The annoying warning message:

This story deals with sex between males, in graphic detail. If you're not over 18, this is illegal for you to even look at, so stop right now. If homosexual content is not your cup of tea, you can leave the tea party. The characters and story are copyright Teiran 2002, do not redistribute without permission. Otherwise, enjoy!

-Teiran

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A Prince of Wolves

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The solid oak door swung open reluctantly under the serving vixen’s paw and she sighed wearily as she struggled by it with her load of clothing. It was a long walk up the stairs to the east tower, especially because it was several stories taller than the castle’s other towers. The vixen wiped her brow and sighed wearily. She had never had laundry duty before and this was more work than ever she was used too. "Oh my dearie here, let me help you with that." The vixen smiled slightly as an elderly raccoon woman began helping her with the basket she was carrying. The young vixen sighed in relief when they set the basket down and began moving the clothing inside into the dressers and closets where they belonged. The vixen’s paws moved over the silken garments, and she almost blushed when she compared the shine of a red doublet with her own fur. She marveled at the Prince’s clothing, so much so that the older raccoon laughed and made her blush. "Never seen the royal family’s clothing up close have yeah dearie?" The vixen blushed and held a silken shirt up to her chest. "No, no I haven’t. They’re so beautiful." She sighed and folded the shirt and put it away. The raccoon smiled and chuckled under her breath a bit. "Something tells me you haven’t seen Prince Kalain yet. Come on dearie, you outta see him up close." The raccoon waved for her to follow, and the vixen did quietly.

***

In the room next door, a female wolf sat beside a young male fox, brushing his vibrant fur. The fox sat with his paws in his lap, staring into a large round mirror, the wolf behind. The young wolf was the same height as the fox and was brushing his fur carefully and slowly, and the young serving vixen held her breath as she watched. The young fox Prince was stunningly beautiful. His fur was a beautiful red that seemed to swim in place, like long waves of deep red silk. The white fur on his chest was so pure it was almost difficult to look at, and the black of his paws seemed to vanish into the darkness around him. She could only imagine how soft his fur must be. His long bushy tail lay perfectly still in his lap as the wolf behind him began to brush his back fur gently. She sat right behind him, and it was like a strange mirror had been held up behind the fox. The red fox and gray wolf were mirror images of each other, save for the color of their fur. The line of their jaws, the square set of their shoulders and their regal, beautiful green eyes were all exactly the same. They had broad shoulders and long, bushy tails, and it was hard to tell where their muzzles were fox or wolf like. But it was easy to see they were twins, they were identical in every way except for the color of their fur.

"Yes," the old raccoon said with a smile as the serving vixen’s face clouded with confusion. "Prince Kalain is half wolf, half fox, as is his twin sister Princess Kellena. But, had you seen their mother, you’d understand why the king fell for her. And yes, that’s Princesses Kellena." The old raccoon whispered, "They’re quite close, though so very different at times." "But, they look so alike…" The maid whispered. But as she watched them for a moment, the vixen did find a few differences between them. The princess’s bust was larger of course, but only barely so, and her fur didn’t seem to shine quite so beautifully as the Prince’s did. It was strange, but overall the Prince seem to be simply more beautiful then she was, so much so it was almost difficult to tell he was male.

***

Princess Kellena handed the brush to the prince, who smiled as they switched places. The prince was still smiling as he began to brush the princess’s fur for her. "Thank you Kell…" the foxwolf paused for a long moment, running the brush expertly through her fur. "It’s been a long time since we did this." The princess smiled softly. "Yes, it has been a long time. I’ve been so busy with Alex courting me almost day and night…" The princess fell silent suddenly, her long gray foxtail curling around into her lap, where she held the tip in both paws. "Ummm… Kalain… I know father is thrilled with the fact that Alex is in love with me. He’s the first son of Duke Renolds, Father’s most trusted Duke, but…" The princess turned around slightly, a look of worry on her face. "But I need to know that you’re alright with it…"

The Prince smiled softly, brushing the fur on the wolf’s arm. "Oh Kell, I’m thrilled for you. Alex is a good wolf." The princess smiled a bit as she laid a hand on her brother’s knee. "I know, but I just don’t want you to feel like I’m leaving you here all alone." The prince kept brushing and a small smile crept across his muzzle as he said, "Alex’s estate is only three days ride from the palace. He’s closer then any other suitor you’ve ever had, and he’ll be a Duke one day too." The Prince smiled wider, "And the only things more important to his heart then supporting father is loving you." The fox’s muzzle lit up into a mischievous grin. "And besides, I have four other sisters still at home. I’ll hardly be alone." They both laughed a bit and sighed as Kellena turned back towards the mirror.

"Oh I know, don’t remind me." The princess said, rolling her eyes, "I still can’t believe we’re related to them all." The prince chuckled a bit, "Yes well, only through Father after all." They both feel silent for a long time and eventually Kellena whispered, "Can you still remember mother well?" Kalain shook his head softly. "No more then vague glimpses. I remeber her eyes…" Brother and sister looked into the mirror before then for a long moment, their perfect green eyes staring back at them, "And her smile…" Princess Kellena said softly with a smile that her brother mirrored. For a moment, it was like looking back at their mother. They sat together in the quiet darkness of the Prince’s chambers, paw in paw, just enjoying each other’s company.

***

The serving vixen moved back into the side room as the old raccoon closed the door slightly. "Oh my," The vixen said, her cheeks slightly flushed. "He’s so beautiful… and his voice… It’s…" The old raccoon smiled, her beady eyes smiling from the band of black across her face. "Ay lass, I know, the young master’s voice is heavenly. I once heard him read a story to his youngest sister Ellie, and it was like I was really there. I’d never cared for books till then, never saw the use of em. But after hearing him read just once I vowed I’d learn to do the same." The vixen smiled as the raccoon patted her hand. "Now then, lets finish the folding. You’ll have plenty of time to watch and listen to the Master now that you’ll be working here with me." The vixen nodded with a smile and they set to work.

***

Back in the prince’s room, another door in the prince’s rooms opened, and a waiter poked his head in saying, "My Lord, oh and my Lady. Dinner will be served shortly. Your father is especially interested in your attendance this eve because Crown Prince Jarod is returning home and there will be quite the celebration." The door closed as the servant left and the maids slipped back to their folding as Prince Kalain whispered, "Oh no… don’t tell me he’s home already." The wolf princess stood, saying, "Oh, come now Kalain, Jarod’s not all that bad. I know he’s arrogant as can be, but he’s at least nicer then Helen is." The foxwolf sighed and looked up at his sister as he stood up. "Maybe to you he’s is, but he’s not to me. He at least respects you a little so he leaves you alone. He’s never done anything but tease and torment me."

The Princess nodded sadly, "Well," Kellena said as she stood to get ready for dinner. "You’ll just have to find some reason for him to respect you is all." The prince stood in the lamplight and sighed softly as his sister left, "That’s easy for you to say…" The prince rubbed his forepaws softly, his fingers tracing the clearly defined line in his fur where his dark black fur ended and his deep red fur began. "You’re a wolf like he is…"

***

Kalain walked into the main dining hall, dressed in his finest. His fur gleamed brilliantly and he smiled his best smile. The people he passed turned their heads and watched him before whispering behind fans and the palms of their paws to each other. Kalain tried to keep his smile up, but he knew what they all were saying about him. They were talking about how beautiful he looked, how he always looked more beautiful then anyone else in the whole kingdom, male or female. Kalain sat down at his place at the head table, a fiery red beacon in the royal family of dark black wolves.

Kalain smiled at his sisters, chatting with then softly as they all sat at the huge round table. When his father entered, the whole room stood as the King, wearing a simple silver crown made to resemble a ring of leaves, took his seat. His powerful body was covered in pure black fur with streaks of dark gray in it, the same colorings all his children shared. His whole body and manner screamed that he was royalty. He was absolutely stunning, a perfect example of masculine perfection and power. Normally, on a special night like this, Father liked to make a speech, but Jared had not yet returned home and so he was waiting till afterward dinner to make it. The King signaled to the headwaiter with a nod of his head and the meal began.

Kalain sighed and began to eat his dinner as it was served. His father was good king, just and fair, even though he was often more interested in the women of his court then matters of policy and state, as was evident by his numerous mistresses over the years. But none of that mattered to his second son. He was male perfection, everything his son would never be. Kalain hated his beauty, hated the fact that his fur was that of a fox’s instead of a wolf’s. Everyone but his father adored him for it, but his father was the only one he cared about pleasing. Kalain cast a forlorn glance at his father, who sat just a single seat away from him. His father turned and caught his eyes, smiling as he leaned over and whispered, "You enjoying yourself son?" The fox smiled wide, nodding softly. "A great deal Father." The wolf smiled and patted his son on the shoulder. "Good, good, here, take this." The king slipped a small silver ring into Kalain’s paw. "I want you to wear this, for good luck." The fox’s tail swished back and forth a bit as he slipped it on his fingers, careful to keep it out of view of the crowd. "Thank you father..." Kalain smiled happily as he rubbed the ring with his fingers. It was a plain silver band of little worth, but to Kalain it was better then all the gold there was, because it was from his father. The king smiled as he went back to his meal. Kalain’s eyes fell on the empty seat between them, reserved for the crown prince Jared. Kalain was very glad he wasn’t there. When he was, he hardly ever got to talk with his father like that at dinner, even is it was just for a few seconds.

The doors to the great hall opened with a flourish and the crown prince came into the room, wearing the ceremonial armor of a knight. The king was the only one who did not stand as his older brother Jared came into the room. The crowd was seated again once Jared had bowed to the king, and Kalain watched his brother with a neutral expression on his face as he took his seat. Jared had gone south to put an end to some rather vicious attacks by raiders in the south, and he was still in his silver armor. Jared grinned at the fox, blocking his view of the king. Jared was three years his senior, but a million more times worthy in his father’s eyes. He was a swords wolf, a powerful fighter and something of a ladies man. He was everything their father the king wanted him to be and more. Kalain tried not to feel sick before dinner ended.

