FSE

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"Dammit! Shadi! You get back here this second!"

The wretched, furious shriek chased the little tan lioness through the tall, conical leather and pelt tents and wooden structures of her home village as she sprinted as fast as her little legs would carry her. Being just under 5 feet tall, this, unfortunately, wasn't as fast as she might have otherwise liked, but it did allow her to slip through gaps and cracks the rest of her family would at best, be severely impeded by.

"Nuh-uh! I'm telling father! You're going to be in so much trouble your head will spin! Hahaha!" Shadi taunted back in a singsong voice, her tail swishing rapidly from side to side, counterbalancing her rapid footfalls and sharp turns and she mazed her way through the village. She skidded sideways across the loose gravel path as she turned to look over her shoulder.

From one of the tents came a much taller, lither lioness, lighter, almost blond fur covering her naked torso and breasts as she fumbled her way into a pair of hunting leathers, snarling as her younger sister sprinted away. She snatched up a small rock from the ground and pelted it at the fleeing cat.

"Get back here Shadi!"

Laughing all the way, Shadi vaulted over a log chair by one of the firepits, dashing as hard as her legs would let her, breathing in rapid, shallow pants. She stopped once she rounded a corner, danced backwards in her footprints for a few moments, and then instead took off sprinting down a side alley between two buildings, giggling as she ran.

Oh, her sister was going to be in soooooo much trouble when their father found out just how she had been helping the visiting leopard tribesmen prepare.

It had been far too suspicious how eager and friendly and just glad to help them prepare for the weekends pow-wow that poor Shadi couldn't help herself but to snoop around. Tyde was lazy. Tyde was a beauty queen. Tyde wouldn't lift a dirty piece of wood for fear of getting dust in her shiny tan and blonde pelt if you didn't force her. So when she had all too eagerly offered to help their neighbouring tribe with setting up their camp and getting settled for their visit, she had just known her sister would be getting up to no good.

And oh, she had certainly been playing the gracious host. She'd never seen a lioness taking three dicks at once like that from the younger warrior dancer leopards. Of course, she might have been happy to watch just a little longer, and maybe quietly enjoy the show from the shadows, but then her stupid tail had gone and knocked over a rack of spears, and like that, the chase had been on!

She quickly came to the end of the alleyway, checked left, checked right, and then checked left again as a strong arm swung out of nowhere and collected her head and shoulders in a merciless hook that left her feet where they started and sent all the rest of her tumbling to the ground.

The solid weight of her sister sat on her chest as she coughed and wheezed to try and find the breath that had been clobbered from her lungs. Tyde's tail lashed back and forth as she glared down at her. Shadi managed a sheepish smile back.

"Okay, you caught me. What will you give me?" She teased.

"You cannot tell dad anyth- Wait, what? What do you mean what will I give you?! I caught you, sister! You're the one trapped!"

Shadi laughed, clearing her throat before she imitated (loudly) one of the many, many heated and throaty mating calls her sister had been making in the tent.

The fact that her sister smothered her muzzle with both hands didn't completely silence her laughter.

"Yes! What will you give me? I wasn't the one sneaking out to go and lay with the guests! I see you were helping them feel right at home! And what will Alzeer think? After all, I thought you were already promised to one of the tigers from up north! It'd be hard to explain why your cub is neither white nor striped, let alone the spots!" Shadi blurted between laughs. Her mouth was quickly smothered once more by her sister's massive mittens.

"Fine! What do you want, you little brat? What do you want so that none of this ever gets back to our dear father's ears?" Tyde hissed, gritting her teeth with barely restrained fury.

"Oh, assuming he didn't hear you already. I could hear you clearly from a spear throw away before I snuck into the tent!"

"What... Do you want, Shadi? Before I smother you for good this time."

Tormenting her older sister was all well and good... Well, half-sister really. Shadi was the only child of her mother. Tyde was one of three from another female. But point in case, this did present an opportunity for her to perhaps get away from the camp for a time.

"I want to go hunting with you." Shadi stated bluntly, the sandy tan and brown painted lioness looking up at her sister as firmly as she could manage, her green and brown mismatched eyes narrowed.

Tyde paused, surprised by the request.

"That's it? I just have to take you hunting? No catch?"

"Well, I'd ideally like to catch something, but you still have to convince Father to let you take me anywhere out of his sight for more than five minutes!" Shadi laughed. Truthfully, she was elated that was all it took! Just a day out from under her dad's thumb would be amazing.

It wasn't that he meant to be overprotective, it was just that since her mother had passed that he was, well... overprotective. She was his only daughter from his most cherished wife, and even the mention of her being slightly hurt was enough to have him come rushing to make sure she was okay. Shadi needed space to breathe as well though. She was only weeks now from being a full adult. Like a fledgling eagle, she was more than ready to spread her wings and fly, yet her father seemed intent to keep her in the nest as long as possible. If she ever wanted a chance of avoiding an arranged wedding of convenience, and to be able to start a family of her own like her mother had arrived so hard to do, she needed to be able to do things herself.

Despite his best efforts, he wouldn't be able to protect her from the outside world forever. She loved him for trying, she just wished he would try a little less.

"I'm not worried about Father. He's wrapped around my finger as much as he's all up in your business like a dog on the scent. You let me handle dad, and just be ready to go tomorrow morning. And not a word of any of this to him. Understood?"

Shadi nodded swiftly, but couldn't have hidden her grin if she had tried.

"Promise! You can count on me- eugh!"

Shadi groaned as her sister leaned down, and in a display that was far from sisterly, pressed her lips against the smaller lioness's own, purring as she forced her tongue into Shadi's muzzle.

Shadi froze for just a moment, before purring into the kiss quietly. When you were meant to be forbidden from being around a male alone, well, Alzeer's daughters had found other ways to entertain their needs. It wasn't the first time one of her half-sisters had kissed her like this.

