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Thou Shalt Not Kill

By FuzzWolf

1: Arrival

Richard put his feet up and flipped through the dog-eared owner's manual for the hundredth time. Today was the day he'd been waiting for: delivery day.

The middle-aged lion could scarcely believe everything the owner's manual promised. 'Perfection Inc.' promised a totally perfect companion. The companion would meet his every need; do anything and everything that he desired without a qualm or complaint. He had been able to specify everything from basic physical features like species, height and weight to what kind of personality, if any, the genetically engineered pet would have. Richard had paid nearly the original price once over again in adding in the extra features-specifically the ones relating to sex.

The badger he'd spoken to had informed him that despite their price, the sexual models were the most popular. The lion found himself getting aroused as he thought about it. Every male was designed with a muzzle that had no gag reflex, and his rear end would always feel like a virgin's, no matter what. He was also made to feel pure pleasure. Richard would be able to enter him as roughly as he wanted and not have to worry about causing him any pain. He had decided to decline the NC model that only felt pain, and went with the Sensualist design instead. Better to have a doting servant then a frightened captive. Richard fully intended to rule the companion like he could not do with a real person, but he wasn't sadistic and didn't want him to suffer, even if he was just a manufactured person.

Richard scanned over the guarantee and warranty info card in the enrollment packet again, but was interrupted when the phone rang. He sighed with annoyance, fully expecting it to be the delivery driver either delayed or unable to find his address. He looked at readout on the caller id: Cyan Winters. He grumbled slightly as he picked up the portable phone from its charger. Cyan was his on-again off-again girlfriend, and also his boss. He wondered if she was calling about work or if this was a social call.

"Hello?"

"Hello, big boy," she purred seductively.

Social call, Richard decided.

"Cyan," he replied, "How are you?"

"Oh, I'm feeling a little lonely tonight. I could use some...company."

Richard didn't fail to notice the pause and the lingering, unspoken question in the lioness' voice.

The two lions had been seeing each other socially for a few months now. Their relationship had started out very professional, but Cyan had reached an age where she was clearly on a man-hunt. She considered Richard to be just the right specimen to pair up with. He wasn't terribly interesting, but he was more than adequate at satisfying her carnal urges and he looked good on her arm at company functions. The lion was mostly ignorant of her opinions on him, apart from being able to tell she was clearly interested in a commitment he didn't want to give her. She couldn't fill all his needs, hence the order he placed for a custom made companion for himself.

"I can't, I'm afraid," Richard said slowly as he searched for a good excuse. "Not tonight."

Richard could tell by her voice the lioness was clearly disappointed.

"Aren't you off this week, Richard?" Cyan prodded him again. "Maybe we could do dinner in a couple of days."

"Maybe," Richard muttered. His distraction was easily noticeable in his voice.

There was a knock at the door.

Shit, not now!

"I have to go, I'll see you at work next week," he said and quickly cut the connection. He knew she'd be steaming on the other end of the line, but right now he really didn't care.

Richard tossed the phone onto the couch along with the manual; he'd long since memorized the instructions by now, anyway. He quickly crossed his living room and opened the door.

On the doorstep there was a young badger waiting, with a clipboard in one paw and a leash in the other. "Extra-special delivery for ya. Just sign here," he said with a grin as he held out the clipboard.

Richard barely looked at the delivery confirmation he was signing once he saw the companion standing just behind the badger. The leash he held was attached to a plain, brown collar around the companion's neck. The companion was a young looking jaguar, sleek and attractive as specified. In addition to the collar, he wore a simple, one piece jumpsuit. It was plain black and emblazoned with the 'Perfection, Inc.' logo on the chest. He stared straight ahead, not speaking or moving. His brilliant blue eyes appeared blank and empty.

"And you've reviewed your activation instructions, of course."

"Yes, of course," Richard replied.

Once the paperwork was all completed, the badger held the end of the leash out to the proud new owner.

"Here ya go mac, enjoy."

Richard took the end of the leash and led his new companion inside. The jaguar instinctively followed.

2: Activation and Setup

Richard closed the door behind the companion once they had both entered his rather impressive home. He stood in front of his new companion, looked into his eyes and stated clearly as the instructions said to do.

"Unit JVCS3163, activate."

The jaguar's eyes blinked once and suddenly seemed to come alive. He made eye contact with Richard.

"What do you wish my name to be?"

Richard knew he'd better do this right, as they created a set of pre-programmed commands that were placed hypnotically into the companion's mind, which would help determine his behaviour.

"Your name is slave," Richard replied, looking down at the jaguar.

"Acknowledged. How do you wish me to address you?"

Richard almost sneered; he was really going to enjoy this. He felt the longing he'd been suppressing building up.

"You shall address me as Master."

"Acknowledged, Master," the companion stated and then became more alert, as if waking up. He looked up at Richard, his eyes seeming to be full of the admiration he was created to feel. "How can I serve you, Master?"

Richard grinned. This was the moment he'd waited eight long weeks for.

"Remove your clothing," he commanded.

slave immediately obeyed, and began to unzip the front of his 'Perfection Inc.' jumpsuit. The zipper stopped at slave's waist, and he began to shrug his lean shoulders out.

Richard's eyes widened as the jaguar's chest was revealed. His lean and lithe body shimmered in the low lamplight; his chest was not too broad and covered with soft, white fur that slowly turned to silver around his shoulders. The white fur ran down to his belly, which had the outline of a six-pack. He was toned, but not muscular, just as specified.

slave kicked off his shoes before continuing to remove his jump suit. He reached behind him and undid the clasp above his tail, then let the rest of the jumpsuit fall to the floor. His long tail slid out of the suit and curled up behind him.

The lion gasped in amazement as he drank in the sight of the jaguar's perfect body. Richard saw that the white fur ran all the way down to slave's groin, between his legs, and under his tail. slave had no idea what he was doing to the lion already as he turned his legs just slightly to step out of the jumpsuit, giving Richard a view of his shapely inner thighs.

The jaguar stood completely without embarrassment, naked to his owner.

"Am I acceptable, Master?"

"Yes... yes, you are perfect!" Richard couldn't believe how precisely this jaguar matched his fantasies, his idea of the perfect mate...the perfect submissive.

slave blushed a little at that, so happy that his Master was pleased with him. He had been programmed to feel admiration for Richard and be completely devoted to him. slave looked his owner up and down, not failing to notice the obvious bulge in the lion's pants.

"May I take care of that for you, Master?" he asked, pointing at Richard's crotch.

This was too incredible, and all he'd fantasized about. The lion was so insanely aroused right now, he'd forgotten he was supposed to be commanding slave to service him.

"Please, slave," he weakly responded.

"With pleasure, Master." slave smiled happily and approached the lion.

The young jaguar got on his knees to begin unbuckling the lion's belt.

"Setup complete," Richard muttered as he felt his companion's soft paws upon him. slave was slowly pulling the lion's rapidly hardening cock out of his opened zipper now. Richard moaned and steadied himself on the back of the sofa as he felt the jaguar's wonderfully soft lips on his cocktip as they slowly parted and his cock was surrounded by the warm, wet muzzle of his new pet. The jaguar wasted no time in getting to work on his master's maleness. His rough, feline tongue lapped up and down Richard's thick shaft and gently teased the barbs around his cockhead. Cyan refused to do this, and even though he held fond memories of the last lover who had, this jaguar was the best he could remember having.

