Chapter 8: Captured
Kouga awoke chained to a large, stout post inside some kind of small building. He got up on his feet, his leg now healed although still tender. First thing he tried to do was transform and he was shocked to the core when he couldn't do it. He tried again and panic began to swell inside of him as again nothing happened. He tried pulling away with no luck either. He then noticed that there was something tied around his mouth holding it closed so he put his muzzle between his paws to try and pull off the tie when the door opened letting in the light.
"Awake are we?" the voice from the tall man asked.
Kouga growled menacingly from deep within his chest, lunging at the man only to be pulled up short by the chain hooked to the collar around his neck
The man laughed at him. "By now you've probably realized that you can't change out of the form you're in. That collar around your neck is special; it will keep you as you are, unless you do as I say."
Kouga looked at him with his blue eyes in surprise wondering how he knew he was a demon.
As if the fellow had read his mind he answered, "I used to be a monk, but all that piety wasn't good for me," he grinned. "I could feel your shouki, I know what you are."
Kouga felt the fear come up from inside him and began to struggle, thrashing at the end of the chain trying to break free.
The man sat on the ground out of his reach and patiently watched, chuckling from time to time until Kouga was exhausted and collapsed on the ground trying to pant through his tied mouth.
The man stood and approached, Kouga lifted his head and growled out a warning, his eyes snapping with anger.
"Have it your way," the former monk smiled. He turned and walked out of the shed, closing the door behind him.
A few hours later he was back with a large bowl of water and some food. He sat down; again well outside the length of chain putting the bowls beside him.
Kouga watched as he entered growling low in his throat. He had been unable to get the muzzle off of him try as he might. However the monk had tied it, it was on securely and wasn't coming off unless the human took it off. He had rested to try and get some strength back and was looking for an opening to get free.
"Hungry?" the man asked conversationally. Kouga just growled. Actually he wasn't hungry but the smell of the water was tantalizing. His throat was dry and parched, he badly wanted a drink.
"Maybe not, eh? Oh, I should introduce myself. My name is Satori and I'll be your master from now on," he smiled at Kouga who was looking at him in astonishment.
My master, I don't think so. Kouga growled again and made a lunge for the man.
Satori didn't even flinch. He just sat there, legs crossed with his elbows on his knees, his head in his hands. "We're not going to be able to get along if you keep acting like that," he admonished the wolf. "Maybe you'll be in a better mood later on." Satori rose from the ground taking the food and water with him and exited the hut. Kouga heard a lock click and then he was alone.
The wolf growled in frustration. His muzzle was hurting because of the tie and he was thirsty. He tried again to take the aggravating leather off but only managed to scratch himself with his claws, making his face bleed. He lay down by the pole and put his head on his paws. He gave a soft whine before closing his eyes and settling down. Tomorrow would be another day. He would get loose from this guy then.
Three days later Satori came back, again carrying bowls of food and water. He sat down as he had before and looked at Kouga.
Kouga's stomach gave a loud growl and he tried his best not to drool. This really wasn't as much of a problem as one would think as he was so dehydrated he wouldn't have been able make spit for the life of him. The man stood and approached when he didn't hear the wolf growl.
"Your face looks pretty sore, I could take that muzzle off," he offered standing at the edge of where Kouga could reach. "You must be hungry and you look pretty thirsty too." And Kouga was; he was dying to have a drink of that cold water he could see and smell. The food smelled good too and his stomach gave another grumble in complaint.
Satori crouched down, "Come on over and I'll remove it for you, give you something to eat and drink, what do you say?"
Kouga watched him warily before rising to his feet and coming closer. Satori smiled at him. "I wont' bite. Come here, its okay." The ookami came to the end of the chain and sat in front of the crouching man. Satori put his hands out and gently untied the straps, mindful of the sores on the wolf's face. Kouga almost sighed in relief and then tried to take the opportunity he had been granted, lunging forward to try and grab the former monk in his jaws.