***

As Kalain made his way back to his room, he kept his head down in thought. He’d left the after dinner revels a bit early, mainly because he didn’t want to talk with his older brother Jared tonight and the older wolf was certain to corner him at some point during the after meal festivities and take great pleasure in embarrassing him if he didn’t leave before hand.

Suddenly, just before he reached the stairs that led up the tower to his room, someone stepped out into his path. "Hey there fox, where do you think you’re going in such a hurry?" Kalain jumped as Jared appeared in front of him, stepping out of a doorway. He must have seen me leave and decided to follow Kalain thought. "I’m going to my room Jared, I’m rather tired." "Oh really?" The older wolf grinned rather evilly taking a menacing step forward. "From what fox? Too tired after fighting off all the ladies advances? Or the men’s perhaps?" Kalain’s ears went back and he glared up at his brother, who towered over him in the small hallway. "Shut up Jared." "Oh, why should I? What’s a vixen like you going to do to me anyway? Huh?" Jared gave the smaller foxwolf a light shove, forcing him back a few steps.

Kalain felt the fur on the back of his neck rise as his brother spat the word ‘vixen’. Jared had always teased him about how feminine he looked, and how he should have been born a female. "You vixens are all alike, Father even says you haven’t been courting anyone while I’ve been gone, and that you may even ruin Kellena’s chances with Alex." Kalain back up, his long tail bushing out as his hackles rose. "Leave me alone Jared. What I do with my life is no concern of yours, and I’d never ruin my sister’s chances for happiness. I’ve even told her it’d be a good thing for her to marry Alex, he loves her." "Oh really? Well maybe your not completely worthless then, even if your reasons are foolish. Love indeed." The tone of his voice left no doubts that the crown prince saw his brother as nothing but scum. The wolf advanced threatening on his brother. "I’m the crown Prince, and one day I’ll be King, and I won’t have a worthless fox like you draining away my money or ruining my feasts." The foxwolf growled and said, "I’m a wolf Jared, not a fox." "No, you’re a fox dear ‘brother’," The prince shoved Kalain back another step, "A weak vixen just like all the others I’ve ever had in my bed, which is all you’re good for." Kalain’s voice was almost a growl. "Leave me alone Jared."

From back towards the feast hall, a feminine voice called out, "Jared? Where are you dear?" Jared grinned wide, his menacing air evaporating as he said. "Well, looks like you’ve been saved by a fellow vixen. And she even looks like you too, though not nearly as pretty of course." The crown prince pushed his brother out of his way and into the wall, laughing "Goodbye, ‘brother’. " as he moved off towards the vixen that was calling for him, who had in fact just rounded the corner at the other end of the hall. She was draped in white and black silk that flowed behind her as she walked, and she had a distinctly curved body, one Kalain was sure drove the men wild. The large wolf put his arm around her waist and grinned back at his brother, whose hands were clenched tightly into fists and shaking in anger as he led her away and back to the party. Kalain raced up the stairs to his room at the top of the tower.

***

Kalain was still angry when he reached his room, the heavy door making a loud bang as he closed it behind him. Kalain threw himself into his room, desperately searching for something, even though he didn’t know what he wanted. In the darker corners of the room, a silent watcher went unnoticed by the foxwolf.

The foxwolf stormed around his room, some things even clattering to the floor behind him as he tried to stay angry, stay mad at his brother and not burst into the tears he could feel welling up inside him. His whole body shook with anger, all directed right at the thought of his brother’s smug grin.

Kalain’s paws eventually fell on one of the stuffed toys he’d kept since he was a small child that sat on a shelf over his desk and in desperation he clutched it to his chest, trying desperately to keep from crying. In his confusion, he started to talk to it, petting the stuffed coyote’s fur. "He’s always like that you know, always cruel to me." He whispered through clenched teeth, his eyes staring unseeing as he paced in the darkness. "He’s never cared about me as anything but someone to torture. Someone to harass and belittle, someone he can hurt." The fox kicked his bed for good measure at the word. "The little vixen of the family he calls me, not a wolf, a fox bitch who’s too pretty for her own good…" The prince stopped in front of his mirror, one of two identical mirrors that had once belonged to his mother. He looked at himself for a long moment, pulling the band out of his hair that held his long red hair in a ponytail and shifted how he stood, changing the subtle things about his posture like the bend of his knees and his hips.

Somewhere in the darkness of the prince’s room, the stranger watching the prince took in his breath in a sharp gasp. Suddenly he was staring at the form of a beautiful, full-blooded vixen. The vixen in front of the mirror was gorgeous, a flowing beauty of perfect red fur and supple if subdued curves. Hers, no His, was beauty unsurpassed by anything. The Prince turned around slowly, watching himself in the mirror, unaware he was being watched. The Prince whispered, "I hate being beautiful. I hate it so much… Everyone says I’m beautiful, everyone lavishes me with everything, and everyone cares for the little fox who’s more beautiful then any woman in the whole kingdom, and who would obviously break if handled roughly. Everyone except for the people I want to care about me. Like Jared and…" His voice dropped very low and he choked on his tears as they began to flow, clutching the stuffed coyote to his chest. "And Father…"

***

Down stairs, the festival was in full swing. The king stood in center of a ring of women, one on each arm as he drank a glass of fine wine. He smiled as Jared strode up to him, the beautiful vixen draped across his arm. She was dressed in stunning white and black silk, and she meet the king steady gaze with bewitching green eyes. "Well, hello son. I see you’ve brought a fine lady home with you this evening. Who do I have the pleasure of addressing?" The vixen smiled sweetly and let the king take her paw and kiss it. "I am Lady DeWinter my lord." She bowed low, smiling up at the king, "At your service." Jared smiled and released the vixen’s arm as his father pulled her to his own, a charmed look in his eye as he walked away with Lady DeWinter. "A pleasure to meet you my dear…" The older wolf said, his son smiling at his back as he lead the vixen away.

***

The King laughed as he pushed open the doors to his room, pulling them closed behind him and drawing the Lady DeWinter into a deep kiss. The vixen kissed him back hard, opening his shirt and running her fingers through his chest fur. "My lord, your fur is so soft…" She whispered in his ear as he gripped her sides, caressing her breasts. "Not as soft as you are my dear. So is this why my son brought you home with him, Hmmmm? A present for his father?" The vixen smiled up at the king, pushing him back just a bit. The king laughed, tottering a bit from all the wine he’d drank. He sat down on the edge of his huge bed with a smile. "Come to me my darling fox…"

Lady DeWinter smiled at the king as he sat shirtless on his bed. He was indeed a handsome wolf. His fur was black, with the slashes of dark gray that were the trademarks of the royal line of Denbrook. His shoulders were broad, his chest wide and defined with muscles. In fact, every part of the King’s body was muscular. He was masculine perfection, and he growled amorously as she slipped into his arms, a god among men in his own right. Lady DeWinter smiled as she kissed the king deeply, her legs twining around him. She loved being the death of a god.

***

Prince Kalain stared at his own face for a long time, watching his hair wave slightly in the wind from his open window, tears making long trails in the fur on his cheeks. "Why Father? Why don’t you love me? You’ve loved so many others. All your mistresses, all the ladies of the court. No one could resist you, not even your own daughters…" the young prince’s tears had stopped and he wiped them away from his eyes. Once, he had over heard his father say that he was the most beautiful person he’d ever seen, the very best of both fox and wolf, and that if he’d been born a girl, he would married his own child just to have that beauty for his own. "If I’m really so beautiful Father, why was I never good enough for you? For your bed? My sisters were. Kellena always turned you away but…" The stranger stared right into the fox prince’s eyes as they danced in the mirror, unseen in the darkness as the prince said, "but I wouldn’t have…"

The Prince hung his head, trying not to cry again. "I’ve done everything you’ve ever wanted. I’ve learned to rule a kingdom, even though I never will. I can best almost anyone with a sword, even though I hate to use one. I’m the most learned scholar within leagues, something not even Jared can boast. I’m more beautiful then anyone else, even though all it does is hurt me." The young prince’s voice rose with each word and he was nearly screaming now, "Why father, why can’t you love me? Yo’ve loved everyone else, Why not me too? WHY!" He threw the stuffed toy at the mirror hard and turned away in anger. The shatter of glass was deafening, and the silence that followed even more so.

***

The King panted in pleasure, his fur dripping with sweat as he brushed his head fur out of his eyes and he lay back against the pillows surrounding him. His hands ran across the soft red fur of Lady DeWinter as she moved and he smiled up at her, her full, perfectly formed breasts hanging above him as she straddled his hips, his shaft locked deep within her sex by his knot. She smiled and let her head roll back a bit as she stretched her back, her paws on the kings chest as she murred deeply in pleasure, her sex rippling around the King’s maleness, making them shiver in shared pleasure. The king looked up at her through hooded eyes, tracing her curves and the lines of his fur with his eyes and fingertips. "Foxes are the most beautiful creatures in the world…" he whispered, and the vixen smiled, turning her head to the side, her long red head fur draping over her shoulder like silk in the wind. Just like Kalain’s did…

The king pushed himself up suddenly and kissed Lady DeWinter hard and passionately to burn the thought of his second son from his mind. Their bodies ground together passionately as the vixen smiled down at the King, their noses pressed together and their bodies locked together by his cock deep inside her. "You know what else foxes are?" the vixen said in a sweet voice. The King smiled dreamily at her. "What?" The King’s back arched suddenly, and he clutched at the fox atop him, every muscle in his body suddenly tensed.

