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The Domesticated

Chapter 2: Rules and Snatchers

Sponsored by DuskCypher

By Draconicon

Brecht slept relatively well for the first night away from the hunting grounds. The thumping from the slave room wasn't too bad, considering the age of the hotel, and it did its job of keeping the shouting, moaning, and complaining from reaching his ears. It was only the occasional kick that reached the wall that he had to worry about, and that was easy enough to deal with.

He slept on his right side through the night, and by morning, he was, if not back to tip-top shape, then at least rested well enough for the rest of the trip. He rolled over, perking up his ears. Yes, the moaning continued; the hyena would be back in the edging phase of the training at the moment rather than the antidote phase.

That room is going to stink...

The human hunter sighed, shaking his head as he reached for his clothes. Shirt, jacket, underwear, pants, second pants, socks, boots. They went on in that order, and while they had a little sweat-musk to them, it was better than what he was going to smell in a minute. Hyenas had a reek to them that was natural enough, true, but it was strong at the best of times. When he unlocked the door to the slave room today, it was going to be far stronger than normal.

He clicked a pistol to his belt, and then a few other tools. All his weapons had been laid against the wall, ready for use at a moment's notice if a Snatcher came through the window or Eku tried to escape. He had been ready for that, always was.

Always.

Shaking the residual bits of sleep from his brain, he left the bedroom and walked back to the main chamber of the hotel suite. The door to the slave room was still closed, but he could hear the moaning on the other side. Eku was definitely still in the middle of the pleasure cycle, as far as he could tell. And that meant that the hyena should be awake. Should. Some of them were good enough at taking pleasure to fall asleep during the middle of this sort of thing, but he doubted that was the case.

However, he would have a very pissed-off hyena on the other side of the door, and he knew what that could mean. Beasts were petty, and they could easily do something naughty just because they could. Punishment would only become a deterrence when they realized just what sort of things could happen if they didn't do what they were told. Brecht knew this all too well, which was why he stood to the side as he pushed the door open.

As soon as it opened, a yellow stream came flying free. As he'd expected, Eku had thought to try and piss on him to get back at him for the night of torment. He shook his head, waiting for the stream to fade, then poked his head around the corner.

"You are lucky that the deposit will cover that," he said.

"Mmmph...monster..."

"Hardly."

He stepped around the puddles that were left behind on the floor, wincing at the sheer level of sex-stink that rose to his nose. He'd known that this was going to be a possibility when he went after a hyena, but this was the first time that he had been hit with something like this before. The raw reek of hot sweat mixed with the bitter-butter smell of a hyena's natural musk, combined with the hotter, heavier smell of all that pre-cum meant that the room smelled like nothing less than a sex den, and not a good one, either.

The hyena's fur was matted down, almost completely drenched from head to toe, and it was clearly soaked in that same stink that the room was. There'd be no leaving without giving him a bath, not if he wanted to get anywhere soon. Collared Landing was tolerant enough of the beast stink, but civilization would not be.

He shook his head, gripping the hyena's cock by the base and pointing it back up. The half-rigid shaft twitched in his hand, and the beast tried and failed to thrust. Hanging as he did in suspension, that had been a bit of a bad idea. Eku gritted his teeth and yelped as the chains suddenly clenched tighter around his ankles and other parts of his body. Brecht just shook his head.

"This is what happens when you disobey. You will find yourself rather...uncomfortable."

"Nnngh...let me go..."

"How many times did you shout that last night, beast?"

"..."

"And how many times did I listen?"

"...None."

"Then why do you think that I will listen now?"

"Heartless bastard..."

"Again, hardly."

He tapped a key on his wristband, and the last antidote to the pleasure chemicals was delivered, the cycle stopped. The hyena slumped down, all the stiffness going out of his muscles at once. It was like all of his energy had been drained right then and there, leaving nothing to go forward with. It was fairly typical, of course. All the adrenaline and energy that the edging gave was denied by the bondage, and without the urge to rut and fuck any longer, there was nowhere for the energy to go. It just tended to die.

