Commission: Puppet Concerns

Story by ReynartWrites on SoFurry

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Woz is concerned about a friend's new acquaintance even though it is a mutual of theirs. It is these suspicions and fears that lead to a mistake rather than conversation.


A small shop sat snuggly near the residential district of a mercantile city. It wasn't anything impressive but it had two floors and books were presented at the front through a glass display. The sun was currently falling creating a dusky twilight full of bright oranges falling over clouds giving way to the purple and blues of the evening sky bit by bit. Around the corner next to the store, a short hybrid feline with patchwork fur touched by that evening blue and grey stood there watching the door with dots of cyan swimming in black, rounded ears twitching. They wore a sweater of deep navy with patches along the shoulders and their thick kanooki tail was littered with various little pins that stuck through the fur. Their eyes remained narrowed and focused on the front door of the shop until it opened. Woz jolted but did not move from their spot. Instead, they slinked further behind the wall with just the barest part of their head sticking out so they could see what was happening at this very moment. Voices came, chuckling voices full of smiles with words dripping with enthusiasm and just a bit of sleepiness. The first to step out the door was a tiny feline by the name of Shura with pink hair and one arm wearing a coat that was left open. Shura's purple eyes were looking up at the second source of the voices, a familiar fox who Woz felt their hackles standing up at the sight of. Wel was a tall vulpine of sorts with deep black eyes touched by tired circles beneath them and white fur lining their body except for their hands which were an inky black. They wore a long coat of muted beige with a scarf of deep forest green surrounding their neck. Markings on their face along with the tip of their tail carried the same inky quality but Woz wasn't paying attention to that right now. Their eyes spotted the slight slump in Shura's shoulders, small marks of fangs along the neck. Tearing their attention away from that, Woz tried their best to hone in on what they were talking about.

Wel reached down to take Shura's paw gently, "It was good seeing you again, Shura. You've been a treasure to get to know."

The smaller feline beamed and shook their hand while nodding, "It has been a treat getting to know you too. Emotional expression is something that I am still adjusting too but I feel like I can do such things around you, more than that, I feel as if I am learning much by reading your books and interacting with you. Not just in the uh, you know, intimate manner."

A chuckle came from Wel as they leaned down to plant a kiss on the side of Shura's mouth, "And you, my prince, have been learning quickly. I am quite proud of what you've learned in this amount of time. Emotional expression isn't something that can be picked up overnight but your heart is earnest and every new meeting is a sweet chance of something great happening. Even now, I'm learning as many others are through everyday life."

Shura breathed out and hopped up to wrap their arms around Wel's neck, hanging there for a second while pushing their face against the fox's fur, "Thank you again." When they released Wel, they brought their paw up to wave, "Good night!"

The fox returned the wave with a small smile as Shura began to walk, "Good night to you too, Shura."

With that end to their short conversation, Shura walked off with a smile and a bounce in their step. As they passed the corner that Woz was hiding behind, they stopped, blinked, and looked directly at Woz with a big smile and said, "Good evening Woz. I'm going back home now so I suppose I'll see you there but I wish you luck in whatever it is you are doing."

Woz locked up for a second, opening their mouth to say something but all they could do was make a small rumbling noise akin to an embarrassed growl while Shura walked away leaving them with a fluster on their cheeks and a hot wash of shame falling down their body. Still, why should they feel that way? Woz was here to make sure that Shura was being treated right and though it seemed like it on the surface, Woz still felt like something was wrong. Both had mentioned some form of intimacy and Woz had seen the scratches and bite marks inflicted by the fox. There was also a chance that the fox was taking advantage of Shura's naivety in order to satisfy their own cravings. It was true that Woz knew Wel but even still they couldn't help but feel like something was wrong. That belief of wrongdoing was strong enough to erase any goodwill they felt toward the fox and any sort of uncertainty they might have about confronting Wel. With a breath, they rounded the corner just in time to spot Wel heading into the shop. They had just missed their chance for an open confrontation and now needed to venture into the store. As they walked over to the door, they found themselves standing there and staring at the frame. It was as if they had been brought before a final encounter in a game or standing right at the climax of a play but that thought also brought them a surge of confidence that was slowly rising. They were a hero, they were here to make sure that their friend was being treated right. Shura couldn't take care of themselves and so it was up to them to do it, or was it? That small doubt was brushed aside as quickly as it appeared, their mind swirling with a notion that they needed to safeguard their loved ones. With a breath, Woz steadied themselves before grabbing onto the door to open it, ready to confront the creature within.

