die. But then she adapted. She learned. Now, she understood that she was never alone. Hal is always with her. And she is always there for her employees and customers. Always there for people like-

There was a knock at the door.

"Uh, Mistress Joy," the voice asked.

"Yes Donavan," Joy responded.

"The dance is going to start in an hour," he paused. "I-uh. I thought I'd let you know. I didn't like, uh, i-interrupt or anything, did I?"

Joy could picture his nervous stance. She smiled.

"No, don't worry, you're fine. I'll be out in a bit, let me just freshen up."

She heard a muffled okay from the door and the tiny ticking of his claws against the hard floor outside. Without having to do anything, Hal was already moving his arms to her legs.

"Had a good time, Doll," Hal teased.

"I told you not to call me doll!"

Joy did her best to picture herself punching Hal, hoping he'd get the picture and feel it. She only felt his amusement radiate from inside her.

"Yeah, yeah, sorry about that. Anyways, you have enough charge left to safely watch the dance and get back here! So I'd say it was a productive way to pass the time, all things considered!"

Hal brought her left leg to her hip to connect it. It was always weird to readapt to having the feeling of legs. It was the nice kind of weird, though. Her life had taught her that there were a lot of good kinds of weird.

"Definitely," Joy agreed. "But you better get a shower started. I reek of sex and we have a show to catch!"