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Taro's Ring

Written by Leo_Todrius

Supported by my Patrons

Zeffir was a world that sparkled like the last embers of a fire refusing to go out. Steel blue sunsets gave way to periwinkle nights that were never entirely dark. Even the vast lava plains had faint ribbons of warmer flows and the pink auroras of magnetic spikes in the atmosphere. It was that desolate side of the planet that the Zeffiri colosseum, the Ring, usually floated over... but not tonight. The faint but persistent ambient growl of the engines drifted across the foothills as the massive floating mountain navigated its way eastward, approaching the populated side of the world.

Just ahead, a rainbow of lights glittered in the darkness, clinging to the steep cliffs and terraced rings of a very populated, very impoverished Community Thirteen. The roads were ancient, the structures almost as old. For a time, the community had descended into rampant crime and drug use, a hotbed for syndicate activity. Little by little, thanks in no small part to the tourism the Ring brought to the world, Community Thirteen had redefined itself. The buildings had been painted in a kaleidoscope of bright colors and augmented by some of the most beautiful murals and graffiti in the sector. Sheltered escalators and people movers had been constructed, allowing tourists and citizens alike to travel to all levels of the community and keep a vague semblance of direction in what would have otherwise been a labyrinth.

The well lit shells of the escalators were a bright mandarin orange, though the windows and skylights were stained glass in dozens of shades. Small spotlights shone up on the murals on the buildings across the city, many of them depicting great fighters from the Ring. A yellow and red building sported the sharp angled faces of Aphyr and Zalo while a mechanic's shop in cool periwinkle showed the mighty Pandor. The apothecary had been painted with Los Locos, the ferret twins chasing each other's gangly noodle bodies in an ouroboros of frenzy. Countless creatures, countless species, countless pieces of art and culture. It was all so vibrant and rich, it almost felt like enough to fill Taro's stomach and keep it from rumbling - almost.

The discordant gurgle sounded from the teenager's stomach. It'd been getting worse the last few weeks. At least when he'd been under the age of eighteen he'd gotten double rations, but now? Taro sat cross legged on the roof of one of the escalators with his back against the guard rail of one of the ancient staircases, seldom used these days. Curly dark brown hair framed a youthful driftwood toned face flecked with freckles. Optimistic, honey-hazel eyes were locked upward at the looming colosseum floating over the mountain range. The warm evening breeze ruffled the open red vest he wore emblazoned with the faded outline of golden leaves. The orange and pink street lights of Community Thirteen shone off Taro's boyish cheeks, contrasting with the faint wispy mustache he'd grown in his desperate bid to be more adult, more manly, to prove himself.

Taro's toes wiggled in anticipation. His feet were bare and calloused, scuffed and cut in places from rapid ascents through the community. The breath in his modest chest, however, had caught as his eyes watched a half dozen small islands drop out from the center of the floating mountain. They were heading towards various points in the community. The Ring was here to resupply, to exchange their great wealth for the food, water and other goods they needed to keep the great spectacle going. With any luck, Taro would be able to skim a bit off the whole enterprise, maybe get some food from himself. The teenager dropped onto his bare feet, a mischievous grin crossing his lips as he started his zig-zag trajectory towards the landing zones. It was time to work his street urchin magic.

****

While Community Thirteen had reshaped itself over the past few decades, it was still suggested to tourists to visit during the day rather than at night. While it was true that kept them safer, it also gave the citizens a time to be themselves. The warm glow of bakeries and breweries spilled into the street. Shops were opening up in anticipation of those from the Ring. There was music in the distance adding atmosphere. The grin on Taro's face was ear to ear as he jogged up the escalator steps, all but springing into the air as he reached the summit - and nearly collided with a group of men carrying large crates.

"Watch it, runt!" A jaguar growled, bearing his abnormally large fangs as his tail puffed up. Taro brushed his curly hair out of his face.

"Sorry!" He apologized after the beast, turning sideways as a donkey man and a possum boy passed by on either side of him with cargo of their own. Taro's vest ruffled over his smooth, skinny chest and stomach. Undaunted, Taro turned forward, grinning wide as he saw beings of all sorts moving in and out of his town. There were smiles on the shop keeper's faces as they collected precious coin, gaining equal satisfaction that their goods, their confections, their linens and tools and utensils would be used by the elite. Taro moved silently on bare feet, sliding into the corner between an axolotl man the color of liquid sunshine talking to the owner of the bait shop.

"May I carry anything for you sir?" Taro offered with his best charming smile, his honey-hazel eyes almost sparkling. The axolotl turned, deep black eyes glistening like the abyss. He sized Taro up before his long, broad mouth curved into a smirk.

"I've had tadpoles with more muscle on them." He replied, turning his attention back to the shopkeeper.

"Perhaps then I could act as guide, or bargainer for your esteemed eminence." Taro offered. The slight smile faded from the amphibian's mouth.

"I doubt that the savings you could offer would surpass the fee you would charge for such services." He replied, his gills changing from gold to orange in annoyance.

"Taro, you'll get out of the way if you know what's good for you." The shopkeeper hissed, swatting at him with her hand. Taro looped his hands behind his head, his bent arms almost like wings as he spun away from the two.

"But being in the way is where the action is. Maybe next time!" Taro said, carrying his nonchalance for half a block before he brought his arms back down. His eyes scanned the comings and goings of everyone. If the direct approach didn't work, maybe he needed to prove he was useful in other ways. He just had to find his opportunity. The confidence and optimism Taro always carried held up until the eighteen year old turned the next street corner and saw a frenzy of familiar faces carrying crate after crate.

Like Taro, many of the young humans of Community Thirteen had tawny, fawn colored skin. Most had curly hair, though a few had straight hair, most of it dark brown or black. There was an infinite diversity, of course, but these boys had been from his neighborhood, at least... at one time... While their baggy red pants seemed reminiscent of the vest Taro wore, each of these men sported a gold nose ring and thick, strong bovine horns in a variety of angles. Some were straight, some curved, some L shaped. Their chests rippled with muscle and their arms bulged. Their broad shoulders glistened with sweat as they exerted themselves.

Taro hadn't felt so young in quite a while. Once more he turned sideways as his former peers moved past him on either side, carrying their cargo towards the small floating islands that had landed nearby. Taro looked at the way they had gone, setting aside any envy or self doubt. He set his shoulders, adjusted his back and moved over to pick up one of the crates they had left behind. Taro's face tightened into a groan as he struggled, but he managed to lift the box up to chest height, adjusting his arms beneath it before he began waddling forward.

