A telling touch.
Bess and Whitie made their way to Whitie’s place, the Old English sheepdog settling down comfortably on the rugs. Whitie settled down beside her, Bess rolling over onto her side and giving Whitie access to all four of her large white paws. Whitie picked up Bess’s left forepaw and began to stroke her pads and toes, the sheepdog relaxing as the massage took hold. Bess, her left forepaw in both of Whitie’s, began her tale.
“My early life was happy, but soon it became less so. I was bought by humans who wanted me for breeding. Nothing wrong in that you might think and neither did I, until it was time to give birth to my pups. I had a difficult labour, it was horrendous! So painful, stressful and exhausting. I struggled for hours to give birth to my pups, trying everything I knew to bring them into the world, from rolling on the floor during contractions, to swimming in the garden pond. Nothing worked, and my owners were forced to admit I wasn’t going to have the pups unaided, and take me to the vets while I was in full active labour. I remember that journey well, every bump and jolt bringing on strong contractions. I could feel what was wrong, the first pup was large, and was stuck fast. Even so, each contraction had me clenching my teeth and curling my toes with pain and effort as I struggled to have those pups. I was drenched in sweat and exhausted when I got to the vets. During the short walk to the vet’s operating room; I had two massive contractions which had me on my knees screaming with pain. My owners were anxious about the pups, I now feared for mine and their lives in equal measure. Once on the table I was knocked out, mercifully. I woke when my pups were born, and fortunately they were all fine. This could not be said for me however. The vet advised my owners that I would never be able to have pups again, and that the damage caused by the extended labour and excessive efforts I’d had to make had put an end to any further breeding. My owners were furious, having paid good money for me. I believe the vet was reluctant to tell them they were at fault for not getting me help sooner, but in the end they were told. My owners let me wean my pups, and during that time was when I saw the same game those two tigers were playing, the tail grabbing, paw tickling game. Once my pups were weaned, I was thrown out of the house, taken in a car to a remote place and dumped. I roamed for days, coming into your wood about two days before you found me. The rest is history.”
“That’s a dreadful tale,” Whitie mewed. She was stroking the sole of Bess’s left hind paw and Bess curled her toes round Whitie’s holding them tenderly. Whitie left her paw where it was, her pads touching Bess’s.
“I suppose I’ll have to give my life to looking after the cubs of others now,” Bess said. Whitie smiled as she felt Bess’s toes massage her own.
“I don’t know how the new mothers will take to you looking after their cubs,” Whitie mewed, “by all means, when I have cubs, you can help me look after them.” Bess smiled as she thought of Whitie’s cubs, already imagining them crawling all over her and tickling her paws.
“I’d love to help,” Bess said, her eyes shining.
“How about practising playing with me?” Someone asked. Bess looked round to find Ahanu crawling towards her. The cross bred cub, not yet on his legs, had learned to retract his claws that very day. Crawling over the carpet, he approached Bess, who, smiling, took the cub in her paws, Ahanu wriggling and purring with pleasure. The cub made sure Bess ran her paws all over him, from his nose to the pads of his paws. Ahanu snuggled up to Bess, and then turned to Whitie.
“Whitie,” Ahanu said, “I’m sorry for busting in on you and Blackie the other day. I didn’t know what Panja and bramble were up to until it was too late!”
“That’s okay,” Whitie mewed, “we were fine after that.”
“But, but,” Ahanu continued, his words falling over each other, “Bramble and Panja call Blackie the black monster, but he isn’t! He’s lovely, I met him, and we played together, and he tickled my paws!” Whitie smiled.
“Blackie’s wonderful,” she purred. The padding of heavy paws announced Nick’s arrival, the large lynx lying down beside Bess and touching Ahanu’s back with one huge forepaw. Ahanu, feeling Nick’s touch, wriggled free of Bess’s paws and crawled over to him, Nick reaching round and playfully tickling the sole of the cub’s left hind paw as he came towards him. Ahanu laughed, curling the toes of the paw Nick had tickled. Nick rubbed the pads of the paw he’d tickled, Ahanu smiling at him.
