Zoo pt 2 Richard Roysdon was positively gloating as he ran his gaze over the wide-eyed, pale-ginger bunny-girl crouched in the pen.
"She's perfect. Undamaged. As close to untouched as one of these things can be." The dapper brunette chortled. "Only one owner - an old man who drove her after church on Sundays."
Beside him, his cousin Felix smiled weakly but couldn't bring himself to comment. The bunny had only just been delivered and she was bewildered but not afraid - yet. She'd been the beloved, only, pet of her elderly owner who'd bought her for companionship rather than sex and she'd lived comfortably, though still caged, with him for the past couple of years. Then her owner had died unexpectedly and the executor of his will suddenly found himself with a highly-illegal item to dispose of.
Richard Roysdon had been delighted to help the man wash his hands of the problem. He'd bought the bunny-girl for a good price, certainly less than what she was worth, and now he planned to auction off her 'first time' in the Zoo. Richard knew there were some amongst his regular clientele who'd be willing to pay a small fortune for the opportunity to break in such a tender commodity. The word about the new pet was already out and he'd arranged a 'viewing' for prospective bidders in the next couple of days. Bidding would close at midnight in seven day's time, now all he had to do was sit back and wait for the offers and counter offers to come in. Richard rubbed his hands together gleefully: he couldn't lose, he'd set the opening bid a little higher than what he'd already paid...Felix knew what was planned for the girl and he was sick with apprehension. Unlike the other pets in the Zoo, Molly – in his own mind Felix had named the bunny-girl after a rabbit he'd had when he was small – was unused to violence. The thought of this beautiful, innocent creature being subjected to the same treatment had his heart hammering in his chest, his insides feeling like they were twisting up and dissolving in acid. It shouldn't be allowed to happen, it mustn't be allowed to happen, but what could he do? This wasn't the first time Felix'd hated himself for being a coward, but even if he was brave enough to buck the system, what could he do? How could he get Molly out of the building? Where would he take her? And what if he failed? Things probably wouldn't get any worse for Molly than they were now, but the consequences to him were... horrific. Richard had threatened to give him to Jane if he screwed up and that just didn't bear thinking about. Felix had seen some twisted things in his time here but she was the worst. There was something seriously wrong with the dainty little telepath; she enjoyed the pain of others, got off on it. Felix'd had nightmares when she told him in passing how she would watch the pets when they with the more violent clients. She'd sit comfortably in the surveillance room, watching the action via the security cameras while tuning in telepathically and sipping – as she'd said in that breathy, creepy little-girl voice of her – the nectar of the animal's pain... God knows what she'd do to him if she was given free rein: Felix's skin crawled as his imagination took up the slack.
"You can get on with your work now," Richard clapped Felix on the shoulder, startling him out of his uncomfortable reverie. "See if you can get the leopard moving, he's got a booking in two hours." And with that the proprietor of the most secret, and expensive, underground brothel in the country strode out of the stable.
Felix sighed and tiredly rubbed the back of his hand over his forehead. 'Get the leopard moving'? That was becoming harder and harder to do. Felix was no vet - doctor, rather - but he could tell the big cat was seriously ill. He grimaced: not that that mattered to the boss. As long as a pet could still function, and he could make money of off them, Richard didn't give a toss about the welfare of any of his 'goods'. Felix sighed again and dragged himself over to the sink, filling a bucket with warm water and hooking a clean, soft cloth out of the nearby cupboard. He'd quickly see to the other pets, get them washed and fed, and then he could afford to spend a little time with the leopard.The pet in question lay on a thin mattress, curled on his side, face to the blank grey wall of his pen. He was in a half-stupor, drifting mentally, as he often did, as he'd been doing for... he had no idea how long. Time was irrelevant, he had no need for it anymore and he'd stopped trying to keep track of it a long, long while ago. The leopard was dying, he knew and accepted the fact in much the same way he accepted the other facts of his existence, with a dull incuriosity. His abused body was failing by degrees, he could barely summon the strength to stand anymore and soon he would simply be unable to rise. Then he'd die. Either his body would give up, stop functioning, or he'd be killed because there was no point keeping him alive but either way it would be over. A single tear spilled over a red and dry eyelid, tracking down the golden fur on his face. It was ironic, really, he didn't want to die.
