Hey guys.

  :)

  ~Enjoy!~A cool ocean breeze ruffled Khukri’s fur as she stalked Miyoko down the boardwalk. Tonight, her prey had waited for Khukri to get her rare and much deserved time alone with Master before unlocking her own cage and slipping into the night. Miyoko probably thought that would be enough to distract her Whip, but no chance to incite Master’s lust was more important than enforcing his order.

  Khukri’s night-eyes made out the coastal buildings down the boardwalk — all eroded stone and rusted metal under the light of a half-moon. A few deer peeked from darkened alcoves, though their terrified eyes disappeared if she so much as tilted her head. They weren’t threats, just vagrants without a master to care for them.

  Her machete was an unwieldy thing. It was too heavy for combat, designed for hacking brush or collecting fruit from trees, pitted with rust and dents which only further diminished its effectiveness. It was important not to use her own weapon though -it would make it easier to forget this.

  Twin hungers rippled through Khukri’s stomach, forcing her to swallow and still her quivering muscles. One hunger rose from her choice not to eat the st few nights, and the other was because Master hadn’t used her since he’d bedridden Miyoko. He still wanted love. He spent every moment with her he could, did everything except the things he did with Miyoko. She was his favorite. That should have made it easier, but the rising heat, aching for purpose… It made that worse.

  This isn’t the time for intrusive thoughts or selfish urges, Khukri thought. This is about protecting Master. Khukri crept to the door of a warehouse overlooking a pier. When her fingers brushed the door it eased open with a slight creak and the night air whistled through. Khukri drew it in, catching the scent of her prey before slipping inside.

  That rabbit smelled of Master.

  With a slow, even breath, Khukri slipped through rows of boats in drydock. Slits of moonlight still fell in through the roof, enough for Khukri’s night-eyes to navigate the empty boats. Miyoko’s scent led down the scuffed metal rails that deer-girls guided ships into the water with, before stopping at the boat Master recovered from Governess Robyn. Khukri’s ears twitched as she focused, listening to someone rifling through Master’s things in the captain’s quarters. Why the bunny ran here of all pces didn’t matter anymore. Miyoko wasn’t submissive, she was maniputive and she was tricking Master.

  Certainly Master would be upset that his new favorite toy had ‘run away,’ but Khukri could satisfy his need for light. She’d be a better Whip for the next girl they brought to join their pack…one that would help Master, not use him.

  Khukri pulled herself onto the deck, keeping to the shadows as she approached the cabin. Inside, the rustling of a cloth bag accompanied buckles and a heavy thump. Machete in hand, Khukri approached the door, only to retreat to the bulwark when the noises stilled. A shadowy silhouette with two long ears rose in the doorway, and for a few moments neither girl moved. A click cut through the silence, illuminating the room in gaslight and casting a long rabbit shaped shadow across the deck.

  When their eyes met, Miyoko pulled back, smming the door moments before Khukri crashed into it, peeling two strips of wood free beneath her cws.

  “Khukri!” Miyoko’s panicked yell came from beyond the door, “Khukri! I wasn’t running! I swear! I was just picking up something for Master’s job!”

  The wolf jammed the thick weapon between the door and the frame with a low growl. Wood crunched from the force as she wriggled the bde, burrowing into the gap to get leverage. “I’m sorry Miyoko. It’s not that I want to hurt you,” Khukri apologised through grit teeth. “You’re a danger to Master.”

  “I just stepped out after curfew to pick something up!” Miyoko screamed, darting onto the bed as Khukri ripped the door open. Miyoko’s eyes filled with fear as she crouched in a bck cloak, holding a knife up to ward off Khukri’s snarling jaws.

  “I know what a ghost is,” Khukri growled, stepping through the doorway. “You smile, you pretend to be helping while you trick people… but I know what a good, obedient girl looks like, and you? You’re not it.” Khukri dashed forward, sidestepping a predictable knife swipe as she grabbed Miyoko’s wrist and yanked her off the bed.

  Miyoko writhed in Khukri’s grasp as her back slid across the deck. “Fine! Yes! I was acting!” Miyoko protested. “I don’t want to be a sve, and getting Master his book is my ticket out! How is that a bad thing?”

  “You’re maniputing him,” Khukri insisted. She didn’t mean to drag out the poor girl’s suffering, but cleaning blood from every secret compartment and bnket would prove troublesome. The deck was safer. “He’s changed since we bought you. Running off to isnds and libraries and meetings… He’s supposed to train and become a knight!”

  “I’ve got nothing to do with that!” Miyoko protested. “I’m just following orders so you don’t fucking drown me!”

  The centre of the deck would do. Removing the blood would take time, but Master’s sense of smell wasn’t as sharp as hers. Besides, between Miyoko’s history of running away and Master’s love, he wouldn’t doubt her story. “You’re trying to be his favorite!” Khukri snarled. “Trying to drag him away from his purpose! You pretend to be what he wants so he won’t need me. So he’ll listen to your civilized words and let you do whatever you want.”

