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All of the excitement, the emotional ups and downs, was exhausting; especially when it all had been during my first day in this strange, new world. It was enough to make me pass out shortly after our rickety carriage continued on its journey. Distantly, somehow, for a quick moment, I was concerned about exhibiting such exhaustion in front of my master. What would he think about me falling asleep again?

I didn’t dream at all. Perhaps I was still subconsciously wishing my waking world was a dream and my life would go back to normal. A dreamless sleep would be something I would appreciate later on.

I jolted awake, my muscles briefly seizing from being startled into consciousness. It was a mighty sigh that woke me from my sleep. At least, I was fairly certain it was a sigh, as it came from an upright lion, it sounded more of a rumble. It was completely dark outside the carriage windows, the small lantern mounted on the side of the carriage blinded my eyes, which were still dull from sleep, from making out any distinct patterns outside. I rubbed them softly, willing my eyes to adjust as my body rocked softly with motion of the slow, moving carriage.

Roxen was staring out the window, his pupils glowing from the lantern flames. I couldn’t help but quietly admire how majestic he looked in the soft firelight. The sight of him was enthralling.

“We’ve finally reached my realm, such as it is,” Roxen sighed and reached for my shoulder, guiding me over to the window. “You can see the banners of the nearby town, or perhaps not yet with your eyes… Welcome home.”

He waved his hand nonchalantly before him, a wry smile painted on his face.

I squinted my eyes, looking past the direction he had indicated. But I could see nothing but pitch black darkness beyond the lantern light.

“I can’t see anything,” I admitted, shaking my head softly.

Murmuring, Roxen rubbed his chin thoughtfully, “Naturally, humans are deficient in night vision and scent tracking. But I had hoped your status as a Geomancer would relieve you of such deficiencies. It is early, yet. You may develop such skills in the near future. I am confident that you will not disappoint me.”

“Yeah!” I exclaimed, making the choice to pump myself up for a change. This world was full of fantastical, dangerous things. I was starting to think that my only hope of ever returning home was becoming something fantastical myself. I was ignorant of what a Geomancer actually was, but I chose to believe that it could help lead me home. “I mean, I’m probably not the best combination for a fighter, but an-”

“But your endurance is stronger than most, save for perhaps a horse, and can see a greater array of colors than many in this world. The auctioneer, do you think he could hide in a bush well?”

“He was golden yellow, unless it was fall, then no.”

“To me, he’s the same color as leaves all year round,” Roxen chuckled at my words before patting me on the shoulder. “You’ll be an excellent duelist, Heath. All species have their own strengths and weaknesses. For most of my kind we only see humans as exotic concubines and such.”

Roxen peered over at me, blinking his eyes slowly, a soft gentle rumble suddenly filling the space.

“Heh,” I looked away awkwardly. I guessed being a duelist was a lesser evil. A stray thought that I had dismissed earlier suddenly passed through my mind again. Thinking that it was as good a time as any, I took my chance to ask.

“What happened to the humans in this world?” I asked the question I had wondered the moment I had set eyes on everything outside of the auction house.

“What do you mean?” Roxen asked uninterestedly, his eyes still trained on something in the darkness that I couldn’t see.

“I mean, why are humans your slaves? Or at least… why are most humans in this world that I’ve seen your slaves?”

Roxen turned to look at me, leveling me with a look that I couldn’t quite discern the intent behind.

“It has always been the way of things,” he replied simply.

“Always, since the beginning of time?”

“Since the dragons opened up the portals to save your kind from death.”

“And humans have just accepted this as the way of things?” I asked incredulously.

“They have not indicated a desire for anything else beyond what exists,” he replied evenly, turning away from me to stare out at the darkness outside.

I wanted to ask more, about just what it was these animal people saw in humans, but there was no way of doing that without bringing up that fox from before, Olivier. Roxen had gotten so angry when he smelled him on me that I could not bring myself to ask. Perhaps Joback would enlighten me later.

But then, I guess I could see what humans might see in them. Roxen was big, powerful, and had an admirable, commanding aura. The fact that he owned me, the very thought of that sent a bit of a strange tingle down my spine. Still, I refused to take his words at face value. My ignorance of this world and its ways was not an excuse to take things as they were. It would not take a genius to understand the danger of missing the forest for the trees.

