FSE

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formerly SoFurry search engine

Author's Note: So, here we go again. I had a lot of trouble with the uploader (since apparently internet explorer breaks this website something awful) and I had to submit this multiple times in order to get it up on the site at all. With that out of the way, this story contains explicit sexual content the standard disclaimer applies: if you're underage and/or pornographic content is illegal where you live, don't read this. Otherwise enjoy yourself and please leave a comment.

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The Great Packs, the descendants/modern forms of the Lupine Tribes that conquered and ruled most of Western Europe since time immemorial, celebrate a lot of lunar holidays and festivals throughout the year, but few are quite as infamous as the parties that coincide with every lunar eclipse. It's on those rare nights that special parties are held. There's an old, old, belief among the Packs that fertility is tied to the cycles of the moon. Modern science has mostly disproved it of course, but tradition holds strong, and such parties are often celebrated as a sort of mass debutante ball for the newly-eligible members of the packs' ruling and cadet family branches, like me.

In short, it was an opportunity for the recently adult members of the ruling families to hook up and have oftentimes unprotected sex while getting away with, and many times being praised for it.

I planned to take full advantage of my entrance into the adult circles of the pack. I didn't necessarily believe the old wives tale about how your first mate was a barometer of how the rest of your sex life would go, in fact I thought it was ridiculous, but I do believe in getting off on the right paw. I'd suffered through three full heat cycles with only my paws, a couple distinctly unsatisfactory toys, and some pills for company, and was nearing the end of a fourth. The odds of me actually conceiving were low, about as much as a human woman having sex off the peak of her ovulation cycle, and I'd be fine if the male in question was taking his pills or used I a condom. So, with that in mind, I searched the party for my elusive prey, dodging potential suitors and trays of aphrodisiac-laced spreadwine (so named for bergamot's tendency to spread the legs of whoever imbibes it) every few feet.

This particular ballroom in the Den wasn't large, as far as such things went, but it was crowded with furniture and furs, which made a difference. Circular wooden tables draped in plain white cloths had been set up throughout half the rectangular Lunarium while the rest had been set aside as a dance floor. The walls were painted pure white and the floor tiled in the same color but burnished to a mirror sheen to let its occupants fully appreciate the moonlight streaming in through the glass ceiling.

Steamer tables along the edges of the room were piled high with traditional Eclipse Party fare. Smoked fish, calamari, baked clams, squid ink pasta and at least two dozen other kinds of seafood were represented at the buffet. Personally, I thought it was all revolting and had ended up filling up on bread and the only un-fished pasta I could find. Spaghetti pomodoro, hardly my favorite, but better than eating bait as far as I was concerned.

Music was provided by an eight-piece orchestra playing through various pieces that I didn't recognize. My taste in music ran towards American Blues and Jazz, not the slower classical/dance songs the orchestra was playing. So I ignored the (in my opinion) rather insipid music as I weaved between tables and waiters. I had chosen to wear traditional clothes tonight, if much higher quality than my ancestors would have had. A shirt and pants of white silk with midnight blue embroidery forming the phases of the moon around my throat and waist. They were otherwise unadorned and quite simple in contrast with what many of the other partiers were wearing. Historical(ly inaccurate) costumes abounded and even those that were sticking to modern clothing usually had something colorful, keeping with the unspoken festival rule about wearing bright colors for luck.

Sensible business suits were paired with blazing red shirts or screaming yellow ties, belt buckles the size of grapefruits, and I couldn't look at some of the Karshan or Luxan inspired clothing without my eyes watering from the rainbow of color. No, better for me to wear something understated, Mark liked that, and if I was to have any chance at all to get his attention, much less end up in his bed, I needed advantages. There were plenty of other females, some my age and some older, who wanted to bed the ancient hybrid. Many of them wanted his cubs, but I didn't hold out hope for that. I didn't want cubs for a few years yet anyway. I just wanted to lose my virginity with someone that I could trust and knew what they were doing.

As I studiously avoided the eye of another hopeful male I could only hope my brown fur was still presentable. It was the middle of the Italian summer and while the Air conditioning was running at full blast there were a lot of furry bodies packed in close proximity and I had been lightly perspiring for a while. I nervously brushed my paws over the sleeves of my shirt and muttered a brief prayer to Mira for help as I began to get frustrated. Many members of the pack were devotees of the Church of the Law, but I'd never held any interest in the stuffy orthodoxy they followed. I had been born in Karsha anyway, and I liked the idea of a deity that actually liked me and wanted me to be happy, thus I was a sort-of follower of the popular fertility goddess.

Then, as if to answer my prayer, a crowd of tipsy looking uncles of mine parted and I caught a glimpse of distinctive mottled fur in the corner of the room under a painting of one of my ancestors who managed to become Pontifex in the Church of the Law. Target acquired, the hunt was on.

Changing course immediately I was forced to swiftly dodge out of the way of a distant cousin who no doubt hoped he could rise in the ranks by bedding me and possibly getting a cub on me, but years of Aikido training gave me all the body-sense I needed to see notice his approach and angle off and gain the necessary distance to be able to comfortably ignore him as I kept my eyes fixed on my goal.

Mark Benoit had a very distinctive look, it came with the territory of being the only Wolf/fox hybrid in the country. His coat couldn't decide whether it wanted to be red, grey, or brown, so it ended up being a sort of muddy brick color on his back, upper arms, and thighs while his belly (instead of being a fox-appropriate white or a wolf-appropriate...well, just about anything 'pure') was a really light grey-tan fusion. His tail was lightweight and whippy like a fox's, but the grey streaked black fur was dense and straight like a wolf's. His 'socks', if they could be called that, were half the length they would've been on a normal fox and a patchy grey, white and black mess.

Normally a hybrid like him wouldn't have been allowed anywhere near The Den, since most wolves (and foxes for that matter) had an almost instinctive dislike of hybrids that was strong and widespread enough that laws had to be put into place to protect them. Mark, however, was tolerated even by the most extreme xenophobes in the pack for one simple reason: he was gifted with the rarest of all magical gifts, true magical Regeneration. Where others aged, he stopped once he hit about twenty four. He almost never got sick, when he did fall ill it rarely lasted long, and any wounds he suffered healed within minutes. That single, unbelievably rare trait had let him survive over a hundred years and made him the most attractive mate in the Pack to the genetics-obsessed Ruling Families.

He was, like me, wearing something eminently practical: a summer weight tunic and pants of the looser Karshan-style cut but very Roman coloring. They were both slate grey with white bands at the throat, wrists, and ankles. It was an understated outfit that would have been appropriate for almost any place between Gibraltar to Jerusalem, and I couldn't help but smile a little as I noticed the contrast between him and the people he was talking to.

He was talking to two young wolves, a storm cloud grey male and a tawny brown female who I recognized as being in the lower ranks of the families, and definitely young enough for this to be their first festival party. They didn't seem to be flirting with him though, their body language was much more hesitant and nervous. They were also wearing slightly lower-quality clothes than some of the other partygoers, further reinforcing my theory that their families weren't as high ranking as mine.

The male was wearing a decent quality off-the-rack black suit with blue pinstripes and a red tie. The female was wearing a human-style black strapless dress that did a decent job of hugging her body and showing off her stocky but athletic figure while still being appropriate. They both seemed acutely aware of the quality of their clothes vs everyone around them, and subconsciously adjusted them constantly. Seeing their behavior plus their presence with Mark it wasn't hard to figure out what was going on.

Mark, though half wolf, was very much a fox in his thinking, as anyone who spent as much time with him as I had knew all too well. Because of that, he flaunted the unwritten rules and traditions of the pack with an unconscious ease that no full-blooded wolf would ever have been able to. He was also a vocal opponent of the strict caste system the ruling families held to, and an equally vocal supporter of the lower ranks. The wolves near him had probably only gotten access to the party because of him, and the encouraging smile on his muzzle and the discreet way he pointed out an available wolf more-or-less confirmed my suspicions. He was playing matchmaker, helping the lower-ranked wolves find partners among the Ruling Families.

He didn't seem to be having much success though. Both his charges seemed incredibly nervous, and weren't being at all subtle about it. They were probably feeling their rank strongly and wanted nothing more than to bolt before someone called them out for being 'where they shouldn't'. As I got close enough to hear him talking I was proven right.

"You just have to have a little faith in yourselves. Even if you get turned down it isn't a big deal, you just move on and try again." I heard him say as I got close. He was speaking to the female in particular. She looked unsure, but flattered by Mark's speech, and the reply she was about to make instantly died when she noticed me.

"Hello Mark, I was hoping to see you here." I smiled at him, wagging my tail as he turned to see me. Unlike my brother, sister, and cousins I didn't refer to him as 'uncle' even though he'd filled that sort of role for us all since we were cubs. My enthusiasm wasn't fake either. I'd always liked spending time with him. When I was a cub it was listening to his stories, or playing board and card games with him (he always let me win, of course), but as I got older he became someone I could go to for advice on just about anything. He'd lived long enough to have an idea for just about any problem you could have, and if he didn't...well, he made the best chocolate cookies I'd ever had, and sometimes that was enough.

"Helena, hello." He returned my smile and wagging tail, then he turned and extended a paw to the two wolves with him, who looked distinctly nervous to be interacting with a wolf of my royal status. "I'm happy to see you too. My younger companions here are Teresa and Robert."

"Hello." I greeted them both mildly and shook paws, pointedly not giving them the dominant stare that would have driven my superior rank home and required them to bare their throats in salute. They seemed to appreciate that, though they didn't completely relax. "Did Mark invite you here?"

"Yes, he did." Teresa replied, clutching her paws together rather tightly. "He invited us to come along as his guests."