"Deadly…" Lady DeWinter said in an icy cold voice, a half smile on her muzzle as she withdrew the stiletto knife from the king’s back. The powerful wolf could only half gasp, his eyes locked on hers as her poison paralyzed him completely. Lady DeWinter grinned wider, her finger’s sliding across the king’s chest as he slumped backwards, his body rigid as a board as the vixen atop him stretched in pleasure as his cock rubbed her insides. "Oh, my liege, it is such a shame you could not have kept me more interested, though three times is more than most males could do. Oh well, I suppose it won’t matter if I finish my job a little early." The king tried to say something, but his lungs simply couldn’t get enough air past his lips to do so. Lady DeWinter just smiled.

***

Kalain’s body was frozen, his chest tightening as the most horrible thought filled his mind. He had destroyed his mother’s mirror, her one true gift to him. He closed his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest as silent sob wracked his body. His mother had always loved him, more then anyone else ever had. She had always wanted him to stay beautiful and to care for himself, because he was so special to her. He and his sister, twins but each unique, they were her pride and joy. "She cared for us both more then anything else in the world, even more then father," he thought. Kalain could barely force himself to turn around to look at the broken mirror.

The prince sighed and his whole body relaxed in utter relief. The mirror was whole and unbroken, the stuffed toy caught on the bottom of it. The Prince tilted his head to the side in puzzlement. But if he hadn’t broken the mirror, where had the sound of glass…

Kalain jumped as somewhere farther down in the castle, something exploded. The stones under his feet trembled slightly and the sounds of destruction were unmistakable, as were the screams. The foxwolf raced to his balcony railing and looked down, his eyes wide in horror. Several stories below him, fire raged in the courtyard and soldiers raced to and fro. A group of furs dressed in blood red armor were pouring out of a hole that had been blown in the northern wall, cutting a swath of death through the guards. They wore the emblems of the rebels who had been fighting his father’s armies in the south, and they were killing everyone in their path as they forced their way towards the base of the very tower he was in. "What is going on?" Kalain whispered in fear.

"I’d say they’re coming for you." Kalain gasped and jumped away from the coyote who had appeared next to him on the balcony. He was dressed in a dark green tunic and brown shorts, and a wicked looking knife was stuck in his belt. Kalain gaped at the tall coyote as he leaned against the railing and crossed his arms over his chest. "What are you doing here!?" The foxwolf yelled, his feminine beauty gone, replaced by a stunning mixture of masculine power. The coyote smiled, impressed by the sudden flash of power the prince’s father came through the foxwolf’s gentle exterior.

"I?" The coyote said in a slightly mocking tone, a wide grin on his face and a wild look I his eyes. "I am doing nothing but watching, for now anyway." Kalain narrowed his eyes, taking a step backwards cautiously. "You’re a Ben-shi. You’re people never come this far north…" The coyote laughed. "True you’re highness, but I am very different from my people, and besides, I have come here for a reason." A particularly loud crash made them both look over the railing again, and he saw the red clad warriors breach the door at the base of the tower.

Across the courtyard, the large glass doors that lead into the King’s rooms opened, and a stunningly beautiful vixen emerged. She shrieked, "THE KING! They’ve killed the KING!" The scream pierced the night like a knife. Kalain stared in shock as the vixen ran from the king’s room, white and black silk flowing behind her as she ran away from the battle and into another door to the castle. "Oh no…" The prince whispered softly. Kalain’s heart felt like it was going to break as his paws gripped the railing tightly, and he stared across the courtyard into his father’s chambers.

From his balcony, Kalain could easily see inside the kings chamber and look right into his bed, a place he had gazed towards a million times before on cold and lonely nights when he had felt alone and his father was with someone else. Only this time, instead of seeing his father in the prime of life, Kalain saw him sprawled across his bed, his blood covering the sheets. "Father…"

Then, the doors on the other side of the courtyard from the invader’s hole burst open and the royal guard poured into the courtyard and began to kill the red-clad furs, lead by Jared in his silver plate mail. "They will never reach you in time. Come on, we’ve got to go…" Kalain turned and stared at the coyote in shock. "Why you…" He rushed the coyote, who grabbed his hands and spun him, pushing him back inside his room and throwing him to the floor. "Nice try Prince. But if we don’t do something fast, they’re going to kill you just like they have your father." Kalain scrambled to his feet as the coyote rushed past him and pulled the heavy cross bar on his door down just before the door bowed inward under the shock of someone’s shoulder. Kalain scrambled back towards the center of his room, trying to stay as far from the door and the coyote as he could.

"There’s no where you can hide Kalain. The guards will be delayed in reaching you, your attackers will have all the time they need to force their way in, find any of your hiding places, and kill you. Probably all just moments before you could be saved by the guard." Kalain glared at the coyote. "How do you know all this?" The coyote’s wild eyes gleamed. "Because I’m betting that’s how it was planned." "What?" Kalain gasped in shock. The coyote’s eyes narrowed and he squared his shoulders a bit. "You, like your father before you, are supposed to die tonight." The pounding on the door became louder and the cries of battle and the roar of the fire seemed to grow louder with each pounding thump and crack of wood as the door began to give way. "It has all been arranged, planned and plotted. But I can still save you." The coyote whispered with a grin.

"What do you mean?" The Prince whispered, staring at the coyote’s mischievous eyes. A board in the door gave way with a splintering sound, and the fox jumped, "Please, I’ll do anything, just get me out of here…" The prince’s voice betrayed the panic he felt.

The coyote laughed, holding out his hand. "You willing to give your word on that?" The Prince nodded slowly, "You have my word, anything." The prince put out his hand and the coyote took it, pulling him towards the balcony. "Now come, we must go now or else we will be spotted by your attackers and them both our lives will be forfeit."

"What are we going to do?" The prince asked in desperation as the coyote led him back out onto the balcony. "Come here…" The coyote pulled the Prince towards the balcony railing even as the door began to splinter behind them. He put the prince’s arms around his neck and grabbed the foxwolf’s legs, lifting him into his arms. "Here we go!" "WAIT!" The Prince gripped the coyote’s neck fur desperately struggling in his grasp, "My sister! We can’t just leave her here!" The coyote grinned wildly as he put one foot up onto the balcony railing. "Don’t worry!" the coyote yelled, "She’s not who they’re after, you are! She’ll be fine!" "What are you doooIIIIIINNNG!"

The prince’s cry was lost in the sea of battle cries and screams as the coyote leaped from the balcony just as the door burst open and a wave of furs in the red armor came screaming into the room they had just left. The sound of things being destroyed and the rush of the wind filled the prince’s ears as he closed his eyes tightly and felt himself fall, the wind sweeping by his body as he clutched to the coyote’s neck.

Then suddenly they were rising quickly, gaining both speed and altitude. Kalain opened his eyes in wonderment as the coyote carried him into the night sky, the castle grounds falling away below them. "Wha, we’re flying! What is this?" "MAGIC!" the coyote yelled with a grin, the wind whipping through his head fur and blowing the fox’s long head fur into his face. "But, but how! Magic is only taught to the richest of the rich!" The coyote grinned and winked, as they speed over the castle walls like a red shooting star, "Ah, but you have to have the talent for it! Something I have in abundance! Now hold on tight, with your bright fur we’ll have to fly low in the trees to avoid detection…" Kalain gasped as they dropped suddenly, and he clutched to the coyote’s body. The coyote’s magic made it so that he could fly, but Kalain had to cling to the coyote, and if he let go he would surely fall to his death. The ground raced up towards them, and Kalain closed his eyes and buried his nose into the coyote’s neck. Unseen to the prince, the coyote grinned even wider then ever as the foxwolf clutched at his body. He shifted his grip a bit, holding the fox in a more secure position, but more importantly, the fox was able to press closer against his chest. The coyote closed his eyes for a moment as the fox’s soft fur rubbed against him, and his tail waved in the wind as he sped away from the burning castle.

***

Lady DeWinter strode confidently up to the Crown Prince as he stood on a balcony in the castle, staring out over the village that surrounded the castle. The village was slowly stirring to life, woken from their beds by the explosion and ensuing combat at the castle. Jared turned and leaned back against the railing as she smiled at him, draped in white and black silk. "So, is it done? Did you secure my father as I wished?" The fox smiled slightly. "Yes, I am finished. The attacking rebels, who have all been slain of course, properly mangled the body to make it look as though they interrupted our, revelry." The Lady DeWinter’s voice was as cold as ice as she spoke, and the last word caused her tail to swish just once as her lips curled into a sly, evil smile. The new king closed his eyes and said, "Ooooh, Lady DeWinter, you keep talking like that and you’ll be servicing a second king tonight with that luscious body of yours." The vixen just raised an eyebrow. "You’d trust me enough to let me into your bed?" She took a step closer, her breasts pressing up against the prince’s chest, revealing her ample cleavage as her body came flush with his own. "What makes you think you can handle me when your father could not?" The crown prince smiled and cupped the fox’s cheek in his own. "Why? Because I know you, and…" The prince’s hand trailed down her neck and cupped her breast. "Without me, you’ll never be Queen…" The wolf kissed Lady DeWinter deeply, their tongues twisting around each other as the light from the fire behind them made their fur glow. When the kiss broke, the vixen kept her eyes closed. "Ooooh, Queen… You do know how to excite me my liege…" Jared grinned and corrected her. "Husband my dear, husband. As of tomorrow, I will be crowned King, and I will make you my Queen the very next day." The Lady DeWinter grinned evilly and kissed Jared again, her body melting into his, rubbing against his frame in every way possible as they enjoyed the fruits of their betrayal.

***

Prince Kalain didn’t open his eyes much as they flew. The trees whipped by so fast and the wind was too much for him to take. He kept his head down, his muzzle buried in the crook of the coyote’s neck, holding on for dear life. The coyote found this highly amusing.

