FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

CHAPTER 18

The Broken Mirror

The mouse no longer dreaded his tributes to Allon or his guards anymore, but no matter how many times he pleasured the cougar, he could never get comfortable around him. His size, his scent, his dominant nature, and of course the display of predation he inflicted upon Rishi almost a year ago. The date was weighing on the rodent's mind, every emotion, every sense of pain and agony, the burning sensation of having his leg torn up, just came rushing back to him. It might have played a bigger part in his emotional baggage, but he was too distracted by problems with his wife to worry about the past. That and lying naked with a large man who loved shoving his malehood inside of his asshole always worked well in taking his mind off of his preoccupations.

Rishi had climbed into bed, exposed and vulnerable, as Allon had asked him to do so many times before. The cougar began by running his nose into Rishi's crotch, sniffing the mouse's scent and arousing his lustful hunger. He began licking the mouse's scrotum and penis, his taste buds lapping up every sample of rodent musk contained within it. The treatment had become much more tolerable to Rishi, the sensation of the feline's tongue along his member sending jolts of pleasure through him. Though he'd hate to admit that he enjoyed it, his subconscious mind would never allow him to get fully hard from that alone. Constant reminders of what the cougar did to him a year ago, and the fact that his weekly tributes was driving him and his wife apart, prevented him from getting any real enjoyment from it.

Allon began traipsing his muzzle upwards away from his crotch and through his belly fur, sniffing the whole time. The lord's purrs grew louder, his paws reached up and explored the rodent's body, running his fingers through his fur with claws extended, sending shivers through Rishi's body. His muzzle continued up Rishi's torso, nuzzling his chest and his neck along the way, smelling Rishi's deep, clear scent and driving the feline mad with lust. He hovered over the mouse, smiling at him, an expression that Rishi had begun wanting to return but just couldn't given their past.

As Allon stared back into the mouse's eyes, he glanced over to the scars over his right eye and the smile faded to a look of depression. Allon sighed and lowered his head, sulking as his purrs faded and his lust seemed to die. Rishi lay there for some time, confused by the lord's sudden change in attitude. He stared back at him a while, never saying anything, but not getting anything from him either. As the uncomfortable silence lingered on with the cat just hanging above him, Rishi wanted to know what's going on.

"Um, Allon," he said addressing the lord. At some point, he referred to Lord Allon as simply Allon and felt immediately regretful. However, when the cougar just smiled back at him instead of yelling at him, he seemed OK with it and so decided to refer to him without the title of lord anymore. But his addressing the lord did nothing to get his attention. "Allon, sire. What are you doing?" His inquiry remained unanswered. He waited a little while longer, but Allon did and said nothing. "Allon, are you gonna-"

"I'm sorry, Rishi," he said in as soft of voice as he could. Rishi just lay stunned for the moment, unsure exactly what his statement meant. He began to wonder what the lord was referring to, but he didn't have to ask. "I'm sorry for what I did to you." The cougar finally lifted his head and looked back at Rishi's scars. "You were frightened and you ran. I know you never intended to hurt Kish. I never should've hunted you. You didn't deserve it. I was angry, I overreacted. You didn't deserve this, Rishi." He ran a paw over Rishi's scars, making the mouse wince.

Rishi was at a loss for words at the revelation. He'd always felt like he was treated unfairly by the Plains ruler, but he honestly never figured in his life like he would ever hear an apology from him. Had the cougar truly changed? Had he truly realized the error of his ways? Or was this just his way of trying to butter up the mouse to convince him to stay? Not as if Rishi could leave safely if he wanted to at this point, but the lord's admittance of wrongdoing was an unexpected gift for the rodent. He watched the cougar sulk in sadness and lamentation of his own faults, wondering if this was a turning point in which the mouse would finally be able to break off these pointless sexual payments in exchange for his family's safety.

Allon stared into Rishi's eyes for a moment and Rishi back into his, a silent pause embracing them both as Rishi honestly had no idea what would happen now. Unexpectedly, though not surprisingly, Allon leaned forward and gave Rishi a gentle kiss on the lips. For some reason, whether subconsciously or just reflexively, Rishi puckered up his lips and kissed the feline back. As soon as he did it, he questioned it. What reason would he have for doing it? Was he feeling sorry for the lord? Why would he? What possible reason would he have for feeling sorry for this man after what he did to him and his family? That action would certainly haunt him for some time after.

Allon didn't let it last, though. He pulled his muzzle back and stared with a heavy heart down at the man he hurt, a man he claimed to have feelings for. He let out a sigh as his eyes wandered over the mouse's body before pulling himself off. "I'm not in the mood today. Get dressed and head on home. Don't even bother offering yourself to the guards." Allon climbed off the bed and went to his desk, pulling out a stack of papers to look over.

Rishi was left on the bed, alone and perplexed. He got up onto his elbows and looked over at the puma who sat with his back to the mouse, lost in his documents. Rishi continued staring for some time, his mind flooded with all sorts of questions and thoughts about what was happening and where this situation was heading. He didn't wait too long before he finally got up and grabbed his clothes, dressing himself and heading for the door.