An ofuda he hadn't even seen in the man's hand was slapped onto his face and he fell, unable to move anything at all. Satori sighed. "Back to the drawing board I guess, too bad," he sighed again. He tied the muzzle back on to Kouga's sore nose and then lifted the charmed paper off of his forehead. He rose and turned his back on the wolf and, picking up the bowls, walked out of the hut.
Kouga stood looking at the closed door totally stunned before raging against the end of the chain, he again tried to claw the muzzle off, whining in desperation and fear. It wouldn't budge. After three hours of trying without any success to break free of the collar and chain he fell to the floor gasping for air, his face coated in blood. He heard a high pitched cry and wondered for a moment where it was coming from before realizing it was him making that noise and he tried to bring himself under control.
Where is everybody? Aren't they looking for me? He asked himself wondering why his two friends at least had not come to his rescue. He didn't think Inuyasha would care but he thought maybe Kagome or the monk Miroku. He thought he had kind of established a friendship with him, but maybe he was wrong about that too. A low sorrowful howl came from between his tied jaws. He was so tired, so thirsty and he did not want to die in this darkened shed like this, some human's plaything. He closed his eyes and exhausted sleep claimed him, taking him away from the pain and humiliation for the moment.
Another three days went by before Satori opened the door again. Kouga lay on the ground barely able to move he was so weak. Not just from the lack of food but from lack of water. He lifted his head and whined when he smelled the delicious aroma of that water.
"Hey, Blue. You're in pretty bad shape eh?" Satori said gently.
Kouga whined again feeling ashamed that he couldn't seem to stop. The man put the bowls on the ground and came over to the prone wolf. "If you want me to take the muzzle off and leave it off you're not going to try to bite, do you understand?" Kouga nodded his head, holding back the whine that wanted to come forth again.
Satori reached down and untied the muzzle, gently pulling it from the open sores on Kouga's face. He went back and got the bowls of food and water and held the wolf's head so he could drink. Kouga lapped at the cool water feeling a sense of euphoria. He had never tasted anything so good before. He drank down the entire bowl and then looked to Satori, asking with his eyes for more.
"I'll get you some more in a minute, have something to eat first." He passed the wolf a chunk of meat and held it in front of his nose. Kouga was going to refuse. There was no way he was going to take food from this guys hand like a damned puppy. Satori held it there patiently, waiting, until Kouga couldn't stand it, the smell was so good and he reached out and grabbed it, feeling nothing but shame and self loathing at his weakness.
Satori hand fed the wolf everything in the bowl and then got up to get him some more water. Kouga managed to struggle up into a sitting position watching as he left the shed and then came back. Not only did he have another bowl of water but a cloth and some kind of paste in a small jar. He put the bowl of water down in front of Kouga and watched as he drank.
"I've got some stuff here that will make your face feel better. I mean I know you're a demon and those sores will heal pretty quickly but this paste will take the ache away," he said as he showed Kouga the medicine. He knelt down when Kouga didn't complain and began to gently clean off the dried blood and crusted sores with what was left of the water in the bowl. That done he applied the paste, his hands gentle on the ookami's face.
"There, that wasn't so bad was it Blue?" he asked, grinning.
Kouga had to admit it did feel a lot better but what was with this "Blue" shit. Kouga started to growl and Satori gave him a sharp look. Kouga couldn't help it, his tail tucked and his growl changed into a soft whine at the thought that the human would put that damned muzzle back on. Kami, I'm so pathetic, no wonder Inuyasha doesn't want me anymore. I wouldn't want me either.
Much to the wolf's surprise, Satori reached out and scratched behind his ear, smiling at him again. "Good Blue," he cooed. "We're going to be friends now, ne?" He gave the wolf one last scritch and then rose, taking everything with him and leaving the ookami alone with his thoughts.
After the door closed Kouga felt panic begin to well within him. Is he going to leave me here for another three days? He asked himself. Why hasn't anyone come? What the hell does that guy want with me? He had no answers and his anxiety increased. He paced around the pole nervously before lying down and beginning to pant, his eyes dull with worry. He whimpered, somebody, please help me. Inuyasha.