"Come now my Prince, don’t tell me you aren’t enjoying this! Look around you!" He had to yell over the wind as they speed through the night, turning suddenly to follow a winding river. "No!" The fox yelped as they made a sharp turn, "And could you not fly over the river?!" The coyote grinned and banked suddenly, brushing by a particularly large tree. "Would you prefer we fly through the trees? This area is heavily populated." The coyote grinned and dipped forward a bit, forcing the fox to look down at the river as it swept by at breakneck speeds, "The water will be much softer a landing than rocks should we crash…." The foxwolf yipped in fright and clung even tighter to the coyote’s neck, his legs tightly gripping the coyote’s waist. At any other time in his life, the Prince would have been ashamed of himself for being so scared and clinging to someone like that, but one’s priorities change when one is a hundred feet in the air over a raging river moving faster then any horse could carry you.

The coyote just chuckled and shifted his grip again, one arm supporting the fox’s rear and another wrapped around his chest. The fox’s smooth fur rubbed against the part of the coyote’s chest his robe exposed and he smiled to himself as he flew through the night. He cradled the foxwolf’s body to his chest, suppressing the urge to murr in pleasure as the fox pressed closer and rubbed against some of his tender spots in his fright. He smiled as he flew the prince through the night, just enjoying the ride.

Eventually, despite the twists and turns of their course, the Prince began to relax a little. He watched the coyote’s face as they flew, his brown eyes ever watchful for the next obstacle in their path, but he didn’t seem inclined to talk anymore. As his fear began to subside, Kalain became increasingly uncomfortable. His body was pressed tightly against his coyote rescuer, and his legs wrapped around him. He could feel the coyote’s muscles through his fur, the coyote’s short course fur rubbing through his own, longer soft fur. Kalain felt embarrassed that one of his arms was even inside the coyote’s robe. In his mad attempt to find some grip on his rescuer, his paw had somehow made its way inside his robe, and so now he could the coyote’s bare back under his paw. At first, the coyote’s body had been the one solid thing to cling too but now, now he felt incredibly uncomfortable in the coyote’s arms.

Suddenly, Kalain realized crotch was pressed up against the coyote’s, and he could almost feel every curve of the coyote’s bulge pressed against his own. Suddenly his face felt hot and his whole body twitched nervously. Kalain shifted a bit in the coyote’s grasp, trying to find some way to move his crotch away from the coyote’s and found himself unable to effectively do so. He squirmed and tried to think of something else, but he couldn’t. Eventually, the uncomfortable position grew too much for Kalain and he tried talking as a way to forget about it.

"Where are we going?" He asked; trying to get his mind off the feeling the coyote’s paw gripping his rump was producing. The coyote’s eyes flicked to his own for a second, "We’re going to my castle. Beyond that, I don’t think you should know more." The coyote’s muzzle had a rather grim look on it, and Kalain felt his heart tighten just a bit and he hugged the coyote’s neck tighter, headless of the compromising position he was in. Someone had tried to kill him tonight, and they’d succeeded in killing his father. "Well," the Prince asked, "Can you at least tell me who you are?" The coyote grinned a bit and he looked at the Prince. "I am called Saluki "

***

The Princess raced through the castle, her eyes wide with fear and her guards desperately trying to catch up to her. When she reached the top of the tower stairs, she cried out in horror. On the floor lay several bodies, covered in sheets by the guards. The attackers had breached all the way up her brother’s tower. Princess Kellena felt her heart tighten and she screamed, "Kalain! Kalain!" as she rushed down the short hall towards his room. A guard at the door, which was savagely broken inward, tried to stop her, but received a wicked elbow to the nose and decided against further heroics and let her pass.

The princess’s footsteps faltered as she entered her brother’s room, and she gasped in shock. The room was destroyed, the furniture had been hacked at and turned over in the attackers rage. Blood covered the floor, and a in the middle of it all cowered a frightened fox. Kellena rushed towards the fox suddenly relieved, but when the serving vixen lifted her had, Kellena wanted to burst into tears. "Where is my brother?" she asked in a hoarse whisper.

The maid tried to speak, but she only broke out into sobs. Kellena looked up as her brother’s head maid, a matronly old raccoon who had served their mother before her death. Her ears were drooped and her tail dragged on the ground. "He’s gone my lady, I can’t find him anywhere. Not even in the secret places your mother had built." Kellena’s eyes began to water as she said, "Gone? He’s dead?" The raccoon eyes closed and shook her head, "I don’t know my lady, I can’t find a hide nor hair of him, but, his things…" she gestured around the room helplessly. Kellena looked around, and her eyes fell on their mother’s mirror, and she screamed. The mirror was shattered into a million pieces, her brother favorite stuff toy hung from the base, cut in two by the same vicious stroke of a sword that had broken the mirror.

***

"We’re here." The coyote whispered into his passenger’s ear, and Kalain opened his eyes a bit. They’d been in the air for hours, and Kalain had still been unable to work himself out of the uncomfortable position he was in. Eventually his muscles began to ache from simply holding onto Saluki and his thoughts left the feelings the gentle rubbing of the coyote’s crotch against his own produced. Ahead of them, a castle loomed in the night. Nowhere near as large as the royal palace, but a castle nonetheless. Below them, the river raged on towards their destination, forming one side of the castle’s moat. Kalain tried to think of what castle it could be, but he couldn’t think of one with a river that close to it.

Saluki grinned as they swooped in low towards the water, enjoying the way the prince clutched at his chest before rising up into the air again and floating gracefully down onto a balcony ledge. The prince trembled in fright as he slowly untangled himself the coyote’s embrace. His knees nearly gave out when he put weight on them, and he grabbed for the coyote’s arm and Saluki helped him into the room. Inside, the room was carpeted in a deep emerald green, pillows, and drapes of silk. Scattered around the room were smooth, backless couches for sleeping. Prince Kalain blinked in the low lamplight as the strength returned to his legs. His muscles hurt all over from clinging to the coyote’s body for what seemed like hours. He looked around the room nervously as the coyote led him to one of the couches and set him down on it. "Here, sit down. I’ll get you something to eat and a warm drink. I’m used to flying, but I remember how taxing it can be to a beginner." The prince nodded shakily, his paws sinking into the soft cushions under him.

He stared into space as the coyote disappeared somewhere. His arms shook and his tail was bushed completely out. His hair hung around his shoulders in wind blown waves, and he absently ran his fingers through it to calm it down some. Kalain closed his eyes and pulled in a shuddering breath. His father was dead. The sight of his father’s eyes, his strong and powerful body floated in front of him. He couldn’t believe it; his Father just couldn’t be dead. It felt like there was a gaping hole in his chest as he tried to grasp what had happened to him in the past two hours. Kalain lay backwards on the couch, the raised portion curved just right to make his back arch pleasantly. He lay there, holding the tip of a long lock of his hair in his black fingertips, trying to think. His father, the one man he’d ever wanted to respect him, the one person besides his sister he cared about, was just gone. No goodbyes, no farewell, no last moment to tell his father how much he loved him. His sister might be dead too. Kalain felt the hole in his heart open even wider. Worse, there was no way he could find out if she was. He didn’t even know where he was. All he knew was that he was in the private room of some foreign mage named Saluki; god knows how many leagues from the castle that had been his home his entire life. The fox’s chest heaved a bit and he closed his eyes, tears softly rolling down his cheeks as everything inside him just welled up and burst out.

***

Kellena sobbed uncontrollably into the young vixen’s shoulder. They sat on what remained of her brother’s bed as the raccoon moved around the room with a speed only old ladies cleaning up can have. A scuffle from outside signaled someone’s approach, and Kellena looked up as Alex elbowed his way past the guard and into the room. "Kellena!" He yelled, rushing to her side. "Alex!" The Princess wailed and threw her arms around the other wolf’s neck, sobbing, "He’s gone! He’s just gone! There’s no trace of him anywhere! He’s dead Alex, just like father, I know it, I just know it!" Alex held Kellena close, trying to calm her, "Hush, hush my darling, hush, everything’s going to be okay, what happened, where’s Kalain gone?" The Princess calmed herself some, leaning into the young noble’s embrace. "He’s gone Alex, just gone. They broke into his room, and tore everything to pieces. They even broke mother’s mirror!" Alex tightened his grip on his love, and his eyes narrowed. He knew how much those mirrors meant to his beloved and her brother. He looked at the blood-covered floor, which had little fragments of glass everywhere. "Where’s his body?" The noble asked coldly, holding his fiancée close. "Gone my lord." The old raccoon said. "And there’s no proof he’s dead. He could have escaped…" Alex glanced at the door, and the broken cross bar. "TI he was gone, then why was the cross bar down?" The raccoon shook her head sadly and said nothing as Kellena cried into Alex’s fur.

Alex hugged his fiancée and made her stand. "Kellena, I need you to listen to me closely." The wolven princess sniffed and wiped the tears from her eyes, clinging to her love tightly. "I need you to go to your chambers, and collect everything you hold dear or that’s of value. We’re leaving tonight." "What?" The Princess gasped in shock, and her grip tightened on his shoulders. "Its not safe here. Someone has planned the death of your father and your brother. These men, they’re the rebels from the south yes, but they have never been so organized or equipped. This was a planned assassination." All three women gasped and put their paws to their mouths. "Alex, how can you say that…" Kellena whispered.

"Think about it my love," the wolf said, a grim tone to his voice as if the words he said sickened him, "Just how could the rebels possibly know where your brother was, much less that his room was at the top of this tower? They came straight here, their whole attack was planned to the letter to get them in this tower, and it worked perfectly." Kellena’s eyes closed and fresh tears began to run down her cheeks. "You must go to your rooms and be ready to leave in an hour. We’ll fly to my father’s castle." Kellena straightened her shoulders and sucked in a deep breath, visibly steeling her resolves. "You’re right Alex. But, I can’t just leave my brother’s room like this…" She looked around the shattered remains of what had been her brother’s home, his life. Alex cupped his cheek in his paw and stared into her eyes. He saw all the love she had for her brother in those deep green eyes. The eyes of a fox.

