The aftertaste of cock sullied Madison’s tongue. Her ass ached from relentless poundings by cops and criminals alike. What complaints the stinkbadger could make were garbled by the thick ring keeping her mouth open. Eventually, she stopped trying, too focused on gasping for air when passed between others. 


When Chief Kravets tossed her into holding cells as entertainment for prisoners, the rhino gave Madison something she’d lost. A sense of time. Nights were spent at the mercy of whatever prisoner she was thrown to. Every night when Tessia threw her in the cells the rhino made it clear that no bindings were to be removed, leaving the young mustelid to be bound and gagged for the inmate. None were interested in undoing her bondage or showed regret in using her. They were all happy to have a night where they had more than their hand to keep them company. 


Some used her sparingly throughout the night while others continued to fuck her until the sun seeped through iron bars. Occasionally there was an inmate that complained he couldn’t get her cunt, even tugging at the piercings to see how resilient they were. Madison was keen to remind them that the rings were very solid and could not be pulled off. Only her ass had stretchy properties. 


In the mornings she’d be dragged out, either by Tessia or some police officer acting under her orders. Instead of the evidence room where a locker waited for her, Madison was latched to a urinal in the bathroom. There any officer could relieve themselves over her, sexually or just to drain their snakes into her open maw. She stopped fighting it just to avoid urine staining her fur.


By lunch, Tessia would bring Madison to the cop showers for a hose down with cold water, then take her for a walk through the precinct to stretch her legs. Still hobbled by chains, Madison had to struggle against a taut leash pulling a feral collar while new criminals, officers, or just visiting civilians stared. Some ignored her like she was a normal thing. She might have been.


The rest of the day was spent underneath Kravet’s crotch in her desk, or stuffed into the evidence locker. With only semen for sustenance, Madison felt a near-constant gurgling in her stomach and lethargy in her body. 


In the cramped locker, Madison did something she hadn’t done since arriving in Highman Break. She cried. Tears streamed down her face as the mustelid failed to hug herself thanks to the cuffs binding her hands behind her. She missed her friends, Terry and Heidi. She missed school. She even missed Ruth, the bear who enslaved her. But they were gone. This may as well be her life now, she reasoned, her tears drying when no more could be shed. 


Two days later her routine changed. Instead of getting latched to the officer’s urinal, she was shoved directly into the showers after her bindings were unceremoniously removed.


“Clean yourself up,” Tessia ordered, pointing to the dial. Madison stared at her, then looked to the shower as if an answer would come. The rhino’s hoof tapped impatiently against the cold rubber flooring on the locker room. “You’ve got five minutes to clean yourself up before I get the hose.” 


Not wanting the hose, Madison headed inside. The constant bondage forced her head low to avoid aches and her wrists were chaffed. Cold water sprayed from the faucet above. Days of being hosed down made the cold shower pleasant. She stood under the torrent, soaking in the rising temperature as though it were an old friend. 


Tessia turned the shower off once Madison was thoroughly soaked and tossed her a towel. “Tick tock,” she pointed to a watchless wrist, “Hurry up. I got other shit to do.” 


The towel was coarse and used, better than anything she’d had in her days under the rhino’s desk. Drying herself as best she could, Madison then had the towel yanked from her. Cuffs were latched back to her wrists, followed by a thick gag into her maw. It was all standard stuff until Tessia brought out a long stick attached to a collar, latching it around Madison’s throat to better direct her along. She didn’t have the strength to complain, but questions did arise when Tessia pushed her into the back of a patrol car. The gag made asking fruitless. Just as well, Madison didn’t feel like talking anyway.


Her head nestled against the barred window of the backseat along the way. The thrumming vibrations of the road massaged her skull, almost enough to sleep peacefully. They stopped before she got any decent rest, leaving her hazy and exhausted when pulled from the backseat. 


The morning sun blinded her. With her arms behind her, Madison arched her head down and closed her eyes. “Move it!” Chief Kravets’ ordered, pushing her along by the directing stick. When her vision adjusted she saw the sun-baked steps of an old government building. She assumed it was one given the white pillars mounted out front like some sort of old Greek temple. 


