The photocopier hummed and droned on, spitting a small pile of paper out into the receiving tray at the far right side. Dressed in a plum button-up shirt, black tie, and charcoal slacks, a white-tailed reindeer braced his paws on the edge of the copier and sighed. Pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose, the reindeer looked outside, through the large windows and to the bright, sunny summer day. The trees swaying softly in the breeze and sunshine seemed to just taunt him while he was stuck under the fluorescent lights above him. Sighing, he reached down for the stack of time sheets in the tray and walked out of the copier cubicle. 

Shuffling past ringing phones, clicks of computer keyboards, and row after row of cubicles, the reindeer made his way back to his own cube. Walking farther and farther away from the windows, he sighed to himself once more. Arriving at his cube, the deer sat down to his desk, putting the stack of time sheets down with a dull thump. Moving his mouse to get the screen saver off, the cervine sneered at the work waiting for him. Hour after hour of reviewing the company’s fiscal holdings and investments wasn’t what he had planned on doing when he left college with a degree in accounting. Yet, here he was.

His phone rang, and the reindeer picked it up with a deep breath. “Bayard,” he said, quietly. “Yes, sir. Yes, sir, I’ll have the report done by five o’clock.” The reindeer paused for a moment, listening. “All right. Goodbye.” With a click, Bayard set the handset back down. “Dammit,” he breathed, rubbing his eyes. Looking at the clock, it was already one.

Getting back up from his chair, Bayard decided it was time for his break. Making his way back past the lines of workers in their pressed slacks and ties, the reindeer went to the far wall and out the door, into the linoleum hallway. Here, it was quieter, save for the occasional ring of a cellphone when someone in a tailored suit would walk past, clearly asserted in their own importance as they couldn’t even be bothered to make eye contact with Bayard. The reindeer just shrugged to himself, used to the fact that he passed through most furs’ perception like a ghost.

Passing a few more corridors and doorways, he arrived at the break room. Gently pushing the door aside, the cervine stepped inside. A few furs sat here and there, most either texting on their cell phones or talking in low tones with one another. None even bothered to cast a glance Bayard’s way. Going over to the vending machine, Bayard took a couple dollar bills and fed them into the machine, getting himself a cup of what passed for coffee and a bag of chips. Bending down and grabbing his snack, the reindeer parked himself at a table in the corner, away from the hustle and bustle of the main area.

Opening the bag and waiting for the coffee to cool, he took his own cellphone from his pocket, flipping it open to check his messages; none, as usual. The only furs that ever called was his mom and brother, and that was few and far between when Bayard heard from them.

Sitting by himself with just a lukewarm cup of coffee was his day to day routine. StanTech, Inc., which was short for Stanley Technical, was a far cry from Wall Street, where he’d often thought of going after college. However, being broke and owing an avalanche of loans to various places killed his ambitions of moving to New York. Rather, he had settled in Peach Hill, Georgia, after graduating from Georgia State a year ago. At first, Bayard had told himself he would only take this job until he’d saved up enough to move. A promotion or two later, a raise, and some vacation time had made him rather comfortable with his situation, and while it wasn’t the most fulfilling job, the idea of starting somewhere else from the bottom again was daunting. Every time he would think of making the move, the quiet voice in the back of his head told him ‘What if you fail? What if you don’t find that job? You already have a career here.’ In five years, maybe he would be a supervisor.

The reality of it was that he would probably still be double-checking corporate investors and expenses in excess of two-thousand dollars. His degree didn’t mean anything next to the master’s degrees that were walking through the door and going to the top of the corporate ladder. Bayard would just be getting passed over every time a space opened up.

At the moment, he was just happy it was Friday, and that meant the weekend. Not that it was much of anything special to him other than not having to stare at bank statements. He would be going home to his upper floor duplex, where no one waited for him. Two days of getting his errands done and watching TV, and then right back at it. Same thing, different day.

Drinking his coffee, Bayard took the whole thing in one large gulp, doing his best to choke down the liquid. He sometimes wished he had the money to go to the Starbucks next door like so many of his co-workers did, but so much of his money went to his rent, car, and bills; the reindeer wasn’t even sure he would be able to keep his cable by the end of the month. His car was also making funny noises that he was sure were going to cost him what little bit he had saved up.

Looking down at his watch, he was dismayed to see that fifteen minutes had already elapsed; and he wasn’t technically on an official break. Hopefully the floor manager hadn’t wandered past his cubicle lately.

Getting up from the uncomfortable plastic chair, he passed the sinks and refrigerator with the taped on sign declaring ‘IF IT ISN’T YOURS, DON’T EAT IT!!’ and walked back into the hallway. The smell of disinfectant greeted him as the janitor walked past, and his shoes now squeaked on the floor from them being wet with whatever had been used to wipe them down.

After working at this company for a year, Bayard had hoped he would have made at least one friend. So far, no one had taken the time to get to know him. He’d been to the company picnic, and been out for drinks once or twice, but only because the blanket invite had gone out to everyone near him, and he was sure he was included just because it would have been rude to tell him no. The reindeer had tried making small talk on his breaks, but most other furs either didn’t seem to care or busied themselves on the cellphone. He even felt behind in that regard, carrying around his old Razr while everyone else had an iPhone or Android. 

Opening the door back to his room, his shoes stopped squelching as he hit the carpet. Silently, he picked his way back to his cube, sitting down and hoping no one had made much notice of his absence. Sighing, he remembered why he had decided to get up and take a break in the first place; page after page of statements awaited his attention, and now there were more than before. Plus his boss wanted the monthly expense report today, three days earlier than Bayard had planned on finishing. He would probably end up staying after, and have to hope he would get overtime pay. The entire company had been crunching down on overtime, and with the circulating rumors of lay-offs to further trim the numbers, Bayard didn’t want to make himself into a liability.

Closing his eyes and taking a deep breath, the reindeer opened a file and settled into the familiar rhythm of checking numbers, tapping at his calculator and just letting the numbers flow right through him. 

***

The front door opened and spilled late evening light across the living room. Bayard closed the door behind him, dropping his keys on a small table near the door. The nice thing about where he was that even here in late spring, going into the last week of April, the air was pleasant outside. Opening a couple of windows, he let the breeze roll into his duplex apartment.

His apartment was the upper floor of a house, with an elderly couple living beneath him. They were quiet, and kept to themselves, and the reindeer returned the favor in kind; kept the volume down, no heavy stomping or movements, didn’t bother them for anything.

Clicking on a lamp, he bathed his living room in low light. The apartment wasn’t very large, but big enough for just him. The living room was modest sized, with white walls and a tan carpet. All that took up space was his couch, a coffee table in front of it, and the TV on its entertainment stand. The living room was divided from the kitchen by a doorway and pass-through window. Just behind the couch was the bedroom, which was equally as sparsely decorated as the living room.

The front of his duplex and the walls behind the television let the light from the sunset in, a mixture of hues in red and orange. Bayard went into the kitchen, which was modestly sized for the apartment, and grabbed a Heineken from the refrigerator. Walking back to the living room, he sat down on the couch, kicking off his shoes with a heavy sigh. Popping off the top, he tossed the cap onto the coffee table and took a long pull from the beer. A part of him told him to get over to the gym, but he knew he wasn’t going anywhere for the moment. Taking off his glasses, he set them on the table as well. He really only needed them for reading, but kept them on all day for convenience since the majority of his job was looking at a computer screen.

Spreading his arms out on either side of himself, Bayard sighed again, somewhat disappointedly this time. Occasionally, he missed having someone around to break the silence. The reindeer didn’t have many friends, and hadn’t had anyone special in a long time. In college, he had been dating another male for a bit, but the two of them had a falling out in Bayard’s junior year. When Bayard had begun to study up for his finals that year, his boyfriend had wanted to spend more time together. The reindeer had insisted they’d have all summer and plenty of time after finals, but it hadn’t been enough for the other male, and he’d broken up with Bayard. The reindeer had been crushed, after the two of them had been going out for two years. In the long run, it had almost been for the best, since the following year had been even more demanding, and after graduation, Bayard hardly had any free time to himself, with long hours at the office.

The TV remote sat on the cushion next to him, but he was unenthused with the idea of anything on television. It had been a long time since Bayard really enjoyed watching a TV show, mostly just putting it on for background noise, or something to stare at. He took another sip from his beer, knowing that the rest of the twelve pack would be gone before Monday. 

However, as the cool liquid hit his stomach, it reminded him he hadn’t eaten anything since the bag of chips at work. Bayard had worked through his dinner break to get the expense report done, and probably just so the corporation could rest easy no one was abusing their expense accounts. Looking all the way to the kitchen, it seemed like a ridiculously long way to go for food. Reaching down into his pocket, he grabbed his phone and dialed quickly, having the number memorized.

“Yeah, I need a medium with everything delivered to--yup, you got it,” he said, smiling despite having the pizza delivery place knowing his voice and address. “Okay, thirty minutes sounds good. Bye.” Flipping his phone closed, Bayard smiled a bit to himself. 

Taking another chug from his beer, he got up and went into his bedroom. The reindeer unbuttoned his shirt as he went, letting it fall casually to the floor when he entered his bedroom. Flipping on the overhead light and ceiling fan, he walked to his closet in his undershirt and slacks. Opening the sliding doors, he reached in and grabbed a pair of shorts and Georgia State T-shirt. Undoing his belt buckle and button, his pants hit the floor, with the reindeer stepping out of them. His briefs soon followed suit, ending up next to his slacks. Bottomless, the reindeer liked to let his ass hang out on occasion. His deep brown fur and snow-white belly and butt reflected back in the mirror. The white of his groin extended up in between his ass cheeks and under his tail. Removing his undershirt, he admired his nude frame in his wall mirror, pressing a paw to his belly. Bayard liked to get to the gym when he could, and liked to think it reflected at least a bit in his physical appearance. He didn’t lift weights, but liked to run, and he had a thin, lithe build, with a concave belly and trim waist line. Despite splurging on pizza every now and then, the reindeer managed to maintain his physicality well. However, despite being in shape, the reindeer eventually felt self-conscious nude, even with just himself. Pulling on his shorts and T-shirt, he covered up his nakedness.

Sitting on the edge of the bed, which was the only piece of furniture in the room aside from a dresser against the left wall and a nightstand, he moved his laptop over and lay across the bed on his belly. Looking up, he could see the last few bits of day disappear over the tree line and the dark blues of twilight slowly replacing it. Reaching to his side table next to the bed, he grabbed his current book he was reading, a murder mystery. The reindeer far more preferred reading to watching TV. He was ready to pick up where he had left off, but groaned when he remembered his glasses were in the other room.

Rolling onto his back and getting off of the bed, he went back into the living area. Sitting down, he grabbed his glasses and put them back on. Since he was a kid when he started wearing them in seventh grade, he had always hated wearing glasses. Not just because of the name-calling, or the fact that everyone thought he was nerd, but just for the fact he always thought they were uncomfortable. His ex-boyfriend had insisted they looked cute on him, but Bayard was certain he was just being nice.

Cracking the book to his bookmark, he settled in to read about the adventures of a detective in the 1950’s crime noir setting of Chicago, hot on the trail of a murderer who killed a bar waitress’ sister. For Bayard, just the idea of an exciting adventure like tracking a killer, or being taken away on a fantastic exploit from his dull existence was thrilling enough for him. Rather, he sat in his apartment reading about the excitement of a fictional character.

His glasses slipped down his muzzle, and he pushed them back up again. The cervine had been meaning to get a new pair soon; these ones never fit right. Idly, he wished he was more like the detective in the novel; cool, suave, and no corrective eyeware. Wistfully sighing, he read on to see what the detective and his trusty Smith & Wesson .38 would do next.

When the knock at the door came, the reindeer jumped a little. He had almost forgotten about ordering the pizza, but his stomach growling reminded him. Getting up and grabbing his wallet, he crossed to the door and opened it to a college-aged zebra holding his pizza.

“ ‘Sup?” greeted the equine, holding out the box. “That’ll be ten-fifty.”

Handing over a ten and a five, the reindeer simply muttered, “Keep the change.”

With a nod of thanks, the zebra took his money and tip and went on his way. Bayard watched him go down the staircase, which went down the side of the house to the ground. After a moment, the reindeer closed the door and retreated back inside. He set the pizza down on the table and went to the kitchen to retrieve another beer. Returning with his prize, Bayard sat down to the couch again and opened the box, the smell of the pizza drifting under his nose and making his muzzle water. Grabbing his first slice, he also realized just how quiet it was in his apartment, and that sometimes he wouldn’t mind a little company.

***

Sitting by the window, another sunny day streamed through the windows to greet Bayard. Rather than sitting in his own apartment, he was down at The Book Nook, Bayard’s favorite bookstore in town. A cozy, two floor bookstore, with a cafe on the lower level, he spent a lot of his time there when he was bored with being at home all the time. Since he had finished his detective novel the night before, it was a good excuse to come down, get a iced cappuccino, and pore over some literature until he decided on a book or two. Since he didn’t have any other pressing matters for the weekend, it seemed like a good couple of days to just do nothing and get lost in a few books. At the moment, he was leafing through a modern sci-fi book, which was unusual for him, but he wanted something out of the norm for this weekend.

While he flipped idly through the book, he sipped on his caramel cappuccino. Despite being in an air conditioned building, the cold drink was nice on a day like this, that spoke of a time soon that would usher in summer. This was his favorite time of year though, when spring was ending and the hot months of summer would begin. When the buds and rain showers promised a beautiful few months into the middle of the year.

Setting his cup back down, the reindeer found that the sci-fi book just wasn’t holding his attention. Putting it back in the stack of books he’d brought over, Bayard picked up the next one in the stack, this one being a dramatic suspense book. The snippet on the back had made it sound interesting; a tale of a group of survivors left in the wake of a nuclear war.

Even while he was looking over the first page or two, his mind was wandering. Not that the book was boring, but to the furs around him. The conversations, while other furs sat in groups or in two, drifting in and out of his ears. Even in a crowd, Bayard could feel alone. He always felt like most furs’ gazes just went through him. So badly did he want to strike up a conversation with someone, but was too timid and shy to ever do so. Just the idea made him blush and fidget with his paws.

Taking another drink of his coffee, he decided the book in his paw and another he had already looked over would hold his attention for the weekend. Standing, he held his decisions in one hand, and balanced his coffee and the rejects in another. He passed a spot for patrons to set down books for re-shelving, and left the ones he didn’t want there.

He was all set to go to the front of the store and check out when the smell of fresh-baked cookies drifted under his nose. Macadamia nut, if he wasn’t mistaken. The reindeer found it all but impossible to resist the allure of the treats, and wandered back over near the cafe section. While he meandered around the tables, taking care not to finish his cappuccino so he would have something to wash his cookie down with, he had an odd feeling, like an icy finger tracing its way up his spine. At first he dismissed it as the air conditioning being on too high, or having drank too much of his cappuccino too fast. However, the sensation persisted, like he was being watched. 

Looking around himself, Bayard just thought he was being ridiculous. No one would be watching him in a crowded area like this; there wasn’t even anyone here he knew. He shrugged it off, turning back towards the counter. However, as he did, he caught a figure out of the corner of his vision. Sitting by one of the windows in the cafe area, in a finely-tailored black suit, was a lion. The feline sat rather primly, straight-backed with one legged crossed properly over the other knee. Underneath his suit was a black button up and a red silk tie, and all of it spoke of money. His mane was well-groomed, as was all of his fur, gleaming with a fine sheen in the sunlight. He had a pile of books next to him as well, with a macchiato at arm’s reach. However, he was neither reading or drinking, but watching Bayard rather intently. The reindeer at first was certain the lion was looking past him, or at something next to him, but as the reindeer moved, the lion followed Bayard with his eyes and boldly met the cervine’s gaze. All Bayard saw behind those eyes was ice and confidence.

All the way to the counter, Bayard tried to recall if he knew the lion. He couldn’t place the feline at work, and could think of no other place Bayard would know the feline from; the reindeer didn’t really go anywhere else.

While he ordered his cookie and tried not to look at the lion again, Bayard just felt more and more anxious. The sudden fear and trepidation seemed unnecessary in a public place, but the overwhelming worry would not abate. While waiting for the barista to return with his purchase, Bayard turned from the lion completely, making as though something in the other direction had suddenly interested him very much. When the barista returned with his cookie, the reindeer thanked her and turned to go. When his gaze passed over where the lion had been seated, he noticed the seat was now empty, with only the stack of books and an empty coffee mug left in its place. Looking about himself quickly, Bayard didn’t see the feline anywhere in sight.

The reindeer dropped the two books he was going to purchase on one of the tables and quickly walked outside as fast as he could without making a scene. Going through the double doors, he burst outside, taking a deep breath of the spring air. Even the warm afternoon could not brush aside the cold gripping his heart and sending shivers down his body. It was still a mystery why the feline had unnerved him so. There was no rational reason to be afraid; it wasn’t as though the male would come charging across the cafe ad try to hurt him in broad daylight in front of witnesses. Still, the frosty look that the lion had given Bayard more than unnerved the reindeer.

Bayard wanted to just head home after that, but with the knowledge that he had finished an entire pizza and four beers by himself the night before, he knew he also needed to go to the gym. Fishing into his pocket, he grabbed his keys, which jingled as he held them; not only from movement, but because his paws were also trembling.

As he approached his car, he looked about himself. No lion in sight. Shaking his head, Bayard muttered aloud, “You’re being stupid.” With that, he unlocked the door of his Toyota Yaris and got behind the wheel. Despite telling himself that everything was fine, he couldn’t turn the key and get out of the parking lot of the bookstore fast enough.

***

In mid-air, the world seemed to pause, just for a moment. The sounds around him faded, and time came to a crawl. It was all in the blink of an eye, however, before the water slipped over him like a blanket. When Bayard was under the surface, it was also like the world was a million miles away; muted, and behind a curtain of blue.

He could not pause for long, making his way to the surface and beginning to swim towards the other end, freestyle, the reindeer liked to try and see how fast he could go. Hitting the far wall of the pool, he rolled over in the water, pushed off with his paws and started back to the start. This was his favorite way to come and do cardio. The ellipticals and treadmills were fun enough, and he loved a good jog, but Bayard was always at home in the water. Despite being in a heated area, it always cooled him down. Plus, most of the time he had the entire pool to himself. All the other furs were out lifting weights, or running ten miles. Bayard liked to engage in a little weight lifting himself, just to help keep up some tone, but mostly just for aesthetic reasons. Despite impressing no one but himself, it didn’t mean the reindeer wanted to be out of shape.

Getting himself warmed up, the reindeer did a few quick laps, and then slowed down into an even pace. His goal every time was thirty-two laps, or roughly a mile, before he was done. While working out in the pool it also gave him a great time to just get away from it all; no phonecalls, no annoying work, no loud noises, just himself. To Bayard, it was ironic how often he craved some companionship, but here, he was fine with his own company.

Reaching his mark of a mile, the reindeer slowed down a bit, starting his cool down to bring his heart rate down gradually. Backstroking around the outer edge of the pool, he took slow, deep breaths, enjoying the water around him. While looking straight up, he could see through the large windows that comprised the roof of the pool area. Large, puffy clouds floated lazily through the blue sky much the way Bayard floated through the blue water. Bayard softly splashed while he glided through the liquid, not wanting to get out, but it was getting late, and he still wanted to get a few things done around the house.

Finishing his current circuit, he stopped when he came to the shallow end, and climbed up out of the pool with the ladder bolted to the wall. The reindeer was dressed in nothing but a black speedo, which accented his deep brown fur and white belly fur. Bayard liked the tight-fitting garment since it showed off his body so well; he didn’t think of himself as conceited, more just proud of himself for getting in shape. A part of him also hoped maybe it would get some male interested in him to see his sheath outlined in spandex.

Grabbing his towel off a bench nearby, he dried off his head, not bothering with the rest of him since he was going right to the showers anyway. Padding across the ceramic tile deck of the pool area, Bayard pushed open a large, stainless-steel door, walking into the locker room area. This end of it had the shower rooms, for ease of the furs using the pool. Hanging his towel up on hooks outside the shower area, the cervine slipped his speedo off and hung it on the hook next over. Nude, he wandered into the shower area.

While he turned the knobs and waited for the water to warm, Bayard looked about himself. At the moment, the reindeer was alone in the shower room. He could other males over in the locker area, but no one was near the shower stalls. However, the same creeping, cold sensation of being watched was washing over him again while he stood there exposed. Willing himself to stop thinking about it, the reindeer got under the shower stream and closed his eyes while he washed the pool water out of his fur. Bayard never really bothered with shampoo, usually opting to take a full shower later when he got home.

When he was satisfied that most of the smell of chlorine was off of him, Bayard walked back out to fetch his towel and swimsuit. Not bothering to wrap the towel around his waist, he walked over to his locker naked. The lock he used for his locker was a dial combination, and the cervine quickly spun in the digits and retrieved his gym back. Part of his gym paraphernalia was a blow dryer, which he plugged in and gave himself a good going over with. Long ago he had learned the hassle of trying to towel himself dry enough to get dressed, and had realized the blow dryer made a good alternative. 

Dry to his satisfaction, the reindeer finished getting dressed and put his towel and other things away. While hefting his bag over his shoulder, he was once more possessed with the sensation that something was very wrong. However, the only furs in sight were changing, and giving Bayard no regard. No one was watching him, no lion was in sight.

The fact that he couldn’t see anyone staring at him didn’t assuage his suspicions the whole way to the front door, where he signed out for the day and went out towards his car.  Bright sunlight still owned the day, but not for much longer. It was already nearing five, with only a few more hours of daylight left.

Getting into the driver’s seat of his car, he started the engine and was ready to leave, when something in the doorway of the gym caught his attention. There, just leaving the gym, was the lion again. Bayard couldn’t see his eyes this time, since they were behind a pair of reflective sunglasses. The reindeer still had no reason to be suspicious of this feline, but regardless he put the car in gear and pulled away as fast as possible. Leaving the parking lot, Bayard looked in his rearview mirror. Behind him, the lion walked into the middle of the parking lot aisle and watched the reindeer leave. Unconsciously, the reindeer pressed the pedal down harder.

***

Walking into his room from the shower, Bayard was finishing up brushing out his fur after blowdrying it again. Sitting on the edge of his bed, nude, Bayard admired the sheen across his fur, and enjoyed the feeling of just stopping for a moment after his long day.

