[b][IOSEF][/b]

It was nearly five in the morning when they reached Wildfire.  Iosef and the other two cubs had fallen asleep, and were woken by the Wolf who was their escort just as they turned onto a dirt road that was normally a concealed offshoot of the main road. 

Iosef was still in Rick's lap, snuggled up against the strong Canine's chest. The Wolf had one arm around him, and that paw was tucked underneath Iosef's overlarge hoodie, and shoved down the back of the young Lion's underwear. The simple fact that the Wolf was showing 'interest' in him was thrilling, though he still wasn't entirely sure about the feelings he was having about the Wolf. He snuggled himself closer and felt the Wolf tighten his hold, squeezing losef's rump. The young Lion's giggle gave away that he wasn't sleeping anymore.

Rick nuzzled the boy's head, "We just got onto one of the roads leading into Wildfire. We're only about twenty minutes out. Go back to sleep, sweetheart, I'll wake you when we're closer." 

Iosef could feel the Wolf's sheath against his own, separated only by the thin cloth of his briefs. He knew he should feel uncomfortable about that - especially considering where Rick's paw was, but he didn't. He wiggled in the Wolf's lap, "Mr. Rick? Help me get these undies off."

The Wolf gulped, and stammered, "Are y-you sure, Iosef? After I helped you put em on?"

Iosef blushed and wasn't sure what to say. He didn't want to just [i]say[/i] 'I want to feel your sheath on mine' - it was naughty! Stammering, himself, he quickly fibbed, "I th-thought they'd be n-nice, but the stretchy around my tail is r-really tight."

Rick took his paw that was in Iosef's underwear mostly out, just enough to hook his thumb-claw into the elastic waistband, and quickly slice through it down to the tail opening. Iosef squealed in surprise, but then giggled, "Your claws are way sharper than mine!"

With Rick's patience as he squirmed about on his lap in the process, he quickly got rid of the underwear, then they settled back into their previous position. The only difference was that, now, Iosef could feel the warm firmness of the Wolf's sheath and its contents. He moaned quietly, and said, "Your peep is all hard."

The Wolf chuckled, "Feels like yours is, too."

Iosef blushed and nodded. Unlike the Wolf, who was 'hard in sheath', Iosef's small Feline cock was fully out of its usual home, leaking pre all over the adult's sheath. Gathering his courage, the young Lion asked, "Can I touch it? Y-yours, I mean."

"There's not a whole lotta space between me and the steering wheel, for that," the Wolf began, taking one of Iosef's round ears in his teeth and lightly tugging, "But if you move onto the seat next to me, sure."

Iosef quickly moved off so he was sitting right next to him, and he tentatively reached over to put his paw around the Wolf's sheath, glancing at Rick to make sure this was alright. The Wolf placed his now free paw around the Cat's, 'helping' him tug the sheath down and revealing the reddish-pink tip of his penis. Before he could lose his nerve, Iosef leaned his head down to take that tip in his muzzle. He shouldn't be putting his tongue - let alone his muzzle - there, but he couldn't help himself. He wanted to know what it [i]tasted[/i] like. The smell was attractive as well - it was a strong smell, and similar to sweat, but...deeper, somehow, and only really strong in the fur around the Wolf's genitals.

The Wolf was leaking pre-cum copiously, and Iosef found it tangy and salty and he soon found himself suckling eagerly for more of it. The Canine penis in his muzzle quickly grew larger, and Iosef had to either back off or lose his prize. He tried to let it into his throat, but the Wolf stopped him, pulling him away and saying, "As much as I'd love for you to do that, sweetheart, you're not ready for that yet. Don't worry yet about deepthroating, for now just do what you're comfortable with."

Iosef nodded and got back down there as soon as the Wolf let him. This time he didn't try taking the whole length into his muzzle, just enough. Rick bucked his hips upward slowly, pulling his knot free of his sheath before he got too aroused to do so. With the knot out, the Canine penis stiffened to its full size, and Iosef was intensely jealous. At his full length, Rick had about nine inches of shaft, with a knot that was nearly three inches thick in itself. A whole foot of Canine meat. Iosef, comparatively, had barely four inches. He sat back, running his paw up and down The Wolf's cock, happy to hear Rick moan from the contact. 

The young Lion alternated between pawing off the Wolf and sucking on his cock, and it didn't take long before the Wolf stopped the car briefly,  using a paw on Iosef's shoulders to shove him down onto his cock and grunt, "Grab the knot, Kitten!"

Iosef complied, and his eyes widened as the first spurt of Wolf cum hit his tongue, followed by a period of almost ten minutes where all he did was swallow the abundant semen the Wolf's cock was spraying into his muzzle. The taste was salty and slightly bitter. Iosef knew what it was. This was the Wolf's [i]cum[/i]! No matter how it tasted, he wasn't going to miss a drop of it. He reached one paw down to rub and fondle at his own arousal, keeping the other firmly around the Wolf's knot. 

All while he was cumming, Rick's paw roamed over Iosef's back and shoulders, and especially his butt. Iosef didn't know why he'd been scared of this, before. It had been strange and confusing, wanting to do naughty stuff with the adult Wolf... but now that he [i]was[/i], he wanted to do this all the time. Knowing the Wolf [i]wanted[/i] him in that way was...well, it made Iosef feel awesome. An adult thought he was [i]sexy[/i]! 

When the deluge was finished, Iosef gingerly pulled off the still rather stiff penis. He had to swallow a few more times before he could speak, but he wasn't sure what to say. He watched Rick double over briefly, getting himself in order quickly with rough licks to his own knot. Once he was done, he looked over at Iosef, "Thank you, Kitty. You did real good."

Iosef blushed, still playing with himself, and smiled shyly, "I've never done anything like that before. It was fun...but...isn't it wrong? Pas said I shouldn't touch anyone's privates...I definitely probably shouldn't have put my tongue on...yours...but I really wanted to."

As he got the car moving again, Rick ruffled Iosef's mane, "Your pas was trying to protect you. But let me ask you this: did [i]you[/i] like it?"

The young Lion nodded, "Yeah! Can we do it again?"

The Wolf chuckled, "Maybe at Wildfire. I can't go as often as you Felines can - I need a bit before I can go again. But before we get to Wildfire, I need to explain a couple things. Why don't you snuggle against me again?"

Iosef complied eagerly, and even lifted the bottom of his hoodie, hoping the Wolf would touch his peep. The Wolf seemed to be about to, but he stopped, first. "Would you like me to play with your...?"

Iosef grabbed the paw the Wolf had had hovering over his crotch, and brought it down over his privates. Rick  chuckled and rubbed his whole paw over Iosef's small erection, saying, "I'll take that as a 'yes'. But what if you'd said no, but I did this anyways? How would you feel?"

"I'd move away. Scoot to the other end...but you're bigger, and the car's moving...I wouldn't be able to push you off without risking you losing control of the car...I'd have to let you do what you wanted."

"I didn't ask what you'd [i]do[/i], I asked how you'd [i]feel[/i]."

"Uncomfortable, because I'm trapped. And now that you've pointed it out, I'm a bit uncomfortable already," Iosef replied, shying away. Rick removed his paw from the boy's crotch without protest and nodded, "I'm sorry it ruined the mood, but that was my point. The number one rule at Wildfire is 'no play unless everyone involved wants it', and that goes double for us adults. But sex isn't something we keep from you cubs, either. If you wanted to, say, have Stray back there suck on [i]your[/i] penis, and he was willing to, you can do that. I wanted to make sure you understand, though, that both you and he always have the right to refuse, and you'd have to respect his wishes."

"OK. That makes sense... and all the adults at Wildfire will, too? Like, if I say no..."

"I won't give you guarantees, but BB - the Big Boss - selects the Counselors very carefully to make sure they're the kind of people who can respect a cub's choices. And anyone else who's staff gets similar vetting. If anyone - Counselor, staff, or visitor - does something sexual to you you don't like, find a Security officer as soon as possible. We're the ones in the black-and-red uniforms. We'll take care of the offender, possibly even kicking them out of Wildfire. On that note, if [i]any[/i] Security officer in uniform tries to get you to 'play' with them, find [i]another[/i] officer, or better yet, find [i]me[/i] immediately. No Security member is allowed to have sex with anyone while on duty, and they all know better than to wear the uniform when trying for 'play'."

"Cause a cub might do things for them they don't really want to, because a Security officer is telling them to?" Iosef ventured.

The Wolf looked pleased, "Exactly. You've got a quick mind. The only other thing I've gotta mention before we arrive is the collar system: a red or white collar means the person wearing it is off-limits for any sex play. Red is usually age or medically related - cubs who haven't hit puberty themselves are red collared. It varies by Tribe, but Anthro cubs are generally red-collared until they're eight, humans are until they're thirteen. White collars are the by-request version - if someone just doesn't want to do that kind of stuff in general, or is in an exclusive relationship and are unwilling to play outside of their relationship, they can ask to be white-collared. A red collar is absolute - if someone's caught doing anything sexual with a red-collar cub, it's grounds for immediate expulsion from Wildfire. With a white collar, only the person wearing it can take it off, and they can do so whenever they do feel like in engaging in sex stuff."

'So red is 'hard no', white is 'usually no'. OK. Are there other collars?"

"Black is the collar that comes with the Wildfire uniform, though they're not mandatory to wear. They mean 'normal rules' - that person's open to play, but can refuse at any time. Blue is really rare. Someone with a blue-collar has completely waived their right to consent. Anyone who wants to do anything sexual with them can do so, even if the blue-collar doesn't want to. You cubs have to jump through a lot of hoops to get one of those - but a few adults have them. The only other collar color, green, you'll only see on females. It indicates that they're in Heat and are [i]not[/i] taking fertility blockers. They might be quite up for play, but the green collar serves as a warning that they can become pregnant."

"But if you're cross-Tribe, does that matter?"

"Anthros can impregnate Anthros, period. Cross-Tribe, same House, is easiest after in-Tribe. Cross-Tribe, cross-House is hardest, but in any case the chance isn't zero. You're right, though, that hybrids are extremely rare. Usually cross pregnancies don't carry to term. And look! There's the gate."

[b][STRAY][/b]

Stray woke up when he heard the rear door of the car open. He was still plenty tired, but the short nap had helped a little. Looming over him was Rick, the Wolf who was escorting them to Wildfire, "Wakey wakey, sunshine. We're at Wildfire."

Stray startled, not expecting the Wolf to be right over him like that, "What are you doing?" he asked, feeling the Wolf's paws digging between him and Warrant. 

"Trying to unbuckle you two. Who designed these so the latches are  between both seats!? Look, Stray, can you get it? You're laying over top it too much for me to get my paw in there."

Growing more awake, Stray grinned, "Here I thought you just wanted to feel me up. Move, and I can get the seatbelts. I'm supposed to be his Handler anyways."

Rick climbed back out of the car, and Stray sat up and unlatched the seatbelts holding him and Warrant in place. Despite the awkward position, Warrant was out cold. When Stray tried to nudge him awake, the Dog just flopped into his arms, locking his paws around Stray's shoulders, "[i]Apaki, Pasi. Kie isar fela.[/i]" 

Stray looked back at Rick, who rolled his eyes, "He said, 'Carry me, Daddy. I'm tired.' Actually, it might be '...I'm sleepy' for the second part, but that's basically the same."

Half-dragging his mate out of the car, Stray said, "They've been trying to teach me Canid, but I don't know it very well yet."

"You'd only really need it to impress Canids. Or if you went to Europe, where they still use it as a lingua franca between the Houses. All the signage in Wildfire is written in Canid rune, even though it's English, so at least learning the script is helpful. Here, I'll carry him."

