FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

This story was commissioned by Catsithx, who also collaborated with me to write it. If you'd like to put in a commission of your own, PM me and I'll see what I can do. Feel free to express any comments, questions, or concerns down in the comments as well.

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When Trent first walked out from the treeline and laid eyes on Kinallen, his first thought was of how much it reminded him of his own hometown. The first buildings he saw were shabby, seemingly built from driftwood and rusty nails. Of the street lamp posts that actually had lamps, all but one had cracked or broken glass. About half the windows he saw were intact, the rest were either boarded up, spiderwebbed with cracks, or just left broken. The road into the town had a lazy smattering of gravel over plain old dirt, with a few sickly weeds poking up here and there like some twisted attempt at a garden. He spotted a broken bottle just left in the dust, with jagged edges that made him think someone might get stabbed with it someday. Kinallen looked like a place people came to when their lives hit a dead end, but he tried to swallow his worry; Kerrin had said an old friend of hers lived here, a wolf named Damian, and right now he was the only hope Trent had of getting back his mate.

He continued down the road into the town proper, and what he saw didn't change his first impressions. The few people he saw looked like they didn't take kindly to strangers, with hoods pulled up on some and eyes that glared at him on others. He met the eyes of another cat, a female tabby with several knicks in her ears, but she hardly seemed like his kin; she was sharpening a large, viciously curved knife, and when Trent looked at her it seemed like she'd stab him with it if he stared too long. Trent tried his best to move as quickly as possible, both out of urgency and out of fear.

At last, he saw what he was looking for: a building with a wrought iron sign that read "Grey Anchor Inn." It hardly seemed to be in good repair, with peeling paint and windows that looked like people had been thrown out of them a few times, and as Trent watched a skunk staggered out holding a bottle of booze. It wasn't the place he expected to find help, and under different circumstances, he'd gladly leave the whole town behind him, but he trusted Kerrin to send him in the right direction. He just hoped that her friend was somewhat competent, and wasn't some drunk who'd stagger into trouble without a plan.

The inn's door creaked open on rusty hinges to reveal a common area dimly lit by a few lamps. The scent of acrid smoke and strong liquor filled the air, and the ambiance of the place just seemed plain dirty. As Trent walked to the bar, the conversations he half heard seemed sleazy at best and sinister at worst; two raccoons were talking about some kind of job, a bull boasting about a ragged scar he got in a bar fight, and a jackal flirting with a leopard in a low cut dress. He was about halfway to the bar when someone stepped in front of him, and for a brief moment he thought Sakura had somehow freed herself; she had the same purple hair, the white fur with touches of red... but he quickly realized her eyes were a dark shade of brown. Plus, Sakura wouldn't wear something so revealing, little more a bodice that barely covered her breasts. This wasn't his mate, just some harlot.

"Hey, baby," the vixen purred, "You look like you could use some company. What do you say we go upstairs, get to know each other a bit?"

"No thanks, I already have someone." Trent tried to push past her, but she stopped him with a hand to his chest.

"Oh, she doesn't have to know. I won't say a peep when- hey!" Trent pushed the girl aside and continued up to the bar. He could hear her call him a dickless such-and-such, but he hardly listened; he just wanted to find Damian and get the hell out of here.

There were a total of four patrons at the bar: a mundane-looking porcupine, a deer who looked like he was out to kill someone, and two wolves sitting side by side. As Trent took a seat one spot to the left of the wolves, the bartender waddled up to him while cleaning a mug with a rag. "Whaddya want?" grunted the stout boar.

"I'm looking for Damian," replied Trent, "Do you know where I can find him?"

"Who's asking?" The voice came from beside Trent, and he looked over to see both of the wolves staring at him. The one closer to him had brownish-grey fur and a heavy leather duster, with squinty brown eyes that looked to be sizing him up for a fight. The other one had white fur with a few blue markings on the sides of his face, strikingly blue hair, and a surprisingly clean white coat over a black shirt. Both had swords strapped to their sides, and Trent could tell they knew how to use them. Trent thought the further one looked less likely to stab him in the back, but he quickly realized it was the nearer one who had spoken.

"My name is Trent," he replied, "I need to see Damian, it's about something vital. Do either of you know him?"

"You're talking to him," replied the wolf in the duster. "Now what exactly is this life or death scenario you're so eager to tell me about?"

Trent swallowed, still unsure if Damian was his best option. "My mate, Sakura, she... someone took her from me. I need help getting her back; she was taken by-"

"Hold up, hold up, let's see some money first."

Trent didn't really know how to respond, and after a few seconds of stunned silence the other wolf chimed in: "If you're looking for pro-bono help, go talk to the constabulary. I'm sorry about your mate, but we've got to eat too."

After another second, Trent realized what he had to do. "I'm calling in a favor," he said, raising the amulet Kerrin had given him. "Kerrin said you were an old acquaintance of hers, and that you'd help me free of charge. I don't know how you knew each other, but I get the feeling you'll honor your history."

Damian stared at the amulet for a second, seemingly lost in thought. After a moment, though, he pulled himself back together and turned away from the necklace apathetically. "Kid, the history between Kerrin and me is just that: history. If that black-furred stiff really wants to go digging up the past, she should have come here her damn self." He moved to take a sip of his drink, but before he could, he winced as the other wolf elbowed him in the ribs. "What the hell, Frost?" he exclaimed, but the other wolf just locked eyes with him. The two of them sat there for almost half a minute, and Trent couldn't tell if they were having a stare-down, were deeply in love with one another, or were using some kind of telepathy. Damian was the first to break off, and he turned back around to face Trent with annoyance written all over his face. "I've, ahh... I've changed my mind. I'll help you with your mate problem, but only because Kerrin and I go way back. Now, do you have any idea who took your girl?"

Trent adjusted himself in his seat, thankful that he was finally getting somewhere. "Yes, it was a kitsune named Bennett. Red fur, real pompous, runs the town of Kalepeck."

