Miyoko trailed after Ashling wrapped in a thin blanket. Her fingers absently brushed the cold steel around her throat, gently tracing her "master's" name. It was only temporary, of course. Ghost had worn many different outfits and names, slave would just be the last. Steel collars were troublesome to remove, but any problem could be solved for a price.
“That one.” Ashling pointed to a simple wagon on the roadside. Its driver stood at the front, tossing cockroaches one at a time into the eager jaws of an unbridled mud drake. “I need to sort out payment with our driver. Why don't you hop in the back and introduce yourself to Khukri?”
Khukri, huh? So, this was the ‘Whip’ who decided whether or not the leg braces came off? With a determined nod, Miyoko approached the wagon and pushed the curtain aside. Excited blue eyes stared back, accented with a hungry smile. Wolf.
Harsh metal pressed into the back of Miyoko's thighs as the braces ruined her sudden retreat, making her stumble and grab the wagon for support.
“You’re Master’s new girl?” The eerie smile vanished as the wolf crept forward, holding out out a hand, it's two claws protruding from the armoured gloves.
Miyoko's heart hammered against her ribs as the hand loomed, her mouth running dry. Calm down, she scolded with clenched teeth. If it was as dangerous as the Prides pretended, there was no way it would be here alone. She, bloody corruption, not it. The wolf was just a woman, a slave, even. At some point she'd been unrestrained in the woods with Ashling and the driver, and hadn't killed them.
“Yes, I’m Miyoko,” she said, clenching the wagon tightly to hide the trembling. “You’re Khukri? Ashling’s Whip?”
“Master’s Whip,” Khukri corrected, pushing her hand another foot closer. “Those look... unpleasant. Let me help you up?”
Right. Right. She actually needed to get in the box with the totally normal woman who wasn't going to eat her, didn’t she? “C-can you just grab that blanket before it slips?” Miyoko raised her shoulders, desperately balancing the weight on her back as she clung to the wagon.
Khukri drew close with a nod. “Relax, I’m not going to hurt you." Her hands swept around either side of Miyoko's head, gripping the fabric and fanning it out to shield her from prying eyes as she climbed inside and scrambled to the back of the wagon. Those piercing blue eyes stared through Miyoko as the larger woman engulfed her in shadow, then twitched slightly as the wolf gave a displeased grunt. "Here."
"Thanks." Miyoko took the offered blanket and wrapped herself as Khukri took the seat across from her.
The wagon dipped as Ashling pulled himself into the cart, gaze nervously shifting between them. Any lingering chance the Prides were honest about the danger wolves posed evaporated as the monk rubbed up against Khukri, lowered her hood, and scratched playfully behind her ears. “Sorry I left you here so long,” he mumbled, rubbing their muzzles together. “Were you worried?”
“Of course not, Master.” Khukri preened in his hands, eyes closing. “I’m glad you found one you liked.”
Ashling turned toward Miyoko, then coughed and retracted his hands. “Right! Khukri, I want you to give Miyoko some time to settle in and get used to her new home. Be nice, understand?”
“Yes, Master. There's no hurry, we'll go slow." Khukri smiled and folded her tail onto her lap, turning her full attention back to Miyoko. "Did you grow up in the Azure Syndicate, or were you farm raised?”
Miyoko opened her mouth, rapidly working out a lie, but stopped after realizing it wouldn’t matter. Should she succeed, they’d never see her again, and should she fail, death. “Actually, I grew up in the Tsu Empire.”
“Tsu Empire?” Khukri mumbled, doubt evident. “Aren't the Prides the only ones allowed to leave?”
“Oh!” Ashling’s eyes lit up. “Did you come over during the Han revolution?” When Miyoko nodded, he continued, immediately shattering his illusion of insight. “I thought cats lived in the Tsu Empire, though.”
“Do you not know what an empire is?” Miyoko asked.
