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Virtually Real Chapter 68: Return of the King's Shadow

Prowl-Ar Nightiger Human Immortal shapeshifter. Able to change from human to anthro or full black tiger with white stripes at will. He can also take on the form of a Bull and a wolf, but his fur and stripe patterns remain the same.

House: Artificial Intelligent Game Construct, Prowl-Ar's butler, chef, and grounds keeper. Guardian of the House Nexus realm. House takes on or generates servants from chefs to teachers as those under his protection need.

Mahan: Holographic or drone interface. Artificial Intelligence based on Prowl-Ar's mind, but different due to extensive self-modification. Primary intelligence of The Shadow Runner spacecraft.

Kyle (Drake) Nanaki/ Red XIII: quadrimorph. He spends most of his time in his anthro Eastern Fur dragon form. His personality is based on Red XIII or Nanaki from the original Final Fantasy VII game. He can also take on his original form, wolf form, and lion form however his coloration and markings remain the same in all forms. In one of the games Kyle inadvertently contracted lycanthropy, however already having a wolf form this only allows him to get bigger and stronger when already in wolf form.

Jordan (Wolf): Joined the Shadow Runners as the ship's medic and eventually became one of their mates. Whether he knows it or not has divine connections. In one of the games they encountered a pack of werewolves. Since wolf already had a wolf form this meant when overly emotional he increases in size and intimidation.

Rider: An Anthro Smilodon. After contracting the lycanthropy Rider is now able to take on a werewolf form. However because of his already large size he is larger than most wolves.

Malhoket (Mal): The son of the goddess Bastet and a priest of Anubis. He was placed in Wolf's care as a sex slave. Curse bonded so that if they didn't have sex or were very far apart they would experience great pain. This curse has been broken.

Kebohtet (Keb): The son of Anubis. The God charged him to Prowl-Ar as a sex slave even going as far as cursing them to keep them together. This because he felt Prowl-Ar owed him a debt. Unlike other characters from the games Mal and Keb were born in ancient Egypt and picked up by Mahan as he journeyed forward through time. Since the curse had been broken they have become the group's newest mates.

Eleven slaves on my first day back in the game. My own fault really; for not editing prior story events.

"Okay, the first thing you need to know is that all of my slaves are in mated pairs. This means you will be working, eating, and sleeping with the individual you decide to pair up with. Since I'm guessing you've all been around each other for some time you should have an idea of who best suits you. The only exception being you," I pointed at the Bison, "I want you to pair up with Gray, here. Unless you think there might be a problem. Now I'm going to go over to that bench, sit back, and wait for you to make your choices. If you need any help you can get assistance from Mal or Keb. They have both been slaves and they know what I expect. They're free and have become my mates, but they aren't slave masters so feel free to talk to them. Oh! That's another thing, I don't expect you to be silent. Unless I give you a specific order to be silent you can speak freely at all times, as I'm sure you noticed our other slaves doing at the auction."

I watched as they milled about. They were doing a lot of talking. I noticed Gray and the bison approaching. "House, I need the slave registration pad and for you to be ready to remove chastity devices."

"Understood."

I noticed the bison jump when the House avatar appeared. He was also nude, except for the cage, which meant he'd been informed of the no clothing rule.

"Alpha this is-".

"Gray, I'd rather he told me rather than you speaking for him."

"Of course, Alpha."

"I am Storm Bringer, the one that makes the ground thunder."

"So you mind if I call you Storm?"

"Is better than last master. He call me Muncher."

"Storm it is then. Now, according to the laws you must be collared at all times." He knelt down. I slipped the collar over his head and horns. "Please stand. Your official number is 84. House, please remove the cage."

The avatar ran his fingers over the lock mechanism and the cage fell apart.

"Now I know what your first thought is likely to be, but no sex. Not until after the festival."

"Alpha, that's three days. If I go through clean up again-" Gray started.

"No, you just went through clean up this morning and you can't have sexual contact for twenty-four hours."

"Oh, I forgot that part." Gray said, lowering his hears in embarrassment.

"However, you do know the routine. So you can take Storm to clean up now and then you'll both be able to have sex tomorrow."

Gray grinned and did his best to pull Storm toward the house.

Mal brought the four non-ring-tailed slaves over. "It seems there is some animosity between the special slaves and the general ones." So we figured it would be best to keep them separate for the moment."

"No, that's not how things work here. You are now all equals. If there is something from your past that you need to work out then let's take care of it. First, did any of you have problems with Storm?"

They all looked confused.

"The one Gray, the wolf took inside?"

They all shook their heads no.

"Listen, you are all free to talk as much as you like. My rules are fairly simple you do not lie. Even if you think I'll get mad you don't lie. If you tell the truth, yes I may be angry, but if there is a punishment then it will be appropriate. If you lie you will be severely punished for that. The second rule is that here on the island we don't wear clothing. There is no one else here other than your masters and your brothers. We do wear clothing when we travel, however."

"How, can you expect us to trust them? They were the ones that kept us enslaved." The red panda asked.

"Did any of them hurt you?" I asked.

They glanced at each other. "No, but they wouldn't let us escape when our former master would punish us." the raccoon said.

"So they have experience watching you. That's good, it means they can use those skills, only now it will be to keep you safe."

"Um, before anyone complains about my actions, I'd just like to say that what I did I was forced to do by the master. However, I did, and do enjoy my work and I only wish I could have done it more." The coyote said.

"Oh, I don't think any of us have a problem with you. We all enjoyed and looked forward to spending time with you." The coati said happily.

"Is there any other problems?" I asked.

"Yes, that one will try and kill me the first chance he gets." The Lemur yelled, pointing at the fossa.

"Have I ever tried to hurt you? Look, I know our tribes are at war, but we were both taken and sold into slavery while we were still young. I wasn't taught to be a warrior, but it seems your kind was taught hate us from birth. The truth is I think you're really cute, but . . . I know no one really wants to be with me."

"That's not true. I admit I really enjoy helping everyone, but I've always thought you were so exotic, cute, and your seed tastes best to me." The coyote said hugging the fossa.

"Is that it? I'm not stupid and I can't expect you to all love each other, but I don't think getting along is too much to ask."

The lemur looked at the fossa and then stepped forward. "I- I'll try not to hate and fear you."

The fossa smiled, "And I'm going to continue trying to prove you have no reason to fear me."

"Good, now who is my first pair?" I asked.

The giraffe and ram stepped forward. “My name is Jabari. The master bought me as a guard because of my height. He felt I would be useful to watch over everything. I'm not proud of my actions but refusal would have just gotten me killed and cooperation did have some rewards." The Giraffe said, sadly.

