“Has anyone seen Fuli?”

Kion looked up from the game of Crazy Apes he was playing with the rest of the guard. It had been a slow day, and Fuli was known to disappear when there was nothing official to do, but the cheetah had been unusually absent recently. Enough that Kion was starting to worry.

“Nope!”, “Uh… nope”, “Negative”, sounded from Bunga, Beshte, and Ono. Kion made a face, and pulled his tablets back, exiting the game.

“She’s probably just hunting, right?” Bunga said, looking from face to face, seeing if there was reason for worry.

“She has been leaving a lot, lately,” Beshte noted.

“And she ran behind all of us to that last border incident”, Ono cocked his head, remembering. 

“I think I should go check on her,” Kion decided, thinking through his options. Fuli liked her private space. She wouldn’t appreciate him tracking her down. Still, it was his duty as leader of the Lion Guard to make sure its members were in good health and able to perform their duties. 

“You’ll never find her,” Bunga grunted.

“Even I don’t know where she dens,” Ono said.

“I think I’ve got an idea,” Kion assured them. “Just stay here. This is probably, uh, cat stuff.” 

“Yeah, yeah… ‘cat stuff’. We’ve been hanging together so long I’m surprised I'm not a cat.” Bunga squinted, trying to make his ears move in the semaphore lions often used to communicate. “What am I saying?” he asked earnestly. 

“Uh… you keep practicing,” Kion grimaced. “And maybe don’t do that around my family.” Bunga laughed and gave him a much more familiar, if no less rude, gesture. Kion headed towards the Guard den entrance, calling “I’ll be back,” over his shoulder.

“Shouldn’t we come with you? Fuli could be in trouble!” Ono called. Kion paused.

“Not this time,” he decided at last. “I don’t think she’s hurt, I think she just wants privacy. You know how she is about personal stuff. Let me handle this.”

“Eh, affirmative,” Ono nodded.

“I hope she’s okay,” Beshte added, “The last time I wanted to be alone like that was after I ate some bad shoots, and….”

The rest of the conversation faded away behind Kion as he ducked out of the den into the harsh light of the African evening. 

He’d had a sense of something going on for a few days, but only today had it all come together in his mind. Fuli might be private, but she always stayed with the Guard during the day, in case an incident came up. When she left, it was for a few hours, at most, not all day. She had been distracted and irritable… The irritability wasn’t so unusual, but Fuli was rarely distracted. He relied on her focus to hone his own in the heat of action.

Orienting himself against the silhouette of Pride Rock, Kion headed off northward. He was the only member of the Guard that knew where Fuli’s personal den was. The Guard denned together as often as not, and when they weren’t together, they usually stayed with their families. Fuli was the only member of the Guard without a family of her own, and so she slept where she liked. During the day, she rarely rested. She would hunt, or just patrol on her own. He’d never met a cat with so much energy, which made her recent behavior that much more odd.

He had a theory, though, and the thought of confronting Fuli with it was not comforting. Still, it was his duty, and that was what he told himself every step of the way out into the steppes of the Serenghetti. 

The sun was beginning to dip lower by the time he arrived at his destination. A collection of boulders were jumbled in a structure affectionately called “the dung heap” in the crook of a running river, which ran towards the west in a remarkably straight line. When they were cubs, they had called it “The Raceway”, because of the long, flat, dusty road that ran alongside the river. 

“Fuli?” Kion called out cautiously, angling around the boulders, trying to get a decent view inwards into the shady parts where Fuli was likely to be. 

He almost thought he might have been mistaken, until a voice called out “Kion??”

“Yeah. Yeah, it’s me,” he called. “I didn’t bring the others. Just me.”

There was a hint of movement, and then Fuli’s head popped around the corner of one of the inner boulders, a severe mix of emotions on her face. “What are you doing here??” she hissed, keeping herself mostly hidden behind the boulder. 

“We were worried about you!” Kion scuffed the ground a little, allowing his nerves to get the better of him for a moment. 

“I’m fine. Go away.” Fuli’s head disappeared again, and Kion sighed. 

“You’re not ‘fine’, or I wouldn’t have come all this way,” he argued, stepping under a boulder and towards Fuli’s position. 

“I just said I was fine!” Fuli called back. “I just want some space, okay? Scram.”

Kion rolled his eyes, maneuvering upwards over the rocks towards the inside. The inside of The Dung Pile was actually pretty open, but getting in required crawling through the right spaces between the boulders, and it could be a tight squeeze.

“I… Don’t… Think so!” Kion grunted, pulling himself through the small openings. He was getting bigger, he realized. This had been easy when they were cubs. They had used the raceway for racing, then rested in the relieving shade of the rocks, telling stories and getting sleepy listening to the river nearby. The rocks were always a little damp here, which made them feel extra cool. Fuli had always complained about it making her fur wet. Her well-known dislike of water made it a great space for her to hide away on the rare occasion she needed a shelter of her own. No one would look for her here.

“Go away!” Fuli’s voice called, closer now. There was a hint of something in her voice. Something masked under the harsh gruffness. Fear? 

Kion sighed, dropping from the rocks into the inner “courtyard” of The Pile. Here, the grass wove around boulders, sometimes dipping into dens beneath them, forming small caves in the moist clay. He knew Fuli’s was under the closest  boulder to him, near the center of The Pile, the most protected space within. 

“Please?” Fuli called again.

“I’ll go after we’ve talked. I promise. But we have to talk.” Kion stood his ground, waiting. 

“Kion, this is private,” Fuli’s face popped back around the boulder, ears low. “And really, really embarrassing,” she added at last. 

“It’s just the circle of life,” Kion shrugged. “It had to happen sooner or later. It doesn’t have to be embarrassing. We just… Make it that way.”

