FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

The sun was high and the dock creaking as the big red dragon made his way towards the ship. The warm weather, coupled with the breeze from the ocean, felt good against his bare chest. He wore only a pair of black trunks that only seemed to emphasize the dark red of his skin. There wasn't much of a crowd today, it seemed, and the few who had gathered to see the captain's wares parted quickly with averted eyes when Dragonien neared. It brought a proud smirk to his face as he looked over the assembled group with a critical eye.

They were scrawny, all of them, dressed in tattered loin cloths, chains around their necks and wrists bound behind their backs. There were slaves from all different species, perhaps from all different walks of life, even. But nothing caught his eyes...until he spotted the tiger crouched near the captain.

He was nearly as scrawny as the others, but he had potential, and already had a nice strong frame. Drago spared only a glance at the doberman who stood by in his sailing gear, grinning smugly back at him. The two of them were all too familiar with each other, and Tobias knew a good, strong prospect when he saw it. But he said nothing as the dragon approached, simply allowed him to look over the beast.

Drago's red paw sharply jerked the tiger's face up, but there was no resistance in him, no sign of struggle...except in those eyes. They were the color of jade, with an intelligence that showed through despite his shabby appearance. There was almost a challenge to them, but both of them were well aware that the dragon could easily destroy the tiger if need be.

Indeed, Dragonien towered over all of them, just over eight feet tall with broad shoulders and dark hair that fell around a handsome face. He was a wall of muscle, and well-known and feared as one of the greatest trainers in the land, and for good reason. Not only was he himself something of a monster, but the slaves he trained also tended to surpass his own size and stature by the time he was done with them.

It was one of the reasons that the doberman stopped at the port on a regular basis. Drago was a good customer, willing to pay for quality...but not before a bit of haggling. The dragon looked over the tiger with a close eye and then stood, arms folded over his chest, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. He raised an eyebrow at the doberman as though he was just noticing him.

"Tobias," he said. "I'll give you $250."

The doberman snorted, unimpressed with the offer, and, seemingly, with the dragon, despite the three foot difference in their heights. "He's easily worth $1,000."

Drago scoffed and shook his head. "Are we looking at the same tiger?"

But the doberman only grinned back. "It doesn't matter his condition. He's a tiger. A MALE tiger. Quite difficult to come by these days. He'll fetch a high price. If not here, then elsewhere."

The red dragon smirked, not bothered by the implied threat at all. Tobias tried to talk a good game, but he could be easily persuaded with the right motivation.

Drago stopped a bit, taking the tiger's chin in his paw once more. "But he's feral," he pointed out. "Look at him. Those long fangs, the long, coarse fur on his head. Does he even talk?"

Tobias frowned, crossing his arms. "Well, I can't say that we've heard him talk since we took him. But that doesn't mean he won't. Lots of 'em stay quiet. Can't say that I blame them."

"Spare me," Drago said, a growl trickling from his voice. "I've heard the whole equal rights pitch before, and frankly, I don't care to hear it from a slaver."

It was a simple fact of life. If you were wealthy and strong, you could get away with anything you wanted. Harsh, but true. Those who didn't have the money found themselves as some form of slave, or as slavers themselves, bringing others in for the money or the bounty, depending on the slave. Drago liked to think he was at least a more interesting master than most, and while his training was harsh, his slaves always turned out the better for it.

"I tell you what," he said. "I'll give you $300. That seems fair."

"Fair?" the doberman growled. "I just told you he's worth at least $1,000!"

The dragon looked bored. "Really, Tobias, for that price, I could have YOU in my gym."

The doberman seemed to freeze at the implications, his eyes a little wide as his ears laid back slightly in a blush. "You," he started, but then had to swallow again to work up his nerve. "You couldn't handle me," he said, though it came out as less of a threat and more of a question.

Drago grinned down at him, showing fangs as he watched the almost imperceptible wagging of the doberman's short stub of a tail. "Oh, I'm sure you'd like me to try," he said. "But I'm more interested in the tiger. $350."