Soon, slave stopped licking and teasing his new master and proceeded to take every inch of his owner's length into his short muzzle. Richard grunted as he felt himself pressing against the back of the jaguar's throat, then gave a throaty groan as slave adjusted his neck and Richard felt himself sliding down into slave's tight throat. He looked down to see that slave's petite nose was now buried in the fur above his groin, slowly moving back and forth, allowing the thick lioncock to slide in and out of his throat. Richard knew that he couldn't hold on very long. He'd been dreaming about this for weeks and it had been far too long since his last sexual encounter. He felt he could hold on a few minutes more to enjoy the feeling of the jaguar's tight throat on him.

That was until he felt slave's paws on his full balls, gently tugging and squeezing them, coaxing him closer to the edge. He let out a roar as the sensations overwhelmed him and he couldn't hold back. The lion's thick cockhead started to blast long, thick streams of his seed down the submissive jaguar's throat. slave didn't say a word. The only sound that could be heard was a quiet gulping as he worked to swallow down every last drop of his master's thick load before slowly releasing the lion's softening member.

3: Touring the Features

Richard soon found out that slave had a wide array of talents. He fulfilled his duties in the bedroom more than adequately. He had information about every known sexual position and kink, including the Kama Sutra, loaded into his brain. Richard's original idea of just having slave around when he needed a release and couldn't find anyone else was quickly pushed out of his mind. slave soon became his one and only lover, surpassing all others Richard had ever had in skill and in willingness to do anything.

For the first week he stayed there, slave had sex with his lion Master in every room of the house. They never stopped. In fact, even after his vacation time had run out, Richard called in sick several days to stay home just to see what trick slave would pull next. The jaguar never failed to surprise him, and the pleasure was always overwhelming.

Soon, the more pedestrian duties of housekeeping were upon them. Richard looked around the house after a two-week period of constant sex and realized the house was a mess, he had no clean clothes, and they were out of food. slave ate very little and never ran out of energy thanks to his perfectly balanced metabolism, courtesy of his creators. Richard, on the other hand, needed to go grocery shopping. He left slave to clean up the kitchen. As he opened the door, he looked back to see slave's tail flicking up as he bent over to open a lower kitchen cabinet. Richard could feel his cock stirring again and he knew he had to leave now or he'd never be able to tear himself away from the jaguar's perfect, tight rear. He only intended to get a few essentials anyway as he did not want to be away from his new companion for too long.

While Richard was out, slave got to work in the kitchen. Once his master returned with food he cooked dinner for them both. Part of slave's mental options was a culinary package that made him an excellent cook. The young jaguar soon became invaluable to his Master, and Richard wondered how he ever got along without him.

***

Richard sighed discontentedly. slave's ears perked up and he placed his paw on the lion's wrist.

"What's wrong, Master?" The smaller feline asked, concern evident in his voice.

The two were eating together in the dining room. As usual, slave had prepared a wonderful meal which he expected would be followed by Master pinning him down on the table or against the wall and taking him right there in the dining room as had happened the last three nights.

"Oh, nothing really," Richard said with a sigh. "I really have to go back to work tomorrow or Cyan will kill me."

"Cyan?" slave asked.

"My boss," Richard said, "and sometimes more," he muttered.

slave felt slightly flushed all of a sudden. He'd been extremely happy and content to serve Richard, his Master, his whole life. In a way he was surprised that there was someone else in Master's life and that the big lion indeed had a life beyond this house. He would have to find plenty to do during the day to occupy himself with.

He gave the lion's right paw a reassuring squeeze.

"It's okay, sir," he said with a smile. "I'll be here for you when you get home."

Richard looked at his pet. He hadn't expected slave to attempt to cheer him up or put his mind at ease.

"There really is a lot more to you than the catalogues promised," he said as he took the jaguar's paw in his and stood up. "Come, my pet. Let's enjoy my last night off for a while."

slave squealed with delighted surprise as Richard picked him up. The lion's strong arms cradled his light body as he was carried up the stairs to the bedroom. slave knew what was coming, but tonight, Master's last night before returning to the daily grind of life, it was different. The larger feline had laid him down on his back in their bed and had taken him slowly and gently as opposed to the desperate and carnal way the lion usually fucked him. This was different, and slave glowed for hours afterward.

***

On his owner's first day back at work, slave was determined to show Master all he could do for him. slave had a definite routine that he followed to make sure Master was well taken care of. First thing in the morning, slave would wake his owner up by pleasuring him orally. Then, he would see the bleary-eyed lion into the shower to clean him up, licking and stroking him as he scrubbed his tawny fur clean. slave then left Master to dry off as he laid out clothes for the day.

A shirt and tie, slacks, and jacket were meticulously prepared for his owner. slave always wore his little leather collar, and very little else. His daily clothing was mostly sheer shirts and panties or nothing at all, and a variety of earrings, bracelets, and necklaces. Master liked to think of him as his own harem boy, and that pleased slave. He didn't know why that made him happy, but he decided not to question it.

While Master dressed, slave prepared breakfast. He worked hard to ensure that breakfast was always a spectacular affair, outmatched only by dinner. The jaguar made sure Master's breakfast was nutritious, and filled the big lion with energy for the day without leaving him feeling too full.

Once Master had gone for the day, slave often felt a little lost. He longed for Master to be there with him, but he busied himself with making sure the house was spotless and then, later in the day, preparing dinner.

4: Product Review

"Whoo hooo, look who deigned to grace us with his presence!"

Richard grimaced at his co-worker, a rather obnoxious wolf named Lon, as he spoke. Lon was grinning madly, and was soon demanding to know all about Richard's two-week absence.

He knew this was going to happen-most of his fellow senior managers knew he'd had a companion made for himself. The endless barrage of questions began as soon as he got inside the building, and continued throughout the day during coffee breaks and lunch. Everyone wanted to know what companions were like: was it true they'd do anything you wanted, was it true the sex was fantastic and unlike anything you'd ever had before, and that they'd gladly cook you dinner afterward that would be comparable to a five-star restaurant?

Richard rolled his eyes at some questions, but he really did enjoy all this attention. He raved about slave and his abilities at every turn. He quite enjoyed being in the spotlight for a while, short as that time was. Cyan, in full boss mode, had quickly halted the light mood of the morning to call Richard into her office. Richard had followed with some apprehension as everyone else had scurried back to work.

"Take a seat," she said, indicating the empty chair opposite her desk.

As Richard sat, she smoothed down her suit and sat down. She stared him down for a moment before she spoke. "I thought we were going to talk about this."

"Cyan--" he started.

"It's Ms. Winters today," she interrupted him, her voice carrying an edge to it. Before he could speak again, she continued. "Look, I know males have needs Richard. And I was open to the possibility of allowing you to get a pet to satisfy you, but to go out and have one made to your specifications without consulting me is inexcusable. I had to find out about your pet through the office grapevine."

Richard bristled under the barrage. In the time they'd been seeing each other he had been growing steadily more uneasy with her desire to control him, along with the almost paranoid need for secrecy. It wasn't as if anyone in the office didn't know what they were up to.

"I want him," she said flatly.

The lion's ears went back and his face registered a combination of surprise and growing anger. "You what?"

"We were supposed to make this decision together, Richard. It was... bold of you to do this on your own. I want to see how well you've done. Consider it an evaluation of your decision-making skills if you like."

Richard's expression was stony, but inside he was feeling a mix of panic, jealousy and strangely, arousal. The lioness just looked at him with a sly smirk.

"Fine," he said evenly. "When?"

