Slavery Legalized

by Draugr & Element

Chapter 14: The Child in the Wolf

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This work is licensed under a [Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License](%5C)

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Randall woke up slowly just over sixty minutes later on his own, feeling fully rested. He felt his master petting him, and laid there, pretending to be asleep a little longer, enjoying the feeling - but not wanting to admit to it for fear of hearing the dreaded "T" word.

A cramp hit him, however, and he breathed in sharply and stretched out, so he didn't get to enjoy it for too many minutes.

"Morning, Master," he said, blinking his un-adjusted eyes against the harsh morning sunlight.

"Good morning my beloved little slave," Georgio said, stroking his wolf's cheek. "Do you want to talk about that nightmare?"

"Nightmare?" Randall questioned, cocking his head to the side. He didn't remember dreaming at all.

Georgio just smiled, scratching the wolf's back, then flipped him over so he could scratch his stomach. "Morning tummy rubs for a good slave!" he said, laughing.

The wolf's leg spasmed a bit as he got his stomach rubbed. He was almost completely incapacitated.

"I think you found my weakness..." he said, giggling. The lion rubbed him a bit longer, then figured it was probably a good time to start the day.

"Well, shall I go take my shower, and leave you here...unless you want to join me, Randall?" The new day started Randall with a fresh dose of bravado, so he thought he'd try staying alone in the bed while his master took a shower.

"I'll try staying here, Master," he said.

Georgio gave his slave a kiss before getting out of bed. "Okay, I'll close the door, and test you, see how you do...but if need me close, come right on in, okay? Oh! And make the bed, we'll make it a two for one test, hehehe..." As he disappeared into the bathroom, Randall could hear him mutter, "Yikes...I smell like grass."

Randall managed to last just over ten minutes alone in the bedroom, but a good seven of them were spent focused on the task of making the bed. He jumped back up into bed, and hid under the covers, but after only three minutes he was feeling horribly exposed and unprotected, and he darted into the bathroom, and into the shower stall with his master. The wolf gave the lion a hug and looked down at the drain, silently apologizing for not being able to last any longer alone.

"Aww...it's okay, Randall," Georgio cooed, hugging his slave back. "I figured you'd be in here about five minutes ago. I'm really proud you lasted this long." He gave him a quick kiss, and nuzzled his head, as an awkward silence passed between them. Georgio wanted to say something, but he lost the words as he looked at his wolf - the fur growing wet as he stood under the hot shower, defining his muscles better, and the shape of his body...

The lion decided to push the barriers a little, then leaned in, pushing him back gently against the shower wall in a light pin. Randall whimpered a bit, folding his ears back, unsure of what his master was trying to do - this was an unexpected move. However, as his master slipped his tongue into his muzzle, he realized he liked it, and pressed his tongue into the lion's muzzle as well. They stayed there a moment, the hot water falling over the two passionate lovers.

Eventually Georgio pulled back. "Was...was that okay? Did you like it?" he asked, wanting to make sure Randall had not been frightened. Randall was still a bit too shocked to respond in words, so he nodded affirmatively. He was surprised not only at his master's move, but that he didn't react in fear, either.

"I love you, Randall..." the lion said, stroking the wolf's cheek. He kissed him deeply again, just as he had before - but this time it was a bit more aggressive, more forceful. The poor slave had absolutely no idea what was going on. He didn't think his master was going to hurt him at all, but he was confused, and with Randall's past, he couldn't handle confused very well. He whimpered loudly and struggled to get away. Georgio heard this, and felt his nethers starting to stir, and immediately pulled away, looking quite ashamed. Randall immediately dropped to the floor of the shower as he was released, huddling up in a ball. This was partly to shut out the outside world, how he dealt with confusion...and partly to hide the beginnings of his own arousal. He'd liked it, even the aggression, the dominance...he just wasn't prepared to handle it yet. Georgio knelt down in the shower, until he was next to Randall, worried that he'd hurt his wolf.

"I'm sorry! I...I'm sorry, Randall...when I saw you...under the water like this you just look so...so...beautiful, and I...I...I'm sorry, I let my instincts do too much too fast...please don't hate me...I'm just, attracted to you, I promise I wasn't going to...you know, try to take advantage of you...I know you're not ready, and I won't push, ever."

"It's...it's okay, Master," the wolf said meekly after a short pause. "I just...you sort of surprised me, is all...I liked it..." he said, looking upwards. "You look beautiful, too," he added, being both honest, and hoping that might make his master feel better. He was obviously distressed about what he had done, and Randall didn't want him to be afraid to try it again.

