[b][JOEY][/b]

"Joseph Salbard," the boy said, trying to enunciate so the stupid voice-recognition device would be able to understand it. 

>> VOICE UNRECOGNIZED
>> NAME IS NOT IN CATALOG - NAME UNRECOGNIZED
>> PLEASE TRY AGAIN

Joey groaned with frustration. Of course his mother would install voice-locks on the house! It was the new craze among the wealthy and famous! Supposedly friggen un-hackable! It was a complete piece of shit! 

His mother had a [i]thing[/i] for hot tech. Like, to an unseemly degree. She practically wet her panties over anything the Fleur d'Or company decided to grace the market with. He had seen her literally shudder with arousal at technology conventions, which was why Joey didn't go to those with her anymore. It was disturbing.

When his mother had gotten invited to the Fleur d'Or R&D Convention - [i]the[/i] biggest cutting-edge tech convention [i]in the country[/i] - Joey had had to resort to literally begging her to not drag him along. He liked cool stuff, and getting to brag and lord his shiny tech over his friends...but once had been quite enough for watching your mother cream herself over a goddamn refrigerator! Sure, the thing had thirty different settings for different produce, kept an accurate inventory of its contents, and could even automatically make a shopping list - but it was still just a fancy fridge! A fridge that Joey was now being [i]denied[/i] use of, because the front door of his stupid house couldn't recognize his stupid name!

Taking deep breaths to calm himself down, Joey made another attempt, "Joey Salbard."

>> VOICE UNRECOGNIZED 
>> NAME IS IN CATALOG - NAME RECOGNIZED
>> PLEASE TRY AGAIN

He was beginning to see what had happened, here. His mother had been in a hurry to rush off to her convention, and had set up the thing [i]using only her own voice[/i]. So while it recognized Joey's name, it was expecting [i]her[/i] voice to be saying it. Goddamn it.

Joey kicked at the door, growling to himself. This was bullshit! Already, he could feel his t-shirt sticking to his skin - it was, like, eighty-five degrees out!

>> PLEASE DO NOT ASSAULT THE PREMISES
>> AUTHORITIES WILL BE SUMMONED IF YOU PERSIST

So it could call the police on him, but not give him access unless he was his mother? Fucking piece of shit! Weirdly, Joey was sure Fleur d'Or would've done it better. But Praetorian was supposed to be the 'big name' in security technology (and military hardware), so of course his mother gone with them, for this. 

Maybe, just maybe, she hadn't put the locks on [i]all[/i] the doors. As he began trudging around the mansion, he pulled out his phone. The sleek Fleur d'Or device was their latest model, and was probably Joey's most prized possession, currently. He'd chosen its accessories himself. Knowing that the fragile-appearing glass was nearly indestructible, he hadn't bothered with a case for it. Instead, he had a black GeckoTape backing carefully laid across the back of the device. GeckoTape had one adhesive side, and one [i]semi[/i]-adhesive side. Joey could just stick his phone to anything, and it would stay there as if super-glued...yet it only took gentle prying - from the right direction - to remove again. Who needs a belt clip? He usually kept his phone stuck to his thigh, like magic. 

The 'semi-holographic' display appeared within the clear glass in  wireframe lines of (currently) red light. He had the thing set to randomize, so each time he opened the phone, the display would be slightly different. To be honest, that mode was mostly just for display purposes at the store, to show off all the color and style customization available, and Joey hadn't bothered unsetting it. 

Swiping over to his 'favorited' apps, he opened the one at the top left of the page - his most-used app of recent: ChatAgent.

The app was a chat, obviously, but it had many interesting features. For one thing, it zealously censored all personal information except the first letter of one's name. You [i]could[/i] tell others things about yourself, but you often had to be creatively roundabout, such as saying 'I have a [genitals]' to disclose one's sex, or 'I am a resident of the largest city along the Hudson River' to say you were from New York City. The app was frequently on the news, being quite popular with criminals who wished to conduct business with anonymity. Naturally, this is what had led Joey to first hear about it, and he'd been quick to download it and see for himself. 

Joey had been expecting some sort of shady dialogue, filled with dark innuendo and ominous code words. Perhaps if you went into the right rooms. But whoever had made ChatAgent wasn't completely irresponsible - with the exception of moderators, you were limited to chatting with 'Agents' within three years of your own age. To prevent someone from claiming a false age, the app never actually asked for it. Instead, a series of tests were administered, judging the user's age from their language use, knowledge of the popular culture of their time, and probably other criteria as well. Joey had spent two days 'prepping' for it before he actually took the test and was allowed to join the general chat. He'd still been pegged at twelve, though he'd taken pains to try and appear older.

He was disappointed, but not for long - he'd quickly made friends on the app, and now was part of a 'room' consisting of himself and five others. 

[b] Agent J has entered the room [/b]
[b] Room occupancy : 3 [/b]
[b] Agent List : W, R, J* [/b]

[color=blue]<Agent_R> : Hey,  J! How was your last day of school?[/color]

[color=red]<Agent_J> : Ugghh. Took forever. And now I'm locked out of the house, apparently.[/color]

[color=blue]<Agent_W> : How did that happen? Doesn't your 'FP' let you in, usually?

<Agent_R> : Their 'FP' is at the Fleur d'Or convention thingy. They told us last night, remember?[/color]

[color=red]<Agent_J> : That's right,  @R. Seems before she left, she changed the locks on the house to these stupid Praetorian ones with voice-rec...but she forgot to register my voice with it. And with her out, currently...[/color]

[color=blue]<Agent_R> : Ooh. Ouch. At least it's a nice day out?[/color]

[color=red]<Agent_J> : Maybe where [i]you[/i] are, but here it's pretty hot out. 85°. But that's not the real issue right now. I need to pee![/color]

[color=blue]<Agent_W> : Just piss outside!

<Agent_R> : That's gross, Dubs! We're not animals!

<Agent_W> : ...it's less gross than pissing all over himself, isn't it?

<Agent_R> : How do you know J's a ×××? I don't think they ever said. Count the letters, I'm not correcting it, now. Stupid ChatAgent censor. 

<Agent_W> : J told me, kind of. 

<Agent_R> : What do you mean, 'kind of'?

<Agent_W> : We've been playing a VR together. Have you heard of [i]Godmode[/i]? But to answer your question, I saw it from his character creation choices. Speaking of which, @J - so,  no session tonight if you don't find a way into your house? 

<Agent_R> : That's a

<Agent_R> : *gasp* You [i]both[/i] have full-dive rigs!? Fuck, am I the 
poorest one in our group? Those things are [i]expensive[/i]![/color]

[color=red]<Agent_J> : @R - I don't wanna talk about it. @W - I'm hoping I'll get inside by our usual time. [/color]

[color=blue]<Agent_R> : So,  that's that game where the host player has control over everything that happens, and the other players have to play out whatever scenario the host came up with, right? OMG - you two have been [i]role playing[/i]? Together? 

<Agent_W> : Don't get a knot in your panties, R. I don't know about J, but my rig's half-dive, so I do the hosting. My FP works for Fleur d'Or, so I get sent beta test stuff. I'm not rich - just well connected. And yes, we have been role playing.[/color]

[color=red]<Agent_J> : OMG, I just realized our FPs might meet each other! Please tell me yours won't be at that con[/color]

<Agent_R> : So, what if J made a ×××× -- ughh! -- 'penisy' character in your game? They might be a mammary-type who fantasizes about being penis-type!

<Agent_W> : That's [i]definitely[/i] not what J fantasizes about, I can tell you that much! Also, I love how this app makes us talk about our sex as if they were Pokémon. @J - Don't worry, my FP is more the behind-the-scenes sort. There will be mostly sales people at the con.[/color]

[color=red]<Agent_J> : Please don't tell R about that![/color]

[color=blue]<Agent_W> : Relax,  J. I won't tell R nothing embarrassing. Anyways, didn't you need to piss?[/color]

[color=red]<Agent_J> : I did it behind the shed while you two were talking about my genital status. Oh, thank God! My MP came home early.[/color]

[color=blue]<Agent_W> : Wanna play the game, when you get in? We were planning on having a longer session, cause you won't have school tomorrow. We still doing that?

<Agent_R> : I see how it is! Running off to roleplay together! I guess I'll languish here alone until D or L gets on. 

<Agent_W> : Oh, please! I know you and T are PM-ing behind our backs. Maybe you and them can do some...roleplay. 

<Agent_R> : Well, you and J have been [i]gaming[/i] behind our backs, too! Why didn't any of us get an invite to your game, huh? Also, how'd you find out? Did T tell you?

<Agent_W> : On the main menu, scroll down past the group chats, and there's the private chats listed like slash pairings. "R/T". Nice to hear you're on top, by the way. And J mentioned having the full-dive but nothing to play, so I told him about [i]Godmode[/i].

<Agent_R> : OMG. I can't believe I didn't realize [i]all[/i] chats are listed on the main menu! I feel so dumb! 

[color=red]<Agent_J> : OK, I'm inside now. Sorry, I had to chat with my MP a bit. @W - Hell yes! But let me take a shower, first! @R - we can PM if you want! I do feel kinda bad for 'cheating'.[/color]

[color=blue]<Agent_R> : I'm just messing with you ××××. But, if you really feel bad, make it up to me with deets on Dubs! He's always so careful about what he says about himself. Other than that he's a dick. Ha! That works two ways! 

<Agent_W> : Very clever. @J - I should be ready for you by the time your shower's done. Roughly fifteen minutes?

<Agent_R> : Hey! I just looked it up. [i]Godmode[/i] is an 18+ game! Guess I know your ages now! 

<Agent_W> : You don't have to hit 'NO' to the 'Are you 18 or older?' bit, you know. For all you know, I could be four!

<Agent_R> : You swear too much for a four year old.[/color]

[color=red] <Agent_J> : @W - getting in the shower now. Fifteen should be OK.  @R - TTYL![/color]

[b]Agent J has left the room[/b]

All through his shower, Joey had a boner. Thinking about the game he played with W [i]always[/i] got him that way. If there had been any way for his parents to see what Joey was getting up to in W's world, he'd get thrown out of the house and disowned. It was naughty. 

He was fairly certain at least W and R were Anthros - they'd both mentioned living towards the west coast, and anything west of the Mississippi was Anthro country. D had said they lived [i]along[/i] the Mississippi, and those territories were pretty mixed - which left D an open question in regards to species - but the farther east or west one got, the more either humans or Anthros were the majority. Joey lived in Maine territory - practically the heart of 'human country' in the US. He'd never even seen an Anthro in person, and only rarely did his parents let him watch movies or TV shows that featured them. To say that his parents were specist was...understating. His whole area of the country was founded by human-supremacists, and that was all that really needed said, there. 

