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Balin sat with his back against an acacia tree, watching the herd graze, their eyes dull and oblivious to danger as they picked at what sparse stalks of grass remained.

Sitting by his side, Kobe had his eyes on them as well. “The domesticated antelope is a pitiful thing. They've had all wit and caution bred out of them. You could take a bite out of one's haunch and it wouldn't even know to run away."

“Eh, they have it better than their wild ancestors ever had, and they too got eaten in the end. It's the cheetahs I feel sorry for. The gods graced them with the gift of speed but now their lot in life is to herd animals that would trip over their own legs if they ever tried to run." Balin nodded towards where he knew the castle was. “Because of them."

Kobe opened his mouth in exaggerated mock surprise. “Them? You no longer count yourself a temporarily embarrassed prince?"

Balin snorted and stood, patting his threadbare breeches. “Look." One of the mindless creatures had strayed from the herd and was now coming towards them. He walked to meet it halfway with Kobe following behind. The animal looked at straight him with wide round eyes, even as he coshed it right on the top of its head with a rock. It thumped to the ground with nary a bleat, raising a small cloud of dust. The herd startled and scattered away from the commotion. Kobe was provably wrong: they still retained some rudimentary instinct for self preservation.

They set to work butchering the animal with great haste, taking just the choice cuts. Someone was bound to notice the disturbance soon. A herdscheetah wouldn't challenge a pair of lions but would alert the guards. Perhaps those quick legs were still of some use. On the other hand, an abandoned carcass with plenty of eating left on it would most likely go unreported. A peasant would rather take the meat for himself and tally the kill as natural lossage rather than risk his masters' ire for being too late to stop it.

Bindles packed full of fresh meat, the pair began a cheerful jog away from the scene of the crime. As long as they kept their mischief to a minimum and didn't linger in the same place for too long, a small coalition could trespass on a pride's territory practically indefinitely, for guards were few and far between. A short but safe distance away they found a withered thicket that still offered some protection from prying eyes. Settling down among the branches, Balin unwrapped his bindle, releasing the intoxicating aroma of raw meat still juicy with blood. It was an acquired taste for sure, but one that appealed to the wild beast within.

“The drought is hardly better here," Kobe said, scratching at the cracked mud they were sitting on. “We'll need to get closer to the castle if we're to refill our waterskins. It's going to be risky."

“We'll be in and out before anyone notices." Balin bit off a slice of antelope haunch. With his mouth full he said, “Then we shake down the local peasantry and move on."

Kobe's ears drooped as he ate.

“Come on, why so glum? Soon we'll have enough gold to buy ourselves a place in a good pride."

“No, we won't." Kobe shook his lowered head. “You can't buy princehood with gold alone. Not in what you'd call a 'good' pride."

“You can if you have enough of it. Sure, at the very tail end of the line of succession but that's a compromise I'm willing to accept."

“How modest of you."

“I'm serious. Even the least of princes is still a prince. Or do you disagree?"

“I don't disagree that a prince's life is more luxurious than a rogue's."

“Damn right. Comfy bed, cooked food, concubines… At this point I'm ready to kiss a lot of high ranking paw if it means getting all that back."

Kobe smiled a toothy grin. “Is that so? Would you like to practice with me first?"

“You?" Balin laughed. “High ranking?"

“You couldn't afford my former rank even if you carted off their entire treasury," Kobe said, pointing a thumb in the castle's direction.

“Is that so. Well, being last in line has its perks too. Nobody is going to bother trying to oust you."

Kobe closed his eyes and nodded sagely. “Ah, yes. The lesser prince's privilege: unlikely to be murdered by his younger brother."

“Exactly!" Balin said, glad that his companion understood. He settled onto his back to rest, belly full and content.

A catnap later, the sun was no longer scorching hot and it was time to move on. Alert for any sign of guards, they walked towards the center of the territory while keeping an eye out for any remaining watering holes.

Balin stopped dead in his tracks and put a hand on Kobe's shoulder, pointing. There was a peasant encampment in view. He gestured towards it.

“Now?" Kobe whispered. “We haven't found water yet."

Balin whispered back, “They probably have some. Two birds, one stone."

Crouching amid the dry grass, they stalked towards the peasants. There was no need to be particularly stealthy for cheetahs were the very definition of craven. In a confrontation, they relied on the swiftness of their paws rather than the sharpness of their claws.

There were three of them around a tent. Two males and one female, Balin guessed — with cheetahs it wasn't always easy to tell. One was presently tanning an antelope hide stretched on a frame, one tended to a cooking fire and one was whittling a wooden stick with a stubby knife. At no more than a hundred paces away, all three turned their heads towards them as if one. Kobe had stepped on something crunchy or perhaps the wind had carried the lions' scent. No point in trying to hide anymore.

Balin stood and puffed his chest, preparing his most confident royal voice. “Peasants! On your knees, the lot of you!"

For a second they stood still, then bolted. Good gods were they fast. A mere blink of an eye and they were gone, just a swirl of dust billowing where they had stood. They hadn't even waited to see who was calling. Balin shook his head in disbelief. “The princes of this kingdom must be right bastards when out 'collecting taxes.'"

Kobe did not look surprised. “You've never seen the fuckery a bored crown-prince and his cronies can get up to? Half of a king's job is to come up with enough distractions for his sons that there'll still be a kingdom left for them to inherit."

Balin frowned and gave him a quizzical look. “I suppose we don't need to worry about them calling the guards then. Let's have a look-see."

There was indeed a cache of fresh waterskins inside the tent. The lions left their own empty ones in their stead. But this was not the only expected treasure. Balin went down on all fours and crawled around until he found a patch of disturbed ground. Digging in with his claws, he soon found what he was really after: a coin pouch. He jumped up, triumphantly jingling the bag. By the heft of it, it had to be this small pride-group's life savings. It wasn't much – peasants had few opportunities to earn gold and even fewer to spend it – but it was still another small step closer to princehood. He took out a coin and went back outside to take a better look at his plunder.

Balin held up the coin and squinted at its dazzling glint. On the face side was embossed the visage of the local monarch. He chuckled at it and shoved the coin in his friend's face. “Hey Kobe, look at this! They've got a eunuch for a king!"

Kobe pulled back, then grimaced. “Gods' sake, Balin! That's a queen!"

“Oh. Oh!"

“Oh, indeed. We best be moving on. I don't think the guards here are especially tolerant of rogue males. We might not be able to talk our way out like usual."

“Now wait a minute," Balin said, holding up a hand. “This is the upside down pride where females are in charge and males are the concubines?"

“That's right. You're not thinking about joining up, are you? Don't tell me you're ready to compromise that far?"

“Gods no. I heard they make their males wear chastity belts and only ever take them off when they need them for breeding purposes!"

“Then what are you waiting for?"

“If it's just one guard we can take her, no problem."

Kobe blinked and his jaw dropped. He put his hands over his eyes in an exaggerated show of exasperation. “Why? Why would you do that?"

“Think about it!" Balin said, lifting up the coin bag. “A female plus gold is a dowry. We just passed through Azizi's kingdom and I have a pretty good guess how he feels about his neighbor. If we present one of the Queen's lionesses to him, we'll earn a place in his pride for sure."

Kobe's hands moved up to his forehead, dragging his eyelids up with them. “As far as bad ideas go, this has got to be the worst. I can't even begin to count the ways it could go wrong. For start, what if we run into two guards?"

Balin patted his carry pouch. “Then I'll use my new weapon here."

“I sincerely hope you don't mean that flintlock. The one you have neither powder nor ball for."

“They don't know that."

“Oh dear gods." Kobe shook his head. “No. I will not take part in this folly. I will continue eastward. You can either come with me or try your luck alone." He turned to leave.

“If we ever want to be princes again, this is our best chance!"

Kobe stopped and spun around. “You mean your best chance? I've no interest in joining another kingdom."

“But… why? You said yourself that life is better as a prince than rogue."

“Do you know why I'm a rogue?"

Balin shrugged. “I always assumed you were driven out by an envious uncle or banished for fucking the king's favorite wife or something like that."

“Because you assume everyone is like you. I was a third prince. I had a realistic chance at the throne but no ambition for it. And ambition is the worst thing to lack, because it's what allows you to put up with the literal backstabbing attempts. So I left. And you know what? Life now is pretty fucking worry-free."

“You were a third prince?" Balin asked, not sure if he had heard right.

Kobe sighed. “Balin, I've enjoyed your company but I've always known we'd part ways at some point. Doesn't have to be today, so please come with me and forget this foolishness."

“Didn't you say gold alone won't buy me a place in a pride. Where else will I have a chance like this?"

“Then come with me to the Wildlands."

Balin scrunched his nose in disgust. “That's leopard country! Why would you want to go there? They're lawless barbarians who'll hang you by your feet and skin you alive if they catch you on their land!"

