Along the River

Story by Coyote Time on SoFurry

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#1 of The Coyote Tribe

A brash young coyote presses his luck a little too far when trying to spy on the females at the local bathing pool...

Luckily for him, he's not the only one with a curious streak.


"Young Warrior Arrd, your entire tribe owes you a great debt." The elder coyote bowed, his emerald robes wrinkling up around his stick-thin body. Feathers woven into the thinning tan fur along the back of his neck rustled in the breeze. A proud smile creased up his thin muzzle. "Firstly, you brought peace between wolves, and coyotes. Then, you forged a lasting alliance with the feline tribes. And most importantly, you've ensured a binding truce with the warrior antelope tribes of the Scorched Basin." The elder coyote lifting a grand medallion carved from pink-hued rose quartz, laid inside an elegant, braided silver loop. "It is my highest honor to declare you our tribe's Champion. You, Arrd, truly are great."

"Of course, I am!" Arrd snatched the medal away and dropped it over his neck. "Everyone knows Arrd is great." The young coyote rubbed his tan-furred hands together, grinning. "And now, let me declare you, elder...to be kicked in the puppy makers!"

Arrd buried his foot right between the older coyote's legs. The elder's robe scrunched up around Arrd's foot as the decrepit male bent forward, his eyes popping out. He gave a strangled canine yelp and fell onto his knees, ears twisting back. Then the elder coyote flopped onto his face, curling up.

"Oooohhhh!" The elder rolled around on the dry grass, clutching himself. "That was...most inappropriate!"

All the gathered crowd laughed and cheered at Arrd's hilarious prank. Surely, it was the funniest thing any of them had ever seen. There was no doubt in his mind that everyone thought Arrd was great. After all, kicking an elder in the nuts in front of the whole tribe had to be the high point in a long and illustrious career filled with glorious pranks and playful mischief.

An ominous, creaking groan drew Arrd's attention to the scarecrow in a green shawl he'd been pretending was an elder. Suddenly, its support pole snapped, and it collapsed into the melon field. Arrd's ears flattened and his eyes went wide.

"Uh oh."

The coyote snatched up his heavy pack and backed away. Maybe he shouldn't have actually kicked the scarecrow. Especially not considering he was currently trespassing through a feline tribe melon field. And stealing their melons. Luckily, no one was-

"What's going on over there?" An angry female voice called out from the distance. "What do you think you're doing in my melon patch, canine?"

"Crap." Arrd stuffed the last melon he'd picked earlier into his already heavy pack. If he got caught, not only would he have to pay for the stolen fruit, but he'd probably have to fix their dumb scarecrow, too. He swung his pack over his shoulders, yelling across the field. "What? I can't hear you, sorry!"

Arrd broke into a full sprint, tearing between rows of leafy vines and golden fruit. He was careful not to trip on any tendrils that had outgrown their boundaries. The sweet scent of ripening melons tinted every panting breath. Arrd focused on his path. As long as he didn't plant his muzzle in the dirt, he was certain the feline could never catch him. Arrd was faster than any other coyote he knew, and he had a huge head start.

"Come back here!" The feline followed him, but her voice already sounded distant.

"Those aren't free, you thieving pup!"

"Hah! You'll never catch Totha the Unpopular!" Arrd resisted the urge to glance back, knowing the moment he did, he'd twist his ankle and go tumbling through the melons. Instead, he concentrated on his escape. But Arrd didn't need to look back to shift the blame to the bigger male coyote always trying to push him around. "Totha! That's my name! Totha! The ugly one! Just send me the bill!"

Arrd ran and ran. The warm summer breeze flattened his fur back against his face. If there was one athletic thing the young coyote could do well, it was run. Focusing on running had helped him learn to overcome some of his natural clumsy streak, too. By the time the young coyote's legs were burning, he was well beyond the edges of feline lands. He slowed down to a trot, and eventually, eased to a stop.

Arrd bent forward, his hands on his knees. The coyote panted heavily, lungs aching and heart thundering in his chest. That was a lot of running, even for him. His tongue hung from his muzzle while he caught his breath. Once he collected himself, he unslung his pack, and pulled his canteen from it.

A few gulps of cool, fresh river water helped slake Arrd's sudden thirst. He poured a little water across his head and down the back of his neck, slicking damp fur down against his skin. Arrd shaded his eyes and glanced up. Not a single cloud obscured the deep azure tone of the midsummer sky. It was still early in the afternoon, but the sun's scorching gaze was unrelenting. Arrd took another drink, considering going for a swim.

Given the time of day, the bathing pools and swimming holes in the river ought to be fairly empty. Most of the pups would be at lessons, and most of the adults would be working. After all, there were many things that had to be done to keep the village going. Meat had to be hunted, livestock tended, and crops harvested. Warriors had patrols to walk, and scouts had reports to give. There were buildings to repair, fires to stoke, leathers to tan, and crafts to, well...craft, Arrd supposed.

Arrd himself worked as a trader. His family owned a stall in the so-called shared market, inside the neighboring feline village. Arrd sold the felines jewelry, carved stones, rings, and other trinkets. Most were crafted by his parents, though Arrd was learning the arts of carving, stone-cutting and jewelry making as well. In fact, today Arrd had sold one of his own pieces for the very first time. The coyote was especially proud of that achievement.

He was also proud of the fact he'd not only charged fairly for everything, but also worked a full shift. That wasn't always the case until recently. After all, as far as Arrd was concerned, great coyotes like him had better things to do that spend their days surrounded by short-muzzled felines with too much perfume in their fur. Thankfully, this time of year the felines held their market early in the morning to avoid the summer heat.

Though Arrd hated crawling out of bed before dawn, it was nice to have a job that he was often finished with by lunchtime. He'd been on his way home from the market with plenty of coin to bring home when he decided to cut through that feline's melon field. The journey was shorter that way, and the melons were delicious. Though Arrd supposed now that he'd gotten caught poaching them, he might have to start taking the long way around.

Arrd took another drink, and decided a solitary swim sounded like a wonderful way to spend the rest of the afternoon. His people's village was located near the banks of a river named The Refuge. It was said that generations ago, when his tribe were nomads, they sought refuge from a great drought alongside the only body of water that hadn't dried up. Over time, that very refuge became the river's name.

The Refuge wound through a place called the Golden Plains, so named for the color the land attained every summer. In the spring, waves of rain and thunderstorms gave life to an ocean of emerald grasses, mottled with vibrant wildflowers of every hue. Inevitably, the rains dried up, and the ever-present sun painted the dying grasses in a shade of gold, stretching on forever in all directions.

When Arrd had quenched his thirst, he packed his canteen away, then headed for a nearby grassy knoll to get a better view of the river. After an incident involving a lost pair of breeches at his usual swimming hole, Arrd thought it time to try a new spot. After climbing to the hilltop, he gazed along The Refuge's winding course.

Sunlight glittered like golden jewels scattered across the river. Copses of trees and thick underbrush lined it many locations. Eventually, The Refuge vanished amidst distant, golden hills dotted with spires and ridges of fiery sandstone. Further beyond, were valleys, and the hazy outlines of distant mountains. Those mountains were the territory of a wolf tribe, whose members occasionally came to trade. Despite their aggressive reputation, they always seemed exceedingly polite.

Further away was a pass through the mountains called the Jaws of the Sun. It led to valleys and lowlands ruled by warrior tribes of antelope, and other so-called former prey species. Long before even Arrd's ancestors were born, the antelope, deer, rabbits and other herbivores had banded together, and taught themselves to fight and make weapons to protect their lives. Though they had not known war with the canines for countless generations, distrust often lingered.

Arrd turned around, looking back the way he'd come. The distant feline village easily discerned by the boxy shapes of its houses and buildings. The cats preferred more structural organization in their town, with clearly defined roads and regions. The coyotes, meanwhile, just built everything in a roughly ring-shaped series of expansions around their central Halls and marketplace. In the same way, the felines preferred elaborate layers of colorful clothing compared to the simple garments worn by most coyotes. Arrd liked the colors, but couldn't understand why they'd want to cover their bodies so completely when it was so hot out.

The Coyote returned his attention to the river, looking for a good place to swim. Ideally, he'd have an empty stretch of river all to himself, and some shade to lounge in when he was done swimming. He could let his fur dry while he savored the especially sweet taste of stolen melons. A bend in the distance looked promising. It had deep water and had a swath of shoreline shaded by a thick grove of oak trees. It would have been perfect, if not for the two distant figures already making their way towards it.

The coyote scowled, flattening his tan furred ears. He really wanted to swim on his own, but wouldn't mind sharing the water and his melons with a few of his kin. Then again, if it was Totha and one his friends, they could both get mounted by a gryphon. Or a dragon. Preferably a dragon, Arrd thought, for surely, they were _bigger_and would be that much more uncomfortable.

Before he could decide, he had to know who it was. Arrd followed the riverbank for a little while, then scrambled up another hill. The unknown coyotes were closer to the water now, and one of them carried a basket of woven reed. Though Arrd still wasn't close enough to recognize them, he pleased to find they were female. They certainly ruled out Totha. Arrd licked his muzzle, wondering if the two females planned to go swimming naked, the way males often did. Maybe if he offered to share his melons, they'd let him join them.

Aww, who was he kidding. There was no way any females were going to want to swim naked with him around. Let alone swim naked with him. Still, the mental image left the coyote shivering. He headed down the other side of the rise, making his way towards the back side of the oak grove. Maybe at least he could get a peek at a couple of females undressing. Or better yet, maybe he'd get to see them naked.

But what if he got caught? Arrd flattened his ears. He was certain he'd come up with a silly plan for just that eventually a while back. He racked his mind, trying to recall it. It was something about making it up to the girls who caught him spying, by offering to let them kick him in the nuts. Or should he offer it pre-emptively, to try and impress the girls with his bravery?

"Hey ladies?" Arrd put on his most suave voice, talking to himself. "If you let me watch you swim naked, I'll let you kick me in the nuts. What's that?" He put a hand to an ear. "Since I'm so great and courageous to offer, you want me to swim naked with you? Well, if you insist!"

Just like that, the idea of a refreshing swim was replaced with a far more tantalizing plan. While Arrd had caught peeks at females in the river now and then, he'd never seen one completely nude. He'd seen plenty of other males naked while swimming, thanks to his own wandering eyes. But females? Ooh, didn't that just leave his sheath tingling. Arrd licked his muzzle, adjusting his black leather breeches to better suit his burgeoning erection.

"Easy, buddy." Arrd glanced down at his crotch, whispering. "Don't get all excited, now. Walking's gonna be hard if you get unsheathed..." Arrd blinked and giggled. "Heh. Hard."

By the time Arrd reached the forested grove, the females were already on the riverbank. Arrd eased up behind an ancient oak tree with a wide, gnarled trunk. He hoped the gray-brown bark and dead leaves littering the ground would help camouflage his tan and gray fur. Quietly as he could, Arrd unslung his pack and lowered it to a patch of mossy earth.

The coyote pressed against the tree and peeked around it. Now he had a clear view of the riverbank, through the trees. The forest gave way to a mossy, grassy shoreline edged by a strip of sand at the water's edge. Arrd was close enough now to make out the details of the two females. One of them was taller and lither than the other, with more gray than tan in her fur. The other was a bit chubby, with less gray, and hints of rusty red tinging the sandy shades of her own fur. She wore a matching blouse and skirt the color of the summer sky, while the taller girl wore a cream-colored shirt, and black leather breeches.

Arrd splayed his ears, realizing he knew these girls. The taller one was Nava, and her friend was Tiry. They were slightly older than him but had taken lessons from the same instructors in their younger days. Nowadays he sometimes saw them around the village, helping their parents carry things. Usually, they were with their friend Reki. Arrd knew Reki better because she also worked a trading stall in the shared market. She was nice, but a little bossy. Come to think of it, Arrd thought, it was Reki who caught him the last time he tried to see girls getting naked.

If I catch you trying to peek at us bathing again, I'm gonna kick your nuts into your throat!

Arrd gulped as Reki's threat echoed in his head. Just the thought left his canine testicles aching. He reached down, rubbing them through his breeches. "It's okay, boys," he said, his voice barely more than a whisper. "You can't really get lodged up there. It's just a female trick!"

