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Questions, comments and criticism adored", "writing": "By Right: Near\n\nBy TerraMGP\n\n\tBi stood stone still at one corner of the small sandpit. She could feel them. Eyes. At least a dozen sets gazing down on her from the seats above. To one end of the ring four figures knelt, an old otter and a younger otter, a man and woman, both looking on carefully. A young flying fox flanked them to their right, and to the right of the trio was her Mistress, dressed simply in her typical leather jerkin and pants.\n\n\tOne of the two referees moved up slowly t the sand pit and carefully combed out a patch in the middle with a wooden rake. He then turned the rake on its side and began to draw out two fresh lines about a meter apart.\n\n\t“Bi, I will ask you one last time.” The otter said firmly. “This shall be your final bout. Do you wish to yield?”\n\n\t“N-no. I don’t.” The tigress panted as she worked to adjust herself. Unlike the sea of orange Dogi surrounding her she had on the same simple training cloths Mistress had given her. The training bracelets were gone, something she was glad Mistress insisted she ditch before hand. By now her arms and legs were jelly and it was making her wonder just how she had expected to ’show off’ by doing every one of these fights with the damned things.\n\n\t“Very well. Xi.” The man nodded and one of the students on the ground floor jogged her way up to the other end of the line. She was a vipress, mottled brown and green, probably a few years younger than Bi. Bright eyes shimmering and a nice sharp grin on her lips. She squared off in a careful, measured stance. Fists and feet firmly placed a moment. It was the most bare bones and basic thing Bi had seen all day.\n\n\tThe girl then shifted and gave a quick bow, one that shocked Bi as she returned it awkwardly. The girl then returned to stance as bi fell back into her own long, low crouch. Fingers I place, but no claws.\n\n\tThe referee called and Bi quickly darted forwards, throwing her weight into a hard palm strike directed at the girls chest. The vipress smirked and twisted seemingly in time with the blow, instead hitting Bi with an elbow strike to the shoulder and jumping back, returning to the simple stance. \n\n\tBi growled and caught herself before dashing back at Xi, swiping quickly with palm strikes and flicking her tail frantically to keep on the constant edge of balance. The shifting weight of her powerful, quick blows seemed to hit mostly air each time as her strikes grew more pronounced and aggressive. Each time her opponent seeming to roll off of them with a minimal amount of effort.\n\n\tAfter about a dozen or so of these blows Xi struck back. A hard snapping kick to Bi’s head without much warning sent the tigress falling into the sand with barely a moment to catch herself and rebound.\n\n\tIt was hard to tell if this was the most skilled opponent she had faced all day or if she was just wearing down, but Bi was already starting to feel the strain in her muscles and a small stirring of anger in her heart as her opponent stood patiently with keen eyes on the tigress’ body. \n\n\tShe almost wanted to let her claws go, let herself fall back on more feral, primal instinct. But she knew better. Instead Bi took a moment and traced her eyes over the other girl. Small, sleek, agile. Bi racked her brain for some solution to this latest puzzle even as the frustration and rage crept slowly in.\n\n\tThen she smirked.\n\n\tBi started to dash forwards. A sudden, rapid movement. Her typical build up for a finishing flying kick. The viper girl shifted her stance. Not much, but enough. Clearly anticipating. Clearly predicting and preparing to dodge the overwhelming attack.\n\n\tOnly Bi didn’t jump. She watched the fear and realization in her opponents eyes as she crossed the ideal point to jump, then the last space she could jump, and then in a seeming split second later she was mere inches from the girl, palm slammed directly into her sternum just an inch above her solar plexus. Both bodies hurtling and hurling themselves forward at a breakneck speed as Bi shoved down as hard as she could.\n\n\tXi winced and hit hard into the sand. Bi winced and continued on, stumbling her way out of the arena and ending up in a rolling fall that took her out and into one of the tiled steel pillars propping up the upper observation area. She heard a loud crack and felt a surge of panic wash though her, one that only abated as she sat up and fell bits of tile fall away from where she had impacted the column.\n\n\t“Enough.” the monk presiding over this called as he raised his hand. The viper girl pulled herself up and winced in pain. She caught sight of Bi and quickly ran over to check, her words a string of rapid fire mandarin with an accent so think even Bi’s translating software was having trouble coping. That or she hit her head even harder than she thought.\n\n\t“Here, sit up. Let me check your shoulder.” Xi finally said as she calmed down a bit. She had already shifted Bi around before the tigress could say anything. She brushed away the fur and saw the already forming bruise underneath. Bi winced and squirmed hard as she bit back a moan of pleasure from the girl poking and prodding the pained spot. Slamming her heel on the ground firmly and covering her muzzle to hold it in, and face to hide the blush.\n\n\t“Oh my you really are hurt. Here let’s get you to the infirmary.” Xi gasped\n\n\t“No, no it’s fine. I’ll be fine. Really. Nothing’s broken. Thank you. You’re very kind.” Bi winced and pushed her palm to the pillar to steady herself up. Xi insistently grabbing the other arm to steady her, which only made her feel a bit more embarrassed between the paingasm she was about to have and the fact that she wanted to curb stomp this sweet girl only a moment ago.\n\n\tWith Xi’s help the tiger managed to limp her way back before the three monks who had been appraising her. She tried to stand free of the girl a few times before the poor fighter finally gave up and stood beside Bi, letting her stand on her own.\n\n\tThe older otter stood and lifted his hand, nodding solemnly. “With this victory you have defeated your one hundredth opponent in these trials. Are you confident that you have shown us all that you are in these matches?” The man asked\n\n\t“I have, Sifu Roberts.” Bi nodded breathlessly.\n\n\tThe man nodded back and looked at the other two monks flanking him. “Then we will retire to deliberate on our decision. We shall inform you of it in one weeks time. That will be all.” The man bowed, both Bi and her last opponent bowing in return. Runa waited for the monks to stat filing out before she herself stood and walked slowly over to her pet with a confident little grin.\n\n\t“Well that was something.” The wolf chuckled “Makes me kind of glad none of my teachers made me go though anything like that.”\n\n\t“Didn’t you say that one of your teachers took you to a deserted planet and made you travel two days though unfamiliar terrain just to face him in a sword duel?” Bi asked as she tilted her head and smirked.\n\n\tRuna just chuckled “Didn’t I also say I’m a designer baby? Besides I got to take breaks whenever I wanted. I simply didn’t want to.” She laughed.\n\n\t“So now what, Mistress? Do we just wait a week for them to reach their decision? I mean that seems like a good deal of wasted time.”\n\n\t“That’s about the size of it.” Runa nodded “Though considering how well you did I think it’s only fair that I take my little kitty out for a bit of fun. I mean you did just go though one hundred opponents. Better still” Runa leaned in, whispering “You did it without creaming yourself.”\n\n\tBi blushed a bit and shook her head. “Not quite” she muttered ‘I just put a few liners in before the matches. I kind of foresaw that as a problem.”\n\n\t“Dirty girl. In a temple no less. Just wait until I get you home tonight.” Runa growled as she swatted that rear, leading her pet out of the arena and out of the temple with a small, predatory growl.\n\n--------------------------------\n\n\tRuna wasn’t really sure how well or poorly this was going. It was easy enough to have a date night with Siv. The two knew each other so well. Hell it was hard to find a memory where Siv wasn’t just a call or arms reach away. That was also why Runa knew Siv would hate this as a first date.\n\n\tBut really she just had to do it.\n\n\tThe wolf stood proudly on the promenade in her typical attire. Her leather vest hanging open and her pendant hanging just above her modest cleavage. She waited patiently, quietly. Leaning against the railing as she gazed up at the one thing that stood centerpiece of this massive social and commercial hub.\n\n\tUlfburt. She knew all the specs already. Six inch thick composite layers with ceramic, nanosteel, titanium and impact polymers. Primitive blue-phase shielding. Advanced closed-network targeting systems and a primitive adaptive AI wired to a massive arsenal ranging from one meter diameter plasma projectors in the palm all the way to shoulder mounted inferno multi-rockets loaded into either shoulder. The only thing missing was it’s gauss rifle, which had been placed in a separate display near the HQ proper.\n\n\tIt was almost impossible to imagine. Such a powerful behemoth striding its way though ranks of oppressive foes. The old regime of Earth, of Terra. She tried to imagine what a sight it would be to see that glistening pearlescent blue armor ripple in the light of battle as it tore though the ranks of their former oppressors. \t\n\n\tThis, more than anything, was a symbol of what her family could accomplish. A symbol of what nobility and strength could achieve when facing the bureaucrats who would dare impose their petty selfish will on those of strength. The tip of the spear which stabbed the heart of an unjust government and set the milky way free.