Through the Horizon: Expansion and Revelations
#13 of Through the Horizon
Hello, the new chap is done. Huge thanks to Dasher Cheetah. He helped me out a lot with this one. Caution, this chapter starts me writing about a little cub sex into my story. If you don't like it then don't read it.
( Note: I know this is out of order. This is the last chapter, the rest are in proper order )
Through the Horizon: Expansion and Revelations
Ron sat in his office in the new governmental building in Accendo City. Accendo Tower, the previous government building had been decommissioned as such and a new, more modern facility built on the outside edge of the city. The entire government was now in one building. It was much more covenant to run a government out of a single building rather than spread out over half a city. True, it made things a bit more crowded and noisy but the trade offs were worth it. Consolidation efforts had been decided upon by himself, and signed off upon by Bane.
As he worked on reviewing the plans for the new line of battle ships, his computer monitor light up with an incoming transmission. He sat his coffee cup down and the sleepy fox clicked a button and accepted the communication. An image of Seamus filled his monitor. "Oh, hello Seamus," yawned Ron, "How is Bane?" The green fox chuckled; Ron had no idea of the bombshell about to be dropped. "He is fine but I have some news to tell you. This is a secure link and the info is highly classified." Ron nodded, rather confused about what the fox could have to tell him. Ron scratched his head, his ears twitching a bit and he said, "Alright...what is it Seamus?"
Seamus took a deep breath and looked nervous as he said, "I am really Scott, Ron." The fox sat in complete shock. Why would he say this? It really made no sense to Ron and hurt him. Scott's loss had wounded him as it had Bane. For someone to claim they were a dead friend was cruel but Ron listened as Seamus continued to tell Ron the story that he had realized of himself. When he finished Ron sat in complete shock. There had always been something familiar about Seamus but he would have never thought that was because he was Scott. The Engineer sat silently as he tried to rearrange his mental map of the universe, with this new information.
"Ron, I know your upset but please say something.", Seamus pleaded with the dazed fox. Ron teared up and choked out, "S...Seamus, I don't know what to say." Seamus laughed softly and asked, "Took this to make you speechless?" Ron laughed at the little joke but knew he was going to have to think hard about this further, before he would feel comfortable. Ron said, "Well, I assume you have more reasons to contact me than to just rock my world Scott. I want to see you and Bane, when you get back. This is just so much to take in at once."
Seamus chuckled, "Yes indeed. We will talk, my dear friend. Until then, yes I do have another reason for calling. A few hours ago we received a distress call from earth. It is under attack by the scavengers. They are attempting to form a beachhead in our sector. We cannot allow that to happen. Now that we have five new ships almost ready to launch, I'm sending you some alterations to make to the design. Get them launched as soon as is possible; finish the secondary systems in route if you have to. In addition, Bane wants you on one of those ships. Pick one as your command." Ron nodded and Seamus continued, "There's more. Tell Lucian to contact Beep from the Fox Empire. Have him muster any assistance he can. Impress upon him the danger of an enemy beachhead in our space. Also tell him that Bane is asking for this, not just as the Emperor." Ron nodded and was serious once more as he answered, "I'll get right on it." With that the communication ended and Seamus sat back. He could tell that Ron was shaken. He had expected nothing less but he felt he owed the fox the truth.
Ron sat at his desk, his mind full of emotions. He had no choice but to accept what he was being told, as unbelievable as it was. He wanted to cry, he wanted to yell, he wanted to scream, yet he sat in silence. His mind attempted to process what he had been told. Suddenly the realization of what they were facing pushed the reality of Scott far from his mind. If the Scavengers got a foothold in the sector, the war would be over before it was even fought. He stood up, he had just moved into his new office. It was relocated to the new government building. He walked over to his window and looked out of it. Below were some fox cubs playing in a green area. He watched two boys running and jumping. He smiled as the smallest tackled the largest. In that moment he realized what they were fighting for. There were not fighting for simple lines drawn in space. They were fighting for the future, their future. He smiled and walked back to his desk and took a seat. He pulled up his communication contact list and contacted Lucian. The dragon was currently touring the new base, however he should be near a secure terminal. Within moments the dragons face appeared on the screen. "Ron, to what do I owe this pleasure?" Ron chuckled but his expression remained somber and he told Lucian, "I wouldn't call what I have to say pleasurable. Earth is under attack from the Scavengers."
