FSE

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"I'm fine. I can do it myself."

The morning air in the airport parking lot had a bit of a nip to it. It was that kind of cold that makes you feel like the tip of your wet nose was about to freeze over, which was probably the reason Kai's whole family were licking the ends of their muzzles every five seconds. Even with their thick feline coats - well adjusted to the winter, mind you - they were still feeling the inklings of ice settling into their bones.

The young tiger pulled a backpack and a suitcase out of the back of the family car, a minivan that had visited the shop on a fairly frequent basis and not for routine maintenance. Kai was an independent tiger that had let the ice of the tundra sink a bit too far into his skin. Hell would be freezing over the day he'd let anyone help him with something. He swung the backpack over his right shoulder and towed the suitcase behind him on the ground. The biggest reason for his hurry was to get into the terminal and out of the cold, but he sure was happy about finally escaping his hometown. That was his goal ever since turning eighteen and it took a college exchange program to finally push him out that door.

His mother, father, brother, grandparents, and a few of his aunts, uncles, and cousins followed close behind him. It was odd sight to see for a family of tigers. If it hadn't been for the golden-orange fur and black stripes all over their bodies, they could have easily been mistaken for a large canine family - dogs always had huge extended families that stuck together. That and humans tended to have the same. But humans were always the easiest to spot out of all the furry ones around them. Humans tended to stay away from the extremely cold north where Kai grew up, however. Kai had only ever met a handful of those furless people, but where he was going he was sure that that was going to change.

Kai stopped just short of entering the security line and turned to face his family. He was struck by the huge variation of faces each tiger was making. Uncle Ro was balling his eyes out, which wasn't unlike him. In fact Kai had been expecting it. Some of his younger cousin's were expressing their complaints about being bored and the others were doing their best to escape their parents' grasp in an eagerness to explore the foreign world of the airport. Aunt Lana was wearing a thick mask of bemusement - she had always been confused as to why Kai would hurt her sister by running away from home. And although Kai had tried to explain it multiple times to his mother and her that he wasn't "running away," he never made any progress, which is why his mother - even more than uncle Ro - was crying.

Kai was a male tiger. He didn't know how to deal with other people's emotion. His first thought was always what he'd heard from his father, which was to tell her to just suck it up. But he could never be that cruel, especially to his mother. "It's just for the winter, mom. I'll be back before you know it," he said awkwardly, scratching behind his ear.

"I don't believe it!" Her paws were getting drenched in all of the tears. "You're going to meet one of those jungle tigresses down there and never come back. I just know it!"

Despite the tension, Kai couldn't help but chuckle inside a little. If only his mother had actually spent the time to actually know her son, then she'd know that that would _never_happen.

Kai's father put a paw on her shoulder, as coldly as always, and spoke up, "This is his choice, Aira. We both knew that he'd leave one day, and this is a wonderful opportunity for him. Don't make him feel guilty for following a dream."

As much as Kai appreciated his father's words, he couldn't help but feel like they were all ganging up on him, thinking that he'd never return. "It's just an exchange program, and it's only four months long. What's the big deal? I'm coming back, everyone."

Aira darted over to her son and threw her arms around him. Kai gulped. He took in a deep breath and returned her hug with an even warmer, tighter squeeze. He could see how it must be hard for her - her baby boy leaving the nest. But he had no idea how to assuage a depressed mother.

"Alright, honey," Kai father pried her off of the young tiger and grabbed his son's paw with a firm grip. "You be safe now, son. I don't want to see any news about you getting into trouble, you hear?"

"You've got it, dad."

Kai's brother approached and did the same as his father. They shook hands, and just as Kai had expected, not a single word was uttered. They nodded their heads at each other - that's all that was needed. They had an unspoken brotherly language that only required the subtlest of body movements. Tigers - especially male ones - were naturally quiet creatures anyway.

He finally worked his way into the line to go through security and heard the sobbing wails of his mother and, unfortunately, uncle Ro escalate. He could actually handle hearing his mother's crying, but that snorting rumble of snotty growls from his uncle was slightly disturbing. Thank god he brought his headphones with him. He kept them plugged deep into his ear canals for the rest of the wait in the line.

Security went smoothly enough, except for the groping. The slightly molesting pat-down didn't seem like it was necessary, even when you've got a cute wolf accidentally brushing past your tiger balls. Yup, that was the secret that Kai's mother didn't know about - he was gay. And that was possibly another reason he was ecstatic about leaving his small hometown of about twenty thousand people. Sure, it was a great place to live, but not for a homosexual male tiger interested in interspecies relations. Hell, even the community college he was attending was a religious institution. Kai was just tired of keeping it secret from everyone.

This wasn't Kai's first time flying. He even enjoyed it unlike a lot of people. There were going to be two connecting flights before he would finally get on that last plane and soar above the clouds to his new country for the winter - or rather the summer, because he'd be living in the opposite hemisphere of his home country. It was going to be a lovely break from the dreary, frozen wasteland that his home was during the winter.

Most people would have been anxious about the whole thing, but not Kai. He couldn't think of anything negative about what he was doing. It was a much needed escape from the life he never wanted. So, seeing that snowless, green patch of land below him as the plane descended from the clouds made his heart flutter with excitement. That was his new home for the next four months.

Going through customs was a bit of a bitch but it was not enough to put a damper on Kai's mood. He couldn't wait to see who had been sent to pick him up and drive him to the college campus. The moment he was able to break from the crowd, he darted over to the luggage conveyor belt, grabbed his suitcase, and marched over to the arrival pick-up area.

Kai's green and hazel eyes scan the group of individuals that were all holding signs in their paws. It wasn't long before he finally met with a large sheet of orange construction paper that had "Welcome Kai Amur Liro!" written on it. There was absolutely zero chance that someone else at the airport would have the same name. And holding the sign was another tiger, although he had a much thinner coat of fur that was adapted to the hot climate. It made Kai realize just how warm he actually felt.

Without hesitation Kai approached the other tiger and introduced himself with a firm pawshake. "I'm the tiger you're looking for," he beamed. It was finally becoming a reality.

"Wow. I don't mean this in a bad way, but you're much bigger than I expected. What do they feed you up there?"

Kai hadn't even paid attention to the fact that he was actually about a foot taller than the other tiger and his thick coat made him appear larger around all limbs. "You've never met a winter tiger before?"

"Can't say that I have."

"That makes sense. There really aren't too many of us and we all live in the north anyway."

Without permission, the other tiger pawed the large tuft of fur that was flowing out of the neck of Kai's shirt. It was kind of awkward but Kai liked the attention.

"You're so fluffy!" he exclaimed. Kai would have blushed if he'd been able to. The other tiger shook his head and cleared his throat. "I apologize. I get distracted quite easily. Anyway, my name is Yan and I was chosen as ambassador of the Feline Freedom Fraternity to welcome you to our country and our college."

"Feline Freedom Fraternity?"

"Yes," he nodded. A hint of pride seemed to take over his speech. "The Feline Freedom Fraternity was founded on campus ten years ago to promote feline representation and integration in academic pursuits. It is also a place to find acceptance among fellow felines on campus. Fraternities are co-ed and accept most exchange students for room and board. We were selected to host you for this summer semester." His back arched, his shoulders rolled back, and he stood taller. "And we are proud supporters of many activism groups on campus such as LGBTQ groups, interspecies relations groups, and any basic rights of all species."

Kai smiled. It was great to hear that he wouldn't have to wear the mask anymore.

"Shall we?" Yan gestured toward the doors, suggesting that they leave. They'd been plugging up traffic enough by standing in the middle of the entranceway anyway.

Kai repositioned his backpack better over his shoulder and beamed, "Absolutely."

The automatic doors slid open and the rush of warm, humid air hit his nose first, bringing the aroma of freshly cut grass and flower blossoms of trees he'd never even knew existed. He had to resist the urge for his nose to go as crazy as a bloodhound policeman tracking the scent of a criminal. The sights, smells, and even sounds were just so foreign and delightful. He couldn't help it - his ears twitched, his nose purred like a train engine, and his eyes darted everywhere to everything.

Yan caught a glimpse of Kai and chuckled. Kai was acting more like a dog meeting someone for the first time, having to smell every inch of them. "Everything's that new to you?"

Kai swallowed hard, embarrassed by his animalistic behavior, and met with Yan's eyes. He replied, "You have no idea."

"Well, you'll have time to take it all in. We've got about a forty five minute drive back to the campus." His voice dropped back down from his excitement as if he had something serious to say. "But then you'll have about two hours of boring student registration to go through."

"I thought I already did all of that?"

"That's probably true but you've still got to get a student ID and your class schedule has to be confirmed. Don't worry. You'll still have plenty of time to get settled into your new room at the frat. And the good thing?" His voice slipped back up an octave to his original enthusiastic state. "You'll be rooming with me!"

Kai smiled. That seemed like a nice thing considering that he'd already been getting along swell with Yan. "Cool!" he replied. Although he much would have preferred to be alone, he supposed that he'd have to make some sacrifices in personal comfort.

* *

Yan was correct. It took Kai about two and half hours in order to go through all of the paperwork and receive his student ID. He needed it if he wanted to get food at the cafeteria or use any of the other services on campus, like the gym, theater, and everything else.

The university campus was much larger that his community college at home. He estimated that it probably spanned an area of about two square miles or so. There were specific buildings for engineering, medical research, etc. Far from what his college had offered.

For the most part the university was empty. Kai assumed, correctly, that most of the other students didn't attend the summer semester. He didn't really mind that since he wasn't too much of a people person anyway. But mostly it was crowds. He didn't handle big crowds of people very well.

It was on their walk to the fraternity that Yan decided to drop a bomb of a question.

"This is going to be an odd thing to ask, so don't get mad at me. But how do you feel about sex with men and other species?"

"W-what?!" Kai immediately felt uncomfortable. Was it common for people to ask such personal questions like that in this culture? The young tiger's brow furrowed a good inch. "Why do you want to know that?"

"Well, like I said, we are VERY supportive of LGBTQ and interspecies rights, so I'd just like to know where you stand on the issue."

"Is it really that important?"

"I'm just curious."

Here it was. Kai finally had the opportunity to reveal what he'd considered his deepest darkest secret for the longest time. He felt his muscles shivering, but it wasn't because he was cold - far from it.

"I-" he stuttered. "I'm not sure."

Really? Not sure? Kai rolled his eyes at his own response. His first opportunity - ever - and he blew it.

"Hmm..." Yan turned to glance at Kai, whose head was hung in shame. "That's okay. I'm sure you'll figure it out soon," he winked.

It was about a fifteen minute walk from campus to the fraternity, which was huge! At least it was much larger than Kai would have ever imagined. It was a three-story, Victorian-style house that look much more like a tiny mansion or manor than a family home. It was painted three colors - a base paint of tangerine and cherry red with a trim of white. He'd never seen a place so... colorful.

"You ready to meet all of the brothers?" asked Yan.

"Just brothers? I thought you said all of the fraternities were co-ed?"

"Well, technically, we are. But we haven't had a sister in three years or so."

That put a new spin on Yan's earlier question, and Kai was wondering if there had been an ulterior motive other than whatever his position was on the issue. Perhaps Yan was gay but asking someone that question just seemed like a huge breach of privacy to the young tiger. He'd just have to pay attention to all the subtle clues, such as Yan ruffling the white fur on his chest.

One by one, Kai was introduced to every brother of the fraternity - all of them felines, of course. And Kai had to admit to himself that he was actually attracted to most of them, with Yan being one of them. He was surprised to see that there weren't any other snow felines, however. It was something that was going to set him apart from the rest of the brothers, but he was learning that he was getting a lot of attention for it. About four of the other brother's had done the same thing Yan did at the airport, playing with his soft, snowy chest fur. Just how many of them were possibly gay, or bi, or whatever?

"Here's our room." Yan held the door for Kai as he rolled in with his suitcase behind him. He'd stuffed his new student ID and paperwork into his backpack. Yan trailed behind Kai and sat down on his bed, pointing to the empty one across from him. "That's your bed, of course. Basically everything on that side of the room is all yours - the desk, the wardrobe - everything."

"Thanks," Kai responded. The other tiger was wearing a look that was making Kai feel a bit uncomfortable, as if Yan was waiting for something from him. He did his best to distract himself from even looking at Yan, opening his suitcase and putting away his clothes.

"We're having a party tonight to welcome you to our fraternity, Kai."

"Really?" Kai couldn't resist anymore. He had to turn and face Yan. The other tiger was sporting a bit of a smirk like he was concealing some secret or inside joke.

Yan bit the side of his black lip. "I hope that's not a problem. I know that you're probably exhausted from your flight but a lot of the guys wanted to do something for you, including me. Is that okay? We'll understand if you'd like to get some rest instead."

"No, that's alright. I've just never been to a party before so I'd hardly have a clue as to what to do."

"That's easy. You'll be the main attraction so you'll be busy with everyone talking to you. Plus, we'll be playing some music in our little ballroom, so if you like to dance you can do that."

Main attraction? Was there some kind of double entendre in that?

"Well, I do like to dance."

"There you go!" Yan beamed like usual. Kai wondered exactly what the tiger even looked like without that constantly cheery face. "I'll tell the other brothers that the party is still on for tonight!"

Yan dashed out of the room and finally left Kai to his own devices. The young tiger sighed in relief. He kind of needed the break from Yan. Sure, Yan was a really nice guy, but there was never a moment of silence with him.

He kept himself busy by putting the rest of his clothes away in the wardrobe, and when he was done with that he let his body fall to his new bed and sink into the cushy mattress. He closed his eyes and let the pleasure of escape sink in. He'd finally done it. He'd left that nowhere wasteland of his hometown. And there was a great feeling of accomplishment in the fact that he'd done it all on his own - no help from anybody. This was his success.

Kai spent the rest of the time before the party to familiarize himself with the layout of the fraternity house and learn the general rules that all brothers had to follow. He learned that, just like the fairly empty campus, the fraternity had a number of rooms with empty beds. The best estimate was that the fraternity housed about fifteen individuals during the summer but was actually able to house close to thirty.

The bottom floor of the manor had the kitchen, dining room, living room, ballroom, and library. The walls were newly renovated with drywall and painted with as eccentric colors as the exterior. The floors were mostly hardwood that had its stain weathered down to nonexistence from constant traffic and was overdue for some handiwork. Each hallway was lined with pictures of the brothers and sisters of each year as well as graduates and awards that the frat had won. Most of the awards were for community service and activism.

"So do you know your way around yet?" Yan found Kai on the second floor trying to figure out which bathroom he should use.

