Closed Changing Hands [Penri/Axe]

[Penri]

Penri’s head lowered slightly, but her eyes stayed where they were, on Axe’s face. She wasn’t exactly opposing her new mistress. Most liked when slaves were willing to keep working or walking or whatever it may be. At first, the sudden burst of concern confused her, but after a few moments the obvious answer presented itself. Property, expensive property, needed to be taken care of. She resisted the urge to roll her eyes. She really was not the weak flower that the Zith seemed to take her for, nor did she think her appearance suggested she was used to being given such careful treatment. Finally, the other capitulated.

“Very Well, but if you start to get tired, we’re stopping,” her mistress warned, and turned back to continue walking, towards the trees.

Penri was beginning to feel remarkably like one of those little fish kept in a pond in the back of a rich merchant’s yard: that is, very watched. She was tired, but she was used to being tired; she didn’t particularly mind it. Pen caught the woman’s glance for a fraction of a second one of those times by accident but broke the contact almost too quickly to be sure she’d made it. She was learning to look vaguely at the Zith, avoiding sight too much of the claws and teeth, or the disconcerting eyes. She wasn’t exactly afraid, but she didn’t like it, either.

Penri’s eyes took a few long blinks to adjust to the new darkness in shade of the forest, but she could see plenty well to notice the unfurling wings. Fascinated, she watched them. They looked as leathery stretched out as they had before, and strong. Pen couldn’t help but wonder if the Zith wanted to fly. How could she not, with wings? Penri’s own nature itched for her sensible hooves on such a trek; surely her mistress had similar sense and matching longing. They just hampered each other.

Trying not to be the larger setback, Penri set quickly after Axe, darting through the trees after her. Her eyes were less adjusted to the fading light, but the sun’s slow descent gave her eyes time to get used to the dark, though she still could not se nearly so well as she could during the day. At first, she kept an eye about her, listening, watching. She had been taught as a youngster that she had to be very alert if she was away from civilization at night—not that being in I provided much protection sometimes, but…still. She was reasonably sure-footed even in human form, climbing hills a little less happily on two feet than four hooves, but not objecting out loud or too much silently.

After some time of silent travel, though, Penri realized that she needn’t bother. Axe had better hearing and sight than she during the night; she was equipped to handle anything that attacked. Thinking gloomily of her own ability to handle an attack Penri’s nose twitched. She could only hope that didn’t happen soon. She was sore all over, underweight, and bruised—and now, her neck hurt thanks to her new mistress. Penri spared a moment for plain frustrated annoyance with the woman, and then moved on, to anything else. She didn’t trust her mouth when she was tired.

The voice of the Zith ahead of her came after quite a long period of silent travel. [b] "So how does a goat Kelvic come to find herself on the slave market, Penri?"

Penri felt herself tensing even as they kept moving. Her first instinct was to respond with a note regarding whose business it was, but her mind (thankfully) interceded with an image of claws and a goat carcass as her mouth opened for a rude (if bluntly true) reply. With a mental shrug, she had to reply, though she was vaguely suspicious—why on earth did her mistress want to know that?

“I’d think it--uh--mistress. I was caught by slavers when I was a girl.” She bit her tongue, and sighed. “Outside Avanthal. I tried to follow my parents out on their Icewatch duties, but it wasn’t just a guard watch it seemed and I had to separate, and I got taken.”

[Axe]

Aventhal, Aaaventhal, Axe thought, trying to remember where she had heard the name before. She knew that it was a place, some place far from here but she could recall where it was which was rather annoying.

One thing that was not annoying was that the sun had finally and mercifully died, leaving her in her beloved twilight. Soon the shroud of night would be upon them and she could take to the skies and begin the hunt. After making sure that Penri got to the camp of course, business came before pleasure after all. The slaves tale was rather unfortunate, though it was something a hunter was familiar with, separate weaker prey from the pack and they became vulnerable, Penri had simply been in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Axe knew they were getting close, she knew her own territory like the back of her claws. The only light in the sky was the stars by the time they reached the small camp Axe had set up in a little clearing near a nice rock formation. The Zith was still trying to find a good cave, but for now this place was just fine for her purposes.

It was not much to look at, a tent that could fit up to four people dominated the space and there was a small fire pit located in the middle of the tiny clearing. A large backpack laid against a tree near the tents an a few other supplies laid about the ground haphazardly.