Damian and his companion exchanged a glance, hiding most of whatever they felt under steely expressions. The grey wolf then looked back to Trent. "And about when did this happen?"

"It happened a few hours ago, and I'm not sure exactly how long it's been."

Confusion suddenly came over Damian like a dark cloud. "Wait, I thought Kerrin lived twenty miles west of here? How'd you get here so..." He let out a long sigh as he figured it out. "Lemme guess, Kerrin teleported you here? Fucking kitsune... alright, I've got one last question, do you have any idea where Bennett is right now? Any hideouts he might be using to lay low, maybe a hunting cabin or something?"

Trent nervously scratched the back of his head. "Well, I'd guess he'd be in his castle since he probably has guards and a lot of privacy there."

"Great," Damian groaned, "Just great. You must have a fucking deathwish to want to go after a kitsune on his own turf, which just so happens to have a castle and an army of fucking guards! Fan-fucking-tasic. I'm sorry, kid, but Frost and I aren't going to be much help against a magical powerhouse like Bennett. I might have a few charms that could help, but... well, there's not much I can do to stop him from throwing us around like ragdolls."

Trent's face suddenly lit up. "But he doesn't have his powers! He's using a Herrschaft-shalsband on Sakura, so most of his power's getting drained to power it!"

Damian seemed utterly lost, but the wolf named Frost appeared to get the idea. "Yeah, and without his powers, he's just some prick with a massive ego." Damian looked to him, still confused, so the white wolf explained what it meant. "The two-er, three of us could get into the castle easily, and from there we can sneak or fight our way past a few normal guards. Then we get to Bennett, gut him like a fish, then save the kid's mate and go on with our merry lives!"

Damian sat there looking at the ground for a second, utterly perplexed. "Hang on, why the hell is Bennett just gonna lose his powers? You got some spell or something that'll stop him?"

"No, it's... look, think of it this way: Bennett is trying to turn the kid's mate, a kitsune, into a slave. Since she's got magic too, he needs a whole lot of power to make her submissive. Now the only way he can get that power is from his own reserves, so when he uses a bunch of power to subjugate the girl, he doesn't have any left to fight us. You got it?"

The grey wolf nodded, his expression softening as he finally understood. "Yeah, I got it. Shit, with him out of play we could actually pull this off!" Trent and Frost exchanged a pitying look, which Damian hardly took notice of. He got up, straightened his coat, the hiked one thumb back towards the door. "Come on, we just need to grab a few things before we head out."

A few hours later, Trent and the two wolves were out on the road with packs of gear on their backs. Damian has said that Kalepeck was about a day and a half's march from Kinallen, but to Trent, it felt like it'd be an eternity. His feet hurt, his mouth was dry, and the evening sun was heating his black fur to intolerable levels. Two years previously he would've had no trouble with a trek on foot, but his time as a sedentary innkeeper has made him ill-equipped for travel. On top of all that the straps on his backpack were chafing his shoulders, and his newly acquired sword was pulling down on his belt ever so slightly. He pulled the damn thing back up yet again, grumbling under his breath as he glared at Damian's backside. "It'll fit," he'd said, "It's one of my spares. Give it a few swings, and you'll be fine." Back when he'd first gotten it, it had seemed swift and deadly, like, well, like the weapon of a gritty monster-hunter. But now, after carrying it on his hip for a few hours, he thought it was as impractically large as an elephant's zweihander.

"C'mon, Trent!" Damian called, "We've got another hour until we set up camp at dusk!" Trent grumbled some more before taking another sip from his waterskin, helping with his thirst but not with his simmering anger. Every so often Damian would regale him with some grand tale or adventure, which pretty much boiled down to him jerking himself off. Every time, according to him at least, he slew the monster with flawless technique and daring panache, saying something witty before running it through with his mighty sword. And then, of course, some tavern girl or novice priestess or whoever the hell was handy would start fawning over him, and then he'd get his freak on in the nearest bed. It got to a point where he wished one of those monsters had bitten off his head, and that it was just him and Frost on the quest to save Sakura. At least he had the decency to stay quiet most of the trip; neither wolf was at all tired or sore, and after an hour Damian's constant yammering started to seem like underhanded taunting.

By the time Damian finally ordered a halt at a clearing by a little brook, Trent was about ready to fall flat on his face. He tossed his pack off his shoulders, cast off his sword, and flopped to the ground, laying back into the grass and looking up into the dusky sky. It was refreshing, relaxing his muscles after three hours on the road, right up until Damian entered his field of view. "What's the matter, Trent? Tired already? We haven't even gotten into the bog yet!"

"Wait, what bog?" Trent sat straight up, then turned back to Damian with worry all over his face. "There's a bog?" The thought of thick mud, muggy air, and swarming flies made him nauseous.

Damian couldn't keep a straight face for more than a few seconds, and the wolf doubled over as he broke out into hysterical laughter. "Oh gods, you should've seen the look on your face!" Trent was far from amused. Once he'd had stopped laughing, he saw the sour look on the cat's face and broke out laughing again. Trent wanted to riposte with something clever, but before he could, Damian started walking back toward his own pack. He grabbed a short hunting bow and a quiver of arrows, then hiked his thumb back into the woods. "I'm gonna go kill something to eat," he said, "This absolute death march has left me famished!" He turned around and sauntered into the woods, leaving Trent alone with Frost and a seething grudge.

Both Trent and his traveling companion stayed silent for a moment, right up until Trent met the wolf's deep blue eyes. Frost was sitting on a flat-topped rock at the edge of the clearing, seeming like he was trying to distance himself from everything. Trent figured he wasn't going to get a better chance to voice his grievances, so he took a chance and started complaining. "What the hell is Damian's deal, anyway? He's rude, he brags all the time about his 'conquests,' and he constantly makes fun of me for not being as tough as him! I don't even know the guy, and yet he pushes me around like we've been friends for years! Is he always this much of a dick?"