Satori was well pleased at how things were going. That wolf demon is stubborn but he will call me master. The former monk was making sure that the ookami had to depend on him for everything, his food, his water, even companionship. There was nothing the wolf was going to get that wouldn't come from him. Eventually he would break him down until the demon would want nothing more than to stay by his side and do his bidding. He could wait; he was a monk after all. He had patience.
Kouga was surprised and relieved when the door of the shed opened the next day. Satori entered with his normal bowls of food and water. He placed them on the floor giving the wolf a big grin. "Here you go," he intoned cheerfully before moving back to give the wolf his space.
Kouga slunk over to eat and drink. He had decided that maybe it was best to keep his strength up so if an opportunity arose for him to get free he would be able to take it. Satori stayed with him talking about this and that in a friendly manner which made Kouga wonder what the hell was going on. He couldn't figure out why this guy seemed so nice about things and he was frustrated by the fact that the human never mentioned what the hell he wanted.
Does he just want some kind of pet? What is it with him? Kouga snapped back to attention as he realized the guy was asking him something.
"So what do you think? Food's pretty good eh? I made it myself."
Kouga stared daggers at him. What? I'm supposed to be grateful you trapped me and decided to feed me.
Satori ignored the look he was receiving and the aura of anger coming from the wolf. "You should come over to me so I can check your face." This was another way to unconsciously instill the idea into the wolf that he was master. He wanted to wolf to come when he called. He laughed when Kouga turned his head away. "You're not afraid of some human are you? Come on wolfie, I won't hurt you."
Kouga grimaced in his mind, damn human I'm not scared of you. He walked over to the man and stood staring into his brown eyes defiantly as Satori checked the wounds which were pretty well healed, they didn't even hurt anymore.
The wolf prince was surprised at how gentle the human caressed his hands over his face as he looked things over and confusion crept in to take the place of the anger he felt. Again the man gave him a scratch behind the ear, which to Kouga's astonishment, felt good. He didn't want to let Satori know that he liked it so he pulled his head back and moved to where he had been before, sitting on his haunches, his back to the human.
"Well I guess I'll go, see you later Blue." Satori hummed a little tune as he picked up the dishes and left the hut.
Kouga turned his head and stared at the closed door. Damn it, what the hell does he want?
The days went by and the Satori did the same thing each day. He would come in, give Kouga food and water, sit and talk to him and if he got the chance give him a scratch or a pat. Satori gave a huge grin when he saw the wolf's tail wag as he entered the hut one day. It wasn't much and the ookami stopped it as soon as he realized it was wagging but it was something.
That next day Satori came in with a lead in his hands. "I thought today we'd go outside, what do you think? Not very nice in here," he grimaced, looking around at the dark hut.
Kouga looked up from his food, now was his chance. He'd finally be able to get away from this nut.
"Come here, Blue," he commanded in a gentle voice. Kouga trotted over and sat before the human as he put the leash on and undid the chain. Satori gave the wolf's head a rub before standing and leading Kouga to the door. The ookami blinked at the bright sunlight that assaulted his eyes. He had been in that dark hut now for three weeks and his eyes were unaccustomed to the brightness of the day.
Satori waited and when the wolf stopped blinking and squinting he started down the path towards the main road of the village. Kouga saw he had been in a small shed behind the main hut. The hut wasn't a whole lot larger but he figured that this must be Satori's home.
The wolf maintained his cool, he wanted the human to let down his guard so when he made a run for it, it would be totally unexpected. He walked along beside the man as if he had been led on a leash his whole life, looking around at the villagers who kept a wide berth from the two of them. Fear of the large wolf being the main reason. When they got into the village proper, a rather large boned man came forward looking down at the ookami.
"So this is the beast that's going to beat them all, eh?" he joked with the thinner monk. "I was beginning to think you made him up."
Satori laughed, "Haru, he'll beat anything you put against him."
What the fuck are they talking about? Kouga wondered tilting his head in curiosity.
