How_I_Met_My_Wife(Wolfgirl)

<My twin wolfgirls shout from their bedroom, "DADDY, TELL US A BEDTIME STORY!"
I kiss my wife and rub both of her ears, "I would've thought that once they turned 13 they'd want me around less."
<She sighs happily, "Don't tell me you're upset about it."
I laugh on my way out of our bedroom, "Are you kidding? They're the best daughters I could ever have."
<She smiles, "You're just trying to win brownie points with me later."
<I walk down the hall to their room. Both of them are sitting up in their beds, excited about story-time.
I swing a chair around and take a seat at the end of their beds, "Alright, what story do you want to hear?"
<They look at each other then say in unison, "Tell us how you met mom!"
I run my hand through my hair and look towards the door, "Alright. But you have to promise me a couple things."
<Mikaela and Sylvia say in unison, "ANYTHING!"
I chuckle, "First, no interruptions. Second, I'm going to tell it EXACTLY how I remember it. That includes all the swearing, okay? So don't tell your mother."
<Both of them scoot close to me, "We promise!"

"Alright... So-"

>Vacation time finally arrives. Finally time away from the office, away from all of the idiot brown nosers and cutthroats willing to do anything to get ahead.
>A nice week long solitary hiking trip, just what I need to finally relax.
>Leave from work like a bat out of hell, screw going home - all I need is in my beat up car. I drive straight to the mountains - a two hour drive, but fuck it, I've needed this.
>Nearly 7pm by the time I park the car and get moving up the hiking trail. Peaceful as fuck. When the sun starts to set, I find a nice place to set up camp, build a fire and make dinner
>Put out the fire, and lie down for the night.
>Wake up in the middle of the night with the strongest urge to piss.
"Goddammit"
>I step outside and relieve myself a short distance from my campsite. Finish, and step awkwardly on some uneven ground.
>My Life starts flashing before my eyes - This is how I'm going to die.
I start cursing like a sailor as I begin my tumble down the mountain, "Fuck, shit, goddamn mountain bitc-"
>Collide with a fucking tree and pass out

<Both of my daughters ask, "DID YOU DIE? WHAT-"
I interject, "What did I say about interrupting?"
<Both quickly go silent and I continue.

>Visions and strange dreams flow through my head. The most vivid is the one that ends with a painful slap to the face.
I shout, "FUCK!" and push myself off of the cold floor.
>Immediately look around and begin to panic.
"A jail cell?"
>A female voice outside the cell says, "Hold up Veria. Looks like that other human finally woke up. Take him with you. He's beat up, and probably isn't slave quality."
I call out, "What do you mean slave quality?"
>A second female voice answers, "He's not broken, that's for sure. Ah well, they can't all be good stock. Someone might just buy him for a snack then."
>The first voice laughs heartily at the response.
>I crawl with bound hands and feet to the jail door and recoil at the two spider women approaching.
>The first bears her fangs and grins.
>I start crawling away as quickly as I can. The door opens and a silk gag slides into my mouth, and a bag over my head.
>The spider-woman whispers into my ear, "Squirm all you want, you're coming with me to the auction."

>The bag slides off of my head, and I blink the the bright lights. I'm tied to a post on stage, and I hear the auctioneer start behind me.
>"Here we have a human male specimen. He's bruised and probably not from good slave stock, but seemingly without serious damage."
>"He is unbroken, I repeat unbroken, and requires training if you want him to be a proper slave."
>"He'd be great to feed the kids, or as a snack. It's really up to you! We'll start the bidding at 1000, can I get 1000?"
>I see a single sign pop up in the back of the room. The wolf-eared figure slowly approaches the stage.
>Commotion in the crowd begins, and a bidding war begins. Every time someone overbids the wolf-eared figure, the figure immediately raises their sign again.
>They finally reach the stage, and hold their sign up directly in front of the auctioneer behind me.
>The auctioneer nervously announces, "We-we're a-at 30000, going once, twice, sold for 30000."
>The wolf-eared woman bends down into my vision, pushes her finger into my chest, then points to herself.
>Her loose shirt drops down as she waits for me to understand. I divert my eyes as to avoid looking down her shirt and nod in understanding.
>She bought me, I'm hers now. She tosses a bag of money to the auctioneer and unties the cord from the post.
>She gives a gentle smile before pulling the silk cord and leading me down the center aisle.
>I start panicking at the various creatures in the crowd. It's almost entirely made up of half human half monster hybrids. Almost all of them female.
>I focus on the rope leading me through the crowd, ignoring the hungry looks that I'm getting from most of them.
>A voice from the crowd starts whispering, "That poor sap doesn't know what he's in for. I give him a week."
>Another answers back, "Three days."
>Still another laughs and says, "I bet he'll get torn to shreds once she gets him home."
>I see my new master's wolf like ears twitch left and right with every comment. Looks like my life as I knew it is over
>She leads me to the outskirts of a strangly built town, and to a large walled mansion. If my mouth could drop to the floor, it would've hit at the sight of this.
>The wall surrounding the mansion is nearly thirty feet high, with parapets and crenellations.
>Fuck being a mansion, this is a fucking fortress.
>The anubis-woman leading me raises her hand and presses her padded palm into the center of the twenty foot tall solid metal gate. The gate slowly creaks open inward.
I accidentally make a noise of shock.
>She stares at me briefly before pulling me inside. As soon as I'm inside the gate, she drops the silk rope and forcefully closes the metal gate behind me.
>I immediately look back towards her, unsure of what's happening.
>Her brow furrows at me and points to the large door to the castle. I nod and hurriedly make my way to the door.
>The gates behind me slam shut. Just as I'm about to reach the handle to the door, I feel a tug on the rope binding my hands. The anubis-woman shakes her head.
>I dismiss the fact that it's nearly thirty feet from the gates to the door, and she managed to reach me in under two seconds.
>I glance at the ornately carved wooden door and back to the anubis. She raises her hand in a stop signal, and points where I stand.
>She wants me to wait here, out in the quickly fading light. I nervously nod. She smiles and opens the door.
>I catch a sight of marble floors and a chandelier as she steps inside and closes the door behind her.
>I start hearing muffled female voices inside, and they slowly start getting louder.
>The door flies open and five wolf women crowd the entrance.
>They approach me with stares that made my knees start to shake.
>A piercing whistle echoes from inside the door, and each of the women look back at the anubis. She puts the whistle away and shakes her head.
>The tallest of the five asks, "What Ariah? He's ours to play with, right?"
>Ariah shakes her head and points to another, albeit quite a bit shorter, wolf woman reading a book inside the main hall.
>The tallest wan's face twitches, "Seriously? Mom wanted it for Midge?"
>The one reading the book looks up, "What now?"
>Ariah casts an angry glare over at Midge.
>Midge looks between Ariah and apparently her five sisters. "Seriously, what is going on?"
>Ariah strides over and points to me outside, and then points to her.
>A few seconds go by as she processes what's going on.
>She asks, "So he's mine?"
>The five outside groan and trudge inside, and Ariah gestures for me to come.
>I hesitantly make my way over and Midge resumes reading her book.
>Midge says without looking up from her book, "I've never owned one before, you know that right? My sisters always took the new ones." She turns the page and keeps reading.
>Ariah snaps her fingers, bringing Midge's attention back.
>Midge stands up and presses her finger into Ariah's modest chest, "I'VE GOT IT OKAY? BACK OFF."
>Ariah backs up a few steps and bows before leaving down the hall.
>Midge circles me and examines me closely. "You look like you were nearly beat to death."
I shrug.
>She smirks, "Alright, so let me just set a few ground rules, okay?"
>She holds up a black furred finger, "First off, since you're mine now, you do as I say. That should be obvious."
I nod. She steps closer.
>"Secondly, if you value your life, don't mess with my sisters. They're not like my mom or myself."
I nod again.
>She smiles, "Good. Third, if you try to run away, or hurt anyone of my family or any of the servants, Ariah will literally turn your insides out while you're still alive."
My eyes widen in horror, and I nod slowly.
>She taps her chin, "Lastly, will you behave if I take off your gag?"
I nod.
>She smiles and removes the silken gag from my mouth.
"Thank you."
>"So what's your name? Or do you want me to come up with a new one for yourself?"
"Anon. My name's Anon."
>She folds her arms, "Anon it is." She grins and sits back down, "Massage my feet while I read."
>I nod and kneel down, examining her furred feet.
"It-uh, it's my first time meeting... Well, meeting something other than a human."
>She absentmindedly states, "That's nice." And resumes reading.
>I carefully begin massaging, rubbing each of the joints in her foreign feet. I'm careful not to put too much pressure, and slowly work my way up onto her calf muscle.
>Then I follow by doing the same with her other foot.
>She says aloud, "Stop."
I look up at her, "Did I do something wrong?" Her face is turning red.
>She takes a deep breath in, "Yes-Well, no. I mean, but, you-"
>I rest her foot in my lap
"It sounds like I'm doing something wrong."
>She shakes her head, "No. Where did you learn how to do that?"
"From a girlfriend back home. She was a masseuse."
>"Girlfriend back home... So you have a significant other that you left behind?"
I say quietly, "No, we broke up a few years ago."
I look down at her foot resting in my lap as reality begins sinking in, "But, I don't know where I am, or how to get back home."
>She closes her book and says sarcastically, "So what? You're saying you're one of the weirdos from that other world that sometimes appear in ours?"
"I don't know. I was hiking up in the mountains not far outside my hometown, took a piss at night, lost my footing after I finished and hit a tree on the way down."
>She blinks a few times, "There aren't any mountains around here Anon. Nothing but forest for miles."
I let go of her foot and stand up in front of her
"All of this shit here doesn't make any sense! I get knocked out by a fucking tree and end up in a completely different world?!"
>She stands up and puts her face into mine. She shouts, "Don't raise your voice at me! I'm-"
I take a step back, "I had a life back there! And now it's all fucking gone! I'm here in some freak filled world with monsters!"
I turn and rant, "Why shouldn't I be pissed off? I lost everything I owned! Oh and it gets better!"
I turn back to her, "I'm a fucking slave now. How would you feel if all that happened to you Midge? Tell me!"
>In the blink of an eye, her black furred hand smacks my cheek.
>Her golden eyes dart over my shoulder before fixing on mine, "I am your master now Anon. If you don't treat me as such, I'll have Ariah take care of you."
>She forcefully pushes me down on my knees, "You will refer to me as Master, never as Midge. Understand?"
I look down at the marble floor and ignore her.
>She grips my jaw and forces me to look her in the eyes, "Understand?"
I grit my teeth and answer, "I understand."
>She turns my head up higher, "You understand...?"
"I understand master."
>She gives me a nod and releases my jaw, "Good. I'm done dealing with you tonight."
>Midge shouts, "Ariah!" A hand tightly grips my shoulder. Midge gives me a look of disgust, "Take Anon to his room."
>Ariah forcefully turns me down a nearby hall and into what I can only assume is the slave's quarters.
>There are several beds lined up along the walls, with curtains separating each of them into small individual spaces.
I comment, "Quite a few beds down here. How many are used?"
>She holds up three fingers
"Three? Am I included in those three?"
>She nods and points to a bed with clothes neatly folded on top of it, then points at me.
"That's my bed?" She gives me another silent nod. I state, "I notice that you haven't spoken once."
>She glares at me then gives a gesture that is best described as saying "So? What of it?"
I walk over to my bed, "Well, can you speak?"
>She shakes her head
I look back at my bed and say, "Well, at the very least, thanks for leading me to a place I can sleep."
>She gives me a quick bow and I step behind my curtain and quickly change into the plain nightwear provided for me.
>I dim my lights and slide into bed and hear a shuffling noise across the room.
>My mouth drops as a Ariah disrobes across the room from me. She glances in my direction, and I immediately roll over to face the wall.
>She snaps her fingers several times and walks towards my space
I quickly say, "I didn't see anything, I swear."
>She taps my shoulder, and when I don't respond she forcefully flips me over, and out of bed.
>I land hard on the stone floor and instinctively say, "What's your problaa-uh..." My eyes snap open and immediately fix on her bare crotch.
>She snaps her fingers and I focus on her face. She points at the bed across the room and then at herself.
I say, "So you're a slave like me too then?"
>She nods.
I ask, "Why are you naked?"
>Ariah looks down at me and makes a sleeping pose and points at her bed.
"You do realize that I'm a guy right? And you're naked in front of me."
>She slowly blinks
>And blinks again.
>As the realization of what she's doing dawns on her, her face turns a shade of red and she slaps me.
>Unfortunately she slaps me so hard that my head hits the floor, and I black out.

>I feel something sharp poking my cheek, and waking me up off of the floor.
I groan and brush it away saying, "Just let me rest on the floor."
>It pokes harder, until I open my eyes. I freeze at the amalgamation of bones poking me. I hurriedly push myself backwards from the creature.
>Two glowing sparks hover in its empty eye sockets, seemingly staring in my direction. My voice catches in my throat.
>My back is flat against the wall in mute terror while the creature simply stares in my direction.
>Its gaze shifts to the floor where I was knocked unconscious. That's when I notice the broom in its opposite hand.
>The bone creature begins sweeping the floor, as if I was never there to begin with. I hurriedly slide my way to the door.
>As my hand grabs the handle to pull it open, it slams into my face with enough force to make my nose bleed.
"Fucking shit!" I put my hand up to my nose and open the door.
>A shriek of horror sounds from behind the door, and it slams shut.
I tug at the door and say quietly, so that I don't aggravate the bone abomination, "There's this bone thing in here-"
>The high pitched voice on the other side of the door stutters, "B-b-b-b-but who are y-y-y-you? I d-d-don't kn-n-now your voice!"
I glance at the abomination, then over at a sleeping Ariah. She has large earplugs stuffed into her ears. I whisper back, "I was bought yesterday. I'm new here."
>I tug at the door again as the abomination slowly begins sweeping back towards me.
>The voice on the other end whimpers, "I-i-i... I can't do that. I can't do this. I..." She begins sobbing, and I hear a thud against the door.
I swear again, "Fuck it." I go over to Ariah and pull her earplugs out.
>She wildly swings at me, and I sidestep it.
I non threateningly hold my hands up and say quietly, "It's just me Ariah." I step into her curtained room to hide from the bone creature.
>She slowly calms down and glares at me.
I point to the abomination sweeping the hall and ask, "What is that thing?"
>She groggily looks out at the shambling bone creature and points at me, then back at my bed.
"Just go back to sleep? What the hell kind of advice is that?" I hold my bloody nose and tilt my head back.
>She stands up to her full height and grabs my collar. She lifts me up and carries me back to my bed and drops me onto it.
>The creature sweeps the area closest to my curtained room and seems to ignore both of us.
>Ariah's ear twitches towards the door and she glances towards it
I say quietly, "There was someone who bashed my face with the door and wouldn't let me out."
>Ariah sighs and walks over to the door. She knocks a rhythm onto it and the door creaks open. She grabs the short figure by the collar and holds it in front of me.
My eyes are immediately drawn to the smooth face and pointed ears. "You're an elf?"
>The female elf freezes, her eyes fixated on me in horror.
>Ariah snaps her fingers in front of the elf's eyes. The bone creature finishes sweeping and exits the room.
>Seeing that she's still unresponsive, Ariah turns the elf to face her and shakes her back to her senses.
>The elf curls up and begins sobbing. Between the sobs I can hear her say, "I- there was... in front of them again... Can you please hold me Ariah?"
>Ariah gently sets the elf down and gives her a hug. She gently strokes the elf's long blonde hair.
>The elf clings to her tightly and Ariah snaps her gaze to me and quickly points to my bed.
>I silently nod and slide back into my bed. I notice Ariah lifting her up and gently carrying her back across the room.
>I shake my head and roll over. What the hell kind of world have I stumbled into?

