Tail's of The Crimson Claw- Chapter 4

Story by Nova_lon on SoFurry

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#5 of Tails of the Crimson Claw


Much later that night found nova standing in his Mistress's cabin, just finishing one of the most extensive meals he had prepared in ages. It had been a day of many discoveries for him, it turning out the Anthro's technology could do some wonderful things. The food dispenser his Mistress had pointed out to him was just amazing. It had startled him at first when it seemingly created food out of thin air, even creating dishes with it. After he understood what it was doing it just became funny, the computers voice wile being soothing, would make the oddest sounds when he called it Mistress or requested something it was not able to make for him. He had decided on the meal and after a lengthy discussion with the computer describing the ingredients in great detail it had provided him what he needed or something close enough at least.

His Mistress had kept her word, her voice coming from unseen places in the walls every few hours to check on him, the first time it almost making him jump out of his skin. She had informed him to expect 4 for dinner tonight and to his great relief the dispenser had remembered his earlier requests, so increasing the portions was not as difficult as getting them in the first place. Cooking was one of his best skills, one his first owner had spend years teaching him to do with a Master level of expertise. For a slave that lived for the joy of serving, it was just great to see something he did bring pleasure to so many people with so little effort. His second big surprise had come when he try to bath as his Mistress had told him, the shower controls taking some effort to figure out. Not being able to read the Anthro language he had to press each button one by one to figure out there functions. He had almost burned himself when the water started coming out to hot and the fur dryer had hurt his ears terribly. But once he had gotten it all worked out the warm water felt wonderful on his skin. He had not been able to take a real bath since the Anthro slavers had captured him and he loved the way the rose scented fur wash covered the natural scent they had told him was so offensive.

After his bath he had given his Mistress quarters a once over, checking to make sure all her cloths where cleaned, neatly folded and put in there places. It was funny how messy this lady was, it left him much to do, and he knew the better his service the more she would be pleased with him. His eyes darted up to the clock, this to had been something that had taken some time to understand as well. It took him asking the computer several times what the numbers meant during different times of the day for him to understand it, but now he was able to tell his Mistress and her guests would be here in about 20 minutes. Just enough time for him to get cleaned up and put the dissert in the cooking unit.

He had gone all out on a meal he was sure would impress them, dead set on making this a night his Mistress would be proud of. Not having cooked for Anthros before he was not sure if thy would prefer meat, vegetarian or both, the only way he could think of to find out was asking the dispenser what it normally produced. It turns out his Mistress was an omnivore and funny enough she seamed to like a lot of carrot cake. He could only guess that since she normally eat both meat and vegetarian the others would as well, so he had planned his meal accordingly. For the carnivores He slow baked a roast, with honey and garlic then carved it into light and dark meats. For the herbivores he made some honey roasted carrots, baked with cinnamon and clovers and finally for the main course he had whipped up some potatoes smothered in garlic and sweet onions.

With everything ready he went into the bath room and freshened himself up , his Mistress had told him to be clean when she returned and he wanted very much for her to be pleased with him. He had washed the simple loin cloth the slavers had allowed him, he wished he had a needle and threat to mend it, but he understood as a slave he would not be allowed such things. Glancing to the clock he knew he had to hurry, they would be here soon. He set the table and checked the dissert, it would be ready in about 90 minutes, perfect.

He gave the room one last check, making sure everything was perfectly in its place before he walked over to the door and kneeled. He made sure he would not be in the way if his Mistress was not looking when she entered, it might ruin the night if she tripped over him. He was not sure why but he was very excited, there was just something about this woman that he very much wanted to please and it had been very long since the joy of an owners pleasure in his actions filled him with as much happiness as he had felt in the last 24 hours. He looked back to the clock as the appointed time came and went with no sight or call from his Mistress, she had been so prompt in checking in on him throw out the day, he could not help but be worried about her.

First 10, 20 and finally 30 minutes passed with no end in sight, as much as he wonted to be on his knees when she got home he would have to check on the meal soon to prevent anything from burning. He was about to rise when the sound of the door unlocking met his ears, a smile parting his lips, Mistress was home. He took a breath and lowered his head as the door opened, a softly whispered "Welcome home Mistress" his greeting as her feet stopped in front of him. He noticed 4 more sets of feet walking in behind his Mistress1 set canine, 2 feline and 1 lapin. She had told him to cook for 3 guests not 4 this concerned him that there might not be enough food for all of them.

"Thank you nova" the mink replied as she sniffed the air." Dear boy what have you been cooking? we could smell it the second we stepped off the lift." The boy smiled as he told his Mistress of the meal, hoping it would meet with the approval of her and her guests. Dana's Muzzle parted in a big smile " Wow, I was just hoping for something small nova, you have exceeded my expectations." The boys eagerness to serve her once again surprised the mink, it was like he knew she was bringing the command staff home. He kept his eyes to the floor as she touched his head, her claws running throw his hair. " Please set another place, we picked up a tag along on the way." Dana grinned back at the first officer that just had to come see the slave she had been speaking so highly of. She could feel his shiver at her touch and he had that cute blush she found so adorable on him.