"Tonight," she replied as she flipped through her day planner and crossed off whatever she had previously written down for this evening. "We'll meet at The Dove for drinks at eight and then back to your place. Consider this a birthday present." She smiled sweetly, but Richard knew he didn't have any other choice.

"My companion usually cooks for me. Why don't you just come over later?" Richard tried to take at least some control over the situation. Inside he was bristling at Cyan's recent growing dominance.

"Fine," she said with a click of her tongue.

He was walking a fine line between being the dominant male over the lioness and also respecting her place in the chain of command in the company. If he broke it off, it could harm his career so he thought it best to let her get tired of him as she had with so many others. Then there would be no animosity between them. For now though, he might as well let her have her way and play with his new toy even though he felt a pang of jealousy at the thought of it.

***

slave sniffed deeply and allowed his keen feline senses to detect all the subtle flavours of the stew he had been preparing. Dinner was almost ready for his master's return from work. The young jaguar's vision swam for a moment, causing him to back up and shake his head to clear it. Surely the stew wasn't that strong, he thought to himself. The mild dizziness soon passed and he decided to let the stew simmer for another hour before Richard got home. In the meantime, he decided to prepare himself for his master's return.

The slim feline returned to the spacious upstairs bathroom. Master was a much larger male than he was, so the shower was huge by slave's standards. He preferred to wear his Perfection, Inc. jumpsuit around the house when Richard wasn't home. It was very form fitting, but it wasn't quite as encumbering as the lingerie and other costumes that his owner usually liked him to wear. For doing the daily housework when he was home alone, he wanted to wear something that he could get dirty and not worry about damaging.

The thought amused him as he slipped out of his jumpsuit. Master often tore his clothes off to mount him, anyway, so maybe it didn't matter after all. Maybe he just preferred to be comfortable while scrubbing vegetables.

slave usually took two showers per day. He showered once in the morning before he woke Richard up with his muzzle. That one was to clean the sweat and other fluids from the previous night off his body so he would be an appealing sight when his master first laid eyes on him. The second one was in the late afternoon and usually took much longer than the first. The second shower was when he really spent a lot of extra time and effort to scrub every inch of himself, brush his fur and add some perfume to enhance his natural scent.

Master liked him to look as feminine as possible while still appearing and smelling obviously male. To that end, all his panties were slightly tight on him, which had the effect of clearly outlining his male parts. slave enjoyed teasing his master, so just before the big lion came home he would fantasize about the night's activities to give himself the beginnings of an erection. Seeing slave happy to see him and ready for him always seemed to make the lion happy when he came home from work.

slave dried himself off and began brushing his fur till it was soft and neat. He looked in the mirror to pluck any stray furs that would make his coat look unkempt when he noticed his eyes were slightly bloodshot. He wondered if perhaps he wasn't getting enough sleep. Then again, his body was still in its "breaking in" stage, at this point. He decided that he would take an afternoon nap starting tomorrow so that he would be full of energy for his busy evenings.

His extensive preparations paid off once again though. Later that day, Master came home and they enjoyed a splendid meal together. To his delight, it seemed that Master hadn't lost any of his stamina or desire by being back at work. Immediately after finishing his meal, the dominant male had quickly shoved the plates to one side of the table before picking up slave's slight form.

slave ended up on his back on the dining room table, naked except for the stockings on his widely spread legs as his master took him savagely. The lion kissed slave's cheek as he came down from the high of his climax. slave blushed happily and felt fulfilled in his day's work. He purred deeply as Master's strong arms scooped him up from the table. He felt the lion's thick cock jolt inside him as Richard sat down in one of the chairs around the table while still deep under his twitching tail.

The lion leaned down and kissed the jaguar full on the muzzle. The two males shared the kiss for a long moment, and slave moaned as he felt Richard's softening lioncock slip from his well-used tailhole. Then Master leaned back in his chair and gently caressed slave's cheek.

slave giggled girlishly and reached up to play with the lion's mane. His smile faded as he saw his owner's expression darken.

"My girlfriend is coming over tonight, slave," he said. "I want you to show her a good time, all right?"

His master's voice sounded almost pleading, as if he wanted slave to agree. slave was slightly confused, its not like the lion could expect him to say no if his programming held true.

"Of course, sir. Anything you like," slave agreed.

"Good boy," Richard cooed while he petted slave's bare chest. "She'll be here soon, so go get ready and wait for her in the bedroom."

slave hopped up to do as he was told. Richard gave him a playful pat on the bottom and watched the lithe jaguar dash up the stairs to prepare.

5: Expanding Parameters

Cyan closed the bedroom door behind her and turned to Richard's spacious bed. Laying on it, waiting for her, was Richard's companion. Her eyes greedily ran over his sleek, feminine physique. He was clad in a sheer shirt that exposed his midriff and a pair of sky blue panties which matched his radiant eyes.

The lioness purred as she drank him in. Richard was handsome enough, as lions went, and his muscular physique was the type society expected her to partner with, but she had a dominant streak that longed to have some fun with a male who wasn't afraid of his more feminine side. She licked her lips as she thought of the fun she planned to have with this hot little number.

She strolled up to the bed and dropped an oversized purse onto the silk sheets. Inside were her toys for the night. The slim jaguar eyed the bag with a nervous gaze.

"Oh don't you worry kitten, one of us is certainly going to enjoy this."

The effete male gulped slightly.

"What's your name, kitten?"

"slave," the jaguar responded with a soft voice.

Cyan couldn't quite stifle the urge to roll her eyes at Richard's complete lack of subtlety. She decided to play along with it anyway.

"You will address me as Mistress," she commanded. She had to admit, it was rather a fun idea.

"Yes, Mistress," slave agreed.

The female lion quickly stripped off her clothes, revealing herself fully to her pet for the night. She gracefully crawled onto the bed, taking up position behind slave. She began to pet him softly. He seemed nervous to her even though he was supposed to be built for nights like this. She thought he seemed ill at ease somehow. Her worries faded as her gentle caresses along slave's back elicited a soft purr.

"That's a good boy," she murmured in his ear as her claws raked softly through the fur on his back, gently scratching at the sensitive skin underneath.

One paw made it down to the curve of his rump and she ran a fingertip gently across slave's blue panties.

"I mean, 'good girl'," she said with a smile.

slave blushed as Cyan teased him. At first she slowly ran her fingertips over his bottom, but before long her paw had slinked round to his front and was slowly stroking up and down along the stiffening lump in the front of his panties.

"Oh, Mistress," slave moaned as she teased him to full arousal.

"That's more like it," Cyan purred.

Having gotten slave in the mood, it was time for some real fun. She pulled him over her knee and slowly tugged his panties down. His tail swished up out of the way and she quickly used her thumb and forefinger to spread his small cheeks apart to reveal his tight, pink hole. He continued to purr steadily as she rubbed her finger around the rim.

Cyan reached into her bag for a bottle of lube. She popped the cap like an expert and when her fingertip returned to slave's tailhole it was slick and she pressed it inside slowly. The jaguar moaned as she slowly penetrated him with her long, slim finger.

"Does my naughty kitten like that?" She asked as she found his prostate and rubbed it with her fingertip.

slave moaned and his barbed cathood throbbed with arousal.

"Yes, Mistress," he groaned.

"Well, there's a lot more where that came from for naughty girls like you."