He reached for the door handle, but paused before he opened it, deciding for himself whether or not to open up to the lord. He had a question he wanted to ask the cougar, but given their past he was apprehensive about it, nervous as to what he might say or how he might react. Over the last ten months, the cougar has been nothing but kind to the mouse, but Rishi figured it was just because he was following the lord's orders. Nevertheless, Allon has given much more room for Rishi to breathe, never taking him more than once during any tribute, save for the ones where they were away. He was much gentler than he had been in the past, never leaving any scars, bruises, or roughing up his asshole so much that he had trouble walking. He even gave him the week off so he could honor the gods and goddesses of springtime. And now, his lordship was actually apologizing to him for the way he treated him in the past.

Reasoning that he was safe, that the cougar was not so hot-headed that he'd yell at him for simply asking him a question, the mouse dropped his paw and turned to face Allon. He'd be lying if he said he wasn't nervous. After all that's happened, he knew what the feline was like when angered and he didn't want to risk doing anything to experience that kind of anger again. "Allon, may I ask you a question?"

Allon didn't even bother to look up from his papers. "Sure."

Rishi gulped, fidgeting with his paws. "Why am I still here?"

The cougar looked back at the mouse. "What?"

"Why am I still here?"

"No, I heard you. What do you mean?"

"Um..." he gulped. "Why are you still asking me to come here?"

Allon turned in his chair and faced the mouse, trying to look at him with sympathy. "We have a deal, Rishi. You agreed that this was the tribute you'd give me. I have no hold on you. If you want to leave, you can leave. I promise, by my honor as Lord of the Plains, I won't stop you."

Rishi was feeling his nerves climb, his stomach filling with butterflies. "But, if I can be frank, it almost feels to me... like... you're doing this out of obligation as well. Like, you don't want to do this as much as it seems you do."

Allon didn't say anything for a moment, staring down Rishi, making the mouse think what he said was a bad idea. After a moment, the cougar scratched his chin and gestured the rodent over. "Come here."

Rishi's nerves shot through the roof. He was in trouble, he figured, but hopefully the puma's generosity over the last several months will translate into nothing more than a lecture. With small, careful, and semi-shaky steps, Rishi walked over to Allon, paws clasped together, shoulders bent inward like a child worried about being punished. Once he was within striking range of the puma, he stopped and waited for Allon to make his move; it was not swift and it was not threatening. He reached up and grabbed one of the mouse's paws and held it gently in his own, cradling it and rubbing it softly. Rishi felt his heart beat begin to slow again.

Allon smiled as he stared at the rodent's paws. "Rishi, I do enjoy having you here. I love having you in my bed, smelling your scent, feeling the softness of your fur on my own, hearing your voice in my ears. If I could convince you to come in more often, I would love that." He looked up at Rishi. "But we have an agreement and that agreement is once a week to honor your tribute. Our daily times together came about from punishment that... I see now was not commensurate with the conduct or crime committed. As hard as it is to believe, I truly am sorry for that. And I do not wish to hurt you anymore than I have."

Rishi listened and nodded, understanding what the cougar was saying, unbeknownst to him what was happening at home. He says he doesn't wish to hurt him, but simply having him here was causing more emotional pain and stress than he probably intended. There was no way for him to know, though, than to tell him. Seeing the cougar's reaction to his previous inquiry, the mouse decided to continue spilling his guts to the feline and get his feelings out in the open.

"My wife and I haven't slept together in a month." Allon's head tilted to the side, ears twitching as he listened. "Having come home so many times smelling of male seed, being exhausted from having so much sex and wanting to relax meant not being able to pleasure my wife. She eventually got tired of it and just stopped trying, telling me she didn't want to have me in bed with her anymore as long as I was sharing my body with the Royal Court. This... I'm sorry, Allon, but this is driving my wife away from me. If this continues... ... ... I don't know what's gonna happen."

Rishi looked down, awaiting a response, but Allon just lowered his head, an ambiance of sadness permeating the room. Allon rubbed the mouse's paws a little more before finally speaking again. "When are you planning on leaving?" His voice was low and despondent.

Rishi spoke in a soft tone, reacting to the cougar's mood. "I don't have enough coin yet to make it to the city. It'll take some time."

Allon continued to rubbing, breathing a few loud breaths before removing his paws and going back to the papers at his desk. "Very well. When it does happen I'm sure you two will work out your problems. For now, you can let her know you didn't share your body this week. I think your wife will enjoy having you come home one tribute without stinking of feline sex."

The lord spoke defensively, making Rishi feel bad for bringing up the situation the way that he did. It seemed the cougar truly did enjoy having the mouse in his company and was earnestly upset at the prospect of losing him. The mouse wanted to say something to try to alleviate his lordship's disgruntlement, but nothing he'd say could work, save for offering himself every day to the cat and he couldn't do that. It was something he himself couldn't bear to think about, but it was more important that he couldn't do that to his wife.