He whispered a soft "Yes, Mistress" as he moved to the kitchen, his eyes still downcast. "Thank the goddess" was all he could think as he pulled the very last set of serving ware from the dish rack. If his Mistress had not allowed the dishes to pile up for almost a week there would not have been enough to set a place for the 5th woman. He could not help but lift his eyes as they took seats in the living area and was amazed at what he saw, all 4 of the new women were just as beautiful as his Mistress. The First to catch his attention was the fox, She seamed to be middle aged and was surrounded by a powerful air of confidence that just screamed obey me. A Giggle from the young bunny next caught his attention, she was acting all bubbly and happy. She had just gotten poked in the ribs by and older looking jaguar, then returned it in a play fight. Maybe it was her silence, or the powerful look about her that drew his attention, but the white tiger kind of scared him. Her body was toned and trimmed showing clearly that she spent a lot of time working out, a strength that was matched only by the power of her eyes. He could hear them chatting in the living area, but thy where to far away for him to make out the words. He just lowered his eyes as he pulled the last chair into place realizing it was wrong of him to try and hear what they where saying anyway.

Over at the couch Dana was whispering to her friends " See what I told you, he is so eager to please he killed himself making a fantastic meal for us."

Jessica had been looking at the boy with a look that bordered on the predatory. Like most bunnies she was thoroughly bi sexual and Danas description of his skills in bed had been on her mind for most of the day. She was looking at him in the kitchen, her tongue brushing over her lips as she whispered " MMM, yummy carrot."

Crystal who had been watching the look Jessica was giving the boy leaned over and poked her in the ribs as she teasingly asked "What was that Ms long ears?"

The bunny blushed and quickly covered herself " I said I smelled some yummy carrots." The Mink Mistress just grinned, she had been hoping they would like her boy, the better the impression he made, the better the chance of the Captain letting her keep him for a wile longer.

She was about to hint at it when the boy kneeled down next to her, the silent little thing had snuck up on her again. " Mistress, dinner is ready " he spoke in a tone so soft she could barely here him.

With a warm smile on her lips She ran her claws throw his hair with a tenderly spoken "Thank you dear boy, I am sure it will be wonderful. You may start serve it now, we will be there momentarily."

The boy did not move right away, instead he softly reached out and touched her foot. " Mistress, I.." he looked down very unsure of how to say this without offending her.

"Yes??" she responded gently as she took note of his distress.

In a tone so soft it would have been hard for anyone without the sharpness of Anthro hearing to understand the slave asked "Mistress may I have permission to ask a question of your guests?"

The Captain to had taken note of the boy, she could tell he was having trouble finding the words he wanted to ask and it made her wonder, what could be so important? The Chief ran her fingers throw his hair, a gentle smile on her lips as she answered "It is ok nova, ask your question, I promise no one will be upset with you."

The boy shivered softly, trying his best to find the right words as he timidly asked " Mistress I, I beg your forgiveness if this question is offensive, but this is the first time I have been able to cook for Anthro's and I'm not sure what the different races eat. May... May I please know if your guests would care for meat, or vegetarian? " As soon as he had finished he held his breath with his eyes closed tight, praying they would not be offended by his ignorance.

The group exchanged a look with one another then all started laughing softly, one of Danas claws finding it's way to the back of her boys ear as she practically purred " that is so sweet of you to ask nova. I'm sorry I did not tell you sooner of my preferences, I personally love meat and from what I can smell my mouth is already watering." She looked up to see the rest of the group smiling as well " how about you ladies? Meet or veggies?"

The captain was just grinning, from the boys distress she had thought his question would have been more serious. She in that moment understood just how important it was to him to please the ones he served, if not it would not have mattered to him what there personal preferences where. In an passive tone the vixen softly stated, her ears folding back " I would enjoy both, Nova if it's half as good as it smells I can't weight to teast it."

Sasha on the other hand had been very amused by the question, she had never known a big cat in her life that did not enjoy meat. She smiled to the boy, her teeth showing in a way only a predator could pull off as she stated in a tone that implied she would like more then just the meat on the menu "Meat please, my whiskers are twitching from just the smell of It."

As if in conformation of the tigers thoughts Crystal chimed in "O yes, the meat smells wonderful, but please add some veggies to, I would like to try a little of all of it."

The last to speak up was the rabbit, a giggly flutter in her voice "Veggies and a little meat please, those carrots smell absolutely yummy."

The boy released the breath he did not even know he was still holding, he had so feared they would be insulted by his question and there praise of his cooking had relaxed him greatly. " Thank you, Mistresses I will fetch your meals right away." Dedicated as always he made mental notes of each woman's preference incase he would have to serve them again then quickly rose to start setting out the meals.