Kyle, his name was Kyle.
Recently some of the gaps in the leopard's patchy memory had started filling themselves in. He didn't know why and cared less but it was mildly amusing to see what new pieces of the jigsaw turned up, and it gave him something to think about in between the times he was being fucked or beaten. It was a mixed blessing though; it wasn't just useful, innocuous memories that were resurfacing. There'd been some involving a hazy pain and fear and he'd assumed - given how tense they made him feel - that they were from some time after he'd been changed. But then he'd realised he could see his hands and they were smooth-skinned, though filthy, and his fingers scrabbling for purchase against an ancient brick wall were normal and unclawed. There was no other details, nothing that could help him place the time or circumstances, but that wasn't important. There were other memories, too: good ones, happy ones apparently, though that was debatable given how bereft and alone they made him feel. There'd been a man, a lover, a protector, who'd made him feel safe. Jace...
The leopard heaved a sigh, he didn't want to review those memories, he'd only feel worse afterwards but it was almost worth it to experience that love and security again. He gathered the tattered recollections around him and sank back into the warmth...
... a body so tall and broad it blocked out the light from the single bare bulb... hard muscles oily with fresh sweat, Jason had been to the gym, he was pumped, horny, exercise always turned him on... a rigid cock up his arse but no pain, only pleasure and deep satisfaction that he could do this for his lover... being held, surrounded by strength and warmth, whispered endearments and the feeling he need never be scared again...
Felix looked down at the leopard and sighed. The big cat appeared to be asleep but a tiny smile lifted the corners of his mouth. Hefting a bucket of fresh, warm water, Felix quietly let himself into the pen. It was a shame to disturb him – the poor sod needed all the rest he could get - but as Richard said, he had a booking soon and there'd be hell if he wasn't ready.
The leopard had already been part of the stables when Felix began work at the Zoo. He was a favourite, mainly because his psychological modifications made him aggressive when he was approached sexually. The leopard had to be beaten into submission, something that was very appealing to the sadistic bastards who played here. Not that the big cat was truly dangerous anyway, he had claws and teeth but he'd been conditioned not to use them. The idea disgusted Felix, that the punters could get a kick out of taming a wild beast who couldn't hurt them no matter what they did to him. Felix knew some of the cat's history - he'd snuck at look at his file. No name, of course, but he'd been a pet for an astonishing ten years. He was one of the first of the 'new breed' to be made, when they'd started using behavioural modification chips to tailor a pet's responses. The technology had been around for years but up until then it had been unreliable, as likely to cause psychosis and catatonia as anything else. The leopard had also started out with usable hands but those had been altered a couple of years down the track once the idea of 'complete' physical modifications had taken hold. The cat had initially been bought by a syndicate, a club, and passed around between the members for years until they got bored with him. He'd been in reasonable physical condition when Richard had acquired him, some scarring, a couple of badly healed broken fingers, but nothing too extreme. He'd been poorly treated at the Zoo since then and Felix had watched him deteriorate over the past few months until he was gaunt and lethargic though still compelled to react according to his behavioural mods.
"Hey, mate," the keeper gently shook the leopard's shoulder, alarmed to feel the dry heat radiating from him. "Gotta wake up now."
The cat blinked dazedly then snarled, though it was obviously an effort to do so.
"I'm sorry," Felix murmured with genuine regret. "You've gotta get yourself cleaned up." He couldn't do it, the leopard would fight his touch. Felix moistened and soaped a cloth while the cat painfully hauled himself up to a sitting position, breathing heavily. The leopard stared numbly at the proffered cloth for several seconds before plucking it up.
"Good lad." Felix encouraged. "You do that I'll get you something to eat."
He returned to the pen with a laden tray a few minutes later to find the leopard still apathetically wiping at his fur.
"Come on, mate," the keeper frowned, "you've gotta do better than that. If you don't, then I'll have to wash you and neither of us want that."
The leopard raised dark-rimmed, honey golden eyes to him, expressionlessly holding the keeper's gaze for a few slow heartbeats, then he resumed wiping, a little more vigorously.
Felix was reluctant to hurry him along, but time was wasting and there was less than half an hour before the leopard's 'booking'.