"You're not going to make off with my cargo, are you?" A voice asked slyly. Rather than acting surprised, Taro put on his best smile, turning with the crate squeezed tight to his chest to face the questioner.

"Not at all, sir, I am making myself useful. You have a fine team there, but it seems they were a bit short to get everything in one trip." Taro said. There was a glitter in the man's rose colored eyes as he stepped out of the shadows. Like the young men, he sported a thick gold nose ring that nearly took up his nostrils entirely. Two long, dangerous black horns emerged from his skull at right angles, going outward before rising up to sharp points like forged obsidian. His nose was flatter and fuller than most humans and long, teardrop shaped ears flicked on either side of his head. The beard that framed his jaw was so dense that it was impossible to see his rich tanned skin beneath it.

"So you thought you'd just help out? One of the team?" The half-bull man asked. He wore a black vest that allowed his immense muscled arms to be free in the evening air, his black pants even baggier than those worn by his boys. His boots were unusual but personally crafted, large and broad. A long tail twitched behind him, the end tipped in a tassel of fur. His long black hair was shaved short on the right side of his skull, falling nearly to his left shoulder. "What's in it for you, kid?" he asked. Taro only smiled brighter.

"The opportunity to show you that I can be one of the team, your best member in fact. Early to rise, late to sleep, ready at a moment's notice." Taro said eagerly despite the burn forming in his biceps and the friction heat at the tips of his fingers.

"Ready for what?" The bull asked softly. Taro only smiled bigger.

"For whatever you would ask of me, sir." Taro replied. The bull remained there, not giving an answer, watching. Taro's face didn't flinch, but the weight of the crate was taking its toll. The man let the moment linger longer and longer until Taro seemed to win whatever silent game of chicken they were playing.

"If you're going to help out, I can't have you breaking yourself or the merchandise. Set it down." he said, gesturing with two fingers where he wanted the case. Even his fingernails were painted black like his outfit. Taro lowered the crate to the appointed spot and straightened himself up, wondering if he was going to be assigned something smaller or easier to manage. Instead, the man reached into his vest pocket and pulled out a thick golden ring on a chain. He stepped forward, bringing it over Taro's head. The ring slipped down the imperceptible crevice between Taro's pectorals, brushing against his sternum.

"Sir, this is too precious for a street urchin like me." Taro said, reaching down to touch the ring. The bull man let out a particularly strong snort from his thick nose.

"You are an urchin no longer, boy. You're part of Inaki's herd." the man said. Taro looked up with more pleasant confusion than doubt.

"Are you Inaki, sir?" he asked. The bull puffed out his chest, drawing the sides of his vests back to reveal meaty pectorals, each one weighed down with heavy rings.

"I am. And what of you, boy? What is the name of our newest calf?" Inaki questioned.

"I am Taro of the red cliffs." Taro declared. Inaki's ear twitched before he shook his head.

"No, you are Taro Inaki, servant of House Minos." Inaki commented, looking up, "And here come your brothers." he added. Taro glanced over his shoulder to see the other boys returning. They were joking and chatting with one another, bumping elbows and grinning, though several of them looked up to see Inaki. When their eyes settled on the ring hanging on his chest, they began to woop and cheer. Several came over, closing in around Taro. They clapped him on his shoulders, his arms, one hand even sliding up and down his stomach with an odd affection. Taro loved the sudden attention and warmth even if their horns came a bit close to poking him a time or two.

In what would have been likened to a feeding frenzy, the other bull boys came and went, dispersing to grab the next set of crates. When they had actually gone, Taro looked around to realize he had been left with the original crate he'd been struggling with. Taro looked down at it, then up at Inaki. Once more he squared his shoulders, set his arms, crouched down and came back up with the crate... except that he came back up more easily. He could feel a pressure on the muscles in his arm, but no burn. In fact, he felt oddly great. The ever present grin on his lips became brighter.

"You alright there, boy?" Inaki asked with a knowing curiosity.

"Of course, sir! The pride of serving the house Minos fills me with strength and vitality! I won't let you down, sir." Taro said before he turned and followed after the others, his bare feet finding easy purchase on the cobblestone streets. Inaki watched Taro go, reaching up to brush and rub at the thick ring hanging from his nipple before he gave it a tug. A hot snort blasted through his nostrils, his rose pink eyes closing as he indulged in the fantasy and reality of what was about to come. Opening his eyes once more, Inaki reached over to grab a bottle of wine that he'd been nursing as his boys worked. With the last of the cargo obtained, he followed leisurely after them, tipping the bottle back to guzzle down the sweet, tart nectar of the gods. His easy stride was punctuated by the swish of his bovine tail as it swung back and forth behind him.

****

Cargo nets were cast over the crates to keep them from shifting, though there didn't seem to be much care in anchoring them down. The antigrav technology used by the Ring was timeless and reliable. Taro looked around at the other young men, six of them in all. He gasped slightly as the island shifted and began to ascend. His honey-hazel eyes widened in shock.

"What about Inaki?" he asked. One of the other young men chuckled, clapping a hand onto Taro's shoulder.

"He, my friend, is riding back with the elites." he smirked. As the island rose, the rising dawn light caught the other young man's black hair, bringing out burgundy red highlights that Taro hadn't seen before. The young man was two or three years older than Taro, his bull horns a rich white coloration that complimented his olive tinted skin. His eyes were the color of fresh almonds and there was a faint mustache on his upper lips that complimented the tuft of hair hanging down from the point of his chin. He was shirtless, like the others, but his baggy pants had extra gold trim on them.

"Are you the leader here?" Taro asked. The other boy grinned, resting the tip of his tongue on his lips.

"As much as there is a leader, I guess." he commented, "But you shouldn't be missing the view." he replied, gesturing. Taro turned, his eyes sweeping across the whole of Community Thirteen. The sun had kissed the rim of the foothills first, illuminating the upper levels where the elders lived. Little by little, it spilled down from one layer to the next like an over-full bird bath. The lights that made the city glitter at night gave way to being embraced by the sun for the day. Roosters called out in the distance along with the yip of wild foxes. Even from above, Community Thirteen looked to be made of all the colors nature had to offer... but it also looked overcrowded, maybe a little older from above than Taro had realized from the streets.

Taro hadn't realized it at first, but he was starting to feel the engine of the Ring. He looked up, his jaw dropping slowly. It truly was a floating mountain, but more than anything it was hollow. The rock was a massive ring, the center carved out by ancient forces. Taro's island ascended with others, rising up through the center. The sunlight could not make it into the Ring, but there were several lighting columns that ran for dozens of stories, casting the same color temperature and brightness of daybreak.