The group moved over to the table as the boy returned to the kitchen with a smile on his face, he would have just enough for each Mistress as long as he gave up the small portion he had set aside for himself and the desert in the oven would put him over the top. As he was preparing the plates to each woman's request the Captain leaned over to her Chief with a warm smile on her muzzle. She took Dana's paw to get her attention as she whispered "Dana you know I still don't approve of slavery, but now I can understand what you meant when you said serving you was making him happy. Honestly I have never seen someone so eager to please, given the serious way he asked about our preference's I can tell it was very important to him. Neither of them noticed the white tiger looking at them and grinning softly, she was right when she thought seeing the slave in action would serve to help open her mates eyes.

The Mink smiled back to her Captain as she took a bite of a dinner roll "Kayla this is how he was last night, All I had to do to put a smile on his face was tell him he did a good job. I agree that slavery can be bad, but with a boy that enjoys pleasing others this much, it would be just cruel not to let him serve us." Kayla was about to say something ells when the boy set her plate in front of her, the scent of the meal even more flavorful this close. It surprised her that the boy was able to get that close without her noticing him, in her experience humans where so noisy they would never be able to sneak up on anyone.

She gave the boy a tender smile and a warm "Thank you " as she reached to her silver where only to find a fork and spoon but no knife. Puzzled she looked around the table only to find he had not given it to anyone, maybe he was not so perfect a slave after all. " um, Nova?" she called softly, a lop sided grin on her muzzle.

The boy had just set the last plate down in front of the bunny when Kayla called for him, he instantly moving to kneel next to her. "Yes, Mistress? " he whispered, his eyes kept to the floor.

Kayla's grin faded slightly, she really did not like him calling her Mistress or kneeling to her, if not for the fact she knew it made him happy she would have protested. She shook it off, the boy was not being used or forced to do this so she could think of him as a servant, that would make this easier for her as she softly asked " Dear boy you did such a wonderful job on the meal, but you forgot the knife to cut the meat with."

His reaction was not what she expected, he immediately hung his head, his hands moving under his knees in a position she had seen slaves take for punishments. "Mistress I beg your forgiveness, I could not find any knives in the kitchen, I'm sorry."

The Captain was startled when the boy made a sound very much like a whimper and began shaking, she had only been teasing and this boy looked frightened to death. She very slowly reached out and brushed a single finger over his cheek, tracing it down to lift his face "Little one it is ok, I'm not mad and I promise no one here is going to hurt you." She leaned in and gave him a small kiss on the forehead, smiling as the boy visibly relaxed.

"Thank you, Mistress " he whispered softly, his eyes just not able to meet hers.

Kayla looked up and saw the group looking very concerned, Dana was fidgeting and looked as if she was about to get up and give the boy a big hug. One of the things they teach you about command is how to defuse tense situations and she knew the perfect way to do it. She locked her eyes with Dana and winked conspiratorially as she teased " Dana you silly girl, you don't have any knives in your kitchen?"

This earned a round of laughter from the room and a pink tongue from the mink, even the boy giving a small chuckle. The chief pointed her fork at the captain with a honey roasted carrot stuck on the end of it, "If you remember this morning you where the one concerned about me leaving a slave alone in my cabin. Even thaw I trust him I still locked the draw with the knives, no sense taking chances."

The Captain frowns slightly at the use of the word slave, but she had to admit the Mink was right. It would be foolish to give a slave access to a weapon, even a butter knife could be used to cut someone's throat in a pinch. The Captain looked to the mink with a blond roots expression on her face, she had been teasing about not having knives and Dana had turned it back on her a little to meanly. With a shake of her head she muttered "Unlock the draws then and I will get my own."

Just as she moved her chair back to stand a soft touch on her knee drew her attention back to the boy, the fear he had been showing was no where in sight and he was giving her a tender smile. She could not see his eyes as he kept them down, but the change in his demeanor was very noticeable as he asked "Mistress, May I please get it for you?"

Kayla just looked at him for a few seconds in confusion, not 2 minutes before he was shaking in fear of her and now it was like he wanted nothing more then to weight on her hand and foot. As odd as his rapid change in behavior was she was once again reminded this boy was a slave and had been all his life. Then it dawned on her that getting her own silver where would feel dismissive to him, like he was not needed. The thought of upsetting the boy again pulled on her heart and in that moment she knew if there was ever someone she could except as a slave it was this boy, if for no other reason then she was now convinced it was what he truly wanted and it would make him happy. Tenderly her claws ran throw his hair as she had seen Dana doing, this getting a small shiver and blush from him as she requested "Nova would you please fetch each of us a knife, I very mush want to begin this wonderful meal."

