The Fox Among the Sheep

Chapter 1

By Silver Sheep

A blue hand paw with white fingers turned a key. The paw belonged to Braxton a blue and white fox. Braxton opened the door to his apartment. The fox walked inside and dropped his keys on the side table with a clink. He rubbed his wrists one after the other. He let out a sigh as he flicked on the lights. His foot claws clicked across the tiles as he walked through his living room.

A figure emerged from down the hall. He was a horned Suffolk ram with white wool. He was wearing dark clothing. His arm was outstretched and in his right hoof hand was a small pistol.

“Don’t move!” Yelled the intruder.

Braxton stopped and turned towards the ram. The ram levelled his pistol towards the fox and cocked the hammer back.

“Hello.” said Braxton. His tone was as if he was ordering a meal at a restaurant.

“I’ve got a message from Mr Donovan. Pay your insurance or you’re minced meat!” the sheep snarled. He bared his flat teeth as he spoke.

Braxton wore a bored expression. “Why should I listen to you? You're not Mr Donovan.” asked the fox.

“Because I fucken said so!” growled the ram. He waved the gun to emphasize his point.

Braxton started to giggle briefly before composing himself. “The fact that I’m not afraid of you must be psyching you out. You’re waving that gun around like a magic wand. Hoping it will work a spell.” said Braxton.

The sheep flinched slightly. He kept the gun aimed towards the fox.

Braxton looked directly into the intruder's brown eyes. “I can tell you never killed another before. Have you?” the fox asked.

“I’ve killed when I had to.” said the ram.

Braxton rolled his eyes. “Do you think you’re in control here?” asked the fox.

The ram looked around. He shifted his weight from one hoof to another.

“It’s not going to plan, is it? I’m not afraid of some punk with a gun.” Braxton said. He took a step towards the intruder.

“Stop!” yelled the ram.

“You’re going to have to shoot me. We both know you won't.” replied Braxton as he advanced towards the intruder.

The sheep stepped back his eyes were wide. He still kept the pistol trained on the advancing fox.

“You’re not doing a good job being intimidating. You’re meant to project dominance not slink away. You’re showing me that you’re just a weak little whelp. Yes, that’s all you are.” said the fox bearing his pointed canines.

“S-shut up!” said the ram his voice trembling.

Braxton closed the gap between him and his prey. “I bet you’ve never met Mr Donovan if you did he would have told you about my powers.” said the fox.

The ram jumped as he backed into the wall. His eyes darted about and settled on the closed door to the apartment.

Braxton stopped and followed the intruder’s gaze. “It’s far too late for that Brenden. You’re still in the trance I placed you in before I came up to my floor. You’re not even holding your gun.” said the fox.

Brenden gasped and dropped the hairbrush he had been really holding. He jumped into the air as it clattered loudly on the tiles. He let out a cry.

“I’m not mad at you. You are being used. If Mr Donovan thinks he can intimidate me with his thugs he has another thing coming.” said Braxton.

Brenden rushed past Braxton and flung himself towards the door. Just before he reached the door handle he froze on the spot. He let out a squeal of panic but he was just stood in place.

“I can’t allow you to enter my home and attempt to threaten my life and go unpunished. I said I wasn't mad, not that I was a pushover.” said Braxton.

Brenden was frozen in place. Braxton slowly walked over. He wrapped his arms around the frozen-in-place ram. It was a warm embrace like that of a lover. Braxton licked his chops. He could have just sent Brenden away when he first noticed him stalking him on the subway platform but this was much more fun.

The ram shivered in his grasp. “I bet you don't remember our long conversation on the train but I didn’t expect you would after I commanded you to forget.” Braxton breathed into the ram’s ear.

Brenden let out a squeaky whine.

“I could have made you a mindless toy then but mindless toys are boring. What I like is when my pets can feel my commands. When they can feel the tug in their mind like a tug of a leash.” said Braxton.

“S-sorry.” stammered Brenden.

Braxton hushed him. “I wonder what other commands I’ve placed in your mind?” said Braxton.

Braxton raised his right hand paw into the air and clicked two of his claws together. Brenden slumped backwards into Braxton’s grasp. He slowly lowered the ram to the floor. There was going to be a new ram in his flock. Brenden had potential he just needed the right fox to mould him into a more productive member of society.

A few months later in a different part of town, another ram was having different issues. Frederick looked at the newspaper with a scowl. He was looking through the jobs section for a new job. The ram looked at one ad in particular. It was for a job in a bar in the gay district. The bar was named The Fox Among the Sheep. It was asking for rams who had some bartending experience to apply for the position. Frederick wasn’t gay himself but maybe his species would work to his advantage.

He gave the number a call and arranged an interview with the owner. The owner had introduced himself as Braxton over the phone and he sounded normal enough. What was strange was that he had recognized his voice from somewhere. The ram put it down to having a familiar voice and left it at that. He said to come in this afternoon around five for the interview.

