FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

"Monsieur Blanchet wishes to see me?...

_...I will see him soon." _

The doors opened, revealing a lithe figure standing alone. His fur was ruddy, ears standing on points.

A fox. A red fox, who wore a coat that sat well on his body, revealing the rather distinct air of masculinity. His face lost in a haze of passion, as he pulled his bow across the delicate strings. The music flowed around him, captivating the Lion in a spell. How could someone so young, so inexperienced, release a sound so melancholic in the world. As if the world itself had given him way into its secret cruelties.

He watched the man's lithe frame, as it hitched from the emotional cost, his shoulder's bouncing from the raw emotion written plainly on his face.

The winds themselves, through the open windows of the hall, danced around him, moving his coat around him. A specter attempting to not silence the song, but enhance it, and his beauty.

Not even the angels in the far heaven's could play a sound so sweet. So resolute.

He did not wear the classic costumes of the musicians that would come into his court. No. he wore a morose outfit. A plain black coat, a shirt pressed well enough that it was more akin to the plain fields of snow that sat right outside his window. How could one so young, as he had to be young, no wrinkles adorned his almost regal features, no cracks or crevices or even the signs of silver white that came to most foxes.

No. His fur was still young. Had not seen the worst this world had to offer.

Ah, how foolish was this old Lion. To be so enraptured by a man he had barely met, and had not spoken a word to.

The lord of the manor coughed, attempting to catch the man's attention.

He did succeed, in not only catching the young fox's attention, but as well as startling the bow out of his hand.

It landed with a rather uncouth twang on the floor. Though, through whatever act of a god watching them both, it did not break or even bend.

"My apologies, Young one. I didn't mean to startle you."

The lion spoke, immediately crossing the Italian marble floor to retrieve it.

It felt small in his hands, fragile. Perhaps this is why this lord did not bother with learning the craft. For, indeed, did his paw dwarf it.

"No, My Lord, the fault is squarely on my shoulders. I was simply told to wait for you here, You should not apologize to me."

The scent of nervousness wafted into the air, followed by the, admittedly, pungent aroma of fox must. This man had not bathed in a day. Perhaps more, as his own land was quite out of the way for most.

"Then we are even. Do not be so nervous. I am sure the rumors surrounding me are quite-"

The lord paused for a moment, reaching into the air to pick the words he sought. Yet none that would describe the unpleasantness that came from such rumors came.

"Fanciful. I assure you, I will not send you away for such an easy mistake to make. You are a musician, and should be proud of your craft. Your song is quite beautiful."

In earnest, a smile finally parted the fox's nerves. Allowing himself a moment of reprieve from the embarrassment he felt.

The lord of this mansion, Monsieur Blanchet had been called a hard man to please. Nothing short of perfection had been enough for him, and spying his home showed the fox as much.

The halls were bathed in perfect light, from candles and lanterns strategically placed to allow for as much light to enter the halls as possible. The floors were maintained well enough, the fox could see his reflection looking back at him from them. Each and every painting was a masterclass of the field, each stroke felt as if the artist strained for his approval.

But all of that paled in comparison to the Lion.

To say he was handsome would not do the man justice, for he was above that word. No, there was no word the fox could think to enrapture the man's presence.

The man's well maintained pure white mane sat elegantly pulled back in a tight braid. Though no beard hid his strong jaw, no hair blocked from view his stoney hazel eyes. Though what they lacked in color, they seemed to make up for in wit, and a sharpness that left Felix naked in his gaze.

"Thank you, Monsieur Blanchet. I am glad my music stands up to your standards."

"I would not be so hasty, Mister Paget. You have indeed impressed me, but that was only one song."

The lion allowed the fox to feel some trepidation. A hesitation most under his employment would know well, one he would learn to be the norm.

"I suspect I will have to listen to more of them, should you wish to remain under my employment."

Though it was an invitation for the fox to play for him more often, he still felt that same rising fear as the first moment he had been invited to this lion's estate.

He could scarcely imagine the invitation, yet it had appeared in his letterbox. He had left his comfortable home in London for this, he was not sure if he would have the strength to return if he indeed was released from the man's service.

"Y-yes, my lord."

