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My Breakfast with Androcles

Chapter Two - Fetishes and Fatalities

I guess it would be my own selfishness that the world appears so much brighter as I jog across the campus to my dorm. Or maybe it's my optimism. Yeah, I'll go with optimism. Or maybe it's how inspirational Andro can be in the face of so much crap. That sweet lion, treated so brutally by the authorities because he tried to do the right thing, and he still wants to reach out to make the "Integration Program" work. He wants anthros and humans to live in the same world as equals, without the fear and suspicion that the hate groups keep creating. He's gonna have all the Anthro Alley residents go out and "adopt" a human student. Immersion, he called it, based on his own experience with his human roommate. How can I not feel drawn to him? How can the world not be a brighter place when Androcles the Lion is in it?

Even though I met him just a few hours ago I feel so drawn to him - attracted to him - aroused by him - inspired by him - that everything seems like it's going to work out simply because of him! I know that's crazy and I really need to get my infatuation under control. And as a reporter, I also have to call into question any journalistic integrity I thought I had up until meeting him, too. Me, Jimmy Olson, awesome student reporter for the Eagle's Nest - Eaglespoint College's premiere (and only!) newspaper - published every Friday, whether there's news or not! And, integrity or not, tonight I'm going to write the most important article of my life. Andro asked me to help him in his plan of uniting everyone with my article, and, along with countering the "official" reports of the interrogation that happened at Anthro Alley on Monday, I'm going to include Andro's dream. I believe in his dream. I believe in him. My lion.

Conveniently, my roommate is gone, which means I don't have to explain why I'm taking a quick shower and changing clothes. Not that he would even notice if he were here, but I worry about silly shit sometimes and had this paranoid thought that he'd comment on my pants smelling like dried semen. So, with that anxiety behind me, I sit down in front of my ancient desktop PC to pound out the story that will shift the world's view of anthros.

Since it's all so fresh in my mind still, I really don't use my notes except to make sure I have specifics right. And I can't help but hear Andro's voice in my head as I go over all the things he told me, even the bad parts when he sounded so vulnerable. I feel my anger return as I write about his depiction of his treatment under the hands of the authorities. At some point - after the missing student is found - I think I might try to see if I can address the issue of unreasonable police tactics in an article. But then, if Androcles gets his way, that might not be necessary. Or am I dreaming here? As much as I want to see the lion's vision of peace happen, it won't be an overnight change, and the hate groups will continue their propaganda attacks for whatever reason such people need to keep hatred going. Fuckers. If they could meet Andro face-to-face I'm sure they'd see there's no reason to fear him or hate him. Yeah, and the sky is orange now too.

Mental images of my lion are almost a distraction, but with my piss-poor showing today of everything I've learned so far about journalism, I force myself to stay on track. I have to do this and do it right, for my lion. I can't let him down. So I concentrate on the task of writing, explaining away the events that shocked the country in the easy manner Andro had explained them to me; The wild parties that were as normal as any dorm party, the orgies that were no more than consenting adults expanding their sexuality, the animal sacrifices that were really a gentle way to prevent small creatures from the terror of wild coyotes, the anthros eating people that... hmm. We never did get around to discussing that, now that I think about it. I flip through my little notepad to see if I had jotted anything down that I wasn't immediately recalling, but other than my asking the question about the bears possibly having something to do with Peter's disappearance, I had nothing. Maybe the issue was just too crazy for Andro to take seriously, and that's why we never talked about it. Even though it could_happen. He ate his friend. No, he _took in his friend. I need to remember how he puts it. He said that Bahrku was slightly smaller than himself, so he could easily eat... dur, take in someone as small as me. But that was by mutual agreement. Even if someone in Anthro Alley ate the missing student, I seriously doubt that he would've agreed to it. And if Andro is representative of the anthros there, I can't see any of them simply gulping Peter down just for the heck of it. And besides, I'm still not totally convinced that the Westbrook Church isn't behind his disappearance anyway. To me, it just seems too devious to overlook.

Taking the lead that I assume Andro took, I decide to not even address the issue of man-eating anthros. But I do reveal that they take in animals, and other anthros, putting it the way Andro had put it and giving it the most sensitive spin I can, delving into their spirituality concerning it. If I want to help my lion bring humans and anthros together then these are things that can't remain hidden, and the sooner it's all brought out, the sooner everyone learns to accept it. I even decide to include how Andro swallowed my hand to show me how anthros express affection, and the pleasurable aspects of being taken in. Obviously I leave out the part about me creaming my jeans, but I'm sure thinking about it a lot.

After finishing up with Andro's "Adopt a Human" plan, I take a break to get some coffee before proofing it. I also make a quick call to my editor to let him know that I'll be by shortly with the article. Even though the paper doesn't come out until Friday morning, everything has to be turned in by Wednesday afternoon to allow time for approval, editing, formatting and printing. And I'm already way past the afternoon deadline. But Jeff, the editor, says he's waiting for me, so my coffee break is more of a gulp.

Being a small campus, it's an easy walk to the journalism building, which is also the art building and the law building. Jeff says nothing as I walk to his desk, but he looks up from his monitor and arcs an eyebrow. I know he's not excited about including my article, given his basic dislike of anthros (Change! Change is bad!), but he also knows that the events surrounding the missing student and Anthro Alley warrant a good portion of the front page this week. With no change of expression, he calmly snatches the flash drive I toss to him. "Here," I say, with a cocky grin. "Pulitzer prize right there!" That earns me another eyebrow combined with an irritated frown.

"Let's just hope it's printable, Olson." Jeff's tone never falters and I wonder if anything could excite him. But I'm confident that what I've turned in is solid and will open a lot of eyes about the anthro population that's been sharing the campus with us all these months. "You'll be available for rewrites?" He's not even looking at me anymore, but has already begun reading my masterpiece.

"You got my number. Call me if ya need me." I grin and wave happily just to irritate him as I leave. Standing outside the building I realize what an incredible night it is. Even with all the lights of the college's buildings the Milky Way is faintly visible, stretching across the black, star-studded sky. I ponder for a moment if anthros care about the stars, or space, or even space travel. And thinking about anthros naturally leads me back to thinking about Andro. I'm momentarily tempted to walk over to Anthro Alley to hear him rally his dorm mates to his cause, but decide that an outsider might be a distraction. With a sigh, I slowly head back to my own dorm.

The alarm didn't even need to go off since I've been awake for a good hour already. With the anticipation I have for seeing Androcles again, I'm surprised I slept at all, but I guess my tired body won the battle over my mental excitement and I dozed off somewhere after midnight. Quickly slapping the button to shut off the clock, I glance over in the dimness at my roommate. His snoring tells me that I hadn't disturbed him, so I quietly slip out and down to the communal showers.

Convinced that I couldn't be any cleaner, I peer into my tiny closet at my tinier wardrobe trying to decide what shirt I should wear. Yesterday was official business so I had Dockers™ and a short sleeve dress shirt, but jeans would be fine today. And since none of my shirts satisfied me, I go with a plain white t-shirt. Even though I'm kinda thin, the shirt is just tight enough to show the minor definition of my stomach, and I plan on using that to tease Andro a bit. I'm still curious about his navel fetish, but it now strikes me as a "cute lion thing" and I want to see how crazy I can make him.

I leave my still-sleeping roommate and head outside into the cool early morning bustle of students heading off to class or out for breakfast. I'm slightly startled by the number of anthros in the commons area chatting with human students, but quickly realize that Andro's "Adopt A Human" plan must already be under way. I smile as I watch the friendly interactions, witnessing my lion's dream already beginning to take shape, and am so preoccupied that I don't see a blue female fox approach me, startling me with her cheerful "Good morning."

"It is a good morning," I reply, returning her smile.

Lightly placing her paw on my arm, she stands close enough that I'd normally feel a threat to my personal space, but already knowing her purpose keeps me relaxed. "You've certainly heard about Peter by now, the missing student," she speaks softly, keeping an underlying pleasantness in her tone, "and the events in Anthro Alley on Monday night..."

"And you're here to adopt me?" I interrupt, still smiling.

The blue fox looks momentarily surprised, but quickly regains her cheerfulness. "Yes, I am. How did you...?"

"I'm already spoken for," I respond, cutting her off again. "At least, I hope I am." It suddenly occurs to me that Andro hadn't made any such proclamations and my thinking that I might be 'his' could just be my own desire. He has his human roommate and maybe that's whom he adopted.

My mental doubts are interrupted by the fox. "Who adopted you?"

"Um," I'm almost afraid to say it now, worrying that I could be wrong. "Androcles," I mumble quietly.

"Oh!" she responds with wide grin. "You're Jimmy! Oh, yes. You're his, alright! He made that very clear last night." She gives my arm a friendly squeeze as my mind pours ten levels of relief over the doubts I had.

"Last night, at his meeting?" I'm a bit embarrassed that he would mention me in a way that didn't relate to the article I wrote. "How'd it go?"

"He was amazing!" The fox clasped her paws to her chest and I felt like I was watching someone talk about their favorite singer. "He's always been a natural leader, but he inspired everyone to get over what's happened and look forward to a better future. And he spoke very highly of you and how you're helping us. He said he was kicking off his adoption plan by making you the first adoptee - His."

"Really?" My grin is completely involuntary at hearing this news.

"You're very lucky," the fox says. "After his speech, half the dorm wanted to suck his paws," she gives me a quick up-and-down look and sighs. "He's so awesome!"