"Our family didn't quite have the rank to get us invited otherwise." Robert finished, fiddling with the hem of his left sleeve. He and Teresa didn't look much alike for siblings, but something around their eyes was markedly similar. Maybe they only shared one parent.

"Ah, so you're hoping to find mates?" I asked politely, figuring it was better to get it out into the open than to dance around the subject like humans did. Parties like this were more about the night after than the actual celebration. Given how many wolves were here it was a safe bet to say a few dozen cubs were going to be fathered tonight.

"Well, yeah." Robert said, a little embarrassed. "Maybe not cubs yet, though our parents wouldn't mind if that ended up happening, but it would be nice to meet some people, maybe make some friends."

Translation: mom and dad want us to climb the sociopolitical ladder but we're scared out of our minds of failing, and even more scared of succeeding and ending up dealing with superior wolves who rub our rank in our faces. Suddenly I felt a whole lot more sympathetic to them.

"I've been introducing them to some wolves their age." Mark said breezily. It went unsaid that his presence was also protecting them from the more traditional members of the pack who would frown on those not of the ruling families attending such a party. Mark had been around a long time, and it was a well-established but unspoken rule that angering him was not something to be done lightly. He didn't need to call you onto the dueling ring to make you regret crossing him, though after studying various schools of martial arts for roughly a century he was more than capable of doing just that. He was more feared for his fox's cunning, political savvy, and ability to unearth just about any embarrassing information he could ever want.

"I see." I said, an idea taking root in my mind as I saw a familiar face drifting through the crowd, looking bored. It only took a fraction of a second to put a plan together and less than that to spring into action. "Teresa, you know who I am right?"

"You're Angelique Tillman's daughter, second in line for the Lunar Matriarch's position after your sister Lisa." She replied instantly, if hesitantly.

"Yep, that's me, and that," I nodded to my left, where a number of males were clustered together talking unenthusiastically. "Is my brother Andre. Black fur with the grey throat, wearing the blue suit and silver bowtie. He's unoccupied, and if you want to make a connection here he would be a good one to do it with."

Both Teresa and her brother looked a little shocked that the equivalent of a princess was helping them, apparently out of the blue, and a part of me felt intensely guilty because of the selfish reasons attached to this, but my older brother was in a stable position high in the pack with no mate picked out for him. Furthermore, he'd spent almost as much time with Mark as I had and I knew he would realize what was going on with Teresa and be willing to help her. Besides, he was a sucker for a wolf with tawny fur.

"I, there's no way I could...he's practically the next in line for Solar Patriarch!" She backed up half a step and babbled out an excuse, holding her paws up defensively. She was obviously way out of her depth and feeling it. Mark stepped in quickly and assured her that there was no such thing as someone being 'out of her league', as she insisted my brother was. I had another quick decision to make then, and it was another easy one. I stepped closer to her and gave her my best smile.

"Sweetie, listen to me for a second, okay?" I lowered my voice so the wolves around us wouldn't hear. Teresa, who was almost to the point of tears, reacted to the gentle, gentle command in my voice and the unexpected term of endearment. She looked at me obediently but cautiously stilled. Then I took a risk and gently took her paws in mine, looking her in the eyes as non-threateningly as I could. To anyone watching it would look like two close friends talking, nothing more. "I'm gonna take a guess and say that your parents really want something to happen tonight, right?"

She nodded, her eyes glistening a little.

"Uh huh, and you don't think you have what it takes to get the interest of one of the males?"

She shook her head. Mark patted her shoulder gently. Robert looked like he wanted to say something, but didn't, sensing that this was a delicate moment. I squeezed her paws gently.

"I understand, and I don't think this is fair to you, but answer me one question honestly: do you really want to find a mate tonight, serious or not?"

"I-I do." She replied after a thoughtful pause, sounding sure, but distinctly not hopeful. "I don't even care if it's just for the night. I'm...sick of going to bed alone, and since mom and dad insist on picking out who I'm going to-" She clammed up and her facial fur puffed up when she realized she'd revealed something so personal to someone she just met.

"I understand, believe me, I really understand." I told her honestly. My final mate wasn't something I had a say in, given my position. I could empathize with her on this one. "But getting nervous like this will only drive wolves away, it's noticeable."

"You just need to relax a bit." Mark supplied with a reassuring smile.

"You should listen to him, he's got good advice." The flattery was subtle, I hoped, and again I felt guilt gnawing at me, but I couldn't stop now. "You haven't got anything to be ashamed of, looks, rank, or otherwise. So how about this: I'll introduce you to my brother and make sure you get off to a good start, then all you have to do is relax and let things go where they go. If you're lucky, and if I know my brother you will be, you'll be headed back to his room for the night."

If Teresa and Robert looked stunned before, now they were thunderstruck, apparently thinking I'd been joking before. Bedding my brother, even just for a night and without any cubs, would be an absolute coup for someone outside the Families. Among the Packs, especially the upper echelons, sex was as much a social bonding tool as it was a means of procreation and recreation. Even if she didn't get pregnant, having a lover (even a former one) has high ranked as Andre would be an invaluable resource for her. There was no way she could refuse.

"Do you...really think he would go for me?" She asked, one last protest.

"Teresa, let me tell you something about my brother: he can't resist tawny females." I told her with complete candor. "That plus that tail of yours, well, if you want to, I can all but guarantee you you'll be mated tonight."

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, and when she was done she looked a bit calmer and ready to give it a try.

"I...I'll do it, and thank you for the offer...and the pep talk." She smiled self-depricatingly and on a whim I hugged her, giving her a quick kiss on the cheek. Mira knew I'd felt just like her on the first few big festivals I attended, and deep down part of me still felt that way about trying to seduce Mark.

"No problem sweetie, I feel for you, I really do. Now come on, just hold my paw and no one will get in our way."

Teresa did as I instructed and we set off through the crowd, my presence parting it like the bow wake of an oceangoing ship. My brother was talking to one of his cousins, by his father, not mine, when I approached with Teresa in tow, and when he caught sight of us he turned and cocked an eyebrow at me. Then he noticed Teresa and I could have sworn I saw his tawny-fetish kick in and he all but forgot about me for a second.

"Hello there little sister, shouldn't you be off courting someone?" He asked sardonically, looking at me with amusement and Teresa with wariness once his hormones quieted down. In our position we had to be a bit paranoid about wolves trying to get things over on us through the politics of mating. Fortunately once I vouched for her Teresa would be in the clear.

"I will be, don't you worry, I just wanted to introduce you to someone." I replied. Teresa's paw was shaking as she smiled at him, and I squeezed it gently. She squeezed back.

"Really, well I'm flattered. I'm Andre, who are you miss?" He asked politely.

"I'm Teresa, it's good to meet you." She replied a bit awkwardly, accepting his proffered paw.

"She's one of Mark's guests." I clarified "She and her brother didn't know anyone here, so I thought I could help her out."

Andre may be a bit thick sometimes, but he got the message. He gave me one quick glance to make sure, and I nodded almost imperceptibly. Then his entire demeanor warmed and he smiled at Teresa much more openly.

"I see, well in that case I'm glad to have met you, you're too beautiful to go without knowing someone here." Subtlety wasn't his strong suit, but he made up for it with sincerity. Teresa's muzzle puffed up so much I had to wonder if she'd been electrocuted without my noticing, but she managed a bashful grin and a genuine reply.

"Thank you, that's very nice to hear."

"Well it's true." Andre replied, cocking his head slightly as the music in the background changed. "Hey, do you want to dance? This song is slow so we'll have a chance to talk and get to know each other."

Teresa, it turned out, had an absolutely devastating smile. If she ever figured out how to use it she'd have males (or females I supposed) eating out of her paws. She accepted Andre's arm and, to my surprise, slid right up against him as he led her to the dance floor.

"I'd love to dance, thank you."

And with that they were off. She spared me a thankful smile on the way out, but quickly turned her attention back to Andre, who wasted no time wrapping his arms around her and settling in for the slow dance. I could see them talking quietly as they went and I decided that my plan to introduce them was a resounding success.

Making my way back to Mark I did my best not to let guilt eat away at me. True, part of the reason I did that was to get on Mark's good side, but she seemed like a genuinely nice wolf and if she and Andre mated they'd both likely have fun, so it wasn't completely selfish. Besides, if she wore Andre out I wouldn't have to put up with his crap in the morning, which was always a plus. That was what I told myself anyway.

"That was a very nice thing you did." Mark murmured when I got close enough to hear. Robert had apparently gone off to the drinks table while I was busy with his sister, likely dispatched by Mark. "I was pretty sure she was going to stress herself into such a state she wouldn't be able to talk to anyone, much less dance."

"She was put in a bad spot, it was the least I could do." I replied in an undertone, glancing back at the new couple on the dance floor. They were, I couldn't help but notice, pressed awfully close together for two people who had just met. It made me smile. "Besides, she sounds like she deserves a little fun."

"You have no idea." Mark replied, a ghost of annoyance entering his voice, but it was gone so fast I couldn't even be sure it existed in the first place, replaced by honest affection. "Still, thank you. I don't know if she's ready for cubs, but even if they just end up shacking up for a while it should be good for the both of them."

"Hopefully." I replied, having found myself at a loss for anything else to say. It was the perfect time to start my attempt to get him into my bed (or vice versa, I didn't care which), but it was like my throat just clenched up and I couldn't form a sentence. Fortunately, or unfortunately I was saved from such an occurrence by Robert's return. He was awkwardly holding three cups of deep red punch, each with a blue rim, indicating a beverage free from Bergamot and its aphrodisiac affects. I accepted one mechanically as I tried to form a plan of attack in my head.

