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"I still can't believe that I let you talk me into this."

"C'mon, it'll be fun, and it's for a good cause."

"Good intentions pave the road to Hell."

"That's not even your old self talking."

The bespectacled and well-dressed giraffe, forepaws stuck petulantly into the pockets of his vest, grumbled but kept clopping his carefully-kept hooves down the bare convention hall corridor. His mate, a handsome young horse whose firmly-muscled features were shown off well by his snug-fitting clothes, grinned and looped an arm through the giraffe's arm. "Kad, you're going to enjoy this. It's not always like some J. Willard picture of Soap Puppy leading his two scantily-clad prizes away to the slaughter. You're probably going to be someone's rave date, or be asked to draw something for them. Think of it as a commission, with the money going to charity."

"It's not a commission, Ash, it's a slave auction."

"Picky, picky, picky."

The convention had gone well for them. An comparatively new artist of excellent repute (although he didn't trumpet his excellence nearly as much as all that), Kadath had already found something of a niche for himself and his work. His table in Artist's Alley was rarely without its various buyers, gawkers, commissioners, or hangers-on. Ashadan was well aware of how well the weekend had been going, as it was he who was in charge of the cash box and the commissions book. If all of the commissioners came through with their PayPal payments after the weekend was over, Kadath was going to be quite busy over the next month or so - which hurt neither the artistic ego nor the family budget.

The crowds got a bit thicker as Ashadan and Kadath walked toward the Main Events room for the convention. This year's slave auction was scheduled earlier than in previous years, as events such as raves, certain adult-themed panels, and various infamously rumored but never documented fur-piles were becoming more popular. The organizers never listed anything that wasn't properly approved; neither did they miss out on good bets when they were damn sure they were already in place. (YiffTube videos were quite carefully anonymous, but certain background details made sharp-eyed con-goers quite certain exactly where the nefarious naughty-bits had taken place.)

Even as he thought about it such details, however, Kadath figured that Ash was probably right. He might be asked to go to the rave to "boogie down" (do they still use that phrase, he wondered?), or perhaps draw something on the spot while the commissioner watched over his shoulder. It's not like he's selling himself on the block in order to be pimped out to some drooling fan with a_bukkake_ fetish. Even so...

"Ash, I want you to promise me something."

The horse squeezed his lover's arm. "Anything, love."

"If the auction looks like it's going to some creep, out-bid him."

With a look of complete innocence on his face, Ashadan asked, "What signs of creepiness should I be on the lookout for?"

"You know what I'm talking about."

"Someone with a sign that reads_I'm creepy_?"

The giraffe stopped in the middle of the wide hallway and turned on his mate with eyes that, in one of Kadath's more fantastic drawings, would have seared every last hair from the horse's body before starting to crisp the flesh.

Ashadan held up both forepaws, palms out. "Okay, okay, I got it!" He took his lover's arm again and guided him toward the back entrance of the Main Events room, where other would-be slaves were gathering. "How high should I go to keep you out of potentially unfriendly gropes and other acts of uninvited molestation?"

"As high as necessary."

"Unless you want to max out a credit card, our limit is going to be about five hundred."

"Is that a lot for one of these things?"

"Trust me," the equine chuckled, "I think you're covered."

* * * * * * * * * *

Kadath stood lonely but not alone, just off stage. He'd already watched several other slaves get themselves auctioned off for various sums from paltry to extravagant. One young and playful orangutan cheerfully made a complete clown of himself, figuring that if he couldn't command a large fee for being sexy, he might as well play the fool and see if anyone would purchase his comedic skills. It made for some relief, as Kadath had never considered himself particularly sexy, and he didn't really want to appear to be peddling that sort of commodity anyway. Leave that to some of the sleek felines, studly canines, and damn-near frightening bovines, whose sheer bulk of gratuitous muscle had probably been aided by some serious pre-sale working out in the hotel gym.

A lithe and perky little raccoon bounced onto the stage after his introduction, leaving Kadath to realize that he was to be next. The bidding got pretty lively as the 'coon, cross-dressed in layers of sheer, see-through silk and cotton bits that covered next to nothing, walked prettily about the stage, urging the audience to bid well for the cause. The giraffe momentarily envied the long and extremely eloquent tail that flicked quite expertly at just about every testosterone-thrilled beast with a debit card in his paw. If nothing else, the coon knew how to work a crowd. When Kadath became aware that the bidding had passed a hundred dollars, he had the feeling that his own auction was going to be more than a bit of a let-down.

He heard the announcer speaking, and the muscles in his shoulders and legs stiffened.

