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Chapter 5: The Path Ahead.

Dragare POV

When I awoke, I felt better than I had in ages, for once, my mind was quiet. The strife that had consumed my thoughts momentarily replaced with serenity, especially as I looked down at my Pet and saw him still asleep, clutching my fur tightly.

I admit I was starting to feel some regret at not giving him a proper chance to bury his parents. So, after surprisingly little debate with myself, I decided on what we would do today.

Put his parents to rest, if anything is left of them. "Ishon. Wakey wakey little pet. Master has something to do but don't worry, I'll be back soon enough." I coo, prodding the cute cub till he stirs.

"Master? Where you gonna go?" he whines softly as he stretches and gets up.

"Don't worry about it pup, just worry about cleaning my, no, OUR home. I'll be back soon enough." I smile at him before jumping up, shifting as I do so and hugging him, giving him a kiss right on his forehead before bolting out the window. As I land, I turn to go to where the ruins of Jadespire were still smoldering.

I managed to find his parents, but, they were not in any state for the cub to see. I ran back home, and started digging a large hole inside the Fence. Shooing Ishon when he peeked out and asked me what I was doing.

I pulled two of the posts up and ran back to the village, carrying the remains of his parents to the grave, covering them partially so he couldn't see the state of their bodies before shoving the posts back and climbing back inside the House.

"Pet? I got a bit of a surprise for you. As an attempt at an apology, I have recovered your parents. However, they weren't in a state for you to look at, so I have already partially buried them, but I want you to finish the task, so you can say good bye and hopefully let their Spirits know you are Safe." I say, smiling gently as I saw him scrubbing the floors.

"Y-you got them, M-m-Master?!?" he says, breaking out into tears. I pick him up and hug him, shifting back to my 'normal' form as I do so.

"Yes Pet. Now, let's get down there so you can send them off. I feel as if their Spirits are eagerly awaiting you." I say, smiling as gently and comforting as I can, which it turns out is very difficult for me to do, whether from lack of practice, or just looking scary, I do not know.

A few minutes later both of us are standing at the foot of the grave, Ishon bowing respectfully as he cries and me comforting him as well as I can, not being used to having to comfort anyone else.

Finally I had an idea and conjured a book (from my own bookshelf above me) that many in Jadespire took comfort in.

"Pet? I'd like to say a few words if that's alright?" I say, bending down on one knee as I hold the heavy tome.

"S-sure Master. Just, please let me have a few more moments to say goodbye before I have to bury them." he say, sniffling as he wipes his nose on his arm.

"Of course Pet." I say, moving to the grave and waiting for him to motion he was ready.

He whimpers and says "Mother, Father. I'm sorry. I'm sorry I failed to protect you. I'm sorry that I was such a bad child. That I was always being a pain in your backsides by always costing you money and getting in trouble. I am truly sorry I never got to say goodbye and that I never got to say these words to you when you were living."

He starts crying again, so I move back over and comfort him best I can. After a few more moments he clears his throat and proclaims "I promise to be a good boy from now on. To appreciate every single thing I get. I took everything we had for granted. Thinking it would last forever. I'm sorry it took your deaths, and my enslavement to make me see how lucky I was, and how lucky I still am. Nothing I can do would make up for the past, but I plan to, with Master's help, build a better future. Even, sadly, that it seems to be only for me and Master and not the rest of our village."

He tenses for a moment before spouting words from a language I have only heard once in my lifetime, spoken by my own parents. Unofficially people call it the Tongue of the Devil, but it is called Rhean. It was the original language of the Kingdom, but the language died out, or so I had thought, when the Thief King took over.

Ishon had cried out "Nelgazi zamow Uzgazi, Ri olev balef.......Tallowabev...." Which he later told me means "Mother and Father, I love you..... Goodbye...."

After a few more minutes, Ishon indicates that I can start reading, so I return to where I was, but instead of reading, I recite from my own upbringing, and from memory of what was said at my Parents burial , "Beloved of the Makers, we are gathered here today to put to rest two Vessels who served their purpose, but were taken far too early. May they serve the Allbeings with the same life and energy they possessed in Life. I ask the Gathered to Remember tat the Departed have merely dropped their Shells and are now more Alive than they have ever been, being restored to their Rightful Forms. May Peace Be Upon Everyone and may the light of the Allbeings shine upon you."

