FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

This story is licensed under the Creative Commons

Attribution Noncommercial Share Alike 3.0 License

© 2008 by Noisy Bob All Rights Reserved

NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR: The world this story is set in is the one of Onyx Tao's excellent story series Cold Blood (don't throw a fit, it's all open license and Tao's a great guy!) and is set into the timeline at around about chapter 3 - Green Fields - but is to be considered non-canonical, being purely a fanwork. If you enjoyed this then go check out Cold Blood which as of the writing of this is up to it's 12th chapter, I guarantee you won't be dissapointed.

"All of you who speak Greek, go to the right." bellowed the Minotaur warden over the crowd of chained humans.Once again Claudius wondered how he had gotten into this mess as he shuffled allong with the rest, the hem of his scholars robe trailing on the ground, he was a logistician for gods sakes! Fighting, dieing, getting taken as battle captives, that's what legionnaires were for, his job was making sure they had adequate supplies of food, drink and arrows to carry out the whole messy affair. For the first time in his life Claudius actually pined for his desk back in the tax-rooms of Dioclepia, the extra money he got working for the legions seemed so worth giving up the comfortable monotony of city life for...right up until two hundred armour-clad behemoths just materialised inside the base camp. Thinking back to that moment he wondered whether there was anything he could have done rather than just standing dumfounded, quill and ledger still in hand, before being tossed aside like a ragdoll by a single blow from a massive furred arm. Probably not, he thought grimly, if the soldiers around him hadn't stood much of a chance what did he? He'd always been slightly in awe of the Legionnaires, they seemed so stolid and powerful, even slightly frightening to someone like he who avoided conflict at all times. the legions of the Empire were supposed to be invincible, they conquered the varingeans, the celti and a host of other barbarian hordes in short order for the continued glory of the Empire, to see them cut down like so much wheat before the scythe shook him to the core.

One by one they were filed into a low stone building and placed in small groups each to a cell, there was little resistance from the men, apparently they were just as shaken as he was. Claudius, for what it was worth, was just glad to be able to sit down, even if it was on a wooden bunk. The forced march, relatively short though it was, had taken it's toll on him terribly, it wasn't until he'd actually settled himself down that he realised just how much his whole body ached.

The pit in his stomach didn't help, his portion of the enriched porridge the minotaurs had supplied had consistently been stolen from him by someone bigger and stronger - which just about everyone qualified for. He took a moment to look around the cell at the other men and saw that they were just looking about distractedly, too tense to speak.

"Fine" he thought "Just keep quiet for a while" as he curled up on the bunk and drew the tattered and dust-stained remains of his robe tight about him. After a few minutes fatigue struck him like a club, too tired even to worry, and he slept. He was woken with a start by a sharp clattering sound that sent his heart racing as he scrabbled to his feet.

"I'm up!" he cried, rubbing his eyes to bring the world into focus, the clattering had come from the warden rattling the bars of the cell with a short truncheon, more like a riding crop than anything else.

"Get out here, feral, inspection time." rumbled the Minotaur, his voice almost shaking the room with it's depth. Claudius was suddenly very aware that he was alone in the cell, presumably all the others had already been taken for "inspection", whatever that meant. He smoothed down his robe and walked to the cell doors, apparently not fast enough as the warden reached out and dragged him from the cell by the bicep as soon as he was in arms length. He was directed down a hallway, passing by the eerily empty cells that just before he slept had been abustle with activity, being goaded from time to time with sharp taps and prods from the minotaurs baton.

"What's going on? What's all this about?" said claudius as they walked.

"A pair of buyers are here looking for Greek-speaking slaves, i'm offering them you, and you will refer to all minotaurs as

'sir' until purchased, afterward you will refer to your owner as 'master', clear?"

"Sl-Slave!" moaned claudius "I-I can't, i'm too weak, i'll die!"

The minotaur snorted, a blast of hot hair hitting the back of claudius's neck "Perhaps, perhaps not, and you missed the honorific, i'll let it slide this time because i'm a generous soul and have been in the business long enough to know that a little leniency can do more good than harm but do it again and i'll have your hide."

At this, Claudius wen't silent.

Eventually they came to a halt before a heavy oak door, sounds of a conversation, possibly an argument, echoed forth from within. The warden rapped on the age-hardened wood before a muffled "Enter" from within was heard and he opened it and pushed Claudius through.