Lucian sighed, "Well we knew it would happen sooner or later." Ron nodded, "Yes but I'm afraid its happening now. Bane is on his way with the Seamus Accendo, we are to rush the other five ships off the assembly line and have the fleet meet with him at the Mars Colony. He wants it done and me to meet him within the week."
Lucian nodded and asked, "Shall I join him?" Ron shook his head, "No, I am going to assist. You must remain here in case we are lost. The empire MUST survive." Lucian nodded as he said, "Give me two days and I'll have the fleet underway." Ron nodded and Lucian cut the transmission.
Bane sat at his desk in his quarters. His room had its own private bedroom, bathroom, common area, as well as an office. It was extravagantly decorated, and suited its purpose, as well as his position. He sat looking at schematics of the attacking ships. Many scans had been run on debris as well as disabled ships. They had a reasonable idea of what it took to take one down and knew the numbers needed to win the battle. However even with the numbers on their side victory was far from certain. Indeed this battle could go either way and the fate of the sector rested on his shoulders. Bane chuckled as he thought back to their arrival in this space. Never did he think then, that he would be in this situation now. As he thought back, he regretted wishing for excitement on the Titan. For the wish had come more true in more ways than he had ever bargained for.
As he pondered the coming battle, the screen light up with a call from Emperor Black. Bane accepted the secure transmission and Blacks image filled his monitor. Bane greeted him, "Black, good to see you. I hope all is well." Emperor black chuckled a bit, "As good as they can be. I assume you have bad news, my secretary said it was urgent." Bane nodded and said, "Earth is under attack."
Black shook his head as he said, "Not surprising. We knew they would have to take it out in order to successfully launch a full scale invasion." Bane nodded his agreement and said, "With the numbers we have previously dealt with, they have been difficult to manage. However, a full scale invasion will be nigh onto impossible to fend off." Black nodded and asked, "What can I do?" Bane took a deep breath, "I need every, and I mean every, ship you have."
Black pursed his lips and said, "Why don't you ask me for something difficult Bane? You know I cannot give that to you. Some have to remain here for protection of the empire." Bane sighed and told him, "Black, if you don't commit with me, there will be no empire to protect. I don't think you understand what is at stake here. You will be next after the humans are dealt with. Don't you realize that? Everything will be gone, they will be the only life form left!"
Black sat and thought. Thus far his alliance with Bane had been nothing more than a one way deal of the wolves providing armed forces to Bane. He asked, "Alright, let's say I do give you what ships I have. What do we get?" Bane laughed, "You're joking, right? The fate of the universe is on the line and your trying to get concessions out of me?"
Black sighed and said, "Bane, I don't think you understand what's happened since the end of the war. The empire is on the verge of collapse. The economy was designed around war. A two fronted war between the humans and fox. Now that you have ended that, many are out of work. Our economy is near collapse. Every day I read reports of cubs being sold for money, becoming prostitutes, being found dead. That is not to mention the mortality rate of the adult wolves. Bane, they are all looking at me for answers and my position becomes more unstable by the day. Now I want to help you and I understand what is at stake. However I do not think YOU understand what is really at stake for me and my people. A revolt is possible and I don't want to try and use the repressive measures it would take to hold onto power."
Bane sat and considered what had been said to him. He knew Black was having problems but not that it was that bad. He needed the wolf empires support but if they fell from internal collapse, it would leave a hole the Scavengers could simply march right thru. Bane said, "Alright, what if I contract some of our defense projects to your empire to build. How quickly can you produce?"
Black sat back in his chair, relief apparent and said, "Depends on what you want. The infrastructure is in place, the companies are here. We can have them producing in a very short time. With the general population back at work and the military off fighting, pressures here would be relieved considerably. It would buy me enough time to figure things out."
Bane nodded and told Black, "We need blasters, quantum torpedoes, some parts for our ships and that's just what I can name off the top of my head." Black nodded, "So in exchange for our military assistance, you will offer us contracts to produce some goods that you will purchase?"
Bane nodded and added, "I will send some contracts your way. However, I want a renewal program launched within your empire. You cannot exist on war alone. Your people need to have something else to fall back on and raising their standards of living will help them and you. Besides, if they are happy, they are less likely to want to launch programs of aggression against others."