The Wolf hefted Warrant into his arms easily, prompting another murmur, "[i]Doe i'na Pasi...Doe isar-- Lupa ka[/i]!?" As he came awake and realized he was being carried by a Wolf, he flailed and wiggled his way out of the Wolf's arms, falling painfully to the ground. Luckily, the grass was soft enough to prevent much damage. 

Rick scoffed, "That was your own dumb fault, Dog."

Groaning and getting onto his paws, Warrant shook himself, "Sorry. I'm not used to being handled by people other than Pas."

"We heard. Come on. Stray, walk normal for a bit, it'll make things easier."

They followed Rick through the archway that marked Wildfire's southwestern edge of Wildfire's grounds. It looked more like a military checkpoint than the gate to a campgrounds. There were two half-circles of olive, dark green, and black sandbags, each with two Security Wolves posted. The Wolves all had rifles, and Stray could see that they had body armor on beneath the black and red uniforms. They all greeted Rick with salutes, and one of them jogged over to their group, saying, "Early told us you were coming. He said the Old Man said to bring all three cubs straight to him when you got here, sir."

Rick nodded, growling, "Sure. Not like we're all dead-tired or anything."

The younger Wolf held up his paws, "Hey, I'm just relaying orders, Captain."

Rick waved him off, "It's fine, Ren. I'll just take my griping to the Old Man himself. This coulda waited 'till morning...or at least until I had a nap."

The two cubs and Stray (who was still not sure he counted as a 'cub') followed Rick up a steep hill and then saw Wildfire for the first time.

What had to be a couple hundred acres of cleared land were host to a dizzying collection of buildings. The most centralized of these looked like they had once been part of a government installation - all poured-concrete and minimalist buildings. Surrounding these were four rings of about three hundred cabins, divided by four roads that seemed to be aligned along the compass points.

 Stopping to catch his breath at the top of the hill, Rick pointed out the cabins, "Those are the cabins where you'll be staying. There are three hundred and fifty-nine cabins per ring, for a total of 1,436 - but right now only about an eighth of them are occupied. Each ring is assigned a letter. Innermost is K, then F, then M, and the outermost is R. Each cabin is assigned a number between one and three-fifty-nine. Cabin '1' is due north, and the numbering goes clockwise from there. To tell someone what cabin you live in, you'd say something like 'R-91'. The buildings you see in the center are all admin buildings, along with the bathhouses, mess halls, and such. To the south, closest to us, are all the recreational buildings - sports fields, game courts, racetracks, and the like. To the west is where the school, libraries, and educational buildings are. North is some more admin buildings, and some specialized buildings like the shooting range, the engineering quarters, and some adults-only stuff like bars. East has the game arcades, most of the shops and malls, and further east, past that section of the forest, is the hospital. As full residents, all of you will have full access to most areas. The only places you won't be allowed are the age-restricted areas and some of the admin buildings you have no business being in anyways. Welcome to Wildfire, cubs. We're heading for that big tall building dead-center - that's where the Old Man runs things from."

Wildfire was essentially a small city unto itself, albeit a startlingly well- organized one. As they headed down the hill they'd viewed the Campgrounds from, Stray could see that most of it was empty, however. "How many people live here?" he asked.

"Almost three thousand, currently. Only nine-hundred-something are cubs, about half of which are permanent residents. All the rest are adults - Counselors, staff, and visitors. Right now, most everyone is asleep still. Wake-up's at seven hours, breakfast is from seven-thirty to eight-thirty. When school is running for the cubs, wake-up will be at six-thirty, breakfast at seven, classes at eight. But it's summer, so you lot will be free to do whatever after breakfast. Oh, Dog, I am [i]hungry[/i], now."

As they passed through the sports area, Stray saw that there was almost everything. Baseball, football, and soccer fields, tennis and basketball courts, swimming pools, hockey rinks...literally everything that counted even vaguely as a 'sport'. All of these were well maintained, and Stray noticed that some had signs posted nearby, and asked what they said. 

Rick chuckled, " 'No sexual activity on the field, please.' "

The young Lion piped up, "Not all of them have those, it looks like."

"Yeah. Maintenance puts them up on the fields they're planning to work on that day. It's a lot easier to clear people off so they can work, if nobody's tied to nobody."

"Um...what about bathrooms, sir? Am I allowed to..." Warrant asked. 

The Wolf pointed at a small building that looked to be partially roofless, "Go in there and do what you gotta. You two need to go, too?"

All three cubs had to 'go', so Rick walked with them over to the building. It wasn't sex-segregated, but it [i]was[/i] split into two areas - one with urinals and toilets for humans and Anthros, and the other, roofless area with grass for Ferals. Seeing evidence of other users on the Feral side, Warrant was excited, "Are there more Ferals, here?"

Leaning against the doorway, Rick nodded, "Not many who are residents, but BB is on good terms with a few of the nearby Handlers' Clubs, and he lets them bring their Fourlegs along if they agree to his rules. You're only our seventh full-time Feral resident."

After everyone had done their business, they continued deeper into Wildfire. As Stray had thought when he'd seen them from the hill, the central admin buildings were definitely the remains of a government site, and a heavy-duty one at that. "What did this place used to be?"

"Government fallout bunker and military command post. Beneath this area, there's a network of underground tunnels and rooms. It's good you asked, because I forgot to mention this: the Underground is off limits to anyone not part of the Security corps. Unless me or the Old Man is with you, no one else is allowed to 'let you in' down there. Now, come on, we're almost there."

The office of the Old Man of Wildfire was...surprisingly plain. The walls were thick concrete, of course, and the room was designed to make it obvious who was in charge, but any CEO or mob boss could manage that much. Still, when Stray entered the room with the others, he knew who held all the power, here, and was definitely going to be on his best behavior. 

Aside from BB - whom Stray had met already - there were two others in the room. One was a male Wolfdog, and the other was a male Alsatian. Once they were all within speaking distance, Rick made introductions - "I'm sure you all can figure out who the Old Man is...in case you're blind, it's the old man. The Wolfdog to his right is Head Counselor Jamie Halstadt. The Dog to his left is Counselor Robert Bailey - goes by Robbie. Gentlemen, Sir, the boys here are Warrant Hawles, our Fourlegs, Stray Hawles - formerly Joseph Salbard, and Iosef, who hasn't told me his last name yet."

"It's Luzhred, sirs," Iosef supplied, looking quite intimidated by the two new Canines.

"...Iosef Luzhred."

The Old Man nodded, his voice tinged heavily with sarcasm, "Thank you for bringing them to us, safe and sound, without [i]any[/i] additions to your impressive body count, Rick."

Rick seemed oblivious to the barb, "I do my best, sir."

Rolling his eyes, BB held up a hand and indicated the Alsatian, "Boys, Mr. Bailey here is to be your Counselor - essentially your legal guardian - while you're with us at Wildfire. Except for sexual propositions, I  expect you all to obey him the same as you would your own parents. That's the simple bit to get out of the way. Now, we do have a few things to discuss. Stray, I am understanding that young Warrant had you suffer medical alterations. Unfortunately, it's easier to remove than restore what was lost, so your...bowel difficulties, I'm afraid, cannot be fixed. However, the other modifications can be undone if that's your desire. As of right now, you and Warrant no longer have legal ties. In a strictly legal sense, both you and he are now the property of Wildfire Corporation. If you still wish to associate with him - either simply as his Handler, or as his pet, Wildfire is prepared to accommodate you. Warrant, while at Wildfire, you are not anyone's pet. You may do as you please, here, so long as it's not against the rules. No leashes, no collars if you don't want to wear one, you're an equal resident, here. However, as a Feral, I don't need to tell you that your state makes many things difficult. Though Wildfire has been designed to accommodate your kind, and we try to teach tolerance to our cubs and visitors, I cannot promise that everywhere will be open to you, nor everyone. Finally, young Iosef - we did not expect to be having you, but rest assured that you are as welcome here as any other cub. Now, do any of you have questions for me?"

Warrant was the first to speak up, "Sir, I'd like to ask if I can be made Stray's legal property."

Stray gasped and turned to crouch next to Warrant, pulling his face towards him, "What? We can't [i] each other's[/i] pet!"

Warrant was serious, "Stray, you deserve for me to do the same for you as you did for me. If...Mr. Boss has the papers drafted up, I'll mark them. I'm yours."

BB seemed amused, "He's right, though. You're both legally nonhuman chattel. Pets, to put it simply. I actually can't grant either of you possession of the other, because legally [i]neither[/i] of you can own anything. However, if you'd like, I can arrange for you two to be officially Mated. From a certain point of view, that's almost as though you were each other's property. Keep in mind that only Wildfire would recognize the union."

Both boys had no hesitation in agreeing, "Yes!"

BB smiled, "Very well. Anything else? Stray?"

"Um...this will sound crazy, but...I don't mind the mods I got. Really. But
...uh...there [i]is[/i] one mod I'd like to get, if you'll indulge me," Stray said, still crouched next to his Mate. 

"What might that be?"

"Is there a mod that'll let me walk like a Feral instead of crawling everywhere? I've gotten used to being a pet, but crawling to be on Warrant's level is a pain, even with the Biofoam insert things."

BB looked thoughtful, "There might be such a surgery, but you'll need to assure us all that you're absolutely sure about this. As I said before, it's easier to remove than restore, even with our many medical advances. I'll schedule you for a session or two with our resident Psychologist. If he agrees that you're making this choice free-willed...well, I did offer to accommodate your relationship with Warrant."

Rick spoke up, then, "Actually, sir, this might be an opportunity. That kind of mod... it's exactly what a slaver would want to put on a human pet - makes it much more difficult for them to return to a normal life. Black Tree is known to be into the pet business on general - whether Anthro cubs they've cubnapped or humans they've captured and broken. Maybe we could use getting Stray that mod as cover to find out more about Black Tree. Also, Iosef here is with us courtesy of Black Tree, I suspect. I recommended he be red-collared until he's talked to the shrink as well...but what he can tell is about his abduction might bear fruit against them as well."

Iosef was surprisingly offended, "But, Mr. Rick! I wouldn't be able to 'play' if I'm red-collared! That's not fair!"

The Wolfdog cleared his throat, "I'd like to point out that Dr. Tanner is already overbooked, with Dr. Merlin on paternity leave. And I'm not going to knock [i]my[/i] cubs down on the waiting list for anyone, sir."

The Old Man grinned at him approvingly, "Don't worry, James. No one's getting moved down the list, but all right. It goes against policy, but, hey,  I'm the Boss: Iosef, you do not need to be red-collared - however, if any Counselors feel that you are showing psychological red flags, you will be collared until our psych has time to see you. Stray, you obviously understand how irreversible surgical procedures can be. I will expect Rick to make sure you have every opportunity to back out if you change your mind, but I won't stop you. Rick? Give me an op-sheet by nineteen hours, and I may just green-light it in a fit if senility. Now, unless there's anything else, you all look like you can use some sleep."

[b][JAMIE][/b]

Jamie hated the elevator that was the only access in or out of BB's office (unless you felt like taking the 'scenic route' - a network of stairs and metal walkways that climbed around and up the building, all with no guardrails). He hated elevators in general, actually. Deathtraps. But as Head Counselor, he had to make daily reports to the Old Man, which meant taking the elevator at least twice per day. Today was especially nerve-wracking, because the little elevator box was rather cramped, what with Rick, Robbie, and Jamie himself, as well as the three new cubs, Warrant, Stray, and Iosef.

Not only was it cramped, but the combined body odor of the two other adult Canines, not to mention Stray's human sweat and that damned Heat mod he had, was [i]not[/i] a pleasant combination. He wasn't blameless himself, there. His penchant for clothing was making him sweat more, unlike Robbie and Rick, who were bottom-less, in keeping with the new fashion. Sure [i]they[/i] were getting musky, too, but not like Jamie was. 