"Of course not darling. You," Alex pointed at the raccoon, "What’s your name dear?" The raccoon smiled and said, "My name is Martha, and yes, I can gather Kalain’s things, even the broken ones." She looked down sadly at the mirror shards. "I can be ready to leave in two hours, one if you conscript those guards to help me." Alex smiled and mouthed a silent thanks to the old raccoon as he hugged Kellena to his chest. The raccoon smiled and nodded back. "Good, and Martha, tell no one that the prince’s body is missing. Tell them he’s dead. If he is alive, I want him to be able to flee as far away as he possibly can before anyone finds out." Martha nodded as Kellena and her love left the Prince’s quarters, Kellena’s tears still running down her cheeks. "Come deary." The old raccoon whispered to the vixen, who had stood dumfounded by the display of emotion from the nobles. "We have a lot of work to do."

***

Saluki stood in his doorway, watching the foxwolf cry. His beautiful frame shook with each sob and he looked so helpless sprawled on his back like that. His sleek and yet muscled form, his perfect fur, his stunning green eyes… Saluki felt a growl form in the back of his throat and his paw slipped down his own chest, his fingers digging into his fur as he imagined holding the fox between his legs and pounding into him for the millionth time. It had been torture holding him in his arms for hours on end. Feeling his light frame clutch at his body, his soft fur, softer then even a newborn rabbit’s fur as it rubbed against his body. Saluki could only imagine what actually taking the fox would be like.

Kalain was simply the most beautiful creature he had ever seen. The coyote’s eyes stared at the prince’s body almost hungrily. He wanted him. He wanted his body beneath his own, he wanted to drag his fingers through his beautiful soft fur and push his tongue into the fox’s beautiful muzzle and mount him, mate him and make him his. The coyote’s paw slowly rubbed against the bulge in his shorts and he arched his back and breathed in the scent of the fox that still clung to him. Just watching him made him aroused to no end and just made his heart break.

He looked so alone, so desperate. The prince had lost everything he cared about in one night. He didn’t know where he was, what had happened to his sister, all he knew for sure was that his father was dead and that he’d never know his love, and the only reason that he hadn’t died tonight as well was because a stranger saved had him at the last moment. A stranger that was now gone, and had extracted a terrible promise as a price for his rescue. Saluki narrowed his eyes and cursed himself. He was just supposed to rescue the fox, not add to his torment. He was as much the cause of his pain as those who had orchestrated his destruction.

Saluki’s tail flicked back and forth as he stared at the fox in desire, and he suddenly realized how short and scraggly it looked compared to the beautiful flag of red fur that was the fox’s tail. His fur was like sandpaper compared to the prince’s, when once Saluki had prided himself on the condition of his fur. Saluki stood in awe of the wounded beauty before him. The prince was so beautiful, and it seemed like he flickered between male and female. Saluki grinned as he remembered how the prince had looked as he leapt at him back at the palace. For that one moment when he’d lunged, Saluki had seen a completely different side of him from the young, insecure fox who had stood before his mother’s mirror and revealed his deepest secrets to a stranger he didn’t know was there. An equally beautiful side, one that was completely masculine and powerful. For that one moment, he had been the perfection of everything male, strong and virile and in control of everything around him. Unafraid of anything. The strange two-sided beauty of the prince excited the coyote beyond belief and his whole body trembled with desire.

But for all his arousal, for all his desire to grab the fox and just take his beautiful body right then and there, Saluki held himself back. Because what he wanted most of all was to have the prince beside him forever. He wanted the slim, beautiful foxwolf before him and the strong, powerful male he’d only barely glimpsed, and he wanted him for all time. The coyote’s jaw set and his tail flicked back and forth once as he made up his mind. He was going to comfort the fox, end his pain, and make him his.

***

Kalain’s tears were still running strong when Saluki returned. The foxwolf looked up at him through his tears, watching the coyote’s impassionate eyes burn down into his own. He found no judgments in the coyote’s gaze as he set a plate of food down next to the couch he lay on, his green robe discarded somewhere and replaced by just a pair of cotton shorts. The coyote’s eyes just looked into his own, almost hungrily as he stood next to the couch. Slowly, Saluki’s paw reached out and cupped the side of Kalain’s muzzle slowly, one finger slowly tracing across the fox’s lips. Kalain closed his eyes and pushed his muzzle against the coyote’s soft paw pad. Just the touch of another living being seemed to lessen the hole in his heart, and he sobbed a little easier now.

Kalain felt the couch shift as the coyote put one knee up on the couch. He opened his eyes slowly as the coyote’s body swung up over his own and the coyote’s arms encircled his head, his arms cradling the back of the fox’s neck as he slowly lay down atop his trembling form. Kalain could feel the coyote’s bare fur against his own as his chest pressed down onto his. He stared up in confusion as the coyote’s muzzle moved down and met his own. Kalain’s lips brushed against the coyote’s and the fox opened his muzzle to speak and found the coyote’s warm tongue lapping against his own, slowly exploring his muzzle. Kalain closed his eyes, overcome by the feelings of the coyote’s body pressed against him and his tongue slowly exploring his muzzle. Eventually Saluki broke the kiss, pushing himself up a bit. Kalain breathed unevenly, rubbing the tears out of his eyes. "What are you doing?" Saluki smiled down at him, one paw on the side of his chest and the other behind the fox’s head. "I kissed you." Kalain’s eyes showed how confused he was, and his paws pushed up against Saluki’s chest gently as if he couldn’t believe he was there. His voice was so childlike as he asked, "Why?" Saluki’s paw softly stroked the fox’s cheek. "Because you are beautiful." Kalain blinked slowly, his paws still on the coyote’s chest. The coyote’s paw slowly stroked down his neck and pressed into his chest as he kissed him deeply again.

When the kiss broke, the prince stammered, "How... how did you know I… I…" "Lusted for another male?" The coyote smiled, a wild grin full of mischief. "I was in your room for a long time before you saw me." The prince’s eye widened and his mouth trembled as he realized just how much the coyote knew. He let out a startled gasp before the coyote could silence him with another deep, long kiss. Saluki held him in the kiss for a long time as Kalain struggled against him, halfheartedly trying to push him off. The coyote shushed him softly, nuzzling his cheek and saying, "It’s alright Kalain, it’s alright. I understand." "No, NO! You can’t understand, you CAN’T!" The fox’s paws beat against the coyote’s chest as he cried, "He, Father never loved me. All I wanted was one touch of his paw, one night in his bed… and He hated me!" The fox broke into tears again, his fingers gripping the coyote’s chest fur as he sobbed into his chest. "All I wanted was one night, one night in his arms, his bed..."

Saluki softly rubbed the Prince’s back as he sobbed, holding him close. He closed his eyes and felt so complete having the fox in his arms. Comforting him softly, the fox’s smooth sleek body fitting just so perfectly into his embrace. When the fox moved his arms and wrapped them around Saluki’s neck, he knew he was lost. He would never be able to let the beautiful fox go. The coyote’s muzzle rubbed against the side of Kalain’s head as he whispered, "I’m falling in love with you very badly. I want to give you what your father never did, make you mine and keep you safe." Kalain pulled his head back, his eyes wide in surprise as the coyote whispered, "Forever."

"You… you want too…" "Yes, I do." The coyote’s paw rubbed Kalain’s chest a bit, teasing a nipple. "You’re the most beautiful male I’ve ever seen, and I’m about to burst from the need to be inside you. I’ve saved your life, now let me save your heart as well." "But, but I… I…" The fox’s voice wavered up and down, and he trembled as Saluki’s body pushed down against his own again, his legs between Kalain’s, forcing the fox to spread his legs a little. The fox’s long tail flicked up between their bodies and covered his crotch as he blushed, turning the white on his cheeks pink. Saluki kissed him again, hard and firm, their chest grinding together. "I love you fox. I have lusted for you since the moment my eyes fell on you and I fell in love with you somewhere high in the sky. I need your body, I want to be your lover tonight, what you want me for afterwards is irrelevant." Kalain stared up at Saluki as his eye began to burn with desire and traced his features. He radiated need, his scent heavy with arousal and the bulge in his shorts so large that he was nearly peeking out of them. "I want you Kalain. You owe me. I saved your life and you promised me anything. I want your body; I want to mate with you. Please." Kalain heard the desperation in his words. He was grasping at straws asking for this as his payment, and would do anything to be with him. Kalain laid back and closed his eyes, trying to think.

Somewhere inside his heart, a voice said yes. He wanted to be mated; to be mounted and made love to. He wanted the dashing male who’d scared him in his room, caught him up into his arms and carried him away into the sky and was now crouched over him, staring at him hungrily with dark amber eyes that seemed to drink in the light around them. He was mysterious and exotic, wild and untamed, and horribly handsome. He wasn’t his father, but the coyote loved him, lusted after his body like no one else ever had. Kalain opened his eyes and whispered, "Make love to me…" The coyote’s kiss was instant, his tongue diving deep into Kalain’s muzzle and making him yelp in surprise as he was suddenly pressed into the couch, his whole body suddenly in contact with a strong, passionate male who wanted nothing more then to mate with him. Kalain moaned as the coyote’s claw tips dug into his fur, tracing down his sides as his crotch rubbed against his own roughly. Kalain gasped for air as the coyote lifted himself up a little, fumbling with the clasp on the prince’s pants as he licked and kissed his muzzle passionately.

