Tamera the Maned Wolf- Chapter 2
She woke up with a pounding headache and a dry mouth. Groaning in pain she tried to sit up but felt her arm give out and she fell back down to the floor. The landing was hard and made a slight echo noise that only made the pounding headache worse. What's wrong with me? Where am I? She stopped thinking after those two questions since it only made her head pound more. A noise that sounded like a mix of a sigh and moan escaped her lips before she let herself fall back into the wonderful dark oblivion that was unconsciousness.
He listened and watched the female in obvious pain. There was nothing he could do until the effects and the aftermath wore off a little more. Shaking his head as she fell back asleep he turned around and headed out of the holding cell area. This was where they kept the new ones until they were ready to be put to work. Some made it out quickly, some took longer, and others didn't make it out at all. He only hoped the little female made it out.
The next time she woke up the headache wasn't as bad but her mouth was drier than it had ever been. She thought if she moved her jaw her whole mouth would turn into dust. What happened to me last night, she thought to herself. She remembered taking her walk and then going home and passing out on the couch but she couldn't remember anything else. She didn't go to any parties after she went home, she didn't drink anything when she went home, and she doesn't do drugs so that couldn't be it. She hated feeling like this, hated not knowing.
She opened her eyes slowly and quickly snapped them back shut when the harsh light from up above stabbed sharp pain into her skull. Since she wasn't going to be opening her eyes any time soon she decided to just let her body feel what was around her. Taking a breath she felt the cool hardness of the ground below her, felt the despair and hopelessness in the atmosphere, felt the stillness of the air on her fur, and smelled the blood and sweat and tears. Where was she? Why couldn't she remember anything? What happened to her?
The sound of a large steel door grated on her large sensitive ears and the sound of hooves throbbed in time with her head. Jingling keys and then a large cage door opened right behind her. "Wake up," the large male voice reverberated through her skull like a million hammers. She groaned in pain and covered her ears with her hands.
"Get up," the voice said again and kicked Tamera in her ribs making her scream in agony. Her arms wrapped around her rib cage where it felt like he had broken something, her breathing was labored and mixed with whining, and she curled into the fetal position to escape the pain.
"Wh..." she couldn't even finish the question forming in her head because of the lack of air flowing to her lungs and the feeling of a desert in her throat. But the man seemed to have gotten the point.
"Why? Where are you? Well little girl you are in the holding cells where you will learn to do as you're told when you're told to do it. Now, get up," he said and kicked her again.
Tamera screamed again and curled up tighter. It hurt so much, she just wanted it to go away, just wanted to wake up on her living room couch and find out it was only a dream. She wanted it to all be a dream...
"Get up!" Her arm was grabbed and she was yanked to her feet painfully. Her mouth opened and her lips peeled back from her teeth in a warning snarl mixed with pain. She was dizzy, weak, and she could barely hold herself up. Whimpering she tried to use his weight to help hold her up but he wouldn't have it. He let go of her arm and she almost crumpled back to the ground.
"Water," she rasped out. She opened her eyes and looked up at a large male Clydesdale. His black eyes were hard and cold, his muscles bulged beneath white and brown fur, and his long brown and white mane and tail were braided with gold. She noticed he also had a golden collar on his neck and around his wrists and ankles.
"Only when you learn the basics. And the first lesson is obedience," he looked her square in the eyes and flared his nostrils at her. He was bigger than she was and he knew it. And he was going to break her, make her, or kill her. It didn't matter to him, you could see that he didn't care whether she lived or died.
"What is the first thing I need to learn," she said softly. It took a lot of effort and it hurt her throat as the words came out. She saw the large arm rise up and she knew what was coming. She tensed and closed her eyes before the hand hit her face and she flew to the ground.
"You do not speak unless you are spoken too. Do you understand," he said in a large booming voice. She lay in a crumpled pile of fur and limbs in the corner in so much pain she felt tears welling in her eyes. "Do you understand?" He was right beside her and she knew if she didn't answer there would be more pain.
She nodded her head, not daring to speak outright. It didn't satisfy him. She got another kick in the ribs and she heard one crack this time. She howled in agony throwing her head back exposing her soft throat. "Do you understand me?" The question was menacing, low and throaty and filled with deadly promise.
"Yes...yes I understand," she said her voice shaking and soft. She saw the male's ear twitch in acknowledgement of the sound of her voice. He nodded and helped her back up, guiding her to a bench and gently sitting her down. She nodded gently and she heard his hooves beat down on the hard floor. A few seconds later she heard rushing water and more hoof beats back towards her.
The cup was smooth to the touch and she could feel the water's coolness. The weight of the cup of water, even though light, felt like a brick of lead in her weakened state. Her dry tongue licked her cracked lips and she forced her body to lift that cup of blessed liquid to her mouth where she gulped it greedily. Her throat burned, her lips burned, and her tongue absorbed the water like a sponge. It was a glorious feeling, a glorious creation by those above.
She sighed heavily when the cup was empty and handed it back to the Clydesdale. Wiping her mouth with the back of her arm, her fur pressed down from the water, she stared at the man who was her captor. "Who are you," she asked in a more solid voice than before.
"I'm called Brute. I'll be your trainer, and if you can't learn I'll be your executioner." His voice was rough and solid like a rock. She studied him for a moment, letting her eyes wander over his body. He was tall with broad shoulders, a large chest and arms roped with muscles. His stomach was rippled with abs and his thighs bulged with muscles beneath the skintight black pants. His tail was braided and swished back and forth constantly. He was actually a very good-looking equine in a frightening sort of way but Tamera wasn't interested in that kind of man. She hadn't really bothered with a relationship since her engagement ended a year ago. Now she wished she had tried harder, maybe had a roommate or something. Then maybe she wouldn't be in this mess.