Late in the afternoon, John and Tommy finally reached Malkaarth after walking all day through the wilderness of Faalsworn. They walked through the hold’s massive stone gate entrance into the city. The city’s cobblestone roads were packed with citizens on their way to the food stalls before closing time late in the afternoon. There was a reason why Maalkarth was known as the hustle and bustle city.

	It’d been months since John had been in the hold, so he tried to remember where his sister, Mary, lived. If his memory was true, she lived on the east side of the city. A wealthy district with nice stone houses with their own gardens in the front. To make absolutely sure, he spoke to a few of the market’s stall owners to see if they knew.

	While John was conversing with an old lynx man, Tommy eyed one of the stall’s selection of meats hungrily. Maybe it was his wolf instincts at play, or his love of chewy stakes, but those slabs of meat were all he could think of. He wanted to snatch one and run for it, but the memories and bruises from the last time he stole were still fresh. He’d never want to end up in prison again or disappoint John.

	“Alright, thanks.” John said to the old lynx man he was talking to. He saw Tommy in front of the nearby meat stall with his tongue out and eyes wide open. “We don’t have any money, remember? Let’s go.” He said. He grabbed his black leather collar and led him in the direction of his sister’s house.

	Along the way to the east side of the city, both of them took in the city’s sights. Compared to the other holds, everyone in the city was washed and tidy, with fat coin purses on their hips. Clearly, there was no fending for one’s self here. If they were from a rich family, that is.

	Tommy’s words from the other day lingered in John’s thoughts. The boy wanted John to buy a house here for them to live in. There’s no way that’d ever happen in a century. How Mary could afford living here was a mystery. Maybe her late husband, Captain Liam, saved up a large sum of money before his untimely demise in the Red Dawn war a few years ago. It was also possible that he hid away some spoils of war worth piles of gold pieces.

Mary’s house eventually came into view after a ten-minute walk. They arrived just in time as the sun was beginning to set and everyone in the city was retiring to their homes. Soon, the winter’s chill would roll in and freeze anyone unfortunate enough to not seek shelter to death. A scary thought. Tommy could’ve been victim to the freeze if he never woke up from the icy winds in the forest last night.

	“Alright, here we are.” John said. He stood in front of his sister’s front door and got ready to knock. “We’re guests here, so best behavior.”

	Tommy nodded and hid behind him for comfort. He was still too shy to introduce himself to anyone. His current state of undress didn’t help much. It’d be embarrassing if John’s sister accidentally saw his boyhood underneath his borrowed shirt. In retrospect, he should’ve asked to borrow John’s underwear before leaving camp.

	John took a deep breath. There was always a little bit of friction between him and his sister. Especially after their father passed away from infection when they were in their twenties. Time was wasting. He swallowed his worries and knocked a few times on the door. After about a minute, Mary appeared in her doorway.

	“John! What are you doing here?” Mary asked. She immediately noticed his lack of a shirt. “ … and why are you walking around with your chest out?” While she was examining her younger brother, she finally noticed the short, black wolf cub hiding behind him. “And who’s this cutie?” She asked.

	John nudged Tommy out from behind him and introduced him. “Tommy, this is my sister Mary. What do you say?” He said.

	Tommy looked behind at him for reassurance. John nodded, and Tommy shook Mary’s hand politely. “Hello, ma’am. I’m Tommy. Pleased to meet you.” He said and kissed her ring. Unlike his behavior with John, he was shockingly polite for an ex-street urchin.

	“Oh my.” Mary said and petted the boy’s fluffy ears. “So polite for a youngin’. Alex could learn a thing or two from him.” She said. She saw John rubbing his arms for warmth and snapped out of it. “Oh my god! That’s right! Come in, you two!” She said. She opened her door all the way and rushed them inside.

The inside of Mary’s house was warm and relaxing inside from her fireplace’s roaring fire. Past the threshold, they could smell a tasty roast being cooked on the nearby wood stove. It seemed they arrived at just the right time for some dinner. John and Tommy’s dinner of beef stew last night wouldn’t be able to hold a candle to the roast.

	“Mmm! It smells good!” Tommy said enthusiastically. “What are you cooking, Ms. Mary? Can we have some!?” He asked Mary. His tail was wagging happily from the prospect of eating himself full tonight.

	“Well, sweetie, it’s one of my special roasts. You two can have however much you want. My son’s staying over at his friend’s house tonight.” She said. She walked across the room to the stove and set the roast on the countertop. “It needs to set for a while. There’s a bath down the hall, Tommy. Why don’t you get washed up?” She said.

	Tommy looked at John meekly and tucked his tail between his legs. He was never a fan of baths, and bathing in a stranger’s home was a little bit much for him.