He rushed through his shower and then, with only a towel wrapped around his waist, tried to scurry straight to his room. His father caught him in the way, though, "Hey. I'm gonna have to head out again - work called me back in. With the doors...it should be obvious you shouldn't go outside again until that gets fixed. Anyways, you'll be okay here by yourself?"

Joey nodded quickly, "I'll be fine, Dad. I'm not such a delicate flower as Mom makes me out to be. And I [i]know[/i] how to order food and stuff."

His father grinned, "I'll leave you my card number on the kitchen table. And look, I know I've been busy at work these past couple weeks, so what say you and me go do something tomorrow? Now that you're on summer vacation, we can hang out more, again."

Trying to keep a straight face when he was sure that his boner was visible beneath his towel, Joey smiled, "Sure, Dad. That'd be cool."

His father ruffled his hair, and then headed out. Joey couldn't believe his luck. If his father's workplace called him back in, usually that meant he'd be gone all night. No one was going to be home to yank him out of VR to go to bed. As soon as he heard his father's car leave, he shucked the towel. Sticking his phone to the outside of the dive tank so he could chat while he set the thing up, he logged back in to ChatAgent to tell W the good news. 

Meanwhile,  he booted up the machine, and waited for the clear gel/fluid stuff inside to turn black. Even Joey didn't know what that stuff was - proprietary secret,  probably. But the substance was what made it a 'full dive' rig. Somehow breathable, the stuff handled all the sensory input from the virtual world, and could even trick his eyes into thinking they were seeing. The only caveat was that it needed full skin contact. 

The tank itself stood from floor to ceiling, roughly ten feet. Joey had had to seriously rearrange his room to have it - and its accessories - fit. A 'half dive' was more like first-generation VR tech - a helmet with goggles, a pair of controllers, and optionally a treadmill. While the current gen's half-dive equipment was a little more sophisticated, it didn't hold a candle to a full-dive rig like Joey had. In a full rig, you couldn't tell that you [i]were[/i] in a VR.

[b] This is a private (temporary) room [/b]
[b] Hosting Agent : J [/b]
[b] Client Agent : W [/b]

[b] Speak carefully,  censorship is OFF in private rooms [/b]

[color=red]<Agent_J> : OK. Rig's booted. You ready on your end, Dubs?[/color]

[color=blue]<Agent_W> : Yeah. You know, I just realized we can freely talk, in PM. Like tell our names and stuff. I mean, if you want to.[/color]

[color=red]<Agent_J> : We'd have to be careful not to namedrop each other in the group chat. But...my name's Joey.[/color]

[color=blue]<Agent_W> : Heh. I can't believe I got a little hard over reading your full name, there. And your Tribe? You know I won't judge.[/color]

[color=red]<Agent_J> : dude, TMI! And I don't wanna discuss that just yet, if that's alright. What about you, though? R's right, you don't let on anything about yourself. I mean, you've mentioned your parents a lot. And said you're from Fort Yellowstone, and homeschooled...but other than that you're male, the rest of us don't know [i]anything[/i] about you![/color]

[color=blue]<Agent_W> : My name's Warrant, Joey. And you're one to talk! The rest of us have been trying to figure which coast [i]you're[/i] on for months! Anyways, get in the rig, Joey. Let's get this party going.[/color]

He felt a bit bad about hiding the fact that he was human from...Warrant. Even 'L' had told them they were 'out of place, but living along Sherman's Coast', which was easy to figure out - they were an Anthro who lived along the coast of Carolina territory. Joey didn't want to lie, but with 'D' the only other possible human in their group, he didn't want the Anthros to know. He worried they might stop liking him. 

Shaking his head as if it could shake his guilt off, he opened the side door to the tank. The strange substance didn't pour out, just stayed there. It was more disturbing because, getting into it, the stuff clearly had about the same viscosity as water. It should pour out every time he opened the door, but it didn't. 

Breathing out long to get as much air out of his lungs as possible, Joey stepped inside and quickly shut the door. He then took a deep breath in, and felt the odd sensation of his lungs filling with a liquid, but he wasn't drowning. 

A few burps later, exchanging out the remaining air in his lungs, the system registered him as ready for link. The inky liquid surrounding him 
flashed red several times, warning him it would be starting the link if he didn't abort. Joey shut his eyes against the bright flashes, and stayed silent until the flashing stopped, and then his world changed.

Joey still didn't know how it did it, but the dive rig even conveyed the feeling of being in a completely different body. A [i]four-legged[/i] body - a Feral. He could feel the air conditioning gently ruffling his fur, the cold linoleum underneath where he was laying, and most amazingly, his [i]tail[/i]! Here, in this world, he was a Feral - a Feral Alsatian, to be precise. 

Some small percentage of Anthros were born like this, and usually promptly euthanized or abandoned. The ones who were abandoned sometimes survived, but they were crazed and violent. They attacked anyone who strayed too close, and were even known to rape people if the scent of a female Anthro in heat was in the air. They were considered little more than animals, and lacked the same rights as normal people. Sometimes, though, a young Feral could be caught. They never became civilized, but the rich and powerful among both Anthros and Humans sometimes kept them as pets. 

Joey's character was one such Feral.

As he got to his paws, he heard Warrant's voice in his head. His friend's voice left no doubt that he was Anthro - not quite deep, but [i]rumbly[/i], like he was constantly making a growl in the back of his throat when he spoke. As it had their first session together, the Anthro's voice alone made Joey's 'sheath' start feeling tight. It reminded him once again that he was naked, and he shamefully tucked his tail between his legs.  

[b]"OK, Joey. Here's a quick recap: your character was wandering through downtown Boston, and after a merry chase, have been taken to the dangerous animals lockup. You successfully convinced the attendant here that you might be worth quite a lot as a pet for some rich person, and have thus escaped getting 'put down', but your journey isn't over yet. Now, considering our experience with the voice-nulling surgery, do you want me to turn pain sensation down for this session? This is OOC, so you can reply aloud."[/b]

Joey shuddered. Neither of them had thought through the implications of having reality-level pain feedback when Ferals weren't anesthetized for surgeries. Joey had been immobile, and had felt [i]everything[/i]. It had been kind of traumatic, and Warrant had apologized for days afterward, but Joey had learned something about himself. 

He'd gotten off during the surgery. Not because of the pain, necessarily,  but because he'd been helpless. The idea of being a pet in itself was probably part of that thrill - being completely at someone else's mercy. "Um... it's OK, Warrant. Keep full sense on. And...I know I said it was too much, but my dad's gonna be gone the rest of the night, and I don't want to have to take breaks...so, you can turn bodily functions on, too."

[b]"OK...if you're sure, Joey. OOC will end in five, four, three, two..."[/b]

Joey blinked and yawned. He paced around his cage. Though he was alone in the kennel, he kept his tail tucked between his legs, still embarrassed that Warrant could see his genitals in the GM view, even if they weren't really his. 

The 'dangerous animals' kennel had six cages, of which Joey had the furthest one from the door, right next to the attendant's desk. Across from the row of cages, a small window told Joey it was a bit before dawn, when the kennels opened. Padding over to the side of his cage, Joey leaned his head down and lapped up some water with his long, doggy tongue, marveling at the sensation of having such an appendage.

Warrant hadn't included any 'gamey' elements to the world, which Joey liked because it helped with immersion. When he was here, he was 'the Stray', not Jospeh Salbard III.

After his drink, he moved over to the food dish, and reluctantly started eating. The mushy stuff tasted like literal shit, and made Joey gag with every swallow, but he was in for a long session, and knew he could make use of the rig suppressing his hunger by eating in-world food. He even licked the bowl clean. He was sure there was some background code applying '-100 Hunger, +10 Nausea' to whatever hidden stats this game used. He'd really have to read the documentation sometime. 

Suddenly, the main door of the room burst open, revealing a man in his mid-thirties. The newcomer wore a long-sleeved shirt and jeans, with an 'Animal Control' jacket slung over his shoulder. "Hey, mutt. Sleep well?" he said to - well, at - the Stray. Ever since the bastard had had the Stray's voice nulled, he seemed to take pleasure in 'talking' to him, almost mocking him for not being able to even growl anymore. Even if he tried to speak, only small, wheezy squeaks could come out, and Joey would feel a stabbing pain in his throat that discouraged further attempts.

The man tossed his jacket onto the desk, and sat down in the ratty chair behind it, booting up his computer and lighting a cigarette. Even if Joey had been inclined to take up smoking before, his experience as 'the Stray' would have soured the notion. Cigarette smoke smelled awful! And he suspected the man knew that, because he seemed to make a point of exhaling towards the Stray's cage. 

Once his computer was up, the man went around and turned on the lights and did other routine start-of-day stuff. Once he was finished with that, he came over and crouched in front of Joey's cage, reaching his fingers through the chain-link. As the Stray, he hated the man, but he knew the human had all the power, here. He didn't dare do anything that might make him change his mind about selling him, so Joey made the Stray trot over, tail wagging, and lick the man's fingers as though he worshiped the guy.

"Good boy! Good boy! I was worried you'd go back to your old ways, being alone over the weekend, but it's good to see that that surgery fixed you right! But, you're not trained at all, and I'm gonna make damn sure I can get the most out of you I can. So, I'm gonna attach this here collar around your neck, then this leash, and we're gonna go for a walk. You are not to try snapping at me when I put the collar on. You already bit me twice, now, and I told you the third time will win you a bullet between your eyes. Understand? You can nod, I know you can, Mutt."

The Stray nodded - he wasn't exactly given another choice, here. When the man opened the cage door, he briefly considered making a run for it, 
but could easily imagine that ending up with him shot, so he stood still as the man cautiously entered his cage and affixed a leather collar around his neck, and clipped a leash to it. He had tucked his tail again when the man had entered the cage, and it was now rudely grabbed and yanked to be straight in the air, "You're the prissiest animal I've ever seen! Stop tucking your tail under you like you've got dignity to protect! No one's gonna buy a mutt that looks like he's scared of his own shadow. If you lower your tail even a fraction, from now on, I'm going to have it cut off!"

With his ears burning with shame, Joey kept the Stray's tail up when the man let go. The man nodded,  satisfied with his obedience. "Now, come on. You've shown that you can understand me perfectly well, so this shouldn't take long at all. Walk at my heel."

The Stray did so, following the man as they exited Animal Control and stepped out onto the sidewalk. There weren't many people on the sidewalk, but there was heavy traffic on the roads. Joey was grateful for that, still horrified that he couldn't cover himself anymore. Anyone would be able to see his balls swinging between his legs, and his asshole, with his tail practically pointing at both as if to draw attention to them specifically. He started crying, which in this body translated as high-pitched whimpering. The man actually smirked, and ignored him so long as Joey stayed perfectly at his heel. 

After about a block of 'heel training', the man seemed satisfied that Joey understood the concept, "Now, if your owner doesn't say to Heel, you can range ahead, but you must never tug on the leash, not once. We'll practice that the rest of the way. Go on."

