{"sf1_id":487075,"sf2_id":null,"title":"Slave Trade - Sorra","author":"comidacomida","words":5059,"posted_at":"2013-01-14T06:54:00.000Z","tags":["Cuddling","Fox","Horse","M/M","Plot Development","Slavery","Stag","yak"],"url":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/487075-slave-trade-sorra","original_url":"https://sofurry.com/view/487075","image_url":"https://www.sofurryfiles.com/std/thumb?page=487075\u0026ext=.jpg","description":"","content":"Slave Trade\n\nSorra\n\ncopyright 2013 comidacomida\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nSidney followed the guard through the confusing maze of hallways as he was led back to the\n\ngladiator holding area.\u0026nbsp; The armored feline had set a leisurely pace, which suited the fox just\n\nfine since he walked gingerly; he moved with an uneven gait, taking small, measured steps to\n\navoid the pain a full stride brought to his backside.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nThe lynx was not Sidney's original guide, most likely because the first guard was probably\n\nalready in bed.\u0026nbsp; The Slave Master didn't have any time piece but he knew it was late, and would\n\nhave yawned if his jaw weren't so sore.\u0026nbsp; Between his tail hole and his muzzle, Sidney was in pain\n\nfrom end-to-end, but he maintained his practiced posture.\u0026nbsp; Too clearly, the fox remembered one of\n\nLord Bulhue's first rules: a slave showing pain invited only more.\u0026nbsp; He was not in the hippo's\n\nstables any longer, but he couldn't help but feel a too-strong familiarity within Lord Levid's\n\nmanor.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nThe trip back to the holding area was more convoluted and confusing than the trip from the dining\n\narea, yet his guide had no hesitation in knowing the route.\u0026nbsp; The fox was moving too slow to pause\n\nat any intersection, but he realized that the white, wooden panels with script on them likely\n\nhelped the guard's navigation.\u0026nbsp; It was during one such quick examination of a sign that Sidney\n\nrealized the guard had drawn further away from him, and had actually stopped and was looking back\n\nat him, \"You're slowing down.\" the lynx stated.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nSidney nodded, and took a step to follow, then paused when his knee gave out and he stumbled\n\nforward.\u0026nbsp; The guard quickly moved toward him and caught the fox before he fell to the ground.\u0026nbsp;\n\nWithout a word, the lynx hefted him off the floor then picked him up, carrying him in both arms.\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"I...\" the Slave Master ventured, feeling both mortified and embarrassed.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"You haven't eaten, and you haven't slept.\" the guard noted flatly, \"And you just finished\n\nservicing the King's pet gladiator.\" the lynx spoke to him without looking at him, carrying him\n\ndown the hall with a strong degree of indifference, \"Lord Hector knows, and said to make sure you\n\ngot back to the holding area safely.\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nSidney felt a faint thrill run through him, a sense of warmth that a portion of his master's\n\nattention was focused on him.\u0026nbsp; That sensation slowly turned icy however when he started to second\n\nguess the reason.\u0026nbsp; Sidney had failed his Master and Uraou... he had been sent away to service a\n\nslave, which was as much of an indication that he'd never have a chance to be Lord Hector's\n\npersonal slave-- if Lord Levid burned a fur brush after it was used by a slave, what was the\n\nimplication for him?\u0026nbsp; He continued to mull over the thoughts until his guide came to a stop\n\noutside a door that Sidney found familiar.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"Lord Hector.\" the lynx spoke.\u0026nbsp; Sidney was readily aware that the door was not one that led to\n\nhis master's quarters, \"I have your slave.\" at which point the lynx set him against the wall and\n\nopened the door.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"Good.\" came the stag's beautiful voice from within, fortifying the fox's stamina and allowing\n\nhim to stand on his own.\u0026nbsp; The lynx quickly raised a paw, catching a small leather pouch which\n\nclinked out with the sound of coin when it hit his palm, \"Now leave us.\" Lord Hector added.\n\n\"My lord.\" the lynx bowed, then glanced to Sidney, \"Go.\" and he motioned to the doorway as he\n\nstepped back, \"I'm done carrying you.\" and, with that as a farewell, the guard left.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nSidney straightened his shoulders anew and, placing his paw on the door frame for balance,\n\ngingerly led himself into the holding area, closing the door after he entered.\u0026nbsp; It took a moment\n\nfor his eyes to adjust to the darkened room which was lit by three candles perched atop a silver\n\ncandelabra situated on an overturned wooden box.\u0026nbsp; Seated on one side of the box was Lord Hector\n\nand, at the other, was Maern; both were looking at him.