He started undoing the different chains, pulling the hyena down to rest on his feet again. Of course, the drained beast hung on his arm more than he would have liked, but that was to be expected after a night of draining 'training' such as the beast had been put through. He shook his head, dragging his slave out of the room and into the main chamber. From there, it was easy to take him to the bathroom, and tempting as it was to just drop him into the bathtub, he lowered the hyena in, instead.

"Mmmph...What...what is..."

"You need to be cleaned."

"Your fault."

"It is rarely going to be my fault."

He turned the water on, the first jet of it cold. The hyena stiffened, but didn't have the energy to pull away, and by the time that he had recovered, Brecht had already changed it to hot water, something that the beast probably didn't have much experience with. He tossed a bar of soap under the water flow, getting it lathered up before pulling it back out.

As he took the hyena by the ankle, the beast looked at him. It was still pulling at its collar, but not with the same ferocity as before.

"What are you doing? Why are you using that?"

"Because you stink, and we're getting nowhere if you stink."

"Hmmph. It's warrior smell."

"No, it's beast smell, and nobody wants that."

"Grrrr."

"Now, hold still."

He worked the soap between the hyena's toes and then along the pad along the bottom. Both needed the treatment, and it didn't take long to get him to be a little more presentable. The dirt was soon washed away completely, and so was most of the hot sweat from the night before. Dragging the soap up the beast's legs, he managed to get rid of more, the water rising up and making his work easier for him.

By the time that he'd reached the hyena's balls, Eku was a bit more tolerable to the nose. The hyena occasionally twitched, looking like he might try and resist, but all it took was a glance at the collar and a nod towards his wristband to get the hyena to stop.

He was learning. Good.

"Alright. Flip over," he said, shaking his hands free of some of the suds.

"Why?"

"I can't get the rest of you like this. Flip over."

The slave-to-be did as he was told, though he clearly wasn't happy about it. That didn't matter to him. As long as it was done, he was fine.

He dragged the soap along the sticky shaft, back over the balls, and then between the cheeks. Yes, there was definitely a different sort of slime back there, something that would need a little treatment later. It wasn't foulness or anything like that, but rather the rather unique scent that came from hyenas. Some clients liked it, but he doubted that there would be any with the money needed to make this worth it.

Surgery or injections...

Well, he'd decide later. Brecht shook his head, soaping up the hyena's pucker and making sure that it was as spotless as could be. Working up the back, then up the chest, he made the hyena stand up so that he could get everything. Literally, everything.

It wasn't until they were in the process of rinsing that Eku spoke again.

"What are you going to do to me? Really?"

"I'm going to take you to my home, train you, and eventually, I'm going to sell you."

"You can't sell a person."

"You can sell a beast."

"I'm a person!"

"No. You're not."

Eku growled, turning in the frothy water. He lunged for the wristband, and even got so far as grabbing Brecht by the wrist before the hyena froze again. Not from the collar this time, though.

No, that was more because of the knife that was held right against his kidney.

Brecht leaned in, allowing the very edge of the blade to press against the flesh. A tiny hint of red started to show through the fur and flesh.

"You will let go of that. Right now."

"...How did you..."

"I am a hunter, beast. And I will call you that, if you do not act more civilized. Only the Domesticated are allowed names in human lands, and until you become one, you obviously need to be referred to as something else."

Slowly, Eku did what he was told, taking his fingers away from the wristband. As soon as they were loose, Brecht flipped his knife around and sheathed it back at his belt. The wound wasn't deep, little more than a scratch, but that was only due to him being as precise and careful as he was. Anyone else might have actually stabbed the beast and not cared in the slightest, particularly since they were already in the bath.

"Now that I have your attention, here are the rules, beast."

"Grrrr."

"Rule Zero. You will do whatever I command of you. The moment that you do not, you will be punished. That punishment will vary depending on how you fail to obey, but it will never be something that you want to happen. Do you understand me?"

