A Lion's Healing Love

by Draugr & Element

Chapter 1: Would it be That Bad if I Got a Little Tubby?

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License

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As the moon started its crawl up into the sky, the light slowly crept up the side of the house and into the window of what appeared to be a pair of young men. As the light slowly crawled its way across the room like a snail, the two sleeping figures were illuminated. One was that of a handsome lion, who appeared to have an equally handsome wolf pinned under him.

The lion's name was Georgio, and his head rested on the wolf's shoulder, which appeared to have some sort of scabbed over bite mark on it. The lion's coarse chestnut mane covered his head - still full of dreams, it appeared. As the light slithered further over his form the contours of his muscles could be seen, as well as his arms wrapped firmly around the wolf's torso. The shine from his sandy yellow fur cast an odd reflection on the the creamy white and gray fur of the wolf beneath him, almost making him look as though he were glowing. And then - as light always does, even moonlight, it broke into the hazy dreamworld, and his eyes carefully opened in response.

Georgio smiled groggily as he carefully pushed himself up a little with his arms. The wolf's back gently shuddered at the rush of cool air that came between the valley of their bodies. He looked down, smiling at the wolf, his mate and lover. Randall clearly did not appear to want to be woken up. His gray fur was matted a bit in the back from having a lion pressed to it all night. His muzzle was pointed away from the window, and he appeared to be sleeping more peacefully than he ever had in his entire life.

"Randall, love? My mate? Slave? Wakey wakey...master is ready to pull out...I want to talk about what we did..."

The wolf in question grumbled a little, waking up slowly.

"Dya hafta pullou..." he slurred.

Georgio smiled, kissing his neck, and lightly nibbling along the back.

"Now, don't be like that, slave...I have to pull out sometime...your rear needs a bit of rest." Georgio gently raised himself up a bit more on his arms. He used one to lift his tail out of the way so that he could sit himself up, and then slipped gently from the wolf's warm hole. Randall winced softly, but held still...he knew his master hadn't meant to hurt him.

Georgio sat on his legs as he looked at his wolf's used little hole. It must have been a strange feeling for Randall, to have his rear used like that and to actually enjoy it - for the soreness to be there, and be happy about it. "So...are you feeling okay, Randall? Anything you want to talk about? I know that was a really big step for you, and I'm so proud...you can say anything you like, I want to know how to make this experience be the best thing in the world for you, you deserve it."

"I...um...I, uh, liked it all..." he said, rubbing his eyes, remaining on his belly, still a bit too nervous around his master to risk offending him in anyway. He could tell the lion wanted something from him, however, so he squinted his eyes, and thought hard.

"I...I guess you kinda scared me a little, back near the beginning..."

"I'm sorry about that Randall...my instincts just sort of kicked in...but you wanted to be mine, all mine, didn't you? To completely submit? That means obeying me, not telling me when to take you." The lion laid back beside him, wrapping his arms around Randall, licking the wound he made in his shoulder.

"Sorry about this, too...it's how my ancestors did it, and it is a part of me now...was I too rough?"

"N-no...it's okay, Master," he said, feeling more than physical closeness to his master as he was embraced. "It hurt...but...I expected that, so it's okay. Maybe a little rougher than I expected...but, I liked it!" he said, quickly explaining himself, not even needing to force a smile as he looked back.

"As long as you enjoyed it, Randall...that is what matters most to me," he said with an equally bright smile.

"You can do whatever you want to me," the wolf continued. "You bought me...a-and...I want to be your slave now...and nothing you do will change that," he whispered, gently nuzzling the lion.

"I don't want to hurt you, Randall...I know you're still hurting from everything that was done to you...and yes, you are my property, but...I'm still scared of hurting you, and in more ways than one." He nuzzled him back and softly kissed his ear. His eyes were full of worry over that comment - Randall had been through such horror that he thought it was a miracle he'd come this far. To hurt Randall now, and break that trust and bond...it would shatter the poor wolf beyond any hope.

"Master...even if you hurt me really bad, I'd know it was by accident. I trust you."

Georgio's breath caught then...just how deep did this wolf's devotion run for him? It seemed like mere moments ago that Randall had been outright defiant, defensive...had even hated him for owning him...but now he was dependent on him in a nearly dysfunctional way. The responsibility he had for his Randall scared him...the wolf trusted him so much that he could literally do anything to him at this point, and Randall would simply rationalize it away as being an "accident" or something entirely else. The lion knew he would never abuse this...but still, this realization was rather sobering. His thoughts were broken by a couple licks to the bottom of his chin, and a sweetly smiling wolf looking up at him.

