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Chapter Eighteen

"Ruthless Slaves"

By

Furry Sith Lord

I sat cuffed to a plastic seat inside a jail cell. My paws were cuffed in front of me and my ankles were cuffed so even if I rose I would not be able to walk away from the seat. Not that it mattered because I couldn't get out of the jail cell but I guessed it was to set in the hopelessness of the situation. Lyon and Ben had been cuffed in the same manner as I was.

Each of us had been put into our own jail cells and even though we could talk to each other no one said anything. We occasionally glanced at each other but each of us was feeling the same nervousness and fear as we wondered what was going to be done with us.

Suddenly the door leading to the cells was opened and the zebra and Sanic were leading in another prisoner. It took a moment for me to realize it was my dad disguised as The White Fox! I looked at Lyon and he nodded knowingly to me but remained silent not wanting to blow our dad's cover.

"You will remain here until Papa Bear chooses to deal with you." Sanic stated but Leggo was busy looking at us in wonderment as to why we were here too. He remained silent but I could tell he was longing to talk to us. Sanic led him to his own private cage and cuffed him just as we were. He put up no resistance but kept his eyes focused on us as we watched him back.

Sanic seemed angry and after everything we heard about him and my dad being friends there was no sign that they were. My dad looked sad, maybe because he was captured, but Sanic scowled and yelled at him and he flinched every time as if he had been punched.

The zebra finished securing our dad in his cell and he locked the door then I saw him move to mine and opened it.

"Papa Bear wishes to talk to you, Tyger." He said and as I was released from my cuffs I obediently followed them to Bear's office. Before I entered Sanic pointed to a winter parka and I put it on. Since the only thing I wore was a breechcloth, like all other slaves, if Sanic hadn't pointed out the coat I'd be shivering in Bear's office.

Bear didn't look at me as we entered the office; he was fixed to the computer screen at whatever he was looking at. Sanic cleared his throat a couple of times but Bear seemed unresponsive until he finally broke away and saw me standing in front of him.

"Where Sanic?" he asked.

"Down here sir," Sanic cried and Bear rose and looked over the edge of his desk to see Sanic waving at him.

"Sorry my child, I should have been paying better attention." he remarked as he rubbed his eyes. Sanic gestured for me to pick him up and I obeyed being as careful as I could because I was afraid of him sticking me with his spikes then I placed him on the desk. Overall it wasn't a very unpleasant experience, it just felt weird and that's the best way I can describe it.

"Sorry, which one are you? I haven't learned your names yet." Bear asked politely and I kept myself as being civil because he was my new master, even though I really wanted to tell him off for abducting us and turning us into slaves again.

"Tyger," I replied then added 'master' to the end to make it more formal to respect the power he held over me.

"So is it Tyger Master or Master Tyger?" he mocked trying to be funny but I didn't see the humor in it. "You need to lighten up son, I'm not going to hurt you." he added and I looked out a window near his desk and saw that evening had set in. I was shocked that time had passed by so quickly but then there were no windows to the outside world, so the cages we were kept in hid us from the rest of the world and what was going on.

"Then let us go." I said trying to keep my voice firm even though my tummy felt like water sloshing around. I wished my father would show up and give me a clover from his garden to eat to make my tummy feel better.

"You have the wrong idea son, the collar you wear is not to make you a slave but it is to help you as I ease you into your, hopefully, new life. We will not force you to stay but right now you need to learn and this has always been the best way I've found to teach someone. After it's all over I will remove the collar and ask you if you want to live with us and be part of our community or do you want to leave. At that point whatever you choose we will respect. We will give you either your old clothes back or we can give you new sets to help you ease into your new life with us." Bear explained. I felt skeptical because I remember my father telling me they are a cult and would probably try to brainwash me so that I'll never want to leave.

"So what happens next? Do I get tied to a chair and be forced to look at a swirling pattern as you tell me to become one of you, over and over again?" I asked. Bear covered his face and shook his head.

"Now who gave away our secrets?" he replied then he and Sanic began laughing as I wondered what the joke was. "Actually son I'm gonna read you a bedtime story. See I don't know what lies you've been told, but I'm not the bad bear species make me out to be. I just want to make a safe place for rare white fur species to live." he looked at Sanic and the hedgehog took the queue and hopped off the desk and scurried away.

I looked around the office getting a feel for the layout. He has 10 ACs blowing at full blast and the room seals itself when the door is closed to prevent the cold from escaping. No locks anywhere so he worried about becoming trapped inside. I made a mental note in case I needed this info later. I was thinking of a few ideas on how to make the bear's life miserable but needed to plan ways to not get caught. My father would already have figured something out so I thought hard to not fall too far behind. It was not that I was in competition with him but when I thought like this it pushed me to be better and now more than ever I needed that.