At least, Arrd hoped it was. Not that it would hurt any less if she tried it. Either way, Reki's threat was what led him to develop his silly back up plan in the first place. Arrd hoped if he offered it on his own, at least she'd go easy on him. He chewed his lip in thought, ears splayed. The smartest idea would be creep away right now, while his balls were still located in their usual place. The coyote crouched down to pick up his pack, fully intending to leave without them ever knowing he was there. And then Nava took her shirt off.

Arrd's jaw dropped as the older female's breasts were bared, gray-furred and delightfully rounded. He stared, unable to tear his gaze away from the first pair of exposed breasts he'd ever seen. The coyote's penis practically jumped out of his sheath. It from fully retracted to fully erect and chafing against his breeches in record time. At least, Arrd assumed it was record time. He'd never gotten a boner quite that fast before, anyway. Actually, Arrd wondered, were there records for such things? He shook his head to clear his wandering thoughts.

"Who cares, Arrd," he said, still whispering. "There's tits on display!"

Soon enough, there were more tits on display. Tiry tugged her blouse up over her head, and tossed it onto the grass. Tiry's breasts were a little larger, and reddish tan, rather than gray. Yet before Arrd could even savor the sight, Tiry was wriggling out of her skirt, too. Facing away from him, she unbuttoned the loop around her tail, then tugged the blue fabric down over her hips. Her tail popped free, her skirt dropped around her ankles, and her bare butt was as exposed as the rest of her.

Naked, Tiry kicked her skirt aside and walked towards the water. Arrd stared at her butt, watching her reddish-tan hips sway, and her tail bounce above her naked curves. Pressed to the tree, Arrd's erection was wedged between the furry warmth of his body and the solid trunk of the tree. Thankfully, his leather breeches offered enough just padding to prevent any serious scraping issues. Before he could think better of it, the coyote slowly rubbed himself up and down against the tree trunk, in time with Tiry's movements.

By the time Tiry finished the short walk to the river's edge, Arrd was already a little on edge. Embarrassing as it was, seeing his first girl naked was erotic enough that the young coyote could probably get off just by humping the tree. Thank the gods no one would ever know if he did that, Arrd thought. Unless, of course, he did something stupid like push it into a knothole, and...

"Knot the knothole..." He giggled at his own terrible joke.

As Tiry waded out into the water, Arrd's attention shifted to Nava. When she started to unbutton her breeches, Arrd did the same. As soon as he opened a few buttons, his tapered canine erection sprang out of its leather prison, jutting up at rigid, crimson attention. Arrd leaned his head against the tree, staring down at himself.

"I don't think you've ever been that hard, huh?" He worked his fingers down to another button. "Your buddies want out, too?" When the next button opened, both coyote testicles flopped out, like fat gray-furred walnuts hanging over the front of his breeches. "Hey, boys! You didn't have to take one for the team after all!"

Arrd returned his curious gaze to Nava in time to see her tugging open the tail loop at the back of her pants. The coyote grasped his erection, pumping it in quick, even motions that left him trembling in bliss. His balls bobbled. Nava's breeches slipped down over her hips, revealing the soft curves of her bare rump. Her fur there was light gray, fading to an even paler hue across her thighs. The only tan on her back ran along her spine, and splashed across her bushy tail. When Nava bent over to tug her breeches off her bare feet, Arrd caught a glimpse of what lay under her butt, too.

He gasped and clamped his jaw shut. The sight of her naked sex nearly set the young coyote off in his hand. He released himself, canine cock jumping as he fought the urge spend his seed all over the tree trunk. As tempting as it was to finish off while he could still see naked females, Arrd didn't want to leave any 'evidence' behind. Nor did he want to end up knotted for his walk home...again. At least this time he still had his breeches. He decided to watch for a few more moments, then slink away. With any luck, he could find somewhere privates and comfortable to finish off, and then relax while waiting for his knot to deflate.

Nava made her way towards the water, her naked hips swaying, tail swishing. Arrd gave his tapered canine erection a few slower, tender strokes. Gods, he thought, they both had such cute butts. He was gonna be stroking himself off to this for years. When Nava sloshed into the water, Arrd begrudgingly released his member. He tucked it back into his breeches along with his balls.

"Pressed your luck long enough, Arrd, time to get out while the gettin' out's good." Arrd forced himself to button his breeches over the top of his chubby. He squirmed, half-worried he was so close that just rubbing against his pants was going to set him off. "Guess we'd better go get off while the gettin' off's good too, huh buddy?"

All at once, a confused female voice called out behind him. "What are you doing?"

Arrd's ears shot up, and he bolted upright. An answering voice was the last thing he expected to hear. He whirled around and saw Reki staring at him in confusion. "Uhh..." Arrd ran his hands over his ears, desperate for an excuse. Any excuse. "...Enjoying the view?"

Crap.

"The view, huh?" Reki dropped her own pack, and put her hands on her hips, glaring at him. She flicked a single, tan-furred ear back, glancing towards the naked girls splashing in the nearby river. "Oh yeah, I bet you were!" Her attention snapped back to Arrd, and she tapped her sandaled foot, growling. "What did I tell you last time I caught you spying on us?"

Arrd gulped, pinning his ears. He really didn't want to get his nuts kicked into his throat. "Uh, well. Ya'see..." The young coyote wrung his hands, wishing he wasn't still sporting the erection of his life. That didn't exactly make it easy to think up excuses. Nor was it going to help get him off the hook for spying on the other girls. "It's just that...uh..."

As he stammered, Arrd willed his brain to work. It didn't listen. Instead, his eyes roamed Reki's body, as if of their own accord. She was a little older than him, and a good head taller. Reki was curvier than the lithe Nava, but less so than the plumper Tiyr. Her fur coloration and patterns were similar to his own, grays across her face and down her throat, with a tan 'hood' over the back of her head and ears. Sandy brown colored her limbs, while her bushy tail had more black peppered in than Arrd's did. Reki wore a dark green blouse with gold hemming its sleeves, and a skirt in matching colors. Arrd struggled to stop from visualizing how she might look naked, alongside her friends.

"Why are you staring at me like that?" Reki snarled at him, ears pinned and fangs bared. Before he could think of a reply, her own gaze fell down his body, and settled just between his legs. "Ew, gross, Arrd! Do you have a boner right now?" She glanced at her distant companions, then back at the increasingly nervous male. "Just what were you doing? Were you..." She scrunched her muzzle. "Ugh, you were, weren't you!"

Arrd took a step back, holding his hands up. Crap, crap, crap! You're so busted, Arrd! What was his emergency back-up plan? Oh, right.

"Tell you what, Reki." Arrd offered her his most charming, sincere smile. "I'll let you kick me in the nuts..." Wait, was he getting that backwards?

"You will?" Confusion washed across Reki's face for a split second. Then her ears perked, and a mischievous grin split her muzzle. "Okay!"

"No, wait!"

Reki did not wait.

The older girl's sandaled foot shot up between Arrd's legs like a stone loosed from a sling, burying itself in the coyote's vulnerable privates. The top of her foot impacted the bottom of both canine testicles with sharp, sudden force, accompanied by an audible thwack. Arrd's furry balls bounced inside his breeches, and his erection ground against the leather. Twin bursts of intense pain erupted from his balls to his guts, buckling his legs and dropping the young coyote to his knees in an instant.

"Awwrrrp!" Arrd made a noise halfway between a canine yelp and a feminine squeal as he crumpled. He clutched himself in both hands, eyes bugging out. A moment later and he flopped onto his side, writhing in the dirt. "Uhhh! My balls!" Arrd rolled from side to side, his whole face scrunched, and ears flattened back, young canine nuts aching ferociously. "My baaaalls!"

Reki, meanwhile, burst out laughing. "Yes!" She pumped a fist in the air, celebrating her personal victory. "Right in the puppy makers! That's what you get, you little pervert!"

"What was that?" Tiry's voice called up from the riverbank. "Did someone scream?"

"Sort of!" Reki waved to her friends, nudging Arrd with her foot. "I caught that brat Arrd trying to spy on you again, so I kicked him in the balls!"

Laughter echoed from the riverbank. "Good job, Reki!"

"Awwww!" Arrd squirmed from side to side, rubbing himself. Both coyote testicles were locked in competition to see which nard could out-ache its companion. "Oooooh, my balls!" Arrd flopped to his belly, hiked his butt up in the air, and openly rubbed himself through his breeches. "Oooh, Gods, you really got 'em both!"

That only made Reki laugh even harder. "Aww, both of them? Guess my aim's getting better." She nudged him again. "We both know you deserved that, you little voyeur."

Arrd curled up into a fluffy little ball, whimpering. He'd been kicked there enough to know he was stuck with the hot ache for a while now. The uniquely male pain would only fade after long, uncomfortable minutes, like an annoying and unwanted 'companion' he couldn't get to go away. If Arrd were a wiser coyote, he might have seen the lesson lurking in that concept. But he didn't.

"Uhnnn." Arrd coughed a few times, glancing up at Reki. "You kick even harder than my sister!"

Reki folded her arms, glaring down at him. "I'm like three years older than your sister, so I hope so." She tapped her foot. "How long are those silly things gonna hurt for, anyway?"

"Longer than I got to see anyone naked." Arrd rubbed his thighs together around his hands. "Which makes this a very disproportionate punishment!"

"Oh, poor Arrd! His little nuts are going to hurt longer than he got to ogle naked girls without their knowledge for." Reki growled at him. "You just never learn, do you?"

"That's what my mom says." Arrd groaned, then sucked in a breath through grit teeth. "And my sister."

"I wonder why?" Reki flicked her tail, glancing at the riverbank. "You may as well get dressed! He's gonna be here a while. I'll join you after the little brat crawls home."

"Don't get dressed..." Arrd coughed, rolling to his side. "On my account."

Arrd found himself staring at Reki's tan-furred feet, and golden-dyed sandals. For something that could defeat a male so easily, a girl's footpaws sure looked innocent, he thought. Her skirt swished around her legs, halfway between her knees and ankles. Arrd couldn't help but wonder if he could use his hapless position to see something far more interesting than her feet.

He curled tighter, resting his head on the ground. Arrd draped an arm over his face, groaning into it. Then he angled his head just enough to peek over his own forearm. Now, he could see just past the edges of her skirt. Arrd eased his muzzle a little further, his gaze roaming the tan fur of Reki's calves up to her knees. Another tiny movement of his head, and Arrd saw where the light brown fur gave way to gray across her thighs. From there, he was so close to seeing-

"Arrd!" This time Reki snarled his name as an angry proclamation. She stepped back, flashing him a look that was all fangs and smoldering anger. "You little shit!" She snarled at him, stomping a sandaled foot. "I was about to let you slink home with your tail tucked, too. But you just had to keep being a little pervert!"

"I'm sorry!" Arrd wriggled out of easy reach, worried he'd really gone too far now. "If it makes you feel better? I didn't even see your pussy...sex! Wh-whatever the preferred term is!"

"Only because I caught you!" Reki shook a dull-clawed finger at him, still growling. "You think you can just spy on girls, and peek at our privates whenever you want? How'd you like it if girls spied on you while you were undressing?" She paused, and a mischievous grin spread across her muzzle. "Actually, there's an idea. You ever been naked in front of girls before, Arrd?"

Arrd's heart nearly stopped. Under other circumstances, that might have been a very erotic question. But under _these_circumstances, it was positively terrifying. He was sure she was backing him into a trap, but he saw no real way out. "N-no."

"Well..." Reki's voice changed, all the anger in it replaced with a dangerous, syrupy sweetness. "I've never seen a boy naked, either. Wanna strip and let my friends and me stare at your stuff?"

"Um..." The male coyote forced himself up into a seated position, pulling his knees up to his chest. "Not at this exact moment."

"Aww, why not?" Reki tilted her head, smirking. "Is it small?"

"No!" Arrd bared his fangs at that most grievous of insults. Even at a time like this, Arrd could not let that stand. "It's huge! Well..." He flicked his ears back, rubbing the scruff of his neck. "It's well-proportioned to the size of the rest of me, at least."