The kiss was soft and warm, and slightly bitter-tasting, which struck Shadi as odd a moment before it would have mattered. Tyde pulled back after a moment of thoroughly swiping her tongue around Shadi's mouth, smirking ear to ear. She lapped her tongue across her younger sister's lips one last time.

"That's what leopard cum tastes like, by the way, you little brat!"

Shadi rolled over and retched into the dust while her sister walked away laughing in triumph.

The great grass sea some had taken to referring to the almost endless savannah grasslands. From Shadi's home, they stretched in all directions to where she assumed they ended in either mountains to the north or some other country to any other direction. But for her, as far as the eye could see was her home.

She had roamed the plains since she was old enough to walk, and spent many a lazy day sunbathing nude by the watering holes with her sisters, enjoying the warmth that nature provided.

She had watched in awes as a young teenager when the seasonal fires had roared through the plains, consuming all in their path, the flames licking at the wooden palisades of their village. She had stretched her arms wide in thanks when the rains had come pouring down to whence the mighty blazes and gave new life to the land.

This was her land, and the land of her father, and his father before her. Six generations of Stryker now had ruled these plains, but they were still small fry compared to some of the other tribes and clans and prides that shared them. But it was their diversity that kept order, as her father had taught her, their scarcity and dispersed nature's being key to their long term prosperity.

"Unlike the canines, we choose not to unite under a single banner. We are like a thousand flags, fluttering in a field. New flags may come, and old flags may go, but the loss of any one does not spell the end to the whole. We may scatter to the winds but always be united by our bonds. To expect one person in a far off castle to be able to rule these plains is a fool's quest." Her father had once told her, gesturing to the vastness of the lands beyond their walls.

That had made sense to her at least. How could someone rule a place they had never seen themselves? How could they understand any of it? Even her handmaiden, Marie, had been able to reiterate as much to her when she had asked her to elaborate. The wider world had eluded her for a long time, like a fantasy realm she'd heard of once in a story.

Of course, then she had begun to be asked to attend with her father while he met with travelling traders and folk from those distant lands.

Like an excited cub, she'd hung on every word when a group of troubadours had camped outside their walls for a week three summers past. The pack of dogs had danced and sung and performed such exotic feats with their feet and bodies she had begged her father to let her learn how to do that as well!

He'd relented and arranged an instructor to teach her each week, and it had become one of her favourite pastimes. After all, many of their own stories were told through dance, and it was tradition and heritage, two things Alzeer always tropes on about being important to preserve. Her father had once told her that her mother had been a natural dancer as well. Watching Shadi practice was one of the few times she saw her father smile without any reserve or worry creasing his brow.

Now, she danced through the tall grass with her arms stretched wide, giggling and letting the stalks caress her fingertips, her bow strung over her shoulders. The quiver of hawk feather arrows rested at her waist.

Her sister called back to her, but Shadi frowned, not catching her words at first.

"What?"

She called back again, and Shadi's mind whirled before she realised she was speaking in a completely different tongue to her. She translated slowly in her head, frowning.

I said that you are giggling like a cub. What has you in such a good mood?

"Father has been keeping me in the home as much as possible lately. It's nice to be outside of the walls again."

"Ah-ah. In Skirvasii." Tyde scolded her with a frown.

"Why? I already speak more languages than most people in the village will even hear in their lifetimes. Let me speak what I want."

Tyde switched dialects again, growling out the syllables of Draconic tongue.

Father will tan your hide if you don't. We're expected to lead one day, and who knows where we will go or who we will speak to! It is important. She added a modifier to the last word that doubly signified the emphasis on important.

"What are you, my tutor now? Gös skaff en Drakken lios do en Leepord." Shadi called back with a laugh. Her sister tackled her into the grass with a cackle of mock rage and sent them both tumbling in the dirt.

Go suck a dragon like you did the leopard.

They tussled on the ground for a moment, snickering and trading insults back and forth, before Tyde grabbed Shadi's mane and yanked her up, snickering.

"Hey, you know the terms! Not a word of it! And his name was Reppa, thank you very much, and he is a very nice man." Tyde said with a laugh, setting her sister back down before they spent a few moments brushing each other off.

"Mmhm, I'm sure he was. Father won't even let me near a boy alone. I'm an adult now! Not some cub! I just... wish he would treat me like it more."

"Ha! You say that now, but wait until he stops treating you like his favourite cub, dear sister, and then come tell me how nice it is again. Even Troy doesn't have it as good as you!" The taller lioness said, winding her way down a long game trail a few paces ahead of Shadi.

Shadi sighed, rolling her eyes.

"Troy at least gets to leave the walls when he wants. He can go and frolic and travel and see things. I get to stay at home and read about them and sometimes have him recount a story if I'm lucky. Even you at least can leave as you please. Me? 'No, no, something might happen to you! I couldn't stand to lose you. You should stay here instead!'. It's bullshit!" Shadi cursed, kicking a rock off the path to skitter into the tall grass.

Tyde paused in her steps, looking thoughtful for a moment.

"Hmmm. Sure wish I had a parent who put such high value on me. Must really suck..." She drawled the words out with a heavy dose of sarcasm, her long tail giving a flick.

"That's not what I meant and you know it." Shadi grumbled, not liking having her argument turned back on her at all.

"No, it's not. But think about it. Father loves you so much that he would be devastated if anything were to ever happen to you, and even the dragons, gods, and all the higher powers couldn't help anyone if they so much as harmed a whisker on your pretty little face. I'd be terrified to see what would happen to him. He loved my mother, but he cherished yours, and you were the only child from her. Maybe if you were to tell him thank you every now and again and try to reassure him instead of defying him, he'd loosen your leash a little more. He only relented today because I told him I wouldn't let you out of my sight."

Shadi frowned, but Tyde could see her sister's mood was already softening.

"Besides. He wants grandkids from you. You're the first plain Amasii lioness born with a propper pseudo-mane since his great-great-great-grandmother. The spirits only bestow that on ones who are destined for great things. If she founded our home, what could that mean for you? Just think about it Shadi. He loves you, and you act a brat to repay him. Maybe... toe the line a little less?"