Even though we have our rivalry, I love my father so much and though I'd never ever admit it I was glad species would compare us and say I take after him. Even though I got along better with my dad, he wasn't a thinker like father and I are. As much as we fight and argue before he punishes me for stupid things, I really wanted my father right now!

"Son," Bear announced firmly and I suddenly realized I had not been paying attention. "Come here!" he ordered and I obeyed and moved to stand next to him at his desk. He opened a PDF file on his computer that was a digitized copy of "The White Dilemma." That was the name of the cub's book that ruined our lives by telling species that all rare white fur species are evil and will cause great destruction upon the world. My father had read it to me so that I'd know what it said and why I was hated because of my fur color.

"Normally I have those going through the program stand next to me as I read them this miserable tale of woe. Since you're actually a cub," he cleared his throat here. "If you want you can sit on my lap as I read it." I gave him a cold hard look and he quickly got the message about how I felt about him.

"Ready? OK, once upon a time, long ago..." he started as he read me the story and I stood there looking at the pictures. He read at a slow pace carefully enunciating the words even though it took me less than a second to read the text before him. Listening to him prattle away as he read it soon became excruciating but I was powerless to do anything about it. I couldn't wait until he finally finished.

"Do you know why I read you that piece of tripe?" Bear asked.

"To torture me," I replied and he chuckled to himself.

"I like you, you're honest," he replied and I figured he was lying because adults had said that to me only to seem polite when they actually felt the opposite of what they were saying.

"It was several years ago that I had a relative pass away and they left me a copy of the first edition of this very book. I keep it locked up and safe so the copy I have doesn't get ruined. When I first read that copy it changed my life.

I was an agent working for C.I.Z.A. and because my fur is naturally white, being a polar bear, it was my job to get rare white fur species to come out of hiding thinking I am one of them, then I was to assassinate them because of the fear taught by the book I just read you.

So my relative had a first edition copy of the story and since I was stomping out the evil of rare white fur species they thought I'd treasure the first edition copy. My relative must have never read it because when I read the story I learned a startling fact that changed my life. When I read it I learned that the modern copies had been changed from the original! I'm going to read you a PDF I made of the first edition so you can read the same thing yourself and you can actually see that what I'm about to tell you is the truth.

After the Great War, a child's author wrote the White Dilemma book as a means to teach cubs why the Great War started. His book described hairless apes as evil and how they wanted to release the evil of their so-called Great Alpha belief to subjugate all species. As the hairless apes evolved their skins became lighter and started to become white colored.

He worried that the white hairless apes would ruin the world if they were left to use their Great Alpha religion to rule. He was warning that no hairless ape should be left alive because they will destroy all life as we know it.

The book was translated into many languages of species and along the way translators got ahold of the book and made changes so the book evolved from the hairless apes are evil to rare white fur species are evil. Since the story was taught to teach cubs why the Great War started, the ideas that got changed were slowly taught until we reach today with species being both fearful and hate rare white furs because they are taught that by the edited story." Bear taught and I felt my head was spinning because I had never heard this before and my first thought was that he was lying but he said he had proof so I wondered if I could trust it.

As if sensing my thoughts, Bear closed the first PDF and opened the second which was the first edition. The first page which was the digitized cover of the book was different from the other one. Bear sat silent as if waiting for me before he began to read the original. My mind felt like a tumbleweed as I was trying to make sense of it all. He seemed to understand what I was going through and he just waited until I was ready.

He read the book again using his slow methodical way of reading but this time I paid closer attention to what he read. I was reading it too and several pages I read a couple of times as he was slowly making his way through it. Everything he had said was true even though I was not ready to believe it; it seemed I was as much a victim of the story's indoctrination as every other cub out there.

"The end," he said with an air of finality behind it as he concluded his reading. I was speechless, which seemed to be expected, as he became silent again. My mind raced trying to understand why this was never revealed if it was the truth. Why were we hated and in some cases hunted because of a lie that wasn't being exposed?

"What are you thinking?" he asked me and I didn't know where to begin and wasn't even sure how to answer him.

"I..." that was all I was able to say at the moment as my mind raced and on what I should do next.

"I can understand what you're going through right now, I myself went through it." he said as he sighed deeply. "Why don't we call it a night and give you a chance to rest up. I have a special room prepared so you don't have to go back to the cells. It's only a closet that has a window and a bed in it. The window has bars on it to keep you from escaping, not that you'll be able to with the collar on, and the door will be locked."

"So I'm a prisoner now?" I asked.

"For the time being. Just be calm and hopefully it will be over soon. You have a nice bed awaiting you but me, I'm trapped in this office because I can't take the heat for very long. So all I get is that uncomfortable couch to sleep on." Bear said as he pointed to a beat up old couch in the corner of his office that sat under three ACs.