Reki barked laugher, shaking her head. "Oh, I'm sure. Then why don't you want us to stare at it?" She gave a mock gasp, putting a hand on her chest. "Oh! Is it because it's humiliating to have people gawking at your privates?"

"Yeah!" Arrd nodded a few times. "Definitely that, and not cause it's small."

Reki pointed down to the riverbank, where Tiry and Nava had gotten dressed again. "Now you understand how my friends are feeling, knowing the village runt just saw them naked."

Arrd's ears drooped when he realized he'd face-planted right into the point she was trying to make. But just as quickly, the insult riled him up again. "I'm not the village runt!" Arrd growled and forced himself up onto wobbly legs. "There's got to be at least one or two males my age smaller than me."

"Only you could could think that was more important right now." Reki jabbed a dull claw tip into Arrd's chest. "I guess we'll have to show you how it feels." She called out to her friends. "Hey, girls! Wanna help me make Arrd strip naked?"

The peels of laughter from the shoreline were all the answer Arrd needed to hear.

"So, uh, I really gotta be going." Arrd turned towards his back, only for Reki to suddenly put herself between him and his possessions.

"Oh, no, you're not going_anywhere_." In a flash, Reki grabbed Arrd's crotch, firmly snatching both testicles through his leather breeches.

"YIPE!" Arrd gave a clipped canine yelp and hunched over, eyes wide. There were few sensations that further humbled a male coyote than a female's fingers wrapped around his balls. "Okay, okay, c'mon! They're still sore!"

"You got two choices, Brat." Reki smirked right into his face, her grip possessive but not yet painful. "You can walk to the river with me, or..." She tightened her grasp enough to make Arrd whimper. "Or I can drag you down there by your little fuzzy nuts. Your choice."

"Walk!" Arrd's voice came out more squeak than anything else. "I'll walk!"

"Good boy." Reki released his balls and patted his head. "Now get moving."

Arrd sighed, trudging out of the oak grove and towards the water. Some small part of him begged and pleaded for him to genuinely learn his lesson, this time. But it was already drowned out by his usual irrepressible bravado. Yeah, Arrd thought, he'd gotten his nards kicked. But so what? It was worth it because he totally saw those girls naked. And now they wanted to see him naked in return, just like he'd imagined. He must have been an awfully sexy coyote. Why else would they wanna see his stuff?

He smiled, swishing his tail. "Because Arrd is gre-"

Reki smacked him over the back of the head. "Shut up!"

Arrd winced, rubbing his head, finishing his favorite phrase in his mind.

Because Arrd is great!

*****

Reki followed Arrd through the forest grove. Her day had certainly taken a turn for the exciting. She spent the morning toiling alongside her mother on all sorts of boring chores. Once finished with her work, she planned on nothing more than a refreshing dip with her two best friends. They always bathed in the same area, a secluded bend in the river far away from the village. It was usually just the three of them, and that was how they liked it. Reki certainly hadn't expected to catch Arrd spying on them again. Especially not after threatening his future ability to make puppies the first time she caught him. Then again, it was _Arrd,_so perhaps she shouldn't have been surprised.

Arrd was well known around the coyote tribe for his small statue, outsized ego, and his weird habits. He was always talking to himself, singing weird songs about himself, arguing with his younger sister, scrapping with the older boys, and spending untold hours carving odd things into rocks. Reki remembered all things from when they were younger and still in lessons, and now that Arrd was nearly grown, nothing had changed.

If anything, he'd gotten worse as he got older. Reki knew from working in the same market that Arrd often skipped out early on his job, if he even showed up for it. Other times, he tried to rip off the felines with exaggerated pricing and outlandish claims. Rumor even circulated lately he'd been caught playing with himself on the riverbank when he was supposed to be working. Given what Reki just caught him doing, she didn't doubt that rumor.

"Listen, you horny little brat." Reki slapped him across his tan-furred ears. "You really need to get yourself together."

"Ow!" Arrd yipped and rubbed his head, ears splayed. "You're one to talk. You're marching me down to strip me naked!"

Reki rolled her eyes, smacking his head again. "That's not what I meant. Someone needs to keep you in line. But..." Reki trailed off, realizing this wasn't the best time for a serious discussion about Arrd's future. Perhaps-

"But?" Arrd shook his hips, his tail swishing. "Yeah, I have a butt."

Reki wasn't sure whether she should groan, or laugh. But the movement drew her attention, and her eyes trailed down his back towards his rump. She could vaguely make out the outline of the male coyote's butt through his old leather breeches. Before long, she was going to see more than just the outline. She licked her muzzle at the thought.

"You certainly do." Reki gave Arrd's rump a hard slap. "It's not the worst one in the tribe, either."

"Ow!" Arrd yelped and laughed, stumbling forward. "You can touch me gently, you know."

"I'll think about it." Reki curled an arm possessively around his waist to keep him headed in the right direction. "If you behave."

Arrd looked down at her hand, swallowing. Then he cast her a sly, sidelong glance. "Define behave."

Reki ignored him, slipping her hand just beneath his vest. His fur was warm, and silken-soft against her pads. She ruffled it, her tail flicking in excitement. Before long, he'd be out of that vest, and everything else too. The thought made her shiver, her tail fluffing up. Arrd might have been a runt, but it wasn't as if he was unattractive. His luxurious fur was well cared for, and layered in beautiful shades of gray and tan with just a hint of black scattered across his tail. The plushness of his fur also obscured a lean runner's build. The firmness under Reki's fingers told her all the running Arrd did to escape angry felines had honed his scrawny form into something more tautly muscled. Arrd had warm, golden brown eyes, and an easy smile that would have been infectious if it wasn't so smug all the time.

Not that Reki had any intention of telling Arrd any of that. If Arrd ever heard he might be growing into something resembling a handsome coyote, his ego would probably erupt in a fiery blast so intense it would sear the entire tribe out of existence. Instead, she hoped teaching him a lesson might knock his egotism down a notch or two, however temporarily. But that meant insuring he knew who was in charge. This wasn't for his enjoyment, after all.

She pulled Arrd up against her side, growling into his ear. "You belong to me today." She Reki nipped his ear for emphasis. "Got it?"

Arrd yipped and flattened his ears, but gave her a defiant look. "I don't recall agreeing to that."

"Oh no?" Reki tilted her head, and holding him tight against her, slipped her own hand down between his legs. She grabbed at his crotch, securing a grip on a single, slippery nugget of flesh hidden inside his breeches. "You sure?"

Arrd sucked in a breath, hunching over. "Okay, okay! I temporarily belong to you. Very temporarily!"

"Is that all?" Reki tightened her grip just a little, watching his eyes widen and his muzzle twist up. Her mother taught her long ago what parts of a male to grab or kick when she was in a fight, or in danger. It was amazing how just a little pressure on one of those funny little things could get a boy to agree to almost anything. "You sure you don't want to reconsider that temporary part? Or should I pinch it until your knees buckle?"

"Alright, alright!" Arrd's voice was squeakier than before. "After carefully reconsidering the evidence, including the fact you have my left testicle trapped in your fingers, I'm willing to admit I belong to you for the rest of the day!"

"Good boy." Reki leaned in and gave Arrd's face a long lick, up between his ears. She released his ball, but traced her fingers above it, brushing over his hidden sheath. Arrd shivered, and Reki smiled. "Let's go! The girls are waiting."

Reki hurried Arrd through the forest, her heart thumping. Though she'd never admit it to Arrd, the idea of seeing him naked was quite exciting. She'd never actually seen male without his pants on, before. Girls, though, she'd certainly seen them nude. Especially her closest friends, Nava and Tiry. They swam together often, and their once-secret peeks at each other's naked bodies weren't so secret anymore. Perhaps, she thought, if Arrd behaved himself well enough, they might even invite him to swim naked with them for real someday.

Nava and Tiry awaited them on the shoreline, where the woods gave way to grass and moss, sand and water. They were both fully dressed now, eagerly approach their shared captive. Reki shoved Arrd towards the other two, hard enough to make him stumble a few paces.

"Look who I found, girls!" She crossed her arms. "The local brat's been spying again."

"Gods, Arrd, you're such an obnoxious little pervert!" Nava put her hands on her hips, glaring at him, fangs bared. "We oughta just neuter you and call it done."

Tiry raised a hand, giggling. "I vote for neutering him too!"

"Um, hello ladies." Arrd rubbed the back of his neck, flashing what he must have imagined to be a charming smile. "I'm afraid we've had a bit of a misunderstanding." He spread his hands out in front of himself. "I didn't mean to spy on you. I was just walking by, and I couldn't help but stare for a few moments, because, uh..." He licked his muzzle, ears splayed. "Oh!" Arrd's eyes lit up, and he bounced on his toes. "Because your beauty was so captivating!"

Tiry and Nava looked at each other, then burst out laughing. Nava shoved Arrd back a step. "You're so full of it!"

"Hey!" Arrd caught his balance and held his hands up. "I can't help being mesmerized by your magnificent-"

Reki smacked him across the ears again, cutting him off. "You had a total boner, Arrd."

"Yeah, well." Arrd gulped, looking down at himself. "My boner was also mesmerized by their beauty."

"I'll say." Reki glanced at her friends, scowling. "I'm pretty sure he was jacking off to your naked butts."

Arrd's tail tucked slightly. "That's not exactly accurate."

"He was just putting his thing away when I caught him." Reki nudged Arrd closer to the other girls, flicking her tail. "But I guess he wasn't done, because he still had a huge boner straining against his breeches." She smirked when Arrd flattened his ears in embarrassment. "Well, it's Arrd, so not a huge boner."

"Hey!" Arrd growled, balling up his fists. "It's huge enough you noticed it!"

"There was a weird bulge in the front of your breeches." Reki laughed, shaking her head. "You either had a boner, or a medical emergency. Went away awfully fast when I kicked you in the balls, though."

"Good!" Nava snarled, her ears pinned. "But if he was peeping at us, then I wanna get him in the balls, too."

"Yeah!" Tiry made a fist towards his crotch. "We oughta squeeze them flat, you dirty little peeping pup!"

"That seems fair." Reki hooked her arm around Arrd's to ensure he could not get away.

"Maybe since you saw my friends naked without their permission, they should get to hurt your balls, too."

"What?" Arrd's ears shot up in alarm, and he quickly covered himself with his free hand. "N-No way! I already got kicked there! And I, uh, totally learned my lesson, or whatever."

"Yeah, that sounds real convincing." Nava jabbed her finger against his chest. "You deserve another kick, and you know it!"

"Agree to disagree!" Arrd tried to back away, tugging at Reki's grip.

Reki pulled Arrd in front of herself, resting her chin between his ears. "I dunno, Arrd, maybe if you don't want us to punish you, we should let your mom do it!"

Arrd sucked in a breath, his eyes widening. "W-what?"

"You heard me." Reki kept her muzzle on his head, her voice all honey and sweetness. "Hey girls, how much trouble do you think Arrd would be in if we told his mother we'd caught him spying on us while we were naked? Twice."

"Ooh!" Tiry stuck her tongue out at Arrd. "I bet she'd be really mad at you."

"Yeah, Pup." Nava jabbed Arrd's chest again. "If you don't want us to punish you, I guess we'll just tell your mom we caught you masturbating while you were peeping on us."

"Maybe she'd let us punish him anyway." Reki nosed at Arrd's ear. "Maybe she wouldn't let you go anywhere but work for a month, and still let us kick your balls."

"Or maybe..." Nava tickled Arrd's chin with a single finger. "She'd let his little sister kick him, for self-defense practice."

Reki hooked her arms through his, tugging them back. "Do you think she'd be so mad, she might even kick you in the balls herself? She's gotta be pretty fed up with your behavior lately, right?"

Arrd tucked his tail all the way up between his legs at the idea. "She's not gonna kick me! But...don't tell her, alright? I'd get in so much damn trouble."

"Fine." Reki nipped his ear tip. "If you do whatever we say. Starting with letting my friends punish you for being a pervert. After all, they're the ones you were ogling, not me."

Arrd whimpered, but slowly dropped his tail out of the way. "Okay, okay. Just not too hard, huh?"