\n\n\t“Mistress, I‘m ready.” A familiar voice called.\n\n\tRuna turned and tilted her head as she looked at her pet. The toned tigress stood erect at near attention, her body draped by a soft, sexy red Chinese dress complete with a golden dragon curling over it.\n\n\t“Your tailor said it was probably the closest a girl like me could come to being genuinely feminine. I kinda wanted to punch her… then I realized that probably means she was right. S-sorry it took so long.” Bi muttered “I guess she simply wanted everything to be perfect.”\n\n\tRuna walked up slowly and carefully. Her eyes, at least the good eye from what could be seen, looked her up and down slowly. They narrowed, then Runa smirked just bit. “you look perfect“ she murred\n\n\t“Y-you think so? Bi asked “I mean I was hoping I would. I don‘t know. I‘m very worried. I mean we are so far away and it will be at least a week. Are you sure that those mercs will respect your wishes, Mistress? They seemed rather upset that they couldn’t operate the way they are used to.”\n\n\tRuna couldn’t help but smirk as she strode up to the railing. She looked up at the powerful war machine. An archaic relic of an age she could hardly imagine. An age where the tools of war and the will to use them were not dictated purely by the one with the biggest coin purse. Where honorable combat had little to do with the rabble one took on in a pinch.\n\n\t“If they try anything then I trust Siv to handle it. Even from here. She is my firm hand. Guiding my affairs as needed. She knows my whims and my will well enough by now to have things how I’d want them. It’s not a task I could trust to anyone else.” The wolfess sighed softly and turned to her pet with a small smirk on her muzzle “But then she has her gaps. A good tool works best for a dedicated task, and while she may be the hand holding the leash, I need another to hold my blade.”\n\n\tBi blinked at this. Part of her, possibly the same small part that still felt resentment at how far she’d fallen, had an idea where this was going. Yet that part was drowned out by the chaotic static of her own disbelief.\n\n\t“You don’t feel you can do that on your own, Mistress?” Bi muttered \n\n\t“I can, to a point.” Runa nodded as she brushed the hair from her face. The rainbow inside that simple mane of brown hair shimmering as she did. “But then I think the little attack proved it only goes so far. Even the greatest warriors in history have been unable to wage war without those they trust. Me? I’m no great warrior. Not yet.” She scoffed bitterly as her hand reached up to trace the tip of her facial scar a moment\n\n\tBi nodded. Seeing the wolf womans defenses drop like this made her keenly aware of how casual she had been. How informal. The realization had barely passed her mind before Bi shot up to a rigid attention with her hands clasped together resting right against her rump. A mix of strength and submission she had learned from the many holo courses.\n\n\t“Relax” Runa chuckled “Hel’s breath girl relax. If I was going to punish you for being out of step I would have done so already.” Runa walked up to the tigress slowly and scratched against he chin. The wolf smirking gently as she traced the resculpted body. No treatments or gene therapy. No cybernetics. Not yet. Maybe not ever. Those muscles, those curves, everything Bi had the product of Runa’s conditioning and the hard work her slave had put in. Not even the lab-grown benefits Runa enjoyed from birth. \n\n\tShe gave her pet a melancholy smirk before taking her by the arm and guiding the tigress up to the railing. “My ancestors forged something that changed the face of the galaxy. It’s something few have ever done. Mother has already deemed I should be the one to take it when she no longer wishes to helm the company. At that point every credit and soul and bolt in this giant metal wheel becomes mine. My responsibility. To guide, to rule. I would be foolish to think that I could do it alone. I will need my trusted hands in order. I will need people who know my will as their own, and whose minds I can trust to see what I cannot.”\n\n\t“Mistress.” Bi bit her lip and took a half step forward “If anyone can do it, I know you can. You’re like a Goddess, I, well I mean more like your Goddess. I, you know, the one with the falcon. You’re a lot like her. Not to be sacrilegious or anything. I simply wanted to-”\n\n\t“Shhh. Calm pet. Calm.” Runa chuckled. The wolf tilted her head a bit and leaned back on the rail as her ears twisted and turned to the constant droning bustle of the plaza. “Bi. I’m curious. Are you Buddhist?”\n\n\t“Am I Buddhist?” Bi blinked at that and tilted her head. “You know Mistress I feel I should be offended that you’d generalize.” The poor tiger muttered sheepishly. The words coming off exactly as awkward as she feared.\n\n\t“Why wouldn’t I generalize, my dear? We both know you are a pretty little china doll though and though. A conquered little keepsake of your Terran homeland” Runa chuckled as she shook her head softly. “Though that isn’t why I asked. You seemed to know how to behave yourself around the monks rather well, yet I noticed you were more than a bit uncomfortable. Then just now, speaking of Freya.”\n\n\t“Well I’m not against the Aeser, Mistress.” Bi protested sharply. “I… My parents were Buddhist. I was raised Buddhist. I suppose I just started to drift away from theology more as I aged. Then when you took me. I confess I’ve had other thoughts on my mind of late.”\n\n\tThe wolf woman ran her hand down her slaves thigh and gave that ass a very hard swat. Loud enough that many people looked on from nearby. Naturally the nearby security sentry did little more than smirk. “So no thoughts of theology then, outside of worshiping my tight, toned, perfect ass after a hard workout and a light beating?”\n\n\t“M-mistress… please.” Bi muttered as she looked away\n\n\t“Thought so” Runa growled as she moved in a bit closer. She tilted the tigress’ chin up and looked her in the eyes. Gazing into those pretty green orbs with her good eye, the curl of hair once again covering Runa’s artificial orb and scarred face. “After I have greeted mother properly I want to set up a meeting for you with the monks.”\n\n\tBi blinked a bit “A meeting? But why? I… if I may ask, that is. I thought they said my skills were acceptable.”\n\n\t“Exceptional” Runa corrected “And don’t ever think less. Though I don’t want to see you slacking because of it. No. I want you to see them so that you can have a talk.”\n\n\tThe poor tigress shook her head “Well if not about my form I don’t know what I’d have to say Mistress. I’ll obey obviously but I don’t think we have much else to talk about.”\n\n\t“You do” Runa corrected “Bi, you know your place. Under my foot. That is as it should be. But that doesn’t mean you have everything settled. Clearly something is bothering you. Theist, atheist, agnostic. I don’t care. But matters of the spirit need to be settled. You need to find some peace.”\n\n\tMuch to her own surprise Bi pushed herself into Runas arms and sighed. A rather sudden display of neediness that nearly toppled both over onto the marble-finished floor. “Mistress, I don’t know that I can. I mean I will serve you, naturally. I’ll obey. But I just don’t see what it will grant me.”\n\n\t“I don’t know either.” Runa said “But I know that it will be something. You aren’t your own persona any longer. You are my property. That means self care is no longer a choice. You will go, and you will meet with them. I don’t care if you find an answer. But it’s clear some things still bother you. Inner peace can’t be forced. It’s the one thing I can’t order you to have. But I can order you to try, and do what I think we both know you need anyways.”\n\n\t“Y-yes. Yes Mistress” Bi muttered a bit as she looked off to the side. \n\n\tThe wolfess chuckled softly. Wrapping her arms around the tigress and kissing her forehead gently. She smiled wide, a smile that faded slowly as a familiar laugh met her ears.\n\n\t“Well now. This is something I didn’t expect to see. My dear big sister comes all the way home and she doesn’t even take the time to say hello? I won’t lie. I’m a bit hurt.\n\n\tShe turned to gaze at the figure. A narrow, almost bony timber wolf with a thick ponytail grinning up at her. Bright flashing blue eyes so much like Runas but with a small hint of menace behind them. Always plotting. Always scheming.\n\n\t“Sister.” Runa muttered softly. “This is something of a surprise.”\n\n\t“I take it you were trying to avoid me then? I can’t say I blame you.” Ilka giggled “I mean we both know how busy you are with your little preparations. Down in the dirt. Chanting skalds and seeking enlightenment. You’d have made a fine Gyoja, I think.” Ilka chuckled to herself and ran a finger though her hair as she pulled her cute little rat in close. “Who knows, maybe that’s why you really went.”\n\n\tRuna rolled her eyes a bit and looked her younger sister over. Her attire was a bit more refined than usual. The simple combination of camisole and skirt she’d so often favored now having a vest added to it, and a pair of rather thick, high heeled thigh boots adorned with copper colored buckles. She also wore a pair of glasses. Totally superfluous, but then it was at least a bit of maturity to the younger girls looks.\n\n\tA pity it seemed the same wasn’t true for her personality.