FSE

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_ Warning!: This story contains depictions of violence, amnesia, scenarios of slavery and prostitution, and gay relations. If this offends you in some way, or you are under the legal age in your state/provence/country to view such material, then don't read any further!_

Chapter One: Escape and Encounter

Distinctly heard across the land, a cry of pain resounds through the lush forests surrounding a secluded campsite. None around save the two in the camp are there to hear the one's cries, his pleading with the other to be merciful. But there was no mercy in the eyes staring him down, none in the sword held fast by its hilt in the others hands...

"Please...spare me...why are you doing this!?" the one asks in fear, his ears pinned flat against his skull as he's backed up against a small cliff-face.

"No one around to hear you...I've been waiting so long for this opportunity...Do you really expect me to back down now?" the larger of the two speaks slow and concise, his tone hot and excitedly mad. The wolf raises the hefty sword high above his head, glaring down at his prey, giving a guttural huff as he swings it down with all his might towards the fearful creature staring up at him.

The fox rolls quickly to dodge the impending blow, slowed by his previously sustained wounds. He yelps loudly as the blade grazes over his left shoulder, just missing contact with the rest of his arm as he scrambles to his paws and meekly tries to run, claws digging into the ground.

The wolf growls as he recovers from his missed swing, the sword buried near half its length into the ground, embedded in the thick roots of the forest as he struggles to free it, cursing at the fox who's now quickly pacing his way further into the dense woods.

The fox puts all his focus on running, barely paying mind to his injured body as he dodges trees and roots and tries to get as far from the wolf as possible before he collapses. His mind races quickly with the events of the previous week, his introduction to the wolf, their numerous talks and nights spent. He thought he knew him...the wolf apparently had motives other than seduction though... the ploy of hunting treasures only a means to get the fox alone with no one around for miles, no one to hear his cries for help...

He pants hard and stumbles over a root, catching himself upon a tree as he collapses into its embrace, oddly warm feeling as it cradles his battered self upon its trunk. He smells something metallic...warmth spreading down his arm and belly as he slowly drifts from consciousness into the dreams holding his thoughts.

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The fox blinks slowly as he awakens to the sound of music and a bustling crowd filling the air, brief flashes of light illuminating the surrounding tavern and patrons as they pass by his corner of the room. He doesn't remember quite how he got to be there, not that it mattered much... he knew his purpose all the same. Scanning the crowd, his eyes fall upon a familiar face. Familiar in a sense that he'd known him somehow... yet didn't quite remember.

The wolf must have recognized him too though, fore he nearly grinned and pressed his way through the crowded room towards the fox. "Ahhh....Ary, I was wondering if you were going to be here tonight. I was worried I might sleep alone." the wolf grins broadly as he sits opposite the fox in the booth.

'Ary....? My name to him, I suppose...' the fox feels the heat flush across his face as his paw is greeted by the wolf's, a firm grip, warm and welcoming in a most peculiar way. Lifting his paw slightly after the wolf removes his, he's surprised to find two silver coins nestled beneath. The familiarity seemed less awkward now...

"I would be grateful for the company myself...nights are cold with an empty bed, as it were." Ary smiles softly as he deftly slips the coins and his paw from the table, dropping the silvers in his coin-purse before his paws rest in his lap. Glancing back to the wolf's gaze, he tilts his head curiously at the sight. A strong, handsome male seeking company in such a place as this...

"Why do you stare at me as though you've never seen me before?" The wolf asks in a soft tone, almost as though concerned.

Ary slips out of his seat and stands, glancing back at the wolf. "I apologize...it has been a long night here. It is...however, getting to be late...shall we...retire to your room?" the fox replies coyly, a faint flick of his tail and a smile as the wolf grins at that, slipping up to stand next to the fox and grabbing his paw, not another word being spoken within the tavern as he leads the way upstairs.

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Incoherent shouting and cursing brought the fox back to his conscious mind. The wolf, having lost his way while attempting to find the fox, now yelling and hacking with his sword in a fit of rage at any and everything.

The drive to move was strong now...though his body wouldn't listen. "D-damnit...move...h-hafta...move..." the fox spoke hoarsely to himself, coughing and gasping as sharp pain shoots through his chest and arm, only now realizing how battered his body was, pools of blood soaking the bark upon which he rests.

"I'll find you! I swear I will find you again and cut you down you filthy whore!" the wolf screams out, heading in the wrong direction to the fox's ears...though the sting of that last word ringing in them none-the-less.

He hardly remembered anything before that night... All of it just a blur in his thoughts, a misty haze of wisps taunting him to capture them again. His memories of the wolf echo in his mind again, vision bluring and body falling limp, conscious, though only just so.

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The fox awakes the next morning, body slightly sore from the previous night's...activities. Though not in a way he minded in the least. He stretches and yawns quietly, not wanting to wake the sleeping wolf beside him, before carefully slipping out from under the light sheet and off the bed, gathering what little he had as he heads for the door of the small room.

Ary's ears perk as he hears movement behind him, glancing back to where the wolf lies only to find that he'd rolled onto his side facing away. The fox ducks his head a little and opens the door, slipping out without a sound.

