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In the darkest depths of the Nihilum Cluster, surrounding the red sun Rott, is the Commune home world called Xhin'Thaan. A dry, dusty world, almost ninety percent of the planet is covered in biting darkness and perpetual windstorms. Over centuries, these windstorms have turned Xhin'Thaan into desolate, barren wasteland, save the handful of major cities scattered across the planet, commonly where an ample supply of underground freshwater could be found. Jagged, deep-red pillars of rock jut out from the weather and war-torn earth, covering the dry land like chunks of gore. The fierce, Commune Empire reigns over the vast Nihilum Cluster and its immense region of surrounding space with an iron grip, their rule hailing from Xhin'Thaan's world-capitol, Beh'hemat.

Beh'hemet, the central hub for all Commune military and commerce, is almost always a deeply darkened region of Xhin'Thann, immense storm clouds constantly raging, day after day. The buildings of Beh'hemet, even for residences, are often large and appear metallic, like gunmetal, and are extremely overbearing. The top edges and tops of the structures, as per their obvious design language, boast massive blade-like ornaments and delicate curves, which contrast greatly with the smooth, perfectly straight and geometric edges running toward the ground. On the rooves of each of the larger structures are long, thick poles advancing upward into the black clouds, taking advantage of the constant energy bolts highlighting the sky; it is the energy above their world which powers their mighty city. Many of the buildings, especially in the centre of the city, have very view windows, but prefer the view-screen technology developed centuries ago. Instead, most structures are lined at the corners and toward the middles with deep-red channels, acting as both defence and as aesthesis.

The only exception to the constant darkness in Beh'hemat is an unusual, naturally-occurring anomaly in Xhin'Thaan's weather patterns where for a single day of the year, which lasts approximately three hundred forty-eight Earth Days, the skies clear of all darkness. Like a massive hurricane tearing apart the sky, the clouds part in a frightening spiral, revealing a deep purple sky and a brilliant red sun. During this single day of Rhax, their red sun shines brightly down on their massive city, illuminating even the darkest of streets. It is on that day alone, traditionally, where no Commune may harm another creature, regardless of who or what it is.

The Commune, naturally a war-faring people, have in the recent decades taken on a more diplomatic relationship with the other races in both their Cluster and in others, including their long-time enemies, the Lumarians. However there are many groups of Commune across their planet, most commonly old warriors stuck in their ways and other veterans, who wish things to return to their once proud, war-like ways. Such "anarchists" congregate most commonly in private, and whose groups in recent years have been growing significantly. Once thought a pesky nuisance by the Commune government, the Crimson Tide, as they've recently been called, have become as of late a rather large thorn in their side.

Although the Crimson Tide mostly occupy underground Beh'hemet, the larger groups have begun taking over abandoned War Facilities and Medical Centres, transforming them into five significant bases of operation, each lead by a single Commander. One such place, isolated in the vast Xavha desert, is a massive, mostly underground complex once used for controversial weapons research, is lead by who the Commune Government believe to be the Crimson Tide's architect and commander; former Captain Zion of the Commune Onyx Corps.

---

From the top floor of the above-ground sector, the Commune leader looked out into the raging, deep-red Xavha Desert, hands behind his back and rapt in thought. The weathered Commune warrior, not uncommon for him, was remembering his past, his long history with the Onyx Corps and the many battles he was sent into for the pride of his people. However, those days were quickly dying away; a sad state of affairs, he would say. Zion's thoughts were suddenly interrupted by a subordinate's claws slowly clicking on the metal floor behind him, gradually drawing closer.

"I have the latest report on the Lambda Project, Captain."

The nine-foot-tall quadruped sighed and turned, eyes looking up at the one who stood before him. Zion was short for a Commune, however made up for it with his strong confidence and charisma as a warrior. The centaur-like alien looked down at the flat computer-panel in his inferior's clawed hand and back up again. "Have you made any progress with the Project?"

The scientist staggered slightly as he watched Zion's long, thick tail whip slowly behind him, sliding along the smooth surface of the floor. "N-nothing significant yet, sir. Although we have been focussing more on the Omega Strain, as it has yielded at least some results."

"Explain."

"Um. Well, without the actual specimen, nothing can truly be ceratin. However in all of our experiments, the Omega Strain is thus far the only formula that has had an effect on our test subjects. Whether or not these results will translate into debilitating effects on our target is yet unknown. And frankly, sir, there may not even be a way to know without testing on him directly."

Zion pondered that for a moment and tossed the data plate on a small table, turning back to the window. The long, dark spikes running down his neck, back, and tail where seen easily now, with his back turned. Sighing loudly again, he spoke firmly. "We need to have more definite results."

"Without engaging the target directly, that is next to impossible. The best we can do is continue our studies with the hybrids, most of which don't even survive birth long enough to test on. Moreover, Captain, the majority of subjects we've spliced with the Panthera-Major gene don't even show any signs of extra sensory perception, so they're basically useless to us."

"So what do you suggest, Vidar?" Zion asked in his deep, intimidating voice, head whipping toward the lead scientist.

Vidar stepped back. "I honestly don't know, sir. We can continue our research, but progress will be slow. Other than that, there isn't much else we can do. No one would ever be able to get close enough to the target for testing, which is reason for the Lambda Project in the first place."

The dark-skinned alien growled and turned around, sharp teeth bared and walking steadily toward Vidar, picking up his blade as he walked past it. "Do you think I don't know that?" he said, pressing the blade into the scientist's neck. "Do you think I am that unaware of what's going on in my own facility?" The blade pressed in deeper as Vidar was backed into the metallic wall.

"N-no, sir. Of course not. I...I just feel you're pushing for results...that we may never get. At least, not at the rate you'd like us to." Vidar was trembling at the claws of the old warrior.

With another deep growl, Zion reluctantly accepted the truth and let the Commune scientist go. "Do everything within your power to get me results; use that one boy to your full advantage. The longer we wait, the further this democratic plague that has befallen our people will spread. This planet has been tainted by those so-called 'civilized' races. Our leaders have become decadent and weak, ignorant to our ancient traditions and practices. If the Lambda Project is a success, our army will be strong enough to wipe them out and bring pride back to the Commune."

Vidar nodded, feeling nervous as always when Zion gets like this, and quickly dismissed himself.

The leader of the Crimson Tide turned back again to the window, slamming his blade into the table and staring into the dark, red sky, the sandstorm now seeming to pass. His thoughts once again drifted to memories of the old day, when the Commune were a simple race, proud and noble. Able to see the bright lights of Beh'hemat far off in the distance, Zion growled in contempt.

* * *

Hearing the unimpressed sigh of a large, very well-built German Shepherd, Alexei finally opened his eyes, slowly, keeping the same face of melancholy he had been wearing for almost seven months. He looked up at the canine, right eye covered by a long streak of silver fur, from down on his knees, and pushed the hard pup-meat out of his maw with his tongue. "What?"

"Could you show a little less enthusiasm?" he answered sarcastically.

The lion paused for a moment. "No, I don't think I can."

Another sigh. "So why am I here?"

"Because you wanted a good time."

"Yeah, and I'm not getting it."

Alexei wanted to get angry, but he couldn't. He just kept staring up, expressionless.

"For some reason," the Shepherd went on, "I thought a lion who was missing an arm would be a little more...erotic."

"I can't remove my arm."

"You obviously don't understand my kink."

The lion shrugged.

"So what now?"

Alexei climbed onto his bed and lay on his belly, face sideways against the pillow. "I don't care," he said. He then turned his eyes behind him as he felt a strong paw grope along his left buttcheek. He flattened his ears and just watched.

"We've both got our clothes off," the German Shepherd said, "so it'd be a shame to just waste this time we have together."

"I guess so."

With a quiet growl, the German Shepherd turned and got onto his paws and knees and kicked his pants to the side, which had been around his ankles before. He murred loudly as both paws groped Alexei's rump.

The lion just lay there, chin now on the pillow and arms wrapped around, letting the dog feel his body. His ears then perked as he felt a warm paw graze gently across the back of his balls. All Alexei could hear, what he was focussing on, was the quiet whir emitting from his left, mechanical arm. The lion let out a long sigh, now feeling a paw lift his tail and another stroking the under-base, now a little bit over his tailhole. He continued to lie on his bed, waiting for the German Shepherd's next move.

The canine, who was very visibly turned on by the lion, almost whimpered as one of his fingers pushed part way into the feline's hole. His rock-hard shaft was now dripping precum from arousal alone.

He had apparently been eyeing Alexei for quite some time until just a few hours earlier, where he had finally worked up the courage to ask the lion out. After about an hour of just talking, the Shepherd delighted in having been brought up to Alexei's room.

Despite the canine's excitement, Alexei just continued to lie on his belly. He could feel every bit of his partner's touches, hear his sounds and smell his strong scent, but none of it meant a thing to him. The lion just wanted the dog to finish up and leave.

"I waited a long time for this moment," the German Shepherd said in kind of a hoarse voice, trying to sound more sexy. His paws then rolled up Alexei's heavily-scarred back, massaging almost, and he climbed atop. With their rumps pressed together, the canine murred loudly as his paws continued up and over Alexei's strong, muscular shoulders, stretching his body sexually. This stretching caused their rears to grind together and his balls to dip low enough to stroke the base of Alexei's tail, squeezing a murr out of him.

Alexei shuffled somewhat, but more or less stayed in his same position. It had been a long time since he had been touched thus, but the lion found it hard to enjoy. Not that it didn't feel good, he just wasn't as into it as the Shepherd clearly was. Alexei then looked back at to see what was taking so long, surprised somewhat when he felt two strong arms wrap around his chest from behind. "Wh-what're you doing?"

The German Shepherd giggled, heart pounding. He whined a bit as his throbbing meat rubbed through the fur on Alexei's lower-back, their bodies pressed close together. "I'm just enjoying the moment," he answered at length.

The lion grunted and turned back. Moments later, after hearing the dog taking in a deep breath of his mane, the arms released from around his chest. He could feel two paws pressing into the bed just below his upper-arms now, and the warmth radiating from a thick, throbbing canine cock. He was finally getting on with it.

"A-are you ready for this, Alexei?" the Shepherd asked.

"Yeah."

Just as the end of the canine cock pressed into Alexei's well-used tailhole, the lion opened his eyes wide and gasped. It was going to be much bigger than he thought. Eyes darting about, Alexei relaxed himself and clutched onto the pillow tighter, gasping very slightly as the dog pushed in suddenly, a loud "ruff" coming from behind.

With a mrowl, the Shepherd asked, "You like that, sweetheart?"

"I'm...not your sweetheart."

A pathetic whine later, the canine was back to pushing his cock inward, grunting and moaning the entire time. His heart was racing and soon enough, he had his entire shaft inside Alexei's tailhole, save his sizable knot.

Alexei was breathing a bit heavier through his nose now, denying to himself the amazing feeling this brought him. He closed his eyes and lay still with an eight-inch canine shaft shoved up his rear. Another gasp escaped his maw as he felt the thick meat begin to pull outward, gliding along his prostate smoothly. Still the lion refused to enjoy this, and so shut his eyes tighter and breathed heavier. Despite his eyes, he still wore a face of complete stoicism.

With a whine and murr, the Shepherd gleefully pulled most of the way out, panting now as he pushed back in. His tongue dangled out of the side of his muzzle cutely and yet another long whine sounded as the lion's tight bowels sent amazing pleasure coursing through his body. With a quick shiver, he hilted his feline partner swiftly. A small bead of sweat formed on the canine's nose as he once again pulled out, this time much faster, upset somewhat that he wasn't bringing any pleasure to the lion. Ever-persistent, however, the German Shepherd, knees placed beside Alexei's, continued to pump even harder into him, each pant giving off a grunt and a whine. He was going to pleasure this lion.

Alexei's body bucked forward and back as the Shepherd's thrusts quickly became harder and more prominent. Each time he was forced forward, a sharp breath would push out of his nose, but otherwise he remained silent. He lay clenching the pillow as the dog pounded his insides. With every thrust, his tailhole seemed to get stretched just a bit further, which caused an intense pain that continued to grow.

The Shepherd was now growling each time he pushed forward, his knot hard and plump, trying to shove his whole shaft in. Panting heavily, tongue drooling onto Alexei's back, he dug his claws into the bed sheets and growled quick and loud. Undoubtedly the canine was causing the lion much pain, but ignored that possibility as he continued with his mission. Each powerful thrust brought his sensitive, rock-hard cock closer to orgasm, so he had to pace himself if he hoped to get completely inside.

With every attempt at knotting, Alexei's eyes winced a little from the pain and extended his claws. He had never felt anything quite like this before in his life, and although within recent months he had been with other canines, this one was exceptionally well-endowed. It was becoming harder to ignore the pain, despite having been through infinitely worse before. However, the lion managed, again with a blank gaze.

Becoming desperate, and at a physical and emotional high, the German Shepherd let his body fall onto Alexei's back, arms again wrapping around the lion's chest and nuzzling into the back of his mane. Taking in a deep breath, the canine pounded his hips, grinding them with every thrust against the feline, panting and crying out in Alexei's ear. His hips thrust again and again, sounding a loud growl or yelp sporadically as he pushed in and out. He could sense he was about half way from getting his knot inside, and could not figure out why it was so difficult. The Shepherd had been with only a few other furs before, all of them male, and had never had this much trouble, although admittedly, had never had this much fun either. There was something special about this lion, and he didn't want to lose it. Trying harder, he let out a long and incredibly loud howl as he gave one final shove, Alexei's tight bowels squeezing his knot almost to the point of total ecstasy. With his pre spraying inside the lion, he had finally popped his cock inside, now resting and painting heavily in his partner's ear. "O-oh god... I fin-finally got it in..." he said, out of breath. His cock pulsated again and again as if in orgasm, but he knew he wasn't there quite yet. Lying on the edge of extreme pleasure, the canine giggled loudly.

Alexei, feeling relieved and full, just couldn't bring himself to smile. He knew he should be happy, especially for his partner, but the feelings were far from mutual. He lay motionless on his bed, a large dog knotted deep inside him, barely even twitching. He could feel every inch of the canine's cock inside his body, the warmth of his pre leaking out, but the lion mostly just waited for the dog to finish up. He was starting to feel sleepy.

Feeling ecstatic, the German Shepherd licked at Alexei's ear, murring in delight. He then flattened his own as he got no response from his partner. Slowly his tail stopped wagging and the canine sighed quietly. Although his heart was filled with joy, it was clear it was all for naught. He released Alexei from his grip and continued on, his cock still throbbing in ecstasy. As he began thrusting forward again, Alexei's sphincter, as well as the rest of his insides, tightly massaged his shaft and his knot, bringing that near-the-edge feeling yet again. The German Shepherd's tail started wagging yet again and his tongue dangled out. With his eyes closed, the canine grunted with each quick and shallow thrust, finally bursting out with even louder growls and whines.

The lion, of course, just lay there being jostled around. In a slight bout of guilt, uncertain the first real emotion he had felt in a long time, Alexei tightened the muscles in his rump, helping the dog along. Although his face stayed the same, he pushed his rump back into those dark-brown hips, admitting to himself for the briefest of moments that he was enjoying himself.

Overjoyed by this subtle action on the lion's part, the Shepherd's cried turned in to relatively quiet and short howls, until in no time at all, he got that sharp, intense feeling inside his cock again. Baring his teeth and growling, the canine continued with very quick, shallow thrusts as the feeling grew, finally bursting out with an extremely loud, long howl as he unleashed his seed deep inside Alexei's gut. Moaning and howling madly, he bucked several more times out of impulse and quickly emptied his balls. He was giggling almost giddily as the intense wave of pleasure started to die down, his knot still full and locked inside the feline. "F-fuck..." he murmured, extremely pleased with himself and his partner.

Alexei immediately felt the orgasm strike the canine's nethers, and went wide-eyed at the hotter-than-expected cum quickly filling him up further. It was incredibly warming, like hot tea in winter, and felt very satisfied, although he wasn't about to admit it. The lion squirmed a bit as it died down, finding he was still stuck around his partner's shaft.

The German Shepherd, smiling from ear to ear and still panting, let himself drop once again, waiting for a more reasonable time to retrieve his penis. His paws roamed Alexei's scarred sides slowly and he murred quietly in his ear. After a long moment of rest, finally he was able to remove himself, and he yelped gleefully as his cock popped out quickly, dangling a long string of cum onto Alexei's leg.

Alexei winced as the knot seemed to burst out, the canine seed pouring out of his sore tailhole and onto the back of his balls. He then turned his head to the side, closing his eyes and relaxing.

"H-how was that?" the German Shepherd asked.

Alexei ignored the question.

With a shrug, the canine looked about the dark, moon-lit room for the bed sheets. Finally he found them on the floor and pulled them up, covering the lower half of the pair. With Alexei now lying on his side, back facing the dog, the German Shepherd nuzzled close, the arch of his body matching that of the lion's.

Alexei rolled his eyes, despite them being closed, and very slowly drifted to sleep. As always, his thoughts went continuously to one particular kangaroo he had met well over seven years ago. Regardless of what he had just been through with the dog, his thoughts were solely on the one he had pushed away; the one he had lost.

The lion suddenly opened his eyes to a single sunbeam hitting his eyes. He growled and turned around, still feeling exhausted. It was yet another dreamless night. With the light still bothering his eyes, the lion growled even louder sat up with a bit of a roar, tossing his pillow into a shelf. Breathing heavily, he just stared at the mess on the shelf in complete contempt. He was then interrupted by a knocking at the door.

"Alexei?"

It was his mother.

"What?"

"Is everything okay, sweetheart?"

The lion ignored that question and got out of bed, remembering this time to slip on a pair of boxers before leaving. Although he found the most inappropriate pair he owned - very tight black with a missing button in front and tears in the rear - he left his room with just them on anyway.

Helena, Alexei's mother, backed away from the door as her son exited, clearly disappointed by his disregard. "God, Alexei, those barely even fit you."

He still ignored his mother as he continued down the hall and into the modest apartment living room, plopping himself down on the couch. His sheath was easily visible through the front of his boxers.

Helena quickly sat down with her mate and her husband, another lion named Jake. Taking her coffee, she sipped it awkwardly before placing it down again. "Alexei..." she started.

The lion shifted his eyes to look at her. He scratched his scarred, yet toned, belly with his metal arm as he waited for her to finish, then replaced it on the back of the couch.

Helena sighed. "Is there something you want to tell us?"

"No."

"I met your friend as he left this morning," Jake said. "He seemed a little upset."

Alexei remained silent.

"He was crying, Alexei," Helena went on. "What on Earth did you do to him?"

"I didn't do anything." He meant that quite literally.

"I find that hard to believe. I think the whole building heard what you two were doing."

Jake sighed, ignoring his wife's last comment. "I think he really liked you, son. Are you going to call him again?"

"I don't even know his name, and don't call me 'son.'"

Helena was starting to get upset. She placed her mug down before it broke, like so many before it, and held onto Jake tightly. "You have to get over Kaelin," she finally said. "It's been seven months since...that day...and you two haven't spoken once. He's tried to call you, you know. I think he wants to talk things out with you."

"I told you, there's nothing to talk about."

"To hell there isn't," Jake stepped in. "If what Xavier's told us is true, it's that you two belong together. Clearly, after what happened, he at least wants to try to make amends, but you aren't even giving him the time of day. You have no reason to be angry with him, and if you ask me, with the way you've been acting, you don't deserve him back."

Alexei finally stood up with a growl, annoyed at this same old lecture. "I'm going out." The lion marched into his room and threw on a pair of loose-fitting dark-green pants, noticing a shiny red pendant sitting on the shelf before leaving. Staring into it, sudden emotions rushed into the lion, and so he grabbed it and tossed it away. He quickly left his room and went to leave the apartment, turning away from his parents as he walked past them.

"Alexei," his mother pleaded, "don't walk away from this. Just give him a chance."

He slammed the door behind him. Alexei walked down the hall and down the stairs, now walking briskly through the street. He didn't even notice the people staring at him anymore, at his scars and his arm, head held low and eyes focussed in front of him. Weaving expertly through the crowd, the lion was headed toward a small café he frequented. The people knew him there, despite keeping to himself.

After turning a corner, Alexei noticed he was being followed. With a sigh, he ignored his pursuer and entered the café, slowly taking his regular seat in the corner, near the window. He sat leaned forward on the table, metal paw on his forehead as if deep in thought. He just stared down at a single pattern on the tabletop, thinking about his parents lecture. Could he really face Kaelin again? Could he look his ex-mate in the eyes and be certain he wouldn't hurt him again? Nothing with the kangaroo was certain anymore. Did he even still love him? They hadn't spoken for seven months since Alexei sunk a Demon Arm straight into the roo's chest. Seven months since Kaelin called it quits. Alexei knew what his parents were saying was right, but he was so far gone, he wasn't sure he could ever come back. Even at the age of ten, when his entire life had been destroyed, the lion had never felt this alone, or this depressed.

"What can I get you?" said an unimpressed, somewhat sad voice, interrupting the lion's thoughts.

Alexei looked up, not moving his head, giving the person an evil glare. However he was surprised to see it was the German Shepherd he had just spend the night with. The lion looked back down. "Coffee. Black."

"Right away."

Now Alexei was more confused. Did he really feel something for this canine? Moments later he was interrupted again by a hot mug of coffee, placed under his nose.