"Thank you Robert." Mark replied, taking a polite sip. I knew he rarely drank, and if his taste in drinks was anything like his legendarily restricted and bizarre taste in food he likely found the sangria revolting. For that matter, I didn't like it much either, being more of a white wine girl.

"Thank you for helping my sister." Robert addressed me in tones of surprised relief. "I was really worried about her. She's older than me so mom and dad really come down hard on her and I'm...well, thanks."

"It's no problem. It sounds like she's in a similar position to Andre. My sister and I keep telling him he needs to find a way to work off all the stress he piles up, but the day he listens to his younger siblings is the day the Four Knights of the Dead rise to bring about the Great Judgment and lead us all to the Oasis Paradise." I rolled my eyes as the kind of affectionate annoyance only possible for blood siblings to enter my voice.

"I tell her the exact same thing." Robert offered, amused and mildly indignant in the way of a younger sibling used to (but frustrated by) being ignored by an older one. Then something changed in his expression and I realized what was coming a second before it came. "Hey, I don't want to presume, but are you free for the night?"

Fortunately I'd been prepared for that since the second I'd started working on Teresa.

"Sorry, I've already got someone picked out." I said gently, smiling to soften the blow. His ears drooped a bit, but he took it in good grace, upping my opinion of him.

"That's alright, I figured I might as well try though. I haven't had as much of a chance to talk to anyone since Teresa got so scared. Mom and dad will be happy if she, er, has a good night with Andre. If I don't end up making anything of the festival they won't be too upset." He shrugged philosophically, though I could tell he was still a bit stung.

"Hey, the night isn't over yet." Mark interjected, giving the younger male a pat on the shoulder. "I still know a few females hanging around, no need to give up just yet."

"I don't see anyone I'm on particularly good terms with, not at first glance anyway," I scanned the room briefly. If I could get both of his guests shacked up for the night I'd be in an ideal position to get Mark to listen to me. "But if I see anyone I'd be happy to introduce you."

"Thank you." He replied, apparently unable to believe his luck. Then he shuffled nervously and his facial fur puffed up. "I kind of worry though since I haven't, um...I've never..."

"Virgin?" I asked, getting it instantly. He nodded, shamefaced.

"It's no big deal." I said with a shrug. "Or rather, there's no reason for it to be. If anyone gives you any trouble for being a virgin they aren't worth your time."

"Couldn't have said it better myself." Mark said approvingly. "Trust me, I have been there and done that. More than once."

"Thanks." Robert replied, sounding a little surer of himself.

"No problem." Mark replied with a smile. He really must have liked these two to be putting so much effort into helping them. Not that it was entirely unheard of. Mark spent a lot of time with the lower ranking families of the pack, and if rumor had it a fair amount of his seed had been sewn in that soil, though I had no way of knowing.

"If both of us find mates mom and dad would be really happy." Robert mused. "Happy enough to go easy on us about it for a while anyway."

"You shouldn't be doing this because anyone wants you to." Mark said in a lecturing tone. "If you want to find someone for a few nights, or more, that's fine, but no one can tell you to do that. It has to be your decision."

"I do want to find a mate." Robert defended, drinking more punch. "Nothing serious yet, but..."

"Well, in that case," I spoke before Mark could continue in his mini-lecture "I may have found someone perfect."

"Who?" Mark asked, following my gaze but not picking out anyone.

"Amie. Three tables down in the silver dress." I nodded and Mark's eyes snapped to the white female in question, a smile forming on his muzzle.

"Ah, yes. I didn't recognize her in that. It's very pretty. Excuse me for a second, she looks unoccupied, I'll go get her." With that he strode off into the crowd, dodging around waiters and partiers alike with equal grace.

"Um, who is Amie?" Robert asked, watching Mark go.

"My cousin. Well, sort of. She's technically Andre's cousin, we don't share a father, but we're close enough that it doesn't really matter. She's the white female wearing the silver dress. She's got a pink ribbon around her neck tied in a bow.

"I see her." Robert said as she greeted Mark effusively. Much hugging and wagging of tails was involved, and when Mark kissed her on the nose I practically heard her giggle. They'd taken to each other from the day they met, and he'd always spoiled her a bit. "If you don't mind my asking, why do you think she's perfect for me?"

"You said you didn't want anything serious, right? Amie is the epitome of non-serious." Robert looked puzzled for a second, but when I traced the arrow within a circle symbol for Mira in the air with my paw he got it.

"Do you think she'll be okay with me since I'm a lower rank?" He asked as she approached with Mark, nervousness returning.

"Amie wants to be a Miran priestess." I said dryly, remembering the drama that cropped up when she announced that little ambition to her parents. They ultimately relented since she was the youngest of their considerable brood, and anyone who spent five minutes watching her interact with children (or, as I've heard from Andre, spent any time in the bedroom with her) could see she had a calling. "Believe me when I say she literally could not care less."

"Oh." He perked up a little and straightened his tie in a finicky movement I doubted he even noticed. "Alright, here's hoping then."

"Just relax and talk with her and you should be fine. She's probably been hunting for someone to spend the night with, so just do your best and try to have fun and she'll be all over you." I advised as my cousin got within speaking distance.

"Helena, hello!" Amie's bright corn-yellow eyes flashed as she greeted me with her typical hug and ferociously wagging tail. For a female who intends to be a priestess she's deceptively burly, but then again she lifts weights for fun. What possible enjoyment she could get out of it I will never know though. I bore with her excited, and inevitably slightly painful, squeeze and the very sincere kiss on the cheek until I was allowed to step back. "It's nice to finally see you at one of these parties. And you," She turned to Robert, who bore her unintentionally intense gaze with aplomb. "Must be Robert. Nice to meet you."

"Likewise." He shook her paw and smiled, showing me that he and his sister shared more than just their eyes. "Forgive me if this is a little abrupt, but Helena mentioned that you want to pursue the Miran doctrine. Is that true?"

"Mmmhmm. I'm in the almost through my ascendency test to enter into the dedicated clergy." Her expression was alight with the kind of passion you didn't normally see unless she was talking about the church, or sex, and I could see Robert fall for her on the spot. "Why, are you planning to join too?"

"No, I'm interested in the Miran clergy for a different reason. I'm a mage-in-training. My Talent isn't anything too special, not like that Human student in Karsha who can juggle forklifts and bend light just by thinking about it, but I've been studying the way the old priests used magic to try and impose a fertility blessing on the temples for a while now and I'm pretty sure that's what my thesis is going to be on." As he spoke I saw his face light up with a passion similar to Amie's, and I saw her face light up with reciprocal interest. I couldn't say I had suspected Robert of being magically Talented, but the way they looked I'd be shocked if Amie didn't have him in her bed at the end of the night. Passion was her biggest turn on (among many), it didn't matter what you were passionate about, just that you were.

"Really? Have you gone to the temples to look, or have you just used the ward schematics on record?" She asked, the question flying right over my head.

"Both. I was lucky enough to go the Capital Temple in Kaj'Mira, and visit a few of the smaller ones in the city, but I've mainly been working with the old schematics. It's interesting to look back on it in hindsight. If the priests knew what we do about the laws of immutability and transitory resonance they'd have known that there was no way to do what they wanted, but if they _hadn't_kept trying we wouldn't have discovered _Krlaus,_codified the principles of thaumaturgic transactions, or even figured out how thermodynamics applies to energy retained in a spell matrix for maybe a century." He had taken on the tone of someone talking about something they loved to talk about and was rapidly accruing serious momentum. Amie headed him off with a response that made just as little sense to me as Robert's did and I chose that moment to take a step back as the two started avidly talking, noticing out of the corner of my eye that Mark did the same.

"Did any of that make sense to you?" I asked in an undertone, more for the purpose of striking up a conversation than in hopes for an answer.

"Short answer: fertility spells are finicky and unreliable, they have to be specifically tailored to the individual who wants the blessing. It's impossible to tie them to an inanimate object like the priests wanted to do, but they stumbled over a lot of important stuff as they tried." He replied, motioning me away from them. I followed happily, eager to get to talk to him on my own.

"Ah, well, that was totally over my head." I said as we found another relatively free spot to stand and I was able to set my now-warm punch down on a nearby table.

"You only need to know that kind of thing if you're going to be a full-time mage. For those of us that can't cast spells it's really not worth bothering with, but enough of that." He flipped a paw dismissively.

"Ah. If you don't mind my asking, who were those two? I don't think I've seen them around here before." I sipped my punch for something to do and scanned the dance floor for Teresa and Andre.

"They're friends with a great-nephew." He replied. "Their mother is one of the Pack's lawyers and their father is an accountant. Their lineage _just_keeps them out of the ruling families and they've been trying to mate up into them for the past few generations with no luck, and if their blood gets mixed too much more they'll drop in rank even further. Robert and Teresa's parents are cousins, and if they don't find 'acceptable' mates I think their parents might even make them mate."

There was definite and undisguised disgust in his voice as he spoke, and I caught the twitch in his tail I'd learned to associate with real anger. I wasn't surprised by the information he'd given me, incestuous matings weren't unheard of in the Families. They weren't encouraged, but now and again they happened. I certainly wouldn't want to spend the rest of my life with Andre, but if I had to carry one of his pups...well, I'd much rather the act be done artificially, but I wouldn't risk losing my position over it. Mark was very much against the Pack laws allowing incest, however, and he'd been campaigning to change them for decades.

"Well, here's hoping they get lucky then." I replied, finally finding Teresa and Andre. They were still talking as they slowly swayed back and forth, and I saw them laugh as well, so it must have been going well. I couldn't see Robert and Amie through the crows. "They seem nice."

