Kirjahaku

Volle thought life as a spy-in-training was pretty easy: do as little as possible, and spend all his free time sleeping with the other young males in Caril. He never expected to be the one chosen for a critical mission to impersonate a noble in the neighboring country of Tephos--and neither did his superiors. They don't want to send him, and he doesn't want to go, but the mission calls for a fox, and he's the only one qualified. So off he goes, with a couple friends, a fake history, and very little to go on about the plot he's supposed to uncover. Now he must master the life of a noble and search for information while navigating the many pitfalls and temptations that surround him. And the temptations are plentiful: a young wolf prostitute, a shy fox courtesan, a handsome soldier. With noble friends to help him, he gains confidence quickly, but self-doubt continues to plague him. When events begin to spiral out of his control, he must discover whether he has the inner strength to save his country and his own heart. Volle (pronounced to rhyme with "wall") is the first published novel by Kyell Gold--a stirring tale of romance, espionage, and the intrigues common to both. This 317 page novel, beautifully illustrated by Sara Palmer, won the Ursa Major Award for Best Anthropomorphic Novel of 2005, and is followed by the sequels "The Prisoner's Release And Other Stories," and "Pendant of Fortune."

A year after escaping from certain death in a Tephos prison, Volle finds himself in self-imposed exile on a farm in Ferrenis with Streak, the white wolf who helped him escape. When a letter arrives from Volle's friend Tish urging him to return to Tephos to defend his honor against the charges of espionage that landed him in prison, Volle gives in to the excitement and intrigue of a noble's life and returns to face his accusers. He is soon enmeshed in a web of murder and intrigue set in motion by his longtime enemy Dereath Talison, endangering him and his friends. To regain the life and status he wishes for without losing the love he has, Volle must confront some unpleasant truths about himself and those closest to him, and solve a mystery that reaches far beyond a dead body, into the reaches of the heart.

This collection brings together "The Prisoner's Release," the acclaimed two-part story first published in Heat #1 and #2, , along with three entirely new tales of Argaea. These stories expand upon the lives, loves, and legacies of the characters introduced in Volle, exploring new corners of a realm where desire, duty, and destiny intertwine. Inside the Cage - Jonas, a young cougar trapped in a life of prostitution at the Jackal's Staff brothel. Betrayed and penniless, he seizes a chance to escape with a charming fox merchant, only to find himself drawn into a dangerous web of lies, exploitation, and forbidden desire. When passion turns to violence and survival forces impossible choices, Jonas must rebuild his life, rediscover his worth, and fight for love in a world that profits from his body but underestimates his heart. The Prisoner's Release - Five years after Volle and a year before Pendant of Fortune, the fox spy Volle languishes in prison, accused of stealing war plans. When a young wolf guard named Streak is ordered to break him, an unexpected bond forms instead. As friendship deepens into love, the two risk everything to defy their captors and escape the web of manipulation spun around them. Home Again - After escaping imprisonment in Tephos, Volle and his lover Streak reach the capital of Ferrenis, where old allies and new intrigues await. Summoned before Captain Avery, Volle learns the war plans he risked everything to steal may have been a trap all along. Offered a quiet farm and a chance to leave the world of spies behind, Volle must decide whether peace, and love with Streak, can truly replace the life he once knew. For Love or Family - A few years after Inside the Cage, young wolf Cef, son of the powerful Minister of Defense, is tricked into visiting the Jackal's Staff brothel-where he meets Richy, a charming wolf prostitute who captures his heart. Torn between duty to his noble family and a forbidden love, Cef risks everything to buy Richy's freedom. But when betrayal and blackmail expose their secret, Cef must choose between the life he was born to and the one he truly wants.

Kory, a teenage otter caught between his faith and his identity, falls for Samaki, a confident black fox who opens his world to love, compassion, and self-acceptance. As he faces his mother's rejection, the loss of friends, and the struggle to reconcile religion with who he is, Kory must learn to choose authenticity over fear. Through heartbreak, hope, and forgiveness, he discovers that love-real love-is worth the risk.