"Okay, everyone," the mid-aged lion grinned, "I hope you've still got plenty in your pockets, because our next slave is a valuable commodity indeed. A new and rising star in the fandom, an artist of great talent, a co-founder of the amazing new Sexotic Subterranean website and artistic collaborative, welcome to the selling block, KADATH!"

In the split second before his legs could obey his mental command to move, Kadath felt as well as heard the huge wave of applause and cheering that exploded from the audience. The surprise caused him to miss his balance very slightly, and he felt as if he were about to stagger onto the stage; instead, one of the slaves-to-be clapped his shoulder with an approving slap, which made the misstep look like a natural response to the congratulatory touch. Kadath, still somewhat stunned, walked over the MC, who put an arm around his waist briefly in a steadying gesture that was only a little bit selfish.

"Welcome to you!" the lion said, nodding gently to the crowd, indicating that the applause should die down a bit. "Thank you for volunteering yourself to help raise some money for us; we're all grateful. And now, my fine furs, feathers, scales, and others, may I suggest an opening bid, for this handsome and talented young giraffe, of $25?"

Dozens of yells went out at once, and the numbers rose swiftly in five dollar increments, until finally slowing down around $70. "I have $70--" a shout distracted the MC, "--make that $75. A fine number, but I know we can do better... come on, do I hear $80?"

"One hundred!"

All eyes turned toward the explosive basso voice coming from the seats on the left side of the center aisle. Grinning lasciviously, a bulky rhinoceros rose to his full height, as if fully expecting that his bid would be the winning one. Kadath felt his blood freeze; something about this guy just didn't feel good.Ash, don't let me down!

"One twenty-five."

The young horse stood from his position from the right side of the aisle and a little further back from the stage, as if to challenge the rhino directly.

The rhinoceros looked over his shoulder and snarled at the upstart. "I know who you are. Isn't there something in the rules about not buying back your own mate?" he challenged.

"Actually," the MC said from on stage, "we get that a lot. If someone is a bit possessive," the lion gave Kadath a teasing elbow jab to the ribs, "the charity benefits the most."

The ripple of laughter ebbed and flowed through the room as the rhino's eyes hardened. "One fifty."

"One seventy-five."

"Two fifty!" spat the rhino.

"Three hundred," Ashadan countered with slight stutter.

"FIVE hundred!" the pachyderm screamed at full volume.

The crowd gasped audibly before falling into absolute pin-drop silence. These numbers were almost unheard-of at a slave auction of this kind. It was all supposed to be for fun, for charity. Kadath felt the fear creep up his back again. He knew they were at their limit, and Ashadan hesitated, uncertain, casting his eyes around the room as if looking for help. The MC didn't help matters.

"I've got a bid of five hundred, young fellah," he looked to Ash. "Going once?"

Ashadan looked frantically to Kadath, who could no longer move, no longer think clearly. How had this gotten so far out of hand?

"Going twice?"

A long, tense silence held the crowd in thrall, until a powerful, resonant voice sounded from the very back of the room.

"One thousand dollars."

The room rocked with expletives and half-curses. All eyes, including Kadath's, riveted upon the tall dark shape in the ankle-length hooded robe. All that could be seen was the ears and the muzzle of a wolf. As required by the convention, a badge was visible, depending from a long lanyard draped around the wolf's neck; it no doubt bore some name or other, but none could read it from the distance. To the left and slightly behind the cloaked wolf, a powerful young white tiger, a bit taller even than the wolf, stood with his legs apart, his strong arms folded across his muscular chest; he wore a simple cotton tunic and pants, and at his side was slung a_katana_in its saya, a tag on the tsuba declaring it to be "peace bonded." There were those in the audience who wondered if that simple tag would be enough to keep the blade in its sheath.

"I have a bid of one thousand dollars," the MC intoned formally, although his wide eyes betrayed his disbelief and perhaps a touch of panic. "It is a stated rule of the auction, good fur, that all bids above five hundred dollars must have some confirmation of available funds. May we ask for that confirmation?"

The wolf nodded once. The tiger reached into his tunic and produced a small, zippered leather case and handed it to the wolf. Opening it, the wolf said, "Please have one of your officials approach."

Throughout the hall, barely a sound was heard; the entire audience waited in shocked silence as a young ferret, liveried in the colors of the convention's official garb and bearing a sash identifying him as part of the staff, dashed down the center aisle to the wolf and stopped, showing his name badge for further confirmation. Over his microphone, the MC said, "Allow me to introduce Richard, who is our bookkeeper for the auction funds."

Without ceremony, the wolf counted bills, then placed them into the ferret's forepaws. Richard counted ten crisp one hundred dollar bills. His voice trembling slightly and higher than usual for him, he announced loudly, "One thousand dollars!"

