{
  "submission_id": "2856863",
  "keywords": [
    {
      "keyword_id": "20190",
      "keyword_name": "acting",
      "contributed": "f",
      "submissions_count": "166"
    },
    {
      "keyword_id": "3442",
      "keyword_name": "boar",
      "contributed": "f",
      "submissions_count": "2578"
    },
    {
      "keyword_id": "127",
      "keyword_name": "cougar",
      "contributed": "f",
      "submissions_count": "4540"
    },
    {
      "keyword_id": "37",
      "keyword_name": "cub",
      "contributed": "f",
      "submissions_count": "285736"
    },
    {
      "keyword_id": "448",
      "keyword_name": "cubs",
      "contributed": "f",
      "submissions_count": "19583"
    },
    {
      "keyword_id": "16537",
      "keyword_name": "estrus",
      "contributed": "f",
      "submissions_count": "656"
    },
    {
      "keyword_id": "235",
      "keyword_name": "exhibitionism",
      "contributed": "f",
      "submissions_count": "14036"
    },
    {
      "keyword_id": "15093",
      "keyword_name": "gazelle",
      "contributed": "f",
      "submissions_count": "1734"
    },
    {
      "keyword_id": "1465",
      "keyword_name": "heat",
      "contributed": "f",
      "submissions_count": "5006"
    },
    {
      "keyword_id": "35943",
      "keyword_name": "hornbill",
      "contributed": "f",
      "submissions_count": "223"
    },
    {
      "keyword_id": "511",
      "keyword_name": "hyena",
      "contributed": "f",
      "submissions_count": "19590"
    },
    {
      "keyword_id": "11464",
      "keyword_name": "hyenas",
      "contributed": "f",
      "submissions_count": "419"
    },
    {
      "keyword_id": "302",
      "keyword_name": "jackal",
      "contributed": "f",
      "submissions_count": "12055"
    },
    {
      "keyword_id": "269",
      "keyword_name": "light bondage",
      "contributed": "f",
      "submissions_count": "1366"
    },
    {
      "keyword_id": "174",
      "keyword_name": "lion",
      "contributed": "f",
      "submissions_count": "43995"
    },
    {
      "keyword_id": "107",
      "keyword_name": "lioness",
      "contributed": "f",
      "submissions_count": "11902"
    },
    {
      "keyword_id": "11507",
      "keyword_name": "male/female",
      "contributed": "f",
      "submissions_count": "98620"
    },
    {
      "keyword_id": "8489",
      "keyword_name": "manipulation",
      "contributed": "f",
      "submissions_count": "396"
    },
    {
      "keyword_id": "1848",
      "keyword_name": "meerkat",
      "contributed": "f",
      "submissions_count": "2663"
    },
    {
      "keyword_id": "1003",
      "keyword_name": "m/f",
      "contributed": "f",
      "submissions_count": "42292"
    },
    {
      "keyword_id": "10445",
      "keyword_name": "mittens",
      "contributed": "f",
      "submissions_count": "1468"
    },
    {
      "keyword_id": "3313",
      "keyword_name": "monkey",
      "contributed": "f",
      "submissions_count": "10408"
    },
    {
      "keyword_id": "13534",
      "keyword_name": "multiple characters",
      "contributed": "f",
      "submissions_count": "10832"
    },
    {
      "keyword_id": "471878",
      "keyword_name": "multiple rape",
      "contributed": "f",
      "submissions_count": "3"
    },
    {
      "keyword_id": "4983",
      "keyword_name": "multiple species",
      "contributed": "f",
      "submissions_count": "994"
    },
    {
      "keyword_id": "10141",
      "keyword_name": "muzzled",
      "contributed": "f",
      "submissions_count": "777"
    },
    {
      "keyword_id": "3289",
      "keyword_name": "nc",
      "contributed": "f",
      "submissions_count": "1708"
    },
    {
      "keyword_id": "10878",
      "keyword_name": "noncon",
      "contributed": "f",
      "submissions_count": "7467"
    },
    {
      "keyword_id": "11199",
      "keyword_name": "nonconsensual",
      "contributed": "f",
      "submissions_count": "3519"
    },
    {
      "keyword_id": "18251",
      "keyword_name": "padding",
      "contributed": "f",
      "submissions_count": "4081"
    },
    {
      "keyword_id": "15609",
      "keyword_name": "peahen",
      "contributed": "f",
      "submissions_count": "84"
    },
    {
      "keyword_id": "1972",
      "keyword_name": "play",
      "contributed": "f",
      "submissions_count": "4495"
    },
    {
      "keyword_id": "1697",
      "keyword_name": "public",
      "contributed": "f",
      "submissions_count": "23981"
    },
    {
      "keyword_id": "25444",
      "keyword_name": "public nudity",
      "contributed": "f",
      "submissions_count": "9518"
    },
    {
      "keyword_id": "18585",
      "keyword_name": "public sex",
      "contributed": "f",
      "submissions_count": "8139"
    },
    {
      "keyword_id": "112",
      "keyword_name": "rape",
      "contributed": "f",
      "submissions_count": "32308"
    },
    {
      "keyword_id": "5765",
      "keyword_name": "seduction",
      "contributed": "f",
      "submissions_count": "1838"
    },
    {
      "keyword_id": "268",
      "keyword_name": "tiger",
      "contributed": "f",
      "submissions_count": "39399"
    },
    {
      "keyword_id": "5467",
      "keyword_name": "underage",
      "contributed": "f",
      "submissions_count": "17291"
    },
    {
      "keyword_id": "1730",
      "keyword_name": "voyeur",
      "contributed": "f",
      "submissions_count": "2762"
    },
    {
      "keyword_id": "1846",
      "keyword_name": "voyeurism",
      "contributed": "f",
      "submissions_count": "4978"
    },
    {
      "keyword_id": "12935",
      "keyword_name": "warthog",
      "contributed": "f",
      "submissions_count": "576"
    }
  ],
  "hidden": "f",
  "scraps": "f",
  "favorite": "f",
  "favorites_count": "46",
  "create_datetime": "2022-11-12 23:14:36.941458+00",
  "create_datetime_usertime": "13 Nov 2022 00:14 CET",
  "last_file_update_datetime": "2023-08-13 23:57:22.892317+00",
  "last_file_update_datetime_usertime": "14 Aug 2023 01:57 CEST",
  "username": "Thakur",
  "user_id": "328108",
  "user_icon_file_name": "205772_Thakur_felix-tile-the-cat-thak23.jpg",
  "user_icon_url_large": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/usericons/large/205/205772_Thakur_felix-tile-the-cat-thak23.jpg",
  "user_icon_url_medium": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/usericons/medium/205/205772_Thakur_felix-tile-the-cat-thak23.jpg",
  "user_icon_url_small": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/usericons/small/205/205772_Thakur_felix-tile-the-cat-thak23.jpg",
  "file_name": "4634037_Thakur_opening_natalie.jpg",
  "file_url_full": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/files/full/4634/4634037_Thakur_opening_natalie.jpg",
  "file_url_screen": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/files/screen/4634/4634037_Thakur_opening_natalie.jpg",
  "file_url_preview": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/files/preview/4634/4634037_Thakur_opening_natalie.jpg",
  "thumbnail_url_huge_noncustom": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/files/preview/4634/4634037_Thakur_opening_natalie.jpg",
  "thumbnail_url_large_noncustom": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/large/4634/4634037_Thakur_opening_natalie_noncustom.jpg",
  "thumbnail_url_medium_noncustom": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/medium/4634/4634037_Thakur_opening_natalie_noncustom.jpg",
  "thumb_medium_noncustom_x": "120",
  "thumb_medium_noncustom_y": "90",
  "thumb_large_noncustom_x": "200",
  "thumb_large_noncustom_y": "150",
  "thumb_huge_noncustom_x": "300",
  "thumb_huge_noncustom_y": "225",
  "files": [
    {
      "file_id": "4634037",
      "file_name": "4634037_Thakur_opening_natalie.jpg",
      "file_url_full": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/files/full/4634/4634037_Thakur_opening_natalie.jpg",
      "file_url_screen": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/files/screen/4634/4634037_Thakur_opening_natalie.jpg",
      "file_url_preview": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/files/preview/4634/4634037_Thakur_opening_natalie.jpg",
      "mimetype": "image/jpeg",
      "submission_id": "2856863",
      "user_id": "328108",
      "submission_file_order": "0",
      "full_size_x": "320",
      "full_size_y": "240",
      "screen_size_x": "320",
      "screen_size_y": "240",
      "preview_size_x": "300",
      "preview_size_y": "225",
      "initial_file_md5": "90643c82475d6fc5c1b6596b41e00bae",
      "full_file_md5": "9f4b934bb5ffdf82c433b2781b17b0ea",
      "large_file_md5": "3fc3b3b9382ad1da1cb9dbc49d602f0d",
      "small_file_md5": "844d94f08075a265298b2f97a5ae8ad0",
      "thumbnail_md5": "e84d02d209d43a67bf675d3e11a1a0a4",
      "deleted": "f",
      "create_datetime": "2023-08-13 23:57:22.892317+00",
      "create_datetime_usertime": "14 Aug 2023 01:57 CEST",
      "thumbnail_url_huge_noncustom": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/files/preview/4634/4634037_Thakur_opening_natalie.jpg",
      "thumbnail_url_large_noncustom": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/large/4634/4634037_Thakur_opening_natalie_noncustom.jpg",
      "thumbnail_url_medium_noncustom": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/medium/4634/4634037_Thakur_opening_natalie_noncustom.jpg",
      "thumb_medium_noncustom_x": "120",
      "thumb_medium_noncustom_y": "90",
      "thumb_large_noncustom_x": "200",
      "thumb_large_noncustom_y": "150",
      "thumb_huge_noncustom_x": "300",
      "thumb_huge_noncustom_y": "225"
    }
  ],
  "pools": [
    {
      "pool_id": "81435",
      "name": "The Lion King Stories",
      "description": "The Circle of Life has never been so tight, wet, and inviting.",
      "count": "8",
      "submission_left_submission_id": "2870057",
      "submission_left_file_name": "4634050_Thakur_simba_s_place.jpg",
      "submission_left_thumbnail_url_huge_noncustom": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/files/preview/4634/4634050_Thakur_simba_s_place.jpg",
      "submission_left_thumbnail_url_large_noncustom": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/large/4634/4634050_Thakur_simba_s_place_noncustom.jpg",
      "submission_left_thumbnail_url_medium_noncustom": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/medium/4634/4634050_Thakur_simba_s_place_noncustom.jpg",
      "submission_left_thumb_medium_noncustom_x": "120",
      "submission_left_thumb_medium_noncustom_y": "90",
      "submission_left_thumb_large_noncustom_x": "200",
      "submission_left_thumb_large_noncustom_y": "150",
      "submission_left_thumb_huge_noncustom_x": "300",
      "submission_left_thumb_huge_noncustom_y": "225"
    }
  ],
  "description": "Natalie Larson, the young Lioness, is honored and excited to share the stage with a legend in the thespian world in the community theater production of [u]The Lion King[/u]. But as she quickly learns, with leagues of experience, comes a massively inflated sense of entitlement. Soon, the legendary blowhard is directing everyone within the production, including the [i]director[/i]! And he demands realism for some of the....[i][b][url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1kGEz1zDGgY]deleted scenes[/url][/b][/i] from the family-friendly adaptation. Is the pompous windbag of an award-winning actor overstepping his bounds? Or is our juvenile actress merely chewing the scenery? Maybe not...but she might have to [i]bite down on it[/i]...\n\n[iconname]DreamGod[/iconname] here—I had to take a little break to handle some things out in the real world, but hopefully this will make it up to you. Thakur has approved the release of an all NEW story today! And it's an excellent one if I do say so myself. I'll be back soon to upload some more singles and series. Hope you guys enjoy!!\n\n\n-------------------------------------------------------------------------\n\nLooking to get a front row seat to the action? Starting at $5 a month, you can access brand new stories as they're being written, and get early access to them for four weeks ahead of the public by joining the Official Thakur Subscribestar Adult channel! \n\nhttps://subscribestar.adult/thakur\n\nDon't forget: even if you can't afford to contribute, you can still subscribe to the Positive Vibes tier and get access to the Thakur Story Forum absolutely FREE!!! Chat on Discord with like-minded individuals, fans and collaborators, including the big cat himself. And the best part? Instant access to ALL of his classic stories over the past 15 years! Sign up for free today, and upgrade when you can!\n\nAs always, check out Thakur on his other galleries for maximum coverage:\nFurAffinity(https://www.furaffinity.net/gallery/thakurcat/)\nSoFurry(https://thakur.sofurry.com/)\nArchiveOfOurOwn(https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThakurCat)\nInkBunny(https://inkbunny.net/gallery/Thakur/1/72e7ce2250)\n\nThanks to my former Patreon supporters: Guri, Nichizue, AlexW, Stell, Dotoro, Frosti, Rob Baird, Rokanoss, Geko7, Lost Jungle, pupapo, lonewoof and wolfman! Special thanks to my official adaptation artist Baylong for providing pictures to accompany my stories! And thanks to DreamGod for formatting and upkeep of my libraries! \n\nBelow is a list of all the characters and their players in this production:\n\n[b][u]- Casting -[/u]\n[/b]\nSimba - young: Phil England (14): anthro lion - adult: Anthony Washburn (32): anthro lion\nScar - Sir George Meredith Esquire the III (64) - anthro lion\nNala - young: Jilly Manfried (11): anthro lion - adult: Audrey Gillum (13): anthro lion\nShenzi - Bethsheba Byron (45): anthro hyena\nTimon - Cillian Redd (42): anthro Thompson Gazelle\nPumbaa - Paula Berkshire (15): feral hog\nMufasa - Monte Bourdain (55): feral tiger\nRafiki - Obgeway Azongwi (25): anthro jackal\nSarabi - Natalie Larson (16): feral lioness\nZazu - Camille Wainwright (34): feral peahen\nBanzai - Freddy Mickles (28): feral hyena\nSarafina - Diane Legato (24): feral cougar\nEd - Murray Mickles (9): feral hyena",
  "description_bbcode_parsed": "<span style='word-wrap: break-word;'>Natalie Larson, the young Lioness, is honored and excited to share the stage with a legend in the thespian world in the community theater production of <span class='underline'>The Lion King</span>. But as she quickly learns, with leagues of experience, comes a massively inflated sense of entitlement. Soon, the legendary blowhard is directing everyone within the production, including the <em>director</em>! And he demands realism for some of the....<em><strong><a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1kGEz1zDGgY\" rel=\"nofollow\">deleted scenes</a></strong></em> from the family-friendly adaptation. Is the pompous windbag of an award-winning actor overstepping his bounds? Or is our juvenile actress merely chewing the scenery? Maybe not...but she might have to <em>bite down on it</em>...<br /><br />\r\n\t\t\t\t\t<table style='display: inline-block; vertical-align:bottom;'>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<tr>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<td style='vertical-align: middle; border: none;'>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div style='width: 50px; height: 50px; position: relative; margin: 0px auto;'>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a style='position: relative; border: 0px;' href='https://inkbunny.net/DreamGod'><img class='shadowedimage' style='border: 0px;' src='https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/usericons/small/278/278042_DreamGod_morexis_discord_emote.png' width='50' height='50' alt='DreamGod' title='DreamGod' /></a>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t</div>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t</td>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<td style='vertical-align: bottom; font-size: 10pt;'>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span style='position: relative; top: 2px;'><a href='https://inkbunny.net/DreamGod' class='widget_userNameSmall'>DreamGod</a></span>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t</td>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t</tr>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t</table> here&mdash;I had to take a little break to handle some things out in the real world, but hopefully this will make it up to you. Thakur has approved the release of an all NEW story today! And it&#039;s an excellent one if I do say so myself. I&#039;ll be back soon to upload some more singles and series. Hope you guys enjoy!!<br /><br /><br />-------------------------------------------------------------------------<br /><br />Looking to get a front row seat to the action? Starting at $5 a month, you can access brand new stories as they&#039;re being written, and get early access to them for four weeks ahead of the public by joining the Official Thakur Subscribestar Adult channel! <br /><br /><a href=\"https://subscribestar.adult/thakur\" rel=\"nofollow\">https://subscribestar.adult/thakur</a><br /><br />Don&#039;t forget: even if you can&#039;t afford to contribute, you can still subscribe to the Positive Vibes tier and get access to the Thakur Story Forum absolutely FREE!!! Chat on Discord with like-minded individuals, fans and collaborators, including the big cat himself. And the best part? Instant access to ALL of his classic stories over the past 15 years! Sign up for free today, and upgrade when you can!<br /><br />As always, check out Thakur on his other galleries for maximum coverage:<br />FurAffinity(<a href=\"https://www.furaffinity.net/gallery/thakurcat/\" rel=\"nofollow\">https://www.furaffinity.net/gallery/thakurcat/</a>)<br />SoFurry(<a href=\"https://thakur.sofurry.com/\" rel=\"nofollow\">https://thakur.sofurry.com/</a>)<br />ArchiveOfOurOwn(<a href=\"https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThakurCat\" rel=\"nofollow\">https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThakurCat</a>)<br />InkBunny(<a href=\"https://inkbunny.net/gallery/Thakur/1/72e7ce2250\" rel=\"nofollow\">https://inkbunny.net/gallery/Thakur/1/72e7ce2250</a>)<br /><br />Thanks to my former Patreon supporters: Guri, Nichizue, AlexW, Stell, Dotoro, Frosti, Rob Baird, Rokanoss, Geko7, Lost Jungle, pupapo, lonewoof and wolfman! Special thanks to my official adaptation artist Baylong for providing pictures to accompany my stories! And thanks to DreamGod for formatting and upkeep of my libraries! <br /><br />Below is a list of all the characters and their players in this production:<br /><br /><strong><span class='underline'>- Casting -</span><br /></strong><br />Simba - young: Phil England (14): anthro lion - adult: Anthony Washburn (32): anthro lion<br />Scar - Sir George Meredith Esquire the III (64) - anthro lion<br />Nala - young: Jilly Manfried (11): anthro lion - adult: Audrey Gillum (13): anthro lion<br />Shenzi - Bethsheba Byron (45): anthro hyena<br />Timon - Cillian Redd (42): anthro Thompson Gazelle<br />Pumbaa - Paula Berkshire (15): feral hog<br />Mufasa - Monte Bourdain (55): feral tiger<br />Rafiki - Obgeway Azongwi (25): anthro jackal<br />Sarabi - Natalie Larson (16): feral lioness<br />Zazu - Camille Wainwright (34): feral peahen<br />Banzai - Freddy Mickles (28): feral hyena<br />Sarafina - Diane Legato (24): feral cougar<br />Ed - Murray Mickles (9): feral hyena</span>",
  "writing": "The show must go on.\n\nNormally that phrase is meant for a live performance, not the first day of rehearsal.  But I was feeling it to my core, after working so [i]hard[/i] in my auditions for third billing, only to find my name, Natalie Larson, down at [i]ninth[/i].  To be fair, I got the second best role for a lioness - and I could hardly expect to win the role of lead hyena before an actual hyena!\n\nAnd sure, the other girl fit the historical role better - two legs rather than four.  But Snakespeare often cast males in female roles, or swapped two-leggers for four or vice versa.  It's not unheard of.  To top it all off, the girl who beat me out for the role of (adult) Nala was only thirteen.\n\nBut I couldn't back out now.  My parents wouldn't be too impressed by sour grapes, and besides, Sarabi was a pretty good role.  The whole play was based on a well-known folk tale that [i]probably[/i] actually happened in Medieval Africa, with some dramatic and supernatural elements added by Snakespeare - his most famous tragedy: The Lion King.\n\nThe perfect time for a classic, our director said.  Tom Ward had been trying to boost attendance at the community theater for years, and if this play didn't do well, this might be it.  But he had a secret weapon - our ringer.  Sir George Meredith Esquire the III, an old standby in England known for his portrayals of King Lear, Oberon, Mufasa, and Scar.  Even I'd heard of him, and I couldn't wait to pick his ear.\n\nAnd so I sucked it up and warmed up beside the other youth actors.  I was the oldest, at sixteen, a full-blooded, four-legged, two-hundred-and-forty-pound lioness, playing Sarabi, followed by Paula Berkshire at fifteen.  She fit the role of Pumbaa well enough as a four-legged hog, even though she wasn't African or red-furred in the least.  She'd long ago learned that hogs had to accept comedic roles and she was pretty funny.\n\nNext up was young Simba, who was actually older than adult Nala, at fourteen and thirteen respectively.  It was going to be so odd watching Audrey Gillum play the jungle love scene across from adult Simba who was more than twice her age...  Young Nala was played by an adorable eleven-year old girl named Jilly, and the youngest cast member was Ed, played by Murray Mickles.  He was Banzai's son, the two four-legged hyenas a perfect pair, and Murray was going to steal every scene he was in despite having no actual lines.\n\nThe six of us did some physical and vocal warm-ups, while the adults in the production were rehearsing in another room with Tom.  We were stuck being babysat by the director's Samoyed girlfriend Angela.  She was nice enough, but how was I supposed to learn from Sir George if I never got to see him?  Instead, I got to watch as the three [i]two-legger[/i] actors who got all the best parts stretched and ran lines.  Young Simba and both Nalas were giving each other massages, an ice-breaker that a two-hundred-and-forty pound lioness, three-hundred pound sow, and a hundred-pound hyena couldn't really do.\n\nI couldn't help but stare at Audrey Gillum.  They could have cast me instead.  There was nothing in the play that required Nala to have hands, even though it was historically more accurate.  I had a louder voice and more experience.  I didn't dare complain to Tom - you don't question the director's casting - but for God's sake, he'd cast a four-legged [i]tiger[/i] for the role of [i]Mufasa[/i].\n\n``What're you thinking about?'' Paula grunted next to me.