The Raging Hounds V: Good, Clean Fun?
#5 of The Raging Hounds
The Raging Hounds, the universe in which the story takes place and all the characters are copyright of Rhazagal. No part of this series may be used without permission from the author. If you dislike reading about M/M action between two (or more!) soldiers, you can stop reading here.
"Well that went well." Jim remarked in his usual, perky, cheery way, waving around slightly with his fork.
After Rose and the others had made their apology, which Vincent had eventually accepted for the sake of keeping the underhanded company together, the Hounds had headed off for some dinner. After the incident in the common room the spirits of everyone seemed to be lifted, at the very least a little bit.
"Yeah... But I still think I need more time to completely forgive what they did. I won't forgive Jericho, however, and I believe Fletcher had his paws in this mess, too. Can't be sure about the latter, though, so I guess I'll have to let that sleeping dog lie." Vincent replied between mouthfulls of rice with curry chicken sauce. Schaefer had given orders for the kitchen staff to prepare a real meal for everyone this time around instead of the usual gruel.
"Mmhmm..." Jim said, looking then pensive for a moment before the Dalmatian's expression brightened up once more "But hey, this is still better than having the Hounds divided into two camps, right?"
"I couldn't agree more with you, Jim."
A metallic tray clanging to the table next to Vincent made both him and Jim jump slightly in surprise. The bulky form of sergeant Dan filled Vincent's vision, the enormous wolf towering above the sitting hyena like a Titan.
"Morning..." Dan mumbled, looking every bit as if he had just woken up: slightly bloodshot eyes, unkempt fur and slightly sluggish, slurring speech.
"More like late afternoon, sarge." Jim commented, grinning broadly at the wolf, who responded merely by snorting before starting to shovel down his food.
"Longfang sure is a real morning-person." Vincent said with a chuckle, earning himself a snort from the burly wolf.
The conversation came to a standstill for a few minutes, broken abruptly by Jim snapping his fingers.
"Almost forgot... Vince, are you still going to use the same shower turn as our currently only straight boy Hartmund does, or will you dare to venture in to the lair of the big bad gay folk?" The Dalmatian asked with a smug grin, leaning over the table on his elbows and bringing his nose only a breath away from Vincent's.
"I think I'll try the gay-boy approach this time around..." Vincent replied with a smile of his own, pushing then Jim back to his own seat by pressing his index finger against the Dalmatian's nose.
Jim mocked a pout at being rejected once more, but regardless he wagged his tail some. Oh how he had been waiting for this... He'd definitely have to try and make Vincent have his way with the Dalmatian. Already Jim had to struggle to prevent himself from wriggling and squirming with excitement on his seat, the dog's imagination running rampant with very vivid pictures of what was to come.
However, if his plan failed and Vincent wouldn't take the chance... Well Jim would still be getting laid, the rest of the unit would definitely see to that.
"Oh, I've been meaning to ask... Dan, did you ever have anyone special to you? Before the army?" Vincent asked all of a sudden.
Dan frowned for a moment before lowering his fork and turning to properly face Vincent, that same frown on his face. For a moment Vincent was sure he had somehow ticked the burly wolf off and that Dan would knock him to the kingdom come right then and there.
The large wolf, however, lifted just his index finger and placed it onto his lips, looking suddenly like he was struggling to remember.
"I'm...not sure..." Dan said after a while, his frown only ever deepening a little "I can't remember my life before the army too well... It's been so long, that I must've forgotten. For me, as long as I remember, there has always been nothing but war and the army...and lately the Hounds."
"What about you, Vince? Didcha have someone before donning the greens?" Jim piped in, once more leaning onto his elbows though this time around he stayed on his side of the table.
Vincent wasn't sure if he wanted to tell at first, but in the end he thought it couldn't hurt to let Dan and Jim know.
"Yeah... I've had one boyfriend, if you could call us a couple that is. It's sort of a long story..."
"We've got time if you just feel like sharing the story with us." Dan said calmly, patting Vincent surprisingly gently onto the shoulder with his massive paw.
Vincent nodded and smiled at the wolf "Very well, then." He dug into his pocket to dig out a worn piece of laminated paper. It was a printout of a digital picture, showing Vincent and a slightly shorter, sleeker striped Hyena. The two of them were standing on a beach, both of them in nothing but matching blue shorts. Vincent's arm was around the other Hyena's shoulders, whilst the grey Hyena had his arms wrapped around Vincent's waist.
