The Neko and the Wolf - 5. Royal Panic

Morning came far too quickly, Zaddis sitting bleary eyed in his chair in the hallway. Checking his watch, he sighed and stood, knocking loudly on Finley's door.

"Time to get up, your Highness... breakfast is in thirty..."

His head was cleared of the effects of the cum now, the fuzziness replaced by a throbbing headache and an annoying boner that wouldn't go away. Sighing deeply, he leaned against the wall, waiting.

Fin groaned loudly, his feet sliding out of the warm bed. He hissed at the freezing floor, wondering if he needed to start wearing socks to bed. He hated socks, but it beat standing on ice cubes every morning.

The neko dressed tiredly, fingers skipping clumsily over his tailhole. Growling quietly as the knot slipped again, he let the flap hang open. So people were going to see his ass. Fuck it, he was a prince, who cared?

Throwing on a pair of shoes, Fin opened the door to his room, trying to muster at least a smile for the werewolf outside his door.

The werewolf at his door did not do the same, a frown on his face and bags under his eyes.

"Heard you grumbling in there... trouble tying your tail hole?"

“It’s fucking cold in there. My fingers are frozen stiff,” Finley grunted, almost daring the wolf to call him weak for failing to lace the flap properly.

He could feel the cold air on the base of his tail, a breeze making his groin stir with the unfamiliar sensation. The neko dropped the act, scowling as he looked down at his crotch. If his rod so much as twitched, he would chop it off. It was causing nothing but problems.

Sighing, Zaddis stepped around him and knelt, quickly tying the flap up for him.

"I'll see about getting you some rugs and maybe a space heater in there... it's always cold this time of year..."

Straightening back up, he started off in the direction of the dining room.

"C’mon... Darius and Maia should be there already..."

“Thanks,” the neko muttered, chasing after the werewolf. “I… um… I’m sorry… for the whole silver thing. That was uncalled for.”

His fingers closed around his amulet, wondering if he should put it on. How much was he allowed to keep traditions? It worried Fin. What if someone told him to get rid of the amulet? Or told him he was not allowed to follow the Silence? These were things that made him who he was; how could he call himself a neko if he didn’t hold them sacred?

Sighing, he shook his head.

"It’s fine... we both said and did things we probably shouldn't have last night... I'm the older of us... I take full responsibility..."

Hearing him fidgeting, Zaddis looked back at him, spying the amulet.

"You might want to keep that to yourself... I doubt anyone would try to take it or tell you you can't have it, but it would certainly avoid any looks or talking behind your back... just some advice..."

“I… I’m not… Can we take a moment?” the neko breathed, darting into a small closet filled with linens.

He took a shaking breath, feeling the weight of the world closing in on him. It was happening more and more lately, as Fin was forced to accept his new role, and all the rules that came with it. He may not have been an orphan anymore, but he was in a gilded cage, and somehow that was worse. The neko slid to the ground, curling up under a blanket, though it lacked the weight, the heaviness he needed. He had pushed himself into another panic, and Finley let it ride out, rolling back and forth as he sucked in large gulps of air.

Looking around in a panic, Zaddis sighed deeply and shifted, carefully approaching the panicked neko with a yip, carefully nosing up against him.

Arms wrapped around the wolf, Finley giving up any pretense of decorum as he held onto Zaddis. Burying his face into Zaddis’ fur, the neko breathed heavily, his entire body relaxing at the werewolf’s scent. He had no doubt he would regret this later, but for now, he could only calm down, slowly come back from his thoughts of giving up everything about himself, about his culture and beliefs.

“It isn’t fair…” he hiccoughed. “Why did she have to choose me? I don’t want any of this…”

Whining apologetically, Zaddis nudged and moved till he had Finley on his back, at which point, he took him from the closet and back to his room. Shifting back, he placed him on his bed.

"Just stay here... I'll tell everyone you're not feeling well and won't be coming to breakfast... I'm sorry for upsetting you..."

With head hung low, he headed towards the dining room.

“Zad… Zaddis… come back please…” Finley called, curling up in his bed.

His fingers closed around the amulet in his pocket, the neko pulling it out and staring at the tiny lock of brown fur under the front pane. He fought with the urge to chase after Zaddis. No, he could use a day to himself, a day free from the worries of being a prince. But he couldn’t go through it without his werewolf.

Stopping at the door, he looked back at him.

"Okay... I'll come back. But I do need to let everyone know you're okay... don't worry... I wont be long..." and with that, he closed the door behind him.

