Dominatus
Fire. Darkness. Stone. They were Acheon's first impressions as his eyes slid open. There was a sense of vertigo, of disorientation that comes from waking up in an unexpected place. The huskey sat up carefully. His back was sore from lying on the bare stone floor, but there were no wounds that he could find.
Acheon's hands and feet were not shackled, but that changed little. He knew exactly what had happened. The design of the room with its circular walls and ceiling lost in darkness were unmistakable. He was in a dungeon. A minotaur dungeon.
Acheon hugged his legs to him and fought down his panic. Every Runner was told horror stories about the enemies of human and husky-kind. Veterans would sit by the fire and describe battles where they'd seen minotaurs lost in the blood lust, tearing the heads from living victims with their bare hands. Most huskies, Runners like himself who used their superior stamina and speed to deliver messages among the human legions, also carried a small silver pendant with a pinch of blue powder inside. It provided them with the means to fulfill their oath: 'neither wind nor sword, cage nor wall shall capture me.' The death hidden in the powder was swift and painless.
Acheon ran a paw over his chest. It was bare. Bile rose in his throat. No one, human or huskie, knew what minotaurs did with those they captured. The few who were rescued often killed themselves days later, if they weren't insane already. Acheon closed his eyes.
'I will not give into fear. I am a son of the Empire. I will face what comes as a soldier.'
He stood. The room was a circle 200 feet in diameter, lit by torches set at regular intervals along the walls that made the room hot as a sauna. The only feature in the room was a heavy slab of uncut stone with a perfectly flat top that rested against the western wall. Straw lay scattered over the floor in two places - one for his bed and one for his toilet.
Acheon's hackles rose. Most humans who thought of the anthro-huskies serving their Empire as animals learned the truth the hard way. Nothing enraged a husky faster than being called or treated like a common dog. Acheon stormed over to the featureless iron door that was the room's only entrance. He pounded on it with his fist.
"Come on, then! You bastards think you can shove me in a kennel? I'll hang your horns over my fireplace when I'm done with you!"
Not even echoes answered his challenge. It was then that Acheon first noticed the smell. There was a distinct, heavy musk in the room, almost like an invisible carpet of dust. It lay everywhere - on the floor, coating the walls, hanging in the air. The scent was heady and powerful. Acheon couldn't inhale it too deeply or he felt light-headed. A mix of dried sweat and bull musk.
Acheon paced his cell, breathing through his mouth and considering his options. Nothing in the room to use as a weapon. No place to hide in ambush. He had his claws and his teeth, true. But no huskie lowered himself to using natural weapons like a beast. It was a question of honor, and Acheon intended to face his ancestors with his honor still intact.
Hours passed. Acheon hadn't even realized he'd been dozing until a sound made his head come up, ears erect. Footsteps. Hooved and heavy. The sound of a thick bolt being driven back. The iron door opened on well-oiled hinges. And on the other side stood his enemy.
Acheon got to his feet slowly. Years of training ensured that his body gave no sign of the sudden rush of ice that ran through his veins. His nostrils twitched, preparing him to fight and die if he had to. He could see nothing of the minotaur's face or person, only his massive sillhouette against the torches in the hallway behind him.
The minotaur didn't move. The two, prisoner and interrogator, stood facing each other for a full minute. The bull was a big one, even by minotaur standards. Acheon silently measured its height, roughly 10 feet, maybe even 12. A long, sinuous tail slowly cut the air behind it, ending in a pointed ball of thick black fur. More thick fur decorated the bull's wide hooves. Acheon couldn't see any sign of weapons, but the poor light could easily disguise a whip or a gladius.
He silently thanked his father, who had taught Acheon about unarmed combat from the time he could walk, preparing him for the day he joined the conscripted army of the Empire and became a Runner. Acheon had faced minotaurs in battle before. If he could strike the center of the throat, he knew he could drop even this bull with a single punch.
"So the human's dog-men have some fight in them after all," said the dark shadow in the doorway. The bull's voice matched it's body: huge and dark. It filled the room with a soft rumble, like distant horse's hooves. It was surprisingly smooth and rich, reminding Acheon of a powerful river or the finest choclate.
Acheon didn't answer. He thought he could see the bull smile faintly. Then it did something Acheon didnt' expect. Turning to the side, the bull gestured at the hallway with one muscular arm.
"Freedom lies just up the stairs, little one. If you can pass me by, no one will stop you. If you cannot, then look well. It is the last time you will see this door opened."
Acheon's jaw worked. It was a double bind. If he refused the challenge, it would be like volunteering to stay a prisoner. But the minotaur wanted him to try and escape. Acheon would only play into its hands if he did as it suggested.
Straightening his shoulders, Acheon walked calmly forward. As he drew closer to the minotaur, he saw more detail. And what he saw made his knees nearly buckle.
The minotaur was a single mass of steel-bound muscle and sinew wrapped in black skin and a thin layer of bull fur. Its proud head and wide snout were dressed in a leather mask that opened up in the back to allow the two great horns to curve upward in a horizontal crescent. It was supported by a neck so thick, not even a human warrior would have had a chance at strangling this bull. A set of cantelope-sized shoulders bulged in the firelight. These supported equally massive biceps and triceps, both so perfectly formed they might have been sculpted by gods. Forearms like those on a warhorse ended in a pair of thick-knuckled hands with small, curving claws. The bull's chest seemed to burst outward, the pecs like twin slabs of prize beef capable of turning rock into powder. Below them, even shadows couldn't disguise the brick-sized muscles of the minotaur's abs that seemed to twitch and flex with each slow breath of those massive lungs. The entire upper body tapered to a waist with a thick black buckle around it, supporting nothing but a black silk loincloth. Acheon knew minotaurs were practical - the loincloth was not that big for reasons of fashion. A swimmer's line formed a canyon down to the bull crotch. The minotaur's lower body was no less impressive. Thighs like tree trunks stood out bare and hard, twin pillars of power that were matched by a set of calves which would have made the mightiest human warrior jealous.
The minotaur's forearms were covered in black leather bracers, and a Y-shaped body harness with bronze studs ran up from the belt to split and slide around the plateaus of muscle that were the minotaur's traps.
The minotaur watched Acheon with its deep onyx eyes. Those eyes held the kind of depth found in the eyes of a stallion, but glittered with an intensity more akin to a cobra. This was a trap, and Acheon was being played with. That thought fuled his anger enough to act.
As Acheon passed the last of the wall torches, he suddenly whirled in a tight spin. His paw grabbed the torch and swung it in a flaming arc to slam it straight into that bovine face. Sparks flew. The minotaur gave a roar, and Acheon seized his chance. He dove for the doorway. He didn't make it two feet.
A hand gripped his ruff. Acheon gasped at the sheer strength in that grip. It could have crushed iron. Acheron was flung bodily back into the room. He struck the far wall with a loud yelp and fell, gasping for air, into a crouch on the floor. Over the sound of his labored breathing, Acheron heard a sound. Laughter. He glared up at the minotaur. It was chuckling in front of the door to freedom, utterly unharmed. The smouldering torch lay beside its feet. It took a step forward and scornfully crushed the torch to splinters.
"Try again, little dog," the minotaur said with a sneer on its muzzle.
Rage pounded through Acheon. He leapt at the minotaur with a snarl. Their hands locked. Muscular arms wrapped around his body, and Acheon felt his own arms bent slowly but inexorably backward until his shoulders were screaming in their sockets. His struggles were utterly useless. The minotaur was too strong, impossibly strong. There was no use trying to bite for the the jugular. One slam of those horns, and Acheon would fall senseless to the floor. The minotaur kept bending him, until Acheon was forced to cry out from the pain.
"Enough?" the minotaur taunted softly in his ear.
Acheon snarled in pure hatred, but his snarl became a yowl as his torso followed his arms. The minotaur was bending him in half, ready to snap his spine like a twig. The minotaur held Acheon's chin in one hand, the other hand still gripping both his wrists.
