FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Sooooo I haven't really submitted anything for a while. Been busy for like... a year >.< Anyways, the urge to write something struck again and I've had this idea in my head for a while so, yeah, this is it. It's longer than I meant it to be but, meh, fuck it! No plans to continue it, at the moment, but again... meh, I'll see how it goes down :p enjoy and all that.

---

Warmth wasn't my comfort zone.

When I woke up I panicked. First I thought I was still in the wild, running for my life. I remember that sharp stab of the arrowhead that punched into my back. And, vaguely, I remembered being wet. Extremely wet and cold. Yeah, that was it: I'd fallen into the river and blacked out. That was why I panicked; I was supposed to be washed up on some estranged shore with an arrow sticking out of my back, bleeding to death, poisoned, wet and cold as the grave. But I wasn't. I was warm. Warmer than I'd ever been in my life. It was unnatural.

I sat upright in a heartbeat, eyes wide as the moon. What the fuck? I wasn't in the jungle anymore. I was in some kind of... cave? It was made of wood and stone, all neatly aligned and flat. There were walls and a ceiling that was far too deliberate to be accepted of nature. I looked up and saw more light, illuminated like tiny spherical orbs that hung to the wooden ceiling. What magic was this? Someone had trapped the essence of the sun in those things? How? Then I felt another wave of disconcerting warmth, and looked ahead of me. It was fire. A big fire. In a stone pocket against the wall.

Something had built all this? None of my tribe were capable of doing this. Then what?

I tried to get up, but a stabbing pain struck my lower back. Snarling in protest, a ran a furry black paw down to the arrowhead wound and found, to my horror, that something was wrapped around my middle covering the wound. It was white and soft, and of a bizarre material I'd never seen before in my life. It smelt foul. As I became more aware of how tight it was I began to feel constricted, and unsheathed my claws to rip them off of me.

I heard something. A voice. But it wasn't a clan voice. It was the voice of a stranger, and a strange language. "Easy, easy kid! Don't rip that off!"

I was on him in a heartbeat. One of my two daggers, which had remained in their sheaths upon my back, was ripped out from behind me with the speed I'd grown accustomed too. The male behind him he yelped as my feet, tense like rocks, slammed into his shoulders and sent both him and myself crashing to the ground with a sickening thump. The forte' of my blade grazed the male's throat, desperate to draw blood. But I didn't.

The male was a tiger, much larger than myself, but I knew he was of the same society as the rest of the pray my clan hunted. Anything intelligent, anything that walked on two legs but (most importantly) anything that shot back at us was our sport. I gathered by his clothing, his scent and his lax reflexes that he wasn't a fighter - just an explorer. That's why I didn't kill him. He was by far my senior, at least ten years or so. He was heavily built, but lacked scars or signs of battle. I didn't smell any metal on him, so I assumed he was unarmed. But I didn't unpin him.

"Fucking hell, kid! Relax! I'm not going to hurt you!" He spoke in an outlandish tongue I couldn't understand, though I'd heard many of our pray speak it before. He had the voice of someone far younger, undamaged by violence or emotional trauma. He was physically strong, but mentally weak. Were I to encounter him on a hunt, I wouldn't have bothered stalking him. He wouldn't have been worth my time. So I let him get up.

"You scared me," the male said as I rose up, shaking. Pfft, coward. "Do you speak English?"

Was he speaking directly to me? What the hell did he say? I looked at him blankly, my eyes silent as the grave.

"Do you have a name?"

Silence.

"Name?"

Silence.

"Naaaammeeee?"

Was he mocking me?

"My name is Oli. Oli." He pointed to his chest and repeated the sound 'Oli', as though I was supposed to comprehend that. Then he pointed at me. "Name?"

Wait, was Oli his tag? His identity? Did he want to know mine? "Mylo." I answered, doubtful that he'd understand.

"Mylo? That's your name?" He smiled. It didn't return it. "Right. Mylo. It's nice to meet you." For some odd reason, he extended his right paw towards me. Undaunted, I simply glared it at. He withdrew it a moment later. "Um, right. My name is Oli. I, uhh... this is my home away from home." He began gesturing around himself to the cave. "I found you down the oasis in the jungle. You were bleeding. Somebody shot you. Do you remember who shot you?" Huh? "Was it your tribe?"

The fuck? Did this idiot think I could appreciate his weird language? Why was he still talking? I'd wasted enough time. I turned to leave, but very nearly thought I saw a member of my clan standing beside me. But... it wasn't. In a large, circular surface was an image of myself, as though reflected back at me from water. But the image was so clear! Eyes wide, I moved my arm. So did my copy. I blinked, and so did my copy! I was looking at myself!

"Uh, that's... that's a mirror." The male said, but I ignored him. I'd never seen myself like this before. Not this clear. I was a fairly short, slim but highly athletic young male panther. My hair, bound tightly into beaded dreadlocks, hung loosely over my face and eyes. My teeth were sharp, extremely sharp. I was wearing a lose pair of cargo-shorts, which I'd woven from wolf skin and bone, suspended by a large snake skin belt that held a large number of hunting tools for my sport. A strap hung across my chest, keeping the quiver on my back steady to hold my arrows and my two curved dragon bone daggers that I treasured. My fur was black as night. My tail, slim and agile, waved contently either side of me, poking out the back of my shorts. Almost every inch of my body had white tribal markings, from head to toe, criss-crossing and neatly melted into my fur to contrast with the black. Most of my body was left bare, and my build was well highlighted by the markings. The only thing that was out of place was the alien cloth wrapped tightly around my waist, a patch of which was blotted crimson from the arrow wound.

It was an odd sight.

"Are you alright, Mylo?" The male said my name. Huh. So he wasn't so stupid? I turned to him again, eyes narrowed. "Look, hold still a moment. I want to look at your injury." Then he knelt down in front of me. Shit. Panic. I redrew one of my daggers and hissed venomously. A warning. Try that again I'll gut you!

"Ok! Ok! We can just... leave them on for now! That's fine!" His tone suggested that he got the message. With my knife drawn, I slipped the edge down behind the cloth and cut it off. "Or... you can do it yourself. That's fine too." The male rambled on.