She could see the boy brighten as he whispered " Yes, Mistress it is my joy to serve" then quickly moved to the kitchen. Dana called for the computer to release the draw and soon each woman had there knife and the meal was underway. The boy made sure to refill there glasses as they got low, and take there plates as they finished there meals, The crew soon relaxing and beginning to talk of there day. The chief still had not found what was causing the overload problem, the doctor had to treat 3 more of the humans for fighting and the first officer had to rearrange a few crew member shifts. The boy was lessoning to everything they said as he served, and soon understood just what he had landed in. This was the Captain and command crew of this ship and his Mistress was the chief engineer. He had suspected his Mistress was a female of some importance aboard this ship, but now he had a better understanding of the dynamics. He had learned long ago that if he remained silent and blended into the back ground, people would talk as if he was not even there. This was a great way to learn without having to ask questions and to endear himself to his owners. He was thinking about what exciting lives they must have here, flying throw space and having great adventures when the buzzer on the cooking unit went off. He had to hide a smile when he saw the tiger and jaguar jump, the image of a spooked house cat coming to mind. With a barely hidden smile he turned off the unit and pulled out the treat that had been baking all this time, time for dessert.

The bunny helmsman nearly fell out of her chair when she saw it, carrot cake. She was bouncing in her seat when the boy set her plate in front of her, the glass of milk totally ignored as she squealed in delight as she dug in "O dear goddess, nova I love you." This got an expected round of laughter from the table, all the others amused at the bunnies antics.

Dana looked at the boy with a lopsided grin, he had surprised her yet again and it was starting to become a pattern. " Dear boy how did you know I loved carrot cake? I don't recall telling you."

The boy looked nervous as he set her plate down and kneeled beside her, his answer just as timid as she had come to expect as he whispered "The food thingy told me, Mistress."

The Mink blinked a little confused, her claws running throw his hair again as she asked "What do you mean the food dispenser told you?" her question cut off as she took the first bite, and the cake dissolved on her tongue." The Mink melted, as advanced as the food dispenser system was it never got things just right and she had missed really good carrot cake.

Nova swallowed softly as he replied, a little apprehension in his voice " When I touched it, it talked and startled me, Mistress. When it asked me what I wanted, I could only think to ask it what was the last 20 things it had made trying to understand its capabilities."

Sasha could not help but cut in before the mink could answer. "Let me guess, most of it was carrot cake?" Wile being a carnivore she still enjoyed sweets from time to time and this confection was so it had her purring.

Dana lifted her hands over her head in a gesture of surrender "You got me." The mink laughed and brought a finger down to the boys cheek " That was very smart of you nova, finding my favorite food without even asking me, again you exceed my expectations." The boy thrilled at her words, so much that everyone took notice of it. Everyone except the bunny that was, she was in heaven, asking for seconds and 3rds on the carrot cake until there was none left.

The tiger poked fun at her, saying she would get fat if she kept eating so much only to get a pink tongue for her commentary and a childishly giggled "Mean old kitty." Without having to be told, or even asking the boy picked up the dishes and washed them, putting them away in there proper places. The Captain wile carrying on had been watching the boy very closely, she could not help but notice he was very careful in everything he did, it leaving her to wonder if he was actively trying to go unnoticed, or if he was trained to act this way. What drew her attention when the boy started washing dishes where the marks on his back. She had seen marks like that before and it was the biggest reason she hated slavery. From the look of it his owner tried very hard to hide them, but she could just make out Claw marks and the unmistakable scarring of a whip. If not for the sharpness of fox vision and the fact that he was in nothing more then a loin cloth she would most likely never have seen them. When the boy asked permission to used the rest room the Captain took advantage of him being out of ear shot to speak with the others. " Ladies, I think it is time for me to have that talk with Nova. You might not like what he has to say, so if any of you don't wish to hear it now is the time to make your good night's and head on home."

Nova in the bathroom had just finished washing his face and hands and was now looking at himself in the mirror. He was happy, the happiest he had been in longer then he could remember. He could tell he had pleased his Mistress tonight and the others had been very kind to him. He reached out to his reflection and traced one finger over the line of his cheek " Why did it feel so good when she touched him there? He had been touched kindly by owners before, but there was just something about the fur on her finger and the way she brushed it on his skin that made him just want to melt. He sighed and finished freshening himself up, he had a mistress and her guests to attend to. When the boy returned from the bath he found the ladies had moved to the living area again and as he approached he got a very bad feeling, they where all looking at him and the jovial mood of the night had been toned down noticeably. His Mistress patted the edge of the couch next to her, showing him she wished for him to kneel there. Obedient as always he took his place, her soft hand resting on his head also immediately in a soothing manner. The room was silent for several minutes as the Captain reviewed a data pad in her hand, her eyes darting up to look at the boy from time to time.