"They're very nice. Very sweet little cubs. I cubsat them every once in a while." He said with a fond smile on his muzzle, which I returned.

"You've cubsat just about everyone." I pointed out.

"Yes, but some cubs are easier than others." He turned his gaze on me, his eyes twinkling. "You and your brother, for instance, were quite a lot of work."

"Well, he was annoying and never listened to me." I sniffed haughtily. "Of course I had to put him in his place."

"That's not how I remember it." Mark replied. "As I recall, you were both equally guilty of harassing each other, and your sister."

"Well, Lisa obviously needed to be taken down a peg or ten...still does, now that I think about it." I defended, thinking back on all the things we siblings had done to each other. I couldn't help but laugh.

"You laugh now, but you three just about ran me ragged." He chuckled. "That's nothing to sneeze at."

"What? You can't keep up with a few cubs? Maybe you need to do more cardio." It was a lame joke, but he laughed anyway.

"There isn't enough cardio in the world to prepare you for cubs, take it from someone who has had a few." He said ruefully. "I love my kits, dearly, but there's no easier way to tire yourself out than to take care of your spawn."

"Speaking of," My mouth opened up before my brain could interfere. "Have you thought about your next mate yet?"

"No, not yet. I need another year or two." His voice wasn't as upbeat as it had been, but I hadn't upset him, for which I was thankful.

"I don't blame you." I said honestly. He was subject to the same procreation rules as the rest of the Pack. However given his unique ability he was pressured to produce a lot of cubs. He was very selective about whom he bred, however, and he got just as attached as anyone, so the strict rules were bent for him, to allow him time to fully grieve his mates' passing. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have brought that up. I spoke without thinking."

"It's alright, I'm not angry." He replied. I didn't think he was hiding anything either, but I might not have been able to tell. "I'm a little surprised that you're asking the question instead of the Matriarchs and Patriarchs though."

"Sorry, it's just...you've been alone for a while, and I don't like to see that." I said carefully. His last mate had passed five years ago, and I'd only known her at the end of her life, but she had been like a second grandmother to me. "You were always so happy around Clara..."

"It takes time to find someone you're compatible enough to spend a lifetime with." He said sagely, then he turned to me with a grateful smile and wrapped an arm around me in an affectionate hug. "And thank you, it's nice to know someone worries about an old coot like me."

"You're not old." I said, leaning into the hug and giving him a squeeze. I did genuinely feel bad that he was alone. "You get old when you act old. You're just experienced." I counted that little nugget a success when he let out a bark of laughter.

"I like that. Where did you hear that?" He asked, letting me go. I found myself wishing he hadn't.

"I just came up with it as I was talking." I shrugged. "It's true though."

"Yes, it's true. You are wise beyond your years Helena, and thank you, honestly, it means a lot to me to hear that."

"You're welcome." I smiled and wagged my tail, 'accidentally' brushing his with it once. Then something on the dance floor caught my eye and my smile became something similar to Mark's much-feared vulpine smirk. "Ooh, forgive the interruption, but take a look at my brother and Teresa."

"I see them." He replied, grinning like the fox he was. Andre and Teresa were still dancing, though how they were managing to keep time while cleaning each other's tonsils was beyond me. "They're moving pretty fast. At this rate he'll have her in his room before midnight."

"Good." I replied. "If she wears him out I won't have to deal with him stealing all my coffee in the morning."

"Addict." He replied affectionately.

"Hypocrite." I shot back without skipping a beat. He'd been the one to start me on it after all, and the amount of the black stuff he could put away in a day was the stuff of legend. Some members of the Pack, myself included, believed that he was immune to caffeine, because the rate at which he sucked down the cheap breakfast blend he liked so much was enough to give just about anyone else palpitations.

"Such disrespect for your elders." He scolded mock-severely.

"Where do you think I learned it from?" I smiled impishly.

"Your mother." He deadpanned, getting a laugh out of me. He and my mother had a very tempestuous relationship. They went back and forth a lot on political and legal issues, and their opinions on almost everything else were diametrically opposed as well, so whenever they were in the same room a fight was almost guaranteed. That said, he was one of her staunch supporters in the Pack and even if he didn't have a legal or political position his influence had been key to more than a few decrees mom had passed.

"Nah, I just learned to cook from her." I said, opening myself up for a shot, which Mark took.

"That explains a lot. I haven't seen many people who've burned chicken broth." He chuckled. I'd heard from somewhere that his first mate, Elanor, had been a dismal cook too, but no one ever talked about her, and I wasn't about to risk starting.

"Well, if you'd just teach me like I keep asking..."

"I know a lost cause when I see one." He examined his drink and then tossed it off in one large gulp. "After the first few tries I learned my lesson, but enough about all that." He suddenly changed the subject and glanced at me with unexpected intensity. "It's your first eclipse party and I doubt you want to spend it all with me. Didn't you say you have a mate picked out?"

"Yeah, I have." I said honestly, happy that he'd brought the subject up so I didn't have to. I was, to my unpleasant surprise, suddenly feeling very intimidated by him. He'd been playing this game almost five times as long as I've been alive, and the thought of subtly seducing him seemed laughable.

"Well you certainly did well enough helping Teresa and Robert, plus with that outfit on you shouldn't have any problems getting your mate...or do you want some help too?" He asked honestly. "I'd be happy to give you a paw. There's no shame in asking for a little help, especially when you're still a bit inexperienced."

"I...I have someone picked out, like I said, but I'm not sure how to approach him." My mouth said the words before my brain could check them over and I internally winced. This was rapidly becoming uncomfortably tropey.

"The initial approach isn't nearly as important as it's made out to be. A good first impression is vital, but the actual opening lines don't matter quite as much." He sounded like he was speaking from experience, which he probably was. "Besides, what works on one person won't work on another, people are just too different for canned pickup lines to do you much good."

"I didn't exactly plan on using a pick up line, in fact I haven't really planned at all. I just don't know how." I drank some of the mediocre punch, my mouth was very dry all of a sudden.

"Well, you have to tailor your approach to the one you want to be with. Sometimes it's best just to come out and say it upfront. 'Hey, do you want to spend your Eclipse Night with me?' A little conversation before, obviously, but there's something appealing about someone who is willing to get down to brass tacks and be transparent about their intentions."

My heart just about stopped as he practically gave me an engraved invitation. There was literally no better, or more clichéd, way for this conversation to have played out. Part of me wondered if he'd known I had picked him and was deliberately saying this to make it easy on me, but I didn't quite believe that. Still, there was only one thing to do now. I took a deep breath and tried to figure out how to word it right. Then, after failing miserably I decided to take some other advice he'd given me and be as honest as possible.

Gulp.

"Mark." I said, turning to face him head on and shocking myself with how calm I sounded. I didn't reach for his paws or anything, but I did look him in the eyes. "It's you. I...I picked you." I inwardly smacked myself for the stutter.

I was treated to a sight rarely seen in the Pack: Mark Benoit caught completely off guard. Granted, it only lasted for a split second before the gears in his head started whirring again and I could see him replaying our recent conversations in his mind. I held up a paw to forestall any objection he may have had, again surprising myself with how calm I was being, and went on.

"I know you probably have a few things to say but please, just hear me out first. I've been thinking about this for a while and I have my reasons. First: I'm a virgin, and I want my first lover to have experience. Second: I want my first time to be with someone I trust, and outside my immediate family who are out for obvious reasons you're the one I trust the most. I have male friends of course, but I'm not close enough to any of them to do this with them, and third...well, I like you. A lot. You've always been there when I needed help or advice, and you're a genuinely good person. I understand if you're uncomfortable with our age difference, but I'm not and I'd like to think we could have fun together, even if it's just for a night or two."

It wasn't my best speech, admittedly, but it seemed to serve my purpose. He stood stock still for a long moment, his eyes boring into me like lasers. Gone was the carefree matchmaker he'd been, and in his place was a shrewd, analytical old soul that was boring through any defense I could have put up and evaluating every nuance of what I'd just said. After a long, long silence he finally murmured a response so quietly I could barely hear.

"There are plenty of experienced males your age who would be only too happy to see to it that your first time was a pleasant one. You could have just about any of them that you wanted, given your status." It wasn't a refusal, just an observation.

"I don't want them, though. I want you." I replied just as quietly. "I don't care about status. Not when we're talking about this. I'm nervous. Hell, I'm a little scared, which is why I refuse to have my first time be with someone I don't trust implicitly. I trust you, Mark, and...well, I like you. You don't feel like family to me, you're like the older friend I've always had, and that's a big difference."

There was another very long pause as he thought it over. My heart was pounding like the snare drum in a marching band and my mouth was bone dry. Then, just when I was sure he was going to turn me down, a small smile played across his muzzle.

"Well, Helena, I can't say as I expected this, but I would be honored that you'd choose an old coot like me." The smile widened slightly and regained some of its mischievousness and I mentally shouted a rejoicing prayer to Mira as I took a cautious step into his personal space and held my arms up for a hug.

"You're not an old coot, you're experienced." I replied, my smile nearly splitting my muzzle in two when his arms settled around me and I found my front being lightly pressed against his. "I like experienced."

"Easy on the flattery, you already convinced me." He chuckled, his paws resting on my lower back in a way they never had before, sending a pleasant tingling up my spine. "Do you want to leave the party now, or wait a while and dance or something?"

"If it's okay with you I'd like to go." I tried to keep the eagerness out of my voice, but probably failed.

"Alright, my room or yours?" He asked, stroking my back through my tunic.

"Yours is okay." I said, feeling giddy as he took my paw and started leading me towards the nearest exit.

