Stories
By Don Miller, Jr.
These stories were thought of while driving down the highway while nothing else was on my mind.
Some of them have been influenced by other stories I have read. In turn "Two Realities" has inspired stories by others.For reference, LionkingCMSL is a 450 lb. quad (normal) lion, or QV for Quad Version, that has the ability to morph to an Anthro(morphic) Version (AV) (think Pink Panther {tm}). This means he stands on his rear two legs in a bipedal stance, like a human, but still walks digitgrade (on his toes) like a normal lion/cat (humans walk plantigrade). This puts his height at over 8 feet tall. LionkingCMSL, in both modes, can speak/read/understand English, is intelligent and sees in full color, unlike normal lions.
The "Lion's Den" is a space ship, of which LionkingCMSL is the owner/captain.
In the first story all participants are anthros and as his uniform, LionkingCMSL wears a robe when he is in his AV. He normally eschews clothing, being normally a quad lion, but for decorum and diplomatic reasons he must wear something.I hope you enjoy these flights of fancy. :)
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Melee - or how not to impress your C.O.
**********The melee had started innocently enough. The bobcat had stated that boxing was tougher than wrestling. The coyote had taken the opposite view, because he loved wrestling. The discussion had turned into an argument which led to fight. Most of the other furs in the mess room had left when the words got hot, so there were few furs there when the paws started flying. Those furs left at that point, so it was just the bobcat and coyote. The fight took on the appearance of a small riot, with the coyote chasing the bobcat with a chair.
LionkingCMSL, known as "Big Guy" behind his back, but never to his face, was walking to that very same mess room. He was headed there for a late snack before he went to bed, and he enjoyed dining with the "crew". He heard a ruckus coming from the mess room. He turned a corner in to the doorway. The lion then froze.
At this moment, the bobcat was making a "bee line" for the door. He looked over his left shoulder to see how close the coyote was. What he saw didn't make sense. The coyote was frozen in mid-stride, with the chair raised and his mouth agape. The bobcat turned to see where he was running, when, "WHAMMM!", he ran in to a dark forest green wall. When he opened his right eye, he was face to "face" with the ship's insignia on that dark green wall. The wall had a curious texture to it. The bobcat knew this was odd as the walls were painted beige, and the ship's insignia was not painted on any of the walls. In a heartbeat, he had a sinking feeling. There was only one way that the ship's insignia would be at his eye level on a textured dark green background. He swallowed hard. Quickly he glanced down and he saw what he feared he would see. It was a tawny yellow hand, that was clenching and unclenching, with claws splayed. The bobcat was sure of it now, he had run in to his commanding officer. He then heard something that almost stopped his heart. In a second, the coyote heard it too. It was the sound of a deep growl starting deep in the lion's chest. The bobcat knew he was within inches of the dental work of a major predator, and his life could be ended with one quick bite.
The lion was so angry, that his lips were curled back in a snarl. This was something that LionkingCMSL did very rarely. His ears were flat against his head, as was his whiskers were flat against his face. His tail was lashing so furiously that it was banging against the door frame with such force, that it could be heard for yards away.
He growled to the two crewfurs, "What the hell are you doing to my ship!!"
Neither the coyote or bobcat dared to answer.
"You! Put that chair down and come here!", roared the lion to the coyote.
The coyote meekly complied with an order that could not be dis-obeyed.The lion then picked up the bobcat by the front of his uniform with his huge right hand and the coyote with his left hand. LionkingCMSL held both crewfurs about a foot off the deck and at arms length. "You two don't realize how close I am to breaking that vow not to harm another fur!", the lion roared. His roar as so loud and forceful, it was felt on the bridge, several decks above him. The two helpless crewfurs winced with pain. They now realized how far they had crossed the "line", for all they could "see" was the lion's teeth and maw. "What was all this about?", the lion growled.
The coyote took a gulp of air and said, "Which is tougher, boxing or wrestling."
The lion roared even louder, if that was possible, "You mean to tell me that you trashed this mess room over a silly argument?"
"Yes, sir", the two replied very quietly.
"I ought to bang your heads together, to drive some sense into you both", the lion snarled. "You are both on report. Be thankful I don't toss both of your hides into the brig. For right now, you are to clean and repair this mess room so it is factory fresh. You are not to allow any help. You two made this mess, so you are going to clean it up. Any replacement parts will come out of your pays, divided equally. You are both confined to your quarters when it's not your duty shift. I may think of other punishment later, but this will do for now. You also should consider yourselves very, very, lucky that I took that vow."