No one else had been on the sidewalk with them so far, but this new task would make at least the man witness to his shame. He didn't have a choice, though. Wondering how much of this scenario Warrant was actually controlling, the Stray walked ahead of the man, who praised him like the pet he was learning to become. Though he kept his tail up, his ears and head drooped.

They did this for another two blocks - the man could tell that Joey hated 
exposing himself like this, and cruelly had him keep going. Eventually, though, they came to a veterinarian's office, and Joey nearly aborted the session entirely. Instead, he shamelessly tried to get behind the man's legs, cowering and shivering with genuine terror. His tail was tucked again, and he didn't care about getting a 'game over' bullet put in him. 

The man smiled down at him, dropping to a crouch and taking hold of  Joey's muzzle to force their eyes to meet, "You did so well, before, I'll forgive the tail thing. But, you're going in here, and you're going to be [i] nice[/i] to the vet, and get your vaccinations like a [i]good boy[/i]. No fighting, no nipping, and especially no biting."

He took out a knife, snickering as Joey's eyes widened and he instinctively tried to back away. A firm grip on his collar prevented that. "Your other option is that I [i]shove this up your asshole, blade first[/i], and watch you try to walk back to AC without bleeding to death. So what's it gonna be, mutt?"

Joey hung his head and walked back around the man and onto the stairs of the vet. He even raised his tail back into the air in an effort to further appease his temporary owner. The man chuckled, "Good choice. Now, Heel."

The vet's office was small, and dingy. There were other animal owners here, but all with real animals. The Stray was the only Feral present. He sat in front of the man in one of the seats, trying to ignore the fact that half his sheath had tugged itself down when he'd sat, exposing his red penis for all to see. He and his captor didn't have to wait long, and the Feral sprang back onto his paws as soon as it seemed he was allowed. 

The vet visit wasn't too bad. He'd been lifted onto an examination table, poked and prodded a bit, and given vaccinations. The vet and the Stray's captor left him standing there for a bit while they chatted, "He's remarkably docile. You said you think he might have been trained already?"

"Maybe as a pup. He understood us when we were catching him, and spoke some. Naturally, I had his voice nulled - no one wants a chatty pet. But he looks like he'd fetch a great price, especially if he picks his training back up as quickly as he has so far. I'll need a buyer, though, Doc. Know anyone in the market for a Feral? Especially quickly? I can't cover up his presence at AC for too much longer. We're officially not supposed to sell the animals, technically."

"As a matter of fact, I do, but it depends on what your...ah...moral limits are."

The animal control man looked intrigued, "Go on."

"Are you familiar with the term 'fuckmeat'? --

[b]"GM! Warrant, are you [i]serious[/i]?"[/b]

The scenario froze as Joey activated OOC.

[b]"It shocked me, too! Look, I don't have full control, here! Like I told you after the surgery incident, for the most part this scenario is controlled by the game AI. I just provide prompts and control the settings. The prompt I put in for the Doc here was 'a friend of AC!Officer who knows some people willing to buy the Stray' - the AI came up with the rest of the details, I swear! Joey, we can reset the session, if you want. I can try to get the prompts to avoid...that.[/b]

Joey might've been only twelve, but he'd had unfettered - and unsupervised - access to the internet since the time he could read. With his mother's technological fascination, he'd had a constant internet connection for as long as he could remember. So, he was quite aware of subjects his parents probably still thought he was innocent of, to put it nicely. 

He took a deep breath. He hadn't told Warrant he could [i]feel[/i] the surgery - mostly because the agony had temporarily scrambled his mind - until afterward. He and Warrant could reset this session, but it would lose them time. If he was going to be 'hanging out with Dad' tomorrow, he didn't want to waste a second. 

[b]"No. Can you prompt him into having other options besides that? Or make sure AC guy balks at it?"

"I'll try? AC guy is pretty morally dark, so he won't balk - even from that - unless I completely reset his character. I've got it! Joey, do you trust me?"

"Yeah. The way you were after the surgery thing - you were even more cut up about it than I was, and [i]I[/i] felt it! I know you care about me."

"I was throwing up all that night, thinking about it. I had [i]nightmares[/i] about it! I can't believe you forgave me for putting you through that! Anyways, uh...my vague idea is two-fold - one, I'll prompt Dr. Evil there to have at least two more options that aren't really dark like...that. Two, when I get Mr. Fuckmeat's prompt, I'll make sure he'll lowball AC guy on your price. AC's in it for money, so he'll refuse to sell you for too low. Sound good?"

"Yeah. Yeah,  that should work. End GM!"[/b]

"Are you familiar with the term 'fuckmeat'? I got a guy who has been looking for a Feral for that kind of thing. Says his old one's getting worn out. I also know a couple work-from-home families who are looking for a nice pet to distract their kids. All three are within walking distance of here, if you're trying to get him off your hands so quick."

'AC-Guy' nodded, "I'd'a turned the mutt into a sex toy, myself, if I didn't need the cash so bad. Gimme all three, and let 'em know I'll be coming by. I'll see who gives the best offer."

The vet left briefly, while AC hefted Joey off the table and back onto the floor, and rehooked the leash. When the unscrupulous doctor returned, it was with a piece of paper with three addresses on it. AC looked them over, "Which one's the sadist? And you didn't let him know I know what he wants a Feral for, right?"

The doc shook his head, "I'm no fool. I knew it would affect your bargaining power. And he's first on the list. Real close by."

"Good. C'mon, fuckmeat! Heel."

Joey followed the man, remembering about his tail and confident that Warrant was doing what he could to steer their roleplay away from turning into a horror game. That confidence lagged when they arrived at 'Mr. Fuckmeat's address. The man was sitting on his front stoop, and he looked like a real bastard. But the horrific part was sitting right next to him. 

The female Feral Golden Retriever sat next to her owner, blood pooling from her anus. She was twitching vaguely, probably in agony from the spiked club that had been shoved into her, the handle of which was propping her body up in a cruel mockery of sitting. Her muzzle was wired shut, and her eyes were already glazing over as she died. Even the few other passersby looked horrified - but she was the man's property to do as he pleased with, and they didn't care to interfere. Upon seeing her, Joey pissed himself, standing stock-still in shock. 

[b]"Oh, Dog Above, that's [i]sick[/i]! I'm getting you out of there, Joey! I didn't know the AI could [i]do[/i] this! Prepare for abort!"

"Warrant, I can handle it! Don't abort! Just give me a minute, though. I don't wanna find out what happens if I throw up in here. I'm already tasting my own pee right now."[/b]

Warrant made an uneasy whine, but the abort countdown that had appeared stopped and then vanished.

[b]"That is seriously fucked up, though! I don't know how this got so dark! I mean, I knew some humans did shit like this, but never so openly! I'm not sure I wanna keep playing, if the AI's gonna keep trying to give us nightmares."

"I've never seen it myself, but I have heard that Boston particularly hates Anthros, and that they're the center of the illegal Ferals trade. Even my dad won't do business in Boston even though it's the territory capital!"[/b]
Only too late did Joey realize what he'd revealed about himself, and Warrant's reply terrified him more than the paused scene around him did. 

[b]"Joey... are you human? Maine territory, formerly called Massachusetts territory, is all human except for their Anthro and Feral 'pets'. And I don't see a human letting their [i]slave[/i] use their full-dive."[/b]

Joey gulped. 'Busted' didn't even begin to cover it. He thought of ways to lie his way out of it, but he didn't want to lie to Warrant. They were friends...he hoped.

[b]"Yes. I didn't want to tell you guys, because I thought you'd hate me. I didn't want to be associated with...this kind of stuff."[/b]

For a long moment, Warrant didn't reply. Long enough that the abort timer appeared again, getting through a whole fifteen seconds out of thirty before Warrant stopped it. Finally, he spoke, snarling, [b]"And you wanted to play as a Feral? Do you have any idea how...how fucked-up that is? Your kind actually does this shit to us! You have no right to wanna play-act as us, just to get your fucking rocks off!"

Realization dawned on Joey, [b]"[i]You're[/i] a Feral?"

"I am, and proud of it! You have a problem with that, J? Look, I don't want to know if you keep 'pets'. Dog in Heaven, I [i]really[/i] don't want to know. But, if you want us to stay friends, I do wanna know just one thing: why did you want to play as a Feral?"

Joey felt sick. He was sure that Warrant hated him, now, and since there was nothing he could do about it, stammering, Joey told the truth, "I-I-I th-tbought you w-would be playing, too...as...as my owner. And...I thought it would be...I thought it would be hot."

There was silence, and Joey couldn't bear it. "Look, I didn't know you were a Feral! I thought you were an Anthro! And pet play is a thing! Please don't--"

"Joey, shut up! I'm...I'm not being quiet cause I'm mad. I'm stunned, yeah, but I'm trying to figure out these stupid controls so I can--aha!"

Suddenly, the horrific scene vanished, replaced but a hazy white void with a medium-sized, mostly black Dog. The Dog was sitting on his haunches, wearing only a bright yellow hi-vis collar with black letters reading 'DOCILE FERAL'. Warrant. 

The Dog was staring at Joey intensely, and Joey realized that Warrant had stripped them both down to 'tank view', a troubleshooting tool that showed the other party exactly what the person in the VR looked like. Joey was naked, and he genuinely fought the urge to cover himself. Warrant could see him like this. He wanted Warrant to see him like this. 

The boy trembled as the Dog got to his paws and walked over to him, and he could tell that the Dog's eyes were glued to Joey's naked body. When Joey's penis - which had been soft since the scenario had started getting cruel and dark - started filling out again, Joey didn't cover himself, though he blushed deeply. "How old are you? I'm not good at telling humans' ages, but...ah...you smell kind of like an eight or nine year old Anthro, so I guess that means you're entering puberty? And you have some fur there...[i]hair[/i], sorry..."

"I'm twelve," Joey replied. Warrant physically stopped in his tracks. 

"You're kidding me. Oh, Dog, I've been fantasizing about mounting a twelve-year-old human? Well played, Joey. Now we can both call each other sick puppies."

Joey's cock sprang the rest of the way to full erection, "You've been [i]fantasizing[/i] about me?"

"So've you, apparently. So you wanted to be owned by a Feral? Have me make you my sex toy?"

"God, yes!" Joey blurted, then covered his mouth. In a small voice he added, "The second part, at least. The fact that you're Feral - I didn't know, earlier." 

Warrant stared at Joey's erection, starting to show more than a little 'pink' himself, "If I were in a full-dive right now, I'd already be getting you onto all fours. And raping you [i]senseless[/i]. Why didn't you say that at the beginning? I mean, we could've avoided all that...[i]that[/i]."

Something occurred to Joey, "Did you make it cruel on purpose? Because you thought I was an Anthro who wanted to play Feral?"

