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The Emperor of Planet

Long abandoned in modern times, even before the Regulian annexation, and a rare care of Vulpeculan social mores progressing; sibling marriage was a common practice in the oldest days of the Principalities.

The practice went out of vogue after a series of litters across their planet were born with serious birth defects, leading to a new generation of Princes taking advantage of the weak heirs and stealing their land. The new Princes would not repeat this mistake.

As morally corrupt as the average Vulpeculan Prince or Princess is these days, they would never dream of creating a "Blessed Marriage," even if the Regulian Empire didn't forbid the practice.

-On Vulpeculan Anthropology

I would not cry. I would not cry. I would not cry.

God help me, I wanted to. I really wanted to, but what point would it serve? Dondrae was gone, nothing was going to change that. All crying would do is show weakness and I would not...I could not let that happen.

We were constrained and stripped, both Yaleen and I. Our hands tied behind our backs and laid on the plank floors of the tavern on our butts. Yaleen had shut her eyes, the relentless swishing of her pointed ears being the only sign that she was paying very close attention to everything that was going on. I had no such ears, so I kept my eyes open.

Aldor and Vulo were busy nailing planks across the crystal chunks used for windows. A few of the windows had been chipped or shattered by stray gunfire earlier. Aldor would occasionally flash leers at the both of us; despite this, Vulo's empty eyes were far more violating, despite or perhaps because of the fact that he never let any expression be made public.

I would kill them. I would cut off Vulo's one good arm and then smash his snout into the floor until it was mangled bone and muscle. I would shoot the Regulian in the gut and watch him slowly die. I gave these monsters too many chances as is and I was done giving them more. They'd taken enough.

Aldor. I would kill him too if Yaleen would let me, but I had to keep my promise. I wouldn't let my grief make me forget that, no matter what. With the brief stories Yaleen had told me about him, I probably had more than enough to make Aldor's brain shut down, just like that one Vulpeculan had done at the campfire. I refrained though, for Yaleen's sake, and if she wanted him dead, she could do it whenever she liked.

You've got that damned vial, why don't you just do it!?Take his eye back and get your damned gold!

Somewhere inside his warped brain was her brother though and I had no right to take that away from her. Dondrae wouldn't have forgiven me if I did that.

I had to get out of here. I'd been through worse and survived. I escaped from that pack of Lupiads...

Thanks to Dondrae.

I had to get out of here. No matter what.

"My liege," Vulo gave a quick bow, placing his mechanical paw over his heart, "the first floor is done."

"Excellent! Excellent!" Aldor slapped the sides of his duster. "Very well done! Now, as for the second floor..."

A voice came from upstairs, rough and raw. It was the Regulian, "I'm handling the lookout!"

"By yourself, Shagh?"

"Yes."

"By yourself!?" Aldor exclaimed. "What skilled vassals I have! But, and do not take this rudely, I believe you might be overexerting yourself!"

"No," the Regulian replied, pausing for a few seconds, "the folks attacking aren't anywhere near us, they're getting caught up on those landmines."

As if on cue, a sharp burst followed by a whoosh of flames off in the distance outside rang out. Another explosion cracked, one that I recognized as the Mosin Nagant I left upstairs.

"Got one!" the Regulian shouted out. Floorboards groaned in pain as the Regulian rumbled away from the window. Leaning to take a peek up the staircase, I caught sight of him standing in the doorway. "I got this handled! I'll let you know when they get closer, you just relax a bit."

"You see, Vulo?" Aldor nudged the white Vulpy in the ribs. "Shagh is a true King!"

"An Emperor could not ask for a finer subject."

"Indeed!"

"My liege," Vulo's voice uttered, in the same detached manner as normal, "we should plan for the future."

"A vassal of action," Aldor motioned towards the staircase, then towards Vulo, "and a vassal of caution! Very well, but let us do it over drinks!"

Aldor's tail flicked sharply along with the back of his coat and he skipped towards the bar. The radio crackled to life, playing a song that could only be described as "synthesized depression," and Aldor returned with the bottle of Vulpeculan vodka, the sole bottle of alcohol remaining after the settlers retreated. Aldor pecked the cork, pulling it away in his maw and spitting it across the room. He lifted the neck of the bottle to his little black nose, taking a long, approving sniff, before taking a quick swig.

"The finest drink for the finest Empire that ever lived!" Aldor tossed the bottle to Vulo, who caught it easily. "So, what say you, Vulo? Shall we build our forces and lay siege to Rust? Perhaps settle here, no? I think a fine crown could be made of the crystal here."

