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A Life in Chains

Chapter Three: Scales and Horns

Sleep was blissful. Deep and for once in too long a time, sound; unhindered by screams or sobbing or the pain of hunger or thoughts of suffering. No, this was something different. I tunnelled my nose forward into the thick pillow I held. My nose was now more rounded, as it was a snout... I could feel all the differences now as I stirred and woke. My vision was bathed in sunlight-saturated red blurriness, that of the heavy silk sheets that covered my now reptilian form. I didn't want to move; I felt as though I could lay here forever. In that moment of hazy morning bliss and comfort, I wondered exactly what I looked like now, as some things I could already feel as distinctly different. My tail for example; I could feel it lazily lying over the top of one of my legs. I could feel the sharp teeth that now filled my mouth and even the weight of my now-long and furrowed ears lying against the back of my head and shoulders.

I'd made the choice of my own accord with no outside factors; I wanted to do good, to kill people like Brant, to make sure what they did to me was never done to others. I wanted to learn how to fight so I could never be handed off like a sheep again.

The sounds of laughter and loud chatter brought me out of my sleepy state of being. I gave out a wide yawn and pushed myself up onto my knees, letting the covers slip from my scaled hide as I stretched my arms. My jaws came back together with a loud snapping sound and I felt a rumble flow up from my chest, bringing with it a smile. I hadn't felt this refreshed or strong in years and it felt good, satisfying. I sat there a moment, getting familiar with the movement of my ears, testing them: raising them, lowering and then turning them. I could direct my hearing now; pointing them back toward the bath hall I could hear the chatter far clearer. Turning them forward I could hear the boiling of a kettle... it was certainly going to take time to get used to.

Drawing a deep breath in through my teeth, I swung my legs out over the bunk and stood. I was a bit wobbly at first, my legs felt numb as if they were still asleep. I looked around for a mirror. I found one standing proudly between the bunks and once I gained a more sure footing, I gasped as I beheld myself in a more complete sense.

Soft ivory white skin rode up my underbelly from my groin, up all the way over my chest and coating the lower half of my face. It was bordered with rich shining red scales, and a vibrant teal covered the rest of me, stopping at my neck. My horns and claws were all the same white, and my eyes had turned red to match the border scales. It contrasted well with the bright scarlet cowl that coated my head and my ears faded off into white at the tips. If I peered close enough, I swore I could make out a pattern in the white skin of my belly. It left me stunned; there was nothing of my old self left, except the mark on my left wrist. It actually fit much better now that I had four fingers instead of five.

I inspected myself closer, testing my horns which curved outward, upward and then back at the tips. I gave my tail a few swishes, flexed my toes; of which I only had three per foot now, but they each bore a thick claw. Lastly I inspected my jaws closer, opening them wide, revealing pale grey gums and a forked tongue beside two neat rows of sharp teeth. I was most surprised with how natural it all felt, even the sheath I now bore in place of my former manhood felt as though I'd been born with it. However that one feature puzzled me more than any other.

'Where are my...' I started to think, but that train was derailed as Tahl strode in from the baths. I turned to give him a polite hello, but instantly tore my eyes skyward as I noticed his state of undress. He was far more than simply naked; I felt his tail brush against the inside of my thigh as he waltzed past with a snicker; sending a shiver up my spine.

"Morning Kaiber, good to see you awake and looking so stunning too"! He said with a chirp in his voice, it carried that feminine quality like all the others did, with nary a hint of masculinity in it.

"Morning..." I managed to mutter, afraid to look in his direction. I heard him snicker behind me again; more of a chuckle actually, before I felt his damp towel land over my head.

"You should go clean up with the others, take care of the morning business and such. Now, if you'll excuse me, the kitchen calls." He replied, brushing past me again and leaving down another hall at the opposite end of the room with a spring in his step.

I pulled the towel off with some effort as it got stuck on my horns before giving out a sigh and relaxing some.

'I hope nudity isn't a common thing around here...' I thought to myself as I looked around for a towel of my own. Upon finding none, I started down the hall to the baths nervously, only to find most of the tubs were occupied and the room clouded with a fine mist of warm steam. I took in a deep breath through my nose; which was nothing but to slits at the end of my muzzle and scanned the room.

There were two vacant bathtubs; I made my way over to one which was currently full of hot soapy water. The warmth of the water quickly shrugged off any lingering sleep as I sunk into it, my tail tucking itself neatly between my legs as I relaxed. My eyelids felt heavy as I laid there. I fished around in the tub for a sponge stone to wash myself with.

My searching was interrupted however as a light creamy brown Vermian helped himself into the same tub as me. I recognized him as one of the trio I had seen back in Ludos, even though the tub was big enough for two I felt a little uncomfortable. Especially when I felt his tail brush against my own; he gave me a calm smile.

"It's Kaiber, right? Good to see you up and about. You've been out for a score almost." He said, his voice carrying a more manly tone similar to Bastille.

"I've been out for six weeks"!? I blurted out in alarm, quickly clamping my hands over my muzzle as I heard my voice properly. My own voice was on the more feminine side, not outright so but the tone was there, subtly so.

"You'll get used to the girly voice eventually." He snickered at me, rolling his head back and closing his eyes as he let out a huff. I suddenly felt a knot in my stomach as I turned to look out the window. All I could see was the endless expanse of blue that was the ocean. I could be anywhere in the world right now and I hadn't a clue.

"So, who's who?" I asked quietly, trying not to worry too much on my thoughts. He simply waved at me lazily.

