New Owner

For three long months, Melisandre, Diana, and Mercy had lavished in the dark, damp dungeon of their captor, tortured and teased in all manner of ways by the baron who had purchased the three little girls for his own amusement. Tickled, bound up, slapped and whipped, fed on the floor like feral hounds, and every other means of tormenting the cubs had been used on the unlucky trio. Their owner had even designed and built several new and exciting torture implements, testing them out on the girls and refining his craft. Through daily torture sessions, the street urchins had been worn down, exhausted and drained, but not entirely without hope. Always the ponderer, and having taken up the mantle as the leader of the group, Melisandre had used the overabundance of time that they had while locked up trying to think up of a means of escape. She knew the task was difficult, but the Fennekin refused to give up, likewise keeping up the spirits of the other two girls locked up with her, trying to find any way to escape as the three spent their days chained up. Diana's quick fingers and skills with the lockpick would surely come in handy, though the young Buneary wasn't so sure whether it was smart trying to run away, fearing what might happen to them if the Baron caught them in the act. Mercy on the other hand wished for nothing but to get away from the merciless man, the Pichu spending her days trying to assist her friends in any way she was able. What none of the cubs knew however, was that their current owner was starting to get quite bored of the trio, hungering after some fresher meat after having already spent so long tormenting the girls. This left the Baron with the question of what to do with the three after he'd gotten his new toys brought in, a problem that was thankfully solved very quickly after a little bit of conversing with some of the other nobles. The Baron heard of another man living nearby, someone with very particular and peculiar tastes, someone who'd most likely be willing to pay well to take the girls out of his hands. After a few quick letters sent back and forth between the two wealthy men, a price was agreed upon for all three of the girls, already sealing their fate under the ownership of yet another owner without any of the girls even yet knowing. 

Thinking they were in for just another day of the usual torture, the girls awoke in a daze as they heard the door to their windowless dungeon creaking open, unsure whether it was the break of dawn or the middle of the night. Rising up groggily, naked from head to toe, the cubs all huddled up in the corner of the stone cell, with Melisandre in the front shielding the others, getting ready to face the Baron, shaking even as they did their best to put on a brave face. Instead of the tormentor that they were expecting however, the girls were met with one of the guards stepping into their cell, surprised since the Baron didn't generally like having anyone besides himself handling his toys. The man tossed a stack of fabric at the girls’ feet, giving a disinterested growl as he crossed his arms,
“Put them on!”
Mercy picked up one of the heaps of fabric from the dusty floor, a scrap of grey seemingly made from discarded sacks, painted with a red cross on both the front and the back, the mark of a slave. Knowing better than to disobey an order given to them, the girls put on the rags, no matter how bad of a feeling they had, nervous about the unexpected change in the day to day. Dressed in their slave rags, the girls were unexpectedly led out of the dungeon, seeing daylight for the first time in months as the guard shoved them towards a carriage. Like cattle, the cubs were shepherded into the back of the enclosed carriage, the door slammed closed as a heavy lock clicked into place, sealing the girls in darkness once more. As the carriage rocked into motion, the little cubs hugged one another, shivering as they tried to guess where they were being shipped to. Diana tried to peek through the tiny cracks on the sides of the carriage, desperate to see where they were going, trying to stay upright as the driver whipped the stallions in the front, speeding away from the Baron’s residence and down a road leading further into the surrounding forest. 

