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The light from the sun gives Veir a hard time seeing the training room at first but, in only a few moments, his eyes adjust. Before him is an absolutely massive room, even for one of the normals. The room is in the shape of a cube cube with four couches surrounding a table in the center. On top of the table are smaller pieces of furniture identical to the couches around the table as well as the many chars and coffee tables that are scattered about the room. There's a fireplace on the north wall opposite of the door Veir and Din had just come through and three tall windows allow sunlight to shine brightly; one above the fireplace, and one on each of the eastern and western walls.

Veir looks around after his eyes adjust, ears pressed flat against his head. He can already see several normals interacting with micros; in the far north-eastern corner a micro feline presses his hands into the soles of a tail-flicking normal-sized golden retriever. Towards the center of the room a micro panda paints the nails of a grinning, normal-sized female bat. Giants and micros are scattered all over the room and Veir can see that there are more micros than giants without even counting. Several of the giants have more than one micro attending to them.

"See? It's not that bad, is it Veir?" Din peers down at the small wolf in his palm, smiling a little. Despite his earlier speech, he does honestly hope that Veir accepts this or, at least, will warm up to it.

The sight makes Veir uncomfortable. 'The micros here really are just servants for the giants'. Past the smiles and the gentleness, past the peaceful attitude, Veir is certain the micros he sees hate what they're going through. He can't conceive of any possible way that they could enjoy this. "Din, I told you, we aren't... pets." He says again, though less firmly this time. The more he stares at the other micros and see how energetic they are, the more he can't help but wonder. 'Why do they look so happy? This must be an act. They can't be satisfied with this...'

The room pans in Veir's vision again as Din goes to settle into a chair nearby a large gecko male with a smaller, older rabbit settled at his feet. The gecko nods to Din in greeting, giving a little grin. "He's more energetic today, I think the supplements are helping." The gecko splays his toes and presses them gently against the rabbit below them. The older rabbit stumbles slightly but catches himself and sits, letting the paw angle above and press down against him. A toe lowers in front of his muzzle and the gecko watches expectantly. When the rabbit starts to lick against the scale-textured skin his grin widens and he nods softly, holding his paw down and dropping a piece of carrot or two to the rabbit under his footpaw. The rabbit smiles and grabs a carrot, eating at it and redoubling his efforts over the gecko's foot.

Veir watches the entire scene while Din lowers the wolf down to the floor and puts him in a similar position, angling his paw and pressing downwards towards the smaller wolf so that his toes press gently into Veir's chest. "It's not that you're pets, Veir. This is what you micros could do to fit in. We're giving you jobs and a purpose in the context of our civilization. You saw the other micros, didn't you? Don't they look happy?" He looks over to the smaller rabbit still smiling gently and now rubbing his hands in between the gecko's toes, using his fingers to scritch inbetween the textured skin there.

"They..." He can't deny it, they do seem to enjoy it. Even the rabbit seems content despite the gecko being what Veir would consider rough. He mmrrfs and falls backwards, feeling pressure over his chest as Din's paw presses into it. He struggles for a moment but, in the end, has to lay back and let Din pin him against the ground underfoot. He struggles and pushes against Din's toes.

"Din... stop! Please...?"

"Just give it a chance..." Din replies, holding Veir there and watching his struggles increase in strength. Veir doesn't calm down, however, and Din frowns slightly. "Veir, come on... you said you'd try so at least give it a try."

"It hurts, Din! Let up..." Veir lies, just wanting to be let up. As soon as Din eases up, Veir scrambles backwards which causes Din to step forward again in reaction. A massive pad slams a bit roughly into Veir's torso causing him to wheeze and groan. His struggles cease but now the wolf shivers, staring up at his friend a little fearfully. Din, seeing Veir's face, removes his paw quickly and cringes, trying to justify himself. 'I didn't meant too, I wouldn't have done it if he didn't try to run.' Din thinks while staring at Veir. He can't shake it, though. This is the same gaze Veir gave him the night before.