The inside was a smallish room decked out in the same pale yellow plaster that seemed ubiquitous throughout the building, two Minotaurs reclined in padded armchairs of intricately woven wicker, one a golden colour and dressed in dark blue shirt and trousers with embroidered patterns of vines picked out in yellow and short slightly-curved horns and the other jet-black, even more heavily muscled than the other minotaurs Claudius had seen, all of whom seemed to be built like professional athletes or the gladiators he had seen from time to time at the colisseum, with thick, aggressive-looking horns who wore a loose shirt of wine-red silk, open at the front to expose his pectorals, and trousers of heavy linen held up by a broad leather belt with a buckle set in the shape of a snarling lions head. He noted, curiously, that kneeling next to the bigger one was a human wearing a short wool tunic of the colour of dry blood and a heavy brass collar set with spikes, dark hair hung long over his shoulders and only partially obscured the deep scar that crossed his right eye, the cornea of which was milky white.

"What do you call this?" the black Minotaur said to the warden, snorting with derision as he ran his eyes over Claudius.

"Take this creature away, I want fighters, this one could barely heft a sword, never mind swing it."

The warden looked impassive "You wanted to take a look at all the ones who spoke Greek, this one speaks Greek." he said with a slight incline to the shoulders, his forced control suggesting that maybe he was slightly offended.

"Don't be so hasty, Diomedes" chimed the golden minotaur "Tell me, human, what was your function in the army?"

Claudius coughed softly before awnsering, his throat had seized up from nervousness after enduring the searing glower of the black minotaur - Diomedes, apparently - but he found his voice after an excruciating few seconds "I was the Quartermaster, in charge of logistics, supply lines, rationing, that sort of thing...er, sir." he said, trying and failing to hide his timidness.

"You are educated then?" said the golden minotaur, his words made his companion snort again but he ignored it "Good, this one may be of some use to me." this time his words were directed at the warden but he quickly turned back to claudius "What did your education consist of?"

The question came as a suprise to Claudius but he calmly reeled off the sum total of his accademic achievements; Mathematics, natural philosophy, societal philosophy, military history, economy, languages, literature and a short course in music that he had taken on a whim back at the alma mater.

"Excellent!" exclaimed the gold minotaur "Just what i've been looking for, i'll take him."

As the gold minotaur finished Diomedes re-entered the conversation "You can't be serious, Cas? Look at him! What would you want with a runt like that?" the comment was biting to Claudius, though he couldn't figure out why, it's not like he wanted to be sold.

"I am continuously swamped with paperwork, it is quite tedious but it is the nature of the ambassadorial position, i'm afraid, any way of reducing that workload is worth my coin." replied the golden minotaur in airy tones. Diomedes shook his massive head resignedly and rose from his chair.

"Well, if you are set on this one at least let me have a look, you have no eye for these things." he said, somewhat deflated, as he strode over to tower over claudius, his hooves clacking ominously on the floor. For a minute he did nothing but stare at Claudius, soundless, not saying a word. Claudius tried to look up but found those hard, black eyes impossible to hold.

"How much is this one?" he said at last, adressing the warden.

"Seven thousand and five hundred suns." replied the warden curtly, after performing a quick estimation under his breath.

"Pah! Ridiculous! For a weed like this one!?"

"Educated, Intelligent, Greek-Speaking, pretty polite and submissive for a feral, not unattractive either" said the warden "Seven and a half sounds about right to me"

"Hmph, we'll see." said Diomedes as he turned back to Claudius.

"Take that robe off" he said at last, Claudius hesitated for a moment but the twitching of the minotaurs fists soon hurried him along and he hastily pulled the ruined robe over his head and dropped it to the floor so that he stood before the huge creature wearing nothing but a loincloth which was soon pulled off him anyway as the minotaur continued his inspection, pacing slowly around him, roving eyes examining every inch of his body. Without warning he seized Claudius by the genitals and placed one hand on his chest just below the diaphragm, Claudius had to supress a burst of outrage despite his fear.

"Cough." commanded Diomedes and, shaking with anger drawn from humiliation, claudius obeyed, very aware of the pressure of the warm, furry fingers cupping his manhood.

"Ahah!" exclaimed Diomedes, removing his grip from Claudius "Congenital defect, human - were you born weak?" he said in an uncompromising tone to Claudius.

"Er...yes, sir. A wasting illness, It's why I went to the scholastica instead of the army, but I grew out of it."

