Kidnapping is Always an Option - 20. Chapter 20

Orin looked down at his lovely mate, still beautiful even with red-rimmed eyes and messy hair.

"When you wouldn't open the door..." The Kaynen’s voice cracked as he drew Etsu close. "I was so relieved when Caspin came, and you let him in."

Despite having cried his eyes out, Etsu once again felt tears brimming. "I'm sorry, Orin." He whimpered. "I'm sorry for putting you through all of this, and for having worried you."

"You have nothing to be sorry for." The big dark Kaynen lifted Etsu into his arms and walked them into their bedroom. "None of this is your fault. I'm just so glad you are feeling better." He sat on the edge of their bed, holding Etsu in his lap. "You are feeling better, aren't you?" Orin asked with concern.

"Yes, thanks to you," Etsu admitted as he nuzzled against the Kaynen, a sound close to a purr escaping his lips. "Thank you for having Caspin come over."

"I don't think I could have stopped him if I wanted to." Orin gently ran his fingers over Etsu's skin, as though reminding himself his mate was truly there and well. "You have a bond with him. You needed him. I think he needed to see you, too."

Etsu continued his nuzzling and pressed a kiss to Orin's cheek. "I love you, Orin." He told him.

"I adore you." Orin dropped his head and held Etsu close. "I never want to be without you. Your happiness is my happiness, and when you're unhappy, my heart aches. I would do anything for you...anything."

The Vulpan's hands raked though the Kaynen's hair. "I know...and you have. And I'm very grateful." Etsu admitted. He pressed a firm kiss to Orin's lips, the first kiss the two of them had shared in two weeks.

The dark-skinned Kaynen let out a shuddering sigh. He let himself fall slowly backward, never breaking the kiss until Orin was on his back with Etsu across his broad chest. The Kaynen let Etsu control the kiss, not wanting to frighten his mate. Orin never wanted the kiss to end.

Etsu followed his mate and continued to kiss him, gradually building in intensity. Soft kisses, open-mouthed kisses...until he slid his tongue along the Kaynen's bottom lip.

Orin groaned opening his mouth to allow Etsu to deepen the kiss. The Kaynen was surprised just how eager his mate seemed to be. "Baby, if we don't stop soon, I don't know if I'll be able to stop at all." He pointed out in a deep and husky voice.

Etsu had finally burned through his stages of grief. At first, he couldn't believe that he allowed himself to be manipulated. He was frustrated, angry, and full of shame. He didn't want to soil his mate with another's essence. Nothing but depression followed...he wasn't able to please Orin. After venting to his beloved cousin, however, he was finally able to release most of those worries.

The Vulpan then longed for his mate and to make up for time lost.

"Then don't." Etsu all but demanded as he dove down for another kiss, a far more heated one.

An excited growl rumbled through Orin's chest as he allowed his hands to roam further, sliding along the backs of Etsu's thighs and cupping his ass.

"I want to give you bliss," Orin rumbled.

The petite man let out a snicker. "I want to give you bliss." He countered as he massaged the Kaynen's scalp. "I want to give you everything."

Orin slid a hand between them, relieved and excited to find Etsu hard. He rubbed his mate's erection gently, watching Etsu's orange and purple eyes for any sign of distress.

But, the lovely gradient orbs were full of desire and a promise of pleasure.

"How do you want to take me, Orin?" Etsu whispered headily.

"Can you ride me?" Orin's voice was deep and rumbling. "I want to see you moving above me. I want to touch you everywhere."

A smirk formed on the Vulpan's face as he swiftly began to pull off his shirt. He gave it a playful spin and tossed it aside. "You want to just touch?" He teased.

"And taste." Orin licked his lips. "Take off your pants and come up here."

Etsu promptly obliged, tugging his pants off and kicking them aside. He then crawled back over to his Kaynen and gave him another heady kiss, his tongue snuck its way inside Orin's mouth and promptly took the cavern as hostage.

The brown-skinned Kaynen moaned, filled with arousal and happiness. He ran his fingers down Etsu's back to tug and stroke the Vulpan's luscious tail.

The smaller man's tongue stuttered against the Kaynen's own, his groan lost within Orin's mouth. "Clothes...clothes off." He panted.

"My arms...suddenly heavy...can't...undress myself..." Orin closed his eyes and let his head fall back, cracking one eye open slightly to peek at his pretty lover.

Etsu shook his head and quickly tugged the man's shirt and pants off. He gave Orin's bottom lip a bite and then grinded down against him.

The Kaynen grunted and bucked, hands snapping to Etsu's hips to guide his movements.

The fox pulled back with a gasp. "Oh, wait!" He exclaimed as he reached into the nearby dresser. "Caspin gave me a bunch of these things...said they were lubrication tablets!" He held one for Orin to see. A slight blush streaked across his nose and cheeks. "He said all you have to do is, well, shove it inside me as far as you can."

"You want me to do that, love? You know how long my fingers are..."

Etsu turned and lifted his tail and butt up high for Orin. "Yes, please."

"Damn," Orin said under his breath, his cock throbbing as he gazed at his mate presented so provocatively.

Orin kissed Etsu's hip then slicked one finger with his own saliva. He put the odd little capsule at Etsu's entrance, pushing it in carefully and letting his finger follow. He pushed in until his finger was fully inside the pretty Vulpan. He curled his finger and rubbed, knowing exactly what he was looking for and how to find it.

"Do you think that it's in deep enough now?" the Kaynen asked wickedly.

The Vulpan gasped and trembled. "O-Orin!" He mewled, squirming at how quickly the tablet began to spread the lubrication evenly inside him. "Please!"

"Hmm, not enough?" The Kaynen's voice was rough with desire as he began sliding his finger in and out, impressed with the lubrication. "Better add another finger to make sure we have it in there really thoroughly."

"Yes, more please...hurry!" Etsu keened, his tail swaying.

Orin eased another finger inside, gently stretching and teasing Etsu, stroking his sweet spot whenever possible. With his other hand, he scratched around the base of Etsu's inky tail.

"Orin!" The Vulpan continued to mewl. "More..."

The Kaynen's dark eyes were nearly ebony with desire. He wrapped a large hand around the base of Etsu's tail and gripped it tight, holding the Vulpan still as Orin slid a third thick finger inside.

"Nnn!" The fox moaned. "Yeeessss." He began to wiggle against the fingers, urging Orin on.

"Baby, you feel so good inside, so tight and soft." Orin began thrusting his fingers inside his smaller mate. "I love you like this, panting and enjoying my touch."

The Vulpan's hands squeezed Orin's calves. "Orin, please! Enough, I need you inside me!" He whimpered.

Etsu didn't have to ask twice. He pulled his fingers free and stretched out on his back, his cock pointing at the ceiling as he gazed at Etsu with dark, hungry eyes.

The fox turned around immediately, taking hold of the Kaynen's shaft and carefully impaling himself upon it. "Hah!" He hissed when he was completely seated.

Orin gazed up at Etsu's face, loving how his mate looked as he took him inside. The Kaynen grunted as Etsu's muscles squeezed and released, adjusting to the thickness filling him. Orin stroked up Etsu's thighs and then couldn't keep his fingers off his Vulpan's sweet cock, slipping up and down the shaft and squeezing the head.

"Orin!" He gasped as he started up a gradually increasing rhythm. Etsu leaned forward, placing his palms on either side of Orin as he began to grind and rock faster.