Georgio reached out and gingerly stroked Randall's cheek, catching his eyes for a moment. The lion looked away quickly, knowing that eye contact scared him. "You..you liked it? I'm sorry, it's just...you're so beautiful in my eyes that...I was blinded, and instict, instinct drove me to...well...be a bit aggressive, I guess." He hugged the wolf's curled up body, kissing his head. "I won't do it again, not unless you want me to...I wouldn't ever try to take advantage of you, I just...I don't know, the alpha in me is strong today is all...I shouldn't do this and confuse you like that, I know it's hard for you." Georgio took the wolf's paw in his own, holding it firmly. "I love you so much, Randall...that...well, I want to be with you, I won't lie about my feelings nor my attraction to you...it's a very basic instinct for a lion. See what you want, and, well...you get the desire to seduce it and take it...I will not do that to you, Randall, I've resisted it for the last three days, and I can resist for as long as it takes you, even if it's forever."

"Master, I'm your slave...it's your right to take me. But...if you can wait...let's see where today brings us."

"I don't think I have that kind of right with you or any slave, Randall...if you give yourself to me it will be of your choice, and yours only, that's how I want it."

Randall nuzzled up against his master, enjoying the feeling of the water running over the both of them. Randall was remembering the only time he'd ever allowed himself to grow close with another fur, his only consensual relationship. It had been a lifer, like him...a very dominant and aggressive fox. They'd never actually had sex, not even kissing...but they'd curled up close many nights, Randall drawing on the fox's dominant attitude to feel safe.

"I really did like it though, honest...you just surprised me," he grinned. "Aggressive can be fun..."

"Yes, it can be very fun, indeed, but...I'm glad you like it, but for me, aggressive typically means it will lead...erm...well, all the way, when I'm in that kind of mood."

"I love you too...I'm sorry things are moving so slow with me..."

Georgio draped his arms around Randall, the water cascading over the two sitting furs. "Don't be sorry," he said, smiling down at him, "like I said, I can wait for you Randall, I promise. I love you and that means I can wait one day, or ten years, or however long it takes you to get over this. I'll be fine."

Despite the acknowledgment of his slow progress, Randall suddenly leaned in, acting on his own instincts, and kissed his master again, his tongue slipping into his master's maw, knowing that as a slave he shouldn't make the first move like that, but unable to help himself. Georgio was surprised, but happy that he felt comfortable enough to do this, and he quickly returned the kiss. When their lips met, his body relaxed a lot more, and he wrapped his arms around the wolf's neck, pulling him further into the kiss, purring in bliss. He thought the wolf's lips and tongue tasted sweet...he was quickly growing to love doing this with Randall, and he was fairly good at it, for a first-timer.

Randall stayed with his master like that for some time, their muzzles locked together, while the shower doors grew more opaque with the heat - not all of which was coming from the water. Randall was beginning to get a bit aroused, however, so he let go, a little worried that he might be sending his master the wrong message - the lion's warnings about his "aggressive" moods were still ringing in his head. He moved back against the wall when they were finished, feeling happy, almost wishing it could have gone further...but some part of his mind still wasn't ready. It frustrated the wolf, it felt like there were two furs living in the same body, and one was a very unwelcome guest that he just couldn't get rid of. He was glad to have a master who actually cared about his thoughts, conflicted though they were. He stood up after a few moments and got some soap to start lathering up his fur with, anxious to be nice and clean for the wedding.

Georgio stood up as well, grabbing a second bar of soap. "I'm going to wash your back for you, but no lower than your waist without your permission, okay?" Georgio hugged him from behind first, nuzzling him just a second. "You're so good to me, Randall, promise you'll always be with me, okay?"

"I'd never leave you!" Randall said, astonishment in his voice. "Of course I promise."

Georgio smiled and nodded. "Good, I'm glad...I promise I'll never leave you either, okay?" Having finished lathering up Randall's back, he moved down and gripped his tail, lathering it up as well. The wolf yipped and whimpered, worried about his master's aggressive behavior earlier. He relaxed almost instantly, however, when he realized that there were no untoward intentions.

The lion frowned, then let his tail go, going over a few spots on his back again, seeing his reaction. "I'm sorry, Randall, I promise I'm not in that mood anymore."

