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Àzuen closed his eyes and moaned in silence as another thick load of semen spurted into his muzzle. He held it on his palate for a moment while he instinctively flicked his tongue over his urethra, suckling up the last dregs from his cock; the wolf couldn't resist indulging in the salty, musky taste and gooey texture of his own sperm before he gulped. Despite the fact that Àzuen's head was detached from his body and currently sitting on the wooden table--and his blue, knotted cock was disconnected from his groin but still lodged in his mouth as it was spasming--he could feel the large, slimy wad slip satisfyingly down his throat. The wolf bit down softly on his dick to hold it in place; he was trying not to overstimulate himself too much with his teeth and tongue, but he still panted to catch his breath, and he shivered as his warm, harsh exhales rushed over his sensitive rod.

"Four times is quite impressive, I must say," Galos mused as he watched the show. "I initially thought you'd have only been good for two, but color me impressed."

The shirtless ram had been sitting next to the wooden table, observing the entire time. Galos had taken notes throughout each of Àzuen's four climaxes, the ram tilting his horned head in fascination as his wolf slave came again and again. And all the while, the rest of Àzuen's body stood obediently next to one of the large bookcases, occasionally thrusting its hips during each orgasm--iridescent silver capped the stumps where the wolf's head and cock should have been, the result of Galos's experimentation with modular portals. Galos turned to see Àzuen's testicles start to loosen and descend from his groin again as the wolf's orgasm passed and his muscles relaxed; the ram quickly scratched a few more notes on the parchment in front of him, then sighed heavily before he laid down his quill and surveyed the slave he had purchased from the market earlier that day.

"But I do think that's enough for you, at least for now," Galos said thoughtfully, leaning forward to pull the disembodied erection from Àzuen's mouth; it came free from his lips with a wet pop, and the wolf smiled gratefully. "We need to give you some additional motivation for your work, after all," the ram continued. He stood from his stool, and Àzuen could see the prominent bulge in Galos's pants as the ram strode over to the canine body standing by and pushed his cock back into place in his groin. Àzuen mutely groaned at the sensation of his dick being reattached, then raised his eyebrows hopefully as Galos turned around to look at him again. "Earning just your voice privileges won't be enough to optimize your performance in my service--I think a good round of chastity should help do the trick, too."

Àzuen's eyes widened, and Galos chuckled.

"Oh, you thought you'd earn your voice back after simply orgasming four times for me and getting through a single day's experiment?" the ram smirked. "You really weren't the brightest thief, were you? I suppose it's a good thing I purchased you and took you off the streets, one might wonder how you'd survive with your...intelligence," he finished sarcastically.

The wolf--who had been rendered silent thanks to his master's alchemy--scoffed soundlessly as Galos plucked a full jar of a blue potion from one of his shelves and turned to face Àzuen's body again. While Àzuen couldn't see what Galos was doing from his current vantage point on the table, the slave could feel the alchemist's wet fingertip drag through his fur in a circle around the base of his sheath. Àzuen then heard Galos snap his fingers, and a jolt ran up the wolf's spine, as if he'd been lightly kicked in the groin, when he felt his softening cock instantly retract into his sheath. Àzuen gasped at the sensation while the ram smugly said, "That should do it." Galos addressed Àzuen as he replaced the potion jar on the shelf. "The spell will prevent any erections unless I command otherwise, it will stop you from getting your hands on your dick, and it will hold for as long as I deem necessary--it's up to you how long that will be. Good behavior might have the spell released sooner, and poor performance...well, I'm sure even you can work that out," he said condescendingly.

Àzuen clenched his jaw as he glared up at Galos, but the ram simply rolled his eyes and picked up the wolf's disembodied head, continuing to speak as he carried him back to his body. "Oh, I know this must seem like such an indignity--no talking and no pleasuring yourself--but I really could make it so much worse for you. For instance, I could remove your genitals completely and lock them away somewhere. Or I could force you to sleep outside without a shred of clothing. I could starve you until you're nothing but skin and bone, or I could have you flogged every hour on the hour until you beg for someone to kill you and put you out of your misery."

Galos placed Àzuen's head on top of his neck and pushed down, reconnecting his cranium to the rest of his body. The ram then wiped away the silver line that encircled Àzuen's throat as he continued, "I could do all of that, but I believe you'll respond to the promise of these rewards better."

Àzuen, back in one piece again, grumbled in silence as Galos went on, "I think that, as you start your new life of servitude under me, you consider how enjoyable an existence this can be. You'll have a roof over your head, meals, a certain amount of freedom, engaging work in my laboratory and home--you'll even have goals you can work towards!"

When Galos finished wiping away the remains of the modular portal spell he'd been testing, he looked Àzuen squarely in the eye. "And your life will be exponentially better the harder you work and the more you prove yourself trustworthy. That will truly be the key to earning your voice privileges back."

