The Supernova Lion

By Danath

Commissioned by 9Lion

Title image by 9Lion.

Chapter 1: Love

Captain Mathew Frost leaned back in his padded chair. The control panels in front of him blinked steadily. The touch screens showed all systems nominal. He surveyed the otherwise empty bridge, enjoying another normal night watch on the Mountain's Bounty, a fully-licensed, legally-operated, independently-owned salvage and cargo vessel... most of the time.

Well, Captain Frost thought, what the government bureaucrats and tax collectors don't know won't hurt them.

The timber wolf glanced at his watch before running his fingers up the touchscreen controls, bringing the ship onto daytime rotation. Lights throughout the ship flickered on, powered by the warp engine humming below decks. The Mountain's Bounty was a relatively small ship, so the hum of the engines was omnipresent, even in the heavily shielded bridge.

Frost pressed his light grey fingers into his forehead. It had been a long night. With only five people on the entire ship, watches were long and unforgiving. Frost's short, dark gray fur looked nearly black in the low light. It was matted in places and itched madly under his tight black long-sleeved shirt and matching black vest. He could imagine the brush straightening the bunched up fur and tugged the jacked down snugly. He wiggled his toes in his black, calf-high electromagnet boots - only necessary as a precaution in case the artificial gravity went out. He couldn't wait to strip down, shower, and crawl into bed.

He raised his arms over his head and stretched, then twisted his torso, trying to clear out a kink in his left shoulder. Frost was well-built, standing at six feet and a few inches tall and weighing in just over 200 pounds. As far as rogue space captains went, he was very nearly stereotypically handsome and charming. The only way he deviated from the norm was that he was absolutely and irrevocably spoken for.

Frost's ears swiveled backwards when he heard the automatic door to the bridge open. His nose twitched at the smell of coffee. He reached out a paw without looking and felt the warm mug slip into his palm. A slender pair of golden arms slipped around his shoulders and a muzzle pressed to the top of his head, between his dark gray ears.

"Morning, love," Frost said. The wolf's tail wagged as he felt the golden arms squeeze him tightly.

"Morning. How was the watch?"

Frost sipped at his coffee before replying. "Boring, as ever. Did you sleep well?"

"Not as good as when you're under the covers with me."

The timber wolf grinned at that and set his coffee on the edge of the control panels. He reached back and grabbed a handful of pelt, then yanked a very surprised lion around and into his lap.

"Ah! Don't spill!"

Frost grinned and leaned his muzzle down. Ethan held his own coffee mug out to the side, unable to prevent some from sloshing over onto the deck below. He tipped his muzzle back into the wolf's for a kiss. Frost's strong arms hugged the lion, pulling him close. The wolf enjoyed his mate's scent, the feel of his slender body. Ethan was dressed in dark blue pants and a black t-shirt that clung to his well-defined yet slender chest and stomach.

"You don't have watch today, do you?" he asked once his tongue reacquainted itself with Ethan's.

"No, just came to get you back to the room."

"Who's on watch then?"

"That would be me, sir."

Frost leaned his head back over the edge of his chair. Robert Ochoa, the ship's pilot, walked onto the bridge. He nodded at Ethan cordially as he took a seat at the forward control panel. The otter's brown fur was mostly hidden under a blue jumpsuit. Like Ethan and Frost, he wore a pair of heavy black boots.

"How many times am I going to have to tell you, Robert? You don't have to keep calling me 'sir.'"

The otter nodded and half-smiled. "Sorry, just a force of habit, sir. I mean, no sir. No, I mean, sorry about saying sir, sir. Oh, forget it!"

Ethan and Frost laughed as the otter busied himself with his controls. Robert spent almost fifteen years in the military before joining the crew of the Mountain's Bounty and was still trying to shake the habits of so many years of a highly regimented life. On the plus side, according to Captain Frost, the otter was tidy, orderly, and always on time; on the other hand, he followed rules to the point of being annoying, had to be coaxed into breaking the law on occasion, and always referred to Frost as "sir," instead of just "Captain" or "Frost."

Ignoring the officious otter, Frost returned his attention to the squirming bundle of golden fur in his lap, lowering his muzzle for another kiss.

The bridge was an oval with doors on either end. Banks of screens covered the front bulkheads, displaying information about every aspect of the ship. Two counters ran along the entire forward wall and curved into the sides. In the middle was a secondary panel, where Frost sat with the lion on his lap. Though he was the captain, seating was first-come first-serve. Hierarchy was informal on a ship of five.

"We'll leave you to it, Robert," Frost said, standing up with Ethan still in his arms. The lion purred loudly and squeezed tight to Frost's chest as he was carried out. Robert waved them away as he slumped into his chair and yawned loudly. The otter was used to Ethan and Frost's affectionate displays, so he didn't react as he heard the purring lion let out a squeak as he was carried into the hallway.

They didn't encounter anyone else on the way back to their quarters. The ship had two decks. The upper deck contained the living quarters, kitchen, showers, small medical bay, and the bridge. The lower deck was one huge storage area for cargo and salvage. The lowest part of the ship contained the warp engine, underneath the storage bay.

The bridge was located in the center of the upper deck. A single long hallway ran in a circle around it, branching off into short hallways for pairs of rooms. Five branches in all - two for the four living quarters, one for the kitchen and dining-slash-holo viewing room, one for the showers and bathroom, and the final branch for a workout room and a storage room with extra food, guns, and supplies. There was more in the main cargo bay on the lower deck as well. Frost liked to keep his ship well-stocked. He wasn't paranoid, but careful.

Frost and Ethan roomed together. The room across from them was Robert's. The other two rooms were for the other two crew members.

Frost deposited Ethan on their beds - a pair of cots they'd bolted together into one larger bed. The lion bounced on the foam mattress once, then pulled off his shirt. Quick as a flash, he worked off his boots and pants as Frost reached into the stand next to the bed and pulled out a brush. When he turned around, Ethan was naked and kneeling.

"Still amazes me how you do that," he said, shaking his head. "I'll never understand. Takes me ages to get these boots off."

"Lots of practice," Ethan said, smirking. He took the brush from Frost's outstretched paw and purred loudly as the wolf disrobed.

The lion helped the wolf get his boots off, then scooted back against the wall. Frost sat between his legs and pulled them into his lap. Ethan grinned and pressed the brush between Frost's shoulders, then pulled down slowly, untangling the knots built up into the fur.

"Oh, you have no idea how good that feels!" Frost moaned.

Ethan purred louder as he brushed the wolf's near-black pelt slowly. Loose hair and dander came out easily. Ethan smiled as he dragged the brush down Frost's shoulders, then his lower back and sides.

"I love how you act when I brush you," he said. "You get all... wriggly."

Frost stretched his arms over his head so that Ethan could get underneath them.

"I'm ticklish. Can't help it. Besides, you should see the dopey look you get when I brush you out, kitty."

Frost bit back a yelp when Ethan's brush found a knot and tugged it sharply. Ethan felt the wolf flinch.

"Woops... sorry... anyways, I think the backside's done. Turn around?"

Frost pulled Ethan's feet from his lap and lay back against the lion, resting his head on Ethan's lap. The lion grinned down at the wolf and bent over. They rubbed their noses together, kissed lightly, then Frost's paw grabbed Ethan's wrist and moved the brush with exaggerated motions.

"You're not very romantic," Ethan said.

"Brush first, then romance. Mmph! Right there..."

The wolf panted as Ethan brushed his chest. The lion's fingers teased into the wolf's neck fur as he leaned over, brushing over the well-defined pecs, then down over his lower ribs and belly. Frost's fur wasn't very thick, just enough fuzz to give him a nice pelt. Over the millennia, they'd all slowly evolved away from the thick, heavy pelts of their ancestors. Now the longest fur they had, in general, was on their heads and tails.

Ethan made sure to get the sides as well, and had to stretch to reach the wolf's crotch. Frost shivered and wriggled as the brush teased around the sides of his thick pink maleness. It twitched and thickened against the side of the brush. The smooth head rose into the air and Ethan purred into Frost's ears.

"Want me to do your legs too?"

"Later... c'mere."

Strong arms wrapped around Ethan's torso, pulling him around until he lay on top of Frost. The wolf's paw slid up the lion's backside, over his neck, cupped his head, and pulled him forward. They met in a firm kiss. Ethan turned his head to the side and opened his muzzle. The wolf's tongue pressed between his lips and he met it with his own rough feline tongue. He snicked out his claws and teased them over Frost's shoulders as the wolf's other paw slipped down the curve of his back, ending on his rump.

Between their bellies, their growing cocks pressed together warmly. Ethan's large, black-skinned shaft throbbed and grew erect quickly as his nostrils flared, sucking in his mate's scent. Matt was always amazed at to speed the lion was ready to go. Ethan had a higher libido than he did. The wolf wasn't chaste by any measure, but he had trouble keeping up with Ethan at times. Their hips moved together, grinding pleasurably as Frost's paw groped at Ethan's firm, round lion-rump. The big cat's tufted tail swung back and forth above him in languid S's.

The kiss ended slowly. Ethan panted, eyes closed as he pressed his muzzle into the crook of Frost's neck.

"I missed you."

"It was just one night," Frost said, rolling his eyes.

"You know what I mean." Ethan pulled his head back and grinned at Frost.

"Yeah, I know," Frost said, grinning back. "You missed this, didn't you!"

The wolf rolled over, pinning Ethan beneath him. The lion squeaked as the wolf's firm, muscular body pushed down against him. Frost's arms hooked under the lion's legs and pulled them up, releasing them over his shoulders. Ethan panted harder, toned chest rising and falling rapidly as his black cock twitched.

Ethan whimpered when the tip of the wolf's shaft pressed against him. It was nice and thick, two inches across and almost nine inches long, with a lovely pair of apple-sized balls underneath. Frost shut his eyes as he pressed his hips forward, grinding the tip in. He went slow, making sure Ethan felt every inch as he pushed inside. The wolf liked the noises the lion made - gasps, whimpers, the sound of his rasping breath. He sunk forward, until his entire shaft was snug inside the lion's rump.

"Oh... oh..."

Frost's ears twitched forward and he smiled at the lion's soft moans. He pulled back halfway before pressing in again. The lion groaned louder this time. Frost bit his lower lip. His mate looked gorgeous beneath him. The wolf watched as the lion's muzzle pulled back, revealing teeth, then relaxed as the wolf pulled back out. Frost grinned, tail wagging behind him madly, as he continued to slowly and gently push into his mate.

After a while, Ethan's sharp claws pricked Frost's shoulders.

"C'mon, Ice-man," he gasped.

Frost growled at the pet name. Ethan only ever used it in bed when he wanted the wolf to take him hard. The black-furred male dropped the lion's legs and twisted around, keeping himself deep inside all the while, until he had Ethan on his side. He held the lion's leg up and knelt so that he could thrust more easily.

Ethan groaned, growled, and even mewled as the wolf's pace increased. Frost growled as he watched his mate's golden fingers slide around his arm and squeeze his bicep. The lion's other paw worked up and down his cock.

The lion's warm, tight, slick insides sucked at Frost's cock. The wolf shuddered, feeling Ethan clench, knowing what it meant. He slapped the lion's paw away from his dick.

"Not yet, you don't," the wolf growled. "I was up all night thinking about this..."

Ethan moaned. His dick throbbed, begging for another touch to send him over the edge. His paw stretched out, grasping at the mattress, as Frost's thrusts increased in speed and power. The wolf rocked the feline back and forth, growling louder by the moment. His cock felt so good inside the lion. It always felt good - Ethan's whole body felt amazing. Frost stared at him mate, dragging his eyes and paws over the cat's smooth fur, tickling his skin with his claws.

Frost's growls subsided in a strangled moan. He pushed forward and held himself there, hips out, shoulders back, body taut. Muscles flexed through his arms, legs, and back as the wolf felt the final, excruciating moment of pleasure, the edge of the wave. He rode it for only a few seconds before Ethan clenched, sending him spiraling. The lion grabbed his own cock and stroked it hard, hips jerking as he followed his mate into bliss. Thick lupine cum filled the feline's rump as ropes of white seed sprayed the bed sheets in front of the lion's chest and belly.

Frost grunted and squeezed Ethan's leg tightly. He panted, moaning, as the lion's hot rump rippled over his shaft. The wolf grinned as he watched his mate cum. The feline's eyes squeezed shut, muzzle wrinkled, teeth bared in a soundless growl as his paw clutched at the base of his cock, not moving anymore.

The wolf waited until Ethan relaxed before pulling free, grunting again as the lion's rump clenched a few more times. Once out, he snuggled into Ethan's backside, sliding an arm under the lion's chest and curling over his side to hug his belly.

They stayed that way for almost fifteen minutes, neither speaking. Ethan could feel Frost's rapid heartbeat against his backside and squirmed, loving the wolf's warmth and closeness at these moments. Frost nuzzled the back of Ethan's neck, where the lion's short-cropped mane was growing back in.

Ethan rolled around until he faced Frost. The two lovers kissed again, warm and soft, hugging each other close. Frost shivered as the lion purred. The sound intoxicated and relaxed Frost like nothing else. The wolf blinked rapidly and smiled as they broke the kiss. Ethan's sticky paw was down between Matt's thighs in moments, massaging the lupine's heavy nuts. Frost laughed and kissed his mate's cheek before flopping back onto the bed, head on his pillow.

"I have to sleep, love."

"I know... I'm supposed to help with the inventory anyways. I have to be there in about an hour. Gives me time to eat and shower."

"Mmph... see you for dinner?"

"Yeah... I'll see you then."

The lion leaned forward and caught Frost's lower lip between his teeth. Growling playfully, Ethan nipped it before letting go. Frost smiled at the familiar gesture, then pushed Ethan away and sprawled on his back on top of the covers.

"See you soon, love," Frost said, already half-asleep.

Ethan leaned in and nipped his mate's lip once more before he rolled off the bed and stretched. His half-hard cock flopped over his thighs and thick lupine cum drizzled from his rump. His hips swayed as he sauntered to the dresser to get his clothes and a towel. He always felt good after a quick romp with Frost. The wolf pushed all of his buttons.

Rump tingling pleasurably, Ethan wrapped the towel around his hips and headed down the hallway towards the showers. Four stalls provided privacy for showering. The metal floor warmed quickly as hot water splashed down around Ethan's shoulders and soaked into his fur. The lion enjoyed his shower. The crew was limited to only a few minutes each day for hot water in order to preserve resources. Rationing was a fact of life on long trips, especially so when scavenging in deep space.

As the resident electrical and computer expert, Ethan didn't have much to do during this part of the voyage. The computers were mostly idle while running only the engines and life support systems. His specialty was optimizing and maintaining the shields, which protected the ship from asteroids, debris, and other ships. The region of space they were entering was mostly empty and fairly isolated, however, so encounters with other ships were rare. Still, everyone knew the dangers an unchecked asteroid could do to a ship. In addition to his normal duties, Ethan served as a general engineer on the ship, fixing broken pipes, malfunctioning service chutes, or maintaining the ship's variety of mechanical systems.

Ethan turned off the water and used his paws to squeeze what he could out of his pelt, then stepped to the full-body blow dryer. The hot, warm air burned his eyelids as he waited for the blowers to shut off automatically. Once dry, he dressed in his standard uniform - black shirt, black cargo pants, and the same heavy black boots everyone on the ship wore.

Nobody was in the galley when he grabbed a cup of coffee and a sandwich. After eating, the lion headed down to storage.

Chapter 2: Fear

"I'm telling you, Ben, we need to move everything to the other side! How many times do I have to repeat myself to get it through your thick skull?"

Ethan heard Kenneth and Benedict before he saw them.

"Oh, come on. Don't give me that look. You know I'm right! Get off your furry ass and help me!"

The lion peeked around the corner and spotted the two of them. Kenneth Hudson was a bulky skunk, the oldest person on the ship. He was trim, if showing a few signs of letting himself go with a bit of paunch on his belly that no amount of gym-time seemed to get rid of. Ornery and stubborn, he was also loyal and a fiercely talented medic. In addition to fixing cuts and scrapes, broken bones, and burns picked up in the normal course of business, he was invaluable when it came to picking out the wheat from the chaff on salvage ops - literally, one time, when they'd found an abandoned food transport on a death orbit around a black hole.

Benedict Bogdanowitz crossed his arms over his huge chest and stared at Kenneth sullenly. He had an attitude with everyone, especially Kenneth. Benedict was tall and thick, though in excellent shape, with a pair of killer biceps. His curled-over horns always gleamed, the constant polishing a symptom of the ram's vanity, as well as his dyed blue hair and chin beard. His huge mass was a necessity considering he was the heavy lifter of the crew. Able to life a whole plasma core by hand, something that normally took two people, he also served as a useful negotiating tool when dealing with vendors who found their credit chips suddenly slippery when the large ram leaned over them. His experience as a quartermaster meant he was good with guns to boot. When he wasn't moving cargo or lifting weights, he calibrated the ships weapons.