Nava leaned in, smirking at Arrd muzzle to muzzle. "Spread 'em."

With a sigh, Arrd slowly spread his legs out. "Happy?"

"Wider." Nava peered down at his crotch, then glanced at Reki, grinning. "I always wanted to tell a boy to spread 'em!"

As Arrd eased his thighs further apart, Tiry grabbed the waistband of his breeches. "Lemme help!" She yanked Arrd's pants upwards, wedging the seam up between the coyote's testicles. Two, plump oval shapes outlined themselves against the leather. Gray fur peeked out around the buttons. "There, clear shot!"

Reki peered over Arrd's shoulder. "Ooh, they look like they're just daring her to nail 'em. Do it, Nava! Get the little perv right in the balls!"

Nava didn't need any more encouragement than that. She stepped forward, put her hands on Arrd's shoulders, and rammed her knee into the younger coyote's privates. The impact mashed them out against his breeches, straining the buttons that kept them hidden.

"Awww!" Arrd gave a familiar cry, doubling over against Reki's hold. His eyes popped out and went totally cross, seemingly staring at his own nose. Arrd's ears went flat, and his knees buckled, leaving him sagging in Reki's arms. "Ooooooh, my baaaalls!"

Reki released him, and Arrd crumpled to the sandy bank. All three girls burst out laughing as Arrd started rolling around at their feet. Reki high-fived her friend over the squirming male. "Nice one, Nava! Right in the puppy makers!"

"Yeah!" Nava happily returned the gesture, giggling. "No pups for you, Arrd!"

"Oooooooooh!" Arrd rocked back and forth, clutching himself in both hands. His eyes were halfway rolled back, tail tucked up as if to further hide his vulnerable parts. "Ooh, my nuts, my nuts! Ooooooohh, my nuuuuts!"

Tiry laughed with her friends, reaching down to pull his tail away. "No one cares about your dumb nuts, Arrd! None of us even have those silly things."

"Yeah, you little pervert." Reki nudged with her foot. "This whole part of the river is supposed to be girls only! So don't expect to find much sympathy for your two little nuts."

Arrd tried to squirm away. "They're not little!"

"Oh, they're not, huh?" Reki used her foot to roll him onto his back. "That sounds like a challenge to me. Maybe we should pull down your pants and find out."

"Or you could just..." Arrd whined, still trying to wriggle free. "Let me go. I've definitely learned my lesson!"

"I wanna learn a lesson, too. A lesson about what boys have!" Tiry grabbed the coyote's feet, pushing his legs apart. "And I still want a turn to punish him!"

Reki looked between her friends, her ears perked in mischief. "You two ever seen a boy naked, before?"

"Nuh uh." Tiry shook her head. "But I want too!"

"I haven't seen one either." Nava tilted her head, glancing at Arrd. "Kinda wanted to see one I liked more than him, though."

"But he already saw you naked," Reki said. She waved at Arrd's face. "It's only fair you get to see him, now. Besides, Arrd's got the same stuff as any other boy." Reki snickered. "Only smaller."

"It is not!" Arrd snapped his teeth.

Nava growled at the trapped male. "You know what? That is fair. Let's peek at his boy stuff, and see if it's as big as he says it is!"

"Hell with peeking." Reki knelt alongside Arrd. "Let's strip him naked. Hold his legs, Tiry!"

Tiry held Arrd's legs fast while Reki and Nava worked to tug off his buckskin vest. They pulled it off his squirming body one arm at a time. Soon, Arrd's slender, gray-furred chest and darker tan back were both exposed. Reki set the vest aside, then ran her hand down over Arrd's chest. Her fingers slid over the soft fur of his belly, pausing just above the waistband of his pants.

"Okay, Arrd. These are next..." Reki patted his balls through his breeches. "And if you're smart, you'll just relax and let us pull your pants down. Otherwise..." Reki traced a fingertip around a single oval shape outlined against the leather. "Well, let's just say you wouldn't be the first boy we pinned down to wallop his privates together. Got it?"

Arrd gulped, nodding. "I'll be good."

"That's what I thought." She looked at the others. "Okay, girls. You can let him go, for now. But as soon as he starts misbehaving, pin him down."

The three girls crowded in for a better look as Arrd went still. Reki grasped the top button of Arrd's breeches with trembling fingers, her ears red hot. This was it, she thought. She was about to open a male's breeches for the very first time. It was almost like one of her night-fantasies come true. Granted, Arrd wasn't exactly the burly warrior who often visited her imagination, but that made the moment no less exciting.

Reki popped the topmost button open. It revealed little more than gray underbelly fur, but Arrd still sucked in a breath. He propped himself up on his eyes, staring down at the three girls with wide eyes and splayed ears. Reki smirked back at him before returning her attention to what she was exposing. She pulled open the second of four buttons, and this time, revealed an odd, gray-furred tube slung against Arrd's crotch. Reki leaned forward, staring at it. Both her friends did the same.

"Oooh! Is that his...?" Tiry glanced up from Arrd's exposure to her friends, and back again.

"It's his thing!" Nava giggled. As she bent in for a closer look, her skirt rode up her legs, beneath her tail.

"Nava..." Reki gestured at her friend's clothing. "If you bend forward anymore, Arrd's gonna see your thing!"

Nava glared at her. "Girls don't have a thing!" Then she turned her head just in time to catch Arrd trying to look up her skirt. "Hey!" She sat back down, snarling. "Do that again, Arrd, and I'm gonna make you get on your hands and knees, run up behind you, and kick your little balls across the river."

Arrd whined, flattening his ears. "But you girls get to look at me!"

"You already saw them naked, Arrd," Reki said.

Before Arrd could reply, Tiry flicked the tip of the gray-furred tube clinging to his body. "Is this your thing?"

Arrd yelped, tensing. "It's my sheath!"

Nava shifted for a closer look, now mindful of her clothing. "Sheath? That's the part that holds your thing, right?"

"Pretty much." Arrd nodded. "It's kept inside the sheath."

"You girls can say 'penis', you know." Reki glanced between her friends. "Hell, you can say dick and cock, if you want. No one's gonna hear us out here."

"Oh, you're right!" Tiry lifted her voice, playfully shouting. "Penis! Sheath-dick!"

Nava laughed and followed suit. "Dick-cock!"

Reki gave the other girls an odd look, flattening her ears.

"What?" Nava stuck her tongue out. "I heard some of the older boys say that, before."

"Trust me. It's dick, _or_cock. It's not both." Reki nudged Arrd. "You boys don't ever call it your dick-cock, do you?"

Arrd laughed with the girls. "Nope. I've called it my cock, though. And my thing, my dick, and my sheath. Or if its out, I call it my boner, or my chubby, or-"

"Okay, thank you, Arrd." Reki waved him off. "We don't need a whole tome of words for your boy stuff. We just need to see it!"

Reki grabbed Arrd's breeches, and popped open the last two buttons. Doing so freed the rest of his sheath, and the very top of a fuzzy pouch still hiding in his pants. Reki worked her fingers under the leather waistband. Then she tug-tug-tugged Arrd's breeches down past his hips until the coyote's testicles flopped into view. They emerged one after the other, looking like fat, oversized ash-gray acorns. The left one hung a little lower than the right. All three girls moved in close to get a good look at the first naked sheath and balls they'd ever seen.

"Ooh!" Nava stared at Arrd's testicles. "They're in the same little pouch thing. I kinda thought they'd be separate."

"Let's get his pants all the way. Lift your hips, Arrd." Reki pulled Arrd's pants down the rest of the way with his cooperation. When she got them near his feet, Tiry grabbed them and yanked them off one leg at a time. The motions left the coyote's balls jiggling. "Ooh, they're all bouncy!" Reki poked the left orb, making the fuzzy pouch bobble. "They're so weird looking!"

Tiry tossed his pants aside once they were free. "Right?" She grabbed Arrd's feet, and spread out his legs to kneel between them. Then she prodded his right ball. "Look how funny they are!" Tiry pushed Arrd's feet apart, and knelt between his parted thighs. Then she prodded at his right ball. "Look how funny they are! They're so wobbly!"

Nava knelt across from Reki. "They're bigger than I expected. I thought they were just gonna be two little acorns."

"Yeah, well..." Arrd lifted his head, looking down at himself. "Joke's on you! Arrd The Great's got those big ol' giant oak acorns!"

Reki snickered, rolling her eyes. "Medium sized acorns, anyway." She poked the left one again, jostling them both. "This one's bigger."

"That's normal," Arrd said, flicking his tail against the sand. "Now quit poking them."

The girls did anything but quit. All three of them poked and nudged the coyote's balls around from different angles, giggling all the while. Arrd's testicles bobbled and bounced, swaying to and fro. The furry pouch tightened up as if trying to hide the orbs inside the fluffy gray fur.

"They're moving," Tiry said. "Are they trying to get away, Arrd?"

Arrd scrunched his muzzle. "Can you blame them if they are?"

"Well, they're not getting away from me." Tiry cupped her hand under the pouch, grasping it.

Tiry tugged Arrd's balls out a little, ignoring his yelp of protest. Together, the three girls examined what Tiry held in her hand. The coyote's testicles bulged out, outlining themselves against their ash-gray enclosure. With their intimate forms displayed, it was clear they were more oval-shaped than Reki realized.

"Huh." Reki ran a finger against one of the balls, ruffling the fur. "They're not as round as I thought."

Nava nodded, ears perked in curiosity. "Yeah! They're more like pecans, than acorns."

Tiry rubbed her thumb against the trapped nuggets. "Aren't pecans small and flat?"

Nava blinked, staring at her friend. "I mean pecans in the shell, Tiry. Like right off the tree."

"Oh!" Tiry flattened her ears back. "I knew that." She gave the captive pouch another little tug. "So these are what hurts the most when we kick you boys, right?"

Arrd snorted, rolling his eyes. "No, we yell and cry about our balls, because they're not what hurts."

Reki slapped the coyote's captive testicles. "No one asked for sarcasm, brat. Answer the question!"

"Ow!" Arrd started to curl up, but managed to stop himself. "Y-yes! Yes! It's the balls that hurt the most! That's why we call it getting kicked in the balls! Speaking of which..." Arrd propped himself on his elbows again, looking at Tiry. "Do you _have_to kick me, too? I only got to see two girls naked, so three kicks in the balls seems excessive."

Tiry tightened her grip, growling at him. "But that's not fair to me! Cause you saw me naked, and I haven't gotten to punish you yet."

"Well..." Arrd licked his nose. "You did just slap them..."

Tiry growled, holding her hand threateningly above his sack. "You want me to do it again?"

"No!" Arrd held his hands up, then sighed, and dropped his head to the sand. "I'm not getting out of this without another kick, am I? Alright. Can we just get it over with now? I'd like to stop hurting in time to walk home by nightfall."

Reki grit her teeth. Maybe the little brat had been punished enough, she thought. But just as she was opening her muzzle to ask Tiry to cut him some slack, Arrd dug himself in deeper.

"Unless..." Arrd sat back up, ears perked as he looked at Reki. "I got to see you naked, too? Then it would be three kicks, for three naked girls. And that seems pretty fair to me."

Reki stared at him, shocked anew by his boldness. A lopsided smile crossed her muzzle. Reki shook her head in disbelief, tail wagging. "You are one ballsy little runt, I'll give you that."

"He sure is!" Tiry yanked on his fuzzy sack, earning a yip of pain. "Got the proof right here."

"Not those balls, Tiry." Nava narrowed her eyes. "Reki means he's cocky, and-"

Tiry stared down at Arrd's sheath. "No, it's still inside his sheath thing."

Reki smirked, shaking her head. "Tiry, please. I'm trying to say Arrd's really brave for a bratty pup. Arrogant, too. Overconfident, and-"

"You left out great!" Arrd thumped his tail against the sand again. "And I'm not a damn pup! I'm like_one_ summer younger than you."

Reki ignored him, gently stroking the fur of his chest. "As much as I hate to admit it, our little friend here did make a good point a moment earlier. While I sincerely doubt he's learned his lesson, he's probably had enough punishment for one day."