Àzuen sighed, then glanced down meaningfully at his crotch, where it felt like his cock was locked inside his sheath, which, in turn, felt like it was being forcibly squeezed closed, save for the tip of his glans and urethra, which just barely poked out. Galos followed Àzuen's gaze, then laughed and patted the wolf on his broad, muscular shoulder. "Yes, you'll earn that back, too. Hard work, obedience, loyalty--even a little initiative can go a long way towards your release."

The ram chuckled again as he then began to lead the naked wolf to another door on the far side of his laboratory. "In the meantime, you've had a long day. I have a room for you--it's nothing too fancy, but it should be comfortable enough for you, and I should have some clothes in there for you, too. Now, you'll need to wake up early so you can..."

Àzuen huffed as he listened to Galos drone on about his responsibilities while his body--previously enchanted to follow his master's directives--obediently trailed in the ram's footsteps.

---

Àzuen's first day started before dawn, when he awoke in the small chamber Galos had prepared for him. The room was just big enough for a twin-sized bed, a desk (which held a pitcher and bowl), and a chest of drawers, which contained only a few pairs of black capri pants and a simple, brown leather bulldog harness. After donning his uniform and washing his face in the bowl on his desk, the wolf padded through the main floor of the house and drew the curtains in the living room, dining room, library, and parlor. He then walked into the brightly-lit kitchen, where he was to help the cook--an older, tall opossum named Parma--prepare breakfast.

"Don't suppose you've done much cooking before, have you?" Parma asked him as he dried his hands after washing them.

Àzuen shrugged noncommittally, then wagged a hand in a "so-so" motion.

Parma grumbled and cast her gaze around the kitchen. "Do you know how to dice an onion?"

The wolf raised a puzzled eyebrow.

"Dice? You know, chop finely into little cubes." Parma mimed cutting with a knife.

Àzuen smiled thinly and nodded.

"Alright, you can get started with the veg over there," Parma directed, pointing at the onions, spinach, mushrooms, and tomatoes that sat next to a cutting board and knife on the counter.

The opossum busied herself with preparing the stove and bowls she'd need while Àzuen took his station. As he picked up the knife, a sudden plan came to mind: He could incapacitate Parma, run to Galos's room and stab him while he had the element of surprise, and then get away free. It would be easy enough, he just had to be fast and stealthy.

His hand trembled for a second, and he almost began to turn from the counter.

Before he could stop himself, Àzuen dutifully picked up the large, white onion in front of him, placed it on the cutting board, and began dicing it. The wolf sighed, defeated--he would've done it; he wasn't above stabbing the ram who had bought and abused him yesterday, but of course, Galos's spell must be preventing him from taking any action to escape. As much as he imagined turning around and bashing Parma in the head with a cast iron skillet to stun her, he stayed rooted to the spot. His eyes watered and stung from the onion, which he soon finished chopping, and Àzuen sullenly moved on to slicing the mushrooms while Parma, unaware of his plotting, hummed to herself.

Sunlight was peeking through the window by the time he was done with the rest of the vegetables. He laid down his knife and ferried the full cutting board over to Parma, who was currently preparing a plate of orange slices.

"Not bad," the opossum observed with a wry grin. She nodded at the large, oiled skillet on the stove. "Dump them in there."

The onions, mushrooms, spinach, and tomatoes sizzled as they went into the pan, and Àzuen followed Parma's directions to stir occasionally as she added salt and pepper to the mix.

"Much as I appreciate the help in the kitchen, I don't think it's the only thing Mister Galos has in store for you," Parma mused wistfully as the wolf stirred and flipped the vegetables. "Still, we might make a decent cook out of you yet. As I understand it, you didn't have much opportunity to learn, did you?"

Àzuen cocked his head, unsure of how to answer, and the opossum patted him on the back before the tea kettle on the stove began to whistle.

"You might've been dealt a poor hand when you started off, but you're here now," Parma said bracingly as she removed the kettle and poured steaming hot water into a porcelain pot. "I'm sure if there's one thing you learned before you were sold, it was to make the most of your situation. I can understand you might not be thrilled about the current arrangement, but think about how you can make the most of it. Already off to a good start this morning, that's all browning very nicely," she noted as she looked at the skillet. She then glanced back at Àzuen. "Just take this a day at a time."

Even though Àzuen nodded appreciatively, his mind was turning over everything he'd heard, trying to pick it apart. Why was she being so...compassionate? No, she hadn't hugged him and welcomed him with open arms, but he had been expecting someone gruff, someone who would relish having control over him. Had Galos told her to be nice to him to get him to soften up and be more vulnerable, more pliable? Was she just manipulating him? Or was she genuinely decent? He kept mulling it over, uncertain and uneasy, while the opossum kept herself busy for a while with her other breakfast-related tasks.