After several hours of travelling along the bumpy road without a break, numbing the backsides of the girls sitting in the back, the carriage finally came to a stop. Gulping as she heard the guard walking from the driver's seat to the back, Mercy wasn't sure what to expect, holding back the urge to cry as she heard the lock clicking open. The guard opened up the carriage, motioning for the cubs to clamber out with an annoyed grunt, standing by to make sure they wouldn't try to escape as the little girls hopped out one after the other. The trio found themselves in front of a grand mansion, a villa obviously belonging to someone very wealthy, possibly even more so than the Baron they were under the “care” of before, surrounded by thick forest with just a single road snaking its way to the manor, through a set of gates. The place seemed even more secluded and guarded than the Baron’s residence, already making the girls nervous about being confined within it before they'd even seen what awaited them. A set of men walked out from the grand building, armed and with enough muscles to wrestle a bull, guards just as the driver of the carriage but dressed in different regalia, not the Baron’s minions. The men walked up to the driver, handing him a jingling bag of coin before surrounding the quivering girls, grabbing their shoulders and ushering them towards the mansion, shoving them along whenever one was starting to drag her feet. Without saying a word to the whimpering and distressed cubs, the guards dragged the slaves down a flight of stairs and through a side entrance of the manor, leading them through stone hallways, making the girls grimace as their delicate and bare paws waddled on the ice cold floor. Much to the horror of the trio, the young cubs were brought to a room very similar to the torture chamber of their previous residence, if a little bit more refined, a set of three wooden pillories standing in the middle of the room with various implements of devilish torture laid out on tables. Unlike the Baron’s damp dungeon, this torture room was neat and tidy, windows letting in bright sunshine into the well-decorated area, looking like an otherwise ordinary parlor if it weren't for the torture devices strewn about, leaving the girls unsure of if they actually preferred the jarring and downright psychotic room to their old dungeon. The three were dragged over to the pillories, their necks, ankles, and wrists slipped inside before the wooden beams were locked in place, leaving the girls helplessly bound in place with their feet and hands presented in front of them, very similar to the Baron’s favourite pose when it came to their torture under their previous owner. With that, the guards turned around and walked out of the room, staying silent as they exited, leaving the increasingly panicked cubs to stew in their anxiety, shooting fearful looks at one another as they struggled and grunted, trying to escape from the pillories. 

After waiting around for nearly half an hour, getting tired and sore from the awkward pose their bodies had been forced into, each of the girls’ ears perked up at the sounds of footsteps echoing from beyond the door, coming closer, until a hand grasped the handle of the door, swinging it open as the cubs braced. A man stepped into the room, a Furfrou, dressed in clothes that cost a year's salary of the average tradesman. The man's eyes stared down at the girls, a slight hint of distaste in his gaze even as his mouth curled up into a smirk, just the expression on the man's face making the cubs shiver. The Furfrou was Gustav, a wealthy merchant, owning half of the shipping lanes on the continent, owning enough to dwarf even many of the royals. Gustav’s passion wasn't with trade however, instead it was with collecting, whether it be paintings, statues, ancient artifacts, or his most prized possessions: living works of art. Through the lands, the man nabbed up young women and girls, turning them into centrepieces for the rooms in his many mansions, admiring the fragile and helpless little things, listening to their squeals like music as he tortured them. Stepping into the room, giving a delighted huff as he listened to the tiny Buneary whimpering softly as he approached, Gustav simply stood in front of the three girls for a moment, his hands behind his back as he took in every last detail of their terrified faces, nodding happily. Getting right up in front of the cubs, leaning down to come face to face with them, the man grabbed their snouts one by one, turning their heads and examining their dirty paws, looking them over like cattle as the girls groaned and growled, pulling up their lips to peek at their teeth. After ogling at the girls for a few minutes, prodding and poking, the Furfrou stepped back with an upturned nose, 
“Healthy enough, if in desperate need of a good bath…”

Glaring at her new owner with a feisty frown, Melisandre tried to turn her head away from the Furfrou as he leaned up close, unable to look away due to the pillory she was locked in, feeling his hot breath tickling her whiskers as she grit her teeth, hissing under her breath, 
“Get away from me!”
Acting as if he didn't even hear the girl's complaining, Gustav straightened out his back, grinning as he walked past the cubs and behind their backs, suddenly leaving the previously defiant kids increasingly worried once more, unable to see what the man got up at their exposed flanks. Hearing the Furfrou shuffling around and grabbing something from the tables filled with torture implements, Mercy gulped, sweating as she glanced over at her friends, unable to even reach over and hold the others’ hands. Waiting for what felt like forever, conjuring up the worst in her own mind as she tried to figure out what the man was up to, the Pichu let out a startled squeak as something colourful suddenly pushed into her field of view from above, unable to even see what it was as her eyes tried to focus on it. As the object slowly came into view, Mercy could see that it was a feather, colourful and freshly plucked, staring at it for a split second before it suddenly dipped down to her snout, wafting right over her nose, causing her to sneeze as it tickled her, the cub's tail shooting straight up. 

