FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

DESERT TRADE

By Gideon Kalve Jarvis

Based (with permission) on a picture of the same name by Chris "Cobalt" Sutor

Chris Sutor's Yahoo! site can be found at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/big_pit/ for all those who want to see more of his cute but naughty furs.

"I feel stupid."

The aging panda rolled his eyes (which looked even larger than they actually were thanks to their black-furred rims) and pulled aside the curtain in the back of the wagon.

"Your Highness," he said, keeping his eyes focused at face level through an act of will. "The Empire is in dire need of this trade route. If we fail to keep the Sultan happy, then he will likely close one of our only means of reaching the rest of the world. Your feelings are secondary in this matter."

"I know that," growled the person the elder panda was addressing. "It's just . . . great Nirvana, are you certain that this is standard attire for males entering the Sultan's presence?"

The older panda had to endure another act of raw willpower as his master, the Prince of the Empire, stepped out from behind the changing screen in the back of his personal wagon. The Prince was a stunning specimen of male pandahood, standing a little over four feet in height, making him very tall for one of his kind. His eyes were a wide, liquid blue in which a person could very easily lose themselves if they did not watch their thoughts with the utmost caution, the black fur lining them making them even more prominent and enhancing their hypnotic power to the very edge of what mortals call beauty. The Prince's back, legs and arms were the color of the sky on a warm summer's night, while the fur that covered his head, chest, belly, and inner thighs was the color of clouds on a bright spring day. Beneath this fur were the Prince's youthful, sculpted muscles. As royalty, he could choose to do with his time as he pleased once his duties of state were accomplished. The Prince had chosen riding and the study of the martial arts as his after-business pleasure, giving him a lean and toned body with powerful, compact muscles with nearly limitless stamina. It could be said, and truthfully, that the Prince was an example of male beauty, a beauty so great that even the old Chamberlain, who had never been one to dally with those of his own sex, had to force himself to remember his duties to the Empire in order to prevent the thoughts that would otherwise have crowded into his head. His efforts at self control were not helped in the slightest by the Prince's current garb.

Presently the Prince was dressed in a silk vest of bright Imperial red and a translucent loincloth of the same color, both fringed with gold thread with tiny gemstones sewn into the fabric at key intervals. If it weren't for the gemstones, the loincloth would actually have classified as obscene, so little did it hide from view. The only indicator that revealed the Prince's rank was the simple brown leather thong that ran around the young panda's brow and was tied in the back, the loose ends handing down to his neck. The thong had a single disc of purest gold sewn into the place at the middle of the Prince's forehead, and was the symbol of office he usually wore while riding or at other less formal occasions. All members of the Imperial royalty were required to wear some sign of their office at all times, no matter how small it might be. This ensured that they never

forgot their duties to the Empire, no matter what they did.

"I do not know if it is the standard custom, or simply a ploy to keep you at a disadvantage during the negotiations," said the Chamberlain, answering the Prince's question.

"All I know is that it was what their ambassador told our ambassador after that horrible incident on the border. I might add that the gemstones were added for the sake of modesty, rather than being part of the original design, and I only hope that the Sultan does not take offense."

The Prince gave a deep sigh, then nodded.

"Yes, I suppose that this is all we have, isn't it? Well, if it satisfies the Sultan, then I suppose that I will endure it. For the sake of the Empire."

"For the Empire," agreed the Chamberlain, giving the Prince a proper courtly bow despite the bumping of the wagon.

"We shall arrive at the Sultan's camp in less than an hour. I hope you will have yourself ready for public exposure by that time."

The Prince smiled, an act that added so much to the appearance of the Prince's face, that it caused the old panda's heart to skip a beat. Though he forced his face to remain neutral, a slight widening of his eyes and catch in his breath gave him away, making the Prince smile even wider.

"You know me, Su," said the Prince with a light chuckle. "I've got enough moxie for this or anything else, Sultan or no. I'll have my confidence at its highest when we meet the Sultan, and we'll have our trade settlement before you know it."

"I have no doubt," replied the Chamberlain, returning the smile as much as he dared. "Now, with your leave . . ."

The Prince nodded, and the elderly panda left the wagon, returning to his usual seat next to the driver. Once he was alone, the Prince gave a long sigh, then began to pace the gently swaying wagon, working off some of his nervous energy.

"You're got yourself into quite a mess, haven't you, Ling?" he grumbled to himself as he paced the floor.

"Well, I suppose it could be worse. Though how it could be worse than dressing like a harem slave, I'm not really sure."