Rick was making no secret of his affection for the young Lion, letting him snuggle close to him on the ride down. Jamie even saw him groping Iosef's butt once or twice, which made the Cat squeak and blush, but also lean into the attention. Robbie noticed it, too, and started asking if Rick wanted to come along to the cabin to help Iosef 'get settled in'. Rick grinned and shook his head, "Got an op to plan out, paperwork to do, and maybe a nap to nap. Maybe later?"

The elevator reached the ground floor and opened, and much to Jamie's annoyance, Rick followed him when they split from the Counselor and his new charges. "Why are you following me, Rick?"

The Wolf gave one of his predatory grins, "One, I'm walking [i]next[/i] to you - hardly 'following'. And two, I wanted to get you alone for a minute."

Jamie's eyebrows rose, "I remember Simon told you, quote, 'if your cock goes anywhere near Jamie's ass or muzzle, I'll cut it off'. Chasing my tail so soon after his death is kinda crass, Rick."

Rick grabbed his shoulder and forced him to face him, "I know you both disliked me 'cos I'm an ass and I've gotta temper...but Simon still was...well, he was what every Wildfire Counselor ought to be. He cared about all his cubs, but I know you in particular were practically his son. I just wanted to say that I'm real sorry for your loss. And I promise you, I'll make those Black Tree bastards [i]pay[/i] for taking him from us."

For a few moments, Jamie was stunned. [i]Rick[/i] was consoling him? Or trying to, in his own typically violent way. "We lost cubs, too, Rick. Simon wasn't the only --"

"Don't give me that! Arthur, Ambrose, Peter, Stuart, Francis, and George, of our cubs. Frankie and Daniel, Counselors. Mike and Sam, of my Security Wolves. And [i]Simon[/i]. I [i]know[/i] who all died, because it was [i]my[/i] job to protect them, and I [i]failed[/i] at it! But I also know you're not going around all shell-shocked for the rest of them. It's your Old Tom you're grieving for."

"I have [i]not[/i] been going around 'all shell-shocked'!"

Rick snorted, "Dude, I'm Head of Security, I know everything that goes on here. After that incident with little Charlie - which was totally badass of the pup, by the way, and you can tell him I said that - you've been running around trying to do [i]everything[/i] Simon used to, throwing yourself into work and trying to balance that with taking care of your cubs like [i]Simon[/i] managed without even breaking a sweat. You haven't even gotten laid since you returned to Wildfire. It's [i]obvious[/i] you're trying to distract yourself."

Jamie couldn't refute that. With his silence, Rick went on, "Look, again,  I know you don't like me, but I wanted to get that off my tail. And suggest that you, maybe, should take some time to yourself. Even the Old Man's starting to worry about you."

"Has my work been unsatisfactory!? I know I've been screwing some things up, 'cause I'm still fuguring things out, but if BB's starting--"

"Dude! Look, it's not about the work! The Old Man doesn't care about the paperwork, you know that! Simon had years of experience running things, but you're still new, [i]and[/i] you're trying to cope with him being gone! You need time to get your head straight!"

Jamie sighed, "But I don't want to fail him, Rick. I [i]have[/i] to fill his paw prints, or...I..."

"Pup, listen, Wildfire won't fall apart if you take a couple weeks off to grieve. You keep on like this, you'll have a breakdown, and [i]then[/i] you might mess something up badly. You wanna fill his prints? Get your head right, first."

Jamie nodded, "Y-you're right, Rick. Thank you. After the funeral, I'll take time off...do you know who he'll make acting HC?"

"My guess is Danny - the Weasel who runs F-13. He used to be an accountant, gotta good head for paperwork, which is most of your job."

Jamie laughed, "Oh thank Dog! I was worried he'd put you in."

Rick laughed as well, "Hell no! He offered me a cabin, once. I told him I'd be teaching the pups how to shoot. Got little human mannequins for targets, too...he rescinded the offer quickly. I dunno what happened to the mannequins, though. Anyhow, there was one other thing I wanted to talk to you about. How well do you think this Bear can act?"

"Uhhh..."

[b][CHARLIE][/b]

Charlie sat in Dr. Tanner's waiting room, reading a magazine for all the world like he was a normal father waiting for his sons. Bruce and Carlos were inside with Dr. Tanner, along with a couple of Jamie's cubs, talking about their experiences with the bus crash, and how they were coping with the death of Simon and the other cubs, as well as having their whole lives uprooted to become permanent Residents at Wildfire. It had only been a few days after they'd all reached Wildfire that Jamie and Charlie had started noticing red flags in the surviving cubs' behavior, and Jamie had had no choice but to have the lot of them red-collared on psychological grounds. They had [i]not[/i] been happy about that. Not just Bruce and little Charlie, but all of Jamie's cabin as well. The Bear and Wolfdog had practically had to quell a riot, when Jamie had told them. 

Faced with their rebellion, Jamie had backed down from having them red-collared, so long as they agreed to both individual and group sessions with Dr. Tanner, twice a week until he cleared them. With Jamie usually preoccupied with Head Counselor stuff, Charlie usually took the cubs. Their cabins were right next to each other, and the cubs freely floated between them, anyways, so it wasn't a big deal. 

The doors opened, and Charlie looked up. Out trudged Bruce, Carlos, Charlie, and Cliff, all looking very annoyed. Charlie wasn't sure whether to be amused or sympathetic, and tried a neutral expression as he spoke to them, "You all look ticked off. What happened?"

Little Charlie spoke up, first, "This is [i]bullshit[/i], Charlie! That guy's acting like we ought to be, like, traumatized, or something!"

"A lot of people would be, after what happened. We were all in a pretty nasty bus crash. Simon and six cubs were dead. We had that...masked guy in the woods with us, maybe trying to kill us! Any of those things by themselves would be considered traumatic!"

"Are you and Jamie seeing the shrink as well, then? 'Cos [i]we[/i] think it's [i]super[/i] unfair [i]we[/i] have to, while you and Jamie get to wait out here in the waiting room!"

Charlie blinked. They actually had a point, there. Charlie covered his tail, though, "Dr. Tanner is already overbooked. Jamie and I wanted you cubs to have priority, that's all. But you're right. Me and Jamie [i]should[/i] be getting counseling also. If we agree to join your group sessions, will you guys stick it out for just a bit longer?"

They consulted among themselves briefly, then Little Charlie shook his head, "No. If it were Dr. Merlin, we'd agree, but this guy? [i]None[/i] of us like him. He's a quack, and he keeps ignoring us when we try and tell him we're [i]fine[/i]. I mean, Carlos, and Thomas and Cliff all said at first that they thought they could actually maybe use  of the therapy, cause Carlos actually got attacked by that creepy masked guy, and Thomas and Cliff still get nightmares about...about Simon...but this guy doesn't seem to really be helping them at [i]all[/i]! And the rest of us have to sit there and talk about our [i]feelings[/i], when I'm pretty sure a wall would actually pay more attention! Get Jamie to let us out of this!"

Was the Doc really that bad? Charlie hadn't actually interacted with him much, but he'd seemed professional enough. Were the boys exaggerating? Charlie didn't think so. At least, he didn't [i]want[/i] to think so. He spoke tentatively, "Look, boys, you know Jamie and I are having you do this because we care about you. But, if Dr. Tanner is as bad as you say...look, let me and Jamie sit in on one more session. If we agree that the Doc ain't helping any, we'll let you stop going, okay? One more session."

They told him they'd have to talk to the others, first, and Charlie readily accepted that. 

As they left the psychologist's office, Charlie texted Jamie. The Fleur d'Or phone he'd been given was sweet, but a bit small for Charlie's big paws, and it was such a pain to type anything normally, so he'd bought a stylus at Wildfire's market, and kept both in a pouch he hung around his neck. Partial dress might've been the fashion in Yellowstone, but Wildfire's usual dress code for cubs and Counselors alike was 'naked'. Since his fur didn't carry pockets, other methods had to be used to carry stuff. 

[color=red]Jamie, the boys are gonna refuse any more therapy until we sit in with them. They're saying the guy doesn't listen to them.[/color]

[b][u]Dr. Merlin[/u] never got complaints like that, but he had to go be with his pregnant wife. Ugh. I'll have to find the time. Do you really think they [u]need[/u] therapy? I'm trying to do right by my pups, but I never thought shrinks were legit, myself. I wish I knew what Simon would've done.[/b]

[color=red]For what it's worth, Carlos got the shrink to let him outta the collar, and he's still going, so he must be getting [u]something[/u]. And Cliff and Tommy supposedly still have nightmares about Simon. TBH, [u]I[/u] still have nightmares about Simon, and I barely knew him. The rest of them, though? Idk.[/color]

[b]Look, let's sit down with them all, and hear them out. I guess I can make it voluntary instead of mandatory.[/b]

[color=red]That might work. Why don't we all have brunch at the cabins? I know you have pull with the kitchens, and it's not fair we had to miss breakfast because of this guy's scheduling.[/color]

[b]Sure. Oh, btw, Alekhine wants to talk to you? If you've got time? Before you ask,  dunno what about.[/b]

[color=red]Am I in trouble? That's the head of Security, right?[/color]

[b]Yeah, he is. And no, you're not. If he had a formal complaint, he'd have brought it up formally. This sounds like an off-record thing.[/b]

[color=red]Greeeat. That doesn't sound ominous at all. Ask him to come by the cabin later.[/color]

"Hey, Charlie! Wanna come with us to the pool? We wanna see you swimming! We heard your Tribe's better than Otters at it, and we wanna see if you can beat Kaleo!" Cliff was asking, making the Bear look up from his phone. He looked over at little Charlie, who was still banned from Wildfire's entertainments after the incident at the arcades. The Bear felt bad for him, and tried to make his 'house arrest' less boring by keeping him company. 

The young Retriever waved out off, "It's okay, Big. I can handle a bit of alone time. You don't have to miss out to keep me company."

"Well," Charlie began, an idea sparking, "I was gonna have Jamie get the kitchens to deliver brunch to our cabin - both cabins - and you're not banned from the bathhouses. If Kaleo and the others are willing to change the location of their challenge, we could all go."

Cliff began texting on his phone, saying, "That's a good idea! The bathhouse pools are usually empty until later on, so it won't be as crowded as the pool. I'm asking Kaleo right now...and he says 'yes, if LC agrees to give him a UBJ when we get there'."

Both Charlies cocked their heads, but it was the Bear who asked the question, "UBJ?"

Bruce rolled his eyes, "Underwater blowjob. Duh."

"Will he give [i]me[/i] an underwater blowjob?" The Bear asked.

Cliff grinned, "Only if you win the race."

[b][IOSEF][/b]

Iosef had never been an 'outgoing' cub, and he really wished that Rick could be their Counselor instead of this new guy. Not that Mr. Robbie seemed like a bad guy, but Iosef didn't know him at all yet. And Rick was, like, a [i]ninja[/i] or something. Badass.  What cub doesn't wanna be raised by a ninja?

So far, Wildfire had seemed so...normal. Except for almost everyone being naked. The hoodie he'd gotten was [i]way[/i] too hot for the weather, but it was either that or go naked himself, which he wasn't ready for. So he'd kept it on, and hoped Mr. Robbie might have clothes he could borrow. 

Warrant and Stray also looked uncomfortable, but for different reasons, Iosef suspected. They were probably worrying about how their new cabin-mates would receive them and -- dammit, now [i]he[/i] was worrying about that. 

Their cabin was R303, on the outermost ring, roughly west-northwest from BB's building. It wasn't terribly [i]far[/i], but he, Warrant, and Stray had all gotten very little sleep, and their paws (and Stray's feet) were dragging. By the time they actually got there, they were about ready to just pass out. 