I was surprised. The wound wasn't too bad. Sure, it stung a little, but less than I'd have expected from a direct arrow shot. My fur had been cleaned and the cut more or less looked far better than it should have been. Huh. Why was that then? Maybe I was naturally resistant to arrows?

The tiger was still knelt beside me. "Mylo?" I looked at him. "Um, look... I need you to come with me. You need to see a doctor, ok? I'm not a real medic, your wound might be infected or... poisoned, or some shit." I didn't understand. "Medicine! Come! I take... uhh, I take to big city! Not far! Heal you!" Somewhere between his moronic language and gestures, I got the general idea of what he was trying to say. He wanted me to follow him.

My tribe wanted me dead. I wasn't welcome there anymore. What choice did I have put to follow this creature?

To show I understood him, I smiled: and then something strange happened. The tiger blushed. "Um, right. Yeah. Uh, come on."

Something strange happened to me, too. I was suddenly more... aware of the tiger as a presence. I don't know how else to put it. Though mentally unfit, he was strong. And compassionate. Not like other pray. Had he put that cloth around me to try and help me? Had he taken the arrow out from my back? Had he saved my life? Blinking, I tried pointing vaguely to my wound, then to him.

"Uh, yeah. That was me." I think that meant yes. That confused me. Why show compassion to me? I'd failed my tribe, yet he'd chosen to spare my life? The feeling overwhelmed me. It wasn't in my nature to know kindness, of any sort. It was a weakness among my people. But why? It felt good, to have had someone do that. Overcome, I blushed too.

"Uhm, yeah. It was nothing. Are you sure you don't understand me?" I was more patient with his ramblings now, even though I didn't understand them. "Right. Man, you're really cute... jeez, what's wrong with me. Uh, come on. We need to go."

He left. I followed, curiously. The tiger had perked my interest.

<*>

"You'll need to put this on. So you don't stick out." Oli handed me something. A large, gray cotton piece of skin. Thick, and warm to the touch. What the hell was I supposed to do with this? This male was getting weirder and weirder. First, he'd tied another white strap around my wound, saying the word 'bandage' over and over again. Then, with some considerable coaxing, he'd got me to climb into the belly of a large, metallic monster that roared and growled as soon as he sat beside me. He must have been controlling the beast, because he seemed to be able to command where it moved. The beast had carried us in its belly, for a long time, until we'd left the jungle and came to a city. I'd heard about these. Great lairs, where the pray creatures lived. But I never imagined they were so large!

The trees were enormous rectangular structures with light shining from them. I saw more pray creatures moving around inside them. Did they live inside the trees? Hundreds more of the giant metal beasts moved along beside us, each carrying more pray creatures inside their bellies. Once, a larger beast growled and nearly collided with ours. Oli promptly shouted something that I didn't understand and continued to drive our beast on.

We had pulled up outside a smaller structure with a big, red cross upon its forehead. That's when Oli had given me the cotton piece of skin.

"It's a jumper. You wear it... uh, like mine?" He grabbed his garment and tried to show me. Wait, this was a piece of clothing? I held it up. Yeah, it looked like it. A little big, and it offered no protective qualities, but it was a piece of clothing none the less. I tried to put it over my head, but the hole was too small. "No, no! That's the sleeve. Look, let me show you."

And he took his own off, to demonstrate. Underneath, his chest was bare. Something strange happened to me again... the tiger was of impressive build, a body that spoke of hardship. His muscles were defined and heavy, his striped fur fine and well groomed. I blushed. Why the fuck did I blush? I didn't want to stop looking.

"Why are you blushing?" He said, but I didn't know what that meant. "Stop it. Stop being adorable. I can't take it." The male laughed. Embarrassed, but not sure why, I gulped and looked away.

After some struggling and a decent amount of growling, I managed to get the jumper on me. It hid most of my tribal features, save for the tattoos on my face and my dreadlocks, for it was far too big for me. My paws were hidden by the oversized arms. The jumped had clearly been woven for Oli, not me.

The inside of the structure was slightly intimidating. There were more pray creatures, of all shapes, sizes and species, talking and moaning in the same language Oli had used. He went over to a large human female and said, "I need to see Doctor Lamb? It's important."

"She's with a patient. Take a seat, it won't be long."

So we did. Silently, wordlessly, we waited in this bizarre place. At one point, one of the pray creatures gave me a very creepy ogle. I returned it with a deadly hiss, which sent the colour draining from its face. That's right, weakling, know your fucking place!

"Mylo!" Oli yapped at me, in an authoritative tone I hadn't heard him use before. "Don't growl at people! It's rude!"

Huh?

The male continued. "No grr-ing! No!"

Was he scolding me? Well, fuck, that was unpleasant! Who the hell did he think he was? He was a damn pray creature! I hissed angrily. I could have killed him-

"I said no!"

Oli grabbed my wrist, held it firmly and glared at me with vigour. It was a glare I'd never seen in a pray creature before. Even my old alpha male hadn't even treated me like that, having paid me hardly any attention at all. In that instant, I realized something. The tiger was bigger than me, and stronger than me. He was an alpha male, too. And I was below him.

So I displayed that. I lowered my head and shut my eyes, keeping my mouth shut, to show my submission.

"Good. Good boy."

Then it happened again. I blushed, much worse this time. Maybe it was because Oli had just shown dominance, a trait which I'd been raised to admire. But there was something more than that. It wasn't just admiration, it was adoration. I was growing very fond of the male in some way I couldn't understand. I wanted him to talk to me more. I wanted him to hold me like he had when reprimanded me. I wanted his attention.

So I poked him.

"...What?" Oli looked confused. I smiled up at him, in a childlike playful manner to show I meant no harm. I was just being friendly. "You're a funny guy." The male laughed, and tussled my dreadlocks. I pretended to resist, but I loved his affection. I was becoming progressively more inquisitive about the tiger.

The human female called Oli's name, and we were lead down a pathway to another room. It was bright white, and a strange bed was rolled up in the corner. Screens of light and colours and odd materials littered the room, and a disgustingly clean smell reached my nostrils. I almost gagged. There was a female wolf inside too. She spoke directly to Oli.

