Beautiful World 05: Ascension

From the outside, Mitsuko's home looked like any other in Midori Prefecture: a traditional post-and-beam structure made of aged bamboo that had weathered to an almost lustrous grey, raised upon a matching platform that provided a front and rear deck. It sat atop a low hill overlooking a garden, topped with clay roofing tiles stained in a range of greens from creamy jade to deep forest. However, as we approached the building, Mitsuko raised an arm and waved, and the thin paper walls came to life, a steady light from within illuminating the entire house.

As we approached the front door, Mitsuko's fingers brushed against the frame, and a soft chime announced that the lock had been disengaged. One silk-sheathed paw resting on the seam of the front door, she turned to me and smiled, her tail curling around her waist to brush against my hip. In the filtered light from within the house, her mask was half-bathed in shadow, the rest cast in shades of green, her emerald eyes almost black. She brought her other paw to my cheek and cupped it gently as I slid my arms around her, urging me to bend down into a deep and tender kiss. Moments stretched into minutes as we stood embracing, until finally she pulled away just enough to speak. "I had a wonderful time tonight," she murmured, her cheek resting against my chest.

"So did I, Mits," I breathed gently into her ear, the underside of my muzzle brushing against the top of her head. "I always do when I come here."

She was still for several moments, as if storing up memories of the contact for the time we'd be apart. Then, quietly, she asked, "When do you go back?"

At that, I smiled, and I pulled just far enough away to look down into her eyes. "After lunch tomorrow," I said quietly. "There's something I want to show you tonight."

At that, her eyes widened, and the smile on her muzzle spread, her tail stroking slowly down my side and leg, teasing my own. With one paw, I cupped hers on the frame, then helped her slide open the front door, soft unfiltered light from the high ceiling spilling out onto the bamboo deck and back down the hillside. I stopped just within the entryway, wiped my feet on the stiff-bristle scrub since I had no shoes to remove, then stepped lightly across the woven tatami into the main living area, drawing Mitsuko inside and sliding the door closed behind her.

Once inside, I touched a finger to her muzzle for silence, then leaned in for a quick kiss. "One moment, love," I said as I withdrew, grinning from ear to ear. "I'll need a little bit to set this up."

Mitsuko blinked, her head canting to the side curiously, tail weaving slowly behind her, almost feline in its lazy curiosity. For a moment, I stood, just watching her stand there, admiring the pose. Her traditional Western dress clashed so beautifully with the Japanese neo-traditional surroundings, a perfect juxtaposition symbolizing the balance of honoring the past and looking to the future, without suggesting which was which. For a brief moment, I considered abandoning the rest of the show in favor of calling up a terminal and capturing that image, but then the whole reason for this trip in specific came back into focus, and my smile broadened.

I knew that some people found calling up the hardline optical interface without closing their eyes to be incredibly disorienting, but by now I'd done it so often that I hardly noticed it at all. It took only a moment's thought, and then ghostly red text began floating in the periphery of my vision. In the bottom left corner hovered my subscriber ID, the unique digital signature that Tadashiissei knew as "me." In the bottom right sat my current financial balance in Irokai. Earlier, I'd paid for the trip to Junsei-en with a few quick glances, summoning up the bill, checking the amount, agreeing to the transaction and signing the receipt with nothing but a turn of the eye. Even with that, though, I was still riding high from the advance I'd received. I could afford a bit of extravagance, and I could think of no-one better on whom to spend it.

In the top right corner sat a clock, currently set to Irokai time, the wedge of the color wheel visible showing the time as twenty-one-and-three-quarters or so, local, but my real focus was in the top-left, where the primary menu interface lurked. If I needed an emergency exit or staff assistance, I could access it through that system, but my real interest was an option not present for most of the people who came to Irokai: the small section near the bottom of the list marked Development Access.

When I activated the interface, a voice began speaking from nowhere, female and very polite, but with a hint of firmness, covered with a gentle Japanese lilt. "Attention, please. Traveler Johnathan Dart has requested developmental access." The words lacked the inflection of sentience; I'd heard the same statement in the same intonation dozens, maybe even hundreds of times. "Ownership of this area is registered to Resident Ikanobari Mitsuko. Before developmental access can be granted, owner permission is required. Ikanobari Mitsuko, do you agree to allow developmental control to Traveler Johnathan Dart? A backup of this region will be made as a precaution."