Frost let out a long sigh, sitting up and leaning forward. "Damian can certainly be an acquired taste, and I don't blame you for not liking him. That being said, I do think he's more standoffish than usual with you."

Trent's anger made him snap at the wolf in response. "I know he's a dick to me; he's not exactly subtle about it. What I want to know is why he's such a dick. Is it because he thinks I'm a wimp?"

"Well," Frost sighed, "I think it has less to do with you and more to do with Kerrin."

Trent was taken aback, how the hell was Kerrin the cause of this. "But... but I thought he and Kerrin were friends?" Well, no, the exact word Kerrin had used was acquaintances.

"They were, for a time. Even before she saved his life, the two of them knew each other. There wasn't anything too significant between the two of them, they both just happened to like being around one another."

"Wait, she saved his life?" He had a hard time imagining Kerrin as being friends with someone like Damian, much less sticking her neck out for him.

"Yep. Damian had been going after a balgura for a week, but he botched the tracking and got cornered by his quarry. The demon had him disarmed, bruised, and knocked to the floor, utterly helpless. It was just about to lop his head off with a hatchet when Kerrin stabbed it in the back with a silver dagger Damian had dropped. It gave him enough of an opening to grab his sword and run the bastard through, but he was still pretty beat up. Kerrin nursed him back to health, and afterwards, their friendship turned into something more."

"So Damian and Kerrin were lovers?" Trent was gently stroking his chin, looking down at the dirt and grass in thought. "I never thought Kerrin had a lover before me. I mean, I guess I knew she probably had someone special, but... well, I never thought I'd come toe-to-toe with him."

Frost suddenly leaned forward; something Trent had said had caught his attention. "Hang on, what's your relationship with Kerrin?"

"Oh, she's my mate." Frost's face became distorted with sudden confusion, causing Trent also to get confused. "Did... did I not say that before?"

The white wolf seemed to calm down a tad, rubbing the back of his neck as his gaze drifted downward. "Nothing, it's just that I thought you said Sakura was your mate."

"She is."

Frost sat back up again, more confuddled than ever. "So... is one of them your ex, or are you polygamous, or... is one of them a secret affair?"

"We're polygamous." Frost looked back down at the ground. "Is that not normal where you're from?"

"Well... yes, it's fairly rare in my homeland. I don't think there's anything wrong with it, mind you, I just never really knew someone with more than one mate."

"Huh." There were a few seconds of silence before Trent remembered what he had wanted to ask next. "So how exactly did Kerrin and Damian break up?"

"Oh. Heh..." Frost cracked a small smile, something Trent hadn't seen him do before. He looked up at Trent with a weird gleam in his eye, and he slowly realized that this must be what the wolf looked like when he found something funny. "So first off, do you know what a knot is?"

"Like the thing you do with rope?"

Frost sighed. He wasn't looking forward to explaining canid genital anatomy for the thousandth time. "No, like the thing on a wolf's penis."

"Oh. That kind of knot." Trent paused a second, blushing under his fur a bit with embarrassment. "It's the bulge thing, right?"

"Bingo. Now, a few days after Kerrin saved Damian's life, they got together, and the two of them decided to consummate their relationship. They found a nice, quiet room at an inn, closed the blinds, locked the door, and got to business. According to Damian, they were having quite the time, right up until he got careless."

Trent leaned closer, eager to hear about how Damian had screwed up. "What happened? Did he kill the mood?"

"Oh no, he did far worse." Frost's grin was spreading, almost into a full-blown smile. "So they were getting to the grand finale, and Kerrin, of course, tells him to pull out. Damian, being Damian, didn't listen, and wound up knotting her and giving her some cream filling, if you know what I mean."

"So he got her pregnant? Did he-"

Frost held up one hand to silence him. "Let me finish. Kerrin, of course, got pissed and yelled at him for being an inconsiderate dick. She tried to leave, but by then she was thoroughly tied and couldn't get away. Now normally this wouldn't be too bad, but apparently, Kerrin's parents never gave her 'the talk,' so she had no clue what his knot was or why it was stuck in her. She freaked out and started scrambling to get away from him while he tried to stop her from popping it out for her sake. After about a minute of struggling, she finally got it out, but it hurt her bad. She started sobbing, ran out of the room naked, and started screaming incoherently in the commons with cum dripping down her leg."

"Oh, gods..."

"Naturally, a few stallions who were half-drunk at the bar ran upstairs to see what had happened, and when they found Damian with his cock swinging in the wind, they beat the living shit out of him. It took a full two days to figure out that he wasn't actually a rapist, and that there'd just been an unfortunate accident, but by then the damage was done. Damian and Kerrin split after that on terms of mutual hatred, and to this day he blames her for the rape charges, the beating, and the two nights in jail. I was actually surprised when he honored Kerrin's favor."

"Wow," Trent said. He hadn't known all that much about Kerrin's past before this; part of him wanted to know more about her past lovers, while another part wanted to bury the idea of her and Damian screwing in a deep hole. "So he doesn't like me because of what happened between him and Kerrin? Better not mention I'm her mate."

"Yeah, that'd be for the best."

Trent suddenly began scanning around him, a seed of worry growing in his mind. He didn't know how long Sakura would have, since the more she resisted, the faster she'd lose her ability to think for herself, but he knew if they dilly-dallied for too long she was as good as dead.

"Look, we need to get going. I know I'm not loaded with cash, and I know you and your partner don't think much of me, but I think I know how to make our lives a bit easier."

Frost sighed as he rubbed the back of his head, gradually turning his gaze to meet Trent's. "What do you propose, cat?" he said, "I'm all ears." The mission they were on was probably suicide, but weren't all noble deeds? You didn't get paid without saving someone else from some sort of danger, after all. The task at hand took that to the extreme, seeing as how they were going to fight a highborn kitsune with the same destructive potential as an adolescent dragon. And, to make things better, he lived in a goddamned fortress. There were a thousand ways this could go wrong, most involving death or fates far worse.