Warrant shook his head, but did look a bit guilty, "Ahh...not...not to [i]that[/i] level. I did use real stuff, though, and...look, I really did feel terrible after the surgery thing. I didn't want you hurt...just to see what it's really like. The rest of it was that goddamn AI. I have parents who love me, and I know I'm...like, [i]stupidly[/i] lucky to have them. They didn't abandon me, they didn't sell me. But I've heard of plenty of Ferals who weren't so lucky. Look...I overreacted, earlier. Anthros keep us as pets, too. You humans can be cruel about it, but so can Anthros. Actually, a lot of the worst stories I've heard were from Ferals with Anthro owners. Some Anthros hate Ferals in the way you humans hate Anthros [i]and[/i] Ferals."

Joey nodded, then, hesitantly, he asked, "Can I touch you? I know you won't feel it, since you're in half-dive...wait, how can you smell me?"

Warrant closed the last bit of distance between them, "My helmet can synthesize scents. Not very well on its own, but right now it's getting data from your tank, so the 'you' I'm smelling right now is a, like, 80% accurate scent. And...yes, you can touch me. Start with my head, please - that's the only area I get tactile feedback on."

Warrant stood about half as tall at the shoulder as Joey did on two legs, because Joey was still undersized for his age. Actually, the thought crossed Joey's mind that Warrant's height would put his tailhole exactly high enough for the boy's cock. He was smart enough not to say that out loud, however. Instead, he slowly reached down, and placed his hand on Warrant's head. It was warm, and Joey could feel Warrant's fur. He dropped to his knees and focused his hands on Warrant's head, petting and scritching and 

"You can touch the rest of me, you know. Just because I won't feel it, doesn't mean you can't enjoy yourself. But if you tell anyone I let you pet me, I will [i]maul[/i] you."

Joey eagerly let his hands roam further, through the thick fur of Warrant's back and shoulders, then back to the front to run his hands down Warrant's front legs. He hesitated briefly, then placed his hand atop Warrant's rump, quivering with desire to go further, but knowing he shouldn't without asking. "Can I...?"

Warrant looked over at him, and Joey stared into the Dog's dark brown eyes. Quietly, Warrant said, "Don't grab - especially not my tail. But you can touch anywhere you want. Anywhere, Joey. Hang on, actually...[i]shut [u]up[/u], Pas! Give me some privacy![/i]"

Joey's hand, which had been starting to drift down the Dog's haunches, froze, "Someone's there?"

Warrant sighed, "My pas. You'd say my 'dad'. He just walked back in to see me humping air, and was snickering. I know my rig doesn't pick up motion well, but...yeah. I can't believe I'm getting worked up so much over petting I can't even feel."

"So...you can't feel this?" Joey asked, feeling bold enough to slide his hand between the Dog's legs to cup his surprisingly hefty balls. Joey moaned involuntarily, "Oh, they're [i]big[/i]!" 

Warrant let out a needy whine, "I can't feel it, but I have it set to third-person view, so I can [i]see[/i] it...and I feel kind of guilty that I really, really want this."
Joey fondled his friend's balls, and knew exactly what Warrant meant, "[i] You're[/i] feeling guilty? You know, if my parents knew what I was doing right now, they'd throw me out of the house and disown me. I think my dad might actually kill me."

Warrant was leaning into the groping, even though he couldn't feel it. "Joey. This is stupid, but I keep thinking it - your whole 'being my pet' 
thing would be super hot. I mean, even with libido suppressants, my sheath is so [i]tight[/i] right now from my knot. But it wouldn't be fun without us both in full dive, or better yet, in person."

Joey moved his hand from Warrant's nuts and wrapped it around the Dog's sheath. Sure enough, there was a large lump towards the back of it - Warrant's fully-swollen knot. "Libido suppressants?"

Warrant's rig finally picked up on his hip motions, grinding his swollen sheath against the boy's hand, "Mam - my 'mom' - is in heat right now. So it's either I take these awful tasting pills that almost completely kill my sex drive - though, apparently not entirely - or I'd get so worked up that my balls would start hurting really, really bad if I don't...get my rocks off, like, constantly. We Ferals are, like, a thousand times more sensitive to estrus scent than Anthros."

"That sounds awful! How...ah...how long will she be in heat?"

"Another day or so, I think. Usually the peak of it lasts about a week to two weeks, but hers tend to be shorter, 'cause she has Pas to...um...'help her with her needs'. Can I lick you? I dunno if my helmet will render the taste, but it's not fair for me to be the only one having fun, here."

Joey nodded, squeezing and fondling the heavy sheathed cock in his hand, "Only if I can lick you, first."

The Dog snickered, "Where?"

Joey blushed, but he was too aroused to be any kind of ashamed anymore, "Can I...your...ah...tailhole?"

"Do it," Warrant ordered, raising his tail high to give Joey access. The human boy only hesitated a moment before leaning over and swiping his tongue over the Dog's pucker. He couldn't taste anything, because Warrant wasn't in a dive VR to send that data, but he got into it really quickly, imagining that it really was his friend's most intimate area under his tongue. Warrant squirmed and finally stepped away from Joey's face, turning around to face him, "We should stop. I'm getting too worked up, and... Joey...lay on your back for me,  before I log off..."

Joey complied, and Warrant boldly walked back over to him, leaned his head down, and ran his tongue from Joey's balls to the tip of his four-inch cock, then took the boy's penis into his muzzle. The sensation of Warrant's warm muzzle and the long, broad tongue which had wrapped itself around Joey's cock made him cum immediately. He heard Warrant moan, and felt the tongue eagerly lapping at his penis, only stopping to comment, "It [i]does[/i] render taste!"

He kept licking, maybe hoping to get another round out of Joey, and the boy would've obliged, but his cock started getting too sensitive. He gently pushed Warrant's head away, giggling at the Feral's reluctance. Joey lay on his back and panted, coming down from the high of his orgasm. Suddenly, Warren's face was right over his, "D'you wanna kiss? I feel like we--mmrphf!"

Joey hadn't hesitated, just put one hand on Warren's shoulders to help pull himself up slightly enough for his lips to meet Warren's muzzle. He was soon learning the joys of having a long, Canine tongue trying to shove itself down his throat. His VR rig was high-detail, high enough that Joey could taste a bit of his own semen - not exactly accurate, because of being 'translated' twice, but close enough that he could tell what it was supposed to be - and some sort of meaty taste that Joey figured was whatever Warrant had last eaten. He didn't mind any of that, lost in the amazing experience that was kissing a Dog. 

Warrant was the first to break the kiss, whining, "OK, we're stopping, now. Pas is making fun of me now, apparently I look really stupid trying to french my helmet and/or the floor." 

There was a pause, and then Joey heard Warrant bark, "He's not my boyfriend!"

Joey blushed, and sat up, "You're dad's been watching this whole time?"

"Watching [i]me[/i]. I can't get the rig on or off by myself without damaging it, so he hangs around while I'm playing, in case I need to...like...go piss or something. He [i]is[/i] asking if he can turn the monitor on and see you. Called you my boyfriend."

"Am I? Do you... want that?" Joey asked, feeling oddly hopeful about Warrant's answer.

It wasn't a no, but not quite what Joey had hoped, "Let's...take it slow. After we get to meet in the real - if we ever do...then I'd really like that, Joey. In fact, I have an idea. I'll ask Mam if she'd be willing to take me in to her work tomorrow, and let me use their full-dives. She does programming for their rig software team, and I already told you guys I get to help beta test."

"Aww, man. My dad wants to do father-son-time tomorrow. I dunno how long I'll be out of the house for," Joey replied, disappointed.

Warrant wagged his tail, "That's OK. Tomorrow might've been too short notice for Mam anyway. Later in the week is a sure 'yes' - all her coworkers love me!"

They agreed to the plan, and logged out. 

The next day was absolute torture for Joey. His father...well, Joey didn't want to think badly of him, but it was as though his [i]Godmode[/i] session with Warrant, and especially its aftermath, had opened his eyes.  The part of Maine territory they lived in was a quiet, backwater town. His mother hated it, but his father claimed that she secretly liked the town's rustic charms. It seemed so wholesome, and maybe it was, but Joey had started noticing things. Like the 'pet' hitches outside a lot of the main street stores, some of which still had faint signs warning that 'animals' were 'strictly forbidden' at those establishments. Or the stockade in the center of town, that still had a legible, if extremely faded sign reading 'free animal - good worker, only slightly used' - that one sent shivers down Joey's spine - he now realized that the sign wasn't talking about a horse. 

Their father-son thing started off well enough. They walked into town and got breakfast at a popular 'retro' diner, where the TV on the wall had the news chattering about the recently increased border tensions between the United States, Spain, and Mexico, mostly over the (currently) Spanish territory, Florida. Both the States and Mexico were making claims on that land, which Spain fiercely contested, not wanting to lose its last pawhold of the New World. Boring politics. 

Breakfast was good, and they chatted amiably about Joey's school and whether he was planning on joining the soccer team next year, and other sundries. But when the meal ended, his father dropped a bomb on the boy, "Now...this is in no way because of you. I want you to know that, first thing. But your mother and I...we're getting divorced."

On some level, Joey had seen it coming. His parents had been growing apart for years - his mother chasing her technology addiction (with his father's credit cards) and his father increasingly absorbed in his business (which Joey knew nothing about except that it allowed his father to single-handedly support both him and his mother). Joey was old enough to see where that would cause strain in a relationship. But Joey was still feeling betrayed. And angry. And in a fit of petty one-upsmanship, the boy said, "I'm sexually attracted to male Ferals." He didn't even know if it was really true, he just wanted his father to feel as blindsided as [i]he[/i] felt.

For a moment, each of them sat in their respective booths at the diner, staring each other down, outwardly, but both were internally reeling from the other's statements. Their staredown ended abruptly, with Joey's father slapping him full-force across the face, and then calmly asking the extremely uncomfortable waitress for the check. She hadn't heard what either of them had said, just coming up to the table as Joey's father's hand struck his son's face. 

Clutching his cheek, tears in his eyes, Joey didn't back down, "I didn't slap [i]you[/i] when you told me you were cheating on Mom with your [i]secretary[/i]!" 

[i]That[/i] earned him another hard slap, hard enough it nearly knocked Joey out of the booth and into the poor waitress. "I told you we were 
getting divorced - I didn't say anything about cheating on your mother!"

"Oh, come on! It's obvious, in hindsight! Aren't you the [i]head[/i] of your company? What business calls the [i]boss[/i] back in to work after hours, [i]all night long[/i], but only when [i]Mom[/i] is out of town!?" 