She wondered why they were there whilst ascending the steps on bare feet. It must be for the trial of her rapist, Jerry. Yes, that had to be it. That was why she was considered evidence and not a witness. That meant Terry would be there and the thought stopped her cold for all but a second before Tessia jerked her forward. 


“Don’t keep them waiting.” The rhino sounded annoyed, lacking her usual sadism. 


Madison continued, fearful of what Terry would see but knowing there was nothing to stop it. No one on the sidewalks batted an eye to the naked girl marching up the steps in chains, just like how no one cared at the station. Perhaps he’d do the same. Disregard her as an object, property. A small part of her hoped so. It’d hurt less.


What would become of her, she wondered, once the trial concluded? Police contraband and evidence might have been stored away or auctioned off. Was that her fate? To be bought by someone in this town? No. Madison didn’t need to look at Tessia to know that, after the trial, the rhino would keep her around. Keep using her at the station as some breathing hole to fuck for cops and criminals alike. If given the option, she’d gladly eat out Ruth’s cunt every day and than suffer that fate, but slaves didn’t get choices. 


The wood floors inside were warped. As if centuries of walking had reshaped them to uneven hills that, at a glance, looked fine enough. It ruined her precious sense of balance brought on by the hobble chains, leaving the directing stick to keep her upright. Madison heard a tapping sound around the corner at the end of the hall. Reaching it they found Ruth waiting for her, hunched over with her arms crossed and one leg restlessly pounding against the wood. 


She stopped at the sight of Madison. Concern crossed her face, followed by lip-biting fury directed at Tessia. “The fuck is this?” She shot up from her seat and grabbed the stick. 


Tessia didn’t relent. “Standard procedure for the transportation of living property.” The rhino’s sadism permeated through her words. “And I suggest you let go before I charge you with interfering with police business. We can’t have this meeting if you’re in custody, can we?” 


Growling, Ruth let go. She reached for Madison but Tessia yanked her away. “No touching police property.”


“The papers are signed, you bitch. It’s all but said and done.”


“All but said and done,” Tessia repeated mockingly, “Until then, I’m going to ensure my authority is exercised.”


“Couldn’t you have sent a deputy or officer?” Ruth asked, “You’ve got more important things to do than this, don’t you?”


“Some things can’t be delegated,” Tessia lied boldly. Madison blocked out the rest of the conversation. She focused more on Ruth’s concern. The bear was a sadist, but she had a strange side to her that seemed to treat Madison with compassion. It could have been a trick, a way for Madison to drop her guard, but after so long under the rhino’s hoof she had no guard left to drop. 


Instead of a courtroom, Madison found herself in an office. There sat a mahogany desk stacked with papers. A lioness sat behind it reading over a piece of paper in her hands through small lensed glasses. The plaque at the desk read Anya Majors, Chief Justice. She didn’t look up from her work until Ruth coughed. 


“Yes?” She blinked, taking a moment to inspect both women and Madison. “Oh, the case of custody for Madison Sully.” The lioness checked her watch, “Ah, I must have lost track of time. Please, sit.” 


Tessia took a chair and forced Madison to kneel. Ruth growled in the rhino’s direction, but a quick glare from the justice shut her down. “Chief Kravets, why is the girl detained like that?”


“Standard procedure.” 


“I see. I cannot speak to her with that gag. Remove it.” Her tone warranted no debate. Madison clenched her aching jaw, licking the remains of pooled saliva she could not wipe away. “Good. Now, Madison,” The lioness tented her hands as she spoke. Her face was devoid of emotion as if this was nothing but business for her. Given what Madison knew of the town, it might as well be. “You were assaulted by one Jerry York two weeks ago, is that correct?” 


Madison nodded, not sure if she should speak up.


“And upon his arrest, you told Officer Masters and Officer Faith that you were a slave to Miss Sully. Is this true?” 


Again, Madison nodded.


Justice Majors pulled out a paper from her pile. “Because there was no documentation of your relation to Miss Sully, the officers could not release you into her custody. At the time it was believed that your use of the word slave deemed you as property. But I have here in my hand your adoption papers. It is not uncommon for some folk to have casual enslavement relations with significant others such as friends or family, but in Highman we do take enslavement seriously. Wholesale slavery may have died in the Civil War, but in Highman Break slaves are a luxury item that requires care and strict adherence to the charter. What I am trying to say is that you have created an excess amount of paperwork for your misuse of the title, and what I wish to ask is your word on whether or not Miss Sully is your trusted guardian.”