Laughing uproariously, Gustav stepped back in front of the girls, twirling the feather in his hands as he stopped in front of the yellow-furred girl, running his hand through Mercy's long blonde hair, 
“What a delicate young thing~”
Ignoring the little Pichu’s desperate attempts to not appear as nervous by putting on a fake determined scowl, the man brought the tip of the soft feather to her pawpads, slowly dragging it down one of the soles of her feet as he watched closely. Mercy's toes immediately curled up in a vain attempt to cover up her sensitive pink pawpads, her eyes almost closing as she grit her teeth, desperately trying to hold back from laughing or even showing anything on her face. As the tip of the feather neared her heel, the girl's attempts at holding her poker face began to fail, stifling a strained giggle as her feet twitched, her toes stretching and splaying out. With a satisfied look, as if seeing breaking down the cub as a challenge, Gustav flipped the feather around, pointing the stiff and pointy root end of it towards the girl as he brought it over to Mercy's other paw, pressing it right against the middle of her sole. Still gritting her teeth, letting out a tiny whimper, the Pichu wasn't sure whether the feather hurt or tickled more, the pin-like end of it steadily pushed against her supple foot. Just as she thought that the feather might start drawing blood, shaking gently as she bit her tongue with a muffled whine, the end of the feather broke, causing her to flinch and hiss as the stinging sent a cold shiver up her spine. With a gently relieved sigh, Mercy's shoulders slumped and her eyes pressed closed as the Furfrou stood up straight, turning away from her with a smirk, seemingly intent on choosing another poor victim to terrorise for a change. 

Strolling back and forth in front of the other two girls, strutting like a cock as he eyed up the pair, leaving the two unsure whether he'd already chosen his victim and was just trying to psyche out them both or whether he was still weighing up which girl to torment next. After stepping about for a minute, Gustav finally stopped in front of the Buneary, his head slowly turning to stare at the chained up Diana as she shivered nervously, whimpering while instinctively trying to pull away from the man. The Furfrou grinned as he grabbed a stool, slowly dragging it right in front of the quivering cub, sitting down face to face with her as Diana tried to avoid the male's gaze, feeling the piercing stare burrowing right through her. Sticking out his pinkie finger, Gustav softly pressed his sharp nail against the Buneary’s palm, watching her biting her lip as he traced patterns into her hand, tickling her as her tail bounced about behind her flank. Not getting as intense of a reaction as he'd hoped, the man moved his finger to a much more ticklish region, tracing his claw down the girl's side and down to her belly, drawing crosses across her bellybutton before going to her ribs, teasing her by caressing the undersides of her armpits. Shaking in her binds, Diana let out a mix between a whine and a snicker, desperately trying to hold back from outright laughing, knowing that he wanted to watch her squirm, trying not to give him that satisfaction. Able to see how close he was to cracking the young Buneary, Gustav kept on going, circling his finger under the cub's armpit, watching how her entire body twitched and her fur stood on end whenever the tip of his sharp claw made contact with her hide. Wanting to crank up the pressure even further, the man brought his finger down to Diana's paws, smirking as she panted heavily, taking the brief moment of peace to catch her breath, shaking her head as she whispered, 
“P… please, no, don't…”
Drinking in the girl's pleading like a fine wine, closing his eyes for a moment as he moaned softly, Gustav listened for a beat before pressing his claw against the Buneary’s pawpad, tickling her up and down as she wriggled against the pillory, only able to maintain her facade for a few seconds before breaking down into giggles. With the dam broken, Diana laughed with tears in her eyes, gasping for air in between fits of laughter as the man tickled between her toes, tracing the outline of her paws with his nail. 

