Chapter IV: Breaking and entering
Seeing that the wolf was still terrified, the Collie grabbed him under his arms and knees, lifted him from the mattress and cradled him like one would carry an infant. She walked a few steps and then sat down, with the wolf laying on her lap.
"It's okay, little one. I know it must be scary, waking up in a new environment, unable to see anything," the Collie said.
Aran nodded, not knowing whether that would make a difference. He was starting to calm down now as the female kept petting his head.
"Don't worry, your eyes will open soon enough," the big dog said, only further puzzling Aran.
"You must have a lot of questions, but I cannot answer them. Not right now, that is."
'Yeah, as if I can even ask them with this thing in my muzzle', Aran thought.
"Eventually, all will be revealed, but for now, try to relax. Everything will be easier if you just go with the flow. It's okay to be afraid, I understand that, but you can trust me, okay?"
Instinctively, Aran nodded, although he very much distrusted the female. Was she with Kaiser? What were his intentions and what was her role in this? As the questions rose again, the wolf grew restless. The collie picked up on that and sat Aran up to embrace him.
"No, no, there's no reason for all that, little one. I'll take good care of you, don't worry. Let it go, pup," she cooed.
Aran took a deep breath, as much as the pacifier allowed him, and told himself to calm down again. Panicking never solved any problem, so he tried to stay at ease. He did not trust the female at all, but for the sake of his own sanity, he estimated 'staying calm' to be essential.
"Are you thirsty, Aran?" the female asked when she let him go.
The wolf nodded and felt how the dog picked him up again.
"I'll go get you something to drink," she said, putting the wolf back on his mattress, "but I can't leave you out of your crib. Since your eyes are still closed, you might hurt yourself."
'My eyes aren't closed, moron. You blindfolded me,' Aran thought as he heard the side of the crib slide up again, followed by the sounds of the female leaving the room.
A little while later, she re-entered the room and the wolf was taken out of his crib again. The collie carried him to approximately the same spot and let him lay on her lap again. With one arm, she supported his upper body, while she unlocked the pacifier harness with the other.
Before Aran could say anything, the gag was taken out and swapped for a somewhat smaller nipple. It did not take the wolf long to understand that the latter nipple was in fact connected to a bottle. He tried to spit the nipple out, but the female applied some pressure on the bottle, rendering Aran's attempts useless.
"Don't fuss, pup. It's good for you. Come on, have a taste."
Figuring that there was no other viable option, the wolf hesitantly started sucking the nipple. The lukewarm milk-like liquid flowed out and touched Aran's tongue. In contrast to his expectation, whatever it was tasted not that bad at all. The taste had something of actual milk, but it appeared to sweeter.
Being thirstier than he estimated, Aran continued drinking from the bottle in a steady pace. Before he knew, the bottle was empty and he was no longer drawing in any milk. The female swapped the bottle back for the pacifier and strapped it at the back of his head again.
"Good boy, you drank it all," the female complemented.
The wolf yawned.
"You're still sleepy, aren't you?"
Aran nodded with a sheepish smile. The milk had taken his thirst and with it some of the worries about his future on the short term. The collie got on her paws and carried Aran back to the crib. Another caress over his head and the side of the crib was raised and locked again.
"Have a nice nap, Aran. Don't be too shy to cuddle with the nice plush husky. He's right next to you, if you hadn't noticed yet."
She switched the baby monitor back on.
"Now be good and sleep some more. If you need me, just call out and I'll be there, okay?"
'Call out? How am I going to call out to you with this oversized pacifier in my muzzle? Besides, I don't even know who you are!' Aran thought.
Not waiting for an answer, the collie had slipped out of the room, closing the door behind her. Whether Aran was still tired or there was something in the milk, he could not figure it out. On the other hand, it did not matter either. His mind soon fell back into a deep sleep.
Aran's peace was, however, rudely interrupted by a rather serious case of digestion. Still half asleep, he felt slight cramps in his bowels as they rumbled. Part of him knew what event would soon occur, while another part tried to deny it.
As the pressure increased, so did Aran's discomfort. It got to a point where it became actually painful to hold back whatever was about to leave his body through the back door. The wolf whimpered, not just because his intestines hurt, but mainly because he knew that he was going to mess his diaper.
In a desperate attempt to gain at least a little comfort, Aran grabbed the fluffy plush husky that had been waiting for him to do just that. Embracing the plushie with both hands, Aran laid on his side, curled up, trying his best to hold back the inevitable.
Just before the strain became unbearable and the wolf finally gave in, the collie had entered the room again. She had, of course, picked up Aran's whimpering through the baby monitor and went to check on her charge.
Like popping a cork from a bottle of champagne, the wolf surrendered to the force of nature. The soft, warm mess left his bowels and found its way into the seat of his diaper. To Aran's great surprise, his bladder thought it would be a good idea to chime in and empty itself as well.
When he appeared to be done, the wolf heard the side of the crib being unlocked again.
"There, there. Is my poor little puppy a little stinky?"
Realizing that the female had been there and witnessed everything was the last drop for Aran. The embarrassment was too much for him and he burst out in tears, clutching the stuffed husky as if the toy could relieve his suffering.