"I'll lock you in at night and in the morning my secretary,"

"Stenographer," I interrupted as I remembered an old dispute my dad and Merrik had over the proper way to refer to a secretary. In the end my father settled it by calling it by another name entirely. Typical of my father to step in and become an ass but he does get things settled and no one questions him. Although, now that I think about it, I remember seeing something similar on an old Three Donkey's bit so maybe that's where my father got it from.

"What?" Bear asked, startled that I had corrected him then he chuckled to himself again and continued. "Then you and I will go to breakfast."

"What happened to my brother and my boyfriend? Are they left to starve?" I asked as bitterness filled my words.

"Absolutely not! They will be fed decent meals not the crust of bread and water you must be thinking I'll feed them. Even your... What is he? Your father? The wolf dressed as a fox. Yes I know who he truly is and hold nothing against him. He too will be treated well... as long as you and your brother cooperate, understand?" Bear stated and I nodded helplessly. It seemed he had my brother and me by our balls and we were going to have to play nice... for now.

I woke up early before Bear's personal 'assistant' arrived to unlock my door. I had gotten very little sleep because my mind was filled with thoughts about the revelation of the cub's book and thoughts of getting revenge on Bear.

The room was half the size of a toilet stall in a bathroom and I doubted a full grown adult could stand up comfortably in it. I wondered how he could keep a full adult in here comfortably let alone a juvenile like myself. I looked out of the tiny barred window and saw the sun was just about to rise as light was slowly peeking over the horizon.

They had taught us in school how locks work and... a couple of my buddies knew lock picking and taught me a few things. They haven't put much effort into making this lock really secure so it was easy for me to find it's weak points and pick it as easy as a cub picking his nose.

I crept out and my low light vision made it easy to see what was around me, which made me glad I was a feline, and I made my way to Bear's office. He said he slept inside so I opened the door very carefully and crept in. He was busy snoring on the couch as I went about sabotaging the AC's leaving only a couple active so the room dramatically warmed up but not completely. When he began to moan as the warmth was starting to bother him I made my way out and relocked myself in my closet prison.

When my room was finally unlocked and I made my way out I saw Bear leaning against the wall wiping sweat from his face. I had to suppress the glee I felt at causing him discomfort.

"Have them send a crew to check on the ACs, I think a couple must have burnt out overnight." he was telling his assistant as she made notes to remind herself.

His assistant was a elderly female kangaroo named Tessa and she was constantly taking a notebook and pen out of her front pouch to make notes. Despite her age she was still very efficient and though she said little to nothing She seemed more in control at times than Bear was. She just gave a look and expected results and even I felt a sense of fear when she gave me the look.

"You ready for breakfast?" Bear asked me then he turned back to Tessa "Make sure the others down below are fed also." he said and she again wrote it down as she muttered to herself.

His paw rested on the back of my neck and he gave it a squeeze as if he was ready to scruff me at any moment then kept his paw there as he led me out. Every species we met would stop and Greet Bear but they ignored me completely as if I didn't exist. Bear also made no effort to introduce me so I remained silent under his grip.

We reached a nearby outdoor cafe and he did not remove his paw until he used it to push me to sit in a chair next to one of the tables. He sat across from me and a waitress approached and handed him a menu while I just silently sat there. Once he was finished he handed it to me and told me to get what I wanted. I looked over the menu and found the food looks delicious from the pictures on it. I finally settled on something and when I tried to hand her the menu he took it from my paw and handed it to her.

"Let me explain," he said to me as she left to work on our orders. I guess he was reading my mind as I observed the unusual behaviors everyone had concerning me. I was wondering why I was being ignored and what had I done to them that they chose to treat me like this.

"There's a commonplace rule here that anyone going through the indoctrination program is to be ignored by all. We have no slaves here so anyone dressed as a slave is shunned because they are being indoctrinated. The reason behind this is that it is unknown whether or not you will choose to stay, so no one in the community wants to become attached only to find out later that you didn't want anything to do with us. Once you choose your destiny, you will be treated accordingly. If you decide to stay everyone will welcome you with open paws but if you decide to leave then you have no attachments trying to hold you back. Simple isn't it?" Bear explained and my tummy was getting more upset by the minute.

"If I decide to stay and my brother goes through the indoctrination program, then I must shun him until he makes a decision?"

"Pretty much, but being that he is your brother I think everyone would turn a blind eye if you break the rule." Bear replied. He wiped a great deal of sweat from his foreheads and then turned and started to shout and snap his fingers to get the waitresses attention. She ran over giving him top priority over her other customers. A couple of them frowned but when they saw it was Bear that was making the demands they quickly quieted down.

"Yes, Papa Bear?" She asked politely.

"Sorry my child but could you bring me a big glass of ice water? The bigger the better and please hurry because I feel a little faint." He asked sweetly and she rushed off to fetch his drink. I couldn't help but be proud of myself at his misery. Of course. I couldn't let on that I was enjoying it or had anything to do with it, but it did feel wonderful.