\u0026nbsp; The horse slowly stood, one ear up and\n\nthe other slightly tilted to the side as Maern gazed at him appraisingly.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"I'm back, Master.\" Sidney offered, and Maern moved over to support him, bringing him to the\n\ncrate-turned-table.\u0026nbsp; The fox paused, noticing a bottle beside the crate, and a tin mug in the\n\nstag's grasp.\u0026nbsp; Without an answer, Lord Hector motioned for him to take a spot at one side of the\n\nwooden box; Sidney knelt obediently, not eager to sit.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"Lord Levid has announced that another of my gladiators will be fighting again tomorrow.\" the\n\nstag stated, finishing off the contents of his mug before pouring himself another.\u0026nbsp; Maern made\u0026nbsp; a\n\nsimple comment once Sidney was situated and Lord Hector shook his head, \"I am not getting drunk,\n\nI--\" then he paused and spoke to the stallion in Vensian then looked to Sidney, \"I am\n\nsupplementing my thoughts with alcohol.\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nSidney could recall numerous times when Lord Bulhue became highly intoxicated and the fox hadn't\n\nliked any of them.\u0026nbsp; The thought of Lord Hector inebriated was not something the Slave Master\n\nlooked forward to.\u0026nbsp; When the stag set the mug down in front of HIM, however,\u0026nbsp; Sidney wasn't sure\n\nthe situation was much improved, \"Go ahead, Sidney.\" the stag offered, \"I know slaves do not\n\noften get to drink, but I am fairly certain you could use it.\" and, before the fox answered, Lord\n\nHector had another mug out and filled it up, passing it to Maern.\u0026nbsp; \"Min Sarul.\" the stag stated\n\nformally.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"Min Sarul.\" Maern responded in kind, and downed the entire drink with two quick gulps.\u0026nbsp; Both\n\nthen looked to Sidney, who glanced down at the mug.\u0026nbsp; Lifting it to his muzzle, he sniffed\n\ntentatively and winced, relating the scent far too closely to Lord Bulhue's breath.\u0026nbsp; Glancing\n\nonce more to Lord Hector, the fox nodded obediently, and drank deeply... for all of a half second\n\nuntil he cough-choked most of it back into the metal cup.\u0026nbsp; Wheezing, Sidney set the mug back\n\ndown, huffing fresh air into his burning lungs; it felt cold in his seared his throat, but each\n\nbreath was icy relief after the fire of the drink.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"You amaze me sometimes, Sidney.\" Lord Hector spoke, refilling Maern's mug.\u0026nbsp; The comment was\n\ndecidedly a form of positive acknowledgment, but the fox was so surprised at it that he didn't\n\nhave a response.\u0026nbsp; At his silence, the stag continued, \"You have done far better than anyone else\n\nhas expect of you.\u0026nbsp; I thought, in time, you would grow into the position and do well, but your\n\nprogress has surpassed my expectations.\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"I...\" Sidney's pain practically disappeared at the blatant praise, \"T-thank you, Master.\"\n\n\"What is happening here isn't your fault, Sidney.\" Lord Hector swirled the drink around in his\n\nmug; despite the scent of alcohol in the air, the fox realized that very little was actually\n\ncoming from the stag, \"A lot of it is mine.\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nSidney couldn't stop his ears from raising in surprise, and he was distracted enough that he\n\nactually took another swig from his cup; the coughing wasn't quite as bad, and he managed to\n\nchoke out, \"I shouldn't have failed you, Master.\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"You were not set up for success, Sidney... none of us were.\" Lord Hector sipped lightly from his\n\nmug, \"Lord Levid saw to that... so... no... you are NOT responsible for this failure.\" the stag\n\nrefilled Maern's mug one more time before corking the bottle, \"and I think it is about time that\n\nwe stop this losing streak.\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"Yes, Master.\" Sidney acknowledged, sobered by the combination of encouragement and admonishment,\n\n\"Of course, Master.\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"Maern will be fighting tomorrow.\" the stag noted, motioning to the stallion.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"Yes, Master.\" the fox affirmed.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"I had honestly thought that he would have volunteered today... so this was more my fault than it\n\nwas yours, Sidney.\" Lord Hector admitted.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nThe familiar tone his master took with him was a surprise, which was why Sidney didn't have the\n\nwherewithal to keep the words from coming out of his muzzle, \"I don't understand, Master.\"\n\nLord Hector nodded sagely at that, his antlers casting long-reaching shadows across the far wall\n\nin the flickering candlelight.