She had configured the pad to record this session, if what the chief had told her was true she wanted a record of this for command. "Nova" she spoke softly, a purposeful gentleness in her tone as she got his attention." First off I would like to thank you for dinner tonight, it was wonderful. " Each lady in the group nodded in agreement, the bunny still licking her lips to get the last little bit of carrot cake from them. "I have some questions I would like to ask you, you have been very good to us and it would make us all happy to learn more about you." She could see his whole body instantly stiffen and she just sighed to herself. This was always the hard part about talking to slaves, as soon as the focus of attention turned to them they where always scared they where about to be punished or had done something wrong. It would not do to have him on guard or frightened for this talk, so she was quick to reassure him using her command training and decades of experience as a leader. "Nova I want you to understand you are not in any trouble, you just told Dana a few things last night I would like clarification on, do you understand?"

The boy softly nodded and laid his head on the minks knee, his reply barely a whisper " I understand, Mistress." Dana moved her hand to pet the boys head softly, her claws lovingly running throw his hair.

Kayla smiled and set the data pad down, not telling him it would be recording his answers as she continued. " I understand that this is your first time having contact with Anthros? " she asked him softly.

Nova's answer did not come right away as if he had to think about it, his reply very timid when it did come. " Um.. Not exactly, Mistress. I'm not sure how long I was on the other ship, my memory is kind of fuzzy. Also there was one time a few years ago, I remember serving a very frightening female lunch wile she had a meeting with my Master."

The vixen smiled tenderly to him, a Anthro meeting with a human in there space, that could be interesting. " Can you describe this meeting for me, or what the Anthro was like?"

Again the boy had to think about his answer, not so long it would make them think he was lying, but just trying to get the words right in his head before speaking. "It was on a space station about 2 years ago that I had never been to before and I was not in the room long enough to know what was being said, Mistress. As for the Anthro she looked very much like the lady sitting next to you, Mistress." He had very carefully lifted his hand and pointed at Sasha wile saying this, then immediately dropped it to the floor again.

Kayla nodded at this and decided not to push this point right now, the military intelligence types could ask him more about it later. She also decided she wanted to take events more in order right after she established a time line. With a very soft smile she resumed asking questions, she just needed to clarify what he had said about how he had gotten here. " That's ok little one, can you tell me how long you have been in Anthro space and if the Black Rock was the only other ship you have been on?"

The boy looked down thinking again, this making Kayla realize he was always going to carefully consider his answers before speaking. "Mistress I honestly don't know, the drugs I was given on the other ship make it hard to remember. I'm sorry."

The Doctors ears shot up at this, she knew perfectly well that slavers often used drugs to control slaves and the health problems they could cause. The older jaguar made a mental note to ask the captain for permission to give him a more thorough medical exam tomorrow, her first exanimation of him having been in an emergency and honestly she did not even remember him from that, so it was also possible there where other health problems she could have overlooked in the rush. Kayla on the other hand had to hold back her growl not to frighten the boy, she could feel the anger building behind her eyes. For the third time in two days she wanted to track down the captain of the black rock and take a pound of flesh from his mangy hide. If not for the fact he had gotten a particularly high dose of radiation and needed time to recover she might have been tempted to go to his guest quarters and do just that.

With a feeling the last few months of his life would hold very little useful information given the drugs she decided to take him back into his past, the point of this interview was to establish his life as a slave after all. As much as she hated calling him that, she needed to be clear for the record so as tenderly as she could she asked " That's ok, it's not your fault. Tell me, I understand that you have been a slave your whole life, is that correct?"

"Yes, Mistress" he whispered.

Kayla took a sip of her drink, needing a second to think out the wording of her next question " If I understand this correctly you have been raised from birth to be a slave to other humans, can you tell me how that came to be given it is illegal in your culture?"

The boy closed his eyes as a small shutter ran throw him " Yes, Mistress. My first owner told me I was sold to him by mother right after my birth to repay a debt."

The Captain was horrified, in all the furry alliance, no one under the age of 25 or the equivalent human age of 16 could be sold into slavery, children where protected by law. As she looked about the room she could see a similar look on her crews faces, this was more barbaric then any of them could have imagined. As angry as she was Kayla knew she had to keep the conversation going, it she allowed herself to stop she knew she would not be able to finish this without tears. The vixen's ears flattened as she tried her best to keep her face neutral, the next question very important to this interview. " I understand little one. Tell me, have you had contact with other slaves on your home world? "

After thinking for a little wile the boy softly nodded again, his whispered answer not what she expected. " Yes, Mistress. My first owner was part of a large clan that had many slaves. I only knew 14 of my sisters personally, but I understand there was several more who's Masters did not allow them in public."

Kayla blinked and leaned forward, she had to have misunderstood that or his mother was even more horrible then she had thought. "When you say sisters do you mean your mother sold 14 other children, or is that a term for other slaves?"

Nova giggled nervously with an odd look on his face as he whispered " No, Mistress I was not related by blood to my sisters. We where taught to refer to each other as brother or sister because it instantly identified us as a slave to Masters of the other 12 clans."