Was it wrong to conflate Roxen’s obvious nobility for his trustworthiness? As my master, was he beholden to provide me with the truth? Olivier, on the other hand, exuded a roguish, dangerous aura that was tinged with a palpable strange, lustful energy. Even now, that rather noxious scent of his clung to me like a brand… if it was strong enough for my very human senses, I could just imagine what it was like for Roxen. But was this the same for all humans in this world? Was this lust enough to surrender their freedom for?

A sudden, startling thought suddenly crossed my mind.

Oh god… am I becoming a furry or something? Suddenly, I felt incredibly embarrassed.

Before I could really analyze just how deep these thoughts went, Roxen suddenly patted me on the head, “We’re here! We’re finally home!”

Home, I thought. He had mentioned that before, but I hadn’t paid it that much thought. But now I couldn’t deny it. If I couldn’t find a way home in the future, this place would truly be my home.

Wrapping a large, muscled arm around my shoulder, he pressed me against his side, “your new home…”

I shivered, but that made my master only hug me tighter against his body.

“Hoggett might be a bit harsh, but he means well,” Roxen whispered. “If he’s too hard on you, just let me know. I’ll have a word with him. He can be a bit enthusiastic sometimes.”

“Who’s he?” I asked.

“The slave overseer,” he replied simply.

Overseer, that word had very sinister undertones. It was a harsh reminder that although Roxen was acting kindly towards me, I was still his property and was expected to be trained to perform certain tasks. And my primary task was preparing for some kind of bloodsport between rulers. Despite my ignorance of this world, I knew it still meant that training for that was not going to be much fun.

“He shouldn’t leave very many marks, at the very least,” he explained with a soft nod, as if his words were par for the course. I suppose in this world, it was, at least for the slaves.

That did not reassure me at all, in fact it made me even more nervous, but I was locked inside the lion’s strong arms and could not so much as quiver in fear due to how tight it was. My imagination started racing at the thought of this overseer named Hoggett. Was it another tall, broad dragon with peculiar tastes? Or perhaps something new I had not seen before, like a stout boar with a commanding demeanor?

The carriage rumbled as we passed a row of torches illuminating the silhouettes of two guards standing by a stone gateway. Not long after, we shuddered to a halt.

“We have arrived, m’lord,” I heard Joback declare from the outside.

“Are you ready?” Roxen asked, his eyes staring intensely into mine.

“Not really but…” I sighed, “...not gonna get any readier anytime soon, though. Now or never.”

“Just remember, be more polite and deferential in the company of others, more…” he trailed off, motioning in the air with his hand.

“Slavelike,” I finished for him.

“That would be best,” he replied softly.

Roxen pushed the carriage door open and stepped down, reaching back for my hand, which I hesitantly placed in the palm of his paw. He helped me step out of the carriage and onto the cobblestone below, my legs felt like rubber and I just about buckled over when I stood on them.

“BOW!” a commanding voice barked out from my left. There was a border collie standing there wearing nothing but a leather harness around his chest and a loincloth across his crotch.

I blinked as the dog stomped forward, baring his teeth and unraveling a whip from around his arm.

“I said, BOW!” he barked again, spittle flying as he cracked the whip onto the ground. The sound of the lash was sharp enough to my ears as it cracked through the air. My body found itself falling to the ground, pressing my forehead against the floor.

“Hmph,” the dog snorted and slowly stepped over, claws clicking on the stone. I felt his rough pads press against the back of my neck, his claws poking into my flesh. “I thought you were in the market for a duelist, milord. This one’s better off in the bedroom, Hoggett thinks.”

“He shall not serve as my concubine,” Roxen said calmly.

“Well, if you don’t want him, Hoggett is owed a favor,” the dog lightly scratched the tips of his claws against my neck. “This’ll make a fine mate, once Hoggett’s gotten him broken in. Tell me little one, have you ever been knotted?”

“He will serve as a duelist,” Roxen growled.

The dog raised a brow at Roxen, stepping away from me, “It’s known times have been tough, milord, but a human? They’re not worth the coin the lizards pay for them unless you want them under your sheets.”

Leaning over, I felt the dog’s wet nose hover inches away from my neck, sniffing, “And this one’s not even a virgin. Smells like some fox had his way with him.”

