FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

This'll be my second story in less then a month, OMG WHAT?!? Now yes, granted, this chapter is about 1/4h my usuall length, and for that I apologize. It seems as soon as I thought things were going well in Korea, my computer went down and took the most recent copy of my story down with it. luckily I had a backup, and so I'm starting a bit back from where I was.

However, looking at the structure of the story at this time, I don't think this section would've fit well as an add on to the previous chapter, or placed in front of the future on. It's a very small stand-alone that I think sets the mode for the reaminder of this part of the series in my opinion. I also have a fondness for some of the one-liners that have been waiting in the wings since the beginning.

Now, at the moment, the next chapter looks like it'll cross the 30 page mark, so I hope that makes up for this short little interlude.

Cheers,

Your writing wolf

P.S. I will soon being the prcoess of posting this series, as well as my other work, on FA due to the peer pressure from some of my friends. They will be under a different fursona, mind you; a Giant Anteater by the name of "Dia Ironheart", but I assure you, it's still me. So if any of you feel like givin me a ratings boost over there, much apprechiated. hehe.

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Maxi avoided looking out towards the dance floor for fear of seeing Locke and Sebastian together; instead his eyes gazed lifelessly over the rows and racks of liquor and spirits behind the bartender. "I...don't know; something to dull the senses." His eyes dropped, no longer staring at wall of brightly colored booze in bottles, but instead hazily focusing on the counter under his arms.

"I've got just the thing..." Vi said, turning her back on the boys to focus on her cocktail; mixing southern comfort with a squeeze of lime. The lizard returned to the lion with a small serving platter, two identical amber colored shot-glasses balanced on it, each having a slice of lime resting on the rim. "They're called 'Lion Tamers', I figured we could sss-sha-"

Maxi wasn't paying attention; he knocked the shots back one after another, squeezing both limes together causing a trickle of tart liquid to cascade over his tongue, before setting the empty glasses back on the tray. "Keep'em coming," his former perky voice subdued and vacant, "I'll figure out how to pay later."

Vi released an all too common sigh in her line of work; her bosoms straining against the confines of the black strips of fabric. "I'm ss-sure we can wor-"

"Add his dinks to my tab," Davy said, his voice a deep baritone against the trance music of the dance floor. Swirling the umber-colored liquid against the sides of the old-fashioned glass, ice cubes clinking in unison with his claws against the bar counter, he seemed busy prophesying the future from his muddled 'crystal' goblet. "Drowning one's pain in drink I can agree with...but you shouldn't have to drown in debt to do it."

Maxi looked up from the gilded silver platter where the empty shot glasses stood, his eyes meeting the tiger's briefly before Davy was back to divining his fortune from his whiskey sour. The lion nodded to the unresponsive half-breed, feeling whatever animosity he had towards him, Locke, or anyone else get washed down by the next round of the aptly named 'Lion Tamers'.

* * *

As time marched on, so did the revolving door of alcoholic drinks set in front of the lion till, much like the passing minutes, he'd lost count. Sitting in the same seat, Maxi's face was a sloshed euphoria. From swaying merrily on his barstool to the pulsing club tracks in the background; Maxi would appear to dip into a depression, his body slumped over, head buried between his crossed arms, his flushed tawny cheeks pressed against the cold counter. To the untrained eye, it may have looked like the feline was riding a rollercoaster of emotions, but as he reached towards the next shot of booze to subdue his pains, there was a hint of his trademark Cheshire grin.

After crawling out of his most recent dive by knocking back a double shot of bourbon and coke, Davy's suggestion, Maxi seemed uncharacteristically chipper as he straightened in his seat. Taking a look around the bar with hazy eyes for the first time in the past hour, he fidgeted with his shirt's collar, tugging open the second button he had closed minutes prior. "That was reeeeeealy good..." his head flopping to its side as he giggled, nearly tilting past the point of return on his stool, but managed to defy gravity.