Cyan reached into her bag again and this time she withdrew a rather unusual looking buttplug. It was long and the tip was surrounded by simulated barbs, which slave should be quite used to by now. The base of it was thick and round, so that it would hold itself in place very well. She covered the toy from base to tip with the slick lubricant and placed the tip against slave's slightly moist entrance. She then shoved the shaft all the way in. slave gave a pained yowl at the sudden penetration. The lioness began to pump the toy in and out rapidly, pummeling his ever-tight tailhole with the toy to warm him up before slamming the plug home.

slave whimpered and squealed as Cyan opened him up with the thick, barbed toy. For a moment, she was worried that she'd hurt him. She slipped her other paw under his belly and down between his slim thighs. She relaxed when she could feel his rock hard erection. She gave it a squeeze as she pushed the thick base fully into him. The jaguar squealed as his anus was spread wide around the plug before closing around the base.

"There, good girl," Cyan cooed as she stroked along slave's back and still gave his hard cathood a firm squeeze.

"Now then, you will put that pretty muzzle to use."

Cyan lay on her back, her head relaxing into a pile of pillows. She stretched luxuriously and spread her legs invitingly.

Although he'd never done this before, slave clearly knew what to do. Cyan gasped with pleasure at the first touch of the feline's rough tongue on her sensitive lips. She'd intended to let him get her nice and wet before she used him to get off, but tormenting his gorgeous tail had turned her on a good deal more than she had thought. She decided to just see how long she could keep the submissive jaguar going as she relaxed, closed her eyes and lost herself in the feeling.

The lioness' purr was louder and steadier than slave's. Apart from her purr, she was mostly silent in her enjoyment. Instead of crying out with pleasure, she bit her lip and her claws tore new holes in Richard's sheets. All that existed for her now was the feeing of slave's rough tongue lapping up her juices and licking up and down along her moist slit. He had her almost to the edge teasing up and down her lips with his tongue alone, and then he found her clit. She growled deeply as he lapped around her hood and began to suckle on the tiny nub of pleasure. He didn't have to work there for very long before Cyan came for the first time that night. Her hot juices flowed over slave's short muzzle as she climaxed. Her whole body shivered and it felt like her every nerve was on edge. slave diligently lapped up all she had to offer. Lacking any further command, he continued to lick her lips and clit.

"Such a good girl," she purred to him. She looked down to see his head moving gently as he lapped up and down along her sex.

slave seemed to not get tired and kept steadily licking her through three more shattering climaxes.

"Stop, my pet," Cyan gasped after her fourth orgasm. "I need to catch my breath."

"Yes, Mistress," slave responded as he withdrew from between her shaking thighs and sat up.

She looked down at him and smiled. His cathood was still rock hard and was now steadily dripping precum. She sat up and crawled towards him. Cyan purred in his ear and nuzzled along his cheek. She reached down and gave his cock a squeeze, causing him to gasp with pleasure.

"Ready for more fun, kitten?" She asked him.

"Y-yes, Mistress," he moaned as her paw slowly worked up and down his shaft.

"Good girl, now bend over."

slave did as he was told and bent over, naturally raising his long, slender tail for her. The lioness gripped the thick base of the butt plug and tugged it out. He yowled as the plug spread his tailhole open wide before slipping all the way out and he was left feeling empty, for now.

Cyan looked between slave's legs, admiring his dangling, white-furred balls. She loved a boy with a nicely shaped pair. She reached between his legs from behind. Her soft-furred paws slid along his tender cock, causing him to whimper softly. She held his full balls in her paw and gave them a little squeeze. slave gasped at the stimulation and his cock oozed precum.

"You like that?"

"Yes, Mistress," he moaned.

She squeezed his balls slightly harder, causing him to groan deeply. She watched with satisfaction as his cock swelled and a thick drop of his seed spilled out and dropped onto the sheets.

"You're being a naughty girl; you should be punished," she said with a grin.

Cyan reached over to her bag and pulled out a double-ended toy, short on one-side and shaped just right to hit her g-spot. The other end was about seven inches long and about as thick as Richard's cock. It wasn't anything slave wasn't used to, but it would fill him up nicely. The toy was also barbed on the longer side, simulating a lion's member just as the toy she'd used earlier had. The lioness carefully lubricated both ends and slowly inserted the short end between her lips, which were still slick with her juices. She purred, thinking about the jaguar's cute ass as she stroked the penis end of the toy. Every movement on that end sent a shiver down the length of the toy which she could feel deep in her sex.

She moved close to slave. He had his shoulders down on the bed and his rump up in the air, exposing his stretched and lubed tailhole for her. It seemed he knew exactly what to do. The lioness carefully guided her slick shaft to his tiny, pink hole and pressed forward slowly. She groaned as the toy moved inside her and sunk deep into the submissive jaguar. She smiled as he mewled happily under her. He gasped as she hilted deep inside him and the thick shaft pressed against his prostate. Cyan was pleased by how feminine his moans and gasps sounded. She could see why Richard liked him so much.

Cyan gripped slave's hips and slowly begin to mount him. She purred as the toy tugged and pulled at her slick insides with the slow movement of her pumping into the other feline's tight hole. He looked so pretty bent over like this with his tight hole eagerly taking every inch she could give him. She sped up her thrusting gradually and slowly, she wanted to make this last. The lioness' enjoyment of taking this male in this fashion wasn't due to any desire to be a male herself, she simply liked dominating men. Lion society had its expectations for how she should act, and she enjoyed shrugging off those expectations. She enjoyed the control. She never felt more dominant and powerful than when she was fucking a male like he was a cock-hungry girl. Soon, she was riding slave's rear hard and fast. She took him deep and growled with pleasure whenever she felt his hot, furry body pressing against her slit.

The lioness gripped slave's shoulders tightly, her claws dug into the skin under his fur as she climaxed again. Her juices slickened her end of the toy, which just added to the sensation of over-stimulation. She couldn't stop now though, she could feel she was close again. She cried out for the first time that night as she came again in rapid succession.

She noticed slave panting beneath her and humping backwards onto the thick, barbed toy she was thrusting inside him.

"You really like that, don't you, little slut?" she said, smirking as she pumped into him.

She held the toy deep inside both of them and reached around to tease his sensitive cockhead. She felt his engorged tip, throbbing with need and dripping precum copiously. The jaguar's slick seed ran down his shaft and over his swinging balls as he took the thick toy. She rubbed and flicked at his tip, leaving him gasping and mewling.

"You can cum for your Mistress now," she informed him in a commanding tone.

"Thank you, Mistress," he moaned.

"But you have to be a good girl. No hands."

She could tell by the way he quivered that he wanted nothing more than to reach down and desperately take hold of his maleness and masturbate himself to climax, but she wasn't going to let him. He was going to work for his treat, like she had always had to.

She held still and slave redoubled his efforts. She let him pump himself back onto the thick toy, mewling louder and louder each time he took the thick, barbed shaft deep without going over the edge. She purred as his quickened movements caused the toy to jump and shift inside her. If he didn't finish up soon she was going to go again. For now, she was content to enjoy the feeling and watching the feminine male desperately taking her cock. His movements were becoming more and more frantic now and she could tell he must be very, very close.

"That's it," she purred softly to him. "Be a good girl. I want to see you cum."

slave was so close to going over the edge that he wasn't able to respond properly. He tried to speak, gave out a strangled moan and shot a thick stream of feline seed onto the bed. He cried out and Cyan thrust back in all the way as he climaxed, knowing the toy was now pressing hard against his prostate as he came. She held him close as his body clenched down on the thick toy. She nipped his shoulder and looked around to watch as his rigid cock shot again and again.