Later in the day, Frederick set about preparing himself for the interview. He had a shower and added some perfume to his white fleece so he would smell nice. He had his old work clothes from his previous job. It was just a simple hospitality uniform of black slacks an apron and a charcoal grey work shirt. At least he would look the part.

The ram grabbed his house keys, phone and wallet and slipped them into his pockets. As he left his small house he flipped open the cover for his phone and looked up where he had to go. The bar was located on the busy crossroads at the very heart of the gay district. It was close to the subway station so getting there would be easy.

Sometime later he was on the train about to get off at Haymarket Place station. He left the train with some other furs most were dressed in business attire having finished their day in the office. He was walking up the platform when an advertisement caught his eye. It was for The Fox Among the Sheep because in the bottom corner was the same logo he had seen in the paper. That of a stylized fox figure holding a ram hugging it to his chest.

What was more concerning was the poster itself. It was a Merino ram holding a tray full of cocktails. The ram was dressed in a full body harness with leg straps. He was only wearing a jockstrap to conceal his modesty. He had a flirty expression on his muzzle. To the left and the right were two canids who were panting and looking lustfully towards the ram.

The poster read: “Get served cool drinks by the hot flock at The Fox Among the Sheep!”

Frederick wasn’t a slouch in the fitness department but did he really want to be ogled by poofs? He didn’t have much savings left so he couldn’t turn down the chance of some paid work. It would only be temporary, a job was a job. He continued up the stairs towards the bar.

Outside the place looked normal enough. It was a brick building with tinted windows in old-style wooden frames. A large set of double doors looked like the best bet for the entrance. The place didn’t seem open yet as the lights on the signs outside were switched off.

Frederick walked up to the stairs that went up to the entrance. As he was approaching the door it swung outwards. In the doorway was a blue and white fox. He was wearing a smart charcoal shirt that looked to be tailored for him. He had crisp ironed black pants on. He had pink paw pads on his hand and feet paws with glossy black claws. His green eyes widened as he looked at the ram.

“Hello Frederick, I’m Braxton.” the fox said. He extended his right hand paw.

The ram shook his paw and followed the fox inside.

“Thanks for agreeing to meet with me.” said Frederick.

“Let’s take a walk up to my office to have a chat.” said Braxton.

The pair walked through the empty bar. The main area had a large marble bar with brass railings and six beer taps. On the shelves behind the bar were bottles of wine and spirits stacked neatly on wooden shelving. There was a large about of seating and a small stage and a large dance floor. They walked to a door towards the back of the building.

They went up to the next level. At this floor was a door labelled dressing room to the left and a door with a brass nameplate that had Braxton written on it to the right. It must have been the boss's office. They entered Braxton’s office. Inside his office was a large oak desk and executive chair. A huge window overlooked the bar area below. It must have been mirrored for the other side because Frederick had not noticed the window from downstairs.

Towards the back of the room was a black leather lounge and a coffee table. Braxton motioned for the ram to sit down. Frederick took a seat on the lounge and Braxton took a seat next to him. The fox stared at the ram for a brief moment before he started asking questions.

It was the standard job interview questions that Frederick had rehearsed in his head before. Braxton seemed almost bored as he went through the motions but he didn’t seem unhappy with Fredrick’s answers.

“So, you must be wondering about the harnesses.” Braxton said suddenly.

The sudden statement caught Fredrick off guard. There was an awkward pause. He hadn’t mentioned anything himself about harnesses. Thankfully he had seen the poster so he knew what Braxton was talking about.

Braxton now seemed animated his ears were erect facing towards the ram. His green eyes looking deeply into Fredrick’s.

“Well, all my flock wear harnesses. It’s part of the work uniform here. They are very special each one has a different design or colour. It’s important to get the fit just right. Not too loose or too tight. Just the right amount of tightness to feel the strapping hug your form.” said Braxton.

Frederick nodded still trying to find something intelligent to say.

“Our harnesses are what we are known for. Our customers expect to see all our staff wearing them while on the premises. You see, it was my vision for the bar. My lovely flock of rams serving drinks wearing handcrafted harnesses. It invokes a fun little power fantasy with my patrons. Our customers come from the more predator demographic.” said Braxton.

“This isn’t some BDSM club, is it? I am a bartender, not a call girl.” said Frederick.

“No, not at all. My bar is about service. My rams are meant to look available not be available. Wearing a harness is just for fun play. I do find that my flock get into a more service-oriented mindset while wearing them. Now for my real question. Are you willing to work wearing underwear and a harness?” asked Braxton.

Frederick thought about this for a moment but finally answered “Yes”.

“Great! I can give you a paid work trial tonight if you’d like.” said Braxton.

“Alright what do I have to do?” asked Frederick.