Black nodded with a sense of some relief as he said, "Something I have come to understand all too well. What is your wish for the ships?" Bane chuckled at seeing Black looking happier and said, "Meet us at Mars Colony in three days. Until then I will observe the enemy and gather what intelligence that I can." Black nodded and Bane ended the transmission. This was not what he wanted. They were at war and Black was squeezing him for money. True enough the alliance had been mostly one-way; however, Bane figured that everybody benefited from a peaceful coexistence.
However the wolves did not yet share that view. It was going to take time to change that society, and time was in short supply right then. He sighed and shook his head, as he did a communication from the Fox Empire leader came through. It was the first talk he had managed to have with the leader. His monitor was suddenly filled with the image of the leader. He was exactly what Bane had expected, an older fox. There was considerable gray on his muzzle and a tired look in his eyes. "Emperor Accendo I presume?" Even his voice had hint of arrogance in it, although Bane thought it was best described as ignorance. "Indeed I am sir, but I am afraid you have me at a disadvantage." The older fox glared at Bane and said imperiously, "You may call me Emperor Fox." Bane nodded, "Emperor as you may or may not know, Earth is under attack by a race of beings that call themselves the Scavengers. They are the same beings that are attacking your empire." The fox once again glared at Bane, "Earth is not our concern, and our empire is stronger than it has ever been. We will deal with this threat on our own time." With that the older fox ended the transmission. It was exactly as Bane expected.
The leader was an older fox and not much was really known of him or his family. The royals were extremely isolated from the rest of the empire by outdated traditions and dogmatic rules. No real information on the current state of the empire reached the ears of the fox emperor. So long as money flowed into the Emperor's Bank Account, then he was satisfied. Bane shook his head with disgust. How could anyone call themselves a ruler and yet know nothing or do nothing for those they ruled? The fox empire was long over due for a change and Bane thought on how he could nudge that along. So much needed to be done but so few were willing to do the work for it. He sighed in frustration but was distracted as Dasher walked into his office.
The cheetah's smile and upbeat attitude were always something Bane looked forward to. Dasher said, "Bane, it is my professional opinion that you need a drink." With that the cheetah produced a bottle of bourbon and two glasses. He uncorked the bottle and poured a stiff four fingers of the golden liquid into theglasses. He handed one to Bane, who gladly accepted it and took the other himself. Both saluted the other and took a sip of the spirit, smiling as it burned its way down their throats. With an "Ahh!" of satisfaction, Dasher took a seat and asked, "Now, how did your meetings go?"
Bane laughed a bit sourly and told him, "Horrible! Black is squeezing me for money and the fox won't even listen to the situation." Dasher nodded and said, "So it's as we expected then. How many ships will Black send?" Bane shook his head, "I don't know but from the sound of it, not many. He said the situation is bad and if he wasn't exaggerating, its worse than we know." Dasher nodded and sipped his glass again before saying, "The situation is always worse than we know and the solution is always more simple than the ones we choose." Bane nodded, "I am giving him some governmental contracts but it won't be enough to bring his empire back to what it was."
Dasher nodded and said, "We know that but he does not. He is a military commander and so he thinks along certain paths. If you throw enough of something at the problem, it is supposed to go away. That does not hold up in real life but then again, reality is subjective. In the short run, it will make things better. In the long run it will only solidify the position of the military on top within his government and ultimately undermine his authority."
Bane nodded and said, "But I am a military leader also." Dasher chuckled and said with a grin, "Perhaps but you are a grounded one. He is not. Black is a soldier first and a leader second. You consider the impact of an action upon your people before making a decision. He leaps first and then thinks second. Also, I suspect that he has no advisors who do not also have alterior motives behind what they tell him. We have already discussed annexing the wolf empire, perhaps now is the proper time to do so?"
Bane considered that and it led to him brooding over what Black had said. Children suffering and being sold into sexual slavery was something he could not imagine or condone and it ate at him like an acid. Even if the suffering of the adults was something they had caused themselves, Bane could not stand that the innocent pups would be so used and suffer.
Bane sat back in his chair and considered his options. His ship was racing to the scene of the battle but was still another day away as Earth was located in the most distant part of the sector. Help would be at least a week away from anybody. His fleet would wait for the new ships to join them and they were two days away from being able to launch, then there was another three from arriving at the rally point. Once there, they would have to wait for all those willing to participate. It would take a minimum of a week to set a battle plan into motion. Bane knew he would be better able to make plans with the intel he had sent the probe ships to gather for him. Fortunately, the Scavengers were in no hurry to establish their new operating base for the sector. It would take weeks for them to defeat Earth completely, and yet weeks more to establish their base.