Davy peered over the one seat gap between him and the lion, his yellow eyes narrowing at the other cat's body back-lit from the dozens of strobe lights from the dance floor like a sea of twinkling stars. His own drink, half empty, clutched in his left paw, was brought slowly to his muzzle; sipping the bitter cola and whiskey mixture as he tried to determine whether it was piety or disgust he felt towards Maxi. But perhaps, just perhaps, he was jealous. Jealous at how after just a few drinks, the lion could become so care-free; when, despite after drinking more than twice that amount, he still couldn't escape his own regrets.

"It's the sss-same type of drink you've been downing for the past twenty minutes-sss, sss-sweetie," Vi hissed, her wide muzzle forming a friendly smile between rows of sharp teeth as she went to collect the recently cleaned glasses from their steam bath. The lizard/tiger was glad that Rachel, the polar bear/skunk, along with the more recent arrival of the half-otter/half-antelope named Tyler, were table to take of the majority of the customers; which left her free to concentrate on her preferential patrons. "How is it any better than the last one?" she asked, using her claws to dig one of her dress straps from where it had become lodged under her arm.

"I don't...I don't know," Maxi replied, tongue tripping over its own words as he sat, misty-eyed, staring into his own reflection on the recently buffed wooden counter, "It just is."

The reptile concealed her surprise, though with the cat as drunk as he was, effort wasn't required. For unbeknownst to the pure-bred lion, as the night wore on, she had begun substituting more and more of the liquor in each order for mixer...or water. It wasn't hard to hide it from him, with the lion unable to follow her claws as they worked under the bar. Still, her brother had noticed, not that he seemed to have any problem with her duping the younger cat. "You're imagining things you crazy cat."

The drunken feline chuckled, "Does that mean you're even prettier then you look?" he asked, leering forwards as he fingers traced around the rim of his empty glass.

Vi watched Davy's upper lip flare and stiffen, and dismissed it with a bit of laughter as she reached over and rubbed the lion's flushed cheek with the back of her scaly paw. "Flattery will get you everywhere," she teased, her cobalt scales contrasting sharply with the goldenrod fur.

"Think it can get you to make me another drink?" he cooed, purring as he brushed his face against her hand; for a creature with scales instead of fur, he was surprised at the softness.

She chuckled, dragging a claw gently along the underside of his tawny muzzle, "There's always a catch with you men; same thing as last time?" He nodded affirmative. "Not even compliments are free these days,"

"Speaking of paying," Maxi said, watching with vague interest as the bartender made his newest drink, "I'll figure out how to pay off my bar tab...one way or another." His mind swirling with possibilities, few of which were feasible, and of those that were, even fewer were things he'd actually entertain the idea of doing.

From the darkness at the far end of the bar, Davy spoke above the sloshing of ice cubes in his half-full glass, eyes focusing ahead instead of at audience. "Just add it to mine," he repeated.

"Are you sss-sure, brother dear?" his sister replied, shifting upstream so she could lean in close, their matching yellow eyes squinting in unison. Because even after applying her employee discount to the bill, and adjusting for the true amount of alcohol, the lion still racked up a hefty charge. Dropping her voice so the lion, who was currently staring at them like one does at a painting they don't understand, couldn't hear. "Do you have feelings for him? Because you know he's Locke's regardless of what happened on the dance floor."

"I'm sure," he said flatly, his sister's face crowding his view. His fur bristled at the second question as his large orange and black stripped paw tightened around the glass, slowly raising it to his lips. "And I don't feel anything towards him."

"So then why are yo-"

"I have my reasons Sis," he interrupted. Breaking their eye-contact, Davy turned just enough to see the lion out of the corner of his eye.

She nodded slowly, eyeing the other cat cautiously, who seemed none the wiser to their conversation. "Is it because you fe-"

"Has anyone ever told you that you'd make a cute couple?" Maxi interjected, swaggering in his seat as he toasted the pair with a nod, a wink, and a raise of his glass.