Taro saw some of the islands ascend higher, drifting to dock along platforms that had gilded guard rails. Theirs, however, slowed and drifted toward the base of one of the lighting columns where the light did not quite reach. Some might have been discouraged by their apparent low status, but Taro was grinning ear to ear, his eyes sparkling with their own light. It didn't matter what the status of House Minos was. He'd achieved his goal of getting off the streets, getting a place where he could get a good meal. If he applied himself, if he was dedicated, House Minos would rise and become champions of the Ring. There was no doubt once Taro had made up his mind.

****

Small waves of muddy water raced across the floorboards, coaxed by the push and pull of stiff bristle brooms. The underlevels of the Ring were far from luxurious, but what they lacked in comfort was made up for by space. The splatter of a fresh bucket of water came from the back of the room and a new tide was swept out to the edges. Most of what Taro had come to know as Inaki's 'bull headed boys' looked nonplussed at the chore, eyes half lidded and only half committed to the work. Taro, however, was all in.

The new recruit leaned forward into the broom, pushing it from one end to the other, scraping up the grime and sending the waves of water cascading harmlessly out of one of the half oval cutouts that acted as windows at the far side of the great room. He doubled back, twirling the broom in a mock-martial art move, though the act sent an errant spray of muddy water up the chest and neck of Inaki's Majordomo, Bastien. The other boys froze at the perceived insult, including Bastien.

"I'm so sorry, let me get that for you!" Taro said, moving over. He used his red vest to sop up the spray, realizing he was face to nipple with the incredibly tall, incredibly muscled young man. When he had finished wiping it up, Taro inclined his head, his customary smile crossing from cheek to cheek. Bastien was in his mid twenties, his black hair pulled into a long and loose ponytail. A bleached streak of orange running from one temple over the curve of his head and down the length of the tail. Bastien looked at Taro for a long moment, a slight smile crossing his lips, the thick nose ring dangling from his septum. He reached out, sliding his finger through the ring hanging on a chain from Taro's neck.

"How does it feel?" Bastien asked. The other boys resisted the urge to fall over one another, suspecting that this was some sort of opening gambit in a verbal joust. Taro merely grinned earnestly.

"It feels great, actually..." Taro admitted, a little of his Community Thirteen accent tinging his words, "Just a day ago I was starving, tired all the time, not sure what I was going to do with my life... But now I've got things to do, brothers to do them with, and I feel strong and mighty." Taro said confidently. Bastien's grin grew a little at that.

"Before you go calling us brothers, you should know that we do things that most brothers would never dream of doing." Bastien said cautiously, "We work hard, we play hard... and we play together."

"I know." Taro smiled, "We're all on the same team... We're wrestlers, right?" he asked Bastien. Half the other boys seemed to groan and grimace. Bastien's eyebrow merely arched, one of his teardrop shaped bovine ears twitching.

"We sleep together... We're gay..." Bastien said. Taro leaned his head back at that.

"Ohhhh..." he murmured before grinning, "I knew that already too. It's part of why I agreed to come. They talk about that in the sportscasts all the time. Well, not the real good ones, more the tabloid ones. I mean, when you said we're brothers... Los Locos, right?" Taro asked, elbowing one of the other bull boys. They burst into laughter at the comparison.

"Those ferret fuckers don't hold a candle to us. We're going to be the strongest, best house this year." Bastien said with his booming voice.

"Hell yes we are!" Taro agreed. The other boys cheered with excitement at the mounting pep. Bastien grinned a bit despite himself, looking down at Taro. He had an unexpected energy, but a welcome one... though one thing was missing.

"So the big question is, if you're already set to work hard and play hard, why haven't you put your ring on?" Bastien asked, letting go of the piece of metal he'd been holding. It swung down and hit Taro in the middle of his chest, bouncing off his sternum. Taro reached down to pick it up, running his finger over the metal.

"You mean this is a nose ring? Is that why you're all so big and strong?" Taro asked.

"It's not the only reason!" One of the others said defensively. Bastien shook his head, casting the concerns away. He returned his focus to Taro, his eyes a deep rich caramel brown.

"You ready to become one of us? A bull headed boy?" Bastien asked. Taro handed the broom to one of the others, his lips firm but still smiling, his honey-hazel eyes burning with determination.

"I'm ready." He said steadfastly.

"Kneel before your brothers." Bastien said. This time it was Taro's eyebrow that arched.

"If I kneel, you're going to have to do a lot more than just offer me a ring." he replied, his voice almost sultry despite his innocence. Bastien made a soft sound with the back of his throat at that. His large fingers seized the ring from the necklace around Taro's neck, sliding down the chain until he grasped the ring. He gave it a knowing tug, allowing the seemingly seamless ring to come off the chain. Taro's eyes widened a little in wonderment at that given the fact that he'd examined it quite thoroughly on the ride up.

Bastien lifted the ring up slowly, holding it before Taro's full lips for a moment. Eyeing it carefully, he brought the circlet up until the metal touched the flesh of Taro's septum. The metal grew hot at once, then almost scalding. Bastien lifted it just a little more until the metal passed through Taro's skin without damaging it. Holding it in place, Taro's eyes began to water as the searing sensation grew more intense. His fingers clenched into fists, tears collecting at the edge of his eyes. Even the toes of his bare feet were scraping against the freshly washed floorboards, but he held his ground until, at last, the pain faded.

Hoots and hollers broke out among the other boys as they came in all around him, surrounding him with strong arms and warm bodies. Taro blushed as they kissed his cheek and ears, even his forehead. It was Bastien, however, that used his finger to tip Taro's head upright as he leaned down to kiss him. Taro's lips parted as a very long, very flat tongue plunged into his mouth with the speed and ease of a skydiver. Taro returned the kiss, finding it slightly challenging as he was grinning a bit again, but it was very nice. He even winked at one of the other boys when they groped his ass cheek. It seemed that playing hard was certainly at the top of their particular to-do list.

