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Prisoners of War - Peace

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And the story continues, commissioned by 1mastermind - thank you for all your feedback so far! I hope you'll enjoy this as well!

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The next hour and a half passed in what General Rei had described as an easy workout, but his charges might have wanted to issue a differing opinion by the time the white tiger finally declared that it was time to wind down.

The big tiger was breathless in his own right, and his compression shirt hugged very sweaty upon his muscled body. Yet the General stood upright and proud, while Gantan and Sardo looked more as if they had trouble even staying on their paws still, leaning onto the treadmills that the white tiger had ordered them to use as a way to cool off from the heavier part of the exercise.

They panted, they ached, they huffed and glared at their keeper with sweaty eyes and huffed bared-teethed, loud breaths.

"Time for some stretching to reduce muscle strain and lactic acid buildup," Rei ordered. "Come to stand up here."

Gantan moved forward. The lion appeared almost defiant in his determination to show off for the General even though Rei knew that he had been pushed to the very limits. That pleased Rei. It spoke things about the lion and his disposition towards their keeper. Sardo was still standing where he was before, and clutching his side.

"Sardo, join Gantan here," Rei repeated his command.

"S-shithead..." the tiger's breathing sounded genuinely labored, "I...I seem to be experiencing...trouble..."

"Are you saying that you cannot join us for five more minutes, Sardo?" Rei demanded.

"I..." growled the tiger, "I don't know, sir...shithead...excuse me..."

"Come on!" Gantan called out for the senior tiger. "You can do it!"

Sardo shook his head, took a deep breath - obviously trying to regain his composure - and made a move for it. His first steps were swaying, almost staggering as he was on his way from the treadmills to where the defiant lion stood. His hunched posture spoke as much as his earlier plead for his captor. He really looked like a man who was only moving forward on sheer willpower and nothing more.

"Neither of you should have trouble with these movements," Rei said. "Repeat them after me."

True to his words, the two prisoners managed to struggle through the final part of the workout. By the time it was over, however, it was obvious to the General that neither of them could take any more such activity for the moment. It had to be months since either of them had been put through anything as demanding as that, and even that probably had been in combat, aided by the latest performance-assisting technology.

"You have done well," Rei conceded once he had finished his own stretching, "just how well, that remains to be seen. I will review your performance logs later, of course and have the kitchens prepare your meals accordingly. You need to be provided with a balanced diet that contains all the nutrients and energy you require to regain that lost muscle mass. Of course it will be up to you whether you will consume this diet in the form of protein cubes or delicious, well-prepared meals made of only the best ingredients and with the most fresh, genuine flavors."

Gantan let out a grumble.

"I'd just be happy to eat something right now," he muttered, "or drink something."

"Suitable drinks will be served soon," the white tiger said, "but you need to wash before that. Follow me."

The two mumbled a by now customary "yes, shithead" as they trailed the white tiger through one of the doors and into the pool room. Even Gantan seemed impressed by the sights of the glittering pool and the automated massage tables and other paraphernalia that littered the exquisite room. Rei made his way towards the double shower cubicles located in a steel-shimmering niche on the far wall.

"You may use any of the shampoos and soaps provided," the white tiger noted, "a clean body leads into a clean mind, after all."

The weary tiger and the lion exchanged a disbelieving glance, but did not want to push their luck further with their troublesome host. Instead they made their way towards the showers, following the General. Rei opened a wall slot with a tap of a button and swiftly disposed his sweaty clothing into the awaiting receptacle. He appeared entirely nonchalant and unbothered by his nudity in front of his similarly unclothed companions in the room. The tiger took obvious pride in his appearance and the conditioning of his body, the muscles he worked hard to maintain and the fluid movements that went beyond natural feline grace.

"Enjoy this opportunity," the white tiger noted before stepping into his own shower.

Water began to pour from several jets at once, with the accompanying swooshing noise. Sardo looked at Gantan with his almost painful expression. The tiger had taken the workout worse than the lion, that was for sure. He seemed almost dazed.

"You first?" Sardo suggested.

Gantan shrugged.

"Well I ain't gonna wait till he suddenly decides we can't have a shower," the lion said. He was quick to make good of his claim, too, since he jumped in right away and turned on the jets. The lion disappeared into the flowing water and even through the noises that generated, the accompanying tiger could hear his purr of approval at the warmth and the comfort such a shower offered. He didn't appear to be lingering, however, but proceeded to scrub himself down without much delay. It seemed like the lion thought that this grace could be short-lived, even if he was already under the warmly flowing water. He found it more than possible that the white tiger had some sort of a secret kill switch installed that would let him destroy the lion's enjoyment of the shower at will.

Rei had no such concerns for the moment. He spent his sweet time scrubbing, shampooing and ruffling, which meant that he was still enjoying the drying warm air blowers by the time Sardo too had finished his own shower. The General discovered two naked soldiers awaiting by the time he stepped out of the booth, somewhat tousled all over, yet glowing with warmth and quite dry by then.

"That was certainly enjoyable," he spoke up in a low rumble, "I presume you enjoyed the opportunity as well, men?"

The two nodded and muttered half-hearted "'yes, shitheads' to match. Rei gave them a small smile before he tapped a button to open a large wall panel to retrieve a very large, sumptuous, white bathrobe for himself. No articles of clothing were offered for his two guests of sorts, whom were left to stand there in the buff, dry and without the sharp odor of sweat hanging about them.

"Now, I promised drinks, and those you shall have," Rei said, "Join me. Open balcony!"