"We took this picture using the timer of the camera... It's taken two months before I joined the Federate Marine Corps. I met Joseph during elementary school...fifth grade, I think. He was the smart guy, smart without having to keep his nose buried in the books. I guess he was just gifted like that..." Vincent smiled a little, running his thumb gingerly over the image of the striped-one.
"I was the silent guy, the wall-flower, Joe Nobody. I preferred to stay on my own for the most parts. Well... To make a long story short, we became friends after we both sat in detention together for beating up a couple of jerkwad bullies. In time it went deeper than that... Around half a year before I joined, we confessed our feelings for each other. We never really dated, not in the usual way anyways, but we were rather friends with benefits."
Vincent cleared his throat lightly, blushing clearly for what he was about to say, but regardless he carried on.
"Joseph and I didn't use those 'benefits' too often. Two or three times, I think, and he always insisted on being the bottom... Anyways, school came to an end and we were sorta forced to go our separate ways. He got a place as a research assistant on some remote space station somewhere in the fringe of the Federation, whilst I was stuck with bad grades and not a clue as for what to do with my life. To Joseph it was a twin-bladed sword... He had always wanted a job like that, but at the same time doing it would mean losing me. In the end, though, we agreed it would be best to split up... He went his way and I'm trudging down mine."
"Quite a story... Almost like a chapter out of a romantic novel, if you don't mind me saying." Jim commented, reaching over the table shortly to ruffle Vincent's headfur "I'm sorry to hear you lost someone dear to you that way... But hey, on the bright side of things, you might still meet again. I mean...We DO travel a whole lot."
Vincent shook his head lightly "Nah... It's cool this way. I had a lot of time to go through this in my head during the Boot and now I'm over it. We just weren't meant for each other, I guess. And how about you, Jim? Have you had anything going on before the army?"
"Are you kidding me? I was the public bicycle of the boarding school I was sent to...Every gay or bisexual guy had at least one ride with me. During those times, though, I was sorta forced to use protection... You wouldn't believe how frikin' hard it was to smuggle condoms into an all-male boarding school. Totally worth it, though." Jim said, giving Vincent and Dan a more than slightly suggestive smile and a wink.
Vincent chuckled and Dan tried to -poorly- cover a grin as Jim finished his story. Apparently the Dalmatian had always had a 'thing' for being a boytoy.
"Well I have to get going now... My fangs are threatening to start floating." Vincent said after managing to squelch his chuckling and getting his composure back together.
"Alrighty, I wouldn't even dream about holding back a stud in need." Jim said, lathering his every word, every nuance, with innuendo and clear flirting.
After Vincent had left, Dan broke out of his streak of silence and looked the black and white dog on the other side of the table square into the eye.
"I'm curious... What do you see in him? Is it because you still haven't slept with him, or because he's such a nice guy or what?" Dan asked quietly.
Jim shrugged "I dunno... It might be partially because I haven't slept with him yet, yes, but I dare to say there's something else, too. He's a real sweetheart, you know, and he has that certain charm about him..."
"Yeah, that he has." Dan replied, earning himself a quizzical look from the Dalmatian.
"My my... I'm almost shocked beyond words. Is our big, bad, burly sergeant wolfy finally starting to come out of his shell?" Jim said playfully, nudging Dan who, unsurprisingly, didn't move an inch from the soft poke.
"Don't push it, pup..." Dan said, giving Jim a mock sneer.
For a moment they stared each other into the eyes, neither of them backing down, before bursting into a laughter. Well... In Dan's case it was more of a reserved chuckle, but Jim was laughing from the rock bottom of his heart.
Vincent pressed the panel beside the toilets' door and the metal door slid out of the way with a soft hiss of hydraulics.
Deep in his own thoughts, it took the Hyena a moment to realize something wasn't quite normal in the toilet. Only as the sound of huffing and moaning hit his ears did Vincent look up and freeze dead on his tracks. Sam Watkins, the Doberman who had raped him not long ago, was bent over, leaning against the sinks for a sandy-brown dingo whom Vincent recognized to be Jerry White, also known as "Deadeye".