“And I suppose the hyena cities are nothing but filthy, disease-ridden shantytowns?"

“Well, yeah."

Kobe let out a long sigh. “Good luck. You're going to need it."

He turned around, walking away slowly. Balin waited for him to turn back but he kept on going. Any second now, he'd turn back. Any minute now. Kobe was really making a show of being serious.

Motion at the corner of his eye caught Balin's attention. The vague, wavy shapes of two lions running furiously in his direction.

“Look, the guards are coming!" Balin shouted. “Two of them!"

Kobe slowed his pace until he came to a stop. Finally. His shoulders slumped and he turned around.

The guards were obviously lionesses, though clad in unflattering short breeches and vests. Both carried a spear in hand and a dagger on their hips.

“Halt!" one of them shouted as they approached, turning their spears towards the lions. “You are trespassing on Queen Madini's land!"

Kobe bowed and crossed his arms across his chest in a gesture of peace. “Our sincerest apologies. We are but humble travelers merely passing through."

The other guard pointed her spear at Balin, who still held the purse in his red stained hand. “And helping yourselves to our cattle and coin while you're at it, it seems."

“Would you fault us for our empty stomachs?" Kobe beseeched, shooting Balin an angry glance.

“I would fault you for your taste for gold," the first guard said, raising the tip of the spear to Kobe's throat.

He swallowed but continued in his smooth tones, “Armed as you are, I recognize we have little chance against you. However, as we would be fighting for our lives, it seems equally unlikely you'd leave without a scratch. I'm sure we can come to a mutually beneficial, peaceful agreement."

“What do you have to offer in restitution?"

Kobe bowed theatrically. “Our services as ne'er-do-wells for hire. Point us to your least favored neighbor and we'll become their problem instead. Throw in a coin or two and we'll redouble our efforts to tax their already dwindling food supply."

The guard scoffed. “Pay you to eat your bellies full? Don't make me laugh! This is my counteroffer. Come quietly with us and enjoy the hospitality of our dungeon until our Queen finds the time to pass judgment – which will undoubtedly be fair and lenient. Fight, and we'll be within our rights to kill you in self defense."

Kobe's ears kept flicking and his tail lashing. No good; he was fucking up the negotiations real bad. This was the point where they would typically make a run for it, but now – while the guards' attention was diverted – there was opportunity here. Balin took out his pistol. The hammer made a very distinctive click as he pulled it back.

“Put down your spears," he ordered. The lionesses snapped their heads towards him, their ears flattening and lips drawing into furious snarls.

The first guard made a vulgar spitting noise. “You dare threaten us?"

“I do dare." The guards did not move, only stared at him with such venom that a more timid lion might have lost his nerve. From how their gazes flicked between the pistol and his face he saw they were calculating which was faster: their lunge or his trigger finger. “You might be thinking I've only got one shot and there's two of you. Even so, it'll be enough to even the odds. So lay down your spears and let's settle this in a civilized manner."

The two lionesses looked at each other, then slowly lowered their spears onto the ground.

“Daggers too," Balin reminded.

They unsheathed the blades and set them down as well.

Balin nodded at Kobe. “Grab those, will you." To the first guard he said, “Tie up your friend. And do it properly, with her hands behind her back. Legs too, we can't have you coming after us!"

The lioness gritted her teeth but did as commanded. The other one meekly turned around and let her bind her wrists together. She tied her ankles individually, connected by a short length of rope so she could hobble but not run.

“Your turn now." Balin nodded in Kobe's direction. “Tie her up."

Kobe's ropework wasn't exactly artful but he managed to get the job done, even if he looked rather reluctant doing it. Balin couldn't understand why. Up close, these two lionesses appeared rather handsome specimens, despite their unfeminine attire and little too muscular physiques. With wigs on they could pass for male, except for their nice perky tits. That haughty, defiant look they gave him… If he had the time, how he'd enjoy showing them just what a real lion was made of. Clearly they didn't even know what they were missing.

Balin picked up a spear, then pointed the flintlock right in the first guards face. Her eyes went wide in surprise and fear. He pulled the trigger. The lioness flinched and squeezed her eyes shut as the hammer snapped. Baling roared with laughter. “It wasn't even loaded!" he gloated. The righteous anger on her face was a sight to behold. If only looks could kill, you wouldn't need a pistol. “Now, about you coming after us… Actually, you'll be coming with us. You two are my ticket into King Azizi's pride!"

The lioness hissed at him. “You will regret this." The other one snarled and stared daggers at him. Good thing the actual daggers were now hanging on Balin and Kobe's belts.

Balin chuckled and gave her a little slap on the ass with the flat of the spear. “Get walking, we don't have all day!"

She took small steps, hobbled as she was by the rope.

Balin furrowed his brow in puzzlement. He hadn't quite thought this through, not that he'd admit it out loud. “It'll take forever to get to the border this way. Kobe, you reckon we could free their legs if we put leashes on them instead?"

“I reckon we ought to run away."

“You're no help." He took an extra length of rope and tied the end into a noose which he slipped around the lioness's neck, then did the same for the other. He crouched and cut the rope binding her legs with his newly acquired dagger. “There. Don't go falling behind now, wouldn't want that rope to tighten around your pretty little neck!"

The lioness swiped with her now free leg and Balin found himself flat on his back, gasping for breath that would not come. She fell on top of him, her jaws clamping around his throat. Balin's chest burned. Her pointy teeth pricked his skin and though she wasn't choking him yet, he had no air to even scream.

The other one shouted, “Untie me now or Ruki will tear his throat out!"

Balin wanted to yell at Kobe, to tell him to do no such thing, but only a labored wheeze came out.

When Ruki finally let go of him, it was now Kobe who was tied up and leashed. Before he had time to fully regain his breath, the two guards rolled him over to his stomach and forced his hands behind his back. In a moment, Ruki wrapped the rope around his wrists and had him in a tight bundle. They pulled him to his feet none too gently and put the leash around his neck as well.

“It's the dungeon for you two," Ruki growled. “In any other pride, you'd be executed on the spot for this, but we're more civilized than that." She leaned closer and whispered in his ear, “But you're going to wish we weren't."

Balin's stomach twisted as the border guards marched him and Kobe deeper into the territory. The worst case scenario, the one he somehow hadn't taken seriously at all. Guards had always been too lazy to give chase for long, and even when they had been cornered, Kobe's silver tongue had got them out of trouble. Few guards actually wanted to test their mettle against a desperate opponent in a fight with no rules. Had he gotten complacent? Maybe Kobe had been right and he'd pushed his luck too far. He could try to run and probably immediately end up skewered. A fate perhaps preferable to what awaited him. And yet he couldn't do it. The vague prospect of torture and execution in the future didn't provoke the same immediate, visceral terror as the spearpoint at his back.

Walking besides him, Kobe's expression looked a sad mixture of weariness, anger, and despair. Seeing it made the knot in his stomach twist harder. The knot only became tighter as they entered the shadow of the castle.

They brought them in through the main gate and down a dark stairway in the gatehouse. Once his eyes adjusted, Balin noticed the corridor was lit not by normal oil lamps but by glass bulbs glowing steadily with dim orange light. Electric lamps? This pride, a pariah among the kingdoms, was somehow far richer than it had any right to be.

The section of the basement Balin and Kobe soon found themselves in was all too familiar. The corridor was lined with doors made of thick, dense wood and fitted with sturdy wrought iron hinges and locks. The guards ushered them in through one of the doors but it was a spacious chamber they entered instead of a cramped cell. The walls were draped with chains and shackles. Arranged about the floor were racks, stocks, cages, and other contraptions of unknown but undoubtedly unpleasant use.

The guards first directed Balin into a low cage, encouraging him to duck inside in with a poke of the spear. With him locked away, they grabbed Kobe by his arms and slammed him up face first against the stone wall. With dagger and claw, they tore and cut away his clothes. They turned him around again and manacled him to the wall, his hands held high above his head.

They came for Balin next. In another time and place, being tied up and having his clothes ripped off by aggressive lionesses would have been an arousing fantasy but now it was a nightmare he couldn't awaken from.

Once secured to the wall, a pair of hands grasped him by his throat and mane, twisting and restraining his head. The other guard twisted his ear, hard as if to rip it off.

“This one bears the mark of an exile from Taji's kingdom," she said and let go.

They checked Kobe next, inspecting both his ears. “This one is untattood," Ruki said. “Curious."

“He's not one of ours is he?"

“Surely not! We should summon Mahiri. She if anyone can wring the truth from them."

The second guard nodded and jogged out into the hallway, leaving Balin and Kobe alone with Ruki. Chained to the wall, Balin lifted his tail from between his legs in an attempt to cover himself. The way Ruki kept eying him, like a butcher sizing up a carcass, was terrifying. At this moment, even a scrap of fabric would have felt like a suit of armor.