Mitsuko's eyes widened as she tried to catch my gaze, then turned towards the ceiling quickly. "Oh, hai, I agree."

"Your agreement has been recorded, and the backup has been made," the Voice of Irokai replied. "Please be aware that you may revoke your permission and request a restoration from backup at any time. In the event that an incompatibility occurs, we will automatically restore from backup. If at any point we must restore from backup, developmental access will be temporarily suspended until any incompatibilities are resolved. No permanent changes can be made while developmental access is active. Traveler Johnathan Dart, you have been granted developmental access. Please enjoy." Then the voice went silent, and the number in the bottom-right corner of my field of vision suddenly dropped by a significant amount.

Still, for what I had in mind, I knew it would be worthwhile. I dismissed the hardline interface and turned to Mitsuko, who was now staring at me intently. Her warm smile had shifted into an expression of bemused interest, as if she had already guessed what I had to show her, but was waiting for me to say it myself. She held her arms behind her, paws clasped, her tail waving behind her. "So what is all of this?" she asked.

"Ah-ah, that would be telling. I'd rather show, but first―" I waved my arm expansively, and a cedar chest materialized beside me with a twinkling of light. "―we'll need to change."

"Change?" Mitsuko's voice rose in a question as she stepped over to the small chest, kneeling down in front of it. She glanced up to me, then looked back down and lifted the lid, gasping as she inspected the contents. Inside were a pair of two-piece bubble helmets, held together with a magnetic seam. Beneath those lay two slim-cut vacuum softsuits, adapted to meet the needs of tailed beings. Beneath those were two small pressure tanks, each set for an hour of breathing time.

"I got my simulation running," I said; it was all the explanation I needed to offer. "Care to see it?"

She gathered the smaller suit into her arms, then rose again and nuzzled my cheek as she walked past without saying a word, pulling one of the thin paper dividers behind her to form a makeshift screen. Lit from behind, I watched her silhouette slowly slip free of the silk dress that she had worn to dinner. I could have―would have―eagerly stood there admiring her lithe raccoon's figure, but I had my own change to make.

Quickly, I peeled off the jacket and slacks, leaving them in a small heap beside the chest. The tie and shirt followed quickly behind, and finally my briefs, leaving me free to start drawing on the softsuit. The silvery fabric felt slick and slightly cool to the touch, just like I remembered it. I pulled apart the two halves of the neck collar, stretching out the opening until I could step inside and slide the fabric the legs, aligning the magnetic panels with the pads of my hinds. Working my own banded tail into the pouch in back made me wince as I tugged the fur against the grain, and I made a mental note to revisit the design again, through I'd yet to find a solution that genuinely satisfied me. Now, though, wasn't the time to get lost in designwork, and I pulled the sleeves down my arms and tucked my fingers into the gloves. Finally, I reconnected the halves of the magnetic collar, then broke the seal on the helmet, affixing front and back pieces to the suit around my head. Once the tank was in place, I would be completely enclosed within the softsuit, the magnets forming a perfect seal against the vacuum.

Mitsuko slid back the panel and stepped back into the main room. The shimmering softsuit clung to her body, emphasizing every curve and line of her figure. She smiled at me from within her helmet and turned a slow pirouette, the flat magnetic plates in her feet whispering incongruously against the straw tatami mat. "Am I wearing it correctly?" she asked with a mischevious smile, her voice echoing slightly from the radio system built into the helmet.

All I could think to do in response was nod, some areas of my own suit suddenly decidedly more snug than I'd remembered from the design tests. I pulled the tanks out of the cedar chest, then passed one to her with one paw, motioning for her to turn around with the other. She did so, and I slid the tank into the restraining straps on her back, hooking up its lead to the airhose. I turned a valve, and her airflow started with a soft hiss. Once hers was secure, I turned around and stepped her through attaching mine. Soon, I heard the same release of pressure and smelled the familiar tang of ozone, a telltale sign that the system was pumping in fresh air.