\u0026nbsp; The stag glanced toward Maern, \"Hi yana ru vedun?\" he inquired of\n\nthe stallion.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nMaern nodded simply and responded in Vensian , \"Iya, Lord Heck-tur.\" the horse then turned to\n\nregard Sidney, \"My Stor-ee.\" he sounded out in Prossian.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nLord Hector watched the exchange, but said nothing.\u0026nbsp; Instead, he slid his mug across the crate to\n\nlet Maern finish it as turned to address Sidney, \"Sidney... have you ever heard the Vensian word\n\n'Sorra'?\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nSidney thought back to the last time he'd heard the word, which was far back in his past.\u0026nbsp; When\n\nhe was fairly new to slavery one of the pit hyenas had threatened one of his fellows with the\n\npromise of sending him to a witch for a Sorra, but it made no sense to him back then, nor did he\n\ncompletely understand what Lord Hector meant, \"I heard the word once, Lord Hector, but I don't\n\nknow what it means.\" the fox pushed the still half-full mug away from himself on the table.\u0026nbsp; The\n\nstag patiently picked it up and poured it into Maern's now-empty one.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nSidney had no idea how the stallion was able to down the drinks like he did.\u0026nbsp; Watching Maern lift\n\nthe cup and knock it back with a single go instilled a sense of awe in the fox.\u0026nbsp; He recalled\n\nhaving heard in the past that drinking, like many other things took a degree of practice; one of\n\nthe kinder courtiers he'd known in their mutual employ to Lord Bulhue once likened it to the\n\nrougher kind of sex-- you had to tolerate it numerous times before it stopped hurting.\u0026nbsp; Later\n\nthat night, the man had been given Sidney for the evening as a gift from Lord Bulhue, and, ever-\n\nafter, Sidney didn't consider the courtier quite so kind.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"...which is why he did not offer to fight yesterday.\" Lord Hector finished his explanation.\u0026nbsp;\n\nSidney lowered his head, putting his face in the palm of his paw, berating his own meandering\n\nattention.\u0026nbsp; The stag sat still, watching the fox, who slowly straightened back up, wincing as too\n\nmuch of his weight was transferred to his rump. \"Do you have any questions, Sidney?\"\n\nOne came to the fox's mind that wouldn't give away his lack of focus, \"How can Maern fight\n\ntomorrow, Master?\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nThe stag nodded in consideration, \"That is what I was attempting to explain.\" he took a moment,\n\nface tweaked in thought before he answered, \"The easiest way to conform with Maern's Sorra is for\n\nyou to order him to fight.\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nThe suggestion engulfed Sidney's heart in an icy grip, \"But... what if he loses, Master?\"\n\nThe far corner of Lord Hector's muzzle rose slightly in a smirk, \"His Sorra suggests that he\n\nwon't.\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"I...\" the fox fidgeted, wincing as his tail twitched against the ground, \"Yes, Master.\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nThe stag observed the fox a moment and, Sidney realized, in his infinite wisdom, understood why\n\nthe Slave Master didn't comprehend and then, in his infinite compassion, was generous enough to\n\nreiterate, \"Maern was given a Sorra, which is a combination of a curse and a fortune... and he\n\nwas told that he would win every battle he had to fight, but would lose every battle he chose to\n\nfight.\" Lord Hector laced his fingers together on the table, \"So he could not volunteer to fight\n\nfor you and expect to win.... do you understand?\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nSidney nodded slightly, wondering how much information he missed by having his master repeat\n\nhimself.\u0026nbsp; He decided that Lord Hector's question of understanding permitted him to ask a\n\nquestion, \"Maern was told he'd always win when he HAD to fight, but whenever he chose to fight\n\nhe'd lose?\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"Correct.\" Lord Hector confirmed, standing, and dusting off his slacks and putting on his dinner\n\ncoat, which had been resting against the far side of the crate; the fine livery did not suit the\n\nholding area, making the stag look even more out-of-place than he already was.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nSidney's ear twitched s a thought came to mind, \"Master... what happens if Maern chooses to fight\n\na battle he has to win?\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nThe stag chuckled at that and reached out to pat Sidney on the head, \"I would assume any fight\n\nthat HAD to be won would not present a choice to Maern, Sidney... that is the way Vensian honor\n\nworks.\" he picked a piece of hay off of his dinner coat, \"Does that make things any clearer, or\n\ndo you have another question?\" Lord Hector regarded him with what almost seemed to the fox to be\n\na degree of fondness.