Vi chuckled, claws on her hips, stripped tiger tail swaying, head cocked to the side so her cerulean scales glimmered in the low light. "We like to keep it in the nest, sss-so to sss-speak," the lizard hissed through a grin as she looked Davy up and down as if judging a mate.

Maxi vacantly stared at the bartender, oblivious to her reference. "She means we're brother and sister. Remember dumb-dumb?" Davy chimed in as he rebuffed his sister's suggestive glances and focused on dismissing the idea from the lion's head.

"Nothing brings a family together like incest!" the lion shouted before knocking back the remainder of his drink. As Maxi felt the liquor impart the feeling of warmth upon his body, he watched through glazed over lens as Davy grunted and turned back to face the wall while his sister giggled and resumed cleaning her glasses. The concept of 'relationships' stuck with him, causing his train of thought to go full-steam ahead connecting one idea to another starting with 'relationships'; his relationship with Locke; Locke's relationship with Sebastian; Locke choosing Sebastian; no relationship with his family or friends. Further pained by the sudden resurging memory of Jason's betrayal, he was reminded that he was all alone...alone...The word stuck with him as he stared down into the empty glass for even his alcoholic security blanket had abandoned him out in the cold harsh reality. "Alone," he hoarsely whispered.

Looking up from her glasses, the lizard/tiger noticed a change in the feline's mannerisms enough to warrant inquiry. "Everything alright?" Vi asked, but the way Maxi slowly turned to glance up at her gave her all the info she needed. The delayed reaction wasn't due solely to his intoxication, most likely something had triggered his decent, and he was about to start spiraling downwards into a drunken depression.

"I'm fine," he said dismissively, pushing his glass across the bar towards her signaling a refill.

She ignored him, turning to fill his glass with mostly soda and a splash of whiskey for taste. "Don't let what happened on the dance floor deter you. He felt cornered an-"

"Shut up!" the lion growled, draining his newest drink in five seconds flat before tossing her back the glass. "Refill."

Vi didn't listen. "I thought you'd act better than this." Catching the glass, she returned half-a-minute later with a highball glassed filled to the brim with a clear liquid and several ice cubes floating on the surface.

Maxi ignored her, preferring to concentrate on the different drink set before him. Bringing it to his lips, the bland, naked taste of air rushed into his muzzle. "What's this?" the cat asked, thinking his overabundant consumption of alcohol hand rendered him immune from its bitter taste, the warmth in his throat, and the dampening of his senses.

Looking up from her dish duties, "Water," the lizard replied before going back to focus on her work. "You've had enough. I'm cutting you off till you sss-start sss-sobering up and thinking sss-straight."

The lion sounded like he was coughing up a hairball as he spit out the water. "I'm thinking just fine, thank you very much!" he shouted, a bit louder then he intended as he noticed off to his side, some of the other patrons taking a slight more interest in him then he was comfortable with.

Vi sighed softly, not one of the tired employee or jaded bartender, but one of a friend and all-too-well knowing sister. She put down the glass she was polishing to reach out and cup the feline's golden paw around the still full glass, giving it a soft squeeze. Once she had his attention, those quivering, and slightly glossy, pools of liquid gold staring up at her, she tried to muster the energy for a reassuring smile. "From what I've read, it's not like your kind to be dismayed sss-so easily. Isn't that right...Mitch?"

Baring his fangs, the famous feline quickly recanted amid a low growl as he forced his eyes from her hypnotizing stare; he hated being wrong, one of those social traits he inherited. "Even if I grant you that, what's there I can do about it?" Tracing his claw around the rim of his glass, he grudgingly sipped the water, feeling the sensation of his body attempting to cleanse itself of booze.

"Oh yee of little faith," Vi teased, leaning over to refill the lion's glass with a wide-mouthed glass pitcher.