"Stars, you're captivating." Orin rolled his hips up gently, working with his lover's rhythm. "There aren't words for how much you mean to me."

Etsu shifted his weight to one hand so that he could lift one of Orin's hands to his face, giving the palm a kiss.

The small affection sent a pang into Orin's heart. There was nothing more precious to him than his mate. He would never allow harm to come to him ever again.

"You mean the world to me, too." The Vulpan finally whispered back, a gentle smile forming on his face.

"How did you know what I was thinking?" Orin asked.

Etsu pressed another hard kiss to the Kaynen's lips and then leaned all the way back as his hips began to sway at a fast pace again.

Orin began to pant, his heart picking up its pace. Just watching his mate's lovely form moving and arching above him in pleasure would have been enough to make any hot-blooded male's cock rise. But for Orin, it was so much deeper than that. Etsu was the stars and the moons for him. The pleasure hit him down low, but it also filled his heart until he thought his chest might burst.

"Etsu..." Orin growled in warning, taking his mate's member in hand and stroking just how he knew would drive the Vulpan wild.

"Ah!" Etsu cried, tossing his head back. "Hah...Orin!" He keened before he let himself go. He came all over the Kaynen's hand in a few spurts.

Orin snarled as he came, Etsu's muscles clamping down on his much larger mate. The Kaynen's hips rose, lifting Etsu entirely off the bed before Orin dropped back down, a satisfied growl rumbling in his chest.

The Vulpan heaved as he regained his breath. After a moment, he gave Orin a deep, but gentle kiss. "I love you, Orin. So much."

"I love you, too." Orin wrapped his big arms around his soulmate. "Always and forever." His eyes clenched closed. "But, l failed you...Can you ever forgive me?"

"Orin, you have never, ever failed me. But, if it's forgiveness that you want, you will always have it from me." Etsu insisted. "So long as you can forgive me, too."

The Kaynen's chocolate eyes flew open. "What could you possibly need forgiveness for? You've done nothing wrong."

"I was careless...too careless. Nothing like this will ever happen again." The Vulpan responded with finality. "I will protect you, no, we’ll protect each other."

……..

Sifta was up before the sun to get ready for work. He couldn't afford a car so he would have to walk. Walking home the night before had been a little scary. It was far, and he couldn't afford to live in a nice neighborhood. He rented space in an underground warren. He was lucky to have found a place where he didn't have to share a bathroom. It wasn't very nice, though. At least they'd sprayed for vermin before he moved in.

It was also away from where he'd grown up, which was important to him. He wanted a place where no one knew him, and he'd found it. Then, he'd found the temporary job that looked like it might be turning into something more permanent, and it felt like things were finally going Sifta's way.

When the young man had his hair under control and his uniform perfect he left, careful to lock up his small apartment when he left. It was still dark out, but it would take him an hour to walk to his employer's mansion. Sifta hurried, not wanting to be late. He was desperate to keep this job and being on time was a basic necessity of that.

As Sifta hurried down the sod and stone sidewalk, his mind was filled with worries of things that could go wrong. Things that would make him lose this blessing of a job. He was so distracted that he didn't notice the two Kaynen who watched him with predatory eyes as he hurried past. He didn't hear when they began following him.

Just as the Vulpan started to walk across a bridge, the two Kaynen grabbed him by the elbows and rushed him down underneath it. They then pinned Sifta's back to the wall, each keeping a hand pressed against the fox's shoulders.

"What is such an ‘ickle Vulpan doing around here, Jeth?" One of them rumbled in a low voice. His ears and tail were reminiscent of a German shepherd.

"Dunno, Dain, never seen such a cutie ‘round these parts before." The other one drawled. His ears and tail were of a pit bull's.

"I j-just moved in recently," Sifta answered, mouth dry. His hazel eyes darted to look for anyone who could help him, but the neighborhood was sleeping. "N-nice to meet you. Can you p-please excuse m-me? I have t-to walk to work, and I d-don't want to be late."

Jeth's light brown eyes narrowed. "That's a little rude, dontcha think?" His voice took on an edge as he tugged off the Vulpan's tie. "I think he thinks we're beneath him. Look at this fancy little tie." He stated as he handed the cloth to Dain.

The other Kaynen gave the material a whiff. "Heh. He even smells cute, Jeth. Let's play with him a little." He suggested with an eager smirk.

"P-please, I really need this job. I don't think I'm better than anyone, I promise!" Sifta said desperately. "But I need my tie and uniform and I really n-need to go, or I'm going to be late!"

"You mean this tie?" Dain snorted as he flicked the material onto the muddy ground and stepped on it. “Oops.”

Jeth roughly tugged the Vulpan's blouse out of his pants and pulled it up. "Oh-ho! Look at this, Dain, he has a flat little stomach!" He pointed out as he pressed his hand against it.

"Stop it, please..." Sifta shrank back against the stone of the bridge.

"Maybe if you give us both a little kiss," Dain suggested as he neared Sifta.

The Vulpan spooked and rushed past them, only for Jeth to roughly take hold of his tail, tugging him back with such force that Sifta fell hard on his tailbone. The back of his work clothes were soiled with the mud.

Dain reached down to help him up, but the Vulpan's eyes widened like saucers, and he bit the hand on instinct.

"Ouch! You ungrateful little-" Dain hissed, but it was Jeth who backhanded the fox for his conduct.

The brown-eyed Kaynen grabbed Sifta by the front of the shirt, some of the buttons popping off as he slammed the small man against the wall. "I didn't realize you wanted to play rough." He growled.

"N-no! I'm sorry!" Sifta yipped, the air around him rippling subtly. "I don't want t-to play rough! P-please, just let me go to work!"

The other Kaynen frowned at the Vulpan's panicked high pitched. "Jeth, cool off, man. He was only jus' reacting." Dain insisted. "Let him go."

Jeth let out another menacing growl before letting the Vulpan go. He had been holding the petite man a foot off the ground, and Sifta ended up falling into the mud once again. "Beat it, biter!" He hissed.

Sifta didn't need to be told twice. He scrambled onto his hands and knees before taking off, picking up his dirty tie as he ran away.

He ran most of the way to Loxias's mansion. He fell once, making matters worse by skinning his knees and palms and tearing a hole in his nice slacks. He'd stopped the bleeding from his nose, but it had dripped on his white linen shirt, stains that added to the dirt and drying mud. He was nearly in tears when he reached the servant's entrance to the mansion. He knocked tentatively, praying a maid or cook would answer, giving him a chance to clean up a little before he saw his boss. The pain around his eye told him he was likely going to have a shiner. Maybe the cook would take pity on him and give him a cool-pack to take the swelling down. He was also twenty minutes late.

Stars, he was so fired.

............

Loxias Zander had left his guests well-attended the night prior. He left instructions with his chef as to assure that they were all fed. He even ensured that the maid tended to their every need. That morning was the start of one of his few days of leisure, so he opted to wear nothing but his soft and fluffy silver robe. No one, not even his son, questioned his tastes.

However, when the Kaynen opened the door to the sight of a rather battered Sifta, Loxias instantly regretted not being fully dressed. Had he been fully dressed, he would have immediately sought out whoever was responsible for his most recent employee's physical state. Ice blue eyes narrowed as Lox gently lifted Sifta's chin to assess the damage. "Medbay?" He offered.