When the drink arrived he took a big sip then scooped out some ice and put it one piece under each armpit then a couple in his underwear. He was subtle about it so no one but me saw it but it made me think for some reason. I doubted boxers could hold the ice without falling out so I guessed he must have briefs or boxer briefs. Then it occurred we were going to be here for a while so if he did wear boxers he could stuff the ice down there and it'd be melted by the time we left. Now I was really curious what kind of underwear does a polar bear wear?

On the way back to the office he bought a big bag of ice and pressed it against his tummy to keep himself cool. I kept my expression being one of concern for him while I felt just the opposite. I finally understood why my father never showed his real emotions. It was easier to bend and twist things to your advantage if you could unnerve the other person looking at you and that was how he was able to be the best negotiator.

We returned to his office and his breathing was becoming strained and heavy. His assistant brought him another glass of ice water, though it was mostly ice and gave it to him and took the leaking bag of water that had once been filled with ice.

"Have they fixed the ACs yet?" He asked with a weak voice.

"The day has only just begun and they said they'd rush over here but give them some time." Tessa muttered then she started to mumble to herself as she went about her other duties.

"May I go talk to my dad and my brother?" I asked sweetly as we entered his office and he slumped down on his chair.

"Absolutely not! This is too critical a time in your development to allow outside influences to change your thinking." he replied and this seemed ironic because that was exactly what he was trying to do.

"So what now?" I asked.

"Now that you know the 'truth' you must have a million questions. Ask away and I will answer to the best of m y ability." He said as he sat back and began to fan himself. The office was definitely cooler than it had been outside but still not back to how it was before Hurricane Tyger got his paws on the ACs.

"OK I guess my first question is: If you knew the truth, then why did you keep it secret?" I asked, thinking of the most basic common objection I had as to why no one knew what we knew. Even if the whole White Citadel knew that the cub's book had been altered creating a lie about rare white fur species, why wasn't anyone saying anything about it?

"That was the first thing I tried after I digitized the copy I made, to mass distribute them. My old boss at C.I.Z.A. then discredited me by saying I was lying and started a campaign to prevent anyone from knowing the truth. I guess he hated white furs so much that he refused anything that would stop us from being the bad guys.

I then decided to create The White Community as a safe haven but he sought to find and eliminate us. He soon began to spread lies that we were trying to form a citadel to conquer the world. This is why the outside world hates us so much! If you tell a lie loud and long enough, soon enough species believe it to be the truth.

Over the years I've learned that most species would rather be kissed with a lie than slapped with the truth. If most species think something is true and they are told not to question it, then they will accept it no matter what because the alternative of changing their minds requires hard work when just believing is easier.

The indoctrination you are going through is not to twist or change your way of thinking but rather force you to, for once in your life, question what you were told and decide the outcome of how you wish to live your life. I hope to one day be able to teach the truth that the cub's book is a lie but until the others are ready. Species need to learn to educate themselves and not let TV or whatever tell them how they should live their lives or even think! Too much barbarism is caused because of that." Bear stated.

"Isn't that exactly what you yourself did? You let him tell you that you cannot tell species the truth?" I objected. Bear opened his mouth as if to answer then he paused and thought it over then closed it.

"Go to your room!" He yelled and I looked at him confused.

"What'd I do?" I asked as I wondered why I was being punished. I mean sure I deserved it for ruining his ACs and making him ill but I at least deserved to be told 'why' he was punishing me specifically.

"Because I don't feel well enough to debate you right now, come here." he demanded and I cautiously walked over to him and he began to pet my head. "You're very smart and you ask the right questions. If I felt better I'd love to engage you but I just feel awful and I know my answers wouldn't be sufficient. We'll do this later." He said but I found that his reasoning wasn't sufficient to have me let the matter drop. Especially if I was being sent to the closet prison to wait on him.

"Then let me speak to my family, who knows how long I'll have to wait for you to feel better," I remarked knowing full well I was going to keep on sabotaging his ACs to make him suffer like my family was suffering in his dungeon.

"And I said 'No!" He countered and I wanted to laugh as if that was going to stop me from bothering him. My father was better at punishing me and this feeble attempt was beyond laughable.

I walked over to him as sat on his couch and laid down. I saw a glass of ice water within his reach and I used my paw to push it slowly so that it became out of reach. He watched me first with confusion then anger filled his eyes then I looked back at him.

"Let me talk to my family!" I said in a louder voice.

"And I said 'NO!" He screamed and like the fwline that I am I used my paw to knock the glass onto the floor and I walked away to the closet. I heard him growling at me but I kept a slow pace showing I was not intimidated in the slightest. A feline poking a sick bear was probably not the smartest move but I knew he was too ill to do anything right now. I was sure I'd be punished later but his suffering was just beginning.

To Be Continued...