\n\nEven though she was heavier than me, the big pig was much rounder.  I flattened my ears and said, ``I feel like we should be practicing with the adults.''  We were the oldest, after all.\n\n``We will, soon enough.  I mean, basically all my scenes are with Cillian, and you play across from Mufasa and Scar most of the time.''\n\nShe was right, but that didn't make me feel any better.\n\nBut time heals all wounds.  Once we started really getting into the scene breakdowns, I never really had to interact with Audrey.  Adult Nala was one of the main actors in the third act, but I played mostly in the first and second act.  The only scene I had in common with Audrey was the triumphant conclusion, when the two of us and Sarafina team up to push Scar off the cliff.  Instead, I got to play alongside Phil (young Simba), Jilly, and Monte Bourdain, a local favorite playing Mufasa - despite being a four-legged [i]tiger[/i].  He'd be in fur paint and sporting a mane for the production, of course.\n\n``[i]Really[/i] lick, Natalie.  I don't want jitters on opening night!  Remember, he's your infant son!'' Tom directed, holding up his fingers in front of his face like a camera lens.  The Beagle could be frustrating, but he had good ideas.\n\nThis wasn't one of them.  Gritting my teeth, I licked the small of Phil England's back.  Need I remind you; he was only two years younger than me.  [i]Fourteen[/i].  He sure looked smaller, since I was feral and he wasn't, but that didn't change that fact that I saw Phil around school, and here I was lapping his actual fur just above his shorts (a stand in for the loincloth he'd be wearing live).  It was hard to picture him as my son!\n\n``Okay, okay, I'm clean.  Can I [i]go[/i], now?'' Phil delivered, trying to squirm out of my paws.  I could have held him there if I wanted, but my job was to give him a wry smile and let him out.  I lifted my paws and he popped out of my grasp.\n\n``So where are we going?'' Jilly asked.  She was also getting licked, but she was 11, and Sarafina was played by a twenty-four year old named Diane.  Not nearly as awkward.\n\nThat wasn't the only awkward scene that Tom wanted me to commit to.  I was supposed to give Mufasa a loving pep talk after he chides Simba for taking Nala to the elephant graveyard.  Monte was an adult male tiger, almost twice my size, and fully three times my age, yet I was playing his loving wife and queen.  Snakespeare wasn't one to shy away from the more risque aspects of history and drama, and this was a classic fade-to-black.  The set wasn't finished yet, but we'd have a long, grassy hill.  He collapsed with a heavy sigh.\n\nI padded over to him.  ``I know it's tough,'' I said with my best, low rumble.\n\n``He put her in danger, Sarabi.  That's not how I raised him -''\n\nI tried not to look to Tom to see if he approved - just play the role.  I leaned over and put a paw on the rock beside the fifty-year-old actor and licked his cheek.  ``I remember when you took me to -''\n\n``That was -''\n\n``Cut!'' Tom exclaimed.  ``C'mon Natalie.  It's not [i]Monte[/i].  It's your [i]husband, [/i]Mufasa.  Run it again.''\n\nI don't know how many times I had to kiss him before Tom was satisfied, or experience the way the large tiger reached over and pulled me up on the rock alongside him.  At least Monte spoke to me after our longest day of practice, gave me a few pointers, and talked about stage jitters.  He was a big softy, really, and it helped put me at ease with him.\n\nBut there was [i]one[/i] scene that [i]wasn't[/i] fade-to-black.  It was my biggest scene, just after Mufasa's death at the hands of a horde of okapi, and Simba's self-imposed exile.  Scar replaces Shenzi with me as his queen.\n\n``You have to hate me, darling,'' Sir George explained, his mane already flecked with grey from age.  ``You suspect my hand in Mufasa's death, even if you can't prove it.  Try it again.''\n\nActing with Sir George Meredith (Esquire) (the III) was totally different.  Tom didn't dare direct the actor Vanity Fair says ``defined the role of Scar'', and Sir George got whatever he wanted.  Bagel run?  Angela was on it.  Adjusted lines?  No problem.  Re-rehearsal for the sixteen-year-old actress to learn how to hate?  Done.\n\nIt was getting a little easier to hate Scar when he had Sir George's face.  ``Mufasa would never have made peace with the hyenas,'' I spat, glaring as much as I ever had at my parents.\n\nHe was a great actor, that was obvious.  His grin split his face, eyes opening just wide enough, ears perked just right, tail flicking.  Even though he was a two-legger, he was a two-legged [i]lion[/i], and that meant he was [i]big[/i].  Standing seven-feet tall and weighing nearly three-hundred pounds of mostly [i]muscle[/i], he towered over me.  I rarely felt intimidated by anyone - I was a [i]lioness[/i] after all.  But Sir George was a specimen.  He said, ``They have their uses, and now we can live in peace,'' he chided, voice dripping with deeper meaning.\n\nI channeled my impudent teenager.  ``Why not make it official, then?  Marry that hyena, not me.''\n\nHe paused, frozen just slightly.  ``Shenzi...is not queen material.  If the lionesses are to listen to me, you know I need a lioness.  You know I need [i]you[/i], cousin.''\n\n``YOU WILL NEVER HAVE ME,'' I snarled.  ``Damn the customs!''\n\n``No, no, no.  [i]Again[/i], Natalie.  Again!'' Sir George groaned.\n\nWhatever I did differently the fifteenth time around, we finally got to the end of the scene.  He nodded his approval, then continued, ``You're right, Sarabi...'' like a snake getting ready to strike.  ``The customs don't have to be followed to the letter.  My queen doesn't [i]have[/i] to be you.''\n\nI took a step back, trying my best to shiver.  ``W-who?''\n\n``It seems a shame to let Nala suffer the loss of her betrothed all alone, don't you think?''\n\nI dropped my jaw, ears slowly flattening, like Tom had suggested.  ``You leave her out of this - !''\n\nScar - no, Sir George - said, ``I will, if...''\n\nGritting my teeth, I turned around, pacing to my spot on our false stage.  I lay down, staring straight ahead (at the absent audience).  ``You win.''  The most important scene for my character, but by far the most awkward.\n\n``You win, [i]my King[/i],'' he hissed.\n\nThank God in rehearsal I was allowed to wear shorts, but in the actual performance, I'd be fully naked, and he'd be wearing a fur loincloth he'd be wearing.  Snakespeare hadn't wanted such an important character building scene to happen off-stage.  ``You win, [i]my King[/i],'' I whimpered, lifting my tufted tail for him.\n\n``Wise decision, my queen,'' he gloated.  My character didn't know what he was doing, but he grabbed a muzzle and a blanket.  I got ready to cough and snarl.  He wasn't gentle in rehearsal, collapsing on my back with the covers over his back and mine, suddenly pulling the muzzle over my open mouth.  He yanked back to tighten it, and I screeched in real pain, the metal bit fixed between my teeth.  ``But I think I'd better take a few precautions...'' he rumbled in my ear, loudly enough for the audience to hear.\n\nTears were in my eyes, my neck still smarting from where the huge lion had tugged.  I snarled, but I couldn't talk with the bit in, so I tapped the floor, the universal sign for release.  When he didn't release, I tapped again, and again, but he must have taken it for the rest of the scene.  He kept with the rehearsal, tying off my muzzle before rocking demonstrably beneath the sheets.  Of course he was wearing khakis and I was wearing jean shorts, but I still felt him thrust himself upon me, his powerful hands reaching up under my forepaws in a full-Nelson choke hold.  He had the timing down pat, an expert at this scene, the exact 1 minute and 15 seconds of simulated rape before the lights would drop.\n\n``And...scene,'' he gasped, letting go of me.  ``You're still not [i]angry[/i] enough, Natalie, and I know you can snarl louder than that through the muzzle.  This is your motivation for Act III!''\n\nI was trying to talk, but -\n\n``Natal - oh, right,'' he admitted, reaching down to unbind the muzzle from around my head.\n\n``I was telling you to [i]stop![/i]  Didn't you see my paw?  That [i]hurt!''[/i]\n\nSir George sighed.  ``You were `in pain' and that's still the best reaction you could give me?  Do it again, and this time, [i]focus![/i]''\n\nFive times I heard ``But I think I better take a few precautions...''  Five times he muzzled me, and to his credit, he did ease his yanking, but only when I really started to yelp for him.  Five times I squirmed beneath the sixty-four year old legend as he dry-humped my rump.\n\nBut it was late now, and even Tom had to admit it was time to leave.  ``You're getting there, Natalie,'' the Beagle suggested encouragingly.\n\nSir George, however, said, ``It's still a disgrace.  Tomorrow, again.  Until you get it right, girl.''\n\nWith that, the man stormed to his dressing room.\n\nTom kind of shrugged at me.  ``He's the expert,'' he shrugged.  ``You'll figure it out, Natalie - and - don't mind him.  He's something of a method actor.  He really has to [i]embody[/i] Scar, you know?''\n\n``Yeah.  Yeah, I guess,'' I said flatly.\n\nI cried a lot that night.\n\nBut I still showed up for rehearsal the next day.\n\nTom was focused on the big, comedic intro of Timon and Pumbaa upon discovering Simba collapsed in the wilderness, the classic Snakespeare back-and-forth between two fools.  Most of the direction was to Paula.  As a girl, some of the timings and emphasis had to change, and he kept accusing the poor hog of ``hamming it up''.  ``It's serious, Paula.  The comedy comes from the audience listening to you.''\n\n``The Madness of King Scar is on deck,'' said Angela, her ears flat as she tried to handle everything that Tom wasn't.  She had to coordinate the physical stunts room, the warm-ups, the side scene rehearsals to get initial impressions, as well as making sure the next big scene was ready when Tom finished with Phil, Cillian, and Paula.\n\nSir George was still in his personal dressing room, much to Angela's annoyance.  She [i]tutted[/i] around telling people what to do, her curly Samoyed tail tucked between her legs.  I found myself directed to stand next to the big stage, even though I should really have been practicing my lines or memorizing stage directions.  I think Angela just wasn't sure where to put me, and I ended up beside Audrey Gillum, my own nemesis.\n\nShe was nervous.  Plain as day, her tail twitching where she stood.\n\nAngela yelled, ``Where is Bethsheba!?  I need her ready to work lines with Banzai and Ed!''\n\n``Don't worry about it.  You've got your lines, right?'' I asked slowly.\n\nAudrey jumped and looked down at me, somehow finally aware that she was four feet away from a giant, four-legged lioness.  ``Y-yes, but...''\n\n``It's your first big scene, and it's a doozy.  You don't get a chill introduction, I get it.''\n\nShe shook her head.  ``No.  I mean yes, but that's not the problem.  It's Sir George.''\n\n``What about him?''\n\n``I mean - aren't you intimidated by him?  Famous actor, from Britain.  I haven't really even met him yet and we're about to run my biggest scene.  And it's...a [i]sex[/i] scene,'' she added.\n\nThat was an understatement.  It was a rape scene, and even more rapey than mine.  But that's how Snakespeare wrote it, and Tom wasn't going to take criticism for trying to improve on Snakespeare.  I say, ``I know how you feel.  I've been working with him after rehearsal on...the scene right before this one.''  We both knew which one that was.  Scar took Sarabi as his Queen right before the timeskip to emphasize how little he cared for her when he sniffs after Nala when the girl came of age.  At least there's an intermission between heavy hitting scenes!\n\n``W-what's he like?'' Audrey asked nervously, adjusting the top of her two-piece loincloth.  I never really understood the ``rules'', since I walked around with my nipples showing all the time, but for some reason Anthros had to wear a covering for their two largest breasts, nevermind the rows beneath standing out in plain sight.\n\n``He's a brilliant actor.  He's so good at Scar I can hardly believe he started by playing Mufasa.''\n\n``That's not what I meant, Natalie.  What's it like running lines with him?  What's it like...doing this kind of scene.''\n\nI didn't mean for my face to pale, but when I saw her reaction to my reaction, I realized I gave a bit away.  But I smiled reassuringly and said, ``Just do what he says and he won't be too mean.  And don't you dare treat rehearsal as anything other than the most important thing.  You'll be okay.''\n\nShe nodded, but her tail was still twitching.\n\n``Natalie, this way,'' Angela commanded again, the frustrated Samoyed now just trying to look busy.  I followed the two-legger for two rooms before she realized she didn't really have anything for me to do.  ``S-sorry.  Just...run your lines for the bath scene again, okay?  Now...where's Sir George!''  She bustled off to his dressing room, but when there was no response, she opened it wide.  He wasn't in there.  ``God d - Gosh dang it!'' she groaned.\n\n``Angela, you can swear - I'm sixteen for fuck's sake.''\n\nShe spared me a glance, then broke out laughing, her nerves defused, if only for a moment.  ``Thanks - but that still doesn't find me Sir George.''  She padded away.\n\n``Good luck!'' I called, before I was alone in the hallway.\n\nSir George's dressing room door failed to close on its own.  I couldn't help but peek in, the dresser with its large mirror covered with the odd personal item that Sir George had brought.  Charms dangled from every drawer - anything that jutted out had its own little bauble.  Perhaps some superstition he'd developed?  I poked my head in.  The wardrobe had various clothes, from suits to casual, and of course his costumes.  Flicking my ear, I couldn't hear anyone coming, so I leapt up and put my large paws on his dresser.\n\nA small whiteboard with notes in blue marker:\n\n125, 167, 188, 199, 207, 455, 457, 477: try Danielson's emphasis on 167, might play better off Murray, [b]redo 207!!![/b]\n\nfix Sarabi scene, overnight shipping\n\nPumbaa and Timon back-and-forth a mess, tell Tom to give Paula more room to play\n\nThere were heavy eraser marks as well, implying that he'd written tons of notes over time.  Yet still he liked to cross things out?  Regardless, he didn't seem to be phoning this production in, just because it was a local production thousands of miles from England.  But I couldn't help but notice ``fix Sarabi scene''.\n\nIt was crossed out, yet I knew that we were planning to run that scene again tonight.  What about ``overnight shipping'', then?  I sniffed, his scent all over the small room.  I'd gotten distracted by the whiteboard.  Just to the left of my paws was a leather pair of mittens, smelling crisp and new.\n\nI could hardly help but notice they matched my paws exactly.  I was propped up right next to them, my large, lioness pads just a foot from a brand-new pair of lioness mittens.  Only these mittens were fused together at the back, with strong leather cuffs and reinforced claw protection.  These were restraints.  He'd purchased them for me, without asking, thinking they'd somehow [i]fix[/i] our scene together!?\n\nI felt a pit in my stomach.  He remembered me complaining about tapping out, telling him to stop hurting me, and his idea of fixing that problem was to tie my paws together!?  The original version of the play just had the muzzle, but Sir George didn't want to stop there.\n\nI had to tell Tom.  Tail flicking, ears flat, I turned around and ran almost straight into Sir George.  He wasn't looking at me, though, he was turned to face Bethsheba, the forty-five-year-old Hyena two-legger that had gotten the part of Shenzi.  They'd just exited [i]her[/i] dressing room, and it wasn't too hard for me to figure out what they'd been doing.  Shenzi's mane was ruffled, her clothes askew, a dopey look on her face, her arm around the famous Snakespearean actor.  Sir George was grinning ear to ear and whispering in the giggling hyena's ear, when he almost stumbled into me.\n\n``Oh...[i]Natalie,[/i]'' he said, glancing down at me, then into his open dressing room.  ``What are you doing here?''\n\n``I thought you might be in your dressing room.  Angela was looking for you and she looked pretty angry.''\n\n``Ah, yes.  Thank you, Natalie,'' he said, stepping past me to promptly close his dressing room door.  Perhaps he thought I hadn't noticed the mittens already?  ``I'll find her right away.''\n\n``Bye, Georgie,'' Beth called out, as Sir George rushed off.  But he was too busy to reply, much to the hyena's big sigh.\n\nI gave her one, pitying glance and said, ``Angela's looking for you, too.''\n\n``Oh.  Oh!  Thanks,'' she said, and rushed off, straightening her clothes.\n\nI, on the other hand, went straight for Tom.\n\n``What do you [i]mean[/i] he didn't get them for me?'' I asked, incredulous, after I told the Beagle.\n\n``Well, how do you know that?''\n\n``I [i]told [/i]you.  You think it's just a coincidence that he ordered lioness-sized paw coverings to `fix the Sarabi scene'?'' I growled, my tail flicking.\n\nTom was sweating, perhaps not the least because I outweighed him almost double.  ``You don't know that those notes were connected...''\n\n``Fine, Tom.  Maybe he didn't.  But if he [i]did[/i], you have to tell him [i]no[/i].''\n\nTom's floppy ears pinned back.  ``Sir George only has the play's best interest at heart.''\n\n``Well, I want [i]you[/i] to have [i]my[/i] best interests at heart.  If my paws [i]and[/i] mouth are bound, how am I supposed to tell [i]George[/i] if he's being too rough?''  I dropped his damned honorific.  Had he even actually been knighted?\n\nTom said, ``You're being hysterical,'' turning away from me.\n\nThe door opened behind us.\n\nIt was Sir George, strutting in, three-hundred pounds of confidence.  ``My my.  My ears are burning.  Tom's right, Natalie, you're worried about nothing.''\n\nHe must have been listening in!  Staring back at him, I felt like shrinking away but I forced myself to bristle, getting larger.  ``Those gloves [i]aren't[/i] for me?''\n\n``Oh, they certainly are for you.  The way you are portraying Sarabi with such defiance calls for a modification to the play.  Scar would accurately see you as a threat and go further than just a muzzle,'' he said, tail lashing back and forth behind him.\n\nTom said, ``But Natalie -'' in his strongest attempt to stand up to Sir George yet.\n\nThe lion smoothly batted such objections away, interrupting, ``I like it, Natalie.  Your Sarabi is a fighter.  It plays well, especially since Audrey's Nala is a bit meeker.''\n\nNarrowing my eyes, I said, ``I thought you said I didn't [i]hate you enough[/i].''\n\n``You don't,'' he said simply.  ``Defiance and hatred are different things.  Typically, Sarabi submits, her hatred shining through her eyes.  You can't be even [i]more [/i]defiant without the same emotion to back it up.  People won't believe it.''\n\nTom nodded emphatically.  ``That's a good point...''\n\nI growled at Tom.  ``And what am I supposed to do if I can't tap out?'' I asked them both.\n\nSir George had an answer at the ready.  ``Just curl your tail around mine and I'll ease up.''\n\nTom said, ``See?  Great, it's all worked out!''\n\nThat night, I got to experience it for the first time.  Seven times I heard ``But I think I better take a few precautions...''  Seven times he muzzled me tight, slipped on the mittens and cinched them around my wrists, and seven times I squirmed beneath him as he dry-humped my rump.  He was less hard on me, and when I touched his tail with mine, he eased up considerably.  And he didn't even criticize my level of hatred toward him.  Perhaps my feelings for Sir George were coming through in my acting.  We finished the extra rehearsal in an hour instead of three.\n\nAnd that was how things were when opening night finally arrived.  I was ready - I knew my lines, I had everything prepared, I knew where to stand, where to go, what expression to emote to the audience.  The only thing I didn't have was `no cramps'.\n\nI was in heat.  For opening night.\n\nThe whole theater was packed, and everyone was jittery - except Sir George.  Tom was especially nervous as the first night reviews would determine whether the next three showings were also packed.  My parents were in the front row, two extra large seats for the feral lions, and they were alongside some of the other parents or loved ones of the cast.  I was so nervous the cramps didn't even matter, and it was dark enough backstage that I hoped any telltale drops of red wouldn't be noticed.  I couldn't exactly play Sarabi in a diaper!\n\nI was in the first scene - the presentation of Simba, very temporarily played by a lion cub named Steven.  He was only a few months old, and absolutely adorable, so the crowd couldn't help but go ``Awwww!'' as Obgeway held him up for the audience.  Costume direction was really on point - the two-legged jackal might not be the exact right species for Rafiki, but he was every bit believable as an African shaman in his ritual paint and loincloth.  My job was just to stand proudly next to Monte, though I don't know how convincing my smile was as I stared out at the bright spotlights obscuring my parents.  I had to force my ears up, and Monte put a large, painted paw over my shoulder that wasn't in the direction.\n\n``You've got this,'' he whispered under the soaring music.  The feral tiger was twice my size, but I didn't feel small next to him, and his stripes were almost masked by the tan fur paint.  His rich, red mane was just a wig, but he almost looked like my father.\n\nThe lights fell after the first scene, and the set changed while we all repositioned.  The baby lion was taken out of the theater in case he started crying, and Phil prepared for his entrance with Monte.  I was waiting on a turntable with Diane and Jilly, the sunbathing rocks.  Young Nala was definitely jittery, but Sarafina was in her twenties and had been in a number of plays before.  I took a deep breath and stretched out over my rock, trying to match the mountain lion.  Diane held Jilly ready, calming the eleven-year-old's nerves.\n\nI couldn't [i]really [/i]understand, but I think she was feeling extra anxious because her costume didn't have a top.  Two-leggers usually wore clothes, but she only had the loincloth, her flat chest bare.  But Diane and I were [i]completely[/i] naked, and [i]our [/i]nipples were almost always visible.  But I guess that didn't make it any easier for Jilly.\n\nWe could only hear the scenes on the other side of the turntable as Mufasa bonded with his son, explained the kingdom and the circle of life.  Phil then had a scene where he talked with his uncle.  