  “That’s why you’re killing me?” Miyoko asked, mouth hanging open in disbelief.

  “You’re jealous?”

  “I’m the best! I don’t get jealous!” Khukri threw Miyoko to the deck, raising her bde as Miyoko stumbled in the dark.

  “Bitch, you made me fuck your boyfriend and now you’re killing me because I’m not saying no!” Miyoko winced as the bde hovered in the air, then gasped as Khukri lowered it.

  Am I… Am I jealous? Khukri wondered.

  Miyoko huffed out terrified, shaky breaths, falling still as Khukri leaned over her, gring into her eyes. This woman… this woman had stolen Master. It wasn’t about the sex… although the subject had been on her mind more than usual. Miyoko pretended to be obedient to distract him from his purpose.

  Master wanted to get stronger. He wanted to be strong enough to take control if she lost it. If she did something… feral.

  Like breaking her Master’s favourite toy.

  “Oh, fuck… I’m jealous!” Khukri smmed the machete into the deck beside Miyoko, making her scream and try to skirt away. “This is what being jealous feels like… Oh! Oh, I don’t like this.”

  The bunny halted, wrist seized by a very reasonable wolf trying to diffuse the situation. “Hey… that’s okay.” Miyoko turned to face her, tossing the knife aside. “Everyone gets a little jealous sometimes. Doesn’t usually end in murder but… y’know, baby steps. It’s just part of growing up. Now that you know, you can work on it. We can start by not killing me.”

  “No.”

  “No?” Miyoko asked, wide-eyed. “Which part is no?”

  “I’m a feral wolf,” Khukri expined. “This is what happens when I work on my own emotions. My pack used to take care of that… Master does too… or at least he used to!” The rabbit flinched under Khukri’s snarl.

  Khukri held the bde aside to show Miyoko she wasn’t going to kill her. “I’m sorry. Making me jealous is too dangerous. You need to stop.”

  Miyoko stared up in silence for a long moment, open-mouthed. “What do you want me to do? Master already spends all his free time with you. I’d stop having sex, but he gets weirdly creepy if someone doesn’t fuck him every few days.”

  “He can get that from me,” Khukri reminded her, stepping away and retrieving Miyoko’s bde.

  “So offer it!” Miyoko’s eyes nervously swept around the deck once before her legs rexed. “It’s not complicated! Tell him you want—”

  “I don’t want!” When Miyoko jumped to the far end of the deck, Khukri paused, raising her hands apologetically. “I don’t want... to be something that’s given to him.”

  “We’re sves Khukri!” The rabbit took a few tentative steps into the light, hands concealed beneath a bck cloak. “That’s the whole point! The man doesn’t have to take us out to dinner and pretend he cares about what we want. He snaps his fingers and a scary wolf tells you to assume position 6.”

  “Those emeralds you gave Master were worth a fortune...” Khukri stood at the edge of the boat, gesturing for Miyoko follow. “He’s throwing them away on anything you and your friends want. They meant nothing to him... all that he cares about is some stupid book. The thing he wants to take. It’s special.”

  “Okay...” Miyoko swallowed, trailing behind her with a heavy duffel bag. “Ok. We’ll get Master back on track.”

  * * *

  The next morning, Miyoko hauled a rge trunk onto the street outside their inn, warily scanning for any sign of the crazed wolf. Last night was a stark reminder that she couldn’t let her guard down. Sure, she’d convinced the idiot she was harmless, but so had Khukri. If she wanted her pn to succeed, she’d need to py retionship officer for the two, in addition to everything else.

  Beams of sunlight lit up the waiting carriages amongst the people streaming by. Some drakes yawned zily, curling up in the sun until their owners were ready, though Miyoko’s was already bridled.

  Master looked up, smiling as she entered, though it faded as the door closed behind her. Muted light filtered through the frosted gss and the low chatter grew muffled. “Where’s Khukri?” Master asked. “I wanted to give her a treat before we started boat shopping.”

  With a sigh, Miyoko shoved the trunk onto the opposite seat and climbed atop him, setting her knees to either side of his p. “Master?”

  He tensed as she drew close. “Uh… Miyoko? Now’s not a good…”

  “I need you to listen to me,” Miyoko said, grabbing him by the shoulders and staring into his eyes. “Khukri’s in heat. She’s acting slightly more Khukri than usual, and if you don’t go fuck the crazy out of her, she might kill me.”

  “Khukri wouldn’t kill you,” Master assured. Clearly, he’d overestimated his magic. Then, as the rest of the words sank in he sighed. “Damn it… I knew I’d have to deal with this eventually. Look, I’ll meet up with Khukri and help her through this. We’ll take care of the boat thing tomorrow.”

  Miyoko’s brow furrowed, only now remembering the man might literally know nothing. She leaned forward, nipping his nose to make him yelp and jerk back against the seat. “Khukri’s a wolf, not a deer! She doesn’t go into heat one day a month… she goes into heat one week a year!”