Sam was the first to notice Vincent standing not far away, staring at the two of them having a go at it. Sam's jaw line twitched into a faint smile before the dobie turned his head away and coughed audibly enough to make Jerry open his eyes and see what was transpiring around him.
"Oh...How's it hangin' Raikov?" Jerry asked, though he didn't cease bucking his hips against Sam's rump.
It took Vincent a moment to gather his suddenly scattered thoughts, the hyena shaking his head slightly before he was able to form coherent words "I uhh... Sorry to have bothered you two. Didn't realize you were in the middle of...something."
Sam didn't dare to look at Vincent, but Jerry gave the Hyena a broad, suggestive grin.
"You aren't disturbing anything." The dingo said, examining Vincent from head to toe briefly, absorbing in the Hyena's body with his eyes before carrying on "Care to join us? Sam here still has one end free, or then you could..." Jerry trailed off, letting actions speak instead, the dingo's slowly rising tail leaving no shadow of a doubt what he had meant.
"You...You would...I mean...Just like that?" Vincent stammered out, taken more than slightly by surprise by the sudden invitation. This was definitely the first of it's kind Vincent had ran into, even amongst the -almost all too- gay Hounds.
"Mmhmm... Just like that." Jerry replied calmly, nodding his head softly a couple of times and winking softly at Vincent, who felt his face grow hot.
Jerry bent further over Sam's back, nibbling at the dobie's ear tip and making the dog whimper in enjoyment, the dingo's tail rising a little more to show what Jerry had to offer. Vincent whimpered quietly, almost inaudibly, as he struggled with himself.
Aside from touching himself lightly during his first night whilst watching Martin domming a fox -who Vincent had later found out was known as "Chibi"- he hadn't had much of a stimulation down there. Well... Save for Jim who had tried to give him a pawjob in the middle of a bustling canteen back at Goodwill Station. That all was counterweighed by Vincent's still lingering distaste for the swingy way of life, albeit he now did understand why the Hounds were like that.
With a grunt Vincent managed to wrest back his self control. He shook his head violently a couple of times before managing to stagger past Sam and Jerry.
"Not right now, Deadeye... I... I just came in to take a leak." Vincent managed to say, his teeth gritted. He was giving up a good opportunity and for what? A silly thing he still believed in? Or was it because of Sam, one of those who raped him, was there? Vincent just didn't know...
"Awww... Well, my bunk always has a spot reserved for you if you ever feel like it. I mean... You saved my tail, so I guess it's only fair you get your share of it." Jerry said cheerfully, though it was clear by his voice that he did feel a little bit hurt for being rejected.
Vincent locked the door of the stall he entered behind him, frowning deeply as he dug his erect maleness from his pants. Angrily he thwapped the persistently jutting piece of meat, mumbling "At ease, goddamit..."
It wasn't helping that Jerry was doing something just outside the booth that was making Sam moan out louder than ever before. Vincent could only guess what it was, but more than likely Jerry was tying with Sam.
"I think I'm going to go nuts if I don't paw off soon...Can't do it now, though. I bet Jerry would hear me jerking off whilst he is fucking Sam's brains out and I wouldn't stop hearing about that..." Vincent thought to himself, trying to calm himself down to get done with this thrice-accursed toilet trip.
Meanwhile, outside, Sam and Jerry apparently reached the finish line so to speak, both of them letting out a drawn-out moan which eventually faded, leaving only the sound of heavy panting.
After somehow managing to finish up, Vincent pressed the flushing button and left the stall. Sam and Jerry were sitting on the edge of one of the sinks with Sam on Jerry's lap. Obviously Vincent had been right about the two of them tying up.
Vincent washed his paws and gave the two canines a nod and a smile before heading out, Jerry shouting "Remember my offer, ya?" after the Hyena. Vincent merely responded with a wave of his paw that could mean this or that.
On the bridge of GFS Triumphant everything was neat, organized and calm. The crew doing their work shift were trying their best to look active and attentive, but during their casual flight in a conflict-free space the machines took care of most everything, leaving the crew with the tedious task of simply monitoring everything.
Schaefer, too, was standing in the bridge, staring at the largest of the view-screens to watch the intricate pattern of stars surrounding them.
Captain Mihail Derringer, a snowy-white wolf nearing his forties in a black captain's uniform -topped with the stylized hat and several honors adorning his chest- stood by the Colonel's side, the wolf's arms clasped relaxedly behind his back.