Halfway to the nearest door he froze for a second and laughed. Then he nudged me and subtly pointed in to directions.

Following his paw I saw that Robert and Amie weren't talking anymore, they were in the same corner Mark had been standing in, kissing deeply, with Robert leaning Amie into the wall and her hand gripping the base of his tail. Then I looked ahead of us and saw Andre leading Teresa out the door we were heading for with an arm wrapped around her waist and a paw resting very low on her hip, slowly stroking her upper thigh as he walked. She was rolling her hips into the motion, her tail swishing happily back and forth.

"Looks like it's going to be a good night." He commented, obviously happy that his guests were going to get their fur ruffled.

"A very good one." I replied, not caring how corny it sounded. He just chuckled in response and took the lead again.

***

The ballroom wasn't too far from Mark's apartment in the secure wing of the Den where the Ruling Families lived, but the halls connected to it were packed with support staff and a steady stream of partiers both leaving and arriving, so it took us a good twenty minutes to make the ordinarily ten minute walk. Part of me was screaming in impatience, but I didn't really mind too much. I was still a bit nervous, but the anticipation outweighed that, and I was happy to enjoy the burgeoning excitement building low in my belly as I walked, paw in paw, with Mark.

He didn't say much as we went, but it was a comfortable silence and the way his pawpads were entwined with mine was pleasant enough to make up for it. When we finally did make it to his familiar door a horde of butterflies erupted in my stomach and I felt the last vestiges of my heat rousing to start warming my pelvic girdle. Unlike the roaring inferno that was the typical estrous season lust, however, this was just a pleasant flush across my lower body and centering between my legs, the difference was astounding, like lying in a patch of sunshine versus dipping a paw into scalding water.

"Hold on a minute." Mark grumbled as he reached into his pants and withdrew his keys. A second of fiddling and jingling later and the door opened.

I followed him inside and was instantly inundated with familiar smells. Though the apartment was dark I could have navigated it perfectly, he never changed anything about it if he had a choice, so it had been the same since the first time I'd been here when I was three. The dining room and kitchen were on the left of the entrance, and the smell of the Karshan sausages he always had in his pantry hung in the air. A rectangular wooden table and six chairs had pride of place in the white-carpeted area with a smaller side table that held the herbs Mark was always growing.

On the other side of the room was the tv room, in which a sixty inch television with several gigantic racks of dvds and a compatible player took pride of place. His television and the desktop computer sitting not too far from it were the only things he really splurged on. The rest of his furniture was ancient, not as old as him, but it was close. The couches and chairs were all overstuffed brown leather and the plain wooden coffee table (likely covered with the day's newspaper and a few crossword puzzle books) was much scarred from decades of use.

Mark ignored all of that though, and led me into the one room I'd never spent much time in while I was here: his bedroom. I'd been in the second bedroom reserved for guests plenty, I'd slept there pretty often as a cub actually. The master bedroom was something new though, not that we'd been forbidden to go in, just that all the interesting stuff was in the rest of the apartment. As Mark twisted the dimmer switch I was able to see the king sized bed on a wooden frame with built-in storage drawers with the same red sheets, tan comforter, and gratuitously large mountain of pillows that I remembered. There was a small door immediately opposite the entrance which led to a small bathroom, to the right was the closet, and the left a varnished wood dresser topped with a tangle of charging cords.

I never really thought about it, but his room was a lot like mine. The furnishings were simple, and it was habitually kept clean, but it wasn't sterile like my sister's tended to be. There were signs that it was used and lived in, and that helped ease some of my nervousness oddly enough. It also helped that it smelled like him: natural soap, coffee, basil, wolf, and fox. I associated that smell with safety, comfort, and more recently, physical attraction.

When I was fully inside Mark closed the door behind us and then led me to the bed, where we sat down. It was only then that it hit me that we were about the same height, and I was maybe just a few fractions of an inch taller. I knew it all along of course, but I never really thought about it until then.

"Before we start doing anything, we need to talk a bit." Mark said, reaching out and pulling me into a hug that I happily returned.

"What about?" I was happy to rest in his arms for a while and get used to the idea of finally doing something about the urges that had been plaguing me for two weeks.

"First, have you had any experience with the stuff leading up to sex?" He stroked my back gently, and even through the tunic it felt good.

"I've...well, I've kissed. Pretty heavily, but that's it." I answered, trying not to let my inexperience get to me. He nodded as if he expected that answer.

"Alright, that's fine. We'll take things extra slow." He promised, stroking my cheek. Then I noticed his nostrils flare and I had an inkling of what he was going to ask next.

"Where are you in your heat cycle?"

"It's just ending. I think the urges will be gone completely tomorrow or the day after." I knew better than to lie, this was not the place for it, especially not with cubs on the line.

"Okay, that's good to know. I'm on my sterility pills, but I'll wear a condom just to be safe." He reached over to the bedstand and rummaged around for a while before pulling out a box of condoms.

"It's open." I commented stupidly. "Are they before the expiration date?"

"Yes, they are." He grinned, showing me the package and pointing out where the date was, they were good for another half year. "But that's always a good question to ask, and it's good practice to check if you have any doubts at all."

If he had a half-empty box of condoms within the dates on the box it could really only mean one thing.

"Have you had other females recently?" Again my mouth shot off without consulting my brain.

"Yes." He answered honestly. "Nothing serious, just a night here and there."

"Good." I replied, surprising myself, though judging by his raised eyebrows not as much as him. My facial fur puffed up and I decided to be honest again. "Like I said earlier, I don't like the idea of you being alone. It's nice to know you have some company every once in a while."

"My, I have to admit, that's a first." He chuckled, but there was real amusement in his eyes and his smile wasn't fake at all. "I've gotten acceptance, ambivalence, tolerance, and hostility when I've told my lovers that I'm not settling down with anyone, but you're the first that's actually been happy about it."

"Well if I were in your position I'd do the same thing." Actually, I could see myself either being too afraid to attach myself to anyone and avoiding sex and relationships like the plague, or going the complete opposite way and attempting to sleep my way through the whole pack. "I mean, there have been days where I've been just about ripping my fur out, and that's when I'm not in heat."

"Yes, there certainly have been days." He agreed with a laugh. "Now, before we really start: is there anything you do or absolutely don't want me to do?"

"Um, well I can't really think of anything...except I don't want anything under my tail." I appended quickly. I'd never understood the appeal of that sort of thing at all.

"Alright, I won't do anything there." He promised. "Would you be okay with me giving you oral sex?"

"You don't have to do that." My facial fur puffed up for what felt like the millionth time.

"Do you not want me to do it or are you saying that you think it will be upleasant for me? You need to be very specific when you're telling people what you want and don't want in bed."

"I...don't know. I'm willing to try it, but I don't know if I'll like it." I said, my face twisting up. "I know it's supposed to be great and all, but the thought of putting your mouth down there..."

"If you aren't comfortable with it I won't do it. You just have to say the word, even if I'm right in the middle of it. You can say stop at any time, for any reason, no matter what." He said firmly. "Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. You always have the right to say 'stop'."

"I get it, and I will if I get uncomfortable." I smiled at him. "And I guess I'd like to try it."

"Alright, when you think you're ready let me know and I'll start." He pulled me closer and I went willingly until I was practically in his lap, muzzle to muzzle, just fractions of an inch away from a kiss.

"Is this how we start? Just kissing?" I asked, not at all unhappy with that plan.

"Yes, it's important to start slow and work your way up." He replied in a whisper. He was probably going to say more, but I closed the distance and merged our muzzles together before he could finish, so instead he made an amused sound and adjusted his arms around me, placing on paw protectively on the back of my neck. Then he started kissing me back.

Damn.

His lips melted over mine and I practically melted into his lap. Apparently all those years gave him time to practice making out, because he was a fantastic kisser. It went beyond how his mouth moved in relation to mine and into something else I couldn't properly explain. I could feel it in the way he held me, cradled close against him with my head and neck supported. He was taking as much of my weight as possible, letting me melt all over him and devote everything to the kiss. One paw gently massaged my neck where my spine entered into my skull, occasionally straying up to the bases of my ears. The other paw idly traced nonsense patterns over my lower back and left flank. My whole abdomen quickly started tingling and I shivered as he hummed happily into the kiss. He really knew how to make a wolf happy.

I tried my best to do the same for him. I hadn't been lying earlier when I said I had some experience with heavy kissing, but I'd never done anything like this before. I tried to emulate what he was doing with his paws, but I could tell I was being clumsy about it. He made sounds occasionally, but I couldn't tell if my paw work had anything to do with it or if he was just the type to make noise while kissing.

Deciding to take things a little further, I opened my mouth slightly and tentatively pressed the tip of my tongue to his lips, which parted as he tilted his head to deepen the kiss. He let me take the lead and determine how far I wanted to go, but he was far from passive. His tongue teased mine, gently caressing it or melting back and making me pursue it. Soon we were going at it just as hot and heavy as I had ever done anything before, and that's when his paws really started to wander.

It started innocently enough, with slow exploration around my back and flanks, but it quickly grew until he was stroking, petting, and fondling every part of me from my thighs to my neck and even my tail. Granted, I wasn't any better. My paws were busy groping every part of him that I could reach, though didn't really know where to focus other than his tail. It was during one of our increasingly frequent air breaks that I felt his paw lightly grasp the hem of my tunic.

"Do you feel ready to move a little further?" He asked through his labored breath. In lieu of a verbal answer I reached down and pulled it off, tossing it aside and revealing my bare breasts to him. I had decided to skip a bra when I dressed for the party in hopes that I might make this exact moment that much faster.