"N-no, sir!" Sifta said quickly. "Please, don't fire me! I'm so very sorry! I know I'm late, and I've completely ruined my uniform, and I know that you have certain expectations, and I've completely failed you." The little red-gold fox wrung his hands. "I swear I will do everything in my power to make sure it never happens again. I will expect to have the new uniform taken out of my pay, sir. Please, don't fire me." He looked up at the massive Kaynen, one eye swelling shut and the other brimming with desperate tears.

Loxias immediately pulled up the vid caller beside the door and began to bark orders into it. "Jackson! You are now in charge of the ten-seater. Take my guests wherever they wish to go within these twenty-four hours." He then lifted Sifta into his arms and headed over to the kitchen to find him an ice patch that he could hold to his face. "As for you, Sifta. You are not to leave this house, nor my sight, for the next twenty-four hours." The Kaynen concluded as he handed him the patch.

"Th-thank you." Sifta flinched as he pressed the cold patch to his blackening eye. "After they let me go, I ran, but I was still late. I know there's no excuse for tardiness."

"Describe them to me," Loxias stated as he gently deposited the red and gold Vulpan into a chair.

"I-What?" Sifta trembled as he sat patiently in front of the muscled Kaynen.

"Describe who did this to you, with as much detail as you can muster." Loxias elaborated, undaunted.

"I-I don't know. They were just a couple of Kaynens in the neighborhood I live in." Sifta's breath was shaky as he fought to stay calm. "It was my fault for not paying attention enough. I know that sometimes people get beat up and mugged in my area. Besides, I don't think they really meant to hurt me. They were just giving me a hard time, and it got out of hand."

A door opened behind them, Caspin sleepily walking in.

"Oh! I'm sorry, I...Sifta?" The little tan Vulpan rushed over. "Are you alright? What happened?"

"I-I wasn't careful enough walking to work..." the young Vulpan looked utterly overwhelmed.

"He was assaulted." Loxias summarized in a calm, but frightening, voice. "And he refuses the Medbay."

"You have to go to the Medbay!" Caspin's hands fluttered in the air. "It's not like it's an extra trip, we're taking Nix anyway."

"N-no!" Sifta's voice was panicked a tiny shimmer rose around him, causing Caspin to narrow his eyes.

"At least let us see where you're hurt," Caspin said with calm authority. His mates would recognize it as his 'captain' voice.

Sifta nodded, taking a deep breath and letting it out.

Caspin turned to Loxias. "Where can we patch him up? Do you have a healer's kit?"

The Kaynen immediately sought a kit out and brought over to the table. "We would have to strip him to search for any other injuries.”

"Well, if he refuses the MedBay, we should probably check him thoroughly," Caspin said seriously. "He needs fresh clothes anyway."

"I agree," Loxias replied. "Would you come upstairs with us? He will probably feel more comfortable with a fellow Vulpan helping him change than someone such as myself."

"Of course." Caspin nodded and took Sifta's hand.

The younger Vulpan was completely speechless. He couldn't even find air to argue, simply following his boss and Caspin blindly.

Once in his room, Loxias dug for the smallest clothing he could find. He had accumulated a varied selection through the years, but none of it was small enough. Regardless, he laid out the smallest clothing of the lot across his bed.

"Sir!" Sifta finally spoke up with a yip. "I can't wear your clothes!"

"Hush," Caspin demanded. The captain was tiny but used to command. "This is what's going to happen. You will disrobe, we will look you over for injuries." Cas held up a hand as Sifta was about to protest and the younger Vulpan's mouth snapped closed. "Don't tell me you're fine. You clearly are not. Now, clothes off. We'll check you, you can clean up in Loxias's bath, and then get dressed in the clothes he's provided." Caspin rested his hands on his hips. "Understood?"

"Y-yes, sir," Sifta peeped.

A smile tugged at the corner of Loxias's lips. "You are truly Etsu's cousin." He commented. "Hardly a soul that could stand in your way when you deem something important enough."

"I'm just used to running a ship." Caspin blushed. "I guess it spills over.

As they spoke, Sifta unbuttoned his shirt with shaking hands, wincing as he pulled it from his narrow shoulders. His back was scraped and bruised from being slammed against the stone under the bridge. There were ugly bruises blooming on the fair skin of his arm where one of the Kaynen had grabbed him.

Ice blue and green eyes surveyed the damage. "I will still be needing that description," Loxias repeated.

Sifta's eyes contemplated the floor. "One was Dain or Din, I think? I-I bit his hand. After the other one... I think he called him Geth or Jeth? The other one yanked my t-tail and knocked me down." Sifta swallowed hard. "I th-thought they were going to hurt me more, but the f-first guy told the one that hit me to let me go." Sifta touched his swollen eye and shivered as he described their appearance. "I'm so sorry I let it happen, sir. Please don't fire me. I'll accept any form of reprimand you think is appropriate."

The Kaynen stored all of that information for the near future. He sat down beside him. "You are not going to be fired, far from it." Loxias refuted as he gently placed a hand on top of the Vulpan's head. "What would I have to do in order to convince you to move in with me? At least until you can afford a place of your own nearby?"

"I...What?" Confusion filled Sifta's face. Then it cleared. "I understand. I'll work however many hours you need me to. I'll forfeit the overtime pay."

Caspin said nothing as he looked at Sifta's bruised skin. There was a scrape on the younger Vulpan's back that Cas put cream and a self-adhering bandage onto. The captain gently tugged on Sifta's pants, reminding him to remove them.

Loxias shook his head. "That's not what I meant. I simply prefer having you live here instead of that kind of neighborhood. I do need my employees in one piece, after all."

Sifta shyly unbuttoned his ruined pants and let them fall. Caspin tutted at the scrapes on the redhead's knees and got to work cleaning them. When he was finished, Cas straightened and handed Sifta a towel, which he wrapped around his waist.

"The bandages are waterproof, so you should be fine in the shower or bath," Caspin told him. "I'll go start the water."

"I can't afford to live here, sir!" Sifta clutched the towel around his waist. "I can barely afford the apartment I have."

"We seem to have our communication wires crossed..." Loxias responded, impatience finally bleeding into his words. "You will not return to your previous neighborhood. You will have a room of your own here like my chef and bodyguards do. And, other than on work errands, you are not to leave my sight. Is that understood?"

Caspin came back from the bathing room. He squinted as the air around Sifta shimmered for just a moment, though Loxias didn't seem to notice.

"Y-yes, sir!" Sifta yipped, not letting his limp slow him down as he scurried past Caspin to hide in the half-full tub.

Caspin looked at Loxias with raised eyebrows.

The older man let out a sigh. "I don't mean to frighten him, I am more frightened for him. Am I making any sense?" He asked the hazel-eyed fox.

"What do you know about Sifta?" Caspin said quietly, stepping away from the bathing room door and the sound of water filling a tub that was big enough for Sifta to swim in.

"All that I know is that he was recently employed under Orin and Etsu at the company as an errand runner." The Kaynen responded. "The company ran a quick check on his credentials and saw nothing of note."

Caspin frowned. "Nothing came up in his history that Orin mentioned?"

The massive man shook his head. "Nothing in the slightest," Loxias admitted. "Do you suspect something, young one?"

