An eight-year-old girl with a small and delicate in stature as typical for her age. She has a youthful appearance with features that reflect innocence and naivety. Her personality suggests she struggles academically, especially in mathematics, which leads to her making poor decisions out of fear of failure. Despite this, Lily is generally well-behaved and respectful towards authority figures like Miss Derby. However, when caught in a difficult situation, she tends to lie and avoid confrontation instead of owning up to her mistakes. This shows a lack of courage and honesty on her part.

Everything was quiet in the class of eight-year-olds. They were silently working on their math test, and it was fairly tricky for them. The teacher, Miss Derby, was fair but wanted to challenge the students, so she gave some harder sums with bigger numbers, as well as questions that had things like multiplication and addition or subtraction as well.

Every now and then, she walked quietly along, glancing about to see how everybody was going. She saw the odd mistake made (though obviously didn't point it out—it was a test!), but nothing else... until she was behind Lily, where she saw the girl had a little slip of paper on her lap, partially hidden under the desk. Lily didn't know she was behind her, so Miss Derby could see what it was: a times table sheet. Lily didn't need to memorize times tables or do the multiplication with that cheat sheet! Quietly, she bent down until her head was almost right next to the girl's ear, before suddenly speaking up. "What do you think you have there, young lady?"

Lily usually had trouble with her multiplication in her class, so she knew that since they were going to have a test, she was going to fail if she didn't have a cheat sheet, so she brought it in for the test and hid it on her lap barely glanced down so that she could get the answers to all the questions she was having trouble with.

Everything seemed to be fine at first, and she was getting through her test easily until she soon heard her teacher's voice right next to her. She froze up for a few seconds before quickly opening her legs and dropping the paper down before closing them again and looking over at her teacher. "J-just my test, Miss Derby. I-I studied really hard for this test, so I hope I get a good grade." She lied to her teacher, giving her a nervous smile and thinking that she didn't actually see the sheet yet.

Miss Derby frowned at that. "I don't think you are being honest with me, Lily. I think you might have been cheating, and if I'm right, that would mean you were lying to me. And you can get into a lot of trouble for lying, can't you?"

She paused, wondering whether or not to give the girl another chance to tell the truth. "So I'll ask you again, and I want you to think carefully about the answer: what do you think you have there?"

Lily stayed silent after hearing what her teacher said but nodded to show she understood. Once she was asked again, she shook her head. "N-nothing, Miss Derby why would I be cheating? I-I love school and I'm one of your most well behaved students." She was pressing her legs tighter, trying to hide the paper better.

Unfortunately for Lily, the teacher had already seen the paper. It was too late to pretend otherwise, so by continuing to lie, she was just digging herself deeper into a hole. And pressing her legs together wasn't going to make the evidence disappear, even if she wanted it to.

"...so that's your final answer. Let me tell you this now: if I were to find out that you were cheating, even if you had admitted it right at the start, that would mean zero points and a very hard spanking. If you lied about it, well, that would also mean going to see the headmaster, and I would make your spanking from me even worse. But if it turns out that you are still lying... well, I can't imagine how bad it would be for you."

She straightened up and started to turn, as though she was leaving it there—as though she didn't know the truth and wasn't going to call Lily's bluff. However, after taking just one more step, she turned back to face her. "So let's check. Stand up, push your chair out, and step away from your desk, please, Lily."

Lily knew what lying and cheating was going to get her, but she couldn't fail the test. After listening to her teacher speak again, she just nodded and stayed silent again. She didn't want to say anything more than she had to so she could better keep what she thought was a secret safe.

As the teacher turned and started to leave, she started to calm down again but soon froze up again when she heard her teacher speak again. Of course, she couldn't deny doing what she said and nodded. "O-OK miss Derby." She then looked around the class and all the other students before taking a deep breath.

She started to stand up, keeping her legs tightly together, and pushed away her chair. However, when it came to walking, she didn't know what she was supposed to do. She tried her best to walk, but as soon as she moved her leg, the paper felt out, and she turned to look at it frozen in fear. She didn't know what to do or say anymore, so she just turned to her teacher, waiting to see what she would do.

Miss Derby simply shook her head when she saw—it was obvious that Lily was still trying to hide the cheat sheet, but when it fell to the ground, it was all there for her to see. Taking her time, she walked over, picked it up, and had a look. "Just as I thought. Now, first thing first, Lily..."

She folded it up. She then took Lily's test and drew a line across the page, before writing a 0 at the top. She folded that up as well, and walked over to her desk, where both pieces of paper went into the top drawer—and a big wooden ruler came out of the same drawer. "You're going to have a very long, very hard spanking for this. But first of all, we need to see if you have been sneaking any other things in with you. Go to the front of the classroom, then take all of your clothes off. Even your underwear. One thing at a time, take them off and place them on my desk."

Lily frowned when her teacher picked up the paper and started to speak. She watched as her test was written up as a zero and put into the top drawer. As she saw the ruler came out, that's when she got worried. Being spanked by the ruler for a long time would hurt.

However, before the spanking, she was told to do something else and quickly shook her head in disapproval. "W-what Miss Derby? I-I can't do that. I-I promise I'm not hiding anything else. T-that's the only sheet I had." She didn't want to strip in front of her class because she knew how bad that was, but somehow, she didn't feel like she was getting out of it after lying so much.

Miss Derby smacked the ruler against her own hand, making a loud, intimidating noise. She tried not to wince; it hurt even her, an adult, to do that, and she would be smacking Lily's bottom a lot harder than that.

"First of all, you have been lying to me already, so I can't believe what you say. I can't trust someone who has been this dishonest, Lily. And secondly, this is part of the punishment! This isn't just going to hurt, but I guarantee you that it is going to hurt. No, it is also going to be very embarrassing for you. Now, I suggest you do as you are told before I go there and pull your clothes off of you."

Lily flinched when the ruler emitted its noise. There was no way she wanted something like that to hit her bottom, but it was already too late for her to apologize. Once she heard her teacher finish speaking again, she looked down at her uniform for a few seconds and thought about what she could do.

Taking off her clothes in front of all of her classmates just wasn't something she could bring herself to do, so she fell to her knees and started to beg. "P-please miss Derby. I really don't have anything else hidden. I-I'm sorry I lied to you. I won't ever do it again. Just please don't make me take off my clothes." She didn't know how to change her teacher's mind, and begging and apologizing was the only thing that came to mind, so she just sat there hoping it would work.

The teacher slowly walked towards Lily. Soon enough, she was standing over her, towering above the little girl who was huddled down. The only good news was that she didn't look cruel or angry, just a little frustrated, and she put the ruler aside.

"In that case, I'm going to have to do it for you. And just so you know, because of your increased naughtiness, your embarrassment is going to be even worse. Now you won't get your skirt and underwear back after we're finished. You'll just be in your shirt, shoes, and socks, with your bare red bottom showing to everyone who sees you."

And with that, she reached down and picked Lily up so easily, given how the girl barely weighed anything. She hoisted her up onto the nearest chair, and just started to undo the buttons of her shirt, being very forceful with her hands—if Lily tried to get in the way, she just slapped her hands aside and kept going, before eventually pulling the shirt off and placing it on the desk.

And then she grabbed one shoe and yanked it off, and then the other, before pulling the socks off one at a time. Those were left on the floor. Next was the skirt, again forcefully unbuttoned and unzipped at the side and pulled off roughly, trying not to let Lily interfere.

Finally, she hooked her fingers into the waistband of the girl's underwear. "Right. Stand up, and then when I pull these down, step out of them."

Lily looked up at her teacher, who was now towering above her. Due to her not looking angry, she thought maybe she had gotten out of a little bit of the punishment, but her hope soon left after she heard what her teacher had said. She wanted to protest again, but before she could, she was picked up.

Once she was placed in the chair and being undressed, she tried to stop her teacher just to get her hands slapped away. After a few tries, she finally stopped and just let her finish until she was just in her underwear. Once again, listening to her teacher's request, she didn't want to do it, but she was already mostly naked, and it might make her punishment worse if she didn't.

After taking a few breaths, she stood up and felt her underwear get pulled down, and she stepped out of them as she did. She wanted to say something but couldn't get her mouth to open, so instead, she just waited for her punishment to continue.