The hall echoed with the astonished epithets and susurrations of the crowd. Kadath, his eyes huge behind his spectacles, could not understand what he was watching. Shifting slightly backward on his hooves, his short tail flying wildly behind him in panic, he cut his eyes toward the rhinoceros, whose barely-contained fury was clearly escalating. The pachyderm pushed his way toward the center aisle, several furs all but teleporting from their seats, all flailing arms and legs and bottle-brush tails, to get out of his way. The lion MC seemed about to say something as from the sides of the hall, a couple of the furs wearing red sashes with SECURITY inscribed upon them began moving toward the wolf.

"What's your game?" shouted the rhino. "What the hell do you want, anyway?"

In a sudden and graceful move, the tiger leapt in front of the wolf, the muscles in his arms and legs flexing and bulging as he took up a position preparatory to the_Seigan no Kamae_ stance, his right forepaw on the_tsuba,_ ready to unsheathe the blade and complete the stance with the tip pointed to the rhino's eyes. One of the security staff came up to the left of the tiger who, never taking his eyes off the rhino, put out his left forepaw in a flat-palmed stopping gesture. Very quietly, the tiger said, "I am only here if you fail."

For a long moment, no one moved. The deep and resonant voice of the wolf came again, filling the hall with an actor's well-practiced style. "I believe that the bidding stands at one thousand dollars. Do you wish to bid any higher?"

The rhino's breathing was fast, snorting. He shifted from hindpaw to hindpaw, swaying slowly with his frustration. "I've been waiting for that giraffe all evening. I want him."

"Then bid for him."

"I can't!"

"Then I think the bidding is ended." The wolf's muzzle aimed toward the MC. "The bid," he said again, loudly and clearly, "is one thousand dollars."

Nervously passing a forepaw across his lips, the lion said, "One thousand dollars. Any advance on one thousand dollars?"

He paused, silence the only response.

"Last call."

Nothing.

"Kadath is sold for one thousand dollars!"

The crowd cheered with such force that even the pachyderm had to have felt it. He glanced at the security guards, expressed himself with several universally understood epithets, and pushed his way out of the hall, the guards at his back. When the rhino was out of the hall, the white tiger relaxed his stance and moved back to his position behind and slightly to the left of the wolf. The ferret took the bills back to the front of the hall, eager to get the sum out of his paws and under lock and key as quickly as possible.

From the stage, Kadath saw the wolf slowly raise his arm and, very gently, beckon for Kadath to come join him. The MC patted the giraffe on his back, already starting his running patter about the highest bid in the convention's history, about having already broken their goal for the auction, and they still had several fine specimens left to auction off. Kadath didn't pay much attention.

In the center aisle, Ashadan stepped out to join his mate. "Are you all right, hon?"

"I'm not entirely sure." He looked into the horse's eyes. "What was that all about?"

"I'm going with you."

"He may not let you."

"I don't care, I'm going with you, or you're not going anywhere."

Cautiously, the pair approached the wolf. Even close-to, Kadath could not make out the features of the wolf's face. The auction began again, with the air of a strange and not entirely sane carnival. The noise was too much competition for any reasonable voice, even one that seemed so classically trained (the idea still nagged at the giraffe's mind). The wolf gestured toward the doors and turned to walk through them himself, the tiger close behind. Ashadan and Kadath looked at each other in confusion, then followed them.

A short distance away from the auction noise and confusion, the convention hall gave way to the vast lobby of the attached hotel, itself still a hive of activity, but less so for the various events taking place in the various halls and meeting rooms in the area. Moving to one side, the four stood in a slight recess of the hotel's large atrium. The wolf turned to address the giraffe directly. "Are you all right, young Kadath?"

Kadath swallowed. "What just happened back there?"

"The rhinoceros' name is Karl Konstantin. He has something of a reputation in the various worlds of conventions and gatherings. Much of it is merely rumor, none of it is confirmed. He is considered, at the least, to be a boor and a cad, and at worst, to be an amateur stalker and opportunist."

"That was Konstantin?" Ashadan's eyes grew wide in astonishment. Seeing Kadath's confusion, he explained. "Do you remember me telling you about those really strange commissions that you decided to turn down? The ones with the particularly gross vore and rape scenes?"

The giraffe grimaced. "I remember. I've drawn things that weren't exactly to my taste before... but he wanted commissions involving some of my own character creations, like Patrick, Puzzle, and Diamond. I refused. Quite apart from my policy of avoiding using my specific characters for commissions anyway... they're too personal to me, and I wouldn't put my characters in that sort of situation." Kadath flushed slightly. "That probably sounds foolish."

