Family Matters

Kuman lay in bed, staring up at the ceiling, content with his life at the moment.

Lying against his chest was the young otter who had been his more than willing lover and companion for the past few weeks. He’d met Bailey shortly after arriving here in the city of Tyrus and they’d been together for almost the entire time since, with the exception of the few times he’d gone off on a few thieving jobs he’d taken for some quick cash.

Each and every night they spent together was fantastic, and every day they had a lot of fun. Bailey was just the kind of fun-loving male who could tempt him to stay in one place and settle down. But on a realistic note, he knew there was no way such a thing would happen. He just wasn’t the type to settle down, he was too adventurous, too addicted to excitement and his travels. There had been one time he’d actually tried to settle down, but it just didn’t work out.

In fact, he was already starting to feel the first pangs of wanderlust that always developed whenever he stayed in one place for too long. Another week, maybe two, and he’d be itching to get on the road again.

Yet for now, he was determined to enjoy his time with Bailey. The otter knew things between them would eventually end when he decided to get back on the road again. Bailey had been a bit disappointed when the grizzly had explained, but had accepted it and had set about making their every second together memorable.

Kuman considered waking him so that they could fuck yet again. He’d already taken the otter’s cute tight ass three times, but he could easily go for a fourth. But he decided to let his handsome young otter get some rest and recover his strength. When he woke up, that would be the time for more fun…

Suddenly, a huge bang reverberated around the room, waking Bailey. Something had just slammed against the door. It sounded as if someone had kicked it.

Kuman was on his feet in an instant, warrior instincts kicking in. Bailey sat up in bed, frightened. The barbarian grizzly bear made a dash for his sword, lying in its scabbard on a chair on the far side of the room.

But he didn’t make it. The door was kicked again and smashed open, the lock ripped from the doorframe. Splinters flew across the room.

A pair of hugely muscled canines entered, a Doberman and a black-furred wolf. They noticed the naked bear making a move for his weapon and pounced on him, throwing Kuman to the floor and pinning him there. He struggled against their grip, but together the two of them had him overpowered.

Someone else stepped into the room. A tall thin otter, older than Bailey, extravagantly dressed in expensive looking clothes of velvet and silk, entered the bedroom. He glanced at the canines holding the struggling grizzly before focusing his attention fully on Bailey. The young otter was still in bed. This had all happened so fast, he hadn’t had time to react.

“Bailey.” Said the elder otter, with an evil smirk. “There you are. Do you have any idea the trouble I’ve gone through to find you?”

“E-E-Edward… I…”Bailey stuttered. Kuman noticed the look of complete fear in the young otter’s eyes.

“Don’t even try to explain yourself, little brother.” Spat the elder otter, Edward. “The rumours I’ve been hearing about you, running about town in the company of a barbarian.” He looked hatefully at Kuman. “And it would appear those rumours are true.” Kuman growled at him.

“I’m sorry…” Bailey pleaded. Edward silenced him with the wave of a hand.

“Save whatever pathetic excuses you might have, Bailey.” He said. “Associating with a savage, even a rugged, handsome one like this…” He looked at Kuman again, his eyes traveling to the bear’s crotch. “…who is very well-endowed. You’re dragging our family name through the mud yet again. If father weren’t already dead, this would’ve killed him.”

“I’m not going back…” Said Bailey. He tried to sound defiant, but failed. “I won’t. I…”

Edward stepped forward and punched Bailey in the face. “You will be silent and do as you’re told!” He sneered. “I’m taking you home. And you will not be running off again. I will see to that.”

“Sir?” Said the huge Doberman helping keep Kuman under control. “What shall we do with this fella?”

Edward sighed, turning away from Bailey, who was starting to sob gently in the bed. “Exactly what I told you to do before we came in here.” He sighed. He looked down at Kuman. “Just remember, barbarian, this is family business. It has nothing to with you.”

Then Kuman saw the black wolf raise a huge fist and bring it down on his face, and everything went black…

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

When Kuman eventually awoke, he was lying on the floor, still naked.

He could feel that his face was bruised as he pulled himself up to sit on the bed. As he thought about what had happened, a surge of anger welled up within him. He didn’t care if that aristocratic otter was Bailey’s brother; no one broke into his room and snatched away his lover.