In truth, he was still slightly unnerved by the lion he had been running into at the bookstore and gym. At the moment, he almost didn’t even want to sit around naked for some irrational fear that he was being watched through the window. The thought wormed its way into him until he finally got up and went to the window, cracking the blinds a bit. No one stared back at him, especially since it would have required a ladder to see into Bayard’s room.

With a sigh and mental scolding of himself, the reindeer went into his living room. Bayard opted to remain nude for the evening, making sure his blinds were drawn in the living room as well. 

Before sitting down again, his stomach growled at him, reminding the cervine that the last thing he ate was the cookie at the book store. Going into the kitchen, Bayard opened the freezer and took out a frozen dinner. The reindeer wasn’t a bad chef, but often he found it easier to heat one of these up for himself. The last person he had actually cooked for was when his mother came to visit a few months ago. 

Removing the box and putting the food in the microwave, Bayard felt a quick pang of loneliness for himself again. No one to go out with, spend a night in with, or call up to ask over. The feeling passed as quickly as it came however, and the reindeer just resumed waiting for his dinner to finish heating.

***

Laying across his couch on his last day off, Bayard stared at the ceiling and tried to decide what he wanted to do with what precious little free time he had left. However, the longer he lay there, he felt like he was just wasting time, and in the end Bayard didn’t end up doing anything.

While being bored, the reindeer wished he hadn’t left the books at the store yesterday when the lion had freaked him out. Looking back on it, Bayard just felt stupid, and realized he was over-reacting. Now he was certain it was just a coincidence that the male feline was looking at him yesterday; and for all he knew, it was a completely different lion at the gym. The whole thing was just in his head.

It was only a bit past two, so there was plenty of time to get over the bookstore and home again, maybe stop for a bottle of wine on the way home, have a quiet evening at home. Rolling off the couch and onto his feet, Bayard quickly patted his pocket to make he had his keys and wallet. Grabbing his sunglasses off the coffee table, the reindeer slipped out the door and down the outside staircase.

Walking down the driveway, he unlocked his Yaris and slipped in. The nice thing was he never had to worry about trying to get around the cars from the couple downstairs; near as he could tell, they didn’t have a vehicle. Starting up and backing out of the driveway, he started off for the bookstore.

Bayard rolled down the windows, letting the warm outside air into the car. He loved the smell of fresh air, and right now it was redolent with the scent of fresh cut grass while he drove out of his neighborhood.

Hitting the main thoroughfare, Bayard merged into the light afternoon traffic. The bookstore wasn’t far away at all from his place, and he could pretty much see the sign for the plaza it was situated in already. The reindeer made his way down the strip and turned into the plaza, quickly finding a spot in front of the bookstore. Getting from his Yaris, the cervine crossed the aisle way and into the store.

Immediately, the comforting scents of coffee and baked goods hit him. On a Sunday afternoon, the store was also nearly empty. Bayard liked being able to glide around the store at his leisure, not have to push past other furs or stay out of their way. The reindeer sometimes felt like he didn’t stand up for himself often enough, but he just tended to be rather deferent.

Making his way up to the second floor, Bayard went back over to the fiction section to grab the two books he had left behind the day before. It didn’t take him much time to relocate his selections and start to make his way back downstairs. However, while he was taking the escalator back to the ground floor, the scent of coffee was more than he could resist. Once his paws hit the ground again, he veered away from the cashiers and towards the cafe. There were a couple furs in line ahead of him, so Bayard looked the menu over while he waited as he were going to get anything other than his usual.

“May I buy you a cup of coffee?” came a low, deep voice behind the reindeer.

Bayard jumped a little, and looked over his shoulder. Directly behind him, standing very proper, was the lion from yesterday. The feline was still decked out in a suit black as midnight, with a deep violet button up and black tie. The reindeer’s voice caught in his throat; apparently it wasn’t his imagination that the lion was following him around yesterday.

With a slight smile at the corner of his muzzle, the lion went on, “Well?”

The lion was completely non-threatening, even friendly, with offering to buy the reindeer his coffee. The feline’s voice had a slight southern accent to it, pleasant to listen to, with words as smooth as honey and mint juleps. 

“Um...I guess,” managed the reindeer. 

“Excellent,” replied the lion, seeming quite pleased. “Whatever you would like to order, and a macchiato for myself, please.”

Feeling somewhat odd about the whole scenario, Bayard approached the counter and ordered his own caramel iced capp and a macchiato. When the barista brought their order back, the lion took out a money clip and handed the barista money for the order and a tip. The reindeer still found the entire experience rather surreal.

“Shall we sit down here?” asked the feline, standing by a table for two and pulling a chair out for Bayard.

“Uh, thanks,” murmured the reindeer, sitting down while the lion pushed his chair back in. The lion sat opposite him, crossing his legs properly again and gingerly sipping from his drink.

“So...,” started the reindeer, “who are you?”

“Oh, forgive my lack of manners,” said the lion. “My name is King, pleased to meet you.”

“I’m Bayard,” answered the reindeer in kind. The cervine still felt awkward, sitting here and chatting with a lion he didn’t even know. He just stared down into his drink, fidgeting with his paws.

“My apologies for being so forward,” assured King, “I didn’t mean to make you feel uncomfortable.”

“No, no,” said the reindeer, mustering a weak smile. As odd as he felt, and somewhat unnerved by this lion, it was actually nice to have somefur wanting to talk to him. Bayard knew he couldn’t be overly pedantic about who wanted to talk him up, so he was willing to chat with the lion for a bit even while the reindeer was still being somewhat wary.

Taking another sip from his own drink, King stated, “It must seem so odd of me to be so blunt in my advances.” Bayard merely shrugged in response. “I usually find it best to just cut to the point, so to speak, even when meeting someone for the first time. Why dance around the issue?”

“I suppose,” mumbled Bayard. “Have we...met before?”

Shaking his head, King answered, “No, we have not. I must admit, the first time I saw you was around here a few weeks ago.”

Feeling his stomach knot up, Bayard asked, “You’ve been watching me for weeks?” The idea left him somewhat unnerved.

“Not ‘watching,’ per se,” said the lion. “Merely...noticing, may be a better term. I’ve seen you down here in the cafe while walking around the store, and noticed that your selections seem rather varied, like my own.”

“And...the gym?” asked Bayard, forcing himself to meet King’s gaze.

“A happy coincidence, nothing more,” simply put the feline. “We happen to use the same gym.”

“I see,” said Bayard, softly.

Softening his tone, King went on, “I hope I haven’t disturbed you.”

Smiling again, Bayard just took a drink from his own mug. It had been so long since the last time he had made idle conversation with someone, it was still so unnatural to him. King, however, seemed quite patient with him. Maybe this was how furs met one another; it wasn’t as though one could schedule a meeting with another fur they didn’t know. Random furs eventually had to talk with each other to have that initial contact.

“I take it you enjoy reading?” asked the lion at length, breaking Bayard from his reverie.

“Oh...yes, I do,” Bayard mumbled, still feeling his usual shy self around new furs. On the occasions he looked up, the reindeer would have sworn he saw a vague smile on King’s muzzle. “Reading is mostly what I do with my free time.”

“What do you do with your not-so-free-time?” asked the feline, genuinely curious.

“Um...well...nothing interesting, I assure you,” stuttered Bayard, rubbing the back of his neck nervously.

With a more obvious grin, King merely said, “Try me.”

Sighing, Bayard quickly spoke, “I’m a financial analyst for Stanley Technical.”

“Ah, over in Science Park.”

Nodding, Bayard went on, “I have to go through and check large sums of money coming through corporate accounts; expense accounts, corporate lending, stock portfolios, mergers credits, things like that.”

Nodding, King took another delicate drink from his own mug. “Do you like the work?”

Shrugging, Bayard just stated, “It’s okay.” Laughing a little, he went on, “A job’s a job, right?” When King didn’t return the chuckle, Bayard just cleared his throat and asked, “What do you do?”

“I suppose you could say I...retired early,” explained King, with an odd look about him. Judging by his attire, Bayard could easily see the lion as a player on the stock market at one time who made his millions before he was twenty-five, or a high-power attorney who owned a company in name only while letting a board of trustees take care of day-to-day annoyances.

Rising to his feet, King said, “I’m going to get another. Would you like anything?”

“I...wouldn’t want to make you pay for another...,” trailed off Bayard.

With a wave of his paw, King quietly replied, “Nonsense. Please, it would be my pleasure.”

“An iced vanilla and hazelnut latte would be nice,” murmured Bayard.

“Coming up,” assured the lion, walking back towards the counter. The feline was like a body of water in motion; fluid yet powerful, seeming as if he could be both comforting and decimating. The reindeer felt a bit awkward to himself for letting King pay for another round; Bayard made a mental note that he should be sure to offer to pay for the next. However, he got the impression that even if he offered King would not let him, anyway.

King brought their next round back, setting both on the table. “Thank you,” said Bayard.

“My pleasure,” responded King.

Taking a quick sip, Bayard murmured, “I’m actually quite glad you sat down here with me today.” Tacitly, King just waited for the reindeer to go on. “I haven’t had a lot of furs to hang out with; more like none at all. I don’t know why, it’s just...hard to make friends for some reason.” He looked up at the feline, who was just silently listening. Feeling like a prattling fool, Bayard finished, “But you don’t want to hear about my problems.”

“On the contrary,” assured King, “that’s what friends do for each other.”

“Are we friends?” asked Bayard.

With a quick smile, King simply said, “I’d like it if we were.”

Smiling himself now, the reindeer took another quick hit from his latte. “So, what do you like to read?”

“Oh, all sorts of things,” said the lion, vaguely. “I think my favorites will always be rooted in Shakespeare. And ‘The Prince.’ Contemporary writing is so pedantic and hollow. The written word should reflect the age it comes from, and so far, I have yet to find a recent book that does that.”

“So...you’re not one for a good, old-fashioned horror or sci-fi story?” asked the reindeer.

Smiling again mirthlessly, King replied, “I find real life horrifying enough.”

The reindeer reflected on the odd statement for a moment before just letting it slip by entirely. “What grabs your attention besides reading?”

“I enjoy a good glass of wine on occasion, and even more so if I’m in front of my piano,” answered King. “And no, I don’t watch television. Ever.”

“I don’t watch too much, either,” agreed the reindeer. Taking a quick glance at his watch, he realized he had been chatting with King for over an hour. “Wow.”

With a dainty sip of his macchiato, King inquired, “Somewhere to be?”

Giving a sheepish, lopsided grin, Bayard answered, “I wasn’t expecting to meet up with someone interesting today. I’ve got to go back to work tomorrow, and haven’t a thing in the clean clothes pile, I’m afraid.”

With a quick wave of his paw, King merely said, “Please, I did not mean to keep you.”

“I’m enjoying the company, though,” admitted Bayard.

“I’m flattered,” said King, honestly. “I’ll tell you what.” He took a card from his inside breast pocket and lay it on the table. “There’s my phone number. If you should so be inclined, we should get together again sometime.”

“Um...yes! Definitely,” exclaimed Bayard, taking the card. “I’ll text you my number when I get home.” Thinking for a moment, the reindeer went on to suggest, “We could plan something...now...if you want.”

Chuckling softly, the lion nodded. “If you would like. Perhaps dinner somewhere?”

“Sounds good,” agreed Bayard, almost unable to sit still with the excitement of having someone to go out and do things with. “Where?”

“I know a wonderful place called the The Spanish Terrace, which, despite its name, is an exquisite Italian restaurant,” suggested King.

“Anywhere is good with me,” confirmed the reindeer, not able to stop smiling at making plans with another fur.

“Wednesday? Say, seven?” asked King. “I need to make reservations.”

Bayard simply nodded, drinking from his latte.

“Excellent, then,” finished King. Standing, he properly pushed his chair in. With a slight bow at the waist, he quietly said, “Until next time, saraba.” With that, he glided away like a specter. Bayard simply watched him go, and quietly cheered with himself at having a friend.

***

The remainder of the day passed uneventfully. Bayard sat on the couch, with his new book in hand and a glass of water in arm’s reach. True to his word, he had started his laundry when he got home. The menial task seemed stupid by comparison of possibly getting to hang out with King more; but, it had to be done. Luckily for him, the laundry room was within easy access. A door lead off of his kitchen and down to a back room that had been segregated off from the rest of the building, with another door that lead into the lower part of the house. Both locked from the inside, so he and the couple downstairs could come in as they please and lock it from their own side.

His last load was in the dryer now, and then he could be done with the housework. Part of him was urging the reindeer to get up and started dinner, but another part of him was eyeing the cell phone and the pizza number contained therein.

In the end, he got up off the couch and wandered into the kitchen to see what was easy to make. However, thinking of the pizza place reminded him he needed to text his own number to King. Quickly grabbing the cell phone, he took it into the kitchen with him, texting the number on the card King gave him. 

By the time he had reached up into the cupboard for a box of Hamburger Helper, the reindeer’s cell phone sprang to life with the indication of a text. It was such a foreign sound to Bayard. Until now, he couldn’t really think of a time he had received one before. Flipping open the phone, he opened the message and grinned when he saw, ‘I look forward to our rendezvous in a few days.'

The reindeer had noticed King’s very proper parlance and behavior. Obviously the feline came from money, or had made it at a very young age. Bayard hadn’t wanted to seem rude by asking the lion’s age, but would’ve gauged it to maybe twenty-nine or thirty. It didn’t bother Bayard that King was very proper; although he did wonder if he made a social faux pas or two as far as the lion was concerned.

Sighing, he rummaged in the refrigerator for the ground beef to go along with his ‘singles food,’ as he called it. What he really wanted to do was ask King to get together tomorrow, but he was sure the lion would probably be too busy anyway. Besides which, he didn’t want to overdo it with his new friend. Wednesday wasn’t so far away.

A knock at the front door pulled him away from his thoughts. Raising an eyebrow, Bayard walked out into the living room. Looking through the peephole in the door, he sighed, momentarily considering not even opening the door. At length, however, he did, greeted with the lopsided grin of another reindeer.

"Hey, there, little brother," said the opposite cervine.

Stepping aside, Bayard simply mumbled, "Hi, Jason."

Jason crossed into the apartment, loudly chewing a piece of gum that made Bayard wince when his brother went past. Looking around, Jason just remarked, "Cool place. Hadn't really seen your digs in awhile."

Closing the door, Bayard pushed his glasses up his nose and sighed again, annoyed. "Did you need something?"

Shrugging, his brother gave that grin again that said he, indeed, wanted something. "Can't an older sibling just stop in and check on their brother?"

Sharply, Bayard answered, "Some can; you usually don't come over unless you need money or a place to crash."

Mockingly placing his paw to his chest, Jason gave a faux wounded look. "I'm hurt. Really." Vaulting over the end of the couch, he landed with a loud flop on the seat. "Actually, I'm good for money for the moment."

Rolling his eyes, Bayard gave another acerbic, "Is the fast food drive-thru teller business just booming these days?"

Another smile, this one more transparent than the rest. "Good one, little brother. No, I'm not doing that anymore. I'm over at the gas station on Pala Vista. In another few months, you could be looking at the night manager." The grin now vanished from his muzzle. "But, I didn't come here to tell you that. Mom's in the hospital."

Taking an interest now, Bayard walked over and sat on the other end of the couch. "What happened?"

Shrugging, Jason simply explained, "Something with her...liver? Heart? Dunno."

Shaking his head, Bayard murmured, "Well, at least you thought to come tell me. That's what counts." He got back on his feet. "Which hospital?"

"Saint John's."

"Nice hospital at least."

Shrugging, Jason just added, "We picked a good nursing home."

The silence hung in the air between them, neither one seeming to know what to ask the other. Bayard hadn't seen his brother in a coupe years; the last time had been when Jason had shown up to his dorm, all his worldly possessions that would fit into the back of his VW Beetle, saying he needed a place to stay. 'A place to stay' had turned into six months of Bayard trying to hide his older brother from the RAs. 

Jason was five years Bayard's senior, but never acted like it. Always drifting from one part-time, low-paying job to another, asking for money all the time. Sometimes he stayed with their mother, but less so over the last two years after they had had to put her into a retirement home.

"Well," started Jason, getting to his feet, "this was fun, but I guess I should be going."

"Yeah, it was...good seeing you," said Bayard, slowly. "Stop by anytime."

The quick, empty smile again from Jason. "Sure." Going to the door, he stopped at the portal. "I...um...sort of lied earlier. If you had, like...fifty bucks..."

Rolling his eyes, Bayard knew the quickest, surest way to get rid of his brother was to just give him the money. Fifty dollars was a far cry from some of the sums he'd asked for. Crossing the living room to Jason, the junior cervine reached into his pocket, extracting his wallet and handing it to Jason. No sooner was the money in sight than it was out of Bayard's paws and into Jason's pockets.

"Thanks little bro," he said, with a wink. "See ya." With that finality, the elder reindeer was gone, closing the door quickly behind him.

Bayard felt somewhat perturbed by his brother's visit, but at the same time was glad that Jason at least the presence of mind to tell Bayard their mother was in the hospital. Wanting to tell himself that his brother was maybe finally maturing, he knew if Jason hadn't already been planning on coming over for money, he wouldn't have come at all.

Pressing his fingers into his eyes with sudden weariness, he knew he would have to go over the hospital and make sure everything was in order for his mother's care. Tomorrow would have to suffice.

***

The scent of antiseptic always made Bayard wrinkle his nose. Sitting in the waiting room, the cervine leaned back and closed his eyes, trying to fight down the panic he always felt in hospitals. Since a young age, he had suffered from mild nosocomephobia. Nothing had ever triggered it, as far as he could remember, it had just always been this way.

"You must be Mr. Shepcott," came a voice. Bayard opened his eyes to a young doctor, a tiger, standing in front of him. "I'm doctor McBride."

"Yes," affirmed Bayard, getting to his feet. "The nurses said I needed to wait to talk to a doctor before I could see my mother."

"Yes, I'm afraid so," said the doctor, meeting Bayard's gaze with that rehearsed look of sympathy every doctor had. 'This is not good,' thought Bayard. "Let's go somewhere more private to talk."

The doctor took the lead, taking Bayard away from the waiting area and past the nurses station, towards the end of the hall. McBride opened a windowless door, which opened into a drab room, with nauseatingly cream walls and nasty brown carpeting. A vase with fake flowers dominating one table that was next to a couch across from a single chair. Near the corner was a small tableau with a cross over a prayer bench. Never before in his life had Bayard never wanted to enter a room as much as he did now.

However, he followed doctor McBride in, who closed the door behind them. The doctor motioned for Bayard to take a seat on the couch. Once he was seated, it was only now that Bayard could see a box of tissues hidden behind the large vase. Someone had also come in with a cheap perfume to spray the paper flowers with.

"There's no easy way to ever say this," started the doctor, leaning forward, bracing his arms on his knees. "Your mother has been remanded to hospice care. She was admitted with an epidural hematoma in her brain. We're not sure what caused it, but it's in an area we cannot safely operate on. Basically, blood will continue to pool in her brain until the pressure starts to cause damage."

Bayard just felt like he was staring through the doctor now. Almost like thus was a dream, or happening to someone else. Or a mistake. His mother was fine, sitting at the rest home, and this was all some bad clerical error. However, he knew better than to embrace any of those fantasies.

"How...," began Bayard, catching himself. "How long until...she...she..."

Spreading his paws apart, the doctor simply answered, "We don't know. Not long, is about all I can say."

"Can I see her?"

The doctor nodded. "Of course."

The two of them left the room, which Bayard was more than thankful for, and went back towards the patients' rooms. It wasn't a long way to his mother's room, doctor McBride opening the door and letting Bayard go past. 

Coming past the corner of the first wall in the room, he looked past the wall and saw his mother laying in the bed. She looked like she was sleeping, with her eyes closed and breathing softly.

"Mom?" called Bayard, quietly.

"I'm afraid she's unconscious," came McBride's soft voice. "She was barely coherent when she came in, and slipped into a coma shortly thereafter."

Standing at the end of the bed, Bayard murmured, "Will she wake up again?"

The doctor didn't say anything for a moment, and any answer Bayard needed was in that silence. "I assume there's paperwork to be done?" asked Bayard. If there was one thing that could keep his mind off this, it was number crunching and signatures.

"There'll be time for that later," answered McBride, putting his paw on Bayard's shoulder. Another move Bayard certain the doctor practiced at home. "I'll give you some time; come find me when you're ready." With that, the tiger quietly slipped from the room, only the click of the door giving away his retreat.

Bayard realized it was a single room, having the room to themselves. He opened the window in the room next to the bed, needing some fresh air suddenly. Taking a nearby chair and pulling it to the bed, he just sat there, listening to his mother's breath and his own.

***

Tapping a pen against the desk, Bayard watched the clock with impatience. After the week he'd been having, he felt like he needed this even more. It seemed to be mocking him at this point. It was four-fifty, and every minute that came closer to five seemed to take an eternity. The reindeer knew that doing some sort of work would take his mind off the slow march towards five o’clock, but really there wasn’t anything that would only take him ten minutes. Sometimes he wished there was someone he could chat with for just a few moments to make the end of the day more manageable. Realistically, however, if his boss knew he’d just been sitting here four-forty, he’d get reprimanded anyway.

At the moment, though, there was no one in his cubicle to tell him to get to work, and his boss was nowhere to be seen on the floor, so rather than get mired down in some task that may keep him after hours, Bayard felt it best to play it safe and wait it out. Nothing would get in his way tonight.

Four-fifty-three now. He wished it would just let him clock out already. At this point, the reindeer would willingly take the seven minutes of pay away if he could just leave. If he tried to clock out early, however, it dinged a message at his manager’s computer that he was doing so.

Creeping inexorably closer to his release, Bayard drummed his fingers against the desk now, sighing. His computer didn’t even have Solitaire on it, and their internet usage was heavily monitored. Bayard often wondered why they didn’t just block every page they didn’t block every website but the ones they were allowed to use, and was idly curious on occasion if they left it open on purpose as a temptation to root out the lazier employees.

When the clock finally rolled over to five, Bayard couldn’t punch in his clockout number fast enough. Immediately heading for the door, he left his bewildered coworkers behind to wonder where the reindeer was off to in such a hurry.

Picking his way quickly down the stairs, Bayard burst out the front door and nearly ran to his car. So excited was he, the reindeer couldn’t wait to get home and get ready. There were still two hours before their set meeting time, but it was at least closer than he was before.