"There, I think we're ready--see how everything's got a nice singe to it? It's cooked, but not overdone or burnt," Parma eventually pointed out, getting the wolf's attention again, and he saw how crisp and cooked the vegetables were. He watched Parma turn down the heat before she poured a large bowl of beaten eggs into the skillet and took over the cooking.

"I'll finish up here," she said, stirring the bubbling eggs. "You pour that tea for Mister Galos and take it to him--he likes two sugar cubes. And help him get dressed and let him know breakfast will be ready soon."

Àzuen poured the dark, lavender-scented tea into a jade green cup and added two sugar cubes to it before he stirred to make them dissolve. He held the hot cup by the handle and slowly strode from the kitchen, careful not to jostle the tea too much as he ambled down the hall, to the left, and up the stairs. On the second floor landing, Àzuen knocked on the door.

"Come!" Galos's imperious voice was muffled behind the door, which Àzuen pushed open at his master's command.

The ram's quarters took up the entire second floor--in the center of the room was a king-sized bed in a four-poster frame, with pale blue drapes hanging from the beams and hiding Galos from view. A brass tub that was large enough to comfortably seat four full-grown people stood by the floor-to-ceiling windows that looked out on the back garden, and while one wall was devoted to a wardrobe, a full-length mirror, a writing desk, and a few armchairs, there was a more formal sitting area that had been set up next to the green-tiled fireplace on the far wall. In the morning light that streamed through the window, Àzuen saw that the fireplace's mantel had been adorned with portraits of other rams, a diploma, a statue of a burly, bare-chested hyena, and a coat of arms that contained a pair of ram's horns, a lotus, and an ornate letter G.

As Àzuen padded into the room, he heard a soft rustling coming from the bed--assuming that Galos was simply shifting in his bedsheets, the wolf gently placed the cup of tea on the nightstand and proceeded to draw the curtains. When he pulled back the heavy linens, Àzuen saw Galos reclining in bed, the sheets pushed down to reveal that he was completely naked, and using one hand to conjure a small, softly glowing apparition of a bear fucking a young kangaroo in the air before him, while his other hand was pumping his thick shaft. Àzuen took an abashed step back.

"No, no, stay...watch," Galos huffed, his eyes still on the bear, who was pounding the kangaroo on his back. The marsupial was silently grunting as he threw his head back in visible ecstasy while the bear's hips mutely banged into his rump and his belly spilled over the boy's back. The bear was clenching his jaw as he diligently fucked the kangaroo while his partner's large feet rested on his shoulders. Àzuen, having no choice but to heed his master's command, stayed put and watched the ram work himself up more and more, his fingers gliding over his morning wood, which was leaking pre. "Just...about...huuunngh!"

Galos's hips thrust upward as a jet of semen arced high from his cock and landed on his chest. More ropes of cum erupted as the ram continued furiously stroking through his orgasm, and Àzuen felt a stirring in his own loins--his cock twitched and throbbed in his sheath, but the chastity spell Galos had used prevented him from doing much more than that. The wolf watched in both jealousy and contempt as Galos freely splattered his chest and stomach with his load, and soon the ram's strokes slowed to a stop, and he caught his breath as he released both his grip on his cock and the apparition. The bear and kangaroo--still fucking wildly--faded from view, and Galos looked up at Àzuen.

"Well...I think you know what's next," Galos hinted.

Reluctantly obeying the whims of the alchemist's magic, Àzuen crawled onto the bed and knelt over Galos, taking care not to touch the ram with his hands. He huffed to himself as he leaned in close to Galos's abdomen and dragged his tongue through his master's coarse fur, licking up the globs of semen before they dried and set too deeply into the white and gray coat. The ram sighed contentedly as Àzuen worked his way from his belly button, along his stomach, and up to his chest, sniffing out and lapping up every drop of musky, viscous fluid. When there was no more to be found on Galos's torso, Àzuen turned his attention to the ram's flagging cock, where the last dregs oozed and drooled from his urethra.

"Oof, there...that's good," Galos murmured; he jumped when Àzuen sealed his lips around his still sensitive cockhead and suckled on it. As much as he detested the notion of serving his master this way, the wolf found himself using his tongue to milk out the remaining few drops. He couldn't do anything other than swallow, and the whole load slid down his throat as he released the ram's glans. "Very good...ah, very good indeed," Galos sighed as Àzuen finished. The ram rubbed his face tiredly and yawned, then waved a dismissive hand for Àzuen to get out of the bed again.