Shadi folded her arms, and let out a huff.

"Just because you're probably right... At least I don't go running off to sleep with the visitors instead of doing what I'm asked."

"No, but you make your own kind of problems for him too! Besides, I wouldn't go being a tattletale if you wanted to do that... it's just a bit of fun after all!"

"Mm, a bit of fun that will be screaming and biting your tits in nine months if you're not careful." Shadi countered, earning a playful slug to the shoulder for her wit. Tyde laughed.

"Please, that's what we have tallow leaf for. I took you all this way out here to go and hunt, not to have you pick at every little choice I make. I wouldn't pester you about your choice of boys, and with how you look Shadi, you could have your pick of them! You're short, you're curvy, you're shapely and pretty... you're like a sweet little bundle of fur I bet any male would be delighted to have at their side." She giggled excitedly, like a gossipy teenager all over again as she led Shadi further into the grasslands, slowly walking towards a watering hole where the Gazelle would frequent during the day.

"...or under them." Tyde snickered, and this time, it was Shadi's turn to slug her taller sister back, smacking her with her bow as she pulled it off of her shoulders.

"You know you're welcome to leave any time! I can find my way home from here."

"And leave you alone? Oh no, dad would have my hide. We'll hunt a good one and bring back some nice meat for dinner. That'll make him happy."

Together, they forged on ahead, ducking low beneath the top of the strands, their large, fluffy tails flashing above their cover as they moved in on the hunt.

It was afternoon by the time they finally got one. An inattentive buck that lingered by the water's edge a moment too long. Shadi brought it down cleanly with a single arrow to the chest that made the beast drop like a sack of stones onto the dirt.

Tyde helped her to move their kill from the edge, before it attracted the crocodiles or other predators, and tied and bound it for their trip home.

They sat on a large boulder under the slowly defending orange sun, lazily watching a handful of fluffy white clouds as they drifted by, passing snacks of jerky and trail nuts back and forth between them.

"See, this is what I needed. Just... a day out of the village. No dad, no teachers, nobody nagging me to do anything. Just the sun, the grasslands, the breeze... it's nice, you know?"

"Mmhm... it's a good thing I was out here with you. Sure would suck to carry this buck all the way back to camp by yourself." Tyde chirped with a playful pour, laying back on the rock and stretching her lithe body out across the warm stone surface. Before Shadi could protest, her sister had stripped down to her fur, and laid naked and exposed for the world to admire.

"Really?" Shadi commented dryly.

"What? It's not like dad would ever let us do this back in the village, even if we were to climb up to the top of a watchtower and take the thatching off the ceiling. 'You girls have to be modest and proper, and a proper lady shouldn't expose herself so brazenly.'" Tyde gave a mocking, droning impression of their father, waggling a single finger up at the sky disapprovingly.

They both laughed for a long few moments, and shrugging, Shadi dumped her small pack and clothes in a pile by their kill, sprawling out beside her sister, before snuggling against her flank.

"Remember when we used to come out here and dad would have us try and make shapes out of the clouds? Sarina didn't understand and was arguing with him that we couldn't make shapes out of them if we couldn't grab them." Shadi said, quickly sending them both into a fit of giggles.

"Oh gods, I'd almost forgotten. She tried so hard to argue with dad no matter how much he said to use our imagination. She was so red-faced by the end she looked like a fluffy tomato!"

Their giggles turned to howling laughter, and Tyde wrapped an arm around Shadi's shoulders, snuggling her comfortably against her ample bosom.

"That one looks like Asanii, the hunter. See? The specks in front of it are the antelope fleeing from his spears." Tyde said, referring to the Amasii Rex hunter of legend and folk tales. Supposedly, if his exploits were to be believed, he had even bested a dragon in single combat, and was the reason they did not frequent the plains tribes. She waved her hand at a long, stretching cloud with several smaller puffs before it, seeming to flee as the winds pushed them along the sky.

Shadi paused, looking out at it for a few moments before something else caught her attention. A small, long speck of black that drifted in front of the clouds, before turning in towards the direction of their home. As it grew closer, the shape slowly resolved itself into the rough shape of an elongated ship, with a large, stretched balloon suspended above it. The edges were covered in rows of propellers that glinted as they caught the setting sunlight, a long line of Draconic script along the vessel's flank.

"What is it?" Shadi asked, sitting up and covering herself with her paws, sunbathing now well and truly interrupted.

Tyde frowned a moment, but then grew excited as the realisation came on her, watching the airship as it began to descend towards roughly where their home village was.

"Dragons! Come on, I'll bet they're here for father and to trade! Maybe we can get you something pretty!"

It was almost sunset by the time Shadi and her sister wandered through the gates of their village, Tyde with the gazelle slung across her shoulders.

From the side of the street, one particularly large Amassii Rex with a proud mane of brown stood, smirking smugly at them as he leaned against a crate of goods. He was bare from the waist up, fur dyed to make his natural stripes seem connected in tribal patterns as was the style among the buck males as of late, trying to impress potential partners. His tails swished back and forth, green and brown eyes narrowed towards the two females.

Troy was an arrogant ass, but one couldn't fault him for his confidence, or at least the appearance of confidence. Tyde however, was unimpressed when he called out at them.

"Well would you look at what the cat dragged in! And you even brought dinner! Impressive Tyde. I'm sure you'll make a great wife for some big strong-"

"Finish that sentence Troy, and I'm going to break off one of these antlers and shove it so far up your ass you'll taste the point."

Shadi could help but laugh at her half-brother's crestfallen face as he wandered over to help them, giggling quietly.

"Oof. You didn't have to be so mean about it. What would father think of you being so mean to people?" He whined, taking the carcass from Tyde.

"Knowing father? He'd probably laugh at you as well. Besides, it was Shadi who made the kill, not me. You should be thanking her."