They opened the door and bonked themselves on the nose as they stepped into it, immediately feeling all of their bluster and confidence start to fade before they brushed it off in a pile along with their doubts and headed into the shop. Nobody had seen that. Woz took a step into the store, looking around while they wondered where Wel had gone. A few bookcases lined the middle of the store with a few set against the far side of the store. Toward the right, there were shelves with inkpots in a line. Cool light with hues of blue touched the store mixing with the orange of twilight outside. As Woz stepped toward the front counter, they looked around hoping to catch a glimpse of the storekeeper but it seemed as if Wel had disappeared. They stood at the front counter, claws tapping the wooden top while their mind began to wander. Wel had been a good friend but that didn't mean that Wel wasn't dangerous. It wasn't as if they had known Wel for a long time and just because Wel hadn't done anything to harm them didn't mean that the fox wasn't the sort to take advantage of another. Nagging at the back of their head kept on telling them that there was something wrong about their thinking, that their noble cause was cracked from the beginning but Woz pushed those thoughts aside with the rest of them. It wasn't that those thoughts didn't affect them, rather, it was the fact that there were other words in their mind toying with them like glass breaking and splintering over and over again.

Shura was in danger. Someone that they had once known to not be able to take care of themselves, who had trouble interacting due to various reasons. Yes, Shura had made progress in coming to understand others in both thought and emotion but there were still so many dangers for them when it came to interacting, so many folks that would take advantage of someone like that. When Woz began thinking of such things, any concern or worry that they might be wrong faded as quickly as they had cropped up beneath splintering glass. It was during one of these spirals of concern that Woz thought they heard someone's voice approaching but the world had faded into a small focused dot where only they stood with the only physical sensation being the touch of their digits on the cool surface of the front counter.

Again, the voice came but close enough and loud enough that they couldn't ignore it, "Hey, Woz! Are you okay? Seem kind of out of it?"

The patchwork feline blinked and was brought back to reality, their focus widening while they tried to bring themselves back to what was happening right now. When they registered what Wel had said, they cleared their throat and lifted their chin, "I'm perfectly fine! Just...Thinking a little bit is all."

Wel watched them with a tilted head until humming, "Okay, well, what brings you around? Are you here for a book or did something happen that you wanted to talk about in person? I don't really mind playing host for a bit. Store is about ready to shut for the night anyway."

Woz tried to say something immediately about how they felt, the boiling thoughts and emotions that were under their fur and skin ready to pop out at any moment but they fumbled as they saw Wel's tired eyes and a small smile. Wel was a friend. That was the immediate thought but another inclination pushed against that thought until they gnashed their fangs and thought of the harm that such a large fox could do to Shura. There had been damage. Woz had seen Shura naked, had seen the claw marks along their back and the various bites along their side and neck.

Finally, they managed to blurt out, "What have you and Shura been up to?"

"Oh? Shura?" Wel said with a tilt of their head, "Has Shura been talking to you about me as much as they have been about you? The excitement in their voice is practically palpable as they talk about you and I'm happy to hear it! Guess you must've been curious, right?"

A small frown touched Woz's features as they looked down and muttered, "They haven't really been talking about you but I noticed the claw marks, the bites and all of that stuff so I decided to follow them. Turns out that they were hanging out with you."

