FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

The lioness stalked forward, amber eyes kept focused ahead, paws placed with purpose.

She held a bow, arrow nocked but not yet drawn back, a rucksack hugging her back. Around her, in the dimness of the dying evening light, she could hear crickets beginning to chirp, birds settling into the trees around her, and a bigger noise up ahead. Hooves against dirt, twigs being brushed aside.

Her ears perked, burnt gold fur prickling in anticipation. She had to remind herself to stay calm and collected. The hunt was not yet over.

She could not move directly forward. The lioness had to loop around a stand of thorn bushes to stay downwind of her quarry, moving quietly, slowly, with as much precision as she could muster, ignoring the hunger gnawing at her gut, the anticipation bubbling through her like an electric current.

Then she caught a flash of motion up ahead. A casual step from the deer she'd been tracking. It took a step forward, head held down, shoulders bunched and flanks trembling. She could see dried blood staining one haunch, where her arrow had caught it earlier in the day. The arrow had been broken off close to the wound, all she could see of it now was a jagged, blood darkened wooden stump protruding from the animal's flank.

It had been a bad shot. She'd been lucky to catch up with her quarry again. Now she'd make sure to finish the job properly.

But as much as she wanted to take her time, knew she had to take her time, the lioness knew she was almost out of light. Soon it would be dark. And though her night vision was good, she didn't want to have to take a night shot if she didn't have to.

She looked at the distance between her and the deer. Maybe twenty yards. She was still downwind, she had a shot...maybe. She wasn't sure if her arrow would be baffled by a thin veil of ferns hiding the sweet spot just behind the deer's shoulder.

The animal was standing still. It looked tired and weak and...

Perhaps she could move a little.

The lioness took a few careful steps. Looked again. To where the deer was swaying from side to side, breathing hard.

A little better...

She glanced at the sunset. Back to the wounded deer and drew her arrow back. This was the best she was gonna get. She knew that. Time to make the shot and get down to the messy business of-

A twig snapped. For a moment the lioness wondered if she had done that but both of her paws were planted firmly on the ground. It had come from somewhere off to the deer's front. The deer tensed and then wheeled around as best as it could, ears flaring in alarm. The lioness loosed her arrow but it skimmed close in front of her quarry's shoulder. Then the deer was gone, crashing into the woods.

Her stomach clenched with rage. There were more noises. She nocked another arrow, teeth gritted. Perhaps it was another animal...a-

She paused and drew her arrow back.

"Halt!" She cried.

In front of her, walking into the clearing the deer had just vacated, was a svelte little red fox, kitted out much like her. He held a spear, which he dropped with a squeak upon seeing her, his paws shooting into the air.

"You little fucker," the lioness hissed, relaxing her arrow just a bit, so she wouldn't have to keep it drawn fully back, "you scared away my deer." She snarled, flashing her teeth, ears pinned back and eyes narrowed.

The fox, paws still raised, quivered with unhidden fear.

"I'm so sorry," he managed, "I didn't know..."

The lioness gave her opposite a cursory once over, then scooted his spear away from him with one paw, putting her arrow away. She had at least a foot on him and was more muscular to boot. No way he'd be any problem to her if it came to a fight.

All the same...

"Your knife." She grunted.

The fox handed it over without hesitation. The lioness took it, examined the blade for a moment, then tossed it back over her shoulder with a snort of contempt. It was cheap sulfur steel. The slightest bit of moisture would cause the blade to pit and flake and crack.

No...this fox wasn't a threat to her. Just a problem. And she could deal with that.

"What are you doing out here?" She asked. "This aint your place."

And indeed it wasn't. Canids weren't supposed to be anywhere close to this part of the forest.

"I...I got lost." The fox admitted miserably, looking deeply embarrassed, almost mortified. The lioness could almost see the fox's blush through his fur. He was dressed down, in typical canid fashion, clad in a loincloth and nothing more.

The lioness could see his tail twitching nervously behind him, tucked almost completely between his legs.

"Fuck's sake..." The lioness muttered. "You picked a hell of a time to come bumbling in like that."

"I'm sorry...here, I can give you-" He started to unshoulder his pack.

The lioness stiffened.

"Slow." She growled.

The fox obeyed, opening the flap of his pack and withdrawing an oilcloth package. Opening it, he revealed a spread of dried and salted meat. The lioness couldn't help but stare for a moment, then glanced away, trying hard to act completely uninterested.