Troy turned, raising an eyebrow towards his littlest sister. Both figuratively, and literally. He stood fully almost two heads taller than the little lioness.

"Really now? Most impressive Shadi. Father should let you out more often! We'd eat like kings, I tell you!"

"We already eat like kings Troy. You're the one who eats like a gathering of kings by yourself." Shadi snickered, jabbing a finger into her brother's exposed sides. She did it again harder when he started to squirm and bat at her paws to fend her off.

"Hmmph! Rude. I see how it is. Fine. I'm going to take this back to the house and have the cooks get started on it. Did you see the airship that came in today? Traders from up in the mountains, bringing all kinds of goods. Father was going to put on a show for them later this evening to kick off the festivities a little early. Besides, who doesn't like a week-long party to ring in the new season?!" He laughed, waving a hand over his shoulder as he jogged with the gazelle over his shoulders like it was nothing.

Tyde tugged at Shadi's paw eagerly.

"Come on then! Let's go and find you something nice. My treat!"

"Tyde, we all spend father's money anyway."

"Yes, but I'm picking it out for you, so it counts as my treat."

The airship was distant, looking like a beetle on its back with its spindly legs wrapped around the balloon that was slowly being deflated, parked out in the grasslands where there was room for it, but the traders had caravans in with horse and cart, setting up a menagerie of stalls and displays along the road leading to the southern gate of the village.

The pair of lionesses skipped between stalls, point and ahhing at the various exotic trickers and items on offer.

One stall showed off exotic fruits and herbs from across the continent, while others had odd gadgets and gizmos that were shiny and new, and all but reeked of the Dragon's engineering prowess. Others still sold strange, foreign weapons and blades, curved bows with wheels and pulleys, and rifles like the long-abandoned black powder designs she had read of in some of her family's book stash.

But then, neither of these were what the girls were looking for. Towards the end of the impromptu market were the two kinds of merchants both Shadi and Tyde loved to see each time they visited. Those were the food vendors with their pop up kitchens, and the clothing merchants, bringing the newest fashions from other kingdoms, weaved in the finest silk and lace and other materials.

At one food stall, a long-bodied eastern dragon skilled as he spun silk-like strands of candy from a mix of honey and sugar, tossing the mix and stretching it between a pair of metal prongs. At other stalls, different meats were flash-fried on large, flat metal pans, sizzling and filling the air with the aroma of turmeric and chillies, and various other exotic spices.

Shadi quickly became enamoured with a fine green dress, the edges trimmed with golden thread in woodland patterns, spiralling leaves and vines and small budding flowers with thorns.

"It's very you sister." Tyde smiled as Shadi made a short twirl in the garment, letting the edges flow outwards as they were carried by her momentum. Father didn't have to know how much he'd just spent. The fistful of golden Draskar coins had come and gone from one pocket to another quick as a flash from the folds of Tyde's dress.

Shadi blushed and made a cute curtsey towards her sister.

"I love it. Thank you."

"Oh, don't thank me. Thank father when you see him next. It was his coin after all!"

"Hmm? Thank me for what? What exactly have the pair of you been up to? I thought you were going hunting, and now instead I find you down here with meat skewers and dresses."

The rumbling voice of Alzeer Styker was hard not to miss. Standing at nearly 8 feet, the thick maned, dark-furred Amasii Rex was almost the textbook definition of an Alpha specimen. It was clear at once where Troy inherited his build from.

Yet when he smiled at his daughters' happiness, one but see the softer side of the fierce and reputable warrior and leader shine through. His emerald green eyes glinted as Shadi wrapped her arms around his waist in a tight hug, squeaking happily.

"Uh, Tyde picked it out, but-" she started explaining, but was cut off by the massive male's laugh.

"Let me guess, I fronted the cost?"

"I like to think of it as a reward for her hunting. She bagged a gazelle all by herself!" Tyde quickly cut in before Shadi could start blushing and stammering more.

Alzeer raised one of his thick, bushy eyebrows, reaching a paw down to fondly scruff between Shadi's over large ears. She instead let out a contented purr, snuggling against her sire's flank.

"Well, I am glad to hear it. Perhaps you can wear that dress on the weekend when you perform for our visiting guests. The dragon in charge of this ship, Davindar of Highwinds, has said he will stay for the festivities. A pure coincidence they are here, but fortuitous for sure. We can always use the gains that a trade ship brings for our people, especially now..."

His face grew somewhat from at the implication of the burgeoning border skirmishes that had been going on for months with the recently established coalition of canine kingdoms, banding together to make an expansion push into their grasslands. It had troubled all of the village leaders, and Alzeer more than most. He was beloved and respected by many both within and beyond his modest walls.

Shadi, on the other hand, simply heard 'dance for the dragon's and started bouncing excitedly. She truly did enjoy dancing, what few recitals her tutors had taught her at her father's behest. He'd seen it as a good way to ensure she didn't grow idle, and there was always more she could learn. If she wasn't reading, she was busy studying one thing or another, or speaking with her foreign language instructors, or serving some other minor diplomatic role for her father. She knew he was grooming her to help with his position one day.

Even with that knowledge though, it was an exciting prospect. Her father had always reminded her that felines and dragons were very much similar in their base natures and that the mighty beasts were more than worthy of the awe and respect they were given. Seclusive and rare as they were, Shadi had only seen a handful in her lifetime. What she did know of them was that once, supposedly, they had been the undisputed rulers of this land from whoever had come before, and had greedily hoarded wealth in all forms, be it gold, art, knowledge... to a dragon, the difference was irrelevant if they could see the value in adding something to their collection.

The chance to perform and show off what she had learned to a representative from the clans was a once in a lifetime opportunity, and she didn't want to miss that. What noble daughter didn't want to be able to brag that she had done something like that?

"I'd love to. Do- do you think I should do any particular dance, or?" Shadi tried to make words as her brain worked at a thousand thoughts a minute.