****

Taro was salivating before the first bamboo lid had been lifted off, revealing freshly steamed dumplings plump with rich meat and vegetable pastes. He opened his mouth wide, popping one in despite the dough nearly burning his fingers. He chewed on it with gusto, making all sorts of eager noises. The other boys had started to dig in as well, filling their plates with pasta, baked squash, salad and exotic alien fish. One of the boys moved around the table, setting down big glass bottles of milk. It sloshed a bit as the bottle was set before Taro. He grinned, his newly cast nose ring dangling a bit as he picked up the bottle, bringing the neck to his lips. Bastien opened his mouth to say something but Taro was already tipping it back, taking a big gulp... then another... and another... and another. The ever present confidence on his face melted into something else, something more dreamlike. His adam's apple bobbed as he guzzled down the cool, rich, sweet nectar. The other boys grew quiet and murmured, watching as Taro's red vest slowly pulled apart.

There were whispers and murmurs as Taro's flat chest began to round. Muscles he'd only started to encourage were force-fed fertilizer that helped them bloom and blossom. His smooth stomach dimpled before mounds started to rise and show themselves. His sun tanned arms began to stretch and swell, rounding with ease. Bastien leaned back a little, his knowing eyes watching as soft dark hairs sprouted along Taro's legs. They had intended to enjoy the slow and steady progress of their brother joining the herd, but as Taro finished the bottle of milk and set it down, he let out a sigh of satisfaction, only then realizing there was hair on his arms in a way there hadn't been before.

"Woah, being here really does make a man out of you..." Taro murmured.

"It's more than that, Taro. You're becoming one of us." Bastien said. Taro licked his lips a bit, looking around at the others before grinning wide.

"Does that mean I can have more milk" he asked.

"Why not get it from the source, then?" A voice came from the doorway. By the time Taro had turned his head to see who was talking, the others had scrambled up to their feet, including Bastien. Taro was a bit delayed but stood up as well, regarding Inaki. The man strode into the room, his long cow tail whipping behind him. His already broad nose was flatter, fuller and darker. There were patches of fur on his nose and cheeks and his neck was hairier than it had been before. Inaki rounded the table, looking around at the great room. It looked so different now. The floorboards were a light, warm yellow wood. The long dormant wall panels were now backlit with white cream colored lights that cast through ornamental cutouts in the metal framework. A long dining table and chairs had been brought in and there were other furnishings.

"The kitchen?" Taro asked after a moment. Once more several of his brothers groaned and winced. Inaki, however, just chuckled. He reached down to the table and grabbed Bastien's bottle of milk, offering it to Taro.

"I want you to grow big and strong, my boy... Become the bull you were meant to." Inaki said. Taro smiled at that, taking the bottle, tipping it back. He gulped at it easily, and each gulp fed the growing fire inside of him. Taro had no sense of what he was getting himself into as his muscles swelled or his bones started to stretch. Between the influence of the ring and everything inside of the milk, he was stacking on inches in every direction. The red vest he'd held on to despite his new job was rising higher as his stomach elongated, the small of his back now kissed by the evening breeze coming in through the window cut outs.

Several of the bull bros reached to adjust their packages, a few openly groping themselves through the fabric of their very baggy pants. Bastien was torn, watching Inaki take charge in the change of their newest recruit, feeling both turned on and a bit side stepped. When Santi handed Inaki another bottle of milk and Taro greedily took it, Bastien let his gaze drop. Taro was practically glowing, his skin extra radiant as it stretched over his enlarging frame. His toes popped as they stretched, his thighs and calves thickening. The faint wispy mustache that Taro had grown to look older grew a bit thicker, complimenting the new hairs growing from the point of his chin. Even the backs of his ears were gaining a velvety coating of fuzz.

Taro gasped for breath as he finished his fourth bottle of milk. He looked around, his honey-hazel eyes a little confused, his grin present. His face still had the same boyish good looks, but his head was suspended over broader shoulders, full pecs, a washboard set of abs and shorts that were entirely too short now. They had ridden down, revealing the pyramid of curly brown hair in the front and a good half of his ass cheeks in the back. Even without a new supply of milk, the cheeks had parted enough that a small nub of a tail had peeled itself away from his pelvis, flicking as it grew in longer and longer.

"Well... Have at it boys, you need your dinner to grow big and strong. We have another big day ahead of us." Inaki said, clapping Taro on the very large shoulder, giving it a rub and a squeeze. He gave Bastien one more look before he sauntered out of the room. The hallway was quiet that time of evening, but Bastien could hear footsteps becoming hoofsteps as Inaki headed back to his quarters. Taro had reached for another one of the dumplings but he paused, arm halfway to the bowl. At first Bastien thought he was just seeing how hairy or muscled his arm had gotten, but when Taro's eyes squeezed shut, he knew what it had to be.

Taro let out a grunt of pain, grabbing at his head. When his hands hit his temples, however, he yanked them back as if touching hot metal. There were two lumps forming on his temples. The skin grew puffy and irritated, veins of red lancing outward. Several of the other boys tried to move in to help, but Taro's skin was hot to the touch. He panted, groaned, then nearly screamed. The tensing of the muscles in his face only made the skin grow tighter until, at last, the pressure suddenly dropped. A tiny white nub emerged from the tortured flesh. As the horn nub emerged, the skin retreated. Inch after inch curved free, the small boney crescents curving upward to give Taro calf-like horns.

Even with Taro's typical confidence and bravado, his smile faltered a bit as he realized what a scene he had just made. He panted a bit, his smile becoming a little more real, the nose ring still dangling from his septum.

"Not exactly the dinner entertainment you might have expected, huh?" Taro asked, trying to make light. Bastien shook his head.

"Actually, you did better than most of us." Bastien said, sitting back down at the table. The other boys did likewise.

"I collapsed into a heap..." Santi admitted, brushing his white hair back out of his face, his green eyes bashful. "They had to feed me popsicles while my tail came in."

"We had really good popsicles that year..." Bastien murmured. Taro grinned at that, sitting down, wincing a bit as he felt his tail wiggling behind him. Still, he smiled more fully as everyone got back into the groove of eating. Taro's newly enlarged stomach grumbled and growled, clearly ready to replace the calories he'd burned in his metamorphosis.

****

Some might have considered it a blessing to be as far from the Ring's engines as they were, but as the other bull headed boys slumbered, Taro lay on the bottom bunk and listened to the silence. A small sliver of moonlight traced across his cheek. He couldn't hear the engines keeping the floating mountain aloft, but he also couldn't hear the street noise of Community Thirteen. There were no motorcycles, no street peddlers, no late night pedestrians stumbling their way home. There wasn't any sound at all other than the sound of six other young men breathing gently in sleep. At least, that was the only sound until Taro's stomach gurgled again. His face scrunched up a bit, his hand drifting down to find his muscled stomach. It felt so alien, so unusual and so empty.