Walking out of a room wearing nothing but one's fur might normally be frowned upon...but most of the guests in this particular tavern were still sleeping at this time of morning, the few that were awake being far from patrons, mostly consisting of other 'workers' and the owner of the tavern. Ary slips on an overly long shirt, much to big for his lithe form, though providing some level of decency were he to run into any of the early risers not associated with the tavern.

The fox quickly makes his way to the bathing room reserved for only those in his occupation within the tavern, sighing quietly in relief finding that he's the only one needing it at the moment. He drops his clothes on a makeshift bench just outside the bath, removing his shirt and stretching before dropping it onto the pile, padding up to the edge of the rather large pool of steaming water. Ary can't help but admire the architecture of the room, surprisingly intricate stonework and even stained glass windows, albeit small windows... the owner never would want random passerby's getting a free peak at his workers. "they were only allowed to see what they pay for..." the fox mused.

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The desire for a warm bath was nigh overwhelming right now, though Ary knew he was far from anywhere that could provide such amenities... much less anywhere safe. His mind taunted him with its memory however, the moist scent filling his lungs, the heat radiating through his fur... The recollection of his current situation was the only thing that kept him from giving into that dream-like memory's embrace again.

Weakly lifting his head, Ary listens for the wolf's shouting again, or even just movement nearby. He hears nothing, although, and sighs tiredly with a faint whine. Struggling to pull himself up onto his paws and using the tree as support, he slowly manages the exhausting feat, having to lean heavily upon the tree again, panting and curling his tail around his legs.

It seemed as though the tree embraced him as he clung to its trunk, a certain warmth enveloping his form, though much too soft to be bark and leaves. His eyes were hazy, clouded and dark, such that he could not look to see if his body were tricking him into rest once more to block out the pain.

A voice echoed in his ears just as the thought left his mind, sweet and serene though barely a whisper. "Shhh... Rest now young one...the dangerous one is gone and will not find you here, you are safely hidden..." the voice assured Ary, almost musical in its tone and soothing as the warmth accompanying it.

The fox whimpered faintly and managed a hoarse whisper in return. "I f-feel so weak...help, please...I..." his voice trails off as his body gives in to the warmth, a quiet sigh escaping his maw as he breathes out. Ary sees a shimmer of light before him before a fog overtakes his mind and he falls into his dreamscape once more.

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Ary gasps as he's waken by the sound of a low growl in his ear, having fallen asleep within the warm bath. He curls up slightly and hugs around his knees as he meekly looks up, sighing with a quiet groan seeing it's only another in his 'profession' within the tavern. "Don't scare me like that! I thought you were Dressle..." the fox sighs and relaxes slowly back into his place as the leopard slips in beside him.

The other laughs and looks shrewdly at Ary, poking a clawless digit square in his chest. "Are you feeling alright Ary? You should know Dres never comes in here. Hey...are you? Why are you looking at me like that?" the leopard questions him, a look of vague confusion in the fox's eyes.

Ary blinks and shakes his head, lifting both paws out of the water and pressing them to either side of his skull. "I...I dont know..." he mutters quietly, wanting to say that he simply doesn't remember who the feline is, or who Dressle was for that matter... the name came so naturally he hadn't even thought about it.

"Bah...that wolf must've slipped you something huh? I bet you don't even know my name!" the leopard laughs, though his laugh quiets shortly after at seeing the pained look on the fox's face. "Oh...oh my, you dont...? This must be really awkward for you then huh? Heheh..." he chuckles nervously and lowers his head, his chin just barely grazing the waters surface as he looks up at Ary now. "I'm Elsiet." the feline says in an exaggerated tone, waving a paw infront of the fox's face.

Ary gives a mock-playful growl as he bats at the leopard's paw. "I know who you are Elsi." he sighs and shakes his head, hoping that he was at least 'somewhat' convincing, though the look he got in return told him otherwise.

"You 'never' call me Elsi...man he must've slipped you somethin pretty strong then." Elsiet slips closer and hooks an arm around Ary's shoulders, looking the fox over. "Do you even remember that wolf? He paid quite a lot in request for you specifically."

"We didn't even have anything to drink before...heading upstairs. I don't know what's going on...its like I can't remember anything beyond last night, right before the wolf came up to me." Ary sighs and whines quietly, resting his head on Elsiet's shoulder, feeling oddly comfortable in doing so despite not even knowing the cat.

"Mmmm it's possible he got you a drink before actually coming up to you... some of our patron's like to play games like that. Did you have anything to drink while you were waiting?" the leopard asks while nuzzling faintly along one of Ary's ears, a quiet purr emanating from deep in his chest.

"I...I don't know...maybe. You obviously saw me...would anyone else know?" the fox asks, a hopeful look in his eyes as he looks up into Elsiet's.

"Well we do like to look out for each other..." the cat licks softly between Ary's ears and hugs around him, whispering quietly now. "It's ok... for now, just relax and rest alright? No need to strain yourself when you don't even remember 'me'!" he smiles and chuckles quietly, though his ears are lain back.