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nPushing the giddiness aside, Sidney ordered himself to focus, \"Maern will fight if I order him\n\nto?\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"Yes.\" Lord Hector confirmed, \"and you will order him to tomorrow.\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"And he will win?\" Sidney asked desperately.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"So long as he does not have a choice in the matter, yes.\" Lord Hector walked to the door, \"The\n\nVensian Sorras are a very powerful kind of fortune telling... some even call them a curse.\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"Sorra an Sorra.\" Maern attested.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nLord Hector nodded to the stallion then looked back to Sidney, \"Fate be fate.\" he translated,\n\n\"Vensians see Sorras as unwanted.\u0026nbsp; Almost every Sorra is a double-sided blade... you find out\n\nsomething about the future, but knowing ahead of time doesn't mean it will change anything, so\n\nyou have the foresight, but not the control.\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"Like knowing you will always win when you have to but always lose any other time?\" Sidney\n\ninquired of his Master, thinking back to the first time he had seen Maern fighting with the\n\nslavers at the auction block, \"It sounds like a Sorra is a painful thing to have to live with,\n\nMaster.\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nLord Hector nodded, eyes gazing off into the distance, \"Yes... yes it is.\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nThe comment caught Sidney as strange, and the haunted look that crossed his master's face for a\n\nsplit second was enough to give the fox pause, but he dared not speak of it.\u0026nbsp; Instead, Sidney\n\nquickly gathered up the crate, setting it on its correct side as he cleaned up after the\n\nunofficial gathering; he knew it would not be propper for a Lord to visit the holding area and he\n\nhad no desire for Lord Hector to lose any further face.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"Tell Maern to go to bed...\" the stag motioned to the far side of the holding area where the soft\n\nsnores of the others identified their location despite the darkness, \"Dorias and Choel are\n\nalready asleep and he needs his sleep for tomorrow.\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"Yes, Master.\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"I will let the guards know that you are to join me in my quarters once you are done.\" the stag\n\nannounced, heading out of the room.\u0026nbsp; Sidney choked on his tongue, losing the opportunity to\n\nfumble his way through a question he didn't have a chance to formulate.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nOther than taking a handful of minutes to explain to Maern it was bed time, the fox checked in on\n\nDorias and Choel.\u0026nbsp; The yak, Sidney discovered, was not actually asleep, and had heard a good\n\namount of the conversation.\u0026nbsp; Although Dorias had plenty to discuss about a number of topics, the\n\nslave master instead bid him go to sleep and that they would discuss it in the morning.\u0026nbsp; As a\n\nparting farewell, the older slave noted, \"If Lord 'ector wants ye in 'is room, it's t'speak with\n\nye, Sir.\u0026nbsp; 'e trusts ye... an' that's a good thing.\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nSidney smiled slightly at that, and added, \"Of course it's to talk with me.\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"JUST talk.\" Dorias clarified.\u0026nbsp; Despite himself, Sidney couldn't help but feel a little depressed\n\nabout the yak's observation, but he bid him a good night and showed himself out.\u0026nbsp; The guard\n\noutside, true to Lord Hector's word, showed the fox directly to his chambers, and stood by the\n\ndoor as Sidney entered after being granted audience.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nLord Hector's room was exactly as the Slave Master remembered it, but his attention to the\n\nchambers was overshadowed by the presence of the stag.\u0026nbsp; \"Hello, Sidney.\" his master was seated in\n\nan armchair off to the side of the bed, a crystal decanter of amber liquid situated on the oak\n\nend table to his left and an intricately shaped tumbler in his hand.\u0026nbsp; Lord Hector was dressed in\n\na simple, red silk robe tied closed around his waist; a hint of his master's lush, silvery fur\n\nstuck out past the cloth from just below his neck.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"I'm here, Master.\" Sidney fought his active mind to avoid fantasizing about running his fingers\n\nthrough the stag's thick chest fur.\u0026nbsp; He avoided thinking about the feel of Lord Hector's fur\n\nagainst his paw pads, steadying his Master as he knelt before the stag, muzzle pressed fully\n\nagainst his groin while his tongue--\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"I wish to talk to you about your past service as a personal slave...