With great care, Taro slipped his large, long, well arched bare feet out of bed. He slunk out of the bunk and slowly rose to his full height. Glancing around to make sure he hadn't woken anyone, he padded his way out of the bunk room and down the hall. He peeked into the great room but the table had been cleared of their dinner. He headed down further, finding a training dojo, a washroom for linens, and then ultimately a pantry. While they were well stocked for raw ingredients, he wasn't particularly fond of the idea of eating uncooked rice or flour.

Moving further down the complex, Taro tilted his head when he heard some scraping. If a mouse had gotten into the food stores, he might have to defend his future meals... He reached out and slid a partition open, his eyes widening a little. The space beyond was not a kitchen but another practice area. Moonlight spilled through the largest windows of the space. The floor had once been painted with intricate red and gold patterns, a gold ring with black geometric designs drawing the focus. In the midst of that ring was a very tall, very muscled, very distinctly furry minotaur...

A gold ring hung from a full bestial nose. Inky black eyes were focused outward. Teardrop shaped ears twitched and the long, black horns glistened. The crest of hair that ran from the shag on the minotaur's head tapered into a trail of hair that nearly reached all the way down the fighter's more human spine, but the long whip-like tail flicked from above two very full, very round globe-like ass cheeks. Hairy legs led down to hooves that had been the source of the scraping noises as they moved around the floor. The figure bobbed and swerved as if fighting an imaginary ghost. As he came around, though, Taro was presented with the impressively thick, impressively long meat that bobbed and wobbled between the man's legs. It was so thick it was practically a third arm. Furry balls swung beneath it as he moved - at least, until he noticed Taro.

"Up for a midnight snack?" Inaki's voice came from the minotaur's bull head. Taro was momentarily surprised, though he caught up rather quickly.

"I was seeing if there was any milk left, actually." Taro said. The minotaur reached up, rubbing at one of his horns.

"Fresh out, actually... But it wasn't the milk you were responding to, not exactly." Inaki said. He moved over and grabbed a red towel from a rack on the wall, dabbing at his chest a bit, "There's an enzyme in it that promotes the growth. There are a lot of ways to trigger the change here in the Ring. Technology can do it, that's how it works in matches, and your nose ring... But before that, they used the enzyme. Most of the fighters have it in their systems." Inaki said. Taro's eyes grew wide.

"You make milk?" he asked excitedly. Inaki's thick bovine lips pursed.

"I'm a bull, not a cow. You don't milk a bull-" Inaki trailed off, "Well, I suppose in this instance..." he murmured, striding over towards Taro, "How bad do you want to be a fighter?" he asked. Taro's smile blossomed to full brightness.

"I want it with all my being. Anything that helps house Minos rise to the top." he swore. Inaki nodded at that.

"You've come a long way in a short time, my calf." Inaki said, reaching up to turn Taro's head one way and then the other with a thumb on his chin, "So big and strong and handsome. Have you settled in with the boys yet?" he asked. Taro shook his head a little.

"They're all asleep." he murmured. Inaki gave a weak chuckle.

"I meant, have you settled IN with them yet?" Inaki asked.

"No sir. Not yet." Taro replied.

"I heard what they said... You know that we're very close as a house. You said that was one of the reasons you joined?" he questioned. Taro nodded.

"It's no secret that almost all of the athletes in the Ring are queer." Taro said, "Down in Community Thirteen, not so much. Everyone goes about their lives, doing the same old same old... They meet someone, fall in love, start a family, get a job to support that family and work so hard they never see them... Or they don't get a job and then they get resented for it. I wanted something else, something better. Why not make love and money at the same time?"Taro asked. Inaki chuckled at that, nodding sagely.

"You have things a lot more figured out than anyone would give you credit for." Inaki said.

"I know what I want." Taro replied. Inaki moved a bit closer.

"And you want more of the enzyme?" Inaki asked. Taro nodded.

"Yes sir." he said earnestly.

"No matter where it comes from?" Inaki questioned. Taro shook his head.

"Anywhere is fine by me." Taro replied.

"Anywhere?" Inaki asked, reaching down to give his massive, fat, thick cock a few strokes before hoisting it upright. While it retained a largely human shape overall, it was long and leathery, standing a good twenty two inches. As Inaki started to stroke it, it swelled longer and fatter already. As the loose skin pulled back to reveal more of the head, Taro was struck by the faint zing in the aroma. It was the smell that had been an afterthought in the milk, something Taro only realized in retrospect.

The mere smell made Taro's stomach growl and his horns ache. His mouth watered and his cock throbbed. His breathing grew labored until, without warning, Taro lunged forward. He grabbed Inaki's shaft with both hands, squeezing and kneading and massaging as his mouth came down around the tip.

Inaki let out a soft growl of satisfaction, tangling his fingers in Taro's curly hair. He held the boy to him, loving the way his little horns glinted in the light. Inaki shivered and moaned, though, as it turned out Taro knew full well how to use his tongue. The boy had a talented mouth, one well used to eating and quite possibly fucking. Taro went at it full bore, stretching his lips wider and wider, straining his cheeks until he began pushing down around the cock that he held on to so firmly. Taro murmured, working his tongue all the way around the edge of Inaki's head, then teased the foreskin and the underside before diving back for the slit, pushing into it and spooning out dollops of pre.

Inaki slowly turned, resuming some of the movement he'd been doing during practice. Taro followed after, never taking his mouth off that dick. He managed to use his lips and tongue at the same time as his lungs, taking in some deep breaths before he slid down further.

Inaki grunted at that, shocked by the strange mix of innocence and confidence this Taro exuded. He had been tainted by just a bit of milk, but now Inaki was going to give him the real stuff. Inaki reached up to twist and tug the rings hanging from his nipples, tugging them quite hard before his cock began to unleash his thick seed like a fountain. It splashed across Taro's tongue, collecting for only a moment before he began to gulp at the salty seed. Taro moaned, the vibrations traveling up Inaki's cock. Taro dove deeper, leaning forward, taking in inch after inch until that heavy cream was glowing right down his throat.

Taro's face was lost in rapture, but as he guzzled down the orgasmic treat, his horns began to grow again. The curve up at the ends stayed the same, but new bone mass was extruding itself out from his temples. Centimeter by centimeter, inch by inch, the horns continued to grow. So, too, did Taro. His vest was almost comically small as his vertebrae expanded,protecting his lengthening spinal cord inside. His ribs pushed apart, his forearms and legs expanded, but most of all had to be... his dick.