With no other avenue to take, he bowed respectfully to the cougar. "Thank you, Allon." The cougar continued reading through the papers as Rishi backed away guiltily, leaving the lord's chambers physically well and smelling fresher than he ever had before, but also feeling worse than ever. He opened the door and shut it behind him, leaving the lord to pretend to look over the papers as his claws began to dig into the wood while his other paw clenched into a fist of frustration and helplessness.

Rishi moved through the great hall quickly, respectfully refusing the Royal Guard as he exited the High Court. He said goodbye to Tony and Matt who were, as always, standing guard on the eve of the tribute. During his trek back home, he wondered about what could happen in the future. He was saving up money, a lot more than he had last year, but it still wasn't enough. By that time next year, he should have enough to get him to the city and have enough to rent a room in a small building. He'd probably have to take up a small job just to stay afloat, but it was nothing he couldn't handle. The real problem was would his relationship really be healed the way Allon suggested it would? Sam has been overtly indignant about his obligations to the Royal Court and if this had to continue for another year at least, he wasn't certain she'd be willing to stay with him for that long.

His mind started to wander to what would happen if she did leave him. Would he take his money and leave for the city on his own? Would he leave his family, his kids, behind to escape from his obligations to the lord and his mend, or to escape from the woman who no longer loved him? Would he take the children for himself and drive out Sam? He couldn't do that and he knew it. He also knew he couldn't take his own life to end his misery. He wondered if he might actually offer himself to Lord Allon daily like the cougar wanted. Sure, he'd have to sleep with him every day, and probably his men, but the prospect did come with certain advantages. If he did that, he might be afforded a place to stay in the High Court, possibly be treated to the same meals the royal members were offered, maybe some better clothes, and even possibly make a better life for his kids.

Additionally, if he did that and with no wife to cheat on, he wouldn't have to worry about feeling guilty whenever he got pleasure from having Allon's cock plugging his ass. If he got hard while having the feline's belly rub up against his dick while his member rubbed up against his prostate, there'd be no reason to feel shame for it anymore. And whenever one of the royal guards licked his genitals, he would no longer need to try and distract himself form it to avoid cumming. A warm muzzle is a warm muzzle and with no spouse to honor and dedicate his life to, it wouldn't matter whose warm muzzle encapsulated his cold meat.

Such thoughts raced through the mouse's mind, making him feel even more guilty for thinking about them. Samantha was his wife and whether or not she honored him by sharing his bed, she did promise to love and cherish him. She was the light in the darkness that lifted him up when he was unsure about going through with this, when he was savagely injured and when he was forced to continue this unsavory duty. He tried not to think about such things any longer and focused only and coming home and letting his wife know that he got another week off.

As he rounded the corner to his street, he saw Gregorious walking towards him in the distance. The rabbit didn't see him and Rishi figured he was heading to Priesto's, but as he got closer, he started angling towards his house. The mouse was a little confused as the lagomorph knew full well that on any normal day he'd still be at the High Court. As he reached the gate to his house, Rishi called out to him. "Hey, Gregorious!"

Greg started as he heard the mouse's voice and turned in his direction. "Oh, hey Rishi." He seemed nervous for some reason.

"What's going on?" Rishi asked him. "Are you here to see Samantha?"

"Huh? Oh, no I came to see you. I just... wanted to know how you were doing, you know? It's nearly the one year anniversary since... well, you know. I know things have been hard between you and Sam and I just... wanted to make sure you and her were OK." As the rabbit spoke, he seemed to have trouble finding his words, speaking as if he didn't really know what he was saying, but Rishi brushed it aside.

"Well, thank you, but you saw me at the High Court. You should've known I wouldn't be back for at least a couple of hours."

"Hm, oh yeah, that's true! I guess time just got away from m- Wait, if you weren't supposed to be here for a couple of hours, what're you doing back so soon?"

"Something weird happened, and it's something I don't want to talk about."

Greg sniffed at Rishi and furrowed his brow in confusion. "Did the Royal Court even mate with you today?"

"No, they didn't. Allon said he wasn't in the mood, so he sent me home."

"Did you just refer to the lord as Allon?"

"Yeah. We have a particularly... um... unhealthy relationship."

Greg chuckled nervously. "You don't have to tell me." Rishi let out a soft chortle of his own. "Hey, any chance you get to have a week where you don't have to sleep with a bunch of feline men is a win, right Rishi?"

"Heh, you don't have to tell me." They both laughed joyously. "Well, I was hoping to spend some quality time with Sam. She's been having a hard time dealing with this whole debacle and I was hoping that coming home and not smelling like cat cum would be a nice gift. Anyway, I'd love to catch up, but I really wanna see my wife, so we'll talk later, k?"

Greg nodded. "Sure thing. Say hi to Sam for me."

"Will do." Rishi crossed through the gate to his home, Gregorious standing in the road watching him walk away, a look of disappointment on his face. Rishi went to the door and opened it, finding no one in the living room or the kitchen. "Hello. Sam, kids."

"Rishi?" he heard a surprised voice coming from the bedroom.