The frown on their own face reflected now on the fox's features as they answered firmly but not without warmth, "I don't really think following someone you care about is a good idea, you could have asked them what they were doing but I suppose I can clear the air now."

Woz looked at them, nearly melted at the sight of their frown, their disappointment but Woz breathed out, "Then why don't you tell me what it is you two have been doing?"

With a shrug, Wel began, "We've been talking, getting to know one another, reading books, and occasionally have sex. Is there a problem with that?"

"No, but I mean...Yes, yes there is a problem with that because you're tricking Shura." Fumbled Woz.

"I'm tricking them? How?"

Woz searched for the words before they came out on their own, emotions boiling over without thought, "Because you're taking advantage of the fact that they aren't that good at interacting! You might think that you're teaching them or that you're helping them but all you're doing is using them for your own sexual gratification!"

The frown on Wel's face faded to a small, cold line as their eyes narrowed and their head tilted up, "I'm taking advantage of them? Shura came to me with these desires. Shura wanted to know more about the world around them, about thoughts and emotions that folk share between one another, and about relationships. It was difficult at first and they didn't understand many things but we always had a mutualistic desire to interact. Did you even fucking ask Shura how they felt?"

That last statement had been said with a hiss that Woz wasn't expecting. Wel wasn't someone who got angry often or at the very least, was patient enough not to show it. Right now, Woz could see that their hands were balled up into tight fists, their eyes narrowed to dark slits while their mouth was clamped shut in a hard line. If Wel was angry, then it must be that they were guilty. Simple as that! There was no reason to be upset with false statements and so Woz ignored what Wel had said in favor of crafting something for themselves, something that toyed with the deeper parts of paranoia and concern mixed together.

"Does that matter? I know Shura, I know they're naive and they even have trouble grasping situations but you don't fucking know them like that, do you? You just think they're a nice piece to fuck around with and hurt! I saw their body, I know what you've done!"

Wel took a step forward and swiped the air with an open hand, "Yes! I know what I've done to them because we both agreed upon it! We even talked about the effects and more! Before they left, I applied disinfectant on the marks that I had left and was damn well sure not to make any marks that were too deep. What the fuck do you know of it? The hell do you even know of Shura's mind and will? Are they one of your puppets?"

That last line brought their ears back, their eyes blinking a few times before they managed to stammer out, "N-no, that's not it all. I just want Shura to be safe and I just--"

"Just fucking what? You thought that I was the enemy? That I was some sort of stranger you have never met?" Wel said while grasping the air before opening their hands and leaning forward, "Woz! You know me you fucking dolt! We haven't known each other for years and years but we've shared intimate moments, we've shared intimate moments involving a deeper understanding of each other's thoughts and emotions and we've had a number of difficult conversations! Do you really think that I would hurt Shura? Do you really think I would harm someone I cared about on purpose or without some sort of mutualistic goal?" When Woz didn't say anything, Wel spoke just a bit louder, "Think!"

Woz was thinking, they were! But so many thoughts were jumbling together and calling for one or more actions until they arrived at a hurried conclusion that Wel was just trying to distract them. Their breaths were coming in quicker but it seemed harder and harder to maintain them. Did they even need to breathe? They forgot, they couldn't remember! The functions of their body seemed a mystery to them as their mind was assailed by several thoughts. Fight or run away. Did they attack or did they escape?

A soft sigh came from Wel as they stepped back and ran a hand through their hair, "Woz. I might've been a bit too harsh there but your words hurt. If you want to talk about it further we can sit down with something to drink."

That softness! Why? Woz was about to attack Wel, Woz had been lashing out because Wel had done something wrong. So why then did Wel see it fit to stop being angry? To set it aside? It didn't make sense! Out of panic, they reached back and pulled a needle from their tail, ready to call magic, ready to fight if they needed to but they were shaken. The spells they knew seemed to fall one by one before their eyes and shatter on the floor like the glass still splintering in their mind. They felt a pause in their heart as well as they looked at Wel who stood at full height but their eyes weren't narrowed, their eyes were held in saddened half-circles that spoke of pity and exhaustion.