Ashling scoffed, shaking his head. “Oh, of course I do! I’ve just never visited one because of the closed border. How was it? Growing up in the Tsu Empire?”
A small, strained smile touched Miyoko’s lips as a distant look took her. “Uh, for rabbits? Not... not great...”
* * *
Tess groaned. Resting her head was a bit of a balancing act. The left side of her face was more bruised and swollen; most of the repercussion officers were right-handed, after all. So, naturally, she wanted to lay with the right-side down. The trouble was, favouring one side for hours caused her neck to ache.
Two links of the chain wrapped around her neck pinched her skin, extracting a pained grunt. Damn it. Was the State so petty it removed links each time they did this? She wouldn’t put it past them... though, admittedly, she probably wasn’t worth the effort. Instinctively, Tess reached up, but her hands stopped short when the ones around her wrists went taught.
With a deep breath, Tess sat back in the chair. Ignore the pain, relax... the links untangled and worked their way from her loose from her fur, falling back to her collarbone. Maybe she’d just stay up for a bit. The sunbeam streaming through the barred windows rested on her now, so it had to be past noon. Since, legally, they couldn’t correct her behavior for more than three days, she'd be free by the time that sun went down.
The cool cobblestone walls and dirt floor was a pleasant change, but three days in a nice box was still three days in a box, and Tess was ready to pass out in whatever new apartment they dumped her in.
The door creaked open, and a middle-aged cat-girl covered in grey and black stripes strode through. Her modest black dress flowed behind her as she crossed the room and lowered into the chair opposite Tess’s. A savoury aroma flooded in alongside Tess’s visitor, emanating from the steamy, clay bowl in her hand.
The bowl tapped gently against the desk, followed by a clay jug of water. Miyoko instantly dismissed the offering for what it was: a shameless, manipulative ploy to ingratiate her to her captors. There would be food waiting when she was free. Instead, her thoughts drifted to the brass gloves covering the woman’s hands. Again? No, the table's still here. Repercussion officers were required to remove any bio... any bio... ugh! Don't panic Tess, that's an academy word, look it up when you get out. They had to clean up any blood, shit, or piss before they left the room, that's why they always removed the furniture first. “Thank you, Officer."
The woman smiled, brass gloves clicking as she folded her hands on the desk. “I’m not with the State, Tess, I’m Elizabeth, the matron of your new orphanage. I apologize if I come across as imposing, but Our church doesn't get along with the empire much and they tend to send us a lot of 'troubled cases'. Please, don't stand on ceremony. I know they haven't fed you since they locked you up. Eat, it's all vegetables, it won't bother your stomach.”
Tess kept her face blank. While she had managed to sneak a meal in this time, the scent of garlic and onion made her mouth water. "I formally request a full list of ingredients."
Elizabeth's smile faltered. "The State gave me your record. I made sure everything in it is on your safe list."
A moment of silence ticked past while Tess mulled the answer over, the Edict of Prisoners wouldn't let her captors lie about what they fed her, but if there was a loophole the State would find it. "Everything in here is on my food safe list?"
"Yes." Elizabeth insisted. "It's vegetables, spices, herbs, and water. I'm not here to punish you Tess, I'm here to talk."
"Oh?" Tess raised her hands, standing as much as she could before the chains went taught. "Oh! That's so weird! I wonder why a girl who isn't being punished is chained to the ground like that!"
“I understand I'm using my position to coerce you,” Elizabeth admitted, “but I want to understand what our relationship is before I release you. Is it really worth sitting in here for another twelve hours as an enemy - just to avoid a ten-minute conversation as a friend?”
The chains clanked as Tess slumped back in her seat, closing her eyes and releasing a resigned breath. As stubborn as she was, she wasn’t stupid. “Okay, friend. What is it you wanted to talk about?”
“First, have you heard of the Demon King of Hearts?”
Tess’s eyes flicked open, a scowl plastered on her face. “Religion? No. I’ll take the twelve hours.”