Seated on a soft cushion beneath the awning of his tent, the Sultan lifted a cool drink to his mouth with his long trunk, sipping the chilled nectar through a straw. His hands, meanwhile, remained busy writing out the last details of the trade agreement he wanted from the Empire. It really wasn't very easy for the Sultan to write, due to the thick fingers his species were given as part of their racial heritage, but he hated to leave the work of his Sultanate to his underlings if he could avoid it. While there was much he had to delegate just to avoid stretching himself too thin or burning out, the Sultan nevertheless was a very active ruler, and regarded it as his high and holy duty to remain as involved in the needs of his people as he could.

The Sultan's devotion to his people, of course, was what had drawn his attention to the incident at the border. A small band of simple herders, one of the least significant groups that swore allegiance to the Sultan, had been wandering along the border of the desert, and had accidentally gone over the border of the Empire. Imperial soldiers had taken them captive in short order, and for almost two months they had remained prisoners in the Empire's squalid dungeons before an ambassador from the Sultanate arrived and freed them. So angry had the Sultan been upon hearing of this rough treatment of his subjects, that he closed his borders, cutting off the largest overland trade route that the Empire had. In addition to demanded reparations, the Sultan wanted a renegotiation of the trade agreement, since the current one was what had allowed the present misunderstanding, and obviously wasn't adequate for the needs of his people.

While not a wrathful person, for very few elephants are, the Sultan had grown a little impatient with the Empire as another month passed, and still the bureaucracy that ran much of the Empire hadn't responded to his demands. Then, just when the Sultan was about to give up hope of ever getting a response and began looking around for replacements to fill in the economic gap that the loss of trade with the Empire had caused, an Imperial ambassador arrived at his court. Not only did this ambassador bring the demanded reparations with him, but he also gave the promise that in another month the Prince of the Empire himself would arrive on the border of the Sultanate and Empire, and would negotiate a new trade agreement in person with the Sultan. This sort of honor actually made the Sultan feel quite good about himself and his country, since the Sultanate, despite its strategic importance as a trade route, wasn't very large. To receive a personal visit from the son of the Emperor himself was quite an honor, and though he didn't look it, the Sultan was more than a little nervous about the meeting that was soon to take place.

"Master," came the cry from a rhinoceros standing at the edge of the Sultan's camp, "the Prince's caravan is approaching!"

Setting aside the small table on which his proposed trade agreement rested, putting his drink on the table in the process, the Sultan stood up and took stock of himself. Easily passing the eight foot mark, the Sultan was a good height for an elephant. His skin was a soft gray and slightly wrinkled, though the powerful muscles of his mighty body kept his skin from hanging slackly like it did with most of his kind. He was in excellent shape, despite being a little over thirty years of age, something for which the Sultan was quite proud. The elephant's large, fanlike ears were pierced at the edges with three small gold hoops for each ear, gold capped his long ivory tusks, and the thick wedges of his finger- and toenails were painted with pure gold. A royal purple loincloth preserved his modesty, while a purple cape and cowl covered the crown of his head and his back down to just a little above his long swishing tail, which hung over the top of his loincloth. Three bright gems, rubies of such size and quality that they could have ransomed the Sultan himself, hung from the cowl that arched over the Sultan's wide brow, and a gold fringe to his cape and loincloth completed the image of the benevolent, all-knowing ruler of the Sultanate of the Endless Desert. It was an image that had served the Sultan well in the past, and he prayed to his ancestral gods that they would carry him through his present trials with just as great an efficacy.

Stepping out into the bright sun, and finding himself once again grateful that he didn't dress himself in the extensive robes of some of the desert tribes, the Sultan put on his most welcoming smile and gave a courteous bow as the Imperial caravan came to a halt, and a small, aging panda leapt lightly from the front of the wagon to place a stepladder at the base of the door on the side of the gilded conveyance. The Sultan's

servants were hardly idle, for while some stood guard, two hamster girls rolled out a long red carpet to the base of the stepladder.

As the Sultan waited expectantly at the other end of the red carpet, the door on the side of the wagon swung open. Then the tall elephant's breath caught in his mighty chest, for out of the wagon stepped a creature that seemed to belong in the realm of dreams rather than under the blazing sun of the waking world.

"Ah, Sultan," said the Prince in a voice that made the Sultan's wide ears ripple to better catch its tones. "I am glad that you have deigned to meet with me. How are you this pleasant afternoon?"

"I-I am well, Your Highness," the Sultan finally managed to get out, utterly enraptured by the stunningly beautiful male that walked toward him down the carpet.

Looking down at the youthful, perfect body and bright blue eyes of the panda, the Sultan couldn't help but think that the small, wonderful creature now standing before him came up only to a little above the belt of his loincloth; just the right size to fit easily into his arms. After a few seconds the elephant suddenly realized that he'd been staring, and that the Prince of the Empire was waiting on his next move with an amused smile on his face.