I turned to face Mitsuko and flashed her a quick grin and a thumbs-up, then focused back on the front door. I waved my arm with a flourish, then stepped up to the entrance and slid aside the thin paper barrier. Beyond, a gray ribbon of metal stretched out into the distance, surrounded by emptiness. The wooden deck, along with the rest of Midori Prefecture, had vanished, replaced with a limitless expanse of space, speckled with a myriad of stars.

I took a deep breath, then stepped across the threshold, the magnetic pads beneath my feet clacking softly as they made contact with the metal hull. holding me in place as gravity shifted across the threshold. I paused just beyond the doorway, waiting for the lightheadedness to pass as I transitioned from Mitsuko's world to my own. Then, once I was clear of the doorway, I turned and reached back, extending a paw to the woman I loved, inviting her to join me.

Wide-eyed, Mitsuko took my suited paw in her own, then took a few cautious steps across the gap, swaying briefly as the same vertigo took her and then left. I reached past her, then closed the doorway leading back to her home. Once gone, it was as if it had never been; all that remained in its place was the solid bulkhead of the station. I motioned upwards, and Mitsuko tilted her head back, then leaned back and gawked at the column that rose overhead. Thin metal spindles reached out into space from the central trunk like branches of a silvery-grey tree. Strange fruit hung from those metal limbs, spaceships of varying shapes and sizes docked at all different points. Directly above, past the very tip of the tree, hung a giant blue-white-green sphere, shining like an alien sun.

"That's―" Mitsuko's voice cut off sharply in a giggle of delight.

I squeezed Mitsuko's paw in my own, taking a moment to follow her own gaze, up towards the Earth. I wanted to say something, to say anything in that moment, but there were no words I could offer that would match the feeling I had inside. The faint whiff of ozone from the pressure tanks, the slightly clingy pressure of the softsuit, the tension of Mitsuko's fingers against mine, and the sight of my homeworld overhead all fused into a single indefinable sensation, one that I wanted to feel forever.

I knew it wouldn't last, though, and I had one last thing I wanted to share with her before relinquishing the development flag. I knew Tadashiissei would never approve it; I'd never even planned on submitting it to them. This was still my development environment, though, and I was going to enjoy it to the fullest extent that I could. I glanced at the clock in the corner of my view, then again through layers of development menus, before dismissing the hardline once more. I turned, walking backwards as I urged Mitsuko away from the central tower, out to the edge of the communications array, until we were surrounded on all sides by empty space, only a few magnets holding us in place against a narrow metal platform, keeping us from drifting away into the void.

I smiled at Mitsuko through the tinted grey bubble helmet, then said just loudly enough for the radio to catch, "Don't be afraid, Mitsuko."

Her eyes widened, her tail twitching behind her, the words catching her by surprise. "John?"

I gave her paws a final squeeze, then let them go, stepping back away from her, balanced at the very edge of the walkway. "Trust me, Mits," I said, fingers feeling for the seam on the helmet holding the hemispheres of reinforced glass together. "I love you."

Mitsuko stepped forward, her paws clacking against the metal walkway. "John?" she called out, her voice trembling. "What are you doing?"

Her fingers met my wrists, to try to pull my paws away from the helmet, and I smiled at her, then gave a final pull at the seam. With a rush of wind against my face and a flare of light from within the suit, the halves of the helmet split, then tumbled apart, freed from each other and the ring around my neck. Mitsuko's muzzle twisted into a silent cry at the sudden decompression, jerking away, covering her helmet with her paws to avoid seeing my body burst or freeze. She stood trembling, just shy of the edge of the array, frozen in shock.

When my still-suited paws gently brushed her shoulders, she stiffened, but then slowly uncovered her helmet, staring in shock, traces of tears wetting the fur beneath her cheeks. Slowly, the corners of her muzzle turned up into a smile, and she began to laugh, silently shaking inside her suit as she wrapped her arms around me, clinging to me tightly. I encircled her with my arms, squeezing her tightly.