The captain just looked at the little slave, from what he just told them they had enough information to do a lot of political damage to the humans leadership. 13 clans of slave owners meant it was not just a small group of humans living in the shadows, but a well established network that would be much easier to identify, this slave was turning out to be a political gold mine. Now that he had laid the foundation for the circumstances that had lead to his slavery now she needed him to explain how it had effected his life. With a soft smile she leaned back, speaking very softly as she asked "Please nova, tell us about your first owner and how you where raised."

She had just gotten the request out when the boys face changed, that look of fear from earlier had returned. The boys eyes clouded over with ghosts of the past as he drifted back in time " My first owner was a very demanding man, Mistress. He taught me everything I know and would settle for nothing less then absolute perfection. Master taught me a slaves place, To obey without question, to not speak unless spoken to and above all ells Master comes first. From the time I could walk he trained me to cook, clean and tend to my owners every need as well as there homes." The boy winced and shivers slightly, the muscles in his back jerking in phantom pain from punishments given long ago " Masters punishments where very harsh when I failed him, but no more then I deserved. I would not be half the slave I am today if Master had not been so generous as to raise me with an iron hand."

Kayla softly licked her lips, as horrible as what the boy had just said was, there was one thing that had instantly caught her attention. He had been trained to tend to his owners needs, that and given how Dana had spoken so highly about this slaves love making skills this gave her the impression that his training in that subject had started at a very early age. The next question was going to be bad, but it was something she knew had to be asked given what he had just told them. " Nova, did this Master's training cover the giving and receiving of physical pleasure?"

Kayla was surprised at the coldness of the boys tone and the total lack of feeling in his voice when he replied " I was to ugly for Masters personal use, Mistress. He started training me to provide pleasure to other members of his clan in my 6th year."

Nova fell silent, his face totally blank with a few tears running down his cheeks. Kayla was looking intently at the boy as he spoke, it was hard to comprehend what he was saying. She looked over the room at her staff, most of them where crying as well, or barely holding back tears. The Captain was beginning to understand this boy, and why he was always so careful in his actions. Anyone raised under the whip of an owner that used them sexually from early childhood would always have a deeply rooted sense of fear, one that would most likely be with them for the rest of there life. Even given the different rates at wich Anthro children reached physical maturity, it was a criminal offence to have any kind of sexual contact with them until they reached there first natural heat or rut cycle. To do anything before that was one of the few things someone could still get the death penalty for anywhere in the Anthro Alliance.

After this last revelation the room went silent for some time, it taking that long for not only the slave to emotionally recover, but for most of the command staff as well. Once all the tears had stopped Kayla decided to move along to the boys next owner in hopes the boys life got better after this Master. "Please nova tell us of your second owner and what age you where when you where sold to him?"

Nova did not respond right away, his eyes looking throw the wall at some place far off in space. Danas seeing her boy lost in his past moved a paw soothingly over the boys neck and along his shoulder, bringing him back to the present. After a second nova blinked and shook his head, the cold and lifeless expression on his face dropping away to a light hearted smile as he whispered " I'm sorry Mistress, bad memories."

Dana smiled to him and gave him a soft kiss on the forehead as she repeated the Captain's request." Sweet boy tell us about your second owner, what kind of man was he? "

The boy giggled softly, the first really joyful sound the Captain had herd from him since the conversation started. "I was 9 years old when Mistress Keegan bought me, Mistress." Seeing the boys sudden change was another shock to the group, he was in tears seconds ago and now he looked totally joyful. It was contagious, his warm smile spreading to each woman in the room.

Kayla who had been fighting tears herself could not help but brighten at the boys change, she thought to her self the slave must have really loved this owner as she asked " Please tell us about this woman nova, it sounds like she made you happy."

Nova nodded, a bright smile on his face as he whispered " Yes, Mistress. She was a truly kind and wonderful owner and showed me kindness I did not know existed. I still remember the day Mistress Keegan came for me, She was wearing a snow white dress the first time I saw her and she cleaned a smudge off my cheek." The boy touched that spot on his face as if his Mistress fingers had just been there. "She took me to her home, a very large plantation on Luna. Mistress told me that I was to be her new child, to replace the one that she had released a few months before." He traced a finger around the minks knee in a playful manner as he spoke, acting very much like a child now.

This got a giggle from the bunny and a warm smile from the first officer, but Kayla had a look of confusion on her face "So she made you into her child?"

The boy nodded, his tone light and happy " Yes, Mistress. Mistress Keegan explained that she had raised many slave children and as long as I obeyed her she would give me love and care for me. My first day there I got my very first real set of cloths, and slept in a real bed for the first time. Master had always kept me in a cage when I slept. Mistress allowed be a large bed with pink ribbons and lace all around it and many toys to play with." The boy giggled again, a very silly giggle now. "I just loved playing with the dolls and dressing up for Mistress. Her last child had been a girl and she had offered to change the room to be more male, but the room was just so pretty I loved it the way it was. She never allowed me to forget my place as her slave, the harshness of her punishments enough to make me never want to displease her, but for the most part she treated me as her child. During the day I would clean her home, wash the clothing and cook her meals and at night she taught me ways of giving her pleasure. Wile Masters teaching had given me a basic knowledge of giving pleasure, Mistress made me into an expert. She told me she would settle for nothing less in her child, her slave would be the best source of pleasure on two worlds or nothing at all. " Without warning the boy suddenly stopped, his eyes growing distant as if some long lost pain was fighting it's way to the surface.