"Yeah, it's me," he replied with a smile and the hope that she was happy to hear his voice.

"What are you doing back so soon?" she asked, sounding slightly panicked.

Rishi walked over to the bedroom. "Well, it's kind of an interesting story. I don't want to go into too many details, but Allon sent me home early. Said he wasn't in the mood. So guess what, I don't smell like-"

As he peaked into the open door to his and Samantha's bedroom, he saw that she was hurrying to get her clothes on. She spotted him as he came into view and froze, her eyes wide with shock like a prey coming face-to-face with a predator. Rishi was a bit shocked to see her getting dressed, easily figuring out that she was naked when he came home. At the moment, she had a pair of thin underwear covering her crotch and breasts and was in the process of putting on a tunic. After a moment, Rishi sighed and gave her a sulking expression.

"I'm sorry. I didn't know," he said to her.

Sam continued to dress herself as she spoke. "Rishi, listen, after everything that's happened, I couldn't wait anymore. I-"

Rishi held his paw up. "It's OK, Sam. I understand."

Sam stopped and stared at her husband. "You do?"

"Yes. You told me a little while ago that you didn't want to share my body with the Royal Court. I should've figured you'd want to take care of things yourself." Sam let out a sigh of relief as her whole body relaxed. Rishi figured it was because he told her that he was understanding of it. "Hell, I'd be a pretty big hypocrite if I got mad at you for this. I've done it myself. I miss your touch Sam, our bodies together. I know I haven't always put your needs first... and for that, I'm sorry."

Sam looked at him, staring with an almost unreadable expression, before she lowered her eyes and smiled. "It's OK, Rishi. I've been pretty hard on you. Just so you know, I have no hard feelings about you doing this for us. But... I just can't think of sleeping with you while knowing you'll be going back to those people and doing the same thing with them."

Rishi nodded, feeling as downtrodden about the situation as ever, but happy to hear his wife isn't mad at him. He stepped over to her and held out his arms for a hug and she gladly accepted, holding each other close and tight. Samantha held tight as Rishi pet the back of her head lovingly. They held the hug for several seconds before letting go, smiling at each other.

"Oh, hey, at least I don't smell like sex this time. You think you could make an exception for this week since I was given a pass?"

Sam thought about it a moment. "Sure. But after dinner."

"OK." Rishi smiled wide and gave her a kiss. She kissed back, but it didn't have the same passion that Rishi projected. Dinner came, the kids seemed to be a bit distracted, looking back at their mother and father throughout the evening, until finally they went to bed, leaving Samantha and Rishi alone. The couple went to the bedroom as Rishi had requested and gave into their carnal delights, enjoying for the first time in a month each others seductive figures. They took their time, both cumming multiple times before they were finally worn out. As they lay down for the night, Rishi thought her heard a sigh of discontent coming from his wife as well as a light mumbling about something incoherent, but he brushed it off and let sleep take him.

******

The next six days were a mixed bag for Rishi. The one year anniversary of his nightmarish encounter with the Lord of the Plains came and went and the mouse didn't even want to think about it. On the other hand, he'd finally seemed to be patching things up with his wife again, though it might not last forever. He was trying to think of ways to keep her happy and make sure he doesn't give her a reason to think he's putting her second to anyone else, including Lord Allon. The next tribute was tomorrow and Rishi couldn't expect the lord to give up sex with the mouse two weeks in a row, so that was on his mind, but a tertiary thought at most. He had gone for a walk, saying hi to several people he'd met along the way, including a few soldiers nice enough to greet him. He was enjoying the feeling of having actual friends in his life and being respected by his peers, though he felt pity might have played a small role in that. Nevertheless, he was happy and the cloudless, warm summer's day was turning out quite nicely.

He thought back over the last few years and what he had to celebrate. Last year he was hunted down, attacked, and forced into sexual servitude. The year before that he couldn't pay his tribute and was therefore inclined to give himself sexually over to the lord and his men. The year before that, he was struggling to keep the farm alive. The year before that he was enslaved by canines who tortured him and forced him to watch as they raped his wife. It's been at least five years since he's had the opportunity to enjoy this particular one year anniversary and short of Allon going nuts over nothing, he couldn't think of anything that might ruin it.

As he made his way home, he spotted Gregorious walking towards him. Once he saw him, he waved in his direction, smiling. "Hey, Greg!" The rabbit looked up and saw him, but rather than waving back and smiling, he looked hesitantly back at the mouse. He began walking again, but this time crossing over to the opposite side of the road. "Greg, is everything OK?!"

"Yeah, it's fine," he said, walking quickly to try to get past Rishi.

"Are you sure?" the mouse asked, walking quickly to intercede the lagomorph.

"Yes, I'm fine. Please let me go home." He sounded desperate to get away.

"Hey, I'm just trying to say hi. Hey!" Rishi got in Gregorious's way, forcing him to stop.

"Look, Rishi, now's not a good time. So please, just let me go home. I'll come by your house later, OK?"

"OK."