Fuli groaned and lowered herself, giving him a glare. “You sound like your mom.”

Kion shrugged again, but smiled. “I guess so,” he agreed. “Is it working?”

“It’d work better if you were your mom,” Fuli groused. 

“Look, Fuli, I don’t pretend to know what you’re feeling, but…”

“You absolutely couldn’t imagine, so stop there,” Fuli growled. “Stop while you’re ahead, Kion. Why did you come out here anyway, if you knew what was going on? What, do you think you’re going to ‘solve’ my problem for me? You decide you’re going to be the hero of this little story like you always are?”

Kion widened his eyes. “What? No! Geeze, Fuli, I just wanted to make sure you were okay. And I wasn’t totally sure what was going on until I got here.”

“Well, you’re here. I’m alive, I guess. So buzz off, okay?”

“No! Not okay!” Kion stamped a foot. “You’re upset, and you’re not getting the help that you need. That’s not okay!”

Fuli shot up like a lightning bolt. She stalked around the boulder and, for the first time, her scent really hit Kion. His head spun a little and he sneezed, desperately trying to cover his nose, but it did little to cover the cloying phermonal scent. 

“Help me? Help me? What help do I need, Kion? What help are you going to bring?” Kion winced. Fuli’s fur was ragged, especially from the waist down. Her usually sleek fur was pointing at all angles like she’d been sleeping in a briar patch for a month without bathing. She stalked towards him, sitting emphatically a few feet away. “Go on. Tell me, Mr. Hero. Tell me or get the fuck out of my den, do you hear me?”

Kion’s eyes were watering, but he dropped his paw, meeting Fuli eye to eye. He knew her well enough to know she’d never accept less than his full respect. She might not be exactly herself right now, but he knew her well enough to see behind the rage she was projecting. Her eyes were terrified.

“Fuli,” he began slowly, testing his words,” we’ve been friends for seasons. I love you like a sister. You’re not just a Guard member. You’re my co-leader. My partner. I don’t know how to help you the right way. And I didn’t come here to threaten you with… With… Anything.” Kion gulped, aware the scent was affecting him in ways he’d rather not think about. He closed his forelegs tighter together, shielding any signs Fuli might see. 

“I don’t know how to fix this. And it’s not even something that’s broken.” Kion closed his eyes, digging deep, trying to find his clarity through the haze of heat. “But I’m not going anywhere,” he declared, opening his eyes and meeting Fuli’s gaze directly. “I’m not leaving your side until you’re through this. Maybe that means going and talking to the lionesses. Maybe that means finding…,” he gulped “...another cheetah,” he finished. When Fuli opened her mouth, he cut her off, “Maybe that means I lay here with you and bring you food you need. I don’t know! I don’t know, Fuli… But I’m not leaving. My friend isn’t going through this alone. No way. I’m staying.”

A wave of emotions passed over Fuli’s face, ears, and tail. For a moment, Kion thought she might actually attack him. Then, the last thing he had expected happened. Fuli, the strongest cat he knew, broke down in tears.

She rushed to him, and put her arms around his body, pushing her face into his neck in a way that hid her face while she sobbed. Kion was so stunned that he stood stock still for a moment, then slowly lifted an arm, putting it around Fuli’s shoulders.

“I didn’t know it would be like this,” Fuli breathed through her tears. “It hurts, Kion. It actually hurts! It’s like someone…” she hesitated, trying to describe the indescribable, “It’s like being held against a hot rock at midday. But not just outside. Inside. Like someone took a part of me–my soul–and replaced it with this fire that doesn’t care about anything except…, Ugh, It isn’t me!” Fuli stepped back, wiping her eyes. “I’ve tried everything. Every damn thing I can think of, short of… You know.” Her ears flickered, embarrassed. Kion was amazed that he could maintain his own calm but, somehow, he did. Fuli needed calm right now, so he dipped his forehead to hers, giving her his presence.

“I even laid in the river for half a day,” Fuli laughed, a hysterical little hiccup of a bark. “All it did was make me have really uncomfortable thoughts about fish.”

Kion laughed at that, despite himself. But Fuli joined with him, and he held her close, letting her express herself in the way she needed. “I don’t know what to do, Kion,” she whimpered at last.

Kion caressed her spotted back, thinking. He didn’t know what to do, either, but he wasn’t going to leave until he had thought of something.

“Have you ever… talked to a lioness about this?” he finally asked, gently. He knew it was a sensitive question, but there was no way around it. Fuli didn’t have a mother to teach her about this sort of thing, nor cheetah friends in general. The Pride was the closest thing to a family she had, even if it was an odd kind of relationship. 

Fuli wiped her nose. “Sort of,” she sighed. “I mean, it’s not like I hang out with Kiara and her group or anything, but I’ve been around enough to hear talk. And… One time your mom pulled me aside. God, it was so awkward, Kion!”

Kion didn’t react, but winced inwardly. That sounded super awkward.

It took Fuli a second to continue. “She said I should consider getting to know cheetahs better,” she finally said. “She didn’t say… I mean…, Didn’t directly say to find a mate, but I knew what she was saying. She said I was growing up, blah blah blah… She said if I wanted to stay on the Guard, I would need a cheetah male in my life.” She gave a sound between a snort and sob. “I didn’t believe her, of course. Who in their right mind doesn’t listen to Nala when she tells you something? Gods, I’m such a screw up!”

“Ooookay, enough of that,” Kion hummed, patting Fuli’s back again. He remembered his own “talk” with his mom and dad. But he couldn’t help thinking about how much easier his conversation had been and, despite the awkwardness, he knew his parents were looking out for him. Fuli had never spent much time around other cats. She had no way of knowing what was coming. Not really.