Holy crap! Now he's a celebrity! How am I supposed to compete with a whole dorm of fans? I feel insecurity kicking in as I realize that, as a little human, I can't suck his paw, which seems to be something he likes. Maybe if I lick it...

"Are you heading over there now?" The blue fox again brings my mind back to reality.

"Um, yeah. I'm gonna grab us some food first... from McDonald's™." It suddenly occurs to me that I don't know what anthros eat, other than pizza. And rabbits. "Hey, what does Andro like?"

"From Mickey D's?" She giggles. "Sausage biscuits and hash browns."

"Yeah? Hey, thanks!" I smile.

"Well, it was nice meeting you, Jimmy. But I still have a human to adopt." She rubs my chest with the back of her paw and I'm reminded how anthros always show affectionate physical contact.

"Yeah, nice meeting you too," I rub her shoulder lightly in an attempt to be more anthro-like. I consider a moment about pointing her to my editor Jeff as a potential adoptee, but quickly decide that I like her too much to subject her to that. "I hope you find someone nice."

She smiles and lifts my hand to her muzzle and quickly licks my fingers. With a wave, she's heading off towards another student. I know that the human students have had some exposure to the anthros, but this directness is new and I wonder how they're taking it. From what I can see, everyone seems receptive and I assume it's in part the shared concern for the missing student. Communities are usually united by tragic events (not to assume that Peter's story is tragic. Yet.), and as the humans learn more about the abuse of authority in Anthro Alley, there seems to be a desire to unite against it. Peace and love - just like in the 1960s. Andro's timing of his adoption event couldn't've been better.

Anticipating more attempts of being adopted as I approach Anthro Alley, I order a shitload of extra hash browns so I can pass them out to any anthro that considers me a prospective adoptee. They all appreciate the gift and seem excited to learn who I am. Even though many of them express their own desire to be with Andro, I detect no jealousy from any of them. Anthros seem very different from humans in that regard. Walking up the steps to the dorm's entrance, I'm unexpectedly face-to-face with Mustang and Conroy - Andro's human roommate and their hyena friend. Before I can offer them a hash brown, Conroy rushes up to me and grabs me into a tight hug. His initial approach had me almost step back, given his near-hostile attitude towards me yesterday, but I guess my lion convinced him that I'm no threat because the way he's grinding his body into mine is not the way one would treat an enemy. With food bags in my hands, I hug back as best I can, appreciating that I no longer have to be concerned about how the hyena feels about me. Even Mustang came over and put a hand on my shoulder, giving me a friendly smile. I could feel Conroy's low giggling reverberate through my body until he finally lets me go, still standing much closer than 'human personal space' would usually allow for. Instead of stepping back like I normally would, I rub his furry chest with the back of my hand, which seems to please him as his giggling gets a bit louder.

"Morning, guys," I say, opening one of the McDonald's™ bags. "Want a hash brown?"

"Yeah, sure. Thanks," Mustang replies as Conroy reaches in for two, handing one to his friend. Taking a bite, Mustang adds, "Too bad you missed Andro's meeting last night. It was good."

"Yeah!" Conroy giggles, after quickly swallowing his hash brown whole.

I smile, thinking about how well everyone seems to have responded to my lion's speech. "I thought about stopping by, but..."

"He really likes you!" the hyena interrupts excitedly. "And not just... you know! He really likes you!"

Wrapping his arm around Conroy, Mustang smiles at me. "We got classes until this afternoon, so you guys can..."

"Really likes you!" Conroy blurts out, causing Mustang to laugh. He leads the hyena off as they both wave. I watch them go, arms wrapped around each other. I see it as a friend thing, nothing more. Lucky guys.

I turn back towards the door and smack right into a huge tiger! How he got right behind me so silently was... well, shit, he's a tiger; I guess they do that. As I bounce off his muscled body, he reaches a paw out to steady me, smiling in a friendly manner. He's easily as tall as Andro, and his stripes - at this close perspective - are amazingly beautiful: Perfect sharp, thick pointed streaks of black against yellow fur, like they'd been meticulously painted on. He's stunning, and I notice his paw has a familiar softness, just like my lion's, as he guides me back closer to him.

"Hi, I'm LaRoque," he purrs at me. "And if no one has adopted you yet..." his paw squeezes my shoulder, "I'd sure like to." He nudges me into his chest - or mostly his stomach since he's so damn tall! - and his paw glides down my back to hold me in place.

"Um," I try to talk without getting fur in my mouth. "I'm Andro's"

I feel him tense slightly before he mutters, "Oh well, fuck me!" He allows me to back out of his chest and gives me a frustrated smile. "How does that lion get all the good humans?"

"By not being so forward?" I offer with a good-natured grin.

The tiger tilts his head as his smile looks more relaxed. "Point taken." His paw gently rubs my cheek. "But just because Andro adopted you doesn't mean you can't play around. So if you ever wanna ruffle my stripes... " he trails off but flashes a sexy smile full of white teeth and fangs.

"Not being so forward?" I repeat, laughing as I open one of the food bags. "Hash brown?"

LaRoque glances at the bag and then grins slyly at me. "Well, it's a poor substitute, but if I can't have you... " He reaches his huge paw in and retrieves one of the little potato cakes, leaving the wrapper behind. His eyes narrow seductively at me as his tongue extends out to envelop the morsel completely before slowly pulling it into his maw. I have to admit that if I hadn't met Andro, I might be tempted to see what this tiger has to offer. But then, if I hadn't met Andro I wouldn't realize that I was interested in anthros, so LaRoque's efforts would've been wasted regardless. I just smile and give his tight belly a quick pat figuring the hash brown had just arrived deep inside.

Standing at the door to Andro's room, it strikes me how different things are today from yesterday when I was dodging hocked loogies. That the anthros here could forgive what happened and actively seek to strengthen the relationships with their human counterparts speaks volumes about their depth of character. That sounds so good to me that I mentally note it for another article, assuming my dickhead editor will ever approve another story about anthros. Gathering the food bags into one hand, I raise the other to knock, but before I can, the door swings open to reveal my lion, natural and smiling.

"I smell sausage biscuits!" he proclaims happily. "And hash browns! And best of all, my favorite college reporter!" He doesn't ask me in, but instead wraps his paw around the small of my back and bluntly nudges me. I have no objections, and am kinda flattered by such a reception. Once inside, Andro quickly closes the door and pulls me into a full body hug. "I missed you, little human reporter guy!"

I chuckle at his enthusiasm as I drop the bags on his bed in order to properly hug him back. "I missed you too, big strong cuddly lion!" Pressed against his chest, I feel him purr and it takes me back to yesterday when I recall how safe I felt in his embrace. Yeah, I can see why the other anthros want to be with him. Not that I was having any doubts. But he's mine. My lion. My eyes close and I breathe deeply, content to ignore the rest of the world for as long as Andro wants to hold me.

As his soft paws slowly and gently rub my back, snuggling me into his warm, furry body, I hear his whispered voice reverberate from deep within, a hint of excitement in his question, "How did your article come out?"

Shifting my head so I can talk without eating fur, I give him a quick jolt-hug. "I was brilliant, if I do say so! But only because of your inspiration. I think it's the best thing I've written for the paper."

"Mmmm," he purrs. "Can I read it?"

"No, because I don't want to you stop holding me."

"Okay," he replies and rubs his chin on the top of my head as he tightens his paws around my body. I nearly melt. Androcles is so much larger than I am that my smaller body is almost hidden within his embrace, and having him surround me like this gives me a sensation of security that I've never experienced before. He's like my indestructible shield, surrounding me and protecting me from all harm. I seriously wouldn't mind staying within his embrace forever. But sadly, forever is only a few minutes before the big lion loosens his grip and leans back to look down at me, paws still on my sides. Somehow, his eyes are a deeper emerald green than I remember them; like the rarest of jewels, gazing past my muddy blue orbs and into my soul. His easy smile contrasts the excitement I hear in his soft, deep voice, "Ask me about my meeting."

I can't help but smile at him as I feel a sense of pride in what he's already accomplished. "I already got the early reviews, and they're all good! But I want to hear about it from you. Every detail."

"Mmm! Article first!" He grins slyly at me as he sits on the bed, keeping a paw on my side. I love all this anthro contact and wonder if humans will pick up on it. I sit next to him and his paw follows along my back to wrap around me.

"Okay," I concede. "Article first, along with breakfast." As I grab the bags, I notice that they're much lighter than I anticipated. "Damn, I hope there're hash browns left!" I give him an apologetic look. "I gave hash browns away to anyone who tried to adopt me."

"You did?" The wide-eyed look he gives me at first makes me wonder if he's pissed that I gave away his food, but then his broad smile makes me realize that he saw the intent of my actions as a friendly counter-gesture. "Is it any wonder why I love you?"

Wait. Did he just say he loves me? Whoa! No, wait - he had to mean that in a joking sense. Right? Like 'I love you, man' kinda stuff. Right? I mean, it doesn't make sense that he could love me after only one day no matter how strongly I feel about him. How strongly do I feel about him? Oh my God.

"You got quiet," Andro says, and I feel my eyes turn into saucers as I realize my mental gyrations were noticed. "Is it because I said I love you?" His gentle directness both surprises and scares me. Whatever happened to beating around the bush when it comes to your feelings? I notice my mouth hang open as we look into each other's eyes. "Because I do," he continues softly with a warm smile.

"I... I..." My mouth decides to stop functioning. Or my brain. Not sure which, but the result is me stammering as I try to respond.