Rishi was at a loss for words, the rabbit's insistence on getting home stunning the mouse, but he let him go anyway. As he passed by, it was then that Rishi caught the distinct smell of sweat, a heightened degree of rabbit musk, and the odor that accompanies sex, a scent he was all too familiar with. He caught the scent of his partner and it seemed familiar, but he couldn't place it immediately. After a few seconds, watching the small mammal walk away, Rishi suddenly realized who the scent belonged to and he froze. His body shivered, his hair stood on end, and his heart almost tore in two.

After the initial shock wore off, Rishi went from surprised to enraged. He clenched his paws into fists, furrowed his eyebrows, and pulled his lips back into a vicious snarl. He stalked forward a little and then jogged after Gregorious, eventually racing after him. Once the rabbit heard the mouse's loud footpads, he was already on him, grabbing at him and pulling him back.

"Greg, did you have sex with my wife?!" he asked with pure anger in his eyes.

"Rishi, stop it! Let go!" was Gregorious's reply, but Rishi grabbed him by the shirt and wouldn't let go.

"Answer me! Did you have sex with my wife?!"

Gregorious stopped squirming and stared back at his friend, a mixture of guilt and fear in his eyes as he looked back at the incensed rodent. "Yes, I did."

"Why? How could you do this to me?!"

Gregorious was becoming more frightened. "Look, she was needy. She was completely distraught that you kept giving yourself to the Royal Court. She felt cheated on and I agreed with her."

"You agreed with her?! I'm not doing this because I enjoy it! I'm doing this for her, for my kids, so we can save enough money and finally move away from this gods-forsaken place! She had no right to cheat on me like this!"

"You've had the ability to leave anytime you wanted! You could've come home and slept with Sam every night if you wanted, but you didn't! You pushed her away so you could save yourself for Lord Allon and his men! So don't get pissed off at me for giving Sam what you wouldn't and definitely don't get pissed off at Sam!" Gregorious finally shoved Rishi off of him, the two staring each other down, Rishi with blind rage and Gregorious with judgment. "Sam didn't do anything to deserve this treatment! I don't blame you for giving in to the lord's wishes, but making Sam feel unloved, that's on you!"

Gregorious left the mouse with that and walked away, leaving Rishi to stew in his anger and ruminate on what the rabbit said. He thought about two seconds, trying to find some rationale behind the lagomorph's motives, but all he could think about is that dirty rabbit and his wife. His face contorted into the most vicious expression of fury he could muster as he charged forward. "Greg, you son of a bitch!"

As Gregorious turned around, Rishi swung forward with a fist and punched the rabbit in the muzzle, knocking him back. Greg reached up and grabbed his maw as he fell backwards, his teeth cutting his lip and blood beginning to gush out. Rishi went for a second swing and knocked Greg off of his feet, forcing the rabbit to the ground. Greg, now fearing for his safety, pulled his arms over his head and curled up into a fetal position as Rishi began wailing on the defenseless rabbit, hitting him again and again in mindless rage.

After a few more strikes, a group of soldiers came by to break up the fight. A caracal grabbed Rishi and pulled him off of Gregorious as a lynx stepped in between him and the rabbit. Rishi's expressive anger calmed little as he looked up at the lynx, his fist covered in lagomorph blood. Greg stood up, holding his mouth and watching as it dribbled blood onto his paw. He looked at the fuming rodent being held by the caracal with shock and disbelief that the mouse had that kind of anger within him.

The lynx turned to Greg. "Are you OK?"

"No, I'm not OK! Look what he did to me!" he responded.

The lynx then looked down at Rishi, his gaze one of anger and disappointment. Rishi just stared back, furious and defiant. "You want to tell us what the hell is wrong with you?"

"Not particularly," he said, disobedient as ever.

The lynx stepped forward. "You want me to lock you up until you're ready to tell us?"

Rishi grinned deviantly back at him. "And when Allon finds out, you better have a good reason for doing so."

The lynx, knowing full well what could happen to him if anything happened to Rishi, knew that the mouse was right. If he was going to handle the situation, he had to do it carefully. He turned back around and looked at Greg. "What happened?"

"Wh- He hit me."

"Yes, I can see that. Why? Why did he hit you?"

Gregorious started to reply, but then looked back at Rishi, his smile faded and now he was just burning a hole into the rabbit with his eyes. After a moment, the rabbit didn't say anything and the lynx sighed. "Well, if you're not gonna tell me and he's not gonna tell me, I think it's best if you just forget this happened. Because if I can't explain this to his lordship, I could get in trouble and I'm not about to lock up his consort without some legitimate reason."

"What? Hitting me is not a legitimate reason?"

"For all I know, he had a good reason. Do you think he did?" Gregorious didn't answer and that was all the lynx needed. "Alright then. You go home, put a rag on your lip, and if you have anymore trouble with him, consider telling us what's actually going on."

The rabbit nodded, unfulfilled by the feline's choice, but also accepting of his rationale. "Yes sir." Greg gave the mouse one more look of disapproval before turning and walking away, keeping his paw to his lip to hold in the leaking blood.