"My Emperor, you are preoccupied with matters of conquest and economy. Those are matters that can wait until the Gods ordain it and the Gods will never reveal themselves to a dynasty that has not proven itself yet. You are Emperor, this is true, but you are not a dynasty."

"I think I see where this is going," Aldor rubbed at his chin. The disturbing song on the radio turned into a series of discordant, low-frequency noises. My head began to ache and I felt like adding whatever species made this song to my retribution list.

"Only through marrying the vixen and consummating, can you forge the purest dynasty that the universe has ever seen."

For a moment, the room was still. The roar of engines and the occasional burst of the fireballs off in the distance went silent and even the radio seemed to reel at Vulo's eerie proclamation.

"I don't know..." Aldor trailed off, peering through a gap in the boards nailed across the window, "...we should probably be on guard."

"My liege, your dreams have prophesied this moment. You are destined to rule in a golden palace with an emerald-eyed vixen by your side. Destiny pauses for an Emperor, but only for a moment! Now is the time to embrace her and tie her dynasty to yours! Conceive the first litter of Princes that shall reign over Planet for a million years!"

Yaleen was keeping still, avoiding showing any reaction to this insane conversation. I could not read her scent, but I would imagine she was keeping it in check as well. Aldor was beginning to adjust his trousers while leering at Yaleen's naked body.

I had to do something to stop this. I wanted more than ever to force Aldor to have an aneurysm, it would have been so easy. Would that have been what Yaleen wanted?

Something sparked in my brain and I started chuckling under my breath. Aldor's sharp ears twitching in my direction before peering at me.

"Something funny, captive?"

"Oh no! It's just..." I cut myself off, snickering heavily, "...oh man, you guys better have some serious anti-biotics!"

Vulo's jowls curled up, showing off his rows of teeth, "Speak, or I'll cut you into a thousand pieces!"

"She's a foxpox carrier, you don't want that shit, trust me!"

"Foxpox?"

"Yeah! Look, she's a nice girl but she's had many consorts and well, she caught foxpox from one of them!" I paused, watching Vulo and Aldor exchange glances. "Gives you itchy, oozing red bumps on your cock and if you don't get it treated in the first day, it'll be with you for the rest of your life! My friend upstairs, kurwa, he spent a night with her and suffered for two weeks! We were just lucky enough to have some penicillin on hand!"

"Vulo, examine her."

The white Vulpeculan knelt down, forcefully pushing his fingers into her thighs and spreading them. Narrowing his eyes, he leaned in close, even sniffing at the air around her.

"The symptoms come and go but it's still there, since she didn't get treated in time!" Vulo's lips frowned in disgust. "I'd wash your paw if I were you."

Stumbling to his feet, Vulo shot me a glare before a glob of spit hit me in the cheek. Vulo held out his paw to his liege and Aldor poured some of the vodka over it.

"It would take two days to reach our cache," Vulo muttered, "even if we weren't pinned down."

"It's not an auspicious time then?"

"No. The forging of your immortal dynasty must wait until we're back at the depot."

I sighed in relief. A mistake. A big mistake.

Vulo's blue eyes locked on me. His nostrils flared as he snorted in contempt.

"But, my liege," Vulo turned to Aldor, "regal authority must still be solidified. One cannot allow your reign to be questioned at any point! Disloyalty must be flogged! Sedition must be flayed! And most importantly of all, backtalk must be raped!"

Even Aldor was taken aback by that last comment, raising his brow while edging away from his underling.

"No, my liege! You must not hesitate!" Vulo shook a spray of vodka from his paw before pointing it accusingly at me. "This human has laughed at you and you need to show him his place!"

"There is little to gain, save for personal satisfaction."

"On the contrary! Look at what the Regulian Emperor does to all new subjects! He rounds up relatives of rebellious factions and adds them to his harem. The Empire publicly announces when he personally makes love to them so that everyone knows where authority lies in the Empire and they are, for now, the greatest Empire in the galaxy! The Gods smile upon them because they exercise their blessed authority without shame! No, my liege, the Gods smile upon regal rape, yes they do! The Gods are rape!"

Aldor swallowed, the first sign of any anxiety since he captured us. Vulo didn't seem to notice, his eyes lacking any sort of soul while he stared at his Emperor.

"Alright," Aldor slowed said as he pulled his trousers down, revealing his cream-furred thighs and round ball-sack, "if the Gods decree it."

Vulo grabbed the bottle of vodka from his liege and opened up his maw, pouring a stream of it down his throat. Aldor slowly padded towards me, not looking particularly eager.