"Round two to me, little dog," the minotaur said and chuckled. He released Acheon suddenly, and the husky stumbled to his knees. This time Acheon didn't wait. He dove for the space between the minotaurs legs. The thighs closed into a rock hard wall of muscle that sent him reeling backward, holding his muzzle. The minotaur laughed to the ceiling, head back, chest bobbing in mirth.
Acheon gathered his hindpaws under him and launched like a living missle directly at the bull's chin. Hands grabbed his shoulders and pressed him down to his knees. A cruel sneer curled up one side of the minotaur's muzzle as he loomed down over the husky, shoving the smaller fur slowly to the floor, grinding Acheon's shoulder blades against the stone. Those massive thighs gripped Acheon's waist. Acheon could feel the minotaur's heavy balls on his navel and he shuddered. He was pinned. Immoble. Helpless.
The minotaur gave a low, derisive snort of victory.
"You've failed, little dog. And now....you are mine. Welcome to your new home."
The minotaur's hands tore away Acheon's uniform, shredding the shirt he had prided himself on keeping clean even on marches and then moving to the pants. Acheon was left in nothing but his own white linen loincloth.
"I'll never say anything to you," Acheon spat. "I'll die first!"
The minotaur only chuckled again. His massive bull head bent to whisper in Acheon's ear.
"There are things worse than death," the bull promised.
With a single jerk, Acheon was left utterly naked. The minotaur stood, towering over the husky. When Acheon tried to stand, a heavy foot planted itself on his chest.
"I am Ercus. I do not know your name, and I do not care what it is. You will call me Sir, and in return, I will call you simply dog. You have no other name now."
Tears came to Acheon's eyes. Hot tears of helpless rage and humiliation. He heard the iron door slam shut and lifted his head. His howl of despair rose to the dark ceiling.
Acheon woke to his growling stomach. He couldn't tell if it was day or night, or how long he had slept. The hot, wet twilight of the dungeon was neverending. He found himself panting slightly from the humidity in the air. Swallowing his pride, Acheon relieved himself in the other pile of straw. A bucket of clean water lay next to his bed, and Acheon drank the icy cold water, using some of it to give himself a crude bath. He briefly considered using the bucket as a weapon, but it had no handles, and it was simple wood. It would shatter on Ercus's muscled body like pottery.
The minotaur didn't return, leaving Acheon to sit alone for hours until he drifted into fitful sleep. Acheon shuddered in a nightmare where a giant minotaur laughed as he crushed Acheon's body under a single massive hoof as though he were an insect. He woke and found more water. But water couldn't abate his hunger forever. Another day passed. Another night. By the next morning, Acheon's stomach was in knots, and he had nothing to distract him from the hunger.
The door opened. Acheon's nostrils twitched at a faint scent of meat. His mouth exploded in saliva.
"Hello, little dog," Ercus said. He was smiling as he strode into the room with a huge silver platter in one hand, a crude wooden box tucked under his other massive arm.
"I thought you might be lonely. So I decided to pay you a visit over dinner."
Ercus set the box down and placed the platter on top of it. Now Acheon could smell the roast chicken and salted pork. He inched closer, utterly unable to help himself.
"Tell me about yourself, dog," Ercus commanded in a conversational tone. He pulled the lid off the platter, and a mushroom cloud of aromas blossomed into the room.
"Ooooh..." Acheon moaned. He doubled over in pain as his stomach writhed like a living thing, as if it would claw out of his belly and attack the food without waiting for him to chew.
The platter was heaping with food: salted pork, roast chicken, tender venison. There was a cup of dark red wine, steaming vegetables, cool pears still dripping with water, grapes that shone like gold nuggets. Ercus chuckled and raised the grapes up in one hand. Opening his mouth, he popped the grapes into it one by one, making soft hums of appreciation as his powerful jaws worked.
Whining, Acheon crawled to the edge of the platter. But one look from Ercus's eyes told him he was forbidden to touch anything on it.
"These are the rules," Ercus said as he plucked a thick drumstick of chicken off the platter. "When I ask a question, you will answer me with everything you know. You will hold nothing back when I command something of you. If you refuse, I will take what I want from you anyway. But the experience will but much less pleasurable...for you. Do you understand, dog?"
Ercus tore into the meat with his huge fangs. Acheon watched every movement of his mouth, drooling onto the floor. Ercus slid the entire drumstick into his mouth and pulled out the bare bone. His thick bovine tongue curled out to lick his fingers and lips free of grease. Suddenly he hurled the bone at Acheon.
"I asked you a question, dog!" he thundered.
Acheon's ears and tail flattened.
"I....I understand..." he muttered.
The minotaur's eyes narrowed dangerously.
"You understand what?"
"I understand....Sir."
The minotaur smiled in satisfaction. He took up a slab of venison, dripping with juices and rubbed a large hand around it.
"Good dog. Come here and I will feed you."
Acheon saw Ercus lower his hand. There was no food in it. But the fingers shimmered with grease and meat juices. It beckoned to him. Deep inside, Acheon's mind cried out in rage and protest. But he had to eat. Shaking with every step, he crawled over to the waiting fingers. He began to weep as he took the fingers into his muzzle, licking each of them clean, then washing the meaty palm. Saliva flooded his mouth. The taste was heavenly, and it only made his stomach ache for more.
Ercus chuckled and ate the venison while Acheon cleaned him.
"Now," the minotaur said, picking up the wine glass and swirling a finger in it, "tell me where you come from."
The finger offered a single ruby drop of wine as reward. Acheon nearly took it. But he drew back. His hackles rose to their full height, and he forced himself to stand.
"Never," he growled.
He expected Ercus to slam the lid back on the platter, to strike him, anything. Instead, the minotaur just sipped the wine, slowly, not even looking at him.
"NEVER!" he screamed.
He watched the muscles of the minotaur's neck and throat work, taking down the wine, the tongue licking the cup clean. Ercus began to devour the salted pork. Slowly, the food was disappearing.
Acheon fell to his knees, too weak to stand.
"Never..."
Only one pear remained. Ercus plucked it up in two fingers. He studied it in the torchlight, then opened his mouth and dangled the fruit over his waiting maw.
Acheon covered his head with his paws.
"I come from Acratoria province," he whispered. "My father has his den there."
A soft hand smoothed the fur between his ears. The touch was so gentle, so tender, that Acheon nearly wept. He reached up to hold it, and felt the huge knuckles. It was Ercus's hand. Acheon looked up in shock. The pear was there, resting in the minotaur's other palm.
He snatched it and tore into it. He ate everything - rind, fruit, seeds, core. He sucked the juice from his fingers. And then Ercus spoke.
"So...you betray your vows for the price of a piece of fruit."
It was a simple statement, not said in scorn or amusement. But it cut Acheon to the core. The iron door closed on the husky curled into a sobbing ball on his bed of straw.
When Acheon woke again, he was chained to the wall. His bowl of water and a piece of hard bread rested by his feet. He tried to reach it with one hind paw, and ended up spillling the water onto the stone. The last ordeal had hardened him. He no longer wept at the thought of going without food. He just sighed and closed his eyes, praying for the strength to endure another day.
The door opened, shut. Heavy hooved steps walked over to him. The bull musk touched his nostrils.
"Hello, dog."
Acheon didn't respond. 'Just torture me and get it over with,' he thought.
A finger ran down his bare chest. Acheon's eyes shot open and he looked up at the smiling bull.
"Such a lovely husky," the bull murmered.
"What...what do you want?" Acheon husked.
The bull was inches from him, the presence of his powerful body like electricity on his fur, pulling them closer as though Ercus were making his own gravity. Ercus put a heavy hand next to Acheon's head and leaned closer.
"I want you to tell me what you do for the army."
Acheon actually laughed, a dry and bitter chuckle. The audacity of this minotaur was staggering. He looked straight back at those deep brown eyes.
"I don't see any whips or blades, bull. How did you plan to get the information out of me? Beg?"
The bull's hot breath struck him. Ercus was inches away from him, muzzle to muzzle, eye to eye. Acheon could feel the heat radiating from the massive body. Why was his heart hammering away so hard? He couldn't breathe without smelling bull scent.