"Love you, Randall..." he added, with a smile. "So...moving on, is there...is there anything you think you'd like? Other avenues you'd like to explore?" he said, gently trying to broach a topic he thought might be difficult. Georgio was nothing if not kinky, but he knew anything more than "vanilla" might be a bit terrifying for his wolf.

Randall lowered his ears - all he was able to think about was what was done to him in the past when he had been mercilessly raped.

"I...I don't really know what I like, Master. I mean, with you...e-everything is different. I didn't even know if I would like being...t-taken, and...I did. Maybe I'd even like being tied up and stuff..."

Randall fell silent, flipping over carefully and resting his head on the lion's chest, feeling it rise and fall with every breath. "I...I want to make you happy. You can try whatever you want...and I'll let you know if it scares me."

Georgio furrowed his eyebrows, not quite sure if they were ready for such things yet, given Randall's response. He wasn't sure that Randall wouldn't just lie about being scared, out of a need to make his owner happy. "Well, Randall...we will take things slowly, then, and gradually...but I think we already know my sweet little slave loves to be roughed up by his big strong master, huh?" he said, laughing. He kissed his head, and sniffed in a little. "Mmm...you smell good. You smell like me, heh..." Georgio tightened his arms up just a little, sighing contentedly, as Randall fretted over the idea of Kana noticing that he'd been "bred." She was a Shepherd, after all - with a canine's nose, there would be no escaping it. After a few moments, he decided he didn't mind at all if she found out. He was proud of it.

"That was the best fuck I've ever had..." Georgio said aloud. "And I think it calls for a good shower and a meal. How about you?"

"I...I'm pretty hungry too, Master," the wolf said quietly.

"Alright, then, its bath time. Then afterward, maybe I'll teach you how to clean the sheets." Georgio stood up, carrying his wolf into the shower with him, muffling a yelp as his rear was cupped - it had been a rather savage mating, after all.

"Are you sore?" the lion asked, concerned. "I have some of that lotion I can put on you after our shower, it should soothe the pain a bit." Randall simply nodded in response as his master set him down on a small stool.

"You just sit here and take it easy, and let Master pamper you a little bit, okay?" Randall did his best to do just that, even if it did hurt to sit down a little - but he didn't show it, worrying that it might make his master distressed. He shuddered as the hot water ran down him, soaking into his undercoat...that was one of the best feelings in the world for the wolf, who was already rather neurotic about keeping himself clean, and had been denied that privilege for so long.

Georgio grinned, seeing his reaction. "Like that, Randall? You like being spoiled? Who's my sweet boy, huh?" he asked, pecking his muzzle, then began to wash the caked-in cum out of it.

Randall blushed, eliciting a small laugh from the lion. "Well, I'm glad you like it, I love to treat a good slave like this." With that, he helped Randall stand up, so that he could better clean his lower half. Once finished, he got the small nozzle attachment that he had used earlier, before he'd been mated...Randall saw this and grimaced, but said nothing. However, when Georgio attempted to insert it, Randall let out a pained yelp.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, Randall...are you okay? Talk to me, sweetie..."

"I-I'm...I'm okay, s-sorry, try again?"

"No, no, not at all, you're in a bit too much pain for that...we can just skip to the lotion later. I don't want to hurt you...now, how about you wash me down a little, okay?"

Randall nodded, glad that the device wasn't going up under his tail again. Randall sat back down gingerly, and began working on his master's back. The rest of the shower passed without event, save for a small bit of embarrassment and hesitation when Randall had to clean off the lion's genitals, and under his tail.

"Maybe if you're a good boy, one of these days I'll let you have this," the lion joked.

"But...Master, I'm your slave, aren't I?" he asked, genuinely confused. In Randall's mind, a slave did not top, ever. The thought was incomprehensible to him.

"Well, you don't have to, Randall, but I'd let you take my tail-hole because I love you okay? Because you are my mate and my slave...that makes things different, understand?"

"Y-yeah...I guess..." Randall said distantly, still a bit confused. He worried that such a thing might upset the dynamic of their relationship...although if being mated like that didn't upset things any, nothing would, he reflected.