"You sounded quite distressed on the phone." Then she looked at me. "Is this the boy you told me about? The one you found in the like with an arrow in his back?"

"Yeah, I think his name is Mylo."

The wolf crouched down in front of me. I growled threateningly at her, but then remembered what Oli had warned me about. Sure enough, when I looked up at the male, he was giving me a warning stare. So I shut my mouth.

"He seems a little moody..."

"He's been like that to everyone. I think he's quite aggressive on his own."

"What makes you think that?"

Oli laughed. "For a start, when he woke up he put a knife to my neck. I shit myself."

I didn't understand what they were saying. The wolf took off my bandages and inspected my wound. Fearful of Oli's dominance, I didn't stop her despite my every instinct telling me to shove her away. "I'll give him some anti-biotics, just in case an infection comes up. He'll be fine."

"Brilliant. Um, can you tell how old he is?"

"Oh, sixteen? Seventeen at the most? It's hard to tell, he's lived in the jungle all his life, and he's got a few feral attributes. See his eyes? They're quite narrow, he can probably see quite well in the dark. And his ears are bigger. And his teeth, too, they're far too sharp for a civilised mouth. But he'll be ok, although if you hadn't bought him here he'd probably have frozen to death in that lake."

"So I did the right thing?"

The wolf laughed as she began rummaging around the room for something. "That's up for debate. He's a wild tribal boy. Some of them are quite dangerous, you know? I say you probably should have let nature take its course."

"What, and let him freeze to death? Hm. I'm not like that."

"Well it's not your place to decide, regardless. Anyway, it doesn't matter. Make sure he takes these pills." She handed him a bottle, "And, for fucks sake, take him home!"

"I don't know about that. I think another tribe was trying to kill him, or something."

"Well, let them. Like I said, it's nature."

Oli growled. "We'll see. I'll look after him tonight."

"No, Oli! Don't be silly, look at him! He's armed to the teeth. He'd dangerous. Just take him home!"

"It'll be fine! I'll lock the doors, he won't leave my apartment."

The wolf rolled her eyes. "Alight. It's your funeral."

"Heh."

<*>

Back into the giant, metal beast that Oli directed through the concrete jungle. On the way, he'd made me swallow some very odd stones. They stuck like bugs in my throat and I nearly choked, but swallowed them down regardless. The doctor had re-bound my wound and set us on our way. On and on we rode, until we arrived at a very run down looking structure. Inside, up, and around it. Oli lead me through the maze. I followed him because I had nowhere else to go. And I still wanted his attention.

"Jamie?" Oli suddenly spoke. Confused, and looking around for whoever he was talking to, I frowned in puzzlement. There was nobody here. Wait... was he talking to himself? Or to the small, black box in his paw? "Can you meet me at my apartment? ...As soon as possible, it's important... yeah, I know it's late, I... huh? No... I need your help with something... a jungle thing... uhh, sort of, I bought back a souvenir. I need you to help me figure out what it is. Ok. Thanks, I appreciate it."

Was Oli going mad? Or was he talking to me? No, he normally looked at me when he talked to me. Why was he talking to someone else?

He let me into a small room, the smallest I'd seen so far. Inside was one room, a bed, an area that smelled like gas and a large, transparent wall on the other side. Through that wall I could see the city, illuminated in the night. The view was intimidating, so I didn't stop admire it. It smelt of mould in here, and something else I couldn't place my finger on. Disgusting.

"Here, are you hungry?" He said. Then he started rubbing his tummy. More strange gestures. I rolled my eyes at him, losing interest. I was starting to feel slightly peckish, but there was no food nearby.

"Um, here." Oli was holding something out for me. An apple! I knew what those were! Frantically, I snatched it from him and bite into it. Ah, sweet! The sweetest thing I'd tasted for a long time! These were a delicacy!

Once again, Oli had proved himself an alpha male. He'd protected me, watched my back, marked my failings and provided rare food for me to eat. I was surprised. As far as alpha males went, he was an especially good one! Not nearly as cold... far from it. Kind-hearted. He was great! Hell, I'd take him as my alpha male any day!

Oh wow...

I blushed again. Heavily. I had really started to dote on the male, faster than I had ever thought possible. Everything about the tiger fascinated me; his face, his voice, his scent, his posture, his physique. Especially his physique. I smiled, deciding that I wanted his attention again.

But Oli just smiled back at me. Huh. That wasn't what I wanted. I wanted him to tussle my dreadlocks again, like he had before! So I spoke. "Mylo."

"Uhh, yes? What?"

"Mylo?"

"You're a little weird, you know." Then he sighed, "If you weren't so cute... wow. Really. Wow."

I wasn't getting the response I'd hoped for. So I marched up behind him and, without really thinking, I bit him. It was only a playful bite! I wasn't trying to hurt him, or be intimidating, just get his attention!

"Did... did you just nibble my arm?" Oli asked, frowning and smiling in unison. He wasn't mad at all. He liked it? He liked it! So I did it again.

"Ow! Hey, c'mon, quit it."

And again.

"Oh, now you've done it!"

Laughing, he grabbed wrist and pinned it to his chest, holding me in place. I smirked, pretending to resist, but in truth I was just playing the game. We did this for a while, exchanging playful blows that in no way could be interpreted as real aggression. I felt like a child again, messing around with my fellow males in fun and games. It was a different game to the hunt. There was no danger, no violence. Just play.

It stopped, quite suddenly. I was pressed up close to Oli's chest, my head close to his chest. I heard his heart beat. Boom... boom. It was slower than any heart I'd heard before. It was deep, and hypnotic. Dazed, I looked at him, and smiled weakly. He smiled back.

My chest clenched. It was more than curiosity. I wasn't just fascinated by him. I wanted to be close to him. Closer than this, even. His body heat warmed me, and although I said earlier that warmth wasn't my comfort zone... I was starting to change my mind. I had a paw on either side of his waist, and he had his arm wrapped around me, careful to avoid my injury. Neither of us was moving, but the moment was quite overpowering. I didn't want it to end. I was so taken by tiger.