"Impressive," she murmured next to his ear as she saw the puddle that had formed under him.

She reached down and cupped his balls in her palm, "Good girl," she whispered in his ear as she tugged and squeezed them. Her attentions elicited a low whine and his cock drooled more cum.

Cyan scooped up a long trickle of cum dripping from slave's cocktip and licked it off her fingertip. She slowly pulled out of the jaguar's well-used tailhole, allowing him to collapse in a panting, sweaty heap on the bed. The lioness lay down next to him. She noticed he shivered gently as he faux cock pressed between his cheeks as she hugged him to her chest. She couldn't resist slipping her paws down between his legs once more as he attempted to recover from the afterglow. She kept him on edge for a few minutes more by teasing his over-stimulated cockhead with little flicks of her fingertips and gentle and not so gentle squeezes to his freshly drained balls. The servile jaguar could only whimper and gasp as she tormented him with pleasure.

"I found you most satisfactory," she whispered as she nuzzled one of his ears.

"Thank you, Mistress," he replied softly.

***

Once they had both recovered, the lioness pulled away and went to use Master's shower.

slave lay in the messy bed among the ripped and cum-smeared sheets. Why had it hurt, he wondered. He was supposed to be pain free and willing and able to do anything sexual. While the experience had been fun once he'd gotten used to it, it just didn't feel right. It hadn't felt the same and while sex often invigorated him, now he just felt exhausted.

He stank of the sex he'd just had so he pushed his nose deep into Richard's pillow and deeply inhaled the male lion's persistent scent. The smell of his owner cleared his mind a little, and just for a second everything felt right again. He always felt right when he was with Master so he decided to pounce the big lion later tonight, after Cyan had left. He felt a nap was in order until then.

"Master," he sighed and closed his eyes to sleep for a while.

6: Routine Maintenance

A week after his night with Cyan, slave informed Richard it was time for his first check-up. The lion had read the manual cover to cover initially, but he couldn't recall anything about a six-month checkup or schedule of maintenance, which was how slave had put it. He assumed it was some kind of pre-programmed setting and booked an appointment at the Perfection, Inc. clinic.

Richard had purposely made the appointment late in the day so he could take the day off work and sleep late. However, he had neglected to tell slave that he wanted to sleep in so he was woken bright and early as usual by the jaguar's muzzle nursing at his lioncock. He groaned as he climaxed in slave's muzzle, still barely awake. The lion rambled off some instructions for the day and sent slave on his way to tidy up the house while he finished waking up.

After about a half hour, the lion made his way downstairs. He found slave working hard as usual. Richard sat down on his couch, still naked and semi-hard from the recent blowjob as he watched his pet tidying up the living room. He licked his lips as he watched the slim, silver jaguar bending over to pick up some discarded newspapers from the living room floor. It was as if slave knew exactly how to move to please his Master. He bent over at his waist rather than at the knees, his tail lifting naturally to counterbalance and giving the lion a full view of what was under the schoolgirl outfit Richard had given him to wear.

Richard's cock grew harder and thicker with every flash of pink panty or bare thigh he could see as slave moved around, bending over and crouching on the floor to reach under the coffee table in the most seductive way possible. He didn't know why he'd asked slave to dress like this; it had been a spur of the moment thing. Richard and Cyan occasionally engaged in some role-play and he had happened to remember the short plaid skirt, white stockings and pink panties ensemble that she had brought over one night when in the mood to play the naughty schoolgirl.

Watching his companion now, Richard realized the feminine jaguar made the outfit look sexier than his the lioness girlfriend ever had. He shifted onto the center seat of his long, burgundy sofa and parted his legs. He took hold of his turgid shaft and gave himself a firm squeeze. He couldn't remember a time he'd been this turned on. He was so hard he ached.

Meanwhile, slave was diligently focused on his work and contrary to what his master was currently thinking, was not actually trying to tease him into a state of uncontrolled arousal. His ears perked up as he heard a growl come from behind him.

slave turned inquisitively, "Master?" he asked.

"Come here," Richard grunted, his voice choked with arousal. slave licked his lips as he saw the bead of precum on his Master's cocktip.

"Yes, sir," slave replied with a devilish grin. Master clearly wanted to take advantage of their extra time together before his appointment and the jaguar was only too eager to please.

slave slowly approached the larger male who owned him. As soon as he got within arm's reach, Master reached out and grabbed him. He gasped gently as he was pulled onto the lion's lap. He felt Master's firm, broad chest pressed against his as Richard pulled him down into a deep kiss.

The slim feline moaned and opened his muzzle, allowing his leonine master to kiss him as deeply as he wanted. The lion's paws were all over him, running under his white shirt and slipping under his skirt to give his bottom a firm squeeze. He squeaked a little at this and felt his own smaller cathood hardening as Master's paws stroked under his twitching tail.

Richard teased him through his clothes, pressing under his tail. The lion's thick cock rested in the cleft of slave's tight panties, rubbing gently up and down the jaguar's tight bottom. The lion poked a claw under his tail and penetrated the silk material of the panties, creating a small hole. slave continued to return his deep, passionate kisses as Richard used both index fingers to tear the jaguar's panties in half. slave moaned as he felt his bottom become exposed and vulnerable to the lion's dripping member.

slave moaned and braced himself, knowing what was soon coming. He could feel his Master's heart pounding as he stroked his broad chest. His face flushed with joy. His Master wanted him so badly and that made slave feel good to be so wanted. He lived only to serve and he nearly cried with joy as he felt the tip of his master's cock sliding up between his cheeks and pressing hard against his tailhole. The thick cock was slick with precum and Master pressed it hard against his tight hole. Master broke the kiss and growled as he pressed on and slave yowled as the lion's thick cock split him open and slid deep inside.

Gravity and Master's strong paws on his hips forced the lion's cock to be hilted balls-deep immediately in slave's beautiful body. The lion groaned deeply and leaned up to gently lick along slave's neck. slave gasped with surprise as his master ripped open the simple, collared blouse he wore, exposing his trim, white-furred chest. Richard raked his claws up and down slave's slim body. Eventually, the lion's fingertips settled on slave's nipples. slave mewled and squirmed in his master's lap as Richard tweaked and rubbed his nipples.

"Oh, sir," slave moaned.

The sensations of his master's thick, barbed cock deep inside him along with the pleasure and pain as Richard squeezed his tender nipples made him shiver all over. slave's owner smiled and leaned back on the sofa, with his arms along the back of it.

"Ride it," he commanded.

slave licked his lips and put his paws on Richard's sturdy chest and began to slowly lift his hips and rear up, feeling inch after inch of thick lion cock sliding out of him. He moaned softly as he slid back down, taking Richard to the hilt and being sure to squeeze the base of his thick shaft with his tight rump before ascending again. Usually, slave would ride the lion's cock till he felt his master filling him up, but today Master was extremely aroused and was soon thrusting up to meet slave's full bottom as he rode the barbed shaft.

slave was enjoying the feeling of his master's maleness penetrating him again and again. The combination of the lion's cock pressing hard against his insides and his own feelings of fulfillment at pleasuring his beloved master had made slave very aroused also. He could feel his much smaller feline cock was hard as a rock and tenting the front of his silk panties, which were barely hanging on him after Master had nearly torn them off. He cried out suddenly as a new wave of pleasure overcame him. He looked down and saw his master's fingertips were gently rubbing the front of his tented panties. A wet spot had grown where his cocktip was pushing against the smooth material, making them slick. Master was rubbing around and around his cockhead, the slick precum and the slight friction of the silk made the pleasure of the gentle teasing overwhelming. slave's full balls quivered and he felt as if he might cum at any moment.

