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Felix Asher had been getting ready for bed, brushing out his soft, white coat when he received news of the captured beast that had been preying on his people. The court mage asked for the young lord's advice on the beast, for it seemed sentient as any person, but appeared immortal. It resisted all magical spells used against it, and conventional weaponry only caused the beast pain.

Felix frantically donned a waistcoat with the colors of his house: red and black with gold trim that matched the color of his eyes. Then, with a host of guards, took a carriage through the mountain city of Sepulcher of Midnight to the mage's embassy. There, in that stone tower nearly tall as his keep, his mage Coran led him down into the basement where they held the beast. They stopped outside a vault of sorts before Coran said, "Your retinue will have to wait outdoors, my lord."

The captain of the guard raised his voice in complaint, but Felix calmed the large bull and sent him and the other men upstairs. When they had been ushered out of the basement, Coran explained, "It is custom to keep the vault only accessible to mages."

"And you put the monster in here?"

"It was the only thing we thought could hold him," Coran said. The large, bearded vulture's heavy wings were curled around him like a cloak, and he wore only a loincloth (his taloned feet making pants not an option) and a sash denoting his affiliation with the embassy. In his hands he held a polished, steel staff of with a garnet the size of Felix's head set into the top of it.

"What is he, exactly?"

"We do not know; though, we suspect he is not of our world. A demon of some sorts, perhaps. Come."

Coran leaned his staff so the garnet touched the heavy iron doors of the vault and signed a series of glyphs on it. The door began to unseal itself, and Felix felt nerves start to bunch in his belly. His black tipped-tail flicked back and forth along the ground as seams ran down the length of what appeared to be an iron wall. Then a door materialized and swung inward.

"Come," Coran said and stepped inside. The inside of the vault was a tight, cramped space: two rooms each ten paces by ten, separated by iron bars which kept the creature on one side of the vault. Alchemical lanterns flickered on at their presence, and rising to his feet from behind those bars was the monster.

He was huge. Over seven feet tall with shoulders wide as a feral stallion's. His large, triangular ears were flattened against the vault's ceiling as he stood. He wore only a loincloth, his hide a chocolate brown with a soft, thin layer of fur. He was lithe and muscular--like an athlete at their peak. His eyes were very dark, nose ending at a blunt snout, and pushing tusk-like from his top lip were two long, fine fangs.

"He's a bat," Felix whispered. "I've never seen one before--is he from the north?"

Coran shook his head. "No, our libraries have no mention of a creature such as he."

"Out?" the bat asked with some hesitation to his question.

"He can speak?" Felix asked.

"He knows some of our tongue but is far from fluent, my lord," Coran said.

Felix glanced at the bat who watched them closely, a clear furrow to his brow. The bat was trying to piece together what they said, he realized.

Felix approached the bars separating them to get a closer look. His scent had this appealing sage tone to it, tinged in a masculine musk. He was no doubt attractive if a bit alien.

"Lord Asher I would recommend--"

"It's fine, I doubt he is stupid enough to make his situation worse by lashing out," Felix said over his shoulder, dismissing his mage. Something in those eyes showed far too much intelligence to be a simple beast or monster. He touched his chest and said, "My name is Felix. Felix Asher." He pointed at the bat. "What is your name?"

"Karniel," he said before Felix's head smashed against the bars. Karniel moved so fast Felix did not see him, just felt that arm reach between the bars and snatch the arctic fox against it.

"Let Karniel out!" Karniel shouted. "Or die!"

He knew more words than Felix expected.

Fortunately, Coran channeled a spell into the vault. A bolt of paralytic energy shot through both bat and fox alike and they slumped to the floor. Coran grabbed Felix and dragged him back--just in time, as Karniel came to his senses and attacked the bars soon as the mage got the fox out of reach. Shaken and half numb from Coran's spell, the mage helped Felix out of the vault while Karniel raged behind them.

***

"My lord you can't be thinking about going back in there!"

"I'm not going to just execute him, or try to figure out how to execute him," Felix growled at Coran. He had summoned the bearded vulture to his chambers the evening after his first encounter with Karniel.

Felix left the mages with explicit orders not to harm their prisoner, and leave the vault sealed for the time being. He had taken time to think on it, and he knew trying to eradicate the bat did them little good.

Coran said, "That does not mean you need to be the one to deal with him, Felix." He took a softer tone, stepping close and touching Felix's elbow. The fox's bedchambers were small for one of his station, the stone walls and floors covered in thick tapestries and rugs, with a four poster bed, a fireplace across from it, and a small writing desk tucked in the corner. Coran took up a lot of room in that small space, kept close-quartered to huddle in warmth in the winter. His den outside was where he spent most of his time meeting with others--Coran being one of the few exceptions.

"I will be careful, Coran," the fox said, reaching up and taking his hand. The vulture leaned in, sharp beak coming to rest curled between the fox's ears. His scent, crushed rose hips he wore as a perfume, always tickled Felix's senses and made his heart skip a beat when it grew this close.

"I know I cannot change your mind, so at least tell me why you want to speak to him."

"There might be more of his kind," Felix said. "If there are, it would behoove us to learn about his people and their ways. I know common folk think him a monster, but beast or no, we will not put him to death until we hear him out and know all he will tell us."

"You're right," Coran grumbled. "Of course--I so dislike it when you are, but you are right."

"Mmm, never get tired of you telling me I'm right."

"Heh, you don't have to be a brat about it, Lord Asher."

"Going to reprimand me?" Felix asked. He hooked his fingers around Coran's waist and leaned back, a glint of mischief in his golden eyes.

"Hmmhmm, only so long as you promise not to lock me up for it."

Giggling, Felix turned and stepped to the bed; his black-tipped, bushy white tail flicking Coran's crotch. He wore only a heavy, red and gold trimmed robe, which he let fall off one shoulder before looking over it. His sultry gaze met the vulture's hunger and he said, "Well?"

Like in the cell yesterday, Coran lunged quick enough to make the fox give a surprised squeak. This turned into laughter as his lover swept him off his feet and they fell into bed together. Coran, despite his soft labor as a mage, had a strong, refined body. Which only added to the bearded vulture's noble bearing, the plumage around his throat bright red like a hummingbird's gorget. His wings unfurled, and the low light of the alchemical lanterns came screened through his fiery orange and red wings, casting Felix in a shade of those colors.

