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It was the same thing every time. Get up, look presentable for the buyers, and get up on the stage to be sold. Mike had done this everyday for the last few weeks and still no one would buy him. No one wanted a scrawny, male fox as a slave. There was no use for him. It was probably for the best though because Mike didn't want to be put somewhere he felt unwelcomed. Not to mention it was hot this time of year so farmers were buying well built Keidran slaves for muscle or the home. Or worse breeding to make more slaves. Mike was made for neither option. He couldn't cook or take care of the home, had no muscle at all with his small stature, and definitely wasn't old enough for breeding. That didn't stop the auctioneers from abusing him and making sure he behaved when they needed him to be. It was rough in the summer heat and only given so much time for rest, food, and water. Once again he was left in the cage for another night and hadn't been sold. At least at night it wasn't so hot and humid.

The fox leaned up against the cage bars, trying to rest his eyes for the new day to come. He was tired of staying in a filthy cage with no proper care. He missed his mother who was separated from him when they were caught. She was most likely being used for breeding or a house slave. Mike wondered if she was alright. She was all he had up till the separation and his clan. Now he was alone.

In the middle of the night, he was woken up by one of the slavers chatting with another human. "Where should we put this one?"

"Put him in the cage with the fox. He will be sold off in the morning. I have some people in need of workers coming by then." At that moment there was the man with a young dog Keidran who had solid brown fur, dark grey eyes, and droopy ears. He struggled with the man and tried to bite him, but was slapped across the muzzle for trying. The man shoved the Keidran in the cage, landing near Mike, and locking the door quickly so he couldn't escape. Mike watched the whole thing with ears perked up and wide eyes, afraid that this one would try to hurt him next.

It was the complete opposite. The young pup had curled into a ball, whimpering with his tail wrapped around his body. That showed Mike that he was just as scared as he was in this situation. He was alone too. The fox slowly moved over to the dog and gently touched his arm. This only circulated alarm in the other's mind and made him move away more. He saw that the pup was looking at him with fear in his eyes. So instead of touching his arm again, Mike reached over with his hand outstretched and open. "It's alright. I won't hurt you..."

The dog still looked a bit confused wondering why a fox is trying to befriend him. "What's your name?"

"E-Evals..." He finally spoke out with a quivering voice, body still shaking a bit from the abuse he had received earlier from one of the men. Mike moved slightly closer this time, hand still out to the dog, "I'm Mike. My mother called me Michael but for short Mike. H-How did you end up here?"

Evals had looked at Mike's hand, finally slowly reaching out his to grab it gently. Mike could feel the trembling and soothed him by rubbing a thumb across his hand softly. His hands were a little bigger than Mike's being a bigger species. "I-I-I wandered too far from home...I was trying to find my way back and I was caught in a trap..."

"I'm so sorry to hear that...My mother and I were caught too. She and I were getting food, then on the way home were surrounded by men who separated me from her. I haven't seen her since a few weeks ago..." The fox started to tear up and sniffled at the thought, Evals moving to sit closer to comfort Mike. "I miss my mother too. She's back home with my clan...I have quite a few siblings and cousins back home. They're probably wondering where I went..."

"I don't have any siblings...It was just me and my mother. Of course I had the clan but my mother was the only family I knew..." It really hurt that she was no longer with him to protect her son from the dangers of Mekkan. Mike knew they had to still try and survive to stick together.

He and Evals had talked a little more before dozing off to sleep, Mike resting his head on the dog's shoulder. It wasn't long before morning had come around and the sun peeked through the windows of the building. The slavers would be up soon and ready to present the Keidran that were kept in their cages. It wasn't long before one of the men came through with three people trailing behind him. One man looked like he was in his forties with two younger men that looked like his sons. One of them was older and looked to be in his twenties with blonde hair and brown eyes with a marking on his face. The other was quite younger and in his teens with blonde hair and green eyes. He sported glasses and was much smaller than his burly brother.

"We have many different male Keidran that could be used for muscle on your ship. Some are new but we can guarantee that they would be enough for the work you need them to do." The man explained to the father of the group, showing off the many different kinds of Keidran they had before getting to the back room with the younger ones where Mike and Evals were kept. "Here are the younglings who can do lighter work and maybe more physical labor later on."

The younger brother looked around and spotted the two sitting together, tugging at his father's sleeve gently, "Dad what about them?"

"Son this is something I have to decide and I need to talk this over before making it final."

"Yea you stupid brat!" Came a retorting reply from the older brother who had smacked the younger one's head, shoving at him.

"Hey you two behave! Quit acting like idiots and be quiet. Now my son mentioned them--."

"Oh no sir! They're not good enough for anything really. The fox is too scrawny to do any physical labor and the dog...he's a bit of a biter and troublemaker. You wouldn't want to deal with that kind of slave." The man explained as he directed them to the other Keidran before the other man butted, "Actually I can work with troublemakers. I know how to break a Keidran and make them work. Bring me the dog."

"Yes sir." The slaver opened the cage and went in to grab Evals by the arm, trying to separate him and Mike. Mike tried to hold to his new friend as tightly as possible before the slaver kicked him away. The fox fell to the floor and the man locked the cage before he could try to escape, Evals struggling again to get back to Mike. Once he was brought out the man looked Evals over and made sure his physical shape was good before nodding as if to decide. "He seems good. Physical shape is good for lifting with his arms. Rebellious but he seemed to be attached to the fox."

"Well the fox I told you is no good. Hardly good for physical labor at all. He doesn't have any muscle like the dog does or any of my other Keidran in this building."

The man motioned to his eldest son and signaled to hand him something that he could use. "Get me the fox as well. These two want to stay together then they can work together."

Mike perked his ears up and sat up, watching as the man handed off Evals to the father and went to unlock the cage. He retrieved Mike and jerked him to his feet, making him walk out of the cage and toward the other man. When he was out of the cage, Mike rushed toward Evals and clung to his shirt while the dog had one arm around his shoulders. "These two will do fine for now. I may be back to get more in due time. How much for them?"

"Three Hundred for the fox and Five Hundred for the dog." When the slaver was paid, the man handed Evals to his eldest son and put a slave collar on him and then Mike. "Thank you again and we'll do business again soon." After the collars were put on, they walked Mike and Evals out of the building and into a cart where they were kept locked up.

Away from where they could be heard, Evals held onto Mike and whispered, "At least you're going with me. I refuse to leave you alone back there." Mike looked up and smiled, feeling safer than he had in a long time.

Continued in Master's Pet Part 1...