Robbie noticed, and told them, "When we get in, just find a spot in the dogpile and crash. I'll introduce you to your bedmates in a couple hours, unless you want us to let you sleep through breakfast. We might be able to snag stuff to bring back for you, but it'll likely be cold by the time you wake to get to it - the cabins don't have fridges or cookware or anything more dangerous than a microwave."

As they reached the 290s section of the outer ring, they saw the cabin - [i]their[/i] cabin - up ahead. It was much like the others, consisting of a squat, single-room building with a 'Lincoln-logs'-type exterior plastered over with adobe, and a brush-thatch roof. Seeing all three boys' doubtful looks at the building, the Alsatian chuckled, "Don't let the appearance fool you. The thatch is real, but it's coated in flame retardant, and the logs and adobe are reinforced with Bear steel and more flame retardant. It [i]is[/i] primitive, but we're working on that. We don't have running water yet - the original water supply for the whole campgrounds failed completely a few years ago, and the reconstruction work for it has been moving along slowly. Currently, only the inner two rings have water or plumbing. Work's currently on the third ring, so we might not get plumbed for a couple more years yet. You two former pets shouldn't have an issue with that, though - we've been doing our business out back like nature intended, something I understand you two are used to as well."

"Isn't that messy?" Iosef asked, dreading the prospect. 

The Dog shook his head, "Not so much as you'd think. Nature takes care of it pretty quickly, for the most part, and most of you aren't going to be in the cabin all day, so it hardly matters."

"What about electricity?" Warrant asked, already worried about all his high tech toys his mam would be sending. That, thankfully, was not an issue. 

"We've got both power and internet, I'm glad to say. BB figured that since water was being reinstalled from innner to outer, that net access would start on our ring first, as compensation. The Old Man knows what cubs prioritize. And here we are! Welcome home, pups!"

On the door to their new home, there were a series of wooden signs, all 'finger-painted' in bright colors and written in Canid runes: [b]ᚱᛟᛈᛌᛖᚱᛏ - ᚱᛁᛁᛚᛖᛖ - ᚪᚱᛏᚢᚱ - ᛉᛖᛖᚴᛖᛖ - ᛖᛖᛚᛁᛁ - ᛃᛟᛟᚺᚪᚾᛖᛊ - ᛞᛇᚱᛖᚾ[/b]. Iosef didn't know if the other two could read, so he read them aloud, "Robert, Riley, Artur, Zeke, Eli, Johannes, Darren."

Their Counselor grinned, "It'll be up to you to figure out who's who until proper introductions are made. At least you already know one. Come on, you pups look dead on your paws."

They followed him inside, and found a mess. Scattered clothes, personal items, and other sundries littered half the room, with the other half taken up by a gigantic bed, on which were sprawled seven figures. Iosef didn't care about the discrepancy in numbers, because his attention was on the figure the rest seemed to be using as a pillow - a Lion. A [i]Feral[/i] Lion.

Both he and Warrant were entranced. "Look at the [i]size[/i] of him!" Warrant whispered, "You look like a kitten compared to him!" Iosef could only nod. He [i]was[/i] a kitten compared to this beast. The Lion Feral, like Warrant, was full-grown.

"I bet [i]he's[/i] Riley," Stray said, also awed, but not for quite the same reason as the other two. Iosef looked over to him, "Why do you say that?"

"Look at his [i]paws[/i]! They're huge! The sign that said 'Riley' had the thickest lines, which would make sense if they each wrote their own names."

Iosef mentally kicked himself for not thinking of that. Now that it had been mentioned, he could tentatively assign other names to the bodies in the Dogpile. Aside from the Lion, there was a young Red Fox (with a red collar clearly visible around his neck), an all-white Rat, a Coyote, a...female?...Mongoose, a Rottweiler, and another human, though of darker skin than Stray. The signs with the thinnest lines had been Artur, Zeke, and Darren. The Artur sign had been written hesitantly, like a young cub who'd only recently learned his runes - which must have been the young Fox. The Zeke and Darren signs were about the same width, but one had the streaked look that implied some paw-fur got accidentally brushed with the paint. That made the Rat Zeke, and the human Darren. That left Johannes and Eli for the Coyote and Rottweiler, with the female seemingly unlisted. The Rottweiler [i]smelled[/i] younger, but his paws were about the same size as the Coyote's, so size couldn't indicate...and in fact it had looked like both had been written by the same person.

When Iosef spoke what he'd figured so far, the Dog seemed impressed with his logic, "You're right so far, so I might as well give the last three away - Eli is the 'yote, Johannes is the Rottie. And the girl is named Samantha. Speaking of which..."

He nudged one of the girl's dangling footpaws with his own, becoming more insistent until she raised her head groggily. He crouched down and patted her cheek until she actually seemed awake, "Wakey wakey, sleeping beauty. Isn't your mam gonna be worried?"

She looked around blearily, "What time is it?"

"Almost six-thirty. Your mam got off her shift an hour ago."

She squeaked and started digging underneath Eli and Zeke, who were to either side of her, drawing sleepy protests from the boys until she found what she was looking for - her phone. Checking its notifications, she swatted the Rat's butt, "It was [i]ringing[/i] and you didn't wake me! How did you not feel it vibrating?"

The Rat didn't fully wake, but he did smirk, "It was right against my [i]balls[/i], Sam. It felt nice. Your mam knows where you are, anyways. It's not a big deal."

She swatted him again, "Eww! That explains why it's all sweaty!"

"You let it get under there instead of on the floor, you know, off the bed."

She grumbled, then realized she had an audience of more than just Robbie. Her gaze took in Stray, Warrant, and Iosef. She pointed at Iosef, "You! Take my spot. Your fur will look nice between Zeek's and Eli's."

Pointing next to Stray, she said, "[i]You[/i], squeeze in next to him. Eli will cuddle, but my nose tells me you're fine with a dog cock against your butt. And [i]you[/i]...ugh! Why couldn't you be a different color? It throws everything off! Hang on! Go near Riley's muzzle, that way you're bookends with Hans."

The boys bemusedly obeyed her orders, even though she was smaller than any of them. Robbie snickered, "She likes to organize you boys by color. Tries to make the pile 'aesthetically pleasing'."

As she got out of her spot, she complained, "It would be easier if you all weren't mostly shades of brown and black! Arty and Zeek are so hard to place right! What I wouldn't [i]give[/i] for your cabin to get someone with blue fur, or at least another Fox to bookend Arty."

"Now that my parents are too far away to complain, I could have my fur dyed, if that would help any," Warrant said, tentatively laying near the Lion's muzzle. The big Cat opened one eye to check out the newcomer, quickly shutting it before Warrant noticed. 

Zeke yawned and wiggled closer to Iosef's front, "We tried that. I was bright yellow for nearly two months. Also, hi, newbie. Take that shirt off, and I'll let you holster your 'piece'."

The hoodie was thrown off quickly. Iosef stammered as he snuggled up against the smaller Rat, "A-are you sure?"

"Stick it in, and find out, kitty."

Iosef complied, both of them moaning as his short, barbed member made its way easily into the Rat. He started humping into the Rat's backside, even reaching a paw around to take hold of the Rat's surprisingly humanoid member. Zeke must've heard him gasp, because he sighed, "Why is [i]everyone[/i] surprised? Every time!"

Samantha, who had been rushing around the cabin gathering her things, slapped his butt in passing as she ran out the door, "Cos everyone figures on either dog-like or cat-like! See you guys!"

Stray laid awkwardly between the rutting Cat and Rat and Eli, the Coyote. As Sam had warned him, the Coyote immediately pressed himself against Stray's back, nestling his muzzle over the boy's shoulder. The Coyote didn't do much else, though. Iosef and the Rat finished quickly, with the Rat's cock spraying cum all over little Artur's face without a second thought. The Fox didn't even wake up, just instinctively working his tongue to lap up the streaks of jizz that now adorned his face. 

They all slept some more until Robbie woke everybody up for breakfast. It had only been an hour's nap for Iosef, Stray, and Warrant, but they felt at least a [i]little[/i] more awake. 

Iosef was the first to wake, and was hard again. He hesitantly poked his erection against the Rat's tailhole, and got a sleepy, "Go ahead, Cat. You don't have to ask in this cabin."

He went at it with gusto, plowing his ancestral enemy without much finesse. His claws even came out a little, and that made the a Rat squeal with delight, "Oh, yeah! Come on, kitty! Claw me a little! Riley never lets his claws out!"

Iosef came too soon, again, to make good on the request, but the Rat seemed to enjoy it anyways. While Iosef was panting from his orgasm, the Rat nudged the young Fox in front of him, deciding to be nice, "Arty. [i]Move[/i]. Wake the Feral, too."

The kit opened his eyes to see Zeke's paw, furiously working his cock, which was right in front of the young Fox's face. The boy yelped and sat up quickly, tugging at Warren until the Dog also got to his paws, just in time for Zeke to let off an impressive shot of jizz across the space the two had been laying moments before. 

Upon feeling the first quiver of Zeke's hole around his cock, Iosef dug his claws into the Rat's hips. Just a little, not enough even to break skin, but he figured he deserved a little credit for contributing to the Rat's impressive 'shot'.

The Rat's squeal as he came had woken everybody else up, and as Zeke and Iosef panted, coming down from their orgasms, the Rat looked over his shoulder at Iosef, "That was hot, kitty. You can claw at me like that [i]anytime[/i]! What's your name? I'm Zeke, but everyone calls me Zeek."

"Iosef," the young Lion replied, self-conscoiusly pulling out of the Rat's butt.

As everyone got up so that Riley could get up, introductions were made. Iosef and Warrant were still in awe of Riley, who was not in the mood for it just after waking, "Yes, yes. I'm a Lion and Feral. Whooo. I don't sign autographs before ten hours, and if you wanna suck my cock, get in line. It's Zeek's turn, today."

"I'll give up my spot for the new Cat! Watching Lion Feral on Lion Anthro would be [i]hot[/i]!"

Meanwhile, Stray and Darren introduced themselves. Stray was a little embarrassed to realize Darren was older than him - he was sixteen and had full pubes and armpit hair and everything. He even had the beginnings of facial hair! Though as they talked, he found they had a lot more than species in common  - both were human pets, though Darren's case had been much less voluntary than Stray's, "My parents were, like, super poor. When I was - five? Six, maybe? - they sold me to this slaver in Baja California - that's that little strip under Sonora and next to Mexico. Anyways, he trained me as a human pup, and around when I was eight, he sold me to this Anthro couple - Dalmatians. They didn't treat me bad, or anything, but I [i]was[/i] still just a pet. I dunno if it's what they call 'Stockholm syndrome', but I kinda think of them as my Mam and Pas. They were nice. Anyways, when Sonora fully outlawed intelligent 'pets', they didn't want to sell me to someone they didn't trust, and I'd spent most of my life as a pet at that point. Getting human citizenship back is a bureaucratic nightmare, you know? Especially since I only had papers listing me as a pet. So they 'sold' me to Wildfire, and I've been here ever since."

Stray had at first been seen embarrassed to admit that he'd become a pet [i]voluntarily[/i], but Darren didn't seem offended, "You did all that for your Dog over there? That's way badass, kid. Dumb, yeah, but you got lucky.  [i]He's[/i] lucky to have someone willing to do this. You adjusting alright, though? I've met some pets like us, but who were forced into it, and they're...horrible. They were just, like, broken shells."

Stray blushed, "It's weird. I like the freedom, if that makes sense."