	John shooed him in the direction of the bathroom. “Go on, boy. The grownups need to talk. Take as long as you need.” He said.

	“Alright, John…” Tommy sighed sadly. It was time to get his fur wet and he wasn’t happy about it. At the very least, it’d help warm him up from the chill outside.

The siblings waited in silence for a few minutes as they listened to the bathtub fill. Once Mary was sure Tommy was settled into her bath, she walked over to her liquor cabinet and searched around for a bottle. She had a history of getting into drinking battles with her brother. Today was a different case. She had questions and booze was the only way of prying answers out of his lips.

	“Oh, come on. Not this again.” John said and folded his arms. He could already remember the last time they got drunk together. Right after Dad died. With Mom a hundred miles away in a different hold, it was just the two of them and a dozen bottles of hard liquor to numb their feelings. He hated how vulnerable he felt in that moment with his defenses down.

	Mary sat across from John and presented a special green bottle of alcohol to him. “Oh yes, ‘this again.’ You show up to my house out of nowhere with a half-naked boy behind you. I want answers.” She said.

	John instantly recognized the bottle she picked out. It was Polygrape Wine, a drink with an infamous side effect of forcing its drinker to answer any question honestly. No matter how much the drinker wanted to fib, their lips would magically move on their own. For obvious reasons, Polygrape was banned all across Faalsworn. There was too much potential for abuse from common folk to people in positions of political power.

	“Sorry, Brother. I can’t trust you.” Mary said. She filled up a tankard half full of the black liquid and slid it over to him. “Drink up, or you can get out. Tommy can stay for the night.” She said.

	There was no choice in the matter. John drank the cup empty in two seconds flat. Despite its side effects, the wine was quite tasty. Like freshly picked grapes from the autumn harvest. He wiped his muzzle of the black wine and got ready for her questions.

	“Alright. First question: where did you get the boy from? And why is he walking around without any dungarees?” She asked. She decided to start off easy with her line of questioning. The more interesting questions could wait.

	John’s head felt dizzy. For such a small amount of alcohol, he felt like he was about to collapse onto the table. “Ugh … he—he was a slave.” He said and held his heavy head. “They—those fucking monsters … tried to sell him to the scum of Efei.” He said. He felt naked in that moment. The truth was exposed and he had no way of stopping it. “You have to listen to me. The guards, they can’t be trusted. They’re selling slaves!” He said and slammed his fist against the table.

	Mary shook her head and felt bad for him. After John witnessed their cousin get kidnapped into slavery, she could tell he was still deeply traumatized. “There, there. Don’t get so worked up.” She said and rubbed his hurt hand. Her morbid curiosity was now getting the better of her. She had to ask him if he had blood on his hands. “The guards … you didn’t kill them, did you?” She asked.

	“No. Fuck, no. I was too much of a fucking coward.” He said. He rested his face on the table so she couldn’t see his tears. “I bought him. It cost me every piece I had. That scum was going to kill him and leave him by the road. Like trash!” He said.

	Mary gave him a while to regain his composure. She was a little relieved to know he didn’t murder anyone. She knew he’d taken lives in his line of work, but every time she found out, she felt sick to her stomach. After a minute, she resumed her questions. “Don’t take this the wrong way, but have you … touched him?” She asked. She didn’t pull her punch with that question.

	John’s heart was racing. She just had to ask that question. “I-I didn’t want to.” He said and wiped his tears. “He came onto me and I didn’t have the energy to resist. I—fuck! —I wanted him… I wanted him to breed with me.” He said. He could feel his cheeks burning and looked away.

	To his surprise, Mary replied with sympathy. “I see. Well, I don’t blame you. I’ve got a weakness for the younger persuasion, too.” She said. She drank from her cup of wine and gestured toward a portrait of her son, Alex, with her eyes.

	“No … no way… Your son!?” John exclaimed. He looked at the portrait of Alex. A cute, 11-year-old fox kit. The only thing he could think of was his nephew thrusting into his sister. Their bodies becoming one in a sinful act of incest.

	Mary finished her glass and poured another. “Well, his father—God rest his soul—left some pretty big shoes to fill. Alex stepped in and became the man of the house. Before I knew it, we were sleeping together. He’s so much like his father in the bed.” She said.

	He looked at her with a slight look of disgust. “…You know I’m going to picture him fucking you every time I see him now, right?” He asked. He couldn’t take his eyes off the portrait of his nephew.

	“Well, as long as you don’t think about us in bed~.” Mary said and winked at him. “Alright. Enough about my love life. I’m not done with you yet. Why did you really buy that boy? The John I know would never do something like that.” She said.