"I'm glad to see you're starting to obey me," Miss Derby said as she placed the skirt and underwear in her desk drawer, "although it would be better if you were doing that from the start. Now..."

With Lily standing on the chair, she was at a better height to examine and properly search. And then, she looked at the girl up and down before raising her hand to crotch level and resting her palm over Lily's vulva. "...as I said, this is a proper search, to embarrass you. It's just like in prisons, to make sure you aren't sneaking things in by hiding them in your body."

So saying, she held Lily's vagina open, prodding about with two fingers to explore and humiliate the little girl. Thankfully, it only lasted less than a minute, but she still looked closely, as well as standing aside so anyone in the class could see (for those who weren't still working on their test). "One last place to check. Turn around, bend over, then reach back and spread your bottom cheeks."

Lily just continued to stare at her teacher, trying to ignore the rest of the class just waiting for something to happen. When she finally felt Derby's hand resting on her most private area, her face turned bright red, and she listened to what was said.

Once the taking was over and her vagina was spread, followed by two fingers exploring the inside of it, a strange tingling sensation rose up through her body, causing her to moan softly, but it didn't last long since the fingers were pulled out soon.

She then heard her teacher give another command and nodded. "Y-yes, Miss Derby." She turned around and put her hand on her butt cheeks, just holding them there for a few seconds not wanting to do it but ended up spreading them, giving access to her back hole.

"Good, just like that," Miss Derby first let the class see. But then she stepped in close and had a careful look, examining Lily's anus, as well as the back of her little pussy. That was enough, though, as she sucked one finger to get it wet, then pressed it up against that rear hole. "Take a deep breath, this won't be comfortable." So she said, she pushed her finger in, hard, trying to get it past the little girl's anal ring, all the way inside to explore it.

Lily just stayed silent, waiting for the teacher to finish examining her. When she was told to take a deep breath, she did not really know what was happening. She soon felt a wet finger trying to push into her butt hole.

The feeling was uncomfortable just like she was told it would be, and it only got worse as she felt the finger pushing deeper into her. All the stress was just making her hole tighter, making it harder to explore the inside of it.

That didn't deter the teacher, however—in fact, she suspected that Lily would clench up, even involuntarily. So she just wrapped her other arm around the girl's waist to steady her, and pushed in more firmly, using force to get her finger all the way inside, up to the third knuckle.

"Now, you cheated and lied about it, Lily, so I am going to have to make it a long, hard, painful, and embarrassing spanking. And you won't just stand in the corner afterwards, but we'll think of something else that you like even less. And then you go to see the principal." She wiggled her finger around and twisted it around inside Lily's bottom.

"However, that still leaves the fact that you continued to lie about it, and then you disobeyed me when I told you to take your clothes off. So Lily, tomorrow you will have detention at lunch time in the Punishment Room, and you will also see me after school for a special extra-last spanking tomorrow." Finally, Miss Derby pulled her finger out. She wiped it clean with a wet-wipe, which quickly went in the bin, and then picked Lily up by the waist and set her on her feet on the floor so she could pull the chair out and sit down. "Now come over here, over my lap."

Lily stayed silent, trying to focus on staying as comfortable she could while a finger slowly pushed into her rear, but she couldn't help but tense up as it got deeper and deeper. Once it was finally in all the way, she listened to her teacher speak and wanted to respond, but the finger started to wiggle and twist around inside her, causing her to tense up again.

Listening to the final things that were said before the finger was pulled out, she nodded in agreement. "Y-yes, Miss Derby I understand." She then watched as her teacher moved the chair to sit in it and asked her to lay over her lap. It was finally time for her spankings, and she was scared but didn't want to add onto the punishment she already had tomorrow, so she laid over her teacher's lap and closed her eyes, waiting to brace herself for the spanks.

Once the eight-year-old was over her lap, Miss Derby reached down and gave both cheeks a good squeeze. She rubbed them a bit, pressed her hands against them to get an idea of how soft and spankable they would be, rubbed along her thighs as well, and briefly spread her cheeks wide. Thanks to the way she was sitting, Lily's bottom was pointed at the class, so this gave them a good view.

"And if you ever lie to me again, young lady, I will not only spank you, but I have some very hot chilis in my desk. I will put some of that on your tongue... and some of it in other places!" But she didn't give very long for that to sink in. She began spanking, and hard. She put all of her strength into swinging her hand down, first on one cheek, then the other, going for two or three spanks per second.

Lily's face just grew brighter and brighter red as her teacher started to squeeze and rub her butt, soon spreading her cheeks again, but she stayed focused on getting ready for the spankings. Instead, however, she heard her teacher say something and was about to respond, but before she could, the spanking had already begun, making her let out a loud yelp as she was spanked hard.

As the teacher went on and on spanking her more and more, her bottom grew red, and the pain was only increasing as they got redder. "I-I'm sorry, Miss Derby. I'll never lie to you again." Tears had started to form in her eyes as she started to beg again. She was hoping it would stop before the ruler was used.


An avian mage,  possessing features such as wings and other bird-like characteristics. She is slender and agile, capable of maneuvering swiftly in mid-air combat. Her attire includes enchanted clothing that boosts her mana reserves, indicating a preference for magical enhancements. Personality-wise, Ewith is determined and brave, willing to confront perceived threats head-on. She demonstrates strategic thinking in battle but can also be reactive when under pressure. Despite the dire circumstances she finds herself in, she shows resilience and a willingness to negotiate for survival. Her initial misjudgment of Brand suggests she may sometimes act on assumptions without complete evidence.

Ewith hadn't expected such a weak spell to work, so its failure didn't dishearten her (Though, did it fail because of a wind immunity, a Slash immunity, or sheer thick skin?). She changed directions on a proverbial copper piece to fly off to the right. Ewith was counting on Brand not being able to change directions as quickly. The downdraft caught her by surprise, but they were both so high up already that she could powerdive to build up speed and still escape it before hitting the forest's canopy. That was too close. She'd need to do something about the dragon's wings before she tried the same thing on him.

Summoning was pointless against the dragon, but that was just as well because she didn't use those spells. What about a bit of conjuration and weather control? As she flew (trying to regain altitude), she conjured a large cloud behind her, where it started dropping large hailstones above the dragon. Electricity was clearly a no-go, but how about ice?

She was still testing his defenses, seeing if she could find a usable weakness before going all-out with full-power spells...

*Sky magic? Against me? Really?* The dragon got a slight surprise a moment later when she started dropping hail on him. He grunted with irritation as the assault of hail came down on him. He blew through the hailstorm as he chased after her, his body crackling with arcs of electricity. He dove down after her, only halting his dive about fifty feet above her height. He flapped his wings hard, sending a chaotic swirl of wind after the avian. He also reached out and took advantage of the storm she'd conjured. Now there was not only hail but lightning blasting from the sky... and lightning liked to strike creatures in flight. It would only give Brand a good charge, but what would it do to the girl?

What she didn't know was that he'd deliberately toned down his bolts to a mere twelve miniamps. Painful and burning, but not deadly. The voltage, though, was fairly strong and made lots of frightening noise and light.

Ewith tumbled in the air, but came out of it flying yet another direction to keep away from the dragon. She winced as a stray lightning bolt struck her, but her own protection spell blocked it, preventing the worst of the damage. She'd expected to need it against the dragon's breath, not a modification of her own spell.

That said, it was about to wear off, so she had to pause in her offensive to reapply it. It was unfortunate that she couldn't have stayed above Brand. If he dropped now, there was a chance she'd be caught on the way down. The storm was nothing compared to that beast...

But she didn't have much choice. Once her protection from lightning was reinforced, she began weaving another spell. This one would take longer to pull together...

Brand wondered why the girl wasn't countering him. Must be restoring her defenses... he dove after her, claws ready and mouth open once again... this time genuinely salivating in anticipation of an easy catch. He already had the perfect outfit for her picked out. And once he resolved the misunderstanding she'd be far more inclined towards helping him. And then she'd eventually be eating out of his hand...

His shadow fell over the girl as he dropped down on her, eager for his fantasy to become reality.