“Have you ever thought about… You know,” Kion prompted. Something in his stomach twisted as the mental image of Fuli pressed like this to another cheetah came to his mind. Envy slid its fur against him, and he swatted it away, confused and disgusted. 

Fuli looked up at him, head cocked. “No, I don’t know. What?”

“Another cheetah. Mating. I mean, finding a mate.” Kion tried to say the words clinically, but his insides still felt wound tight.

“I don’t want a mate, Kion,” Fuli sniffed, but her voice was full of resolve. “I don’t want that! I don’t want cubs, I don’t want to… Do all the things mates do. I don’t need it. I just want to help keep the Pridelands safe and go my own way. I don’t need someone telling me what to do, or asking me what to do, either. That’s not me.”

Kion sat, thinking, but Fuli interrupted as if she had interpreted his silence as waiting.

“But I can’t stop thinking about it,” she sighed, eyes closed, ears back in embarrassment. “My whole body wants it. I can’t take this much more, Kion,” she whispered, fear heavy in her tone. “I just can’t. It wasn’t so bad for a few days, but now… I can’t live like this! What if it never stops?” She was starting to breathe heavily. Kion had seen plenty of panic in his time on the Guard, and this was it. He held her closely, stroking her back in reassurance. He began grooming her ears softly while thinking, and she purred in that odd, thrumming cheetah fashion. Her breathing slowed again, the presence of another cat comforting her.

“What if you didn’t get pregnant?” he said at last.

“I’m not taking that chance,” Fuli growled. “No way.” Kion closed his eyes, his stomach lurching, hating everything about the ideas going through his mind.

“My dad,” he said at last, feeling like he’d been hit in the stomach and was using his last breath. “My dad wouldn’t get you pregnant.”

Fuli froze in his arms like she had been hit by lightning. She said nothing. Even her breathing seemed to have been paused. 

“Wait, what?” she pulled back, eyes wide, meeting his. He could barely meet hers back.

“I’ve never heard of a cheetah getting pregnant by a lion, have you?” Kion offered. “It’s not traditional, but you’re a Guard member… If I ask, then maybe–”

“You want me to mate with Simba??” Fuli hissed. “The gods-be king of the Pridelands? Your dad??” 

“No!” Kion said more forcefully than he had intended. “No, I don’t want that! Ugh, no… But… Fuli, we need you on the Guard! I need you on the Guard! And even without the Guard, you can’t stay like… like this. You said it yourself! I swear to the kings that I will stand by you for every second of it, but…,” he stroked her cheek, only realizing afterwards what a tender action it was. How intimate. “Please, Fuli, don’t hate me,” he sighed.

“I could never hate you, Kion,” Fuli groaned, looking upwards at the rocks and light streaming through the scant cracks. “But I don’t think I can do that. I just… It doesn’t feel right.” 

Kion gulped, thinking. “Cause he’s a lion? Or because he’s my dad? Or because he’s the king? Or…” There were so many reasons! He stopped there.

“Take your pick,” Fuli muttered, but the venom had gone out of her tone. Now she just sounded tired. “Not because he’s a lion,” she said at last. “But he’s old enough to be my dad. Hell, he could probably be my granddad. And I can’t imagine him… agreeing. I’m not in the Pride. I’m not his responsibility. Not in that way. What would your mother and sister say about me? I couldn’t live with it, Kion. Even if he did it… I’d always have to know that he was giving me charity just because I refused to do what’s normal for a cheetah girl. I’d hate myself forever. I’m sorry, I just… I can’t.”

“Okay,” Kion said, feeling strangely relieved. But that did complicate things. There weren’t any other male lions of breeding age around. He colored, thinking of other options.

“Have you tried licking–”

“Yes,” Fuli cut him off. “Till my ass feels like I sat on a thorn bush.”

Kion laughed at that, and a moment later Fuli joined him.

“This is awkward, huh?” Kion chuckled.

“Well. It’d be more awkward with anyone else,” Fuli admitted with a shrug. “We’ve known each other forever. I don’t really care if you know about the state of my ass.” Kion laughed again, shaking his head. That was Fuli all over. 

When he stopped laughing, he noticed Fuli was looking at him oddly. He cocked his head, meeting her gaze. 

“Do you really think a lion can’t get a cheetah pregnant?” she asked.

“We’re cats, but we’re different cats,” Kion shrugged. “I’ve never heard of such a thing.”

“Me either,” Fuli admitted, glancing away, then back.

“You know my dad hasn’t let any of the other males stay, though,” he added. “And I’m not letting you near a rogue. Not on your life. I mean, I guess there are leopards in the jungle, maybe, but–”

“You’re wrong,” Fuli interrupted.

“Pardon?”

“You’re wrong,” she over-enunciated. “Your dad has let males stay.”

“Not once they’re pride-age,” Kion explained, unclear why Fuli didn’t know this. It was common knowledge. “Not except for…” he gulped, hesitating. “Me.”

“Not except for you,” Fuli repeated, still eyeing him in that odd way, which was suddenly making Kion feel very uncomfortable. “The only male in this gods-damned world I trust. Who can sit here with me, even in my heat, and not treat me like I belong to him.”

“Fuli, I swear that’s not why I came here,” Kion gasped, getting what Fuli was suggesting. “I swear by my grandfather. I would never!”

“No. No I don’t believe you would,” Fuli nodded. “You’re different. You always have been. I used to think you were a little gay, but I can see all of this is affecting you… Thanks for trying to hide it, though.” Kion blushed and glanced down, being greeted by the site of his own penis, erect behind his legs.

“What? I’m not gay!” Kion insisted, scrambling to better cover himself. 

“You and Bunga come off as kiiiiiiind of gay,” Fuli grinned, as if she were enjoying this.

“I’m not gay!” Kion hissed. “I’d have told you a long time ago if I was! I’m just… busy with the Guard!”