"Hah! Trying to sell us defective stock, eh?" said Diomedes to the warden, accusingly.

"I detected no weakness, you heard him, it was a childhood illness. Besides, it could have been contracted, not congenital."

"It's congenital, I can tell." said Diomedes firmly, folding his arms "And even if I couldn't that'd be no excuse. Drop the price, he can't be bred from carrying a wasting disorder."

The warden looked at him sternely for a long moment before finally saying "Fine, six thousand."

"Four" said Diomedes.

"Five and a half, and that's flaying my own jowels."

"Done, the money will be transfered to you within the week." Said Diomedes in a self-satisfied tone, making it very clear that the conversation was over. The warden just gave a frustrated sigh and left the room, leaving Claudius alone, naked with the two minotaurs and the strange silent human who had watched the proceedings with apparent disinterest.

"Dio, I know that sort of behaviour is normal in Manticore lands but we southerners are somewhat more serious about matters of ettiquette." said the golden minotaur after the door had shut.

"Precisely why I want to get back as soon as possible, I can't be damned with this effete' nonsense, nobody ever says what they mean down here. Besides, these slave traders are parasites, you have to be firm with them or they'll bleed you dry."

"Need I remind you that it was your idea to come here?" the gold one quipped.

"Oh, lighten up Cassius, it's your homeland. I needed new fighters and Lycaili just so happens to have the best supplies of battle-trained humans, need I remind you that I just saved you two thousand suns on that creature there?" he said, waving a hand at Claudius, who was gathering up his clothes. "And who said you could dress, slave?"

"Um, sorry sir, I was just..." stammered claudius.

"You were just disobeying my orders, that's what!" roared the ebon minotaur, drawing himself up to his full height.

"That's quite enough, Diomedes, my suns purchased him and I will decide when he is to be punished." said the golden one, Cassius.

"Hmph, as you wish." Said the black minotaur, suddenly relaxed again. Claudius noticed that Cassius seemed to have that effect on him, whenever the black minotaur was about to fly into a rage it only took a few words from his golden companion to calm him, it was strange. "Ready to get back to the hotel then?"

Cassius sighed and finished his glass of wine before rising to his feet "Yes, it's been a long day, enjoyable, but long." he turned to Claudius "Put your robe back on, it'll have to do until I can get you some proper slave livery back at Kurga, from now on unless I say otherwise I am 'Master' to you, understood?"

"Yes, Master" said claudius, awestruck by the majesty of the golden minotaur who, having risen, was taller even than Diomedes, but slimmer and lighter built, his fur gleamed as though it had it's own source of sunlight.

Cassius gave a faint, warm smile "Good boy, let's go."

"Come, Warhound." said Diomedes as he opened the door and the human who had been kneeling beside his chair rose quickly and hurried after him.

"Warhound?" thought Claudius, thinking it a strange name. A creeping suspicion rose upon him that maybe it wasn't a name at all, perhaps it was more like a job description? But what kind of job? The black minotaur had mentioned something about 'fighters' a few times, was this Warhound a gladiator? It seemed reasonable enough, though no-one in the Empire would just walk around with one of their gladiators in tow, just as a matter of safety, though Claudius supposed that a minotaur would have little to fear from any human, even one trained as a killer. Maybe it was more like the way some young men back in the Empire kept savage dogs as status symbols?

The ride in the carridge had been uneventful, Cassius instructed him to kneel at his feet as Warhound did with Diomedes, it was slightly uncomfortable but bearable and he soon found his mind wandering. The two minotaurs chatted idly about small matters, bits of news and lamentations about the rain which had come out of nowhere and showed no signs of letting up any time soon. Diomedes toyed with the hair of the human kneeling beside him in a distracted manner but Cassius kept his hands to himself, for which Claudius was glad, he still had enough dignity to resent being treated as a pet. Did he? He thought, suddenly, he had been inspected like a horse, priced, haggled over, been commanded to sit and kneel beside his master...but that was normal treatment for slaves, wasn't it? He didn't know, he only knew one slave back in the Empire, the Celti girl his father owned, and she was usually too busy cleaning or cooking for him to take much interest in her life, not that her Latin was good enough to hold a decent conversation anyway. She had been set free when his father died, as was traditional, he wondered momentarily what happened to her afterwards.

