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If You Make a Wolf a Slave Part 5: He Will Want an Explanation

Ethan sat patiently on the couch, waiting for Luther. His hands curled into fists, his mind drifting to what had happened yesterday.

Luther had said they wouldn't go too fast and he wouldn't resort to pain. Yet Ethan was still feeling the punishment he was given as he shifted uncomfortably in his seat. The wolf was shocked at how quickly the croc's demeanor had changed from when he first met him. Ethan was positive that he knew what he was getting himself into. Now, however, his only thought was to get out. But he had decided to give Luther a chance. Then he would make his choice.

Luther had returned with two cups of coffee. He gave one to Ethan, who accepted it willingly. Luther took a small sip and set his cup on the table. He then took a seat in a nearby chair and stared at Ethan. The wolf stared back, unsure of whether he should be glaring at the croc or not.

Finally Luther spoke up: "First off, I want to let you know that today is what I call a "time-out" day. In the past, I did this with my slaves. It ended up being a good thing so I let it continue. We are both taking a break from our roles for now. This means I will allow you to speak freely. I'm sure you have a lot to say so go ahead. Anything you say here will not come back to bite you in the ass".

Ethan took another sip, a little of the hot beverage had spilled onto his chest. He didn't even flinch. All he was focused on was the truth.

Setting the cup down, he tried to use a calm voice but his tone changed the more he talked.

"You lied to me," he began. "You said you wouldn't use pain right now and yet you did. Not to mention putting me in that kind of situation. Would you rather have me piss on your floor!? And then what would have happened? Would you have made me lick it clean!? Or would you have just beaten me for the hell of it!? Do you realize how stressed out I was??

Luther had a blank stare on his face. He wasn't even phased by what the wolf was saying. This only enraged Ethan even more.

"Let me guess, this was just another test right!? How many more hoops are you going to make me jump through!? You are jeopardizing your chances of having another slave! Maybe that's why none of the others stayed!!"

Ethan was sure he had struck a chord with that last comment. He expected Luther to jump on him and beat him to a pulp. But the crocodile just sat with his claws in his lap. He hadn't even blinked.

Ethan breathed heavily, sweat was dripping from his forehead. His heart was pounding faster than ever. But he had said what he wanted. He didn't care what happened next.

Luther got up and said: "Please wait here a moment". He then walked into his bedroom.

Ethan wiped his forehead. He could still leave right now. But he was now curious as to how the croc would respond. He decided to hold off on leaving for now.

Luther returned carrying something in his right claw. He handed it to Ethan and sat back down. The wolf looked at the item he was given.

It was a simple wooden picture frame. But the picture it was holding was more important. It was of a crocodile, obviously Luther, and a polar bear standing next to each other. It looked like the picture was taken at a bar. They were holding drinks and smiling.

Ethan looked up a moment. "Who is this bear?"

Luther sighed, clasping his claws together. It looked as though he was in pain. He finally spoke

"That is the guy who trained me to be a Master. Everything I know I learned from him."

Ethan looked again at the polar bear. He was wearing a red ball cap, a leather vest with no shirt, and jeans. He was bigger than Luther, and looked like he could lift a car.

"Is he the one you were talking about? Are you training me to be his slave?"

Luther shook his head. "God, no. I'm not that evil."

Ethan gave the croc a puzzled look.

"He did train me and he did a damn good job, but he is a despicable creature. Archie is his name. No one should have to serve under that bear. And I hope no one does. He has no heart."

Luther took a breath. "Not every Master acts like me. Some are harsh while others care deeply for their slaves. Archie....was the Devil. He beat his slaves mercilessly; I'm talking to the point of major bleeding. Some slaves enjoy that, but a majority do not. And his were the latter. He made me watch one time. This poor tiger had accidentally spilled Archie's drink. And he nearly killed him for it. I had to drive this kid to the hospital. Afterwards I called Archie, telling him how disgusting and horrible he was. Oh he didn't like that one bit. We argued and fought. I hung up on him and stayed with the tiger until his parents came by. After seeing what happened to that kid, I promised myself I would never be that kind of Master."

Luther drank from his cup. He obviously had more to say.

"What I put you through yesterday, I call the "Archie Treatment". I try to put my rookie slaves in a tough spot and see how they fare. Then I just be as unreasonable as I can. It's how Archie would have done things. It is in no way a method of honoring him. I do it to teach slaves that not all Masters are the same. They need to be careful in case they find themselves with that kind of Master. I started this treatment near the end of my career. I explained to each slave what I did and why I did it. Then I gave them the choice of leaving or staying."

Luther leaned forward. "All of them left. Not one stayed and trained with me. You may think that this is stupid, but let me say this. I did this because I wanted them to know the truth. They may run into someone like Archie. And I hope that when they do, they get out of that relationship fast."

Luther leaned back in his seat, scratching his neck. "I keep that photo around as a reminder to never walk the same path as Archie did. I have dedicated myself to being a tough but fair Master."

"So I guess that's it then. So you have a choice now. You can leave and never come back or you can stay and continue training. It's entirely up to you."

Ethan felt his body relax. His hands were no longer curled into fists and he felt a sense of ease wash over him. But he was still confused.

"So let me get this straight," he began. "You did this treatment as a test for your slaves? And you still continue it even after so many slaves left you? Why not just explain to them the dangers of some Masters and tell them about Archie? You probably wouldn't have retired if you had just sat your slaves down and talked to them."

Luther nodded. "I could have. But I am a firm believer in learning from experience. Simply warning them just didn't do it for me. That's why I decided to start this treatment in the first place. I wanted to show my trainees what that kind of relationship looks like. You are right about one thing though. I retired because they all left. To be honest, I was unsure of even doing this treatment on you because there is so much potential in you. I was afraid that you would leave me like the others did. But this is important to me. I hope you understand that it wasn't personal. I just don't want you to naively enter into a Master/Slave relationship without knowing the warning signs."

Ethan looked down at his coffee. "I understand. This is something significant to you and you wanted to share it with me. To be honest, I was angry with you. I wanted nothing more than to cuss you out and then walk away. But I can't keep running away from everything in my life."

He paused to take a long drink from his cup. Then he continued. "I am grateful for your honesty. Truly I am. It makes this relationship seem more worthwhile."

Luther smiled. "Well I am glad to hear that. So I'm assuming you're staying then?"

Ethan gave a small smile and nodded.

"Okay then. That settles that I guess. But before we go on with our day, I have been curious about something. I never had a slave who stayed after I gave them the "Archie Treatment". So I am wondering what made you change your mind."

Ethan rubbed his paws together nervously. "I.....I don't really know. I just had a change of heart."

The crocodile gazed at Ethan, as if he expected more. But he then stood up.

"I see. Well like I said, today's a time out so we can do whatever we want. Just know that tomorrow is back to the grind. You hear?"

Ethan stood up, nodding. "Of course. I'm just going to head to the bathroom first. Nature's call and all that."

The wolf made his way to the bathroom. Luther watched him as he shut the door behind him.

"Don't worry, son," the croc thought to himself. "I'm sure your parents are proud of you."