Kalain let his body go limp as the coyote’s muzzle moved to his neck, his rough tongue bathing his neck as his paws opened the fox’s pants and roamed across his body as if they were searching for prey. The coyote’s muzzle moved lower and lower down his body. Saluki breathed in deeply, his nose buried in the fox’s soft fur. He simply couldn’t believe how wonderful the fox smelled, how soft his fur and skin was and how hard he was just being so close to him. He’d never been so aroused in his whole life and his passion grew by the moment as Kalain let out a soft moan and closed his eyes, his lower lip quivering. Saluki grinned, and rubbed his nose against the prince’s right nipple as his paws pulled his pants down, slowly exposing the fox’s sheath, his tongue flicking across his hard nipple as his paw cupped the prince’s balls. The foxwolf’s back arched and he whimpered softly, his eyes still tightly closed. Saluki grinned wide, backing away for a moment. As the coyote pulled of his own shorts, Kalain opened his eyes and looked up him. The prince began to shiver in fright, his naked body twisting just a bit to the side as he looked up at him. His muscles were easy to see under his fur, defined and sleek, his whole form strong and beautiful as he looked down at him with hungry eyes, his hard cock jutting out from his fur, long and red in the lamplight. He’s so beautiful thought the fox. Saluki was thinking the same thing as he looked down at the fox’s beautiful red fur, which seemed to glow in the firelight, the tip of his pink cock peeking from his white furred sheath.

Saluki growled in the back of his throat, descending back onto the prince, their fur rubbing together as he lay down naked atop him. The prince yelped softly as the coyote’s hard cock dug into his thigh and he pressed him into another deep, hard kiss. Saluki smiled into the kiss as his paws rubbed at the fox’s sheath and caressed his emerging cock. The prince opened his eyes a bit and whimpered in pleasure, moaning softly as the coyote’s body pressed into him. Saluki whispered into the prince’s ear softly as his paw wrapped around his hardening cock, his thumb rubbing against the slit of the fox’s cock, "Does that feel good?" The fox’s eyes closed and he whimpered, nodding shakily as Saluki’s muzzle buried into his neck and nibbled on his neck softly. At the first touch of the coyote’s teeth, Kalain’s back arched and he moaned, his body trembling as the coyote’s cock rubbed against his own. The coyote’s paw slide down his side, cupping his rump and squeezing hard. Kalain yelped and reflexively spread his legs. Saluki kissed Kalain deeply as the fox’s legs gripped his hips. He shifted his hips, using his legs to spread the fox’s, spreading him and exposing the fox’s tailhole. Saluki moved the paw rubbing Kalain’s cock down, cupping his balls and rubbing the area under his tail.

Kalain moaned loudly, his back arching and his head rolling back as a finger slowly rubbed around his tailhole. Kalain’s finger’s dug into Saluki’s neck fur as the coyote began to rub the head of his cock against the fox’s virgin tailhole. The coyote’s dark brown eyes peered into Kalain’s as he slowly pawed and rubbed the fox beneath him, teasing his nipple, cock and tailhole. Kalain moaned and gripped Saluki’s sides with his legs, whispering, "Take me… oh god please mate me…" The coyote’s muzzle rubbed against his own, "It’ll hurt… It’s your first time…" Kalain pushed his head against the coyote’s, "I don’t care. All I want is to be with you…" Saluki’s muzzle rubbed Kalain’s and the coyote kissed him deeply, pushing him into the couch and holding his legs apart, his rump upturned as he leaned forward and pushed his cock head against the fox’s tailhole. Kalain’s legs flexed and he moaned in pain into the kiss as the hard, warm head of Saluki’s cock pushed into him, his virgin tailhole fighting back, keeping him out. The coyote put more strength behind his slow thrust and Kalain’s body shook as the ring of his tailhole opened, burning pain and pleasure washing over him as the coyote’s cock slowly sunk to the hilt inside him. Kalain closed his eyes and cried in pain, his legs wrapped around Saluki’s waist, the coyote’s strong chest pressed against him. It felt like he was being split apart from the inside. Kalain whimpered softly as Saluki lay atop him unmoving, softly licking his white cheek fur, letting the fox adjust to having his cock inside him.

Kalain shifted under the coyote’s weight, panting hard. His legs were over his head, his back arched and curved with the couch, the coyote’s weight pushing down atop him, his hot fur rubbing against him with every breathe he took. He could feel Saluki’s cock inside him, holding his tailhole open, pleasure and pain running through his body like lightning. He flexed his tailhole experimentally, eliciting a whimpering yelp of pleasure from the coyote. Kalain opened his eyes slowly, looking into Saluki’s face as it hovered over his, his eyes closed tight in concentration. Sweat dripped from his brow and he whimpered softly as Kalain whispered, "What’s wrong?" The coyote’s voice was hoarse as he whispered, "You’re tight… gods your tight… you feel like hot silk…" Kalain felt the coyote’s hips buck slightly in need, "Gods I want to fuck you…" Kalain’s arms wrapped around Saluki’s neck, and his legs gripped his sides tightly. "Mount me hard…" He whispered.

The coyote almost howled as he pulled his cock almost completely out of the fox’s tailhole, slamming back inside him instantly. Kalain yelped and whimpered, closing his eyes as Saluki began to fuck him hard. He could feel each burning thrust spreading his tailhole open over and over again, the coyote’s hot rod of flesh buried inside him with more passion then he though was possible. Kalain closed his eyes and lifted his head, the coyote’s muzzle rubbing against his neck as he panted hard, humping down into him. Saluki whispered as he thrust, saying how tight, how hot and smooth Kalain’s ass was, how beautiful he looked and how good it was to mount him. Kalain could barely hear him as he rode the waves of pleasure coming from his tailhole, a burning, thought consuming pleasure that made him moan and gasp with each thrust filling his body. The fire crackled somewhere, but the only heat he could feel was from the coyote’s body, his fat cock plowing into him so hard it shook the couch. Kalain’s claws drug across Saluki’s back and he shook in pleasure, gasping the coyote’s name. The coyote growled loudly into his ear, thrusting harder and faster, his mounting thrusts pushing his cock deeper inside the fox as he spread Kalain’s leg open even wider, a paw grabbing hold of the fox’s dripping cock and stroking it in time with the coyote’s frantic humping.

Kalain’s eyes snapped open and he yipped loudly as his tailhole stretched even wider, the coyote’s swelling knot popping inside him. For a second, he felt like he was being split open again, the huge knot making him feel somehow filled, before the coyote’s thrusting pulled it back out with another, almost audible, pop. Kalain gasped, his body going limp as Saluki growled even louder and thrust harder, ramming his growing knot in and out of the fox’s shuddering tailhole. Kalain whimpered and nearly passed out from the pleasure of being mounted. It felt like his whole body was on fire, every surge of pleasure a hundred times stronger now that Saluki’s paw worked his cock and his knot made him squirm in pleasure. In and out and back in, the coyote’s throbbing, hot cock pounded into him, his knot forcing his tailhole to open even wider with each thrust, threatening to lock then together at any instant. Kalain whined loudly, biting his lower lip as the coyote’s paw gripped and stroked his cock in time with the hard, mind bending thrusts of his cock. Kalain heard himself begin to yiff loudly, his body shaking as the coyote pounded into him over and over. It felt like all the pleasure in his body was collecting inside his cock and tailhole, battered and humped by the coyote’s hard cock. Kalain felt his balls pull up and his cock throb just as Saluki’s hard knot popped into him again and sent him screaming over the edge into his first real orgasm.

Kalain howled as loud as he could, the deep, long howl of a wolf cumming as his whole body burned like it was on fire, the coyote’s desprate thrusts into his body making him spasm in even higher pleasure as Saluki’s knot pulled at his insides. Kalain felt the first blast of cum leave his cock, the coyote’s paw stroking him hard, sending the blasts of his white cum across his chest as the cock inside him throbbed powerfully, the first wave of coyote cum flooding his insides, coating the walls of his tailhole as Saluki joined him in his howl. Kalain felt nothing except incredible ecstasy, and he seemed to loose himself in it.

Kalain opened his eyes as the overwhelming blackness of ecstasy receded, his chest heaving. His arms were pinned by Saluki’s paws, and the coyote was still lost in his orgasm, thrusting inside the fox beneath him hard, his trapped cock throbbing as his seed sprayed deep inside the fox. Kalain could feel every inch of the coyote’s cock as it throbbed, and his mind latched onto that feeling as he lay, legs spread and held up over his head, pinned beneath his lover as the coyote pumped him full of his seed He burned that moment into his mind so he would never forget it.

Kalain panted hard, gasping for air as the coyote’s thrusts slowed, his body feebly pushing down onto Kalain’s as he slowly collapsed down on top of him, his arms wrapping around the fox and hugging him fiercely. Kalain closed his eyes and buried his muzzle into Saluki’s neck, his arms desperately hugging the coyote’s neck as they lay together in the after glow of their mating, both too winded to speak. Kalain let his head fall backwards onto the couch and found his head cradled by the coyote’s arms, his whole body spread open wide and held close at the same time. He was held tightly by the male whose cock was inside him, throbbing softly and filling him slowly with cum. Kalain closed his eyes as Saluki began to lick and clean his face lovingly, just letting himself go.

He didn’t care what had happened before; he didn’t care about his life anymore. All he knew was the male inside him loved him and would protect him, and that he’d never felt so good in his whole life. "Forever" Saluki whispered as his paw stroked the foxwolf’s cheek. "You’re mine forever and I swear I’ll make you happy." Those were the last words Kalain heard before falling into the darkness of sleep, the comforting weight of another male atop him and a hard cock inside his body, and the arms of one who loved him around his chest.

***

Saluki woke with a start and a snort. He was lying on the couch, the scent of the fox’s cum all around, mixed with the scent of his own arousal. But the Prince wasn’t there. He looked around wildly, crouched on his hands and knees, instinct in control. His mate was gone and he had to find him. The coyote spotted the fox’s beautiful red fur by the window and the hackles that had risen on the back of his neck began to fall.

Prince Kalain was sitting out on the balcony, staring through the railing and watching the river run by below him. Saluki calmed himself, mentally cursing his loss of control. But as he stared at the Prince’s sleek form, his green robe wrapped around his naked body, Saluki smiled. His heart warmed just seeing the prince. Somewhere inside him, he knew he’d lost himself in their mating, that in his passion for the beautiful male, he’d bound his heart to him. His people mated for life, and once a mate was chosen, only death could change things.