The lynx turned back to Rishi and stared down at him, the mouse turning away to avoid eye contact. The lynx gave a head nod to the caracal who then let Rishi go. "You go home and you cool your ass down. You do something like that again, I will lock you up for the night."

Rishi stared back as defiantly as ever. "Allon isn't going to like that I'm being locked up."

"You give yourself too much credit. You may be his favorite pet, but he isn't going to let you live above the law. You're disturbing the peace and whatever reason you have for striking that man, work it out, got it?" Rishi just nodded. "Good. Now get out of here."

"Gladly," the mouse responded before taking off.

Once he was facing home, he gathered up all his energy into a sprint, running as fast as he could to get home. He passed by numerous people along the way, many of which gave a wave or called out to him, but he kept his focus strictly on getting home. He avoided eye contact with everyone, clearly heard whoever called his name, but didn't bother to acknowledge any of them. He ran as fast as he could, ignoring the burning pain in his muscles, tiring out quickly but not caring and keeping a decent pace until he reached the fence around his house.

He swung the gate open with great force, knocking it hard against the fence. He was breathing heavy, his heart beat racing, every muscle in his body sore and burning, but he pushed past the pain to get inside and confront his wife for her infidelity. He shoved the door open and stepped inside, leaving it wide and ajar. Samantha was coming out of the den, her fur moist and ruffled as she was drying it off with a towel while the kids were out of sight. She stared back at her husband with surprise as he spotted her and glared at her with pure contempt.

"Rishi, what's wrong?" Sam asked her husband.

"Kids!" he yelled to the upstairs.

"Rishi, whatever's wrong, leave the kids alone. Don't drag them into this."

Tessa and Dex came into view and it was Tessa who peered over the railing at her dad, seeing the anger in his eyes. "Yes, Dad?" she asked nervously.

Rishi relaxed a bit as he addressed his eldest child. "Tess, I want you and Dex to take the twins and go over to Priesto's. Take the cart to carry them. If he's not home, you go to the Hanerson's. You understand?"

"Yes, Daddy," she spoke fearfully.

"Alright. It's OK. Daddy just needs to speak with Mommy for a little bit."

Tessa nodded and started back upstairs with her little brother. "No, Tessa, hold on," Sam said, interrupting her stride. "You don't have to go anywhere." Tessa and Dex stopped and stared at their mother. "Rishi, what is going on?"

"I stopped and saw Gregorious as he was heading home."

It was then, as he said that, she noticed the stain of blood on his fist. The revelation led Sam to change her expression from one of confusion to one of apathetic deceitfulness. "Tess, Dex, do as your father says."

Tessa and Dex went upstairs to retrieve the twins while Sam and Rishi stared each other down, never moving from their spot. After a moment, the kids came down, carrying the twins. They moved passed the door, Rishi smiling at them reassuringly as they moved out of sight. The couple listened for the sound of wooden wheels as their two older children placed their two younger children in a makeshift cart and wheeled them off to one of their closest friend's house. Finally, Rishi reached behind himself, grabbed the door, and roughly shut it with a loud thud. He then turned to face his wife with nothing but anger on his face while Samantha stared back at him unphased by his obvious feelings of betrayal.

"How could you do this to me, Sam? How, after everything I've done for you, do you get the balls to do this to me?!"

"Everything you've done for me?" she responded, equally as angry. "Try everything you've done to me. How long does this have to go on before you realize what it's doing to me, Rishi?! I tried to maintain a normal relationship with you, even when you came home smelling like a feline's fuck toy, but you pushed me back! I made my advances and you refused! What the fuck did you expect me to do?!"

"I expected you to be a little more understanding! Do you have any fucking idea how mentally taxing it is to go to that building every week and have five men fuck you, most of which are more than half as much bigger than me? Of course you don't!"

"How can you say that to me after what happened?! I was the one the canines took and made into a sex slave, not you! I know damn well what it's like!"

"Bullshit! What those canines did happened over a week and we got nothing from it. I did this because the only other option was to brave the wild and risk the lives of our kids. Did you do that for them? Would you have done that for me?"

"But you finally had the option to leave and you decided to stay, and I agreed with you at the time. But eventually you proved to me that making them happy meant more to you than making me happy."

"What the fuck?! You're making it sound like I wanted to go through with this."

"Did you?"

Rishi's eyes grew wide in bewilderment at the question. "How could you ask me that question? You know what I've been through, what I've suffered through. I don't get how you could possibly think I was enjoying it."

Samantha crossed her arms. "That's not a yes or a no answer, Rishi."

"Don't fucking ask me that question!" he yelled, pointing at her and advancing hastily in her direction, but she never flinched or changed positions. She remained defiant and resistant towards her husband. "I've suffered more than you ever have during my time with the court. I know you suffered with the canines and I wouldn't say otherwise, but to stand there and act like I haven't suffered, like I haven't been through hell just to make sure you and the kids could live a normal life, that is absolutely abysmal. And worst of all, to use that as an excuse to cheat on me."