"You love me too?" He offers, whispering.

"Yeah." I'm able to get that out, and Andro smiles but looks at me like he's still waiting for something. He gazes down at me, his emerald eyes shimmering as his head tilts slightly to the side with his paw gently holding me in place next to him. Even sitting, his seven-foot frame dwarfs me, but makes me feel completely safe. I can't imagine ever feeling more secure than within his embrace, and then I imagine how I would feel if I were denied it and shiver at the thought. My eyes focus into his. "I love you." It comes out not as a parroted reply but as a conviction as I realize I truly mean it. And it was apparently what Andro was waiting to hear because I was immediately pulled back into his warm, furry chest in an enthusiastic hug. Hearing his heart beat, feeling his chest expand with each breath, I nuzzle into him as deep as I can. "Oh, God, I love you, Andro!" My voice is muffled but I have no doubt he got my intent as he lays back on the bed, pulling me along on top of him. In this position, we're face-to-face as I now look down at him. I bring my lips to his in a gentle kiss, more a sharing of intimacy than of passion, and I see his eyes close right before I close mine.

I lose track of time and it isn't until I feel a soft tongue lick my nose that I snap out of a rather sexual fantasy of being 'taken in' by my lion. Surprised by that, I wonder if Andro had 'conveyed' that image to me but decide that it's nothing more than my own fantasy. I'm still fascinated by the whole concept and keep trying to imagine how the rabbits had felt last Saturday night. Andro's paws are lightly massaging my back as I lay on his 'natural' body, and he gives me a curious look. "Are you okay?" he asks quietly.

"Yeah," I smile back. "Yeah, I was just..." Should I say it? Anthros are so direct about everything that he would probably appreciate me not skirting around what I was thinking. "I was just imagining you eating me." Oh shit. The second the words are out I consider that Andro might take offense at this! Besides using the wrong term, I may be minimizing his devotion to his friend Bahrku.

He chuckles a bit, which causes me to bounce lightly as I lay on him. "Eating you is not what I have planned. At least, not in the sense you're thinking." Giving me a sly grin, his paw pushes me off his body so I'm lying next to him. "But eating is a good idea! And the sausage biscuits are getting cold!" Sitting up, he reaches a huge paw into the bag and pulls out a few wrapped morsels, handing one to me. I can sense that he's watching me as I take the wrapper off, and as I raise it to my mouth it's stopped by his suddenly-extended tongue. I had no idea his tongue was this long and am surprised and aroused as it envelops my hand. With his paw on my arm, the tongue guides my hand into his maw and his lips clamp down on my wrist. Still wrapped within the wet, fleshy muscle, I release the biscuit as I feel him sucking on me. Deftly moving the food from my fingers, he nudges it to his throat and swallows. The sensation is seductively reminiscent of yesterday and I feel myself getting aroused. But Andro pulls my hand out, again nearly drying it with his lips, and gives me a big smile as he holds the other biscuit up for me. There's no way I can take the thing in my mouth like he did, so I take a bite, gently holding his wrist to keep it where it is before my face. I eat the thing as fast as I possibly can without choking myself, and then lean forward to lick the crumbs off his paw. His loud purr lets me know I'm doing something he likes, and that makes me feel really, really good. Apparently too good as he gently pulls his paw away and whispers, "You better stop that or I'll never get to read your article."

I consider for a moment that the article can rot, but he's right. I know it's important for him to know what to expect when it's published tomorrow and how it will help support his plans to reenergize the "Integration Program" with his adoption idea. "Okay," I respond after a short hesitation as I reluctantly let his paw go and reach for the flash drive in my pocket. "But I want to get back to this later."

Plugging the drive into his laptop on the desk, Andro shoots me a wild-eyed look. "Oh, have no doubt that you will not leave here today until I'm sure you've been satisfied in every way possible!" Damn, I need to remember to bring extra underwear with me.

As he begins reading, I set the food bags on the desk next to him and watch as his paw glides into each to retrieve unwrapped biscuits and hash browns (how's he do that?). I'm completely amused by his popping each piece into his maw and swallowing them - apparently whole - as I can see a tiny bulge travel down his throat. The whole time, his eyes never leave the laptop's screen and I hear a few vocal noises that sound like grunts of agreement. Scavenging a hash brown for myself before they disappear, I catch myself thinking about each bit that I swallow; how it would feel to the inert potato cake if it had a conscience. As I watch Andro toss the last biscuit into his maw and swallow it, I almost feel a sense of envy. What?! I really need to reign in this weird fantasy thing because it's beginning to freak me out. My affection for Andro does not include being a meal for him!

"It doesn't?" He turns to me and asks.

Shocked, I stare at him, dumbfounded, "Huh?"

"This sentence here," he continues. "You say that the voice of a majority doesn't act as a controlling factor in creating laws that would relegate a group into being second class citizens. Isn't that how democracy works though? Majorities?"

"Oh, um, yeah." I'm still reeling from how it appeared he had read my thoughts again - and always at the weirdest times. "But, um, the U.S. Constitution prevents that. Rights provided under the constitution can't be voted away, even if it's by, like, 95% approval."

"So, they would have to change the constitution. Hm!" He turns back to finish, his tail slowly whipping the air behind him. While I wait, I silently kick off my shoes. I hear him whisper the name 'Bahrku' and I know he's at the point where I explain his spirituality. I feel anxiety kick in, wondering if he'll approve of how I handled it since it's such a delicate subject, and one we both know will be hard for the human population to understand or relate to. He finally turns back to me with a big grin. "It's wonderful, Jimmy! It's perfect!"

"Yeah?" My smile is unstoppable as I receive his praise. "You think it'll help your cause?"

"Oh, for sure!" He switches seats so he's on the bed next to me. "I mean, I can't speak from the human perspective, but any anthro reading this will know that we're going to move past the conflict and develop better relations. It's exactly what's needed to follow the meeting last night."

"Yeah, you still need to tell me how that went!"

He gives me a full smile showing his white teeth and huge fangs. I can sense the excitement in him as he stands, almost like he's going to give me a personal speech. And that's pretty much what it is in a way. He describes how almost everyone in Anthro Alley showed up (a few had late classes), mainly because they were still shaken by the interrogations and looking for guidance; wanting to know what they should be doing about it. Convincing them that no one should drop out or go home, he laid out his idea of moving forward and regaining the trust and respect that had been lost, and discussed his 'Adopt a Human' plan along with me being his adoptee. He detailed his friendship with Mustang, his human roommate; using that as an example of how well things can work. And he also told them about the article I was doing and to make sure they all got the paper when it comes out on Friday. He said there were a lot of questions and discussion, but no one disapproved of the plan, noting that everyone seemed very enthusiastic.

His skill at speaking and holding an audiences' attention was obvious even though it was just me listening. I'm transfixed by him and when he pauses at his conclusion, I feel like clapping. But he isn't finished. Putting his paws together I see his leadership stance morph into an almost shy expression. "One other thing, just so you know," he continues softly. "After the meeting I got quite a few, um, offers from furs wanting to, um, suck my paw." His eyes dart away nervously and I grin at his unexpected embarrassment. "But I told them all I was spoken for," he adds, smiling.

"Spoken for?" I ask with playful curiosity. "By whom?"

"A certain human reporter I fell in love with." His shyness appears to subside as he straightens up to his towering seven-foot height. As his tail slowly glides in the air behind him, one paw gently rubs against his tight belly. I wonder if that's an unconscious move or something more since I saw him do that numerous times yesterday, but it reminds me of his navel fetish thing. It also reminds me that he's been natural this whole time and I've barely noticed.

"All those offers to suck your paw," I say softly almost sighing. "I wish I was able to do that for you."

"You were doing a fine job with your tongue a few minutes ago," he responds gently, a sly grin forming. "And I appreciated it very much."

After a heartbeat I reach out for his free paw with both hands and feel a spark between us. Silently I lean forward and lick the fur on his knuckles while my fingers stroke the pads underneath. I hear him take a quick breath followed by loud purring. I love it when he purrs, and if it's a result of something I'm doing, then it's so much better. My small, human mouth is no match for his huge lion paw, but I do what I can by using my lips to nibble as my tongue slathers my saliva through the fur and down to the skin. Turning his paw over, I lap and suck forcefully at the spongy pads, pressing my face into them. I'm somewhat surprised and aroused by the taste. I half anticipated him to taste more like, well, a dirty animal (and I immediately admonished myself for thinking that), but the fur and skin and pads were actually very pleasurable - not totally unlike a human's, but with a bolder tang about it. With that, I drive my tongue deep into the space between two pads and Andro's purr shifts to a low growl and I know I've hit the right spot. Encouraged, I use my hands to push his paw harder against my face, almost wrapping it around as if he had grabbed me. As I continue to chew on him, slowly shifting from pad to pad and licking the soft spots between, I feel him move closer to me.

Without interrupting my licking and chewing, I shift my face so my eyes can peripherally see him and am startled by his unsheathed erection pointing straight at me. I bury my eyes again, almost biting his paw as the mental image of his lionhood burns itself into my imagination. It was huge! Much larger than I thought it would be, even given his size. It was more animal-like in appearance than human; thick, pink, with a larger, almost square-ish head that merged smoothly into the thick shaft - no sign of a foreskin scar like I'm used to seeing. Once past my initial shock, I peek again, ensuring that my licking becomes even stronger so he doesn't suspect that I was caught off guard. On second view, it appears more dynamic, not as frightening, and I can't help but wonder how it feels. But Andro seems to have noted my increased lapping of his paw as his growling becomes louder. At any other time, growling would send me running for safety, but with my lion it adds to my excitement as I'm able to do something he likes.

