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Tiger By the Tail

Winter 1999-2000

"Hey, Danny!"

Daniel King paused in his walk down the hall of Hillard 2-E, grinning at the deer who waved him toward his room. "What's going on, Vince?"

"Wanted to ask you something." Vince Donneman looked around carefully before whispering, "Have you seen Mr. David on the floor in the past few minutes?"

"No; should I?"

Vince grinned. "Perfect. We needed a few minutes to chat." He closed the door behind him and motioned Daniel to take a seat at the desk. "I wanted to find out if you and Marcus were coming to the New Year's party this year."

"We've talked about it," Daniel said. "That's the rule we gave ourselves--we have to talk about any outside activities first. The topic came up several weeks ago."

"What do you think? Want to come play with everyone again?"

Daniel didn't exactly blush, but he did hesitate in what Vince thought to be a wonderfully cute way. "It's funny. I love Marcus so much, and there are times when I think that no one in the world could ever be as wonderful as he is, that there's no point in even looking at another guy." He paused. "And then again, I remember some really good times with other guys. Like you."

"You still think of me sometimes?" Vince smiled, his eyes filled with tender affection. "That's so wonderful. Thank you, Danny."

Daniel took Vince's hand and held it for a moment. "It was all so new to me last year, and I learned so much about myself. You were part of that. Always will be." The young lion grinned. "And yeah, I'd love to have a night to play with everyone again. It was fun."

"Marcus agrees?"

"I think he's still figuring on getting Nigel on his knees again."

Deer and lion laughed good and long over that one. In all his attempts to take Marcus' place as "number one wolf," Nigel Churchill always seemed to find his own hormones to be his worst enemy.

"Well, speaking of repeating things," Vince said with an air of mystery, "that's what I wanted to talk to you about." He leaned forward conspiratorially. "You know that David wants you something fierce."

This time, Daniel really did blush, as well as rearrange himself slightly on the chair. Part of the memory of that blissfully indulgent evening was waking up with a sense of having had his entire butt resized to suit David's rather remarkable equipment. Vince squealed with glee seeing Daniel's shifting, and after a moment's embarrassment, Daniel laughed too. "I may never know how you can handle that damn thing."

"Practice, my dear, lots and lots of practice. I could lend one of my 'friends' to you, if you'd like to warm up."

"Actually, I..." Daniel laughed again. "Hell yes, I was thinking about having him again. I was just going to ask your advice on how to do it."

Vince patted Daniel's hand. "We'll get you ready, Danny. I'll help, and Marcus can watch." He barked his gleeful laughter again, then looked the lion in the eye. "I was hoping that you'd want to have David again, because I have something special in mind, and I'll need your help."

"Help in doing what?"

The deer grinned from antler to antler. "Setting a tiger trap."

* * * * * * * * * *

Marcus Paxton's face went through so many contortions that Daniel wasn't entirely sure what his final reaction would be. The young lion finished up the description of Vince's plan and waited. After several seconds of an expression which indicated sheer disbelief, the wolf fell back onto his bed and laughed for a full five minutes. When he finally regained himself, he asked, "You do realize the implications of this?"

"You're the political science major," Daniel quipped. "What are the portents for international diplomacy?"

"Outrageous!" Marcus laughed. "I'll tell you, kid, if we hadn't made a firm decision to join the party before this, I can promise you I'm more than willing to go now. This is a treat that I just can't miss!"

Daniel threw his arms around his lover, laughing. "And don't you worry, Marcus. You're the one I'll always come home to. I love you."

They kissed warmly through their smiles. "Hey, I've got a question to ask of you, kitty. I seem to recall you being a bit sore last New Year's Day. Do you think you're ready for the challenge this year?"

"Well, Vince said he might have some suggestions about that." The lion grinned wickedly. "He said you could watch."

"Then what the hell are we sitting in here for?"

* * * * * * * * * *

The fireworks to ring in the new year were particularly spectacular; perhaps it had something to do with the fact that the year 2000 doesn't happen all that often. Several of the friends from Hillard Hall were gathered in the courtyard to watch, holding each other in warm togetherness, remembering fondly the ones who had graduated the spring before. Daniel and Marcus shared a sweet, tender kiss at midnight, as did Alex and Thomas, and even Gerald let his gothic darkness settle to one side long enough to share a kiss with his lover Karl. As the strains of "Auld Lange Syne" chorused around them, the lovers made certain to hug and kiss each dear friend in turn, to reaffirm their mutual affection. And then it was time to go.