"I take it that these clothes are to your liking?" asked the Prince with an almost imperceptible teasing smirk and arch to his eyebrow. "You did request that I wear them in your presence, after all."

"I . . . uh, yes, of course," stammered the Sultan, forcing himself to get in control of his emotions. The harem-style clothing had been more of a way test his limits than anything else, just to see how far the Empire was willing to go to please him. He hadn't really expected anyone from the mighty Empire to cater that much to his whims, and certainly not the Prince of that realm.

"I am glad that you have done everything as I requested." He swallowed as his eyes looked up and down the panda's body.

"Very glad. Um, perhaps you would care to join me for some refreshments while we discuss our trade policy, Your Highness?"

"The name is Ling, Sultan," said the Prince with a more visible smile, feeling very relaxed and more than a little pleased as he watched the massive elephant squirm in front of him, caught off guard by the Prince's appearance. Most people were stunned by the young panda's attractiveness, and the Prince had grown accustomed to stares from males and females alike wherever he went. Truth be told, he actually enjoyed the lustful stares directed at him when others thought he wasn't aware of them. Being royalty was a great hindrance to him in this regard, though, because he would actually have preferred to have people talking to him directly, rather than admiring him from afar. But as he stood in the presence of the Sultan, he found himself very pleased to know that this was a social equal, one who could admire him with his full knowledge, and who he could admire right back.

And there was much to admire in the Sultan's body, Ling realized, his eyes playing up and down the tall and smoothly-muscled gray body of the large-eared elephant. Perhaps this would not be as tedious a meeting as he'd originally feared.

"My name is Imir," said the Sultan after a brief pause, the realization that the Prince had dropped his formal title gradually sinking in. "Please, Ling, follow me."

They stepped into the relative cool of the tent, out of the burning sun, and the Sultan showed the Prince to a comfortable cushion before seating himself, pulling a table with a piece of parchment and an almost empty glass on it between them. Su, the royal Chamberlain, slipped quietly into the room behind the Prince, holding a wax slate and stylus to record the rough drafts of whatever agreement the two rulers might reach.

"So, Ling," said the Sultan with a gentle smile. "I suppose that we ought to get down to business. Our people are counting on us, after all."

"Yes," agreed the Prince. "Yes, they are."

"Here is my version of the new trade agreement," said the Sultan, pushing the paper toward the Prince as a well-groomed and attractive young fennec male dressed in little more than Ling (and in fact quite a bit less, his body's uttermost, and very pleasant-looking, secrets revealed by the nearly transparent loincloth he wore) slipped quietly up and offered the Prince a glass on a small tray. As Ling politely accepted, the fennec placed the glass on the small table between the two rulers, and then filled it with a crystal decanter in his other hand before slipping quietly into the background once more.

"This is a most fascinating trade agreement you have written, Sultan Imir," said Ling, looking up after some minutes reading the parchment.

"It appears that you are very devoted to serving the needs of your people, as the extensive number of benefits to those along the trade route laid out in your proposed agreement testifies. But I am not at all certain that it would serve the needs of my own people. Chamberlain, please bring out the agreement from the Emperor. Perhaps this trade agreement will present the needs of my own people in greater prominence."

The Sultan blinked at the polite dismissal of his proposed trade agreement, and had just opened his mouth to say something when the elderly panda placed the Imperial version of the agreement before him. A quick scan soon told the Sultan that the trade agreement presented to him by the Prince wasn't any more balanced than his own. This was only to be expected, as his own version was a rough draft, and he certainly didn't think that the Imperial version before him could possibly be their final copy either. They were both there to negotiate, presenting the needs of their people first, and then compromising until they had something that both parties thought would work. The rules of diplomacy were so codified it was almost a game. And a good player of that game could take home everything, and leave his opponent with nothing. This was only to be expected, and neither side felt too much resentment, though their people probably would.

"This is an . . . interesting first draft that you have given me," said the elephant after a quick rereading of the parchment to make sure that he got the important details.

"It certainly presents the needs of your people in excellent light."

He then gently pushed the agreement to one side of the table and placed a clean sheet of parchment between them.

"But perhaps we might both be better served with a compromise."

The Sultan waited for a long moment, waiting for the Prince to respond to his words. As the moment became a minute, the Sultan grew confused, and then his face began to flush. Hadn't he followed the old ritual of negotiation properly? Everything seemed to be in order. Finally he bent his head to scrutinize the Prince's face, and found his cheeks starting to burn hotly when he saw the broad, amused grin on the young panda's face.

"Doesn't this courtly, diplomatic language ever bore you, Imir?" Prince Ling asked with sincerity in your voice.