The Captain was both fascinated and horrified at the same time, this woman had turned a enslaved little boy into a beloved child, then had trained the child to sexually please her. As unthinkable as it was for any female to do that to a child, especially a child she had clammed as her own the vixen had to admit that it would be the perfect way of gaining a lover that could be trained to provide her with the pleasure most perfect for her. Then it dawned on her what the look on the slaves face meant, he had been betrayed by first his birth mother, then the next female that would have filled that role in his life. How he could be so warm, caring and loving to any woman after that was beyond her, she would have expected him to be a bubbling fountain of rage. That's when something Sasha had told her a long time ago came to mind. The Tiger had told her that a natural slave lived for the joy of serving and it is how they found happiness and contentment. If that is what this boy truly was, a natural slave then the joy he felt by pleasing his current owner would have nothing to do with his past, that it in fact would be the very best thing for him because it would keep him from remembering that past pain.

Wile all the others seamed to be lost in there own thoughts Dana had continued lovingly petting her boy and comforting him wile he told his story. When he had stopped without warning she had looked up to see everyone ells seemingly lost in thought, thoughts she to was having. She understood now exactly why this slave had been so skillful with her. Wile finding out that skill had been born of such unthinkable abuse might have made another female never want to touch him again, to her it just served to further in deer him to her. When he did not start again and the captain like wise seamed lost she decided to give things a nudge, the mink running her paw over her boys cheek to get his attention and bring him back from whatever world he mind has retreated to. Just as she expected the contact caused him to blinked and shake his head. With a soft blush at his laps in attention he look back to the Captain wile gently whispering "I'm sorry Mistress, did that answer your question?"

The Captain blinked as she to realized she had allowed her mind to wonder, the vixen covering her laps with another question. "Yes you did nova, I only have one more question about this Mistress. Do you remember her full name and when she sold you? "

This question got a very unexpected reaction, the boys eyes glazed over as if he was fighting back tears. It was clear to everyone that this answer was very hard for him, it coming on the edge of a sob. " Mistress Tena Keegan Died march 7th 2847 in her sleep from a aneurism, Mistress."

As soon as he said it the dam broke and the boy started to cry, then before they knew it he had totally broken down into racking sobs. Dana seeing the boys profound sadness at the loss of his owner curled her arms around him, consoling him as best as she could. The Captain seeing this reaction was going to stop for the night but something was bothering her.. Keegan, she knew that name, but how? It was right there, right on the tip of her tongue.

Kayla looked around the room, she could see this boys pain had gotten to her crew as well. Ms long ears was softly crying and the doctor was starring at the wall. Her first officer looked totally neutral, but she knew from years of serving with the cat, she would cry later, but never in front of the crew. The Captain weighted a little wile for the boy to calm, she would only ask about his last owner and how he came to be in Anthro space, then let the poor thing rest for the night. " Nova, I'm sorry to have caused you this pain, but I need to know how you came to be here then this can be over. Do you think you can tell me about that, please? "

The boy lifted his tear soaked face and nodded as he whispered " Yes, Mistress." He curled his arms around the minks leg to take comfort in being close to her as he went on " I was not allowed to attend Mistress's funeral, her family did not want to chance the world finding out about me, but when it was over her son came to see me. I thought he was coming to set me free, Mistress told me she would always look after me once I grew up and she would help me live a life on my own as she had for her other Children. I was so scared I could not think, I was not ready to be free, I had known nothing ells my whole life, I would surely die on my own without Mistress to care for me. Her son to my great relief told me I was not going to be free. His mother had willed me to him and I was now his property until he decided I was of no more used to him. The next day we left Luna forever, I would never see my home again. Master Keegan I soon learned was a military officer, a very high ranked one from what I could tell. He took me with him to a Star base he was given command of just before the war started. I was 14 now and as his cover he told people I was his nephew, but as fair as I could tell everyone I was allowed to meet knew the truth about me."

The boys tears slowly stopped, his eyes growing very cold and distant as his tone changed to one totally lacking in emotion as he whispered "Master removed the name his mother had given me, telling me that a slave owned nothing, not even a name. After the first few weeks serving him I quickly learned how lucky I had been in his mothers collar, I learned that i had been spoiled by being allowed to feel love. Master taught me that love was something no slave should be allowed to feel and he spent the next 5 years making sure I never would again." The look in the boys eyes startled the Captain. It was a look she had seen on the faces of traumatized soldiers on the battle field, the look of someone that had seen more then there mind could handle.