A short time later, Georgio stood up and turned off the water. Randall waited until he stepped out of the shower to shake off, then toweled himself off further before stepping out. He winced a bit as he ran the towel over his rump, but the pain was already improving...even before he bent himself over the sink and lifted his tail, so a bit of the soothing salve could be applied.

"Now, let's get a bandage for that bite...it's still bleeding a little bit..." Georgio picked up a pair of fur-trimming shears, and turned to Randall. The wolf whined a little, realizing his precious fur coat was going to be trimmed away for the bandage...he even backed away a little, but then sat down on the tub edge as he was told to.

Georgio did his best just to thin things out a little and preserve the appearance his canine treasured so much, he knew how important that was to Randall. He scratched Randall's ear a bit, seeing the wolf squinting his eyes and looking away. "See, that's not much, just thinned out a little. It'll grow back in no time."

Randall slowly opened his eyes, expecting his coat to be ruined, and...

"Oh...that looks okay, I guess."

"Good boy. Now stand up and bend over for me okay? Tail high, and rest your paws on the tub edge."

Randall did as he was told, the motion quite easy for him, having been forced to do it many times in the past. He hated "assuming the position;" it left him feeling far too vulnerable. There was too much negative association, even though his master had proven to him that he was quite trustworthy. As far as more immediate consequences - well, he didn't want to be limping around Tom and John's house with Kana tomorrow.

Georgio frowned seeing his discomfort - leaning down to give the wolf a quick lap at his tailhole, just to ease things up. "Master won't hurt you, Randall. Just relax, Master won't hurt you, you know that..." the lion cooed softly as he pulled the cap off the salve, exposing a small nozzle.

Georgio pet him just above the base of his tail, scratching him a little, applying a little dab. He smiled, leaned forward to kiss his cheek, and said:

"Take a deep breath...hold it...then release."

As the wolf started to exhale, he felt a red-hot, burning pain in his tailhole as the nozzle was pushed inward and squeezed, coating his insides with the salve. He yelped, biting his lip at the pain.

"Good boy...that's a good boy. Just clench and lay down on the bed for a few minutes, let the salve do its work, alright?"

Georgio went to the bathroom, putting the bottle away, as Randall limped over to the bed, laid down, and curled up into a ball, feeling miserable. He grabbed his tail and played with a little, trying to distract himself. A few moments later he felt his master's comforting presence on the bed beside him - and then his paw, rubbing his back from neck to rump.

"Good boy...how do you feel?"

Randall paused, not sure how to answer - he still hurt, but he didn't think his master would like to hear that.

"I-I feel b-better, Master," he said nervously.

The lion just smirked in response. He could tell from that tell-tale stutter that he was fibbing something fierce. "Aaaand you're clearly lying, just give it a minute, okay? It'll feel like soothing aloe in a minute or two...give it time."

He flattened his ears against his head at that - he had been lying, and felt quite ashamed at getting caught. He supposed eventually he would get used to his master penetrating him but until that time he'd have to get used to this. A full week had gone by without anyone fucking him, which was longer than the normal amount of time Randall had to heal up - one, maybe two days at most. It was an odd cycle for his body to get used to after five years. Not that Randall would mind the old cycle - in time - now that he had a master who actually cared about him.

Sensing his wolf's discomfort, Georgio pulled him over so his head was resting in his lap, scratching him behidn the ears.

"Nice, deep breaths, Randall...just think about the wonderful life you and I are going to have together, and the pain will vanish, okay?"

"I'll be okay, Master...I just need to get used to it again."

Georgio grinned and nodded. "I know, but don't get ahead of yourself. We can work at your pace, okay?" That was a hard thing for Georgio to say - what he wanted was to be able to take Randall under the tail multiple times a day...but that would only ever come if Randall was up for that. And if it never came at all - well, that was fine too. He was more than aware that Randall was "damaged" and he was willing - even eager - to help the wolf work through his problems.

He looked down, seeing the wolf's eyes getting all droopy. "You're still tired...how about I let you fall asleep here, and I'll wake you up when dinner is ready, alright? I'll get us something special."

Randall whined a bit, not liking the idea of Master leaving him alone while he was sleeping. He'd be so vulnerable. "Y-you'll still be in the house, right?" he asked nervously.

Georgio just smiled, gave a short nod of his head, then started humming an old lullaby he knew, trying to relax his wolf. It didn't take much of this before Randall was yawning, moments away from sleep.