What had to be at least an hour passed in tense silence. Balin's legs ached from maintaining the stressful stance, and he had to choose between the complaints of his arm muscles or the pain of the manacles digging into his wrists. When Ruki was not staring at him – as if trying to decide which part to cut off first – she roamed around the torture chamber, inspecting the devices arranged about, shooting back taunting glances – as if daring him to imagine what she might do to him.

Finally, the door opened and a new lioness entered, together with the guard. She walked with a confident swagger of authority, like a high ranking prince.

“Well, well, what do we have here," she said. “It's been a while since we've had rogues foolish enough to get themselves captured." She stood before the two, hands on her hips. “I am Mahiri. Interviewing scoundrels such as yourselves is beneath the Queen's dignity so, by her authority, I may deal with you however I see fit. What you call me has no bearing on your sentencing, but unless you wish to deliberately provoke me, you will refrain from insults.'"

Ruki took the flintlock from the table they had piled their belongings on and showed it to Mahiri. “This is the weapon he threatened me and Shani with."

“Interesting," Mahiri said, taking the gun and examining it from all sides. “A worrying development indeed if your average rogue is now carrying firearms."

“He did lack the ammunition for it."

“And yet he could still brandish it. In the old days, any rogue or serf caught with a metal tipped weapon would have been staked to the ground and had his limbs crushed and left for the vultures and the ants. Now that a new age is upon us, perhaps we should look to the past for guidance. Though I doubt the Queen is willing to go that far, a reasonable compromise could be found." She tried the feel of the gun, sighting down its barrel. “One needs an index finger to fire this thing, does one not?" Mahiri put the gun back down, then turned on her heels to face Balin and Kobe. She lifted a finger to her lips, looking intently at them, then pointed at Kobe. “Make that one ride the wooden zebra."

The guards released Kobe from his manacles and walked him to one of the devices: a wooden wedge on high legs. They tied his wrists to a rope hanging from a pulley and hoisted him up, forcing him to straddle the wedge. The top edge was rounded so it wouldn't immediately cut into him, at least as long as he didn't put his whole weight on it. Kobe hung on for dear life, but eventually his arms would tire.

Mahiri observed this with a pleased look of approval, then walked over to one of the mystery devices: a small platform with a hole on the top and a post with some kind of wooden gear and crank arrangement attached to its end. “The other one could learn some humility."

Shani nodded and fetched a coil of thin rope hanging from a hook on the wall. She tied the end into a small noose and approached Balin, who tried his best to sink into the wall. He had a good suspicion what was about to happen when she knelt down in front of him but still flinched when she slipped the rope around his balls. “Ow," he said as she tightened the knot and pinched his sensitive skin, drawing a glance and a raised eyebrow from Shani.

The guards released him from the wall and immediately forced his hands behind his back. Like an antelope to the slaughter, they led him by his leash to the platform. To his dawning horror, Shani tied the end of the rope to a cord emerging from the hole below him.

“First, let me show you how this device works," Mahiri said and twisted the crank. A hardwood pawl rattled against a rapidly turning gear and a length of the cord wrapped around a spindle. “I will ask you questions and you will humbly respond. Understood?"

Balin didn't know what to say.

The ratchet clicked. Balin's leash shortened. “Yes!"

Click. He had to bend his knees. “Yes what?" Mahiri asked.

“Yes ma'am!"

Mahiri grinned and shook her head. “It never ceases to amaze me how quick a learner even the most dim-witted of males becomes when you have him by the balls. Now then. How did you acquire the gun?"

“I got it from a lynx trading caravan."

Click. “The Commonwealth traders do no business with outlaws."

“I have gold! That's all they care about! I was buying supplies and they gave it to me!"

Click-click-click. At the end of his rope, Balin went down on his knees before he'd fall and yank his nuts off. Mahiri scoffed. “At least put some effort into your lies."

“It's true! They were giving them out for free so they could sell more gunpowder and lead shot!"

Mahiri tilted her head and scratched her temple. “I did ask, so I'll give you that one. Then, what was your intention on our territory?"

“We were just passing through."

She turned the crank a whole rotation. The ratchet rattled horribly and the cord went taut again.

“I swear! We didn't know whose territory this was!"

“Yet you took our guards prisoner. That is not the action of rogues just passing through."

“I…" The ratchet clicked twice, putting more tension on Balin's balls and more urgency in his voice. “I thought if I could capture your female guards, I could trade them for a place in Azizi's Kingdom!"

Just a single click this time.

“Did Azizi send you?"

“No!"

“You just opportunistically came up with the plan?"

“Yes! Yes! I've been saving gold but it's not enough! I thought this was my big break!"

For a long, painful moment, Mahiri remained quiet. “A plausible tale," she finally said. “For surely with even a little forethought you might have gotten further than a few paces."

Baling sighed with relief. The sigh was cut short by a yelp escaping his throat as the ratchet clicked a more few times, stretching his balls so he couldn't move from the spot without the pull becoming agonizing.

“Regardless of motive, the severity of your offense still stands on its own," Mahiri said and turned towards Kobe, leaving Balin trembling on his aching knees. “And who are you?"

“My name is Kobe, ma'am." By the sound of his strained voice, he did not have much strength left.

“Hm. This one is sharp. Were you the mastermind behind your little plot?"

“No, ma'am. I tried to talk him out of it."

“And yet you participated. What is your birth pride?"

“I am from Xhegu's kingdom."

“That is very far away, difficult to corroborate. How convenient. You are not an exile, so why do you travel with this rogue?"

“I gave up my birthright voluntarily. I had no interest in court politics."

“A prince abandoning his life of luxury for the savanna? Preposterous."

“I was going to start a new life in the Wildlands."

“Your story keeps getting wilder. Are you going to shave your mane and paint on spots? You are either deluded or pretending to be, and I'm leaning towards the latter."

“Perhaps I am, but it is the truth. I've had enough of lion society."

“Then why would you try to join Azizi's kingdom?"

Kobe had no reply.

Mahiri turned around. “Collar them and lock them up. I will decide an appropriate punishment later." With those words, she headed out.

“Mahiri," Ruki spoke up. “I have a score to settle with these two. Do I have your permission to punish them personally?"

She gave her a dismissive flick of her hand, without even stopping. “In due time."

Ruki turned to Balin, her eyes burning with anger. She waited until Mahiri had left the room, then reached for the crank and gave it a full turn.

Balin yowled. What had been an unignorable tugging turned into an inescapable, indescribable deep ache that reached all the way up to his stomach and made him want to throw up.

“Come on, Shani, let's go get the collars."

The lionesses left the room. Balin was taking shallow breaths. He wasn't sure how much more of this he could take. He wasn't even sure if his balls were attached anymore. Kobe would be well within his right to say “I told you so" but he seemed to be just as busy trying to keep his taint from being sliced apart by the dull edge he was straddling.

Time passed in a thoughtless haze until the guards returned. Balin wasn't feeling the pain in his testicles anymore, which was worrying in on itself, but his legs were on fire. Kobe was breathing heavily, his face soaked in tears and snot as he squirmed on top of the wedge.

“Let's do him first," he heard a lioness say, couldn't tell which through his agony muddled mind. He saw them lift Kobe off the wooden zebra and lay him on his back on the floor. Shani straddled his torso and leaned on his arms to keep him pinned while Ruki put a black leather collar around his neck and riveted it closed with a pair of pliers. Next, they turned their attention to his other end. Now, Ruki had some blackened steel item in her hand. There was still a depth of horror for Balin to plumb: they were fitting him with a chastity cage.

After hauling Kobe away, they came for Balin. Shani stepped on a switch and wave of relief from a pain he hadn't even noticed anymore washed over him as the tugging on his balls yielded. They grabbed him by his arms and dragged him onto his back. Balin nearly blacked out from the sudden pain as blood flowed back into his shins and thighs. Pins and needles from sitting on your leg was nothing, this was nails and spikes.

Shani sat on him while Ruki collared him, not that he was in any condition to fight back. It was time for his chastity cage next. Balin winced has his sore balls were pulled and twisted and a metal tube was pushed over his sheath and locked in place by a loop going behind his nutsack. They grabbed him and pulled him up to his feet. Balin wished he could fight but in his present state, he couldn't even stay on his feet. The guards dragged him out to the corridor and into a cell. Balin collapsed to the floor, just managing to catch himself. Kobe was there too, crumpled on the floor next to him. The door slammed shut, the lock clicking with a note of finality. Soon after, the lone light bulb in the ceiling went out, plunging them into deep darkness. Rolling onto his back, Balin contemplated just how badly he had miscalculated and felt like sinking through the floor to the very pit of the abyss.