Bane began to consider his options. The cloaked probes could provide all the intelligence needed for a battle plan. Perhaps Bane could get more out of Black in person. It was a sure thing that his fleet alone could not win the battle. He would need wolf ships to supplement his numbers, especially with the fox being unwilling to provide ships of their own.
Bane pushed a button and opened a channel with Alex. He told him, "Alex, set a course for the Wolf home world." The young commander acknowledged the order and the ship went underway towards its new mission. Bane then ordered the launch of unmanned, cloaked probes to gather the intelligence needed for battle. First, he would tackle the Wolf Empire, then the Scavengers.
Bane's ship arrived in orbit a few hours after the coarse change. They had penetrated deep into wolf space with no challenge from any of the fleet, despite passing close to several patrol ships. Bane chuckled. Black was as paranoid as ever but he had ordered the alliance ships were to have free transit in their space. That was no reason to let his space to go unprotected. It also kept his forces busy and out of trouble. As the ship settled into orbit he contacted Black and an image of him appeared on the main viewing screen of the bridge. Though Black had a palace, he preferred the familiar atmosphere of a ship, to that of the court. Nevertheless, the position had responsibilities and so Black was in his capital city.
"Hello Emperor," began Bane, "I humbly request an audience with you." Black looked puzzled, "Earth is days away, how do you propose to conduct this meeting?" At this point Bane ordered Black beamed aboard his ship. As he appeared, the now confused wolf stood looking at Bane, a blank expression on his face. Bane grinned and said, "Well I thought I would beam you up and have a chat with you, and perhaps take a little time to see some of your capital city. If things are as bad as you say, I want to see it and talk about what we can do to change things."
Black laughed, "As flamboyant as always eh? Well it beats the shit out of a week long ship journey." With that the two retired into Bane's bridge office to further discuss matters. Bane called Dasher to be present, as he was the Minister of the department that was affected by what they would talk about.
Dasher soon arrived and stepped into the office. Seeing Black there, his fur attempted to bristle but he kept it under control. He didn't like Black, and for good reason but he knew it would not be productive to confront the wolf about their past. Still, he couldn't keep his tail tip from twitching and Bane noticed, as did Black. Bane poured a stiff drink and told Dasher to drink it, then sit down and listen. Dasher restrained the growl he wanted to vent and did as Bane directed, sitting pointedly near his friend and staring at the Wolf leader.
Black demonstrated his own training and showed no reaction to it. He too was aware of the tensions between them but could not afford to let it distract him in front of Bane.
Bane took a seat on a couch by the window of his office, and Black sat across from him. Bane took a crystal decanter from the table between them and pored each a glass of Bourbon. Black took the glass and sipped it, then smiled and said, "You have good tastes." Bane nodded in acknowledgment and said, "Something I found I enjoyed after we took Accendo City. At any rate, I apologize for how I took you from your palace. I know it will have caused issues but I wished to prove a point." Black nodded, "Indeed it will have, but your point is well proven."
Bane began, "Black look, I am in a bit of a time crunch here so I will get to the point." Black nodded and listened as Bane went on, "Now I will give you all the contracts I can, mainly because you can produce the products quicker than we can. You have infrastructure, we do not. However, what happens when the war ends? Have you given any thought to the future?" Black sat looking at Bane and asked, "What do you mean?"
Bane chuckled, "Just that, do you really think there will always be a war to fight?" Black shook his head and answered, "No, I suppose not. But I've been so busy trying to fix things now that I've given no thought to the future. It is hard to plan ahead when all your time is spent stomping out little brush fires, so they don't become conflagrations."
Bane nodded, "Exactly! You cannot continue to simply be a military power alone. You must develop an economic backbone to support whatever military or social endeavor you wish to peruse." Black sat back in his chair and sighed, "I know what you are speaking of Bane. I know my people need a future, one I cannot give them. I am a soldier, not a politician. Every day I hear rumors of rebellions, my own military force is barely holding it together." Black looked at Bane, swallowed his pride and said, "The smart thing would be for you to annex my empire into yours."