"I'll be right back, pup," he whispered. Randall just made a small noise in the back of his throat, shifting over a bit as Georgio got up. "I wouldn't leave you..." he said, trailing off as he realized Randall was already sleeping. This time when he dreamed, it must have been something happy - his ears would perk up every now and then, and sometimes just the faintest glimmer of a smile could be seen. His tail wagged, rather lazily and arrhythmically.

Georgio watched awhile, then stepped out into the hall so as not to wake his slave. Taking out his cell phone, he dialed up his favorite Chinese take-out restaurant. "Hi - yeah, I'd like to order some...um, some dumplings, chicken wings, that pork family special you guys do...yeah, that one, and the beef one too. Veggie and pork rolls...and, um, two things of rice...uh-uh...yep. Okay, that sounds good...thank you, bye."

He quickly returned to the bedroom, scooting Randall back into his lap, just enjoying the chance to be able to pet the wolf. He watched as he rolled over onto his back, paws held out in the air above him, almost like a feral dog would do. His tongue flopped rather lazily out the side of his mouth. He was working his jaws back and forth, although he was not making any noises. Suddenly, however, his ears dropped back to the side of his head, and he made a few whimpering noises. His tail tucked between his legs...and then he growled. A rather frightening growl at that - not a noise the submissive wolf usually made at all. His teeth bared, then snapped, clamping his jaws shut - right on his tongue, which woke him right up. His head shot straight up from where he was laying, cracking his master on the underside of his jaw.

"Owwwww!" Randall shouted, not realizing what he'd just done to the lion.

"Owwww! Geeze!" Georgio exclaimed in turn, falling back on the bed and rubbing his chin.

"Master!" the wolf cried out, thinking he'd hurt him badly. He moved over quickly, despite his own pain, and held onto the lion's arm.

"I'msorryI'msorryI'msorryI'msorryI'msorry!" he apologized. "I-I didn't mean to!" he said, preemptively trying to get out of a punishment he was sure was coming his way.

Georgio looked at him, rubbing his jaw. It was sore, but not too bad. He felt around, nothing seemed chipped or broken.

"Just a sec..." he said, a little irritated, but not wanting Randall to sense that. He walked over to the mirror and checked. "Nope, I'm fine...you okay? You have a bad dream?" he asked, walking back over to the bed and setting down.

Randall didn't respond except to move in closer to his master's side, shivering and seeking comfort as he remembered the rather terrifying dream.

"It was Trent..." he said simply. "He hurt you." The fur around the corners of his eyes darkened as he shed a few tears over that thought.

Georgio chuckled a bit, still rubbing his jaw. "Well, if he tries anything, you just head-butt the bastard, alright? You got a head as hard as stone it seems." He leaned down and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "You don't have to worry about him, okay? Let me do that."

"It still worries me...thinking something could happen to you. I don't know what I'd do," he said, nuzzling the lion. He let out a long sigh, upset he couldn't simply wish his problems away.

"Well, how about this - when that bastard is finally taken care of, let's go away somewhere. I have some vacation time built up, how about I take you somewhere fun...where have you always wanted to go, Randall?"

Randall had to think hard at this. He'd been kept in perpetually low spirits for so long, his dreams constantly crushed beneath other fur's feet, he didn't have many notions of going somewhere or having any fun. But surely there was something...maybe a picture he'd seen, or a story he'd read when he was just a puppy.

"Hehe, don't hurt your noggin there...is there anyplace you wanted to go as a kid?" he asked, nibbling his ear playfully.

"It's...it's kind of hard to remember, Master," he said, making it sound almost like an apology. "I...I always thought it might be kind of fun to go on a cruise." Randall vaguely remembered his parents taking cruise vacations, but never with him. They left their "disappointment" of a son at home with the butler to fend for himself.

"Any particular place? Alaska? The Carribean?"

"My mom and dad would leave their travel brochures at home when they took off with my...my s-sister. I'd look at the pictures and pretend I was there, too...I...I don't know where, though. There were lots of pictures of the boats and it looked like fun."

Georgio did not miss the hesitation when Randall mentioned his sibling.

"Is something wrong...is there anything you want to tell me?"

"I...sh-she..." The wolf bit his lip before he was able to explain. "She was hurt," he said, then got very quiet for several minutes, doing nothing but laying against his master. He was clearly disturbed enough about it for Georgio to tell far more was involved than simply "being hurt." The way Randall had said it sounded like a childish euphemism for death.