Caspin's grassy-green eyes went wide as he realized just how close the massive Kaynen was. He was even bigger than Orin... who had nearly eaten him. Cas shivered, looking left and right. Loxias was between him and the door.

"Y-you know that your s-son nearly ate me once?" the little Vulpan's voice trembled as he backed up until he hit a wall.

A devious smile formed on Lox's face as he slowly lowered himself down to look the Vulpan in the eyes. "Oh yes, young captain. I know that very well." He practically purred. "You have our deepest respect, Orin's and mine, for having fought back."

Caspin let out a little yip. "You don't want to chase me? Scare me and make me shift?" Cas's tall ears folded back. "I'm just a throwback... I know we're weaker. It's...It's good you let me stay with everyone else. At school in the burrows, I had to stay with the others like me. They didn't want any disturbances. We can incite trouble. I know I got in trouble in school for setting off some Kaynens who came after me."

"We neither look down upon or value others by their pelts and abilities," Loxias replied. "You are bolder than you think yourself possible. That alone is quite the seductive trait for Kaynen."

Caspin's ears slowly lifted. "You don't look down on throwbacks? You aren't going to chase me?"

"Ah, young one," Lox responded with a deep, low chuckle. He placed a hand gently on one of Caspin's shoulders. "I will only give chase if you ask me of it, and only if it then leads to feisty, feral, love making." He then took a few steps back. "And why do you ask me such things now? Surely, if I had deemed throwback Vulpans in a sour way, I would have never invited you to stay in my home for as long as you wished."

Caspin blushed, a little surprised how exciting the idea was of Orin's tall, handsome father chasing him down and then doing wicked things when he was caught.

"I was just nervous for a moment." Caspin peeked up at Loxias. "I'm going to check on Sifta."

The Vulpan slipped past the Kaynen, brushing against him as he went. Caspin's tail tail floofed slightly.

A sultry smirk formed on the older man's face as he watched the petite fox walk away. Bold, yes. He was sinfully bold.

Sifta was sunk down in the tub, his ears droopy and his eyes closed. Caspin reached over to turn off the water, and the younger Vulpan's eyes popped open.

"Hey, how you doing?" the captain asked gently.

"F-fine." Sifta's hazel eyes darted to the closed door. "Am I taking too long? I can get out."

"No, you stay right there," Caspin assured. "Why don't you let me wash your hair? I know you're probably sore."

Sifta looked uncomfortable but nodded, allowing Caspin to pick one of the fancy products on the shelf. Cas lathered gently, careful not to get soap in Sifta's eyes.

"Your hair color is very pretty," Caspin complimented.

"Th-thank you."

Caspin rinsed the bubbles and pushed the damp locks from Sifta's eyes. "Do you color it yourself, or do you have someone do it for you?"

"I-I wh-what? No...I mean...I don't..." Sifta sat up suddenly, splashing water out of the huge tub.

"Calm down, it's okay." Caspin calmly toweled up the water. "You know what I am, right?"

Sifta was silent, then his voice came in a whisper. "You're a throwback."

Caspin nodded and sat on the edge of the tub, pushing the sensor to release the drain.

"I am. It was hard for a long time." Cas held up a gigantic fluffy towel for the battered, but clean, Vulpan. "But now I'm surrounded by people that love me for who I am. They embrace both my forms. In fact, they love my feral form just as much as this one." Caspin used another towel to dry off Sifta's red-gold hair. "And the people you work for? Orin and Loxias? They don't look down on throwbacks, either."

Sifta peeked out from under the towel over his head. "I-I'm gonna get fired," he whimpered pitifully.

"I swear to you that won't happen." Caspin looked into Sifta's eyes. "I swear it on my tail. They won't hold it against you. They won't give you bad jobs, either. They'll treat you like everyone else."

"I don't know..." Sifta bit his lip.

"Come on." Cas took Sifta's hand and led him from the bathing room as Sifta held the towel around him like a wrap-dress.

When the two Vulpans emerged, the Kaynen took a sharp intake of breath. Sifta was utterly endearing to him in such a state. He had a feeling that, if he didn't dress the boy up immediately, he'd end up doing something he'd regret. "Here, I found some clothes for you. They're the smallest I found, from when Orin was merely in grade school, but they will have to do for now."

"Thank you," Sifta said quietly, taking the clothes and quickly dressing. He was surprised to find they fit relatively well. The fabric was of a much higher quality than he was used to.

Caspin stood next to Sifta, and though the captain was shorter and more petite than the younger Vulpan, Cas was the one with a comforting hand on Sifta's shoulder.

"I understand why Sifta wouldn't go into the Medunit, Loxias," Caspin began gently as Sifta stared at the floor.

Loxias turned his attention towards the smaller man. "Please, enlighten me on the manner." He pleaded.

Sifta stepped behind the smaller Caspin, unconsciously shielding himself. "I-I'm a throwback," he whispered hunching slightly. "M-my documents are all fake. My real name is Sifta, but my family name is made up. I don't have one. I was left as a foundling because of what I am... I-I didn't mean any harm. I just couldn't find a j-job...and I couldn't take the harassment anymore." The young man shook his head.

Caspin patted the hand on his shoulder. "I can imagine how much worse this morning would have been had those Kaynen ruffians known you were a throwback." Caspin looked Loxias in the eye. "They would have forced him to change. They would have run him down like prey. In their charged state, Sifta would have been left with much worse than some scrapes and bruises."

The Kaynen's posture straightened as he took in all the information. The petite captain was right. Careless pups would have surely forced a throwback to shift, all for the thrill of a chase. His ice blue eyes settled onto Sifta's. "I have half a mind to have you never leave this house again." He all but growled. "In fact, I demand that you don't. I can arrange for you to work from one of my home offices here as soon as you're settled in."

"S-sir, I'm sorry I lied!" Fat tears welled in Sifta's hazel eyes. "Please don't lock me in! I'll be good, I promise! I would never steal from you or tell your secrets." A shimmer appeared around Sifta's body. "I c-can't take being locked in...Not again..."

There was a pop and the clothes Sifta had just put on fell to the floor. A medium-sized fox struggled out of them before hiding behind Caspin's legs.

His body was a tawny gold that almost sparkled in the sunshine coming through the window. His legs and ears were a darker brown, as well as most of his tail, which sported a snowy white tip. Wide hazel eyes peeked at Loxias from between Cas's ankles.

Loxias hadn't felt this frustrated in a long time. His stance and voice softened as he sat down cross-legged on the ground. "I didn't mean it like that...we really need to work on understanding one another." He sighed and reached out a hand. "Come here, little one. I promise you won't ever be locked in so long as I have any breath left in me."

Caspin took a step to the left, leaving Sifta with no one to hide behind. The gold fox stared at Loxias for long moments before tentatively creeping forward. He whined softly as he sniffed the big Kaynen's fingers, Sifta's small body trembling with tension.

The older man was patient, slowly pressing his fingers along the side of the Vulpan's muzzle and then up the side of his face until he reached the back of his neck and gently gave him a few pets. When Sifta settled a little more, he gently lifted him onto his lap and continued to pet and stroke his fur. "The last throwback I had on my lap was in a completely different context." He admitted with a soft laugh, his hand never stopping.

Sifta looked up at him, cocking his head questioningly.

A playful smile formed on his face, one that made him appear younger. "His pelt wasn't as lovely as yours, but he certainly knew how to dance."