Coran's strong, scaly hands opened Felix's robe and revealed the lush white fur that covered most of his lord's body. The fox shuddered when his hips were grabbed, red cock already peeking from a throbbing sheath. He sucked in a breath and reached for Coran's loincloth, undoing the buckle with fumbling, delicate fingers. The fabric fell to Coran's thighs, revealing the vulture's plump balls, and sheath, each a cream color that matched the avian's downy front. He clicked his beak and threw the loincloth off the bed and bent down, burrowing into Felix's shoulder. He nipped--caused a gasp, Felix's slender fingers pulling at his broad, black shoulders.

"You were hoping for this, weren't you?" Coran growled into Felix's ear.

He giggled. "When have we not been here when I summon you to my chambers?

"Mmmmhmm, I don't think I'll ever get enough of you, Felix."

"Good, because I doubt I will tire of you," Felix whispered in the vulture's ear. He kissed his lover's cheek, "Now are you going to fuck me or what?"

"How about you get me ready first?" Coran got up and with practiced ease, swung around the bed, straddling Felix's chest, he raised his tail-feathers to show off his soft, down butt. Before Felix might even ask, Coran sat back on the fox's face. His muzzle first pressed up on the underside of those balls, making Felix whine. He took a deep breath of the mage's musk, his sheath aching. The masculine, salty scent always stirred desire in Felix. He drew his tongue up the underside of the sack and hooked an arm around Coran's feathered thigh. The other hand touched and rubbed the meaty tube of flesh that held the bird's cock. He nuzzled and kissed those balls before licking up Coran's taint. He knew what the bird really wanted and was all too happy to oblige.

Felix's tongue dragged to the cleft of Coran's pucker. The tender, pink flesh was totally bare, wrinkled and earthy smelling but still clean. His narrow tongue darted out against that tender bud, and it clenched reflexively, Coran sighing and settling back over his lord. Felix's paw continued to grope and squeeze his partner's sheath, feeling the cock inside begin to push out. It was a bright pink and tapered at its point, spreading quickly to a fat shaft with a good heft to it. Felix got a little lost in this position. His dick throbbed freely across his lush white fur, and dripped while his tongue dragged over and over again along that rim. The bud became slick with spit while Coran began gyrating his hips. Felix's hands had moved to holding the avian cock in his hand, and as it pumped up and down his palm, that pucker ground along his muzzle. His whiskers occasionally pricked the tender flesh there, and made Coran give little gasps. They had stayed in this position before until Coran finished all over his lord. Which seemed possible when Felix's tongue pushed inside the vulture. His back arched over his white furred partner, and he sang a long moan to the ceiling. There was a breathless "Fuck..." wings twitching and flapping a little at their end. He groaned and forced himself to pull forward.

Panting on his hands and knees, he whispered, "You're too good at that, my lord."

Felix propped himself up with one elbow and wiped some drool off his muzzle with his other hand. "Hehe, you've given me lots of practice, Coran."

"Fuck Felix, I know I carried you to bed but--"

"Get yourself too worked up?"

Coran merely nodded, then raised his tail feathers again and asked over his shoulder, "Please."

It was rare Coran actually let Felix claim the bigger vulture's backside. He would not say no to the plea. A little smile teasing at his lips, the fox got onto his knees. Coran spread his legs more and settled on his elbows, red and black tipped tail raised and wings pulled tight to his back. Felix was not exactly huge, but he did not need to be for his mage to enjoy himself.

His spade tipped cock came to rest at Coran's worked up entrance. The asshole had darkened in color, flushed with heat like the rest of the vulture's needy body. Felix licked his lips and spread the cheeks of his partner further. Slowly, he began to push inside, while Coran squirmed and fidgeted before his entrance yielded. He sucked in a hard breath at an obvious sting of pain. They did not do this often, but Felix trusted the vulture to tell him if he needed his lord to slow down. That pucker relaxed as bright red fox cock filled it. Eventually, Coran's rear rested against Felix's knot.

"Ooooh fuck," Coran sighed. "That's, hah, always feels bigger than I think it is."

"If we, ah," Felix gasped when Coran clenched on him, "d-did this more often, you'd get used to it."

"Can't be, gods, letting my lord spoil me."

"Mmm, pretty sure it's you who spoils me, Coran," Felix said with a touch of a grin. "You ready?"

"Fuck me, Felix." That breathy whisper sent a shiver through Felix's chest. He obliged, pulling his hips back from the slick, tight heat of his partner before sliding forward. The two moaned in tandem. Felix dug his trimmed claws into his partner's hips as he began pounding the bird's rear. Coran buried his beak in the mattress and used it to muffle his noises. His whole body rocked to the motion of the smaller fox's pounding. Neither felt the desire to be slow, not in this position. Felix couldn't dream of it when the heat of this hole was so enticing. His lips curled up, revealing his sharp teeth. His eyes squeezed shut, his smaller sack smacking the bird's bigger balls. Felix huffed, his knot smacking the entrance to his lover. The spade tip stirred up those insides and ground back and forth along the bird's prostate.

Coran's cock swung and slapped his belly, precum scattering across his feathers and the bed. His virility apparent just by how much he leaked onto his lord's sheets. The room began to smell of it: rich musk and need, of drooling cock and the sweat of two partners lost in the pleasures their bodies could give one another. And Felix felt his knot prying that hole open. He felt it almost there, and on his next thrust he stayed against the bird, angry red cock splaying wide that pucker before, with an extra buck, it bulled inside the vulture. Coran moaned, shaky knees giving out. He pulled Felix down onto the bed with him, knot tugged on in a way that sent a delicious jolt of pleasure through the fox. He moaned sweetly, and collapsed across his partner's back.

Felix bit down on a tuft of feather between Coran's wings and growled as he came. His balls clenched against that cream rump, and his cock began spilling its seed. A harsh exhale and shudder bowled through the lord before his eyes snapped open and he remembered his panting partner. Felix forced a hand under Coran's belly and grasped the tip of his cock. It took only a few strokes before the bird released a long moan and began to cum. Felix kept stroking that tip while gouts of sticky seed coated his palm, his bed, and Coran's stomach. The vulture clenched on the vulpine cock inside him, which squeezed more seed from the fox's churning nuts. Both partners became breathy, moaning messes, as they spilled their passions until they finally went shuddering and still.