“I'm not asking you to join my church,” Elizabeth assured, giving Tess a playful smirk. “But it is my entire job. Obviously I was curious. If my faith is off the table, how about we discuss why you keep getting banned from orphanages?”
There's the question I was expecting. “Fighting. Didn’t you say the State gave you my record?”
You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.
“They did,” Elizabeth said, leaning forward on the table. “The State's official position is there is no Demon King of Hearts, yet I resist the corruption. So, what’s your side of things?”
Tess hesitated, brow furrowing as she searched for a trap. Once the State made their report about what was true, there were repercussions for 'lying' about it. “At the time, I mistakenly believed...” there, that should cover her ass. “That I acted in self-defence. That some girls don’t think a rabbit should be using the climbing towers. That they pick fights.”
“Oh?” Elizabeth raised an eyebrow. “You were attacked by girls in seven different prefects over a three years?”
Tess shrugged. It didn’t matter what Elizabeth thought. Those incidents were already investigated, and repercussions had been served. “No ma'am. The State's brilliant decision to let a bunch of little psychos with claws go unsupervised was working perfectly before I screwed it up. I can’t imagine why I keep feeling threatened. Luckily the State let me know that my habit of picking fights against groups of cats that I can't possibly win, will result in fights with groups of cats I can't possibly win.”
“Rebecca attacked you?”
A jolt shot through Tess’s spine as she leaned forward, swallowing. This one read the file closer than the others. “Uh, no. Not Rebecca. That one was an accident.”
An amused grin crossed Elizabeth’s lips. “Please enlighten me as to how one ‘accidentally’ smashes through an apartment door, screams ‘fuck the State’ at the top of their lungs, and punches the resident in the face.”
Damn it, what's this woman’s problem? Tess already confessed and received her repercussion! Was this even about Her, or was the woman after information about Becky? Tess grabbed the bowl of soup, tilting it against her lips and slowly gulping as she collected her thoughts. Tess had to keep talking. If she suddenly shut up, it’d look like there was something to hide.
With a gasping breath, Tess lowered the bowl and wiped her mouth, savoring the warm, salty liquid as it slipped down her throat. “Yeah, fine. I’ll tell you. So, since I’m not a cat I get the lowest priority for housing, that means the other girls choose the bottom floors and I end up on top. The male apartments have stairs, but the female ones have that pole thing with the thick fabric y’all climb with your claws.”
Elizabeth folded her arms and tilted her head, conceding the point. “Admittedly, the system doesn’t adapt well to... edge cases.”
“Well, I found out I could reach my apartment by climbing to the roof of the boy’s building and taking a running leap across the street. Only, that day, I missed. I hit the railing on the fourth floor and went straight into Becky’s door at door go boom speeds.” Tess sighed, grabbing the water jug and bringing it to her lips. “So I was a little annoyed that day that the State insists on not having stairs on the girls’ building. I might’ve accidentally blurted out something vaguely treasonous, which I immensely regret. I formally request a full list of ingredients in this water.”
“It's just water… Charles, come on in,” Elizabeth said, slowly rising to her feet. “And why’d you punch ‘Becky’ in the face, exactly?”
A creeping dread rose through Tess’s stomach as a short cat-boy about her age with orange fur pushed the door aside and stepped in. This new boy wordlessly crossed the room holding a wooden tray with two identical boxes, which he proceeded to silently set on the table before scurrying away. “She… she suggested I file for disability and I... I was already punished for that one!”
Elizabeth nodded, looking down at Tess thoughtfully. “Relax, I'm a woman of my word, you’re free to go. The box on the right has the key to the locks on your chains, as well as the key to your new apartment. Top floor.”