“Watch yourself, dog,” Joback spoke for the first time, seemingly stepping out of the shadows seamlessly to stand immediately next to the dog, breathing down his neck. I could see a hand on the handle of his spear. “There are limits to our Lord’s patience. You will respect his claim to his property and his instructions for its care.”

The dog growled up at the horse, baring his fangs in anger.

Roxen growled lowly, interrupting the powerplay between the two, “he will serve as a duelist and you will prepare him for that. Do not presume your status as overseer provides you with total immunity to punishment!”

Hoggett quietly tucked his tail between his legs and inched back a few steps at his liege’s words.

“Shall I cut his balls, master? Or lock his knot as punishment?” Joback asked with an impassive face.

“My apologies, dear friend,” Roxen sighed and rubbed his brow, seemingly regretting the words he had spoken the moment they had been uttered. “It has been a long trip and not an easy one.”

“No apologies necessary, master,” Hoggett bowed, but not anywhere near as low as I was forced to. “May Hoggett take him off your hands for the moment?”

“As you will,” Roxen waved at him and knelt down at my side, scratching me behind the ear. “I’ll see you later, Heath.”

With a lingering glance, Roxen moves to his feet and walks away towards a paved path. Joback quickly follows after him without a word. Distantly, I saw a few new individuals, some kind of bird and another horse, pulling the carriage horses towards a worn down building. A quick thought flashed through my mind; I wonder what the human-like horses thought of the animal-like horses?

Within mere seconds of Roxen standing up and walking away, there was another sharp crack on the cobblestones that startled me out of my reverie.

“On your knees, now!”

I scrambled to my knees as Hoggett had demanded. I faced the dog differentially, who just stared back with his icy-blue eyes. His fangs were bared and he began winding the whip around his paw.

“Hoggett does not know what he’s thinking. A duelist?” Hoggett snorted and spat onto the ground. “Well, he better not change his mind and want you as a bed-warmer, because a jealous lord is a dangerous lord. There should be no regrets of how Hoggett trains duelists.”

“What do-”

“Quiet!”

Instead of cracking the whip, Hoggett stepped forward and gripped the back of my hair tightly. He slipped a claw across the front flap of his loincloth and peeled it away, exposing a white sheath and balls, before shoving my face directly into it.

His balls were musty, reeking of dust and earth, along with an indescribable bit of spice to it. Also a hint of cheese and asparagus. I was taken off-guard and out of breath, having no choice but to breathe in his musk.

“Breath it in, that’s the smell of who’s in charge of you for the rest of your life,” Hoggett growled. “Hoggett will make a duelist out of you yet. But you need to understand who the Alpha is here.”

My face burned red, this was a far cry from Roxen’s treatment of me, but I suppose the good times couldn’t last forever.

Or were they still good times? My cock couldn’t quite decide and I had to tuck it between my legs to hide that it was showing some rigidity. I was literally being humiliated here, just as I had been time and time again in my life, what the hell was going on?

“You are,” I choked out, coughing on strands of fur that invaded my tongue. Hoggett released his grip, allowing me to get a gulp of fresh air and look up at the domineering canine. “You’re in charge…”

“Overseer, or Sir,” the dog played with the handle of the whip wrapped around his paw. “You may call Hoggett either. And for the Gods’ sake, quit blushing like a concubine, you’re a duelist, they’ve said!”

“Sorry…sir?” I looked down and to the side. “Humans can’t really control it, sir.”

“Did Hoggett ask for a school lesson?” Hoggett rolled his eyes and looped his claw around the ring attached to my collar, lifting me to my feet and dragging me behind him. I felt his tail rub up against my leg slowly before he sped up, leading me through the gate. “What are your talents, anyway?”

“The dragons said that I’m a Geomancer but-”

“But that’s bullshit, right?” the dog peered over his shoulder with a smile that sent a jolt down my spine. “Don’t worry, the lizards make up stories about everyone. In fact, all slavers do. Sales tactics and whatnot. You wanna know what the slavers said about Hoggett when Roxen’s sire bought me?”

I nodded quietly.

“Said Hoggett was a genius. Said Hoggett had talents to be a professor of mathematics and the liberal and natural sciences,” the border collie laughed. “All because two or three profs at the biggest university in the world happen to be dogs that look like Hoggett, you see. They thought they could pull a fast one, sell me as a tutor, when Hoggett could barely even read. Guess what? It worked!”