A foot slammed into my side, flipping me over onto my face. Claws dug into my butt and chest as I was adjusted to have my rear pointing up in the air.

"Pierce his disloyal spirit! Break him! Break him until the Gods blare their victorious trumpets!"

The tip of Aldor's cock pressed against the skin just below my anus several times until the Vulpy nervously cursed and lined himself up correctly. He attempted to be somewhat gentle until he realized that was a fool's errand, between both of our reluctance, and I winced as he suddenly forced his cock past my defenses.

I won't cry. I won't cry. I won't cry.

Dondrae wouldn't forgive me if I cried.

I will take care of them in time.

Aldor's thrusts were slow and controlled, but he still panted heavily, his tongue dripping slobber on my back. I tried to block out any sensation from him, just like the last time I had been caught in a situation like this.

Hot breath wafted against my neck and Aldor suddenly whispered, "He's finally done it, he's completely lost it and lost it bad."

Vulo chanted nonstop about the holy act his master was performing, praising the dynasty that his forced sodomy was helping create.

"Believe me, I want you and I want you to want me," Aldor nipped at the lobe of my ear, "but in a more, hrm, romantic setting, yes? I think you'd like that more."

I bit my lip, refraining from expressing how I wanted both of them dead.

"You don't have to say anything. Just go along with it for now and I will make sure you and my Empress are safe."

Suddenly, Aldor shouted out, "Shagh! Come out here and have a look! It's a great show!"

Heavy footsteps rumbled on the floorboards, slowly drawing close to the staircase.

Vulo stopped his chanting and cried out, "What!?"

A shot rang out followed by a heavy thud. Aldor ceased his pounding and we both peered back, finding Vulo's still body leaning against the wall of the bar, most of his skull and muzzle turned into a broken mess of bone and cartilage.

"Great work, King!" Aldor cheered, shifting his hips while pulling his cock out. "He was a good follower, loyal, but by the Gods was he going nuts! I wish-"

Aldor's pupil narrowed into a slit and his jaw fell open, staring up at something in fright. A jet of blood sprayed down from above, turning the white fur around Aldor's mouth as red as the rest of his coat. A series of thumps rolled down the stairs, like a sack of potatoes.

Growling shrilly, Aldor wrapped his claws around my neck and pulled me to my feet. A cold, steel muzzle pressed up against my temple and I went limp, not wanting to aggravate him.

"Don't move or I'll shoot!" Aldor screamed.

There was no reply from upstairs. Aldor's heart was beating heavily and even the furs on his paw were standing up on edge.

"I'll do it! Don't think I won't! He's got mutt scent all over him, I know who he is to you!"

My heart skipped a beat and I snapped my head up, nearly bumping the pistol leaning against my head. I could only see the wooden rail lining the overpass upstairs and a long, metal barrel leaning over it, trained on Aldor. If Aldor were to back up just a little bit, I'd have been able to see who it was, but I knew.

"Dondrae?" I whispered.

"Shut up!" Aldor snarled, snapping his fangs across my cheek and cutting it open.

"There's no walking out of this one," Dondrae's voice called out. Tears welled up in my eyes for the first time since I feared he was lost. "Let him go."

"No!"

"I can hear your heartbeat and I can smell your fear. Your paws are shaking, you are afraid," Dondrae's voice was controlled and calm, eerie to listen to compared to his normal easy-going tone. "You will slip up and then you will die."

"I am the leader of the greatest gang on Planet, no! The greatest Empire that ever existed! I command you to surrender!"

"You are alone, Aldor."

Aldor gulped and his heart began thumping even harder to the point where I thought he was about to have a heart attack. The pistol shook violently, tapping against my temple.

"Who's Aldor?"

"You are."

"N-no! That's not my name! I n-never told you..." Aldor slowly scraped the barrel of the gun against my head downward, "I never told him or..."

Aldor's grip on me went loose and he stumbled backwards, letting me go free. His green eye was wide and the pupil was rapidly dilating and narrowing. The pistol fell to the floor as he clutched at his forehead.

"No!" Yaleen shrieked.

Blood shot out of Aldor's snout and his knees buckled. I ran up and caught him against my chest as I collapsed against the wall. His mouth twitched in pain and blood continued to pour out, falling into his mouth and mixing with his saliva.

Dondrae stormed down the stairs, jumping over Shagh's body that laid on the bottom steps. Placing his rifle on the ground, he began taking Aldor's vitals. I gasped when I saw Dondrae's face, a dried well of blood ran down across his gray face and black muzzle, from his left eyelid which was closed and flat. His eye was gone.