"The boys earned themselves another brief respite from fighting. I was thinking of letting them spend a night out in some conflict-free star system. I don't expect it to be a dry party, and quite honestly I'll be pretty fragging disappointed if they don't get wasted. Any ideas where I could let the Hounds loosen up a little?" Schaefer said finally, breaking the silence that had lasted for a couple of minutes; ever since Schaefer had entered the bridge.
"Aye...They do deserve a night off. As for the best place to have a party... Maybe Alacast Prime -that's a popular place amongst the Marine Corps- or maybe Tsuke four -they have exotic beaches and whatnot- or then space station G-fifteen 'Raven Loft'." Captain Derringer replied, still staring at the slowly and gently twinkling stars.
"Alacast Prime sounds good. The boys have spent enough time cramped into space stations and spending some time on a beach will only result in them having extra cleaning duties due to the sand sticking everywhere and then shedding all over the ship."
"Alacast Prime it is then." The captain nodded towards the otter manning the Helm "Set course to the Alacast system, full speed jump."
The otter tapped in a few commands with his nimble fingers and then turned to look at his captain "Course set to Alacast star system on maximum jump. Estimated time to destination...Twenty eight hours, captain."
"Good." Derringer said simply, turning then to look at Schaefer properly for the first time "Do you think they can handle it? Alacast is bound to be full of marines on a leave, some of them quite drunk, and I'm fairly sure many already know what your boys are like."
"What are they like, then? Do enlighten me, Mihail."
"Gay... and not everyone likes that. I know you know that, but I think it's my duty as your comrade and friend to remind you about it." Captain Derringer said, looking slightly concerned for a minute.
"Mihail, I'm confident they can handle themselves, and if it goes down to exchanging punches... I pity the fool who would take on any of my Hounds in unarmed combat."
"I admire your confidence in your Pack, Edward. I pray to Machala everything will go well and without any incidences."
The Colonel didn't say anything, merely nodding slightly as a response, turning then his attention back towards the view screen. The whole ship started to vibrate lightly, a quiet humming growing steadily louder and louder until, after about a minute or so, the stars in the view screen started to distort, turning from small dots of light into long streams and, eventually, the screen was filled with nothing but technical data as GFS Triumphant made the jump.
Later, during the evening, Vincent wrapped a towel around his waist, all too conscious of the stares and whistles he was getting from the other Hounds. Jim was standing next to him, the Dalmatian's towel resting casually on his shoulder, the dog happily displaying his everything for the Hounds to see.
"Ready to get wet, spottybutt?" Jim asked with a broad grin, swatting Vincent lightly onto the rump.
"Y-Yeah...I think so." Vincent replied, mustering up the energy for a small smile. On the inside, however, he was feeling more than a little tense. The slightly distorted voices of some of the Hounds could already be heard from the shower room, some of the sounds umistakeably those of two males having sex.
Vincent drew in a deep breath, exhaling it slowly before nodding at Jim "I'm ready."
The showers were, as Vincent had come to know, nothing but faucets and taps attached to tiled walls, the room itself shaped like a square with shower heads on three walls. No stalls, no curtains, not a whiff of a hope for privacy... just the way the Hounds liked it.
"He-heeey! Lookie who's just arrived! Wildfire is in the house, people!" Jake -also known as "Chibi"- shouted, the fox giving Vincent a warm smile and a wink.
Jake's introduction roused a tidal wave of whistling and cheering from the Hounds, making Vincent blush harder than he probably ever before had in his life. The scent of wet dog combined with all sorts of shampoo and the obvious musk of male arousal drifted heavily in the slightly steamy room.
Vincent turned his head left and right, watching some of the Hounds already having a go at it in ones, twos and threes, forcing the Hyena to turn his head away and think of something else lest he'd get an erection right then and there. He picked a free showerhead on the right near the entrance, but he didn't have the chance to turn on the water before Jim squeezed himself between Vincent and the taps, a broad smile on the lithe-ish Dalmatian's face.
Jim, in nothing but his fur which was glistening slightly with gathering moisture, looked like just about the most beautiful thing Vincent had seen in his life, the sort of innocent, boyish charm the dog was emitting as he looked at Vincent with his head slightly tilted to the side making the Hyena's spine tingle.