Despite their current disagreement, the two were best friends, in a weird, hateful sort of way. Constantly arguing with each other, but if anyone ever challenged one of them, they always had the other one's back. Ethan remembered a bar fight he'd witness a few months back, when someone mentioned Kenneth's mother. It wasn't pretty.

Right now, Kenneth was arguing with a grumpy ram over how to stack the very small amount of cargo and salvage they'd managed to pick up so far during their voyage.

"I tell you, we gotta get it all to the far side! How else we gonna have room for the rest of the stuff, huh?"

"What other cargo? We've struck out this whole time! There's no reason we gotta spend the whole day shifting this junk."

Ethan stepped out from behind a stack of sealed poly-plastic crates and headed towards the two. They didn't notice him approach until he was just behind them.

"Hey, guys."

Both jumped at the sound of his voice.

"Damn it, Ethan... don't sneak up on me like that!" Kenneth growled.

"Sorry. Was just wondering if there's anything I can do to help."

Benedict glanced over his shoulder at the lion and sniffed. "Not if we want to finish today."

Kenneth shot Benedict a glance. Neither were exactly fond of Ethan. They considered the younger lion unqualified, unsteady, and unreliable - but there was no sense antagonizing their boss's romantic interest.

"We're gonna move these crates to the far side of the storage area so we have room for more salvage," he said. "If you wanna help, get a grav-lift and unload them."

Benedict snorted. "Waste of time if you ask me."

Ethan left the two of them to argue and found the grav-lift. It used miniature gravity generators to push away from the floor and could lift thousands of pounds. Since it was floating in the air, frictionless, it took a deft hand to control it - a runaway grav-lift could be trouble.

He started moving the crates as Benedict and Kenneth pulled them from the side furthest from the doors. The ram and skunk were both taller than Ethan, as well as having dozens of more pounds in muscle. When they weren't arguing, eating, or working, Kenneth and Benedict lifted free weights fashioned out of spare frame I-beams they kept in a corner of the storage area. Once, Ethan asked why they didn't use the machines. Kenneth told him the equipment in the workout room on the main deck was for pussies.

Still, helping the two beat sitting around bored or waiting for parts to fail. Ethan panted as he struggled to get the crates unloaded on the far side of the storage bay. Kenneth and Benedict would re-stack them later on. As Ethan lowered the last of the crates onto the floor, Robert's voice squawked over the intercom.

"Okay, everyone, get your asses to the bridge. We got something."

Robert's voice sounded calm as ever, but Ethan caught the worried looks passed between Kenneth and Benedict anyways. Nobody called a bridge meeting unless something big was going on. In a rush, the lion, skunk, and ram all ran for the lift.

Captain Frost showed up a few minutes after they got onto the bridge, blinking and rubbing his eyes.

"What's up?" he asked, flopping into a chair near the back row of monitors. Ethan stood behind him and rested his paws on the wolf's shoulders.

"We got a ship. Dead, from the looks of it. Showed up on the sensors out of nowhere. I would have missed it, but we came real close to it - within a thousand kilometers."

Frost whistled. As the short-range pilot, he knew how close that really was. When 99.9999 percent of space is empty, getting that close to hitting something was rare.

"Did you hail 'em?" Frost asked, sitting upright.

"No reply. Looks like a government cruiser from the shape of it, but there's no warnings or anything," Robert said.

Kenneth broke in, looking up from his banks of monitors. "Just scanned. No life forms. Their life support is offline, judging from the readings I'm getting."

"A dead government cruiser? Why would they just abandon it?" Ethan asked. He bent over a bank of monitors and punched at buttons on the touchscreen, calling up readings and numbers on the ship's engines and other systems.

"Could be they want to hide whatever was on it," Benedict said.

"I think you're right. They're using a Hydra system," Ethan said.

Frost whistled through his teeth again while Robert and Kenneth exchanged glances. Hydra systems cost trillions. They blanked you from just about every kind of radar. A ship with a Hydra system was only visible on a camera, but usually ships were so far apart the camera range couldn't pick them up.

"How'd you see 'em, Robert?"

"Cameras picked up an anomaly. I figured it was another asteroid, but when I called it up, I saw it."

Robert pushed a button and a picture of the government ship showed up on the screen on the front wall. The cruiser was huge and unmarked.

"That... is a lot of wasted credits."

Frost stared at the image, mind working quickly. "Ethan, are there any support ships in the area?"

Ethan scanned the monitors, checking for other ships or anomalies in the area. "Nothing... we're all alone out here."

Frost's short pelt stood up straight as he considered the image of the government cruiser on his screen. It was hard to pass up on such a tempting target, especially with their cargo hold so empty. But government cruisers... every smuggler knew you didn't target the government. They'd spend billions to find you for taking your tax return direct from one of their ships.

Still... the hold was awfully empty...

"Okay, I'm going to get us in close," Frost said, tapping commands into his console. "I'll tether us to their cargo bay. Ethan, keep an eye on every communication band you can think of. I want to know if anyone is within ten light years of us. Once we're there, Robert, you'll take us over in the jig and handle incoming crates. Benedict, Ethan, you're with me. Kenneth, you'll stay back and watch our backs. Keep the lasers on standby."

Everyone jumped into action. Conversation was limited as they went about their assigned jobs. It took only a few minutes for them to suit up once the Mountain's Bounty was tethered. When they got to the other ship, Frost had to use a laser welder to cut through the door to get in. The air inside the ship was gone so it was safe to do it this way. Otherwise, they would have had to use an airlock to avoid explosive decompression.

Ethan, Frost and Benedict floated in over the cargo bay, then dropped to the floor one by one, landing with heavy thumps.

"The fuck?" Benedict's voice said over the radios in their suits. "Gravity is still on?"

"Looks like it. Okay, move out," Frost said. "Benedict, check the storage bay here. Look for a manifest. Ethan, start poking around, see if you can figure out what happened and what else is on the ship. I'm going to the bridge to see if I can pull their logs."

The cruiser had five large decks, according to their scans. The ship was about four times the size of the Mountain's Bounty. The top was the bridge, the next the living quarters. The one they were in now, the large lower bay, held whatever cargo the ship carried. They had to use ladders - the gravity was on, but they didn't trust the lifts.

"Keep radio contact open," Frost said over the radio. "Kenneth, you hear us?"

"Reading you loud and clear," the skunk said.

A few minutes passed before anyone came back on.

"Found a manifest," Benedict said. "Mostly junk, but there's some really good stuff - chemicals mostly. Could get some good deals on it in the Silliar System. Should I start shipping them over?"

"Go ahead," Frost said. "Move quick, guys. I want to be able to get out of here at a moment's notice."

Ethan peered down the hallways of the second level. Emergency lights cast a pale glow on the white bulkheads and walls. It was always eerie on dead ships like this. The lion wasn't superstitious or easily spooked, but something about dead ships gave him the willies either way. He flicked on the flashlights built into his suit and hauled himself into the hallway from the ladder hatch.

The first few rooms were full of desks and computers. He didn't bother with them. The third room had something much more interesting.

It was a large circular room. Three rows of tables and computers ran all the way around the center, where a steel rail separated the rest of the room from a brightly lit circle. A small pedestal sat in the center by itself. Thick wires trailed from the pedestal in all directions to a huge array of computers and monitors.

Ethan stared at the pedestal. Something glinted and he blinked, then took a few steps towards it. He didn't pay attention to where he was putting his feet, however, and tripped. He hit the floor with a thud. The lion rolled onto his side, cursing under his breath. He pushed his arm out to lean up and look back at what he'd tripped over.

His scream made the radio screech. Voices filled his ears as his raspy breathing fogged his helmet.

"What the fuck-"

"Was that Ethan?"

"Ethan, what happened?"

Frost's voice cut in. "Ethan! Report!"

"I found... one of the crew. A scientist," the lion gasped. "I think I know what happened."

"I do too," Kenneth said from back on the Mountain's Bounty. "Captain, I just scanned the far side of the ship now that we're close enough. There's a hole as big as our ship in the side of it. Couldn't pick it up earlier because of the Hydra shielding."

"What were they trying to hide way out here?" Frost asked. "These kinds of ships rarely leave planet orbit."

Ethan gulped as he stared at the corpse of the jaguar on the floor. The feline's muzzle was open and his tongue protruded through his lips, bloated. His eyes were... were...

The lion turned away and retched. He swallowed air furiously, trying to control himself. Puking in a suit was not a good idea.

"Ethan! Ethan, you okay?"

Frost. The lion focused on the wolf's voice.

"Yeah... yeah, I'm okay."

"Looks like the automatic hatches failed to respond to the decompression alert," Frost said, voice soft. "The bridge is... messy. Okay, I found their logs. Keep looking Ethan. Benedict, Robert, hurry up with the loading. I want to get out of here."

"Gives me the creeps," Benedict muttered.

Ethan stood and leaned over a table. As his eyes adjusted to the low light, he saw a few other bodies in the room at some of the terminals. He swallowed heavily and focused on the pedestal in the center of the room again.

"Looks like their shields failed," Frost said. "They weren't being attacked, but judging from the last readings in the computer, an asteroid came out of nowhere and hit the ship. That's... it's nearly impossible for that to happen, especially with a ship full of high-grade sensors like this one. I don't understand this at all."

"And I'm not showing any kind of debris that you'd expect from a ship hit by an comet - no rock chunks, no extra metals or minerals," Kenneth said.

Ethan took a few more steps forward. A large, sealed crate sat on top of the pedestal. Wires and connectors were attached to the box, which, Ethan realized with wonder, was made of Hydra metal - the strongest, most valuable material in existence. This box, empty or not, was worth more than everything else they'd found. Ethan reached out, eyes wide, entranced, and brushed his suited fingers along the side. Chills ran through his body, then heat slithered up his spine. He grunted as he felt his maleness stiffen into an inexplicable hard-on.

He had to take this box with him. It wasn't just the money it was worth. He had to get it onto the Mountain's Bounty. He couldn't leave it behind. Looking around, he spotted a grav-lift in the corner. Without a second thought, he used his foot to push a body off it and pulled it to the pedestal. The box was surprisingly light, despite its size - nearly four feet high and three across.

He pushed the lift quickly out of the room, all thoughts of the jaguar and the other bodies forgotten.

"Okay, I'm coming down," Frost said. "Nothing else on the ship. Purely a research vessel. Don't know about all of you, but I'll be damned if I let any freaky-deaky research experiments on my ship."

"Amen to that," Robert said.

"Only a few crates left," Benedict said. "We're gonna make a mint off this stuff. Liquid titanium, hybrid steel-gold... this is some serious stuff."

"Okay, Ethan, head back to the cargo bay and help 'em load. I'll be there in a few minutes."

Ethan showed up in the Bounty's cargo bay with his grav-lift and added his box to the pile.

"What's that, Ethan?" Benedict asked, a near growl of suspicion under his voice.

"Found it in the lab upstairs," the lion said. "I... I think it's valuable."

"If it wasn't on the manifest, it probably ain't worth shit, and I don't want to waste time with your..."

Benedict paused mid-sentence as Frost loped across the cargo bay floor, moving as quickly as he could in his suit. Bits of red dotted his legs from the knees down. Nobody asked what it was from.

The timber wolf stopped when he saw the box.

"Is that... Hydra metal?"

"Yes," Ethan said, reaching out to stroke the lid. "Don't know what's in it, though."

Frost turned to Robert. The otter was using a handheld industrial scanner to check the contents of several bright blue poly-plastic barrels full of various chemicals and elements. "Scans can't penetrate Hydra metal, sir," Robert said. "Nothing can. Should be safe to bring on board since bacteria can't grow on it, though it'd be nice to know what's inside. Anything in the logs?"

"No, the manifest never mentioned any Hydra metal," Benedict repeated.

Frost frowned and looked at the box. He looked as though he were about to speak, but didn't. Instead, he reached out towards the box, much as Ethan had. An inch or so from the lid, his fingers paused, then withdrew. "No," Frost said. "We're not gonna open it - we're just gonna sell it. Get it on board with the rest and let's get the hell out of here."

"Pumping cargo bay of air - you can send the boxes down the tether straight into storage," Benedict said over the radio. "We'll sort out stacking them nicely later on."

When they'd finished dumping the boxes haphazardly in the cargo bay, Ethan could hardly wait to get out of the airlock before stripping off his suit. He sucked in a few breaths of the clean, recycled air, and shivered from head to foot. Frost rubbed his shoulder with a gloved paw before stripping off his own suit and helmet.

"Good job, everyone. Kenneth, get us out of here. I want distance between us and that ship."

"Roger."

The ship shook as the tether lines retracted. The drives engaged and, with a hardly discernible whine from the engines, they were off.

"Okay, take it easy, guys. Go relax for an hour or so, then meet up on the bridge," the wolf said. "Kenneth, you mind staying on the bridge for now?"

"No problem, boss."

Ethan pushed his suit up into the locker near the airlock. He thought about the Hydra steel box. What was inside it? What had caused him to experience such intense feelings? The icy chill, the hot flare, the sudden, incredible arousal and lust...

He yelped as Frost dropped his arms around his neck.

"Sorry for startling you," the wolf said, leaning into Ethan's backside. "You okay?"

Ethan nodded and leaned back against the muscular wolf, purring lightly as Frost's reassuring grip tightened into a hug. "I'm fine... just... startled me."

"C'mon... let's get cleaned up. Dunno about you, but I always smell rank coming out of those suits."

Frost and Ethan turned to go, but Benedict stepped in front of them. His spacesuit hung off the back of his hips, dragging the arms along the ground. He lifted his finger and shoved it into the lion's chest.

"You may have seen something bad over there, but next time you scream like over an open radio line I'm gonna kick your ass!" the skunk growled, lips pulled back in a snarl.

"Back off, Benedict - Ethan was just surprised, that's all. None of us expected to find bodies all over the place," Frost said, taking a step forward and keeping himself between the two. "Everything is fine."

"Fine my ass! Ethan's always losing his shit at the smallest thing! For fuck's sake, we just stole from a government cruiser and here he is bringing some fucked up science project on board!"

"We don't know that, Benedict. Now, back off." Frost growled loudly, his voice pitching high in command. The ram glared black at the wolf before snorting and turning away.

As he passed Ethan, he sneered and lifted his hand to poke his finger into the lion's chest again.

"He should have left you on Titan."

Benedict barely pulled his hand back before Ethan let out a roar of rage and lunged for his fingers, jaws snapping on empty air. Frost's eyes went wide as he spread his arms, trying to hold back the enraged feline. The ram backed away hurriedly, muttering as he went to the other side of the room and quickly stripped off the rest of his spacesuit. Robert, who'd watched the interchange impassively, exchanged a glance with Frost and quietly left when he saw there was no need to help stop a brawl.

Still leaning back against Ethan, Frost called after him as he walked out of the doorway, followed by Robert.

"It's fine," he said. "Just relax. We'll meet up on the bridge in an hour and discuss it then."

The timber wolf turned to Ethan, whose eyes were dilated. The lion was breathing hard, claws out, fangs bared.

"What the hell, Ethan!"

The lion blinked and leaned back against the wall, tail swinging back and forth between his legs with short, jerky movements.

"S... sorry," he said, shaking his head. "I just... he really pissed me off."

"C'mon... you had a fright, that's all, and Benedict is always hard on you," the wolf said, lowering his forehead. "Just relax."

They embraced, heads together. Frost could feel the lion's pounding heart through their shirts and fur. They stood together for several minutes, until Ethan pulled back.

"You're right, like usual," Ethan said, a small smile on his lips. "What were you saying about that shower?"

Chapter 3: Anger

They stopped in their bunkroom for their towels and toiletries before going to the showers. They passed Robert on the way out.

"Hey, Ethan - sorry about Benedict," the otter said. He was in his blue jumpsuit again, fur puffed up from the blow driers. "Ignore him - he's just being himself, you know?"

Ethan nodded, but didn't reply, instead going past the otter into the shower room. Frost patted Robert on the shoulder and gave him a wry grin.

"See you on the bridge in an hour," the wolf said. "Thanks, Robert."

Alone in the showers, Ethan and Matt slipped into one of the four stalls. The ship was designed to host a crew of eight, two per room, with on-off shifts of 12-hours each, hence the extra stalls. With only five people, hours were long, but there was never a line for the amenities.

Steam billowed around Ethan as he stepped into the shower, naked as quickly as ever. The timber wolf was slower in getting his boots off and joined the feline a few minutes later. Hugging under the hot jets of water, they kissed softly, bodies close together. Ethan's paws tickled down Frost's sides and the wolf shivered. His mate was already fully aroused - he could feel Ethan's length pressing into his belly.

Matt's eyes went wide as, still kissing, Ethan's fingers ran in little circles under his tail. His cock sprang to full arousal, matching the lion's, as Ethan squeezed both of his rump cheeks with firm paws.

They were both switches, though it was rare for the cat to want to top. Now, however, it seemed Ethan was in one of those rare moods.