Ewith twisted around in mid-air to face him, and he could see her hands were cupped, as if holding something. She drew them apart, and then the dragon found the air around him being pulled away, creating a pocket of vacuum centered on him. The nearby clouds were twisted, seeming to have a circular hole blasted through them. Could he continue flying through that?

Of course, this wasn't healthy for her, as the outwards rushing of air knocked her down and into the trees... And she couldn't even watch out for branches in her way, as she had to focus on maintaining the spell to keep nature from reasserting itself...

Brand's expression was comically surprised as he suddenly dropped like a stone from the sky. He smashed right through the branches of two or three trees before hitting the ground. When he landed he tried to take in a breath... and couldn't. A couple of useless gasps later and he could feel the beginnings on instinctive panic.

*Calm... calm... think...* Brand cast an air spell of his own, one that generated air in a bubble around his head. Her spell was strong... strong enough that he had to keep feeding the spell to keep it from dissipating. Fortunately he was fairly sure that his spell cost less than hers... and that he had much larger reserves than she did. He righted himself and charged along the ground through the brush in the direction she had been going. None of the destruction he was causing made a sound for lack of air. Fine. Some of the gloves were going to come off...

Ewith had been left bent over a large branch after her own fall, and was looking rather ruffled. She was sure she'd felt the ground shake as the dragon hit the ground, but she was still in a precarious position. At the moment, she could fight through the pain to cast or breathe, but not both.

She dropped the spell—it had done what she needed it to. As the vacuum bubble collapsed, something like a thunderclap sounded across the valley as the air rushed back in. Of course, this had the side effect of dragging her from her ungainly perch towards him and deafening her. Hoping that he'd be disoriented too, she tried to take to the air again for round two...

With her magic reserves this severely drained, she wouldn't be able to do that spell again.

*WHAM!* The walls of wind that collapsed in on the dragon were hard enough to blast leaves from trees and leave him staggering. He stumbled and crashed into the ground, dazed for a few precious seconds. He could feel his ears ringing badly as he forced himself to his feet. *Note to self--air vacuums are bad.*

The dragon did manage to get himself up, however, just as strong as ever and now angry. His only consolation was that this was one mage and her magic power must have taken a huge hit. With the air back the dragon had no problem picking up her scent and homing in on her location. He arrived at her landing spot just as she was taking to the air again.

The dragon opened his mouth and let out a blast of lighting... at only a fraction of its potential power level. The shot was not a single spark, though, it was a continuous stream. The intent was to wear down and break her defenses and still leave her alive. He had plans for this avian annoyance.

It would be simple for Brand to calculate just how much force to use to just make it through the resistance spell. Though he would need to be quick to recognize when to stop when its time was up—that wouldn't take long.

In the meantime, the pain and her own ruffled feathers would drive Ewith to the ground again with a cry. Dazed, she looked up at him, channeling a basic healing spell to keep herself on her feet just a bit longer...

Brand grinned viciously as he simply lifted his clawed hand and placed it on the slender girl, pinning her to the ground. "Ghoul's Touch."

The paralyzing spell mimicked the dreaded curse of the undead flesh-eaters, paralyzing its subject but leaving them fully alive and aware. He paused then, letting the horror of the situation seep in while he silently gloated over his prey. "Check," he said. "And I believe... mate."

Even if she wasn't immobile, there was virtually no way she had the physical might to get out from under his grip.

With Ewith unable to move, she couldn't make the hand motions to cast her remaining spells. Brand had won. Although, his gloating might not have the desired reactions while her ears were ringing.

Brand sat down and lifted the limp form of the avian mage from the ground to roughly eye level. His ears were still ringing a bit, and from the slightly unfocused look in her eyes he suspected she might be having trouble too.

"So much to explain," he said. "But not here. Let's go to a more... intimate venue, shall we?"

He lifted her above his head and tilted his head back. He deliberately opened his salivating maw, strings of saliva stretching and snapping as she got an up close look at his red mouth and serpentine tongue. The ridges roof of his mouth stood in contrast to the softer flesh that rested in his lower jaw, all framed by a cage of sharp teeth. The dragon slowly lowered the avian girl down into that mouth, his warm breath rushing over her and blowing through her clothes and hair.

The paralyzed mage squealed in panic, unable to do anything but watch as her unresponsive body slipped down into the dragon's maw. Were her life and quest ending in failure? The paralysis would no doubt end soon, but she would be in the dragon's stomach by then. The sensations of the dragon's breath on her skin were only making things worse for her, and she had little else to focus on.

The dragon tossed the girl into his mouth. Instantly her clothing and hair were soaked by the dragon's slick and warm saliva. The dragon's tongue was agile enough to remove her rod from her belt and let him spit it out. The cloth, meanwhile, began to dissolve right off her body very rapidly.

The dragon's jaws closed around her, trapping her in the cage of teeth. Brand didn't swallow her right away. Instead he toyed with her, his tongue running all over her increasingly bare body while moving her from one side of his mouth to the other. Like some kind of hard candy.

As Brand's saliva ate away at Ewith's clothing, he'd feel a crackling sensation. It seemed the cloth—or at least some of the thread in its construction—was enchanted to help stretch a mage's mana reserves a bit, and now that was fizzling off without an anchor. It wouldn't harm either of them, but it was a shame—such an outfit couldn't be picked up just anywhere. It also added something different to her flavor at first before her natural taste shone through.

Ewith made disgusted sounds as the tongue forcefully loosened her body up, and saliva clung to her making her feel unclean. She'd underestimated him in many ways it seemed, but how long would he keep this up?

Long enough it would seem. Brand happily walked through the forested valley, making his way home via the scenic route apparently. It was a pity about her clothing but she wouldn't be needing them again anyway. She was sloshed around in his mouth until feeling finally started to return to her limbs.

Unfortunately that seemed to be about the time Brand decided to finish her off. His tongue pressed her against the roof of his mouth and began inching her steadily towards the narrow, dark pit that was his throat. Once she went down there... her fate became unthinkable.

No! She just needed a little more time! Ewith pressed her hands and feet against the roof of the dragon's mouth and tried to slow her descent (which left her wings in a rather awkward position).

"W-wait!" she forced out, "You don't need to do this. I wasn't going to eat you if I won." She reached desperately for some kind of argument.

"No," Brand managed to say around his mouthful of avian girl. "Just kill me. You thought I was your Darkness." He walked another couple of steps before he spoke again. "Convince me."

"You're not exactly disproving that," she pouted. "Okay, you can't convince me to join a harem, and admittedly my blasting magic has few constructive purposes. Looking at it that way, the best thing I could do is spread more truthful stories about you. Did you say you didn't care for the ones that are out there now?"


A grand silver dragon, majestic and imposing in his physical form. His body crackles with arcs of electricity, hinting at his potent magical prowess. He possesses a serpentine tongue, sharp teeth, and salivating maw that reveal his predatory nature. Brand exhibits confidence bordering on arrogance, taking pleasure in the chase and demonstrating a certain level of cruelty in toying with his prey. However, he also shows strategic intelligence and patience during battle. Despite his intimidating demeanor, he expresses irritation at being misunderstood and has shown an interest in explaining himself further.

Ewith hadn't expected such a weak spell to work, so its failure didn't dishearten her (Though, did it fail because of a wind immunity, a Slash immunity, or sheer thick skin?). She changed directions on a proverbial copper piece to fly off to the right. Ewith was counting on Brand not being able to change directions as quickly. The downdraft caught her by surprise, but they were both so high up already that she could powerdive to build up speed and still escape it before hitting the forest's canopy. That was too close. She'd need to do something about the dragon's wings before she tried the same thing on him.

Summoning was pointless against the dragon, but that was just as well because she didn't use those spells. What about a bit of conjuration and weather control? As she flew (trying to regain altitude), she conjured a large cloud behind her, where it started dropping large hailstones above the dragon. Electricity was clearly a no-go, but how about ice?

She was still testing his defenses, seeing if she could find a usable weakness before going all-out with full-power spells...

