Gold Standard

by Kyell Gold

  “Indeed, sir!” The mouse moved closer to the window and held out his paws.

  Volle folded the note over and dropped it from the window. The mouse caught it agilely and waved to Volle, then sprinted away down the street.

  Smiling, the fox closed the window. He made it back to the desk and took the papers Caresh had brought back. After checking to make sure they were the right ones, he slipped them into an empty drawer of Helfer’s desk. That done, he sat lost in thought until Caresh came to take him to the bath.

  He had to lean on the valet to make it through the sitting room behind the curtain. It was a sitting room in name only; Helfer called it his “laying room,” or cruder names, if he’d been drinking. The doorway at the far side of the room led to the bedroom, where he slept, and like the doorway back to the parlor, it was filled only with a curtain. Helfer didn’t like doors much. The two small doors in the left hand wall, which led to his bathroom and wardrobe, were the only ones in the whole suite.

  One entire corner of this room was covered with a thick, plush, Vellenland rug. The other far corner was piled high with cushions. On the near wall, long couches spread against the wall, both large enough for two (or three, Volle happened to know). Against the right hand wall were two chests, both of finely crafted teak wood.

  Volle smiled at the familiar room. Only Helfer could get away with something like this. He didn’t have time to linger there, though. The bathroom door was open and the scented steam was calling, and Caresh was bringing him there step by steady step.

  The bathroom was filled with curling wisps of steam rising from the large circular stone bath in its center. The stove sat off to one side, filling the room with warmth, but Volle couldn’t take his eyes off the bath. Caresh brought him right up to the edge of the tub, and he lifted his muzzle to smell the scent in the bathwater. Jasmine, he thought.

  “That smells wonderful.” Volle put one paw into the water. “Oh. Canis bless you.”

  “Thank you, sir.” The valet stood by as Volle took off the uniform and sank slowly into the water. “Will that be all?”

  “Mmm.” Volle’s eyes were closed already as the meal and the warmth worked their effect on his starved body. He rested his head on the side of the bath. “Caresh, when that white wolf comes back, let him in, please?”

  Caresh coughed softly. “Sir, are you anticipating his return before our departure?”

  “Oh. No. Well, don’t let him in, then, I guess.” Volle fought to stay awake, but he barely finished his sentence. He didn’t hear Caresh leave, or even hear if the valet made a reply.

  When he woke, the water was lukewarm and murky. He could still smell the scent of the bathwater, but it was mingled now with the dirt and grime from the cell. Fortunately, Helfer had soap, so Volle spent a good fifteen minutes making the water even murkier as he scrubbed every inch of his body.

  His arms were still sore, and unused to stretching down below his chest. He scrubbed the white fur there, then slowly moved down his abdomen. The water helped his muscles adjust, though he was doubly sore when he tried to pull his legs back and stretch his arms down to wash them. His paws were a fright. He didn’t think he’d ever get all the dirt out of them. And his poor tail—would it ever be as soft as it had been? He sighed, working another handful of soap through it.

  Lastly, he scrubbed under his tail, and then his sheath. He closed his eyes as he did. It had been so long since he’d been able to touch himself. His fingers caressed his sac and rubbed slowly up his sheath’s fur, and he didn’t stop when he felt a swelling inside. Might as well clean that too, he thought with a grin. His fingers kept rubbing and squeezing in slow, rhythmic strokes, and he felt himself harden and slide out of his sheath.

  He forced himself to wait until it was fully extended. Then he took a handful of soap and gently rubbed up along his length. The sensation made him shiver in pleasure. He repeated it, enjoying the freedom of movement as much as the stroke itself. When he felt his arousal getting more intense, he stopped, with a little effort. No need to waste his energy here when he had Streak returning tonight.

  Standing up was still a bit too unsteady for his liking, though his legs were getting stronger. He settled for kneeling in the bath as the water drained out, agitating it to keep the dirt from settling on his fur. There was still a film of grime on him when the tub was empty, but Caresh had left a bucket of warm water for just that purpose on the tub’s edge.