Completely on the impulse Vincent took a step forward, his towel flying in a high arch over his shoulder. Jim giggled lightly as Vincent wrapped first one, then the other arm around him, the Dalmatian's giggle melting into an elongated, soft moan as Vincent pressed his lips against Jim's, kissing the dog passionately.
To Vincent the world was slowly fading away, the cat-calls and cheers of the other Hounds -who had noticed what Vincent was doing- coming as if everyone was far, far away. Vincent didn't care about the others being there, not anymore, his focus shifting one hundred and one percent onto Jim.
Jim was sure he was going to faint out of delight right then and there, feeling his knees going slightly weak as Vincent's warm, slippery tongue invaded his muzzle, the Hyena's rapidly hardening sheath rubbing softly against his being nothing short of intoxicating. He loved it, the way Vincent was clearly holding the reigns, dictating what was going to happen and Jim didn't even dream of going against the handsome and strong Hyena's whims.
Vincent wasn't able to think clearly anymore. He was suffering from the most typical ailment a male could possibly suffer from: he was thinking with his dick, not with his brains, and he didn't give a damn about it. Hungrily he trailed his tongue this way and that inside the whimpering Jim's muzzle, a soft growl of dominant content erupting from deep within the overtly horny Vincent.
Gasping for breath Jim broke away from the kiss, moaning softly as Vincent immediately proceeded to kiss his neck and shoulder with fierce passion. Jim leaned his back against the wall, enjoying the coolness of the tiles against his back as it contrasted so starkly with the warm softness of Vincent's spotted body pressing against his own.
"Oh gods, Vince..." Jim managed to gasp, feeling Vincent's rock-hard maleness pressing firmly against his stomach. Daring to take a peek down, Jim's muzzle turned into a slight grin. Vincent was humanesque "down there", just the way Jim was, the Dalmatian representing a rare-ish case of knotless, humanesque canines. In the muzzles of some furs that term tended to take the form of "freak", but those cases were rare and none of the Hounds cared one bit about it.
Jim bit his lower lip softly, letting then out a tormented grunt before starting to wriggle in Vincent's arms. He couldn't take it anymore... He wanted to feel Vincent inside him, wanted the Hyena to outright fuck him nice and proper.
Vincent caught the drift soon enough, loosening his grip on Jim enough to allow the Dalmatian to turn around, Jim planting his paws, chest and cheek firmly against the cool tiles of the wall, his tail wagging excitedly. Vincent wasted no time in wrapping his paws around Jim's comparatively lithe and slender body, pressing his chest firmly against Jim's back and his crotch snuggly against the dog's rump, letting his rigid maleness rest between Jim's pert, cute buns.
A slight quiver from Jim could be felt by Vincent as the dog felt Vincent's pride poking around underneath his tail, rubbing occasionally over his tailhole. The stimulation was, to say the least, making Jim even more anxious and excited. He had, in his books, waited for ages to get into this situation, to be taken by the stud-of-a-hyena.
Vincent dragged his tongue smoothly across the back of Jim's ear, forcing the dog to let out a quivering moan. That moan was soonafter followed by another one as Vincent slowly trailed downwards, stopping on the dog's neck to lightly and very, very gently nibble from there.
Slowly Jim's paws left the tiled wall, reaching for his own taut buns which he spread apart to give Vincent more room, a anxious whimper escaping from him as he waited for Vincent to get into the good parts. All too happy to oblige, Vincent grabbed his dick by the base of it for guidance and support and, with surprising ease, penetrated Jim's tailhole, making the dog moan and whimper audibly, his voice drowning into the sounds of the shower room around them.
Able to move faster than he thought, Vincent was hilted deep inside Jim in no time at all. Jim was nicely loose, probably due to numerous occasions like this one was, which made taking him easy and comfortable. As Vincent had reached the hilt, Jim suddenly clenched his tailhole and passage around Vincent's maleness, causing it to mold and wrap perfectly around him, elicting a quivering moan out of the hyena.
Vincent clamped his jaws into the scruff of Jim's neck as he proceeded to move his hips back and forth, sliding himself from the tip to the hilt slowly. The change of temperature between the moist air of the shower room and Jim's passage wasn't big at all, but it felt heavenly all the same, Vincent's pace picking up as his lust took over and his precum, seeping steadily from the tip of his cock, lubricated the Dalmatian's passage.