Bane sat in silence. He had considered this several times but had never really mentioned it to anybody but dasher and Seamus. He knew he had the power to do as Black requested, but the question was not if he could do it but if he should. "Emperor Black, I don't know if now is the proper time to do as you ask me. We are at war, and I have to not only fight the Scavangers but also to combat the Fox Empire's ignorance, and somehow preserve the human race. I have a lot on me at the moment and I am unsure of this move."
Black nodded, "That is understandable; however do not think I ask this lightly." Black got up and walked to the window of the ship to look down upon his planet. "My entire life I've been a soldier. I came from a family of soldiers, each serving the empire with complete loyalty. I alone had the courage to stand up for our destiny. To support somebody I believed would lead us into a grand future. I chose wrongly in thinking the Emperor could do it and took steps to correct that mistake. Look at us now. We sit on the edge of destruction. I'm having to reduce my empire to begging for contracts that we both know is only a patch for our current issues. The bottom line is the empire is dieing and on the verge of collapse. We both know if the Wolf Empire falls that it will destabilize the rest of the sector's already fragile economic and power structure. We are already on the verge of being overrun by the Scavengers, if my empire falls then it will leave a large void that they will walk right through."
Bane sat and once again pondered the words of Black, he knew the wolf was correct. If the wolf empire fell it would mean the complete destabilization of the entire sector. The fox would certainly take advantage of the situation and attempt to conquer their former enemy. Bane was the only person who knew the true state of the wolf empire. The wolf empire would fight that, tooth and nail. It would cause the collapse and deaths of far too many and draw Bane into it and that would leave them all at the mercy of the Scavengers. A mercy that was no mercy but their extermination.
Bane sighed and said resignedly, "Fine. I am not happy about this but I will annex your empire." Black nodded and produced a signed document. "This is an official surrender of my empire to yours, all you need do is sign it." Bane nodded and took the document. He scanned over it and signed it. With his signature, the wolf empire surrendered unconditionally.
Black sighed and sat beside Bane. He said with a touch of bitterness, "This leaves a bad taste in my maw. I've fought all my life to preserve the empire, and now here I am surrendering it." Bane shook his head, "Black with this action you have made the ultimate sacrifice and preserved it for the future. I will immediately begin work on infrastructure and getting our people back to work. I want you to stay in charge as my administrator." Black nodded, "I would be honored." With that Black bowed on one knee in front of Bane and exposed his neck to his new alpha. Bane smiled and realized that the wolf simply could not be an alpha. Yes he was a leader, and a very capable military commander. However, that always involved answering to a top level leader.
With the transfer of power complete Black left and returned to his office. Preparations must be made, and the public must be informed. Black disliked bowing down to Bane, however his people came first. If surrendering to him provided a future for his people then it was something he would gladly do. The truth was he had expected Bane to pay a visit to his planet upon his demanding financial assistance. He fully intended to show Bane his city. He would show the wolf exactly what the situation was like. He thought the Emperor deserved the full dirty truth.
Bane beamed down onto the planet. Surrounding him was his personal guard, as insisted upon by Seamus. It consisted of three dragons, including Shadow. Each of the dragons carried a fully automatic blaster, powered by a zero point crystal. Bane disliked being guarded, but understood the precaution. He was also wearing a beam deflector and light armor. It wouldn't protect him from heavy weapons but would do for what they might likely encounter and provide the guard detail with the time to take down any attacker. He beamed down into the capital building.
Upon materializing in the reception area, Black greeted his new emperor. Black bowed with respect, "Emperor Accendo, its my honor to greet you today." Bane smiled, "Its a pleasure to be here. Please don't take offense to my guard, its something Seamus insisted upon." Black nodded, "Not at all. I completely understand and it is only what I would expect, Emperor. You are an important individual and the utmost precautions are necessary to ensure that you are safe."
Shadow stepped forward and said, "I will act as the emperor's head of security. My men report to me alone. We will need full access to your internal security systems while we are here." Black nodded, "Anything that you need sir." Black looked over the dragon and was impressed. That Bane had made an alliance with the Draconic Empire was another reason Black knew he had made the right choice in asking Bane to take charge. Bane was a planner and thinker, as well as a leader not afraid to take action. That was what the wolf Empire needed to lead them out of the depths they had fallen to.