"I don't have a name. All my life I've just been called Ram. I was bought as an enforcer well after the others. I don't know what happened to any enforcers the master may have had before as no one would speak to me. Basically my job was to keep the other slaves in line rather than be their friend. Jabari was the only one that really spent much time with me."

"So 85 Jabari and 86 Ram." I placed their collars on; not an easy task given the length of Jabari's neck. "And why did you pair up? I sit just because you worked together?"

They both blushed.

"His horns are so hot." Jabari said, as Ram answered. "Tall guys turn me on, and I doubt I'll ever find anyone as tall as Jabari."

"Ah, I hadn't considered your full height. House?"

"The halls will be tall enough, though just barely. Also he will be doing a lot of bending down to get through doorways. However he really isn't that much taller than master wolf." House responded as he removed their cages.

"That's another thing you need to know. This isn't going to be easy to hear, but all of your breeding equipment will be freed but you are not allowed to use it until this time tomorrow. This is because you are going to be given a drug that removes all parasites from your system as well as enhances you, making it so that you live longer. It is extremely important that no other sexual fluids enter your system until everything has completed. Now the next two. No need to go over your reasons for being together again, I just need your names."

"I'm Toky and this is-" the Fossa started.

"Coy! Just Coy." The Coyote interrupted.

"I'm guessing your former master called you a lot of different things. Coy is fine with me. That makes 87 Toky and 88 Coy. Mal, once their cages are off you can take them and begin getting them cleaned up."

Mal nodded and they started toward the House.

"Okay, next up?"

"Number 89, I'm Fel, the raccoon. I guess I'm the youngest, and I've also been with the group the shortest time. Our former master sort of encouraged us to pair up and we've already sort of worked out what works best for us."

"I guess that would make me number 90. I'm Aki, the Tanuki. I was mostly on my own until Fel was added to the group. I doubt anyone would have wanted me if not being part of the group. I mean, even though we weren't fed much you can see I'm-"

"Absolutely the perfect shape. Don't ever think anything else. I love you just the way you are." Fel interrupted.

"He's right, you are cute just the way you are." I hugged Aki. Before the alterations with the evolver I was the same way. I changed myself to make myself feel better, but really I didn't change. It took meeting my mates and their love to start feeling good about myself. I'd do my best to make Aki feel good about himself rather than just making cosmetic changes. Besides Fel was right, the pudginess actually made him look cute.

"Lapu, I- I thought this would be easier now that our new master gave us permission. I- I love you and if master allows it, would you be my forever mate?"

I was surprised as the Red Panda knelt, took the Cacomistle's small hand, placed against his forehead.

"I-" Lapu turned to look at me, "Master, can we have your permission?"

"Do you love him?" I asked.

"More than I can put into words."

"Well, I'm certainly not going to get in the way of true love."

"Bao, there is nothing I want more than to be your forever mate."

"More than having that chastity cage removed or your freedom?" I just had to ask.

He didn't hesitate, "Yes. As long as I am his mate being a slave doesn't matter. I admit what Coy did for us felt good, but it wasn't as good as being held in Bao's arms."

"Then as far as I'm concerned 91 Bao and 92 Lapu, you are officially mated. That leaves two."

"I'm Reza, I'm not sure what you might want to know. I guess it's my fault that the others are here. I was the first with the ringed tail that the master collected. I- The tribal battles had been difficult and in order to survive, I as the weakest member, was traded. I guess the Fossa tribe might have had it difficult too, since Toky was also sold. I don't hate him. Not really. It's just . . . my earliest memories are warnings that the Fossa tribes would capture Lemur children to eat. I admit, even when master didn't feed us quire enough he never tried to attack me, but I always made sure to stay as far from him as I could."

"I'm guessing he's probably afraid of you as well. However you are equals here and there is plenty of food. I'm not going to force you to be friends, but I do expect you to keep from fighting. Now how about why you paired up with . . ."

"Atzi." The coati replied.

"Why did you two pair up?"

"Because no one else paired up with either of us. Though I have long admired Reza's extra-long tail. You said to pair up so I chose the only other slave with a tail as attractive as my own, who wasn't star struck with someone else." Atzi replied.

"Yeah, Lapu has a nice tail, but he's not really very smart. Master caught him trying to free Bao. The fool fell in love at first sight and let that love blind him." Reza added. "I think Atzi and I are a good match, for now."

"Okay, if that's good enough for you two then it's enough for me. However, try to refrain from saying things like that about your brothers. Keb, once House is finished take them inside and get them cleaned."

"What are you going to do?"

"I'm-". I was going to take the paperwork back to the guild. It couldn't be processed until after the festival, but with Reginald stepping down it would be best if it was ready to go. However, Keb and Mal hadn't been trained on portal use in the game yet, and Grey hadn't been a slave long enough to earn the use of the portals. "I'm going to complete a promise and take a small TV to Char. I need to see if we can get a signal in his dimension. If we can we'll eventually need to transport something bigger. Maybe even set up a theatre type room for a larger than life type experience. Still, better to see if I can get a signal first."

***

I had to use an antigravity cart. After some thought I figured since this was all in game I could make it work. So if I was going to provide video entertainment to a dragon bigger was definitely better.

"Lord Prowl-Ar, what is this? You were going to bring me a box with moving pictures." Char asked.

"I decided you deserved more. I need a large room with a smooth wall."

"Well there is one that your slaves were setting up. They didn't tell me what they had planned. They only said it would be a surprise, but it was shaped like an amphitheater."

"Really? That would be perfect."

"You know what to do, I'll meet you there."

I looked up and the soothing blue lights were once again pointing the way. After a couple of turns I tripped over something. I looked back and found it was a small husky plush. It was well worn and I could see where it had been stitched a few times. It was obvious it had been well loved. I picked it up and set it on the projector. Alone in a hallway was no place to be.

When I arrived in the theatre I could tell the slaves has the same idea I had. The room was set up much like the theatre in house but on a larger scale.

"As you can see with that giant piece of clothe it isn't the best arrangement for acting."

"Yes, but it is perfect for what they were up to. I'd actually planed on a smaller room to begin with. So the speakers I have will be really lacking, but we'll get a full set up in here so you'll really be able to feel the action. By the way, I tripped over this."

"Kato! Have you been out exploring again?"

"Kato?"

"Yes, that is his name. I guess it's because I'm a realm guardian, but I know the names of all the lost plushees that end up here."

"That makes sense, but you never shared any of them with Frost?"

"That cavern hadn't been discovered yet."

"What do you mean?"