Taro's shorts had been so painfully small to begin with and, despite the offer of baggy pants, he'd resisted. Now, though, the growth was just too much. The button popped off, rolling across the floor. His fly splayed open, the zipper whizzed its rapid release and a long, thick hunk of veiny man meat sprung free. It took only a moment in the cool evening air for it to stiffen from a bouncing stick to a rock hard towering spike. He continued to drink from Inaki, both hands on his master's dick, stroking the mentor furiously as he forced the absurdly thick cock as deep into his throat as it would go.

Inaki snorted, blasting hot breaths through his pierced nose. He reached down to a pouch on his hip, sliding thick fingers inside. He fumbled around before he extracted another gold ring. Sliding it out, he pressed the metal over Taro's right ear. There was a burn, a tingle, a zap and then a pinch. Taro came off of Inaki's cock to gasp in shock, looking down. There was a moment where nothing happened before, suddenly, his pecs started to balloon outward. They puffed up, filling with more meat and muscle. A drop of drool fell from Taro's lips. Seizing the opportunity, Inaki pierced his other ear with a new ring.

Taro stumbled backward, his eyes turning glassy and black as the darkness spread across them. As his right foot came back, his toes were stiff and rigid. Webs of skin grew between them, pulling them tight together. As his left foot came back, his toenails softened and reshaped, spreading out over the newly merged toes. Fur sprouted from his chest, his ankles, and across his ass cheeks. The small tail that he'd been growing for the last few hours began to descend rapidly, creeping down between his cheeks. More and more horn came out of his skull, but Taro grabbed onto his cock with both hands, starting to jack himself off furiously. With each stroke of his growing cock, his balls fought to keep up, throbbing hotly and churning with new seed.

Lost in the moment, Taro's cock surged and stretched outward, packing on inch after inch. It bloated fatter and thicker as well. The young man snorted through his nostrils, feeling his nose grow clammy and cool. The flesh darkened from cocoa to dark brown and then black. Patches of fur spread across his nose as it blunted and flattened. The nostrils became thicker and more pronounced. His boyish good looks shifted as his brow bone pushed forward, then his jaw popped and snapped. His curly mane of hair remained, but his ears stretched outward, growing thinner and less convoluted until they curved into teardrop shapes, his new earrings dangling gently from them.

Not wanting to be left out, Inaki grabbed Taro and spun him around. With one hand on his left hip and the other on his right horn, Inaki came up behind his newest recruit. His cock head found easy purchase rubbing against the rubbery hole of his virgin ass. With just a bit of coaxing and a little residual semen, he managed to pop in, forcing a mix between a groan and a gasp from Taro's lips. As Inaki came up behind Taro, the hand on his hip rose up to tug on his pert left nipple. Taro let out what would have been a call of pleasure, but instead it sounded like a moo. His face distended and elongated. His jaw popped and stretched, his teeth blunting and flattening.

Inaki grunted and started to thrust forward and back, willing himself to cum more and more. The hot, thick rush of semen lubricated Taro's ass, allowing him to be claimed that much easier. As Taro's head continued to mutate, taking on more bovine features, his body continued to swell and grow in other places. His arms were soon as thick as his waist had been on recruitment day. Each leg was the size of a tree trunk. He would have towered over his diminutive human self. Both of Taro's hands worked his cock as it pushed past twelve inches, then sixteen, then twenty. It wasn't as fat as Inaki's, but it was rather impressive all the same. His nipples were erect and fat, his horns now a good seven inches wide on either side. In more ways than one, Inaki's load was filling him out. His firm belly slowly distended as his master flooded his insides with cum. His face continued to shed its humanity until it was as much a minotaur's head as Inaki's.

"This is how fighters are made... This is how our house will rise. Your blood is strong, Taro, and you'll share that heat with your brothers." Inaki intoned. The light shifted in the room as the gold ring painted on the floor began to glow a bluish-white, shimmering with the same power as those in the floating islands that drifted inside the Ring. The power suffused Taro even as he felt countless inches of bull cock rising and falling in his guts. He rode that pillar like a champ, his muscled furry ass filling out, his long tassel tipped tail whipping behind him. Hot, heavy snorts came from bovine nostrils and the heavy ring dangled there.

Energy crackled and glowed through Taro as the field stabilized his form. His skull ached and throbbed, settling into its final muzzle shape. His teeth were blunt and flat, his ears long and tapered. The fur blended into skin at the base of his neck, though a strip ran down his spine to his tail where the fur erupted across his hips, balls and legs. His hooves were wide and proud. His chest and stomach were nearly as long as his entire upper section had been as a human. Now they were fit and strong with boundless muscles. Taro snorted, throwing his head back, feeling it sway more than he anticipated with the weight of his horns.

Inaki shuddered, hands raking down Taro's flanks. He'd taken this young man in and reshaped him in his own image. He'd grown so big, so strong, so beefy. Inaki shuddered, letting out a baleful moo from his lips as his shaft let out one more torrent of hot seed deep inside of his recruit, cementing his new destiny. The two were basked in both moonlight and ring light, minotaurs of the house Minos. Taro licked his nose with a long, flat tongue, feeling both fulfilled and yet not entirely sated. He reached down with one hand, curling thick fingers and his wide palm around his shaft. He squeezed himself and started to stroke vigorously, imagining that he was pounding into the ass of the other boys, filling them with his bull seed. It took only seconds until Taro was mooing as well, unleashing his cum messily across the floor of the room. Inaki grinned proudly, sure he had made the right decision.

****

The air smelled like sweet summer. Long sunkissed gasses swayed, almost knee height aside from where the old stone trail meandered. There were wildflowers, even small insects going about their day. It looked like the edge of a rustic field in a warm countryside... but it was all mounted atop a floating island suspended high above the Ring's main amphitheater seating. Bastien stood, the breeze rippling through his dark hair, his hooves set against dirt and stone. A loin cloth did little to hide his prodigious manhood. Bastien's eyes were set on his opponent, on Taro, on the street urchin that had usurped his place as Inaki's right hand bull.

Taro was an imposing figure, standing at nearly eight feet tall, rippling with muscle and fur. His bull head held the power and prestige of an animal, but there was a keen intellect in those dark eyes, and the curve of the lips indicated a smile that harkened back to Taro's infinite optimism. Even his nose ring seemed bigger, heavier, hanging from those thick black nostrils. Even his bicep was freshly inked with a tattoo of zig zagging lines like those in Inaki's ring in his training room.