"It was my fault..." Randall said, although it was unclear if it was really his fault or just something he blamed himself for. Or, more than likely, something his parents blamed him for. Oddly, Randall did not appear to be shedding any tears at this memory - in fact, it looked like he just bottled himself up, getting very rigid and emotionally dead.

Georgio pulled him up into his lap so he was sitting upright, wrapping his arms around him.

"Randall...it's okay, you can tell me what happened if you want."

Randall said nothing for several minutes. When he finally did, his voice was cracking singificantly.

"If...if I would have told Mom and Dad, they wouldn't have let her drive off...but...she made me promise, and, and I d-didn't tell, 'cuz...'cuz that's what brothers and sisters do, right? But...I didn't say anything. A-anything."

"Are...are you sure she passed away? Was it a car accident?" Georgio asked, trying to read between the lines. He didn't want to press Randall too hard but maybe this was something he could help the wolf with.

Randall shook his head.

"She's...she's gone now. She was the only one who ever told me I should just be who I am...to do what makes me happy."

"And you are, right, Randall? I make you happy, don't I?" Randall nodded, tilting his head up and licking the lion's chin - right as the doorbell rang, popping the wolf out of his depressed mood. Food sounded pretty good right about now.

"Oh! That's the food, how about I get it, okay?" Georgio got up, slipped into his shorts, then went downstairs, Randall in tow - having no intentions of leaving the lion's side. The lion laughed a little seeing that. He opened the door - making sure Randall was behind it to avoid any unpleasant surprises - paid the delivery boy, then took the food to the kitchen table.

"Okay, Randall, you have permission to sit at the table. You will need my help to eat this time. I ordered Chinese, and we're going to eat it like we should - with chopsticks."

Randall slowly got up on a chair, feeling very, very out of place - but when a pork roll was put over on his place, he quickly forgot about all that. He looked at it, wondering why on earth he needed help to eat it. Shrugging his shoulders, he picked it up with his paws, tossed it in his muzzle, chewed, and swallowed in a matter of seconds.

Georgio laughed, the handed him a pair of chopsticks. "You're supposed to eat with these, not your paws. Try it," he said, place his paws around Randall's, showing him how they worked.

Randall fumbled around with the chopsticks for awhile after his master removed his guiding paws, proving to be exceptionally uncoordinated with them. He dropped the roll multiple times, never managing to get it up to his mouth.

"Urrrrgghhh!" he growled, snapping them in half and slamming the pieces down on the table. "Why would they make something so stupid?!?" he pouted, crossing his arms and sitting back roughly in the chair.

"Randall! Temper!" Georgio scowled curtly, looking very cross. This seemed to work to prevent a real outburst - the wolf flattened his ears and lowered his head, his body relaxing a little.

The lion sighed, then went to get some silverware and plates.

"We can try this another time, okay? But I want you to behave, and eat slowly. Deal?"

"Yes, Master," Randall replied, meekly. The wolf took small bites of all the different items - liking about half of them, not particularly caring for the other.

"Some of the sauces taste funny," he said.

Georgio chuckled. "Yeah, and I know you don't like the veggie stuff either, but they're good for you, so eat up. Master's orders."

"They taste funny..." he complained, poking at them with his fork, glaring at them as though they were live and liable to jump off his plate at any moment - though Randall probably would prefer it if they did.

"Randall, did you hear me? They are good for you, and I don't care if you don't like them. You need them for a balanced diet, we aren't ferals. Now eat up, or you'll be punished."

The wolf apparently was still a bit sleep deprived - or maybe he was just testing the waters - but he dared an audible grumble, and a few more grimaces, wrinkled noses, fork-pushing, and general looks of disgust, before starting in. It wasn't long before about half of them were gone.

Georgio finally looked over and took pity on him. He was at least trying to obey, even reluctantly. "Let me put some sauce on them, maybe that will make it better," he said with a smile. "It's a kind of sweet sauce, try it with them and I think it will make things easier on you, okay?"

Randall let his master fix up his vegetables - once again spending a lot more time poking, prodding, and stirring them around then he did eating them. However, figuring he was going to have to eat them one way or another - and also figuring they would taste slightly less awful hot than cold - he tentatively took a small bite.

"...I...guess it's not that bad," he begrudgingly admitted. He didn't necessarily like them, but he no longer disliked them either.