To Jim it was like getting -once more- a piece of heaven, Vincent's rock-hard maleness making him feel full and content every time it was showed deep into his willing rump, the dog's tail wagging slightly, his tongue hanging out of the side of his muzzle which was like frozen into a small, goofy smile. In a slightly broken voice Jim ushered Vincent to carry on, to fuck him like the stud he was. Needless to say, the overtly horny Vincent was happy to oblige, pounding Jim with fierce passion.
Jim just loved being the submissive part, loved the feeling of someone taking him, filling him and domming him. To him there was no better sensation than the feeling of being mounted, fucked and then filled with the other's seed. It made the other feel good, and it made Jim feel good and loved. Right now it was Vincent who was making him feel like that and Jim loved every second of it.
With ease Vincent's cock moved inside Jim's lovehole, the hyena pumping his hips firmly and swiftly against Jim's rump, both of them moaning in almost perfect unison. It was Vincent's lustiness, however, that was also his weak point. Whereas it made him breed Jim with fierce lust and passion, it also meant he didn't have much stamina at all, his balls already drawing closer to his body, heralding an impending orgasm.
Jim, by then an expert at reading the little nuances and subtle changes in his bedmates when they were nearing their limits, let off of his rump and proceeded to paw himself off, his other paw slowly massaging his fuzzy sac whilst the other pumped furiously up and down the slick length.
A dominant snarl, followed by Vincent thrusting himself all the way into Jim's rump, the hyena's pelvic bone digging into the Dalmatian's pert buns, were the indicators of the end of Vincent's endurance. A heartbeat later Jim's eyes flashed open in ecstatic pleasure as he felt Vincent's cum pouring into him, long, hot jets of the hyena's seed gushing deep inside his bowels. Because Vincent wasn't a specie with a knot, some of the seed even dripped out of Jim's lovehole; something which he didn't get to feel very often.
Working his paw furiously over his maleness, Jim, too, reached his high point in no time at all, the dog's spasming cock sending jets of sticky, white cum flying onto the tiled wall and floor, leaving the Dalmatian feeling happy and at the same time slightly weak in the knees.
Slowly Vincent loosened his grip on Jim's neck, licking first his lips and then the back of the dog's ear, a goofy grin on both of their faces as they just stayed that way for a while. Vincent felt a sensation of incredible relief, both from getting to vent his hormones out and from having conquering his fears towards the Hounds' shower sessions.
A partially sad sigh left Jim's muzzle as Vincent's softening maleness slipped out of his tailhole, dragging out some more of the hyena's seed with it, the sticky fluid matting the Dalmatian's fur. He would've liked to have Vincent inside of him for just a little while longer... Oh well, it couldn't be helped this time around, but he could always try and go for seconds a little later. The thought made Jim giggle inwardly.
With a sudden 'whomp' the sounds of the room around them returned to Vincent's ears as if someone had flicked a switch in his head. With lust no longer clouding his judgment Vincent came suddenly very self-conscious of the fact he'd had sex right in front of roughly thirty other guys. Blushing heavily Vincent drew back from Jim, helping the Dalmatian stand on his own feet before flashing the dog a faint smile. Jim returned the smile with his own, much broader one.
For a moment they both looked into each others' eyes before Vincent turned his head away in embarrassment, though this one was a positive embarrassment that was more like a sudden burst of shyness. Without saying anything Vincent turned on one of the showerheads and started to scrub himself clean.
Jim merely smiled. He could partially guess what was going on in the hyena's head, so instead of pushing him about the matter the dog thought to let Vincent sort things out in his head himself. Turning on a showerhead adjacent to Vincent's, Jim showered himself down quickly, mainly focusing on scrubbing his paws and rump clean of cum. He knew there was still some action to be had from other Hounds. True enough, Sam was already looking intently at the Dalmatian from the other end of the room and it didn't take two guesses for Jim to figure out what the Doberman wanted.
