Prisoner of War
#1 of Mercenary Desire
Mercenary Desire
Chapter 1
Prisoner of War
================
First draft: 20 Aug 07
Release date: 26 Aug 07
Disclaimer: This story is (c) Sable Gryphon (ebongryphon at hotmail dot com)
This story contains sexual acts between furry males and includes, but not limited to, Bondage, Domination, Humiliation, Drug Use, and Watersports. Please, do not read this story if you are underage. It will be here when you are of legal age.
Redistribution is AUTHORIZED for non-commercial purposes and only if the disclaimer and copyright information is also redistributed with the story in an unaltered state.
Special thanks to Firebreath and Greg Kalavitis for proofreading and suggestions.
This is my first yiffy story ever, so any feedback would be much appreciated.
================
Prylon closed his eyes for a moment, feeling the cool night breeze chill the sweet on his brow. The scent of pine filled the nose of the mongoose warrior. The full moon bathed the small forest clearing in a silvery glow. The waist high grass that filled the glade waved in the light wind. The peaceful scene was broken by the dark form of a massive bear warrior.
Prylon shook himself to settle the scale armor and seat the steel helmet that clad his wiry form. He flexed his hand, stretching it twice before grasping the hilt of his sword at his side. He kept his eyes on the form in front of him. The ursine, clad in dark stiff leather armor slowly drew a large wickedly bladed axe from his back, gripping the large weapon in both paws.
"What do we have here, creeping about in the night?" the bear rumbled in a deep voice, shattering the peaceful night. "Why would an armor clad warrior be approaching our camp under the cover of darkness?"
In response, Prylon slowly unsheathed his sword, bringing the naked steel between them. He shook the small shield free of his left hand, knowing that it would do no good against the axe held by the confident ursine sentry and would hurt his balance and mobility. The bear had to be over 6'6" and was at least 300 pounds of muscle. The much smaller mongoose knew he had to use his speed and agility to deal with this bear quickly to continue on his mission.
The bear grinned at the sight of the sword and crouched slightly before launching himself into a quick attack, springing forward and bringing his axe down in a diagonal strike at where the mongoose was standing moments before.
Prylon knew he couldn't parry effectively against someone more that twice his size and sprang to the side, narrowly dodging the lethal axe by moving forward into the bears guard, bring his sword down on the thigh of the bear. The mongoose felt the blade sink into the armor but not deep into the leg below. Suddenly the bear lashed out with a backhand, his paw smashing into Prylon's chest and knocking him away from the bear. Prylon Silvermoon crouched and narrowed his eyes at his opponent. He had underestimated the large warrior's reflexes.
The bear rose to his full height, seeming not to notice the shallow wound on his leg. In a blur of motion he launched himself at the mongoose, swinging in a long, vicious horizontal arc. Prylon threw himself back and sucked in breath, barely taking himself outside the deadly arc, and then throwing himself into a lunge the moment the axe passed. His lunge took the point of the sword into the bear's right bicep, sinking deep into his arm. Before the bear could react, Prylon threw himself backwards into a guard. The bear recovered into a similar protective stance, seemingly unaware of the bleeding wound.
A smile split Prylon's face. The advantage was starting to swing in the favor of the mongoose. With a roar that split the night, the bear brought the axe down with both arms, Prylon barely stepping to the side before the axe sunk deeply in the earth. Prylon leapt back and brought his sword down sharply on the haft of the axe, just below the head. The abused shaft snapped in a jagged point. Prylon smiled to himself and snapped a kick to the bear's head, knocking the giant over backwards, taking the broken axe handle with him. With the blood and adrenaline pumping in Prylon's veins, he stepped forward to finish off the ursine.
The felled ursine gripped the broken axe handle with both hands and thrust up, connecting with Prylon's stomach. The jagged point failed to penetrate the overlapping metal scales, but he felt the breath forced out of him, stunning him. The bear then swung his fist into Prylon's neck. He collapsed to the ground, grasping at his neck, trying to find air. Slowly, Prylon felt the blackness envelop him.
***************
The smell of wood smoke was the first thing that Prylon noticed as the world slowly swam back to him. Unconsciously he drew a deeper breath, drawing a line of agony as his crushed throat. The pain ripped him for peaceful oblivion into a tormented haze. He began to cough and instinctively moved to hold his throat, confused to find that he could not move his paws from behind his back, and it took many moments of will to get his breathing and coughing under control. Finally, after a seeming eternity of pain, the mongoose was able to slow his breathing down and start to pay attention to his surroundings.