It was time to find this ‘Edward’.

He pulled on his loincloth and gathered his things, strapping his sword across his back and stuffing his possessions into a battered backpack. He wasn’t really surprised that no one had come into the room to investigate the noise the break in had caused while he’d been unconscious. This was a pretty bad part of town after all. Rooms getting broken into and disturbances in the night were not wholly unusual. And since many of those living around here had things to hide and no great love of the law, few would ever think of reporting anything to the authorities.

Once he was ready, he stormed out of the room, glad that he’d paid up until the end of the week and wouldn’t have to waste time settling things with the landlord.

He stepped out of the building into the street. The cool morning air whipped at his fur as he glanced into the sky to see that dawn was breaking, the sun was beginning to rise. The huge grizzly set out along the street.

He had some enquiries to make…

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Myles awoke to the sound of banging on his door.

The fox’s instincts kicked in immediately and he grabbed the loaded crossbow propped up against the wall by the bed. The kind of business he was in, it was always best to be prepared to defend himself, especially when someone came knocking early in the morning.

He got out of bed slowly and cautiously, as the banging at his door came again. Myles had no idea who it could possibly be at this hour. Most likely no one good or friendly.

The fox crept out of the bedroom and along the hallway of his apartment toward the door, wearing only the undershorts he’d been sleeping in. He kept the crossbow raised and cocked as he opened the door a crack. He was ready to fire at a moment’s notice.

The door opened to reveal a massive loincloth clad grizzly bear standing there, staring at the fox with his fierce eyes.

“Is that a crossbow in your hand or are just glad to see me?” The bear said.

“Kuman!” Said Myles, opening the door further. “What the hell are you doing here?”

“We need to talk, Myles.” Kuman stated.

“Then get in here!” Said the fox, lowering the crossbow. “I don’t discuss business in the hall.”

Myles stood aside as the muscle-bound bear entered and then closed and locked the door behind him. “Sorry about the cross bow.” He said, flicking on the safety catch on his weapon. “But you never know who might come knocking.”

Kuman nodded. “I understand all too well.”

Myles led his large visitor into the lounge, dropping the cross bow on the dining table and offering Kuman a chair. “So what’s so important that you need to come to my home? I told you, when I have another job for you, I’ll contact you and meet you to give you the details…”

The barbarian bear didn’t sit down. “This isn’t about a job. I need information.”

“Really?” The fox chuckled. “Well, I do deal in information from time to time. But the question is, are you prepared to pay?”

Myles wouldn’t have thought a big bear liked Kuman could have moved so fast, but before he knew it, the barbarian had him thrown up against the wall with a hand clamped around his throat.

“I was hoping you’d do this as a favour.” The bear snarled. “Considering how many jobs I’ve done for you at such low pay. And in return, I’d do you the favour of not impaling you on my sword.” He threw the fox to the floor.

Myles coughed, getting his breath back. “You know, you’re just confirming what I’ve always suspected. You barbarians have little in the way of business sense.”

“Perhaps.” Kuman growled. “But when it comes to killing, we barbarians are very good.”

“Okay, okay.” Myles sighed, picking himself up off the floor. “I get the point. So what do you want to know about?”

“I need to know about an otter named Edward.” The bear explained. “Pretty aristocratic looking.”

“And that’s all you’ve got to go on?” Myles gaped. “I hope you realize that the chances of finding anything on this otter are…”

The fox stopped. “Wait a minute. Aristocratic otter named Edward? You couldn’t possibly mean Edward Delano could you?”

“Delano?” Kuman had never heard the name before. But he had never really got around to asking Bailey’s family name.

“Yeah, the Delano family has lived in this city for generations.” Myles explained. “Very wealthy, very powerful. These days, they own half of Tyrus. I don’t exactly move in aristocratic circles, but I think I remember hearing that old Isaac Delano died a few months ago, and his eldest son Edward took over running the family’s various businesses.”

“Where do you think I might be able to find him?” Kuman asked.