"And?" She asked. "You trying to get me to let my guard down so you can run away or something?" She asked, eyes blazing with accusatory sentiment.

The fox shook his head vigorously.

"No!" He said, sounding aggrieved, "no...not at all. I promise. I-I just want to apologize for ruining your hunt, that's all." He sounded utterly, completely sincere. His ears had drooped and he looked, behind his fear, almost disappointed.

The lioness glanced behind the fox, to where the deer had run to. That way, she knew, the forest fell into a steep walled valley. The deer wouldn't have many places to go. She could probably resume tracking in the morning...

Still, she chewed the inside of her cheek for a moment. Let out a sharp sigh.

"Fine. Okay." She said, and extended a paw.

The fox made to shake it and she slapped his paw away.

"Your meat." She clarified.

The fox, looking a bit like a kicked puppy, wrapped the oilcloth package back up and handed it over. He took a step back and the lioness shuffled his spear back towards him. The fox picked it up uncertainly, then glanced at the dark forest behind him. He started, hesitantly, to make his way into the trees. Tail still tucked between his legs.

The lioness started to turn away, then stubbed her toe on something. Oh right. The fox's knife.

"Wait." She said, scooping it up from the ground.

The fox looked back.

She tossed the knife over and the fox nearly fumbled the catch, juggling his spear and knife for a moment before giving her a surprised but undoubtedly genuine smile.

"Um...thank you." He said.

"How lost are you?" The lioness asked.

The fox shifted from paw to paw, then flashed a pained, embarrassed smile.

"I...um...this was my first hunting trip," he admitted, "I got separated and then...um..."

"And they just left you behind?" The lioness asked, cocking her head, "your kin?"

"No!" The fox cried, defensive, "of course not. Just...I, um, wandered around a lot. They were just...really busy, okay?" He clutched the haft of his spear tightly, but not in aggressive way. He seemed to be steadying himself.

The lioness looked on, more than a little skeptical.

"Do you know the way back?" She asked, "to your people?"

The fox hesitated for a long moment, then shook his head.

"If it were the day..." He allowed.

The lioness glanced over the fox's head, to where the last faint glimmers of sunlight were vanishing over the horizon.

"Nothing to be gained by crashing around the woods all night," she sighed, "go find a tree and park yourself under it. I want you gone by first light."

The fox nodded obediently, then hesitated once more.

"Um..."

"What?" The lioness asked.

"Thanks," the fox said, "for not..." He drew a thumb across his throat with a wince.

The lioness smiled faintly.

"What's your name?" She asked.

The fox blinked, surprised.

"...Lewis." He said at last.

The lioness smirked. Canids and their names...

"Did your parents name everyone like that?" She asked, raising an eyebrow.

Lewis' shoulders slumped slightly.

"I don't have parents." He said, voice perfectly, almost formally even.

"What happened to them?" She asked.

Lewis squirmed in place, clearly uncomfortable.

"I don't know," he muttered, "I never met them."

For a long moment there was silence, punctuated only by the squeak of bats and the buzz of insects. The lioness shrugged and unshouldered her own pack, setting it against the trunk of a tree.

"What are you doing?" Lewis asked.

"I'm spending the night here," the lioness said, "so I can go finish my hunt tomorrow morning." She set her bow down, within easy reach, and reached her paws over her head, stretching, vertebrae crackling along her golden furred back.

"Oh...uh..." Lewis hesitated for a moment, "could I...um..."

The lioness glanced over. Was he really asking what she thought he was about to ask?

"You've never been alone before in your life, have you?" She asked with a faintly contemptuous smirk.

"It's not that," he protested, "I...just...I've never been in this part of the forest before. And don't the parts where you people live have bears?"

The lioness laughed. Spread out her groundsheet and laid her bedroll upon it.

"I don't know," she said, "do they?"

Lewis squirmed in place for another long moment. The lioness watched, then sighed.

"Fine," she said, "go get rocks for the fire ring."

The fox leapt to the task with relieved alacrity, hesitating at the edge of the clearing.

"Um...is there a place where I can find a lot of-"

The lioness pointed straight ahead of her. There were streams and springs down there, not far away, lined with smooth, round stones.

While the fox was busy, she hunted for kindling. It wasn't hard to find and by the time Lewis returned, burdened with a stack of water smoothed rocks, she'd gathered a decently sized bundle.

The fox arranged a little circle, out from under the tree the lioness had set her bedroll next to, and the lioness stacked the wood next to it.

