The Slave's Tale, Chapters 1 and 2
#3 of Dropples
A SLAVE'S TALE Chapters One and Two A Pair of Dropples (Topics: Story Series, Character Development, Slavery, Voyeurism) By Gratcat (Author's Note: Yeah, posting two at once this time. These were posted on my FA account as "On the Train" and "The Baroness", respectively. I think that on here, I'll just post any further chapters with the title "The Slave's Tale". This one isn't too naughty, until right at the end. It's almost a no-yiff, but not quite. Later chapters, however, will be much dirtier. I hope you enjoy, as always.) * * *
Ch. 1
- * * The mouse leaned back in the seat, humming quietly to herself, thinking for the millionth time that she was amazingly glad she was just a common labor-slave. The laws of the land meant that her keepers had to treat her civilly, just as any other furre would be treated. Not kept as well as the pleasure-slaves, but then, not nearly as bad as the life-slaves who had lost all their rights when they were sold. She had been terrified when she saw them herding the savage lot into the boxcars on the end of the train... But no, she was in a run-down, too hot, but otherwise decent little passenger car, facing the same ox that hadn't gotten off on any of the other stops. "So, you're headed to the baroness' estate, too?" She piped up, cocking her head to the side cutely. He just grunted. "Yeah, I heard that there's about twenty of us getting off there. I hear she's got a big plantation up on the mountain, and she needs a lot of hands to keep the harvest going." Another grunt. She frowned, trying to see if he was even awake. But his eyes were open. "So what's your name, anyway? I mean, if I'm going to be working with you-" "Ox." "Not too imaginative, is it?" He glared at her. "Kid, I was born in this life. I got the name my masters gave me. What about you?" "Millicent." She winced. "Most of my masters just called me 'runt', though." "Then Runt's your real name." He gave a single chuckle, a barely-audible sound. A few minutes passed as the train rattled on. "Where were you before?" "You mean my last job?" He nodded. "I was working at my master's bathhouse as an attendant. Bringing people soap, that sort of thing... well, one of the patrons wanted me to bathe with him..." "And?" It took the runt a minute to get her words together. "He pulled on my bad arm." She rubbed her left shoulder gingerly. "Put me in the hospital for a week. I got sold to recoup the expenses." "Happens a lot, doesn't it?" "What do you mean?" "The arm thing. It sounds like it's something you're used to." "Yeah. It's why I was sold off the last four times..." She sighed. "What about you?" "My master got himself killed." "That's horrible!" "Not really. It was an execution... he was caught torturing slaves to death for pleasure." The runt's face turned pale. "If he stuck with life-slaves, nothing would have happened, but he said something about them all being too ugly... needing something beautiful to suffer for him." Ox shrugged, his entire demeanor passive, nonchalant, as if he'd been talking about the weather. "I repeat... that's horrible." "Yep." "So does that happen a lot to you? I mean-" "I've seen some fucked-up shit." He nodded, crossing his arms. "I'm sorry-" "We're almost at the estate. Let's just pray that this one's better, eh?" He closed his eyes, and the runt realized that the conversation was over. She silently wondered about his comment... most people didn't want her prayers. Not when they realized she was pledged to Valfiri, the dark goddess of pain, pleasure, and new birth. She even had a little stature-altar in her satchel that she set up when she had the chance... maybe she'd be able to keep up her worship in secret here. Then again, maybe she wouldn't have to keep it secret. Maybe the baroness' reputation for eccentricity was better deserved than anyone guessed. And maybe flying gerbils would infest her private places. She heard a loud HISS, and felt the train slow and jerk to a stop. The window was full of leaves - too close to a tree to offer any view. A passing figure rapped on the door three times, the signal to get out. The runt twisted her head, shrugging, and they walked out. The other slaves, eight in all, stood in a line before a young filly in a summer dress, who was watching them with some measure of interest. "Is that all of you?" She looked over at the railwayman, who nodded. "'Then we're good. All of you follow me, no straggling, and don't get any ideas about running off. The border around the land's warded, you'll end up back here." Together, they walked along a dirt path through a wooded field. It wasn't a long walk - from the small railway station, the slaves passed through a stone gate, and then into a vast field. An old keep lay at one end, surrounded by fruit orchards. As another figure approached, a tall, lean mare that seemed to exude elegance, she found herself thinking one thing despite herself: "I think I'm gonna like it here." * * *