Shivering and still a bit winded, Veir just stares towards Din. He's frozen, though not completely out of fear. Din could kill him right now. The rabbit nearly broke one of his ribs or at least that is how it felt. Is this what training is? Are the other micros acting this we because they were forced to comply?

Fingers wrap around Veir and he's lifted to the giant rabbit's face. Din nuzzles Veir gently and closes his eyes. 'Maybe I can't do this... but why? I've captured micros before. Why is it so hard with Veir? I don't want to hurt him, I just want him to be happy. If he could only understand...' he thinks, but in the back of his mind Din feels disingenuous.

Veir, after calming down, pets at Din's face a little bit. The petting, however, isn't out of fondness or forgiveness. He's afraid of what Din will do if he doesn't comply next time. Sure, Din just reacted to him attempting to run but... 'Okay, okay, maybe I jumped the gun a bit. Still, it seems like... he's not listening.I'm sure he wants me to accept this but what if I don't? I don't feel like I have a choice...' Veir shudders at this realization. He figured out earlier that Din is misguided but to go this far?

Din carries Veir to another room. Inside he sees houses, several of them stacked on shelves, on the floor, and on the counter-tops. Din settles Veir down in front of one of them. "T-this is where you'll stay, Veir. And... I'm sorry for what I did, okay? I just wish you could understand! This is for your own good... if you'd just let us take care of you and..."

"Do as you ask?" Veir interrupts with a snap.

The rabbit cringes, but gives a small dip of his muzzle. "Yes... then it would all be okay. Please, Veir, it really isn't that bad."

Veir looks into Din's eyes. He can't stand the gaze that the rabbit is giving him. Din really -does- believe what he's saying but he's so wrong. Veir's not sure what to feel, he wants to be angry but he also wants to be sad. Nothing he says is getting through to Din anymore. 'Why is he so set on making me do this? He doesn't want to force me but he doesn't want me to choose...?'

"May I take a nap, Din?" Veir asks, trying to sound as monotone as he can muster as to not make the rabbit question his emotional state.

Din watches Veir for a moment, figuring the wolf isn't happy with him. 'I was too hard on him too fast, I should slow it down next time...' He relaxes a little and rubs Veir's back gently. "Yea... yea... maybe I need one too. I'll come and check on you later, alright? Any of the beds in that house should be alright for you to sleep on." He leans forward and nuzzles Veir. "Please think about it, Veir... I know we can make this work." He stands straight again and pets Veir before leaving the room.

As Din nuzzles him, Veir leans and gives Din's nose a kiss, looking into his eyes once more. For a moment, the wolf could swear the gaze peering into his own was one of regret. It's only for a moment, though, and before Veir has time to try and get a better look Din turns and walks out.

--

"Hey, you're new, right?"

Veir groans slightly and rubs his head, sitting up and staring sleepily towards the rabbit that is apparently speaking to him.

"Sorry to wake ya, I just wanted a chance to talk before another giant comes along looking for a partner."

"A partner?" Veir asks, blinking towards the grey lapin.

"Yea, a partner, that's what they call us. I figure it's because that is what they want this to be or how we should feel about it."

"You're that rabbit from earlier. The one that gecko was... using," Veir frowns a little. "Did you honestly enjoy that?"

A smile stretches over the older rabbit's face. "It's not so bad, much better than my life before it at least. The name is Varook, it's a pleasure to have you here..."

"Veir," The wolf holds a paw out and shakes the rabbit's. "But they force you to do that stuff, don't they? You didn't really want to be shoved under his foot like that, did you? And what about the others? All the giants were doing was making the micros perform things for them. Is that really working together?"

The older rabbit settles down in a chair next to the bed and smiles at the wolf's words. He stays quiet for a moment but begins to speak after collecting his thoughts.

"For some of us, yes, it is. For me and many other micros here, doing a few favors in return for food, a place to stay, and a normal, stable life is completely satisfying. You know how life for us is out there, don't you? If you don't own a cloaker or if you can't find your way to the few micro cities left then you are left to the elements or whatever kind of giant finds you first. No day is predictable and everything you do ends up a bid with fate for your life. I've seen absolutely downtrodden micros come here, fix their lives up, and find a wonderful partner to enjoy the rest of their time with."