Arriving at his car, Bayard slid behind the wheel, started it up and exited the parking lot before he got stuck in the rush to leave the lot. While he drove out of Science Park, he just prayed the traffic on the way home wasn’t too horrible.

The entrance to the highway was just outside Science Park, and Bayard took it up towards the highway. Fortune smiled on him, with the reindeer to seamlessly merge into traffic and make his way towards home. Either he was beating most of the other commuters, or fate had just lined up right, because he was making better time than usual. Coming to his exit, Bayard drove off and sped through the yellow light at the end of the off ramp. Bringing his speed down a bit, he cruised down Peach Tree Boulevard towards his apartment.

Getting off of the main thoroughfare and onto his side street, Bayard came to his driveway with a literally screeching halt. Exiting his vehicle, the reindeer took the steps up to his apartment two at a time. With a jingle of his keys, he was through the door. Smiling widely to himself, Bayard was so excited to have something to look forward to for a change, and another fur to hang out with. 

The reindeer didn’t like to think of himself as a friendless loser. To him, it was more that life had just gotten in the way. After high school, when he had left everything behind, that included friends. He’d never had the money to go and visit anyone, and vice versa with the friends he kept in touch with during college. However, like so many furs, that contact got fewer and far between over time. The free time of freshman year quickly evaporated as it tuned to sophomore and junior years. Bayard had had a few furs besides his ex that he had enjoyed hanging out with, but that also turned being harder to find the time to do.

Here, at the age of twenty-three, it was nigh impossible to just make a friend out of nowhere. Bayard especially found the task quite daunting with how shy he was, and how quickly he felt awkward around new people. The reindeer had tried a few ways to make new friends, like a book club, a cooking class, and a couple other things. None of it had been very fruitful, every fur at these functions either not seeming like the kind of fur he wanted to get to know or not seeming interested in him. The reindeer had once or twice had the desperate idea of online personals cross his mind, but wasn’t ready to venture into the realm of a faceless person who was just words on a screen.

Walking into his bedroom, Bayard stripped off his work shirt, dropping it in his hamper. The night before, he had gone out and bought a shirt just for tonight. Opening his closet, he reached in and brought it out; a vertically-striped black and dark blue button up. The reindeer had wanted to look his best for his first real outing with a new friend.

Throwing it around himself, he buttoned it up and did up the cuffs, tucking it into his khakis pants. Studying himself in his wardrobe’s mirror, he was satisfied with his look. Sometimes, the one thing that he hated about himself were his glasses. His current pair was a set of rimless Oakleys, and Bayard always felt they looked stylish. Chic or not, however, the mere fact of having to wear them irritated him on occasion, and now was one of them. It made him feel dorky. Being an accountant on top it didn’t help. Once, he had tried contacts, but the itching and burning made him give up on the first day.

Resolutely, he reached up and undid the second-to-top button on his shirt, opening up the neck a little. A subtle change, but it helped ease his feeling that he looked like a nerd. As a afterthought, he took a bottle of his favorite cologne from the wardrobe and sprayed a bit on, careful not overdo it. Laughing a bit inside to himself, the reindeer almost felt like he was going on a date.

Glancing to his bedside table, it was still only five-forty. Sighing, he willed time to move on faster. In an effort to take his mind off of it, Bayard went to his computer desk in the corner of the room. After booting it up, the reindeer stalled for a moment, feeling like he was only cementing to himself that he was a nerd. In the end, he booted up Half-Life 2 and began contentedly playing.

***

The scent of garlic and rosemary hit Bayard’s nose as he opened the door into The Spanish Terrace. Decorated in a very Mediterranean style, he found the place very inviting and cozy. Stucco faux-bricks lined the walls, with track lighting giving a soft illumination to everything. Paintings and pictures of villas from Tuscany and the Ofanto riverfront adorned the walls along with hanging baskets of flowers. Being a Wednesday evening, it was very quiet, with just a few furs talking lowly amongst themselves.

The hostess, and a vixen, smiled cheerfully to him as the reindeer walked in. “Hello? How many this evening?”

“Actually, I’m meeting someone here,” said Bayard, softly. 

“Ah, are you Mr. Bayard?” she asked.

Surprised, the cervine answered, “Uh...yes, I am.”

“Then right this way, please,” she offered, leading in front. The reindeer fell in step behind her, being lead past all of the other tables and into a back room which was mostly empty at the moment. Still moving past the tables, she came to a maroon curtain across the far wall. “In here.”

Puzzled, Bayard stepped through the part and to a private room lit by stained-glass shaded lamps which threw a bizarre, brilliant pattern of colors across the room. A table that could easily seat six was in the center, but currently was only set for two. One of the diners was already seated, straight-backed and proper, in a navy blue suit and white shirt with black tie, sipping a glass of white wine.

“Ah, there you are,” said King, getting to his feet as his friend arrived. “I knew you’d be on time.”

Looking about himself still, Bayard was captivated by the ambiance of the room. Subtle yet elegant, like so many Italian things. “Oh, my...how did you swing this?” Bayard asked, finally.

With his usual knowing smile, King merely quietly said, “I am one of their more...affluent patrons.” Motioning to the chair opposite him, King went on, “Please.”

With a nod, Bayard seated himself. Suddenly, he wished he hadn’t been so flippant with his attire. Seeing the way King had come in, the reindeer felt underdressed. It was clearly a casual dining place, however, judging by the other patrons on the way in. King seemed to always be dressed at his best wherever he went.

“Care for a glass?” asked King, motioning to his wine.

Shrugging, Bayard just answered, “Would probably be wasted on me. I’m not much of a wine drinker.”

“Nonsense,” pressed King, taking a second wine glass and pouring a bit into it. “A German La Fleur white should be enjoyed by everyone.”

While taking the glass with a nod, Bayard asked, “Isn’t ‘la fleur’ French?” he asked, trying to sound at least somewhat cultured.

“It is,” confirmed King, with a brief sip of his wine. “However, unlike a French wine, this tastes good.” Bayard couldn’t tell if King was being serious or sarcastic, and the lion’s face betrayed nothing, so the reindeer merely busied himself with a drink of the wine. It was, as King had insisted, very good. On the sweet side, with flowery notes of apricots and vanilla. 

“It’s very good,” noted Bayard, not knowing how to express the flavor otherwise.

“For a seventy-nine, it’s not bad,” agreed King. Bayard didn’t know too much about wine, but he did know that the older it was, generally the pricier it was. “If you’d like something else, please, feel free.”

“Oh, no,” started Bayard quickly. He didn’t want to know what the bill was going to look like when all was said and done, even just for an entree. Not realizing how expensive this place was, it occurred to the reindeer he may be spending more than he had expected.

Their discussion was interrupted as one of the waiters, a tiger, stepped in through the curtain. “Ah, Mr. LaCaille! So good of you to come in!”

“Bringing in a new friend,” said King, with a nod towards Bayard. The reindeer felt a quick twinge of excitement at being referred to as a friend.

“Excellent,” went on the waiter. “Do you need a moment, or are you ready?”

“I think we’re ready,” responded King. Bayard was momentarily confused; he hadn’t even seen a menu yet. “I’ll have your wonderful veal marsala. My friend here will have the fettuccine del mar. If you could also bring the bottle of seventy-two drei Sternen you’ve got. And two glasses.”

“Very good,” said the waiter. “I’ll get that right out.” With a final swish of his pen, the tiger vanished back through the curtain with a rustle of fabric.

“Um...,” started Bayard, not wanting to say the wrong thing. “What is fettuccine del mar?”

“Seafood fettuccine,” replied King. “My apologies if I was too forward.”

Hesitating for a moment, Bayard finally just blurted out, “I was just wondering what it costs...”

“You needn’t be worried about that,” said King, with a quick smile.

“Oh, no, I can’t,” opposed Bayard, realizing that the lion was implying he would be paying.

“Think of it as being my guest this evening,” stated King, simply. “I would enjoy paying for dinner.”

Sighing, Bayard felt like a loser that his first outing with a friend was being paid for entirely by the lion. Especially after the feline picked up all their coffee the other day. The reindeer was mentally bookmarking that their next outing would have to be on his dime.

"You seem somewhat...distracted tonight," remarked King, softly.

"Hm?" asked Bayard. "Oh, it's nothing, just...my mother is in the hospital, and she's..." He paused for a moment. "...she's not leaving."

King merely whispered, "I'm sorry."

"It's nothing for you to worry about," assured the reindeer, giving a quick, forced smile.

Merely nodding, King changed the subject. “Now,” began the lion, “since we’re not pressed for time...” He paused for a moment to refill Bayard’s glass. “...tell me more about yourself other than your job.”

“Oh, I’m really very boring,” assured the reindeer, casting his eyes to the table.

With a soft chuckle, the lion pressed, “Try me.”

Taking a deep breath, Bayard just simply said, “There’s really not much else to tell, to be honest. I read, I go to work, I play on my computer sometimes and get to the gym. It’s been a long time since I last went out like this. It was probably with my boyf--” The reindeer cut himself off, feeling a blush rise under his eyes. “With someone I knew in college.”

“Hmm, I see,” was all the lion said, with a sparkle of intrigue behind his eyes.

“What about you?” inquired the reindeer in return. “Surely you must have some interesting things you’ve done with your life.”  “The details of my life are quite inconsequential,” said King, softly. “If you’re most curious, however, I can tell you I was born in the States. Here, in this state to be precise. However, I spent much of my adolescence in the United Kingdom, where my parents sent me to a boarding school when I was younger until they moved there later.”

“Wow,” breathed Bayard. “That must’ve been exciting.”

Shrugging, King took a sip of his wine. “My parents ran a successful worldwide shipping company, so they were away often. Boarding school was a natural choice, really.”

“I lived with just my mom growing up,” said Bayard, tracing the edge of his wine glass with his finger. “Just me, her and my brother.” Looking up from his glass, the reindeer asked, “Do you have any siblings?”

“Yes,” answered King, flatly.

“Do you...talk to them?” went on Bayard, feeling like he shouldn’t after the way the lion answered.

“No. Not for a long time,” the lion replied, finishing the rest of his glass. “I don’t like to talk about my brother.”

“Oh...sorry,” apologized Bayard, feeling awkward again.

With a shake of his head, King assured, “No need. You couldn’t have known.” Refilling his own glass of wine, King went on, “How about a different topic?”

Smiling weakly, Bayard decided to pick a more careful subject. “What do you do for work these days?”

“I don’t,” replied the lion simply. “I have made a tidy sum from my parents’ estate and a buyout from the board of trustees for my parents’ former company. I sold it to them when I was twenty.”

Frowning, Bayard pressed, “Why did you sell it?”

Shrugging, King replied, “I didn’t really have a use for it. I didn’t want to stay in London at the time, nor become the CEO of a company. Though it may have been more lucrative, it would also have been quite boring. After I sold off the company, I used it to bankroll traveling the globe.”

“What was that like?” asked Bayard, excited to hear of some tales from far away places.

“It was fine for a bit,” said King, blandly. “After awhile, I realized there was really nothing out there that was going to excite me anymore than sitting in an office somewhere. I hiked mountains, trekked into the jungles, hunted across the Serengeti, but none of it thrilled me.”

Confused by how having the personal freedom to do anything could be boring, Bayard asked, “What did you do after that?”

“I settled down for a bit in the tropics,” explained King. “Then, I decided to come back here to my birth state.”

“Following your roots?”

With a slow smile, King just said, “Something like that.”

The quick rustle of cloth interrupted them momentarily as two waiters came in; one with their wine in a chilled bucket of ice, the other with their entrees. “Ah, excellent,” declared King as their plates were set down.

“Please, enjoy,” said the their waiter softly before ducking back out.

Taking a wine opener and popping the cork, King quietly suggested, “Since I don’t think either of use is in a hurry for this evening to come to halt after dinner, would you like to come back to my place after dinner?”

Bayard perked his ears up at this. At first, he wasn’t sure he had heard right. “Um...sure, if you don’t mind.”

Smiling, King merely said, “No imposition at all.” Taking a fresh wine glass, he poured Bayard some of the German riesling he had ordered. “Now, bon appetite.”

Nodding in thanks, Bayard tried a bit of the dish King had ordered for him. As soon as it touched his tongue, it was an explosion of flavor across the reindeer’s tongue. Between dinner like this and going back to King’s to hang out more, this was the best night Bayard could remember in recent memory.

***

The lights of the city fell away into Bayard’s rearview mirror while he followed King’s car in the night. The lion was easy to follow in a Lamborghini Gallardo Nera, despite being painted jet black. Not that there was much traffic where they were. Tall palms and ferns flanked the sides of the road, and every now and then they would pass a house or quasi-mansion set back away from the road. Bayard knew they were in Redding Hills, named for the wonderful view of the sunrise from the low hills here.

They turned up another short gradient and arrived to a tall gate flanked by high hedges on both sides. However, if Bayard looked closely he could see wrought iron fencing and concertino wire through the hedging. Waiting patiently, Bayard watched as the gates swung inward. King’s Lamborghini went on ahead, the reindeer following closely. Once both cars were through, the gates closed tightly once again. Lights near the ground trailed the edges of the driveway, which wound up to the house. 

‘House’ wasn’t an adequate descriptive term. King’s domicile was a nouveau Spanish villa, done in a classic style with sloping angles and wide open windows. Japanese privets and chinaberries lined the front of the villa, covering some of the wide open windows facing towards the front; not that anyone could really see into the villa from the road over the hedges and past the large lawn.

The Lamborghini pulled into the left side of a spacious, three-car-wide parking area at the end of the driveway. A garage with three bay door matched the width of the parking area. Bayard positioned his car to the right of King’s, in the center. Stepping out of his car, he turned to King, who was already waiting for him. 

“Come,” encouraged King, turning and walking to the front door, lingering at the portico only to let Bayard catch up. Once the reindeer was next to him again, King twisted the knob, opened the door and stepped aside to allow Bayard past. Once the reindeer was in the villa, he was absolutely astounded.

Knowing that King was rich was one thing, but seeing physical evidence of it was quite another. The Lamborghini had been a good indication, however the interior of the villa was breathtaking. Coming through the front door, it opened directly into a sitting area, replete with a crystal chandelier over the center, a Parisian throw rug over a deep mahogany hardwood floor, and two couches opposite one another across a glass coffee table. The opposite wall of the entrance was several large panes of glass that looked out into a central courtyard surrounded on three sides by the villa. All Bayard could tell from here was that there was a pool, which cast rippling waves of light against the windows.

“Duncan!” called King, closing the door behind the two of them.

Looking to the lion, Bayard asked, “Someone else live here?”

Smiling knowingly, King just said, “In a manner of speaking.”

From the right side of the room came a German shepherd, dressed in a finely-tailored and pressed suit. “Yes, sir?” he asked with a slight bow.

“Duncan, please bring me a gin and tonic, and--” He turned to Bayard. “What would you care for?”

“Oh, um...whatever, would be fine,” answered the cervine, sheepishly. 

Turning back to Duncan, King added, “Make it two.”

“Right away, sir,” said the shepherd, with another quick bow before exiting back to the right.

Hesitantly, Bayard asked, “Is he...um...is he a...”

“A manservant, yes,” finished King. “He lives here, and serves me.”

“Oh,” murmured Bayard.

“Please,” motioned King towards one of the couches. “Have a seat while we wait for our drinks.”

Nodding, the reindeer gently sat down on the couch as indicated. It was soft and downy; the reindeer felt as though he were afraid he were going to break it, it was so delicate. King sat down on the couch opposite the reindeer, crossing his legs properly once more.

With a quick laugh, Bayard remarked, “I feel like I should be paying to sit here.”

With a wave of his paw, King said, “This isn’t even the most expensive place I’ve lived; nor the largest. For now, however, it suits me just fine. I didn’t want to buy anything too extravagant, just in case.”

Puzzled, Bayard asked, “In case of what?”

“In case I decide to relocate again. I’d prefer somewhere I can quickly and easily vacate, and this place isn’t too large.”

Before the reindeer could wonder where anyone could consider a place where his entire apartment would fit into the living room not too large, Duncan returned with their drinks on a silver tray. Without a word, the shepherd set their drinks down and silently vanished again.

“The best sort of house help,” began King, picking up his drink and taking a sip, “are the kind you never know are here.”

With just another quick smile, Bayard picked up his own drink and took a gulp just to keep his mouth full. Quickly, however, he regretted taking too much of a muzzleful of the gin. It burned pleasantly, with even the tonic not able to keep the bite out of it.

“Now that we have our night cap, such as it is,” began King, standing, “care for a tour?”

“I...yes, I would,” agreed the reindeer, getting to his feet as well. 

“We can start with the garden,” announced King, moving towards the glass windows. One of which, however, was a door, which King slid open. Warm night air drifted in to greet them as the two of them came to meet it.

Bending down and hitting a switch in a low standing panel, King flipped on the courtyard lights. Soft garden clicked on around the perimeter, giving gentle illumination to the palms, ferns, heliconias, and even one banana tree. The large, in-ground pool had already been lit up, glowing a deep blue. Bayard could see back into the villa from all sides, with the entire interior wall around the courtyard being windows. On the right side of the villa, he could see a large dining room, and another room just beyond with red curtains drawn over it. Around to the left was, from what Bayard could tell, an indoor greenery, and beyond more windows drawn in curtains. The reindeer also noticed that the left side of the villa was slightly longer than the right. The rear was wide open, and lead into inky blackness that Bayard assumed was a rear yard.

“The right side is the housewares end,” explained King. “The kitchen, dining room, and Duncan’s room.” Walking past the pool, he came to a set of wooden patio furniture. Sitting daintily, the lion set his drink down on the table next to it. “To the left is my room and guest room. Along with a few miscellaneous other rooms.”

“Looks like you have a greenhouse in there,” remarked Bayard, looking through the window. 

“Yes, I do,” replied King. “Ones that I like to personally attend to.”

With a rueful grin, Bayard asked, “Is that the tour?”

“I should think so,” answered King. “Admittedly, you are the the first to be shown around. I don’t have many guests.”

Sitting down in the other chair, Bayard murmured, “Which still begs the question I have of...why me?”

“Why anyone?” asked King, sipping his gin. “The question, perhaps, is truly why not you?”

Casting his eyes down, Bayard didn’t say anything else. He didn’t want to seem ungrateful to his new host and friend.

“Is there anything else you need?” asked King. “Duncan is more than happy to get whatever you  want.”

Shaking his head, Bayard quietly answered, “No. Thank you.” Steeling his curiosity, Bayard pressed, “Can I ask you something?”

“Of course,” replied King, with a nod.

“Um...how did Duncan come to work for you?”

Laughing a bit to himself, King replied, “Believe it or not, there are still plenty of furs looking to be someone’s butler or servant. Duncan was one such who replied to my search for one. Quite easy.”

“Does he have to stay here?”

“Not at all,” answered King. “But I pay him quite well, so I don’t foresee him taking his leave anytime soon.”

“Thank you for the drink,” added Bayard, raising his glass. King did similar with his own, the both of them finishing their gin. “However, I do have work in the morning. I should be going.”

“Then I shall see you out,” said King, agreeably. “Just leave the glass, Duncan will come to get it.”

The duo walked back inside, King closing the door behind them with a faint click. While the lion busied himself, Bayard frowned a bit. Carefully, he rubbed his ears a bit.

“Something wrong?” asked King, turning back around.

“Just...a bit of a ringing in my ears,” said Bayard. “Nothing to worry over. Do you hear it?”

With a quick shake of his head, King merely walked past the reindeer and towards the door. “No, I’m afraid I don’t.”

Shrugging, Bayard joined King at the front door. The ringing was very distant; Bayard almost had to concentrate to make himself hear it. The reindeer shrugged it off again; it would probably pass on its own. “I had a lot of fun,” remarked Bayard as he came to the door. “We should do this again.”

“Please, feel free to stop by whenever you’d like,” encouraged King. Quickly, King took a notepad and pen from the folds of his suit and wrote down the villa's address in neat cursive.  “It’s quite nice to have company, if even just for a bit.” Pausing for a moment, the lion added, “Perhaps maybe you would like come by later this week.”

“Perhaps,” agreed Bayard. The reindeer opened the door. “Thank you again. Good night.” With that, he was quietly out the door with a soft click behind him.

With a gentle sigh, King walked from the door and sat down on one of the couches, thinking to himself. The soft shuffle of paws told him Duncan had entered the room. “Your guest has gone, sir?”

“I’m afraid so,” replied King. “The frequency is a tad high, remind me to adjust that next time. It was making his ears ring.”

“Very good, sir.”

Reaching into his own ears, King removed two, small noise canceling ear plugs. They were set to the frequency he was broadcasting inside the villa, as to not let it affect himself. “It’s amazing what science can do these days.”

“Indeed it is, sir.”

“However, you still gave him a little something extra in his drink?”

“As you instructed.”

“Very good, Duncan. Why don’t you turn in early?” suggested King. With a slight bow, the shepherd left the room again without another word. Turning the ear plugs around in his paw, King muttered, “Very good, indeed.”

***

Saturday was uneventful for Bayard as usual. He had wanted to go to the bookstore the night before, but today, the idea was just boring. Laying on the bed, the reindeer put his paws behind his head and stared at the ceiling.

One overwhelming idea kept inching its way into his mind; to go to King’s. Bayard honestly wasn’t sure why; he hadn’t really been thinking about going to King’s all week, but now the idea was all he could think of. Really, there was no reason to tell himself not to either. The lion had told him to come over whenever he liked. Lifting his head off the bed, he could see that it was just before five. Maybe he could catch dinner with King. A vague whisper of a thought told him that Bayard should be going to the hospital to see his mother, but would get swept quickly away in the fog that everything else seemed to disappear into.

Swinging his legs off of the bed, Bayard walked into the living room and retrieved his keys from the coffee table. The more he thought about it, the better a suggestion it seemed to him. By the time he left the front door and walked down his car, the reindeer was resolutely sure this was what he wanted to do.

Getting into his car and starting it up, Bayard quickly reversed out of the driveway. Being a Saturday, it was a short commute down to the main strip and then out towards Redding Hills. When he left the downtown area, it was such an abrupt transition from the shopping centers and relatively light traffic to the quiet approach to King’s villa.

Traversing the hills, Bayard pulled up in front of King’s villa. Reaching out, Bayard pressed a yellow button set next to an intercom. The reindeer waited for a response, but instead was greeted with the iron gates swinging inward. Shrugging, Bayard put the car in gear and drive into the grounds, with the gates closing behind him.