"You do realize, when I win you're going to shift back closer to human..." Bastien commented. Taro's grin only grew.

"And you realize that when I win, you're going to know the pleasure it is to be one of my bulls..." Taro said, running his fingers down his perfect abdomen, letting the tips linger in the thick copse of hair just above where his loincloth began. The two stood there for a long moment, human instincts stirring with those of two male bulls in a field. The heat of Bastien's jealousy broke from a simmer to a boil before his hooves dug in and he charged. Taro lowered his head, bracing his wide set shoulders. Despite their difference in size, Bastien hit with enough force that Taro slid backwards, his hooves making furroughs in the dirt.

Hands and arms grappled at one another, hot breaths snorting. There was a click as their horns intersected. Bastien pressed against Taro but one might as well have been pushing against a brick wall. The half human felt his hooves starting to scrape counter clockwise as Taro moved him into position. Bastien tried to keep the look of concentration on his face, but that was what he'd been waiting for. As Taro tried to line him up, Bastien suddenly released his resistance and slipped to the side.

Taro stumbled forward from his own inertia and momentum. Bastien grinned and dove to come after him, pushing him towards the boundary. His eyes went wide as a large and powerful hand grabbed him by the wrist. Acting as a counter weight, Taro swung himself wider and, by extension, Bastien as well. While it would have been more dignified to let out a moo or a grunt, Bastien yelped as he was yanked off his feet and went sailing through the air. As he hit the long grasses, he rolled side over side, feeling his bovine tail whipping at his ribs. He skidded to a stop, panting for breath.

His chest rose and fell, dust still rising into the air along his path of destruction. His arms burned a bit from the friction, though one was burning more than the other - no, not burning, tingling... Bastien opened one eye to see a faint blue glow coming through the dirt beneath his left arm, watching his bicep and tricep starting to bulge as soft fur bristled from the skin. His elbow grew fuzzy as well, a long tuft stretching outward. There was a pop and then a strange sensation of something scraping inside of Bastien's left leg as it began to grow. His hoof shuddered and clicked as it expanded wider and taller.

A stern look of frustration crossed his face, especially as Bastien knew that the transformation would imbalance him. Weighing his options, the dark haired young man rolled onto his stomach and stuck his right leg over the edge of the barrier as well. His other knee popped and his hoof clicked as it grew. His calves ballooned up, the fur on them growing thicker by the second. When they had equalized, he pushed off back into the ring before rising back up and dusting himself off. It didn't take him long to find Taro's grinning face.

"See, I knew you'd look handsome as a full minotaur like me." Taro said.

"That was never in doubt... But it was supposed to be me as team captain." Bastien said. Taro only grinned wider, an odd expression for the minotaur.

"You can still be team captain, I'll just be your captain." Taro said.

"That's not how it works..." Bastien murmured, snorting again with frustration before he charged. This time he bent down low, looking like he was trying to take Taro out at the legs. When he got in close, however, he bore upwards, pushing off to tackle his upper torso. The two stumbled and spun before landing in a heap. Bastian moved to pin Taro, grabbing at his shoulders, straddling his hips, his legs aligned with the minotaur's longer ones. Both young men knew that if Taro was immobilized long enough, the ring would start to shrink and whoever was on top would eventually win.

There was a scrabble for power, elbows and arms moving. Taro had to admit, he was impressed with Bastien's knowledge of pressure points. He had grown strong under Inaki, but Bastien was dense in bone and muscle, enough to keep him down... at least most of him. Taro continued to grin as he wriggled his hips. With a bit of pressure and friction, his loincloth slipped to the side, revealing his long, thick, meaty member. It slipped up along Bastien's own groin, pressing against his navel, his sternum, then between his two thick pectorals.

Bastien shifted a little. It felt good to have a huge, hard, hot cock right there... It was almost as if it was his own, bigger than it ever had been before. Taro began to grind gently, undulating his hips, gyrating them to press every one of his inches against the muscles of Bastien's sublime form. Bastien's own cock responded by swelling and hardening as it grew more erect, gliding along Taro's. Taro parted his lips and leaned up, using his long, flat tongue to languidly lick Bastien's neck. The smaller combatant's eyes fluttered shut at that.

Taro craned his head upwards, licking at Bastien's cheek, then his long cow ear, slurping at it as he humped and ground against him. Bastien's heart fluttered before he started to hump back against his captive. The two panted and frotted, dick against dick, chest against chest. Taro traced his meandering tongue to the mouth of his opponent, opening wide. Bastien's mouth was invaded by a wriggling bull tongue, his own balls bouncing against far larger, furrier balls beneath him. He humped at Taro frantically, accepting the kissing with a desparte hunger.

There was a faint shudder in the island before a hollow ring of blue energy rose out of the ground, rising upwards as the diameter of the field began to shrink. Despite their pleasure, despite their play, Bastien still was in the position of power... at least as far as the game rules went. His eyes were shut as he sucked and slurped on Taro's tongue, feeling their cocks burning with the heat of twin suns. Taro felt so good, tasted so good, smelled so good. He had a summer musk that was intoxicating. He was sublime, perfection. Bastien just had to know what it felt like. His right hand drifted from Taro's shoulder down towards his pierced nipple, fingers brushing the ring.

The reversal came so fast that Bastien felt the wind knocked out of him. Releasing Taro's shoulder had given the minotaur enough leverage to swing his arm upright, dislodging Bastien and rolling atop him. The towering pile of muscle and mass came down upon him, pinning him by his arms, his legs, and his groin. Bastien's back arched as he felt Taro's cock sliding up and down between his pectorals, coming closer and closer to his mouth. He struggled in vain to get up, to break free, but it was for naught.

Moments passed in silence, the blue ring frozen during the reversal, but it slowly started to advance again. Bastien weighed his options, running through every combat technique he'd ever been taught. Still, it had been Taro that had educated him to the newest technique. Bastien leaned his head upward, straining as far as he could until he stretched out his tongue and began to lick at the head of Taro's huge bull meat. Taro let out a dulcet moan of pleasure at that, inching his hips upward to give Bastien all he wanted.

The thick, round head popped into Bastien's mouth as he began to slather his rival's manhood with everything he had. It didn't take Taro long to start thrusting in and out of that mouth, still grinding his perfect body against Bastien's own manhood. Bastien used his tongue on the top, the bottom, the sides and then all around. He savored the salty, musky goodness Taro had to offer and... and then kept suckling from it, practically making out with it. It was the best cock he'd ever tasted and he'd been quite practiced...