Prylon was sitting down with his paws bound together to the wooden chair behind him but slumped forward. He started to take a mental inventory of his situation, finding that his hindpaws were bound to the legs of the chair and that his chest and stomach were tender and bruised. Confused, he sat up in the chair, realizing that he had been stripped naked. His fur, which was now exposed to the open air for all to see, was a brownish gray with dark brown stripes running along his back and upper legs. It also exposed the map of scars across his body, earned through many fights. He was in a small wooden room. On the wall to his left was a hearth with a small fire burning within, the only illumination in the dim room. As his eyes adjusted to the light, he realized that he wasn't alone. In far corner of the room, next to the only door, was a sinister looking mouse guard who was looking at Prylon with a strange hunger. The mouse caught his eye and grinning widely. The guard then chuckled softly to himself before standing up and pounding on the door.
The mongoose took note of the guard's chain mail armor with the crest of the Sanguine Barony. The mouse wasn't much taller than Prylon himself. More of a concern was the fact that the mouse had two short swords hanging from his belt and that he held himself like a seasoned warrior. The guard turned back to the captive, and in a dark voice said "You are going to have fun," still wearing a wicked grin. Prylon suppressed a shudder as the icy grip of fear started to creep into his heart. He had been captured and was now in the paws of the enemy.
The sound of a bolt being thrown filled the room and the thick and heavy wooden door was slowly swung open. Prylon watched anxiously as two figures entered the room. The first was a large reindeer clad from neck to hooves in full plate that had be polished to a mirror shine. Prylon looked away from the armor to look at the man wearing it. His first thought was that this man looked beautiful, but he quickly suppressed such a thought, letting a calm settle over his mind, trying to prepare himself for whatever they had in store for him. The reindeer had a powerful aura of strength and charisma about him. The mongoose drew his attention to the badger flanking the reindeer. The badger was slightly taller than Prylon was, maybe 5'8", but was broad and well muscled. He was dressed only in a pair of brown trousers. The faint scars on his well shaped chest told a history of violence. He was handsome but his face held a confident smirk that bothered Prylon. His attention was drawn back to the reindeer when his deep and resonant voice filled the silence.
"My name is Captain Starling. I am the leader of this little unit. The question I have is who are you?" Prylon glared coldly at the Reindeer, remaining silent. "I know you are not a soldier. You possessed your own gear. By all accounts you fought well. You put one of our best warriors out of commission for a bit. That tells me you are one of two things. You are a mercenary or..." Captain Starling slammed his hands down on the table, leaning close to the mongoose, "you are an assassin, which would make me your target. Now, you can tell us exactly what your mission was and answer some questions we may have about your former employer, or we assume that you are an assassin, which puts you well outside the realm of the terms of war. Do you understand what this means?"
Prylon took a deep breath. Being caught as an assassin would eliminate any protection he would have under the rules of war. "My name is Prylon Silvermoon. I am a licensed Mercenary through the Guild. If you contact the Guild, they pay the standard ransom for my rank." Prylon knew the standard procedures for captured mercs, though he had never been captured before. Since few generals hiring mercenaries were willing to pay for the release of a captive mercenary, the mercs got together and formed their own guild. In the situation that a member in good standing was captured, the Guild would pay a standard ransom for their release and the promise that the released mercenary would not participate in the same conflict for one year. The mongoose's reflection was interrupted by the Captain standing back up.
"Why then, would you wish to assassinate me?"
Prylon started to get worried. If he gave any information about his mission, he would be breaking the mercenary code, but if he didn't, given the details of his capture, they would be well within their right to execute him in any fashion they chose. Prylon closed his eyes and sighed deeply, making his choice. "I was on a simple scouting mission. Find out camp layout and defenses."
The reindeer narrowed his eyes. "Why should I believe you?"
The mongoose raised his eyes and met the suspicious gaze of the captain. "I give my word and swear upon it. I will not lie to you, but I can not answer any questions about their defenses or troop information. I have given my word that I wouldn't talk about it when I was hired."
Captain Starling frowned. "Well then, you won't mind if I ask you a few personal questions then." A feeling of dread started to settle in the pit of his stomach but he kept a stoic mask in place. "Tell me then, why did you become a mercenary?"