The carridge stopped outside a tall building of sandy-coloured stone, the sign above the door proudly proclaiming it to be the "Ship on the Lethe" hotel, Claudius had been so lost in thought that he hadn't even noticed when they entered a city, from the brief period that he saw the streets before being handed a traveling sack to carry and shooed inside the hotel it looked rather similar to Dioclepia. Everything was larger having been built by stronger backs than the Empire could muster, the road was better maintained, the buildings more uniform in construction and the people on the streets were very different as goes without saying but for the most part it was all relatively familliar. Apparently the Empire and the Minotaurs could agree on matters of aesthetics, if nothing else. Getting up the stairs while carrying the sack was a chore, it wasn't particularly heavy, being mostly full of clothes as far as he could tell, but it was minotaur-sized and awkward to maneuver with. Warhound carried one too, though with much less difficulty, deftly shifting the weight from shoulder to shoulder as needed.

The room they arrived at was spacious and airy, featuring a small lounge in addition to the main room which was dominated by a huge double bed. There were also two side rooms, one was a bathing area with a bathtub, sink and what Claudius guessed was a latrine of some sort, all made of the same opalescent white ceramic. He'd seen the material before, he remembered a time when some traders had returned from the silklands far to the east of the Empire and brought back some vessels of the same substance, or at least something very like it, painted with images of birds and trees in blue ink. To use it for such base purposes seemed almost comically wasteful. The other room was virtually bare besides for two human-sized beds far too small for a minotaur, a servant chamber.

"Don't bother unpacking" said Cassius "We'll be leaving for Kurga in the morning. When was the last time you ate, slave?"

"Not for a few days, Master." replied Claudius, meekly.

"Hmph, shameful" said Cassius, shaking his head "i'll have some food sent up on our way out, Warlord Diomedes and I shall be eating out tonight so i'm leaving you without orders."

"Thank you master." said Claudius, silently overjoyed to get a chance to eat at last.

"And if you get any ideas about escaping, quash them. I'm leaving Warhound here to make sure you don't." Diomedes called over his shoulder with a malicious smirk.

"Threatening my property again, Dio?" said cassius, Diomedes looked put-upon.

"Never fear, Cas. Warhound, disabling wounds only, no broken bones but pop a few joints if you have to." said Diomedes, addressing the scarred human who nodded his assent. "There, happy?"

Cassius made a pained sigh and laughed softly under his breath "I swear, if you weren't my mate...come on, let's get something to eat."

Diomedes followed cassius out, the door clicking shut behind him. Claudius was alone in the room besides for Warhound, who was now lying sideways on a rug at the foot of the bed "Just like a dog waiting for his master" came the thought unbidden into Claudius's mind. "Just what can be done to a man that would turn him into an animal?" the thought made him shiver slightly. He looked around and lacking anything to do went to sit in one of the padded armchairs, a low menacing growl from behind him caught his attention before he did, the growl sounded exactly like that of a wild dog but when he turned he saw it came from the throat of the the other human in the room, the effect was surreal.

"What is it? What have I done?" he said to Warhound in placating tones. He stopped growling and patted the rug next to him.

"I'm not meant to use the chairs, is that what you mean?"

Warhound nodded and patted the rug again, Claudius warily approached and sat down beside the bestial human, bizzarely more alien to him than the Minotaurs. He sat cross-legged, not sure whether his knees could stand kneeling again.

"Can you speak?" he asked guardedly, Warhound shook his head and mimed slashing his neck, Claudius almost thought it was a threatening gesture until he lifted up his chin and pulled down the thick brass collar, careful to avoid the spikes, revealing a jagged scar that ran the length of his throat.

"Was that from a fight? You're a gladiator aren't you, a fighter?" he looked confused at the latin word 'gladiator' but nodded when he heard 'fighter'.

"Your eye, too?" again warhound nodded.

"You must have been in allot of fights." that was met with a shrug, as though it wasn't something he'd really considered.

"So, you're warhound, right? My name's Claudius." that had a startling effect on Warhound, he barked sharply and shook his head, grabbing Claudius by the shoulders and shaking him, trying vainly to express something that he couldn't without words.