Àzuen, still tasting the musky semen on his tongue, stood at attention as Galos swung himself off of the mattress and up to his feet. When the ram was ready, Àzuen handed him the cup of tea--the heat from the cup scorched his hand as he proffered the handle to Galos, which the ram accepted before blowing on the drink and taking a sip. "Aahh...now, to start the day. Parma has breakfast waiting for me?"

Àzuen nodded.

"Good, good..." Galos trailed off before taking another sip of tea. He yawned again, then nodded toward the wardrobe. Àzuen took the signal and padded over to it while Galos lazily trailed behind him. "I think I'd like to wear red today."

Àzuen opened the wardrobe and saw an entire collection of britches, shirts, robes, and jackets. Unsure of where to start, the wolf hesitantly reached for a robe.

"Jacket," Galos corrected him with a chuckle.

Àzuen switched sides of the wardrobe and pulled out a deep red coat, then turned around to show it to Galos.

"I said red, not maroon," Galos told him before another sip of tea.

The wolf wanted to roll his eyes, but he controlled himself and returned the maroon coat to the wardrobe, then selected a lighter red piece.

"Good," the ram said when he saw the jacket.

Àzuen laid the jacket on one of the armchairs and pulled out a loose, white shirt and a pair of black britches, which Galos also approved. He set his teacup on one of the nearby tables and allowed Àzuen to pull the shirt over his head.

"Did you have a decent start of it in the kitchen?" Galos asked as he pushed his arms through the sleeves.

Àzuen nodded respectfully as he helped straighten the shirt. He then picked up the black britches and held them near Galos's feet for him to step into.

"Parma has been with me for quite some time, I've always enjoyed her cooking, and she's good company," Galos said while Àzuen pulled his pants up. "You didn't give her any trouble, did you?"

The wolf shook his head as he tucked Galos's shirt into his pants and buttoned the waistband.

"Good, that's the last thing she needs. I'd like to give her some additional time off in the future," Galos went on while the slave silently helped him into his jacket. "I'm hopeful that you can learn a few tricks from her, to fill in as needed, so keep your ears and eyes open when she teaches you."

Galos looked at himself in the mirror before he snapped his fingers. Gold rings appeared on his curled horns, and a gold necklace with a jade pendant appeared around his throat. Àzuen watched the ram preen himself for a moment before Galos said, "Decent for your first time dressing me, but get your colors right next time."

Àzuen dutifully nodded, and Galos turned to face him. "Well, back downstairs--Parma should have something for you while we eat. After you clean up from breakfast, go wake Vidan; he usually doesn't eat until lunch, so he can sleep a little longer in the meantime."

The wolf followed Galos downstairs, and while the ram went to the dining room to take his breakfast, Àzuen returned to the kitchen, where Parma had a blueberry scone, two pieces of bacon, and a hard-boiled egg waiting on the table. Àzuen looked cautiously at the tall opossum, glanced down at the food, then at Parma again, his eyebrows raised.

"Yes, that's for you," Parma told him.

He smiled gratefully and held his hands in front of him, as if in prayer and thanks, and Parma returned the smile.

"Wash up when you're done, and I'll be back with the dishes when we're finished in there," she said before bustling out of the kitchen with the teapot and into the dining room to join Galos. Àzuen could hear their muffled conversation for a moment before he tuned it out and turned his attention to the breakfast before him.

The scone was unlike anything he'd ever eaten in his life--sweet, moist, and fluffy, the flavors and textures eliminated any hint of Galos's cum that remained in his mouth, and the scone's warmth seemed to fill him even more substantially than the food's nutritional value alone. He scarfed down the egg before gobbling up the bacon--Àzuen couldn't remember the last time he'd eaten like this; food had always been a struggle when he was growing up, and it became even harder when he'd turned to a life of crime. He'd figured than when he was captured and destined for the slave market, he'd be forced to subsist on only moldy scraps, but who knew that this was what had been waiting for him? As loath as he was to admit it, Àzuen had to acknowledge that Galos had been right yesterday; he could have made things so much worse for the wolf.

By the time Àzuen had finished washing, drying, and putting away his plate, the skillet, pots, knives, spoons, and cutting boards, Parma returned with the rest of the used dishes from the dining room. Àzuen dutifully washed those, too, while the opossum finished a cup of her own tea and put on her coat to depart, giving him a good-bye wave on her way out.

When the wolf had finished cleaning the kitchen, he checked the dining room to see that it had been cleared out, too; Galos had probably gone down to his lab, which left Àzuen to go wake Vidan.

Galos had mentioned his assistant last night when he'd told Àzuen about his duties and responsibilities while getting him settled in his chambers. Vidan was in training at the academy and assisting Galos as part of his coursework, and Àzuen would have to obey him, too.