"You are going to tell me because that is an order, dog," Ercus said, low and evenly, making his words rumble against Acheon's ribs.
Acheon spit in the minotaur's face. His mouth was bone dry, so it was a pathetically small amount. His body tensed to receive the blows he knew were coming. Ercus inhaled deeply, his wide nostrils expanding. His chest swelled and he seemed to loom even larger.
Then the minotaur spit back. The huge ball of saliva exploded over Acheon's face, wet and sticky. It ran over his eyelids and snout. Ercus grabed him hard, squeezing the husky's jawline with his mighty fingers.
Acheon raised his legs and brough them hard against those unyielding abs. His claws extended, digging into bull flesh, drawing blood. Ercus didn't seem to feel it. With a sadistic smile, he closed the gap between them. The bull's tongue washed over the spit on Acheon's fur, spreading it around even further, an enormous serpent of slimy muscle.
Acheon moaned in disgust and writhed against the chains. A deep chuckle of satisfaction answered him. Ercus narrowed his eyes and sneered into the husky's face.
"I see your spilled your water, dog. You must be thirsty."
The minotaur licked his own lips until they shone with moisture.
"You bastard," Acheon whispered.
The bull kissed him. There was no love in the gesture. It was an act of pure, lustful domination. Acheon tried to turn his head, to pull away, but Ercus was far too strong. The thick bovine lips forced his own lips wide, sending a hot gale of air down his throat. The huge tongue slid into his mouth. Acheon bit down hard with his fangs. He tasted blood. Ercus growled and pulled away. He glared at Acheon, a strange and terrible light in his eyes.
Their lips slammed together with an audible smack. The huge bull ravaged Acheon's mouth. Fangs that would have made a lion proud dug into his lips. The bull's saliva flooded over his tongue, mixing with the blood. Acheon's mouth was massaged and moistened from one side to the other. The husky shuddered, moaning. Strange feelings were churning in his gut, instincts and thoughts he didn't understand. This terrible bull was his enemy. Yet his own body seemed to yield to Ercus, taking in the bull's saliva in place of the water it lacked, sucking that thick tongue down his throat as far as it would go.
Ercus parted from him with a final, wet suckle at the husky's lower lip. He smiled, lips curling upward in a feral, sensual gesture. Their eyes met, and Acheon's heart sank. The bull knew. With that one kiss, Ercus had discovered Acheon's weakness. The bull chuckled again, adding insult to injury. He leaned close to Acheon's ear.
"Virgin," he whispered. It was like an accusation.
If Acheon were human, he would have blushed furiously. Ercus looked down at the paws still dug into his rippling abs and ran a hand down one. Acheon slid his feet back to the floor, shuddering. His lips were swollen from the kissing. He could still taste Ercus inside his mouth.
"So what?" Archeon shot back.
Ercus just kept smiling, as if he'd already won the contest of wills.
"Now I know exactly how I'm going to get you to talk. Oh yes, dog. You will talk. And you will beg. And you will moan for more before I'm finished with you. I'm going to enjoy this interrogation."
Acheon thrashed against his chains.
"You horned devil! You unspeakable barbarian! How dare you do this to me! At least we Runners give our prisoners of war a decent and quick death. But you...you are nothing but an animal!"
"Runner?" Ercus whispered. His bull ears twitched in interest. "You are a Runner? My, my, quite a catch I have in my dungeon this time. You must be absolutely brimming with useful knowledge."
Acheon hung his head, biting his tongue not to sob. He'd done it again. That damned minotaur had manipulated his emotions to get just what he wanted.
"I'll never tell you anything," he growled, but he didn't believe it himself. Ercus patted his head.
"We'll see, my little virgin dog. We'll see."
Days and nights melted into each other. Acheon ate the bread and water he was provided. Sometimes he was chained, sometimes free to roam about the cavern. He spent every waking moment wracking his brains for some way to escape, but the minotaur dungeon was the result of centuries of first-hand knowledge about imprisonment. There was nothing of use to Acheon anywhere.
When the iron door opened, Ercus found Acheon cross-legged in the corner of the room, with his back to the door. The minotaur snorted in contempt.
Acheon listened to the sound of the minotaur's approach. The rich bull scent washed over him, and he knew Ercus was standing right behind him. The bull cast a shadow big enough to cover him completley.
"Stand up, dog."
Acheon stayed where he was. The minotaur's voice was an ultra-bass growl.
"I said...stand UP!"
A huge hand grabbed his ruff and yanked him off the floor, feet dangling in the air. Acheon opened his mouth, teeth drawn back. The pain ran through him from neck to knees. But Acheon refused to cry out. Ercus turned him so they were face to face. The bull had that sedcuctive, confident smile.
"You're going to talk today, dog."
"Or what?" Acheon sneered.
Ercus leaned close.
"Or I'm going to have fun."
A shiver ran through Acheon despite himself. There was something different in those huge, dark eyes.
"Damn you," Acheon said. "And all minotaurs."
Ercus just chuckled and began to carry him to the wall where the chains lay. Acheon twisted in the iron grip, ignoring the additional pain, and sunk his claws into the bull's thick bicep.
Ercus shifted him from his left hand to his right. The grip was at his throat. The husky was slammed against the wall, making him gasp for breath. Ecrus snarled low in his ear.
"Bad dog."
A series of metallic clinks, and Acheon's wrists were manacled. Acheon controlled his roiling fury. But Ercus wasn't done. More manacles fastioned on his ankles. Acheon thrashed uselessly against the chains, while Ercus stood back to admire his work.
He waited until Acheon lay still, panting and glaring at him.
"Let's begin at the beginning, shall we? What is your name?" Acheon's mind raced.
"Spartacus," he lied.
The bull raised an eyebrow.
"So willing. Why is that, I wonder? You wouldn't be trying to mislead me, would you?"
"I don't have much of a choice but to answer you," Acheon spat.
"True. But your will isn't broken yet. Besides, if you were lying, it would explain why your breath has increased, why your skin has flushed and become warmer."
Acheon gaped. Ercus laughed aloud, the bass sound ringing from the stone walls.
"You fool! Did you think huskies were the only race to have superior senses?"
A thick finger ran up the center of Acheon's belly. Despite himself, the husky shivered. Why did the minotaur's touch feel so good? What was wrong with him?
"Let's try again, my little virgin, since you're so new to all this. Give your name."
The finger kept going, up to his chest, circling one nipple, then the other. Acheon felt something happening inside his sheath. It was his cock. His cock was hardening. How could this be? Ercus was no female in heat. Yet the more Acheon inhaled that rich male scent, the harder it was to keep his erection from showing.
"Acheon!" he yowled.
The finger stopped.
"Good boy," Ercus said and patted his head. Acheon growled at him.
"Where were you going when you were captured? What was your assignment?"
Acheon wasn't used to lying. Runners were trained to relay information accurately, not to invent stories on the spot. He did the only thing he could. He shut his mouth and vowed that no matter what the minotaur did, he wouldn't speak.
Ercus turned an ear toward him.
"I can't hear you, dog."
Acheon said nothing. He sent a silent prayer to the gods to give him strength. Soon the blows would begin. Ercus looked at him in mock dissapointment, but then the smile crept back. Ercus leaned close to his ear, his huge hands planted inches from Acheon's head.
"You were trying to hide your little hard on from me, weren't you?"
Acheon squeezed his eyes shut and suppressed a moan. Ercus had seen it. He should have known. Ercus made him feel as though he were a juvenile again, when his father had caught him in the stables, naked with a human boy, each of them feeling each other's hard shafts. A hard lump of humilation squeezed his throat.
"So you like big, strong men after all," Ercus gloated, his deep voice a seductive murmer that no serpent could have matched. "All your life you've dreamed of someone like me, haven't you, dog? Oh yes, you've pretended to joke about a hot bitch with the other Runners, I'm sure. When when the night was hot and still and you were alone, you pleasured yourself shamelessy with thoughts of cock and rock hard, unyielding muscle."