"You act like you haven't been cheating on me for the last two years!"

"HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO SAY IT!?!" he screamed, finally getting Sam to jump and take a step back. "I didn't do it by choice, I did it because it was the only way!"

Sam was beginning to show signs of fear of her husband, something that hasn't happened in the long years since she's known him. "You're telling me you never once got off while in the company of Allon and his men?"

It was a question that Rishi hated, knowing the answer and feeling reluctant to admit the truth. "I was asked to do whatever they wanted of me and on several occasions, yes, I did get off for them. It's what they wanted and what they asked for. I was in no position to refuse."

Sam stood there a moment, pondering the reply. "OK. And anytime they didn't have to ask you?"

"No! I swear to you, it never got that far. I stopped myself, I never allowed myself to find any kind of sexual gratification in their beds."

"You stopped yourself? So you did enjoy yourself sometimes then," Sam replied.

Rishi was incensed and getting further agitated. "That's not what I fucking said! What do you expect me to say, that a hot, wet tongue bigger than my paw around my prick was never gonna make me even a little hard? Is that what you want me to say? It was shameful and embarrassing and I just wanted to leave whenever it happened. But I can say that no matter what I was thinking, I never ever came once. And that's a promise. I never cheated on you, Sam. I never betrayed you like that."

They continued to stare at each other, breathing heavily, Rishi full of fury and Sam beginning to get defensive. After a long moment of silence, Sam spoke again. "So you just expected me to continue to act like I was OK with this, to let you just ignore me while you were home like you didn't care if I was here? I was suffering too, Rishi, whether you care or not. Just because I wasn't being forced on my back doesn't mean I wasn't in pain. I was. I was suffering from neglect, suffering from the mental image of you and Allon and those filthy fucking felines entwined together. The only thing I had to get me through it was the knowledge that when you came home every time, you would show how much you loved me by taking me to the bedroom and giving me the same offering you gave them. That let me know that you were doing this for me and the kids and not just yourself. But when that died down, when you stopped putting in the effort, I lost what little I had to hold onto and it hurt. It hurt more than what those bastard dogs from Feroche did because they didn't make promises to me of making life better for me and the kids. They didn't look me in the eye and make me feel weightless in their presence with love and compassion. You did, Rishi. I loved you so much and having you here and not getting that love just... just... it just takes it all away."

Rishi soon found his anger mixing in with despair. "What are you saying, Sam?"

Her eyes started to water up as the weight of the situation was becoming a bit too much for her to bear. "I don't know if I can do this anymore, Rishi. I don't know if I can wait any longer for you to finish this disgusting tribute you keep making every week. It's physically straining me. It's putting stress on me, more than you realize and I just... don't think I can take it any longer."

Rishi's anger began to flounder and he became worried. "Sam, I'm sorry. I will try to make things better. I admit, I haven't been the most attentive husband. Please, get me another chance."

"I can't. Not while you're with them."

"But it's not forever, honey. It will end."

"When? Next month, a year, five years? Do you have any idea how long it'll be before you're finally ready to leave?" She paused, but Rishi didn't have an answer. Sam looked back in anger and sadness, her lips beginning to quiver. "I'm sorry, Rishi. I think I need to leave." Sam turned and began walking to the bedroom.

Rishi's heart pounded, every joule of energy he had put into his anger towards Sam for her betrayal was suddenly put into desperation. "Sam, please, don't do this! I've done this to keep you safe, that's the only reason I've ever done this." Sam didn't listen, instead choosing to ignore her husband and walk into the bedroom. Rishi continued to yell after her. "What do you want to do? Do you want to leave? Just give me a little more time and we'll be able to go. I'm not asking for much. The summer's not over and we haven't finished making our trades. By the end of summer, we'll have all we can make and it should get us far enough that we can try for the city. Just please, please, don't leave!"

Sam appeared from the bedroom a moment later with a small satchel. "I can't do this now, Rishi. I need to be away from you for now to think."

Rishi ran up to her before she reached the door and grabbed her by the shoulder. "Sam, please. Please, don't leave me alone. You're the reason I was able to power through this for so long. Every time things got rough, you're the one that gave me strength. Without you, it's all gone. How am I supposed to continue without you?"

Sam closed her eyes, a single tear flowing down her cheek. "I don't know Rishi. You were the one that gave me strength when I was having a difficult time, but now... now I need the strength just to be in the same room with you." Rishi felt his heart tear apart as she said those words. "I'm sorry, but I think we need some time apart. Give me some time to figure things out and then we'll talk."

She tried to leave, but Rishi was insistent. "Sam, don't do this."

Getting agitated, Sam looked her husband in the eyes. "You never answered me before."

"Answered what?"

"I've asked you three times before if you enjoyed it, but you never actually answered me. I want to know, yes or no, did you enjoy it?"

Rishi thought about it and figured he did answer the question, but apparently she wasn't satisfied and if it would help mend their relationship, he'd answer her directly. "No, I've never enjoyed it."