Madison’s head froze. Trusted Guardian? Adoption papers? Tessia told Ruth there were only two ways she could get her back before the trial. Proof of enslavement or proof of adoption. She expected the former, especially given that’s what she was to Ruth. She slept in a pet cage, damn it! But adoption was…


She looked to Ruth, who looked back with concern. Madison couldn’t tell what for exactly, but she felt it all the same. Tessia jostled her collar when Anya asked again. “Madison, are you Miss Sully’s adoptive daughter or not?”


“I-I am.” Madison’s words were parched. She said it again, nodding quickly. 


Ruth shot up from her chair. “Release her to me, now.” The bear growled, fists clenched. Anya issued Chief Kravets to do so, and the rhino did without fanfare. Before Madison could stretch her arms or free her knees from the hardwood floor she was engulfed by the bear woman’s embrace. It was tight, warm, and stuffy. Better than anything she’d had in weeks. 


“Where are her clothes?” Ruth asked with a voice on the edge of fury and relief. 


“Probably still in holding, if not thrown out. The attire of slaves, fake or otherwise, don’t take priority in acquisition.”


Anya rubbed her brow and sighed. “Please deliver what you can to Miss Sully’s address as soon as you are able. My apologies, Miss Sully, but there are no spare outfits for your daughter here.”


Ruth already hoisted Madison up and started walking. Tessia spoke up, “Make sure she’s here for the trial. She’s a witness.” 


“The trial has been called off,” Anya stated. Madison wanted to know why, but it was at the bottom of a long list of things she needed right now. She was free from Tessia, but all that meant was trading one master for another. 


Yet Ruth didn’t make her a slave, least not officially. She was a daughter. A daughter. Madison never thought she’d hear that term apply to her. Her eyes teared up and she refused to let the bear go when carried outside. 


“It’s ok,” Ruth whispered, “You’re safe.”




***


Madison didn’t feel safe. 


She expected the worst on the ride to Ruth’s home, huddling up in the passenger’s seat as if it’d soften the oncoming blow. Any minute the bear would tell her it was a ruse. A lie to bypass yellow tape so she’d get to abuse her again. She avoided looking at the bear because of it, staring aimlessly out of the window.


Yet nothing happened. When the house appeared on the horizon she assumed Ruth was waiting for them to be inside, but that wasn’t the bear’s style. She never cared about being subtle, something the piercings across Madison’s cunt could attest to. 


“Spread your legs.” Ruth’s command filled her with fear. Madison resigned herself to her fate, expecting a sadistic grin from the older woman. Instead, she looked concerned. Rough hands so used to poking and prodding her now gently caressed her crotch area as if looking for something. 


“Thank god.” Ruth’s shoulder sagged with a sigh, “No tearing. Did anyone try to remove them?” Madison shook her head, giving Ruth another relieving breath as she ruffled the girl’s hair. “Ok, good.”


She sniffed the air. “Damn, you smell like shit.” Though her tone was playful, Madison could tell Ruth was forcing her smile. Not a moment since they left had the bear’s eyes changed from concerned. The stinkbadger tried to ignore them, pretending the bear couldn’t be concerned for her like a mother to a daughter. 


Daughter. The word felt wrong. She was a runaway orphan. A homeless twerp who risked walking along the highway rather than be pulled back into the system. She’d given herself to the bear as a slave in a town so fucked up that it was considered natural. Hell, the bear ran a brothel of underaged shoplifters, all of which ‘pretended’ to get caught to be stuffed in a stall. She was not a daughter. She was a slave. Property, as Tessia showed her. 


In her depressive stupor, Madison didn’t realize she’d been pulled to the bathroom until Ruth ran the faucet. The bear’s bathroom had a tub shower combo, though she’d never seen her use the tub portion until now. Madison expected the bear to strip naked, surprised to see her still clothed whilst testing the water. Satisfied, Ruth didn’t stop the faucet until most of the tub was filled. 