"Anything else?"

"No."

The Shepherd paused. "I really like you," he finally said.

Alexei ignored the dog.

The café employee sat down with Alexei and let out a long sigh. "My name's Jamie, by the way." He waited for a response, but when it was clear he would get none, he continued. "I don't know what you've been through, but if you ever wanna talk about it..."

Alexei sighed.

Jamie wasn't sure what to say. He just stared with sad eyes at the lion. "You know, I've served you almost every day you've come in here. I always thought you were cute." The canine started to blush intensely. "I worked out a million times in my head how I wanted to ask you out, and then when I finally did, I don't think I said a word of it. I was really nervous."

The lion took a sip of his coffee.

The Shepherd looked about awkwardly, beginning to sweat. He felt almost as if he wanted to cry.

Alexei then looked up at Jamie, his piercing red eyes seeming to gaze right through him. Then quickly he stood up, knocking his chair back, and used his right paw to shove the canine away, knocking him over. In a single fluid motion, Alexei twisted his body and deflected a projectile with his metal arm. With a deep growl, he stared his aggressor square in the eyes and bared his teeth, growling even louder. A dark wind seemed to push out of the lion as he swept a paw across his chest, mentally throwing the table away.

The people in the café, as the unusual wind picked up, started to cry out and run away. However just one civilian remained; a dark red dragon holding an unknown weapon.

Jamie, scared out of his wits, and still somewhat confused, looked up at Alexei, terrified.

Alexei's mane whipped about as he took a step, then in a flash he bolted forward and struck the dragon in the gut with his elbow. Seeming to hang in the air a moment, the sudden burst of kinetic energy caught up with them, sending the dragon flying back into the brick wall, cracking it. The lion pushed his paw forward and grabbed a whipping-tail, squeezing it hard and delighting in the feel of shattering bones. Shoving it away, he bent down and grabbed the scaly lizard by his long, plated neck and pulled him up.

"Y-you can't...hide from us."

Alexei suddenly head-butted the dragon, and tossed him across the café, knocking over many more tables and dishes. He took a second to notice the weapon and realized quickly it was of Commune origin. He smashed the weapon under his footpaw and leaned forward, letting out a thin stream of mental energy, striking the dragon as he tried to get up.

The red dragon slammed back into the wall, knocking over the shelves, feeling as if he was struck in the chest by a shotgun. Falling with a loud thud and an agonizing groan, he looked up. Just a second after focussing on the lion, he received a hard knee to his head, knocking him out cold.

Alexei just stood over the dragon, growling. He then turned and walked out onto the street. He wasn't headed home, clearly, and wasn't certain at all. He just kept walking. Very quickly, though, he realized he was being followed again. Feeling the adrenaline pumping, he stopped and turned swiftly to grip his metal paw tightly around Jamie's neck, squeezing as he pushed him back. The lion was growling terribly, staring malevolently into his eyes.

"Oh god," the terrified Shepherd whimpered. He was certain he had just wet himself.

Alexei looked down at the small puddle steadily growing bigger, then back up, releasing his paw. He didn't say a word, but just continued staring.

Jamie backed away, coughing as he caught his breath, then looked up frightened at the lion. "Wh-what...What's wrong with you?"

Alexei didn't know what to say. He just turned and headed into the park, which wasn't far. Soon after entering, he collapsed under a tree and just lay in the grass, breathing heavily. He covered his face with his arms, mind spinning.

Jamie caught up and knelt beside the lion, placing a paw on his back. Rubbing softly, he spoke quietly. "What was that back there? You just...snapped."

Alexei turned onto his back and looked up at the scared canine. He was staring upward, looking through the Shepherd. "I thought...I was done with them," he finally said.

"Done with who? Dragons?"

"The Commune," Alexei spat.

Jamie didn't get it. "Who're the 'Commune?' Some kind of cult?"

Alexei's eyes then focussed on Jamie's. "Never mind."

The canine sighed and sat in the grass, keeping both paws to himself now. "You really scared me."

"I scare a lot of people." The lion raised his left, mechanical arm, staring at it in disgust.

"It's not your arm that scared me, it was that crazy fight."

Alexei grunted.

"H-how did you move like that?"

The lion was immediately reminded of when he first met Kaelin. The pair had gone through that exact conversation after a confrontation on a subway car, where Alexei had been forced to show a small amount of his power. Although, Kaelin was more surprised, impressed, even, than scared. The lion ignored the question.

Jamie signed again. "Well, what now?"

"Shouldn't you go back to work?"

"Oh yeah... I guess I should."

Suddenly the pair were interrupted by a very large, almost intimidating male tiger. He stood above the two, grinning oddly. "One of you boys looking for a good time?"

Jamie looked up, still shaken somewhat. "N-no. Neither of us are."

"What do you want?" Alexei asked.

"I haven't seen much action lately," the tiger spoke, "so I'm looking for a little slut I can knock around for a while. You two seem like the perfect match."

"I-I'm not a slut," Jamie protested.

"Well, I've heard about you, lion. They say you'll fuck just about anyone, and don't even charge a dime."

"Alexei's not like that!" Jamie said again.

The lion sat up, unamused. "What else do they say about me?"

"Not much, really. Just that you'll do just about anything with anyone."

Alexei sighed. "So where do you want to do this?"

"What? Are you serious?" Jamie said, taken aback.

"Let's go back to my place. All my shit's there, anyway."

Alexei stood up. "Alright. Let's just get this over with."

Jamie stood up, looking very concerned, and watched as the lion walked off with this huge tiger. "Alexei," he cried, "don't go with him... You're not like that!" However his words fell on deaf ears.

The lion continued through the park, head held low, as usual, and with an emotionless face. He wasn't sure why he agreed to this, or why he always agreed to this. For almost seven months straight, at least four days of the week, he would be in bed with another guy. It seemed this city never ran out of horny furs. Alexei didn't even enjoy what he was doing. He couldn't. However he did it anyway, no doubt in a vain attempt to forget about Kaelin. It never worked. He still thought about his former mate, quite commonly during the yiff itself.

After a long moment in thought, the two reached the end of the park and were now walking though the street. This side of the park wasn't nearly as busy, and was interestingly much poorer. The houses and small apartment buildings were old and decrepit, many of them unsafe and in desperate need of repair. This is where Alexei met most of his past bedmates. They all seemed to be rough, and were almost all into dirty talk, ranging from the filthiest to the stupidest things Alexei's ever heard. None of them seemed to know how to treat a guy right, and were clearly interested in only one thing. Kaelin was never like that. Kaelin was always a sweetheart.

Alexei's thoughts were once again interrupted when he was lead up a set of stone steps, leading into a modest apartment.

"Hurry up," the tiger demanded. "My cock's dripping already."

Alexei followed at his regular pace, finally entering the tiger's room. There were various bondage devices lying all around the apartment, some of which would intimidate a normal fur. Nothing intimidated Alexei. He just continued into the bedroom where the tiger had quickly taken off his clothes.

"Lose the pants," he said.

Alexei obediently removed his pants, now standing before this large, incredibly muscular tiger.

"You don't look too happy to be here," the tiger teased.

"Just get it over with."

The tiger quickly stepped forward and put a large paw around Alexei's neck, squeezing with a growl. "You don't give the orders here, lion. Remember that." The tiger tossed Alexei back.

Before the lion could react, he had a thick collar strapped around his neck, with a leash attached. He was suddenly yanked toward the tiger, and much to the orange cat's annoyance, still wore his expressionless face. None of this even phased the lion.

The tiger growled, then quickly slipped a leather cuff on Alexei's right wrist, wondering what to do for his much thicker metal wrist. Quickly finding a row of chains, he put it through the loop on the cuff and then around the metal arm, pulling the two paws in close and using a lock to keep the chain there. "Perfect," he said to himself, clearly pleased to see the lion's arms bound behind his back.

Alexei moved his arms a bit, finding he was bound much tighter than he'd expected. The lion just looked up at the horny tiger, waiting to see what was next.

The tiger urged Alexei onto the bed, shoving quite hard.

The lion was now lying with his rump held up and chest against the bed, face smearing into the sheets. He wiggled around a bit uncomfortably until suddenly the leash attached to his collar began to pull up. Surprised somewhat, Alexei's upper body was now being held up, to about a ninety-degree angle with his legs, by the collar around his neck. Thanks to his mane, however, he wasn't suffocating too badly. Oddly, it seemed to heighten his senses, specifically his sexual senses.

"You're my bitch, aren't you," the tiger said, standing at the end of the bed, strapping on a harness.

Alexei didn't answer. He just heard the tiger growl and come around to the side of the bed, standing with his partly-hard feline meat dangling out of a metal cock ring, which was attached to the leather harness. The barbed end of his meat, again, would intimidate most furs. The lion looked over, surprised somewhat at its size, not able to move his head.

"I said, you're my bitch, aren't you."

Again no answer.

The tiger snarled and walked away, behind Alexei, and spread his legs so the lion's balls dangled down. He then attached a rope around the chains binding Alexei's paws and lifted it so it was just barely uncomfortable for the lion. "Now," he said, "tell me who my fucking bitch is."

Alexei's lips didn't even twitch. He heard the tiger grab something and growl loudly. He was starting to get angry.

The tiger took his cat o' nine tails whip and swung it around, then quickly whipped Alexei's lower back.

The lion grunted and shut his eyes tightly. It hurt a lot more than he expected. Again he felt the knotted-ends sting his back, and now his rump. They were getting dangerously close to his balls. A shiver ran up his spine as he felt the well-used leather gently tap the backside of the fuzzy orbs.

"I'm going to ask you one last time, lion. Who's my goddamned bitch?"

Alexei's maw opened, but he hesitated to speak; hesitated too long. He suddenly felt an extremely sharp, gut-wrenching pain in his nethers, which reached all the way up to his gut. And yet he didn't even cry out.

"C'mon, lion. I can keep this up all day."

"Ah..." Alexei started. "I... I am."

The tiger leaned in and tightly gripped both balls in his paw, pulling. "You are what?"

"I-I'm...your bitch."

The tiger murred in delight, releasing Alexei's orbs. "Very good, lion. Now tell me, who's your master? Who do you belong to?"

"You."

The tiger giggled devilishly. "'Me,' what?"

Alexei sighed and mostly became limp. "I belong to you, Master. You own me."

The tiger bared his teeth. "Excellent. And don't you forget that, bitch."

The lion sighed again. He would often play the submissive role with Kaelin, when they were together, but one thing the kangaroo never did was treat Alexei disrespectfully. And if he did, they both knew it was a joke - which they did often in yiff - mocking the types who meant it. Types like this tiger. The lion just hung helplessly, waiting for the tiger to continue. It was taking much longer than he expected it would. Not that he had anywhere he had to be.

The tiger, who still hadn't given out his name, just murred as he looked down at Alexei's body. He felt up the lion's rump and spread his cheeks to get a glimpse of his tailhole. "It's gonna be a tight fit," he commented. His cock was nearly fully erect now, boasting a large piece of felid meat dripping with precum. He walked over toward Alexei's front and held a paw tightly under his chin, forcing the lion to stare into his bright pink cock.

Looking up at the tiger momentarily, Alexei looked back down and opened his maw. He clearly knew his place. Within moments, the enormous length was shoved carelessly into his muzzle, pushing forward forcefully. Alexei gagged and shut his eyes tightly as he tried his best to service the tiger. His lips easily formed a tight seal around the shaft, not leaving much room to use his tongue. However he sucked as best he could on the huge catmeat, not entirely hating the taste of his pre.

The tiger growled and continued to hold his paw on Alexei's chin, feeling his throat swallowing and sucking back. He closed his eyes and began to thrust his spiny shaft harder and deeper into the lion's throat, growling in joy.

Alexei gagged and groaned as the spines on the tiger's cock scraped at his sensitive throat. He had no idea how long the tiger intended on doing this, but he wanted him to stop. However he was in no position to do anything about it. Although, if he just used his powers...

Suddenly the tiger stopped, cock throbbing inside Alexei's maw. He was breathing heavily and moaning somewhat. "Oh fuck," he said. "You almost made me cum, lion." The tiger patted Alexei on the head, roughly, and removed his shaft.

Alexei's sore maw was drooling the tiger's sweet precum.

The tiger went back around to Alexei's behind, slapping his rump very hard with both his paws. He almost seemed to delight in striking the lion, although couldn't quite be satisfied with his poor reactions. With his tiger meat throbbing and dripping, he decided to get things started. Gripping onto Alexei's hips, he quickly drove his spear deep into the lion's tighter-than-expected tailhole.

The lion's eyes widened as he was very quickly stretched, a very fast and very sharp pain hitting him. Although his maw was open, trembling a bit, not a noise sounded. There was nothing he could do, besides hang by his neck and take it.

The tiger thrust himself deep inside Alexei, hilting quickly. Wasting no time at all, he pulled back out again.

Alexei felt those fleshy barbs scrape painfully inside him, however found it to be a lot less agonizing as the massive girth prodding him drove his prostate crazy. Precum started shooting from his sheath, as his cock hadn't even begun to grow yet. "Oh god..." the lion said quietly to himself.

The tiger was loving every hard thrust into Alexei, growling and snarling crazily as he continued. His paws couldn't help but smack Alexei's sides, each strike getting harder with his thrusts. "Say my name!" the tiger commanded.

Alexei opened his maw, and as usual hesitated. But with another extremely hard slap, he tried to speak. "I-I don't...know your...name," he finally said.

"Blaze," the tiger shouted back. He was starting to work up a sweat as he stretched out Alexei's tailhole, loving the tightness around his cock.

The bound lion didn't want to shout his name, nor did he want to make any noise. Like usual, he just wanted to get this done and over with. His lips began to move as he started to say the tiger's name. "B-Blaze..." he said modestly.

"Louder!" he demanded, yanking on the leash.

Alexei winced. "Blaze."

"More," the tiger said, through a rough-sounding moan.

"Blaze. Blaze!" Alexei repeated.

"Let me hear you, bitch. Make some fucking noise for me." He yanked the leash again.

Annoyed, Alexei opened his mouth and started to moan. As his body was throttled back and forth, breathing becoming more difficult, the feelings inside him increased. His cock felt oddly close to orgasm, and the constant, painful pounding on his prostate intensified. He continued growling and moaning, no longer sure which of it was fake. With Blaze's consistent pounding, it wouldn't be long until Alexei experienced a paws-free orgasm.

Blaze, with his claws dug into Alexei's sides, slammed his hips against the lion's rump again and again. He then started to grip even tighter, panting heavily. His quick blowjob with the lion left his large meat even more sensitive than usual, and so he was nearing his climax much faster. Roaring now, he ravaged the lion's hole mercilessly until finally his entire body nearly collapsed from the intense, instant transport of orgasm. He roared even louder, whipping his head about as he shoved in and emptied his huge, sweaty balls inside Alexei.

Just as Blaze started to roar, Alexei's cock amazingly went into orgasm, as if timed with the tigers', and long ropes of hot seed spewed onto the bed, his entire lower region almost numb with pleasure. And just as he started to roar, he felt a sharp prick in the side of his neck. Snarling, he shook himself and the pain away, bucking uncontrollably as his body convulsed in ecstasy. Panting heavily, the lion started to feel somewhat dizzy. His vision blurring slightly, he was suddenly perked by the fierce scent of two very sweaty, tired males, the musky aroma of steamy feline seed adding to the potent mix.

As the lion opened his eyes, he noticed a strange-looking, metal syringe below him. "Wh-what the..." He started to feel dizzy again, more so as the tiger pulled his enormous cock out, spilling his cum all down Alexei's legs. Then, a feeling he hadn't experienced in a while, a flash in his mind. Alexei's heart raced and he thrashed about in his restraints, growling madly.

"That was much easier than expected," Blaze spoke. "Where that dragon failed, I succeeded. You are a little whore, aren't you."

"Wh-what did you do to me?" Alexei tried desperately to free himself. Pulling fanatically on his metal restraints, he started to roar loudly, as if focussing his power.

Blaze walked around him. "The Commune will have what they desire."

Alexei was suddenly filled with a fiery rage. He moved his arm desperately to the side, feeling the metal chains starting to buckle. Seconds later, one of the links failed and Alexei swung his arm around quickly, using a wave of mental energy to blow the tiger back. He raised his paw and tore the leash off the collar, then swung the leash to strike Blaze across the face. He got to his footpaws quickly and slammed a foot into the tiger's chest, then unexpectedly falling back. He felt incredibly weak, but not from the yiff.

Blaze got up and swung a paw, striking the lion across the face and slamming him into the closed door. He bent down to pick him up, but was staggered back by a forceful wind. However it was weak and he quickly regained his composure, slamming a footpaw down into Alexei's gut. Wasting no time at all, he tightly gripped the lion's tail and swung him back across the room, into a small night stand.

Alexei groaned and got up to take a swing, moving as fast as he could. However it seemed Blaze could move at an equal, if not greater, speed, as his attack was blocked and countered easily. Suddenly, just before receiving another powerful blow, he heard a loud crash at the door and the tiger slam sideways onto the floor. Heart pounding, Alexei looked past the tiger's twitching legs and up at his saviour. It was a tall, well-built German Shepherd, holding a blood-smeared crowbar and still wearing his work clothes.

Bloody, Alexei tried to move, however he was in greater pain than he'd initially thought. The lion just groaned and leaned forward, met by Jamie.

"Lemme help you up," he said softly, tossing the crowbar away.

Getting to his shaky footpaws, he limped out of the room with the canine. "H-how did you know?"

"Well, for one thing that bastard left his window open; I could hear everything. Second, I just didn't trust him."

Alexei lowered his head and continued out of the apartment with his help.

"Want me to take you home?" Jamie asked.

The lion was trembling.

Taking that as a yes, Jamie walked through the park practically carrying the lion. Before long, he reached the steps of Alexei's building and went through the door. He held the phone to Alexei's ear so his parents would ring him in. The lion had apparently forgotten his keys. Jamie finally, and tiredly, reached Alexei's room, and got help from the lion's parents putting him to bed.

Alexei lay in pain on his bed, bleeding from his mouth, nose, cheek, and chest.

"What on earth happened to you?" Helena asked desperately.

"He got beaten up by some tiger after being lead up to his room," Jamie answered for him.

"What? Th-that...that's not possible."

Alexei nodded. "He...injected me with something. I think it was Commune."

Jake finally entered the room. "The Commune?"

"Yeah, he wouldn't tell me, either," Jamie said.

The lions all shared glances.

Alexei finally managed to sit up, the sharp pain mostly gone now. It was instead replaced with a more deep, constant pain. He still felt kind of dizzy, and extremely weak. "I've never felt this...powerless...before."

Alexei's mother appeared especially concerned. "Maybe you should just get some rest for now."

Jamie just stood back with Jake, Alexei's father, feeling useless.

"And what if they attack?" the injured lion asked.

"I'm sure I'll be able to hold them off," Helena replied. "At least long enough for you to get away."

"No."

"'No?' Alexei, I know we've been through a lot, but you're still my son, and I will protect you no matter what."

"It won't work. Nothing will. I...I'm powerless. I think for whatever reason, they're more serious than ever to get their claws on me... On...me. God dammit."

Helena was trying to remain strong, however she was frightened for her child. "I will do what it takes to protect you, son. If they want you, then they'll have to tear me apart, first."

Jake held onto his wife tightly. He knew there was nothing he could do to help his son, however he had to remain strong, at least for his wife. They shared, like Alexei and Kaelin, an unbreakable bond that kept them going.

Jamie, however, was feeling very confused. He could sense something terrible was on its way, but had no idea what. He could feel the urgency and terror in their voices, which chilled him to the bone. The Shepherd started to treble and tears rolled down his face. "I-I'm scared," he whimpered.

Alexei looked up at the canine; the canine who had saved him from that tiger. "P-perhaps you could...keep me company," the lion said at length.

Jamie sniffled. "I'd like that..." He then climbed onto the bed with Alexei and curled up beside him, one arm draped over the lion's belly. He already started to feel at ease, if not somewhat sick.

"I think I'll be fine for now, Helena," Alexei said.

The lioness nodded. "I haven't tuned my mind to in-coming threats like you have, but I'll do my best. Just...try to rest."

"I will. Thanks."

Moments later, the elder lions left the pair alone.

Alexei tried to relax his sore muscles and tired head, while at the same time comfort his new friend.

"So tell me," Jamie said, head poking up from under the lion's metal arm, "what are these 'Commune' you keep mentioning?"

The lion sighed. He saw no harm in telling the canine the truth. "It might sound crazy to you at first...but they're aliens."

Jamie listened intently. Although he had never really given extraterrestrial life much of a thought, he didn't completely debate their existence either.

"There are many planets and races of people out there in this galaxy, and probably dozens of other galaxies. The Commune are ruthless aliens, always at war with someone. Their latest and most powerful enemies are the Lumarians."

"Lumarians?"

"Yeah. Over seven years ago, I was taken from this planet and soon joined their forces in the never-ending fight against the enemy Commune. I guess you'd say they're the 'good' aliens."

"So, what, you were abducted then? Why you?"

The lion sighed again. "I was born with these powers... Incredible powers that the aliens wanted to control. I sided myself with the Lumarians, a powerful, yet peaceful, race, whose empire spans many star systems."

Jamie didn't really understand, but he listened anyway.

"With my powers in mind, they made me Captain of their Elite Corps. It was with them where I lost my arm. By the hands of the Commune..."