"Mm... my little kitty is frisky, huh?" Matt said, his voice taking on a teasing tone. He tickled Ethan under the chin and pulled his muzzle back.

Ethan grinned up at him, eyes wide, panting, paws running up and down the wolf's wet pelt. They didn't say anything else as Frost turned around and braced his paws on the shower wall, fingers spread, head bowed so the jets of water ran down his backside.

Ethan stepped up behind him, cock rubbing against his rump. The lion's claws were out - also unusual - and pricked Matt's sides. The wolf shuddered, cock throbbing. Something was different from this morning - Ethan smelled the same, felt the same, but something about the cat's attitude was off, just by a fraction. Frost attributed it to the experience on the dead ship and Ethan needing to blow off a little steam.

Ethan's paws closed around Frost's hips. He pulled the wolf's rump back, firmly grinding his erection under the long, bushy tail. A few short moves and he was pushing in, his wet cock achingly hard. Ethan growled as he felt his tip push through Frost's tight ring. The wolf grunted, but otherwise didn't move as the cat mounted him.

Ethan was rough. There was no other way to put it. Frost gasped and moaned as he felt his lover push forward, filling him, making his cock jerk up and down. It wasn't like Ethan to top, let alone so firmly. The last time, he'd been nearly timid and Frost had to prod him to get his hips moving.

A soft whine passed the large timber wolf's lips and he kept his head down, arms out, as Ethan pushed in harder and deeper. Sharp claws dug into the wolf's pelt, holding him in place. Gasping, growling, and nipping at Frost's shoulders, Ethan leaned in close, eyes closed, nostrils filled with the scent of the male in front of him.

Lust surged through Ethan, making him dig his toes into the floor - a lust not his own. But it felt too good to let pass by, and he ground his hips forward more firmly yet, driving his entire length deep under Frost's tail. The timber wolf barked this time, shuddering at the force of the thrusts, but just as eagerly ground back, despite the brief pain.

"Ethan... what... oh, yeah," Frost moaned, eyes squeezed shut. The hot water felt so good on his backside, but it didn't last - Ethan shoved him forward, pinning him against the wall. With his belly and chest pressed against the smooth metal tiles, he reached back behind him, grabbing onto the lion's hips. Ethan's chin came to rest on his shoulder as the feline jerked his hips upwards, still pumping hard and fast. One of Ethan's paws circled Frost's neck, fingers splaying over his fur; the other reached around and gripped the wolf's thick, pink erection, massaging and fondling the length in time with his thrusts.

Soon Ethan was driving himself in so hard, so far, Frost could barely stand it. His ass twitched, he panted for breath, he moaned and whined, unable to remember the last time, if ever, Ethan had fucked him like this. And that's what it was - hard, rough fucking, not the gentle romance they'd shared previously in the day.

The lion's growls filled Frost's ears again. Teeth pricked his shoulder, then Ethan pumped in hard and held himself there. Frost let out a howl of pleasure as he came, cock shooting a few streams of cum against the wall, helped by the lion's soft but firm paw. Ethan finished a few moments later, panting and growling with lust all the while.

They stayed together for another few minutes, both panting, exhausted, with Ethan still deep inside the wolf.

Eventually, Frost knew, it was time to go.

"Ethan... we've got to get to the bridge soon," he murmured.

As though emerging from a dream, the lion's sleepy tone was slightly confused.

"Oh, right, yeah," Ethan mumbled, unhooking his claws from Frost's fur and retracting them. "Sorry about... if I was too rough. I don't know why I did that."

Frost grunted and shivered as he felt the lion pull back, leaving his rump feeling curiously empty. He turned around and leaned against the wall, still breathing hard, and smiled at his lover. The lion stood in the center of the stall, cock still half-hard, sticking out from his hips. The water jets hit his chest full on, plastering his fur to his skin.

"Never expected that from you," Frost said, pushing away from the wall and wrapping his arms around Ethan. "But don't worry - I'm a big boy. I can handle a little kitty like you."

Ethan smiled and laughed, tension melting away as they embraced and kissed. Ethan leaned back as Frost pushed into him, purring as the timber wolf's tongue explored his muzzle. The kiss was all to brief, though, as Frost pulled away after a moment and patted him on the rump.

"C'mon... let's not keep the others waiting."

* * *

Freshly cleaned in new clothes, Ethan and Frost walked onto the bridge. Kenneth, Benedict, and Robert were already there, waiting for them.

Ethan moved to sit in a chair near the front while Frost stood just inside the doorway, surveying his crew.

"Good job, everyone. We had a good haul from the cruiser, but we can't relax yet." His expression grew serious. "We're still aiming to get to the Irene System and find the ship graveyard."

"Why bother? The goods we got off the cruiser will pay for this trip and then some," Benedict asked.

"Because if we have time to strip even one Koloros Yacht, we'll have paid for this trip several dozen times over," Robert said. "But that doesn't help the fact the sun is slated to go system-wide supernova in the Irene System. After that, it's too dangerous to go in." Everyone was silent at this information. "Isn't that why you got the coordinates of the graveyard so cheap?"

Before Frost could respond, Kenneth chimed in. "The surveys say we've got at least a month before it goes boom. Besides dodging solar flares, it won't be tough. And the graveyard should be at the edge of the system, far away from any dangerous radiation."

"Oh, right," Benedict grumbled, "like we're supposed to believe a bunch of pricks in white coats we've never met to know when a highly unstable fission bomb is about to explode up our asses..."

"Enough!" Frost barked. Benedict and the others fell silent. "We're heading to Irene and finding the graveyard. Before the star goes novo. Got it?"

The room stayed silent as the wolf stared down Benedict. Ethan's eyes widened and his cock thickened in his pants - Frost's dominant display excited strange and unusual feelings inside him.

"Good... now, here's what's going to happen..."

As Frost discussed the details of their salvage mission to the ship graveyard, where old husks and burnt out carcasses of old carriers, cruisers, and freighters lay, Ethan zoned out. At first he thought of Frost - imagining him on top of the wolf again, taking him over and over in a fury of carnal lust - but he realized he was working himself up and turned his thoughts instead to the cargo hold and the strange Hydra metal box. He could see every detail of it so clearly, down to its position on the floor where they'd dumped it in their haste to get off the dead government ship.

It was such a strange object. Ethan remembered touching it, caressing the smooth hinges and joints of the super-strong metal. There was something inside, he knew. Something powerful, something that made him feel... different. It made him feel good, strong, invincible. He shivered, cock stiffening in his blue denim pants as a rush of pleasure filled him. Thick male musk, long and strong bodies, images of prostrated males, naked and aroused, muscular and thick, worshipping at his feet, licking every inch of his body, cleaning his fur with their combined tongues, and-

"Ethan?"

The lion's eyes snapped open. Frost and the rest of the crew watched him as he shook his head, dispelling the strange, compelling images.

Kenneth's lip pulled back and he sneered at the lion. "I don't want what happened to that government boat to happen to us," the skunk said. "You better not flake out like that when we need you manning those shields!"

"Relax, Ken," Robert said. "He'll be fine."

"He better be!" Kenneth said, crossing his arms and staring at the lion, who growled at him loudly. "It's gonna take all of us to navigate this tub once we get there."

"Enough, Kenneth," Frost said. "Ethan's fine. We're all fine. Let's just focus on what we need to do."

Kenneth leaned over in his chair and whispered something to Benedict. The ram snorted and glanced at Ethan before covering his mouth and coughing, trying to cover up his smirk.

Ethan stood, hackles up, growling even louder, and advanced across the bridge towards the skunk.

"C'mon, kitty, you want a piece?" Kenneth said, launching himself out of his chair to stand nose-to-nose with the enraged feline.

Things went chaotic for a few minutes as Frost tried to hold his mate back. Benedict grabbed Kenneth's arm and hauled the skunk off to the side as Frost struggled with Ethan. The feline was livid - Frost couldn't remember the last time he'd seen Ethan so angry. And since when had the lion gotten so strong? Frost could barely contain the golden-pelted bundle of rage.

"Ethan! Relax!"

The lion's eyes focused on Frost and the fire inside them went out. Ethan slumped forward, gasping, and fell into Frost's arms. The wolf leaned down and whispered.

"Ethan... are you okay?"

"I'm... I'm fine. Sorry. Look, sorry, everyone. I'm gonna... go."

Kenneth and Benedict were arguing now, arms flying into the air as they gesticulated wildly to make their points. They both missed the lion leaving the bridge, or the glance Frost exchanged with Robert, who, as usual, remained above the fray.

"Okay, now that you're finished pissing off my mate, maybe you can sit the hell down and shut up for a few minutes," Frost said, interrupting the argument between the skunk and ram.

Both sat down, guilty looks on their faces. Frost glared at them.

"Okay, Robert, tell me what the course is and put the updated charts on the monitors," the timber wolf said, stalking past Kenneth and Benedict. "I'll fill Ethan in later."

"Coming up, sir," the otter said, punching buttons on the console in front of him. The bridge went dark as maps came on, showing dots to represent the last known locations of the ships among the asteroid belt where they were dumped. "We're going to have to be careful getting through the asteroids. Some of the ships are pretty big too. Not to mention there might be other scavs out there looking for loot."

Robert kept talking, explaining what each of them would have to do. Frost tried to pay attention, but part of his mind thought about Ethan. The lion was acting strangely. He must have been more shook by what he'd seen on the government ship than he realized. It wasn't like Ethan - meek, cute, sexy, friendly Ethan - to pick fights with Kenneth or Benedict, no matter how much they teased him.

Settling in to listen, he put Ethan out of his mind and focused on the mission. He'd find the lion after and they'd talk then.

Chapter 4: Passion

Ethan stormed out of the bridge, pelt bushed up, tail lashing the air behind him like a whip. He stomped down the hall, fuming about Kenneth and Benedict. They weren't bad guys, he knew, but they were really getting on his nerves with the teasing lately. Even when it was light-hearted, Ethan rolled with the punches - they didn't like him all that much, so what?

But questioning his ability in front of Frost and Robert like that? Kenneth was crossing a line. Could anyone blame him for getting pissed off? Anger blossomed in the feline as he stalked to the door of his bunkroom. His finger jabbed at the button to open the door, but he didn't go in.

Instead, he went for the lift and took it down to the cargo bay. It was mostly dark. Only a few lights lit up the cavernous, mostly empty room. Ethan stared into the darkness, eyes shining, teeth half-bared as he thought about how Kenneth had disrespected him. The skunk was a bastard, he thought. Jealous.

No, he wasn't, he admonished himself. Kenneth was always harping on everyone and everything. He couldn't take it personally - it was like Robert said. The skunk was just being his usual ornery self.

The lion headed towards the crates they'd pulled off the government ship. He'd make himself useful, since he didn't want to go back to the briefing - he couldn't, not after almost starting a fight. Frost would tell him what the plan was later. For now, he'd just try to stack the boxes.

The crates varied in size. The small ones, he found, were the heaviest - they contained super-dense materials like the titanium-gold alloys and other metals.

What surprised Ethan was that he could lift them.

The lion had merely meant to push the crate of titanium-gold onto its side and let it fall back onto the grav lift, but instead, he found himself picking the crate up. It was heavy and he couldn't hold it for long, but it was still a shock to the lion that he managed it at all. Dropping the crate on the grav lift with a bang, he looked down at his hands and arms, eyes wide.

Was it just anger? He'd heard the stories about people who, full of adrenaline, did some pretty amazing stuff, like the cougar who'd lifted an entire opti-pool table off a crewmate after it fell on him during an earthquake on an unstable moon prone to earthquakes. Was that how he did it?

Ethan sat down on another crate and took a deep breath. He felt strange, sure, but maybe it was just the shock of seeing the dead scientists on the cruiser. He couldn't be blamed for acting a bit strange. It wasn't everyday they found such gruesome discoveries.

Feeling better, Ethan stood and stretched. His clothes felt tight and confining. Maybe all that exercise was finally working and he was getting a few more pounds of muscle. The thought made him grin - compared to Frost, he was skinny as a rail and the timber wolf loved to tease him about being his boneless kitty.

Thinking of Frost always made Ethan feel better. They'd met years before, just after Frost got out of the military and purchased the Mountain's Bounty. Ethan saw the wolf in a bar back in Home System, on Titan. The lion was working at one of the hangar's in the complex doing ship repair work on a five-year contract. It was lust at first sight for both of them. Ethan found the confident, strong timber wolf handsome and charming; Frost couldn't resist the lion's smooth features and smooth figure. They'd spent a night together, then another. Frost was supposed to head to a refueling station near Saturn to pick up some of his old military friends as his new crew, but he delayed for over a week, dallying in bed with Ethan the entire time. When Frost could finally delay no longer, he sadly said his goodbyes to the cute feline, who still had two years left before his contract expired and he could sign with a new ship or business.

Ethan had surprised him by showing up at the docking gate with his bags all packed. The lion smiled, remembering the look on Frost's face as he showed him the letter of resignation he'd given his former boss. Buying out his own contract cost him nearly everything and he'd bet it all that Frost would take him on.

The lion's smile grew as he remembered the panic and anxiety he'd felt, wondering and worrying whether Frost would have him or not. He needn't have worried - the timber wolf had literally swept him off his feet at the docking gate, smothering him in kisses, and they'd spent the three day trip to Saturn almost entirely in each other's arms. What started as lust turned quickly to love and Ethan couldn't bear the thought of ever leaving his wolf.

Sighing, a dopey grin on his face, Ethan stood and shivered as he remembered the shower from earlier. What had gotten into him? He never topped like that. He and Frost made it a little rough sometimes, but not like that. Hopefully the wolf wasn't mad about it.

Ethan pushed the grav lift over to the side wall, aligning the box with a stack of others, and unloaded it with the automatic arms of the lift. He bolted it to the floor - a necessary precaution in case of gravity failure - and returned to the pile for another. There were twenty-some crates in all and as Ethan moved them, he noted down the contents of each in the log.

Until he got to the Hydra steel container. Alone in the middle of the cargo bay, it sat, unassuming and quiet. It didn't glow, didn't vibrate or hum, and appeared for all the world as just a box. But Ethan sensed something inside it, the same powerful feeling he'd had up on the bridge.

Moving closer, he knelt in front of it and extended both paws. Fingers outstretched, shivering, he leaned forward. A blast of male musk hit his nostrils, making them flare. His cock stiffened, as before, and images of Frost riding his lap, howling and begging for him flooded his mind.

He jerked his fingers back, eyes wide, panting hard. The images and scent faded and he lurched backwards, onto his rump. His cock throbbed in his pants, bulging against the fabric. A wet spot spread at the tip, turning the blue denim dark.

"What the..."

The lion licked his lips as his fur stood on end, like he was full of static electricity. He got back onto his knees and reached forward, eyes wide and unblinking. The images and scent hit him again, filling him with lust and the desire for power. He kept going until both paws pressed flat to the box. Shocks and tingles of passion flickered through him. Electric current made him moan as he experienced an orgasm. The sudden intensity of the pleasure made him gasp and he crooked his head back, chest out.

A screech filled the air as he dragged his claws down the metal sides. His cock came again as another orgasm rocked him. The insides of his pants were messy and wet now, soaked with cum. With a cry, he pulled away and fell onto his back. He lay there, moaning and shuddering as aftershocks of pleasure made him twitch.

His eyes moved frantically left to right, trying to process the images and memories he found in his head - images and memories that weren't his - yet. Snapshots of a possible future, he knew, though how he knew he couldn't be sure. If only he were to open the box, all would be his. Frost, lost in ecstasy, his forever; Robert, Benedict, even Kenneth, supplicants to his will, basking in his musk and lusting for his body; muscles, powerful bodies replacing their current frail forms, filling them with god-like energy...

The lion shuddered again and sat up, rubbing at his eyes as the images and future memories faded. What the hell was in that box? He glanced at his pants, where wetness spread down his thighs, then at the box.

Ten long, deep, silver scratches were now marked into the smooth side of the Hydra steel box.

* * *

Ethan joined Frost in their quarters later, after a trip to the showers. He and the wolf embraced as they sat together on the bed.

"Are you okay, kitty?" Frost asked, concern on his face. "I know you had a rough day."

"I'm fine," Ethan said, pressing his face into the crook of Matt's neck. He inhaled the timber wolf's scent, taking comfort in his mate's closeness. "Just a rough day, like you said."

"You got the rough part right," Frost said, poking Ethan in the belly. "I could barely sit down for that briefing on the bridge."

Ethan pulled back, a horrified look on his muzzle. "Oh, I'm sorry! I don't know what got into me. It was just... Kenneth made me so mad, and I guess I took it out on you."

Frost laughed and wrapped the lion up for another hug. "Don't worry about it, babe. I didn't mind it. In fact, I kind of liked it."

The wolf sighed, chest expanding against Ethan's muzzle. "It's strange, you know... but I kind of want to do it again. I know you don't usually want to do that, but..."