The fluffy tiger shrugged. He had switched out his long sleeve shirt out for a breathable mesh of a t-shirt. "I think so. I've never lived in such a big place. My place back home consisted of a kitchen, dining room, living room, and two bedrooms, one of which my brother and I shared. We even still sleep in the bunk bed that our father had made for us."

"That's sounds quaint," he smiled.

"Boring would a better adjective."

"Why do you say that?"

"Well, the town I grew up in was pretty small. There wasn't much else to do there except ride our bikes around or play outside in the fields. And when winter rolled around you could forget about staying outside for very long. It's kind of depressing doing nothing but thinking of what you can do to occupy your mind when there's five feet of snow outside and the temperature is fifty degrees below freezing."

"At least you've got such a nice coat of fur to keep you warm then." Yan extended his paw and raked his fingers though the fur on Kai's chest. The shorter tiger had a glimmer of yearning in his eyes. Kai could tell that there was something that he really wanted to ask. "So, I don't want to make you feel really uncomfortable, but I just can't help but ask. Can you kiss me?"

Kai gulped and his heart skipped a beat. It was so alien to meet someone who was so frank, but he kind of wanted to do as Yan asked.

"Don't worry," Yan continued. "It won't mean anything. I just wanted to see what it's like to kiss a winter tiger and have those long whiskers tickle my cheeks. Is that weird?"

Kai was still speechless but he had to respond to the tiger. "No. I think I can understand that. I'm something new to you and you want to experience a part of that."

"Exactly! You're such a cool guy, Kai. So will you kiss me then?"

"Alright. I guess I don't see any harm in it."

Kai leaned forward and wrapped his paw around Yan's head, ruffling the fur right behind his ear. Both of their muzzles crept toward each other until their smoky lips met. They closed their eyes and paid attention only to the tickle of the sensitive tissue. Yan was the first the open his mouth and take in more of Kai's upper lip and get a taste with his tongue, rubbing it along the outside. Kai felt his body grow warm as Yan stepped closer and pressed his body against Kai's chest. He went deeper and pushed his tongue into Kai's mouth and tickled his taste buds.

Before long, Yan pulled away. "Yum," he murmured. "Perhaps we'll get more of a taste of each other later on." He stepped away from Kai and started toward the staircase. "The party will be starting in about an hour. We've invited a number of other students, some of them from other fraternities. It's my guess that we'll have about fifty people here."

Kai watched Yan bounce down the stairwell. He could feel the wide smile that Yan must have been wearing. But Kai didn't know how to feel about the experience. It was his first kiss and he certainly enjoyed it. However, something had been missing from the interaction that he couldn't quite put a finger on. Also, he wondered what exactly Yan had meant about getting a better taste of each other later. Were things really going to go that fast?

Kai decided to avoid Yan for the rest of the hour until the party began. He mainly rested in his room, caught up in his thoughts, trying to figure himself out. There was a growing urge within his body that was begging him to have sex. There was something about being around so many attractive guys that he desired them all in the most superficial way. And the fact that none of them seemed to have the same inhibitions as him made it that much easier to fall for his carnal needs.

Was he ready to have sex? He'd been a virgin longer that everyone he knew and the biggest reason for that was the fact that he's had to hide his sexuality from everyone in his hometown. But here in a new country, he no longer had that restriction. And the opportunity seemed to present itself much faster than he ever could have imagined.

He could safely explore his sexuality here and never have anyone back home find out about it. What happened in this country would stay here and he could just return to the safety of wearing that mask of conformity. In a way, it was exactly what he needed - a small amount of time to learn more about himself and whether or not he really was gay. He assumed that having sex with different men and seeing if he enjoyed it was going to be the best way to do that. And the fact that a lot of them seemed attracted to him was going to make it that much easier to accomplish.

"Hey, Kai!" Yan appeared at the door to their room. "The party is about to start, but I wanted to introduce you to someone first. Care to follow me back downstairs?"

Kai nodded and climbed to his feet from the bed. He'd slipped his shoes off a while ago and had been wandering around the fraternity barefoot like most of the other felines.

People were flooding in through the entrance. A lot of them were not feline. There were a number of canines - wolves and dogs - a few foxes and bears, as well as a small number of humans. It was difficult making their way through the crowd as each step had another person shaking Kai's paw or hugging him in order to welcome him to their country. In fact, there were a few other exchange students attending the party, but none of them were from his country. And none of them were winter felines from other snowy countries.

Eventually, Yan just grabbed Kai's paw and dragged him through small groups forming in the living room and ballroom. The whole fraternity must've been busy for the past hour because the previously empty ballroom now had a table full of DJ equipment and huge amps and speakers in each corner. A chaotic assemblage of neon lights and other equipment was scattered along the walls. The last thing to be installed was a fog machine that was currently being turned on by a lion that Kai had met earlier.

"Kai," Yan tried to get his attention. "I want you to meet Rai."

Kai's gaze broke from the distracting things around him and glanced over to the person that Yan was referring to. His eyes widened the moment they locked with the beautiful creature in front of him. Before him, with his white fur glowing in a rainbow of colors, was a snow leopard. Kai immediately extended his paw but decided against that. Instead, he opened his arms in hopes that he could hug this fellow winter kitty. Rai gladly accept the gesture.

"It's nice to meet you, Rai."

"Likewise," the snow leopard whispered. Kai could tell that he was naturally shy, partly because he had a hard time maintaining eye contact. However, Kai knew exactly why everyone was so excited about touching his soft fur. It really felt amazing to have that satiny fur wrapped between his arms and pressed against his body.

There was a brief moment of silence and Kai didn't really know what to say. He was caught up in the cute and short glances that the snow leopard kept passing his way. Was he flirting?

"So what are you studying, Rai?"

He smiled, "Chemical engineering."

"Oh, wow! You must be pretty smart then."

"Well, I don't know about that." Rai's leg was shaking up and down. It was easy to tell that he was nervous.

Yan interjected. "Don't let him fool you with his modesty. Rai is really smart. He just doesn't seem to know it."

Kai was rubbing his paw pads, itching the side of his leg, and trying to think of what to say next. And just as he opened his mouth to ask another question, the music started up with a bass drum loop. A smile crept across his muzzle and he knew something else to ask.

"Do you like to dance?" shouted Kai. The music was already growing too loud to speak at normal volume.

Before Rai could respond, the young tiger started doing a basic two-step to the beat. Dancing was always something that helped Kai escape into a state of pure freedom and bliss. There was nothing better than losing himself to the music.

The snow leopard grinned and followed suit so Kai could only assume that Rai also liked to dance. Eventually, Kai moved on to some popping and locking and some more advanced footwork that neither Rai nor Yan could follow. The beat was becoming a part of his body as if the bass was attuned to his heart. Before he even knew it, all the eyes in the ballroom were upon him. He was a bit used to it though, especially when it came to dancing.

Unexpectedly, however, Rai grabbed Yan's paw and pulled him close. He whispered something into the tiger's ear and they both shuffled out of the room, leaving Kai clapping his paws and getting everyone to join it. The young tiger was distracted by their sudden leave, though. What could they possibly be talking about? Were they talking about him? Did he do something wrong? Was he being too awkward? Maybe his dancing wasn't as good as he thought.

Kai didn't let it bother him too much. He let the music take him over once more, and another song had passed by before Yan returned - alone. The shorter tiger walked right up to Kai and started to dance again next to him. He ushered Kai to come close with one of his fingers. Intrigued, Kai leaned over and twisted his neck to place an ear close to Yan's muzzle.

"Just to let you know, Rai thinks that you're REALLY hot!"

Kai raised an eyebrow and turned to Yan, "Really?"

Yan nodded with that usual beaming face. Kai hadn't even been in the country for a whole day and he was already having people fawning over him. But something about that statement hit him deep in his gut and his heart. There was something quite awesome about hearing that you could be desired so much. And Kai wasn't really a narcissist, but hearing those words were powerful enough to make him melt. His black lips were stretched into a smile farther than they'd ever been, enough so that it actually hurt.

"Where is he now?" Kai asked.

"He's in the kitchen taking a break. It's hard to keep up with you, Kai. How exactly do you do it?"

"Do what?"

"Dance like this - non-stop?"

"I don't know. I just love it too much, I guess."

"It shows. But would you like to take a break?"

Kai nodded. Now that he thought of it, he was actually quite exhausted. He followed close behind Yan and ignored a few of the protests coming from a number of the other dancers. They were upset that the "main attraction" was leaving the dance floor.

The kitchen was nearly as full as the ballroom was, and standing over by the refrigerator was Rai. He was talking with a fox that he must've known as he seemed to feel quite comfortable around him. In fact, Yan, Rai, and the fox must have all been friends or at least a little more than just acquaintances.

"Oh hi, Kai," the snow leopard blushed. You couldn't really see the rosy cheeks under all of that fur, but Kai could tell his was being coy by the way his ears were bent and his arms were clutched behind his back. He grabbed his drink and brought it up to his mouth in order to have an excuse to remain silent.

Yan stepped between Kai and the fox. "Let me introduce you to Fenic." He put a paw on the fox's shoulder. "Kai, meet Fenic. Fenic, meet Kai."

Kai did the same as he did with Rai and hugged the fox. He would have felt bad if he hadn't given him the same affection. "Nice to meet you, Fenic."

"It's a pleasure," the fox replied. He was nearly as shy as the snow leopard but not quite. "So, Rai and I were discussing the after-party party that you were talking about, Yan. Is that still happening?"

"I was still planning on it."

"Cool," Fenic smiled. He seemed very eager about something. "And what about Kai? Is he going to be joining us?"

"Well, I haven't really told him about it, so I don't know."

"After-party party?" asked Kai, interested in what exactly they were referring to.

"I'll tell you about it later on. How about we head outside to cool down a bit?"

"Sounds good to me," both Kai and the fox replied. Rai just nodded and followed close behind.

All four of them headed out to the front porch of the fraternity where a large sofa rested indiscreetly on the weathered wood. Yan plopped down on one end and ushered Kai to sit next to him. Kai thought it was harmless enough and snuggled up close to Yan's side. He was surprised by how nice it felt to have someone to press up against. That feeling was even better when Rai decided to occupy the spot next to him and cuddle up against his other side. Snuggling attractive felines on each side - heaven.

They spent about ten minutes just reveling in the warmth of each other's bodies. Fenic was busy playing around in the front yard, tossing a football around with a polar bear. It was enough to keep their minds occupied, but Kai couldn't help but wonder what the passer-by's were thinking about the sight of three male felines cuddling with each other on a sofa on the front porch of a fraternity house.

"So," Yan began, "the after-party party." Kai had nearly forgotten about it, so it was good that he'd brought it up again. "I'm just going to give it to you straight, Kai."

Kai's brow furrowed. It was never good when you had to start with that line. What could possibly be that bad that he'd have to hedge with those words?

"The gay community here is pretty open when it comes to sex. We're comfortable with our bodies and we like to share them with others. Rai, Fenic, and I had plans of getting down and dirty with each other after the party tonight. You're welcome to join us if you want."

And there it was - the offer. How many hours had it been since he'd first stepped down on this country's soil?

A lump was growing at the bottom of Kai's throat. It seemed like such a big decision to him and the fact that it was such a normal thing to them was somewhat off-putting. Maybe that wasn't really the truth. Maybe the truth was that Kai had never really had the chance to experience what authentic sexual expression was really like. And here was the perfect opportunity to find out if that was actually the case. Time was ticking. He needed to answer.

"I think I'll join you."

Yan beamed, "Awesome!"

Rai twisted a bit at Kai's side and Kai caught the coy smile he was wearing in the corner of his eye. It was obvious that the snow leopard was excited to have Kai join them that night. Kai couldn't help but feel the same. Something about Rai was attractive to Kai more so than all the other guys he'd met thus far. He couldn't really tell what it was, but he couldn't get that snow leopard's smile out of his mind. And those secret words that Yan had revealed to him in a betrayal of his friend's trust - "You're REALLY hot!"

"Hey, Fenic!" Yan yelled over to the fox. "Kai's decided to join us tonight!"

"Yeah?"

"Yeah!"

"Sweet!"

Kai hoped that he was ready for it. He wasn't sure he'd even know where to start, so he hoped that they'd all help him out.

The rest of the party passed by quick enough and slowly all of the attendees who were not fraternity brothers started to disappear from the house. Eventually, the music was turned off, but not before Kai was able to get a few more dance sessions in. He was definitely going to need a shower before the after-party party. He'd be more comfortable if he was clean.

The cool water felt nice beading on his fur and making its way to his skin. After all that dancing, he needed to bring his temperature back down and a tepid shower was perfect for that. Even his anxiety about what was about to occur seemed to flow away with some of his fur down the drain. He convinced himself that it was a necessary thing for him to experience. And secretly, he hoped it would bring him closer to Rai.

"I'm sorry to interrupt," a voice echoed within the tiled walls of the bathroom. Kai thought he might be able to guess who it was, but he hadn't heard anyone other than Yan speak enough to recognize the others' voices. "Is that you, Kai?"

Kai bent the shower curtain and poked out his drenched head. The moment he saw Rai standing at the doorway, a smile swept across his muzzle. Kai's father and brother had walked in on him taking a shower before, so it wasn't really a boundary of his. So seeing the snow leopard was nicer than it was awkward.

"Yes, that's me. Was there something you needed, Rai?"

He watched as the snow leopard swallowed hard and finally stepped all the way into the bathroom, closing the white door behind him.

"I-" he paused. It was obvious that he was choking on the words he actually wanted to say. "I really like your dancing. You're quite good at it."

That was clearly something Rai could have told him outside the bathroom. It was painful to watch him struggle to utter what he was really thinking. Kai decided to take the opportunity to help him out.

"Would you like to join me in here?"

"W-What? Really?"

"Yeah," Kai chuckled. "Why not? I think I'd be comfortable enough with it. And you were working pretty hard out there on the dance floor, too?"

"I just wouldn't want to make things awkward between us."

"And the after-party party wasn't going to possibly do that?"

"Well." Rai's foot twisted nervously on the floor and he bit his lip. "That's not something that I usually partake in. Tonight had an obvious exception though."

Kai smiled. He could definitely sympathize with the snow leopard. "Honestly, I've never even had sex before."

"Really?" Rai raised an eyebrow.

"I didn't really grow up in the most accepting of places. Plus, there really wasn't an abundance of gay guys to date," the wet tiger chuckled. There was a moment of silence before Kai spoke up again. "So are you going to join me?"

Rai slowly removed his clothes, letting the slide to the floor from his arm and legs until he was fully nude. His fur, besides the white coloring and black spots, was very similar to Kai's It was naturally fluffy and soft like silk. And despite Rai's shorter stature, he actually had a larger penis that Kai. Hidden away in its sheath, his cock was still about five thick inches, flaccid.