"Those magic tools your slaves found for digging. Since they started since they started digging around they've found several new caverns that didn't have openings before. There was one with these really neat rainbow disks, one overflowing with all kinds of cards, another one with dice. And of course the one this little guy was in. Except he seems to be magically inclined. He tends to move about the tunnels on his own as if he's trying to find something or someone."

"I can see he has been well loved. There are stories of some plush creatures, who are so loved that they come to life in some limited way. Maybe he's like that and he's just looking for someone to love. Try placing him with your skeleton maybe he'll stop his endless wandering."

"Do you really think so?"

"It's worth a try."

Char laughed.

"What?"

"Oh just thinking how you are a Lord, slave master, and sometimes human, but under all that you are such a soft hearted individual."

"You're mocking me?"

"No, I mean it. Also, while you continue setting up I'm going to do what you suggested and put little Kato here with my remains."

It took so long that I was able to retrieve and set up a basic surround sound system. I was actually pushing my time as to when I needed to get back to House in order to return to the festival.

"Sorry that took so long. I had to find a place where he would be comfortable."

I smirked but didn't mention that a plush shouldn't care. Instead I held up a DVD case. "I brought this from the library in the house realm to show you how this works."

"Oh? So this is what those rainbow disks are for?"

"That's right. So once you've watched this you'll have plenty to entertain you. This one is kind of like myself. A young human goes through a portal and finds herself in a demon realm. It is animated, meaning moving art, so no mistaking it for being real. Nearly all entertainment you'll see with this device isn't real. Just one last thing." I made some adjustments. "There, now bring up the menu. Ah, it's working." I cued up the movie from house's digital collection. "You have access to my library so you can watch any movie I have. Still, since this is a nexus realm you may have some discs I don't."

"You're going?"

"Yeah, it's the harvest festival in the Kingdom realm and I've been out of touch for too long."

"You need to make an appearance before anyone decides to try and take your slaves? Go, I think this is enough to keep me busy for a long time."

I bowed and headed back to the portal room as the series started to play.

***

"I see everyone is ready. We are going to the Kingdom's harvest festival. I doubt any of you will run since being from that realm you know what happens to slaves. That said, I'm not keeping you on a leash. I don't need to. Your collars will automatically tighten if you try to remove them. Once you stop or are unconscious they will loosen again. Anyway, if you confine your activities to just the town you'll be fine. If you get into trouble call for me, Master Prowl-Ar. By now everyone should know who you belong to based on your collars. I'm going to give each of you a few coppers to spend. If you find something you really want ask any of your brothers with the same collar color if they can help. Those that have been my slaves for eight years should have enough, but it will be their personal money so try to keep your wants within reason. Most things can be obtained here anyway. However be sure to let them know I will repay them for any money they loan you."

"Master?" Storm asked.

"Yes?"

"Are you really letting us go without supervision?"

"Yes, though it might be less stressful if you stick with your partner or to small groups. It may seem foolish but my technique for owning slaves is based on respect and trust."

"It's true. Look at Keb and me. We were Prowl-Ar's slaves for the ten years and after that we simply decided to stay with him and his mates. He is a kind master."

"Good. House open the portal to the Kingdom. Oh! That reminds me, if something happens where you are in danger or you can't deal with the crowds just ask House for a portal home and he'll return you here where you are safe. Now go and enjoy the festival. Keb, can you remain behind a moment?"

"Sure."

We watched as the group filed through the portal. Not surprisingly Mal waited as well.

"Are you going to give us orders to watch them?" Keb asked.

"No, I need you to let Kyle know I have shadowy business to take care of at the castle. He'll understand what that means."

"Are you going to put yourself in danger?" Mal asked.

"No, don't forget this is still just a game and the current safety setting doesn't allow sever injury. Even a deadly poison is only going to give a little vertigo or nausea."

"What about Wolf and Rider?"

"Wolf will know as soon as I portal in and Rider wouldn't understand, kind of like you two. I'll fill all three of you in at the end of the session."

"Okay we're off." Keb said.

"One more thing, have fun but try not to get overly excited. I know how you two get when you can wander freely about a bazaar."

"I don't know what you're talking about." Keb said.

Roughly four years ago, shopping for D'artagnan's birthday gift in Bagdad?"

"Nothing can be proven!" Mal quickly replied.

Keb grabbed him and headed through the portal, but I heard him say "Mahan snitched" in a growl.

I laughed to myself. I'd let Mahan take the blame. I still didn't know why Luca was there, or what he was doing, and I wasn't going to ask.

"Armor on, King's Shadow configuration. House, open the portal in the castle."

***

The portal room was dusty and the air stale. I guess it made sense if I was the last to use it. "Activate Shadow Cloak. Activate Shadow Step." Now I could move about completely undetected. I headed to the king's office first, since it was closest. What I found made me mad.

"I'm not going to tell you anything." Evan hissed. I knew the stone floor had to be causing knee pain.

"As the oldest of his slaves, and a fellow lion, I thought you would be cooperative with your Master." The King growled.

"You're not my master. You're just a little tyrant that will learn his place when the King's Shadow gets ahold of you."

"I'm not scared of a powerless little spirit. Besides, I've already dealt with him."

"The King's shadow is more powerful than you can imagine." Evan yelled.

"Captain Wren, kill him and bring me another of this Lord Prowl-Ar's slaves."

"Captain?" I thought. Master Wren was the master of the King's guard not a lowly captain.

"My lord, respectfully, I cannot kill this slave. He is owned and has committed no crime."

"He has committed treason by refusing to answer my questions. Now do your duty or you I'll get a royal guard in here to do it and you'll share this garbage's fate."

I put my hand on Sir Wren's shoulder. "Stay your hand, your judgement is correct. Take the slave and leave." I whispered.

"What are you mumbling?"

"Evan, stand and walk before me. We are leaving." Sir Wren, said.

"I did not give you permission to leave!" The King Roared.

"My orders come from a higher authority."

"Guards!"

Two guards rushed in. I moved to a point where they could see me but the king couldn't and dropped the shadow cloak.

"Former captain Wren has refused a direct order, take him into custody. And kill that mangy excuse for a lion. I'm going to issue an order than any lion dishonorable enough to be enslaved is to be executed."

They looked at Sir Wren, Evan, the King and then me. I shook my head "no" And gestured for them to leave. They stepped aside and followed Sir Wren out.

"That order-"

"Was countermanded by a higher authority."

The King spun around and he started backing away. "This is impossible. You are contained."

I noticed him glance towards the private room.

"Tell me, since you are such a fan of reading," I laughed to myself for a moment, "Did you ever read the kingdom's original declaration of governing? It is required for every King to read it within the first three days."

"I'm the King so I don't have to."