Hazel eyes widened, and Loxias suddenly had a lap full of naked Sifta. "You got a lap dance from a throwback?!" he squeaked.

"More than once. Many years ago, before I met my late wife." Loxias confessed. He then frowned as he once again saw the scrapes and bruises that marred the fox's skin. "Now that you have nothing to be afraid of, I would really appreciate it if you went with Caspin to the Medbay. For the sake of my own worrisome state."

"Y-yes, sir," Sifta said, blushing.

The door to the room suddenly burst open, Phenner's head sticking in.

"You guys in...Oh, you’re both in here." Phenner turned his head. "Found 'em!" He shouted over his shoulder, causing the doorway to suddenly fill with Caspin's shipmates.

The rabbit skipped in with a wide smile. "If you guys were going to play you should have invited me!" Phen winked at Sifta, who quickly covered himself. "But Rios says Nixie is acting weirder, so he is all in a toot to get him to the Medbay."

"I'm fine, for fuck's sake!" came Nix's voice from the back of the group.

"Something about irritability and refusing to eat fish for breakfast," Phen added helpfully.

"I'm not fucking irritable, godsdammit!" Nix groused. "And the fish smelled bad."

"All the fish?" Rios asked, crossing his arms.

"Yes, all the damned fish, okay?" Nix snapped.

"Sooooo, we came looking for you." Phenner clasped his hands and smiled serenely.

Loxias reached for the remaining clothes on the floor and handed them to Sifta so he could dash into the bathroom to put them back on. "May I join you?" He asked Caspin.

"Of course," Caspin assured as Sifta hurried into his clothes. "Where is the Medbay we're going to?"

"I have one in one of my lower floors." The Kaynen explained. "The elevator's just this way." He finished as he led the group towards it.

Sifta held Caspin's hand as they rode the elevator, the younger Vulpan seeming anxious in the enclosed space.

Sifta leaned close to Caspin's large tan ear. "You mean none of them mind what you are?" he whispered.

"Not a bit," Caspin whispered back with a smile as the elevator pinged and the door opened, allowing the group to spill out.

They followed Loxias down a hall to a huge room filled with medical equipment.

"You could treat anything in here," Caspin said in awe. "And you have other species uploaded into the memory cubes?"

"I have a good size selection," Loxias admitted. "No rabbits or Alanos though, which is why I'd like to ask you both if you'd let the Medbay scan you for my records?"

"Does it hurt?" Phenner asked with wide eyes.

"Not in the slightest," Lox affirmed with a chuckle.

Falorios shifted from one foot to another, his wings giving an anxious flap behind him, as he was unable to keep them tucked away due to his concerns. "Alright, enough chit-chat. Nix, it's the moment of truth." He stated with finality.

"Fine," Nix rolled his eyes. "Ugh, you fuss worse than a Ceran with a new wife." The Civek climbed into the pod glaring at Rios. "Remember, if you are wrong I get to do whatever I want next time we fuck."

"Baby, if I'm right, you can still do whatever you want," Rios agreed. "Only it'd be in celebration, instead."

Nix crossed his arms and stuck his tongue out at the moth. While Nix was scanned in one pod, Sifta went into another to be healed. Nix's scan was done before Sifta was finished. The cat climbed out and leaned his hip against the Medunit while Falorios looked at Nix's results on a screen.

The Alano read the information straight off the screen. "Let's see here. Species: Civek, Subtype: Breeder, Gender: Male, Immune system: within normal limits...so far so good! Gastrointestinal: within normal limits, Cardiovascular: Elevated BP, Endocrine: Expectedly elevated stress hormones and pregnancy hormones! Tch, I knew it." He continued smugly. "Check this out, everyone! Reproductive: Pregnant, carrying normally, MULTIPLE!"

Caspin all but shoved Rios aside as he continued reading the statistics. "Fetus health: within normal limits, Skeletal: within normal limits, starry cosmos! Nix!" He cried out in pure excitement.

"Kitten..." Adrian breathed, unable to get any other words out due to the shock and emotion.

The others were in shock for a good moment before Phenner and Mycha let out squeals and hopped about. The two of them rushed over to Nix and planted a kiss on each of his cheeks from either side.

"You have my congratulations." Loxias chimed in from the other side of Sifta's Medbay.

The moth looked on, smug as all hell, with his arms crossed over his chest and leaning back against one of the Medbay panels. He looked on as the others bustled about, patiently waiting his turn.

Nix's ears folded flat to his head, and he covered them with his hands. His hip slipped from where it leaned, and the Civek sat heavily on the floor. He looked at his lovers surrounding him and promptly burst into tears.

Adrian crouched down and lifted Nix carefully off the ground bridal style. He gave him a hard kiss in celebration and then brought him before each member of his Serahl for a kiss. He started with Caspin, who couldn't help but slip a tongue into the feline's mouth. Phenner's kiss was deep, but not obscene. Mycha's kiss was soft and tender. When he got to Falorios, the moth grinned and took the Civek from his arms to carry Nix himself.

"Guess we'll all going to be celebrating together then, eh Serai?" Rios pointed out, his voice thick with emotion. His kiss was soft and became more and more passionate. By the time he pulled back, he ended up taking a shuddering breath before he could speak. "I think it's due time to have that Seraglio ceremony, don't you think?"

Nix nodded, clinging to Falorios like someone might try to take him away. "H-How did this happen? I saw..." The overwhelmed cat closed his eyes and tucked his face into Rios's neck. "I saw them do it."

Caspin laid a gentle hand on Nix's back. "I think I know, and I should have thought of it, I'm so sorry I didn't think of it at the time."

Nix sniffled. "What do you mean?"

"When you first were healed in the Medbay of our ship, your eye and tail didn't heal," Caspin explained. "But it normally should have. The Medbay didn't completely heal your eye and tail because of the compound you applied to them that somehow blocks it. But, it can heal almost anything." Caspin looked into Nix's yellow-green eye. "It can even regenerate organs, like the one the slavers took from you."

When a song broke out from the Medbay beside them, the group's attention drifted over to Sifta, who was being looked after by Loxias.

"Yes, much better." The Kaynen murmured as he looked over the areas where the wounds and bruises once were.

Nix gave the Kaynen and throwback a hard glance. "...can I have them both, too?" He asked, prompting a groan from Rios and a chuckle from Adrian.

"Sifta is too young for that kind of commitment," Loxias responded, a smirk tugging on the edge of his lips. "And I am too old to keep up with an entire Seraglio, though I have been invited into my own share of Seraglios in my youth." He explained. "However, I'm not averse to casual sex with any number of you at a future date." He added. "Just not all six at once."

"Falorios, you'll help me set up a 'future date' where we can all play with Loxie?" Nix looked up at the Alano with tears still sparkling in his dark lashes.

Rios glanced over at the Kaynen, whose smirk merely widened as Lox gave him a nod. "I don't think that's gonna be a problem, babe." The moth mused.

"Is everything alright?" Loxias asked Sifta, turning his complete attention to the Vulpan. "How are you feeling?"

"Much better," Sifta said shyly. "Thank you, sir. I apologize for becoming upset and shifting. I've nearly completely trained myself not to shift no matter, what. I'm sorry I lost control of myself. Please, take out an appropriate amount from my pay for the use of the Medunit, as well."