“Get in.” It didn’t sound like an order but Madison followed it as such, letting her blanket fall aside as she dipped her toes into the warm water. Weeks of being hosed down with cold water made the warmth almost foreign. Relieving yet concerning, as if it would be taken away the moment she relaxed. 


The water rose past her chest when she submerged. Ruth spurted a bottle of shampoo, rubbing the cool goop into the girl’s headfur. It wasn’t the first time the bear held her head, but there wasn’t the familiar sense of control. Of a forceful hold like the times she found herself between the butch bear’s legs. A small part of her wanted that, but she bit her lip to silence it. 


“I’m going to go order us a pizza. What do you want?” Ruth asked. Madison’s tastes hadn’t been considered before. Any time she tried, Ruth would tell her to enjoy whatever she ordered, and while the bear never went completely sadistic in her choices the lack of freedom was made apparent. 


After a moment she said, “I’d like a Hawaiian pizza.”


Ruth pulled away, “Seriously? You like that?” 


Madison’s lips curved up in a smile. A small one, almost foreign to her after a week of torment, but it wasn’t forced. “I like seeing people react to me ordering it.”


Ruth laughed, “That’s my girl,” she said. Ruffling the stinkbadger’s headfur before taking her leave. 


Her girl. 


Madison was starting to wonder if there was another shoe to drop. A bath and her choice of pizza were freedoms she’d never received. They could be temporary, she considered, moments to heal after the abuse in someone else’s hands. There were nights where after intensive sessions in the Back-in-Gas’s stalls Ruth would just have Madison under the counter for the remainder. Of course, she was still chained up. There was a lack of chains in the bathroom.


The deeper in thought she went the higher the water rose, up until she submerged herself. Unable to breathe, Madison looked at her naked body to find the ravages of what they’d done. All that came clear were Ruth’s piercings, forever ruining her cunt if they were removed. 


She stared at it for ten seconds. Then thirty. Her lungs burned as a minute passed. Then ten more seconds. Her body fought for air but she held herself down, just to see if she could. To see if she would. Hands scrambled for a hold, something she could grab to keep her down beyond willpower.


Images flashed across her mind. Pictures of Heidi. Pictures of Ruth. Terry.


Then she broke the surface. Mouth agape for air and the deep breaths that followed. She couldn’t do it. She wasn’t even sure if she wanted to do it. It seemed right to consider it after everything that happened, and with everything that may happen once Ruth’s kindness vanished. Yet some people cared about her, people who’d be saddened by her disappearance. And even if there weren’t, her last middle finger to the world would be forgotten eventually. Within an hour for some, longer for others. She didn’t want them to suffer. 


Madison closed her eyes to nap in the water, opening them twenty minutes later when Ruth called her for pizza. Drying herself off, Madison found a fresh set of clothes on the bathroom countertop left for her. A pink shirt and blue shorts, even with a pair of panties. Dressed, she headed to the kitchen only for Ruth to direct her to the living room where the pizza was laid out on the coffee table. 


“Here,” Ruth gave her the remote, “TV’s yours tonight. I’ll stomach anything your little contrarian heart desires.” The bear took to her recliner rather than the couch. Madison, despite having a perfectly fine angle of the TV in the farthest corner of the couch, sat at the one closest to Ruth whilst scrolling through content. She took a bite of her pizza. The pizza place opted to use bacon instead of Canadian bacon. It added a salty kick to the sweetness of the pineapple, its juices mixing with the sauce. 


Ruth seemed pleased with it, going for a second slice. 


Madison skimmed through the show selection for what felt like hours before deciding on one of the newer Disney films. It was a boring one about wishes, but the fact that she got to choose it was good enough. For a while, it didn’t dawn on her that it could be the last time she had that freedom. Madison liked the ignorance. She could pretend that this was a normal life. 


When Ruth called for bed she expected to strip down for the bear’s amusement. To her surprise, she found a pair of pajamas waiting for her. Not sexy or slutty lingerie, but gray pajama bottoms and a T-shirt.  


“It’s going to be a cold night,” Ruth lied. Madison stared up at her in dull shock. The bear never lied to her. For all the horrible things she’d done, there was always truth. To lie to her now meant one thing and Madison could scarcely believe it even as she tucked herself into bed alongside her adoptive mother.


