A Lion's Healing Love

by Draugr & Element

Chapter 5: Not Like Them

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License

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The stallion was standing on the front doorstep, muzzled, and with a thick silver collar. He was leashed, paws bound behind him, and covered only by the same raggedy loincloth from the night before. He appeared to be happy to see the wolf - not that Randall would be able to see, with his eyes firmly directed toward the ground.

Right behind him was a strong looking elephant, who gave Randall another unnoticed smile.

"Hey, I know you! You're that little wolf of Georgio's. This must be the place, then. Man, they pay him good, don't they?" he said, whistling, looking across the front facade of the house. "Well, I guess that's why he's the boss, eh? Anyway, I got this stallion here for him, little guy."

He gave Randall the leash and a bag - the wolf nervously took the leash in paw, and the stallion stepped through the front door.

"All his paperwork and information is in there. Got a few loincloths for him as well, me and a buddy chipped in to buy them as a get-well present, seeing as we were the ones who let the bastard get out of control in the first place. A chastity device too, heh. Anyway, if that's all, let him know I wish him luck - goodbye!"

Randall stood there, stunned, somewhat taken aback at all the information coming in at him, unable to process it all.

"I...um...he...well, he...yeah...ah...okay..." he stammered, not able to get in a word edgewise. After the delivery guy left, and the door was shut and locked, it suddenly hit him that he was very, very alone in the same room with the slave that had put his master in the condition he was in. He dropped the leash, frightened, and stepped backward, falling on his ass.

"Ow!" Randall yelped, finding he was still sore from the beating he'd received at the hospital the previous night. His body was trembling - and he still dared not lift his head enough to meet the stallion's soft eyes, which might have helped to calmed his nerves. Randall didn't know what to do, so he panicked.

"M-m-m-m-master's upstairs!" he stuttered, scrambling to his feet. The stallion gave him a confused look, and slowly followed as the wolf charged up the staircase and into the bedroom, diving under the covers with Georgio.

"H-he's h-here, m-master..." the wolf said. The horse followed him up the staircase, and stood in the doorway, watching the wolf and the lion. His ears were back, seemingly remorseful for having spooked the fragile wolf.

Georgio rolled his eyes. "Randall, he can't hurt you...literally, he's incapable of it. I'll show you. Slave, attack us now," he ordered.

"Wha...master, no!" Randall shouted, popping out from under the covers and bracing up, preparing to fight to protect the lion.

The stallion stood there a moment, seemingly confused at the strange order - so he started to crouch down into a head-butt position - and suddenly yelled into his gag in pain, collapsing to the floor, spasming at the shock.

Randall yelped, jumped over his master and hid on his far side, the very sight horrifying him.

After just a few seconds, it stopped. The stallion was just laying on the floor panting, looking up at the two.

"See Randall? He can't even begin to think or act aggressively against either of us. It's a smart collar. For...unsafe slaves. I hate it, but I got it to make you feel better, okay? Now uncuff him, and take off his muzzle, please."

Randall didn't want to go anywhere near the stallion, afraid of what could happen - but Master was hurt, and he needed to be brave for him and do things that he would normally take care of. He crept out of bed and slowly walked toward the other slave, keeping his eyes on the ground, trembling slightly - but not as scared as he had been before.

"Good boy, Randall," the lion encouraged him. "Don't worry, he can't hurt you, I promise you that."

He removed the requested items, depositing them back on the nightstand by the bed, and hopped back up, burying his face in his master's shoulder.

"Don't shock him again, Master, please," he whispered - he had no love for the new addition to the house, but that had been very upsetting for him to witness.

"He'll only shock himself Randall if he does anything wrong, okay? And if we need to correct him, we can just snap our fingers - but only if we snap them for that reason." Georgio did so, causing the stallion to reflexively flinch, expecting another shock.

"See? I have a small chip in the back of my neck, and you have your collar - it interprets your brain waves, to see what your intent is. I didn't want to correct him, so his collar didn't shock him."

Georgio looked down to the floor where his new slave lay. "What's your name?"