“I dunno…” Fuli drawled. “I think Tiifu or Zuri would practically throw themselves under you! And I’ve never seen you so much as sneak a glance.

“Ew! Tiifu and Zuri?” Kion made a face, despite himself. “They’re not girls, they’re my sister's friends!”

Fuli laughed at that, bold and loud, her voice chiming and echoing against the rocks. She laughed for a long time, as if all her nerves had been converted into humor and finally found their way to expression.

“Gods, I needed that,” she managed, once she calmed down. She looked up at Kion, wiping her eyes. “So you like girls, then?”

“Sure,” Kion shrugged. “As much as boys, anyway,” he frowned, unsure how they had gotten on this subject. 

“Kion, I’ve made a decision,” Fuli said, something ineffable in her tone, her eyes brighter than he’d seen all day. She looked… pretty.

“What’s that?” Kion asked, cocking his head curiously. Nothing was making much sense all of a sudden. He blamed the heat.

Fuli sat up to her full height, which matched his own. She had always been a tall cat. She lifted a paw, placing it on his chest. He looked at it, then back to her. 

“I choose you, Kion. The only male in the whole Pridelands who doesn’t want to mate me.” Her eyes flickered downwards for just a moment, uncharacteristic nervousness showing through. But, then, this had been anything but a normal day. “If you’ll agree to keep this between us,” she whispered. “Kion, I’d be honored to give you my heat. I’m sorry I was mean, earlier. I didn’t know what to expect, and I was afraid… Then you showed up, and you’ve made me feel so much better without even once suggesting yourself. I know this couldn’t have been easy on you.” Fuli took a deep breath, as if steadying herself.

“I’m not looking for a mate. You’re not looking for a mate. But we both want to serve the Pridelands. Together.” She licked her lips, gaze sliding back to his. “We can fix this together. But only if you want.”

Kion’s mind was buzzing, sifting through every possibility he could think of. Every choice, every option for helping Fuli. And he knew she was right. There were other options, yes. All of them brought unknown troubles. But here, alone as they were, between just the two of them there was an option he had refused to consider. One with only one unknown: what such a thing would do to their lifelong friendship.

“I know that look,” Fuli said softly, watching him. “You think with your eyes, Kion. Always have. You know I’m right, don’t you?”

Kion nodded, slowly. “You’re right,” he said, his own voice scratchy in his ears.

“Will you accept?” she asked in typical, blunt Fuli fashion, and waited.

“I don’t want to lose you as a friend,” Kion said, his voice barely audible. “I can’t.”

“A friend is the only thing I want,” Fuli breathed.

They met each other’s eyes for a long moment, flashes of language without words traversing the small distance between them. Faith, hope, longing, and promises…

And before either knew what was happening, they were kissing.

“This is so weird,” Fuli breathed, even as she pushed back against Kion’s nose.

“I know, right?” he answered in a quavering chuckle. “So weird.”

“I want you to breed me. I really want it.” Fuli’s tongue crushed against his own, her smaller muzzle open against his lips. His tongue slid between her teeth, exploring her taste. It was different than he expected… Light and sweet, and he liked the way her breath blew through his muzzle like small gusts of wind, perfumed by its journey through a field of flowers.

Sometimes Kion forgot Fuli was a girl altogether. She was so different from his sisters, or the lionesses he knew. Her interests were simple, often single-minded, and she stood up for who she was in all things. They were a lot alike in many ways, and he simply thought of her as one of his best friends. Not a girl, not a boy, just Fuli. The thought of her feminine attributes had never even crossed his mind. Until now.

“Wow,” Kion gasped, breaking the kiss. He studied Fuli’s unusual, pure green eyes. They smiled back at him, sparking in the light streaming through the rocks above.

“If you don’t mind, that is,” she purred with a sarcastic eye roll, striding under Kion’s chin, finally flicking her tail under his jaw. Her scent made his head swim, and his eyes locked to her haunches. How they lifted and fell seductively. How she swayed her tail, every pivot a chance to catch a glimpse of where the scent was coming from.

“You’re beautiful,” he gasped.

“Thanks for noticing, big boy,” Fuli laughed, genuine surprise coloring her tone. Her ears blushed a little and she rolled her eyes to him with a lifted eyebrow. “So, are you just gonna make google eyes at me, now, or…”

“Oh! Oh yeah!” Kion shook his head.

“Whoa. Well, you’re certainly ready,” Fuli’s eyes widened, and the blush expressed in her ears heightened.

Kion looked down and realized he’d forgotten to keep himself covered. His cock was standing at attention, so full his sheath was almost invisible, pushed back to his body by the size of his erection.

“Oh shit!” Kion put both paws in front of himself, feeling heat burning his cheeks. “Sorry!” he gasped out of pure habit.

“No, no… Don’t cover it up. Let me see.” Fuli strode forward, slowly, her eyes focused like a predator on the hunt.

“Are-Are you sure?”

“Kion. I just asked you to breed me. I’m gonna see it.” Fuli rolled her eyes. “Did you think I was just gonna lift my tail and close my eyes?”

“Oh. Oh yeah… I don’t think I’m thinking so good right now,” Kion said in a nervous rush of breath. He hesitated anyway, but then moved his paw.

“Wow. Never seen one this close, honestly,” Fuli said, cocking her head a little, leaning down to get a closer look. Kion thought his mane might catch on fire.

“Damn… I never really thought of you as a boy, you know?” Fuli said with a big grin, looking up at him. Kion laughed a little and Fuli’s attention quickly went back between his legs. “I mean, like, you’re a boy in the way boys can be annoying… And I always see your balls and stuff, but this is… male. Very… Very… Male. It’s… nice!” Fuli smiled, as if surprised with herself.