Going that far was a huge mistake. Joey's father snarled like he was a Feral himself, and rounded the table furiously. He didn't slap Joey this time, but actually grabbed him by his shirt's collar and started [i]punching[/i]. The waitress screamed and tried to pull the man off of Joey, but Joey's father shoved her away - knocking her onto a nearby table, which collapsed from the impact. Without a second's hesitation he turned back to his task, which was apparently beating Joey to death. 

Joey had curled into a tight ball after the first couple of punches, covering his head with his arms and crying. He didn't know how long it went on, but eventually his father stopped hitting him, and there was a concerned police officer gently touching Joey's shoulder and trying to coax him to uncurl himself so he could be taken to the ambulance. Joey could hear his father trying to fight off the three other policemen who had pulled him off of Joey, and there was so much noise and commotion that it was too much. His head was spinning from the repeated adult-force blows his skull head taken, and both of his eyes were already swelling shut. He passed out. 

Quite some time later, Joey woke in a hospital bed. He had some sort of plasticky thing in his nose, feeding him oxygen, and he could feel a needle in his arm. He wasn't in pain, and his eyes - though still puffy - weren't nearly as swollen as they'd been last he remembered. He could hear voices quietly speaking, "...thank you, Rick, for not being nearly as unprofessional as you usually are. I never expected you to be so tolerant of this...awkwardness."

"I grew up here, sir. Spent sixteen years like this, before I...well, you know [i]that[/i] story, sir."

"All the more reason for me to be surprised. I would've expected you to 
have been your usual, brash self. Instead, you've been docile as a puppy, haven't shown your teeth to anyone, and even allowed that old man at the airport to fondle you [i]most[/i] inappropriately. Scared me half to death - I thought you might shoot him."

The other voice chuckled, "[i]Him[/i], I didn't mind so much. Old guy had nimble fingers and knew how to use 'em. And someone with a tail can't be too...boisterous, here. Could get you put down. Backwards-ass territory."

The first voice harrumphed, "Please. You have military training, Praetorian mil-tech body armor on, and you're [i]armed[/i]...and you're [i]you[/i]! I'd like to see these yokels [i]try[/i] and 'put you down'. Your body count would be in double digits, minimum."

"Your faith in my abilities warms my heart, sir, but I don't have full armor on - you may have noticed my lower half is naked - and this little ten-mil is a shit gun that's digging into my back something fierce. Couldn't you bribe TSA into letting me bring something...punchier...sir?"

"It was the best I could do without attracting attention to our visit. Count yourself lucky, the other option was a .22 derringer."

"At least [i]that[/i] wouldn't be chafing the fur off my tail base right now."

"[i]That's[/i] where you've been hiding it?"

"A holster would attract undue attention, sir."

Joey had kept his eyes shut up until now, just listening. The first voice sounded older, but with a similarly clipped tone that Joey only otherwise heard from his father's 'old money' friends. The other voice was vaguely similar to Warrant's, but a bit deeper and with more vibration to it. From that, and the context of the conversation, Joey figured the second person was probably an Anthro.

He decided to open his eyes. Two people he didn't know were with him in the hospital room. The first, which Joey figured was 'voice  number 1' was an old man who screamed 'old money'. His suit was better than some of Joey's [i]Dad's[/i], and he bore himself with a quiet, aristocratic air. He had a rather nondescript walking stick, which Joey instantly suspected might conceal either a sword or hidden gun. Something about the way the old man held the thing spoke to it being a weapon. A [i]deadly[/i] weapon. 

Speaking of deadly weapons, the man's companion was a large Wolf. Standing half a foot again as tall as his five-foot employer, Joey had no doubts about the old man's statement as to the Wolf's probable 'body count'. The chestplate the Wolf wore was Bear Armor - nearly an inch thick of the highest grade steel. Even if he weren't armed, the Wolf's muscles were [i]big[/i], and he wouldn't have looked at all out of place as the protagonist of an action movie. The Wolf managed to simultaneously convey both docility and restrained violence. The fact that he was naked from the waist down was definitely distracting, until the Wolf quietly said, "Boy. My eyes are up here."

Joey blushed and looked away, as there was no longer any pretending he was still asleep. The man studied Joey for a few moments, and then said, "[i]My[/i] name doesn't matter, but the gentlewolf next to me is Captain Richard Alekhine. I am here to make you an offer which is entirely up to you whether to accept, but before I do I would like to ask your permission to have Rick lock the door. If that would make you uncomfortable, do not be afraid to tell me no."

That wasn't alarming at all! But Joey was curious about this 'offer'. Their dialogue that Joey had overheard made it clear that 'Rick' was by no means this man's 'pet', and Joey had heard genuine respect in the Wolf's tone. They probably wouldn't hurt him, but he had to be sure, "I will give you that permission, if you tell me why you're wanting to lock the door in the first place."

The man nodded. "Because I would like this offer to be private. If the authorities of Maine territory knew what I was doing here - actually, if they even knew I was [i]in[/i] Maine - they would set this hospital on fire just to be rid of me. So may Rick lock us in?"

Joey nodded. He heard the unsubtle [i]click-click-click[/i] of the Wolf's toeclaws on the linoleum as he walked over to the door, shut it, and locked it. The Wolf then crouched about two feet away from the door, sliding a pistol out from beneath the back of his armor as he did. Joey watched in alarmed fascination as the Wolf drew a silencer, as well, from beneath his armor, and began screwing it onto the tip of the gun. Once this was done, the Wolf aimed the gun at the door, his every muscle - every [i]hair[/i] of him even - becoming the epitome of the patient predator keyed and ready to pounce on unwary prey. 

The old man waved for Joey's attention, "Don't mind him - he's here to keep us both safe. Now, Mr. Salbard, I happen to own and administer a special campground in Yellowstone territory, not far from the border with Missouri territory - called Wildfire. There, everyone has complete freedom to live - and love - as they please, so long as no one is coerced or harmed in the process. Forgive me, but a witness to your...confrontation ...with your father had told police that the incident began because you had stated your sexual attraction to not only males, but specifically male Ferals. Is that correct?"

Joey's mouth went dry, and he could only nod. 

"Excellent! Now, what I am offering you is called a 'residency', and believe me when I say that I don't give these out like candy. In fact, I realize that I very seldom give out candy, either. Hmm. Anyways, what that means is that I am offering for you to become a permanent resident of Wildfire. If you want, I can extend the same offer to --"

The man's phone rang, and with an annoyed expression, he answered it curtly, "What? I'm [i]busy[/i]. This had better be imp-- What? Are...have you managed to get hold of Simon or James? Well, grab a pen, quick! Simon has this old military sat-phone. It's in a very rugged case, it ought to still be intact - I'll give you the number, are you ready? 8818-605-555-3120. If you can't get a response, get S&R in the air [i]immediately[/i], but keep trying all four phones - do [i]not[/i] waste time by calling me back for instructions unless something else comes up! We'll be there as soon as our business here is completed."

He looked shaken, and the Wolf clearly picked up on it, "What happened?"

The old man shook his head, "I'll tell you outside, Rick."

The man turned back to Joey, "My apologies, Mr. Salbard. An issue has come up back home that will require my full attention, so I will have to rush your decision somewhat more than I'd hoped. As I was about to say, I am willing to extend the same residency offer to young Mr. Hawles - whom you might know better as Warrant, or simply W."

Joey was disturbed. How did this man know about Warrant? Or that he was the 'male Feral' Joey had meant when he'd tried to rile his father? This all seemed to good to be true...but the man didn't seem to be trying to deceive him. Despite his obvious eagerness to get Joey's answer and rush off to deal with whatever that call had been about - probably something serious, if Search and Rescue might be getting involved - Joey somehow had no doubt that the man would openly and honestly answer any questions Joey had. 

"What happens if I say 'yes'?" Joey asked. 

"It will take several days - perhaps up to a week - for me to have everything arranged. Your mother will be informed that your father's beating unfortunately resulted in your must tragic death. A body will be mocked up, coroners will be paid to fill out death certificates, yadda yadda. [i]You[/i] will remain in this hospital for just long enough to recover from your injuries, and then you will be lifeflighted directly to the hospital on Wildfire's grounds. Even here in Maine, I have...let's call them agents...who will keep a close eye on you and make sure you are neither disturbed in your recuperation nor seen by anyone who would be able to ruin the fiction that you are dead. Warrant, should he and his parents agree, will be flown to join you at Wildfire once we're sure you're fully recovered. So, and I [i]am[/i] terribly sorry to rush you so, do you have an answer for me, Mr. Salbard?"

"Yes."

The strange man didn't stick around for much longer. He did produce Joey's phone, which had apparently fallen onto the floor of the diner while his father was beating him. And he had one thing left to say before he and the Wolf left, "You might fall asleep after we leave - you look terribly exhausted. In order to forestall any thoughts that this meeting might've all been a dream - or even that this [i]day[/i] was - I leave you with Rick's card...Rick, you do know most people put their [i]names[/i] on these? Or at least the name of their - oh, I get it! This may be too clever for your typical audience, Rick. Anyways, Mr. Salbard, if you have any further questions or simply to verify that this meeting took place, you can call the number on this card, and Rick will answer all your questions. He might swear a lot, so be warned."

A small, white business card was pressed into Joey's hand. It just had a phone number beneath a bold-face [b]1. ...Nf6[/b]. Before Joey could say 'I don't get it', the pair were out the door, disappearing like ghosts. At least he had his phone. 

He [i]did[/i] end up falling asleep.

When he woke again, it was...around noon? The business card crumpled in his hand brought the earlier (last night's?) conversation back to him, as well as the events of the previous day. It was so surreal. His father had never shown violent tendency before - was the thought of his son 'consorting' with Ferals too much, and caused him to snap? Or had he always been like that, just not around Joey? 

He was dead, or going to be...hopefully only in a legal sense...and the ramifications of that were too much for Joey to think about right now. The man had said he'd need to stay at this hospital, to 'recover' from his injuries - but how badly was he hurt? He now suspected the IV drip in his arm - which had been changed and refilled while he'd slept - was some kind of painkiller. 

Painkiller or not, even slightly shifting his torso brought a spike of pure pain to his entire body, and it took him several minutes to recover from that. OK, moving around was off the table. His phone had weaseled its 
way under him while he'd been sleeping, and it was quite the production to retrieve it without shifting too much. Each time he did, there was pain he had to wait out before he could move again. This experience convinced him that he was probably quite hurt. 

Fleur d'Or phones, at least this newest all-glass model, did not have a camera of any kind. There was a wireless camera [i]accessory[/i] one could get for them, but Joey had never seen the point. Even on his old phone, he never once actually used the camera in it. Right now, though, it would've been useful to be able to use the camera as a digital mirror, to see how he looked. 

First things first - date and time. 4 June, 2065. 13:48. He'd gotten out of school for the summer on the first, and the...thing with his father...had been on the second. He was pretty sure his visit from Mr. Stranger and his Wolf companion had been late on the second. So he had slept the entirety of June 3rd? And he was [i]still[/i] tired? Fuuuck. He must be in worse shape than he'd thought. 