"What? What? I don't understand!" Claudius cried, Warhound let go and hung his head in exasperation. They just sat there for a while until a knock at the door broke the almost painful silence. Warhound was up before claudius, rising gracefully and answering the door. There was a brief exchange of words from whoever was a the door and nods from Warhound before he returned with a tray of food and set it down before Claudius and himself. The two bowls on the tray were filled with steaming meat stew, chicken by the look of it, and each had a bread roll slanted on the side. Claudius gladly accepted a bowl and swallowed a few spoonfulls, it was good, really good, even in spite of the cramps the rich liquid brought to his long-empty stomach. Warhound dispensed with the spoon entirely and just drank from the bowl and ate the roll dry. Claudius put the bowl back on the tray and leaned back against the footboard of the bed, satisfied for the first time in ages.

"So what are we supposed to do now?" he said to Warhound who shrugged and gestured at the bathroom and servant chambers.

"Wash and sleep you mean, won't they mind?" warhound shook his head.

"Oh, well I suppose I will then, you're not going to though are you?" warhound shook his head and settled down on the rug.

"Because you've been ordered to make sure I don't escape, right?" a nod and a canine rumble of assent answered him.

Claudius felt slightly sorry for the strange, battle-scarred man as he went to the bath room, scared too, there was something melancholy and savage about him. He shook himself out of his thoughts and shrugged off his robe, folding it up and putting it to one side. The bath seemed simple enough to operate, two knobs labeled 'Zestos' (hot) and 'Kryo' (cold) connected to an arrangement of pipes and a plug to stopper the hole in the bottom. He gave the hot tap an experimental twist and was rewarded by a cloud of steam and a steady stream of water, he adjusted the balance with the cold tap and tested the water for temperature. He wondered idly how the minotaurs got the water to flow, the natural philosopher Solinus was very fond of designing gravity-fed pumps for fountains that could get water to flow a short distance uphill but the room was too high for that to be the source, another philospoher called Theosophese solved that problem with varigated piping but the necessary equipment was too bulky for that to be the source either, it'd be immediately obvious if that was it. Bah, maybe it was just magically pumped, who cares?

Lowering into the warm water was blissfull, all the aches and pains of the day were slowly massaged away by the heat and gentle waves. A block of scented soap sat in a dish beside the taps and he used it liberally, making a lather to wash his hair as well. When the water had cooled to lukewarm he stepped out and found some soft towels to dry with, they were so large that only one was necessary to get the job done, which was then dropped into the washbasket. He walked from the bathroom to the servants chamber wearing only his loincloth, donning a robe only to take it off again seemed a bit pointless. Warhound was still awake and nodded to him as he passed but otherwise looked utterly bored or possibly anxious for his masters return.

The beds were comfortable and warm though the pillow was a little thin, something easily remedied by bolstering it with the folded robe, and Claudius soon drifted off. He half-woke briefly in the middle of the night when Cassius and Diomedes returned and dismissed Warhound, who took the other bed without undressing or even lifting the covers. It was Warhound who woke him come morning and gestured for him to dress and get up. Following his gestured commands they gathered up the luggage and brought it down to load on the the carridge, aided by another human servant who was in charge of the carridge and it's horses, he was dressed in a pale grayish-blue tunic of much the same pattern as warhounds and identified himself as 'Driver', Cassius and Diomedes were awake but still lying in bed in bed, reading sheafs of papers and eating some kind of pastries he didn't recognise. On their return Cassius rose from the bed fully naked, which made Claudius blush and avert his eyes, and pushed a wad of the papers into his hand.

"Here, your first duty in your capacity as my scribe, take these exchange reports from today and last year and calculate the gross annual change of income from Manticore grain exports, including median and modal projections as well as average, then prepare a letter addressed to 'My Lord Chimes of House Lycaili' informing him of the change of trends, including documentation, can you do that?" said Cassius tersely.

"Um, Yes, Master, not a problem." replied Claudius, suprised by the sudden barrage of information.

"Good, there are scribing implements in the carridge, you can do it on the way." said Cassius "And another thing, Scribe, does my appearance offend you?"

"I'm sorry master, I don't know what you mean?" Claudius said, baffled by the question.

"Do you find me abhorrent to the eye?" said Cassius, sounding mildly amused.

"Ah, No Master, not at all!" Claudius suddenly blurted out, somewhat more enthusiasticaly than even he expected.

"Then by Lycail...Look at me when i'm speaking to you."

"Oh, um, sorry Master," said Claudius leveling his gaze at the golden minotaur "It's just that you are...well...naked." he finished lamely, trying in vain to find a better way to phrase the statement.

A look of abject confusion flashed across Cassius's features, which slowly faded to weary understanding "Ah, well nevermind that, Minotaurs have a different conception of such things, you seem quite sensible for a feral, don't give me reason to question that judgement now."