His vocal call caused several of the large window panes to split and swivel so that they in fact offered access into an adjoining terrace. It ran the length of the house, his guests discovered, as they were allowed onto it for the first time, and terminated only a few meters away from the sea that opened as an endless expanse on the other side.

"For a job well done," commented Rei as he ushered the two over to a set of chairs surrounding a small round table. The tiger settled onto one of the chairs, and a few taps on hidden buttons not only caused a telescopic umbrella-like sunscreen to pop up from the top of the table and to provide some comfort from the sun, it also revealed a cooler within the table stocked with numerous bottles.

"Sit," the white tiger gestured, "and pick one drink each. They're all alcohol-free and suitable for rehydration after exercise."

The prisoners were almost shell-shocked at this show of courtesy. They sat down, both obviously wary, yet neither of them wasted time in getting their allocated drinks from the in-built cooler. Their host, of course, did even this in a more leisurely manner, spending a moment or two picked from the colorful arrangement, and then he made a show of opening the bottle and savoring the first sip with a loud sigh.

"They promised me an entire province to govern from one of the new worlds," Rei spoke once all three of them had taken a number of cooling sips, "I turned all that down for this...this is what it's all about for me. This is where I make my home...my place."

The General gave the vista of the seascape a lingering look before he addressed his quiet guests once again.

"This is where my soul rests," Rei spoke. "This is where I return in my mind when I need some peace, when I am elsewhere..."

Another long pause.

"I am sure you have such places as well, "the white tiger mused.

"Yes...shithead," Sardo replied.

"That is why we are soldiers, after all," Rei said. "To make sure that these places we hold dear stay as they are. Safe. Attainable. Right. As home should be."

His audience seemed less than impressed. Sardo's fingers were tightly squeezed around his bottle. Rei did not miss such a thing, for it made him press on.

"But I am sure that is exactly why it must be difficult for you to listen to such things...me, speaking about it...the one who has separated you from your homes for the time being," Rei said. "I understand your reticence. It is only natural, after all."

The lion's tension was visibly growing now, too. Even the calmest-minded man might have difficulty keeping their ears and tail properly controlled, and Gantan's were speaking their own clear language. It told Rei everything he needed to know about the lion's disposition towards him.

It thrilled him.

"So...shithead..." Sardo said, "what does one have to do to be able to do this?"

"To do what exactly, Sardo?" Rei questioned.

The tiger gestured at the terrace, the pearly white wall of the house sprawling beyond them, and the sea, even the bottle in his paw.

"All this," Sardo replied. "And the pleasure of running a private prison camp too, I suppose."

Rei chuckled at that.

"Is that how you see this place? My home?" he asked.

"It has a prison cell," Gantan said.

"It also has many other features you haven't seen yet," Rei said. "But perhaps you will."

Sardo sipped from his bottle.

"Why just two, shithead?" he asked. "Why not two hundred while you are at it?"

Rei shrugged.

"I only need two," he said.

"That does not answer the earlier question, shithead," Sardo continued, "about your acclaims, General."

Rei rubbed his muzzle.

"I have done enough," the military white tiger said. "Enough to warrant all this, and then some. I have made war enough that I may be given the one thing that war does not have."

A pause.

"Peace, men," Rei said. "I can afford peace. This is my peace. For as long as it lasts."

"Then why us?" Sardo pushed on. "Why need a reminder that the war continues?"

Rei's ears flicked curiously.

"Why do you assume that the war continues?" the white tiger stated.

"You said it before," Gantan said, "You said we're here because of the war continuing."

Rei gazed over to the sea.

"Indeed it does," he said. "But I let others do the fighting for now. My desire for battle is not...an overwhelming factor in my life. As it never should be. It makes one lose focus on what is really important."

Gantan chortled.

"Philosopher, too," the lion huffed.

"I do not pretend to be anything I am not," Rei replied almost immediately, with conviction, "that, perhaps, is the most powerful thing one can do with prestige. And that is what I do. Living my life as I wish it to be."

"So why need us,shithead?" Sardo asked.

Rei chuckled.

"You serve your purpose," the white tiger said.

Gantan growled.

"So that you can play fitness instructor and dish out petty punishments?" the lion sounded disbelieving. "Fuck - "

The lion shook his head. Rei gave him a disapproving glare. Sardo's ears flattened with consternation. The tiger was obviously not happy about his compatriot's outburst. The white tiger certainly sounded unhappy when he spoke next.

"I do not think you quite comprehend the situation, Gantan," Reis' voice rose in a warning.

"Well I know you're having some sort of weird fun with us!" the lion hissed. "What else can this be - "

"Gantan - " Sardo interjected.

"Shut up!" the lion launched himself to his feet. "I have the right to be treated in a certain way and - "

"Level four deterrence, Gantan!" the white tiger snapped.

Once again the lion's body tensed when he was struck by the invisible impulse that attacked his muscles, his back arching and then his legs gave out, which sent him sprawling backwards and into the chair. He let out a constrained grunt and pointed a truly vicious stare at the white tiger.

"F-fuck...YOU!" the lion growled.

"I certainly did not want this to turn out this way," Rei said. "Yet your lack of basic courtesy leaves me with no choice."

"Sir - " Sardo began.

"Program Zero Four, both inmates," the white tiger grumbled.

It was not particularly dramatic, what happened - just a few suddenly flicking ear, a tense tail, a gasp, but when their eyes rolled back and Sardo's muzzle slumped against his chest, it was obvious that the General's command had rendered both of them deeply unconscious.

Rei shook his head.

"So much to learn yet about respect," he muttered.

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Thank you for reading! I hope you had an interesting time, and I look forward to reading your comments! Cheers!