Frost's words trailed off as the wolf leaned against Ethan, relaxing as he felt the feline's heartbeat. He thought back to the showers, submitting to the cat, and remembered how much he enjoyed the claws, the nips, the tightness and firmness, the confidence in Ethan's every move.

Ethan pulled back and lifted his muzzle. His eyes sparkled as he nipped at Frost's lower lip, tugging on it playfully.

"You want me to rock your world, huh?"

They both laughed at that, tension fading. Frost dove at Ethan and pinned him to the bed, tickling the cat's belly ferociously before they devolved into a series of kisses, gropes, and murmured promises of naughtiness. Ethan found himself as horny as ever, despite his experience in the cargo bay a few scant hours before, and for the third time that day, things between the lion and wolf grew heated.

Ethan stared up at his mate. He was on his back, with Frost straddling him, paws digging into his chest. The wolf panted hotly, tongue hanging out, as the lion's thickness pushed under his tail. Frost rode Ethan hard, bouncing on top of him, while Ethan groped at his hips and massaged his cock.

Ethan's growls of lust filled the room, echoed down the corridors. In their rooms, despite the late hour, Robert, Benedict, and Kenneth all lay awake in their beds. Normally the sounds of the two males lovemaking wasn't loud enough to be heard, especially over the engine. But tonight, they could. Though they had no idea why or how, or that they were all experiencing it, they imagined they were the ones with Ethan, that they were the ones riding the lion.

Robert fell into a fitful sleep, his dreams confused and foggy. When Benedict fell asleep, the ram dreamt of males, huge males, surrounding him and caressing him.

Kenneth experienced the most vivid dreams of them all. The skunk found himself backed into a corner, trapped by an immense god, vast and muscular, the epitome of maleness. In his dream, he got onto his knees, spread his arms, and praised the beast, worshipping him and loving him with every fiber of his being.

Kenneth woke with a cry and sat up in bed. Artificial sunlight streamed through fake windows he'd installed in his cabin. Despite the strange dreams, he'd slept through the night - it was now morning, ship-time. Lifting his blanket, the skunk looked at his lap and grimaced. He hadn't had such intense dreams - or as many - in a long time, and he certainly hadn't had so many wet dreams in one night before. His lower body, mattress, and blankets were soaked in semi-dried cum.

The dreams were already fading from memory, but the mere thought of them, the faintest detail, sent shivers up and down the skunk's spine. He shuddered and rubbed his eyes. Maybe he'd been too hard on Ethan yesterday - obviously the trip to the dead ship had gotten to him as well.

Later, after showering and eating, he headed to the bridge to start his shift on watch. There would be another five days of travel before they reached the asteroid belt where the ship graveyard lay.

The skunk saw Ethan walking towards him from the bridge and raised his black paw, stopping the feline.

"Ethan... look, about yesterday," he started.

"Don't worry about it," Ethan said, cutting him off. "I know it was a bad day for everyone. Just forget it."

Kenneth nodded. "Okay, if you say so." The cat was being cool? Weird.

"Oh, and I stacked all the boxes we got from the ship yesterday already, so you and Benedict don't have to worry about it," Ethan said. "Have a good watch."

Kenneth blinked and nodded. He turned to watch the lion walk away. Ethan had really moved all the boxes into place by himself? Yesterday, when they'd all be so exhausted? Something was definitely strange with the feline. Yet at the same time, Kenneth found his eyes glued to Ethan's backside and his cock chubbing up in his black pants.

Forcing himself to turn away, the confused skunk headed onto the bridge and flopped into his chair, settling in for a long watch. Whatever was going on, he didn't want any part of it.

* * *

The day passed quickly. Kenneth's watch ended and Benedict came on to replace him. Robert came on the bridge for a while, updating their charts and double-checking their course. Frost and Ethan both made appearances, though Ethan was asleep most of the day - he had the night watch.

By the time his watch started, the lion was feeling back to normal. He'd had no more strange visions or compulsions and the Hydra steel box in the hold was little more than a nagging memory. He settled into his usual chair on the bridge and turned on the monitors to show the outside view of the ship. He liked to lose himself in the stars and listen to the familiar tune of the engines.

Ethan let his mind drift as he focused on the stars. A sense of peace settled over him as he thought of his mate, sleeping in their shared bed. He'd like to go to him, right now, the same familiar feeling of longing that clutched his chest whenever he was apart from Matt. He also thought of the others - Benedict, rough and brash; Kenneth, surly and hostile; Robert, distant and efficient. He considered them all friends, even Kenneth.

And soon they would be his servants.

Ethan bolted upright in his chair. Where had that come from? Servants? His muzzle crinkled as he chased the thought, trying to discover what it led to. He'd never thought of anything like that before.

He settled back down into his chair and tried to dismiss the thought as an errant, strange little idea his subconscious generated for its own amusement, but his sense of peace was gone. Instead, his nerves itched and his toes tapped inside their boots. He felt as though something important was happening, but he couldn't tell what it was - a feeling of knowing but not understanding in the back of his mind.

All sense of peace was shattered for good when the proximity sensors went off, sending a klaxon off around the entire ship. Ethan lurched towards his console and punched up the scanners.

A meteorite the size of the Mountain's Bounty itself hurtled towards them on a direct intercept course. Where had it come from? Ethan's fingers danced across the panels as he set a new course for the ship and punched up the engines, hoping to get out of the path.

Was it a rogue asteroid? It wasn't unheard of for them to get flung out of systems and belts, but so far out in deep space? And what were the odds of it coming directly at their ship? They must be infinitesimal.

Ethan's fur stood on end as the scanners revealed the asteroid's course changed to match theirs.

"What the hell?" the lion gasped, jumping up to get to the center console.

From there, with better access to all the ship's systems, he increased power to the shields and changed course again. The anti-gravity system groaned in protest as he spun the ship down the Z-axis, curling it around until they were pointing far away from the asteroid's path.

Lights flickered as the scanners showed the asteroid change course yet again, matching the Mountain's Bounty. Ethan, in desperation, throttled the engines down, laid in a new course, and then blasted the drives to full power. The lights on the bridge flickered and he grunted as his boots activated their magnetic seal, anchoring him to the floor. The anti-grav generator had failed - a few stray coffee mugs, computer pads, and tools scattered around the bridge lifted into the air. The klaxon was still going, but by now everyone on the ship knew something was happening, so Ethan hit the button to kill the siren.

He heard muffled curses from the hallway, bumps and other noises, but ignored them as he watched the scanners. Again, the asteroid chased them, changing its path to intercept them. The Mountain's Bounty simply couldn't outrun it.

Throwing full power to the shields, Ethan ran quick numbers in his head and punched in commands, sending the shields to modulate. He watched as the scanner showed a video of the asteroid now and the number of kilometers it was from the ship. Fear gripped him as he watched chunks of ice and vapor fly off the giant rock.

The moment slowed and Ethan's sense of time dilated. The second became ponderous and heavy, loaded with meaning, pushed upon him by an unseen force. Ethan felt a question thrust into his mind - he heard no words, just felt the question appear.

"Because... they're my friends," he gasped. The air squeezed around his face and neck, choking him as the question repeated itself in his head. "I... I will protect them!"

As suddenly as the second froze in place, normal time accelerated back to the present. Ethan's fingers stabbed at the control panel as the presence - and the question - left him, allowing him to focus entirely on what he had to do. He took a ragged breath and stared, wide-eyed, as the Mountain's Bounty gradually, slowly turned. It was a truly desperate act, one that he'd only read about. He'd never tried anything like it and hoped against hope it would work.

The Mountain's Bounty had a roughly ellipsoid shape. When traveling in space, it didn't much matter what shape a ship was, but it did when going down to a planet or taking off. Non-planetary ships were often giant squares to maximize space. Ethan aligned the Mountain's Bounty upside down, relative to the direction of the asteroid, essentially showing their belly. It was where Ethan knew the shields were strongest, near the warp drives. If the asteroid actually crashed into them, it wouldn't matter whether the drives were hit first or last - they'd be dead before they could scream.

Ethan shut down the thruster engines, allowing the ship to carry on through inertia, and devoted as much power as he could scrape into the shield on the underside of the ship. His finger shook as he held it above the button that would re-engage the thrusters.

The asteroid came closer. One thousand kilos... 500 kilos... 100 kilos...

To Ethan, it was as though time slowed down again, though this time there was no supernatural force controlling it. His eyes dilated and his finger steadied. Fifty kilos... 25 kilos...

At the last possible second, Ethan's finger stabbed down and turned on the thrust engines. The ship lurched to the side, at an angle slightly off-kilter from the asteroid's trajectory. There was a massive crash that rattled the Mountain's Bounty from hull to stern as the asteroid impacted the shields - and glanced off.

It careened away as several consoles exploded around the lion. He heard a scream of pain from the hallway as the ship's gyros went offline for a few sickening moments and everything spun to the side. Ethan remained in position, thanks to his mag-boots, which kept him pinned to the floor.

The lion stayed focused on the scanners, but the asteroid didn't turn around and come back at them. He gasped for breath and collapsed over the console, shaking from the adrenaline.

The fail-safes kicked on within minutes, bringing up the lights and turning the gravity back on. Ethan used the thrusters to slow the ship to a halt and ran a systems report. There was surprisingly little damage - just a few burnt-out consoles resulting from the energy spike when the shields deflected the asteroid.

With everything safe on the bridge, Ethan ran to the doorway. He found Kenneth laying against the wall just outside, cradling his arm against his chest. Further down, Robert was helping Frost onto his feet. Benedict was nowhere to be seen.

Ethan was about to call out to the timber wolf when he seized up. Kenneth watched as he went rigid, like a cartoon character who got whomped on the head with a frying pan, and fell backwards onto the bridge.

* * *

When Ethan came to, he was in his bed. He gasped and reached out, finding a warm, familiar paw. Frost.

Blinking his eyes open, he tried to remember what had happened. He'd been on the bridge... the asteroid... and then dreams. Sensual, heat-filled dreams of lust, of masculinity, of gods and servants. Shivers of heat ran up his spine, making him squirm and tighten his grip on Frost's dark gray fingers.

"Ouch! Ethan, when'd you get such a grip!" the timber wolf complained, pulling his paw away.

"What... what happened?"

"You came out of the bridge and Kenneth said you collapsed. Now your turn."

"I was on the bridge for watch. The proximity alarms went off. There was an asteroid coming straight for us," the lion said, narrowing his eyes as he tried to think. The memories of the dreams were already fading. "I changed course a few times, but it followed the ship. So I had to try and bounce it off the shields."

"That was good thinking, kitty," Matt said, leaning in close. His lips brushed over the feline's for a moment. "You saved our lives. Even Kenneth is going to be impressed with that one."

Ethan laughed and sat up. They hugged before heading to the bridge. Damage to the ship was light, but Kenneth and Benedict weren't so lucky. The skunk had his arm encased in a quickheal plaster, immobilized in a sling across his chest. Benedict had a large towel around the end of his left horn. It was mostly red with semi-dried blood.

"You two doing okay?" Frost asked as they came in.

"Fine," Kenneth said.

"Hells no! I can't believe this... when the gravity kicked on I was disoriented and landed right on my fucking head!" Benedict said, pulling the towel away. "Just look!"

The ram's left horn had cracked off about six inches from the tip. It didn't seem to cause too much pain, but it clearly bothered Benedict.

"My horns were great. Totally matched each other. Now look at them!"

He held up the broken off chunk of horn and gazed at it morosely.

"Sorry about your horn, Benedict. We'll see if we can get it fixed at the next outpost we stop at," Kenneth said. "I don't have the right stuff to get it back on here - not unless you want me to use a little superglue on it."

Robert, Ethan, and Matt all laughed at the horrified expression on Benedict's face at the skunk's suggestion.

"Okay, here's what happened. A meteor came out of nowhere, followed the ship as we changed course, and we're not dead only because Ethan managed to bounce it off our shields," Frost said, tugging Ethan in close to his side. "It was stupid, dangerous, and brilliant."

"So the big bang, that was the asteroid hitting us?" Kenneth asked, looking at Ethan with newfound respect.

"Yeah," Robert said, pointing to a monitor. "Check it out - the thing was as big as us. It's still on the scanners. I've plotted out its vapor trail and our path. You can see how it shifted course several times to follow us."

"And you're sure it was an asteroid?" Benedict asked, forgetting his broken horn for the moment. "Not a ship?"

"Asteroid, through and through. Every scan confirms it."

Frost said what they were all thinking.

"The government cruiser - it was hit by an asteroid about that size, wasn't it?"

"Yes," said Benedict, standing up. "And there was very little residue left on the ship from getting hit by such a big chunk of rock. I thought it was because of the decompression shooting it all back out into space, but..."

Nobody spoke for several minutes.

"Okay, double watches from here on out. Unless anyone has a good reason to abandon the salvage op, we're going to stay on course," the timber wolf said. "Those graveyards are too valuable to turn back now. I've never heard of a homing asteroid, but unless it comes back, we'll just assume it was a freak occurrence. Agreed?"

"Agreed," Benedict said. "Probably some kind of magnetic attraction or something. Who knows?"

"Fine by me," Kenneth said. "This salvo op is gonna set us up for a good long while."

"I'm good, too," Robert said. "I'll take first watch."

"I'll join you," Benedict said. The ram settled back down into his chair and kicked his feet up. "Can't sleep now anyways. I need time to mourn."

Ethan giggled and Frost tugged him close. They walked with Kenneth out of the bridge. The skunk coughed, drawing their attention.

"Thanks, Ethan. That was quick thinking," the skunk said. "I apologized earlier, but, well... you know. Good job."

The lion smiled nodded. Praise from Kenneth was rarer on the ship than non-rehydrated fish.

"Get some sleep, Ken," Frost said. "Your arms gonna take a few days to heal, right?"

"Yeah, I'll be in the sling for a week, but that won't stop me from being useful on the bridge, even if I can't suit up when we get there."

"Not a problem," the wolf said, leading Ethan down the hall to their room. "We'll figure it out tomorrow. Goodnight."

Alone in their room, Ethan and Frost crawled into bed. At first, Frost thought Ethan simply wanted to sleep. The wolf reached for the lion, wanting to curl his arms around his mate's back and squeeze him close.

"What a day. Ethan, you were amazing," the wolf whispered. "I love you, you know that, right?"

The only response was a growl, the deep and low kind Frost only heard from the lion on very few occasions. He blinked as he felt Ethan push against him, already erect. The lustful groans from the smaller feline turned Frost's stomach in knots as he felt his mate clutch at him, hips grinding forward.

"No sleep yet?" the wolf gasped, almost laughing as the eager lion pushed against him. "Thought you'd be ti-mmph!"

Ethan's muzzles met his for an electric kiss. Frost found himself hard in moments as a surge of lust made his thin coat of fur bush out to its full length.

Ethan's claws scraped roughly down his sides before he rolled forward, pushing Frost onto his back as the kiss continued. Frost huffed through his nose, tongue squirming around Ethan's muscle as it invaded his muzzle. The lion gripped him tightly, holding him with powerful hands. The wolf felt a warm, heavy length on his lower belly and shuddered when he realized it was Ethan's cock. It felt bigger, but that was probably just a trick of the mind. The lion didn't get on top like this often.

Ethan pulled away from Frost. Strands of saliva connected their lips as the lion reared back. Golden arms hooked under the black wolf's legs, lifting them easily. Frost gasped as the fat, warm length ground forward, sliding along his rump.

"Ethan!" he gasped, muzzle tipping back as the lion pushed forward.

Ethan lifted Frost's legs, hooking them over his shoulders. His large paws, claws extended, gripped the lupine thighs tight, holding them to his chest and belly. Frost's fingers grabbed at Ethan's hands as the lion ground in, pushing his large tip under the wolf's tail. The lion's cock throbbed, spurting several streams of pre-cum, one every few seconds, as much as the lion would normally cum at full orgasm. Within a minute, the wolf's rump was a warm, slippery mess.

Frost gazed at his mate, watching as the lion leaned forward. Frost's knees ended up nearly against his chest as the feline's lips pulled back into a lustful snarl. Hot, thick breath washed over Frost's face as the cat's cock finally ground in. The wolf froze up, eyes wide as the length slid deep inside of him, burning his rump and shocking him with the size.

"Eeeethan!" Frost gasped, back arching as he felt the length grind in even deeper. "Oooh, Ethan!"

The only replies were deep, guttural growls as the lion pulled back and pumped in hard. His fat length felt huge, bigger even then before, and Frost shuddered, moaned, almost whined as the feline pounded him. This was rough, even rougher than in the showers, but Frost was enjoying it. He was enjoying it so much, he didn't even notice his orgasm approach.

"Oooh, fuck!"

The wolf's curse was drowned out by the lion's loud growls as he pumped his entire length in and out of the wolf's rump. Frost's cock jerked, slapped hard against his belly, then spouted a column of cum across his chest and muzzle. Frost never came like that before, not without a single touch, but he still remained hard as the lion's length twisted into his guts, unstoppable. Frost found himself whining as his knees met his chest. The lion's claws pricked his thighs as he lifted himself up, holding the wolf's knees to support his weight. His thrusts increased in speed and his heavy balls slapped against Frost's bottom. The bed shook with the power of the lion's passionate lovemaking.

