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Survival of the Fittest

The zoo looked different at night.

Tall, wrought-iron gates loomed, framed by the bright gibbous moon and topped by wicked spikes. Though the moonlight threw the words into shadow, Cibola's nocturnal vision had no problem picking out, Cherry Farm Animal Sanctuary, emblazoned in an arch over the gate. Daytime would see it as a welcoming place, filled with tourists and families gawking at the various feral residents. The last time she'd been had been in the company of her parents, on her fourteenth birthday--they'd bought ice cream from one of the vendors and played games trying to spot the more elusive animals in their enclosures.

A distant memory now, replaced by this vaguely unsettling scene, like the zoo were a dead shadow of its usual self. In the distance, something hooted a nighttime cry. Cibola's ears flicked.

"Are we sure this is a good idea?"

"It's a great idea," RJ, her boyfriend replied. "Perfect time even!" He waved a hand at the empty park beyond the gate. "No crowds, more of the critters will be active, and it's not so fucking hot."

Vance, their otter friend and classmate, snickered. "C'mon Ci-ci, you're scared, aren't you?"

"Fuck you. That story is dumb."

"Whooo, I'm a spoooooky ghooooost," RJ piped in, waving his paws about.

Cibola gave him a shove, laughing in spite of herself. "I mean that we could get caught, dumbass. My GPA isn't going up by getting arrested."

"It'll be fine. Like I said, this place doesn't have night security, and there are no cameras either." RJ took off his backpack and placed it on the ground, then unzipped it and pulled out a small pair of bolt cutters. "Just watch me, I'm about to break and enter this bitch."

"Yes, I will watch you break and enter this bitch," Vance said in a mechanical tone, imitating their shared economics 1202 professor. He and RJ both cracked up, elbowing each other.

"Hey, c'mon, don't be a dick," the fourth member of their little raiding party said, Francis' bass tone incongruous with his slender body and soft features. The jerboa's long ears twitched in time with his nose. "He can't help it."

"What are you, his mom?" Vance shot back.

"No... I just think he's a nice guy. I looked it up. It's a mental illness thing. Echolocation or something like that."

"He's not a bat, dingus. And whatever, it's annoying and weird."

Cibola rolled her eyes. "You boys are weird."

"Your face is weird!" Vance retorted.

"At least it doesn't resemble my butt."

"Hey!" Francis cut in, giving Vance's ass an affectionate pat. "Quit ogling my boyfriend's butt! Only I get to do that."

"Do you blame her? It's a damn fine ass." He grinned, giving said body part a provocative wiggle that slapped his long, rudder-like tale against Francis' leg. "Kitty's got good taste."

"Fuck, get a room you two. Or at least wait til we're inside," RJ said. The maned wolf advanced on the gate and brought the bolt cutters to bear on the chain holding it closed. The vice end of the tool ratcheted closed. For a moment, RJ's lithely muscled arms strained beneath his black t-shirt. Then, with a metallic clunk that seemed to resonate in her chest_,_ the links split apart allowing the chain to hang free, loose ends clattering against the wrought iron.

"Ooh, what a man," Cibola teased in a sing-song voice.

He winked back at her while he stashed the bolt cutters back into his bag. "All for you, baby."

"God, I'm gonna barf with all this straightness." Vance walked up to the gate and pulled the chain off, leaving it to fall to the ground. "C'mon, I wanna see some ferals!" He pulled a small flashlight out from the pocket of his jeans, clicking it on. Its narrow beam momentarily blinded her as it lanced out into the empty zoo like a finger, illuminating the signpost on the diverging paths beyond the ticket booths. He pushed the gate open, its hinges emitting a screech of protest, then slipped inside and vaulted over the turnstiles. Turning back, he gestured to the other three. "Well? What are you all waiting for?"

Francis shrugged. "Guess I'm only guilty of 'entering', huh?" He nudged the gate a little wider, making more room for Cibola and RJ to follow, then joined his boyfriend on the other side of the turnstiles with a quick hop, not needing to vault like Vance had.

"Show-off," RJ muttered. Grabbing Cibola's hand, he tugged her inside and pulled the gate closed behind them with a loud _clang._Taking advantage of his long legs he stepped over the turnstile, then helped Cibola over. Not that she needed it, but his warm hand felt good, and the gesture was too cute not to take advantage of.

Francis and Vance were already consulting the signpost, the flashlight beam reflecting off the green metal. Cibola spotted a stack of park maps at the ticket booth and grabbed one as RJ clicked on his own flashlight--a heavier duty model that lit up most of the path and chased away the encroaching shadows. The extra illumination made it harder to see beyond the little circles cast by the flashlights, but the others didn't share her feline eyes.