*Sky magic? Against me? Really?* The dragon got a slight surprise a moment later when she started dropping hail on him. He grunted with irritation as the assault of hail came down on him. He blew through the hailstorm as he chased after her, his body crackling with arcs of electricity. He dove down after her, only halting his dive about fifty feet above her height. He flapped his wings hard, sending a chaotic swirl of wind after the avian. He also reached out and took advantage of the storm she'd conjured. Now there was not only hail but lightning blasting from the sky... and lightning liked to strike creatures in flight. It would only give Brand a good charge, but what would it do to the girl?

What she didn't know was that he'd deliberately toned down his bolts to a mere twelve miniamps. Painful and burning, but not deadly. The voltage, though, was fairly strong and made lots of frightening noise and light.

Ewith tumbled in the air, but came out of it flying yet another direction to keep away from the dragon. She winced as a stray lightning bolt struck her, but her own protection spell blocked it, preventing the worst of the damage. She'd expected to need it against the dragon's breath, not a modification of her own spell.

That said, it was about to wear off, so she had to pause in her offensive to reapply it. It was unfortunate that she couldn't have stayed above Brand. If he dropped now, there was a chance she'd be caught on the way down. The storm was nothing compared to that beast...

But she didn't have much choice. Once her protection from lightning was reinforced, she began weaving another spell. This one would take longer to pull together...

Brand wondered why the girl wasn't countering him. Must be restoring her defenses... he dove after her, claws ready and mouth open once again... this time genuinely salivating in anticipation of an easy catch. He already had the perfect outfit for her picked out. And once he resolved the misunderstanding she'd be far more inclined towards helping him. And then she'd eventually be eating out of his hand...

His shadow fell over the girl as he dropped down on her, eager for his fantasy to become reality.

Ewith twisted around in mid-air to face him, and he could see her hands were cupped, as if holding something. She drew them apart, and then the dragon found the air around him being pulled away, creating a pocket of vacuum centered on him. The nearby clouds were twisted, seeming to have a circular hole blasted through them. Could he continue flying through that?

Of course, this wasn't healthy for her, as the outwards rushing of air knocked her down and into the trees... And she couldn't even watch out for branches in her way, as she had to focus on maintaining the spell to keep nature from reasserting itself...

Brand's expression was comically surprised as he suddenly dropped like a stone from the sky. He smashed right through the branches of two or three trees before hitting the ground. When he landed he tried to take in a breath... and couldn't. A couple of useless gasps later and he could feel the beginnings on instinctive panic.

*Calm... calm... think...* Brand cast an air spell of his own, one that generated air in a bubble around his head. Her spell was strong... strong enough that he had to keep feeding the spell to keep it from dissipating. Fortunately he was fairly sure that his spell cost less than hers... and that he had much larger reserves than she did. He righted himself and charged along the ground through the brush in the direction she had been going. None of the destruction he was causing made a sound for lack of air. Fine. Some of the gloves were going to come off...

Ewith had been left bent over a large branch after her own fall, and was looking rather ruffled. She was sure she'd felt the ground shake as the dragon hit the ground, but she was still in a precarious position. At the moment, she could fight through the pain to cast or breathe, but not both.

She dropped the spell—it had done what she needed it to. As the vacuum bubble collapsed, something like a thunderclap sounded across the valley as the air rushed back in. Of course, this had the side effect of dragging her from her ungainly perch towards him and deafening her. Hoping that he'd be disoriented too, she tried to take to the air again for round two...

With her magic reserves this severely drained, she wouldn't be able to do that spell again.

*WHAM!* The walls of wind that collapsed in on the dragon were hard enough to blast leaves from trees and leave him staggering. He stumbled and crashed into the ground, dazed for a few precious seconds. He could feel his ears ringing badly as he forced himself to his feet. *Note to self--air vacuums are bad.*

The dragon did manage to get himself up, however, just as strong as ever and now angry. His only consolation was that this was one mage and her magic power must have taken a huge hit. With the air back the dragon had no problem picking up her scent and homing in on her location. He arrived at her landing spot just as she was taking to the air again.

The dragon opened his mouth and let out a blast of lighting... at only a fraction of its potential power level. The shot was not a single spark, though, it was a continuous stream. The intent was to wear down and break her defenses and still leave her alive. He had plans for this avian annoyance.

It would be simple for Brand to calculate just how much force to use to just make it through the resistance spell. Though he would need to be quick to recognize when to stop when its time was up—that wouldn't take long.

In the meantime, the pain and her own ruffled feathers would drive Ewith to the ground again with a cry. Dazed, she looked up at him, channeling a basic healing spell to keep herself on her feet just a bit longer...

Brand grinned viciously as he simply lifted his clawed hand and placed it on the slender girl, pinning her to the ground. "Ghoul's Touch."

The paralyzing spell mimicked the dreaded curse of the undead flesh-eaters, paralyzing its subject but leaving them fully alive and aware. He paused then, letting the horror of the situation seep in while he silently gloated over his prey. "Check," he said. "And I believe... mate."

Even if she wasn't immobile, there was virtually no way she had the physical might to get out from under his grip.

With Ewith unable to move, she couldn't make the hand motions to cast her remaining spells. Brand had won. Although, his gloating might not have the desired reactions while her ears were ringing.

Brand sat down and lifted the limp form of the avian mage from the ground to roughly eye level. His ears were still ringing a bit, and from the slightly unfocused look in her eyes he suspected she might be having trouble too.

"So much to explain," he said. "But not here. Let's go to a more... intimate venue, shall we?"

He lifted her above his head and tilted his head back. He deliberately opened his salivating maw, strings of saliva stretching and snapping as she got an up close look at his red mouth and serpentine tongue. The ridges roof of his mouth stood in contrast to the softer flesh that rested in his lower jaw, all framed by a cage of sharp teeth. The dragon slowly lowered the avian girl down into that mouth, his warm breath rushing over her and blowing through her clothes and hair.

The paralyzed mage squealed in panic, unable to do anything but watch as her unresponsive body slipped down into the dragon's maw. Were her life and quest ending in failure? The paralysis would no doubt end soon, but she would be in the dragon's stomach by then. The sensations of the dragon's breath on her skin were only making things worse for her, and she had little else to focus on.

The dragon tossed the girl into his mouth. Instantly her clothing and hair were soaked by the dragon's slick and warm saliva. The dragon's tongue was agile enough to remove her rod from her belt and let him spit it out. The cloth, meanwhile, began to dissolve right off her body very rapidly.

The dragon's jaws closed around her, trapping her in the cage of teeth. Brand didn't swallow her right away. Instead he toyed with her, his tongue running all over her increasingly bare body while moving her from one side of his mouth to the other. Like some kind of hard candy.

As Brand's saliva ate away at Ewith's clothing, he'd feel a crackling sensation. It seemed the cloth—or at least some of the thread in its construction—was enchanted to help stretch a mage's mana reserves a bit, and now that was fizzling off without an anchor. It wouldn't harm either of them, but it was a shame—such an outfit couldn't be picked up just anywhere. It also added something different to her flavor at first before her natural taste shone through.

Ewith made disgusted sounds as the tongue forcefully loosened her body up, and saliva clung to her making her feel unclean. She'd underestimated him in many ways it seemed, but how long would he keep this up?

Long enough it would seem. Brand happily walked through the forested valley, making his way home via the scenic route apparently. It was a pity about her clothing but she wouldn't be needing them again anyway. She was sloshed around in his mouth until feeling finally started to return to her limbs.

Unfortunately that seemed to be about the time Brand decided to finish her off. His tongue pressed her against the roof of his mouth and began inching her steadily towards the narrow, dark pit that was his throat. Once she went down there... her fate became unthinkable.

No! She just needed a little more time! Ewith pressed her hands and feet against the roof of the dragon's mouth and tried to slow her descent (which left her wings in a rather awkward position).

"W-wait!" she forced out, "You don't need to do this. I wasn't going to eat you if I won." She reached desperately for some kind of argument.

"No," Brand managed to say around his mouthful of avian girl. "Just kill me. You thought I was your Darkness." He walked another couple of steps before he spoke again. "Convince me."

"You're not exactly disproving that," she pouted. "Okay, you can't convince me to join a harem, and admittedly my blasting magic has few constructive purposes. Looking at it that way, the best thing I could do is spread more truthful stories about you. Did you say you didn't care for the ones that are out there now?"