Frost closed his eyes, hardly able to breathe as the lion took him. This was bliss - he'd never been pounded so hard, so rough, but there was such passion behind the lion's movements. Ethan's claws lifted, stroked down his chest, grabbed his fur, cupped his face and squeezed his shoulders and neck. A golden tail snaked around his arm as the lion leaned up and dropped one of his legs while lifting the other into the air.

Frost, now on his side, reached out and grabbed at the edge of the mattress as the kneeling lion thrust forward, over and over. The wolf's cock slapped back and forth as his whole body moved in time to the carnal rhythm. And still the growls continued, growing deeper and more resonant, until Frost wasn't sure it was Ethan making those noises at all, but rather the engine of a low-torque warp drive beginning its acceleration. His ass burned with pleasure as the thick, hot length of feline cock pumped pre-cum deep into his body. Claws raked down his sides again, leaving small scratches under his light fur. Bright blue eyes, big as moons, hovered above Frost in the dark, locked onto his twisting and snarling countenance.

"Etha... Ethan... oh, god, Ethan, yes!"

Frost wasn't sure who was shouting for a moment. It took a few seconds for the realization that he was screaming his mate's name to enter his awareness. There was no embarrassment at the realization, though. Frost didn't believe anyone could take a fucking like this and not scream Ethan's name. The lion's relentless drives pushed Frost to the edge for a second time and streams of white cum sprayed across the mattress as the wolf tipped his head back and howled - a deep-rooted animalistic response to the unbearable pleasure the lion gave him.

How much time had passed? Ethan wasn't sure. He heard Frost howling, a noise that brought him down from his sex-driven high. His grip relaxed as his cock throbbed deep inside his mate, erupting with a power he'd never felt before. The wolf's body stiffened underneath him as thick, hot seed spilled from his rump, squirting out around the length of Ethan's cock. The lion leaned forward, gasping for breath. His throat felt raw, his nerves aflame, as he emptied himself into his wolf, his wolf, his wolf... all his, forever, to love and to fuck and to pleasure, his only mate, his one true love, his forever and ever and ever and he'd never stop making the wolf feel-

Ethan cried out and fell forward. A flash of red heat seared his brain. His vision went black as he collapsed on top of Frost, limp and barely conscious. Frost whimpered as the lion's cock continued to throb, pumping a steady stream of cum into his already full bottom. Ethan was heavy on top of his side and back, a warm and deep weight. The male felt warm and sweaty against him.

Frost closed his eyes, tried to control his breathing, tried not to clench around that magnificent cock that made him cum twice without ever laying a finger on his cock. What the hell possessed Ethan tonight? he wondered. The lion was even more aggressive and dominant than before. Not that Frost was going to complain. He was a top, sure, but there was not a top in the universe who wouldn't want a ride like that one.

Ethan shifted, rolling to the side. Frost bit his lip as the fat cock pulled out of his rump. His spine stiffened and his cock jerked, almost getting hard again, when the thick crown squeezed out of his clenching hole. Golden arms circled his body, clutching at his belly and chest. The lion squeezed in close, lips pressed to the back of Frost's neck. The wolf sighed, finally able to relax.

"Mine..."

The wolf's ears perked as he heard the lion's whispered word, but he wasn't sure he'd really heard it or not. In any event, he was the lion's - and the lion was his. Frost's chest felt full, too full, bursting with love for his mate, compensating for the emptiness in his rump. He snuggled backwards into Ethan and closed his eyes, falling into a deep slumber.

Both lion and wolf dreamed that night. So did Robert.

The otter tossed and turned on his bed in his room down the hallway from Ethan and Frost, moaning pleasurably. His pink erection tangled in the sheets on his bed as his legs kicked. Pre-cum spilled down his length, wetting the blankets. The otter's tail twitched and flicked as he rolled onto his side, then his belly. His arms spread and his tail lifted, dragging the blankets up his body.

Robert's eyes snapped open as he came. His cock sprayed into the bed below him as his rump tightened, flexing. Bliss made his body shiver as his orgasm continued, one of the longest and most intense he'd ever felt. When it was over, he lay quietly, head on his pillow, as his cum dried to his fur and sheets. He thought about the wet dream. It was so intense, so real, but the details were fuzzy. A great golden male with a magnificent brown mane, holding him, penetrating him, licking and kissing him until he couldn't take any more pleasure and came and came and came...

Robert's tired body sagged and he closed his eyes, falling back into his deep slumber. When he woke in the morning, he couldn't remember the dream at all.

Chapter 5: Redemption

The next day passed uneventfully. Ethan had strange dreams that woke him every few hours, but otherwise he felt fine. Except for the urge to return to the cargo bay.

It started at breakfast, when he was playing footsies with Frost under the table. It wasn't really footsies, since they were both wearing their heavy, large boots, but it was close. Out of nowhere, the lion felt an inexplicable urge to open the Hydra steel box. He'd never felt the need to do something more urgently in his life. Something was calling him, demanding he open the box. He blinked and did his best to ignore it, focusing on what Frost was saying about the salvage op.

"And we got another update on the supernova on the long-range sensors. It's more unstable then we first thought. We'll only have two weeks before it goes up. We'll have to cut our timeline in half and recalibrate the shields to handle the higher proton count." Frost paused mid-bite. "You okay, Ethan?"

Ethan nodded and tried to still his lashing tail. Frost took one last bite of food before dropping his fork into the bowl and standing.

"Right, well, don't take too long to fix the shields, okay? We only have about six hours till we're in the middle of that thing and I don't want to do it all myself."

Frost kissed his forehead and picked up his bowl, dropping it in the dishwasher on the way out to head for the bridge. Ethan dashed to the cargo bay as quickly as he could.

Benedict was there, working out on his weights. He nodded at the lion as Ethan passed, though Ethan barely acknowledged him. Leaving the ram in his corner, hidden behind the tall racks of supplies, Ethan trotted towards the far side of the cargo bay. The Hydra steel box was there, untouched, with the ten impossible silver claw marks down the side. The compulsion grew inside Ethan with every step. As well, the closer he came to the box, the more clearly he could remember his dreams.

In them, he was on a throne of gold. A sunburst circlet around his forehead, he wore nothing else. His body was different, though. Huge, massive, with amazing muscles, like some kind of Olympian hero. He smiled, feeling the power of his body and the awe of his subjects. The lion looked out from his throne and saw a million subjects, all male, all like him, huge and muscular. His power flowed into them, building them up into beings worthy of his love and affection.

In the front of the crowd of adoring worshippers was Benedict, Kenneth, and Robert. The ram's horns were pearly, perfect and intact, larger than ever. Kenneth's arm was healed and he smiled up at his god with love and reverence. Robert was on full display, the otter nude and brown-furred, his incredible body lean and strong.

In the dream, Ethan remembered looking around, trying to find Frost. He was their god, of course, and thus did not need the love of the timber wolf, the dream told him. The wolf was inferior, insubordinate, did not truly believe in Ethan's glory.

But dream-Ethan knew that couldn't be true. With all his power, all his might, all his lust for all these males assembled, he knew there was only one he wanted to stand by his side, to be his right hand. But in the dream, no matter how far he cast his gaze, Ethan could not find the gray-furred lupine.

Those dreams sent shivers of fear down Ethan's spine. He wanted power, he wanted glory, he wanted love and affection - but that love and affection had to come from Frost. No other could satisfy.

Yet the box urged him to open it, to take his power and glory and become the new god. He reached out and caressed the lid. No shocks of pleasure this time, no instantaneous orgasms. He knew what to expect and thrilled at the contact. His body bulged, thickening slightly, stretching his shirt over his pecs and abs. Small tears appeared around his biceps and neckline as the black t-shirt frayed.

He pulled his paw away. The lion studied his fingers, waggling them, as lust and desire filled his mind. He resisted, trying to force his thoughts back to his wolf, his mate, his love.

"Hey, Ethan!"

The lion spun around, eyes wide. Benedict waved at him from the other side of the cargo bay, a good 50 yards away.

"Ethan, what are you doing? C'mon, I need a spotter!"

The lion sighed and slid his palm across the box once more before grudgingly pulling away and walking across the bay towards Benedict. As he moved farther away, the visions dimmed. He shook his head. What had he been thinking? Muscular males serving at his feet? The power of a god?

"I must be cracked," he muttered.

"What was that?"

"Oh, Benedict... nothing."

The workout with the ram went well, though Benedict was astonished at how much and how easily the smaller lion managed to lift the heavy, improvised free weights. Made of extra beams and support structure bits, they weighed hundreds of kilos each, but Ethan managed to lift them with surprising ease.

"Maybe I should give those machines upstairs another go," the ram mused as he walked with Ethan towards the lift when they'd finished.

Ethan nodded, but didn't speak. He felt the urge again. His pants went taut as his cock grew hard, forcing its way down one leg.

"Uh... I think I forgot something," the lion said. "I'll catch up to you later."

The ram nodded and got onto the lift, watching with curiosity as Ethan headed back into the bay.

He went straight to the box. He fell to his knees in front of it and wrapped his arms around the width. His body surged with power. Coming fresh from the workout, he felt the blood circulate, the muscles expand, his trunk and hips thicken up. His cock pushed further into his pants leg, harder and longer than he could ever remember.

The visions returned. Once more he was on his throne. High above in the sky, a meteorite burned through the sky, the same one that had threatened the ship. How Ethan knew it was the same, he couldn't tell. In his dream, he waved his paw and the meteor shattered into a billion pieces. They cascaded around him and his legions of followers, setting the world on fire. But the fire didn't consume them. It only increased their lust.

With another wave of his paw, the golden god gave permission to all of his loyal subjects to fornicate. He watched with growing desire as they did so, mounting, screwing, and sucking each other, muscles and bodies and cocks all moving and shifting in a massive orgy to his honor. Several approached, heads bowed, and worshipped at his feet, covering him in kisses, licks. Soon it turned into gropes and moans as they pressed against him, swallowing him up in their bodies, fueling his desire and needs and making him hotter and bigger and more muscular and powerful until-

Ethan stood and ripped the lid off the Hydra steel box.

* * *

Frost poked his head into the dining area. "Benedict, have you seen Ethan?"

"Yeah, we worked out together down in the cargo bay," the ram replied, glancing at the captain. "That was a couple hours ago, though."

Kenneth, sitting across the table from Benedict, was attempting to eat a noodle dish with his recently-healed arm. "Working out with Ethan?" he asked, a mocking tone to his voice.

"Hey, buzz off. He's a damn good lifter. 'Sides, you weren't around and I needed a spotter," Benedict said. "I gotta do something to take my mind off my horn."

Kenneth rolled his eyes and went back to eating. They were sitting in the dining area while Robert had watch on the bridge. Frost was supposed to be there, but he'd come off to look for Ethan, who hadn't shown up for his shift.

"Do me a favor, Kenneth," Frost said. "When you finish eating, go find that lion and tell him to get his ass to the bridge. Robert was supposed to be off watch an hour ago."

"Yeah, I'll let him know," the skunk said, slurping up the last of his noodle dish.

Ethan wasn't in the room he shared with Frost, the first place Kenneth checked. He wasn't in the workout room or the kitchen or the lounge either. Kenneth spent over an hour looking before he remembered the cargo bay. Maybe he was still down there - sometimes the lion went there to read a book in private.

Kenneth took the lift down and walked through the tall shelves. A few of the overhead lights were on, but the bay was mostly dark. The shelves covered about a third of the bay in total; the rest of the area was open and used to store larger salvage, like big engine parts or slabs of metal from hulls. The shelves contained not just the smaller salvage they'd found, but stores for the ship as well. Right now, they were mostly empty. The skunk perked his ears, listening for something other than the sound of his boots tapping against the metal floor.

And he could hear something, but he couldn't quite figure out what it was. At first he thought it was just the constant rumble of the engines, but it was changing pitch. Kenneth cocked his ears and stood still. The sound was getting louder. It was like one of those locomotives he'd scene in the old history tapes when he was young.

The noise wasn't coming from in front of him, either. It felt like it was coming from all around. Kenneth's fur stood on end as he backed up, chest seizing with a sudden fright, an instinct telling him to run. But his feet felt heavy and his brain wooden. The noise kept getting louder and louder...

And then something dripped onto the back of his neck.

With a shriek, Kenneth jumped forward and whirled around, but he lost his balance and fell onto the floor. Scrabbling onto his back, he scooted until he felt the cold steel of a shipping container against his backside. Cracking his eyes open, he saw a bottle of water dripping slowly onto the floor above the weights he and Benedict used. That's all it had been - water from a forgotten bottle.

Kenneth heaved a sigh and laughed, giggling uncontrollably in relief. But why had he been so petrified? He'd been down in the stacks alone plenty of times. He wasn't even sure Ethan was down here. What had seized him so and made him want to... want to...

Kenneth's thoughts dissolved into a blankness of terror as a pair of piercing blue eyes shone out of the darkness in front of him. They moved through the stacks, hovering almost three meters above the floor, growing larger and larger... the low rumble returned, louder than ever, and Kenneth realized it wasn't a locomotive as he'd so fancifully imagined.

It was Ethan. But it wasn't Ethan. Ethan was short, slim, with a kind face. Whatever this was had Ethan's face, but kindness was in short supply. The lion's shoulders had ripped out of his jumpsuit and bulged obscenely with muscle. Same for his pants. Shreds of black boots hung from giant claws that ticked across the cold floor. The monster looked hunched over, but it was just the mountains of muscles piled on his backside. His mane, normally buzzed short to a tidy few centimeters, had grown long and wild around his face. Incredible pecs and a taut 10-pack covered his front. Kenneth gaped at the maleness hanging between his legs - thick as his arm and about as long, it swung to and fro as the massive feline stalked towards him, fangs glinting, drool running down the ivories and onto the floor at his feet.

"Etha... Ethan!" Kenneth called out, standing up slowly. "Ethan... is that you?"

The lion stopped moving and stared at Ethan, a hungry, lustful expression on his face. Kenneth's heart thumped in his chest as he took a small step forward. The lift back to the upper deck was behind the giant feline. Ethan didn't respond, so he took another, then another. Soon he stood in front of the massive lion's muzzle. Ethan was taller now, closer to three meters than his previous height of a bit over one and a half. His biceps were each as large around as Kenneth, impossibly huge and powerful. Cords of muscle rippled over Ethan's backside and shoulders, making his neck appear nonexistent.

The skunk stared at the magnificent male, eyes wide. Seized by a sudden impulse, Kenneth reached out towards Ethan's face. The lion still made no move but for slow, heavy breathing. Kenneth almost gagged on the heat of the lion's breath - combined with the incredible musk emanating from the lion's crotch, the skunk wasn't sure he'd ever experienced any scent so masculine.

Kenneth's black-furred fingers trembled as he reached up and brushed the fur away from Ethan's forehead. The growl began again, deep and low, enough to shake Kenneth down to his bones. Despite his fear, the skunk found himself almost painfully erect. His nose twitched, inhaling the lion's scent. When Ethan's paw lifted into the air and closed around his shoulder, he jumped, squeaking, but the touch sent shivers of pleasure through him.

"Ethan... what... what are you doing?" Kenneth gasped. The lion lifted his other paw and reached for the skunk's chest. Razor sharp claws shredded the smaller male's jumpsuit, tearing it off him, leaving him in nothing but his boots. Kenneth's cock sprang out, hard and dripping, more erect than he could ever remember. He panted hotly, knees shaking as the lion's breath washed over his face.

"Miiiiiinnnnnne..."

Kenneth's eyes rolled into his head as he heard the lion speak. The sound of his voice sent tremors through his body, shaking him to his core. He'd never heard anything so deep, beautiful, or powerful before. Only a few seconds passed, during which the massive male caught him and arranged him on his stomach on the cold steel floor. Kenneth regained consciousness, but there was something else in his mind. Something... warm. Hot. It burned his brain, sending lances of pleasure to every part of him. It whispered to him, declaring its love, claiming him and binding him. Kenneth's rational mind tried to escape it, but it was impossible to resist either the mental or physical aspects of the lion.

He tried to push away, using every ounce of his strength in a fight to resist. A deep warning growl shocked him into silence. A huge weight descended onto his backside, straddling his hips. Something warm and hot lay between his shoulders, drizzling heat onto the back of his head. The pungent smell of sex filled the air and Kenneth groaned with need, musk filling his nostrils. He lifted his hips, pushing back against the monster. He didn't want to, but the urge to offer himself was undeniable.

He'd never felt the need so bad before. He had to have this. The sweet whispers in his head demanded it. The skunk moaned as cum trickled out of his cock. He felt steam, fire, heat, despite the searing cold of the steel floor.