"No, I get you. We pets have it easy if whoever's got our leash actually cares. We can piss and shit wherever, jack off or fuck or get fucked in public, and the best part of all - no need to wear clothes! We get fed for nothing, and all we have to do is love our owner. And now that you and Warrant are 'owned' by Wildfire, you basically have it made."

"I do wanna ask you something, though...what do you do about winter?"

Darren laughed, "I'm used to being naked - I haven't worn clothes since I was sold. Winters here can be rough, but I've never gotten frostbite or anything. Mr. Zhou - he teaches History at the school here - told me once that our ancestors spent at least two-hundred and fifty-thousand years before we first started using clothing at all. So, for all that time, humans got through winters just fine, naked."

The others also had interesting backgrounds. Zeke was not just white-furred, but truly albino. His parents had had to smuggle him - with the help of BB - out of his home country, where albinism was considered by humans and Anthros alike to be 'a curse from the Wicked One'. 

Artur's parents had abused him horribly, and had made the mistake of bringing him to Wildfire's hospital one day to get him fixed up. The doctor who was treating him had brought her suspicions to BB, and the Old Man had 'dealt with the issue'. No one said [i]how[/i], exactly, but even Iosef got the implied course of action, considering that Artur was now a Resident. 

Eli, the Coyote, was blind. [i]He[/i] didn't have some horrible story - he'd been born blind. He was lucky, however. "My parents are [i]Staff[/i] here. So when my condition was realized, BB gave me a free Residency, with promises to have some of his contacts look into ways to help me see again, someday.  They have this implant, now, that could be hooked up to cameras in my glasses, and they'd let me see, in theory. Mam's still hesitant about it, cause it's brain surgery, after all...and BB won't let me get it without both Mam and Pas agreeing, at least until I turn sixteen."

The young Coyote didn't seem all that hampered by being blind. For moving around he used either a typical 'blind-man' cane or a guide, but he could still use his nose like any other Canid. He made sure to thoroughly sniff the three new cubs, and was the only one to comment on Stray's Heat mod. Realizing that [i]everyone[/i] in the room was aroused by his scent - except for Darren, who couldn't smell it, and Artur, who was too young to be affected by it - Stray got very flustered and embarrassed. 

The other boys assured him it was fine. The mod was 'keyed' to Warrant, so to the rest of them it was [i]noticeable[/i] and [i]arousing[/i], but not nearly as strong as a real female's Heat. And, as Zeke said, "At least it's not like Sam when [i]she[/i] goes in Heat. She prefers females, rare bird that she is, and when she's in Heat, she likes to tease us all. Eli once got her to let him lick her down there, and it just made it worse for all of us."

"How'd you manage that, if the girl prefers females?" Iosef asked.

The thirteen-year-old Coyote looked embarrassed, "I...ah...played the 'take pity on the blind boy' card. Look, I'm not proud of it, okay?"

The only one who hadn't introduced himself to the newcomers was Johannes, who, other than waving, hadn't yet said a word. Eli realized this, and explained, "Hans is mute, guys. They'll try to teach you sign language, so you can in understand him, but just remember he's not [i]deaf[/i]. And  don't leave me alone with him! We're, like, polar opposites, communications-wise! He can't speak, and I can't [i]see[/i]! We'd have to figure out how to communicate by scent or something."

The mute Dog grinned and farted, making everybody laugh and cover their noses. Robbie took that as a cue to hustle everybody out the door - they were already late for breakfast as it was. He left the door open so the cabin could air out. When Iosef asked about the stuff in there, the Counselor shrugged, "Wildfire has more cameras and surveillance than Fort Knox. Anyone who thinks stealing is a good idea, here...well, you might see when we get to the mess hall."

They trekked through the cabins area, joining up with the cubs and Counselors of other cabins who took their breakfast a little later. Iosef quickly found himself the center of attention, his unusual pelt coloring making him especially exotic. Plus, he was new, and most of Wildfire were Canids, so everybody had to get his scent. 

He didn't quite mind the attention, but it [i]was[/i] starting to get to be too much. Luckily, he was rescued by Riley, who shooed the other cubs off with a roar and some threats of mauling. "Th-thank you, sir," Iosef managed, still a little shaken himself from the roar.

"Don't 'sir' me, kid. I'm not Bastet's Mate or anything. Just a Lion, like you," the huge Cat told him sternly, "I am a little curious about your colors myself, though. Very rare, outside of Africa."

"M-my Pas was from Africa. I have his colors. He moved here to teach college in Sonora, which was where he met Mam. We had been visiting Fort Yellowstone and everything was great, until the...I don't wanna talk about it."

"If you ever do, I'd be happy to lend an ear," Riley replied, "I am your CIT, after all, and I can tell from your tone whatever happened wasn't happy."

"It was not...what about you? Ah...what's your story?"

"I'm the result of a secret government genetic experiment. No, really. See, there's always been this, like, division in the Army - East versus West, you know? Well, some bright minds in Carolina thought that Yellowstone's monopoly on the Skirmish corps was making the east coast look bad. So they decided to try and make their own Skirmishers. Only instead of Skirmish [i]Dogs[/i] they figured they'd have Skirmish [i]Lions[/i]. Badass, right? Thing they didn't realize - we're heavy, we're no Cheetahs, and we need somewhere around eight to nine thousand calories a day to survive. For comparison, humans can run on around fourteen hundred, and a Dog Feral only needs twelve hundred, on average. So, we're great in a fight, but terrible at getting there or getting away as quick as a Dog, we're obligate carnivores [i]and[/i] need a lot of calories per day. In short, we were too expensive. My test-tube littermates were all 'put down', but I managed to fight my way out and run. Spent a couple years doing circus acts with this troupe from around here, and they told me about Wildfire. I stuck with them until I could jump ship and make my way to Wildfire when their circuit was almost done. I still get free tickets whenever they're in town."

"So that's what you meant about autographs? Do you really get asked for that?"

The Feral strutted, "Why, yes. I'll have you know I'm practically famous. And because we toured the country, a lot of the Campers - non-rezzes - saw me performing."

"Do you miss it? Performing, I mean?"

Riley paused to scratch an ear with his back paw, "A bit. It was fun, and the humans and Anthros I worked with were all great people. But, even if it was a fig leaf, I was still considered chattel - property of someone with thumbs. If the laws change and Fourlegs like me and Warrant can be seen for what we are - [i]people[/i] - then yeah, I might travel with them again. But for now, I'll stick to learning to be a Counselor and teaching drama students at the school. What about you? Have you thought about what you wanna do in life?"

Iosef's first answer - to find and murder the people who'd been behind the guy who killed his parents - didn't seem polite to say. And it was a bit of a big goal for a ten-year-old. Instead, he shrugged, "I dunno. I feel kinda lost."

The Feral Lion chuckled, "Kid, we're all lost, here. Wildfire takes anyone who couldn't be at home in Outside society, and gives us all a place to belong."

[b][STRAY][/b]

When they got to the mess hall, Stray got very nervous about being around so many Anthros,  especially with his 'Heat' mod and 'Legal Nonhuman' collar. Darren was sympathetic, "If you want, I can jog back and put my old collar on - that way you won't be the only one."

Stray shook his head, "It's more the Heat thing that's bothering me. It...uh...makes me itch for it, you know? I feel like a tease, putting off this scent, and I [i]want[/i] someone to fuck me...but I'm Mates with Warrant and..."

Surprisingly,  Warrant was the one to chuckle, "Stray, did I ever explain how Canid Matings work? They're not usually exclusive. If someone wants to bone you, and you agree, that's OK with me."

Stray was confused, so Robbie explained, "When a male and female get 'Mated', the female offers guaranteed mating during her Heat, in exchange for the male's protection and help in raising whatever cubs she has. But both of them can mate with others freely. If the female gets pregnant with another male's cub, her Mateship with the first male means [i]he's[/i] responsible for [i]that[/i] cub just the same as his own. If he gets another female pregnant, he's forfeited rights to and over the resulting cub - who belongs to that female and [i]her[/i] mate, if she has one. Male-male pairs are common enough, and the rules they work under are effectively as though they were both bachelors - a cub that either partner sires is [i]theirs[/i] if male,  but the female's responsibility if female. Other Houses do it a bit differently,  but in general Anthro marriages aren't so much about exclusive sex as about the partnership to raise a cub."

"So, it's OK if I let someone nail me in there?"

Warrant wagged his tail, "Just let me watch! And get sloppy seconds!"

"I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but the mess halls are [i]strictly[/i] 'no sex'. You know how much Canids produce - the floor would get covered in it, and it would be a safety hazard! You'll have to wait until after breakfast."

Eli sidled up to the boy, "If you want, I can help you catch a nice partner. I can't see them, but I'm pretty good at guessing cock sizes by scent alone. I figure you'll want someone close to Warrant's size, right?"

Stray blushed, "How big do you guess that is?"

"Eight-inch shaft, two inch knot," the blind Coyote answered promptly,  making both Stray and Warrant double-take. 

Warrant grumbled, "That's uncanny."

Stray nodded his head towards Robbie, before remembering the Coyote wouldn't see the gesture, "What about him? Robbie, I mean."

"Nine and three. Most adult Canids you meet will be about that, if they're of an average-sized Tribe. And Robbie doesn't count - I [i]know[/i] his size. Same goes for the rest of three-oh-three. Remember Zeek telling your Lion friend you don't have to ask in our cabin? We've all fooled around."

"So, if I wanted to hump [i]you[/i], say..."

The Coyote grinned, "After breakfast. Now, come on..."

Breakfast was chaotic. There were two mess halls at Wildfire - one north, which served cabins northward, and one south, obviously serving the southern cabins. The cubs of Wildfire were relatively evenly distributed, compass-wise and throughout all four rings. Most cabins had around five cubs, but the Head Counselor took care of a dozen cubs in F-71- Stray couldn't [i]imagine[/i] how cramped that was - and their own cabin, with its total of eight cubs living in R-303, was the second most populated. That still left some four-hundred-something other cubs in the mess hall. The fact that Wildfire catered meals like this twice a day, [i]every day[/i] was mind-boggling! Where did the money for all this come from? 

The mess hall buildings themselves were gigantic, but even so, the crowd of cubs and Counselors was more than Stray had been expecting. Despite the apparent chaos, there was order to the madness. The area was set up much like a mall's food court - four kitchens produced food, and you could pick what you wanted to have. As they joined one of the lines, Darren explained, "We humans are definitely the minority here, but we're not left out. Each kitchen serves food appropriate to one of the Houses. Humans and Canids can eat a lot of the same stuff, so this is our line. Just look for the gray awning. Over there, with the yellow awning, is the Felid kitchen - they serve all meat, and it's the only kitchen that you [i]have[/i] to be of the proper House for. If meat's ever scarce, [i]they[/i] get priority for it. Next, over at the blue awning, is the Mustela kitchen. They have good food, but it's a bit more...exotic. Best time to go there is dinner, if you have a thing for fish. And last, the brown awning is for Rodentia. [i]They[/i] are mostly grains and cereals, but their meat dishes are crazy good. You'll notice none of the kitchens serve solely vegetarian fare. Know why?"

"Because meat is tasty?" Stray ventured. 

Darren laughed and shook his head as they moved up in line, "Not quite. See, the Canid religion forbids the consumption of any meat from a creature that eats meat themselves. Rodents didn't historically eat meat, so in older times they were considered fair game, even though they could talk and think. Then the Rats and Mice started including small amounts of meat in their cuisine, making them taboo to have for dinner. Squirrel Tribe, you may recall, is extinct. They refused to partake in meat, and the Wolves and such ate them all. It's caused no end of bad blood between those two Houses - which is why you'll notice that the Rats and Mice are kinda clustered together over near their kitchen."