“I liked that,” he mewed. Nick purred contentedly, feeling Ahanu’s tiny toes curling round his larger ones. Nick wiggled his toes, Ahanu releasing him, allowing Nick to gather him close. Ahanu snuggled up to his adopted sire, working his face and forepaws deep into Nick’s thick fur. Nick purred loudly as he cradled Ahanu in his huge paws.
The sound of someone crawling towards them made Bess and Nick look round. Brunetta crawled towards Bess, taking her in her huge forepaws and hugging her tenderly. Bess, feeling the bear’s intentions in the touch of her paws, snuggled into Brunetta’s hug, working her paws into the brown bear’s long, thick, soft warm fur. Brunetta combed the sheepdog’s long fur with her paws, working her toes deep into the hair, massaging Bess’s body from nose to tail. Brunetta knew how to stroke most animals to best affect, and when she reached Bess’s paws, Brunetta took extra care, massaging the sheepdog’s pads and toes with infinite care. Bess wiggled her toes while Brunetta worked on her paws.
“This is amazing!” Bess exclaimed.
“I’m glad you like what I do,” Brunetta said. Bess curled her toes round Brunetta’s, the brown bear smiling broadly.
“Can I stroke your paws and belly?” Bess asked Brunetta.
“What about the rest of me? Are my ears, nose and back not worth stroking?” Brunetta asked playfully. Bess touched Brunetta’s nose, the bear sticking her tongue out at the sheepdog, making Bess laugh.
“I will stroke your paws, belly, nose, ears and back,” Bess replied, dabbing at Brunetta’s nose with her paw, making the bear smile. Bess removed her paw from Brunetta’s and turned to her, stroking her from her nose to the toes of her huge paws. Brunetta was heavily built, with short legs and massive paws. Bess counted the toes on all her paws, coming up with twenty. Brunetta had five toes on each paw. Each time Bess touched the pads of her paws, Brunetta curled her toes, holding gently onto Bess’s own. Bess traced round Brunetta’s pads with the toes of her free paw, tickling the sole of her paw. Brunetta laughed merrily wriggling madly. Bess increased her assault on Brunetta’s paws, the brown bear laughing and wriggling until she was weak.
“That’s enough!” Brunetta pleaded. Bess changed tickling the brown bear’s pads to rubbing them, Brunetta’s relief instant. Brunetta sighed contentedly.
“That’s better,” she said, “though you tickling my paws was fun too.” Bess patted the pads of Brunetta’s right hind paw, and then moved to her forepaws, tickling the pads of her left forepaw. Brunetta squealed with laughter clenching the tickled paw and thrashing wildly with her other three paws. Bess smiled and hugged the huge bear as best she could, Brunetta smiling and returning the sheepdog’s embrace.
“You really know how to tickle paws,” Brunetta said, smiling and touching Bess’s nose with the paw the dog had just been tickling.
“Would you stroke my paws one more time?” Brunetta asked, she now needing paw massage more than ever. Bess realised this bear was almost addicted to having her paws stroked.
“I have to go now,” Bess replied, “but maybe someone else will stroke your paws Brunetta.” Brunetta crawled away, while Bess returned to Ahanu, she and the cross bred cub playing with Nick, both of them tickling the adult male lynx’s paws until he was exhausted from laughing.
Brunetta found Aslan lying on a rug not too far away. Now fully grown, Aslan was not above playing cubbish games, such as tail chasing and paw tickling games. He watched Brunetta crawling towards him, having watched Bess stroking her paws. Aslan yawned languidly, knowing what was coming.
“Okay Brunetta,”
he mewed, “I’ll stroke your paws, but then I must do the same for
Aslan found the white lioness squaring up to Stifftail. Apparently the disgraced snow leopard had insulted her in her hearing, and now she was screaming at him.
“How dare you
call me an illegitimate bitch!”