Mother. 


She wanted the word to feel like bile in her thoughts. That would have made sense. But when the lights went out she did not feel disgust at calling her caretaker. She felt warm, warmer than she’d been in the two weeks locked in an evidence locker or used as a fleshlight by men in holding cells. So warm that she cuddled into the bear’s side, buried her face into her fur, and cried. 


Ruth’s fur should have muffled her sobbing as it dried her tears, but her face stayed wet through the moment. The bed creaked as the large woman rolled over, hands wrapping around Madison’s head to comfort her. It was all wrong. Sick and twisted, but she stopped caring. For the first time in a long time, Madison slept peacefully into the night. 


No, not a long time. Two weeks was a short period. 




***




In the morning Madison rose to the smell of pancakes. Ruth was absent, shocking given that she always made her wake up together. She waited for a few minutes, expecting a call or command for her to echo from the kitchen. When that didn’t come she headed to the bathroom to freshen up. 


“Morning,” Ruth said in a singsong tone when she entered the kitchen. The bear wrapped herself in a black apron, slacks, and a plaid shirt. One hand worked a griddle while the other flipped a fluffy pancake over. To her right was a stack of pancakes already prepared. 


“Syrup is in the fridge. Be a dear and get it, will ya? Don’t wait for me to dig in.”


Madison did so. Drowning her four thick cakes in syrup straight from Canada if the label was to be believed. Weeks of sperm for meals made the first bite heavenly. Ruth chuckled aloud when Madison devoured the pancakes. “Damn, you must hate my cooking.” She passed along another batch, “Here’s some more to destroy.” 


Midway through the second plate, Madison looked up at the clock. It was half past nine. Time was difficult to gauge, but she didn’t think it was a weekend. “Should I be in school?” she asked, loosening her throat with a glass of orange juice.


“There’s no rush,” Ruth said, not looking away from the stovetop, “Let’s give you a day or two before considering it.”


As much as she wanted to see Terry and Heidi again, there were enough people in school she’d rather avoid. Kiki certainly would have something to say and Madison couldn’t guarantee her hands would stay at her side. 


Ruth sat down with another stack and ate quietly. Madison slowed down, trying not to finish before her. The last cake she had was spent as a sponge for syrup in the time it took for the bear to finish. 


“We need to talk,” Ruth said with as much enthusiasm as Madison had to listen. The stinkbadger nodded all the same, feeling her heart clamp on the inevitable shoe the bear was about to drop. 


“You’re a smart kid. I know you think this town is weird, and that’s because it is. The locals here don’t really understand it and they seem to forget all of that whenever they’re away from the borders. Hell, you’d forget it too if you left.” Ruth raised her hand to stop Madison from speaking up. “I’m stating that as a fact and it’s got nothing to do with your memory. There is something off about this town. It brings out a certain attitude in people. Whether it’s their true nature or their needed nature, I’m not sure. All I know is that it affects everyone.” She pointed a knife dripping in syrup at Madison. “Even you.”


“And you?” Madison asked, her voice weaker than expected. “It affects you, doesn’t it?”


Ruth nodded with a guilty grimace. “Yeah, yeah it does. Before this town, I wouldn’t give two shits about someone like you. Caring for other people is terrifying. My little whorehouse is on the edge in the hopes it wouldn’t affect me. Obviously, that didn’t work.”


“So what does that mean for me?” Madison asked, slumping back into her chair, “Do I just forget the past twenty-four hours? Pretend the last two weeks didn’t happen and go back to how things were between us?” 


Solemnly, Ruth shook her head, “I can’t make you do that. I could command it, sure, and you’re submissive enough to follow it.” Again she pointed a utensil at the girl, “Don’t act like you’re not. I know you better than you think I do. I can tell what you get off on, and even if you prefer guys your cunt gets wet enough when I order you to eat me out. You’re not just a sub, Madison, you’re a slave. A rebellious one, but I like a little clapback.” 


Madison knew Ruth was inviting none here now. She gulped, her body shivering with the bear’s words. Shaking with the realization that, deep down, she was right. While she didn’t find women attractive at all, being ordered by the bear was arousing. Being ordered by her best friend Heidi was hot. She wished Terry would command her like that sometimes, but he never seemed eager to. 