"He was not the owner I hoped he would be. The first time he used me was pain beyond any I had felt at his mothers whip or my first owners hands. I...he.. " The boy shook softly. "He found ways for making me obey him, not for the joy I felt serving Mistress Keegan, but out of the pure fear of what he would do if I made a displeased. His punishments, I cant really talk about.. they where so bad I often passed out before they where finished, but each time he would have the station doctor repair the damage so no one would see just how bad it had gotten."

Kayla sat there slack jawed, the bunny and jaguar both speechless as the mink just held the shaking boy. "For 5 years I lived under Master Keegan's whip, praying for the times he would have to leave the station to attend to some official duty, but I always dreaded Masters return. Each time he returned from a victory he would use me to celebrate. It was never soft gentle love making like with Mistress, Master enjoyed making it as painful and degrading as possible. The times he returned in defeat, or if the battle had not gone just the way he wanted he would take it out on me. There where several times I almost did not survive his fury. It got to a point I for the first time in my life, I was ready to run. I know he would kill me for it, but life under his ownership was worse then death."

The boy shook hard, his eyes growing cold as he brought is story to a close. "Not to long ago, Master had returned from one of his Missions and the station came under attack. I knew this was my one and only chance to get away so I bolted to the escape pods. The last thing I saw before waking up in the slave ships holding cell was the station being Blown apart and all I could think was, goddess forgive me, was I was free of him."

The boy fell silent as the Mink held him close. The first officer gasped as it all clicked, turning to her Captain she could see the vixen was 3 steps ahead of her. " Nova? Your Masters name, would it have been John, Admiral John Keegan? " the Captain asked in a stark and disbelieving tone.

"Yes, Mistress" was all the boy got out before breaking down into racking sobs as if just the name of his Master brought him unbelievable pain."

The Captain and first officer both looked each other in the eyes, the same thought running throw both there minds. This just could not be, there is no way this sweet innocent slave kneeling before them and crying his heart out was the butchers slave, not even the goddess had a sense of humor that twisted.

Admiral John Keegan, the commander of the human star forces along the Anthro border and the biggest butcher in Anthro history. For over 30 years this man had lead the campaign to concur as much of the Anthro Alliance as possible. In the last 10 years of the war he had taken 3 solar systems in the Anthro alliance, the last world refusing to submit to him, fighting back and refused to allow the humans to land on there world. When the butcher realized it would be to timely and costly to fight a ground war on this world he had ordered the planet to be bombarded from orbit with heavy mass drivers. Over 200 million innocent males, females and cubs had lost there lives in a hell fire that would leave the planet lifeless for 100's of years to come.

Three months ago there Ship, the Crimson Claw had been part of a task force sent to end this monsters rain of murder and destruction once and for all. They had succeeded in destroying star base Gamma, there ship one of the few to survived the battle. Now somehow this boy had ended up with them, most likely taken as a prisoner from the wreckage of the station only to end up with the ones that had taken the life of his former owner. Kayla now understood the reason for the boys sobs, she had been shown classified footage of the aftermath of one of the butchers attacks, the reports so disturbing she could not get throw all of it in one sitting. The witness statements had gone into grizzly detail about how the butcher had taken joy in personally torturing prisoners for information and then publicly executing them in the most brutal fashion possible as an example to others. Kayla visibly shuttered, if he had done that to his enemies, she could not even imagine what he had done to his personal slave, someone that would not even be missed if he was killed.

The vixen feeling they had put the boy throw enough for one night, then picked up her data pad, Slipping it into her pocket as she motioned for the rest of the command crew to fallow her out. With the slave having a total melt down from reliving the events of his life the Captain knew there would be no more information gathered tonight. She drew a deep breath to clear her mind and looked back to Dana, the mink holding the sobbing boy in her arms. They had much to talk about and she decided to leave him with the Mink he would feel safest with for the night, Kayla knowing he needed the comfort only she could give him. As the vixen walked throw the door she made a silent vow to herself, they had been the ones to take the life of his former owner, orphaning him, and would be the ones to care for him. Slave or not she would see to it he was taken care of, he would not leave this ship again until she felt he could survive on his own.

Inside the cabin the Mistress was doing her best to calm the sobbing boy, the mental dam he had constructed was now gone and a lifetime of pain was flooding out. She knew the only way he was going to stop was to cry it all out. She picked him up and carried him to her bed, laying him down and curling her arms around him until he cried himself to sleep. She had no idea when she went to pick a slave for some fun what she had stepped into, but she knew this, the boy would not survive another cruel owner. She was going to keep him, rules be dammed, he needed love and kindness and she was going to be the one to give him just that. Even if the Captain would not allow him to stay on the ship she would arrange for him to be sent to her family, to a place she knew he would be safe."

More to come