Perhaps a traditional feline dance, to show her pride and their shared history, or... maybe something a little more risque? She'd never really considered such a thing, but she also didn't know what exactly the dragons liked. Did dragons even find the feline form appealing? Perhaps one of the draconic dances she had learned, to treat them to a familiar show, or... or...

"I know that no matter what you do, you will be a star of the show regardless. You'll think of something sister. Come on. Leave father be, and I'll help you practice!" Tyde interrupted her thoughts with her giggling, grabbing her younger sister's paw and dragging her away.

One two three four, one two three four. Sp-in bend twist, twist bend sp-in.

The weekend had come far, far faster than Shadi had expected, and Tyde grinning at her from the edge of the hall wasn't helping her focus any!

The thin silk dancing clothes she was wearing fluttered and jingled with their threaded gold pieces with each step, and yet it still didn't feel right to her.

"Come on, you can do better than that! There's going to be lots of feline suitors here looking to... seal alliances with father, not even beginning on the dragons! If you're determined to put yourself out there on the market, you have to sell yourself!" She called, causing Shadi to stop in mid-practice, glaring at her sister.

"Well, how would you do it then?! I'm trying over here, but nothing feels, just..."

Tyde laughed, clapping her hands together before she marched over to Shadi, swinging her hips with each step. She'd worn matching clothes, just like her younger sister. Her smirk only seemed to grow wider with each step.

She stopped before Shadi, and reached out gently, tweaking this and that on her clothes, before a wicked grin crossed Tyde's lips.

"You remember how to dance 'The Prowl?' the lioness beach, her tail swishing back and forth with all the mischievous intent in the world.

Shadi frowned though, struck entirely off guard by the ridiculous question.

"Of course I do! Everyone does! They teach it to children in a class. It has to be the first dance most of us learn! Why would I dance that? Everyone would laugh, it's ridiculous! 'Twist, spin, tail wriggle pounce. Crawl crawl, lean down get the mouse!'. Nobody wants to see that!" Shadi almost wanted to cry in frustration, reciting the silly little rhyme that went with the children's dance.

Tyde just laughed, her eyes narrowing.

"Oh, it's a traditional feline dance alright. Now think about it, but slower... and naked."

Shadi froze, her mind reeling at the revaluation.

"Oh... oh, oh Tyde! No! They teach that to children!" Shadi couldn't help but laugh in shock as it dawned on her, her eyes wide. Her cheeks had turned rosy, and she was quickly going into a fit of giggles.

"Mmhm, who's mother's were traditional feline pleasure dancers, entertaining their royal guests from other kingdoms. Technically, it was called 'The huntress's prowl', but they don't teach that to children. This is a grown-up dance, typically for a pair... here, I'll show you the full movement." Tyde added with a wink, and almost at once, her top slid from her shoulders like water over a rock, before she tied the shoulder straps around her waist, leaving her torso bare. She shuffled side to side, and Shadi could only watch as she stepped slightly, and then slid a pair of panties across the floor, ridding herself of the undergarments.

Her blonde breasts bounced as she walked around Shadi, quickly undoing the upper half of her dress and fashioning it in the same way her own was now worn.

"And the panties."

Shadi turned beet red.

"Do I have to?"

"If you want to dance it properly, yes."

"You know I plan to dance this in front of everyone, right?" Shadi huffed, shuffling before she too kicked her lacy underthings aside, sending them in a pile to skid against the wall by her sister's.

"Mmhm... and I'll be right there with you. Besides, it's not like everyone we know hasn't already seen us naked. This isn't about them. This is about you, and winning points for your future mate... Lots of cute leopard boys after all, and I can introduce you! Now, like this, leg forward, and hands up! Now, one-"

-two three four, one two three four!

Shadi spun to the right while Tyde twirled to the left. The ornate bangles hanging around their wrists and exposed bellies rattled loudly as they danced in the torchlight within the main hall.

Shadi knew just beyond those torches were dozens of sets of eyes, all of them glued to her and her sister... hell, some of her family was out there as well, and her father! She couldn't afford to think of them though, not now. She was committed. The only way was forwards.

But some warning about how many guests we had would have been nice! She hissed mentally but steadied herself with a deep breath.

She twisted back in, arching her back in a deliberately slow roll that rocked her hips out and around, swaying and showing off her body. The shadows danced and twirled around the pair of lionesses as they made the seductive motions, paws trailing along their curves and breasts. Shadi couldn't help but purr in delight at the light touch as she sister slipped around her body, and then Shadi did the same to Tyde, mirroring the motions of each other perfectly despite their height differences.

Their paws roamed each other's bodies for a few moments, putting on a tantalising and taboo display before they broke off, spinning and dipping elegantly, tails flowing like streamers behind them. They sank low as the slow, string accompaniment continued, prowling forwards on the hands and knees, breasts almost touching the floor, tails held high above them. Shadi purred with her sister. She could feel the cold air as it blew over her exposed skin, making her cheeks flush hotly.

Finally, they pounced, leaping forward in a display of feline grace and agility, rolling before spring upright, and striking mirroring poses beside one another.

The applause was deafening. The exhilaration was addictive. Panting softly, she was gently led away from the floor by Tyde, who was grinning and giggling maniacally.

"Oh, that got their attention for sure. Come on, Father is going to be hosting his guests now, and the other dancers are all outside by the fire pits!"

They quickly made themselves more decent, dresses pulled back up over their fur, but they needn't have bothered.

The older generation went inside at these meetings to discuss business. The younger ones, however...

Shadi had a horn of rich mead shoved into her paws by a topless girl as she was led away by a visiting Doberman, buck naked save for a loincloth.

The fire was roaring, almost as tall at the nearby houses, with dozens of the newly grown and blooded tribe members and visiting guests dancing around it in a way that was best described as well.... Primal.

Males ground against females. In the shadows to one side, she could hear the squeals of a female who had the silhouette of a burly lion buried to the shoulders beneath her dress, obviously going to town.