After a few more minutes and noting his breathing becoming more labored, he suddenly nudges my head back gently with his other paw. "Whoo!" he gasps. "If you don't stop, I'm afraid I might lose control."

Releasing his paw and laying back on the bed, I give him a playful smirk. "I don't know that that would necessarily be a bad thing." He looks surprised at my reply, possibly expecting something else although I don't know what. But since I have the momentary advantage, I figure I should push it further. I slowly lift my t-shirt up to my chin, exposing my stomach and chest and Andro's eyes immediately fixate on my abs. I also see his erection twitch. He stands totally still, appearing entranced, and I chuckle to myself at the thought of control I have over him. But I want to tease him a bit, so I lower my shirt, hiding the prize I know he wants - even if I have no idea what it is he sees in it.

He takes a breath as his eyes regain their composure and he extends a paw to me to guide me up so I'm now standing in front of him. "Do you trust me?" he asks in his low voice, his expression serious.

"With my life." The question seems odd for the moment, but I have no hesitation in my answer.

"Does that shirt hold any value for you?"

"My shirt?" That strikes me as a funny follow-up question and I give him a quick curious look before replying, "No."

The word is barely out of my mouth when I see a blur from his paw and feel a tug against my chest. In the next second, my t-shirt - or what's left of it - hangs in shreds on me. "Then it needs to be out of my way," he growls seductively. I quickly glance down in fear, thinking that I should be bleeding or something, but his claws made no contact with my skin. Just the minor movement of me looking - wide-eyed - back up at the lion, encourages the remains of the shirt fall to the floor. "Trust me," he whispers hoarsely as his emerald eyes flash red. In equal parts fear and excitement, I feel myself roughly grabbed and slammed onto the bed, held down with one paw on my chest and the other on my legs as Andro hovers over me. His face is about a foot over my abdomen with his eyes blazing red so brightly that I see a crimson shine on my belly. His breathing is ragged and mixed with low growls, and if I didn't trust him I'd be absolutely shitting myself in fear I was about to be gutted by his huge fangs. So much for my brief moment of control.

With another growl, I see his thick tongue extend from his mouth and flatten against my stomach, soaking it with hot saliva. I had loved the feel of his tongue on my hand and arm the day before, but my belly is much more sensitive and the sensation of his slow, methodic licking is igniting pleasure in every nerve it touches. I close my eyes as he lowers his head to bring his lips into play, mouthing each area of my abs as his tongue swirls about in exploration. I involuntarily arc my body upward, basically shoving my torso into his maw as he sucks and tastes me. The paw on my chest massages me with those incredible, spongy pads as the other one deftly unbuttons my jeans to allow him access to my lower abdomen.

Apparently finished with his preliminary investigation of my torso, I feel the muscles in Andro's tongue stiffen a bit as it traces circles around my navel, slowly spiraling closer to the deep hole. His maw opens wider to the point where his upper and lower lips are pressing opposite sides of my abdomen. If he were to clamp his mouth shut, he would literally bite me half, but I know that's not his intent. He seals his lips against my skin and creates a suction, drawing my belly inward as his tongue continues to circle and push down. It's an indescribable sensation made more intense as his the tip of his hot tongue finally targets my navel and plunges in. I gasp loudly as the fleshy muscle plows deep into my belly, lapping and tasting every tiny crevice and crease as the rest of my belly is drawn inward towards his hot maw. The mixture of being pulled in and pushed against makes it feel like his tongue has transcended past the physical limits of my skin; like he's actually inside me - and it's driving me so close to an orgasm that I involuntarily grab his head to keep myself from exploding too soon. He growls louder as I force him down on my torso, and his tongue penetrates further in its quest. Impossibly, it feels like he's shoving more of the fleshy muscle into me as his mouth on my body gets more aggressive; animal-like, biting down but without teeth. His paw yanks down my jeans and boxers, and the head my now-exposed erection rubs against the fur of his cheek as he roughly chews on my torso.

It's more than I can stand. Hell, I'm amazed I lasted this long. Involuntarily thrusting my belly into his mouth, I release a primal growl as the orgasm takes over. "GGGRRAAHHHHHH!!" Andro quickly turns his head and takes my exploding manhood into his maw, his amazing tongue fully wrapping around it. Oh, Dear Lord in Heaven, there was no way I thought this could get any more intense but as my body shudders and twists under his control, his tongue creates a second, simultaneous orgasm. I can feel blood draining from my head and I think I'm close to passing out as Andro laps and sucks my geysering cock. I feel him swallow and I yell again as I grab the bedspread, yanking it up around us. My heart pounds like it's about to punch its way right out of my chest and for a brief moment I consider that this is almost too much pleasure to take! Even after my body is drained of seed, the lion continues to work his tongue over my shaft to bring on additional orgasms. I didn't think such things were even possible and I still feel like I could lose consciousness at any moment. I suddenly feel his paw gently cover my mouth and realize that I've been screaming the entire time. His tongue ceases its erotic movements on my still-throbbing cock, but remains wrapped around it, giving me a chance to pull myself back from the brink of orgasmic insanity. Releasing my manhood from his mouth, he slowly turns his head towards me, making sure to drag his tongue firmly along my belly before giving me a very smug and satisfied smile.

"Ya think we woke the neighbors?" he asks with a deadpan grin.

"God, I hope so," I reply between gasps as I try to regain my breath. "Just to let them know how awesome you are."

Smiling still as he continues kneeling by the bed, Andro gives my quivering belly a kiss. "Thank you for letting me fulfill that little desire."

"Oh, God, Andro! Are you kidding? I'll never be the same after that! And this is just foreplay to you, right?" His eyes narrow seductively and I realize that he does indeed have much more on his mind. My hand idly moves to my stomach where I half expect it to find a stretched-out-of-shape crater where my belly button used to be, but it feels perfectly normal - albeit a little wetter than usual. I lift my head, needing visual verification, and my lion gives me a curious look.

"Something wrong?" he asks gently.

"No, it's... it's fine." I reply as my finger pokes in to ensure the depth hasn't increased.

Grinning at my actions, Andro says, "I left it as I found it. I love it as it is and would do nothing to harm it."

"Belly buttons," I mutter as I look back at him. "Is your interest in 'em because you don't have one?"

The look he gives me can only be described as a surprised 'huh?' before a huge grin takes over. "I don't have one?" he asks incredulously as he starts to giggle. I feel a bit embarrassed at his reaction; suddenly realizing that because they're covered by fur, I had assumed anthros didn't have navels. Still laughing, Andro sits on the bed next to me. "Of course I have one!"

I look at his stomach, still not seeing any sign of a belly button. "Where?" I ask sheepishly.

The big lion leans back on his elbows, giving a better view of his muscled abdomen. "Right there," he giggles, giving me no help in where 'there' might be.

With a smirk, I decide to solve this without his assistance and drop to my knees on the floor between his legs so I can get my face right over his belly, avoiding contact with his sheath which lays just inches below my chest. He giggles again as he smiles at me, but I ignore him and concentrate on his tight abs. At this close range, I can see a slight indentation I hadn't noticed before so I rub my fingers over it to discover a hole underneath the fur. Well, that was easy! But I'm now intrigued by my lack of knowledge of anthro navels and must explore this fully. Slowly spreading the fur, I find that the hole tapers down into a very deep, oval pit, and as I gaze into it Andro's breathing causes his stomach to slowly rise and fall. Taking a moment to match the cadence of his breaths, I gently slide my forefinger in to see just how deep the lion's belly button is. I can just barely hear him begin to purr and I grin to myself. Slowly withdrawing my finger, I move closer to inspect the hole visually. The soft fur perfectly lines it, bending inward to create a funnel that stops right at the base where the folds appear almost uniform. I had never taken the time to examine anyone's belly button before, but I find myself fascinated by his, wanting to know why he finds them so arousing. Peripherally, I notice one of Andro's paws slowly move directly over my head as if he were preparing to shove my face into his stomach. Unsure of his intent, I freeze, and he whispers, "Don't worry. Nothing will happen that you don't want." Tilting my head upward just enough to see his emerald eyes, I smile my acknowledgement. I already trust him; I know I have nothing to worry about. Looking back at his fuzzy stomach, I figure I should get past my prudishness about his sheath and shift my body so my chest lowers down to lightly press against it, furry and warm. I'm not sure why I felt skittish about touching him 'there', especially considering what he had just done to me, but once I make contact I feel more relaxed about it and gently grind my chest into his sheathed lionhood. Feeling him lightly push back sends an erotic shudder through me and I follow by raising my head just enough to make contact with the paw he still has suspended. With a more intense back-and-forth motion of my chest against his sheath, I slowly lower my face towards his belly as his paw stays in contact, exerting the minimalest amount of pressure. Close enough to his belly that my breathing lightly ripples the soft fur, I open my mouth and extend my tongue directly over his navel, and then slowly let it slide in, expanding it so it presses against the sides as it travels downward into what seems like the soul of my lion. With my tongue filling his hole and my mouth covering the surrounding area, Andro presses his paw against my head to push my face into his soft belly. I'm not as much surprised by his action - half expecting him to do that - as I am at the softness of what had been muscular abs a moment before. I assume this might be due to the stretchiness he had mentioned yesterday but my thoughts of logic and reason quickly give way to the sensation I feel as my tongue explores deeper into him, and he in turn pushes me further into his stomach. If not for the thin cushion of fur, I'm not sure how'd I'd breathe, and although a bit restricted, I realize I'm not going to suffocate as it seems I'm sinking deeper into Andro's belly. Every movement of my tongue elicits a purr or growl from him, which increases my excitement, and not having any experience with navels other than a passing lick, I decide to simply do to him what he had done to me. Being so much smaller, my mouth can't cover the area his could, but I still use my lips for suction as I nibble on his abdomen. Given he has protective fur, I also let my teeth dig in a bit, which results in my face pushed deeper along with more growls. Still grinding my chest into his sheath, his state of arousal is obvious as his hardened lionhood is nearly to my chin. This convinces me I'm doing what he wants and that drives me to chew on him even harder, biting his soft abs and growling myself.