It was not much but it was her home until she found something more comfortable. The trees provided enough shade in the daytime for her to sleep well enough and the rain usually didn't bother her over much. Hopefully the same would be true of Penri.

Axe turned about to her new slave and gestured about widely with her arm, "Welcome to my home, Penri, well at least until this one finds a nice cave."

Hopefully the woman would feel right at home, if not the she would have to wait until the Zith found a good cave. Axe remembered the need to inspect Penri further.

"Come here Penri, this one is going to remove your collar so she can see your other form." Axe said, gesturing for the slave to approach.

[Penri]

Penri was delighted to find her mistress drop the topic. She was similarly pleased to find her explanation accepted. It was true, it was just…ever so slightly misleading. It didn’t, for instance, mention that Pen had known full well that children were simply not allowed to sneak out after their parents, even if they had been allowed to stay home instead of being looked after elsewhere. She hadn’t mentioned that it was particularly true if the parents were working for Icewatch. She hadn’t mentioned that she’d simply been following because she’d been angry, knowing that her parents could have easily gone to Morwen and made sure she’d been a Dire Polar Bear like them, and had planned on following them, sitting out on the ice, and sneaking home after them, just to prove she could—so that everyone would let her join Icewatch (not that any child at her age, or age relative to her species even, joined Icewatch).

For a loud, impulsive goat, she’d done pretty well not mentioning things.

The night got darker and darker as Penri lost the sun completely. Her eyes strained as her pace lagged some, soreness and exhaustion screaming from her muscles that this was simply not going to continue for much longer. She ignored them out of pure spite after a while: she refused to let her arrogant mistress be right in thinking that Pen was weak.

It was luckily not too long before they arrived in what was clearly Axe’s…home. Penri saw a tent of impressive size, considering that the Zith lived alone, but clearly her owner was not particularly poor—if she afforded a slave, she needed to be able to support both of them, and her own living habits. The center of the space showcased a firepit; nearby, a backpack, and some smaller supplies that Pen assumed had come from it lay about near it. A small switchblade had caught her eye, but she was careful that her gaze made an even sweep over the whole area. She missed having a switchblade.

"Welcome to my home, Penri, well at least until this one finds a nice cave."

Penri looked at the other woman, surprised by the idea of a cave, but made no comment, offering what she hoped was a neutral smile instead.

"Come here Penri, this one is going to remove your collar so she can see your other form."

Pen hesitated at the order, eying Axe cautiously. She hated changing her shape on command, but …

A finger slid up between neck and collar and she winced. The Zith had been harsh much of the day on her neck. Even if it would just be for a moment, she wanted the blasted collar off. off. Nobody could force her to change once it was off; and if she did change…well, it would take a moment for Axe to get the other collar on, in which time perhaps she could be gone?

Not a chance of that, she thought gloomily. But it was nice to dream.

Still clearly unceartain about her feelings on being near the Zith, Pen let herself approach and crossed her arms once more protectively, waiting.

[Axe]

Axe noticed her hesitation, but was pleased when the woman approached finally. Her slave would have to get over her apparent trepidation of the Zith and her claws at some point, hopefully the adjustment would happen soon. Axe immediately set about removing the woman's collar, not really concerned with her running away. Penri had show that while she possessed some odd habits she was intelligent, which means that she had likely already assessed her situation. She was in the middle of the Wilderness, with no other civilization than Ravok for many days. Even if she escaped from Axe she would find her end at the claws of the many predators of the Wildlands.

The Zith pulled the collar off, setting it on the ground and stepping back to give Penri room to do... whatever it was she needed to do. Axe had never actually seen what happened when a kelvic transformed and she had to admit, she was curious. Was it possible to do it with her clothes on? That would be rather odd, a goat wearing clothes, a little amusing too.

She said nothing as her slave prepared to do whatever she was going to do, her golden eyes transfixed upon the other woman in curiosity.

[Penri]

Penri’s neck twisted and her eyes strained, getting her neck into her line of vision. She watched her mistress remove her collar, felt it release her neck, wincing as it rubbed coming off. Her hands immediately sought the chafed skin and she made a face—more bruises. Definitely. It hurt, already. But off it was. She sighed for a moment, pleased, hands still reconnecting with the skin hidden for the past day.