“Well for starters get changed into your work uniform.” said the Fox.

Braxton got up and walked over to his desk. He opened the bottom drawer and pulled out a bunch of buckles and neon green strapping. It must have been a harness. He then retrieved a pair of neon green underwear. He laid both out on his desk.

Alright, I’m going to give you some privacy while you change. Normally it's done with your coworkers in the dressing room next door but you're a little nervous so I’ll let you use my office.” said Braxton.

Before Fredrick could answer there was a knock at the door. Braxton walked over and opened the door. The fox greeted whoever was on the other side and exited his office shutting the door behind him. The ram was alone.

Frederick walked over to Braxton’s desk and looked down at what he was meant to wear. The harness had neon green straps and shiny metal buckles and strap adjusters. He picked up the harness in his hoof hands. The contraption had a total of seven buckles. Four on the chest strapping, one on a strap that would run across his lower abdomen and two on what he assumed were for his thighs. He counted twelve strap adjusters and four O rings

It looked very complex he placed it down and picked up the underwear. The neon green underwear were boxer briefs in a style he would normally wear. He checked the size and somehow they were his exact size. Frederick was thankful the underwear wasn’t a jockstrap or speedos it could have been much worse.

He stripped out of his work clothes and folded them neatly on the table. He quickly put on the underwear he was meant to wear. He felt better to not be completely nude. Now for what he had been avoiding. He picked up the harness and set about putting it on.

From what he worked out the four central straps met in the centre of his torso at an O ring in an X configuration with four buckles at the front and a second O ring at the back. The two topmost straps were for his shoulders and the bottom two connected to the lower part of the harness. The lower part of the harness had a set of O rings one for his left side and one for the right. The rings lined up just above his pelvis. Six straps converged at each of the lower O rings. The first two straps led up to the top set of O rings. One for the front and one for the rear. The next two straps were for the strapping running across his lower abdomen. With the back part one contiguous strap and the front opening with a buckle. The last two straps were a loop for each of his thighs to go through with a buckle on each.

He put the two shoulder straps over each of his shoulders and buckled in the first two buckles of the X section. With that secured, he bucked in the next two buckles that made up the legs of the X. They connected to O rings that came to just above his hips. He strapped the lower torso strap closed and did the last two buckles wapping his thighs up in the harness. Frederick looked around the office there was a mirror hanging on a far wall.

The ram walked over to check himself out. He saw his brown fur of his face and his cool blue eyes look back at him. The neon green harness made him look much more erotic than he would normally look. His white fleece bulged out a little from behind the strapping that crisscrossed his body. His underwear wasn’t too revealing but you could definitely tell he was male. He looked good, he looked sexy, he looked good enough for Braxton to claim his tail hole.

Frederick shook that last thought from his mind. Where had that come from? His doubts were interrupted by a knock. It must be Braxton. The ram walked over to the door and opened it. He was right Braxton was standing there with his powerful green eyes that must be obeyed, his green eyes. Frederick shook his head again. What had come over him?

“I see you’re ready. That harness suits you. Let’s head down to the bar and let me introduce you to the ram you will be working with tonight.” said Braxton.

The pair walked down to the main bar area. There was a ram working behind the bar loading up one of the bar fridges with bottles. He was a horned Suffolk ram with a black furred face and crisp white wool. He had on a simple green Y Harness and a pink jockstrap. Frederick moved his gaze elsewhere as the ram crouched down. He didn’t need to see the guys tail hole after all.

“This is Brenden he will be working with you tonight.” said Braxton.

Brenden stood up and offered his hoof hand for Frederick to shake. The other ram took his hoof hand and Frederick introduced himself.

“Brenden had only been with us for a little while but I’ve personally made sure he has some deep training.” said Braxton.

Brenden looked at the ground as if he was shy or something. Braxton walked over and slipped his hand paw under the ram’s chin and brought it up so that he was looking right into the fox’s eyes.

“I caught you looking hypnotised. Tonight isn’t a night to be blank and empty with a mind full of wool. It’s a night to be focused, focused on making Frederick feel part of the flock. I know you’re really good at focusing.” said Braxton all the while his hand paw was gently holding the ram’s chin.

“Part of the flock.” Brenden said slowly as if he was testing the words for the first time.

Braxton’s lips curled into a grin and his tousled Brendan's wool. He walked over to the centre of the bar area.

This behaviour definitely stuck Frederick as a little strange. He didn’t question it more because he was here to work and not to get involved with the office gossip.

“Alright, tonight’s a Monday so all those office workers are too enthralled with their jobs to come in for a drink. It’s a perfect easy night for you Frederick. It’s normally just Brenden and myself so I’ll take a step back and be in my office tonight. If you need to ask me anything come up and have a chit-chat.” said Braxton.