Andro suddenly starts thrusting his hard lioncock against my chest, which would probably bounce me right off him if I didn't have my arms wrapped around his torso. Between growls I hear him pant, "I'm...I'm..." and I know I've got him right at the edge. I give his stomach one more hard bite, which sends his body into convulsions. His paws grab my shoulders, holding me firmly in place as his growling increases into a frightening roar. I quickly tuck my face down to take the head of his wet cockhead into my mouth just as the first eruption occurs. Nothing could prepare me for the initial blast of lion semen that instantaneously fills my mouth. Hotter than I'm used to, and saltier, I gulped as quickly as I could knowing that was just the first salvo. Andro wasn't making this easy, either. His entire body is bucking and thrashing as I hold on as best I can, trying not to let his cock slip from my mouth. But I'm enjoying every moment of this as he pumps more and more of his seed down my throat. His sustained roar would have everyone in a human dorm dialing 9-1-1 in tandem, and it lets me feel like I have a moment of power over him again. Finally, the bursts of semen subside and his thrashing and roaring mellow to rough panting. Letting his cockhead slide from my mouth, I swallow the last remnants of him and bury my face back in his heaving belly.

Andro's heart is pounding like steady artillery as I feel him lift his head. "I may have to study your religions more," he says between breaths, "because I think I saw God!" Chuckling, his paws grab me around the waist and pull me up so I'm face-to-face on top of him. His eyes are sparkling in a way that would make Walt Disney proud and he gives my nose a wet lick before pulling me into a tight hug. I hear him purr and whisper, "Daaaaamn, Jimmy..."

The idea that I was able to satisfy a big lion that way gives me tingle, and a pretty serious ego boost! Feeling my stomach bulging from his load as it presses against his, I smile back at him, "All your little lion sperms are swimmin' in my belly."

"Mmmmm," he purrs in reply. "Lucky little sperms. But I have plenty more and I can think of only one other place they'd want to be." I lift my head to see him grinning evilly with narrowed eyes. "Oh, yeah." He grrs at me.

I have an instant of panic as I consider the size difference between us, but this is my lion. My lion. And I'm his and I trust him. "Have you ever, um, mated... with a human before?"

"No, and I'm hoping you'll help me rectify that," he smiles. "But don't worry because I'll go easy with you."

"No." I say firmly.

He looks mildly startled. "No? But..."

"There's no way I'm going to let you deny me the full intensity of your passion." Andro blinks at me. "We do this, we do it _your_way; totally anthro! No holding back on me. I'm yours now and you gotta give me everything you are.

He pauses a moment with a concerned expression. "Are you sure?" he asks softly. "Because you..."

"I'm sure." I cut him off, knowing he's worried about possibly hurting me. I give him a quick kiss and then meet his emerald eyes. "I'm sure, Andro."

For a few seconds he looks like he's considering options before his gaze settles back on me. "As you wish, Jimmy." He takes a deep breath and I can feel him begin to purr. "I love you," he whispers in a tone so ominous it makes me wonder if I may have just made an error in judgment. But the lion doesn't give me much time to wonder about anything as his eyes shift from emerald to ruby and his easy smile contorts to a vicious sneer. The purr shifts to a growl as he roughly grabs me, lifting me off him as he stands. In that second, I realize that my gentle Andro is gone, replaced by an anthro filled with pure animal lust. He slams me onto the bed, holding me down with one huge paw, claws extended and pressing against my bare chest. His blazing red eyes stare through me as his lips curl back to expose sharp, white fangs, dripping with saliva. He jumps on top me, straddling my smaller body and. without warning, lunges for my neck and I feel the points of the fangs as they push into the tender skin, but not breaking it. If that was a diversion, it worked, because as I was worrying about my jugular being shredded, Andro had jammed his cockhead into my ass at the same moment. By the time I realized what had happened, he was already thrusting deeper into me, but each thrust was matched by him biting against my neck, which keeps me too distracted to resist his lower assault. His claws are holding me firmly by my torso so I have no escape even if it occurred to me beyond the fear/excitement I'm experiencing. He pushes himself deeper, impossibly fitting his massive lionhood into me, reaching depths that should be tearing my guts apart. With anyone other than Andro, I'd be freaking out about not surviving this, and I'm still thinking that I'm going to be seriously damaged by the time he's through with me. But his passion, his sexual rage, his base primal lust have me caught up in his desire - to be his, completely. I should probably be terrified but I'm as aroused as he is, taking each of his thrusts and wanting more of him. He shifts his biting to the other side of my neck and I feel his increased breathing. Shoving himself into me harder, I know he's close and I prepare myself for the flood I figure I'm about to receive. As his lioncock pistons in and out of me, I hear a pounding along with his increasing growl. Throwing his head upwards with a loud roar, he slams into my ass as deep as physically possible, releasing a torrent of semen. So caught up in his passion, I cum at the same time, spraying us both with my much smaller load. The pounding seems louder, even with both of us verbally expressing ourselves as intensely as we can. After a full minute of having my insides flooded with lion seed, Andro looks down at me, exhausted. His eyes emerald green again, he gives me a big smile before collapsing on top of me - his massive frame nearly crushing me, but feeling so warm and furry and good.

And the pounding suddenly stops. Without warning, Andro is pulled up off me - including his still-hard lioncock from inside me! - and I hear a deep thundering voice yell, "Damn it, fur! I said I need to talk to you!"

My eyes snap open to see my lion suspended by the scruff of his neck by a much larger brown anthro bear! I gasp so hard I nearly choke myself as I see Andro take a swipe at him, causing the bear to drop him. Andro lands solidly on his hind paws and stands at full height, looking very much like he's ready to do serious damage to the still-taller intruder. "What the fuck, Donner?" he growls angrily, and I realize that this is one of the bears I wasn't allowed to interview! Donner is still a suspect in the disappearance of the missing student and my journalistic curiosity has me sitting up to get a better view, questions forming in my head.

The bear shoots me a weird look, almost like he recognizes me, and then leans in towards Andro. "Gotta talk, fur," he whispers hoarsely. "Outside." He steps into the hall as Andro gives me a quick shrug before following. Leaving the door ajar, I can hear Donner's voice even though he seems to be trying to keep the conversation private. Out of respect for Andro, I keep my reporter side in check and don't intentionally eavesdrop, but I can't help but hear snippets of the bear's dialogue: "... things looking bad ... police are here ... more questioning ... Russell getting worse ... give him a message ... " The rest is indistinguishable except for the tone - he sounds worried.

After a moment Andro comes back into the room and looks like at me like he's not sure what to say. I had pulled the covers over myself in the meantime since I wasn't certain he'd be alone, and simply ask, "So, that's Donner, huh?"

"Yup. But I've never seen him so freaked out. He didn't even try to hit on you, so I know he's worried." Andro gives me an easy smile as he shuts the door behind him. "Sorry about the interruption, Jimmy. And I'd like to get back to this, but Donner asked me to do something for him that's kind of important."

My heart sinks with the thought of not being able to spend more time with my lion, but I don't want to give Andro any reason to feel torn by his decision. 'It's fine. As long as you promise to make it up to me later."

Picking up his loincloth, he grins, "Oh, I've got plenty more things I plan on doing with you!"

Quickly recalling what he had just done to me, I glance over my body to see the result of his claws and fangs and am surprised to find nothing more than the faintest of scratches. I look up to see Andro giving me a sheepish smile. "I'm sorry," he says. "I know what you said, but if I hadn't held back a little, you might not've survived."

I feel my mouth drop open as I mumble, "That was holding back?"

"Just a bit," he winks. "Hey, if I get back from the hospital early enough, ya wanna grab lunch?"

"Hospital?"

"Yeah. Favor for Donner. Well, mostly." He holds my pants up for me. "His roommate Russell - the injured bear - isn't doing good and Donner wants to let him know that the police want to question them both again. But Donner can't leave the dorm."

"Oh," I respond plainly as I pick up the remains of my shredded t-shirt. Something sounded off about that, but I figured it might just be things between him and Donner that haven't been fully explained.

Noticing my shirt - or lack thereof - Andro pulls one from his roommate's dresser. "Here," he says as he tosses it to me. "You and Mustang are about the same size. I don't mean to rush you, but it's a long run to the hospital."

Pulling on the shirt, I give the lion a curious look. "Run? I'll give you a ride."