\n\n\t“I noticed you have a new pet.” Ilka murred as she leaned in close to inspect the tigress. Her tail wagged happily even as the younger wolf cast a critical eye over Bi. Looking over her curves, her stance. Everything taken in sharp scrutiny. “Am I to assume she’s one of the little gems you plucked from your back water colony world?” she said. Voice dripping with venom.\n\n\tRuna nodded as her face turned stoic. “You may, I don’t know why you’d think otherwise.” she said flatly “Bi is the reason I am here. I was having the fundamentals of her skills appraised. Considering my plans for her I felt it was prudent to invest in proper gear.”\n\n\t“Prudent?” Ilka sighed “Come now sis. If you were being prudent I’m pretty sure you could have just requested some tweaks and upgrades to any number of offspring in mothers personal stock. I mean if you wanted a kitty I am positive she has plenty anyways, and they’d actually serve as a better base for modification, whatever it is you hope to get out of this… thing.”\n\n\tBi kept her position. Chest out, feet planted, arms behind her back. She knew her place. She knew her betters. Yet Runa would easily catch those hands grinding together as the tigress bit back on her own rage. Grinding her hand into her palm and tensing firmly.\n\n\t“Well, it’s not my toy to play with.” Ilka sighed.”\n\n\t“No, she is not.” Runa nodded “Though it does seem you have finally decided to keep something around with a face. That really is unlike you.”\n\n\tHrafna smirked and shrugged casually. She gave a nice soft lick to her painted black lips and cocked her hip to the side. “Well some faces just shouldn’t be covered, ya know?” She chuckled “Besides. Mistress went to a lot of work just for me. It’d be really silly if she just went ahead and covered me up like her other toys wouldn’t it?”\n\n\tRuna glanced at her sisters new pet and then back at the younger wolf with a soft sigh. “Well so long as you’re happy I suppose that’s what counts. I’m certainly not going to complain about you hooking up with someone to do something besides gimp them. Honestly I’m shocked that there were this many people on the station with that kind of fetish.”\n\n\t“Oh? How do you know I’m not just raiding the production lines?” Ilka murred\n\n\t“I don’t. But as your big sis I’m going to be nice and assume you don’t need to dip the product just to get your own sexual gratification. Besides even you should be able to tell the difference in quality between a properly trained slave and one of our mass market products.” The word fell bitterly from Runa’s lips. Her nose wrinkling in disdain as she gave the innocuous little goth rat one more careful glance. For all she knew this one was another off-the-rack slave too. It was hard to imagine Ilka going out long enough to find someone in a bar or a party.\n\n\tIt would be nice to say it wasn’t any of her concern. But one day soon that would no longer be the case.\n\n\t“Well I suppose I shouldn’t keep the two of you.” Ilka finally giggled “After all I promised my Hrafna a date night out, and that is what I shall deliver. You two just keep on with the dour stoicism. It fits you very well, Runa.”\n\n\tIlka nodded a bit and offered her hand to the rat girl, who took it eagerly and pushed in close.\n\n\tRuna finally looked back at Bi. The Tigress’ face was twisted as she struggled to keep a cold, dour outer shell. Arms and hands trembling, legs twitching a bit under the strain. A small drip fell from her hand and Runas eyes traced it to the floor where a small puddle of blood had started to form.\n\n\t“Easy, my slave. Easy. Relax.” Runa commanded.\n\n\tBi sighed. One last twitch and the nervous energy seemed to shiver out of her. It left her looking tired. Far more tired than she had mere moments ago. “I didn’t know you had a sister, Mistress. She’s very precocious.” \n\n\tA firm hand gripped hold of Bi’s chin and tilted it up, Runa pushed herself in close as their lips met. The weary feline felt the warm, soft breath slowly filling her mouth. A long warm tongue darting expertly around. Firmly, forcefully, twisting and curling itself. Demanding the affections of the dazed tigress as she was pushed slowly up against the railing.\n\n\tHer body went limp. Awash in sudden release as she surrendered to the sudden affection. Her heart started to thump in her chest. Her legs trembled, her toes curled in those simple slippers as she gripped awkwardly for the railing to keep herself upright.\n\n\tMercifully, painfully, Runa pulled back. Bi could feel the stupid dopy grin spreading against her lips as she slumped ever so slightly to the side. “Wah… what was that for?” she muttered.\n\n\tThe only reply was a soft tail twitch as Runa turned heel and started to walk off on her own. The wolf woman smirking confidently as she swayed her toned ass from side to side casually.\n\n\tMuch as she hated to admit it, Bi wanted her Mistress in the worst way.\n\n------------------------------\n\n\tThe massive bear groaned loudly as he leaned back against the nice firm wood of the sauna. It was a simple luxury. A primitive heating element under some lava rocks. A bucket of water with a primitive copper ladle. The warm moist heat rippled though his fur and caressed his flesh as each tight muscle slowly unraveled on itself. Sinew and fat slowly draining away though the simple sweat.\n\n\t“Master” A small voice called though the small speaker in the wall. Sean blinked a moment and pulled himself upright. “Yes, little one?” he asked as he looked on at the cute little bunny boy peeking in though the little round window in his sauna door. “I told you that you I was fine on my own Ashley, I don’t need anyone to attend me.”\n\n\tThe bunny blushed and shook his head “N-no it’s not that.” he muttered. Even still Sean could catch the boy glancing down at the thick member hanging freely between those soft brown thighs. Thank the Gods he didn’t take his mother up on the offer to increase the libido these little rascals had.\n\n\t“Master, your sister is here to see you.” The boy said as he licked his lips longingly “Tori and Karen are already waiting on them in your greatroom when you are ready. I was simply told I was supposed to fetch you.”\n\n\t“This is why I don’t take breaks” the bear thought to himself as he fought with his own relaxed body over the prospect. The responsible elder sibling card told him to go and deal with whatever the latest mess might be. Likely untangling some huge public relations snafu or appeasing the board and Mother. The man in him really just wanted to lay here until every drop of fat in his stocky body cooked off into a liquid and he could ooze onto the floor.\n\n\tAs always, pragmatism won out. Reluctantly Sean pulled himself up and out of the sauna with a loud growl that made his nearby pet shiver. He toweled himself down and adorned himself with a simple leather vest and a pair of wool trousers tied off with a chord. Simple enough, but luxuries on a station like this.\n\n\t“Allright squirt, what did you do to upset mother this time.” His big voice boomed in though the room as he stomped in on the well kept oak floors. Even in his overworked duress Sean the Falstaffian tone to his voice never seemed to leave and his heavy footfalls seemed to have a spring in their tone.\n\n\tAs he pulled his hair back into its customary ponytail and fiddled with his glasses, that grin grew wider.\n\n\t“You say that as if Mother has anything but problems, dear brother.” Runa laughed.\n\n\tThe wolf girl sat casually back in one of the many red-brown leather chairs he had scattered near his fireplace. Her bare feet propped up on a matching ottoman. Beside her knelt a pretty young Chinese girl, A tiger, wearing a rather lovely evening dress and holding a ready kneel that was mostly perfect, but still imperfect enough to see her personality in it. That alone was enough to make the weary man grin.\n\n\t“You’ll have to forgive me. When Ashley told me that my sister had come by to visit I had simply assumed it was Ilka.” he said\n\n\t“Oh it’s fine.” Runa chuckled “It’s my fault. I’ve been here most of a week. I should have contacted you. By the way, your girls have been quite gracious thus far. They are girls, aren’t they? I never can tell with the way you get.” The wolf churred softly.\n\n\t“They are.” Sean nodded. “Both are quiet adorable really… remind me later to have little Tori give you her speech. It’s such a cute little thing.” Sean chuckled, grinning a bit. He looked over at the two girls. The two were painfully shy. Possibly the worst of his pets when it came to socialization. No shock considering how new they were. It was a big part of why he had them on such duties so often. Karen was the worst. A soft, downy furred little mara girl not even in her tweens yet. Streaks of green and silver put though her jet black hair to create accents just showy enough to push that wonderful discomfort.\n\n\tTori wasn’t much better off. The doe-eyed little shrew was a couple years younger than her sister slave and she looked it. Her natural strawberry-red hair rested in a set of pigtails and some slight bangs over her olive eyes. She had a small tremble to her gait and soft blush to her cheeks. Like many of his pets she wore a pair of glasses, though hers were much thicker than those of the others, looking almost comical as they rested on her nose tip.\n\n\tThey stood in attendance to the other side of the wolf, but quickly moved over to flank Sean as he let himself fall into the other large chair and sink his massive frame into the hand-stitched leather. Sean took a moment to reach around and grip Karen under her skirt, drawing a little yelp from the poor girl as she pushed bashfully into the back of the chair. \n\n\t“If I’d known you were coming I’d have arranged better accommodations.” Sean murred “As it stands I’m enjoying a bit of down-time between projects. I have a new nanite prototype going into testing in a quarantine satellite and now mother wants me to pitch in seeing how to best work on indoctrination processes for fresh captures.”