---

At dawn, the light came back on. Balin had to assume it was dawn, as not even a glimmer of natural light reached the dungeon. He opened his eyes and sat up, taking a good look around. What a dismal cell, even for a dungeon. A bare room with not even a mattress to lie on. A hole in the ground near the corner was probably the latrine. Whether that was a step up or down from a sand pot was debatable. But worst of all was the prison he carried on his body. It hadn't been a bad dream, there really was a metal chastity cage over his cock. Balin worried at it. The locking mechanism had to be rather delicate but breaking it open would involve more force than he was comfortable using around his junk. Too much risk of snagging his sack on some sharp piece and his balls rotting and falling off. There was at least a hole in the top so he could still piss with the thing on.

Kobe stirred and got up as well, perhaps roused by the same light that had awoken Balin.

“You can say it," Balin said.

“I warned you," Kobe mumbled as he rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand.

They sat in contemplative silence for a moment before anxiety got the better of Balin. “What do you think they're gonna do to us?"

“Is that something you want to think about?"

Ruki's words about wishing they weren't too civilized to execute prisoners came to his mind unbidden and made the fur on his back stand on end. A cold hand of panic gripped his belly. He got up and tried the door, which was locked, of course. It was made of heavy wood and the hinges were on the outside, offering no weak point to attack. There was a peep hole showing only darkness outside. At the bottom was a small hatch, too narrow to crawl through. Balin banged his fist on the door out of frustration and began pacing around the cell.

“Calm yourself," Kobe said. “There's nothing we can do but wait."

“Wait for what?" Balin snapped. “A tour of the torture chamber? Or maybe they'll forget us and we'll starve to death."

As if on cue, the hatch opened. Balin tensed and stared intently, his claws ready, itching to pounce. A tray with a pair of clay bowls was pushed through, one filled with kibble and the other water.

“They haven't forgotten us yet," Kobe said. He pulled the tray to him and grabbed a small handful of kibble.

“Don't eat that! It could be poison."

Kobe ate it anyway. “It's just kibble. It's gross, but better get used to it."

Balin sat next to him and tried a piece. He immediately spat it out. Even a starved pet fox wouldn't touch something so foul. He'd have to be a lot more hungry before he could even consider putting more in his mouth. “This is barbaric!" he bellowed.

“What do you think your old king served his prisoners? Prime rib?"

“Bah!" Balin grumbled. “I say we jump the guards when they come for us and escape."

“And if we fail?"

“They're already going to torture us. What more can they do?"

“They might have something especially horrible in reserve for unruly prisoners."

“Well, I don't know what that might be so it doesn't scare me!" Balin said and sat down opposite to Kobe. He eyed the kibble but it did not look any more appetizing.

“I don't think they'll keep us here forever, eating their food and drinking their water."

Balin sneered at him. “Isn't kibble made of ground up hooves and offal and all the other parts you wouldn't normally eat anyway?“ Kobe's hand paused momentarily, as if he hadn't thought of that, before resuming stuffing his face with the disgusting grains of dried refuse. Balin let out a long sigh. “I just wanted to be a prince again. Was that too much to ask?"

“Yes."

“You seriously think you'd have a better chance with the leopards?"

“I do."

Balin snorted and settled on his back on the hard stone floor. He stared at the light hanging from the ceiling. It left purple afterimages in his vision. This had to be the worst part of being a prisoner. The boredom. There was nothing to do, nothing to even look at in this dismal cell. But he couldn't quite relax either, for the anticipation of the coming punishment was ever present at the back of his mind. In the past he had enjoyed witnessing lawbreakers getting their comeuppance in the castle courtyard. Not once had it occurred to him that one day he could be the one tied to the whipping post.

What felt like a thousand years passed. The light went out, plunging the room into pitch black darkness.

In the morning, Balin got up and began pacing around the cell. He did not feel at all refreshed, though perhaps his thoughts were more focused. Kobe sat in the center, infuriatingly calm.

“Here's what we're going to do," Balin said as he walked back and forth in what little space he had. “When the guards come in, we pounce, take their weapons, and lock them in. Then we make like cheetahs and don't look back."

Whatever retort or excuse Kobe might have had was interrupted by a banging at the door. A voice came from the peephole. “Prisoners! Prepare yourselves for inspection!" Balin's breath caught in his throat, he had no idea what was wanted of him. The answer followed. “Kneel down in the middle of the cell and put your hands behind your heads."

Balin gave Kobe a meaningful glance. Very discreetly, Kobe shook his head.

“If you do not follow orders, you will go hungry until you do."

Kobe went to kneel in view of the peephole and put his hands behind his head as told. Despite his anger and indignation, Balin did the same, readying himself. The lock clicked and the door swung open. It was Ruki and Shani again. Rather than spears, they were holding heavy looking wooden cudgels more suited for fighting in cramped indoor spaces. Balin bode his time. He'd have to be sure Kobe was with him when he made his move, and presently he was looking mighty cowardly.

The lionesses circled them, looking them up and down, cudgels ready to bash their heads in at the first sign of rebellion. The tip of Ruki's baton poked Balin in the nape of his neck. “Spread your legs more." He snarled but scooted his knees further apart. To be ordered to spread his legs by a female!

Ruki stopped in front of them. “When ordered to present yourselves, you will assume this pose and remain still. You will follow orders promptly and without question. Disobedience will be punished." She held the tip of the cudgel an inch from Balin's nose. “Which I wouldn't mind at all."

Behind him, Shani took hold of Balin's wrist. He barely suppressed the reflex to grab her in turn. With Ruki there, he'd have just ended up with fractured skull. Shani clicked iron manacles shut around his wrists and ordered him to stand up.

Ruki sneered at him. “Unfortunately for me, Mahiri has yet to find the time to decide your punishment, so today you'll be seeing the Doctor."

He did not at all like the sound of that. Even under normal circumstances, a visit to the doctor's office was something best avoided and the ominous stress she placed on the word suggested it wouldn't be an ordinary physician he'd be visiting. As the guards took him out of the cell, he shot back a quick glance at Kobe, who remained on his knees. The coward. He silently cursed himself for the missed opportunity. He should have just gone ahead with the plan and Kobe would have followed as always.

Ruki and Shani walked him through a bleak corridor to yet another torture chamber. It was smaller than the first one. In the center stood only a single piece of furniture, though one as foreboding as any in the dungeon: a wooden table with leather straps attached, the kind surgeons used to restrain their patients while sawing off a gangrenous limb or scooping out a ruptured eye.

Standing near the far wall, the doctor was facing away from them, preparing something by a work bench. Balin squinted and frowned. Spotty, mud brown fur. Big ears. No mane. His head swam and his paws planted themselves firmly against the floor as he the guards pushed him towards the table. In his experience, the best way to be cured of an ailment or injury was to hide it lest you came to the attention of the pride's doctor. This had to hold true ten times over if that doctor was a hyena.

Balin tried to back away but a sharp jab to his ribs dissuaded him from further resistance. They made him lay on the table and fastened the straps over his arms and legs.

“Thank you, I will take it from here." The hyena's voice was shrill. It sounded exactly the way Balin had always imagined hyenas to sound. He got a better looked at him when he turned around. At least he assumed it was a he. Hyenas were even more difficult to gender than cheetahs — even naked, if rumors were true. This truly was an upside down pride. The one male who had authority over the lionesses wasn't even a lion!

“I am called Asim," the hyena said. “Do not worry. I am not the one who will hurt you." He put his grubby hands around his neck and felt around his throat and chin. It was either brave or stupid of him to get within biting range but, whether due to fear or disorientation, Balin remained perfectly still. The hyena's hands roamed down to his arm, squeezing and testing, then to his chest and belly. He did not sense any lascivious intent from the brutish creature, for his fingers worked quickly and clinically. The hyena next took out a horn, placed it on Balin's chest and leaned in to put the other end into his oversized ear.

“Your heart is beating very fast, though that is normal under the circumstances. Now take a deep breath."

Balin complied, not quite sure why.

“And breathe out."

The doctor appeared satisfied, then moved downwards. When he took his balls in his hands, Balin flinched. He let out a childish mewl when he palpated his aching nuts. He wanted to pull back, to cover himself but was helpless in his restraints. Hot tears beaded in the corners of his eyes. It was humiliating like nothing before, different from the times he had been hazed by his older pride brothers. That was just natural lion roughhousing. Now it was as if he wasn't a lion at all, but some domestic animal stretched out on a block, being measured and inspected by a hyena butcher.

“I see some minor bruising. Nothing serious, but I will tell them to avoid your testicles for now. You are well muscled and should be able to take a good deal of whipping and flogging. Your heart sounds strong, so even an extended session should not prove fatal." He straightened his crouched back and sighed loudly, then walked to stand just behind Balin and look down into his eyes. “This is my life. My career," he said in a piping voice filled with self pity. “They have me treating shallow cuts and bruised testicles. Sometimes I get to play midwife to a species that hardly needs one. What a waste of my talents. What squander of potential!"

