RedTails : Reckonings
The Paddled Princess

Chapter I:	Street Sentence

	Powerful muscles rippling beneath soft black leather pants and matching
sleeveless top, a Furling Tiger, born and bred to hunt, stalked with grim
determination through the busy streets of Lovenmusk.  Warden Arlin paused as he
neared the city's Techno-Leisure district and sniffed at the night air.  His
orange and black striped tail twitched with annoyance, and a disdainful snarl
crossed his feline muzzle as he took in the nearly overpowering mix of aromas
that permeated this part of town; a mix of beers, ales, and hard liquors from
seedy bars and raucous clubs; cheap foods from the many sleazy diners and little
hole-in-the-wall vendors; and most importantly, the people.  The walks flanking
the wide streets were an endlessly flowing river of flesh, fur, scales, and
feathers.  Nearly every species imaginable on Lockke, and many from off-world,
was represented here, and their scents mingled together as one.
	This part of town never slept.  Business of all types was conducted at
all hours.  Street musicians and dancers performed for passersby, in hopes of
receiving coins and scrip for their efforts.  Grey merchants peddled their
wares, ranging from gaudy jewelry, to high tech gadgets of questionable origin,
sensory chips, assorted chemical substances, and even other people; pleasure
pets, trained, ready, and willing to satisfy any desire a well-paying master or
mistress may have.  For those who did not care or were unable to afford the
costs of actually owning a pet, but still wanted to satisfy primal urges;
prostitutes, male and female of many diverse species were readily available for
hire on the street corners and in high priced brothels.  Indeed, most anything
one might desire could be found in this section of town.
	Arlin was not overly fond of this area.  However, his excellency, Regent
Tormanin, allowed this place to operate freely, provided the shady activities
were confined to this sector only and some semblance of order and safety for the
citizens could be maintained.  Tormanin explained early on that the people
needed a place where they could let their inner animal nature freely come forth
without having to constantly look over their shoulders for the law coming down
on their tails.  However, the people understood that there was also a rigidly
defined boundary as to what was acceptable behavior here, and crossing that line
would result in severe punishments, some of them instantaneous.

	As the Tiger neared the intersection that marked the boundary of the
Techno-Leisure district, he was approached by a Furling Rabbit.  She had large,
liquid blue eyes, and a thick mane of sunny blonde hair which dropped in wavy
curls down to just below her shoulders.  Her fur was two toned; a golden brown,
with a blue-white treasure trail that started at the lower half of her fluffy
cheeks and muzzle; covered her neck, chest, and firm stomach, and continued down
between her muscular thighs.  She was wearing nothing but a tiny black vinyl
thong, a black half shirt that dropped to just below her breasts, thigh-length
black fishnet tights, and black sandals with low heels.  She looked most
tantalizing.  Her eyes were half closed and her ears seductively laid back as
she put a gentle paw on Arlin's shoulder.
	Arlin cocked his head to one side and gave the Rabbit a look through
squinted eyes, "Erm, may I help you, miss?" he politely asked.
	She giggled and shook her head, "Well, actually," her voice was soft and
wispy, "I was going to ask you the same thing.  Perhaps we can help each other?"
 She ran her fingers along his jawline and under his chin, then did a half turn
and gazed at him over her shoulder with a look that Arlin knew all too well. 
She patted her wide, plush, gold and blue rump and twitched her tail invitingly.
	"My rates are most reasonable, and I'm willing to submit to nearly
anything that you might wish to do with me, within reason of course."
	Arlin nodded thoughtfully and gave the girl a cool gaze that caused her
to instantly realize that she had just made a major error here.  He flashed her
his i.d. and introduced himself, "Miss, you are attempting to buy the services
of an officer of the Regency Court, and outside the boundaries of where
prostitution and other grey activities are tolerated."  He gestured to the other
side of the street.  "That is a class C offense, and I must now declare you
under arrest.  Please present your identification."
	The Rabbit's expression promptly changed from one of sultry
seductiveness to wide-eyed fear as she reached into her shoulder bag and
extracted her i.d. card.  As she surrendered her card to Arlin, she made a
feeble attempt to talk her way out of her predicament.
	"Please, sir, please.  I didn't know.  I'm new in town and was just
hoping to earn a little extra spending money since me and my employer have had a
streak of less than stellar contract jobs, and..."
	Arlin looked over her i.d. and shushed her with a touch of his finger on
her muzzle, "Miss Karma, of Arborvale; co-decker aboard the Shadowglider Silver
Banshee, registered to one Firefly Eppner of Arborvale," he took a gentle grip
on her shoulder and guided her over to a bench beside a hover train stop.
	"We have regulations to uphold here that maintain a very fine balance
between order and anarchy in this part of town," he explained.  "Grey activities
are to be confined to the Techno-Leisure sector, which begins across the street
there.  That helps to keep the peace for the rest of Lovenmusk, and we have zero
tolerance for those carrying on such activities outside the prescribed
boundaries."
	Karma again pleaded for lenience, "But Warden, Arlin, I truly did not
know.  If you could just give me a warning, I'll hurry over to the other side of
the street and never venture over here to conduct my business again.  I give you
my solemn word.  Please?  I don't want to get locked up in the dungeons."

