carefully trained woman-monkey #1 (white_aster) wrote in bijou_fandom, @ 2008-08-04 22:04:00 |
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Entry tags: | cobalt, fic, jade |
(FIC) How The Moonkin Helped Jade Find His Master - Bijou/Petshop of Horrors fusionthing - ...Rish?
A late repost!
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How The Moonkin Helped Jade Find His Master
This is the tale, my children, as we tell it to our mother the moon.
Once, moons ago, there was a dog who lived in a city. His mother was a common mutt bitch, while his father was a prize hunting hound. When he was born, the puppy was named Jade, for he had lovely green eyes just like his father. He had a shiny coat, soft floppy ears, and a fine stance. He was also a very good dog. He was friendly, loyal, obedient, and liked nothing more than pleasing his masters.
As he grew, Jade watched as, one by one, his brothers and sisters were taken away. He realized, sadly, that he, too, was to be sold off and given to a new master. His mother nosed him reassuringly, telling him that he would likely be given to some young human as a pet and that he might be taken care of and loved for the rest of his life. Jade felt better after hearing that, dreaming in the night of a kind new master who would love him.
One day, a human family came to the master's house. The man was large, the woman small, and the boy was very young. Jade sniffed them timidly, not particularly liking the man's smell, but the boy seemed kind enough and petted him, and Jade wagged his tail. The family took Jade home with them, to a house that didn't smell like dogs at all. Jade was left to sleep in a small room with a big pillow that smelled funny. Missing his mother's warm presence, Jade cried all the first night and was confused when the man came in and yelled at him.
Eventually Jade learned not to cry at night, though he was still lonely. The boy would play with Jade sometimes but then leave, moving into parts of the house where Jade was not allowed to go. Jade would grow bored and find something to play with or chew on, and half the time he would be yelled at or hit, for no reason that Jade could understand.
Jade was confused, and he was very sad that he didn't have a master. The man hit him, and the woman fed him, and the boy played with him, but none of them were a real master. None of them asked anything of him. None of them seemed to really want him. Jade hoped that maybe things would get better.
Time passed like this, and Jade grew into a fine dog. He grew tall and strong and fine-boned like his father, with a keen nose and a sharp eye. He was bigger than the boy, now, and the boy played with him less and less. Jade was left alone in his little room or the small backyard for long periods of time. At night, he would dream of room to run, little furry animals to hunt, and, above all, a master. He started having the same dream over and over: a fuzzy dream of stinging pain, but also of a strong, confident voice--a voice that made him shiver in ways he didn't really understand--praising him, telling him that he was a good boy. Jade had the dream so much that he was sure that it was a true dream and that his kind master was out there, waiting for him.
Lonely, Jade prayed to the moon that he would have the chance to meet his master. He prayed hard every night, with all the longing in his heart.
Then, one day, the family had a fight. Jade didn't understand all of it, but he knew that the argument was about him. He cringed and hid, tail between his legs, sad that he had been a Bad Dog. He hadn't MEANT to knock over the table. He had just been so happy to see the boy come home, and he'd wagged his tail, and the little table had been so wobbly, and the thing on top of it had just fallen off.... The woman yelled, the man yelled, and the boy whined and cried. In the end, the man stomped into Jade's room, snapped the leash onto his collar, and dragged him to the car. Jade cowered in the back seat. The man drove and drove, then stopped the car. He dragged Jade out again and took off Jade's collar. "Stay," he growled. Then, while Jade Stayed on the side of the road, the man got back into the car and sped off.
Jade Stayed, though the night was cold, and this place was dark and strange. There were big buildings around, and Jade could hear cars in the distance, but this place smelled like machines and roads. It didn't smell like a home, or a people-place.
But Jade was a good dog. So he Stayed. He Stayed, curled shivering in a ball, until light came and people started walking down the street, filing into the buildings. Cars and trucks came, honking and smelly. Jade tried to Stay, but he was hungry, and people yelled at him, and a truck nearly ran him over. He slunk away, wandering, trying to find food or his way home. He found something like food in a smelly alley. It wasn't like dog food at all, but it was good enough, at least until a man came out of the building and chased him away.