	The booze was still coursing in John’s veins and he had no choice but to answer honestly. “I … well, I wanted to do one good thing.” He confessed. “I could die tomorrow. Stabbed through the heart, beheaded, tortured, but as long as I know he’s safe, I’m fine with that.” He said. He grabbed her bottle of 20-year-old wine and filled his cup. After drinking it all, he continued. “And, I think I love him. He’s been through so much he didn’t deserve.” He said.

	She pitied him a little. “Oh, Johnny Boy. What am I going to do with you?” She asked. She took a sip from her glass and mulled things over. She never knew he was concerned with his own karma and legacy. Hopefully rescuing that boy would give him peace of mind.

	John looked up at her hazily and showed her his sharp teeth. “Don’t call me that. Only He’s allowed to and He’s gone.” He said and rested his cheek on the table sadly. “Johnny Boy” is what their father, Jed, would call him before he passed to a plague almost two decades ago. Since that day, John always hated being called Johnny. Nobody but their father had the right to call him that.

Mary didn’t take his words to heart. She didn’t know he still missed their father, and left it at that. With respect for him, she’d never refer to him as Johnny ever again. After a minute of awkward silence, the two picked up where they left off and finished off Mary’s bottle of wine. They reminisced about their teenage years growing up and their parents.

	Tommy disturbed their conversation by reappearing fully nude, bathwater dripping off his boyhood onto the wooden floor underneath.

	John drunkenly looked at the boy and felt embarrassed. “Forchrist’ssake, boy! I told you to—hiccup!—always wear clothes!” He said. Though annoyed, he couldn’t keep his eye off his boy’s bits. A nice 1.5? penis and two small balls hung between his legs. Just begging for attention.

	“Oh, stop yelling at him, John. You act like you never ran around naked when you were a boy.” Mary scolded John. “Come here, sweetie. I’ve got something special for you.” She said. She poured a small bottle of white liquor into a cup and handed it to him.

	Tommy sniffed the mystery liquid and winced in disgust. “Um, what is it?” He asked. Its foreign scent was sour and overpowering. If he didn’t know any better, it could’ve been poison.

	Mary couldn’t stop herself from giggling. “It’s a grownup drink. John said you can have some.” She said.

	Tommy took a sip of the alcohol and immediately spat it out. “Ew! It’s gross!” He complained.

	Mary stood up and walked behind him. She tilted the glass up and encouraged him to drink it all. “Go on, keep drinking. There we go! Good boy.” She said. She rubbed his shoulders to relax him a little.

	John snapped to attention and saw the two acting suspiciously. “Hey … what’re you two up to?” He asked. His head still felt like a ton of bricks and he couldn’t see clearly. He definitely went overboard with his little drinking session again.

	Mary blew off his question and pushed Tommy in the direction of her guest bedroom. “Okay, sweetie. Go and wait in the room for John. He’ll tuck you in.” She said.

	Tommy stumbled down the hall to the guest room, giggling to himself nonstop. He felt woozy, but he was enjoying every second of the strange sensation. Who knew drinking grownup drinks could feel so funny?

	Mary looked back at John. He still had questions and he was getting angrier by the second. “Oh, cool off. It’s just a little Cupid’s Milk.” She said. Cupid’s Milk was famous in brothels all over Faalsworn for its aphrodisiac effects. Efei was infamous for selling it out in the open in apothecaries despite its questionable legality.

	“Well? Go on, now. He’s waiting for you.” She said. She picked the drunk John by his collar and pushed him toward her guest room. Knowing that the two were about to have sex for the first time aroused her. It was time for her to retreat to her own room and enjoy her evening.

John stumbled down the hall, holding the walls for stability. His body felt as heavy as an elephant, and he was ready to collapse onto the nearest bed in sight. He opened the door to the guest bedroom and saw Tommy rubbing his body worriedly.

	“J-John!” Tommy yelped. “I-I feel really weird!” He said. He tried to rub his privates but stopped every time. They were way too sensitive for him to handle. All he could manage was rubbing his nipples and tummy and thrust into the air occasionally.

	John saw the fully naked cub across the room from him and took off his pants and underwear without a word. His boy needed him and it was time for him to teach him a thing or two. “Don’t worry. John’ll help you out.” He said. He got onto the bed and crawled over to him.

	He placed his hand on his boy’s stiff little prick and stroked it gently. Then he pressed his face into Tommy’s chest and gave it a whiff. The boy’s natural scent combined with springwater made his own cock start to harden.

	“Nng! S-stop!” Tommy snapped at him. He pushed John off him and continued to rub his body in a futile attempt to contain his arousal. “I tried that and it didn’t work! Why does my pee-pee feel like this!?” He asked him.