"None wishes his own creations to be fouled or damaged."

Kadath could only nod.

The wolf turned to the horse. "You must be Ashadan. I am pleased to meet you. Kadath speaks of you with great affection, always."

It was Ash's turn to look confused.

"Would you like to come with us? I've taken the liberty of having refreshments brought to our suite."

"You want me there?" Ashadan asked.

"Of course."

Horse and giraffe looked at one another, their faces expressing complete non-understanding.

"What I request of this young slave," the wolf chuckled kindly through his words, "is nothing the least bit torrid. Come along, both of you. The food will get cold."

* * * * * * * * * *

The first thought that Kadath had - and by intuition, he knew that Ash was thinking the same thing - was,So this is how the upper one percent lives. In truth, it wasn't some posh, multi-level, Las Vegas penthouse sort of thing, glistening in gilt and reeking of excess. It boasted a large living room area, a big bay window with a nice view of the city, a large hot tub (which caused Kadath to begin worrying all over again), a door that probably led off to a large bedroom suite, a kitchenette with enough room for a small table and chairs, and not one but three desks that could be used for computers, work spaces, or what-have-you.

"Welcome to my extravagance for this year," the wolf said, smiling, "with the exception of your selling price. Unforeseen, but worth it." He turned toward Kadath. "I think I'll take my pleasure with you before we eat."

Kadath visibly jumped, and Ashadan took a step forward. "Hey," said the horse, frowning his disapproval, but he said nothing further when the wolf laughed and held up a placating forepaw.

"I meant what I said. I'm going to ask you to indulge me. Ash, you can stop me if you think I'm going too far - although I really don't think I'm breaking any vows that you two have made to each other." The wolf extended his forepaws toward the giraffe. "Kadath... come here to me, please."

Uncertain, yet somehow intrigued, Kadath moved toward the wolf. As the other gestured for him to do, the giraffe extended his forepaws to the wolf, and they touched their paws together. His expression still hidden under his hood, the wolf looked down at the giraffe's paws, held them gently, rubbed them tenderly and delicately under his thumb pads.

"These hands have created beauty such as the world had not known before." The smile in his voice was filled with respect. "That's not hyperbole. I've always loved your work."

Slowly, with great reverence, the wolf bent to kiss Kadath's palms, one after the other. The sensation sent a shiver down the giraffe's back - not fear, more like a thrill of electric anticipation. The wolf's touch had held such affection and such passion, so much powerful energy, it was like... like... Kadath had no comparison.

The wolf looked up slightly. "The paws that draw, and sketch, and speak the language of your artistry, I thank you and wish you safety and warmth always." Softly, the wolf placed a paw to Kadath's chest. The giraffe's breath caught briefly as he felt another shock, this one a sensation as if his heart had skipped a beat, or perhaps had put several beats into one. In his mind, Kadath flashed upon a memory of meeting Ashadan, of seeing the handsome young horse and knowing, not merely feeling but_knowing,_that he was to be the center of his life.

"The heart," the wolf intoned, "which guides the paws, which feels the artistry, which loves so strongly that it has never doubted its choice of mate... strength and passion for you always."

Taking back his paw, the wolf slowly pulled back the cowl of his robe and looked at Kadath directly. The wolf's face was at once familiar and not - the gray fur and the creamy white, the sharply pointed ears, the smile lines at the corners of the muzzle, the tiny wrinkles at the edge of the eyes, the deep, soft, emotion-filled brown eyes - seen somewhere before, not face to face, a picture perhaps...

"One final request. A selfish one." Once more, the wolf took the giraffe's paws into his own and held them gently. "Kadath, my honored slave, I ask you for a kiss. One chaste kiss. A mere touch of my closed lips to yours. A supplication of deepest gratitude to you... one of my muses."

Kadath looked into the wolf's eyes and saw nothing there to mistrust. Slowly, he leaned forward as the wolf leaned toward him, and in the gentlest of touches, their lips met. Kadath closed his eyes and let the moment be. There was no pushing, no mashing, no invasion of the tongue. The only insistence seemed to be a desire to maintain that soft touch for just a little while longer. Kadath felt his breath catch again. The act was somehow completely innocent and unbelievably intimate. It was made entirely of giving, without expectations of anything other than the joy of that giving. Without really knowing why, Kadath felt a tear leak from his closed eye and run slowly down his cheek.

The wolf separated them softly. When Kadath opened his eyes, he saw the wolf smiling with real affection in his eyes. "That was worth a thousand dollars."

"I've always thought so," Ashadan quipped. The wolf looked at him and chuckled appreciatively.