>A loud bell rings repeatedly in the room
>I groan and look over at the source
>Ariah stands at the door, ringing it for a few more seconds before looking toward the elf's curtained room.
>The elf's high pitched voice shouts out from under the covers, "I'M AWAKE, GODS..."
>Ariah nods and walks back to her 'room'. I crawl out from underneath my covers and get dressed.
>I pat the new clothes gingerly.
"They actually fit... huh."
>When I turned around, Ariah's eyes were fixed on me.
"Can I help you?"
>She shakes her head and waves for me to follow
>The elf notices that I'm in the room and shrieks repeatedly.
"Please stop shrieking." I look in her direction, and she whimpers. I start walking her way, "What's wrong? I don't even know your name miss."
>She takes a few steps back and hides in her curtained room, "P-p-please..."
"How about I tell you my name, and you tell me yours, okay?"
>She whimpers louder, and Ariah's furred hand grips my shoulder.
"I'm not moving until she says her name." I shrug off her grip and move closer to the elf and hold out my hand, "My name's Anon. Nice to meet you."
>She trembles and grips the curtain tight.
"Once you tell me your name, I'll leave you alone, okay? You don't even have to come out from behind the curtain. Or I could just call you 'Elf'"
>The elf shouts, "RENEE!"
I step back and say calmly, "Your name's Renee?" I hear her slump to the floor and start sobbing. "Renee, it's a pleasure meeting you. I hope we can be friends okay?"
>I turn around and see Ariah glaring daggers at me.
"Don't give me that. We all are sleeping in the same room. It's only logical that we should get along."
>She points at me and motions for me to follow her out of the room.
>She leads me to the kitchen and points at dirty pots and pans
"You want me to wash these right?"
>She nods and I give her a thumbs up.
>These pots and pans all have varying levels of grease and strange crusty bits growing from all over them, as if they haven't been washed in weeks.
>I shrug and pour nearby soap and turn on the water.
I glance over my shoulder at her, "So Ariah, what uh... was that thing in our room last night?"
>She makes a motion on the sides of her head, mimicking Renee's ears, then shrugs.
"No not her. I mean the mass of moving bones. It looked like it was cleaning the floor."
>She nods in understanding then makes a sweeping motion on the floor.
"It's just there to clean floors?"
>She nods again and raises an eyebrow at me.
I shrug at her, "I don't know, maybe it scared the shit out of me because I've never seen a mass of bones moving around!"
>I turn back to the dishes and begin scrubbing them.
>She taps my shoulder and acts like she's making a ball with both of her hands before making a motion similar to a volcano erupting.
I shake my head, "Something exploding? Uh, sorry. I don't really understand."
>Midge pokes her head in through the doorway and says, "She means that she created it."
"What?!"
>Midge leans against the door frame, "She took the bones, enchanted them, then cast a spell that turned them into a housekeeper."
>I drop the pan into the water, splashing some suds onto a mildly annoyed Ariah.
"Okay, let me get this straight." I gesture to Ariah, "She, as in Ariah, made that scary ass bone monster?"
>Ariah nods.
"Is it only a housekeeping thing, or do I have to worry about it killing me and taking my bones for itself?"
>A smile begins forming on Ariah's face as she silently laughs.
>Midge chuckles, "No, it's not even sentient. It'll clean an area, and if someone is in the way, it'll attempt to move the person with the least amount of force."
I pick up the pan again and resume scrubbing it, "Where did she get the bones from then?"
>Midge hesitantly says, "My sisters' slaves."
>I freeze.
>Ariah nudges me cautiously, and I drop the pan onto the stone floor and backpedal away from her.
"Nononono, I'm not going to let you kill me. I'm not going down without a fight."
>Midge quickly says, "NO! It's not like that. My sisters, well... they're very fond of playing, and each of them got bored with their slaves, they toyed with them."
>She looks down at the floor, "They kept messing with them until they either fought back or tried to escape."
>Ariah sighs and walks out of the kitchen.
"So... how did they die?"
>Midge looks over at me, "W-well... Honestly, you don't need to know, because I'm your owner and not them okay?"
"But how will I know that it won't happen to me?"
>She stares at my eyes with her golden irises, "Are you going to attack me? Or mess with my sisters?"
"Not unless you do something unforgivable and I'm going to avoid them even more now."
>Midge smiles, "Good, then it won't happen okay? After you're done, you and Ariah are going to come with me to the library, okay?"
>Thoughts race through my head as I finish scrubbing the dishes. A soft tap on my shoulder shakes me from my trance.
>Ariah gently taps my shoulder again, and I nervously glance in her direction, "Can I help you?"
>She holds up a towel and acts like she's drying a plate.
"I wasn't planning on leaving the plates wet, if that's what you're asking."
>She shakes her head and grabs one of the wet plates and starts drying it.
>I smack my forehead with a soapy hand, sending suds everywhere.
"Ah, I didn't realize you were offering to help. I'd be happy to have help. Uh, thanks."
>She silently laughs and wipes a bit of soap off of my face with the towel.
"And, uh. I'm sorry for waking you up last night. I'm still coming to terms with the fact that I'm new to this world. Wherever this is..."
>Ariah glances my way and nods
>With both of us working on the dishes, we finish quickly, and Ariah leads me into the library.

>The library easily rivals my town's public one. Both had nearly ten rows of bookshelves, and a small sitting area in the center.
>The only difference would be that the books here look well worn. Several piles of books lie next to the bookshelves, waiting to be reshelved.
>I start looking for Midge, and Ariah immediately stops me.
"What, she's not somewhere in these bookshelves?"
>Ariah shakes her head and points to a narrow staircase beside the door.
"I didn't even notice that. So she's up there?"
>Ariah grabs my wrist and leads me upstairs. Four short bookshelves make a semicircle around the small room.
>From what I can tell, Midge doesn't like to put the books back onto the bookshelves, since heaped piles of books sit on top of them.
>I spot Midge in the center of semicircle, lying on her stomach and reading a book. Her fluffy tail wags back and forth as she reads.
I say, "Quite the collection of books here. Any favorites?"
>Her tail stops wagging and she lifts herself up, "It didn't take you two long to finish up down there."
I nod, "Yeah, Ariah and I make a good team." I gesture to all of the books lying around her, "So did you want us to put those back on the shelves or something?"
>She closes the book and waves it back and forth, "Nah. I just need you and Ariah to go downstairs and find more books with these symbols and pictures in them."
She tosses me the book, and I flip it over and read the spine aloud, "Oh, The Prince and the Pauper. That's an old story from my world."
>Midge's mouth drops and her tail starts wagging. I slowly look over at Ariah.
>Ariah looks between Midge and myself rapidly, while attempting to gesture something.
"Uhh..... So...?"
>Midge pounces on me and straddles my chest. She grips my shirt tightly with her furred hands, "CAN YOU READ ANON?"
>I quickly nod. I can feel her tail wagging faster. She lets go of my shirt and shouts, "AWESOME!"
>She leaps up off of me and tells Ariah, "Ariah, I'm giving you the day off. I can handle Anon."
>Ariah makes some gestures and Midge quickly waves it off, "Nah, mom will be fine with it. I may be the runt of the litter, but I'm still stronger than a human."
>Instead of listening to her, Ariah grabs Midge's shoulders. Midge sighs, "Mom ordered you to stay with him to keep him under control until she gets back. Dangit."
>Ariah's hands drop back down to her sides while Midge thinks.
>She suddenly brightens back up, "You don't need to leave the house to have a day off right? Just leave whatever chores you were going to teach him until tomorrow."
>Ariah shrugs and takes a seat in the corner, relaxing against the cushions.
>Midge focuses her gaze back on me, "Anon, teach me how to read better!"
I groan and stand to my feet, "First of all, ow. Second, I'm not that great at teaching-"
>Midge cuts me off, "BUT ANON-"
I in turn cut her off, "BUT, I'll do my best. I didn't know you couldn't read. I thought I saw you reading a book when I first met you."
>Midge scoffs, "I can read my language, but the human's alphabet is hard."
"Why do you want to read human books then?"
>I notice Ariah's ear twitching towards us when Midge quietly responds, "I like the human stories better..."
I clap my hands, accidentally causing Ariah to jump. "That's a good enough reason for me. We'll need paper and pencils though."
>Midge's tail wags wildly as she leaps over the semicircle of bookcases. From where I stand, I can only see her tail wagging as she moves around behind them.
>Ariah silently gets up and walks out a set of double doors, leaving me alone with Midge.
>Midge reappears with her arms full of loose paper and pencils, "This is all that I have up here with me. Now what?"
>I look around for a hard surface to write on, and start cleaning off the top of a bookcase.
"Set the paper down here, and then we'll get started."
>She haphazardly drops the paper, sending several sheets over on either side.
>I casually pick up the ones that fell on my side and straighten out the ones on top of the bookshelf.
>I slide one sheet of paper to her.
>She asks, "What do you want me to do?"
"How about you show me what you know. Can you write the alphabet? Or write your name?"
>She grins and grabs a pencil with her fist.
>She slowly and awkwardly writes her name on the paper and flips the paper around to show me.
"Linnea?"
>She beams and claps, "YESSSs! I knew I was writing it right!"
I ask, "I thought I heard your name was Midge."
>Her smile fades, "I told you not to call me that."
I apologize, "I'm really sorry. I thought that was your name."
>She looks down at the paper, "Can we keep going then?"
I write out her name beneath her poor penmanship, "Sure thing. See how I'm holding the pencil here?" I show her, and she mimics it.
>"Is this how you're supposed to hold it?"
"It's how I was taught. I think it lets you have better control over it or something. Try rewriting your name a few times until you get used to it."
>Ariah pushes open the doors while carrying a floor table.
I give her a thumbs up, "Good thinking Ariah."
>She sits the table down on the carpet, and we quickly transfer all of our supplies over to it.
"Ariah, do you know how to read-"
>Midge, or rather, Linnea states, "She doesn't know."
"Would it be against the rules to teach her?"
>Ariah looks surprised at the question.
>Linnea shakes her head while writing her name, "Nope. You just have to do it on your own time."
>I spot a book of fairy tales in one of the several piles of books.
>I get up from the table and retrieve it, then sit back down with it.
>Linnea says, "That one isn't as good as the others. It doesn't have too many pictures, so it's hard to tell what all the words mean."
>I flip it open to a random page and read her a few lines of Cinderella.
>When I look up from the book, Linnea has slid close enough to me that I can feel her exhale.
"You're rather close..."
>She quickly backs up, "Oh, uh sorry. I just, uh... wanted to see what you were reading. I do know a bit, but I'm self-taught, so... yeah, I don't know a whole lot."
I smile at the excited wolfgirl, "Is that so? How about I teach you a bit each day. I'll have you read what you can, and I'll help you learn the words and stuff you don't."
>She looks over at Ariah and gives her a huge smile, "You hear that Ariah? He's going to teach us human words!"
>Ariah gives a silent chuckle as I start teaching Linnea.

I finally close the book of fairy tales and say, "Alright Mid- err Linnea. I've got to call it quits. Four hours is a bit more than my exhausted brain can handle."
>Linnea pouts and says, "Can we keep going for a little while longer? Pretty please~?"
I sigh, "I'm sorry. I'm mentally exhausted and I'd be worthless as a proper teacher. We'll pick up where we left off tomorrow, okay?"
>Ariah stands up and stretches. Her ears twitch and she quickly looks towards the stairs.
>One of Linnea's sisters pokes her head up to the top of the stairwell, "Lookie what we have here. The pathetic human and the pathetic midget getting along..."
>She leans against an incredibly annoyed Ariah, "Is this what mom had planned? Since Midge here is so tiny that no one would give her a second thought as a proper mate-"
I stand up and ask, "What's your problem? Why are you picking on your own sister?"
>She gives me a sinister smile and towers over me, "And what would a slave like you do to stop me? You can't lay a finger on me. If you do, Ariah is bound by law to eviscerate you."
>She laughs and pushes me backward. I stumble and fall flat on my ass.
>Linnea stands up to her full height, which is three feet shorter than her sister.
>She pushes her sister, "He's not YOUR slave Ronja. If you harass him, I'll-"
>Ronja pushes her sister back, "You'll what? Cry to mom? Please. You're so short you needed a floor table just to draw your pictures."
>Linnea's ears flatten back and she angrily says, "Call me short one more time. I dare you."
>Ariah points to me and then to the hallway behind me. We dart out of the room as the sisters start their fight.
>She grabs my wrist and quickly pulls me back down to the kitchen.
I pant, "Geez... Whew... Did you realize that you were pulling me the entire time?"
>She puts her hands on her hips and stares at me.
"I'm serious. I couldn't keep up with you."
>She makes a few gestures towards me, and I wave my hand at her.
"Don't bother... I'm sorry Ariah, I can't understand that."
>She looks down at the floor, resigning her argument.
I reach out and rest my hand on her shoulder, "But, I'd like to be able to understand you though. That's why I'd like to teach you how to read and write too."
>She smiles and looks up into my eyes. I slowly pull my hand back.
>This is the first time I've ever looked into her hazel eyes.
"So, I uh... wanted to apologize for I acted last night. It was wrong of me to stare."
>Ariah blushes and turns aside.
"So, does Linnea get in a lot of fights with her sisters?"
>Ariah nods
"And you're always stuck in the middle of it all, right?"
>She nods again, her eyes falling to the floor again.
>Figuring it'd be a good idea to change the subject, I decide to point at the stovetop.
"So uh, are we making dinner for everyone?"
>Ariah glances over at the stove and shakes her head. She makes a few gestures at the sides of her head, and I nod in understanding.
"So Renee's the one who handles the cooking?"
>She nods happily then points at me and the dishes.
"I'm just doing dishes for now?"
>She hesitates then shakes her head no. She motions for me to follow her down a side hall.
>This time she slows down to let me keep pace with her down the servant's corridor.
>She takes me to the laundry room and gestures to the washing machines and dryers.
"Great, I'm going to be doing laundry for everyone... My absolute favorite chore."
>Ariah silently laughs at the sarcasm.
"Glad you're enjoying this."
>My stomach interrupts us with a loud growl.
>Ariah quickly leads me back to the kitchen and sits me down at a small table in the back.
>She quickly pulls some food out of the walk-in freezer and turns on a stove. She grabs a small bag off of the counter and rushes over to the countertop.
"You just said Renee handles the cooking."
>Ariah rolls her eyes and points to us then to the food, then back to us.
"So we can cook for ourselves, and Renee cooks for the others?"
>She gives me a thumbs up and starts throwing various food into a pot and heating it up on the stove.
"You don't have to rush. I'm not dying of starvation or anything."
>She rolls her eyes again and shows me what she's got in the pot.
"Hamburger, broccoli and rice is fine, thank you."
>It isn't long before a sizzling meal is sitting in front of me.
"Hey Ariah?"
>She looks up at me with a mouthful of hamburger and rice.
"I just wanted to thank you, you're being very kind to me."
>She swallows hard while blushing. I see her left ear turn, so I look over in that direction.
>I hear a quiet whimper from the pantry door and spot a blonde ponytail dipping back inside.
>I sigh and walk over to the door. Ariah shakes her head as I open it.
>Renee stutters, "P-please don't-"
I squat down so that I'm eye level with the cowering elf and say with as non-threatening of a tone as possible, "Hey Renee. There's plenty extra, why don't you join us?"
>She closes her eyes tight and whimpers.
>I sigh and gently pat her head.
"I don't know what you've been through, but I just want you to know that I'm never going to hurt you, okay?"
>In a split second I'm rolling on the floor, clutching my crotch. I'm seeing stars all over the place and I'm on the verge of throwing up.
>That didn't work as I had planned...
>After that ordeal, Ariah silently scolded me several times, but she didn't have to remind me. The throbbing from my groin was more than enough of a reminder.

>When I woke up the next day, I didn't see my master, Linnea or her sister, Ronja. Ariah simply had me do my chores.
>I finished dishes by lunchtime and just now finished the laundry. I decided now would be a good time to start teaching her to read and write.
>I wave and get her attention as she's passing the laundry room.
"Hey Ariah, what do you say I start teaching you how to read and write?"
>She hesitates then shakes her head. She gestures pointed ears on the sides of her head, and then makes some hand motions.
"You and Renee are doing something together?"
>She nods and attempts to gesture out what they're doing together.
"You're... flipping something?"
>She laughs silently and gestures something slightly different.
"I can't get it. Could I come along? I promise I won't get in the way"
>She glares at me then makes pointed ears on the sides of her head.
"I want to apologize to her as well. If she is going to flip out or lose her shit, I'll head to the library and tidy it up."
>She sighs and motions for me to follow.
>We head to a small room, and from the entrance I can see Renee shuffling cards.
>I take a deep breath and follow Ariah inside.
>Renee greets Ariah without looking up from the shuffling, "Good timing Ariah! I finished prepping for dinner just a few minutes ago, so..."
>Her voice trails off when her eyes meet mine. "so... uh..."
>I smile and wave towards her.
>She freezes in place
I calmly sit down next to Ariah and say, "Renee, I'd like to apologize for yesterday. It was wrong of me to corner you in the pantry like that."
I sigh as she stays motionless. "If you're scared of me because I'm a guy, I just want you to know that I'm not scary."
Ariah chuckles silently at me, but I keep going, "I'm not nearly as strong as Ariah, and just know that if I'm ever out of line, Ariah will knock some sense into me."
>Ariah silently laughs so hard that I can hear her gasping for breath.
I glance at her and say, "Really? This is funny to you?"
>I get a nod in response as she wipes a tear from her eyes.
"Apparently I'm doing a good job at entertaining you, so I'm doing something right."
>Renee shakes out of her stupor, and notices me again. "W-w-w-wh--"
"Did you hear my apology Miss Renee?"
>She falls out of her seat and scrambles away from the table before closing her eyes and shaking her head in fear.
"It's okay, I'll say it again. I'd like to apologize for yesterday. It was wrong of me to corner you in the pantry like that."
>She hesitatingly opens a sky blue eye to look in my direction.
I smile and continue, "If I'm ever out of line, Ariah will be there to knock some sense into me. It's okay if you don't trust me, but trust her. Okay?"
>She opens her other eye and nods slowly.
>Renee asks quietly, "Are you keeping him in check Ariah?"
>Ariah finishes composing herself and nods. She points to me, then to Renee, and draws a line across her neck.
>Renee asks, "So if he hurts me, he'll be killed?"
>Ariah nods and Renee asks, "So why is he here?"
Ariah points to me so I answer, "I wanted to patch things up between us."
Renee shivers, "N-no, not that. I mean, why are you not doing your chores? Which one of them is your master? Ronja? Nadia? Merda?"
I answer, "None of them. Linnea is my... master." The word master leaves a bad taste in my mouth as it leaves my lips.
>Renee thinks for a moment and slowly approaches the table.
>She slides her chair further away from me and sits next to Ariah.
>She shuffles the cards again and looks away from me, "You're probably going to live longer with Linnea than with any of the other sisters."
>Ariah takes the cards from Renee and deals them out, including me in.
>Renee fearfully looks up to her, then over at me.
>Ariah taps the cards, points to me, then points to her head.
>Renee slowly nods, "Alright I'll teach him. If he touches me, you better punish him."