"The king's power comes from the will of the people. The will of the people will be manifested in the form of the King's Shadow. Should the people lose all faith in the king, the King's Shadow must remove the King and call for an immediate election of a new king. If the King's Shadow is unable to deal with the King, the other will be summoned. I am the Other. I appear as the King's Shadow so as not to upset the people."

"You talk too much!" a crystal orb bounced off my chest armor and I was surrounded in blue light. The ball then shattered.

"Why didn't that work? It worked on the last one."

Because I'm not a spirit possession like the Shadow. I'm an immortal that has helped to build the kingdom from the beginning, now open the door and let's go free the Shadow."

"He cannot be freed."

I looked at the implosion device the King's Shadow had been placed within. "Pause game."

What's going on? Rider was the first to ask.

"The current king as placed the King's Shadow in an implosion device. Basically the game hit me with something that I'm going to need to consider and plan my next step before continuing. Otherwise I'm likely to destroy the castle and most of the area around it killing everyone."

"Yeah, take all the time you need, we just started again and I don't want to end the game here. Wolf, let's go prepare the evening meal. There is recipe I want your opinion on." Kyle said.

I'd like to say what everyone else was doing, but to be honest I was trying to think of solutions. I still would be, but I'd hoped something would come to mind while I was adding to my journal. It didn't help."

"Tiger, Come back to bed. You'll think better after a nights rest." Wolf insisted.

***

"Are you sure this is the best course of action?" Wolf asked.

"No, but it will work."

"Okay, so as soon as we restart I need to get to the smithy at the outskirts. You know I've never been there?" Wolf asked.

“Have one of my slaves guide you. Talon, if he knows the way would be a good choice since he is familiar with starship piloting and can assist you with getting Noir ready."

“I don't need assistance with Noir, just getting there."

"Meanwhile Razor and I use the portals to take the tyrant to Slaver's Ring to sell. Why Razor?" Kyle asked.

"Because his claws make him deadly, even when unarmed. Plus you're both sort of reptilian, or so most believe. It'll make it less strange that you're selling a lion."

"Do you have an amount I should try for?" Kyle asked.

"Go for as much as you can get, but get back here as quickly as possible. Just don't let it seem like you're in a hurry."

"Okay, he isn't far from me so we'll head for the castle. And you are going to subdue the king and figure out if the King's Shadow can even be moved without setting off the device?" Kyle asked.

"Yeah, first part is easy I've got shock cuffs for that. As for The King's Shadow, that requires sacrificing a large asteroid or small planetoid."

"While you're all doing that I'm to find the Master Slaver Rat from earlier and let him know to be ready for a big announcement from this Shadow person?" Rider asked.

"Correct. Mal, I want you to come to the castle with Kyle. Evan didn't look very good and I'd like you to help him get to the bakery. Keb, your task is to spread the word to our slaves to all meet at the bakery as quickly as possible."

"How will I recognize all of them?"

"They all have the same type collar, mine have black with white stripes, Kyle's are dark red and bright red, Shock's are orange and yellow, Wolf's are black and gold, finally Rider's is brown and light brown. Now let's go!"

As soon as we were in position the game restarted.

"Where did you get that?" I asked, referring to the implosion bomb.

"I have my sources, though I doubt your primitive mind can comprehend-"

"An implosion device? Simple enough; when the crystal sphere containing Shadow is broken the two elemental rods shoot out. When they connect the reaction forms a super dense singularity. Depending on the elements used the singularity may eat as little as the castle and town, or grow so massive that it will never be reversed."

"How can you know that?" The King asked in shock.

"Because he is extremely intelligent. Far smarter than you it seems." Kyle said, leaning against the door frame.

"And who are you?" The King Snarled.

"Well, you see, Dragons have really long lives." Kyle shifted to his lion form, "Dragons who have mastered the art of shifting to other species even more so."

"King Kyle! You have returned!" Sir Wren exclaimed from behind Kyle.

Kyle grinned. "You asked me who I am. Here I was King Kyle. Since I doubt you are all that educated, I was the King who stepped down so that Lorinnik the Great could lead the kingdom into a golden age. However, given your knowledge of technology maybe you would know my other title. Former Emperor Kyle of the Star Empire, Father of Emperor Rider, Son of Emperor Seto."

"No, that's not possible. Emperor Kyle died long before the Star Empire reached the Allied Anthro-Nations."

"Emperors don't die, we fake our deaths and settle on planets where we are not known." Kyle replied.

The king moved but he didn't get a chance as I slammed a cuff around his wrist. I yanked his arm back, grabbed the other and secured his arms behind his back."

"You can't do this! I'm the King."

"Do you have a family?" I asked.

"So you can use them to get information from me?"

"He has no family. He does keep a pride of mistresses but I believe he kills them, though no one can prove it, when they become pregnant." Wren answered.

"Traitor!" The King yelled.

"I am loyal to the throne and the Kingdom, not to the one who sits upon it." Sir Wren answered.

"I'd suggest you stop struggling," The lion dropped, twitching on the floor, "I just activated the shock cuffs. Sorry Kyle."

"It's fine. Razor, come give me a hand. House, direct portal from the Kingdom to the Slaver's Ring."

The portal opened and they carried the King through.

"Where are they taking him?" Sir Wren asked.

"To another Realm. He'll be sold, the credits converted to coin in order to pay his mistresses. Don't worry he'll never be able to return."

"So the rumors about Lord Prowl-Ar being the King's Shadow are true?" He asked.

I deactivated the mask. "No. Sure I know enough that I can be a stand in, but the real Shadow is trapped on that device. If things go correctly he'll be free and back in time for the election of the new King. Until then, Sir Wren, the defense of the castle, town, and country rests in your hands." I grasped the device and teleported to Wolf's and my room on Noir. "I'm aboard, take us out." I ordered.

"Where are we heading?" Wolf asked.

"Damn. We only have one confirmed jump coordinate from here. Take us back to Imperial space. From there we have charts. I need an uninhabited system with a few large asteroids."

"Brace yourself."

I laughed. "Right now I'm trying not to even breathe. Just don't try anything fancy".

"Understood, my Knight."

***

I slowly drifted toward the asteroid Wolf had found. There was a mining station in the system, but it had been abandoned. The records showed it was so far out from a jump gate that it wasn't profitable. Though I was sure as the Empire grew they would be back.

The asteroid was 84% iron loosely held together by aggregate minerals. I was fairly certain there was enough material to counteract the implosion keeping a black hole from forming. Still I wasn't taking any chances.

"Love, I've gone over every scenario I can come up with and the only one that works is if I teleport myself and the orb back aboard."