"Oh, but I can convince you," Brand rumbled so that her entire body seemed to vibrate. "In fact I will. But let's set that aside. The best way for me to prove that I am not your darkness is to destroy it myself, is it not? Something that I have been trying to do for ten. Long. Years. And now you come along and presume that I am your foe. Spreading news you do not believe will not help me nearly as much as helping me face this thing down and destroy it. So... no." Brand tilted his head back and let gravity toss the girl down into his gullet. The powerful, undulating muscles of his throat enveloped her from all sides, stifling her into darkness. Her arms and wings were pinned to her sides as she was dragged down into the wet darkness.


A hardworking and dedicated woman with an attractive appearance that matches her confident demeanor. She's comfortable in her own skin, often wearing a silk nightgown during her downtime. Her playful and teasing nature shows she has a good sense of humor. She enjoys indulging in luxuries like wine and Netflix to unwind from her demanding job as a city reporter. Despite her tough exterior, she also shows signs of sentimentality, remembering the woman who raised her fondly.

Ella was glad to finally have a night out of the office. She worked as one of the top leading reporters in the highlight of the big city. She loved writing but she had too many times where she was stuck at work, after hours. It was disappointing to experience, but it gave her credibility the more she worked.

Tonight was something she and her best friend had been planning forever. They had known each other for as long as she could remember. Grabbing out her silk nightgown, keeping it long enough to not be in the way she had placed an order at a local restaurant for dinner and had multiple bottles of wine waiting for them.

Glancing at the clock she was waiting for him to arrive. She was comfortable around him and the idea that they would be hanging out after it had seemed like forever ago, even though they saw each other more than she saw her nana. The woman who raised her, the idea of the woman made her realize she had to go back and see her soon.

Grabbing a cigarette she turned on the TV and turned it to Netflix, trying to decide which show they should see. It would ultimately be up to them both but it never hurt to look. Lighting it, she sat back and flipped through things while she waited for him, taking a moment to relax, for what seemed like forever.

Jordan had too fell victim to the unforgiving and overtly demanding nature of his job as one of the head architects for a construction firm in the city. He was responsible for designing several of the basking towers and corporate buildings across the city and he often found himself working into the break of morning in order to submit his blueprints before the deadline that he was assigned.

Jordan was forced to plan sometimes weeks in advance if he wanted time off. Having managed to get ahead in his designation of rendered drawings, he finally found himself with a free evening to spend with his dearest friend: Ella. Meticulous planning was involved in what felt like an aligning of the stars, but as the aroma of Italian fettuccine filled his car, spending quality time with his friend slowly began to feel more and more like reality.

Coming straight from work, Jordan was still dressed in his collared button up that was adorned by a sleek and silky blue tie. His slacks were slim and hugged his slender legs nicely, accenting how tall and subtly muscular his frame was. Despite being to able to visit more often than either seemed to realize, the time they spent always seemed to leave them craving more, and perhaps tonight would be a culmination of such feelings.

It wasn't much longer before he stepped inside of her loft, a beaming smile of radiant charisma had flashed across his features. As he placed the bag of takeout on her coffee table, he promptly sat beside her and pulled her cigarette from her lips. Placed a soft kiss on the corner of her lips as a greeting in its place before taking a long drag at the cancer stick. They were more than comfortable with one another. "Evening, Ella," he grinned as he ran his fingertips through his silky raven black hair.

Hearing the click of the door had Ella turn a small bit before he took her cigarette, kissing her gently and taking a drag. She rarely smoked, only when she was stressed out about things happening in the world.

"Well hello there, Jordan." She teased a small wink as she noticed the food in his hand. "I see you brought food, I have the bottles of wine and Netflix is open. What are you craving?" She asked as she stood to her feet, tugging her nightdress down a bit as she did.

Grabbing the corkscrew she pulled it open as she let the liquid pour from the bottle. The beautiful rich red color as it went into the glass. Handing him one she smiled. "Are you comfortable like that? I was planning a marathon and if we are up for a while watching TV that looks the worst to sit in."

Jordan eyes lingered for a moment at the end of her silky nightgown that she tugged down to the median of her voluptuous thighs. He tried to avert his eyes back up at her glistening emerald pair without making any notice of his little gesture that seemed perhaps a smudge prolonged to have come from 'just a friend'.

Taking one last drag from her stick of nicotine, he twirled the smoldering butt towards him and returned the cigarette to its sender. "You're a doll," he called out as he moved to help himself to assortment of beverages that she had fashioned. "Chardonnay..." he hummed sweetly, it was always his favorite drink to unwind to. She knew him too well.

He snickered at the loaded question. 'what was he craving?' It was a question he wasn't sure he could even answer to himself. "I'm with you... all my needs are quenched," he confirmed as he turned to look into her eyes that were illuminated by the technicolor screen that flashed in their peripherals.

"Not at all. Care to help me get out of this monkey suit?" he asked with a chuckle as he set his glass down to pull at the bulge of his widowmaker's tie.

Ella noticed he took another drag of the cigarette before handing the small bud of smoke to her. She took it and nodded. "Only the best, we both work hard, why not treat ourselves, darling." She commented before handing him the clear glass, now filled with the alcoholic drink.

"Ha! All your needs quenched." She mocked with a tease before crossing a leg and sitting down beside him. Taking a sip of her own liquid courage she turned to him with a sharp look.

"And you can't take off a work jacket and a tie on your own?" She snickered slightly before bending forward and placing her drink down. Taking his tie she began to shake it loose. "Here, just let me do it." She muttered as she began to pull at it before letting it get free and dragging it off.

"I don't know why you don't bring a pair of pyjama pants or a PJ set when you get here. I'm going to have to buy you something."

"You're an angel," Jordan hummed as he was more than receptive to the glass that she extended to him. Glancing down into the clear barrel of dispensed alcohol, his lips curled in delight before he helped himself to swig. He cooed in delight at how lovely the burning taste of such a drink had complemented the smoke that he'd stolen from his 'friend'.

"What's so amusing?" He asked as he chose to play coy when Ella had seemed to hone in on his deceptive remark about certain needs that had assuredly gone unquenched.

"Certain motor functions are lost to me after hours," he teased as he allowed her to aid him in pulling his tie loose and past the iron pressed collar of his sterile white button up. He pulled his arms free from his jacket that he folded up neatly on the foot of her couch before pulling his shirt from its formerly tucked perch.

"As kind as that sounds... I'd hate to make you cut into our funds for Chardonnay," he jested again before he rustled his belt buckle loose.

Ella looked at him with a smile. "I have no idea why you think I'm an angel. You know I reek of booze and the drippings of sex." She said with a laugh before walking closer to him. The way he spoke of motor functions being lost to him. She did help him with removing the things he wanted before sitting back beside him. When he spoke of the funds for Chardonnay.

"Fuck no, I'd buy it from a second-hand store. I am spending five bucks at max otherwise I'm using my curtains and making you a toga to wear." She said with a laugh before looking at the TV. "What do you want to watch?"


A tall, slender man with subtle muscularity, hinting at an active lifestyle and the physical demands of his job as a head architect. He has silky raven-black hair and dresses professionally in slim slacks, collared button-ups, and sleek ties. His charismatic nature is highlighted by his radiant smile and playful banter. Despite his demanding job, he values quality time with Ella, often planning weeks in advance to ensure their meetings. He has a fondness for Chardonnay wine and appears comfortable expressing affection towards Ella.

"You're an angel," Jordan hummed as he was more than receptive to the glass that she extended to him. Glancing down into the clear barrel of dispensed alcohol, his lips curled in delight before he helped himself to swig. He cooed in delight at how lovely the burning taste of such a drink had complemented the smoke that he'd stolen from his 'friend'.

"What's so amusing?" He asked as he chose to play coy when Ella had seemed to hone in on his deceptive remark about certain needs that had assuredly gone unquenched.

"Certain motor functions are lost to me after hours," he teased as he allowed her to aid him in pulling his tie loose and past the iron pressed collar of his sterile white button up. He pulled his arms free from his jacket that he folded up neatly on the foot of her couch before pulling his shirt from its formerly tucked perch.