>The next day I wake up a few minutes before Ariah and get dressed. I stretch, and see Ariah's eyes fixed on me from under her covers.
>I wave to her and she blushes and rolls over.
>Oh no, I'm not going to let her get away with that. Not after what she did my first night.
>I march into her "room" and tap her shoulder.
>She pulls the covers tighter around her.
I bend over and pull an earplug out, whispering to her, "Good morning Ariah."
>A furred hand snakes out of her sheets and waves at me.
>I chuckle and head back to my "room".
>I make my bed and hear rustling behind me, knowing that Ariah is getting up.
I say aloud, "If I get my chores done and Linnea isn't back today, would you want to try learning to read and write?"
>I hear a light thud, so I turn around and see her on the floor, tangled up in her bedsheet. She blushes hard and holds up a furred hand, signalling to wait.
>I wait until she untangles and brushes herself off. She's still blushing as she nods slowly.
I give her a smile, "Good to hear err, sorry, see that Ariah!"
>There's a groan from Renee's "room" as she wakes up.
I call out casually, "Good morning Renee~"
>Renee goes silent for a few moments before she peeks out of her room.
I ask her, "Would you like to learn how to read and write with Ariah?"
>Renee shakes her head and hides in her room. When I look back to Ariah, she's fully clothed but instead of her servant's blouse and skirt, she's wearing a tight black dress shirt and blue dress pants.
I ask, "Is it a special occasion?"
>I notice her fluffy black tail going limp for the first time.
>She fidgets as she tries to think of how to gesture it out.
>Renee says from behind her curtain, "The mistress is due to be back today."
>Ariah frantically points towards Renee.
I ask, "Should I wear something different then?"
>Ariah shakes her head, then heads into Renee's room and gestures towards her.
>I hear Renee sigh and say, "She's coming to inspect You. You were Ariah's pick of the slave auction."
"UHhhhh...." My mind starts shifting through all of the possible horror scenarios.
>Renee continues, "The mistress only purchases unbroken slaves, or allows Ariah to purchase them."
I clear the lump from my throat, "So is this normal procedure for her?"
>Renee sighs, "The mistress usually inspects a new slave as soon as they arrive, but the governor called her the morning of the auction to take care of some business."
"Shit... so uh, what if... she doesn't like me?"
>Silence.
"Renee?"
>Ariah slowly walks out of Renee's room, with her tail between her legs.
>Renee says quietly, "Best case scenario, you get sold and Ariah gets scolded."
"What's the worst case?"
>Silence
>Ariah gestures to me and motions across her neck.
"She'll kill me?"
>Ariah nods.
"But what about you?"
>The fur on Ariah's tail bushes out at the question.
>Renee pokes her head out the entrance to her room, wearing her nightgown, "You're worried about her, even when your life is hanging on it?"
>I open my mouth to answer, then close it. Why am I worried about her?
>More silence.
>Ariah gestures towards me.
"I... really don't know."
>Renee finishes putting her hair into a ponytail and states, "Anyways, the Mistress wanted an unbroken slave for miss Linnea, and you're sure as shit unbroken."
I chuckle, "Thanks for the kind words Renee."
>Renee scowls, "It's a fact, not kind words."
I smile and jokingly take a step towards her, "Oh come on, you know I'm not a bad guy."
>She hides behind the curtain, "What the hell are you doing?"
I laugh and head back to my room, "Just messing with you Renee."
>A furred hand slaps the side of my head.
I look back at Ariah, "Was it too soon?"
>She scowls at me.
I bow towards Renee, "Sorry. I was trying to joke with you."
>Renee composes herself and clears her throat, "W-well, anyways... The mistress should be back this afternoon, so..."
>I nod in understanding. There's a small chance this could be the last morning of my life.

>I take my time doing my chores, all the while Ariah watches me intently.
>Every attempt I have at conversation with her immediately gets brushed aside.
>I finish putting the last of the dishes away and hear a ringing bell.
>Ariah rushes over to me and straightens up my clothes, then pulls me down the main hall.
>We pass by a half-open door, and I glance inside as we pass.
>I force Ariah to stop and break out of her grasp.
>She gestures to me, then down the hall and then back to me while making a line across her neck.
I say, "I get it okay, but Linnea was in there, and she looked beat up!"
>Ariah gestures frantically back and forth.
"It'll only take a second okay?"
>I open the door and step inside.
>Linnea looks at me from her bed, "Anon? Why are you here?" She points out, "GO GET INSPECTED!"
I ask, "What happened? Your ear looks like it's been bleeding for awhile, and you've got bandages all over! Are you okay?"
>She points out of the room, "GET OUT! GO GET INSPECTED! WE CAN TALK LATER OKAY?"
"LINNEA!" I shout at her. I sigh and ask at normal volume, "But are you okay? Will you be okay?"
>She gets up and winces before shouting again and pointing out of the room, "GET THE FUCK OUT ANON!"
>Ariah grips my wrist tightly and pulls me out of the room, and quickly drags me to the foyer.
>As we enter, Ariah drops me on the floor.
>I groan and look towards the door. A wolf woman nearly eight feet tall towers over Ariah and myself.
>Her black suit and sunglasses give her the look of a secret agent, and the two demi-human bodyguards behind her further compliment the idea.
>The male naga hisses into a microphone in his jacket and leaves out the door while the cat-eared woman stands stoically at the door.
>The mistress asks, "Ariah, is this the one you picked?"
>Her tail curls around her leg as she nods. She looks down at the mistress's feet.
>The mistress turns and shouts commands to the remaining bodyguard in some foreign language.
>The cat-eared bodyguard salutes and exits.
>The mistress waves Ariah away, "You know the drill."
>Ariah hurries out of the foyer.
>I roll off of my back and push myself up, groaning slightly.
>The mistress states rhetorically, "So you're the one she chose for my precious little Linnea."
I dust off my pants and say, "Yeah."
>I look up at the mistress's golden eyes.
>She smiles, "You're looking me in the eyes, slave."
>I quickly look at her feet.
>She paces around me, "You smell different from the humans here."
"That's because I'm not from here."
>She stops in front of me and points to the set of double doors behind me, "Go on now. I don't have all day."
>Even without looking at her face, I can tell she doesn't seem impressed with me.
>I turn and open one of the doors, while holding it open for her.
>She raises an eyebrow at me and says, "You're looking at my face."
>I sigh and look at her feet, but she doesn't enter the room.
"Are you coming in as well?"
>She states with disdain, "I'm perfectly capable of opening a door, human."
"Fine." I let go of the door and watch it shut in front of her.
>She flings open the door and walks in. She takes a seat at the desk in the middle of the office.
>She pulls out a piece of paper and a metal pen and asks loudly, "Name?"
"Anon."
>She raises an eyebrow, and writes something down.
>She asks, "Age?"
"24"
>She glances up at me again then writes something else down on the paper.
>I sigh and take a seat in one of the chairs against the wall.
>She looks up from the paper, "Excuse me, what are you doing?"
I stand up, "Nothing."
>She writes something else down. Then a smile forms on her face.
>I immediately don't like that smile.
>She puts the pen down and says, "Strip."
"Excuse me?"
>She repeats, "Strip."
>I stay still, so she says, "Strip your clothes off. Get naked."
"No thanks."
>She stands from her chair, "You're already on thin ice. Strip naked. Now."
>Rather than say anything, I stay still.
>She steps around from the other side of her desk and towers in front of me. She bends down and whispers a threat in my ear, "If you want to keep your manhood, I suggest you strip. Now."
>Fuck.
>I start undressing, and she goes back and sits behind her desk.
>When I'm fully naked, she glances up and then says, "Spin around once."
>I quickly spin around, and she orders, "Put your clothes back on."
>I quickly redress, all the while she watches closely.
When I finish, I ask, "Is there something wrong?"
>She shakes her head and continues staring at me.
I state, "You know my name, but I don't know yours."
>She nods and says, "Correct."
"So what's your name? Or should I just call you Linnea's mom?"
>She writes on the paper again and slides it into her drawer.
"Linnea's mom it is."
>She presses a button on the intercom on her desk and says, "Ariah, come into my office."
>The doors open a moment later, and a frantic Ariah gestures wildly to me and to herself.
>The mistress tries to get Ariah to stop, but she keeps gesturing back and forth and then out of the office.
>"Ariah. Stop."
>Ariah looks down at the mistresses feet and continues gesturing frantically between myself and out of the office.
>The mistress shouts, "ARIAH. Stop."
>Ariah closes her eyes tight and nods.
>She points to her side, "Get over here."
>Ariah opens her eyes and cringes as she walks over.
>The mistress stands up, and Ariah flinches away as if she's going to get hit, but instead the mistress pats her head.
>Ariah's eyes snap open and she looks over at me, as if she has no clue what is going on.
>The mistress states, "I know I've told you that you've done a good job in the past, but this one is perfect. Linnea has full reign over how she wants to train him."
>Ariah's once submissive tail starts wagging at the compliment.
>She continues, "I have a good feeling about him." She smiles in my direction, "You are strange, Anon. But Linnea is strange as well."
>She lifts Ariah's jaw up so that she's looking her in the eyes, "You can have the rest of the week off Ariah. As long as it doesn't hurt anyone, there aren't any restrictions."
>Ariah hugs her mistress while her tail wags wildly.
>The mistress laughs and hugs back, "Enjoy."
>Ariah grabs my wrist and begins pulling me out the door.
>The mistress stands from her desk, "What are you doing?"
>Ariah makes a writing motion with her hands, then points at me.
>The mistress asks, "You're going to draw him?"
I say, "I offered to teach her how to write in my language."
>The wolf mother snorts and shakes her head, "So you know how to read and write... Linnea is going to go nuts."
"She knows, and I started teaching her yesterday."
>She laughs and asks, "Speaking of Linnea, where is she?"
>Ariah turns and pounds her fists together.
>"Fought again?" She shakes her head, "Was it Merda again?"
"It was Ronja, Linnea's Mom."
>She rolls her eyes, "Call me mistress like everyone else, Anon."
"Why didn't you say that earlier?"
>Ariah tugs and pulls me out of the office as the mistress takes another file out and starts working.
>She drags me back down the hall, and I stop her in front of Linnea's room again.
>I knock on the door and wait for a response.
>I push open the door a crack and ask, "Linnea, are you in there?"
>I see the bare back of Linnea changing, and she shouts, "HOLY FUCK ANON!" She throws a wrinkled shirt at me, and I duck back outside.
>Ariah slaps me and points to her head.
"I don't know what I was thinking okay?!" I shout through the door, "SORRY LINNEA, I didn't see anything, I promise!"
>The door opens a moment later, and a slightly flush and fully clothed Linnea hugs me, "You're here, so that means she liked you! I'm glad!"
I awkwardly hug her back, "Uh, me too. She said that you have full reign over... how you want to uh, train me."
Linnea pushes away from me, and I say, "She also gave Ariah the rest of the week off for finding me... for you."
>Linnea limps out of her room and hugs Ariah tight. It's then I notice both of their tails are wagging.
I think momentarily, then suggest, "Hey Linnea, um... I think Ariah was going to have me start teaching her how to read and write today..."
>Linnea lets go and looks down, "Ah, yeah. Doctor's orders for me are to rest and not move around too much."
>Ariah gestures to me, then into Linnea's room, then making a writing motion, and finally pointing at Linnea.
>Linnea's face brightens up and she claps, "I LOVE THAT IDEA! ANON, WHAT DO YOU THINK?"
"Uhh teach... in here! I could teach you both today in here!" I smile, "Alright, Ariah and I will get the stuff and we'll be back shortly."
>We leave to get the supplies, and when we get back, the mistress is in Linnea's room, sitting beside her daughter on her bed.
>The mistress sees Ariah and myself then says, "Well, they do seem enthusiastic about it." She gets up to leave and pauses at the door.
>She sighs and says to Linnea, "Linnea, it doesn't-"
>Linnea slides back into bed, "Mom, I know."
The mistress leaves, and I set the supplies down on her bed, "Everything okay?"
>Linnea shakes her head, "It's nothing Anon." She brightens up, "Let's start okay?"
>I teach them both slowly, and Renee delivers food shortly after dinner.
>She stares at me between Ariah and Linnea, and when I catch her staring she hurriedly exits.
>Ariah seems to be learning it much quicker than Linnea, despite Linnea knowing more beforehand.
Eventually I call it quits, "It's late you two, and we've been at it since this afternoon."
>Linnea yawns and looks over all of the papers strewn about, "I think it's a good idea to stop here as well. I'm beat."
>Ariah's tail which had been wagging slowly since we started, starts to slow down even more.
>She nods and gathers all of the papers to put them in a neat stack.
>Linnea asks, "Um Anon... Would you....?" Her voice trails off and I'm unable to hear the rest of it. Ariah looks over at her, causing her to blush.
"What was that Linnea?"
>She blushes harder and tries to ask again, "Umm, would... you... Nevermind. Goodnight."
"Are you sure?" She nods and slides under the covers. I jokingly say, "Well, don't forget to change for bed," And get up off of her bed.
>Linnea mutters something under her breath and motions for us to leave.
Just as I'm about to leave, I turn to Linnea and apologize, "I'm sorry for when we first met."
>Linnea looks confused and her ears fall sadly, "You're sorry we met?"
I correct myself, "No, um... I mean I'm sorry I called this a freak filled world, none of you are freaks, or monsters. It was wrong of me to say something like that."
"I know I was really upset, and I'm still a little disoriented from the change, but it doesn't mean it's okay for me to be mean to people who are nice to me."
I pause momentarily and finish, "And I'm not just saying this because you're my master either. I mean it to everyone I've met so far."
>Linnea smiles and nods in understanding. Her ears perk up again and she waves, "Goodnight Anon."


>I follow the same schedule for the next four days, waking up, finishing the dishes, then the laundry, and lastly spending the rest of the night teaching the two how to read and write.
>Every day, Linnea looks a little better, and after dinner time Renee would bring in a meal for each of us.
>And every time Renee would pause and stare at me until I stared back.
>But the end of the week has arrived, and Ariah is essentially becoming a slave again.
>When we're heading back to our quarters, she stops and hands me a crinkled piece of paper.
"What's this?"
>I flip it over and read the short note aloud.
"Thank you." I smile and pat her back, "You're welcome Ariah."
"Being able to communicate feels good doesn't it? Besides, you're really smart to be able to pick this up in such a short time."
>She nods and dips her head. Her tail curls against her leg and she makes pointed ears against the sides of her head.
"Is there something wrong with Renee?"
>Ariah shakes her head and tries to gesture something then makes the pointed ears on the sides of her head again.
"You need Renee to translate?"
>She points to me repeatedly and smiles.
>We head to the kitchen and see the thin elf working hard at preparing tomorrow's breakfast.
>Ariah knocks on the cabinets, making Renee jump and drop a large wooden spoon onto the floor.
>Renee looks back at us, "What's going on Ariah?"
>Ariah makes a few complicated gestures to her and then points to me.
>Renee translates slowly, "She wants you to keep... teaching her?"
I smile and pat Ariah's head between her ears, "That's the plan Ariah."
>Ariah's tail begins wagging wildly.
>Renee clears her throat and motions to the food she's prepping for breakfast, "I'll, just... get back to, yeah."
>I reach out and grab her elbow, stopping her in her tracks.
>I suddenly remember Renee's words, "If he touches me, you better punish him."
>I immediately let go, and hold my hands up.
"I'm sorry." I back up and apologize again, "Sorry... I just wanted to ask if you needed help."
>Renee is trembling as she tries to form words, "Y-y-er...Bu... I..." She closes her eyes and says clearly, "Ariah, w-would you stay and watch him while we finish up?"
>Finally progress! She points me to the potatos, "F-for now, just peel those..."
>I silently peel the potatoes as she preps the rest of breakfast.
>When I finish, she waves me aside to examine how well I did.
>She picks up a few of the peels and comments, "Well, I can't fault you for trying... But we don't like to waste around here."
"What are you planning on doing with the peels then?"
>She pushes all of the peels into a basket, "Compost for my... erm, the mistress's garden."
I cross my arms, "So either way it's not being wasted. But you can fry the potato skins too. They're full of vitamins and stuff, and they still taste good."
>She nods, "True, and I do that once in awhile for the sisters."
"Is everything set for tomorrow morning then?"
>She looks at everything she has prepped, "That's all I can use help with for now. I'll pack it all away in the fridge for tonight."
>I smile and follow Ariah back to our quarters.
>"Anon, wait!" I turn and see Renee holding a small box.
"What's up Renee?"
>She fidgets and offers me the box.
>When I reach out, she presses it into my hands and backs away quickly.
"What is it?"
>Renee says quietly, "It's a small snack... for thanks, erm, thank you for the help. I'm sorry I couldn't make something, so it's just some fresh berries...Sorry."
I smile and thank her, "You didn't have to do that Renee, but thank you very much."
>She nods nervously and runs back to the kitchen.
>It feels good to be making a bit of progress with her.
>I change for bed and open the box. Blueberries, raspberries and mulberries...
>I eat them hurriedly, and manage to stain my fingers. After a quick wash, I slide into bed and fall asleep.