Sam's expression relaxed, but she still didn't say anything. She gently pushed his arms off of her and Rishi, as much as he hated to, relented and pulled away. Sam opened the door to their house and slowly left, leaving Rishi there to stand and stare at the door, his heart melting away as his eyes soon began to flood over with tears. They stained his cheek, dribbling down to his chin and dripping onto the floor as he waited in hopes that his wife would come home, but she never did. He knew her well enough; she'd go find their kids and stay with them with whomever would take them in for the night. For now, all the mouse could do was wait and hope that she'd be back tomorrow and they could have a civil conversation. Though, he wasn't holding his breath as tomorrow was the day of offerings and not a day to discuss such a touchy subject.

Rishi didn't eat much for the rest of the day. He tried to head to bed early, but he couldn't sleep, constantly thinking of how cold the bed was without his wife there to help keep it warm. He sat there and thought about their fight, where she could be, what they said, what he should do. Should he take his chances? Should he take Sam and the kids and try and move away now? Would they be safe? He wanted them to be safe, but he wasn't sure if he could risk losing them. He needed to figure this out soon because if he decides to leave, then he'd feel obligated to inform Lord Allon about his decision. At this point, though, he'd rather risk angering the lord again than disappointing the love of his life.

Rishi became fixated on the last thing Sam asked him and as he thought about it, he realized she was right; he never said yes or no. He shrugged it off and became defensive, acting as if he was offended that Sam could even think such thoughts. However, as he thought more and more on the subject, he soon began to wonder if it wasn't so much that he was offended by the question because it wasn't true, but because it was. He even admitted to having to force himself to resist the urge to cum while in bed with the felines, an urgency that made him embarrassed and guilt-ridden. And in all honesty, the only reason he felt guilty or embarrassed was because he felt it was being dishonest towards his wife.

He soon found the urge to cry building up again at the notion that he was finding sexual pleasure in the arms of the Royal Court members. In addition, the last ten months the mouse had noticed Allon and his men had all been much more gentle and respectful towards him. Could he actually be developing feelings for them? He stood up from the bed and walked around, looking into a nearby mirror. Once he saw the scars on his face, any doubts or considerations of empathy and affection for the cougar dissipated quickly as the most painful memories and experiences came flooding back. His face contorted into the most rage-filled expression he could muster as he clenched his fists and began to shake. Tears escaped his eyes and dribbled down his cheek as he reached over and grabbed a small wooden object and threw it at the mirror, breaking it.

"BASTAAAAARDS!!!"

With shattered remains of the mirror scattered all over the place, only a few pieces were left attached to the underside. Rishi caught a glimpse of himself, but in disconnected fragments. After a moment, he broke down and began to sob at the realization of what the last two years had done to him. He backed up into the bed, falling down and curling up into a ball as he continued to cry. He grabbed his wife's pillow, sniffing at her sent, which just depressed him further. He held it in his arms, pretending his wife was there with him, letting the tears flow without inhibition. The rest of the night was restless and Rishi slept little for the earliest parts. Eventually, weariness from crying, stress, and depression sent him into a light sleep.

He woke up a few hours later, having slept in his clothes, the sun barely setting as he became aware of the world. It was still early and Rishi was still tired and depressed from the previous day's happenings. He looked up and around, but Sam had not returned. He got up and wandered around the house, hoping to find her and the kids upstairs or in the den or possibly outside, maybe coming down the street, but he had no luck. He tried to eat some breakfast, but he was still feeling awful, his stomach in knots and his chest tight. He went back to the bedroom and went to the nightstand and opened up the drawer, pulling out the coins they'd saved up. He flipped through them, counting them, figuring in his head whether or not he had enough to make the trip and figuring he did not.

He let out a sigh. "If that's what you want, then that's what we'll do," he said to himself as he put the coins back in the drawer and shut it.

He left and went to find his wife, searching around town at different people's houses. He went to Priesto's and the rat told him the children were there, but then Sam came and took them away and didn't say where she was heading. He went to the Hanerson's as well, but they said they hadn't seen them. He went to a few other places, including Gregorious's house, but none of them had seen them. Rishi wasn't sure he believed the rabbit, but at the moment he didn't think it a good idea to accuse him of anything, so he left and continued to look for his family. He was getting tired and it was getting late. The mouse knew he'd have to leave for the High Court soon, but without knowing where his family was, he'd be too worried to perform his duties.

Eventually, he figured there was nothing he could do. She said she wanted to be alone, so he decided to leave her be for now. He went back home with one last hope that she had returned, even if just to get a change of clothes, but to his dismay she had not. He sighed, his heart filled with anxiety, but felt as helpless as ever to do anything about it. He tried to reason that she was fine and the kids were fine, but after the fight the previous day, that rodent brain wouldn't let Rishi have any reprieve from his concerns. With little choice, he went to his room, grabbed the key to the house, and left. As he did, he passed by the nightstand, but too distracted from other problems, he didn't notice that it hung slightly open and had he bothered to examine it, he'd have noticed the coins within were missing.