Ch. 2
"I'm going to say this once. I don't care if you were a life-slave, a labor-slave, or a pleasure-slave before you came here. You are now one of my servants, and no better or worse than any of your fellows here. You will treat each other with respect, or you will face me for it. You will defer to me in all matters, and in return, I will treat you well. Are we clear on this?" The Baroness trotted in front of them, down one side of the straggled line of slaves and back around to where she started. A few of the slaves nodded. The Runt didn't. She was too busy staring at her new owner. While her dress was of fine tailoring, and it hugged her figure beautifully, it wasn't ostentatious or showy. Not quite what she had come to expect from a noble... "My daughters and I are going to be examining you, and assigning you jobs. The other servants who are already here will instruct you in what you're to do." She nodded to the filly who had lead them from the train and to another one that had followed close behind her mother, and they went to work. The Runt and Ox were two of the first they took to examining. It was a far more physical examination than the Runt had expected. The filly squeezed and prodded at her arms and legs, her side, checked her ears, had her open her mouth, even smelled her breath. She felt a sudden stab of panic when she felt the girl return to her bad arm. "Joint problems?" "Um..." She squirmed, grimacing. "Y... y..." "It's alright." She craned her head back. "I think we've found your new maid, Mother." The elder mare nodded, and the filly smiled at the Runt. "You'll be helping Mother directly. Just follow her back to the Keep, she'll get you settled." "O...okay!" She felt faint. For a moment, she was worried that she'd be sold off again. She swiveled to look at Ox, and raised an eyebrow. The other filly was giving his thighs a good squeezing. He looked a little embarrassed, but she was, at least, being businesslike about it. "Stablehand, no question. Head to the barn, Old Mac will train you in your duties. You'll be taking over for him when he retires." Ox just nodded quietly, and headed to the barn at a quick walk. The other slaves were processed quickly - the fox with the unnerving twitch was assigned orchard duty, as were the twin rabbits. The middle-aged wolf was given warden duty, to keep over the woods that surrounded the estate. The short scaled thing was told to report to the kitchen, and the little tabby was told to go with the girls, to serve as their maid. In minutes, the Runt was walking along behind her new keeper, a little nervous, and very excited. They were almost up to the keep before she spoke. "Millicent, is it?" She winced. "Um... my friends just call me Runt." The Baroness laughed. "And they're still your friends?" "Yeah!" She piped up, thinking of Ox. Well, she thought he was her friend. At least he was good company. "I suppose Runt will do, then. You'll be aiding me in mundane duties, mostly. My gofer, as it were." "Can do!" She beamed, glad that there wouldn't be much in the way of instruction. She'd be trying to figure things out all day if she was at the stable... "You'll also be helping me with the traditional things - dress, grooming, cleaning my chambers, that sort of thing." "It'll be my pleasure." Well, not the cleaning, but the rest sounded dandy. "So where will we start?" "With a quick tour of the facilities... and then..." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Runt was exhausted. She'd been instructed to help the orchard detail on her first day, since the Baroness didn't need her. She lay in the small room next to her mistress', and was about to nod off. That's when she noticed the spot of light on the wall. Her lantern was off... where was that coming from...? The wall, right by the molding... a small section had slipped aside. There was a peephole! She squinted in through the hole, wondering why... "Oh... my..." Her jaw dropped as she saw her mistress, naked on the bed, writhing and twisting in the embrace of an imaginary lover, a thick cucumber pressed against her quim. The mouse shivered, rubbing herself as she watched the baroness... and then... She winked, right at her. She shut the peephole and curled up in bed, half-panicked, and wondered for the rest of the night if she had imagined the wink, or if there was something more to this Baroness than she thought.