I wasn't stupid: I knew what these feelings were. I'd had them told to me by my alphas in my youth. They told me, one day, I'd be assigned a female. She'd make me feel wanted, powerful and alive. I'd possess her, own her and allow her to do the same. I'd want to be close to her, and explore every part of her. But Oli wasn't female. He was a male. So why did I feel like this? Was there something wrong with me?

It probably went against every moral my tribe stood for, but I ignored that insecurity. I didn't care.

"Um, Mylo... I, uhh... I wouldn't... do that. You're, um... sorta' turning me on..." I knew what that meant.

After another pause, he drifted closer to me. Yeah, I knew what that meant too. I'd kissed before. Only females though, but it hadn't been my choice or desire - it had been my duty. But Oli was my alpha male now, and duty didn't matter to him. I could do what he wanted. So... I didn't stop it. Hell, I probably instigated it! I wanted to. Our lips touched, softly, as though dancing on thin ice, and closed in gently around each other. My muscles tightened with the shock of it, but Oli kept a steady hand on my lower back and tried to relax me. He was the alpha. He knew best. His mouth slid across mine again, this time for longer. His breath, humid and comforting, washed over me and swept away any leftover feelings of doubt, not that there had been many to begin with. Craving him more, my paws tightened my grip on his waist, and his big arms curled like massive pythons around my body. Fur mixed with fur, each brushing the other playfully. I purred, like an infant, taken by him.

Tongue met tongue. Yeah, I knew how to kiss too. We'd been taught that. But Oli was a far better kisser than I, and he took the lead. When his tongue curled around mine, I followed instinct and matched it. Wet and warm, I drew as close as I could to him and craved more of him. His shirt, which stood callously in the way of my desire, was left by left paw as my right slid up across his body. His muscle tone flexed against my paw pads, and my mind was awash with thoughts of what I'd do if I had free reign to explore him. We kept kissing, and that warmth and desire spread quickly to my shorts...

Oh, fuck, I had the biggest hardon I'd ever had in my life.

And I could feel his too, through mine. The heat of it, and the surprising size of it, was to me like a moth to an open flame. I wanted him to get it out. I wanted to feel it properly. I'd never really seen another male's erect cock before, and anxiety wasn't going to stop me now. I'd already given into the primal desire that made me crave his dominance; this was only one step further...

...And then someone knocked on the fucking door.

I don't think I'd ever been so utterly frustrated and upset in my life. It couldn't be over! I wanted more of him! "Oh... fuck, Mylo... bad! We shouldn't have done that!" Oli hissed at me, tugging me away. I growled back at him, undeterred by his abandonment and tried to grab him again. "Hey!" He grabbed me fiercely. It sounds strange, but his aggression just made me want him more. "Uhh... later, ok?" And he kissed me quickly.

That helped. It was a sign. A sign that we weren't finished.

Oli composed himself and opened the door. There was an otter outside. He wore two transparent sheets over his eyes, extremely baggy clothing and had a stunted, ugly posture to him. He smelt of herbs and unnatural food. His eyes were dull compared to Oli's. This male wasn't strong, or mentally courageous. He was weak. If I'd encountered him in the jungle as pray, I'd have killed him out of pity.

With that in mind, I snorted disapprovingly at him. That was when he noticed me. And his eyes widened with horror. "Oli... Oli?! Are you fucking serious?!" He snarled, jumping into the room and slamming the door behind him. "When you said... I... I thought you meant a rare fruit or something! Not a fucking tribal boy! What the hell is wrong with you! Absolute bellend!"

"Fucking hell Jamie, relax! He isn't dangerous!"

"Oh, brilliant, never mind that you took him from his damn home! What, did you bring him back here to fuck him or something?! Fucking homos! What's the matter with you?"

Oli growled menacingly at the male. That, in turn, set me off. "Do you want a smack?" The tiger hissed. "Cos' I'll give you one! Just shut up, I need your help?"

"Yeah, you need fucking help alright. You should be in the fucking looney bin, you idiot."

"Yeah, yeah, I'm stupid, whatever. Look, you're an expert on those tribes. Can you help me identify him?"

After some deliberation, the otter seemed to calm down. "Ok, ok! But you owe me. You owe me big. Seriously, I want free weed for a year."

"A week."

"A month."

"Done. Mylo, come here." He gestured at me to go to him. I did so, without thinking. At this, the otter frowned.

"Huh..."

"What?"

"He obeyed you."

"So?"

"Well, that's weird. These tribal people, especially the males, work in hierarchy. They only obey their alpha male. He thinks you're his alpha."

"Oh, bullshit. He'd obey you too, probably."

"Oh, really? Watch," the otter looked at me, "Come here, Mylo. Come here." He made the same gesture. What the fuck?! Did this weakling think I was going to obey him? Was he trying to be alpha? Ha! I laughed, and then hissed at him. "See? He doesn't listen to me. Just you."

"Oh..."

"How did you to get him to dote on you? You did fuck him, didn't you?"

"No!"

"Seriously?"

"No! I couldn't do that anyway. I mean, uhh... would he, um... would he let me?"

"Yeah! You're his alpha. If you told him to cut his own wrists, he'd do it. He'll do whatever you tell him to do. The younger males crave dominance. If they don't have an alpha male to follow they feel kinda'... lost."

"... Hm... So he'll do anything I say, huh?" Oli grinned at me, behind the otter's back. There was a glint in his eye that, for some reason, I quite liked.

"Yeah, but don't get any ideas. Tell him to hold still."

"Uhh, Mylo," Oli said. I looked at him attentively. "Don't move. Still. Still. Stay... good boy." Was he telling me to stay still? Er, alright. I blinked. "I think he understood that. Weird. He normally just looks at me all clueless when talk."

"Ok, let me see..." the otter gently took my arm and began brushing my fur. I was confused, and his touch tickled a little. Then I realized that he was looking at my markings. After some time, he looked up at Oli. "Has he spoken?"

"He's said his name a few times. That's all. I don't think he speaks much at all."