I told you not to be afraid, love, I transmitted to her, not in speech, since sound wouldn't carry in a vacuum, but in a direct broadcast of thought, words sent directly from my mind to hers. Then I pulled away, carefully, coaxing her back from the edge, and began to strip away the now-unneeded softsuit. As the material fell from my shoulders, a pair of broad wings covered in irridescent bands of feathers that matched my shimmering fur spread from my back, unfurling to their full width to help catch the solar winds. I turned to look at them with glowing yellow eyes, then flexed them and flapped, propelling my legs and tail out of their useless encumbrences, leaving me naked against the vacuum.

Once the transformation was complete, I turned back to Mitsuko with a smile and held out one paw to her, a gently pulsing sphere resting against my pad―a copy of the transcendus module. She smiled up at me through her helmet, then took my paw in hers, wrapping her suited fingers around my gift. It sank into her paws as she reviewed and integrated the new code, and then moments later she pulled open her own helmet with a burst of air and light. Then she opened her eyes, a brilliant emerald light shining out of their depths as she spread her shimmering wings, her softsuit falling away from her, trailing out away from the deck as the station slowly spun in place.

Despite the vacuum surrounding me, Mitsuko's paws were warm against my shoulders, as I knew mine would be against her waist. Freed from gravity and our artificial modesty, we floated away from the station, wings flapping in near-unison as we learned the rhythms of each other's new forms. Once we were out of the station's shadow and bathed in the full light of the sun, I turned back to Mitsuko, drifting away from her briefly to admire the results of my work against her already-sublime base form. She smiled and silently laughed, then turned a lazy somersault, her wings and tail provocatively splayed, showing off my handiwork, and I felt my body respond.

I want you,I sent to her, flapping my wings and catching up to her, taking her paws in mine.

Mitsuko urged me closer, then wrapped her wings about us. I want you, John, she replied soundlessly, guiding my paws to her small, firm breasts; then resting her paws on my shoulders. Her skin beneath the fur was as warm as the rest of her, her nipples already firm beneath my thumbpads as I caressed them gently. She shivered beneath my touch, her head tilted back, her muzzle open as I stimulated her, enflaming her passions, the sight and feel of her beneath my paws making my cock pulse in its sheath.

Moving carefully, I ducked my head down, kissing along her neckline and down her chest, nipping playfully with my teeth against her fur until my muzzle was at one of her breasts. Placing a soft kiss against the nubbin of stiffened flesh, I slowly slid my lips down around her nipple, tugging at it carefully as I began suckling. It was as if electricity had arced through her, her body stiffening beneath my tender touch before curling up against me, as if to try to wrap herself around me, holding me against her. The taste of her was sweet and faintly musky, my tongue tingling from the brush of her fur as I swirled it around her nipple.

After a quiet eternity, I kissed my way across to her other breast, repeating my performance there, while she shivered and shuddered in my arms, pressing herself eagerly against me, her chest rising and falling in heavy breaths despite the lack of air to breathe. Her wings tickled mine as she wrapped herself around me, urging me onwards with her touch and motion. Then, finally, with a silent gasp she pulled away. Too much! she sent, trembling from the overload of sensation. Then, a moment later, Please, John... more.

I floated over to her, this time wrapping my wings about her as I took Mitsuko in my arms. She rested her paws on my shoulders as I placed mine on her hips, my cock fully engorged as I pulled her against me. She spread her legs, wrapping them around mine, and then it took only a moment to position myself before smoothly pressing myself into her. Her sex was hot, her flesh tingling against mine, sending sparks from my groin up to my brain as I filled her, one gentle thrust carrying me fully within her. Once inside of her, I paused, hugging her tightly to my chest, then began slowly pistoning myself back, pulling away and then pressing forward again, making love with Mitsuko in deep space.