Kai gulped. The leopard was like a dream of a manly feline. It was amazing that Rai was so darn bashful.

The tiger slid the curtain over and allowed Rai to slide in next to him under the cool, falling water. Their bodies pressed together in the cramped space and Kai instinctually wrapped his paws around Rai's waist. The leopard exhaled with relief and placed his forehead and muzzle into the tiger's chest, letting the water drip down around his ears and back.

Kai's paw glided up from Rai's waist and raked the wet fur under his ear, scratching right behind it with a tiny portion of his claws. It made the snow leopard dig his muzzle even deeper into the fur on Kai's chest. The young tiger had never felt so comfortable with someone before. He was drawn to pull Rai even closer and give him an affectionate embrace. It was like their bodies were melding together.

"Thank you, Kai," he spoke softly.

"No, thank you, Rai," the tiger interrupted. "It's the first time I've ever had someone say that I was 'really hot.'"

Rai's head snapped back up to look at Kai with a twisted brow. "You heard that!?"

"No. Yan told me that you'd said that."

"Oh..." Rai lowered his head again and Kai could feel the snow leopard's cheeks growing red and hot. Plus, his ears were bent the same way they were when they first met.

"You don't need to be embarrassed about it. It made me feel really good." Kai hugged him once more. He was happy to see a smile return to Rai's face.

"Thank you," he replied. "I should dry off. It takes me a little while. I'll see you in your room after you're done?"

"Yep, I'll see you there."

Rai hopped out of the shower, his long tail brushing up against Kai's thigh and tickling him with a bit of pleasure. Feeling ecstatic but a bit nervous as well, Kai waited for the leopard to leave the bathroom before he finally stepped out of the shower to dry off.

He did his best to dry his fur with a large towel that had been provided by Yan. After seeing that he added a layer of his fur to the fabric, he felt bad. He figured that it'd be better to use a blow-dryer from now on rather than ruining his friend's towels with copious amounts of downy fur. The towel went straight into the laundry hamper that sat in the corner of the bathroom. No point in using it another time.

His clothes also got tossed into the hamper and he donned a new pair of underwear and pull-string gym shorts - it had been years since he'd worn them. Ever since he was done with High School and gym class there really wasn't a point. He decided to remain shirtless, and with a glance at the mirror he noticed just how much his puffy fur covered up his physique. He was certain that he had a fair deal of muscle under all that fluff but it didn't really show like it did on the other tiger, Yan.

Kai wrapped his paw around the doorknob but hesitated before twisting it. Was he ready for this? Even though he was thousands of miles away from his family, he could still feel his parent's emotional reactions. "You're about to do what!?" they'd say. "How could our son be gay? We didn't raise you that way."

How could they still be emotionally manipulating him when they were nowhere near him? Despite how independent he prided himself in being, he was still co-dependent with his parents. He loathed that thought. It's not like they actually had any power over him anymore. And if that was so-called "love" then he wanted nothing to do with it. His jaw clenched and he finally opened the door. It was time to stop giving a shit about what his parents and other people would think of him.

"I'm here to have fun," he reminded himself. "And it's about time for me to finally lose my V-card."

He strolled back to his room and was surprised to find that everyone was already there. Yan and Fenic were cuddling in Yan's bed and Rai was over in Kai's bed, twiddling with the comforter until the shower-fresh tiger entered the room. Kai wasn't sure but he had the gut feeling that Rai wasn't necessarily completely comfortable with the situation. However, the young tiger caught a great deal of eagerness from the snow leopard. Their eyes were the first to meet and Kai passed him a comforting smile.

He would have been damned to admit it, but Kai was really falling for the cute snow leopard. Cupid must have had complete control over gravity because it wasn't like him to fall in love with someone at such a fast pace. But was it actually love? Or was it just some shallow attraction? Did that even matter? Love at first sight was something that the tiger had thought was such a silly idea.

"There he is," Yan observed. "How was your shower?"

"It was alright. I kind of ruined your towel with my fur, though. I'm sorry about that."

He chuckled, "Don't even worry about it. Now get over here you sexy hunk." The tiger and fox open their arms wide, gesturing him to jump right in.

It felt nice being wanted so enthusiastically like that. Because of that, Kai returned the enthusiasm by closing the door and pouncing on both of them. He wrapped them up between his arms. However, he was immediately distracted. He looked over to Rai and saw that he was itching to come over, but something was holding him back.

"Care to join us, Rai?" Kai asked. He didn't really know how else to coax the snow leopard. The whole situation and interaction was still quite foreign to him, and maybe it was the same for Rai.

A smile did stretch across Rai's lips, though. He crawled out of Kai's bed and joined the pile of fur forming on Yan's bed. The double-sized bed frame expressed its complaints with a few creaks and moans under the weight of three felines and a fox. Kai was afraid that they may very well break it.

Kai wedged himself between Yan and Rai, letting the feeling of their warm fur rubbing up against his body take over his senses and distract him. That and the different masculine smells being put out by the guys was enough to make him lustful. The pheromones were already spread thick in the air around them. If his mind couldn't have convinced him to take this opportunity before, his body and sex drive would now do it for him. It was now a craving he had to satisfy.

After a lot of light and hard rubbing all over each other's body, Yan's paw made its way down Kai's belly and underneath his underwear. Each of his padded fingers coiled around Kai's growing cock and squeezed hard, forcing another rush of blood to fill the tiger's shaft. Kai jerked a bit to the new experience. It was the first time a stranger had a paw wrapped around his penis.

The fluffy tiger was on his back. On his left side, Rai was nibbling on his ear, and on his right, Yan continued to rub his crotch while Fenic stroked the long, white fur on his belly. Kai had never known an experience in which to relate the word "ecstasy." That moment had to have been close to it. And he assumed that it could only get better.

"I think we should take these shorts and underwear off," Yan suggested, sneaking his other paw underneath Kai's underwear. After stroking a few more times along the "v" of Kai's groin, Yan pulled his paws out and pinched a few fingers along the rim of Kai's shorts. Pulling the shorts with him, he inched his paws toward Kai's feet. The young tiger's toes wiggled as the other tiger's paw pads tickled his inner thigh. Yan tossed the shorts aside the moment they were free.

"My, my, my," Fenic commented as he crawled over Yan to get a better look. "That's quite a nice bulge on our new tiger friend."

Kai blushed as he watched the fox bury his wet nose and orange muzzle into his underwear and crotch, taking a big whiff and groaning in delight. Yan and Rai followed suit, pushing their muzzles deep into Kai's loins and taking in his sex. All of that stimulation was making him harder by the second and pitching a very firm tent down there. His cock was ready for release.

Yan twisted his neck and met with Kai's eyes. He whispered, "Tonight will be all about you, Kai. You just relax and let us do what we do best." The tiger gently removed Kai's underwear and tossed it to the floor, and standing before them was the Kai's snowy-white pubic fur, balls, and sheath. His fleshy, pink, and eight-inch-tall cock was raised like a thick flagpole.

"Yummy," Fenic murmured but all of them licked their lips.

However, Kai kept his eyes on Rai. The snow leopard was a lot shyer, but the lust and desire in his emerald eyes was the most intense. In fact, Rai could no longer hold himself back and was the first to wrap his dark lips around the head of Kai's manhood. Kai jerked and thrust his hips forward involuntarily, shoving it even deeper along the snow leopard's tongue and into his throat. A greedy smile spread thickly across Yan's muzzle and he placed a paw over Rai's head and pushed him all the way down, making the hungry leopard deep throat the well-endowed tiger.

Kai's dick started to throb. It was the first time he was aware of his blood pulsing along the entire length of his hard shaft.

"Rai is awesome at taking it all in," Yan explained in a very casual yet suggestive way, and Kai was experiencing his words first-hand. The snow leopard was able to take all thick eight inches of him in without so much as a gag or gurgle.

The sheets to the right of Kai started to twist as Fenic moved to the foot of the bed. Kai couldn't see exactly what the fox was doing but he soon found out by feeling the tip of his finger wiggle its way into his tail-hole. Kai moaned. It nearly doubled the pleasurable tingling sensation growing somewhere between his balls and cock.

Kai bent his knees and tried to get in a better position for the fox to shove his finger even deeper into his anus, which Fenic did. His finger slid all the way in and slithered like a snake along his prostate. The young tiger's heart rate and breathing quickened as he writhed a little. The pleasure was so intense.

But they weren't over yet. Yan snuck his head underneath Kai's right leg and slipped his moist lips over one of the tiger's furry balls. His sucking tossed Kai's right testicle all about his mouth, massaging every inch of it. Yan reveled in Kai's aroma as that was all he could smell as the tiger's ball rolled over his tongue. He grunted in pleasure with having a part of Kai inside of him.

However, Fenic must have gotten jealous and did the same with Kai's other testicle, enveloping it between his lips and sucking it inside. It rolled right into his mouth and he worked it all over with his wet tongue. Every single part of Kai's crotch was now being worked. And with the wet sounds of their sucking, it wasn't going to be long before he'd cum.

Kai's body and muscles kept clenching as the snow leopard continued to work his shaft and by the time Rai had started to concentrate more on the head of the tiger's cock he was ready to explode. His paws dug into the backs of Yan and Rai and he clenched their fur tightly in his padded palms. Rai wrapped a paw around the base of Kai's cock and squeezed hard as his wet lips went to work on the tip. It was too much. Kai could no longer hold it back.

"I-I-" Kai growled. "I'm going to cum!"

But none of them moved away. They all kept working at his genitals and were even working them harder and faster than before, pushing him rapidly into his orgasm. And then it came. That feeling that had been building up at the base of Kai's cock burst and his cock swelled inside Rai's mouth. His seed shot up, out, and right into the back of the snow leopard eager throat in five big squirts. And to finish up, Rai shoved the tiger cock all the way in once more and slurped up the rest of Kai's spunk from within his shaft. Playfully, Rai licked the tip of Kai's cock and passed a pleased smile the tiger's way.

Fenic pulled out his finger after wiggling a few more times for good measure and let the tiger's ball leave his drooling mouth. Yan did the same. They all leaned up against Kai's legs with grins of satisfaction and stared at the well-worked and pleased tiger.

"So how was it, sexy?" Yan asked.

Kai tried to catch his breath and his heart was knocking once more at his throat. "It was amazing. Thank you, guys." However, he said that mainly to Rai. That glimmer of something more than lust was still in the snow leopard's eyes.

* *

First test of the semester and Kai could hardly concentrate. His nights before falling asleep and his time during class was mainly spent thinking about Rai. He'd even gone so far as doodling the snow leopard's shy smile on multiple pages of notes. That snow leopard was quickly going to become the death of his college career if he didn't figure out how to get over him. At least his brain was trying to convince him to give up on Rai, but his heart had other plans. His heart was telling him to give Rai a chance - to ask him out.

And Kai had a wonderful idea on how to do it. Rai's birthday was coming up and, as cheesy as it may have been, he was going to offer himself as a present to the snow leopard.

There were plans of going out to dinner with a few friends for his birthday and that's where he was going to do it. He would get down on one knee and tell Rai that his present was kneeling right before him. "Do you accept me as boyfriend?" he would ask. It would be perfect. Nothing could ruin his plan.

"Pencils down," the professor said. "Please place your tests on my desk and have a wonderful weekend everyone."

Shit. A third of the test was still blank. It was never like him to screw up so horribly on a test. He'd gone from straight "A" student to the class dunce. His education no longer held the privileged position of priority in his mind anymore. Whatever. He could always retake the classes back home.

Kai tossed his test onto the desk and dashed out of the lecture hall. Finally - the weekend had begun, which was always something to look forward to. The best weekends, of course, were the ones that he got to spend with Rai, but they usually never had any time alone. Rai was usually accompanied by Fenic or Yan, or even both. They didn't necessarily have sex each weekend but there was always a huge amount of cuddling.

He needed to call back home. It had been a month since he arrived and therefore a month since he last talked with his parents. His father didn't really care, but his mother would suffer an aneurysm if she didn't get an update at least every month. And even though those updates consisted of trivial things like weather or schoolwork, it did something to calm his mother's nerves, which he felt compelled to do for her. It was another example of his incapability of completely separating emotionally from his parents.

"I still don't understand why my baby left me," she said. The reception was poor but Kai could still hear her voice cracking on the other end of the line. Did every conversation with her HAVE to be rife with emotion?

Kai massaged his forehead and muzzle with deep, frustrated pressure. "I'm not your 'baby' anymore, mom. You've known for a while how much I wanted to leave home and explore the world. This was the perfect opportunity for me to do that. And like I've said multiple times, I'm only here for four months, and one of those months has already gone by."

"You haven't met a girl have you?"

His teeth nearly shattered under the pressure of his clenched jaws. "No, mom," he answered, "I have NOT met a girl. I'm not interested in dating anyone down here."

That was an obvious half-truth, but she didn't need to know that.

"You'd tell me if you did, though, right?"

"Yes, mom. I'll let you know if the impossible happens. Besides, I only have a limited student visa, so it's not like I'd be able to stay here legally after the four months are over."

More sniffling came across the line and Kai felt his muscles growing weak. It was surprising how draining it could be just to have a simple conversation with her.

"Just promise me that you'll come back home no matter what."

Kai's eyes rolled. "I promise."

"I love you, son."

"I love you, too, mom."

It felt good to finally put the phone down. He shook his head for a good ten seconds before he climbed out of his bed, trying to get the blood out of his hot head.

"Who were you talking to?" a familiar voice called from the doorway. Kai glanced over to find the familiar white poof of fur that overflowed from Rai's blue t-shirt. The mere sight of him always put the tiger at ease.

"That was my mother," Kai responded. "I love her to death, but talking with her can be so frustrating."

"I think I can sympathize with that. Would you like to talk about it?"

Kai's lip curled into a grin, "Only if you come over here."

Rai glided over to him and Kai clutched the snow leopard's waist, pulling him down to the bed with him. The tiger landed on top of Kai and his pink nose was just an inch away from Rai's. Their eyes darted all over each other's face until Rai's leafy green orbs settled on Kai's black lips. Kai pressed forward and kissed him, their noses and whiskers mixing together.

That spark - the feeling of fusing with the other, closing an electric circuit of souls. That's what was missing during Kai's kiss with Yan. When you can feel the other's heartbeat synchronize with yours as your chests press together in an embrace. That had to have been love. It had to mean something.

"Are you dating anyone, Rai?"

"No," the leopard replied. Kai felt Rai's heart skip a few beats against his chest. "W-why do you ask?"