"We've already gone over this. The jump engines are charged and my hand is on the activation lever." Wolf informed me, "Once you say 'go' we jump." He finished mentally.

I won't lie I was scared. Being this close to something that could kill me, even though technically I was safe in the game, and I'd set the safety parameters so that no one could be killed, this had me worried.

In the MAS game I'd been what I knew was a safe distance. In the Knight scenario I wasn't myself enough to realize the real danger I was in. Here and now, holding a singularity generator in my hands? I was really thankful for my uniform's sanitary functions.

I reached out with my mind sensing the orb. I placed my finger tips on each side making sure I wasn't touching any part of the device. I teleported to the ship. "Go!" I mentally screamed.

There was no jump to light speed. I didn't have the orb in my hands. My suit was still active for zero atmosphere.

"Tiger? Where are you?" Wolf practically yelled, in my head.

"Um, I'm in the sleeping quarters aboard the Noir." I responded.

"No, you're not. The King's Shadow orb is on the bed but you're not here."

"Love, don't get mad."

"What did you do?"

"I- it seems I've teleported to the junkyard where a real Noir is being built."

"That's a light year from here!"

"I know. I never imagined it was possible to teleport such a long distance. Just pause the game, I'm on my way back."

"No!"

"Don't panic, I mean by shuttle. I'm not tired right now but there is no way I'd attempt to travel so far on purpose."

"I've contacted Tuft. He and Tank will bring you home. If you need to sleep then sleep. Just know, if you don't, as soon as you get back you're going to even if I have to tranquilize you."

"You really are here." Tuft said, as he rotated me around toward the door. "Come on, we're taking you back to your ship."

"If you pull me down to the floor I can walk on my own."

"I don't think so. Wolf is upset and I'm not risking you wandering off before we can turn you over to him."

"You've gone soft since becoming biological."

"Say what you want but I've seen your mates angry. I know they feel the same way about you as I feel about Tank and I'm smart enough not to have that level of scary turned against me."

"I see your point. Hey Tuft, when you get back from throwing me to the wolf can you do me a favor?"

"Depends on what you want."

"Just have the inside of the Noir painted sea foam green instead of gray. That way this doesn't happen again."

"Yeah, I can do that."

"You should have thought of that sooner." Wolf growled in my head.

"Love, I never considered this a possibility and . . . and . . ."

"You were scared and so on edge that instead of stepping out of the game you actually teleported. I understand, but you need to understand how scared I was When Mahan reported you just vanished from his sensors. I thought . . . I honestly thought that you'd been consumed by a game generated black hole."

"When I get back, and I've rested I'll figure out how to block them from being used in the game."

"Is that possible? I tried but I was informed it would cause critical errors and the game would be broken."

"The portals are a form of singularity and wouldn't function. It's just a matter of creative wording. I'll take cate of it." I yawned. "I'm having problems staying awake." I mumbled.

"That's because I tranquilized you." Dirk said.

Not that he really needed to since I was so deep in mental conversation that I hadn't realized we'd transferred to the Bad Luck.

"Have a good sleep, Captain."

***

When I woke up I was rather confused. After a few moments I realized I was in the house I kept as a safe zone in the village.

"Did you have a good rest?" Wolf asked.

"Okay, how did I get here?"

Wolf shrugged, "I tapped into your teleport ability and teleported us here from the landing bay. You know, it's actually rather simple after enough practice." He laughed. "You should see the look on your face. I brought you here on a hover bed before restarting the game. In world story is that you have a secret tunnel from the house to Noir's hangar. Which there is, now. Now get up and get your uniform on, or free the King's Shadow. I made sure you had a full night's sleep, so this is the final day of the festival and the King is to announce whether he is stepping down or if anyone will challenge his rule. Since he isn't here to do so the King's Shadow needs to let the people know a new king needs to be elected."

"The crystal?" I asked. Wolf passed it to me and I slammed it to the flood shattering it.

"You will be cleaning that up, I hope you know." He growled.

I nodded, more intent on the thin wisp of smoke that emerged.

"Took you long enough. You need to deal. I'm too weak. Need to gather power once more. People, no faith." The Shadow said before disappearing.

"Rest. We'll do what we can to return hope to the people." Wolf said, pulling me to my feet. "Give me a summoning scroll and I'll bring you out at the appropriate time."

"I've already pledged our support to Reginald."

"The Master Slaver? Are you sure that's wise?"

"Well, I know that he cares about the kingdom. He was good about making sure the slaves no one else would want, who likely would have been killed otherwise, ended up in our care."

"Point made. Besides, if he turns bad, we can replace him if needed."

I handed Wolf a scroll, "You know you don't need that. You could just signal me mentally."

He smiled, "True, but this will be much more theatrical and make the point that the King's Shadow has returned."

"Right, you better get going. I'll just clean up this mess while I wait."

"You're a good tiger."

"Only for my mates, and only when they don't want a bad tiger."

Wolf shook his head, "As tempting as that is, I think our mates want us to move the game forward. Oh, just so you know, Kyle sold off the former king as he was supposed to, but it seems he picked up some new slaves as well. I don't know what he bought but from the way he was acting I get the feeling they are species you would disapprove of."

I sighed, "I can put my own tastes aside if it makes my mates happy."

"Oh? Does that mean I can return to the Pokémon world and capture a legendary or two? Don't think I didn't notice you had them locked out."

"Fine. However Kyle and Rider get to make solo missions first. It's only fair since you, Shock, and I have gotten teams of our own."

"Yeah, and I nearly lost my team, and Shock lost four of his. I think it would be better to work as a team, so let's agree to let them decide solo or team."

"Sound's good to me."

Wolf nodded and then took off toward the town center. I got up and started gathering the crystal shards.

***

I was glad I'd finished cleaning when I found myself standing on a stage in the middle of town.

"As I told you, The King's Shadow has returned." Master Reginald announced.

I felt some one lean against my back. "Don't react. I know speaking to this many people is difficult but I'm here with you Darling. I'm just cloaked so as not to mess things up." Wolf thought to me.

As I looked out at all the people I knew I'd have fled if not for my wolf. "Citizens of our Kingdom. The former King has had me trapped for far too long. I am going to reveal something about myself to all of you today. My power comes from all of you. It is your faith in the Kingdom, the King, and myself that allows me to exist. Your last king hoped to imprison me until I ceased to exist. Fortunately one of the Kingdom's allies returned and freed me. With his help I was able to banish the tyrant. You need no longer fear him. However, it is now up to all of you to choose the next king. Master Reginald has requested my endorsement, and while I believe he would make a good king I must remain neutral. I believe, with the tyrant gone, there may be others that would like to step up and make the case as to why you should elect them. However I remind any that wish to become king, if you are doing so for riches, power, or any other selfish reason you will be removed. The King's purpose is to improve the kingdom and the lives of its citizens. Your lives."