Prylon searched the dark eyes of the reindeer, searching for the reason for this line of questioning. Finding none of the secrets hidden in the mind of the Captain, Prylon sighed. He knew he could lie, but he had given his word. He had to answer truthfully. "I became a mercenary so that I could protect others." A confused look crossed Captain Starlings face. "I feel that the best way to do that is to be a mercenary. You have to understand, I have no homeland. I claim no country as home. I want to protect people, not a strip of land. As a mercenary, I can devote my life to the warrior path. I can hone my body and mind to be a dedicated fighting machine. Yes, I work for money, but I won't die for money. I fight for those innocents that war has been thrust upon. War takes up large quantities of resources and men. I ask you, Captain, were do most of those men come from?"
The reindeer was intrigued and looked to the badger, who pondered what had been said. Captain Starling looked back at Prylon. "Most soldiers are drafted from the peasantry."
Prylon was on comfortable ground now and smiled. Mercenaries were constantly required to justify their lives and this was familiar territory. "Right. Consider this from the farmer's perspective. Most wars take place during the summer and fall, the two seasons that a farm needs the most tending. He is drafted into an army against his will during the time when his family needs him most. He is given little training and forced to fight for his life in a war that is beyond his comprehension."
The Captain studied the captive with interest and drew the chair across the table from the mongoose and sat down as Prylon continued. "Now, let's look at it from the perspective of a country leader. A good leader keeps the welfare of the citizens of his country foremost in his mind. A draft causes many problems for his country and his people. First, the draft disrupts his economy. With the loss of farmers, the crop will be reduced at the very time that output needs to be at it's peak to feed the army. The loss of merchants and craftsmen will inhibit the economy, reducing the monetary income at the same time. Now a draft isn't instantaneous by any means. The recruits must first be gathered together, armed and armored, drilled on how to fight as a unit. This process takes several weeks as you must know. During this time, the army must be fed, clothed, housed, and paid, all during a substantial period where this new army can not be used in combat. Even once they reach combat, they are inexperienced and scared. They are virtually guaranteed to sustain heavy casualties. Those losses have to be replaced with new recruits. Now, take the case of the mercenary.
"Mercenaries come in two main types, units and men. Units are more expensive than a draft, at least upfront. They still have to be fed. However, they bring their own gear. They know what they are doing. Since the economy doesn't slow down as much with loss of manpower, the high upfront costs are balanced by the higher war production of the country employing them. Mercenaries in both units and individuals can also provide one other critical function. Specialists. Some mercenaries and units offer special skills that do not or can not exist in conventional armies."
Starling smiled. "So, what special services do you provide?"
"I am mostly a scout and a skirmisher. I gather intelligence and knowledge of the land for battle planning purposes."
The reindeer's grin widened and grew cold. "You have no home or family, by your own admission. You are a powerful warrior and you have a keen mind. No, my little friend, I will not be ransoming you." Fear wrapped its icy fingers around Prylon's heart. After a short pause, Starling continued, "You are far too dangerous for me to let you outside of my control. By the laws of war, I can not torture you or physically or mentally maim you. Another solution, however, presents itself." Captain Starling paused, standing up and moving the table to the side of the room, taking off his gauntlets and tossing them on the discarded table. He then walked around behind Prylon. His attention was drawn to the badger as he casually walked up to stand directly in front of the bound mongoose. Prylon looked up at him, anxious. The badger's face was blank as he stooped down on one knee. Suddenly, the badgers paw shot out and grabbed the mongoose by the balls. Prylon opened his mouth in shock to shout when one strong paw wrapped itself around his neck from behind and the other shoved the open end of a glass vial in the mongooses surprised muzzle.
The strong paw forced his maw closed around the vial as a foul burning liquid poured into his mouth. He struggled, closing his eyes and fighting against his bonds with all his strength, but the badger moved to hold him down. The paw around his neck started massaging his abused throat, distracting him with pain. Prylon twisted and thrashed, trying everything in his power to escape or to even keep from swallowing. After what seemed like an eternity of struggling and resisting, he felt himself swallow involuntarily, the foul liquid burning a path down to his gullet. After several long swallows, the paws relented, taking the offending glass with them. Prylon sat for a minute, coughing for several pain hazed moments before slowly recovering. He scraped his tongue along his teeth and spat out what he could. Raising his head, he saw Captain Starling standing before him once again, the badger having returned to his position near the door. The reindeer had his arms crossed in front of him and a lazy smile on his face. Furious, Prylon exclaimed "Poison?!"