“Well you
are!” Stifftail yelled, “Its common
knowledge all Elsa wanted was quick satisfaction, and Tommy gave it to
her. They weren’t in love, and that’s a
fact! Tommy didn’t want cubs, he just
wanted to satisfy his desire, and now he has!”
“I don’t want to
hear any more of this!”
“Come to think of
it, neither do I,” Aslan said, padding
into
“What if I
don’t?” Stifftail challenged, “What will
you do then, Aslan, oh great one, you stupid cub!”
“You, Aslan,
you, Stifftail, oh no!”
“He deserved that,” Aslan said calmly, “Stifftail won’t be missed by anyone.”
“Maybe not, but
you shouldn’t have killed him!”
“You need not
worry about punishment,” Theo mewed,
placing a comforting paw on
“It was Aslan
who spoke up for you when Elsa rejected you
“I don’t want you
to feel beholden to me for the rest of your life
“We can’t, I can’t let you do that.” She mewed, “it’s not right, ‘twas okay when we were cubs, but not now.”
“Okay, if that’s
the way you want it,” Aslan mewed.
“No Aslan, that’s not the way I want it!” She snapped, “I want you to take me in your paws and hug me, I want you to tickle my paws and for us to play together, but, but we can’t, not any more!”
“Who told you that?” Aslan asked.
“Noone, not
really, it’s just that I don’t think I could,,,”
“How about if
we try it, just one paw?” Aslan
asked.
“I know that if I give you one paw that will lead to all four paws and we can’t do it! I won’t let you do this to me!” She mewed.
“You’re doing it
to yourself,” Theo said softly, “it’s
you, not Aslan, who’s putting up barriers.
The question is, on what grounds are those barriers based? Shaky ground at best I think.”
“I want to roll on the grass with you, play with you, tickle your paws and have you tickle mine, all that, but we can’t Aslan! Even my paws want it, I can feel they want this so much!, it’s driving me mad!”
“Well do
something about it then,” Aslan
suggested, “come on
“No Aslan, I can’t,” she said quickly.
“You let Pepper
stroke your paws,” Theo reminded his
cub, “you even played games with her.
What difference is there between you giving Pepper your paws and giving
them to Aslan for him to massage?”
“Pepper was
providing a professional service,”
“Okay,” Aslan said, “that’s it then.” He knew
“I suppose we’d better bury Stifftail,” Theo said, looking down in disgust at the dead snow leopard.
“Take me with
you Aslan!”
“We could play like we did when we were cubs, couldn’t we?” She asked hopefully. Aslan smiled at her, slipping his left forepaw over her right.
“We could,” he mewed.
“You remember
how to tickle paws?”
“Give me your paw
and find out,” he mewed.
“I will,” she replied, but not here though, let’s go to a secluded place.” Aslan grinned at her.
“You still
worried we’ll be seen?” He asked.
“Well, it’s not what adult lions do, brother and sister or not,” she replied.
“Isn’t it?” Aslan asked, “I’ve seen Whitie and Blackie
tickling each other’s paws, Theo and Elsa too.
Theo and Elsa were tickling each other’s paws the other day, I saw
them! It was lovely to see.
“They do,” she mewed.
“So why can’t
we?” Aslan mewed.
“Let’s do
that,” she mewed. The two big cats padded to the bathroom,
where Aslan ran a deep bath,
“Are your paws
getting tickled by the water too?”
“They are,” he replied, raising a forepaw to touch
“You little
rogue!” She mewed, pulling her paw away,
Aslan chasing it under water until he was forced to come up for air. When he did,
“Theo and Tembi
wouldn’t let me go out there with you until you’d calmed down,” Aslan mewed, “I wish I could have been there
though
“I wanted you
there too,” she mewed, “Theo was
wonderful, but I wanted you there too.”
Aslan cried into
“I hate Tembi!” Aslan yelled, anger flaring in him.