He eyed the water with a disdain only blossoming alcoholics could muster, but drank it down nonetheless, breathing deeply as his body began the slow purge. "And sometimes you just have to learn when to cut your los"

"Hello Nocturne patrons! If you thought tonight's entertainment as over, you are sorely mistaken," said the slightly garbled male voice over the loudspeaker, interrupting conversations across the club. "We are proud to present a pure patron participation produced performance. To start, we'll be asking volunteers to come around back, be helped into one of our many stock costumes, and then be offered the chance to show what they've got on stage to our in-house music. From there, our amateur dancers will pair up with another volunteer and compete a second time. The winners will be chosen by a popular vote from you, the audience, and be given a pre-paid bar tab, a small medal, and a place of honor on the wall. Registration begins now, just follow the lights." With that, a small trail of LED lights appeared along the floor, leading around the stage back to the side entrance.

Maxi looked up to see a glint in Vi's eyes as she stared down at the gloomy cat. "Okay, fine...but what are the odds they eve-" his focus darting back to the illuminated pathway as he spoke, just in time to catch Locke's familiar figure being towed along behind Sebastian's sage green form before they disappeared from view. "Shut up..." he told the bartender, preemptively striking before her jabs of 'I told you so' struck him. Finishing off his glass of water, the feline staggered to his feet, struggling for the first few seconds as he adjusted his balance to match his intoxication, and then set off after them.

The bartender said nothing, waving enthusiastically as the lion looked over his shoulder only once at the lizard before setting off towards the line of lights, a drunken determination in his swagger. Turning to cast a watchful gaze at her brother, she snatched his empty glass from him and set about refilling it as she talked. "You know," Vi began, filling the old-fashioned glass with liquor and ice, "You could always wi-"

"Don't finish that sentence." Davy sternly instructed. The tiger readjusted himself in the seat, stretching out the kink that was developing in the fourth or fifth scale along his tail. With attention diverted for the moment, he felt a cold smooth surface pressed against his open paw, and instinctually took it, bringing the tart cola and whiskey to his lips and sipping.

The cobalt female just sighed lightly, empathetically; "Have it your way." The tuffs of spines on her head that indicated her ears shifted slightly as she went back to buffing the glasses. The orange and black male sighed too, gruffer, coming from deeper within the cat's center of mass. He said nothing, eyes lifting only to keep the top of the lion's head within his peripherals, never admitting it, even to himself, that he was watching him.

* * *

Slowly, Maxi made his way along the fringe of the crowd, mostly keeping to himself and steadying his mind against the alcohol's effects. Ahead of him, he could see paths made by other would-be dancers, catching sight of tails and ears though the crowd all blazing similar trails. The lion had to catch his breath every few steps as the pounding bass had his head spinning like the newest house beat. Eventually he got to the back wall, and as it became obvious to those around him that he was volunteering for tonight's performance, he noticed a few more sets of eyes following him across the floor.

By the time he got to the side of the stage, the cramped hallway littered with half-empty liquor bottles, discarded condom wrappers, and crumpled band posters, was all-but empty of other participants. Following in their wake he staggered towards the far end, the trail leading to a plywood door on his right. Though briefly distracted by the ruby glow of the EXIT sign above his head pointing towards the emergency door on his left; the feline continued on in his quest as he turned right and walked through. Once inside, he could see a short corridor with two doors on either side before it opened up into the back of the stage via a small set of metal stairs. He could make out the dim outlines of the other amateur entertainers moving about backstage while kept hidden from the audience behind the velvet curtain. Maxi was about to move to join them when he noticed the white arrow hanging at eye-level pointing towards the first door on his right; the phrase 'Competitor entrance' stenciled in black cursive.