"You'll get introduced to everyone eventually, you already know Tahl, me and Mathias." He replied with a yawn. I looked around for the rusty red colored Vermian; Mathias; he too had been one of the three I'd seen before. I spotted him slumped back with his arms hung out over the sides of another tub. There was a bright pink and white Vermian sitting suspiciously in his lap. Both of them wore dumb smiles.

'...are they having sex? Right here in front of everyone...' I thought to myself with a raised brow.

My feeling of discomfort now official, I focused on simply washing off; or at least I tried to until I felt hot breath on my ears. I looked up to see the pink fellow from before standing over me nose to nose with a surly smile.

"You're hot..." He hissed through his teeth, planting his hands firmly on my shoulders before letting them slide down my chest as his head came down to rest over my shoulder.

"Neil, give Kaiber a day or two before you try to fuck him, will you?" said the brown Vermian currently sharing the tub with me.

"Aww, come on Briar, that's no fun. I bet he's big in the sheath." Neil said with a grin, his hands creeping down my body further. I didn't like Neil anymore; I wanted him to go away.

"Got to admit, he is quite pretty." Mathias chimed in, eliciting a playful growl of agreement from Neil.

"You're mine, boy..." Neil whispered into the nook of my neck as I felt his claws brush against my sheath. I desperately tried to sink further into the tub to avoid him, to no avail.

"Quit acting like some common street whore, or I'll start treating you like one." Said a familiar; military sounding voice which had Neil's hands retreat from me in an instant.

"I... I was only t-teasing, I d-didn't mean it... w-why are you so mean to me?" Neil stuttered, suddenly sounding like a scolded child before storming off in matching fashion; sobbing.

"Great. Thanks Bastille, you know there are eight of us now; why don't you pick on someone else for lord's sake?" Mathias growled as he quickly hurried off after Neil.

I shrank into the water not wanting to attract any more unwanted attention. Briar; still lazily lying back with his eyes closed, gave out a sigh.

"You'll get used to that to...Eventually." He yawned. Frowning, I went back to bathing although now with the uncomfortably cold stare of Bastille on the back of my neck.

It took me a while to figure out how to brush my teeth; another luxury I'd never had or seen before. The smell of spice hung in the air as I got dressed making my stomach growl loudly; I was loathed to find how comfortable those skirt things were. But it didn't bother me all too much as my nose led me down the far hall and into the kitchen. My claws clacked softly on the aster flooring, which felt slightly warm underfoot. Rich flavors of pork and things I was unfamiliar with taunted my nose. The kitchen reminded me of the Sinful Stallion, a bar in Ludos that I was familiar with. One big room, wide hall in the middle, long counter separating the stoves and pantry from the rest of the room. With the dining table being set to the adjacent side and dried spices hanging from the rafters in thick bundles. Everything had a polished wood finish to it and gave off a cosy atmosphere.

I noticed Neil and Mathias already seated next to one another nibbling at wooden bowls of food. Tahl was behind the counter, humming away rhythmically, tapping his claws on the floor as he tended to a large pan. Whatever he was cooking gave off a gamey scent. I was a little uncomfortable to see him wearing just a top though. He gave me a cheery smile as he spotted me and quickly loaded a bowl up with rice and some sort of thick sauce drenched meat with toasted leaves of some sort.

"Its boar with banana leaves. They're good for you." he said as I stared at it a little uncertainty, but the growling of my stomach had me muzzle deep in the delicious meal as soon as I sat down. I found that my tongue was longer than it appeared as I lapped every dot of sauce from the bowl with it while the others slowly meandered in and picked up their meals. Bastille came in last and took a seat right next to me; even his walking posture was military. He also didn't seem uncomfortable with nudity as he was wearing nothing, showing off all the faint scars on his shoulder and neck. I felt a little discomforted being this close to him; he didn't seem like a friendly person.

"So, Kaiber, how's it feel being Ezala Khal, hm?" Neil chirped; his shift in moods seemed to be rather frequent and drastic. I gave him a puzzled look, it was the second time I had heard those words and not known what they meant.

"Ezala... what?" I asked, my ears flickering as I tried to pin down the language they were using.

"Ezala Khal, its Burakian. It means prized worker." Bastille said, speaking up, his voice sounding a bit warmer than before. The only languages I knew of were Arash and grout, only one of which I knew well. But I'd never heard of Burakian before.

"Oh... well, it's different I guess, but welcome since I want to start over..." I replied with a shrug as I sat there fiddling with my fingers.

"Well, scales suit you better than skin and hair to be honest." Tahl chimed in as he joined us, sitting opposite me. Tahl struck me as that glass half full type, always cheerful and pleasant, something I could barely fake anymore; years of being forced to do so had taken its toll.

"I agree." I muttered quietly as the others all chattered away amongst themselves, with the exception of Tahl, who took shy glances at me and Bastille who turned to me as he ate.

"So, you want to become a soldier, huh?" He asked; his dead milky eye latched onto me somehow, sending a shiver down my spine. I simply nodded and gave him as serious a look as I could muster at that moment.

"Then grab some seconds. Can't train on an empty stomach." he said with a slight chuckle, or perhaps it was a smile. I couldn't tell since it was so faint. But I could swear his stature had lightened somewhat, which put me at ease. I gave him a smile back, my tail twitching in anticipation as I rose to refill my bowl. I knew the training was going to be long, grueling and painful but I didn't care.

I would never let myself be vulnerable again.