I had to admit that I was a little nervous about my breasts. While I have nice hips and a good tail my chest isn't something I've ever been too proud of. I'm a lower C cup, nearly a B cup. I knew it was stupid to worry, I'd heard that plenty, but when I looked at my sister who was more than double my size I couldn't help but feel a little cheated in the genes department.

"D-do you like them?" I blurted the most absurd question to come out of my mouth the whole night and I winced immediately afterward. Thankfully Mark didn't comment on how stupid it must have sounded.

"Absolutely." He replied, trailing a paw through the fur of my belly, right over where my vestigial teats would have been if that particular genetic quirk ran in my family. "May I touch them?"

"Go ahead." I panted, watching as his paws traced a circuitous route across my abdomen before finally settling on my breasts and starting to explore.

He was very careful at first, never squeezing very hard and glancing up at my face frequently to see if he was hurting me, but with all the practice he'd gotten in over the decades he wasn't even close to doing anything painful. I still felt awkward though. Despite the fact that what he was doing felt good, I just didn't know what to do with myself. In my position I couldn't easily reach any parts of him that I thought he would like to be touched on and I couldn't reach anywhere sensitive on my body without getting in his way, so I ended up sitting there with my chest thrust out and feeling like I should be doing something.

"Is something wrong?" He asked, apparently picking up on how I felt.

"I don't know what to do. You're doing well, but I don't want to just be sitting here doing nothing..." I responded, feeling my lack of experience sharply.

"Oh, if you want to touch yourself we can switch positions to make it easier." He offered, still stroking my breasts to keep the stimulation there.

"Actually I, um, I'd like to touch you, but..." I trailed off, embarrassed.

"But you don't know where?" He finished for me. He was smiling, and it was more genuine, I realized, than most of the smiles I'd ever seen on him. It made a big difference. His whole muzzle lit up and I could see why so many females in the pack had flocked to him over the years.

"Yeah." I admitted, then I had a thought and rolled with it, accidentally interrupting him just as he was starting a sentence. "Um, could you squeeze just a little harder?"

"Like this?" He cut off whatever he was going to say and did as I asked, increasing the pressure just a bit.

"A little more?" Again he squeezed and I winced a little. "Too much. Just a little...yes, just like that." I smiled has he hit the sweet spot.

"Good." He replied. "Now, as I was going to say, there's a lesson here and I'm sorry if I sound like a textbook but trust me on this: foreplay goes both ways, it isn't just something males give to females to warm them up, both partners give it to each other. I'm glad you asked about touching me when you weren't sure and I'm also glad you told me what you wanted, that's the right way to do things. It's a lot easier to talk about what you want than to wait and assume your partner can read your mind...and for the record, I love to have the bases of my ears rubbed."

"Like this?" I asked, digging my pawpads into the flesh at the base of his ears and rubbing in small circles. His tail twictched and he hummed again.

"Yes, very good, just like that." He praised. "Remember: when in doubt, ask, and when your partner does something right, tell them. There's nothing sexier than someone telling you how good you're making them feel."

"You're like an X-rated public service announcement." I giggled. "I have to admit I kinda like it."

"It's important information to know." He replied with a grin, moving in for another kiss, which I happily returned.

For the next few minutes we kept our mouths (and paws) busy, and I really started to feel warm. He was putting more effort into things now, he drew me into an oral battle that I lost horribly at but enjoyed immensely regardless. I was perfectly happy to learn from his experience. About five minutes of heavy petting later, though, he broke off the kiss and started nibbling my jawline. I didn't have any problem with that whatsoever so I let him continue. Then his mouth went down to my neck, to my shoulder, and even lower until...

"Careful." I panted as his mouth finally made it to my right breast. "I'm very sensitive there."

"Do you want me to stop?" He asked, his breathing getting just as labored as mine. His paws had also started drifting towards my tail, though they weren't there yet.

"No, I just have very sensitive, erm, nipples." I felt my muzzle heat up. I was totally fine discussing this kind of thing normally, but apparently when I was about to have sex I could barely say the correct anatomical terms for something I'd been playing with for years. What the hell?

"Alright, I'll be extra gentle. Tell me if I do anything that hurts."

"I will." I sighed as he went back to what he was doing.

His mouth ghosted over my breasts as his paws massaged my lower back dexterously, homing in on the sore spots that all tail-bearing races have and kneaded the complex muscles that controlled my tail. Because of the multitude of nerve bundles in that area, it was simultaneously one of the most painful and pleasurable areas on anyone that had a tail. Some wolves could orgasm from a good lumbar massage. Hell, I'd even managed it once, though I'd been thoroughly in heat at the time. There were even masseurs that specialized in exactly that, and while Mark wasn't quite up to that level it was clear he'd spent some time practicing this.

He also enjoyed it, thoroughly, judging by the way he smiled whenever his mouth wasn't otherwise occupied. He kept glancing up to see how I was feeling, his eyes glittering when I started panting happily or when I moved my hips to take advantage of his massage. I liked what he was doing and he was eating it up. It was a strangely empowering feeling and I tried to enjoy it as much as possible. Eventually though, the feeble embers of what remained of my heat spurred me on and I had to move on.

"Hey, I think I'm ready to keep going."

"What did you have in mind?" He asked, not stopping his ministrations for an instant.

"Well, if you still want to try oral..." I couldn't believe myself. I sounded so...human.

"Yes, I would very much like to try." He chuckled. "I happen to enjoy it very much. Unfortunately though, we can't do that in this position. Would you like to sit on the edge of the bed or would you like to lay down on your back?"

"I'll, uh, I'll lay down I guess." I got off his lap and awkwardly crawled to the head of the bed, reclining against the mountain of pillows and arching my back to get my pants off.

Mark helped and soon I was completely naked. I tried to show myself off, but frankly didn't have any idea how to do that without looking like something out of a porn mag, and I'm afraid I looked ridiculous with my legs spread the way they were, but he didn't seem to care. His gaze swept up and down, his smile growing wider as it did.

"You look very good Helena." He said, practically reading my mind. It sounded genuine though, and it was nice to hear.

"Thank you." I tried to keep my breathing even as he settled his head between my legs. I also arched my hips up a little in a display that I hoped he'd like. "Um, do you just start licking now, or..."

"Patience." He said gently, dipping his head down and nibbling on my right inner thigh. I reflexively gasped, making him laugh again. "I'll get there, I just want to give you a little more help first."

And help he did. He nibbled, licked and sucked for what felt like eternity but was probably no more than five minutes. His mouth moved smoothly from place to place, pausing occasionally to lavish extra attention on a sensitive place he found, seemingly determined to experience the whole of my nether regions before he got on with it.

All the while he kept moving closer and closer to my entrance, ghosting over it with his breath but never directly touching it. His tail was fanning the air rapidly and the sparkle in his eyes told me that he really was enjoying this.

"That's really good." I commented a little breathlessly, shivering as his breath passed over my entrance again.

"Glad to hear it." He said, and this time he wasn't talking like an instructor. Apparently his exposure to the faint little bit of my heat that had to be lingering down there had finally gotten to him. He was talking in a bedroom voice now, though I guess he'd been slowly creeping into it since we started but now it was more noticeable. His normally midrange voice was lower and a little rough with arousal. "Just tell me what feels good and I'll take care of the rest."

"O-okay." I managed to squeak out as he finally got to the main course.

He was as gentle as he promised at first, his tongue just barely touching my lower lips and skirting upward towards my clit but never touching it. Feather-light licks from bottom to top and back again. Occasionally he tilted his head and licked horizontally across my folds, still barely touching them but throwing in variety in what could've become boring. He also paid very close attention to my reactions too, glancing up at me regularly and keeping his ears swiveled forward to hear any sounds I made.

It was that intense attention that really let me relax and get into it. I'd still had a few lingering doubts when he started. I'm not a germophobe, but I had a hard time wrapping my head around the idea of putting mouths and genitalia together. He very obviously had no problems in that regard, and the way he was so very obviously focused on giving me a good experience was oddly touching. It transformed the experience from something I would've seen through to the end out of curiosity and likely never wanted to try again to something I was able to get excited about.

I found myself smiling widely and I quickly adjusted my position, tentatively wrapping my legs loosely around his neck. He chuckled and paused briefly to bury his nose in the dense thatch of coarse fur over my pubic mound and plant a kiss there before going right back to it. The new position meant that his muzzle was all but buried between my legs and the sight was an arousing one.

I smiled and reached down to take advantage of his ears again. He closed his eyes in bliss when I started massaging them and let out an appreciative hum that vibrated against me wonderfully. He also began to speed up, his tongue swiping fairly quickly, like he was trying to drink out of me. I sighed happily and found it tinged with a breathy moan. He seemed to take that as a signal that I was ready for more and ramped things up accordingly.

Now his tongue actually started to part my lips regularly, exploring my depths quickly but thoroughly. It sounded lewd, a wet schlicking noise permeated the room and (to my surprise) I loved it. It was naughty and dirty in the best possible way. He made no bones about his enjoyment either, judging by the hums and blatant sounds of enjoyment he made. Granted, some of them were probably exaggerated for effect, but it was still nice. Then a stray thought hit me and I blurted it out before I had time to think.

"Does that really taste good?" I asked suddenly, fighting my way through the breathless state I was in.

"I certainly like it." He replied, taking a slow lick and humming for good measure.

"What does it taste like?" I asked the obvious follow-up.

"I can't really describe it." He said with an awkward looking half-shrug. Then his muzzle dipped back down for a second to lavish a few seconds of attention on me before finishing. "Savory is as close as I can get."

What I did next I can only attribute to how horny I had gotten at the time, as such thoughts normally don't cross my mind at all.

"C-can I..." I trailed off, hoping he'd get the point. He did.