There were nearly a dozen missed messages and notifications on his phone. He cleared the ones from his mother and school friends - if he was supposed to be dead, he couldn't reply to those. He really, really wanted to read and listen to the texts and two phone calls from his mother...but he was smart enough to know that that would be dumb. If what Mr. Stranger had said was true - Joey might be deluding himself into believing it was - he had an opportunity to get to live somewhere where, if Warrant wanted it as well, he could have a Feral boyfriend without anyone scorning their relationship. He wanted that,  but part of the cost of getting that was completely giving up his old life. 

The rest of his notifications [i]were[/i] things he could look at.  The first few were from Fleur d'Or -

[i]Your service has been suspended. Until service is restored, you will only be allowed to make emergency calls, and no data on this device can be modified or deleted. Reason for suspension : Account Owner 《Joseph Salbard II》Has Closed Account.

Your service has been restored. Thank you for your payment,《Wildfire Inc.》! We look forward to continuing to serve your telecommunications needs! 

Your service number has changed. Your Contacts have not been notified of this change, and may need to be informed. Your new service number is 《605-937-5639》

Your service number is registered as an Exclusive Privilege Number (Range 605937-0000 to 605937-9999) with Fleur d'Or Telecom. All communications to or from an EPN are 4096-g encrypted and subject to the Fleur d'Or Company's [color=light_blue][u]Data Security Guarantee[/u][/color]! Please click the link for more information on the Fleur d'Or Company's data security policies.[/i]

Well. That was something. Wildfire was not only paying for his phone service, now, but also provided his 'communications' with military-grade encryption, backed by Fleur d'Or itself? Damn. 

What was next? ChatAgent had a couple notifications, the first of which was from 'R', and the second was from Warrant. Ignoring 'R' for now, he opened the PM from Warrant, first. 

He soon experienced the odd sensation of being extremely aroused, but unable to spring an erection. A quick look beneath his sheets revealed that he had a urinary catheter inserted in his penis, and it seemed reasonable that he might be on some erection-supressing drugs to prevent damage. He guiltily looked around the room, then looked at the picture Warrant had sent him. 

It showed a Feral who Joey assumed was Warrant though the picture didn't include much of his face or chest, in a seated position on his haunches. With a full erection and exposed knot. Joey could see a similarly-furred paw/hand in shot, holding a ruler next to Warrant's cock - nine and three quarter inches.

Beneath the picture were a couple more messages: 

[color=blue]<Agent_W> : I thought you might want this. You don't wanna know how many takes we had to do - once Pas got my knot out, I kept spurting everywhere. Even in this shot, you can tell, but it's the only one we took that wasn't blurry. 

<Agent_W> : Guess your Pas/Cub time is going better than you'd hoped? You haven't been on all day! 

<Agent_W> : Kinda starting to get worried, Joey! You're never off CA this long![/color]

Joey absolutely had to respond.

[color=red]<Agent_J> : I'm sorry about going afk - I've been in the hospital these last couple days. OMG, you're big, btw![/color]

Warrant replied almost immediately.

[color=blue]<Agent_W> : What happened!? Are you okay?[/color]

[color=red]<Agent_J> : To the second question - not sure. Hurts to move, so I can't get at my chart at the end of the bed. I think I'm on major painkillers, though. To the first question - Cliff notes? My dad told me he was leaving my mom,  I told him I was into you, we got into a big fight, and he pretty much beat me half to death.[/color]

There were several long minutes as Warrant didn't reply, until finally - 

[color=blue]<Agent_W> : Gimme your number. We gotta talk.[/color]

Joey gave the new number without hesitation, and accepted the call when it came in. 

Warrant's voice was surprisingly angry, "You're a moron! Why...why would you tell your Pas!? I've heard of humans in your territory getting [i]hung[/i] for merely [i]liking[/i] Anthros, let alone saying they were into Ferals!! He could have killed you!"

Joey couldn't defend himself, "You're right! It was incredibly dumb and I shouldn't have said it, but he was basically all but telling me he was leaving my mom for his barely-eighteen, blonde secretary with the big boobs...and I was mad, and said it on impulse. I...honestly hadn't expected that reaction, though. It was terrifying! I couldn't fight him [i]at all[/i]!"

"If you lived anywhere else, I'd be waking Pas up right now - and he'd be mad, since it's a day off for him - to get to come visit you. I'm still thinking of it, too. But we'd need a human we can trust to get me - and maybe Pas - from the airport to where you are...and I don't think Pas would let me, even for you,"  Warrant said after a moment, sighing, "But you're alright, mostly?"

"I'm fine, Warrant. Mostly. I'll know more when a doc or nurse comes by. But speaking of possibly trustworthy humans, someone did come by last night? The night before? Time's been weird. Anyways, he said he was from this organization called Wildfire, which he says is a place where people can...love who they want to...he offered [i]us[/i] a 'residency' there."

Joey heard Warrant gasp on the other end of the line when he'd mentioned Wildfire. The excitement in his voice was clear as he replied, "You got us a residency at Wildfire!? Are you serious!? Oh, yes! I'd pounce on that in a heartbeat! Wildfire is awesome!"

"What do you know? I've never heard of the place," Joey asked, now more confident that 'Mr. Stranger's' offer was real. 

"OK, so, Wildfire is this Campgrounds-slash-commune where the only rule is that you can't harm anyone in pursuit of your own happiness or pleasure. It's mostly cub-oriented, from what I hear, but even if you're not a cub who likes adults or an adult who likes cubs, you're welcome there. You could be, say, a human who likes Anthros or Ferals - or vice versa - and no one will hate you for it. There's [i]no[/i] discrimination, there. They do a lot of charities, some of which I know about because they benefit families with Ferals. My parents and grandparents probably still would've kept me even without, but Wildfire's charities are a big part of how I get to have such a lucky life, for a Feral. I can't believe we got a shot at a residency!"

Joey grinned at Warrant's excitement. Even if most of it was for Wildfire itself, Joey knew that a second reason his friend was so excited was the opportunity to get to meet Joey in person. He had to be the voice of reason, though, "Warrant, he said it might take a week or more to get the paperwork set up. And I don't know how long I'll be in the hospital. But, if I'm good to leave here sooner, I was wondering if you'd want me to come out [i]there[/i] and visit [i]you[/i]? The plan was that I'd be flown to Wildfire as soon as I could be moved, and then you'd be brought there as well - as long as your parents agree - but we could save them the travel by going together once the paperwork clears. I wanted to see if you were OK with it before I suggested it to the Wildfire guy."

"Oh, [i]Dog[/i] yes! I'd cut my [i]tail[/i] off to get to see you in person!"

Joey laughed, "Please don't. Your tail is, like, one of the sexiest things about you!"

Warrant sounded intrigued, "What're the other things?"

"Your voice. This sounds dumb, but the first time I heard your real voice, I got [i]really[/i] hard, and it still makes me, like, horny every time I hear it. And I keep thinking about your balls, ever since you let me feel them in VR. Was that accurate?"

"The rig wouldn't recognize that I was a Feral, so I'd had to go down to Fleur d'Or with Mam and get a custom body model. The scan is about a year and a half old, but I don't think I've changed much, down there. My real coat's shorter right now, though, 'cause it was winter when we did the scan. And I got this notch in my ear, now, from one of the neighbor cubs putting an ear-tag on me and then ripping it out. Other than that, the model is accurate."

"Oh my god! Why did they-- did they do it just to be mean?" Joey asked, horrified. 

Warrant laughed, "No! The kid thought it'd be funny to put a pink ear tag on me. [i]That[/i] part didn't hurt. Pinched a little. But his pas got all mad at him, and was yelling at him for doing it, and he - the pas - told the kid he'd be getting a spanking from [i]my[/i] pas when he got home and saw the tag on me. Guess the pup thought he'd get out of it if there wasn't evidence, and didn't know how else to get the thing off so - [i]riiiip[/i]! I was screaming so loud, half the neighborhood showed up with guns to see what was going on. We live on a military base, remember. Oh, Dog! I can't say I wasn't a bit satisfied listening to the little brat being spanked senseless by his pas while one of the medics from across the street saw to my ear. Some of Pas' buddies were gonna put a notch in the kid's ear as well - to show him how it felt - but his pas didn't let 'em. I got tasty treats from the kid's mam and pas for, like, the rest of that month...[i]and[/i] I got to watch Pas giving the kid another spanking when he got home."

"That's...good? So, you actually live on the base itself, not in the town? When you told us in chat that you were from Fort Yellowstone, I had assumed the town, not the Army base."

"Oh? But, yeah, Pas is an Army Dog. Because of me, I think, he transferred outta the MP corps and now works with the Scout/Skirmish Dogs. They're Ferals in the Army. They let me do P/T with them sometimes." Warrant replied. Joey could hear little grunts on the other end of the line, and soon wished he hadn't asked about them. 

"I'm taking a shit," was the grunted reply.

"Ew, Warrant! I didn't need to know that!"

"I'm not gonna lie to you, Joey. Not ever," the Feral replied. From the sounds, he was done with his 'business'.

Trying to find a less awkward topic, and now curious once he'd thought of it, Joey asked, "So, I've been wondering, and don't take this the wrong way, but how are you calling me? For that matter, how do you [i]type[/i]?"

"Cause I don't have thumbs? Don't stammer, Joey, I'm teasing you! I have a Skirmish Dog collar - it has an audible/subaudible mic in it that I can use to voice type. I also have this little metal thingy clipped to my ear that gives me audio. Both are linked to my tablet, but if I wanted I can listen in on the Skirmish bandwidth, too. Military radio chatter is mostly boring, though, and the Skirmish guys don't use their collars for chat much, unless they're teasing me for sniffing balls on the P/T course. Anyways, it lets me call or text and do other stuff at the same time. Anything else I wanna do with my tablet, I need someone with thumbs to help, though."

"Sniffing balls?" Joey asked. 

"Think about it. If you're a Feral running an obstacle course against other, [i]fitter[/i] Dogs, who are almost always ahead of you, where would your nose be most of the time?"

Joey laughed, getting it, "At their balls! Ha! Ow! Okay, laughing hurts, apparently. Listen, I'm gonna get off the line soon. I gotta...shit...myself, and I'm not as casual as you are, doing it on the phone. I'll call the Wildfire guy afterwards, and see what they say about my idea. I'll text you on CA."

"OK. Before you go, though. What did you think of the picture I sent?"

Joey grinned even though Warrant couldn't see it, "I making it my background image on my phone. It's weird getting so...ah...horny, but no boner. Did I mention the catheter?"

Warrant laughed, "It's kind of the opposite for me with these pills. I can get hard, but I have no [i]desire[/i] right now. Well, not right [i]now[/i], cause you seem to make an exception, but you know what I mean."