"Dondrae,how...?" I whispered.

The half-breed flashed me a warm look with his one remaining eye, as blue as Vulo's but possessing a friendliness that the white Vulpy lacked, something I almost feared I'd never see again, "I got the jump on that Regulian and held him up at gunpoint. He was more cooperative than I expected!"Dondrae turned back to his patient and frowned.

"He's going into shock," Dondrae scooped up Aldor in his arms and helped gently place the convulsing Vulpy onto the floor, on his side so that he didn't choke on his own blood.

Yaleen had taken the chance to climb to her feet and rush over, kneeling onto the ground and placing her head on her brother's chest. Her mouth twitched, wanting to say something to her brother but said nothing, likely fearing that anything she said would trigger another, more fatal memory.

"We'll have to wait," Dondrae muttered.

"Isn't there anything we can do!?" Yaleen snapped. Her ears were folded back and her snout turned up in a snarl, but her limp tail tucked between her legs and under her bound arms was giving away her fear for her brother.

"He's not dead yet," Dondrae replied, shaking his head, "if we had a doctor, we'd be able to help him better but..."

"The Vulpy from the campsite!" I exclaimed, short of breath. "He was dead in an instant but Al-" I cut myself off, "he still lives!"

"There's always hope," Dondrae said, placing his heavy paw on my shoulder. Warmth washed over me and I tried to avoid smiling in light of Yaleen's sorrow. "But it's going to be touch and go."

Dondrae used his knife to cut the bindings on both of our wrists, finally rescuing us from captivity. Yaleen used her paw to wipe the blood from her brother's mouth and nose, helping him as best as she could.

"Love, we need to go outside and get their attention before they start attacking us," Dondrae whispered in my ear, "and Yaleen needs some time alone."

"You idiot," Yaleen hissed. Aldor's black eye-patch was in her free paw, revealing that her brother had both of his emerald-green eyes intact, "did you think this looked cool? Idiot!"

Dondrae gently picked up the eye-patch from Yaleen's paw and tucked it into one of his pockets. He opened the exit door and I followed him outside.

We waved towards the oncoming trucks, who were still embarrassingly far away, having made a maze of tire tracks in the dirt along the mine-field. One of them waved back, Jack perhaps, waved back, recognizing us as friends.

Sighing, Dondrae planted his paw on the rim of the Hauler's truck-bed, "Just need a moment to rest..."

I swallowed, putting my hand on Dondrae's furry shoulder, "Are you okay?"

"I'm sorry, Pawel."

"No..." I whispered, wrapped my arms around Dondrae. He returned the hug, weekly embracing me.

"No, no, I'll be fine!" Dondrae corrected himself. "I'm just sorry for making you worry."

"You stupid mutt!" I shouted, pounding him on the chest. Dondrae coughed limply and I stopped myself and apologized.

"No, it's my fault. I should have said I was fine," Dondrae said with a chuckle. "At least, I think I should be..."

"Don't."

"We've got anti-biotics, right?"

"Yeah," I swallowed, glancing at the flatbed, "but not enough for a wound like that if it gets-"

"Ssh," Dondrae's finger-pads pressed against my lips, "lets worry about that if it happens!"

"Aldor said his gang had a cache of anti-biotics somewhere!"

"Then there's no reason to lose hope!" Dondrae exclaimed with a happy laugh. He was grinning like a dog that had just seen his master after a long absence. "Don't cry, Pawel! I'm going to laugh at you if you do!"

I buried my watering eyes in his shirt, "I must have something in them..."

"Hah! Well, at least you didn't get a bullet stuck in them!"

I couldn't help but laugh, "That's not funny!"

"It is! You're laughing!"

"I am not!"

Dondrae's broad tongue suddenly lashed out, lapping at my face so I couldn't argue back. I was now laughing uncontrollably as he gave me many wet, sloppy kisses.

"Alright!" I finally got out between laughs. "I'm laughing!"

His wet snout poked me in the nose as our lips met and we kissed.

"I don't want you to ever be afraid, love," Dondrae whispered as he stared at me with his one remaining eye. I dreaded never seeing the other again, but knew that just one was a precious thing, irreplaceable in this cold, dark universe.

"But..."

"No, Pawel, never," Dondrae's palm rubbed against my cheek, his finger catching a tear that escaped my eye. "Never lose hope, ever. It's always there, waiting to be found, you just have to find it."

He pulled me into a hug, resting my head atop his chest. His heart was beating quickly, but I ignored it, opting to look for hope.

I would find it. I knew I would.