Saluki watched him sit there for a long time as he just stared out at the river, his fox fur glimmering in the night and his eyes shining in the moonlight like jewels. The coyote watched the foxwolf as he sat there, staring out off the balcony. Suddenly, a thought that chilled him to the bones filled his mind. The Prince might be seeking escape, the coyote thought, his stomach opening up like a pit inside him. "Its forty feet to the river below Kalain," Saluki said hastily, his mouth dry, "I wouldn’t advise trying to jump." The Prince’s tail flicked across the stone floor once and he said, "I’m not thinking of escape. I’m watching the water dragons." The coyote let out a silent sigh of relief and moved out onto the balcony, his hands on the railing as he leaned over the Prince’s small form. He followed the prince’s gaze to the other side of the river.

On the other side of the river there lay a little pool, around which fireflies and tiny song dragons danced, creating an enchanting moonlight scene. The glowing lights bobbed and weaved in the air between the butterfly wings of the song dragons, the soft notes of their mating songs audible over the low rumble of the river. Saluki had never seen them there before, even though he’d watched the river outside his window a million times. "Where did they come from?" He asked softly, enchanted by the sight of the pool and his beautiful mate.

"Somewhere else," the Prince said softly, "Somewhere free. Like they always do." The coyote looked down at the sleek foxwolf, who looked up at him for a moment. "Always do?" The coyote whispered softly. The little foxwolf nodded and returned his eyes to the pool. "Song dragon’s and fireflies always come to the shallow pools made by the spring rains to mate. Then they go back to their homes, free as the wind…." The coyote watched the foxwolf as he spoke, and his fur seemed to shine in the light of the moon. His fur was a dark glistening red and brilliant white trimmed with the inky blackness of night, each patch of fur looking like it had been painted onto his perfect slim but handsome body by a master painter’s brush. Saluki watched those large green eyes stare into the night, the foxwolf’s slim and beautiful body seeming to shimmer between male and female perfection. "There’s a pool like this one behind the castle, where the moat would overflow when the rains come, but it was more beautiful because some glow-fish lived there and always light the moat up at night." Saluki nodded to himself as the foxwolf talked. Having glowfish living in castle moat was a common practice through out the world; it let the guards see into the waters at night. But he’d never really thought that they could look pretty. But imagining it now, he knew it would look stunning.

"The village children," Kalain continued, his voice low and song like, as if I was weaving an enchantment all it own. "They always came to play in the pool and the song dragons and fireflies would play with them. The children would catch the fireflies in their paws and then let them go, the song dragon’s even landing on their heads or even in the palms of their paws if they were very patient and brought them gifts. The young girls would sit on the banks and watch the boys swim in the glowing water, joining them only if one of them made them feel safe some how." The coyote watched the little pool across the river glow in his minds eye from with in, the visions of children swimming, playing, laughing, and just being together, young and free with no cares or worries. Saluki marveled as he imagined how the pool must have looked, how tempting and inviting it must have been to a young prince trapped in the tower of his castle.

The Prince spoke again even softer then before, "The children never knew why the fish or fireflies came to the pool or what the songs of the dragon’s meant. I knew. My teachers told me, to try and take away the magic of such things I suppose. But I didn’t care. I guess the other children came for the same reasons, more or less…" The coyote watched the Prince as he closed his eyes, imagining, "They seemed so happy to see me, some one totally new, the night I snuck out to bathe with them once. But...." The Prince stopped suddenly and drew his knees up to his chest, his whole body seeming to shrink as he fell silent. Saluki blinded, coming out of a daze. The image of a young fox girl on the banks of the pool, dragging a reed through the water to the nose of young male fox who smiled up at her from the water faded from his mind as the strange magic of the Prince’s words ended.

"But what?" Saluki said softly. The Prince got to his feet and moved off the balcony, and Saluki turned after him and said, "But what?" It was a little louder then he had meant it too be, and the coyote felt terrible as the fox paused in midstep and said, "I was caught by the guards." The prince looked back over his shoulder at the coyote, "They chased the other children away from their pool for nearly two months. I know, because I wasn’t let out of my rooms for nearly three." Saluki stood in silence as the foxwolf’s fur shimmered in the moon and lamplight, his naked form seeming so beautiful and natural as he padded silently to the couch they had mated on and lay down wordlessly. The coyote walked towards him slowly, unsure what to do. The prince just laid there, his eyes closed as if asleep. He looked so tired, so hopeless. Like nothing in the world could be worth fighting for, not even the beautiful memories of his youth. Saluki ran his hand through his head fur, confused by everything.

The Prince’s voice was so entrancing, captivating in ways he didn’t even know existed. He’d seen illusion and mind control magics that didn’t have that kind of power to captivate the mind. His beauty, even as he lay there with no energy or will at all, radiated from the foxwolf even as a single tear slipped from his closed eyes. Saluki leaned down and brushed the tear away from his muzzle with a kiss and slide onto the couch behind him, sliding his arm under the foxwolf’s head and the other around his chest. He held him close, saying nothing when the foxwolf began to cry, turning towards him and burying his muzzle into his chest. Eventually, the prince felt into a fitful sleep, and Saluki held him in his arms till darkness claimed him as well.

***

The carriage clattered as the horses ran as fast as they could, foam dripping from their mouths and sweat flying off them. Inside the carriage, Princess Kellena slept with her head on Alex Renold’s chest, the young noble wolf holding her close as they rode towards the rising sun. The old raccoon and the serving girl were fast asleep on the other side of the carriage, and Kellena had finally cried herself to sleep a short while earlier. Alex was watching the trees race by outside. Alone for once, and holding his love safely in his arms, the young wolf was finally able to let go of all the confidence, the strength he’d had to hold onto to keep Kellena going. A silent tear rolled down his cheek as he closed his eyes and hugged the princess close.

***

The morning came as it always does, and Kalain opened his eyes slowly. He leaned up and sat on the edge of the couch, his hair draping down across his shoulders and in front of his eyes. Kalain slowly reached over and picked up a hairbrush from one of the coyote’s tables, and set to slowly brushing his fur. He sat in a chair in from of a dresser that had a mirror set on the back of it. Looking into a mirror as he slowly brushed the tangles and mats from his fur, returning his fur to the vibrance and luster it always held. He could smell the coyote’s scent in his fur, could still faintly smell the lingering scent of sex in the air. The prince numbly ran the brush through his long headfur till it cascaded down his shoulders like red silk. The prince pulled the long smooth fur back into a ponytail and tied it there with a long green ribbon that rested on the dresser. The drawer opened to reveal simple brown clothes, though the style was clearly that of Saluki’s nomadic tribes. The Prince pulled on a pair of brown shorts that fell to his knees and pulled on his own shirt, which he covered with a open vest made of leather. He stood up slowly, looked around the coyote’s quarters.

Cushions and chairs still abounded, but all the lamps had gone out. The colored drapes caught the morning sun streaming in from the balcony, casting their colors across the room’s floor. Kalain pulls his arms close to his chest and rubbed his forearms softly, still in a daze. He was so confused about everything that happened last night. The castle was attacked, his father was killed, and he almost joined him death. And he was no longer a virgin anymore. The foxwolf shivered slightly at the memories of Saluki’s passionate mating, of how softly the coyote had held him afterwards, just letting him cry. The door opened and Saluki slipped into the room quietly, carry another tray of food. The too males stared into each other’s eyes for a long, silent moment.

"Good morning." Saluki whispered softly, averting his eyes from the Prince’s and setting the tray down on a table. "Good morning" Kalain whispered softly. Saluki closed his eyes and tried not to show how shocked he felt by what the Prince looked like. With his hair tied back and those clothes on, he looked like a fox from the wild tribes of Saluki’s homeland. It was like he was back home, actually returning with breakfast for his mate. Saluki sat down at the table numbly, his heart aching. He wanted to say so many things to the beautiful foxwolf, but his throat was closed tight. He didn’t know what to say, and he was terrified that the fox wouldn’t understand what last night meant to him. Saluki kept his back to the Prince for a long moment and silence hung in the room. The coyote began to set the table and sat down to eat, anything to take his mind from the fox behind him. Eventually the prince moved around the little table and sat down and began to eat with the coyote.

After a while, the Prince asked, "Where are we Saluki?" The coyote looked up at the prince’s face slowly. "We’re in the castle of my lord, Duke Renolds." The foxwolf’s green eyes blinked slowly. "You serve Duke Renolds?" Saluki nodded slowly and silence crept back over the room. Eventually, the prince said, "Saluki, Why were you in my room last night? How did you know someone was going to try and kill me?" The coyote’s eyes looked up at the fox’s, which were just looking at him. They held no suspicion, not anger. Saluki rubbed his paws together a little nervously. "Well, this will sound bad, but, the truth is I found out because someone hired me to kill you…" the coyote held up his paws and quickly said, "But I never intended to, Duke Renolds just thought it was best that I go, in case they’d hired others as well." The Prince nodded, "Well I’m glad he sent you, but why wasn’t I told? If I’d known…" Saluki swallowed and ran a paw through his headfur. "Your father was the one who decided not to tell you. He thought that, if you didn’t know, but that there were always guards watching you, guards you didn’t know about, then they could catch them when they struck, and then use the assasins to find their backers." The Prince smiled. "So that’s why father gave me this ring." He held up his paw, the small silver ring still on his finger. Saluki nodded whispering, "It’s a protection I made at his request, to stop a killer’s knife. I think he wanted it to make sure I wouldn’t turn against you when I was supposed to be protecting you, but," the coyote’s voice got very quite. "I couldn’t have killed you even if I had wanted to..."