\" Lord Hector stated,\n\nswirling the drink around in his glass, the sound of ice clinking faintly against the crystal\n\nbefore the stag stopped, and took another sip.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nSidney licked his muzzle, \"Yes, Master.\" his head was spinning with more dizziness than the\n\nearlier drink alone could have managed.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nLord Hector set the glass down on the table beside the decanter, \"You are going to spend the\n\nnight here, sleeping with me.\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nWith as hard as it was to formulate a response, it felt to the fox that his tongue just increased\n\nthree times in size... but that was nothing compared to other parts of him.\u0026nbsp; \"Master?\" he managed\n\nto wheeze.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nLord Hector stood, and moved to sit down on the bed, \"I plan on Lord Levid hearing of your trip\n\nhere tonight, and I want him to know that I don't think any less of you for having serviced\n\nBaron.\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"Yes, Master.\" Sidney nodded his head vigorously, \"How would you like me to--\" the tightness in\n\nhis throat cut his words off, but he managed to eagerly push out the next words, albeit, at a\n\nmuch higher octave, \"--serve you?\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"You can serve me by being comfortable.\" the stag answered, patting the bed, \"You will be\n\nsleeping in my chambers tonight so you can rest well.\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nSidney was confused, so confused that the question escaped him, \"Rest?... Master?\"\n\n\"Yes, Sidney... rest.\" the stag confirmed.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nThe fox faltered at that, his tongue (and other parts) deflating, \"Would you like me to--\"\n\n\"I am sorry, Sidney,\" the stag shook his head, \"I do not require the services of a personal\n\nslave... I simply wish Lord Levid to realize that he should spend less time trying to 'break my\n\ntoys'.\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nThe fox's ears lowered and, despite the pain, his tail tucked, \"Master... did I do...\" he\n\nswallowed, \"have I... displeased you?\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nLord Hector waved the Slave Master over and patted the bed by his side.\u0026nbsp; Sidney sat down, wincing\n\nas he did so, and the stag pulled him closer, leaning the fox's head on his shoulder as he\n\nwrapped an arm around him, and softly stroked the top of his head, \"You have not displeased me,\n\nSidney... if anything, you have continued to surpass my expectations.\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"Would you like me to exceed more of them, Master?\" the fox crooned, sliding his paw down against\n\nthe stag's thigh.\u0026nbsp; It was a very forward statement, one very unseemly for any slave other than a\n\npleasure slave to even think to attempt.\u0026nbsp; In any other circumstance Sidney's heart would have\n\nlikely stopped from the sheer fear of even THINKING about it but, between his master's proximity,\n\nopenness, and likely from the drinks, the fox had moved past feeble coyness.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nLord Hector patiently reached down and gripped Sidney's wrist, taking the fox's paw off of his\n\nthigh, \"No, I would not.\" the stag stated coldly, and stood up.\u0026nbsp; He walked half way across the\n\nroom with his back to Sidney, letting out a deep sigh.\u0026nbsp; Sidney watched his Master, feeling\n\nstunned, hurt, and irrevocably aghast-- what had he just done?!?!\u0026nbsp; Lord Hector raised an arm,\n\nrubbing behind his antlers, \"I have a Sorra as well, Sidney.\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nThe Slave Master wasn't exactly sure how to respond to the comment, so he did not.\u0026nbsp; Rather, he\n\nsat there quietly as Lord Hector slowly about-faced and walked back, taking one of Sidney's paws\n\nin his hands.\u0026nbsp; \"It has caused me shame and pain.\u0026nbsp; It has cost me the love and respect of my wife.\n\n\u0026nbsp;I was sent away by my clan... and nobody else in this world aside from the Soraan-- the Fate\n\nCaster who told it to me-- knows of it.\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nSidney faltered at that, the closeness of his master, the stag's grip on his paw, and the intense\n\ngaze of the Lord Hector's eyes, \"Yes, Master.\" the fox acknowledged, his heart beating a mile a\n\nminute as he realized that, to the exclusion of all else, Lord Hector had chosen him for\n\nsomething... special.... unique... personal.\u0026nbsp; For Sidney, it was even better than having the\n\nchance to pleasure his Master... almost better... a reasonable substitute... an acceptable-\n\nthough-distant second-place.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"I was told that the next person with whom I...