“Thanks?” Kion managed, still not entirely sure what was happening.

“Ugh… God, my body wants all kinds of things. It’s weird.” Fuli shook, and Kion realized she was having just as much trouble focusing as he was. Her tail was swishing behind her, restless, but her eyes remained trained between his legs, her eyes distant as if thinking.

“Don’t move, Kion,” she finally said, her voice oddly soft. She moved forward slowly, and Kion found himself spreading his legs a little wider as she moved close. 

“Can I—?”

“Anything,” Kion gasped, wondering what he was even saying.

“I like that. Anything.” Fuli closed her eyes, taking in his scent, then pushed forward suddenly, pushing her face to his cock. Kion gasped, eyes wide as she rubbed her cheek along it in feline possessiveness, feeling it jerk against her soft fur, a bit of precum splashing.

Fuli jumped up and backwards a little. “Ah! Ahaha! It moves!” she giggled, looking at Kion as if to ask “Did you see that??”

“Oh, well yeah, sure!” Kion laughed, flexing his belly a little, making his cock bob up and down. “I mean, you’ve seen me mark the border sometimes, right?”

“I thought it just pointed backwards most of the time,” Fuli shrugged, giggling again.

“Nope!” Kion laughed, bobbing himself a few more times. “It’s a lot harder when it’s… like this, though. I don’t think I could mark anything.”

“You could mark me,” Fuli purred, and then her eyes flew wide, and she covered her mouth with both paws. “Oh my spots… Oh wow, I didn’t mean that. It just happened,” she gasped. 

“I think your heat is making it hard for both of us to think,” Kion chuckled. “Don’t worry, we’ll just take it one step at a time. You can say whatever you want, Fuli. Maybe… maybe we’ll even do some of it later on, I don’t know. We’re gonna have to learn what… What we like, I guess.”

“Oh that is so embarrassing,” Fuli moaned, stroking over her muzzle. “That’s nasty, why did I say that? Why am I thinking about it? Why am I still talking about it?! Gah!”

“I dunno. Maybe it’s not that weird,” Kion shrugged. “I mean… I’ve never done this either, you know. Maybe that’s normal? Maybe it’s more normal for cheetahs? Maybe it’s just your heat?”

“Nope. Noooope. Not a cheetah thing,” Fuli said, pacing. Kion wasn’t sure how she was so confident about that, but he let it go. “Marking means claiming. I’d hate someone trying to claim me, but…”

“But not right now?” Kion offered.

“Not right now,” Fuli responded, with a smile so bright it made Kion smile too. “Yeah! That’s it! Just not right now! Things are different right now, ‘cause of the heat! Maybe it’s okay!”

Kion, who didn’t think any of this was all that not-okay in the first place, just smiled back, glad that Fuli seemed to be discovering something about herself.

“So what I want right now… maybe I won’t want that after all this. So whatever we do… it’s okay, right? It’s really okay, cause it won’t last.”

Kion cocked his head, thinking about it a little. “I can see that,” he agreed, realizing Fuli’s mind was still wrestling with the impulses her body’s hormones were producing. “But right now, I just want you to feel good. Anything you want is okay, because I trust you, and you’re my friend.”

Fuli was still grinning like she did after she won a race (which was frequently), and she turned back to him, sudden confidence in her poise.

“Then I’m not gonna fight it any more,” she declared. “I want what I want, and I’m gonna let it happen!”

As Kion was still wondering what that meant, Fuli moved towards him, smooth as liquid. Before he could form a clear thought, her muzzle was between his legs, wrapping around his shaft and engulfing it in warm, heated wetness.

“Oh whooAAAaooo!” Kion vocalized as the thoughts he had been trying to form died an immediate death amidst his sudden sensory conflagration. His eyes widened, and he grabbed at Fuli’s nape, mostly because he knew if he didn’t grab something he was definitely going to fall on his ass.

“Ohhh, this is good,” Fuli said, her voice a bit muffled between his legs. She lapped up and down, exploring his maleness with her tongue. Poking at the barbs, lifting them onto the tip of her tongue. Nuzzling down towards his sheath and running her tongue along the sensitive flesh there.

“Oh kings,” Kion gasped to the stones above him.

“Salty… musky… Mm, so hard and warm,” Fuli said, like an explorer making notes on discoveries. She ran her tongue up and down in a smooth motion, stroking him until precum poured down his shaft, slickening it. “And so big,” Fuli purred. “I don’t think… I don’t think this is normal,” she said with a little giggle. 

“Is… is that bad?” Kion wondered downwards.

“It’s perfect,” Fuli muttered. “Fun.” She licked back up to the tip, and Kion groaned as she put her whole muzzle around him again, bobbing her head just a little, until his claws slid out into her fur.

“Eww lahk dat?” she mumbled upwards, her muzzle full.

“Yes. Yes yes yes… Oh kings… Oh stars, yes…” 

Fuli grinned around him. “Eww whan ‘ee t’ thtohp?”

“If you don’t, I’m gonna…” Kion blushed, pausing himself through sheer deep-seated manners training. Fuli slid her muzzle back, still smiling. She licked the tip again, slowly, and his cock bobbed in front of her. 

“You’re gonna what, Kion? Say it.”

Kion was breathing heavily, feeling like he was hyperventilating. He gulped, feeling somehow like a line was about to be crossed. Sure, he’d done this a few times on his own, or with Bunga, but… It was nothing like this. Nothing at all. Fuli was looking up at him, though, her eyes waiting. Teasing. He knew she wanted to hear him say it. 

“If you do that, I’m gonna spray in your muzzle,” he finally gasped, hoarse. 

Fuli’s grin widened, and she licked his shaft again. “Do you want that, Kion?” she teased. “You wanna cum in my muzzle?”