Kalain blinked for a few moments and he turned his head slightly to the side. Saluki closed his eyes and steeled himself. "My lord, last night… last night I took advantage of you. And, and I want you to know I’ll never tell anyone about it. I just… I just wanted to be with you." Saluki opened his eyes and looked at the prince for a long moment, reaching out and taking the foxwolf’s paws in his own. "I want you to know…"

A pounding on the door made both males jump, and Saluki stood up quickly, knocking his chair over. A loud voice echoed through the door, yelling, "I don’t care what Saluki told you! Open this door, NOW!" Saluki’s paws shook as he said, "It’s Duke Renolds…" The coyote looked at Kalain, who was standing now. The coyote took a step towards him and said, "Kalain I…" The fox brought up his paw and covered the end of the coyote’s muzzle. "No Saluki, whatever it is, it can wait until tonight." The coyote moved his muzzle away from the Prince’s paw and whispered, "Tonight?" The pounding continued and Kalain smiled softly. "I won’t feel safe sleeping anywhere but here." The coyote’s smile spread across his muzzle as the Prince spoke, "Now, open the door. I think the Duke deserves some answers and maybe he knows what’s happened to my sister." Saluki smiled and nodded, wiping the tears from his eyes as he went to the door.

***

As Saluki unbolted the door, a tall wolf shoved it open, pushing the coyote back a step as he stormed into the room. The Duke was an impressively tall and well-muscled wolf, not quite as tall as Kalain’s father had been, but he still towered over the foxwolf, and even his coyote servant. "Saluki! What happened! I sent you to save the Pr…" the Duke’s eyes widened and his shouts faltered as his eyes fell on Prince Kalain, "Pr… Prince Kalain! Oh thank the gods your alive boy!" The duke’s arms reached out and grabbed the shorter foxwolf and gave him a fierce hug before holding him at arms length. The older wolf’s eyes traced Kalain’s form, taking note of his haggard looks and the fact that he was wearing Saluki’s cloths. "Though you don’t look good at all!" Kalain gave the larger wolf a weak smile. "It was a long night…" the wolf nodded and a frown crossed his muzzle, "I should say so… the messengers pigeons weren’t very clear about what happened…" Saluki stood behind the duke nervously as Kalain looked him in the eyes. "A force of Rebels blew a hole in the north wall, and started killing everyone. I didn’t see them go into Father’s room, but…" the duke nodded, "I’m so sorry son, had I known what was going to happen…" Kalain smiled and patted one of the duke’s paws, sitting back down. "You would have found a way to save him, just like you did me…" Duke Renolds followed the foxwolf’s gaze to the coyote, who was standing very quietly behind him. A long moment of silence followed, and Duke Renolds’s gaze switched between the two males as they stared at each other.

Kalain eventually broke the silence, "Have you heard anything about my sister? Was she hurt in the attack?" Duke Renolds looked back at the Prince, saying, "No she wasn’t… my son is bringing her here at this very moment, they should arrive soon. Prince Kalain, the messengers are saying that you’re…" "Dead." The foxwolf finished, and the Duke nodded. Kalain sighed, "Yes, well it might be for the best for now. What is my brother doing?" The Duke shifted a bit uncomfortably. "The crown prince is planning his coronation for tomorrow, along with his wedding." Saluki’s surprise made him gasp, "What? So soon after the kings murder? That’s horrible…" The Duke nodded, "Yes, several of the duke’s have objected to it, saying they won’t be able to reach the castle in time before he marries the vixen but…" Kalain’s words were soft as he said, "He marrying a fox?" The Duke looked at the Prince, a little confused by the sheer astonishment in his voice, "Yes, she’s a minor noblewoman named Lady Dewinter. Now Saluki I want…" Kalain’s ears didn’t pick up the rest of what the duke was saying.

Images from the night before flashed through the foxwolf’s head. There had been a vixen fleeing his father’s chambers after he was killed, and she was the same vixen who had been in the hallway with his brother after dinner. Could she be the same vixen brother was making his Queen? Jarod held a special hate in his heart for foxes, he’d never take one as his wife. Use them for their bodies, yes, but marry?

Kalain’s throat felt like it was closing up. His father had been laying on his bed dead before any of the rebels had even gotten near him. Had she killed him, like Saluki was supposed to kill him? Kalain looked up at the coyote as he listened to the Duke’s instructions. Had his own brother killed their Father? Kalain’s paws trembled as he pulled them off the table into his lap. And if Jarod had planned it all, what was he supposed to do? He couldn’t just let Jarod get away with this… But first he had to prove that the vixens were the same…

"Do you have a picture of Lady Dewinter?" Kalain’s voice was firm, and his jaw was set as he asked the question. The duke broke of his conversation with the coyote and looked at the Prince, a very confused expression on his face, "No, I don’t think so. But what does it matter, your father is…" "My father was murdered Duke Renolds." The Prince stood, and for a moment he appeared much taller then he actually was, his presence in the room seeming for a moment to outshine the Duke’s. "And the rebels never laid a sword on him. I saw his body from my balcony during the attack." Kalain looked at Saluki, "And so did you. Father was dead before any of those bastards even reached him, just like I was supposed to be…" Duke Renolds blinked in astonishment, "Oh my word… you’re right… I’d totally forgotten…" the Duke looked at Saluki and then back at the Prince, leaning heavily against the table, his eyes moving back and forth as he thought things through. "Your father and I were so concerned for your safety, we didn’t even consider that it could be part of a larger plan… and with the attack I almost forgot…" The duke sat down heavily, folding his hands in front of him on the table. He was silent for a moment. "The traitors will be fools to approach Saluki to pay him now that the king’s dead, and by now, any trace of the real killers is probably gone from the castle…"

The Prince’s eyes seemed to flash for a moment as they narrowed, and Saluki was taken aback by the look of anger that filled the Prince’s face as he almost growled, "No, I doubt they’ll be going anywhere fast. After all, think they’ve won, that I’m dead and everything worked perfectly…" The Duke nodded, tapping his fingers to the tip of his muzzle in thought. "Yes, but how do we find them? We…" "I already think I know who they are." The Duke blinked in surprise. "What?" "Tomorrow I will be borrowing your mage to confirm it. If I’m wrong, accusing them would be signing my own, and your, death warrant. But I doubt I’m wrong, as much as I wish I was." The Duke nodded slowly, understanding what the foxwolf was implying. "In the mean time," the foxwolf continued, "I want you to marshal whatever forces you can near the castle. Claim its in response to the attack and you want to protect the new King. And contact any of the other Dukes you trust completely and tell them to do the same. We may need the help." The old wolf looked up into the young foxwolf’s narrowed eyes, and smiled as if he’d found something he hadn’t expected to find. "Yes my liege. I will make sure things are prepared." The foxwolf tried to keep his composure as the older wolf stood and gave a slight bow, "Thank you Lord Renolds…" Kalain said, happy the wolf didn’t look back as he left the room to see the tears brimming in his eyes.

As the duke left the room, Saluki slowly took a few steps towards Kalain. The foxwolf just stood there beside the table, looking down at his paws. Slowly, Saluki put out his paw and touched the Prince’s shoulder. One of the Prince’s paw reached up and covered the coyote’s. "Are you alright Kalain?" The foxwolf shook his head and turned towards the coyote, stepping closer to him and into the coyote’s arms. Saluki gently put his arms around the Prince as he put his head against his chest. "No Saluki, I’m not alright. My Father’s dead, and I really, really hope I’m wrong about who killed him…" Saluki nuzzled the foxwolf softly and held him as he cried silently into his fur.

***

The duke made his way down the main set of stairs, heading for his study. As he did so, he caught sight of a carriage entering the court yard. Duke Renolds whispered a soft prayer and quickened his pace so he could meet the carriage.

As he got to the front doors of his castle, they swung open, admitting his son and the Princess. Alex was helping Kellena walk, and she looked like she’d been crying the whole trip. "Princess…" the Duke whispered, giving her his paw so she would have two people to hold onto. "Duke Renolds…" She whispered, blinking away her tears. "I’m sorry to impose on you like this… but… something terrible…" The duke shook his head and said, "I know dear, I know. I’m sorry…" Princess Kellena closed her eyes, relieved she wouldn’t have to explain her appearance. Alex propped her up a little more and said, Darling, you need to sleep, you hardly slept at all on the trip. Father, could you please have someone send some food up to her? I’m going to put her in my room until one can be made up for her." Duke Renolds smiled and patted his son’s shoulder. "Certainly son, but first you might want to take her up to Saluki’s room." Alex scowled at the mention of the coyote’s name. He didn’t fully trust the coyote mage. "She doesn’t need any of his magic’s father, just sleep…" The duke grinned knowingly, making his son scowl more. "How can he be so happy at a time like this?" Alex thought.

"Well yes son, but Prince Kalain would have my head if I didn’t tell her where her brother is…" Princess Kellena’s eyes snapped open and she straightened up in Alex’s arms. "Kalain’s alive? Where is he?" But she didn’t wait for an answer, she just dashed up the main stair case, shouting, "Kalain!!!"

Alex stood there in shock, staring after her. "Is he really alive?" The duke nodded, bringing a genuine smile to his son’s face. "And the king? Is he…" Alex’s words died as his father’s cheerful mood completely dissolved, and he could see the hurt in his father’s eye. Alex nodded gravely. "Well I better follow her…" The duke smiled sadly. "Yes, at least we have some hope now, with both of them together. Hopefully she’ll give Kalain the strength to do what may be required." Alex’s brow furrowed as he realized what his father was implying. "Father, what do you…" The duke shook his head. "Not now son, go and be with your mate, she’ll need you as much as she needs her brother." Alex blushed a bit as he walked up the stairs, "Father, please, she hasn’t given me an answer yet." The duke only smiled. "Oh but she will, and I’ll have grandpups before you know it son." Alex’s ears burned as he followed Kellena’s shouts, and the duke just smiled.

***