Taro let Bastien enjoy the meal, edging the tip of his cock back further and further until it brushed the back of his throat. Bastien was so lost in the pleasure that he forgot his objective was to make Taro cum and strike in the moment of his distraction. The ring continued to shrink, crossing over both of their hooves, their ankles, their calves. As the field constricted itself to surge past Bastien's balls, they began to grow and plump, fattening rapidly. The internal organelles became more complex, especially as dark fur grew across the expanding sack. The field passed over the base of Bastien's cock and it began to swell and bloat outwards, new veins throbbing.

Ribs groaned and creaked as they grew, expanding outward, combined with a lengthening spine. Bastien's suckling became wilder and more ragged as the field passed over a chest that grew and stretched with every breath. The tingling crept up over broadening shoulders that sprouted fur, climbed up a neck now inhumanly wide and tempered with muscles. The sensation across his face felt like pins and needles of numbness, perhaps a blessing considering how rapidly his teeth blunted and his jaw began to protrude. His face pushed out along the cock he was sucking, encapsulating it on all sides.

Leathery lips thickened, fur covering Bastien's face. The fur ringed his eyes as his nose blunted and broadened. Nostrils turned upwards, the flesh growing dark. He'd sported horns and cow ears for months, but now it seemed as if he was finally growing into them. The ring continued to shrunk, edging past them both before fizzling out. Somewhere far in the arena below there was a chime as victory was announced. It was only a practice round, of course, but there was a cheer from Taro and Bastien's brothers. Feeling victory and seeing Bastien's corruption, Taro shuddered as thick, sticky jets of his semen erupted into Bastien's newly formed bull head. The black minotaur sucked down the seed greedily, his hand finally returning to play with Taro's ample nipples.

[Five Months Later]

The Zeffiri sun was setting over Community Thirteen, but the rich oranges and reds of the sunset barely competed with the rich and robust rainbow of hues painted across the buildings that hugged the many levels of the hillside. The escalators and people movers hummed steadily and warm light spilled from open windows into the warm evening air. One might have assumed that life had not changed much in the last few months, but there were signs of a steady influx of money and care pouring into the community. There were new lights illuminating the works of art at night, fewer homes in need of repair, but the most distinct change of all was that the little boys and girls running from shop to shop were well fed, looking healthy and aiming their energies at other pursuits than just trying to survive.

The alley filled with the gentle clip-clop of hooves as Taro leisurely strode along, his large hands in even larger pockets of his very baggy pants. Even with all the extra fabric, it was hard to hide how much he was sporting. He'd had a new vest made as well, the gold leaves embossed fresh over red fabric. The vest barely made it down to the bottom of his rib cage, leaving his navel and his cow tail free. His arms were thick, larger than any human was likely to sport. The evening breeze blew through his thick, almost curly fur. His nostril was wide, as was his smile, his teardrop shaped ears twitching a little as he reached up to rub one of his long, hard horns that stretched from his temple.

There was a little movement at the end of the alley, a young man skidding out, his hands speckled with paint. He seemed to be eighteen or nineteen, a modest mustache complimenting his upper lip. His black hair was faded on the sides and left long on top, cresting forward like a cresting wave. He was running from something behind him and had not expected to come crashing into the brick wall that was Taro. The boy nearly bounced off, but Taro caught him easily with one strong arm, setting him upright. The young man looked grateful and disoriented, although a whistle chirped from the end of the alleyway as a policeman came running after the boy, half breathless. The young man started to squirm and wriggle, trying to get free.

"What's the meaning of all this?" Taro asked, looking from the fugitive to the policeman.

"He's a thief!" The policeman reported,. Taro looked down at the now blushing criminal.

"That can't be..." Taro said, "None of my boys would steal from the Community. They have too much respect for it, and they know the programs I fund here..." Taro said, looking back at the Police Officer, "He must have been too excited to pay, but I can take care of that." Taro said. The police officer seemed to blanch.

"Mister Taro, you don't have to-" The police officer stopped as Taro snorted, his nose ring dangling from the hot breath that passed over the metal.

"Of course I do..." Taro said, reaching into his pocket to pull out a large bill, handing it to the officer, "Please see to it the shopkeeper gets everything they need." Taro said.

"Of course Mister Taro." The officer said sheepishly before excusing himself. Seeming satisfied, Taro turned back to face the young man. Wide caramel eyes looked up at him.

"You're really Taro the Terrific? Bull saint of the Ring?" he asked. Taro clucked a little, shrugging with his hands back in his pockets.

"I've been called worse." he smirked. The boy murmured a little to himself.

"I wanted a better brush to paint you with, for your new mural... I wanted to get the fur right." he admitted. Taro let out a soft moo-like noise.

"I'm not sure that was the type of inspiration I had in mind when I reached back to the Community." Taro said. The young man went rigid.

"O-of course not, sir, I just-" he fell silent as Taro reached out, gripping his shoulder. The minotaur slowly crouched down until they were eye to eye.

"You don't have to call me mister or sir or anything like that. I may have grown bigger, but I'm still just a kid that grew up in Community Thirteen and got lucky." Taro said. The young man shook his head.

"That... it can't just be luck. You won the whole season, you turned all the other fighters until the reseeding ceremony. The news said you..." the young man leaned closer to Taro, whispering into his bovine ear, "said you had an entire harem of house boys to keep you happy." he finished. Even with his muzzle, the grin on Taro's lips was mercurial.

"Is that what they say? I bet the news has better things to report on, although it's true... The House Minos has the best parties on all of Zeffir. Fine food, fine dance partners..." Taro grinned. The young man seemed to nearly fall over in wonder at the idea. Taro considered, "How old are you?" he asked.

"Nineteen si-" the young man caught himself, "Uh, Taro." he amended. Taro grinned.

"Do you take care of anyone? Parents, siblings? Girlfriend?" Taro asked. The young man shook his head.

"No sir, my mom is on the Odilla colony, just got a new job and doesn't have anything spare. Aside from that, it's just me." he said.

"How do you feel about taking on a new job? After you finish that mural of me, of course. I think House Minos could use a painter." he mused.

"Really?!" The young man asked. Taro grinned, running his hand along the side of the human's head, "Just be warned, there's a lot of men and sometimes they can lock horns, in more ways than one." Taro said. The young man puffed out his chest, his face setting with determination.

"I'm up for the challenge." he declared. Taro grinned, rising back to his full height, swinging an arm around the young man's shoulder.

"Good! Now, let's go see how that mural is going so far..." Taro commented, walking happily with the young man.