Any flirtation in the doberman's voice and demeanor disappeared into anger. "Look you! Just because you're some hot shot trainer doesn't mean you get to walk all over me! If you can't get serious, I'll haul him back to the islands and dump him out. His own tribe would probably pay more than that just to get him back!"

Drago sighed and rolled his eyes. "Fine...how about this?" He put a huge red paw on the doberman's shoulder and pulled him closer, until he was standing pressed against Drago's body, looking down at the tiger. "I give you $350 now, and when I'm done training him, I'll give you a small percentage of the earnings from his sale. Shall we say 5%?"

"FIVE percent?" the doberman said, though he seemed to be having trouble focusing on the tiger while pressed so close to the dragon. "That's nothing!"

"Think about it," the dragon said calmly, poking Tobias in the forehead with a beefy red finger. "You said yourself that a male tiger goes for a high price. If I train him, that price will double...maybe even triple if I do my job right. Five percent of, say, $20,000, would more than cover your asking price."

The doberman looked up at him warily. "There's no way you could get that for him. Not even you could possibly get him up to speed. Just look at him!"

Drago again looked over the tiger with a close eye, and, indeed, the tiger did seem to have seen better days. He had a broad chest, lean with muscle and malnourishment, but a few meals could fix that. He clearly had the potential to gain muscle as well, judging from his build, though how much? Slouched as he was, Drago estimated his height at around seven feet, which meant he could at least theoretically get as big as the dragon himself with the training. And despite his apparent feral nature, he seemed intelligent enough to pick up the commands quickly...he might even be following their conversation to some extent.

He certainly seemed to be interested in the dragon at least, his eyes following him closely ever since he'd arrived on the scene. Perhaps he recognized the great red dragon, or perhaps he simply saw him as the most interesting, perhaps safest choice of all the other buyers who had gathered there. But it didn't matter what the tiger wanted, so long as he could do what he was told.

"I can make him something great," the dragon said. His voice was smug, not with overconfidence, but with a self-assured knowledge that he could do it...and that he would take great pleasure in it. "When I'm done with him, he'll be the most desired slave in the land...a behemoth of a tiger, perfectly obedient to his masters." He grinned down at the tiger, who stared back up at him, expressionless. "Perfectly obedient to me."

His grip on the doberman's shoulder tightened without him even being aware until the doberman finally yelped. "Okay, okay!" he said, looking up with wide eyes in time to see the dragon lick his lips with anticipation. "...$350," he agreed, a note of hesitation still in his voice. "And I'll take the 5%."

"Excellent," Drago rumbled. He reached into the purse that hung in a leather satchel at his hip for the payment and tossed the coins to the doberman. "I'll be taking him now."

Without waiting for the doberman to finish counting, he reached down to the metal chain, easily snapping it in his paws with only the slightest grunt. The tiger watched him with wide eyes and finally did shuffle aside a bit, huddling down as though he wasn't quite sure what was happening after all. But the dragon's only reassurance was a smirk as he grabbed the tiger by the back of his neck and easily lifted him off his feet.

The tiger let out a mewling yelp as he dangled helplessly in the air, his paws stil bound tightly and his feet a good two feet off the ground. The dragon chuckled at him. "You're a bit taller than I thought after all," he said. "That's good. More room for muscle."

Without another word, he slung the tiger over his shoulder, the feline's rump in the air and his head half-way down the dragon's back. The loincloth, which already left little to the imagination, fell away now, leaving the tiger's ass bare to the sunlight. And just beneath the curve and swell of his rump, a rather large furry white sac was pressed between his legs.

The doberman raised an eyebrow and frowned. "Damn. Should've charged extra for that. I'll have to inspect my cargo a little closer next time."

The dragon grinned and smacked the tiger's ass hard, hard enough to make him yelp once more. "Tough, mutt," he said. "He's all mine now."

He turned with something of a flourish, the tiger bouncing on his shoulder and the dock creaking once more as he made his way back towards his home. There was much work ahead of both of them now...and he was eager to get started.