Down in the dining hall, Darius tapped his foot in impatient annoyance, rounding quickly when he heard Zaddis approach.

"Where the hell have you been!? And where is the Prince?"

Frowning, Zaddis waved him off.

"He's in his room. He's not feeling well this morning. I just wanted to let everyone know he was alright... he asked me to stay with him today, so I guess you guys will cover this evenings shift..."

Looking towards the opposite end of the table, he looked to his father, then the queen before bowing.

"If that is alright, of course, your majesty..."

The queen waved him off.

“Fine. I knew it would be a difficult transition. Make sure he knows he still has to attend court tomorrow,” she said imperiously.

Vincent frowned at the half elf, giving him a hard glare, as though to question his son’s motives.

Nodding, Zaddis bowed.

“Of course your majesty. I will remind him..."

Turning his eyes to his father, he nodded in greeting.

"Father..."

Then the wolf turned to make his way back out of the room and back to Fin’s chamber

The prince was sitting under his weighted blanket, staring blankly at the door. His eyes lifted at the sight of Zaddis, a cautious smile turning the corner of his lips.

“Am I free?” he asked quietly, hopefully.

Even Fin wasn’t sure if he meant for the day or free to leave forever. He supposed he meant for the day. There was no chance he could escape this prison forever.

Nodding with a slight smile, Zaddis sat on the chair at Finley's desk.

"Yes... the queen was actually quite understanding... though she did tell me to remind you that you'll need to attend Court tomorrow..."

Sighing deeply, he rubbed his eyes.

"Also, since I'm staying with you today, Darius and Maia will be outside tonight. Just wanted to let you know..."

“So no cumming my pants tonight. Got it,” Finley sighed. “You look tired.”

He pulled back his blanket, setting his amulet on the bedside table.

“Get your butt in here. And that is an order,” he added with a tiny smirk. “I can’t have my fearsome guard be exhausted, can I?”

Smiling softly, the half elf sighed and shook his head.

"I shouldn't... I wouldn't want someone to catch us and you get into trouble... besides... I think my father might be suspicious of me where you're concerned... I don't want to add fuel to the fire..."

Coming over, Zaddis sat on the bed beside the prince.

"I'm sorry for upsetting you... i never intended to..."

“It wasn’t you though,” Finley frowned. “You aren’t trying to mold me into the perfect little prince to parade before the world.”

He grinned suddenly, looking up at his guard mischievously.

“Well, since I have the day off, how would you like to get the fuck out of here and explore the city with me? I have some gold now, I can finally go try those chocolates infused with mint…”

Smirking with his arms crossed, the werewolf tsked quietly.

"We'll both get in a lot of trouble if we get caught... but hell, let's live dangerously."

Removing his uniform shirt, he dug into the pack he always brought with him and got out a plain t-shirt and hoodie, quickly changing into them.

Finley hesitated, his eyes travelling over Zaddis’ body as the guard dressed. As soon as everything was covered, the neko darted out of bed, hurrying into the closet. He began flipping through clothes, silk and gold gowns tossed aside until he finally found them.

The clothes he had been wearing when the queen came. Stained with dirt, holes torn in knee and arm, they were as much a part of Finley as his amulet. He pulled them on happily, setting his amulet around his neck before returning to the bedroom.

“So, do we jump out the window on three?”

Going over, Zaddis made sure the coast was clear before climbing down and looking back up, arms wide.

"Don't worry, I'll catch you... I AM supposed to still keep you safe…”

Swinging his legs over the edge of the balcony, the neko shook his head.

“Move!” he hissed, before pushing himself off the railing.

His body twisted through the air, Finley landing on his feet before tucking into a roll.

“Word to the wise, don’t try to catch a neko. It will fuck us up,” he smirked, standing up.

Rolling his eyes, Zaddis took off towards the front gate of the estate, nodding for Finley to follow.

“C'mon, there's a hole in the fence nobody knows about, its how I used to sneak out all the time.”

Following his guard closely, Finley groaned as he realized they were at the top of a hill.

“It’s going to be a pain getting back in here, isn’t it?” he grumbled.

Oh well, the chocolate would be worth it. He hoped.

Squeezing through the hole in the wall, the neko waited for Zaddis to come through, a surge of elation rushing through him. They weren’t free yet, but damn, it felt good to be out of that palace.

Nodding in agreement, "yeah... it kinda sucks getting back up here. I'm usually wolfed out to make it easier." Sighing deeply, he looked over to Finley, "so Fin... what do you want to do with your free day?"