I shadow stepped taking Wolf with me. "Remove your cloak and switch to Kingdom Semi-formal attire."

"What are you up too now?"

I'm moving to the back of the crowd where we'll talk about the King's Shadow and Reginald. At least enough to be noticed. That way it seems we've been there instead of on stage."

"Smart."

"I'll take your word for it. I just consider it survival." I stepped us back in. "So what do you think?"

"About what? The King being gone, the King's Shadow being back, or the possibility we'll have a Slave Guild Master as King?" Wolf replied.

"Well, I do have to admit Master Reginald has gone out of his way to make sure the slaves that can't be sold, and would otherwise be killed, find a master to care for them." I replied.

"I suppose, and he was the one that spoke with the old king about changing the laws making sure those sold were older and also not sold as food." Wolf added.

"He was responsible for that?" An elderly Fox lady asked.

"Oh yes, and he also brought the whole mistreatment of slaves by the brothel guild to light. It's because of him I was freed from the forced slavery." her squirrel companion added.

I grinned as we watched what we had started.

"Tiger, I think we should have been watching the platform, Reginald is moving aside and a Wolf is climbing the stairs."

"You can't be here!" A voice yelled.

"Shut up slave. You have no rights here."

Sticks barged up on stage. "You were banished from the village."

"I said get away from me worthless-"

"It is very important you do not finish that thought." A huge wolf said, lifting the Alpha from the stage by the scruff of his neck.

"Who- who are you? Sticks stammered."

"You do not recognize me little brother? I am Fenrir, the god of all wolves."

"Fenrir is a myth." The Alpha spat.

Fenrir grew until the Alpha seemed like a mouse in his hand. "You know, I think I'm feeling hungry all of a sudden."

"Fenrir, no. You know better than that." I yelled.

He immediately shrank back down dropping the wolf on the stage. "Sorry, my Alpha, It was just to scare him. I wouldn't have eaten him, without your permission."

The Alpha stared at me. "Who are you?"

"Don't you recognize me without my armor? I'm Sticks, Birch, and Fenrir's master. Take a moment and let that sink in. The god of all wolves sees me as his Alpha. You are just a pathetic excuse that was banished from this town by the King's Shadow. I delivered the message myself, along with your treat, or have you forgotten?"

The Alpha's eyes went wide and he scrambled off the stage.

He yelped and fell flat. "I'm not finished with you. From this point on I have marked you. The highest position, in any pack, that you will ever be able to hold is lesser beta. To preserve your dignity, as a wolf, this mark cannot be seen but all wolves will instinctively know you are unfit to lead. Now run little wolf and do better."

"Lord Prowl-Ar, will you stand for King?" someone yelled, causing me to turn away from the scene in surprise.

"No. Reginald sought my opinion on whether he would have a chance if he put his name forward. I agreed with him it would be a struggle, but I believe he would make a good king. I-" I glanced at my mates, they weren't going to be happy with what I was about to say, "I'm undependable. I do so much traveling that I'd never be available like you need your king to be. Finally, while I have always been considered a citizen, my lands are not located within the bounds of the kingdom. So no, I'm not putting my name forward. Instead I'm supporting Master Reginald."

There was a lot more discussion as I left the stage, checked to be sure Sticks wasn't injured, and then rejoined Wolf and Fenrir at the back of the crowd.

"Okay, how did you get here, why are you here, and what is up with calling me your Alpha when you're free now?"

"With all the traveling between the station and the ship I've been able to forge my own god road. Don't worry it isn't connected to Earth. Currently I can travel between the ship, the colonies, the station, Mars, The Kobold colony, the junkyard. And I've almost completed enough trips to forge a connection to the Synth colony."

"You can basically teleport between such distant locations?" Wolf asked, but quickly turned toward me. "Don't even . . . I forbid-"

"Honey, I know my limitation and I've taken steps not to teleport as far as even the junkyard again."

"I'm here because Wolf and you were angry at another wolf. I didn't realize it was part of your game until I was already here. Sorry about interrupting, but no wolf may question my Alphas. And before you object, you'll always be my Alphas, even though you have granted me my freedom. First this protects me should the old gods ever try to come for me again. The other reason is because you are as powerful, if not more so, than I am. I've been researching the ancient myths, and deny it all you want, you and Wolf have achieved more than any other mortal that has been granted godhood. The only difference being you don't want it. However, I feel I should tell you if you or Wolf do ever die, you likely won't need the sentinel protocol. Either one will resurrect the other, possibly without even realizing it, or in the rare case you may simply self-resurrect. Now before the yelling starts I've got to get back to the class I'm teaching." Fenrir smirked at us and disappeared.

"Alpha?" I jumped as Sticks addressed me.

"What is it Sticks?"

"He- that really was the god of wolves, wasn't he?"

"Yes, I know it might seem strange but-".

"Oh I'm not really doubting him, it's just . . . While he was talking to you he was also talking to Birch and me."

"Master, he . . . he blessed Sticks and I and said that he approved of our union. He told me if the Great Stag ever decided to disapprove I needn't worry because from now on all wolves would recognize me as one of their own. He even made sure that my own people would still see me as one of them instead of as a strange wolf." Birch hugged me tightly, "I admit I've never regretted freely giving up my freedom to be with Sticks; but today knowing that a god recognizes us and our love . . . I truly know I made the right choice."

Sticks quickly joined the hug.

"It seems this is going to be an interesting election." Evan said, as the old lion joined us.

Wolf growled threateningly.

"What?" Evan asked, holding up his hands.

"You nearly killed my tiger."

"What?" Evan asked in surprise.

"Jordan. That was a long time ago, and was just as much my fault as Evans. He was punished and it is ancient history." I scolded.

"Sorry, I know all that, but I don't like the idea of anyone, that has hurt you, being so friendly."

"Fine. However I . . ." I trailed off as a thought occurred to me. How would I react if the ones who nearly killed my wolf showed up acting friendly? "I just ask that you get to know what a good person Evan is rather than judging him on an accident."

"I'll try, for your sake."

"That's all I can ask for. Now Evan you were saying about the election?"

"The people suggested Sir Wren, but he pointed out that even if he wanted the position, which he didn't, as a king's guard he can't be elected. Until he has been out of the guard for at least two years."

"Sir Wren would make a good king, but he's right. That was one of the first rules created for succession. It helps to avoid military coups. Anyone else?"

Evan sighed. "Mika's speciest father."