Felix's ears flicked when he heard Coran click his tongue on his beak. He said, "Ah, that was... I needed that. Thank you, Felix."

Felix's familiar giggle warmed Coran's heart almost as much as their sex did. He kissed that black, feathery back and said, "Thank you, darling."

***

Karniel thought he did a rather good job of keeping time inside that wretched cell. Rather than exile him to the surface, his brethren might as well have entombed him in stone for where he had ended up. When the white fox from before returned, Karniel knew it had been some dozen hours, but he could not guess with any sort of specificity.

This time he did not stand when the fox entered the room. The mage did not follow Felix inside, but sealed the vault door before Felix greeted Karniel.

It had only been a year since Karniel's banishment, and he had not really committed to learning the surface dweller's language. Much to his regret at this point. He parsed every few words, but whatever eloquence his captor might hold was lost on the bat.

Eventually, Karniel interrupted with, "Out."

Felix blinked. "I'm sorry?"

"I wish out."

"Ah, but I can't do that."

"Can't?"

"No."

"Why can't?"

Felix stepped closer to the bars, close enough Karniel might grab him again if he wished. But he remained slumped to the wall, killing the fox accomplished nothing now. "I want to get to know you," Felix said.

"Know?"

"Understand?"

Still no recognition for a moment. Felix pointed at himself. "I know my name is Felix. I know your name is Karniel. I know this," tapping the bars with a claw, "is hard."

Karniel's raked his claws across the metal floor in annoyance. The tinny scratch made Felix wince. Karniel hated how much a chore simply speaking had become in this new world. "Know, yes," he said to show he understood.

"I must learn about you to know you."

Karniel nodded. He followed now.

"Perhaps we should work on your language skills first?"

Karniel understood only a few words of that question, but he said, "Yes." He needed to play along. He knew whoever this Felix fellow was he held power over the bat's fate. Karniel could play nice and indulge his fancy. At this point, he had nothing but time.

***

Felix said, "I know you do not drink or eat our foods, but I wanted to offer to share this with you." He sat next to the bars with Karniel on the opposite side, with a tray he brought in with him. On it sat two crystal goblets and a bottle of wine, which he presently uncorked before pouring them both a glass.

He offered one goblet to Karniel, who took it and asked, "This is wine, yes?"

"Ah, you already knew?" Felix asked before taking a sip. The dark, violet liquid was one of Felix's finer vintages, which he hoped would entice Karniel to drink with him. It was smooth and warm, sweet with floral notes as Felix took a drink.

Karniel said, "I've heard surface dwellers discuss it before."

"Have a drink, I promise to have a servant bring and dispose of a chamber pot."

"Very well," he said before bringing the goblet to his fanged lips. It was positively tiny in his hands. Felix waited with a little smile teasing at his muzzle. Karniel swallowed with a grin and said, "Oh, I like that." Without much ceremony, the bat drank the rest of his goblet in one gulp.

"Easy now!" Felix said, laughing when Karniel held the glass through the bars for another drink. The fox obliged and said, "If you drink too much you might get drunk. Though, a fellow your size might take a lot of wine to get there."

"Drunk?"

"It is a state of mind," Felix said while tapping his temple. "Addles your senses, makes you feel good, but makes you clumsier and you act with less restraint."

"Hmm, I believe I have seen your kind drunk before."

"Hehe, we do enjoy that state of mind. So it is not surprising you have come across us like this," Felix said.

Karniel said, "If it will help me with my boredom I won't mind needing the chamber pot." Felix, smiling warmly, watched the bat take another drink. Karniel had been in captivity for a little over two months now, and most of that time Felix, with Coran and a few other mages' help, had been teaching Karniel the trade languages of the Emerald Cities. It was, given the commercial influence of the cities, considered the common language of the continent.

Karniel had proven very sharp--taking the threads of many different words and phrases he knew and stitching them together in a fluency that left Felix truly in awe over the last two months.

"Yes, well, hopefully we will not have to keep you here much longer. If you are sufficiently warmed up we can--"

Karniel held out the goblet for another glass--he was very quickly draining this bottle. Felix obliged him and he asked, "Where does this wine come from?"

"My aunt. She sent it from Sepulcher of Dawn."

"Ah, one of the Emerald Cities, right?"

"That's right," Felix said.

"Coran told me their names last night." Each Emerald City carried a similar naming pattern: Sepulcher plus a time of day--Dawn, Morning, Noon, Afternoon, Dusk, Twilight, and Midnight. "Why are they named such?" Karniel asked.

"It represents the pilgrimage of the Sage in Emeralds. It's said he meditated at the times of day in the spots where the cities were founded, and each location acts as a well of power. Gods and mortals alike are drawn to these places."

Karniel cocked his head. "Odd. Is it true?"

"You came here from the east did you not?"

Karniel said, "Yes."

"Why not head north, why head here?"

"I just took it as chance if I am honest."

"Ah, but the saying goes those of power are always drawn to the Emerald Cities."

Karniel rolled his eyes before draining the rest of his goblet. "Anymore wine?"

Felix, smartly, refilled his half-drank goblet before draining the rest of the bottle into Karniel's. The fox admitted, "I do not know if I exactly believe it myself. We are rich cities, every one of us, which draws mages, merchants, adventurers, and everyone else."

"Mmm, what is it about being rich?"

Felix blinked. "Do you not know what rich means?"

"I do," Karniel said. "I just do not understand it."

"Ahhh, I see. Well, in our world wealth buys power and comfort. We can enjoy this wine because I am wealthy, for instance. Almost all of the wine in the world is not as good as this vintage."

"And how did you get your wealth?"

Felix shrugged. A complicated family history of acumen and knowing when and where to throw their lot in a few wars here and there. "I was lucky, born into it."

Karniel scoffed. "What's to stop me from taking your wealth?"

Felix laughed and clinked a glass to the barrier between them. "These bars for one, friend. Besides, I'll gladly share my wealth with you."

"Why?"

"I rather like you, and you are my guest."

"But you still keep me locked up."

"And you still won't answer my questions."