\n\n\t“A prime opportunity to take digs at the prodigal daughter.” Runa chuckled “She come up with any good ones?”\n\n\t“None.” Sean muttered “She hasn’t said word one if I’m honest.” He paused a long moment. His paw reached for a strip of cheese, very slowly and deliberately slipping one of the cut rounds up between thumb and forefinger. He rolled the thing around instead, folding it over his thumb and fidgeting with it softly with a dexterity his build should not allow.\n\n\t“So, that’s the eye.” He muttered finally as he tilted his head to glance back though the spiky mane that covered it and glance the silver-blue thing beneath.\n\n\t“Yep.” Runa nodded\n\n\t“You know Mother wouldn’t even let me look at it. Insisted it had to be her own personal techs doing the work.” He said quietly.\n\n\tRuna nodded as she ran a hand into her pets hair and sighed. “The same team she keeps off-station and under thumb? Yeah. I know. She was very insistent that I understand how important it was. That is when she got over her frustration.”\n\n\t“It would have been easier you know. A tissue sample and a weeks wait. It still could be. I’m sure you have the time. Hell if you’re heading back on her ship I’m sure you could have a real one implanted before you got back to your little farm.”\n\n\tThe prosthetic eye seemed to shimmer as he said that. Little sparks and impulses. Feedback between the advanced mechanism and the brain to which it was attached. “I know all of that.” Runa muttered “Mother was sure to let me know. Repeatedly. I don’t think she really understands.”\n\n\t“No, she doesn’t.” Sean muttered. “To tell you the truth I don’t either.”\n\n\tThe bear watched his little sister slump hard into her seat. He gave a small gesture and both girls quickly fled the room towards the kitchen, the shivering little cubs rushed by the apprehension and anxiety slowly filling the great hall.\n\n\t“I made a mistake. A mistake I must correct, and not the last one since I struck out. Until I fix that mistake, until I get past that hurdle, I deserve what I have here.” She reached up and brushed the hair away, tracing her finger over the scar line as it trailed from forehead to the bottom of her cheek. The seams where the synthetic bone fused to real were so intricate, so small that to anyone else they must have been imperceptible.\n\n\tWith her genetic ‘gifts’ they were as clear as the ornate stitchwork in her seat. All leading to the hard metal orb that now sat in her skull.\n\n\t“Let me ask you, sister. Would you mind taking a bit of advice from a future subordinate?” Sean asked as he slowly leaned in closer, planting his feet on the floor and looking the young woman in her good eye.\n\n\t“No.” she muttered distantly. “But some brotherly advice is always helpful.”\n\n\t“You can’t keep torturing yourself for failures. That’s life. No matter what Mother says. No matter what anyone else says. You aren’t perfect. Even the Gods aren’t perfect. You can’t keep putting yourself to these ridiculous expectations.”\n\n\t“They aren’t my expectations though.” Runa growled. “I have to be better. I have to learn how to be more than what I am.”\n\n\t“Why?” Sean snarled.\n\n\t“Because I’m not good enough.” There it was. Finally resting, out in the open. The yells filled the hall and echoed out into the other apartment rooms. Runa looked down at her hand suddenly as she pulled it away from her still, passive pet. Blood and a few strands of hair. A set of scratches. Not bad, but more than she would have ever inflicted.\n\n\tThe color drained from her face as the wolf simply fell back into her seat and sighed.\n\n\t“I’m not good enough, Sean. Mother expects me to take over for her one day. Our company, our legacy. Our family. What I am now isn’t what those things deserve. I’m too arrogant, too frail, too… something. I don’t know. That’s why I am doing this. I don’t know who I am and I don’t… I don’t want anyone else to get hurt. I don’t want the Thanedottr family to fall simply because I don’t have what it takes.”\n\n\t“And if you get yourself killed?” he said calmly. “Sister, I admire what you are doing. I don’t think it’s needed, but this is your choice. We all have our parts to play in this little game. You are the heiress. You will be the one to run this company some day, and I will be there every step of the way to hold you up. That’s my role. If you want a list of your flaws, I got em. Trust me. But it probably is better if you find them yourself. Just stop a moment and start to consider that you don’t need to go overboard in a quest to figure this all out. Sometimes it’s ok to question when enough is enough.”\n\n\tPart of Runa wanted to just relax. Wished she could relax, or at least listen. The woman just sighed and smirked a bit to her brother as she adjusted herself in her seat. “Thanks, I’ll think about it.”\n\n\t“You know my comm is always open to you. Either of you. That’s what I’m here for.”\n\n\tRuna nodded as she readjusted herself and gently stroked along her slaves head, a twinge of guilt creeping in as she slowly tilted that head up and shivered. “So Sean.” Runa murred softly as she kissed Bi on the forehead. “Tell me about these new cuties running around.”\n\n------------------------------\n\n\tBoth Runa and Bi knelt reverently in place at either side of the small shrine. The wolfess let everything melt away. She let her senses consume her thoughts. The sound of chanting, smell of incense. Soft footfalls in the nearby rooms as the monks who normally made this temple their home went about their daily lives and routines free of the concerns weighting down on the wolf.\n\n\tThe two waited for a seeming eternity. Bi a bit more at ease than before, though that wasn’t saying much.\n\n\tFinally one of the doors into the shrine opened. The old otter from before walked in slowly, a pair of Bhikkhu walking in procession with him. The one at the front carried a small, ornate box of red lacquered wood shod with gold leaf. The box was set on a mat and the two Bhikku knelt, leaving the Otter standing.\n\n\t“Sifu Roberts.” Runa said with a small, respectful nod.\n\n\t“Lady Thanedottr.” The otter nodded back. “After consideration, I have decided that your student has displayed skills more than sufficient to be granted some of our works.”\n\n\tThe man nodded and one of the students opened the box. They were gauntlets. Thick, powerful looking gauntlets made of countless fine, articulated plates. Each plate was black, yet shimmered green in the light as the eye shifted over it. Even at a glance the things looked almost as thick as power armor gauntlets and each one was tipped with a small slit barely a millimeter wide along each finger.\n\n\tA thin chord wrapped around the wrists leading to a socket covered in ornate hammered brass with thick rivets holding it to the actual connection ,joint. To this was attached another chord with a string of prayer beads wrapped several times around each wrist. Thick, glistening beads that seemed to shimmer with energy.\n\n\tAs bi looked on she could see small hints of familiar characters dance along with the shimmers mixed in with finely drawn circuitry.\n\n\t“The Long Yu Zhao. I have deemed this appropriate for your disciple, Lady Thanedottr. In fact it was my own sister who insisted on creating them when she saw Bi and her movements.”\n\n\tThe tigress swelled with an uncomfortable pride and nodded. “Thank you, Sifu” she said, more sheepish than she’d have liked.\n\n\t“It is simply a shame that you cannot stay with us longer. I am sure we could refine your talents even further. Much of it is still raw, desperate. With enough time in our care you could perhaps temper this.”\n\n\tThe pride drained a bit, Bi glancing to her Mistress as she took a few deep, awkward breaths. She glanced up at the man. Smiling, his shaved head showing the nine dots on his wrinkled brow. “I don’t think I would be able to at this time, Sifu.” She muttered “I mean I appreciate the offer, I do. But really I can’t.”\n\n\t“What she means.” Runa cut in “is that we were attacked recently. I honestly wished to let her refine her skills further before calling on you like this. But my own strength proved insufficient for defense.”\n\n\t“I see.” the man said with a sigh. “Well I do hope you will consider when things settle then. I had no idea things were so dire for you. I will say that our doors will remain open. I truly think we may be o great help to you should things calm.”\n\n\tThe man grinned softly and nodded, giving a small bow to Bi, and then to Runa. He watched as Bi smiled back awkwardly and slowly reached out for the box. Fingers trembling as she hesitantly took it. “Go on child. I won’t get mad. They are yours after all.” He laughed.\n\n\tBi took up the box and slowly stood offering a small bow once more. “Thank you Sifu Roberts.” She muttered as the Otter smirked, turned, and the trio walked slowly out of the room leaving the tigress with her Mistress.\n\n\t“T-thanks for the save.” Bi muttered. “Sorry. Just didn’t really know how to respond there.”\n\n\t“What save?” Runa chuckled coyly. “I wasn’t kidding. I’d planned to give you another year before this demonstration. I’m just lucky you have talent. I don’t know if they ever give people a second chance at this.” The wolf woman walked up to her pet and wrapped an arm around her. “now come on. We have one more stop to make before our trip home.”\n\n\t“We do?” Bi whimpered awkwardly “Where’s that?”\n\n\t“The armory in my quarters.” Runa growled “Someone has a fitting to get to.”\n\n", "writing_bbcode_parsed": "By Right: Near