Acheon's body shook as he listened to that dark voice describing his own fantasies back to him. He bit his own tongue until it bled to keep from crying. His will was crumbling away, the swelling in his sheath now to big to hide. The head of his canine member kissed the damp dungeon air. A heavy, strong hand caressed his cheek. Ercus whispered softly in his ear.
"I could give you everything you've always wanted, puppy. Your wildest desires...you're darkest fantasies....I could fulfill them all. Give me what I want, and I will do the same for you. Is that not fair?"
Now Acheon did weep. Softly, without whimpering, because he knew that if he opened his mouth, the words would tumble out and we would have betrayed what pride he had left. Soft, firm, and tender lips kissed his tears away.
"Shhhh, don't cry, little virgin. Let the bull care for you."
Ercus gently kissed him.
"I could make you so very happy."
"I hate you," Acheon mumbled.
A finger ran over his lips.
"I know you do. But you also love me. You may not recognize it yet, but your body still yearns to serve me despite what you say. You should smell how it mocks you."
Acheon shuddered in shame. He felt defiled even though Ercus hadn't done a thing to him. He felt puny, weak and unworthy of being a Runner. He'd spent his entire life dreaming of becoming a Runner like the great heroes his father would talk about. And if he were not a Runner, then what was he?
The great bull's heat and musk were an ever present pressure on his will as Ercus simply caressed him, waiting for Acheon to break. The minotaur seemed to know exactly where and how Acheon had secretly dreamt of being touched. Acheon moaned.
"Good dog, that's a good start. You're beginning to come around. Now talk."
Bovine lips formed a seal on the sensitive flesh of his neck and sucked. Those powerful, massive lugs worked Acheon's skin into the bull's mouth and great blunted fangs scratched across it. Acheon would be left with a massive hickey, the bull's mark of possession.
The chains holding his arms were suddenly loosened. Acheon fell to his knees on the floor. His mind was in a vaguely numb state from the intense arousal and the fight to contain it. Now a new, sharper musk reached his nostrils. His eyes dilated. The bull's crotch lay before his eyes.
Ercus chuckled.
"Perhaps this will entice you, eh?"
He rubbed a thick hand over the massive bulge in the leather thong he wore. The sight hypnotized the poor huskie. Acheon had seen plenty of cocks in passing, but had never had the chance to truly examine or admire another male's pride. Saliva filled his mouth.
"Still not willing?" Ercus taunted, as he reached his hand slowly down into the crotch of the thong and rolled his fingers about, pleasuring himself before Acheon's eyes. Acheon was unconsciously leaning forward. A sudden hand shoved him back against the cold stone. The bull moved closer, the now twitching bullcock swaying like some beast under a net, nearer and nearer. Ercus's shadow covered him. Acheon could see nothing of the room but the bull, smell nothing but the bull.
Acheon's willpower hung by a thread.
"I.."
"Yes, dog?"
The thong slid away, undone from the back. Ercus ran the leather crotchpiece over Acheon's nipples.
"Iiii...."
"Go on."
The bull's meat hung there. It was as big soft as most huskies were when fully hard. And nearly three times as thick. Ercus was hung like a god. His scent from the thick pubic hair threatened to smother Acheon. Acheon's tongue was out and lolling, but still he didn't speak.
The minotaur gripped his pride by the base of the shaft and slowly, seductively began to paw himself off. The shaft swelled, lengthened, thickened, grew, bulged, the urethra puckering as it rose from its slumber.
"My....my job was to....to...."
Ercus guided his cock to rub down Acheon's ears, pressing the husky's snout an inch into the space between the base of the shaft and the top of the massive ball sac. Acheon groaned loud enough to echo. His tongue slurped up the gigantic bull testicles and he groaned again.
The cock ran over his face, under his chin, and then finally kissed across his lips.
Acheon nearly screamed in suppressed lust. His own small cock was rock hard and flat to his belly, knot and all. His balls felt on fire with their need to release.
Acheon spoke. His first words came out in a rush. He told Ercus where he had camped before being captured and where he had been headed. As reward, the thick, juicy cockhead slipped past his lips. Acheon tasted another male's flesh for the first time. It rested briefly against his tongue before drawing out again, so thick that it had been impossible to speak around it.
More confessions tumbled out along with his spit. The cock worked its way in again, slightly deeper, then out again. More talk. More cock. Back and forth, until Acheon was sobbing as the entire bull shaft slithered down his throat, pulsing against his gullet, forcing him to kiss that forest of black bull hair at its base. Acheon hated himself even as his cum soaked his fur.
His mouth was freed of its erotic gag. Ercus petted his head fur, scratching behind his ears as he might some obedient pet.
"Rest, dog. We'll continue our conversation tomorrow."
Acheon refused to eat. No matter how Ercus threatened, taunted, and seduced him, Acheon forced himself to starve. It was the only speck of his life that remained in his control. Acheon's own body was now his enemy, shivering and his cock growing hard at the muscle bull's command. But Acheon bit his lip and refused anything but water. Ercus tried to force food down his throat, but it only made Acheon choke, and the minotaur needed him alive.
"I don't know why you persist, dog," Ercus snarled. "Especially with the rewards I give you for obedience."
Ercus didn't know - could not know why Archeon gladly faced a slow suicide. Because hidden within the husky's mind was the one secret he had not revealed, a secret that, if it got out, would destroy the future of the entire war. So Acheon pretended it was simple stubbornness. He played up his hatred for minotaurs to cover his growing lust for the big, muscled bull with his thick and juicy meat and those gorgeous balls. It was a contest of wills that Acheon knew he couldn't win if he stayed alive.
Acheon woke one morning to the sound of dripping. His wrists and ankles were bound, trapping him lying flat on his back. He smelled a thick, rich, sweet scent. Ercus was there as usual, the deep bovine eyes boring into his from behind that leather mask. The bull held a drinking horn in one huge hand, and as Acheon watched, he dipped a finger in it and let a single drop of the golden liquid fall inches from Acheon's muzzle. It was mead, a minotaur drink. Acheon knew it from his studies of enemy culture, though he had never tried any.
"You ungrateful cur," Ercus said softly. He let another drop of mead strike the floor. "I feed you. I give you water to drink and permit a weak, virgin dog to worship a body that any minotaur female would kill to touch. And you repay me with this pathetic display."
The minotaur raised one huge hooved foot and rubbed it over Acheon's sheath, massaging it until Acheon couldn't help but groan. Another sweet drop of mead spattered against the stone, moistening his lips. Acheon's tongue acted on it's own, licking his lips clean. He tasted the mead. Instantly, his mouth surged with saliva and his stomach roared to life. Acheon whimpered as it knotted tight and painfully.
"When you die," Ercus murmered, "it will be when I say. Not before."
A single drop of mead struck Acheon's lips. Acheon licked it off.
'Stop it! STOP IT!' His mind screamed.
But it was too late. He had to have more. That one taste of the drink made his vow of starvation crumble.
Ercus read Acheon's defeat and smiled triumphantly. He emptied the horn over his huge, bulging pecs. The golden liquid rained down across his glistening abs and soaked Acheon's fur from his face to his chest.
"Drink up, little dog. Drink and live."
Acheon wept as he opened his mouth and slurped what he could from the drops that fell off those bulging muscles. Again, he'd lost.
Ercus fed him back to health with infinite patience. At times, the bull seemed so tender in his minstrations that Acheon felt his heart beginning to open to him. But he reminded himself over and over that it was all an act. Everything Ercus said and did was calculated to break his will and ring him of all his valuable information.
'But,' a small part of Acheon began to argue back, 'he's so gorgeous.'
Acheon found himself dreaming of Ercus. The dreams always left him moaning into the night, his husky cock erect and throbbing in need. Ercus evidently heard these moans. The bull never said anything, but he began leaving Acheon's wrists chained at night so that the husky could not paw himself off.
How many times had he lain in bed as a young cub, just growing into manhood, and fantasized about meeting some gorgeous, big Runner hero and mating to him? How often had he oggled the husky and human warriors as they drilled under the hot summer sun, muscles gleaming in sweat, and longed to taste it? And now...now there was this bull who seemed able to read his thoughts, able to draw every last dark fantasy from his mind.