"Well," he said. "Your duties as my slave have been fulfilled. However, I hope you'll both stay as our guests. We've got some nice food. You're welcome to the use of the hot tub at any time; you can bring swim trunks, if you're shy. And just for you, Kadath, I brought in some particularly good coffee. The pot's all yours."

The giraffe blinked. "Are you kidding?"

"Not at all. I promised myself that I wouldn't ever attend a convention where you would appear, without the means to make sure that you were properly looked after. Actually, I promised that to you, long ago."

"Who are you?"

The wolf smiled broadly. "My dear Kadath... haven't you figured it out yet?"

My Dear Kadath...

"TAROTWOLF?!"

With a bow: "None other. I thought Jybian's presence would give the game away."

"Don't forget," the tiger said grinning. "I get hugs!"

For several years, they had exchanged emails, cards, even a few commissions, but they had never met. In each email, TarotWolf had opened with that affectionate greeting of_My Dear Kadath._ The giraffe looked to his mate. "Were you in on this?"

"Not all of it," Ash admitted ruefully. "TarotWolf got me to put you into the slave auction, with the idea that some stranger would bid on you, but it would actually be safe for you. I didn't know that Konstantin guy would be here."

"Neither did I," the wolf admitted. "I told Ash that I was prepared to pay a nice price to the charity, so that no one would outbid me. I hadn't counted on going that high, but I never could resist a flashy entrance."

"So Konstantin wasn't a plant?"

"He might have the IQ of a spud," Jybian said, "but no, we didn't set it up with him in mind. We figured you'd cost us a few hundred bucks."

"Ash's job was to make sure that no one but me would afford you." TarotWolf looked at Ash. "You weren't going to push up the price artificially, were you?"

Ash shrugged his shoulders, laughing. "I saw the rhino, but I didn't see you. You didn't bid right away."

"You beat me to it!" the wolf chuckled.

"I'm sorry; I really thought that guy was going to buy Kadath out from under me."

"Not a chance." Jybian nodded at the wolf. "We had you covered from the start."

"And just how did you do that? You guys have been all but broke for the past few years."

"We still ain't rich," TarotWolf admitted. "But I was able to put this little extravaganza together. Someone bought a film option on one of my novels. We both needed a vacation, and we both wanted to meet you, after all this time. So here we are."

Kadath looked at the wolf, confusion still furrowing his brow. "You did all this, just to meet me?"

"No," said the wolf softly. "I did all this so that, when I finally met you, I could tell you just how valuable you are - to me, to Jybian, to Ash... to everyone. I'm not a religious wolf at heart, my dear Kadath; however, I do believe that if there is any evidence at all of godliness in this mad world, it appears through the passion of the artist. Sometimes, even I have a touch of it. And you... I'm merely the parish priest, and you are one of the seraphim at the very least."

Despite having a 14-inch prehensile tongue, Kadath was unable to speak with it.

"Get used to being adored, kid," TarotWolf said, a twinkle in his eye. "Just know that, from us at least, it's safe."

The giraffe shook his head. "I still don't understand."

"I know." The wolf grinned. "You don't have to. Now have some coffee. I_know_ you understand coffee."

* * * * * * * * * *

When the small hours of the morning began to grow large, Ash and Kadath returned to their own room to sleep. Cuddled under the covers, well sated from several hours of food, conversation, and laughter, the mates hugged each other warmly and let the night close in around them.

"Ash?"

"Mm?"

"Am I crazy? Or are they crazy?"

"Yes."

"Thanks for clearing that up." Kadath produced a raspberry, which, given the dexterity of that giraffe tongue, was quite impressive. "I'm serious - what was that all about?"

"You don't take compliments well, do you?"

"What?"

Ashadan turned toward his lover, propping his head up on one forepaw, using the other to caress his mate's chest gently. "TarotWolf paid a thousand dollars for you. For a chance to tell you just how wonderful you are, and for the chance to give you a kiss. That kiss was to tell you, as concisely and as fully as possible, just how much he values you."

"He didn't set out to pay a thousand dollars."

"No, he didn't... but he said it was worth it. You are worth that to him. More than that."

"You're not jealous?"

The horse shrugged eloquently. "As long as you're not planning on running off with him somewhere, I figure we're still an item."

Kadath hugged his lover closely. "Of course I won't leave you."

"Then I'm not jealous. Why shouldn't people love you? You're wonderful, for all kinds of reasons. And I'm the lucky broomtail that caught you."

Ash leaned over and kissed Kadath warmly, gently, for a very long time.

"That just cost you a thousand bucks," the giraffe grinned.

"Start a tab," Ash said, and went back to work.

Dedication

For Kadath and Ashadan, because I love them - for reasons already stated.