Heading up the driveway, the reindeer saw King’s Lamborghini still parked to the left side of the end of the drive. Bayard parked in the same spot as the other night. Stepping out of the vehicle, Bayard walked the short distance to the front door and knocked softly. A quick click came from within and the portal opened, with Duncan standing there. “Please,” he encouraged, stepping aside. With a quick smile, Bayard stepped inside.

Duncan secured the door, turning to Bayard. “Master King will be with us momentarily. Dinner will be on the table shortly. Can I get you anything?”

“Um...,” replied Bayard, thinking.

“Glass of wine, perhaps?” suggested Duncan.

Nodding, Bayard just looked around the room. It looked so much different in daylight; a bit more homey and cheerful. Duncan began to leave to the right of the room, and Bayard followed him. A maroon velvet curtain lay across the doorway, which Duncan parted and held open for Bayard. Beyond, an immaculate dining hall lay in front of them. A long table, easily able to seat ten, stretched down the room. Cabinets of fine dining ware stood at the perimeter like silent sentinels. A doorway on the far end lead to more rooms beyond, Bayard assumed to the kitchen and Duncan’s quarters. A few more paintings here also adorned the walls, none of which the reindeer recognized but he was sure they were probably all originals. What Bayard found oddest, however, was that that the table was already set for two. Given the strictly professional relationship that King and Duncan had, the reindeer didn’t think the second setting was for Duncan. 

“I’ll get your drink,” remarked Duncan, heading for the far doorway. “Please, make yourself comfortable.” With that, he vanished.

Walking around the table, Bayard seated himself at one of the place settings. He assumed the one at the head of the table was for King, so the reindeer took the other. Hardly having sat down, Duncan surreptitiously brought in Bayard’s glass of wine, a red, and immediately disappeared again. The reindeer picked it up, immediately noticing the fruity bouquet under his nose. 

“Ah, welcome,” came King’s voice from across the dining room as he entered under the curtain. 

Quickly swallowing his sip of wine, Bayard simply replied, “Hello.”

“So glad you could stop by tonight,” said King, coming down to the end of the table. The shepherd was suddenly there, pulling out the lion’s chair. “Thank you, Duncan. I should think a glass of port should be a good start to the night.” With a mute nod, the canine disappeared once more to retrieve his master’s order.

Turning to Bayard, King went on, “This is an especially superb evening to come by for. Duncan is making his balsamic lamb. Truly a wonderful dish.”

“It sounds lovely,” agreed Bayard. “But...how did you know to set the table for a guest this evening?”

Only replying with a vague smile, King asked, “How do you like the wine?”

Realizing that he probably wasn’t going to get an answer, the reindeer answered, “It’s very good.” He took another sip, very much enjoying the sweetness of it.

“I was hoping you would enjoy it,” remarked King. His own drink materialized next to his hand. King’s glass, however, was a deep-maroon colored port, which he sniffed and savored before consuming any of it. “Duncan should be bringing our main course out any moment. However, I do not want dinner to be our main attraction for the evening. If there’s anything you would like do otherwise, please, do not hesitate to ask.” 

With an awkward smile, Bayard just replied, “No, no, really, I wouldn’t want to impose.”

With a wave of his paw, King declared, “Nonsense! You’re the guest.”

With a shrug, Bayard didn’t say anything, just taking another sip of the wonderful wine in front of him. While supping his spirit, the shepherd re-emerged from the area beyond the dining room with a large, silver serving tray with a cover on top, leaving the contents in mystery. With a grand flourish, he tacitly set the tray down and stepped away, returning swiftly a moment later with two covered silver bowls. Just as quickly, Duncan retreated, leaving them alone again.

King reached over and removed the lid, showing a lamb roast beneath. The bowls contained quartered corn on the cob and baked red potatoes. “Dinner is served,” he said, softly.

***

Walking into the living room with his drink, another glass of wine from dinner, Bayard sighed contentedly. It had been a long time since he’d eaten that well without going out to a restaurant or his mom’s. 

“Enjoy dinner?” asked King, walking in behind him.

“Yes, very much,” answered Bayard. ‘Maybe a little too much,’ he thought, patting his stomach. 

“So,” began King, moving to one of the couches and sitting down, “what else would you like to do?”

“Um...nothing in particular,” replied Bay, sitting opposite King. He did, however, feel a little funny; maybe just all the wine. It wasn’t often he really drank a lot, usually just a beer to relax. The reindeer didn’t have a very high tolerance for alcohol all the time. 

Motioning to the outside doors, King went on, “Now that it’s daylight, I could show you the rest of the grounds.”

With a quick smile, the cervine nodded in agreement. “I’d like that.”

Getting to their feet, the two of them walked to the patio door and stepped outside. The evening air was nice and warm without being obtrusive. In the last bits of sunlight coming through the trees, Bayard could now see more of the garden in the inner area of the grounds. Most notably, a fully colored tile pattern representing the moon, sun and stars set into the concrete beneath their feet. He could now also see the flowers, such as the hibiscus that were planted here and there across the garden. 

“Looks even more lovely in the day time,” remarked Bayard.

“Thank you,” replied King, graciously. “I have gardeners come once a week to tend to the grounds. One of the few furs besides Duncan allowed in the villa.”

Walking around the pool, Duncan found the look of the water rather inviting. In truth, he fancied a dip, since it was the perfect evening for it. However, he hadn’t even thought to bring a pair of trunks; in truth, he didn’t even think he had any at the moment.

“I could find a spare swimsuit, if you’d like to go in,” offered King, as if he was reading the reindeer’s mind.

“Oh, no, that’s okay,” answered Bayard with a quick smile. “Just ate, and all.”

“Perhaps another time,” said King, off-handedly, moving past Bayard with more grace than was even characteristic of his species. It was as if the lion was practically gliding when he walked. The reindeer fell in step behind the feline, following his host past the pool and to the area beyond that were cloaked in night last time.

“I like my privacy from the rest of the world,” explained King. “For a long time, I lived on an island down in the Caribbean, cutting all my ties from the rest of the planet.”

“Why?” asked Bayard, puzzled more why King was suddenly explaining all of this.

“A certain sense of ennui that set in, I guess is the best way to put it,” elaborated King. Walking to the rear of the property, Bayard found that the villa was actually at the top of a gentle hill that rolled away from them into the backyard to a stand of weeping willows that lined off the back of the property and kept prying eyes from looking in. Bayard was sure he would also find a tall iron fence down there as well. 

“When everything is handed to you, what’s the point in much of anything?” continued King. “I saw the world for awhile, and what I saw was that when one is given the god-like power of doing whatever they see fit, there’s no challenge, no drive to keep going to see what’s over the next horizon and what the next dawn will bring.”

Bayard nodded, finding it odd to think that being financially secure for the rest of his life would be a bad thing. He sure wouldn’t be working in a cubicle for next-than-nothing and living in a tiny apartment.

“However, I found the same ennui separated from society as I did blended in with it. So, I returned here,” went on the leonine. Looking to the reindeer while they stood on the edge of the hill descent, he finished, “Mostly I was missing something...companionship, I believe.” Bayard didn’t say anything, just waiting for the lion to go on. “Perhaps we should have a seat,” suggested the lion.

Following the lion’s lead, Bayard padded over to the same chairs they had seated themselves in the other night. Setting their glasses down with a gentle clink, King went on, “I had certain...appetites, I suppose one could call them, that I wanted to fulfill.” Looking Bayard in the eyes, King went on, “Ones that are rather...unique. Proclivities that I tend to shy away from most.” The reindeer felt his stomach tighten for some reason that he couldn’t put his finger on. “To be honest, I have always tended to be attracted more towards males,” finished the lion.

“Uh-huh...,” replied Bayard, waiting.

“Our meeting was no mere happenstance” explained King. “I had been watching you for a bit because I felt attracted to you. The idea of allure at first sight is generally regarded as false, but I assure you, here it was quite genuine.”

Bayard was beginning to get what King was driving at, and blushed slightly at what the lion was insinuating. Honestly, Bayard found it preposterous that King could be attracted to him when the feline could have his pick of anyone, male or female. However, the lion looked quite serious and sober about his assertions.

“I hope I’m not being too untoward and forward,” said King softly, gauging the reindeer’s reactions.

“N-no,” assured Bayard, quickly. “Just...unexpected. But...I am curious how you knew I was gay?”

“I didn’t, to be honest,” explained King, plainly. “I merely saw you one day at the bookstore and was quite taken in by you. Running into you at the gym was another moment where I was entranced, to be honest.”

The reindeer felt a blush creep up under his eyes. “I’m...I’m really nothing special.”

“That, in of itself, is not true,” rebuked King. “It’s been a long time since I’ve been engaged by anyone, to be honest.” Taking another sip of his wine, the lion went on, “Too long, in fact.”

“Me, too,” whispered Bayard, softly. King merely patiently waited for the cervine to go on. “I had a boyfriend in college, who broke up with me when I wasn’t around as much as he’d like. I tried to always tell him there would be more time later on, but really...I guess there wasn’t going to be.” Bayard felt odd opening up to King to quickly, but in a way, he was more comfortable with this lion than he’d been with any other fur in a while. “Between work and everything else, there’s never enough time.”

“ ‘There’s time enough, but none to spare’, ” quoted King, with a soft smile.

“I suppose,” agreed Bayard. “Sometimes...this isn’t where I planned to see myself at twenty-three. I wanted to go places, make my mark on Wallstreet or something. I don’t know, so often I find myself...bored, I guess.”

“Your life shouldn’t be boring,” said King. “Life itself can never be boring.”

Shrugging, Bayard replied, “I just feel like I’m waiting for something to come along.” Thinking for a moment, he went on, “Maybe this is what I’ve been waiting for.”

“In a way, I feel the same way,” agreed King, taking a sip of his wine. Bayard did the same, finding the flavor even better now for some reason. Somehow, he felt like a lot of his inhibitions were just falling away from him. For some reason, deep down, he suddenly liked the idea of being with King; that it would be the best thing for him ever.

Getting to his feet, King softly said, “You shouldn’t have to be alone any longer, Bayard.” Stepping closer and putting his paw over Bayard’s, he intimated, “Someone like you should always be wanted.”

Bayard blushed again and looked away. “But...you could have your pick of anyone you wanted. I   know I’ve asked before but...why me?”

With a soft smile again, King asked, “Does it really matter? Tonight, stay here, share the evening with me. Find out what it should really be like to share the company of a male.”

Despite himself, Bayard couldn’t deny that the suggestion of sharing more intimate time with the feline appealed to him. Even in the short time they had known one another, he honestly felt like he had known King forever.

Taking the reindeer by the paw, King guided Bayard to his feet, leading the cervine back into the villa. To Bayard, it was like some wonderful dream he was drifting through. They walked through the living room and to the far side, going through a royal blue velvet curtain, similar to the one over the dining area entrance. This side of the villa was much different. Here, there was a long hallway with deep mahogany hardwood floors that lead down to several doors. The first they passed on the right was the green house Bay had seen from outside. The next on the left was a massive bathroom, with a black-and-white checkered floor, large in-ground tub, and ornate shower area with a sliding smoked-glass door. Like the rest of the villa, it reflected an understated elegance. The next door on the right was another wooden door, kept closed for the moment.

The portal at the very end was slightly ajar, and King nudged it open. Within was the master bedroom, which, like everything else, was wonderfully decorated. A four-poster bed, with a deep wine-colored bedspread, plants in the corners, including birds of paradise, and a large chest of drawers next to a walk-in closet. Aside from that, the room was somewhat spartan, which, in a way, leant to the stylishness of it all. There was a second door out of the room to the left of where they came in, which Bayard assumed lead to the bathroom. As he could also see from outside, the entire right wall of the room was more windows, which were currently obscuring the outside world with bamboo blinds.

Letting go of Bayard’s paw finally, he went to the blinds and flipped a switch on the wall. The blinds began to retract themselves upward, letting in the last dying rays of twilight. Still without a word, King clicked another switch, which lit up a chandelier overhead, bringing subtle light into the room. Adjusting the rheostat, King brought the light down to just barely on at all. Bayard still stood in place, mystified by it all.

“No need to be shy,” affirmed King. “Please.”

Willing himself forward, Bayard came to the lion, still feeling like he was walking through the fuzzy realm of a fantasy. 

“Are you feeling all right?” asked King.

Nodding, Bayard simply replied, “Yes.”

Smiling again, King murmured, “Very good.” He walked around the reindeer, tracing a finger gently across the reindeer’s shoulder and down to the small of his back, which gave Bay a brief shudder. The touch of another male was a rather foreign feeling to him, which only reminded him just how long it had been since he’d lain with another male. Being here now, though, just felt right.

Sensing King’s gentle breath against the back of his neck, the feline whispered, “You can tell me to stop whenever you want.”

Nodding, Bayard didn’t say a word. The last time he had been like this, it was with Ky, his ex-boyfriend. However, Ky had never wanted to really express his feelings, engage in any sort of public affections, or really do much anything after they were done with sex. Even with his mostly tacit demeanor, King gave a certain amount of care and gentle touch, expressed more in his body than his tone.

With that tender manner, King ran his paws over Bayard’s back and wrapped them around the reindeer’s waist. Bay let go a deep a sigh of contentment and anticipation, enjoying the sensation of King’s warm paws against him through his clothes. However, an instant later, he felt those paws directly against his belly, rubbing him gently.

“King, I--,” breathed Bayard, leaning back into the lion, who embraced him. “It’s been a long time since I was with a male.”

“You want to be, though,” said King, rather matter-of-factly.

Pausing for a moment, Bayard nodded again. “Yes, I do.”

Barely above a whisper, King asked, “What do you want?”

“You,” replied the reindeer in kind. 

Lifting the reindeer’s shirt, King urged, “Louder.”

“You,” repeated Bayard, slightly louder this time, and with a hint of need in his voice. That trace of lust and submission was what drew King to him in the first place. The reindeer’s body language and movements all told the lion that what the reindeer needed, and deep down wanted, most was someone to fulfill that need.

With the reindeer firmly in his grasp, King moved his paws lower in a bold movement of undoing the reindeer’s belt buckle, with his button and zipper following swiftly. It had, in truth, been a long time since King had been so physically aroused by another male to this extent. The reindeer’s obvious submissive tendencies were only a small, but significant, part of it. The rest was almost an intangible feeling that was almost a complete mystery even to King himself. However, when the lion knew what he wanted, he went for it.

The quiet shuffle of cloth gave way to Bayard’s pants falling halfway down his thighs, leaving him left in just his underwear. King was content to begin to pull the elastic band of Bayard’s last garment down as well, but Bayard murmured, “Wait. I don’t...I’m not ready...”

“It’s okay,” assured King softly, retreating his paw. “We will take our time.” He pushed the reindeer’s pants farther down, getting them to the cervine’s knees and then letting gravity do the rest as they fell to Bay’s ankles. The reindeer wasn’t yet completely submitting, but it would come in due time.

“King?” asked the reindeer, quietly.

“Mmm?” hummed the lion.

Hesitating for a moment, the reindeer finally went on, “Are you...going to...”

“Of course,” answered the feline, sensing the trepidation of the reindeer’s question. The reindeer was clearly very unassertive, and that was part of what made him attractive in King’s eyes. However, King could still tell what the reindeer wanted. Gently stepping back away from the cervine, King shed his jacket and began to unbutton his shirt. The reindeer openly watched while the feline undressed, standing there in his underwear and shirt himself.

Sultrily, King dropped his shirt from his shoulders, letting it fall casually to the floor. Next came his pants in a swift motion of undoing his pants and belts and letting them fall, revealing himself in a pair of black silk boxers. With no hesitation, he hooked his fingers into the waist band and slowly slid them past his hips and thighs, all the way to his ankles, making a show of bending over to push them all the way down with his paws. Immediately, Bayard was taken in by how in-shape King’s body was. The reindeer fancied himself in decent shape, but the lion put him to shame. Sculpted pectorals, the definition of his abs, strong thighs, and all of it leading to a large sheath with a loose pouch holding the lion’s proud testes. 

“Is this to your liking?” inquired King, with his typical vague smile.

Barely able to nod, Bayard just drank in the spectacle before him. King was like one of the porn models he always saw online and in magazines where Bayard never really thought anyone could look like that without the aid of Photoshop. However, here was evidence before him to the contrary. 

With all the confidence in the world, King strode past the reindeer and to the bed, gliding across the sheets like he was made of water, and lay on his side, facing towards Bayard and braced his head against a paw. The feline didn’t need to say anything, clearly beckoning to the reindeer.

Still feeling awkward at the whole prospect, another part of Bayard would slowly seem to work him on autopilot, and put one foot in front of the other and take him closer to King. He would be lying to himself if he wasn’t interested in the lion, especially now that he could see what was under those impeccably tailored clothes.

Coming closer to the bed, Bayard began to undo his shirt buttons; almost unconsciously, since he was half done before he realized what he was doing. His own shirt fell to the floor like King’s, and arriving at the bed he knelt on the edge before King.

“Still don’t want to take the rest off?” asked King, almost off-handedly. 

The reindeer fumbled with his paws, stammering, “I...I...well...”

“It’s all right if you don’t want to still,” said King, soothingly. Moving over a bit, he patted the bed next to him. 

Bayard was willing to take the offer, and lie down next to the lion. When he did, however, the reindeer was overcome with the urge to put his arms around King, and found himself buried in the warmth of the lion’s chest and mane. For once, it was wonderful to have a male that didn’t chastise the reindeer for some manner of affection. King didn’t make any moves in return, but Bayard was simply happy for the contact.

“Bayard, your pants need to come off,” murmured King.

In the reindeer’s mind, the suggestion seemed like an overwhelming command to him, and the reindeer couldn’t concentrate on anything else besides slipping his underwear off, exposing his still-limp sheath and plump testicles. Pushing them off with his footpaws, he lie exposed on the bed next to King. Now, he wasn’t sure what he had ever been timid about in the first place.

“Very good,” King spoke softly.

Running his paw through the soft fur of the lion’s mane and chest, Bayard asked, “What are we going to do next?”

With a soft smile, King answered, “Whatever you want. Tonight will be all about you. I want you to really know what it should be like to be with a male. If you just want to lie here together, that’s what we’ll do. If you’d like something else to drink, just ask. Anything else beyond is all up to you.” Putting his paw over the reindeer’s, King pushed the paw against his chest down to his own lap, letting the reindeer touch his sheath. At first, Bayard almost pulled his paw away, but something deep in his own subconscious told him to keep it there. Contributing it to his need for just some physical contact, the reindeer just went with it. While he fondled the lion, Bay’s own sheath began to finally swell a bit, and he felt his stiffening cock press against his sheath slit from within. At the same time, he could very definitely feel a stirring within King’s pouch as well.

“I’d like to touch you as well,” breathed King, pressing a paw to Bayard’s stomach. Wordlessly, Bayard simply nodded in assent. The paw against the reindeer’s belly drifted lower to Bay’s sheath, gently rubbing it and coaxing the hardening member out. The two males mutually fondled one another, King having moved from Bayard’s sheath and onto his loose testes. The cervine was simply swept away in the moment, caring for nothing else.

Between the two of them, Bayard’s penis broke its furred prison first, his pink member quickly becoming erect at King’s touch. The lion seized the emerging shaft, and gently stroked up and down to encourage it. Bayard moaned a bit at the touch, with even just this slight stimulation providing fantastic sensation. Apparently, it had been too long since another male had touched him there. Already, his attention to King’s private places had ceased and Bayard was more absorbed in his own pleasure. The lion didn’t seem to mind, as he finished getting the reindeer fully erect to his seven and a half inches.

“Are you enjoying this?” the lion practically purred in the cervine’s ear.

“Mm-hmm,” was all Bayard could manage out while he fought the urge to writhe under King’s touch. With his full erection in the lion’s care, it was like King knew every sensitive spot and just where to touch the reindeer’s maleness to elicit the most pleasure. Granted, almost any stroke and caress at the moment was pure bliss as far as Bayard was concerned.

Releasing his grip temporarily, King readjusted himself so his head was up by the headboard, lying against his down-filled pillows and waiting for Bayard to follow suit. The reindeer had no problems following King’s non-verbal cues, coming to lie next to the lion. Momentarily, he felt embarrassed that his erection was bouncing between his legs, but the idea was quickly lost to a tide of fog in his mind again. He lie on his side, with his firm shaft pointing right to King again.

“Do you want me to resume?” asked the lion, tracing a line from Bay’s chest down to his naval. 

“Yes,” whispered the reindeer, barely able to contain himself.

“Yes, what?” pressed the lion, still keeping his paw tantalizingly out of reach of Bay’s cock.

“Yes, please, I want you to touch me again,” murmured Bayard, almost in a plaintive whine.

Acceding to the reindeer's wish, King took Bayard's cock in his paw again and achingly slowly resumed pawing the reindeer. For the moment, King was content to give the reindeer what he wanted, knowing well the lion would get everything he also desired in the end.

"We can do whatever you like tonight," whispered the lion in the reindeers ear. King wanted to know what Bayard's innermost desires and sexual wants were. King would slowly open Bay like a book, and get every detail he wanted.

Squirming a bit at the touch of King's paw against his private places, Bayard murmured, "Whatever you want to do to me."

With a vague smile, King said nothing as he took his paw from the reindeer's penis. He reached into the bedside drawer and removed a bottle of lubricant and a silicon sleeve. Lubing up the sleeve, King pressed the slitted end of it against the reindeer's cockhead, slowly slipping the sheath over the cervine's penis. Apparently Bayard had never used a toy like it before, since his mouth gaped open once his maleness began to disappear within the ribbed confines of the tight sleeve. Looking down over his chest and belly, Bayard could see thru the translucent, blue-colored masturbator and see his own maleness confined within now.

"You like that?" asked King, as he pushed the sleeve down to the base of the reindeer's cock, letting Bayard's cockhead poke through the other end. The reindeer only wordlessly nodded in assent, waiting for King to continue. The lion did, working the pawing device back up the reindeer's shaft, but this time did not stop and settled into steady stroking motion. Bayard had never felt anything like it, not in all the times he had pleasured himself. He closed his eyes and felt a blush creeping up under his eyes again that he was so exposed sexually here in front of a new friend he barely knew. However, he also felt a calm, like a blanket over him that only made him want more.