	John lied next to the boy and watched him struggle with his urges. (“Hm. The boy’s got it bad.”) He thought to himself. Back when he was his age, the only thing that’d douse the fire in his loins was mating. Luckily for him, he had a lot of boys his own age to have sex with. No feelings attached.

	“Alright. I know what we’ll do.” John said. He lied on his back, lifted his legs and spread them, exposing his asshole. He wasn’t used to bottoming, but he’d do anything to help his boy. “Alright. Get in front of me.” He said.

	Tommy got onto his knees and moved in front of John. His heart raced as he finally got a sight of John’s bare body. The man’s cock and balls were several sizes bigger than his own. But more importantly, he couldn’t stop focusing on his asshole. His instincts were telling him to shove his prick inside it. That’d tame his lust.

	John wiped a big glob of precum off his tip and smeared it all over his asshole. He gave it a delicate fingering before he was sure it was ready for the boy. “Okay. Go ahead and put your pee-pee in me. I’ll be fine, promise.” He said.

	There was no hesitation on Tommy’s part. He waddled closer to John’s crotch and aimed his prick at his asshole. His body was ready to mate, and there were no protests from his mind. His dickhead tried to enter John, but kept slipping out. “John, it won’t go in…” He said sadly.

	John pressed down on Tommy’s shaft so it lined up with his asshole. At the same time, he relaxed himself. “Alright. Go ahead.” He said. Tommy nodded and pressed his dick into him again. This time it easily entered him all the way up to his pelvis.

	“W-wow…!” Tommy said. The tightness and warmth of John’s hole filled his prick with pleasure and made his heart race. “Um, now what?” He asked. Besides putting it in, he was clueless about what he was supposed to do.

	At first, John figured that the boy’s instincts would take over. It was obvious that he needed to teach him. “Alright, pull it out a little bit until just your tip’s in.” He said and watched Tommy mimic his instructions. “Now push it back in. Keep doing that until you feel better.” He said.

	Tommy followed his instructions and thrust his prick in and out of him awkwardly. The sensation was helping with his overwhelming arousal, but he had to have more. He rested his head on John’s chest and thrust into him without any restraint. His little balls smacked against John’s butt cheeks with every repetition. “T-this feels weird!” He cried out.

	John hugged his boy tightly and allowed him to ravage his body. He was edging closer to his own breaking point every time Tommy’s warm body rubbed against his cockhead. Seeing his cub boy fucking him only helped to make him more aroused. “It’s natural, Tommy. Keep going.” He said.

	Tommy’s pace picked up from there. He didn’t know what he was doing or why it felt so good, but he had to keep going. His instincts were in the driver’s seat and guiding him. Slowly, pleasure built up in his prick until he couldn’t take anymore. “John, I-I—awoooooooo!” He cried out. His first orgasm was overwhelming his mind.

	For a few seconds, Tommy lied against John’s chest and sobbed lightly. Everything that happened in the past few minutes was confusing to him. He couldn’t contain his emotions and let the tears flow.

	“Are you crying?” John asked and looked at his face. His heart softened upon seeing the boy’s teary face. “Aw, don’t cry. What you did is natural. You didn’t hurt me.” He said.

	Tommy looked into his eyes and smiled weakly. “R-really? I-it felt really weird… But I think my pee-pee’s normal again!” He said. Like a snap of one’s fingers, his sorrow was replaced with happiness. He pushed his face into John’s chest and sniffed his musk. It was a little ripe for his tastes. “Ew. I think you need a bath, too!” He said and pinched his nose playfully.

	“Oh, come off it. I smell a little because I fend for myself in the wilds. It’s not my fault I don’t come out smelling like dandelions.” John said. He scritched his boy’s ears. A naughty idea came to mind. They could get in the bath together, and Tommy can finish him off. “Actually, why don’t you help wash me?” He asked.

	Tommy was experienced enough to know when someone’s coming onto him. “Okay! Do you want me to play with your pee-pee again?” He asked. He got to his knees again and saw John’s cock was still rock hard and leaking precum. “Hm. I think I should.” He said, rubbing his chin in thought.

	“Well, I wouldn’t mind.” John said. “Let’s hurry up and get in before it gets any later. I don’t want you to freeze.” He said. He grabbed Tommy’s hand and led him out of the guest room into the bathroom. He hoped his sister wasn’t still in her den to catch a sight of them sneaking out. Though, it was unlikely that she’d care much given her own interest in cubs.

Their bath water that night was hot, but their sex together was hotter. In that moment, the huge world they lived in felt cozy and warm together. John didn’t know how he’d face his sister in the morning, but he felt at ease knowing that Tommy would be safe in her home. More importantly, John needed to go job hunting in the morning if he was going to have any hope of buying him and his boy a house. They aren’t cheap!