"It's okay, Master...but hopefully sometime sooner rather than later I'll look forward to those kinds of moods," he said, teasing. The wolf simply stood in place and enjoyed the feeling of his master's paws running through his fur. It felt very therapeutic.

However, when his master switched to scrubbing his sides, he gasped and then snorted, giggling like a madman.

"Oh? Someone ticklish, huh?" Georgio said, laughing.

Randall dropped to the floor - he was ticklish on his sides, right around his belly, and the lion had managed to stroke him in exactly the right way to send him into a fit of laughter. He got a bit of water down the wrong pipe from gasping so suddenly, and coughed a few times to get it all out.

Georgio knelt down quickly, using his back as an impromptu umbrella, looking at him upside-down. "Randall, are you alright? Sorry, I didn't mean to." He grew more concerned, however, as Randall looked up, his playful mood gone. Now there was only terror in his eyes, his pupils darting back and forth, as if looking for an escape.

"No, Master, please! I'll be good, I promise!" the wolf exclaimed, dragging his heels in the dirt as he was led towards the water tank.

"This is for your own good, slut. Your promises are worthless. I don't want you fucking up my card game like last time. Call this an incentive not to be so goddamn worthless."

The physically imposing hyena shoved the wolf's head into the water tank, holding it under until he was unable to breath...his head was spinning, he couldn't get up for air...finally he resigned himself...he was going to die here. He took in a breath...just as his master lifted him up. He hacked and sputtered, coughing up water. He was allowed one full breath before he was shoved back under water. This process was repeated fifteen times, before he was thrown into the dirt, shivering cold, and drenched with dirty water from his punishment. His cruel master chained him up, leaving him without food or shelter until morning.

Randall shot out of the shower stall, huddling into a corner and throwing some towels over himself, trying to hide from his memories, hating the fact that he could remember such awful things so vividly - and hating that such a benign thing as getting a bit of water down the wrong pipe would send him into this state. He tried to choke back a few sobs, hating that he was so weak, not wanting his master to see him like this.

Georgio had watched all this, seeing him run out naked and wet, not understanding what was going on, until he remembered what he'd told him before - how one of his old masters used to punish him. He got out, running over to Randall, wrapping his arms around the wolf, cradling him gently.

"Shhh, it's okay...it's okay, Randall, Master is here...I'll never let that happen to you..."

"I know..." he sniffed.

"I just...I just...I thought I was drowning again. It made me remember..." He clutched his master's arm for dear life, as if he were out to sea and actually in danger of drowning.

Georgio clutched him even more tightly, kissing his head, holding him close, and offering him his strength. "Shhh, it's alright, deep breaths Randall, it's okay, I'm here..." he soothed. Georgio pet him, scratching behind his ears, trying to comfort him. "Just close your eyes and remember our world, okay? The mountains, remember the mountains?" Randall nodded, closing his eyes, remembering the world he'd created, where his master and him, and all the other nice furs he'd met lived in peace, and his demons could never, never reach him.

Once everything had passed, he finally opened his eyes, and looked up.

"I'm good now, Master." Georgio held him a bit longer, until he was sure everything was okay, then got up.

"Okay, let's dry off first, okay? Then you dry the floors, and do your punishment while I get breakfast." Georgio took a towel and started to dry himself, his own tail wagging just a little bit. "Excited?" he asked.

Randall nodded. He was about to shake himself dry again, but then he remembered what he was supposed to do - he went into the shower and then did exactly that. After drying himself off, he took a towel to the floors, and the sides of the shower stall so that water spots wouldn't form.

His head and tail hung low as he left the bathroom, not looking forward to his punishment. Every step he took closer to the laundry room got heavier and heavier, but he wanted to get better for his master, and for himself. He held his breath as he entered the dreaded room, and knelt down in front of the wall that he had destroyed. Randall thought maybe if he closed his eyes and tried to block everything out, it would be easier...but that wasn't taking his punishment, that was evading it. He had misbehaved, and if he didn't learn anything from his punishment, he might do something like this again, and be taken away - and he had promised to never leave his master.

It took him almost ten minutes, but he finally got all his repetitions done, feeling absolutely wretched by the time he had finished.

By that time, Georgio was already in the kitchen, making some French toast. Thinking Randall was taking quite awhile, he called out to him, wanting to make sure he was okay. "Randall? Are you done? Come help me set up the table, breakfast is almost ready!"