"..."

No time like the present to teach the beast just what he meant. He reached for the wristband, and the commands went down. The collar spiked, needles jammed into the beast's neck. This time, it went right to the spine, and the hyena gasped, arching his back, jumping about and splashing in the tub.

"AH! What - ow! Stop hurting - OW!"

"You are currently suffering from a chemical that causes random, minor fluctuations in nerve pain. You will feel as if you are being pinched in a number of different locations, and this will continue until I apply the antidote."

"Stop it! It hurts!"

"Then you will answer the question. Do you understand me?"

"Yes! Yes, I understand!"

"Good."

Another pressed button, and the pain stopped. The hyena panted as he touched himself, running his hands up and down his thighs, over his bottom, and along his balls. The pinches must have been concentrated down there, he supposed. It was the downside to the chemical applicator. While it could bring about some powerful effects, it was always limited in just how much control you had of where it went.

"Rule One. You will refer to me as Trainer. Trainer Brecht, if you want to use my name, but at minimum, you will call me Trainer. Do you understand?"

"...I understand, Trainer."

And he understood the unspoken part of the lesson, too, he was happy to see. The beast understood that each rule was applied and would be taken into account as it was said. That was something. That was something hopeful, actually, considering the way that it would let them work out the training regimen a little bit faster once they got back to his place.

"Rule Two. You are not allowed clothing until you become a Domesticated. Then, you will be dressed as I, or your eventual Owner, will choose. You will be kept naked at all other times. Do you understand?"

"I understand, Trainer."

"Rule Three. I am responsible for feeding, housing, and otherwise seeing to your welfare. That means that you will not receive food or anything else save through me. If you run away, all that you will accomplish is putting yourself in the hands of others that will treat you worse than me. Do as you are told, and you will receive all that you need. You are no longer responsible for hunting, or for anything that I do not make you responsible for. Do you understand?"

"...No, Trainer."

"No?"

"I don't...I'm a warrior. I fight. I can't just..."

"You are not a warrior. You stopped being a warrior when I caught you."

That seemed to be a blow that the young man hadn't been expecting. Then again, it wasn't too much of a surprise for Brecht. They were always trying to keep their old lives after they were caught, either hoping to return to them or find a way to keep living that way under their new owners. The sooner they were broken of that, the better.

"Your responsibilities no longer include fighting. They no longer include waging war, hunting, or whatever it was that you were doing for your tribe. All they include are the duties that I give you. For now, that only duty is to obey. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Trainer," Eku said, lowering his head and growling.

"Good. Rule Four. You are not allowed to harm any human."

"...Any?"

A semi-breaking of the rules, he supposed, but one that didn't need to be punished right yet. He would wait to see if there was a further breakage, ensuring that it snapped the habit before it started. Brecht nodded.

"Any human, beast. You are a slave, now. Any human that you harm will be able to demand that you die, and I will be hard-pressed to keep you alive after that. Any beast that raises their hands against their masters is doomed unless there is something that gives them a reason for it."

"There's many reasons for it...Trainer."

"Reasons that humans will agree with, then," he said, shaking his head. "And revenge, or to escape, or being angry are not reasons."

"..."

"Those rules will do for now. Keep to them, and we'll be alright until we reach my home."

"And where is that?"

"Further away than this..."

After all, Collared Landing was a place for people to go and get their prizes. It was not a place worth settling -

Click.

Brecht paused. Someone had just come through the window in the main room. He unholstered his gun, holding a finger to his lips. The hyena blinked at him, but he had already put the beast out of his mind. There was another threat in the room.

He lowered himself to the floor, crouching at the door. It was old enough that it had an old-style key-hole under the doorknob, and he looked through.

Two other humans, both of them in layers of leather that would have suited dog-catchers. Snatchers, then, looking to steal his prize. He shook his head, leaning back from the door. One hand on the knob, the other on his pistol. One breath in, then out, then in -

THUMP!