By TerraMGP

\tBi stood stone still at one corner of the small sandpit. She could feel them. Eyes. At least a dozen sets gazing down on her from the seats above. To one end of the ring four figures knelt, an old otter and a younger otter, a man and woman, both looking on carefully. A young flying fox flanked them to their right, and to the right of the trio was her Mistress, dressed simply in her typical leather jerkin and pants.

\tOne of the two referees moved up slowly t the sand pit and carefully combed out a patch in the middle with a wooden rake. He then turned the rake on its side and began to draw out two fresh lines about a meter apart.

\t“Bi, I will ask you one last time.” The otter said firmly. “This shall be your final bout. Do you wish to yield?”

\t“N-no. I don’t.” The tigress panted as she worked to adjust herself. Unlike the sea of orange Dogi surrounding her she had on the same simple training cloths Mistress had given her. The training bracelets were gone, something she was glad Mistress insisted she ditch before hand. By now her arms and legs were jelly and it was making her wonder just how she had expected to ’show off’ by doing every one of these fights with the damned things.

\t“Very well. Xi.” The man nodded and one of the students on the ground floor jogged her way up to the other end of the line. She was a vipress, mottled brown and green, probably a few years younger than Bi. Bright eyes shimmering and a nice sharp grin on her lips. She squared off in a careful, measured stance. Fists and feet firmly placed a moment. It was the most bare bones and basic thing Bi had seen all day.

\tThe girl then shifted and gave a quick bow, one that shocked Bi as she returned it awkwardly. The girl then returned to stance as bi fell back into her own long, low crouch. Fingers I place, but no claws.

\tThe referee called and  Bi quickly darted forwards, throwing her weight into a hard palm strike directed at the girls chest. The vipress smirked and twisted seemingly in time with the blow, instead hitting Bi with an elbow strike to the shoulder and jumping back, returning to the simple stance.

\tBi growled and caught herself before dashing back at Xi, swiping quickly with palm strikes and flicking her tail frantically to keep on the constant edge of balance. The shifting weight of her powerful, quick blows seemed to hit mostly air each time as her strikes grew more pronounced and aggressive. Each time her opponent seeming to roll off of them with a minimal amount of effort.

\tAfter about a dozen or so of these blows Xi struck back. A hard snapping kick to Bi’s head without much warning sent the tigress falling into the sand with barely a moment to catch herself and rebound.

\tIt was hard to tell if this was the most skilled opponent she had faced all day or if she was just wearing down, but Bi was already starting to feel the strain in her muscles and a small stirring of anger in her heart as her opponent stood patiently with keen eyes on the tigress’ body.

\tShe almost wanted to let her claws go, let herself fall back on more feral, primal instinct. But she knew better. Instead Bi took a moment and traced her eyes over the other girl. Small, sleek, agile. Bi racked her brain for some solution to this latest puzzle even as the frustration and rage crept slowly in.

\tThen she smirked.

\tBi started to dash forwards. A sudden, rapid movement. Her typical build up for a finishing flying kick. The viper girl shifted her stance. Not much, but enough. Clearly anticipating. Clearly predicting and preparing to dodge the overwhelming attack.

\tOnly Bi didn’t jump. She watched the fear and realization in her opponents eyes as she crossed the ideal point to jump, then the last space she could jump, and then in a seeming split second later she was mere inches from the girl, palm slammed directly into her sternum just an inch above her solar plexus. Both bodies hurtling and hurling themselves forward at a breakneck speed as Bi shoved down as hard as she could.

\tXi winced and hit hard into the sand. Bi winced and continued on, stumbling her way out of the arena and ending up in a rolling fall that took her out and into one of the tiled steel pillars propping up the upper observation area. She heard a loud crack and felt a surge of panic wash though her, one that only abated as she sat up and fell bits of tile fall away from where she had impacted the column.

\t“Enough.” the monk presiding over this called as he raised his hand. The viper girl pulled herself up and winced in pain. She caught sight of Bi and quickly ran over to check, her words a string of rapid fire mandarin with an accent so think even Bi’s translating software was having trouble coping. That or she hit her head even harder than she thought.

\t“Here, sit up. Let me check your shoulder.” Xi finally said as she calmed down a bit. She had already shifted Bi around before the tigress could say anything. She brushed away the fur and saw the already forming bruise underneath. Bi winced and squirmed hard as she bit back a moan of pleasure from the girl poking and prodding the pained spot. Slamming her heel on the ground firmly and covering her muzzle to hold it in, and face to hide the blush.

\t“Oh my you really are hurt. Here let’s get you to the infirmary.” Xi gasped

\t“No, no it’s fine. I’ll be fine. Really. Nothing’s broken. Thank you. You’re very kind.” Bi winced and pushed her palm to the pillar to steady herself up. Xi insistently grabbing the other arm to steady her, which only made her feel a bit more embarrassed between the paingasm she was about to have and the fact that she wanted to curb stomp this sweet girl only a moment ago.

\tWith Xi’s help the tiger managed to limp her way back before the three monks who had been appraising her. She tried to stand free of the girl a few times before the poor fighter finally gave up and stood beside Bi, letting her stand on her own.

\tThe older otter stood and lifted his hand, nodding solemnly. “With this victory you have defeated your one hundredth opponent in these trials. Are you confident that you have shown us all that you are in these matches?” The man asked

\t“I have, Sifu Roberts.” Bi nodded breathlessly.

\tThe man nodded back and looked at the other two monks flanking him. “Then we will retire to deliberate on our decision. We shall inform you of it in one weeks time. That will be all.” The man bowed, both Bi and her last opponent bowing in return. Runa waited for the monks to stat filing out before she herself stood and walked slowly over to her pet with a confident little grin.

\t“Well that was something.” The wolf chuckled “Makes me kind of glad none of my teachers made me go though anything like that.”

\t“Didn’t you say that one of your teachers took you to a deserted planet and made you travel two days though unfamiliar terrain just to face him in a sword duel?” Bi asked as she tilted her head and smirked.

\tRuna just chuckled “Didn’t I also say I’m a designer baby? Besides I got to take breaks whenever I wanted. I simply didn’t want to.” She laughed.

\t“So now what, Mistress? Do we just wait a week for them to reach their decision? I mean that seems like a good deal of wasted time.”

\t“That’s about the size of it.” Runa nodded “Though considering how well you did I think it’s only fair that I take my little kitty out for a bit of fun. I mean you did just go though one hundred opponents. Better still” Runa leaned in, whispering “You did it without creaming yourself.”

\tBi blushed a bit and shook her head. “Not quite” she muttered ‘I just put a few liners in before the matches. I kind of foresaw that as a problem.”

\t“Dirty girl. In a temple no less. Just wait until I get you home tonight.” Runa growled as she swatted that rear, leading her pet out of the arena and out of the temple with a small, predatory growl.

--------------------------------

\tRuna wasn’t really sure how well or poorly this was going. It was easy enough to have a date night with Siv. The two knew each other so well. Hell it was hard to find a memory where Siv wasn’t just a call or arms reach away. That was also why Runa knew Siv would hate this as a first date.

\tBut really she just had to do it.

\tThe wolf stood proudly on the promenade in her typical attire. Her leather vest hanging open and her pendant hanging just above her modest cleavage. She waited patiently, quietly. Leaning against the railing as she gazed up at the one thing that stood centerpiece of this massive social and commercial hub.

\tUlfburt. She knew all the specs already. Six inch thick composite layers with ceramic, nanosteel, titanium and impact polymers. Primitive blue-phase shielding. Advanced closed-network targeting systems and a primitive adaptive AI wired to a massive arsenal ranging from one meter diameter plasma projectors in the palm all the way to shoulder mounted inferno multi-rockets loaded into either shoulder. The only thing missing was it’s gauss rifle, which had been placed in a separate display near the HQ proper.