"Yes, Master, Sorry Master." said Claudius.

Diomedes snorted loudly and downed a glass of some unfamilliar orange liquid "Trust a feral to come up with such a strange idea as being ashamed of the flesh you were born with," he said with a guffhaw "clothing is armour against the elements and ornamentation, boy, nothing more." He rose as he spoke, the covers falling away from his body, and performed a long, luxurious stretch. Claudius almost gasped aloud seeing his muscles moving beneath his fur like piles of knotted shipping rope. Diomedes was so heavily developed that before he flexed his arms other muscles had to move out of the way first.

"Well put your 'armour' on, it's a long journey, i'd like to be gone early." Cassius said to Diomedes with a sardonic smile as he pulled on a fresh silk shirt of the same royal blue as yesterday, though this time the embroidery was of silver waves and an abstract geometric pattern around the sleeves. Diomedes grinned back and complied, swapping yesterdays ensemble for a light overcoat of black red-trimmed satin and a knee-length kilt of white canvas, the belt with its leonine buckle remained a constant though.

The journey to Clan Manticore territory was indeed long, but at least it gave Claudius time enough to finish the calculations and the report letter, which proved quite extensive. He was glad at least that he didn't have to kneel on the floor again, being allowed to sit on the carridge's padded bench to make use of the fold-out table with it's inset inkwell, ingeniously made with a spring-hinged lid that folded shut when the quill was withdrawn to prevent spillage. He had finished by the time they reached a coaching house around nightfall, Cassius examined the letter and its accompanying documentation, declared it "Excellent work" and promptly signed it, folded it up and sealed it to be given to the human servant who ran the post service in the coach house. Sadly the end to his work also meant an end to the relative comfort of the carridge bench and he was relegated to floor again after a brief stop to eat, it looked like they were going to be driving through the night.

It was some hours after midnight that they finally reached their destination, Diomedes glanced out the window and exclaimed "Back at last!", from his vantage on the floor Claudius could see little but by craning his neck he could make out the low, brooding battlements of a city wall constructed from undressed black stone, it didn't look much like what he had come to expect from minotaur architecture which usually made some attempt to be pleasing to look upon, this just looked intimidating and sturdy as the gates of hell.

"You are wondering why it looks so different to the last city?" said Cassius, looking down at him. It wasn't quite a question.

"Yes, Master. It doesn't resemble any of the minotaur constructions i've seen before."

"That's because it isn't, it ws built by the Kurgani." replied Cassius.

"Kurgani, master? Who are they?"

Cassius sighed "The Kurgani were a human tribe that inhabited this land before it was taken by Clan Manticore many years ago. They were soundly pacified by our forces but they did not go as quickly or easily as was expected of humans." he said with a curious smile "They were well used to fighting in the mountains that comprise much of the land and were fearless in battle, even when they stood no hope of victory, Kurga was built on the site of one of their meeting places and it's walls were built by them. Clan Manticore has kept Kurgani masonry techniques alive ever since they were conquered, the durability of their stonework is legendary."

"So, are there still any Kurgani left then, Master?" inquired Claudius.

"Why, of course, Warhound here is pureblood Kurgani, Clan Manticore refuses to breed with any other stock for fear of diluting their strength."

"It would dilute our strength, the strongest stock means the strongest minotaurs and the Kurgani are the strongest stock, it's a law of nature." Interrupted Diomedes.

"B-Breed?" said claudius with a slight stammer.

Cassius lauhed to himself in sudden realisation "Ah, yes, you wouldn't know would you? All minotaurs are male, we require human females to bear our calfs." he said matter-of-factly.

That suprised Claudius more than anything, it was true that he hadn't seen any minotaurs that looked female but he had just assumed that either the Minotaurs weren't sexually dimorphic or that they were highly patriarchal and kept their women hidden away, he certainly hadn't expected that.

"Odd." he quietly said under his breath before he could stop himself.

"Odd, Scribe?" said Cassius.

"Well, um, sorry Master if I caused offence but i've studied natural history and I can't think of any other form of life that...reproduces like that." Claudius quickly said, hoping he hadn't made an inadvertant faux pas'.

"Hmmm, true, it is odd. But then we are not entirely 'natural' creatures. Nor are humans, by the way." Claudius didn't probe any deeper into that statement, he wasn't sure he wanted to know what was meant by it.