"Let's go that way," Vance said as they approached, pointing to the left. "I wanna see the big kitties." He shot Cibola a wicked grin. "Maybe we'll find some of your kin."

"Asshole. You know that's the other side of the park, right?"

He shrugged. "So? Not like we're in a hurry."

"Which way do you wanna go, babe?" RJ said.

"Hmm." Cibola consulted the map, then pointed in the opposite direction from Vance. "I think the hyenas and wolves will be up and about. Might be fun." She wrinkled her nose at Vance. "Plus it'll be quieter."

"Until you jump his bones." Vance snickered.

"Remind me why we're friends again?" RJ said, rolling his eyes.

"Because you know you love me, sweetie."

RJ shrugged conceding the point.

"I think we love your head for numbers more," Francis said, reaching up to lay an arm on Vance's shoulder and steering him towards the left-hand path. "C'mon, let's give the happy couple some space."

"Sure. See you all whenever! Don't get lost!"

With that they were off, Vance's flashlight bobbing as the pair sauntered down the path. From deeper in the zoo rose another hooting screech, the nocturnal residents voicing their existence to the world. One of the monkeys perhaps? Probably not a bird, those should all be asleep.

"I swear that dude's mouth is going to get him in hot water one day," RJ said, once more rummaging in his bag. "He's funny, but he doesn't know where the line is."

Cibola held her tongue. Probably not the best time to call him out on his pot versus kettle argument. "It's fine. He's an ass, but I've heard worse. At least he's good in the study group."

"Yeah." RJ chuckled and pulled out two cans of beer, handing one to her. Its cool surface damped her palm with its film of condensation. "We would've totally bombed that last project without him." He tucked the flashlight under his arm, cracked his can open and gulped down a swig, then swung his bag over his shoulder and stood, beer in one hand flashlight in the other. "Ready?"

"Sure." Cibola opened her own can and walked beside him, leaning a bit against her taller companion. The first sip of beer bubbled over her tongue, slightly bitter and pleasantly cold against the still-warm night air. RJ shot her a grin, then slipped his arm across her shoulder, letting the flashlight dip down to illuminate the path in front of them and little else.

For several moments they walked in silence save for the slurps of beer, the concrete path soon giving way to gravel and sending up crunching footsteps. Magnolia trees flowered alongside the paths in this section of the zoo, lending their sweet fragrance to the faint aroma of animal musk. They were approaching the canine area, one of her favourites. Despite brushing off Vance's comments, seeing the big cats always unsettled her. Sure, they were ferals, but... Looking into those feline eyes behind the cages felt far too much like looking in a mirror. Did they feel the same, wondering why the two-legged cat on the other side of the bars didn't act the way they expected? When she'd last been, a male panther had fixated on her, stalking along the heavy bars of its enclosure and flicking up its tail to mark with its scent. Its maw hung wide, wide nose wrinkled as it let out little chuffs and growls, those golden eyes locked with hers.

A shudder ran down her spine. She'd later realized she was on her period, probably why the panther had reacted so acutely. Not that thinking about the beast seeing her in that way helped much, only serving to drive home the impression that only so much separated anthros from ferals.

"You alright, babe?" RJ's arm tightened a little on her shoulders.

"Yeah, fine." She leaned her head on his chest. "Thanks for this. I think I needed a little break to do something dumb."

"Don't we all. School's a bitch." RJ drained his beer and chucked it into a nearby garbage can. "One more month til semester break."

"Don't remind me. I'm so not ready for finals."

He chuckled. "I think Vance is the only one who is. But hey--twelve credits down, right?"

"True. Still, do you ever wonder about it all?" The path split into several smaller trajectories ahead, the boxy outlines of animal enclosures looming out of the darkness, metal bars gleaming in the flashlight's glow.

"What do you mean?"

"Like am I in the right program? Is this really what I want to do with my life? That sort of shit."

He shrugged. "Sure. Everyone does. I dunno if that ever goes away." He leaned down and nuzzled against the thick ruff of fur on her cheek. "Least we've got each other, right?"

Cibola laughed, her bob of a tail twitching. "You mushy ass. Yeah, we do."

The natural lean of RJ's weight against her steered them down one of the paths, leading towards a low stone wall topped with a single string of barbed wire. A large signboard stood before the wall, illuminated by the flashlight as they approached and bearing the image of a snarling feral hyena.

RJ let go of her and sauntered up to the wall, which came up just above his waist. A bit too high for a child to scramble up, with the barbed wire providing an extra layer of protection. He shone the light down into the enclosure and let out a low whistle. "Dang, there they are."

An incensed yip rose from the enclosure as Cibola joined him, setting her half-finished beer down on the wall. Peering over, the gleam of several pairs of feral eyes gave her pause, her breath catching in an instance of primal fight-or-flight. A powerful odour--feral musk--tickled her nose. Hunched, powerful bodies shambled away from the light, the beam catching tanned hide marked with dark spots. RJ panned the beam to follow them, earning another displeased growl from one of the hyenas as it looked back before slinking into the underbrush of the enclosure.