As he kept pawing the reindeer, King tightened his grip on the sleeve, going a bit faster now. Bayard arched his back against the sensations, his paws thumping against the bed and having to try to keep himself from crying out in pleasure. With every downward stroke, the lion loved seeing the tip of Bay's long penis poke out of the end of the sheath.

Susurrating under his breath, Bayard nuzzled in against King's chest, enjoying feeling the warm fur against his muzzle. Seeing the look of ecstasy across Bayard's face, King knew this would be easier than he thought; and this was only the beginning of what he had in store for this reindeer. With his free paw, he put it around Bayard, pulling the reindeer closer to him. Tonight, King wanted the reindeer to see King as his lover, not just a friend.

While he was being stimulated by King, Bayard began to buck his hips into the sleeve as it was slipped over him. The reindeer had never been a top, always having his submissive streak take over. Oddly, he had never been taken by his ex; Bayard never had a problem blowing his boyfriend, or pawing, but they'd never gotten to making love. Maybe Bayard had known all along they weren't going to last, or he just wasn't ready. However, now with the wash of sexual excitement over his body, he couldn't help by try to gratify himself more. It had only been  a few minutes, and he didn't want to cum so fast in front of King, but it had been a long time since the last time anyone else had done this sort of thing for the cervine. He wanted to feel himself cum, but at the same time wanted this moment to last forever.

King seemed to sense that the reindeer was already on the edge, and removed the sleeve from around Bayard's cock. "Don't want our fun to end too fast, do we?"

"Sorry," panted Bayard, his penis quivering from the sudden lack of stimulation, a small bead of precum making its way down the back of his head and shaft.

"No need to be," assured King, softly. Sliding from the bed, King noiselessly went to the bamboo blinds and opened them, letting the dying rays of day enter the room. Bayard just enjoyed looking at the lion's finely-chiseled ass from the bed.

Turning and coming back to the bed, King nestled himself between the reindeer's legs, pressing his shaft into the reindeer's testes. Bayard blushed furiously again at the touch of King's intimate places against his. Just like before, however, he also felt bold enough to let King continue with whatever the lion wanted to do.

"You'll like this," assured King, as if sensing the reindeer's trepidation. "I promise." He reached for the bottle of lube and applied a liberal amount to the underside of Bay's shaft, and then the lion did similar to his own. Shifting himself a bit closer to the reindeer, King lay the length of his shaft against Bayard's, their heads touching. The reindeer could now definitely tell the lion was the bigger of the two of them, with King's eight inches pressed against his penis.

Beginning to thrust his hips, King rubbed himself against Bayard's shaft, pleasuring the both of them simultaneously. For Bayard, this was a whole new level of sex, never having done anything like this before. In a way, he was now also happy King was also getting his own satisfaction. Bayard had always been a giving lover, and was always concerned more with his partner's enjoyment than his own.

For now, however, both of them were equally elated with their contact. Reaching down between them, King put a paw around both of their erections, holding his own penis over Bay's while he continued to hump against it. His long and wide leonine cock overshadowed Bay's penis, and King idly wondered what his cock would feel like inside the reindeer; but in due time.

"Mmf...King...," breathed the reindeer, his tail swishing beneath their bodies.

"It's all right," whispered the lion, soothingly. "Cum whenever you're ready."

Bayard knew it wouldn't be much longer, as every stroke of the feline's shaft against the reindeer's maleness sent another spark of sexual sensation along the length of the cervine's cock, through his balls, and into the rest of his body with a mind-numbing and intoxicating feeling. Bay especially enjoyed when the spot just under his cockhead would be rubbed by the same spot on King's penis. That was when his body was taken by the best jolts of pleasure.

Continuing to rub his maleness against the cervine's, King idly wondered if he could yet order the reindeer to orgasm. Sometimes it was interesting to watch a fur cum on command. However, he decided who would let the reindeer ride this out fully. King did want to feel the pulse of Bay's orgasm against his own penis, though. Another few drips of precum escaped the reindeer's slit, and King knew Bayard was getting close. This time he wouldn't stop the reindeer from attaining his orgasm. The leonine sped up his thrusts, riding the full length of the cervine's seven and a half inch cock, tracing the gentle curve of the shaft to the base and back again to the head. The two males were like one now, joined at their sex, and slowly melting to one another.

Under the lion, Bayard gasped and groaned, his chest heaving. The cervine had stopped doing everything except thrusting his hips up against the lion. King was pleased with himself that he'd brought the reindeer to orgasm so fast, and used one of his paw to gently stroke Bay's balls. This seem to put the reindeer over the edge, and King felt the first pulse of his new lover's orgasm move up through Bayard's shaft and make itself known with the first, short burst of semen across Bay's belly. The next pulse brought a longer rope of cum from Bay's cock, and King closed his eyes and purred at the feeling of Bayard's penis contracting against the lion's. The reindeer now could no longer hold himself back, and was gasping loudly from his orgasm as he ejaculated across his belly, leaving behind strands of white semen.

"Good boy," whispered King, now even further excited himself as he kept frotting the reindeer. Bayard gave a deep breath, feeling the ebb of his orgasm and have it replaced with a feeling of contentment. His cock, however, remained stiff while King used it to bring about his own orgasm. The lion leaned forward over the reindeer, pushing their midsections together and holding their shafts together between them. They were now almost muzzle to muzzle, and Bay leaned forward to give King a lick on the nose. However, the feline was now lost in his own reverie of using the reindeer.

Softly, Bayard asked, "Are you close?"

"Nearly," replied the lion. Bayard wrapped his arms around the lion, pulling the feline closer. King was content for the moment to allow the reindeer to have a moment of closeness. His own climax was on the edge, and he wanted to coat the reindeer in his semen, to mark Bayard and begin to make the reindeer his own. He closed his eyes and envisioned the cervine on all fours begging for King's cock, and that was enough to push him over. His orgasm came in quick pulses, releasing his semen all over his and Bay's belly in thick strands. It felt as if every muscle in his lower body was contracting as he came. In truth, rubbing his maleness against another's had always been a favorite way of his to cum, and this had been no exception. King loved the feeling of unloading the contents of testes across the reindeer, and judging by the soft murring coming from Bayard, the reindeer also enjoyed being covered in the lion's seed.

With a purr of his own, the lion sat back up on his knees to admire his handiwork; seeing his ejaculate mixed with Bay's on the reindeer's belly. The sight, so him, was very arousing and a part of him wished he'd had the forethought to set up a video camera; but there would be time for that later. Leaning back in over Bayard, King gave him a quick kiss on the nose and asked, "Need a shower next?"

Nodding, Bayard just said, "Mm-hmm." 

"Then come on," urged the lion, getting off the bed and going to the other door. Opening it, he stepped aside for the cervine to go past him. King still loved the scent of their semen on the reindeer as Bay walked past.

Bayard wanted to use the in-ground tub, but King instead opened the smoked-glass sliding door to the shower, which was nearly big enough for four, and turned the knobs on. Water sprang fro twins faucets at either end, both in the shape of fish spewing water forth from their mouths. Once it was to his satisfaction, King stepped under the water and let it sluice over his body. Turning to Bayard, he implicitly beckoned for the cervine to join him. With no hesitation any longer, Bay came to the shower and stepped within, while King slid the door closed behind them. The reindeer enjoyed the sensation of both shower heads cascading water over his body, but was slightly dismayed at having King's semen washed from his body.

Taking a palmful of soap that smelled of jasmine, King worked it through the reindeer's belly, lathering it up and truly cleansing the reindeer. Bayard giggled a little. "I'm ticklish," he said, sheepishly. King didn't say anything in return, moving down to Bay's sheath and giving it a good scrubbing to get the lube and fluids off. The lion always felt it was important to care for his pets.

"I...enjoyed this," murmured Bayard while King detached one of the shower heads and began to wash off the soap. While he rinsed off the remaining suds, King just smiled in his vague way that only barely pulled at the corners of his muzzle. "There was never anything like this with my ex. Usually he would be gone by now." Tacitly, King went about washing the body fluids from himself, letting them be cleansed away with the water. "King?"

"Hmm?" asked the lion.

Bayard smiled sheepishly again. "Nothing. I just...had a nice evening."

"As did I," replied the feline in turn. "I'd like to do it again."

Not sure how to respond, Bayard tentatively asked, "Like...have sex again?"

With an almost imperceptible nod of his head, King went on, "Yes."

A little surprised, the reindeer felt simultaneously embarrassed, flattered, and aroused at the idea; and the arousal, despite his nature, was winning. He felt odd that intrigue was the overwhelming feeling. When he'd been with Ky, it had been months before Bayard had even agreed to be nude in front of his boyfriend, let alone do anything. Here he was with a lion he'd known for a few days and had already been to bed with this male. Still, a deep down voice encouraged him to go ahead with King's offer. 

"I'd...like that," Bayard admitted, slowly.

With a slight glimmer in his eyes, King merely replied, "Excellent." He opened the sliding doors and let Bayard out before following. The lion took a high-powered blow dryer that was hanging on the wall and began to use it on the two of them, which was easier on Bayard as the reindeer's fur just let the water run off easier.

With the two freshly clean and dried, King motioned for Bayard to follow him into the bedroom again. The lion strode over to the bureau of drawers and reached into the bottom drawer, pulling an item out. "If you're going to be coming back, I have a gift for you; and I'll ask that you wear it when you're here. At home is your choice."

Slightly confused, Bayard examined the object in King's hands and realized it was a deep-tan colored collar with a silver-colored buckle and trim. The reindeer looked up into King's impassive eyes curiously. "Why do you want me to wear that?"

"It's a part of becoming mine," answered King, simply. 

His mind felt foggy, but Bayard reached out for the collar and turned it around in his paw. It was a standard leather collar, nothing special. The reindeer had never worn anything like it before; he had never really put much thought into things like this. However, the same part of him that made him okay with jumping right into bed with King, and considering coming back for more, encouraged him to give in to King's condition. With a slight smile, Bayard simply nodded in agreement.

Reaching for the collar, King asked, "May I?"

Without hesitation, Bayard handed the collar back to King, then leaned back and lifted his head up to allow King easy access. The lion smiled inwardly at the level of submission the reindeer already displayed; it was perfect. Reaching out with the collar, King wrapped it around the back of the reindeer's neck and clasped it gently in the front, sliding it closed firmly against Bayard's neck but not enough to make it uncomfortable. 

"There," whispered King. This was just the beginning, and was going so much better than King could have hoped. The lion appraised the nude reindeer in front of him, more than aroused by the sight of the newly-collared cervine. Bayard reached up to his neck and felt at the collar, almost in wonderment.

Stepping to the bureau, King motioned to the mirror above it. "Would you like to see?"

Coming over next to the lion, Bayard stood in front of King and looked at himself. The tan matched the caramel color of his fur, almost like it was meant to be. Behind the cervine, King put his paws on the reindeer's shoulders. "It looks good."

"So...what does it mean?" asked Bayard, still running his fingers along the curve of the leather.

"It means I want you to come back when you're ready," said King, softly. Opening the drawer of the bureau again, King removed another object, this one wrapped in a red satin cloth. "I have one more thing for you; something else for you to take home." Slowly, he unwrapped it and revealed an eight-inch dildo, made in a transparent blue silicon. Bayard marveled at it, both the color and what it was. He'd never owned a toy, never done anything anally despite his submissive nature. Another thought also dawned on him while he gazed at it; he couldn't help but notice it bore a striking resemblance to King's penis.

"You want me to...use this?" inquired Bayard, with both trepidation and intrigue.

Giving another slight nod, King went on, "If you would like." Pausing for a moment, King queried, "Are you a virgin?"

Blushing, the reindeer responded honestly, "Yes, I am."

King felt a slight wave of excitement roll through his body; a feeling he didn't get often anymore. The tingle of anticipation and possibility was more thrilling when it was rare. However, KIng's own self-discipline also allowed him to realize that the expectation made it all the better.

All of the feline's anxieties were laid to rest when the reindeer reached out for the dildo, cloth and all, and took it into his own hands, regarding with a look like he'd been given a mystical artifact. Bayard's only thought while he took the toy into his paws was what it would feel like inside of him.

"Thank you," murmured Bayard. He wrapped the satin back around it, as if being worried about protecting it. "Um...what now?"

"If you'd like, you can stay the night," encouraged King, motioning to his bed. "Room enough for two."

Casting his eyes to the ground, Bayard mumbled, "I'd like to but...work..."

With a curt nod, King replied, "Of course."

Reaching down for his clothes, Bayard bundled them up in his paws against his chest. "Do you mind if I get dressed?"

"Not at all," the lion answered, softly. With that, the reindeer turned and went back into the bedroom, closing the door gently behind him. Once Bay was out of sight, the lion swiftly turned on his heels and went to the bedside table again and pulled out his laptop. Surreptitiously, he double checked the sound program running. All around the villa were speakers running a barely-audible tone that was designed to slowly subjugate anyone who listened to it, making them more suggestible. It wasn't as fast as some of his previous methods, but was far less obtrusive than getting a fur to drink a concoction repeatedly. Clearly so far the sonic method was working well on Bayard, amplifying the reindeer's already submissive personality. King knew he would need to wait for the precise moment to fully bring the reindeer under his control. True control was such a fluid concept. To bring one under another's power and mindlessly obey an order didn't require a lot of effort. However, to make one subservient and still willing to live day to day without being instructed to every little task; there in lied the challenge.

Closing the laptop, he sighed while absently running paw over his loose testicles. Most of his thoughts were on what he was going to do with this reindeer.

***

It had been a couple of days since Bayard had last gone to King's and had their night together. Being Saturday now, it was the reindeer's day off, which he was enjoying to himself. After getting up, he had decided his day would start off with a nice, long, warm shower. Steam filled the room while he lathered, rinsed, and just generally enjoyed the water moving down his body. It reminded him of being in the shower with King.

The reindeer stepped out of the shower, drying partially with a towel and then blow-drying to finish. Opening the door, he stepped back into the bedroom. Catching himself in the mirror, he enjoyed seeing himself nude for a moment. A few weeks ago, he would have felt embarrassed even being seen naked by himself. These days, though, he loved to just lounge around naked; clothes were almost just an inconvenience now.

However, the one thing he always wore was the collar King gave him. Sitting on the edge of his bed, he picked up the tan circle and put it around his neck, securing it tightly. Looking back at himself again, he liked seeing the collar on him. At first, it had been somewhat unnerving because it was new. Over a few days, though, his attitude about it had changed and now he liked the look of it, plus the fact that it reminded Bayard that it, and maybe he, belonged to King.

His day off was going to have a better activity than usual today. Today was the day he had decided would be when he was going to use King's other gift. Going to his bedside table, he picked up the satin-wrapped bundle and gingerly unfolded it, like the petals of a flower against the sun. The toy had been sitting next to his bed since he came home, and had been the first thing he saw before work and the last thing before bed. The reindeer had wanted to try it, but at the same had wanted plenty of time to enjoy himself for his first anal penetration. In truth, he had not put much thought into being a top or bottom, but like the rest of his personality, being in the submissive position did appeal to him.

Draping the satin gently back across the nightstand, he held the dildo in his paw. Like King, it was eight inches and thick. The reindeer almost didn't see how it was going to fit in his ass; but he was more than eager to find out if it would. Leaving the toy on the bed, he went into the other room and retrieved a bag from the local drugstore he passed on the way home from work, where he had stopped to pick up a bottle of lube yesterday. He had made sure today he would be completely prepared, and as he walked back into his bedroom, naked, with his collar around his neck and lube in paw, he felt he was more than ready. All his hesitations and self-consciousness just seemed to fade away into a fog in his mind, just like at King's.

Taking the toy in his paw, and noticing that when he gave it a  squeeze it was fairly soft, yet firm, like a real cock, he stood it straight up on the edge of the bed and just looked at it. It stood proudly, or as proud as a dildo could. He still idly wondered if it was cast directly after King's maleness, and the idea that it was gave him a sudden rush of arousal. For a moment, Bayard considered how he wanted to get it inside of himself; if he wanted to ride it, lay on his side, or 'missionary' himself. Having watched his fair share of porn, he knew there was a variety of ways for a male to take it.

In the end, he decided he would lie on his side. He took the lube in one paw and the dildo in the other and lay on his left side so that his right arm would still be free to maneuver. While getting ready, the cervine could feel his heart beating hard in his chest; and this was just over a fake penis. The sensations of excitement surging throughout his body only served to heighten the moment for him.

He pulled his thighs up in front of him, his lower legs pointed away from him, making it look like he was sitting on his side. Mimicking the videos he had seen over the years, he squirted a generous drop of lube onto his fingertips and reached over his hips, past his tail and to his tailhole. Immediately, even just the feeling of pressing his lubed fingers against his pucker felt amazing. Rubbing the lube in, Bayard took a moment just to enjoy massaging his tailhole. As best he could, he slipped a finger  into his hole, slowly but persistently pressing it inside. To his surprise, there was more resistance than he expected, his tight, virgin tailhole fighting the invasion of his finger. It was like a pinching sensation while he made it past his entrance. Pain mixed with pleasure, but he kept at it, telling himself to relax. Gradually, his body loosened up under the exploration of his questing digit. Closing his eyes tightly against the pressure, the reindeer continued to tell himself it would be worth it in the end, though even he couldn't be sure why anal play was suddenly such a fascination for him. 

While exploring himself, Bayard did notice he was beginning to become aroused again. The stimulation in his tailhole was causing his sheath to swell, and it wasn't more than a few moments before his reindeer erection split his slit open and made its presence known. He could see his pink cock between his legs becoming larger with every sensation in his ass. Half of his finger was now inside of himself, and he decided it was time.

Taking the dildo in his paw, he covered it in a liberal amount of lubrication before reaching over his hips and to his tailhole, much like he had done with his finger. While leveraging it against himself, Bayard felt his pulse through his neck and chest, and the tingle of excitement in his stomach. A surge of delight shot up through him as the tapered end of the toy touched his waiting entrance. The silicon cock under his tail felt different from his fingers; slicker and smoother. Rolling the head of the toy around his opening, Bayard closed his eyes and just enjoyed the waves of pleasure up through his body. While teasing himself, he suddenly pushed the dildo inward, beginning to penetrate himself. Just like with his fingers, there was a pinching sensation, and this time he almost wanted to withdraw from himself. However, he merely held it in place, waiting for the pain to subside. Distracting himself, the reindeer played with his testes while waiting to proceed.

Done with his short pause, the cervine pushed it in a bit more, this time in earnest and making it past the resistance of his tailhole and into his recesses beyond. Immediately, the delight of having his tailhole stimulated was replaced with more discomfort. Bayard grit his teeth and left the toy in, flexing his tailhole around the few inches that were already within him. Already, though, he could feel his body becoming accustomed to the invader; just not fast enough for him.

Eventually, he rolled over on to his back, holding the dildo in place with his right paw, and put his legs up. This he found much more comfortable for his first time, his hole seeming able to stretch easier from this position. He let a deep breath go he had been holding since rolling over, and felt more at ease now. With his right paw, he pressed the toy deeper now, the remaining five inches of the shaft sinking in easier now that he was becoming acclimated to it. It seemed to Bay that every inch the toy sank inside of him, his own penis was withdrawing from his sheath with it. In his delight, a drop of precum was already dripping out of his cock slit and onto his belly. The sight of the clear, sticky fluid falling in a long strand only served to turn him on further.

There was still the underlying feeling of some discomfort, but Bayard found he was able to make himself get through it, and embrace the slowly blossoming sense of gratification. The thick toy pressed against his prostate from the inside, and Bayard found that incredibly pleasurable. Often he had read that males could experience satisfaction from that, and now wondered why he waited so long; and why now of all times he decided he wanted to try it.

Hilting the faux penis within him, he loved the feeling of the balls at the base against his ass. The cervine adored the sensation of being filled like this, and couldn't help but wonder if letting King top him would feel anything like this. He also wondered that if the lion offered, if Bayard would say yes.

As much as Bayard enjoyed having the dildo inside of him, he slowly began to slide it back out of him, right up until when he would feel it about to slip out. At that point, the reindeer reversed it again, filling himself once more with the long, thick penis. A soft moan escaped from his muzzle, and he felt his own cock flex while his ass was stretched out. Once wholly inserting his toy again, this time he didn't hesitate and immediately withdrew it and pushed it back in again. Slowly, he settled into a rhythm, nothing too fast yet, just enough to enjoy himself. Each thrust of the cock inside the cervine made his penis feel like someone was pressing against it and his balls from the inside out. He wanted to touch himself so badly, but a voice in his head made him hold back. The reindeer wasn't sure why he denied himself, but something told him he should.

Each time the silicone testicles of the toy touched his ass, he imagined King being the one that was taking him. He almost wished his first ever anal experience had been with King, but at the same time, he wanted nothing but pleasure for his first time, and none of the slight discomfort he had experienced when first penetrating himself.

In his mind's eye, he saw the lion bracing the reindeer's legs up towards his shoulder, and King pressing his cock deep down inside the cervine, and Bayard just taking it. He wanted it so badly now, to have the feline on top of him and deep, deep down inside. He wasn't even thinking of the toy as a dildo any longer, but as King. He pushed King in and out of himself, feeling King stroke his prostate and bring his pre-ejaculate fluids up out of his penis. Bayard now had King taking him a bit faster now, and every stroke and push was an all-new level of delight for the cervine.

Playing with himself in a different way, he took King out, with some disappointment, and stepped down onto the floor, bringing King with him. The reindeer squatted down and leaned against the wall, positioning King under himself on the floor. Gingerly, Bayard slid down the wall, and used his right paw around the back of his leg to guide King into his waiting tailhole again. This time, none of the pain accompanied it, only the pleasantness of being stretched wide open by King once more. His cock ached and flexed for its out, with a long strand of precum dripping from the tip of his maleness to the floor.

Once he had taken as much of King as he could by crouching down, he began to ride the lion, sliding up and down the wall and letting gravity hold King down while he used it. While feeling King slip in and out of his ass, he finally took hold of his maleness and began to paw himself off. It was worth the wait, and was easily one of the best masturbation sessions he'd ever had. With King pleasuring him in his rear, and his paw sliding back and forth across his cock, he was in ecstasy.

Bayard's tongue lolled out as he really got into a more brisk pace, both stroking his penis and tailhole. He gasped and his breath came raggedly, his tail thumping against the floor. For the first time ever, Bay was glad his neighbors were older and hoped they were hard of hearing. 