He did a great job at naivete as Sir George expertly played sarcastic uncle who only wanted Simba's death.  He dropped the hints like water on a windowsill, the low rumble from his throat like thunder from the oncoming storm.  ``You must promise me never to go there - it's far too dangerous!'' he pleaded, one ear held back, the other forward.  He somehow managed to look small for a three-hundred pound beast of a man, even next to the fourteen-year-old child.\n\nThe turntable started to move, and I froze.\n\n``Take a deep breath,'' Diane suggested, grabbing up the small two-legged lioness.\n\nAnd then we were on.  The lights once again bore down on us, and I tried not to look at the front row.  Lazily, I flicked my tail, grateful that I was facing the audience, unlike Diane.  The mountain lion was at three-quarters, her rump almost facing the audience, so when she flicked her tail, she had to be careful or she'd show off a bit too much.  The position allowed her to lick [i]near[/i] Nala's butt without actually licking her there, though.  The crowd laughed to see Jilly curled up in ``her mother's'' paws, her legs high in the air as she was tongue bathed.\n\nThen Phil came in, hopping and skipping eagerly.  ``Nala!  Nala!  Have I got a place to show you!''\n\nWe practiced it a hundred times so it went without a hitch.  I swept the freshman up in my paws and licked from the scruff of his neck over his forehead, scrunching up his fur over his eyes.  ``Moooooom!'' he whined as high-pitched as he could.  It was hard to forget that he was only two years younger than me and we went to the same school.  It was going to be weird seeing him in the hallways.  But right now, what mattered was the show.\n\nWe licked them both as they carried out the scene, until they were actually damp from the saliva.  I'd had to practice delivering my lines with fur on my tongue.  ``But you have to bring Zazu!'' I growled.\n\nAnd like that, the scene was over, and I was out until the last scene of Act I.\n\nAs I walked off-stage during the lights out, Tom patted me and said, ``Great start out there, Nat.''  He wasn't joking.  The Beagle was all aquiver, clearly excited by the audience's gasps and laughs and groans.  I couldn't even remember any mistakes we'd made as a cast.  I slinked off to the side, taking a deep breath, watching the play carefully.\n\nIt was the most elaborate staging of the whole play - Phil led Jilly through the Elephant Graveyard only to be stopped and surrounded by the three hyenas, Freddy and Murray slinking along beside the imposing figure of Bethsheba.  Zazu, played by a peahen named Camille, fluffed up her drab feathers and ran off to find Mufasa, while the hyenas taunted and chased the kids around.  The audience loved Murray's garbled laughing and spitting, something the nine-year-old actor was quite capable of hamming up without feeling self-conscious at all.  Just before Nala was going to be killed by Banzai, Mufasa arrived, his tiger's roar more than sufficient to sell the message.\n\nA touching scene at the top of the hill showed Mufasa explaining why he was so disappointed in his son, a soliloquy about responsibility, quiet, contemplative music, and the sun set (the lights went down).\n\nNow all that remained in act one were two sex scenes to set up the dichotomy - Scar's twisted relationship with Shenzi, and Sarabi comforting Mufasa after what his son had done.  There in the boneyard Scar arrived, striding so powerfully through the devastation, green smoke rising up through rifts in the ground.  Without Monte's enormity to dwarf the man, Sir George was truly imposing, his muscular chest completely visible, the loincloth not hiding the sides of his powerful legs.  Just like in the real history, the two-legged brother betrayed the four to claim the kingdom.  Shenzi was two-thirds the imposing lion's height, and the feral hyenas were like stuffed animals compared to Scar.\n\n``You let him [i]live?[/i]  When you had the chance!?''\n\nBanzai whimpered, ``B-but Mufasa showed up, Scar!  What was we supposed to do?''\n\nEd gave a confused, blubbering spit-take as well, to laughs from the audience.\n\n``ENOUGH!'' Scar roared.  ``Then we need Mufasa...out of the picture!''\n\nThe hyenas cheered, but Shenzi looked somewhat skeptical.\n\nSir George continued self-congratulating, rumbling, ``A shining new era is tiptoeing nearer!''\n\nShenzi stood firmly between the massive lion and right and left hand men.  ``And where do [i]we[/i] feature in this plan of yours?''\n\n``I'll explain everything, Shenzi,'' he grinned, looking the spotted carnivore over.  ``In private.''\n\nBanzai and Ed took the hint, and ran off, laughing about the idea that they would soon rule over the Pridelands instead of the Outlands, unaware that the negotiations were just beginning.  Scar explained in whispers his plan to kill Simba and Mufasa, to which Shenzi replied enthusiastically, ``They won't know what hit `em,'' she agreed.  ``But how do we know you'll hold up [i]your[/i] end of the bargain?  Once you've got your little harem of empty-headed kittens...''\n\nSir George rumbled.  ``You know I am a lion of many appetites - but my taste in women runs...[i]smarter[/i].  Once my competitors are out of the picture, [i]you[/i] will reign by my side, Shenzi.  It's always been you...'' he said, running a paw down her flank.\n\nBethsheba flattened her ears, shivering.  ``I'll be your queen?'' she asked hopefully.\n\n``We will rule the Pridelands, side by side,'' he grinned.\n\nI watched from the side, knowing my own scene was up next.  This was the transition to the sex scene, as Shenzi stepped in front of a prop that looked like a hill of grass, designed to hide the relevant parts from the audience.  This would be the first time the two would perform the scene actually naked, and even the audience could see the way his hands went to her hips and untied her loincloth, allowing it to collapse lightly to the floor to be followed shortly after by his.\n\nThat's when I realized I was standing in the one place in the whole theater where one could actually [i]see[/i] their bare bodies.  From the side, in the dark backstage, I gasped to see Bethsheba and Sir George fully naked.  I at least knew enough about hyenas so that I wasn't completely shocked to see both actors with dangling cocks, but I still sputtered - I was only a sixteen-year-old lioness after all!  They were so wrapped up in their acting that they didn't think to see if anyone was standing in the darkness, and I stared, paralyzed in place.  I spared a glance left and right, afraid someone would notice something was amiss, but I was alone, and this was my spot to enter the next scene anyway.\n\n[i]Sir George was well hung[/i].  Felines weren't known for their size down there, but the big cats were so large over all that they ended up usually pretty well endowed.  But two-leggers, apparently, weren't as small.  He was at least six inches, soft, dangling down between his legs, his hefty balls framing his shaft.  I couldn't look away.  Shenzi was the same way, her pseudo-penis five inches long already, even as she leaned up to kiss the evil soon-to-be King.  But this scene wasn't about kisses, it was about primitive, lustful sex, and as such, Tom had directed the scene to be doggystyle.\n\nAnd they wasted no time, Bethsheba turning around for the lion and facing the audience.  She crawled forward on all fours, making sure to obscure her body behind the false hill, letting everyone see the lewd grin on her face.  The audience knew, of course, that there wasn't any [i]real[/i] hanky-panky going on, but they wouldn't be able to see the dry-humping nearly as well as I could.  I was holding my breath, watching from the side as the powerful, sixty-four-year-old actor climbed onto her back, his hungry eyes more than selling the scene to the audience.  I wondered what my parents were thinking, in the front row, so close to the simulated action?\n\nI felt warm, from my embarrassment, or my heat, or both, knowing that I had a similar scene at the end of Act II.  Only now I got to see the dark-furred lion as he tucked his curved dick between Bethsheba's legs, huffing as he pretended to enter her, despite her own vulva swinging between her legs.  Shenzi cackled and tossed her head back, tongue dangling from her mouth like Murray playing Ed.\n\nI wasn't supposed to be watching this.  Trembling, I glanced to the side, watching only with my peripheral vision.  The stagehands hadn't considered hiding the action from the other actors, and now [i]I[/i] had the full view.  I didn't like Sir George one bit, but that didn't mean he wasn't a true unit of a lion, muscles rippling down his body.  His apparently giant -\n\n``Raaaawr!'' Shenzi gasped suddenly.\n\nThat wasn't in the script.  An ad lib?  I glanced back, but nothing much had changed.  There was George on her back, but now the hyena was trembling all over, her jaw dropped and eyes wide.  She must be feeling the power of the moment, trying her best to share with the audience.  There was her engorged clit, a little more swollen than before, there was his balls, his paws wrapped protectively around her chest.\n\nWh-where was [i]his[/i] shaft?\n\nI widened my own eyes as I scanned them again, squinting to make out the details in the darkness.  I must not be able to see it because it was on the other side of Bethsheba's erection.  That had to be it, Sir George flaring his nostrils and growling as he slammed the middle-aged woman forward against the grass.  He was thrusting up against her belly now, his hips lowered considerably.  The hyena was yowling, her knuckles white, each thrust seeming to push on her swollen phallus.  When George pulled back, I could glimpse the base of his thick cock, a few inches of barbed cat cock just below her clit before he pushed upward again, appearing to sink into her.  His thrust might well be touching the side of her erection, driving those spines into her soft skin.  That explained her whimpers, two dicks rubbing against each other like baguettes in a bag.\n\n``You're up next,'' Tom announced, walking quickly past.\n\n``I - I know, I'm ready,'' I gasped, averted my eyes from the scene in front of me.  I stared at my paws now, just listening to the exultant roars, yelps, and growls - so realistic in front of me.  I only looked up one last time as Scar let out his ultimate roar, pretending to cum into his spotted consort.  I swear I saw them, locked together, trembling, his enormous cock spreading hers wide, but it was dark and I knew my heat was just getting to me.  It's not like Bethsheba would agree to turn this play into a real, live porn show, no matter what Sir George suggested.  They tensed together for just enough time to end the scene, the lights dimming before I could see anything else, and then it was a scene change - and I was on.  Heart pounding in my chest, I walked onto the stage even as Sir George and Bethsheba ran off in the dim light, approaching Monte from the other side.\n\nHow was this scene going to live up to the realism of [i]that[/i] one?  I'd barely practiced this one with Monte compared to how much I'd had to let Sir George dry hump my rump.  Now that I saw what I was really following, I wished we'd spent a lot more time preparing.  No time to think about that now - my first duo scene, my first sex scene, all right in front of five hundred people AND my parents.\n\nThe lights flooded on.\n\n``He's a fool, Sarabi.  You're raising your son to be a fool!'' Monte exclaimed, pacing forward.\n\nThe bright lights shined down on me, hundreds watching.  I could vaguely see their silhouettes through the glare.  But I had practiced this scene three dozen times - [i]more[/i], and my body knew what to do, my mouth knew what to say.  Rolling my eyes, I padded forward with an amused smile.  ``My son?  I seem to recall you having something to do with that.''\n\nHe looked so much like a lion with his tan, painted fur, the black stripes barely peeking through here and there, a radiant red mane circling his face.  The pair of us, full grown tiger and lion, dominated the stage, and the audience laughed.  With a displeased growl, Mufasa said, ``He has [i]your[/i] adventurous spirit.''\n\n``Your stubbornness,'' I replied.\n\n``Your stupid risk-taking...'' the tiger spat, flicking his tail.\n\nI strode up beside him and nuzzled him.  ``And your courage when protecting others.''\n\nMonte sighed, and returned the nuzzling.  ``He's [i]our[/i] son, alright,'' he rumbled affectionately.  ``How on earth did you agree to let them sneak into the Outlands?''\n\nI put on a play of shock, followed by a rueful grin.  I nipped at his ear and growled, ``You know they didn't tell me where they were going.''\n\n``Then how...'' Mufasa pondered, ``...did he find out about the Elephant Graveyard?''\n\n``The other cubs?  Perhaps Zazu let something slip?''\n\nBut Mufasa shook his head, one after another after those suggestions.  Once all the ideas were exhausted, he took a deep breath and said what both characters were thinking.  ``[i]Scar...[/i]''\n\nI looked down.  ``He's getting bolder by the day.  I don't think he'll be satisfied living under Simba - even less than he is satisfied living under [i]you[/i].''\n\n``A pity he doesn't share [i]your [/i]affection,'' Mufasa grumbled, ``for living [i]under me[/i].''\n\nI licked his ear.  ``You have to talk to him.  At this rate, you'll have to exile him, and then what will happen if something happens to you?  Simba is hardly ready.''\n\n``I'll do it now -'' Monte started, standing.\n\nBut I shook my head.  ``I checked - he isn't in his den.''\n\n``Where [i]is[/i] the blasted cat at night?'' Mufasa growled.  ``Maybe it's time I do a thorough search.''\n\n``You could -'' I said, but I added, ``- or you could wait until tomorrow morning...''  I padded over to him.  ``I know it's tough,'' I said with my best, low rumble.\n\n``He put her in danger, Sarabi.  That's not how I raised him -''\n\nSummoning all my courage, in front of everyone, I kissed the adult male on the cheek, running my tongue up his cheek.  ``I remember when you took me to -''\n\n``That was different.''\n\n``I would hope so!'' I laughed.  ``Though I'm not sure Simba would know what to do if Nala had...''\n\nRather than finish the thought, I showed Mufasa what I meant, emulating our first time.  With a flick upward of my tail, I crawled over the grassy edge, designed perfectly so that the most the audience would be able to see was my tail, my hindquarters hidden beyond the edge while the rest of me splayed out like a stretching cat.  They could see my back all the way to the base of my tail, but when Monte covered me, his bulk would hide the simulated action.  I grinned at the audience with a knowing glance as Mufasa rumbled his agreement, and I felt Monte place his massive paw on my rump.  This was where we'd stopped in rehearsal.\n\n``My King...'' I purred, shivering as the fifty-five-year-old climbed onto my virgin, fertile rump, both our bodies naked, fur standing on end.\n\n``Oh, Sarabi,'' Monte growled with a huskiness to his voice that wasn't present in any of his other dialogue.  We'd timed it after that line - 1...2...\n\n[b][i]3![/i][/b]\n\nAnd I popped my eyes wide open and dropped my jaw for the audience, pretending to be penetrated, though Monte's shove forward was carefully aimed between my thighs.  His sheathed cock rubbed against the creamy fur on my hind legs.  ``Oh!'' I gasped, then smiled, looking over my shoulder at the tiger.  It was certainly different going through with it, feeling the old man press his genitals against my rump.  My parents knew Monte from the Savannah Club, and I often saw him padding the halls at the local grocery store.  Now, he was thrusting his hips and curling his lips back, mock-scenting me.\n\nThere were just a few more lines before the fade-to-black, and I was ready for them at any moment.  I jumped in with my line, if a little early.  ``If Nala could [i]be[/i] so lucky...''\n\n``I'm the lucky one.  You almost picked [i]Scar[/i].''  That's what he was supposed to say.  But he held his breath, holding off.  Maybe his flaring nostrils were more than play-acting as he breathed in a lioness in heat.  I couldn't say my final line until he said his - it wouldn't make any sense, so I crouched there, trembling, even as I felt something wet and hard against my thighs.  It was supposed to be [i]dry[/i] humping!  Yet the tiger, dressed up like a lion, was hard now, poking his tapered cock into my fur, trailing slowly upward.  H-he wouldn't.  He couldn't!  Yet he seemed to be searching.\n\nThe lighting crew and the band were confused as well, replaying the cues for the next part repeatedly, waiting for Monte's next line.  Could anyone see what was happening?  From the side, like I was?  His big hips would block the view.  Honestly, there was nothing stopping him from finding my sweet, wet entrance and making the gasp I'd acted [i]real[/i].  He was panting above me, warm air gushing across my back.  I widened my eyes as he neared his apparent goal, staring straight at my mother and father in the front row.  They were about to watch me lose my virginity, right there in front of five hundred people!\n\nTaking a deep breath, I said my final line anyway, skipping ahead in a rush.  ``I would never pick Scar.  Not for [i]anything[/i], my love.''\n\nThat was it, the band played the end notes, the lights dimmed, and I spun in place, struggling out of Monte's grasp.  As if shaken from his stupor, the fifty-five-year-old actor blinked and whispered, ``S-sorry, Natalie...!''  But I wasn't interested - I just wanted out - [i]now[/i].  I went the opposite direction off stage - he went right, I went left...to talk to Tom.  It was the end of Act 1, but I was shook.\n\nThe applause was thunderous, but I couldn't hear any of it, grateful for the falling curtain and the noise of the set being adjusted.  Still, Tom wasn't anywhere to be found.  People moved and chatted and drank water and discussed minor slip-ups, and I heard a dozen people ask where Tom was, but the Beagle was MIA.  I perked my ears and wandered toward the dressing rooms, and that's where I found him - talking to Bethsheba.\n\n``It's totally unprofessional, Tom!'' the hyena shrieked.\n\n``But you yourself - ahem...'' the Beagle replied, glancing back at me.\n\nWhen Bethsheba saw me, she looked flustered.  Had Sir George really done what I thought I'd seen?  Had the hyena not wanted her new boyfriend's attention, like that?  That couldn't be, or Tom would be reacting much more strongly.\n\nTom continued, ``You said yourself that you got carried away.  Um...what you described isn't all Sir George's fault.  But surely you see I have other issues to attend to - it's intermission, Beth.''\n\nBethsheba curled her lips, showing her teeth.  ``This isn't over Tom.  We're [i]going[/i] to have a talk about this - all three of us together.''  With that, the hyena stormed off, finally leaving me alone with Tom.\n\n``What happened?'' I asked, cocking my head.\n\n``A headache,'' Tom groaned.  ``Hopefully you've got something more pleasant to discuss?''\n\nI shook my head no, and jumped right in like a lioness on the hunt.  ``Monte got flustered during our scene.  He wouldn't say his lines, and I swear, he was just about to - to...''  At sixteen it just wasn't easy to say what I thought the tiger was going to do to me.\n\n``Oh, [i]brother[/i],'' Tom groaned.\n\n``[i]Excuse me?[/i]''\n\nHe sighed and said, ``No, no, I don't mean to trivialize it, Nat.  I just don't have time.  Beth's threatening to walk, Audrey's got stage fright, and that damned peacock can't keep her horned bill on tight!  I promise, I'll talk to Monte - [i]after the show[/i].  You can't really blame him for getting a little too close when you're in [i]heat[/i], you know.''\n\n``But - ''\n\n``No buts!'' the Beagle growled, storming off toward the stage.\n\nSo even the dog could tell I was in heat, and he was a two-legger.  I blushed deeply, wondering how many of the other actors knew.  Of course Monte did, and Sir George would soon if he didn't know already.  I wasn't happy about Tom's response, but he [i]did[/i] plan to fix the problem eventually.  Gritting my teeth, I padded back up to the stage, hoping I wouldn't catch a glimpse of that stripey, old pervert.\n\nSarabi wasn't even in Act II until the final scene.  It all started with Scar enacting his plan, setting up a dangerous stampede that threatened young Simba and sent Monte dashing into the simulated herd to get battered to death.  The hyenas chased a fleeing Simba from the Pridelands, and Scar shared the news with the Pride.  Young Nala wept and spoke uncertainly with her mother, Sarafina, but her mom couldn't fully promise everything would be okay.  Instead, she spoke of a distant jungle, brimming with life that would put Nala beyond the reach of Scar - when she was old enough.  Jilly did an absolutely marvelous job looking distraught at Simba's death, and I had to wonder if the nine-year-old could really differentiate reality and fantasy very well.\n\nThen, just before the last scene of the act - my biggest of the show, Shenzi and Scar talk.  She Bethsheba had no trouble summoning her anger, as Sir George explained that, of course he loved her, but a King of lions needed a [i]Queen[/i] of lions, at least officially.  ``That's not what you promised,'' the hyena warned.\n\n``You're not really in a position to [i]do[/i] anything about it, are you, my dear?'' he purred off his silver tongue.  ``Don't stay mad - I'll be here whenever you need me.''\n\nAnd finally, my scene.  Scar summoned me, and Banzai and Ed led me onto the stage where the massive, vile Scar knelt above me.  I could feel all the eyes on me now, but once again I had to fight through the fear and stare up at Sir George, defiant.\n\n``My condolences, Sarabi - for the death of your husband,'' he said, slightly smiling.  ``You may go,'' he added, dismissing the two hyenas.\n\n``And your [i]brother[/i],'' I pointed out, flicking my tail.\n\n``Of course.  Which makes me, unfortunately, King.  That's why I called you here, Sarabi.''\n\nI shook my head.  ``I won't endorse you, [i]Scar[/i].  Not after what you've done.''\n\nSir George cocked his head, towering over me on his two legs, covered in a scant loincloth.  Nothing hid his rippling muscles from the audience though, his tawny abdomen shining in the spotlight.  The only other thing he wore was Mufasa's crown, a simple, metal circlet similar to the style of the time.  A man, but he was larger than me, a full-grown lioness.  It was hard to hold my ground, even knowing that we were just acting.  ``And what is it I have done?'' he wondered.\n\n``Mufasa would never have made peace with the hyenas,'' I spat.\n\nHe said, ``They have their uses, and now [i]we[/i] can live in peace,'' he chided.\n\n``Why not make it official, then?  Marry that hyena, not me.''