The New Apprentice #2

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"Alright, Jon, we're attaching the support blocks. Just hold the bed frame steady."

"Yes, sir..."

Elric hammered firmly down against a sharp metal nail as the small Otter held a piece of wood in place along the underside of a large plank of wood. One the nail was firmly in place, Elric reached up and stroked Jon's head in appreciation.

"Good boy." He complimented him, and Jon felt his body tingle.

Since Elric had taken him in as his apprentice, Jon had tried his best to do his new Master justice. The large panther had treated him wonderfully, and given him all he could ever wanted. He'd bulked up a little from the food he was given. They ate three times a day, and after a couple of weeks of work, his figure had started to bulk up. He had become less bony and more prominently toned, fitting better into his 12 year old frame.

Not only that, but he was slowly learning his Master's craft, albeit it was taking a long time to do so. Having had no proper education or any real experience in the world of work, Jon was finding it difficult to keep up with the difficult and often fast-paced life of a carpenter. For starters, they had to get the shipment of wood in early in the morning and get it into the workshop. Then, they spent most of the day gruelling over the task of sharpening the wood and making sure it was suitable for what they needed to make. Couple that with running the store front, as well as making time for his own lessons, it meant he almost never had any time to himself.

Yet, it was everything he could have ever hoped for. He had tried his best to work at the front of the store alongside his Master, but it had quickly become apparent that talking to others wasn't his strong suit. Yet, he was eager to learn, almost to the point of desperation. Elric had always been kind enough to let him try, but he was firm enough to reel him in when it wasn't quite going to plan. Of course, Jon had appreciated his guidance.

The Otter cub had come to look upon Elric as more than his Master in his tradeskill as time went on. He had come to love him, unconditionally, almost blindly, to a fault. He hadn't forgotten the time they had spent in the workshop. He remembered, vividly, the aching feeling in his gut with the Panther's fingers knuckle-deep in his ass, and his penis so painfully hard that it had become almost unbearable. He hadn't touched himself properly down there since then, wanting to remember the sensation. He still hadn't quite understood why Elric did it. He had asked numerous times, but his question had been effortlessly deflected by the older feline.

Despite that, Elric had treated him well, almost like a son. When Jon had done well, he would get a firm pat on the head and he would be told he was a good boy. When he did even better, Elric would hug him from behind and cuddle him whilst his large, furred fingers would play with the pegged tusks that stuck out from Jon's mouth. It was such an exhilarating feeling for them to be touched, and it often sent a humming, pleasurable sensation through his body. He had tried, time and time again, to do well enough to continue to deserve those tusk-rubs.

The two of them had been working on a project together for the better part of 2 weeks or more, almost as soon as Jon had started. He didn't quite know who it was for, but he knew it was someone who was wealthy: they had been working with Oak solidly for all this time. When Jon had asked why they picked Oak, Elric had informed him that it was the standard wood used by rich dignitaries and nobles all over the kingdom. It was a rare resource, ones that lords and ladies could afford.

"We're almost finished, Jon," Elric sighed, wiping his face. "Just a few more, and it'll be ready."

Jon eagerly nodded. He didn't have the luxury of wiping his forehead on a sleeve. Elric had never given him any new clothes, and even now, he still had the same loincloth the Panther had given him a number of weeks ago. He had, again, asked for new clothes, yet he had been dismissed time and time again, on the grounds that it was part of his training. Jon was blind to anything else and had eventually resigned to it, assured by the fact that Elric knew what he was doing, and it was all in his best interests.

The two of them worked tirelessly into the evening, hammering down the support blocks onto the underside of the bed frame, until it was finally complete. Jon was in awe at their work: Elric had fashioned and hand-carved the Oak frame himself into an exquisite piece, one that rivalled any royal carpenter in the land. Elric was truly a Master of his craft, and Jon was honored to be working under him.

"All done," Elric looked proud of his accomplishment, turning to his apprentice and ruffling his head. "You did good, Jon. Good boy. Shall we get some dinner?"

Jon felt the sickening hum through his system, and his tail swung left and right in happiness, before he following his Master out of the workshop and down the hallway, into the dining room. The Panther crouched down by the fire and dipped a wooden spoon into a pot hanging above the flames. It was soup again tonight. Jon loved soup.

"Alright, get seated." Elric gestured to him, and Jon did as he was told. The Feline poured out soup into two wooden bowls and made his way over to the table, setting them down, before heading into the pantry. He returned with a number of slices of bread, and set it between them for them to share.

"Eat up, Jon. You'll need your strength." Elric assured him as he took a slice for himself, dipping the bread into the soup and chewing thoughtfully.

"Why's that, Sir?" Jon asked curiously, sipping the soup on his spoon. His tusks dripped a bit with the juices.