"Z-Zeblend, Sir," the horse answered, slightly uneasy at his rather electric introduction to the household. He rubbed his wrists and muzzle, but otherwise kept his head down.

"Come over here," he commanded. Zeblend walked over, and knelt by the bedside. Georgio pet him.

"Thank you, Master...I promise I'll be good." Zeblend instincively nuzzled his hand - he still hadn't quite gotten over his remorse for his actions. He was still shy and nervous around the lion.

"I know you will, Z, now...Randall is the alpha slave of the house, so as such he has full use of you as I do. That means, if he tells you to suck him, if he wants to take you, you do it as though it were my cock. If he gives you any order, you obey it as though it were my own. Understand?"

Zeblend nodded.

"Are you...gay, Zeblend?"

The stallion nodded again. "I am, sir. I understand, and...I look forward to being able to repay the both of you...I don't mind being at the bottom rung."

Randall seemed a bit terrified at the prospect of sex with the stallion. He couldn't ever imagine that happening - but if it did, it would certainly take time. But, then again, with Master, he'd opened up pretty quickly. And then there was the whole idea of being alpha - the concept was pretty confusing. He was in charge of the kids under his first master, sure, but that was different. After having a few moments to calm down and think about all this, he peeked over the lion's body which he'd been hiding behind the entire time, to look down at Zeblend.

"...are...are you in for life?" he asked.

The stallion nodded. "Yes, I am, Alpha. My debt was so bad I wasn't able to pay it off. So steep I got a life sentence. And that still didn't pay off all I owed."

Georgio nodded, and looked down at him with pity, stroking his head. "But, you seem to have accepted it, and it looks like you took your basic training to heart. You know your protocol, and that makes me happy."

Randall laid his ears back at this, knowing he hadn't taken his training well at all...now he was worried. Here this new slave was seemingly so well behaved, and although Randall did everything he could to make his master happy, he just screwed up all the time.

Zeblend smiled, and looked at them both. "Um...is there anything I can do to...please the both of you?"

"Hmm," Georgio hummed, thinking for a moment. In the midst of thinking, he noticed the bag Randall had brought with him into the room. "What's this?" he said, taking it and opening it up. "Heh, looks like an apology gift from the guys." He pulled out the items. "Looks like they are all in your size, Z."

"Yes, Master...they took me to the slave outlet before they brought me here."

"I see...Randall, that list I had you and Kana go through should be there. You can do your chores after we have our new slave make us something to eat. Surprise us, alright?" he said, looking over at Zeblend.

The horse nodded, leaving the room. Randall laid silently with his master during that time, too afraid to voice his fears. Only fifteen minutes later, he came back with Eggs Benedict on a tray, setting them down along with two glasses of milk.

"Try this, please, I hope you like it."

The lion put a fork full to Randall's muzzle. "Here Mr. Paranoid, be my poison tester," the lion said sarcastically.

Randall took a bite without a moment's hesitation, fully willing to die to protect his master from harm. Much to his surprise, he didn't keel over, and it actually tasted pretty good, though he wouldn't admit to that any time soon. He glared down, fighting the impulse to start snapping his fingers to punish the stallion for hurting Master. But he knew Georgio would not approve of that.

"Well, see Randall? Not poison. Now enjoy it," the lion said, laughing. Randall, with slightly less gusto, dug in as well.

"Wow, this is amazing Zeblend, delicious!" Georgio said after a few bites.

"Thank you, Master," the stallion replied. "Um...do you like it, Alpha?" he asked, trying to sound gentle. He wasn't a fool, he could tell the over-protective little wolf did not like him.

Randall suddenly paused - he had been shoveling the food in his mouth like an animal, which pretty much answered Zeblend's question for him.

"Um...it's okay, I guess..." he said, after a quick swallow. He didn't mention that he was more than a little jealous that there was no way he could have done this for his master. He still remembered his first misadventure in the kitchen, and the punishment that had followed.

Georgio chuckled. "I think he likes it more than just a little, Zeblend. Remember your manners, Randall, even in front of me and our new addition here."