The fox left heading to the back room stairs. Brenden had walked across to the main entrance and unlocked the door he opened one of the double doors and put it on a hook to stop it from closing. The horned Suffolk seemed to have snapped out of his daydream. It must be opening time.

It wasn’t long after that the first customers came in. They were all predators first a hyena, then a lion and a pair of wolves. The wolves looked to be lovers from how they were acting. They came over to the bar as a couple. The brownish one had his arm around the grey one’s hip.

“We’ll have a pair of cosmos please.” The brown wolf said.

Frederick couldn’t help but roll his eyes but he started mixing the drinks. As he was grabbing a bottle of Cointreau he noticed the grey wolf staring at his crotch. A frown appeared across Frederick’s face. This dude was having a perv.

“Oh, I haven't seen you here before darling. All strapped up to the nines as well.” said the grey wolf.

Frederick ignored the comment and finished the first of the two cocktails. He placed the cocktail on the bar and finished up the other. As he placed the other cocktail on the bar he noticed the gaze of the brownish wolf. He was looking at him like he was a lamb cutlet at the meat section in the supermarket. Frederick felt bile rise up to the back of his throat.

The wolf paid for the drinks and sauntered off with his lover to a table across the way. He was glad that was over. The shift was going smoothly otherwise the numbers only got a little bit busy as time progressed. Frederick was used to this kind of work but the looks from the customers were getting on his nerves.

He went out to pick up some empty glasses left on tables. As he was reaching for one he felt a hand paw squeeze his ass. It wasn’t a mistake but a deliberate grope. Frederick spun around and saw a blue and black coloured hyena. The ram grabbed the hyena's hand paw and wrenched it away.

The hyena stumbled slightly. “Ohh this one's feisty!” he slurred.

Before Frederick could reply the hyena brushed the back of his free paw over Frederick’s crotch. The ram through the paw he was holding down. He balled his hoof hands into fists.

“This little prey wants to wrestle.” said the hyena.

Frederick took a deep breath and calmed himself. He wouldn’t hit this dude but he was done. He turned and walked out the back. The hyena laughed loudly he could even hear him as he stomped up the stairs. He slammed open the door to Braxton’s office and stormed inside.

“You can have your job! I’m not some piece of meat for fucking fags to feel up. Fuck those AIDS carries!” raged Frederick.

The ram reached for the buckles for his harness and tried to open them. Each time he pressed his hoof had down one his whole hand went weak and he lost his grip. After about half a minute he grew frustrated and huffed and pulled at the straps.

“Get this fucking thing off me!” He yelled.

It was then he noticed Braxton. He was sitting calmly in his lounge looking at the wall. The fox had completely ignored his outbursts while he had been reclining on the lounge. The fox slowly picked up a glass from the coffee table. It was a glass of whisky from the looks of it. The fox took a slow sip. The ice clinked in the glass. He placed the glass back down on the table so softly it was almost inaudible.

Frederick was livid. Braxton was just ignoring him. He stormed over the fox and stood in front of him. He leaned towards Braxton over the coffee table. “I said take this fucking fetish shit off me!” he yelled almost in his face.

It was then he noticed Braxton’s eyes. Gone was the normal green eyes that he had seen before. They had been replaced by green and black spirals. Frederick gasped but starred in complete awe. This couldn't be real. How? What? He knew one thing for sure they were spinning. The green and black spirals were spinning. He continued to watch the impossible sight.

“Frederick, I’ve been waiting for you to come up for a chat.” said Braxton his words were spoken in a gentle monotone.

Frederick had forgotten what he was about to say. He was feeling much better than before he had stormed in. His breathing had returned to normal and the tight ball of rage in his chest was coming unwound. Was it Braxton’s eyes doing this?

“Do you like my eyes? They are something else aren't they.” said Braxton.

“Yeah.” was all the ram could muster to say.

Braxton’s eyes just kept swirling around and around they were making Frederick’s head spin. He had to keep watching it felt good to watch.

“Now for us to have a productive chat you have to calm yourself. Take a nice deep breath, hold it... and release.” said Braxton.

Frederick did just that all the while keeping his eyes on the fox’s own. He felt the pull deepen. He got down on his knees not breaking contact with Braxton’s eyes. He took another long deep breath.

“You love watching my eyes. That’s it, watch them swirl.” said Braxton.

Frederick felt heavy and sluggish. Hadn't he had been angry just moments before? The thought was hard to hold onto soon it slipped away. Braxton said something else but the meaning was lost on the ram. The words entered his mind one at a time but only existed until Braxton spoke the next word. His world was just the green swirls of Braxton’s eyes.

It was getting hard to keep his eyes open. They just seemed to drift closed. Each time he opened them again took more and more effort. Frederick felt even heavier now and any movement was so much effort. His eyes dried shut again and this time it was just too much effort to open them. He felt the sensation of sinking. It was a pleasant sensation he was going deeper, sinking down lower and lower.