Jade wandered, dejected. He had no family now, no food bowl, no bed, and definitely no master. Night fell, and rain, too. Jade was hungry again, cold and wet and lonely and scared of the strange city noises and very tired of being yelled at and chased. He huddled under some stairs behind a big building and curled into himself, miserable. He couldn't see the moon, but he closed his eyes tight and prayed as hard as he could that somewhere in all the chaos he would find his master.
That night, he dreamt of the master's voice and the master's hands and the master's husky-blue eyes.
Jade awoke to a strange green smell and a kind voice. Jade cringed, but the voice spoke again, and Jade could understand every word.
"Now, now, little one, no need to be afraid." The man--no, Jade's nose told him that this was definitely not a man--smiled and beckoned. "Would you like some food? And a dry, warm place?"
"Y...yes," Jade said, crawling to the edge of the steps but no further, hesitant. "You...you're not going to yell at me?"
The not-man smiled, crouching down, his umbrella perched on his shoulder. "Why would I yell at such a good dog, hmm?" He cocked his head, and Jade's nose twitched at the smell of cool greenery and something else. Something warm-earth and warm-musk. Familiar. Inexplicably safe. "Oh, little one. I'm so sorry that you've been mistreated. If you'd like, you could come with me. I have a place where you can rest and eat."
Jade's tummy rumbled, and his ears perked. The not-man (was he one of the Moon's packmates? The Moon's kin could change shape to trick the humans, Jade's mother had always said....) smelled friendly and safe, at least. "Do you know my master? He comes in my dreams. He has a strong voice and blue eyes and hands that give pain and pleasure."
The Moon's kin shook his head. "I'm afraid not, little one. But perhaps I could help you find him." He reached out a red-clawed hand, and Jade inched forward, carefully, until he could be scritched.
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The Moon's kin's name was D, and the place he lived was unlike any Jade had ever seen. It was large and twisty and had many dark, comfortable places that Jade was allowed to go, as long as he didn't make a mess. And there were animals everywhere, of all kinds. Even animals who had learned the Moonkin trick of shapeshifting. And others, too. Others that were not-animals in the same way that D was a not-human. Others that smelled of rushing water, or deep woods, or old blood. Others with a sense of age and wisdom about them that pressed Jade to the floor, making him show his throat without a second thought.
One of those others was Tetsu. Tetsu was different from anything Jade had ever seen. He had--somehow, and at the same time--a human-like shape and a dog-with-horns shape. Tetsu smelled like a predator: of blood and spice and musk. He terrified and fascinated Jade. Slowly, Jade was allowed to inch closer, until Tetsu smiled at him in a way that wasn't entirely a baring-of-fangs and scratched Jade's ears with his sharp claws. Tetsu was...well, not nice, but he was friendly enough. He told Jade about D's home and about everyone that lived there and about how some were permanent residents and some were just passing through on their way to human masters. Jade's ears perked up at that. "D promised that he would help find my master."
Tetsu rolled over, stretching lazily. "Why, did you lose him?"
Jade's ears drooped. "No. I never found him. I see him when I sleep, sometimes, but I've never met him." Jade sighed and laid his head on his paws, telling Tetsu about his dreams, about the strange pain-pleasure things his master made him feel.
Tetsu just grinned. "Oh. That kind of master. Well. I think I can help you out a bit, then. You know, so that when your master shows up you'll be ready to serve him."
And so, Tetsu taught Jade the secret of having two shapes: one his usual four-footed self and the other a dusky-skinned, dark-haired human shape. The first time he managed it, Tetsu smiled and made a pleased noise in his throat. "Is...is it good?" Jade asked, turning awkwardly and looking down at himself.
"Yes." Tetsu inched forward, still smiling his almost-too-sharp smile. Jade's instincts made him back up, but he wasn't used to having only two feet, and he tripped, ending up sprawled on a pillow with Tetsu pounced on top of him. Jade whimpered and showed his throat, and Tetsu purred, "Very good."
Tetsu wasn't Jade's master, but he was demanding, and he was more than willing to tutor Jade in human pleasures. Tetsu taught Jade many things, taking particular delight in demonstrating the almost terrifying range of sensations that made Jade's new, furless skin sing. Jade spent many nights delirious under fingertips, teeth, and claws, his body strung tight and tense and wanting.