\n\nHe froze slightly and continued, ``Shenzi... is not queen material.  If the lionesses are to listen to me, you know I need a lioness.  You know I need [i]you[/i], cousin.''\n\nThis was it - the outburst that had never satisfied Sir George in practice.  I raised my hackles, I pulled back, I curled my lip, I bared my teeth and I threw everything I could at him.  All the times he'd criticized me, all the questionable things he'd done - the damned [i]mittens![/i]  I threw in some anger at Monte, too, baring my claws for [i]real.[/i]\n\n``YOU WILL NEVER HAVE ME,'' I snarled.  ``Damn the customs!''\n\nThe audience was speechless, and you could hear a pin drop as Sir George slyly stepped to the side, hefted his head and gazed down at me.  ``You're right, Sarabi...'' he said, dripping with false congeniality.  ``The customs [i]don't[/i] have to be followed to the letter.  My queen doesn't [i]have[/i] to be [i]you.[/i]''\n\nI took a step back, shivering.  ``W-who?''\n\n``It seems a shame to let Nala suffer the loss of her betrothed all alone, don't you think?''\n\nI did my level best to look shocked.  ``You leave her out of this - !''\n\n``I will, if...''\n\nThe moment of truth - the beginning of my unwanted submission to King Scar, and my personal submission to Sir George and all the changes he'd demanded.  I padded over to my spot and lied down, staring straight ahead into the bright spotlights.  ``You win.''\n\n``You win, [i]my King[/i],'' he hissed.\n\n``You win, [i]my King[/i],'' I whimpered, lifting my tail for him.  For the first time, I was naked, and Sir George got a glimpse of my fully bare pussy, inflamed and puffy, as well as my tailhole.  This was even more humiliating than in rehearsal, especially since he now [i]had[/i] to know I was in heat.  I could feel Sarabi's desperation, and I'm sure it played [i]very realistically[/i] to the audience as Sir George lingered there longer than in practice, a smirk on his face.\n\n``Wise decision, my queen,'' he gloated, his voice fading away as he retrieved his hidden [i]tools[/i].  With his hands, the real Scar had surely taken similar liberties with Queen Sarabi, and now I was reenacting it for everyone to see.  He was just as rough, suddenly pouncing and wrapping the muzzle around my open mouth.  He yanked back harder than ever, affixing the metal bar between my sharp teeth, muting me as the straps tightened on the back of my neck.  It hurt, which leant plenty of realism to my muffled shriek.  ``But I think I'd better take a few precautions...''\n\nNow, his own personal addition, to the audience's surprise.  Many had seen the film version lacking the mittens, but my claws were out.  Usually, Sarabi had submitted by this point, but I was thrashing and struggling, even as the mittens wrapped around my paws, squeezing them together before being tied off like cuffs.\n\nI was just thinking he better not try anything explicit like Monte had, when I heard a surprise [i]snap![/i] and realized there was one more addition: a leather collar, latching around my neck, and when I glanced down, I saw the nameplate - [i]Sir George[/i].  I blinked in shock.  This hadn't been discussed, and why would the actor use something so clearly anachronistic?\n\n``Mrrgle!'' I gasped, staring over my shoulder at the grinning male, where he stood behind me.  Hidden from the audience, he smiled as he dropped his loincloth, revealing once and for all his ten-inch dick, throbbingly erect, two hefty balls dancing below.\n\n[i]This isn't how it's supposed to happen![/i]\n\nWell, [i]yes[/i], he was supposed to drop his covering, but in rehearsal, he'd never had an [i]erection[/i].  Although I'd seen plenty of sheaths in my day thanks to the other four-leggers around, I'd never seen someone [i]horny[/i] until today - first from a distance, with Bethsheba, and now almost staring me in the face.  Were guys [i]really[/i] that big!?  Monte hadn't felt quite so large.  I squirmed in place, my eyes wide, but when I tried to run, I fell forward immediately, my paws tied.  He wasn't [i]really [/i]going to -\n\nThere, in front of five hundred people, Sir George slid up behind me, placing his hands on my firm, raised rump.  I wanted to sink to the ground, but the prop knoll I was on was already hiked up beneath me, my head 45 degrees down from my hindquarters - my pussy would be just the right height for him no matter what I did!  I kicked and struggled to applause from the audience - they were really buying my fear as the sixty-four-year-old grabbed the tip of his barbed monstrosity as he slid it up between my thighs.  Perhaps this was all for show, and he would just pump between my legs?\n\n``Oh, Sarabi,'' he cooed, lifting his tip even farther.  I [i]freaked[/i] out as I felt his bright, red tip nestle up against my little slit.  ``You said you'd [i]never[/i] have me.  Well, there's a [i]first time[/i] for everything.''\n\nThe line wasn't in the script.  I couldn't help but feel like ``Scar'' was talking to [i]me[/i].  He knew I was a virgin - he knew I was in [i]heat![/i]  Desperately, I shook my head back and forth, unable to tap out thanks to the mittens.  Stretching out the whole ten inches, Sir George bit his lip, grabbed my tail and [i]yanked[/i], slamming his hips forward.  I was hardly prepared, only a few drops of thin, heated arousal to aid as the famous actor [i]thrust[/i] into me, my tight tunnel spreading [i]wide[/i].  The two-legger was as tall as I was long, and even bigger than me, and I could only bug out my eyes and [i]snarl[/i] as he pushed all ten inches into my suddenly stuffed, bulging vagina.\n\nLike Bethsheba, he was [i]really[/i] doing it, right here, in front of everyone!  My parents were watching with nervous smiles at their little girl, acting her heart out.  But it wasn't acting that yowled from her throat through the metal bit that cut off her speech.  From zero to hilted in less than a second, Sir George leaned over me and grabbed the front of my shoulders, his claws digging in.  I felt his dark brown belly fur rubbing lewdly against my soft back, his muscular torso pressed between my shoulderblades.  He was [i]raping me[/i].  On [i]stage[/i].\n\n``[i]Now[/i] you sound like a lioness getting fucked,'' he hissed in my ear, his muzzle so close I could feel his warm breath blanketing over me.\n\nMy claws went out, front and back, but the front were tapping uselessly against the leather mittens, and the back couldn't do much against the plastic set piece.  I tried to dislodge the three-hundred-pound lion from my back, my muscles straining, but I couldn't budge him one bit.  I yanked and shook back and forth, [i]roaring[/i] into the air in my inability to talk - but there was nothing I could do.  I didn't stop though - Lord, I didn't stop.  I kicked and scratched and roared as Sir George slowly began to hump against me, sliding his enormous dick back and forth just a few inches at a time.\n\n``Since we're playing around with customs...'' Sir George spoke to the audience, another line not in the script, he continued, ``...maybe it's time the Queen gets her [i]own[/i] royal headwear.  I don't have another crown, Sarabi, but I do like the looks of that muzzle.''\n\nMy eyes were wide, drying out from lack of moisture, every hair on end, fighting and struggling and pulling away from him, barely able to comprehend his character's lines.  Surely someone could see what was happening?  From the side, like I had?  I stared stage left, but saw no one.  A prop tree blocked the view to stage right.  ``Help!'' I tried to whine, but like everything else, it came out as ``Grrlllff!''  How could he -\n\n``Brace yourself,'' he whispered, but I'd only just registered the words when he pulled back.  Before I knew what was happening, Sir George had flared out his barbs, ten inches of interlocking spikes injecting into my soft, untried pussy before [i]yanking [/i]them back with his hands on my collar.  I could only guess how much he pulled out of me, but I felt so empty and gaping, my chasm shuddering in pain from his violent withdrawal.  This time my roar was less resistant, and more sheer shock, and the audience couldn't help but applaud, clapping hands impressed at my `acting'.  I glared at the audience, burning hatred inside for George, for them, for [i]Tom - [/i]I was panting and drooling, wracked with pain even as Sir George sank into me again, his balls slapping my rump.\n\nHad this been his plan all along?  Was he even interested in the play, or just getting his rocks off in unsuspected women?  Would he do the same thing to Audrey?  Bethsheba had had a choice, but I was trapped, unable to convince anyone of what was really happening right in front of their eyes.  The wet [i]squelch [/i]of his entry proved wetter than before, perhaps because my body was responding to him...or perhaps it was his own fluids...  Good God - I was in heat.  He couldn't mean to - he wouldn't really -\n\nYou've lost a mate [i]and [/i]a son, cousin,'' Sir George announced loudly to the theater.  ``Perhaps I can make up for [i]both[/i].''\n\nHe was going to [i]breed[/i] me, right in front of my cheering parents.  I was a virgin, ripe for the plucking, just a pair of haunches to mount and to mate, my fertile pussy getting wetter by the second.  Why did the pain seem to only drive me further into his clutches?  The whole length of his cock raked me again as he [i]drew[/i] it out of me, leaving me gasping and trembling, desperate for his next thrust - anything to salve the aching of my untouched tunnel.\n\n[i]Grrrrrowl![/i]  It was the only sound I could make that the audience could hear, but they had every reason to believe I was just in character as I tossed my head back, throat rumbling with the most unpleasant sound I could manage as the massive male stuffed himself back into me until my aching body pushed back against him if only because of my paws wrapped to each other against the set.  I shuddered, drooling, his spikes blessedly smooth on the way in, each brushing up against my clit until I was [i]mewling[/i] like a newborn kitten.\n\nA soft purr rang in my ear, and I turned my head to stare out the side of my eye at the dark-furred lion's condescending grin, as he whispered, ``Giving in so soon?  You want it, don't you?  You [i]want[/i] your belly to grow, your teats to swell.''  To emphasize his point, the powerful two-legger reached his arms around my chest, his paws sliding between my ribs and the set, rubbing and massaging my stomach, gliding his paws possessively across my nubile nipples.  The sheer inappropriateness of the sixty-something lion playing his captive teenage lioness like an accordion stung in my head, even as I bit down on the muzzle's bar, preparing myself for his next pull out.\n\nFlaring out inside me, Sir George once again [i]ripped[/i] his enormous organ from my quivering cunny, raking every last inch and leaving me gasping in tears on the stage.  More than two minutes had passed on a scene that was supposed to transition more than a minute ago, but he showed no signs of delivering his final lines, and the band would wait as they had for Monte.  Wait until the disgusting lion had had his way with my body.  Whimpering, I lifted my hips and pushed back against his leaking tip, my pussy gaping in pain.  Every time he tugged on my sensitive womanhood, I felt my heat wash over me, my fur shivering at his touch, my tunnel clenching in desperation.\n\nI didn't want it.  I wouldn't give in!  Flinging myself at him, I managed to snap my jaws together inches from his face, though the muzzle protected him completely.  He said to the audience, ``No need to be a sore loser, Sarabi.  You'll always have a place by my side.''  With that, Sir George whispered, ``Did you forget your safe word, Natalie?''\n\nSafe word?  What did [i]that[/i] mean?  I barely had time to consider before the adult male opened his jaw and grabbed the scruff of my neck - [i]hard[/i].  He gave me what my body needed, [i]slamming[/i] back in, nails digging into my chest, teeth poking through my skin.  He was as tall as my body was long, and then some, using his grip to start going faster, pumping back and forth and [i]raking [/i]my untried tunnel every second, with barely a break between shrieks of pain. The musk of his sweaty body, Bethsheba's scent still lingering, blanketed my smaller form.  [i]Safe word?[/i]  I yowled and moaned, crying as I couldn't help myself, bucking my hips up and down against his thick rod, only making his barbs dig [i]deeper[/i].  We lions [i]both[/i] knew that was the worst thing I could do, the pain being the best way to trigger a lioness's ovulation.  I was playing into his paws, but -\n\n[i]The tail[/i].  I couldn't tap out, but he said if I curled my tail around his, he'd stop.  He would, wouldn't he?  Even if he didn't, Tom would know - Tom would see I wasn't agreeing to this, to [i]anything[/i].  Twitching, trembling, I struggled to raise my tail against the onslaught of our humping, pumping bodies - I was the perfect soft, wet sleeve for his throbbing cock, clenching down and rolling my hips in short, sharp circles, whining out every time his heavy balls slapped my ass.  It was all a bad joke - it had to be.  He was raping me so I'd act better, yes, but he wasn't - he wouldn't actually [i]cum inside[/i].  Not while I was in heat, not after he'd scoured me again and again to the point I was most fertile.  He was just waiting for the tail.\n\nAt this point the entire audience was silent, watching the most violent, realistic rape they'd likely ever scene.  All eyes were on me, my ragged sobs, gasps, and tears coming from a real place deep in my soul.  When the lights moved just the right way I could see the concern on my mother's face, my father watching, impressed.  If only they knew what was [i]really[/i] happening.  I squeezed and tore at the mittens, but they held.  Biting down hard, I finally lifted my tail, and with an obedient sweep, I wrapped it over his.\n\nSir George tensed up, letting go of my scruff.  [i]He's going to let me go![/i]  He pulled out, leaving my trembling tunnel wincing in pain, curling his own tail around mine, his tuft tickling me.  But when he spoke, he was purring and I didn't like his tone at all.  ``That's it, girl,'' he groaned in my ear, squeezing my belly harder than ever.  ``That tail stuff [i]always[/i] gets me off...''\n\nMy eyes went wide, but he wasn't joking.  With a violent thrust, the three-hundred-pound beast slammed one last time into my aching cunt, burrowing all the way to the hilt so that I could feel firsthand how his balls began to quiver and quake, the first thrum of thick cum pulsing down his fully flared shaft to splatter my innermost walls, soaking straight into my unprotected, teenage womb.\n\nThe muzzle had mostly prevented me from closing my mouth to this point, but now I tossed my head back, trumpeting into the air, the leather preventing me from getting a full-throated roar out.  A soft jingle reminded me of his personally named collar, but that symbol of his ownership over me paled compared to the way he rubbed my abdomen even as I began to fill with his rich, bubbling, life-giving seed.  Now, my tail, too, was captive, wrapped two or three times by his stronger, possessive tail, preventing me from even flicking to display my displeasure.  Now even the audience could see the change in my behavior - they'd see a Sarabi beaten and broken, roaring in sheer [i]pleasure[/i] as her horrible cousin tried his level best to breed a new heir.  And while Sarabi had never taken Scar's cubs, nothing was there to stop [i]me[/i] from taking George's, load after load of fresh cum leaking into my aching pussy, the warm wetness surprisingly soothing after all he'd done to me.  I panted and drooled and roared, ears flat, claws out, but squeezing down around his erupting cock to milk every last drop from the horrible cat.\n\nIt must have been another two minutes before I rose from where I'd apparently collapsed beneath him, belly swimming in his cum, his gentle pats assuring me that he knew [i]exactly[/i] what he'd done.  The audience was quiet, and the only sound was my panting and groaning, and a few satisfied grunts from ``Scar''.  The scene was supposed to have faded to black, but Sir George never did deliver his final line, instead standing shakily, redonning his loincloth, and affixing a leather leash to my new collar.  I was too tired to resist as he unclasped my mittens, tugged my leash and said to the audience, ``Come, my Queen, we have such good news to share with the rest of the pride...''\n\nMy legs wobbled and I could only imagine how much I was leaking.  No, no need to imagine, I realized, glancing back.  A thin trail peppered the stage as I followed Sir George meekly, not nearly as much as I expected - but he'd put his heavy load right where he wanted it, leaving the barest evidence of his deed.  I limped off the stage with dull eyes, until I was out of view.\n\nWHERE WAS [i][b]TOM!?[/i][/b]\n\n``Listen to them, girl,'' George hissed down at me, tugging the leash.\n\nMy ears were so flat and I was so pissed that I hadn't even noticed the uproar behind us as the audience applauded the end of Act II.  Beyond applauding there was whistling and even a few less traditional ``woo!'' shouts from the audience - probably from some of my high school peers forced to go to a Snakespeare play by their parents.  They probably hadn't realized that the 17th century playwright had a penchant for including ribald sex scenes, since they were always censored in the textbooks.\n\nI glanced back - a standing ovation?  I flicked my sore tail, wanting nothing more than to bite the tall lion, but the muzzle served him well.  No amount of praise was worth what he'd done to me!  No ovation worth knocking up my ova.  What on earth was I going to do?  My parents didn't have the kind of money it would take to scour the black market for the right pill, and mom would never allow it anyway, and how could I tell them what really happened?  I could feel the slimy slush sloshing in my belly with each step.\n\n``You were marvelous,'' Sir George crooned.\n\nJust as I was about to maul the man with my freshly freed claws, Tom arrived.\n\n``Amazing!  [i]Amazing![/i]'' he yipped, the eager Beagle looking down at me and then up at Sir George.  He'd never done that before - he only had eyes for Sir George.  ``The buzz in the halls is all about you, Natalie.  I had no idea.  Have you two been working on that scene outside of rehearsal?  This is big - this could save the [i]theater[/i].''  He knelt down next to me and [i]hugged[/i] me, his tail wagging.  ``This might be the beginning of a beautiful partnership, Nat - you'll get all the best roles...''\n\nHe blinked, realizing why I wasn't talking back.  He said, ``Oh,'' and reached back for my muzzle.\n\nSir George yanked the leash and said, ``No, Tom, she wants it on.  Staying in character.''\n\nMy eyes widened and I stared at Tom, quickly shaking my head `no', my hackles raising.  I pushed my head against him, trying to present to the director my muzzle, trying to show him the collar.  ``But - ?'' Tom asked, glancing back up at Sir George.\n\n``See - she's still playing Sarabi, still resisting her [i]King[/i].''\n\nTom stood.  ``Oh.  Oh yes, I see.  I - uh...wouldn't want to interfere...''\n\nBefore I could object, before I could explain, before Tom could get a single fucking clue in his head, I was being yanked away by Sir George, leaving the Beagle behind.  I yanked back, but he was so much stronger than me.  Where was he taking me?  Growling, I [i]pounced[/i].\n\nBut he was ready for me, dancing away from my claws.  ``Stubborn little girl - you want to throw it all away?  Teenager assaults famous actor - never gets another part?  This is your chance to earn the spotlight from that talentless hack that stole your part.  Do you really believe you're the [i]first[/i] actress to get her start as `studying under' a famous mentor?''\n\nI swung again, but he yanked up on the leash, cutting off my air.  I wanted to tell him how much he could shove it up his ass, but the muzzle was firmly in place.  He growled, ``Recalcitrant bitch.  You need a time out.''  All but dragging me along, I stumbled across the floor until he reached the emergency exit, kicking it open and pulling me outside the theater entirely, into the night air.\n\nHe tied me with a short lead to a light pole and stepped back, just out of range of my furious swipes.  In the distance, cars honked and drove past each other, a whole city full of people too busy or too uneducated to care about the theater.  They'd look here and see a naked lioness muzzled and tied - not many people would approach [i]that[/i].  Panting, I stared up at Sir George.\n\n``[i]Now[/i] you know what it is really like,'' he said.  ``What I couldn't show you in rehearsal.  Don't you see what a mockery you were making of your role?  Now you have the right amount of [i]hate[/i].  Channel that into Act III and you will be [i]renowned[/i].  A litter of cubs is a small price to pay for that adoration, that [i]fame[/i].  Besides, you looked to be about to give it up to Monte as it was.  What do you have to gain, now?  Righteous indignation?  Punishing me for trying to advance your career?  You lose it all for the vain pride of `getting back at me'.  Think about it, Natalie - I'll make sure you're back in by Act III.''\n\nWith that, the man left me, tied up, raped and alone behind the theater that had been my childhood.  I wasn't a child anymore.  I collapsed on the ground, panting, tired, aching - I could slice through the leash, sure, but at the moment, I felt ironically empty inside, considering my bulging belly.  No one even came looking for me, and Tom probably figured I didn't want to be found so that I could focus on being Sarabi.\n\nI waited there for ten of the fifteen minutes of intermission before the door opened again.  I growled and looked up, but it wasn't George.  It was Audrey.\n\n``Natalie?  What are [i]you[/i] doing here?'' she gasped in surprise.\n\nI stood, shaking my head.\n\n``Oh, right,'' she said, kneeling in front of me and reaching back to unlatch the muzzle and tug it off my face.\n\nI spat and coughed, trying to adjust to being able to close my mouth again, and words felt unnatural at first.  ``Au-audrey...'' I sputtered.\n\n``Oh, Natalie, what am I going to do?'' she opined.  I was too stunned to interrupt.  ``After your scene, I'm [i]doomed[/i].''\n\n``What?''\n\nShe sighed.  ``How am I supposed to follow that act?  I was already nervous about going on in front of so many people, but now?  Everyone is talking about you.  You were - amazing.  Everyone is going to compare us, you know?  Two sex scenes, back to back, and yours was [i]perfection[/i].  I can tell Sir George knows I'm not there yet.  My first scene and the audience is going to be pitying me, not praising me.  H-how did you [i]do[/i] it?''\n\nI froze, thoughts racing through my head.  They really were [i]all[/i] talking about me?  I was [i]ninth[/i] billing, and that was the biggest role of my life so far.  Maybe Tom had been serious about my rape saving the theater.  What were the reviews going to be like?  My heart was starting to pound, and then I looked at it from the fourteen-year-old's perspective.  She had the same worries, but if the reviews were praising Sarabi, they'd necessarily be criticizing Nala.  I might have stolen a scene from her that I'm not even [i]in[/i].\n\n``S - George did most of the work,'' I said carefully.  This was my chance to tell her what happened, to beg for help, to call the police.  But to reveal to [i]Audrey[/i] that my acting was [i]anything but?[/i]  She was my closest competition, and she was about to get eviscerated.  ``Look, I had stage fright, too, but you've practiced your lines for weeks - just say the first words and don't look out at the audience and you'll be fine,'' I suggested.\n\n``[i]You[/i] were afraid, too?'' she asked, her tawny ears perking up.\n\n``If anything goes wrong, just go with the flow, and most people won't even know something was off,'' I added, flicking my tail as I wondered.  He wouldn't really, would he?  Audrey was only fourteen, and her scene was significantly more consensual.  George hadn't given Audrey the same kind of notes he'd given me, he hadn't gathered the same kinds of tools to restrict the young girl.  If he dared try to make the scene more ``realistic'', Audrey would yell out bloody murder and stop everything - and then Sir George would get punished without anyone blaming [i]me[/i].  And if he didn't, the scene would be a pale imitation of mine, and I'd [i]surely[/i] get the next major role for a lioness over the younger two-legger.  ``Sir George knows exactly what he's doing...''\n\nAudrey looked reassured.  ``Maybe it won't be so bad,'' she told herself.  ``I just wish I weren't [i]cramping[/i] so bad.''\n\n``I know what you mean,'' I agreed, shivering softly.  She was in [i]heat[/i].  I knew well enough that that wouldn't stop Sir George if he felt like it would help the performance.  ``Sometimes we have to fight through the pain to produce something really memorable.  Come on, you better get going - Act III starts soon.''\n\nAudrey nodded, standing up and heading to the door.  She turned and smiled, saying, ``Thanks, Natalie.''\n\nI could have said something.  I could have done something.  Instead, I said -\n\n``Break a leg!''\n\n",