"The customer for that bed frame is coming tomorrow," Elric informed him. "We'll need the bed frame out into the front of the shop by morning."

Jon nodded, understanding completely. He guessed that Elric always did it single-handedly with every commission he did, be it a table, or a chair, or bigger. He wondered if the Panther ever struggled, and his addled, young mind snapped back at him, assuring him that the Panther was plenty strong enough to handle himself. The Otter wordlessly took a slice of bread and soaked it in the juice of the meaty soup, biting into it. His mouth felt like heaven.

The two of them ate in a fragmented silence. Elric didn't do much to spark the conversation, but he always seemed fairly quiet a lot of the time. The only times he weren't is when he was teaching Jon something about carpentry, or answering a question. Jon didn't want to interrupt his Master's meal and remained silent, leaving them with an eerie, quiet air between them.

Once their supper was finished, the two of the descended, once again, into the workshop. With some effort, they heaved the bedframe through into the hallway, making sure not to chip the wood as they went. Jon was surprisingly strong, or rather, stronger than he had been before. The food had done a lot for his malnourished system, giving him the strength he needed to lift heavy objects, even at his age.

They heaved the frame over the store counter, and set it on the far side of the room. Elric made sure to place a plank of wood on its surface, reading 'Sold'. Jon hadn't yet learnt how to read, but he'd managed a few words. 'Sold' was one of them.

"Good boy." Elric smiled and reached down with his hands, stroking the Otter's small, pegged tusks. The 12 year old let out a small whimper of appreciation, his tail swinging left and right wildly as his stomach did a flip with the sensations of those tusk-rubs. It always felt amazing, and the Otter's happy expression always brought a smile to Elric's lips.

"Alright, Jon. Time for bed. We've a busy day tomorrow."

The Otter didn't argue, and the two of them made their way around the counter and towards the back once again. The front door had already been locked for the evening, and the two of them were going to be safe in their beds, for sure. Elric led Jon through into his room.

Jon hadn't yet decorated his room yet with anything substantial. He hadn't any material possessions that he could really show off, but Elric had carved him a small bird out of a spare piece of wood that they had left over. Jon had cherished it, and it sat on his bedside table.

Elric didn't say a word as he reached down, untying Jon's loincloth and lifting him up onto his bed. He didn't do this every night, but did it occasionally, where he could undress and tuck Jon in himself, if he were awake enough. The Otter didn't argue, though he was a little embarrassed at being naked in front of his Master again. The concept of public nudity was still foreign to him. Elric pulled the covers up and stroked the Otter cub's head, smiling down at his face.

"Goodnight, Jon." He said to him and scratched his head gently, before he leant up and left the room, closing the door slowly behind him. The Otter turned in his bed and watch the door for a moment, a smile on his face, before he closed his eyes. Sleep took him with ease, and his dreams were filled with the warm of the Panther's embrace around him. He felt as if it were summer, and he were laying on the shores near the ocean. It was a lovely feeling.

He woke the next morning to the light beaming in through the window next to his bed, as it did every other morning. And, as every other morning, it began like clockwork.

First, Jon got out of bed and got dressed, pulling his loincloth around his waist and tying the thin string at the back. He left his room, heading towards the dining area by the fire. Elric was always there ready for him, with a plate of bread and dry meats. Jon typically ate ravenously in the morning, finding himself hungry after his usual 8 hour sleep.

Then, they would get to work. Normally, Jon and Elric would be heading around the back of the store to collect their wood shipment for the day, but this time, Elric stopped him.

"Not today, Jon. We have the customer coming along early, so we need to get ready for his arrival."

Jon was a little confused, but he agreed. Elric directed him to briskly move a number of things around the store so that the Oak bed frame was seen in a better light for when he arrived. Jon finished putting it all in place, and he was ushered to go around to the back for the time being, and make sure the Workshop was in order.

The Otter cub was sitting around in the workshop for a good hour or so before he heard the faint jingle of the front door of the store opening. He listened, his attentive ears picking up the sound of boots scraping across a wooden floor. He kept listening, straining to hear conversation...

"Jon. Come up here, would you?"

He practically jumped from the sudden booming voice reverberating around the back of the shop. He didn't think that Elric would call him to the front of the store. He often wasn't allowed at the front when customers were in. It had only happened once so far, and it had been at that point that Elric had decided he wasn't yet ready to handle face-to-face conversation with strangers. Slowly, he made his way the front.

His eyes immediately locked onto the customer as he sidled to stand by his Master's side. The person standing across the counter was a canine, tall and handsome, dressed in fine silk and linen, with a sharp, firmly set jaw, but kind, emotional eyes. His fur was a deep auburn and his expression was a little grim.