Arrd started to rise. "Oh, thanks!" When all three girls just glared at him, he eased back down, gulping. "Just talk amongst yourselves. I'll be good."

"As I was saying." Reki rested her hand on Arrd's belly. "We don't have to punish him all at once. Arrd?" She patted him. "If we agree to withhold Tiry's turn, for now, will you agree to let her kick you another day?"

Arrd scratched his muzzle, looking at Tiry. "I mean, she'll probably just walk up and do it anyway, so-"

"Nope." Reki tapped his nose. "You have to let her do it."

"And I wanna do it with your pants down!" Tiry released Arrd's balls, allowing them to hang freely between the coyote's spread thighs. "If I have to wait, then I wanna kick you right in the bare ones."

Reki smiled at her friend. "Agreed. So, you can either get kicked again right now. Or..." She traced a little circle in Arrd's belly fur. "You can meet us back out here again soon, drop your breeches, and let Tiry kick you square in your fuzzy, naked, balls."

"Wait, we're not letting him go already, are we?" Nava reached out, cupping the younger coyote's sheath. "I haven't even gotten to grab anything until now." She squeezed it, coaxing a trembling whimper from Arrd. "Ooh, it's so soft, and warm. And I think I can feel his thing inside!"

"Actually," Reki said with a devious grin. "That's the other reason we should give him a break." As long they had Arrd at their mercy, she had every intention of seeing_everything_ a male had. "If he's in too much pain, we might not be able to see what his thing looks like."

Arrd jerked his head up. "Do what now?"

"You heard me." Reki cupped his chin. "Be a good pup, and let Tiry kick your bare balls next time, and today? Today we'll play with you." She smirked at the others. "Unless you girls don't wanna see what a male's boner looks like?"

Tiry giggled like mad. "I_definitely_ wanna see what a male's boner looks like!"

"Me too!" Nava gently felt around the furry tube slung between Arrd's legs. "I heard it has a knot in it!"

Tiry poked it. "Me too! But wouldn't it hurt tying a knot in it?"

"It's not a _literally_tied in a knot, Tiry." Reki rolled her eyes, then returned her attention to Arrd. "Does it really have one, though?"

Arrd stared back, wide-eyed. "You know about the knot?!"

Reki rubbed his belly fur. "That's a yes, then. Okay, before we go any further, do you agree to let Tiry-"

"Yes!" Arrd sat up, a goofy grin spread across his muzzle. "Yeah, fine, whatever! I'll do whatever you want, if it means you stroke me off."

"Oh?" Reki perked a single ear. "Whatever we want, huh? Well, I was just gonna touch your stuff till you got hard." She flashed the others a devious grin. "But I guess we could masturbate you, if you promise to do anything else we say."

In truth, Reki had already planned to. But if Arrd was willing to make promises in return for a playful, curious stroking? Then more power to the girls who could hold him to that bargain. If he promised to do anything, then this might not be the only time they had Arrd naked and at their mercy.

Arrd snickered. "Masturbating is only when you do it to yourself." He huffed and rolled his eyes. "Doing it to someone else is called a handjob, duh."

Nava flicked his left ball, making him yelp. "Like you'd know, pup."

"I know!" Arrd glared at her. "I heard the other males talking about it."

"If you say so." Reki pointed to the sand. "Lay down." When Arrd did so, Reki smoothed his fur. "Okay, smart pup. Tell us what the knot is. And no smarmy comments, either. Just explain it."

"Ummm, okay, so..." Arrd licked his nose. "You know how pups are made, right?"

Reki folded her arms. "Since before you did, Runt. Get to the point."

"Just making sure, sheesh." Arrd pointed down at himself. "The knot is part of a male's penis, at the base. When we shoot our seed, it swells up to lock us inside the female."

"Really?" Reki scrunched her muzzle. "That sounds uncomfortable."

"Nah." Arrd shook his head. "Whenever it swells up in my hand, I just let go of it." He waggled his fingers.

Reki cuffed him across the ears. "I meant for the females, stupid!"

"Ow!" Arrd rubbed his head. "I knew that."

"I think I found it." Nava pinched at the base of Arrd's sheath. "It feels a little bigger down here, but not big enough to get stuck inside you."

Arrd grit his teeth. "That's because it's not hard, yet."

"Well, how do we make it hard?" Nava huffed, slapping the coyote's bare sheath.

"Ow!" Arrd sat back up to rub himself, wincing. "Maybe stop pinching it like you're checking it for ripeness, for starters. Honestly, if you wanted to get me hard, you shouldn't have kneed me in the balls. I'd be hard as a rock right again right now if they weren't still aching."

"The brat's got a point, Nava." Reki ruffled the fur on Arrd's lower belly. "If we want it to show itself, we'll have to treat it gently." She resettled herself at Arrd's hip, canine genitals right before her. "Hands to yourself now, Arrd. Got it?"

Arrd nodded, propping himself up on his elbows. "Can I watch?"

"Yeah, that's fine." Reki glanced at the other girls. "Now, touch him gently. Tease your fingers through his belly fur, and over his thighs. Work towards his sheath, and his balls."

Her friends stared at her, jaws slightly agape. Tiry tilted her head, one ear up. "Have you _done_this before?"

Reki laughed, placing her hand on Arrd's inner thigh. "Nope! But..." She worked her fingers into the thick, silken fur, gently kneading Arrd's leg. "I overheard some other girls talking about what to do to a male they fancied."

Nava gently grasped Arrd's other thigh. "They were trying to give him a boner when his balls were hurting?"

"Well, not specifically." Reki worked her fingers in a slow circle. "I think they were talking about how to take their time and tease him, instead of just..." She lifted her free hand and made a quick stroking motion in the air.

Tiry leaned forward, running both hands up over Arrd's crotch, where his legs met his body. Then she caressed his belly fur. "We can always show him our tits! I bet that would work."

"Yes, please!" Arrd's tail wagged against the sand.

Nava snapped her teeth. "You already saw them, Arrd. That's how you ended up here, remember?"

Tiry smirked, her ears splayed at devious angles. "He hasn't seen Reki's, yet."

Arrd lifted his ears. "That's true."

Reki chuckled, shaking her head. "Tiry just wants to see my tits, herself."

Tiry's smile widened. "I wouldn't say no."

Reki considered it. She'd never shown anything to a male, before. Then again, until today, she'd never seen one naked, either. Reki leaned closer, brushing her fingers over Arrd's balls. One of them shifted beneath her fingerpads. Reki danced her fingers higher, up across Arrd's sheath. The fur covering everything was silken-soft, while the skin beneath it exuded warmth. She cupped Arrd's sheath, holding it until she felt something within start to swell. A red bead soon peeked from the sheath's very tip.

"Oh, look girls." Reki ruffled Arrd's sheath fur, then smoothed it back down. "I think the dagger's finally coming out of its scabbard."

"Y-yeah." Arrd's breath shook, his eyes transfixed on Reki's hands. "You definitely have its attention, now."

"Good." Reki removed her hand, slipping her fingers in under the bottom of her blouse instead. Her heart trembled in excitement. "You really wanna see a pair of tits, Arrd?"

Arrd gulped, nodding quickly. "Oh, yes please."

Reki eased her blouse up, showing off the pale gray fur of her belly. As her shirt slowly rose higher, Arrd's erection emerged from his sheath. Pointed crimson flesh spilled from the furry tube, out against his belly. Reki paused with her stomach bared, and her breasts still barely hidden.

"Say, Arrd." Reki tilted her head. "Maybe we should make a deal. I'll let you see these, and I'll give you a hand job." She tilted her head back the other way. "But in return, you have to promise to do anything we tell you, from now on."

"Wait, what?" Arrd member now jutted out at full extension, stealing some of his focus. "I dunno about that..."

"Well, that's the deal, Arrd." Reki lifted her shirt another inch higher. "You want my shirt to come off, or not? Otherwise we can send you home, now."

"Okay, okay, fine!" Arrd licked his nose, staring at Reki's chest. "Whatever gets your shirt off."

Reki giggled, exposing the very bottom of a single tit. Surely, somewhere in Arrd's brain, a warning bell was sounding. And just as surely, his eagerness would override it. "I want to hear you promise it out loud. And remember, we'll hold you to your word."

Arrd flattened his ears, huffing. "I promise I'll do whatever you girls tell me, from now on. Happy? Can I see 'em now?"

"Yeah," Reki said. "You can see them."

Reki pulled her blouse up, fully exposing her gray-furred breasts. She tugged her shirt over her head, and set it in the sand nearby. Arrd's jaw dropped. He stared, unblinking, as Reki ran her hands across her own tits. They were a little larger than Nava's, and a bit smaller than Tiry's. Reki brushed her thumbs across her nipples, gently caressing herself. When she spotted the other girls staring just like Arrd, she stuck her tongue out at her friends.

"Tits, and boner?" Tiry made a show of glancing between Arrd's erection, and Reki's chest. "This _is_a good day."

Laughing, Reki returned her attention to the dumbstruck male. "First time seeing these up close, right?"

Arrd silently nodded, three times.

"Whatcha think?" Reki cupped them in her hands. "Like 'em?"

Arrd only nodded again. "I have such a boner right now."

Reki snorted, swishing her tail across the beach. "How eloquently put. But yes, you certainly do."

The lithe coyote's penis was now on full display. Reki thought a male's sheath and balls looked somewhat alien at first, but an unsheathed mating tool was doubly so. It was ruby red and tapered to a point. The skin of it was smooth, glistening slightly. A faint bulge swelled its base, just above where the sheath had retracted.

Wicked excitement swirled in Reki. She shivered, her fur bristling. Seeing his sheath and balls was one thing, but this was a whole new level of forbidden fun. After all, accidental glimpses of nudity weren't that unusual. Catching an inadvertent peek at someone changing their clothes, or getting their breeches yanked down by laughing friends was hardly unheard of. But this wasn't just a split-second peek at a sheath. This was a fully unsheathed penis, aroused and on exhibit just for them.

And now? Now, Reki thought, she was going to touch it, and hold it. She licked her muzzle, eager to be the first of her friends to discover how a male's hardness felt in her hand. Reki reached towards it with trembling fingers, and-

Tiry snatched Arrd's erection in a tight grasp. "I got it!" She laughed, tugging it back and forth, leaving Arrd squirming. "I got his boner! It's really hard!"

Reki growled, pinning her ears. "Way to ruin the moment, Tiry!"

Tiry blinked, eyes wide and ears splayed in innocent confusion. "What?"

"Nevermind." Reki waved her off. "I'll just feel the balls."

With Tiry holding Arrd's member, and Nava kneading his thighs, Reki cradled his pouch. The younger coyote's fuzzy testicles rested against her palm, like fat gray pecans against her pink pads. She bounced them, watching them jostle. Then Reki isolated the larger of the twins, gently exploring it. It was very smooth, and surprisingly slippery. Reki found it surprisingly enjoyable just toying with the odd little thing, and feeling it move around. She released it and felt the other canine gland the same way. It was every bit as smooth and slippery, and just slightly smaller than its furry brethren.

"Boys are weird," Reki said, releasing Arrd's balls just to watch them drop into place. "I can see why you're such crybabies about getting kicked, though. These things really do look vulnerable." She closed her fingers around them both. Feeling the little eggs trapped in her hand proved an empowering experience. With just a little pressure, she could make him do whatever she wanted. A wicked idea blossomed in her brain, and she tightened her grip. "Say we own you."

"Wh-what?" Arrd blinked away the haze of arousal, focusing on Reki.

"You heard me." Reki gave the plump acorns a firmer squeeze. "Say we own you, pup. Or I'll _squeeze_them."

"Okay, fine!" Arrd held his hands up, ears back. "You own me!"

Reki beamed, relaxing her hold. "Good boy! Now..." She rolled his balls around in her grasp, gently this time. "Say I own your balls."

Arrd gulped, flicking his tail. "You own my balls."

"Good boy!" Reki giggled. "Now-ow!" She yipped when Tiry elbowed her. "Okay, fine. Say your balls belong to all three of us."

Arrd managed to get his ears even flatter. "Do I gotta?"

Reki pressed her thumb against the trapped glands, holding them in place. "Do you really wanna break your promise when you're in such a vulnerable position?"