After all, it's bad form to let an orgy start late.

As it had been last year, and for many years prior, the common room of Hillard 2-E had been carefully closed off, rearranged, and turned into an exclusive, private, and wholly intimate setting for the balance of the night's celebrations. Clothing was gleefully doffed at the door, with Vince doing the honors of keeping things reasonably folded and put into distinguishable piles in one corner. The artist in him still demanded that neatness count for something.

"How're ya doin, teddy-lion?" Marcus whispered in Daniel's ear.

"Ready for more fireworks." The lion fairly giggled with anticipation. "Looks like Nigel is already engaged for the moment."

"And would you look who with!"

Neither lion nor wolf had ever seen Timothy Montgomery looking quite so happy. The meerkat, still "skinny enough to be used to clean pipe drains" as David had once muttered, had given himself over to a small measure of weight training over the semester and had managed to fill out a bit. In a fascinating exhibition of acrobatic maneuvering, he was curled up against Nigel's pale fur in a textbook picture of mutual fellatio--and unless Marcus' sharp ears were deceiving him, Nigel was doing some serious pleasure-filled grunting. He made a mental note to see if Timmy would care to demonstrate the technique a bit later; he fully believed in rewarding hard effort.

"Hey, Danny!" Thomas stepped up to the naked lion and kissed him. "You're not the--um, new kid on the block this year, huh?"

"Been here, done this," Daniel opined, waving a nonchalant hand around the room. "Speaking of new kids, where is Arkady?"

The Russian exchange student had been extremely shy at first, but he began to warm up when he realized that the boys of Hillard took care of their own. A sleek champagne-furred sable, Arkady Marseyavich Karamzin was yet another "accidental" assignment to 2-E which turned out to be exactly right.

"He'll be here, I'm sure." Thomas took Daniel's hands shyly. "I was wondering if you'd like--um, to... well, to..."

Daniel silenced the fox with a kiss. "You were first last year. I want to honor tradition." He glanced back to Marcus and smiled, reaffirming his earlier promise.

The wolf swatted at his tail. "Go have fun."

"Yes sir, Mr. Wolf."

* * * * * * * * * *

Most sports require some form of "warming up" before tackling the important portion of the event. Daniel, taking a breather during the afterglow of his third climax of the evening (courtesy of Gerald, who contrary to conventional wisdom was quite a splendid and affectionate practitioner of world class fellatio), looked around the room, basking in the spectacular warmth of the gathering. It was as much a debauchment as any described in the literature of decadent Rome, yet it was tinged with something more--the contentment of camaraderie, perhaps, or just the simple fact that there was nothing and no one outside of this room to concern or judge or harm them. He was grateful for the moment, and he belied the number of his years by appreciating that it might not last forever.

"The world is a little less cold tonight," Gerald whispered in Daniel's ear before nibbling gently on its edge.

"Did you write that for me?" Daniel asked.

"Something I wrote during our ski trip last month," the black cat admitted. "But in this moment, I would give it to you."

"You're wonderful and warm, Gerald." The lion pulled him close and kissed him. "I wish more people knew that."

"The important ones do." Gerald returned the embrace, nuzzling Daniel's neck gently before rolling aside and propping himself on his elbow. "We wear masks to give others a reality that they can accept. The world spends its life dying by inches, killing off moments of originality and connection. We do what we're told, and try to believe that it is enough."

Daniel put a hand softly to the black cat's cheek. "This is not a mask."

"No," the poet whispered. "Not a mask. It is a moment."

The young lion, enough romantic to counteract any dozen cynics on the planet, nodded gently. "Thank you for the moment."

Gerald rubbed his cheek against Daniel's hand and kissed the palm. "Keep it dark," he teased, and rose to head for the punch bowl.

The lion sighed contentment, his thoughts and heart so full that he couldn't follow either for the racing joys of the other. Thus it was that his broad smile was willfully misinterpreted by an equally grinning tiger.