“If I’m a slave, then why did you adopt me as your daughter?” she asked, “Was adoption just easier?”


A painful smile crossed Ruth’s muzzle. “No. It took longer. But if I took you out as a slave it…well, it wouldn’t feel right. I can’t quite explain it. I needed to save you properly.”


With sagging shoulders and a hanging face, the bear looked deflated. She was telling the truth, Madison realized, and it hurt. 


“L-Let’s say I do believe you, then what?” Madison asked, “What am I supposed to do with this idea that you think I’m a slave?” 


Sighing, the bear strummed her fingers on the table as she mulled over her thoughts. “The way I see it, we have two options. The first is that I find you a new master. You’d still be my daughter, but there’d be no more orders from me, at least none beyond what a parent would demand. I’d also give you more privacy, though it’d take time. Room renovations don’t come cheap and the only place I could renovate is the basement. As for the owner in question, I don’t know who it’d be. Heidi’s my first choice, but she’s too young and close to you, so I might need to find another woman.” Noting Madison’s glare, Ruth smiled. “What? My house, my rules. If your other master lets you have a dick, it’s out of my hands. Until then, I’m not handing you to anyone with a cock unless it’s in my stalls. Though as my daughter, you wouldn’t work there.”


“And option two?”


Now she took a deep breath, “You submit to me. Temporarily,” Ruth said. “You’d be my slave as well as my daughter until you’re 18. Then you’ll be free to find your own master. Everything would go on as usual until then.”


Madison thought about being Heidi’s slave, remembering the donkey boy the tiger had on Halloween. She couldn’t remember his name back when he insulted her, having lost it now to Tinkerbell as Heidi called him, thanks to the bell on his chastity cage. Despite this, she struggled to imagine Heidi being commanding of her. She did get better in her lessons where Madison was their test dummy, but there was this sense of restraint she carried with her that wasn’t there for Tinkerbell. 


As for others, who could it be? There was no guarantee any new master Ruth found would respect Madison’s wishes more. They might take disrespect as a sign of enjoyment. In her defense, it might be, but Madison didn’t want to be given away to some man-hating lesbian couple when she liked men. 


And, damn it all, she’d actually miss Ruth.


“If I picked option two, how would I signify it?” she asked.


Ruth beamed, “I think you know.”


Her cheeks flushed. Madison stepped off her chair and stripped naked. Revealing her pussy piercings by spreading her legs, the young girl lowered herself to a kneeling position before the butch bear. It was grueling, humiliating, and her cunt burned with desire for it. 


“I am your slave,” she said, head bowed, “Until I turn eighteen, I will begrudgingly serve you with loyalty.” Ruth never said she needed to vocalize it like that. 


The bear pushed her foot out. “Kiss it.” Madison did so, giving no more than a quick peck of subservience. “Good enough,” Ruth said, “For your first order, you’re to relax today and tell me what you think you need.”


“I think I need my piercings off. For relaxation.”


“Nice try,” Ruth pressed her foot down on the stinkbadger’s skull, “But I know you can get off with your ass.”


Madison could, but it was worth a shot.




***






Ruth tapped her foot against the floor of her truck. She checked her phone, face souring at the realization it was almost one AM. She’d been parked in the backlot of a hardware store for almost thirty minutes waiting. John was punctual when it came to official business. 


Wish she could say the same for personal favors. 


This would have been easier if she asked to meet at her gas station, but the bear didn’t want to think about work when this came. Monica could cover the extra shift, the teen was asking for more work anyway. Anything to allow Ruth to head straight home and climb back into bed with her daughter when everything was said and done. 


Her daughter. 


“Fuck,” Ruth muttered tersely. The bear hated children. They were loud and obnoxious, and the whole miracle of childbirth wasn’t for her. The last part was easy enough to avoid thanks to her preferred choice of partner, but the rest were everywhere. Half the reason she started her little whorehouse in Highman was because of some twisted sense of retribution against the annoying little shits. And because Highman was the only town she could get away with it so easily. It wasn’t why the Society sent her there, but she always found a benefit for her assignments. 