"Okay, okay!" Arrd wriggled, grimacing. "Just don't squeeze them!" He cleared his throat, and put a hand to his chest. "From henceforth, my testicles belong to the three lovely females before me!" He dropped his hand back down. "Happy?"

Reki lifted her ears, grinning. "Yeah! That was actually pretty good."

"Thanks!" Arrd awkwardly dipped his head. "Since I can't stand up, just pretend I'm bowing, okay?"

"It's leaking!" Tiry stared at a bead of clear liquid dribbling from Arrd's tip. "Just how hard are you squeezing him?"

"Not that hard," Reki said, snorting. "It's supposed to do that, right Arrd?"

Arrd cocked his head. "I think so?"

Tiry released Arrd's erection, and it thumped back against his belly. "Hah, did you see that? It's spring loaded!"

"Ooh, let me try!" Nava grasped the coyote's cock, pulled it up away from his belly, and let it go. It immediately slapped back against him. "Hah, that's fun!" She grabbed it again, tugging it away from his body. This time she leaned in to examine what she held. "It really is hard, isn't it?" Nava kneaded it a little, earning a happy whimper from its owner. "It's bigger than I thought it would be, too."

"Of course, it is!" Arrd flashed her a confident smile. "I'm Arrd, and as we all know, Arrd's great."

"It's not _that_big," Nava said, sticking her tongue out at him. "I just thought it was gonna be like three inches or something."

Arrd curled his lip. "Oh, please! You think Arrd the Great's packing a little pup chub?" He made an exaggerated, waving gesture towards his own erection. "He's got five and a half inches of coyote fury!"

Nava scrunched her muzzle. She opened her hand, letting his erection lay against her palm. Then she lowered her head to inspect it up close. "Four and a half inches, maybe."

Arrd glanced away, muttering to himself. "Five, at least."

Reki patted his balls. "Everything fits his body, anyway."

Truth be told, Reki thought, she liked the way Arrd's erection looked jutting up against his belly fur. It seemed a perfect fit for his slender, lithely muscled body. Seeing him laying back in the sand, fully erect, was not an unpleasant image at all. Not that she'd ever tell Arrd. If his head grew any bigger, it would fracture his skull.

"Alright, let me feel it now." Reki traced a finger around the outline of Arrd's balls, causing them to tighten. "Nava, you can play with these. Nicely this time, okay?"

"I'll be gentle." She flashed Arrd a dangerous look. "For now." Then she curled her fingers around Arrd's testicles, tenderly feeling them. "These feel weird."

"Right?" Reki giggled, watching Nava explore. "They're fun to play with, though."

"Yeah." Nava tugged them out, outlining them against the furry pouch. "They are." She released them, and they flopped down towards Arrd's tail. Nava grabbed them again, rolling them around in her hand. "Do they feel better when they're massaged?"

Arrd swiveled his ears towards Nava, eyes locked on her hand. "Yeah, that helps."

"I bet this will help even more," Reki said, reaching for Arrd's erection.

Reki twined her fingers around the coyote's length. The organ filled her hand nicely. Its tapered tip jutted above her fingers, with the slightly swollen base beneath them. Arrd's erection was even hotter and harder than she expected. Reki gave it a slow, curious stroke. The silken-smooth skin easily glided against her paw pads. Arrd groaned, arching his back. Reki rubbed it from his balls to his tip and back, coaxing another happy noise.

"You like that, Arrd?" Reki shifted her grip, drumming her fingers against him.

"Uh huh!" Arrd took a slow breath, trembling. "If you do that long enough, you'll make me knot..."

"Is that what you want?" Reki squeezed the younger male, cooing to him. "Just stroke it until you..." She pumped him slowly, the motions a little uneven. "What'd you call it? Knot?"

"Yeah," Arrd said, his voice breathy and eyes half-lidded. "Please?"

"Alright, Arrd." Reki kept working her hand up and down. "When it's gonna happen, just do it. Just..." She glanced at her friends, who nodded their agreement. "Shoot your stuff, for us."

"Okay..." Arrd's tongue lolled out of his muzzle. "Just rubbing it, then."

Reki did exactly that, her hand gliding up and down Arrd's cock. At first, her motions were awkward and unsteady. She wasn't sure what angle to hold it, or how to pace the rise and fall. Thankfully, her inexperience didn't seem to matter at all to Arrd. He lapsed back onto the ground to savor the exquisite pleasure of what must have been a dream come true. Arrd moaned, his eyes rolling back. He lifted his hips, sliding through her grasp in occasional, uneven thrusts.

The other girls joined in, playing together with their happy captive. Nava cradled Arrd's balls, massaging them in time with Reki's movements. Tiry kneaded his thighs, fingers roaming through the thick fur from his knees to his crotch and back again. The she joined Nava in toying with his pouch, each girl delicately rubbing one fuzzy canine testicle.

Arrd's movements helped Reki hone her technique. She worked her hand to his tapered tip, then let her hand slide all the way back down to his balls. Then she pumped him back up to his point, only to let him thrust into her grip. Gradually her motions evened out, until the blissful rise and fall was steady, and constant. With her free hand, Reki caressed one of her own naked breasts. Perhaps later, she'd have a little fun with her friends, too.

As Arrd's pleasure grew, he dug his fingers into the sand, panting in delight. Beads of clear liquid dribbled from his tip. Reki worked them across his shaft, slickening the union of her pads and his most intimate flesh. Soon, Arrd was gasping and yipping in ecstasy. Reki picked up her pace, Arrd did the same, rolling his hips faster and more often.

Suddenly, Arrd cried out and arched his back, burying himself in Reki's hand. His fingers tore ruts in the sand as a blissful grimace contorted his muzzle. The base of Arrd's cock swelled up in Reki's fingers. She stroked the rest of it as fast as she could, constantly rubbing her slickened palm against his pointed tip. Arrd's cock jumped, and a hot burst of whitish seed exploded against her hand.

Reki adjusted her grip, aiming Arrd's tip at his belly. Another spurt of coyote semen erupted, splattering his gray belly fur. A third followed, jetting all the way to his chest. Each one brought another clipped cry of delight. A few more ensued, each marking Arrd a little lower down his belly, until at last he was only dribbling. Arrd's cries died down to quiet panting, and he went limp.

"That was a lot more impressive than I expected." Reki eased her hand away, glancing across the mess she made. She wiped her hand off on Arrd's leg, then poked at the swollen knot. "So is this."

"Yeah, look how big it got!" Tiry squeezed the newly enlarged organ. "It's so hard, too!"

"H-hey!" Arrd tried to wriggle away. "No squeezing the knot!"

"So that's a boy's knot?" Nava stared at it, grinning. "Okay, yeah. That would definitely lock you inside me."

Reki took a turn in exploring the male coyote's inflated knot. It almost seemed divided in half, an oversized crimson bulge on either side of his cock. Reki tilted her head. From the right angle, she thought, it almost looked a second pair of nuts. She giggled, brushing her fingers over it. Somehow it felt even harder than before. Reki pulled Arrd's maleness up away from his body and held it there. All three girls poked and prodded at his knot.

"Ah! Sensitive!" Arrd squirmed, half-laughing, half crying out. "Give it a second! You can play with it in a second!"

Reki giggled, letting him go. "How long does it stay like that?"

"A little while." Arrd rested against the sand, catching his breath. "Fifteen minutes, maybe twenty." He heaved a happy sigh. "Thank you, by the way. That was so nice."

Reki smiled, patting his shoulder. "You're welcome. That was fun, actually."

"Yeah." Tiry pointed at the whitish spatter marring his fur. "It was cool to see all that stuff just..." She waggled her fingers. "Shoot out."

Nava flicked her ears back. "You have a lot of that stuff."

Arrd swished his tail against the sand, laughing. "I, uh, worked myself up pretty good watching you, earlier."

Tiry leaned back onto her hands. "How much did you see, anyway?"

Nava folded her arms. "_Exactly_how much?"

Arrd sat up, rubbing the back of his head. "Both your butts! Also, a quick peek at boobs, and a glimpse of your sex. But it was all from a distance." His eyes drifted back to Reki's still-bared breasts. "Nothing like that, though."

Reki cupped them, sticking out her tongue. "Maybe next time, I'll show you the rest of me."

"Oh, that'd be great!" Arrd rubbed his hands together, licking his muzzle. Then he froze. "Wait, _next_time?"

"Of course." Reki dropped her hands, letting him stare. "You did say you'd do anything we told you, remember?"

"And," Tiry said, shifting position to press her bare foot into Arrd's naked balls. "I still owe you a kick in the nuts." She wiggled her toes against them. "The _naked_nuts."

"Which means?" Nava worked her fingers through the fur of Arrd's thigh, dragging dull claw tips against his skin. "We'll have to get you naked, again."

A wicked smile spread over Reki's muzzle. "Maybe we'll even have a little more..." Her eyes dropped to his knotted maleness. "Fun with you. If you behave yourself." Then she pointed to the river. "Now go wash that stuff out of your fur."

"Yeah, runt!" Nava tilted her head towards the water. "Strut your bare butt over there for us!"

"Alright, alright." Arrd staggered to his feet, wobbling. His balls dropped down, jostling between his thighs. As Arrd stood, the coyote's knotted erection bobbled, pointing at the sky. Arrd looked down at it. "Heh, knotted in front of girls for the first time. Pretty big day, huh buddy?"

Reki scrunched her muzzle. "Are you talking to your penis?"

"What?" Arrd jerked his head up. "No, that's weird! Who would do that? Not someone great, like Arrd."

All three girls laughed as Arrd headed for the river. Three sets of eyes roamed his naked form as he walked away. The young coyote's tan-furred rump swayed under his bushy tail. The sandy fur that covered it faded to a paler gray color towards his inner thighs.

Reki tilted her head, staring as Arrd's tail swished out of the way. "He's got a cute butt."

"Yeah!" Nava flashed her a playful grin. "Maybe next time we should spank him."

Reki giggled. "Hey Arrd! Ever been spanked, before?"

Arrd glanced back, his ears splayed. "Once or twice as a pup, I guess. But never..." He shrugged. "Yanno, naughty spanked."

"Do you wanna be?" Nava leaned forward, flashing a few fangs.

"I kinda get the feeling I'm not gonna get a choice." Arrd paused at the riverbank, looking down at a pack and some soap. "Hey, is this feline soap?" Felines made a variety of fragrant soaps for fur, and often sold them at the shared market.

Tiry stood up, stretching her back. "Yeah, it's mine. You can use it, though."

"Thanks!" Arrd walked to Tiry's belongings, then paused. "It's not flower-scented, is it?"

Tiry smirked at him. "Rose and lilac!"

"Ugh." Arrd grumbled under his breath. "I guess smelling like a feline's flower garden is better than..." He waved at his messy belly fur. "Going home like this." Arrd bent over to pick up the soap, and his gray-furred balls bobbled under his butt.

Tiry pointed to the coyote's testicles. "Look, you can see them from behind!"

Arrd quickly straightened up. "Quit starin' at me!"

The girls only laughed. Reki tilted her head. "Now you're embarrassed?"

"I've been embarrassed this whole time!" Arrd turned around to stick his tongue out at the girls. His knotted erection bounced. "But I was also v_ery_ aroused, which sorta canceled out the embarrassment."

Reki pointed at his maleness. "Looks like you still are."

Arrd glanced down. "That's different. The excitement and urge to do stuff retreats before that does."

"Even so," Reki said. "I bet you're gonna knot your hand tonight thinking about this."

"Umm..." Arrd waded into the water. "Probably."

Nava nudged Reki with her elbow. "And again, in the morning!"

Arrd sloshed into the deeper water. "Actually, doing it in the morning is tricky. I need to have time for my knot to go down before I get up."

Tiry followed him towards the water. "Why?"

"Because!" Arrd snorted, then yelped when the water level reached his privates. "Ahh! Cold! Cold!"

"Because isn't an answer, dummy." Tiry folded her arms.

Reki mimicked Arrd's tone. "Because, how's he gonna hide that thing in his breeches around the house?"