"Horrible weather, isn't it?" The canine remarked, his accent low and lavish. He was clearly from further North. Jon wasn't good as guessing, but he approximated he came from the Amber Isles. It appeared to be a similar accent. But, he was more than likely wrong.

"That's Autumn in Arran for you." Elric smiled at the other's comment. "This here is my apprentice, Jon. He'll be observing this conversation, simply for training purposes."

"That's fine by me: our transaction isn't exactly a secret," The canine replied, before looking down at the young cub. "Nice to meet you, Jon. My name is Lord Ashton."

"H...Hello." Jon muttered, suddenly feeling as if he was in the presence of royalty. He glanced to Elric who slowly nodded to him, assuring him it was fine.

"So, this is it, is it?" Ashton had moved to survey the Oak bed frame, measuring its size by his hands and gauging whether it was long enough. "I've got to say, I was impressed: I didn't think anyone from a small town like this would be so talented."

"It's not about the roots, it's about the potential. Isn't that right, Jon?" Elric smirked down at the Otter and ruffled his head, coaxing a broad grin from the cub.

The Lord crouched down as he inspected the Oak bed frame, running his fingers along the fine carvings across it's side. The legs were finely made, too, done on a carpenter's wheel to get a perfectly circular carving all the way around. It was an exquisite piece, rivalling that of most royalty. Jon could feel himself swelling his pride as he watched the Lord's shocked face as some of the more intricate pieces.

"It also comes with the pillars for your hanging Linen drafts, Lord Ashton. Hop up, Jon." Elric ushered him, patting the counter as he explained to the customer about the extension they had already agreed on. Jon hesitated for a moment, before he did as he was told. With the Panther's aid, he was hoisted up onto the tall counter and sat facing away from the customer, his legs dangling off the edge of the table.

"Well, it's great. Honestly. I'll take it." Ashton said to Elric, who smiled over at the customer as he placed a hand on Jon's chest.

The Otter froze, his mind drifting back to their time in the workshop. An expression of confusion spread across his face, and at first, he resisted, until he eventually gave under the pressure, and Elric coaxed him into lying on his back. For a moment, the Canine Lord faltered, and bore a confused look himself, glancing down to Jon's lying form.

"Well..." Elric began, thinking up the numbers in his head. He drummed his fingers on the counter as his other hand circles around Jon's chest. The feeling was nice to the Otter, but he was incredibly nervous. He remembered, vividly, what happened last time Elric acted like this. It was a confusing time, and he looked unsure.

"Given the cost it took us to make, and how long it took, I would wager on...1 gold coin, and 6 silver coins." Elric suggested. Jon had been learning currency as of late, and it had taken a lot of time for him to figure out the current currency system. As much as he gathered, a typical soldier in the King's army received 1 gold coin for every year of their service. But, it was pure gold, and that was valuable. Then, that could be broken down into various other silver and bronze coins. 12 of those made up a single gold coin, by equivalent. Jon had marvelled at the comparison Elric had originally made, which was that a loaf of bread was only 5 bronze coins. When he looked at it that way, they made an astonishing amount of money, definitely more than most.

"You're pushing your luck." Ashton chuckled, a coy smile on his face as he, too, drummed his fingers on the counter. "Hmm...okay, how about a gold coin, 3 silver coins, and 12 bronze coins."

Jon knew those, too. 288 bronze coins made up a gold coin, and 24 of them made up a silver coin. It was a peculiar system, but it appeared to work, for the most part. Elric was clearly ready to debate the price as his hand continued to circle along Jon's stomach. Then, suddenly, his hand swept down, and he flipped the cub's loincloth up.

The Otter froze, his eyes widening. He peeked down at himself, seeing that his penis was clearly exposed. He looked up to his Master, who wasn't even meeting his gaze, his eyes trained on the Canine Lord before him. The Lord was clearly a little disturbed at what was happening. He looked up at the Canine, who met his gaze briefly, before his eyes flicked to the Otter's private parts.

"What are you doing?" The Canine asked tentatively, not quite sure what was going on here. He hadn't signed up for such an odd couple of people from such a small town. He looked visibly nervous, but Elric didn't even bother to answer his question.

"What about 1 gold coin, and 5 silver coins?" Elric countered with a wily expression as the hand on Jon's body trailed down, stroking along the fur on his lower pelvis, and tracing across his penis and scrotum, before it delved lower. He gently scratched the underside of his apprentice's tail, soothing him, before his fingers traced up and began to press against Jon's asshole again. The Otter squirmed, knowing exactly what was going to happen.

"I...uh..." Ashton had been caught off-guard as his eyes flicked down to the long, black digits pressing and kneading against Jon's anus. "Uh...1 gold coin and 4 silvers."