The wolf strode down the hall, past his room and beyond the stairs to the door on the right. Àzuen thought he heard a rhythmic rocking, and his mind immediately returned to his earlier experience with Galos, when he'd disregarded a sound and had to service his master. Àzuen gulped as he heard the rocking through the door this time; there was a gruff, muffled groan, leaving no doubt in the wolf's mind about what was going on in Vidan's room. He didn't want to do it, but he had a task to complete, and his master's command compelled him to knock on the door and push it open.

The scene wasn't quite what Àzuen had expected, but he'd been close enough.

Àzuen got an eyeful of a tall, muscular Great Dane's spotted, taut ass and wagging tail as he was humping hard and fast into Vidan, who was on his hands and knees on his bed. The younger raccoon was groaning while the Great Dane's knot plopped wetly and sloppily in and out of his stretched hole--Àzuen could see the canine's balls swinging back and forth with the force of pushing and pulling his knot through Vidan's sphincter, and his large hands held onto the raccoon's hips, surging his smaller partner back and forth against his pelvis like a cocksleeve. Àzuen saw Vidan's toes curl and spread in pleasure as he got roughly fucked on his bed, and the raccoon's bushy, ringed tail swayed from the rapid humping.

"Mmf--damn, you're so warm and tight," the Great Dane growled as he hunched over for better leverage. "I could...stay in you all day."

"Just--ungh--walk around with me on your big cock, huh?" Vidan returned playfully.

"Exactly, boy...just let me fill you all day long..."

From the way the two of them were going at it, it was clear to Àzuen that neither Vidan nor the Great Dane had heard him knock and open the door. But when Vidan looked back to gaze at his partner, he caught a glimpse of Àzuen and grinned wickedly.

"You gonna...load me up?" the raccoon asked, his eyes still on Àzuen.

"Huunngh fuck, boy...where do you want it?" the Great Dane, oblivious to the wolf standing in the doorway behind him, moaned.

"Fucking...breed me, sir," Vidan grunted; he hung his head, too caught up in the throes of ecstasy to keep watching Àzuen.

"Mmmf...you asked for it," the Great Dane said, grabbing hold of Vidan's tail and yanking on it. He sped up his humping, and Àzuen could hear the wet pop-op-op of his knot repeatedly plopping in and out of Vidan. "Gonna...give you...hmmff...a whole...fucking litter!"

The canine hilted himself in Vidan, growling and quivering as his legs and ass shook, and he flopped forward on the raccoon's back while his hips continued pumping until he stilled.

"Uuunngghh ffffuuuck!" Vidan moaned--between the Great Dane's legs and Vidan's legs in front of him, Àzuen could see the raccoon shooting copious white ropes onto the bedsheets under him.

The wolf stood still in the doorframe, unsure of how to proceed...but after a minute, Vidan spoke up. "Think we...got an audience for that."

"What?" the Great Dane yelped as he immediately straightened up; he craned his neck to see Àzuen standing there. "The fuck are you--"

"Lord Tabris, that's our new slave," Vidan said tiredly over the indignant Great Dane. "Slave, this is Lord Gabriel Tabris of Swinden--you won't be mentioning his little indiscretion to anyone, will you?"

Àzuen nodded obediently, compelled by Galos's enchantment once again.

"There, nothing to worry about," Vidan said soothingly as he patted Tabris's thigh.

"Hmf...you're sure?" the Great Dane asked, his ears pinned back nervously.

"Master Galos made him obey me, it'll be fine. Besides, he doesn't have his voice," Vidan replied airily. Before Tabris could say anything, Vidan groaned and scooted forward off of his cock--the canine's red erection plopped out and swung down between his legs, along with a thick, sludgy torrent of cum that fell with a splat onto the bed sheets. Vidan turned to survey the mess and looked past Tabris at Àzuen as he said, "Slave, wait outside and close the door while we get dressed."

Àzuen huffed silently and did as he was told. Through the door, he heard the muffled sounds of Vidan and Tabris softly muttering to each other as they got off the bed and into their clothes. After a few minutes, the door opened again, and Tabris--now dressed in a black suit--stalked past Àzuen without saying a word and out the side door. Vidan, however, was still in his bedroom.

"You can come back in," he called, and Àzuen slipped back inside his chambers. Vidan, now dressed in khaki britches, a white shirt, and a gray vest, studied Àzuen and kept his arms folded to his chest. "I don't appreciate being spied on like that," he said bluntly.

Àzuen opened his mouth to protest, but not a sound came out, and Vidan held up his hand. "I know you didn't mean to, and to be honest it...enhanced the situation. But I wish you hadn't seen that. I'm on thin ice with Master Galos already, this would be the end of my assistantship with him if he found out," Vidan sighed, then looked at his messy room--other clothes were strewn on the floor, there were papers and quills scattered across his desk, and his bed was in shambles and stank of semen. "Look, just...clean this up, and let's pretend this didn't happen."