Kion was breathing so quickly he thought he might pass out. Did he want that? Of course he did! But did Fuli want it too? Was it the right thing to do? So many thoughts and feelings all at once!

“I know what I think. I wanna hear what you think,” Fuli winked. “I wanna hear what you actually want, Kion. Not what you think you need to do for me.” Kion blinked, feeling as if Fuli had somehow read into his mind. What did he want? He was so used to choosing based on the needs of the creatures around him… 

The lion blinked, and Fuli remained quiet. Waiting. Knowing her friend, and giving him the time to reach his own conclusions. Kion gulped, his eyes exploring Fuli’s. She was so pretty. So spirited, her cheetah muzzle quirked in a little grin, as if she already knew exactly what was going to happen and was just waiting for him to realize. But, more than anything, he felt safe, and they were alone. A rare time and place in all the Pridelands where he could just be… him.

“I would like that,” Kion said huskily.

“I would like that too,” Fuli purred. She hooded her eyes and reached upwards, nuzzling under his chin for a moment. Kion took a deep breath, realizing how much her approval meant to him. They were in this together, for real.

Fuli dipped her head, taking his shaft back into her muzzle. Bobbing a little on the tip. 

“Ah, Fuli….” Kion groaned, stroking at her head.

“Once I start, I’m not going to stop,” Fuli purred, a thrumming sound in her throat that only a cheetah could make.

“Y-yes.”

“I’m going to suck on you until you cum.”

“Yes, Fuli. Yes, I want that.”

“Good,” Fuli’s muzzle engulfed him, and Kion’s eyes rolled back. Somehow it felt even better this time. It was indescribable… Like all the pleasant relaxations he’d ever experienced, rolled into one. Lounging on a sunny rock. Sliding through warm water, after a patrol. The embrace of pride members as they slept.

“Oh… oh….” Kion made little sounds, starting to paw at the top of Fuli’s head, but she just kept going, her motions fluid and rhythmic. Her lips provided pressure, but he could feel her tongue moving as well in small motions he couldn’t quite describe, but which he could feel through his whole body. Occasionally her tongue grasped onto his barbs, pulling on them, and his claws slid out to poke against her flesh. 

“I can’t stop it,” he gasped, realizing that it was actually about to happen. The point of no return was quick approaching, and he was powerless to resist it.

“Dohn’t,” Fuli murred against him. He felt her paws rest on his hindpaws, her dewclaws kneading against his pawtoes. The gesture was relaxing, calming. Intimate and friendly. Fuli’s motions remained the exact same. Slow and steady. Building a crescendo of feelings inside of the lion like none he had ever experienced.

“Oh, Fuli,” he gasped, his paws holding onto her slim shoulders. Grasping them tightly as his muscles began to shudder through his whole body. She wasn’t going to stop. She really wasn’t.

“Ah… ah… AHHhHhhhhhhhhrrrrrAWWRRRRrrrr!” 

Kion’s whole body contracted, his roar magnified in the small space, sounding deep and layered like he could usually only produce with The Roar. His cock leapt within Fuli’s mouth, and he heard a little sound of surprise from below, and then the wet, warm sensation of his seed dribbling down his shaft in small gushes. Dripping over Fuli’s lips to slide down his sheath and balls onto the earth below. 

A sudden urge to hump deep into Fuli’s muzzle flooded through his body in an instant, and he thrust forward, just barely catching himself before pushing even harder. Fuli grunted as her nose was pushed into his sweaty groinfur, but didn’t pull herself back. She held herself in place, suckling on his shaft even as it overflowed with his seed.

“Ahh, ungghhh,” Kion groaned, his muscles contracting and loosening in odd ways. His stomach was flexing, now, pulling on his sheath muscles. Making his cock jump within Fuli’s mouth. His balls felt like they were jumping right along with his sheath, as if just getting started.

Kion’s thoughts were so mangled by his physical experience, he was almost surprised when Fuli lifted her head from his shaft. Cool air flooded around it, a shocking sensation, and then warmth again as Fuli began rubbing her head along the underside of his shaft. 

Then his brain caught up and he was even more surprised. Kion looked down, eyes wide as Fuli nuzzled from his shaft to his balls, his cock resting on her forehead, still spurting. Leaving trails of white, sticky lion seed to drip down her muzzle in inverse tear lines.

Fuli’s muzzle pressed and teased around the base of his shaft. Pushing on a sensitive spot at the base, just above his balls, that seemed to tease more spurts from him, even as his orgasm waned. 

“Oooohhhh. Oh wow,” Kion breathed at last, when his body was back in his control. “Oh Fuli…”

The cheetah looked up at last, her green eyes alight. 

“Rub it into my fur, Kion,” she purred. 

Kion started at that, and hesitated. Then, slowly, he reached out, putting his paw on Fuli’s head where he had marked her spots, and began to gently rub his seed into her fur. Through the fur, against her flesh. He could hear her making little sounds as he did it, pushing up against his paw as it traveled from between her ears down over her muzzle. Kion only stopped when he reached her nose, and Fuli gently took his paw in her teeth, guiding it away.

The lion breathed heavily as his paw came away, shocked at the mess he had made. Horrified, thinking of how the obsessively fastidious cheetah would react… But she was smiling. 

“That was amazing,” she breathed, meeting his eyes and holding them. “Thank you, Kion…” She grinned, eyes narrowing a little, mischief covering her face. She leaned forward and kissed him. Long and slow, the scent of cheetah sweat and his own seed teasing his nostrils. 

“Now I want you to do it again. Inside of me.” She licked his muzzle and smiled at him.