Randall plodded his way into the kitchen, still feeling a bit down, and began to set up the table for his master so he could eat breakfast. He got out his own table & cushion for him to eat, and set his place up. The wolf sat down silently, still feeling a bit too wretched to trust himself to speak much.

Georgio looked over at him and couldn't help but chuckle a bit. "I'm glad you're self reflecting on what you did, Randall, I hope it helps you to behave at the wedding. I'm taking you as my date, so please try to act proper and don't do anything without my say so, okay?" He paused a moment, letting Randall absorb everything. "So, how did you sleep?" he asked, changing gears. "Well snuggled up to your big strong protector?"

Randall nodded. "Mmmhmm. I slept good...and, at the wedding...I'll behave, Master...I'll do my best," he promised. "As long as you're with me, I'll be fine, I think."

Randall was worried about how he'd react to all the strangers...three hundred of them, according to Master. He'd been fine in public before, sure...but these were a different kind of stranger. Out in public everyone left him alone, but these people all knew Master...and they'd probably want to interact with him.

"Well, how about this, if you get very upset, close your eyes, kneel down, and hug my leg, okay? And think about our happy little world we have, that's just you and me, okay? It'll help calm you down."

"Okay," Randall agreed, as Georgio set the plates out for them to eat. He thought it seemed like a good idea, and hopefully it would help him. Randall began charging into his food with his usual vigor. Seeing this, Georgio grabbed the spray bottle, and sprayed Randall in the face. "No, Randall! Bad! No, bad boy!"

Randall's ears fell back, and he shook his head back and forth as he got sprayed.

"Sorry, Master..." he said, looking down, and eating much more slowly.

Georgio smiled as he pet his head. "That's a good boy, heh...I guess this thing was a good idea after all, I'll just have to start using the other reinforcement at the wedding maybe...you like chocolate, Randall?"

The wolf cocked his head to the side. "Never had it," he said. "But...I guess I might."

Georgio chuckled at his innocence, then walked over to the cabinet to grab a big bag of M&Ms. He pulled just a single one out, then handed it to the wolf. "Here, try one."

Randall fingered it a moment, rolling it around in his paw, before tossing it up and chomping it out of the air on its way down. His tail wagged a bit at the taste. He licked his muzzle, and nodded.

"It's good!"

Georgio sat back down, petting Randall's head. "Good. Maybe I can use this as a reinforcer for your training...so when you do something good, I'll try to remember to give you one, okay?"

Randall watched specifically as to where his master put the bag back. He thought those were really quite good. He finished up his meal at his revised pace (though still noticeably faster than his master), and brought his own dishes to the sink. He did the same with Georgio's after he had finished eating.

The lion watched his wolf clean up, then another thought struck him, something he hadn't made clear. "Don't you dare touch those, Randall, or I'll leave you here for the entire weekend, got it? I'm going to pack, you clean up, then come make the bed again...I saw you didn't make it, hehe."

Randall wrinkled his nose and got his "angry eyes." Sometimes his master seemed to be able to read his mind...could he keep anything a secret? He washed his face and paws, and then went up to make the bed.

Georgio went upstairs and into the wolf's room to take out his formal wear, and a few pair of slave clothes. "His first time eating chocolate, I don't blame him..." he muttered, smiling at the wolf's grumpiness. "He's so cute when he acts like that..." He placed the formal wear on a hanger, placing a plastic bag over it to keep it nice. He went over into his room, and packed a few more clothes, while Randall made the bed. It was still a lengthy chore for the wolf, but with the extra time it took, he did just as well as anyone could hope to.

"Good boy, you're getting a lot better," he praised.

"Thanks, Master," Randall said, hugging him. His tail wagged and he looked anxiously over to the door, eager to get on the road. "How long will it take to get there?"

"Well, maybe about three hours, we can chat, sing songs, whatever you like...get lunch somewhere...you can pick if you see a nice sign." Georgio got up, walked over, and kissed him on the head. "You need to get dressed, Captain Naked," he laughed, "so go grab a loincloth to wear, alright?"

Three hours? I guess that's not too bad.

Randall darted off to his room as ordered to get dressed. He popped back out moments later, this time clothed. He went over to his master's side, and grabbed his hand, pulling on it a little bit. Randall was pretty anxious to head off. This would all be something new, and hopefully good and exciting. Even with his apprehensions about all the furs at the wedding, he couldn't help but look forward to it.

Georgio chuckled at his exuberance. "Mr. Antsy, huh? Well, okay then, do you want to go to Tom and John's, and say bye to Kana for the weekend, or shall we be off?"