"Put it down," Wel said without any anger.

But where had that anger gone? Where had that fire disappeared to? Wel had done something wrong or if not, then Woz had been wrong all along so why did they sound so nice? Why were they even giving Woz a chance? Woz's thoughts were still muddied, still crashing together and intermingling with raw emotion unfiltered and untamed. They heard a voice in their head as loud as possible tell them that they needed to get back at Wel if they were going to lose if they were going to forget everything, then they needed to get some sort of revenge. Damage the shop in some sort of way to distract Wel so they could get away!

Before their thoughts could continue, Wel spoke again, "I need you to calm down. Breathe in and out Woz. Do not attack me or the store. Your aggression is pouring off of you but I know that you're just confused. The wards do not know that you are just confused. I am telling you, that you are making a mistake and that there are wards that will respond in kind to aggression."

A warning? No, a threat. It was a threat! It counted as the first sign of a fight, the first sign of aggression. They remembered the spells they knew, remembered the ability to bind and tie others down through the use of soul. Woz charged with a hiss, needle ready to sew and work. Ink seeped through the floorboards of the shop, collecting into a circle before multiple hands made of that same substance shot up and grabbed Woz's arms. They gasped and struggled back and forth, flailing against the hold while more and more of those hands grasped onto their body. The needle in their hold fell as they focused on trying to free themselves but they stopped as a loud crack echoed through the store. Woz's cheek was set ablaze, their eyes wide as they found themselves looking to the side.

Woz's thoughts that had been on surviving and fighting were all on the sudden pain that had appeared. They saw Wel's hand held at an angle near their face and realized that they had been slapped. It didn't hurt too much, didn't even feel terribly sore but it was enough to keep their focus on that while their body slumped and their panic began to subside. Wel turned away from Woz, hand reaching through their coat pocket to pull out their compact. After a few taps, they brought it to their ear and had a brief conversation with someone on the other line.

When they turned back to Woz, Wel sighed and pocketed their compact, "Shura will be here soon enough. They're worried about you."

"What? Why would Shura be worried about me?" Asked Woz in the grasp of several hands made of ink.

Wel rubbed at the back of their head, "Perhaps because you've jumped to conclusions and in the process harmed yourself emotionally, mentally, and were about to get physically harmed as well if these things didn't restrain you?"

They thought about that for a moment and realized that the mess in their head was slowly clearing. The concern for Shura was still there but the panicked thoughts were receding. Instead of remaining stuck in their head, Woz spoke aloud, "What would have happened if these hands didn't restrain me."

"Then I would have had to defend myself. These wards are designed to restrain instead of harm but if I was harmed then these wards would have become more violent in response to my emotion and intent."

"And you were trying to stop me from making a mistake?" Woz's voice came quietly.

Wel nodded, "Yes."

Their shoulders slumped as they looked down, "So, Shura is coming over here to be mad at me, right?"

"I don't know. I think they're just worried about you dear."

If anything, that managed to deflate Woz even further as they slinked down against the ink hoping that it would swallow them before Shura got there. The ink was cool but did nothing to comfort them, only served as a reminder that their mind had overheated. Now, the cold of the ink felt as if it were seeping into their being and sapping away the negative thoughts. Perhaps it was just their imagination, perhaps it was the slap, or maybe Wel really was controlling the ink. Regardless, they were starting to sober from their panic and their head had started beating wildly as they realized how exhausted they were from worrying constantly. Worse was the creeping sensation that they had done wrong to everyone and the fact that they were at a point where they could feel bad about latent thoughts of Wel being evil.

They refused to meet Wel's eyes but the fox spoke quietly regardless, "Hey, Woz. You okay?"