"Are they why you have so many scars, too?"

Alexei smiled. He would normally be annoyed at having to explain this story again to someone, and yet he felt at peace. Warm, oddly. "You remember the so-called 'Crosswell Incident?' About seventeen years ago?"

Jamie nodded.

"Well, that was the first time I encountered the Commune. That's where I got this scar, too," Alexei explained, taking Jamie's paw and running it along an old, large scar running across his left ribs, under his arm and half way down his torso.

Jamie's tail wagged several times as his paw ran across the scar. He then looked up at the lion with tearful eyes.

"Anyway, they sent a small army to pick me up, but I managed to defeat their Commander, Graves," he said with pure hatred in his voice. "I spent the following ten years of my life all alone, running from every alien out there, each of them come to capture me. Such a prize I was..." The lion gripped Jamie tightly.

The canine whimpered and flattened his ears.

Alexei let go. "I-I'm sorry... Anyway, it was after ten years when I was finally taken, and when I met..." The lion choked up.

"...met who?"

Alexei stared across the room at the red pendant lying on the floor. "That's when I met...Kaelin."

"Kaelin?"

"Yeah. My mate... Or ex-mate. We haven't spoken in seven months."

"Oh..."

The two just lay in an awkward silence.

"Maybe you should call him?" Jamie suggested.

Alexei was taken aback. He wasn't sure what he wanted to do.

"Don't worry. I don't mind."

"I...I guess...I could."

"Well, why not?"

"I don't know... It's been so long."

"As soon as you said his name," Jamie explained, ears perked, "I could see such an amazing love burning in your eyes, if even for a second. Since I first laid eyes on you, months ago, I never saw one iota of emotion, not even when...when we were intimate."

Alexei lowered his head. Again the long streak of silver mane, mixed somewhat with the normal dark-brown, covered half his face.

Jamie smiled and leaned up, brushing his mane away and holding the fur away. He just stared into the lion's void, deep-red eyes.

Alexei stared back, captivated by the life and the emotion in the Shepherd's eyes. He suddenly leaned forward and kissed Jamie square on the lips, breathing calmly through his nose.

Surprised by this, Jamie relaxed and kissed the lion back, eyes closed and holding his paws to Alexei's cheeks. Very slowly, and while still locking lips, he lifted a leg and sat on the lion's lap, leaning more into the kiss. He delighted in the feel of Alexei's paws slowly stroking up his back.

The lion had no idea what compelled him to suddenly kiss the dog, however he felt more full of life than he had in a long time. With a quiet moan into Jamie's maw, their tongues pressed and played together delightfully.

Jamie, excited beyond words, ran his paws down from Alexei's cheeks and caressed his soft chest, under his mane a bit, scritching gently as still, amazingly, they continued to kiss. Reluctantly, the canine pulled away, panting a bit and still staring into the lion's eyes. He didn't know what to say.

Alexei, although he wasn't smiling, showed some emotion in his eyes. He just held both paws on the dog's hips, heart pounding like crazy.

"Do you...believe in love at first sight?" Jamie asked.

"Y-yeah... Yeah, I do."

The canine hesitated for a moment, then let out a long, almost painful sigh. "You should... You should give your mate a call," he finally said, lowering his head.

The lion sighed and let his arms drop. "Yeah...I guess you're right. D-do you mind?"

Jamie nodded and got off the feline. He just sat cross-legged and facing Alexei.

Alexei leaned to his right and picked up the cordless phone and slowly dialled in the number, which his mother had written down for him. His heart was racing and his paws trembling as he dialled the last number. Breathing heavily, he listened to the ring once. It was loud. Then again. Getting louder. Once more, almost ear-piercing. Suddenly a click then the deep voice of a marsupial. However before Alexei could speak, he discovered quickly it wasn't actually the roo. His heart racing, and hurting somewhat, the lion dropped the phone and sighed, leaning his head back and trying not to tear up.

Jamie picked up the phone and listened, then promptly hung it up. "I'm sorry," was all he could think to say.

Alexei hadn't heard that voice in so long, even a recording had made him emotional. So close to talking to him, he wasn't even sure now if he wanted to try again. The lion just groaned and sunk down into the bed further. He almost felt sick to his stomach.

Jamie then leaned forward and rubbed the lion's footpaw. He felt awful for Alexei, his heart sinking along with the feline's. "M-maybe," he started, crying a little, "we can try him again later."

Alexei nodded and wiped the few tears away, now just sighing deeply. He painfully turned onto his left side and let his body go limp. He had gotten so far in talking to his ex, finally ready to make amends after seven months, but was stopped by the damn machine. It was frustrating to Alexei, but at least this way he knew he could do it. The number had been sitting on that small table for over six months, untouched until now. He had come close many times, but he hadn't the strength to do it. Instead the lion would go out and open himself up to whoever wanted a good time, but of course Alexei never had a good time.

The lion, with every guy he had met, would just lie on his bed and take whatever punishment they had to offer. Many of them wanted to abuse the lion physically, with whips or flogs of some sort, and many of them wanted to tie him up, usually in addition to beating him. Alexei would have minded this at one point, unless it was with Kaelin, but after their breakup, he didn't care about much. In fact, he almost preferred being abused and beaten, tied up and useless. He rather enjoyed being the slut, or rather, he didn't seem to mind. He had just assumed, perhaps subconsciously, that he deserved it. Without Kaelin in his life, Alexei stopped caring about anything, and so in a vain attempt to compensate for that loss, he filled his life with random furs and almost daily yiff.

In the first month, his parents strongly protested Alexei's actions, quickly realizing what was going on and why he was bringing home so many different guys. As Alexei sunk deeper into his depression, he started staying with them at their place, where it was more common to be abused and even tortured. He knew he would have been safe at home, with his mother nearby, but eventually he stopped caring about that, too. And soon enough, his parents gave up.

They didn't know what to do to help their son, as more conventional methods proved useless. Alexei had refused a psychiatrist and medication, but instead turned to his once oft-used razor. That, predictably, was also useless. Finding it nearly impossible to hide the scars, his mother and father begged him to seek proper help, but their words fell on deaf ears. Alexei had eventually received medication from them, with which he used in an attempt at overdose. Again, a fruitless effort. It seemed apparent, at the time, that Alexei was bound to live in misery, and with the six months that followed, he could only sink further.

Alexei's eyes then focussed on the objects in front of him, thoughts interrupted by the sound of a crying canine. He looked down past his knees, which were now brought up to his chest, at Jamie, who was sitting cross-legged and constantly wiping away tears. "What's the matter with you?"

"I'm sorry," Jamie whimpered, "but I just feel really bad for you. I can't imagine what it would be like to lose someone you love so deeply."

"You've...never loved someone?"

Jamie hesitated, sniffling. "N-not really. At least, not befo..." the canine trailed off.

"Before when?"

"Before...now."

Alexei sighed. Despite the loss of his powers, he knew that's what he was going to say. But Alexei wasn't sure at this point if the feelings were mutual, or if they could ever be mutual.

"I'm sorry," Jamie said, lowering his head. Tears were starting to build up again.

"You cry a lot, don't you."

The canine sniffled again. "Y-yeah, I guess so. I'm just...emotional. Empathic, as Jenny calls me. I work with her at the café."

Alexei grunted and looked away.

Jamie sighed. He didn't know what to do next, but managed to stop himself from crying. He just had to stop thinking about Alexei's situation, and he'd be okay.

A quiet knocking at the door woke the two furs up, and both turned to see who was entering. It was Helena.

"Your father and I just ordered food for dinner... Neither of us felt like cooking."

"Alright," Alexei said.

"Everything okay?" she asked.

"Yeah, everything's fine."

The lioness then noticed Alexei's red pendant sitting on the floor and promptly picked it up. "You shouldn't throw your things around, especially those that mean a lot to you."

Alexei grunted.

With a sigh, Helena put the pendant on the shelf and started to leave. "The pizza'll be here in about ten minutes."

"That was nice of her," Jamie commented as the lioness left. "It seems like a pretty sweet deal, this living at home thing. I got kicked out a few years ago."

Although Alexei didn't really care, he felt compelled to ask. "What for?"

"Well, for a few reasons. After I came back home from teachers college, I found it really hard to find work as a teacher, so my parents got annoyed at me lazing around the house all day. They told me if I couldn't find a real job, I should at least get part-time job, or they'd kick me out. I didn't think they were serious, but they were."

Intrigued a little, Alexei turned onto his back and sat up, leaning back on both his paws. "They kicked you out for that?"

"N-not entirely... One day, when I thought I had the whole house to myself for the entire day, I brought a friend home to hang out. Jade is his name... Anyway, him and I started to get a little more comfortable together," Jamie continued, now starting to blush, "while watching TV, and, well, one thing sorta led to another and we were both lying naked on the couch, kissing and touching each other."

"So, what, your parents caught you?"

Jamie giggled. "Yeah, pretty much, except it was a lot worse than that. I mean...cuddling is one thing, but him having his huge knot inside me just as they entered the room... That's a whole different story. First off all, we didn't even hear them come in because I guess we were both being pretty loud, and second, he was really stuck in there. My dad tried to pull him off, and in retrospect it's kinda funny, but he couldn't. So my parents, who were furious at the time, had to wait for him to finish before throwing him out."

Alexei tried to smile, although he wasn't sure how sincere it looked.

Jamie lowered his head as he thought more about that. "That husky meant a lot to me, actually. To this day, I still don't know why they came home so early. Anyway, after that, they said if I didn't tell them I'm not gay, then I'm outta the house. You can guess what happened next."

Alexei remained silent. He didn't know what to say, but the Shepherd was starting to get upset again. The lion just leaned forward, resting his paws between his legs. He tilted his head to the left and just looked at the canine. Although the lion couldn't force emotion into his eyes, he at least offered his metal paw.

Without a moment's hesitation, Jamie gripped the cold, steel paw and sighed. "Thank you... You know, part of me thought maybe my parents would have accepted me, but obviously I was wrong. Haven't talked to them since then... I'm just glad Jade's sister hooked me up with the job at the café, and a place to stay. I guess I'm kinda lucky."

"Do you still see Jade?"

"On occasion, yeah, when he comes to visit Jen. But we haven't been together like that in over a year. I guess I miss him...but I'm pretty much over it."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Alexei responded. He didn't feel sympathetic, and he definitely didn't sound sincere.

"Thanks," the canine replied. He looked up at Alexei and smiled, blushing a little more. He just sat, staring, unable to take his eyes off the lion.

Soon enough, however, Alexei pulled his paw away and placed it down with the other, letting out a long sigh. At that moment, he felt like he wanted to call Kaelin again, although he knew it would be pointless. A slight gasp then escaped Alexei's maw when he felt the warm paws of the German Shepherd run up his chest.

Jamie, although he was extremely nervous, had decided to make a move. He wasn't sure what compelled him too, but the kiss he had shared with Alexei had sent him reeling.

"Wh-what're you..?"

The frisky canine positioned himself in front of Alexei, paws still on his muscular chest, guiltily groping him a little. Before he could finish his sentence, Jamie placed his lips against Alexei's, softly kissing him.

Alexei resisted for a moment, but couldn't keep it up for long. Leaning back on just his mechanical paw now, he lifted his right arm to lightly hold Jamie's cheek. A quiet murr sounded from his throat as the kiss continued, both of them pushing in a bit, tilting their heads.

His heart elated, Jamie was murring quite a bit more than the lion. His paws continuously groped and felt Alexei's strong chest, squirming when he felt his tongue meet up with the other. All he could think is how warm this lion made him feel, and how he never wanted this kiss to end.

With his eyes now closed, Alexei started to enjoy the long kiss. He opened an eye for just a moment to see his father standing in the doorway, likely to tell them the food had arrived. Despite that, Alexei closed his eye again and continued with the soft, passionate kiss.

Jamie finally pulled away, slowly and blushing deeply. His paws took a while longer to leave Alexei's chest, however he sat back on the bed, on his knees, and just stared at the lion, rubbing his arm and smiling.

Alexei, with a half-smile, gazed back until his father made a noise.

The canine yipped and turned quickly. "H-hello," he said. "I...I was just..."

"It's okay," Jake said. "You two were kinda sweet, actually. Just came to tell you pizza's here. You're welcome to stay, although...you might wanna borrow a pair of Alexei's pants."

Jamie flattened his ears in embarrassment. He had almost forgotten about the incident outside of the café, where Alexei had grabbed his neck.

"I'll meet you out there," Alexei said, getting off the bed somewhat shakily and leaving. He followed behind Jake into the small dining room area at the furthest end of the apartment. He slumped down in a chair, feeling very tired and weak.

"Are you alright, sweetie?" Helena asked.

"No."

Helena whimpered somewhat, opening the boxes, then looked up to see Jamie come into view.

The tall, muscular canine had decided upon a very loose-fitting pair of baggy black cargo pants, as his waist was quite a bit smaller than Alexei's. The pants dragged along the floor a little as he walked, only his toes poking out from underneath, and the waist hung off his surprisingly curvy hips. If it wasn't for the tight black tanktop he had also changed into, as he didn't particularly like his work clothes, much of his pelvis and his rump would have been plain to see. It was mostly his hips and his larger-than-average sheath that were holding these pants up.

Alexei couldn't help but stare.

The handsome German Shepherd pulled those clothes off very well. Since Jamie was so much taller than the lion, the pants weren't too long on him, although they did sag quite low. It was made all the more provocative with the absence of boxers, which of course had also been soiled earlier. With a quiet giggle Jamie took a seat beside Alexei. "Thank you," he said in delight, seeming to enjoy wearing the lion's clothes.

"You're welcome," he answered, turning his head away as food was put onto his plate.

Most of the meal was eaten in complete silence, save the constant noises of chewing and moving things around.

Having this time alone to think, Alexei shoved another piece of pizza in his maw. Without his powers, he was totally useless. He had never lived a day of his life without the aid of his incredible abilities, despite rarely using them. But without them, his entire body, although very well-built and powerful, still felt extremely weak. However what frightened the lion more was the fact that the Commune had been watching him, and knew where and when to strike. Although their first attempt was an utter failure, it perhaps served as a distraction to commence their second, and likely actual, attempt.

Now beginning his second slice, Alexei continued deep in thought. Whatever they had injected him with, it must have somehow taken his powers away. But how was this possible? If that truly was the case, though, then they would have no need to capture him. Unless...unless it was designed in such away that his powers would only be suppressed for an extended period of time. The lion swallowed his last bite and raised his head.

The three furs looked up at him, curious what had gotten his attention.

"Sweetheart?" Helena asked.

"I...I think I figured it out," he said.

"Figured what out?" asked Jake.

"The Commune's plan."

"How?"

"I was attacked in the café by some dragon, who had an identical syringe to the tiger's, both of which were of Commune origin, that much I know. But after I was injected, I slowly lost my powers. If it wasn't for Jamie, they probably would have taken me already, which means I'm not safe here."

Helena stood out of her seat. "What are you saying?"

"I can't stay here. I have to leave before they attack."

"You don't even know that they will attack," Jake argued.

Jamie just backed away from the table, sensing much tension. He was starting to shake the more he listened, and tears began rolling down his cheeks. The German Shepherd then started to cry, trembling, feeling extremely scared for Alexei. What upset him the most was that he couldn't do a thing to help. Except possibly for... "Wh-why don't you...stay at...my place tonight?" he sniffled. "If the C-Commune know you're here, maybe you'd be...be safe with me? At least...for tonight."

The lions stopped and looked at the frightened Shepherd.

Jake started to nod. "If what you're saying is true, Alexei, then maybe you should."

The young lion looked up at his mother and received a particular nod. Alexei closed his eyes and nodded in return. He knew Jamie didn't live far from here, and he also knew his mother would keep her mind open for alien attacks. Although it wasn't much safer than staying at home, he would at least put Jamie at ease. And even if Alexei decided simply to escape the city, a move like this only proved to him that the Commune were not leaving this planet without their prey. The lion stood up and turned, holding his right paw out to his friend.

Jamie looked up and after wiping a tear away, he tightly gripped Alexei's paw. As he was pulled up from his seat, he continued forward to tightly embrace the lion, a few tears still in his eyes. "I don't want anything bad to happen to you, Alexei," he cried.

"You two will be fine," Jake said, trying to reassure the canine.

Jamie stepped back and held his paws on Alexei's hips, looking up into his eyes. Seconds later he licked the lion's cheek and pulled away, starting slowly toward the door.

"Alright," Alexei said, following along. Before leaving, he turned to his parents, who had followed him to the door. "Please don't worry about me."

Helena had no idea what had compelled her to let her son go with the Shepherd, as she could sense Alexei's powerlessness. She had to keep a very watchful mind during the night.

Finally the two young furs left the apartment and continued down onto the street. Walking quickly at first, they started down the street which led to Jamie's building and slowed down, now walking leisurely amongst the people.

Alexei's head whipped about at the passing furs, paranoid of them. He had always instinctively read everybody's minds he'd pass when he had his powers, but now feared what they could be thinking. Any one of them could be a Commune puppet. The once commanding lion was now trembling before the most common furs, most of whom didn't even notice him. And he found little comfort in the arms of the German Shepherd.

"It'll be okay, Alexei," he said. "I promise you'll be safe at my place."

The lion knew that wouldn't be true. So why was he doing this? Why would he go so far out of his way, putting himself in even more danger, just to satisfy this dog? Alexei didn't entirely like where these thoughts were headed.

"Your parents are really nice," the canine commented. "They're obviously very accepting of who you are."

Trying to calm himself, Alexei held onto Jamie tighter. "They're not my real parents."

"Oh?"

"My real parents died at Crosswell."

"So they adopted you?"

"Helena gave birth to me, from Jake's seed, but they are not my real parents."

Jamie thought about that, starting to figure it out. "I see. I'm...I'm really sorry to hear that."

Alexei grunted. "Don't worry about it.

"Okay... We're almost there, by the way," Jamie said, pointing ahead as they stopped at a light. "I think Jen's out tonight, so we should have the place to ourselves."

Not that Alexei cared. He knew what was coming, and knew it was inevitable. And yet for some reason, he feared for Jamie's safety. Inside he knew this was a bad idea, but again, he was doing it to satisfy Jamie, at least for a little while. Perhaps the kisses they had shared meant even more than Alexei had initially realized.

Before long, the pair reached the steps of an old, brick row house. "Here it is," Jamie smiled, taking a step up the stairs. "My room's on the top floor, so we can watch the sunset."

Alexei followed his friend into this unfamiliar house, sighing as the door shut behind him. The house was nice, if not somewhat stuffy, but whoever designed it clearly had taste. The walls were adorned with unusual, contemporary paintings, while the furnishings were also quite modern. Finally reaching the third floor and entering Jamie's room, it was clear he didn't share the same taste in decor.

The German Shepherd's room was messy, although surprisingly fresh-smelling, with scattered clothes all over the place. His closet door was stuck open with clothes and junk spilling out, as well as his dresser, desk, and small table covered in various articles of small clothing and crumpled papers. The rest of the mess consisted of garbage, which included an over-flowing garbage can, a mass of seemingly randomly placed toys and action figures, and dozens of movie, CD and video game cases sprawled all around the floor and desk. Under the mess on his desk appeared also to be a computer, and in the corner on top of a few green milk crates was a white video game console, plus a small TV. Finally, the walls of the room were covered in various posters of what appeared to be different heavy metal bands, as well as some strange artwork.

"Nice," Alexei commented.

"Yeah," Jamie giggled, "it's a bit of a mess. Sorry."

The lion shrugged, looking down as he kicked a pair of pants. "At least you can still see parts of the hardwood floor."

The Shepherd laughed. "Yeah, I guess so."

Alexei didn't even smile, but moved closer into the room. He walked toward the furthest end, away from the door, to the large window over-looking part of the city. The sun was already starting to set.

"Nice view, huh?" Jamie said, approaching the lion from behind, now holding a pile of dirty clothes. He dumped it into a half-full wicker basket beside his dresser and continued, "Sometimes I'll just pull up a chair and watch it set, staring into it and thinking."

"Thinking about what?"

"Oh, you know... All sorts of things. Life, I guess. And you..."

Alexei looked over to see the canine blushing. It would seem this dog really was infatuated with the lion. He just stirred uncomfortably and walked away from the window, taking a seat at the edge of Jamie's bed and rubbing his head with his mechanical paw.

Jamie watched the lion and sat beside him. "You feeling alright?"

The feline sighed. "No, I'm not alright."

"Oh," Jamie replied, flattening his ears. "Anything...I can do to help? We could play games."

"What sort of games?"

"Video games, you know?"

"I'm not really into video games."

"So what are you into? I could put on music. What sort of music do you like?"

"I don't know, alright? I spent most of my life isolated from that sorta thing. Just put on whatever you like."

Jamie shrugged and popped open the cover of his small CD player, which was on his night stand, and replaced the CD with another.

Alexei didn't mind the music that started. It was at first melodic; nice to the ears. But it quickly became heavier and much faster. The guitars and drums, most noticeably, were the fastest, most obvious sounds, and yet the vocals were clean and smooth, much like an opera singer. It was an odd mix, yet strangely appealing to the lion.

"You like it?" Jamie asked him with a smile, holding the case in front of his chest as if he had created it himself. "They're my favourite."