There was a pause, during which Warrant snickered, "You don't wanna end the call."

Joey stammered, blushing, before getting his mouth to work properly, "I can't get enough of your voice, to be honest."

Warrant teased him over this for several more minutes before they finally ended the call. Before they hung up, though, Warrant said one more thing beforepaw, "I love you, Joey. Isn't that what human couples say at the end of a phone call?"

Joey's heart practically stopped, and he put off his reply by diverting, "Do Anthros say something different?"

Warrant snickered, "No, but Mam and Pas never do. They usually just talk dirty to each other until one of them hangs up. It can get really lewd, too."

"I love you, too, Warrant. Sorry, I can't think of dirty talk right now. Are...does this make us...'official'?"

The Dog laughed, "Not among Anthros - at least among Dogs, anyways. 'Official' is when my knot's in your ass."

"Urrgh! Aw, that [i]stings[/i]! Don't give me hardons when I've got this tube in my dick!"

The Dog just snickered and hung up, leaving Joey to hiss and grimace until his erection faded. Once [i]that[/i] was over, he called the number on the card. 

"Kind of busy here, kid. Make it quick!" was the Wolf's way of answering his phone. 

He quickly outlined his plan. The Wolf was impatient, "You've just got a couple broken ribs, a cracked skull, some internal damage. It's actually good you called, though. Something that's come up here is making the Old Man nervous about your safety, so we were gonna have one of our people come in and give you a Biofoam drip to speed things along. The paperwork might have to wait, though, and you'd be fairly safe at Fort Yeller, so I'll greenlight this, but listen to me carefully: anyone who comes and says they're from Wildfire, [i]do not[/i] go with them or do anything they say until we've verified them. If someone does come saying that, text me. I'll give you a challenge phrase to ask,  and its answer. If they answer anything else other than the exact wording I give you, text me back the word 'Panz' [i]immediately[/i] - try to make it all look causal. Consider the person a threat to you unless they give the proper response. Got that, kid?"

"Yeah. What does that mean? And what's the thing with your card?" Joey figured he might not get another chance to ask.

"Panz - and it should be capitalized - is Old Canid for 'distress'. And if you don't get the pun, I'm not explaining it. Happy hunt, kiddo." [i]Click[/i]. Clearly,  the Wolf was not a people-person.

Joey texted Warrant that they were 'greenlighted', and Warrant replied happily that his father had given his OK as well, though he had a condition, "Joey, Pas said he'll only let you come stay with us if you agree to...well, a) to be my Handler 24/7, and b) to...um...be my pet. He says he won't trust a human with me unless they were willing to put themselves on my level. He means you'd have to obey him no matter what, you'd have to go naked except for a collar displaying your status, you'd have to do your business outside like I do, and unless you are doing Handler stuff for me, you'd have to go around on all fours. We're heading out to the store to buy you knee pads right now."

Joey didn't even have to think about it, typing, "Warrant...yes. For you, yes."

A nurse came in and changed out Joey's bed pan and IV, which was no longer clear, but an almost luminant bluish gel stuff - liquid Biofoam. She did her work quickly, and without saying anything. She even took out the catheter, which was a relief, though it was embarrassing to be exposed like that with a female. He figured he'd have to start getting used to it, considering Warrant's Dad's terms. 

Fifteen minutes later, the IV bag was empty, and Joey felt great. He no longer had injuries of any sort, and even felt a little...peppier...in general. As if to celebrate, his cock had gotten rock-hard and Joey wished he could use the opportunity to send a naughty picture of his own for Warrant. He was embarrassed when the nurse returned to remove the IV bag and tell him, "I'm not Wildfire, but in ten minutes a man will be here who is. Captain Rick told me he gave you instructions, and asked me to remind you to follow them! If you want, you can ask the Captain about me - my name is Lyra. That's L-Y-R-A."

Joey didn't cover his tented bedsheets - remembering that he'd have to get used to lacking modesty - and dutifully texted the Captain,  "Lyra?"

"She's good. Not one of ours. Did she give my message?"

"Yeah. I'll remember."

"Good boy. Now, I don't know the details of this, but your boyfriend's father is going to offer you some documents to sign. The Old Man (the one you saw with me, I mean) didn't tell me more, but he [i]did[/i] say that you should read them carefully before signing. Very carefully. He also told me to tell you that it wouldn't affect your Wildfire residency any more than it would affect the Fourlegs', but that Wildfire [i]would[/i] honor the terms of the thing, as long as you say you entered the agreement willingly."

Joey just replied "OK". Documents? Maybe it had to do with the 'conditions' Warrant's father had set. Maybe adoption papers? That would be weird, if Warrant was going to legally be his brother. Did that count as incest?
As Lyra had told him, a man came to his room next. He had Joey's clothes, and told him he was from Wildfire. He passed the challenge phrase test, and Joey changed into his clothes quickly and followed the man out of the hospital. The whole thing was very shady and clandestine, and entirely in silence after the man had told Joey to change into his clothes. Joey shook a little - not only because the man was intimidating - but the boy was beginning to realize that his life was about to radically change. This might be the last time in a while that he was allowed clothes, for one thing. 

He spent most of the ride texting Warrant, and giving him his flight information as soon as he learned it. The silent Wildfire man bustled him onto the very next flight to Yellowstone territory, and soon he was in the air. 

Since he couldn't use his phone while on the plane, the five-hour flight 
was nerve-wracking for Joey. He had never been out of Maine Territory, let alone deep in Anthro territory, before. Warrant was the first - well, Feral - he'd seen in person, and he wasn't sure VR and one picture really counted. 

His nerves only got worse as the plane landed in Fort Yellowstone. Warrant had warned him that he wouldn't be with his father to pick Joey up, because, "Pas wants to talk to you alone, first. He won't bite! I hope!"
He'd also sent a picture of his father so Joey would know who to look for. 

Joey would have probably figured it out on his own. The Dog stood out, in his 'desert drab' military fatigues in the midst of the otherwise civilian crowd. He also, helpfully, held a sign reading 'JOEY'. Trembling, Joey walked up to him, "Mr. Hawles?"

Warrant's father was a Dobermann, standing about a foot taller than Joey. His black and red fur was meticulously groomed beneath his fatigues, and he looked precisely like what Joey had always imagined a military Dog would look like. He'd stared at Joey intensely when he'd approached, and slightly bared his teeth - if it was a smile, it was a very... pointed one. 

His voice was a little less deep than his son's, "So you're the human boy my son has been humping air over? You're smaller than I expected. Let's get this over with..."

He drew a folded sheaf of papers from one of his uniform's many pockets, and handed it to Joey. As Captain Rick had told him to, he read through it carefully. He had to control his breathing as he did. 

The papers were for giving his rights up. If he signed them, he'd no longer be considered human. Well, he'd still be 'human', but he wouldn't be a 'person'. He'd be a pet, legally the property of Warrant's father - who,  legally speaking, also 'owned' Warrant. He would no longer have control over his own life. He'd be able to be sold to someone else at any time, who could do with him whatever they wanted. Since the human side of the country insisted these contracts were legal when they applied to Anthros or Ferals, naturally the Anthro side argued they would be equally valid applied to a human. Joey really would be putting himself on Warrant's level. 

With a shaking voice, he asked, "Do you have a pen?"

The Dog's smile widened, though it was still unnervingly predatory. He gave Joey one of his pens, and turned around so Joey could use his back to sign the papers. He saw that Warrant's father had already preemptively signed as a 'witness'. He signed his name as legibly as he could, and handed both papers and pen back to his Owner. 

"Strip," the Dog ordered pulling a collar and leash from a cargo pocket of his fatigue pants, replacing them with the papers making Joey his pet. The collar read 'LEGAL NONHUMAN'. 

There were so many people around, many of whom stopped to watch as Joey literally stripped his dignity away. Though he'd tried to prepare himself for having to go naked, the reality of what he'd committed to was humiliating. Once he had taken off everything - even his socks and shoes, the Dog put the collar on him, locking the small padlock that would make it so Joey couldn't take it off without the key. 

Not yet hooking the leash to Joey's collar, Warrant's father pointed at a trash can on the other side of the terminal, "Gather these clothes up, and throw them out. Give me your phone, though."

Joey obeyed, on the verge of tears. Even the thought that he was doing this for Warrant wasn't quite enough. He was a pet, now. If Warrant's father wanted to be cruel, he could probably sell Joey without ever leaving the airport, and Joey would've given himself up for nothing. 

When he returned to his owner, the Dog attached the leash and told him, "OK, Joey. First things first: you did good when you threw those clothes away. You didn't cover yourself, or try to. You don't have the right to do that, anymore. Ever. Secondly, I'm sure my son already told you, but unless you're acting as his Handler, you must be on all fours, so [i]down, boy[/i]!"

Eager to appease his new Owner, Joey dropped onto all fours so hard his knees hit off the ground. His Owner noticed, and dropped to a crouch next to him, petting his back, "Good boy! The knee pads are in the truck, don't worry, but you'll have to show me you're serious, first. Now, I'm not having your voice nulled, though you [i]do[/i] understand that I can, right? You just signed away your right to consent to anything. I can mutilate you, if that was my pleasure, and I wouldn't get any worse repercussions than a human would for doing so to a Feral. For the rest of your life, unless Warrant gets bored with you, [i]I[/i] will be your Owner. If he bores of you, I'll sell you. Now, I'm willing to tear this document up, and we can go buy you a new set of clothes...but you will terminate any further contact with my son, if you take that option. This is the last and only time you'll have free choice. Once these papers are filed with the Territory authorities, you will no longer have [i]any[/i] choice. So, should I tear up the contract?"

Joey [i]did[/i] cry, then. But he managed to say, "No, Master. Please don't, Master."

The Dog pet him and shushed him, telling him he was a good boy. A very good boy. He wiped Joey's tears, and Joey could see that his previously hard expression had softened, "You're really willing to go through with this, for Warrant?"

Still sniffling a little, Joey nodded eagerly, "Yes, Master! I love him!"

"Good," Mr. Hawles said, standing. Jiggling the leash, he then ordered Joey to 'Heel', and started walking. Joey had to crawl rapidly to keep up, and when he noticed the difficulty Joey was having, the Dog slowed his pace. 

His own slowness made the exit from the airport torturous for Joey. Being naked around the Anthros wasn't so bad - many of them were already half- or fully naked, themselves. But there were plenty of humans around, too, and Joey was forced to slowly crawl by them, hearing their sounds of shock and disgust. A couple of them actually spat on him, but one glare from his owner prevented them from doing anything worse. The Dog didn't wipe their spit off him, though. 

It had been comfortably air-conditioned inside the airport - though a bit chilly to Joey's naked body - outside, however, it was fairly hot. Pain made tears return to Joey's eyes as his knees started chafing on the rough concrete - which was uncomfortably hot. Finally, just before they started into the parking lot itself, his owner said, "Stop, Joey."