“Are we… Are we going a little too far?” Kion asked, breathing heavily, looking over Fuli with concern. His head was spinning; he had never expected his first time to go like this! And, while he didn’t want it to stop for a second, he couldn’t help expressing his concern. He knew Fuli wasn’t herself and a part deep inside of him didn’t believe for a second she actually wanted this. It was as if he had stepped into a dream, with its own logic and events, with reality somewhere off in the distance. But the cheetah just smiled, and that smile was all Fuli. He found himself reacting to it. Smiling with her, a gusty laugh of relief escaping him.

“This is what I want, Kion,” Fuli said as if she read his mind, her voice husky. She nuzzled her head along his neck. “I want to be… This me. I know it’s weird; it’s weird to me too. But this is me, right now. I wanna just let go.”

Kion half-closed his eyes, the sound of her voice and the scent of her heat luring his mind into stupor. “Can I let go with you, Kion?” she whispered, almost right in his ear.

“If it’s what you really want, Fuli,” Kion nodded. He still felt displaced, almost like something was wrong. But of course he did, he had never been this close to a female’s heat before. And Fuli had never been in heat herself. This was alien to her, too. But maybe, here, that didn’t matter so much. They were alone, safe, and together. Though it itched like an insect under his pelt, he trusted Fuli. If this was what she wanted, it was good enough for him.

“Whatever you want, Fuli. Anything,” Kion said firmly, and Fuli’s ears perked. It was the most clear-headed thing she’d heard him say all afternoon. He smiled at her and she felt her heart thump double time, as if she’d just finished a race. 

“Then fuck me, Kion,” she growled, licking his cheek. Not bothering to hold back her language. “Hard, like a king. Like a… a… a wandering rogue that found me. Have your way.” Fuli growled and pulled on his cheek fur hard with her teeth, making Kion wince as she all but dragged him forward. He stumbled forward, and Fuli let go, grinning. She stalked ahead of him, watching him following her. Swaying her tail. 

Then, at last, she knelt to the ground, lifting her rump and her tail high behind her. Presenting herself to him in the most primal way. Kion felt a shiver run from mane to tail, and realized after the fact that he was growling, a low thrumming rumble that seemed to emanate from somewhere in his soul. She was wet, her black-rimmed pussy swollen with her heat. He could see the pink of her insides. The sight was more arousing than he would have ever imagined a simple glance under someone’s tail to be, awakening deep needs he hadn’t known he had.

“I want it rough, Kion. So rough,” she growled back at him, her ears falling back, responding to his growl. Her lips curled up a little, showing her teeth. Something in Kion told him Fuli was feeling the same drives he was, but in different ways. He growled back, letting his lip curl. 

Fuli turned in a flash, batting at him once, twice, three times like lightning. He blocked the first in a classic training move, dodged the second, and deflected the third, leaving the cheetah off balance. He lunged, using his shoulder to push Fuli, tripping her onto her side. She sprang to her feet with a snarl.

“If you think you can take it easy on me just because it’s my first time, you’ve got another fucking thing coming!” she hissed. She darted in again, swiping high, then disengaging and going low, trying to take his feet out from under him. 

Kion didn’t fall for it. The lion dodged again, gathering his paws under him and catching Fuli’s swipe at his legs. With power he would usually have reserved for a threat to the Pridelands, he lunged forward. Fuli, with her front paws captured, tumbled backwards with the big lion on top of her, his teeth bared. A deadly position for a cheetah fighting a lion.

“I’m not going to take it easy on you!” Kion snarled back. His muzzled pushed to Fuli’s and she gasped, her muzzle forced open to accept Kion’s tongue inside. He growled, his claws extended so she could feel them through her fur as he kissed her as long as he wanted. She could feel his hardness against her hindpaws. Fuli struggled again, but he held her, his grip like iron. When had he become so strong? She pushed again, but he didn’t budge. She might as well have tried to body Beshte. She went limp. It was over.

“Fuck me, Kion,” she groaned into his muzzle, pushing her hindpaw against his maleness. “Right now.”

“I’ll fuck you when I’m ready,” he growled back, biting down her neck, his paw on her chest. Then he nipped lower and lower, shifting his weight off her body just before his teeth found her teats. Fuli shuddered and gasped, eyes wide. That felt… amazing! Her paws grabbed Kion’s young mane, grabbing it as he moved to the next row, pulling at the teats there. 

“Oh, Kion… oh, shit…!”

“You like that?” Kion growled back. His paw found her inner thighs, pushing them out roughly. Standing on her in a very disrespectful pinning position. But it was perfect for his muzzle to move, finding another teat and…

“Ohhhh!” Fuli chirped allowed as he found another, suckling on it for a moment, pulling on it the next. He growled and worried at it like a hyena with a bone, his eyes finding hers, his lip pulled up in aggression.

“Bite, bite, bite,” Fuli gasped. “I’m gonna cum, Kion!”

Kion snarled and bit down harder, and Fuli arched her back, pushing and writhing against Kion’s pinning paws. She whined–whined!–like a little cub. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d allowed such a helpless sound to pass her lips. She wriggled, holding onto Kion’s mane, her hips bucking on nothing, feeling his tongue lap lapping where his teeth had broken flesh. 

When Kion grabbed her, she was as limp as a cub. He pushed her over onto her belly and she let him without a fight. She did nothing but pant as he grabbed her tail and lifted it out of the way. Her eyes rolled back when his muzzle pushed under her tail, tasting her dripping femininity. She couldn’t find words to say even when his tongue slid over her exposed anus. All she could do was cum again, helplessly bathing Kion’s chin in her fluids while mewling like a kit.

Then, Kion was above her, his form blocking out the thin lighting filtering down to them from above. She gasped as his chest touched her back. He felt so big like this… A sign of the large lion he was going to grow into. Soon, he would dwarf her. She had always known he’d outgrow her, eventually, but now she realized it had already been happening. He was on the cusp of adulthood, as was she, and they were about to cross that line together.