The Kaynen's eyes softened. "Sifta, I really enjoy your feral form. I enjoy looking at it and touching it. It saddens me that you hold yourself back from shifting." He stated. He decided not to go into the subject of payment, as he intended not to cut any kind of pay from the Vulpan.

"Th-thank you, sir?" Sifta seemed completely baffled by his boss's reaction.

"I ask you to never apologize for shifting in my presence." Loxias continued.

"Oh, he's got it bad for that one," Nix commented, as if he were watching some kind of live drama.

“Who's bad?" Sifta asked in confusion.

Nix shook his head, quickly recovering from his shock. "Not you, little lamb. You should take pity on the poor pup and let him take care of you. Make it easier for the both of you."

"I agree," Loxias added, not missing a beat, as he gently lifted Sifta's chin with a finger. "You should definitely take pity on me and allow me to take care of you."

"I...You..." Sifta was so confused and overwhelmed he just yipped softly, unable to handle coherence.

For a moment, Nix was overcome with the urge to head over there and shove both their faces together into a kiss. But, in the end, he let out an amused snort and tugged gently on one of his moth's soft green locks. "About that ceremony..." He urged.

"I think it's time to head back now." Falorios immediately stated. He shuffled over to Loxias to whisper. "Hey, is it alright if we...you know...in our room?"

The Kaynen simply patted the Alano on the back. "Feel free to do whatever you want." He replied. He then raised his voice for everyone to hear. "All of you, feel free to do as you like in the guest rooms. That's what they're there for."

Phenner made a happy little noise and looked significantly at Mycha, wondering if perhaps the different surroundings might encourage the Murisian to be willing to top him like he had Nix. The thought of the little mouse pumping into the Civek made the rabbit cock his head.

"Nixie, who do you think is the babies' daddy?" Phenner asked.

The cat thought for a moment. "Well, each baby can have up to three fathers..."

There was a scattering of the word "what" as it fell from the lips of Nix's lovers with a variety of timing.

"Th-Three fathers, three?" Mycha asked as his cheeks began to glow a pink hue.

"How many fathers do you have?" Nix asked eyebrow raised.

This time, there was a collective "one," as they all replied nearly at the same time.

Phen continued talking while the rest stared at Nix in silence. "I have lots of siblings...Lots and lots of siblings. Only one daddy made them, though."

Nix looked perturbed. "It's basic biology. Up to three sperm can enter an egg. Then there's some sequencer protein, a chopper, and a gluer." The cat shrugged. "The babies will have half my genes, and then the other half is a mix of whatever little swimmers were strongest."

Caspin frowned. "Surely, we can't all be genetically compatible with Civek."

Nix shrugged again. "Mixing is frowned upon, but whenever it's happened, the other species were compatible."

Some of the men had raised eyebrows as they regarded one another.

Adrian let out a laugh. "Well, any mixture of our genes are sure to produce gorgeous babies."

"But, how do we know which three fathers it is?" Mycha questioned.

"A decent Medbay would tell us." Caspin looked around. "And this is more than a decent Medbay. We all just have to let the computer know our DNA. It would only take a few minutes." Cas turned to Nix and bounced with excitement. "Please? I want to see if I'm going to be a co-daddy!"

Nix laughed. "I don't care, sure. I still can't believe it."

Caspin hustled over to a wall and stuck his hand in what looked like a little cubby-hole. He tapped on a screen with the other. There was a beep, and he withdrew his hand.

"Who else wants to see if they're gonna be a daddy?" Caspin said with a grin.

Everyone except for Falorios rushed towards the device. Eventually, they allowed Mycha to go first, then Phenner and Adrian. Rios, who felt pretty confident that he had to be a father of one of the babies, went last. "There."

"Do I have to get rescanned?" Nix asked, rubbing his stomach speculatively.

Caspin tapped a screen. "I think it's all in here." The Vulpan bounced as he worked. "I'm glad this is the same type of system as mine, just fancier." The little fox was quiet for a moment as he worked. "Okay! It will take a minute to sequence and process for two babies."

Everyone waited...and waited. Caspin checked to make sure the program hadn't glitched, but it was humming away and working. Just as Cas thought he couldn't take the anticipation anymore, the machine played a little tune.

"Here it is!" Caspin yipped. "Stars and Cosmos!" he said in shock. He continued in a trembling voice as everyone crowded around. "Fetus one: Male. Mother: Civek. Fathers: Alano, Human, Vulpan.” Cas covered his hand with his mouth. “I didn’t think I would ever…” He looked at Nix, his eyes shining. “This is the most amazing…” He wiped his eyes. “Thank you so much.”

Nix laughed. “You were the one who gave me back the ability to have kits.” The cat shook his head. “I should be thanking you,” Nix grinned up at Falorios. “Hey, Papa.”

The Alano's heart skipped a beat, and he gave the Civek a kiss on the lips. "As if there was any doubt that I'd be the father of one of them." He teased, a proud smirk on his face.

Adrian wrapped an arm around Caspin's waist and pressed a kiss to the back of one of Nix's ears. "This is wonderful, kitten."

"Congratulations!" Mycha all but squealed.

Phenner scrambled over to Caspin and nearly shook him while the Vulpan was sharing a moment of meaningful eye contact with Adrian, the third father.

"The other kit!" Phen shouted excitedly. "What about the other one?"

Cas let out an awkward laugh. "Okay, okay." Caspin scrolled down. "Umm, Fetus two! Oh, this one's a girl!" The captain bounced a little in excitement. "Fathers: Alano, Human, and Other (sample entered as 'Rabbit'). Phenner! You're going to be a dad! And Rios and Adrian again, but a girl this time!"

"I'm going to be a daddy!" Phen squealed and clapped his hands in delight. He darted over to hug Nix as another round of congratulations were heaped on Nix and the fathers-to-be.

"A boy and a girl!" Mycha squealed, hopping from one foot to the other in utter joy.

Rios nuzzled the top of Nix's head. "Damn. I don't remember ever being this happy..."

"Hmm, now I'm worrying a bit. One girl in a crew of men for fathers and a mother...she's going to be spoiled to death!" Adrian chimed with a chuckle.

"Wait..." Caspin said as he scrolled down on the screen. "W-wait... Guys?"

All eyes diverted to Caspin momentarily.

"...yeah?" Rios prompted.

"There's more than two..." Caspin scrolled down, and then scrolled some more.

"How many more?" Nix finally asked after everyone stared at Cas for a moment.

"S-six altogether," Caspin whispered in shock. "Two girls and four boys." His ears were perked up, looking like huge furry triangles. "I will print a copy that shows who are the fathers of which." The Vulpan tapped another screen, and a humming was heard across the room as the information was transferred to hard copy. He returned to the screen and scrolled back and forth. "Rios is a father of every single one." Cas looked up. "But all of us are dads. All of us helped father at least one or more of the babies."

There was a collective silence as the men took in the news. Falorios squeezed Nix tighter against him as he exhaled in surprise. Adrian was already thinking of how many rooms they would need on the ship. Phenner was practically vibrating with excitement at the prospect of having so many kids.

A muffled thump broke the silence as Mycha's body hit the ground. The Murisian had, apparently, passed out.