\tIt was almost impossible to imagine. Such a powerful behemoth striding its way though ranks of oppressive foes. The old regime of Earth, of Terra. She tried to imagine what a sight it would be to see that glistening pearlescent blue armor ripple in the light of battle as it tore though the ranks of their former oppressors. \t

\tThis, more than anything, was a symbol of what her family could accomplish. A symbol of what nobility and strength could achieve when facing the bureaucrats who would dare impose their petty selfish will on those of strength. The tip of the spear which stabbed the heart of an unjust government and set the milky way free.

\t“Mistress, I‘m ready.” A familiar voice called.

\tRuna turned and tilted her head as she looked at her pet. The toned tigress stood erect at near attention, her body draped by a soft, sexy red Chinese dress complete with a golden dragon curling over it.

\t“Your tailor said it was probably the closest a girl like me could come to being genuinely feminine. I kinda wanted to punch her… then I realized that probably means she was right. S-sorry it took so long.” Bi muttered “I guess she simply wanted everything to be perfect.”

\tRuna walked up slowly and carefully. Her eyes, at least the good eye from what could be seen, looked her up and down slowly. They narrowed, then Runa smirked just bit. “you look perfect“ she murred

\t“Y-you think so? Bi asked “I mean I was hoping I would. I don‘t know. I‘m very worried. I mean we are so far away and it will be at least a week. Are you sure that those mercs will respect your wishes, Mistress? They seemed rather upset that they couldn’t operate the way they are used to.”

\tRuna couldn’t help but smirk as she strode up to the railing. She looked up at the powerful war machine. An archaic relic of an age she could hardly imagine. An age where the tools of war and the will to use them were not dictated purely by the one with the biggest coin purse. Where honorable combat had little to do with the rabble one took on in a pinch.

\t“If they try anything then I trust Siv to handle it. Even from here. She is my firm hand. Guiding my affairs as needed. She knows my whims and my will well enough by now to have things how I’d want them. It’s not a task I could trust to anyone else.” The wolfess sighed softly and turned to her pet with a small smirk on her muzzle “But then she has her gaps. A good tool works best for a dedicated task, and while she may be the hand holding the leash, I need another to hold my blade.”

\tBi blinked at this. Part of her, possibly the same small part that still felt resentment at how far she’d fallen, had an idea where this was going. Yet that part was drowned out by the chaotic static of her own disbelief.

\t“You don’t feel you can do that on your own, Mistress?” Bi muttered

\t“I can, to a point.” Runa nodded as she brushed the hair from her face. The rainbow inside that simple mane of brown hair shimmering as she did. “But then I think the little attack proved it only goes so far. Even the greatest warriors in history have been unable to wage war without those they trust. Me? I’m no great warrior. Not yet.” She scoffed bitterly as her hand reached up to trace the tip of her facial scar a moment

\tBi nodded. Seeing the wolf womans defenses drop like this made her keenly aware of how casual she had been. How informal. The realization had barely passed her mind before Bi shot up to a rigid attention with her hands clasped together resting right against her rump. A mix of strength and submission she had learned from the many holo courses.

\t“Relax” Runa chuckled “Hel’s breath girl relax. If I was going to punish you for being out of step I would have done so already.” Runa walked up to the tigress slowly and scratched against he chin. The wolf smirking gently as she traced the resculpted body. No treatments or gene therapy. No cybernetics. Not yet. Maybe not ever. Those muscles, those curves, everything Bi had the product of Runa’s conditioning and the hard work her slave had put in. Not even the lab-grown benefits Runa enjoyed from birth.

\tShe gave her pet a melancholy smirk before taking her by the arm and guiding the tigress up to the railing. “My ancestors forged something that changed the face of the galaxy. It’s something few have ever done. Mother has already deemed I should be the one to take it when she no longer wishes to helm the company. At that point every credit and soul and bolt in this giant metal wheel becomes mine. My responsibility. To guide, to rule. I would be foolish to think that I could do it alone. I will need my trusted hands in order. I will need people who know my will as their own, and whose minds I can trust to see what I cannot.”

\t“Mistress.” Bi bit her lip and took a half step forward “If anyone can do it, I know you can.  You’re like a Goddess, I, well I mean more like your Goddess. I, you know, the one with the falcon. You’re a lot like her. Not to be sacrilegious or anything. I simply wanted to-”

\t“Shhh. Calm pet. Calm.” Runa chuckled. The wolf tilted her head a bit and leaned back on the rail as her ears twisted and turned to the constant droning bustle of the plaza. “Bi. I’m curious. Are you Buddhist?”

\t“Am I Buddhist?” Bi blinked at that and tilted her head.  “You know Mistress I feel I should be offended that you’d generalize.” The poor tiger muttered sheepishly. The words coming off exactly as awkward as she feared.

\t“Why wouldn’t I generalize, my dear? We both know you are a pretty little china doll though and though. A conquered little keepsake of your Terran homeland” Runa chuckled as she shook her head softly. “Though that isn’t why I asked. You seemed to know how to behave yourself around the monks rather well, yet I noticed you were more than a bit uncomfortable. Then just now, speaking of Freya.”

\t“Well I’m  not against the Aeser, Mistress.” Bi protested sharply. “I… My parents were Buddhist. I was raised Buddhist. I suppose I just started to drift away from theology more as I aged. Then when you took me. I confess I’ve had other thoughts on my mind of late.”

\tThe wolf woman ran her hand down her slaves thigh and gave that ass a very hard swat. Loud enough that many people looked on from nearby. Naturally the nearby security sentry did little more than smirk. “So no thoughts of theology then, outside of worshiping my tight, toned, perfect ass after a hard workout and a light beating?”

\t“M-mistress… please.” Bi muttered as she looked away

\t“Thought so” Runa growled as she moved in a bit closer. She tilted the tigress’ chin up and looked her in the eyes. Gazing into those pretty green orbs with her good eye, the curl of hair once again covering Runa’s artificial orb and scarred face. “After I have greeted mother properly I want to set up a meeting for you with the monks.”

\tBi blinked a bit “A meeting? But why? I… if I may ask, that is. I thought they said my skills were acceptable.”

\t“Exceptional” Runa corrected “And don’t ever think less. Though I don’t want to see you slacking because of it. No. I want you to see them so that you can have a talk.”

\tThe poor tigress shook her head “Well if not about my form I don’t know what I’d have to say Mistress. I’ll obey obviously but I don’t think we have much else to talk about.”

\t“You do” Runa corrected “Bi, you know your place. Under my foot. That is as it should be. But that doesn’t mean you have everything settled. Clearly something is bothering you. Theist, atheist, agnostic. I don’t care. But matters of the spirit need to be settled. You need to find some peace.”

\tMuch to her own surprise Bi pushed herself into Runas arms and sighed. A rather sudden display of neediness that nearly toppled both over onto the marble-finished floor. “Mistress, I don’t know that I can. I mean I will serve you, naturally. I’ll obey. But I just don’t see what it will grant me.”

\t“I don’t know either.” Runa said “But I know that it will be something. You aren’t your own persona any longer. You are my property. That means self care is no longer a choice. You will go, and you will meet with them. I don’t care if you find an answer. But it’s clear some things still bother you. Inner peace can’t be forced. It’s the one thing I can’t order you to have. But I can order you to try, and do what I think we both know you need anyways.”

\t“Y-yes. Yes Mistress” Bi muttered a bit as she looked off to the side.

\tThe wolfess chuckled softly. Wrapping her arms around the tigress and kissing her forehead gently. She smiled wide, a smile that faded slowly as a familiar laugh met her ears.

\t“Well now. This is something I didn’t expect to see. My dear big sister comes all the way home and she doesn’t even take the time to say hello? I won’t lie. I’m a bit hurt.

\tShe turned to gaze at the figure. A narrow, almost bony timber wolf with a thick ponytail grinning up at her. Bright flashing blue eyes so much like Runas but with a small hint of menace behind them. Always plotting. Always scheming.

\t“Sister.” Runa muttered softly. “This is something of a surprise.”

\t“I take it you were trying to avoid me then? I can’t say I blame you.” Ilka giggled “I mean we both know how busy you are with your little preparations. Down in the dirt. Chanting skalds and seeking enlightenment. You’d have made a fine Gyoja, I think.” Ilka chuckled to herself and ran a finger though her hair as she pulled her cute little rat in close. “Who knows, maybe that’s why you really went.”

\tRuna rolled her eyes a bit and looked her younger sister over. Her attire was a bit more refined than usual. The simple combination of camisole and skirt she’d so often favored now having a vest added to it, and a pair of rather thick, high heeled thigh boots adorned with copper colored buckles. She also wore a pair of glasses. Totally superfluous, but then it was at least a bit of maturity to the younger girls looks.