Acheon had been eating very well, fed on dry mutton and bread from Ercus's own hands. So his mouth was already watering when Ercus appeared again. There was no food in the bull's hands. Acheon's ears lowered.
"Happy anniversary, dog," Ercus rumbled.
"What do you mean?"
"It's been one year since my brothers in arms brought you to me."
Acheon stared at Ercus. It had to be a lie. Acheon's mind raced. There was no possible way to tell time in the dungeon. There were no windows, and the temperature never varied. It was always hot and stank with the scent of Ercus. His memories of life outside the dungeon were distant blurs, like sunlight seen from far underwater. Acheon sometimes struggled to remember his own name.
"You're looking well," Ercus commented, running a large hand over Acheon's arm, squeezing it slightly. Acheon was not chained, but he no longer made any attempts to resist the bull's touch. There was nowhere to go.
"You should kill me," Acheon muttered. "I've told you everything I know."
"Perhaps you have. And perhaps I've grown too fond of you to permit you to die. You are such a very pretty dog, after all. It would be a shame to see your blood spilled on the altar."
Ercus's eyes glanced at the stone slab against the far wall. Acheon had never known its purpose until now. He gulped.
"Then what do you want?" he whispered.
Ercus said nothing. He loomed over Acheon, the presence of his massive body crushing Acheon into insignificance. One hand stroked Acheon's rump. Acheon bit his lip to stop the moan, but his cock jumped inside his sheath.
"I want you to stop denying what your body begs for, dog," Erus said in his low, bass voice. "I want you to give in to your instincts. You say you've told me everything. Then tell me it all again."
"I've given you everything I have!" Acheon screamed. "Kill me! Kill me, please!"
Ercus just sighed.
"You leave me no choice, dog. Go to the wall and put your paws against the stone, facing away from me."
"W...what are you going to do?"
"Do it," Ercus snarled, his voice shaking the husky's bones.
Acheon obeyed. Despite himself, his heart was pounding, and his cock was refusing to retract. It hung against his belly in shameless anticipation, red, thick and moist as a harlot's lips.
Ercus lightly slapped his back with the flat of one palm. The fingers paused, kneading into his skin a bit through the fur, then slapping in a different area. Ercus repeated this pattern all the way down to Acheon's rump. Then he gripped Acheon's ass cheeks hard and leaned close to whisper.
"I know, dog. I know you've been hiding something from me. Something important."
Acheon shook his head automatically, but then gasped as his rump was slapped. The sound echoed off the stones. Pain shot through his spine, but mixed with it was a strange warmth. Acheon looked down at his cock. Precum ran over the exposed shaft and dripped from his balls.
"You may have noticed I have no whips. I don't need them. With muscles like this, my palms alone are easily strong enough to serve."
Ercus cracked his knuckles.
"Now, dog. I want it all."
"Fuck you."
"You don't have a prick big enough, dog. I, on the other hand, have more than enough bullhood to make you remember me forever from the pain in your innards."
Acheon leapt away from the wall. One huge hand callously slapped him back against it.
"Talk. Or you'll be moaning your answers."
"Great ancestors give me strength," Acheon whispered.
He gasped. One massive hand had his balls in a vice-like grip. And it was slowly squeezing them. Ercus was directly behind him, the heat from his huge body like a living skillet near his back, huge breathing close to his ear.
"You wanna pray, dog? Then pray to me. Because in this place, I am the only god who will hear you."
The second bovine hand sent more slaps like whip strikes over Acheon's shoulder blades, back, and rump. His balls were squeezed away from his throbbing shaft until he groaned from the strain. Thick fingers wrapped around the base of Acheon's shaft and formed a seal, while the other palm began to massage his balls in ways that Acheon could never have imagined. Pressure began to build. The more his erection grew, the more it began uncomortably tight. Acheon bared his teeth.
"Do it, dog. Do it for me, slave. Give...me...everything...."
Acheon shrieked at the pressure, the need to cum. Nothing else mattered. Only that he be allowed to release his seed before his cock exploded. But still, Ercus's fingers squeezed his shaft to prevent it.
The torture ceased slowly. Acheon's cock was allowed to soften slightly, but Ercus didn't move away. He began to chuckle. With each stone-rumbling laugh, the bull's tight chest muscles brushed Acheon's back.
"I very nearly forgot your one weakness, my virgin dog. Perhaps it's time I offer you a deal. Give me your last secrets, and I will let you keep your precious virginity."
Acheon had no illusions. Ercus was as strong as ten human men, at least. If he decided to rape Acheon, there would be no chance to escape. He shuddered.
'Yes! Yes! Take me, you fucking gorgeous bovine god!'
Acheon slapped the stone wall and snarled at the disgusting thoughts. Was he going insane? He hated Ercus! And yet....and yet....
The thick bull tongue teased the nape of his neck.
"What's it going to be, dog?"
"No...no!"
"You exceed all bounds of loyalty, fool. What sort of Empire demands that it's soldiers throw away their personal dignity, their honor as men, their purity as husbands or mates for the sake of one petty war?"
A thick bull finger slid in between his ass cheeks and pressed to his tail hole. Acheon's eyes rolled shut and he gasped.
"What...what sort of race has interrogators as disgusting as you are?" Acheon said.
Ercus just laughed.
"Every minotaur interrogator is different, dog. We each have our own art, our own...technique. What we do in our dungeons is our business, as long as we get results. When I report all that I've gotten from you, my beautiful Runner, I will be honored among my kind."
The bull's hands were stretching Acheon's ass cheeks apart, exposing his tail hole to the physically hot crotch of the minotaur, whose massive cock was hardening as it faced the point where it would enter.
It had been too long. Acheon's old life was now a dream. Snatches of images came to him - playing in open fields, combat drills in the Imperial kennels, a waving banner that was now meaningless to Acheon. The rest was this dungeon, this bull.
Acheon whispered his secret. Ercus froze as he heard it.
"Again," Ercus said. "Louder."
Acheon said it louder. It didnt' take long, it was only a few phrases. But encoded in them was the time and location where the Emperor himself would be. Codes could easily be broken by those who knew them.
Thick bull lips gently kissed Acheon's cheek.
"Thank you, my good dog. You have ensured my people's victory at last."
The huge bull cockhead pressed hard against Acheon's tailhole.
"WAIT!" Acheon yowled. "I spoke the truth! I swear it!"
Ercus chuckled.
"I do not doubt your word, dog."
"Then let me go!"
Ercus titled his head back and laughed so hard the walls shook.
"Let you go? Let you go! You pitiful, weak canine FOOL! You've given me all that my generals could want from you. Which means you no longer belong to them. You belong....to me."
"NO!"
Acheon screamed as the bull flexed his mighty hips and his cock shoved into the husky with a slick, wet popping sound.
"Silence, slave! I want to enjoy this!"
Ercus slammed Acheon to the wall, his enormous, muscled body flexing as he worked his massive shaft deeper, deeper into Acheon. Acheon moaned and whimpered, tears streaming down his cheeks.
Ercus thrust back and forth, using his cock to stretch Acheon open until he could fuck the husky hard and easily from any angle. Acheon wept as he was taken. Ercus was right. He was pitiful, and weak, not worthy of the title Runner. Not worthy to be a huskie.
At the same time, Acheon felt the huge, thick muscled body rubbing against him, heard the loud snorts of the bull as Ercus mounted him, and couldn't deny the wonderous, incredible sensations that washed through him in titanic waves. Never, never had he dreamt of something so erotic.
"You like this, don't you, my little virgin dog," Ercus rumbled in his ear. Acheon shuddered. Ercus thrust his cock inside the huskie and slowly gyrated his hips, rubbing thick bull balls against Acheon's tight rump.
"Oh, dog. You don't know how long I've wanted to do this. From the first day I saw you, I wanted to take you. Moan again for me, it's music in my ears."
Acheon couldn't help himself. He let a long, loud moan fill the dungeon. Somewhere deep inside him, a part of his mind was beginning to crack. As the last vestiges of honor and freedom were taken from him, a part of Acheon yearned to submit to Ercus. To submit and obey the muscle bull's every whim. To worship him.