“It’s okay
Aslan. She’s gone from here now,”
“How could she
do such a thing as collude with Tarker, when she knew how ill you’d be if you
ate meat? That’s the mark of an evil
mind
“Please Aslan,” she mewed, “would you massage and tickle my paws and belly, please? I want to forget all this, all this horrid stuff. I don’t know how I got thinking about it, but I wish I had never started now. Stroke me, take my paws in yours and examine them all you like, touch them, stroke them, tickle them until I laugh so much I can’t laugh any more! Then, Aslan, please, can I do the same for you?” Aslan smiled through his tears.
“I’m yours from
nose to tail
“I wouldn’t mind
it if you stroke me from nose to tail either,”
“I love you
“I love all
this!” She mewed, pressing her pads hard
against Aslan’s. By degrees, Aslan
examined all four of
Indeed, the community, having heard of Stifftail’s fait from Theo, resolved
not to mention it to Aslan or
Aslan and
“If others got
to hear about the love we have for each other,”
“No cubs
Aslan,”
“
“That stuff about me not wanting to have my paws tickled because it was not a grown up thing to do was a load of rubbish!” She sniffed, “it was all down to the realisation that I was not your sister, I was not who we’d pretended I was all these years. I’m not like you, Elsa, Tommy or anyone here! I shied away, because, because, I was falling head over paws in love with you Aslan, and to admit it would cause a storm! Noone would realise we weren’t brother and sister, noone knows who I am! If, if it was only leucism which set me apart, then that would be fine, but it’s not just that. I’m a genetic mutation. I’m not of Elsa, nor of Tommy. Elsa gave birth to me, but that was the end of any connection I had with her. What Tommy has is a strange genetic problem, it’s not just Leucistic genes, it’s something which will create, once in a while, a being which is unlike either of it’s parents. I am that creation. Tommy’s not fat like me, nor was Elsa. I’m more like snowy in appearance.”
I love you the way
you are,” Aslan mewed, “and the
community will have to get used to us loving each other. Stuff their views
“Cubs too,”
“Fine,” Aslan replied, “that’s not a problem
“Are you sure?” She asked.
“I’m as sure about
cubs as I am about the fact that despite all you’ve told me, I still love the
white lioness lying beside me,” Aslan
mewed.
“That’s lovely
to see,” someone purred.
“How much have
you heard?”
“Everything,” Ahanu replied quickly, “and I don’t’ care if
you’re Aslan’s sister or not, the fact you love each other is great.”
“If this got out,” she mewed, “we’d be thrown out of the community for sure. Theo thinks I’m Aslan’s sister by birth, I’m not! It would tear him apart!”
“No it
wouldn’t,” Theo said, his whiskers
brushing
“You mean to say,” Aslan said, “that eohippus gave her life and those of her kind to the lions so they could live until they worked out how to live in peace with the horses?”
“Yes,” Theo mewed.
“Right!” Aslan mewed, “I’m never eating meat again!” He was close to tears, “so Theo, You’re saying Eohippus, seeing the inevitable conclusion of the leonine ranks, tried to help them back to the path in the only way she knew how. I’m never eating meat again! Never ever! Noone should have to make that choice! Those lions should have had their heads knocked together, every dam one!” Theo nodded at Aslan.
“Giving birth
to several score of cubs must have been hell,”
“Dam those cubs!” Aslan yelled, “It’s the horses I feel for!”
“It’s only a story,” Theo mewed.
“It was a good one,” Ahanu purred.
“So you are
related directly to the first lioness,”
Aslan said to
“I suppose I am,” she mewed, “though I’m not about to have fifty cubs, nor eat the horses.” Theo laughed merrily and said:
“Love each other
with all you have. I’ll only get angry
if you don’t admit your feelings for each other and act on them, for they are
worthy of celebration in whatever way you wish.”
“It’s said Eohippuses representative on earth could be any animal,” Aslan mewed.
“Yes they could, but if you get a white lioness, you have the other side of the tale,” Theo mewed.
“I love my white lioness,” Aslan mewed.
“That’s quite evident,” Theo said. Bess padded in, the long hair on her paws swishing slightly as she walked.
“What’s this I
hear?” She asked, “|Petra and Aslan are
finally admitting their love for each other?
How wonderful!” Aslan and
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