"Zeek doesn't seem to be," Stray pointed out, nodding towards the Rat, who was a few spots ahead of them, in the 'Canid' line. From behind them both, little Artur giggled, "Zeek's crazy, that's why."

"Zeek is 'New Orthodox' - they eat the same diet as Canids, and forgive them for eradicating Squirrel. 'Old Orthodox' Rodents only eat meat once a week, and hold serious grudges over the extinction of part of their House," Darren explained. 

"I thought Anthros were, like, one big happy family."

Darren snorted, "Not at all. All five Houses have had rivalries and alliances between them over the years. That's not even getting into the intrigue and factionalism [i]within[/i] Houses. The tamest example I can think of is Wolf vs Coyote. Canid scripture is ambiguous as to who was 'born' first, and both sides obviously have argued in favor of their Tribe for centuries."

"Then there's the thrilling story of 'Lion Tribe versus All The Other Cats'," Iosef said from behind Artur.

"Aren't you supposed to be in the other line?"

The young Lion shrugged, "I grew up in Sonora, and I like Canid food, so sue me. Besides, everyone over there keeps asking about my fur, and it's annoying. I wish Zeek hadn't flattered me into leaving my hoodie back at the cabin. I'm not used to going naked."

"What's special about your fur? Uh...I mean, I'm sorry if that's rude to ask..."

Iosef grumbled, "Most Lions have your 'classic' pattern - gold body, brown mane.  My pattern is [i]extremely[/i] rare, even in Africa. Outside of Africa,  I'm probably literally the only Lion with this fur, now...now that Pas is gone. So, all those other Cats asking 'who I got to dye my fur' really ticked me off. Because Pas hadn't dyed [i]his[/i] and I don't dye [i]mine[/i] and it's [i]insulting[/i]!"

Stray admitted that he'd wondered, since he'd never heard of a Lion with Iosef's colors, and Iosef shook his head, "If [i]you[/i] had asked, I'd've known you meant it honestly. You're human. [i]They[/i] can smell that there's no dye in my fur - they were asking just to be mean."

Darren chuckled, "That's Cats for you, Stray. Meaning no offense, Iosef."

"None taken. Um...I do have a question in turn, for both of you. What's up with your skin? I've seen different humans in Sonora, but I've never been brave enough to ask a human what's up with the colors? Are you guys different Tribes or...?"

Darren and Stray looked at each other briefly, and the older boy switched places in line with Artur to talk more directly, "It's...complicated. It's kind of like how you have blonde, black, red, and brown 'Labrador Retrievers', but they're all the same Tribe."

"So it's a clan thing?"

"Kind of, yeah. The different skin colors of humans come from different families who lived in different parts of the world, long ago. My ancestors come from Africa, like yours, but Stray's were from Europe, for instance. But it's not just about location - if Stray mates with another  'white' human, the child will have that skin tone, even if they're born in Africa. Like I said, it's complicated."

"I note that Stray isn't 'white'," Iosef observed. 

Darren laughed, "Compared to [i]me[/i] he is! I've heard Anthros say we're bad at colors, and we [i]really[/i] are. See that kid over by the white Ferret? He'd [i]also[/i] be considered 'black', though he's definitely of lighter tone than me."

"A lot of the humans I saw in Sonora were that color. A few were like Stray, but if he were burnt a little."

"That's called a tan. If you leave a white human out in the sun long enough, they'll change colors so you know when they're cooked right," said the Brown Bear behind Iosef. The young Cat looked to Stray, who was giggling at the description. "Is that true? "

"More or less. I won't get as dark as Darren, but more like that other kid he pointed out."

They soon were at the front of the line, and got platefuls of rice and bits of sliced meat that Stray couldn't place. It wasn't chicken, definitely. But it wasn't beef, pork, turkey, or any other meat Stray had tasted. It was tasty, though, and went well with the rice. Only once he'd finished eating did he ask the Anthros at their table what it had been. 

"Snake," Iosef answered, letting Darren have his remaining rice, "Really well done, too. Flavorful."

The Bear that had been behind Iosef in line had chosen to sit with them, and spoke up, "I hear the kitchen staff have been trying extra hard to make use of spices that don't make Anthros sick - the humans have been complaining, apparently. Can't say I'm arguing with this attempt - it was good!"

He introduced himself after they had all eaten and were on their way out the big doors,  "Jack number three."

"Number three?" Warrant asked. Stray didn't know where he'd gone during the breakfast, but he definitely had eaten - he had that bounce in his step that Stray was coming to associate with his mate having a full belly. Or being happy in general.

"There are no fewer than six 'Jacks' here. We have to either use our surname or a number to distinguish ourselves."

"Can't you distinguish by Tribe?"

The Bear grinned, "I meant I'm the third 'Jack the Brown Bear' - it's a stupidly popular name in my Tribe. What cabin are you guys headed to?"

"R-303," Stray answered. 

The Bear grinned, "We're neighbors! I'm in M-300. You guys have plans? We could hang out."

Warrant laughed, "Fucking Stray and sleeping are the only things on my to-do list, right now. Me, him, and Iosef got in earlier this morning, and none of us got much sleep."

"Want company with either of those things? I hear I make an excellent pillow."

Stray was really itching for sex, and though Warrant had managed to control himself thus far, he definitely was as well. The Dog answered for both of them, "Sure! What were you thinking, spitroast or sloppy seconds?"

Jack (No. 3) thought a moment, then said, "Six-sixty-nine"

"What the what is [i]that[/i]?" Stray asked. 

"Okay, so, I lay on my back, with my cock in your mouth, and [i]he[/i] mounts you while I suck you off."

"Sold! So sold! Stray! Stray, say 'yes' to that one!"

Stray was already itching bad, just thinking about it. He had only one question, "Can we do it in your cabin?"

[b][ROBBIE][/b]

Robbie watched Stray and Warrant run off with one of the Bears from M-300. He didn't need to hear what they'd said to know they were gonna go bone. Good to see that Stray and Warrant were settling in and making friends already. Iosef, on the other paw, seemed to be purposefully avoiding interacting with the other cubs, walking pointedly away from any one particular group as everyone left the mess hall. 

Robbie jogged over, "Hey? You alright? I heard you had some trouble with your Housemates."

Iosef shrugged, "It's just Cat stuff. You know how it is."

"I do. And I also know you're 'composure grooming' - acting like nothing's bothering you, especially when it really is. So, what's up?"

"Is it that obvious?" 

"It is if you know Lion body language. What's bothering you?"

"My parents are dead, and I keep having to remind myself that it [i]wasn't[/i] just a bad dream, and this [i]isn't[/i] a summer camp where I'll get to see them again when I go home. I know I can't cry - for a Cat to show emotion in public is weakness! It would be okay if it were just Dogs around, but there are all these other Cats and even right now, they're [i]watching[/i] and so I can't cry because I'd lose face, but my parents are [i]dead[/i] and I don't know how to act!"

Canines played 'Wolf Politics' - where [i]everything[/i] you did could be calculated for its physical, emotional, and psychological effect. You gained standing by outmaneuvering and outwitting your competitors. Being physically stronger certainly helped, but being good at The Game was more than physical. The right word, the right action, at the right time could be a crucial play that put you unquestionably in charge. A small miscalculation could drop you to the lowest rung, likewise. All Canids absorbed the rules of The Game as they grew up - it was practically baked into the culture - but it rarely was fully played anymore, since this wasn't the fifteenth century, and the stakes were rarely high enough. 

The Feline version was both more and less subtle - appearances were everything. It didn't matter if you just had your legs blown off by a mine, or had your world drop out from under you because your parents were murdered - if you didn't want to be on the bottom rung of Feline politics, you couldn't [i]show[/i] your weaknesses. Young Felids often took that too literally. It took a long time for them to learn the art of turning 'weak moments' into strengths. And someone in Iosef's situation shouldn't be playing the game at all, really. But Iosef didn't want or need to hear that, right now. 

"Come on, let's get back to the Cabin. You're probably still tired, anyways."

They walked in silence, with even the other Felids nearby not daring to start something with a Counselor nearby. Wildfire's Counselors weren't strict, exactly, but they were fairly free with how they could punish transgressions. Cats were easy - humiliate them in front of their Housemates, and they never stepped out of line again. Ever. Of course, this just made them try harder to keep their mischief from coming to a Counselor's attention. 

When they got near the cabin,  Robbie was actually relieved to see Rick Alekhine standing outside. Fully dressed in the black shirt and red... kilt?... of the Security corps. As they approached, the Wolf's tail started wagging, seeing Iosef. Maybe [i]he[/i] could help with Iosef. 

Iosef scampered over to him as soon as he recognized him, which said something in itself. Rick wasn't normally the type for cubs to lust after - all of the Security corps maintained strict professionalism when interacting with the cubs while in uniform. Rick was the reason for that - he summarily fired any Security officer who disobeyed that rule. No appeal, no excuses. The fact that he scooped the naked ten-year-old up into his arms as soon as he was close enough spoke volumes. Though it might've also been to show off his strength compared to Robbie - Iosef came up to Rick's shoulder already, and probably already weighed almost two hundred pounds, but Rick lifted him off the ground without even a grunt. 

As Robbie got closer, the Alsatian could see the very obvious tent in Alekhine's kilt, and the way he was nuzzling Iosef was actually rather [i]un-[/i]professional. Robbie could also see that the Wolf wasn't actually in uniform. The shirt wasn't the collared and button-down kind Security wore, and the kilt was definitely not regulation. Clever. 

"Hey, Robbie, do you mind if I steal your cub for... oh... two, three hours, max?" Rick asked, subtle as ever. 

"He's pretty tired, you know..." Robbie replied cautiously, thinking of how to play this. He could leverage his authority as Iosef's Counselor, but for what? Iosef clearly liked the Wolf, and the expression in the Wolf's eyes when he looked at the boy was rare, for him. He seemed actually fond of the cub. And it wasn't as though Iosef could be any safer than with Wildfire's Security Chief. He decided to leave it up to Iosef, "...but if Iosef wants to, I don't see why you can't."

Rick grinned, "I promise that what I'm planning involves a bed, and lying down."

Robbie sighed, "Come on inside."

They went inside, and Iosef wasted no time wiggling out of Rick's arms and tugging at the Wolf's clothes, "Why are you all dressed up!?"

Both Canines chuckled, and Rick said, "I'm having a meeting in a bit. No, don't tug! There are buckles. Two on this side, one on the other side, and one over my tail. But I'll only let you take off one of my clothes, so choose wisely! Do you want--"

"Skirt!" Iosef replied before the Wolf could finish,  already undoing the kilt's straps. 

The Wolf ended up letting the young Lion remove all his clothes, which revealed that Rick had come unarmed. [i]That[/i] was a rarity. Rumor had it that Rick even had a set of throwing knives on a magnetized rack in his personal shower. He [i]never[/i] was completely unarmed.

Iosef didn't notice. Even if he knew Rick's reputation, he probably wouldn't have cared, either. He was too busy trying to get Rick's whole cock in his mouth. He actually [i]growled[/i] when Rick tried to get him to take it easy, making the Wolf moan and grab the young Cat's ears to pull him off. "What did I tell you in the car? Take it easy, I don't wanna--"

"Come on! Let me try, at least!"

Rick grunted and then said, "Fine," and [i]shoved[/i] his cock into the Lion's throat. Iosef clearly gagged, but his paws clamped onto Rick's butt, pulling the Wolf closer and getting more cock into his muzzle. Robbie knew the young Cat wasn't experienced enough to take Rick all the way, and the Wolf clearly knew that as well, pulling back as much as he could against the Cat's overeager enthusiasm. 

The Wolf couldn't hold back for long, and Iosef's eagerness was likely to win him a very sore throat soon. Rick tried coaching him, "Angle your muzzle a bit more - yeah! Like that! Ok, now, you've gotta relax your throat. Stop, stop!"