“You can’t seriously be considering going up against the Delano family!” Myles laughed. “A family like that will have so much in the way of security it would be impossible to get anywhere near him. And when you get caught, I’d bet Edward Delano would see to it you were put away for a very long time. Someone like that could easily afford to bribe the entire legal system several times over!”

“Don’t worry about me.” Kuman rumbled. “If I want to get to him, I will get to him.”

“Look, whatever business you think you have with Edward Delano,” Said Myles, “I’d advise you to forget it.”

“It’s a matter of honour.” Kuman spat. “I don’t expect someone like you to understand. Where do I find him?”

The fox shrugged. “It’s your funeral. I think there’s a Delano home within the city somewhere, probably up on the northern side. All the rich have homes up there.”

“Very well.” Kuman nodded. He turned for the door. Myles didn’t even try to stop him.

“Dumb barbarian…” He muttered, as he watched the bear leave.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

The sun was setting. It was almost time.

It had taken Kuman nearly the entire day to track down the Delano estate in the Northern part of the city. He’d had to find and interrogate a series of lowlifes, informants and merchants, but he was determined to find Bailey and his determination paid off when he eventually discovered the location.

At several points in his search, he did consider the fact that this was some sort of family matter between Bailey and his brother, and so on some level this really didn’t concern him. But he remembered the look of fear on his lover’s face and the fact that this Edward had broken into his room. He wasn’t just going to turn his back on this.

And now here he was. Not being stupid, he had spent several hours observing the estate from all sides, observing it’s security and putting together a plan.

The estate’s security was definitely good, but not impenetrable. The entire grounds were surrounded by a high wall, through which there was only the main gates to provide entrance. The gates were protected by four armed guards. They key to getting in was that everyone believed this place was impenetrable, even those guarding it.

A good example was the wall. It was high and very solid. And those that had built it obviously thought no one would ever be able to climb it, as there was nothing at the top to hinder someone swinging themselves over. But Kuman had climbed mountains barehanded that had been a lot higher and harder to scale than this wall.

Once he was inside, he expected there to be few guards or much in the way of security, simply because no one was expected to get that far. That would mean it should be pretty easy to reach the house, get inside and find Bailey. But he was still going to wait until nightfall.

As he waited, he gave a little thought to what he’d do once he found his young otter lover. Get him away from his brother certainly. But then what? Take him along when he eventually left the city? He didn’t like that idea. He liked to be alone on his travels. As far as he was concerned, lovers were for when he was resting between adventures. He hated the idea of having a sidekick tagging along.

But what else could he do for Bailey? It was something he’d have to figure out…

The sun had now set, cloaking the street and the Delano estate in shadows. The loincloth-clad bear broke from his hiding place and sprinted silently across the street to the wall at the rear of the estate, on the opposite side of the main gates.

Digging his huge hands into the cracks of the wall, Kuman started to climb, his muscles flexing and straining as he swiftly and easily scaled it. Once at the top, he swung himself over and dropped to the ground on the other side.

Immaculately kept lawns stretched out before him, all the way up to the back porch of the large mansion-like house that was the Delano family home. He padded quietly across the grass, keeping his ears open and glancing back and forth for any sign of trouble.

As he got nearer the house, He heard the thud of boots on grass approaching from one side on the building ahead. He rushed forward and threw himself against the wall of the house. He crept along to the corner of the building and glanced around.

A stocky middle-aged wolf guard was casually strolling along, looking bored. He didn’t expect there to be any trouble here within the walls of the estate. That just meant he’d be easier to ambush and deal with.

Kuman flattened himself against the wall as much as he could, waiting and listening as the guard approached the corner, blithely unaware of what was waiting for him.

As the armoured wolf lazily strolled around the corner, Kuman pounced, knocking him down. In an instant, the grizzly had one hand clamped around the guard’s muzzle, in order to prevent any cries that may raise an alarm. The barbarian wrapped his other great hand around the guard’s neck, attempting to throttle him. The wolf struggled valiantly, but was simply no match for the heavily muscled bear. Within minutes, a lack of air had forced the wolf to black out.

Kuman quickly dragged the limp body out of sight, dumping it up against the house, where no one looking out from a window might spot it.