"But it's not... you aren't seen as much more than pets. You have to live with them and you have to do what they say." Veir lowers his ears a little, thinking on the rabbit's words. "B-but I don't know what it's like living as a micro. I... own a cloaker after all, so I guess I shouldn't preach. Honestly, maybe it's me that should be listening."

Varook smiles. "It's not a perfect life, Veir. It's one of many. This is a step up for those of us who had to endure life outside. For you, however, I bet it's a real wake up call. Owning a cloaker means that you know what it feels like to be completely free to decide what you will do with your life."

"I think I understand after hearing it put that way, I suppose les gardiens isn't all bad. Still, in the end, their solution won't work. As more of us find stability in life we'll search for more freedom... maybe this is okay for now, especially if it saves lives. In the end, though, they won't be our friends. I just wonder if it's a good idea to let them think we're completely alright with this." Veir sighs, conflicted. If he complies then he is affirming Din's actions but he can't ask the other micros to resist, not at the risk that they all end up back on the streets or worse...

"You can only be yourself, Veir. After the abuses I suffered during the war... well, I've been rather happy here. However, you're right to think that the optimal solution is to allow us to live without fear of being abused as we have in the past."

Veir nods a little, laying back down and staring at the ceiling. "I'm losing hope that it'll ever happen. Even Din won't listen to me and I've been friends with him for years. I just... if there were any giant in the world that could make the switch it'd be him. I just know he's a good person and he wants to help. He's always so nice to me... at least before I took my cloaker off for him. Maybe I just want to believe that he can change... I felt so encouraged after I told him about my being a micro and at first it seemed like everything was going to go well. He didn't feel betrayed and he didn't even treat me badly. Most of the things I feared about being a micro were shot down that night. But now I'm afraid that... that even I'm not a person in Din's eyes. After all of these years..."

"You were friends when you had your cloaker? Interesting... you know, Din used to be a lot nicer to micros, not to say that he is particularly bad even now. Several years ago, though, I think I remember him trying to set the few micros that rejected this place free. His father used to scold him for things like that. His father and les gardiens, as you know, believe that this is our place in the world."

Veir turns his head. "Scolded?"

Varook nods solemnly. "Scolded, his father used to spank him when he treated us too well. Used to say that we're 'here to be trained, not to be pampered'. After he became too old for spankings he would have to sit through his father's lectures about the dynamics of the relationship between normals and micros."

"Poor Din, I had no idea," the wolf sighs again and looks up at the ceiling once more. Hearing Varook's words encouraged him a little bit. 'If he's right, then maybe Din is only doing this to impress his father. I wonder if... maybe I should ask him about it? I have to do something... maybe Din feels the same pain I do. What if he really does want to help?' Veir smiles at the thought, though he can't help but feel that, once again, he's just trying to avoid thinking about Din as the typical giant.

Din, meanwhile, sighs to himself after waking up from his own nap. He holds Veir's armlet in between his fingers, looking closely at the design while he thinks. 'It just doesn't feel right with Veir. The other micros seem happy, though. We have to be doing something right, right?' He sighs a little bit and stares up at the ceiling for a moment. 'He'll come around, it just takes time. Maybe dad will let me treat Veir a bit more gently. I just can't stand to see him look at me the way he did earlier. I'm his friend... he's the closest friend I've ever had and I... don't want that to change.' He blushes a little bit, clasping the armlet in his hand for a moment. 'But if he doesn't start listening then dad will..' He lowers his ears. 'Please just listen to me, Veir... it would be so much easier...'

Din stands up, realizing dinner will be ready soon. 'Maybe some dinner will cheer him up, table duty for micros isn't too hard and he'll get free food.' Din sighs a little bit and rubs over his head before pocketing Veir's armlet. 'And who knows? Maybe I can adopt him early and take him to college with me. I think he'd like that and I wouldn't have to be so hard on him since dad won't be looking over my shoulder...' He smiles a little at that thought.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"You'll be coming to class with me every day now, George!" Terry grins, carrying his little wolf out of his third class of the day and towards the lunch room. It's not long before other kids surround Terry, following him and peering over his shoulder at George.