  His arms were strong enough to handle the bucket as long as he stretched them back over his head. He poured the water over himself, keeping his eyes shut, and then replaced the bucket. Helfer had a pile of soft towels stacked beside the bath; he grabbed the topmost one and got as much of the water out of his fur as he could. He considered Helfer’s grooming powder, but decided against it. It had a nice soft scent, but it was expensive, and he didn’t want to use it up.

  He poked his head out of the bathroom door. A quick sniff of the air told him that Helfer and his bunny had been through the sitting room and had left already. He held the towel around himself and peeked into the bedroom to be sure. Indeed, Helfer’s large feather bed was sitting empty, neatly made with the velvet coverlet on top.

  Good. One more thing, then. His legs were getting steadier as he walked around the apartment, and he managed to make it to the desk without holding on to anything. He took out the papers Caresh had brought back the previous night (morning?) and returned to the sitting room.

  In the wardrobe, he chose an outfit of short yellow robes over a white shirt. Good traveling clothes. Suitably attired, he concealed the papers, and then walked back into the sitting room to wait for Streak.

  Part 6

  The knock at the door came in late afternoon. He had been nibbling at the potatoes as he got hungry again, and reading one of the few books Helfer kept in the parlor. At the knock, he stood up, pleased to find that his legs were supporting his weight quite well. Nose to the air, he approached the door. The wolf’s scent was there, and nobody else’s. With a smile, he opened the door.

  Streak returned his smile. “Hi.”

  “Quick, come in.” Volle stepped back, and closed the door after the wolf. He put his arms around the muscular chest and gave Streak a warm kiss. Streak returned the kiss with some passion, but cut it short.

  “Is something wrong?”

  Streak shook his head. “No. I mean, yes. I was nervous all day today. I thought someone would find out. But when Gerrold raised the alarm, they just sent people out searching. Didn’t even ask me to do that.”

  “Well, that’s good.” Volle smiled and walked slowly across the parlor, Streak following at his side.

  “Say, you look good. And smell good. And you’re walking!”

  Volle spread his arms, showing off his balance. “I feel a lot better.”

  “I’m so glad to hear that. Listen, Volle, is there anything you need to do? Anyone you need to contact? Cause I can probably get someone to come here without arousing suspicion.”

  “In a bit.” Volle drew the curtain aside. “I thought we’d take advantage of some quality time here, since Helfer enjoys luxuries that we probably won’t see again for a while.” He gave the wolf a coy smile.

  Streak gaped at the sitting room, a bit taken aback. “It would be good to get the business over with fir-irst!” The last word became a squeak, as Volle slid his paw into the wolf’s pants and found his sheath. He cupped it warmly, rubbing with his fingers, and even slid one claw into the sheath’s opening, teasing Streak’s tip just inside.

  “Mm-hmm,” Volle said, guiding the wolf to the plush rug. “I plan to take care of business.” He grinned and unfastened Streak’s pants with his free paw. The other continued rubbing, and a moment later the wolf had pulled him close and buried him in a deep, passionate kiss.

  Volle curled his tongue around the slick, warm wolf tongue, keeping his paw busy. Streak was already mostly erect, and Volle’s fingers concentrated on the warm shaft, feeling its smoothness and curling ar
ound its volume. His pawpads slid easily along the red flesh, and when they teased at the tip, the wolf gave a little yipping moan into Volle’s muzzle. When his paws felt the knot at the base of Streak’s shaft start to swell, he stopped, and broke the kiss.

  “Mmm. It’s so nice to be able to feel you,” he said softly, and Streak looked back into his eyes.

  “You feel wonderful,” he whispered.

  “Helfer has some stuff here,” Volle said. “Don’t move.” He left Streak panting, red tongue and red shaft hanging out, and went to one of the chests. Inside, he found a small cup full of an oily substance, and removed it.

  “Ever used this stuff?”

  Streak sniffed it. “Something like it, I think, if it’s what I think it is.” He grinned. “This smells better, though.”

  “I think it is what you think it is.” Volle grinned back. He took two fingertips and dipped them into the cup, then rubbed them up and down along the wolf’s erection until it glistened. Streak moaned and squeezed his eyes shut, and then opened them again when Volle took his fingers away.