"That's unexpected."

"Not really, he's been building a following under the tyrant king's rule. Grandfather has already spoken against him and is supporting Master Reginald. A really strange turn if you ask me." Mika said, as he joined us.

"Not really, Reginald went to a lot of trouble making sure you had a master that would be able to give you what you needed."

"I suppose, though having you force me to learn to bake and then putting your support on Master Reginald might have more to do with it. Fortunately I only have to bake at the shop when I find something new to try. With all the new breads and sweets the shop has become very popular. To the point where we get so many applicant's to be apprentices we had to build a school to teach them all."

"I'm surprised you grandfather isn't putting his name in."

"No, he's enjoying semi-retirement far too much to take on that sort of responsibility. Anyway, I wanted to tell you that House promised fireworks so most of us are headed back. Ghost and I will remain until the very end just to pick up any last minute sales."

I contacted Rider through the gem, "Rider can you have Marius stand guard at the Bakery? It belongs to the Grandfather of one of my slaves and he's worried there could be trouble. I figure as a holy knight Marius is the best choice."

"Okay, but I want a match with a few of your stronger slaves. The big red cat and the one with four arms."

_ _

"In a wrestling match or in bed?"

_ _

"A fight is an option? I like the sound of that."

_ _

“Well the cat is mine but the Machamp is Wolf's so you'll need to ask him. But I'm warning you, if you lose it will likely mean you'll have to bottom for them and their mates."

_ _

"For a good match? It's worth the risk. Marius says he visited the bakery earlier and he's on his way. I'm going to go find your cat."

"I really don't think he knows what he's getting into." Wolf said, quietly while shaking his head.

"Probably not, doesn't mean he won't enjoy it though."

"True. So what are we going to do?"

I grinned. "Well, while they're doing their whole election thing I thought maybe we'd make our way to the bakery."

Wolf shook his head. "While we're there maybe I'll find something to share with you. After all I'm not so foolish as to believe you're going in search of food."

"I never said it was."

***

When we arrived I was surprised by the changes. The bakery looked the same from the outside, but inside it had been changed. The baking ovens and the Baker's small apartment had been completely turned into display area. The back now opened on a large courtyard with tables and the area was cover by extra-large umbrellas to block the sun and presumably rain. At the far back of the courtyard a very large building had been constructed and I could tell from the chimneys that it now served as the actual bakery.

"Lord Prowl-Ar, it is good to see you again. Mika said you were just traveling and that you would return."

"Mr. Baker, I'll be honest with you. I wasn't sure any of my slaves would still be living on my estate after how long I'd been gone."

"Oh, I tried to convince Mika and Ghost to live here, even if it was just until you returned, but they've been very loyal."

"Mika takes after his grandfather. He isn't going to leave something half completed." I could tell the old mouse was flattered by that.

"Have you come for the best breads the kingdom has to offer?"

"Well-"

"My mate has made such claims about you baking skills, however I'd like to try a selection before I can agree whether it is really good or not." Wolf insisted.

"And who are you to challenge me?"

"Prowl-Ar's chef and mate. Tell me would you serve burnt bread to a customer if they requested it?"

I rolled my eyes. He wasn't going to let that die until I promised to never eat burned toast again.

"Absolutely not. The only one's here that eat burned bread are the apprentices that burned it. It is an effective way of making sure they aren't so inattentive that they burn things again."

"How do you make your sweet breads?"

"Love, I know where this one is going. The Kingdom doesn't have refined sugar so they use honey."

"I'm not sure what you're asking, but lord Prowl-Ar is correct. I use a selection of different honeys depending on the bread. I like to match the variety to the final product. For example for the glazes I use the honey from the bees that favor wildflowers. For cakes I use a mixture of berry and fruit tree honey. For pies the fruit tree honey is best.

Finally for other fruit confections I do my best to match the honey to the fruit or flower being used."

"Now I really must taste a few selections." Wolf said, happily.

"I get the feeling you have refined tastes, do you think you could help me with something?"

"Perhaps."

"We have so many apprentices and journeymen that it is really difficult to judge their work. All I ask is that you judge three categories. Everyone will make the same three items, including myself. Then you will taste mine and judge the selections against that and mark which ones are master level, journeyman level, apprentice level, and needs to remain a student because it just isn't very good yet."

"Tiger?"

"It's up to you. I figure we'll be here a couple of hours at least."

"You're thinking there is going to be trouble after the election? I doubt it. Everyone might be riled up right now but once we have a new king, no matter who is elected, things will calm down. At least until he issues his first orders or rule changes. Then we'll have a better idea what sort of king he will be." Mr. Baker stated.

"Still, better safe than sorry. Wolf, you go ahead. I'm just going to go keep Marius company."

"Okay, but don't over indulge. If I find a bread that is really good I'll want to prepare a proper meal when we get back to house."

"Yes, love."

I heard Mr. Baker laughing as I hurried away. Probably commenting on how Wolf had tamed the Tiger. I smiled. If I was tamed then I was happy that Wolf was the one to do it.

***

As I entered the shop area Mika stumbled in. "I don't know why anyone would think he would make a good king." He mumbled.

"Because he can play on their fears. The fears that their children will be different, that they won't follow the path their parents have chosen for them, or that they will be falsely accused of a crime and forced into slavery. While Master Reginald is a former master of the slave guild and a rat."

"A person's sexuality or species should have nothing to do with whether they will make a good king! Both the greatest and the worst kings were lions." Mika said, as he finally looked at me. "Master Prowl-Ar! I'm sorry, I didn't mean to yell like that."

"Mika, I like to know what my slaves are thinking. And you're right it shouldn't matter. But it takes small changes over a long time to change attitudes. We can only hope that each generation learns that their parent's fears aren't things they need to be scared of. To be honest I think your Grandmother would have made an excellent ruler."

"A female ruler?"

"And what would be so wrong about that?" She asked as she entered.

Mika laughed, "It seems I was complaining without considering the things I still need to work on. Grammy, I think you would have been a wonderful King."

"Well for you information I wouldn't want the job. Too many fools to deal with and I have enough of those here now that you set up that baking school. Tell me Mr. Prowl-Ar, did you have any idea the trouble it would cause when you made that deal with my husband?"

"Honestly? No, I was more concerned about helping Mika develop his clerical skills. The baking part was just a way to make his enslavement a little less painful for you and your husband. I'll admit I knew he's be introducing new techniques and products to your bakery but a lot of that would be because of his need to study and learn."

"And make it so that Ghost and I could remain together. Which reminds me did she pass her Master's test?" Mika asked leaving me confused.