"Oh, oh, sir," he whimpered. "I'm... so close."

"Don't," Richard ordered. "Make your Master cum and you might earn a treat if you're good."

"Yes, Master," he enthusiastically agreed.

slave's stocking-clad thighs gripped his owner's lap tighter, and he braced his paws on his Master's chest and rode the solid lion cock harder and faster, desperate to feel his master's thick seed spilling inside him. His short skirt flapped up and down as he slammed himself up and down, squeezing and squirming on the lion's lap the way he knew his master loved. It was getting hard to concentrate, though, as the faster he took his master's cathood, the more his own cock was teased and tormented. He felt himself about to climax, but was successful in holding it back with a great effort which had caused his full balls to ache. Thanks to his body's engineered design, he felt pleasure very acutely so in his current position it was very difficult to hold off the powerful orgasm that was threatening to overwhelm him. The thought that it was out of his hands and his master alone controlled when he could feel that pleasure also added to his arousal. The perfect slave enjoyed being controlled, dominated and forced to hold back while his master tormented his trapped and sensitive cockhead.

Luckily for slave, Richard was close to climaxing as well. Every time slave took his whole length and squeezed down hard on his thick shaft the lion nearly went over the edge. slave squirmed and mewled on Richard's lap as the lion teased him mercilessly. It was hard for the jaguar to hold himself back in order to please his master, but Richard was also holding himself back as he found the smaller cat's trembling and mewling very erotic.

slave's eyes had started to water and his body was quivering with the effort of holding off his climax until his master came first. Richard looked down at his paw, his fingertips were covered in the slick precum slave was leaking through the tight, blue panties. Richard hadn't specified extra precum in slave's design, but it wasn't something he was going to complain about.

After a few more deep thrusts on his cock, Richard felt the pressure building up in his balls again. He was close and this time he was going to fill his little pet with his seed once more.

"Almost there, little kitty. Just hold on a little longer and you'll get a treat."

"Yes... sir," slave moaned, barely able to stand the thick thrusting up under his tail and the teasing fingers dancing across his tender maleness. A long whine escaped his lips as he felt himself getting too close again and tried to back off. He was producing so much precum at this point that it almost looked like he'd climaxed already.

Richard roared and slammed his hips up into slave's overstuffed hole, he thrust as deep as he could and bared his teeth as his balls pulled up and his cock pulsed and swelled. His thick load shot deep inside his pet's warm body. He gasped as he kept going, pumping shot after shot of thick lion cum into slave. His cum-covered cock slid easily in and out of slave now as he continued to spurt.

"M-master," slave moaned. His cocktip pulsed under his owner's relentless fingertips, but he knew he had to hold back until given permission. He felt an ache between his slim thighs, deep inside between his prostate and his balls. He'd never needed to cum so badly before. Master was really testing his limits tonight.

Finally, Master locked eyes with him.

"Cum for me, slave," he commanded.

slave closed his eyes tight and continued to ride his Master's thick cock, loving the feeling of it still penetrating him deep and the over-sensitive swelling with the stimulation as the lion teased his cocktip faster and lighter, his fingertips danced across the surface of his maleness, teasing him to the edge and beyond.

With a delighted cry, the jaguar clamped his body down tightly on his master's cock and finally climaxed. His small, barbed cock erupted with his pent-up cum and filled his panties and his master's hand with his sticky load. He blushed deeply, feeling the warmth of the mess he'd made as the pleasure soared up and down the length of his shaft.

"How does that feel, slave?" Richard asked his pet with a grin.

"Feels so good, sir," slave gasped. His body was still racked with the powerful orgasm. His whole body quivered with pleasure. Every nerve was on edge now and so easily over stimulated and his master still rubbed and teased him.

slave's body continued to quiver and squirm gently as his master teased him. The lithe jaguar leaned over to Richard and initiated a kiss for the first time. He could tell Master was surprised, but he didn't complain and eagerly returned slave's deep kiss. slave purred gently, feeling safe and content in the big lion's arms. Eventually, his master's paw left his spent cocktip alone and slave purred deeply as the big lion hugged him close and tight.

***

After getting cleaned up from their earlier exertions, slave put on his company jumpsuit. It was odd for Richard to see him dressed so plainly again, but he knew he would be embarrassed bringing slave out in public in the barely dressed way he usually was. He mused on the idea that maybe he should get slave some other things to wear apart from lingerie and role-playing costumes. That way he could take him out and show him off. Surely, the jaguar would like some more variety too, Richard thought.

He looked over at slave, who was sitting in the passenger seat of the lion's impressive transport. The jaguar was staring out the side window. Richard didn't know if he was just lost in the electric hum of the engine or if, currently devoid of conversation, he'd gone into a kind of standby mode. It occurred to the lion that he didn't really know what slave was like when he wasn't around. He knew the house was clean and dinner was ready, but he only ever saw slave when he was ready to pounce him after work, so he wondered what the jaguar was like the rest of the time. He shook his head a little, feeling that he was being silly. One never knows what another person is like when they're not in your presence. Why did he think this would be any different?

slave's eyes appeared to be deep in thought, but something caught his attention at the same time Richard noticed some commotion up ahead.

"Master, what is that?"

Richard was hoping that slave wouldn't have to see this. Shortly after he'd purchased slave, several groups of rights activists had begun a protest movement against Perfection, Inc.

The lion shifted uncomfortably for a moment before ordering slave to look straight ahead and not make eye contact with any of them. The protestors were holding signs with various slogans on them, "Genegineering is against nature", "Artificial people are people too" and "Slavery is wrong". This last one made Richard a little more uncomfortable.

He pulled up to the newly constructed guard shack in front of the new metal fence around the company's campus and presented his ID. Seeing that he was on the list for an appointment today, the guard was about to let him through. As the Doberman guard turned to open the gate, a vixen sprinted towards Richard's car. She banged on his window, screaming "Let him be free!" The other guard quickly pulled her away and the Doberman ushered Richard's vehicle through the gate.

Once inside, they were escorted to the clinic section of the complex. Richard was seated in the Owner's Waiting Room while slave was taken back to see the gene techs. He sat down, and pulled out his phone to read the news while he waited.

***

"Remove your clothing," the gene tech commanded.

"Yes, sir," slave replied.

slave blushed a little as he got undressed. The technician watched him intently, curious as to why the jaguar would be shy about getting undressed in front of him. There was something slightly odd about this one, he decided.

The technician was a male rat with dark fur. He was about slave's height so as the manufactured feline stood in a relaxed pose the rat was able to look directly into his eyes with a small, medical light.

The rat walked slave through a standard medical evaluation, the same as any regular person would have at a doctor's office. He dictated his report to a pocket voice recorder. His voice was calm and unemotional as he spoke. He'd been trained to understand that his subjects had no real emotions, only the ones they were programmed to feel for their owners so hurting their feelings wasn't something to be concerned with.

"Reflexes are slightly slower than standard," the tech said into the recording. "Recommend owner consultation on dietary requirements."

"But I make all the meals myself," Slave[MR5] protested.

The rat raised an eyebrow quizzically. Once the examination had started, the companions were supposed to automatically go into a standby phase.

"Command. Mode: standby," the tech stated clearly.

slave's body stiffened slightly and his eyes stared impassively at the opposite wall.

He continued his examination, including taking a blood sample from slave's arm, without further interruption.