"Good. Now, Prepare yourself for dinner. Supper will be held in the dining hall at exactly seven. Your services tonight will not be needed. Tomorrow, however, I would enjoy a private concert. I believe you are well studied in music, yes?"

"Yes, my lord. I have a few pieces of music memorized entirely, and am a quick study. May I ask you a question?"

The lion tilted his head, but allowed the question to come forth.

"Why would you hire a musician if you only host people very rarely?"

He did not owe this fox an answer, yet he still gave one. One should not punish the young for asking questions of their elders. Though, he suspected, the fox was not much younger than him. Perhaps it was only a matter of years, rather than decades.

"These halls have grown stagnant. While it is true, I do not enjoy the company of many, I would prefer to hear something lively, as compared to the monotony of daily life. You will be well compensated and provided with room and board."

The fox nodded, returning his Violin to its dwelling.

"Thank you, My lord, I look forward to serving you to the best of my capabilities."

With that, the fox bowed, retreating from the grand hall, returning to the entry, where he found the man's butler waiting for him.

For days, he did exactly that.

He would meet the lord in his garden, and would play for him for as long as the lion wished. It wasn't for long, or very often. But the lion always seemed at peace when listening to the fox's songs. Each one would leave the lion quiet, contemplative.

Perhaps there was more to his station here than he knew. Though asking the man would seem foolish to him.

The night was cold, and dark, save for the twinkling lights of the city that lay miles away. His only company was that of the fireplace, a soothing heat that brought both warmth and relief to the fox. He had not known what to make of his new master. The lion seemed so often cold. Distant. But somehow, through some force of will, it made the fox feel welcome. While he was still a stranger to him, he was more than that. He was his employer, and the kindness he showed to him on the daily was enough to comfort him.

Yet still, after all this time, barely more than a month, the man had barely spoken to him.

Today was yet another day spent in the garden. Though they were covered in snow, the heat of the small fireplace, sitting outside on the veranda was more than enough to keep the kisses of jack frost from affecting either of them.

The fox knew the man was consumed by his work. Important matters of business, and it seemed like that was all the lion seemed to enjoy speaking of.

More often than not, it bored the fox to tears, yet he could not tear himself away from the conversation. If only to listen to the man's voice.

Felix supposed that was why the man had commissioned a violinist. The lion himself had confirmed the very fact when they had first spoken. To fill the silence, and to bring life back into the quiet halls that surrounded them day in and day out.

He could not help but wonder why his master had chosen him.

While he was talented, he could allow at least that to stroke his ego, he knew there were better musicians than he. More talented musicians, those who would suit the man's rather plain tastes.

Yet it had been he, Felix Paget, that had been offered the invitation. The strange request to live on his estate. For all he had heard of Monsieur Blanchet, the man had never cared about music, nor had he cared for art.

He rarely deemed it necessary to glance at the masterworks hanging from the walls of his halls. But he enjoyed the music the fox played.

It vexed him. Bothered him to no end.

So the fox, after finishing his fourth song of the day, Violin Concerto No. 10 in G major: largo.

Did he finally ask the pressing question.

"My Lord, may I ask why you have so many paintings? You do not strike me as the type to enjoy art."

The man tilted his head, as he always did when the fox vexed him. Bothered to ask him questions he had never thought about before.

It was odd, as he could not find the answer. Not one that would be acceptable to the younger man.

For a moment, Felix feared he had done something wrong, had trespassed on a question that had no right to be uttered, but when the lion did not shoo him away, instead speaking, he relaxed.

"I suppose it is standard practice for one in my station to decorate my walls with such things. Do not mistake my ambivalence to the pieces hanging on my walls as a sign that I do not enjoy such frivolous things, I suppose I have seen them long enough that they no longer interest me. I much prefer music, as it always changes."

The answer did not satisfy the fox, not entirely. But for one as soft spoken as the lord, that was the answer he would receive.

Then, quietly, the lion lifted himself from the chair he had always sat in while he played, he placed a hand on his shoulder, motioning for the young fox to follow.

Trepidation bit at the fox, the fear that the lion may have been insulted by his line of question still played rife in his mind.

"Come, I would like to show you something."