As Àzuen clenched his jaw and glared angrily at Vidan, the raccoon continued, "I'll also tell Master Galos that you volunteered to clean for me...that'll help you get closer to getting your voice back, right?"

Àzuen's expression softened at the suggestion, and he exhaled softly, realizing that the raccoon was right. And besides, it would be fair, wouldn't it? He'd walked in on Vidan in the act, cleaning his room would be his repayment, and his silence in exchange for Vidan putting in a good word with Galos would make them even. He nodded.

"Alright...thanks," Vidan said meekly before he walked past Àzuen, leaving the wolf in his room.

It took Àzuen the better part of an hour to attend to Vidan's room. First he picked up Vidan's clothes, straightened up his desk, and swapped out the sheets on his bed. Even though the raccoon's room was only a little bigger than Àzuen's own small chamber, somehow Vidan had managed to make a mess the size of Galos's room. After gathering up the clothes and sheets to be laundered, Àzuen trooped out to the backyard, where he filled a tub with water and began to scrub. Birds sang in the morning light as he toiled over the washing. The raccoon's clothes were easy enough to clean--he tended to smelly shirts and britches and delicately rinsed off a few vests and jackets before hanging them all from the clothesline to dry. But the bedsheets took extra scrubbing with how much semen was staining them; Àzuen observed not only the two most recent thick splatters, but also numerous stains that had to be weeks, if not months, old. Even when he was a thief, Àzuen took better care of his bedding (not that there was much to take care of)--Vidan, on the other hand, appeared to sleep more in cum than in linens. The wolf grumbled to himself, but he worked hard to have evidence of his diligence to show Galos when he was done; eventually the stains faded completely, and while dark water sloshed in the tub, Àzuen hung Vidan's sheets to dry.

After dumping the murky laundry water and returning the tub, brush, and soap to their proper places, Àzuen went back into the house and descended the stairs to the lower level, where the laboratory was. He heard Galos talking to Vidan, but the ram stopped and turned when Àzuen knocked on the door.

"There you are," Galos said icily.

The wolf paused, confused by his master's tone.

"Vidan tells me you woke him up and then left him to get ready--where were you?" Galos demanded.

Àzuen silently spluttered, then looked at the raccoon, who was currently behind Galos and hunched over one of the lab tables taking notes. Vidan grinned deviously at the slave, and in an instant, Àzuen put two and two together: Vidan had lied!

Flustered, the wolf threw up his hands and began to mouth angrily at Vidan, forgetting for a moment that he couldn't use his voice--the raccoon, however, sat innocently while Galos waved his hand dismissively and turned to face the blackboard, ignoring Àzuen's silent outburst. "Whatever you may have been doing, I suggest you reflect on how today's performance will impact your privileges. Make yourself useful and clean out the chamber pots before you complete the rest of your duties."

Defeated, Àzuen turned and trudged back upstairs; he spared one last glance at Vidan, who winked at him with a shit-eating grin on his face. Àzuen grumbled in silence and continued up the main floor, leaving the alchemist and his treacherous assistant to their work while he would seek out the chamber pots.

---

Over the following fortnight, Àzuen began to settle into a routine. His days would start early, with preparing the house for the day and helping Parma with breakfast. He'd help Galos get dressed, wake Vidan, and then attend to menial tasks throughout the day. Àzuen would eat his solitary breakfasts and dinners that had been made by Parma, while he was left to fend for himself for lunch after preparing food for Galos and Vidan, and after a long day of work, he would hastily wash himself in the tub outside in the backyard before crawling back into his small bed for the night.

During those two weeks, Àzuen did his best to steer clear of Vidan, but it wasn't easy to avoid the vindictive young raccoon; the house was only so big, and Àzuen couldn't make himself as scarce as he would have liked. For the whole fortnight, it was like the alchemist's assistant created clumsy hurricanes all over the house, dropping plates, papers, and inkpots. Vidan presented Àzuen with messy bed sheets repeatedly, some of the stains clearly semen while others appeared to be food-related. The raccoon would stick his foot out whenever Àzuen walked by him, whether they were passing each other in the hall or Àzuen was clearing up a workstation that Vidan happened to be sitting at. And all the while, Àzuen couldn't say a word in his own defense; instead, he watched out for Vidan's antics and was forced to swallow his pride and clean up after the raccoon, and it didn't appear that Vidan would stop anytime soon.