>I wake up to someone giggling close by. I also notice that I'm quite warm, so I go to roll over and feel a naked body pressing against my back.
>The figure whispers in my ear, "Do you like cuddling with me, slave?"
I nervously say back, "Can I help you?" while trying to see her face.
>Her finger presses against my lips and she whispers, "Now now, we don't want to wake up the other lowlifes."
>She licks the tip of my ear, "How about you help me with a certain... urge."
>Nope. Nope nope nope. I try to bolt upright out of bed, but the figure pins me down and straddles my waist.
>In the dim light, I can see that it's one of the tall wolf sisters, and she's completely naked. "Oh, you want it rough do you?"
>I say at full volume, "I don't want it at all."
>She slaps me and says at full volume, "Now someone's being naughty~" She begins grinding herself on me.
>I stretch out my arm and grab the curtain enclosing my room as she starts to grinds harder against me.
>She leans hard against my arm, causing the curtain to tear.
"GAh-"
>She frees one of my arms to press a furred hand against my mouth, "Shhhh... just let it happen. I'll make you feel good, especially if you make me feel good."
>With my free hand, I reach out and turn on my light, shocking my darkness acclimated eyes, and also shocking hers twice as much.
>"FUCK!" She leans back and covers her eyes, giving me enough room to quickly slide out from under her and make a blind mad dash to Ariah.
>My hand barely touches her shoulder before I feel the wolf sister pull me back. One of her hands is tight around my mouth, and the other is groping my groin.
>She forcefully lifts my head back and whispers, "Someone's asking for a punishment... If you try anything again-" She freezes.
>At the bottom of my vision, I see Ariah's ears. The furred hand groping my crotch slides away, and the one gripping my mouth loosens up.
>The wolf sister snickers and says, "We were just playing Ariah. I'm not doing anything wrong."
>I pull her hand from my mouth, but before I can say anything the door slams open.
>Linnea stands huffing at the entrance, with Renee a step behind her. She marches up to her sister and pulls her away from me, "HE'S NOT YOURS, OR ANY OF THE OTHERS. JUST MINE, GOT IT?"
>The naked wolf sister shrugs, "Hey, we all share. You know that."
>Linnea pushes her sister out of the door, "No, YOU all share with everyone BUT me. If I see you or any of my sisters try something with Anon, I'll tear you apart!"
>The wolf sister makes a snide comment as the door shuts behind her,"Look at that, the runt thinks she can take us on!"
>Linnea slides against the closed door, crying softly.
>I quickly slide beside her and give her a tight hug.
>She squirms in my grasp, "Knock it off Anon... I could smell it from the door, she already marked you..."
"You and Ariah saved me from getting raped, and I'm grateful for it."
>Linnea easily breaks out of my grasp and points to Renee, "Thank her. She's the one that snuck out to get me... I just didn't want to wake up."
>She pushes her head into her hands and cries, "I'm a terrible master..."
I hug her tight again, "I'm grateful for Renee too, but you're the one that still came."
>A furred hand pulls me away from her and lifts me into the air.
"Oh shit!"
>Ariah spins me around and points to the showers in the back of the room.
>As soon as my feet hit the ground, I take off towards them, already stripping off my shirt. When I enter a stall, I throw my pants over the top and turn on the nozzle.
"AH FUCKING HELL!" Should've let the water warm up first, but it's too late for that now. I grab a bar of soap and work hard at lathering up everywhere the wolf sister touched.
>I can feel someone watching me, but continue scrubbing. My pants suddenly are yanked into the next stall.
>I peek out of the stall, and see Ariah carrying my pajama pants away.
>I finish washing up and wrap a towel around my waist before walking back out into the slave quarters.
>I see Renee blushing and half-hiding in her curtained room, and Ariah pushing Linnea towards me.
>Linnea's face is bright red as she hands me my other pair of pants and a shirt,"A-anon, I'm sorry, but you'll have to wear these until... Until I can get you another pair..."
>I gingerly take them from her, and can faintly smell something coming from them.
>I put it close to my face and smell, making Linnea pull them from my hands, "W-WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?!"
"They have a nice aroma to them, I was just smelling it."
>Linnea's bright red face gets redder, "I HAD TO MARK YOU AS MINE, OKAY? GEEZ... Don't make this any more awkward than it has to be!"
>I take them from her grasp and rub them on me, rubbing as much of the scent on me as possible.
When I pull them from my face, I grin, "Awkward like that?"
>Ariah silently laughs hard, while Renee hides in her "room". Linnea covers her face with her hands in embarrassment.
I ignore Linnea's sputtering and blushing, and walk into my curtained room with my marked set of clothes, "Uhh, hey girls? Where's my bed? And other clothes?"
>Linnea clears her throat, "Sorry Anon, but you can't sleep here anymore. Merda would try it again... So you, uh..."
"Is there another slave quarters or something?"
>She fidgets, "N-no... You'll be... with me."
>After I change in my room she takes me to her room.
>She says tiredly, "Just... don't try anything."
"What do you mean?" I ask as she crawls into her queen sized bed.
>I look around the dark room for another bed or sleeping bag.
>"Anon? Come on. It's barely one o'clock, and I'm tired."
"Is there-"
>She says sternly with her face in a pillow, "Anon. Bed. Now."
>I slide into bed next to her, trying not to be too close.
>She says quietly, "Hey Anon... Would you mind... facing me?"
"I guess..." I slowly roll over to face her, "Is this okay?"
>I can see her fidgeting under her covers.
I ask her, "You seem nervous about something." She nods silently.
"So... are you going to tell me about it, or am I going to have to guess?"
>Her eyes flick up to mine, "Do you like me?"
>FREAKING PUPPY DOG EYES...
I answer truthfully, "I only met you last week, and to be honest, I still don't know you that well."
>She looks away from me, "I get it..."
I smile softly and reach over, petting her head, "But, so far, I like you. You're a good person."
>"C-cut it out..." I can clearly tell that her tail is wagging.
"Thank you again for saving me Linnea."
>She lifts my hand from her head while smiling.
>"Go to sleep Anon."
"Considering this is the softest beds I've ever slept on, I don't think I'll have any trouble. Goodnight Linnea."


>I wake up and see the sunlight on the ceiling, and suddenly have one of those: Where the fuck am I moments.
>As the warm cozy body snuggled up against mine takes a long breath out, reality sinks back in, reminding me where I am.
>I carefully glance down, trying my best not to disturb the sleeping wolf girl.
>Her one arm is wrapped around my torso, and her head is resting on my chest.
>I crook my neck to look at her clock, and she mumbles into my chest, "Don't worry bout the time... just stay here a lil longer kay?"
I say quietly, "And put off my chores? How could I say no to that..."
>She hugs my torso tighter, and I gently stroke her head.
>After a half hour like that she mumbles something into my chest.
"What was that Linnea?"
>She looks up at me with her blushing face and golden puppy dog eyes, "A-anon, do you..." She buries her face into my torso again and says, "N-Nevermind..."
I start rubbing her ears, "Why are you so nervous around me?"
>She whimpers and pushes my hands off of her ears, "Don't do that..."
"I wouldn't have to if you didn't mumble or say things that I can't hear. So would you please finish a sentence for me?"
>She fidgets and says quietly, "You're nicer to me than everybody else..."
I gently ruffle her hair, "Is that a bad thing?"
>She gently pounds my chest, "Quit it okay? I'm being serious. You're nice to me, even though I'm the runt of the litter..."
"Why would that change anything?"
>She looks up at me blushing hard, "Do you think I'm pretty?" She instantly shakes her head and says, "NEVERMIND! Don't answer that!"
>I must be going crazy.
>This thing isn't a human
>She's not a thing!
>It doesn't change the fact that SHE isn't a human
>But...
>She lets go of my chest and lies with her back to me. I can tell that she's embarrassed. A few more moments pass as I build up the courage to say it.
I gently rub her ear again, "Hey."
>She swats me away, "Quit it..."
"Yeah I do."
>She rolls back over and looks at me, her face beet red "You... do?"
>I nod and brush her hair out of her eyes.
>She tears up and tightly hugs my torso, hiding her blushing face.
>There's a knock on her door, and she quickly regains composure and shouts, "I'M AWAKE OKAY? JUST GETTING DRESSED!"
>I can hear her mom on the other side of the door, "Don't be late Linnea."
>Linnea throws the covers off of her bed and rushes over to her walk-in closet.
>She asks, "A-anon? Can... would... Would you give me your opinion on this outfit?"
>I get up out of bed and make my way over to the closet. She can't have gotten dressed in such a short time, could she?
>Yep, fully dressed, and in a tight and very wrinkly business uniform.
>That's when I notice all the piles of clothes.
"Holy freaking shit Linnea, have you ever hung stuff back up?"
>She stomps her foot down, "HEY FOCUS. Does this look alright?"
"Fine..." I examine her outfit and say, "Do you have anything... less wrinkly?"
>She picks up a mismatched coat from a random pile and swaps it out with hers.
>I pick up a slightly lighter shaded shirt out from under some clothes and hand it to her.
I turn around and say, "Swap out your undershirt with that and you can ditch the tie. Also put those navy pants on."
>In a span of five seconds the tie and her shirt flies over my head and into a pile and she taps on my shoulder again.
>I turn around and look her over. Buttoned up dark navy coat, lighter blue undershirt and navy slacks.
I give her a thumbs up, "I think you look pretty good. But you've got to work on your closet."
>"Fine mom..." She pushes past me and looks at the clock, then at me in shock, "It took three minutes?!"
"Is that-"
>She grabs my hand and pulls me out of the door, and down one of the main halls. She drags me all the way to a large dining room and sits at the seat furthest from the door.
"So... there's no one else here?"
>Her tail wags happily in her seat, "We're early. I've never been early."
"How early? I think I would have been up for at least an hour by now if I wasn't sleeping in your room."
>She looks at the empty spot in front of her and says sheepishly, "We might be... uh.."
"What did I tell you about finishing your sentences?"
>"An hour early for breakfast."
>Facepalm.
I rub my forehead and ask, "Well, are you hungry now? I could probably whip something up."
>She looks over at me, "Could you? I don't need anything fancy like what Renee makes."
"I'll take a look at what's back in the fridge, and then-"
>She stands up and walks into the kitchen, "Let's head back there."
>I hear Renee make a startled noise when Linnea walks into the kitchen.
>I slide my way past Linnea and wave to Renee.
>Renee looks down at Linnea's feet, "Hello miss. You seem to be a bit early for breakfast."
>Linnea waves it off, "Just getting an early start to the day thanks to Anon here."
>Renee nods and resumes chopping the green onions.
I ask her, "Hey Renee, would it be okay if I make Linnea an early breakfast?"
>Renee stops cutting the green onions and says, "A-anon, it's my job to make their meals... If I wasn't making the meals anymore-"
>Linnea steps closer to her, "If you don't want him to make me a meal, can you make me a quick one? Nothing fancy..."
>Renee sighs, "I heard you in the dining room. You don't like fancy meals."
>Linnea gently grabs Renee's hand, "That's not it Renee! You make fantastic dinners and you're really good at knowing what snack I want! I just want something simple this morning."
"Good food doesn't have to be fancy all the time."
>Renee nods, "Alright then, what do you want?"
>Linnea hugs her, "SCRAMBLED EGGS AND HAM!"
>Renee struggles to get out of her grasp, "Miss Linnea, would bacon be okay? We're out of ham."
>Linnea hugs her tighter and nods.


>Linnea hurriedly finished her breakfast, shoveling it down before any of her sisters arrive to eat.
>Her mom walks into the dining room just as Linnea starts leading me back down the main hall.
>She looks shocked at her daughter, "Linnea, you're... early!? And you're pulling Anon along."
>Linnea brushes a few bits of egg off of her jacket, "I kind of asked Anon to help me pick an outfit..."
>The mistress eyes me, and I avoid her gaze. She looks back at her daughter, "Well, it's a start at least."
>Just as we're halfway out the door the mistress turns and says, "Oh don't forget Linnea, he can't go outside our walls until he gets his collar, so make sure you pick it up on the way home."
>Linnea groans, "Ugh... So I can't take him to school?"
>"You wouldn't have been able to anyways remember? There's a 'no slave on campus' policy. Besides, why would you want him there anyways?"
>Linnea's mom continues, "How about he does his chores right now, and when you get back with the collar, I can take you both out shopping."
>Linnea gets excited at the prospect of shopping, "OH! WE CAN GO HEADS AND TAILS, AND THEN MAYBE STOP AT-"
>The mistress says, "After you bring back the collar. For now, he has to finish his chores."
>Linnea nods and lets go of me, "I'll see you after my classes Anon. Have a good day mom, love you!"
>The mistress waves, "Love you too darling."
>I start making my way back to the kitchen, but stop when I feel a hand tightly clench my shoulder.
>She spins me around on the spot, glaring daggers at me.
"Oh shit."
>She nods, "Oh shit is right."
I quickly apologize, "I'm sorry for whatever I did wr-"
>She effortlessly lifts me up by my collar, "Would you care to tell me why you smell so strongly of my daughter?"
>Smell like her daughter...
I frantically say, "She had to mark me so that Merda wouldn't or something!"
>"WHAT?!"
I defensively hold up my hands, "H-hear me out first!"
>She lifts me higher, and I close my eyes.
>"Well? I'm waiting."
I swallow hard, "Last night, I woke up and Merda was in my bed-"
>"Merda is NOT Linnea."
"I know, I know! Merda was naked and was trying to rape me, I managed to wake up Ariah, and that's when Linnea burst into the room and pushed her sister out."
"She said that Merda already marked me, and Ariah made me take a shower. When I got out Linnea gave me a set of clothes and she said that she marked them."
>She lowers me to eye level, "That would just mean your clothes would smell like her. Your whole body smells like her."
"I KNOW. I know... I may have made her blush by rubbing the clothes that she gave me all over. I really didn't want to get raped... and I kind of wanted to make Linnea blush."
>She grabs the other half of my collar with her other hand and looks angrily at me, "And you expect me to believe this?"
>I close my eyes waiting for the metaphorical axe to drop.
>Renee's voice snaps us out of it, "Mistress? I'm sorry to intrude..."
>The mistress holds me tightly and calmly says to Renee, "It's okay Renee. State what you need for the kitchen, and I'll have Ariah pick it up from the market."
>Renee shakes her head, "No mistress, it's not about that. It's regarding Anon and Linnea."
>The mistress releases one hand from my collar, "Do you know if he's telling the truth?"
>Renee nods, "He is ma'am. Linnea took him to her room afterwards-"
>"SHE WHAT?!" The mistress unclenches the fist holding my collar. I fall three feet flat onto my ass.
"GAH shit!"
>She rubs her temples briefly and says angrily, "Fine. Let me ask it straight. Did you have sex with my daughter?"
>Renee takes a step forward and states, "If I may Mistress-"
>She silences her with a finger, "Not another word Renee. I am talking with Anon."
>"Did you or did you not have sex with my daughter."
I quickly state, "I did nothing of the sort ma'am."
>She takes a breath in and looks like she's going to kill something.
>Renee shouts, "WOULDN'T LINNEA HAVE SMELLED LIKE ANON THEN?"
>She covers her mouth and apologizes profusely, running back into the kitchen.
>The mistress's breathing slows and she heaves out a sigh.
"I wouldn't take advantage of your daughter mistress."
>She points into the kitchen, "I... will have a talk with Linnea. Get started on your chores." I nod and run into the kitchen, thankful that the situation is over with.
>I hurriedly wash the dishes, every time I blink, I see the mistress with her furred hand, ready to rip me limb from limb.
>A hand gently pokes my shoulder, and I freeze. Oh shit it's the bone thing again... what else would tap like that?
>"Anon? Are you okay?"
>I slowly turn around, letting out a sigh of relief when it's just Renee.
>"Are you okay? You haven't said a word for an hour."
>I take a deep breath in and out, calming myself.
"Sorry, that..." I shake my head, unable to find the words to describe it.
>She says nervously, "I was trying to ask you if you wanted to get a breath of fresh air now that breakfast is done, but... you never answered."
>Renee clears her throat, "S-so, would you like to take a walk through the greenhouse?"