Before long they had a tiny blaze going, gray smoke trickling into the sky. The lioness settled, cross legged, on one side of it. The fox sat across from her, looking to be in much better spirits.

"What's your name?" He asked.

The lioness gave him a look.

"I told you my name." Lewis protested.

"You also fucked up my hunt."

That seemed to take the wind out of the fox's sails. He looked down into the fire, watching the flames.

Feeling ever so slightly bad for him, the lioness offered over a strip of dried meat from the oilcloth bag. Sure it had been his originally, but since it now belonged to her...

Generosity in a barter economy was sometimes strange like that.

"I really am sorry I scared your deer away." Lewis said, accepting the meat.

"It won't go far," the lioness said, "it's dying."

Lewis was silent for a moment. He chewed on the end of his strip, the lioness sniffing hers, appreciating the scent of salt and fat. Whoever dried these had done a good job.

"I could help you butcher it," the fox suggested, "I mean...I'm not very good at tracking, but I know how to deal with carcasses...that's my job back home."

The lioness help up her strip, one end ragged and wet with saliva. Lewis nodded, with an undeniable hint of pride.

"Hmm," the lioness said, tucking the rest of the meat into her mouth, "...so long as you stay quiet. I guess you can have whatever I can't carry. That'd only be fair." It had been a good sized deer as well...there would be plenty of meat for both of them.

The fox smiled, looking slightly relieved.

"Um...so...you people hunt alone?" He asked after a moment.

The lioness nodded.

"We're not at war right now, so sure."

"What happens if you get hurt? Or if a bear attacks you?" He asked.

"We don't have any bears in this part of the forest."

"You don't?" Lewis asked, looking surprised.

The lioness cracked a smile.

"Not a one."

The fox nodded slowly.

"Okay, but...what if you got hurt? You'd be out here all alone."

"Then I'd drag myself home," the lioness said, "you have to know how to take care of yourself. You don't always need a bunch of other people to help you do stuff."

That seemed to confuse Lewis, who stared down at the flames again, an odd look on his face. His whiskers twitched.

"We always hunt in packs," Lewis said, "just in case something happens."

"You people are so skittish," the lioness said, rolling her eyes at the fox's words, "I swear..."

"And I think your people are headstrong and reckless." The fox shot back, fur bristling. His eyes widened a moment later as he realized what he'd said, but the lioness was grinning. She offered another strip of meat, which the fox gingerly took.

"You know," she said, "you're not too bad when you get some grit. For a canine I mean."

"I guess you aren't either," Lewis said, offering her a shaky smile, "...for a cat."

Another silence stretched out into the night, but this one was more comfortable.

"This is probably the longest I've spent in the company of a canine," the lioness said after a moment, lying on her back next to the fire, one eye kept always on the fox, "you ever talked to any cats before?"

Lewis shook his head.

"I mean...I've talked to traders and all that, but nothing like this. I mean, I guess we're trading things, but..."

"But what?" The lioness asked. She stretched again, shirt hiking up over her stomach, exposing a puckered scar just over her pelvis. She tucked her shirt back down with a hint of self consciousness, but if Lewis saw anything he gave no indication.

"Well..." The fox paused, had to search for the words before continuing, "I know it's not like that, but it's almost like we're friends."

The lioness almost scoffed but bit back the noise. She didn't feel like knocking the fox down any further.

"I guess." She allowed.

"But that would never happen." Lewis said, a little halfheartedly.

"Probably not." The lioness agreed, but watched the fox's face carefully. He shifted in place, looking a little sad.

"Missing your pack?" She asked.

He nodded silently. Glanced over.

"What about you?" He asked.

The lioness shrugged.

"I dunno." She said, turning her gaze up to the night sky. It was clear out and the sky seemed almost overcrowded with stars. One of the moving ones flickered overhead and the lioness averted her eyes instinctually. She'd always been told they were unnatural. Reminders of a more evil time.

"What do you mean?" Lewis asked. Such an ambivalent response seemed almost impossible.

"About what? My family?" The lioness asked, glancing back over to the fox, "they're fine. I mean, family's important and all, I just like being alone."

"Oh." The fox said quietly.

"What?" The lioness asked.

The fox hesitated for a moment.

"I guess it's a cultural thing," he allowed, "just...everything is about family and the pack at home. I mean, everyone even sleeps in the same room."

"Even you?"

"Yes."

But you don't have any family." The lioness said blandly.