"He must do."

"What if they don't have a language?"

"They do."

"But they don't speak?"

"Everything has to have some kind of language. Without language, the mind is incapable of thought. It just becomes a vague nebula of feelings, like a newborn babe. That make sense?"

"No..."

The otter continued examining me for a while. Then, he gasped and swiftly withdrew his paw. "I don't believe it... he's... uhh, does he have weapons on him?"

"Um, yeah. A pair of daggers and a load of little knives, and a quiver for arrows, but it was empty. They're hiding under the jumper I gave him."

As though struck my lightening, the otter leapt to his feet and backed away from me, a glare of terror in his eyes. "Fuck! Oli, he's a Venaticus boy!"

"A what?"

"He's part of the Venaticus Tribe. It's Latin, it means Hunter. Uh, the Italians call them 'Cacciatore della notte' - Hunters of the night. Dude, he's in one of the most violent tribes in the fucking world!"

"...You're shitting me, right? Look at him, he's just a kid! He's harmless."

"Well, yeah, he's a kid now. Look, I've done research on these guys. They're fucking savage. They hunt people, anyone that moves, for fun! They hang the bodies up on string and keep their bones and trophies! They're trained to kill from day one, jumping and climbing through tree tops. Normally they're pray is dead before they even hit the ground! They hunt men, women, children... anything that runs fast and stupid enough to run away. Jeez, man, you shouldn't have bought him here! He's really dangerous! If he hadn't taken to you... wow..."

"Now wait a second!" Oli protested. "If he was dangerous he would have killed me by now. Hell, he held a dagger to my throat when he-"

"Well, fuck, doesn't that say something about him?"

"What I mean is he 'could' have killed me, but he didn't. Why not?"

"Look, I don't know... maybe he didn't think you were fair sport? He might've figured you out within a few seconds, this tribe has super-powered intelligence. They're IQ is absolutely unbelievable. It's unexplainable!"

"Intelligence...?" Oli smirked. "No, he's dumb as shit. Earlier on he couldn't figure out how to put a fucking jumper on. He's a moron."

"No! No! You're wrong! That's intellect you're describing! Intelligence and intellect are different things! Just because he isn't knowledgeable doesn't mean... uhh, I can't... wait!" The otter stood up. "You still got all your little puzzles?"

"Er, yeah, bottom drawer under the TV. Why?"

The otter ran off to the side of the room. I had absolutely no idea what the two of them were talking about, but they sounded quite distressed about something. Was there danger? I looked at my alpha, eyes wide, but he simply shrugged.

"Here!" The otter had something in his paws, "Mylo, catch." And he threw it to me. I caught it with one paw. Huh. It was strange. A mechanical cube, quite small, consisting of six faces that had been split into nine different coloured sections.

Two and a half inches wide, up and down.

Eight corners.

Twelve edges.

Six colours.

Red, white, yellow, blue, green and orange.

Six colours. Six sides.

Coincidence? No way.

They didn't match. That was wrong. I assumed they were supposed to be the same.

They were aligned, and changeable.

I can twist it.

I can't take the cube apart. I'm restricted to only twist it.

Ah, now I see.

Easy.

Divide the problem into sub problems.

Ignore the parts already matching.

Twist to match a 2x2x2 pattern first.

Then 2x2x3.

Put the top corners in the right place.

Finally the last edge.

Done.

I tossed the fixed cube back to the otter, who caught it with one paw.

Silence.

I looked at Oli, who was staring at me as though I'd done something wrong. Afraid, I blinked, and then looked at the otter, who was grinning. "Do you believe me now?" He said.

"...Fucking hell... I've been trying to solve that piece of junk for years."

"Yeah. The boy's never even seen a Rubix Cube in his life, and he just solved it within about four seconds of touching it." The otter crossed his arms. "I'm telling you, don't fuck with this kid. He's not safe."

"How is he able to do that?"

"I don't really know. These guys are really cunning. I read a report; there was a village in that jungle a few decades ago. They captured an adult once and caged it up. Within a week, just by listening to the guards, it had learnt perfect English. Then it started getting into their minds, talking them into doing some really fucked up stuff. One of the wardens committed suicide; a bunch of others went mad and killed each other. Then it broke out of its cage and went on a killing spree. Killed a whole bunch of families as revenge. Couple days later it came back to the village with the rest of its tribe and took most of them prisoner as penance. Never found out what happened to them. There was a cull ordered, and most of the tribe was exterminated. Some of them survived, but they're fucking rare now. In fact, I thought they were extinct. That's why I was so surprised when I realized where he was from. And this kid," the otter pointed to me, "is exactly the same as the rest of them. Oli, for fucks sake, take him home! He isn't safe!"

"I don't think he's one of them anymore." Oli grinned. "When I found him he had an arrow in his back. I think his tribe kicked him out of their group."

"Whatever! Just get rid of him!"

"Alright, Jesus, I get it! He's a murderer! I'll take him back in an hour. Just quit feeding me ghost stories."

"Good. Look, call me when you get back, ok? I wanna' get high. I just bagged free weed for a month."

"Yeah, yeah. Fuck off."

And the otter left.

Did that mean I could dote on Oli again? Curious, he shuffled over to the tiger and nuzzled his arm. The male jumped. "Er... hey Mylo. I'm not really sure what to think of you now."

He looked worried. Was there danger? I growled.

"Don't growl, please. It's weird. Um, tell you what. I promise I won't tell people your an evil little genius if, uhh..." he grinned, "Well, I'm your alpha, right? You gotta' do what I say? Anything goes?"

I noticed a pattern in his speech. There was an inflection at the end of the sentence, and he raised his eyebrows. He did that a lot. It seemed familiar. He'd done it when I'd first woken up in his cave near the jungle, asking for my identity. It meant he'd just asked me a question! But what question? Unsure, I just copied him. "Anything goes?" I said.

Oli gasped. "Shit! Did you just speak English?"

You.

Common word.

Second person.

Pro-noun.

_ _"Did I just speak?"

"Oh crap! Mylo, shut up!"

"Sorry..." I blinked.

" Shut up!"

