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Kaeden's Commitment

by Draugr

Chapter VIII: Make It Real, Or Else Forget About It

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This work is licensed under aCreative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

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The next few days were filled with only small and mostly meaningless battles. As promised, Ashleigh started to wean him off the formula, but he discovered that wasn't as much of a good thing as he thought. Mealtimes were occasionally met with token resistance, and if the flavor was particularly bad, he'd wind up wearing more of it than what made it down his muzzle. This meant extra bathtimes - at least until Ashleigh caught on to the fact that he enjoyed bathtime, once he'd gotten used to being cleaned everywhere. It was relaxing, and he really liked having a clean coat, and it especially felt good after he'd been messy. Once that scheme was busted, Ashleigh simply used an abundance of puppy wipes to clean her charge off after dinner. He still was punished for misbehavior, and although he was no longer subject to being spanked, he still occasionally earned a mouth-soaping. More commonly he was simply leashed for "corner-time" or locked in his crib.

The Shepherd almost preferred getting his mouth washed out with soap to the latter two. Those punishments usually lasted an hour or two, and although he'd grown used to the feeling of a wet diaper, the times he had to mess made him miserable beyond consolation. He did not usually get his diaper checked until his punishment was over, either. Still, his behavior was slowly improving, despite the unorthodox motivation, and it wasn't simply because he wanted the Pyrenees off her guard.

Kaeden was still looking for opportunities to escape, but he couldn't get away from Ashleigh long enough to attempt it. Whether she knew his thoughts or not was anybody's guess, but regardless, the Shepherd wasn't leaving anytime soon. As the days passed, and he grew more used to how he was being treated, the will to escape eroded as well. It was still there, of course - he didn't like how he was being treated, but he was willing to tolerate it, and there were still some lingering guilty feelings over having betrayed Ashleigh before. If he was stuck here, he figured, he may as well make the best of it.

Nothing really noteworthy happened until the end of the week, when he groggily woke up after being put down in his crib at bedtime. He blinked his eyes, confused. Nothing felt right. Ashleigh had swaddled him in blankets, and had put a pacifier in his muzzle - all that was gone. Even Ikici was missing. So was his sleeper - he was there in just his thick overnight diaper and the same restraints he'd had when...

Oh. Oh_no_. It couldn't be-

"Ah, Kaeden, you're awake. I trust you know who I am," an unfortunately familiar deep voice said.

"No, no, no... go away. Ashleigh said you were gone. Bring me back to her, please," he pleaded, as the Rottweiler's form grew more clear in the dark room.

"Interesting. You don't wish me to simply... let you go?"

Kaeden didn't respond. Why_had_he wanted to return to the motherly Pyrenees? Why was that his first thought? He didn't want any of this, he didn't ask for it!

After a few more moments of silence, Kaeden spoke up. "Why are you doing this to me? Why are you here? Why can't you just_go away_?"

Rashid smirked. "You haven't learned very much, puppy, have you?"

"Don't call me that, f-"

"I'd advise against swearing at me. You've made such remarkable progress in that area, and it'd be a shame if I had to punish you again."

"Fine," Kaeden sneered. "Don't call me a puppy," he added.

Rashid gave a small laugh, eyes dropping to Kaeden's waist, then moved back up to meet the Shepherd's own. The implication was clear: You're in diapers, you're a puppy.

"I didn't choose this."

"No, no you didn't. So why do you think you're here?"

"Because you abducted me after I wrecked my car."

Rashid shook his head. "You're not very bright, are you? That's all incidental. I could have... 'abducted' you at that bar, or your home, or anywhere else, for that matter.

"Yeah, but I would've fought back, kept you from taking me."

"Would you now? Do you remember how you left this room last time?"

Kaeden tried to remember, but couldn't. Even the last couple things they'd said to each other were a little fuzzy. He shook his head.

"Ah, that's just as well. So: Why_are_you here, Kaeden?"

"I don't know. Ashleigh says I need help."

"And do you?"

Kaeden paused. "I don't know."

"Do you know anything, pup?"

"Shut your mouth. I'm tired of you calling me stupid, and I'm even more tired of you calling me a puppy!"

Rashid slammed his fist down on the table, snarling. Kaeden yelped, surprised - and felt a small but sudden warmth in his diaper. He'd wet himself in fear.