Walking in, Maxi noticed the long racks of clothing in between several floor-length mirrors against the egg-shell colored walls of the large costume closet. Moving across the polished hardwood floors, he noticed recent scuff marks leading towards a pair of two walled off sections that had been turned into dressing rooms. He began flipping through some of the costumes on the nearest rack, an astronaut, a business suit, the French maid, unaware of the shuffling behind him till he felt a paw grip his shoulder; "Found anything you like?" a gruff male voice said.

Surprised, Maxi yelped loudly, spinning around to come face to face with a rather pudgy groundhog-ish creature. Despite his youthful amber eyes, his fur, with its large streaks of gray and white coursing through the umber pelt, showed his true age. He was short; his muzzle only coming up to the boy's chest, and his genealogy left much to the imagination. "N-n-n-nothing yet, sir." The lion stuttered, stroking the tuft of his tail as he calmed down.

"Take your time young'n" he replied with a gentle smile. Dressed in an oversized green plaid button-down shirt and bunching khakis, the older male waddled over to one of the racks on the opposite wall and began shifting through hangers. Looking over his shoulder once or twice to refresh his memory of the boy's physical proportions, he quietly hummed while he worked. "Are you looking for anything in particular?" he asked, tossing a few potential outfits over his right arm.

"I d-don't know," he admitted sheepishly. Turning back around, he tried to busy himself in the nearest rack of clothes. None of the costumes seemed to speak to him, and those that did, like the construction worker, were only because he'd prefer to see them on someone else.

"First time?" the other male asked. Sensing the young boy's uneasiness, he pulled a few more potential pieces off the rack, flipped through them to make sure they were all his size....or smaller, and headed back to the amateur dancer.

Maxi nodded, burying his head between the racks of clothes as he fought back the sudden urge to violently expel his most recent alcoholic beverage. Coughing, the cat gasped for air as he choked back the rise in his throat. "Uh huh..." he added.

The large badger/groundhog cocktail chuckled as he finished with his rack of clothes before heading back to the near-vomiting patron. "Been drinking tonight?" he inquired, getting another guttural affirmative; "Are you sure you wanna go out there tonight?" he continued, resting his free paw on the lion's hunched shoulder, "We hold this event pretty often. You could come back and compete a different night when you're not so sick."

Hunched over, one paw on the wall in front of him, the other holding onto the rack of clothes above his head for stability; the comment gave him pause for thought. He could take this chance and leave, walk back to the bar, down a few more diluted cocktails, Davy would drive him home...no...not home, he wasn't going home, but to Locke's house, he didn't have a home anymore; maybe he'd stay another night, two at the most, and then he'd leave. But where would he go? He couldn't go back to the feline controlled territories, not after his less then graceful exit; he couldn't go to canine controlled territory, they're probably still looking for him; anywhere else would be swarming with people who could potentially sell his whereabouts to the highest bidder; and he sure couldn't stay here, the half-breeds would discover his true identity eventually. So where was he to go? Where was a safe place? Would anyone even miss him if he just vanished off the face of the planet? Certainly not his dad, who could spin any news story, even that of his son's disappearance and assumed death, into a force for political gain; Jason was dead as far as he knew; and Locke...well, Locke seemed too preoccupied to even notice. Shaking his head, Maxi tried to clear the thoughts cluttering his mind. After sweeping them all to the side, he found one truth that even he could not escape, he was his father's son, and Cordero's run from nothing. "I'm sure..." he muttered, staggering to his feet.

"Well, if you're sure, then we had better get you all dressed up. Now strip down to your skivvies so I can get an idea of what I'm working with," the badger said, crossing his arms in anticipation.

"Strip...as in, undress?" the lion asked, getting a nod in return. "Here?" another nod; "Now?" a third; "In front of you?" a fourth, this one followed by a long sigh.

"Look, what did you think this contest was?" Throwing his selected costumes over his shoulder, he turned tail and headed back to replace them on their respective racks. "If you can't even strip in front of me, how can you expect to do it on stage before an entire crowd? Why don't you go back to the bar, have a seat, and enjoy the show," he suggested as he went about closing up shop.