"Go right ahead." He said, moving back enough to clear room. "It's your body. Besides, you taste yourself and I guarantee you'll have just about any male bursting a hole in his pants.

"Even you?" I ventured.

"Even me." He confirmed with a grin, his tail fanning the air rapidly.

So, relying on my hormones to get me through, I lowered a paw to my entrance and toyed with myself for a long moment, pawing like I usually did before finally pulling my paw back when I was sure it was coated in juices. It glistened when I saw it in the dim light. Then I slowly brought it up to my mouth and tentatively licked a pawpad. My face scrunched up instantly and I let out a grunt.

"It can be a bit of an acquired taste." He observed with a chuckle.

"That would take a lot of acquiring." I replied, wiping my paw on my belly fur. He just laughed and licked me again.

"You taste very good Helena, at least I think so." He went back to licking for a second before being struck by an afterthought. "Though, for future reference, it's a good idea to wash if you're going to be doing this sort of thing."

"S-sorry." I said, distracted by the way his tongue passed over my clit for the first time.

"It's no problem." Lick lick lick. "Like I said, I think you taste very good."

We stopped talking after that, and I settled in to enjoy the ride as I started getting closer and closer to orgasm. His tongue entered further and further into me, parting my folds and exploring my depths quite thoroughly. He lingered in places that drew any kind of reaction from me and made a point of keeping as much eye contact as possible. It was a shockingly intimate experience, and the eye contact only made it more so, and I enjoyed it thoroughly. Thoroughly enough that I started getting close. Very close.

"Wait." I panted. He stopped instantly. "I'm close and I want to finish while we're...while you're inside me."

"You're sure?" He asked, his eyes glassy from my pheromones but still in control of himself. "It's no big deal if you finish first, I can help you get to another."

"Yeah." I half-moaned. "I want to finish with you inside me."

"Alright. I'll take care of the condom." He reached over and grabbed the foil packet on the bedstand and tore it open, revealing the condom inside.

Due to canine anatomy, male condoms were almost impossible to make. Between the knot and the tapered tip condoms tended to either break, slip off, or fit so loosely as to be useless. Female condoms were the norm when such things were used at all. The downside was that they're less straightforward to use than male condoms and I was grateful that Mark had volunteered to insert it.

When the condom was out he pinched one end and looked up at me, silently asking if I was ready. I nodded and watched as he slowly pushed the device inside me with a smooth, well-practiced movement. His thin, vulpine pawpads slipped inside my well-lubricated tunnel and got the condom settled in with little fuss. It was a strange feeling, but not uncomfortable. Then he reached over to the bedstand again and grabbed a bottle of lubricant. He proceeded to dab a little on the end of the condom hanging slightly out of my entrance and then sat back on his knees to apply some to his member.

It was the first sight I had of his fully erect shaft and I had to admit I was fascinated. I couldn't say why. I'd walked in on Andre pawing off, walked in on Amie rutting (and watching porn while pawing off, and watching porn while rutting), and even watched the odd erotic video myself. It was hardly the first penis I'd ever seen, but I found myself looking over it in minute detail. It was livid red and the veins stood out in stark relief, running from the knot just barely discernable at its base to its tapered tip.

When Mark was done lubricating himself he set the bottle aside and carefully got into position over me. We were both panting hard in anticipation, but he still held onto his self-control and when he lowered himself down he was careful not to put too much weight on me. The feel of his mass over me and settling between my legs was exhilarating. I happily wrapped my arms around him, excitement warring with anxiety about my first real mating.

"Ready?" He asked simply, eagerness flashing in his eyes.

"Yes." I responded breathily. I wasn't quite as close to peaking as I had been while he was licking me, but the excitement of the moment was making up for it. I saw him shift his weight, presumably to free up a paw to guide himself in, but I forestalled him. "Here, I want to help you in."

He just smiled in response as I reached down between us and, after a moment of groping, found his member. I couldn't resist giving it a quick feel while I was at it, fever warm and hard as a rock, but his knot wasn't swollen yet. He smiled as I squeezed him and followed my guidance until I felt his tapered tip sliding into my lower lips through the condom. He took over from there.

The first penetration was slow and deliberate. He entered me in stages, the first third of his rod, then the second, and finally he hilted himself, giving me breaks to adjust in between. I appreciated them a lot since I'd never used penetrative toys like some other females I knew and so I wasn't used to being stretched at all.

"I need a second." I said when he had fully entered me. Wincing a little at the unfamiliar intrusion of my body.

"However long you need." He whispered in his bedroom voice. It made me shiver. He was obviously raring to go, but he held himself in check out of respect and concern for me, which I appreciated a great deal. As I adjusted he kissed me tenderly and I couldn't help but feel a swell of emotion at the blatantly obvious combination of affection and raw desire in his eyes. He wanted this, badly, and he was reveling in every second of this, but my comfort was his priority.

When I was accustomed to him I signaled by arching my hips up slightly, and then we began mating in earnest.

He was slow and exceedingly gentle at first, sliding in and out almost tenderly. The whole time we kissed as much as our oxygen starved bodies allowed and traded licks and nuzzles when we had to take breathers. He lavished attention on my neck in particular, burying his muzzle in my ruff and nipping at the skin there teasingly. I brought my paws up to his ears and capitalized on my ready access to them in order to repay him somewhat for the massage he'd given me.

As we mated I was struck by a sense of anticlimax. I was having fun, and having a flesh and blood partner was definitely better than a plastic toy, but I didn't feel like I thought I would when I lost my virginity. I didn't really feel any different than before we'd started. Academically I knew this wasn't going to be some kind of epiphany or anything, but I was still struck by how...pedestrian the whole thing felt. We were just two furs pushing our genitals together, nothing more. But then again, we were enjoying ourselves and I suppose that's all that mattered, so I decided to try and enjoy it for the act and try not to get too carried away.

"You feel so good." He moaned softly into my ear, a breathy, lustful whisper that made me shiver delightedly. Obviously done for my benefit, but no less enjoyable for that. "I love how you're squeezing me, it's delicious."

"You're really good too." I responded, trying to emulate the low, earthy tone he was using but failing rather badly. "Thank you for being so gentle."

"It's my pleasure." He chuckled, groaning when I clenched down on him at apparently the perfect time. "You're doing wonderfully."

As we slowly mated I felt myself returning to the peak and getting ready to tumble off. There was enough time for me to enjoy our coupling, however, and there was a lot to enjoy. For one, the smell. I'd smelled myself aroused of course, and I'd experienced Mark's musk as his arousal started to mount, but the blending of the two was as unique as it was intriguing and in my hormone-soaked mind I entertained idle fantasies of not bathing afterwards to enjoy the scent more.

I also relished the closeness of it. Aside from the physical pleasure that Mark was proving very good at doling out there was just something primally reassuring to be wrapped up with someone else and doing what we were doing. Every sound he made, every pleasured expression on his face, and every slow, deliberate thrust into me affirmed his affection and desire. It was good to feel wanted, very very good, and I hoped I was doing as well for him.

I kept squeezing down on him like I'd been doing, and I made sounds when I felt the urge to express the pleasure radiating from between my legs, all in hopes of letting him feel as good as I was feeling. I trailed my paws over his flanks and back, staying away from his tail just to be safe. Judging by the sounds he made he enjoyed this a lot and I was only too happy to keep it up, searching for particularly sensitive spots.

As the minutes dragged on his breathing got harder and I noticed his arms beginning to quiver with the effort of holding himself up. He was also starting to sweat more, though given the amount of musk he was pumping out I couldn't really complain about that. The other parts I could do something about though.

"P-put some more of your weight on me." I panted. "Give your arms a break."

"Thanks." He gratefully adjusted his weight, effectively pinning me to the bed, but still allowing me to breathe. "Tell me if I'm squishing you."

"You're fine." I replied, actually enjoying the change. More of our bellies were in contact now, and I wanted to touch as much of him as possible. "Just please don't stop. I'm getting close."

Instead of wasting words he just dipped his head down to my neck and started giving me an affectionate mauling. Needless to say, I enjoyed it immensely.

After a few more minor shifts on his part he started to rut me more quickly, bracing his hindpaws against the foot of the bed and using them for leverage. I was adjusted enough to his presence inside me so it was pleasurable instead of painful, and after the long slow build-up I was grateful for the change of pace. I also enjoyed the way it was rapidly driving me closer and closer to my peak. He was probably getting close too, judging by the increasingly erratic nature of his thrusting and the grunts he was making (which, incidentally, were music to my ears). In fact, his pleasured noises in conjunction with his rutting was about to push me over the edge entirely.

"I'm almost there." I warned between heaving breaths, wrapping my legs around him and finding that his angle of penetration changed to something much better. He stopped assaulting my neck and paid closer attention to my face.

"Tell me when." He gasped.

"J-just a second!" I could feel the pressure building up like water behind a dam. Each movement of our bodies adding to it until it suddenly surged forth and engulfed me in a deluge of chemical bliss. I groaned ecstatically, unintentionally invoking Mira's name as my tunnel fluttered around his length. My back arched and my whole body when rigid and quivering for a long moment before I came down off the high. "Oh, yes..."

I flopped down bonelessly, gulping air like a landed fish, and watched Mark through half-lidded eyes. He'd stopped moving, though I could feel his swollen knot kissing my labia. I was suddenly aware that I was horribly sweaty and probably smelled to high hell, but I couldn't find it in me to care. Honestly, if I was covered in the same amount of mating pheromones he was putting out he was probably enjoying it as much as I was enjoying him.

"You were beautiful." He commented lustily, smiling down at me.

"Hmm?"