>We climb a narrow circular staircase up five floors. I see flowering planters beside every window, and gardening equipment lying everywhere.
>Renee leads me past the equipment and around a corner.
>She pushes a dented metal door open with a loud creak.
>We're on top of the roof.
>I scan the rooftop garden and the greenhouse beyond, amazed at the variety of plants.
>Renee clearly sees my amazement and offers, "How about I give you a tour?"
>She leads me through the maintained berry bushes pointing out each variety as we pass, then we go into the greenhouse.
>Tomatoes hang from baskets near the entrance, and string beans line the walls. She continues pointing out plants as we slowly make our way through the humid room.
>She gestures to what looks like two wood and vine chairs growing up out of the ground, "And this is where I go to relax after a long day's work."
>I glance around and enjoy the surroundings.
>Besides an old boarded up window and beat up door to another section of the greenhouse, everything looks well kept.
"It's beautiful up here. And peaceful."
>Renee drops into a chair and leans into the vines, "It sure is. From time to time, the mistress comes up here too."
>I tense up when she mentions the mistress.
>Renee continues, "There really isn't any way for me to ever repay her for all that she's done for me."
"And she was going to kill me right then, wasn't she?"
>Renee shrugs, "I don't think she would have."
>I slowly sit on the remaining vine chair and ease back into it.
"I think she scares me more than Merda."
>"She's just protective of Linnea. All of the others are tall, popular, and smart...and Linnea is, well... short and a loner."
"How long have you been with the mistress?"
>Renee thinks about it aloud, "Her pups were knee high when she bought me... hmm..." She taps her forehead, "So, about twenty years?"
"Twenty years? Holy shit."
>She waves it off, "Bah, 20 years isn't that long for a cook. Especially one as good as myself." She laughs at her last comment.
>Her gaze drifts about, looking at the plants, "I'd like to think that I've aged quite well under her care."
I state, "You look good, so I'd have to agree."
>She shakes her head, "As if you could guess my actual age..."
"So what? Are you 30?"
>She laughs hard at me.
"Fine... 37?"
>Her laughing slowly subsides, "Nope. I'll give you one more guess."
"Come on, you can't be more than 45..."
>She shakes her head, "Wrong! Besides, didn't anyone ever tell you it's impolite to ask a lady their age?"
"Alright alright... Can I ask why you're so nervous around me then?"
>She looks at her hands and fidgets, "W-well, I guess... It's really not a secret though."
>"Well, first of all, I was born a slave, and never knew my parents. The human slavers that raised me, tortured me day and night..."
"Ah... if it's too hard for you to say, that's okay. I don't want to dredge up any painful memories or make you depressed."
>She continues, "I was a little elf girl, born into slavery. They branded and tattooed me... kept food from me until I was fainting from hunger...used me as a plaything..."
My mouth drops, "That's horrible!"
>She nods solemnly, her eyes fixed on a point in the distance.
"So how did the mistress help?"
>She shakes out of her thousand yard stare, "Ah, uh... Well, the mistress was looking for a slave for help at home, since she could barely take care of her little ones herself."
>"The slavers never took me to the auctions, keeping me for themselves, but one time, one of them got drunk and shoved me in with the rest of the slaves."
>"I ended up at the auction, and the mistress apparently wanted me the moment she saw me. She bought me for almost 200 grand at the auction, just outbidding my former owners."
>She sighs, "So getting back to your question; Any human man automatically makes me nervous."
"I hope that I'm not making you nervous all the time."
>Renee looks down at the floor, "You do make me nervous, and I don't know if I'll completely get over that."
>She looks over towards some exotic looking plants, "But what you said back when we were playing cards stuck with me. I know the mistress and Ariah will keep me safe."
>We both sit quietly, enjoying the peacefulness of the greenhouse.
After a half hour, I get up out of the chair, "Alright, that's enough relaxing. I've got to do the laundry for today as well."
>Renee waves goodbye and leans further back into her chair.
>But Instead of heading back to do the laundry for the day, I head to Linnea's room.
>I open her walk-in closet and shake my head at the piles of clothes everywhere.
>I begin sorting her clothes into those that aren't too wrinkly to be hung up, and those that need to be ironed.
>I make a bit of progress, getting through a couple piles, and having a few laundry hampers full of clothes that need to be ironed.
>As I'm leaving her room with the second hamper, I nearly walk into the mistress.
I quickly excuse myself, "Sorry. Just starting laundry."
>As I step past her, I feel her furred hand clasp tightly on my shoulder, "Why were you in your master's room without her?"
>I feel a lump in my throat and swallow hard.
"I saw her closet earlier, and I thought I could help her get her clothes hung up."
>The hand grips tighter and she whispers into my ear, "I'm going to be watching you even closer now. Got it?"
I look at her over my shoulder and state, "As I said before, I won't take advantage of Linnea, or any of your daughters."
>Her hand slowly releases my shoulder, "Let me give you an idea why you won't."
>"If I catch you doing anything unsavoury with Linnea, I will torture you for a whole month, keeping you a hair's breadth from death. Understood?"
>I freeze. Slowly my thoughts drift back to that comfortable seat in the greenhouse, and I take a deep breath.
I face her with the laundry basket, "Apparently it's you that doesn't understand. I. WILL. NOT. TAKE. ADVANTAGE. OF. LINNEA. That's not the kind of person I am."


>I've finished the laundry for the day, and are nearly done ironing Linnea's clothes when she walks into the laundry room.
>"YO Anon..." Linnea looks at the three hampers of neatly folded clothes, "Wait, what are you doing with my clothes?"
"Well, these needed to be ironed, so I ironed them. Don't worry, I'll hang them up properly so that they don't get wrinkled."
>She stutters, "I-well, uh why-..."
"Wouldn't it be nice to have a closet full of unwrinkly clothes instead-"
>"Why would you go through all the trouble to do that for me?"
>I look down at the shirt that I'm ironing, then over at the piles in the hamper.
>Why the hell did I iron all of someone else's clothes? I hate laundry and put off ironing clothes as much as I can.
I look down at the last one to be ironed and resume finishing it, "No freaking clue."
>"OH! ANON, I PICKED UP YOUR COLLAR!"
"Collar?"
>She pulls it out of her backpack and shows it to me.
>It's fluorescent green with a small metal nameplate dangling from the front. On the back, there's a square cut stone with a few strange runes engraved into it.
I ask about them, "What are those runes for?"
>She flips it around to look at the stone, "The hellhound at the counter said it's the basic slave obedience package, but I don't really know what that means."
>Before I can ask any more about it she puts it back into her backpack, "It looks off, so I'm going to ask mom about it before you put it on though."
"Obedience package?"
>Linnea waves her hand around, "I don't really know much about it. I'm just leery about runic enchantments in general. I've heard some horror stories about them."
I carefully fold up the last of her clothes and ask, "What kind of horror stories?"
>We carry her clothes to her closet and I start hanging them up as she tells the story.
>"There's this lamia in my class, and she said her mom bought a slave from an out of town auction."
>"He had a basic slave tattoo, the ones that supposedly make it impossible for the enslaved to be violent."
>"He ended up flat out disobeying orders, so she got an enchanted collar to make him obey."
"I'm with you so far."
>"So the guy disobeys while wearing the collar, and it ends up hurting him like it's supposed to."
>"That's when they found out he got off on pain. It's probably why the slave tattoo failed too."
"That's pretty messed up."
>"It gets worse! So they got another collar with a different and stronger enchantment, and it didn't do any good."
>"Then finally they went with the strongest tattooed enchantment. Whoever tattooed him originally screwed up to begin with, and both enchantments ended up clashing."
>"This time it messed with his head so much that it made him go insane."
>"Arcelia, that's the lamia from my class, said that now he'll do whatever he's told, but he won't take care of himself without being told anymore."
I look at her in horror, "And that enchantment on the collar will do that?!"
>She throws her hands up defensively, "NO! I don't want anything like that! The collar cashier said all they have to be sold with an enchantment, so I got the cheapest."
>She backs away from me and mumbles something quietly.
"You're mumbling again Linnea."
>She gives me an angry look, "Sometimes I mumble when I'm talking to myself Anon."
I finish hanging up her clothes, "I didn't see Ariah or Renee with a collar."
>Linnea nods, "Renee has a lot of obedience tattoos, but mom altered and disabled a lot of them. There's a couple left that she couldn't alter... so yeah."
>"But Ariah, well... she's sort of a slave I guess, but not really."
"How can someone be sort of a slave, but not really?"
>She scrunches up her face, "I'm not supposed to talk about it... You'll have to ask Ariah and mom to get an answer."
>Finally finish hanging up her clothes, and am on my way out of her room when I notice her heading to the corner cabinets.
>She opens them up and I see a three rather large monitors.
>I hear the computer start booting up, and all of the fans turning on.
"Holy shit."
>Linnea glares at me, "What? Are you going to make fun of me like my sisters for liking video games?"
"Hell no! I had no idea you were a gamer!"
>She eyes me cautiously, "What does that mean?"
"What type of games do you like? FPS? MMOs? RPGs? RTS?"
>She stands up and marches over to me, "HOLD UP."
>"How many more chores do you have to finish?"
"Just the dishes after dinner, but didn't your mom say something about going shopping?"
>Linnea nods and sits back down, "Yeah she did, but some work came up and she had to take care of it. She'll be back late tonight."
>She turns to the computer and puts her password in, "Hey Anon... take, I mean, would you please get a chair from the foyer and bring it in here?"
>I shrug as she opens several programs on her desktop and bring a chair back in.
>I hear her talking to herself, "It's awesome is what it is!"
>Cautiously I peek inside and see her wearing a strange headset that looks like it's made specifically for wolf or dog like demi-humans.
>"Ah he's back. I'll get the old one up and running, so I'll let you talk to him, okay?" She scrunches her face up, "Uh no. Don't do that. Just normal talk, okay?"
>She takes off her headset and flips a few levers around so that it resembles one a human would wear.
>She offers it to me, "Arcelia's wanted to talk to you ever since I first told her about you."
I sit the chair down beside her and slowly put the headset on, "When did you tell her about me Linnea?"
>A ear splitting screech makes me pull off the headset.
"FUCK!"
>Linnea rolls her eyes and starts working on a small computer tower behind one of the monitors.
>A slew of apologies loudly stream from the headset.
I slowly put it back on, "Alright, uh please don't screech into the headset. I like being able to hear."
>The high pitched voice giggles on the other end, "Yes. Yeah, sorry 'bout that. It's just exciting meeting a human."
"It's alright. Uh, I guess my name's Anon."
>"Pfft. You guess? But yeah, Linny already told me that shit. You can call me Arcelia, Ark, Kara or Karaton."
>I look at the screen while trying to decipher the foreign language.
"Is Karaton like a gaming handle then?"
>"YES! Oh fuck shit, sorry for shouting. Just most demis don't understand that shit."
"So-"
>"ANYWAYS! Fuck, sorry again, but I've got a bunch of questions for ya."
"Uh, okay? Ask away."
>"Have you and Linny done it yet?"
"Really? That's what you ask?"
>"Duh? Look at all of her sex crazy sisters. It's gotta be related or some shit."
"Quite the sailor's mouth you've got."
>"Well someone ought to fuck your virgin shit and piss filled ears... Wait, you swore at me earlier!"
"I take it that Linnea get's her sailor's mouth from you?"
>Arcelia answers, "Nah, she got hers from her sisters. She's still more like a fucking prim and proper princess than most though."
>She continues, "Still, if she's gaming, she fucking swears like the rest of us!"
"I get that. So what types of games do you play?"
>Linnea starts laughing, "Big mistake there, Anon."
>I hear Arcelia drawing in a big breath.
>Uh oh.
>She starts out, "I don't know how familiar you are with games..." She creepily laughs.
"Now you're just trying to creep me out."
>She says innocently, "Oh Anon. I would never do that. A poor, weak, albino lamia like myself couldn't possibly play anything creepy."
"Let me guess then."
>She just laughs, and I wait for her to finish.
"Done? Or are you too busy playing your erotic games?"
>Linnea and Arcelia almost simultaneously burst out laughing.
>Arcelia clears her throat, "Well shit. I would've thought it would take you a few tries to figure that shit out."
"I take it you've tried to get Linnea into that stuff as well."
>Linnea rolls her eyes and Arcelia answers, "Yeah, ya got me. But she's not into that stuff. We first met in a MonWar game actually."
>Linnea shouts, "All that's left is to hook up a monitor to it! But... actually we need another table."
>She looks at me with her puppy dog eyes.
I tell Arcelia, "Well shit. I can't say no to those puppy dog eyes. I'll go find a table. BRB"
>I can hear Arcelia squealing through the headset as I hand it over.


>I walk around the mansion, unable to find a small table that I can carry.
>Finally get the idea that Ariah can help, since she found the floor table before.
"Where the hell are you Ariah?"
>I hurriedly make my way into the kitchen, startling Renee as she is just about to set the table for dinner.
>She accidentally drops one the plates, and I barely catch it.
"Hey R-"
>"Gods above and below..."
"Sorry about that, but have you seen Ariah? I need her help with something."
>Renee begins setting the table, "Yeah, she's taking care of stuff in the greenhouse."
"Got it, thanks!"
>I start running off and she immediately shouts, "STOP ANON!" She sets the remaining dishes down on the table
>"That part of the greenhouse is off limits to everyone, except the mistress and her."
"Oh, well... I need to find a little table to put a computer monitor on for a little while. Do you have any ideas?"
>Renee raises an eyebrow at me, "Computer monitor?"
"I just need a small table that I can lift. Nothing special."
>She points down the servant's corridor, "You could probably use the old ironing board as a table."
"Renee you're a genius!" I hold up my hand to give her a high five and she instinctively shrieks and ducks away.
"Oh god, sorry! It's... shit. Uh we have a thing were I come from called a high five."
>She's still cowering from me, keeping her eyes shut tight.
I quickly slide next to her and give her a gentle hug, "I'm so sorry Renee. I'll make it up to you, I promise."
>She sobs quietly in my embrace before trying to push me away.
I gingerly get up and back away, "I promise that I'll make it up to you... I'm really sorry. You just came up with such a good idea, I got excited."
>She sobs, "You were going to hit me for coming up with a good idea?"
Sitting on the floor, I say, "Fuck no! There's this thing humans do in my world. It's called a high five..."
>I spend a few minutes explaining it to her and she calms down enough to open her eyes. I can still see the fearful look in her eyes as I begin heading to get the ironing board.
Just as I'm leaving I let her know, "Maybe I can cook something for you sometime. You deserve to have a break here and there."
>I find the ironing board and rush back to Linnea's room.
>She says loudly without taking her eyes off of the screen, "Took you long enough. I was starting to think that you wouldn't be able to find one."
>I set up my makeshift table and watch her play the monster war themed FPS.
>It takes a bit of thinking, but I can sort of figure out the tactical display on the screen.
"That looks like a lot of fun Linnea."
>She simply says, "Mhm. Should be done with this co-op mission in a sec. Then I'll hook up your screen and we can get you another headset."
>A flash of red crosses the screen and she shouts, "FUCKING HARPY SNIPERS!"
>I chuckle and set up the monitor. I turn everything on and see an incredibly cluttered desktop with all sorts of icons everywhere.
>The almost completely covered background image seems similar to the game she's currently playing, and I quickly find the icon on the desktop and double click on it.
>She says loudly, "Don't revive me until you can take out the harpy on the left ridge Kara!" She sighs, "Fucking hell. What did I just say?"
>Linnea takes off her headset and looks over at how I have the computer set up.
>"Wow, uh okay. Didn't expect you to set it up yourself and get in game so quick."
>"So first you'll have to make a screen name, or better yet, you can have my old one. It's uh... That one there, PaladinKiller411." She points to a box on the right side of the screen.
"Is there any way to change the language so I can read this stuff?"
>She takes the mouse from my hand and scrolls through the options, "Uhhh this one right?" She switches it to English and passes the mouse back to me.
"Fantastic! All I need is a headset and I think I'll be good."
>Linnea teaches me the basic controls and teaches each of the buttons. Surprisingly it's similar to the standard WASD layout, just with foreign letters on each of the keys.
>She dusts off a taped headset and twists the headphones to fit my head, "Sorry about this old one. It's the only backup one that I have."
"I'm sure it's fine! Now are you using a speaking program outside of the game to voice chat?"
>She nods and winces, "Yeah, about that. Uhhh... unfortunately you'll have to use the name that Arcelia set up for this machine."
"Which is?"
>I open the program she pointed out and put the headphones on. A musical note plays and a robotic voice states, "User RAPEBAIT411 Connected."
>I'm instantly treated to a happy squeal from Arcelia.
"Wow, really? Rapebait?"
>Arcelia giggles, "Well yeah. Now it's even more true! Most of the players of this game are your more aggressive manhunters.
>"If you'd speak in a multiplayer game, I'm sure you'd have a few fangirls in no time."
>Linnea sighs, "Ignore her for the most part Anon. Accept my game invite and pick a class. Maybe we can actually finish that mission and move onto the next one."
>The invite pops up and I join. I scroll through the classes as she describes each of them.
>Arcelia quickly suggests, "If you're looking for a good beginner loadout, the Orc heavy gunner is a good one."
>I quickly look at the perks of each race before settling on a human, much to both of their arguments claiming that it's the worst race for the game.
>I grin and make them groan again as I pick support gunner.
>Linnea says, "Well fuck. With choices like that, I don't think we'll be able to make it through this after all. At least you'll never run out of ammo, I guess."
>I quickly realize that she hadn't unlocked anything in the support class with this username, so I'm stuck with the basics.