That done, he returned to the rear of the house. A pair of elaborate doors greeted him on the back porch. They were locked of course, but not in any significant fashion. A swift kick and the lock shattered, the doors flinging open.

He entered to find himself in some sort of lounge. It was just the sort of room he expected to find in a house like this. Elaborate antique furniture, lavish décor and walls decorated with an assortment of old oil paintings and tapestries. The rich could be so predictable.

The huge grizzly strolled through the room, kicking open another door and entering the hall beyond. Here, he found himself confronting a badger in a butler’s uniform, holding a silver tray with some dishes on it. The butler stared at the intruder in fear.

Kuman glared at him, rumbling a half-growl. The badger dropped the tray, the dishes shattering on the floor, and ran. Kuman chased after him down. He easily caught up with the badger and leapt on top of him, forcing him to the floor. A swift punch and the butler was out cold. The barbarian left the badger where he was, intent on carrying on with his search for Bailey.

He made his way through the house and arrived in the main entrance hall. From there, he padded up the main staircase. He wanted to go quickly. He didn’t know how long it would be before that butler was found.

At the top of the stairs, he stopped and listened for anything that might give him a clue where he should search. He concentrated, and his sharp ears picked out the sound of weeping not far off.

He crept through the corridors to the door it was coming from. He tried the handle and found it was locked. It didn’t matter. A swift kick and it flew open, the lock ripped from the doorframe.

Beyond was a simple and sparsely furnished bedroom, completely out of place in an elegant house like this. On the small bed, Bailey was curled up in a ball, completely naked, weeping gently.

The young otter looked up as the door flew open and Kuman entered. He stared at the huge grizzly bear in surprise. “What are you doing here?”

“I came to find you.” Kuman closed the damaged door as best he could.

“But Edward…”

“Don’t worry about your brother.” Kuman interrupted. “He won’t take me by surprise again.”

“You don’t know him!” Bailey said, frantically. “He’s dangerous! He…”

“Calm down, Bailey.” Kuman said, gently. He sat on the bed beside the otter and pulled him close, hugging him tightly. He could feel how tense his young lover was.

“But the things Edward has done…” Bailey muttered.

“What things?” Kuman asked. “Just why are you so afraid of him?”

“Because he’s tormented me for as far back as I can remember.” Bailey explained, his head bowed in shame. “He’s always done everything in his power to make my life hell. He enjoys it.”

Kuman sat there and listened, allowing Bailey the chance to get this off his chest.

“When I was younger, I was always running away from home in order to escape Edward’s torment.” The otter went on. “And away from this house, I’d have the best times of my life, drinking, partying, going wild. And each and every time, my father would send his hired thugs to bring me back. They would always find me, and my father would be furious at me, for bringing the family name into disrepute.”

“Why didn’t you just tell your father about Edward?” Kuman wanted to know.

Bailey looked away. “Because I was ashamed. Of the things he did.”

The bear placed a reassuring hand on Bailey’s shoulder. “It’s alright. You can tell me.”

The otter paused for a moment, but continued. “He would… he’d… use me… sexually…”

Kuman gaped in shock. “But he’s your brother!”

“I know.” Bailey sobbed. “He’d come into my room almost every night, climb into bed with me and fuck me hard. Sometimes he’d make me service him, suck him off and everything…”

Kuman hugged Bailey again, comforting him. He’d thought this was all down to some disagreement between the two brothers, some family matter. But this was totally unexpected. Edward was simply a sick bastard.

“I tried to resist the first time.” Bailey was saying. “But Edward was bigger and stronger. And he always told me that if I told anyone, I’d be dragging the family name through the mud, that I’d upset father. But one time, I actually tried telling my father. He was shocked, and yelled at me for daring to make up stories about his favorite son. But I think he believed me, because he kept a close eye on Edward after that, and things weren’t so bad.”

“Then father died, and things became worse than they’d ever been. So I ran away again, hoping he’d never be able to find me. But I was just fooling myself. No matter where I go, he’ll always find me. I might as well just resign myself to being his plaything…”

Kuman stood up. “You listen to me, Bailey. None of this is your fault. You have nothing to be ashamed of. It’s just that your brother is a perverse psychotic.”