"When you finished. You were beautiful." He clarified, brushing a paw over my cheek softly.

"Thanks." I replied wearily. "Now, your turn. You don't have to stop."

"It's okay. I can pull out and finish with a paw." He said, beginning to do exactly that until I stopped him by wrapping my arms around his waist again. It shocked me how in-control he still was, but I was thankful for it nonetheless.

"I want you to finish inside me." I told him, scratching at the base of his tail. "I want to feel it."

"Alright." He said after a short hesitation, starting to thrust again not long after. "Thank you."

"It's my pleasure." I echoed. He just grinned.

The next few minutes were as restful as they were intimate. He went back to moving slowly, as not to hurt me in my sensitive state, and though I wasn't actively participating anymore I still had tremendous fun. I had no idea it could be so much fun to just give someone pleasure for pleasure's sake, though in retrospect the way he relished eating me out made much more sense.

I licked his muzzle and his neck, not wanting to tie his mouth up with a kiss since he was panting so hard. I buried my nose in his scruff and reveled in his musk, daring so much as to nibble and lick at the skin buried beneath the thick fur, tasting the salty tang of sweat mixed with pheromones. The whole time I whispered encouragement to him, eager to see what it was like when he finished.

"I want to feel you finish." I murmured into his ear, shamelessly plagiarizing something I'd heard in one of Andre's porn videos. "You don't have to hold back now, let yourself go."

"Y-you won't have to wait long." He grated out in a strained voice.

"Good." I told him, enjoying the power I had. Then an idea struck. "I want to see your face when it happens."

"Alright." He smiled and started thrusting marginally faster, his knot bumping into me regularly. He didn't attempt to tie me though, when his time came he just hilted himself up to his knot and started doing very short, jerking thrusts. "H-here it comes...Yes!"

He moaned in utter relief and an expression of rapture crossed his face as his lower half quivered strongly and I felt something warm splash inside me. I instantly saw what he meant about me being beautiful when I had my orgasm

When he was done he sagged against me, gasping just like I had. We smiled at each other wearily and shared a post-coital nuzzle, enjoying the closeness of the afterglow. Now that the act was finally over I was beginning to feel a tiny bit sore, but it was worth it as far as I was concerned, and I relished every second of our cooldown.

The instant he began to soften, though, he pulled himself out carefully and moved to remove the condom. He twisted it first, to prevent any spillage, and then slowly pulled it out of me. It was an odd sensation, but not unpleasant. When it was totally out I could see the pool of white fluid inside it, and (to my admittedly inexperienced eye) it looked fairly substantial.

"Has it been a while for you?" I asked, the afterglow and weariness loosening my tongue.

"A little too long for comfort." He admitted, smiling down at me wryly as he deposited the used condom into a wastebasket by the bed. "It happens to everyone."

"I'm glad I could end your dry spell." I said, only half jokingly. When he laid down again I eagerly snuggled against him.

"And I'm glad that you chose me." He replied with a yawn. "You can shower if you want to, by the way."

"I...like smelling like this." I said, cuddling a bit closer and nuzzling the junction of his neck and shoulder. "I think we smell good."

"Well in that case, good night and sweet dreams Helena." He kissed the top of my head and wrapped his arms around me, giving me an affectionate squeeze.

"Good night Mark."

A few minutes after that I was sound asleep in the arms of my first lover.

*The next Morning*

When I woke up Mark wasn't in bed with me. I was mildly disappointed by this, but the smell of frying Karshan sausages and brewing coffee let me know what was going on. A glance at the clock also let me know that I'd slept well past breakfast and was encroaching on lunch. So with that in mind I got up and dressed in my party clothes from the night before, careful of the tenderness between my legs, and walked out to find Mark.

He was in the kitchen of course, mounding fried sausages and peppers onto a platter. Two plates were set at his table along with two mugs of coffee. When he saw me he smiled and put the frying pan down on a folded towel placed not too far between the plates and held his arms out to me. I walked into his embrace happily and reciprocated with a (somewhat bashful) kiss on the cheek. He nuzzled me happily and gestured to a chair.

"Breakfast?"

"You read my mind." I slid into the chair and accepted a large mug of coffee before starting to shove the spiced sausages into my mouth with almost indecent haste, pausing only to gulp down the coffee which was both steaming hot and strong enough to be used as lacquer, just the way I liked it.

Mark ate almost as fast as I did, eschewing his normal table manners at home like he usually did. He left most of the coffee for me, though that was probably because he'd likely consumed at least a pot already.

Not a word passed between us until we were done and the dishes cleared away. The time passed in an amiable silence in which we found excuses to touch and nuzzle each other frequently, though we both knew it had to end eventually.

"I should probably get going." I said as I scrubbed the worst of the gunk off my plate. My belly was pleasantly full and warm, though I felt oddly disappointed that I had to leave already.

"Alright." He turned from his own scrubbing and gave me a kiss and a smile. "I had a lot of fun last night Helena, and I hope you did too."

"It was great." I replied, leaning against him. "Thanks for making my first time awesome."

"No problem." He nuzzled me and wrinkled his nose with a playful gleam in his eye. "Though, word to the wise, you may want to take a shower pretty soon. You're a little ripe."

"You're one to talk." I snorted. "You're the one who practically bathed me in musk last night."

"Musk is a pleasant smell. You're just sweaty." He shot back petulantly. I laughed and turned to leave, not at all unhappy to see him walking me to the door.

"Whatever protects your ego." I rejoined with a snicker.

When we got there he opened it up and the sounds of people walking down the familiar hallways of The Habs assaulted me. For a brief second I felt an irrational stab of embarrassment that anyone I walked by would know that I'd had sex with Mark, but I quickly put the notion out of my mind. Not only was I royalty, but most of the wolves would be in a similar situation anyway. I had nothing to be ashamed of.

"Good bye Helena. Say hello to your siblings for me." Mark said as I stepped through the door. I saw him turn to leave and then spun around quickly to put a paw on the door to keep him from closing it.

"Hey Mark?" I said, one last thought popping into my head.

"Yes?"

"I had a lot of fun last night, and you said you hadn't had anyone in a while, so...well, I guess what I'm trying to say is I'd be happy to do this again if you ever wanted to." I rambled a bit before getting my point across, but I was rewarded with a softer (and slightly wicked) smile which I found myself mirroring.

"I appreciate the offer Helena." He murmured, not taking the risk anyone would overhear. "I may take you up on that, and, just for the record, if you ever want a warm body for the night you're more than welcome to call."

"It's a date." I smirked and walked off, feeling like a million Euros.

As I started getting to the busier hallways in The Den I began to see more and more partygoers stumbling home after the previous nights' escapades. They were easily recognizable by their rumpled party clothes and the smell of slightly-stale sex that lingered around them. Many of them recognized the same signs on me of course, and gave me knowing and mischievous grins as we passed. I smiled in return and felt my confidence swell a bit.

When I made the turn to head towards the Royal Wing of The Den where I shared a suite of apartments with Andre and Lisa I caught sight of a familiar tawny-furred vixen in a horribly wrinkled black dress.

Teresa looked contemplative as she walked out of the secure wing, but a small smile was tugging at her muzzle and even though she looked like she was off in her own world she was obviously much more at ease than when I'd first seen her.

Maybe it was the residual endorphins from my night with Mark, or maybe it was something else, I don't know, but I made a quick decision and angled myself into her line of sight.

"Teresa, good morning." I greeted mildly. She jumped in surprise, but smiled when she saw me and her tail wagged as she walked over to me.

"Good morning Helena, and thank you for your help last night." She was beaming and I was struck by how radiant her smile was, just like last night. When she continued her voice was softer, and tinged with a kind of primal satisfaction I was recently made familiar with. "I had a great time."

"I told you he can't resist a tawny female." I chuckled. She joined in wholeheartedly but addressed me much more somberly a second later.

"Seriously Helena, thank you so much. I'd never have gotten up the courage to do anything last night if you hadn't helped me. I appreciate that a lot."

"It's no problem." I said and, acting on a whim, reached out to clasp her paws. She didn't resist at all, though she was surprised. "It seems like you both had fun last night, I'm happy for you."

"We did." She nodded, looking me up and down and taking a quick sniff. "Just like you and...Mark?" Her eyebrows went up and I felt my facial fur puffing up a bit.

"Yes. I...had my eye on him for a while but didn't know how to go about trying to talk to him about it. I figured I'd have my best chance at the party." I explained.

"Ah, well he's a good choice." She nodded approvingly. "I wouldn't mind a night with him myself."

"It's worth it." I smiled, my tail wagging.

"I can smell." She chuckled, and I joined in. Then, on another whim, I gave her a quick hug. She stiffened for a split second, but returned it with every sign of enjoyment.

"Teresa, I'm sorry if this seems sudden, but...I'm planning to go out for coffee with my cousin Amie later today. Would you like to come along?" I couldn't really say what motivated me to ask, though I had to admit part of it was loneliness. My siblings and I didn't have many friends because of our political position, and Teresa seemed like a very nice girl whom I could really come to like.

"I-I'd love to." She replied, pleased shock writ large on her muzzle. "Um, where and when?"

"The deli down on the first floor by the gardens, and about two thirty. That should be about enough time to wash, dry, and change." I said, convinced that my choice had been the right one on the strength of her smile alone.

"I'll be there, and thank you again." She gave me a tight hug and it was my turn to be surprised when she kissed my cheek, but I didn't really mind and I waved a happy farewell as she trotted off as quickly as her dress would allow.

With that done and my heart considerably lighter than it had been in a long time I resumed my walk home, looking forward to a shower, a change of clothes, and a long conversation with Amie and someone I hoped could be a new friend.