"We've both presented our needs and wants, and now we're both supposed to go through the rigmarole of diplomacy until we're both blue in the face, doing everything we can to knock out as many of the other's proposals out while keeping as many of our own in as we can without offending the other party. Isn't that how it's supposed to work?"

He laughed.

"It's like a big game, specially made for tiresome schoolboys who never learned to stop joking around with other peoples' lives."

Sultan Imir was utterly taken aback by this, and glanced first at the Prince, and then at his advisor. The Imperial Chamberlain looked as though he expected to be struck by lightning at any moment, his mouth agape, his cool demeanor utterly shattered. Obviously this wasn't part of the Imperial plan for negotiation. After another long moment of thought, the elephant's mouth spread into his usual, gentle smile, and he chuckled as he nodded at the Prince.

"Yes," he agreed. "I must concur. The game of diplomacy is rather tiresome at times. I take it, then, that this is your first diplomatic meeting?"

The Prince nodded, still smiling, his wide blue eyes still making the Sultan's heart beat faster than it normally did.

"I've had mock diplomacy meetings with my advisors, and especially with Chamberlain Su there," he motioned to the elderly panda behind him, who was gradually losing the purple color to his face, "but I've never been in a real diplomatic conference before. This was to be my first try, so that I could gain some experience, and you could get some needed perks after the bad deal you got last time our two empires met. Of course I haven't been told that I was supposed to do badly, and you were supposed to do well, but I gathered it from what I've heard, hanging around next to partially opened doors and suchlike."

He grinned.

"My father has a terrible habit of speaking very loudly when he discusses state secrets with his advisors. I think it might be because he knows that I'm listening, but I'm not really sure."

The Sultan recognized that the formal rules of the game of diplomacy were now being set aside, so he gave a slight shrug and settled back into his chair, steepling his thick, gold-painted fingers in front of his chest.

"So what do we do now?" asked the Sultan, his face stoic. "It's hard to carry on with the rules of diplomacy once they're made mention of, but I certainly don't know of an alternative. The rules were set up so that parties who didn't fully trust each other could have discussions and compromise without starting a war. We're no longer playing by the rules, so I don't know what will happen now."

The Prince seemed intrigued by the question, leaning forward and resting his chin on his upraised fist as he studied the handsome elephant with his stunning blue eyes.

"So this is a matter of trust, is it?" he said after a short while of thought. "Diplomacy makes up for the places where it's lacking. But what if we can trust each other? Then we wouldn't need to go through the diplomatic code, would we?"

Sultan Imir nodded.

"It is trust that determines the relations between nations, as much as between individuals; but after the rough treatment of my people by yours, I don't think that we have much trust between our respective countries left to draw upon."

"What about between ourselves?" asked the Prince, sitting up straight and looking the elephant right in his large green eyes. "Surely there's a way that we could gain a measure of understanding between us?"

The Sultan paused to think for another long moment, during which time Ling studied his face. Imir was actually quite handsome for an elephant, Prince Ling decided, and very cute when he was thinking, his face taking on an intense, focused look that made his broad and handsome face take on a sage quality that made him seem all the more trustworthy and desirable. Finally the Sultan nodded, bending down so that his face

was close to Prince Ling's.

"I can think of a way," said the elephant softly, his trunk wrapping gently around the Prince's soft-furred shoulder to draw the panda closer. "But we'll need to be alone for a while."

Prince Ling started at the gentle touch of the Sultan, the soft caress of his trunk creating an almost electric feeling. He considered the dangers of being alone with such a large and powerful male, but his own training in the martial arts quickly chased those feelings of insecurity back into their dark corners. His paw reached up and he began to gently stroke the long, flexible trunk of the Sultan, starting at the tip and slowly sliding his hand back until he rested his hand between the elephant's eyes, right on the broad, smooth brow. This made the Sultan exhale ever so softly, and Ling smiled at how sensitive the big male was, despite his massive size.

"Where?"

The Sultan smiled at the Prince's willingness.

"Just a few dunes away. Only far enough so that we can't be seen. The wind should drown out even the loudest noises we might make. Shall we go, then?"

The Prince nodded quickly, eager to find out what it might be that would cause them both to make a great deal of noise while alone. If it was a fight, then the Prince felt he could handle himself. But if it was something else, with such a large, strong, and handsome male as his companion . . .

"Chamberlain," said the Prince, turning as the Sultan withdrew his trunk. "Inform my escort that I will be alone with the Sultan for some time, discussing matters of state. Do not worry," he added quickly, forestalling the elderly panda's objections. "We won't go far. Just far enough to have a little privacy while we consider our," he glanced sidelong at the handsome elephant, looking him up and down quickly, "diplomatic options."

The Sultan in turn looked and gestured once to the fennec in harem garb. The young male smiled knowingly and bowed, silently leaving the tent to inform the guards of the change in plans.