"Mycha!" Phenner shouted as he dropped to the floor to pull the mouse into his lap and fan Mycha's face. The rabbit looked around at the others. "I know I'm probably only Dad to one of them, but I don't want to only father that one. I don't know if I could do that, that's not how I was raised." Phen gently patted Mycha's cheek. "They will all be my little kits unless the rest of you don't want that."

"I was thinking the exact same thing," Adrian spoke forward as he knelt down to make sure that Mycha was breathing. "It's ok, he's breathing." He peered up at the other three. "They may all be a mix of Rios and two others, but I say we raise them all as if they're all ours. Don't you think, Cas?"

Falorios merely shrugged. "I'm not complaining. Six people, six kittens...we'll all suffer the night mewling together!"

"I get six babies?" the Vulpan squealed happily. "I love babies!" Cas knelt next to Phenner. "Mycha, wake up! We're sharing the babies! You are a dad of six!"

When the mouse finally stirred awake, the first thing he saw were three concerned faces. He let out a groan. "I had the wildest dream, Phen...that we were going to be fathers..." He said groggily.

Phenner kissed Mycha soundly, slipping the mouse a little tongue for good measure. "It wasn't a dream!" The rabbit whispered happily. "We are having so many kits. You are going to be a wonderful dad. I can't wait to tell my family." Phen cocked his head. "I mean, Dad had a lot more than six kits, but he didn't have them all at once!"

The Murisian's face turned red with embarrassment. "I-I'm really going to be a dad, too?"

Phenner nodded and rubbed his nose against Mycha's.

The mouse wrapped his arms around Phen's neck and kissed him with fervor. When they both pulled away, he made his way over to Nix and gave him a tender, but dominant kiss. "Thank you, Nix." He whispered against the feline's lips. "Thank you so much!"

Nix smiled and rubbed behind Mycha's ear. "Thank you for helping." The cat chittered in his throat. "I enjoyed it very much."

Mycha fought not to squirm in place.

"Alright everyone," Adrian called. "We now know that Nix is definitely pregnant, and with six babies, of which we are all the fathers. Let's head back so he can get some rest."

"What would you like to eat, Serai?" Rios asked the feline.

Nix made a face. "No fish." A smile bloomed across his face. "You called me 'Serai'..."

The Civek grabbed Falorios around the neck and kissed him deeply. A content purr, the kind Rios had heard so rarely, rumbled softly in the cat's chest.

The meal was devoid of fish, with Nix's approval. The Civek seemed to have a hearty appetite for nuts and every color of bean or pea Loxias had in his pantry.

There was a small hiccup with the seating, as Nix wanted to sit next to Mycha, Caspin, and Falorios. The black-skinned cat had fussed over the little mouse after finishing his rather lurid kiss with Rios, feeling Mycha's forehead and demanding he be checked in a Medunit in case he'd hit his head when he'd dropped like a stone. Nix hadn't wanted to leave Caspin either, still wanting to pet and cuddle him, even though the Vulpan was no longer distraught over his cousin. Etsu seemed much better, as well, joining them for the meal. As for Falorios, Nix was nearly glued to the Alano. If he wasn't touching Rios, he wanted him near.

They had ended up with Mycha sitting on one side of Nix, Rios on the other, and Caspin across from them.

During the meal, Rios left to get the pregnant Civek more nuts. As soon as the moth left his sight, Nix's ears drooped, and he'd started whining softly as he continued to eat.

"Nixie, what's wrong?" Phenner asked from the other side of Mycha.

"Nothing." The cat's lower lip pooched out in a little pout.

Mycha reached out to take hold of Nix's free hand and pressed a kiss to the back of it, his golden eyes full of concern. "Do you not like the food?" He asked quietly.

"I'm gonna get really fat, and you guys won't want me to be your Serai anymore," Nix sniffled. "Falorios already left because I was eating too much."

"That's not true, he probably went to get something for you!" Phenner pointed out.

"You are carrying our children!" Mycha gasped. "There isn't a shape more beautiful than a mother that's expecting."

"I'm going to have to agree with Mycha on this one, kitten," Adrian added.

"Falorios is my sugar," Nix said while he stared down into his lap. "I won't get any sugar because he won't want me as Serai. Everything's going to be bland!" The distressed Civek grabbed Mycha's small hands. "I hate bland food!" Nix turned back to the table and pushed his plate away. "I'm never eating again." The pregnant cat promptly burst into hormone-induced tears.

"Don't cry!" Caspin reached over to rub Nix's back in soothing circles. "Mycha, go find Rios!"

"Yes, Captain!" He squeaked as he rushed over to the kitchen.

The moth had just finished with his custom bowl of sorted nuts, having picked out only Nix's favorites, when the mouse all but crashed into him.

"Whoa, mousey!" Rios exclaimed as he turned towards the frantic Murisian.

"Rios, N-Nix is upset, he needs you!" Mycha insisted.

The Alano's honey-hued eyes widened, and he grabbed the bowl and rushed over. When he saw the scene before him, he placed the bowl of nuts on the table in front of the Civek and swept him up into his arms. "Hey, what's wrong?" He asked as he gently wiped away the feline's tears.

"You won't love me," the inky cat hiccupped. "And there's not going to be any sugar, I'll be shaped like a Terullan with an allergic reaction, no one will fuck me ever again, I can't eat anymore ever again." Nix sobbed as he climbed into Rios's lap. "And all the babies will look like you and everyone else, and they won't look like me, and the babies won't love me because I'll be a bad mama, and you don't want to be around me anymore because I'm going to be stupid and fat!"

Falorios held Nix close and kept constant touch, his hands running up and down the feline's sides as he pressed a kiss to the crook of his neck. "Baby, I'll fuck you when you're nice and round. I'll fuck you when your hair goes gray. I'll even fuck you when your skin wrinkles and sags." He vowed. "And the babies will all have something of yours, I guarantee it."

"Do you promise?" Nix's breaths were shuddery, but he visibly calmed with Rios's words and touch.

"I promise," Rios whispered as he gave the Civek a soft kiss on the lips. "I promise."

Nix curled closer into the Alano's arms, his fingers holding tight to Falorios's shirt as an anxious purr filled his chest. The Civek closed his eyes after a few moments an fell asleep.

Silence filled the dining room as everyone stared at the pair.

"Well, that was intense," Phenner piped up, finally.

"He was fine until you left, Rios," Caspin added, more than a little confused and concerned.

Nix could be unpredictable, but it was an unpredictability that they understood and were prepared for. The Civek was often horny and wicked. He was sometimes overcome by a deep-seated sadness and occasional self-destructive loathing that he tried to hide from the others. And his heats, which had been conspicuously absent, were wild but expected. His outburst at the table, however, had been unlike anything they'd seen from the one-eyed black cat.

"We haven't done that Seraglio ceremony of his," Falorios said as he gently rubbed the drained feline's back. "If we prove to him that we are at least that committed, it might calm him." He suggested.

"It's amazing that he conceived of all of us," Mycha admitted with awe. He then turned to everyone else. "Gifts, he spoke of gifts for the Seraglio, didn't he?"

"Jewelry...each person gives jewelry, a bite, and a kiss," Adrian recalled. "The ritual sounds simple enough, if a bit concerning when it comes to the biting hard enough to draw blood part."

"We can bring him to the Medbay afterward!" Caspin stressed.

"That depends if the ceremony allows for it." Falorios countered. "We're gonna have to ask him later."