Strong, warm hands with thick fingers wrapped around Acheon's waist and then slid up his belly to his chest, rubbing his pecs, pleasuring the nipples. Hot breaths caressed his neck. Ercus rubbed his rippling six pack abs over Acheon's back. Oh it was glorious! Acheon's clawed fingers gripped the stone.
"M...master..." he whispered into the sweaty, musk-flooded air.
Ercus fucked him so long and hard that Acheon's bobbed in a kind of half trance, tiny panting moans escaping his lips. At last, Ercus tilted his head back and bellowed. The thunderous sound shook the walls as his massive cock erupted within Acheon. Acheon's eyes opened wide and he gasped as hot liquid began to fill his ass. It lubed up the bull's cock so that it slid even deeper, passing over his prostate and shoving beyond. Acheon's mouth hung open, drool oozing form his astonished lips onto his fur.
With an arrogant grunt, Ercus slid his cock free. He caressed Acheon's shivering back and chuckled.
"Not a virgin any more, dog."
Acheon leaned against the wall, panting hard, his body shivering. Ercus was basking in his own power, relishing the moment of final domination. Slowly, the huskie's head turned and half-lidded eyes regarded the minotaur. They were not the eyes of Acheon any more. The huskie knew no name. He was simply "dog" now, and he lived for only one purpose.
Ercus didn't reappear for nearly a week. Acheon pined for him. The bull's scent slowly began to fade from the dungeon. Acheon was still fed as usual, but he had no appetite. Over the next several days, his rump and tailhole grew less and less sore. Acheon found himself rubbing the spot where he was penetrated deep into the night, remembering it and whining.
Acheon's will was a broken ruin. Only the worship of Ercus would keep him sane now, the last anchor to a reality Acheon had otherwise withdrawn from in shame and self-hatred.
Once, Acheon woke to strange noises sounding distantly outside. A vague part of him remembered them and recognized it as a battle. Surely it was a mighty battle for the din to be heard this far below ground. But Ercus was not there, and Acheon curled miserable in a corner, trying to paw himself off as he remembered the bull's touch and voice.
It was not an hour later that the iron door burst open. Bull scent washed into the dungeon. It filled Acheon's nostrils and he sat upright with a joyful cry.
"Master!"
"What?"
Ercus strode into the room, kicking the door shut behind him.
"What did you call me, dog?" he demanded.
Acheon lowered himself to the floor and half crawled toward the minotaur.
"Master," he said again.
He dared a glance up at Ercus's face. A slow, knowing smile was spreading there. At last, Ercus understood that the battle of wills was over.
"Tell me what I am," Ercus ordered.
"You're a living bull god, master," Acheon murred.
"Look upon me, dog."
Acheon stared up at the towering figure above him. He gulped. Now he saw that Ercus had just come from the battlefield. Blood mixed with a thick layer of sweat to form a gleaming, oily sheen on every inch of the bull's muscled body. The thick pecs rose and fell as Ercus panted. The fading red light of battle fury lingered in Ercus's eyes. He spread his muscled arms wide.
"What do you think?"
"I think you are the most beautiful sight I've ever seen," Acheon husked. He saw Ercus's loincloth jump at the words. Ercus's smile was like a snake, cruel and irresistable in it's seduction. He folded his rippling arms.
"You want to see it closer, don't you?"
"Yes."
"You want to touch me."
"Oh yes."
"You want to taste me."
"Yes! Yes! Oh yes, please, master!"
Acheon was at the minotaur's feet now, licking up those thick calves in adoration. His paws slid higher, squeezing the rock hard pillars of Ercus's mighty thighs. He felt the bull shudder and realized that Ercus, fresh from battle, was in as horny a state as he was.
"Master, may I clean you?"
A tender, huge hand cupped under his jaw.
"Yes, dog. But not with water. With this..."
A crystal jar of golden oil was placed in Acheon's paws.
"Come to the altar, slave, and worship me properly."
Acheon nuzzled against his master's side as he was led to the stone slab. Ercus slid his great bulk onto it and knelt there, his hands slowly rubbing over his own muscled body.
"Where should I begin?" Acheon asked.
"Here, slave."
Ercus pointed to one massive arm and flexed it, the bicep rolling back and forth, as large as a small boulder. With trembling paws, Acheon poured a dollop of the oil onto the muscle. He moaned as he rubbed over the thick, firm flesh of Ercus's arm. Ercus's skin was hot to the touch, his muscles still pumped from the exertions of battle. How the minotaur had managed to fit into his usual dungeon leather so quickly, Acheon didn't know. Nor did he care. He shuddered, lost in erotic paradise, his paws silently worshipping Ercus's massive arm.
When he had oiled one arm, Ercus nodded towards the other one, flexing it also for his slave. Acheon couldn't resist giving the huge tricep a lick before he began with the oil again. Ercus chuckled low.
"Not yet, dog. Soon you'll be allowed to taste, but not yet."
Acheon whined but nodded. He wouldn't dream of disobeying Ercus now. The old, rebellious Acheon was gone.
Oil rubbed smoothly over muscled flesh. Ercus's skin took on a deep bronze sheen in the torchlight, glowing and shimmering. The sight made Acheon's cock leap and dance. Slowly, slowly, he cupped his oiled palms around the huge bull's forearm, pressing upward toward his clenched fist. Ercus curled the mighty fist towards him. Acheon bent and lovingly kissed the thick knuckles.
"Good dog. Such a good, good slave," Ercus purred.
Acheon was rewarded by a heavy hand caressing his back, squeezing his rump. He groaned even louder, pre leaking from his swollen cock. Ercus suddenly grabbed his ruff and brought Acheon forcibly against his lips. They kissed, hard and passionate, tongues sucking at each other. Acheon nearly dropped the vial of oil. But Ercus ended the kiss swiftly and grinned.
"Now back to work, slave. My legs."
Acheon continued to oil and worship the massive bull. He spent a long time on the legs. There was a lot of space to cover. Acheon could barely wrap his arms around them, they were so thick. He murred as his fingers slid along the cuts of the thighs. He smiled as he sent an oiled paw up the diamonds of Ercus's calves. He panted with desire, carefully oiling Ercus's inner thighs, so close to the tight black leather that hid an absolutely massive bulge yet forbidden to touch it.
Ercus had the husky massage his wide back. Acheon seemed to have a special talent for massage. Ercus was soon sending out groans of his own, the sound making the altar stone shake. He even permitted Acheon to oil his great, tight rump.
Acheon crawled up Ercus's body and straddled his waist, leaning his furry chest against the titanic back to whisper in the bull's ear.
"Master has a gorgeous body. His slave adores it."
Ercus smiled.
"That is good, slave. But you job is not yet over."
Ercus rolled onto his back. Acheon barely had time to escape being crushed.
"Finish your little oiling session. Attend my chest and abs. And if you're very, very good...I may let you oil something else as well."
Ercus's abs turned out to be the most rock hard muscle on his body. Acheon was convinced that even a sword would have been dented by them. But to feel them...to roll his paws over their rippling surface and slide his fingers down the central canal...Acheon half howled at what it was doing to his cock. Ercus was too erotic. He would loose control before his master desired it.
But the minotaur showed no mercy. And to Acheon's surprise, his cock remained full. It was almost as if the bull had a subliminal control over the body of his slave. If Ercus commanded him to feel desire, Acheon was flooded with lust. Pain, and he would writhe with it. Joy, and tears of happiness would flow down his face. And Ercus commanded all three in turns as his slave closed in on his mighty pecs.
"Take your time," Ercus encouraged. "I take great pride in these."
And he bounced his huge chest muscles for the husky. Acheon emptied the vial onto the minotaur's chest. Ercus lay back against the warm stone, one muscled arm behind his head in a stunning pose. Acheon cupped one great pec in his paw. He squeezed it. The flesh barely moved. He teased the thick nipple of the bull. Ercus purred like a tiger. Acheon bent and gave the nipple a naughty lick.