Oh crap, Kai thought. He just blew his plan right out of the water and exposed his secret. He was slapping himself in his mind, realizing that he should have just asked Yan that question. There was no going back now.

"Um," the tiger's lips curled inside his mouth. "Because - I - I was thinking that we - I mean that I - ah-" Kai shook his head. How could he be stuttering? That's never happened to him before. "Will you be my boyfriend?"

Rai's face lit up. He'd never seen the snow leopard so elated that his bright expression would have blinded even God himself. "Of course! Absolutely! Oh my god. I love you, Kai!" His arms constricted around Kai's belly like a ravenous snake, never to let go.

Kai was happy but a bit disappointed that he didn't get to ask him for his birthday. He scratched behind his ear, embarrassed. "I'd wanted to ask you on your birthday, but I guess I wasn't able to wait two more days."

"It doesn't matter. You've made my weekend already!"

Their lips met again in a deep kiss. Kai melted. There was no better feeling that being wanted so deeply.

That Saturday and Sunday passed by rapidly and Kai and Rai couldn't be found apart from each other. They'd gone to dinner with Rai's friends like the plan had been from the beginning and had a blast. Sure, not much had happened but it was great for a first date. They'd even let everyone know about their new relationship status.

The best part was after dinner. It was the first time that Kai had gone over to Rai's place, which was a small studio apartment that he was renting on his own. All the necessary furniture for one person was present and for what it had in video games and movies it lacked in decoration - understandable for a single bachelor. Everything was clean, though, and that put Kai a bit at ease. He'd always told himself that he would be unable to date a slob. Plus, the fact that the leopard was living alone and taking care of all of his personal chores actually spoke volumes to the tiger. It screamed of maturity.

After a long hug at the entrance to the apartment, they made their way to the bedroom, or living room - anyway - they were the same thing. That's all the place was - kitchen, bedroom, and bathroom. They let their bodies fall to the queen mattress that lay directly on the floor. It was lacking any kind of bed frame or box spring, but Kai didn't care. Rai was still a college student without too much money. Besides, it was still quite cushiony and the comforter on top was extra fleecy.

"This is going to seem like an odd question," Kai began, staring into the snow leopard's eyes. "But what would you say are the your most valued virtues?"

"I'm not sure I understand what you mean."

The tiger's throat growled as he cleared it. "I guess I'll explain. For example, I think that I value honesty above all else - a virtue above all virtues. Because what is courage, prudence, or integrity without honesty? Then I'd say that I value courage second, then prudence, and then integrity. Just like I'd mentioned."

Rai's eyes dashed to the comforter and he twisted a bit of it around one of his fingers, taking the time to think more about the question. "No one has ever asked me such a question, so I don't really have too good of an answer. But I'd have to agree with what you said. I really value honesty," he explained. "Other than that, I'd say compassion and love."

"What do you mean by compassion and love?"

"Well, my personal feeling on that is valuing a person simply for who they are - almost like their wanted, desired, and needed."

A hot flash flushed through Kai's body. What Rai was saying seemed counterintuitive to his nature. It was his thought that a person was never truly actualized until they were free from want or necessity, and in an odd way that included love. To the tiger, love existed only in alignment to virtues. Love was not a virtue itself. But it was their first night together, alone. He didn't want to ruin the mood with more philosophical or semantic ranting.

"I can understand that," Kai said just to end the topic and move on to something else. "So I've got another odd question. Do you have any kinks or sexual fantasies that I should know about?"

Rai chuckled, "No, not really. W-what about you?"

"Well, besides that whole group sex thing, which I think I really like, I'm thinking that I'm really submissive. I've always fantasized about big, muscular men who could do with me as they pleased - to have someone take complete control."

The regularly coy smile of Rai's curled at the corners of his lips. "That means we have something in common."

"So you're a submissive cat just like me?"

"Yeah," he laughed. "It's weird being in the minority of feline culture, isn't it? We're supposed to be the hunters, the predators. Yet I'm more comfortable being hunted - sexually, that is. And I bet that was even worse where you grew up, having to live up to that masculine expectation?"

"You're right. I couldn't have put it better myself," Kai replied but swallowed hard. His next question was going to be a difficult one, because he was uncertain how it would play out. "So what does that mean for us? We're both submissive and desire dominant men. Is that going to be a problem?"

"I-I'm not sure. I am really attracted to you, even more than sexually, so I don't think I'll have a problem. What about you? Are you attracted to me?"

Kai hesitated and his whiskers twitched. He hadn't really thought about that. Sure, he was emotionally attracted to the snow leopard but when confronted with the thought of whether or not his was completely physically attracted to him, he was at a total loss. Of course, sexual attraction was there but it wasn't as strong as Rai's attraction to him.

"I am. But-"

"But what?"

It was difficult seeing the concern in the leopard's eyes. That glimmer of complete adoration had faded a little from Rai's response. The tiger couldn't stand it very well so he did his best to skirt around the answer and make it more palatable for the leopard.

"My sexuality is just a difficult thing for me to contend with. There are certain things that I crave, sexually, but I realize that my attraction with someone can grow as we get closer, emotionally. I don't know. It's complicated. Does that make any sense?"

"I think so," Rai answered but he still wore a hint of confusion. "Would you like to have an open relationship, then? If we do, I just ask that I be there when you have sex with someone else. I'd like to be a part of it."

"That's actually a good idea, and I promise that I won't do anything with anyone unless you are there."

That was considerate and freeing for Rai to offer an open relationship, and the truth was that Kai had kind of been hoping for it. Even though he'd fallen for Rai, there was still some experimenting that he felt he needed to do. A closed relationship would have just restricted him from that.

"I love you, Kai," the leopard whispered and nuzzled the tiger with his nose.

Kai froze. He didn't know how to respond to that - well - he DID know how to respond to that; he just couldn't bring himself to utter those words back, especially so soon in the relationship. How could Rai be so comfortable saying those words so early, anyway? They'd only been dating for two days.

"Mmhmm," the tiger murmured and deflected any reply to his emotionless response with a kiss. He went in hard, sucking up Rai's bottom lip and pulling it as far as it would go into his mouth. His tongue worked the rim of the leopard's black lip. It tickled more than just their flesh. Kai already felt his blood rushing to his feline cock. This had to have been evidence that he was sexually attracted to him. Right?

It didn't matter to think about such things. Those thoughts would just distract him from what he currently wanted. He pushed harder into Rai's muzzle, separating both of their jaws a little and massaging each other's tongues. They continued to make out for another minute before Kai snuck his paw down into the snow leopard's shorts.

Rai was already quite hard but not fully. The best part, however, was the fact that the leopard's manhood hardly fit into the tiger's big paw. His six-inch-wide paw could wrap easily around the hardening shaft but it was only wide enough to grasp half of its length. Kai shuddered. There was no way that a snow leopard could have a foot-long cock, but the physical evidence was clear. The meaty member pulsing in his hand was not imaginary.

Rai returned the favor by reaching down and taking all of the tiger's cock into his paw. Kai felt a bit ashamed for not being as big as his. It was clear that the leopard didn't care at all, though. He just kept massaging the base of Kai's cock along with his snowy, fuzzy balls. He'd pull the tiger's sheath up and down his shaft, making him twitch with pleasure. It didn't take long for Kai to get completely aroused, his erection a full-on boner within seconds.

They played with each other's genitals for a few minutes while rubbing their other paws all over their bodies, trying to stimulate every inch of their partner. Kai found that Rai would purr deeply with satisfaction each time he scratched right behind the snow leopard's left ear. And Rai discovered that the base of the tiger's cock would swell each time he gave Kai's ass a good squeeze. They were already figuring out each other's bodies.

Kai made the first move to remove their clothes starting with his own shorts. He pulled them down his legs and tossed them to the side of the bed. Next, Rai helped him remove his shirt and then his underwear. After the snow leopard pushed Kai flat on his back, the pair of boxer briefs crept down the tiger's thighs. Rai kissed the tiger's fluffy belly the whole way down as he finally pulled the underwear aside and threw it to the floor. He wore a lascivious smile and gave Kai a wink before dropping his muzzle deep into the tiger's groin and massaging the fur around Kai's balls with his coarse tongue.

The tiger's muscles tightened throughout his entire body. He didn't think that it was even possible at that point to get more aroused, but it was happening. His balls were now begging for release.

Rai's lips enveloped the tip of Kai's cock and slid down the whole way with ease. The tiger opened his eyes to watch the leopard suck it. He still couldn't get over the fact that, even though he, too, had a big cock, Rai was able to deep throat the whole thing as if it were nothing. But it felt absolutely wonderful each time the head of his cock pressed into the back of Rai's throat, surrounded by tight, wet, and warm flesh. If the leopard wasn't careful, Kai would come much faster than either of them wanted.

But for now the feeling was too good to stop, and even though the tiger was naturally submissive, he couldn't help but feel empowered to be dominant this time. Kai placed a paw on the back of Rai's head and took control. He grasped some of the leopard's fur and used it to pull his head up along his shaft. And with his palm he shoved Rai's head right back down all the way to his crotch with the leopard's nose lost in the thicket of musky, white fur. He repeated the motion a number of times before Rai tried to back off. Kai let him.

The snow leopard wiped some of the saliva and pre-cum that was dripping from the corner of his mouth. "Enjoy?" he asked.

Kai caressed Rai's cheek with the outside of his right paw. "I did," he replied. "It felt very nice."

"May I make a request?"

"Absolutely, what is it?"

"Will you fuck me?"

Kai's lips turned upward into a sly smile. It was odd to feel so domineering, but it must have been because Rai was even more submissive than him. "You got it!" the tiger roared and used his powerful legs to force the leopard to his belly. He pinned Rai down by rolling on top of his back, using his weight to keep the smaller feline in place. His cock was already pressed neatly below Rai's tail and into the leopard's ass crack. Slowly, Kai started humping, massaging the sensitive fur and flesh between Rai's butt cheeks.

"There's some lube on the nightstand," Rai suggested.

The tiger didn't hesitate. He reached for the bottle of lube without moving off of Rai's back. A fair amount of the slippery liquid spilled onto his paw after giving the bottle a good squeeze. He put the bottle back and lifted his ass upward to get enough space to apply the lubricant. With his messy paw, he spread the liquid thickly over the whole length of his shaft and used the rest that was on his fingers on Rai's hole. He spread the Rai's crack and first massaged the snow leopard's anus before inserting one of his hefty fingers inside.

Rai shot forward a few inches as Kai's finger spread his hole. He dug his face into a pillow and moaned. The tiger felt the leopard's sphincter clench around his finger a number of times until Rai was finally able to relax. He then put in another finger and started stroking back and forth to prepare the tight hole before he'd put his cock in it. Rai was already enjoying the feeling.

Kai used that same paw to bury his cock into the leopard's ass until he felt the tip of it pressed against the soft flesh of Rai's tail hole. He pulled his paw back out and wrapped in underneath the leopard between his belly and the bed. With his other paw he raked the fur behind Rai's left ear, making him moan low in his throat.

"Are you ready?" Kai asked. His voice was thick with sultry desire.

"Yes, my love. Fuck me hard."

The tiger followed his boyfriend's command and first nuzzled the leopard's spine all the way up to his neck where he opened his mouth and playfully bit down on Rai's shoulder. He then pressed forward and paid attention to nothing else but the feeling of his cock spreading the supple flesh of the leopard's puckered hole. It entered with ease and they both groaned with pleasure. Kai continued. After a few seconds, he was all the way in and Rai was biting one of his lips. He was writing in both pleasure and pain, but Kai wouldn't let him go, clenching his jaws down a little harder.

The soft, wet sounds of Kai pounding Rai's ass mixed with strained grunts of sexual intensity echoed lightly in the small room. The whole space was starting to fill with a concentrated blend of feline sex. The scent was a heavy merger of an earthy bitterness of raw leather and a sourness of apple cider vinegar. However, the aroma soon disappeared as they each grew accustomed to it with every passing minute. Only hints of that sexy flavor remained at the tips of their tongues.

They switched positions, adeptly keeping Kai's cock deep inside Rai's ass. The leopard lay, belly upward, in front of the tiger, his legs spread and ass raised by one of his pillows. The tiger hung over him, an arm on each of the leopard's sides, right next to his shoulders. Rai took his huge cock into his paw and started stroking it. He started off slow. He wanted the feeling to last a little longer.

Their eyes met and they continued to stare deep into them as Kai pushed forward, burying his dick even deeper into Rai's butt. The leopard squinted, feeling his swollen prostate be stimulated even harder than before. His masturbation quickened as his paw worked his pole harder. Kai sped up to match the leopard's rubbing, his cock pumping in and out of Rai's hole like a well-oiled piston with plenty of horsepower. He felt the base of his shaft start to swell into a knot. That meant that he was about to cum.

His brow furrowed, his jaws clenched, and he yelled out, "I'm about to cum!"

With that cue, Rai went to town on his cock, working the tip more than everything else. The feeling of Kai's knot swelling up against his already over-stimulated prostate was enough to send him over the edge.

"Me too!" he screamed, tightening his paw around the head of his cock.

Kai gave one last deep thrust into Rai's ass. His seed filled the length of his shaft causing it to swell even more before spilling out into the leopard in a number of long spurts. The tiger's body jerked with a few spasms and the orgasm took control of his senses.

After feeling Kai's hot spunk fill his insides, Rai could no longer hold it back. His back arched and his hole wrapped tight around the tiger's knot. He stopped his stroking and let his cum fly free from his cock, shooting out in three big burst and onto Kai's already white chest. The tiger pulled out of Rai's ass and plopped down, melting into the leopard. They both tried to catch their breath.

"Th-that w-was ama-zing," Rai panted.

"That it was."

Kai rolled off of him and Rai snuggled into the tiger's arm and chest. He HAD to be sexually attracted to Rai. There was no doubting that because he shouldn't be able to have such a great orgasm if he wasn't. But something still felt off. He still felt an intense desire for something additional. He kind of hoped that Rai would be able to provide it, whatever it was. He couldn't put a finger on exactly what it was though. Maybe he could ask Rai to do to him what he just did. Even then, as he imagined it, it still wasn't what he thought he was craving.

Regardless, he cuddled up with his new boyfriend. And even though he may have been struggling with confusing sexual desires, he knew - with overwhelming evidence - that Rai was someone he could be with for a lifetime. Sure, it was a gut feeling. But something about this time was telling him that he needed to stop analyzing every little thing and just go with. He just needed to trust it. He needed to trust his heart - not his brain.

* *

Kai couldn't be caught crying. That would mean that he was weak - something along the lines of being less than a man. He'd always been told to suck it up but he couldn't hold it back this time. It wasn't like he was crying entirely because he was sad. No. There was some happiness in there, too.