He pulled all the way out, glaring down at Iosef, "You're gonna hurt yourself like that! Get your breath back, then we'll try again."

Robbie coughed to get Rick's attention, "I...uh...have some poppers, if you think it'll help."

Rick blinked at him, then grinned at Iosef, "Sweetie, want me to put it under your tail, instead?"

Trying to subtly rub his throat but also pretend like he hadn't gotten carried away, Iosef asked, "Will it hurt?"

Gesturing for Robbie to bring him the poppers, "Not with this stuff. It's a way for cheaters like Robbie to mount cubs without having to actually stretch their tailholes out, first."

"Hey!" Robbie protested as he fetched the inhalants.

Iosef looked from Robbie to Rick, "You gonna knot me?"

Rick ran a paw through the young Cat's mane, "Do you want me to?"

Iosef thought a moment, then nodded eagerly. Robbie gave Rick a small bottle while the Wolf got Iosef into position, petting and soothing the boy's nerves, "You're sure about this, Iosef? What you're giving me can't be taken back, and I'm quite happy just to get use of your muzzle."

"Every other Cat I met so far has been mounted, except for the red-collars. I'll be no better than the reds without doing this, and you're the only one so far I trust. Meaning no offense, Mr. Robbie! You've been really nice, but--"

"You met Rick first. I get it. Here, Rick."

Robbie watched as Rick took the bottle, staring at it, clearly hesitating about what he was about to do. The twitching mast between the Wolf's legs said he wanted to do this, but Robbie knew Rick was also thinking about Iosef. The young Lion wasn't wrong - red-collared cubs were on the bottom of Wildfire's pecking order, regardless of Tribe. Though the Counselors and BB tried to discourage it, the Cubs themselves had built up a social hierarchy that depended partly on which adults one could seduce into mounting them, and a complicated system of judging who was more 'valuable' than who. 

BB himself never played with cubs anymore. But second-best were the 'four chiefs' - Jamie (as Head Counselor), Rick (as Head of Security), Ryan Marlowe (as the hospital's Chief of Medicine), and Douglas Croft (as the chief of Wildfire's assorted other staff). A cub who could bag one of [i]them[/i] was top dog, at least for a while. Other Counselors and Staff had their own 'ratings', partially based on how difficult they were to seduce, and Robbie had never bothered to unravel the whole system, as even the cubs themselves didn't seem to have consistent rules about it. One thing was certain, though - letting Rick take his tail first, even merely the fact that Rick was 'playing' with Iosef at all, was going to give the young Lion a [i]huge[/i] status boost. Rick was considered 'extremely hard' in the seduction department.

Rick uncorked the bottle, and wafted it beneath Iosef's nose quickly before quickly recorking it.  The vapors were dangerous, even for adults, and their effect was powerful. Iosef visibly relaxed, already having difficulty holding himself up on all fours. When Rick moved the young Lion's tail out of the way, the boy's tailhole was invitingly loose, enough that he appeared well-experienced instead of virginal. Iosef moaned and pushed back against the Wolf's muzzle when he brought it down to his hole. Rick's tongue invaded the Lion's tailhole, slipping easily into the loosened orifice. Robbie was glad to see Rick doing this, and not just because he had a thing for rimming or watching others do so. The 'poppers' effect was powerful, but short-lived. It was enough to get [i]in[/i] - especially helpful in Rick's fully erect state - but when the effect wore off, without at least some lube, Iosef would find himself with a big cock in a hole not properly prepared for it. 

Once he'd slicked up Iosef's tailhole sufficiently, Rick was no different than any other Canine in the casualness of his mount. Rick quickly got into a rough, forceful pace, making Iosef squeal and cry out in delight. Robbie knew what he was doing - if Rick could get his knot in and start cumming before the drugs wore off, Iosef's first time would be an almost entirely pleasurable one. Otherwise...well, taking a knot was a rite of passage for young male Canines, and not necessarily a pleasant one. Many females would refuse to mate a male who didn't know firstpaw how much a knot could hurt. 

Robbie sat down behind Rick, watching the older male thrust powerfully into the cub, playing with himself, occasionally ducking his head down to suckle on his own cock while using a free paw to tease his own knot. Rick's balls slapped against Iosef's taint at a fast pace, and Robbie could tell that the drugs were already starting to wear off. Iosef was grunting and whining in pain more, but when Rick started to slow his pace, the young Cat practically threw himself back against the cock in him, tacitly urging Rick to finish the job. 

It was at that point that Rick stopped trying to be gentle, simply focusing on knotting this kitten he couldn't believe was actually interested in him. Robbie watched him slam his knot into the young Lion's quivering hole, hearing the pained scream and then moans as Iosef had his first knot- orgasm. It was all about the knot - both for the Dog and the Bitch. Canines [i]could[/i] get their rocks off from shaft simulation, but the result would be brief, a few hard spurts at best. Lock the knot in something warm and tight, though? You'll get the full dose, and the lucky Dog in question will orgasm so powerfully, their minds practically shut off. 

Robbie learned that in some cases, the 'Bitch' got it just as good. Iosef was moaning and twitching, every little movement by Rick seemingly setting off a whole new orgasm. Even little touches seemed to suddenly be powerfully erotic. As the high of his orgasm set in, Rick quickly stepped over so he and Iosef were tail-to-tail. He didn't want to collapse onto the cub's back, and turning put a lot of pressure on the knot, which was the whole point.

Robbie's eyes met Rick's as the Wolf slumped down onto the floor, mirroring Iosef's position on the bed while still keeping their rumps close together. "Enjoy the show?" 

Robbie had to get his own cock out of his muzzle before replying, "Immensely."

Rick snorted, "Good. Now we gotta wait. I'm gonna doze a bit. If he starts squealing, you'll keep him calm, yeah?"

Robbie nodded.

[b][IOSEF][/b]

Iosef woke to the sensation of Rick's knot popping out of him, the decidedly odd feeling of the Wolf's cock withdrawing, and a distinctly alarming sense that his tailhole was [i]open[/i]. He could feel [i]air[/i] against his [i]insides[/i]!

With nearly everyone at Wildfire going naked, he'd seen quite a few other cubs' tailholes so far. You could tell who'd been mounted before, because their tailhole clearly was [i]looser[/i]. Cubs who got mounted [i[often[/i] had holes that gaped a bit when they bent over. They all seemed perfectly fine, though, so Iosef calmed down after his initial panic. Before he could bring a paw around to feel at his newly deflowered orifice, he felt a tongue there, lapping up the Wolf cum leaking from him. Bastet! It felt like he'd been filled with a gallon of cum! Feeling someone getting onto the bed, he looked up to see Rick, and the large maleness that had recently been inside him. 

Rick knelt in front of him, letting his cock lay over Iosef's face, "Mind cleaning me up, Sweetie?"

Iosef obliged eagerly, ignoring the fact that some of what was streaked on Rick's cock wasn't from the Wolf, to put it delicately. He knew [i]that[/i] taste - he encountered it whenever he groomed his tailhole.  He licked delicately, knowing that Rick's penis was probably oversensitive right now, but he made sure to clean every inch of it before it retreated into its sheath.

Suddenly, he was being flipped over onto his back. He didn't protest, especially not when that tongue - Robbie's, he realized - returned to working his hole, and Rick draped himself across Iosef's front to take the Cat's wet and sensitive penis into his muzzle. Rick's balls dangled less than an inch from Iosef's nose, intoxicating him with their potent musk. Iosef let the Canines drive him to another two orgasms - not nearly as powerful as the mind-numbing one Rick's knot had delivered. 

Eventually he pushed Rick off of him, whining, "Stop! It's too sore! I think you got enough spunk outta me today. I don't know if I'll be able to jizz for a week!"

Rick rolled off of him and snickered, "Does that mean I can't come by after dinner?"

Iosef sat up, unsheathing a claw to point better with, "Hell no! You'd better be back!"

Rick laughed. "How do you feel, then?"

Iosef looked down at Robbie, who was still gently lapping at his hole, which was feeling much better thanks to the attention, "Sore, a bit. My butt feels really odd, like it's too loose, now. And my peep is super sore from...how intense that was. But I definitely wanna do it again!"

Rick sat up and kissed the young Cat, right on the muzzle. Iosef moaned and clutched at Rick's head, letting the Wolf's tongue overpower his own and melting into the strong embrace of his older lover.

When he broke the kiss, Rick asked, "So did this help your issue with the other Cats?"

Iosef started to nod, then shrugged, "It helped me forget my parents for a bit...I really wish I could've done this kinda stuff with Pas."

Robbie sat up, rubbing the insides of Iosef's legs, saying, "We know. A lot of Wildfire cubs - at least, among the Residents - lost their Mam and Pas somehow. Or they were abandoned, or sold. And it's really hard for us Counselors, because often all we can do is help you distract yourselves until the pain goes away...and give you someone to talk to about it."

Iosef nodded, and before he could stop himself, he started crying. Both Canines rushed to comfort him, and a dim part of his mind that handled politics could sense the subtle rivalry that had sprang up between them, and he got a strange pleasure knowing that they were both eager to make him happy. He could play them off each other, using his tail as enticement, if he wanted. But right now, he just wanted them to hold him where no one else had to see him lose face. 

When he finally composed himself, he wasn't sure how he felt. He'd cried himself out, and all that was left was a horrible numbness. He was still [i]sad[/i], but his body couldn't maintain the display of it any longer. Rick and Robbie understood, though, and continued to let him cuddle between them. He fell asleep again. 

[b][STRAY][/b]

"Three outta five - meeeh," Stray declared after he, Warrant, and Jack had explored each other. In response to both other males' hurt looks, he clarified, "No, you guys were great! But that position was hard to keep up and exhausting! I couldn't match both of you at the same time. Next time, we're keeping it simple and doing spitroast."

Jack (3rd) chuckled, a wonderful baritone growl, "Here I thought you were gonna complain about how sweaty it got. Or the audience."

Stray scoffed, "Warrant's boned me in front of other people before, and I smell enough that I can't complain about anyone else's scent. It was weird having them all be Bears, though. Is your whole cabin Bears?"

One of the two Black Bears who'd watched their 'show' laughed, "No. Our Counselor's a Rat."

"You're five Bears and a [i]Rat[/i]? Does...does he mount you guys?" Warrant asked. 

"[i]She[/i], so no. She's tough, though, and doesn't let us get away with shit. She's pretty much the only Counselor we've met besides old Simon who doesn't get intimidated by our size. Well, Jamie doesn't, either...usually, and that new guy - a Polar Bear - could eat us for [i]breakfast[/i]. But everyone else would let us walk all over them. Not Mama Dhalma."

Warrant got to his paws, "I gotta piss. Stray, can you get the back door?"

Stray got to his own feet and walked shakily towards the door, his legs still a bit jelly from the rough mating he'd just had. One of the Black Bears grabbed onto his hips as he passed near, asking, "Think I could have a turn?" Stray let him get behind him and just let the Bear's cock shove itself into his ass, moaning. With Warrant's copious semen lubricating the passage, Stray had no difficulty with accommodation. 

Warrant grinned and told the Bear to bend Stray over properly, and once he did, the Feral jumped up onto Stray's shoulders, saying, "You guys are gonna love this!"

Stray knew what was coming, and put his lips to Warrant's sheath just as the Feral started pissing in his mouth. The Bears all exclaimed excitedly as Stray obediently drank Warrant's stream while getting plowed by the Black Bear. When Warrant was done and had hopped off, Jack (3rd) was there, and Stray was given no choice but to accept the Bear's piss as well. Not that he minded - a cock in his ass went a long way toward making him willing to do things, he'd found. 