He led the young fox along the well decorated hallways, down a set of stairs wide enough to hold an entire orchestra, until he stopped at a pair of clear glass doors. Inside the fox could see a variety of things. Plants, mostly, as well as some insects. Butterflies of all sorts in specific. The ones that caught his eye the most were the monarchs. They flitted around without a care in the world, unbothered by the two new observers.

The Lion smiled at the stunned look on the fox's face. He had not yet learned the art of keeping one's emotions disguised.

Yet the lion could not hide his own excitement. To see one so beautiful as the fox with such awe, it was a gift far beyond someone could purchase for him.

"This is my vivarium. It has been here since I myself was a kitten. Now it serves as my personal study. An escape for me when the troubles of this world come crashing at my doorstep. The butterflies are rare, and beautiful, but worry not. They are entirely harmless."

He motioned for the fox to enter. So the fox did, hesitantly. He was afraid of disturbing this place. Of destroying the lion's private sanctum with his own presence there.

Yet the man had invited him.

Monsieur Blanchet motioned for the fox to sit on a well built mahogany loveseat, offering him a single cup of tea.

"Why have you shown me this?"

"Ah, my dear fox, you asked me if I appreciated art. This is my answer to you. While I do not enjoy the paintings as much as I have. The true art of this world is the change you see in nature. This palace reflects that."

Then, more hesitantly, the pink entered the lion's ears, he continued.

"I simply wished to show you something beautiful."

That made the fox's heart skip a beat.

No man had ever bothered to show him anything of true beauty. Sitting here with the lion, the man who had confounded him so often before, left him breathless.

His tail softly began to sway, which only seemed to make the lion smile even more genuine.

"You are very pretty when you blush, Felix."

Monsieur Blanchet cooed, watching the fox freeze. It was no secret that the fox found the man handsome, but to be discovered and complemented was nearly enough for his heart to stop beating in his chest.

"It suits you."

Yet the breath did not come easy, when the lion approached him, sitting by his side with his own cup of tea in his hand.

"I, ah, thank you, My Lord. "

"Please. No need for formalities. I grow tired of hearing them from the other servants. You may call me, Andre."

The fox nodded, attempting to force the tea down his gullet.

It was hot, but the distraction forced him to recover some of his dignity.

"Yes, my, uh, Andre. Forgive me, I did not wish to seem arrogant or presumptuous."

The lion let out a low, rumbling chuckle.

"You are neither, Felix. Thank you for coming when you did. I believe my life was becoming dull. You have made it less so."

"Thank you. I am glad I have been able to liven things up just a tad. To make your day brighter."

There was silence then. Though not one of discomfort. Perhaps the two had grown so close in their time together, they no longer needed to fill the void.

Instead, they watched the butterflies, and enjoyed the warmth of each other's company.

"Your words are too kind, Felix. You are too kind to an old man such as myself.

I was almost entirely sure you would have been scared off by the talk of others. They think of me some sort of evil. Or perhaps unapproachable. To see that you have seen past that pleases me. Very much."

The lion then reached over and patted the man's cheek. Leaving the already stunned fox at another loss for words.

He had never spoken so plainly.

But the fox would do anything to keep the smile on his lord's muzzle.

It had been a week since they first had visited the vivarium, though he did request the fox to play for him inside it.

A week since Andre had allowed himself to speak so plainly with the fox, to allow himself to feel something more for him than the simple words could achieve. He longed for the fox, ached for him in a way he had not experienced since his own love had passed so many winters ago. He wanted the fox, plain and simple. Pined for his figure to be intertwined with his, in the throws of lust and passion.

The lord of the manor sighed, lifting himself off the sweat stained bed, letting the covers block most of his nude figure in the night.

With a sigh, realizing he would not find sleep for the night, he discarded the linens, retrieving his pure white robe from the bathroom, tying it tight. While he was in his own home, and he was sure the servants were already asleep, he knew better than to wander the halls bare.

He stepped out into the cool night air of his estate, allowing himself the privilege of enjoying the coolness of his strong and built silhouette.

The lion immediately heard a gasp from behind him.