The rat snapped on a pair of latex gloves and placed one paw between the companion's legs.

"Testes appear and feel normal. No lumps or other imperfections observed."

He smeared some cheap lubricant on the fingers of one paw.

"Lift," he commanded the passive jaguar.

The companion's tail lifted up on command and in his "at ease" stance with legs slightly apart, he was easily accessible for this examination. The tech slipped two lubricated fingers into the feline's tailhole. He could really do a prostate exam with only one finger, but he got a little thrill out of teasing the helpless companions now and then. Anything to make an otherwise dreary day go by faster and he had to relieve the frustration he felt due to seeing so many perfect people naked every day. The rat plunged his fingers in until he found the jaguar's prostate. He felt around it and noted that there were no lumps and that it felt correctly sized and shaped.

Next came his favourite part, the sexual response test. He pushed and nudged the prostate repeatedly and observed the feline's cathood erecting quickly and slipping free of his sheath. It happened a little faster than normal, the rat thought.

"Prostate in good health, sexual response...enthusiastic," he noted.

He got a little surprise when he slipped his fingers out of the jaguar's tight tailhole. Was it just his imagination or had the companion stifled a small moan?

The rat summarized his final report as he was filling out the lab paperwork for the companion's bloodwork. He took the companion out of standby mode.

"You're ready to go. Tell your owner we've ordered some bloodwork and we'll call him in a few days."

slave came out of his trance a little confused. It took him a moment to focus and realize the rodent technician was addressing him.

"Now get dressed and you'll find your owner in the waiting room."

slave turned to pick up his simple clothing. He vaguely wondered why his tailhole felt wet. He knew he'd cleaned himself up as usual after he and Master had enjoyed the benefit of a day off work for this appointment.

He felt he wanted to ask the tech something. It has been on the tip of his tongue before he'd gone into standby. He got dressed slowly, hoping it would come back to him.

By the time he pulled the zipper up on his jumpsuit, it hadn't, and the rat was impatiently motioning him towards the door so his next appointment could come in.

7: Breakdown

The Dove was a very posh restaurant. It was probably the highest class restaurant in the city. Cyan felt perfectly at ease here. This was her element, getting dressed up and eating with a respectable male among the dilettantes and socialites. She took a sip of her mojito. This one was a little better than the last, but she still didn't think the fox behind the bar knew what he was doing. Tonight though, her "respectable male" looked anything but comfortable here.

The two lions had gotten through drinks and an appetizer with stilted small talk as they ate. Once finished with her drink, Cyan requested Richard order a bottle of wine with dinner and he had done an adequate job of choosing a vintage.

"So, here we are," Cyan said with a smile, looking at Richard over the top of her wine glass.

"Yes," Richard replied a little stiffly.

"You seem preoccupied lately Richard. Is it the job?"

"What?" Richard was surprised and then shook his head, "No, no it's just me, Cyan. I've had a lot on my mind lately."

"I see... Well, I hope I don't add to that, but we need to talk."

Cyan's voice trailed off a little. She bit her lip, thinking about how to put this.

"So, what do you want to talk about?" Richard leaned forward as he asked the question, trying to look more at ease than he felt.

"I'm not sure about us anymore, Richard," Cyan said without preamble. "I just don't think the two of us are working out."

"Ah, I see," he said quietly.

"We've been on-again, off-again for a year now. I like you as a friend and you're a great asset to the company, but..." Cyan sighed. "We barely speak at work lately and I haven't even seen you outside of work in two months."

"Three," Richard mumbled around a mouthful of steak.

The male lion leaned back in his chair and exhaled slowly. Cyan sighed.

"I know what it is, Richard," she said as some anger started to creep into her voice. Richard could tell her emotions were gaining momentum, it was usually this way when she was pissed off about something.

"It's your little pet, isn't it?"

"He helps keep me sane, that's all."

"Your pet is very good at what he does," Cyan responded.

"You'd know," the male lion replied. "You enjoyed him, didn't you?"

"Of course," she replied. "I am considering purchasing one of my own and I appreciated the chance to test the merchandise before I commit to anything."

"If you're going to do so, I suggest doing it quickly," Richard said as he looked at the TV over the bar. It was displaying video footage of a recent protest by former, de-programmed companions and their supporters.

"They'll be illegal before too long if things keep going this way."

"Yes, I know. It's so silly really. Its not like they're real people after all."

Richard swallowed hard and turned his attention back to stabbing at his steak.

"But that's not true for you, is it Richard?"

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

Cyan slammed her paw on the table.

"Don't you dare, Richard," she said louder than she'd intended. She continued in a lower tone, not wanting to make a scene in public. "I'm not stupid. You've fallen in love with it, haven't you?"

"No," he muttered as he savagely chewed his food.

"He's not real," the lioness continued as if she hadn't heard him. "Its convenient having someone to do your laundry for you and the sex may be fantastic, but that's not the same as a relationship with a real person."

"You don't know him. He is a real person to me now."

The lioness looked at him in stony silence. In her eyes, he might as well have said he'd fallen in love with a particularly good kitchen appliance.

"Look, maybe we can work this out," he started to say when his cell phone rang.

He pulled his phone out of his pocket and looked at the screen to see who was calling. It said "Home". He looked at it quizzically; slave never called him. He'd been designed to be very self-reliant so he would always be an asset to him rather than someone he'd have to take care of.

He flipped the phone open.

"Hello?"

"Master?" slave's voice sounded raspy and a little shaken.

"slave? What's wrong?"

"I don't know, sir. My paws won't stop shaking. I broke one of your good glasses, I'm so sorry." slave sounded almost frantic now.

"slave, calm down. I'll come home. We'll go see a doctor, you'll be fine."

"Th-thank you, sir," slave said, his voice sounding calmer, but weaker now.

Richard stood up and hastily put on his coat.

"What the hell are you doing?" Cyan asked with shock.

"What does it look like? There's something wrong with slave, I need to take him to the clinic."

"You can't just leave in the middle of dinner, Richard. Can't it wait?"

"I don't think so, he sounded terrible and he'd never call me unless it was an emergency."

"Fine," Cyan replied and took a deep sip from her wine glass. "Just one thing before you go."

He looked at her as he pushed in his chair.

"Yes?"

"Don't come back."

As Richard departed, Cyan rolled her eyes and took another deep sip of her wine. He was taking this so seriously, she couldn't believe he considered the pet to be a person. She felt more than justified now that it would never have worked out between them. Richard's priorities were all wrong. What a waste.

***

The front door flew open. The lion ran in, slamming the door behind him.

"slave?" he shouted from the foyer.

When he didn't get an answer, he ran from room to room, calling his companion's name. When he got to the bedroom, he stopped in his tracks for a moment. The little jaguar was shaking on the bed.

The distraught lion picked up his pet and held him. slave's eyes had rolled into the back of his head and his muscles were completely tense. He looked as if he was having some kind of seizure. Richard held slave tightly until the quivering throughout his body had ceased.

"slave? slave, can you hear me?" He gently shook the jaguar.

slave's eyes fluttered open and he muttered something too low for the lion to hear. Richard put his ear close to slave's muzzle and listened. Tears streamed down the lion's cheeks as he nuzzled his companion.

"I love you too," he whispered as slave passed out.

Richard carefully laid him on his bed and started to dress him. slave had been wearing some lingerie the lion had recently bought him. He had obviously been intending to surprise his master once he got home.