He disappeared from Balin's sight, then reappeared holding a brass scalpel. He held the instrument inches away from Balin's nose. Balin's eyes crossed as he stared at the blade, his muscles frozen in terror. “In my home city, I was a master of the surgical arts, a sculptor of flesh and bone!" the hyena howled, spittle raining on Balin's face. “I thought I could find a patron among the lion kingdoms but alas! No king would even see me, merely because of my kind! The Queen took me in, praised be her for that, but here I am relegated to the menial role of a nurse, forbidden from honing my skills."

Balin's throat was paralyzed, the words “I'm… sorry?" coming out a mere hoarse whisper.

“But you! You can help me."

Balin tried to swallow but his mouth was as dry as the savannah outside. “H—how?"

“You are the first rogue I have seen in many, many years. I will help you escape and, in return, you will introduce me to a lion king. A king might not listen to a hyena but he will hear another lion."

“Okay," Balin squeaked. The hyena was barking mad but what else could he say in the moment?

“Good! I will tell them you are malnourished and dehydrated and will need at least a week to grow strong enough to face punishment. I will come for you before that. I know of a secret tunnel, a way past the walls where the guards don't know to look. And then… you will lead me to a kingdom. This is a fair deal, yes?"

Balin nodded rapidly.

Asim smiled with all his teeth on display, which he had a lot of in his long muzzle. “Do not let me down." He straightened up and raised his voice. “Guards! I am done. You may take him now."

---

They took Kobe next. Balin spent his time alone contemplating the opportunity that had appeared. Perhaps Kobe had the right idea after all. Don't barge in to things, take your time to discover all possible avenues of attack. This particular avenue was not only a way out, but a way in! Forget the creepy hyena, knowledge of a secret entrance was worth his weight in gold — or more importantly, worth a princehood.

It seemed like no time at all had passed when Kobe was shoved back into the cell.

Balin waited until the guards were out of earshot, then asked, “What did the hyena say to you?"

Kobe lay down with his knees bent. “Nothing much. He gave me some ointment for my crotch. He actually seemed more competent than my old pride's doctor."

Balin crawled towards him and put his muzzle so close to Kobe's ear it made him turn his head and swat at it. “Get this," Balin whispered. “He knows a way out of here and will help me, I mean us, escape if we take him to a kingdom."

“Why would he do that?"

Balin sat back. He strained his ears for any secret listeners who might be lurking behind the door, then continued normally, “Because apparently the Queen keeps him on a tight leash and doesn't let him 'practice his surgical arts' or whatever, and he thinks a king would be a better patron."

“I have a hard time believing any king would accept a hyena in his pride."

“But he does, and that's all that matters."

Kobe snorted skeptically.

“Come on. Doesn't this just feel right? We're due our big break and this must be it."

“You realize it doesn't work that way? It's possible for things to keep getting worse and worse until you die."

Balin huffed. “You're such a zebra-half-eaten kind of lion. If you want to sit on your sore ass and only see the light of day when you're taken out for your weekly cock flattening, be my guest. I'll go alone if I have to."

“Something about this whole thing stinks."

“This whole cell stinks." Balin sighed and continued, “I get that you don't want to join another kingdom, but don't you want to be free? What about the Wildlands?"

Kobe stared at the ceiling and did not respond.

“Come on. Tell me about the place. Why do you want to go to live with the leopards?"

Kobe stayed quiet for a good while before speaking another word. “Alright. The Wildlands are mostly thick forest. Lots of wild prey to catch. The leopards don't have kings or queens or princes, they bow to no-one, and expect no-one to bow to them. That's what I want. No more politics. No more power games. And I don't want concubines either, I want someone who wants to have me, not someone who's forced to."

Balin scowled and just nodded. He felt a little sorry for him. Though Kobe was clever in his own way, he could be weirdly naive and full of strange notions. But then again, one had to be eccentric to abandon one's home pride in the first place. Perhaps it was for the best he had been caught here. Whatever the nasty lionesses might do to them, it surely wouldn't be as bad as being skinned and boiled alive in a big cauldron by leopards like Balin had seen in a series of woodcut prints once.

“What about you?" Kobe asked. “Would being a prince again would really make you happy?"

“Hell yes it would. Unlike you, I like playing the game."

“Well, you're not very good at it, are you?"

Balin scoffed. This fucker. Who was he to criticize? Balin was the one taking chances. No risk, no reward, and if Kobe was too soft to handle that then perhaps stew for leopards is what he was meant to be.

The remainder of the day passed in uncomfortable silence and mind numbing boredom. At first, the light shutting off came as a relief, but sleep was elusive.

Days passed, or so Balin had to assume anyway. There was no way of telling the time but the light that might or might not have had anything to do with the sun being up. He had never been simultaneously this bored and anxious in his whole life. A little more of this and he'd get on the torture rack voluntarily just to get it over with.

On the fourth nigh, the sound of a key turning in the lock snapped Balin awake from his light sleep. Slowly, the door creaked opened and muzzle tipped with a big black nose peeked in. “Lions," came a whisper. “It is a moonless night. Time to go."

Balin jumped to his feet, excitement coursing through his body. He nudged Kobe, who at first only turned to his side, reluctant to move. The hyena set a sack on the floor and from it produced two pairs of worn pants and vests, as well as waterskins. “For the journey," he said. “It wouldn't do to show up at a kingdom naked." He beckoned for them to follow.

They tiptoed through the dungeon corridors, pitch black but for the meager light of the candle the hyena carried. Balin's ears kept pivoting at the smallest sound. He kept turning his head to catch the shadows darting around him, chasing him.

The corridors farther from the dungeon were lined with modern looking bricks, perhaps no more than a couple hundred years old, but by dint of neglect they looked far more ancient. The masonry was crumbly and dusty cobwebs cloaked every corner. This section had not seen use in long, long time. Though the air was stale, Balin breathed easier.

The hyena stopped at a gate of iron bars, behind which a tunnel extended into the darkness. He took out a keyring and began rifling through it, explaining while he searched, “This is an escape tunnel, built during the siege of the old Kingdom, just before the revolution. It was never put to use." He found the right key and opened the gate. Its ancient hinges squealed like a speared antelope. Balin cringed and flattened his ears. The echo took an awfully long time to fade away. He was just about to let go of the breath he hadn't noticed he was holding when a spine chilling voice called out from the darkness.

“Who goes there?"

“Quickly now," the hyena whispered and waved for Balin and Kobe to get in. “I will distract the guard." Even Kobe did not need to be told twice. They slipped into the tunnel and the hyena pushed the gate shut behind them. “Hide in the dark until the danger has passed."

Balin nodded back at him and hurried onward until the he could no longer see even his own muzzle, and kept going. Kobe stalked quietly beside him. They did not need words or even to see one another to have a mutual understanding that they would not be stopping to wait. Behind, a lioness growled questions at the hyena. He replied in a whiny, groveling tone, something about collecting spiders for a remedy. Heart pounding, Balin pressed on until the last echoes of the voices faded away. The floor beneath his paws was bare dirt. His hand fumbling at the wall to keep him oriented found more dirt and an occasional termite eaten support beam that nearly broke apart at his touch. The tunnel had held for a hundred years, a few more minutes shouldn't be too much to ask. Good gods, but did it just keep on going. They had surely cleared the castle walls by now. At some point, Balin noticed he was pressed side to side against Kobe. They had to switch to single file formation to keep progressing. Somewhere in the distance, something gray shimmered, disappearing from sight when looked straight at. It gradually got brighter until Balin was sure he wasn't imagining it. The end was in sight! The gray blob resolved into a pool of colorless light, then finally a hole above from which stars shone in, sharp like needles.

Balin climbed the incline and squeezed through the opening like a fox that had almost grown too fat to get out of its burrow. Behind, the black silhouette of the castle stood beneath a sky just a shade less dark. They had to be more than a thousand paces away. He looked to the stars to get his bearings while Kobe crawled out of the foxhole.

It was a warm night, filled with the chirping of insects. A voice carried from afar, the throat singing of a lioness border guard, singing the glory of the Queen, announcing her territory. Afar was the key word. As the castle faded from sight, Balin allowed himself to relax.

“We did it," he whispered to Kobe, the urge to yell out loud in exuberance nearly overpowering. “We fucking did it! The gods are smiling upon us. Soon we'll be princes again."

“Are you seriously going to Azizi?"

Balin scoffed in astonishment that it was even a question. “Of course I am. We paid our dues and now it's time to receive our reward."

Kobe shook his head. “I say we run as far away from here as we can."

“The gods are offering us a gift and you'd spit in their faces?"