Torturing the young Buneary until tears were trailing down the cub's cheeks, her pained laughter causing her to twitch and tremble, straining against the pillory, Gustav finally stood up, putting a momentary pause to his teasing as he shoved the stool away with his foot. Leaning her head back as far as she could with her neck under the wooden beam, Diana took a deep breath of relief, panting like she'd been running all day long, her lungs burning as she gasped with a red face. Slowly turning her eyes to the grinning man, Melisandre already knew what was coming, trying to put on a brave face as she squeezed her hands into fists, aware that she was the last one left without the Furfrou’s personal attention. The Fennekin was already conjuring up all manner of torturous toys that their new owner might use on him, breathing heavily as she tried to stare down the man, hoping to convince him that she wasn't afraid of him, or at the very least convince herself of that. Unexpectedly, after glaring at the one remaining girl for some time, Gustav simply turned around and walked out of the room, saying nothing as the trio stared at his tail disappearing behind the corner, all of them confused yet relieved at the seeming break they were getting. It didn't take long for the girls to hear the Furfrou’s footsteps approaching once more, except this time he wasn't alone, hearing excited panting and the patter of four smaller feet against the stone floor. 

Gustav stepped back into the room, laughing as he gave the rope in his hands a light tug, yanking in a feral dog into the room,
“I'll have to make sure my guard hounds know your scents. Wouldn't want them mistaking you for an intruder~”
With a smug smile, the man let go of the leash, allowing the dog to immediately sprint over to Melisandre. The girl expected claws and teeth, giving a startled yelp and closing her eyes as the hound sprinted towards her, but was instead met with the four-legged canine's slobbery tongue instead. Groaning and trying to move her muzzle away from the all too friendly dog, the Fennekin had to endure the feral lapping away at her face, covered in slobber by the time the man stepped in to give the boy's collar a gentle yank, pulling the dog away from her face, 
“I've got something better for you to lick~”
The canine's tail wagged as Gustav pulled out a small pot of honey, dipping a small wood brush into the pot and slathering the grimacing cub's paws with the sweet and sticky mixture, having to hold the guard dog back from immediately diving in to lap it all up, 
“Hungry for a little sweet treat, boy~? Well then, puskii!”
The Furfrou let go of the ravenous hound, letting him jump at the squeaking girl's paws, his long and wide tongue immediately slapping against her ticklish soles. Taken by surprise, Melisandre didn't even have the chance to try to conceal just how horrible the feral's assault felt, shaking from head to toe as she howled with laughter, thrashing around in her pillory, her eyes already getting wet. Coating the girl's paws with his slobber as he lapped the honey off of them, leaving the pair glistening, the dog seemed intent on devouring every last drop of the sticky sweet goo slathered on the cub's feet, his agile tongue easily able to slither between each of her toes even as she tried to squeeze them closed, whining as she tried to gasp for air in the middle of her laughing fit. 