	The Tiger sniffed at the scent sample on the back of Karma's i.d., then
gestured towards the long wooden seat, "Please face the bench and bend over,
feet apart and paws on the back rest."  Karma obediently complied, knowing
better than to disobey a Street Hunter.  She assumed a very tantalizing
vulnerable position, with her back arched and her fluffy teardrop-shaped tail
held straight up.  Arlin then knelt behind the frightened spread-eagle Bunny,
pulled aside the narrow strip of vinyl holding her thong in place, pressed his
muzzle between the soft mounds of her delicious-looking bottom, and took a deep
whiff of her intoxicating scent.  Satisfied that everything on her i.d. was in
order, he stood up again, and continued his explanation of how this town
operated.
	"So then, Miss Karma," he began, then placed a paw firmly on the middle
of her back to keep her in place when she started to get up, "No, keep your
position, girl.  Remember, you are still under arrest.  Now, as I said before,
we have a zero tolerance policy for grey activities outside the prescribed
boundaries, and you are guilty of violating that regulation."
	"But I didn't know," Karma repeated.
	Arlin gave her a firm smack on her upturned rump with his open paw,
"Shush, please and listen.  We can not allow ignorance as an excuse to let
violators get off free and clear.  If we started making exceptions, then others
will start pushing beyond the limits we set here since they saw someone else go
unpunished.  That would cause this fragile balance we painstakingly maintain to
ultimately break down into chaos."
	Karma sighed and sniffled, "Then...then what's going to happen to me,
Warden?" she asked, "Am I going to be locked away in the dungeons now?"
	"That is one possible outcome," he growled, "or you can accept a street
sentence instead.  Look at me."  Karma turned her head and blinked nervously as
Arlin removed a narrow rod from his belt and gave it a squeeze.  The rod
extended into a full-length riding crop, which hummed softly with energy.
	The Rabbit swallowed hard and her tail dropped down over the crevasse of
her ass like a protective flap, "A Lightning Crop?  So you are going to give me
an electrified spanking?"
	Arlin nodded his head, his expression most serious and grave, "Yes,
Karma of Arborvale.  Ten strokes at medium charge across your bottom is the
standard street sentence for a class C offense like you are guilty of."
	The Rabbit gave a frightened whimper, her whole body trembling
nervously, "That seems a little harsh for something so minor and harmless."
	"That's our law.  We don't fuck around, and the people who work and play
in this part of town understand and accept this arrangement.  However, you could
decline the street sentence and choose to spend a night and a day in the Regency
Court's dungeons.  But I would not recommend such a choice."
	"Why not?" Karma asked.
	"Because during your confinement," the Tiger explained, "you would still
be subjected to physical punishments, and you would also be assessed a rather
heavy fine as well."
	"In other words, I can have it quick and painful, or drawn out,
expensive, and painful."  Karma gave a resigned sigh, bowed her head, and raised
her tail again, "And then Firefly would roast my ass some more afterwards for
costing us so much scarce money.  Okay, fine.  Let's go with the quick and
painful choice.  My ass is for your pleasure, Warden Arlin."
	The Tiger gave her a sympathetic smile and patted her trembling flank,
"Indeed it is, Karma of Arborvale.  Indeed it is."  He rubbed the crop over her
bottom.  The energy coursing through the rod caused the girl's aft fur to stand
on end and a nervous shudder to course through her body.  She inhaled deeply as
Arlin swung the rod up high over her wide behind.  "Ten at medium charge," he
repeated, then brought the rod down in a graceful arc towards its vulnerably
exposed target.