  "writing_bbcode_parsed": "<span style='word-wrap: break-word;'>The show must go on.<br /><br />Normally that phrase is meant for a live performance, not the first day of rehearsal.&nbsp;&nbsp;But I was feeling it to my core, after working so <em>hard</em> in my auditions for third billing, only to find my name, Natalie Larson, down at <em>ninth</em>.&nbsp;&nbsp;To be fair, I got the second best role for a lioness - and I could hardly expect to win the role of lead hyena before an actual hyena!<br /><br />And sure, the other girl fit the historical role better - two legs rather than four.&nbsp;&nbsp;But Snakespeare often cast males in female roles, or swapped two-leggers for four or vice versa.&nbsp;&nbsp;It&#039;s not unheard of.&nbsp;&nbsp;To top it all off, the girl who beat me out for the role of (adult) Nala was only thirteen.<br /><br />But I couldn&#039;t back out now.&nbsp;&nbsp;My parents wouldn&#039;t be too impressed by sour grapes, and besides, Sarabi was a pretty good role.&nbsp;&nbsp;The whole play was based on a well-known folk tale that <em>probably</em> actually happened in Medieval Africa, with some dramatic and supernatural elements added by Snakespeare - his most famous tragedy: The Lion King.<br /><br />The perfect time for a classic, our director said.&nbsp;&nbsp;Tom Ward had been trying to boost attendance at the community theater for years, and if this play didn&#039;t do well, this might be it.&nbsp;&nbsp;But he had a secret weapon - our ringer.&nbsp;&nbsp;Sir George Meredith Esquire the III, an old standby in England known for his portrayals of King Lear, Oberon, Mufasa, and Scar.&nbsp;&nbsp;Even I&#039;d heard of him, and I couldn&#039;t wait to pick his ear.<br /><br />And so I sucked it up and warmed up beside the other youth actors.&nbsp;&nbsp;I was the oldest, at sixteen, a full-blooded, four-legged, two-hundred-and-forty-pound lioness, playing Sarabi, followed by Paula Berkshire at fifteen.&nbsp;&nbsp;She fit the role of Pumbaa well enough as a four-legged hog, even though she wasn&#039;t African or red-furred in the least.&nbsp;&nbsp;She&#039;d long ago learned that hogs had to accept comedic roles and she was pretty funny.<br /><br />Next up was young Simba, who was actually older than adult Nala, at fourteen and thirteen respectively.&nbsp;&nbsp;It was going to be so odd watching Audrey Gillum play the jungle love scene across from adult Simba who was more than twice her age...&nbsp;&nbsp;Young Nala was played by an adorable eleven-year old girl named Jilly, and the youngest cast member was Ed, played by Murray Mickles.&nbsp;&nbsp;He was Banzai&#039;s son, the two four-legged hyenas a perfect pair, and Murray was going to steal every scene he was in despite having no actual lines.<br /><br />The six of us did some physical and vocal warm-ups, while the adults in the production were rehearsing in another room with Tom.&nbsp;&nbsp;We were stuck being babysat by the director&#039;s Samoyed girlfriend Angela.&nbsp;&nbsp;She was nice enough, but how was I supposed to learn from Sir George if I never got to see him?&nbsp;&nbsp;Instead, I got to watch as the three <em>two-legger</em> actors who got all the best parts stretched and ran lines.&nbsp;&nbsp;Young Simba and both Nalas were giving each other massages, an ice-breaker that a two-hundred-and-forty pound lioness, three-hundred pound sow, and a hundred-pound hyena couldn&#039;t really do.<br /><br />I couldn&#039;t help but stare at Audrey Gillum.&nbsp;&nbsp;They could have cast me instead.&nbsp;&nbsp;There was nothing in the play that required Nala to have hands, even though it was historically more accurate.&nbsp;&nbsp;I had a louder voice and more experience.&nbsp;&nbsp;I didn&#039;t dare complain to Tom - you don&#039;t question the director&#039;s casting - but for God&#039;s sake, he&#039;d cast a four-legged <em>tiger</em> for the role of <em>Mufasa</em>.<br /><br />``What&#039;re you thinking about?&#039;&#039; Paula grunted next to me.<br /><br />Even though she was heavier than me, the big pig was much rounder.&nbsp;&nbsp;I flattened my ears and said, ``I feel like we should be practicing with the adults.&#039;&#039;&nbsp;&nbsp;We were the oldest, after all.<br /><br />``We will, soon enough.&nbsp;&nbsp;I mean, basically all my scenes are with Cillian, and you play across from Mufasa and Scar most of the time.&#039;&#039;<br /><br />She was right, but that didn&#039;t make me feel any better.<br /><br />But time heals all wounds.&nbsp;&nbsp;Once we started really getting into the scene breakdowns, I never really had to interact with Audrey.&nbsp;&nbsp;Adult Nala was one of the main actors in the third act, but I played mostly in the first and second act.&nbsp;&nbsp;The only scene I had in common with Audrey was the triumphant conclusion, when the two of us and Sarafina team up to push Scar off the cliff.&nbsp;&nbsp;Instead, I got to play alongside Phil (young Simba), Jilly, and Monte Bourdain, a local favorite playing Mufasa - despite being a four-legged <em>tiger</em>.&nbsp;&nbsp;He&#039;d be in fur paint and sporting a mane for the production, of course.<br /><br />``<em>Really</em> lick, Natalie.&nbsp;&nbsp;I don&#039;t want jitters on opening night!&nbsp;&nbsp;Remember, he&#039;s your infant son!&#039;&#039; Tom directed, holding up his fingers in front of his face like a camera lens.&nbsp;&nbsp;The Beagle could be frustrating, but he had good ideas.<br /><br />This wasn&#039;t one of them.&nbsp;&nbsp;Gritting my teeth, I licked the small of Phil England&#039;s back.&nbsp;&nbsp;Need I remind you; he was only two years younger than me.&nbsp;&nbsp;<em>Fourteen</em>.&nbsp;&nbsp;He sure looked smaller, since I was feral and he wasn&#039;t, but that didn&#039;t change that fact that I saw Phil around school, and here I was lapping his actual fur just above his shorts (a stand in for the loincloth he&#039;d be wearing live).&nbsp;&nbsp;It was hard to picture him as my son!<br /><br />``Okay, okay, I&#039;m clean.&nbsp;&nbsp;Can I <em>go</em>, now?&#039;&#039; Phil delivered, trying to squirm out of my paws.&nbsp;&nbsp;I could have held him there if I wanted, but my job was to give him a wry smile and let him out.&nbsp;&nbsp;I lifted my paws and he popped out of my grasp.<br /><br />``So where are we going?&#039;&#039; Jilly asked.&nbsp;&nbsp;She was also getting licked, but she was 11, and Sarafina was played by a twenty-four year old named Diane.&nbsp;&nbsp;Not nearly as awkward.<br /><br />That wasn&#039;t the only awkward scene that Tom wanted me to commit to.&nbsp;&nbsp;I was supposed to give Mufasa a loving pep talk after he chides Simba for taking Nala to the elephant graveyard.&nbsp;&nbsp;Monte was an adult male tiger, almost twice my size, and fully three times my age, yet I was playing his loving wife and queen.&nbsp;&nbsp;Snakespeare wasn&#039;t one to shy away from the more risque aspects of history and drama, and this was a classic fade-to-black.&nbsp;&nbsp;The set wasn&#039;t finished yet, but we&#039;d have a long, grassy hill.&nbsp;&nbsp;He collapsed with a heavy sigh.<br /><br />I padded over to him.&nbsp;&nbsp;``I know it&#039;s tough,&#039;&#039; I said with my best, low rumble.<br /><br />``He put her in danger, Sarabi.&nbsp;&nbsp;That&#039;s not how I raised him -&#039;&#039;<br /><br />I tried not to look to Tom to see if he approved - just play the role.&nbsp;&nbsp;I leaned over and put a paw on the rock beside the fifty-year-old actor and licked his cheek.&nbsp;&nbsp;``I remember when you took me to -&#039;&#039;<br /><br />``That was -&#039;&#039;<br /><br />``Cut!&#039;&#039; Tom exclaimed.&nbsp;&nbsp;``C&#039;mon Natalie.&nbsp;&nbsp;It&#039;s not <em>Monte</em>.&nbsp;&nbsp;It&#039;s your <em>husband, </em>Mufasa.&nbsp;&nbsp;Run it again.&#039;&#039;<br /><br />I don&#039;t know how many times I had to kiss him before Tom was satisfied, or experience the way the large tiger reached over and pulled me up on the rock alongside him.&nbsp;&nbsp;At least Monte spoke to me after our longest day of practice, gave me a few pointers, and talked about stage jitters.&nbsp;&nbsp;He was a big softy, really, and it helped put me at ease with him.<br /><br />But there was <em>one</em> scene that <em>wasn&#039;t</em> fade-to-black.&nbsp;&nbsp;It was my biggest scene, just after Mufasa&#039;s death at the hands of a horde of okapi, and Simba&#039;s self-imposed exile.&nbsp;&nbsp;Scar replaces Shenzi with me as his queen.<br /><br />``You have to hate me, darling,&#039;&#039; Sir George explained, his mane already flecked with grey from age.&nbsp;&nbsp;``You suspect my hand in Mufasa&#039;s death, even if you can&#039;t prove it.&nbsp;&nbsp;Try it again.&#039;&#039;<br /><br />Acting with Sir George Meredith (Esquire) (the III) was totally different.&nbsp;&nbsp;Tom didn&#039;t dare direct the actor Vanity Fair says ``defined the role of Scar&#039;&#039;, and Sir George got whatever he wanted.&nbsp;&nbsp;Bagel run?&nbsp;&nbsp;Angela was on it.&nbsp;&nbsp;Adjusted lines?&nbsp;&nbsp;No problem.&nbsp;&nbsp;Re-rehearsal for the sixteen-year-old actress to learn how to hate?&nbsp;&nbsp;Done.<br /><br />It was getting a little easier to hate Scar when he had Sir George&#039;s face.&nbsp;&nbsp;``Mufasa would never have made peace with the hyenas,&#039;&#039; I spat, glaring as much as I ever had at my parents.<br /><br />He was a great actor, that was obvious.&nbsp;&nbsp;His grin split his face, eyes opening just wide enough, ears perked just right, tail flicking.&nbsp;&nbsp;Even though he was a two-legger, he was a two-legged <em>lion</em>, and that meant he was <em>big</em>.&nbsp;&nbsp;Standing seven-feet tall and weighing nearly three-hundred pounds of mostly <em>muscle</em>, he towered over me.&nbsp;&nbsp;I rarely felt intimidated by anyone - I was a <em>lioness</em> after all.&nbsp;&nbsp;But Sir George was a specimen.&nbsp;&nbsp;He said, ``They have their uses, and now we can live in peace,&#039;&#039; he chided, voice dripping with deeper meaning.<br /><br />I channeled my impudent teenager.&nbsp;&nbsp;``Why not make it official, then?&nbsp;&nbsp;Marry that hyena, not me.&#039;&#039;<br /><br />He paused, frozen just slightly.&nbsp;&nbsp;``Shenzi...is not queen material.&nbsp;&nbsp;If the lionesses are to listen to me, you know I need a lioness.&nbsp;&nbsp;You know I need <em>you</em>, cousin.&#039;&#039;<br /><br />``YOU WILL NEVER HAVE ME,&#039;&#039; I snarled.&nbsp;&nbsp;``Damn the customs!&#039;&#039;<br /><br />``No, no, no.&nbsp;&nbsp;<em>Again</em>, Natalie.&nbsp;&nbsp;Again!&#039;&#039; Sir George groaned.<br /><br />Whatever I did differently the fifteenth time around, we finally got to the end of the scene.&nbsp;&nbsp;He nodded his approval, then continued, ``You&#039;re right, Sarabi...&#039;&#039; like a snake getting ready to strike.&nbsp;&nbsp;``The customs don&#039;t have to be followed to the letter.&nbsp;&nbsp;My queen doesn&#039;t <em>have</em> to be you.&#039;&#039;<br /><br />I took a step back, trying my best to shiver.&nbsp;&nbsp;``W-who?&#039;&#039;<br /><br />``It seems a shame to let Nala suffer the loss of her betrothed all alone, don&#039;t you think?&#039;&#039;<br /><br />I dropped my jaw, ears slowly flattening, like Tom had suggested.&nbsp;&nbsp;``You leave her out of this - !&#039;&#039;<br /><br />Scar - no, Sir George - said, ``I will, if...&#039;&#039;<br /><br />Gritting my teeth, I turned around, pacing to my spot on our false stage.&nbsp;&nbsp;I lay down, staring straight ahead (at the absent audience).&nbsp;&nbsp;``You win.&#039;&#039;&nbsp;&nbsp;The most important scene for my character, but by far the most awkward.<br /><br />``You win, <em>my King</em>,&#039;&#039; he hissed.<br /><br />Thank God in rehearsal I was allowed to wear shorts, but in the actual performance, I&#039;d be fully naked, and he&#039;d be wearing a fur loincloth he&#039;d be wearing.&nbsp;&nbsp;Snakespeare hadn&#039;t wanted such an important character building scene to happen off-stage.&nbsp;&nbsp;``You win, <em>my King</em>,&#039;&#039; I whimpered, lifting my tufted tail for him.<br /><br />``Wise decision, my queen,&#039;&#039; he gloated.&nbsp;&nbsp;My character didn&#039;t know what he was doing, but he grabbed a muzzle and a blanket.&nbsp;&nbsp;I got ready to cough and snarl.&nbsp;&nbsp;He wasn&#039;t gentle in rehearsal, collapsing on my back with the covers over his back and mine, suddenly pulling the muzzle over my open mouth.&nbsp;&nbsp;He yanked back to tighten it, and I screeched in real pain, the metal bit fixed between my teeth.&nbsp;&nbsp;``But I think I&#039;d better take a few precautions...&#039;&#039; he rumbled in my ear, loudly enough for the audience to hear.<br /><br />Tears were in my eyes, my neck still smarting from where the huge lion had tugged.&nbsp;&nbsp;I snarled, but I couldn&#039;t talk with the bit in, so I tapped the floor, the universal sign for release.&nbsp;&nbsp;When he didn&#039;t release, I tapped again, and again, but he must have taken it for the rest of the scene.&nbsp;&nbsp;He kept with the rehearsal, tying off my muzzle before rocking demonstrably beneath the sheets.&nbsp;&nbsp;Of course he was wearing khakis and I was wearing jean shorts, but I still felt him thrust himself upon me, his powerful hands reaching up under my forepaws in a full-Nelson choke hold.&nbsp;&nbsp;He had the timing down pat, an expert at this scene, the exact 1 minute and 15 seconds of simulated rape before the lights would drop.<br /><br />``And...scene,&#039;&#039; he gasped, letting go of me.&nbsp;&nbsp;``You&#039;re still not <em>angry</em> enough, Natalie, and I know you can snarl louder than that through the muzzle.&nbsp;&nbsp;This is your motivation for Act III!&#039;&#039;<br /><br />I was trying to talk, but -<br /><br />``Natal - oh, right,&#039;&#039; he admitted, reaching down to unbind the muzzle from around my head.<br /><br />``I was telling you to <em>stop!</em>&nbsp;&nbsp;Didn&#039;t you see my paw?&nbsp;&nbsp;That <em>hurt!&#039;&#039;</em><br /><br />Sir George sighed.&nbsp;&nbsp;``You were `in pain&#039; and that&#039;s still the best reaction you could give me?&nbsp;&nbsp;Do it again, and this time, <em>focus!</em>&#039;&#039;<br /><br />Five times I heard ``But I think I better take a few precautions...&#039;&#039;&nbsp;&nbsp;Five times he muzzled me, and to his credit, he did ease his yanking, but only when I really started to yelp for him.&nbsp;&nbsp;Five times I squirmed beneath the sixty-four year old legend as he dry-humped my rump.<br /><br />But it was late now, and even Tom had to admit it was time to leave.&nbsp;&nbsp;``You&#039;re getting there, Natalie,&#039;&#039; the Beagle suggested encouragingly.<br /><br />Sir George, however, said, ``It&#039;s still a disgrace.&nbsp;&nbsp;Tomorrow, again.&nbsp;&nbsp;Until you get it right, girl.&#039;&#039;<br /><br />With that, the man stormed to his dressing room.<br /><br />Tom kind of shrugged at me.&nbsp;&nbsp;``He&#039;s the expert,&#039;&#039; he shrugged.&nbsp;&nbsp;``You&#039;ll figure it out, Natalie - and - don&#039;t mind him.&nbsp;&nbsp;He&#039;s something of a method actor.&nbsp;&nbsp;He really has to <em>embody</em> Scar, you know?&#039;&#039;<br /><br />``Yeah.&nbsp;&nbsp;Yeah, I guess,&#039;&#039; I said flatly.<br /><br />I cried a lot that night.<br /><br />But I still showed up for rehearsal the next day.<br /><br />Tom was focused on the big, comedic intro of Timon and Pumbaa upon discovering Simba collapsed in the wilderness, the classic Snakespeare back-and-forth between two fools.&nbsp;&nbsp;Most of the direction was to Paula.&nbsp;&nbsp;As a girl, some of the timings and emphasis had to change, and he kept accusing the poor hog of ``hamming it up&#039;&#039;.&nbsp;&nbsp;``It&#039;s serious, Paula.&nbsp;&nbsp;The comedy comes from the audience listening to you.&#039;&#039;<br /><br />``The Madness of King Scar is on deck,&#039;&#039; said Angela, her ears flat as she tried to handle everything that Tom wasn&#039;t.&nbsp;&nbsp;She had to coordinate the physical stunts room, the warm-ups, the side scene rehearsals to get initial impressions, as well as making sure the next big scene was ready when Tom finished with Phil, Cillian, and Paula.<br /><br />Sir George was still in his personal dressing room, much to Angela&#039;s annoyance.&nbsp;&nbsp;She <em>tutted</em> around telling people what to do, her curly Samoyed tail tucked between her legs.&nbsp;&nbsp;I found myself directed to stand next to the big stage, even though I should really have been practicing my lines or memorizing stage directions.&nbsp;&nbsp;I think Angela just wasn&#039;t sure where to put me, and I ended up beside Audrey Gillum, my own nemesis.<br /><br />She was nervous.&nbsp;&nbsp;Plain as day, her tail twitching where she stood.<br /><br />Angela yelled, ``Where is Bethsheba!?&nbsp;&nbsp;I need her ready to work lines with Banzai and Ed!&#039;&#039;<br /><br />``Don&#039;t worry about it.&nbsp;&nbsp;You&#039;ve got your lines, right?&#039;&#039; I asked slowly.<br /><br />Audrey jumped and looked down at me, somehow finally aware that she was four feet away from a giant, four-legged lioness.&nbsp;&nbsp;``Y-yes, but...&#039;&#039;<br /><br />``It&#039;s your first big scene, and it&#039;s a doozy.&nbsp;&nbsp;You don&#039;t get a chill introduction, I get it.&#039;&#039;<br /><br />She shook her head.&nbsp;&nbsp;``No.&nbsp;&nbsp;I mean yes, but that&#039;s not the problem.&nbsp;&nbsp;It&#039;s Sir George.&#039;&#039;<br /><br />``What about him?&#039;&#039;<br /><br />``I mean - aren&#039;t you intimidated by him?&nbsp;&nbsp;Famous actor, from Britain.&nbsp;&nbsp;I haven&#039;t really even met him yet and we&#039;re about to run my biggest scene.&nbsp;&nbsp;And it&#039;s...a <em>sex</em> scene,&#039;&#039; she added.<br /><br />That was an understatement.&nbsp;&nbsp;It was a rape scene, and even more rapey than mine.&nbsp;&nbsp;But that&#039;s how Snakespeare wrote it, and Tom wasn&#039;t going to take criticism for trying to improve on Snakespeare.&nbsp;&nbsp;I say, ``I know how you feel.&nbsp;&nbsp;I&#039;ve been working with him after rehearsal on...the scene right before this one.&#039;&#039;&nbsp;&nbsp;We both knew which one that was.&nbsp;&nbsp;Scar took Sarabi as his Queen right before the timeskip to emphasize how little he cared for her when he sniffs after Nala when the girl came of age.&nbsp;&nbsp;At least there&#039;s an intermission between heavy hitting scenes!<br /><br />``W-what&#039;s he like?&#039;&#039; Audrey asked nervously, adjusting the top of her two-piece loincloth.&nbsp;&nbsp;I never really understood the ``rules&#039;&#039;, since I walked around with my nipples showing all the time, but for some reason Anthros had to wear a covering for their two largest breasts, nevermind the rows beneath standing out in plain sight.<br /><br />``He&#039;s a brilliant actor.&nbsp;&nbsp;He&#039;s so good at Scar I can hardly believe he started by playing Mufasa.&#039;&#039;<br /><br />``That&#039;s not what I meant, Natalie.&nbsp;&nbsp;What&#039;s it like running lines with him?&nbsp;&nbsp;What&#039;s it like...doing this kind of scene.&#039;&#039;<br /><br />I didn&#039;t mean for my face to pale, but when I saw her reaction to my reaction, I realized I gave a bit away.&nbsp;&nbsp;But I smiled reassuringly and said, ``Just do what he says and he won&#039;t be too mean.&nbsp;&nbsp;And don&#039;t you dare treat rehearsal as anything other than the most important thing.&nbsp;&nbsp;You&#039;ll be okay.&#039;&#039;<br /><br />She nodded, but her tail was still twitching.<br /><br />``Natalie, this way,&#039;&#039; Angela commanded again, the frustrated Samoyed now just trying to look busy.&nbsp;&nbsp;I followed the two-legger for two rooms before she realized she didn&#039;t really have anything for me to do.&nbsp;&nbsp;``S-sorry.&nbsp;&nbsp;Just...run your lines for the bath scene again, okay?&nbsp;&nbsp;Now...where&#039;s Sir George!&#039;&#039;&nbsp;&nbsp;She bustled off to his dressing room, but when there was no response, she opened it wide.&nbsp;&nbsp;He wasn&#039;t in there.&nbsp;&nbsp;``God d - Gosh dang it!&#039;&#039; she groaned.<br /><br />``Angela, you can swear - I&#039;m sixteen for fuck&#039;s sake.&#039;&#039;<br /><br />She spared me a glance, then broke out laughing, her nerves defused, if only for a moment.