  “A week!” Master’s eyes swelled as he rubbed his nose. “Holy shit… I’ve never helped a girl in heat! I can’t get her through a week!”

  “Look, I just had the emotional stability of a feral wolf added to my growing list of responsibilities.” Miyoko squeezed his head and gred into his eyes. “There’s way too much for one person, so we’re gonna need to split the load. Now, I’m gonna y out the things we need to do, and since you’re my master, you get the privilege of deciding which ones you want to take, okay?”

  “Mmph? Okay…” Master mumbled through squished cheeks.

  “One of us, right? One of us needs to orchestrate an act of domestic terrorism against the capital city of one of the most powerful nations on earth. Meanwhile, the other… needs to fuck your girlfriend.” She cocked her head, as though waiting expectantly for his answer.

  “Alright! I get it,” he said, gently pulling her wrists away. “I’ll see to Khukri’s… condition.” He shifted underneath her with a resigned sigh. “I just… I’ve never dealt with a girl in heat before, what if it messes with her light somehow?”

  “Go py with her, you haven't had any issues with me,” Miyoko insisted, growing more exasperated. Why did she have to coax him into this? He was literally a sex demon! “If her light seems normal, have at it.”

  “Right…” Master looked away nervously. “But like… I can only cast Dusk on her once per day. After that it’ll just be… normal sex. What if she wants to do it a second time?”

  For crying out loud… Miyoko didn’t know what to call herself in her own thoughts half the time, why did everyone want her to be their therapist? “She’s literally a bitch in heat!” Miyoko snapped. “The girl’s a submissive with a rape fetish and no safe words. You couldn’t possibly fuck this up!”

  Master released her wrists, using one hand to cover his nose and the other to support her back. “Um… that actually gives me more questions than answers.”

  Miyoko sighed, leaning back on his p and rubbing her eyes. “Look, if it’ll get you inside her faster, ask your questions.”

  “Thanks.” Master fshed a relieved smile. “So, my first question: what’s a fetish?”

  “You know that thing that makes you really horny, but you can’t tell anyone because they’d know you were a freak and make fun of you?” Miyoko raised an eyebrow, unable to stop herself from smirking when he recoiled.

  A shuddering breath escaped Master’s lungs as his muscles clenched beneath Miyoko’s touch. “H-how did you find out about that?”

  “I didn’t,” Miyoko said ftly. “That’s what a fetish is. Lots of people have them, and lucky you, Khukri’s is you doing whatever you want without her permission.”

  “Are you kidding me?” Master demanded. “The st time we talked about pleasing a woman you told me to listen to them!”

  “Yeah, absolutely, great advice, every time.” Miyoko bobbed her head in agreement. “Except if your girlfriend is a crazy wolf with a rape fetish.”

  Master’s ears twitched up as he met her eyes. “Wait, do you have a fetish?”

  “Oh, yes, Master,” Miyoko smiled and squirmed against him, words tumbling from her mouth faster than she could stop them. “When a strong woman holds me and licks my ears—” The words stopped dead with a choking cough. “What the hell! You don’t ask people about their fetishes! It’s extremely personal!”

  “Oh… sorry,” he mumbled sheepishly. “Why’d you answer if it’s embarrassing?”

  “Because good girls answer Master’s questions.” Miyoko grunted through clenched teeth. With a cry of frustration she leaned forward and set her forehead on his chest. “Please… please don’t tell the crew I’m gay,” Miyoko begged. “I’ve been on jobs with them for a while. We’ve seen each other naked, and it would get real awkward if they thought I masturbated thinking about that.”

  “Oh… do you?”

  “Just Sora,” Miyoko admitted, face warming as she giggled into his chest. “She’s my sexy muscle mommy.” The minute the words left her mouth her head snapped up, forcing a little squeak as she grabbed his muzzle and held it shut. “No more questions!” she hissed, maintaining her grip until he relinquished a small nod.

  After a minute, her skin still burned with fury and embarrassment, but she couldn’t hold his mouth shut forever. “Look, Master, I had Sean pick up everything he thought might help and put it in this trunk.” She released him and slid to the side so he could access it. “See if there’s anything you want before you meet Khukri.”

  He leaned forward, popping open the trunk and rummaging through the pile of whips, cuffs, and ropes. “Oh!” Master’s face lit up as he pulled something from the crate. “This is perfect!”

  “Really? The gimp mask?” Miyoko asked. “Didn’t take you for the type, honestly.”

  He fanned the leather over his fingers, inspecting the mask closely. “Can we get more of these?”

  “More?” Miyoko asked. “How many do you want?”

  “Like… ten thousand?” Master tossed the mask back in the chest, then took a deep breath. “Okay, where’s Khukri anyway?”

  “We’ll ride to the edge of the city,” Miyoko said, defting as she slid onto the floor. “After that, pick a direction and run into the woods. Trust me, she’ll find you…” She set her head on his thigh, rexing as he hesitantly stroked her ears. Ten thousand... There had been harder jobs, and more dangerous ones… but this one? This one was a special type of frustrating.