It was only after just long enough to be considered perhaps a bit too long that her eyes flicked up to the mistress, quick and back down. Tired and frustrated, the slave was not entirely against using her will where she could. There was, after all, no real way that her owner could force her to shift. She rolled her neck, as if still stretching, thinking. No matter what the Zith might think, Pen knew she could likely survive better than expected on her own. Others did. She would need, though, a night where she’d been allowed to sleep. A mental curse flew to her previous master for her physical condition and her exhaustion.

Penri knew she was not being helpful; but curse it, she’d been longing for her goat shape the whole petching trek. This …this mistress of hers had kept her human until it was useless. Idiot.

She was sitting lightly on a rock by then. Perhaps the Zith thought this was all preparation, Pen thought. Or something. She had almost decided to tell Axe—oh dear, the mistress—that she was not going to shift at the moment when her back protested the cloak’s rubbing as she removed it. She was reminded that she already had fresh bruises, and that she’d already been to the slave market recently. Twice.

“Yes’m,” she replied tiredly, standing quickly. She hesitated, unnerved by the inspection, but shrugged and quickly slipped off her shoes, her shirt and her pants, and her undergarments. Naked, she took a moment…

And she transformed, becoming a golden-and-white Nubian goat doe. A tiny bit shorter than most (as her human form was to other humans) and, as she was in human shape, clearly slightly underweight and a bit bruised, there was Penri, glaring at Axe through her goat eyes, set under short horns.

[Axe]

Axe had noticed a number of bruises on Penri, most notably on her neck probably from her tugging earlier. She silently made a note to be much more gentle with the woman, she had paid a good deal of money for her after all. The other bruises that marked her body were likely from previous owners or the slavers in the market. Her body was rather attractive but again the Zith knew that anything involving releasing her passion would result in a very dead goat kelvic. Ah well, there were always other opportunities to relieve tension.

She had watched the transformation process with a good deal of fascination, it had happened quite suddenly. The Zith had eaten a number of goats before, and while she vastly preferred the taste of human flesh to livestock they had been rather filling. As it stood, Penri didn't look like much of a meal, even in her goat form she looked underfed and small. Axe would have to see what she could do about getting more food in her, she wouldn't be of any use half starving.

Thinking of food Axe remembered that she would have to hunt tonight, likely very soon. A deer or wolf would likely do, but a stray adventurer would be welcome if she could find one. With another quick glance over the Zith nodded approvingly and turned from Penri, her wings stretching wide and beating in excitement, kicking up a slight gust.

"This one is going hunting and will likely be gone for a while. There are two bedrolls in the tent, feel free to claim one for tonight and eat some of the rations if you need to. If you find that you need something let this one know when she returns and she will find it in the floating city." Axe called back to Penri, not seeing the need to collar her back up until the Zith decided to get to sleep in the morning. It would be more difficult for her to run on two legs.

With that the Zith took flight off into the night sky, on the search for prey to fill her belly with.

[Verilian]

. . Thread Award . . Penri +3 Observation +1 Drawing +1 Rhetoric +1 Body Building Lores: Being an Unwanted Slave, Purchased by a Zith, New Mistress: Axe, Home Sweet Home, Axe +2 Intimidation +2 Observation +1 Rhetoric +1 Body Building Lores: Bidding on a Slave, Laying Down the Rules, Attempting to Breed Loyalty Expenses: -300gm Loot: 1 Penri Notes: Axe is now the proud owner of a new slave. As such, she will have to provide the slave with food and housing, as a slave cannot provide for itself. This means that she will have to give Penri a place to sleep, the tent is fine of course, and will have to pay her seasonal living expenses, in addition to her own expenses. If you can't pay this, then bad things will start happening. *plays dramatic music* If you have any questions, feel free to PM me. You Question My Logic? : There wasn't a whole lot I could award here, but if you have questions, feel free to PM me. Also, the point in body building I gave you both was for the long walk, which was a workout for both of you in different ways. Notes: Great thread, guys, and I can't wait to see more with you two. Good job, and as always, keep writing! Notice As per the request of the Founders, threads cannot be graded unless your CS is up to date. This means you need to add threads to your thread list when you make new threads, keep your skills up to date, ledger, living expenses, ect. If you aren't up to date, you'll get a PM from me before i grade your thread. If you are up to date, disregard this notice.