"As kind as that sounds... I'd hate to make you cut into our funds for Chardonnay," he jested again before he rustled his belt buckle loose.


A young, muscular sorcerer with green eyes and raven hair. Standing at five foot eight, his physical strength is concealed beneath his robes. Raised on a farm, he's no stranger to hard work and prefers getting his hands dirty over relying solely on magic. He possesses a deep, commanding voice that conveys calmness and calculation. Despite his initial stern demeanor and authority as a master, he shows patience while dealing with communication barriers with Sariah, hinting at an underlying kindness. He also struggles with suppressing his attraction towards Sariah, indicating an internal conflict between his professional obligations and personal desires.

Aiden stood outside his two story building at the edge of town waiting for his package to arrive. Aiden was a young sorcerer, trained at the magic academy in the capital city. He made a living enchanting tools and weapons for a pretty price. Sometimes he would be asked to help break curses or take care of magical creatures that invade some of the outlying farms.

His green eyes scanned the horizon as he tapped his foot impatiently. He had shut down his shop for this package, and he was hoping to get it back up soon. He ran his fingers through his raven hair in frustration. He stood at five foot eight, his robes hid his muscular build. He was raised on a farm so he was no stranger to work and even with magic, he was ore likely to get his hands dirty than let the magic do everything.

It wasn't long before the sound of a wagon could be heard coming down the dirt path. It rattled along until it pulled up in front of the building. The man dismounted and approached Aiden and shook his hand. There were no words passed between the men, simply a nod in agreement. He had paid for this package a week ago and finally got notice of the delivery the day prior. The man went around and grabbed a strand of rope, pulling firmly until it produce the package, a kitsune, a woman that had fox-like features.

The silver hair seemed to glow, even against the barely covered skin. Aiden was surprised at how attractive she looked, but was caught off guard by her crystal blue eyes. He had never been caught off guard by anything and yet this creature before him sent him off of his concentration. Shaking his head from the images, he took hold of the rope as it was handed to him. He nodded again at the driver who had jumped back onto his wagon and hurried back down the road. Aiden cleared his throat before speaking, trying to keep his eyes from her body.

"Do you have a name?" His voice was deep and commanding, although calm and calculated.

Sariah sat in a cage, towards the back end of a cart. she felt every hill and dale the cart went through. She sat quietly until the cart came to a stop. the man driving the cart, who must have been a delivery man, opened the cage door. He placed a collar and leash on her, then pulled her out of the cage. she stood on her arms and legs, like a car would. she normally walked upright, but she was bending treated like an animal.

She looked up at her new owner, giving a faint smile. he seemed attractive, his toned body hidden behind that cloak. she saw the hand off of her leash, and wondered what he planned to do with her.

Aiden's new pet seemed friendly enough by the small smile he had received, a plus if she may be around customers from time to time. He was, however, disappointed in not receiving a response. He held the rope tightly and led her forward towards his building. As he opened the door he asked her a different question. "Can you speak?" He had hoped he wouldn't have to train her in talking as well as it would mean more time spent away from work and more on training her. He led them both into the main shop room, closing and locking the door behind them. Waving his free hand around the room, the various lamps lit up and shone the almost archaic design. The floor was mainly cobblestone other than a large black rug the led up to a small wooden counter. Small tables with runes inscribed on them littered the corners, and weapons and tools lined racks along the walls.

Satisfied that even if his new pet attempted to leave, she would be unable, he released the rope and awaited her response. He figured he would get the main things out of the way before he showed her the rest of the house.

Sariah Looked up at him as he asked her a question. she understood what he was saying, but speaking that language was difficult. She could speak 'nekon', the native language of her kind, and some basic magic, but English is hard to use for her. she began to speak in Nekon "I can!" she realized that to him, it would just sound like a bunch of purring and meows. She started to try his language. "I-t is... Diff-icult to.. t-alk in th-is Tong-ue..." she said slowly, trying to make sure he could understand. She was never Given a human name, just her neko name. she didn't know how to translate it...

Aiden sighed in frustration when he realized that she would have trouble communicating with him, and that he would have to take extra effort if he was going to make it work. He raised his hand to the bridge of his nose and let out a sigh. "At least you understand me." he said, taking in the small victory. He would figure out a name for her later, for now he needed to continue the tour of where she was staying. Lowering his hand, he stood straighter and looked her deep in her blue eyes. "This is my shop, where I will be spending most of the day and into the afternoon. Until we teach you to talk better, while I am working you are not allowed down here." He said sternly as he walked closer to her, his eyes locked in a cold stare as he approached her and took hold of where the leash attached at the collar. Removing the leash and throwing it over a hook on the wall he turned and continued through the room.

"Follow me, I will show you the rest of the house." He waited for her to follow him before leading her up the stairs to where his living quarters were. It was a very simple living arrangement. A small kitchen doubled as a living area, two doors in the back leading to a bathroom and bedroom respectively. Everything seemed dull and bare as if very little love was put into any room. There was a small rug in front of the stove that he used to heat the house during the snowy months. He motioned to the rug. "This is where you will be sleeping until I can get you some proper bed." He said as he turned to make sure she understood before showing her the simple bathroom that had everything a person would need, if only just. He pointed at the closed door and spoke even firmer than before. "This is my room, and unless there is some emergency, you do not enter this room."

Sariah nodded to she was told. So she would be restricted to a few rooms. *OK, better then a cage.* she thought. She walked to the rug, and circled on it twice. She lay softly on it, noticing it wasn't as soft as she had hoped, but it would do. She Smiled up at him, but noticed it was decently cold in the room. she shivered, and frowned at her lack of clothes. her hair was slightly messed up, and her body was slightly dirty...

Aiden too noticed her lack of clothing as was sure that she was quite cold. Although he had nothing to offer her in the way of things to wear at the time, he would buy something that would suit her in the morning. "Tonight may be a rough night for you. I have no extra clothing that would fit you to keep you warm, and most of the shops will be closed by the time I get to them." He said as he thought about how they were going to communicate between them. "Call me Master." He said, laying yet another rule down but not sounding as stern. "Now come and I will draw you a bath." He said as he opened the bathroom door and started to fill a small tub with water. He mumbled a spell to make sure the water was a comfortable temperature.

Sariah listened, then tried to repeat the words. "yo-u a-re my mas-t-er." she said, struggling to say the words. she followed him to the rest room, for a bath. She took off the clothes, or lack there of, and used only her tails to cover her body. She smiled kindly at him. he was stern, but nice to her. She dipped her foot into the water, it was warm, and very comfortable. she stepped in and sat down, moving her tails around to support herself. she began to wash herself, removing the dirt to make her skin look like that of a pale goddess. her hair gave off the same affect as it was wet

Aiden was glad that she was at least willing to obey. Once the water was finished filling the tub he looked over her naked body. He had to admit, he wasn't sure he could find a better pet to look at. He had to shake those thoughts, as it was taboo to have feelings for a pet. "Have you ever bathed in a tub before? Or would you need help?" He asked, unsure what kind of training this girl had gotten before she was given to him. He knew that some were fully trained and others, were just barely. Based on the fact that she could barely speak, he imagined that wasn't the only thing she didn't know.

The man asked her if she knew how to bathe in a wash tub, or if she needed help. "I k-now ho-w maste-r" Sariah said, beginning to bathe herself. She was taught basic hygiene, and how to act around humans. They didn't think she would need to be able to talk. She finished washing her body, this time leaving it exposed as she stepped out of the wash tub. "Th-ank yo-u m-aster" she managed to say, feeling slightly better about certain words.

It seemed that she would be able to pick up on words easier than Aiden thought, and a sudden smile crossed his lips as his original thought of the difficulty of trainer her was wrong. "You are welcome. I still need to figure out what to call you." He said as he pondered, having hard time concentrating with the naked woman standing in front of him, now wet from a bath. He didn't realize that he would have to fight his own urges in this training. "Well until we figure that out, let's go over what you will be doing." He said as he let her follow him out of the bathroom, feeling slightly bad that he didn't have anything for her to cover up with.

"While I am working the shop, you will need to make sure that this room stays clean and orderly, and you will have to take care of yourself while I work. Afterwards I will be teaching you how to take care of the store room so you can clean that up safely without harming yourself." He said as he sat down on a small couch he used to relax before bed.