He turned to it, expecting it to be Felix, his favored companion. There in the moonlight the fox stood, wearing nothing but his nightgown, there was no candle in his hand, but those such as they did not need such archaic tools. They could simply use what nature had given them to see in the darkness.

Andre was pleased to see him, though neither of them were fit to be seen.

The fox left behind the corner of the hall, ducking beneath a doorway, assuming the lion had not seen him. The flickers of laughter built in his chest as he attempted to keep a straight face.

"I did not expect to see someone awake at this ungodly hour. You have gotten quite comfortable, haven't you, my dear Felix."

The fox reluctantly stepped out from behind the corner, a blush burning his face.

"Ah, my lord, I offer my sincerest of apologies, I did not mean to bother you so late."

"It is no bother. In truth, I could not find sleep. It seems like you could not either."

The lion chuckled, strutting his way to the young, stunned fox.

"I-I shall take my leave, now, my lord. I am certain you will need your rest. Tomorrow, as all days, will be quite busy for you. Should you need something of me before then, please do not hesitate to call me."

The fox breathed quickly, turning on the spot to disappear into the dark house once more, but more before the lion stopped him.

"Felix."

He said, stone entering his voice. Letting the fox freeze in his gaze. Even with the gown hiding his more delicate features, the lion could see the curves of his ample rear, the way the tail seemed to draw him in. He could not hide his lust any longer.

The lion approached the fox, wrapping his arms around the much smaller man, allowing himself the barest moment to appreciate how warm he felt pressed against his chest.

"In truth, I have missed your company. I know these last few days have not given us much time to ourselves, but I wish for you to know."

He let out a playful growl.

"I want you to be mine. All mine."

The fox looked up into the lion's eyes, a mixture of confusion, anticipation, and a bit of fear written in every inch of his body.

Felix had not anticipated this, nor was he prepared for it, but seeing the lion's handsome muzzle grinning down at him with both lust, and his own measure of trepidation, made it all the sweeter.

The lion leaned down ever closer, allowing the fox to decide if their lips would meet on this fateful night.

And he did. The fox stood on the tips of his toes, and kissed the man.

A soft touch at first, then the kiss deepened. Andre nibbled at the fox's bottom lip, careful not to harm him, or draw blood.

Pinning him against the wall, Andre began to explore the fox's body, feeling each and every inch of him, burning the feeling of the fox's taught stomach, the feeling of the fox's legs as they pressed back into his. The feeling of the fox's manhood leaking ever so slightly, peeking from his sheath. The scent of fox musk, and his own arousal filling the small hallway.

Tongue slipping from his mouth, exploring the lions.

"Not so shy now, are you, my fox?"

The lion asked, pulling away from the kiss just long enough for him to reach down, and bite the fox's neck.

The moan that came from it was sweeter than any song the fox had played on his violin.

"N-no, my lord."

The fox breathed, reaching to feel the lion's member.

What a member it was. Even in the dark, he could see the obsidian black length pressing into his. The lion dwarfed the fox in all sense, but especially in size.

He himself sported a good six inches, but the lion was the size of twelve, and twice as thick.

Dripping in fluid.

"Come then, my dear fox, let us retreat into my dorm."

Wordlessly, he lifted the fox into his arms, carrying him into the room the lion had called his. Shutting the door at his back.

Only then, did the fox feel some level of regret.

"My lord, I.. I cannot. I am not worthy of your affections. I am not a man of any worth. I am simply a commoner. Undeserving of one so noble as yourself. Please. Put me down, I cannot bear this farce no longer."

"I do not care about that."

The lion said, peering into the dark green eyes of his fox.

"I care for you. I crave you. My feelings, they have never changed and will never change. I wish for you to be mine. Damn station, damn what others will think of us."

Andre did not allow the fox to continue, plunging his tongue deeper still into his muzzle.

Felix gasped, tasing the lion, tasting the raw maleness of him. Feeling the lion's teeth graze against his lower lip.

He pulled away from the kiss, forcing breath back into his lung.

"I will not force this on you, My dear felix. But if we are to have any semblance of a future together, we must dispense of this. I am not your master. I am your friend. I hope and wish to be your lover. I want nothing more than to show you how much I have desired you."