Trent smiled at the wolf, earnestly leaning forward. "Well, going through the front door is going to get us killed, that part's pretty much guaranteed. We need a different way in, and I think I might know a way. Once Damian gets back, I'll explain the-"

"What're you explaining?" Damian came strolling back into the clearing with two feral badgers tied to his belt.

"Oh, just how we're going to get into the castle without raising the alarm. It should be pretty easy; I just hope you two can withstand the smell."

Frost looked confused by Trent's words, the back of his neck fur tingling like he was in danger. He knew that was always a bad omen, but as Trent went over the plan in more detail, Frost's nervousness died down a bit. Despite this, he still couldn't shake the feeling that something would go wrong...

It took several days of travel to reach the castle town. Frost knew time was running out, but he didn't think it was so urgent that they had to crawl through the foul-smelling muck that came up to their knees. Now he regretted pushing Damian to say yes at the tavern as the three of them waded through the underground sewer of the castle town.

"Gods above!" exclaimed Damian, "How can anyone walk through this shit, the smell alone could kill a goddamn gnoll! I think I'm gonna fucking puke..."

Damian growled as he glared at Trent, who seemed to be immune to the smell of rot, shit, and garbage.

"I told you to rub the cream around your nose to stop the smell, but noooo, you have to be mister badass and refuse out of spite!"

Damian looked about ready to shove Trent into the knee-high muck, but Frost held up a hand to stop him. "He's right, you know. Maybe next time plan ahead a bit more."

Damian pulled away from Frost. "You know what? After we gut this bastard, I'm looting the fucking place. I bet he has all sorts of goodies hidden away: fine jewelry, silver candlesticks, nice paintings, fancy swords, gold goblets... I bet I can make a fortune off all his rich guy shit."

Trent just shook his head in disgust. "You can piss on the rugs for all I care; I'm here for my mate. Just try not to die, Damian, I don't want to have to meet your next of kin." They continued for a few seconds before thinking of something a bit more morbid. "If anything happens to me after we save her, if I go down or... or I die, get her out of here. Don't come back for me, don't try any last-ditch heroics, just get her back to Kerrin and the children."

Both Frost and Damian looked at Trent as he pushed forward before exchanging a knowing glance. "He's on the warpath," Frost observed, "We'd do best not to get in his way. He might also try something stupid, and if he dies, we'll get hell from Kerrin."

Damian sighs as he and Frost followed the feline. "The kid's got spirit, I'll give him that, but he hasn't got the brains or the brawn to back it up. I don't know about you, but I'm not gonna waste my time babysitting him. Looting the place's way more lucrative." Frost chuckled a bit, and Trent tried his best to ignore the wolf's statement. He would succeed, no matter how difficult it would be.

Meanwhile, Bennett was sitting on the edge of his bed, letting Sakura nuzzle his stiff cock on her knees. On the surface, she seemed more than willing to please, but in her mind, she was fighting tooth and claw for control. He'd told her to suck him off, and half her brain leaped to obey; the part of her mind that was still her was locked away from the controls, and she was forced to watch through her own eyes as her body acted like a slave. Bennett could feel the collar working its magic, chipping away at her resolve until his will overrode hers.

He stopped her with two fingers on her chin, making her look up toward him with the pleasant but dead expression of a doll. "Open your muzzle," he murmured, acting like she was actually his lover.

Sakura's mouth opened a bit, but then snapped shut as a surge of rebellion surged through her. She worked up enough strength to shake her head no, sending a small tremor of cold rage through Bennett.

"I said open, my sweet." He reached down to her collar with two fingers, and as he touched it, it seemed to glow even brighter. The spark of life in her eyes quickly flickered out, and with her mind blanked out she promptly complied, going so far as to take his throbbing red member into her mouth. He let out a sigh of pleasure as her warm maw wrapped around his cock. Sakura tried to force herself to bite down on him, but her vigor only made her suckle on his cock enthusiastically. He put one hand on the back of her head and started face fucking her, and to her dismay her body just let it happen.

Bennett's face twisted into a smile as he remembered the tigress he'd brought home from a hunt. She was the leader of a band of savages, yet she broke just as easily as the commoners he'd experimented on. After a week or two of bittersweet tears, the tigress became nothing more than a needy slut, an empty husk with a nice, warm, fuckable hole. He'd given her to the brutes he kept as guards once he'd grown tired of her, chained her up with all their other toys in the dungeons. Most of them were just empty shells, but he made sure to keep a few girls with their personalities still intact; some of the guards seemed to like it better when the girls cried and kicked and screamed. Some nights he let a group of guards in there as a reward, and they'd spend the whole night fucking the toys to their heart's content. Sometimes one of them would get pregnant, but that was an easy fix: a little silphium in their gruel made sure none of the little bastards got carried to term.

Now Bennett had the one toy he'd always wanted, a proper pure blooded kitsune he could call his mate. Bennett was right on the edge, feeling his pleasure nearing a climax as Sakura unwillingly let him fuck her. "Drink it all up," he muttered.

As soon as he said that, Sakura tried to pull away, but with his paw on the back of her head he managed to force his cock into her throat. She couldn't do anything but swallow as his hot seed gushed into her mouth, spilling out of the sides of her muzzle and dripping onto her breasts. Silent tears rolled down her fur as she wrestled for control, but she was utterly at his mercy. After he'd emptied his load into her mouth, she finally worked up enough strength to get away from him, and she scurried backward until she was against the wall. Bennett chuckled merrily as she coughed up some of his jizz, taking deep breaths after each in an attempt to recover from having his wet cock down her throat.

"You're still fighting, dear? Oh, give it up." He stood to his feet and sauntered over to her, squatting down so he could look his toy in the eye. "I am your master, and you are my property. Your little spurts of rebellion make me enjoy this even more, and it only brings you closer to breaking. You are mine; you just don't know it yet. Now get up on the bed and spread your legs for me."