In the absence of gravity, sex truly was a two-person endeavor. Where before one could lie still and let the other do everything, now it took the effort of us both to consummate our passion. As I pushed myself forward, pulling her towards me, she thrust back, using her legs to encourage me deeper. Our wings fluttered and flapped, by turns encircling the other or just brushing agaginst each other, the new sensation adding to the others. I closed my eyes, filling myself with her taste and feel, then opened them again to smiled into those pulsing orbs of luminscent emerald. Yes, one of us sent, or perhaps both, minds moving as our bodies, urging each other closer to climax. I trembled against her, my body shuddering. With every stroke, my cock throbbed within her sex, the heat of her body suffusing mine. Her claws glided down my back along the sensitive join between wing and spine as I held her hips against me to help me find purchase. She twitched, moaning silently in the void, nodding as I thrust faster, deeper, the urge to orgasm overwhelming. I bit my lip, stars dancing at the edges of my vision, my nerves singing soundlessly as with one last push, I came, a burst of heat and seed filling her sex. She threw back her head, claws digging into my back as her entire form tensed, climaxing in response.

In the afterglow, we hung there, twinned stars against a black backdrop, shuddering and quietly nuzzling against each other and riding out the aftershocks of our shared passion. Then, finally, we separated, smiling at each other, and turned back to the station, our wings flapping as we dove back towards the communications array. At the panel in the side of the station, I turned back to the suits, still trailing along at the far edge of the platform, then winked back to Mitsuko and shook my head. If the code ever got approved, it would prove an interesting artifact for the first maintenance crew to find.

I waved my paw at the smooth metal wall, and the same section as before slid aside, revealing Mitsuko's main room beyond, just as we had left it. I touched down just outside the door, then stepped lightly through, Mitsuko following closely behind. Once within, I turned and shut the front door, then brought up the hardline one last time for the night. It took only a few seconds to dismiss the development flag, and the wings and glow disappeared as soon as I did so. A few seconds later, Mitsuko's vanished as well, leaving her with only her natural radiance and a smile.

"Thank you, John," she said, stepping closer to draw me into an embrace. "That was beautiful."

My ears flushed in response, and suddenly I felt very awkward. I knew that she loved me for me, but there was always that moment, right after I had shown off some new bit of in-world wizardry, in which any praise I recieved was colored with doubt. I knew she loved me, as I loved her, but did she love me for me, or for the things I could do?

Was there a difference?

I wrapped my arms around her and hugged her tightly. "I'm glad you enjoyed it," I half-whispered back, resting my cheek against hers, my tail slowly swaying behind me. "I'm sorry if I scared you back there, but―"

She shushed me softly, then rested a finger across my muzzle. "I understand," she replied. "You're an artist. It's one of the things I love about you."

The words struck home, perhaps more deeply than I wanted to admit, but I was still riding high on the afterglow. "Thanks, Mits," I murmured in response, kissing her ear softly. "Let's go lie down; that took a lot out of me."

She nodded in response, then turned her muzzle to kiss me tenderly, before taking a paw in mine to lead me back to her bedroom. Once sprawled out on her low futon, she curled up next to me, pulling a thin cotton sheet up and over us as we snuggled up together. She turned towards the ceiling and dismissed the lights, plunging the house into near-total darkness. I curled up against Mitsuko's back, one arm beneath her head, the other around her waist, her tail draped over my leg. My mind drifted as sleep came for me, imagining myself floating with Mitsuko through that perfect void.

Bonds of Silver, Bonds of Gold 01: Sale

The sign that hung over the large wooden door needed no explanation: five oversized golden chain links entwined in a loop. The face of the squat, stone structure was empty besides, absent even a window to let in the sun. Everyone else walking past gave the entrance a wide berth, as though standing too close invited the attention of the occupants. A few passers-by stopped to stare at me as I paced in front of the building, then hurried on their way, averting their gaze. Not my concern, their actions said. Nothing I can do.

Turning my back on the city square, I tensed my paws into fists, then raised one arm and knocked, rapping my white knuckles against the wood. As soon as I did so, it swung open to reveal a grey-furred wolf standing within. Aside from a collar made of polished steel chain locked around his neck, he was nude. Despite his exposure, he stood tall, his ears erect and unashamed. A metal tag dangled beside the lock at the hollow of this throat, glinting in the sunlight. He rested one paw on the edge of the door, then cocked his head at me, his silver eyes boring into mine in an unasked question.

My eyes darted to the paw holding the door open; he'd been declawed, his fingers ending only in soft fur. My attention snapped back to his face, I opened my muzzle to speak, but my throat had suddenly run dry. "I... I need... I mean...." I stammered, one paw rising shakily to gesture overhead, towards the sign, hoping to explain without saying a word.