"Um...is that something nice to do?" Randall asked. Social graces escaped him, having lived well under the lowest rung of the ladder for several years.

Georgio just nuzzled him softly in answer before grabbing the bag, and handing the suitcase to him. "If you're going to be out the door before me, may as well carry this." He led Randall outside, opening the door for him, right after checking to make sure all the other doors were locked, the oven was off, and other last-minute things.

"Well, Randall, if you want - Oh!" Georgio looked across the way, seeing Kana working in the flower bed out front. "You can say bye right now then if you want to."

Randall was a bit surprised to see Kana, and darted on ahead to say goodbye. About halfway there, he paused and looked back...Master was clear back there...but Kana was okay to be around, he remembered. She could take care of him.

He went on ahead, came up to her and waved.

"Um...Master and I are goin' away for the weekend. I guess I'm s'posed to say goodbye...so...um...bye!"

"Oh...you mean the wedding? Well, have fun," Kana said.

"I will thanks...and, I told him!" he whispered, in a much quieter voice. Kana's ears popped up upon hearing that.

"Really?" she exclaimed, standing up to hug him, which the wolf returned shyly. "Oh, what did he say, what did he say?" she asked, wanting to hear all the details.

"He said he loves me too." The wolf wagged his tail a bit, the simple thought of this making him happy.

Kana smiled and kissed his cheek. Randall was a bit shocked at this, remembering that Kana had said she liked girls, not boys. He'd seen other furs do that as a sort of friendly gesture, however. He didn't dwell on it too long.

"I'm so happy for you, Randall...when you get back, I want all the details of everything that went on last night, and this coming weekend, okay? We're gonna chat it up when I babysit you Monday...oh! I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like that...I mean, watch you," Kana said, blushing a bit at the slip.

Randall blushed as well. "It's okay," he replied. He saw how much time Kana spent around the kids, and figured that was just an extension of her somewhat motherly nature...and, somewhere, deep down, he had to admit that he was a bit childish at times, and difficult to care for.

They released eachother, finally, and Kana waved over at Georgio who was watching the scene from his house. "Goodbye, Master Georgio!" The lion waved back, chuckling, getting ready to hop in the car.

"Ah, wait for me!" Randall shouted, thinking his master was about ready to take off without him. "I'll see you Monday!" he yelled back at the shepherd, who wore a bemused grin on her muzzle. Randall quickly hopped into a space left in the back seat by the luggage, unsure of whether or not he was allowed to sit in front - none of his previous masters had allowed that.

"What are you doing back there, silly, come up here and sit in the passenger seat with me...now, do you have to go to the bathroom before we leave?" he asked, kissing his cheek as he crawled up into the front seat.

"I went when I washed up...let's go!" he exclaimed.

"Hehe, well, do you want to grab a book to read or anything at all? Just want to make sure you're not bored on a three hour trip."

The wolf yawned. "I'm still a bit sleepy so I guess if I get bored I'll take a nap or something." Right now his excitement was keeping him awake, and his nose was leaving marks on the window as it pressed up against it, his eyes eager to take in all the sights they could.

Georgio nodded, pulling out and heading down the road. He turned the radio channel on for his mp3 player, setting the volume to a low enough level that he could still talk with his wolf.

"Hehe...careful, don't want to lose that..." he laughed, rolling down the passenger window and seeing Randall's nose pressed firmly against it. "You can see all you want - Oh! Randall, buckle up, that thing over your right shoulder, put it in the little thing by your left hip." The wolf started to pull down the seat belt, the whined softly as he realized what it was for.

"Do I have to?" he asked, not liking how it restrained him against the seat.

Georgio looked at him sternly, pointing to his own chest. "Yeah, I'm doing it too, it's for your safety, Randall." As they came to stop at a red light, he helped him put it on, making sure it was secure. Randall whimpered as he was fastened in - he didn't fight, though, knowing that Master was right next to him, and that if anything happened, he'd be there for him.

The lion pulled into a small side street, driving down and stopping suddenly. Randall let out a sharp, high-pitched yelp as he pressed forward into the belt, the sudden stop surprising him.

"See? Now, if I did that on the highway and you didn't have that on, you could easily have been hurt and in the hospital...or worse, dead, if it was a bad enough accident, alright?"

"I guess...that still doesn't mean I like it any." he pouted.