The Chamberlain, however, was not so easily commanded.

"Your Highness," protested the elderly panda. "Surely this isn't standard protocol. Why, anything could happen while you were out by yourself."

"Yes," said the young panda musingly, a pleased and somewhat naughty smile on his face. "Anything."

He soon snapped out of his musing state, though, and motioned impatiently to his advisor.

"It's in order to build diplomatic trust, Su. Now get going. I'm not going to earn any points for our side with you standing there and trying to hold my hand, after all."

The Chamberlain spluttered out an acknowledgement to his young master's orders, and left the tent, though not without making his displeasure at the present situation known. Ling, seeing the Chamberlain leave, rolled his eyes, then turned back to the towering Sultan, standing as the elephant did.

"He's really a good advisor," said Ling with a smile and shrug. "But he helped to raise me, so he sometimes forgets that I've grown up a little since I was a little boy."

"Your Chamberlain seems like a pleasant fellow," said Imir with a gentle smile down at the little panda. He then bent his knees and held out a hand to the Prince.

"Would you like a lift?"

Prince Ling blinked, then took the offered hand, noting the gold paint on Sultan Imir's large, blunt nails. He was a little surprised at how easily the huge male lifted him, cradling him gently in one arm as though he weighed nothing.

"Taril is used to making excuses for me," said Imir as he used his free hand to part the rear flap of the tent, then stepped out into the bright sunlight. "And distractions when I need them. He is the best harem boy I have ever known, not to mention the first I ever had."

"Harem boy?" said Ling with some interest. "I didn't know there was such a thing. Of course, I admit that I haven't even started to gather my own harem yet, so I'm a little shaky on the details."

"I didn't either," said Imir with a laugh, "until the decadent Caliphate of the Silent Plains sent him to me as an offering of goodwill. His time with me has been . . . educational, to say the least. Not to mention that he's an excellent personal aide, so even if elephants forgot, he would be there to refresh my memory."

Imir made his way over the hot desert sand as though it were nothing to him, his broad feet easily finding purchase on the dune just behind the tent. Ling couldn't help but notice that Imir made no noise as he walked, despite having such large feet.

"How does someone as big as you are move so quickly and quietly?" asked Ling as they crossed over the top of the first dune, leaving the sight of the camp, though not of the outermost rim of guards.

"We elephants have our ways," replied Imir as he started up the second dune. "My feet are mostly made of soft padding, with my heel bone resting on top, and my toes the only part that actually touch the ground. Because of this we elephants are almost noiseless when we walk."

"Ninja elephants," laughed Ling as they reached the top of the second dune and started down the other side, coming to a halt before a long, flat stretch of desert, the sun visible far off in the distance. He blushed as he glanced around, then up at the green eyes of his large companion.

"Um, you can put me down now."

"Oh, but I like holding you like this," said Imir with a smile, the tip of his trunk rising to Ling's hanging left foot, lightly tickling the bottom with a rush of warm air.

"Eep!" laughed Ling as he lifted his foot away, then gently batted Imir on the bridge of his long nose. "Bad elephant! No tickling."

Imir laughed and lowered Ling to the ground, seating himself on the bare sand after brushing his cape out of the way. The sand was rather sheltered here from the sun, thanks to the nearby dune, and felt warm and comfortable against his bare bottom, the rear flap of his loincloth having moved out of the way. Ling regarded the elephant for a short while, a confident smirk on his handsome face, resting one hand on his hip as he let the warm evening breezes from the flat desert just beyond the dunes blow his loincloth about in a most scandalizing manner.

"So, you were going to show me a way that we could build up trust?" queried the young panda, doing his best not to sound too hopeful. Imir smiled and leaned back against the dune, facing the young Prince and the desert beyond, admiring the way the light of the sun made the panda's gem-bedecked loincloth almost transparent.

"The first step, of course, is for both of us to remove our clothes," said the elephant in a reasonable tone of voice. "That way we both can see that the other isn't carrying a weapon, and also leaves us on a more even footing."

Ling grinned, feigning nonchalance as he shouldered his way out of his vest, letting the filmy silk garment float to the warm sand. But as his hands went to his hips and slid the sheer fabric of his loincloth down, Imir couldn't help but notice how the panda's white-furred face flushed, though with excitement or embarrassment, the elephant couldn't tell. All he was certain of at that moment was that the Prince was the most beautiful example of the male form that he'd ever seen, and now that he was standing before Imir in all his naked glory, the soft leather headband of his office his only bit of clothing, a hint of pink already showing from the plump black sheath hanging between his legs, Ling looked even more perfect that he had in the moment he stepped onto the red carpet welcoming him to the camp.

