A Queen's Pet (anthros are an exotic import)

He admired their dark skin, bare of fur except for the black hair on their heads and only partially covered by loose clothes. A sensible choice, he'd been on the verge of overheating outside under the midday sun. It was mercifully cooler in the palace, but the humans had placed Felix's cage in the middle of the throne room where he was fully exposed to the sun shining through the windows.

Just a week ago the young vulpine had been playing in the shadowy forests of Verdana, where humans only existed as the subject of rumors. But then a dozen great wooden ships had run ashore, spilling out men who cut their way through the forest and shouted in a foreign tongue. They had set up traps, catching many of the forest's animals and shooting others. Felix's tribe had retreated deeper into the woods, but curiosity and the bravado of his recently ended adolescence got the better of him and he had stayed behind to spy on them. One minute he was sneaking through the underbrush outside their camp, the next he was tangled in a net and surrounded by humans. And now...

Well, now he was here. In a hot, distant land, surrounded by furless people who spoke in a language he couldn't understand. But he knew he was being presented to the intimidating woman on the uncomfortable-looking seat. She looked at the cage intensely, then stood up to get a closer look at Felix.

Felix peered out through the bars to study her in turn. She was tall, probably a head taller than him before you added the height gained by her thick-soled sandals. A circlet of gold rested on her head and gold thread had been braided into her hair, which stopped just shy of her shoulders. Her skin was the color of caramel, kept soft and supple thanks to the regular use of expensive moisturizers (though Felix did not know this), and interrupted only by three strips of blue fabric with gold trim. Two strips formed an X over her chest, holding up her ample bosom. The third circled her hips, hanging down to mid-thigh on the left and reaching her knee on the right. All three strips were transparent for most of their length, only darkening to an opaque blue when they got close to the most intimate parts of her body.

After circling Felix's cage, the queen spoke. Her voice was loud enough to fill the room, but by her tone this seemed to be more due to habit than anger. Of course it was hard to be sure without understanding the words. <<A magnificent find, Admiral. Is it tame?>>

<<It has been peaceful so far, your highness. One of the men put his hand through the bars to feed it and it didn't bite or scratch.>>

<<Good enough. Let it out.>>

<<Yes your highness.>> The man did something to the cage and one of its sides opened with a clang.

Felix stared between him and the queen before crawling out. He wanted to stand up and stretch his cramped limbs, but fear kept him down on the ground. When it became clear that Felix would make no further moves the queen came closer. Reaching down, she patted his head and touched his triangular ears. She was gentler than he had expected, making him relax somewhat.

He was somewhat disappointed when the queen removed her hand. Despite his fear had enjoyed the feeling of her long fingers running through his ruddy orange fur.

<<Excellent. My daughters are sure to love their pet. You have my thanks, Admiral.>>