&nbsp;&nbsp;``Thanks - but that still doesn&#039;t find me Sir George.&#039;&#039;&nbsp;&nbsp;She padded away.<br /><br />``Good luck!&#039;&#039; I called, before I was alone in the hallway.<br /><br />Sir George&#039;s dressing room door failed to close on its own.&nbsp;&nbsp;I couldn&#039;t help but peek in, the dresser with its large mirror covered with the odd personal item that Sir George had brought.&nbsp;&nbsp;Charms dangled from every drawer - anything that jutted out had its own little bauble.&nbsp;&nbsp;Perhaps some superstition he&#039;d developed?&nbsp;&nbsp;I poked my head in.&nbsp;&nbsp;The wardrobe had various clothes, from suits to casual, and of course his costumes.&nbsp;&nbsp;Flicking my ear, I couldn&#039;t hear anyone coming, so I leapt up and put my large paws on his dresser.<br /><br />A small whiteboard with notes in blue marker:<br /><br />125, 167, 188, 199, 207, 455, 457, 477: try Danielson&#039;s emphasis on 167, might play better off Murray, <strong>redo 207!!!</strong><br /><br />fix Sarabi scene, overnight shipping<br /><br />Pumbaa and Timon back-and-forth a mess, tell Tom to give Paula more room to play<br /><br />There were heavy eraser marks as well, implying that he&#039;d written tons of notes over time.&nbsp;&nbsp;Yet still he liked to cross things out?&nbsp;&nbsp;Regardless, he didn&#039;t seem to be phoning this production in, just because it was a local production thousands of miles from England.&nbsp;&nbsp;But I couldn&#039;t help but notice ``fix Sarabi scene&#039;&#039;.<br /><br />It was crossed out, yet I knew that we were planning to run that scene again tonight.&nbsp;&nbsp;What about ``overnight shipping&#039;&#039;, then?&nbsp;&nbsp;I sniffed, his scent all over the small room.&nbsp;&nbsp;I&#039;d gotten distracted by the whiteboard.&nbsp;&nbsp;Just to the left of my paws was a leather pair of mittens, smelling crisp and new.<br /><br />I could hardly help but notice they matched my paws exactly.&nbsp;&nbsp;I was propped up right next to them, my large, lioness pads just a foot from a brand-new pair of lioness mittens.&nbsp;&nbsp;Only these mittens were fused together at the back, with strong leather cuffs and reinforced claw protection.&nbsp;&nbsp;These were restraints.&nbsp;&nbsp;He&#039;d purchased them for me, without asking, thinking they&#039;d somehow <em>fix</em> our scene together!?<br /><br />I felt a pit in my stomach.&nbsp;&nbsp;He remembered me complaining about tapping out, telling him to stop hurting me, and his idea of fixing that problem was to tie my paws together!?&nbsp;&nbsp;The original version of the play just had the muzzle, but Sir George didn&#039;t want to stop there.<br /><br />I had to tell Tom.&nbsp;&nbsp;Tail flicking, ears flat, I turned around and ran almost straight into Sir George.&nbsp;&nbsp;He wasn&#039;t looking at me, though, he was turned to face Bethsheba, the forty-five-year-old Hyena two-legger that had gotten the part of Shenzi.&nbsp;&nbsp;They&#039;d just exited <em>her</em> dressing room, and it wasn&#039;t too hard for me to figure out what they&#039;d been doing.&nbsp;&nbsp;Shenzi&#039;s mane was ruffled, her clothes askew, a dopey look on her face, her arm around the famous Snakespearean actor.&nbsp;&nbsp;Sir George was grinning ear to ear and whispering in the giggling hyena&#039;s ear, when he almost stumbled into me.<br /><br />``Oh...<em>Natalie,</em>&#039;&#039; he said, glancing down at me, then into his open dressing room.&nbsp;&nbsp;``What are you doing here?&#039;&#039;<br /><br />``I thought you might be in your dressing room.&nbsp;&nbsp;Angela was looking for you and she looked pretty angry.&#039;&#039;<br /><br />``Ah, yes.&nbsp;&nbsp;Thank you, Natalie,&#039;&#039; he said, stepping past me to promptly close his dressing room door.&nbsp;&nbsp;Perhaps he thought I hadn&#039;t noticed the mittens already?&nbsp;&nbsp;``I&#039;ll find her right away.&#039;&#039;<br /><br />``Bye, Georgie,&#039;&#039; Beth called out, as Sir George rushed off.&nbsp;&nbsp;But he was too busy to reply, much to the hyena&#039;s big sigh.<br /><br />I gave her one, pitying glance and said, ``Angela&#039;s looking for you, too.&#039;&#039;<br /><br />``Oh.&nbsp;&nbsp;Oh!&nbsp;&nbsp;Thanks,&#039;&#039; she said, and rushed off, straightening her clothes.<br /><br />I, on the other hand, went straight for Tom.<br /><br />``What do you <em>mean</em> he didn&#039;t get them for me?&#039;&#039; I asked, incredulous, after I told the Beagle.<br /><br />``Well, how do you know that?&#039;&#039;<br /><br />``I <em>told </em>you.&nbsp;&nbsp;You think it&#039;s just a coincidence that he ordered lioness-sized paw coverings to `fix the Sarabi scene&#039;?&#039;&#039; I growled, my tail flicking.<br /><br />Tom was sweating, perhaps not the least because I outweighed him almost double.&nbsp;&nbsp;``You don&#039;t know that those notes were connected...&#039;&#039;<br /><br />``Fine, Tom.&nbsp;&nbsp;Maybe he didn&#039;t.&nbsp;&nbsp;But if he <em>did</em>, you have to tell him <em>no</em>.&#039;&#039;<br /><br />Tom&#039;s floppy ears pinned back.&nbsp;&nbsp;``Sir George only has the play&#039;s best interest at heart.&#039;&#039;<br /><br />``Well, I want <em>you</em> to have <em>my</em> best interests at heart.&nbsp;&nbsp;If my paws <em>and</em> mouth are bound, how am I supposed to tell <em>George</em> if he&#039;s being too rough?&#039;&#039;&nbsp;&nbsp;I dropped his damned honorific.&nbsp;&nbsp;Had he even actually been knighted?<br /><br />Tom said, ``You&#039;re being hysterical,&#039;&#039; turning away from me.<br /><br />The door opened behind us.<br /><br />It was Sir George, strutting in, three-hundred pounds of confidence.&nbsp;&nbsp;``My my.&nbsp;&nbsp;My ears are burning.&nbsp;&nbsp;Tom&#039;s right, Natalie, you&#039;re worried about nothing.&#039;&#039;<br /><br />He must have been listening in!&nbsp;&nbsp;Staring back at him, I felt like shrinking away but I forced myself to bristle, getting larger.&nbsp;&nbsp;``Those gloves <em>aren&#039;t</em> for me?&#039;&#039;<br /><br />``Oh, they certainly are for you.&nbsp;&nbsp;The way you are portraying Sarabi with such defiance calls for a modification to the play.&nbsp;&nbsp;Scar would accurately see you as a threat and go further than just a muzzle,&#039;&#039; he said, tail lashing back and forth behind him.<br /><br />Tom said, ``But Natalie -&#039;&#039; in his strongest attempt to stand up to Sir George yet.<br /><br />The lion smoothly batted such objections away, interrupting, ``I like it, Natalie.&nbsp;&nbsp;Your Sarabi is a fighter.&nbsp;&nbsp;It plays well, especially since Audrey&#039;s Nala is a bit meeker.&#039;&#039;<br /><br />Narrowing my eyes, I said, ``I thought you said I didn&#039;t <em>hate you enough</em>.&#039;&#039;<br /><br />``You don&#039;t,&#039;&#039; he said simply.&nbsp;&nbsp;``Defiance and hatred are different things.&nbsp;&nbsp;Typically, Sarabi submits, her hatred shining through her eyes.&nbsp;&nbsp;You can&#039;t be even <em>more </em>defiant without the same emotion to back it up.&nbsp;&nbsp;People won&#039;t believe it.&#039;&#039;<br /><br />Tom nodded emphatically.&nbsp;&nbsp;``That&#039;s a good point...&#039;&#039;<br /><br />I growled at Tom.&nbsp;&nbsp;``And what am I supposed to do if I can&#039;t tap out?&#039;&#039; I asked them both.<br /><br />Sir George had an answer at the ready.&nbsp;&nbsp;``Just curl your tail around mine and I&#039;ll ease up.&#039;&#039;<br /><br />Tom said, ``See?&nbsp;&nbsp;Great, it&#039;s all worked out!&#039;&#039;<br /><br />That night, I got to experience it for the first time.&nbsp;&nbsp;Seven times I heard ``But I think I better take a few precautions...&#039;&#039;&nbsp;&nbsp;Seven times he muzzled me tight, slipped on the mittens and cinched them around my wrists, and seven times I squirmed beneath him as he dry-humped my rump.&nbsp;&nbsp;He was less hard on me, and when I touched his tail with mine, he eased up considerably.&nbsp;&nbsp;And he didn&#039;t even criticize my level of hatred toward him.&nbsp;&nbsp;Perhaps my feelings for Sir George were coming through in my acting.&nbsp;&nbsp;We finished the extra rehearsal in an hour instead of three.<br /><br />And that was how things were when opening night finally arrived.&nbsp;&nbsp;I was ready - I knew my lines, I had everything prepared, I knew where to stand, where to go, what expression to emote to the audience.&nbsp;&nbsp;The only thing I didn&#039;t have was `no cramps&#039;.<br /><br />I was in heat.&nbsp;&nbsp;For opening night.<br /><br />The whole theater was packed, and everyone was jittery - except Sir George.&nbsp;&nbsp;Tom was especially nervous as the first night reviews would determine whether the next three showings were also packed.&nbsp;&nbsp;My parents were in the front row, two extra large seats for the feral lions, and they were alongside some of the other parents or loved ones of the cast.&nbsp;&nbsp;I was so nervous the cramps didn&#039;t even matter, and it was dark enough backstage that I hoped any telltale drops of red wouldn&#039;t be noticed.&nbsp;&nbsp;I couldn&#039;t exactly play Sarabi in a diaper!<br /><br />I was in the first scene - the presentation of Simba, very temporarily played by a lion cub named Steven.&nbsp;&nbsp;He was only a few months old, and absolutely adorable, so the crowd couldn&#039;t help but go ``Awwww!&#039;&#039; as Obgeway held him up for the audience.&nbsp;&nbsp;Costume direction was really on point - the two-legged jackal might not be the exact right species for Rafiki, but he was every bit believable as an African shaman in his ritual paint and loincloth.&nbsp;&nbsp;My job was just to stand proudly next to Monte, though I don&#039;t know how convincing my smile was as I stared out at the bright spotlights obscuring my parents.&nbsp;&nbsp;I had to force my ears up, and Monte put a large, painted paw over my shoulder that wasn&#039;t in the direction.<br /><br />``You&#039;ve got this,&#039;&#039; he whispered under the soaring music.&nbsp;&nbsp;The feral tiger was twice my size, but I didn&#039;t feel small next to him, and his stripes were almost masked by the tan fur paint.&nbsp;&nbsp;His rich, red mane was just a wig, but he almost looked like my father.<br /><br />The lights fell after the first scene, and the set changed while we all repositioned.&nbsp;&nbsp;The baby lion was taken out of the theater in case he started crying, and Phil prepared for his entrance with Monte.&nbsp;&nbsp;I was waiting on a turntable with Diane and Jilly, the sunbathing rocks.&nbsp;&nbsp;Young Nala was definitely jittery, but Sarafina was in her twenties and had been in a number of plays before.&nbsp;&nbsp;I took a deep breath and stretched out over my rock, trying to match the mountain lion.&nbsp;&nbsp;Diane held Jilly ready, calming the eleven-year-old&#039;s nerves.<br /><br />I couldn&#039;t <em>really </em>understand, but I think she was feeling extra anxious because her costume didn&#039;t have a top.&nbsp;&nbsp;Two-leggers usually wore clothes, but she only had the loincloth, her flat chest bare.&nbsp;&nbsp;But Diane and I were <em>completely</em> naked, and <em>our </em>nipples were almost always visible.&nbsp;&nbsp;But I guess that didn&#039;t make it any easier for Jilly.<br /><br />We could only hear the scenes on the other side of the turntable as Mufasa bonded with his son, explained the kingdom and the circle of life.&nbsp;&nbsp;Phil then had a scene where he talked with his uncle.&nbsp;&nbsp;He did a great job at naivete as Sir George expertly played sarcastic uncle who only wanted Simba&#039;s death.&nbsp;&nbsp;He dropped the hints like water on a windowsill, the low rumble from his throat like thunder from the oncoming storm.&nbsp;&nbsp;``You must promise me never to go there - it&#039;s far too dangerous!&#039;&#039; he pleaded, one ear held back, the other forward.&nbsp;&nbsp;He somehow managed to look small for a three-hundred pound beast of a man, even next to the fourteen-year-old child.<br /><br />The turntable started to move, and I froze.<br /><br />``Take a deep breath,&#039;&#039; Diane suggested, grabbing up the small two-legged lioness.<br /><br />And then we were on.&nbsp;&nbsp;The lights once again bore down on us, and I tried not to look at the front row.&nbsp;&nbsp;Lazily, I flicked my tail, grateful that I was facing the audience, unlike Diane.&nbsp;&nbsp;The mountain lion was at three-quarters, her rump almost facing the audience, so when she flicked her tail, she had to be careful or she&#039;d show off a bit too much.&nbsp;&nbsp;The position allowed her to lick <em>near</em> Nala&#039;s butt without actually licking her there, though.&nbsp;&nbsp;The crowd laughed to see Jilly curled up in ``her mother&#039;s&#039;&#039; paws, her legs high in the air as she was tongue bathed.<br /><br />Then Phil came in, hopping and skipping eagerly.&nbsp;&nbsp;``Nala!&nbsp;&nbsp;Nala!&nbsp;&nbsp;Have I got a place to show you!&#039;&#039;<br /><br />We practiced it a hundred times so it went without a hitch.&nbsp;&nbsp;I swept the freshman up in my paws and licked from the scruff of his neck over his forehead, scrunching up his fur over his eyes.&nbsp;&nbsp;``Moooooom!&#039;&#039; he whined as high-pitched as he could.&nbsp;&nbsp;It was hard to forget that he was only two years younger than me and we went to the same school.&nbsp;&nbsp;It was going to be weird seeing him in the hallways.&nbsp;&nbsp;But right now, what mattered was the show.<br /><br />We licked them both as they carried out the scene, until they were actually damp from the saliva.&nbsp;&nbsp;I&#039;d had to practice delivering my lines with fur on my tongue.&nbsp;&nbsp;``But you have to bring Zazu!&#039;&#039; I growled.<br /><br />And like that, the scene was over, and I was out until the last scene of Act I.<br /><br />As I walked off-stage during the lights out, Tom patted me and said, ``Great start out there, Nat.&#039;&#039;&nbsp;&nbsp;He wasn&#039;t joking.&nbsp;&nbsp;The Beagle was all aquiver, clearly excited by the audience&#039;s gasps and laughs and groans.&nbsp;&nbsp;I couldn&#039;t even remember any mistakes we&#039;d made as a cast.&nbsp;&nbsp;I slinked off to the side, taking a deep breath, watching the play carefully.<br /><br />It was the most elaborate staging of the whole play - Phil led Jilly through the Elephant Graveyard only to be stopped and surrounded by the three hyenas, Freddy and Murray slinking along beside the imposing figure of Bethsheba.&nbsp;&nbsp;Zazu, played by a peahen named Camille, fluffed up her drab feathers and ran off to find Mufasa, while the hyenas taunted and chased the kids around.&nbsp;&nbsp;The audience loved Murray&#039;s garbled laughing and spitting, something the nine-year-old actor was quite capable of hamming up without feeling self-conscious at all.&nbsp;&nbsp;Just before Nala was going to be killed by Banzai, Mufasa arrived, his tiger&#039;s roar more than sufficient to sell the message.<br /><br />A touching scene at the top of the hill showed Mufasa explaining why he was so disappointed in his son, a soliloquy about responsibility, quiet, contemplative music, and the sun set (the lights went down).<br /><br />Now all that remained in act one were two sex scenes to set up the dichotomy - Scar&#039;s twisted relationship with Shenzi, and Sarabi comforting Mufasa after what his son had done.&nbsp;&nbsp;There in the boneyard Scar arrived, striding so powerfully through the devastation, green smoke rising up through rifts in the ground.&nbsp;&nbsp;Without Monte&#039;s enormity to dwarf the man, Sir George was truly imposing, his muscular chest completely visible, the loincloth not hiding the sides of his powerful legs.&nbsp;&nbsp;Just like in the real history, the two-legged brother betrayed the four to claim the kingdom.&nbsp;&nbsp;Shenzi was two-thirds the imposing lion&#039;s height, and the feral hyenas were like stuffed animals compared to Scar.<br /><br />``You let him <em>live?</em>&nbsp;&nbsp;When you had the chance!?&#039;&#039;<br /><br />Banzai whimpered, ``B-but Mufasa showed up, Scar!&nbsp;&nbsp;What was we supposed to do?&#039;&#039;<br /><br />Ed gave a confused, blubbering spit-take as well, to laughs from the audience.<br /><br />``ENOUGH!&#039;&#039; Scar roared.&nbsp;&nbsp;``Then we need Mufasa...out of the picture!&#039;&#039;<br /><br />The hyenas cheered, but Shenzi looked somewhat skeptical.<br /><br />Sir George continued self-congratulating, rumbling, ``A shining new era is tiptoeing nearer!&#039;&#039;<br /><br />Shenzi stood firmly between the massive lion and right and left hand men.&nbsp;&nbsp;``And where do <em>we</em> feature in this plan of yours?&#039;&#039;<br /><br />``I&#039;ll explain everything, Shenzi,&#039;&#039; he grinned, looking the spotted carnivore over.&nbsp;&nbsp;``In private.&#039;&#039;<br /><br />Banzai and Ed took the hint, and ran off, laughing about the idea that they would soon rule over the Pridelands instead of the Outlands, unaware that the negotiations were just beginning.&nbsp;&nbsp;Scar explained in whispers his plan to kill Simba and Mufasa, to which Shenzi replied enthusiastically, ``They won&#039;t know what hit `em,&#039;&#039; she agreed.&nbsp;&nbsp;``But how do we know you&#039;ll hold up <em>your</em> end of the bargain?&nbsp;&nbsp;Once you&#039;ve got your little harem of empty-headed kittens...&#039;&#039;<br /><br />Sir George rumbled.&nbsp;&nbsp;``You know I am a lion of many appetites - but my taste in women runs...<em>smarter</em>.&nbsp;&nbsp;Once my competitors are out of the picture, <em>you</em> will reign by my side, Shenzi.&nbsp;&nbsp;It&#039;s always been you...&#039;&#039; he said, running a paw down her flank.<br /><br />Bethsheba flattened her ears, shivering.&nbsp;&nbsp;``I&#039;ll be your queen?&#039;&#039; she asked hopefully.<br /><br />``We will rule the Pridelands, side by side,&#039;&#039; he grinned.<br /><br />I watched from the side, knowing my own scene was up next.&nbsp;&nbsp;This was the transition to the sex scene, as Shenzi stepped in front of a prop that looked like a hill of grass, designed to hide the relevant parts from the audience.&nbsp;&nbsp;This would be the first time the two would perform the scene actually naked, and even the audience could see the way his hands went to her hips and untied her loincloth, allowing it to collapse lightly to the floor to be followed shortly after by his.<br /><br />That&#039;s when I realized I was standing in the one place in the whole theater where one could actually <em>see</em> their bare bodies.&nbsp;&nbsp;From the side, in the dark backstage, I gasped to see Bethsheba and Sir George fully naked.&nbsp;&nbsp;I at least knew enough about hyenas so that I wasn&#039;t completely shocked to see both actors with dangling cocks, but I still sputtered - I was only a sixteen-year-old lioness after all!&nbsp;&nbsp;They were so wrapped up in their acting that they didn&#039;t think to see if anyone was standing in the darkness, and I stared, paralyzed in place.&nbsp;&nbsp;I spared a glance left and right, afraid someone would notice something was amiss, but I was alone, and this was my spot to enter the next scene anyway.<br /><br /><em>Sir George was well hung</em>.&nbsp;&nbsp;Felines weren&#039;t known for their size down there, but the big cats were so large over all that they ended up usually pretty well endowed.&nbsp;&nbsp;But two-leggers, apparently, weren&#039;t as small.&nbsp;&nbsp;He was at least six inches, soft, dangling down between his legs, his hefty balls framing his shaft.&nbsp;&nbsp;I couldn&#039;t look away.&nbsp;&nbsp;Shenzi was the same way, her pseudo-penis five inches long already, even as she leaned up to kiss the evil soon-to-be King.&nbsp;&nbsp;But this scene wasn&#039;t about kisses, it was about primitive, lustful sex, and as such, Tom had directed the scene to be doggystyle.<br /><br />And they wasted no time, Bethsheba turning around for the lion and facing the audience.&nbsp;&nbsp;She crawled forward on all fours, making sure to obscure her body behind the false hill, letting everyone see the lewd grin on her face.&nbsp;&nbsp;The audience knew, of course, that there wasn&#039;t any <em>real</em> hanky-panky going on, but they wouldn&#039;t be able to see the dry-humping nearly as well as I could.&nbsp;&nbsp;I was holding my breath, watching from the side as the powerful, sixty-four-year-old actor climbed onto her back, his hungry eyes more than selling the scene to the audience.&nbsp;&nbsp;I wondered what my parents were thinking, in the front row, so close to the simulated action?<br /><br />I felt warm, from my embarrassment, or my heat, or both, knowing that I had a similar scene at the end of Act II.&nbsp;&nbsp;Only now I got to see the dark-furred lion as he tucked his curved dick between Bethsheba&#039;s legs, huffing as he pretended to enter her, despite her own vulva swinging between her legs.&nbsp;&nbsp;Shenzi cackled and tossed her head back, tongue dangling from her mouth like Murray playing Ed.<br /><br />I wasn&#039;t supposed to be watching this.&nbsp;&nbsp;Trembling, I glanced to the side, watching only with my peripheral vision.&nbsp;&nbsp;The stagehands hadn&#039;t considered hiding the action from the other actors, and now <em>I</em> had the full view.&nbsp;&nbsp;I didn&#039;t like Sir George one bit, but that didn&#039;t mean he wasn&#039;t a true unit of a lion, muscles rippling down his body.&nbsp;&nbsp;His apparently giant -<br /><br />``Raaaawr!&#039;&#039; Shenzi gasped suddenly.<br /><br />That wasn&#039;t in the script.&nbsp;&nbsp;An ad lib?&nbsp;&nbsp;I glanced back, but nothing much had changed.&nbsp;&nbsp;There was George on her back, but now the hyena was trembling all over, her jaw dropped and eyes wide.&nbsp;&nbsp;She must be feeling the power of the moment, trying her best to share with the audience.&nbsp;&nbsp;There was her engorged clit, a little more swollen than before, there was his balls, his paws wrapped protectively around her chest.<br /><br />Wh-where was <em>his</em> shaft?<br /><br />I widened my own eyes as I scanned them again, squinting to make out the details in the darkness.&nbsp;&nbsp;I must not be able to see it because it was on the other side of Bethsheba&#039;s erection.&nbsp;&nbsp;That had to be it, Sir George flaring his nostrils and growling as he slammed the middle-aged woman forward against the grass.&nbsp;&nbsp;He was thrusting up against her belly now, his hips lowered considerably.&nbsp;&nbsp;The hyena was yowling, her knuckles white, each thrust seeming to push on her swollen phallus.&nbsp;&nbsp;When George pulled back, I could glimpse the base of his thick cock, a few inches of barbed cat cock just below her clit before he pushed upward again, appearing to sink into her.&nbsp;&nbsp;His thrust might well be touching the side of her erection, driving those spines into her soft skin.