"I...I guess.." George speaks, feeling a little awkward at the fact that he is the center of attention.

"Can I hold him, Terry?" One asks while another growls.

"I'm next! Hey, Terry! Lets eat lunch together."

Terry smiles and enters the lunch room settling down at a table and putting George next to his lunch box. Kids crowd the table and George is left to be poked, prodded, and questioned while Terry eats.

"What's it like being so small?" A giant wolf asks.

"Uh, well, what's it like being so big?"

"May I pick you up?"

"Well... I suppose, sure. Be gentle, please..."

"Are you sure you don't want to play Godzilla?"

"Yes."

"Friendly Godzilla!? Please!?"

sigh...

By the end of the school day the little wolf is laid flat on Terry's palm, worn out from all of the questioning, petting, prodding and a not-so-friendly game of 'friendly Godzilla'.

Robert is just outside of the school and as Terry approaches he smiles. "Hey, buddy, how was school?" He asks, noticing Terry carrying a sleeping George in his handpaw.

"It was fine, my friends liked playing with George." Terry smiles and pets the sleeping wolf in his palm. The little wolf breathes heavily and makes little movement even under the fox's petting.

Robert pulls a small diver's suit, or at least that is what it looks like, from his pocket. He hands it to Terry. "I picked this up at the store today, thought you and George might enjoy it. Have him put it on and we can test it out while he walk home," he ruffles his boy's head, watching as Terry wakes a groggy George up.

"George! Dad got you a present. Here, try it on."

The wolf would normally grumble and ask to be left to sleep but when he notices Robert staring down at him he quickly stands and starts to slip the suit on over his clothing. 'Crud, I wonder what he has in store for me now...'

Once the suit is on, Robert looks to Terry. "Take your right shoe off and put George into it," Robert watches and Terry hesitantly does so, looking back up towards his father with a worried glance.

"Don't worry, Terry, the suit will keep George from dying. It's called a sole suit, it lets the wearer survive beneath fits of high pressure. In other words, George should be able to handle more sooole than before." Robert smirks at his own joke and Terry peers back down to George with a light giggle.

"Ready, George?" He asks, holding his toes over his shoe.

George is frozen solid, staring up at Terry and then towards his father. 'I hope this works.. I pray this works...' He swallows and lowers his ears. "P-please be careful, Terry," He says, hoping the young fox understood his hushed voice. He lays down in the shoe, head near the toe of the shoe while his legs and feet rest over the heel.

Robert smiles and watches his son slip the shoe on again. "How does it feel, Terry?"

'ugh...urg...mmmrf...' George grunts as Terry's paw comes down on him again and again; the dark pads of the kit's soles pressing into his body rather heavily, especially after Terry realizes George is able to withstand it. The heat in the shoe rises and George's form is, after only a few moments, damp beneath Terry's paw from both his, and the giant fox's sweat.

Terry enjoys the feeling beneath his foot. The way George is squirming tickles a little bit and, on occasion, he giggles out randomly from the tickling. He presses his paw down, grinding George under his sole to get him to stop wriggling and tickling at his foot while Robert smiles a little at it all, happy that his son is enjoying his present.

It's a long walk for George and before long he can hardly work up the energy to writhe against Terry's sole anymore. He whimpers a little bit and sighs, happy that he's not going to die, but humiliated once again by Terry's father. As much as he tries not to blame Terry -- He's only doing what his father asked him to do -- he does feel a little angry that the kit seems to enjoy it so much. 'He's only a kid..urg... I guess...mmff...I hope I find Cameron soon..' He feels Terry stop suddenly, and deep yet strangely familiar voice sounds from above. "Oops, sorry little guy," speaks the voice before Terry responds. "It's alright!" before starting to walk again.

"You have to watch where you're going, Terry. You could've been hurt." Robert speaks. George, despite being pummeled beneath Terry's foot, can't help but think he recognizes that voice. 'It's almost like... Cameron's voice, but deeper.'