Dev is a football player at Forester University, a small liberal arts college where he and his teammates get to strut around and have their pick of the girls on Friday nights. That's as good as it gets - until he meets Lee, a fox with a quick wit and an attractive body.Problem is, Lee's not a girl. He's a gay fox, an activist who never dreamed he'd fall for a football player. As their attraction deepens into romance, it's hard enough for them to handle each other, let alone their inquisitive friends, family, and co-workers. And if school is bad, the hyper-masculine world of professional sports that awaits Dev after graduation will be a hundred times worse.Going it alone would make everything easier. If only they could stop fighting long enough to break up.

Yilon is a young fox noble who's just come of age, in the city of Divalia, capital of Tephos. But apart from his best friend and sometime lover Sinch, he doesn't like much about living there. He only met his father, Volle, two years ago, when he left his mother and the city where he grew up. He would give anything to be allowed to leave Divalia. Or so he thinks. When a stranger arrives with a message that the Lord of Dewanne has died and appointed Yilon his heir, the young fox realizes that there are worse places than Divalia. Dewanne is one of the most remote cities in Tephos, where foxes rule, and mice are relegated to menial jobs and a slum outside the main city. Which makes it difficult for Yilon to explain why his companion is a mouse. Ever the schemer, Yilon hatches a plan to get sent home, but soon finds that even in a backwards town, there are complicated politics, ancient blood feuds, and family betrayals, old wounds that his clumsy steps have reopened. There are at least two different groups trying to kill him, and the foxes who might help him are the very ones he's done his best to alienate. Without Sinch, who's run afoul of a band of thieves in the slums and has his own death threats to deal with, Yilon will need all the stubbornness and cleverness he's inherited from his father just to survive to the next sunrise, let alone save his inheritance, his friend, and his own hide.

Meet Vaxy the pine marten. He's a graduate student at sunny Hoffridge U., where he helps Dr. Forrest with teaching, lab work, and getting his pants off whenever things are slow.Meet Mike the rabbit. He's Vaxy's roommate and not-boyfriend, and he certainly wouldn't have any reason to be jealous of Vaxy sleeping with someone else. If he found out.Meet Grace the fennec. He's a student, a friend of Vaxy and Mike who holds the firm belief that sex is just sex and shouldn't be mistaken for a relationship.Yes, it's just another semester at "Hot Fudge U.," where the sex is as hot and easy as a day at the beach. Vaxy and his friends have most of another year to go before they have to worry about that "real world" thing they've heard about.Now meet Mrs. Forrest. She's Dr. Forrest's wife. Written by Kyell GoldCover art and interior illustrations by Cirrus

Sierra Snowpaw is just at the Lonnegan Ski Resort looking for a good time. You can trust him. If he doesn't talk a lot about his past, well, a lot of guys have done things they'd rather forget. A lot of guys have been through things they'd rather forget, too.He's so nice that it isn't that weird when he asks about some of the other guests. Not like a cop, though, or a Fed--well, okay. Maybe a little like that one guy from that movie. Maybe he's off-duty, settling a score on his own time. Or maybe he's the guy on the run. Come to think of it, he looks around corners like someone's after him, too. But you know, some guys are chased by nothing more than the ghosts of their past...Written by Kyell GoldCover art and interior illustrations by Sabretoothed Ermine

A shot Someone's fired a gun Post-war life in Giles and Kate St. Clair's manor of Tremontaine, just a couple hours from London, is normally quiet for assistant cook Ellie Stone. When young John St. Clair returns unexpectedly from his American college the same week his father's business partner Martin Trevayn is visiting to conclude a business deal, though, tensions run high. Giles St. Clair takes out some of his stress on Ellie's girlfriend Abby, a housemaid, and in a flare of anger, Ellie wishes the head of the family dead. The feeling passes quickly, and is soon forgotten. Until the next day, when she hears the gunshot... The Mysterious Affair of Giles is an Agatha Christie-styled murder-mystery and is best read with a cup of tea nearby.Written by Kyell Gold; Cover art and interior illustrations by Sara "Caribou" Miles