A short while later, we're on our way, with Andro stuffed into the passenger side of my dad's old van. My mom wanted me to take it when he died, and it came in handy when I left home for Eaglespoint. It also got me back for her funeral the following year. The van was old, but it was sturdy - and too small for someone the size of Andro to be comfortable in. But he appreciates the ride and it gives us time to talk a bit more even though his mind seems to be more on Russell at the moment. I get the feeling he knows more about the bear's injuries than he's admitting, but I don't feel I want to push him on it. Sometimes I need to remember that simple curiosity from me can still seem like journalistic prying to others. At the hospital, he asks me to wait for him in the van, saying he doesn't want to get me involved with the police security that he'll have to go through in order to see Russell. As he heads in (and I notice a number of people staring at him), I mess around with the radio, stopping a moment on some hotheaded boor, screaming something about the evil anthro population being the end of civilization. I chuckle at his ignorance and find the music station - oldies. Typical Eaglespoint: change is bad.

I may have dozed off because Andro startles me when he opens the door to squeeze back in. He smiles, but his expression is off - something I can't interpret but figure visiting his injured friend affected him. I smile back as he rubs my shoulder. "Everything okay?" I ask softly.

The lion takes a deep breath before answering, "I'm not sure." He gives me a look like he wants to say something more, and then turns away, "I'm not sure."

Duran Duran's Hungry Like the Wolf chimes from the radio and that gives Andro an opportunity to change the mood. "You hungry?" he asks.

"Like a wolf!" I deadpan as we pull out of the hospital parking lot.

"I know a lot of wolves, and you, sir, are no wolf!"

We're still joking and laughing as we pull into Jack in the Box™ and as I aim for a parking spot, Andro grabs my arm. "Can we do the drive-thru? I've never done a drive-thru!"

"Sure thing," I respond, smiling at his innocent enthusiasm.

As I pull up to the order menu sign, Andro again grabs my arm. "Can I talk to it? Please?" Before I can answer, he's crawling over me to lean out my window, and - I'm pretty sure it's intentional - rubbing himself against me. "Hello? Hello?" he says to the signboard.

"Can I take your order?" a bored-sounding, over-modulated voice crackles back.

Andro looks at me, wide-eyed like a child, and giggles. "Do you have any rabbits today?" His body shakes as he suppresses his laughter and his paw covers my mouth to silence mine.

"Um, I'm sorry?" the distorted voice says.

"Rabbits! I want a bunny burger!" Andro snorts and jabs me in the ribs. "A Jumbo Jack-rabbit burger!" We both giggle uncontrollably waiting for the unseen voice to respond.

"Um, how many Jumbo Jacks™ was that?"

"Ten!" my lion gleefully yells at the speaker. "And four fries! And a large 7-Up™!"

"Is Sprite™ okay? That's ten Jumbo Jacks™?!"

Squeezing my head out from under Andro's chest, I shout, "Make that twelve and five fries, please! And two Sprites™!"

After a pause, the speaker crackles, "Please pull up to the window." Andro stays on top of me so he can keep his head out my side of the van, making driving a bit tricky, but the payoff is worth it as I hear the poor employee scream in surprise as the lion's large face comes into view. Andro laughs and grinds his crotch into my thigh before settling back in his seat. I turn to see our order taker putting his paper hat back on so I smile apologetically.

"That's a lion!" he exclaims.

"Yeah!" I grin back. "A very special lion. He adopted me!"

"Adopted...?"

"You can be adopted too!" Andro jumps in. "Go to Eaglespoint College when you get off work and find an anthro to be your new best friend!"

The employee's eyes shift back and forth between the lion and me before numbly announcing how much we owe. After the exchange of money and food, we drive off with Andro feeling very happy about his first drive-thru experience. "Would you really eat a rabbit if they had 'em there?' I ask jokingly.

"Hmm!" he grins. "I suppose. I like rabbits."

"If I were a little rabbit, would eat me?"

Andro responds with a smirk. "If you were a rabbit you would've exploded when I stuck my dick in you!" Chuckling, he leans over and rests his head on my shoulder.

Instead of going back to the dorms, we stop at one of the little park-like areas on the edge of the campus. Sitting together at the picnic table, I can tell that Andro's mind is thinking about things other than the burgers he's gulping down. "Worried about Russell?" I ask between bites.

Pulling his focus back to me, he smiles casually as if acknowledging he had drifted off. "Yeah, a bit. He looks really bad. We may have waited too long before..." he trailed off, leaving me with the feeling that he felt the bear wasn't going to pull through.

"What did Donner ask you to do?" It was an innocent question, but I realized as soon as I asked that I was probably pushing the limits of privacy. Andro hadn't volunteered the information, and I shouldn't have asked. I cringe slightly, hoping he'll not take offense.

Instead, my lion gives me a concerned look. "Jimmy, as much as I want to be open about everything with you, it's better that you don't know certain things yet. In case questions are asked later. I don't want you to..."

"I understand, Andro," I say as I place my hand on his paw. "You're protecting me."

"Yeah," he smiles uneasily. "Our relationship, with you being a journalist, could put you in a bad position if..." Again he stopped, but he didn't need to finish the thought. "I love you, Jimmy. And I don't want anything to come between us."

Not knowing what was behind this was driving my reporter side crazy, but my feelings for Andro were stronger and I couldn't conceive that he'd be hiding anything too serious; not my sweet, gentle lion. "I love you, too. And I trust you. I know whatever it is, you're doing the right thing."

"I hope I did," he sighs quietly, more to himself than a response to me.

The past tense answer gives me hint that his visit with Russell had a degree of significance he couldn't discuss. My curiosity is screaming to know, but I sit quietly, leaning against my big lion as we finish our lunch. Leaving the park cleaner than we found it (anthros are very 'green') Andro hugs me to him as we walk back to the van, and instead of using the passenger door, he crawls over me after I get in, again rubbing himself over me as much as possible. It's these odd little habits he does that make me just wanna snuggle with him forever.

The radio comes on as I start the engine and, like a bad plot device in a movie, announces a special breaking news report. We sit staring at each other as we hear that Russell the bear has died due to complications from his wounds. Andro's eyes change from surprise to sadness and I can see moisture forming, but he doesn't move other than to swallow deeply. I don't know if it's my place to intrude on his moment of sorrow, but I can't let him sit there alone, so I throw my arms around him and bury my face in his neck as his paws wrap tightly around me. I can feel him quietly sobbing and even though I didn't know Russell, come near tears myself, more because of empathy for Andro's pain. After a moment, he pulls back and sits staring at the dashboard as the radio continues with a 'This just in' announcement citing unconfirmed police reports that Russell the bear, one of the main suspects in the disappearance of Eaglespoint student Peter, gave a deathbed confession moments before he passed away, claiming to have eaten the young man! I look at Andro and see his eyes closed tight and tears streaming down his furry cheeks.

I feel a sense of shock. The bear ate the student? Did Andro know this? Is this what he couldn't tell me? Holy shit, an anthro ate a human and I'm sitting in a van with an anthro lion! In a moment of panic I almost jump out the door, but Andro puts a paw gently on my leg. Doubting my trust in him, I pull back but his eyes are filled with hurt, pleading for me to stay. I suddenly feel ashamed for my reaction; I love Andro - how could I doubt him? I throw myself on him, hugging as tight as I can as we both cry. "Andro, I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" I weep, partly due to the loss of his friend, but mostly for having allowed a moment of weakness to tarnish my feelings for him. He doesn't respond other than to hug me back. I reach over to shut off the radio.

Having no idea how long we hugged in silence, we eventually both sit back in our seats and I hear Andro sigh. "It's gonna get messy now. I thought there'd be more time." Not understanding what he's referring to, I give him a faint curious look. Glancing at me and away again, he whispers, "That's not what happened - what the radio said. But it's what's needed... just hoped there'd be more time."

"I don't under..."

"I know, and I'm sorry I can't say more. I saw a threat to my plan to bring everyone together and I thought that if... but now I hope I didn't make a mistake... make things worse." Andro sounded scared as he spoke, which scared me thinking there was something going on that could be a threat to him.

Picking up on a few things he said, but not enough to make a clear picture, I gaze at the steering wheel. "Russell didn't eat the guy." I meant it to be a question but it came out as a statement. Peripherally I see Andro slowly nod his head. "He was protecting someone? He knew he was gonna die, didn't he?"

Fresh tears roll down my lion's face. "It was gonna come out soon, and I hoped that this way would get it over with quicker - give Peter some peace - if there was no one left to blame. So we could move forward. A trial would just... ruin everything."

Whether he had intended on giving me enough information to figure it out not, I now had a pretty good idea of who was being protected and I look at him wide-eyed. "It was D..."

"No." Andro says softly, quickly placing his paw over my mouth. "Don't say it. Don't ask it. If I tell you, you could be..." His eyes are scared, and sad, and I understand the point he's making. "I need to keep you safe."

Donner, I complete the name in my mind.

After a few moments of silence as my thoughts race with questions and theories, I have to bring up something that bothers me about this, and could effect how I see Andro. "The one who did it... What he did... How can you let him get away with it?" It was a hard thing to ask, knowing that the answer could cause a serious rift between our ideas of right and wrong, and my respect for him.

"He'll be dealt with," Andro says quietly. "He knows he has to answer for it." Turning to look at me, I see the conflict in his emerald eyes. "Anthros have a different way of justice than humans, but we solidly believe that justice must be served."