"Good boy, Randall," he said, reaching a paw over to scratch him around the ears. "You make me very proud, now you can have as much meat as you like."

Randall wasted no time going after the more "meaty" items - eating quickly, but at least not sloppily. He looked over at his master once he was finished - a short, awkward silence ensuing before being broken by an abrupt, wolfy belch.

"Nice one, Randall," Georgio laughed. "But remember your manners if we have company. You won't be allowed up at the table anyway but that doesn't mean you can be rude, okay? Now toss out the empty containers and wash the dishes."

That task didn't take long - and Randall somehow managed to do it without any mishaps. As he was standing at the sink watching the water drain, Georgio came up behind him, wrapping his arms about him, and kissing his neck...then his shoulder where he'd bitten him.

"I'm sorry if that still hurts...how's your butt?" he asked, giggling a little.

"I'm doing better," Randall said, blushing - both from the crude comment and from his master's paw grazing his sheath.

Sensing the wolf's discomfort, he moved back up and just rubbed his belly.

Settle down, Georgio - this is too much too fast for him.

"How about we watch a movie for a little before bedtime?" he asked, switching gears.

Randall nodded his head, remembering the last time they had done that. He'd been scared to death of his master then, afraid he was going to be raped or otherwise taken advantage of.

Georgio smiled, giving his rear a firm but gentle pat. "Good boy. Finish up and then follow me into the other room...shall we lay like the other night?"

Randall nodded again. He liked being close to the lion, now.

"Do you want to pick again, or do you want me to?"

Randall hesitated at that, still not used to be asked what he wanted to do. "Um...m-maybe another cartoon?" he asked, his ears flushing red. He knew they were kid's movies...but those were the only things he ever remembered seeing. His other owners usually kicked him out of the room during TV time - literally kicked him out.

"Sure thing," Georgio said. He walked over and picked out rather cute animated film about a romantic relationship between robots. Sitting down on the couch, he indicated for Randall to lay down with his head in his lap like they had before...but Randall had a different idea.

He looked up and attempted to give his best "puppy dog eyes." He didn't know how well he could do them - it hadn't been something commonly called for in his past - but as the name might suggest, most canines were naturals at the look.

"Hold me?" he begged. He wanted to be wrapped up safe in those strong feline arms.

Georgio laughed. "You are too cute...such a pup. Alright, just like the other night then," he said, and after a quick protest at being called a "pup," Georgio pulled him up, held him tight, and laid down across the couch. Randall stretched his neck up and gave his master's face a few wet licks as a way of saying thanks.

Georgio laughed again, and gave his nose a kiss in response. "You think I could resist anything with that face you made at me? Heh...it's my one weakness when you beg like that, it's just too cute to say no."

"I'll have to remember that then, Master," Randall grinned. Georgio nuzzled him, moving one of his arms around to scratch his back as the movie started.

A little ways in - Georgio remembered what happened last time Randall dozed off during a movie. "Just don't freak out again when you wake up, alright?" Randall whined a little in response, that thought clearly bringing up some unpleasant emotions - so he quickly changed gears. He playfully nipped at an ear, then whispered in it.

"Who's my sweet little wuff slave?"

Randall hesitated, squirmed, then responded in a drawl.

"Meeeeeeeee..." he said, flashing his best "puppy dog eyes."

"Damn right, you're all mine," the lion replied, chuckling. He felt Randall shift around as his paw scratched his back, seeking out a certain hard-to-reach spot between his shoulder blades.

As the movie went on - showing some rather morbidly obese furs traveling around a futuristic city in floating chairs - Randall spirits seemed to be improving along with the humorous vein of the movie.

"You think you could love me if I was that fat, Randall? Some big fat fur that owns you and sexes you up?" he grinned.

Randall suddenly started struggling, trying to get away, making loud noises of protest - something had apparently spooked him. He managed to slip his wiry form out of his master's arms, and ran around behind the couch. Some semblance of his rational mind must have remained with him because he didn't try to get far from his master. He curled up in the fetal position, hugging his knees, and started vigorously shaking his head back and forth.

"Nonononononononononononononono..." he mumbled under his breath, barely audible.

Georgio, meanwhile, was simply shocked. What had set him off this time? He gave himself a moment to collect his senses, paused the movie, then went around behind the couch, kneeling beside him, giving his wolf's head a few comforting strokes.

"Randall? What's wrong, what did I say? Surely me being fat wouldn't be that bad."