  “And some for you, too?”

  “Some for me.” Volle lay down on his back, opened the robes, lifted his shirt, and reached into the cup again. He rubbed the oils under his tail, slowly, letting Streak watch as his fingers slipped slightly into himself and back out, smoothing the fur away from the pink opening under his tail. His erection was already visible, and as he lubricated himself, it grew fuller, resting against his newly-white belly fur. When he’d done with himself, he rested a paw on his erection, brushing the remaining oils up and down it, and spread his legs.

  “Come on,” he grinned up at the panting wolf. “You promised, all those weeks ago.”

  Streak laughed, and moved forward. He slid his paws under Volle’s hips and lifted them to meet his own. Volle felt the tip of the wolf’s thick shaft for an instant before it slid easily into him, filling him. He gasped; he’d gotten a bit tighter over the past six months.

  “You okay?” Streak was shivering with tension and had moved his paws up to Volle’s back, but there was concern in his look too.

  “I’m okay.” Volle smiled and wiggled his hips. “You’re big. And I’m not as easy as I used to be. But I’m okay.”

  “You do feel tight.” Streak nuzzled him gently.

  “You feel wonderful.” Volle reached up and pulled the wolf closer, pressing his hips forward until he felt the full thick length inside him. Streak gasped and returned his embrace, and for a moment they just lay like that. Then the wolf drew his hips back and pushed them forward, and Volle felt a wave of pleasure course through them both. He brought one paw down to his erection and started stroking himself in time with Streak’s thrust. With the other paw, he traced a finger gently up and down the black streak of fur that ran the length of the wolf’s supple white hip.

  Streak’s control didn’t last for too long. Volle could feel his knot with every thrust, and as the thrusts got faster and harder, he tried to time his own paw’s strokes. He shivered every time Streak’s length slid past his tailhole, and he knew that the knot stretching him would just about send him over. It was hard to keep his paw from stroking faster; it wanted to. The desire in him was taking over, as it did at the best of times, and like the last time with Streak, he felt that the wolf was a part of it and not just the object of it.

  There was a subtle difference in Streak, though. Volle thought he knew what it was. The wolf was thrusting with passion, and yes, love, but also with a touch of guilt. He was trying to restrain it, but as his control eroded and desire took over, the emotions became clearer in his muzzle and in his actions.

  Volle observed this with a detached part of his mind and set it aside as he let his passion take him over as well. They moved together, each feeling his own arousal as well as the other’s, and when the moment came at last and the wolf’s thick knot stretched his tail hole and then popped inside, they both moaned with the same voice.

  Volle’s muscles squeezed the wolf’s knot; Streak’s knot stretched the fox’s tail hole. The same motion drew them both upward, together, and their shared moans gathered intensity as their bodies gripped each other and shared a dazzling climax. Volle’s shaft shivered in his paw and covered it with fluid, while inside him, Streak’s erection spilled its own fluids. Both pressed close to each other, trembling in the grip of their passion, and their muzzles sought each other out, tongues meeting to hold the moment as long as possible.

  Even the afterglow felt special to Volle. He wrapped his legs around Streak’s hips and rested his head on a cushion. Streak lay gently atop him and nuzzled quietly, arms tight around him.

  “I don’t love you because the sex is so good,” Volle said softly. “I think the sex is so good because I love you.”

  Streak nuzzled his ears and said softly, “I love you, too, Volle. I like knowing your name.”

  “And you think this is the last time we’ll be together.”

  “What?” Streak jerked upright, pulling at Volle’s tail hole.

  “Ow!”

  “Sorry!” He leaned over Volle again. “What do you mean? I’m not leaving you. Unless you want me to.”

  Volle brushed Streak’s muzzle with his clean paw. “It’s okay. You’re a darling wolf, but you’re not all that good at hiding your emotions. And there have been other signs, too. The rescue, the hiding here…it was all too easy.”

  “What do you mean?” But Streak was looking guilty, near tears now. “Don’t you trust me?”

