PRECIOUS CARGO

@Copyright 1999, Maureen. All rights reserved.

Part 20


   They were on their way to Bessie's, again in one of Cambelli's 
personal vehicles, driven this time by a female white cat morph. 
Fodessa paid only half a mind to the magnificent landscape 
outside, where the trees cast lengthening shadows in the golden 
light of sunset.
   They'd put on their best clothing -- which, in the case of 
Windrunner and Katie, was next to nothing.
   The wolf wore only a scanty white spidersilk loincloth, plus 
his nylon collar. Fodessa wouldn't give him a personal one until 
she'd actually bought him from Blackmuzzle. 
   Katie also wore a loincloth and collar, but this time she 
wasn't even permitted nipple caps to hide her pink nipples, now 
stiff with humiliated excitement.
   Caitlin was in his favored black-leather pants, naked from the 
waist up. Perion had a subtle language of collars; his current 
collar, a silver chain, proclaimed him a slave, but one that in 
turn had dom status over other slaves.
   Fodessa herself wore a lovely saffron-yellow flowing blouse 
and black spidersilk pants.
   She glanced back over the seat at the two bodyguards, Dosh and 
Quong -- they were out of their Sevin Law uniforms and into 
casual dress. The bull had unbent enough to wear black faux-
leather pants and a brightly colored yet translucent garment much 
like an ancient Mexican poncho -- now standard wear on certain 
planets. 
   Quong was a study in vibrant colors. The genet's clothing -- a 
translucent loose gauzy shirt and elastic pants that gave her 
freedom of movement -- was hardly traditional Yin-Tang dress, but 
the intricate, detailed tribal patterns of green, black, yellow, 
red and purple simulating elaborate embroidery definitely 
recalled her home planet.
   Her knife belt was not visible -- many subs reacted badly to 
sharp objects while playing, so it would have been rude for her 
to wear her knives openly -- but Fodessa knew they were in well-
concealed pockets in her clothing. Probably at least two of them 
in those opaque three-quarters sleeves, for example.
   Fodessa returned her gaze to the road ahead.
   Finally the Borghenno reached its goal: the private transport 
booth just outside of Cambelli's gate.
   Fodessa's party crowded in, she keyed in the combination for 
Telper's SouthGate area, and moments later they stepped out into 
the bustle of a busy public area, with furries flocking on the 
walkway by the platform. The evening crowd was already out.
   Poor Katie's face was once again a study in shock, but not as 
bad as what she'd suffered when they first arrived. She lifted 
her arms protectively toward her naked breasts, to conceal them -
- but then visibly caught herself and lowered them. 
   Many in the crowd, the subs and slaves, wore no more than she 
did. Some wore nothing at all. Once again, they had the chance to 
observe furry slaves, masters and mistresses, doms and subs, 
openly and proudly displaying their lifestyle in public -- one of 
the great pleasures of Telper's SouthGate.
   Unlike the rule in the rest of Telper, complete and total 
nudity was not only permissable, it was common -- especially for 
slaves. There were no children in SouthGate, but there were many 
couples and more exotic sexual groupings.
   One couple that caught Fodessa's eye consisted of a handsome 
male thylacine dom, dressed in a scanty black leather jockstrap, 
chaps and vest, and his sub, an collar-wearing Amazonian lioness 
who stood nearly twice his height, dressed in what could only be 
called barbarian splendor: metal greaves, breast coverings, leg 
guards. The only thing missing was a breechcloth; her groin was 
exposed to the world, revealing pink shaven labia.
   Fodessa smiled and nodded at them, and the thylacine waved 
back, grinning.
   She wondered if the lioness was really trained to fight in 
some style, or if the costume was merely a private fetish of her 
dom's. She admired the thylacine's dark back stripes as they 
walked away. She wouldn't have minded having him for a sub.
   Beside her, Windrunner stood -- eyes wide, but obedient and 
ready. Only his smell revealed his arousal and embarrassment at 
his near-nakedness -- that and the bulge in his loincloth. 
Fodessa glanced down at it; she'd chosen white just so it would 
show the little wet spots when he was really excited. But he 
wasn't seeping yet.
   Caitlin had been surprised last night, when Fodessa told him 
of her decision regarding the splendid wolf, but not as shocked 
as she'd expected. He'd grinned, exposing his fangs, and 
expressed his willingness to teach him "the ropes".
   As they stepped down into the crowd, she saw Windrunner's eyes 
widen like saucers. She turned to see what had brought it on.
   What he was reacting to looked like something out of some 
strange historical reconstruction, but it was a common method of 
transportation in SouthGate, where ground-effects vehicles were 
banned. An elaborately-carved wooden four-wheeled cart was 
passing by. 
   It was pulled by four naked slaves, all male gray wolves in 
black harnesses. Their arms were bound behind their backs, their 
erections hard, little coppery bells jangling at their nipples. 
They panted with effort as they trotted.
   The driver -- a weasel -- cracked his whip across the buttocks 
of the hindmost right male, who winced slightly and jerked his 
head up but didn't make a sound.
   Fodessa glanced at Caitlin's face. His eyes were as wide as 
Windrunner's, and a quick glance showed the tent in his trousers 
as well.
   Katie watched the cart with her jaw open in unconcealed shock, 
reeking of sexfear.
   Dosh stood patiently, waiting for Fodessa to give the signal 
to continue, while his dark eyes scanned passing furries. His 
mind was on the job, where it should be. So was Quong's. They'd 
been in SouthGate many times before on business.
   "Where's the nearest public cart stop?" Fodessa asked Quong.
   Quong pointed a skinny arm up the street to the northwest. "It 
is that way, about three blocks, Captain Fodessa," she answered.
   The cart stop was a bench beside a sign, like an old-fashioned 
bus stop, but the bench was gloriously wrought black metal with a 
weatherproof cushion attached. An orange-flowered lepul tree, 
native to Perion, shaded it. Its branches arched over the bench, 
its sweet perfumed scent heavy in the dusk air.
   Two other furries already occupied it, an elegant female 
impala in a white pantsuit and her naked, collared leopardess 
slave, but the impala smiled graciously and made room for her 
party.
   Fodessa sat down with Caitlin in the space provided. She knew 
the bodyguards would prefer to stand. There was only room for 
four, and she watched the slaves for their reaction.
   Windrunner hesitated, realizing he was supposed to kneel on 
the hard synthconcrete of the sidewalk. Then he flowed into 
position, silently, right at her knee.
   Katie's face showed her dismay. Making the best of it, she 
knelt a bit clumsily at Caitlin's feet, clearly trying to find 
the most comfortable position. Then she crossed her paws behind 
her back, leaving her breasts utterly exposed.
   Caitlin took the opportunity to cop a feel. He leaned over 
Katie, and his broad right paw reached around her to grope her 
right breast. The vixen closed her eyes, her face a wonderful 
blend of humiliation and acceptance -- at last, Fodessa thought 
wryly. She could see the panther's fingers working on her. When 
he withdrew his paw, the nipple was harder than before.


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