I did.

"Wow... you're learning English... how?! How the fuck... are you doing that?" Another question. I opened my mouth to answer with one of my own, but he put his paw over my mouth. "No! Don't! Fuck, that's creepy... that's impossible. You can't learn English in a day."

Pro-noun again.

Can't.

Cannot.

Negative form of can.

I spoke again. "You can't learn English in a day. I can." Ha. I smirked. I was getting good.

"Wow..." Oli blinked. "Um, how much of this do you understand?"

How much.

Quantity.

Question.

Uncertainty of quantity.

"How much. Understand? Can't. Can't understand." I answered.

"Right. If I keep speaking, will that help?"

Keep speaking.

Persistence.

Help.

Question again.

"Yes."

Oli blinked. Had I made him uncomfortable? I was just playing. And learning. Well, a steady mix of both. The tiger crossed his arms. "Um, ok. Look, I gotta' take you back to the jungle. But first," he turned around, went over to the door and locked it, "I wanna' try something. As your alpha male."

There was that glint in his eye again. I tilted my head, confused, and said, "Try something. Try something? You? Alpha male."

"Yeah, just stop talking. Look, you're fucking adorable. I don't care if you're a violent little bastard, I'm your alpha male. That means your mine. So are you going to do what I tell you?"

Neutral, I nodded.

"Good, because alpha wants to fuck you. Bad."

Oh, I understood that. I didn't need to know the words. I could practically taste the arousal caked in every syllable; it stuck to me like glue. I remembered that kiss I'd given him before the stupid otter had interrupted. So we were back here? But this time we weren't going to get interrupted. And, yeah, I was willing going to do everything he told me to.

"Give me back my jumper."

I did. I tugged it awkwardly over my head and threw it to him, uncovering the tribal garb and weapons I wore underneath.

"Take off the chest strap."

I did. I unclipped the bottom buckle and let it fall backwards, catching it with one paw and tossing it aside. Totally naked from the waist up now, my chest rising and falling with heavy breaths.

"Now take off your shorts."

I began to.

"Wait! Turn around, butt facing me, then take them off."

I did. Wow, the male had a way with words. He was unassailable and dominant with every command. It was exactly what an alpha male should have been, but there was more than just appreciation in my head for him. He intrigued me, and I was possessed of a primal attraction to him that I didn't even care to explain. I wanted him, and the fact that I knew he wanted me too made it much worse. And the more he wanted me, the better it felt. So I turned around, with my back to him, and loosen shorts before letting them fall uselessly to my feet.

"For a tribal boy, you have a sweet little ass." Oli mused, whistling. I assumed that meant he approved. "Turn around."

I did. I wasn't exactly fully hard at the time, but sort of getting there. I'd never really been fully nude in front of another male before, and that slight anxiety was probably what stopped me having a rock on erection first thing. I figured that would change though.

Oli was grinning maliciously, like a true hunter at play. "Hah, wow. You're pretty strict about the whole alpha male thing, aren't you?"

I nodded, blushing.

"Do you want me to fuck you?"

Was that a question?

"Mylo, do you understand? Do. You. Want. Me. To. Fuck. You?"

I nodded again. "Yes."

"Yes?"

"Yes, alpha. I want you to fuck me."

"Bend over the sofa, on all fours."

I had to bite my lip at the command to stop myself laughing. I still don't know why I felt like I wanted to laugh, but the whole thing was so overwhelming. I was male. Not a female. But he was making me act like one, and I was gladly doing it. I wasn't going to stop him. Before I'd even moved, however, Oli stopped me again. I could tell he was enjoying his power over me as much as I was.

"Actually, first, get on your knees."

Not sure what this was leading to, I frowned and did as he told me. Then it became clear, when he unzipped his leggings and dropped them to reveal a fully hard cock that was, by far, bigger than mine. It dwarfed mine, in fact. Thicker, longer and neater in every way, with a musk that turned my muscles to jelly. Words couldn't describe how much I wanted to touch it.

So I did. Shuffled forward on two knees, I placed one paw on the rock hard shaft. It burned with body heat that travelled up my paw pads and into my chest, but at the same time still had softness about its texture. When I grabbed him it throbbed hungrily at me, teasing me. I gently grabbed the base of his dick with my other paw, purring softly. I heard Oli growl possessively at me, but I knew it was one of desire. He wanted me badly, I could tell. I bit my lip, unsure what to do.

"Mylo, lick it."

I hesitated. What if I hurt him? What if I licked the wrong place? But, stronger than those fears, was the urge to taste him. I put the flat surface of my tongue on the base of the pulsing member, and felt it tense with my touch. It didn't taste of anything... just bare flesh. That didn't make me want it any less though. It licked it up to the tip, and then looked at up Oli again.

"Ugh..." the tiger growled, "Ok... put it in your mouth, as much as you can, and suck it. Don't stop until I tell you too."

I was getting good at understanding him. Or maybe I just understood the glint in his eye that directed me. Either way, next thing I knew I'd opened my mouth and slowly closed my lips around his dick, sliding it all the way down. It touched the back of my neck, and I nearly choked, but Oli held me steady. "Whoa, easy... slow down." I ignored him. I didn't want to slow down. I could even taste his precum, which was sweet and slightly addictive. Urged on, I wrapped my tongue curiously around his width and tightened it, feeling his pulse in my mouth. It made me purr. This was incredible! I didn't even care if he wasn't female - if I desired males, bring it on. Wet and warm, I bobbed my head back and tightened my mouth around it again, trying to urge more of that precum out. I got my reward, a big glob of the stuff. Without swallowing, I repeated the move and let his cock slide slightly deeper into my mouth, without hurting me, and growled greedily at the taste of it. Oli bucked his hips, very slight, in unison with me, and that just spurred me on. I wanted to take every inch I could, but there was a limit to what I could do. The male was huge!

"Stop!" Oli suddenly pushed me away, panting. Upset, I tried to suck his dick again, but he didn't let me. "Enough! I want your ass."