Muttering, Woz answered, "Why are you asking? I've already done enough damage so me opening my fat mouth now would just cause more trouble."

Woz winced as they felt strong digits pinching their chin, lifting their head up as Wel looked directly into their eyes with a sad look, "You have done damage, yes, but you're going to open your mouth now to fix it and open your ears to understand. Not just why what you thought was wrong but also that we care about you."

"Really, you should be using these hands to keep slapping me instead of holding me here." They said with a dejected sigh.

Instead of doing that, the hands lowered them to the floor gently and receded beneath the boards leaving Woz to stand on their own two feet as Wel clasped their shoulder gently, "I already gave you one good across the cheek and that should be enough. Besides, I barely wanted to do that. I did it mostly because I was upset with you and because you were endangering yourself."

Their frown deepened as they looked back at the floor, "Should have hit me a few more times."

"With such dejected talk I might put you into a bit of a chokehold and hug combination but no, I don't think I should hit you more. In fact, once was maybe a mistake as you were already restrained. I'm sorry about that."

A sudden jolt pushed against their shoulder and they winced as if being struck by that apology, eyes darting up to look at Wel directly, "Why? Why should you be sorry? I deserved it. I deserved that slap, and I deserve more! I...I thought so fucking ill of you and now you're talking to me as if nothing happened, talking to me so sweetly and pretending everything is okay."

While their ears drooped, Wel's touch tightened at their shoulder, "Woz. Listen to me. Something did happen. You did make a mistake and I acknowledge that and I even detest what you did openly but I understand why you did it and I care about you still as I care for Shura. Mistakes are a messy thing so let's clean this up together, okay? I need you."

"You need me?" Said Woz, their voice small enough to surprise themselves.

"Yes. I need you. How can we solve this if we don't work together? How can we receive closure, either of us, if we don't talk about it? C'mon now. We've had conversations before about difficult things, about things that are embarrassing so let's talk."

Woz breathed in and out while leaning against a bookcase nearby, eyes shut as they struggled to wrap their head around that. All they could do was trust that Wel wasn't lying to them. Even if their gut told them something else entirely. When they thought of something to say, the sound of the door opening kept them frozen in place.

The familiar sight of Shura peered through the doorway before they stepped inside and allowed the door to shut. They were still wearing the same thing from before but they wore a look of deep concern on their face that Woz had a difficult time associating with anything other than fault. It was their fault that Shura felt so bad, their fault that this evening had been so terrible and they couldn't stand to look at Shura, couldn't stand to see the disappointment in their face. They expected Shura to tell them off, to say something heated or even mean but they were nearly thrown back as Shura crashed into them with an arm around coming around their shoulders to squeeze Woz tight enough to make them cough.

"Woz!" Shura exclaimed, grip tightening harder and harder reminding them sorely that Shura was much stronger than they looked, "Gods, spirits, goddesses, whatever! I don't care! I'm just glad that you're okay! Wel told me on the phone that there was a misunderstanding and that you had gotten hurt! They needed me to come over to clear things up but I was so worried about you, about you both! You didn't hurt yourself did you?"

Mouth open and left that way, Woz tried to fish through a few responses before they finally sighed, "I'm okay but shouldn't you be mad? I did something stupid. I even followed you two."

Shura pulled away and let go of Woz to grab onto a cheek and squeeze just a bit while they smiled, "Mad? Of course, I feel a bit uncomfortable and more than a bit upset about that but Woz, Wel told me over the phone that this was a misunderstanding and that this could be talked about. Why would I be angry when I could focus on trying to solve this? I don't want you unhappy, I don't want you worried. I want you to be content and comfortable around me."

Their ears pulled back as Woz answered quickly, "But I am content and comfortable around you. I just thought that you were in danger."

When they clamped their mouth shut, Wel muttered, "Go on. It's okay."