He kicked the door open, and as the Snatchers spun, shooting the space where someone might have been standing, he took two shots. Two quick, pinpoint shots at the knee.

The explosive rattle and bang of the bullets was probably enough to deafen the hyena - he certainly howled enough from it - but Brecht was used to it. He rubbed one ear, getting rid of the worst of the ringing, and hustled over to the Snatchers. He kicked their guns out of the way, then pulled off the masks they were wearing.

Locals, judging by their features. Criminal brands on their cheeks, too. Abolitionists, then, criminals that went around and seized the beasts for their own morals rather than for personal profit. He shook his head, knocking them unconscious with a kick to the head.

Knowing it wouldn't be long before the front-desk man sent security up after even that brief firefight, Brecht arranged his ID, hunting permit, and other licenses on the bed, then pulled out a couple of wires, dragging the arms of the abolitionists behind their back. They were bleeding, but not too badly. He'd aimed to shatter the leg, not cause them to bleed out, and he'd made his shots.

It took a moment or three for Eku to finally show his face again, the hyena looking out of the bathroom. He was soaked to the skin, his eyes were wide, and his ears flicked back and forth as if they were trying to find the source of a sound no longer there. Brecht shook his head, pointing back to the bathroom properly, and the hyena shut the door.

A few seconds later, the door out of the suit rattled. Security.

"Come in," Brecht said.

They stepped through, four men armed with assault rifles, each of them looking around in quick, though not entirely experienced, movements. They moved into the room with their rifles held low, but not quite put away. The one in charge, bald and dark, stepped up to him and gestured at the leather-clad Snatchers.

"What happened?"

"Snatchers. They were attempting to steal my cargo."

"You have proof?"

"They came through the window behind me, then shot up the bathroom door when I opened it to see what was going on."

The security team turned to look at all the bullet holes, and then looked at the guns on the floor. Brecht knew that they'd match. The team lowered their weapons further, and their leader shook his head.

"Got markings, don't they?"

"Yes, they do."

"Abolitionists...What's to say that you're not one, too, and the hyena's someone else's?"

"You can check with the front desk for records, but the fact that the hyena wears my collar should tell you something. And the fact that you know he's a hyena means that you've already checked with the front desk."

"..."

"Please do not try and scam me. Barton tried last night already."

"Dammit," the security chief muttered.

"Now, get rid of these. I'll be checking out within the hour."

"Just because of this?"

"No, to catch my ride home."

He moved, and the injured men were taken away. He wondered if they would be taken to the hospital or just thrown out on the street. Here in Collared Landing, it could be either. Shaking his head, he holstered his weapon again, gathering the licenses. They had been out just in case they were smarter than usual, but they hadn't been needed, after all.

"Beast."

The bathroom door opened, and the hyena looked out.

"What was that?"

"Kidnappers, seeing if they could take you away." He looked up, saw the hope on the beast's face, and shook his head. "Don't look happy about it. They aren't good at this. They would have set you 'free' at the first empty bit of land they could find. From here, that would be hundreds of miles from your homeland, and over the water."

"...but...but that's not..."

"They are idiots. They have a cause, but they aren't very informed about it. As a result, they are very...ineffective."

Shaking his head, he finished pocketing everything, and then pulled his gear out from under the bed and against the wall. It was lucky that they hadn't bothered to use the sniper rifle, he supposed. They could have shot through the wall of the bathroom and killed him like that. They were sloppy, but he'd almost been sloppier.

We're not doing that again. Not in an unsecured location.

"Come with me. It's time to leave."

"Yes, Trainer..."

Leaving Collared Landing meant leaving by water or air. Land travel was too long, with the rails reserved for cargo only, and there were no roads that led in or out of the city, save for those that took one into the Beastlands. If you went by water, that meant taking the river south from the city, a half-day journey to the nearest big city that was at the bottom of the river at the coast. From there, you could take roads properly again, or you could take a ship to your destination, or even catch a limited number of flights that went in and out of the mega-city.