She shivered with some odd mixture of anticipation and fear as she got to her feet. Tears were still rolling down her face, but she looked him in the eye with an expression of dead-eyed lust.

"Go on," he hungrily purred, giving her a light spank on the ass. "You don't want to disappoint me, do you?"

She slowly moved towards the bed, her body shaking as her mind fought every inch of motion. She walked past Bennet slowly, and once she got to the bed, she crawled up onto the mattress and stuck her rump in the air submissively. However, by chance or by effort, her tails had gotten in the way of his prize. "Your tails, dear," he cooed.

Without realizing it she moved her tails, and Bennett took the opportunity to slide in behind her and penetrate his new toy. He groaned with satisfaction as he started thrusting into her warm innards, picking up the pace without a thought to her pleasure. He grabbed her furry hips and used them for leverage, digging his claws into her as he pounded away at her. Part of Sakura was ecstatic about having her master dominate her and put her in her place, but the piece of her mind that was still her hated the feeling of the bastard's wretched member moving around inside her.

"That's right dear, just relax and enjoy this. A female's purpose is to be bred by her rightful mate, and you are no different. Soon you'll forget about all about that foolish alley cat and your bitch of a friend." He growled in pleasure as he continued to fuck her warm, wet hole, then smacked her ass hard as a show of dominance.

"I think I'll let your half-breed kits live. Maybe I'll bring them here so I can mold them into proper mates! Can't ever have too many-" He was interrupted by an elbow to the face, as Sakura whirled around and struck him in a fit of rage. The force of the blow sent him reeling, knocking him back into the back of the bed. He tried to gather his power to strike back but quickly realized the collar was using all his energy. Fortunately, he could feel a decent chunk of her psyche splinter and fade under the strain of conflict.

"About time you got what you deserved," Sakura tried to say, but instead her mouth uttered, "I-I-I'm so sorry master, I don't know what came over me." She stopped at those words, disgusted and afraid that she couldn't control her own voice. Her mind still wanted to say more, to heap on profuse apologies to this despicable bastard, but she managed to suppress the urge. Tears began trickling down her face once again; she was losing more and more of her old self, her personality gradually slipping away to be replaced by a submissive slave. She wanted to die, but the collar refused to let her do any harm to herself.

Bennett stood up with a cheerful laugh as he went to get his silk robe. "Every day you become so much more... agreeable. Don't worry, my sweet; my will is all you will soon care about." He shrugged on the black silk garment and was about to leave when he thought of something else to say. "Thank you for fighting against your calling dear. It's been so entertaining to watch you destroy your own independence. Soon you'll be willing to do anything for me... even give your half-breed kit to my guards as a plaything. Fret not, my dear, I will let Kerrin keep her child, though if she happened to have an accident one day, I would gladly look after her child; I am more than kind enough to take another half-breed under my wing and teach them their place."

He walked away with a smug grin on his face, leaving the bedroom and closing the door behind him. Sakura curled up into a ball as hopelessness washed over her, her tails wrapping around her as she started to sob. "If there are any gods listening, I beg of you: kill me now and spare my family the pain I am going through." Saying this sent a pang of shame running through her mind, and she realized it was because she didn't want to upset her master.

In the basement of the castle, all was quiet. The only thing a guard might notice was the fact that ice crystals seemed to be growing on the sewer hatch lock. After a minute it looked like it had been frozen in ice for a decade, but right then something slammed into the hatch from below. The frozen, brittle lock snapped like an icicle, and the hatch swung open to reveal a white wolf underneath. Frost stepped out into the cellar with his sword at the ready and was quickly followed by Damian and Trent.

Damin dry heaved before trying to take deep breaths of the cold cellar air. "Holy fuck," he gasped, "If I ever have to go down there again, I'm gonna fucking kill myself."

Frost pulled some herbs out and began to chew on them, hoping the minty flavor would kill the taste of sewer much in his mouth in his muzzle. "Well, Trent, it seems you were right; no guards, no alarms, and no fuss so far. However, we don't know where she is, but I'm guessing you'll come up with another genius plan." Damian suddenly doubled over and puked, regurgitating his lunch onto the floor and his boots.

Trent wiped the strong-smelling cream off his nose with one hand, then pointed to the wooden staircase that led to the next floor. "A fancy noble like him would be at the top, either for protection or to look down on everyone. I need you two to create a diversion for me; I don't want to get into any fights with guards, and the quieter I can get up there the less chance Bennett will see me coming. I know you both are good at what you do, but this has to be quick and clean."

Frost looked at Trent and saw the steely resolve in his eyes, but he still worried about the kid's capabilities. "Trent, do you think you can kill him when the time comes?"

"Yes, even... even if I have to die to do it." Frost looked ready to say something else, but Trent stopped him with an upraised hand. "Before you ask, her life is more important than mine. I have made mistakes that may or may not have lead to this, and right now I don't want to talk about them. If I go down, just get her out of here and tell Kerrin I am sorry I failed her."

"We're all getting out of here alive, Trent, Damian and I will make sure of that." The white wolf then turned towards the staircase and beckoned his partner. "Come on, Damian," he called back, "Let's cut some throats and claim some riches!"

Damian gave one last look at Trent, and to his surprise, he wore a friendly grin. "Pick his pockets for me, will you?" he jested, "I'm sure that prick's got all kinds of money on him!"

Trent waived as the two wolves left him, then waited for a bit to gather his courage. He didn't know how many guards there were or how dangerous each of them was, so he'd have to rely on stealth and wit to survive. He closed his eyes as he made a silent prayer, something from when he was a bit more pious. "Bast, guardian of kings and mother of cats, hear my plea: May the road I walk be safe, may my family be spared from harm, and may we all live to see another sunrise." Once the prayer was complete, he began sneaking off down a different path than the one the wolves had followed, hoping he could catch Bennett by surprise and run the bastard through without a fight.

