Pets

Pets
Mychael Black
All rights reserved.
Copyright ©2014 Mychael Black

The bright flash of the overhead light rudely jolted me out of a nice, peaceful dream. I jumped up quickly and managed to bash my head into the hard plastic cover over my cage. I rubbed the sore spot and watched as the owner went to unlock the shop door. He then came to me with a plate of vegetables. In the few months that I had been in this cage, I had become an involuntary vegetarian. I missed the taste of meat, and centaurs weren't known for being carnivorous.

He handed me a cup of water, along with the plate, then turned around to ready the shop for another business day. I sat quietly in my cage, eating my breakfast and watching him move about the store.

I wasn't the only pet. There were many dogs, cats, birds, and various small animals. I was, however, the only human pet. Other shops in other cities carried more than one human, but Merc was the only merchant who had dared to take me. None of the others would even give me a second glance. They all said I was pretty but wild. They were afraid I would cause more trouble than I was worth. Where they got that notion, I had no clue. I figured it had something to do with my command of Queen Raleen's flagship. Whatever the reason, Merc thought differently than the others, it seemed.

Just as I finished my breakfast, Merc's companion, Fain, came out from the back room. Had they not been together, I would've tried to win Fain's attentions in a bid to get out of here. He was slightly smaller than Merc and he didn't smell nearly as bad. He came over and unlocked my cage.

"Time for a good washing," he announced. He stepped to the side and I crawled out of my cage. He quickly caught me under my arms when my legs began to give way due to disuse. "Steady now. We can't have Terian's property damaged."

I snapped my head around and stared at him. "Terian? Terian Thunderhoof bought me?"

"That's it," Fain cooed. He led me toward an alcove near the back, where he groomed the pets. "Just take slow, easy steps."

"You didn't answer my question." I hissed as Fain helped me to sit down in the tub of almost-too-hot water.

"I'm not avoiding your question," Fain replied. He poured a small bucket full of water over my head. "Yes, Terian purchased you. He will be here within the hour to pick you up." He dipped a sponge into the water, soaped it up, and began washing my back.

"Did he buy me as a pet? Or a lover?"

Fain slid his soap-slick fingers through my long blond hair and combed out the rough tangles. "His uses for you are unknown to me, but you will be well-cared for, I assure you."

I closed my eyes, relishing the sensation of his fingers massaging shampoo onto my scalp. I'd forgotten how amazing such a thing felt. The shampoo wasn't the usual kind he used on the other animals. This one smelled woodsy, rich. I would have happily let him do it all day.

Before I was really ready for it to end, Fain dumped another bucket of water over my head. He wiped off the sudsy water from my eyes, and then he motioned for me to stand. He picked up the sponge and gave me an odd, crooked smile. Without a word, he began washing my chest gently. A shiver ran through me as he took great care to wash my nipples. He dipped the sponge into the water and then squeezed it to rinse the soap from my chest. When he lowered the sponge once more, it was to wash my stomach. I swallowed hard and watched him make circular motions with the sponge, every rotation moving closer to my crotch. When I looked back up, I noticed the hungry look in his eyes.

"What is it like?" I asked him quietly.