Twiddling his thumbs in his palm, the lion nervously debated his options. "Wait!" he cried suddenly, reaching out for the older gentleman. "Wait, I said! I'll do it...I'll do it."

With an unseen roll of his burnt umber eyes and an impatient glare on his face, the badger slowly rotated to face the skittish lion. "Well?...Come on, get on with it," he edged on the feline with several flicks of his wrist.

The sudden response caused the lion to step back, muttering an uncertain "A-Alright..." before swallowing the lump in his throat along with the rest of his words. First came off the black combat boots and skull socks, shivering as his bare paws made contact with the cold hardwood floors. He followed that up by lifting his black polo shirt over his head, revealing his dense wheat-colored outer fur and cream hued underbelly to the older male now seriously studying him. Removing the neon blue belt with relative ease, he then fumbled with the many buttons and zippers on the pair of rave-style jeans Locke had picked out. It was then, and only then, dressed only in his fingerless gloves and metal chain necklace, with pants around his ankles, that he remembered what he was wearing under them; a pair of pure white speedos with a slight, but noticeable, bulge in the front.

Despite Maxi's lightning-quick reflexes as he cupped his paws over himself in an afterthought of modesty, the badger had stilled managed to get quite the eyeful. "What was that?" he teased. Taking a leisurely walk around the boy's body, twisting and turning his head to examine him from all angles, he ran through a mental list of possible costumes. His eyes lingering on the small of his back, tracing the gentle curve down to the base of his tail and over the rounded golden globes of the feline's ass hidden under the taught white material.

"N-N-Nothing..." he stammered, twisting his hips this way and that as he tried to shake off the older male's stare, "I just forgot I h-h-had them on is all."

"Now now," the badger said, trying to calm down the skittish feline with slow movements and a gentle voice. "There's nothing wrong with it. In fact, for what it's worth, I think you look pretty damn hot in them."

"You think so?"

"I do; and once we're done dressing you up, so will everyone out there." That seemed to calm the kitten down, the boy feeling confident enough to let his paws stray away from hiding the outline of his sheath. "This certainly makes my job easier," he said while contemplating his selection of outfits. After careful consideration, the squat badger removed some pieces and added others before he shoved the outfits into Maxi's fumbling arms. Turning the feline around, he guided him towards one of the two changing rooms in the back, unlatching the door and pushing him inside. "Come out as soon as you're wearing the first costume," he instructed through the thin wooden slats.

"Thanks," Maxi mewed as the door made of venetian blinds closed. Putting the pile of clothes down, he rummaged through the messy ball, pulling at sleeves, tugging at hems and collars, till he managed to free an entire outfit. With a deep breath, the cat turned to face himself in the floor length mirror; instinctually wanting to cover himself up, he forced his arms to his side and got accustomed to his body. He reminded himself that this was all to win back Locke's affection; and that it was worth a few minutes of poor body-image.

Startled, the lion nearly tripped over his own feet, losing his train of thought in the process as a fist against the thin door. "Come on puss-in-boots, we gotta get you dressed if you wanna make curtain call," the pudgy badger said impatiently, finishing with; "Don't make me come in there and dress you myself."

"I'm coming!" His body switched to auto-pilot and less than a minute later, Maxi emerged dressed in a pair of blue-jean overalls with nothing but his god-given golden fur underneath. The mechanic look came with some accessories, an 'oil' drenched rag hanging in his back pocket and a plastic wrench in the front one; who's silicone handle appeared to resemble some sort of animal inspired dildo. "Well...?" he asked, his thumbs hooked around the suspenders.

"Hmm...I'm not convinced this is the 'one'. Why don't you try saying something?" he suggested, one paw on his hips, the other studiously rubbing his pronounced chin.

"Like what?" the cat replied confused, tilting his head to the side.