There was a sound from behind him. Leather protesting as it was forced to stretch. Acheon felt something thick touching his lower back. It was the minotaur's cock. It had stretched the tight leather thong to an impossible degree. He looked up at his master. Ercus seemed to be in no pain. The bull's eyes were shut, a confident smile of domination on his face. Acheon longed to kiss him again.
The oil was oozing over the great muscled hills of the chest, unattended. Acheon slowly smoothed it out, tracing down the cleft between those mighty muscles and around the underside. He spread his fingers flat as he rubbed straight up and over the top of the pec. The chest was uniformally thick and massive. No sagging tits on this bull. Two great slabs of perfect beef, flexing under his paws.
"Have I done well, master?"
Ercus moaned softly and caressed Acheon's neck.
"You have done incredibly, slave. Tell me, are you thirsty?"
"Y...yes..."
Acheon shivered, thinking of just how Ercus might plan to alleviate it.
"You see how sweaty I am, don't you? See how the sweat drips off my muscle. It is yours if you wish."
"You mean...."
"Yes. Taste me, little dog. Do what you have been longing to do. Drink my sweat - my muscle nectar - and bury that muzzle against my body."
Acheon nearly attacked the bull as his lust came roaring out of him. He kissed the pecs feverishly, groaning, panting, beginning to hump the incredible abs. Acheon rolled one of the nipples into his mouth to suckle. Ercus grunted his approval. A sharp snap told him that the bull's cock and finally won the battle against the thong which restrained it.
Ercus added to the pleasure once his nipples were hard, glittering with the husky's saliva. Acheon rolled his tongue down the abs, sliding his body backward on the oiled bull. Ercus began massaging up his back. Acheon went wild. Strong, heavy, masculine hands pleasured his rump and down his legs.
"Yes..." Ercus cooed. "That's it, dog. Let it all out. Show me your lust."
Acheon howled. His rump and back connected to the throbbing bull shaft behind him. It rolled against his spine.
A great thick finger slid suddenly against his tailhole. Acheon let out a yelp of surprise that quickly melted into a long, loud groan. The finger slid inside. It was easily as large as a normal sized cock. With a sadistic smile, Ercus pleasured his new dog toy. There was no way the husky could cum. Not until Ercus ordered it. Pleasure became a new kind of pain. Acheon was begging him, but begging him to continue, not to stop. Promising him anything.
Ercus slid his finger back out with a soft popping sound. He sighed.
"You are the best I have ever had in my dungeon," he said.
Acheon smiled up at him in utter ecstacy. His small canine body was shaking with the need for release. Ercus was utterly ruthless. He would not let the dog cum until it would nearly kill him not to. It would be the final movement of an erotic symphony. He rolled his arms, making the muscle dance.
"So, dog. For being so good, I give you permission to decide how you want to pleasure me."
Acheon licked his lips. All of his childhood fantasies were coming true. Only one remaineed.
"Mark me..." he whispered.
"What's that, dog? I can't hear you."
"Mark me, master! Claim me as an alpha does his bitch! Make me yours so that all the other huskies will know!"
"Ahhhh....so the little dog likes musk, does he?"
Acheon nodded, whimpering.
Ercus beckoned to him with one finger. The husky crawled back over the abs and up the chest, tail and ears low. Ercus grabbed him and lifted him bodily by the ruff.
"You are mine. And now I will prove it."
Ercus raised one massive arm and shoved Acheon's head into his deep armpit. There was nothing inside but sweat and bull scent, flooding Acheon's nose, smearing bull sweat over his lips and fur. The arm closed on him, flexing against him. Acheon was forced to breathe the musk in like air. His head swirled. From a distance, echoing in his mind, he heard the bull's bass rumble.
"Mine...mine...always mine....forever....obedient...worshipful....wanting his bull god...needing him...."
He let Acheon go. The husky's body was drenched in bull sweat from head to chest. No matter how much he washed, Ercus knew the dog would never get the scent completley out. Bull sweat was just too potent. Some of his previous victims had been killed by the overpowering male musk. This husky was resilient.
Ercus put his hands on Acheon's shoulders to steady him. Acheon's tongue was lolling slightly out of his mouth. The eyes were heavy-lidded, glazed.
"Dog," Ercus said.
Acheon was instantly alert again.
"Master?"
"You need release, I sense."
Acheon gulped and nodded. His entire body was screaming for it.
"Cum."
And Acheon cummed. It was an explosion, lightning cracking through the husky's frame as wave after wave of his seed erupted outward. Acheon howled, barely holding on to consciousness. Ercus held him, murring in encouragement. The bull's every touch was electrifying, forcing even more pleasure into Acheon's already over-stimulated nerves. Acheon's mouth remained open long after sound had left his throat, riding the tidal wave of his orgasm slowly to a finish. He gazed at the seed, mixing with the oil, the sweat, the blood, covering his master's body. Ercus smiled at him, slowly rubbing the mixture over himself with one hand.
"And now, little slave, it is my turn."
Acheon whined in anticipation. He rolled to the hard stone floor ontp his back, mouth open in a shameless display of need.
Ercus gave a low, loud groan. Precum oozed from the gigantic bull shaft. The urethra began to widen. Acheon's eyes widened with it as he realized just how powerful Ercus's climax would be.
The bull roared. Seed erupted from the flexing, twitching cock. It filled Acheon's mouth, so rich and thick he nearly chocked. It overflowed and oozed from his lips, down his chin and jawline. Ercus guided his orgasiming tool over his slave's body. Cum blasted against Acheon's chest, spurted on his abs and over his own cock. Ercus came and came until Acheon lay in a small pool of bull gism.
".....oh master...."
"Not just master any more," Ercus sneered, his euphoria of dominance at it's height. "Call me what I am, slave!"
"Oh my loving muscle god."
With a rumbling murr of satisfaction, Ercus plucked his pet from the puddle of his seed and kissed him. Acheon wrapped his arms around that thick neck and opened his mouth wide, sucking in the bull's great tongue in joy.
When Acheon awoke, he was alone again. This didn't surprise him any more. He knew Ercus would return soon. He shuddered and curled naked on his straw bed, stroking his arms as he thought of his master.
Sounds rose from outside the iron door. But they were not the sounds of heavy foosteps. There were shouts and the clash of steel. Someone howled a battle cry that Acheon distantly remembered.
Then the door burst open. Acheon yelped and shrank back into the darkness as bright sunlight streamed into the dungeon. The thin mist of hot, wet air and bull scent swirled in the light and dark shapes ran out of them.
"Secure this chamber! Maecis, Halafax, see if there are any prisoners still alive."
Acheon tried to run, but the dungeon was designed to prevent escape. Paws grabbed his arms, dragging him away from the conforting darkness, into the open air.
Acheon gasped, squinting as his eyes watered and pain shot into them.
"Just this one, sir! He seemed as scared of us as of the minotaurs."
"Probably some foul bull mind trick. Bind him and get him back to camp."
A blindfold cut out the agonizing light. Rough rope cords secured his wrists. Acheon surrendered to those who bound him, trained to do so after so many days of submitting. But there was no touch. No whispered commands and veiled erotic threats. Just marching, endless marching over flat fields with brush grazing his thighs.
Acheon was taken into a tent and manuvered to a cot. He automatically rolled onto his back, bent his knees, raised his tail. One of the huskies snickered. There was the sound of a loud strike, and the laughing one yelped.
"How dare you laugh! Can't you see what's been done to him? Get out!"
Acheon shook. Where was master? What did these strange huskies want?
"Relax."
Acheon forced his tense muscles to loosen. He lowered himself until he was just laying on the cot. Gentle paws undid the bonds and removed the blindfold. Acheon blinked. The light was still too bright, even in the dim tent. But he could see. Another husky stood over him.
He wore the red sash and gold diamonds of a commander. His build was laughable compared to Ercus, but for a husky, the commander was extreemly fit. Slowly, so as not to alarm Acheon, the commander crouched to look him in the eye.
"No one's going to hurt you," he said softly.
"W...where is master?" Acheon whined.
" 'Master' can't reach you any more. You're safe."
"What do you want?" "I just want to help you. Do you know who you are?"