Alexei slowly nodded. "Yeah, it's alright. I'm...I'm kinda tired though. Do you think...I could just get some sleep?"

"Oh," the canine said, turning off the music, "of course. You can use my bed if you want."

The lion grunted and lay on the bed, awkwardly removing his pants and boxers, now turning his back to Jamie.

Jamie just watched the lion, wondering what he should do. There was hardly enough room for himself on the floor, so it left only one option. He walked to the door to turn out the light, then quickly removed his tight tank and very loose pants. Standing beside the bed again, Jamie slowly slipped under the covers, which Alexei had put over himself when the light was being turned off. With a long, quiet sigh, the German Shepherd lay beside the lion, spooning, his strong paw rubbing up and down Alexei's profile, finally resting around his waist.

As the unusually strong paw felt all up his body, Alexei let out a quiet sigh. Although he felt he should have been annoyed by this, he couldn't help but shuffle backwards a bit, his back pressing into Jamie's chest. Although no one could have been certain, the slightest of smiles may have crept onto Alexei's muzzle as Jamie's paw rested on his tender belly. And much to the canine's surprise, Alexei could tell, he held onto Jamie's paw with his own, giving a tight squeeze.

Jamie murred softly into Alexei's ear, now starting to lick and bite at it. Each time Alexei's ear flicked, he giggled quietly. As the canine persisted, his paw began to scritch the lion's belly more aggressively.

"S-stop," Alexei said, his breathing starting to pick up. He felt both scared and excited at the same time.

"I don't think I can," Jamie replied, pulling Alexei into his body.

Alexei groaned as he was pulled back, his arms just useless in front of him, and again when he felt an intense heat radiating from under his tail and between his butt cheeks. "J-Jamie..."

Jamie moaned and pressed his hot sheath between Alexei's cheeks, his paw tight on the lion's stomach. "I want inside you," he said gruffly.

Alexei couldn't help but feel at the very least intrigued by this German Shepherd. One moment he's caring and extremely emotional, the next he's blunt and dominating. Although he was without his powers, Alexei was still a very powerful, muscular lion, and yet he found himself totally useless in the paws of this dog. He had no choice but to submit.

Jamie grinned as he placed his paw on Alexei's shoulder and pushed him over onto his belly, then swung a leg over so he was sitting on his back.

The lion just lay on his stomach, paws almost linked above his head, awaiting the canine's next move. Although he was genuinely feeling tired before, he felt oddly energized now. "What're you waiting for?" Alexei teased.

Taken aback somewhat, Jamie murred and slid his rump down Alexei's body, paws firmly attached to his lower-back ribs. "I want to have a bit of fun with you first," he said, leaning down like doing a pushup, nipping the nape of Alexei's neck. It was more difficult with a thick mane in the way.

Alexei winced with each nip, but remained mostly silent. It had been a very long time since he had felt any real emotion, and it almost frightened him that he was feeling something now. He tried to deny it, but it was useless. Feelings he had buried away were starting to surface, as evidenced by a slight blush beneath his fur. The lion just moaned loudly, raising his head, grinding his rear into the canine's sheath.

Jamie mrowled and thrust his hips even more between Alexei's rump, pulling back his sheath. He was even more elated than when they had done this the first time, as now it seemed to be mutual. The canine couldn't have been happier, and he became more excited with every inch his cock grew and hardened. He began to lick the back of Alexei's ears, which the lion seemed to enjoy, and bit them, too, pulling each time he gripped an ear between his teeth.

Alexei moaned again. He could feel the heat pouring from Jamie's body, as well as his cock, and eagerly awaited his seed. His body continuously squirmed and moved, loving the feel of the Shepherd's soft fur rubbing against his back. Although he was trying to keep his emotions in check, it was becoming harder and harder to do that. "Just...fuck me now," the lion spurted out, surprised he had just said it.

Jamie stopped for a moment as he processed those words. Feeling confident, however, that they were sincere, he continued in his lovemaking. The canine tended to take things rather slow in yiff, preferring to let his emotions out rather than dive right in. With his cock now rock-hard, he just giggled as he lay further down atop the feline, his cock firmly placed between his cheeks, and his paws sliding and gripping around Alexei's chest. Jamie just held onto Alexei tightly, smiling widely as they shared their warmth.

Alexei just lay being hugged, a certain heat filling his heart. He felt so warm, but not just from the touch of the dog. Unlike before, he truly enjoyed the closeness with this other fur, and wanted even closer. The lion now started to purr, very quietly however, within the Shepherd's arms. He felt warm and relaxed, and even safe with Jamie, not wanting this intimate moment to end. A small noise then sounded from his maw as he felt Jamie's wet tongue lap at the edge of his ear and the side of his face. With most of the furs he had been with, if not all, not one of them showed this sort of affection, opting, rather, for a quick, hard fuck. Alexei very much appreciated Jamie's tenderness, if not full-out loved it. He just kept purring and moaning as their bodies moved slowly together, the tension starting to rise.

Jamie's paws tickled at Alexei's muscular chest, then stopped to get a good grope. Putting his tongue away, the canine began to lightly kiss the lion's shoulder, lips running up and to his neck, now staying, and kissing, at Alexei's face.

Alexei turned his head to the right and nuzzled into Jamie's muzzle, eyes closed. Gasping a bit as the canine moved his entire body up, he then relaxed as their lips met. He murred loudly, somewhat, into Jamie's maw as their sensitive lips locked together. Their maws seemed to open at the same time, tongues meeting between and pressing together. The lion's tongue curled around Jamie's, and as their heads tilted and moved, their wet muscles played together energetically. He murred and moaned louder, very much enjoying their closeness and intimacy.

Slowly, without parting lips, Jamie managed to turn Alexei onto his back, kneeling above him and his paws now running over the felid chest. He, too, was murring loudly, overjoyed that their kiss had lasted even that long. His tongue lapped happily at Alexei's, playing around between their maws and getting a good feel and good taste for the other.

The lion lifted his paws to Jamie's cheeks, holding them softly, and moved his head around again, their lips sliding together sensitively. This kiss, which seemed to last forever, felt so good to the lion, so satisfying and even relaxing. It had been too long since Alexei had last felt like this.

As Jamie's excitement increased, he found it more difficult to maintain this incredible kiss. Finally he pulled away from the lion, smiling as he saw the feline lips trail along his, obviously wanting more. He bent down and kissed him again, murring as their tongues quickly ran together, but parted again. Jamie was panting a little, trying to think what his next move should be. He was then suddenly surprised to see the lion sitting up, and just as he placed his paws on Alexei's chest to push him back down, he was thrown back, then pulled toward the lion.

With a growl, Alexei pushed his metal paw down hard on Jamie's chest and, using his other paw, gripped his ankle to pull him back.

Jamie was surprised to say the least, but he leaned up to regain control.

The lion kept the canine down on his back, unmoved by his attempts.

"Wh-what're you doing?" Jamie asked, feeling somewhat nervous.

"What does it look like I'm doing?"

The dog looked down past his chest to see a large, rock-hard pink cock dangling from Alexei's hips. He struggled a bit more, but quickly gave up. The lion was much stronger than he'd anticipated. Jamie's eyes ran back up to Alexei's, feeling almost intimidated by the intense red flames. He knew what was coming, and was kind of nervous, especially after getting a glance of what would be prodding him. Very rarely did Jamie play the submissive role, and now, it would seem, he had no choice.

Alexei burned with desire, a feeling he had almost entirely forgotten. And although it seemed to have come from nowhere, the lion was absolutely certain of what he wanted; he would plant his seed deep within this canine, forever marking him as his own. Leaning down, Alexei softly licked Jamie's face, murring loudly as his tongue again and again lapped at the dark fur. "You taste...so good," the lion commented.

Jamie blushed profusely. This surprising turn of events left the canine both confused and extremely excited and turned on. He had never had such attention poured on him before, especially not by such a powerful dom. All he could do was giggle at the compliment and await the lion's next move.

Alexei mrowled and nuzzled Jamie's soft, thick-furred neck, now rubbing their cheeks together as his head moved upward. He continued in this playful, cat-like manner for quite some time, purring louder and just rubbing their faces and parts of their bodies together. He was very much enjoying the closeness and the warmth it created. However, before long his strong, carnal desires were starting to kick in. The lion was becoming quickly more aggressive, now hooking his arms under Jamie's knees. Now on his knees himself, behind the canine, Alexei expertly lifted and pushed the Shepherd's legs back, now leaning above his chest.

Jamie, who had enjoyed Alexei's tenderness more than anything he had felt before, was ready to be taken. He just lay on his back, head almost dangling off the end of his bed, paws out to the sides to keep himself well-positioned. His rump was raised up quite high, and as he was a very flexible canine, his cock-head came very close to the end of his muzzle. With a smile, he looked up past his cock and into Alexei's glowing red eyes; they both frightened and intrigued him. Soon enough, however, Jamie, who wasn't entirely uncomfortable in that position, gasped as his tight tailhole began to stretch; this was really happening.

Feeling unusually devilish, Alexei pulled his cock-head out again, letting the dog get a fairly good feel for his fleshy barbs. Satisfied with hearing him groan loudly, the lion pushed partway back in again, now leaning easily over his partner with enough leverage to thrust with some amount of force. Staring deep into Jamie's eyes, there was no doubt at all. With a grin, covered mostly in the darkness of the room, Alexei slowly yet firmly pushed his hips forward.

Jamie mashed his head back into the bed and let out a long, relatively quiet howl as his tailhole was quickly stretched open. With a very firm grip on the bed sheets below his paw, he writhed about in pain and pleasure, his howl-moan sounding even louder and longer.

Alexei couldn't help but giggle as his pre-slicked shaft brought copious amounts of pleasure to his partner. Although the Shepherd was a rather large canine, his tailhole provided no end of intense waves of soft, warm pleasure coursing through the lion's nethers. "T-tight... fit..."

The German Shepherd nodded and blushed, giggling a little between his shallow breaths and loud howls. He couldn't help but arch his back, which made his position much more uncomfortable, as he was now resting on just his shoulders and neck. However the canine easily ignored such trivial things as his prostate was mercilessly massaged by the thick piece of lion meat.

Finally the lion hilted the dog, leaving himself deep within his warm, tight bowels. His entire shaft was up the canine's rear, and it was being firmly massaged to no end.

"Oh...oh god," Jamie cried out. The bond he felt with the feline was immense. Although Alexei was far from his first, never had he felt so close to another fur before. Jamie didn't want this moment to end.

Panting heavily through his nose, Alexei wasted no time at all in removing himself. Although he could sense Jamie's incredible attachment to him, he felt no need to keep himself there for any longer than necessary. Alexei wanted to get on with it, having very much enjoyed himself thus far. With a low, long growl, he held onto Jamie tighter and pulled out, closing his eyes as his cock was gently massaged yet again.

Jamie, too, closed his eyes, howling quietly again. He was trying to be quiet because he knew all too well how easily sound travelled through the walls and the floors. Biting his lower lip, Jamie whimpered and gripped the sheets tighter, feeling those soft barbs scrape somewhat painfully on his insides. However the sensation was incredible. He couldn't stop blushing and felt like the happiest fur on the planet, whimpering until Alexei was mostly out. With his eyes open just a sliver, he looked up at the lion and smiled and murred, a deep-red hue covering his face; it could be seen easily through his fur, however not so much in the dark.

Alexei mrowled and began to push back in again, moving very quickly through Jamie's body and loving every moment. The dog's tight insides felt so incredibly pleasurable around his shaft, which became all the more prominent when he started pumping, slowly building up a nice rhythm.

With the slow, now steady rhythm pumping into his rear, Jamie was in bliss. His sore tailhole felt almost numb now, however his prostate sent many strings of pre-cum shooting onto his chest, and some on his chin. He let out long, very loud howls now, caring nothing for the neighbours. "Oh god... A-Alexei..." he muttered to himself, absolutely loving this.

The lion smiled somewhat, pleased beyond words that he was bringing such transport to his partner. His hips slapped constantly against the canine's rear, the pleasure immense, and his heart filled with such warmth and happiness. The lion truly enjoyed spending time with Jamie, more so right now. "J-Jamie..." Alexei said with his eyes closed, over and over, not really sure what was compelling him to utter the name. However he didn't stop himself, but instead enjoyed the amazing passion and warmth he was sharing with the Shepherd.

Jamie suddenly heard a noise, however in his almost dizzying haze he couldn't react. "Ah...Ahhh..." he cried out, panting and moaning loudly. He was certain he heard the front door, which he had locked behind him, so it must have been Jen. Quickly the canine shut his maw, moaning through his lips and whining.

Curious, Alexei slowed his pace and tilted his head. With a grunt, he asked, "Wh-what's the matter?" Only his cockhead remained inside the canine's rear.

"Jen's...home..."

Alexei grinned and pulled his cock out, letting Jamie's legs down.

As he became more relaxed, chest covered in precum now, Jamie whimpered. He was beginning to wish he hadn't said anything. However he was suddenly surprised to feel Alexei's strong paws suggesting he get up.

"On your paws and knees..."

Feeling compelled to obey, Jamie did what he was told, curious.

"Turn around."

The canine turned. Suddenly feeling those same paws on his hips, and that same warm, tender cock pressing into his red tailhole, Jamie quickly realized what the lion was doing. "B-but..."

"Shh... Quiet now, Jamie."

Jamie shut his maw. He did, however, present his tailhole in a much more slutty manner, groaning as he arched his back.

With a smile, Alexei quickly and smoothly slipped his cock into Jamie's tailhole yet again, murring loudly. Although he loved his position before, he found he couldn't put quite the same amount of force behind each thrust. "You're going to love this..." Alexei assured the canine.

Jamie nodded and rested his chin on this clasped paws, part of his chest resting on the bed. He then closed his eyes tightly as he felt the thick shaft enter his body, trying to be quiet with his moaning and howling, that same quick, fluid pace being worked up again. Within moments, his body was being jostled back and forth with each hard thrust, finding it much more intense this way. Soon enough, however, Jamie couldn't contain himself. He let out a loud burst of a moan, crying out constantly and loudly now as his rear was pummelled by the lion. He had never had yiff so good, and now his pre was shooting out onto his bed. The dog's prostate was in constant bliss, sending that entire region of his body into extreme rapture. His head and body writhed in pleasure, his howling and moaning stopping only to take in a breath.

Alexei snarled happily at the canine's loud sounds, as now he was able to ravage Jamie's tight tailhole. Although his body was tired, nothing would stop this from happening. The lion pulled back on Jamie's hips forcefully as he thrust forward, slamming his hips into him. His cock was now experiencing an endless wave of sharp pleasure that threatened to take him over the edge, however he managed to keep himself where he was. Alexei's cock was rock-hard and throbbing madly as it hammered Jamie's bowels and battered his extremely sensitive prostate.

With is face mashed into the bed, Jamie shakily moved a paw back to his own length, it twitching away as his pawpads touched it. It was so sensitive and feeling like it was ready to explode, however he managed to get a tight grip on it and awkwardly stroke it. The canine howled yet again as more pre shot out, paw instantly releasing the shaft as it just barely went into orgasm. He wanted to preserve this feeling as longs as possible. His paw instead gripped around his full, hard knot, wiggling his digits around pleasurably, moaning some more. Could it get any better than this?

Driving deep and hard, the small beads of sweat that had collected on Alexei's body were building up and running down his face and body. Panting, with his claws extended, the lion growl-moaned about as loud as Jamie as his claws dug into the canid hips. His head suddenly whipped back as he neared even closer to the edge of orgasm, but Alexei tensed his muscles and barely managed to hold it back. "F-fuck!" he said aloud.

Jamie just continued moaning into the bed, drooling into the bed sheets and gasping just slightly as he had almost felt Alexei finish up. With his eyes closed and wearing a face of pure bliss, his paw moved down from his knot, unable to take it anymore. He stroked his throbbing, pre-covered shaft slowly at first, but quickly gained speed. He could feel his hot, full balls slapping against his knot with each of Alexei's thrusts. Dripping precum, Jamie stroked faster and faster, working up a consistent rhythm with the lion. He closed his eyes tightly as suddenly he felt that long-awaited climax, prostate swelling greatly and sending his entire body into incredible ecstasy. This time Jamie began to howl even louder than he had before, holding nothing back. His cum shot out quickly onto the bed in long, hot ropes of canine fluid. Jamie started to howl again as his amazing orgasm continued, firing off several more rounds of spooge. With the lion still pumping away inside him, his orgasm seemed to last forever.

Alexei moaned at the sheer pleasure both in his cock and in Jamie's howl. He felt the hot prostate swell with cum as the canine entered rapture, and so he pounded it mercilessly. As it began to die down, the lion decided to let himself go. His muscles relaxing, he just thrust in rhythmically, feeling the intense pleasure growing quickly. Within moments, his deep panting quickly turned into dozens of shallow breaths as his orgasm struck. Alexei growled and took several final thrusts as finally his body was overcome with raw, carnal pleasure. His hot seed gushed into Jamie's body, one throb after another. The lion let out a loud roar as he came, thrusting again and again, shoving his seed as far into the canine's body as he could. With his orgasm dying down now, so too did his roar. He just knelt behind the canine, cock still inside Jamie's tailhole, emptying whatever was left in his balls. Slowly he pulled out, panting and smiling as the Shepherd whimpered. Just as the spiny end of his cock popped out, his own cum began to run out of Jamie's tailhole, coating the back of his balls. Alexei bent down and nosed the canine's balls, licking up them toward the sore, red hole.

Jamie just whimpered from the lion's added touch, not feeling much now but fading pleasure and extreme happiness.

The lion lapped up his extra cum, teasing the dog a bit by rimming his hole with his tongue, sticking it inside a bit. Having had enough, he got up again and turned Jamie onto his back.

Jamie could hardly move, as his tailhole was very sore and he was just in disbelief at how good that was. He just let himself be turned around.

Alexei bent over Jamie and put his paws around his waist, suddenly lifting him up and letting himself fall backward, so his head now rested on the pillow. Jamie, of course, fell with him, lying atop the tired lion. Their noses very suddenly met, and both were smiling widely.

Much to Jamie's surprise, Alexei was the first to start the kiss, their lips pressing gently together and tongues quickly finding each other. However it was short-lived, and Jamie opted simply to hug the lion tightly, murring happily.

Alexei hugged back, no doubt feeling equally as satisfied, and equally as happy. Eyes closed, he let Jamie fall to his side and the two rested together.

The canine, unable to stop murring, lay to Alexei's right side, their bodies pressed very close together, and his paw rubbing gently on the lion's chest. Their muzzles met again, this time giving short, affectionate kisses before resting entirely.

Both were very tired furs.

Jamie heard a noise at the door, but decided to ignore it. He knew it was Jen checking in on him, and could hear from the creak in the floor she was still standing there watching the pair. But soon enough she left with a quiet giggle, and Jamie could speak. "I...love you, Alexei."

Alexei's heart skipped a beat. He wasn't particularly surprised by this, but was somewhat taken aback by the actual words. "I..." Did he really love the canine back? "...love..." Should he say it? "...you, too..." Alexei received a tight squeeze and a giggle from the dog. However as he uttered those words, which he was certain were true, his mind momentarily shot back to Kaelin. Did he still love the kangaroo, too? After receiving lick on the cheek, Alexei just smiled and relaxed under this German Shepherd. He did love this canine, that much was certain. With that thought in mind, Alexei was able to slowly drift to sleep, content in Jamie's arms.

The lion suddenly woke to the sound of muffled cries. Looking at the clock, it was almost four in the morning, and it would seem someone had entered the house. With Jamie still fast asleep, Alexei carefully climbed out of bed to investigate. All the lights were off, and he couldn't hear a thing. Frightened somewhat, the lion gripped the doorknob with his left, metal paw and slowly opened the door. A light flickered from what he assumed was Jen's room, then all was dark. Standing in Jamie's doorway, Alexei was frozen, staring into the darkness, immobilized by fear.

He had never felt this sort of fear before; this gripping, unrelenting panic which made his heart race and fur dampen with sweat. It was a cold sweat, then with the slightest of breezes suddenly brushing through his fur, he felt a chill run up his spine. Seconds later, a large, very dark figure stepped out from Jen's room. Alexei growled and stood his ground, as he had so often done, however this time he was trembling. Seconds later, two bright red eyes glowed toward him, then before he could react, Alexei felt an extraordinarily sharp pain in his gut. The lion, for half a second, felt the air rushing through his fur until he struck a wall. Falling to the floor, he coughed and collapsed, groaning loudly.

Jamie had suddenly heard the crash and jumped out of bed. Staring up at the massive beast in front of him, he stood petrified in front of Alexei, until a hard, powerful arm smacked him easily into the wall.

Alexei looked up, shakily getting to his paws and knees, knowing the black silhouette well; it was a Commune warrior. But in the blink of an eye, and a terrifying crash from behind, the warrior was felled, and above the lion now stood a greater power; Alexei's mother stood above her son, ready to protect him.

"Get out of here, Alexei," she said fiercely.

Alexei got to his footpaws, the pain in his gut intense, and stumbled toward Jamie; he was not going to leave without his pup. "Get up," the lion said, getting a grip on the canine.

Jamie groaned and slowly got up, being carried under Alexei's arm. "Th-thanks..." he said.

However just as the two got to their footpaws, the lion was suddenly nabbed from behind.