The Black Bear plowing him was a much more considerate lover than Warrant, neither too rough nor too gentle, and once he'd located Stray's prostate, he made sure to hit it with every thrust. The paws on his hips weren't gripping him too tightly, just enough to pull Stray's hips onto the Bear's thick cock. After drinking Jack's piss, Stray looked over to the other Black Bear. Both had given their names, but Stray was finding it rather hard to think with a Bear cock tapping his button every few seconds.

The other Black Bear raised his paws, "It's a hot idea, but I don't need to go. Can I fuck you when Dave's done?"

Stray shook his head, "Not... Dave, can you slow...ahh...a bit? Woof. Not [i]right[/i] after. I'm already gonna be a bit sore. IOU?"

The Bear laughed and nodded, "Sure. 

Dave came suddenly, flooding Stray's backside with a torrent of cum. While he might not cum for half an hour like Warrant, his load was still plentiful, and much thicker. Only about a third of what Warrant spunked was semen like what a human would shoot - the rest was much thinner and more watery. Also very tasty. What Dave was putting into him was entirely the thick stuff.

When Dave pulled out, he and the other Bear had to catch him from falling, because his legs decided to give out. Laughing and teasing him, they carried him outside so he could empty himself of the semen now overflowing his bowels. Once he was done, he was helped back inside, and he, Warrant, and the three Bears had a very relaxing nap. 

The five of them were woken by a Rat. 'Mama Dhalma' was about half Stray's standing height, with black- and red-patched fur,  and she wore only a emerald-green sarong and a cowboy hat. She'd woken them with a crack of the short bullwhip she carried, "It's nice to see you boys making friends outside your Tribe, but for 'Toskr's sake, you could've opened a few windows! My Den smells of Bear cock and sex, now! Up, all of you! Clean up this mess!"

The next few minutes were a flurry of activity, with Dhalma's boys opening the windows to air out the cabin, Stray helping wipe up the cum spots on the hardwood (cum on the bed 'came with having boys', as Dhalma put it). Even Warrant was put to work - Dhalma dragged him off the bed with surprising strength, and he was then put on an ingenious treadmill that currently ran a fan. Though her cabin did have electricity, Mama Dhalma preferred to have things done old-fashioned, unless there was no alternative. She said it built character, and kept her boys from being [i]too[/i] lazy. The treadmill could power a number of electric devices.

Only once she was satisfied did Dhalma crack her little whip again and declare, "Good enough! Now, who're your new friends, boys?"

Stray and Warrant introduced themselves, and Dhalma reintroduced the Bears, "Jack the third, Dave, Jack the second, if they were not polite enough to give you their names properly. And [i]I[/i] am Mama Dhalma, as I'm sure you already know. Why are you wearing these collars? They're not Wildfire collars, either one."

"Neither of us can take them off ourselves, and we hadn't gotten the time to get someone else to. Can I get off this thing?"

"No, the breeze you make is nice - I am never on [i]this[/i] side of the fan.  But be warned! If your tailhole decides to add 'breezes' of its own, you'll be losing some fur." Dhalma shook the whip for emphasis.

Warrant nodded obediently, "Yes, ma'am."

To Stray, she said, "Get down here. I will deal with the collar."

Stray got down on all fours, and Mama Dhalma had his collar off in an instant, handing it to him - still latched - with a coy smile, "It helps if you adjust the size. Slips right off. Now, since my boys made a mess of you, and the Dog is also messy, I order all of you to go bathe! You, the Dog, [i]you three[/i] - none of you are to return until you are clean and no longer smell like a whorehouse."

The three Bears, Warrant, and Stray were thus shooed out of the cabin. Once outside, Stray undid Warrant's collar, and they stopped by their own cabin to drop both collars off. When they got inside, they found Counselor Robbie, Rick Alekhine, and Iosef all cuddled up together on the dogpile bed. From the heavy smell of sex in the cabin, it was obvious what they'd been up to. 

Warrant snickered, "The Lion boy seems so shy and quiet, and then we find him in bed with not one, but two adults."

"You've got no room to talk, mutt," Alekhine said, "I know you and Stray almost literally jumped at the chance to have sex."

Stray nudged Warrant with his foot, "He's got us there."

Rick sat up, gently getting his arm out from under the sleeping Lion cub. "Can you boys hand me my clothes? And do you know the time?"

"Thirteen or fourteen hours, I'd guess? I'm not exactly wearing a watch, and I've not seen a single clock since we got here," Stray replied as Warrant quickly identified Rick's clothes and picked them up in his teeth to carry them over to the Wolf.

Rick nodded, standing to get his shirt on, "That's because there aren't any. Except for peoples' phones. Still dunno why - BB just never bothered getting any, I guess. Anyways, you boys staying or heading back out?"

"Heading out. We're heading over to one of the bathhouses with the Bears from M-300," Warrant replied, nodding his head towards the door, "They're waiting on us."

Rick waved them on, "Well, go on, then. I have a meeting to get to, myself."

[b][CHARLIE][/b]

As soon as Jamie and Charlie finished their 'brunch' with the boys, Rickard Alekhine crashed the party. The Wolf made Charlie nervous, and the fact that he was 'on their side' didn't ameliorate that feeling. Alekhine was well-built and carried himself like he knew how to handle himself - not the puffed-up kind of swagger that some Wolves adopted, no. More like he had detailed plans for killing anyone in his vicinity at a moment's notice. Killing. Not 'defeating', not 'hurting', not 'incapacitating - [i]killing[/i], pure and simple. The Wolf was a killer.

Charlie could probably take him on in a fight, to be sure...but it wouldn't be easy, he'd be willing to bet. The mil-spec claws were the first clue, there. 

Aside from his natural menace, Alekhine was one of the 'four chiefs' - staff who could kick anyone out of Wildfire on the spot. More concerning, he was in charge of Security. Despite Jamie's assurances that he wasn't in trouble, Charlie was still nervous when Alekhine asked for a private word. Bears, even more so than Cats, know how to keep their mental state off their faces. Charlie blandly accepted the request and he and the Wolf headed inside Charlie's cabin. 

"So, I'll cut right to the chase. We recently brought in a couple cubs - well, a cub and a kid - who were both 'sentient pets', if you get me. The cub is Feral, and the kid is his boyfriend. The kid - he goes by 'Stray', now - agreed to become the Feral's legal pet. Signed the papers willingly, by all accounts. Now, Stray did get some 'mods' done to him, but he actually wants another one - so he and his mate can be on the same level entirely. That kind of modification surgery is almost exclusively a slave-mod. It's irrevocable. Now--"

"What does this have to do with me?" Charlie cut in. The interruption was on purpose, to throw Rick off, just a little. Charlie was signaling he wasn't going to let Rick dominate the conversation. 

"Getting to that, Big Guy," Rick tutted, "Now, we know this organization called Black Tree is the one behind the attacks on Wildfire. It was one of their guys who pit-maneuvered your bus. We know they're a giant in the slave trade - they break and sell humans, Anthros, and Ferals, whatever and whoever they can get their paws on. They also have their claws in most of the mod docs you'll find in this country, if they do slavemodding at all. Considering what Stray wants to get, I think we can use this to our advantage."

"Still not getting around to my part, here."

"Dog in Heaven, you're impatient. OK, so, as anyone who's associated with me for any length of time can tell you, I attract violence and accrue body counts, even without trying. So I'm thinking it might be best if Stray's escorted by someone [i]not me[/i], but who's just as intimidating. [i]Your[/i] job would be to play the part of Stray's owner, and making sure he gets there and back safely."

Charlie considered this. He was a sensible escort - very, very few people of any Tribe were willing to piss off a Bear. And his mere presence could be intimidating to the 'doc'. But he didn't see how this operation would be advantageous to Wildfire, "So, what, I escort the kid to the vet, get him his body mod, and leave? How does that help us against Black Tree?"

Alekhine produced a white card with a simple black pine tree logo, "Because you're going to use one of their cards to pay for it all. Now, we've had one of our cool computer-nerd types do her magic with this, making sure it was still active. This card, like the others we took from the corpses of their agents who attacked Wildfire, is connected directly to their operational slush fund.  We're figuring if you use the card of one of their dead Agents to rack up a hefty surgical bill, they'll notice pretty quick. They make a move against you, me and mine swoop in and capture them, and voilà! We've got an opening."

Charlie frowned, "So me and this Stray kid are gonna be [i]bait[/i]? And BB approves this?"

The Wolf nodded, "You'll be bait, but my team and I will [i]not[/i] let you or Stray come to harm, I promise you. If it's between getting you two out safely and getting the information - there's no question that you and Stray come first. And BB will only approve the idea if you're 100% on board."

"I'm [i]not[/i] 100% on board. It seems too risky for too little gain."

Rick groaned. "Look, it's not like Wildfire can go to the authorities! Any investigation into us would reveal what we do here, and ruin the lives of every cub and Counselor here! But we [i]can't[/i] let what they did to us go un-avenged, and the first step to getting at Black Tree is to find out where they're headquartered, who runs the show, how they're organized...and capturing someone from their organization can net us all those answers."

"It still seems too risky! There's got to be another way," Charlie replied, crossing his arms, "Can't you get someone inside them? Like, a mole? Get your information [i]that[/i] way?"

"It's not that simple! I can't just grab a guy off the street and turn him into a super-spy overnight! A mole takes [i]years[/i] to prepare properly. And no one already associated with Wildfire can be risked - that's how these assholes got in at us already! The bus driver [i]you[/i] were hired to replace got kidnapped, beaten until he was willing to tell them everything he knew, and was later found dismembered, floating in the [i]Rio Grande[/i]! It was how they knew the route, it was how they knew that I wasn't at Wildfire, it was how they knew how to dress and act when sneaking onto the grounds! They made [i]everything[/i] so much harder for us in one move, because now over half my Security team has to be Outside, keeping an eye on cubs' families, bodyguarding Wildfire folk, keeping their ears up for threats against us. [i]They're[/i] overloaded, and [i]we're[/i] undermanned. If we don't do something to Black Tree soon, it's just asking for them to hit us again!"

Charlie saw it then, and he stood up, growling, "And Stray and I haven't been here long enough to know enough to be risky to lose, I bet! If your plan works, great, but if they get us --"

"[i]If[/i] they captured you or Stray, my team and I would do everything in our power to get you back, as rapidly as possible. Openly battle in the streets, if it's necessary. Property damage, body counts, the works. In such a scenario, [i]I'm[/i] actually the expendable one - my...ahem... criminal record would allow us to divert attention away from Wildfire even for such blatant violence. Cops won't think any further than 'Rick Alekhine, Master Fugitive,  appears again after long hiatus'. Their hunt would focus on [i]me[/i], not Wildfire."

"If I still say no, what's your backup plan?"

"Stick a gps tracker under my skin and allow myself to get caught by their slavers. Once they found out who I was, and think they've broken me, they'll take me right to their boss - I'd be quite the feather in someone's tail, you know. At that point, with a prearranged sign, I'll communicate to BB, who will arrange for a 'military accident' in which a 'bunker buster' just happens to get fired at my exact location. Accidentally, of course. I die, they die, there's lots of collateral damage. BB and Wildfire get discovered, all the Counselors go to jail, many parents of many cubs go to jail, our cubs end up in orphanages - where they will be force-fed the story that we brainwashed them into sexual activities because we're deviant monsters... there would be a huge media frenzy, and no one associated with Wildfire would escape unharmed. Even those who could prove they never had any dealings with the cubs would be blacklisted from getting any job ever again. In other words: our whole world comes crashing down. So...uh... compared to [i]that[/i], doesn't plan A seem much better?"

"Fine. But we better not get hurt. You promised."