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The fox lay shivering on the stone slab, arms and legs aching from the too-tight ropes that bound him. All he could see were the indistinct shadows of trees swaying above his body, but his ears had always been sharp. All around him, he could hear the murmurings of the hooded figures that held him hostage. The words were too horrible to comprehend.
Suddenly, the murmurs stopped, and one figure cried out in anger. Then, a chaotic jumble of running feet, as the figures rushed towards some unseen intruder. The fox shook in fear as new, awful sounds filled the night air; metal against bone, flesh against stone, and finally, the most terrifying sound of all - total silence.
The fox dropped to the ground as his bonds came undone, his weakened limbs unable to support him. Craning his stiff neck, he finally saw his savior. It was a lamb, clad in a red robe and a black crown, a wide smile across their face. The fox would never have suspected that they were responsible for the violence that surrounded them, except for the blood-spattered sword that the lamb held loosely by their side.
“Join me.” It was an order, not a request. And even if they felt able to refuse, the fox would not have dreamt of it. Wordless and dumbfounded, he nodded his agreement. The lamb’s smile widened even further.
“What is your name?”
“S... Sparkles.”
“Sparkles? That is acceptable. I will allow you to keep that name. You will be the first of my followers, the first of many. Primus inter pares.” The lamb laughed, but unsure of what the joke was, the fox was too afraid to laugh along. The lamb seemed to sense the fox’s discomfort; their tone softened as they continued, “Rest easy. From now on, you will be under my protection. All I ask in return is your devotion.”
Standing in the middle of an abandoned runic circle, ringed by the dead bodies of their would-be murderers, devotion seemed like a small price to pay. Overcome with emotion and unsure how to express his gratitude, Sparkles kneeled in front of the lamb with his hands clasped tightly together in supplication. He gasped in shock as a gentle hand came to rest on the top of his head, caressing the fur between his large upright ears. Looking up through a haze of sudden tears, he beheld the smiling face of the lamb, his shepherd.
“Good boy.”
Those two words set a fire burning in the pit of the fox’s stomach, and love soared in his heart. He would give the lamb all the devotion he was capable of, in any way they desired, until his dying breath.
The lamb was soon proven correct as their cult grew by the day, new followers arriving with each successful crusade. They worked and worshipped side by side with Sparkles, but the fox couldn’t help but notice something odd about his fellow cult members. Many of them seemed more devoted to each other than they were to their leader. Even with his eyes closed in prayer, Sparkles could hear whispered conversations exchanged when the lamb’s back was turned. On more than one occasion, he was woken up by heavy panting breaths, muffled by bedsheets in the dead of night.
The worst offender was Sunny, a freshly-converted hedgehog who labored with energetic zeal. Whenever the stoic deer Almer passed by their worksite, Sunny would pause to watch them with visible longing. One day during the morning prayer, Sunny approached the lamb, their eyes wide with excitement.
“Great Leader, please... I’ve fallen in love with Almer, but I don’t know how to confess my feelings. Could you bring me flowers from Darkwood for me to give them?”
Sparkles could hardly believe their ears - how could the hedgehog possibly make such a bold request? But after their next crusade, the lamb approached Sunny and offered them a bouquet of camellias. Sunny took the gift, thanking their leader over and over, but the lamb interrupted them in an authoritative tone.
“I’ve brought you the flowers, as you asked. In return, I need you to act as my missionary. The cult could use more followers. Go out into the world and collect them.”
Sunny’s silhouette had barely disappeared over the horizon when the lamb turned to their followers and called for a sermon. Sparkles entered the temple with the others, watching with eager anticipation as the lamb climbed to the altar.
“I wish to preach to you today about sacrifice,” said the lamb, “How can one truly show their devotion if one is not willing to give up everything they have? The more you give, the more you prove your dedication. But the ultimate sacrifice is one that you can only make once - embracing death, and giving your very life to the cult.”
Sparkles felt a thrill in their chest. Could they really do that? Would the lamb ever ask them to?
“I’ve chosen one of your number to demonstrate the virtues of sacrifice. And that person is... Almer.”
Sparkles was ashamed at the burst of jealousy they felt in that moment. Almer timidly stepped into the center of the temple, looking beseechingly at the other followers.
“Why me?”
The lamb’s voice turned cold. “Are you questioning my judgment? Would you rather another take your place?”
“...N-no.”
“Good.”
It all happened in the blink of an eye - a flash of light, a tentacle bursting from the floorboards, and then Almer was gone. The survivors stared at each other, numb with disbelief. The lamb’s smile did not waver.
“You are all dismissed.”
Life in the cult seemed to return to normal after Almer’s sacrifice. Sunny returned with a new recruit in tow, the lamb set out on a new crusade, and the others went back to their comfortable routines. But Sparkles knew that something was wrong. A tension hung in the air that the passage of time couldn’t erase. Finally, he was able to catch Sunny staring at the leader’s statue, mumbling to themselves. With ears perked up, he could just barely make out the words.
“What am I even praying for, anyway? What has the lamb done for any of us? Are they even going on their crusades, or is it all lies? I bet they’re just out playing Knucklebones with that stupid old rat. They’re a liar and a fraud and a murderer. Almer died for nothing.”
Those hateful words sent a chill down Sparkles’ spine. He could hardly contain his emotions, but managed to hold it together until the lamb came home. He rushed to the lamb’s side and lowered his voice.
“Leader... I’m afraid that Sunny is turning against you. I don’t know what they’ll do, but... I wanted you to know.”
The lamb smirked, and reached up to pat Sparkles on the head. His heart beat in double-time.
“Thank you, Sparkles. I have tested Sunny’s faith, and it appears that they failed the test. Failure necessitates punishment. But excellence also necessitates a reward in equal measure, and you have certainly excelled.”