He used the sheets on his bed to wipe his face dry. Any moment Yan would be bursting through that door, excited about the weekend. It was the second to last weekend that Kai would be spending in the country, and the last weekend was going to be Rai's graduation, the day that Kai was supposed to fly back home. His mother was certainly overjoyed. Kai was far from it.

There was so much more that he wanted and needed to do. Plus - and he wouldn't explicitly admit this - he never wanted to leave Rai's side. It had to be love, because the past three months had done nothing but bring them closer together. In fact, they'd agreed to an open relationship but hadn't even acted on it. The sex between them even got better over time, but Kai still felt a craving for being dominated and it wasn't quite satisfied when Rai did it. Still, no one on the planet had ever made him feel the way did when they were together. The emotional support that he received from Rai was much more important than that tiny sexual craving, as powerful as it may have been.

This weekend was probably going to be a test of their love. That wasn't really a conscious thought of his, but somewhere, deep down, he intuitively understood it. Apparently, all the fraternities gathered their summer students to spend a weekend at a camp out on a lake somewhere. Yan had said that the lake was about seventy miles away, which was a little over an hour drive.

It was easy to avoid temptation when it was just him and Rai, but this camp was going to be an absolute sausage-fest of good-looking, college-age guys. And Yan had already hinted to the fact that there was going to be a "party" at the camp. He invited Rai and him to this so-called party, saying that there were some people that they'd be interested in meeting. Kai couldn't really disapprove of the young tiger's insistence, because he had, in fact, introduced him to Rai. Yan was one for one when it came to introducing him to people he liked. He'd give him another chance.

Thinking about the possibility of getting intimate with more people both excited him and terrified him. And that was partly the reason why he couldn't push back his emotions and the tears. He loved the snow leopard and something felt wrong just thinking about sex with other men. Even if they'd play together, he couldn't help feel that it was some kind of attack on their love and attraction to one another, as if it meant that maybe they weren't supposed to love each other.

Kai bawled even louder at the thought that he may not be able to fully love Rai. However, he kept his muzzle pressed hard into the comforter in order to muffle his booming wails. It felt so comforting and soft against his furry face, just like Rai's fluffy chest. What would Rai think of him if he saw him like this?

A knock rapped on the bedroom door. It must've been Yan, ready to head out for the weekend.

Kai sniffled and quickly wiped the tears that were dripping all the way down to his pink, wet nose. His voice cracked. "Come in," he said.

The door crept open. Kai didn't care to look. He kept his flushed face away until he felt he'd fully regained his composure.

"Are you alright, Kai?"

That wasn't Yan's voice. It was too quiet and empathetic to be his. Nope. Kai knew exactly whose it was because he looked forward to hearing it each and every day.

"I'm fine, Rai," he replied, swallowed the lump in his throat, and turned to face him.

The concern was thick on the snow leopard's face, his brow furrowing in just the slightest. "I thought I'd heard you crying and your eyes are kind of red," he observed.

Kai cursed to himself and rubbed his eyes with both paws. "I must've been snoring or something. I was taking a quick nap before we headed out to the lake."

Rai's lip twisted into an unconvinced grin. However, he decided not to pursue the subject any further. "Well, the two shuttles that we borrowed from the university are here. Are you ready to go?"

Kai had already packed his clothes and toiletries for the weekend. The only thing that he needed in order to leave was another ounce or so of courage. He looked up to meet with the snow leopard's green eyes. They glimmered in the thin pillars of sunlight that made their way around the window's dark blue drapes. That sparkle was always enough to spur his body into action. With Rai by his side, he'd always have the support to be courageous.

"I am. I packed everything earlier."

He rolled out of the bed and threw his backpack over his right shoulder before walking over to the snow leopard and pulling him close. They embraced each other for a number of seconds before pulling away and pressing their lips together for a quick kiss.

"I've been going to this camp every year," Rai said.

"So you've been taking summer classes each year?"

"Yeah, that's why I'm graduating so early. I would have graduated last semester if I hadn't had an internship, but I figured that the internship was much more valuable than graduating at that time."

"That makes sense. I would've done the same thing."

"When do you think you'll be graduating?"

That question was much more difficult to answer than it ever should have been. If Rai had asked that question at the beginning of the semester, he would have quickly replied with "next year." Now, he wasn't so certain. He wasn't even certain about whether or not he was in the right field of study. He'd thought that medical school was the right path for him, but now he even doubted that. It may have been because he just simply didn't wish to go back home and complete his studies as they'd been scheduled. If he'd have what his heart truly wanted, he'd stay in that country - exactly what his mother was afraid of.

He had to say something, though. He'd already remained silent enough so he just blurted out, "I don't know."

"You don't know? Did becoming an exchange student for the summer change your plans?"

Kai bit his lip and sighed. "Maybe..."

The honest answer would have been a simple "yes."

"There you guys are!" Yan exclaimed as he grabbed them both by the necks of their shirts and pulled them over into his arms. He squeezed hard. "You guys look kind of somber. What's up with that? You guys should be getting pumped up for this weekend!"

Typical. Yan just couldn't help but force his chipper nature on everyone.

They all shuffled into the shuttles one by one, which were just large, eight-seat vans with the university's logo on the doors. Yan was driving the one he'd ushered Kai and Rai into. His striped tail swished all over the place in his excitement. That joy was spilling over enough that it just happened to infect every single passenger, including the tiger and snow leopard. It proved to be a very good thing, because his exuberance made the hour-long ride pass by much faster than it would have if he wasn't present.

Secretly, Kai and Rai held paws, squished between their thighs. It was something that Kai was still quite uncomfortable with but everyone at the fraternity knew about them, so it wasn't as big a deal. However, he was reluctant to continue holding Rai's paw the moment they arrived at the camp. He pulled it away right as they pulled down the dirt road to the camp. The driveway was surrounded by trees that Kai still didn't recognize, and at the end of the road, silhouetted by the verdant leaves and other vegetation, was the small blue outline of the lake.

A number of the other felines in the shuttle were increasingly growing nervous the closer they got to the water, which made Kai chuckle a bit inside. He thought that was just a stereotype about cats, but apparently there was some truth in it. The legs on the lion sitting next to them were trembling the moment the entire lake came into view.

"I hope they don't gang up and throw me into the water like last year," he mumbled, nervously. "Those damn dogs think it's funny to get us felines wet. I hate swimming."

"Really?" Kai interjected the lion's rambling. "I'm actually quite fond of swimming. That was one of the few fun things we could do during the summer when my brother and I were cubs."

"All of you tigers are a weird bunch. I guess you'll fit right in with those canines then," he sneered.

Rai turned to his boyfriend. "That's alright. I like swimming, too," he added.

It was nice to hear that the stereotype wasn't completely true, especially with his boyfriend. Kai was hoping to spend a lot of time with Rai in the water. Perhaps even some late-night skinny dipping.

The shuttle came to a stop and parked at the campground's meeting hall, which was in the shape of a very large log cabin, with the western half of it only covered with a roof, held up by a number of wooden beams. The other half was just a large open space with long tables that ran from the north wall to the south wall. It probably served as a cafeteria as well. Kai assumed that the dance that night was going to be held in that building.

"Alright, everyone," Yan turned around in the driver's seat to face the passengers behind him. He passed back the cabin keys that he'd picked up from the ranger at the camp entrance. "Here are your keys. You'll find your cabin number on the back plastic doohickey attached to it. If you want to be in the same cabin as someone else, you'd best figure that out right now." He smiled and winked at Kai and Rai. "Not that it really matters that much because I know that a lot of you will just be sleeping in different cabins anyway. They don't care if you have a party in the cabins, just as long as you don't get too loud and also clean up after yourselves. That's all you really need to know."

One of the other felines raised their paw with a question.

"This isn't a classroom, Juro. You don't need to raise your paw."

"What time will the dance start?" he asked.

"Oh yeah! That'll be at ninne tonight and tomorrow night at the meeting hall. Pretty much when you see the sun setting, the dance will be starting. Also, breakfast, a snack lunch, and dinner will be at the meeting hall, too." Yan answered. "Is that all? Okay. Go have fun!"

Kai and Rai made sure that they had the same cabin number, having to switch with one of the other felines in the shuttle. And after everyone was satisfied with their cabin assignments, they climbed out of the vehicle along with the passengers from all the other university shuttles that'd arrived or were arriving. There were already a number of people jumping off the dock into the lake or playing Frisbee or football on the sandy beach. A volleyball net was set up on the other end of the beach but no one was currently using it. Kai had no idea what he wanted to do first. He supposed that getting his stuff over to the cabin was the obvious answer, but after that, he had no clue.

On the way to the cabin, Rai tried to grab Kai's paw once more, but the tiger pulled it away, pretending to scratch an itchy spot on the back of his head. Something about all the men - some of them very sexy - around them caused Kai to become very flaky with his affection. One in particular was a very bulky polar bear. He was bulky in the sense of being built like a lineman on a football team - extremely muscular with one of those guts that look kind of chubby but were somehow pure, hard muscle. In fact, that bear look kind of familiar to Kai. If his guess was correct, he was the bear that Fenic had been tossing the football around with the very first night Kai was in the country. Considering the bear was still tossing around a football, there was no doubt in the tiger's mind that he must have been on the university's football team.

Now, Kai just happened to be like any other male, no matter the species. He couldn't help it when idle thoughts of sex and fantasies cross his mind and that just so happened to be the case with the bear. Everything about that image of ursine perfection made the tiger's groin tingle, especially the potential fact that that manly bear was a pure top. Oh! What he'd give up to have that bear do whatever he wanted with him!

His legs kept moving forward but he just couldn't get his eyes to stray from the bear, but the moment he noticed Kai staring at him in admiration, the tiger shook his head and broke his gaze. Kai swallowed hard. He couldn't even believe what he was doing. His beautiful boyfriend was right next to him and he was off in some fantasy with this bear. Of which - oh no - the bear was still watching him.

"Hey tiger!" he called out to Kai. "CATCH!"

Kai reacted instinctually. He was hardly ready to grab the football out of the air but he managed to do it. The ball flew directly into the cusp between his arm and chest, snug in his paw's grasp.

Impressed, the polar bear ran up to him and Rai. His smoky lips were stretched into a full, beaming grin. "Nice one! You should think about trying out for the team this year," he began. "Oh, wait. You're that exchange student, aren't you?"

Kai just nodded, embarrassed for no other reason than how sexually attracted he was to the mass of white fur and muscle. He was also nervous because the bear was actually taller than him, which was a rare sight.

"Cool. Yan's told me quite a bit about you," he winked and Kai's heart started to pound in his throat. The bear extended his massive paw. "The name's Jorn."

Kai grabbed Jorn's paw and winced the moment the bear used just an ounce of his strength to give it a firm shake. He did his best to keep his smile. "My name's Kai, in case you didn't already know that."

Jorn continued to smile. "I did," he replied. The polar bear's strikingly blue eyes wandered over to Rai, who was staring at the ground. Kai felt his heart sink. He'd actually forgotten that the snow leopard was even there. Was he really that much of an ass?

"It's nice to see you again, Rai," Jorn continued. "So you two decided to get hitched, huh?"

Both Rai and Kai nodded in response.

"So does that mean that you're not going back home, Kai?"

The tiger's heart sunk even farther into his gut. By now, it was probably down into his intestines. He had no clue as to how to respond to that question, and he knew that answering truthfully was just going to upset everyone.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bring up a sore subject."

"No, it's alright," Rai finally spoke up. "It's something that I knew when we started dating. I knew that he was going to return home when the summer was over, but no matter what, I think it's been worth it. I'll love him no matter the distance between us."

Kai melted to those words, but his heart sank even more, dropping somewhere near his bladder this time. He couldn't imagine himself ever being able to say those same words. Being attached to someone just felt too much like a weakness. Maybe he'd be better off alone, anyway. Otherwise, he'd just hurt people.

"Aw, that's so cute," Jorn replied. "Anyway, I look forward to spending the weekend with you guys. If you guys see me, just run up and give me a hug. I'm a bear. I love hugs." He grabbed both Rai and Kai with his massive arms and pulled them into a tight embrace, but his arm span was still wide enough to wrap around both of them. He let go, grabbed the football from Kai, and waved. "See you guys."

That would never get old. Kai just wasn't used to everyone's warm and inviting personalities. And what was with all of the hugging on first encounters? Oh well. It was a nice change from what he was used to. Plus, he was secretly hoping that meant that Jorn was gay, and for the first time, Kai would ask Rai if they could have sex with someone else. The polar bear would be the perfect person to explore with, considering just how sexually attracted he was to Jorn. He wondered if Rai may have felt the same, too.

They didn't speak of anything until they got into their cabin and started to unpack their things. The wooden cabin consisted of nothing other than two bunk beds and a rectangular table with matching bench-like seats. So far, they were the only ones occupying cabin number five.

Kai wanted to speak up but he kept choking on his words. He had no idea how to broach the subject.

"He's the one, isn't he?" Rai said it for him. "The one you'd like to have sex with?"

The young tiger sighed in relief but he still felt anxious.

"It was pretty clear the way you were looking at him. And not to mention, he seemed pretty into you, too."

Kai cleared his throat. "I- I don't know. Is that okay? I mean we don't even know if he'd want to."

"I'm pretty sure that Jorn was one of the guys that Yan wanted to introduce us to anyway. It was going to happen regardless. Trust me; if Yan knows them, then they get around. But I don't really know too much about him."

"Have you had sex with Jorn before?"

"No," he answered. "But it's something that I think I'd be comfortable with as long as you're there."

"I'm sorry for doing this to you, Rai. We really don't have to do this if you're not okay with it."

"It's okay with me, Kai. All I want is to see you happy. I just wish that I was able to provide all of that happiness for you."

Kai's shoulders fell. He hadn't even noticed how tense he was in the first place, but hearing Rai say that made him relax a bit. That did, however, seem like a lot of pressure to put on himself. How could anyone ever provide one hundred percent happiness for another? His boyfriend truly was a godsend, but Kai couldn't help but feel like he was being extremely selfish for asking such a thing. And Rai was just letting it happen. Some part of the tiger just wanted him to say no. The certainty would have been more much comfortable than this.

"Thank you, Rai," he replied. He didn't know what else to say other than, "Can we cuddle a bit before we head out." Somehow, he needed to make Rai feel wanted, and he knew just how much cuddling made him feel better.

An hour or so passed by as they cuddled in the bottom bunk of their cabin bed. It was a good reminder of just how comfortable he felt with the snow leopard. In nearly all regards, they were clearly meant for each other. He truly appreciated every inch of his furry boyfriend.