The bobcat and coyote simply nodded and said, "Yes, sir."
With that the lion opened his grip and let both of the crewfurs drop to the deck. The lion turned to leave and growled over his shoulder, "If I ever hear of another incident involving the both of you, you will both be relieved of your duties and transferred off this ship. Understand?"
Both crewfurs said, "Yes, sir."The lion left the mess room, with his tail lashing and ears still flat against his head. He was madder than he had been in years, and it showed. All other crewfurs made sure they were out of sight when the captain was headed their way, lest they feel the backlash of his anger.
When LionkingCMSL arrived at his quarters, he had lost most of his anger. He padded over to the intercom, pressed the "Command - Private" button and called, "Captain to the Bridge."
"Painless, here", was the reply from his F.O.
"Painless, how much damage was done in that fight?" The lion didn't have to explain any further, as he knew the black wolf would know what he meant.
"Three tables and one chair broken. Several plexiglass panels shattered."
"Okay. Have all items replaced by ship's stores, but do not dock the items' costs from the those crew members' pay. Make a note, that the items will deducted later, but don't deduct the costs. Let them wonder when it will be deducted. The mental worry will be enough."
"Aye, LK"
"And, Painless", the lion said tiredly.
"Yes, LK"
"Release those two from their quarters after two days."
"As you wish, LK."
"Captain, out."
"Bridge, out."The lion was still hungry and now he was drained. He hated it when somefur pushed him to far. He had to show a side of himself that he normally kept in check, that of a wild quad lion. Those two furs really had come close to pushing him over the edge, and that would have meant he would've had blood on his hands. The blood of two innocent furs, who just got carried away.
He decided he better eat. He padded over to his personal food replicator and said, "One zebra steak, tenderloin cut, 32 ounces, raw.
The replicator complied, and the lion had dinner. After he ate, he took off his robe, that was his uniform and changed into his quad version and flopped on his left side and went to sleep to let his anger dissipate.
*************
Two Realities
*************When LionkingCMSL awoke, he was startled to find himself already in his AV and dressed in his uniform robe and hat. This was strange because he went to bed in his QV and undressed, which is normal for him. He got up off the floor and was more startled to find he was not in his cabin aboard the "Lion's Den". He was in an area that was completely dark, except for a circular region that was brightly lit from above, by unseen and unknown sources. In the center of this lighted area was a seated figure. The lion was inexplicably drawn to that figure. When he approached it, the lion saw the figure matched a description he was told about, a human male. The human had tannish skin, black hair and wore something very rarely seen on furs, glasses. As the lion got closer, he estimated the human to be about 6 feet tall and weigh about 200 pounds. When the lion drew as near as he dared, he noted the clothing on the human. It was wearing shoes, pants, t-shirt with a full color lion's head on it. The most noteworthy feature about the ensemble was, it was all black. The lion's attention was drawn to the human's head, for he was wearing an exact duplicate of the black hat he wore, right down to the logo. The lion noticed that the human was writing something on a pad of paper with a pen. The human had not noticed him yet.
As the lion stood there, he recalled, somewhat hazily, that most humans were afraid of lions and anything strange to them. He smirked to himself, "Well, I guess I would fit that description. An 8 foot plus anthrolion. Humans had never seen an anthrolion before, let alone one that could talk, assuming we can understand each other." LionkingCMSL also knew, but he did not know how, that this human's name was "Don".
The lion dared to speak, and spoke only one word, "Don?"
The human looked up from his writing, looked at the anthrolion and smiled broadly. The look of instant recognition was plain. "LionkingCMSL!", the human said with glee.
LionkingCMSL was surprised to hear his name come off the lips of someone that easily. It was like "Don" spoke his name everyday. He was also surprised to hear, that except for being a bit higher in pitch, it was his.
Don put down his pen and paper, got up and hugged the huge anthrolion saying, "It's so good to meet you."
LionkingCMSL almost took a step backward, as very few furs hugged him, and he didn't allow furs he just met to do it. When Don hugged him though, it was like he was hugging himself."Let me take a look at you", Don said as he walked around the lion. "You're just as I imagined you would be."
LionkingCMSL asked, a bit flustered, "How do you know me? Imagined me?"