&nbsp;&nbsp;That explained her whimpers, two dicks rubbing against each other like baguettes in a bag.<br /><br />``You&#039;re up next,&#039;&#039; Tom announced, walking quickly past.<br /><br />``I - I know, I&#039;m ready,&#039;&#039; I gasped, averted my eyes from the scene in front of me.&nbsp;&nbsp;I stared at my paws now, just listening to the exultant roars, yelps, and growls - so realistic in front of me.&nbsp;&nbsp;I only looked up one last time as Scar let out his ultimate roar, pretending to cum into his spotted consort.&nbsp;&nbsp;I swear I saw them, locked together, trembling, his enormous cock spreading hers wide, but it was dark and I knew my heat was just getting to me.&nbsp;&nbsp;It&#039;s not like Bethsheba would agree to turn this play into a real, live porn show, no matter what Sir George suggested.&nbsp;&nbsp;They tensed together for just enough time to end the scene, the lights dimming before I could see anything else, and then it was a scene change - and I was on.&nbsp;&nbsp;Heart pounding in my chest, I walked onto the stage even as Sir George and Bethsheba ran off in the dim light, approaching Monte from the other side.<br /><br />How was this scene going to live up to the realism of <em>that</em> one?&nbsp;&nbsp;I&#039;d barely practiced this one with Monte compared to how much I&#039;d had to let Sir George dry hump my rump.&nbsp;&nbsp;Now that I saw what I was really following, I wished we&#039;d spent a lot more time preparing.&nbsp;&nbsp;No time to think about that now - my first duo scene, my first sex scene, all right in front of five hundred people AND my parents.<br /><br />The lights flooded on.<br /><br />``He&#039;s a fool, Sarabi.&nbsp;&nbsp;You&#039;re raising your son to be a fool!&#039;&#039; Monte exclaimed, pacing forward.<br /><br />The bright lights shined down on me, hundreds watching.&nbsp;&nbsp;I could vaguely see their silhouettes through the glare.&nbsp;&nbsp;But I had practiced this scene three dozen times - <em>more</em>, and my body knew what to do, my mouth knew what to say.&nbsp;&nbsp;Rolling my eyes, I padded forward with an amused smile.&nbsp;&nbsp;``My son?&nbsp;&nbsp;I seem to recall you having something to do with that.&#039;&#039;<br /><br />He looked so much like a lion with his tan, painted fur, the black stripes barely peeking through here and there, a radiant red mane circling his face.&nbsp;&nbsp;The pair of us, full grown tiger and lion, dominated the stage, and the audience laughed.&nbsp;&nbsp;With a displeased growl, Mufasa said, ``He has <em>your</em> adventurous spirit.&#039;&#039;<br /><br />``Your stubbornness,&#039;&#039; I replied.<br /><br />``Your stupid risk-taking...&#039;&#039; the tiger spat, flicking his tail.<br /><br />I strode up beside him and nuzzled him.&nbsp;&nbsp;``And your courage when protecting others.&#039;&#039;<br /><br />Monte sighed, and returned the nuzzling.&nbsp;&nbsp;``He&#039;s <em>our</em> son, alright,&#039;&#039; he rumbled affectionately.&nbsp;&nbsp;``How on earth did you agree to let them sneak into the Outlands?&#039;&#039;<br /><br />I put on a play of shock, followed by a rueful grin.&nbsp;&nbsp;I nipped at his ear and growled, ``You know they didn&#039;t tell me where they were going.&#039;&#039;<br /><br />``Then how...&#039;&#039; Mufasa pondered, ``...did he find out about the Elephant Graveyard?&#039;&#039;<br /><br />``The other cubs?&nbsp;&nbsp;Perhaps Zazu let something slip?&#039;&#039;<br /><br />But Mufasa shook his head, one after another after those suggestions.&nbsp;&nbsp;Once all the ideas were exhausted, he took a deep breath and said what both characters were thinking.&nbsp;&nbsp;``<em>Scar...</em>&#039;&#039;<br /><br />I looked down.&nbsp;&nbsp;``He&#039;s getting bolder by the day.&nbsp;&nbsp;I don&#039;t think he&#039;ll be satisfied living under Simba - even less than he is satisfied living under <em>you</em>.&#039;&#039;<br /><br />``A pity he doesn&#039;t share <em>your </em>affection,&#039;&#039; Mufasa grumbled, ``for living <em>under me</em>.&#039;&#039;<br /><br />I licked his ear.&nbsp;&nbsp;``You have to talk to him.&nbsp;&nbsp;At this rate, you&#039;ll have to exile him, and then what will happen if something happens to you?&nbsp;&nbsp;Simba is hardly ready.&#039;&#039;<br /><br />``I&#039;ll do it now -&#039;&#039; Monte started, standing.<br /><br />But I shook my head.&nbsp;&nbsp;``I checked - he isn&#039;t in his den.&#039;&#039;<br /><br />``Where <em>is</em> the blasted cat at night?&#039;&#039; Mufasa growled.&nbsp;&nbsp;``Maybe it&#039;s time I do a thorough search.&#039;&#039;<br /><br />``You could -&#039;&#039; I said, but I added, ``- or you could wait until tomorrow morning...&#039;&#039;&nbsp;&nbsp;I padded over to him.&nbsp;&nbsp;``I know it&#039;s tough,&#039;&#039; I said with my best, low rumble.<br /><br />``He put her in danger, Sarabi.&nbsp;&nbsp;That&#039;s not how I raised him -&#039;&#039;<br /><br />Summoning all my courage, in front of everyone, I kissed the adult male on the cheek, running my tongue up his cheek.&nbsp;&nbsp;``I remember when you took me to -&#039;&#039;<br /><br />``That was different.&#039;&#039;<br /><br />``I would hope so!&#039;&#039; I laughed.&nbsp;&nbsp;``Though I&#039;m not sure Simba would know what to do if Nala had...&#039;&#039;<br /><br />Rather than finish the thought, I showed Mufasa what I meant, emulating our first time.&nbsp;&nbsp;With a flick upward of my tail, I crawled over the grassy edge, designed perfectly so that the most the audience would be able to see was my tail, my hindquarters hidden beyond the edge while the rest of me splayed out like a stretching cat.&nbsp;&nbsp;They could see my back all the way to the base of my tail, but when Monte covered me, his bulk would hide the simulated action.&nbsp;&nbsp;I grinned at the audience with a knowing glance as Mufasa rumbled his agreement, and I felt Monte place his massive paw on my rump.&nbsp;&nbsp;This was where we&#039;d stopped in rehearsal.<br /><br />``My King...&#039;&#039; I purred, shivering as the fifty-five-year-old climbed onto my virgin, fertile rump, both our bodies naked, fur standing on end.<br /><br />``Oh, Sarabi,&#039;&#039; Monte growled with a huskiness to his voice that wasn&#039;t present in any of his other dialogue.&nbsp;&nbsp;We&#039;d timed it after that line - 1...2...<br /><br /><strong><em>3!</em></strong><br /><br />And I popped my eyes wide open and dropped my jaw for the audience, pretending to be penetrated, though Monte&#039;s shove forward was carefully aimed between my thighs.&nbsp;&nbsp;His sheathed cock rubbed against the creamy fur on my hind legs.&nbsp;&nbsp;``Oh!&#039;&#039; I gasped, then smiled, looking over my shoulder at the tiger.&nbsp;&nbsp;It was certainly different going through with it, feeling the old man press his genitals against my rump.&nbsp;&nbsp;My parents knew Monte from the Savannah Club, and I often saw him padding the halls at the local grocery store.&nbsp;&nbsp;Now, he was thrusting his hips and curling his lips back, mock-scenting me.<br /><br />There were just a few more lines before the fade-to-black, and I was ready for them at any moment.&nbsp;&nbsp;I jumped in with my line, if a little early.&nbsp;&nbsp;``If Nala could <em>be</em> so lucky...&#039;&#039;<br /><br />``I&#039;m the lucky one.&nbsp;&nbsp;You almost picked <em>Scar</em>.&#039;&#039;&nbsp;&nbsp;That&#039;s what he was supposed to say.&nbsp;&nbsp;But he held his breath, holding off.&nbsp;&nbsp;Maybe his flaring nostrils were more than play-acting as he breathed in a lioness in heat.&nbsp;&nbsp;I couldn&#039;t say my final line until he said his - it wouldn&#039;t make any sense, so I crouched there, trembling, even as I felt something wet and hard against my thighs.&nbsp;&nbsp;It was supposed to be <em>dry</em> humping!&nbsp;&nbsp;Yet the tiger, dressed up like a lion, was hard now, poking his tapered cock into my fur, trailing slowly upward.&nbsp;&nbsp;H-he wouldn&#039;t.&nbsp;&nbsp;He couldn&#039;t!&nbsp;&nbsp;Yet he seemed to be searching.<br /><br />The lighting crew and the band were confused as well, replaying the cues for the next part repeatedly, waiting for Monte&#039;s next line.&nbsp;&nbsp;Could anyone see what was happening?&nbsp;&nbsp;From the side, like I was?&nbsp;&nbsp;His big hips would block the view.&nbsp;&nbsp;Honestly, there was nothing stopping him from finding my sweet, wet entrance and making the gasp I&#039;d acted <em>real</em>.&nbsp;&nbsp;He was panting above me, warm air gushing across my back.&nbsp;&nbsp;I widened my eyes as he neared his apparent goal, staring straight at my mother and father in the front row.&nbsp;&nbsp;They were about to watch me lose my virginity, right there in front of five hundred people!<br /><br />Taking a deep breath, I said my final line anyway, skipping ahead in a rush.&nbsp;&nbsp;``I would never pick Scar.&nbsp;&nbsp;Not for <em>anything</em>, my love.&#039;&#039;<br /><br />That was it, the band played the end notes, the lights dimmed, and I spun in place, struggling out of Monte&#039;s grasp.&nbsp;&nbsp;As if shaken from his stupor, the fifty-five-year-old actor blinked and whispered, ``S-sorry, Natalie...!&#039;&#039;&nbsp;&nbsp;But I wasn&#039;t interested - I just wanted out - <em>now</em>.&nbsp;&nbsp;I went the opposite direction off stage - he went right, I went left...to talk to Tom.&nbsp;&nbsp;It was the end of Act 1, but I was shook.<br /><br />The applause was thunderous, but I couldn&#039;t hear any of it, grateful for the falling curtain and the noise of the set being adjusted.&nbsp;&nbsp;Still, Tom wasn&#039;t anywhere to be found.&nbsp;&nbsp;People moved and chatted and drank water and discussed minor slip-ups, and I heard a dozen people ask where Tom was, but the Beagle was MIA.&nbsp;&nbsp;I perked my ears and wandered toward the dressing rooms, and that&#039;s where I found him - talking to Bethsheba.<br /><br />``It&#039;s totally unprofessional, Tom!&#039;&#039; the hyena shrieked.<br /><br />``But you yourself - ahem...&#039;&#039; the Beagle replied, glancing back at me.<br /><br />When Bethsheba saw me, she looked flustered.&nbsp;&nbsp;Had Sir George really done what I thought I&#039;d seen?&nbsp;&nbsp;Had the hyena not wanted her new boyfriend&#039;s attention, like that?&nbsp;&nbsp;That couldn&#039;t be, or Tom would be reacting much more strongly.<br /><br />Tom continued, ``You said yourself that you got carried away.&nbsp;&nbsp;Um...what you described isn&#039;t all Sir George&#039;s fault.&nbsp;&nbsp;But surely you see I have other issues to attend to - it&#039;s intermission, Beth.&#039;&#039;<br /><br />Bethsheba curled her lips, showing her teeth.&nbsp;&nbsp;``This isn&#039;t over Tom.&nbsp;&nbsp;We&#039;re <em>going</em> to have a talk about this - all three of us together.&#039;&#039;&nbsp;&nbsp;With that, the hyena stormed off, finally leaving me alone with Tom.<br /><br />``What happened?&#039;&#039; I asked, cocking my head.<br /><br />``A headache,&#039;&#039; Tom groaned.&nbsp;&nbsp;``Hopefully you&#039;ve got something more pleasant to discuss?&#039;&#039;<br /><br />I shook my head no, and jumped right in like a lioness on the hunt.&nbsp;&nbsp;``Monte got flustered during our scene.&nbsp;&nbsp;He wouldn&#039;t say his lines, and I swear, he was just about to - to...&#039;&#039;&nbsp;&nbsp;At sixteen it just wasn&#039;t easy to say what I thought the tiger was going to do to me.<br /><br />``Oh, <em>brother</em>,&#039;&#039; Tom groaned.<br /><br />``<em>Excuse me?</em>&#039;&#039;<br /><br />He sighed and said, ``No, no, I don&#039;t mean to trivialize it, Nat.&nbsp;&nbsp;I just don&#039;t have time.&nbsp;&nbsp;Beth&#039;s threatening to walk, Audrey&#039;s got stage fright, and that damned peacock can&#039;t keep her horned bill on tight!&nbsp;&nbsp;I promise, I&#039;ll talk to Monte - <em>after the show</em>.&nbsp;&nbsp;You can&#039;t really blame him for getting a little too close when you&#039;re in <em>heat</em>, you know.&#039;&#039;<br /><br />``But - &#039;&#039;<br /><br />``No buts!&#039;&#039; the Beagle growled, storming off toward the stage.<br /><br />So even the dog could tell I was in heat, and he was a two-legger.&nbsp;&nbsp;I blushed deeply, wondering how many of the other actors knew.&nbsp;&nbsp;Of course Monte did, and Sir George would soon if he didn&#039;t know already.&nbsp;&nbsp;I wasn&#039;t happy about Tom&#039;s response, but he <em>did</em> plan to fix the problem eventually.&nbsp;&nbsp;Gritting my teeth, I padded back up to the stage, hoping I wouldn&#039;t catch a glimpse of that stripey, old pervert.<br /><br />Sarabi wasn&#039;t even in Act II until the final scene.&nbsp;&nbsp;It all started with Scar enacting his plan, setting up a dangerous stampede that threatened young Simba and sent Monte dashing into the simulated herd to get battered to death.&nbsp;&nbsp;The hyenas chased a fleeing Simba from the Pridelands, and Scar shared the news with the Pride.&nbsp;&nbsp;Young Nala wept and spoke uncertainly with her mother, Sarafina, but her mom couldn&#039;t fully promise everything would be okay.&nbsp;&nbsp;Instead, she spoke of a distant jungle, brimming with life that would put Nala beyond the reach of Scar - when she was old enough.&nbsp;&nbsp;Jilly did an absolutely marvelous job looking distraught at Simba&#039;s death, and I had to wonder if the nine-year-old could really differentiate reality and fantasy very well.<br /><br />Then, just before the last scene of the act - my biggest of the show, Shenzi and Scar talk.&nbsp;&nbsp;She Bethsheba had no trouble summoning her anger, as Sir George explained that, of course he loved her, but a King of lions needed a <em>Queen</em> of lions, at least officially.&nbsp;&nbsp;``That&#039;s not what you promised,&#039;&#039; the hyena warned.<br /><br />``You&#039;re not really in a position to <em>do</em> anything about it, are you, my dear?&#039;&#039; he purred off his silver tongue.&nbsp;&nbsp;``Don&#039;t stay mad - I&#039;ll be here whenever you need me.&#039;&#039;<br /><br />And finally, my scene.&nbsp;&nbsp;Scar summoned me, and Banzai and Ed led me onto the stage where the massive, vile Scar knelt above me.&nbsp;&nbsp;I could feel all the eyes on me now, but once again I had to fight through the fear and stare up at Sir George, defiant.<br /><br />``My condolences, Sarabi - for the death of your husband,&#039;&#039; he said, slightly smiling.&nbsp;&nbsp;``You may go,&#039;&#039; he added, dismissing the two hyenas.<br /><br />``And your <em>brother</em>,&#039;&#039; I pointed out, flicking my tail.<br /><br />``Of course.&nbsp;&nbsp;Which makes me, unfortunately, King.&nbsp;&nbsp;That&#039;s why I called you here, Sarabi.&#039;&#039;<br /><br />I shook my head.&nbsp;&nbsp;``I won&#039;t endorse you, <em>Scar</em>.&nbsp;&nbsp;Not after what you&#039;ve done.&#039;&#039;<br /><br />Sir George cocked his head, towering over me on his two legs, covered in a scant loincloth.&nbsp;&nbsp;Nothing hid his rippling muscles from the audience though, his tawny abdomen shining in the spotlight.&nbsp;&nbsp;The only other thing he wore was Mufasa&#039;s crown, a simple, metal circlet similar to the style of the time.&nbsp;&nbsp;A man, but he was larger than me, a full-grown lioness.&nbsp;&nbsp;It was hard to hold my ground, even knowing that we were just acting.&nbsp;&nbsp;``And what is it I have done?&#039;&#039; he wondered.<br /><br />``Mufasa would never have made peace with the hyenas,&#039;&#039; I spat.<br /><br />He said, ``They have their uses, and now <em>we</em> can live in peace,&#039;&#039; he chided.<br /><br />``Why not make it official, then?&nbsp;&nbsp;Marry that hyena, not me.&#039;&#039;<br /><br />He froze slightly and continued, ``Shenzi... is not queen material.&nbsp;&nbsp;If the lionesses are to listen to me, you know I need a lioness.&nbsp;&nbsp;You know I need <em>you</em>, cousin.&#039;&#039;<br /><br />This was it - the outburst that had never satisfied Sir George in practice.&nbsp;&nbsp;I raised my hackles, I pulled back, I curled my lip, I bared my teeth and I threw everything I could at him.&nbsp;&nbsp;All the times he&#039;d criticized me, all the questionable things he&#039;d done - the damned <em>mittens!</em>&nbsp;&nbsp;I threw in some anger at Monte, too, baring my claws for <em>real.</em><br /><br />``YOU WILL NEVER HAVE ME,&#039;&#039; I snarled.&nbsp;&nbsp;``Damn the customs!&#039;&#039;<br /><br />The audience was speechless, and you could hear a pin drop as Sir George slyly stepped to the side, hefted his head and gazed down at me.&nbsp;&nbsp;``You&#039;re right, Sarabi...&#039;&#039; he said, dripping with false congeniality.&nbsp;&nbsp;``The customs <em>don&#039;t</em> have to be followed to the letter.&nbsp;&nbsp;My queen doesn&#039;t <em>have</em> to be <em>you.</em>&#039;&#039;<br /><br />I took a step back, shivering.&nbsp;&nbsp;``W-who?&#039;&#039;<br /><br />``It seems a shame to let Nala suffer the loss of her betrothed all alone, don&#039;t you think?&#039;&#039;<br /><br />I did my level best to look shocked.&nbsp;&nbsp;``You leave her out of this - !&#039;&#039;<br /><br />``I will, if...&#039;&#039;<br /><br />The moment of truth - the beginning of my unwanted submission to King Scar, and my personal submission to Sir George and all the changes he&#039;d demanded.&nbsp;&nbsp;I padded over to my spot and lied down, staring straight ahead into the bright spotlights.&nbsp;&nbsp;``You win.&#039;&#039;<br /><br />``You win, <em>my King</em>,&#039;&#039; he hissed.<br /><br />``You win, <em>my King</em>,&#039;&#039; I whimpered, lifting my tail for him.&nbsp;&nbsp;For the first time, I was naked, and Sir George got a glimpse of my fully bare pussy, inflamed and puffy, as well as my tailhole.&nbsp;&nbsp;This was even more humiliating than in rehearsal, especially since he now <em>had</em> to know I was in heat.&nbsp;&nbsp;I could feel Sarabi&#039;s desperation, and I&#039;m sure it played <em>very realistically</em> to the audience as Sir George lingered there longer than in practice, a smirk on his face.<br /><br />``Wise decision, my queen,&#039;&#039; he gloated, his voice fading away as he retrieved his hidden <em>tools</em>.&nbsp;&nbsp;With his hands, the real Scar had surely taken similar liberties with Queen Sarabi, and now I was reenacting it for everyone to see.&nbsp;&nbsp;He was just as rough, suddenly pouncing and wrapping the muzzle around my open mouth.&nbsp;&nbsp;He yanked back harder than ever, affixing the metal bar between my sharp teeth, muting me as the straps tightened on the back of my neck.&nbsp;&nbsp;It hurt, which leant plenty of realism to my muffled shriek.&nbsp;&nbsp;``But I think I&#039;d better take a few precautions...&#039;&#039;<br /><br />Now, his own personal addition, to the audience&#039;s surprise.&nbsp;&nbsp;Many had seen the film version lacking the mittens, but my claws were out.&nbsp;&nbsp;Usually, Sarabi had submitted by this point, but I was thrashing and struggling, even as the mittens wrapped around my paws, squeezing them together before being tied off like cuffs.<br /><br />I was just thinking he better not try anything explicit like Monte had, when I heard a surprise <em>snap!</em> and realized there was one more addition: a leather collar, latching around my neck, and when I glanced down, I saw the nameplate - <em>Sir George</em>.&nbsp;&nbsp;I blinked in shock.&nbsp;&nbsp;This hadn&#039;t been discussed, and why would the actor use something so clearly anachronistic?<br /><br />``Mrrgle!&#039;&#039; I gasped, staring over my shoulder at the grinning male, where he stood behind me.&nbsp;&nbsp;Hidden from the audience, he smiled as he dropped his loincloth, revealing once and for all his ten-inch dick, throbbingly erect, two hefty balls dancing below.<br /><br /><em>This isn&#039;t how it&#039;s supposed to happen!</em><br /><br />Well, <em>yes</em>, he was supposed to drop his covering, but in rehearsal, he&#039;d never had an <em>erection</em>.&nbsp;&nbsp;Although I&#039;d seen plenty of sheaths in my day thanks to the other four-leggers around, I&#039;d never seen someone <em>horny</em> until today - first from a distance, with Bethsheba, and now almost staring me in the face.&nbsp;&nbsp;Were guys <em>really</em> that big!?&nbsp;&nbsp;Monte hadn&#039;t felt quite so large.&nbsp;&nbsp;I squirmed in place, my eyes wide, but when I tried to run, I fell forward immediately, my paws tied.&nbsp;&nbsp;He wasn&#039;t <em>really </em>going to -<br /><br />There, in front of five hundred people, Sir George slid up behind me, placing his hands on my firm, raised rump.&nbsp;&nbsp;I wanted to sink to the ground, but the prop knoll I was on was already hiked up beneath me, my head 45 degrees down from my hindquarters - my pussy would be just the right height for him no matter what I did!&nbsp;&nbsp;I kicked and struggled to applause from the audience - they were really buying my fear as the sixty-four-year-old grabbed the tip of his barbed monstrosity as he slid it up between my thighs.&nbsp;&nbsp;Perhaps this was all for show, and he would just pump between my legs?<br /><br />``Oh, Sarabi,&#039;&#039; he cooed, lifting his tip even farther.&nbsp;&nbsp;I <em>freaked</em> out as I felt his bright, red tip nestle up against my little slit.&nbsp;&nbsp;``You said you&#039;d <em>never</em> have me.&nbsp;&nbsp;Well, there&#039;s a <em>first time</em> for everything.&#039;&#039;<br /><br />The line wasn&#039;t in the script.&nbsp;&nbsp;I couldn&#039;t help but feel like ``Scar&#039;&#039; was talking to <em>me</em>.&nbsp;&nbsp;He knew I was a virgin - he knew I was in <em>heat!</em>&nbsp;&nbsp;Desperately, I shook my head back and forth, unable to tap out thanks to the mittens.&nbsp;&nbsp;Stretching out the whole ten inches, Sir George bit his lip, grabbed my tail and <em>yanked</em>, slamming his hips forward.&nbsp;&nbsp;I was hardly prepared, only a few drops of thin, heated arousal to aid as the famous actor <em>thrust</em> into me, my tight tunnel spreading <em>wide</em>.&nbsp;&nbsp;The two-legger was as tall as I was long, and even bigger than me, and I could only bug out my eyes and <em>snarl</em> as he pushed all ten inches into my suddenly stuffed, bulging vagina.<br /><br />Like Bethsheba, he was <em>really</em> doing it, right here, in front of everyone!&nbsp;&nbsp;My parents were watching with nervous smiles at their little girl, acting her heart out.&nbsp;&nbsp;But it wasn&#039;t acting that yowled from her throat through the metal bit that cut off her speech.&nbsp;&nbsp;From zero to hilted in less than a second, Sir George leaned over me and grabbed the front of my shoulders, his claws digging in.&nbsp;&nbsp;I felt his dark brown belly fur rubbing lewdly against my soft back, his muscular torso pressed between my shoulderblades.&nbsp;&nbsp;He was <em>raping me</em>.&nbsp;&nbsp;On <em>stage</em>.<br /><br />``<em>Now</em> you sound like a lioness getting fucked,&#039;&#039; he hissed in my ear, his muzzle so close I could feel his warm breath blanketing over me.