Woz spilled forth, clenched paws outward as they tried to explain, "I thought that you wouldn't be knowledgeable enough, I thought that Wel was too clever and that they were going to take advantage of you. It was wrong but I couldn't help but panic when I saw those claw marks on you, those bites! My mind kept on spinning and thinking that you were getting hurt and just happily accepting it because you didn't know any better, because you've been taken advantage of before and I was so scared...So, so fucking scared."

Those last words were said with a broken tenor that threatened their eyes with mist at the edges while Shura took hold of one of their clenched paws to squeeze gingerly while speaking, "Woz...That is hurtful in more ways than one. I am learning, I have been hurt and I have been made a fool of before but I would have hoped you could see the progress I made. I was proud of the things that I have learned and the things that I have been learning about interactions, about emotions, and more on my own time. I was excited that I could do it by myself without your help and thought that you would be excited to but maybe I kept too much from you, maybe I was wandering off alone too many times without saying anything, and that only bred suspicion."

They shook their head violently and clutched Shura's paw with both of theirs, "No! No no no, Shura don't ever think that. I shouldn't be keeping track of you like that and especially not following you like that either. What I did was wrong...You weren't even acting suspicious, you were just going out like anyone else would and I thought that you needed my protection. Maybe, I wanted to be something more for you, something that could keep you from harm at all times and maybe that's selfish. If you've been having a good time then I want to hear all about it, I want to learn and know what you've been learning not because I want to keep track of you but because I love you and I cherish the fact that you're having a good time with this. I was an idiot, my concerns turned into distrust of Wel and I'm afraid I broke that friendship and broke what we have too. Did I?"

Shura shook their head and they both looked at Wel who simply smiled and said quietly, "No. You haven't come close to it Woz."

Woz pulled away from Shura for a moment to look up at Wel, "Thank you and I'm sorry, I'm so sorry I don't even know how I can ever make it up to you or what I could do to even prove that we've moved on from this but I'll figure something out."

Gentle digits touched the spot where they were slapped, Wel's darkened eyes staring down into their own as that touch drifted to the top of their head to ruffle their head, "All in good time, Woz. We'll figure it out and if you make the same mistake again I'll be sure to point it out. My patience isn't infinite but I trust you and I know you."

"C'mon!" Blurted Shura as they hopped up to wrap an arm around Wel's neck and hang there, "Let's stay over at Wel's so we can talk about what I've been learning! We can even share some of the novels that we've been reading together!"

Wel chuckled, "I suppose it is late and I'd hate to put you two out."

"Really? After what I did tonight?" Woz asked quietly.

A small frown touched Wel's expression as they tilted their head, Shura mimicking the motion, "How are you supposed to learn anything if you don't at least learn about what Shura and I have been doing? Besides, I like your company. So come."

Before Woz could contest, Wel began to head to the back of the store where a set of stairs near the side led up to their home. Woz watched and watched until they slowly began following while placing a paw on their chest, breathing out as they felt deep gratitude. Gratitude for Wel and Shura, gratitude for Wel stopping them before they had done stupid and for the lessons they were about to learn tonight.

The conversation had been more difficult than they would have liked it to be and harder than they would admit. Instead of making it a formal thing, the trio had sat in front of a television in Wel's room while something buzzed in the background. It was useful to give Woz somewhere else to look when their thoughts were getting difficult to parse and they suspected that Wel understood that. Shura and Wel had met during a slow day in the shop. Curiosity had gotten the best of Shura and they had begun looking through various books not truly understanding anything in them. This mystery of letters and fantastical situations had fascinated Shura to no end but they couldn't grasp the novels in their arms without help. Woz was back at home and they had felt that it would have been annoying to simply call them for something like that so Shura attempted making heads or tails of the situation themselves. After a bit of frustrated failure, Wel decided to offer a bit of help to Shura who seemed visibly perturbed by what they were reading. Already at that point in the explanation, Woz had felt their fears and concerns bubbling to the surface but they were kept quiet by the touch of Shura's paw on their own. The grasp had been enough to keep them rooted in reality. Shura's clarifications and words helped them understand the truth. Simply put, Wel had never taken advantage of Shura and had never hurt Shura without express consent.