Richard dressed slave in a t-shirt and an old pair of sweat pants that he hadn't been able to wear for years. Even then, they were still a little big on the lithe jaguar. The lion's clothes hung off him and the effect made him seem even smaller, and rather than being slim and sexy, he only looked frail.

Richard's eyes were still wet as he got into the driver's side of his transport and took off for the clinic.

8: Product Recall

Richard's paws gripped the wheel as he sped to the Perfection, Inc. complex. Luckily, at this time of night there was little traffic, and when he got to the company's offices there were no protestors this time. He was grateful he did not have to make his way through a throng of people this time.

Once inside, he headed directly for the clinic. The company didn't have an Emergency Room as such, so the clinic would have to do. He hoped they would see the urgency of his situation and allow slave to be seen without an appointment.

There was a young-looking male ringtail behind the check-in desk when Richard burst through the door and ran towards it.

"We need help!" Richard exclaimed, startling the ringtail.

"What seems to be the trouble, sir?"

"There's something wrong with him. He had a seizure and now he won't wake up."

"Oh, I see. Well, the not waking up is normal. All our companions are programmed to go into a passive state when a defect pops up."

The ringtail came out from behind the counter holding a small scanning device.

"Let me just get a scan of his retina and I can pull up the product specs and warranty info."

Richard leaned down to the smaller man's height and watched as he pried open one of slave's eyes and took a quick scan. The lion was surprised by how bloodshot his pet's eyes had become; surely that wasn't a good sign.

The ringtail returned to his seat behind the reception counter, and sent the scanner's information to his computer over a wireless connection.

"Oh, I see the problem."

"What, what is it?" Richard asked anxiously.

"Well, a defect was found in one of this model's gene sequences. Something about the nervous system..."

The attendant typed and clicked several more minutes.

"There's good news though!"

After panicking thus far, Richard was ready for some good news. He shifted slave's motionless body in his arms. He was so light; the lion could barely feel him now.

The ringtail went on to explain that his companion model had been recalled by the company and the good news was he qualified for a free replacement.

"And we'll even throw in a few extra features to compensate you for the inconvenience."

Richard was dumb-founded for a moment. "You don't understand," he said, "I don't want a replacement companion. I want you to fix my companion."

"Eh, I don't think that's really possible, sir. Hang on though, I'll have a tech come out and take a look for you."

He pressed a button on his ear piece and called the technician on duty to reception.

***

"I don't understand. Why can't you help him?"

Richard was exasperated. He could tell the white rat he was speaking with was as well. The rat's white fur clashed with the white coat he wore. The technician fidgeted with it as he tried to explain the situation.

"Sir, your companion's nervous system is shutting down. There was a software compatibility issue and the mental programming is breaking down. It's probably been on the blink for some time, but it just took this long to affect him physically as well as mentally."

"And you can't fix that?"

"The problem is with his genes. The issue will be fixed in upcoming releases, but for now the jaguar model is on hold until it can be worked out. It's not entirely uncommon to have bugs with new models, but usually we find them before they go on sale. You have my sincerest apologies for the inconvenience."

"So, what happens to him now?"

"He'll be shut down and disposed of, that's all we can do."

"Shut down? You mean you're going to kill him?"

The rat backed up a little bit as Richard got to his feet, clearly agitated.

The whole situation felt wrong to him. In the few months he'd had slave around, he had become very attached to the jaguar. Now he couldn't imagine life without him. slave was more than a purchase he'd made, more than a product.

"What happens to him if we don't...shut him down," Richard asked, struggling to use the rat's more technical terms.

The rodent technician scratched at his head for a moment to collect his thoughts and then he laid out the most likely scenario.

First, slave's mental programming would break down completely. That had probably already happened to a great degree. His nervous system would start to collapse, causing headaches, blackouts, fatigue. Eventually, his internal organs would fail one after another leading to his eventual death. Richard's concern about killing him was tempered by how long he wanted slave to suffer to keep him in his life.

"How long?"

"Days, maybe a week if he's lucky. Once the deterioration begins, the condition is rapid." The technician's manner softened a little. "You can see him if you want. To say goodbye."

Richard sighed and put his paws to his face for a moment, gathering his thoughts.

"I want to see him."

***

The rat technician escorted Richard to the treatment room where slave was resting. The jaguar was asleep when they entered and the rat quietly showed Richard the button on the IV which was already inserted into slave's arm. When activated, the IV would administer a lethal dose of morphine.

While he had been trained not to care about his "patients," he was trying to think of this situation as having to put down a well-loved pet. The lion was clearly shaken by this situation so he tried to assure him that the procedure would be painless and that ending his companion's suffering sooner than later was the most humane thing to do. The rat closed the door slowly, leaving the two felines alone.

slave lifted his head slightly at the sound of the door. He smiled weakly when he saw the lion sitting next to his bed.

"Hello, sir," slave said, trying to be as accommodating as he usually was.

Richard moved closer to him. slave blushed slightly when the lion reached out and held his paw.

"How do you feel?" The lion asked him.

"Not bad," slave lied as he shifted uncomfortably on his bed.

The lion was having none of it.

"How do you feel? Be honest."

"It hurts, sir," the jaguar replied as his voice started to crack with the effort.

The lion took slave in his arms and held him tightly, slave's arms feebly wrapped around his and the two held each other in silence.

"They tell me that there's nothing they can do," Richard said, his voice barely above a whisper.

"I know," slave replied. "They aren't able to fix anyone they make here. They can only create or destroy."

slave leaned back in the bed. Sitting up for a moment had taken a lot of energy and it occurred to Richard that to be this close to death, slave must have been aware of his condition for some time.

"How long have you known?" The lion asked.

slave wasn't proud of this. He knew he had been deceiving his master to make him believe everything was alright. Maybe he also hadn't wanted to admit to himself how sick he'd become.

"I first noticed the signs about six months ago."

"How did you know what it was?"

slave smiled. "I'm supposed to be perfect," he said. "and I could tell I wasn't anymore."

It occurred to Richard that the first signs of slave's condition were supposed to be his programming breaking down. The technician had explained that slave would have had the ability to ignore commands; he'd have independent thought and emotions. Which meant...

The lion's throat went dry, he had to know.

"Slave, when you said you loved me..."

"I meant it," the jaguar finished for him. He held the lion's paw tighter.

Richard couldn't hold back the tears that streamed down his cheeks now that he knew. Slave could have left any time he'd wanted in the last few months. The jaguar had the free will to do what he wanted, but he had stayed because he had fallen in love with Richard.

"I love you too," Richard said softly. Even though his voice was barely above a whisper, the jaguar's keen hearing was able to hear him clearly.

"I don't want to do this..."

Slave gently stroked Richard's paws and spoke as clearly as he could.

"Sir, I knew this was going to happen. I stayed as long as I could because I wanted to be with you."

Slave paused for breath and laid his head back down on his pillow. Richard could see Slave's eyes were watering and looked painfully red now. The jaguar's fur now seemed to hang off his bones. He hadn't lost a lot of weight, but he was once so full of life that now his body looked almost empty with only the barest ember animating it.

The lion saw how much pain his lover was in, and as much as he couldn't bear the thought of losing his companion, seeing him in such agony was even worse.

Richard turned to the morphine pump hooked up to Slave's IV line. His paw hovered over the controls. Slave held onto his other paw tightly, locked eyes with him and gave an ever so slight nod. Richard closed his eyes and leaned over. He kissed Slave full on the muzzle. The jaguar returned the kiss with all the strength he could. Richard pressed the button.