<br /><br />My claws went out, front and back, but the front were tapping uselessly against the leather mittens, and the back couldn&#039;t do much against the plastic set piece.&nbsp;&nbsp;I tried to dislodge the three-hundred-pound lion from my back, my muscles straining, but I couldn&#039;t budge him one bit.&nbsp;&nbsp;I yanked and shook back and forth, <em>roaring</em> into the air in my inability to talk - but there was nothing I could do.&nbsp;&nbsp;I didn&#039;t stop though - Lord, I didn&#039;t stop.&nbsp;&nbsp;I kicked and scratched and roared as Sir George slowly began to hump against me, sliding his enormous dick back and forth just a few inches at a time.<br /><br />``Since we&#039;re playing around with customs...&#039;&#039; Sir George spoke to the audience, another line not in the script, he continued, ``...maybe it&#039;s time the Queen gets her <em>own</em> royal headwear.&nbsp;&nbsp;I don&#039;t have another crown, Sarabi, but I do like the looks of that muzzle.&#039;&#039;<br /><br />My eyes were wide, drying out from lack of moisture, every hair on end, fighting and struggling and pulling away from him, barely able to comprehend his character&#039;s lines.&nbsp;&nbsp;Surely someone could see what was happening?&nbsp;&nbsp;From the side, like I had?&nbsp;&nbsp;I stared stage left, but saw no one.&nbsp;&nbsp;A prop tree blocked the view to stage right.&nbsp;&nbsp;``Help!&#039;&#039; I tried to whine, but like everything else, it came out as ``Grrlllff!&#039;&#039;&nbsp;&nbsp;How could he -<br /><br />``Brace yourself,&#039;&#039; he whispered, but I&#039;d only just registered the words when he pulled back.&nbsp;&nbsp;Before I knew what was happening, Sir George had flared out his barbs, ten inches of interlocking spikes injecting into my soft, untried pussy before <em>yanking </em>them back with his hands on my collar.&nbsp;&nbsp;I could only guess how much he pulled out of me, but I felt so empty and gaping, my chasm shuddering in pain from his violent withdrawal.&nbsp;&nbsp;This time my roar was less resistant, and more sheer shock, and the audience couldn&#039;t help but applaud, clapping hands impressed at my `acting&#039;.&nbsp;&nbsp;I glared at the audience, burning hatred inside for George, for them, for <em>Tom - </em>I was panting and drooling, wracked with pain even as Sir George sank into me again, his balls slapping my rump.<br /><br />Had this been his plan all along?&nbsp;&nbsp;Was he even interested in the play, or just getting his rocks off in unsuspected women?&nbsp;&nbsp;Would he do the same thing to Audrey?&nbsp;&nbsp;Bethsheba had had a choice, but I was trapped, unable to convince anyone of what was really happening right in front of their eyes.&nbsp;&nbsp;The wet <em>squelch </em>of his entry proved wetter than before, perhaps because my body was responding to him...or perhaps it was his own fluids...&nbsp;&nbsp;Good God - I was in heat.&nbsp;&nbsp;He couldn&#039;t mean to - he wouldn&#039;t really -<br /><br />You&#039;ve lost a mate <em>and </em>a son, cousin,&#039;&#039; Sir George announced loudly to the theater.&nbsp;&nbsp;``Perhaps I can make up for <em>both</em>.&#039;&#039;<br /><br />He was going to <em>breed</em> me, right in front of my cheering parents.&nbsp;&nbsp;I was a virgin, ripe for the plucking, just a pair of haunches to mount and to mate, my fertile pussy getting wetter by the second.&nbsp;&nbsp;Why did the pain seem to only drive me further into his clutches?&nbsp;&nbsp;The whole length of his cock raked me again as he <em>drew</em> it out of me, leaving me gasping and trembling, desperate for his next thrust - anything to salve the aching of my untouched tunnel.<br /><br /><em>Grrrrrowl!</em>&nbsp;&nbsp;It was the only sound I could make that the audience could hear, but they had every reason to believe I was just in character as I tossed my head back, throat rumbling with the most unpleasant sound I could manage as the massive male stuffed himself back into me until my aching body pushed back against him if only because of my paws wrapped to each other against the set.&nbsp;&nbsp;I shuddered, drooling, his spikes blessedly smooth on the way in, each brushing up against my clit until I was <em>mewling</em> like a newborn kitten.<br /><br />A soft purr rang in my ear, and I turned my head to stare out the side of my eye at the dark-furred lion&#039;s condescending grin, as he whispered, ``Giving in so soon?&nbsp;&nbsp;You want it, don&#039;t you?&nbsp;&nbsp;You <em>want</em> your belly to grow, your teats to swell.&#039;&#039;&nbsp;&nbsp;To emphasize his point, the powerful two-legger reached his arms around my chest, his paws sliding between my ribs and the set, rubbing and massaging my stomach, gliding his paws possessively across my nubile nipples.&nbsp;&nbsp;The sheer inappropriateness of the sixty-something lion playing his captive teenage lioness like an accordion stung in my head, even as I bit down on the muzzle&#039;s bar, preparing myself for his next pull out.<br /><br />Flaring out inside me, Sir George once again <em>ripped</em> his enormous organ from my quivering cunny, raking every last inch and leaving me gasping in tears on the stage.&nbsp;&nbsp;More than two minutes had passed on a scene that was supposed to transition more than a minute ago, but he showed no signs of delivering his final lines, and the band would wait as they had for Monte.&nbsp;&nbsp;Wait until the disgusting lion had had his way with my body.&nbsp;&nbsp;Whimpering, I lifted my hips and pushed back against his leaking tip, my pussy gaping in pain.&nbsp;&nbsp;Every time he tugged on my sensitive womanhood, I felt my heat wash over me, my fur shivering at his touch, my tunnel clenching in desperation.<br /><br />I didn&#039;t want it.&nbsp;&nbsp;I wouldn&#039;t give in!&nbsp;&nbsp;Flinging myself at him, I managed to snap my jaws together inches from his face, though the muzzle protected him completely.&nbsp;&nbsp;He said to the audience, ``No need to be a sore loser, Sarabi.&nbsp;&nbsp;You&#039;ll always have a place by my side.&#039;&#039;&nbsp;&nbsp;With that, Sir George whispered, ``Did you forget your safe word, Natalie?&#039;&#039;<br /><br />Safe word?&nbsp;&nbsp;What did <em>that</em> mean?&nbsp;&nbsp;I barely had time to consider before the adult male opened his jaw and grabbed the scruff of my neck - <em>hard</em>.&nbsp;&nbsp;He gave me what my body needed, <em>slamming</em> back in, nails digging into my chest, teeth poking through my skin.&nbsp;&nbsp;He was as tall as my body was long, and then some, using his grip to start going faster, pumping back and forth and <em>raking </em>my untried tunnel every second, with barely a break between shrieks of pain. The musk of his sweaty body, Bethsheba&#039;s scent still lingering, blanketed my smaller form.&nbsp;&nbsp;<em>Safe word?</em>&nbsp;&nbsp;I yowled and moaned, crying as I couldn&#039;t help myself, bucking my hips up and down against his thick rod, only making his barbs dig <em>deeper</em>.&nbsp;&nbsp;We lions <em>both</em> knew that was the worst thing I could do, the pain being the best way to trigger a lioness&#039;s ovulation.&nbsp;&nbsp;I was playing into his paws, but -<br /><br /><em>The tail</em>.&nbsp;&nbsp;I couldn&#039;t tap out, but he said if I curled my tail around his, he&#039;d stop.&nbsp;&nbsp;He would, wouldn&#039;t he?&nbsp;&nbsp;Even if he didn&#039;t, Tom would know - Tom would see I wasn&#039;t agreeing to this, to <em>anything</em>.&nbsp;&nbsp;Twitching, trembling, I struggled to raise my tail against the onslaught of our humping, pumping bodies - I was the perfect soft, wet sleeve for his throbbing cock, clenching down and rolling my hips in short, sharp circles, whining out every time his heavy balls slapped my ass.&nbsp;&nbsp;It was all a bad joke - it had to be.&nbsp;&nbsp;He was raping me so I&#039;d act better, yes, but he wasn&#039;t - he wouldn&#039;t actually <em>cum inside</em>.&nbsp;&nbsp;Not while I was in heat, not after he&#039;d scoured me again and again to the point I was most fertile.&nbsp;&nbsp;He was just waiting for the tail.<br /><br />At this point the entire audience was silent, watching the most violent, realistic rape they&#039;d likely ever scene.&nbsp;&nbsp;All eyes were on me, my ragged sobs, gasps, and tears coming from a real place deep in my soul.&nbsp;&nbsp;When the lights moved just the right way I could see the concern on my mother&#039;s face, my father watching, impressed.&nbsp;&nbsp;If only they knew what was <em>really</em> happening.&nbsp;&nbsp;I squeezed and tore at the mittens, but they held.&nbsp;&nbsp;Biting down hard, I finally lifted my tail, and with an obedient sweep, I wrapped it over his.<br /><br />Sir George tensed up, letting go of my scruff.&nbsp;&nbsp;<em>He&#039;s going to let me go!</em>&nbsp;&nbsp;He pulled out, leaving my trembling tunnel wincing in pain, curling his own tail around mine, his tuft tickling me.&nbsp;&nbsp;But when he spoke, he was purring and I didn&#039;t like his tone at all.&nbsp;&nbsp;``That&#039;s it, girl,&#039;&#039; he groaned in my ear, squeezing my belly harder than ever.&nbsp;&nbsp;``That tail stuff <em>always</em> gets me off...&#039;&#039;<br /><br />My eyes went wide, but he wasn&#039;t joking.&nbsp;&nbsp;With a violent thrust, the three-hundred-pound beast slammed one last time into my aching cunt, burrowing all the way to the hilt so that I could feel firsthand how his balls began to quiver and quake, the first thrum of thick cum pulsing down his fully flared shaft to splatter my innermost walls, soaking straight into my unprotected, teenage womb.<br /><br />The muzzle had mostly prevented me from closing my mouth to this point, but now I tossed my head back, trumpeting into the air, the leather preventing me from getting a full-throated roar out.&nbsp;&nbsp;A soft jingle reminded me of his personally named collar, but that symbol of his ownership over me paled compared to the way he rubbed my abdomen even as I began to fill with his rich, bubbling, life-giving seed.&nbsp;&nbsp;Now, my tail, too, was captive, wrapped two or three times by his stronger, possessive tail, preventing me from even flicking to display my displeasure.&nbsp;&nbsp;Now even the audience could see the change in my behavior - they&#039;d see a Sarabi beaten and broken, roaring in sheer <em>pleasure</em> as her horrible cousin tried his level best to breed a new heir.&nbsp;&nbsp;And while Sarabi had never taken Scar&#039;s cubs, nothing was there to stop <em>me</em> from taking George&#039;s, load after load of fresh cum leaking into my aching pussy, the warm wetness surprisingly soothing after all he&#039;d done to me.&nbsp;&nbsp;I panted and drooled and roared, ears flat, claws out, but squeezing down around his erupting cock to milk every last drop from the horrible cat.<br /><br />It must have been another two minutes before I rose from where I&#039;d apparently collapsed beneath him, belly swimming in his cum, his gentle pats assuring me that he knew <em>exactly</em> what he&#039;d done.&nbsp;&nbsp;The audience was quiet, and the only sound was my panting and groaning, and a few satisfied grunts from ``Scar&#039;&#039;.&nbsp;&nbsp;The scene was supposed to have faded to black, but Sir George never did deliver his final line, instead standing shakily, redonning his loincloth, and affixing a leather leash to my new collar.&nbsp;&nbsp;I was too tired to resist as he unclasped my mittens, tugged my leash and said to the audience, ``Come, my Queen, we have such good news to share with the rest of the pride...&#039;&#039;<br /><br />My legs wobbled and I could only imagine how much I was leaking.&nbsp;&nbsp;No, no need to imagine, I realized, glancing back.&nbsp;&nbsp;A thin trail peppered the stage as I followed Sir George meekly, not nearly as much as I expected - but he&#039;d put his heavy load right where he wanted it, leaving the barest evidence of his deed.&nbsp;&nbsp;I limped off the stage with dull eyes, until I was out of view.<br /><br />WHERE WAS <em><strong>TOM!?</strong></em>[/b]<br /><br />``Listen to them, girl,&#039;&#039; George hissed down at me, tugging the leash.<br /><br />My ears were so flat and I was so pissed that I hadn&#039;t even noticed the uproar behind us as the audience applauded the end of Act II.&nbsp;&nbsp;Beyond applauding there was whistling and even a few less traditional ``woo!&#039;&#039; shouts from the audience - probably from some of my high school peers forced to go to a Snakespeare play by their parents.&nbsp;&nbsp;They probably hadn&#039;t realized that the 17th century playwright had a penchant for including ribald sex scenes, since they were always censored in the textbooks.<br /><br />I glanced back - a standing ovation?&nbsp;&nbsp;I flicked my sore tail, wanting nothing more than to bite the tall lion, but the muzzle served him well.&nbsp;&nbsp;No amount of praise was worth what he&#039;d done to me!&nbsp;&nbsp;No ovation worth knocking up my ova.&nbsp;&nbsp;What on earth was I going to do?&nbsp;&nbsp;My parents didn&#039;t have the kind of money it would take to scour the black market for the right pill, and mom would never allow it anyway, and how could I tell them what really happened?&nbsp;&nbsp;I could feel the slimy slush sloshing in my belly with each step.<br /><br />``You were marvelous,&#039;&#039; Sir George crooned.<br /><br />Just as I was about to maul the man with my freshly freed claws, Tom arrived.<br /><br />``Amazing!&nbsp;&nbsp;<em>Amazing!</em>&#039;&#039; he yipped, the eager Beagle looking down at me and then up at Sir George.&nbsp;&nbsp;He&#039;d never done that before - he only had eyes for Sir George.&nbsp;&nbsp;``The buzz in the halls is all about you, Natalie.&nbsp;&nbsp;I had no idea.&nbsp;&nbsp;Have you two been working on that scene outside of rehearsal?&nbsp;&nbsp;This is big - this could save the <em>theater</em>.&#039;&#039;&nbsp;&nbsp;He knelt down next to me and <em>hugged</em> me, his tail wagging.&nbsp;&nbsp;``This might be the beginning of a beautiful partnership, Nat - you&#039;ll get all the best roles...&#039;&#039;<br /><br />He blinked, realizing why I wasn&#039;t talking back.&nbsp;&nbsp;He said, ``Oh,&#039;&#039; and reached back for my muzzle.<br /><br />Sir George yanked the leash and said, ``No, Tom, she wants it on.&nbsp;&nbsp;Staying in character.&#039;&#039;<br /><br />My eyes widened and I stared at Tom, quickly shaking my head `no&#039;, my hackles raising.&nbsp;&nbsp;I pushed my head against him, trying to present to the director my muzzle, trying to show him the collar.&nbsp;&nbsp;``But - ?&#039;&#039; Tom asked, glancing back up at Sir George.<br /><br />``See - she&#039;s still playing Sarabi, still resisting her <em>King</em>.&#039;&#039;<br /><br />Tom stood.&nbsp;&nbsp;``Oh.&nbsp;&nbsp;Oh yes, I see.&nbsp;&nbsp;I - uh...wouldn&#039;t want to interfere...&#039;&#039;<br /><br />Before I could object, before I could explain, before Tom could get a single fucking clue in his head, I was being yanked away by Sir George, leaving the Beagle behind.&nbsp;&nbsp;I yanked back, but he was so much stronger than me.&nbsp;&nbsp;Where was he taking me?&nbsp;&nbsp;Growling, I <em>pounced</em>.<br /><br />But he was ready for me, dancing away from my claws.&nbsp;&nbsp;``Stubborn little girl - you want to throw it all away?&nbsp;&nbsp;Teenager assaults famous actor - never gets another part?&nbsp;&nbsp;This is your chance to earn the spotlight from that talentless hack that stole your part.&nbsp;&nbsp;Do you really believe you&#039;re the <em>first</em> actress to get her start as `studying under&#039; a famous mentor?&#039;&#039;<br /><br />I swung again, but he yanked up on the leash, cutting off my air.&nbsp;&nbsp;I wanted to tell him how much he could shove it up his ass, but the muzzle was firmly in place.&nbsp;&nbsp;He growled, ``Recalcitrant bitch.&nbsp;&nbsp;You need a time out.&#039;&#039;&nbsp;&nbsp;All but dragging me along, I stumbled across the floor until he reached the emergency exit, kicking it open and pulling me outside the theater entirely, into the night air.<br /><br />He tied me with a short lead to a light pole and stepped back, just out of range of my furious swipes.&nbsp;&nbsp;In the distance, cars honked and drove past each other, a whole city full of people too busy or too uneducated to care about the theater.&nbsp;&nbsp;They&#039;d look here and see a naked lioness muzzled and tied - not many people would approach <em>that</em>.&nbsp;&nbsp;Panting, I stared up at Sir George.<br /><br />``<em>Now</em> you know what it is really like,&#039;&#039; he said.&nbsp;&nbsp;``What I couldn&#039;t show you in rehearsal.&nbsp;&nbsp;Don&#039;t you see what a mockery you were making of your role?&nbsp;&nbsp;Now you have the right amount of <em>hate</em>.&nbsp;&nbsp;Channel that into Act III and you will be <em>renowned</em>.&nbsp;&nbsp;A litter of cubs is a small price to pay for that adoration, that <em>fame</em>.&nbsp;&nbsp;Besides, you looked to be about to give it up to Monte as it was.&nbsp;&nbsp;What do you have to gain, now?&nbsp;&nbsp;Righteous indignation?&nbsp;&nbsp;Punishing me for trying to advance your career?&nbsp;&nbsp;You lose it all for the vain pride of `getting back at me&#039;.&nbsp;&nbsp;Think about it, Natalie - I&#039;ll make sure you&#039;re back in by Act III.&#039;&#039;<br /><br />With that, the man left me, tied up, raped and alone behind the theater that had been my childhood.&nbsp;&nbsp;I wasn&#039;t a child anymore.&nbsp;&nbsp;I collapsed on the ground, panting, tired, aching - I could slice through the leash, sure, but at the moment, I felt ironically empty inside, considering my bulging belly.&nbsp;&nbsp;No one even came looking for me, and Tom probably figured I didn&#039;t want to be found so that I could focus on being Sarabi.<br /><br />I waited there for ten of the fifteen minutes of intermission before the door opened again.&nbsp;&nbsp;I growled and looked up, but it wasn&#039;t George.&nbsp;&nbsp;It was Audrey.<br /><br />``Natalie?&nbsp;&nbsp;What are <em>you</em> doing here?&#039;&#039; she gasped in surprise.<br /><br />I stood, shaking my head.<br /><br />``Oh, right,&#039;&#039; she said, kneeling in front of me and reaching back to unlatch the muzzle and tug it off my face.<br /><br />I spat and coughed, trying to adjust to being able to close my mouth again, and words felt unnatural at first.&nbsp;&nbsp;``Au-audrey...&#039;&#039; I sputtered.<br /><br />``Oh, Natalie, what am I going to do?&#039;&#039; she opined.&nbsp;&nbsp;I was too stunned to interrupt.&nbsp;&nbsp;``After your scene, I&#039;m <em>doomed</em>.&#039;&#039;<br /><br />``What?&#039;&#039;<br /><br />She sighed.&nbsp;&nbsp;``How am I supposed to follow that act?&nbsp;&nbsp;I was already nervous about going on in front of so many people, but now?&nbsp;&nbsp;Everyone is talking about you.&nbsp;&nbsp;You were - amazing.&nbsp;&nbsp;Everyone is going to compare us, you know?&nbsp;&nbsp;Two sex scenes, back to back, and yours was <em>perfection</em>.&nbsp;&nbsp;I can tell Sir George knows I&#039;m not there yet.&nbsp;&nbsp;My first scene and the audience is going to be pitying me, not praising me.&nbsp;&nbsp;H-how did you <em>do</em> it?&#039;&#039;<br /><br />I froze, thoughts racing through my head.&nbsp;&nbsp;They really were <em>all</em> talking about me?&nbsp;&nbsp;I was <em>ninth</em> billing, and that was the biggest role of my life so far.&nbsp;&nbsp;Maybe Tom had been serious about my rape saving the theater.&nbsp;&nbsp;What were the reviews going to be like?&nbsp;&nbsp;My heart was starting to pound, and then I looked at it from the fourteen-year-old&#039;s perspective.&nbsp;&nbsp;She had the same worries, but if the reviews were praising Sarabi, they&#039;d necessarily be criticizing Nala.&nbsp;&nbsp;I might have stolen a scene from her that I&#039;m not even <em>in</em>.<br /><br />``S - George did most of the work,&#039;&#039; I said carefully.&nbsp;&nbsp;This was my chance to tell her what happened, to beg for help, to call the police.&nbsp;&nbsp;But to reveal to <em>Audrey</em> that my acting was <em>anything but?</em>&nbsp;&nbsp;She was my closest competition, and she was about to get eviscerated.&nbsp;&nbsp;``Look, I had stage fright, too, but you&#039;ve practiced your lines for weeks - just say the first words and don&#039;t look out at the audience and you&#039;ll be fine,&#039;&#039; I suggested.<br /><br />``<em>You</em> were afraid, too?&#039;&#039; she asked, her tawny ears perking up.<br /><br />``If anything goes wrong, just go with the flow, and most people won&#039;t even know something was off,&#039;&#039; I added, flicking my tail as I wondered.&nbsp;&nbsp;He wouldn&#039;t really, would he?&nbsp;&nbsp;Audrey was only fourteen, and her scene was significantly more consensual.&nbsp;&nbsp;George hadn&#039;t given Audrey the same kind of notes he&#039;d given me, he hadn&#039;t gathered the same kinds of tools to restrict the young girl.&nbsp;&nbsp;If he dared try to make the scene more ``realistic&#039;&#039;, Audrey would yell out bloody murder and stop everything - and then Sir George would get punished without anyone blaming <em>me</em>.&nbsp;&nbsp;And if he didn&#039;t, the scene would be a pale imitation of mine, and I&#039;d <em>surely</em> get the next major role for a lioness over the younger two-legger.&nbsp;&nbsp;``Sir George knows exactly what he&#039;s doing...&#039;&#039;<br /><br />Audrey looked reassured.&nbsp;&nbsp;``Maybe it won&#039;t be so bad,&#039;&#039; she told herself.&nbsp;&nbsp;``I just wish I weren&#039;t <em>cramping</em> so bad.&#039;&#039;<br /><br />``I know what you mean,&#039;&#039; I agreed, shivering softly.&nbsp;&nbsp;She was in <em>heat</em>.&nbsp;&nbsp;I knew well enough that that wouldn&#039;t stop Sir George if he felt like it would help the performance.&nbsp;&nbsp;``Sometimes we have to fight through the pain to produce something really memorable.&nbsp;&nbsp;Come on, you better get going - Act III starts soon.&#039;&#039;<br /><br />Audrey nodded, standing up and heading to the door.&nbsp;&nbsp;She turned and smiled, saying, ``Thanks, Natalie.&#039;&#039;<br /><br />I could have said something.&nbsp;&nbsp;I could have done something.&nbsp;&nbsp;Instead, I said -<br /><br />``Break a leg!&#039;&#039;<br /><br /></span>",
  "pools_count": 1,
  "title": "Opening Natalie",
  "deleted": "f",
  "public": "t",
  "mimetype": "image/jpeg",
  "pagecount": "1",
  "rating_id": "2",
  "rating_name": "Adult",
  "ratings": [
    {
      "content_tag_id": "4",
      "name": "Sexual Themes",
      "description": "Erotic imagery, sexual activity or arousal",
      "rating_id": "2"
    }
  ],
  "submission_type_id": "12",
  "type_name": "Writing - Document",
  "guest_block": "t",
  "friends_only": "f",
  "comments_count": "13",
  "views": "2342"
}