Really? That was next. That was different... this way, I was in control. I was showing him how much I needed his cock by sucking it, and he just stood there and let me. But... if he fucked me, then he was in control, and I was just on the receiving end of his lust. But, hell, that was exactly what I wanted. For him to take me completely.

"Bend over the sofa on all fours and lift your tail. Good boy." He commanded, lifting me up and shoving me roughly where he wanted me to take it. I did as he told, flexing my spine and giving him the exact angle to fuck me with. I raised my tail and he grabbed the base of it sharply, lifting it up further. I gasped slightly, the yank having hurt me a little, although I didn't care for the pain. Oli growled and rammed his hips against my tail hole, earning a slightly feminine squeak from me. Wow, the heat of his cock against my hole was unbelievable. I felt him push the tip against me, grab one side of my waist and dig five claws into me. Growling with pleasure, he tried to lean back to get him inside me faster, and he bucked forwards.

Ow, fuck, that hurt!

I admit I got a little carried away. Oli was much bigger than me, and fitting his enormous cock inside my boyish butt was going to take some serious gritted teeth. That didn't stop the tiger though. I could smell his arousal, and there was no way I was getting out of this now. He owned me. With that in mind, the male slowly buried the first half of his hot cock into me. I clawed helplessly at the sofa, somewhere between pleasure and pain, as inch after inch slid in. It felt amazing, but also unbearably painful. I stuck with it, my craving for his dominance overpowering the pain. At some point I managed to relax my muscles and ease him in much smoother. Just when I felt like I physically fit another inch of cock inside me, I felt his hips press against my backside. Damn, he was deep as he could go.

"Heh, you're mine now, Mylo." Oli teased, grabbing my tail. He started fucking me, with no real build up or slow progression. Oh god, it was good. Every time he pounded me I felt like I was going to collapse under his weight. The pressure was a little too much for me, but there was no way I could tell him to stop now. I wanted it harder... and he did it harder, too. I tried to kneel up on all fours, but Oli put a paw on my lower back and shoved me back down. He wanted me to be submissive. He was the boss.

The pleasure and heat spread to my own member, hard as steel now, and I realized that his pounding was going to make me cum any second. I didn't want it to end, though. It had grown to an almost unbearable pleasure. He sunk his claws into my skin, cursing and gritting his teeth while he nailed his entire length balls deep into me. Powerless to stop myself, it was too much. I hissed loudly, arched my back and knelt up to him. He put his arms around my waist tightly and held me there, biting down hard on my neck. As I knelt up my every muscle tightened against my will and I sprayed the sofa in my cum. Jets of it, more than I'd ever jizzed in my life. My dick throbbed and spat out more ropes, which got slower and slower in their intensity until I was empty, and completely spent.

At the same time, Oli gave my ass one final slam and snarled possessively. I could feel his cock inside me throbbing with his climax, and then warm, hot tiger seed filling me up. And wow, there was a lot of. So much I thought I was going to burst. By the time it was over, I collapsed forward in an exhausted heap. Oli followed me, giving me a tight hug around the waist.

In that instant, all the feral lust was replaced by this unexplainable urge to be close to the male. I wanted his arms around me, and to snuggle up completely to him. That's exactly what we did, for a long time. I think I fell asleep, at one point. When I woke up my head was nestled snugly on his broad chest, his heavy breathing and heartbeat a hypnotic tune.

"Hey..." I poked him.

"Huh?" He looked up at me, then grinned, "Oh, hey. Um... sorry, about that. If I hurt you. I kinda'... lost control a little."

I smiled. Slowly, weakly, I cleaned myself up and put my tribal garb back on. Wow, I was utterly exhausted but, at the same, so vitalised and full of energy. How could I explain it? It was like I'd just run a marathon and then given a heavy boost of adrenaline. My alpha male's adrenaline, I guess.

It wasn't going to last.

As Oli pulled his trousers back on the small, plastic box in his discarded trousers started beeping. Frantically, the tiger jumped up, almost knocking me out of his arms, and fetched it. He pressed it to his ear and cleared his throat. "Jamie? What is it?"

I could hear the otter's voice coming from the box, although he wasn't in the room. What strange magic. "Oli! Did you take him home?"

"What? No, not yet. I'm-"

"Fucking idiot! Get out! Get out of there! Just... get in the car and fuck off! You have to leave, now!"

"Huh?" Oli frowned at me. I was a little worried. There was genuine fear in the otter's face, detectable even without him being physically in the room. "Why?"

"Look, moron, I looked the Venaticus Tribe up when I got home. They alpha male's are fucking possessive! Did you say that they tried to kill him?"

"Uh, maybe. Mylo?" He was speaking to me now. "Who shot you?"

"Old alpha. Wanted me dead." I answered.

"Yeah, his old alpha shot him. What's the big deal? He's safe now."

Jamie shouted back, "No! He isn't! Dude, these savages don't leave lose ends behind! If they failed to kill him they won't stop there! They'll be coming for him! And they'll kill you too! Get the fuck out! Get-"

Oli threw the box down, and then rounded on me. His eyes were alight with fire, and his teeth bared. "You!" He snarled, "You knew! You knew they'd be coming! Why didn't you tell me?!"

I was speechless. I didn't even fully understand the question! He was talking about my tribe, right? Yeah, I'd known they were coming for me. But hadn't he known that too? How was I supposed to have told him? I was only now starting to get to grips with his stupid little language! What was I supposed to do?

Oli grabbed me and went for the door. "What did you do? What did you do to piss them off?" He demanded. I didn't answer. "Go. You have to go home. Now."

I protested. "I'm not leaving you."

"Shut up! Alpha is telling you to leave, so-"

The air shifted. The wind was piercing by something. Outside the open window, I felt it. Moving. Moving straight towards Oli, like a lightning bolt of steel and wood. I smelt it second, a vile concoction of rotten wood and rust. Calm but unnerved, I bent my spine back and grabbed the nearest, thickest pillow from the sofa and threw it into the air. It was a well timed gamble, but my reflexes were sharp enough to handle it. The pillow passed by Oli's head, perfectly intercepting the path of the razor sharp arrow that sliced through the window. It hit the pillow with a sickening thud, leaving Oli unharmed. But if I hadn't thrown the pillow, it would have split his left eye open.

