This is a short work of erotic fiction containing furry, or anthropomorphic, characters, which are animals that either demonstrate human intelligence or walk on two legs, for the purposes of these tales. It is a thriving and growing fandom in which creators are prevalent in art and writing especially.
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Impotence
Anyone watching the parade progress would have deemed it a success. Every Jahaliyan was on the streets or cheering from the windows, all craning their necks to see their Prince Ryoga and his two new wives, Princess Jasmine and Robin. Robin was being officially presented to the nation for the first time and, after hearing about her training success and spectacular performance concerning the wedding cake, they were eager to show their support of the unexpected bride. Streamers flew from the windows in a rainbow cacophony of colours, which unrolled down the bright walls, and citizens followed close upon the heels of the stately vehicle that Ryoga, Jasmine, Robin, the King and the Queen rode upon. It was a strange contraption with no wheels and hovered precisely two feet above the ground. It moved forward grandly from the magical attentions of several spell casters, the group of which included John and Lydra, who had their brows furrowed in concentration.
On Ryoga's left, Robin bounced lightly on the balls of her feet, fighting to remain as dignified as she was expected to be, although what she really wanted to do was vault down and hug every single Jahaliyan who was out on the street to support her. Jasmine kept her eyes downcast behind her royal blue veil, however, keeping her place on Ryoga's other side; the others had tried to persuade her to wear a lighter veil that day but to no avail. The wolf sighed and wagged her tail faintly, thinking that she had best not base her enjoyment on what pleasures Jasmine took, especially as her outfit was far more extravagant than Jasmine's robes: a delicate arrangement of gold body jewellery was draped in fine chains across her body, offset by rich, red rubies. She was a truly a sight to be seen and admired.
Robin was the first to see the assassin.
The brown-furred ferret could have been mistaken for any other Jahaliyan, but his frantic rush through the crowd towards the royal 'float' was suspicious, too suspicious. He wore a darker leather harness, not unlike what the everyday Jahaliyans and palace-goers would wear upon a daily basis - inconspicuous. Robin might even have taken him for a palace guard if he had not been shoving other furs so viciously, several furs tumbling to the ground with shrill cries and muttered curses. At his hip was a sheathed sword and, as he drew closer, he drew the shining, steel blade, flashing it promiscuously over his head. The Jahaliyans closest to him screamed.
"Guards!" Robin shouted, raising her voice over the crowd and drawing on a reserve of inner calm that only showed itself in times of crisis.
With the magicians preoccupied with steering the float, the nearest guards were the harem, which rose to the occasion, a flash of concern in the bunny Natasha's eyes. A hare jabbed his elbow into her stomach and she inhaled sharply, not breaking her stance as she calmly drew the crossbow from its leather strapping, the cool feel of the wood and metal solid and familiar in her paws. Panicked furs streamed around Natasha, a rock above the flood, and she breathed out slowly, levelling and aiming at the ferret scrambling on to the float. His sword caught the light of the glaring sun, his body dangling precariously above the throng for a crucial second: she loosed the bolt.
The bolt thudded into the ferrets back, emerging from his chest in a fountain of ruby red blood, garish against the pale stone of the street. He died with barely a grunt and the light faded from his eyes, the spiritless body falling heavily to the dusty road. Natasha breathed out slowly, her paws shaking very slightly but noticeably; it was clear that killing did not come easily to her.
"Escort to the designated location!" Sylvia snapped enigmatically, directing the harem to surround the small cluster of nervous but resolute royals. The palace guards stood at a short distance, maintaining a defensive circle that bristled with the glint of steel. "Now! Get moving!"
They could not say much under the circumstances but they had been well versed in escape and protective manoeuvres if anything untoward was to happen on the parade, although the harem had never suspected that they would face such danger so soon. It was all happening so fast, everything a blur of faces, voices, fear colouring their vision. That someone would dare to attack the crown in their homeland - so close to the palace itself! By some gem of foresight, the 'safe house', as it was typically called, was near and Sylvia thought that the harem and guards would be able to usher the royals into safety. She hoped they would be able to do it. But what if there was more than one assassin?
"Stay together!" Sylvia snarled, her leonine tail thwapping against her bare, tawny legs.
The harem maintained a tight formation, swiftly lifting the endangered furs off the vehicle and under what little cover was available. Like bullets they streaked along the side of the cobbled street, defending their flank from any further attack while they took advantage of the wall of houses, though many frightened furs cowered behind the sturdy walls. Not all of them knew where they were going, but those 'in-the-know' were spaced evenly throughout the group, subtly directing the others to the concealed trapdoor that would lead them below ground, to safety. A skilled assassin, however, could easily pick off those giving direction and render the cluster vulnerable to attack - this worried Sylvia. She was lucky that the second assassin had no such orders.
He was a muscular dog - a common mutt with no fine breeding or, for that matter, grooming - crouching upon a rooftop to raise a bow and arrow with cold calculation. Ryoga was his target as he fired the crimson feathered arrow, which zinged from the bow with a telltale twang. Pushing his wives aside (Jasmine stumbled and Robin tried to protect him), Ryoga braced himself and raised his sword in a futile, too late defence. The arrow was coming straight for him with no time to dodge! At the last moment Nell flung herself forward, deflecting the arrow with the flat of her sword, the sharp point hardly scoring a mark; without batting an eyelid, the wolfess held her position coolly, eyes narrowed as she adjusted her landing stance for better balance.
"Let's get moving," she murmured to the frazzled group, stepping back into position. "I don't like the feel of this."
"What about the dog?" Tina growled under her breath, watching the mutt who was calmly nocking another arrow to his small bow. "Someone with a ranged weapon - take him out!"
Though she did not want to be the perpetrator of a second death, even if just and in defence, Natasha slotted another bolt into her crossbow and fired as the assassin was preparing to loose his arrow. His arrow clattered to the rooftop and he clutched his shoulder, dragging the arrow from his flesh, although the attempt was useless as Natasha neatly drove another bolt into his throat. The dog toppled and gasped as the blood poured from the fatal wound, writhing and thrashing until the shine faded from his cold eyes. Natasha exhaled a breath that she did not know she had held as he fell still, his gurgling, dying gasps horrifyingly audible until life deserted his corpse.
"How many do you think there are?" Natasha asked quietly, loading her crossbow so that it was ready when needed, as she strongly suspected that it would be.
"We have to keep moving," Sylvia said tersely, deliberately leaving the bunny's question unanswered - it was not the time. "Keep going. We will all be safe when we reach the safe house. There are others awaiting us there. Move now."