By air, there were other options. There were large numbers of chartered flights that left Collared Landing on a daily basis, as well as helicopters to the nearer towns. Those had a range limited to three hundred miles, however, and that wasn't long enough to get him home. Those that needed longer range had to book something with the international airlines, and that was...expensive, to put it mildly, particularly when traveling with merchandise.

Brecht paid the costs. As he'd told the workers when he'd returned from the Beastlands, every quarry was an investment, and he was hoping that this one would pay off.

Eventually, after a taxi, a plane, and another taxi ride, all taken with Eku completely unconscious, they reached his home. As a Trainer, he was required to keep it outside of the city limits in the event of escaped, untrained slaves, but that was fine with him. The privacy was nice, and it was a good way to keep from losing his skills in the more 'comfortable' areas of the nearby city.

The moment that he dosed Eku with the antidotes to the sedatives, as well as a dose of heavy stimulants, the hyena jerked awake. The first thing he did, unsurprisingly, was start shivering. They were, after all, in a climate well to the north of where the hyena had come from, and that meant that he was probably seeing snow for the first time.

And feeling it, as he hopped from one bare foot to the other.

"Wh-wh-what is this?!" Eku said, gasping for breath as he hugged himself. "Why is it s-s-so c-cold?!"

"...Rule One, beast."

"Nnnngh...Why, Trainer?!"

"Because now we are even further from your home. This is where I live, and the ice and snow is where I call home. Come."

He walked up to the walls that surrounded his house, something else mandated by his trade, and he held his thumb against the video screen and intercom right beside the steel gate. It hummed as it came to life, and the screen lit up as the call was answered from inside the house. A mouse female looked up at him, naked save for her collar, and she blushed as soon as she saw him.

"Owner. Welcome home."

"Nina. I have a new prize. Have Muto get the security team ready, and make sure that you get a room ready for him."

"Yes, Owner. What species?"

"Hyena."

"Yes, Owner. I will see to it right away. Welcome home, again."

The video cleared, and the large steel gate - a solid piece, rather than bars that ran up and down - opened. Through it all, Eku continued to hop from foot to foot in obvious discomfort, unhappy with what was going on and trying to warm himself up. However, as soon as the gates were open, he stopped, staring at the inside.

It was something of a change, he imagined. There was a two-story house at the far end of the property, as well as a cluster of nine smaller homes - cottages, really, little more than huts, though far more civilized - in a square against the left wall and halfway down. The center of the grounds was taken up with a covered, fenced area, which was currently filled with various Domesticated being trained in hand-to-hand fighting.

"What is this? What are they doing? Why are they fighting like that?" the hyena asked.

"They are part of a military training package," Brecht said, stepping through the gate. "Once they're completely finished being trained, I will be able to turn my attention to you more exclusively."

"Military?" the hyena asked for a moment. The collar translation circuit buzzed, and his eyes lit up. "Warriors? You have warriors? I could still -"

"No." Brecht shook his head. "They buy in bulk, and only when they place an order. They don't just take one that has been trained up at random. I will find a different use for you after seeing what people are looking for."

The hyena was not happy about that, but then again, he wasn't expected to be happy. He was expected to obey.

They walked across the grounds. There were more training features, of course. There were sites for labor, sites for farming, and more closed areas for other, more dangerous bits of training. But the majority of the one-on-one training would occur in his own house, and that was where he was taking the hyena now.

They were met halfway there by a pack of maned wolves. Muto, the head of them, stood at the front, and wore a slight modified version of the uniform that they had. Cloth-cushioned metal covered their shoulders, chests, and stomach, and around their middles were belts that were weighted just enough to serve as weapon-carriers and loincloths. Muto wore a cape in addition to that, one that marked him as the head of the pack, and the maned wolf bowed his head as Brecht approached.

"Owner, sir," the maned wolf said. "Welcome home."