The Carridge stopped outside a large manor of the same black stone as the city walls, Dolomite he realised after closer inspection, one of the few stones more resilient than granite. He stepped out after Cassius and Diomedes, Warhound after him, apparently still wary for any signs that he might try and escape. Cassius gave orders to Driver to stable and feed the horses before getting some sleep and gestured for Claudius to follow him inside.

"I'm going to the late bank to file for the cash transfer on those fighters before I forget, i'll be back in an hour or thereabouts." Declared Diomedes.

"Very well." replied Cassius "Handle my transfer while you're there would you?"

"Aye, i'll do that. Warhound, go to your room, sleep, it's a training day for you tommorow." Diomedes said before setting off. warhound nodded to him and bounded indside.

"Come on, Scribe, folow me." said Cassius and Claudius hurried after him, hustling to keep pace with the longer-legged minotaur.

A number of human servants dressed in red or blue, Claudius guessed by now that their tunics were indicative of ownership, appeared to meet them, or meet Cassius rather, but he dismissed them curtly, they bowed and silently dissapeared to wherever it was they had come from. Cassius led him up a wide flight of dolomite steps, it's nigh-indestructable surface worn smooth by the passage of uncountable feet and hoofs over the years. Even in the hours of early morning the manor was brightly lit by crystal spheres that glowed from within like fireflies, Claudius marveled at the magical lights, so much brighter and clearer than the smokey oil-lamps used in the villas of Imperial nobles for the same purpose. Cassius stopped before a large set of panneled double-doors and swung them open to reveal a bedroom of such astounding opulence that Claudius couldn't suppress his gasp. If the bed in the hotel had been massive then this one was positively gargantuan, decked out in covers of rich brown satin and cream and the pillows resting on the magnificently carved headboard were almost bigger than he was, the whole room was carpeted with a thick wool pile that depicted a scenes of minotaurs hunting deer with thrown spears, proud lions marching in formation and human athletes - no, fighters - engaged in competition. Even the walls were covered in some form of artisticaly-designed paper that had a strange, shimmery, pearlescent quality to it. Cassius leaned outside the door and pointed at one of the hall lights.

"Sbino Oloi." he commanded and all the lights in the hallway shut off immediately. "Sbino Oloi, Extinguish All", Claudius remembered, switching to Greek again.

"Ah, home at last." said Cassius, closing the doors behind him "Sometimes even doing nothing can be tiring on a journey like that, best get to bed before tommorow, get out of those clothes, Scribe, they have been offending me since I purchased you."

"What, master?" said Claudius, breaking out of his reverie.

"Clothes, remove them." said Cassius patiently before pointing to a side door "There's a bathroom through there, leave your clothes in the washbasket, they can be disposed of in the morning."

"Oh, okay Master."

"That's 'yes, master' Scribe, don't forget it, very few minotaurs outside my clan are as forgiving of breaks in established protocol, however minor they may be."

"Yes, Master. Sorry." Claudius said, trying his best to seem apologetic for what in his eyes was too trivial an error to bother mentioning. He went into the bathroom which mirrored the opulence of the bedroom, the bathtub was set upon gold-leafed lions feet and the tiles on the floor each had a small scene painted on them. Claudius had to tear himself away from the beauty of his surroundings before he disrobed and dropped his ragged scholars vestements, once so fine, along with his loincloth into the washbasket. he stood there naked for a moment before peeking around the edge of the door, Cassius was already in bed.

"Um, master, what am I supposed to wear?" he asked, tentatively.

"Wear? Now is the time to sleep, Scribe, you don't need to wear anything." replied Cassius "Ah, you think you're going to the servant quarters, no, not tonight. Tonight you sleep with me." with that he tossed aside a corner of the covers facing Claudius and beconed him forward "It is a great honour for a human slave to sleep in his masters bed, A reward for your fine work and obedience." he added.

Cassius again pointed at the inset lights and muttered "amavrono oloi", causing them to dim to a more gentle level.

Claudius hesitated for a moment before stepping out, realising that the minotaur had seen him naked before, it's not like he had anything to hide. That flash of insight came as a suprise to him, he was sure that he didn't normally think like that, did he? He pushed the thoughts aside and walked across the carpet to Cassius's bed, which was so high he had to practically climb to the top, the sheets of silk, so slippery to the touch, didn't help. Cassius apparently found his difficulty amusing and chuckled to himself before reaching out with one hand and hoisting him the rest of the way. The same arm drew him close to the golden minotaur and held him tight to the warm, furred body. Claudius was suprised by the texture of the minotaurs fur, instead of being rough like he expected it was as soft as featherdown, despite himself he found that he wa snuggling closer to his Master, close enough to smell the strange pine-and-salt fragrance that suffused the minotaurs fur, an animal scent he hadn't noticed it until now but it was...pleasant, very pleasant.