"Well?" said Ling, knitting his hands behind his back in a manner not unlike that of a naughty schoolboy who has been caught in the midst of his misdeeds, his wide blue eyes dazzling Imir's senses. "What do you think?"

Imir couldn't help but laugh and shake his head at the panda's question, the rings in his ears jangling against each other as he did so.

"How can I possibly describe you to yourself?" Imir answered with a helpless shrug. "To my eyes, you are perfect, my Prince. There is no flaw, no imperfection to your body that I can see. And, as you can see, the truth of my words is reflected in the way my body reacts to yours."

With that, Imir gestured to the prominent bulge in his loincloth. Ling's breath caught in his chest, and the elephant could swear that he heard the boy's heart beating faster, just as he saw the panda's eyes dilate in excitement. Nevertheless Ling folded his arms in front of his chest, feigning indifference.

"I'm afraid I can't tell what you mean," said the panda coyly. "You seem to be overdressed. I think that if this exercise is supposed to put us on an even footing, then you ought to have the same attire that I have, don't you agree?"

Imir smiled and nodded at Ling's statement, then reached down to his loincloth.

He fumbled at the knot for a moment before Ling stepped forward and deftly untied the belt holding up the royal purple covering. As Imir watched, his trunk lifting and gently stroking Ling's strong naked back, the panda pulled the cloth down the elephant's long gray legs, then slid them off and tossed them onto the pile formed by his own clothing as Imir helpfully raised his feet to allow this action. As the panda took stock of what was now exposed to his view, Imir was more than a little gratified to hear the young Prince gasp at the elephant's appropriately-sized genitalia.

"You're huge!" exclaimed Ling as he reached out a tentative hand and cupped one of the massive gray-skinned balls hanging pendulously between the elephant's legs. His exploring hand soon made its way upward, and it was soon Imir's turn to gasp as the little black-furred hand wrapped around the head of his long and thick gray-skinned penis. Then the panda grinned as a thought struck him. "If taking off our clothes was supposed to show that we don't have any weapons, you've been revealed to be a most heavily-armed individual."

"Proportionately speaking, I'm not really that large," said Imir, forcing himself to keep his voice under control as Ling began to slowly stroke the elephant's throbbing gray erection with his dainty black paw, then chuckling a little at the joke.

"Truth be told, if we were the same size, I would only be average, and you would be very well endowed

indeed."

Ling glanced down at the elephant's words, and then blushed heavily as he realized that his pink cock was now standing at full erection. The sheer naughtiness of his present situation - the forbidden nature of sex between males - coupled with the realization that he could be caught at any time by an over-curious member of either his group or the Sultan's, was making him very aroused indeed.

"You can use your mouth on me, if you like," said Imir pleasantly, his trunk stroking the back of Ling's head as he spoke. The panda glanced up at this proposal, then lowered his muzzle to the large gray orbs, his hand still stroking Imir's erection, keeping it hard even as beads of precum started to form at this tip of the elephant's penis.

"I've only done this before a few times," said Ling as he nuzzled the elephant's sac, "so please forgive any refinement I might be lacking in my technique."

Imir just smiled, closing his eyes as he leaned back on the dune, enjoying the feeling of having the young panda's soft lips nibbling ever-so-gently on his heavy scrotum. His eyes opened as he felt Ling's little pink tongue starting to caress his sensitive gray skin, and he rubbed the panda behind his left ear with his trunk to

encourage this course of action. The large elephant watched with heavy eyelids as his little friend began to work his way up, until he was nibbling at the base of the large gray penis. Catching a plump drop of precum that had rolled down the long shaft with his tongue, Ling began to move his head this way and that, bobbing his head a little as he licked the sides of Imir's penis, cleaning off the copious flow of precum that was

moistening his elephantine proportions. In this manner Ling gradually worked his way up until he'd reached the broad, dark gray head of the elephant's cock. Imir couldn't even muster the strength of will to move his now-limp trunk, watching open-mouthed as the panda took a deep breath, and then crammed the entire thick, plum-sized cockhead into his short muzzle. Imir's eyes pressed closed after only a moment of this, as the

panda's wonderful little pink tongue began to flick across his sensitive glans, teasing him in places he'd thought that only Taril, his fennec harem boy, could find, making his cock leak copious amounts of precum as the elephant's arousal continued to grow.

"Ling, please stop," gasped Imir after several minutes had passed, clutching the sand beneath him until it squeezed through his fingers. The panda looked up with a worried, hurt look on his face, letting the big penis fall back against Imir's firm stomach.

"Did I do something wrong?" asked Ling with some concern. "Did I hurt you? I'm terribly sorry if I did."

Imir smiled and rubbed his trunk reassuringly against the boy's back.