Grumbling, Karniel drank the last of his wine. He said, "Not yet, still things I need to know."

"Then we will just spend more time talking, friend."

"Mmm, friend? Hard for me to believe such a thing when I am imprisoned."

Felix grimaced a little and admitted. "I would like to do without the bars as well, but you made a habit of murdering people out in the countryside."

"I needed to feed," Karniel said with a shrug. He reached through the bars and set the goblet down on the tray. "It was nothing personal."

"You feed on blood, then?"

Karniel nodded.

"Why not the blood of game?" Felix asked.

"It tastes wretched, and does not sate my hunger."

"Ah, I see," Felix said, stomach turning a little at the way the conversation had gone. Still, he pressed on: "You need the blood of higher creatures."

"Mortals," Karniel said the word like he was testing the feel of it in his mouth. "I discussed it with Coran last night. Your magic does not feed on the spirits of feral pigs and the like--neither does my body sustain itself on such things."

"Yet still you can eat food."

"I can because it can feel good to."

"But it does not feed you," Felix added.

Karniel shook his head. "No, it might keep away my hunger, but not feed me."

Felix sipped the last of his wine and set his glass next to Karniel's. He felt a little flush despite his comparatively smaller portion to drink. He asked, "How long can you go without feeding?"

"Which is longer? Month or year?"

"Year?"

"I see, a few years then? Certainly if all I am doing is sitting in a cell and waiting," Karniel said.

Felix's jaw dropped a little. He said, "That is a very long time. Can you starve to death?"

Karniel swept out his hands. "The boredom will wither me away first." Felix chuckled despite himself, which Karniel used to say, "I like it when you smile."

Suddenly self-conscious, Felix straightened up a bit. "Um, excuse me?"

"You're attractive when you smile," Karniel said again. "I enjoy making you laugh, even if you keep me here as your prisoner."

"Are you ever mad at me for being kept here.?"

Karniel scratched his chin with a long claw, contemplating the question for a few tense moments. He shook his head. "You are giving me time to learn about the surface, and I appreciate the lessons. Folk were not keen on talking to a big, babbling foreigner before now. And I am not too worried about being imprisoned."

Tail sweeping back and forth on the ground to express his nerves, Felix asked, "Why?"

Karniel, for the first time in all their conversations, gave Felix a winsome smirk. He leaned in close to the bars, his proximity making his smell very strong. He whispered, "Because, I think you're becoming quite attached to me, hmm?"

For all his supposed strength, speed, and indestructibility, Felix was beginning to believe the most dangerous part of Karniel was his intellect.

***

Felix insisted, and so they furnished Karniel's prison. Books came in to keep the bat entertained, with lessons on the script. Large, heavy furs pushed through the bars to become a somewhat comfortable bedding for the bat, and a set of incense sticks and the means to light them to add a nicer scent to the cold metal and his musk.

It was with the waft of sandalwood that Felix sat down on a cushion next to the bars. "We've practically moved in at this point."

Karniel shut the book he read and said from his bedding on the other side of the cell, "Your work, I'm assuming?"

"I did not seem right to keep you here without making you comfortable."

"Seems right to keep me here, however?"

"You just need to be a little open to be freed, my friend."

"Mmm, I'm still enjoying my imprisonment."

"Enjoying?" Felix said with a little chuckle.

"The company's been very good."

This said with an expression in those dark eyes that was hungry. Felix was not sure if the bat wished to drain his blood or something else. Truly, he had avoided talk of sex with Karniel. Not only was it improper, but Felix could not deny he found his prisoner attractive. Something Karniel no doubt had gathered at this point.

Laughing a little too nervously, Felix said, "I am happy you have not lacked in that, at least. I'm sure you will taste the sun again at some point."

Karniel shrugged. "I am used to this."

"You are?"

Karniel cleared his throat and tapped the hard iron floor with a claw. "My people reside deep below the surface."

"I, uh... don't suppose you would want to say more?"

"What more is there to say?"

But Felix pressed on, leaning a bit closer to the bars: "Your people, so there is more than one of you?"

"Yes, but, well unless something goes very wrong down there, I will be the only one up here. On the surface. Think of them as existing on another plane of existence for how distant they are," Karniel said.

"I... I..." Felix was a little lost for words. "Just like that you tell me what I wanted to know?"

"Oh all I've given you is the barest inkling you will never be able to confirm on your own," Karniel said. "I could be making it all up."

"Karniel..."

"What, not happy with me?"

"You really could just be telling me this for your amusement, couldn't you?" Felix asked in disbelief.

"Yes. I am, whether it is the truth or not matters little in that regard."

"Do you expect me to just release you now?" Felix asked.

Karniel got up, crossed the room to the bars where Felix sat, and dropped to the floor cross-legged. Then he said, "I expect nothing of the sort, Felix. Besides, I'm not ready to go yet."

Felix glanced back at the two distinct piles of books: one Karniel had read and one he still needed to read. He had told the fox he wanted to learn as much about the surface as he could, so it did not surprise Felix to hear this. "Your sense of time is much different than ours."

"You know, I've not thought that much about it," Karniel said.

"I would just assume most prisoners would be getting sick of this cell by now, but you've been immensely patient."

"Oh, well it has hardly been any time at all, hasn't it?"

It had been three months.

"How long will you live, Karniel?"

"Why, I thought that was obvious? So long as I feed I'm immortal in your world."

Felix still did not know if Karniel was joking or not. He swallowed the knot in his throat and asked, "Speaking of, are you hungry yet?"

Karniel bobbed his head side to side before saying, "Mmmm, no. I could go a few more months, I suppose."

"I see. It has been nagging me, you know. I do not wish to leave you hungry."

"What? Are you going to send me the criminals to be executed?"

"Gods no," Felix shuddered at the thought. "Those deaths should be quick. Do you really have to kill in order to feed, though? Like if I were to cut open my palm and drain the blood into a bowl, could you drink that?"

"I suppose. No one seemed inclined to give me their blood."

"Well you will not keep any friends if you insist on killing folk every time you feed."

"No, I suppose not."

"It does not seem you need to eat often, I'm sure taking a little will not be too much trouble," Felix said.

Karniel quirked his brow. "Are you offering?"