“You should get out of here!” Bailey urged, ignoring him. “If he finds you here, he’ll have you killed! Just forget about me!”

The grizzly realized he wasn’t going to solve this by trying to reassure the otter. Action was needed. That was something he could handle. “Wait here.” He said, walking toward the door. 

“Where are you going?” Bailey asked, seemingly afraid of the answer.

“I’m going to have a talk with your brother.” Kuman replied. He reached the door, but Bailey jumped off the bed and raced over, grabbing his arm.

“No!” Said Bailey, tears streaming down his face. “I don’t want you to die on my account! I’m sorry you had to get involved in all this, but please just go!”

The barbarian bear placed a hand on his shoulder. “Do you trust me?”

“Please…”

“Do you trust me?” Kuman reiterated.

“Yes.” Bailey admitted.

Gently, Kuman wiped the tears from Bailey’s eyes. “Then trust me when I say that I know what I’m doing. Wait here. I won’t be gone long.”

He left Bailey’s bedroom and stepped into the corridor. Edward had to be around here somewhere. As he padded along the corridor, listening at each door for any hint of someone beyond, he thought about what he was going to do when he got his hands on the elder otter.

Of course, he knew what he’d like to do. For breaking into his room and stealing away his lover, for hurting Bailey so much over the years, he wanted to hurt Edward, break many of his bones and making him experience a lot of pain before finishing him off.

But he also knew he wasn’t going to do that. For Bailey’s sake, he believed this situation required a different approach.

He eventually found a room he thought might be the right one. When he listened at it, he could hear muffled voices inside. He slipped his sword out of the scabbard across his back and gripped it tightly. And then he kicked the door hard.

The doorframe splintered as the force of the bear’s foot smashed it open, ripping it free of one of its hinges.

The room inside was a study, with a desk and big leather chairs. Bookshelves covered the wall on one side. Sat behind the desk was Edward, who looked up from the papers he was reading. In one of the chairs was the big black wolf that had broken into his room with Edward in order to get Bailey.

“What the fuck are you doing here?” Edward growled in shock. But he didn’t wait for an answer. He looked to the wolf. “Kill him!”

The black furred wolf scrambled to his feet and charged at Kuman, but the bear was ready for him. He easily blocked the wolf’s clumsy punch and stuck back with one of his own, slamming a great fist into the wolf’s stomach. He stumbled back, the breath knocked from him.

Kuman stared at him, as if daring him to try another move. The black wolf snarled, showing his teeth, and reached down, pulling a long knife from one of his boots.

The wolf lunged at the bear, thrusting with the knife. Kuman dodged the thrust and grabbed the hand holding the knife. He swung his free arm around, elbowing the canine in the face.

The shock of this sudden blow loosened his grip on the knife. Kuman ripped the blade from the wolf’s grip, spun it around and plunged it straight into his chest. The black wolf stood there for a moment, body quivering in pain, looking down at the blade in his chest, before slipping off the knife and collapsing to the floor.

Kuman crouched and wiped the knife on the wolf’s arm, leaving a crimson stain on the black fur. Then he stood, tucked the weapon into his belt and stepped over the fallen wolf toward the desk. Edward trembled behind it, fear in his eyes.

“What do you want?” The elder otter stammered.

“You’re going to come with me to see Bailey.” Kuman rumbled deeply. “I intend to see to it that things between the two of you are settled once and for all.”

“You can’t make me…!” Edward began, defiant.

Unwilling to listen to anything this otter might have to say, Kuman leapt across the desk in a single bound. He landed in front of Edward and grabbed him by the collar of his shirt, throwing him back against the wall.

“As far as I’m concerned,” the grizzly snarled viciously, “you are nothing but a pathetic bully with some sickening sexual habits. Your days of tormenting Bailey are over.”

With that, he clamped a hand on Edward’s wrist and dragged the struggling otter from the study into the hallway, ignoring the otter’s frantic protests.

As they stepped out of the room, they ran straight into Edward’s other lackey from the invasion of Kuman’s room, the heavily muscled Doberman.

“Sir!” The dog was saying. “The butler! He’s…” He then realized it wasn’t his employer he’d run into, but a large barbarian bear.