The window burst into a thousand pieces, and through it came the familiar scent of death, blood and sweat. The smell of my old home. An enormous, bestial male panther leapt onto the couch, his stature and primal aggression dwarfing that of Oli. Like me, he wore a tribal garb that reeked of corpses, three human skulls hanging proudly from his belt. Bones lined his skin, and his dreadlocks were nearly three times the length and thickness of mine. Two sabre tooth fangs protruded from his top lip, one broken in half. His fur, much like my own, was silky black and absolutely littered with the same tribal markings I possessed. He wasn't someone I'd known personally, but I recognised the male. He was one of the best, most savage hunters. I was about to die.

The second arrow came, like the scythe of death. I was small and light, and I allowed my feet to leave the ground entirely and fell below it as though the floor had just dropped several feet. I hit the ground with a thud, and draw both daggers whilst airborne.

But the hunter was sharper than me. Before I realized what was happened, he'd wrapped a huge, deathly paw around my throat and lifted me clean from the floor. It tightening, wracking my head and neck with agony as he crushed my muscles and bones. Unable to breathe, unable to think, I could do nothing but pitifully try and tear his vice like grip off of me. But nothing happened. The iron fist was too strong. He was going to kill me, and there was nothing I could do. My tribe had rejected me, and this was my penance. Death.

There was one consolation. I wasn't one of them anymore. Oli had taught me that my alpha didn't need an iron fist. I'd die under his rule, not theirs. I'd die free.

But then it stopped. A blast like that of an angry God shock the entire room, and highlighted the rush of air that shot down my neck as the panther released me. I fell to the floor, gagging and coughing up blood. Something had made him release me! But what?

I looked up. The hunter had been thrown back by an incredible force, his chest torn open like paper. Bone and blood sprayed from the wound, dripping like water from the fatal attack. He was dead. But how?

"Fuck you," I heard, behind me. It was Oli. I turned around, eyes wide. The tiger was holding something. A large, metal wand. The tip was pointing where the hunter had stood, smoking as though recently alight. More magic? Oli had killed the hunter, somehow.

It wasn't the fact that the hunter was dead that changed me, though. What happened next did that.

Oli collapsed. Healthy, fit and full of fury one moment. Then, next, limp and useless on the ground. I jumped back, my heart beating with fear at his sudden fall. He lay motionless on the ground, like a rag doll. The arrow that had show over me now stuck neatly out of the wall behind us, its tip smelling faintly of warm tiger blood. It had grazed the tiger, causing a minor flesh wound.

But the hunter liked poison. Strong poison. Oli was dead.

There was no questioning it, no point doubting or denying it. The poison had melted his life away like an open fire would to ice. Nothing was left but his body, lifeless and limp. For a long time, I don't know how long exactly, I stood there.

You have to know something about me. My tribe was accustomed to death, and so was I. When it happened, we didn't mourn. Or celebrate. We accepted it as inevitability, and that was all. Mourning was for the weak, and the weak were pray. But, right now, there a twang of pain in my mind, as though part of it had died when Oli had. But death was inevitable? That didn't mean it was fair. He'd been killed because he wasn't fast enough. That didn't mean it was right. He was a good alpha. I'd let him punish, care for me and fuck me. How was I just supposed to let that go?

I wasn't upset, or hurt. I was just angry. He'd been taken from me. My alpha had been taken. When I left that place and climbed up to the top of that building and into the night, I left nothing behind. I took my gear, I took my weapons. I also took Oli's jumper, which I wore with pride.

I was the alpha now.

<*>

"Hey, kid."

"..."

"Kid. Where do you think your goin', huh?"

"You're a little weird, you know."

The grotesque, tall cheetah stopped me in the alleyway, a few hours later. "This is my alley, you know."

"Do you have a name?"

"Shutup, panther! You're trespassin'. I don't take kindly to that, shithead."

"Alright! Jesus, I get it!"

"That's right, little boy. You wanna' leave here? You gotta' pay the fee.

_ "Name?"_

"Shut up. Give it to me."

"Naaaammeeee?"

"Just give me everything in your pockets, kid, and you live!" The cheetah pulled a pathetic knife out on me.

"Um, Mylo... I, uhh... I wouldn't... do that."

"No more bullshit! Last warning!" He pushed me roughly, an attempted warning.

"Do you want a smack? Cos' I'll give you one! Just shutup."

He tried to knife me.

My arms were quicker. I sliced off his hand like butter, straight through the wrist, neat as a work of art. And I enjoyed it. When he opened his mouth to scream I jammed both paws around his jaw and ripped it apart, tearing it out of joint. Now it was a work of art.

The male fell, moaning and wailing in pathetic agony. I laughed. He was the most annoying pray ever. I stood over him, and said, "I'm alpha male. That means your mine."

Then I slit his throat.

Nobody fucks with the alpha male.

<*>

Dawn was breaking. The metal beasts on the road were cars - I knew that now. And I needed one. Some of them, of a certain colour, welcomed that. I'd needed money. I took it, from those who smelt like they had too much. They never knew.

"Where you off too, kid?"

"Um, what's the quickest way out of the city?"

"Depends where you want to go?"

"I'm not really sure." I shrugged, "Somewhere quiet. A village nearby?"

"Nearest village is about fifteen miles out. I can take you there, if you want?"

"Great. How much?"

"Thirty."

"Here."

"Thanks. Hey, nice tattoos."

"Oh, uhh... thank you."

"I got a few myself. You seem a bit young to have that many?

"Yeah, it was... it was a mistake."

"Ah, fair enough. Yeah, I regret a few of mine. What was your name, kid?"

"Mylo."

"Ah, pleased to be meetin' ya. So where are you headed?"

"Home."

"And where's that?"

"Not sure yet. Still trying to find one."

It didn't take me long to find a home. I wasn't a boy of the jungle anymore, sure. But I was still my own alpha male, none the less. I was still a hunter.

Cacciatore della notte, as the Italians called me. I liked that name. It made me feel proud and warm.

It was my comfort zone.