"Okay, that'll do." It'd been painful watching the cat trying to contort himself the little bit he needed to to wash around his genitals and rectum. Felix reached surreptitiously into the pocket of his jeans, retrieving three round, green pills. "You've got a fever, mate, take these." He dropped the pills into the leopard's hand and poured him a glass of water. "They'll help." The leopard got the pills down then Felix handed him one of the sandwiches he'd made – cheese and ham, he knew the cat liked those. The leopard pulled a face and Felix sighed.
"You've gotta eat, mate."
The cat gave him another of those expressionless looks then grasped the food in clumsy hands. Felix watched anxiously as he ate, chewing each mouthful with what could've been deliberate slowness but was more likely lack of energy. The keeper held the glass for him to sip from, making sure he drank all of the water. The leopard refused a second glass despite Felix's gentle encouragement. The keeper glanced at his watch.
"Right, only got a few minutes," he reached into his pocket again and pulled out a smallish tube of lubricant. The leopard locked eyes with him – they both knew he was supposed to go to a client dry. "Can... can you manage?" Felix felt his face burn with embarrassment. The leopard nodded, the fur where his eyebrow would've been wrinkling upwards for a moment, and held his hand out for the tube. Felix passed it over, then stood quickly and turned away, affording the cat a little privacy.
He turned back, hesitantly, when the slight rustling noises had stopped, relived to see the leopard standing, though awkwardly, shoulders tense and stooped as if against pain.
"All done?"
The cat nodded, holding still as Felix clipped the chain onto his wide leather collar.
"It's time."
The keeper forced a smile, then unlocked the pen and led his charge out of the stables.
Richard was gloating again.
"It's a good turn out, eh? 'Look but don't touch' - that should generate some real interest." He grinned broadly at his cousin. "She's ready, is she? All clean and pretty?" Felix nodded, not trusting himself to speak. "Good good. You fetch her, I'll warm up the punters. Wait outside the room, though, don't come in 'til I open the door." Richard strode away leaving Felix to carry on with the task he'd been dreading.
Molly was still awake despite the late hour. Felix let himself into her pen, letting his eyes adjust to the dark before he approached her. Yes, he could've switched on the lights but the other pets were asleep, there was no need to disturb them unnecessarily.
"Okay, here we go." He whispered, attaching a fine silver chain to her pink suede collar. They stopped briefly in the ante-room and Felix gave her fluffy-soft pelt another quick brush. Molly trembled under his touch, her lips parted and pupils wide. Felix wasn't sure if her reaction was from fear or desire but he completed the grooming as quickly as possible. If it was fear he didn't want to distress her, and if it was desire it was most likely a conditioned response and he never, ever wanted to be responsible for making her do something she didn't want to. Felix looked deep into dark-red eyes and felt his heart kick over. Molly was so beautiful, he was hopelessly attracted to her and it wasn't all about lust. Simple physical desire he could ignore but Molly affected him more deeply than anyone else had, even the other female pets. He'd never felt like this about the little white Persian, or the vixen or even the grey pony-girl. He'd never let himself feel this way about any of his charges. Was it love? A need to protect? Felix didn't want to hazard a guess, it was too dangerous.
He stepped away from her, resisting the urge to stroke her pelt, pet her small tuft of a tail, her ears... They couldn't linger, Richard was waiting.
"Don't be scared." Felix murmured to her as the Zoo's proprietor flung open the door. "They won't hurt you." Molly glanced uneasily at him as he handed the chain over to his boss.
Richard tugged hard on the lead, impatient to get the latest 'goods' on display. Felix sidled in after them, shutting the door and making himself inconspicuous against the wall.
It was an ugly crowd. Not in appearance, everyone was well-dressed and groomed, but there was violence simmering amongst them, and a dark kind of lust Felix could almost taste. He didn't recognise many but the ones he did made his flesh creep. Brewster was here, with his friends, and the man he knew as Gully, another sadist who was responsible for the deaths of two pets. The keeper wasn't surprised to spot Jane at the back of the room, the telepath's eyes open wide and dreamy, her cheeks flushed, no doubt drinking in whatever nastiness this lot were projecting.
Molly looked very small and vulnerable up there on the improvised podium, her paws pressed together in front of her groin, cute little bunny nose twitching in agitation.