"Milos, down," called a thin but stern voice from behind the wolf. "Take the boy's cloak."

The wolf's reaction to his name was instantaneous. He dropped to his knees, his head bowed and his tail tucked. The door, now free of his grasp, begun to swing closed of its own accord, until I propped it open with one hind. Milos raised his arms to me, and I awkwardly slipped the rough-spun woolen cloak from my shoulders and into his paws. As soon as he had it, he shuffled to the side, out of the doorway, never rising from his awkward crouch as he approached the wooden coat rack beside the door. He stood just long enough to hang my cloak, then returned to his previous posture, resting his paws on the floor beside him.

I stared for several seconds, watching the whole proceeding, until the voice that had spoken before cut through the jumble of my thoughts. "So, come to observe my pet, or was there something else?"

I tore my eyes away from the wolf, towards the speaker. Behind the desk that dominated the room sat a tall , middle-aged raccoon. Her eyes were yellow-flecked violet, shining like chips of amethyst shot with gold. She kept her teeth hidden behind a thin smile, and her black-furred ears stood relaxed and erect, but there was no masking the feral glint in her gaze. She wore a loose cotton robe dyed in a range of greens, cinched at her waist by a broad, brass chain-link belt. Her wrists, her ankles, and the end of her tail were similarly adorned, the metal gleaming against her dark fur.

She beckoned me within, and I hesitantly crossed the threshold into the front office. Witchlights illuminated the interior, soft yellow lights that floated around the edges of room. Woven tapestries hung on the walls and insulated the stone floor. A pair of solid wooden chairs sat to one side of the desk, the raccoon's lavishly stuffed seat on the other. The coat rack holding my cloak hovered near the door leading back to the city square and safety. Behind the desk, a second door, this one sealed with a heavy bolt and a lock, led further into the depths of the Slavers' Guild.

The door swung closed behind me as I released it, and I stiffened as it closed. The raccoon's smile tightened, her ears flicking back against her head briefly. "Come to see the wares?" she asked, stepping out from behind her desk. She clicked her claws twice, and Milos hurried over to her side, kneeling again behind her. She reached down and lightly combed her fingers through the wolf's fur. "Looking for a servant, perhaps?"

I shook my head rapidly, my ears flat back against my skull. My cheeks felt hot, but my fingers were numb. "No, that's not it, I—"

The raccoon tilted her head to the side. "Oh, I see." She nodded knowingly. "Looking to become a man, are you? Young strapping buck like you? We can rent for an hour or a night, if you like." She cupped her paw beneath Milos' muzzle and stroked the fur of his throat, eliciting a pleasant growl out of the wolf. He shifted in place, spreading his legs, revealing his plumping sheath. "This one's personal, but I'm sure we could find—"

"No!" I blurted quickly, tensing. "Not to buy, not to rent. To—" I cut myself off quickly, tearing my gaze away. My breath came in short bursts, and I forced myself to take a deep breath, then let it out in a noisy rush. "To sell," I finally mumbled, unable to pick my eyes up off of the floor.

"Oh?" The slaver dragged out the syllable. "And just... what... would you be selling?"

I turned towards the door leading outside. It might have only been a few paces behind me, but it was an uncrossable gulf away. I struggled for the words to explain and found only fear, pride, shame. I tried to put these into words, but none would come forth. My heart pounded in my chest, and I looked up, shivering, into the raccoon's hungry violet eyes.

She licked her lips, a reflexive flick of her tongue as her eyes bored into mine. "Oh, my," she murmured. The thick rug absorbed her hindfalls as she glided across the floor, and then suddenly she was beside me. I caught the faint scent of hazel from her fur as she loomed over me. "And just why would a young thing like you be on the market?"

I shrugged and pulled away from her. "It's none of your concern."

I'd taken half a step when her paw was at the back of my neck, claws grabbing the collar of my shirt. "Not an attitude you should take, child," she hissed, her breath warm against my ear, her voice low and harsh. "If I were the one holding your leash, I could order you to tell me, beat you to within a hair of your life if I didn't like the answer, and then ask again." One arm thrust out in front of me, one claw pointing to the locked door at the far end of the room, behind her desk. "This is no game, child. Once you're through there, there's no return short of release from your master." Her voice tightened on the last word, as did the cotton around my neck, catching my breath.