Mildly satisfied that a killer isn't simply going free, I focus back on my lion's concerns. I really didn't understand how Russell stating he ate a human could help anything Andro was trying to accomplish. Unless... if what Andro implied a moment ago meant that Donner was about to be arrested, which would probably reveal the fact that he ate Peter the missing student, and that would give the media and internet a face to fuel a powerful new wave of anti-anthro hate. So, I guess it does kinda make weird sense to let Russell take the blame before he dies, removing the guilty party and a drawn-out trial, while still allowing the mystery of Peter to be solved, at least semi-factually. But I can see it easily backfiring. It's an iffy plan at best, and I wonder whether it was Andro or Donner who came up with it. But this is all my speculation; a reporter connecting dots, and Andro's already told me more than I know he wanted to. And as much as I want to question him more about it, I respect his judgment and leave it alone.

After a moment of quiet between us, I rub his paw. "You're going to continue your adoption plans, right? Do you think the news will freak people out about anthros trying to adopt them now?"

"Did it freak you?" he responds gently, and I think he already knew the answer if he saw my aura earlier.

"I admit I had a momentary lapse of faith. But then I remembered who I'm dealing with, Mr. Androcles." I smiled and gave him a quick kiss on his wet nose.

Andro smiles back, almost sadly though. "It was going so well today. Let's hope we don't lose too many people. I'm going to ask the anthros to keep going, and your article tomorrow should help balance things and take some of the sting from today away. Overall, I hope that it'll just put this part of our culture behind us so we can all continue to move forward towards better relations."

I gaze at him, admiring his optimism in light of everything that had just fallen apart around him. "I love you," is all I can find to say, but it appears to have been the right thing because he scoops me up into a breath-taking hug.

On the short drive back to the dorms, we both agree that it would be better for us to work our respective sides. Andro wants to have as many one-on-one talks as possible with his fellow anthros about keeping his plan going, and he wants me to keep up on the news reports and let him know what he can expect. Before he climbs out of the van, he surprises me by lifting my shirt and giving my stomach a solid lick. He follows with a quick kiss and then he's off, and I watch as he trots over to a pair of foxes talking with a human girl. My lion. God, I love him.

Back in my dorm, I casually greet my roommate who grunts something back as he plays video games. Good, I think. I didn't want him distracting me. I boot up my crappy old desktop and stuff earbuds from my little MP3 player into my ears, tuning it to the local FM news station. It only takes a few seconds to realize that irrational non-truths were poisoning the airwaves: Commentators yelling that humans should have never allowed anthros into their towns; that we're all in danger from the evil, hungry anthro menace now living amongst us; that anthros have secret cookbooks that include humans; and one extreme right-wing wacko claims that the president had sex with an anthro tiger who later blackmailed him into starting the "Integration Project". And the internet was even worse! Every news page had headlines like how anthros are coming for our babies and then us and then our pets!

The idea that people are probably believing this drivel almost sickens me. I get that poor Peter was eaten by a bear, and that sickens me too, but all the shit coming out against the anthro population is like judging the human race on the actions of Hitler. My reporter side has me wondering how I'd react to all this if I didn't already know how anthros really are, and I imagine how my deceased parents would probably accept everything they heard simply because their sheltered lives never allowed them to meet an anthro. Hell, even in Eaglespoint a lot of people haven't come face-to-face with any furs, and will most likely buy into any juicy rumor or lie that gets passed around. So, all this negative crap is probably working. After all, the fact is a student is dead because of an anthro, and that could get some people riled up.

That thought scares me and I suddenly imagine a few idiots with guns deciding to look for payback! The gun nuts have been right on the edge of taking things into their own hands since the beginning of the "Integration Project", and something like this could be just what they've been waiting for. I feel my skin go clammy as panic hits me, afraid that someone could be aiming a gun at Andro right now! Jumping out of my chair so abruptly that even my game-engrossed roomie looks over, I rush outside to find everything still very calm. No guns, no shots, not even a protester. It's too soon, I realize as my heart attempts to get back to normal. The news just came out and most of the campus hasn't even heard it yet. I glance around as anthros are still chatting happily with humans who seem to be enjoying the attention. But the wackos don't hang out on campus, and they could still be plotting something. Not knowing if Andro had considered this, I figure I need to let him know the potential threat.

Jogging over to Anthro Alley, I see two security guards milling around the commons area and my journalist curiosity guides me to them. After identifying myself as an Eagle's Nest reporter, they fill me in on a few threatening calls they received towards the anthro dorm residents. I take a moment to express my opinions on anthros in general, which seem to collide with the image they've already formed based on the news of a bear eating the missing student. As I leave them for the door, it occurs to me that no anthros are outside, and I wonder if the guards were helping or becoming part of the growing problem.

Stepping inside, I get my answer. I'm immediately stopped by a strong paw on my shoulder accompanied by a deep voice. "Please state the purpose of your... Oh! It's you!" The paw quickly slides down my back and I'm pulled into the furry chest of LaRoque the tiger, who had tried to adopt me earlier. "Hey, little guy! Did you change your mind about me, or are you here for Andro?" It was a good-natured question and I could tell he knew the answer, but all things considered, I didn't mind the impromptu hug from him.

Quickly glancing around the foyer, I see a more-than-usual number of anthros - and a few humans - standing around talking. Leaning back from LaRoque's hug, I look up at him, "Why's everyone inside? Did the guards do this?"

"They recommended we stay inside for now. It's not like Tuesday when we were in lock down. Everyone's being cool about it."

"Okay," I respond, still taking in the scene. Realizing I'm being inattentive to the friendly tiger, I rub his chest and ask, "Have you found someone to adopt yet?"

"Not yet," he replies, smiling crookedly. "But I will."

"Yeah, you will!" I give him an encouraging hug. "Someone's gonna be really lucky to get a special tiger like you."

"Hey, thanks," he purrs as he hugs me back.

I make my way through the mixed groups, reaching Andro's room on the 2nd floor, with my knock answered by a hyena who giggles and waves me in. "Conroy, right?" I ask, even though I have no doubt.

"Yeah," he giggles nervously. "Andro's not here, but you can wait if you want. I'm playing Mustang's X-box! Wanna play?" He's already got his paw around me, guiding me to the bed facing the screen, but I gently stop him, keeping my hand on his shoulder in what I assume to be anthro fashion.

"Maybe another time, okay?" I smile at him, not wanting to hurt what I assume are delicate feelings. His nervous laughter keeps me a bit off guard, and I can't tell where he is emotionally. "Um, did Andro tell you what happened?"

"About Russell?" Conroy's eyes narrow a bit. "Yeah. Russell's dead." His statement is flat, but I see his expression change as he looks away, and it strikes me as not so much sadness, but... guilt? Or, is my reporter's instinct reading too much into it? If it were guilt, what would this little hyena have to feel guilty about? Unless... he was the one who caused Russell's injuries? I feel a pang of shock as I consider the possibility of Conroy being powerful enough to take on a bear the size of Russell, and as I give him an evaluating stare, I realize he's trying not to cry.

Quickly assuming my journalistic conspiracy theories are off again, I try to comfort the hyena with a hug. "Hey, buddy. I know it's hard to lose a friend."

"He... he wasn't... wasn't my friend," Conroy sobs as he buries his face against me. "He was mean... to me. He was... he was gonna eat me, but Kirun... Kirun..." He trails off, leaving me to assume whoever Kirun was probably saved the poor little guy from a hungry bear.

I tightened my hug and gave him time to cry it out. I can't imagine how traumatizing it would be to have a big bear threatening to eat you. And then I think of Peter. Peter was eaten by a bear! Holy crap! Is there more going on here than Andro let on? And why am I not more outraged about this? Are my feelings for Andro blinding me to the seriousness of Peter's death? Eating rabbits is one thing, but a human? Even considering how good it felt when Andro was swallowing my arm, eating someone is going too far! Or... was it consensual? Maybe Donner showed Peter the same arm swallowing thing and Peter wanted to go all the way. Is that possible? Wanting to be eaten? Hell, I have to admit that during some of those moments of passion with Andro I would've agreed to it too. My mind is racing all over the map with wild ideas until Conroy looks at me again, his face wet with tears.

"Thank you," he says quietly, still holding me.

"Hey, buddy, any time." I'm glad I was able to help him get some of his emotional baggage out, even if I might've caused it by showing up. "You want me to stay with ya until Andro gets back?"

"Yeah." he says, pressing his head to my chest again. We remain there hugging each other, and when Andro returns a while later, that's how he finds us. Conroy doesn't look up, but I give the lion a concerned smile and, without a word, he comes over and wraps himself around us both.

Our group hug lasts a few minutes until Andro lets us both go while whispering in my ear, "I didn't expect you back this soon, but I'm glad you're here." He gives me quick kiss on the cheek. "It looks like most of the campus is shocked but staying calm, and most of our adoptees are hanging with us so far, but we've gotten some threats from outside."

"Yeah," I respond as Conroy sits on the bed, holding my hand. "I saw the guards out front. The media is going crazy with it, but that's kinda expected. But I hate that they're fueling the gun nuts."

"Guns," Andro shivers. "Why can't humans fight fair?"

"Why do humans use guns, Jimmy?" Conroy's question had a childlike innocence, and it occurs to me that until he came to Eaglespoint, he probably never saw a gun.

"For fighting. War. Hunting. Killing. To have a tactical advantage." None of my answers sound rational as I look at Conroy's face and see fear.

"We've never had a defense against human weapons," Andro says quietly. "It's the main reason we stayed hidden for so long." He gives me a worried look. "If they come here with guns..."