The reindeer chuckled darkly, "Oh, no, not poison. You are worth much more to me alive. No, you will feel weak and sluggish, less able to cause trouble. Do not worry, there is no long term damage to either your strength or reflexes. In those areas, you will recover completely in a matter of days. However, this concoction has some other interesting side effects. One of these is arousal. Now, I will take my leave. My lieutenant, Dax, will stay here with you. He will not touch you without your consent. Know this too, you are a prisoner of war. If you consent to him, you consent to all." The reindeer, chuckling to himself, stood up and motioned for the rat to follow him. Prylon trying to figure out what to say or think, but nothing presented itself before the captain and the rat guard left the room. The door was shut and the sound of a heavy metal bolt was thrown with the sound of finality.
The badger pulled the unoccupied chair over and sat in front of the captive, crossing his arms in front of his chest and settling in for the wait. Prylon felt the burning in his stomach slowly go away. The taste lingered in his mouth. Shifting in his seat, Prylon searched for a comfortable position while his thoughts raced. Was the reindeer telling the truth? He didn't feel any different. He was slightly afraid of what was going to happen. If he wasn't going to be ransomed, he would have to remain in captivity until the war was over. That would be several months at the earliest. His thoughts turned to what Starling said at the end. He wasn't serious about the consent thing, was he? Seeing that the badger didn't seem to be paying much attention, he stole a glance at his body. Sure, he was cute. Ok, he corrected himself, he was sexy. But he certainly wasn't going to have sex with him.
His thoughts chased each other for several long moments. When Dax's voice broke the silence, the mongoose jumped. "Let me tell you something, my pet, the sooner you consent the better. The longer you wait, the harder we are going to be on you."
Prylon growled "I'm not your pet." Dax chuckled to himself and fell silent again. As the minutes passed, the mongoose found that more and more of his thoughts centered on the badger. He caught himself stealing a glance over the guards form for the dozenth time and mentally shook himself. Now was not the time to admire the scenery, even if it did have finally chiseled muscles that rippled underneath groomed fur that seemed to have an inner glow to it. One can not forget the dark eyes that seemed to have bottom. Or those finely shaped hands that could hold him as he thrust into him over and.... Prylon shook the image away but his body was starting to respond. He felt his groin start to tighten. Looking down, pink was starting peek out through his sheath. He struggled mentally to find something else to think about, but he found his mind always coming back to the slow growth of his member. Against his will, it was rising and filling out, slipping out of his sheath. After a long mental struggle, his cock had hardened to its full 6 inch length.
Prylon squeezed his eyes shut. He couldn't submit. He heard Dax stand up and move about but he focused his thoughts inward. Thinking back to his training, he thought of the meditation techniques they had taught him. Taking deep, slow breaths, he focused inward, slowing his heart rate and breathing. He let time flow passed him, undisturbed. It seemed an eternity passed. A paw ruined everything. His concentration was shattered when his body felt light pressure around his member and involuntarily thrust upwards. The pressure disappeared instantly, leaving him panting. His vision swam back to him, bringing the room slowly into focus. Pre had left damp trailed down his member. Arousal wracked his body. He had never been this aroused or this hard. His shaft felt like a stone pillar. Sweat had broken out on his body, and he couldn't seem to get enough air. He tried closing his eyes to meditate again, but he did not have the concentration for it. A soft whimper escaped from his lips as he open his eyes again.
Dax was sitting across from him, leaning back in the chair. He had taken off his trousers and they were left in the corner of the room. Prylon's vision was drawn to the badger's member, however. Its red stood out prominently against the white belly fur. His eyes traced the member from the deep red tip, following the veins, down to his furred sack containing two heavy orbs. It had to be seven inches. Prylon tried to pull his eyes off the member but couldn't bring himself to. The scent of male arousal drifted heavy in the air. Dax's voice barely registered in Prylon's sex addled mind. It took a moment to realize that the badger had even spoken. With a great act of willpower, the mongoose tore his gaze away from the badger's thick cock and moved to fix on the badger's face, tracing every line in muscle and fur on the way.