Instinctively, my paws went to my throat, pulling against my own shirt to breathe clearly. "My... my mother!" I shouted between gasps. "Please—" My voice broke, a shudder running through me. "I—I'll tell!"

Instantly, her grip relaxed and she stepped away, but the first sob was already starting. "My father... the plow and the winter broke him." I tugged uselessly at the collar of my shirt. "My mother can't... couldn't feed us all. Somebody... I had to do something!" The damage was done, the truth exposed. I shuddered, biting my lip to stifle the sobs welling up in my chest, breathing shallowly through my muzzle. I wiped at my eyes with one paw. "This way... this way it's one less to feed, and more coin in her purse."

Something warm brushed my leg, and I looked down to see Milos pressed against me. His fur was thick, slightly coarse but well-groomed. His silver eyes met mine, and a fleeting smile crossed his muzzle before fading back to the carefully neutral expression he wore when I first saw him. I reached down and stroked the back of the wolf's head, fingers gliding over his ears. He let out a low rumble of pleasure, pressing back against my fingers, and his clawless pads kneaded the ground.

The slaver cleared her throat quietly, and I looked up to see her standing beside her desk, arms folded across her chest, wearing a slightly bemused smile. "Milos, heel," she said quietly, all trace of hostility gone. The wolf crawled back over to her and curled up at her side, and she petted him lightly as she watched me. "Everything I said before is true, lad," she chided. "Once you belong to another, only your master can set you free. You could be killed and no-one would care."

I blew my nose heavily on my sleeve, then threw up my arms in a helpless shrug. "What does it matter?" I sighed. "A quick death from some noble's sword or a slow one in his fields. Either way it's the same fate; one's just faster and less brutal."

The slaver shook her head at that. "You'll live a lot longer if you can still your tongue. Still, I admire your attitude." She sat quietly on the edge of her desk for several seconds, then nodded. " Very well, I accept your offer. Have you any skills besides leading a dray and counting seed?"

I shrugged again. "I've sung in the local choir, and I know all the holes on a recorder."

"Singing and playing?" The raccoon tilted her head to the side. "And can you read?"

"Some," I admitted. "I've led my row in hymnal before."

The raccoon's smile widened, her violet eyes shining against her fur. Her striped tail bobbed behind her as she mused aloud. "There's a sale on domestics in a week in Barony Deterikh that fetches a high price; you'd pull ten times the coin there that you would locally." She squinted at me, considering, then nodded. "If you can make learn what I have to teach you in eight days, I'll send a hundred, sovereign, to your mother, and I'll sign a contract to that. If not, she gets your sale price on the bid less travel and ten percent. Have we a deal?"

My eyes blossomed at the figure. That kind of coin would feed her, and the rest of my family, for a year or more. "It's... yes." I swallowed heavily, eyes fixed on the door behind her desk. "Yes, I accept."

She nodded and clapped her paws together, then sat at her desk and began rummaging through drawers, pulling out a thick ledger and some additional papers. She carefully opened it and began leafing through pages. "Your name?"

I closed my eyes. "Stannis, son of Jedrick, of Barony Jazinsk."

She meticulously inked my name into the ledger, then again onto one of the forms. The tip of her quill scratched against the durable paper, uncomfortably loud in the still air. Then, she carefully blotted the ink and set the book aside, rolling the pages of the contract. She slid them into a capped leather tube, which she passed to Milos. "Take these to Stannis' mother, then return," she said to the wolf. Then, to me, she said, "Give Milos your mother's address."

I did so, and the wolf nodded to me, bowed to her, and then rose and padded over to the front door, stepping through it silently. I watched it as it fell closed behind him, then turned back to the slaver, who rose from her desk.

"Follow me," she said, motioning towards the other exit from the room, the one into the depth's of the Slaver's Guild building.

My head bowed, I fell in step behind her. My heart pounded in my chest, but my head was clear. I had done everything I could.