"I have the pack!" Lewis said sharply, voice raised. The lioness almost jumped, surprised by the fox's outburst.

Lewis turned away with a huff.

For a moment the lioness thought of doing the same, then sighed.

"Sorry." She said, the word rusty and unfamiliar on her tongue. "I shouldn't have said that."

The fox was silent for a long moment, then shrugged stiffly, still facing away.

"Maybe you're right," he said, "maybe they did just leave me out here, to get eaten by bears or chewed up by cats..."

The lioness sat up with a sigh.

"And maybe," she said, "you can prove them wrong by showing up with a pack stuffed full of venison tomorrow."

Lewis glanced back, smiling wanly.

"Maybe." He said.

"It's bleeding and tired," the lioness said, shifting a little closer to the fire, "it'll be like knocking over a cub for candy."

Lewis winced at the bluntness of the comparison but seemed heartened regardless.

"I'll be quiet this time." He promised.

"You'd better." The lioness yawned, and that took the seriousness out of her words.

The fox smiled faintly.

"...So..." He said after a moment, "why it only ever women hunting and trading and all that? For cats I mean."

"Been sitting on that one for a while?" The lioness asked.

The fox squirmed for a moment, then nodded.

"I'm not trying to say anyone's better or anything, just...curious."

"It's always been that way," the lioness shrugged, "women do the hunting and trades and fighting...and the men breed and stay out of the way. Kinda the opposite for your people though." Her tone for the last few words darkened slightly.

Lewis nodded ever so slightly.

"Kinda," he repeated, "I mean, the trades are pretty equal, but usually it's always men hunting and fighting and stuff like that."

"Hmm." The lioness said. "And everyone's fine with that?" She sounded slightly skeptical of the whole orientation of canine society.

"Sure," Lewis shrugged, "I mean...I wouldn't mind if women hunted and all I did was stay out of the way and-" He cut himself off, clearing his throat, a blush blooming through his fur once more, "but...um...things are the way they are for a reason, right?"

The lioness smirked at the fox.

"Sure," she said, "I guess you're right."

"Just..." Lewis continued, seeming slightly emboldened by the lioness' response, "what happens when the women in your society get pregnant? If everyone's pregnant then who does the trade and fighting and hunting and all that?"

The lioness rolled her eyes.

"It's not like that. Only a few women each year are allowed to get pregnant. The rest are very careful."

"You really use contraceptives?" Lewis asked, looking stricken.

"Oh right," the lioness muttered to herself, "I heard you people were weird about that..."

"It's...I mean..." The fox trailed off, shaking his head, "I guess we probably shouldn't be trying to mess with each other's cultures and all that...just...why wouldn't you want to be having a cub if you're...um...breeding?"

The lioness rolled her eyes.

"There's more to sex than cubs." She said.

Lewis was silent.

The lioness sighed. Tugged her shirt up a bit, to expose the scar that puckered the skin just over her pelvis.

"I can't have cubs anyway," she said, "so, what, would you just have me stay sexless for the rest of my life?"

Lewis stared at the scar, blinking. It probably looked worse than it was, the firelight throwing ominous shadows across it.

"No...I mean, that's different...but..." He paused for a moment, "what happened?"

"Got stabbed." The lioness said, tucking her shirt back in place, casual expression belaying the ugly memories that threatened to bubble up in response. Had she really needed to do that? Just to win a dumb argument?

For a moment she felt vaguely ashamed of herself.

"By a...?" Lewis indicated himself.

The lioness nodded.

"We were at war," she shrugged, "shit happens."

"Still," the fox said, eyes wide and swimming with concern and sympathy, "that's just about the worst thing you can take away from a woman."

Though she knew better, the lioness still felt rankled by the fox's words. She bit back something ugly.

"I don't mind," she said, staring hard at Lewis through the flames, "and, frankly, I'd rather be out here and free than constantly pregnant and in the home."

Lewis looked taken aback.

"Oh." He said. Frowned to himself, looking troubled.

"I mean...women can choose to be hunters or fighters or anything they want to in canine society, right?"

Lewis nodded, slightly uneasy.

"Well...sure..." He said. "Just...none of them want to."

The lioness cocked her head.

"Why not?" She asked.

"Well...if someone in your, you call them 'prides' right?"

"We do."

"If someone in your pride wanted to be a full-time mother then how would you react?"

The lioness' eyes narrowed with an almost involuntary contempt.

"For just their cubs?"