It was both reassuring and crushing because it solidified the fact that they had hurt one of their friends. No, perhaps more than that. They cared about Wel dearly and they now stared at the fox with an apology nearing their lips but paused when they felt gentle digits squeezing around their paw. Woz looked towards Shura and saw that they were smiling, saw that they were practically beaming. This had been such a stressful evening so how could they be smiling so easily? Before they could ask, Shura leaned up to plant a soft kiss on their nose and then another on their lips. Their cheeks flushed with a bit of heat as they tried to think of what to say or do in response before finding more spots of warmth blossoming as Wel planted soft pecks along their neck and shoulder. Strong digits began to tug at their clothes while Wel and Shura muttered little questions meant to tease and ask if they were okay with more.

Woz shuddered and brought their legs up, hugging onto them while clearing their throat, "Um, I think that I would like to sit this one out. Mostly because I want to see how you two interact, y'know, to kind of make what you said into a reality for me." They then added quietly, "I'm also feeling a bit nervous right now."

Shura and Wel backed away after planting one last kiss on either of Woz's cheeks. Both of them moved away from Woz, clothes shifting and being tugged up and off of their bodies while Woz watched. They set their chin atop of their knees to watch. Everything was moving slowly and Woz thought that the reason simply had to do with the fact that they were perceived as skittish, at the same time, Woz stopped themselves before they opened their mouth and really took a good look at the pair. Shura shared a small smile with Wel, their digits soon joining once their clothes were off to the side so Shura could climb onto Wel's lap and lean up and into a kiss. The kiss was something just as slow, lips melding together before parting while their digits moved to various parts of their bodies. Shura had a paw on Wel's thighs slowly drifting toward the crotch while leaning up further into the kiss. One hand from Wel held Shura's back gently while the other grabbed at their thigh, squeezing onto it, digits tensing and claws pressing through the fur but never seeming to apply any deep pressure. Woz could see Wel's shaft emerging from the sheathe inch by inch until it was something firmly in Shura's grasp.

The hand at Shura's back moved as their lips parted and a single claw began to write something in ink. Woz's ears raised as they wondered what Wel was doing but the fox's voice soon came, "A bit of help to show you some of what I do. A curse, a quick one and one that I'll remove at the end of this that'll make Shura's rear easy entry as even with lube our differences in size are a bit much, don't you think?"

Woz blinked before answering quietly, "Yeah."

Concern had crept up at the back of their mind once they saw Wel writing something but those concerns had been pushed away by those words. Wel dotted the final line and the ink shifted and changed into the shape of a heart around Shura's back giving them something pretty to look at before they turned around on Wel's lap to give Woz a big smile. Wel reached down to grab hold of Shura's legs, bringing them up while Shura's tail curled around the fox's shaft to line them up. By now, Woz felt that each movement had another meaning behind them. While they certainly looked like they were enjoying each other, both Shura and Wel were taking things slow to show them that everything was okay between them. Even the marking of the ink had been explained. On one side of their mind, they felt bad about it. Wel and Shura shouldn't have had to slow down for them. At the same time, they couldn't help but appreciate it.

A distraction from their thoughts came with the sound of Shura's voice gasping as the tip of Wel's shaft slipped inside of their rump. Woz's thoughts froze entirely as they focused on drinking in what was happening right now. Wel's hands kept a tight hold on Shura's legs as they slowly lowered the small feline over their shaft. The magic made what might be a difficult fit into an easy one, Wel's hips occasionally darting up to push more and more of their member inside of Shura's rear. Shura themselves had their mouth open, a sigh spilling forth to signal their pleasure as their toes curl and their eyes shut in a manner which registered to Woz as bliss. Once they are all the way down, Wel begins to bring them back up only to let Shura back. The fox repeats the motion over and over again, taking their time while Shura mewls and shivers. Wel's head is craned now, lips planting gentle little pecks along Shura's ears, an act only interrupted by the occasional sigh and groan signaling the fox's pleasure.