Even without looking, Ary can tell the feline is bothered by his lack of memory. Without really thinking about it, the fox presses closer and nuzzles under the slightly damp muzzle above his, his arms wrapping gently around the other's form. He smiles as he feels Elsiet sigh and relax with him, letting his eyes drift closed again.

"Too bad Ary...that we aren't allowed to play amongst ourselves...because I would love to find out for myself what that wolf was so interested in" Elsiet emphasizes his claim by slipping his paws down slowly along the fox's body to rest on his rear, giving a firm squeeze while at the same time, giving one of his ear's a playful nibble.

Ary gasps quietly and lets out a pleased whimper. "Oh...we're not...?" he sighs and relaxes again, his tail swaying slowly through the water surrounding the two. "What a shame...this is so nice too..."

The leopard shakes his head and nudges Ary's muzzle with his. "Maybe you're better off not remembering... You know this is the nicest we've ever been to eachother? I don't know why...but I felt like I should come in here this morning...I don't even need a bath! But, everyone else seemed to be avoiding it for some reason. I came in and saw you laying in here... Honestly, I 'wanted' to scare you since you fell asleep, but after seeing you look up at me the way you did..." he looks away then and sighs. "Look...I'm sorry...this 'is' rather nice, and I don't want to ruin that any more than I already have...so..." Elsiet gives another squeeze to the fox's rump as a playful gesture and then slips his arms up to hug around him again.

Ary just sits there as he listens to what the cat has to say, his ears twitching and folding back slightly as his story progresses, though he does nothing to move away even by it's end. "I'm sorry...I get the feeling we don't get along because of something I did...if this is really the nicest I've been to you. Thank you for sitting with me though...I...I don't know anyone else but the wolf...and I don't even know 'his' name."

Elsiet laughs quietly hearing that and nods. "Oh its definitely all you...since we're being honest though, its because I'm jealous... You always get so much attention from Dres because of how much money you make for him..."

"Dres...Dressle? Who 'is' he anyway..." the fox asks before even thinking about his words, the extent of his memory loss only just then being shown to Elsiet.

"Ohhhh...shhh...d-don't ask that out loud...fuck...you really don't remember anything do you..." the leopard mews and curls the fox into his lap, holding him close now as he whispers, glancing around to see if anyone else has wondered into the bath, satisfied that they're still alone.

"You 'do' remember what we do...right?" Elsiet asks first, receiving a nod.

"Kind of hard not to after what I did last night..." Ary says semi-jokingly, though with a faint whimper.

Elsiet sighs and nods, rubbing slowly over the fox's back. "Must've been a bit awkward...being dragged upstairs and made to..." he pauses for a moment, deciding it best not to be overly blunt, Ary knew well enough what he was referring to anyway. "Without remembering why you're doing it... but that aside, at least you took it well...so to speak." a faint groan from the fox brings a laugh from the feline. "Anyway... Dres, Dressle... is our owner...our master, as some would say. Not in the traditional sense since he uses us to make money rather than just for his pleasure and leisure...but, he does own us..." this admittance brings a sigh from Elsiet, who then lifts his gaze to the light refracting across the ceiling from the water's surface.

"He never comes in here though...you said?" Ary asks curiously, looking up at the feline who shakes his head.

"Despite what he has us do, I guess the sight of us cleaning up after rendering our services disgusts him, or something...he's only ever come in here once that I can remember, and that was as this section of the tavern was being built in addition to the rest of the place after he bought it..and bought us. Back then this place may as well have been a boarding house, until he got everything prepared and turned into the tavern it is today. It was more a sweat shop than a tavern..." Elsiet shakes his head again and relaxes back, his arms slipping up to rest on the edges of the bath out of the water.

"Was...was I here for all that..? Or did I arrive after..." Ary folds his ears back, not sure which answer he would rather hear.

"Well the way I see it... if you don't remember either way, then it doesn't matter, right?" Elsiet nips at one of the fox's ears and chuckles faintly, looking down at him now.

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"E-Els...siet..." the fox coughs and cringes as his head throbs with pain, his ears pinned to his skull and eyes closed tight now, trying to blink though unable to open his eyes far enough to make a difference. Ary groans and feels around with his paws, vaguely attempting to sniff at the air, though only able to pick up on the scent of blood. His blood, mixed with a little dirt and bark.

Beginning to wonder just what that warmth surrounding him was now as his paws drug through the damp and sticky fur all over his body, he struggles to reach his right paw up to his opposite shoulder, finding the task annoyingly difficult and painful as it felt like red hot blades dug into his chest with every attempt. 'I did not think it that close a call...ngh...adrenalin...got me this far...' his head ached and protested conscious thought, what little reasoning he could manage drowned out by the aching throb of blood trying to reach his brain.

He was faintly aware that what he was lain against didn't feel like a tree anymore, and of what felt like a hot spray of water was rushing through his fur, though with how frequent his dreaming mind had come to comfort him, now he was finding it difficult to believe he could be anywhere other than slumped against that tree in the middle of a vast forest, no one but the cause of his pain anywhere near to help.

And he was right, to a degree...