Before he orgasmed, Bayard changed position once more, kneeling down with his footpaws pointing behind him, and jutting his hips out in front of him to continue jerking himself. He nearly had all of King hilted inside of him once more, but what he could get in from this position made him happy enough. All he cared about was feeling that stretch against his tailhole while he finished himself off.

Never before had he come to the edge of an orgasm so quickly before, but this time, he didn't care. His cock ached and begged for release, and Bayard was more than content to let it have its out. The first tremor up through his shaft released a spurt of semen that went a foot and a half in front of him; the reindeer had never seen himself cum this hard before, either. With the second pulse of his climax, his cried out loudly, arching his back and squeezing his free hand tightly. Every surge and spasm brought another thick bit of his reindeer seed, spilling across the carpet in glistening beads. Bay's head spun and his chest heaved as it stopped, the spurts slowly falling away and leaving him with a lingering feeling of supreme contentment.

With the end of his orgasm, he fell forward on all fours, the toy falling from his tailhole and thumping against the ground. Being spent had never felt so awesome to him before. He also liked having himself on all fours. Reaching up, he gently rubbed the collar around his neck, and thought of King again.

***

Sitting in his den, King had one paw on a snifter of brandy while reading one of Chaucer's collections. It was already after nightfall, and the evening was dragging on uneventfully. The lion was considering having a cigar to round off the night before bed.

Idly, he was concerned he'd not heard from Bayard recently. It had been nearly a week since the reindeer had come back, and King was worried that the suggestions had not firmly taken hold. It would be inconvenient at best to start over with another, but it was what it was if such things had to happen.

Thinking to himself, he nearly didn't notice that the front gate buzzer had gone off. He would allow Duncan to get it, but at the same time found himself walking towards the living room. When he stepped under the curtain, there was Duncan, standing by the front door waiting to receive their guest.

"Who was ringing?" inquired King.

"Mr. Shepcott, sir," replied Duncan. As if having some extrasensory perception, the German shepherd opened the door to a bewildered reindeer with his hand raised to the door prepared to knock. Duncan stepped aside, gesturing for Bay to come in.

"Bayard," began King, somewhat surprised and delighted to see the reindeer, "what brings you by?" he went on, innocuously

"I'm sorry for coming by so late, I hope I didn't come by at a bad time," said Bayard, now feeling somewhat self-conscious again.

Shaking his head and giving a dismissal wave of his paw, King assured, "Not at all. Please, come and have a seat. Duncan, see to our guest, I will return in a moment." With a curt nod, the feline turned on his heels and walked back out of the living room and down to his bedroom. He checked to make sure he was alone, and went to the bedside stand, taking the noise-canceling earplugs, which he firmly fit into his ears, and opened his laptop. Quickly, he booted up his program, double-checked to be sure everything was running as it was intended, and played the sub-sonic indoctrination waves again.

Heading back to the living room, he stopped by his study and grabbed his brandy, and went back on his way. Parting the curtain, he came back to Bayard, smiling slightly and holding up his glass. "Had to retrieve my drink. Can't waste such a thing."

Bayard smiled in return, jumping a bit as Duncan returned with a glass of red wine for Bayard. King questioned his help with only his eyes, and the shepherd nodded. With a flick of King's eyes once more, the shepherd was gone again.

With a regal stride, King came and sat on the chair opposite the couch Bayard was seated on. Crossing his legs properly, he finally asked, "What brings you to my door this evening?"

Clearly embarrassed, the reindeer took a nervous sip of the wine before beginning, "Well, for the last few days, I've been using...what you gave me." With a quick anxious laugh, Bayard went on, "And I liked it."

King raised an eyebrow. "Go on."

"And, I...I guess I can't stop thinking about the other night, with you and I together," went on Bayard, not meeting King's gaze, looking everywhere else he could. "...And that you said there could be more."

Resting his elbows on the chair arms and tenting his fingers, King asked, "Are you looking for a relationship?"

Bayard didn't respond for a moment, before answering, "I don't know. All I know is that the way my life is now seems...boring, and that the last few days have been more exciting than the last few years of my life."

Smiling inwardly, King pressed, "What is it you do want? And, please, don't be afraid to tell me exactly what you want."

"I want to be...owned," admitted Bayard.

'And there it is,' thought King to himself. 'Perfect.' Aloud, he explained to the reindeer, "I'll be frank, I am not seeking a mate, I desire a pet. Not an equal, but a possession. You struck me as someone who wanted more out of life, but in a way that you would be submitted to another." Taking a sip of his brandy, the lion continued, "I used to live on a secluded island that I owned. Mostly because of the ennui of daily life. As I said before, I was just dissatisfied with having every little thing at my fingertips. However, there was always one thing I could not have at my whim; another's free will. That is what my all-encompassing goal became; was to own another's will and perception of themselves."

Shifting uncomfortably, Bayard asked, "And...that's what you want from me?"

"So to speak," answered King. "I want you, specifically, but, yes, in that way. If you're to continue to what you're asking for, that is the capacity in which you'd be held. That is not to mean you'd be mistreated, or abused; quite the opposite, actually."

Bayard remembered the other night how tender King had been, but now it did make sense in a way; the collar, and King's dominant demeanor. However, Bayard also remembered how the first time he used the toy King gave him, he imagined that it was the lion taking him, using him, and that the collar had scarcely left his neck other than to shower. Even now, he was wearing it, and he could see a glimmer in King's eyes that said the feline was pleased by that fact. More and more he was viewing the lion as a authoritative figure, but at the same time caring; like an owner.

"You'd be free to leave whenever you like," pressed King, knowing that was a lie. "I want you to be this way of your own free will, but still subservient."

"I...don't know," murmured Bayard, knowing full well that in the grips of his fantasies, this was exactly what he wanted. Still, he wasn't sure why he was hesitating then; his mind felt muddled again, like he couldn't think straight. All he could think of was King mounting him.

Standing, King came over to the reindeer, running a paw down the top of the cervine's head and his back. Bayard shivered a bit at the touch, enjoying being caressed by the lion. It had been so long since Bay had felt another male's touch, and he didn't want it to end. "What would you want me to do?"

Feeling the collar through Bayard's shirt, King was even more assured that the cervine would give in to whatever King told him to. The extra insurance in Bayard's drink again would also help that along. "Before we truly discuss anything, there's one thing you would need to be aware of."

Looking up quizzically, the reindeer simply asked, "What's that?"

"Come with me," said King, softly.

Getting to his feet, Bayard followed King back towards the master bedroom once more. They slipped past the curtain, and down the hallway to the bedroom. King let Bayard slip past him, and then followed the cervine in, closing the door behind them. The bamboo shades were drawn down, and King clicked on a dim lamp on the top of the dresser.

"Now we can discuss the matter better," said King, gliding past the reindeer to the drawers again. Reaching into the same place he got the collar from, the lion now produced a very shiny, metal device, made of polished platinum. Part of it was a circular ring that wasn't quite closed near the top, with a small, circular hole at the top on either side of where it was open. The rest of it was a half-ovoid shape, like an egg cut in half, with a lattice pattern that originated from a small hole at the apex of the curve, and was criss-crossed by other horizontal lines that ran around the circumference. It created a tight checkered pattern, with open holes that were just small enough to prevent a finger from being pushed through. 

"What...is it?" asked Bayard, staring at the device in King's paw.

"It's a chastity device," King said, plainly. "The ring portion is slipped around your testicles' sac, and the cage goes over your sheath, and then is locked into the circular protrusions at the top of the ring. Simple but effective. It keeps you from being able to pleasure yourself, or really even get an erection."

"And I have to...wear it?"

Nodding gently, King said, "If you want to continue with this. You don't orgasm unless I say. Before you really commit to any of this, I want you to go home and wear this for a few days, decide if this is what you really want." By now, though, King knew this was exactly what the reindeer wanted.

Bayard took the metal in his paw, noticing how cold and clinical it was. The metal itself, however, looked lovely, and there were subtle cosmetic design features to it, such as a slight wave to the criss-crossed bars of the sheath cage, and etched designs along the outside edge of the ring. His sheath tingled at the mere idea of wearing this, but in an anticipatory way, not worrisome or nervously. If anything, the idea of having when he would climax again didn't make him fearful that he would never cum again; that idea was also slightly arousing and intriguing.

"How long would I have to wear it?" asked Bayard.

"As long as you want to continue with this."

Hesitating for a moment, the reindeer pressed, "And how long in between...when I get to cum?"

King made no reply other than to shrug his shoulders slightly.

Taking a deep breath, the reindeer made his decision. "I'll try."

Giving a full grin in reply, King merely murmured, "Excellent." Taking the device back, he finished, "Then we begin immediately."

Blushing, Bayard asked, "What do you want me to do?"

In a firm voice, King merely commanded, "Strip."

"Um...o-okay," Bayard agreed. Despite having had sex with King a few days prior, he still felt somewhat awkward disrobing before the lion. However, he somewhat liked being ordered around. Like the collar, it was odd because it was new, but it also made Bayard feel happy, like he had somewhere to belong and someone to give his life purpose. Since Ky, maybe he also hadn't been looking for a mate, but a master.

Taking off his shirt and tossing it aside, the reindeer lost his pants in one swift motion before losing his nerve. He was left in only his glasses and collar. Reaching over, King removed the glasses and set the atop the dresser nearby. "Now, you're ready." With a clink of metal, King came closer to Bayard. "Try not to get aroused while I'm doing this." Bayard nodded, trying to keep himself as unexcited as possible, which wasn't easy, especially when King first grabbed his testicles and slipped the platinum ring around the base.

It wasn't as cold as it first felt in Bayard's paw. The metal did feel slightly odd against his balls and pelvis, but it wasn't obtrusive. He liked how his testes could still hang freely past the edge of the ring.

Making certain Bayard's balls were properly tucked through the ring, King gently set the latticed cage over the reindeer's sheath, with the cervine's sheath filling out the cage tightly, his furred pouch right up against the inside of the cage. Like the ring, Bayard found it a bit tight, but not uncomfortable or painful. He could also clearly tell it would be impossible for his penis to escape from it's furred prison. It was also now obvious that the hole in the very top of the cage was for Bayard to be able to urinate. With the cage firmly in place, King lined up the circular attachments at the base of the cage with the ones on the ring, and slid a metal rod through all four circles. Once it was all the way through, he produced small padlock and slid it through another, small circle at the end of the rod so it couldn't be pulled back through. The reindeer's sheath was now firmly locked under the cage, with the cage securely attached to the ring. Once King was finished applying the chastity cage, Bayard reached down and inquisitively prodded at his new attachment. He found he could touch his testicles all he wanted, but it was impossible to touch his sheath any longer, even just in so far as push a finger in there. Now that it was on, he almost found a sense of panic setting in; all he wanted to do now was paw off. 

However, before the thought could really register, King said, "Now, I want you to try this for a few days and make certain you really want this. Any time, you can tell me you want out. However..." The lion paused for a moment, taking the padlock key, stringing it onto a bead chain, and slipped it around his own neck. "...I will otherwise leave you locked in there." Almost as an afterthought, King added, "If you really want to have some sort of sexual release, you can use the dildo I gave you."

Bayard was still fascinated with his chastity belt. Between his collar and chastity device, he now felt like he was becoming more owned by King. If he was able to get to his full arousal, that thought definitely would have gotten him there. He wanted to just tell King he was ready, and wanted King to just own now. However, King had directed him to try it out for a few days, and that was what the reindeer would do.

"So...what comes next?" Bayard inquired at length.

With a knowing smile, King just replied, "We'll discuss that in a few days. Come, now, why don't we return and finish our drinks?"

***

The photocopier droned on while it ran off a few copies for Bayard. While the steady hum went on and on, the reindeer's mind was a million miles away. Despite every day being the same at work, nowadays his life felt more exciting for some reason. In no small part due to the heft he felt around his sac and sheath for the last couple of days.

Since leaving King's with his new attachment, he had felt different. Maybe it was the combination of the collar and chastity device, but now he felt truly owned by King, even if the lion wasn't making it official yet. Every moment he was awake now was consumed with thinking of being King's pet. When he went back, it would be resounding 'yes' to whatever the lion asked of the cervine to make it happen.

"Hey," came a voice from behind Bayard. The reindeer spun to come face to face with a co-worker, a kangaroo, looking very annoyed. "Your copies have been done for, like, a minute now. The rest of us need to use it, too."

With a sheepish smile, Bay gathered up his papers and left the room quickly. His daydreams had been getting more in-depth, and most of the time the world was just passing him by now. Quickly, he dropped the stack off at his desk and picked his way out of the office area, into the hall, and down to the bathroom. At the moment, he was alone, with most other fur's lunch hours just having ended. Bayard made his way down to the last stall, closing the door behind him, and sighed. This was where he could have some privacy for a few moments.

Unzipping his pants, he pulled out his locked sheath with a faint jingle of metal. Bayard found himself just gazing down at his pent up penis, and the fact that he could no longer orgasm at will. In a way, it turned him on, which was ironic, since as he would feel his sheath expand, it would be stopped by the metal from letting his erection slip free. The best he had seen was a bit of pink pressing just barely out of his slit. The cage was very effective at its job of security.

However, Bayard could still touch his testicles, which he now enjoyed rolling around in his paw more than ever. His balls were very sensitive to the touch after having not climaxed for a few days, and Bayard swore he could feel all his unspent seed in there. While he gave himself a quick grab and a squeeze, the reindeer sighed contentedly.

Not wanting to be noticed being missing, Bayard grudgingly zipped himself back up and walked from the stall. The restroom was still empty, but he did not want to take the chance of someone walking in and listening his furtive noises of touching himself. Which also was odd to him; never before had he ever done anything remotely sexual at work before. Now, he had been coming into the stalls to look at his trapped maleness every few hours at work.

His unofficial break seemed to have gone unnoticed as he slipped back into his cubicle and resumed working on his computer. Everything just seemed to blue together; the cervine barely made note of anything that flashing past on his screen these days. Every couple of moments, his mind would drift to the metal prison between his legs, and the promise of what was to come in future days.

***

It was dark when he opened his eyes. A loud clap of thunder had awoken him from sleep, and rain streaked the windows. Bayard momentarily was disappointed to be woken from his dream where King was using him in every way possible, and Bayard was more than happy to allow the feline his out. However, now that he was awake his found that his cock was pressing up against the inside of the chastity belt.

Nude, Bayard sat up in bed, the familiar clink of the platinum device moving with him. This wasn't the first night this had happened; in fact, the first few days the reindeer had been wearing it had been rather sleepless from trying to will his penis to calm down and let him sleep. However, he sometimes got worked up, whether from thought or unconscious ideas, and was just a matter of waiting it out. Bayard could clearly tell he was as erect as possible inside of his sheath. When he got aroused, the reindeer found the cage not only held his maleness inside, but also prevented him from attaining a complete erection; a double-dose of denial. No longer could he even have the visual pleasure of seeing his reindeer member stiffen out from his body.

Just like the collar, though, it also almost reassured him that he was King's; and soon, the feline would hopefully say those words himself. In the meantime, it was just a case of making it a bit longer. King had not defined a set time for Bayard to come back, but the reindeer sensed it wasn't time yet.

In the darkness, he looked over to the toy sitting on the bedside stand. He had used it on himself since coming home last time from King's. Despite reading up on the internet about anal orgasms, the reindeer had been unable to bring himself to climax by riding the dildo; it had just left him feeling pent up for quite some time. The idea of trying again briefly passed through his mind, but he didn't want to leave himself unfulfilled and even hornier than he was now.

Instead he roll onto his side, feeling the metal pressing against his thighs, and tried to will himself unaroused. Thinking about it seemed to just make it worse, and Bayard found his paw drifting down to his open testes, which seriously didn't make it any better. Sighing, the reindeer found he just couldn't stop himself, like he was unconsciously being encouraged to do this; like so many other things lately, as if an invisible paw were guiding him. It made his penis strain against its confinement, but he didn't care, it just felt wonderful. His orbs were the only sexual part of himself he could touch any more, and for now that would have to be enough. Bayard knew he couldn't bring himself to orgasm this way, but he just needed some sort of satisfaction.

While fondling himself, the reindeer's mind drifted back to his dream, where he had been free of his sheath lock and being taken by King. The feline's massive cock entered him over and over while Bayard stroked himself to completion. It had been a wonderful fantasy, similar to ones he'd had while awake. 

Despite the fantastic feelings of fantasizing and massaging his testicles, it was just making him more pent up. Bayard wanted so badly to sleep, especially seeing that it was already four AM and he had work at eight. For now, though, he didn't care; just one more sleepless night as he stroked his testes and tried to make himself stop.

***

It was dark, overcast, and rainy while Bayard drove the gentle hill to the top, He should have been at work an hour ago, but today he wasn't going. Probably his bosses were calling his cell, which was at home. Eventually they'd get mad, and probably get a corrective action report written up for the next time he came in; but he didn't care.

The rhythmic thump of the wiper blades edged into the vague periphery of his mind while he came to the gates of King's villa. The reindeer didn't even need to reach out and buzz; the gates swung inwardly before him. Accelerating gently, he pulled up towards the end of the drive. While the cervine's car came closer, he was unaware of King standing in the front window, paws clasped behind his back, and a slow smile creeping onto his muzzle.

Parking in his now usual spot, Bayard stepped from the car, adjusting the collar around his neck while he did so. Rain gently pattered against his fur and muzzle, and Bayard enjoyed the sensation for a moment. It was nice, and made him cleaned, and refreshed. In a way, he felt like his whole life was being refreshed right now.

Quickly, he approached the front door, knocking softly. Expecting the shepherd, he was pleasantly surprised when King came to the front door. Dressed in a navy blue tailored suit, black button up and dark red tie. "Come in, please. I've been waiting for you."

Stepping past King, Bayard gave the lion and quick smile, waiting for King to close the door. "No work today?" asked the lion, with a bemused grin.

Casting his eyes away for a moment, Bayard murmured, "No, not today."

Gesturing towards the seats in the living area, King took a seat, with Bayard opposite him. "So, what is today?"

Sitting forward, clasping his hands together in front of him, Bayard started, "I...I want to take your offer."

With a glint of happiness in his eyes, King pressed, "And what offer is that?"

"To...be yours. To be owned," whispered the reindeer, looking down. King could see the subservient, submissive nature of the cervine, amplified even more so than when the lion first met Bayard. His posture, language, everything said that he was ready; and King was ready for him.

"And you remember everything that entails?" King subtly reminded the reindeer.

"Of course," mumbled Bayard.

Letting the quiet hang in the air for a moment, and the only sound between them the rain against the windows, King went on, "There is one other thing." The reindeer looked up from the ground now, somewhat quizzically. "You would have to let me take your virginity before you're mine."

Bayard felt his heart race for a moment. This was exactly what he'd wanted, what he had been fantasizing about, but now that it was being said, being asked of him, he didn't know how to respond. For the last couple of days he had been able to think of nothing else but King taking and using him. However, he didn't give himself long to think before an answer welled up inside of him. "Yes." He thought for a brief moment. "I need to know something. My mother, I...I need to be able to go for her when she..." Without words, King just nodded in assent. "Then, yes."

As if one cue, Duncan materialized out of nowhere. Two glasses of wine were perched on top of a silver tray he was carrying. Tacitly, he set one down next to King and handed the other to Bayard. The reindeer gave a quick nod of thanks, and Duncan was gone just as quickly and silently as he came.

"Then, you are ready," proclaimed King, raising his glass. "To...your health," he finished, with a wry smile.

With that, they both tipped their glasses, drinking their liquor. Despite being chilled, Bayard found it had almost a warming quality to it as it made its way down his throat. The glass was empty before he even realized it, and already his head was swimming. Apparently he was more of a lightweight then he thought he was. "Mmmm...King..."

"It's okay," whispered King, "Just relax." The drink he'd given Bayard contained a powerful hypnotic drug, one he cultivated himself from plant secretions. It was a powerful drug, that he used for purposes other than what it was used for with the tribe deep in the jungles where he'd first found it while traveling the globe.

Now, he could see the tell-tale signs of the effects; Bayard's eyes glassing over, his muscles relaxing. This was the same process he'd seen when he'd given it to Duncan after coming back from the tropics. The shepherd wasn't a for-hire butler, the lion had actually picked him up shortly after leaving the airport and quietly dosing him. King had no idea what Duncan's life was before coming into King's life, and it didn't really matter.

Seeing Bayard's eyes, King knew the reindeer was slowly succumbing to the concoction. The subsonic suggestion had merely paved the way for this. King had used to use only the plant secretions to get the job done, but it took some time, varied from individual to individual, and left the subject much further under than King wanted for his permanent pet.

Now, Bayard was slumped back in his seat, feeling like he was a million miles away. All the feelings of haziness and like he was living in someone else's mind were amplified now. More than ever he just wanted to belong to King.

Along with the spreading of warmth was a feeling of panic, though. He felt his mind slipping away, and tried to hold on, but it just got further and further away. It was getting harder to think straight, and while he was feeling like he wanted King to use him in every way possible, he simultaneously was afraid of losing himself.

"Just relax," repeated King, getting up and coming over to Bayard. "I want you to just let go." Setting a paw on the reindeer's shoulder, he intoned, "Just let go of everything. You'll have new desires, new wants, a new life."

The cervine could just barely hear King's voice anymore. Everything was slipping away into the haze. But, Bayard was coming to like the feeling. Rather than being cold, it was like a blanket being pulled over him. It made him think that everything was going to be better, and that tomorrow he wouldn't have to put up with the same thing day after day.

"Just listen only to the sound of my voice," spoke King, softly. "Only obey my voice. When you're ready, you will refer to me as master."

Bayard whimpered a bit, letting everything just wash over him; King's voice, the warmth, everything. He didn't want to fight it anymore; he wanted to belong. He thought about the lines of transactions he had to go over every day, going back to his empty apartment, and knowing that every day was the same. A part of him was trying to rise up and resist, that he felt a panic welling up within him. Bayard knew he had to give up a part of himself for this, and it scared him. The rest of him, though, didn't care, and wanted to know what was waiting for him in the unknown.

"Yes...master," he breathed.

Smiling wide, King murmured, "Excellent." He ran his paws down over Bayard's chest and stomach, lingering on his crotch for a moment to feel the metal between the reindeer's legs. Now all of this belonged to King.

"Bayard, can you here me?" asked King.