While Randall finished the rest of his meal - at a slightly slower pace - Georgio took the time to pet the stallion a bit more, to calm his nerves. He ran his paw through his mane, held the stallion's hand in his own, rubbing his fingers, inspecting him for anything not to his liking.

"Hmm...when was the last time you had a bath, Zeblend?" he asked, noticing a bit of dirt.

"Um...about two days ago, Master," he replied, blushing. Georgio sighed, and finished up the last couple bites of his meal.

"Randall, take him into the shower, grab the stools, and get Zeblend thoroughly cleaned up. Oh - speaking of which, Zeblend, house rule - no clothing for you or Randall here unless there's company over." Zeblend nodded and stood up, ripping off the tattered remnants of his loincloth - revealing a large and very stallion-esque sheath, and a pair of tennis-sized balls to match.

Georgio smirked. "Looks like someone was born to breed, eh?"

The stallion just blushed in response, then turned to the wolf. "Um...Alpha? Where's the shower at?"

Randall whined in protest, he didn't want to be alone at all with the new slave, especially now that he'd seen his...equipment, which left the wolf feeling more than little inadequate. But he got the idea that Master was not going to let up on this...so he slowly got up and gestured toward the bathroom, shuffling himself over in that direction. He left the door open a crack behind them, so he wouldn't feel too shut off from his master.

"Um...th-the shower stools are over there, they just go on the floor," he said quietly, tail wrapped around his left leg.

"Yes, Alpha," Zeblend replied obediently, placing the two stools in the shower, turning on the water. As he waited for the water to heat up, he looked over at Randall, trying to think of something to break the awkward silence.

"Alpha?" Randall didn't immediately respond. "Um...Randall?" This time his ears twitched, so he continued. "Why...why are you so scared of me? I can't hurt you...I mean, I'd think you'd be snapping your fingers like crazy by now. I did a horrible thing to Master, and I feel awful for it. Why don't you...hate me, for it?"

Randall kept his distance, not answering for a bit, trying to formulate a good answer.

"I...I thought Master...I thought nothing could hurt him..." he said, distantly. He stayed quiet a moment longer, then looked up, venom in his eyes - a look that told the stallion something very unpleasant was about to happen. Randall had lost himself in his emotions again. He snapped his fingers, sending the stallion convulsing to the floor.

"You don't have the first clue about what a horrible thing you did! You almost fucking killed Master!" Randall shouted, snapping his fingers a second time. "How could you do that!" he screamed, snapping his fingers twice more. "You deserve to be dead, or worse!" Another snap. "You don't deserve him!" Snap.

Zeblend could barely focus on Randall's words, each shock that came hurt more and more. He had wanted this, in a way - for the wolf to punish him, so he could be forgiven for what he'd done. This was worse than he had thought though. He laid there, panting, and in pain, as Randall finally paused his tirade. The wolf drew ragged breaths, his muscles so tense he shook with fury. A moment later, he collapsed to the floor, his senses returning to him.

"I...I'm...I'm one of them..." he said, in a horrified tone of voice. "They...they turned me into one of them..." he repeated. He suddenly got up and charged out of the bathroom and bedroom, not even looking at his Master who had started to get out of bed at the commotion. Randall only knew how to do one thing in this sort of situation - run.

He charged out the front door, squinting his eyes in the sun, looking around, having no idea where to go. He saw a small wooded area on the other side of the road, and made headway for that...he had to get away from what he'd just done. How could he have done that? How could he have turned into one of...one of his cruel masters? He bit back some angry tears as he entered the small forest, finding a patch of bushes to hide in. He sat there, holding his knees, rocking back and forth.

"Master..." he spoke quietly, to nobody in particular. "I've...failed you..."

~

Georgio had heard the stallion's cries, and knew it was Randall's doing. He knew they both needed to hash this out, but he had hoped Randall would be above that. He had not expected this so soon, though, or for Randall to run off like he had. He called his name, but he was out the door before he even got the word out.

"Dammit!" he said, hearing the front door slam shut. The stallion came out - slightly wobbly - and looked at the lion, upset.

"I'm sorry, Master, it's all my fault...I shouldn't have pressed the subject, I just wanted to know...why he was-"

The lion shook his head, cutting Zeblend off. "Just put this on, and go get him, please," Georgio said, tossing him a loincloth.