In addition to doing his best not to provoke Vidan, Àzuen used those two weeks to work hard in an effort to thaw Galos again. The wolf had never been much for domestic tasks in his previous life, but he quickly picked up on the skills that would keep him in Galos's good graces: He made sandwiches for his master's lunches and kept his home spotless without being asked; he kept the kitchen clean while Parma worked, and under the opossum's tutelage, he presented a homemade apple dumpling for Galos's dessert one evening; he tended to the garden in the backyard, pulling weeds and watering plants; he kept Galos's sheets and clothes well-laundered and in good repair, sewing buttons and patching holes as needed; when he woke his master for breakfast, he offered Galos his hand or mouth for the ram's morning wood if he desired it...

And eventually Galos began to smile when he saw Àzuen.

"I need--yes, that's good, thank you," the ram said when Àzuen brought him the book he was about to ask for before he could say the title.

"I haven't seen the garden look this good in a long time," he observed when he stepped out into the backyard one afternoon while Àzuen was pruning a hydrangea.

"You added brandy to this, didn't you, you sly dog," Galos chuckled after taking a sip of the coffee Àzuen handed him when he needed a pick-me-up during a long day in the lab.

"There's a good cocksucker, bright and early," Galos murmured when Àzuen drew the curtains on his four-poster bed in the morning.

By the end of that fortnight, Àzuen felt as though he could take pride in his work while still entertaining visions of escape--he still refused to accept that he would be working for Galos forever, and Àzuen was still generally indignant about being made into a slave in the first place; thoughts of escape filled his mind constantly, and visions of what he would do with his freedom ran rampantly through his imagination.

But Àzuen was coming to terms with the fact that, on some level, he felt good about working hard to earn his voice and cock back. He was accomplishing something...it rankled that he had lost basic control over two vital aspects of his body in the first place and had to put in the work for them, but he was moving in a positive direction. At least, he thought he was. The trouble was that Galos had made no indication that the slave was any closer to his goal; the ram never broached the subject during those two weeks, never even a hint of how soon Galos would restore his voice or let him get an erection. Àzuen desperately wanted to ask, but he had a strong hunch that the moment he wrote his question or glanced meaningfully at Galos, the ram would increase whatever arbitrary time restriction he'd imposed.

But Àzuen took it as a good sign that Galos ordered the wolf to accompany him to the market one day. It was his first time out of the house, apart from when he would work in the backyard--even though he was in Galos's service, Àzuen felt a small degree of freedom when he followed the ram out the front door and down the street.

Àzuen trailed behind Galos, staying within a few feet of his master as the ram strode through the market and stopped at various stalls to peruse what the vendors had on offer. As the wolf followed his master, Àzuen caught the eyes of a few other slaves who had been brought to the market, too--some were led around by bound wrists attached to the leashes in their masters' hands, some were adorned with heavy jewels meant to disguise chains and detract from bruised eyes and bandaged arms, and others were dressed in the finest clothes Àzuen had seen, making it hard for him to identify them as slaves if it weren't for the tight choker collars around their necks. Àzuen sighed and looked down at himself as he kept walking; the wolf didn't feel self-conscious dressed in only his harness and black capris--it was obvious he was a slave, too--and he was glad that he didn't have to walk around with physical chains like the other slaves at the market...but despair tugged at him all the same. His bonds were much harder to get rid of than simple shackles.

"Caryx! It's good to see you."

Galos's voice distracted Àzuen from his reverie, and the wolf looked up to see his master talking with a towering, portly, red and orange-scaled wingless dragon dressed in black and wearing gold rings on his horns.

"I was wondering when I might bump into you!" the dragon, Caryx, said jovially as he shook Galos's hand--he was two feet taller than both Galos and Àzuen, and his large belly quaked under his tight jacket as he moved. "You've been holed up in that lab of yours for quite some time, haven't you?"

"Work to do, discoveries to make, assistants to train--it never ends," Galos chuckled; he cast a quick glance back at Àzuen, who stood still a few feet away with his hands respectfully behind his back. "You've been well?"

"Mostly," Caryx said, resting a hand on his stomach. "Business has been good, although my son wants to join the Ranger's Guild; I've been trying to talk him out of it and get him to go to the academy instead."

"Your father was in the guild, wasn't he?"

"And it nearly tore the family apart," Caryx groaned. "Not an environment I want for Vastor, I don't think he'd do well in it, and if I ever have to hear one more story about roving the countryside..."

"Well, you know I'd be delighted to write him a recommendation for the academy if he chooses that route," Galos said, patting the dragon on the arm.

"I might take you up on that if I can convince him," Caryx chuckled.

"Of course, it's no trouble at all," Galos said. "Although you don't want him to come work with you?"

"Vastor, an oil merchant?" Caryx guffawed. "No, the further away he is from my offices, the better." He sighed before he took another look over Galos's shoulder at Àzuen. "I'd heard through the grapevine that you bought a slave--how's he been doing for you?"

"He's a decent worker, and he's learning well," Galos said--a swell of hope rose in Àzuen's chest at the feedback he overheard. "He doesn't complain much...but then, he doesn't have voice privileges."