Then he returned the fox to the floor, returning to his bed, where he shed any pretense of clothing, allowing the robe to fall to the floor.

The fox hesitated.

So much could go wrong. So much could be lost if they both caved into their desire. Yet, he could not stop looking at the lion, the body that held so much straight.

That had called him his lover.

Without another word, the fox slipped out of his gown, straddling the lion.

"I should warn you. I am not very experienced. I have only done.. This once before."

The lion grinned, watching the small fox's cheek light with embarrassment.

"Then this will be all the sweeter."

The musician played his finger's across the lion's rugged chest, allowing him to feel the muscle that lay underneath the snow white fur. Tracing them as he would a sheet of music.

"Are you sure about this?"

The fox asked, feeling the lion's member pulse against his bare backside. Hoping against hope his voice did not betray how nervous he was.

"More than anything."

Before the fox could startle himself out of his grasp, the lion pulled the fox closer by the hips, until all he could see was his cock, and the beautiful body it was connected to. As well as the blushing face of his fox.

He took it in his mouth, tasting the sweet and somehow salty member. Letting his rough tongue envelope it in his mouth.

He knew canids well, and knew there was a particular spot that made them almost feral.

The knot was cherry red. Much like the fox, who had not expected to be treated like this. To feel the warm maw of his love.

He could feel its pulse with each breath he took, he could feel the fox shudder, with each little suckle or movement with his tongue.

Skillful would not begin to describe the lion's tongue.

Yet the lion persisted, wrapping his lips, careful with his teeth, around the knot. Making the fox's breath hitch.

"Andre, wait!"

Felix moaned, pushing the lion's head off his member.

"Did I hurt you?"

The lord asked, holding his lover's back. A new fear piercing his chest. If he had hurt the fox, he would never be able to forgive himself.

"No! No, I wouldn't say that. I, ah, just hoped this would last a bit longer. We foxes don't have the stamina you cats seem to have."

Immediately, whatever flame of worry was doused in a thick layer of mirth. The fox had been on the edge, yet he would deny himself the pleasure of release simply for more time with him.

"Ah. Was my little fox a little too close?"

At that, the fox's ears splayed across his head.

"Andre.."

He moaned, covering his blushing face.

The fox slid off his lover, moving down lower and lower still until the fox sat right in front of the lion's member. It almost blended into its surroundings, it was so dark. Yet, in the light of the moon, he could see its length.

Intimidating was one word.

Enticing was a far more delightful one.

The fox drew his muzzle close, allowing himself to smell the musk of the lion. To smell the cologne that seemed ever present in the home.

Then he opened his maw and ran a tongue down and around it. Making the lion moan for the first time that night.

The barbs were a curious discovery. Felix knew some cats had them, but he had assumed Andre did not. Yet it did not bother him.

In fact, he paid specifically more attention to. Feeling the soft flesh shudder with each drag of his tongue.

The lion had not felt this pleasure for quite some time, if the fox was sensitive, he was doubly so. Each and every stride of the growingly confident tongue made him squirm, made him moan out to the gods.

He could feel himself getting closer now, getting close to the sweet relief.

The lion arched his back, coming close to his peak, when the fox pulled away. Allowing the man to calm again.

Then he attacked the member again. Bringing the lord quickly to his peak. Maddeningly though, he pulled back yet again.

"What are you doing, Felix?"

The lion asked, breathlessly.

"Hm?"

The fox asked, taking the member into his maw once again, sliding up and down it until it was all shimmering in the night. The warmth of the fox's muzzle was an experience the lord would not soon forget. Especially if he could have the fox like this every night.

Still, he was getting a bit ahead of himself.

Before, again, he could allow himself the release, the fox pulled back. Wiping his maw off with the back of his black paw.

His ruddy colored fur almost glowing in the light. That slim figure that had captivated him before all on display for him to enjoy. How he could lose himself in such fur, his fingers lost in it, as well as whatever troubled them both.

His eyes twinkled with mischief.

"You're going to drive me mad."

"Am I?"

The fox giggled, returning his affections to the lion's cock. Like a wild animal, did the fox attack it. Wrapping his own tongue around the cock, occasionally grazing his teeth against it to make the lion gasp and shudder.