"Hey, we gotta hope no one'll do anything stupid." I rub Andro's furry chest with my free hand as Conroy keeps his grip on the other. "There may be a few wingnuts out there, but I think the organized groups would see a direct assault as causing sympathy for anthros. And they don't want that. They're gonna play this up to make you guys look as bad as possible without taking any direct action, because if an anthro got shot now, it would make them look like extreme vigilante wackjobs." My earlier panic had diminished as I remember that I've studied these groups a bit for past articles. The threat is real, but not as out-of-control as my concern for Andro had made me think. "To the world, this is still all new territory, and I think the majority will see what happened as the act of one person, er, anthro, and judge it that way. And I think my article will still help level out the opinions of a lot of people tomorrow."

"Maybe you should try to get it published to a wider audience," Andro suggests. "It's a good article. You should send it to the newsmagazines."

"Wow," is all I can say in reply as my ego takes off for the stratosphere. "I... I guess I'll see how it goes tomorrow." I can feel myself blushing at just the thought of having something published outside of the tiny community of Eaglespoint.

"I'm excited for you," my lion says, giving me his trademark cute smile. "And very proud. I have no doubt your article will have a positive effect."

"I'm proud of you too, Andro," I reply, leaning over to hug him. "You've been through so much and I know your adoption plan is gonna work, despite what happened today."

"I'm proud of both you guys!" Conroy giggles excitedly as he jumps up to join the hug. All this hugging all the time - how can things not get better when half of those involved are so busy showing affection? Humans could learn so much from anthros. Me, I'm finding out that I really like hugs.

Gently pulling away, Andro gives the hyena and I each a lick on the cheek. "I need to get back to calming the furs," he says.

"Can I help, Andro?" Conroy asks with nervous excitement, his tail wagging.

"Yeah, buddy, you can," the big lion replies. "I need you to stay here to field the furs that come by looking for me. And wait for Mustang. Make sure he's okay."

I see the hyena beam as he accepts the responsibility Andro gives him. "You can count on me!" he says, eliciting an appreciative head-rub from the lion.

"And you," Andro turns to me and places his paws firmly on my shoulders. "You can keep track of what's going on and what we need to be aware of, and report back to me personally." With a smirk, his loincloth rubs against my crotch.

"Aye aye, sir." I reply. "I have a few contacts with the sheriff's I can call, too. It's handy being a reporter." I give him a smile that quickly fades to show my concern as I lean in close. "Andro, given what's happened, my article could help, but it could make you a target if someone's thinking that they..."

"Jimmy," my lion whispers back, "You worry too much. I'll be fine. No one's gonna shoot me or anyone else."

"You don't know that," I feel my fear growing as my imagination pictures the horror of what bullet could do to him.

Whether it's simply how he is, or because he saw my aura freak out (or whatever my aura does in his eyes), he pulls me to him in a comforting hug. "Don't worry about what hasn't happened. We'll get through this. I promise."

I lean back so I can see his emerald eyes. "I love you," I whisper, trying to sound more composed than I feel.

"You do?" he smiles back with a humorous smirk. "But we've barely just met!"

"So, it comes down to timing then?" I grin back, quoting one of his comments from yesterday.

Andro smiles and kisses me. "I love you too, Jimmy. I'm glad you're mine."

Okay, that was the perfect thing for him to say to get my mind off the all the scary shit. I'm his. God, that sounds so good.

Conroy glances over from having resumed playing an X-box game. "Mush!" he shouts, followed by giggling.

Andro chuckles before turning back to me. "Will you bring some extra copies of the paper by tomorrow? I'll wanna Ebay some autographed copies."

Laughing, I reply, "I'll be by as soon as they're out. With breakfast."

"You're gonna spoil me," he grins.

"Just keepin' ya interested so ya don't start lookin' at other humans," I joke as I nudge him in the ribs.

"You're the only one I want," Andro whispers as he licks my nose.

"Mush, mush, mush!" Conroy giggles.

The lion smacks Conroy in the back of the head with one of Mustang's dirty shirts. "Quiet, you!" he chuckles as the hyena giggles louder. His emerald eyes focus back on mine as he gives me an easy smile. "Until morning then?"

"Until then." I wrap my arms tightly around him and press my head against his chest. "Be safe, my lion."

After another hug from Conroy, I step outside, pausing by the door to the stairwell. I'm still worried about the possibility of anthros getting shot - especially Andro. I don't know how I'd deal with Andro getting hurt, especially for something he had no involvement in. Could my article make him a greater target for someone seeking revenge because an anthro killed a human? Poor Peter. None of this would be happening if that fucking bear Donner hadn't eaten Peter and then let Russell take the blame. If anyone else is hurt as a result of Donner's actions - regardless of what Andro said about justice - that bear will have to deal with me. Feeling angry self-righteousness, I shove the door to the stairwell open and barge in. But I freeze as I see a huge figure standing below.

On the midway platform where the stairs turn down is Donner, facing me like he's waiting for me. I let the door slam shut and glare down at him, taking slow, methodical steps towards him until I'm eye level. His expression is curious, almost like how Andro looks when he's reading my aura. After a moment of the two of us just staring at each other, his voice breaks the silence, softer than I imagined he would ever talk. "I'm going to answer your question."

Okay, that's certainly not how I expected this conversation to start, and for a moment I just look at him, bewildered. "My question?"

"You wanna know why," he says somberly.

"Peter..." I whisper, wondering how he knew that I knew what he did.

"Tomorrow night..." the big bear suddenly looks like he's on the verge of tears and I wonder if this is going to be some sort of confession. "Tomorrow night Peter would be delivering pizzas to a house in town."

"Tomorrow...?" The shock of facing Donner in the first place, combined with this, has me pretty confused.

"But a drunk driver will hit his car at 80 miles an hour." His voice is cracking, still just a whisper. "He survives, barely, and he'll be paralyzed from the neck down the rest of his life. And every day he sits in his wheelchair, he'll beg for his life to end. And it will, eventually. After years of pain."

My mouth is hanging open as I watch a tear make its way down Donner's cheek. "How...? How...?"

"My curse." He says hoarsely. "I get these flashes now and then. It's why I am the way I am. It's why I'm drunk most of the time." His eyes slowly rise to meet mine.

"You can see the future?" I feel my face go pale. "But... but why not warn him? Why did you eat him?"

"Doesn't work that way. Once their path is set, it always ends up the same. If I warned Peter so the car misses him, something else would happen that would leave him just as paralyzed. Just as depressed. Just as..." His huge paw wipes new tears from his eyes. "I've tried so many times. But... the only way to alter someone's life... is to end it." His sad eyes look into mine a brief moment. "You can judge me if you want, but I saved Peter from Hell."

"You see the future." It was so bizarre I had to say it again so my mind could understand it.

Donner nods slowly. "Some anthros are born with gifts. It's rare." His gaze drops down like he's ashamed. "Some have been healers, some can influence the weather, some can grow gardens from dust. Me, I get to see the horrors that are coming." He pauses to take a deep breath. "I never told anyone."

I stare at him even though he's looking at the steps. "Why are you telling me?"

"Because you won't tell anyone else."

My body tightens with fear and my eyes feel like they're bulging out of their sockets as I consider what he's implying. "You know my future? You know what's gonna happen!" My imagination races to figure the reason Donner is telling me this! It must be because something bad is going to happen and I immediately think of the gun nuts! "Andro! Is he gonna be..."

He quietly cuts me off. "Andro'll be fine." The bear looks directly into my eyes with an odd sadness. "You and Andro will always be together. Your anger ensures that."

"My... anger?" This doesn't make sense. I'm not an angry person, and even if I was, how would that endear me to Andro?

"I have to go," he says, as he turns to head back downstairs. "The cops are waiting to question me again."

"Are you..." I can't believe I'm asking this given how I felt about Donner a few minutes ago. "Are you gonna be okay?"

The big bear turns back but doesn't look at me. "I never see my own path."

I stand in the stairwell trying to make sense of what just happened and I can hear Donner on the floor below bellowing out jokes and coarse laughter - totally unlike the bear I just spoke to. I feel dizzy; confused. Should I go back and tell Andro about this? No, he's got enough to worry about right now. Besides, Donner said I wouldn't tell anyone. How does he know I won't? There was no reporter/source confidentiality agreement between us. Maybe he just assumes that I'll honor it anyway. He sees the future! What the fuck!

The cool dusk air chills me as I stand alone in front of Anthro Alley; deserted except for the two security guards. I hate that there has to be guards here, and I'm sure the anthros aren't caring for it too much either. The whole dorm has been through a rough week with the earlier lock down, and now threats of violence - all because of ignorance. All because of Donner. All because of Peter.

And in the midst of a potential backlash as news of Russell's 'confession' spreads, Androcles has this dream of peace and harmony; humans and anthros trusting each other and living along side each other. I feel such a sense of pride that a shudder jolts through me even though I realize how difficult a task he's taken on. But that's what makes him so special - standing up to what seems impossible. And it does seem impossible as I think of the hate groups and gun nuts that want anthros gone. Or dead. Can Andro really succeed against that much opposition? Will my article help him when it comes out in the morning? So many questions. So much doubt. As I leave Anthro Alley I consider how much has changed in such a short time. Eaglespoint is a powder keg right now, just waiting for the fuse to be lit. And being involved in it now, I wonder if I'll be strong enough to deal with what's coming.

But Donner says I'll be with Andro, and I can face whatever tomorrow throws at me as long I'm with my lion.

** end of chapter two **