"He acts a lot like a pregnant doe of one of my people," Phenner commented as he helped clear the table while Rios held a softly snoring Nix. "The doe will always bond to another female and won't want to be separated from her. If the bond mate isn't with the doe they can have quite the hissy-fits." Phen snickered. "That's the only time I've ever seen my father afraid of a female was when my mother's bond mate was gone while she was pregnant with my eighth sister. Mama threatened to cut off his balls if he ever tried to fuck her again. Then she cried and ate an entire tub of iced pennigan flowers by herself."

"...so I'm Nix's adoptive, bond sister?" Falorios mused around. "With benefits!" He concluded with a wicked grin.

"Something like that." Phenner agreed.

When the group finished cleaning up, Falorios carried his beloved Civek back to the guest room that they shared. From then on, until the babies were born, he would be sure not to leave his side.

………….

Loxias had left specific instructions for his chefs and maids to serve his guests their meals. He ordered two meals to be sent up to his own master bedroom, for himself and Sifta. He waited until they both ate their fill and had something to drink before speaking.

"We need to talk," The Kaynen warned as he sat down next to the Vulpan on the bed.

Sifta stiffened. "I'm sorry."

"You have nothing to feel sorry for. I am the one who needs to apologize, young one." Loxias explained. "When I asked...or, rather, demanded that you stay with me...it was out of fear for your life. I want to protect and care for you."

"Why would you want to do that?" Sifta asked as he stared at the floor. "I should be punished for deceiving you...I-I won't fight you..."

"Do you really want a punishment so badly?" Lox countered. "Come here." He added as he tugged the fox onto his lap. The Kaynen then took hold of the back of Sifta's head and leaned down to kiss him gently on the lips.

The Vulpan gasped, more shocked by the kiss than if the Kaynen had struck him. The massive man's mouth against Sifta's was gentle but filled the Vulpan with anxious confusion. The smaller man whined in the back of his throat and found himself unable to pull away, not from fear, but because he didn't want the kiss to stop. It made his heart flutter in his chest and an embarrassing hardness in his borrowed pants.

Though Loxias was reluctant, he forced himself to pull away, but he kept the hand at the back of the Vulpan's head and began to massage it gently. "Sifta, are you spoken for?"

Still dazed from the unexpectedly pleasant kiss, Sifta broke his personal rule and looked a Kaynen in the eye. Sifta's brown-green eyes looked huge in his delicate face, and Loxias had a moment to think that the Vulpan's natural hair and fur coloring must have been golden brown. The red-dyed fur suddenly seemed to clash with his lovely eyes.

"Spoken for?" Sifta licked his lips as though trying to taste Loxias there. "I don't understand."

A low rumble escaped Loxias's throat at the sight. "I am asking if you have a mate, young one."

"Of course not." Sifta looked at the older man in confusion.

A smile broke out on the Kaynen's face. "Would you be my mate, Sifta?"

Sifta pushed back from Loxias slightly, searching his face and looking deep into his husky-blue eyes. "Please...don't make sport of me."

"This is no jest," Kaynen replied in a serious tone of voice. "Not once have I ever asked someone to be my mate since my late wife passed away."

"Why me?" Sifta asked, utterly bewildered. "You're strong and handsome. You have money and power. I'm not anybody."

"You're kind and loyal, from what I've seen. I want to teach you, groom you, and kiss you all at once." Loxias admitted. "You have amazing potential. I both admire it and am very attracted to it." A sad smile formed on his face. "I am but an old, lonely Kaynen, a mere shadow of the young and virile man I once was. If anyone is not worthy, it's me."

Sifta gasped, covering Loxias's warm mouth with his hand. "Don't talk about yourself like that! You aren't old! And you're so sexy, and you must still be very virile!"

The Kaynen's eyes crinkled as his smile widened beneath the Vulpan's hand. Behind him, his husky tail began to wag. He pressed a kiss to the palm of Sifta's hand and then took hold of the hand to kiss the wrist and the arm. The larger man then bent down to press a kiss to Sifta's shoulder. "Will you be my mate, then, Sifta?"

"D-do you promise to never hurt me?" Sifta covered his own mouth, shocked at himself.

"I will only hurt anyone who tries to cause you any harm," Lox vowed with a low rumble. "I wish only to protect you."

"Nobody will be able to hurt me, and I get to be with you?" Sifta's small voice was full of wonder.

"Mmm," The Kaynen agreed. "And you can shift however many times you wish in my presence."

"I can't believe you don't mind." The Vulpan looked honestly confused.

"Mind it? I am quite enchanted by it!" Loxias confessed. "Your feral form is beautiful. Would you like to see mine?"

"Yes!" Sifta's eyes opened wide in surprise at his boldness. "D-do you want to see mine again?"

"I would like nothing more." The Kaynen stated as he gently set the Vulpan to the side and began to shift. A moment later, a husky was in his place, one with white fur beneath and black fur on top.

Sifta reached out a tentative hand, sure that mouth was full of pointy teeth, but deciding that he had to feel that amazing, fluffy fur. Loxias sat on his hind legs and leaned into the touch, reaching over to give an affectionate lick to the Vulpan's cheek.

Sifta giggled and wiped off his slobbered cheek on his shoulder. The Vulpan let his fingers delve into the thick, soft fur.

"When I was a kitling in the orphanage, I got so angry sometimes." Sifta's voice was soft and pensive. "Why was it alright for Kaynen to turn into an animal? Their feral forms are something they take pride in. There are so many Kaynen variations that they can show off. Some are strong, like you. Some are beautiful. I guess that's you, too. But, even if they are smaller than the average Kaynen, their feral form is cute or lithe and graceful." Sifta rested his forehead against Loxias's warm fur. "Not for my kind, though. There's no pride to be taken in being a throwback. Our coats are plain and ugly. We're all small and weak when we turn. No one looks at us with envy. No one wants to be us. They are glad to keep us far from themselves like we're contagious. I think most normal Vulpans are cruel to us just to distance themselves from what we are." The dyed redhead sighed softly. "I was going to...to kill myself before I found someone to give me a new identity and showed me how to color my hair and fur to hide what I am." Sifta ran his fingers through Loxias's thick fur, finding comfort in its velvety texture. "If things didn't work out this time... I was going to end it..."

Sifta shifted into his feral form, the air popping as he turned into a golden brown fox. The furry Vulpan crawled forward under the Kaynen's front legs, hiding himself under Loxias's much larger body. Sifta curled into a ball and covered his face with his darker brown paws.

Loxias let out a sad whimper from the back of his throat as he carefully settled himself down to feed the Vulpan warmth. He began to nuzzle and lick at the Vulpan's neck, the back of his ears, and the top of his head. He gently nudged the paws away from Sifta's face with his nose and then proceeded to rub the side of his face against the fox's.

Sifta shivered, though he wasn't cold, and whined softly. He cried out for himself and the pain he'd lived through, for his fear that Loxias would hurt him, and for every throwback that was in pain. He pressed his body close to Loxias, as though he could hide within the bigger Kaynen. When he stopped whimpering, he was exhausted. Something toxic seemed to have left him; a hatred put onto him by anyone who had ever been thoughtless or cruel because he was a throwback. In its place, he let in a bright little flicker of hope for the future...a future with Loxias. Sifta released a sigh that seemed to pull from deep within him. Then, he fell asleep surrounded by the Kaynen's physical and emotional warmth.