"_You_don't seem to understand how this works. I thought we'd established who was in charge the last time," he said, in that infuriatingly calm, but intense voice.

"O-okay, fine, whatever," Kaeden said, recovering. Remembering the Rottweiler's last question, and seeing his expectant expression, he tried again. "I... maybe? I'm not happy with my life, but... how is kidnapping me and forcing me into... all_this_... supposed to help me?"

"So you believe there is something about you? Something requiring our help?"

"Not_your_help," Kaeden spat, "but, yeah, sure somebody's. Something... I guess something must have gone wrong, somewhere."

"Why not our help? Has anyone else offered to help you? What's the saying... beggars can't be choosers?"

"Because... I... this... I'm not a... " Kaeden stammered, already knowing the answer to anything he could muster up to say.

"Let's try a different tactic. You've been a failure your entire life."

Kaeden dropped his ears and hung his head at that. The words hurt. Even his tail drooped, which had been raised slightly behind him in defiance.

"Easy, pup," Rashid said. "I'm not trying to upset you. Let me finish. You've had problems committing to anything as long as you can remember, correct?"

Kaeden nodded.

"Speak, dog."

Kaeden snorted. Was that dismissive title supposed to anger him? Coming from, well, another dog? At least he hadn't called him a puppy again.

"Yes," the Shepherd responded.

"Why is that?"

"How the heck should I know? It's just how I've always_been_. Maybe I was just born a failure, ever think of that?" he said, shouting now. "Maybe there's nothing that can be done for me."

"Settle down," Rashid ordered him. "You're exciting yourself. Nobody is beyond help, Kaeden,nobody. I wish I could tell you how true I know that to be, but... just trust me when I say that's true."

"Oh, right, because the muscle-brained caveman that beat me is just_sooo_trustworthy," the Shepherd barbed. Rashid seemed unaffected.

"You can think whatever you like about me, Kaeden. It's unimportant to me. And I didn't beat you, I gave you a spanking. There's a difference."

"I couldn't sit without my rear hurting for a day!"

"Enough. Stick to the subject, and answer my question: Why have you been unable to commit to anything?"

"I don't know, okay? I don't know what you want me to say!"

"I want you to give me an honest answer to the question. Don't tell me what you think I want to hear."

The Shepherd spat on the table before him and growled - but rather than getting angry, the Rottweiler just laughed.

"Looks like the puppy needs a diaper for his mouth, too," he said, grinning.

Kaeden said something very rude, then suddenly fell silent, fearing he was going to get a spanking. He didn't, although to his dismay Rashid got up out of his chair, and walked around to his side of the table, keeping one hand behind his back. The Shepherd wasn't sure what the point of hiding it was: he knew it was a bar of soap, and he couldn't get away with the restraints.

Roughly grabbing the Shepherd's jaw, he shoved the bar of soap down into his muzzle, vigorously rubbing it across his tongue. He instinctively tried to pull away, thrashing around in the chair. Eventually the soap was removed, and Kaeden spat up what he could onto the tabletop, coughing along the way. He did not, however, say anything_rude_.

"Are we done?" Rashid asked, once the room fell silent.

Kaeden glared at him. "I don't get what you want from me," he growled. "Am I supposed to just change my life to better suit your mood? Because you think you're so smooth?"

Rashid snorted, then laughed. "This has nothing to do with me._You_can't commit. Why is that?"

"Whatever," Kaeden said dismissively. "I... I don't know, maybe my dad? He was always... he still_is_sticking his nose in my business."

Rashid shook his head. "Your father has been there for you."

"How would you know any of that?"

"That's not important. The problem isn't your father, Kaeden. Think further back."

Kaeden furrowed his eyebrows.

"My mother? But she left so early I can barely remember her! How could she have anything to do with it?"

Rashid put his head in his paws.

"It's obvious, isn't it?"

"Not really, no," Kaeden said.

"You need to figure this out for yourself, puppy," Rashid said, standing up. "I've given you more to work with than I should have. Let's don't forget about it."

"Wait... where are you going?"

"Taking you back home," he said, walking around to where Kaeden couldn't turn his head to see him.

"No, look, I'll cooperate, I promise, just don't - OW!" Kaeden felt a sharp pinch in the side of his neck, then saw an encroaching blackness - and then there was nothing.