But even when Tetsu had wrung every scrap of pleasure out of him, had made him scream himself hoarse, had made his skin so sensitive that Jade shivered at the slightest wash of air...Tetsu was not Jade's master. And the more Jade practiced with the human shape, the more his connection with his true master grew. He dreamt of his master almost every night. He knew his master's face, and his master's scent, and his master's smile. He dreamt of his master's life, too. His master worked in a tall building, with many other people that he didn't like. The other people didn't seem to like the master very much, either. They didn't say it, but Jade could tell. At first Jade thought that his master had a very bad pack, but then he realized that that was the problem: his master didn't have a pack. He worked long hours in the tall building, where his alphas were either wary or contemptuous of him and where his betas constantly nipped at his heels, waiting for him to fall. The master was cunning, though, and often enjoyed playing the dominance struggles: playing his betas against one another, showing his throat to his alphas while waiting for the perfect time to strike and steal power for himself. Then he went to his home in another tall building. There, he seemed more relaxed, but Jade could almost smell the restlessness, the unspoken wanting that his master seemed unaware of.
Jade wondered if his master dreamt of him. He wondered if his master dreamt of dog!Jade or human!Jade. He wondered if it mattered.
Then, one day, D came to find Jade in his pile of pillows. He told Jade that he might have found Jade's master, but that Jade would need to come and make sure that it was the right one. "If it is your master, you can tell me later, and I promise that I will bring him back. But this time, you must sit and stay and watch, all right?"
Jade drooped. He didn't quite understand why he couldn't go with his master right away, but the Count had been good to him and had never broken his word, so Jade agreed. He laid down by one of the curtained doorways, where he could watch the couch and the tray of goodies.
The door opened, and Jade leapt to his feet, whining quietly. Oh, he could smell his master. The scent wrapped around him like warm fur, exciting and comforting. And then D walked into the room, followed by Jade's master, and it took every ounce of obedience in Jade's body not to run to his master's side. He watched the way his master moved, the way he sat, the way his scent changed but didn't, always with the undercurrent of frustrated unhappiness beneath the polite human words.
Afterwards, D chuckled as Jade wound around his legs. "I suppose I don't need to ask. You were a very good boy, Jade."
Jade wiggled, hopefully. "When...when can I go home with my master?"
"Soon," D promised. "Very soon. Your master will come back in a few days, and I will introduce you then. You will need to be very, very good, so that he will find you irresistible." D scratched behind Jade's ears. "As much as he needs you, I don't think that your master is much of a dog person."
"I'll be whatever he needs me to be," Jade said, quietly, finding himself looking down at his own two human feet.
"Yes. I'm sure you will be," D said, smiling.
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William had wondered idly more than once if the rumors he'd heard about the Count dealing in...exotic merchandise of possibly questionable origin...were true. A simple pet shop couldn't explain the size of his investments, that was for sure. Not that it was any of William's business, as long as said investments didn't up and walk over to their competition. William found his thoughts returning to the subject, though, as the Count led him through...what most definitely did not look like the back of a pet shop. The velvet cushions, the winding shadowed passages, the musky incense...all evoked something distinctly more...sensual.
Still, William thought as he stared down at the naked boy kneeling in front of him, he hadn't expected the Count to be so blatant about it.
"This is Jade," D said, circling, a hand starting at the boy's head and trailing downwards, scratching affectionately as if he was some kind of pet. The boy stretched his neck ever so slightly, prolonging the contact, but his eyes were still on William and had been since William and D had walked in. They were green, steady.
Eager.
As ridiculous as the situation was, that look...and the fact that he was kneeling with perfect form, back straight, hands on thighs, knees apart...was what made William pause.
"A lovely specimen, is he not?" D's fingers continued to trail down the boy's shoulder, across his collarbone, drawing William's eye. "He is not purebred, I must point out. However, that does mean that he is hardier and less prone to temperamental and physical defects than a true purebred. Much more suited to a demanding master."
The boy deliberately dropped his eyes, his gaze sliding down, then up again, then away. It was either genuine instinct or artfully acted: the perfect blend of helpless interest and submission. William tried to collect his wandering thoughts. "Purebred? You make him sound like a dog."