The fox nodded earnestly.

"Well," the lioness sighed, "I'd think they were a selfish freeloader. Everyone gives over their cubs to the pride to be raised, that's just how things are."

Lewis winced at that. The lioness pretended not to notice.

"So..." He said, "you can imagine how a lot of the men in my pack would react if a woman wanted to break the norm and be a hunter or a fighter."

"Then tell them to knock it off," the lioness said, "or else maybe one day those women start poisoning their mates or stabbing them in their sleep. That's what I'd do if I was in their place. Either that or run away and try to be a cat."

The look on Lewis' face was one short step from out and out horror. He swallowed hard.

"I'd say the same to you about letting people be mothers." He said at last, voice kept even through no lack of effort.

"But they can be mothers," the lioness protested, "just...to everyone's cubs. Not just their own."

"That's not the same thing." The fox muttered.

"The fuck it's not." The lioness glared.

For a long moment the two simmered silently, staring hard at one another.

"I guess we really can't be friends." Lewis sighed, looking away.

"You thought we could?" The lioness asked, mildly surprised.

The fox was silent for a long moment, watching the flames. He stacked another few pieces of wood atop the embers. Sighed.

"Well...I mean...I guess I thought that were the same underneath the exteriors, you know, cat and canine. But we weren't."

"And what did you think we _were?" _ The lioness asked.

The fox sighed. His shoulders slumped.

"I don't know," he said miserably, "I just...I've always wanted to meet someone different but..."

"But not too different." The lioness finished for him.

"Right."

She shrugged.

"I've felt like that before," she allowed, "but in the end you've only ever got what you already have. Your people, your culture...all that."

"Sure...I just wish it wasn't everything. I feel kinda bad that we're both so beholden to it."

The lioness chewed the inside of her cheek.

"So you wanted to meet a cat who agreed with you about everything?" She asked.

"No!" The fox hesitated, "I mean...who doesn't want validation? But...not everything. That would be weird."

"Really weird." The lioness nodded slightly.

"And...we do agree on a lot. Just...not a lot of the big stuff. Your whole society is really scary to me. I wouldn't want to live in it."

"Same," the lioness agreed, "I mean...I'm a woman, you kinda had to expect that."

"You're a cat." The fox corrected gently.

"Oh right, forgive me," the lioness shot him an ugly look, "I would be perfectly happy to give up all my freedoms and live as some man's toy if only I weren't brainwashed by my culture..."

"That's not what I meant..." Lewis held up his paws, looking stricken once more.

The lioness rolled her eyes extravagantly.

"I don't like how we treat women," he said, "that's the honest truth. But...if they're gonna get pregnant and not be able to hunt or fight then they might as well not be in those roles to begin with."

"Then let them take contraceptives."

"And make them give up being a mother?" The fox asked, aggrieved.

"Fuck's sake," the lioness muttered, "it's their choice. You and every other man in the world shouldn't have anything to do with it."

Lewis opened his mouth to say something, then sighed sharply and shook his head.

"What?" The lioness asked.

"Nothing..."

"No. Say it." She growled.

The fox blinked, a little flash of fear crossing his face at the edge in the lioness' voice.

"Fine. I just...it doesn't feel right to me to try and deny a pregnancy."

"You're a man," the lioness said, "you don't have any say."

"What if it were my mate?" He asked hotly.

"So what?" The lioness cocked her head, "you invested a few lousy minutes...she has to carry the cub around for four months. It's her choice."

"That's not right..." The fox sighed. "Both sides ought to have a say."

The lioness shrugged.

"Okay. Fine. But if your mate says that she doesn't want to get pregnant but does want to breed, you'd better fucking listen to her."

The scenario she'd laid out seemed to confuse Lewis. A strange look occupied the fox's face.

"But..." He trailed off.

"Fuck's sake..." The lioness shook her head slowly. "You poor people. Don't they teach you anything?"

"Teach us?" Lewis jolted slightly, blinking.

"They do at least teach you the function of everything between your legs? Where to stick it and all that? That you can have sex for pleasure?"

The fox squirmed in place, blushing hard, knees drawn up to his chest.

"No." He muttered at last.

"What?" The lioness asked, alarmed.

"It's dirty." The fox muttered.

The lioness laughed.

"No wonder your society is so fucked up," she rolled her eyes, "they seriously don't teach you anything about breeding when you're young?" She could hardly believe it.

"No..." The fox repeated, ducking his head slightly, ears pinned back in acute discomfort.