The wolf sniffed and looked up with wet eyes. Most of his momentary fear appeared to have passed. "O-one of...one m-my second master's friends...h-he was...he was...w-was...a-and, h-he...wo-worst," he stuttered, only managing to get out short sentence fragments.

Georgio pulled him in close, holding him tight. "Shhh...hey, hey, Randall...it's okay. Nobody is going to get you. I love you too much to let anyone get their hands on you, okay?" Georgio rubbed his back and gave him a big smile - and soon enough, Randall returned the hug.

"Sorry I...s-sorry I freaked out. I'm trying to do better..." he apologized, rubbing his face in his master's arm to dry the tears - elicited more from feeling like he'd disappointed his master than being upset from over-reacting.

"It's okay, Randall, don't worry about it. I understand...but was it...was it because...I was talking about me being fat?"

"I...y-you..." Randall swallowed, trying hard not to descend into another fit of jitters. "H-he was a f-fat lion. M-my second master's f-friend. M-made me think of...made me think of him," he said, hanging his head. Was he always going to be this way?

"Well Randall I might get a bit of a belly when I get older, but that's more than a few years off, alright? Come on back up on the couch with me," he said, moving up. Randall followed suit, a bit more slowly.

"I can't imagine you with a belly," he said. "But that's different than being fat." He snuggled back into position, almost burrowing back into his master.

"Well that's true. But I'm glad you can deal with a bit of a belly...not to worry though, we're sexual beasts until the day we die, so when we're eighty I can still pound that cute little rump of yours," he giggled.

"We're not ever gonna die..." Randall said, not liking the sound of that. "Ever," he added in rather childish insolence, as though by repeating it that would make it more true.

Georgio laughed. "You're right, of course, what was I thinking, you and me, alive forever...but alone? Just you and me? Are we going to outlive Tom and John and Kana and the kids?"

Randall whined, dropping his ears back again. "N-no...I...I don't want...they'll..." His shoulders seemed to slump as he couldn't figure out what to say. It wasn't that Randall had never considered his own mortality (quite the opposite as he'd been forced to consider the matter on more than one occasion where he'd barely survived), or that he actually thought that his Master wouldn't die...but now, especially with his new life, the thought of it ever ending...at any time at all...was petrifying. It was a source of comfort to imagine that this couldn't end for him, that it would just...last. He moved his head up and licked his master's muzzle a bit, reassuring himself that everything was fine, at least for now.

"I don't...I don't like thinking about that," he explained.

Georgio smiled, kissed his cheek, and scratched him in all his favorite little spots. "Well then you don't think about that, alright? Just think we'll be together forever and ever. I'll never leave you and you'll never leave me, deal?" Georgio pulled him back a little and gave him a kiss on muzzle, surprising the wolf.

"I love you, Randall, and some day...maybe you and I can even have some pups of our own like Tom and John...would you like that?"

Randall thought about this. The thought kind of scared him. What if he did something wrong? What if he was a bad example? How could he be there for a puppy who needed him when he still freaked out at the smallest things? When - as much as he hated to admit it - he still acted like a puppy himself?

"I...my first master, I took care of his kids. That's what he bought me for. Just before I ran away, he told me I had been a terrible caretaker. What if I'm still not any good?" he asked, voicing his fears. "Wh-what if one of them would learn to act like me, and..."

Randall trailed off, averting his eyes from the lion and whimpering, suddenly feeling like a "bad dog."

"and have a temper," he finished quietly.

"Aww, Randall...I know you better than that. Your anger just stems from all those years of hardship. That's not in your genes. Any mini-Randalls would be just as sweet as loving as you are."

That made the wolf feel marginally better. He didn't want any kids who would have his problems. But then there was an issue - any pups born with his genes would be slaves from birth.

Randall shook his head. "I don't want any puppies of mine to be slaves...isn't there any way? What if...what if they ended up with bad masters, like I did..."

"Randall...any pups of yours would be my property. Do you think I would ever sell them off before they were ready, or if they didn't want to go, or if I wasn't absolutely sure they were going to the best owners ever? They would be my puppies, too...maybe I wouldn't want to let them go, just like I don't want to let you go?"

Randall shook his head. That was true. His master could take care of anything.

"Don't worry about that for now," Georgio said, laughing, seeing the matter was troubling him.

"I won't," Randall said, glad to move on. He sat in silence a few moments, mulling things over in his mind. Every day in this new life was teaching him new things all the time - it was hard to process it all.