Kuman reacted a lot more quickly than the canine. With his free hand, he grabbed the side of the Doberman’s head and slammed it hard and fast into the wall. The canine stumbled back from this attack, stunned. He was about to raise his fists to attack when Kuman slammed a well-timed kick into his midriff, knocking him off his feet.

The dog hit the floor hard with an audible thud. Kuman stomped forward, pressing his attack before the canine could recover enough of his senses to fight back. He kicked the Doberman in the head hard, knocking him out cold.

The bear looked back at Edward, whose wrist he had not released during the brief encounter. “Your underlings caught me off guard before.” He sneered at the otter. “But in reality they are poor fighters, little more than brutish thugs.”

Kuman pulled the otter through the corridors of the house to Bailey’s room. He barged in and threw Edward to the floor.

Bailey got up from the bed where he’d been sitting and waiting. He looked fearfully at Edward. “What are you going to do?”

The barbarian grizzly reached down to his belt and pulled out the knife he’d taken from the wolf. He glared at Edward.

The elder otter’s gaze was fixed on the blade. “What do you plan to do to me?” He said, a tremble in his voice. Bailey looked at him in surprise. He’d never heard Edward sound afraid before…

Kuman handed Bailey the knife. “Here. This is your chance to be free of him. With him dead, you’ll inherit your family’s fortune.”

The young otter took the knife and looked at it. Then he looked at his brother, cowering in fear on the floor before him, looking pitiful, a far cry from the monster he’d always seen his brother as.  He paused, his hand shaking. Then he seemed to come to a decision and threw the knife away.

“No.” He said, shaking his head. “Even after all he’s done, he’s still my brother. I won’t kill him, not for the money or revenge. I’m… I’m just not like him.”

The barbarian grizzly stepped forward and hugged him. “I’m proud of you, Bailey. You’ve just proven you’re better than your brother.” Bailey hugged him back lovingly.

Edward sneered at them, his fear now gone. “What a disgusting scene! I knew Bailey wouldn’t have the guts to kill me, he’s always been a pathetic disappointment to the family!” He struggled to his feet. “I’ll track the two of you down and have you killed, you know! There’s nowhere you’ll be able to go…”

Kuman pulled away from the embrace with Bailey to glare at Edward. “Who said we’re going anywhere?”

The elder otter brother suddenly looked fearful. “What do you mean?”

The huge grizzly drew his sword from its scabbard. “Bailey couldn’t kill you because you are his brother. I understand and respect that. However, you are not my brother, so I have no such qualms.”

And with that, he plunged his sword through Edward’s ribs, impaling the otter and killing him instantly. Edward’s body slumped to the floor as Kuman pulled out his blade, returning it to his scabbard.

Bailey stared at the body of his brother in horror. Kuman put an arm around his shoulders and led him out of the room.

“I had to do it.” Kuman explained as they went. “It was the only way to truly end this.”

“I know.” Bailey said, sadly. “I just wish there had been another way.”

“And that’s why you’re better than Edward was.” Said Kuman. “Now that he’s gone, you’re free of him.”

Bailey gave the bear a weak smile. “You’re right. That’s something to be glad of, at least.”

“You’ll also be inheriting your family’s fortune and businesses.” Said Kuman. “So at least you won’t have to worry about money or anything.”

The young otter suddenly turned to him. “Will you stay with me? You can live here with me, you’ll never have to worry about money either…”

The barbarian silenced him by raising a hand. “Now, I explained this to you when I first met. It will just be a matter of time before I leave. You know I’m a traveler and adventurer by nature.”

“I know.” Bailey looked downcast. “I just thought it was worth asking.”

“I do appreciate the offer, Bailey.” Kuman assured him. “And I will stay long enough to be sure you’ll be okay.”

Bailey smiled. “And even when you do go, you’ll always be welcome to stay here with me whenever you’re in Tyrus.”

“Enough reason, I think, for me to be sure to return here some time.” Kuman grinned broadly. He swept the young otter up in his arms and kissed him, deeply and passionately. Bailey didn’t resist.

From now until the time he hit the road once more, Kuman intended to enjoy every second with the young otter…

The End