Georgio looked crossly at him, and poked his nose. "But that doesn't mean that you're still not going to do it, because your master loves you and doesn't want to see you fly through the windshield and hit the concrete, dying instantly on impact...alright?"

"That's pretty gruesome," Randall said, matter-of-factly.

Georgio pet his cheek, looking into his eyes, seeing that Randall didn't quite grasp the consequences.

"Randall, I had a friend that died when I was in college that didn't buckle up. Do it because it is important to me, okay, Randall? Your safety comes first to me...you may not like it, but you'll do it, because you know I love you and I want to protect you, and because you know I'm right," he said, being more affirmative and direct. Georgio got the car moving again, following the side street and turning around the block until he was back on the highway.

The two sat in near silence for about ten minutes. Georgio was bobbing his head, dancing a bit to the music on the radio, Randall watching the sights out the window. The wolf, however, had a pressing question.

"Are we there yet?"

Georgio let out a long, exasperated sigh, glad his mother wasn't here to gloat on the matter - she'd always told him that she wished he'd have a child exactly like him. Randall wasn't exactly that, but he was beginning to understand exactly what she meant.

"Randall, we still have about two and a half hours left...I knew I should have made you get a book...how about a game? Would you like that to pass the time?"

"Umm....what kind of game?" he asked. Georgio grinned, looking over at him for a moment. "How about 'I Spy?' You say, 'I spy with my little eye, something that is...', then you say something, like...well, here's an example: 'I spy with my little eye a very handsome wolf.'" The lion then poked Randall's nose, making the lupine wiggle it a bit. "Hehe, then you would have to say you, as the answer...it's like a guessing game. If I said I saw something red, I could be referring to a car, a sign...something you can see, and you would have to guess. How about you try?"

Randall thought a moment, trying to pick out something difficult.

"I spy..." He gazed around some more. "With my little eye..." A long pause. "Something...blue."

Georgio chuckled, looking out, thinking this was an easy one. "The sky?"

"Nope!" he said.

"Hmm...your eyes?"

"Nope! They aren't even blue! Guess again!" Randall grinned, this was going well. He was trying as best he could to keep his eyes focused on anything in front of him, rather than behind - of course, the astute lion noticed this.

"Well, is it my jeans?" he asked, wanting to keep the game going a little longer for the wolf's self-esteem, although he was pretty sure he knew what it was.

"Guess again!"

"That car?"

"Nope!"

"My jeans?"

"Nope!"

"Um...hmm, is it my suitcase?"

"Aw, fuck," Randall said, crudely.

I was on a roll, too... he mentally pouted.

"Hey, watch your language, mister..." Georgio scolded him. "Alright..." he continued. "I spy, with my little eye something..." Georgio looked around and smiled, seeing something ahead of him. "Flying...hehe..."

Randall leaned forward into the dash as far as his seat belt would allow him, and peered out through the windshield. He didn't see any airplanes...but they moved very fast, he could very well have missed it.

"An airplane?" he asked. Georgio shook his head.

He looked around a little bit more.

"That bird there?" he said, pointing at a small bird that had just landed on a telephone wire.

Georgio nodded and smiled. "Yep, good boy," he said, petting him. They played for another hour or so, when they finally came to large bridge.

"Hey! We're about to go over the bridge, and you can see the ocean from it...it's a really pretty sight."

Randall quickly shifted over to the side window, gripping the top of the door with his paws, and sticking his head out the window. As they got over the bridge, the ocean came into view. The sunlight bounced off the relatively calm waters as they disappeared into the horizon, dancing across the tiny blue waves like sparkling diamonds. The wolf was awestruck, he'd never seen anything that big...or that free.

"It's huge," he finally said. "Have you ever been to the other side?"

"It is huge, Randall...and on the other side of it are many different countries. I've been to the other side, once for college, and a couple more times on business. Next time you can come if you want."

"Wow...where'd you go? What did you do?" Randall asked, curious. He of course knew there were other countries, he'd just never actually met anybody who had been to one. That made them seem much more real.

"Well, I went to a place called England to help them with a slave shipment back here. I did have an extra free day because I worked so well with them, so I ended up shopping a little, and seeing some sights, like the Queen's castle, and Big Ben, it's a giant famous clock tower."

"I saw pictures of that, once..." Randall said, although it seemed like he was getting a bit distracted. He was watching the bridge, now. He liked the structure of it - it was very geometric. He was currently trying to count the number of beams, but of course there were too many and they were going by too fast, and he'd lose count quickly and have to start over.