Finally, fresh air enters the shoe as Terry removes it and picks George up. He flicks his tail and nuzzles the damp wolf. "Hehe, you feel okay, George? Was it fun?" He smiles innocently and the wolf can't help but smile a little bit. 'At least he thought I was enjoying myself...' He shakes his head out and sighs.

"It... was interesting. Lets not do it too much, though. It's a little scary." He says, nuzzling the kit's fingers. He perks suddenly when he thinks about what just happened. He's surprised that his body doesn't ache at all. In fact, once Terry's paw left the shoe, he felt exactly like he did before he was put in. He furrows his brow and rubs a paw over the sole suit. 'amazing... this... might actually be useful.'

Terry lowers his ears. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you. Are you hurt?"

"No no, it's alright, Terry. Actually, I feel just fine. It was a little scary but, you know? I take back what I said. If you want to do it again we can. Do you... think I could wear this suit whenever I want?" He asks while he rubs his fingers over the suit 'I've gotta find a way to keep this suit...'

Terry smiles and nods quickly "Sure! Maybe we'll do s'more with it later."

After settling George on the couch, Terry turns "I'm gonna go shower, George. I'll be back." He skips off while George sits up and looks around the room, noticing Robert coming near again. He cringes and starts to jump to the floor but it's too late. He squeaks loudly but it is muffled by Robert's massive rear as it settled down and pins the wolf to the couch. George struggles and squirms against the hot, slightly musky rear end of the giant fox. Robert grins and lets the wolf struggle for a while, opening the newspaper to read it while the lupine claws at his pants.

Eventually, the fox sits up and reaches beneath himself to grab the wolf's leg. Once snatched, the fox pulls the wolf out and drops him to the floor in front of his toes.

George gasps as he hits the floor, looking up and feeling rather dazed. He doesn't let himself dally for too long, he knows what Robert expects. He stands up quickly and runs over to the giant fox's black-furred toes, starting to rub against the digits and getting a nose full of the familiar musk.

The fox above smirks a little and splays his toes out. "There's a good boy, I'll have to remind Terry that pets belong on the floor," He flicks his toe out and watches George fall onto his butt, get up again, and return to rubbing at the fox's toes. Robert enjoys this thoroughly and is sure to keep knocking the wolf back to watch him stand and return just as a micro pet should.

Something black lands nearby George while he's busy pressing his hands into the black, musky toes of the giant and when he looks over to examine it he sees a collar. "One more gift for you. Put it on," He says, watching as the wolf reads the tag: "Property of Terrance Kay at 255 prodigal blvd." George silently hooks the collar around his neck, hearing the jingle of the tag against the D-ring it's attached to. Robert nods a little and reaches down to pick the smaller wolf up. "You know, I'm happy I let Terry keep you. You're pretty obedient."

The giant fox starts petting the wolf gently, smiling to him. "It's too bad I didn't catch the cougar you were with. Maybe we'll have to find you another micro to have around. Would you like that?"

George shivers under the petting. He's happy Robert is being nice but... it's the creepiest kind of nice he has ever felt. He doesn't dare speak out against the fox, though, especially not since it seems he is on what could be called Robert's good side. "I-I would like that, sir." He says gently, keeping still under the fox's petting.

"Good. Perhaps within the week I will go out hunting again."

--

"How in the world am I going to find George? I don't even know where to start," Cameron settles down on a nearby park bench, staring out towards the intersection that him and George ran across. It's the last place he saw the wolf. Turning his head, he stares towards the school, he watches as the kids leave, remembering what it was like when he and George were young. 'We had to grow up so fast after our parents went missing.' He recalls the shoebox they found for shelter that housed them for a week until it rained as well as the restaurant they'd raid nightly to find things edible enough to keep them healthy. He stands up and starts to walk again, still with a slight hobble due to his hurt leg, in no particular direction.

In his day-dreaming he isn't watching and it's only at the last minute that he sees a young fox walk into his path. He stops and the fox bumps into him and stops walking, peering up at the taller cougar. "Oops, sorry little guy," he smiles and walks off, giving a nod to the older fox walking next to the younger one. As he walks away his brow furrows. 'Why do I smell George...?'