She took a swill of her drink, and spat it out at once, tossing the horn aside. Tyde cackled beside her.

"Oh, loosen up. If dad weren't so busy tonight, he'd never have let you within a hundred yards of this kind of thing."

That much was true. She'd heard from her sisters about the parties thrown by the younger adults of their village during big visits and festivals, but this was something else. Tyde was right. She understood now why Alzeer had always insisted she remained with him to tend to the boring formalities and introductions and business side of things.

They sat on a log, watching as a trio of the visiting leopard warriors approached, clearing a circle around themselves with slow, broad waves of the long spears they carried. Dressed in rough leather that left little to imagine, and adorned with small, rattling bone fetishes, they looked as fierce as their low growls sounded.

Tyde tapped her side excitedly and gestured. One of the leopards had raised his spear, holding it out in one paw. The point was aimed directly at Shadi. His eyes narrowed on her, and he licked his lips, like a predator eyeing its prey. He stabbed the tip into the ground at the same time as the other two leopards.

The dance they performed right there in the firelight was something else entirely, a whole new type of dancing Shadi would soon come to know far more about than she ever expected.

Wearing little more than their loincloths and warpaint, the trio span, kicking and grinding against the hafts of their spears while their tribemates nearby kicked up an almost frantic drum tempo, beating along with the exotic display.

The energy in their motions left all of them panting and glistening with sweat in the orange glow of the fire, their spotted hides and muscled torsos on full display for the circle of gawking onlookers, many of them female. Many of them touching themselves as they watched.

The men were... erotic in their display, baring all as they moved. Their tails lashed and flicked like angry whips, tossing their clothes up at times to expose their hanging furred sacs and plump sheaths to the crowd, shafts glistening with natural lubricants, barbed tips twitching.

Despite herself, Shadi could feel herself becoming warm and flustered by the show, but looking to her sister, Tyde was clearly under the same, erotic spell, biting her lips and purring almost inaudible over the loud drum blows.

They were tall and leggy, flexible and swift, twisting and spinning and arching in what looked like a single fluid motion without any pauses or breaks.

And that one keeps looking at me... Shadi couldn't help but notice the leopard's predatory gaze whenever it came to rest upon her, as if he were making sure that she had her eyes right back on him, paying attention to the passion he was putting into his display.

Wonder what else he could put that passion into...

She blinked, the thought coming from nowhere. At some point, she'd acquired another drink, and this one was half empty already. She watched intently, meeting his gaze with a little more boldness now as if to playfully challenge him to do more. Like she had put herself on display, now, she gave him the same critiquing look her sister had given her. Her long tail swept back and forth in the dust without her even noticing.

He would make some cute cubs... strong as well... he could probably pick me up without trying...

The entertaining thoughts came freely now. How long had they been at it?

At last though, with a simultaneous, final booming note, all three of the leopards came back to the feet with a fierce roar that echoed around the clearing.

Fetching his spear and spinning it around behind his back, the warrior marched triumphantly towards where Shadi was sitting, not once taking his eyes from the little lioness.

"I saw your performance in the hall... My father, Chief Tana, says I should court you, and help make a powerful alliance between our packs. I say to him... let the lioness decide. What do you say, little lioness?" His voice was deep, coarse like rolling gravel. Shadi wanted to reach out and run her paws through the coarse, spotted fur covering his abs.

Shadi thought for a moment, taking a measured sip from her drink.

"Hmmm. I say I don't even know your name... but-" she paused, her tail giving an indecisive flick behind her before it curled and settled on the seat by her side.

"I think I would like to...and maybe know a little more than that as well." She gave him a coy, playful grin. The cheetah extended his paw down to her, offering her his hand to stand up.

"It's Vika."

"Shadi. But you already knew that." She poked him in the side playfully, and he gave a soft rumble in response.

"I might have. You dance very well, Shadi. I haven't seen anyone dance like that outside of my tribe before... your performance was... exhilarating. I found myself hooked on every movement." He told her as they ventured away from the fire pit, walking side by side. Shadi padded along, more than happy and just a touch thrilled at the prospect of being a little rebellious like her sister. Her father would already scold her just for being alone with a boy from another tribe.

But her father needed to give her room to breathe. She didn't want to grow up in his shadow. Now that they were further away, the sound of the massive bonfire faded into the distance, with the tribal rhythms and music and voices becoming muted and unfocused. Her big ears had already tuned themselves to the sound of the leopard's voice. Briefly, though, she did wonder what Tyde would say if anything did happen... And just as quickly she pushed it from her mind. Her sister would probably slap her on the back and congratulate her.

"Thanks, I uh... Haven't done that kind of dancing before. It was exciting, but I was so scared at first what people would think, or-"

"Ha! You could have fooled me! Your eyes were set on your task, like a proper lioness on the hunt. You should be proud. There aren't many dancers in the world who could pull off a performance like that! Not only were you beautiful, but you didn't make a single misstep. Even your sister didn't have the same determination to succeed that you did. Everyone could see it!"

Shadi felt her cheeks reddening, and turned her head to look up at the stars for a few moments.

"T-thank you... It's nice to at least know I did well. Your dance was..." Shadi stumbled on her tongue, trying to find the right words. Fortunately, the leopard had them ready for her.

"Oh, I know what my dance was, and the effect it had on you and your sister both. Our tribe use it when we are selecting our partners... Sometimes for war, and other times, for breeding... Mostly though, we do it to choose who we'd like to spend the night with at gatherings like this." He told her bluntly, not at all bashful or awkward like she might have been. He was direct, confident, and seemed to know exactly what he had wanted.

And he wanted you, silly!

She told her conscious to go and hush for a while, turning and placing a paw against the leopard's chest.

"Well, I uhm... I've never actually... You know-"

"Wait, really? You're unclaimed?!" The leopard seemed genuinely surprised to discover she was a virgin, but then again, considering her sister's visit to their tent just a few days ago, it was understandable.