"You didn't do anything wrong," said the elephant kindly. "Truth be told, you were doing everything just a little bit too right. A little more of that treatment, and I would have lost control of myself before we even got to the really fun part."

Ling looked up at his friend eagerly, looking even more sexy than usual in his position between the elephant's legs, the plump balls rubbing delightfully against the panda's soft-furred chest.

"What do you have in mind?" asked Ling, his face flushed with mounting sexual arousal. His youth and eagerness had quickly brought his erection, which had been flagging a little as he concentrated on pleasing his new friend, back to full attention at the mention of a 'really fun part.'

"Just relax," replied Imir, his strong trunk wrapping around Ling's waist, "and let me do all the work."

Ling's eyes widened in excitement as Imir easily lifted him off the ground, setting him face down on the elephant's broad chest, just below Imir's mouth. The panda looked back at his big friend with trusting eyes that only made Imir's cock throb harder, then moaned with anticipation as the elephant raised his massive hands and used them to carefully spread the panda's firm rumpcheeks apart, exposing the tight black ring of Ling's tailhole. Imir bent his head forward and extended his tongue, licking the almost virginal black bud of Ling's bum. As the elephant rimmed the little panda with his surprisingly slender, agile tongue, he could tell that Ling didn't have much experience being taken in his backside. The older, more experienced elephant knew he'd have to be very careful if he didn't want this pleasurable episode to end in tears. But at the moment Ling was experiencing nothing but pleasure, squirming and wriggling in a delightfully erotic way as Imir used his tongue to its best advantage, tilting his head downward from time to time to give the plump, black-furred balls a teasing nibble or two before returning to his work.

When Ling's tight little rear passage was glistening with Imir's saliva, the elephant raised one large hand, and then began to gently tease the panda's tailhole open, gradually sinking a single thick digit into the boy's body up to the second knuckle. Ling gasped at the penetration, his cock dripping with arousal as Imir's finger prodded his prostate.

"Great River of Life!" Ling managed to get out in a choked whisper. "That feels good!"

"It pleases me to hear that you are pleased," replied Imir calmly, before gasping as Ling's nimble hands reached out and caught hold of the elephant's cock, licking the head eagerly even though he was too far away to put it back in his mouth. This caused his hand to slip as he was starting to slide his finger out of the pandaboy's tailhole, and as he pressed back in, he accidentally added a second finger before he'd intended. The reaction was instantaneous, as Ling's entire body tensed up. His mouth opened but no sound came out as his cock spurted a thin stream of precum onto the big elephant's flat tummy. Imir immediately withdrew his fingers and turned his little friend around, cuddling him close to his large body with worry on his face.

"Are you all right, Ling?" asked Imir concernedly. "Did I hurt you?"

Ling shook his head, panting hard with a big smile on his face.

"That was intense," he got out after some time and a lot of effort. "I'd like to take this a step further, if you're feeling up to it."

Imir blinked in surprise at this, and could only watch with some mystification as Ling climbed back onto Imir's broad chest and then lower his small black-and-white body down the big elephant's gray-skinned form until he was straddled right over the huge gray cock with its nearly black tip. The elephant had just enough presence of mind to wrap his trunk around Ling's middle, just as the panda reached between his legs with his small hands to lift the mighty elephant cock and position it at his tight tailhole.

"A-are you sure this is what you want to do?" Imir asked worriedly. "Maybe after a little more loosening . . ."

"There's no time like the present," said Ling with a wink, one hand reaching up to stroke Imir's trunk affectionately, "If I don't do this now, I'll probably psyche myself out of it. Just hold me so I don't slip or something, okay? I don't think it's physically possible for all of you to fit in me without hurting something, and I don't want that any more than you do."

Imir was about to say something more, one hand starting to raise to touch Ling, but as the sexy panda started to press himself down, the hand sank back to the sand and the elephant just watched Ling at work. The panda had a look of intense concentration on his face as he pressed himself down, holding onto Imir's strong trunk with both hands to steady himself now that he'd aligned himself properly with the massive cock pressing against his small tailhole. Taking a deep breath, Ling forced his body to relax, using some of the meditative techniques he'd learned as a child, and then began to bend his legs, lowering himself onto the long, thick fleshspear. He felt the resistance of his body slowly receding, felt himself starting to open up, and went with the feeling, his body starting to stretch as the plump, plum-sized cockhead parted his tight hole. Then, quite suddenly, the strong, clenching muscles of his sphincter gave way, and Imir's huge elephant cock slid into him.