Rejuvenated, they left the cabin to find something to do, at least until the dance. Rai understood that Kai would never miss a dance, and the snow leopard wouldn't miss the opportunity to repeat the night he'd first met the tiger. It was sure to be a blast.

They wasted another hour walking on a trail that ran along the side of the lake. The lake wasn't too large and they made it all the way around in less than an hour. After arriving at the small beach, a number of guys were calling over to them asking them to join for some volleyball. They already had six people and wanted two more for equal teams of four. And just as luck would have it, Jorn was on the team that needed them. He was already paired up with a black wolf. They were both shirtless and it was odd to see the stark difference in their fur next to each other.

Kai glanced over to Rai with a look asking whether or not he'd like to join. The snow leopard smiled and nodded.

As they approached, Jorn waved his paw at Kai and spoke to the wolf next to him. "This is the guy I was telling you about, Nevan. They're pretty cute, aren't they?"

Wow. Jorn really had no inhibitions at all. It was clear that Yan had been telling the polar bear much more than Kai originally guessed, which must have gotten Jorn very excited with anticipation. His intentions were obvious. Not that Kai really had a problem with it.

Kai's eyes scanned over the wolf that was standing next to the polar bear. His charcoal-colored fur was very well kept and gleamed easily in the sunlight. He was skinnier than the polar bear but wasn't lacking in muscle. It was hard to make out any definition under his dark coat, but it was clear that the canine was far from weak. The green swimming trunks that the wolf was wearing did not serve as any kind of fashion statement, but Kai figured that it'd be hard to match anything with fur that dark.

"It's nice to meet you, Nevan. I'm Kai and this is my boyfriend Rai," he figured he'd introduce himself. And since Jorn was being so candid, Kai found no problem in stating that fact that he and the snow leopard were dating.

The wolf shook their paws and turned back to Jorn. "You're right. They are cute," he said. "And are they the couple that Yan was talking about?"

Jorn nodded, "Yep."

Kai's eyebrow lifted on its own accord. That was the second time that had been said and he could hold back his curiosity anymore. "So what exactly has Yan been saying about us?"

"Oh," coughed the polar bear, nervously scratching behind his fuzzy ear. His eyes also kept darting over to Rai, who was again staring at the ground, playing with some of the sand between his toes. "He didn't tell you?"

The tiger's brow quickly turned into more of a trench. He shook his head a few times and replied, "No. For as much as that muzzle of his doesn't stop moving, he'd neglected to tell us whatever it is that you're referring to."

Nevan's chestnut-colored eyes rolled. Obviously, he'd encountered the same problem a number of times with Yan. "Well, this is awkward," he said. "Just leave it to that tiger to suggest things without following up on it."

"Just what exactly did he suggest?" Kai asked. He knew what the answer was but he felt that it needed to be asked anyway.

"Are we going to play, or not?!" a fox on the other team shouted. They were all wearing impatient expressions.

Jorn dismissed the subject by waving his big paw. "We'll talk about it later. Let's just play some volleyball for now."

A best-out-of-three set of matches proceeded, and Kai learned that the four of them made an excellent team. He supposed that the fact that they had at least one athlete, maybe two, on their team made it very easy to win. However, he was surprised to find that Rai was quite good at the game. The snow leopard, despite his shy nature, seemed to come alive with the game. He got quite into it and it rubbed off on the tiger. It was just more reason to love that feline.

The other team was broken after just two games, resigning to their defeat. They tossed their paws and hands - there was a human on their team - in the air. Shrugging it off, most of them just darted across the beach and right into the water for another swim. Victory belonged to the bear, the wolf, and the two felines.

"See you guys at the dance tonight?" Jorn asked, even though he already appeared confident in what the answer was going to be. He must've seen Kai in the ballroom that first night and assumed that the tiger would never pass up the chance to dance.

"Yep, we'll be there," Kai replied. "You?"

"Absolutely. Nevan and I wouldn't miss it - for various reasons," he added, looking over the young tiger's fluffy body.

Having exercised and having secured dominance in volleyball, Kai and Rai felt they euphoria of adrenaline and endorphins. It made the rest of the day proceed quite quickly as they took a dip in the lake, did front flips and dives off of the dock, and caught dinner in the last minutes of being served. By the time the meal had settled well in their stomachs, the sun was already setting beyond the tree-lined horizon.

And from the dining room of the meeting hall, they heard the boom of the subwoofers vibrating the floor and walls from outside. Apparently, the dance was taking place outside under the exposed, wooden roof of the hall. An eager grin slipped across Kai's face, and Rai knew exactly what his boyfriend was thinking. He could already see the tiger's striped arms twitching to the beat. It was like some kind of involuntary disco fever.

Despite their stomachs being full, nothing would stop Kai from getting his freak on out on the dance floor. Nothing would hold him back from shaking his money-maker. If music could ever be an addiction, it was certainly the tiger's weakness, and the hormones flush throughout his body certainly had their own type of intoxication. Had he been conscious of his feelings, he would have been a little more cautious about what he may have done under such an influence.

He shoved the dining room doors open in confidence, strutting his stuff in time with the drum beat. Everyone who knew about Kai and his dancing prowess turned to face the beaming tiger. All eyes on the dance floor were now on him, and some were cheering the fact that the party had finally arrived. He reveled in it.

Hardly anyone was out on the floor and dancing. This only upset the tiger a little, but he accepted the challenge. He felt it was, in part, his duty to beckon them all out to the dance floor and get their booties shaking. A plan was needed. And the good thing? One of his greatest skills was coming up with a strategy on the spot.

• · First, hook them - get their attention by including them in your excitement.
• · Second, wait for the drop and kill it - pull off an opening move that will inspire awe.
• · Third, get moving - use as much arm, leg, and floor space as possible.
• · Fourth, burn it up! Once you hear them clapping, make the floor catch fire with your best moves!
• · Fifth, invite them to join you - it's time to get them to join to and start with a basic two-step.

In his fervor, Kai didn't even notice that he had abandoned Rai. It wasn't until he was surrounded by people who wanted to join his exuberance that he noticed his boyfriend wasn't even by his side.

"How are you so fucking amazing, Kai?!" a deep voice rumbled into his left ear. He recognized it instantly and turned to face the polar bear with half of a smile. "First, you kicked ass at volleyball and now you're fucking tearing up the dance floor."

Kai didn't answer Jorn at first. His eyes darted all over in search of his snow leopard, and after he was nowhere to be found, they crept back to meet with the polar bear. "I'm just a bit of a jack-of-all-trades, you know? Not really an expert at anything, but I can pull my weight in almost everything. Plus, dancing has always been a favorite of mine."

A smirk stretched along the bear's smoky lips. "It shows," he replied and snuck up closer to Kai, pressing his fuzzy chest against the tiger.

Discomfort swept throughout Kai's body, especially when Jorn's paw fell down to Kai's waist and crept around to his ass. The huge polar bear gave the tiger's butt a good squeeze and pulled him even closer. They were close enough that Kai could feel Jorn's growing bulge pressing against his thigh as they grinded into each other. The swollen lump at the bottom of his throat returned. He swallowed it down hard.

Jorn's other paw stretched around Kai's back. Their muzzles were now inches from each other. The polar bear was staring at the tiger with earnest as Kai's eyes kept glancing back and forth, nervously. Softly, the bear's maroon tongue slipped along the edge of his bottom lip. Kai knew exactly what he wanted, but he couldn't help but vacillate between wanting to do it and just ignoring the bear.

The lids fell over the bear's lustrous, azure eyes, which had glimmered in the changing lights of the dance floor. It was now or never if Kai was going to do it. He pulled the lump in his throat back down into his stomach and inched forward, lifting himself up with his toes to reach Jorn's muzzle. His supple lips pressed into the bear's, caressing each other for a few seconds.

"I got you some wa-" Rai's soft voice broke through the loud music.

Kai's heart dropped down from his neck, back to where it was supposed to be but even farther. He pushed himself away from Jorn and turned to face his boyfriend. The first thing he glimpsed was the patently fake smile that the leopard was wearing. He had a plastic cup full of water in each paw.

"I figured you'd need a drink after that," he finished, handing Kai one of the cups.

Awkwardly, he grabbed the cup. "Thank you," he said and hung his head as he took a drink.

"Speaking of which," Jorn broke the silence. "I think I'll go get a drink myself. My mouth is pretty parched after that. You should dance with your boyfriend, Rai. He's knows how to tear this floor up!"

How could Jorn have acted like nothing had just happened?

"About that," Kai began.

Rai raised a paw and stopped his boyfriend from speaking further. "Forget about it. It's fine."

"Really?"

"If we're really going to have an open relationship, then it's something I'll have to get used to, right?"

"Yeah, but we didn't really discuss anything about kissing."

Rai finally moved his eyes up from the floor and looked into Kai's eyes. "I guess it is something that I'd prefer that we keep to just us. There's something about kissing that I'd like to reserve for our relationship."

"I understand. And I'm sorry it happened in the first place." Kai's paw slipped to the back of his head and he scratched an itch that had been building up back there. "I guess I couldn't resist that dominant charm of his. He kind of made it irresistible," he joked with a half-hearted laugh. His boyfriend returned the laugh with the same lack of enthusiasm.

"Care to dance with me?" Kai offered his paw. Finally, a genuine smile showed itself across Rai's muzzle as he took the tiger's paw. Kai pulled him close and he took things easy with his boyfriend for the next hour.

Sometime within that hour, Jorn, Nevan, and even Yan had joined them. They all danced together until the music eventually came to a halt. And even though the dance floor had nearly cleared, the masculine and musky smell of over seventy furry guys lingered in the open air. It was already enough to get all five of them worked up.

"So whose cabin are we going back to for the after-party?" Yan chirped, sticking out his tongue in a playful display.

"Well," Rai began. His head was hung like usual and he was twiddling his thumbs. "Nobody else showed up at our cabin. We could all go there."

Kai nodded. "He's right. We're the only ones there."

"Perfect!" Yan bounced on the tips of his toes. "I was worried we might have to have the party out in the woods," he winked.

"That wouldn't be such a bad thing," joked the polar bear.

"Alright," Kai shook his head. "Enough of all this innuendo. What exactly is going on? Because it seems like some plans have been made that Rai and I have had no idea about." He looked specifically at Yan with a hint of disdain. It was obviously that devious tiger's doing.

"What are you looking at me for?"

"You've clearly had something planned for this weekend without letting us know about it."

"Me?" he pointed his finger into his own chest.

Everyone's eyes were now on the tiger, who had his arms thrown up in the air in confusion and innocence. Except for Rai. The leopard still had his head hung, staring at the floor.

"Yes you," Kai accused him. "Who else would it have been?"

Yan's orange eyes glanced over to the snow leopard before returning to Kai with a raised eyebrow. "Rai didn't tell you?"

"What?"

"Rai was the one that set this night up for you. He asked me if 'that big gay polar bear that I knew' would be interested in having a 'fun night' with you and him. Eventually, like usual, that turned into the five of us standing here because Jorn wanted Nevan to join, and I couldn't possibly pass up such an opportunity either."

The truth was more than just surprising; it was also quite exciting. Never, in a thousand years, would he have believed that Rai'd set all of this up.

"Why? Do you have a problem with it?" Yan finished.

Kai looked over to his boyfriend, who was staring at him with his typical, coy smile. It was like waiting to see whether or not a present had been a good one.

"No, I don't. I- I'm just a bit surprised right now. That's all."

"Good!" Yan's regular, beaming face returned. "To your guys' cabin, then?"

"I guess so."

The campground looked entirely different at night. The bright green that had surrounded them during the day turned into void of black except for the scattered campfires that chaotically littered the darkness. There were no lights to guide them back to their cabin but Kai had already memorized the path from the meeting hall. It was a short trip yet it certainly didn't feel like it.

Kai tried to break forward from the group by increasing his pace, and he urged Rai toward him. The leopard took the hint and went into a slight jog to catch up.

"You really did this for me?" asked the tiger. He still couldn't believe that Rai would do such a thing.

The snow leopard cleared his throat before speaking. "You're about to go back home. I couldn't have you pass up the opportunity to experience the fantasy you desire. And even though we decided to have an open relationship, you still haven't had sex with anyone else. I felt this would be the perfect time, so I asked Yan if Jorn would be interested," he smiled. "And judging by how enthusiastic he's been, I guess he was really interested.

"But you're absolutely certain that you're okay with this?"

"I," he began, his voice dropping in volume and pitch, "am."

It really didn't sound like it.

"Well, no matter what, I truly appreciate it, Rai. I've never had anyone in my life who's been so interested in who I really am and even participate in it," Kai expressed, curling his lip into a tiny grin. "Thank you."

Even with Rai's explicit permission, Kai still felt a festering reticence. Would that stop him from seizing this opportunity, however? No. The drive to be dominated by someone, especially that sexy bear, was too strong. There would be no inhibitions. There couldn't be. It was probably going to be his only chance to do such a thing, and holding himself back would only make him regret it for the rest of his life.

His heart made his entire chest feel like an overplayed bass drum as they approached the door to their cabin. Hormones filled him, flushing to the end of each limb, especially _one_particular part of his body. The anticipation was enough to get him completely hard before he even wrapped his paw around the door handle. With one paw he opened the door and with the other he pushed his erection down into a more comfortable position in his shorts. His whole body felt hot.

He held the door for all of them. First, Rai passed by him with that shy smile of his. Second was Yan. He had his tongue stuck out like a devious child. Nevan was third and Jorn was last. The lust in the huge, white bear's eyes burned like a bonfire as they trailed down to Kai's crotch, noticing the swollen bulge hidden underneath. He took a step closer to the tiger and crept down Kai's chest until his big paw was cupped around his dick, his fingers rolling the tiger's balls around. It only made Kai harder. The bear knew just how to arouse him.

Yan got busy pulling down the shades on the windows, which Kai was surprised there were any to begin with. Nevan lit up two lanterns and placed them on the table. They were just bright enough to dimly light up the room, but the shadows of every object still lingered heavily. In fact, the flickering flames cast an orange glow on everything.

"So how should we start?" Yan asked, his gaze focusing on Kai.

The tiger just shrugged. "I have no idea."

"I think I know," Jorn interjected, putting his paw on Kai's shoulder. "You can start by undressing me, tiger."

Just feeling the polar bear's booming voice vibrating throughout his body and the big padded paw on his shoulder made his cock throb hard against his shorts. It was starting to hurt.

Kai nodded in silence. He did as the polar bear commanded, dropping to his knees, already begging for something to be done to his mouth. It was perfect in the sense that, even on his knees, his mouth was at the perfect level for the bear's manhood. The thought of it made him salivate. And the already hard, pitched tent in Jorn's drawers made the tiger lick his lips.