"Sit down 'LK' ", Don said, as he pulled a stool from 'nowhere'. "You and I have a lot in common, but you don't know it." Don then sat back in the chair facing the now seated anthrolion.
"How do we have a lot in common? You are a 'human' and I'm a lion!"
"You are right about the differences, but there is a lot of common 'ground'. You see, LK, in my time, place, possibly both, we are one and the same." The lion stared with widened eyes and ears laid flat against his head in amazement. "When I was younger I realized I had a 'connection' with lions. I wanted a real lion, to keep, to have. Not as a pet, mind you, but as a 'friend'. Actually that wanting has never left me, but I fear it will never happen. As I aged, I realized that this, wanting to own a real lion, was just an externalization of my 'internal' connection with lions. I gave up going to circuses when I saw how some of them treated lions. I could not bear to see my 'brothers' treated that way. I bought, still buy, everything and anything that had a lion on it." Don then showed the amazed lion his gold lion's head ring. He then continued, "I get angry if lions were, are, protrayed as evil just because they were large carnivores. I even get upset if lions are 'drawn' really badly, although I don't mind paradoies. I felt, still feel, that if there is such a thing as re-incarnation, that I had something to do with lions in a past life or lives. Gradually the quad lion morphed into a anthrolion and I started to call him, me, by your name - LionkingCMSL."
The lion tried to speak, but found he could not.
"I bought a fursuit to act out the part of an anthrolion, knowing that I never could be one. I wrote, still write, stories about him, me, you.
"So you see, we're one and the same. You know my name, but you don't know how, correct?"
The eyes of the lion, which had gone to their normal size, widened again and the lion nodded.
"Part of that may be due to our common 'link'. I felt you relax after the intial tenseness when I hugged you. You don't like strangers hugging you, but you felt this was natural, like hugging yourself. Right?"
Again the lion merely nodded.
"You don't want to believe what I'm telling you, yet you do believe. I can see it in your eyes and the way you are holding yourself. LionkingCMSL, LK, believe me when I say, although you have the facade of strength and solomness, inside there is a battle of the wild quad lion and that of the intelligent quad lion, the one Homestead knows. This I know."
The lion hung his huge head and looked down at his feet.
Don got up, put a hand under the lion's huge chin and lifted it up. The big cat did not resist, nor did he sense any fear from the human in having his hand this close to a lion's mouth. Don looked the lion squarely in the eyes and the big cat averted his gaze.
Don said, "Look at me LK. I know it's normally a bad idea to stare 'down' a lion, but I know, as you do, that you will not hurt me."
LionkingCMSL turned his gaze upon the human and knew, with surety, the truth of Don's words.
"There is nothing to be ashamed of. We all have our internal battles. I do. You know that Painless Wolf has a bigger one than you will ever have."
The lion's eyes grew wide again, and again his ears flattened on his skull. "H-h-h-how d-d-do you know P-p-painless?", he stammered.
Don said gently, "LK, I've already said I know of Homestead. I know a lot of the furs there. Painless. RumblePurr. Leonard. Kamau, in both forms. Camstone Fox and his mate Jenna. Smrgol. Skytech, Lana and their kits. This is to name just but a smattering of the many I know in that wonderful place. I also know, that you were not born to be a 'space fur', but were thrust here by another being's 'hand'. While you would love to go back to your grasslands, you are devoted to your fellow furs, and will not leave when one is hurting. Do not concern yourself on how I know these things, for it is of little matter."
Don then brought his free hand to one side of the lion's muzzle and slid the one, that was holding the cat's chin, up along the other side. The human was now cradling the lion's huge muzzle in both hands.
Lionkingcmsl had never had this done before, yet from this human it was comforting. As before, he sensed no fear from Don about his hands being this close to his mouth. The lion was sure that Don knew, as he did, that with one quick move, he could bite off a hand. Yet he held still.
"My friend", Don said, "My dear fur friend. We will meet again. This I'm sure of. This will be a special occasion for the two of us, for at that time I will not leave you." Don pulled away and ripped a piece of paper from the pad he was writing on and handed to the lion, saying. "Keep this in remembrance of me, until the next time we meet."
The lion nodded.
Don suddenly hugged the lion around the neck, with his right shoulder under the lion's chin and the lion gently hugged back.
"Now if you will permit me to do two things that I've always wanted to do to a real lion."
"Don, you may do as you wish", was the lion's quiet reply.