"Not all of my sisters and I are quite as direct with our desires as Tyde is... I for one would like to make sure when I choose a partner, that they are the right one for me. You seem quite confident that it's you, but me? I'm not so sure. I barely know you, so... How about we walk a little more Vika, and we'll see if maybe you can change my mind about that." She let him down gently, giving his abs a playful tickle with her paw before she turned and started walking again.

Utterly undeterred and sensing a worth challenge, Vika jogged after her to catch up.

The night passed quickly, for as the saying went, time indeed did fly in good company. The moon was high above the village, and Shadi's feet were beginning to grow sore when they finally meandered their way back to the campfire after spending the night talking of almost every topic under the sun. Laughing and giggling in tandem, they re-entered the faint glow of the dying flames and embers as Vika recounted a tale of his first hunt to the lioness.

"...and just as I went to slay the boar, I tripped! My spear went one way, I went the other, and the next thing I know, I'm soaked in mud and boar shit, and the pig has dashed off into the jungle!" He roared boisterously, recounting his own misfortune as Shadi laughed along with him, her head leaning to press against his forearm.

"Well, at least you don't smell like that now, else I'd never have let you near me, to begin with!" She giggled, enjoying the warmth of the strong male as he pulled her against himself, his arm wrapped around her chest. Every now and then, his fingers would attempt to slip under her dress to snatch a feel of her breast, and she would have to playfully slap him away with a stern, yey playful growl.

"Thank the gods no, but it took me a week to clean it all from my fur." The leopard chuckled, brushing his free paw across the spotty fur of his chest as if to mimic it.

Tyde was passed out by the fire with a male and a female ocelot pair crawled up over her, all in equal states of undress, and snoring loudly. Shadi couldn't help but snicker.

"Should we wake her you think?" Vika asked, only half in jest.

"Leave her. I'm sure someone will let father know what she's been doing in the morning... But as for me, well... It's late... But this has been nice. How long are you staying here?"

Vika frowned.

"Just until morning, then we have headed home again. Father is the chief after all. He can't afford to be gone for too long, and my mother will chew his ear off if he takes too long getting back to her." He spoke softly, almost regretfully as he looked at Shadi as if weighing over things in his mind, just like Shadi was at that very moment.

Well... He is nice, and he does seem to care... Maybe it wouldn't hurt to just... cuddle?

The argument was thoroughly flawed and Shadi knew it. But the drink in Shadi's system begged to disagree, insisting that it would be very nice to have someone to cuddle in a bed for just a night. Alzeer would never know. Tyde was already going to be taking all of the heat for sleeping outside.

"Where is your tent?" She asked, making up her mind. The smile that lit Vika's face was worth the weight that the words put on her shoulders. Just for a while... Nothing has to happen. She reminded herself quietly, already knowing she was lying to try and cover what guilt she felt. She sincerely doubted her father would approve of her going off like one of her sisters with a boy... He didn't treat them the same as her.

At the same time, the little rebellion against it sent a thrill through her body like none other.

"It's over here, but there are others in there, so you'll have to be quiet-mph" Shadi cut him off as she grabbed a fistful of his whiskers and pulled his face down to her level, kissing him on the lips softly. It was warm and sweet, and he instantly relaxed into the gesture with her, a quiet purr building in both of their chests.

Parting, she put a finger to his lips before gently taking his paw and leading him around behind the tent, listening to the soft snores coming from within. Out of sigh and hidden away behind the ten, she kissed him again, clumsily pulling him down onto the thin covering of tamped down grass.

He explored her muzzle with his tongue, rough, broad strokes that tickled her lips and the roof of her mouth, while she wrestled back against him. His paws found her breasts in short order, and this time she didn't bat him away, instead, arching up against him as he straddled her body from above, pinning her to the grass with his weight.

Her mind was getting mixed signals, excitement, trepidation, arousal, fear, all of them coming in waves only to be over-ridden by the next until her paws were tracing lines along the leopard's back, her muzzle buried against his throat. Her dress was pulled up and over her head, before she knew it, and her paws had trailed down, scratching at the rough knot of fabric secured above his tail base.

Tangled in a mess of fur at the base of the tent, the pair of felines might have been mistaken for fighting at a distance, but as he pushed her down into another kiss, she was doing anything but fighting the leopard's advances. He caressed her flesh in just the right way to have her tail flicking and thumping against the ground when his pads roamed over her stiff nipples and to make her back arch when his teeth nipped along the edge of her throat.

She mewled sweetly, reduced to a mouldable ball of feline under him. He felt powerful, and strong as if he could take care of any and all needs that she might ever need. He broke the kiss, leaving them both panting like the energetic lovers just discovering each other's bodies that they were. It was new for Shadi, and exciting, and she wanted more of it.

His paws pushed down on her shoulders as the spotted male scooted down her body, sealing his lips around first her left, then her right breast, in turn, letting his raspy, rough-textured tongue drag over the sensitive pink skin, teasing her breasts with firm suckles and sharp nips that alternated sharp and smooth pleasure in equal measure.

Her hands tussled in his scruffy hair atop his head, pushing his head back down when he tried to lift away from her, putting the boy right back to work. She did her best to muffle her sweet pleasured mewling, but nothing could stop her purrs if she tried. Everything was new, and the feelings washed over her in unexpected ways that made her want to moan aloud to the world.

As if sensing this, one of his paws found her muzzle, clamping down over her lips as his free paw ventured lower still, caressing the supple curve of her waist and into the round, motherly hips that she was growing into, before his fingers agonizingly walked inwards, closer to the point where much of her pleasure was radiating from.

He found her sodden sex lips already hot to the touch and slick with her body's arousal, his leathery pads dragging first with one, then two fingers over the length of her womanhood. She huffed loudly through her nostrils as he rubbed over her clit, eyes closing tightly. Gasping aloud wasn't an option with his paw over her lips. Shadi's hips rolled up into his paw as if on reflex, wanting more of the pleasure he was providing, and he was more than happy to give just that.