"Exactly." Arrd settled down into the water, working the soap between his hands. "Do you know how embarrassing it is to be caught knotted in front of..." He waved a frothy hand. "Well, you know."

"Your sister?" Tiry giggled, fetching her pack and returning to the other girls.

Nava stood, dusting off her clothes. "Or his mother."

"Yeah," Arrd said, ears pinned. "Them." Arrd stood back up, working soapy hands through his wet fur. "Which is why I won't be heading home until I'm back in my sheath."

Reki glanced at her friends, smirking. "I heard you got caught slinking home knotted before."

"Lies and slander!" Arrd snapped his teeth. "I never walked naked and knotted because-"

"I didn't say naked." Reki's eyes widened. "Wait, you were-"

"Oh!" Arrd focused on furiously scrubbing his fur clean. "In that case, I also never stole anyone's clothes from their drying line to make it through town, either."

Nava burst out laughing. "You're the one who stole those?"

Arrd shrugged, fixated on washing himself. "No idea what you're referring to."

"Uh huh." Reki turned towards her friends, lowering her voice. "I have an idea." Reki gestured at Arrd. "He promised to do anything we say, right? I'd say that makes him _ours._Wanna make it official?"

Tiry blinked. "You mean like a ribbon claim?"

Reki's smile grew. "_Exactly_like a ribbon claim."

Colorful ribbons and lace woven into fur were a common adornment for female coyotes. They picked their favorite colors, often dyed in custom shades. When those same females wove their spare ribbons into a male's fur, however, it signified something else.

"I thought those were just for, yanno..." Nava scrunched her slender muzzle. "Boyfriends."

"Sometimes." Reki knelt near her pack, opening it. "But it can also be possessive, like..." She twisted her voice into a playful snarl. "This male belongs to us!"

"Where'd you hear that from?" Nava swished her tail, uncertain.

"Other girls." Reki fished through her bag. "One of them said she heard it from her mom, so it's gotta be true, right?"

"I guess so." Tiry scratched an ear. "If suppose if Arrd's gonna do whatever we say, he does sort of belong to us."

"Right." Reki took out a few dark blue ribbons. "Besides, he's not..." She licked her nose, whispering. "Unattractive. Not that I'd ever tell him."

Nava clicked her teeth. "The ego boost would make his skull explode."

"It really would." Reki nodded, giggling. "Anyway, I say we claim him." She lifted her voice. "Hey Arrd. Do you know what a ribbon claim is?"

Arrd's ears shot up. "Like a boyfriend?!"

Reki sighed, looking at her friends. "Just get your ribbons."

The other girls retrieved a few of their own ribbons. While discussing where to place them on Arrd, they compared the colors. Reki's were dark blue, Nava's were bright gold, and Tiry's were red, edged in silver. By the time Arrd returned from his bath, the females had agreed to share locations, save for one area Reki wanted for herself.

Reki watched Arrd approach with a coy smile. With his coat slicked down against his body, his love for running displayed itself nicely in his taut muscles. His still-knotted erection bobbled back and forth as he walked. The furry pouch beneath it was quite snug now, his balls half-hidden in wet fur. The scent of flowers and fruits now permeated the air all around him. He came to a stop alongside the three girls, posing in a faux attempt to flex his muscles.

"Hello, ladies!" Arrd purred the word, though his confidence felt feigned this time. "Did someone say boyfriend material?"

"No." Reki glared up at him. "Literally no one said that."

"What happened to your balls?" Tiry reached up and poked them. "They look different."

Arrd grunted, shifting his weight. "They're cold, and wet."

"Well, obviously." Nava prodded the right one. "But why aren't they all dangly anymore? Is it because they're empty?"

"No," Arrd said, looking down at himself. "They get looser and, er, danglier when we're warm, or relaxed. But they get really tight when we're cold, or we've been wet a long time."

Reki blinked, splaying an ear. "Why?"

Arrd gave a nervous laugh. "I have no idea. But it's like that for all males. Like, sometimes when there's a bunch of us swimming naked together? You can totally tell theirs get tight, too, and..." He trailed off, rubbing his neck. "Or so I've heard."

"Uh huh." Reki trailed a finger up his knotted member, earning a shiver. "Gonna be fun making you teach us everything about boys." She held up her ribbons in her other hand, shaking them. "Know what these are?"

Arrd stared down at her, mimicking her earlier tone. "Literally everyone knows what ribbons are."

"Yeah, well..." Reki glanced between Arrd and the ribbons. "You got a point."

"He sure does!" Tiry tapped the pointed tip of Arrd's erection. "Right here!"

Arrd squirmed away from her touch. "H-hey!"

Reki rolled her eyes. "Can we focus, everyone? Please?" She pointed to the ground. "Arrd, get down on your hands and knees, please. We're gonna put our ribbons in your fur."

"So, does that mean..." Arrd slowly lowered himself into position. "I'm your boyfriend?"

Reki shook her head. "Not exactly. Remember how you agreed we own you, now? These ribbons just mark our ownership." She trailed her fingers through the damp fur of his tail. "Hold this out for me."

Arrd did as she asked, watching her over his back. "So what, everyone's gonna know we did stuff?"

"Everyone can assume whatever they want, I guess." Reki deftly wove one of her ribbons into the end of Arrd's tail. She hadn't really thought through the specifics of their claim. "All it really means is they'll know you're ours, for a while." She reached under Arrd's tail, patting his balls. "And so are these."

"Great." Arrd hung his head with an exaggerated sigh. "Wait..." He lifted it again. "Does that mean no one's gonna pick on me, anymore?"

Nava scratched her neck, looking at the other girls. "I mean, if we're claiming him, we're sort of responsible for him, right?"

"Right." Tiry nodded. "If anyone messes with him, and he doesn't deserve it? Then we kick their ass!"

"Settled." Reki laughed, swatting Arrd's butt. "You hear that, Arrd? We might be teaching you a lesson about being a pervy little voyeuristic brat, but-"

"You're our pervy little voyeuristic brat!" Tiry rubbed his ears.

Reki laughed, swishing her tail. "Not exactly what I was gonna say, but close enough." She tied a second ribbon, higher up his tail. "So, while you're wearing our ribbons, if those older boys pick on you? Tell us, and we'll take care of it."

"Got it." Arrd smiled. "That's not a bad deal."

"Yeah." Nava clapped her hands, giggling. "And in return, we get to strip you naked, spank your butt, and kick your balls."

"Okay, now it sounds less enticing." Arrd swatted his tail against Nava.

Tiry wrapped a ribbon around his tail next, doing it up with a bow. "You're really into that whole spanking thing, Nava."

Nava pulled Arrd's tail aside, exposing his tan-furred butt and the fuzzy nuggets beneath it. "Well, just look at him when he's on all fours. Isn't he just begging for a spanking?"

Tiry leaned over, examining him. "Yeah, you're right. Oh!" Her eyes lit up. "Maybe we could go to the play fields, and steal one of those game paddles they use to smack balls around."

Arrd's ears went flat. All three girls laughed.

Reki eased up along him towards his head. "If that doesn't help your knot go down, nothing will."

"It doesn't really work that way." Arrd licked his nose, then looked at Reki. "How many ribbons am I gonna have to wear?"

"Three or four from each of us." Reki ruffled his ears. "You'll be such a pretty little pup."

Arrd sighed. "I wish you'd stop calling me a pup. You're like one year older than me. Two at most!"

"That's the part you object too?" Reki delicately tied a ribbon around the base of one of his ears. "Not being called pretty?"

"Nothing wrong with being pretty." A smile crept across Arrd's muzzle. "Besides, everyone's gonna think I have three girlfriends now! Ol' Arrd's gonna be greater than ever."

"On second thought," Reki said, finishing her work. "Maybe this is a bad idea."

"Too late to stop now." Nava added a golden streamer to Arrd's increasingly decorated tail. She moved up and wove one into thicker fur around his neck. "We'll just make it clear that these are for possession, not courtship."

Reki snickered, moving back. "Okay, you guys finish up, and I'll put the last one on."

Soon, vibrant decorations adorned Arrd's tail, neck, and ears. Some were woven into the fur, others tied into little bows. When there was only one left to be added, Reki shooed the other girls out of the way. She gestured for Arrd to get back to his feet. As he stood, Reki rose onto her knees.

"Okay, Arrd." Reki patted the ground. "Stand right here, facing me. And don't get any ideas about our positions."

Arrd did as she asked, leaving Reki staring at the coyote's genitals. By then, his knot was mostly deflated, and his crimson spear was swiftly retreating into his sheath. Arrd's balls were looser again, the plump ovals inside them more clearly defined. His drying fur was regaining its usually fluffy state. Reki gathered his balls up into her hand. Arrd tensed, but did not pull away.

Reki rolled the coyote's testicles around in her fingers. They shifted, bulging out against their furry enclosure. "These," she said, tightening her grip. "Belong to me." She smiled up at him. "Say it."

Arrd grit his teeth. "My balls belong to you."

"Good boy." Reki released them, only to delicately work her final ribbon around the base of their fuzzy pouch. "This is so you don't forget who owns them." She tied it in place with a cute little indigo bow across Arrd's testicles. "Not too tight?"

"No." Arrd shook his head, then waggled his hips. "It feels kinda funny, but it doesn't hurt or anything."

"Good." Reki patted his balls, then got up. "You can get dressed, now."

The other girls stood as well, with Tiry thumping her finger into Arrd's chest. "But be careful of our ribbons!"

"Yeah, yeah," Arrd said, muttering under his breath. "I got it." Arrd found his breeches, and pulled them back on. His balls protruded over the waistband a moment before vanishing inside, along with his sheath. "I, uh, better get going. If I'm late for dinner, my mom might ask a lotta questions."

"That's fine." Reki ruffled his ears. "We still need to finish our baths, anyway." She smiled, running her hands over her breasts. "And just because I let you see these, doesn't mean you've earned the honor of seeing the rest of me. But if you're a good boy?" Reki whispered into his ear. "Maybe you'll get to see all three of us totally naked."

"Ooooh." Arrd shivered, licking his muzzle. "That'd be nice." His gaze wandered to her tits. "Do you think I could...?" Though he never said it, Arrd's hand was already drifting towards her chest. It hovered in the air, wisely waiting for permission. "Just for a second?"

Reki laughed and took his hand. "Alright, but only for a second." She pressed Arrd's palm to her right breast. His soft warmth was a taboo thrill, a delight she almost wanted to continue. But Reki knew she could wait. So instead, she stared into Arrd's eyes and spoke a single, drawn out syllable. "One." Then she pulled his hand away, stepping back. "Alright. Now finish getting dressed and get home."

Arrd waggled his fingers, moaning to himself. "Oooh. It was soft."

Reki picked up his vest and tossed it over his head.

Arrd stumbled back a few steps, laughing. "Alright, alright." He slipped the vest on, smiling. "I left my pack by the tree, so I guess this is it. I'll see you girls around the village?"

Nava laughed, folding her arms. "Of course. We see you all the time, Arrd."

"And from now on," Tiry said, bouncing on her toes. "We get to see him naked!"

Reki grunted at the wordplay. "Speaking of which, should we do this again in..." She glanced at the others. "Another week, or so?"

"Okay." Arrd wrung his hands. "Just tell me when, and where." He looked from girl to girl, his ears perked. "Yanno, aside from having my balls kicked? This was fun. So, thanks."

Reki splayed her ears, unsure how to reply to that. When no one else seemed to know what to say either, she chuckled, incredulous. "You're an odd little coyote, Arrd. But you're welcome. It was fun for us, too. And hopefully." She sharpened her voice. "You've actually learned your damn lesson about spying on us, this time."

"Oh, definitely." Arrd feigned a warrior's salute. "I'm on the straight and narrow, from here on out."

Tiry giggled. "He's gonna be rubbing his 'straight and narrow' as soon as he gets into bed tonight."

"As long as he's not hiding behind the trees, again." Reki pointed into the forest. "Now beat it, Arrd!"

"He's gonna be beating it-" Tiry fell silent when Reki shot her a glare.

Arrd cackled at that one as he walked off. "Oooh, good one, Tiry!"

"Thanks, Arrd!" Tiry gave a little bow.