"Mmhmm," answered the cervine, with hooded eyes.

"You're only to obey me now," commanded King, firmly yet softly, "You're now my pet, and I am your master."

"Yes, Master," confirmed Bayard, some of the sharpness coming back to his eyes. However, King knew the reindeer was solidly under his command now. 

"You're doing very good, pet," encouraged King. The beginning was always the most delicate. He was confident that the initial subconscious suggestions would make things easier, though, and speed up the process. "You remember what we discussed before. The terms of your staying here."

"Yes, Master."

"And that you must do everything I said. That you will stay here, belong to me, only go out when instructed, and give up your former life."

"Of course, Master," nodded the reindeer.

"And that before you are officially considered to be my pet, you must allow me to take you," pressed the lion.

"Yes, Master, I am all your's," affirmed Bayard in a low, almost monotone voice.

King was more pleased than he could have imagined. Here was his first permanent pet, not one that he would discard when finished, that was only a temporary pleasure. Bayard would be his for a very long time. Even once he was done implanting the post-hypnotic suggestions, Bayard would be overwhelmed with the desire to please his new master. 

"All right, Bayard, why don't you come to the bedroom with me?" suggested King, getting to his feet.

Implicitly, the cervine got right to his feet and eagerly followed the lion to the other end of the house and into the master bedroom. The blinds were drawn up and showed the damp day beyond, with the bruised sky hovering over them. King opted to leave the blinds open, letting natural light drift in through the windows.

Bayard still felt dizzy, and the room looked like someone had canted it slightly to the left. Under it all, though, was the need to please King above all else, and happy he had finally heard what he wanted; that he was owned by this lion. Right now he felt so alive, and sexual, like he just wanted to be taken over and over again. 

"How are you still feeling?" asked King, softly.

"Fine, Master," the reindeer replied, slowly. 

King stepped around behind the reindeer and placed his paws on Bayard's shoulders. "Your body and mind now belongs to me."

"To you," repeated Bayard with a nod.

Smiling slowly, King went on, "As of today, this is the only life you'll know. You will stay here, and serve me. Do as I say, when I say, and enjoy all of it."

"I will, Master."

"Your former life has no meaning to you anymore. Your job, family, none of it matters anymore, only obeying me," pressed King.

"Of course, Master."

No resistance, no hesitation; just perfect. King had only had two previous slaves this perfect; brothers, actually. Ones that their inner submissive personalities were amplified and made into a wonderful sexual toy. Bayard would be serving him well for a long time.

Running his paws down over the reindeer's sides and hips, King almost shivered in anticipation. "I want you to take your clothes off, Bayard."

Bayard didn't move immediately, hesitating for a moment. "Bayard, I want you to take your clothes," repeated King. This time, there was no pause, the reindeer immediately started to take off his shirt, letting it fall to the floor. King was still very pleased to see the collar around the cervine's neck. He'd never actually tried to implant the idea of keeping the collar on all the time, that was the reindeer's own doing. 

Once he was completely disrobed, King walked around in front of the cervine, admiring the nude figure before him once more. It was fantastic, making King very aroused. Even more so to see the caged sheath of the reindeer between Bayard's legs. That little bit of metal conveyed the knowledge that the reindeer would never orgasm without the lion's permission.

"Now, I want you to undress me," commanded King, softly. 

With a far-away look in his eyes, Bayard's paws came up to King's jacket, undoing the buttons. "Over the bed, please," added the lion. Doing as he was instructed, Bayard carefully lay the garment across the top of the bed spread, then came back to dutifully remove King's tie and shirt. Those articles of clothing ended up on top of the jacket. Unlike last time when King had disrobed himself, this time his new pet was to service him.

With the lion's firmly chiseled chest and stomach in sight, Bayard moved on to his pants. With a faint jingle of his belt buckle, King's pants went down over his thighs and to his ankles. The lion sighed with contentment now that his bulging sheath was exposed. Soon he would take his new pet, and truly mark him as the lion's own. There would be plenty of time for that later.

"Do you like seeing your Master?" whispered King.

Nodding, Bay answered, "Very much."

"I'm going to use your body," began King, tracing his finger down the gentle curve of Bayard's stomach and down to his groin, pulling gently at the chastity cage, eliciting a slight whimper from the reindeer. "But before that, I'm going to give you one last time to make a choice." Letting go of the cage, King took the chain from around his neck and unlocked the chastity cage, taking the parts in his paw and, as if he were carrying a Faberge egg, set it next to his clothes on the bed. "I'm going to let you choose one last time how you'd like to orgasm before I lock you in this permanently, and the next time you ejaculate will be at my discretion. Now, I want you to choose."

For a moment, Bayard's eyes had a bit more clarity to them. King knew that the only way Bayard could have a choice now is if King directly gave him one, like now. And whether Bayard knew it or not, this could one of his most important choices. While the reindeer thought about it, he knew he didn't want to top King; he'd never thought of himself as a top, and especially not now. However, there was one thing he wanted that his ex would never do for him.

"I...I want a blowjob," murmured Bayard, looking to the floor. "My last partner would never do it for me, and would always tell me if he did, he wouldn't swallow."

"Then I can grant this request," agreed King. Normally, King would never allow himself to be in such a position, but for a last appeal, he would accept this. It would be awhile before Bayard would feel another's stimulation on his maleness, and King wanted his pet to be happy.

"Come, to the bed," lead King, walking over to the bedside. He took his suit and other accoutrements from the bed and hung them up in the closet before coming to the bed and kneeling down, motioning to the reindeer to join him. Bayard did as King gestured, kneeling on the opposite side. With obvious tenderness, the lion eased the cervine onto the bed on his back. Bayard smiled a bit while his Master lay him down against the softest pillows Bayard had ever felt.

Laying down next to Bayard, King drifted his paw down to Bayard's now-exposed sheath, rubbing it gently. Having been confined for the last couple of days, the sensation was exquisite for Bayard. He closed his eyes and sighed contentedly, letting the lion down whatever he wanted. King knew that not having the ability to touch himself made the attention to the reindeer's private places all the better.

"Mmmf...," breathed Bayard. Never before had anything in his life felt so good; his ex had never been this gentle and attentive. It had always been mostly one-sided, with his ex just sprinting when it was Bayard wanting to cum. With King, though, he felt that even though he was to be owned, that he would be taken care of properly.

Even while he was thinking of all this, his maleness was rapidly expanding past his sheath and coming to its full length. His seven and a half inches was still nothing to be ashamed of, standing straight up from his body. It felt like forever since he'd last seen his own penis, and that was turning him on even more. Deep down, he knew that after this he was going back in the cock cage; but even that was turning him on.

"If there's anything else you want me to do," said King, "just let me know." While fondling the reindeer, King enjoyed seeing his pet come to his full erection. Letting go of Bayard's sheath and cock, he moved on to the cervine's testicles, gently cupping and rolling them in his grip. Leaning in across Bayard's chest, he licked across the reindeer's chest while he kept stroking his pet's testes. Every now and then he could feel Bayard's cock expand from the stimulation.

"Whenever you're ready, pet," King spoke, softly, "I'll start."

"I am ready," gasped out the reindeer. He wanted to feel another male's muzzle around his maleness, especially King's. The lion was very attractive to him, and when King was done for him, Bayard was more than ready to give the lion his body.

Sitting up a bit, King rubbed the reindeer's stomach gently. Without a word, he slipped down lower on the bed, getting between the cervine's legs. Bayard watched on with anticipation, noticing that King's maleness was slightly aroused, some pink peeking from his sheath slit; apparently the lion was enjoying tending to Bayard.

With no hesitation, King brought his muzzle to Bayard's maleness and licked from the reindeer's balls to the very tip of his penis. The reindeer's cock flexed at the sensation; it was even better than Bayard had ever imagined. He wished his ex-boyfriend had just once done this for him. Idly, he wondered if King would swallow.

The lion purred slightly under his breath, and whispered, "You're not going to cum until I'm ready." The reindeer just shivered with suspense. His testes were already excited from being stroked and licked, and his cock visibly pulsed from arousal. Slowly, achingly so, King took the reindeer's cockhead into his muzzle. His tongue played over the back of Bayard's head, across his slit, and then the front, repeating the rotation slowly over and over. Bayard gasped quietly, wishing he'd been able to do this years ago. It had been so long since another male had been on his most private places.

"Ah, Master...," murmured Bayard. King was satisfied with the low noises coming from his pet. Even when King was technically being subservient, the lion still liked to be in charge; of how must pleasure his pet was receiving, of when Bayard would orgasm, and how the reindeer would enjoy himself. 

Bracing his paws on either side of the deer's hips, King dipped his muzzle a bit lower, beginning to take Bayard's cock into his maw. Bayard whimpered and squirmed a bit under the stimulation. King once again took delight in the cervine's noises of pleasure. Stopping halfway down the deer's shaft, King retreated his muzzle back to the tip, suckling on it for a moment before engulfing the erection before him once again. In truth, it had been a long time since he'd pleasured another male in such a submissive manner; not since a long time ago, since his brother.

Pushing that memory from his mind, he concentrated on the reindeer's cock firmly pushed into his muzzle. The feel of the reindeer's maleness throbbing against his tongue in time with the cervine's pulse was a welcome feeling, as much as King hated to admit it to himself. However, on occasion, his eyes would glance to the chastity device left lying on the bedsheets, and feeling a quick surge of anticipation shoot through his gut at the idea of putting his new pet back into it for a long, long time.

Oblivious to his new owner's deep desires, Bayard simply enjoyed the warmth around his maleness for the time being. He looked down, over his chest and belly, to watch his cock disappear into Master's muzzle over and over, his pink maleness appearing every so briefly before being swallowed up again. He blushed despite himself while being pleasured by the lion; his Master. The word in his head just made him happy. Every desire he had now was to be owned and serve King.

The reindeer's toes curled reflexively while King began tonguing his slit again. The lion could taste Bayard's precum slipping from his cockhead, a sure sign the cervine was titillated and pent up. It probably had been a few days since the deer had cum, especially having gone home with the chastity device on. King had been confident that the deer would be unable to pleasure himself, and more over would be mostly unwilling to truly attempt to do so, more wanting to wait for his master to do that. It was part of the subsonic hypnotic suggestions he'd been implanting; that the deer would be less inclined to masturbate than let King take care of him.

King released Bayard's erection momentarily, still gently stroking the cervine. "How are you doing, Pet?" asked King, softly.

Bayard sighed contentedly before answering, "Just fine, Master." The cervine blushed again when King began stroking and fondling the deer's ballsac. The lion merely purred with delight at the sight of his pet looking submissive, despite the fact the reindeer was the one getting the attention to his male places. The lion gave Bayard's balls a tight squeeze, and the deer whimpered in kind; not necessarily in pain, just in submission. King pulled Bayard's sac upwards, tightly outlining the orbs inside against the fur before letting it fall slack again. To the deer, it was just mostly a good feeling; his liked having his testes played with.

However, it wasn't long before King released them and leaned back down to languidly resume sucking Bayard's penis. The deer wasn't about to complain as King re-took his cock, this time going all the way to the base before beginning to retract, only about halfway, and then taking all seven and a half inches of the cervine maleness again. Somewhere in the back of his mind, Bayard was reminding himself this may be the last time he would be able to ejaculate for a long time, but for now he didn't care.

While his cock flexed and pulsed within King's maw, Bayard could feel his orgasm well up inside of him, and then drop off. It made his cock tingle for a moment, and then feel pent up beyond anything he'd ever felt before, even teasing himself while pawing off. Master hadn't told him to cum yet, and Bayard knew he wasn't supposed to until ordered. Even while Master was giving him what he wanted, it was still up to Master when he ejaculated.

The lion was well aware that Bayard wanted his out, but would not yet give him the okay to orgasm. He continued to suck Bayard's cock and stroke the cervine's head with his tongue. Bayard moaned at the sensations, and even more so when King reached up with his right paw and stroked the reindeer's sac again. It was almost more than the deer could take, and any other time he would probably have shot his load into King's muzzle, especially given how long it had been since he'd last had his out. Today, however, was different; Bayard wouldn't finish until King said so, and the deer found that arousing.

Coming up off of Bayard's shaft, King went lower to the cervine's balls and licked them delicately. He heard a sharp intake of breath from his pet, and went further, taking Bayard's sac into his muzzle and gently caressing the orbs with his tongue. The reindeer was amazed how King could go from soft, delicate touch to controlling and domineering. That the lion could keep Bayard's needs and wants in mind, but still remind the deer of his place. Bunching the sheets up in his paw, Bayard just looked up to the ceiling while he enjoyed having his balls sucked on. Idly, he wondered how much longer all of his pent-up seed would have to stay contained within him. Even while King sucked on his sac, a couple beads of precum formed on Bayard's slit and slowly fell down the front of his erection in a steady stream. When the lion came back to the deer's cock, he licked the falling fluids off of the shaft and looked up to Bayard.

"Do you want to cum, Pet?" he inquired, with an edge to his voice that made the deer think it wasn't really a question. Tacitly, Bayard just nodded in return. With no further hesitation, King deep-throated Bayard's cock again, rapidly bobbing up and down on it. The lion's own sheath pouch swelled slightly at the idea of having the reindeer's hot semen going down his throat.

Wishing again that his boyfriend had done this for him a long time ago, Bayard had never been so enthralled before. His cock swelled and pulsed, every movement of King's muzzle and tongue hastening on the now-inevitable. It was like a switch had been flipped in his mind, and he was ready and willing to cum now. For his first, and maybe ever only, blowjob, it was amazing. He hoped someday Master would let him experience this again. However, the memory would keep him going for a long time.

King made long strokes with his tongue against Bayard's erect maleness, he could tell the deer wouldn't last much longer. Bayard was arching his back and running his paws over his own belly while waves of ecstasy washed over his body. Even being owned by someone, he felt more taken care of now than when he was in a relationship. 

A vague, tingling sensation began in his testes. It quickly spread into his groin, and eventually his cock. Bayard had felt this many times before; the harbinger of his orgasm. However, this was far more intense than any he'd ever had before; even more than when he and King had first shared themselves with one another. While their last encounter, King had been asking of Bay's wants and needs, this time, the reindeer could very definitely tell the lion was in charge, right down to the cervine's hastening orgasm. A bolt of pleasure shot up through his shaft, causing it to contract, and then pulse, beginning to unwind the ropes of semen from his testicles into the feline's muzzle. Bayard gasped out loud, entwining the bedspread in his paws again while he arched his back and sprayed his ejaculate. He could actually feel King's purr against his penis while Bayard came, and the deer idly wondered how much the lion really enjoyed being subjugated ever so briefly. The thought went as quickly as it came, however, replaced with just the overwhelming feelings of ecstasy crowding into every part of his body. His mind swam and his lower body tingled with the effects of his orgasm. He was also pleased that King had steadfastly wrapped his muzzle around Bayard's deer-cock and was swallowing the full load that the cervine was giving up. Every twitch and pulse brought another release of semen, which sent a tang of saltiness across the lion's tongue, which brought on some unbidden memories.

When his cock finally gave its final bit of male fluids up, Bayard collapsed back with a heavy, contended sigh. Even the knowledge he would soon be locked in the chastity device couldn't sully the wonderful feeling at that moment.

King released the deer's penis from his muzzle, wiping up a few errant drops of seminal fluids while he came and knelt next to Bayard, the lion's tail flicking behind him in anticipation. "How was that, Pet?"

"It was wonderful, Master," murred Bayard, rolling towards the lion and rubbing the feline's testes. "Do you need me now?"

"In a moment, Pet, in a moment," assured the lion, stroking Bayard's bely softly. King watched a few more late comers of drips of semen roll down the underside of Bayard's shaft. It was almost a shame that he didn't know the next time he would see this cervine's maleness be liberated like that. 

"Was that everything you were expecting?" asked King, scritching Bayard under his muzzle.

"Mm-hmm," murmured the deer.

Smiling softly, King replied, "I'm glad you did." Reaching next to them, he picked up the platinum chastity device again. "Now, it's time for the rest of your submission. Are you ready?" The question was really rhetorical; King already knew how ready his pet was.

"Of course, Master." Without a word or command, Bayard rolled onto his back, exposing his belly and softening cock, slowly retreating back into his sheath. 'This is even better than I ever imagined,' thought King, as he moved forward with the chastity device. Bayard blushed despite himself, and watched on while King lifted his sac and replaced the platinum ring around the base of his testes, followed by tucking his sheath into the cage portion and locking it all back together. King gave it a gentle tug, both to make sure it was secured properly, and remind Bayard that it was back in place. Tacitly, King slipped the chain with the key around his own neck again; not that Bayard would ever attempt to get himself out of it, it just further reinforced who was in charge of the deer's maleness now.

"I'm going to take you now, Bayard," whispered King, "and finish making you mine." Bayard merely softly whimpered in reply. Clearly he was more than ready. King suspected that having used the copy of the feline's penis for the last few days had given the deer a taste of things to come. 

Now that his pet was firmly locked down once more, King slid back off the edge of the bed, standing next to the bed again. "Come here, Pet." More than willingly, Bayard got off the opposite side of the bed and padded over to King. The rain outside was coming down harder now, pelting the windows, and the gloom outside silhouetted the feline as Bayard came closer. With the lion standing once more, Bayard was reminded of the feline's powerful physique; and that having King suck his cock in no way diminished the cat's presence. 

"Before I finish making you mine, I have something else," said King, with a glint in his eyes. Bayard waited in rapt attention as King opened his dresser drawers again and removed four items; two wristbands and two anklebands, both made of black leather with a deep, royal purple second leather band on top, and lined on the inside with extra soft lambskin for comfort. Each also a D-ring on them for attaching anything, locks, leashes, whatever, to them. Without saying anything, King reached out for Bayard's left wrist and wrapped the wristband around it, cinching it tight like a belt. Staring at it intently, Bayard delicately tugged at it with his opposite paw and found it wasn't going to just slide off. Not that he really wanted it to come off at all.

"I'll have one more gift for you when we're done," said King, softly. "But, first, I'm going to mount you, and fill you with my seed, and mark you as one of my own." Bayard merely whimpered at the idea, almost pleading with his eyes to have the lion fuck his virgin ass. King was pleased at the total submission that was in that look, that even just a short time ago wasn't present. The lion had been willing to be patient, however.

Putting his paw under the reindeer's chin, King softly asked, "What is it you want now?"

"For you to take me," whispered the deer, looking at the ground.

"Again," commanded King.

Not lifting his eyes, Bayard repeated, "For you to take me."

"Louder."

"Fuck me...please," implored Bayard. He blushed at his own request, which made King all the more aroused. The lion lazily stroked himself to maintain his erection, which didn't need much encouragement with the willing slave in front of him. The knowledge of possessing full power over another fur was an aphrodisiac without equal; an intoxicating power that he never tired of.

"Go kneel on the bed," commanded King to his pet.

"Of course, Master," agreed Bayard, in a calm, smooth voice, almost like he was sleepwalking. King knew, however, that it was the drugs taking a more firm hold and slipping Bayard deeper under King's control. It wasn't a permanent fix, however; about once a week or so the application would need to be re-taken; Duncan had been taking his once for a week since his 'employment' by King. The young deer would also take his once a week in the future; he wasn't going anywhere anytime soon, nor would he want to.

Crawling onto his hands and knees, Bayard's tail raised over his tight tailhole, and his testes swung between his legs under his ass cheeks, the metal band of the chastity device visible across the bottom of his sack. The metal glinted in the low light of the room, and looked exquisite to King. The platinum device for his new pet was well-worth the investment. 

Coming towards the bed, King drank in the sight of his pet on all fours, willing and ready to submit. "Why don't you get yourself ready, pet?"

Nodding enthusiastically, Bayard flipped over onto his back, ready to finger himself. King held up a paw, indicating for the reindeer to wait a moment. Reaching into his dresser once more, the lion removed a green glass vial with a stopper on the top of it. Inside was a lubricant King distilled himself from some of the plants he grew. Slicker than any available lube, and longer-lasting, the lion was always pleased with his own ingenuity. Handing it to Bayard, King murmured, "Here, use this."

"Thank you, Master," replied the deer. Removing the stopper, which was on a swing latch like some bottles of wine, Bayard put a generous amount on his fingertips. Closing the vial, he set it aside gently and then reached down past his trapped sheath and balls, then began to wipe his fingers across the eager, waiting hole. The lube was cool to the touch, but more fine and satiny than any he had ever used before. King stepped back to watch his pet, the reindeer circling his own hole with his fingers, closing his eyes against the ensuing pleasure. The stimulation was so intense for Bayard, and he could feel his confined penis begin to push up against the prison enclosed around it. 

Without thought, the cervine slipped his middle finger inside, the digit gliding easily past his tailhole entrance and touching his own smooth insides. He idly wondered why he'd not tried this before when he was home alone; the sensation of exploring himself, both physically and mentally, was exquisite. Feeling every pulse and ripple of himself while questing and probing forth with his finger. It wasn't long before a second joined the first, pressing his index finger in next to it. He sighed and moaned at the delight emanating out from his rear, and he only wished Master would finally come over and mount him.

While watching his pet prepare for King, the lion grabbed another item from his seemingly-endless drawer. This was a solid gold cockring, and like all things he owned was custom formed to his body. It was slightly oval in shape rather than being perfectly round, which conformed to his maleness better. As he watched on in rapt muteness, his paw made its way to his groin and slowly began to push the cockring around his maleness. First he slid his testes through it, one at a time, until the ring sat around the top of his sack. Then he delicately slipped his erect penis inside of it, reveling in the increased heft around the base of his penis and testes, and feeling the increased blood flow circulating up into his shaft. His already-impressive felinehood was now increased further, and longed for a place to have its out.

Bayard was now sliding his fingers in and out of his tailhole, his sheath pressing up against the confines of his chastity belt which gave him no quarter. So perfect was the dimensions in relation to the reindeers sheath and cock that not even a bit of his penis could push forth. It was somewhat uncomfortable, but also spurned the deer on.

"Are you enjoying yourself?" asked King, with a sly smile.

Bayard could only softly whimper and nod, wishing his cock was still free to come to its full erect length. Already it felt like an eternity since he'd been free, and it only been a matter of minutes. Coming to the edge of the bed, King knelt on the very edge in front of his pet. Now he was wondering how best to take his new slave, and he concluded it would be best to mark his pet in the most submissive position. King reached forward and deftly withdrew Bayard's fingers from the deer's tailhole, and replaced them with his own. Unlike the deer, the feline's fingers went deeper and faster, testing where his cock would soon be coming to rest. Bayard merely spread his legs wider and let the lion do whatever he wanted.