Claws tickled down his sides. The hot length slipped backwards as the lion's fingers closed around his tail. Kenneth shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts, but the more he fought, the more he fell into the pleasure of the lion's touch, the intoxicating scent of musk and the sweet promise of sex. As the lion's growls increased in volume, Kenneth felt the head of a massive organ push under his tail. A lustful moan escaped his lips and he pushed back. Kenneth was horrified at what he was doing, how he was offering himself to the lion, but there was nothing he could do. His carnal instincts demanded he obey this... this... this god. This muscular, perfect being, the one whom he would serve forever...

Then, he wasn't on the ship anymore. At least, not on the Mountain's Bounty. He wasn't on his belly, naked, about to get plowed by a cock as thick as his leg and almost as long. He was, instead, dressed in his old military uniform. Only it wasn't old - it was brand new. And the ship he was in was his old cruiser.

He stared around him in wonder and reached out, pressing his palm flat to the smooth metal walls of the corridor. He knew this corridor. The cruiser was big - one deck for weapons, another for the bridge and systems, and the lower deck for living quarters and stores. The cruiser was designed as a speedy support ship, able to zip into a battle and run circles around the enemy. It even had a small complement of marines who would launch from the airlocks and grapple onto nearby ships to cut into the hull or plant mines.

Kenneth was one of those marines. He realized the sirens and lights were all going off, signaling the ship was under attack.

Heavy footsteps thundered down the corridor and he suddenly realized this was the day... the day...

"Get your ass suited up, soldier!" a large grizzly wearing lieutenants' stripes screamed at him as he thundered by.

Years of training made Kenneth move automatically. He darted into the airlock and suited up in record time. Grabbing a weapon off the rack, he checked his armband for orders, double-checked his mines and cutters, and slapped the airlock controls.

Designed for speed, the airlock jettisoned him in moments. A razor-thin wire attached to his suit could pull him back in as a last resort.

He spread his arms as he floated through empty space. All around him, explosions and bolts of energy cut through the void. Yet in his suit, all he could hear was the static of the radio and his own labored breathing. Space battles were so... quiet.

Within seconds he was coming up on the hull of the target ship, though it felt much longer. His boots magnetized automatically and he ran along the side towards the entry point. Checking his armband again, he stopped, realizing he was already there. Leaning over, he pulled out his cutter and used one end to mark the circle he'd use to get into the ship. When he was finished, he flipped the long rod over and pressed a button. It jerked out of his glove and smacked against the side of the hull before slowly turning in a circle. The rotations increased in speed as sparks flew from the tip. The laser cut deeper and deeper, leaving completely smooth, molten edges behind.

Air rushed out of the cracks in the hole as it penetrated the main part of the ship. He'd chosen a small bunk room to enter - no sense in decompressing the entire ship and losing the target.

He had done this before, of course, almost a dozen years ago. His last mission in the corps. He knew the target would die and his ship would be lost. He knew he would be taken prisoner. He grimaced as the memories of what was to come flashed through his mind.

Six months. Six long, untenable months he endured their torture, their unspeakable acts. And to add insult to injury, at the end he was traded away like a piece of meat in a prisoner exchange. After that, he couldn't stomach being a full-fledged combat medic. He asked for a transfer and studied medicine. Eventually, he retired and joined the Mountain's Bounty, but the memory of that day - and what happened after - still haunted him, though not even Frost knew all the details.

But it felt so urgent, so in the now, that he kept going despite knowing how it would end. The skunk's nose twitched as he watched the circle of the hull drop down into the cabin. He jumped down after it, carefully avoiding the glowing edges. Inside, the gravity generators took hold, so he turned off the maglocks in his boots.

The room was empty, just as it had been twelve years ago. He grabbed the metal rod and tossed it up towards the hole. It automatically expanded, then unfurled into a self-sealing temporary cover. It hissed as it released compressed air, making the room safe to unsuit in.

Holding a blaster in each paw, Kenneth sidled up to the door and opened it. The corridor was empty - strange, since twelve years ago he'd shot a pair of officers running for the bridge.

He ducked out and worked his way up the corridor. The bridge wasn't far and he reached it without seeing anyone else - again, strange, since before he'd shot several more people. Taking a deep breath at the door to the bridge, he slapped the controls open and lunged inside, closing his eyes as he waited for the stunner blast to drop him. Twelve years ago, his target - the captain of the vessel - was the one to capture him.

But there was no stun this time. Landing in a roll, Kenneth sprung to his feet and leveled his guns, scanning the room.

A tall, white-furred rabbit stood behind a console, facing away from Kenneth, arms behind his back, paws folded.

"I've been expecting you, Kenneth."

"Hands up!" the skunk barked, edging forward.

"It's okay, Kenneth. You've captured me. You can do anything now, don't you realize?" the rabbit said. His voice was curiously low. "You will have all the power in the world. You can stop this battle, stop the war entirely. No more deaths. No more prisons. No more nightmares."

Kenneth's paws shook as he moved closer to the rabbit.

"What are you talking about?" he said, voice dropping to a whisper. "How is that possible? How am I here? Why didn't you shoot me?"

"Because you're mine now, little one, and I would never let them hurt you."

Kenneth dropped to his knees. His guns fell from his paws and clattered away as the rabbit turned. Only, it wasn't the rabbit. It was Ethan. The slim lapine body transformed in moments into the hulking, magnificent deity. A golden torc hung around his chest and golden threads draped over his hips. A crown sat between his ears, glowing brighter than a star. There was more intelligence behind the eyes of this Ethan, more than the lustful beast still transforming into a god back on the Mountain's Bounty. This was the Ethan to be, the one to whom Kenneth would pledge his life and body.

"You want this, don't you, Kenneth? An end to your pain? To win against those who broke you so long ago? I've seen your mind, little one. Let me help you."

Tears trickled down the skunk's cheeks as he watched as his god drew near.

"I..."

He pressed his cheek into the proffered palm and closed his eyes. Love, peace, lust, and strength flowed from the huge golden paw, filling Kenneth with so much desire he felt as though he would burst.

"I am yours," he whispered.

As quickly as he'd been transported to the scene from his past, Kenneth was back in the present. He curled his backside, howling as he felt the huge lion squeeze against him. The massive paw caressed his cheek, tickling his fur.

"So you are mine," the beast whispered into the skunk's ear, triggering an explosion of pleasure Kenneth had never felt before.

Kenneth's eyes popped open, his palms braced against the floor, dragging him forward a few inches towards the huge shaft tickling his rump. Flickers of hesitation pushed back the miasma of desire, but only until the lion roared and shoved forward, impaling the skunk with one swift movement. Kenneth's face froze into a mask of ecstasy as the lion surged forward, taking him totally.

Kenneth wailed as bliss spread through his body, tingling him from his head to his toes. He clenched his rump, squeezing around the impaling shaft. The lion responded in turn, humping in deeper, until Kenneth felt the head grind out against the walls of his belly. Heat filled his insides as the lion's seed spread through him. Kenneth's brain dissolved in a jumble of desire and pleasure. Musk overwhelmed him, the mere scent of his lord and master enough to keep him hard, let along being mounted by the massive deity. He groaned and scrabbled at the floor, claws scratching the metal. Every inch of his black fur and white stripe stood on end as he grunted and strained, shoving himself back onto his new master.

Ethan's huge arms wrapped around the skunk, who moaned with pleasure as he was pulled into the lion's chest. Huge pecs surrounded his head, squeezing his flicking ears. The lion lifted him into the air, dragged him down onto the massive erection, caressed his sides and chest. A wet nose pushed into the back of his neck, inhaling his scent, licking across his fur, biting at his shoulders.

Kenneth's worries disintegrated under the onslaught of sex. The lion was neither kind nor gentle, but still the skunk felt nothing but love in the way the feline held him tight. Rational thought escaped him as the male pumped his hips, filling him with something new... something strong, powerful, and loyal. A desire and lust grew from the skunk's chest, spreading towards his extremities - a desire for Ethan, love for Ethan, lust for Ethan. There was no one but Ethan, nothing but him from this moment on. He would worship the lion, ache for his touch, his essence - all as the sweet voice in his head demanded.

Pleasure built up in the skunk's loins. He ached for release, the sweet bliss of nirvana as the muscular lion's massive cock ground through him. Kenneth's mind spun out of control as he passed between waking and dreaming instantaneously. His eyes, wide and unseeing, stared ahead into the darkness. The lion's words echoed through his ears, a command he not only couldn't refuse, but did not want to refuse. The whispers in his head grew louder, promising him everything, triggering an explosion of pleasure Kenneth had never felt before.

Thick cum filled the skunk's body. His belly grew round and taut, fat with cum. He groaned and gurgled, gasping for breath as the fire in his belly consumed him, driving him to a feral, instinct-driven place. Electricity flickered along his body, making his muscles jerk. Lust and love for the lion consumed him utterly as he came. Ethan held himself deep inside. Kenneth howled and squirmed, body growing thicker, larger, as it drew upon the lion god's power.

Ethan shuddered and smiled as he filled his first acolyte, changing him forever. The process was easy and pleasurable. He liked to feel his disciple swell, squeeze around his erection, massage its length from base to tip.

Kenneth jerked as he came again. His cock, already thicker and fatter than before, bobbed in front of his belly, spraying cum across the floor. He spread his legs to either side of the massive lion's thighs and reached back, digging his fingers into the feline's mane, clutching him and pulling him close. Closing his eyes, he exhaled slowly as the latest orgasm faded. He could feel the heat still, the huge shaft impaling him, as his body changed around it. Not just his cock, but everything.

Ethan grunted, enjoying the tightness of this now-willing male, the firmness of the skunk's body against him. But he had work to do. Gods were often busy when they were creating.

Kenneth's guttural moan was almost as loud as Ethan's when the feline pulled back, withdrawing foot after foot of hard, throbbing lion cock. The skunk came yet again, adding to the pool of white seed surrounding his body. By the time the head popped free, spraying a last stream of cum along the white stripe of the skunk's tail and backside, Kenneth couldn't move, not even to lift his head as Ethan leaned over him, setting him gently down on his belly on the floor.

He panted hotly, eyes flickering, as the lion's blue eyes hovered before his. Love blossomed in his chest, the unbearable tightness of desire making him feel as though he would explode. But he couldn't move, not yet - not even to respond to the loving, gentle caress of the lion's fingers along the side of his muzzle, or the slow lick between his eyes.

"Master," he gasped, a paw reaching out for the lion. But Ethan pulled away, a knowing smile on his lips.

He stared as the lion stood and walked away, aching to be touched by his god once more, but it was not to be. The lion's heavy steps echoed off into the hold as darkness swallowed his hulking frame.

Kenneth shuddered, twitching involuntarily. Though the god was no longer inside him, his presence was. Kenneth could feel it working through him, like an electric current. He howled as his head expanded and his muzzle grew in length. His shoulders followed, then his chest, forming new, powerful muscles under his dark black fur. With a lurch, he spread his arms and legs, crying out in pleasure as the changes accelerated. His belly hardened, flattened out, formed a magnificent set of abs. His meaty onyx-colored cock pushed against the floor, thickening by the inch as it pulsed and grew. His thighs swelled with mass, then his calves and feet, which burst free of the boots still strapped to his feet.

The skunk groaned and growled, body wracked in pleasure as he reformed. For what seemed like hours, he lay there, immobile, sinking further and further into the pleasure, the demand of his body to grow and become the figure that would please his master.

When he was finally able to lift his head, his eyes shone brightly with a hunger he'd never felt before. He got to his feet with difficulty, still adjusting to his enlarged figure. He was taller now, though he knew he was shorter than Ethan. That was to be expected - a lowly servant like him could not hope to be as great as the golden god.

Still, he was the picture of an Olympian. His glossy pelt rippled across his shoulders and backside, thick and luxurious. Despite the lushness of his coat, it could not hide the gloriousness of his muscular body. Shelf-like pecs twitched above a deep-cut set of abs. His biceps, nearly four times as thick as his arms had been before, curled into balls as he flexed. His ass, perfect and round, hard to the touch, clenched and unclenched as the memory of Ethan's maleness made him moan with pleasure. His cock, hard and shiny with pre-cum, rose to its full height. The tip bobbed near his nipples, slightly curled, while his huge testes hung nearly to his thighs.

He leaned back, arms outstretched, and roared his allegiance to his master. He could feel the call of his god in every bone - the need, the desire, the willingness to do as the lion wished, whatever that may be. He was still Kenneth, still the same skunk, but a newfound sense of destiny filled him. Memories of the past and future mixed as glorious empires danced in front of his eyes - empires he would gladly help his master build. More males to serve, to induct into his new god's stable. The visions filled him with hope and the callousness, the bitterness he'd felt faded, replaced with something greater.

But first, before this glorious future could be realized, he knew he had work to do.

Chapter 6: Forgiveness

"Where's Kenneth? Did he find Ethan?" Frost asked.

"Not sure, Captain," Robert said. The otter glanced at his control panel. "Weird. Nothing is showing up on internal sensors. At least, Kenneth and Ethan aren't. Just you, me, and Benedict."

"They couldn't have gone off ship!" Frost said. "The airlock sensors would have alerted us."

"Yeah... let me check with Benedict, maybe the systems are messed up."

Robert pushed a button on the control panel to connect him to Benedict's quarters. "Benedict, you there?"

"Yeah, what's up?"

"You notice any trouble with the sensors last time you were using them?"

"Nope, they were fine. Anything else?"

"Nah, thanks, Benedict. Let me know if you see Kenneth or Ethan, though. Internal sensors are screwed up and we can't find them."

Benedict reached over and tapped the button to turn the intercom off. He flopped back onto his bed and flipped his broken bit of horn over his in fingers. The ram wasn't vain so much as he was proud. Like all rams, his horns were his prize - they represented him more than any other feature of his body. When they looked good, he felt good. He'd spend hours waxing and polishing them, in between dying his hair or grooming his beard.

Okay, he thought, maybe I am vain. But at least I look good.

Benedict sighed and set the broken piece of horn down on the shelf built into the wall next to his bed. His bunkroom was large with only one bed in it. The rooms were designed for two, leaving him plenty of spare room, even with all of his personal effects.

He wasn't supposed to go on watch for another four hours and he wasn't tired, so a nap was out. Tapping his hooves together, the ram grabbed his communicator and tapped a few buttons. Loud music blasted out of speakers arranged in the corners of the room, filling the place with the bang of drums, the wales of guitars, and the thump of the bass. He liked the classics and it didn't get much more classic than late 20th century rock music.

Hopping out of bed, Benedict grabbed his guitar from its stand and strummed along with the music. He didn't plug it in, just felt the strings vibrate under his fingers. The ram was no good at the guitar, but everyone needed a hobby to pass the time in deep space.

Focusing on the music, he sat down on his bed and closed his eyes, playing the instrument by feel. Absorbed in his task, he didn't hear his room's door open and close.

He jumped and dropped his guitar when he felt a paw tap his shoulder.

"Damn! Ethan!" he gasped, grabbing his chest. "You scared the shit out of me!"

Ethan smiled. He was back to normal - small, lithe, smooth. No signs of a hulking sex-mad demi-god.

"Sorry about that, Benedict," he said.

The ram's nose twitched as he sniffed the air. Something smelled good. Very good. Masculine. His cock twitched in his black pants as he reached for his guitar and set it back on the stand.

"What's up? You know the captain's looking for you, right?" he said.

Benedict sniffed the air again. The scent was stronger now. Deep, earthy, powerful... it made him shiver. Ethan stood still in the center of the room, arms crossed over his chest, regarding Benedict with a small, knowing smile.

"You smell that?" Benedict asked. "What is that? Someone cooking?"

Ethan didn't say anything as the ram came close. Benedict stuck his muzzle into the lion's clothes, inhaling the musk radiating from the lion's slim body.

"Damn, Ethan, that's you? What is it? Some kind of cologne?" Benedict asked.

The ram shivered as his cock throbbed in his pants, bulging out. He reached down and squeezed it, not caring the lion was watching. He was so hot, so horny...

"Oh, shit... Ethan... I just..."

Benedict gasped and dropped to his knees. His fingers trembled as he reached for the lion. Urges and desires he'd never felt before thrilled through him, shooting sparks of heat and lust up his spine. Ethan reached out and caressed the tops of his horns. Benedict grunted and moaned as a wet splotch appeared on the front of his pants.

Without thinking, the ram found himself undoing Ethan's pants and pulling them down. The male's cock was huge, much bigger and thicker than it ought to be. With his pants off, Ethan's musk was even stronger and Benedict shoved his muzzle into the lion's crotch, drinking it up.

Seconds later, Benedict was eagerly choking down the lion's thickness, struggling as the huge erection grew even thicker, larger, heavier. Thick pre-cum pulsed from the tip, burning down his throat, making him wriggle with lust. He kept one paw on his crotch, groping and squeezing through his pants.