"You let me get away with too much," he said slowly, with a small smile.

"Really? And how is that?"

"Well...I...I misbehave, and you either just tell me to stop, or you just let me off the hook...I mean...I know you understand why I...why I'm a bad dog sometimes..." he said, looking down and feeling ashamed. "But...it's just weird, not being beaten or ra-"

Randall stopped, swallowed once, then continued.

"o-or...worse."

Georgio just smiled, and pulled him in close. "Randall, I love you too much to punish you like that. When I punish you, I want you to learn something, okay? The last time you misbehaved you had to redo your punishment in the laundry room, remember? So do I really let you off the hook?"

Before Randall could answer, Georgio remembered something. "Well, there was that incident with Tom and John earlier...maybe you need spanked or something?"

Randall swallowed, then whined. He hated being punished, of course...but he wanted to behave for his master. If he wasn't punished, how could that happen?

"Y-you...I-I don't think it should be something I expect, or can g-get used to. I-if I don't know what's coming," he said, wringing his paws together, "it's worse for me. I remember to be good better after that. I don't like being punished, ever...but I want to be a good dog for you."

"I know you're a good boy, Randall, you telling me that just shows me you want to try so hard for me, and I'm proud of you for that. If you think you need a more physical punishment to help you learn your lesson, I can add that into what I do now, okay? That's not easy for me but I want to help you get better, too. But, that's enough talk for tonight, pup. It's time to get to bed."

"Can we just sleep here, like we did the first night?" he asked.

Georgio kissed his ear, then laughed.

"No, we can't...I have to get up early to work, and I'd like to get a little more intimate with you than I can on the couch, to try and get you used to it. Okay?" He kissed Randall's ear, and nuzzled him a bit as they both stood up. "Want me to carry my tired puppy upstairs?" Georgio knew that was a button for Randall...but sometimes he couldn't resist seeing Randall react like such a...well, like a puppy.

"I'm twenty four..." he weakly protested, even as he was being picked up by the lion, one paw around his back and the other under his rump.

"Yeah, of course not, and being carried like a tired little puppy doesn't mean anything at all...you just like being spoiled, right?"

"Uh-huh..." Randall mumbled, glad to take his master's explanation, not quite catching the humor. He grumbled a small protest when he was sat down on the bedroom floor. Georgio just grinned, turned out the lights, and got into bed.

"Come on you little puppy, Master is tired and needs to work in the morning."

Randall didn't even say anything that time, he was simply too tired. He climbed up in the bed, turning around a few times before settling in next to the lion, and slowly turned around so that his master could embrace him from behind.

"I'd be anything for you Master...even a puppy..." he mumbled, although his nose wrinkled a bit as he said that, his stubborn independence not letting him give up entirely.

Georgio pulled him in tightly, spooning, one arm coming up around his neck to hold his chest, the other arm coming around to hold his stomach, his thick sheath resting up under his tail. Randall whimpered and twisted around a little bit - but it didn't take more than a few moments for his nerves to subside. It hadn't been that long ago that far more than just a sheath had been back there.

"Hmm? What was that?" Georgio pressed, wanting to hear Randall say it again. "You'd be anything for me, even a...?"

"Even a..."

Randall paused, taking in a deep, sleepy breath. "...a puppy," he finished, almost inaudibly.

Georgio chuckled, then let out a sarcastic gasp. "But Randall! You're twenty four!" he said, with a quick peck on the cheek. "You're no puppy, you just act like one half the time, and I think it's cute and it means I can spoil you more, okay? It's just simply slave psychology honestly...you had a bad childhood so now that you have a master who loves you, you're clinging to that child-like affection you never got a chance to express when you were younger. You never had a chance to be a kid, your parents weren't there...so now you want to get all those years back, understand?"

Randall nodded, although he didn't fully understand. He was just sleeping. He didn't need a dad...he just needed his master's love.

"Don't needa dad..." he said in a sleepy slur. "Just wann your love."

"Silly wuff...you already have my love, you know that." Georgio held him close and shifted his legs so they intertwined with the wolf's, purring as he held him. "That's my good boy...don't you worry, I'll always love you Randall. You and me, forever."

"Y-yeah..." Randall yawned. "For...for..." He never did get that syllable out before he dozed off. Georgio soon followed suit, overjoyed that he was able to give his slave a happy ending to a rather rough day.