Imir watched with a stoic look on his face (despite the concern he felt inside) as the expression on Ling's face changed from concentration to startled shock as the tight ring of his tailhole suddenly gave way, and then to indescribable pleasure as the panda's wide, blue eyes closed, his head tilting back as he moaned in obvious enjoyment. A moment later the sensations started to hit Imir's brain. The panda was tight! As Ling slowly slid almost a full third of Imir's cock into his small body, the elephant's eyes crossed from the sheer intensity of feeling that came upon him, a silly little smile on his face. It was all he could do to keep a firm grip on the panda's soft-furred body with his trunk, and that grip was anything but certain as Ling began to raise himself up once more, his tight tailhole clinging to Imir's cock all the way, and then lowered himself down once more, until he'd engulfed a full half of the elephant's shaft.

[trade.JPG](%5C)

They began to move together then, Imir's hips rising as his trunk gave Ling stability in his movements, while the panda wrapped his legs as far around the elephant's waist as he could manage, arching his body into the elephant's needful thrusts. The end of Imir's trunk, hanging free while the rest of the long limb held Ling secure and safe, suddenly came to life and closed on the head of the panda's throbbing pink cock, an act

that made Ling gasp and begin to wriggle in a sexy manner that nearly drove Imir right out of his mind! This was all it took for even more of his cock to slide into the body of the heavenly creature riding him, and he gave up his soul for lost, knowing that he was now bound for pleasures meant only for heaven.

"Ancestors," whispered Ling as he rode the massive cock thrust deep in his body. "I never knew this could feel so good."

His eyes were closed, his body filled with such euphoria that he couldn't even remember his own name anymore. All that mattered was the pleasure. That wonderful pleasure of mating with the Sultan of the Endless Desert. Imir could only grunt in response, feeling himself starting to lose control, his precum leaking from his cock in such copious amounts that it began to dribble down the third of his cock that still remained outside Ling's tight bottom. His head finally fell back, his trunk losing its grip on Ling's pink penis as he lay back on the warm sand, held up only by the incline of the dune against which he rested.

"Ling, I'm going to . . ." he managed to get out, warning the young panda.

The Prince of the Empire only smiled, his eyes still closed, and tightened his body, pressing his legs together with all his might. Ling leaned forward a little then, and ever-so-gently closed his mouth on one of Imir's slightly darker gray nipples, letting the mighty elephant feel the barest hint of the panda's sharp teeth. That was all it took.

"Ling!" Imir cried out, his whole body arching upward as the rush of orgasm washed over him, making him lose all sense of location as he squeezed his eyes shut. His whole body tensed, a multitude of veins standing out as his thick, hot seed jetted into the panda's tight body like water from a fountain. The feeling of Imir's cum hitting his prostate at high speed was all the additional stimulation that Ling needed to finally go over the edge himself, his pink cock spurting a long streamer of thick, white cum that arched over the elephant's body, the first burst landing on the sands higher up the dune, the second hitting Imir's broad forehead, and the third spraying across the elephant's straining chest. As Ling's cum promptly made a mess of Imir's naked body, the elephant's cum started to spurt out of Ling's too-tight tailhole, the panda's small body not able to hold it all, leaving it to spray all over both of their lower bodies, the elephant's especially.

Finally the flood slowed, and then came to a stop, leaving the two males gasping as they held each other close. Imir's cock gradually softened and then slipped out of Ling's tailhole with an accompanying gush of thick cum.

"I - I think that these trade negotiations are going quite well," said Ling after a long pause, during which both males started to regain their breaths. Imir grinned.

"They are going well, yes," the elephant agreed. "But I think that all negotiations should have a two-sided arrangement. That way both sides go home fully satisfied."

Ling looked a little confused as Imir carefully lifted the panda in his strong trunk and set him down on the dune, just a little higher up than where Imir sat. His confusion turned to a look of dawning realization when Imir slid to the bottom of the dune, then went onto all fours, lifting his naked rump into the air and flicking his tail aside.

"It is true that there is both a give as well as a take in all acts of diplomacy," said Ling, his position on the dune's slope allowing him to grip Imir's firm, gray-skinned butt in both hands. "After all, we do wish to build trust between our two peoples."

"Yesss," Imir got out through clenched teeth as Ling's face lowered to his backside, the panda's small, dainty tongue doing truly obscene things to the elephant's body. "I do not doubt but that we will have a very adequate trade agreement ready when we finish our official tasks."

"But for now, it's pleasure before business," said Ling, straightening up to press his long pink cock against the elephant's tailhole. He shook his head in mock-ruefulness.

"The things we must do for our countries."

And then there was nothing but the sounds of two males in the midst of their pleasures, the constant rush of the wind and the heat haze of the desert keeping their hidden tryst from all prying eyes. All eyes, that is, except for those belonging to one very sexy fennec, who sat and pleasured himself as he watched the two rulers, making sure to keep a sharp lookout so that nobody else would interrupt his master and his sexy panda

lover.