His eyes grew huge as he watched Ethan's body change. The small lion was soon not so little as he took on his full, muscular, demi-god form. His biceps swelled, ripping their way out of the sleeves of his shirt. The chest of the shirt fairly exploded as his torso swelled. He grew taller, towering over the ram, who kept licking, kissing, and massaging the feline's enormous erection.

"What... what is happening?" the ram gasped, sticky seed dripping from his blue chin beard. "Who are you?"

"I'm still Ethan, Benedict," the lion said, his voice deep and low, thundering through the ram's body. "But I'm also more, now. And you'll be more too, if you accept me as your master."

"Accept... what? What do you mean?" Benedict gasped, pulling away from the lion. It took every ounce of his strength to disengage from that meaty, thick, beautiful cock.

Ethan smiled as his boots tore from his huge feet. He stepped close to Benedict and reached out for the ram, grabbing his shirt and ripping it off. The male's pants went next.

Benedict yelped as he was pushed backwards onto the bed. Ethan leaned over him, one massive paw on his chest, fingers splayed. Heat and power burned his body wherever the lion caressed him. His moans were silenced when Ethan kissed him, driving his tongue deep into the ram's muzzle. The huge, wet, dripping cock slid over his belly as his tongue pushed deeper, filling Benedict's muzzle.

Benedict opened his eyes slowly. He was no longer on his back, under the huge, muscular lion, and he could no longer smell the thick musk that drove his senses into disarray.

He was, instead, in a clean white hospital corridor. Signs on the walls pointed towards the different wards. The antiseptic smell of the cleaners tickled his nose as his hooves carried him towards the trauma ward. He passed nobody in the halls, though he knew in his gut where and when he was. He thought about this date most days.

He knew which room to go to. Room 5281. He passed nobody along the way, not in the lift, not at the nurse's station, not in the empty rooms with open doors. The hospital was completely empty.

Benedict got to his room and reached for the door. It slid open silently and he stepped through. He knew what he would see: a team of doctors rushing to and fro, desperately trying to save the life of his girlfriend. He'd escaped the accident with only a large gash on the bridge of his muzzle, but she'd not been so lucky.

But there were no doctors. There was just her.

The small, frail lynx smiled at Benedict as the door closed behind him. She was sitting up in the hospital bed, legs hanging over the sides, dressed as she had been that day - a red miniskirt, blue t-shirt, bracelets on her ankles and wrists, many of them presents from Benedict.

"Hello, Benedict."

"But... Trace... how?"

"I'm quite alright. You see, you have the power now. The power to help me," she said, an amused purr in her voice. "I remember seeing you that night, you know. Watching, so worried, until they made you leave."

Benedict reached out for her, eyes going wide. "I never meant..."

The lynx held up a paw. "I know, Benedict. It was just a stupid accident. It wasn't your fault. But now it need not have happened. Don't you see? All is forgiven."

The lynx grinned and hopped out of the bed. She walked past Benedict and slid her palm along the side of his face, so that his gaze followed her. She giggled, the laugh that made him want her in the first place, and then... she was gone. Out the door, leaving Benedict alone in the room.

But not for long.

Ethan walked into the room. The huge, insanely muscular male crouched to get through the doorway. His musk flooded Benedict's nostrils all over again as he stared at the magnificent feline. Ethan wore the golden torc with fine gold threads draping down his perfectly formed belly. The crown on his head shone, surrounded as it was by his broad mane.

"Be mine, little one, and you'll never feel this pain again," the gigantic lion said, his voice a light purr. "Be mine."

Benedict gasped and nodded, a shocked expression on his face. "If you can do that..."

"No more heartbreak. I'll mend you, make you whole again," the lion said, moving closer. "Just be mine... forever..."

Standing still, he allowed himself to be embraced by the huge lion. He buried his face in between the monstrous pecs, listening to soft purring with - he felt protected, safe from all judging eyes and from all the pain of drunken nights that had torn at his insides for years. Tears welled up in his eyes, years of pent up sadness flowing out unchecked. He sobbed and shook as Ethan gently stroked his back. Benedict's voice was hoarse as he whispered his reply.

"Yes... I am yours."

Benedict slowly opened his eyes as a single tear streaked down his face. He looked up at the massive feline who loomed over his frame, chiseled muscles rippling with power. Ethan's piercing blue eyes were staring into his with a hunger that blew away any lingering resistance like vanishing fog.

When Benedict felt the massive tip grind against his hole, he struggled slightly, but Ethan just tightened his grip on the ram's chest and leg. Ethan's cock head seems to linger on the threshold before surging forward into the ram's muscular body.

And just like Kenneth, Benedict wailed at the pleasure that swamped his body, overloading his mind. As Ethan humped forward, driving deeper, his cock distended Benedict's belly and chest. The ram gurgled and played on the feline's tongue even as his cock came, shooting a thick load of seed into Ethan's lower belly.

Ethan's loud growls echoed in his ears as the feline pumped his hips back and forth, grinding his cock deeper each time.

The bed crashed to the ground as Ethan roared, cumming powerfully. Ethan pumped into the male for another few minutes, taking his time to ensure he filled Benedict completely with his seed. Benedict felt the power of the lion god surge through him, changing him and marking him. Lust and power in equal measures filled him as he reached for his god's mane, curling his fingers into it. Ethan smiled through his pants and moved his paw from Benedict's chest to his horn. There was no need to hold down the male anymore - he moaned and squirmed, submitting himself to the lion entirely.

Already his body was filling out, shifting and growing, packing on muscles and power. His fist squeezed around the broken tip of Benedict's horn. The ram's belly bloated, just as Kenneth's had, as he was overfilled with hot, thick seed. It powered his transformation, making the changes come quicker and quicker. Another orgasm rocked Benedict as he sprayed his own seed across Ethan's chest. The lion purred his approval at his servant's gift and pulled his paw away.

The ram's horn was once more intact, whole and complete. The set grew larger, thicker, until they curled from the top of his head down nearly to his shoulders, matching the growth of power and muscle in the rest of his body. Ethan pulled out slowly, enjoying how tightly his new servant squeezed around him.

When he was free, he leaned forward and gently licked the ram's forehead. The ram moaned at the affectionate gesture as his body flushed with pleasure. Ethan turned and left without saying a word, leaving Benedict writhing on the bed in the final stages of his change.

The ram wasn't sure how much time passed as his feet grew out of his boots. His cock crawled up his belly, hard as ever, resting between his massive pecs. He twitched and shuddered, ass dripping with thick goo, as all of his thoughts centered on his new master.

The door to his quarters opened again. A new type of musk drifted into his nose and he lifted his head, even as his neck twitched and swelled with additional mass.

Kenneth. Only, a changed Kenneth. A better Kenneth. A Kenneth like him, enthralled with Ethan's power. Benedict stared at the skunk hungrily, eyeing his fat black cock, his huge thighs, hard belly, handsome face. He'd never felt romantic towards the skunk before, merely thinking of him as a good friend, but now...

Neither said a word as the skunk moved over him, taking Ethan's place. Still growing thicker, more muscular, Benedict grabbed the skunk and kissed him. He lifted and spread his legs, wrapping them around Kenneth's midsection. As the skunk ground forward, impaling him all over again, they rolled on the bed, clutching and massaging each other, working their newfound lust and desire out on each other - at least until they could be near their god again.

Chapter 7: Confidence

Robert looked up apologetically, but said nothing as Frost's tail angrily bristled. Pacing back and forth, Frost's frustration was getting the better of him - Robert had never seen him so riled up before.

"Sir, what if..." Robert began.

"Check it again!" Frost demanded.

Robert's fingers quickly pressed a few buttons on the console. The computer flashed the same response as it did minutes ago. "Nothing sir. It shows only you and me on the bridge... and no one else."

"How the fuck is that...?" A crisp navigational chime cut Frost off mid-sentence.

"Shit, we're out of time." Running the captain's chair, he strapped himself in as the ship came out of warp. The hull stuttered only once as the power drained from the engines and shifted to their planetary thrusters. Robert focused on his screens, nose twitching as he checked his navigation schedules against the last known info of the area and the new information from the scanners.

A sea of asteroids filled their screens, backlit by the intense glow of the dying sun. Rocks of all shapes and sizes, some bigger than the Mountain's Bounty, lazily drifted around them casing eerie and twisted shadows against the sun's rays. Several smaller asteroids bounced off the shields causing it to pulse and arc with energy.

"Hell of a place to come out of warp..." Frost growled. "All right, clear the encroachments. Take us to the top of the belt."

With both at the helm, the ship slowly and gingerly threaded it way through the large asteroids taking extra caution not to be blind-sided by something the shields couldn't handle.

After several tense minutes, they were both able to guide the ship to a sparse area where only a few medium-sized asteroids floated. However, something else awaited them - several mangled freighters spun lazily in loose gravity wells. Both their faces brightened as relief washed over them.

"The graveyard, sir..." Robert smiled. "We found it!" Frost flashed him a toothy grin.

"Take us up, Robert." Frost stated. "I want to see our prize."

As the ship rose above the main asteroid ring, the brilliant sun's rays caught the side of the Mountain's Bounty full on. The shields pulsed, struggling to overcome the surge in energy coming off the burning star. Both froze as a sensor alarm chirped ominously.

Frost slid over and quickly scanned the incoming data.

"Shit, the sun is going nova in just three hours," he exclaimed. "Robert, how the hell did we miss this?"

"It's impossible to predict with perfect accuracy," the otter said, not breaking focus on his screens. "Just be glad we've got a little time to get in and get out."

"I'll find the nearest husk. You set the autopilot, then get out and find the rest," the timber wolf said. "Tell 'em to suit up and be ready for some fast action. We might be able to salvage something to make this trip worth it."

The otter nodded and tapped in a few commands on his screen, stood, and trotted out of the bridge, leaving Frost alone. As he passed out into the hallway, the internal sensors sounded a warning.

"Foreign... what the hell?" Frost said, swiveling in his chair to look at the readings. "Must be the nova... messing with our sensors."

Robert glanced down the circular hallway both directions, but didn't see Benedict, Kenneth, or Ethan. Frowning, he headed for the kitchen, the medical bay, and the exercise room, but they were all empty. He was passing the corridor to the personal rooms when he heard noises - loud, wet, sexual noises. A hint of scent teased his nose and he walked slowly to the door to Benedict's bunk.

He palmed the electronic doorknob and it slid open. A blast of musk hit him like an asteroid, making him stagger and gasp. Benedict and Kenneth were in there, but were nearly unrecognizable - they were a mash of black fur, white stripes, and thick coarse tan hide. Squelches and grunts echoed down the hallway as he stared in rapt fascination at the groaning, thrusting, flexing bodies, packed with muscle. They were both far larger than they should be.

Benedict rolled onto his knees and clasped both paws around a furry black rump. He thrust forward and Kenneth's head lifted, a soundless cry on his open muzzle. His cock shot thick loads of white cream across the floor and out the door, splattering Robert's black boots. His cock... the otter stared at the massive organ as it flexed, smacking against the floor before rebounding to hit the skunk's massive pecs. The tip reached right up to his pink nipples, which protruded through his short white chest fur.

Benedict's eyes locked onto Robert as the ram humped forward, a dazed and happy grin on his face. Blunt teeth bared, the ram lifted a paw and gestured to Robert, beckoning him in.

Robert had one foot inside the door before he shook his head, clearing the lust from his brain. He backed out and slapped the door control, closing it. Turning, he ran to the bridge. The scent of sex and musk followed him and he realized he was erect - painfully erect.

"Captain! There's something wrong with Kenneth and Benedict!" he shouted, skidding to a halt inside the door to the bridge. "They've... they've changed! They're huge! Something's gone wrong!"

Frost jumped to his feet. "Where are they?"

"Benedict's cabin. It's... it's..."

Ignoring the sputtering otter, the timber wolf dashed down the hall. His reaction to the two fucking males was the same as Robert's. The wolf's sensitive nose inhaled their musk, watched their thrusting, oversized, magnificent male bodies grind and move against each other. Like Robert, he had to force himself away from the erotic tableau.

He joined Robert in the bridge, shaken and strangely aroused.

"I locked their cabin... I don't know if they even saw me," Frost said, heading back to his console. "We're getting out of here - plot a course."

"Yes, sir, but what abou-"

Both stumbled as the ship was suddenly lurched to the side. Struggling to regain their footing, both looked at each other in bewilderment, wondering what had happened. Before they could even voice their confusion, a second and more powerful force struck the ship throwing both of them to the ground. Frost crashed heavily onto the floor, his head slamming against the bare metal.

For several seconds he lost conciseness only to be brought back to reality by the sound of a loud klaxon screeching its piercing tone. The bridge was dark as the artificial lighting flickered weakly and several control panels were cracked and sparking.

Over the din, he could barely make out Robert's voice, seemingly far away. "Sir! SIR! Are you alright?"

Frost groaned and placed his hands against his face trying to stop the ringing in his head. His left hand came back wet and sticky with something... blood. His blood.

Robert was next to him now, trying to help him up.

"Sir, speak to me! Are you--"

The bridge shook as another shockwave, this time smaller than the last, hit the ship. The remaining shield consoles flashed red for several seconds as the shields struggled to absorb such a huge hit.

As Frost struggled to his feet, Robert stumbled over to the consoles, struggling to understand the mountain of data that was pouring in.

"Sir! The reactor is off-line!" Robert's fingers danced over the console.

Frost gasped - without the reactor, the whole ship was a sitting duck.

"How much power left?" Frost scrambled over to his control panel.

"With this constant abuse on the shields, the ionic batteries will last less than 30 minutes." Another shockwave buffeted this ship, causing the shields to flash dangerously red for several seconds.

"What's hitting us?" Frost stated through gritted teeth as Robert quickly moved to another console.

"Sir, the shockwaves seems to be emulating from the nuclear reactions in the sun. It's decaying faster than we thought!" Another tremor shook the ship reinforcing Robert's frightened words. "We have to get out of here immediately before it tears this whole damn ship apart!"

Frost sat there, stunned. Everything he had worked for was falling apart in front of his eyes. He felt himself falling deeper into despair as the hopelessness of the situation hit him. His mate was gone, his crew was infected with God-knows-what, he didn't have enough power to warp out of here, and his ship was being tossed around like a leaf in a hurricane with the shields surviving only the remaining batteries... how could he possibly...?

Then his rational mind kicked in.

"Robert," Frost said calmly. "Grab your tool kit, go to the reactor room and get it running. I'll buy you some time by using the asteroids as cover."

"B-b-but, sir! I don't know if I can..." Robert sputtered.

"Ochoa!" Frost snapped. Robert stopped mid-sentence. Captain Frost hardly ever used his last name unless things were serious.

"I don't care how you fix it, but fix it. Give me enough power to initiate a warp jump." Frost's gaze pierced the otter, cold and serious. "Understand?"

Robert swallowed and nodded. "Yes sir."

As Robert darted through the door, Frost punched the screens, taking the ship back into the asteroid belt. No time to plot a course - just get near the biggest asteroid and pray that the shock waves don't blow it apart like a firecracker.

* * *

The lift slid to a halt in the cargo bay. Robert, loaded down with tools, stumbled out of the lift carrying two large boxes of parts. Haphazardly setting them down, he glanced across the darken cargo hold. All the way across, he could see the flickering emergency lights of the reactor room. Other than the vibrations of the hull, all was quiet the large room.

Mustering his courage, he slung a tool belt over his shoulder and began to pick up the boxes once more.

However, Robert froze as another hint of scent teased his nose. It was the same as the one in Benedict's bunk, but somehow it was stronger, more primal than before. He knew he was no longer alone in the cargo bay.

"K-kenneth? Benedict?" Robert stuttered, clutching a tool belt to his chest.

There was no response, only the sense that something powerful was moving closer and closer. Robert slowly backed up, trying to get the elevator without turning his back on the presence in the room.

Panic set in as he felt the presence almost on top of him. He dropped the tools and scrambled towards the awaiting lift doors.

Before he could make it, Robert felt a giant golden paw wrapped around his midsection. He didn't even have time to yell before it yanked him effortlessly into the darkness of the cargo bay.

* * *

It took almost fifteen minutes of reckless maneuvering to get behind one of the largest asteroid, a task made much more difficult because it was normally done with at least three people on the scanners. The shields had almost failed him twice as increasingly powerful shockwaves buffed the ship, but thanks to clever thinking and a whole lot of luck, Frost was able to keep the ship moving.

The asteroid, four times the size of the Mountain's Bounty, shuddered as each shockwaves tore at its flank. Hovering meters off the asteroid surface, Frost could feel the vibrations of each impact, but the asteroid held.

They were safe, for now.

Breathing a sigh of relief, he looking around, taking stock of the damage. A majority of the consoles were damaged beyond repair, panels lay strewn about and wires hung exposed to the elements. Glancing over at the power read out, Frost swore loudly. Only thirteen minutes of power remained.

Vaulting out his seat, Frost moved over the navigation computer and began to very quickly go through the pre-warp checklist. He fingered a comm. button as his paws flew over the screen.