“No, I'm saying we should be thankful for what we've received and not get greedy. I'm not going. I'll go east, like I should've in the first place."

“Kobe!" Balin hissed. “We're so close!"

“I'm done with you getting me in trouble. No more. How about you follow me for a change? If you go to Azizi, you'll most likely end up with your a head on a pike decorating his castle wall."

“And if I follow you, I'll most likely end up a pelt decorating some leopard savage's den."

Kobe stopped and snarled. “Either come with me or don't." He turned around and began walking away.

“Remember me when you're getting your face peeled off with dull stone knives!" Balin shouted after him.

Kobe kept on walking.

Balin balled his fists and turned westward. Fuck Kobe and his naivety. Fuck him for spurning the the gods' reward for enduring hardship. Balin's chances at Azizi's court were better alone anyway. His chest twinged with burning bile. Probably because of that kibble he had eaten.

He walked through the night. No border guards came after him, a sure sign their escape had gone unnoticed still. Dawn broke, but Azizi's castle was not yet in sight. As the sun climbed higher and the heat made it difficult to go on, Balin sought out a tree to rest under and a have a sip of water.

The savanna was even more desolate here than in Madini's territory. Not a single herd or peasant tent to be seen. A frightful thought occurred to him, that perhaps he had lost his bearings and was heading the wrong way altogether, but he pressed on. When the sky darkened, hazy firelights appeared in the distance, giving him strength to go on.

He did not get much closer before a lion guard intercepted him. Balin waited for him, crossing his hands across his chest in a sign of peace.

The guard stopped a a spear's length away from him, assuming a cautious stance. “Who are you and what business do you have on King Azizi's land?" His voice sounded younger than his sun weathered fur looked.

“My name is Balin and I come bearing a message for the King."

He looked him up and down. Balin's new clothes were not as tattered as his old ones, but didn't make him look any less like a vagabond. “A messenger? You look like a rogue to me."

“I am a rogue, yes, but I have information about Madini's pride which I believe the King would be most keen to hear."

The guard narrowed his eyes and tightened his grip on his spear. “What sort of information?"

“A secret way past the castle walls."

“A secret you're willing to share for a price?"

Balin nodded.

The guard raised the spear, ready to plunge it into Balin's chest at a moment's notice. “Worthless bum, looking for a handout! Get the hell off our land or I'll run you through!"

“Wait!" Balin cried, raising his hands. “It's the truth! I was captured by Madini's guards but managed to escape her dungeon. They put this collar on me! See?"

“You could have gotten that anywhere. Do you bear Madini's mark on your ear?"

A cold sweat erupted beneath Balin's mane. “I escaped before they could tattoo me."

“Of course you did."

How to prove his story? An embarrassing thought occurred to him. “Then... Where else could I have gotten this?" he said and lowered his breeches. The guard's gaze shifted downwards. He frowned, confusion and surprise mixing on his face. He seemed at a loss for words. “Do you believe me now?"

The guard hesitated for a long, stressful minute as he looked at him. “Very well," he finally said, though there was a tremor of uncertainty in his voice. Balin let out a breath of relief and pulled his breeches back up. “I will let the King decide. But know that if you are lying, there will be no escape from our dungeon." He made a flicking motion with his spear tip. “After you."

Balin walked as if the spear was pointed at his back. The stars were out again by the time they arrived at the castle gates. A lion at a high window shouted at them. “Hodari! What's that you got there? Bringing us a warm body to use for sword practice?"

“This one carries a message," Hodari shouted back. “The King will want to hear it."

The other guard duck inside and soon the great doors were swinging open, wood and rope and iron groaning.

A group of guards escorted Balin through the ward and into the palace. Though different from the one back home, it was unmistakable with its marble facade encrusted with painted and gilded carvings of past kings. They led him into the reception hall and made him kneel in front of an empty throne.

He knelt there in the darkness, alone except for the night guards standing at the sides. Their contemptuous gazes made his skin crawl. He glanced at the row of mounted heads on the wall behind the throne. His tail began to twitch. Would Azizi believe him? And would he be willing to admit a rogue like him into the pride? If the King ordered him beheaded, who would take offense? He wasn't even anybody important enough to be stuffed and mounted.

At long last, the King arrived and slumped down on his throne, wearing only a loose robe, his whiskers frazzled and eyes drooping.

Balin bowed. “Your Majesty. Thank you for seeing me."

“Yes, yes," King Azizi said. His voice was gravelly and he punctuated his sentence with a small cough. “Get to the point. I was told you escaped from Madini's dungeon and know of a secret entrance to the castle."

“It is so, Your Majesty. Let me explain how I came to learn of it. While passing through their territory, I was apprehended by her border guards who showed no respect for the unspoken agreement between rogues and prides."

The King harrumphed. “Females do not understand the hardships rogues face. Do go on."

“Of course, Your Majesty. I was taken to their dungeon and tortured, for such is their hatred of males that our mere presence is considered a crime."

The King leaned forward on his throne, an uncomfortably eager smile spreading on his lips. “What manner of tortures?" he asked.

“They used a contraption of rope and gears to… inflict the kind of pain only a male can experience."

Azizi sucked in air through a grin that could no longer be called toothy. “Ah yes, I would expect nothing less of them. I was told that like all males in that pride, you were fitted with a chastity cage. Let us see it."

Balin stood and dropped his breeches. Modesty be damned at this moment.

“What indignity," the King said, though his tone of voice and the wide smile on his muzzle did not match his words. He cast a sidelong glance at the lions standing to his left. “It might work to keep some of my unruly princes in line too."

The princes visibly tried to keep from snarling. Balin considered what to say next. It never hurt tell a King what he liked to hear, and embellishment always embettered a story. “Their depravity does not end there! The females of that pride do not lay with males, not even to conceive cubs. They employ the services of a foul creature, a hyena banished from her home city. You may have heard the rumors, that hyena females posses a mockery of a penis, a diseased organ that swallows the male partner's member like a snake. Let me tell you, these rumors are true. This she-demon forces herself upon a lion, who has been bound and made helpless, then mates with a lioness in his stead to pass his seed. Thusly they are able to bear cubs without having to touch a male."

Immediately after telling the tale, Balin's throat tightened. He may have just fucked himself. Were the rumors actually true? Hopefully the King didn't know either. To his great relief, Azizi slapped his armrests and exclaimed, “It is as I thought! They are witches! How did you manage to escape from their clutches?"

Balin closed his eyes, trying to think fast. This sort of thing had been Kobe's forte. “With the help of a sympathetic lion, a lowly servant tired of his mistreatment. He believed that together with a rogue like me, we would be strong enough to escape. Unfortunately, he could not keep up and was captured by the guards. Thankfully, the distraction allowed me to slip away unseen."

Azizi slitted his eyes. “Are the lions of that pride so pathetic they cannot even contemplate standing up to their oppressors without outside help?" Balin cringed inwardly. “Hrmh. It stands to reason they would be, without a strong King to lead them."

“Indeed, Your Majesty," Balin said, bowing deeply as relief washing over him.

“Then, what is this secret route you spoke of?"

“There is an old escape tunnel. The exit is hidden and its very existence likely forgotten."

“And you can tell me where it is?"

Better be careful now. Damn that Kobe for leaving right when he needed him the most. “No, Your Majesty, but I can lead you there. For a price."

Azizi snorted. “There is always a price. Let's hear it then."

Balin licked his lips but failed to moisten them. He lowered his head. “In exchange for this information, I ask only to be a prince again."

For a few long seconds, the King deliberated. “In all of history, only a handful of times has a castle been taken. The last attempt ended up creating that accursed queendom."

Baling tried to think of something to say. Kobe would have known some persuasive historical anecdote. Everybody knew that a siege was doomed without the cooperation of many kingdoms, but surely a secret like this changed the game. Thankfully, Azizi continued speaking. “However, the timing of your arrival is auspicious. The dry season has been particularly harsh this year and Madini has dug her wells too deep. Our cattle is but skin and bone while hers grow fat on grass and water that rightfully belongs to us."

Balin bowed again. “She is a pretender and a thief."

“Then this is my offer. You will lead my warriors to this hidden passage and fight alongside them to take the castle. If you prove yourself in battle, I will reward you with a rank commensurate to your bravery in my new vassal kingdom — though against females and cockless males, I doubt much bravery is needed."

If not for the cage he was still wearing, Balin's balls would have crawled up and hid somewhere inside his belly. What had he expected to happen? To be left at the castle to enjoy the company of the King's concubines while the rest of the lions went off to war? Even if he survived the fight, would he survive his new pride-brothers? Already they had to be sizing him up, speculating who he would displace in the the line of succession. Kobe must have predicted this as the best possible outcome. To hide the fear in his eyes, he bowed so deep his nose touched the floor.