Zeblend nodded, running down and out of the house, gazing around. He knew he was supposed to be on-leash - he didn't have the necessary stripe on his collar to be on his own in public, but with such a small community he hoped nobody would be around to check that. And regardless, his master had ordered it.

He looked over next door and locked eyes with a petite German Shepherd doing some yard work.

"Oh god, what happened now?" she sighed.

"Miss? Have you seen a wolf, about...oh, yay-high running around?" he asked.

"Yes, I saw Randall run into the forest, do you need any help looking?"

"No, I'll find him, thank you." Kana nodded, and got back to work. She was a little worried for Randall, and kept an eye on the forest, watching the stallion take off quick as lightning, and hoping to see them both return momentarily.

Zeblend looked around a bit, but he wasn't a tracker, and couldn't really spot any signs that Randall might have passed through here. He tried to spot places where he might hide, but was having no luck when he thought he heard a sob.

"Randall!?" he cried out. "Randall? Please, don't be upset, I want to...I just want to talk, okay? I'm not mad at you. Please come out, Master isn't upset with you. We both just want you safe, okay?"

"I've failed him...and I've failed me..." Randall suddenly spoke up. Zeblend looked over toward a group of bushes, but stayed still - he didn't want to frighten the wolf into running again. This was a battle he'd have to win with patience.

"I shouldn't have done that...I'm one of them...I'm one of them..." Randall said listlessly.

Nothing else was said for a good minute - just a few sobs here and there - before Zeblend finally dared to speak up again. "Randall?"

Randall finally stood up from behind his cover, legs shaking.

"Do what you want with me...I deserve it..." he moaned, sounding horribly depressed.

Zeblend sighed with relief, and walked over to Randall, looking down at the small figure - and picked him up in a tight hug. Randall yipped as he was embraced, fearing the worst - but quickly realized he wasn't going to be hurt.

"Please, Randall, don't be upset. I'm...I'm glad you did that. I know you hated me. I hate myself for what I did...I deserved it, I deserved to be shocked a thousand times more." Zeblend set him down and took a step back, kneeling down so he wasn't towering over the timid wolf. There tears in his soft, almond eyes.

"I hated myself for what I did, and I promised I'd spend my life repaying the debt I owe yo-...our master for saving my life - I do want to spend the life he saved serving him. You don't have to believe me. You can...you can think I'm just a terrible person, and hate me forever. I'd deserve it. But please don't leave your master. He loves you, and you are his most prized slave...don't hurt him by leaving."

"I...I can't leave Master," Randall finally admitted. "I'd be dead without him." His shame over what had happened, however, made him think that might not be such a bad alternative. The wolf slowly started walking back, hoping Master would still want him after he'd behaved so despicably. He had repaid Master's kindness by harming the first fur he was put in charge of. What did that say about him?

"I...I don't think you're bad," Randall said, finally. How could he, given the patience Zeblend was showing toward him? "It's just...hard to trust you," he explained, feeling he owed the stallion that much. "And...Randall is sorry for what he did to you...he should know better," he added, reverting to the third person.

Zeblend placed an arm around him, gently - the wolf flinched, but otherwise did not protest. "Don't be upset like that, Randall. You hated me. You had too much anger, and...you needed to vent it at me. I wanted you to get al that hate out, because if you didn't, it would have eaten you up inside and made you...well, like the others you were talking about.

The stallion suddenly stopped walking. Randall took a few steps ahead, then stopped, turning back. "You can...get whatever hatred and anger you have left out...please do it. So you can be happy again, and make your master smile. So I can repay him, for what I did."

Randall violently shook his head. "No! I...I can't do that, you...you don't deserve it!" Randall wasn't really completely convinced of that, but he'd seen how his anger had manifested, and he was scared to death of turning into that.

"I...I can't do that. It's how all my old masters solved their problems. They got...violent, with me. I don't want to be that."

"It's...it's not violence, Alpha, you're just disciplining me. You're in charge, you're supposed to discipline me when Master isn't around. So...go ahead. I won't hold any grudges, I promise."