Felix tensed up at the suggestion. Karniel meant it mostly in jest, and it was not something the fox ever considered doing, but shouldn't he? The thought of calling in Coran or any number of his subjects in here to do it in his place felt sickeningly unfair. If Karniel fed it would only be...

"H-how would it work?"

Karniel touched one of his fangs. "I bite you with these and drain what might come out, then stop before I take too much."

"And you would know how much would be too much?"

"I've gotten fairly good at telling with you mortals," Karniel said with another winsome smile.

"Right, I suppose you have."

Karniel held out his hand through the bars. "Well?"

"Uh, right now?"

"I don't see why not. You trust me, don't you?"

Felix glanced at that large hand that once held him hostage. "I trust you know better than to harm me."

"Oh come now," Karniel pulled his hand back, folded his arms across his chest, and huffed. "I thought we were friends, Felix. You surely can trust me with this."

"I..." Felix shook his head and stood. "Not yet, my friend. I need to wrap my head around doing this, time to prepare."

"You're leaving?"

"You've given me much to think about."

Felix turned but felt a tug on his tail. Karniel had grabbed it and now stood as well. He let go of the fox's tail. "What is it?" Felix asked.

"Before you go, I feel it is important I share one last thing."

"One last thing for me to think about."

"Come now, Felix, be a little more of your charitable self, at least. I _have_told you the truth today, but there is one final thing you should know."

"What is it?"

"I was banished from my home--and I don't really mind it. I quite like the surface, the sun and weather is very nice. There is so much more to your home than there was in mine. But there is something I have been lacking: companionship. I _do_count you as a friend, Felix. Perhaps my only one in this world." Karniel offered out his hand again. "It is a friendship I do not wish to lose."

Felix took the hand and Karniel pulled him back to the bars. It was awkward to be hugged through those bars. His pointed muzzle was buried into the chocolate fur of Karniel's chest, and the smell of sage and musk became so strong it left Felix a little flushed. He savored Karniel's touch perhaps a touch longer than he should, then the bat released him.

"I look forward to seeing you," Karniel said.

A little flustered, Felix straightened out his doublet before finding his voice. "Yes. I mean, I do, too. See you, Karniel."

***

"Ah, you brought company," Karniel said as Felix and Coran reentered the vault a day later. Though Coran had warmed up to their prisoner, today he wore a scowl on his face. Felix had a rather serious argument with the vulture--much more than whether they should allow Karniel to feed had been discussed. Coran did not wish to release Karniel: period. He considered the bat to have a side of malice that no one would be able to check, but Felix wanted to believe their prisoner merely needed better moral guidance.

The lowest part of last night had been when Coran told Felix, "You are letting your fancy blind you to the obvious, my lord."

But Felix made up his mind, and loyal Coran would be sure to protect his lord.

"He's to make sure nothing goes wrong," Felix explained while Coran glared daggers.

"Ah," Karniel's ear twitched and he said, "You plan to have me feed today."

"Yes, if you are willing."

"And if my lord should come to harm," Coran growled, "I will seal you in this vault and teleport it to the bottom of the sea."

"I suppose we should negotiate degrees of harm, hmm? I cannot simply whisk the blood out of him, convenient as that would be," Karniel said as he approached the bars.

Felix changed the subject before the two could exchange more barbs: "How do you want to go about this?"

"It should be fairly simple," Karniel said. "If you would, roll up your sleeve and present me your wrist through the bar."

Shaking a little with nerves, both larger men watched as Felix uncuffed his sleeve and rolled it up to the elbow. He took a step closer, and offered his hand. He looked up, and his breath caught in his throat at Karniel's smoldering smirk. He reached through the bars, hand settling on the small of Felix's back to pull the fox close. Close as they had been yesterday. Karniel's chest tickled Felix's nose and made his whisker's twitch. "Watch, my lord," came the sultry order. Felix leaned back what little he could in time to see Karniel kiss his wrist--a small offering of tenderness before that maw opened. Nothing more than a fine, sharp prick. The pain, almost sweet, made Felix gasp as those fangs pierced his wrist. Not too deep, just enough for the blood to flow before Karniel removed them and placed his lips over the bite. He suckled, shuddering as he tasted Felix. A little moan from Karniel sent jolt through the young lord. In that moment, it was just the two of them. Felix couldn't remember if he even breathed as Karniel fed. They kept their eyes locked on one another in a hypnotic trance.

Then Karniel released his wrist and stepped back. Blood, Felix's, stained his lips. And in that moment Felix wanted nothing more than to taste it. He never felt so strongly the urge to kiss another, and Karniel watched him as if he knew.

A hand, not Karniel's but Coran's, squeezed Felix's elbow. "My lord, if I may?" His mage drew him back, signed a glyph on his gently bleeding wrist, and the wound sealed up.

Karniel bowed deeply and said, "Thank you, my lord, for sharing in that pleasure with me."

Gods, he did know. Felix had fallen much more deeply for the bat than even he could have guessed.

"Excuse us," Coran said, dragging Felix out of the vault. Once he sealed the steel door behind them, he spun on his lord. "Please think about this, Felix."

"Think about what?" Felix asked, tone getting defensive.

He tugged down his cuff, buttoning it as Coran said, "I saw the way you looked at him and the way he looked at you."

"I..." Felix's chest stirred at the thought of the way Karniel looked at him. "Are you jealous?"

Coran scoffed. "Uh--what? No! I'm concerned that--"

"You are," Felix folded his arms over his chest. "Do you really think I would just leave you for him, Coran?"

Coran leaned his staff on the vault wall and bent his knees so the two were at eye level. He grabbed Felix by the upper arm, gently squeezing, clearly searching for the words. Eventually he said, "Of course I'm jealous, but I know others have come and gone in your life, and you've never faltered. I can... I can swallow my jealousy, but I am so scared of him using you, Felix. If he were to hurt you... frankly I'm not sure what I would do."

Felix cupped Coran's cheek, and his loyal adviser leaned into his palm. "Trust me, Coran. He's not going to hurt me."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Because he's not stupid," Felix said with a chuckle. "I do trust him, but I also trust even more that he is smart enough to know killing me is only a sure way to condemn him to a life of being hunted mercilessly."

Coran smiled softly. "I suppose the Asher family knows how to hold a grudge."