"I don't know. Your grandfather brought in an outsider to judge everyone's skills this year. I'd tell you if your mate's sister had passed or not."

"Oh?" I said in surprise.

Mika laughed, "Yeah, we could hardly believe it when Ghost's little sister wanted to become a baker. Honestly, if she had access to the library and your kitchen I believe she'd be better than me. So who is this stranger that Master is trusting?"

"Careful Mika, he is my mate and one of your masters. You'll likely be seeing a lot of him because he takes a very active role in the kitchen."

"More than Kyle?" Mika asked in surprise.

"When it comes to cooking, Kyle has basically become Wolf's apprentice."

"But the library is still mine, right?"

"Well everyone can use it, but yes it is basically your domain."

"I think I'll go watch-".

"Oh no you don't. This is festival and that means you work your whiskers off here in the shop. I bet you haven't even tried to sell something to that human loitering in front of the shop."

"Grammy, I can't."

"And why not?"

"Mika ran his finger over his collar, "Because he has a collar like mine. That means he is one of the new slaves and probably doesn't have any money yet."

"The brown and tan colored collars are Rider's another new mate you haven't met yet. I have Marius standing guard because he is a former holy knight and is as well trained as the King's Guards. Considering the election I though one side or the other might target the bakery if their side didn't win."

"A former holy knight? What did he do to become a slave?" Mrs. Baker asked.

"Well, in his realm having feeling for another man was forbidden, especially for a holy knight who wasn't supposed to have such carnal desires for anyone. Then he ended up getting involved in a wolf pack orgy and thinking his god would strike him down he chose to become one of our slaves so we could bring him to a realm where his god doesn't exist."

Mika sighed. "Do all my brothers have horrible pasts?"

Mrs. Baker smiled. "That's it, isn't it? A few of us have wondered about your tastes in slaves for some time. It's not the slaves age that concerns you it's their past and trying to give them a better life even if that means as a slave." She said knowingly.

"Is there a slave that doesn't have a tragic past? I'll take two of these small fruit pies. I'm sure Marius could use some support. He's from a mostly human world and is likely feeling overwhelmed."

"I don't know about that, he's been joined by another human. And you're just trying to change the subject. That's okay, you go ahead, but don't get in the way of potential customers. Also take this loaf of bread with bits of cheese baked in. You need something more than just those sweets. Don't worry, Mika will pay."

"Grammy!"

"Shush boy, I know what I'm doing."

I smiled and nodded. I knew what she was up to as well. We'd eat the cheese bread slower. And three men happily sharing food in front of the shop would be good advertising.

***

"Actaeon, why are you here? Shouldn't you have returned with the others?"

The young man blushed. "I got separated."

"Why?"

"It's not their fault. There was an archery tournament." He said, in embarrassment.

"And with your skills you were certain you could win." His hubris really did know no bounds.

"I would have, but slaves were only allowed to participate, not compete. I won the competition but not the honors. It's going to take time getting used to being a slave."

"I'm sure you'll be fine. We just need to find you a companion. I know this world may be rather strange but has anyone, um caught your attention?"

"Obviously there was someone look how much he's blushing." Marius laughed. "Come on, it's okay. I mean I used to think having any sort of relationship was wrong. Then after being turned into a werewolf I thought I was dirty and sick. Then I saw Stede and, I don't know, it all just didn't matter. Like the Gods had put him on Earth just so we could find each other."

"Chiron."

"Huh?"

"I thought my teacher Chiron was the most attractive being in existence. Even after he explained how inappropriate that sort of relationship would be I couldn't help sneaking looks at him. Sure other centaurs were attractive in a physical sense, but past that all the ones, besides Chiron, I met were just . . ."

"Arrogant, belligerent, overly superior, and often cruel." Well I know of a couple of places we could find centaurs, more if you aren't completely smitten with the human horse combination. Wolf and I will discuss it, since you are his slave, and then see about finding you a mate."

"Horses are best." Marius said, boldly. "I mean wolves and big cats are fun but there is nothing like-".

"Marius, this is not the place to be talking about such things. Here have a fruit pie to keep your mouth shut."

Actaeon glanced around. People were starting to circulate. "Is it true we're the only humans on this world?"

"No. Admittedly there aren't many and it is extremely rare to see more than two at a time unless it's a family." I said, sitting down.

"So we'll always be stared at."

"You're not human any more you know." I informed him.

"What do you mean? I was born and raised human. Except for that fever dream when Artemis cursed me I've always been human."

"Actaeon, you are able to shift, and I guess you did it subconsciously when traveling through the portal, but your true form is of a deer."

"Oh. I didn't realize. I just thought the curse was lifted since I'm on another world." Suddenly his eyes lit up and he grinned. "That means I'm part man and part stag so some of the reason's Chiron gave for not being able to have a relationship no longer exist."

"Great, a horny knight and a horny hunter. How am I going to be able to trust you two to guard anything?"

"Another pie would help me keep my mind on business." Marius laughed.

"No, this pie is for Actaeon. You can have some of the cheese bread."

Marius' eyes got bigger and he looked around. "Um, where did the cheese come from?"

"Where do you think? I asked while grinning."

"No thank you. You've even killed off any naughty thoughts I had of Stede."

"I'll pass on the cheese bread as well." Actaeon added.

"It was a joke. This world has anthro animal people and normal animals. The cheese had the same sources and was made the same way as in your former world. Otherwise I wouldn't eat it."

"All the same I'm not feeling really hungry anymore." Marius said.

"Me either." Actaeon agreed.

"Okay, but don't think you're going to go hungry. Once I'm sure everything is going to remain calm here we'll return to House, where I'm fairly certain Kyle will be barbecuing."

"What's that?" Marius asked.

"I'll let that be a surprise, but there will be plenty of food."

"Yeah, it's a type of cooking that Master Kyle is really good at." Wolf said, as he sat down next to Actaeon.

"Finished already?" I asked.

"With the students, apprentices, and journeymen. For those I felt were good enough to maybe become masters I set a task for them to make something special. Something that represents them, which they would make for themselves just because they like it rather than as something to sell."

"Sorting out the true masters from those just wanting it as a job." I nodded.

"Did my tiger figure that out all on his own?" He asked, while grinning.

"Pause game." I leaned over and kissed him, "No, I'm not going to name anyone but a couple of our kids suggested you might be a little too much of a perfectionist in the kitchen."

"No one complained to me. Why didn't you say something?"

"Because I suggested I could take over cooking duties and suddenly you were perfect and they couldn't think of anyone they'd rather learn from."

"Your cooking isn't that bad."

"You're just saying that because you love me. Well, you're perfect and I love you too." I said kissing him again.

***