"I hear you've been practicing," David Mears said from beneath his leather cap. Naked to the waist, wearing only his leather chaps, the tiger pawed at his crotch to emphasize the implied object of his statement. Daniel felt several portions of his anatomy skip, clutch, twitch, moisten, catch, or otherwise react to the sight of the swelling cock that appeared only inches away from his nose.

"What makes you think so?" the lion said coyly.

"A little deer told me."

"I heard that!" Vince laughed. He stood behind his lover, hugging him and nibbling on an ear. "You want Danny bad, dontcha Mr. David?"

"I think the kitty had fun last year--you did, didn't you? And besides, you could give me this as my graduation present."

Delayed by cramming extra classes into his degree program, David had missed the chance to graduate last spring, having instead closed out his grade files just this month. It was his turn to be walking the aisle in red cap and gown only a few weeks ago. Vince couldn't have been more proud.

"Well," Daniel hedged slyly, as he rose to his knees before David. "I think we need to be sure you're ready first."

David wasn't one to make too much noise during sex, since "real men" don't let everyone know just how good it really is. There were only two exceptions to this rule: A certain something that Vince did to him when they were alone in their room (the result of which could sometimes be heard throughout the building), and whatever it was now that made it seem as if Daniel had five separate tongues going over every square inch of cock from base to tip. Despite his best efforts, David began emitting a low growl which could almost be felt through the floor. Perhaps it was Vince playing with the tiger's nipple ring which actually turned the trick.

A little more roughly than Daniel was used to, David pulled the lion's head off of his cock with both hands and a lot of panting. "No you don't, kitty. You can make me cum, but only in that sweet tight ass of yours."

"Oh yes, about that," Daniel said, with a barely-controlled giggle. "There's a certain request that I've had. From Vince."

The tiger's eyes cut slightly back behind himself. "You want him too?"

"Not quite." The deer nibbled his lover's ears a bit more. "I want you."

"You got my cock every night. What's the big--"

"Not your cock," Vince said, grinning. "I want your ass."

David laughed with the certainty of a macho man who made up his mind a long time ago and was not about to be shaken. "No fuckin' way. Nobody gets up there; it's exit only."

Daniel produced an exaggerated sigh. "That's too bad."

"Where are you goin'?"

The lion, who had stood up to leave, turned back to David. "That's the deal, David. You get my ass, but Vince gets yours. At the same time, I might add. Or else..." Daniel flicked his tail toward the tiger's throbbing member. "Or else nobody gets nobody's ass."

"You can't be fuckin' serious."

"What other kind of serious would he be?" Marcus said, stepping into the conversation. "It sounds like a fair exchange to me."

Vince grabbed the tiger around the waist and playfully rubbed himself against David's tail. "C'mon, Mr. David, wouldn't you do it for me?"

"You've got to be kidding me!"

Slowly, word began to spread around the room, and even many of those engaged in comparatively distracting expressions of furious monkey-love began to gather around what they were sure would be a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Comments about three-ways and double-deckers began slowly to turn into a rhythmic chant of "Tiger sandwich! Tiger sandwich! Tiger sandwich!"

David, his throbbing cock dripping with pre-cum, his bloated balls teased by Daniel's tail, and his chest and nipples rubbed and pinched from behind by Vince's ever-increasingly enthusiastic attention, couldn't possibly last long--and everyone knew it. Adding insult to injury, Marcus himself aided Daniel in applying a generous amount of lube to the lion's hungrily flexing tailhole, in full view of the trembling, twitching tiger.

"Mmm," the wolf approved, his own member rising to the occasion. "It would be a serious shame to waste this. Maybe I should just take it for myself."

"You always get it!" David shouted.

Marcus looked at him, grinning. "You know the terms, big guy. Think it's worth it? I know it is, but then again I don't have any problems with Daniel taking me whenever he wants. We share everything."

"Tiger sandwich! Tiger sandwich! Tiger sandwich!"

Daniel surprised David completely by suddenly executing a handstand, still facing away from the tiger, which put his feet close to David's chest. Reflexively, David grabbed the legs and found himself muzzle to tail with the object of his desire. It was the final straw and, whimpering quietly, he agreed to the terms.