Reki shook her head. "Just go home, Arrd! I'd like to finish getting undressed without you leering at me."

"I'm going, I'm going." Arrd waved to the group before retrieving his pack. He shouldered it, and headed into the woods. Just before he was lost amidst the trees, Arrd called back. "See you girls later!"

"Good-bye Arrd!" Reki folded her arms, waiting to see if he was finished.

He wasn't. "Tomorrow, probably!" Arrd vanished out of sight, but his voice drifted back. "Tomorrow, probably." His words slowly grew quieter. "Or maybe the day after! Either way, I'll see you soon! Around town, or at lessons, or at the market..."

"Gods, he's annoying sometimes." Nava turned towards the water. "But it's almost like he's so annoying, that eventually it cycles from obnoxious to endearing." She flicked her tail. "I kinda like him."

"Yeah, so do I." Tiry giggled, following her friend.

Although it dismayed her to admit it, Reki felt the same way. "Yeah," she said, sighing. "Me too."

*****

Early evening sunlight painted everything in the burnt golden shades of impending dusk as Arrd wound his way through his home village. The town was roughly arranged in a series of lopsided rings expanding outwards from a central market area. Furthest from center, the village was a sprawling mixture of houses, winding dirt lanes, livestock pastures, and crop fields. Nearer the market, the town was increasingly built up, and increasingly busy.

Arrd followed a hard-packed road that skirted around the village's market. Unlike the shared market at which Arrd worked, this one catered mostly to other coyote's daily needs. During the day, it was a bustling place where all manner of fresh food was available, along with other goods and services. Venders came and went in haphazard fashion, based on available space and stock. By evening, it was nearly deserted as everyone headed home or to lively mead houses.

Outside the market stood the Two Halls. The expansive buildings stood on opposite sides of the same road. They were among the first structures raised when the once-nomadic coyotes finally decided to make the Golden Plains their permanent home. To this day, the Two Halls remained the seat of the coyote tribe's leadership.

On one side of the road was the Hall of Elders, where the coyotes' leaders gathered. The long, oval shaped building was constructed from the largest trees Arrd had ever seen. Silhouetted figures moved behind windows aglow with lamplight. Several guards stood at the entryway. They carried spears and bows and wore ceremonial armor of carved bone. One stared longingly at a distant place serving drinks, while another leaned against his spear, half-asleep.

Nearby was the Hall of War. The fortress-like building was where the tribe's warriors were trained, and the village's defenses planned. The Hall of War was constructed of gray and white stone, quarried from far away. Why it was built from stone when so few other buildings were, Arrd never understood. He vaguely recalled something about it from a history lesson he'd partly slept through.

Arrd followed the road past a few more village landmarks. The coyotes had two families of blacksmiths, and each operated a successful smithy on opposite sides of the market. Both were quiet and dark this evening. Further down the road were a pair of long, narrow buildings nearly identical in shape. One was built of wood, the other of clay bricks and wattle. Together they served as the tribe's hub for laws, and financial interests. Law ministers settled disputes, and occasionally meted out punishments or compensations. Next door, the financial ministers ensured that everyone was given a fair price for goods and labor. They also oversaw efforts to return as much money as possible to the tribe, to serve everyone's greater benefit.

Nearly every coyote had an occupation matching their skillset. Some wove clothing and blankets, others tanned leather and fashioned goods from it, or raised livestock and crops, or hunted fresh meat, and on and on. Arrd and his family were crafters and traders, just as his ancestors had been. While they kept most of what they earned, every month they returned a little to the tribe's treasury, as did everyone.

Further from the market, the buildings and homes were more spaced out. Arrd's home was roughly halfway between the village center, and its outer edges. It was one of many along his lane with a sizable garden. Some had small livestock pens, or towering trees. Fences made from willow boughs encircled many of the back gardens, with front yards meshed together. Past Arrd's street, the homes grew even further apart, separated by pastures, fields, and orchards. The old trails and cart tracks between them were long since worn into crisscrossing streets.

An older coyote waved to Arrd as he turned onto his own street. Arrd waved back, and the other coyote gave him an odd look as they passed each other. Nearby, a female tending her garden watched him pass, her head tilted oddly. Further along, a trio of familiar males his age laughed and roughhoused in a field. They fell silent when they saw Arrd, staring at him with muzzles agape.

Just as Arrd wondered why the hell everyone was giving him strange looks, the ribbons in his tail fluttered in the breeze. Others wavered around his neck and ears, gently tugging at his fur. Arrd licked his nose, realizing it must have been the ribbons everyone was staring at. Did everyone in town know what the ribbons meant?

That he, Arrd The Great, had three girlfriends.

Arrd beamed and flicked his tail, showing off his new decorations. "That's right boys, lookie what I got!"

The young coyote finished his journey with an extra spring in his step. The words to his own personal theme song echoed through his head. Because Arrd is great, yeah! He hummed the often-changing tune as followed the pathway to his house. Arrd's home was constructed from hewn logs and mud bricks, with wooden doors and windows of simple glass. Smoke rose from the chimney above the cook space. Voices and laughter drifted from the back garden, where his father and younger sister were playing games beneath a tree.

Arrd shoved the front door open. "I'm home!" He headed inside, closed the door, and paused to wipe his feet on the woven mat. "Is dinner ready?"

"Nearly so!" Arrd's mother was in the kitchen. As Arrd entered, she tended to meat and vegetables sizzling in an iron pan hanging above a small cookstove fire. Flatbreads bubbled atop heated stones on another section of the cooking hearth. "How was work, Arrd?"

"Great!" For once, Arrd told the truth about it. "Sold everything, today. Even sold one of my pieces for the first time!"

"Oh, that's wonderful." Mother turned towards him, beaming. She dusted one hand off on her light blue blouse, and the other on her silvery skirt, a habit even older than Arrd. "Congratulations, my lovely artistic pup. I'm very proud of you!"

"Thanks, mom!" Arrd bounced on his toes. "When I tell dad which one I sold, he's gonna shit his pants!"

"Arrd!" Mom laughed, shaking her head. "Don't say things like that."

Arrd only grinned as he turned to the hallway connecting to his bedroom. He wanted to put his pack away before dinner. Arrd also wasn't sure what to do about the ribbons. Maybe, he thought, he should take them off before his family noticed. He could always put them back on later. But just as he reached the edge of the room, Mother spoke again.

"New ribbons, hmm?" Something in her tone froze him in place.

"Yeah..." Arrd slowly turned back around, trying to maintain his composure. "I thought I'd try a new look. Whatcha think?"

"You thought you'd try a new look?" Mother folded her arms, splaying her ears. Her tail flicked, once.

"Yep. I, uh..." Arrd looked back at his own tail, fighting the urge to tuck it. "Saw them in the feline market, and, I-"

His mother cleared her throat with a little growl. "That's not where ribbons like that come from."

Arrd gulped. She knew? "Oh. Well, I guess I may as well just tell you." He shifted his weight. Maybe he could still twist this to make himself look good. "I've got three new girlfriends!"

Mother flicked her tail again, ears flattening further. "Arrd. We both know you don't have one_girlfriend, let alone three." She held up a hand to keep him from replying. "And while I know you'll make someone a lovely mate someday? _Three girls don't put ribbons in a boy's fur unless they're doing one of two things. Bullying him or teaching him a lesson."

Arrd swallowed again, shifting his weight. For once, he couldn't seem to find a single word with which to reply. He rustled his pack, swished his tail, and stared at his own feet. "Yeah, well, uh... You see, the thing is..."

Mother lifted a single ear, her tone sharp. "If someone's bullying you, I need to know whose asses to kick. On the other hand, if you're being taught a lesson, I should probably just let you learn it." She snorted, tapping a foot. "So, which is it?"

The younger coyote took a deep breath. It was all too clear his mother knew just what the ribbons _really_symbolized. Arrd decided to admit it before he got the girls in trouble. His shoulders slumped. "Taught a lesson."

Mother stared down at him in silence until Arrd wished he could shrink away into nothingness. Finally, she sighed. "Dare I ask what for?"

Somehow, Arrd was certain she'd know if he was lying. He shuffled his feet. "Trying to, uh, see them. Yanno, at the, uh...bathing pools."

"Ah!" Mother's posture relaxed, and suddenly she was laughing. "In that case, I'd say you deserve to wear their ribbons a while. At least until you've actually learned your lesson."

Arrd blinked. "You're not mad?"

Mother shrugged. "You were honest with me. Eventually. Besides, it wouldn't be fair for me to get angry with you for doing the same thing I did at your age."

"You did?" Arrd straightened up. "Which part? The spying, or the ribbons?"

Mother turned to the food, but her smile remained. "Both. Besides, I suspect those girls _already_punished you spying on them."

Arrd grimaced, adjusting his breeches. "You could say that, yeah."

"Thought so." She fetched a spoon, stirring the food. "Tell me if they get too rough, though. I'll set them straight."

Arrd grumbled under his breath, setting his pack down. "I'm fine, mom."

"I'm just saying." Mother flipped a flatbread over. "Letting girls you fancy kick you between the legs might be all in good fun, but-"

"Mom!" Arrd's voice twisted in a humiliated whine, his eyes wide. "I'm not letting them kick me!"

Mother waved her cooking utensil, amusement in her voice. "The ribbons say otherwise, dear."

Arrd grit his teeth, his ears pinned. "Mom, I really don't wanna talk-"

"Did they put one around your testicles, too?" She flipped another flatbread on the sizzling stone.

Arrd whined, hiding his face in his hands. "Mom, please don't ask me that stuff."

"Alright, alright." She laughed and clicked her teeth. "But in case they did, you can remove it for comfort. Just remember to put it back before your next rendezvous, because they'll expect it to still be there."

"That's..." The younger coyote groaned into his hands. "Actually good advice." He dropped his hands to glare at her. "If they'd done that to me. Which they definitely didn't."

"Mhm." Mother glanced over at him with an innocent smile. "Also, if they used a knot, replace it with a bow. It's safer that way. You can untie it yourself if it gets tangled."

"Mother!" Arrd stomped a foot, which caused the ribbon in question to shift and make itself known. "Come_on_!"

"Arrd, listen." She set her utensil down, turning towards him again. This time, her voice was gentle. "I know what the ribbons mean, and I know what girls like that do. So, I also know you probably had a lot more fun than you'd like to admit."

Arrd leaned against a wall, closing his eyes. "I really don't wanna have this conversation."

"I know, love, I know." Mother came over and ruffled his ears, chuckling. "I didn't want to have it at your age, either. But I had to, and so do you." She tapped his nose. "Someone has to look out for you, after all. And since I know forbidding you from seeing these girls would only embolden you to sneak out and do so anyway? You're welcome to visit them as often as you want. So long as..." She tapped his nose again, sharper than before. "Whatever you do, you do it safely. Which means, among other things? Tell these girls no knots."

Struggle as he might, Arrd could not stop himself from bursting into laughter.

Mother paused, scrunched her muzzle, and then laughed with him. "I could have worded that better, couldn't I? That wasn't what I meant, but I'd advise you against _that_too. I doubt any of you are prepared for parenthood. Hell, I'm certainly not ready to be a grandmother."

"I get it, mom, I get it." Arrd rubbed his nose where she'd been tapping it. "They didn't use a knot, anyway..." He glanced down at himself. "She was surprisingly gentle with that ribbon."

"Good!" Mother returned to her cooking. "You can go, Arrd. I'm sure I've embarrassed you enough."

"To last a damn lifetime!" Arrd huffed, snatching up his pack.

Though he wanted to stomp off and act furious, he knew his mother was only looking out for him. Still, that didn't make it any less humiliating to talk about. And her surprising attitude about the whole situation left him with questions of his own. Arrd shouldered his pack, telling himself nothing good would come of asking them. Nevertheless, after only two steps into the hallway, he paused.

"Mom?" Arrd remained just out of sight, as if to hide his embarrassment.

"Yes, love?"

Arrd drummed his fingers against the shoulder strap. "How do you know all this stuff?"

His mother's happy laughter echoed through the kitchen. "Oh, my dear pup. How do you think I met your father?"

*****

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