This time, the lion thought he would not allow the fox to tease him.

Yet, before he could act, the fox pulled away again.

"If you keep this up, I'll have you pinned against the bed until you beg me for it."

"Promises, my lord. Promises."

That's how the fox wanted to play.

He wanted his lord to lose control.

So the lion let loose.

In moments, Felix found himself grabbed by the waist, brought on the bed, and pinned down with the lion's not insignificant weight. In moments, did he hear something clatter in the night stand nearby, until he heard a cork pop, he had to consider himself lucky. If his lord was a cruel man, he perhaps would not have been so kind as to use some sort of lubrication.

"Oh my Felix. You have teased me enough."

He growled in the fox's ear. Making the fox whimper with excitement.

This was the game that Felix had wanted to play. To make the lion take him right then and there with all the lust he often showed in those bright blue eyes.

He felt something cold slide down his ass, before feeling a finger as thick as two of his press against his vulnerable opening.

With a sharp inhale, he felt his entrance give way to the insistent finger, allowing it to explore the area that had not seen a visitor in many a year.

He could feel the lion looking for something. A particular spot that, when found, made Felix cry out with pleasure. He could feel the finger press in on it again and again until he was nothing but a blithering mess on the linens.

"A-Andre!"

He cried, pushing himself against the lion's hand over and over again. Yet the lion did not seem to keep on giving him that pleasure. Until another finger joined the first.

He felt himself spread wider than he had ever felt before. Lost in a haze of discomfort at first, then pleasure when his body had allowed itself to become used to the intrusion.

The lion did not respond. Entranced with the fox in front of him, seeing how his body shuddered and shook with each stroke, with each insertion of his fingers.

Finally, when three could fit comfortably, he released the fox, turning him around so he could see the heaving of his chest, and the breathless nature of their shared affections.

"You are beautiful."

He whispered, rubbing his own cock with the lubricant, before placing his head against the fox's pucker.

How wonderful did it feel to have that warmth squeezing his member again. That tightness, that vulnerability that came from situations like this.

The lion thrust ever so slightly, letting his member slide further and further into the fox. Listening to the whimpers and groans of his fox.

Feeling the fox's claws rack against his arms as he held him down.

"Are you doing alright?"

He asked, once he was fully inside.

"Yesssss"

The fox hissed, pushing back against the hips of his lover.

He fucked his fox. There was no word more descriptive of what he was doing to the man beneath him. Each thrust brought them closer and closer to their peaks.

Yet the lion did not want this to end. This was too much for him to stop all at once. The pressure, the fact he had been hitting against his lover's prostate, grinding it into a fine powder until there was nothing more than the feeling of ecstasy.

Finally, Finally did the man reach his peak.

Immediately, warmth flared up in the fox, feeling the hot thick white cum filling him inside, it was all too much, and he himself came. A single stream hitting the underside of the lion's chin.

They both laughed at that, as the fox began to close his eyes.

"We're not done just yet."

The lion whispered.

Cats and their stamina, after all.

They did not end until the early signs of the morning.

Their happiness was plain to see on their faces from then on. The manor felt like the very heavens themselves had blessed the house.

Each and every day did Andre Blanchart find himself smiling more and more.

Felix was much the same. Never did his soft vulpine smile, leave his lips.

As they grew closer, so did the Servants notice the change in their master. No longer would he scold without provocation, no longer did he insist they clean every single day.

No, the house did indeed feel livelier. Fuller.

For how could it not? With the love of both the lion and the fox. Nights they would spend together, wrapped in each other, surrounded by all the joy and love they had managed to squeeze from this world.

No longer did the lion feel trapped.

No longer did the fox feel fear.

Not when they had each other by their sides.

But, all good things come to an end.

This end came in the form of a sudden fainting spell that took over the lion. Left him splayed on the ground in his study until one of his servants found him.

The doctor was called. Only then, was it revealed an illness had taken root deep in the lion, brought on by the winter colds, and the years of hard life he had before he had fallen in love with the fox.

This world was a cruel one.

For months, did Felix stand next to his love's bed. Tending to his every wish and whim. The days grew into weeks, and weeks slowly into months, but the lion would not recover.