The King stood from his throne. “This rogue may well bring our Kingdom to new heights of glory. Get him a soft bed and a pair of lionesses to warm it. Tomorrow, we go to war."

“Thank you, Your Majesty," Balin said. Before the King could leave, he added, while motioning at his privates, “But may I also request the services of a locksmith?"

“I'm sure there is a key somewhere in Madini's castle. May the gods reward you for your bravery tomorrow," the King said and left.

Hodari glared at Balin but no longer brandished his spear at him. His lip twitched and he made a nudging motion with his head. “Follow me."

He led Balin out and through the dark hallways of the keep to his new room. The bed chamber, illuminated by a tallow lamp on the wall, was a little on the small side, fit for the least of the lesser princes. There was just a narrow bed, barely big enough for two. Hidden beneath was a filthy sand pot that stunk of dry shit. In the back stood a wardrobe from which emanated the acrid smell of moth repelling herbs. Balin couldn't complain. Compared to the suffocating dungeon cell or the cold nights beneath an open sky, it might as well have been the King's personal chambers.

“You will not leave this room until summoned," Hodari said as he closed the door on him.

Balin flopped down onto a mattress so soft it had to be filled with ostrich down feathers. Things were coming his way at last but something felt hollow. Was it because Kobe was not here to share in his good fortune? No, he had made his choice. It was just nerves about tomorrow.

He flinched at the sound of the door creaking open and quickly sat up on the edge of the bed. Two lionesses entered. Balin's ears flatten and he almost went to kneel on the floor before remembering where he was and laughed nervously.

The concubines were clad in proper lionesses attire: short red wraparound skirts made of translucent silk, and skimpy, ornate tops that did more to emphasize their ample bosoms than conceal. Thick gold necklaces and bracelets both demonstrated the King's wealth and marked them as his property. Without thinking, Balin touched his own leather collar before quickly pulling his hand away as if burned.

“I am Imani and this is Itanya," one of the lionesses said. “And you are the hero who will lead our Kingdom to victory over the wicked Queen."

“I suppose… Yes. Yes I am."

The two walked towards him, their hips swaying hypnotically. They sat down on either side of him, pressing up against him with their soft, hot bodies.

“My poor prince," Itanya purred. “How long have you been living in exile?"

“Coming on two years now."

“How dreadful! You must be a strong lion to have survived so long on your own."

The room was starting to warm up very nicely. Balin lay down on his back and the lionesses snuggled up to him, warming him even further. He squeezed their soft, round asses and held them by the bases of their supple tails. Gods, how he had missed this. After so long with only Kobe for company, meeting lionesses acting as lionesses should was like coming home.

Imani stroked his chest and gazed into his eyes. “We've heard gruesome stories of what goes on in the wicked queen's castle. Did they hurt you?"

“It was terrifying indeed. They imprisoned me in their dungeon and tortured me in ways so unspeakable, you would faint if I were to describe my ordeal! Indeed, I was lucky to escape with my lionhood still attached!"

Imani gasped loudly. “Are you alright? They did not… permanently injure you?"

“Oh, don't worry, I am quite intact!"

“May we see?"

Balin grinned. “I insist."

The lionesses turned their attentions towards his lower half. Slowly and sensually, Imani undid his belt and and pulled down his breeches. They leaned over to examine his crotch, looking impressed by what they saw. “What a loss it would have been! But what is this thing covering your sheath? Is this the rumored chastity cage they force upon their slaves?"

I'm afraid so," Balin said. “I shan't be able to satisfy you tonight."

“To deprive a lion of his most favorite joy in life! Does their cruelty know no bounds?"

Itanya petted Balin's inner thigh, looking enraptured by the way her touch made his balls twitch. “At least they are not like the hyenas who like to make eunuchs of their servants."

Imani began stroking his mane. “But anyone can tell you're no eunuch!" Her fingers stopped at the collar nestled among the hair. “Oh, they've even collared you! Look at this, there's no buckle, it has been permanently riveted closed."

Balin grunted in agreement. “I'll need to get my hands on a good pair of shears to cut it off."

Itaniya removed a long pin from her top, undoing it. Balin stared at her breasts, the most beautiful pair he'd seen in two years. “Let me do it for you," she said and held the thick metal needle uncomfortably close to Balin's throat. Balin nodded and held his breath as she hooked a finger beneath the leather and began working the rivets loose. It took a minute but she managed to get the stifling thing off.

“You wouldn't happen to know how to pick a lock with that thing?"

“I'm sorry, but that is a skill I do not possess. And I would not trust my clumsy hands with anything sharp around your private parts. If I injured you there, why, they'd whip the skin off my back!"

“That's too bad," Balin said absentmindedly. There was a more pressing concern or two, namely Itaniya's tits right up in his face. He cupped them in his hands, squeezed and kneaded them. Itanya rewarded him with sexy little moans and purrs. Imani nuzzled his side and caressed his belly, her hand creeping lower and lower. Balin felt a tightness in his loins and his cock cage painfully reminded him of its presence.

His blood burned hot. The cage over his dick became agonizingly tight, frustrating like a reward perpetually dangled just out of reach. He pushed the lionesses off him.

“My prince?" Imani asked.

“Leave me," Balin said. “I must… conserve my strength for tomorrow."

“As you wish, my prince." The concubines wore coy, sympathetic smiles, as they bowed and turned away.

He flopped onto his back, letting out a deep sigh, and resumed staring at the ceiling.

---

Hodari came to fetch Balin at noon. “I trust you had a pleasant night," he said curtly.

“The best in years."

“Hmph. The King requires your presence."

“After you," Balin said.

Hodari escorted him to the courtroom. Around a long table sat lions dressed in leather armor, complete with swords on their belts. The most high ranking princes, by the look of the ornamentation on their spaulders and breastplates. Azizi himself sat on his throne at the end.

“Ah," the King said as Balin stepped into the room. “The hero of the day arrives." There was an empty spot on his left-hand side which he patted in invitation. “Sit."

“I am honored to sit at your council." Balin bowed and took his place, tracked by the envious gazes of the princes.

“Good, for now it is time for you to demonstrate your worth." Azizi pointed to a map spread on the table. “Show us where the entrance is."

The map, centered on Madini's castle, showed the landscape in great detail. Even the border guards' routes and schedules had been marked. It was not something drawn up in a single night. Balin's hands trembled as he deliberated how much he could reveal without losing the one thing that made him valuable. He waggled his finger in the rough area. A drop of sweat fell on the paper. “It is here. The landmarks I used to memorize the location do not appear on this map so I cannot be more precise."

“That is deep in Madini's territory, though not as close to the castle as I had feared," Azizi said, nodding slowly as if in deep thought. “However, the moon is still new. With some caution, we should be able to reach there unnoticed."

“My King, I must warn you that due to my escape, it is possible the guards are on high alert."

“If spotted, we only need prevent them from alerting the castle. Our new weapons will be of help. Tell me more about the tunnel."

“The entrance is nearly invisible unless you're right on top of it, and even then easily mistakable for a fox burrow. It leads directly to the castle basement but the other end is protected by an iron gate and guard patrols."

“As long we can get past the walls, we should encounter no resistance we can't handle." Azizi turned towards his audience. “Try to take the females alive if possible, especially Madini. I have great plans for her. However, do not let your guard down, for these are no ordinary lionesses. Expect feigned surrender and backstabbing. Be sure to take their clothes, they may be concealing weapons."

One of the princes leaned forward to address the King. “What of the males? They may be willing to defect to our side."

“We have no need of them. Kill them all." The King stood. “You all know what to do. We march in the afternoon. Be prepared."

The princes waited for the King to leave before getting up themselves. Just as Balin was standing up, Hodari put his hand on his shoulder. “You're with me."

He took him to the armory. After years spent as a rogue, his one set of breeches and vest growing more threadbare by the day, getting to wear proper leathers made Balin feel like a real lion again. Hodari observed him with his muzzle wrinkled in disdain. As Balin started to eye the row of flintlock pistols and muskets and gunpowder horns, he shook his head and said, “No. Take a sword. You do know how to swing one?"

Balin took a short sword from a rack, felt its balance and sheathed it in a smooth motion. He gave Hodari a pointed look that disguised the cold terror gripping his insides. Sure, he'd trained with a sword, just like everyone else. He knew the basic forms and stances. A hay dummy stood no chance against him. But actual dueling experience? That depended on whether cubhood wooden stick fights counted.

Hodari made a tsk noise. “Perhaps you'll hold your own against a female. Just don't get in our way."

Up at the courtyard, the army was mustering. Armored lions were gathering into columns, preparing to march out. At a quick estimate, the force was about a hundred strong, all lions in their prime fighting age. Left behind were the cubs and the elderly, and probably just enough guards to keep up appearances and patrol the territory. Sending what was effectively the entire army at once was a risky move but it made sense. This was no ordinary siege but a sneak strike. It had to be swift and decisive to work, there was greater risk in half measures. The castle would be theirs by dawn. It would also work in Balin's favor. He could easily lose himself among the throng and keep away from the vanguard. Maybe discreetly smear his sword with blood from a fallen enemy to play up his involvement.