"My aunt certainly does. Remember when she threatened you after she found out about us?"

"Hehe, thank goodness she's living in Sepulcher of Dawn now. If she heard about what you did today, why I'm sure she'd have all three of our heads."

Felix hugged Coran, nuzzling into the feathered ruff around his collarbone. When he broke the embrace, he said, "I'm going to release him."

"Do you plan to fuck him?" Coran asked.

"I might invite him back to my chambers and see where the night goes."

Coran rolled his eyes. "At least sleep on it. Make him wait a day so he doesn't have to know just how smitten you are."

"Me? Smitten?"

"Should any of us really be surprised?"

***

Karniel could smell Felix's scent in the room the fox led them into. He had a gentle, musk mixed with the lavender of some oil he treated his fur with. It was quite a pleasant scent, and made the obvious tell that this room belonged to Felix himself.

"This is where you expect me to stay?" Karniel asked as he went to the fireplace. It had been recently cleaned, with three logs set inside with the kindling and coals needed to relight it. A single alchemical lantern burned on a writing desk next to the bed. It was rather small, considering the wealth Felix must wield, but perhaps that sense came from the fact the four-poster bed swallowed most of the space in the room.

"Until you wish to leave. I admit, I half expected you to leave the city when we released you," Felix said at the door. Karniel heard the fox's black-tipped tail brushing against it. He was excited. Karniel's keen ears could almost pick up the sound of his raised heartbeat.

He turned on Felix and said, "This is your room, isn't it?"

Starting as if he'd been caught doing something wrong, Felix said, "I... yes, I wanted to offer them to you. There are plenty of guest rooms in the keep, and you should be--"

"Oh, I assumed you wanted to share a bed. Apologies for being presumptuous."

Felix's ears folded back. "Well, if you were so inclined, I admit I have been, uh, curious?"

Karniel smirked. "So bashful, my lord. I did not get that sense from you in my cell."

Felix's ears jumped back up, as if Karniel's teasing encouraged his confidence. "Can you blame me? I think anyone with eyes would become flustered before a handsome creature such as yourself."

"Mmm, that so? I did notice you sneaking peeks at me while your servants helped me bathe."

"You... you did?"

"My lord," Karniel said, crossing the room in a few steps. He tipped Felix's jaw up with a single, clawed finger and said, "I think we can be curt with one another, can't we? I've known for some time you have been interested, and I admit that, while just about every person I meet in this world is different from what I am used to, I find myself very drawn to you."

"Some-something..." Felix swallowed the knot in his throat. "Think it's something about foxes?"

"Mmm, I do find foxes quite fetching, but no..." and Karniel leaned in, Felix drawing in a quick breath, his ears trembling. "I think it's something about you."

They kissed.

Felix's hands trembled, fingers curled, then he threw his arms around Karniel's neck, white furred digits grabbing handfuls of chocolate fur. He had surrendered into Karniel's kiss, wanting this completely. The bat found his partner tasted sweet, some wine from earlier still lingering on Felix's palette. His whiskers twitched, the kiss awkward till his muzzle twisted ever so slightly to better receive Karniel.

Large hands squeezed his rear, yanking Felix up against the larger male, his neck craning to keep their lips together. Karniel's length stirred against his stomach, a firmness hidden by the loincloth, its growing outline in the fabric unseen because he dare not break their kiss. He let the bat lead, this creature from another land who smelled of an intoxicating blend of musk and sage, whose tongue, deep in his maw, still carried traces of Felix's blood. Effortlessly, Karniel swept him off the floor and they tumbled back into the bed.

They both started removing his clothes. All the signs of his bearing stripped, down to his signet ring so Felix Asher lay bare before Karniel. His lithe frame, his full white fur, his black-tipped tail brushing against the bed. His chest rose and fell, panting already, cock already exposed. The red length looked good, twitching above all that lush fur. Karniel kept him pinned to the bed with a smoldering look, Felix not so much as moving his hands as they rested above his head.

"Mmm, you know," Karniel said as he unbuckled his loincloth, "I've not slept with a surface dweller before."

The scrap of clothing fell, and Felix got his first good glimpse at his partner's endowment. It was human like; its soft, dark flesh swelling and falling in a flaccid, semi-hard curve over a heavy pair of balls. Given Karniel's relative size to most mortals, it was not surprising he already appeared better endowed than most on the surface. Foreskin wrapped tightly around the mushroom head, its urethra glistening with precum. He had been aroused earlier, but softened some when stripping Felix.

He chuckled when his partner just stared at his cock. Those eyes enough to make it twitch and stir with more life, enough to make Karniel fondle his balls, rolling the swollen orbs in his palms, the sack a palmful even in his large hands. Cock half-hard, his fingers slid up to the base, where he squeezed it, the shaft twitching at the touch. He gave himself a pump, foreskin sliding back, revealing fully those glans as they swelled bigger and bigger. Bigger than any partner an enraptured Felix had ever had.

"Well, do you plan to just ogle it, my lord?"

"My lord," tacked on to tease Felix. They both knew who had total control here. He obeyed, sitting up with Karniel straddling his waist, that long, athletic torso shaped perfectly and right in front of his twitching snout...

Karniel's hard shaft curled upwards towards his navel. Far too long for Felix to hope to get it down his throat, but he would endeavor to worship it however he could. He wrapped both hands around the base, fingers just fitting around it. He nuzzled the underside of it, the heavier, more masculine musk of his cock flooding Felix's senses. Thick, pungent with virility. Karniel held him to his crotch, as Felix finally spread his tongue across the soft flesh. His narrower, vulpine tongue left little trails of saliva. Though Karniel had bathed very recently, he tasted more of salt than soaps. Felix preferred that, liked male flavors to remind him just what it was he worshipped.

Worship he did. The smaller fox whimpered as his licking became eager, slathering the dick's underside from base to tip. Its foreskin was now just barely wrapped around the glans, which offered up a saltier flavor from the precum collected there. Felix lapped it all up before his maw opened and enveloped Karniel's head best he could. His lips closed around the tip and he managed to suckle for just a moment before a finger on his brow gave him pause.

"You can taste my seed later, kit," Karniel whispered. "Come, roll over. I want to finish inside you."