Fuli spread herself, lifting her rump on shaky legs under Kion. She turned her head and was met with lion kisses, opening her muzzle for Kion to kiss wetly.

“Oh, Fuli,” Kion growled, tenderness in his voice. “I’m ready. I want to share this with you…”

“Shut up,” Fuli moaned back, bumping his muzzle with her own. “Do it. Don’t be gentle. I know you want to. Don’t. Fuck me like… oh shit, fuck me like a wilddog on his bitch. Give me what I need, Kion!”

Kion snarled, the sound of his hesitations leaving his body. She could feel as he tensed around her. The muscles tensing in his abdomen, hips, and arms. She knew, for a moment that felt eternal, that he was going to do just that. For a sheer, liminal moment, they were apart and joined at once. Her body, empty. Being filled, inevitable.

Fuli opened her mouth in a long, keeing, gasp as Kion slid himself into her at last. It hurt, and it was the best thing she had ever felt. His hips met hers, pushing into her fur intimately, his chest against her back, his arms around her chest. It was real now. Kion was inside of her. She was fucking her best friend.

Time snapped forward, like a pulled vine. Kion thrust roughly into her. Taking her as she had begged, his barbs tearing at her sensitive insides. Snarling and thrusting into her deep like a wild male. She couldn’t find her breath. It was as if there was no time to breathe. No need. As if Kion’s thrusting would sustain the both of them by itself, forever. It was all they needed. 

He grabbed her nape, pulling her back against himself. Biting into the flesh there, holding her and making his claim over her body. She moaned and let him, trying to push back, but finding herself paralyzed in his arms. Completely given over to the feeling of him pushing himself inside of her as much as he pleased.

His breaths were coming in sharp spurts now. She could hear and feel them against the fur of her nape. She could feel it. An odd, filling sensation within her as his barbs flared within her, teasing her insides. Relief flooded through her body. Indescribable, pure, relief. She heard a sound and realized it was herself, moaning. Saying things. Words she couldn’t make out or recall. Begging for what she already knew; Kion wasn’t going to stop. He was going to take this all the way. In this moment, she was all his, and she wanted nothing else.

The moment was heralded by a deep growl and a rush of breath against her nape. That was all Fuli needed. Her body responded, clutching down around Kion as she gave herself fully to another orgasm in his arms. His body responded, muscles bunching in a wild, masculine way. A shiver of need through his whole body. His teeth bit on her nape just a little harder, and he held himself deep within her. A sound like none she’d ever heard escaped his muzzle, and she felt him let go within her, his body flexing and jerking in time with his release. 

“Ah… Ahhhh!” Kion moaned, letting her nape go, his muzzle pushed deep into her shoulder instead as he hunched over her. 

She turned a little, licking at his cheek. “That’s it, Kion. All of it. Oh, that’s what I needed. This is it. Give me all of it. All of your cubs. I’m yours, Kion. Your rogue cheetah cunt to fuck and fuck.”

Kion responded with a deep, male grunt, still thrusting inside of her. Strong, shallow thrusts, leaving her filled with his full size. She could feel herself swelling a little on the inside. A strange, distant sensation of warmth and fullness that she couldn’t quite describe, but she found herself blushing, knowing it was the feeling of his seed filling her body. Trying to make her pregnant. 

She wasn’t sure how long it was until she felt him relax. It felt like hours, though it could have been seconds. His body softened, and his breathing returned to normal, as did hers. His paws slid over her own, caressing them for a moment, and then he stepped back and out of her. Fuli hissed as his barbs tugged her flesh, but his seed quickly flowed after, cooling the pangs. His tongue lapped at the back of her head, and she purred long and hard, turning her head to lick back, tongue on tongue. 

“How do you feel?” Kion said at last, his orange eyes clear and bright.

“That’s… That’s exactly what I needed,” Fuli breathed, looking up at him with wonder. He smiled at her, and her heart did that little thump-thump thing it had been doing when he looked at her that way. Innocent as a cub, proud as a king.

“But don’t think you’re off the hook just yet, buster,” she winked, rolling over underneath him and running a paw down his chestfur, wriggling in the grass and dirt. “This doesn’t just go away on the first try.”

“Oh, well… I guess I could do that a few more times,” Kion laughed, mischief in his eyes. He leaned down and kissed her. A gentle kiss, this time, and she returned it in kind. 

“Oooohh, Kings… You made a mess,” Fuli purred. She could feel his cum dripping from her pussy, down her rumpcleft and ass, over her tail, and onto the dirt and grass below. “You cum like a whole coalition.” 

Kion blushed, his mind playing that visual. A coalition of young males in the borderlands, each leaving their mark on a female… It was exactly the sort of image he’d have shut out immediately. But this was a different time, and he let it linger for a moment, feeling his cock respond a little. 

A little purr and kiss from Fuli pulled him from his imagination, and he blushed again, embarrassed to be caught thinking of such a thing. “I kind of like it,” Fuli purred to him, eyes hooded. “I think… It’s okay, right now. I like imagining… things with you, Kion. I always have.” They kissed again, and she stroked a hindpaw between his legs, eyes widening at feeling him completely hard again. She smiled.

“I want you to cum over me just like a group of rogues would. Then breed me again. Will you do that, Kion?”

Kion chuffed and winked, sitting up over her and pawing his cock for her to watch. A shiver ran through her body.

“Seriously?” he growled with a crooked grin. He was teasing her, she knew, and she grinned back. This was their time, their space, and she had never felt so comfortable in her own fur. Soon, she would go back to being the Fuli she had always been. Or not. It didn’t matter, and she realized she no longer cared. Now, she knew just what she wanted, and she spread her legs, making herself a target. Urging Kion on without a second thought, nodding her head.

“Seriously!”