A pillow from the sofa went under the small of Daniel's back to help him get into a better position for David's entry. One reason for being face-up was to help with the logistics of a double-penetration. The other was so that Daniel could get a clear look at David's face when Vince finally mounted him. Demonstrating the flexibility that Marcus' weight training (and other things) had provided, Daniel put his ankles to his ears and grinned an unmistakable invitation.

David found his way into Daniel's ass with enthusiasm. Had he done so the year prior, the lion could have been injured by the thrust; this year, with Vince's instructions and a greater willingness to let himself be opened even wider than usual, Daniel registered the discomfort only briefly, after which he began feeling the magnificent strength of David's pulsing pecker. Fullness and warmth became sheer pleasure. A whimper escaped the lion's lips, not of pain but of bliss.

The look of satisfaction and pleasure on David's face changed slightly. He had only taken a few thrusts before he stopped and cut his eyes back over his shoulder. Vince had taken the tiger's tail--gently enough, but with an impressively firm grip--and lifted it almost against David's will into the air. The deer lovingly applied a generous amount of lube to David's tightly puckered asshole, to the accompaniment of various "oohs" and "aahs" of the crowd.

"This is definitely a red-letter day," muttered Nigel into Marcus' ear.

"We're not likely to see this happen twice," the elder wolf agreed. He jumped slightly when he felt Nigel's hand slip under his tail. "What are you doing?"

"Like you said--there are some things that don't happen twice. But when they actually happen, they can still be enjoyed, can't they?"

Vince maneuvered himself deftly between David's legs, took aim at his target, and moved very gently forward. Daniel, able to see both of their faces, found it difficult to keep from laughing as he watched Vince's smile of absolute bliss, combined with David's look of confused astonishment. No question, Vince was balls deep; Daniel gauged this by the sensation of David's erection first deflating slightly, and then rousing to an even stiffer version of itself than before. Nothing like a little prostate massage to bring more juice to the joint.

"I almost don't dare move," Vince whispered into his tiger's ear. "I could cum in a heartbeat. I've never felt anything this wonderful in my life."

David, strong enough to carry both Daniel and Vince on his back if need be, shifted his thighs and ass to begin moving inside the lion again, but more slowly than before. He didn't want to admit it aloud, but the sensation was so incredibly intense--being inside and having someone inside him--that his entire nervous system was screaming with pleasurable overload. He felt Vince's hands low on his hips, pressing against him as the deer pressed into him as well. Almost without thinking, he reached forward to grip Daniel's cock in a tight, steadily moving grip, and he felt Daniel respond by the twitching of his ass tight around the tiger's turgid tool.

The fever between the three of them became contagious. Everyone in the room was masturbating at the least, or actively pursuing each other with as much enthusiasm and vigor as the trio at the center of it all. Residents of Hillard mingled with their guests in combinations previously unimagined but unquestionably to be remembered. Karl and Gerald entwined themselves with a 'roo named Parker Harris, while Thomas, Timothy, Alex, and Arkady formed a curious quartet of entangled muzzles, tails, and dicks. The combustion in the room was exponential, and the explosions couldn't be far behind.

Daniel gave himself over to the pleasure of his climax first, his spurting cock covering his fur and David's hand with copious quantities of cum, even though it was his fourth for the evening. Vince, excited beyond any measure he had ever known before, found himself cumming in absolute buckets inside of David's tightly puckered ass. The pulsing tug of Daniel's sphincter on David's cock, combined with Vince's explosion inside of him finally tipped David over the top. Unable to control himself, the tiger roared loudly enough to make a window rattle as he spewed his steaming seed into Daniel's ass.

Quivering, Vince more or less simply fell out and off of the trembling tiger, while David found himself falling backwards, arms and legs splayed outward, trying to understand just what it was that he was feeling. Somehow or other, it seemed as if his orgasm had occurred not just from his cock but from about fifteen different places, and it had shot through his body like summer lightning. He wasn't sure if it was exactly a "manly" orgasm, but only a man could have withstood it!

Daniel looked up at his lover with a wry grin on his face. Seeing that Nigel had already started lifting Marcus' tail, Daniel simply pivoted on his back, pointing his ass in the wolves' general direction and said, "Next?"