"Good to be home. Anything to report?"

"One Snatcher attempt. Repulsed."

"Abolitionist or just thieves?"

"Thieves, sir."

"Good. Anything else?"

"One attempt to escape. Pacified and waiting for your attention at your convenience."

"Also very good. Thank you, Muto."

"Owner, sir. Anything that we need to know about this one, Owner, sir?"

Glancing back at the sulking hyena, he shook his head. For now, it was more important to make sure that he got a good show of power here. Then again...

"Give him a run. Show off a little."

"Heh...as you say, Owner, sir. HYENA!"

Eku jumped at the roar in his direction, and the sudden charge of the leggy wolf meant that the hyena had one of two choices. He could run, or he could try and stand his ground in front of someone that was obviously a well-trained fighter. Brecht expected the former.

Instead, he tried the latter.

...I have a brave moron to train, it seems, he thought as Eku threw a punch at Muto's chest. The bang of a fist hitting metal echoed through the air, and the hyena immediately winced, clutching his fingers around his hand. What followed was a punch right to the hyena's chin, knocking him up and off his feet. He flew backwards for at least six feet before hitting the ground.

"...I said a run, Muto. Not a punch."

"He started it, Owner, sir."

"Yes, and you finished it. Not the way that I wanted, either."

"Sorry, Owner, sir."

"Yes, you are. Report to Nina for punishment duty. Tell her I said to give you something memorable."

Muto winced. "Yes, sir."

As the head of security jogged off to the main house, Brecht walked over to his dizzy slave. He had expected him to be a little more sensible than to try and hold his ground against someone bigger and faster, but apparently, he was dealing with an ego that didn't know when to back down. Getting a grip on Eku's collar, he dragged him to a sitting position.

"Now, explain to me. What the hell was that about?"

"...Can't escape, so I had to fight, Trainer."

"...Really, now?"

Eku nodded.

...Well, that's interesting. It wasn't what he had commanded, precisely, but it was more than the average slave would have taken from the initial rules. To follow what was told, and to not try and defy or harm a human. It seemed that it had come to the point where Eku believed that running was against the rules, too, and so, rather than flee from Muto, he had decided to stand his ground and hope for the best.

Probably broke his hand in the attempt, but that was something that they could deal with. He shook his head, dragging the new slave to his feet.

"Two of you. Take this one to Nina, have her take him to his quarters. I'll be by after I finish checking in with the rest of the estate."

"Yes, Owner, sir!"

As ordered, two of the maned wolves detached from the squad and grabbed Eku by the arms. The hyena was still too dazed to really understand what was going on, but he had picked up that this was required. He looked over his shoulder, staring at Brecht for a moment, then was led away.

He shook his head to himself. This was going to get interesting, he felt. This hyena was taking to the orders that he got with a different sort of will than most of his slaves. Not eager to obey, but eager to find some way to avoid punishment. Brave, too, facing down a charging security officer. Not something that most fresh-caught would have done.

Looking over the rest of his estate, he wondered how many of his little enterprises had come to fruition in his absence. Time to find out, he supposed.

"With me," he told the rest of security, and they fell in behind him as he started marching from segment to segment of the training fields. They'd start with the science buildings. Educated slaves were a risk to sell, but they could pay off...if they didn't start taking it further than buyers wanted.

He hoped that this time they did sell. The last time, he'd almost had to sell off the science building to cover his losses. With six different projects currently going, the military contract was only just going to cover the current expenses. He couldn't afford more than a quarter of the others to fail.

Hopefully, Eku's eventual sale would lead to something good, as well. Something unique like that hyena was either highly valuable...or worth nothing. He would have to see.

The End

Summary: Brecht cleans up the hyena after a night of pleasure, only to find out that there might be a problem in the hotel room. Time to clean house.

Tags: M/solo, nudity, slavery, collar, drugs, pain, punishment, rules, human/anthro, M/M, cleaning, bathing, bondage, fight, series, speciesism,