Felix, eyes wide, wilted all over again under Karniel's smirk. He released that magnificent tool and did as asked. Karniel settled at the back of the bed while he got on all fours, elbows planted in front of him and butt in the air. He lifted his tail, its tip wagging before his entrance.

Karniel's hands soon rested on his rear. They were just so big. The bat could almost wrap one hand entirely around Felix's waist, and something about being so small and helpless and in the bat's care had his red prick dripping. Karniel had not touched Felix once, but he did not need to be touched when his partner had such a presence about him. Long, dark claws combed through his fur, tenderly raked flesh before a pair of thumbs spread his rear. His pink pucker almost rosy amidst the plush, white rear that hid it. He shivered when Karniel's nose brushed his tail, he heard the bat inhale, savoring the slight musk of his rear. Felix had made sure to be thoroughly clean back there before meeting Karniel here, of course, which left only his body's natural musk for the bat to scent and savor and--

"Ahhh!" Felix moaned as a tongue dragged across his entrance's tender flesh. He had rimmed other partners, but his only other male partner had been Coran, and his hooked beak made such oral adventures slightly dangerous. So this was a first for the young fox.

Karniel's flat muzzle had no reservations nuzzling into his cheeks. His tail quivered while tongue ravaged his hole. Karniel kissed his rim, and Felix pressed back into the touch, moaning in the sheets. He flexed his pucker in response, tonguing becoming urgent, seeking entrance till the flesh yielded. The intrusion was unlike any Felix experienced, that slick muscle wriggling inside him, tasting him more intimately than anyone ever had before. Well, perhaps the exception being the night before when he offered Karniel his blood.

His cock drooling with its own needs, Karniel backed off and sat up. The little fox trembled beneath him, looking frail and beautiful all at once, a delicate piece of art, but Felix would not be brittle. Karniel was sure the fox would handle him. His passage had been used by others, and Karniel's sheer _productivity_would make for ample lube in this case. He set the fat tip of his cock against Felix's entrance, rubbing his shaft along that soft, fluffy butt a moment. He admired his partner's quivering need a moment longer, fingers closing around Felix's trim waist. As his cock slowly caved in that fleshy entrance, Felix sucked in a breath, clearly trying to relax. Karniel, after all, was still very big.

The ring of muscle relented, and his tip barreled inside tight, warm fox. Karniel sighed, meat throbbing and leaking while Felix's hands had balled into fists. A slight whine from his partner prompted Karniel to rub the small fox's back. He leaned over, body lowering to embrace his partner. He hooked an arm around Felix's chest and pulled them together, kissing the top of his ears before he whispered, "We will go slow. I don't want to hurt you, I swear."

Karniel's steady dominance melting into this intimacy encouraged Felix to finally speak up again, only to say, "I-it's fine. I trust you." Felix reached up and wrapped an arm around Karniel's neck, holding them even closer. He said, "I want you inside me, Karniel. I can take it."

"You're quite certain?"

"I_will_ take it," Felix said, huffing, "Now fuck me."

Karniel's sultry chuckle rumbled through his chest into Felix's back. He asked, "Are all mortals on the surface so determined to get fucked?"

"Just the foxes," Felix teased.

"Mhmm, I could certainly get used to that."

"Just don't--unf--fuck..." Felix trailed off as Karniel's hips rolled forward. He held the fox tight to his body, so Felix had no choice but to sink further onto that cock. The bat quickly spread him far more than any male before, and he was certain he would reach deeper, too. Felix wanted it, even through grit teeth and a slight burning in his rear. It hurt, but the pain was sweet, and a tease of pleasure, a promise of what was to come already blossomed in his guts. He loved being held so close, loved how their heat and scent mixed together. He growled through his pain, and when Karniel ground forward, Felix pushed back. Several inches of that dick slammed inside him like something came unstuck, and both partners moaned. Karniel panted now, needy now in a way Felix had not yet seen. He wondered how long it had been since the bat last knew a lover's embrace.

Too long, for Karniel. He had not even expected to find Felix so enjoyable. Those tight, now pre-slick walls wrapped around half his shaft. It tempted and demanded more. The way the fox's velvet interior clenched, seemed to prod and explore every vein on his meat's sensitive flesh. Karniel wanted to breed the fox, desperately, but more dangerous than that, this cocktail of pleasure made him want to feed, too. An urge he needed to resist, grip on Felix tightening while he wriggled and groaned. He would be completely helpless, Karniel could feed until Felix choked on his bloodless breath.

He quenched the urge; some passions were not worth following. He had learned this when said passions got him expelled from his home. Exiled and wandering the surface, but Karniel had learned it was not all bad. There was potential here, like in this fox sinking further down his shaft, huffing and mewling for Karniel, practically begging. Yes, Karniel wanted to use him again and again, and grit his teeth, eyes shut, as he yanked Felix back down on his cock. He hilted in another stroke, plush rump flush with his heavy balls, dick throbbing in that warm passage.

Felix panted, breathless, almost winded. He looked down and saw his stomach bulged slightly, right at his navel. He had taken Karniel all the way to the base alright. His hold on the bat tightened, claws digging into his flesh. It hurt, but also being so full felt lewd and slutty and good. Felix never considered himself a size queen, but now? "Hrrf, K-Karniel, fuck me... fuck me please, Karniel--"

"Rrrr, shut up, kit." Karniel slammed him back into the bed, one hand on the back of Felix's neck all he needed to pin the fox completely. "Look at you," Karniel spat. "Are all lords on the surface such sluts, or is it just the foxes again?"

Felix did not understand where the aggression came from, but the humiliation worked for him when Karniel started moving. Like an animal, growling and snarling, Karniel rammed his partner into the bed. His balls slapped against Felix's butt and upper thighs, all that productive precum now leaking a bit from him, running messily through his fur like a lubricant might. He almost screamed into the sheets, his prostate pummeled as the bigger male had his way with him. That cock churned his insides up so much he almost saw stars. His nuts clenched and he came, tension ratcheting and exploding through him. His seed spilled in long spurts across the sheets, each rope almost hammered out to the time of Karniel's thrusts. It felt like an eternity for Felix, whose tongue lolled out of his mouth, drooling into the bed.