His paws slid up the bear's hefty legs, his thumbs running along the inside of his thighs. Jorn was still wearing the swimsuit he'd been in for the entire day. A black string-strap was tied just above the growing bulge and Kai slowly pulled it apart, loosening the waistline. The suit fell a few inches and revealed the top quarter of the polar bear's sheathed cock. Jorn's musk was the first thing to strike the tiger, but it was savory and pleasant - enough to make him drool even more. He wanted to feel his mouth and throat filled with that bear's tasty flesh.

Rolling the tips of his fingers over the waistband of the swimming trunks, Kai finally started to inch them down from the bear's bubbly and furry butt. He swallowed the anticipation that'd been swelling up in the back of his throat. He was finally going to see all of Jorn's manhood as the last inch of the swimsuit crawled over the head of the bear's cock, his erection springing to life from the confines. And now with the polar bear's snowy testicles on full display, Jorn's sex filled Kai's nose, infecting him with a stronger lust, causing him to creep forward and give it a quick lick. He just needed a taste. And, boy, did it taste wonderful. It was a bit tangy and salty, but the tiger had always loved the mouth-watering flavor of salt on his tongue. This was no different.

"Mmm," the polar bear growled with delight. "Couldn't resist getting a bit of a taste of my dick right away, huh?"

Kai swallowed the bits of the bear's flavor that lingered on his tongue, letting it drip slowly down his throat and infect him with its sexual power. He looked up to Jorn, meeting his blazing, blue eyes with a lustful stare. He nodded and pulled the bear's trunks down the rest of the way. Jorn pulled his huge feet out of them and kicked them backward across the cabin until it hit the wall. Jorn was now completely nude in front of the tiger, and his hard, fat cock stood inches from Kai's muzzle, just waiting to be sucked.

He'd been quite distracted the whole time, but out of the corner of his eye, Kai notice that Yan had already started to undress Nevan. He was curious as to what exactly Rai was doing. However, the throbbing member inches from his mouth diverted him from wondering too much. And that fact that Jorn just couldn't wait any longer put an end to it, too.

"How about you _really_get a taste now, tiger!" the polar bear exclaimed, his paws curling around to the back of the tiger's head and forcing him forward. In less than a second, Kai found his lips pressed up against the head of Jorn's thick cock. They caved to the pressure and slid over the supple flesh. The bear's sheath gave way with Kai's lips and his fat cock slid easily along the tiger's tongue, filling his mouth from cheek to cheek. "Fuck that feels good," Jorn added. "Work my cock with that warm, wet mouth of yours."

Kai gave in and did as the bear asked. He let Jorn's huge paw grasp the fur on the back of his head and force his mouth back and forth, each time his nose digging into the soft fur just above the bear's cock. The polar bear's aroma rapidly became the only thing the tiger could smell. But Kai didn't mind. That masculine odor made him melt.

It was all too hot for him. His groin was starting to hurt from his dick attempting to escape his pants. But he was too busy pleasing the bear to even worry about it. That's why the feeling of Rai's paws toying with the button and zipper of his shorts came as a great relief. The snow leopard had finally decided to join them, and what better way than giving the tiger's cock the fresh air for which it'd been yearning.

So with his loins being taken care of, Kai took the opportunity to utilize his paws and pleasure the bear further. One paw coiled around the base of Jorn's erection, the padded finger's tickling the swollen testicles below. The other paw reached around to the bear's rear end, his finger caressing Jorn furry taint before finding his dark hole. He played with it for a second before pushing it inside the bear.

"Damn, tiger. You know just what this big bear likes, don't you?" he moaned, thrusting his meaty member down into Kai's throat. The tiger mumbled in response, his vocal cords vibrating against the head of the bear's cock and adding to the sensation. "Oh, fuck. You're going to have to take it a bit slower than that, or I'm going to cum much sooner than we'd like."

Jorn pulled Kai away from his cock, his black lips slipping over it in a loud slurp. A string of saliva connected the two inches between the tiger's mouth and the bear's dick. Kai licked his lips and tasted the little bits of the bear that remained. He was curious as to what the bear wanted to do next.

Kai dropped to the floor and let Rai undress him the rest of the way, but before he could even stand, Jorn was already picking him up in his burly arms and carrying him over to the table. Gently, he lowered Kai down to the polished wooden surface and situated the tiger's legs upon his shoulders. The bear's wet cock was already pressed up against Kai's eager hole, teasing it like Kai had never experienced. He took whatever extra spit remained on his dick and covered one of his fat fingers with it. It slipped right inside, spreading Kai's tail hole a good inch or so. The tiger squirmed a bit. The feeling was new, but it was good.

"Give me some more of that sweet spit of yours, tiger," Jorn said, reaching forward with his left paw and working Kai's rectum and balls with the other. After collecting every bit of saliva in his mouth he spat into the Jorn's paw. Promptly, the bear used it as lubrication, covering the head of his cock with it. Jorn bit his lip and a grin stretched across his lips. "You ready for this?" he asked.

Kai nodded. There was nothing he wanted more in that moment.

Jorn proceeded gently. The very tip of his cock was soft and gave way to Kai's flesh, but the rest was hard enough that the tiger's anus could no longer resist and yielded to the bear's throbbing erection. Kai winced at first. It hurt just as much as it pleasured him. Jorn stopped and waited for the tiger to calm back down before he pushed his cock in farther. He leaned forward letting his big body do the rest of it for him, and Kai's insides accepted it in earnest. The tiger bit down on his lip. His ass clenched around the entire length of the polar bear's fat dick, getting a good feel of just how much he was filling him up.

The big bear grinned and stroked the tiger's soft, belly fur. "That's it. I'm all the way in, little tiger." A tiny portion of Jorn's huge, muscle gut of his was pressed into Kai's crotch. It was exactly what Kai had always fantasized about. Jorn twisted and pulled Rai close to him. "Climb aboard and sixty-nine with your man!" he commanded.

The snow leopard swallowed hard but did as the bear ordered. He climbed atop the table and positioned his crotch above his boyfriend, that huge cock of his dangling a good foot down, just an inch from Kai's hungering lips. On his hands and knees, he took Kai's rock-hard erection in his paw and went to work on it with his soft, wet lips. He had to twist his neck a little in order to get a good angle of it beside's the bear's strong gut.

Before he knew it, Rai's manhood had dropped and Kai was taking it into his mouth, letting that feeling of warm, intimate flesh on his tongue take him over once again. He enjoyed his boyfriend's flavor, perhaps even a bit more than the bear. It was just a passing thought, though. All of it had been heaven to him.

A few knocks on the wooden surface shook the table under Kai's back, and he glimpsed a huge mass of black fur climbing onto the table. Nevan scooted over to Rai's ass and lifted the snow leopard's tail, revealing his willing hole. The tiger watched as the wolf's dark-red cock pressed into his boyfriend's ass and spread his hole. Rai took it like a trooper, and Nevan was balls deep in less than a second. Kai felt the rumble of his boyfriend moaning as his throat vibrated along the whole length of his shaft.

Some more creaks of wood echoed within Kai's ears as the table expressed its complaints. Yan also climbed aboard, and he proceeded to bend the black wolf over the snow leopard and insert his cock into Nevan's ass. Somehow they'd all managed to connect together intimately, and the sex that now filled the air was enough to fill anyone with lust. And without much delay, the wet noises of cock-sucking and the slapping sounds of ass-pounding started bouncing from wall to wall inside the cabin.

Kai felt Jorn's huge, thick cock thrusting back and forth inside him, working his prostate at the perfect angle. With each second, the bear's erection was swelling inside of him as the base of it started to stretch the tiger's hole even more. The same was happening with his boyfriend's dick, throbbing hard as it was shoved deep into his throat by Nevan and Yan slamming ass behind him. And down at his crotch, Rai was working him just as well as he'd always done.

Nevan was the first to get built up. Kai could tell because the wolf's thrusting into Rai's butt had become a bit more erratic. "I'm almost there!" he growled with pleasure. "I- I'm going to cum!"

His body tensed up as he shoved his cock deep into the snow leopard's ass one last time, pushing Rai all the way down Kai's throat. The tiger was surprised. He thought that he'd never be able to deep-throat, especially Rai's cock. But it did.

The wolf's body continued to jerk erratically as his seed filled the snow leopard's insides. Kai could feel his climax just on the horizon. Rai was just too good at sucking his cock, and the fact that a big bear was pounding his ass made it even more difficult to last any longer. And simply because he started thinking about cumming, his body was pleased to oblige. With Jorn's thick boner giving his prostate a deep massage and Rai sucking him hard, there was no more holding back. He couldn't control it. He had to let go.

"MMMMM!!" he screamed, with Rai's massive member muffling his loud moan. He felt his seed rush up from inside and shoot straight into the back of his boyfriend's throat. With so many bodies above him, Kai couldn't really squirm or writhe, but that only made it all the more satisfying as each load that spurted out from him also made his ass clench hard around Jorn's meaty shaft.

"God damn it, tiger! Your ass is so tight right now!" Jorn exclaimed, thrusting faster and harder into Kai's hole, making the tiger shoot a few more loads into Rai's mouth. "I- I can't hold it back." The polar bear pulled back, almost all the way out, but shoved it all the way back in as deep as he could. "I'm going to breed you _real_deep! Argh!"

The bear's cock swelled and his seed came rushing forth. Kai felt the hot fluid hurry to fill him up deep inside. And just as the bear's cum filled the tiger's ass, Rai jerked and the head of his cock swelled between Kai's tongue and the roof of his mouth. The tiger wasn't expecting it but the snow leopard's cum came rushing out into his mouth, filling it all the way to his lips, some of it spilling out of the corners of his muzzle. He did his best to swallow it. He wanted Rai's seed inside him just as much as Jorn's.

Somewhere deep in his bowels and also in his stomach, Kai could feel the heat of the bear and the snow leopard. And the fact that the bear's cock was still deep inside him was hot beyond hell for some reason for the tiger. He was reveling in the fact that the bear had dominated him and broken in his ass. His striped tail swished back and forth below the edge of the table and coiled around Jorn's bulky leg.

One by one, they all climbed off of each other and Jorn pulled his fat dick out of Kai's hole, which actually felt just as nice as when it went in. The young tiger stayed on the table, letting his whole body go limp and revel in the ecstasy. He glimpsed the black wolf's ass and saw some white goo dripping from his crack. Kai hadn't even notice that Yan came inside Nevan's ass, too.

"Well," Rai began as he collapsed next to Kai. "Was it a good idea? Did you enjoy yourself?"

The tiger's sex-fueled heart pounded throughout his entire body, fluttering at a rate that seemed unhealthy. He turned to his boyfriend and beamed with a huge sigh of satisfaction. "It was a great idea. I loved it."

"Good," Jorn joined in the conversation and started massaging Kai's furry testicles with his huge black-padded paw, making the tiger squirm with even more pleasure. "I'm glad you loved having me tame that sweet feline ass of yours, tiger."

Kai gulped. He could already feel himself getting hard again. And Jorn noticed it.

"Oh?" he observed. "Looks like the tiger is already ready for round two."

Kai shook his head, but he was blushing underneath that fur of his. "Nah," he replied. "Once was good enough for now."

"You sure?" The bear took all of the tiger's growing cock into his paw and gave it a good squeeze as he rubbed himself. "It won't take me take me too long to get hard again if you're already missing the feeling of my dick inside you."

Kai didn't know what to think. He didn't want to decline the offer because - in truth - he actually _was_missing that feeling of the bear's cock inside of him. He turned to Rai for confirmation. However, that same half-hearted smirk crossed Rai's muzzle as he nodded with permission.

He reached down and rubbed his crotch with the bear. It was clear that he was already completely hard again. "Okay," Kai agreed. "Round two."

* *

The black reflection of the lake at night was completely still, mirroring the starlight above perfectly. Nearly everyone was off in their cabins trying to sleep. Only a few campfires remained lit and surrounded by the stragglers of the night that felt it was the best time of the day - the night owls. Kai and Rai were one of those few that remained awake that last night at the camp. Their legs dangled over the edge of the dock, their necks tilted back and their eyes scanning the starlit dome above. Kai couldn't have asked for a better ending to his exchange program.

The rest of the weekend had been great. But nothing would surpass that first night with Jorn, Nevan, Yan, and Rai. And taking the time to relax a week before getting on that plane and heading back home was just what Kai had needed. However, the thought of leaving everyone behind and going back to his overly emotional mother, block-headed father, and boring bigoted town made him fearful. It was as if he was already anticipating the future regret of returning home.

But that wasn't important. What was important was to live in the moment - to take in the stars in the sky and the fresh air of being out in the wilderness. He didn't want to be reminded of what was to come.

So the silence was almost golden, and his ears remained acutely aware the absence of the sounds of nature around him. There was no wind to rustle the leaves. No birds or bugs chirping or buzzing around. It was almost surreal.

"Do you love me, Kai?" Rai asked, seemingly out of nowhere, breaking the silence.

What kind of question was that? Of course he loved him. However, the young tiger gulped and took a few seconds before responding.

"I think I do," he replied. "Yes."

"You think you do?"

"I thought it was self-evident. Why do you even ask?"

"Because you really seemed into Jorn, like you were attracted to him more than me."

Kai swallowed even harder. There was some truth in that.

"But that's just sexual attraction. That's just lust. I have a much deeper emotional connection with you than I could ever have with Jorn."

"How do you know that?"

"Well, I guess I can't really know for certain. But why does that matter if I've chosen to be with you."

"It matters because you're going to be leaving. We're probably never going to see each other again."

Even in the darkness, the dim light from the stars was enough to glimmer in the tears that started to form in the snow leopard's eyes. Kai immediately felt bad. Somewhere, deep down, he had known that he'd only end up hurting him. Perhaps, he thought, he should have convinced himself of that before deciding to date anyone.

Kai got so caught up in his thoughts that he didn't even answer Rai. He just lowered his head and stared at the orange-colored star that reflected just above his foot in the water.

"Do you need me?" Rai asked, turning to face his boyfriend.

The question actually made the tiger angry. It was a reaction that he was all too familiar with. But Kai couldn't do it. He couldn't turn as look into those green eyes swollen and red with tears. They were tears that he knew he could never remove with an honest response. But he had to respond. He had to tell Rai the truth. At least, it was the truth as he'd always known it.

"Honestly, I don't need anyone. I've never wanted to need anyone. Life is something I need to be able to do on my own. Because who am I if I can't take care of myself, first?"

"Is that how you really feel?"