Bennett was sitting in his den, resting from his activities with Sakura. He looked into the flickering fire and smiled, remembering the lessons his father had taught him; his old man was undoubtedly right, might did make right. His father had been angry with him after he'd tried to have his way with Sakura, and made sure he knew the full extent of the political shitstorm he'd caused. The anger he felt from his father, both from burning glares and strokes of the belt, made him rethink ever approaching Sakura again. But one simple obstacle wouldn't stop Bennett; he had as much time as he could want, thanks to the kitsune's long lifespan, so he just had to wait for the right opportunity. A few years later he'd found the Herrschaft-shalsband collar, a tool crafted long ago using ancient strains of sorcery. It suited his purpose perfectly, but he also learned a great deal of the dangers that came with it.

He had gone through a great many test subjects to refine the control of the collar, breaking the minds of any young girls he could get his hands on to better improve the device. Now, after months of work, he was in control. He was going to make his dreams of Sakura as his perfect mate come true, make her receptive and submissive like a proper female should be. Then maybe he'd dominate Kerrin and the half-breed children, bring them all together in one big happy family. He wouldn't harm them, of course, and they'd be treated like royalty, his nice bunch of royal slaves. He poured himself a glass of fine bourbon, raised the glass to his lips, and slowly savored the drink. "To my soon-to-be-perfect mate," he murmured, "May her womb bear me a thousand heirs."

It was then that he heard shouting, screaming, and the clatter of running guards. He rushed to the doors of his den, but before he could open them a tall bear burst through the doors. He was clad in the black half-plate of Bennett's guardsmen, and he looked like he'd just sprinted up four flights to stairs. "Sir, there are intruders in the keep," he reported, "It's two wolves, they're grabbing valuables, smashing up furniture, and causing chaos. The others are having trouble taking them down, sir, you need to go to your safe room."

Bennett was no stranger to thieves or assassins, and this didn't feel like either. Thieves would have grabbed as much as they could and run from the guards, and a murderer would have come straight for him. Something was wrong. "Sir, we need to go now."

Bennett thought about reprimanding the half-wit, but he was doing his job. Best to get Sakura and make sure... wait... no, he couldn't have come. "Go help those fools with the intruders, make sure they bring them in alive if they can. If not I want their heads on pikes by morning!" Bennett ran past the guard and down the hall leaving the guard to puzzle out his instructions.

Trent was moving slowly through the castle, making sure he stuck to the shadows. The wolves casing trouble had cleared most of the guards out of the halls, and the few that remained at their posts were easy to skirt around. He had checked most of the rooms he thought she'd be in, but so far hadn't found a thing. He made his way up the next flight of stairs and saw a long corridor lined with suits of armor, terminating in two grand, gilded doors. "This has to be it," Trent muttered, "No way in hell this doesn't lead somewhere important."

He made haste down the hall, checked to make sure no one was coming, then opened the door slowly. He peeked through the crack, then immediately swung it open as he saw what he was seeking. "Sakura!" She was lying curled up on a large four-poster bed, utterly naked sake for the sheets she'd draped over herself.

He rushed in as she slowly regained consciousness, and when she opened her eyes, he was right in front of her. Her brow folded in confusion as she tried to recall who he was; she knew he was important, perhaps a friend, but whoever he had been to her had been purged from her memory. "Come on, let me try to get that thing off your neck." He reached for the collar, but a sudden burning shock made him flinch back.

"Go, run, get out of here before he gets back... you can't save me..." She wanted to say his name but she couldn't, the collar had stripped everyone she'd known before Bennett from her memory. It hurt so much that she was losing everything piece by piece, and that she couldn't remember the face of her lovely mate. All she could think of was Bennett, and how beautiful her own mind was telling her he was.

"No! No, I came here to save you and I will, Sakura. I'm not just going to let you go." He reached out to caress her cheek, but as soon as he got close, she whirled and bit down on his hand hard enough to draw blood. While he was still reeling from shock, she scrambled over to the nightstand and grabbed the brass candlestick off of it. Trent looked up just as she brought it down on his head, then struck him on the arm when he tried to defend himself. He tried to call her name, but before he could get out the first syllable, she knocked him to the ground with a savage kick to the stomach. He scrambled back against the wall, then watched helplessly in horror as his own mate closed in for the kill. She brought the candlestick up again, and he saw only primordial hatred in her purple eyes when she swung at his head.

"Stop!" Sakura's swing probably would have killed him, had she not frozen it inches from his head. He looked over to see Bennett sauntering into the room, and Sakura seemed to relax as he strode toward her. "I have to admit it was a worthy effort for an alley cat like yourself. You almost had it. Your lovely mate is so very close, but you're nowhere near good enough to earn her attention. It must hurt so much to be bested by your better, to have the love of your life flock to someone greater than you could ever be. Isn't that right, Sakura?"

She hugged the red kitsune's arm tight, nodding eagerly at him like a small child. Despite her enthusiasm, Trent could see that the Sakura he knew and loved was fighting a losing battle; he didn't have long before whatever spirit she had left was snuffed out forever. Bennet gently stroked her head like he was praising a pet. "I told her to attack you because I knew you were stupid enough to try and save her but weren't smart enough to remove the collar. You needed to kill me first, you dumb cat, and I knew you'd be too cowardly to try." Trent had a brief idea that Frost and Damian would burst in and save him, but those hopes were dashed as he watched both of them get brought in by hulking guards. Both of the wolves had rope bindings on their wrists, and even if they weren't, they both sported numerous cuts and gashes from fighting.

Bennett chuckled. "I guess your lupine friends won't be saving you after all. You are all alone, alley cat, no one is coming to save you, and no one will remember you when you're gone." He pulled out a small dagger --little more than a letter-opener-- out of his belt and flipped it around so that he was holding the blade. "Sakura, my sweet," he purred, "Cut this poor cat's throat. Show how much you love me by ending his miserable life." She gladly took the knife he offered to her and started to walk toward Trent with the intent of making her master proud.