\tA pity it seemed the same wasn’t true for her personality.

\t“I noticed you have a new pet.” Ilka murred as she leaned in close to inspect the tigress. Her tail wagged happily even as the younger wolf cast a critical eye over Bi. Looking over her curves, her stance. Everything taken in sharp scrutiny. “Am I to assume she’s one of the little gems you plucked from your back water colony world?” she said. Voice dripping with venom.

\tRuna nodded as her face turned stoic. “You may, I don’t know why you’d think otherwise.” she said flatly “Bi is the reason I am here. I was having the fundamentals of her skills appraised. Considering my plans for her I felt it was prudent to invest in proper gear.”

\t“Prudent?” Ilka sighed “Come now sis. If you were being prudent I’m pretty sure you could have just requested some tweaks and upgrades to any number of offspring in mothers personal stock. I mean if you wanted a kitty I am positive she has plenty anyways, and they’d actually serve as a better base for modification, whatever it is you hope to get out of this… thing.”

\tBi kept her position. Chest out, feet planted, arms behind her back. She knew her place. She knew her betters. Yet Runa would easily catch those hands grinding together as the tigress bit back on her own rage. Grinding her hand into her palm and tensing firmly.

\t“Well, it’s not my toy to play with.” Ilka sighed.”

\t“No, she is not.” Runa nodded “Though it does seem you have finally decided to keep something around with a face. That really is unlike you.”

\tHrafna smirked and shrugged casually. She gave a nice soft lick to her painted black lips and cocked her hip to the side. “Well some faces just shouldn’t be covered, ya know?” She chuckled “Besides. Mistress went to a lot of work just for me. It’d be really silly if she just went ahead and covered me up like her other toys wouldn’t it?”

\tRuna glanced at her sisters new pet and then back at the younger wolf with a soft sigh. “Well so long as you’re happy I suppose that’s what counts. I’m certainly not going to complain about you hooking up with someone to do something besides gimp them. Honestly I’m shocked that there were this many people on the station with that kind of fetish.”

\t“Oh? How do you know I’m not just raiding the production lines?” Ilka murred

\t“I don’t. But as your big sis I’m going to be nice and assume you don’t need to dip the product just to get your own sexual gratification. Besides even you should be able to tell the difference in quality between a properly trained slave and one of our mass market products.” The word fell bitterly from Runa’s lips. Her nose wrinkling in disdain as she gave the innocuous little goth rat one more careful glance. For all she knew this one was another off-the-rack slave too. It was hard to imagine Ilka going out long enough to find someone in a bar or a party.

\tIt would be nice to say it wasn’t any of her concern. But one day soon that would no longer be the case.

\t“Well I suppose I shouldn’t keep the two of you.” Ilka finally giggled “After all I promised my Hrafna a date night out, and that is what I shall deliver. You two just keep on with the dour stoicism. It fits you very well, Runa.”

\tIlka nodded a bit and offered her hand to the rat girl, who took it eagerly and pushed in close.

\tRuna finally looked back at Bi. The Tigress’ face was twisted as she struggled to keep a cold, dour outer shell. Arms and hands trembling, legs twitching a bit under the strain. A small drip fell from her hand and Runas eyes traced it to the floor where a small puddle of blood had started to form.

\t“Easy, my slave. Easy. Relax.” Runa commanded.

\tBi sighed. One last twitch and the nervous energy seemed to shiver out of her. It left her looking tired. Far more tired than she had mere moments ago. “I didn’t know you had a sister, Mistress. She’s very precocious.”

\tA firm hand gripped hold of Bi’s chin and tilted it up, Runa pushed herself in close as their lips met. The weary feline felt the warm, soft breath slowly filling her mouth. A long warm tongue darting expertly around. Firmly, forcefully, twisting and curling itself. Demanding the affections of the dazed tigress as she was pushed slowly up against the railing.

\tHer body went limp. Awash in sudden release as she surrendered to the sudden affection. Her heart started to thump in her chest. Her legs trembled, her toes curled in those simple slippers as she gripped awkwardly for the railing to keep herself upright.

\tMercifully, painfully, Runa pulled back. Bi could feel the stupid dopy grin spreading against her lips as she slumped ever so slightly to the side. “Wah… what was that for?” she muttered.

\tThe only reply was a soft tail twitch as Runa turned heel and started to walk off on her own. The wolf woman smirking confidently as she swayed her toned ass from side to side casually.

\tMuch as she hated to admit it, Bi wanted her Mistress in the worst way.

------------------------------

\tThe massive bear groaned loudly as he leaned back against the nice firm wood of the sauna. It was a simple luxury. A primitive heating element under some lava rocks. A bucket of water with a primitive copper ladle. The warm moist heat rippled though his fur and caressed his flesh as each tight muscle slowly unraveled on itself. Sinew and fat slowly draining away though the simple sweat.

\t“Master” A small voice called though the small speaker in the wall. Sean blinked a moment and pulled himself upright. “Yes, little one?” he asked as he looked on at the cute little bunny boy peeking in though the little round window in his sauna door. “I told you that you I was fine on my own Ashley, I don’t need anyone to attend me.”

\tThe bunny blushed and shook his head “N-no it’s not that.” he muttered. Even still Sean could catch the boy glancing down at the thick member hanging freely between those soft brown thighs. Thank the Gods he didn’t take his mother up on the offer to increase the libido these little rascals had.

\t“Master, your sister is here to see you.” The boy said as he licked his lips longingly “Tori and Karen are already waiting on them in your greatroom when you are ready. I was simply told I was supposed to fetch you.”

\t“This is why I don’t take breaks” the bear thought to himself as he fought with his own relaxed body over the prospect. The responsible elder sibling card told him to go and deal with whatever the latest mess might be. Likely untangling some huge public relations snafu or appeasing the board and Mother. The man in him really just wanted to lay here until every drop of fat in his stocky body cooked off into a liquid and he could ooze onto the floor.

\tAs always, pragmatism won out. Reluctantly Sean pulled himself up and out of the sauna with a loud growl that made his nearby pet shiver. He toweled himself down and adorned himself with a simple leather vest and a pair of wool trousers tied off with a chord. Simple enough, but luxuries on a station like this.

\t“Allright squirt, what did you do to upset mother this time.” His big voice boomed in though the room as he stomped in on the well kept oak floors. Even in his overworked duress Sean the Falstaffian tone to his voice never seemed to leave and his heavy footfalls seemed to have a spring in their tone.

\tAs he pulled his hair back into its customary ponytail and fiddled with his glasses, that grin grew wider.

\t“You say that as if Mother has anything but problems, dear brother.” Runa laughed.

\tThe wolf girl sat casually back in one of the many red-brown leather chairs he had scattered near his fireplace. Her bare feet propped up on a matching ottoman. Beside her knelt a pretty young Chinese girl, A tiger, wearing a rather lovely evening dress and holding a ready kneel that was mostly perfect, but still imperfect enough to see her personality in it. That alone was enough to make the weary man grin.

\t“You’ll have to forgive me. When Ashley told me that my sister had come by to visit I had simply assumed it was Ilka.” he said

\t“Oh it’s fine.” Runa chuckled “It’s my fault. I’ve been here most of a week. I should have contacted you. By the way, your girls have been quite gracious thus far. They are girls, aren’t they? I never can tell with the way you get.” The wolf churred softly.

\t“They are.” Sean nodded. “Both are quiet adorable really… remind me later to have little Tori give you her speech. It’s such a cute little thing.” Sean chuckled, grinning a bit. He looked over at the two girls. The two were painfully shy. Possibly the worst of his pets when it came to socialization. No shock considering how new they were. It was a big part of why he had them on such duties so often. Karen was the worst. A soft, downy furred little mara girl not even in her tweens yet. Streaks of green and silver put though her jet black hair to create accents just showy enough to push that wonderful discomfort.

\tTori wasn’t much better off. The doe-eyed little shrew was a couple years younger than her sister slave and she looked it. Her natural strawberry-red hair rested in a set of pigtails and some slight bangs over her olive eyes. She had a small tremble to her gait and soft blush to her cheeks. Like many of his pets she wore a pair of glasses, though hers were much thicker than those of the others, looking almost comical as they rested on her nose tip.

\tThey stood in attendance to the other side of the wolf, but quickly moved over to flank Sean as he let himself fall into the other large chair and sink his massive frame into the hand-stitched leather.  Sean took a moment to reach around and grip Karen under her skirt, drawing a little yelp from the poor girl as she pushed bashfully into the back of the chair.