For Karniel it was only half a minute. It had been a long time, and he feared if he did not find release soon he might lose all restraint and find it by seeking Felix's blood. He did not, though. He made the fox's tight little hole a sloppy mess, wet and tight and sucking then clenching hard as Felix came. Karniel huffed, bent back over the fox, frantically humping, fangs grazing Felix's nape as his balls drew tight, then clenched.

Karniel collapsed over his partner, flattening them both into the bed, his cock hilted inside that passage. His balls twitched and jumped against Felix's rump, and his heavy, smothering weight and heat still did not overwhelm like the amount of cum flooding his insides. He quickly felt full, as seed, blasted in steady ropes, filled him till the pearlescent sperm squirted past that thick cock and flooded both their fur. It left Felix breathless a second time, almost suffocating under Karniel's immense size.

Then Karniel came to his senses and rolled them both over, still connected, Felix now lounged on the bat's chest, able to see the slight swell of his belly, slightly amazed by it. Exhausted, shuddering on top his lover, Felix gasped when a fang nibbled on the thin flesh of his ear.

"Doing alright?" Karniel whispered.

"Mmph, yes," Felix breathed. His thighs felt a little numb from the pounding he endured. "I don't think I'll be walking anytime soon."

"Then let's just stay here till you can." Karniel wrapped his arms around Felix before turning them both on their side. His cock, now softening, stayed sheathed in Felix. Connected there in the afterglow and spooning, it came as no surprise the exhausted fox began to drift off. "Rest easy, darling," Karniel cooed, "I will be here when you wake."

***

The week Karniel stayed with Felix went by faster than any in his life. Even Coran, by the end of it, had warmed to their guests enough to flirt with him. Though nothing happened between bat and mage that week, the promise of future rendezvous between the three of them certainly seemed possible. Though Karniel admitted he held deep affections for Felix, he still insisted he needed also to see more of the surface.

Karniel warned him after their first night that he intended to leave, so Felix made sure to have clothes tailored to the bat. Red, black, and gold, the colors of the Asher line, which cut a dashing figure on him.

It was a chilly, foggy morning when Karniel departed. They rode an open-topped carriage with Coran, city guards leading the way on horseback. They rode to the inner-city's gates, the mountainous city spilled out in a disarray of tiered sections, with the poorest living near the foot of the mountain. From the gates, those lower sections were obscured in fog. Coran opted to stay in the carriage when they reached the gate, Karniel dismounting and offering a hand to Felix.

His hand, always so small in Karniel's darker one, took his partner's and he hopped down. His breath spiraled through the cold, humid air. He said, "The chill should ease off by noon."

"Mmm, the cold doesn't bother me," Karniel said as they walked past the guards and onto the road. Any townspeople kept their distance as the two approached the edge of the road, which followed a switchback path cut out of the mountain. With nothing but the open air and the steep slope rolling out before them, Felix almost wished he could just drop everything and run off into the fog with Karniel.

He smiled wryly and squeezed Karniel's fingers. "Does anything bother you?"

Karniel shrugged. "Oh, you know, people who nag, singers who are off-key."

"That's it, huh?"

"Oh, hardly, the worst I'd say is telling someone you love goodbye."

Felix gasped.

Karniel turned them both to face each other, a soft, sweet smile on his face.

"I... I... really Karniel? Sneaking in a line like that of all times?"

"Oh come now, are you mad at me?"

"No, it's just--" Felix shook his head and took the hand he held in both of his. He lifted it to his lips and kissed Karniel's knuckles. "You aren't making any of this easier. Can't you stay? Just a little longer?"

"Not yet, though I have no doubt I will be back, darling."

"Darling... you got that word from me."

"From Coran," Karniel corrected. "Or rather, I asked him what it meant that you called him that, and it makes sense. You are darling to me."

"And you are to me," Felix answered with a sigh. "Gods..." he hugged Karniel tight, throat stinging with a sudden urge to cry. "I love you, too, Karniel."

The bat gently held the fox to him, both dressed in Asher colors, but their fur almost contrasted one another in that foggy morning. Felix quivered, taking a deep breath of Karniel's scent, feeling his eyes tear up.

"I will not be gone long, but if I am to make a life on the surface there is so much I must see. I will return, Felix."

"Will this always be our lives, then?" Felix asked.

"I can't say. I am sure I will want to nest somewhere eventually, but for now, it will be enough to know I always have a home to return to."

"You will," Felix swore. "You will."

They exchanged no more words after. Karniel broke their embrace, crouched down so they were eye to eye. His smile had taken a melancholy hint. He brushed a tear out of Felix's eye, kissed him, and then rose. The fox stood at the edge of the road, watching Karniel fade into the fog. He took a deep breath, steadying himself before going back to the carriage.

Coran helped him inside and the two hugged before Felix settled into his seat next to the vulture. Coran opened a wing and wrapped it around Felix, pulling him close and sheltering him with it. He ordered the driver to take them back to the keep, then nuzzled into his saddened lord.

"It'll be alright, darling."

That word stung again. Felix mumbled, "He called me that, you know."

"I'm sorry?" Coran asked. The sound of the carriage drowned Felix's words out.

"He called me darling. He said he loved me," Felix said, voice a little scratchy from holding back tears.

"Ah, then you have nothing to fear."

"What do you mean?"

"When we were teaching him common, we had this lengthy discussion about love. I never mentioned it to you, but he said something that's always stuck with me. He said, for his people there were many words for love, and so he was very particular about defining what we mean by love. Then, his eyes lit up and you know what he said to me?"

"What?"

"He said, 'Oh, it's the kind you fight for, isn't it? The sort you'd burn down the world to protect.'" Coran chuckled and added, "It was a very odd way to put it, but I told him that in the most extreme cases we can feel that way. I told him it was how I felt about you, and he said to me, 'Then I will save it till I find someone I feel that way about.'"

A warm thump in Felix's chest eased the ache that had been there. He said, "You're both fools, then."

"Pardon?"

"If you burnt down the world for me, then where would we live?"

Coran grinned. "Details, my lord. We'd sort them out--what I mean to say is, he will be back. No matter the distance, a love like that doesn't die just because you and he are apart."

Felix sighed and nuzzled into his partner. "Thank you, Coran, for reassuring me."

"Anything for you, darling."