"You know...something sexy! A double entendre, if you can." The lion's blank stare told him he'd have to lead by example. "Something like, 'Mind if I check your dipstick?', 'Let me just get under your hood,' or even, 'How about I take a look at your tail pipe? I've got just the tool for the job.'"

Left in a fit of giggles, Maxi quickly understood what the old groundhog was getting at. "Maybe something like 'How about I top off your tank? I got some premium fuel I'm looking to unload,'" the teen said, cupping his package through the thick cotton overalls.

The older male growled, biting at the air between them. "Now that's the stuff! Still...I didn't really feel the love. How about we try something else..." his words left to hang in the breeze like bloomers on a clothes line.

"Mitch," the lion interjected, completing his thought.

"Mitch?" he repeated, making sure his old ears weren't failing him just yet, the cat nodded. "The name's Bulgar...but most everybody just calls me Boo for short," he added as the lion headed into the dressing room.

"Alright, thanks Boo," Maxi said sheepishly through the wooden slats separating them. Back inside, he quickly threw off his current costume to put on the next one: a frayed pair of tight blue jeans complete with bulky brass belt buckle, blue and white plaid shirt left open to reveal his defined chest, fake piece of wheat complete with plastic bite guard, and straw hat. "Anyone here like to plow these virgin fields?" the lion asked once he was outside, thumbs hooked in the waist of his pants.

"Getting there...but I think we can do better. Back inside Mitch," Boo instructed with a flick of his wrist.

Nodding, the aspiring dancer retreated back into his dressing room only to emerge a minute later in a white lab coat that only came up to mid thigh and gloves. "Anyone wanna help me study biology?" another shake of the badger's head. This scene repeated itself, each time the lion emerged as another profession's dirty stereotype, from gardener, to chef, to lawyer, and each time it just didn't seem to live up to Bulgar's expectations. Finally, reappearing in a black and yellow stripped shirt, black shorts, and bobble antenna headband, Maxi asked "Who wants to try some of my freshly made honey?"

"That was so-ooo close! It's missing the mark by this much," holding up two fingers pinched together, a thin line of light visible between the thick black pads.

The lion sighed, small creases in his face at his weariness of switching outfits every thirty seconds, especially when he needed that energy to go on stage and perform well-enough to beat out Sebastian for top honors and the chance to dance with Locke. "What do you think I'm lacking Boo?" he asked, one paw attempting to straighten out the wrinkles on his furrowed brow, the other repeating the motion on the hem of his shirt.

The badger gently tugged at his whiskers as he thought. "I can't quite put my claw on it Mitch. Usually, when you shorten the skirt, you up the dancer's sex appeal. Now don't get me wrong, you're a hot piece of ass...and if I were several years younger, I might just try and tap it; but the same isn't holding true in your case. It's like...you're too...too...the opposite of whatever 'sexy' is...you're too..." he fumbled, unable to come up with the antonym he was after.

"Innocent?" he said, as if offering the head chef a taste of his newest dish.

The word was warm to the touch; it fizzled against the badger's lips as its sweet flavor, tinged with just a drop of citric acidic, tingled against the top of his tongue. Swirling the word around in his muzzle, he caught himself savoring the aroma as one would a vintage wine, inhaling the essential flavors, but refusing to drink it down. "Too innocent..." he repeated, liking the way it rationalized why he couldn't find the proper costume; he had been focusing on enhancing the wrong 'assets'.

"So...what can be done to fix it?" the lion asked, twiddling his thumbs.

"Don't worry about it young'n, I think I've got just the costume for the job. Now strip back to your skivvies," Bulgar instructed, "I'll toss it over the door once I find it."

"I have faith," Maxi said, sauntering back into the closet-sized dressing room, paws already working the tight t-shirt over his head; the bee-antenna falling to the ground

He could hear the badger chuckle from somewhere outside the dressing-room. "Save that faith for the dance floor." With that, an outfit, complete with hanger, came sailing over the top of the door to land squarely on the lion's head. "Now get dressed kitty-cat, we don't have much time left."