"Robert, you have five minutes. Tell me you're almost done!"

Silence.

"Robert? Do you copy?"

No reply.

"Ochoa..." Frost growled.

Moving over the one of the last remaining screens, he activated the on-board holo-camera located in the reactor room. He saw no moment, other than a sparking reactor. Swearing loudly, Frost motioned to open the communications channel again, but stopped when he saw shadows moving against the reactor room wall. The movement was coming from the cargo bay, but the cameras in that section were damaged.

* * *

Robert moaned and wriggled in the lion's grasp. Ethan's touch sent shards of pleasure through his skin, piercing him down to his soul. The lion smiled and purred as he felt the smooth otter struggle in the crook of his arm, mashed up into his side. Robert was panting, gagging on the lion's magnificent musk, trying not to breath the overpowering, sexually-charged scent. But with his face rubbing against the lion's pecs and abs, it was hard to avoid.

There was no sense of urgency in Ethan's movements as he pulled the otter with him into the center of the bay. Robert moaned as he felt his clothes pulled off and thrown away. His pink cock slapped against his belly as the lion rubbed against him, pushing him down onto his back on the cold steel floor. Thick, hot cum dribbled over his face. The taste was incredible - salty, powerful, thick. It gummed up his muzzle and he swallowed eagerly, unable to resist the infectious jizz.

The lion's cock throbbed as the otter wrapped his arms around it, hugging it to his body. He was easier to induce than the others, but that would mean his transformation would be especially well done, Ethan knew.

"My little one," he purred, stroking the otter's cheeks. Robert moaned and squeaked his pleasure as he shifted and wriggled, squeezing at Ethan's enormous cock, working more thick cum from the broad ebony glans.

Ethan pulled back, dragging his cock along Robert's chest and belly. The little male made no effort to resist as his head lolled back. His backside arched, his legs spread, his long broad tail went flat to the floor, exposing his tail hole. Ethan dragged his claws down Robert's tan chest, making the male wriggle in ecstasy.

The lion shivered as he pushed forward, grinding the tip of his cock to Robert's tail hole. Like the other two, Robert's body yielded to his maleness. The otter shrieked in lust and came before Ethan was even a quarter of the way in. The lion purred deeply and caressed the otter again, enjoying his new prize immensely. This one was so much easier to induct than the other two, so much warmer, tighter, slicker...

As he pushed forward deeper, he squeezed down against Robert, flattening him under his mountainous torso. Robert's tiny black claws scraped over his tawny fur, ran through his huge, wild mane, and pulled at his arms. His short, stubby legs kicked out to the sides as his torso distended around the impaling erection.

Humping in hard, deep, rough, Ethan claimed Robert just as he had the others. Saliva dripped from his fangs as lust overcame him, sending him into an orgiastic frenzy of lust.

Robert's eyes went wide and his muzzle opened as he came again, feeling the weight of his master upon him. Every touch made him squirm, squeal, want to beg for the pleasure to never end, never stop.

But it did.

Robert blinked at the glowing comp-panel in front of him. He shifted in his seat, adjusting his tail to hang more comfortably off the back side of the chair. All the other examination desks around him were empty - it was just him and the professor.

"Take your time - you have an hour to complete this exam," the professor said.

Robert looked at the screen. "Saturn Academy of Astronavigation" lit up along the top. Underneath, the first of the several hundred test questions he knew were coming.

He'd been here before. Five years earlier. The graduation exam. The only time he'd ever cheated in his life.

Shame filled him as he reached for his thigh, where the micro-transmitter would link the contact lens in his eye to his home computer and feed him answers.

It wasn't that Robert wasn't smart. He was - very smart. He had a quick, nimble mind. Not the quickest, not the nimblest, but highly ranked in his class. The stress of school overwhelmed the otter, though. His grades slipped towards the end of the third and final year. The worse he did, the more frayed he became, until he was drowning in a vicious downward spiral.

Cheating had been his only option. His paw hovered over his thigh as he stared at the screen. The answers weren't there - he couldn't think. Panic rose in him.

Robert prided himself on his cool, clear head. He could remain calm even in tense, dangerous situations. Wasn't that the reason Frost hired him? Despite his academic history? After being caught cheating on the final exam, he'd been tossed out. He'd gone to another school for a year, a much less prestigious and well known school, got a sub-standard degree, and was quickly unemployed. Frost had offered him a chance at redemption, believing in the otter when no one else could. It was why he stuck with the wolf for the last few years instead taking the offers he'd received for more pay, better ships.

His paw lowered onto his thigh. He had to do this. It was how he met Frost, how he made his choice. Everything was the same as it was.

Except the micro-transmitter wasn't there. Neither, he realized, was the contact lens.

"You won't need them," the professor said. He was a tall, handsome moose, aged and mature, just as Robert remembered him. "You can pass this test easily. You have the power now to do what you've always known you can."

Robert blinked and looked back at his screen. The moose was right. He could answer these questions.

"See how simple they are for you, Robert?" the moose continued. He walked up the steps of the amphitheater-like room, heading towards the only student.

The otter's fingers flew over the keyboard. The first question was easy. So was the next. He processed and answered them as fast as his paws could move across the digital screen. Why had he ever cheated? There was never a need.

A paw slipped around the back of his neck as he answered the last of the questions. How much time had passed? Students were given hours to complete this grueling exam, but he'd done it in minutes. How?

The moose smiled down at him. Robert returned the grin as a familiar musk filled the air. The moose's features shifted, transformed, expanded. In moments, Ethan was there, huge and god-like, a paw slowly rubbing over Robert's neck.

"You have always been intelligent, loyal," the lion murmured, his deep voice sending shivers of pleasure through the otter's spine. "But with me, you'll be even more. No one will ever look down on you again. You can become all you've ever wanted. Just say you'll be mine - forever."

Robert leaned back in his chair as the lion's other paw stroked down his chest. The feline's muzzle dipped down and he met him halfway, suckling on the huge male's tongue as it pressed past his lips.

"I'm yours," he gasped, pulling back for just a moment. "I'm yours forever."

Robert squealed with pleasure as Ethan slammed into him. He was back in the cargo bay of the Mountain's Bounty, on his back, with the huge male on top of him. He clutched at Ethan's mane as he rode the muscular god's erection, taking every inch of the massive length. His body thickened with every thrust, growing into that of a proper servant of the golden god. He and Ethan kissed, long and deep, as load after load of thick feline seed filled his body, accelerating his changes even more.

Ethan smiled as he stood, leaving the gasping, moaning otter lying in a pile of cum, twitching and growing into the muscular beast Ethan desired of him.

Walking away, he stroked his massive cock slowly and licked his lips. One more on the Mountain's Bounty had yet to accept him. The wolf would be his greatest challenge - and his greatest lover.

Chapter 8: Power & Love

Frost peered down the corridors of the ship, panting and exhausted. He'd just managed to get all remaining power rerouted to the shields and warp drive when Kenneth and Benedict arrived. The sight of them froze Frost to the spot - they were magnificent. Their musk made him ache for their touch. Behind those two, then, Ethan emerged, breathtaking in his immense glory. When he first realized the huge lion was his mate, he'd been surprised and happy Ethan was alive. For a while, with no life signs on the monitors, he'd assumed the feline was dead, and the thought would have crippled him at any other time. But that happiness gave way to horror in an instant when he saw the beast turn and advance towards him. It moved nothing like Ethan and its eyes burned with a lust that was nothing like the mate he once knew.

He ran as fast he could, trailed by the three massive giants. He ran in a circle around the bridge and hid where they'd first found him, figuring they wouldn't check there again for a while. The emergency lights flickered and dimmed as the power switched over to the last ionic battery. Frost knew he had only minutes left to ensure that his plan succeeded.

It was an insane plan, but he was left with no other options.

With the remaining power left, he couldn't even move the ship if he wanted. His only option was to draw everything his could from every corner of the ship, route it through the bridge like a charging station and then send the whole bloody thing right into the core of the reactor. It would cause a catastrophic chain reaction that would detonate the reactor like a bomb.

Moving quickly, he returned to the main console and told the computer to dump everything into the bridge power matrix.

Consoles smoked and sparked. The constant hum of the computer system faded out as they powered down, though the feed of power remained constant. A warning flashed on a console, saying the ship would overload if any more power were fed through the system in its current state - there was simply nowhere else for it go.

Frost grabbed a mobile comp-pad hooked up to his console and finished the work. All around him, screens exploded. Elsewhere on the ship, the lights went out and the gravity generator failed in places. The ship was on the verge of destruction, but Frost knew he couldn't allow Eth-

He couldn't allow whatever that thing was to leave the system. They all had to die here.

Frost stumbled as the whole ship shook. The integrity field running through the steel of the ship's hull was on low power as well.

The timber wolf clutched the pad to his chest, thumb poised over the button that would destroy them all. But there was something he had to do. He had to know for sure.

Taking another deep breath, he braced himself to push the button.

A single, powerful footfall thundered behind him.

The captain's paw stopped trembling. He held the remote steady in his paw at chest height while he turned. He stared at the huge male calmly, feeling as though for the first time in hours he could think clearly.

The massive lion stood at the door to the bridge, framed from the light coming in from the hallway behind him. The wolf stood his ground, surrounded by dead consoles, save one, which flashed a warning the hyperdrive was in danger of overloading. The lion was unrecognizable as the wolf's mate - so far from the scrawny lion Captain Frost fell in love with years ago. His pelt and mane were thicker, fuller, and darker in tone. Massive black claws tipped his fingers. Slabs of muscle stretched his pelt from underneath. He was so tall now, so masculine. His mane wrapped completely around his head and neck, even covering part of his bulging shoulders.

The wolf studied the huge beast, looking for any sign of his partner. But all that remained were his mate's eyes: brilliant blue pools, sharp and deep. They were the same eyes Frost spent hours gazing into during the long hours in warp space.

"Are you in there?"

The lion stared at him, eyes glinting. A thick trickle of pre-cum pulsed from the tip of his erection, and slid down the length of the throbbing stalk. The shaft was wide, thicker than it ought to be, and so heavy it pointed straight out, unable to rise upwards because of its own weight.

Images flashed through Frost's mind. Images of more males like Ethan, worshipping at the feet of their lion god and his companion, pleasuring them for eternity in a kingdom of gold. Sex, lust, pleasure, all theirs, the two of them.

Frost shuddered and shook his head, trying to clear his mind as he kept speaking.

"Because if you're in there, I won't fight you."

Claws dragged on the floor as the beast took a step closer. Muscles rippled across his hulking body, over his massive shoulders and all through his long arms. He sniffed the air, tongue licking over his lips as he tasted the captain's scent. His erection pulsed faster and a loud, lustful growl echoed off the metal paneling. Frost inhaled the lion's scent as well, shuddering at the pleasure it brought him. He fought it, resisting the urges growing in his body. He focused on the lion, watching for the faintest hint his mate was still there.

"Tell me. Tell me if you're there!"

The beast came closer and closer, nose twitching, until his huge muzzle hovered an inch away from the captain's. The timber wolf stood his ground, remote clutched to his chest, thumb hovering over the black button. He stared at the massive lion's face, so much larger, broader, more masculine than before. Fangs curled over the lion's pink lips and the bridge of his muzzle wrinkled as he snarled. The wolf ignored that - he stared at his mate's eyes, searching for a glimmer of recognition, anything that would stop him from doing what he was about to do.

More images. He stood next to Ethan atop a golden pyramid. Benedict, Kenneth, and Robert were there, lounging at their feet, as they kissed. The sun shone on them, warming them as they pressed together. He was like them, huge and powerful, a god in his own right.

The wolf's thumb hovered over the top of the button. His heart hammered. His knees trembled and his tail curled between his legs as the terrorized feeling he'd already lost his mate washed through him. Was it really Ethan he'd seen in the visions? Or some trick?

"No... Ethan..."

Hot breath washed over him. His knees shook. The beast reached out and the captain's thumb moved, ready to depress. Claws slid over his face, around the back of his head. Frost readied himself for oblivion as the beast pulled him forward... and gently nipped his lower lip.

"Ethan..."

The pad tumbled from his paws as the lion god's tongue slid past his lips. Massive paws surrounded him, clutching him, drawing him in close. He felt a love so powerful he cried into the wild mane, gasping even as his arousal increased to the point his legs would no longer support him. Ethan held him, hugging him tightly, his legs spreading around the huge shaft.

When Frost opened his eyes, he wasn't on the bridge of his ship. He was on Titan outside of one of the many small, half-wrecked saloons he frequented. He recognized this one as special, though. It was where he met Ethan.

There was no one else around. Normally there'd be a crowd of people drinking, shouting, carrying on as they enjoyed their shore leave. But now, there was nobody - not even a bartender. The silence of the place was a little strange, but Frost kept going, walking past the bar and into the main area. The metal floor was cold under his feet and the walls, covered in faded pictures and dried beer, curled up to the ceiling, where industrial lights shone down on the tables and chairs.

Frost smiled as he remembered jostling through the crowd after getting his drink, cursing as someone stepped on his foot and made him spill some of it. He'd broken out the pack and had stopped dead at the sight of Ethan.

The slim, handsome lion was sitting by himself at a table near the back. He was the most beautiful male Frost had ever seen. What had happened next?

Oh, yes. Frost grinned as he stepped forward. There was Ethan, at his table. It was easier to get to him this time, and he pulled out a chair and sat down across from the feline. His heart ached for his mate, but he said nothing. He didn't even react when Ethan put down his drink and smiled at him.

"This isn't real, I know," Frost said. "So why are you doing this, Ethan? Are you still even him?"

The lion smiled and reached out, grasping the timber wolf's paw in both of his.

"Yes, I'm really Ethan. I'm still me," the feline said, his voice low and soft. "But I'm... different. I've been given a gift. What they found, what they had on that government ship, was a god. A god, Matt. A god with no form, no figure. Just raw power."

"So the asteroid..."

"It was the god testing its chosen host. The previous ones..." Ethan looked away, releasing Frost's paws. "They failed. But I didn't." The lion looked back at his mate. "This deity... he's wonderful. He's me, now, just as I'm him. He took me, gave me a new form, and a new purpose. You've seen them, haven't you? The visions?"

Frost nodded as Ethan stood and moved to stand next to his side.

"That could be us, my love. A new empire, rebuilding the one lost so many millennia ago."

"But Ethan... I don't want an empire," the wolf said, looking into his mate's bright blue eyes. "I just want you."

"You'll have me forever, love."

Ethan leaned down and caught Frost's lower lip between his teeth, the affectionate gesture the wolf knew so well. A choked sob escaped him as emotion flooded him and he pulled the lion to him, wrapping his arms around the other male's body and hugging him tightly.

When he opened his eyes again, he was back on the bridge of the Mountain's Bounty. Ethan was huge, magnificent, a golden deity of staggering beauty and power. Already the giant lion was pulling at the wolf's clothes, stripping him down. Frost groped at his mate's chest, exploring the new muscles and powerful figure. He pressed his muzzle against Ethan's chest, hearing the heart beat from deep within that titanic chest.

"I am yours," he whispered. "I am yours."

Epilogue:

Captain Marcellus Gray of the B.M.L. Riversoft was not an easily amused canine. The Riversoft was a science vessel, though equipped to defend itself, and its commander was of similar mind to its scientists: inquisitive, relentless, and not given to idle amusements. When the operators told him the supernova they'd been expecting was... well, no longer occurring, he was not happy. In his experience, supernovas didn't simply stop happening. Their whole mission was to examine and record this galactic explosion of power and so far, nothing.

None of his scientists could explain why the supernova aborted. There was no reason or logic behind it. One minute, the star was growing and expanding as it should. The next, it was steady, a newborn ball of fire ready to burn for another few million years. Supernovas didn't happen overnight and they didn't stop overnight either.

"Can someone please tell me what the fuck is happening?" Gray snapped as he stood in an observation room, several scientists winching at his outburst. "Check your systems."

The small meerkat at the control panel looked back at his captain. "I have, sir, three times. There's nothing wrong with the systems. The supernova is simply no longer occurring. One moment, it's shooting out energy like there's no tomorrow, the next, nothing."

"Where'd it all go?" Gray growled.

Nervous glances were exchanged among the scientists. "Well, sir... that's just it - it seems to have focused on a small point near the asteroid belt."

Gray shook his head. It didn't make any sense, and yet...

Another voice crackled over the ship's intercom system. "Message from incoming ship, sir. Telemetry says they just came from the supernova system."

"What? Play it," Gray snapped.

"Message: Welcome to the Empire..."

"What, that's all? What ship is this?"

"The Mountain's Bounty, sir. Licensed salvage and trading ship. Recently known to have docked at... oh..."

Gray didn't notice his ensign abruptly stop describing the small ship. His thoughts - and the thoughts of everyone on the ship - were consumed with the power, the lust, and the memories of the Empire, the new Empire, reforged by the new god, currently on his way over in a shuttle. A god burning with the power of a supernova...

The Supernova Lion.

The End