"Onetwothreefourfivesixseveneightnineteneleven...twe-" he mumbled, very quietly.

"Onetwothreefourfivesixse-dammit."

Georgio reached over to pet him, thinking he heard him saying something.

"Randall, what are you mumbling?"

Randall didn't pay much attention to what his master had said until they were over the bridge, too engrossed in trying to keep track of numbering the bridge.

He sat back and sighed.

"I was tryin' to count the vertical cables in the bridge. It wasn't easy..."

"Well, there are a lot of them...probably a few hundred I think, Randall."

"Did you see the Queen?" he asked, abruptly switching subjects. Clearly he had been paying a little attention.

"Well, no, not a bit, unfortunately...she's too busy with other stuff. You've never traveled before, Randall...what's the furthest you've been?"

Randall thought a moment. He'd been shuffled around so much in transit...that was as close to traveling as he'd ever gotten, although normally he slept through as much of that as possible.. All his previous masters had kept him chained to the grounds in one manner or another, so he'd never had a chance to leave. His previous master usually would take two or three day trips, not even bothering to leave the wolf food or water, which had really aggravated his fear of abandonment & being alone.

"Randall, you there?" the Georgio asked, seeing him lost in thought.

"I...I don't really know, Master," he said, finally answering. "My previous master traveled a lot, and sometimes I'd sneak looks at the pictures he'd taken...that's about as close to any real traveling as I've ever had."

"Well, don't you worry, I'll let you travel with me any time you want."

"Two hundred and fifty," Randall said suddenly.

"...what's two hundred and fifty?"

"That was the number of cables I counted." the wolf said.

"Wow, you did that? Impressive," the lion said, actually impressed. He knew Randall would be so brilliant, if only he hadn't been hurt by cruel masters. They sat in silence a moment longer, but in another five minutes...

"Are we there yet?"

"God, you're so impatient," Georgio laughed, "I swear, you're such a cub sometimes..."

"Hey, I'm twenty-four!" Randall said. He sat back in his seat rather roughly, crossed his arms, wrinkled his nose, and looked straight ahead.

"Yeah, so what's your point?" Georgio scratched him behind his ear and chuckled. "It's not a bad thing...I think it's cute, honestly, you're so wide eyed and curious about things, and so eager...I think it's one of the reasons I love you the way I do...even though it means you can get yourself into trouble at times, which is why I always want you to ask questions..."

Randall grumbed a bit. "Soooo..." he drawled. "Are we-"

"Randall, we've been on the road for about two hours...do you want to stop and get a bite to eat somewhere, would that help?"

"I can wait until we get there..." Randall said. He stared at the window, hardly believing they'd only been on the road for two hours. It felt like two days.

"Well, there will probably be family at the hotel when we arrive, and they'll want to go out to eat, so that's a good thing.

The last leg of the trip passed in relative silence. Randall was getting a bit cranky since he hadn't had his nap, and the sights out the window were not so new anymore. He tried to catch a bit of shut-eye, but excitement over the wedding, and nerves over meeting his master's family kept him awake.

"Alright, straight there it is...we can hit the hotel room and catch up with some of my family now, okay?"

Randall huddled down a little bit, and leaned in over to his master, hugging his arm at the mention of meeting his family. New people still made him nervous. "I'll be good for you..." he said quietly.

"Aw, poor guy...you're nervous about it, huh? Well, you stay by me, I'll keep you safe. We'll probably go out to dinner with them, then maybe you can get more comfortable with my relatives, okay? And what did you whisper, just then?"

Randall stayed silent, nuzzling the lion's arm, only letting out a soft whine.

"You're not a big cub?" he guessed, wondering if his wolf was still protesting about that. "Well, you know what? I told you I think it's very cute...you don't have to be upset..."

Randall shook his head. "No, not that...it was nothing important..." Truth be told Randall rather liked being doted on like this, but he'd never admit that in a million years.

Randall slid back over into his seat as they finally pulled into the hotel parking lot. He was nervous about meeting the family, but not near so nervous as staying in an actual hotel. The wolf was familiar with hotels. Usually his masters had brought him to places like these when they had prostituted him to other furs only slightly less cruel than themselves - it was not a fun time for him. He knew this time would be nice, though, because he was with Master. Randall swallowed, and steeled himself up.

Just try and enjoy this, it will be fun! he thought, but only half believed himself.