With that, a security detail of Blacks escorted Shadow to a main security room and the other two dragons stood behind Bane, allowing him to be the center of attention. Bane smiled, "I do appologize for the security detail. I'm not used to it and I'm not overly fond of it." Black nodded, "that was one of the things I had to get used to myself. If you will come with me I will walk and give you a tour of the capital city. Walking is the best because reliable transportation is difficult to come by."
Bane nodded and asked, "With all the building for war, didn't your government ever invest in its own empire?" Black shook his head, "No we focused everything on the war effort. The people were expected to obey and support the Emperor's wishes and unfortunately, he gave little thought to the people and their needs."
Bane walked out of the capital building and was struck by the surroundings. The capital itself was build in a grandiose style, however the surrounding area looked more like a slum than the capital of a galactic empire. Bane just stood and looked around in horror. A horrible stench reached his nose, he choked a moment then looked at Black and asked, "What the hell is that horrible smell?"
The admiral smiled sadly and answered, "We built factories to produce our war goods, and in turn they destroyed the atmosphere. What you smell is low levels of carbon dioxide and other pollutants. All governmental buildings have life support systems that provide clean air for the workers inside." Bane walked from the front of the building onto the sidewalk and asked, "What of the rest? Are there places citizens can go for relief?" Black shook his head and answered sadly, "No, I am afraid not. The mortality rate is high for the rest of the population. There's a condition called black lung that has become very common."
Bane shook his head, "This is awful!" As he looked around, three wolves tried to approach him. He motioned for his guard to stand down as the smallest approached him. It was one grown female wolf and two small cubs. One was male, the other female, and both pups were completely naked. Bane eyed the small male as the adult female approached him and asked, "Please sir, can I interest you in a cub?"
Bane simply stood and looked in horror as both pups smiled at him. The wolfess tried very hard in her sales speech to convince the obviously wealthy wolf to take them, "They are both trained in all forms of pleasure and eager to serve"
The male looked hopefully at him and begged, "Please sir? I can give you whatever you desire." His condition was poor. Dirty and obviously underfed . . . No, he was nearly starving and his sister and presumably his mother were in no better condition. Bane teared up and looked at Black, then stated, "I'll take the male. I will have my head of security pay you whatever you require. Shadow? Make sure it is enough to support both her and the young female for some time." The small wolf hugged Bane's leg tightly, his tail wagging happily as he looked up at his new owner. Perhaps this male would be nice to him but it didn't really matter, as long as he was fed. Bane picked him up and activated his emergency transponder. He was immediately beamed up onto the Accendo.
Bane walked to his quarters with the cub in arms. He walked into his bedroom and sat the cub on the floor. The cub smiled up at him and asked, "What do you want me to do sir?" Bane smiled warmly at the cub, "I want you to smile and be happy." The youngster smiled back and said, "Oh, I am happy sir. And I will do my best to make you happy too!" He then licked his lips and looked at Bane in a manner that made the big wolf shiver.
Before anything could happen, the door to Ban's quarters opened and Dasher stepped in. He looked at the young male, then at Bane and nodded as he said, "You have no idea what you have gotten yourself into, do you Bane?" Bane looked at Dasher and swallowed, then admitted, "No but what else could I do, Dasher? Look at him. He is starved and so innocent. I couldn't just turn my back on him and his mother and sister," Bane more pleaded these words than said them.
Dasher chuckled sadly and said, "No . . . knowing you as I do, you couldn't. My friend, you need my advice, more than ever now. Come, let us go to the shower and get him cleaned up. I have a tale to tell you of my past."
The three went into the bathroom and Dasher said, "Since he is your responsibility, you need to take charge. Strip and get in the shower with him. You can wash him while I tell you about my childhood." Bane looked shocked and said, "I can't do that!" Dasher laughed and pushed Bane ahead of him, followed by the pup and helped pull Bane's shirt off as he said, "Of curse you can. He will need to be shown how to use the shower and get clean. Do you think this young one is used to all the amenities here? He comes from poverty, such as you have never known. If you want him to learn, you have to show him. Now get going."
As Dasher was helping and talking, the pup had stepped forward. He reached out and began undoing Bane's pants, helping to strip the adult and Bane was growing more nervous about the looks he was getting. Deciding to listen to Dasher, Bane got nude and started the shower. The pup got in under the spray and exclaimed joyously at the warm water. All the bright polished surfaces and cleanliness were novel and like a dream but he was happy about all of it.