>After a few deaths early on and a few good revives by Arcelia, I start to get a feel for the game, and get my first kill against a charging troll berserker.
>Linnea claps her hands and says, "Nice shooting Anon!"
>Arcelia agrees, "Good one. It looks like you're not worthless after all!"
I state, "I think I've got it down now. Let's keep going."
>We pass through the town, taking down targets and only requiring minimal healing from Arcelia.
We're just about to exit the town when I ask, "This is close to where you got taken down before, right?"
>Linnea says, "Yeah, but they don't spawn in the same area every time."
>Arcelia says, "Hang on, I think mr. Rape bait has an idea."
"Damn straight I do. I'm going to run like a freak and draw her fire. You take her out as soon as you spot her okay?"
>Without waiting for their responses, I dash out of cover and run about wildly in the open. A flash of red crosses my screen after a few steps.
>Linnea shouts, "GOT HER! Sniper bitch down!"
Arcelia quickly revives me and I charge up the narrow path to the top of the ridge, "THERE'S ANOTHER ONE OF EM, GET IN COVER!"
>I hear a thud over my headset and Arcelia groans, "Fuck. Those one hit kill birdbrains suuuuck."
I spray my light machinegun at the harpy in the distance, "TAKE HER OUT LINNEA!"
>Linnea takes her down in a single shot with her rifle, and I jump down the ravine back to Arcelia.
>She groans playfully, "Ah... so cold... warm me up with your manmeat, rape bait! It's the only way to save me now..."
>I pick up her kit and revive her just as her life meter blinks out.
>Arcelia says, "Revived, wait what?" She then groans, realizing that she now has my loadout.
>"FUCK MY LIFE. You have the straight basic loadout?! No grenades, gadgets, or anything?! Fuck..."
"I was doing fairly well with it actually. What kind of loadout do you have here?"
>I scroll through the weapons as she describes her loadout.
"Got it. Let's go. If I drop dead, feel free to pick your loadout up again."
>The mission continues through the jungle and surrounding countryside, gradually getting more difficult, but I end up getting about half of the kills as we close in on the extraction point.
>Linnea takes her hand off of her mouse and shakes her hand, "Fuck we're doing awesome!"
>Arcelia mutters, "Yeah... we'd be doing better if I still had my loadout."
"Oh fine." I drop a grenade at my feet and lay on top of it.
>Arcelia squeals happily through the mic and swaps loadouts. With a quick revive she thanks me, "Awesome! And... you've got a lot of ammo left? How?"
"Secondary ammo doesn't run out, and you've got a good short range autopistol."
>She mumbles, "Fucking human show off."
>Linnea says, "Focus! The boss is dropping in!"
>Oh my god. Such a cliche end boss.
"Seriously? The boss is just some old, perverted guy in a mecha?"
>I go prone and start unloading my entire magazine at the glowing joints of the mecha, while the two run and hide behind cover. A large cannon unfolds off of his back and starts charging.
"SHOOT THE LEGS! We'll bring him down in one go!" Linnea switches to her secondary and fires from her vantage point while Arcelia continues to hide.
>She quickly says, "Okay, the guide says to shoot him in the leg joints AFTER he fires his cannon three times, and if you can get up close-"
>I jump down off of my vantage point just as the cannon fires, obliterating all of the cover on the hillside.
>I charge closer while reloading my LMG, ducking behind cover as it opens fire with its close range suppressive weapons.
"IT IS FOCUSED ON ME. KILL ITS LEGS NOW!"
>The gunfire stops and it starts heading to a cutscene.
>Arcelia shouts, "CHARGE AT HIM WHILE HE'S IN THE CUTSCENE! YOU CAN KNIFE HIM IN ONE HIT!"
>And that's it. Mission complete.
>Linnea gets up and gives me a hug, "You just keep getting better and better Anon."
>Arcelia starts giggling on the team chat, "Now now, if you're going to do that, turn on the camera so I can watch!"
>Linnea responds, "Well har dee har har. Pervert."
>I point at the screen, making Linnea look over at it.
>Arcelia angrily shouts, "WHAT THE FUCKING SHIT?!"
>Linnea laughs, "Kara doesn't like it when people are better than she is."
>I can practically hear her fuming over the mic.
"I only outscored her by one kill though. She was the one that had me knife the boss at the end-"
>Arcelia shouts, "ONE V ONE ME BRO. I DARE YOU."
"Geez, calm down! I'm sure it was beginner's luck."
>She calms down and says again, "Seriously, one v one me. I'll set up the arena on my local server."
>I decline her invite and look at all of the mission rewards, while ignoring her rant.
>Linnea laughs hard and looks back at her screen to scroll through her rewards.
"It looks like I've unlocked most of the primary weapons for the support class in one go. And there a purple weapon that got dropped into my inventory."
>Various slamming noises come from Arcelia, making Linnea laugh hard.
>I read out the description to everyone.
"QZ-55a Medic Auto Rifle-"
>I hear more groaning on Arcelia's end.
>Linnea gets up and looks at it, "Geez. Legendary medic rifle drop. That's got to be worth 400 credits."
>Arcelia mumbles, "Does it have the white star on the sides?"
>Linnea answers, "Yeah. Do you know this one? I've never heard of it before."
>Arcelia swears, "Fuck me, and fuck you and your fuck fucking fuck shit fucking fuck ass ffffff- Gods I can't think of any good insults right now. That's gotta be the 5000 credit rifle."
"Do you want it?"
>She mumbles, "I don't have anything close to an equal value to trade for it."
>Linnea takes off her headset and says privately to me, "That's a serious amount of money Anon."
>I send Arcelia a trade request, and she mumbles, "Yeah yeah rub it in my face." She clicks the accept trade request.
>I send the trade as a gift instead, instantly getting a message box on my screen informing me that all gifts are final, and I'm giving away a ultra-rare item.
>I accept the multiple boxes that show up and send it to her.
"I've got a proposal for you. Since I won't main medic, and as long as you keep it and never sell it, why don't you have it?"
>"What."
"That's all I get? Not a thank you?"
>"Uh, what?"
>Linnea happily pats my shoulder and puts her headset back on.
>Arcelia sputters incoherently in her mic.
>Linnea says, "Hey miss erotica over there, you okay?"
>Arcelia logs off of the chat program, and Linnea starts laughing. "I'm going to get a video call in 3...2...1..."
>A window pops up on her screen and a pale lamia sits in the center of the frame. She fidgets with her hair while speaking.
>Linnea smiles and says, "I didn't tell him to do it."
>The lamia blushes and fidgets even more.
>Linnea motions for me to come over to the video chat and gives me her adjustable headset.
I sit down next to her and wave into the camera, "Sup Arcelia."
>She puts both of her hands over her mouth and says, "Holy fuck you're hot. Shit I can still do this."
"Uhhhhh..."
>She blushes hard, making her ultra-pale skin turn a deep red. "Goddamn fucking shit I can't do this."
"Well, you've got the rifle. Just don't sell-"
>She grabs the computer monitor, shaking the camera, "ARE YOU INSANE?! I JUST WAS GIFTED THE. BEST. FUCKING. MEDIC. RIFLE. EVER. I'M KEEPING THIS FOREVER."
>She recomposes herself and lets go of the monitor, "A-and I had fun too." I can see her white scaled tail re-adjust behind her.
"Can I get a new name on the chat channel then?"
>She mumbles, "Yeah, rape bait isn't good enough for you." Something catches her attention, and she quickly looks to her right and frantically turns off the video chat.
>Linnea takes the headphones from me, "Her sister must have come home. Come on, let's go eat dinner."


>I shower and shave after taking care of the dishes for dinner, and get dressed back into the same clothes.
>I gently pull at the slightly stretched collar of my shirt before shrugging and heading back out.
>I open the slave quarters door to head back to Linnea's room and jump at the mistress's figure about to knock on the door.
>"Ah good, just who I was looking for."
"Oh no."
>She shakes her head, "No no, not like that. I did scold Linnea-"
"She did nothing wrong mistress-"
>"Excuse me?"
"I'm-"
>"Shut up and listen for a moment."
>She clears her throat and continues, "I scolded Linnea for not coming to me following the event with Merda."
>She hesitates momentarily, "But, she made it clear that you were hers, and that she can keep you in line."
>I smile at the thought of Linnea standing up for herself.
>The mistress takes a deep breath in and says, "Nonetheless, I must apologize for my response earlier."
>She silently looks down at me for a few moments.
I nod meekly, "Thank you."
>She sighs, "I talked with Renee about you as well. She said you and her were getting along fairly well, until you tried to hit her earlier today."
I groan, "It was supposed to be a high five."
>"A high five?"
"Yeah, you know. High five. Two people raise their hands and smack them together like a clap."
>"So you were trying to hit her?"
"No... It's like a celebration thing where I come from. Like, you tell someone good job and you both do a high five."
>She looks confused, "I don't think I understand. Where does the five come into play?"
"Five fingers... I'm not getting anywhere with this. Basically she came up with a great idea, and that's one way we'd celebrate it in my world."
>"That seems rather strange."
"I did apologize to her immediately as well, but I still going to make it up to her."
>"Good. Now, as for your sleeping arrangements, I bought a new bed, a new nightwear set, and two new sets of everyday wear for you. Everything is is Linnea's room."
"Thank you very much ma'am."
>She takes a deep breath in, "I'm surprised Linnea didn't put your collar on."
"She said she wanted-"
>"Me to take a look at the enchantment before she put it on you. Yes, I am aware."
>She smiles and shakes her head, "Sometimes I worry about her, and yet it's times like this that I'm proud of her."
"Why is that?"
>She holds up the collar's runestone, "Did she tell you about this rune?"
"She said it was an obedience rune or something."
>She continues, "Well, Linnea told me that it was the cheapest rune available at the shop, and it's probably an torture rune, but it looked screwed up."
I swallow hard, "Torture rune?"
>She smirks at me, "Exactly. A rune that tortures the being that disobeys its master."
"Is it one?"
>The mistress crushes the stone in her hand, "It is. Well, was. It was a faulty one as well."
>She continues, "I'm surprised she could tell what it was. I even had to send a picture to the State Runeology Department to verify it."
>She shakes her head and looks up, "She told me she doesn't want any obedience runes, and I can be even more proud about that."
"So... I'll have to wear the collar from now on?"
>The mistress chuckles, "If she puts it on you to go outside our walls, yes. Otherwise, I think she'll let you keep it off."
>"Once you have the collar, my more rambunctious daughters will be more hesitant to be around you."
>Linnea's voice comes from behind her mom, "So, mom... are you done talking to Anon?"
>The mistress turns to Linnea, "Yes I am dear. Were you here long?"
>Linnea shakes her head, "Not long. I just heard you say that you're proud of me. Twice."
>Linnea's mom is easily three feet taller than her daughter, and hugs her tight.
>"Of course I'm proud of you. I've always been proud of you."
>I smile at the scene. They embrace for a few more minutes before her mom breaks it.
>"Okay Linnea, it's time for bed. Have a good night darling."
>She steps out of my way and says, "And you as well Anon. Goodnight."
>Linnea leads me to her room, and shows me the new clothes laid out on a cot opposite of her bed.
>"These are the ones that my mom picked out for you, and... well, I wanted to make sure..." She blushes and mumbles the rest of it to herself.
"Linnea, what did I tell you about mumbling?"
>She looks away from me and says quietly, "I wanted to make sure you don't get jumped by anyone, so I marked these too."
"Thank you..." I pick up a set of clothes and can smell the same fragrance.
>When I turn around she's blushing furiously.
"What's wrong Linnea?"
>"N-nothing. Y-you can get dressed for bed in my closet okay?"
>I take the nightclothes and change into them in her closet. I see her slide into her bed, and mumble something.
"Hey Linnea?"
>She quickly looks my way, "Yes Anon?"
"You're mumbling again."
>She flicks the light off, hiding her blushing face. "Goodnight Anon."


>I wake up to a gentle and slowly increasing pressure right next to me.
I whisper, "Linnea, is that you?"
>She squeaks in shock right next to me, "Oh... uh... a-are you awake Anon?"
I chuckle, "Is everything okay Linnea?"
>She stops trying to fit into my small cot next to me and heads back to her bed.
>Linnea stops halfway to her bed and spins around to face me.
>She stomps her foot down and blurts out, "SLEEP IN MY BED ANON."
I slowly get out of bed and stand up, "You're being pretty forceful tonight."
>I can't see her face in the darkness, but I'm sure it's beet red.
>She stutters, "I-you... I'm... Can you please sleep in my bed Anon?"
I sigh, "What's wrong?"
>She sits on the edge of her bed, "I... can't sleep. I keep trying, but... I can't, I haven't slept yet."
I look over at the clock, "It's nearly 3am, and you haven't been able to sleep yet?"
>"No... Can you, would you... please..." She takes a deep breath in, "Please sleep in my bed Anon."
"Alright."
>She jumps off of her bed, "Really?"
"I've slept in your bed before Linnea."
>"I know, but... you didn't have any other choice before."
>I walk over and slide in the same position as the night before.
>She hurriedly gets in and lies facing me. She whispers, "Thank you."
>I reach out and pat her head, "Goodnight Linnea."


