Chains:
Shortie by Lone Wolf

	"Get in there, human." That was the last thing he heard from the 
guards as they shoved him into the small room in the tower. The chained 
figure could only fall to the floor as the guards chuckled and slammed the 
door shut. He slowly sat up, pulling his legs to his chest. They had done a 
good job, he told himself. It would be impossible for him to try to pick at 
his restraints.

	The door opened fifteen minutes later. "That will be all guards," he 
heard a female voice say. "Give me the keys to his restraints and go."
	"Yes ma'am," one of the guards said. There was a small exchange and 
the door shut. He didn't bother to look up as his captor walked up to him. 
"Hold your hands out." He did as he was told. He could feel a key being put 
into the locks. His chains fell off of him. "Stand." He did, slowly rising 
to his feet, keeping his eyes trained to the ground. "My name is Ki'taye. 
You will not refer to me as that unless it is preceeded by Miss. 
Understand?" He nodded slowly. "Good. Please let me have a look at your 
face."
	
	Slowly, he raised his head. His gaze met with the gaze of a young, 
humanoid raccoon. Her fur coloring was like any other of her kind, except 
that her mask was slightly larger. She wore a light leather armor, over a 
green, knee length tunic. At her side was a shiny iron short sword, which 
looked to have been sharpened recently. To her opposite arm was strapped a 
small, iron shield with what may have been her family crest etched into it.

	She reached up with her free hand, touching his cheek lightly. 
"Hmm..." She said. "You look strong. I wonder why they gave you to me 
instead of putting you to manual labor." He shook his head, trying to 
signify that he did not understand it himself. "It is okay. You may speak 
freely to me."
	"Thank you, Miss Ki'taye," he said softly.
	"May I ask you of your name?"
	He hesitated a little bit.
	"Please. It's okay."
	"Aiden," he replied.
	She nodded. "Aiden. Nice name for a human. I didn't think your kind 
was as spiritual as we are."
	"My father was an old world priest. He named me that in accordance 
with his beliefs." She nodded and sat down on the big, regal looking bed 
that sat opposite the door. He watched her curiously. "And of your name, 
Miss Ki'taye?"
	"Hmm?"
	"Although it is none of my business, what of the origins of your 
name?"
	She sighed. "It's just a name." She groaned and pulled the straps on 
the shield. It fell off of her body and onto the floor with a satisfying 
rattle. "Aiden, since you are my slave, I have full control over you. You 
are to do everything I say. Correct?"
	"Yes, ma'am."
	"Good." She stood up. "The first thing I want you to do is to get this 
bloody armor off of me." He nodded and set to work, unstrapping the leather 
armor from her body and setting it on her bed. "The sword and tunic too." He 
undid her belt and set that with the armor.
	"Are you sure about the tunic?" He asked.
	"Very. I'll just keep my back to you so you don't see anything."
	"Yes, Miss Ki'taye." She held her arms up, allowing him to pull it off 
of her gently.
	"Very good, Aiden. I see that we will be getting along real well." She 
took up her armor and sword and put them away. "Now, I would like you to go 
draw me a bath. I need to relax a little bit."

	She eased herself into the warm waters. "Thank you Aiden," she 
muttered as she sank into it's warmth. "Just kneel beside the basin in case 
I need you for something." He did so, shutting his eyes as soon as he got 
comfortable. She watched him curiously for a few minutes. "You are 
different, Aiden."
	"How so, Miss Ki'taye?" he asked.
	She leaned against the stone basin. "You are, by far, the single most 
complacent slave we have taken. Why is that?"
	"Because resistance at this point in the game, ma'am, is suicidal." He 
opened his eyes and looked towards the floor. "If I try anything to get 
away, your guards would be on me faster than flies on a pile of dung."
	"That is true. But you had the perfect opportunity to steal my 
equipment."
	He shook his head. "Consider. A single human wearing nothing but his 
clothing, a suit of leather armor, and weilding nothing but a shield and a 
short sword versus wolves and tigers clad in heavy mail weilding great 
broadswords, spears, and all other sorts of tools of mass destruction. I 
wouldn't get past the first staircase." He shut his eyes. "It's perhaps in 
my best interests right now to do as I'm told."
	She smiled. "Very wise indeed." She leaned back in the basin. "Your 
wisdom will go well rewarded in due time." 
	He sighed. "I really hope so," he muttered to himself.

	The night slowly rolled around. Ki'taye watched from her window as the 
sun set. She waited another half an hour before deciding to go to bed. Aiden 
was all right with that, save one nagging fact. Ki'taye, who had chosen not 
to dress after she dried off from her bath, went from the window right to 
the bed. "Miss Ki'taye," he asked.
	"Yes?" She looked at him quizically.
	"Do you not have some sort of bedwear that you sleep in at night?"
	She shook her head. "My people have our fur to keep us warm at night. 
We only wear such things as night gowns when the weather becomes unbearably 
cold outside." He nodded and turned away from her. "Aiden, may I ask what 
you're doing?"
	He stopped. "I plan on finding myself a decent space on the floor that 
I can sleep on, Miss Ki'taye."
	"Why would you want to do that?"
	He turned and looked at her. "What are you suggesting, ma'am?"
	She smiled. "I know it's still very early in your servitude, but I 
desire a little companionship tonight as I sleep."
	He blinked uneasily.
	"Aiden, please remove your tunic, your shirt, and your pants." He 
shook his head. "Aiden, that wasn't an option."
	He sighed. "As you wish." Slowly, he disrobed, revealing the single 
pair of shorts underneath it all.
	"That wasn't so hard, was it?" She patted the bed next to her. He 
slowly sat down next to her, but stopped right there. "What's wrong?"
	"I respect you a lot, Miss Ki'taye. It's mostly because I have to, but 
some of it is genuine. Still, this doesn't feel right."
	She set a hand on his shoulder. What little fur that was there brushed 
up against his neck, soothing him slightly. "Please, it will not feel so 
awkward once you get used to it. I promise." He nodded slowly. "Now, lay 
down. I won't try to hurt you. I promise." His body came to rest on the bed. 
She smiled. "Thank you, Aiden." She rested her arm across his chest, cozying 
up to his body. Her soft, fur covered body soothed his anxieties with merely 
a touch. He shut his eyes and put his large, fleshy hand on her smaller, fur 
covered one. He shut his eyes and sighed.
	"You're welcome, Miss Ki'taye. Good night."

	He began to wonder whether or not he should try to find a hole and 
escape. He had a funny feeling he would be getting that opportunity soon, 
but wasn't sure if he would take it. As his mind drifted off, he began to 
understand what Ki'taye had said during her bath, about his wisdom being 
rewarded.

	He had never slept more peacefully than that night.

End
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