  “Shh.” Volle tried to lift his muzzle to kiss him, but the wolf didn’t respond. “They told you that if you got me to give you the papers, then…what? You’d get promoted? You’d have me in your personal care? And you were so desperate that you had to try it, but in your heart you don’t believe I’ll betray my country, do you?”

  “I…I didn’t…”

  “I don’t blame you, Streak, my sweet young wolf. I know you did it out of love. Or at least compassion. Otherwise you wouldn’t be so sad, thinking that at least we had this little time together before they take me back.”

  A tear dripped onto Volle’s chest. “I do love you,” Streak whispered. “I don’t know how it happened or how they knew. They told me we could go away together, as long as they got the papers back.”

  “They used you,” Volle said, reaching up to lick at Streak’s muzzle. “They isolated you, kept you friendless, and told you to go do something against your nature. Then they made sure the only person you talked to would be me—a prisoner desperate for companionship and almost as isolated. We were all each other had for that time. And you’re gorgeous, and I guess you saw something in me…”

  Streak licked him back, another tear dripping down the other side of his muzzle. “How did they know?”

  “The chimney hole, I would guess. Listening to everything we said and did.”

  “Quite astute.” The sharp voice came from the doorway.

  They both turned their heads to look. A slender rat was standing there, one paw twiddling his whiskers. He was dressed in a simple black outfit: sleeveless vest and pants, with a silver belt. His hairless tail swung idly against the doorframe.

  “Dereath.” Volle laid his ears back. “I wondered when I’d see you.”

  “You were supposed to wait outside!” Streak growled.

  “Hardly any point to that now, is there?” Dereath smiled at them, a nasty smile that Volle remembered well. “It wasn’t hard to figure out what you came in here to do, so when I heard you leave I thought I’d slip in and listen to the show. You perform quite well,” he said to Streak. “I think we may have an opening for you. When you’re done with that one, that is.”

  He leered at them, and Streak’s growl deepened. “Minister or not, I’ll break your muzzle for that.”

  “Oh, I don’t think so, dear boy. Not for another five or ten minutes, at least.” He smirked at their joined hips. “And in any case, I’m not stupid enough to come in here alone. Don’t worry, the soldier
s will stay in the parlor. This show is just for me.”

  “You said if you got the papers, we could leave together!”

  Volle stared at Streak, realizing for the first time what the wolf had meant. He had put his whole career on the line. He’d been willing to give up his livelihood, the only life he knew. Even if he hated it, it was still a significant gesture.

  “So I did. But now that he knows you’re working for me, I think the probability of that is very slim.” Dereath looked at Volle. “Unless this wolf actually means something to you.”

  “He does,” Volle said evenly. “Not that you’d know anything of meaning, you poor excuse for a person. So if I tell you where the papers are, you’ll let us go?”

  “Of course, Lord Vinton.” The rat bowed mockingly. “There is a carriage already ready at the door.”

  “We’ve arranged for our own transportation in the street outside,” Volle said. “If you don’t mind.”

  “Ah.” Dereath straightened, smiling his oily smile. “We would be deeply offended if you chose to forbear our hospitality.”

  Volle watched the glint in his eyes and hoped Streak could see it too. He had a feeling he knew where Dereath’s carriage would be taking them. “Very well.” Streak’s arms tightened around him. He felt the wolf’s knot slip out of him, and the wolf prepared to draw his hips back, but Volle tightened his legs warningly. Streak stopped moving, and Volle didn’t think Dereath had noticed.

  “Lord Yardley has the papers.”

  Dereath’s expression turned from triumph to puzzlement. “There is no Lord Yardley any more.”

  “Of course not,” Volle said. “Behind his painting in the east wing gallery, there is a small concealed space. That’s where I hid the plans I stole.”

  The rat grimaced. “We’ll soon see if you’re telling the truth. Meanwhile, you can stay here.”

  He turned and disappeared from the curtain for a moment. They could hear him talking to someone in the parlor, and in that moment Volle let Streak’s length slip out of him. He restrained a gasp, and whispered in the wolf’s ear, “The wardrobe. First chance we get.”