Dax chuckled at the expression on the captive's face. Arousal and confusion warred, plainly saying that the mongoose hadn't understood what he said. The badger spoke again, slowly, making sure to catch the understanding of the captive. "I said, you have lasted longer than anyone I have seen. I thought I was going to lose you there for a moment. Let me make your choice easier. I'm going to stand in front of you. If you want to leave, just sit there. On the other paw, if you want me, just give me a lick. Just one little lick. If you do, I will take you. I will make sure that you pass out screaming in orgasm."
Prylon heard a pitiful whimpering noise, only to realize it was coming from his own muzzle. As Dax stood up, his gaze was draw down to the shaft, watching it bob as the badger stalked towards him. The thigh muscles rippled as each step brought the other male toward him. Prylon found himself leaning forward and stretching out his neck against his will. The badger stopped just short. Even stretched out, the badger cock was a fraction of an inch from his lips. He had never desired something so much. It was as if the very fiber of his being needed this. The smell of the badger before him clouded out everything else in the room. "Choose little pet. Do you take that which you desire, or do I leave you in this room, alone, tied up, unable to even touch yourself?"
Prylon knew that to submit would haunt him. He had never submit to anyone before. If he did this, there was no turning back. For the rest of his days, he would be this badger's inferior, his bitch. A shudder traveled down his spine and he made his choice. Slowly, his tongue peeked out of his muzzle, licking across the head of the member presented before him. The taste flowered on his tongue. It was ambrosia to a man dying of thirst. A sigh of pure pleasure escaped his lips. The badger threw his head back and laughed in triumph, taking the mongoose's head in his hands and moved forward. "Little pet, do what I say and I'll do the rest."
The captive mongoose could only whimper as the head of the cock touched his lips, but not advancing further. Prylon whimpered in frustration as the badger moved his member to trace the lips of his captive. The mongoose knew in the back of his mind that he was being marked and scented, but that did nothing to quiet his frustration. Soft pleading noises emerged with every breath he took. The scent of the male in front of him was driving him mad. After an eternity, the cock slowly pressed its way into his willing maw. His lips wrapped around the advancing shaft, sucking in, trying to speed the advance. He explored the hot intruder with his tongue, reveling in the taste. When the cock reached the back of his tortured throat, the badger whispered at him to swallow. As his throat convulsed, he felt the member being pressed further down his damaged throat, but the pain barely registered in his lust addled mind. The badger made a deep churr in pleasure as it was gripped by the silky muscles of the captive's muzzle. Prylon fought his gag reflex as his throat fought to free itself of this obstruction while the rest of his body desperately desired more. The badger halted his advance for a few moments, allowing Prylon a moment to adjust. After the struggles subsided, he continued pushing forward. Finally, the captive felt the badger's fur pressing up against his nose and his chick touched the furred sack below. He started swallowing involuntarily.
The soft whispers of the badger floated to his ears. "Now, little pet, to make you mine." Unsure of what he meant by that statement, the mongoose felt a hot liquid start traveling down his gullet. At first he thought that the badger had orgasmed, but when the bitter, salty taste reached his brain, he realized that the badger was marking him further. He pulled back, the paws holding his head letting go. He gasped for air, realizing for the first time that he hadn't been breathing while he had been impaled. The stream didn't stop as he pulled back, splashing in his mouth and over his face, running down over his chest and stomach. For a few moments, the mongoose panted, keeping his eyes closed. The foul stream started to lessen and suddenly stopped. He felt the badger grab hold of his head again and felt the cock pressed against his muzzle. "Ok, bitch, you are going to open your mouth and fasten your lips around me cock. You will swallow everything I give to you. Understand?"
Shame blossomed in Prylon's heart. He had just been marked and knew that his body had loved every second of it. His heart fell as he opened his maw, fastening his lips around the badger prick presented to him while tears of shame burned down his cheeks. The stream started again, rapidly filling his muzzle. He began submissively swallowing, his shame growing with each gulp. After several second, the stream finally died down. A second later, the hot badger penis was slowly forced into his willing muzzle once more. Prylon took a deep breath before swallowing down the badger. "That's a good little bitch. Yesterday you were a warrior fighting against me, now you can't wait to get my cock down your throat." Shame reddened the cheeks and flattened the ears of the impaled captive.