Randall whined and wrung his paws, feeling very uncomfortable.

"Please...don't make me do this..." he whimpered, moving his fingers into a snapping position - but unable to actually do the deed. He squinted his eyes shut, not wanting to look.

Zeblend got up, and held the wolf's outstretched paw. "I won't make you do it, Alpha...I just want you to believe me when I say I'm in as much pain for doing what I did, as you are for having to go through that. I won't go so far as to ask you to forgive me...but...I would hope that you can at least learn to live with just seeing my face. And...well, the fact that we regret what we did to each other means we are nothing like those monsters that hurt you, okay?"

Randall sniffed, then nodded. "I...I don't know if I can forgive you. Not yet. But...maybe in time?" He brightened up, slightly - that was true. He felt remorse, and that meant he couldn't be like his old masters.

Zeblend gave him a hug, which Randall managed to weakly return - he could at least make peace.

"That's great. Let's go see Master now, okay?"

On their way back, Zeblend yelled over next door, where Kana was still working in the yard. "Thank you, I found him!" Kana waved back with a smile, and got back to work, glad to see Randall was okay.

Randall grew more and more nervous as they went inside and up the stairs, nervous about what Master would do to him. What he had done was inexcusable. He stepped inside the bedroom, eyes on the floor, all the other markers of canine submission apparent. Georgio just watched him, with a blank look on his face, then turned to the window, watching the exchange outside.

Randall said nothing, waiting for the lion to speak the first word. After only a minute of this, his bottom lip trembled, wondering if his master now hated him.

"M-m-master...t-talk to me, p-please..." he said, with heavy breath.

Georgio walked over to him and took only a second to grab his waist, pulling him over to hold him tight, even as much as it hurt him to do so. He was doing his own sniffling and crying.

"Don't you ever run away from home again!" he said. He pulled back a little and swatted Randall on the nose. Randall yelped, but when he realized that was all that was coming, he relaxed. "Don't you ever leave me like that again! I didn't know where you went or what happened...I'll always love you and forgive you Randall. You don't ever have to run from me or your home, understand?"

"M-master...I'm sorry, don't cry," the wolf begged. Seeing tears instead of anger made him feel a thousand times worse than he already did. "I failed you..."

Georgio looked at him, and stroked his cheek. "I'm not mad at you, Randall. I'm...disappointed, in myself. I thought I had shown you that you never have to run anymore, that you're always safe and loved no matter what, and no matter what you do, I'll always love you and want you right here at my side."

Randall looked down, tears running down his muzzle, but Georgio put a finger under his chin and lifted his gaze back upward. "And as for what you did to Zeblend? It was terrible, but...you both needed it, I think. He wanted redemption, and you had to get out all that pain and anger you had. I'm not angry...and the fact that you got so upset proves to me you never let those bastards get to you after all this time. I'm...I'm proud of you, Randall."

The stallion gave him a hug from behind. "And I'm not angry either, Randall. It hurt, but...you needed to get those feelings out. You're my alpha. It's okay, I forgive you."

Randall let out a huge sigh of relief. He hadn't known what to expect, and this was...well, better than anything he could have imagined. With the guilt he was still feeling, it might have felt better to be berated or punished...but he had learned a more important lesson, this way.

Suddenly, "Alpha" sounded very weird to him. After the stunt he just pulled he felt like anything but an alpha. Alphas took charge and led with wisdom and patience - he had exhibited the exact opposite of that. Poor judgment and impulsiveness.

The three-way hug ended, and Georgio spoke first.

"Randall...how about you go get yourself and Zeblend cleaned up, and then you can take a nap with me, alright?" He gave Randall's butt a firm but loving swat, and his muzzle a quick kiss. "Go show my new slave who is in charge when I'm not around, alright?" he laughed. Zeblend was in first, stripping off his loincloth, and restarting the water. "Come on, Alpha, I'll scrub your back if you want."

Randall slowly stepped into the shower, hunched over as though he were about to be struck. He was nervous to be in there with anyone but master. He sat down on the stool, hugging his knees and trying to let the hot water wash all his worries away.