Sam had, however, been one of those who had raped Vincent, but then again... He had also regretted and apologized for it. Sam had always been one of Jim's more regular bedmates, too. Jim looked at Vincent slipping out of the room under the cover of the light steam and that pretty much sealed Jim's decision. He winked the Doberman to come closer, to which Sam was more than happy to oblige to. As Sam was just a step or two away, Jim spun around and placed his paws once more against the wall, bending over and lifting his tail for Sam. Oh yes... He'd definitely be getting more than just one round of fun tonight...
The air in Colonel Schaefer's office smelled of sweet, vanilla flavored tobacco, the smoke rising steadily from the lit cigar held casually between Schaefer's fingers, the Colonel occasionally drawing in a deep breath of the smoke, the tip of the cigar burning cherry-red whenever he did so.
The Colonel wasn't alone in the office, either, as Ghost, yet again donning full battle gear, stood in front of the German Shepherd's desk. Somehow the Shade was able to look sharp and formal even when standing at ease, a certain stiffness hovering about him as he stared at the Colonel through the lenses of his helmet.
"I'm fairly sure" Schaefer finally began "that you've already been informed about your most recent assignment, Ghost."
"I am." Came the armored rodent's curt reply, his voice hissing and mechanic as always as it was filtered through the speaker of his all-enclosing suit of armor.
Schaefer picked up a hand-held data sheet and started to quote the text therein "From Galactic Federation's High Command to the respected commander of the twelfth Marine Company Edward Jonathan Schaefer. The Special Operations Department has deemed it necessary to continue the assignment of the Special Operations Operative, codenamed Ghost, within the twelfth Marine Company for an indefinite period of time. SpecOps Operative Ghost is herein placed under the direct command of Colonel Edward J Schaefer. Signed by the leader of SpecOps Department and commander of HiCom."
Schaefer lowered the paper and turned around to face the armored warrior, waving the data sheet in front of him slightly whilst dragging in a deep breath from the cigar, the following exhale obscuring the dog's face for a brief moment "Do you fully understand what this means?"
"I do." Ghost responded, elaborating then upon seeing the expecting look on Schaefer's face, the rodent's voice not betraying any emotions whatsoever "I am no longer allowed to go about things my way, but rather I must follow Your orders as any rank-and-file grunt would."
"I'm fairly sure you aren't too happy about this." Schaefer said quietly, puffing out some more smoke. He didn't smoke too often, but when he did he always went for the best thing available. If he was to destroy his lungs, then he bloody well would do it with style, at least.
Ghost was silent for a full two seconds as if considering his words carefully before answering, still remaining as neutral and passive as possible "It is not my place to question the orders I'm being given. If SpecOps and HiCom think my continued presence in this unit benefits the Federation, then so be it. That order there means, that my talents are yours to command...but use me wisely, Colonel, for my loyalty lies to the Federation and to the Federation only."
"As does mine, Ghost... I will ask this only once: do not question the loyalty of me, or my men for that matter, towards the Federation. The twelfth Marine Company is ever loyal, has always been and will always be. No might in the universe can change that." Schaefer said, a hint of anger in his tone.
"A suspicious mind is one of the Shades' greatest tools, Colonel." Ghost shot back and Schaefer could only grunt and nod at that, the dog waving dismissively with his paw before turning around once more to look at the myriad of trophies laid onto a small, slim table placed right behind Schaefer's chair.
Without saying anything else Ghost left, leaving Schaefer alone with his thoughts. Soon enough they'd reach Alacast Prime and the boys could have their night off. Well... Sergeant Austin would have to remain onboard the ship, because the wolf's massive frame and the rumors circling around his kind might very well provoke some. Longfang had, however, gotten used to being unable to enjoy the nights out with the rest of the Pack. More than likely he'd once more spend the day at the gym and maybe play some games with the Colonel. Chess, as ancient as the game was, was one of the games Schaefer enjoyed playing with Longfang, since the two of them were on pretty even level.
Schaefer allowed a rare smile to pass across his muzzle. He'd be sure to beat Longfang this time around. He had to, because Longfang was leading in the score they kept by two. Schaefer couldn't possibly let the success get into the wolf's head, because he knew Longfang would be a pawful to win should the wolf ever challenge Schaefer's position as the Alpha of the pack.
Thus ends another chapter in The Hounds' saga. Don't forget to stay tuned for the next thrilling episode "Boys' Night Out", when the Hounds kick in a free gear and head to town to drink and generally have some fun.
Comments are, as always, welcome. ^.^