"First." and Don's right hand moved from the hug to the base of the big cat's left ear, where Don gave a mighty skritch.
LionkingCMSL started a rumblepurr despite himself.
Don then pulled away and said, "And second." Don leaned forward, cradled the lion's muzzle again, and planted a big kiss on the surprised lion's big nose. "I've always wanted to do that", Don said with a smile.
Don then turned and walked outside of the lighted area and everything went black. The lion was left alone in the dark, stunned.His personal alarm rang and LionkingCMSL awoke with a start. He was glad to see he was still QV and undressed, like the way he went to bed. He stood on all fours and while shaking his big mane said, "What a weird dream." He then noticed a piece of paper under one of his fore paws.
It read, "To LionkingCMSL, Hold this in rememberance. Until we meet again. Don Jr."
It was then that the lion noticed his nose was strangely wet.
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Mirror (originally titled "Dualities")
**********LionkingCMSL <QV> walked towards the full length mirror in his quarters, on board the "Lion's Den", as he had done countless times before. He normally paid it no mind, as he only used it when he was AV, but this time something caught his eye. Instead of his reflection walking towards him, it was an image of a wilder version of himself, walking in some unknown grasslands.
LK walked up to the mirror and sat down, as did the other lion. He then reached out to the mirror with a fore paw and tried to touch the surface. Instead of his paw hitting the highly polished surface, it went "through" it."Who are you?" asked the stunned lion.
"I am you", the other lion replied.
"No, you're not. I never seen that landscape before."
"Oh, yes I am. I'm the part of you that you try to keep in 'check'. I am your wild side."
"What do you want?"
"I want to be free!!"
"You know that is impossible."
"Is it?" With that, the "wild" LionkingCMSL leapt "through" the mirror and now stood next to an amazed LK. "See. It's not that hard."
"Now that you are 'here', what are you going to do?"
"Nothing. I can not leave this room as long as you are here."
"My question still remains, what do you want?"
"Again, my answer is the same, to be free."
"We are one."
"Yes, we are. There is no denying that."
"I've taken a vow not to hurt another fur. This is something that you would do. I can't allow that."
"Your 'vow'? Bah! Lions don't take vows. That's why I want to be free."
"Is being part of a 'civil', intelligent, lion that bad?"
"Look into your own heart, mine, and ask that same question. Do you not long to run on the open savannah without a care? To hunt and kill without remorse or question? To live as lions were meant to live?"
"Yes that is partially true. But I am a civilized fur."
" 'Civilized fur'? Bah! Bad words! I spit them out! You are a lion! That's your nature. To run free. Not to be cooped up in this cage", as the "wild" LionkingCMSL made a sweeping gesture with a fore paw.
"This is my home, for the time being. Not a cage."
"It is a cage, nothing less. Can you walk for miles without hitting a wall? Can you smell the scent of wild game, here?"
"Do you not worry about being killed by another animal?
"What happens, happens. True lions do not worry about the future. We live for the moment and let the future take care of itself."
"Maybe you should worry about the future. Anyway this is a fruitless argument, as there is no way I will let you run amok."
"For the time being, this is true. But there will be a time when your control over me will vanish, and I will be free to do as I please."
"That time is far in the future", LK growled.
"That may or may not be the case. We'll see." With that the "wild" LionkingCMSL leapt back through the mirror, turned around and sat in the same position as LK. "I will be trying your defenses at all times."The mirror "wavered" and steadied and LK was looking at his reflection aboard the "Lion's Den".
The big lion stood up and shook his mane and said, "I will not let you win. I can not allow you to win."
He then turned towards his dressing area to start his day as Captain of the "Lion's Den".
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Vow - This is the "Vow" that LionkingCMSL took.
**********I vow not to harm another fur, if I can help it.
All life is of value. I will kill for food only, and then I will kill only non-intelligent beings for food.
The only reason I will break this vow is for self preservation or to protect another innocent fur from immediate danger, and then only when all other avenues have been closed to me for a peaceful resolution. I will then use the least amount of force needed to accomplish the above.
I will not harm another fur out of malice, spite or for sport.
I, LionkingCMSL, being an intelligent fur and of sound mind take this vow. Signed:
Below the "Signed;" was his nose print, as he had taken this vow while he was a quad, and before he realized he could morph into an anthro.
On a personal note. I live by this vow myself which is not hard to believe, as LionkingCMSL is based on me. I truely do wish that more people would take this "vow".
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