“What... what kind of reward?”
“You will see in due time.”
It was not long before the lamb called another sermon.
“Today I will bestow upon you all a new commandment. There are many ways to show devotion, and there is one method that I have heretofore neglected. This is the devotion between those whose unbreakable bond has been solemnized by marriage. From this day forth, I command that the most devoted of my followers will be wed to me, as my sacred consort.”
The entire congregation turned to look at Sparkles. His knees began to shake as the lamb descended from the altar and took his hands in their own.
“Yes, it is as you guess.”
Sparkles’ mind raced. He was at a loss for words. How could mere words express his joy? But when the lamb leaned in to press their lips against his, he kissed back with exuberant fervor. The followers clustered around them cheered as the lamb pulled away.
“A wedding gift for you.” The lamb drew a necklace with a moon-shaped pendant from inside their fleece. Their voice was light, betraying their amusement. “This will allow you to stay awake while others sleep. It will prove very useful for what I’ve got planned for you.”
For the rest of that day, Sparkles prayed at the statue until his voice was hoarse and his head spun. Even when night fell and the others retired to their shelters, he felt no exhaustion that could keep him from his work. Only when the lamb approached did he relent.
“Follow me.” The lamb led the fox back into the temple. Sparkles had never been inside it at night; it was dark and gloomy, only barely illuminated by a few candles.
“The time has come for you to learn a new method of devotion.” The lamb removed the fleece from around their shoulders, letting it drop to the floor. “Lie back against the altar.”
None of the followers were ever allowed to approach the altar, and up until now, Sparkles had been no exception. But now he was special, the lamb’s chosen favorite. He followed the order eagerly, resting his back against the stone slab. The hard surface felt strangely familiar, almost like that sacrificial altar he had been tied to, so long ago.
That thought quickly left his mind, though, when the lamb brought their hands forward to stroke his abdomen. The hands strayed lower, massaging between his trembling legs until his cock began to emerge, shining with slick in the dim candlelight. The lamb closed their hands around the fox’s shaft, pumping along its length until it was free of its sheath, standing stiffly in the space between the two of them. Before Sparkles knew what was happening, the lamb had climbed on top of the altar and guided the tip of his cock to their entrance.
Sparkles stifled a needy whine, and the lamb clucked their tongue in disapproval.
“No, don’t hold back. If the others hear you, they’ll know just how much of yourself you’ve given to me. That’s what you want, isn’t it? To let me use you?”
“Yes,” Sparkles gasped, “Yes, anything for you-”
The lamb rolled their hips downward to meet his own, sinking his shaft inside of them. Sparkles moaned as the lamb began to fuck themselves on his erection, holding him firmly in place with a powerful grip. Every inch of him was engulfed by the lamb’s warm, wet walls, and every thrust sent a wave of pleasure to his very core. He felt his cock begin to swell, filling the lamb’s insides until they could no longer move at all. They pressed close to him as his knot formed, straining against the lamb’s entrance but staying firmly in place.
A surge of delirious panic shot through the fox; he felt suddenly trapped, his body locked inside the lamb’s, unable to free himself. Without thinking, he pushed against the lamb’s chest in a desperate attempt to break away, but his strength was no match for the lamb. With one hand, the lamb slammed him back down onto the altar, and with the other, they caressed the scruff of fur on top of his head.
“Be a good boy for me.”
Just like that, Sparkles’ whole body convulsed, and with a howl, he came. The lamb let out a long sigh of satisfaction as they followed suit, clenching tightly around the fox’s pulsing shaft. They stayed like that for what felt like an eternity, maybe a lifetime. Sparkles’ chest heaved with sobs, and the lamb wiped away the stinging tears that streamed from his eyes.
“This is your gift to me,” the lamb said dreamily, “All this precious cum, filling me up so nicely. Yes, you will be a fine consort, for as long as you live.”
Whimpering, exhausted, and still twitching with residual ecstacy, Sparkles didn’t hear the note of laughter in the lamb’s voice at the final word of their sentence. All he could think of was how lucky he was that the lamb had given him the honor of serving them so devotedly.
Still more days passed. Followers came and went. The lamb required many more nights of devotion from the always-willing Sparkles. New followers looked upon the lamb’s consort with reverence - not as much as the lamb, of course, but reverence nonetheless. They were the first follower, the lamb’s wedded spouse, the one who had proven his loyalty time and time again. But Sparkles was beginning to change; gray strands were appearing in his fur, and his strides were increasingly labored. Even his hearing was beginning to fade.
The lamb called a new sermon. Everyone listened attentively as they spoke from the altar.
“To grow old is to overstay one’s allotted time in this world. There is a life after this one, and those who give their current life to me will be rewarded in the next. But keeping all one’s life for oneself is selfishness.”
Sparkles thought about Almer, who had been taken so unceremoniously in the sacrifice. He thought of Sunny, who had disappeared one night, taking a sizable sum of the cult’s money with them. He thought about how he wanted to be remembered by the impressionable young followers that surrounded him. His mind was clear, and there was only one option that remained.
Sparkles waited until nightfall, when all the others were asleep, before approaching the lamb.
“Great Leader, I have a request for you, if you would be so kind. I want you to kill me.”
The lamb’s smile widened, but they stayed silent as Sparkles continued.
“I want to give my life to you before it’s too late. I want to die by your hand. Please.”
The lamb reached out a hand to gently caress the side of Sparkles’ face, eyes filled with tender affection. He leaned into the touch, his weary body relaxing.
“Of course. You deserve the honor. After all, you have been very good.”
Before Sparkles could even see the lamb pull their dagger from within their fleece, it was buried inside his chest. He collapsed, blood oozing into the soil he had tilled with his own hands. One last flutter of happiness stirred his heart, then he heard nothing, saw nothing, felt nothing.