\t“If I’d known you were coming I’d have arranged better accommodations.” Sean murred “As it stands I’m enjoying a bit of down-time between projects. I have a new nanite prototype going into testing in a quarantine satellite and now mother wants me to pitch in seeing how to best work on indoctrination processes for fresh captures.”

\t“A prime opportunity to take digs at the prodigal daughter.” Runa chuckled “She come up with any good ones?”

\t“None.” Sean muttered “She hasn’t said word one if I’m honest.” He paused a long moment. His paw reached for a strip of cheese, very slowly and deliberately slipping one of the cut rounds up between thumb and forefinger. He rolled the thing around instead, folding it over his thumb and fidgeting with it softly with a dexterity his build should not allow.

\t“So, that’s the eye.” He muttered finally as he tilted his head to glance back though the spiky mane that covered it and glance the silver-blue thing beneath.

\t“Yep.” Runa nodded

\t“You know Mother wouldn’t even let me look at it. Insisted it had to be her own personal techs doing the work.” He said quietly.

\tRuna nodded as she ran a hand into her pets hair and sighed. “The same team she keeps off-station and under thumb? Yeah. I know. She was very insistent that I understand how important it was. That is when she got over her frustration.”

\t“It would have been easier you know. A tissue sample and a weeks wait. It still could be. I’m sure you have the time. Hell if you’re heading back on her ship I’m sure you could have a real one implanted before you got back to your little farm.”

\tThe prosthetic eye seemed to shimmer as he said that. Little sparks and impulses. Feedback between the advanced mechanism and the brain to which it was attached. “I know all of that.” Runa muttered “Mother was sure to let me know. Repeatedly. I don’t think she really understands.”

\t“No, she doesn’t.” Sean muttered. “To tell you the truth I don’t either.”

\tThe bear watched his little sister slump hard into her seat. He gave a small gesture and both girls quickly fled the room towards the kitchen, the shivering little cubs rushed by the apprehension and anxiety slowly filling the great hall.

\t“I made a mistake. A mistake I must correct, and not the last one since I struck out. Until I fix that mistake, until I get past that hurdle, I deserve what I have here.” She reached up and brushed the hair away, tracing her finger over the scar line as it trailed from forehead to the bottom of her cheek. The seams where the synthetic bone fused to real were so intricate, so small that to anyone else they must have been imperceptible.

\tWith her genetic ‘gifts’ they were as clear as the ornate stitchwork in her seat. All leading to the hard metal orb that now sat in her skull.

\t“Let me ask you, sister. Would you mind taking a bit of advice from a future subordinate?” Sean asked as he slowly leaned in closer, planting his feet on the floor and looking the young woman in her good eye.

\t“No.” she muttered distantly. “But some brotherly advice is always helpful.”

\t“You can’t keep torturing yourself for failures. That’s life. No matter what Mother says. No matter what anyone else says. You aren’t perfect. Even the Gods aren’t perfect. You can’t keep putting yourself to these ridiculous expectations.”

\t“They aren’t my expectations though.” Runa growled. “I have to be better. I have to learn how to be more than what I am.”

\t“Why?” Sean snarled.

\t“Because I’m not good enough.” There it was. Finally resting, out in the open. The yells filled the hall and echoed out into the other apartment rooms. Runa looked down at her hand suddenly as she pulled it away from her still, passive pet. Blood and a few strands of hair. A set of scratches. Not bad, but more than she would have ever inflicted.

\tThe color drained from her face as the wolf simply fell back into her seat and sighed.

\t“I’m not good enough, Sean. Mother expects me to take over for her one day. Our company, our legacy. Our family. What I am now isn’t what those things deserve. I’m too arrogant, too frail, too… something. I don’t know. That’s why I am doing this. I don’t know who I am and I don’t… I don’t want anyone else to get hurt. I don’t want the Thanedottr family to fall simply because I don’t have what it takes.”

\t“And if you get yourself killed?” he said calmly. “Sister, I admire what you are doing. I don’t think it’s needed, but this is your choice. We all have our parts to play in this little game. You are the heiress. You will be the one to run this company some day, and I will be there every step of the way to hold you up. That’s my role. If you want a list of your flaws, I got em. Trust me. But it probably is better if you find them yourself. Just stop a moment and start to consider that you don’t need to go overboard in a quest to figure this all out. Sometimes it’s ok to question when enough is enough.”

\tPart of Runa wanted to just relax. Wished she could relax, or at least listen. The woman just sighed and smirked a bit to her brother as she adjusted herself in her seat. “Thanks, I’ll think about it.”

\t“You know my comm is always open to you. Either of you. That’s what I’m here for.”

\tRuna nodded as she readjusted herself and gently stroked along her slaves head, a twinge of guilt creeping in as she slowly tilted that head up and shivered. “So Sean.” Runa murred softly as she kissed Bi on the forehead. “Tell me about these new cuties running around.”

------------------------------

\tBoth Runa and Bi knelt reverently in place at either side of the small shrine. The wolfess let everything melt away. She let her senses consume her thoughts. The sound of chanting, smell of incense. Soft footfalls in the nearby rooms as the monks who normally made this temple their home went about their daily lives and routines free of the concerns weighting down on the wolf.

\tThe two waited for a seeming eternity. Bi a bit more at ease than before, though that wasn’t saying much.

\tFinally one of the doors into the shrine opened. The old otter from before walked in slowly, a pair of Bhikkhu walking in procession with him. The one at the front carried a small, ornate box of red lacquered wood shod with gold leaf. The box was set on a mat and the two Bhikku knelt, leaving the Otter standing.

\t“Sifu Roberts.” Runa said with a small, respectful nod.

\t“Lady Thanedottr.” The otter nodded back. “After consideration, I have decided that your student has displayed skills more than sufficient to be granted some of our works.”

\tThe man nodded and one of the students opened the box. They were gauntlets. Thick, powerful looking gauntlets made of countless fine, articulated plates. Each plate was black, yet shimmered green in the light as the eye shifted over it. Even at a glance the things looked almost as thick as power armor gauntlets and each one was tipped with a small slit barely a millimeter wide along each finger.

\tA thin chord wrapped around the wrists leading to a socket covered in ornate hammered brass with thick rivets holding it to the actual connection ,joint. To this was attached another chord with a string of prayer beads wrapped several times around each wrist. Thick, glistening beads that seemed to shimmer with energy.

\tAs bi looked on she could see small hints of familiar characters dance along with the shimmers mixed in with finely drawn circuitry.

\t“The Long Yu Zhao. I have deemed this appropriate for your disciple, Lady Thanedottr. In fact it was my own sister who insisted on creating them when she saw Bi and her movements.”

\tThe tigress swelled with an uncomfortable pride and nodded. “Thank you, Sifu” she said, more sheepish than she’d have liked.

\t“It is simply a shame that you cannot stay with us longer. I am sure we could refine your talents even further. Much of it is still raw, desperate. With enough time in our care you could perhaps temper this.”

\tThe pride drained a bit, Bi glancing to her Mistress as she took a few deep, awkward breaths. She glanced up at the man. Smiling, his shaved head showing the nine dots on his wrinkled brow. “I don’t think I would be able to at this time, Sifu.” She muttered “I mean I appreciate the offer, I do. But really I can’t.”

\t“What she means.” Runa cut in “is that we were attacked recently. I honestly wished to let her refine her skills further before calling on you like this. But my own strength proved insufficient for defense.”

\t“I see.” the man said with a sigh. “Well I do hope you will consider when things settle then. I had no idea things were so dire for you. I will say that our doors will remain open. I truly think we may be o great help to you should things calm.”

\tThe man grinned softly and nodded, giving a small bow to Bi, and then to Runa. He watched as Bi smiled back awkwardly and slowly reached out for the box. Fingers trembling as she hesitantly took it. “Go on child. I won’t get mad. They are yours after all.” He laughed.

\tBi took up the box and slowly stood offering a small bow once more. “Thank you Sifu Roberts.” She muttered as the Otter smirked, turned, and the trio walked slowly out of the room leaving the tigress with her Mistress.

\t“T-thanks for the save.” Bi muttered. “Sorry. Just didn’t really know how to respond there.”

\t“What save?” Runa chuckled coyly. “I wasn’t kidding. I’d planned to give you another year before this demonstration. I’m just lucky you have talent. I don’t know if they ever give people a second chance at this.” The wolf woman walked up to her pet and wrapped an arm around her. “now come on. We have one more stop to make before our trip home.”

\t“We do?” Bi whimpered awkwardly “Where’s that?”

\t“The armory in my quarters.” Runa growled “Someone has a fitting to get to.”

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