I then walk over, hug Ishon tightly and help him bury his parents before carrying him back inside and letting him rest.

Today had actually been exhausting for me, but for once in my life, I felt a happiness unlike any other. But also another first. I now knew how someone else thought. At least in some small form. So I, for the first time ever, felt regret for doing what I had done. How I had forced him to take my collar. However, I decided, it is much better for Ishon to be MY pet as compared to anyone in Fort Bragg or Braggshire. I know I will treat him right, because I love him. I doubt anyone else would.

I let him rest the rest of the day, and when we awoke on the next day, after a hearty breakfast, I sat Ishon down at the table for a serious talk.

Once we are both seated, I toss a parchment between us, a key setting upon it, though serving no function other than symbolic.

With a heavy sigh I say "Pet. I will be honest with you. I have to start training you, today, if we are to be able to stay together. I will have to hurt you, train you to do many things you have no inkling of how to do nor any indication that you would want to do them. It's going to be difficult, its going to be torture at times, sometimes literally. However, I am offering you the choice. You can either train with me, run away, or I can sell you to someone in town. Now with the first and last choices you still will have to be trained, and with the middle you run the risk of being caught and trained anyways, maybe hurt even worse, but know that, no matter what I have to do to you, I love you Ishon. I don't want to do what I have to do, but if I don't, then I lose you."

Ishon jumps up and runs around and hugs me and says "Master, I won't do anything to hurt you, and I don't want to lose you either."

I smile meekly and force out "Thank you Pet."

I let him hug me for a little while longer before standing and chiding "Alright. All fours, now."

Ishon blinks for a second before saying "Yes Sir!" and getting down on his hands and knees.

"We start with the basics first. Dog Training. From now until as such time as I order you otherwise, this is the only way you are allowed to move. Your hands are just paws. Do not grab anything, do not hold anything. Just use them to dig or to push things out of your way. If you MUST grab something, you grab it with your muzzle. Do NOT speak without permission. To gain permission you may whine, whimper, or make a questioning sound, if I, or whoever you are currently with, does not give you permission to speak, you should cease the sound unless it is an emergency in which case, if we still ignore you and it is Life Threatening you may Howl to alert us. Now, when speaking you may only address yourself as what you are. By the very definition of slave you are an it, and you may call yourself, for the time being, Slave, Dog, Puppy, or Pet. So for example you need to tell me something and I allow you to speak you say "Thank you Master. Puppy saw something that it thinks might be of interest or use to its Master." Do you understand me Ishon?" I instruct as I slowly circle him.

After a moment I wonder why he isn't speaking then I see, he is nodding so I add "If asked a direct question you may respond audibly. In fact it is generally expected by me, but remember how you are supposed to speak."

Ishon nods and gulps and says "T-thank Y-you M-Master! S-slave u-understands." then mumbles to himself, which he probably thought I couldn't hear "this is so stupid, but a promise is a promise."

"Slave, so you know, I can hear that, and I am sure Seirkaru, and maybe even the Thief King, aside from many canines, can. So please, don't say anything under your breath, for your own sake." I chide.

He gulps and, with wide eyes blurts "Yes Sir, Sorry Sir. Slave won't do it again!"

"Alright onto the next bit of rules. For any infraction, no matter how minor, punishment will be given, starting with a verbal warning and working up to a thrashing with a cat-o-ninetails, depending both on what the infraction was, and how many times you have been punished for it, or others, already. Understand again that I don't want to do this, but if I am going to train you, I WILL do it right. So until I get everything ready, stay put. You may sit or lay on that spot, but no moving otherwise." I say, already feeling the toll it was taking on my emotions to train him by the standards forced upon me by the Slavers Guild.

Well truthfully while I was more upset by having to forcefully train him instead of having it occur naturally as he goofs up, my standards are actually stricter than the Slave Guild's standards.

Ishon looked Nervous as hell but quickly said "Yes Sir! Slave will stay put!"

I smile and depart so I can get everything ready. I shall not spoil this here, but his training went great, with the exception of him refusing to do some of the orders once I thought I had him ready to do them. But I got him Perfect, as far as my own standards went, by his 18th birthday. He was the perfect Companion for a Hunter.