Hodari led him to the front of the column, led by a huge lion with notched ears and scar striped fur. He wore the weary expression familiar from the face of every crown prince who was feeling the years of his youth draining like the last grains of a sandglass while the old king just kept on going with inexplicable vitality and obscene virility.

The lead lion looked down at him. “Balin the rogue. I am Zama, the first prince of Azizi."

Balin bowed. “My lord."

“My father is convinced you are the answer to his prayers. Certainly, the timing of your arrival is most fortunate. A bit too fortunate, someone more cynical might say." Zama narrowed his eyes. “If this drought does not end soon, the reign of the current king might."

“None would wish nothing but long life for the King," Balin said, keeping his eyes downcast.

“Far be it from me to harbor ill thoughts. Victory over Madini means a kingdom of my own while my beloved father still lives. Are you ready to show us the path?"

“I am."

“Then you shall be handsomely rewarded upon our triumph. But if this turns out to be nothing but a cheap ploy to get a roof over your head, I will personally remove that need for you."

Balin swallowed. “I am a lion of my word."

“I will hold you to that."

The castle gates swung open with a loud grinding noise and the warriors marched out, Zama at the lead and Balin by his side. If old Taji could only seem him now, leading an army to battle! Certain past indiscretions might be forgotten.

As the castle disappeared from sight and daylight began to wane, so did his newfound exuberance. They marched through the night. If they stopped to rest for a day, the army would surely be spotted and the element of surprise ruined.

When they crossed over to Madini's territory, the savanna was but an ashen plain under the stars. Every snap of a twig beneath someone's paw set his hackles on end. As they drew near to their destination, his hands began to tremble, his stomach churn.

Azizi's map had been accurate, for they had managed to evade every border guard patrol. That there were no additional sentries meant either that their escape had gone unnoticed, or the lionesses were just glad to be rid of them. But still, for a whole army to get within sight of the castle without being spotted was unusual to say the least, even if it was a nearly moonless night. Or perhaps they had been seen, and the guards were busy fortifying the walls and preparing the boiling oils to pour on anyone attempting to breach or scale them, not expecting the attack to come from within.

Balin recognized the dead acacia tree, the pile of boulders, and the large termite mound he had committed to memory. The entrance was near. He signaled the troops to lay low while he searched for the stunted sicklebrush tree that grew just next to the entrance.

He crawled on all fours, looking. Again a terrible thought intruded his mind: what if he had mistaken the location? Even in daylight, the savanna had scant few landmarks to orient by. He was just about to despair when saw it: the withered, leafless brush. Relief washed over him as he crawled towards it. There was something hanging from one of the twigs. Balin took it. He could barely make out its shape, but it was a strip of dark leather with torn ends, like a short belt… or a collar. His fingertips found a pair of rivets on it. Kobe's collar? But what was it doing here? Had he been caught? A cold sweat erupted on his brow.

Zama crouched down next to him. “Have you found it?" he whispered.

Balin slipped the collar into his pocket. “It's right here." He crawled forward and nearly fell into the hole as ground gave way beneath his hands. He scrabbled back, staring at the abyss opening before him. The fur on his back stood on end and his breath caught in his throat. “This is where we—I came out," he managed to say. There was a strange ringing in his ears and blue stars twinkled at the edges of his vision. He squeezed the collar in his pocket so tight his claws broke the skin of his palm.

“Then get in and show us the way."

Balin's legs weighted like lead and it was as if he had forgotten how to work his muscles. “I…" he said, his voice cracking like that of a puling cub. He was paralyzed with fear, a sort of all consuming, irrational dread that made the fur of his back stand on end. He felt like his very soul was leaving his body, hanging on by wispy threads.

“What's the matter with you?" Zama said. Balin stared at the pale green fire in his eyes. “Have you lost your nerve?" Zama must must have noticed his ears and whiskers folding back. He leaned towards him, putting his muzzle and inch away from his, sharp white teeth bared. “Do your duty. There is no room at my table for cowards."

Something crunched behind him. Somewhere in the distance a fox barked, a sound like the scream of a lioness. Next thing Balin knew he was running. Despite the long march, his body had found a hidden reserve of strength. He was flying over the savanna, light as a feather, his paws barely touching the ground every now and then. He was a passenger aboard his own body, peering through the windows that were his eyes.

In his path stood a massive block of sandstone. He took shelter behind it, leaning his back against its hard, solid surface. His breath wheezed in his throat and tears blurred his sight. What happened? What had he done? He had let his big chance slip through his fingers like desert sand. Deep down, did he not think he deserved the prize he had spent years working towards?

Balin peeked around block. He could just about see a hint of motion, the column of warriors crawling into the tunnel. Perhaps he could still salvage the situation. Run back and join the fray.

Something moved in the corner of his eye. Balin snapped his head around to see a dark shape slowly moving in the bushes. Again, a chill passed over him, colder than a cloudless night sky, and even the very stars seemed to grow dimmer. He heard something, like the wind whispering his name. He froze in place. The dark shape drew closer. Now he heard it clearly: a voice saying his name. It was Kobe's voice. Balin let out a crazed giggle.

Crouching low, Kobe scurried to his side behind the rock. Balin looked at him, not sure if he was seeing things. He kept his voice low. “What are you still doing here?"

Kobe stared intently at the procession at the tunnel entrance. “Waiting for you," he whispered. “I was going to give it a couple more days before moving on, but if you were still alive, I was sure you'd come here."

“I should go back," Balin said but Kobe grabbed him by his arm. So he was real. He looked at him questioningly.

“Didn't you see my message?"

“What message?"

“The one I scratched on my collar and left at the entrance." Seeing Balin's blank look, Kobe continued, “Never mind. Just watch. This will not end well for them."

Balin frowned at him. “That is a legion of trained warriors. A pride of females is no match for them."

“Cunning makes up for a lack of brute strength. Have you seen the border guards?"

“There are no guards here."

“And you don't find that odd? They know the tunnel is open. Yesterday I saw them go in and out many times."

“I don't understand."

“You will soon."

The last of the warriors entered the tunnel. For many minutes nothing happened. The savanna was as still as a painting. Then, a faint tremor shook the ground beneath their paws and a great cloud of dust erupted from the mouth of the secret passage. A rumble like of distant thunder followed.

“What was that?" Balin asked, though he was afraid he knew the answer.

“Gunpowder would be my guess. Doesn't look like the entire tunnel collapsed so maybe they intend on taking Azizi's warriors hostage. Though something tells me it won't be Azizi who's sitting on the throne tomorrow."

He turned towards Kobe, eyes wide. “Did you know that was going to happen?"

“I had my suspicions. We didn't escape, we were sent out like carrier pigeons."

“How could you possibly suspect? If the trap was so obvious, why did Azizi go through with the attack?"

“Prides have tolerated capricious tyrants for thousands of years, but rarely have they tolerated empty bellies for longer than a season. Even the smallest chance of victory is better than no chance of survival at the hands of one's own sons." Kobe turned his head toward him and grinned. “You didn't regain your princehood, but look on the bright side. You can add the conquest of a kingdom to your list of accomplishments. Even if it was the wrong kingdom that fell."

Balin clenched his fists. Kobe was being much too flippant. That could have been him in there! “Is this funny to you?"

“Kingdom politics can be immensely entertaining when you're not in the middle of them. Come on, we better get going if we want to keep it that way." Kobe turned eastward, away from the conflict.

“Are you still planning on going to the leopards?" Balin asked as he scurried after him.

“Of course. What about you?"

“I don't know." Balin sighed. “Azizi's Kingdom is not an option anymore. I lost all my gold. I'm back where I started."

“Then may I suggest an alternative?"

“If it's what I think it is, I don't want to hear it."

“It's not. Go to Gessai-na-tamus." Even in the dark, Kobe must have seen Balin's snarl of disgust. “Hear me out. I've heard lions can make a good living there. Among the hyena Houses, a lion guard is supposedly a symbol of high status. You're already dressed for the job."

Balin was about to retort but caught himself before rejecting it out of hand. The idea did have a strange appeal to it. Only now did it occur to him that the crazy hyena might have just been acting. He hadn't cut anything off or put leeches on him, which meant either he didn't know anything about doctoring, or had to be very good at it. Perhaps the things he'd heard about hyena cities were, as Kobe would say, propaganda.

The warmth of a bright potential future opening before him put a little spring in Balin's step. Yes, perhaps he would try his luck with the hyenas. Unlike the tree climbing savages Kobe was enamored with, they were at least civilized!