Hesitantly, Tess touched the box, noticing the empire’s symbol, a symmetrical tree in a circle, stamped into a wax seal. Then, her eyes swept to the box on her left, which bore a seal with a heart wrapped in chains. A sliver of curiosity wormed into her. Obviously, she was being manipulated, but that didn’t stop the burrowing thought. If she just opened the box right now, unlocked her chains, and left, she could be in a soft bed within the hour. There was no incentive to play this woman’s game. Anyone with an offer worth making wouldn't be playing games like this. Then again, there wasn't really a downside to knowing what the offer was. “And... the creepy box?”
“A set of lockpicks, and a manual on how to use them.” Elizabeth set a hand on the heart box with an apologetic smile. “Forgive the heavy-handed metaphor, but what relationship we have depends on who you want opening your locks.”
Tess hesitated with a hand still firmly set on the empire box, glaring daggers at the woman blatantly trying to manipulate her. “What happens to girls who open their own locks?”
With a nod and a smirk, the woman turned, tail swishing as she strolled toward the door. “I’ll be back every six hours with food and water. If the empire’s seal is still intact when you get out... well, there’s plenty of things to teach someone who doesn't need the empire.”
* * *
Miyoko tentatively entered Ashling’s cabin. Aside from the backpacks he and Khukri set down, there wasn’t much in the way of personal effects. Granted, just staying here cost a fair amount, but with how much he was willing to spend she expcted more. Perhaps the monks had some rule against personal items?
“For now, this is home,” Ashling said, eagerly swapping his monk robe for a green button-up shirt. “Tomorrow, we’ll head into Azure Junction to get you some clothes, then onto The Azure Syndicate to connect with a new broker.”
A shiver ran through Miyoko a clawed hand graced her shoulder. “Master?" Khukri said. "I need to groom Miyoko and explain her place. Would you like to watch?”
Ashling hesitated, curious eyes sweeping over them before he shook his head. “No... no. I’ll give you girls some privacy. I could use an early bath anyway… be nice, okay?”
“Yes, Master.”
His gaze held, growing more intense. “No cages, no restraints… and no pressuring her into… anything.”
Khukri’s jaw stiffened, but she still lowered her head in obedience. “Yes, Master.”
After Ashling left, Miyoko tensed, watching the wolf warily.
“I recognize that look,” Khukri said flatly, unlatching buckles from her top. “Are you afraid of wolves?”
Miyoko swallowed hard, unsure of which answer was least likely to earn her repercussion. All children of Tsu were taught the Edicts, words supposedly given divine authority by Tsu himself. Some were obscure, but scarce few didn’t know the first, the Edict of Wolves. Four words reduced wolves from global domination to endangered species. ‘All wolves must die.’
Of course, the words of a long dead dictator were worth less than the paper they were written on. It still didn’t make it any easier to talk to the monsters from her parents’ stories.
A sad smile crossed Khukri’s face. “That’s okay. Hopefully, in time, you’ll lose some of that fear.”
“Err…” Miyoko tensed. “You told Master you would make sure I understood my place?”
“Yes.” The wolf removed her top, then moved onto her pants as her smile returned. “My place is at Master’s side, to lead and care for his pack so he doesn’t have to. Your place is with me, learning how to be worthy of joining Master’s pack.”
“Master’s… pack?”
“I suppose that’s not a concept they have in the Azure exchange?” Khukri’s jaw worked soundlessly for a moment before returning to a smile. “It’s a bit complicated. I'll be training you later on, but for now, let's just focus on making you look nice for Master.”
That couldn’t help but get an amused twitch from Miyoko’s lips. Another Elizabeth, after all these years. Hopefully things worked out better for this one.
Khukri finished her last buckle and straightened, slipping her leg armour off and depositing it in the dresser. “See, I'm just an animal like you, there’s no reason to worry. You’re safe here. Now, up on the bed.”
Naturally, Miyoko tensed. Only stupid people believed someone like her was safe anywhere. “Why?”
“You know why Master bought you, don’t you?” Khukri crawled onto the bed, tail swishing and eyes gleaming over a predatory smirk. “Well, we need to put your best foot forward. Let’s start by removing that winter coat so he can see how pretty you are under all that.”