He realised that Cassius was looking down at him with a doe-eyed expression and the faint smile that Claudius had come to assosciate with the golden minotaur, he was running his fingers through Claudius's hair with one hand, the other stroked his back and side slowly. Claudius became very aware of the fact that he was lying naked and close to another male, a male of a different species for that matter, the thought should have seemed wrong to him, he realised on an intellectual level, but it didn't, it felt right.

"Hmmm, perhaps there is time for some other things before sleep, eh Scribe?" he said huskily.

Claudius gulped "Other things, Mast-" a furred finger was pressed to his lips before he could finish.

"Shhhh, 'Cassius', I am not 'Master' to you here, in bed we are just men enjoying eachothers company, understand?" said

Cassius in low, hungry tones.

"Yes, I understand er, Cassius. But that doesn't awnser what you meant by-"

"There are many rewards, some greater than others. Besides, Dio won't be back for some time and it has been days since I last enjoyed recreation with one of my slaves." he said, smiling to himself.

Claudius was about to inquire further when he felt the tip of the minotaurs hardening shaft move along his thigh. With effortless ease Cassius shifted into a sitting position, drawing Claudius along with him so that the unresisting human was sitting in his lap, the minotaurs ample member resting between his asscheeks.

"Just relax, Scribe, you will enjoy this." rumbled Cassius, a husky lowing on the edge of his voice as he maneuvered Claudius into position. The soft contact of the minotaurs penis against his pucker was thrilling and almost blocked out the long aching pain of entry, rather than try and pull away Claudius bit his lip to stifle a cry and accepted the shaft, easing onto it slowly, spurred on by the soft but irresistable pressure of the minotaurs furred hands on his hips, by the time the mintotaur was hilted Claudius was shivering with a curious mixture of shock and desire. Half-heard words of encouragement and strong, gentle hands holding him in an embrace that was firm without being constricting, as though he were a bird with a broken wing or a small injured animal, soothing him until he stopped shaking. He looked up into the deep pools of the minotaurs beaming eyes.

"There now, Scribe. The hard part's over." he said softly and began rocking the human cradled in his arms back and forth slowly in time to the thrusts of his pelvis that sent waves of ecstasy crashing through his body. Claudius was wordless from the experience, able to do little more than bury his face in the thick fur of the minotaurs chest to muffle his moans of passion, the rich, earthy minotaur scent helped immensely, giving him something to focus on while the powerful creature that he was held to thrust relentlessly into him. A shiver ran down the full length of his body as Cassius shifted position, moving to his knees and lowering Claudius's back onto the bed so as to be able to thrust deeper, his hands pinning the helpless but willing human to the quilted surface by the shoulders but not pressing hard enough to hurt as he resumed his motions. Utterly overwhelmed by the fusilade of sensations assaulting his body, Claudius climaxed, spilling his seed onto his stomach with a deep moan. Through one half-open eye he saw Cassius smiling down at him like a pagan god, his breathing only slightly heavier from his exertions but his pleasure plain to see. The rest of the night passed like a dream, Claudius was brought to climax once again before the minotaur found his pleasure and drew Claudius into a deeper thrust, his powerful body tightening and convulsing from the joy of the moment before slowly relaxing. Panting softly he withdrew his still-hard member from the human who was lying in a sort of trance from the experience, exhausted, blissful and satisfied beyond measure. with a soft towel he cleaned the seed from Claudius and himself and drew the human into a warm hug. Claudius was beyond grateful, thinking himself too weak to move on his own.

"Sleep now, Scribe." said Cassius "You've done well."

The joy Cassius's praise brought was almost too much to bare, in his emotionally raw state Claudius was almost tearful as he pulled himself as tight as he could to the minotaur, his Master, and drifted into a hazy dream-filled daze that didn't become true sleep until later when Diomedes returned and greeted Cassius with an affectionate kiss before climing into bed without making a sound. Sandwiched between the warm bodies of the two minotaurs Claudius finally fell into sleep.