The two men continued to banter back and forth as they started discussing other matters. Kouga saw the man's hand relax on the lead. Here was his chance, in a flash he bolted, jerking the lead out of Satori's hand. Unfortunately Satori had been prepared for something like this and had only been pretending to not pay attention. Before he got four steps he felt his hind end give out from under him and he fell to the ground unable to move, a sutra stuck to his left hip.
Fuck! Damn it! Kouga yelled internally in frustration. I must have some kinda curse on me. Fuck!!
The one called Haru was laughing, "Seems like you got some more work to do to tame that one."
"Seems so," replied Satori. He did not sound happy.
Kouga's eyes widened in fear when he saw the muzzle come out of Satori's pocket, No, don't put that back on me. He tried to move, he didn't care if he crawled away on his belly he just wanted to get away. He whined when he couldn't do it, watching as Satori came closer.
Satori knelt down and tied the thing on. "I thought we were past all this," he said almost sadly. "But if you insist on being treated like a common cur, I will accommodate you."
He picked the wolf up in his arms and headed back to the shed. He deposited Kouga on the floor, again attaching the chain. "You know I read up on you," Satori told him as he stood from his crouched position.
Kouga waited for him to say more, he couldn't do much else really the man still had not removed the paper from his hip that was keeping him paralyzed.
"Seems like what you can do, becoming a wolf, is pretty rare nowadays," he hesitated for a moment before continuing. "I also read that if you stay in that form for too long that you won't be able to ever transform back. You'll actually become a wolf, nothing more than an animal." He gave Kouga a stern look, "I would suggest to you that you get with the program. Doesn't bother me in the least to leave you this way forever, but if you were to behave, I might let you transform back. I might even let you go when you've done what I want you to."
What the fuck do you want me to do? Kouga howled out in his mind.
Satori stood and removed the ofuda and then walked out of the hut leaving a very frightened wolf behind.
Seven days went by before the door opened. Kouga was again weak from lack of food and water and he was lying on the floor panting in the hot shed.
He had had time to think over what the monk had told him. He had never heard of not being able to go back to his human form and he didn't feel like he was turning into an animal but what if he was wrong, what if one day he woke up and didn't know who or what he was. The thought scared him to death. He had given up on being rescued. Seemed like nobody thought he was worth it and depression had leaked into him at the thought of all those he had thought friends or allies would leave him to this fate.
Satori had been partially truthful, he had read up some on wolf demons and their habits, learning that many years ago all wolf demons could transform into animal forms. A gift they had lost over the years until only a very rare few could do it, but the rest he made up to frighten the wolf into behaving. He actually had no idea if his Blue would stay that way, but he doubted it.
"How about a drink?" Satori asked coming closer. Kouga whimpered, he was very close to his breaking point. The man released his jaws and helped him drink from the large bowl of water. He stroked the wolf's head gently watching with glee when he saw the demon's tail wag. "I've tried to be nice; I don't want to hurt you. I hate having to lock you up in here. You don't like it, do you?"
Kouga whimpered again, louder. His tongue reached out and licked Satori's hand.
"Then do as I say. You need to understand that no ones going to come help you. If anybody cared they would have been here by now don't you think?" Satori thought that the wolf may have been holding out hope of a rescue. He knew wolves traveled in packs and was surprised himself when no other's came near the village.
Kouga's eyes opened wide in surprise that this human seemed to know his very thoughts and then slid closed in sorrow. He was right, if anyone had cared they certainly would have found him by now, wouldn't they?
"This is your life now; it can be a good one," he continued as he stroked the furry head. "I haven't harmed you and when you've been good I've been good to you, yes? I'm the only friend you have now and I do want to be your friend."
Kouga lay there feeling worse and worse. He was never going to get free, nobody cared and he didn't want to be locked in here by himself any longer, tied like a mongrel with his mouth strapped shut. At that moment something inside the proud wolf demon cracked and he whimpered and whined, licking the man's face and hands in submission. He just wanted everything to stop hurting, his body, his mind and especially his soul.