>I wake up on my back, and staring at the same bright ceiling.
>I can feel Linnea hugging my torso with her head resting on it, just like the night before.
>It brings a smile to my face as I silently lie there.
>Another half hour passes, and Linnea starts to stir.
"Morning sleepyhead."
>She looks up at me and says quietly, "Morning Anon."
>I rub her ears, "Did you sleep alright?"
>She nods and presses her face into my torso. Her muffled voice responds, "Mhm."
>I can feel her draw in a deep breath.
"Are you sniffing me?"
>She bolts up, "NO."
I grin, "You were."
>She looks away and I pet her head between her ears
"I've been meaning to tell you something too."
>She keeps looking away from me as I pet her head, "What's that..."
"The clothes you mark smell really nice."
>She jumps out of bed, "Igottagetreadykaybye."
>I laugh quietly as she darts into her closet. A moment later I see her pajamas fly onto my bed from the closet door.
>She steps out wearing what I can best describe as her sunday best.
>A long turquoise pleated skirt, and a simple green blouse to match
>"Does this look good together?"
I give her a thumbs up, "Looks good to me, albeit a little overdressed just for class. What's the occasion?"
>She looks excited, "WELL, today I have my presentation at school. It's almost the end of the semester, and I've been working on this for a long time."
"What's your presentation on?"
>"Well the class is about the history of the Monster Caste, but we were supposed to pick a specific part of our family's history and write an essay on it."
>She clears her throat, "And I started looking some things up and found that our lineage goes WAY back to some of the original rune carvers."
"Is that how you knew that the rune on the collar wasn't a good one?"
>She nods, "Yeah. Before Merda did... her thing, whenever I couldn't sleep, I'd look up runes or my mom's tattoo notes."
"Tattoo notes?"
>"Yeah. She's got tons of them. She's the government's lead tattoo artist. She literally wrote the textbook for the tattoo artisan's class."
"So she's kind of a big deal."
>The mistress calls out from the hallway, "Linnea, are you up yet?"
>Linnea answers loudly, "YES MOM. I just finished getting changed."
>The door opens, and she immediately spots me in Linnea's bed.
>She immediately starts fuming, and Linnea jumps in front of her, "RELAX MOM. I asked him to stay in my bed."
>That definitely wasn't what she needed to hear.
>"YOU DID WHAT?!" Linnea's mom puts both of her hands to her temples, "Okay, maybe it was too soon for you to have a slave of your own. Or I'll get you a female slave..."
>Linnea steps forward, "Stop freaking out. I didn't have sex with him, and he didn't try anything with me."
>The mistress grabs Linnea's shoulders, "But he's in your bed! What else would you two do?"
I respond sarcastically, "Well, sleep for one."
>Linnea looks at me, "Don't egg her on. I've got this okay?"
>She lifts her mom's furred hands off of her shoulders, "I have trouble sleeping mom."
>The mistress sighs, "I know you do dear, and we've tried meds-"
>Linnea shouts, "LISTEN TO ME FOR A JUST A SECOND OKAY?"
>She closes her eyes and mumbles to herself for a split second before saying, "The night Merda tried to rape him, I had him sleep in my bed with me."
>Linnea takes a deep breath and continues, "I slept better than I could ever remember with him there..."
>She briefly mumbles to herself again before snapping her eyes open and continuing, "And last night I couldn't sleep, and I have my big presentation today..."
>The mistress calms down slightly in the few moments of silence, "Linnea, continue."
>Linnea stomps her furred foot down, "So I asked him to sleep next to me again. And that's why he's there."
>She shakes her head and backs towards me, "And I'll ask him to sleep next to me again, and you're not going to stop him."
>Linnea turns and hugs me tight, "I'm not going to lose him."
>I instinctively hug her back. I can feel her tears soaking into my shirt, so I gently caress her head.
>The mistress takes a step back, unsure how to react to the affection her daughter is showing me, let alone the affection I'm reciprocating.
>After several awkward moments pass, the mistress silently walks out of the room.
>Linnea cries for a few more minutes into my shirt, while I continue caressing her head.
>A knock on the open doorframe brings both of our attention over.
>Ariah nervously stands in front of the mistress, and when she spots Linnea and I, she looks back towards the mistress.
>The mistress orders, "Ariah, separate Anon from Linnea-"
"Mistress-"
>Linnea steps in front of me, her ears flattened to her head, "Ariah, if you so much as touch him, I'll take you down."
>Ariah looks over her shoulder at the mistress, then back at Linnea, unsure how to approach her.
>The mistress steps in front of Ariah, talking directly to Linnea, "Remember that he's a slave Linnea. A human slave."
>Linnea takes a step forward towards her mom, "I know."
>The mistress continues, "He's an unbroken, human slave. Without any obedience tattoos, I might add."
>Linnea looks slightly confused, "I know that."
>The mistress nods, "Good. So you know that you're most vulnerable while you're sleeping? That he could easily overpower you while you sleep, correct?"
>Linnea looks shocked, "He wouldn't-"
>Her mom eyes her, "How would you know? He's only been with us for two weeks. You have no clue what his true character is like."
>Linnea's flattened ears slowly regain their normal height. She hesitantly says, "He wouldn't hurt me mom."
>"You don't know for sure darling."
>Linnea's tail curls around her leg submissively.
>"It might be a good idea to get rid-"
>Linnea stomps her foot down, "No. You are not getting rid of Anon. He's mine, not yours, or any of the others. You gave him to me."
>Linnea's mom sighs, "You are awfully attached to him, aren't you?"
>When her daughter doesn't respond, she continues, "Very well. But I will be taking care of his clothing and living arrangements for now."
>"BUT-"
>The mistress cuts her off, "No buts. I am taking care of them. Once I can truthfully determine his character..."
>She pauses briefly, "and depending on the outcome, I might allow you to have complete control over him again."
>Linnea walks over to her backpack and takes out the fluorescent green collar, "Can I put this on him before you take him?"
>Linnea's mom nods and her daughter rushes over to me. I hesitantly bend down so she can clasp it around my neck.
>She whispers to me, "Be good Anon... I'll see you when I get out of class."
"I will, Linnea."
>She gives me a sad smile.


>I'm almost done with my morning chores, and attempt to make some small talk with Renee while drying the dishes.
"I'd really like to show you how to high five."
>She responds from the pantry, "There's no way in the seven hells I'd willingly let you hit me."
"How about a low five? That's where I hold out my hand and you slap it with yours."
>"What is wrong with you? Why do you want to do this five thing anyways?"
"I just really want you to know that I wasn't trying to hurt you."
>"Well drop it, okay?"
"What kind of food do you like?"
>She sighs, "Just leave me alone for now, okay?"
>I finish drying the dishes, and quickly put them away.
"I'll see you around then."
>She continues taking stock of the pantry, so I head up to the greenhouse to clear my head after this morning's debacle.
>I arrive at the vine chairs and spot the nearby door wide open. Inside it looks like a full blown jungle.
>Curiosity gets the best of me and I poke my head in. The humidity and temperature both mimic a tropical jungle.
>Along the nearby wall, light pokes through the canopy of leaves and vines, letting sunlight land on a long planter.
>Several exotic flowering plants line the planter, including some that seem quite alien in appearance.
I walk closer to them, saying to myself, "I've never seen flowers like this."
>I cautiously look at the leaves of the nearest exotic flower, blocking a bit of light from its lower leaves.
>The flower twists back into the light before my eyes.
I apologize and take a step back, "Oh, sorry little one. I didn't mean to block your light."
>I examine each of the flowers in the planter, without blocking any of their light.
>Slowly I head further into the jungle greenhouse, stopping to look at the various spots of light that land specifically on flowering planters.
When I reach the end of the greenhouse I say to myself, "I've never seen so many beautiful flowers..."
>I turn to leave and nearly smack into someone's face.
>I step back quickly and start to apologize, "Sor-uhhhh um..."
>The nearly nude plant girl silently leans towards me with a big grin.
"Miss? Uh, you're making me nervous."
>She keeps grinning at me.
"Could you at least put some more..." As soon as I look at her 'clothes' and realize that they're just leaves that grow out of her body to cover specific areas.
>My back hits the wall, and I look to my left and right. Small vines and tendrils seem to magically grow up the wall and inch closer to me.
>Before the vines can reach me, I duck under her and quickly make my way back to the exit.
>She seemingly materializes out of the thick vines next to the door and blocks my exit.
>The plant woman grins again and looks down at my feet, and slowly scans my entire body.
"Would you please let me through miss?"
>Her cheeks turn a slightly darker shade of green as she looks me in my eyes.
>She plays with her vine-like hair.
"If you're not going to let me through, can you at least talk to me?"
>She pouts and shakes her head.
>I notice a light powder floating off of the vines that make up her hair.
I pat her head, "You might need to clean your hair. You've got powder in it."
>Her hair vines quickly attach themselves to my hand. Small yellow flowers sprout on the vines wrapped around my fingers.
>I gently tug at my hand as they wrap tighter around my fingers and she turns a darker shade of green.
I sigh and flick her forehead with my free hand, "Stop it."
>She jumps and says at me, barely louder than a whisper, "What was that for?"
"Quit trying to trap me in here."
>Her hair vines wrap tighter around my hand, "I don't wanna let you leave."
"The more you try to force me to stay, the more I want to fight to leave."
>She smiles at me, "But I've got your hand right now, so you're stuck here with me."
>I flick her forehead again.
>She pouts at me, "Don't do that."
"Would you rather I tore through your hair vines to get out?"
>Her hair vines slowly untangle themselves from me and she looks away from me.
"Thank you. Now what's your name?"
>She steps back towards the thick vine near the exit.
"I'm asking you a question miss."
As she steps back into the vine I gently grab her elbow, "My name's Anon, what's yours?"
>She looks back at me with disgust, "Why should I tell you? You're obviously not affected by my pollen, and you're not going to come back here again."
"Why are you being difficult?"
>Her visage darkens as she shakes off my hand, "Look, you pissed me off for not being affected by my pollen, and you didn't want to stay here with me."
"Does anyone like being forced to stay someplace against their will?"
>She pushes me back a step, "Just go. I'm letting you live because you complimented my flowers and let them get their light, okay? Don't push your luck."
"Sorry for pissing you off. It wasn't my intention."
>She quickly melds with the vine, leaving me alone.
I step to the exit and say loudly, "Your flowers really are some of the most beautiful that I've ever seen. Just so you know."
>I go to leave the the rooftop garden and meet Ariah carrying a box.
"Hey Ariah-"
>She drops the box and grabs my shoulders.
"Uh, are you going to try to do what the plant girl tried?"
>She grabs my face and looks closely at my eyes before heaving out a sigh.
"Something wrong?"
>She dusts off my shoulders and makes a few hand movements that look similar to spraying water.
"I should wash off? Is her pollen that big of a problem?"
>She nods frantically and makes a circular motion on the side of her head.
"So it makes people crazy or something?"
>She nods yes and shakes her head no.
"Yes and no then. Basically it affects people's heads, and makes them different."
>She nods and points to a hose a short distance away, then back to me.
"Rinse off here?"
>She picks up the box again and nods, before heading towards the plant girl's isolated part of the greenhouse.
>I strip down to my underwear and shake out my clothes before testing the water on my hand.
"Fuck that's cold."
>I quickly spray down, and end up shivering right away.


>"Well, well, well... So Midge's slave is immune to mom's pet. Impressive. Very impressive."
I look behind me, "Who's there?"
>Her voice whispers into my ear, "Wrong direction."
>I bolt upright and back away from her.
>The casually underdressed wolf girl holds both of her hands up defensively, "Easy there. I'm not up to some roughhousing right now."
"Oh really?"
>She scoffs at me, "Besides, I'd never rape a human." She turns up her nose at me, "Unlike my siblings, I wouldn't touch anything less than a demi-human."
"So what do you want..."
>She paces around me, "I am simply trying to figure out why Midge seems to enjoy your company."
I shiver and look for my clothes, "Well..."
>She smirks at me, "Looking for your clothes? Don't worry, I disposed of them for you. You should thank me for that."
"Why would I thank you?"
>Her grin grows, "Well now, I thought you DIDN'T want to get raped. Or maybe I can-"
"Thank you then."
>Her grin immediately disappears, "Don't interrupt when a higher being is talking."
"Sorry. So what's your name?"
>She glares at me, "You will never know-"
>"Tatiana, leave Anon alone." The mistress walks towards us.
>Tatiana's glare focuses on her mother, "Why would you give a slave, let alone anything less than a demi-human my name?"
>Her mother ignores her daughter and walks over to me.
>She hands me a fresh set of clothes, "If you don't come prepared into Kitrinantha's home, do not come up at all."
"I'm sorry. Who's Kitrin-uh Kitrinann-"
>The mistress says it again, "Kit-rin-an-tha. The dryad living in the sectioned off area of the greenhouse."
>She thinks briefly then mentions, "I guess she's not really a full dryad, but classifying her as anything else seems rather silly."
"Dryad?"
>Tatiana scoffs at me, "How did you survive in the forest without knowing what a dryad is?"
>The mistress states, "Tatiana, your ride will be here in a half hour. Please change into something more appropriate for your internship and wait in the foyer."
>Tatiana opens her mouth to say something and her mother states, "No buts. You should be above that."
>She bows her head, "Understood mother." She hurriedly exits the roof, leaving the mistress alone with me in my underwear.
"Uh... thanks for that." I lift up the clothes, "And these too."
>She turns around, letting me get dressed in semi-privacy while she talks, "A dryad is a female being that lives close to their tree for their entire life."
>"Unlike a dryad, however, Kitrinantha's original birth tree was set ablaze during the human war on demis. Where most dryads would die when their host tree dies, she lived on."
>"I remember when I first got the call to subdue her."
>I finish getting dressed and look towards her as she reminisces. "She's special, and I think of her like my own daughter."
"Uh, if it's okay to ask, Linnea had told me a bit about Ariah."
>The mistress focuses her gaze on me, "Did she now? What did she say?"
"She didn't really tell me much. I'm just, well, curious as to how Ariah became a slave. Your slave."
>The mistress looks towards Kitrinantha's room, "I apologize Anon. Unless Ariah explicitly allows me to share the circumstances with you, I can't tell you a word."
I nod in understanding, "It's okay. I just figured I'd ask you first."
>She sighs, "Knowing how you've treated her and Linnea, she might let you know if you ask her directly."
>She quickly adds, "She is sensitive about the matter as well, so if you do end up asking her, do be nice about it."
"Understood ma'am. If you'll excuse me, I should get started on the laundry."
>She nods, "Very well."


>I've gotten into the routine of doing some of the whole house's laundry each day, leaving me with very little every time I use the washer.
>This time, I've only got the one load, and it's already in the washing machine.
>As I'm about to leave, the mistress blocks my exit, "Done already?"
"Well, there's just the one load in the washer for right now, so I was just going to wander around the mansion for a bit."
>She folds her arms, "Care to walk the grounds with me then?"
"The grounds? Like outside of the mansion?"
>She stifles a laugh, "Where else? But I won't take you outside the walls without Linnea. I'm positive that she wants to be the first to take you outside as her own."
>We make our way to the foyer and out the front door. Compared to the open area on the roof of the house, the air behind the walls seems stale.
>She sighs, "It's not the same as on the roof or greenhouses..."
I shake my head, "No it isn't. It seems stale."
>She nods in agreement, "Stale, that's the word." Her smile slowly disappears, and she starts walking around the mansion.
>I follow a few steps behind her.
>She asks me, "Do I have to be the one to make all of the conversation?"
I apologize with a smile, "Sorry, I didn't know you wanted conversation. Um... Linnea mentioned that you altered and disabled most of Renee's tattoos. Why did you do that?"
>She eyes me, "I might have to have a talk to Linnea about sharing that." She sighs, "You seem quite curious about my two helpers."
"Well, I asked Renee about why she's so scared of me."
>"Did you now? I'd guess that she didn't say anything."
I laugh, "Actually no, she told me everything about the human slavers that owned her prior to you."
>The mistress stops mid step and looks at me.
"What?"
>"She just told you? Was this before or after you tried to hit her?"
I groan, "I didn't try to hit her! That's a misunderstanding! But it was before the high five incident."
>She states, "I don't think she's ever told a fellow slave her story."
I say, "Well, she did tell me. And she told me that you saved her from that hell."
>She nods silently and resumes walking around the grounds.
"What made you want her?"
>She says quietly, "I don't know. When I saw her, I just had to buy her. Something about the fear on her face, and the dirty clothes... I knew I could give her a better life."
"Linnea said you altered her tattoos."
>"And we're back at this subject."
"You didn't give me an answer before."
>She sighs, "You're right. Okay, fine what did you want to know about tattoos?"
"What? No. Why did you alter Renee's tattoos?"
>She raises an eyebrow at me, "You're not wondering how tattoos work, or want to learn how to make them?"
"Why should I? I'm not good enough with my hands to tattoo something. I can barely draw."
>"Okay, fine. I disabled most of Renee's tattoos because several of them conflicted with each other. It caused her an incredible amount of pain and mental anguish."
"Wow."
>"Unfortunately she was branded as well, which is something that we can't alter or disable."
"That's horrifying..."
>"You seem to have a better grasp on how bad she was treated under their care."
>She smiles, "Still, she disobeyed me for the first time with you."
"I'm sorry, what?"
>She looks down at me, "Remember when you and I were in the dining room?"
"I'm never going to forget that."
>She nods, "Good." Her gaze travels north, towards a small overgrown fenced in area.
"Are those graves?"
>She nods solemnly and starts walking towards them, "Yes. Come with me."
>I nervously follow her and stop at the entrance to the graveyard.
>She motions for me to come in, "This is my family graveyard."
"I, uh see..."
>She stops at one of the larger headstones and pats it, "I lost a few loved ones in the human demi war. Two brothers, a sister, and my husband."
>She takes in a deep breath, "My pups, my... girls, never knew their father..."
"I'm so sorry."
>"It's in the past Anon. I just want to apologize for how my girls treat men in general. Since they never had a father figure..."
"It's okay ma'am."
>She heaves out a sigh and looks at the tombstone, "The other reason I brought you out here, is because you need to know that I will not lose-"
"I will never hurt Linnea or any of your daughters. Hell, I can't even imagine it."
>She angrily takes one stride over to me, and glares at me.
I quickly say, "I would never hurt anyone under your care, ma'am. I'm not like the humans in your world."
>She waves me away, "Go inside anon."