"Dog," Acheon said.
"What's your name?"
"I...." Acheon struggled.
The commander put a soft paw on his shoulder.
"Too much at once. Relax, and get some sleep. Someone will bring you food in a few hours."
Acheon pretended to sleep. He lay with his eyes shut and listened to the commander's voice from the campfire. Two deeper voices joned him. Humans, Acheon remembered.
"How is he?" one human asked.
The commander's voice held a growling edge of raw fury.
"I will skin that bull alive for this. He's....he's completley broken in spirit. He's accepted his role as a bitch for the minotaur's perverted pleasures."
"Is there any hope for him?" the second human asked.
"Give me some time," the commander pleaded. "I've seen others like him, but none this bad. He might be brought around."
"We can't stay here. You realize that. The minotaurs will be back to reclaim this territory before winter."
"If it takes that long, I'll stay here with him," the husky commander said.
As promised, Acheon was given food and water. As much as he liked. Acheon felt so guilty about eating more than commanded to that he barely took any of the rich meat and fresh water. His stomach was cramped and small after so many months of living in half-starvation. The commander fed him broths and soothed him with stories of husky heroes. Acheon recognized most of them from his cubhood. Memories slowly came back to him.
"Acheon," he said one morning.
"What?" the commander asked.
"My name. My name is Acheon."
The commander smiled.
"And I'm Phaenor."
He offered Acheon a paw. Acheon slowly reached for it and shook it.
"Glad to see you're coming around. How much do you remember?"
"Almost everything," Acheon said with a shy smile.
"That's just made my day," Phaenor exclaimed.
They laughed. It sounded strange to Acheon's ears. There was no condescending edge to it.
"Shall I show you around?"
Acheon nodded. Phaenor led him out of the tent. In the weeks of care, Acheon's eyes had readjusted to the light of day. He gazed around the camp of huskies and humans, taking in echoes of his former life. There were the horses of the human riders. There was the field hospital and the smithy. A huskie with powerful arms manned the bellows while a bearded human hammered away.
Acheon stopped outside the armory tent.
"May I?" he asked Phaenor.
Phaenor opened the flap for him. Inside, rows of blades and armor for both species were set up and polished. Acheon slowly drew a gladius and held it in front of him. He swung it a few times. His feet adjusted themselves into a combat stance. The blade began to whirl and hum as he ran through a practice drill. Then another. And a third. Phaenor watched, nodding in approval at his perfect form and control.
Finally, Acheon stopped. He stood straight and presented his sword in a smart salute. Phaenor smiled and returned it.
"Sir," Acheon said as they left the tent. "Where are the other officers? I must report myself to them for disciplinary action."
"Why's that?"
"I have acted traitorously, sir. Back...back down there, I...told things. Things I should never have divulged."
His ears and tail lowered.
"Forgive me," he whipspered.
Phaenor's hand on his shoulder was that of a friend.
"Listen to me, Acheon. What you did or didn't do in that dungeon was for your own survival. When word of your capture reached Headquarters, we altered all the battle plans you had memorized and sent new messages with other Runners. Your interrogator's information was useless. There is a standing pardon for all freed prisoners of war."
"Then....I'm free?"
"You're free to accept an honorable discharge and return home if you wish."
"Home..." Acheon said whistfully. "It's one of the things I still have a hard time remembering."
Phaenor patted his shoulder.
"You will in time."
"How goes the war, sir?"
Phaenor grinned.
"Well, Acheon. Most of the minotaur hordes have been routed. We destroyed their major fortress in the Blackhorn Mountains just last summer. Since them we've been pushing further and further into their territory. It's a turning point in history."
Acheon tried to smile back. But he couldn't help thinking of the minotaur villages burning.
On the first day of winter, Acheon reported as ordered to the commander's tent. Phaenor was there, as well as Electo and Thraesus, the two human commanders.
"Acheon, First Runner of the Northern Pack, reporting as ordered, sirs."
"At ease, Acheon," Electo said.
He rose and took a small box from the desk behind him.
"Phaenor's related your story to me, from your capture to your recovery. Thraesus and I both feel you deserve this."
He handed the box to Acheon. Acheon opened it. Inside was a red silk ribbon attatched to a golden husky's head. A sunburst of silver formed a halo around it. It was the Golden Starburst, a medal of valor.
"Sir! I...I can't accept this!"
"You can, and you should," Phaenor said. His voice lowered. "You of all huskies have given more than any Empire could ask of its soldiers."
Phaenor put the medal around Acheon's neck.
"And now," Thraesus announced, "we think you're ready to dispense with one final item of business."
He turned.
"Bring out the prisoner!"
The bellow sent bile rising in Acheon's throat. His knees grew weak. He knew that voice. He knew it all too well.
The towering form of Ercus was brought out by four strong human guards. Chains twice as thick as a man's arm were attached to the minotaurs' neck and waist. His arms were bound and shackled behind his back. A black sack was over his head.
"Acheon. This is the beast that held you prisoner. That tortured and humilated you. Whatever orders you give, they will be carried out as if they came from me," said Electo.
Acheon swallowed hard. He slowly approached Ercus. Even bound, Ercus stood definat. His huge chest panted.
"Bind him to the posts," Acheon ordered.
This was done.
"Leave us."
The guards looked uneasily at Electo. Electo nodded. They saluted and marched away. Acheon turned to his commanders.
"I need to do this myself."
When he was alone, Acheon slowly reached up and pulled off the sack. For the first time, he saw Ercus's face. There was no mask, no leather. Scars showed where the minotaur had been beaten during his captivity. The bull's deep black eyes gazed at him.
"Say my name, bull," Acheon said.
Ercus was silent. But a tiny smile of approval touched his lips.
"Did the guards cut off your ears?"
"No. But they wished to."
It was the same voice. Acheon shivered and tried to hide it. He was suddenly very afraid. Ercus rose to his full height and loomed over Acheon once again.
"You can feel it, can't you?" he said softly. "I still have a leash on you. And no amount of heroic posturing will break that. If I wanted, I could order you to release me, and you would."
Acheon trembled. He glared up at Ercus.
"You're wrong, bull. You will never, NEVER control me again."
He drew the gladius.
"I've had a long time to think about what I should do to you," he said in an icy voice.
"You will do nothing to me."
Acheon pressed the point of the blade under the bull's loincloth, poised to cut. His fist shook. 'Do it. DO IT! He deserves it!'
"Acheon."
Acheon looked up at Ercus.
Ercus knelt, dropping to his knees so that he could look Acheon face to face.
"I tell you. You were the bravest, strongest, and finest prisoner I ever had. A tribute to your Empire. If you manage to break my conditioning and kill me, it will be an honor to die by your hand."
Acheon put the blade to Ercus's throat. All he had to do was cut.
The blade clattered to the ground. Acheon grabbed the bull under his jaw and pressed those thick lips to his. Ercus smiled as they kissed, massaging Acheon's lips gently, licking softly with his tongue. They parted.
Tears ran down Acheon's face.
"I can't kill you. You knew I wouldn't be able to. But it's not what you think. I don't worship you anymore. I....I.....love you."
Ercus bent close to the husky's ear.
"And I you, my beautiful husky. Free me. I know these mountains. We can go where no man, husky or minotaur will ever find us. Together. As equals."
"I don't have the power to free you."
Ercus smiled wider.
"Not necessary."
He flexed his mighty arms. There was a loud snap, and the chains binding his wrists were broken. Acheon gaped as Ercus snarled and ripped free of the chains. Guards came running. Alarm horns blared.
"Come!" Ercus bellowed.
Acheon leapt into his arms. Ercus began to run. He moved amazingly swift for something so large, his feet pounding the ground, making several tents collapse from the trembling. They were out of the camp, over the fields, into the foothills.
Ercus stopped and set Acheon down. He was panting, his body glistening with sweat. Acheon ordered him to sit down, and was amazed when Ercus obeyed. He returned with his waterskin full. Ercus drank gratefully. Then he casually tossed the waterskin aside and pulled Acheon to him.
Acheon didn't resist.