Sariah nodded her head, signifying that she understood what she would be doing. Cleaning was one thing she was trained to do, and she would stay out of his way. She walked over to her seated master, and sat next to his feet. She sat like a cat would, but did not touch him, preventing him from being wet. She smiled at him. If she were dry, she would have cuddled up against his leg, but decided that may anger him.

Even with her being wet, Aiden couldn't help but notice just how much like a pet she truly appeared. She had been doing a good job ever since she had arrived and he figured she deserved some acknowledge of her job well done. He reached forward and placed his hand between her fox ears and gently pet the top of her head. "I see you have been trained well, and I think me and you will be getting along well." Every once in a while, he would stop stroking her head to scratch her ear gently.

Sariah felt his hand go to her head. At first she pulled away, in fear of being struck. But when his hand affectionately scratched her ears, and stroked her head, she instantly stopped moving. I wide smile appeared on her face, as she was complimented about being well trained. But then again, when you think about it, the training gave you no choice. Do something wrong, punishments were strictly enforced. Many of them physical. She learned quickly not to screw around and to obey. But that was long ago. Now she had her master, and felt happy he didn't want to hurt her.

Aiden let out a long yawn, showing how tired he had become. He knew he hadn't gotten much work done today but he felt he was allowed to splurge a little bit after all. Tomorrow he would need to find clothing that would fit his new pet. He would need something she could work in, something casual and then something to sleep in. He started to think about what he would want to see her in. The images that were coming into his mind were obvious signs of his tiredness and he shook the naughty images away. "Well my foxy pet. I think it is time for bed." He said as he gave her ear one last gentle scratch before standing up and stretching.

Sariah noticed her master was tired, and felt much the same. She let out a soft purr, then walked over to the carpet she was assigned. She circled around once, on all fours, then lay down softly. Her tails covered her body, providing some warmth, but she still felt cold. She tried to sleep, but found herself unable to. She hummed a soft lullaby, that was actually a calming spell. It always made her feel better. By the end of it, she was half asleep, and finished closing her eyes and fell asleep for the night.

Aiden watched most of her routine as she prepared to sleep and smiled at the cute act that she did. He whispered a soft goodnight before retiring into his own room for the night. He felt bad that she was left in the cold, and he almost considered letting her sleep in his bed for this night simply to stay warm, but he needed to make sure boundaries were kept. It wasn't long before he was off to sleep himself and up with the morning son.

When morning came, Aiden was up and ready for work, although he had decided to keep the shop closed another day so he could spend the day shopping for his pet. He couldn't have her naked all of the time, even if a part of him really enjoyed it. He threw on a robe and grabbed a towel from his closet so he could take his morning bath. He was quiet as he opened the door, not sure if his pet had awoken yet or not.

Sariah sat bright eyed where she had been previously sleeping. The carpet felt better than stone and wood, but to her, that did not matter. She saw her master's door open, and she smiled to him from the small walk way, then walked over on all fours. She made sure not to touch anything, and began to speak... "Ma-ster? Yo-u o-k?" She questioned. The man was kind to her, and she felt the need to know how he felt.

Seeing as his attempt to not wake her failed, Aiden smiled at her question. "Oh I am fine my pet, I am simply going to take a bath to get ready to get you clothes." He said with a smiled as he looked down at her, his hand slid between her ears and gave her an affectionate pat on the head before gently scratching behind her ear. "I hope your night was alright, I am sorry I didn't have somewhere for you to sleep." He said apologetically.


A kitsune with fox-like features, including multiple tails. She has glowing silver hair and crystal blue eyes that stand out against her pale skin. Her body language often mimics that of a cat, suggesting an animalistic instinct and behavior. Despite her limited understanding of human language, she shows willingness to learn and adapt to her new environment. Sariah is submissive and obedient but also displays signs of curiosity about her new master, Aiden. She responds positively to affectionate gestures like head pats and ear scratches, indicating a desire for positive interaction despite being treated as a pet.

Aiden stood outside his two story building at the edge of town waiting for his package to arrive. Aiden was a young sorcerer, trained at the magic academy in the capital city. He made a living enchanting tools and weapons for a pretty price. Sometimes he would be asked to help break curses or take care of magical creatures that invade some of the outlying farms.

His green eyes scanned the horizon as he tapped his foot impatiently. He had shut down his shop for this package, and he was hoping to get it back up soon. He ran his fingers through his raven hair in frustration. He stood at five foot eight, his robes hid his muscular build. He was raised on a farm so he was no stranger to work and even with magic, he was ore likely to get his hands dirty than let the magic do everything.

It wasn't long before the sound of a wagon could be heard coming down the dirt path. It rattled along until it pulled up in front of the building. The man dismounted and approached Aiden and shook his hand. There were no words passed between the men, simply a nod in agreement. He had paid for this package a week ago and finally got notice of the delivery the day prior. The man went around and grabbed a strand of rope, pulling firmly until it produce the package, a kitsune, a woman that had fox-like features.

The silver hair seemed to glow, even against the barely covered skin. Aiden was surprised at how attractive she looked, but was caught off guard by her crystal blue eyes. He had never been caught off guard by anything and yet this creature before him sent him off of his concentration. Shaking his head from the images, he took hold of the rope as it was handed to him. He nodded again at the driver who had jumped back onto his wagon and hurried back down the road. Aiden cleared his throat before speaking, trying to keep his eyes from her body.

"Do you have a name?" His voice was deep and commanding, although calm and calculated.

Sariah sat in a cage, towards the back end of a cart. she felt every hill and dale the cart went through. She sat quietly until the cart came to a stop. the man driving the cart, who must have been a delivery man, opened the cage door. He placed a collar and leash on her, then pulled her out of the cage. she stood on her arms and legs, like a car would. she normally walked upright, but she was bending treated like an animal.

She looked up at her new owner, giving a faint smile. he seemed attractive, his toned body hidden behind that cloak. she saw the hand off of her leash, and wondered what he planned to do with her.

Aiden's new pet seemed friendly enough by the small smile he had received, a plus if she may be around customers from time to time. He was, however, disappointed in not receiving a response. He held the rope tightly and led her forward towards his building. As he opened the door he asked her a different question. "Can you speak?" He had hoped he wouldn't have to train her in talking as well as it would mean more time spent away from work and more on training her. He led them both into the main shop room, closing and locking the door behind them. Waving his free hand around the room, the various lamps lit up and shone the almost archaic design. The floor was mainly cobblestone other than a large black rug the led up to a small wooden counter. Small tables with runes inscribed on them littered the corners, and weapons and tools lined racks along the walls.

Satisfied that even if his new pet attempted to leave, she would be unable, he released the rope and awaited her response. He figured he would get the main things out of the way before he showed her the rest of the house.

Sariah Looked up at him as he asked her a question. she understood what he was saying, but speaking that language was difficult. She could speak 'nekon', the native language of her kind, and some basic magic, but English is hard to use for her. she began to speak in Nekon "I can!" she realized that to him, it would just sound like a bunch of purring and meows. She started to try his language. "I-t is... Diff-icult to.. t-alk in th-is Tong-ue..." she said slowly, trying to make sure he could understand. She was never Given a human name, just her neko name. she didn't know how to translate it...

Aiden sighed in frustration when he realized that she would have trouble communicating with him, and that he would have to take extra effort if he was going to make it work. He raised his hand to the bridge of his nose and let out a sigh. "At least you understand me." he said, taking in the small victory. He would figure out a name for her later, for now he needed to continue the tour of where she was staying. Lowering his hand, he stood straighter and looked her deep in her blue eyes. "This is my shop, where I will be spending most of the day and into the afternoon. Until we teach you to talk better, while I am working you are not allowed down here." He said sternly as he walked closer to her, his eyes locked in a cold stare as he approached her and took hold of where the leash attached at the collar. Removing the leash and throwing it over a hook on the wall he turned and continued through the room.