Alexei cried out and held onto Jamie's paw tightly as he was pulled away. Thrashing about, he noticed quickly that his mother was preoccupied with two other warriors. He tried to call out, but was suddenly silenced; a muzzle of some kind had been strapped around his maw. Claws out, Alexei flailed about madly, trying to free himself. However he was finally pulled from Jamie, being carried off into the sky.

As Alexei's paw slipped away from his, Jamie cried out terribly for the lion to return, tears pouring down his face. In the intense melee, he yelled at Helena, trying to tell her what had happened.

Finally noticing Alexei being dragged back to a small metallic, W-shaped, razor-like gunship by a single warrior, appearing to be caught in some sort of tractor-wave, Helena bolted toward the massive hole in the wall. As she leapt up, she used her powers to carry both herself and Jamie up toward the gunship, roaring as she exerted as much energy as she could to thrust herself upward.

Tears ran down Alexei's face as he watched Jamie quickly become smaller, being dragged upward. He tried calling out to the canine, desperately wanting to feel his warm paws again, however found himself useless in this massive beasts' arms. And just as there seemed to be a little hope, with both his mother and Jamie rushing up toward him, the metal doors to the ship shut beneath him. The lion wept madly as the doors shut, his tears pouring through the crack before it closed entirely. He was then tossed to the floor as the Commune took a seat. Alexei then closed his eyes when he heard a loud blast of electricity, knowing all too well it was his mother striking the energy shield surrounding the gunship. Within moments he felt the ship jostle and take off.

"We have extracted the target," the pilot spoke, "and are leaving Earth's atmosphere now. Shall we engage the remaining targets?"

"Negative, Nimbus Leader. They're down and out. Return to the Stormfront immediately."

"Copy that. Nimbus Leader out." The pilot then turned to the lion, who was cowering behind the seat. "You belong to the Commune now, Earthling," he said with a laugh.

Alexei just curled up and cried, his paw immediately clinging to his chest. However the lion was disappointed to find there was no red pendant to focus his mind. It then just occurred to him that he hadn't gotten the chance to talk to Kaelin, which made him cry even harder. He was leaving the planet again, this time with so much animosity between them. The lion just collapsed to his side and wept.

"Nimbus Squad, you are clear to land," a voice finally said on the comm.

By this time, Alexei's tears had dried up and he just lay helpless.

The small gunship came to a comfortable stop and the cockpit door opened behind Alexei. Before he could move, he was suddenly picked up by the pilot and dragged off. Alexei tried to escape, but he knew by this point, it was totally useless. Without his powers, all he was was a worthless chunk of flesh and fur. Finally he was thrown to the metal floor, lifting himself with his metal paw and looking up at the one who had approached.

"Welcome to the Stormfront, Alexei. I believe we have met once before, briefly."

"Wh-who are you?" he asked, muffled by the muzzle.

"Get up, Earthling," a soldier demanded, poking him hard with a long staff.

"Go easy on him," the other said, turning slightly. "He's been through a lot to be here, and someone of his power and stature should be treated with a little more respect. Now take that muzzle of him."

"Yes, sir. Sorry, sir." The soldier promptly removed the leather encasing, now just holding it.

"If you wish to lie there, Alexei, by all means."

The lion growled and got up.

"Although we met before, I was never properly introduced. I am First Commander Loki of the Crimson Tide and Captain of this ship, the Stormfront, and former Major Loki of the Commune Special Forces Unit, Blades Division. We met on Lumar, at the time of the Liberation, although my commander, Zion, did the talking."

Alexei kept silent. He recognized the alien, but that meant nothing to him. "What's your problem?"

"Hm?"

The lion growled. This old warrior was acting too nice.

"I don't understand."

"You're not like the other Commune."

Loki laughed. "We're all not bad, young lion. It was just happenstance that you'd encounter our most fierce warriors. Having said that, Graves was never entirely stable. It runs in his family, I think. Correct me if I'm wrong, but you killed both him and his brother in battle?"

Alexei bared his teeth at that name. "Yes, I did. And I'd do it a thousand times again if I had the chance."

"Yes, well you did the Commune a favour, anyway."

Alexei was sickened by that thought. "So what now?"

"Well, as we speak, the Stormfront has slipped into subspace and is now heading back to Xhin'Thaan."

"Your home world?"

Loki nodded.

"What do you plan on doing with me once we get there?"

"Well, I can't tell you too much, lion, but you can assume you won't like it."

The lion flattened his ears; he had a pretty good idea. It would most likely involve all sorts of torturous tests, picking at his brain and no doubt trying to figure out how his powers work. They wouldn't find any answers, and they certainly wouldn't be able to harvest that power. Unless, of course, they would rather find a way to use Alexei, much in the same way they had used his brother. "What if I resist?"

"Don't be silly," Loki said calmly, taking a step forward. His claws clacked noisily on the metal floor. "You don't have your powers, and I'm going to make sure it stays that way until the right moment." Loki ended his remarks with a hard backhand-smack to Alexei's face, which sent the lion several feet to the left.

Alexei groaned and looked up. "So much for... 'not like the other Commune,' huh?"

"I'm a warrior just like everybody else on this ship, and it's best you remember that." Loki then turned and walked toward an exit. "Throw him in the brig for the rest of the trip."

Alexei growled as he was lifted, and struggled to get free. However, a quick fist to his gut changed that quickly. A few more bloody beatings later, the lion was dragged out of the landing bay half-conscious and eventually thrown into a cell. When he could gather his wits, Alexei watched two sharp Commune tails leave his sight, then observed his surroundings. The dark metal holding cell was remarkably clean, however a foul stench filled the air. It was a familiar smell; that of rotting flesh. The cell itself was smooth and metallic; absolute confinement. Alexei just sighed deeply and let himself go limp. He suddenly felt very tired, and curled his legs to his chest as he started to cry silently. Powerless and completely alone on the enemy ship, all he wanted now was to end his misery in any possible way, but there was nothing to aid him.

Lying lifeless for what seemed like hours, the lion's metal arm suddenly twitched, awakening him from his grief-induced trance. Alexei sat up and rubbed his right wrist, sighing as he began to rub harder. He then started breathing heavier as his metal fingers rubbed harder, and the pointed ends dug further into his fur. Alexei growled and scratched madly at his flesh wrist, which was mostly scar tissue anyway, trying almost hysterically to break the skin. Finding it impossible, he cursed loudly and snarled as his fist drove into the metal floor, denting it. He had dulled the fingers of his metal arm to prevent such incidences from occurring.

"God damn it," Alexei said aloud. He lifted his mechanical paw finally from the dent in the floor, now just staring at his three large, commune-like metallic fingers. Wiggling them momentarily, each one making a robotic whirring noise as the mechanical joints moved, Alexei then sighed and fell to his back, staring up at the ceiling.

After a long moment, the lion turned himself onto his belly and held his flesh wrist to his maw, sniffing at the scars. With a louder growl, he opened his maw and slowly licked all up his forearm, breathing heavily again. Alexei then began to nip at the skin and the fur with his front teeth, pinching and pulling hard, snarling as his teeth clamped down hard, the pain only fuelling his rage. His maw opened wider and bit down more harshly, sharp fangs digging into his skin, however not quite able to lacerate.

Becoming desperate, Alexei got up onto his knees and slammed his paw into the metal floor, again and again, crying out madly. He then swung it around and into the floor again, this time striking his wrist. Now up on his footpaws, the lion rushed toward the wall and swung his paw into it, a long sharp pain running up his arm. Roaring, he ran toward the opposite side and did the same, except this time letting himself tumble around backward to his paws and knees. Growling deeply, Alexei eyed his bruised arm and held it at a forty-five degree angle to the floor, having an idea. In his demented state, Alexei then raised his metal fist high, holding it there for just a moment. And before he could stop himself, an immense pain shot throughout his entire body as the metal fist tore into his flesh, shattering the bone and shredding his muscle and skin. Alexei roared loudly with tears streaming down his face, his warm blood splattered against the cold metal floor and all over his body. The deranged lion lifted his arm and slammed it down again and again, rending his skin further, crying and laughing hysterically as he created an enormous pool of blood. However it wasn't long until Alexei collapsed into the large, messy pool of his own blood, giggling to himself as his vacant eyes became heavier.

Despite the massive amounts of pain shooting all up his arm, Alexei twitched but felt very much at peace. He curled his knees up to his chest and let his arm lie uselessly in front of him, the life slowly draining from his body. This was a feeling he had felt many times before, except now, with the absence of his powers, it felt much more real; it felt nice. With his warm blood now slowly and steadily pouring from the large tear, chunks of flesh and bone strewn amongst the mess, Alexei smiled and rest his body, embracing the darkness. At last he had found that peace which he had once sought so desperately many years ago.

What felt like mere moments later, Alexei opened his eyes, finding himself immobile. He looked about, curious to see what was happening. "N-no..." he said quietly, frustrated he was still alive. "No!" he cried out, thrashing about. A dark figured then loomed above him.

"Ah, you're finally awake," Loki said. "Your little stunt certainly caused a small uproar with our medical staff. But short of being more scarred, your arm is as good as new, and we've also repaired and reinforced your shattered bones. I gather this isn't the first time you've attempted to take your own life?"

Alexei remained quiet. He felt completely exhausted, and extremely cold. "Wh-why...did you save me? I don't...want to live," he said, tears and sweat dampening his face fur.

"Indeed, but we do."

Alexei whimpered. "Why?"

"You know why."

"M-my powers...are-"

"Ours."

Alexei cocked his head curiously.

"All in good time, lion."

The bound feline then just watched as the commander exited the dark-lit infirmary. He then felt a sharp prick in the side of his neck, much to his surprise, and quickly fell unconscious again.

When Alexei opened his eyes, he was in his cell again, the blood now dry on the floor. With a groan he rubbed his head, thinking how seemingly pointless that was. But more than that he thought of the pain he still felt in his mended arm and the weakness and the cold. It then hit him, as his heart sunk, just how utterly alone he was in this Commune ship. Of course, he had realized it quickly before, but only now did it really sink in. There was no one to hold him, or tell him things would be okay. Despite his tremendous power, Alexei was never strong enough to get himself through such desperate times alone. All he could do now was sit in the corner of the small cell and cradle his knees between his arms and chest, crying silently to himself. In all his life, Alexei had never felt quite so pathetic, and quite so disgusted with himself. He felt lower than the dirt encrusted in his fur.

All the lion wanted now was to die, and the Commune would ensure that would never happen. It would seem they had finally won, after so many tiring years; they had finally defeated Lumar's most powerful weapon, and so easily, too. Alexei could only imagine what they intended to do with him, as it no doubt involved unimaginable bloodshed.

Once again, the cold, tired, and depressed feline closed his red, tear-filled eyes, although the pain prevented him from sleeping. With a big long sigh, Alexei just lay in his cell stoically, waiting to reach his final destination.

After an undetermined amount of time, the lion woke from his conscious, emotionless slumber by a sudden jolt; likely the Stormfront exiting subspace. Then moments later, the cell door slid open and two Commune warriors walked in, weapons not yet drawn. Alexei looked up at them and gasped, sliding himself away from them desperately, heart pounding and trembling terribly. "N-no..." he whimpered pathetically, cradling himself in the corner as the two approached.

"Get up," one of them spoke, claws clicking on the floor as he stepped forward.

"Stop!" Alexei cried, batting the Commune's arm away. "P-please..."

The soldier growled and stomped his front-foot down in Alexei's gut, then promptly picked the small fur up and left the stingy cell. Both soldiers carried the lion through the dimly lit passage way, no doubt to see their commander.

Alexei just barely managed to open his eyes, groaning quietly to himself, and tried to regain his wits. He recovered surprisingly fast, considering he was without his powers. Although he kept himself limp, the beaten lion managed to look about, trying to determine exactly where he was headed, or what they were planning. The hallways all appeared metallic, with a small-grated floor, and flat, black-and-red control panels before all access hatches and between some doors. The interior of the ship seemed very vicious, aesthetically, and cold and heartless. Metal tubes and pipes twisted and winded almost randomly throughout every corridor, as if in disrepair. However it was clear the Stormfront was running very proficiently.

As he was being dragged through the corridors, the lion hardly noticed he had relieved himself, just now feeling the warm trickle of his musky urine run through his fur, soaking into his skin and trailing along the floor.

Finally, the lion was taken to meet Commander Loki, and in the small room the small group waited.

Loki sniffed at the air and looked back in disgust, shaking his head.

The ship then jostled a few more times and Alexei could hear a peculiar whirring, like machines working. After a long, muted hiss from outside the room, a bright light flooded the chamber as the access port slid open, revealing a wide-open landing bay.

The lion shielded his eyes as best he could, but was in awe of the sheer size of this place, whether it be ship or base, he wasn't certain. The architecture of the building was significantly different than that of the Stormfront, as the smooth, gunmetal walls accented the ash-grey floors. And yet for as dark and malevolent the interior of this place seemed, it had a particular warmth to it; almost inviting.

Soon enough, though, the lion was off again. He dared not move, or struggle, lest he receive another sound beating. Unable to stop shaking, the lion knew he wasn't being taken to be killed, so he had no choice but to go along with it. Alexei was surprised at how casual the other Commune appeared. Some were working diligently on repairs or plugging away at consoles, while others were sitting by tables and conversing, appearing genuinely happy. The lion shook his head, looking back down at the floor. The sight of so many Commune in one place sickened him.

Soon enough, after being lead through a multitude of corridors, down a lift, then taken up another, he entered the final room at what felt like a long shaft. The room was dark, and a single Commune warrior stood silhouetted by the violent backdrop that was the Xavha Desert. He was facing away from the small group, gazing out the panoramic window at the dusty world before him, hands held behind his back.

"Captain Zion, sir," Loki said, saluting his commander. "The Lambda Project was a succe-"

"You wouldn't be back here, Commander, if it was a failure. If it was a failure, you and your crew would be spread across the Earth by now in thousands of little pieces. Leave the lion with me and go."

"Yes, sir," Loki growled, motioning the guards to let their captive go, then they quickly left.

Zion turned slowly to look at the lion, who was standing timidly before him, not saying a word. He seemed to be checking Alexei out, his face expressionless.

Alexei, unnerved by this, was shaking terribly. He still felt tired and weak, broken and beaten. He spied a small, curvy blade sitting on a table near the warrior, but made no motion toward it.

The room surrounding the lion was dark, yet very warm. Outside the window there seemed to be a constant storm raging, the crimson sands blowing around fiercely. Off in the distance he could see intense, inky storm clouds, and the bright purple streaks of lighting tearing across the otherwise gloomy sky. Although the raging lightning storm was far off, it seemed to be moving closer at an alarming rate. The lion then noticed long pillars of silvery metal protruding the rocky ground outside, which he deduced were used to capture the storm of raw energy.

The filthy feline looked about the room some more, which was decorated with unusual skulls-likely Zion's trophies-and various Commune artwork, earthy in appearance. This surprised Alexei the most, as he had never known anything but pain and suffering from these monstrous aliens.

"My son made those for me," Zion finally said.

Alexei couldn't believe it. Although he didn't know what, the warrior had to be playing at something. No Commune could ever be this...Human.

Zion sighed. "So, young lion, it seems we meet again. Although you managed to reclaim your brother from us, you, yourself, will not be so fortunate."

The trembling lion looked up at Zion. He recognized this Commune well, and yet oddly, felt soothed by his voice.

"As you have no doubt figured out, we have effectively taken your powers away."

Alexei nodded shakily.

"Our plans for you are not unselfish."

The lion nodded again. What else could he do?

Zion growled quietly and took a few steps forward, passing in front of the small blade. He then caught a whiff, and a better look, at his captive, and looked down at the sad lion disgustedly. "Oh, how the mighty have fallen, hmm?" he scoffed. "You're pathetic, Earthling. To think, you were once actually feared by our people... By me. But now look at you; you're filthy, and covered in your own waste." Zion shook his head.

Alexei, still shaking, hadn't a word to say. The only thing that would comfort him now, despite the relaxing feel of this room, was Death's warm embrace.

"Aren't you even the least bit curious as to why you're here? Why we went to such great lengths to procure you?"

Alexei shrugged. "I-" he tried to say, however found his voice much more raspy than anticipated. He cleared his throat and tried again. "I...don't think...it really makes a difference."

Zion grunted, but wasn't quite satisfied with what he saw. "You are nothing without your powers, are you, lion," he said, taking a step forward. "You're pathetic," he continued, stomping forward again, "and weak," another stomp, "and you belong to me now."

Alexei didn't fully understand. "B-but I'm...powerless..."

"You stupid, simple-minded Earthling. I'd have thought you, of all Earthlings, would have figured it out by this point."

"My power loss...is only temporary..."

Zion grinned. "Very good, lion."

"T-to...what end?"

The Commune commander grinned and continued. "As I'm certain you can remember, we had once planted a very powerful cerebral manipulator in young Xavier's body using nano probes, in order to use him against you. Our ultimate goal, then, was to weaken and capture you, but that, of course, proved useless."

"What does that have to do with any of this?"

Zion growled. "Even after your brother's departure from our ranks, he still had some use to us. Using his DNA, we managed to splice his genes in with our own soldiers, eventually creating advanced warriors. The ones who survived this process, despite suffering severe mental and physical disabilities, were then used as test subjects for our Lambda Project."

Alexei started to feel sick to his stomach. "You sick bastard."

The commander chuckled quietly to himself. "Indeed."

"How could you do that to your own men?"

"They were willing participants, lion, and not even my men. Either way, this Lambda Project, after so long, had finally produced a rather debilitating contagion, effective only on those gifted with your sort of power."

Alexei's heart was beating quickly. It seemed the longer he stayed in this facility, the more sick he started to feel. The thought of being used and manipulated by the Commune was almost enough to disgorge whatever was left in his stomach. The lion fell to his knees and groaned, trembling before the old warrior.

Zion shook his head. "You're scared, aren't you."

Tears started running down Alexei's face and he crossed his arms tightly, cradling himself.

The sight was almost laughable, and inside, Zion pitied the lion. A very small part of him almost wanted to call the whole thing off, to give Alexei a fighting chance. But he knew that would be foolish.

"S-so what...are you...gonna do with me...n-now?" Alexei snivelled, looking up at the towering Commune. He was feeling extremely frightened and in pain, something he hadn't truly felt before. "Are you...gonna make me your bitch like you did with Xavier?"

"No, no, young lion. You needn't worry about that. From what we know, those nano probes would prove useless once you regain your full abilities. No, you are not nearly broken enough for that. Even now, as you tremble pathetically before me covered in your own foul stench, you are not nearly broken enough." Zion then turned and walked toward a glowing panel near the window, and about to speak.

Alexei, spotting a clean path to the knife, lunged forward, crying out. However just as he had gotten his paws on the blade, he felt the hard sting of Zion's tail strike him in the gut, sending the soiled fur crashing into the wall, knocking a few pieces of art to the floor. Alexei slammed his metal fist down on one of the pieces, shattering part of it, then got up. With growl, he ran for the knife again, this time caught by the commander.

Zion growled deeply and lifted the lion by the neck to meet his eyes. "My son...made that for me, a long time ago. It is the only memory of him I have left... I'm going to enjoy watching you these next few days." The seething Commune, while still holding the fur, picked up the blade and sunk it deep into Alexei's gut, wrenching it in slowly and growling as the warm blood coated his hand. "You may have your precious knife."

Alexei gasped, wide-eyed, and looked down at his belly. He could see his carmine blood pouring out, and then immense pain as the curve of the blade twisted and tore at his insides. The lion cried out ferociously, thrashing about to free himself, however found the blade was much further embedded into his flesh than he would have liked. He then groaned loudly as he was thrown to the floor, blade still stuck inside him, writhing about in agony.

Zion then slammed his fist into the glowing comm unit beside the window, urgently calling in the medical staff.

Moments later, Alexei felt his body lift up and be carried off someplace in a hurry. It was chaos surrounding him, and he could barely keep conscious, let alone observe where he was going. The pain in his gut seemed to intensify, as if someone was either grinding it in further or trying to pull it out. Alexei cried out in pain, finally entering a very different room.

It was very bright, and the walls, although still metallic in appearance, were toned down greatly, giving off a feeling of comfort and security. The room, likely their infirmary, was very bland and sterile, contrasting greatly with anything the lion had seen before. Despite their brutish nature, it seemed the Commune were capable of maintaining medically safe environments.

The pain suddenly mounted as Alexei felt the twisted metal blade slowly exit his body, causing him to snarl considerably. He could hear them talking, discussing what to do, but he couldn't concentrate enough on what they were saying for any of it to register. All his mind could focus on was the immense pain shooting up his body. Although he was certain they had removed the knife, Alexei felt even more cold and even more tired than before, and he could feel his life slipping away yet again, then the agony of being brought back almost instantly. The lion started to cry as those busy claws worked on his body, now numb to most of the pain. He felt a slight burning sensation in his gut, likely some device built to expedite the organic healing process.

After a long while, the commotion died and only one of the Commune remained. She was wearing a white uniform, and with her back turned, she likely working on something. Just as she heard Alexei move, she then turned and approached the operating table. "Just relax or you'll reopen your wounds."

"Why...do you care?"

"I'm a physician. It's must job to care."

"But you're..."

"Commune?"

Alexei spat and turned away, with some pain. Nothing was making any sense. Suddenly, he heard a voice from a nearby comm.