"And here she is," Richard purred, "Isn't she lovely?"
Felix forced himself to stillness as his cousin spruiked his wares, pointing out the pet's 'features'. She was modified to be submissive, but with the twist that she would initiate sex – she'd beg to be fucked - and respond strongly to any type of touch. She would react fearfully to the notion of pain; threaten to punish her and she would submit to whatever you wanted, no matter what... Felix felt his gorge rise; at that last statement Brewster had leant over to his mates and said something that had them all snickering like little boys.
"Let's see her arse!" someone called out and Richard smilingly obliged, making the bunny face away from the audience and bend over. He ran a finger lightly between her buttocks.
"Never been much in here!" he smirked. "Or here." He tickled a finger tip over her labia, grinning as the pet gasped in apparent desire, tail quivering. Richard slapped a rounded buttock, making her jump, then he turned back to his audience.
"So there you have it. Sweet, sexy, responsive – what more could you ask?"
"To fuck her, now!" Another wag called out. Richard's smile was benign.
"I'm afraid not. That right will be reserved for the winner of the auction. Now, please, help yourselves to the buffet..."
Richard jerked his head at Felix who obediently trotted over. The proprietor thrust the chain back at him.
"Get her back to the stables."
"Are... are there any bids yet?" Felix asked in a low voice.
"Oh yes," Richard grinned gleefully.
"Who's in the lead?"
"Brewster."
Felix swallowed, managing a feeble smile, then he helped Molly down from the podium and hustled her out of the room.
Shit shit shit shit shit!
Felix's brain throbbed feverishly. Not Brewster, anyone but him! For a wild moment he wondered if he could somehow get the money and win the auction himself but there was no way he could raise that sort of capital even if he had longer than five days to do it. Felix silently cursed his cousin: Richard certainly wouldn't lend it to him. With his mind in overdrive Felix was working on autopilot. He'd got Molly back to the stables and into her pen, unclipped the chain and absently stuffed it into his pocket before he realised the bunny-girl was kneeling in front of him, a soft paw rubbing slowly at his crotch.
"What the - ? No!" he stumbled back, fetching up hard against the metal bars of the door. It was too dark to read her expression but she hesitated for a moment then, still kneeling, started towards him.
"No!" Felix hissed, fumbling open the pen and propelling himself out. The gate clanged shut and he leant his forehead against the bars, fighting to get his breathing, his arousal under control. Inside the pen Molly was still on her knees, staring up at him. Felix could see her face now, illuminated by the light filtering through from the ante-room. She looked... confused.
"You don't want to do this, you really don't." Felix whispered. "There's something in your head that's making you act like this."
Molly's expression didn't change and she lifted a paw reaching for him again through the bars. Felix stepped back and shook his head.
"Why now? I've been looking after you for days, why are you doing this now?"
The bunny-girl lowered her eyes and drew in a shuddering breath. Felix stared then dropped to his knees opposite her.
"You're scared." he breathed. Molly lifted her eyes to his and Felix saw she understood exactly what her circumstances were. "Oh, honey..." The keeper sighed, reaching in through the bars to stroke her cheek. She was so beautiful, so vulnerable. I care for her. I'd be gentle with her – the thought rose unbidden in Felix's mind – what would be the harm if she really wants me to...? Felix's lips thinned in determination and he pushed the thought aside. No, he was not going to take advantage of Molly. If, in the future she was free to make her own choices that would be something else entirely but for now...
"I'm going to get you out of this." he whispered, "I don't know how, but I am."
The lights flickered on.
"What the hell are you doing?" Richard demanded and Felix sprung back from the pen.
"N... nothing."
"Good." Richard was smiling. "As I anticipated, the little tease with the rabbit has generated some extra income tonight." He rolled off a list of the required pets – all of the females, two of the males - and which rooms they were to go to. "Stay in the surveillance room and keep an eye on things. Don't go to sleep. You'll be cleaning up afterwards."
Richard walked out of the stables, leaving Felix to get on with it. The keeper scuttled around gently waking the pets and readying them, all the while grateful that the leopard hadn't been called. The big cat hadn't even twitched when the light went on...
© 2004 June 15th Lutra Darkside