Dasher sat on the toilet and watched with a barely concealed grin as Bane begin to pour shampoo on the energetic pup and wash the grime from his fur. The cheetah took a deep breath and began, "You know I come from a less developed world than this one but not what my past was. I was a kit, much like the pup you just bought. My mother sold me to a griffon mage at the age of 5 and I was his until he freed me at 18. It wasn't all bad. I was cared for and taught but there was the dark side to it too. I was used sexually by him and his friends, as well as used in magic rites. Some of it I didn't like but I had no choice, unlike this young pup. I am sure you will take better care of him than I was."
Bane was shocked to hear this about his friend and he tried to comfort Dasher, who brushed it aside and said, "It was long ago and nothing out of the ordinary, in my world. I don't blame my mother for it. She was pregnant with my sister and it was sell me, or all of us facing death by starvation. As it was, I lived and so did they. Don't concern yourself with that. I only tell you because I know what this pup has gone thru and what is likely to happen with him. If you are smart, you will listen to me, or tell me to mind my own business and I will let you learn on your own, things you are not ready for."
Paying such close attention to his friend's admissions, Bane was not paying attention to the pup he was washing and that was when he got his first shock. Bane's eyes shut and he murred with pleasure, then his eyes shot open in shock! As he looked down to confirm what he was feeling, Dasher laughed loudly and said, "Lesson number one."
The pup had pulled Bane's sheath down and wrapped his muzzle around Bane's unerect penis, sucking happily at the red member! As the wolf sputtered and began to reach down to remove the pup, Dasher said, "I wouldn't do that, if I were you. Bane looked up in panic and said in fright, "Dasher! I can't . . I don't . . . "
Dasher held up his paw and spoke gently to the young wolf,"You should wait to be asked to do that, young one. I know you expect to serve your master that way but first rule of a good servant is to wait to be told what to do."
The pup pulled off with a wet slurp and looked at Dasher, then up at Bane and asked, "Aren't I doing it right?" Bane was too stunned to speak, so Dasher said, "I am sure you were doing very well but it is not your place to just grab and play with your master. What he wants is most important and if you don't want to anger him, you should let him tell you what to do. Right now, he wants to make you all clean and get you fed and clothed. Right Bane?"
Bane coughed and got out, "Yes. That's right." The pup nodded and turned loose of Bane's cock, which had grown considerably and answered, "Yes sir. I'm sorry. I'll try to be good." Dasher chuckled and said, "I know you will. Be patient and we will teach you. You see Bane? He wants to be good and that was what he was expecting you to want from him. It is obvious that he knows what he was doing and expects it. Looked like he enjoyed it too."
Bane was near panic but tried to stay calm as he said pointedly, "Dasher! You know I had no intent to do this with him. I rescued him from that place. I didn't buy a slave!" Dasher sighed sadly and said, "Now do you see what I meant when I said you have much to learn? Are you going to listen to me now? I came from much the same situation as this young male and I know how to handle this. If you don't believe me and want to listen, then I will leave you alone with him and you can learn the hard way." With a low chuckle he then looked pointedly at Bane and said, "And it seems you are hard already."
Bane blushed at the implication and said, "No! I will listen." Dasher laughed and sat back as he said, "Then wash your pup and lets get him clean and dressed and fed. After that, we will put him to bed and I will begin teaching you the fine points of raising your new pup."
Bane gulped and looked down at the trusting face looking up at him. What could he do? Bane did as Dasher suggested and spent the rest of an hour, cleaning, drying, grooming and cleaning the young male. It was a fun time, once the pup had stopped trying to have sex with him but the looks he was getting let Bane know, this was not over . . . not by a long shot. Dasher had the replicator create a night shirt for the young male and gave it to Bane, who dressed him. They ate a meal that the pup was so happy over, it was almost pathetic. Such a simple thing as food could make him so happy! When the pup was full, the first time he had been so in many long months, he became sleepy and Dasher guided him to Bane's bed, pulled down the covers and told him to get in.
The youngster obeyed and looked up as he asked with a smile, "Are we going to do the sex now?" He looked up and tried to get on all fours but Dasher told him as he patted his head, "No little one. We want you to sleep and rest right now. I am sure you will do better, after you have had a good nights sleep. Pleasant dreams and if you need anything, just call and someone will come. Good night pup." Dasher gave him a kiss on the forehead and pulled the covers up, then he guided the silent Bane to the door and they went out into the living room.