\" the stag faltered for a moment as if searching\n\nfor the right words, \"...share pleasure... will die... horribly... in a most gruesome way.\"\u0026nbsp; Lord\n\nHector's eyes looked away as his ears reddened.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nSidney swallowed around the tightness in his throat, \"Die?\" he wheezed.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"Yes.\" Lord Hector confirmed, \"Horribly.\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nThe fox was barely able to squeak the word, \"How?\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nThe stag shook his head, \"I did not find out... the Sorraan didn't say, so it was not part of the\n\nSorra... but I do not want to be responsible for someone's death like that.\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nA flash of decision struck the fox with more certainty than he had ever felt, \"I will, Master...\"\n\nhe stood, \"I will die for you.\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"Not that way, you won't.\" Lord Hector stated as clearly as any order, and he forestalled any\n\nfurther argument with, \"and that is FINAL.\" the stag sighed, sitting back down on the bed beside\n\nhim.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"Yes, Master.\" Sidney acknowledged forlornly.\u0026nbsp; He felt marginally better knowing that it was not\n\nhis own fault for the stag not making use of his services, but the knowledge that he never would\n\ndue to the Vensian curse was not heartening.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"Some Sorra are clearer than others, and some less distinct.\" Lord Hector continued, \"Some follow\n\nthe recipient around for the rest of their life while others continue on until the terms come to\n\npass.\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"And yours will go on forever?\" the fox asked.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nThe stag shook his head, \"No.\" he stated, \"At some point I will slip up, or give-in, or fail to\n\nstop myself.\" he smoothed out the hem on one sleeve of his robe, \"The Sorra is a foretelling of\n\nthe future-- it WILL happen.\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"And then you will be free.\" Sidney offered optimistically.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"At a very high price.\" Lord Hector pointed out, \"I do not know how my lover will die, and I do\n\nnot know enough about what may cause it.\" the stag shook his head scornfully, \"I have not been\n\nwith anyone in over a decade...\" and he followed it up with knocking the decanter over with a\n\nswipe of his arm, \"My wife left me when I would not touch her... I cannot seek physical comfort\n\nin another and I haven't even been able to fulfill my needs myself...\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nSidney saw the reasoning quickly, \"If you do, there's no way of telling if it's YOU who dies\n\nhorribly...\" the fox didn't much like the sound of a Sorra to begin with, but he found himself\n\nliking it less and less.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"Exactly.\" the stag nodded, lowering his head as he rested his hands on his knees.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nAnother line of thought suddenly connected in the fox's mind, \"Then... the Sardassi... you have\n\nit... for you.\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nLord Hector nodded somberly, \"It works well enough for a number of purposes, but yes, Sidney...\n\ncelibacy never sat well with me... even so, I can NOT take any chances that, like you said, I may\n\nend up condemning myself to a most unpleasant death.\" even in unveiling that knowledge, the Slave\n\nMaster admired the way the stag maintained his poise.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nConsidering ten years of use, Sidney paused.\u0026nbsp; \"But... the Sardassi is....\" the fox faltered,\n\nunable to find the right word to describe his own experience with the device.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"I know.\" the stag closed his eyes with a sigh, \"But I do not have a lot of options that I would\n\nconsider acceptable, Sidney... and YOU are the only other person alive who knows this about me.\"\n\nhe reached out and rested a hand on the fox's arm, \"I do not doubt that you will be capable of\n\nrespecting my privacy in this matter.\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"I would rather die than forsake your trust, Master.\" Sidney noted without the slightest\n\nhesitation.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"Thank you, Sidney.\" the stag ruffled the fur atop his head anew, \"I knew I was not wrong in\n\nplacing you in my confidence.\" and, with that, the stag leaned over and blew out the candles on\n\nthe night stand.\u0026nbsp; With only a small candle still burning on the desk, the room grew even darker,\n\n\"And now, I think it is about time to consider sleep for the night.\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"I...\" the fox gazed around, \"I will sleep on the rug by the desk if you are not bothered with me\n\nthere, Master.