"You were right, these guys are pretty active at night."

"Mhm. I think it's called crepuscular. They don't mind the daytime but prefer the night." More shapes moved in the underbrush, glimpses of tanned haunch flashing among the green as RJ panned his light around. "They're also not really dogs, but they tend to get lumped in with canines as one of the closest relatives."

"You sure know a lot about it."

She leaned on the wall, a grin tugging at her muzzle as she tried to spot more of the creatures. "When I was a kid I thought I'd be a feral researcher or something. Used to read lots about them."

"Really? That's cool. What made you switch?"

"Practicality. Turns out I wasn't cut out for the sciences."

"Too bad. I think you'd do great."

She snorted, and a pair of eyes looked up from below. A dark snout sniffed the air. "Thanks, but I've never been that methodical. Biology lab in high-school sort of pushed me away from the idea."

"Fair enough I guess."

Together they observed the activity in the habitat, snuffles and feral grunts punctuating their own breathing. RJ's hand settled on her back and began to stroke in slow circles, gradually creeping lower until it brushed the hem of her denim shorts. Cibola pretended not to notice, keeping her eyes on the movements within the enclosure and her features composed. A small thrill ran down her spine as RJ's grip tightened in a soft squeeze of her flank. He stepped closer, standing behind her and crouching enough to settle his chin on her shoulder.

"Hey."

"Hey." She glanced back, finally acknowledging him with a smirk.

"Do you wanna...?"

"Fuck yes."

He awarded her ear a nibble, hands sliding down to cup her hips. Then he withdrew and crouched down to rummage in his bag, which he'd tossed down at the foot of the wall.

"I brought a little something for you."

"Yeah?"

He held up something that tinkled, glittering in the beam of the flashlight. A pair of handcuffs, the manacles loose and open. He met her gaze with a sly smile.

"Kinky dog." Her ears perked up, a flush of warmth running through her chest.

"Figured this place would bring out our bestial side. Was I right?"

Cibola laughed and held out her hands, wrists together. "Guess we'll find out."

RJ rose and set the flashlight down on the wall, then stepped to her and settled the cuffs on her wrists. Click. Click. Click. She shivered as the cool metal tightened, locking her hands in front of her. They hadn't had much chance to play like this lately, and the thrill of the act in such a typically public place... Had he brought any of their other toys?

"Oh no, you've got me all helpless. What are you going to do to me?"

The maned wolf moved in until he loomed over her, warm breath tickling her tufted ears. Reaching up he groped her breasts--firm squeezes just the way she liked it--eliciting a gasp and stirring her arousal.

"Whatever the fuck I want," he growled, the low phrase shooting sparks down her spine. His thumbs circled, trying to find her nipples beneath the padding of her bra. Frustrated by the material he shoved both hands under her shirt, fingers gliding through the fluff of her belly and working under her bra, shoving it partway up. Another squeeze and he found her nubs, tugged, latching tight and flicking them oh so delightfully. Cibola let out a shuddering moan, pushing her chest into his grip.

"That's right. You're all mine to play with." His voice had taken on a husky tone, rumbling with dominance. Those questing fingers pinched, injecting her with pain-seasoned ecstasy, blood swelling her sensitive buds. She raised her hands, giving him better access. The cuffs prevented her from taking off her shirt. Too bad, being naked in the night air would have been nice, especially with her lover calling the shots... He leaned in, taking a deep drag from her clavicle. More pinches and twists made her squirm, revelling beneath his touch.

Something behind him moved.

Cibola stiffened, scanning the darkness of the trees. With the light facing the other way her night vision had reasserted, bringing the shapes of the overhanging foliage and the top of the enclosure beyond into sharp focus. The hell was that? A falling branch maybe? But there hadn't been any sound...

"Hey, babe, I think--" she cut off in a moan as he shoved his muzzle against her neck and bit, hard. Canine fangs pinched into the skin beneath her thick fur, just shy of the throbbing vein of her jugular. She shuddered, momentarily distracted by growing libido.

"You're not here to think," he snarled into her ear. "You're here to be my bitch." His hands clutched her chest, blunt nails digging in enough to nearly break skin beneath her fur and drawing another pained gasp from her throat. Fuck, why was he so good at this? Had her hands been free she'd have clawed him right back, blood thrumming in her ears as the heat and tension of their roleplay heightened, sexual fervor rising in her loins. Whatever, it had probably been a trick of the light.

_Read the full story in the anthology, Howloween II, available now from Bound Tales! https://boundtales.storenvy.com/products/35617138-... _