One of his digits curled, pushing down enough to part her lips, the soft pad gliding effortlessly along her nethers. Trapped as she was, there was nowhere to squirm for her but back into his attentions, before with a cry, she came faster than she'd ever managed, even by her own paw. Liquid honey coated his fingers as her sex spasmed and clenched, her breathing coming in rapid, shallow pants while the world around her span wildly.

When the world did, at last, regain some semblance of stability, and Vika removed his paw, her first action was to grab his hair and pull him back up to her level so she could kiss him deeply, purring loudly.

"That was... Intense..." She said breathily, her breasts firmly against his chest. She felt him shuffling above her, pushing her legs aside and holding them spread with his own. Something warm and hot pressed against her thighs, and she knew what it was at once, reaching down to feel for herself what she'd only glimpsed during his dance routine. His preseed leaked against the short peach fuzz of her pubic mound as she ran her fingers from his base to his tip, letting her claw tips brush lightly across the firm barbs around his tip.

Vika let out a soft huff that devolved quickly into a low growl of lust and need, his hips rocking against her as if on autopilot while his cock attempted to find her sweet virgin folds. She let out a soft whine, wrapping her fingers around the leopard's stiff length, barely connecting on the opposite side. She tilted him down, and let out a soft hiss of pleasure along with him at the first contact.

Her mind raced as quickly as her heart did, her entire body aching to feel a male at least inside of her, stretching her for the first time, filling her with his warmth and his seed as they huffed and kissed and rolled in pleasure.

And then she paused as a single thought struck her like a block of ice, and she guided his length away from her womanhood, pushing him up against her belly instead as he let out a soft, curious chuff.

"Something wrong Shadi?" He asked, nuzzling his cheek against hers.

"No... No, nothing wrong, just... I don't think I'm quite ready to become a mother tonight. I'd love a family one day, but... I'm almost in season. If you went on, we'd probably both end up in trouble... It's not worth the risk. I don't want to leave you just yet though..."

He nodded quietly, nudging her curiously with his nose.

She purred, placing a soft kiss upon his lips, smiling. "I'd like to try something though..."

Vika didn't seem like he took the rejection personally. Shadi had a point after all. His father would have castrated him, but he was still aching with pent up desire. He let her guide him as she rolled them over, and now with him on his back, she slowly began kissing a trail down his torso, moving from his lips to his pecs to his abs while her paw stroked back and forth over his length.

His hands grew restless at his sides as she kissed around the rim of his tip, tasting a male for the first time. They quickly found their way up her shoulders and to those large, fluffy ears, tangling and fisting the silky fur that rimmed them as she lowered her mouth around his shaft.

For Shadi, it was an interesting sensation as she used her tongue to tease across and over his nubby barbs, lapping eagerly any preseed that dribbled from his tip. For Vika, her muzzle was warm heaven, and he didn't long for missing out on anything tonight. There would be plenty of time them to sleep together later, perhaps once he had made his courting efforts known to his father.

She was sinfully skilled for someone so inexperienced, her natural instinct for finding what felt good making his rock his hips and hiss quietly into the cool night air while he fought the urge to simply grab her head and muzzle fuck her. She was sweeter and more deserving than the treatment of a common whore, and he intended to treat her no less than her position within her tribe demanded.

"Gods above Shadi, if you keep this up..." He tried to give her fair warning, already pent up and on edge with she massaged his aching, fuzzy sac and sheathe with her paws, bobbing her head to a tempo only she could her. Her purrs sent trembles along his legs as they vibrated down his length, while her long brown hair spilled over his chest.

He groaned and held her ears tightly as her pace increased, and his hips moved of their own accord as his sac tightened. Throbbing in her mouth, she counted the pulses until she began to feel lightheaded from the sheer duration of his climax, her muzzle filled with his seed. Testingly, she swallowed, the taste not at all repulsive, before pulling back with a satisfied smack of her lips, licking her chops clean.

He pulled her back down and kissed her again, their paws pulling each other close, snuggling for warmth against the biting chill of the night.

"Shadi... Shadi... Wake up sleepy cat." Vika's voice teased the lioness from her slumber, consciousness slowly returning. She stretched herself out as far as her muscles and her sleeping spot against the leather wall of the tent would allow. At some point they had snuck inside, curling up naked together beneath a pile of throw blankets made from fine pelts and fabrics in equal measure.

She could still smell him on her. On her breath, on her face, on her chest... They must have gone at least another half dozen times after moving into the tent. She could taste Vika on her lips, and let out a quiet, sleepy murmur, licking them clean. It was quickly replaced by the taste of his lips upon hers as he kissed her, the warmth of the leopard's fur a comfort against the cool that had crept in as she tossed the blankets off.

He pushed a bundle of fabric into her drowsy paws, and quickly, she slipped back into her robes beneath the amused and approving gazes of at least a half a dozen other men who called this tent their home, and half as many mixed females who had been their companions for the night.

"Come on, if we're quick, we can sneak you back into your home before your handmaiden comes knocking."

Like a pair of thieves, they scampered through the village, before he helped boost her up to her window sill so that she could slip back inside unnoticed.

"Here, before I leave..." He stopped her before she vanished, pulling her back down for a quick kiss. She felt him slip something into her paw.

"I'll be back for it before the spring is over... And maybe we can do this again, without having to sneak around our fathers, yes?" He asked, almost hopefully.

Shadi couldn't help but giggle.

"If I didn't know better, I would say you were courting me." She said with playful accusation.

"I think we're already well past that, don't you?"

They shared a last kiss, and Shadi slipped inside, closing her window before sliding into her own bed, letting the down stuffed mattress meet her with its pillowy soft embrace. The little leopard brooch was still clasped in her paw when she fell asleep.

Three weeks later, the first canine coalition soldiers would storm her home in some of the opening shots of a larger war of conquest.