D petted the boy's hair. "He is, Mr. Hunter. This is a pet shop. We have only animals here."
"...Right." William blinked, breaking away from green eyes to wonder whether the Count was a pimp, a nutjob, or if this was some backhanded attempt at blackmail. It wasn't as if William had ever done anything illegal, but his employer wouldn't care about that little detail. He dragged his eyes up and found the Count's smile, giving away nothing.
William turned, stepping back towards the door. "I'm afraid that I'm not interested, Count."
There was a sound suspiciously like a dog's whine behind him.
"Are you not, Mr. Hunter? That is a shame. Jade has told me so much about you...I had hoped that he would be familiar to you, also."
William wasn't certain why he stopped. Wasn't certain why he turned around. Wasn't certain why he wanted to turn around. He frowned. "And what is that supposed to mean?"
The Count's smile was unchanged. "The heart, Mr. Hunter, is a powerful thing. Unlike the mind or the soul, it is not under the owner's control. Hearts go their own way, seeking happiness. Particularly powerful hearts, or those in dire need, can even reach across space to find their desires. And sometimes what that heart finds is another heart, reaching back. Such connections are rare but have been known to invoke strange phenomena: dreams, visions, even the coincidental meeting of the hearts' owners." D laid a hand on the boy's shoulder.
The boy's eyes looked up, slid down to the ground, then up again, as if he shouldn't be making eye contact but couldn't help himself. His voice was deeper than William would have expected. "I...I've dreamed of you. Almost every night. I knew your voice...your face...your scent...even before you came to the shop. I know that you spend a lot of time alone. I know that you don't much like people, that they annoy you. I know...I know that your heart is restless. It wants something that you can't find. Something that no one's been able to give you, because they're selfish and keep it for themselves...."
Uncertainty crossed the boy's face. He looked up at D before moving forward on hands and knees. William wasn't surprised that the sight of a handsome naked young man crawling towards him made his cock twitch. What did surprise him was how well the boy pulled it off: unconsciously graceful, dusky skin stretched over lean muscle. He looked for all the world like someone used to walking on all fours.
The boy stopped a foot from William's shoes, sitting back at attention. He held William's eyes, his voice sure. "I think...I think that your heart owns mine. You can have the rest of me, if you want me."
Looking down at the green of his eyes was familiar, William realized. But no...those were just dreams, hazy and indistinct, barely-remembered except for that particular shade of green...a flash of a wet, gray alley...a mournful sense of rejection and loneliness...the feel of soft skin and wet hair sliding through his fingers....
A willing body beneath his, breathing hard...eager lips kissing the whip....
William closed his eyes. This was ridiculous. Everything from the Count's supernatural mumbo-jumbo to this boy he didn't even know offering.... Offering.
William couldn't understand why none of that mattered. He couldn't understand why his hand reached out and stroked down the boy's face. Why the boy's skin was as soft as he knew it would be. Why his jaw fit in William's hand exactly as he knew it would. Why he knew that that open acceptance in the boy's eyes wouldn't dim no matter what William asked of him.
Why suddenly William didn't care if this was a brothel or a slavery ring or a strange animal-fetish cult, because he was still going to take this boy home and use every toy he owned on him. And perhaps go buy some new ones.
"How much?" William heard his voice say, his eyes still on the...Jade's.
"Jade is not mine to sell," the Count murmured. "He is here of his own will. However...perhaps you would like to take him home for the weekend? Should you find each other all you wish for, then I would be more than happy to help in negotiating whatever terms might be required for a more...long-term arrangement."
"Fine," William said.
"Jade?"
Jade's head turned slightly towards the Count, but his eyes were only for William, as was his answer. "Yes." He turned his face, nuzzling a smile into William's hand. "Master."
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And Jade's master took him home, where there was food and warmth and pleasure. Once there, he pleased his master greatly, being unfailingly loyal and obedient. His master gave Jade a collar of gold set with a blue stone as a token of his ownership, and Jade wore it proudly. And to this day, Jade lives with his master still, a devoted and loving companion who can often be found contentedly curled at the foot of his master's bed.
And that, my children, is the story of how the Moonkin helped Jade to find his master.