Making herself a more appealing sex toy for Ashling wasn’t high on the top of Miyoko’s list of priorities, but refusing orders would only arouse suspicion. Luckily, she’d seen enough slaves in the Azure Syndicate to mimic one. With timid steps, Miyoko made her way to the bed, tossed her blanket onto it, and climbed on.
At first, Miyoko knelt in the centre, lowering her head, but Khukri had other plans. A surge of panic flowed as the wolf roughly grabbed her by the neck and yanked her off-balance. With an undignified yelp, she fell into Khukri’s lap, secured by two strong clawed arms.
“It’s okay,” Khukri assured, retrieving a brush from the table beside the bed “just relax.”
Relaxing was a tall order for Miyoko on a good day, and a wolf’s clutches didn’t make it easier.
After a long, quiet moment Khukri sighed. “Okay... you can relax when you’re ready. Can you at least agree to sit still while I work?”
Miyoko nodded. What was the alternative?
“Good.” Khukri leaned against the wall and spread her legs, then wrapped one arm tightly around Miyoko’s midsection and pulled her snugly in place. The other hand slipped between Miyoko’s ears with strong, even strokes.
After the first few, Miyoko felt the brush's firm bristles against her skin, gently crawling down her back and wicking fur away. One thing was clear about her new captor, she was thorough. Eventually, sheer exhaustion eventually loosened Miyoko's muscles as soothing strokes along the side of her face, ears, and back wiped the minutes away.
There hadn’t been a lot of time lately where Miyoko could calm down and rest. In fact, this was the first proper bed she’d been on in the last three months. It was hard to believe how soft a real one was, to say nothing of the woman at her back. Somehow, she’d expected wolf fur to be tough and prickly, but Khukri’s was almost as soft and soothing as Fleur’s.
Miyoko’s eyes closed, and her heart slowed. If the wolf wanted to hurt her, there wouldn’t be much she could do about it. Khukri’s swishing brush and even breaths penetrated her thinning fur in a soothing, endless rhythm. Removing that fur was important anyway. Maybe tricking Ashling’s slave into taking care of it was a smart move after all. She stirred slightly when the brush pressed into her tail, but settled again as the gentle strokes carried her to sleep.
Khukri sighed, jerking Miyoko awake as her chin lay on the rabbit’s shoulder. “Miyoko?” The wolf asked softly. Instantly, Miyoko struggled against her bonds, heart rate rising as the fear flooded back. “No.” Khukri admonished, arm tightening threateningly. “Stay.”
Remembering herself, Miyoko stilled. “What?”
The brush slipped around Miyoko’s shoulder to rest just beneath her throat. “I wanted to warn you before I brushed your more sensitive areas. I'm going to be gentle, just try to relax.”
“Eep!” A shudder ran through Miyoko as she looked down, watching bristles sink into her fur and glide over her breast. “Ah! Do... Do you have to?”
The weight on her shoulder shifted as Khukri’s head bobbed sideways. “You’re not enjoying this?”
Heat rose to Miyoko’s cheeks as she turned away sharply. “No! Obviously! Just give me the brush and I’ll do it myself.”
Rather than withdraw, the brush moved down, hesitating as it slipped into the gaps between her ribs. “Oh…” Khukri mumbled in a somber tone. For a moment, Miyoko thought her words got through the wolf’s thick skull, but the hope was short lived. “Your last owners didn’t take very good care of you, did they?”
“I can take care of myself,” Miyoko asserted, burning cheeks intensifying as the brushing continued.
“Not anymore,” the wolf said, softly squeezing as she worked. “Master takes care of you now. I'm sure he'll be happy to see how pretty you look while he feeds us.”
I said I could do it myself, Miyoko thought, bitterly closing her eyes and leaning back. It wasn’t ideal, but they were easy marks and she was hungry. It wouldn’t kill her to trick them into feeding her before she betrayed them.