"Doctor Cenrial, have you fixed the Earthling?" It was Zion.

"Yes, Captain, we have. He healed remarkably fast."

"Good. Then give him another dose of the Omega Strain. My soldiers will take him from there."

"Sir," the doctor started, preparing a wicked-looking syringe, "I don't think it's wise to move him at this time. He's suffered extreme blood-loss and is almost too weak to move."

"That, my dear, is why he must be escorted."

"Captain," Cenrial argued, now injecting the lion with little resistance, "he needs to rest. Especially with his powers gone, he'll be weaker than ever, all thanks to you. At least give him another day or two to recover."

"I appreciate your concern, Doctor, and I'm sure the lion does, too. But if you don't hand him over by the time my soldiers get there, you, too, will by lying on that operating table. And believe me, you won't be so lucky. Do I make myself clear?"

Doctor Cenrial sighed. "Yes, sir."

Alexei just stared at the Commune physician, light-headed and weak. There was no way she cared that much about his health. It just wasn't possible. "What're you...planning?" the lion spoke, nervous and suspicious.

"Hm? I'm not planning anything. It's Zion who has all the plans. I just heal his wounded and cure his sick, yourself included. You know," she said, looking curiously at Alexei's arm, "we could probably outfit you with a more appropriately-sized arm, if you wanted. Not right now, of course, but some time."

Alexei looked at the doctor curiously. "Why? Why would you do that for me?"

"Well, from Zion's point of view, greater efficiency. But from mine, I guess it's all about symmetry."

"What do you mean?"

The doctor was then cut off by the heavy door sliding open, and two very large warriors entering. Barely saying a word, they pushed Cenrial aside and took Alexei, who hadn't the strength to fight back. He did, however, struggle desperately when a black hood was put over his head, which only frightened the lion more.

Soon enough, after being dragged through what seemed like a large facility, then down some stairs, Alexei was put down, barely able to stand, and a peculiar smell instantly hit his nose. The scent was very distinct, and extremely potent. His sharp nose could easily pick up the foul stench of urine, sweat, and loads of cum. And as soon as the hood was pulled off his head, Alexei suspicions were confirmed. With a laugh from the guards, Alexei was thrown into the dark, dank prison cell, a long cage large enough to hold at least thirty Commune. The lion fell over into something wet and smelly, uncertain what it was. He tried to get up, but received a hard, knuckled foot to his gut, throwing him into another alien behind him. When he recovered, he shakily got up, clutching his stomach. "Why...the fuck am I here?" Alexei cried.

"Captain Zion wants to break you, Earthling," the one soldier laughed. "So enjoy your time down here."

The lion stumbled away from the alien behind him, whom he was certain was pleasuring himself, and fell against the bars.

The enormous prison cell, running at least twenty metres at its longest and around ten at its shortest, reeked of semen and blood, and all around him he could hear constant moans of pleasure and of pain. Two large Commune suddenly stumbled over Alexei, both of them apparently rapt in rough, non-mutual sex, either one too busy to notice the lion. Although Alexei could hardly see a thing in the dark, damp haze, he did hear a low growling in front of him, then a sudden splash of warm, smelly Commune semen strike his chest. Disgusted, Alexei got up slowly and tried his best to wipe it off, although he served only to smear it further into his fur. Finally the lion stumbled toward the furthest corner where he sat, knees curled to his chest and trembling madly.

All around him, aliens were fornicating themselves or each other, many of them likely being raped. After a long while of hearing these consistent cries and moans, the rank, fetid air gradually went away. Or rather, the lion was getting more used to the stench of Commune refuse thick in the air, and on the floor.

It didn't take long, however, for one of the prisoners to finally notice he had been dropped off. Standing before Alexei was a very tall and very muscular alien, at least eleven feet in total height. His front claws clicked on the stone floor as he just stared down. The centaur-like Commune was grinning his sharp, wicked teeth, some of which were missing, at the lion, eyes glowing red in the darkness.

"It looks like we have a new guest," the prisoner spoke. He seemed to be a powerful figure in this twisted hierarchy. "And an Earthling, no less."

Alexei ignored the prisoner.

"What's the matter, tiny? Too afraid to talk?"

The lion, although scared out of his mind, glared at the alien. His heart was pounding, more so as a few other Commune joined the big one, and he just wanted to be left alone. "Please," he begged, "leave me..."

The prisoners laughed.

"Now why would we want to do that?"

Alexei didn't know how to respond.

"Hey, Pepper," another one said, "isn't that the one Zion was always going on about?"

"You know what?" the enormous prisoner, Pepper, said. "I think it is. And if what I've heard about you is true, Earthling, you've got a particular taste for us boys, huh?"

Alexei looked up, now very afraid.

"I think he likes you, Pepper."

"Fuck you," he shouted. "I'm not into that faggoty shit like you are."

"So what're you gonna do with him?" another asked, breathing heavily. This one already had an enormous erection, and was using his front leg to stroke it off.

"I'm gonna show him what life in this damn prison is like."

The other prisoners then started cheering, many of them hard or getting hard.

"N-no..."

"I haven't had a good fuck in a while, Earthling, and I think you're just what I've been looking for."

"Oh god... Please...d-don't..."

Pepper bent over and picked the lion up, holding his furry back close to his upper body. "I'm gonna enjoy raping your sweet little ass, lion."

"No!" Alexei cried, struggling to free himself. "Stop! Leave me alone!"

Pepper just laughed as he tossed the lion into the middle of the large prison, moving forward, delighting in the fear of his victim. "Hold the bitch down," he commanded, and promptly two other prisoners, all who were naked, stomped both front feet down on Alexei's arms, making him mostly immobile.

Despite his fully-able mechanical arm, Alexei's remaining strength could come close to lifting the Commune off. He then cried out as a wicked tail struck him across the face, likely from Pepper, and suddenly a bunch of other tails or legs groping at his nethers. Alexei kicked his legs frantically as he lay stuck under two large Commune and about to be raped by another.

Pepper grinned devilishly and pushed the others away, then walked forward so his front footclaws hooked around Alexei's biceps, then bent his entire lower body down, aiming his long, thick shaft just before the lion's tailhole.

Alexei looked down, no longer moving, catching a glimpse of the glistening black cock inching toward him. It was covered almost entirely-from tip to base-with screw-like ridges, and the underside of the shaft appeared almost scaled. Finally, along the top, between the ridges, ran a series of small, further-spread fleshy knots, each one shining from an unknown light source. About the same length of a horse cock, probably longer, Pepper's was most definitely much thicker, however his had a smooth, spear-like head.

As the shining length of alien meat slowly moved forward, Alexei started to cry out once again, thrashing about madly. In this cell full of horny, disgusting Commune, there would be no saviour this time. The lion was alone in this crowd.

Pepper, eyes connected with Alexei's tailhole, used his strong muscles to aim his massive amount of shiny black meat inward, now feeling the pucker of the lion's tight hole. Ignoring the crowd of crying and cheering Commune surrounding him, Pepper lowered his back legs and finally pushed forward, grinning as his cock easily slid into Alexei's tailhole. He then growled long and deep as his cock quickly expanded the lion's rectum to its fullest, enjoying the warm, silken insides delicately massaging his rough and well-used length.

Alexei squirmed madly and kicked his legs as he felt the shaft press against his body, then more so as it continued inward. The lion roared fiercely as his tailhole was finally penetrated, the intruder going surprisingly easy on him.

Pepper pulled out, after only getting a few inches in, then suddenly plowed forward forcefully, spreading the lion extremely wide. At least ten inches of his shaft had been forced into Alexei's ass.

Alexei howled like a wolf at the intense pain shooting up his body, certain now he smelled blood.

Pepper laughed and pulled his slick cock out, well-lubricated in the lion's warm blood. Satisfied, he squeezed at Alexei's arms with his front claws and began pumping his massive alien cock in and out, the hard ridges stinging the significant rend inside the feline's body. Growling and moaning, Pepper made no attempt to ease up on the lion, huffing and puffing as he managed to cram more and more of his enormous shaft inside, managing to get at least three quarters of it in; about fifteen inches.

Tears ran down Alexei's face nonstop as this enormous alien fucked him raw, feeling as if his entire body was being torn in two. His prostate swelled intensely from the constant barrage, forcing large amounts of precum to squirt from the tip of his cock, which was barely present. Eyes shut tightly, Alexei could only pray it would end soon, however it seemed this prisoner had a lot in him.

Pepper moaned loudly now, genuinely enjoying this. "How's that feel, lion?" he mocked. "Do ya like being raped, you fucking slut?"

Alexei was panting a bit, whining and whimpering with each thrust. Those extremely defined ridges and scales were starting to cause his bowels to go numb, although a constant, stinging pain still rang throughout his body. Every one of his claws, now, had broken off on the stone, although he had left significant scrape marks where they once were. The lion was truly useless to do anything, and through his crying and whimpering, had no choice but to simply submit. Struggling was useless at this point, and so he lay under the Commune allowing his body to be raped and abused, twitching with every thrust. Every so often he would feel a quick sting on his face, chest, or stomach, likely from an over-eager prisoner who wanted a more dominant position. However until Pepper was finished, no one was allowed in.

Pepper was panting happily how, forcing about seventeen of his twenty-or-so inches of alien meat inside the helpless lion, loving the slick feeling of those tight muscles surrounding his shaft. Now pumping his giant spear rhythmically in and out of Alexei's red tailhole, absolutely loving the feel of the lion's silken insides massaging almost his entire shaft, Pepper began cooing quietly, each outward breath also carrying a satisfied moan. The stench of blood and precum wafted from Alexei's rectum, and the alien felt his balls slam up against his body as his orgasm quickly started to rush upon him. Baring his yellow sharp teeth, he suddenly cried out loudly and smashed his fists into the surrounding prisoners, then slammed his cock hard, one last time, into Alexei's bloody body. He finally released his glowing hot seed inside the lion in an explosion of thick, smelly ecstasy, now hammering his shaft in again and again as his orgasm slowly died down, the last of his pungent cum squirting from the feline's anus.

Alexei started to weep loudly as this alien planted his seed deep inside him, and forever will it remain there. The lion would never be able to wash away the filth that covered his tailhole and his insides, no matter how hard he tried.

The large Commune, who was breathing heavily and laughing, stood up straight and pointed his half-hard cock toward the lion's face. "I've had my fun," he announced to the rest, all of whom where cheering madly. He then smiled smugly as a long stream of hot, golden urine struck Alexei's face, unexpectedly, and soaked his mane and chest fur.

Alexei thrashed his head about, snarling, trying not to get any in his mouth. However it was impossible to keep it all out, and he nearly disgorged on himself as the biting yellow bile touched his tongue. As Pepper finished up, Alexei lay almost completely soaked in blood, semen, and urine.

"Me next, me next!" an eager Commune cried, trying to push past Pepper. This one was obviously mad.

Pepper chuckled. "He's all yours, Cobble; I'm finished with him. Do whatever the hell you want."

Cobble snarled and struck Alexei in the face with his tail several times, then again and again in the gut, finally using the sharp tip of his tail to trace circles around his cock and dangling balls, giggling to himself.

Alexei groaned and opened his stinging eyes again. "L-lea...ve...me...the fuck...alone..."

Cobble snarled again and bent down, putting a claw over Alexei's maw. "Shut up, Earthling, or I'll cut your fucking eyes out."

Alexei just let his head smack against the hard stone, arms still immobilized by two Commune, who had been switching intermittently throughout Pepper's satisfying, yet short-lived, performance.

Cobble leaned back up and struck Alexei several more times, extremely satisfied with those results. Using a front foot, he mashed the hard pads down into Alexei's sheath, rolling it back gradually with a smile. "C'mon, lion, let's see yer little pink cock," he teased madly.

The lion twisted his hips a bit, but was quickly reminded of the futility of his efforts, and so stopped and just cried. "Fuck you," he muttered with a hoarse voice, now feeling his sheath stretch and something fitting in. Once again the lion closed his eyes, whimpering as once again he was violated by the aliens.

Cobble excitedly stuck a finger down Alexei's sheath, then another, pumping his fingers in and out excitedly. He was bent over significantly to do so, and so put a hand on Alexei's chest to keep himself up. His front foot then curled back and grasped onto the end of his cock, sliding it downward with the shaft between his fingers, as a way of masturbation. Giggling maniacally, Cobble stroked his meat while docking the lion with his fingers, getting immense pleasure from both.

Alexei squirmed just a little, whimpering as his cock was forced to grow, which made significantly less room for Cobble's fingers. He then squealed loudly as his sheath was quickly stretched to its limit, and not surprisingly, further. The feline bared his teeth and snarled loudly as the demented alien continued riding his fingers up and down the inside of his sheath, unceasing.

Cobble cried out madly and suddenly started twitching. "C'mon!" he shouted, "let 'im have it!" He giggled crazily and began stroking his meat quickly, while ravaging Alexei's sheath.

Alexei cried out in pain as he felt a bit of blood squirt up along his rock-hard shaft, again and again with the alien's pumping fingers. The pain in his body was almost unbearable, and as he was still being severely defiled, the lion suddenly felt a hot splotch of thick, rank spooge strike him in the face, completely covering his right eye. Alexei snarled, but just as he did another large load splattered against the top of his chest and covering part of his mane. Seconds later, after hearing some loud moans, several more hot loads of Commune cum covered his face and stomach. The warm, powerfully-scented, slightly luminescent alien spunk was quickly becoming matted in his fur, more predominantly in his mane.

Finally Cobble finished up, letting out a crazy moan as he stood up straight, his body rapt in pleasure, and let out a very long, streaming rope of thick, glowing cum, striking Alexei again in the face and trailing down his chest and splattering finally on his cock and balls. "Ooh, oh fuck yeah...f-fuck me..." Cobble said as his orgasm slowly faded away, licking the blood off his fingers madly. "Fuck you, lion," he giggled, smacking his foul-smelling face with the end of his tail.

With no more tears left to cry, the beaten and sore lion lay on the grimy stone, arms still stuck. He then looked down past his chest at this pause, and noticed a Commune get down on his knees. The prisoner appeared much smaller than the rest, and was being urged by the others to do this.

"C'mon, Shard, fuck the little bitch. You keep sayin' how much you wanna meet an Earthling."

Shard, the reluctant participant in Alexei's rape, got onto all four knees, between Alexei's legs.

"Yeah, you little fuck!" Cobble shouted, "I warmed his little cock up for you, so take it!"

Alexei whimpered, breathing heavily. There was something curious about this Commune, but he used this time to attempt freedom. The tired lion lifted a leg and pounded it as hard as he could into Shard's gut, knocking the wind out of him. Seconds later, however, after causing a massive uproar, most, if not all, the Commune kicked or beat Alexei with their tails or front feet, shouting and beating him even more.

Alexei groaned in pain, his arms now free and he curled into a ball, coughing up large amounts of blood. This didn't last long, though, as he was turned onto his back again, this time arms pinned by Pepper.

"You clever little bitch," he spat. "Did you really think that would work? You have no friends in here, lion, just thirty criminals who want to fuck your brains out."

The lion groaned and in his pain just submitted to whatever they wanted. Shard had been moved away, no doubt temporarily, and the Commune seemed to line up for a chance at fucking the dejected, worn out fur. One by one, Alexei suffered through the intense numbness of one raw fuck after another. He felt extremely full as his whole body gradually filled with his own blood and load after load of hot Commune spunk. The feline was stuffed full of the thick, radiant semen, the bulk of which was leaking slowly out of his sore, widespread tailhole, unable to fully close at this point. Both his eyes burned badly from a potent mixture of cum and urine, which was almost a nonstop stream since he had kicked Shard.

After a long time, what seemed like hours upon hours and pain upon pain, it was Shard's turn again, and the rest of the satisfied aliens watched and cheered, urging him closer. The Commune seemed even less inclined now, however given Alexei's sorry state, it was more than likely he wouldn't attack again.

The lion opened his eyes just a sliver, noticing it was the same reluctant prisoner who was up next. Although his fur was completely soaked and matted in sticky blood and cum, not a single drop was his own. All throughout the pain and the torturous raw sex, Alexei had somehow maintained an erection, the idea of which was sickening.

Slowly, Shard got back onto his four knees and inched closer. Although his cock was as hard as any others were, the object of his forced desire was the lion's spiny-tipped length. Bending over and staring into the barely-throbbing lionmeat, he lifted it with a clawed hand and opened his maw, tongue inching closer. Just as he looked the lion in the eyes, seeing the pain and sadness deep within, Shard lowered his head and spoke quietly, nearly inaudible amongst the other Commune. "I...I'm sorry," he whispered to Alexei. Moments later, certain his words were heard, he slid his tongue up the feline's shaft.

Alexei, shocked to hear those words, endured the stinging in his eyes to watch this Commune just a little more, now starting to feel something inside. When the stinging became too unbearable, Alexei put his head back down, twitching a bit as he felt a few more licks. Shard's tongue was somewhat rough, but enjoyable. As the slimy muscle brushed upward over his cock, the lion squirmed a little, finding it to be much more pleasurable than he'd anticipated. Alexei could feel no sense of animosity from this prisoner, but felt, rather, that he was genuinely trying to pleasure him. The lion let out a long, quiet moan as he enjoyed several more licks, his cock now becoming rock-hard.

Shard looked up past the hard, abused shaft to Alexei's face, seeing the lion enjoy this. With a smile, the young Commune licked the warm, throbbing length again, this time putting his rough lips around the end as he reached the spiny tip, suckling hard. His lips closed tightly around Alexei's meat, forming a nice seal as he slowly started to bob his head, feeling the blood pounding through against his tongue. With the slightest of moans, the taste of the lionmeat surprisingly good, Shard began pushing forward more eagerly.

Alexei, despite his chaotic and violent surroundings, recognized Shard's tenderness and was able to relax his body a little, squirming slightly as the intense tingling running all along his shaft grew stronger. With every slow pump of the Commune's head, waves of pleasure shot up his body, causing the lion's back to arch and his head grind back.

"I think he's starting to like it!" Pepper shouter, gripping his claws tighter on Alexei's arms.

Alexei growled from the sudden pain and kicked his legs a little, but compared to the rest of his body, it went away quickly. Although his bowels and tailhole, as well as the substantial cuts and bruises covering his body, were in constant, searing agony, he managed to put those aside for just a moment as one part of his body was filled with joy. "Oh...oh god..." the lion moaned, still writhing about. Although the thought of being pleasured this well by a Commune genuinely sickened him, Alexei quickly overcame that as Shard was his only source of warmth. The lion could truly appreciate what the young Commune was doing, although in the back of his mind he was skeptical.

Shard, now starting to get into it, ignored the massive crowd of horny Commune and started moving his head faster, taking even more of the lion's cock. He lifted a claw past Alexei's bloody, cum-ridden tailhole and gently held onto his warm, fuzzy balls, massaging them gently in his palm. Unable to stop himself from moaning, too, Shard closed his eyes and put his other hand around the base of Alexei's shaft, squeezing slightly and fapping along with the fluid movements of his head.

"You look like you've done that before, Shard!" Cobble cried, masturbating again. It would seem many of the other Commune quickly became more excited over this, and began working their hard meats once again.

Shard ignored his insane cell mate and focussed on Alexei, still suckling hard.

Alexei, despite how painful it was, bucked his hips upward each time the Commune went down, and feeling his long, powerful tongue stroke the most sensitive parts of his cock forced the lion to moan even louder, and longer. It would seem Shard was amazingly proficient at giving head, as he took the entire shaft easily and knew exactly where his tongue should go. "Ooh," he moaned, "I...I'm gonna...f-fuck..." The lion could barely speak, not that anyone could hear him.

His moans were then interrupted by a load of hot cum striking his muzzle, then uproarious laughter. Hearing more giggles added in, more and more cum poured onto his already-drenched fur. However, rapt in pleasure, Alexei didn't seem to mind. He just opened his maw again to moan, long stings of Commune semen stretching between his lips then dripping down. The lion ignored the awful taste and just swallowed the spunk. With his maw open, Alexei received yet another hot load of precisely aimed Commune spooge, but this time he ignored it. Instead, Alexei moaned even louder, the amazing sensation in his cock quickly becoming too much. His head writhed in ecstasy, legs squirming and making a hell of a noise.

Shard, receiving much of the sticky spunk as well, was bobbing his head very quickly now, sucking hard and taking it all in. He could sense Alexei was close to the end, and so decided to finish things off. As he pulled back, Shard gripped the pink shaft firmly with one hand and, with just Alexei's head in his maw, expertly wrapped his tongue all the way around. His lips loose around the sensitive shaft, the young Commune constricted the lion's cockhead with his tongue, it slithering slightly up and down. While his wet tongue squeezed the end of Alexei's cock, Shard started stroking the lionmeat vigorously, with only a few fingers.

Alexei's eyes suddenly shot open as his cockhead was suddenly filled with a constant, almost violent wave of pleasure, contrary to the intense pulses he had been feeling before. His eyes nearly closed again, Alexei savoured this moment before climax, taking quick, shallow breaths. Within moments, however, his orgasm quickly arrived. And as if on cue with another splotch of cum in his eye, the lion cried out madly as his cock was suddenly filled with that fierce pleasure of orgasm. Bucking one final time, Alexei roared and moaned as his hot seed exploded from his cock, covering Shard's face, as wave after wave of incredible rapture forced more and more of his creamy seed from his body.