He stopped, and was surprised when Warrant's father crouched and quickly scooped him up into his arms. "I'm not a sadist, and you're not as used to walking on hot surfaces as Anthros. I'll carry you."

Joey truly was thankful, and the Dog continued talking to him as he walked across the probably scorching asphalt to his truck. Anthros (and Ferals, obviously) went barefoot all the time, as their footpaws didn't work well with shoes. "Joey, when we get to the truck, I'm going to make you another offer to back out - this time without having you cut things off with Warrant. I'm [i]very[/i] impressed with you, I want you to know that. If you're willing to go this far for my son, you clearly do love him, and I'd be happy to have you join our family."

This was it. This was his last chance to back out and still get to see Warrant. Instead of taking the offer, however, he said, "I am your pet, Master. File the contract. But...can I be [i]Warrant's[/i] property, instead?"

The Dog chuckled, "Legally, no. But for all intents and purposes that [i]is[/i] what you'll be. And that really was the last time I'll offer, so from now on, you're committed."

They reached the truck, and Mr. Hawles set him down in the grassy median the vehicle was parked next to. "Do you need to do your business? If you piss or shit in the bed of my truck, I'll make you clean it up with your tongue."

Joey [i]did[/i] have to crap, but the realization that he'd have to do it in the open made him burst into tears. As the Dog had said, though, he wasn't a sadist, he again crouched down and spoke soothingly, "Joey, you're gonna have to get used to it. Pets aren't allowed in bathrooms for people, and you're not a 'person' anymore. I know it's hard for you, but you've gotta work through it, okay? Just close your eyes and pretend I'm not here, if you have to."

It took Joey awhile to manage to get started, and his Owner was patient and encouraging, which was somehow both comforting and even more humiliating. Once he finally did manage to 'get started', the worst happened. A car pulled up into the other spot next to the median where Joey was defecating. From the rear door, a human girl of about six years old hopped out, freezing when she saw Joey and what he was doing. The median was narrow and she was close enough to reach out and touch Joey if she wanted to. With him facing parallel to the two cars to either side, she had full view of what he was doing. Fear apparently loosened his bowels, and he soon had no choice but to be messily emptying them right in front of the little girl. 

Though clearly somewhat grossed out by the sight, she otherwise didn't bat an eye. Instead, she exclaimed, "Oh, wow! I've never seen a human pet before! Can I pet your doggy, mister?" This last was directed at Mr. Hawles. 

Joey's hopes for a negative response were dashed with a single word, "Sure."

Joey felt his dignity evaporate when the girl started petting his head and back, [i]while he was still shitting[/i]. She saw the naked boy, and the collar, but he wasn't human as far as she was concerned. He was little more than an animal, and animals pooped in the open, so she saw nothing wrong with petting him. He was a pet, after all.

"Does he know any tricks, mister?" She asked his owner as her father came around the car. 

Warren's dad chuckled, "Not yet. I just got him today, and haven't gotten to train him yet."

The girl's father didn't seem perturbed by the scene, either. He chatted with Joey's owner while his daughter continued to pet the boy, even when his bladder insisted on emptying itself as well. When he was done, 

Warrant's father tugged at the leash, "C'mon Joey!"

Thoroughly dehumanized by this point, Joey couldn't even bring himself to cry with shame. There was no shame, anymore, for him - he was now an animal. He crawled over to his master, and stood obediently on all fours. His butt was pointed directly at the girl, and he was keenly aware that he hadn't cleaned himself back there, but he didn't have a choice. His master had called him over before he could try even so much as scooting in the grass. 

Thankfully, though almost as humiliating, Mr. Hawles pulled some wet-wipes from the cab of his truck, and cleaned Joey's rear for him. Joey realized that he probably did this for Warrant as well. He was then hefted into the Dog's arms again, and set in the bed of the truck. While he could've taken a more natural position, Joey obediently stayed on all fours as his owner got into the cab. The little girl [i]waved[/i] as they left the lot.

Before they turned onto the road, Warrant's father opened the rear window of the truck's cab, yelling, "You're gonna get hurt, trying to stay like that! Lay down, boy!"

Joey obeyed. Throughout the twenty-minute drive, Joey's mind was racing. Had he made the worst mistake of his life? He and Warrant had been chatting online for almost a year, and he definitely had feelings for him...but what Joey was now committed to was extreme. He was going to spend the rest of his life as Warrant's sex slave, essentially, for he had no doubt that Warrant would see no reason not to avail himself of Joey's body, whenever he wanted. Did he really want that? Was he really prepared to let little girls pet him like an animal while he relieved himself? 

Even if he wanted to, he'd thrown away Mr. Hawles' final - and quite generous - offer to resume his rights as a person. He was committed now, and even if he balked at it now, he'd just get sold to someone else, who wouldn't have any reason to care that Joey used to be human. And he couldn't deny that, on some level, he [i]did[/i] want this. 

When they arrived at the home Mrs. Hawles owned (among Canids, traditionally 'the female owns the den'), Joey's master got out, stretched his back, and walked around to the tailgate, calling Joey over. He started out by petting Joey's head as he spoke, "I know you've repeatedly denied the offer, but my conscience can't take this. I am amazed and a little humbled that you're doing this - willingly - for my son. I was wrong to doubt you. This is just between you and me - the offer I made to scrap the contract and adopt you into my family stands, and will stand, for you to take at any time - I'll make an amendment to the contract to that effect.  Now, before you tell me 'no' again, let me be very blunt. I did not give Warrant his second dose of his libido suppressant today. He's chained up in the backyard - an undosed Feral legally has to be - waiting for us. He is going to rape you, and I do mean rape. With a Feral's libido, and with his mother's estrus scent still so strong around the house, at this point he is probably nearly out of his [i]mind[/i]. He won't care about anything other than making the pain in his balls stop. He's not going to care if you scream, cry, say no, whatever. He. Will. Rape. You. I'm giving you one last chance to meet him as a human, and not as his toy, do you understand me?"

Joey was terrified. Warrant had told him why he was currently taking libido suppressants, but didn't think it would be an issue...and he'd known that Warrant was going to fuck him anyways. But this was different. It wouldn't be lovers mating as equals - he was a toy, and Mr. Hawles was giving him an open chance to avoid that. He knew he should take the offer, but instead he said, "I agreed to be [i]his[/i], Master. I...understand ...what is going to happen. I accept the consequences."

The Dog's face was unreadable as he stroked Joey's cheek, "You're really something else, kid. Alright, then. I'm going to open the tailgate, and let you sit up while I put your pads and gloves on, and I'm going to put some lube in you so it'll be a little less painful, hopefully. Once I've prepped you, you can stand upright for a bit. I'm going to drive to the state office and file the papers, so there will be no one to save you when he takes you. Once I'm gone, you are to walk around the side of the house and go into the backyard yourself and you are to drop back to all fours as soon as you've shut the gate behind you. After that, it's up to you. You'll be able to stay out of his reach if you want, but remember that the longer you put it off, the more savagely he'll take you when I come home and let him off the chain."

Joey gulped, but nodded, "Yes, Master."

The adult Dog was gentle as he strapped the knee pads onto Joey, and let him put the leather, fingerless gloves on himself. The gloves were mainly to allow him to 'walk' on hot pavement without scorching his hands. Mr. Hawles then had him bend over the tailgate, and he stayed like that, fully exposed, while his owner fetched the lube from the cab. Joey knew this was it. He grimaced as his owner squirted a generous amount of lube directly into his anus, telling Joey he'd have to clench his sphincter to keep it in as he walked around the house. Then Joey stood in the driveway, as his master gave him one last chance, "You can still say no, one last time, before I go to file this."

Not trusting himself to speak, Joey shook his head. 

After a long look that had quite a bit of respect in it, Warrant's father got into the truck, and drove off. Trembling, Joey started making his way around the house to the backyard. The yard was fenced in with chainlink, which didn't make Joey feel any better at all. He wouldn't even get to be raped in private. 

Warrant was there, sleeping. For a whole minute, Joey stood at the gate, looking at his soon-to-be owner. Warrant's fur pattern was similar to his father's, but somewhat thicker. His build was a bit less wiry than his father's as well, but it was hard to tell whether that was because he was Feral or not. 

Joey took a deep breath, and unlatched the fence gate, which roused Warrant from his sleep. He heard the Feral spring to his paws with a jangling of the chain and the tags on his collar. He could feel Warrant's eyes on his naked body as Joey entered the yard, but he couldn't bear to look at him. In a very short time, Warrant was going to be taking his virginity, and was not going to hear no for an answer. Joey wiped the frightened tears from his eyes as he closed and relatched the gate, then dropped down to all fours. 

Warrant hadn't said a word, yet, and as Joey began crawling towards him, he just stood there, stunned that this really was happening. Warrant didn't lunge or strain at the chain, simply waited in silence as Joey drew closer. He could probably smell the lube in Joey's ass, and the raw fear rolling off the boy. When he got close enough that they were face-to-face, Warrant's voice was strained as he spoke, "Joey. I told you I'm not going to lie to you, and I won't - I asked him to do this to you. I told him to make sure he gave you plenty of chances to back out. I told him to tell you he hadn't given me my pills today, and that I'd rape you once you got back here. That was a lie - I'm fully dosed, today. I...I never thought you'd actually go through with it. I thought you'd...I honestly thought him taking your clothes away would do it - as the Stray you were always so reluctant to be exposed! The papers were real, though. You really did give up everything...for me. I can't believe it."

Joey hugged him, and broke down crying. He sobbed for a long while, barely feeling Warrant's paw on his back, awkwardly returning the hug as best he could while still sitting. He could tell that Joey was letting out the pent-up emotions that had been building in him since he'd gotten on the flight to Yellowstone, and just let him get it out. 

Finally, still sniffling, Joey sat normally, and tried to compose himself. Warrant helped, licking his tears and snot away shamelessly. The feeling of Warrant's tongue on his cheek, his [i]real[/i] tongue, made Joey reach up and grab Warrant's head, his lips meeting the Feral's muzzle and they kissed. For both of them, it was worlds better than their earlier virtual kiss, and they shamelessly made out in the middle of the yard. 

Joey eventually broke the kiss and looked into Warrant's eyes, "You're a bastard for putting me through that! I took a dump in front of six-year-old human girl! And she [i]pet[/i] me, while I was doing it! But, I love you. And I'm not asking to have this undone, either. I'm a 'legal nonhuman', now. A pet. Your pet. And I don't regret it one bit."

Warrant grinned, "There's a...well it's sort of a saying, sort of a custom, among Anthros. 'A new life deserves a new name.' So, want me to call 
Pas and have him amend the paperwork to include a name change? I was thinking...Stray."

Stray nodded his head, "I'd like that."