Elric was silent for a moment, watching the canine as his fingers pressed firmly into Jon's asshole. The Otter watched in confusion as he felt the fingers slip in, the same full feeling hitting his gut and leaving him with a sickening pleasure that spread across his crotch, despite the occasional wincing pain. He could already feel it, the same bubbling desire that stirred in his loins. He looked down to see his penis swelling with pleasure, twitching against his scrotum.

"M...Master..." Jon began, wanting him to stop. He was confused, even a little scared, his eyes darting up to the Lord. He was getting hard in front of him, and he knew it. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he knew it didn't feel right. Elric apparently ignored him as his fingers sunk deeper and deeper.

"1 gold coin, 4 silvers, and 20 bronze." Elric countered, his eyes trained on the nervous-looking Lord, whose gaze continued to dart between the Panther, the Otter, and the Otter's slowly hardening penis.

Soon enough, Jon was at full mast, and he could feel the embarrassment and shame clogging his throat. He looked down to his penis, seeing it flop backwards and twitch against his belly as Elric slid his fingers back and forth, gently coiling them around Jon's sensitive spots. The Otter could feel that burning pleasure in his groin, almost too much to bear.

"Master, please..." Jon begged, feeling the tears bubble forth. A weak sob escaped his throat as the tears rolled down either side of his head as his cock twitched eagerly on his stomach, a tiny bead of pre-cum forming at the tip, unable to be touched. He was incredibly confused, and nothing was being explained.

"Sir, your apprentice..." The Lord remarked, looking a little concerned for a moment, yet Elric's gaze was unwavering. The Panther stared into the Canine's eyes, drumming his fingers on the counter.

"1 gold. 4 silver. 20 bronze." Elric repeated, watching Ashton closely. The Canine faltered, unsure what to say, or even do. Jon continued to sob, confused, almost beyond repair as Elric's fingers continued to slide inside his asshole. He felt the burning desire growing stronger and stronger, and he began to squirm, curling his toes and his breathing grew more labored.

"Fine." Ashton snapped, reaching into a sack at his belt and slamming the coins on the counter. "I'll expect it by the morrow."

The canine swiftly turned and left the door, looking flustered and confused. Jon, amidst all his sobbing, heard the faint jingle of the shop door closing. He peeked out from beneath his hands, tears streaming down his face as he watched the Panther.

"You see, Jon," Elric began, his fingers stuffing themselves deep into Jon's anus and gently curling, hitting his sensitive spot firmly. "When you're negotiating with a customer, it's paramount you always get the best bargain. And always make sure to look them in the eye. Eye contact is very important."

Jon quivered under the Panther's touch and blubbered a little, sniffling hard and wiping his eyes as his little penis throbbed desperately against his stomach, those fingers stuffed deep into him. He listened, but he was clearly quite distressed.

"Master, why did y--" He began, but was cut off by the Panther talking.

"Always try to aim more towards a Silver than in the middle. And never miss out on the Bronze coins. They can go a very long way, you see: 288 of them will make up a single gold coin, eventually. They are useful." Elric carried on, his fingers sliding back almost all the way out of Jon, before sliding into his anus again, coiling his fingers again and making the Otter shudder from the sensation once more.

Jon felt frustrated, and he whined in desperation, arching his back, confusion clouding his judgement. His Master finally drew his fingers away and out of his asshole, leaving him feeling a little empty, but definitely frustrated.

"Master, why?" Jon begged to know, sniffling hard and sobbing again into his hands. Elric sighed and gently soothed him, reaching his hands over.

"Shhhh. There, there, Jon. You were good today. You're a good boy." Elric crooned, his hands stroking Jon's head. He drew a hand down, gently and softly massaging his fingers over the Otter's tail base, stroking up and down his tail. Jon began to calm. Being called a good boy always help to soothe any feelings he had.

"Good boy. Good boy." Elric repeated quietly. He knew he had to take his fingers out, he could tell by Jon's twitching penis that he was ready to burst. His hands cradled the Otter's cheeks as he looked down at him. He reached his head down, planting a kiss on his forehead.

"You did very well, Jon." He assured him, wiping the Otter's wet cheeks. "Now, shall we continue? We've a lot to do."

Jon sniffled hard and nodded, wiping his eyes a little. He brushed his loincloth back and adjusted it properly, despite his hard, twitching penis. He tried not to think about it. Slowly, he got off the counter and followed Elric through into the back, and his hard penis slowly began to shrink as he walked.

He was happy his Master had soothed him, yet, something in the back of his mind told him this was a little weird. But his love for his Master clouded his judgement. Everything was fine, surely. Nothing could hurt him now. He was a good boy.