The other Commune seemed to cheer as Alexei came, some of them celebrating by urinating. The others, the vast majority, celebrated by kicking or whipping the lion with their tails, enjoying that just as much as they had raping him.

As his climax slowly died down, Alexei opened his eyes just long enough to see Shard lick the cum off his face, swallowing it and smiling. For some reason, this pleased Alexei, although he tried not to think of that. Feeling pleased, and much warmer than before, the lion closed his eyes as his tiredness caught up with him. Despite his cock being in pleasure, the rest of his body was still in immense pain, which was slowly coming back to him. However before he could rest, Alexei was picked up by the back of his neck by Pepper.

"I gotta admit, Earthling, that was pretty good."

"Fuck...you..." Alexei said, his voice extremely hoarse now.

Pepper growled and put the lion down, then kneed him hard in the face. Just as Alexei fell back, he felt his multitude of cuts, including his nose, suddenly burn as he was covered in Pepper's warm, stinging urine yet again.

"We're done with you for now, slut," the Commune said as he finished up, spitting on him and walking away. Most of the others followed suit, although a few lingered just to gawk.

Alexei groaned and tried to drag his soaked, half-dead body against the wall, all the pain starting to come back and intensify. His tailhole and insides burned madly, as did his throat; a few Commune had tried to muzzle-fuck the lion, with varying results. Despite that brief moment of extreme pleasure, reality very quickly came back, and Alexei was stuck in this dingy cell full of large, powerful aliens, all of which would give no second thought to raping him again. Collapsing to his side, Alexei closed his eyes and tried his best to sleep, although it was impossible. Instead the lion began to cry, a paw gripping at his chest where his red pendant would normally hang. After a long while of painful weeping, he felt a hand press down on his shoulder, but the lion had no strength left to smack it away. Instead he just looked up, and was pleasantly surprised.

Shard, on his knees again, rubbed Alexei's shoulder gently, staring down through sympathetic eyes. "I'm sorry you had to go through that," he said.

Although he felt warm near this Commune, Alexei still found it hard to trust him. He had to be up to something.

"They're usually not so energetic over new meat, but it's not every day they get to rape an alien...let alone an alien as well-known as you."

Alexei found no comfort in those words.

Shard retrieved his hand and just sat with the lion, watching him.

"Why...are you doing this?" Alexei asked, his voice harsh and broken.

"Doing what?"

"Fucking...Commune..." Alexei turned away.

Shard lowered his head. "I can understand why you'd feel that way, especially after now. I apologize whole-heartedly for my actions."

Alexei grunted. "You weren't...so bad..."

Shard blushed a little. "Unlike the others, I wanted nothing to do with your...abuse. However like yourself, I was given no choice in the matter. I must admit, though, it was refreshing not to be the one being raped. Commune like me usually are."

Alexei, although still unmoved by Shard's attempt at comfort, was much more intrigued now. "What...do you mean, Commune like you?"

Shard smiled. "Although we are all born and bred as warriors, some of us wish to lead different lives. And some of us, like you, are born...different than the other males. The prisoners, especially here, relish raping my sort, as a way of mocking us I suppose."

"That certainly explains...why you give such amazing head."

Shard blushed even more. "I've never been with an alien before," the Commune explained, "but I've always been turned on by other races. I guess I'm a bit of a xenophile."

"What about...the Lumarians?"

The young Commune nodded. "Yes, even they're attractive to me. It may surprise you to learn, Alexei, that most of our people are at peace with the Lumarians. Our relationship with them is shaky, but we have so far managed to maintain this cease-fire."

Alexei was confused. "But...what about Zion?"

Shard lowered his voice. "I'm not sure how much you've learned by now, but Zion does not represent the vast majority of Xhin'Thaan's population. He is the leader of an underground group known as the Crimson Tide. They say they will rise up against our government and spread their blood across the sandy deserts."

"So what?"

"So after your ordeal on the War Planet, those many years ago, our government gave up on trying to acquire you. From that point on, it was through the Crimson Tide alone that our people hunted you."

Alexei groaned. This was a lot of information to take in all at once, especially in his current mental state. "What...are you getting at?"

"That is why you're here. Zion has obviously found a way to constrict the use of your amazing abilities, and likely threw you in here to break your body, mind, and soul. He needs you to be absolutely broken and compliant, because if he isn't certain that you are, there would be no way he'd ever let you regain your full power. And if you aren't using your full power, you'd be useless to him."

"So what you're saying is...Zion wants me to destroy your main government? Why?"

Shard looked about, making sure no one was eavesdropping. "Not just our government; you, personally, would be in charge, I imagine, of his main forces. You would probably be forced to demolish their military forces, as well as be on the frontlines for any planetary invasions. The government would be easy prey."

"What's he got against the Commune?"

"If you ask him, our people have become weak. He wants to return our race to the war-faring species we once were. Zion is an old warrior who craves the excitement of the old days, nothing more."

Alexei let out a long sigh. Like his brother, he would be used by these aliens for nothing more than bloodshed. "Why didn't they use...my brother for this? Xavier..."

Shard shook his head. "Zion may be a great warrior and a great Commune, but he is just as Human as the rest of us. It wasn't enough for him to have the second most powerful being in the galaxy. No, he instead used your brother to hunt and obtain you, in which case no one could ever stop him. His goal could have been achieved long ago if it wasn't for his greed."

"How...do you know all this? And why are you telling me?"

Shard, just as Pepper started drawing close, pulled Alexei up and leaned in, planting his lips firmly on the lion's. He moaned slightly as his tongue pushed into Alexei's, curling around and down his throat a bit. Their lips were firmly locked together.

Alexei was shocked by this sudden display, but as he felt Shard's amazing tongue gliding across his and along the inside of his maw, he melted easily into it, lifting a paw to rest on the Commune's shoulder. Alexei murred quietly into the kiss, the sickly feeling he had felt before almost gone.

"Fucking fags," Pepper commented as he walked past. The large alien seemed to be pacing around.

When Pepper was far enough away, Shard finally pulled back, somewhat reluctantly. "Forgive me..."

"It's okay..." Alexei blushed a bit, which was difficult to see beneath his matted fur and bruised skin.

"The reason," Shard continued quietly, "I know all this is because I was one of few survivors of the Lambda Project tests. Unlike the other survivors, I was the only one to exhibit useable results, while also maintaining a stable mind and body. I was tested on again and again, day after day... The only reason why I'm still alive right now is because I'm still able-bodied, and they could use me as a last resort of sorts, in capturing you."

"Then...how can I trust you?"

Shard lowered his head. "I...I don't know."

"Why are you helping me?" the lion insisted. He was suddenly becoming very uneasy.

"I...I had never see you before today, but I was always told you were the enemy; that you were cruel, twisted, and purely evil. They said you would tear me to pieces in a heartbeat. But seeing you today, getting raped like that so easily...made me realize just how fragile you really are, or how you can be. I didn't see malevolence in you; just a sad and broken Earthling. Unlike the rest of my brothers in this facility, I don't believe in Zion's cause. I am only in this place because as a young warrior, the promise of great power was too tempting to pass up... Had I known just what sort of experiments they would be performing on me, I wouldn't have volunteered for their Lambda Project quite so readily. There are good Commune on this planet, believe me. I...I want to help you because unlike these other warriors, I care about you. I can sense your anguish and I am sympathetic; you're a long way from your loved ones... I am, too."

Alexei wasn't sure exactly what he was feeling. He, too, had learned when he was just ten years old that the Commune are all vicious, brutally evil monsters, not one capable of feeling any compassion. However, it was becoming increasingly more clear that this one soldier, at least, contradicted those beliefs. Alexei shuffled forward a bit, closer to Shard's warmth. "So why...do they keep you down here?"

"To keep me broken," he replied bluntly.

"So then...do you have the same powers...that I do?"

Shard nodded. "You're probably much stronger than I am, though, if the stories are true."

"Why not use them?" Alexei asked, sitting up painfully. "Use them to defend yourself and to escape this place."

"I...can't."

"Why not?"

Shard was trembling slightly. "I just...can't."

It was suddenly becoming clear to Alexei that in an environment like this, and likely the one Shard had experienced before coming here, these sorts of beaten down attitudes were common. Shard had learned from a very young age that he could never be anything more than a weak, second-class warrior. No matter how strong or how powerful this Commune got, his mind was absolutely conditioned to inferiority.

"How strong...are your powers? What can you do?"

"I...I can move objects with my mind, that much I know. Sometimes I get these flashes in my subconscious...like I know what's going to happen. Beyond that, I'm not really sure."

Alexei smiled and reached a paw forward, gripping Shard's shoulder. He had an unusual glint in his eyes as he shifted forward, the pain easy to ignore now. "You can be...so much stronger than that, I know you can. If you focus your mind, the world around you will bend to your will. You are the master of your abilities, not Zion."

"I...I don't know..."

"Shard..." Alexei murmured, not entirely sure why he had said that. Within moments though, he couldn't stop himself from kissing the young warrior again, murring quite loudly and really pushing into the it. His tongue almost right away pushed into Shard's maw, playing around with his tongue as his head tilted and the pair kissed even deeper. Alexei's paw then ran down from Shard's strong shoulder, feeling his powerful biceps, and rested on his clawed hand, holding onto it tightly. While doing this, his other paw ran up the shoulder of the warrior's left front leg, then up his smooth, very muscular side and down again. Alexei's pawpads were conducting a very accurate survey of the Commune's body, taking in every little bulge of muscle. It would seem these aliens were bred for incredible muscle mass.

Shard just moaned into Alexei's muzzle, his agile tongue making the lion quiver. His one free hand lifted to Alexei's waist and pulled him in closer, allowing the pair to kiss even deeper. With Alexei's matted fur now pressing into his chest, the Commune easily felt up the feline's back, getting a good feel for his softer, more untouched fur. While kissing the lion, Shard became increasingly more turned on, as he had never kissed an alien quiet so well before. Unlike when he had given Alexei head, this moment seemed much more intimate, and far more meaningful.

The pain in Alexei's body seemed to slowly fade the longer he kissed Shard, which only encouraged him to continue even longer. However the lion eventually pulled away, and while panting a bit, just nuzzled his new friend, their cheeks rubbing together. Small tears formed in Alexei's eyes as he was filled with at least some happiness, a feeling he'd assumed would be lost the moment he left Earth.

Feeling very sleepy, Alexei leaned into Shard and closed his eyes, snuggling close. In amongst the brutal violence and near-constant fornication, as well as the powerful odour of sweaty males and cum, the lion somehow felt like he could get some sleep. Snuggled close to the Commune, Alexei slowly drifted off to sleep.

What seemed like mere moments later, Alexei opened his eyes to a group of seven or so Commune, all of them much larger than Shard. They were grinning at the lion, baring their teeth and a couple stroking off. Alexei's heart started to race, and quickly he looked down at his only friend, who was fast asleep, or possibly worse.

Before he knew it, one of them had grabbed Alexei and pulled him to the middle of the huge, dark cell, where he was thrown down and encircled. The lion just looked up at the group, knowing what it was they wanted. He was scared and shaking, but he knew in his condition, it was inevitable. The lion just closed his eyes and prayed it would end quickly.

That silence ended quickly, however, as he was suddenly pulled by one and forced to spread his legs. Alexei cried out, but very few responded. It would seem the rest of the prisoners were either sleeping or too tired to bother. The lion was silenced once again with a swift blow to the head, causing him to nearly lose consciousness. Although he could hardly see a thing and his ears rang loudly, the lion could feel every touch of his enemies. He could feel the cold, filthy stone beneath him sliding up his back as he was dragged under one of the prisoners, and the warm, wet touch of an enormous Commune penis as it pressed against his tailhole.

"N-no..." Alexei whimpered. "Stop...it..." The lion then roared loudly as that thick black cock was rammed fiercely up his ass, stretching him instantly and irritating his inner lacerations once again. This time Alexei snarled and thrashed about, despite his throbbing headache, and ignored the couple streams of urine; it would seem Pepper had started a trend. Undaunted by the humiliation, the smelly feline extended his claws and scratched frantically at the prisoner, despite they'd been broken off. "Ah...ahh!" the lion cried, the pain once again returning, seeming worse than ever. "Stop it!"

Suddenly, as if on cue, the Commune above was blasted to the right, smashing into the steel bars and tumbling down, his head cracked wide open.

Staring at the defeated Commune, his brains leaking out onto the floor, Alexei whipped his head to the left, seeing an alert and seething Shard.

"Leave...him...alone..." The young Commune stood with all four legs apart, as if ready to strike, arms down to his sides and hands looking as if they were gripping something ethereal. Breathing heavily, Shard's eyes appeared as if they were glowing a deep red, and his wicked teeth seemed even deadlier. The Commune flicked his tail from side to side, and just as a prisoner stepped forward, he smashed it into the stone, shattering it. With a deep growl, Shard focussed on the remaining six rapists, raising his hands to his face and shaking. He could feel the raw power coursing through his body, and in that moment, forgot about all his inhibitions.

Shard growled deeply again, stepping forward and nimbly spinning around, then smashed his tail into another prisoner, crushing him into the floor. Quickly getting a hang of his power, he stood ready to strike again.

The other prisoners were trembling and started to back off, away from Alexei.

The lion stared up at Shard, both thrilled and frightened.

"None of you," Shard said in a raspy, demonic voice, "will touch my friend again." Suddenly, a flash in the alien's mind. Shard whipped out his tail and, without even turning, stabbed Pepper in the gut, the scythe-like end apparently much sharper now.

Pepper stopped dead in his tracks, shocked that such a meek Commune possessed such inconceivable strength. As the tail was slowly and painfully removed from his body, he looked up in awe. "Th-this...isn't...possible..." The prisoner then stumbled back a bit, shaking and groaning in pain. Seconds later, as he tried to speak again, Shard's whip-like tail silenced him, slicing cleanly through his neck.

The woken prisoners just watched as their apparent leader fell, easily struck down by Shard. Despite having long-since served in the military, they all still respected their old traditions; not one of the other Commune in that cell could best Shard, based on this display, and so backed down.

"Sh-Shard..." Alexei said as he approached his friend, somewhat hesitantly.

The young prisoner looked down at Alexei and smiled, eyes returning to normal. They had a softness to them which Alexei had never seen in a Commune before.

"This power...is incredible. I feel so strong, and so agile. I can...see attacks moments before they happen, and I can dodge them with ease. I feel...amazing."

Alexei then wrapped his arms around the Commune's waist, squeezing tightly; the alien stood at least two feet taller than the lion. However their embrace was cut short by several soldiers rushing in, both to subdue Shard and to recapture Alexei.

Just as the soldiers raised their weapons, Shard pulled Alexei onto his back and held out his hands, keeping in mind the words the lion had said. The ground beneath them then started to quake, and before either soldier could fire their weapons, massive fissures opened up underneath. Suddenly, the earth itself seemed to rise and grip tightly at their feet, pulling each well-armoured soldier down through the jagged stone, slicing through the metal and shattering their bones, creating large pools of chunky gore, blood, and shredded armour.

"We're getting out of here," Shard said. Although the gate was still open, Shard gripped several bars and thrust the whole wall aside as if it was nothing.

Alarms started to sound just then and the prison was in chaos. All around Alexei and Shard the prisoners were rushing out, cheering angrily as they rushed for the exit.

Shard, with Alexei on his back, walked calmly toward the thick metal door, pushing his cell mates aside. With several powerful blows, the super-powered Commune smashed the door right off its inch-thick hinges, obliterating the locks. All at once, the other aliens rushed over the broken door and up the stairs, while Shard walked calmly.

Alexei held onto his friend tightly, impressed with his quick mastery of his abilities. Although his heart was pounding with fear, he knew he was going to be safe with this warrior.

Getting further into the underground facility, Shard quickly and easily dispatched any soldiers or guards who got in his way with absolute precision. He then held his nose up in the cool, fresh air, concentrating on the mass of panicked and scrambling Commune. Growling, Shard tried to focus on at least one, however found it very difficult. "I...I can't focus..."

Alexei quickly realized what it was he was trying to do, and so rubbed his paws gently up Shard's body from behind, massaging and relaxing his beautiful muscles. "Just relax..." Alexei spoke softly, as softly as his worn throat could. "Clear your mind and just relax; their conscious and subconscious thoughts belong to you. Pick one and retrieve the information you need; sort through the information until their secrets are yours."

Shard let out a long, deep breath and concentrated. All above him the soldiers were scrambling to find weapons and attack the enemy within their base. All around, his cell mates were dying, quickly and easily. Shard then pushed those thoughts aside and found a single warrior, alone and very calm. The warrior is...standing...by a window, staring out. He knows what is going on in the facility below, but regards it as a nuisance. Shard concentrated more and dug through those thoughts, trying to find a mental blueprint of the facility. There is one...close to where that warrior is... An escape hatch. No...that won't do. The focussing Commune dug deeper, discovering many hidden entrances; hidden from the outside. The closest one is in... "the landing bay," Shard said aloud. As his mind snapped back to reality, he took in a deep breath and shook his head, suddenly feeling very weak.

Alexei patted the alien on the back. "It's okay, Shard... you did very well."

Shard looked back at the lion on his back and smiled. "Let's get moving." With that, the pair took off, Shard galloping through the gunmetal corridors. His claws made a hell of a noise on the metal floor as he ran.

Traversing the corridors quickly, Shard efficiently felled any armoured Commune until he finally made it to the landing bay. He could sense many Commune behind the doors, most of them occupants of the Commune Galaxy-class warship, the Stormfront. They all seemed active, as if preparing for a fight... No, preparing for a war.

"What's the matter?" Alexei asked. He couldn't sense anything.

"There's so many in there. I don't know if we'll make it out..."

"There has to be a way out. Could we take one of their ships?"

"Hold on..." Shard held his nose in the air and concentrated. Commandeering the Stormfront would be impossible, as would sneaking on and taking one of their small Fighter Crafts. However...there were several in disrepair, and a few fully repaired. But where? The Commune concentrated harder and found the Fighters ready to taken back to their respective hangars. "We can take one...at the far end. They haven't been moved yet."

"Alright," Alexei said, gripping onto Shard tightly. "I'm ready when you are..."

Shard then opened the bay door and slowly walked through, the pair on the top deck. The Stormfront, a massive warship, sat in the enormous hangar, steam pouring out of many ports. Large black hoses were sticking out all over the warship, likely filling it with various supplies. Nobody seemed to have noticed the naked pair, as they were all working away busily; not many Commune were working along the top of the Stormfront anyway. "The Fighters are at the far end, on the bottom deck..." Shard, who was captivated by the warship, hurried along.

A door then opened suddenly to their right, and before the worker could react, Shard had already dispatched him, with one swift movement of his tail. This prompted the young warrior to take off along the walkway much faster, while still wary of his furry passenger. Before long, however, more urgent alarms started to sound and his presence was known. He cursed loudly and dashed to the left, further away from the edge, to avoid weapons fire. Growling, Shard gripped onto a long pipe and pulled hard, managing to break it off. Within moments, he spun around and smashed two-inch wide pipe into a Commune's face, grounding him immediately.

Alexei just clung uselessly to Shard's upper body, trying desperately not to fall off his mount. Although much of his strength had returned, due in part to his high levels of adrenaline, he still would not have been much use without a proper weapon.

Shard stood on the top deck for a moment, ready to attack again. However there was no one left to attack, for now, and so took off again. Dodging and avoiding weapons fire, the Commune realized he was quickly coming up to the end, having missed the lift down.

"Jump," Alexei cried out, himself just narrowly avoiding being struck.

"What?" Shard asked excitedly, his body now flat against the metal wall.

"Use your powers to soften the landing."

Uncertain, Shard found there was little choice, as a significant group of well-armed soldiers were moving in fast. Taking a few deep breaths, the Commune ran and leapt over the edge, much to the surprise of the incoming soldiers, and was now free falling toward the hangar floor.

As he fell through the air, Alexei was starting to realize this advice may not have been the best. However, moments before hitting the metal floor, he noticed Shard growling deeply and an unusual sense of weightlessness; a feeling he had felt many, many times before.

In his moment of desperation, Shard's mind seemed to have lifted his body instinctively, and in that moment, as time slowed to a crawl, the warrior twisted his body and prepared for the landing. Then in an instant, Shard slammed into the metal floor of the landing bay, his large, clawed feel denting and cracking the metal under him. Steam and sparks burst out as the large crack crawled along the floor and up the walls like some kind of growing organism, shattering the pipes and mechanisms behind it. This sudden release of mental energy blew away some of the nearby Commune, as well as toppling the broken ships. Shard just stood breathing heavily, as if trying to draw the energy back in, while the surrounding hot steam swirled around him. After his eyes faded back to normalcy, he looked about quickly, trying to figure out which ship to take.

However it didn't take long for Shard to be surrounded by soldiers.

"This is the end of the line," one of them said confidently. "Just return the Earthling to us and at least one of you will live."

Shard growled. He was surrounded by ten soldiers, but he had to get to the ship. Taking a battle stance, the young warrior suddenly bolted forward, elbowing a soldier in the gut, sending him skidding backwards. Just as the others could react, Shard turned and slammed the hard end of his tail into another, then kneed a third in the gut. As soon as weapons fire opened up, the Commune lifted an arm, and had unwittingly put up some sort of invisible, mental barrier. Surprised by this, he growled and thrust his other hand forward and turned it, as if turning a doorknob. Concentrating, he seemed to have a sort of psychic hold on their bodies, causing them great pain. Shard grinned wickedly as he tightened his grip, causing the soldiers to cry out in pain as their limbs were contorted in unnatural ways, several of their limbs snapping backwards.