But to have a daughter, to be considered a caretaker. Ruth stomped at the floor and punched the wheel. She never saw herself as a mother, not after the things she did and the things she’d continue to do. But there was no denying that she cared about the little bitch, cared beyond the intimate satisfaction she could force. 


The more she thought about it, the angrier she became. By the time John’s truck rolled into the backlot Ruth was fuming. She checked her watch. Five minutes passed.


“The fuck took you so long?” Ruth snapped, slamming her door shut before stomping over the concrete. “I’ve been waiting here for almost an hour.”


John snorted dismissively. The boar was her equal in height, though he had significantly more girth from his time trucking merchandise. He wasn’t bothered when Ruth jabbed his fat belly with her finger, nor did he seem to care that her teeth were bare. 


“I figured I’d have a little fun before meeting with ya. This town’s got a lot of prostitutes. Some on the younger side,” he wiped a pool of sweat from his forehead. “Fucking crazy a place like this exists in the states. Normally you’d need to go to Thailand or some third-world shithole. Yet I keep getting middle-america vibes.”


“Yeah, it’s weird.” Ruth nodded, crossing her arms. “Do you have him?”


“The pickup team had some fun with him first. 'Course they had to do it when the guy’s kid wasn’t home. You sure you don’t want the kid too?”


“My employee’s dating his son. I don’t need her crying about him going missing.” Ruth had enough highschool drama from her as is. “I need to see him.”


John nodded but didn’t move. Ruth cocked her head, yet he still didn’t respond. “You know he’s too old for the Society, right?” the boar finally said.


“I’ve seen people his age in chains.”


“Very few, if ever, his age “start in chains" is what I’m saying. You could have gotten someone to deal with him more permanently, but you got the Society involved.” He held up two fingers, “That’s a lot of favors so quickly, Ruth. You’re risking a lot.” 


She growled. “I know, John. Now let me see him.” 


John led her to the back of the truck’s trailer and unlocked it. It was filled with crates, but unlike most trucks, there was enough space for her to move around in. In the back was a large crate with a lock the boar opened for her. 


Jerry lay there. Naked and bound tightly by leather and metal restraints. She knew it was the stallion even with the sack over his head. “What kind of fun did the pickup team have?”


“Well, they complained his ass was tight.” 


The bound stallion thrashed and screamed, the latter sound muffled by a thick gag. Ruth laughed. “Yeah. I doubt this fucker ever did catching. Give me a minute, I want to say my goodbye personally.” Once John left Ruth pulled the cloth from Jerry’s face. One of his eyes was swollen shut while the other looked up tearfully at her. His nostrils flared and his teeth gnawed at the jawbreaker gag tight behind his teeth. Then his features loosened as surprise took his face.


“Hi, Jerry,” Ruth said, leaning over the box, “I’m guessing you’re realizing something’s wrong. Even a dumbass like you realizes they couldn’t pay bail, but I suspect you didn’t think too hard on it. You never do, just like you never listen.” 


She pressed her claws against his neck to ensure he felt them with each breath. “I told you she was off limits. Instead of respecting my wishes and fucking whatever ass or cunt I had in a stall, you decided to hunt her down in broad fucking daylight and rape her. Because of you, she had to deal with Tessia for weeks. Weeks, Jerry, fucking weeks. I am sorely tempted to rip your throat out right now, but that’d be a mercy to what’s in store. Truth be told, I don’t know what will happen to you. All I do know is that you’re going to suffer. You’re going to keep living because I asked them to keep you around, but you’ll wish I killed you here.”


Letting go, Ruth tossed the bag back inside and closed the lid. “Have a nice life, Jerry,” she said, ignoring the gagged screams and rambling struggles shaking the crate she locked back up. 


John offered her a cigarette. “Don’t send me updates on him unless they’ve lost track of him. I don’t want to think about the fucker.”


With a nod, John hunkered back into his truck and drove off. Ruth did the same, not stopping until she was back home. Madison was fast asleep in the bed, hugging one of the pillows tight. Something about the doorway acted as a barrier for her as if her guilt formed an invisible wall. 


“Fine,” she said to herself, suddenly exhausted. The bear took to the couch and closed her eyes, trying not to dread the day favors would be called back in. She fell to a half-sleep two hours later.