* * * * * * * * * *

Vince opened his eyes slowly, stretched, enjoying the memories of hours ago. The orgy had seen the sun begin to rise (albeit through bleary eyes), and all had retired back to their rooms. David was staying in Vince's room as a guest rather than a roommate now; next semester, Vince might have the room to himself, unless a transfer student came in. For now, it was enough for Vince to feel the sensation of "old times" and enjoy them.

Except that Mr. David wasn't in the bed.

Concerned, Vince looked around the small room--not a tiger in sight. A brief panic gripped the deer's heart, until he saw that David's duffle bag was still in its disheveled glory on the floor beside the closet. He had to be around here somewhere.

Quickly donning a one-piece step-in that David had given to him for Christmas, Vince left the room and went looking for his lover as quietly as he could. There was no telling how many of the guys were still asleep--or, if they had hangovers, were wishing that they were still asleep. Shouting was out of the question. He would just have to trust trial and error.

No one in the bathroom or showers. Halls empty. Common room--locked, with Timothy having the key; they would all have to pitch in to clean up and put everything to rights before the rest of the world could be invited back in. Main floor lounge also deserted. The deer hesitated going outside; this was California, sure, but it still looked a little chilly for his taste, especially with the lightweight clothes he was wearing.

...clothes?

Nah, couldn't be.

The hunch carried the young artist down a flight of back stairs and into the basement. He passed down the cinderblock-lined hallway, following along with trunking cables and steam pipes, until he came to an open doorway. He paused, moving almost silently, and peeked around the corner. A handful of commercial washers and dryers lined one wall. In the corner, David sat on a bench, leaning against a folding table, his tail occasionally twitching with restless irritation or perhaps just deep thought. Vince realized that the tiger probably chose this place to brood because he almost never came down here--Vince always did the laundry for them. It was a wife's job to look after her man.

"Hey."

David's ears flicked backward slightly, but otherwise he didn't respond.

"I woke up without you in the room, and it scared me. I was worried about you."

Still no response.

"David, are you okay?"

"Why the hell wouldn't I be?"

Slowly, the deer moved into the room. "Why did you leave?"

A shrug. "Wanted to think."

"You don't have to do that anymore--you've graduated!" A fair attempt, but it didn't get a lot of response. "Are you upset with me?"

David raised his head and stared at the wall ahead of him for a long moment. "I never let anyone do that to me. Never. It's not what I do."

Vince waited.

"I never knew that you wanted to do that."

"In some ways," the deer said softly, "I didn't know that I wanted to, either."

"Didn't I make you happy or somethin'?"

"Oh, Mr. David," Vince sighed, kneeling next to the tiger. "No one could make me happy like you do. I love you."

David finally turned to look the deer in the eyes. "Then why?"

"Because I love you." Vince smiled softly. "Do you have any idea how exciting that was for me? How incredible it made me feel?"

"So you finally fucked somebody, big deal." The frown on David's face looked almost painful. "Why did it have to be me?"

Gently, Vince shook his head. "You don't see. It wasn't about fucking someone. It was about you letting me inside of you. It was about knowing that I am the only one you have ever let inside of you. Can you imagine how incredibly special that feels?" The artist chuckled very gently. "Did you really think that it was about nothing but the sex? David, it was about knowing what you were giving to me--something that no one, anytime, ever, has gotten. That was why I could hardly stand it, why it only took me about twenty seconds to cum so hard that I saw the aurora borealis!"

Taking the tiger's hand in his own, Vince looked deeply into David's eyes. "We play with everyone every winter, and sometimes we play with other people during the year--but you are the one that makes it special. You're the one I really love. And I always will."

David began to absorb the information, still unsure what to do with it. He smiled a little. "Always, huh?"

"Yep. Always."

"Even if I never let you in the back door again?"

"Even so." The deer cocked his head to one side. "You really don't ever want to do that again? You didn't like it?"

The tiger hesitated just for a moment, and Vince squealed with laughter. "Hey," David said, "don't go gettin' any ideas, little deer. I'm still the man of the house!"

"Yes you are, Mr. David." Vince kissed his lover and looked into his eyes again. "Man enough to take it--once in a while."

The tiger grinned. "Maybe... but right now, I think it's your turn."

Vince doffed his step-in with a single motion. "It's a lucky thing that my New Year's resolution is to learn a better way to do laundry!"