"Then how the fuck are any of you supposed to have sex when it comes time for that?"

The fox had no answer to that.

"...You have had sex before, right?" She asked, but one look at the fox's face was all she needed to take before she knew the answer.

"I don't have a mate." He said unhappily.

"You don't need a mate to hump someone." The lioness said.

"Yes you do," the fox said defensively, "that's how it works. Otherwise it's sin."

"Sin," the lioness said, "is doing something that violates another person's freedoms. Provided that the person you're fucking is consenting then that isn't hurting anyone."

The fox stared. He looked mostly aghast, but the lioness could see a spark of curiosity in his brown eyes.

"So everyone in your pride..." He trailed off, blinking.

"Yep," the lioness said happily, taking some pleasure in the apparent discomfort she was giving the fox, "everyone has sex in the pride, mostly just because we want to. That's how things work."

Lewis opened his mouth to say something, then stared hard at the flames again. He looked conflicted, like a child listening to a ghost story, trying to decide if what he was hearing was scary or entertaining.

"But...you're giving in to your baser instincts. That's..."

"Natural," the lioness cut him off, "sex is natural. I mean, at least tell me that you people don't have a weird complex against masturbation too."

Lewis hesitated, then nodded slowly.

"It wastes seed." He muttered, clearly embarrassed.

"You fucking people." The lioness shook her head.

"Why are you so dismissive?" The fox asked, a little flare of anger lighting his eyes, "at least we're not a bunch of hedonists."

"You're not," the lioness agreed, "you're miserable. No wonder you go to war with us every year. If your creepy old priests didn't get a bunch of young men killed every so often they'd probably start worrying about you guys figuring out that the whole system is bullshit."

Lewis squirmed, managing to hold his tongue, but just barely.

"Fine," he muttered instead, throwing up his arms, keeping his knees up against his chest and his posture stiff and contained, "fine! Tell me what's so great about your fucked up sexual mores."

"We can do what we want," the lioness said, "so long as everyone involved agrees that it's fine. That's what's great about it. We don't have to worry about sin or anything like that. It helps build us closer together as a pride...according to the teachings at least."

"And nobody gets pregnant unless they're slated to?" The fox asked.

"Exactly."

"What if they want to?" He asked.

"Then they wait until it's their turn."

"But..." He hesitated, had to stare down into the fire before he could continue, "what about you? You're...um..."

"Yeah," the lioness said, "I only ever have sex for pleasure. Poor me." She smirked at the fox, who hunched down further behind his knees, blushing and shifting uncomfortably in place.

"I still can't believe how repressed you people are," she continued, "not even masturbation? Like...you definitely masturbate anyway, right?"

The fox gulped. Said nothing.

"Sinner." The lioness teased.

"That's not funny," the fox muttered, "it's bad for you if you masturbate."

"Why?" The lioness asked. "What's the difference between a paw or a mouth or a-"

"It's just...bad. Okay?" Lewis interrupted.

"Call me skeptical," the lioness said, "I masturbate and somehow I'm not yet on death's door." She paused and made a show of tapping her chin in faux thoughtfulness, "or...is it only if you masturbate a lot? Because I'm still not dead yet." She smiled at the fox's discomfort.

"Fine," he said at last, "I...um...I've been lax a few times."

"Every night." The lioness corrected with a grin.

Lewis glared at her.

"When I go back tomorrow, with a bunch of meat, then maybe I can find a mate. That would make things easier..."

"You don't need a mate."

Lewis sighed.

"Or even another person." The lioness made a masturbatory gesture.

The fox blinked hard and looked away.

"Why are you doing this?" He asked after a moment.

"Because it's funny," the lioness said without hesitation, "I like making you blush. It's cute."

Lewis blushed even harder at that.

"I heard from someone that canines have these, uh, lumps at the bottom of their cocks. Is that true?" She asked innocently, to reinforce the fox's embarrassment.

"C'mon," he said, "stop it. That's gross..."

"You could always go off to bed," the lioness reminded him, "yet you stick around..."

The fox hugged his knees closer to his chest. Looked deeply ashamed of himself for a moment.

"Because I'm indisposed..." He muttered, so quietly that the lioness almost didn't hear him.

"It's even worse than I thought," she smirked, "but that's alright. You can put your legs down."

The fox shook his head vigorously.

"I'm curious," the lioness said, "c'mon. Help a girl out."