	The riding crop connected dead center across Karma's butt, landing with
a dull smack that was followed by the buzzing snap of electricity being
transferred into the Rabbit's nether flesh.  The impact caused her to suddenly
exhale, and the shock made her gasp, while her back arched and her legs spasmed
helplessly.
	Arlin raised the crop again and gave a warning gaze to the crowd that
was gathering to watch this Bunny whore get her beautiful ass punished.  The
spectators backed off a few paces, and then the Tiger swung the crop down again.
 This time, it struck only the left side of Karma's butt, with another buzz-snap
as it again discharged its electrical payload into her wide, plush rear. 
Karma's haunches flexed delightfully, and she gave a soft whimper, blinking back
tears that threatened to dampen her cheek fluff as the Warden's crop did its job
on her bottom.  This was followed immediately by a matching blow on the right
side of her ass.
	The fourth stroke of the crop, like the first, struck dead center across
her rump, inflicting its punishment equally on both cheeks, and harder than the
first two.  The Rabbit yelped loudly as the electric fire burned through her
ass.  Her paws took a tighter grip on the back of the bench, and the insides of
her long ears began to warm up with embarrassment.  She smelled the distinctive
scent of arousal coming from the curious bystanders who had gathered to watch
her get her lovely butt spanked  And despite the intense punishment, Karma
herself felt a touch of moistness forming under her thong and between her
thighs.  She yelped again as the riding crop struck, this time along the lower
curve of her bottom.
	Five down, five to go.  She sighed and closed her eyes tight, gritting
her teeth against the unfathomable pain coursing through her south end as the
Tiger relentlessly carried out his task, maintaining a smooth and steady beat,
each electrified swat as hard and biting as its predecessor.  After what seemed
like an eternity in which not a single area of her bottom escaped the kiss of
the electric riding crop, the tenth and final stroke impacted across the center
of the trembling Bunny's sorely abused butt, much harder than the previous nine.
 A final burst of electricity coursed through her rear, and then it was over. 
Her street sentence had been carried out in full, and as she held her position,
awaiting the Tiger's instructions, she vowed to herself to never do anything
stupid enough to suffer this painful and humiliating punishment ever again.

	Arlin gave the handle of his riding crop a gentle squeeze, and it
retracted into itself like a stiff cock going back into its sheath.  He put the
crop back on his belt, and gave Karma a gentle pat on her burning rump, "You can
get up now, miss.  Justice has been served."
	Still sobbing softly as the intense stinging in her backside lingered
on, Karma stood upright and gingerly rubbed her sore bottom.  While Arlin made a
few more notes in his datapad, she couldn't help but blush as she noticed the
prominent bulge in his tight leather pants.  She couldn't really blame him for
getting aroused, considering the nature of the punishment he had just
administered on her furry butt, but it was still rather humiliating knowing that
he had enjoyed carrying out his task, and that the bystanders, judging from the
expressions on their faces and muzzles, thoroughly enjoyed the little street
show at her expense.  The Tiger finished his incident report and handed Karma's
i.d. card back to her.  She stashed it in her pack, then accepted Arlin's
proffered arm, and he escorted her across the busy street.
	"I do hope you learned a valuable lesson tonight about our laws and
customs, Miss Karma," Arlin said, as they walked together, arm in arm.
	Karma nodded and sniffled, "Indeed I did, Warden.  I will be much more
careful of where I operate here in Lovenmusk from now on.  And I will be sure to
download the city ordinances to ensure that I don't fuck up like this again."
	"That is a wise idea, m'lady.  You definitely do not want to cross odds
with the Street Hunters again.  Because a second offense would result in twenty
strokes, plus a series of rectal shocks, light setting but still quite painful. 
And a third incident would land you in the dungeons for three days."
	The Rabbit shuddered and protectively placed a paw over her butt as she
thought about how such a punishment would feel, "Oh, trust me.  There will never
be a second offense from me, Warden."
	They reached the other side of the street, and Arlin released his gentle
grip on Karma's arm.  "Well, here we are, miss.  Now you are free to sell your
tail all night."
	She nodded and smiled at the big Tiger, "And my offer still stands,
Warden.  I'm sure that after spanking me in front of all those people back
there, you could use some relief..."
	"Perhaps later," Arlin cut her off, "I am on the hunt tonight, and
really must get back to my mission."
	Karma pouted, then gave him a tender kiss on the cheek, "Well, I'll be
out late anyway.  So you should be able to find me if you change your mind. 
Good hunting to you tonight, Warden Arlin."
	"And good hunting to you too, Karma," Arlin replied, "May you return to
your lodgings with a buttload of coin and cash."  He started to turn away and
head up the street, then turned around and gave the Rabbit a curious gaze.  "Oh,
Karma?  I have just one other question for you."
	"Fire away, Warden," she said.
	"Your info shows that you are a decker on a Shadowglider," Arlin stated,
"However, your info also shows that you have no neural socket, which is a
typical trait for a decker.  Does this by chance mean that..."
	Karma giggled and blushed, her ears flattening down against her back as
she interrupted his questioning, "Yes, Warden.  It's true.  I have no neural
interface socket.  That is something I never had a desire to get installed, too
intrusive for my tastes.  Instead, as you have guessed, I use one of those new
ventral interfaces."
	This time, it was Arlin's turn to blush, "Er...well...isn't that just as
intrusive?"
	She shrugged and smiled, "Yeah sure.  It might be.  But it is intrusive
in ways that I like."
	The Tiger nodded understanding, "I see.  Well anyway, again, good
evening and good hunting."  He turned around again and padded down the busy
sidewalk, his thoughts still filled with the images of the Bunny's plush bottom
upthrust for all to see as it received the full measure of the street sentence. 
Depending on how his hunt tonight went, he decided that he may very well seek
out Karma later and purchase her services for an hour or two.