Grinning with an insidious glint in his eyes, Gustav watched his guard dog licking the twitching and shivering girl's paws, drizzling a little more honey on her delicate feet when it seemed like the feral was done with cleaning them up, letting the dog continue lapping while Melisandre wheezed, only able to take tiny gasps of air. After what felt like forever, the Furfrou was finally satisfied with how much he'd humiliated the most rebellious girl of the group, setting down the jar of honey and taking the panting canine's leash, gently tugging the very happy hound off of the poor Fennekin’s paws and leading him out of the room. Immediately going limp in her pillory, huffing and puffing with her face red from both embarrassment and exhaustion, her paws wet with dog slobber, Melisandre hoped that maybe their new owner was satisfied with them, that they'd get some rest now that they'd each been tickled and teased. Unfortunately for the trio, the Furfrou still had plenty more planned for them, only staying out of the room for a moment before appearing back, sporting a sly smile and a bucket under his armpit, 
“You all look quite worn out, maybe something refreshing to help you cool down would be in order~?”
With a laugh, the man pulled out a chunk of ice from the bucket, pressing it right against the underside of Mercy's feet, getting a squeak from the Pichu as she winced, the freezing cold stinging worse than any needle or dagger ever could. Rubbing the ice all over the little lady's paws, pushing it between her toes and alternating between both feet while the whimpering cub desperately tried to get away from him, Gustav chuckled as he saw the other two girls staring at him in horror, 
“Oh, don't worry, there's plenty here for all of you~”
The man repeated the process with both Melisandre and Diana, kneading the bottoms of their feet with the ice, frigid water soaking into their furs as the chunks slowly melted from the heat of their soles, both cubs quivering and whining as they were treated to the freezing massage, trying to pull their paws away from the Furfrou. 

Only after most of the ice had already melted away, the girls’ paws nice and tender after the cold treatment, Gustav finally put away the bucket, though he still wasn't done tormenting his newest toys. Before the trio could recover from his last round of torture, the Furfrou quickly reached for a nearby table, grabbing what looked like a riding crop, bending it in his hands for a moment before whipping it across both of Diana's paws. The Buneary shrieked, her mouth wide open in a scream as she writhed around in the pillory, unable to do much more than to break out in tears as the man brought the whip down on the bottoms of her feet a second time. The girl's paws were feeling particularly sensitive after being rubbed down with ice for so long, the sting of the whipping multiplied tenfold by the chill still clinging to her pawpads as she howled and cried, her soles left blushing red by the time the man finally gave her a break, her sobbing bringing the other two cubs near their breaking point already before either had received a single lash from the riding crop. Gustav still wasn't about to spare the remaining girls from the same fate however, turning the whip on Melisandre next, bringing it down on her feet hard enough for the slap to cause the other two to flinch as the Fennekin cried out. By the time Gustav was done with Melisandre, she had red imprints of the riding crop on the bottoms of her soft feet, whimpering in tears as the man turned to the last remaining cub. Mercy closed her eyes and tried to brace for what was to come, still squealing in pain as the whip slapped against her soles, only made worse by the Furfrou occasionally giving her fingers a hard smack with the crop as well, always keeping the Pichu guessing where she'd be whipped next.

Rotating from one girl to the next, giving each their fair share of lashes as he cackled and grinned, Gustav whipped his newest additions to his collection until all three were wailing incoherently, babbling and pleading for him to stop in between their shrieks of pain. Without pause or mercy, the Furfrou smacked the cubs’ paws, the entire mansion ringing with their screams, causing the man's other victims to tremble in fear, afraid that they might be the next one in line. Only after whipping the girls’ paws completely red, Gustav finally relented, taking a deep sigh as he set the riding crop back down on the table, dusting off his hands as he smiled at the sound of the locked up trio’s sobs and sniffles. Stretching and yawning, as if to tease the girls with the fact that he wasn't locked into a pillory and could actually move about, the man took one last admiring look at his new centrepiece before turning to leave the room, abandoning all three cubs. Trying to stifle their sobs as the Furfrou stepped away, unable to even wipe away the tears from their puffy and red eyes, the girls were left locked up in their pillories, forced to stay in the awkward and tiring position, exhausted but unable to even get into a comfortable pose to rest. Melisandre abandoned all hope of their situation getting any better anytime soon, certain that she had to get them all out and soon, gritting her teeth as she tried to push the burning pain out of her mind and instead focus on some way to escape with her friends. The other girls were much less focused than the leader of their little group, with Mercy grimacing as she stared down at her whipped feet, and the little Buneary hanging her head down while sniffling, just the gusts of air from the drafty windows enough to make them all grimace as the wind caressed their sore paws.