Lonnie's slept with exactly two guys in his life: his ex-boyfriend of three years Steven, and the fox he just hooked up with while drunk at a party. The fox didn't leave his name, just his scent in Lonnie's fur--but a scent is enough for a wolf to follow a trail. With his friends Derek the gym wolf and Jeremy the fashionplate rat helping him, Lonnie will learn lessons of dating, sex, and trust, and maybe he'll find the fox whose scent is just right before the clock chimes midnight.Written by Kyell Gold Cover art and interior illustrations by BlackTeagan

Ten tracks recorded live on tour Bi Coyote In An R.E.M. Cover Band (Jackson Alley) The New Kit (Fox) On Bass (Zeb) Four Guys Living In A Van (Jackson, Matt, Lars, Zeb) Open Marriage (Jackson) Ode To Monogamy (Matt, Lars) You Can't Fly Without A Wingman (Jackson, Matt) Don't Know Much About Much (Zeb, Jackson) Hot For Teacher (Zeb, Jackson) When It All Goes To Hell (Jackson) Can You Get Where You're Going If You Don't Know The Way? (Jackson, Zeb)"Losing My Religion" is the story of Jackson Alley, a coyote in an all-male R.E.M. cover band trying his hardest not to grow up. Tours, he feels, are for playing music and taking full advantage of the openness of his marriage, and having a gay wingman usually helped the bisexual coyote get girls. But his wingman is dating their lead singer now, so Jackson's left with the new bassist, an ex-Mormon kit fox named Zeb who might be gay, but knows as little about sex as he does about drinking. So Jackson's going to have to show him the ropes, and hopefully he won't have to learn any pesky life lessons along the way. Written by Kyell GoldCover art and interior illustrations by BlackTeagan

After thirty years, Aziz's marriage now consists mostly of arguing about whether to sell their store to a developer. His wife has a social life, interests and plans for the future, but the pawnshop is Aziz's connection to his community. And then one day a desperate fox rushes into the shop looking for the honeymoon tape his husband sold. Seizing on this chance to make a difference, the cheetah steps up to help save their crumbling marriage. A gay couple might not show him the way to a new life, but he's running out of ways to save his old one. The Time He Desires by Kyell Gold, with illustrations by Kamui.

Danilo has found the trick to being not-straight at a Catholic University: just fade into the background. Until the day he can't anymore, and bullies chase him to the river, where he falls in. When he emerges, the year is 1508 and he soon finds himself on the run from armed soldiers with two unlikely friends. As a white tiger in the sixteenth century, Danilo would be welcomed into the oppressive Church, but as a queer person, he could be imprisoned or burned at the stake.Not a hard choice, until one of his friends lands in prison with a death sentence, and Danilo has to embark on a rescue more dangerous than anything he's faced in his life, past or present.

Having left his tennis school, young jackal Rocky N'Guwe has to adjust to life on the professional tour, starting at the bottom. At least he's got the company of his mother and his boyfriend Marquize, and he can start earning enough money to bring his sister home from Africa. But between his mother insisting on coaching him and his boyfriend pulling him away from practice, Rocky's going to have to decide whether family and relationships are more important than the game he's given his life to--especially when he turns eighteen and adult problems pile onto that already-complicated life.

Eight years after Dev Miski's first championship game, he's back in the playoffs chasing that elusive ring. Lee is chasing a promotion, one step closer to his dream job in the world of football. But Dev has a problem with his roommate, a flirty gay bobcat, and Lee is called upon to help a family member through a difficult transition. To get through these two weeks, they'll have to remember who they are--and decide who they want to be.

Rocky's climbing the tennis ranks with an eye to becoming a top ten player. He's closer than ever to bringing his sister to the States, but his old foes aren't done with him yet and his relationships only get more complicated. Headed toward his first major tournament final and a clash with the enigmatic fox he's crossed paths with so often, he'll have to learn from his past to make the most of his future.

Now settled into the Port City gay community, Lonnie wants to pay it forward, so when he sees Scot looking uncomfortable at a huge party, he takes the white wolf under his wing. Scot, who misses the family pack he grew up with, wants to be more than friends too fast, and Lonnie's going to have to figure out how to let him down easy. But Scot brings up a question Lonnie doesn't have an easy answer for: where is his pack? Dude, Where's My Pack? is the sequel to Kyell's 2014 novella, Dude, Where's My Fox?