\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"Nonsense.\" the stag stated calmly, pulling back the covers of the bed, \"I said you would be\n\nsleeping with me, and so you will do just that.\" and Lord Hector slid into bed, pulling the fine\n\nlinens up around him.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"In your BED, Master?\" the fox's voice cracked on the fourth word.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"Of course not...\" the stag wore a very wide grin, \"In one of Lord Levid's, of course.\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"Yes, Master.\" Sidney acknowledged, voice lowering down the moment he saw Lord Hector disrobe\n\nbeneath the bedding.\u0026nbsp; The fox's teeth began to chatter as he neared the bed; he bit his tongue to\n\nsilence them.\u0026nbsp; Crawling up onto the end of the bed, the Slave Master laid down across its width,\n\nas if he were an obedient hound curling up at his master's feet.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"Sidney...\" Lord Hector called from further up the bed, \"you may be my slave, but that does not\n\nmake you a pet... come up here and sleep as is proper.\" the stag patted at the mattress beside\n\nhim.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"Yes, Master.\" the fox squeaked.\u0026nbsp; With fur standing on end, Sidney courted death, climbing under\n\nthe blankets, puffed up with unabashed euphoria as he found himself laying beside the stag,\n\nfeeling Lord Hector's breath against his back. His heartbeat picked up when his master slid\n\ncloser, wrapping an arm around the fox's side, \"Master... I...\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"I prefer women to men, Sidney,\" the stag admitted, \"but that does not mean I cannot appreciate a\n\nwarm body laying beside me.\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nThe slave master shivered all over when Lord Hector pressed his entire naked body against the\n\nfox's back.\u0026nbsp; He WAS courting disaster, he knew, but there was no way he could avoid being there\n\nfor the stag, absorbed in his master's scent.\u0026nbsp; At that moment, even though Sidney knew what was\n\ncoming, if Lord Hector would have so much as hinted that he would have liked to have taken him\n\nright then and there, the fox would have been unable to say no.\u0026nbsp;\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nAs it was, the simple sensation of his master's perfect body pressed up against his back, the\n\nwarm exhale on his neck, and the too-present sensation of the stag's very sufficient flesh caught\n\nbetween them, Sidney couldn't fight his tail from slowly veering off to the side.\u0026nbsp; The fox\n\nwhimpered faintly, entire body shivering.\u0026nbsp; He fought back a strangled cry of alarm mixed with\n\norgasmic bliss as his erect flesh coated the inside of his loin cloth with his seed.\u0026nbsp; Sidney\n\nshivered for many moments as his second ejaculation of the night turned him into jelly in Lord\n\nHector's arms, but, more so, the fear that he was going to die a most horrible death.\n\n\"Shh...\" the stag noted into his ear, \"Everything is fine, Sidney...\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"But... I.... the... the curse....\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nLord Hector chuckled softly, \"You're safe from the Sorra... this isn't enough to hurt you.\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nThough the fox continued shivering, it wasn't as much from fear, \"I... I am?\" he paused, \"It...\n\nit isn't?\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"Well... during my inspection of you the first night in the stables you didn't die, now did you?\"\n\nhis master's patient voice still held a strong amount of mirth in it.\u0026nbsp; Several seconds passed\n\nbefore Sidney recalled what the event the stag mentioned, and his ears reddened immediately for\n\nit.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"I... didn't know you noticed, Master.\" the fox admitted shamefully.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"I told you, I have a very good sense of smell.\" Lord Hector replied, and Sidney froze\n\nimmediately when he felt the stag's hands go to the rope holding Sidney's loin cloth on.\u0026nbsp; He\n\nremained stock-still as his master removed it, and laid it down onto the mattress beside him.\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"There.\" Lord Hector stated with certainty.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nSidney's thoughts went immediately to good pleasure slave etiquette and he spoke softly, \"The\n\nbed...?\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nHe felt the quirking smirk in Lord Hector's muzzle as it lay against his cheek, \"Will probably\n\nhave to be burned as well... but I plan on making Lord Levid know that I handle my own slaves as\n\nI see fit.\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nEtiquette or not, Sidney could not bring himself to object.\n\n  \n  \n\n"}