The thought that his own mate would be the one to take his life pained Trent, driving an icy knife through his heart. He had made so many mistakes in his life, and part of him was willing to accept his failure, but he was not going to lay down and let Bennett win. He watched Sakura saunter over to him, her nude body unnaturally lithe and graceful. He only had one chance to save himself, one that he swiftly prayed he wouldn't mess up. Once she stood in front of him, she reached down and hauled him to his feet, her merciless grip pinning him to the wall. Her body seemed to want him dead, but as he came face to face with his mate, he saw she had tears streaming down her cheeks. She was still in there, he thought, and he still had a chance to save them both. He let out a long sigh as he looked into her eyes, and to his surprise, the kitsune he loved was staring back at him. "I am so sorry," he sobbed, "for letting it come to this, for everything. I don't deserve you, I never did, and you don't deserve this."

Everyone in the room was confused by his words, and no one was prepared to stop him as he lunged for her collar. He held on despite the burning, and he forced himself to utter the words he thought he'd never have to use. "Saiken wa kowarete ch?n wa yaburete imasu! Konran o kaminari no nakigoe de kaih? shimashou!" A bright flash of arcane energy filled the room, blinding everyone for a few moments. Trent was hurled back by a powerful shockwave and smashed Into the wall before crumpling to the ground.

Sakura seemed lost as if she'd just woken from a deep sleep. She looked down at Trent's motionless body with complete apathy, then back to Bennett with a glowing smile. She was his, for now, and forever.

"Yes! I told you she was mine! Mine!" Bennett pointed feverishly at Trent, his expression a warped mask of malice. "She was always destined to be my mate, not yours!" Suddenly, he grabbed Sakura by the waist and pulled her in for a kiss, one she quickly reciprocated. When they pulled apart, he could see there wasn't any struggle inside her mind. "You're mine until the end of time," he said, and knew right then he had won.

"Until death does us part, gokan-sha." Bennett suddenly felt a stinging sensation in his stomach and looked down to see the gilded hilt of the knife sticking out of his midsection. He looked back to Sakura's face and saw pure hatred in her eyes, and right then he realized she was missing her collar. She ripped the knife back out of him, pausing for a moment to savor his shock. "You kidnaped me, tormented me, raped me, tried to make me kill my own mate, and you think I'd let you own me? This is a long time coming, you piece of shit, and I hope they do far worse to you in hell."

Bennett's mind was racing, trying to puzzle out how she'd removed the collar, but then he saw the twisted piece of metal clasped in Trent's hands. "How? I thought that-" His words turned into a horrified scream as Sakura savagely stabbed the knife into his eye, tackling him to the ground in the same motion. She straddled him as she plunged the knife into his abdomen, causing him to double over in pain. Then she stabbed him again, and again, and again and again, taking out all her rage and sorrow into his frail body. The room was silent except for the sound of each attack puncturing his flesh, as well as Bennett's blood-curdling cries of pain. The screams turned into desperate gurgles once she punctured his lung, and after a minute she was just mutilating Bennett's limp corpse.

Eventually, she stopped, her fur covered in blood and her face streaming with tears. She crawled toward Trent like a beaten animal and curled up against his body. "I... I'm so sorry..." she sobbed, "I couldn't... I didn't know... I didn't want to hurt you..."

One of the guards made a move for her, but before he could take two steps, Frost slipped his bindings and jammed a dagger into the cougar's ribs from behind. He grabbed the first guard's sword out of his sheath, then hurled it at the second and caught him in the chest. It took him all of two seconds to finish off the first guard, and then he began freeing Damian. Once the two of them had retrieved their weapons, they looked to see Sakura still clutching Trent's corpse.

"Yeah, yeah, it's real sad," Damian snarked, "It's the next great fucking tragedy, but we need to go, now. Frost, get her ready and check if the kid's still alive. I don't want to leave him here, but the girl comes first." Damian then started searching the room and quickly found a jewelry box that he emptied into his pocket.

Frost tried to get Sakura up, but she snarled at him and just clutched Trent tighter. "I'm not leaving him here! He will not be left here alone!"

The white wolf tried to be as comforting as possible. "He's dead, Sakura. He made us promise to get you out of here if he died, and I'm not going to break my word. We need to get going before more guards swarm the place."

"I WON'T LEAVE HIM!" Her piercing scream made Frost jump back a bit. "It's my fault he came here, my fault he died. I called him no better than Bennett, and he still risked his life to save me. He loved me so much... I loved him so much... I can't just leave him behind..."

Suddenly Trent let out a few hacking coughs, and his eyes cracked open ever so slightly. "Nice to hear that you do still care for..." He coughed a bit more, "...for this old alley cat..."

Sakura broke out into another round of tears as she hugged him tightly. "Oh my gods, I... I thought I'd lost you."

He yelped in pain, causing her to pull back quickly. "Ah, shit, I think I broke another rib... we can save the heartfelt reunion until after we get out of here." He tried to stand up but immediately winced with pain. "Damn, I can barely move. Could you help me up?"

Sakura suddenly thought of something and began looking around the room for an item of interest. She spotted a pendant on Bennett and quickly snatched it off the dead kitsune's neck, wiping some of Bennett's blood off on her own fur. She lay Trent on the ground as gently as possible, then beckoned over Damian. "With this, we can get to my homeland," she said, "Bennett must have used it to augment his power, but he won't be needing it any longer. Sir wolves, could you come closer?."

"I think she's talking to us," Frost chuckled, lightly elbowing Damian. The grey wolf sighed as he picked up Trent, and Sakura got to work creating a portal. The pendant glowed deep red as the portal's center turned transparent, showing a beautiful view of her homeland.

"Let's go home." Both wolves nodded, and together the four of them left for greener pastures.

A few weeks later, Trent had been declared bedridden by Sakura and Kerrin. Lying in bed and relaxing all day had sounded fun at first, but it turned out to be a pain. It didn't help that he was fully recovered and all set to move on his own; The only thing keeping him immobile were his mates, who refused to let him do anything strenuous. Kerrin, Sakura, or one of his daughters were always nearby to make sure Trent didn't go too far or do anything strenuous, waiting on him hand and foot to ensure he didn't strain himself. He was going nuts wanting to do something, mainly because anything more strenuous than waiting tables was off limits. He would have tried moving about at night, but his mates would always sleep with him sandwiched between them.