Caryx laughed and playfully smacked Galos's arm. "Now why am I not surprised you did that!" He called over to Àzuen, "Your master's a crafty bastard, be careful with him!" Still chortling, the large dragon wrapped an arm over Galos's shoulder, pulling the ram in closer. "Actually, it's a good coincidence you're here, I was wondering if you might have a moment to discuss a business opportunity?"

Galos nodded thoughtfully. "Slave, stay here, I'll be back shortly," he instructed Àzuen before he strode off with Caryx out of earshot.

Àzuen watched the dragon speaking into his master's ear, then Galos shook his head as he and Caryx disappeared behind a stall. Still in his place, Àzuen cast a wandering eye around the market. Vendors were calling out products and prices, customers were haggling for the best deals, shop assistants were carrying crates while youngsters sat near the fountains and ate the candy their parents had bought them, women were gossiping with each other and...

CLANG, CLANG, CLANG.

Àzuen's ears flicked at the source of the ringing, and he turned on the spot to see people gathering in front of the raised stage that he remembered from only weeks ago.

He was too far away to hear what was being said on the stage, but Àzuen could see the slaver who had hunted him down and sold him to Galos. He clenched his jaw and his blood boiled at the sight of the leather kilt and cowl-wearing bull strutting across the stage, stirring the crowd into an excited mass as he started to auction off a new group of slaves. From this distance, Àzuen could see a lynx, a lion with his mane shorn off, a Bernese Mountain Dog, two iguanas, and a fox all chained to the auction posts on the stage.

The wolf could remember how fast his heart had beat when he'd been on the stage; Àzuen had thought it would hammer out of his chest with how furious he was. Yes, he'd been a thief, and yes, he'd deserved some punishment for his crimes. But to be sold into slavery instead of serving his time in prison, and for what? A few extra gold coins in the bull's pocket? He was a living, breathing, conscious being, not some object to be bartered away and stripped of his rights. Even acknowledging the fact that his circumstances under Galos's ownership could be much worse, Àzuen fumed at the indignity.

He wanted to run through the crowd and leap onto the stage. He wanted to punch the bull in his cocky face and throttle him for what the slaver had done. He wanted to set the whole market on fire with everyone in it for keeping the slave trade going. He wanted Galos to see the manifestation of his rage before he used the ram's own modular portal spell to divide him into pieces and drop each limb into the deepest caves and wells he could find.

Instead, stuck to the spot on his master's command, Àzuen spat in anger before he turned away from the spectacle on the stage.

He looked over at a rug merchant who was in the middle of a sale, and Àzuen contemplated a mandala pattern on one of the rugs that hung from the vendor's stall.

He took a few calming breaths.

As he looked at the pattern, Àzuen pushed the slave auction behind him to the back of his mind.

That had been the past. There was no use agonizing over what he could have done, should have done, or would have done.

He needed to be thinking about the future. He needed to plan carefully.

A rabbit slave passed by in front of the mandala-patterned rug, her head bowed dutifully as she carried a crate in her arms behind her master. Àzuen realized that that was what he'd have to do when Galos returned and began shopping properly. He'd be carrying everything the ram dumped on him.

No...

No, he'd have to do better than that.

Àzuen realized everything he'd been doing in his work had been...what Galos had expected. Decent. The minimum effort needed to be a good slave.

The wolf would have to step up if he wanted his voice and cock back. What was it the ram had said? "A little initiative would go a long way..."

The wheels in Àzuen's mind began turning, considering how far he would have to go to truly be trustworthy...

"It was a pleasure chatting with you."

"The pleasure was mine! Let me know if there's anything I can do to change your mind."

At the sound of the two familiar voices, Àzuen turned around to see Galos and Caryx circling back to him. They shook hands before parting ways, and Àzuen saw Galos was grinning to himself as he approached. Àzuen raised his eyebrows, signaling he was ready for his master. Galos nodded to him and walked by, and the wolf followed the ram once more. Àzuen did his best to ignore the slave auction in the background while he obediently tailed Galos from shop to shop, and he stood by attentively as Galos negotiated prices with different vendors. Eventually, Àzuen's arms were piled with robes, books, fruits and herbs, potion bottles, silver and platinum ingots, a jar of slugs, a small, heavy wood and iron chest, chalk, and more. The wolf strained under the cumbersome weight of Galos's purchases, but he didn't let the effort show on his face; instead, he hefted everything in his grasp, to the point that when Galos finally looked back at the wolf, he was surprised to see Àzuen carrying so much.

"Well, I'd say that was a productive day, wouldn't you?" Galos said absently as he and Àzuen finally began walking back from the market.

Àzuen nodded as he wore a pleasant smile that masked the plotting taking place in his mind.