He could see his love wilting like an improperly tended orcid.

The lion's eyes were no longer that beautiful blue that reminded Felix of the skies they shared during the summer months, no longer did his fur feel nice and soft. It had taken a greasy sheen, leaving the lion in a cold sweat whenever he did awaken from the terrible slumber that had taken him.

Andre knew his time was coming to an end.

For all he had ever seen, for all of the life he had lived, he could never truly say that he had been happy. His past lover had given him joy, but that was short lived.

For a moment, for a damn moment he had experienced what it was like to lose himself in love. To smile at the mere mention of his dear fox's name. To feel his love by his side, supporting him wherever he may go.

For all of the pain he had suffered, he could not help but smile.

All of the things he still had yet to say, all of the woes and fears that plagued him seem to hold no weight, as he lay on his deathbed. For how could he, when an angel had come to visit him.

In his hand, as withered as it had become, he held the world.

The fox watched as his lover, the brave, noble lion that had changed his life simply by asking him to come play violin for him, smiled.

"Monsieur Blanchet wishes to see me?...

_...I will see him soon." _

Felix made his way to the room once again. It was after dinner when one of the doctors that had been taking care of the lion had come to fetch him.

He had been sitting in the dining room, gathering food for Andre, when they found him. Andre had insisted he still eat in the dining room. To show the staff that they were still strong. Even if one of them was sick.

Yet every single one of them watched the fox with concern.

It was plain to see that the fox was suffering from the request, yet fulfilled it, he did. He could not bear to see Andre upset.

When he saw his lion lying on the bed, he nearly broke. The lion was thin. Too thin. His fur was matted and coarse and yet that same soft smile never left his muzzle.

"Hello, My dear fox."

Andre spoke with great difficulty, his voice rough and tattered from the strain.

"Hello, My lord."

The lion wrinkled his nose at that.

"After all of this, you still call me your lord."

The fox smiled at that, wiping away a tear that threatened to fall.

"I do not call you my lord because I believe I am your lesser, Andre."

He rubbed the lion's cheek, circling his thumb, scarcely able to believe how hollow it had grown.

"I call you this because there is no one I would place above you. You brought me into your home, made me enjoy my life, helped me see that there was a life beyond music, showed me the beauties of nature.

I hold you in the highest regard, because you are masterful in your kindness, in your love.

To call a man such as you anything less would be a grave insult, for this is a sign of my eternal love, respect, and gratitude."

The lion was stunned. He had never known Felix to be a poet, and yet those words came to him like the greatest of them.

He took the fox's hand, who squeezed it tightly in his turn.

"Then your lord, shall I remain, such as you are mine. Without you, I would have died a cold and bitter man, Felix. I am sorry for having to leave you so soon."

The fox began to weep at those words, unable to hide his emotion any longer.

Rivers of bitter regret and love lost swept down his cheeks, pooling below on the soft linens.

"These days were my happiest. You were my closest friend, and my cherished love. I am so fiercely proud to have you by my side, to call you my love. But I wish for you to make me a single promise. One that you will swear by until the day you join me again."

The lion said, placing all of his strength into the hand holding his fox's

"Anything, my love."

"Do not be afraid to love again. I do not wish you to live your life mourning me, as presumptuous as that sounds. I want you to fall in love, to be as happy as we once were. It would let me rest easy knowing that you still could have the smile you greeted me with again."

Felix did not want to promise it.

He did not know if he could ever feel this way again, but for the sake of his lion, he closed his eyes, pressing his forehead into his.

"I promise you, Andre. I will find love again."

Then, with a soft, heartfelt kiss that let Felix know the true depths of the lion's affection for him, he felt the lion's grip slowly loosen.

He felt the lion's chest stop rising.

The lion let go of his life, allowing himself one last glance at his fox.

Felix was alone again.

But it did not last forever.

Eventually, he did find love again, and spent many a happy year in his arms. But he never forgot about his lion.

Every winter, on the day he was first introduced to the man, he went to visit his grave.

He told Andre about the many woes and loves in his life. About the adventures he had after, but more than anything, he never stopped loving him.

And when Felix's time came, when the breath left his body, he saw his lion once more.