For a moment she paused, wondering if it was wise to be being so bold. Sure it was fun to mess with the fox, but, was she going too far?

Slowly, looking intensely ashamed of himself, ears still pinned back, the fox let his legs fall open.

He wasn't kidding, the lioness noted, his loincloth was lifted by a hefty protrusion that threatened to expose him entirely. After perhaps a full second he shut his legs again, face flaming.

"I was asking about the..." Oh hell, what had they called the bulge thing at the bottom of a canid cock? "...the knot." The lioness raised her eyebrows. "How about it, Lewis?" Her heart had accelerated a little but she decided that that was fine. Perhaps she could squeeze a little fun into this evening. She did have some curiosities to satisfy.

The fox sat still, looking trapped. He managed to look the lioness right in the eyes.

"Listen," he said, "if I do this then we don't talk about it ever again."

"Deal." The lioness agreed.

Taking a deep breath, the fox let his legs fall open again. This time his loincloth slid aside and the lioness found herself treated to the sight of a thick canine cock sticking straight up into the air, nearly rubbing against Lewis' stomach. It was a delicate shade of red and perfectly glossy and smooth, free of any feline spines.

And, just as she'd heard, there was a large round lump at the bottom of the fox's shaft. She wondered just what it was for, an eyebrow raising in simple curiosity.

Lewis shifted, cock swaying with the motion, a clear drop of pre gleaming at his tip. His balls hung round and heavy, covered in soft white fur.

The fox moved to cover himself up again but the lioness held up a paw.

"What's the knot for?" She asked.

"Um..." The fox shifted uncomfortably, "you put it inside of your mate...or, um, so I've heard..."

"The whole thing?" The lioness asked, mildly alarmed.

"...I think so." The fox said quietly.

The lioness ran her eyes over the fox's equipment once more. He was big, and had that knot as well...it sparked a warm, pleasant sort of curiosity within her.

Lying back, she bucked her hips into the air and hooked her fingers into the waistband. Lewis jolted in place, holding his paws over his eyes as she shucked her pants.

"What are you doing?!" He yelped.

The lioness blinked. She hadn't anticipated such a...shocked reaction. Still, he was peeking. She could see firelight flashing off of the barest sliver of a fox eye. Heh.

"You gave me a look," she said, "I'm giving you one." She stood up, bottomless, moving to remove her shirt.

"Put your clothes back on..." The fox pleaded weakly, but his fingers were sliding further apart, his eyes locked on the onyx slit nestled into the golden fur between her legs.

Nude, illuminated only by the firelight, the lioness cut an impressive figure, the definition of her muscles visible through her short, soft fur. Her breasts were little more than flat but she'd never minded. Putting her paws on her trim, slightly flared hips, the lioness gave the fox a look, her tail swishing behind her.

"Oh put your paws down," she said, "you're peeking."

The fox obeyed slowly, blinking hard as he stared at her, eyes roaming over every inch of her.

She started around the fire, leaving her clothes in a tangled pile behind her. The fox made a little choking noise but said nothing audible as she knelt down next to the fire, within easy arm's reach.

"So," she said, "here's the part where I ask if you're alright with me touching you."

Lewis stared for a long moment, then nodded very slowly.

"Um...okay..." He managed.

"Great," the lioness said, voice edged with a throaty purr, "I want you to touch me too."

The fox nodded once more, looking equal measures terrified and excited. The lioness wondered if she'd looked like that her first time and smiled to herself, reaching out to slip her fingers around the thick cock swaying gently in front of her.

Lewis gasped as she took hold of him, his hips jerking involuntarily, a bead of pre sliding down to soak the fur at the tips of her fingers. One of the fox's paws found her flank and caressed over soft fur and tight, well maintained muscles before finding her rump.

Watching avidly, the lioness slid her paw down over the fox's knot. It was too wide for her to get her fingers fully around it and she couldn't help but shiver slightly as she considered what it might be like to take that thing into herself.

The fox gasped and shivered, eyes squeezing shut, more pre dribbling down his shaft. His paw froze on the lioness' rump and she took hold of it, guiding it purposefully between her legs.

Lewis' eyes shot open as she did this but he offered no resistance. His fingers explored the lioness' slick slit and he blinked hard, looking up to her for guidance.

"You can go inside of me," she said, "just keep rubbing and..." She trailed off as a pair of the fox's fingers slipped into her, muscles gripping on the invading digits, "...good. Keep going like that." She pushed her hips against the fox's paw, enjoying the earnest, almost desperate way he plunged his fingers in and out of her. His pace really was something.