We emerged into a small town beyond the walls. Though it was late, it still seemed awfully quiet. All the stone homes with thatched roofs had all their wooden shutters down without so much as a hint of candlelight peeking out from the cracks. The one exception being the castle itself looming on the hill with countless turrets with flickering dots of light behind them, as well as a large building made of dark wood that stood out among the shelters of rough stone.

“The Thirsty Dragon,” I whispered, reading the sign flapping in the wind above the building’s entrance. Music and cheers whistled out from the glowing windows. Was it a tavern?

Wait, was Thirsty Dragon some kind of racist caricature in this world?

“Oh good, you can read,” the dog muttered. “Impressive for someone from another fucking world.”

I blinked. The characters were unfamiliar to my eyes but my brain knew what they were. Though there was a picture of a dragon chugging down a tankard of ale on the sign, it would have been extremely lucky to guess those were the exact words.

“How is that possible?”

“Probably those dragons put a spell on you to help you understand. Probably glyphs dancing around in that head or something like that,” the dog kicked a fist-sized rock on the side of the road. “Wanna split it open and find out?”

“I’ll just take it at face value, sir.”

“Maybe you can learn yet.”

Rounding a ramp, we approached a gatehouse leading up to the castle keep. A pair of bored guards, both some kind of mutt, were flanking the open stone arch. They lazily waved us through absently, the one on the right practically falling over when he leaned on his spear just a bit too much.

“Times are tough, standards are slipping,” Hoggett rolled his eyes as we entered into a large atrium. A metal brazier burned away in the center while red banners hung down from the walls. A staircase led upwards along with doors on both sides, one of which carried the smell of freshly cooked meat and honey which drew my nose.

“Oh no you don’t,” Hoggett snatched me by the ear and sharply thrust his hip up against my rear. “You’re coming this way.”

He sharply spun me around towards a narrow and dark staircase just to the right of the entranceway. With his dull claws pinched around my ear, he pulled me three steps towards the stairs before releasing his grip, satisfied that I was going to cooperate.

Which I did, following him all the way down the stairs, which spiraled around a narrow stone pillar. I’d been to a castle once on vacation and reached for the railing on the outside side of the stairs, only to find out that those were usually installed by the Tourism Ministries. There was no such thing here.

I lost my footing and fell forward quite quickly. Were it not for Hoggett swiftly spinning around and catching me in his arms, I would have likely cracked my skull open. He could have seen for sure if the dragons enchanted my brain or not.

“Stupid human,” Hoggett grumbled but squeezed me close to his musky chest for a moment. “Watch your step.”

Once I had found my footing, he released me and continued down. I placed my palm on the inner column, leaning against it as we circled the torch-lined drain.

Hoggett sped up and vanished around the corner. I heard the squeak of heavy, rusted iron right before I caught up with him as he was holding open a metal bar gate.

“Your new home, slave.”

I was surprised to find how warm and dry the basement was when I entered. A roaring fire flanked by bricks was in the center, its smoke billowing up into a chimney. There was a low dining table with cushions lined around it on the floor, wooden dummies, weapon racks.

There were multiple doors lining the square wall of the room, but before I could approach them the dog pinched my ear again.

“This way.”

Leading me towards the second doorway on our right, Hoggett brought me into a cell. My cell.

It was larger than I expected but still quite small. There was a bed, a real bed with blankets and a mattress of some kind; sure as hell not memory foam but at least it wasn’t just a plank of wood. A wooden chest sat at the foot of the bed, open and showing off a small collection of clothes.

What caught my eye the most was a stone chair carved into the wall just below a small, barred window at the top of the wall looking out onto a courtyard. There was a stone lid atop it with a handle and when I lifted it up, I heard the slight trickle of water below.

Running water. That can’t be common here. The level of technology in this world seemed to be a bit all over the place.

“Thank you, sir,” I whispered to Hoggett before mentally slapping myself. I was thanking someone who was promising slavery and a very bad time.

“Don’t mention it, slave,” Hoggett hooked his paw around metal bars, swinging it to and fro on a hinge. “Once you’ve earned the right, we’ll keep this open, but…”

With a sudden yank, he pulled the gate shut with a deafening thud. As I ran to the bars, the dog whipped out a key and with a click, secured the gates.

Poking his nose through, Hoggett grinned wildly.

“Rest up, you’re going to need it tomorrow bright and early.”