"Of course that's how I really feel. I've never needed anyone, and I don't need to need someone now." The anger was starting to become evident in his voice. But if he hadn't been caught up in his emotion, he may have realized that part of that anger was because he knew he'd be leaving Rai behind. Probably - like Rai had said - never to see each other again.

"I don't think that's the truth."

"Well, it doesn't really matter what you think, does it?" Kai finally growled a bit. "I don't need you and I never will."

"Oh," Rai's voice cracked as he gave a slight whimper.

Kai still didn't turn. He still didn't want to face his boyfriend's authentic feelings. He didn't want to face the regret of possibly making the worst mistake of his life.

But that sound - the silence. It was no longer golden.

Rai rose to his feet and started to walk away, his fluffy tail brushing up against Kai's arm as he did so. The wooden planks did the crying for the snow leopard as he walked across them. And halfway down the dock, he turned around.

"It must be hard-" he added, "-never being able to need someone."

Kai kept his head hung and his eyes affixed to the same star in the lake - the one star that stood out from the rest.

Rai sniffed, "I guess this is goodbye, then?"

"I guess so," the tiger replied, bleakly. Just one tear formed in his eye before he wiped it away. Crying wasn't for male tigers.

* *

He had had his reasons to do what he did. It wouldn't have mattered anyway. He was leaving. He was never going to see any of them again, so what use was it to maintain a relationship. It was just like he'd said. He didn't need them. He didn't need anyone, because who was he if he couldn't take care of himself. Who was he if he was just as uselessly dependent as everyone else?

But that smell. The smell of the snow leopard - his snow leopard - lingered on his clothing from all the times they'd held each other. It remained from each time he'd needed comfort and Rai had been there for him, to hold him close and squeeze him tight. It was a smell that was distinct from all other smells around him at the airport. It even overwhelmed the wonderful smell that had overtaken him the first time he'd stepped out of that very airport the day he'd arrived in the country. His mind obviously didn't care about anything else. But he did his best to shoo it away from his consciousness.

All it did was make him want to cry. All it did was make him think about "what if?" And Kai hated "what if" questions. It was over. He couldn't change it now.

However, he still pulled the collar of his shirt up to his nose and took in the lingering aroma that brought the image of Rai to his mind. The off-white and spotted coat of fur that was just as fluffy as his. It was a trademark of all the snow cats, and some strands of that fur still clung to the fabric. Also, those glowing, emerald eyes that he could just get lost inside, like an endless trail in a never-ending forest. That shy smile that was nearly always curled across either corner of his muzzle. And those supple, smoky lips that Kai just loved to caress with his own.

No. The tiger shook his and released the shirt from his paw. It was useless to think about. He'd ended it and that was what he had to do. He would have just kept hurting him otherwise.

No matter what, he still would have craved something more. He still would have wanted the freedom of an open relationship, and he knew just how much that was hurting Rai. The leopard may not have admitted it, but Kai could always see it in his eyes - that shame and disappointment that he couldn't provide all of the tiger's happiness. Kai couldn't do that to him anymore. Even if Rai would have chosen him before all others, he wouldn't let him continue to sacrifice so much just for his sake. It was better off this way.

Wasn't it?

Stop it, he thought. He couldn't bear all of the thinking. It was giving him a headache.

He looked out the window to find that the plane still hadn't arrived. It was already running fifteen minutes late. How long was it going to take, damn it? But the sun caught his eye. It sure was a beautiful day, perfect for Rai's graduation.

Fuck, he was doing it again. Graduation was just beginning and soon Rai would be shaking hands with professors and finally taking hold of that well-earned degree. The thought did bring a smile to his face. He still wished nothing but success for the snow leopard, because he truly was more intelligent than he realized.

He hung his head and chose to stare at the carpet instead. Due to the heavy traffic over the years, it had been flattened and weathered into an unappealing mess. All those people coming and going - not even caring about what they were even stepping on. In a way, which he thought was stupid, he felt sorry for it. Sacrificing itself for the needs of others; so willing to be trampled.

Who was he sacrificing for?

He swallowed hard. The thought that it may actually be him who is sacrificing his wants and needs for others frightened him. He reminded himself of just how distraught his mother would be even he'd told her the truth about his experience in this country and that he may even want to stay or live here. She wouldn't be supportive. And dad just wouldn't care. Was he returning home for their sake? Did he abandon everything here to please them? Did he break up with Rai because he was afraid? Afraid of what?

Too many questions. Stop it, Kai.

"Economy passengers may board at this time," the female human attendant announced from the desk. He was so caught up in his thoughts that he didn't even realize that his plane had arrived and first class had already boarded. He took in a deep breath, grabbed his carry-on backpack, and stood from the uncomfortable seat.

He made his way to the line in a bit of a shamble. Dragging his feet was just a symptom of how he truly felt. In fact, his entire body felt weak.

"Ticket please?" she asked him.

Kai dug into his pant pocket to procure the flimsy sheet of paper to prove he paid for the flight.

"Yo, tiger!" a voice boomed from his right and everyone in line turned to see who was yelling. By the time Kai's unenthused muscles had turned to look, the brute was already upon him. All he saw was a mass of white fur overwhelming him and tackling him to the floor. He winced, closing his eyes and wondering what the hell was going on.

"What the hell do you think you're doing!?" the furry tackler scolded him. There was only one person it could be as Kai felt the massive weight push him hard into the floor and the burly arms stayed wrapped around him. It was Jorn.

"I'm going home," Kai cringed, trying to struggle free from the polar bear's powerful grapple. "My visa is up in three days, Jorn. I can't stay here."

"Yet you'll fucking miss your boyfriend's graduation? One of the most important days of his life?"

"Didn't you hear? We broke up."

"No, you didn't."

"Yes, we did."

"Not on my watch!" The bear's persistence certainly was annoying, but also something to be admired. "You guys are too perfect for each other for you to go and fuck this up. If anything, I'm doing this for your own good! You need that leopard in your life. And you're a blind fool if you don't realize that."

"I don't need anyone, Jorn. I'm fine on my own."

"Bullshit!"

Kai couldn't help but stare into those bright blue eyes of his. The polar bear was serious.

"Hey you! Bear!" some other voice shouted in the distance. In his periphery, Kai glimpsed a number of airport security personnel rushing his way.

"Needing someone is a powerful thing, Kai! None of us would have ever survived if it wasn't for the power of being dependent on others. We cannot fulfill all of our needs on our own. That why we need others."

Kai wondered when the bear had learned to be so eloquent and inspirational. But those words hit him hard. His chest grew warm and tears filled his eyes. It was the first time that he'd ever let his emotions get the better of him.

The tears fell down his cheeks and his voice cracked, "You're right. I do need him!"

"I was just scared," Kai continued. "I was scared that I could never be loved unless I was independent, and needing someone meant that I was worthless. But I already miss him. I already miss staring into those beautiful eyes and feeling his warm arms around me. I miss that sweet kiss of his. I miss his compassion and his honesty. I miss-"

"Then go get him. Tell him that you need him," Jorn interrupted and his body seized up squeezing and embracing Kai the hardest he'd ever done. Tears also started dripping immediately from his eyes.

Kai sniffed and chuckled, "I didn't know you could be so affectionate, Jorn."

"It's not me," the bear shook his head with very poor control. "They just tazered my ass."

It took four security personnel to lift the huge bear off of Kai and restrain him. The polar bear must've charged past security and ran straight to the right gate. Kai was impressed and also worried what would happen to the bear.

"You risked jail for this?" Kai exclaimed as him clambered to his feet and brushed off his clothes.

Security tugged at him, forcing him to turn around but he twisted his neck backward to say one last thing.

"And you better make it worth it, tiger!"

* *

"Out of my way!" Kai warned, pushing people aside and bursting through the metal doors of the gymnasium. Even though it was a summer graduation, there was a much larger crowd than he would have expected. He just hoped that he wasn't too late.

There must've been over fifty rows of graduating students that lined the center of the large gym. The tiger's eyes darted between each one trying to find the leopard, but there were too many felines that had similar coats to his, except for the spots. Most of them were snoozing as they pretended to listen to the alumni speaker.

Frustrated, Kai snuck up to the closest row of graduates and asked the one on the outside where the graduates for chemical engineering were. The canine just furrowed his thick brow and scowled. He'd experienced the same reaction many of times before from dogs. It also didn't help that he must've looked quite out of place sneaking around the perimeter of the seating.

"Get the fuck out of here, tiger," one particular student, a human, spat. Kai just growled at him and resigned from his fruitless attempt to ask the graduates any more question.

There had to be a way he could find Rai and get his attention. That's when his eyes crept over to the podium and the speaker that no one was paying attention to. Kai took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. It was his best option, and in addition, it would prove to Rai that he could admit he needed him in front of everyone.

Concealing himself within a small group of photographers next to the stage, he prepared himself. He needed to be quick, because there was no doubt that campus security would be hauling him off of the makeshift stage within a minute of stealing the microphone from the speaker. He was sure that most of the students would thank him for ending such a boring speech and adding some excitement to their graduation.

Then, there it was - the perfect opening right up to the podium. Kai started off in a dash up the few step onto the stage, his paw stretch forward, aiming right for the microphone. The sprint took him three seconds. And with the microphone in his paw, he slammed it a few times with his other paw to wake up everyone in the arena. He saw a number of heads jerk upward from the ear-splitting, popping sounds.

"Attention everyone!" Kai began, "I apologize for interrupting your exciting graduation, but there is something very important that I need to admit to someone very special to me." His lips were moving miles a minute as to get in everything he need to say. He even noticed campus security already rushing over to the stage. "Rai! Where are you?"

"What the hell are you doing?" The boring speaker protested.

"Oh, quiet!" the tiger barked at him, being sure that everyone could still hear him in the microphone. "No one was paying attention to you anyway." He then noticed a familiar figure stand near the center of the graduate seating. It was Rai! And even though the leopard was a fair distance away, he connected with those deep green eyes. "I need you, Rai! It was stupid of me to think that I could live my life without you - without your love. I just hope that you need me as much as I need you. That you love me as much as I love you."

"I do!" Rai yelled with his paws cupped against his muzzle to project his voice.

"So," he went on, "in front of everyone here, this is my declaration of dependence. This is my statement and promise of necessity. Together, we will face the challenges of life together. Because power doesn't come from independence, it comes from love - it comes from our love!"

He dropped the microphone to the stage floor just before campus security was at his heels. And before they could pull him into their grasp he jumped down from the stage and charged down the middle walkway between the students' seating. Rai worked his way out from his row and stumbled into the walkway to meet Kai, and the tiger threw himself into his leopard's arms, the same arms he'd missed so much just a few hours earlier.

"I love you so much," Kai cried.

Rai beamed, "And I love you."

"It doesn't even matter if my visa is expiring. I'm staying with you no matter what. We'll find a way to make it work. I want to make it work. Because I never want to hurt you again."

"We will, Kai. We will make it work."

Kai's arms crept up until they met with Rai's head. He tilted it back and dug his lips deep into the leopard's mouth, kissing him the hardest he'd ever had before. The snow leopard melted in his arms.

After a second, Rai's eyes opened and shifted back and forth between Kai's sparkling orbs. And with a smirk he said, "You'd better run, Kai. See you at my place?"

"You bet," replied the tiger, giving the leopard another quick peck on the lips before releasing him and dashing the rest of the way down the walkway. Choosing not to look back, he left campus security in the dust. He'd done what he needed to do.

* *

"You're one crazy tiger, Kai," Rai chuckled, caressing his boyfriend's fuzzy, orange and white cheek. The feeling of Kai pressed against his chest once more was all he could have asked for.

A sly grin stretched across the tiger's lips, "But that's partly why you love me."

"That's definitely not false."

"So shall we begin?"

"After you, my love. I'm certainly ready for you," Rai sighed with anticipatory pleasure. "I just hope you're ready for me."

Kai puffed a tiny laugh. "You may be big but that'll only make this better for me." He leaned forward and twisted his hips upward, placing his eager hole atop the head of his boyfriend's gigantic member. A grateful smile crept across his muzzle as he continued to stare deeply into Rai's emerald eyes that glimmered in the flicker of the candlelight on the nightstand. His eyes shut and he lowered his hips, letting the leopard's cock spread him wide. He delighted in the feeling of his boyfriend's warm flesh starting to fill him.

Inch by slow inch, he lowered himself until he felt his ass pressed gently against Rai's furry thighs. The leopard was now all of the way in and it made Kai feel somewhat fulfilled. In that moment, part of them was melded together - intimately connected.

The young tiger arched his back and leaned forward until his lips met with Rai's. For a number of seconds they massaged each other's mouths and tongues, tasting as much of the other as possible. Never again would he have to miss that taste. That smell. That feeling.

His eyes opened again and met with the snow leopard. And even with everything they'd been through in such a short time, that same admiration Kai had noticed the first day they'd met remained as a bright gleam in Rai's eyes. Something there made Kai confident that their love was unbreakable - that they'd already been through the worst.

He started to rock on top of the leopard, controlling the way Rai's erection would massage his prostate. Choosing his own movements made it easier to pleasure himself from the inside, and it was unnecessary to touch his erection in order to stimulate himself fully. Just having the snow leopard's hard cock stretching his insides and rubbing him the right way was enough to produce that tingling sensation in his furry balls.

His pace started to increased, bobbing up and down on top of the thick, fleshy pole, causing Rai to pant and moan as the wet sounds and musky smells of sex began to fill the room. And with each new penetration, it felt as if the leopard's dick was going even farther inside him, pushing him closer to climax. He leaned forward. His lips pressed hard against his love's muzzle. They kissed deeper and harder with each passing second, with the tiger using only his hips to hump the leopard.

Rai gently bit Kai's lip as he let a soft moan escape. "I-I'm getting close, Kai," he whispered.

"So am I," the tiger replied, returning the tender bite.

The snow leopard's body tensed and his furry arms tightened around the tiger's back as his seed was released. Rai's cock swelled inside Kai, and the cum flowed out like a fountain inside him. The white substance was enough to stretch the tiger even more, pushing him to climax.

The tiger let out a roar as his ass clenched tight around the leopard's shaft and his balls emptied, shooting his hot load out onto the leopard's soft, white belly. And with five good spurts, he could be sure that that had been one of the best orgasm's he'd ever experienced. It was even hands-free. Something he thought he'd never be able to do.

He let his body collapse into Rai and dug his muzzle into the leopard's fluffy chest fur - the fur that was just like his. He kept the leopard's cock inside of him, however. He liked the feeling of keeping him connected like that.

"I love you so much," Kai repeated. He couldn't stop saying it now. "And I know I always will, Rai."

"And I love you, too, Kai."