Too busy pulling the clothes off the hanger, Maxi began to slip himself into his newest clothes; a pair of tight beige shorts, short white dress shirt that revealed his midriff, fitted beige vest complete with a school crest on the breast pocket, oversized blue and yellow stripped tie, knee-high white socks, and black converse. In his arms, he hugged a pair of papier-mâché school books wrapped in a red leather strap against his chest. All-in-all, he walked out of the dressing room the epitome of that perfectly innocent private-school student. "Anyone want to be study buddies? I really need help with my anatomy homework."

Bulgar managed to utter an open-mouthed whimper as he took in the site before him. The lion looked even better that he had hoped; and after having seen all the other competitors he could easily say that Mitch looked the best. "I am good..." he said once he had recovered his ability to talk.

"That you are," the feline grinned, gently tugging his shirt closed as the tight fabric strained against even his trim form. As he got used to walking in the tight, but not overly revealing clothing, he felt a pair of paws gently clasp him by the hips. "S-S-Something missing?" he asked, suddenly nervous. He wondered if the badger would try to take advantage of him in his slightly intoxicated state, not that he could mount much of a defense.

Bulgar's pudgy fingers managed to slip between the lion's tawny pelt and the tight waistband. "Just one last fix young'n." With that, he hooked a claw under the leg hole of Maxi's white Speedo. Tugging at the stretchy fabric, he slowly lifted each side into an elongated parabola till they hung like two broad brush strokes across each hip. Once he was sure they'd stay in place, he turned the cat's waist this way and that. "How's that feel?"

"It's a little constructive down in the...uhh...family jewels region," said the boy, tracing uncomfortable circles with his shoes as his face took on a soft blush.

"Oh..." the older male chuckled, "That's easily fixed." Before the lion could object, the badger had his paws down his shorts again, only this time they were in the front...and under his speedo. He could feel the well-worn warm pads gently curl around his sheath and balls, and with a quick tug, coupled with a tender yelp from their owner; he freed them from the creases of the clinging fabric. With a bit of fluffing, Bulgar felt the heated stiffening of the boy's lionhood as he arranged his sheath for maximum comfort and bulge size. "How's it feel now?" he asked, withdrawing his fingers from the feline's nether regions; "Cause if you're happy, I'm happy, and with a package like that, the audience will be happy too."

Perhaps his slight intoxication had toyed with his perception of time, but Maxi swore that the badger's palm had lingered just a tad too long coming out as it brushed against the front of his sheath. "Much better now, thanks Boo." Swallowing hard, he forced an innocent smile, pretending to not have taken notice or offence. With the fake books clutched to his abs under crossed arms, he headed back towards the stage; the slight spring in his step a result of the wedgie caused by the speedo pressing into the cleft of his ass. "So, where can I pick up my clothes after the show?" he asked over his shoulder.

Bulgar was a bit late in responding, his attention glued to the motion of the two perfectly shaped mounds nestled in that pair of khaki shorts walking away from him; oh, how he wished he could be that lucky fabric swatch. "Uhh...what?" he asked, snapping out of the trance the young creature's rump had put him in. "Your clothes? They'll be in one of the small lockers in the room across the hall. You can get them once the winner is announced."

"Got it...thanks," Maxi smiled as he headed out the door, "See you after the show!"

"Bring us back the crown, ya hear Mitch?" Bulgar said, tongue licking over the front of his teeth as the brushy tip of the lion's tail disappeared behind the wall. With the last of the dancers fitted for their costumes, the badger took a set of keys from his office in the adjacent room, locked the costume closet, and headed out to the bar for a double shot of scotch and a good view of the upcoming show.

Fin'

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Hope you enjoyed it. The next one will be out soon. I just hope I can keep up this pace and maybe win me back some fans :P