About a week after he rescued Sakura, he'd received a message from Frost and Damian. Apparently, the jewelry Damian had grabbed on his way out was worth a small fortune, something to do with them being rare antiques. Both of the wolves were going to take some time off to relax and enjoy life for a bit, get a break from the monster-hunting business for a little while. Damian had offered a two-for-one discount on hunting down exes, and Trent got the feeling he was only half joking. Frost had sent Trent some documents he had found while they'd been causing a ruckus, including Bennett's twisted diary that detailed all his "conquests." If it all came to light, it would at best embarrass Bennett's family, and at worst get them charged with a whole mess of crimes for Bennett's acts of torture and his father's blackmail ring. Trent had breathed a sigh of relief when he'd read them; dealing with Bennett's family was one hurdle they didn't have to worry about. Now he was just sick of lying around, so he decided to get out of bed and sit on the terrace of his in-laws home. Abel and Paiza had been relieved to hear that he was able to save Sakura and end Bennett's evil reign, all without causing too much political turmoil in the kitsune world. There were rumors that the townsfolk had held a festival when they heard of his murder, but Trent didn't care; he had both his mates by his side once again.

He lowered himself into one of the chairs on the terrace, thinking about how they were going to rebuild. Both Sakura's and Kerrin's parents had promised to help them get back on their feet soon, and Shoto had offered a free supply of sake for a year once they rebuilt the inn. Trent was happy to have Sakura back, but he was still terrified that she'd be furious over what had happened. She had not brought it up once since they have returned, and part of him thought she was holding one hell of a grudge. That was going to end today. Both of them needed to put this past mistake behind them to go on with their lives; if she wanted him to leave, he would do it without a second's hesitation. He could never hate her, and he loved her more than life itself, but he didn't want her to stay with him if she resented him for his past actions.

As if on cue, Sakura came in with a tray of food for him. She had love to feed Trent by hand, even though he was perfectly capable of feeding himself. "Trent," she scolded, "We told you that you needed bed rest."

"Sakura, can we talk?"

Sakura's demeanor quickly became more serious. "Of course, dear, we can talk about anything." She joins him on the terrace.

"We still need to talk about the charm I used."

What little remained of her smile faded as she looked down at the ground. "I thought we discussed this already? The matter's settled." Her voice was flat, deliberately without emotion.

"Please, I need to know what your answer was. You've refused to talk about it for so long... do you want me to stay? If not, say the word, and I'll be out of your life before you can-" She put one finger up to his lips to silence him.

A single tear rolled down her cheek as she met his gaze. "You stupid, stupid cat... you foolish..." She looked down and wiped another tear from her eye as she sniffed. "I am so, so sorry for making you think I hated you. I was mad but... when I was under Bennett's control, all I could think about is how J would never get to tell you how wrong I was for comparing you to Bennett. You were nothing like him, and what I said then... well, now I truly regret it..."

Tears were streaming down her face, matting her firm in neat little channels. "When I first saw you there, in Bennett's bedroom, I was elated that you'd come to save me and terrified that I'd try to hurt you. I hardly had any control; it was like I wasn't even in my own body..." Dried her eyes on her sleeve a second time, her sniffles turning into sobs. "When you cast that spell on me, the one that broke the collar... for a brief second, I felt your resolve through it. That's what brought me back from nothingness: your love for me. I knew it was never the pendant that made me love you, it was all you. Sure, it made me lust for you a bit more, but in the end, you loved Kerrin and me despite us being..." She was about to say monsters, but she quickly caught herself. "...kitsunes, and despite us springing on you that both of us were carrying your kits. Only someone who truly loved us would have risked as much as you did, and I know you'd do the same for Kerrin in a heartbeat. I know you feel guilty over using the charm, but you've no reason to be; if you were never in love with us, you would have never come for me. And for that..." She set down the tray and hugged him around the shoulders. "For that, my love I am eternally grateful."

Trent smiled at her as she pulled away from him. "I promise I'll never stop loving you two, even when I grow old, and you stay as youthful as ever. And, well... I hope you both find love again when I am gone."

Sakura looks at him with confusion all over her face. "Gone? What are you talking about, are you going somewhere?"

"Sakura, even with all your magic I only can live for a hundred years, and even that's pushing it. That's a decade to you and Kerrin, and our children will stay young as their father grows older faster than there grandparents. I don't want to weigh you down, and I want you two to move on once I pass on to the next life."

Sakura's eyes went wide for a moment, then closed tight as she started laughing hysterically. Trent wasn't sure to be angry, confused, or happy, but his expression betrayed all three. Once she'd stopped cackling, she wiped a tear of joy from her eye and did her best to explain. "I'm so sorry, but I'd thought Kerrin told you already. So, I know this is going to sound weird at first, but we've been feeding you our blood."

Trent went from confused to shocked as he processed what she'd just said. "You... fed me your... blood? Wha... that's just... why?"

"Well, the reason why is because we're conducting a ritual to give you our youth! It's why we've been keeping you in bed all this time so that we can do all the proper ritual stuff. We wouldn't even dream of letting you grow old while we stayed young, you belong to us the same way we belong to you. With this, we'll all grow old together, and we'll never need to worry about you 'moving on.'"

Trent was speechless. He looked at Sakura, expecting to see some trace of humor or trickery in them, but all he saw was love. He reached out his hand and pulled her towards him, having her sit on his lap while he held her close. His tail wrapped around one of hers, and the two of them nuzzled each other in a moment of pure bliss. "I love you, Sakura," he whispered into her ear, "and I know you love me too."

The three lovers would grow old together, having many other children and many other adventures along the way... but those stories are for another time and another bard to tell.

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