>I finish the laundry for the day, and meet Renee in the servant's corridor.
"Hey Renee, do you have a second?"
>She nods and takes a half step away from me, "What do you need?"
"I had a talk with the mistress, and it came up that you disobeyed her for the first time when you defended me."
>She winces and nods, "I-I did..."
I quickly take two steps towards her and give her a hug, "Thank you."
>She quickly fumbles with her words, and I release her from the hug and quickly take a couple steps back.
>"W-w-w-w-w-w....b-wha- but-"
"Next, I was wondering if you knew where I could find some way to tidy up the graveyard down on the grounds."
>She covers her eyes and continues blubbering nonsense.
"Do you know where to find some shears?"
>She stifles a cry and nods, "I-I do."
"Wait, do you have to obey me when I say a command?"
>She whimpers and nods painfully.
"Oh my god." She begins panicking.
I think on the spot, "I order you to always ignore my commands unless you want to do them."
>She looks fearfully at me, "W-what?"
"I order you to always ignore my commands unless you want to do them."
>She slowly repeats, "Always ignore your commands, unless I want to do them."
"That's right. Always ignore my commands unless you want to do them."
>She repeats it again to herself, "Always ignore your commands unless I want to do them..."
"So..."
>She winces briefly before forcing out, "Order me to do something."
"Tell me where the shears are."
>She winces and says quietly, "N-n-n-n-no."
>After a few silent moments her eyes snap open and she looks at me somewhat crazily.
"Are... you okay?"
>She slaps me and shouts, "THAT'S FOR TOUCHING ME!"
I nod, "Okay, I deserved that."
>She hesitates, "But..." She gingerly reaches out and hesitatingly pats my shoulder, "You're... okay. I'll bring you the shears. Stay put okay?"
>I'm left waiting in the servant's corridor for no more than a couple minutes and hands me the shears, "I'm sure the mistress would approve."
>I head back outside and to the graveyard. I begin shearing most of the overgrown weeds, leaving the flowers as best as I can.
>I spend the rest of my afternoon making the graveyard look as good as it can.
>I take a few steps back and stand at the gated entrance to the graveyard and smile at my handiwork.
>I slide the handle of the shears into my pants and hurriedly make my way to the front of the mansion..
>I hear a car door slam as I round the corner to the entrance. I can see Linnea walking towards the mansion, so I hurry to her side.
"How was the presentation Linnea?"
>She jumps, "A-anon? What're you doing outside?"
"I was just trimming the weeds in the graveyard."
>She nods, "Oh... okay." She quickly beams, "Oh my presentation was perfect! I even got extra credit for the additional research that I did!"
>I give her a half-hug, "Nice work Linnea!"
>The SUV's passenger door opens and closes behind us.
>In a split second I'm face down in the dirt, "You're going to fry for this slave."
>Linnea screams at the figure on top of me.
I cough out some dirt, "WHAT DID I DO?!"
>A scaled hand pulls the shears out from my pants and shows them to me.
>Linnea steps out of my vision and I hear a SMACK.
>She says, "Get the fuck off of him. He wasn't going to do anything with them."
>She snake-man states, "But-"
>Linnea slaps him again, "GET. THE. FUCK. OFF."
>I quickly feel the snake man slither off of me.
"Thanks." I start to push myself up when Linnea's hand drops into the center of my view.
>I grab it and she easily helps me up. "Sorry bout that Anon. Mom's lackeys are really protective."
"Don't worry about it, I get it."
>Linnea smiles, "So after you put the shears back, meet me in the Foyer. My mom said that we can go shopping with Ariah today."


"Wow..." I say as we get out of the SUV.
>Linnea asks, "What, haven't seen a shopping mall before?"
>I gesture to a storefront with doors unreachable to anyone other than a lamia.
"Is that normal? They're specifically making it so that people can't get in their store."
>She looks over at the storefront, "Well, yeah. It's Lamia Leisure. It's a spa for Lamias."
"Oh." I quickly notice several collars on all types of demi-humans, male and female alike. "And, uh... everyone with a collar is a slave?"
>She nods, "Or an indentured servant. The Slave Auction is the only legal place to get a true slave, and they only come by every three months."
>Ariah gets out of the other side of the SUV and snaps her fingers at Linnea.
>Linnea takes my wrist and says to her, "Yeah, yeah, we'll be back in a half hour."
>She quickly leads me through the crowd, and I quickly realize that there are very few humans in this region.
>Heads turn and people whisper when we pass. Linnea seems proud at all the heads that we're turning.
"Uh Linnea?"
>She says quietly to me, knowing exactly what I was going to ask, "Don't worry about the stares. They're just fascinated because there aren't many humans here."
>Linnea takes me inside one of the stores and the cat-eared cashier says, "Welcome to Heads and Tails... Wow I haven't seen a human up close before!"
>Linnea smiles and walks to the counter to chat with the cashier, leaving me standing in front of the first aisle.
"Uh, Linnea? Is there anything you want me to do?"
>The cashier glances over Linnea's shoulder at me, "You let your slave call you by your first name?"
>Linnea waves it off, "If you knew him Chelsea, you would too."
>She turns to me, "Human section is in the back. You can try on some clothes back there, and when you find some, shout for me."
"Uh, okay..." I head to the back of the store, and easily find the human clothes section. Several heads turn when they see me alone in the back.
>Someone taps my shoulder, "Excuse me."
I turn and face the bunny-girl, "Can I help you?"
>She blinks and says, "I knew it was you! You were the same one that the silent Anubis bought for that mansion!"
"Yes? What of it?"
>She claps happily and says, "Just, stay here in H & T, kay? I've gotta get my sisters real quick." She quickly darts out of the section and apparently out of the store.
"What just happened?"
>I spend a few more minutes looking through the human clothes, and end up shrugging and making my way back to the front of the store.
>Linnea is still chatting with Chelsea as she rings up customers.
>She nods, "Didn't find anything you liked?"
"It's not that, I just feel like I have enough clothes for now. You've gotten me clothes before right?"
>She nods, "Yeah, but I'm not sure if you like them or not."
"You're good at picking them out. I'll just take what you get me."
>Chelsea whistles at me, "If only my man was like that. He's a stickler for clothes though..."
>Suddenly twelve bunny-girls crowd into the store.
>Chelsea quickly greets them, "Welcome to Heads and Tails, for all your clothing needs!"
>The same bunny-girl that I met earlier points at me, "SEE, IT'S HIM."
>Chelsea asks me, "What's going on?"
"Hell if I know."
>The bunny-girls crowd around me before groaning and taking out their purses and paying the first one.
>Chelsea asks, "Hey Yuun, what's going on?"
>The bunny-girl that I met earlier, Yuun grins, "We were at the slave auction when that silent Anubis bought him. They all bet that he'd croak in under two weeks."
>The cashier asks, "And you be more than that?"
>Yuun nods, "Yep. I bet that he'd survive." She quickly counts all of the bills from all of her groaning sisters.
>The sliding doors open and a gunshot goes off, hitting the ceiling. "EVERYBODY DOWN. NOW."
>Everyone drops to the floor. I feel a pat on my head, "Cept you. You're good."
>I slowly look up at the jacketed, over clothed figure.
"Why me?"
>He carefully removes his sunglasses with his clenched left hand, "You shittin me? We're both humans. And I'm either going to get you outta here, or blow this place to hell and back."
>With his gun hand he opens his baggy jacket.
"Suicide bomber."
>He grins, "It's the only way to come out unscathed." He shrugs off his jacket carefully, without using his left hand.
>He addresses all of the demi-humans, "Thanks to you girls, you get to be my hostages. If anyone makes a break for the door, I'll put a bullet in your head. Got it?"
>No answer.
>He cackles, "Wrong fucking answer. I'll give you all three seconds to answer, otherwise I'll just blow this shithole. Do. You. Understand?"
>Everyone responds in their own way, "Yes." "Understood." "Yeah."
>He smiles and nods, "Good. Good." He points to me, "Who's the owner of this man?" He waves the gun around, "Someone put a collar on him. I just want to know who~"
>Linnea slowly raises her hand and he strides over to her, lifting her up. "Oh, look at this little lady. It's like she knows how this works! Do ya know why I asked who owns him?"
>Linnea shakes her head fearfully, "No sir."
>He cackles maniacally, "You're polite goddammit. Fuck it. I actually might not kill you. See, I asked who owns him, because when I first saw him, he looked beat to shit."
>He taps the barrel of the gun on Linnea's head, "So you were the one that made sure he was okay, right?"
>She nods fearfully and he lifts the gun away from her head, "Little submissive bitch here... Lay the fuck back down."
>She hurriedly lays face first on the floor and an Oni wearing a security guard's uniform walks in front door.
>He half-opens his left hand to show the Oni the dead man's switch, "If you think about killing me, you're all screwed. Now get the fuck out."
>She puts both of her hands up and walks backwards out of the store.
>The man starts laughing then marches over to the cowering Chelsea, "So cat bitch just HAD to press the silent alarm, eh? Stand up. Now."
>Chelsea hesitatingly rises to her feet, and he pistol whips her, "The fuck did I say bitch?! I told you to stand. Next time, don't fucking hesitate! NOW STAND."
>She stands up instantly and he motions for her to walk around to the door.
>A string of thoughts race through my head, none of them good. He walks past me, holding the gun at her, and I kick him in the groin as hard as I can, and throw myself onto his left hand.
>I pull the dead-man's switch from his hand and keep it pressed as Linnea tackles the nutjob.
>The next thing I know, the security guard oni is tying him up, while keeping a furious Linnea under her foot to keep her from killing him.
>My hand holding the dead man's switch shakes.
"Oh god."
>Another Oni approaches me slowly, "Take it easy. Just slowly hand it to me. Don't lift your finger off of the button."
>I simply freeze and let her take it from me. She pats my head, "Good... no. You've done something great today. Who's your master?"
I shakily point to the short and furiously thrashing wolf girl under her partner's foot, "L-linnea."
>Chelsea throws herself at me, tackling me with a hug, "OH MY GODS THANK YOU."
"I think I'm going to puke."
>Chelsea quickly gets off of me and I turn and retch onto the floor.


>An hour later, and I'm sitting in a interrogation room.
>I've already given my statement, and right now, I don't know why I'm still being held.
>I hear voices outside the room, "Ma'am, you can't just waltz in here-"
>The mistress opens the door, "Actually, I can. Anon, follow me."
>I get up out of the chair, and follow her out of the room. A nervous Kobold follows us and continues to list reason why she can't take me, or be back in the interrogation rooms.
>The mistress states dryly, "Officer Jorah, I'm well aware of your position as a junior staffer here, but you're forgetting something."
>She opens her jacket, and shows her a badge, "I'm far more than qualified to take any prisoner out of any jurisdiction at whatever whims I have."
>The kobold freezes and bows, letting us leave the police department.
>The mistress escorts us to her SUV, where Ariah opens the passenger door for me.
"Thanks."
>I barely make it inside when Linnea starts hugging me tight. Ariah pushes us all the way inside and shuts the door.
>Linnea buries her face into my shirt and mumbles.
I hug her back and pat her head, "Take it easy, we're safe now."
>She cries harder, and Ariah starts driving us away.
>The mistress says to us, "That was an ordeal that I never expected."
"How could anyone expect it?"
>"True. Linnea stop bawling."
>Linnea just hugs me tighter.
>The mistress continues, "No matter how you look at it, you're a hero, Anon."
"I..."
>Linnea says into my chest, "You're my hero Anon."
I kiss her forehead, "It was a team effort."
>She continues to sob into my shirt.
>The mistress clears her throat, "Yes, well... you were given the opportunity to be a free man, and instead chose to stay and save others."
"What are you getting at?"
>She turns and looks at me, "Why?"
"Why what?"
>She looks confused at me, "Why what? Why did you willingly give up a chance at freedom?"
"People were going to die. That wasn't worth any freedom." I gently ruffle Linnea's hair, "Besides, I think I'm pretty free right now."
>The mistress shakes her head, "Fucking hell..."
"I'm sorry?"
>The mistress quickly apologizes, "No Anon, I'm sorry. I've treated you poorly-"
"What's your name?"
>She looks me in the eyes, "My name's Irina."
"Pleasure to meet you Irina."
>She smiles, "You too Anon."
>Ariah brings the car to a stop outside a large stone building.
"This isn't the mansion."
>Linnea clings to me tighter.
>Irina gets out of the car, "Correct Anon. This is the Registry department."
"Registry department? What's that?"
>"I'm making you a free man."
>I look down at the wolf girl crying into my shirt.
I ask her, "Are you okay with this Linnea?"
>She bawls again and clutches me tighter.
I ask Linnea, "What's the problem?"
>Linnea sniffles, "You... You-you're gonna be... gonna be free Anon. You deserve it." She removes my collar and puts it in her pocket.
"I don't know what to say..."
>Ariah exits and opens my door.
>Linnea half pushes me out the door, "Now you can be happy..."
>Irina steps out and escorts me into the building.


>A young manticore receptionist sits behind a desk, reading a magazine.
>Irina clears her throat, hoping to get the manticore's attention.
>The manticore doesn't look up from her magazine, "Welcome to the Registry Department, please deposit all papers in the box and your new slave will be registered in five business days."
>Irina slams both of her furred hands onto the desk, "I am freeing a slave, not registering one."
>The manticore looks up from the magazine, "Oh shit. Uh... You're freeing a slave?" She opens a cabinet and rifles through several forms.
>She shouts into the back room, "HEY AKATSUKI, THERE'S A PROBLEM!"
>A short multi-tailed fox woman opens the back room, "What's the problem? Did you lose the slave registry forms again?"
>The manticore points at Irina, "Nah, she wants to free a slave."
>Irina smiles and waves, "It's been awhile Akatsuki. I didn't know that you switched departments."
>Akatsuki waves the manticore away, "Take a break Renata..." Once the manticore is out of earshot she says quietly to herself, "As if you've ever worked before."
>Irina pats my back, "This is the slave that Ariah had gotten for Linnea."
>Akatsuki steps around the desk, "You've had him for like three weeks then?"
>Irina nods. Seeing the huge difference in height between the two makes me feel awkward.
>Akatsuki asks me, "So what tattoos are you registering?"
"Uh... none?"
>Akatsuki stands up on her tiptoes, attempting to look me in the eyes, "None? You *were* a slave right?"
>Irina states, "None."
>Akatsuki claps, "Well that makes it ten times easier." She pulls a form out of the bottom of the cabinet and hands it to Irina, "All you need to do is fill this out."
>Irina asks, "Do you have anything in human language? He can read and write."
>Akatsuki scoffs, "Do I have... Please, I have EVERYTHING here." She takes the form back and pulls another form out from the back of the cabinet.
>She hands it to me, "I think you're the first one to use the english one." She gestures to a table with writing utensils, and I quickly fill out all I can.
I see one more field and state, "Um, I think I need Linnea."
>Akatsuki asks, "Was she listed as your owner?"
>Irina says, "Ah yes, I'll get her."
>Akatsuki waits for her to leave, "So, you're Anon, right?"
"Yeah."
>She chuckles, "It's rare that anyone frees slaves. Rarer still are those without tattoos."
"I wasn't born a slave, if that's what you're wondering."
>Akatsuki clicks her tongue, "So how did you end up a slave?"
"I'm not from this world. I went camping in the mountains near my hometown, and had to take a piss. Unfortunately, I lost my footing and fell down the mountain once I finished"
>Irina brings her daughter inside.
"During the fall, I collided with a tree. When I woke up, I was in a cell in this world."
>I look over at Linnea's bloodshot eyes.
"Linnea..."
>She rubs a tear off of her cheek, "I'm okay Anon..."
>Irina takes the form from me and hands it to Linnea to sign.
>She quickly signs it, and drops it on the floor. "Now you're free..." She hurriedly runs back outside.
>Akatsuki picks up the form from the floor, "I'll process this real quick, and I'll get you your temporary passport."
>A thought pops into my head.
"Hey... uh..."
>Irina asks, "Yes Anon?"
"C-could I ask for a favor?"
>"Go ahead."
"I..." I sigh, "Can I..."
>"You can stay with us until you get your bearings."
"Thanks, but... ugh. That's not what I was going to ask. And it makes the actual question harder." I swallow hard, "Can I ask Linnea out?"
>Akatsuki walks back out, "Now that's something you don't hear every day. One last thing, and then you can go. All I need is a picture..."
>Irina smiles and stands silently as I get my picture taken.
>Akatsuki hands me a small laminated card, "There you are." She whispers to me, "Good luck."
"Thanks."
>I lead the way back out to the SUV.
>The only thing I can see, is Ariah is comforting Linnea.
I rush over and clear my throat, "Linnea, can I have a word?"
>Linnea clears her throat while refusing to look at me, "What do you want..."
"Would you go out with me?"
>She sniffles and looks at me, "W-what?"
"If you don't like me that way-"
>She lets go of Ariah, "No, what did you ask?"
"Would you go out with me?"
>She hesitantly looks over at Irina, "Mom?"
>Her mother opens the passenger door, "It's up to you darling."
>Linnea launches herself at me nearly tipping me over.
I hug her tight, and she mumbles something into my chest.
"Mumbling again?"
>She says into my chest, "Shut up... I'm embarrassed."
I rub her ear, "So... am I officially your boyfriend?"
>She pushes my hand off of her ear and I see her crying again.
"Linnea, are you okay?"
>I tip my head down and kiss her on the lips.
"Better?"
>She nods, with tears still in her eyes, "Thank you."

<Mikaela & Sylvia both stare at me, waiting for me to finish.
I grin, "And that's how your mother and I got together."
<Sylvia pouts, "But... it was just getting to the good part."
<Mikaela agrees, "Yeah, when did you get married?"
I tap both of them on their noses, "That's a story for another time."
<They glance at each other then give me their best puppy dog eyes that they can muster.
It brings a happy tear to my eyes, "Sorry girls, your mom's puppy dog eyes are the only ones that work on me."
I pat both of their heads, "Besides, you two know the outcome right?"
<They shake their heads, hoping for another story.
I kiss each of them on their foreheads, "Nice try. I got two wonderful daughters and a perfect wife that I wouldn't trade for anything, okay? Remember that."