"Do you want your Master's cock inside of you, Pet?" queried King, pushing his fingertips against the deer's prostate.

"Unf...yes, Master," breathed Bayard, barely able to take the sensation of his sheath pressing against the cock cage and his tailhole being stimulated like this; he could only imagine what the lion's penis was going to feel like deep inside of him. 

"Then get back on your hands and knees, slave," commanded King, extracting his fingers from the cervine's hole. Without hesitation, the deer resumed his prior, and very submissive, position. King picked up the vial from where the deer had left it, and unstoppered it. The lion then positioned himself closer behind the deer, pressing his cockhead to the pucker in front of him. He wasn't even inside and the deer was already susurrating in anticipation. Rubbing his head back and forth against the opening, King smiled inwardly to himself. Despite the fact he could tell that the deer had been using the toy King had given him, the cervine had not become too loose; just enough to make it enjoyable. King still wanted to feel the deer tightly wrapped around his maleness while he made the deer his.

"You're still so tight," murmured King, running a paw across the deer's hips, which was met with a brief shiver from Bayard. "You're trembling," remarked King.

"I'm just ready for you, Master," whispered Bayard. Never before had he wanted anything else. His mind swam from the waves of delight taking over his body. He could barely even remember what he'd been doing this morning before he came to King; he remembered it felt like there was something else he should have been doing, but it didn't seem important any longer.

King was finally ready to give in to his Pet's wish. Taking the vial, he dribbled a slow, steady stream of the liquid over his cock, which spilled off his shaft and over the deer's tailhole, replenishing any of the lube that had come off when Bayard and King had been preparing the cervine's tailhole for the feline's cock's arrival.

Without another word, King pressed the tip of his head into the deer's interior, feeling it surround his maleness. Bayard gasped, and then let go a long sigh of pleasure as he was taken for the first time by a male. Now he was glad he'd not let his ex take this from him; he was happier Master was the one to do it.

Gently, yet steadily, the lion sank his thick, long cock inside of his pet. At least he was the one to take this deer's virginity, the first that would spill his seed inside, but not for the last time. He was already planning to use his pet over and over again for the next few days, to truly break him in. Bayard's ass greedily took in King's shaft, with just enough resistance to make it feel truly wonderful for the lion. While King made his way inside, slowly, inch by inch, Bayard curled the bedspread in his paws again and cried out a bit as he was spread wide by the lion's penis. King was even wider than the toy Bayard had been using, thanks to the golden cockring around the lion's maleness, and Bayard found pure bliss in it while he was taken. Long strands of pre-cum dripped from the tip of the chastity belt, despite still not allowing the deer to even come close to having his out.

"That's right, Pet," murmured King, with almost all of his shaft inside the deer, "you're now all mine." He pressed his paws down on top of the cervine's ass while hilting himself within his pet's velvety recesses. King's cockring and his pelvis were flush to Bayard's ass, and both of them reveled in the moment of where they were. Bayard wanted nothing more than to always feel like this from now on, forever; to feel his Master's cock deep inside of him, and serve King. Nothing else mattered anymore.

Pausing for only a few brief moments, King then began to truly claim the deer's ass as his own. Withdrawing slightly, he then pressed himself back inside, Bayard's interior parting for him once more. Every thrust was met with the same constricting tightness of the deer's tailhole, which seemed to find every inch of King's penis, and meet it just right to bring on the most amount of gratification possible. Eventually, he would teach Bayard to flex his tailhole around the lion's cock and other things to make the experience better for King, but for the cervine's first time, the feline wasn't going to worry about it. 

While King had begun to take his pet in earnest, the deer reached up between his legs, and was swiftly reminded of the barrier around his cock. The heft pulled down against the balls, and he couldn't even work in a finger to touch himself; truly he was completely blocked off from his own maleness, something which he already knew, but now was trying to find a way around.

"Ah, ah, Pet," chided King, softly. He gave a quick, sharp thrust, which made Bayard yelp slightly and withdraw his paw. "I'll let you out again someday; but not right down. This is part of your deal." Which King really meant 'submission,' rather than 'deal.' "You'll cum again when I say; I wouldn't want to have to tie your paws up next time." The deer grudgingly did as he was told, and put his paw back on the bed, holding himself up. Satisfied that his Pet was back in line, King resumed his slow thrusts and pulls. His penis pulsed and throbbed from the duality of the the tightness of the deer around his maleness, and the cockring pushing against it from behind. The feline had now taken to sliding his penis out almost all the way, until only his tip remained inside, and then slipping it back to his hilt. He could tell his pet noticed the change of his full stroke now and Bayard's tailhole flexed around the lion's shaft, which only felt even better.

Gripping the reindeer's hips, King leaned into his thrusts and pulls, getting as deep with each drive back into his pet. Bayard arched his back and groaned softly as his depths were explored by King's cock. While pushing and slipping his maleness in and out, King felt his cock pulse from the excitement and stimulation. Too long it had been since having another male wrapped around his shaft.

"You feel wonderful," whispered King, between his juts and tugs.

Whimpering in delight, the deer replied in kind, "Thank you, Master."

The lion inclined himself against the deer harder, and the reindeer couldn't hold himself and the lion up any longer. Catching himself, the deer ended up laying flat on his belly, the platinum of the chastity device pressing firmly into his pelvis, reminding him it was there. King moved fluidly with his pet, his cock never leaving the soft crevasse of Bayard's ass. Now that the deer was spread on the bed, his legs wide on either side of his body, King was happy to lie flush to Bayard's back and resume mating the deer. Pressing his palms against the reindeer's shoulder blades, King pushed his pet against the bed, thrusting to his content.

"Ah...Master," moaned Bayard. The reindeer could practically feel his cock pulse and spasm in the chastity device, and he could definitely sense the warm pre-ejaculate leaking from his sheath. King's cock was definitely finding its satisfaction; it felt even larger now than when it first found its way into the cervine's posterior. It was wonderfully thick, and now that Bayard was laying on his stomach, it made his ass even tighter around the feline's maleness and heightened the enjoyment for both of them.

Slowing the speed of sliding his shaft into Bayard's ass, King wanted to make the moment last as long as possible. The first time with his pet would always be the best, even after King was done molding the new slave into the perfect sex toy. His testes tingled with their desire to be unloaded within the reindeer, but King would once again have his self-discipline and hold himself back for the moment, for the greater pleasure that it would bring him.

"Please, Master," whimpered Bayard again, "I want you to fill me up."

Smiling to himself, King did not give a reply, letting the rhythmic plunges of his penis do the talking instead. Bayard's tailhole flexed around the lion's maleness again, and King let got a quick moan of his own this time.

"That's right, Pet. You like my cock, don't you?" King spoke softly. 

"I do," susurrated the deer. His mind swam with the sexual electricity moving through him and the desire to make Master happy. He couldn't think of anything else besides doing whatever Master wanted. It felt like there was something else he should be concerned with, but it would not cut through the fog of his mind; and for now, he didn't care.

"You want to make your Master happy, don't you?" went on King, the speed of his thrusts increasing now.

"Y-Yes," groaned the reindeer, clenching tight around his Master's cock.

"And you're going to," King said under his breath. "For a long...long time." He was now trying to keep as much of his penis inside of the reindeer as he could while riding the beginning of the wave of his climax. It was a pleasant feeling that rolled up from his testes, through his shaft and over the head of his cock. When he felt like he could take no more, his thrusts would slow, and let the tide pass for the moment. Only then would he resume using the deer beneath him. His groin was flush to the deer's ass cheeks, and King loved the sensation of their bodies becoming one. To have his Pet right here beneath him.

"Are you ready to be mine, Pet?" King breathed into the cervine's ear, while burying himself deep into Bayard's recesses.

"Yes, Master," the deer said, with almost a plaintive whine. "More than anything."

The sheer want in the deer's voice was enough to put the lion over the edge. With another gentle thrust, King no longer stemmed the tide of his climax, and welcomed it as it raced through his cock. A few quick spasms heralded its arrival, before the first firm contraction shot forth the first rope of his semen into the deer beneath him. Bayard gasped out loud as a male came inside for the first time. Bayard could feel the lion's cock convulse against his insides, and a warmth spread across him as King's seed painted his insides. Growling deep in his throat, King reveled as his ejaculate unspooled into the cervine, now marking Bayard as his. It had been a long time since the feline could recall having an orgasm this intense; not since he'd shared a night with a pair of dragon brothers he had enticed similarly to the deer. Every spurt of semen was one more wave of pleasure that wracked his body, and reminded the cervine that he was truly owned now.

The last few drops of semen made their way from the lion's slit and into the waiting and eager cervine. King gave a last couple slow, gentle thrusts to milk any remaining fluids from his cock, wanting to fill his Pet as much as he could. Satisfied that his maleness was emptied of its contents, the cat lay back against the deer, sighing in contentment. Bayard was just happy to have his ass full of Master's seed. While they lay there, only their deep breaths between the two of them, the pattering of raindrops filled the silence. It was a soothing sound in contrast to the coupling they had just finished.

Tacitly, King withdrew his cock in one quick motion from his Pet, a bit of the lion's cum dribbling out and down over the back of the deer's ballsack. Getting back onto his knees, he knelt there for a moment, letting Bayard roll over. Despite being trapped in his chastity device, and clearly aching for release, the deer looked pleased; and King knew it was because his Master was pleased.

"Now, you officially belong to me," said King, leaning down and stroking the deer under his chin. Bayard murred softly at the touch, closing his eyes and enjoying it. "And no one else."

"No one else," repeated the deer.

King was still amazing how easily Bayard took to the conditioning. Everything had gone perfectly. Now King was the owner of this new-broken slave, a cock slut that would only ever want to carry out the feline's every wish and command.

Getting off of the bed, King motioned for the deer to come to him. Sitting up, his chastity belt giving a slight jingle, Bayard came to his Master quickly. "Yes, Master?"

"On all fours, pet," commanded King. "When you're before your Master, that is where you should belong."

As ordered, the deer quickly got to his hands and knees, looking up expectantly to King. Reaching down to his Pet, King reached for the collar around the deer's neck. Undoing the leather collar, King gently removed it, holding it next to his side. The deer looked stricken that he was losing his collar. Giving his Pet a knowing look, King tossed the collar aside onto the bed. Opening the dresser one final time, the lion produced another collar. This one was black as night, with a diamond clasp. The inside was lined with lambskin, like the wrist and ankle bands the deer was still wearing. "This will truly mark you as my own," said the lion, leaning down once more to secure the new collar in place of the plain brown leather one. Once it was in place, King stepped back to observe his Pet; locked in his collars, chastity belt, and accoutrements. "Sit back, Pet." As instructed, without hesitation, Bayard leaned back on his heels, displaying himself for Master. The cervine spread his thighs apart, showing his bound sheath. King drank it all in, enjoying the sight.

"Now," began King, "what is it you want to do?"

"Serve you," replied Bayard, almost as if in a trance again; in actuality, that wasn't so far from the truth.

Pleased with himself, King went on, "And that is your sole purpose. When I'm not around, I will have other things for you to do; but that can come later. For now, all you need to remember is that my voice is all that matters, my will is the only one that matters."

Nodding again, Bayard repeated, "All that matters."

"And that you're going to my little cockslut, aren't you?"

Whimpering again, the question just triggered the deer into rubbing his muzzle against King's still-leaking maleness. Bayard gently sucked the tip, getting the bit of male fluids that seeped out yet. Taking the deer's muzzle in his paw, King eased it off his maleness. "Don't worry, Pet, there will be plenty of time for that later." His penis did still throb with desire, and seeing the submissive before him wasn't helping matters, nor did having his genitals still trapped in the cockring. Scritching the deer behind the ears, King enjoyed having his Pet at his feet. Bayard nuzzled into King's testes, still not wanting to be torn from his Master's crotch.

"Now," began King, "why don't I show you where you'll be staying from now on?"

"As you wish, Master," agreed Bayard. "Um...what about all my things...?"

With a wave of his paw, King assured him, "You won't be needing any of it. I'll see to it you get what you need soon. Don't worry."

Bayard furrowed his brow a bit. "And...I need to go...somewhere...," the deer mumbled to himself slowly.

"This is the only place you need to go from now on, Pet," King reinforced. "Isn't that right?"

Shaking his head a bit, Bayard said, "Yes, Master."

"Then, come on. You may stand to follow me."

Being told he was allowed to stand, Bayard rose to his feet next to his Master. Both of them remaining nude, Bayard followed King out of the room and into the hallway. "Duncan!" called the lion. It was only a matter of moments before the shepherd appeared, not batting an eye at the naked males in front of him. 

"Yes, sir?" asked Duncan.

"Why don't you bring back lunch for the two of us? I'm sure my new 'guest' is quite hungry after our afternoon together."

Bowing slightly at the waist, Duncan disappeared without another word. King walked down to the door on the left, the one just past his study, and opened it. This was the room he had set aside for Bayard, which was near his own. He always wanted his pet nearby.

Stepping aside for Bayard, King held a paw out encouraging the deer to step past the portal. Bayard did as indicated, looking around the room before him. It was like King's; well-decorated, with a very warm feel to it. Another window looked out onto the gardens beyond, which was now blurred with raindrops from outside. The floor was well-polished hardwood. His bed didn't have the canopy like King's, but still had a soft cabernet-colored blanket atop it, and wonderfully supple down-stuffed pillows. There was an empty closet, and a dresser that also appeared empty. Even though it was sparse for the moment, Bayard liked it.

"This is where you'll stay, Pet," said King, plainly. "When you're not with me, or sleeping. You will mostly have the run of the villa when not being called upon, however, so do not be afraid that you'll have to spend all your time here. I'll have Duncan launder the clothes you came with today, and I'll take you tomorrow for new clothes." 
"It's perfect," whispered Bayard. "Thank you, Master."

"Today is the first day of the rest of your life," said King, softly. "Your life will have purpose now."

"My purpose is to serve you," murmured Bayard. For him, it was almost calming now to know that he had something to live for everyday now, and that it wasn't just a matter of whiling away the hours of his life waiting for something better; this was what he had been waiting for. There was no concern for his past life, which was already slowly beginning to fade from his memory.

"Duncan will have lunch brought back in a few moments," said King. "Why don't we shower before hand, clean ourselves from this afternoon."

"Will we do it again later, Master?" asked Bayard, quickly. 

Giving a toothy smile, King answered, "Of course, Pet."

***

"Bro! Hey, Bro!" called Jason from the front door. He banged a couple more times, loudly, as he had been for the past few moments. It had been a few days since he'd been trying to get ahold of Bayard, and the other deer hadn't been picking up his phone. The mailbox next to the door was full of mail, and Jason was beginning to get concerned. 

"All right, time to find out what's going on," mumbled Jason to himself. He reached out for the doorknob, and was surprised to find the knob turn freely. His brother was always steadfast about keeping the door locked, whether he was home or not. The door swung inward, Jason standing in the opening. "Bro!?" he called again. 

Stepping past the door, Jason closed it behind him. The apartment was silent, and didn't look like his brother had been home in awhile. He'd been by a few days ago when their mother had taken a turn for the worse, and needed to get Bayard down to the hospital. It was Saturday, so the younger deer should have definitely been home now no matter what; and usually Bayard returned his calls the same day as well. Something was wrong.

Walking past the couch, Jason looked down at the end table, seeing a piece of paper with an address scrawled across it. Idly, he picked it up, reading it. He knew it was up in the richer end of town, in the hills. He wondered what his brother was doing with someone's address from up there. When he thought about it, though, his sibling had been acting strange the last time Jason had come over; and not just with the usual exasperation of Bayard seeing his brother show up.

'Can't hurt to check it out,' thought Jason, heading back out of the apartment. Walking back down to his car, he quickly put the car in gear and drove towards the highway. The trip to the hills was always interesting to him; the obvious point where it changed from the 'regular' city and over to the posh surroundings and mansion rows of the higher end of town. 

Getting off at the nearest exit to the clusters of villas and mansions, Jason turned towards where he thought he would best find the address. It had been a bit since he'd been out this way. For a brief stint, he had worked as a pool cleaner and received a lot of calls out this way for rich furs that didn't want to clean their own pools. His memory turned out to be better than he thought, as he found his way onto the correct street with only a few turn arounds.

The address on the paper was a villa set far back behind a tall iron gate. A speaker box was set at car window height, and Jason reached out for the buzzer. A moment or two passed before a voice finally came through.

"May I help you?"

"Um...," started Jason, now feeling stupid, "I'm looking for a deer named Bayard. Has he been around here? I haven't seen him for a few days."

"One moment, sir."

Minutes stretched by while Jason waited, envisioning that they were inside calling security, or the cops. He was about ready to buzz again when the gates swung open before him. Pulling forward, he drove up to the end of the drive. Getting near the end, he saw Bayard's car parked there. At least now he knew where his brother had ended up.

Parking next to his brother's car, Jason got out and quickly walked to the front door, ringing the bell rapidly. He barely got to the second ring when the door opened and a German shepherd greeted him. "Are you here to see Mr. Shepecott?"

"Um...yeah," responded Jason, somewhat perplexed still at what his brother was doing here. "I'm his brother, Jason."

"One moment." With that, the door closed again. Still feeling like this was all somewhat surreal, Jason merely put his paws in his pockets and waited.

It wasn't long before the door opened again and his brother appeared. He was dressed in finely-tailored pants, a dress shirt left unbuttoned at the top, and a black collar. "Yes?" was all the younger deer asked.

"Bay, what the hell are you doing here? I've been trying to get you on the phone for days," started Jason. "And what's with the get-up? Have you even been to work this week?"

"I'm sorry," said Bayard, his voice flat sounding, "you're going to have to leave."

Frowning, Jason pressed, "Mom's not doing so well, bro. You should be down at the hospital."

"And you shouldn't be here at all," replied Bayard, still with a hollow note to his voice. His eyes also looked distant, like they weren't really looking at Jason but more through him.

"What's wrong, Bay. You've got to--"

He was cut off when an imposing looking lion appeared over Bayard's shoulder. His presence practically filled the air around him. He was also dressed in finely-tailored clothes, but his included a fitted suit and tie. "Bayard, is there a problem?"

"No," said Bayard, looking at the lion with an expression Jason couldn't quite place; adoration, maybe? Looking back to Jason, he finished, "My brother was just leaving."

"I...I...Bay..." stammered Jason.

"I believe he wants you to leave," said King, firmly. To Bayard, he said "Why don't you go back inside? I'll be along in a moment."

"Of course," answered the deer, stepping back into the villa behind King.

"Now," started King, "I believe our business is concluded here. There's nothing left for you here."

Summoning up all his courage, Jason demanded, "I want to see my brother again. He wouldn't be here while our mother is dying." 
"You just saw him," retorted King, spreading his paws out wide as if to show nothing sinister was in them. "He is here of his own will, and doesn't want to be bothered or leave. Now, please, I implore you to take your own leave, or I will be forced to call the authorities."

Beginning to turn, Jason gave a venomous, "I'll be back."

Flatly, King responded, "That would be a great mistake. I sincerely hope you and I will not have to have another conversation like this."

The lion watched as the other deer left. He could be prove to be troublesome. The lion really had not wished to have to move again so soon, but he would not have the likes of that male running around, prying into his business and being a general nuisance

Bayard was sitting primly on the couch in the living room, waiting patiently for his Master. "My apologies, Pet. It is unfortunate we were interrupted."

"It's all right, Master," began Bayard, sliding from his seat to the floor, and onto all fours. "Why don't we resume where we left off."

Grinning, the lion just agreed, "Why not indeed," as he began to disrobe.

***

The sun shone brilliantly as the lion walked down the sidewalk, with a package under one arm, whistling quietly to himself. Normally he would have sent Duncan out on such a pedantic trip, but today, he'd wanted to get out of the house for a bit. The post office also wasn't such a far trip away, and he didn't trust the post carrier with such a delicate item.

Hitting his block, King fished his keys from his pocket. The townhouse he was renting for a bit wasn't exactly the epitome of privacy that he was used to, but it was merely temporary while his new home was set up. This was a brick two-story nestled in between a clutch of similar buildings in downtown New York City, just off Fifth Avenue.

Stepping into the front hall, King closed the door quietly behind him, taking the package with him  with a soft rustle. Already he could smell something wonderful that Duncan was preparing for dinner; a beef dish, by the scent of it. Walking past that, he moved into the living room, which had been left somewhat sparsely decorated; he wasn't going to throw all his energy into making something a home which wasn't, no matter how desperately it needed his touch.

Beyond the living room was a studio room that had been temporarily converted into a workout room, and this was where he found his Pet, dutifully conducting his daily workout, as was expected of him by his Master. He was nude, save for his chastity belt; King granted him the amenity of removing his wrist and ankle bands while working out. Right now, he was running an even pace on the treadmill.

"Good afternoon, Master," Bayard greeted him, breathily.

"Hello, Pet," replied King in kind. His slave was so adoring. "I've got something for you."

Turning off the machine, Bayard stepped from the treadmill and immediately was on all fours, only allowed to stay standing when Master expressly told him. "What is it, Master?"

Smiling slightly, King told him, "Something for the last six months of being a good Pet." King opened one end of the package and removed a sky-blue thong, and held it out for the deer. "Something you can wear around the house when Master is away." Bayard's regular clothes were strictly for when they were leaving the house; when he was home, King required he be nude. However, after several months of being a wonderful pet, King decided the deer could use a treat.

"I'll wear them tomorrow," said Bayard, happy that Master had brought him a gift of any sort. He liked being naked all the time, but it would be nice to have something to wear that Master gave him.

"Now," began King, "why don't we retire to the bedroom before Duncan finishes dinner, and you can give your Master your muzzle."

"Of course, Master," was the dutiful reply. 

Despite being something of an imposition, it had been completely worth it to move and keep his Pet a secret. The brother had become more of a rising nuisance, no matter how many times King had called the police. In the end, it had just been easier. While they walked to the bedroom, King knew he couldn't have chosen a better permanent pet. Bayard never asked to have his sheath freed, did all that King asked, both day to day and sexually, and seemed to have no regret of leaving his previous life. Seeing the chastity device bouncing between the cervine's legs, and feeling his own arousal rising once more, the lion knew all of his choices were just perfect.







END