It wasn't long before Woz heard Wel muttering, "Can I go faster?"

Shura shuddered as they brought their head back to lean and plant a peck beneath Wel's chin, "Okay but not too rough."

Wel replied quietly as they moved one arm around Shura's body to hold them in place while the other remained on one leg, "Let me know if I'm straying above and beyond or if you want more or less in general."

When Shura nodded, Wel began to move again. The movements were slow at first but began to speed up with every other thrust. Wozz at this point had forgotten their previous concerns and was entirely enthralled in the motions. Wel paused every so often to adjust Shura and make sure that they were okay before continuing on and sometimes even asked aloud how they were doing. Shura's answers came with quick affirmatives or sighs of pleasure that could be mistaken as nothing else but joyful acceptance of what was happening. Faster and faster Wel's hips went but they never strayed across the point of passion. Each thrust seemed to go through a motion that Wel threw themselves into, breathing out against Shura's ear while whispering words that they couldn't quite make out but that caused Shura to shudder and mewl aloud. Wel grunted and closed their eyes, movements suddenly growing more firm and impassioned as if urged on by instinct to breed. Shura didn't complain and even asked Wel aloud to go harder. Wel's agreement came with a grunt and a quick set of thrusts that bounced the smaller feline against their touch.

Heat began to bubble in Woz's body as they simply watched what was happening with wide eyes. Shura's smile had never left their face, their eyes fluttering and their mouth opening only to let out groans that still did nothing to wipe away that clear happiness. They ignored their own heat in order to focus on trying to figure out what Shura was feeling, how they might be reacting to Wel pounding inside of them so firmly. Woz continued to toy around with these thoughts until they realized that they had completely neglected their original concerns. They still had trouble parsing that they were so easily forgiven but there was a new interest in seeing how Wel and Shura interacted and it brought a fluttering to their heart that they couldn't quite explain. To see Shura so utterly and absolutely devastated with lust and happiness was something that they wanted to view over and over again even if they had no hand in it at all. Wel was a dear friend and the way they handled Shura was interesting. There was more firmness in their touch, more squeezes, and close kisses than Woz would have done. Wel also seemed to listen to Shura's whim's immediately, not even hesitating for a second when Shura asked Wel to speed up or otherwise.

They were surprised when they heard Wel growl, "Close. Let me bite, please."

Shura sighed aloud in response, "Shoulder, gently."

Wel's maw opened, fangs bright beneath the light of the room as they clamped onto Shura's shoulder. They didn't press, didn't tighten but they remained pressed through Shura's fur. Meanwhile, Wel continued pounding inside of them, pushing and pushing until Woz saw the bulbous knot begin to swell between them. A few more pushes and even the knot was thrust inside, Wel's eyes shut tight as they growled. Shura gasped, moaning and sighing happily, arm holding onto Wel's as their belly fattened from the load being pumped into them. Once Wel finished, they both settled back. Wel had a hand pressed against the floor to keep themselves steady while the other came up to stroke through Shura's hair. Meanwhile, Shura extended their arm toward Woz with a big smile on their face.

Their cheeks burned but they moved to wrap their arms around Shura and lean against Wel. A shudder ran through their body as they felt Wel's arm come around both of them but they didn't move away from the touch and instead shut their eyes to purr quietly, "I'm sorry, Shura."

Shura spoke quietly, "It's okay."

And again Woz said, "I'm sorry, Wel."

Wel grip around them both tightened just a bit as they spoke, "It's okay."

There was still so much to say, so much that Woz wanted to say but instead they kept their eyes shut and pressed closer to the warmth that both Wel and Shura provided. Shura was safe. Wel was safe and in the end, so was Woz.