For her part she continued stroking his member, slightly surprised by the great volume of pre he was shooting. The fox's breath was coming a bit faster now and she could feel his hips bucking into her paws as she gently squeezed his knot, enjoying the warmth and solidity under her fingers. It was so new and unique, her paws kept drifting back to caress it. She wanted to...

"Alright, lie back," she said, loosing one of her paws from his member, pushing him gently back until he was lying flat on his back, looking uncertainly up at her, "follow my lead, alright?"

The fox nodded and she turned, positioning herself until she was straddling the fox's face, her soaked, scalding pussy hovering only a few inches from Lewis' lips. Getting comfortable, she pressed her chest against his thighs and took hold of his cock once more.

"Um..." The fox started to say, sounding nervous all over again.

"I want you to lick me," she said, then demonstrated, lavishing her tongue over the fox's knot, "just like that."

Lewis had gasped when she licked him and obeyed, pulling her hips into his muzzle. A cold canine nose poked into her folds at first, then a warm, flat tongue that seemed to mold and flex, hitting every conceivable spot. The lioness pushed a little harder into the fox's face, then had to remind herself that he was new to this. She'd have to ease him into it slowly. At first. This felt surprisingly nice.

Turning her attention to the fox's cock, she slid her paws over it once more, then took the tip into her mouth. His pre tasted salty, stronger than the feline variety and with a strange, almost creamy quality that she decided she liked.

Between her legs, Lewis continued his efforts, with the same quick pace that he'd fingered her with. Already she could feel a sort of hot tightness rising within herself, edged by an almost electric sort of pleasure that made her breath come fast and her heart beat ever faster.

She ran her own tongue over the tip of the fox's cock and felt an especially strong spurt of pre hit the roof of her mouth. She dove back on, just as the fox quivered under her. Lewis tore his mouth free from her pussy and gasped.

"I...oh!" He groaned, and bucked his hips hard into the lioness' mouth, a hot spurt of thick cum shooting into the back of her throat. It tasted a lot like the fox's pre, except with a hint of iron. She swallowed it down, eyes widening as another spurt, just as big as the last, refilled her mouth to the point of overflowing. Seed dripped down the fox's shaft and he kept on thrusting, filling her mouth up. The lioness blinked hard. This volume was....wow.

The fox's orgasm stretched on for another half dozen spurts, then he seemed to go limp under her, breathing hard. The lioness patiently licked his member clean, enjoying the gasps issuing from behind her with each lick and flick of her tongue.

The lioness straightened up, wiping her mouth, an almost uncontrollable grin on her face. She glanced back to where the drained fox was catching his breath, muzzle wet with her juices.

"Wow..." She breathed, "are all your loads like that?" She asked.

"Like what?" He asked.

She just laughed. Turned herself around, so she was straddling his chest.

"Alright," she said, "finish me off."

The fox blinked.

"Huh?" He asked.

Oh boy...

The lioness cocked her head. Stared down at the fox.

"Girls cum too you know. Now keep licking."

Taking a breath, the fox obeyed, resuming his ministrations as the lioness experimented with just how hard she could push against that lovely canine tongue without suffocating its owner. Pretty hard, it turned out. The lioness' breathing began to grow fast once more and she bit back a little whimper, muscles spasming in her thighs as a fiery sensation of warm tightness grew and grew and-

She cried out, grinding relentlessly against Lewis' mouth, a sort of liquid ecstasy flowing within her like ice water. She keeled over to one side, muscles going limp, lying in the grass and breathing hard.

Next to her, the fox sprang up and dashed to her side.

"Oh God," he said, "are you alright? Did I hurt you?"

The lioness chuckled. Stretched and flipped over onto her back, sinking into a lazy afterglow.

"That was nice..." She murmured, eyes half shut, the heat of the fire playing over her lower body.

Lewis sat down, undisguised relief relaxing him.

"Um...thanks for..." He couldn't finish. His face was flaring brighter than the fire.

"No problem," she glanced over, "you know...if you wanted to go a second round I wouldn't object..." She dropped an incredibly unsubtle wink, a purr tracing her words.

That did nothing to erase Lewis' blush. He wiped his muzzle, looking surprised.

"Are you sure?" He asked.

The lioness smiled.

"Come get me." She said, opening her legs.

The fox couldn't have resisted even if he wanted to.