Alexei, still managing to stay on his mount, was becoming more frightened of his friend, hearing one loud snap after another. Although he showed considerable strength and ability, Shard could very easily lose himself to it. That was a feeling Alexei knew well, as he had lost himself to his powers many times, several of those almost beyond the point of sanity. "Shard..." Alexei said quietly in his ear, while rubbing his stomach, "that's enough..."

Shard looked back, then released his grip, the soldiers falling hard and loudly to the floor. "I...I couldn't control myself..."

"It's okay," Alexei replied, hugging him. "You just need to find something that will always bring your mind back."

Pondering that for the briefest of moments, Shard was soon forced to dodge another volley of weapons fire, this time darting quickly toward the fighter. However he was unable to figure out how to get in.

Alexei looked about frantically, jumping off the warrior.

"A-Alexei?" Shard said, looking behind him. "What're you..?" He was suddenly cut off by an opening hatch.

"C'mon," Alexei commanded, "get in."

The pair quickly boarded, and Alexei pushed Shard out of the way, taking the command seat. As the hatch closed, the lion quickly and expertly pushed at the control panels and soon the ship was powered up. "Engines on and running smoothly. Engaging shields...now. All weapons...standing by. Let's blow this joint." Alexei sat in the awkward Commune seat and swung his arms to his sides, gripping on tightly to two controls. Each one had long metal bands which, when activated by his pawpads on the magnetic grips, tightened snugly around his forearms. The metal bands were made to fit around Commune armour, so the lion's flesh arm was a little more loose than his metal. Nevertheless, he had a firm control of the ship, and lifted it off the hangar floor. Although there were no windows, many indicators and screens showed accurately what surrounded the small craft.

"Shard, target the bay doors," Alexei ordered.

Shard finally took his seat and looked about confusedly.

The Fighter rocked a bit from weapons fire.

"Damn it," the lion growled. "Shields dropping to ninety-five percent... Targeting, Shard, now!"

"I...I don't know how."

Alexei growled and pulled his right arm out of its control, swinging it back behind him and on a separate pad, keyed in some controls. He slid his paw back into the metal sheath and activated the main weapons, firing several volleys until he blew a sizable hole in the thick metal door. The lion then pulled his paws back and thrust forward, taking the small, W-shaped Fighter up and out, now travelling through a vast corridor. He could see on a panel to his left a realistic, virtual representation of the ships' surroundings, created easily through the multitudes of photon-emitting imaging devices stored inside the small, energy shielding ports. Although there were no windows, this allowed Alexei to see with absolute precision, as well as predict an accurate flight path.

With a moment of peace, despite the irritating flashing red alarm lights, Alexei turned. "Switch all controls to me."

Shard shook his head, seeming ashamed.

Alexei sighed and quickly pressed a few buttons, replacing his paw back into the control once again. "I take it you're not a pilot," the lion commented. At this speed, it would be a while before reaching the end of the tunnel.

"No...I'm not. I never really got the chance to be. I finished my basic training, like every other Commune, but I hadn't really decided on a specialization. Not before I saw Zion, anyway. How do you know how to fly a Commune ship?"

"When I was with the Lumarian Elite Corps, one of my pilots taught me. Johrn is his name."

"Perhaps...you could teach me..."

Although the pair were facing away from each other, Alexei could tell Shard was blushing. The lion smiled at his friend's tenderness, preferring it over his powered-up self. As the ship was closing in on the exit, as the view screen had indicated, Alexei targeted the blast doors and tightly griped the controls. When the doors came into view, the lion fired the weapons, tearing a hole in the metal. Massive amounts of sand and earth then fell through the hole, sizzling and disintegrating as it struck the energy shields. Within moments, the small fighter cleared the underground base.

The pair sighed in happy relief as the Fighter took off into the sky, heading quickly for Beh'hemat. However just as Alexei engaged the supersonic boosters, an explosion rocked the entire ship. The lion cursed loudly as he was throttled violently around in his seat, and struggled to maintain control. Growling, Alexei suddenly pulled his paws back and to the left, then quickly thrust them downward, sending the Fighter into a sharp dive, evading another attack. Despite all the ships' sensors, he couldn't seem lock onto any visible targets. The lion started firing blindly at the ground before sharply pulling up again, now flying quickly above the vast desert sands. In a split second, however, the ship was struck again.

"Fuck!" Alexei cried. "Shields down to thirty-two percent and falling." He then pulled the ship up and burst toward the sky, finding the G-forces almost unbearable. However the lion focussed his mind, blocking out the pain still in his body, and started to spin the ship, then cut behind him sharply. Flying upside down, Alexei spun the ship and corkscrewed toward the planet, managing to just barely avoid attacks.

"Shard, send out a distress beacon to Central Beh'hemat, now."

Having learned this from basic training, it took Shard only a moment to find the panel, then a moment longer to type it in. However, seconds later the ship was struck by another attack, crippling their shields. The Commune was in panic.

Alexei tried his best to steer the ship, however at these speeds and in this gravity, the hull was starting to buckle. His arms were shaking violently, and he pulled hard on the controls, trying to stabilize the Fighter. Alexei began snarling wildly as he pulled up, muscles burning madly. His arms felt as if they were about to tear right of, or dislocate at least. Before hitting the sandy earth, though, the lion was surprised and relieved to find the ship stabilizing and straightening out smoothly, his arms no longer rattling about madly. Looking back at Shard, he knew this was his doing.

Eyes glowing, Shard squinted as he concentrated harder. He had a somewhat firm hold of the ship, ensuring its structural integrity while at the same time forcing it out of its corkscrew dive. They were now flying smoothly along the surface of Xhin'Thann. Shard released his powers and suddenly felt very weak, and exhausted. Controlling an object that size and under such extreme circumstances had taken a lot out of him.

Alexei laughed in excitement. "Good work, Shard," he called back. However his celebration was cut short soon after he pulled back up, as his Fighter received yet another direct hit by a guided missile. As alarms blared, Alexei tried his best to keep the craft in the air, now tapping feverishly at some controls to his right. However it was useless, as the flashing red indicators showed they were leaking plasma quickly. "Hold on tightly!" Alexei cried, bracing himself for impact. Just seconds before his Fighter crashed into the red, sandy desert, Alexei closed his eyes tightly. He was then thrown around violently in his pilot seat, arms still attached to the controls. All around him view screens and faded panels cracked and exploded, sparks flying madly about the cockpit. Alexei cried out as he felt something burn his naked body, then again as an object pierced his skin. But still he held on tight until he felt himself lift from the control seat, forced forward by the sudden halt of the ship, ears ringing painfully from the sound of crunching, grinding metal and shattering instruments. The last thing the lion felt before finally blacking out was his body striking something hard, then an dull and fading pain as his skin was pierced again.

Feeling weightless, Alexei floated in the endless void, which he had experienced many times before. But was it real this time? Could he finally rest eternally? Experience had taught him that this warm, inviting feeling of death never lasted long, and that it would only be a matter of time before his body forced him back to painful reality. But...he had always had his powers then. Perhaps now, powerless, his body wouldn't have the strength to bring him back from the edge of death. Looking around, then down at himself, he realized not even his physical body was there. Perhaps this really was death. Although he saw no "white light," Alexei did feel peaceful and warm. A little too warm. In fact, he felt something biting at his flesh now, a subtle burning sensation that was slowly starting to grow. He then started to hear a slight ringing noise, which grew louder with the pain, as well as his name being called out several times. This wasn't death.

The lion opened his eyes slowly and painfully, them stinging as sand flew into them. Alexei groaned and writhed about in the desert, his friend lying beside him. He was moving, but clearly in very bad shape. The lion tried to roll over on his side, but there was a large chunk of twisted metal protruding from the side of his gut. He lay back on his back, holding the significant laceration and groaning again.

"So you're finally awake," Alexei heard. The voice was very familiar. A dark shadow then loomed over the lion.

"What...happened?" the lion asked.

"You almost got away from me, didn't you. But I was prepared for this event." It was Zion. "I'll admit, Earthling, you handle our Fighter Crafts very well. Half my men wouldn't have made it nearly as far as you did. However, this is the end of the road for you. The Stormfront is on her way and you will be coming back with me and we'll discuss our battle plans. Rhax is in two days and we can't be late."

"B-but...isn't that..?"

"So, you know our traditions, too? Yes, lion, that is our Day of Rest, when this region is cleared of all clouds and storms. No Commune may harm any other living being on that day."

"Fucking...hypocrite."

Zion growled and stomped his foot down on Alexei's chest, leaving it there. "Sometimes in war, we must put aside our traditions to gain an advantage. In the long run, I think returning to our most ancient traditions will greatly outweigh breaking one stupid one."

Alexei just growled. He was far too weak to free himself, and it would seem Shard was down and out.

"L-leave him...alone..." a small voiced sounded to Alexei's right. It was Shard, shakily getting up.

"Persistent fool. I beat you down once, isn't that enough?

"I'll never...give up."

Zion scoffed. "I'm going to enjoy watching Alexei tear you apart, you pathetic worm."

Shard snarled and whipped his tail, slashing Zion across the face. Now on all four legs, he spun and took a swing at the old warrior.

Zion, who was unmoved by the cut on his face, grinned his teeth and stopped Shard's attack, then delivered a very hard blow to his gut. Still holding onto his fist, Zion punched Shard again and again in the gut, using his knee a couple times, then tossed him aside.

Alexei growled and got up, charging toward Zion with a metal pipe in his paw. He took a swing at the Commune and heard some ribs snap, however was shocked to see Zion again unmoved by this.

Zion kneed Alexei in the chest and held him up by the neck. "I have lived through countless battles and fought countless wars. Every bone in my body has been broken at least once in my lifetime, and I've been beaten, bruised, and tortured many times more. There is nothing you can do to me that will make me falter."

The lion gripped Zion's arm with his metal paw, squeezing tightly. He could almost hear the bone compressing and about to break, but Zion didn't even flinch. Alexei was then tossed back into the sand, landing with a hard thump. Alexei just groaned and sat up, quickly realizing with a sharp pain that Zion had forced the metal shard out of him as he was tossed away.

"It in inevitable," Zion suddenly said, kicking Alexei.

The lion coughed and rolled several times back.

"You will join us," the Commune shouted, delivering yet another kick.

This time, Alexei was rolling up a sand dune. As he was held up again by the Captain of the Crimson Tide, he noticed small spots far off in the distance, toward his base. It was his army, although he was unable to tell if they were moving. Zion had come here alone.

Shard then cried out and struck Zion in the back with a thick metal pole, a sharp chuck of metal hanging off it.

Zion gasped slightly and loosened his grip on Alexei, however held on. He then released the lion and growled deeply. "You are becoming a nuisance," he snarled as he turned around, unsheathing the large blade from his armour, holding it toward the young warrior. "I thought I had broken you, made you compliant, but now I see what sort of influence this Earthling has on you. I have no room in my army for warriors like you." With that, Zion lifted his blade and swung it down.

Shard, surprised by this, held out the pipe to block the attack, and while he managed to just barely leap out of the way, the pipe was cut cleanly in half. And before Shard could retaliate, he felt that warm steel blade slide easily into his gut, then looked up at Zion as he coughed up a sizable amount of blood. "Y-you...bastard."

Watching this, Alexei cried out. He got up, fighting through the pain, and ran toward his friend. The lion leapt up high, avoiding Zion's swinging tail, and landed on the Commune's back. He put his metal arm around Zion's neck and squeezed tightly.

Zion choked for a moment, releasing his blade, and took a step back, clawing at the firm, metal arm. He was, slowly, able to move the metal arm.

Alexei growled madly as his arm was slowly removed, his own strength not nearly enough to best this warrior. Finally, the lion was flipped over Zion's shoulder and slammed into the ground, then swung around and smashed into a large, jutting rock. Alexei fell onto his stomach and groaned, then cried out as he was kicked in the ribs, rolling onto his back at least ten feet away.

Zion quickly retrieved his blade, becoming tired of this. He held the blade down toward Alexei's crotch, breathing heavily. "You will come back with me now," he said, anger and frustration clear in his voice, "or I fear you will be missing several organs."

Alexei opened his eyes and looked past Zion to see his friend felled, barely moving a muscle, then back up at the seething old warrior. His threat became all the more serious as the large, razor-sharp blade slid across the lion's sheath, cutting it slightly. Alexei whimpered and squirmed.

Zion was breathing heavily, annoyed at these ridiculous attempts at escape. The old warrior was becoming even more annoyed with no response from the lion, and so pressed down harder with his blade.

Alexei winced and cried out, then was just as shocked as Zion to see the sword suddenly shatter in the middle, spreading shards of steel into the sand.

Zion snarled and looked about, however saw no one. The wicked winds had picked up, blowing hot, stinging sands all around the pair. He could see Shard still lying on the ground, then whipped around again, frantically trying to find his attacker. "Come out here, you coward!" he cried, still holding his broken blade. He growled then picked Alexei up, holding his back against his chest and arm around his neck. With the end of his shattered blade, Zion pressed into the lion's gut, threatening the attacker.

Alexei struggled, his head almost right beside Zion's. The lion cried out in pain as the blade began to slice at his belly, and he thrashed about madly.

"Put him down," a voice called out. The voice sounded pissed.

"Show yourself!" Zion cried.

A figure then appeared in the sandy winds, stepping closer and holding a weapon, eyes clearly burning with indefinable rage. "I'm going to tear you apart," he said malevolently. His face was still hard to make out, although he wore Lumarian armour. His tail was long and thick, and he had long, leaf-shaped ears.

Suddenly, as if from nowhere, a bright blue light shone in amongst the whipping sands, in front of the figure, and seconds later, both Zion and Alexei fell.

The lion feverishly dug his paws into the sand, trying desperately to get away from the fallen Commune, feeling his warm alien blood on his face. Frightened, he looked back and noticed the old warrior not moving, and his deep purple blood seeping into the sand. "Wh-what the...fuck..." Alexei then felt a hand, or a paw, on his shoulder, and he looked up. Just as his eyes focussed on the newcomer's face, the lion was shocked beyond words at the sight of a kangaroo standing above him, holding a recently-fired, Lumarian pulse rifle.

"I've got you, Alexei. You're safe with me."

Tears welled up in Alexei's eyes as he was picked up by Kaelin, wrapping his arms around him in a loving embrace. Soon enough, the area was buzzing with alien ships, only one of them Lumarian. The lion just cried in Kaelin's arms, having never felt happier to see him.

"We'll get you back to the Sunscar and heal your wounds."

Alexei gave his ex-mate another tight squeeze, trying to contain himself. "Wh-what about...him?" Alexei asked, gesturing toward Shard.

"Hm?"

"He needs help..."

Kaelin nodded and pressed a small panel on his armour, then spoke. "I have secured the target, but we'll need another team down here. There's a Commune who needs help."

"Roger that," a voice sounded in compliance.

"C'mon," the roo said, holding the lion tightly in his arms, walking back toward a large Lumarian ship, which was now just starting to land.

Alexei just held onto the marsupial tightly and closed his eyes, finally able to rest. He was brought directly to the sickbay and promptly cleaned off, as his fur was still quite matted and gross, now with sand in it. His wounds were easy enough to repair and in a short hour, he was good to go. The lion stumbled onto the bright, sterile floor of the Sunscar sickbay, getting help from a Lumarian physician.

"I'm fine," Alexei said, pushing him away. "Where...is Kaelin?"

The doctor sighed. "Your friends are waiting for you on deck nine, in the Third Arm. Are you sure you don't want help?"

Alexei then looked toward the opening door, seeing his brother walk in. The two just stared at each other for a long moment, then embraced warmly. Alexei then sighed as his brother pulled away, but smiled at him anyway. He was then helped by the younger lion out of the sickbay and through the brightly lit corridors. "How...did you guys find me?"

Xavier rubbed his brother's back. "Long story short: Kaelin contacted me a while ago in a frenzy using that communicator we gave him. He just said you were taken by the Commune and we came as fast as we could."

"How did he know?"

"Apparently some kid named Jamie told him about it, or something. Mom was there, too, so she probably did most of the talking. He was a nervous wreck, though."

Alexei smiled slightly. "What about the Commune fleet? How did you get them to help?"

"Well, it took a bit of explaining, but as soon as we mentioned the name 'Stormfront,' they were pretty cooperative. Before it had slipped into subspace, Mom read one of the soldier's minds before he died, getting as much information as she could. The only useful bit was that he had come from a huge warship called the Stormfront, which the Commune knew well."

"How?"

"Apparently," Xavier continued, calling the lift, "it was their flagship, and it had been stolen by a group they called the 'Crimson Tide.' Thanks to Shard, though, the Commune army is now en route to their main base of operations to wipe those bastards out. He recovered surprisingly fast."

Alexei just sighed, relieved to hear Shard was okay. Under Xavier's arm, the pair walked onto the lift and headed up toward deck nine. The older lion rested against the wall, eyes closed.

"Something wrong?"

"I'm just...exhausted. So much has happened these past few days..."

Xavier offered a supportive paw on his brother's shoulder, rubbing gently. He wasn't too sure what to say.

Finally the lift stopped and the two walked out, Alexei feeling good to walk on his own. He felt somewhat nervous about seeing Kaelin again, especially in this sort of setting, after seven long months of ignoring him. Thoughts then went to Jamie, the new love of his life, as well as his new friend Shard. His mind was swirling and all these thoughts started to intertwine. The lion was tired and confused, and he needed to rest. However, he would get none of that when he entered the lounge area and bar, the Third Arm, and saw a very relaxed kangaroo and a trembling canine sitting at the same table together. His heart started to pound madly at the sight of the two, more uncertain than ever.

Jamie looked up and perked his ears, then a second later cried out the lion's name and ran over, embracing him tightly with tears of absolute joy running down his face. "Oh, Alexei," he cried, tail wagging like mad, "I missed you so much! I didn't think I was ever gonna see you again!"

Alexei smiled and patted the German Shepherd on the back softly, feeling incredibly tense and nervous. However he just saw his ex-mate smiling at them, which appeared to be genuine. Shortly after their warm embrace, the pair sat down and Xavier sat with the Lumarians. The lion didn't know what to say, but he inched away from the dog, who was trying to sit closely.

"It's okay, Alexei," Kaelin said. "He explained everything to me."

"What...do you mean?"

The roo sighed. "He told me about your relationship together. And about how you've been doing these past seven months. You don't need to worry about me, sweetheart. I'll be fine. It's you I'm worried about."

"I-I know. I just...I'm very confused right now."

Kaelin nodded. "I understand."

The lion then felt a supportive canine paw on his back. "I just really need to rest right now... I don't know if someone's told you, but I lost my powers."

Kaelin was surprised.

"It's temporary, but it leaves my body feeling incredibly weak. This...situation...doesn't really help, either."

"Sweetheart, it's not a situation at all," Kaelin said reassuringly. "I...I broke things off with you. I had to have expected this."

Alexei sighed and lay his head down on the table, closing his eyes. "What happened to Shard?" he asked, opening his eyes again.

"He went with the Commune for now," Kaelin explained, "helping them locate and destroy the remaining Crimson Tide forces, but he said he wanted to come back here. He also explained his relationship with you."

Alexei groaned.

"Don't blame yourself for any of this, Alexei. A lesser fur would have died in there, but you found a way to survive and keep your sanity."

Alexei grunted and turned his head, wanting sleep more than anything. Although he had been completely cleaned and mended, with all these recent events, he still felt dirty and disgusting. All these different emotions and relationships, however big or small, were starting to weigh heavily on the lion, and it was getting to be a bit much. But Alexei looked up yet again when he noticed Kaelin digging something out of his pocket.

Kaelin held out his paw then let a shiny red pendant dangle down, hanging off a black cord. "Helena said I should give this to you..."

As the lion stared into it, tears started to form. He reached a paw forward and slowly took the red rock, clutching it tightly and holding it close to his chest. "Th-thank you..." he said, a tear rolling down his cheek.

Jamie didn't have anything to give the lion, besides his paw. Although he didn't really know what Alexei must have been going through, he had an incredible appreciation for the situation. It was clear there was still an intense connection between the lion and the kangaroo, one that he, himself, may never match. Although Alexei and Kaelin had called it quits many months ago, just the way they looked at each other was indication enough that their love for each other still burned bright. A profound tension hung between them, which seemed to be pushing Jamie further away.

The German Shepherd just sighed and rested his head on his paws, sitting awkwardly as the two sat in deafening silence.

Despite the awkwardness, sitting between his old and new love, Alexei started to feel more at peace the longer he held the pendant. It would seem his relationship with Kaelin wasn't entirely over, but his feelings for Jamie were still very strong. Letting out a long, loud sigh, the lion scooched close to the Shepherd with a smile, and when he looked up at Kaelin, all he saw was a kangaroo who seemed genuinely glad for Alexei.

Although there was no way of knowing how this relationship would turn out, Alexei was at least happy knowing there were those in this galaxy who cared more about him than anyone else out there, something he had never truly appreciated until recently. With the malignant Commune forces soon to be demolished, the lion could now return to Earth, or perhaps even Lumar, once again and finally be at peace.