After several long moments Dax was once again hilted within Prylon's muzzle. The captive felt the paws tighten, holding him in place as the badger slowly pulled back. Quickly, he grabbed a breath before the badger began to thrust back into him. Slowly, a rhythm of thrusts began to develop. Held motionless, Prylon could do nothing but play his tongue across the underside of the badger's cock. The motion quickly sped up. A soft churring noise started to escape the badger with every thrust. Finally, the thrusts increased to a fevered pitch. With a roar of pleasure Prylon felt the badger hilt himself deep within his throat. The heavy orbs touching his chin contracted and the shaft buried within his maw throbbed. He felt the hot seed begin to pour down his throat. After several long moments the badger pulled back out of his throat, allowing ropes of seed to land on his tongue. Remembering his silent promise, he tried to swallow everything he was offered, but twin trails of seed trailed out of the corners of his mouth, down along his neck and onto his chest. Finally after a long moment, the spurts started to lessen and badger pulled out entirely, sending the last spurts to coat his face and muzzle.
The badger, panting, stepped back and smiled down at the abused mongoose. The badger breathless words brought shame flooding back to the captive. "What a good little bitch, swallowing all that. But you got a spot on your muzzle. Let me rub that off for you." The badger's paw pressed onto the captive's muzzle and proceeded to rub the seed and urine deep into his fur around his nose, the scent saturating his muzzle. The mongoose, more aroused than he had ever been in his life, whined, his pleading eyes looking up at the guard above him. "Oh, does my pet wish to have his own release?" The captive nodded, whimpering. "Beg for me. Beg for orgasm."
"Please! Please take care of me!"
The badger chuckled and smiled coldly. "Please take care of me, what?"
The mongoose thought for several moments before he realized what the guard wanted and his heart fell, his ears folding onto his head and his eyes dropping to the floor, but his voice was still desperate. "Please take care of me... master."
The badger laughed and stooped down on one knee to the side of the captive and wrapped one paw around the neglected member. The sudden pressure was almost enough to bring the mongoose alone. Prylon howled wordlessly in frustration when the pressure disappear a fraction of a second later. The badger chuckled darkly, pressing a single claw tip lightly onto the bound mongoose's knee. Slowly, the claw traces light patterns as it lazily made its way towards Prylon's throbbing member. Soft whimpers escaped his muzzle while the mongoose shifts in his bonds, desperately trying to bring the paw closer. Pre leaked steadily down his member as lust and need burned in his veins. His world narrowed to the tightness in his groin and single claw tracing its way towards it.
The longest moments in Prylon's life finally pass when the light claw finally jumps from his inner thigh to his furred sack, tracing a slow line dividing the heavy orbs. Just before reaching his engorged member, the pressure disappeared once more. Every fiber of his being surged forward try and keep the pressure, a wordless howl of frustration was ripped from the very core of his being at being denied. His mind didn't even register the evil chuckle coming from the badger.
Soft whimpers and squeaks filled the room with each quick breath of the captive mongoose. The mongoose started thrusting involuntarily. An eternity or need finally came to an end as Prylon felt the badgers paw finally wrap around his cock. The rough pads gripped his member tightly creating friction that was both hellish and heavenly. The paw gripped his member and followed his weak thrusts, not allowing him to increase the friction. Then, slow enough that, even though the whole of his being was focused on it, the badger started pumping. After a minute of toying with him, the paw finally reached the mongoose's tip. The badger then slammed his fist downward. Though Prylon was unready for such a quick move, the mongoose's body was waiting for this moment and thrust upward sharply. For a moment, the mongoose was neatly melded with the paw of his captor. The badger squeezed tightly and pumped rapidly three times. Prylon was too far gone and this rapid assault finally overcame him. Every muscle in his body clenched, throwing his head back with a bestial roar. The mongoose felt the badger's paw move, and felt the ropes of his own seed splash against his stomach and chest, some reaching his throat.
Finally, after near endless pleasure, Prylon collapsed with pleasure in his seat, panting for air as all the strength left him. The only sound that broke the pounding in his head and his gasps for breath was the badger demanding "You got my hand dirty, bitch. Clean it. I don't want your scent to saturate my fur." The only response Prylon could muster was weakly licking the hand that was presented to his muzzle, tasting his own seed mix with the taste of his new master. As he slowly lost the battle for consciousness, Dax's voice filled the silence one last time. "Sleep well, my little slave. You have a long and hard day ahead of you tomorrow. You have new masters to please. "