"Follow me, I will show you the rest of the house." He waited for her to follow him before leading her up the stairs to where his living quarters were. It was a very simple living arrangement. A small kitchen doubled as a living area, two doors in the back leading to a bathroom and bedroom respectively. Everything seemed dull and bare as if very little love was put into any room. There was a small rug in front of the stove that he used to heat the house during the snowy months. He motioned to the rug. "This is where you will be sleeping until I can get you some proper bed." He said as he turned to make sure she understood before showing her the simple bathroom that had everything a person would need, if only just. He pointed at the closed door and spoke even firmer than before. "This is my room, and unless there is some emergency, you do not enter this room."

Sariah nodded to she was told. So she would be restricted to a few rooms. *OK, better then a cage.* she thought. She walked to the rug, and circled on it twice. She lay softly on it, noticing it wasn't as soft as she had hoped, but it would do. She Smiled up at him, but noticed it was decently cold in the room. she shivered, and frowned at her lack of clothes. her hair was slightly messed up, and her body was slightly dirty...

Aiden too noticed her lack of clothing as was sure that she was quite cold. Although he had nothing to offer her in the way of things to wear at the time, he would buy something that would suit her in the morning. "Tonight may be a rough night for you. I have no extra clothing that would fit you to keep you warm, and most of the shops will be closed by the time I get to them." He said as he thought about how they were going to communicate between them. "Call me Master." He said, laying yet another rule down but not sounding as stern. "Now come and I will draw you a bath." He said as he opened the bathroom door and started to fill a small tub with water. He mumbled a spell to make sure the water was a comfortable temperature.

Sariah listened, then tried to repeat the words. "yo-u a-re my mas-t-er." she said, struggling to say the words. she followed him to the rest room, for a bath. She took off the clothes, or lack there of, and used only her tails to cover her body. She smiled kindly at him. he was stern, but nice to her. She dipped her foot into the water, it was warm, and very comfortable. she stepped in and sat down, moving her tails around to support herself. she began to wash herself, removing the dirt to make her skin look like that of a pale goddess. her hair gave off the same affect as it was wet

Aiden was glad that she was at least willing to obey. Once the water was finished filling the tub he looked over her naked body. He had to admit, he wasn't sure he could find a better pet to look at. He had to shake those thoughts, as it was taboo to have feelings for a pet. "Have you ever bathed in a tub before? Or would you need help?" He asked, unsure what kind of training this girl had gotten before she was given to him. He knew that some were fully trained and others, were just barely. Based on the fact that she could barely speak, he imagined that wasn't the only thing she didn't know.

The man asked her if she knew how to bathe in a wash tub, or if she needed help. "I k-now ho-w maste-r" Sariah said, beginning to bathe herself. She was taught basic hygiene, and how to act around humans. They didn't think she would need to be able to talk. She finished washing her body, this time leaving it exposed as she stepped out of the wash tub. "Th-ank yo-u m-aster" she managed to say, feeling slightly better about certain words.

It seemed that she would be able to pick up on words easier than Aiden thought, and a sudden smile crossed his lips as his original thought of the difficulty of trainer her was wrong. "You are welcome. I still need to figure out what to call you." He said as he pondered, having hard time concentrating with the naked woman standing in front of him, now wet from a bath. He didn't realize that he would have to fight his own urges in this training. "Well until we figure that out, let's go over what you will be doing." He said as he let her follow him out of the bathroom, feeling slightly bad that he didn't have anything for her to cover up with.

"While I am working the shop, you will need to make sure that this room stays clean and orderly, and you will have to take care of yourself while I work. Afterwards I will be teaching you how to take care of the store room so you can clean that up safely without harming yourself." He said as he sat down on a small couch he used to relax before bed.

Sariah nodded her head, signifying that she understood what she would be doing. Cleaning was one thing she was trained to do, and she would stay out of his way. She walked over to her seated master, and sat next to his feet. She sat like a cat would, but did not touch him, preventing him from being wet. She smiled at him. If she were dry, she would have cuddled up against his leg, but decided that may anger him.

Even with her being wet, Aiden couldn't help but notice just how much like a pet she truly appeared. She had been doing a good job ever since she had arrived and he figured she deserved some acknowledge of her job well done. He reached forward and placed his hand between her fox ears and gently pet the top of her head. "I see you have been trained well, and I think me and you will be getting along well." Every once in a while, he would stop stroking her head to scratch her ear gently.

Sariah felt his hand go to her head. At first she pulled away, in fear of being struck. But when his hand affectionately scratched her ears, and stroked her head, she instantly stopped moving. I wide smile appeared on her face, as she was complimented about being well trained. But then again, when you think about it, the training gave you no choice. Do something wrong, punishments were strictly enforced. Many of them physical. She learned quickly not to screw around and to obey. But that was long ago. Now she had her master, and felt happy he didn't want to hurt her.

Aiden let out a long yawn, showing how tired he had become. He knew he hadn't gotten much work done today but he felt he was allowed to splurge a little bit after all. Tomorrow he would need to find clothing that would fit his new pet. He would need something she could work in, something casual and then something to sleep in. He started to think about what he would want to see her in. The images that were coming into his mind were obvious signs of his tiredness and he shook the naughty images away. "Well my foxy pet. I think it is time for bed." He said as he gave her ear one last gentle scratch before standing up and stretching.

Sariah noticed her master was tired, and felt much the same. She let out a soft purr, then walked over to the carpet she was assigned. She circled around once, on all fours, then lay down softly. Her tails covered her body, providing some warmth, but she still felt cold. She tried to sleep, but found herself unable to. She hummed a soft lullaby, that was actually a calming spell. It always made her feel better. By the end of it, she was half asleep, and finished closing her eyes and fell asleep for the night.

Aiden watched most of her routine as she prepared to sleep and smiled at the cute act that she did. He whispered a soft goodnight before retiring into his own room for the night. He felt bad that she was left in the cold, and he almost considered letting her sleep in his bed for this night simply to stay warm, but he needed to make sure boundaries were kept. It wasn't long before he was off to sleep himself and up with the morning son.

When morning came, Aiden was up and ready for work, although he had decided to keep the shop closed another day so he could spend the day shopping for his pet. He couldn't have her naked all of the time, even if a part of him really enjoyed it. He threw on a robe and grabbed a towel from his closet so he could take his morning bath. He was quiet as he opened the door, not sure if his pet had awoken yet or not.

Sariah sat bright eyed where she had been previously sleeping. The carpet felt better than stone and wood, but to her, that did not matter. She saw her master's door open, and she smiled to him from the small walk way, then walked over on all fours. She made sure not to touch anything, and began to speak... "Ma-ster? Yo-u o-k?" She questioned. The man was kind to her, and she felt the need to know how he felt.


A resilient and resourceful woman, recovering from a traumatic experience and quickly adapting to new situations. Her ability to work with different computer systems demonstrates her intelligence and technical aptitude. Despite her past experiences, she is able to form a trusting bond with Jake, indicating that she has an open and empathetic side as well.

Jake was right, Mehri didn't want to talk about it. She wanted nothing more than to block out the memory of Crowe and the whole ordeal. She was still quite scarred from it, but as he held her, Mehri realized that she had never been so comfortable with another person, let alone a man. She sat on Jake's thigh and rested her head on his shoulder. His strong arm around her waist made her feel safe and not at all like she was half naked, wrapped in a sheet. But she was. There were other crewmembers that came and went from the Engine room, either with their own projects or at Holmann's direction. And she didn't have any interest in being on display. Well, she was beginning to enjoy the thought of being displayed to him. But that would be for a later time. "Jake, did you bring back those clothes for me?"

Jake cuddled her close to him as his left arm was around her and his left hand was over her belly and belly button. "Yes I did, they are in the room by my locker, in the brown back pack." He knew that she didn't want to talk about what happened on the Orion just yet; he wanted her to know that he had her back and could talk about it if she ever wanted to. The intercom crackled, "Tucker to Holman, got a problem in the armory, torpedo firing array shorted out," then there was silence. "Holman here, on my way," then shut off the intercom and looked at Mehri. "Check out the new threads I brought you, then keep an eye on the weapons panel, while I check out the array in the armory." He kissed her cheek then got up, got his tool pouch, and then headed out of Engineering to the Armory, the automatic bulkhead closed behind him.

Mehri nodded and stood to allow him to leave. She was reluctant to be by herself in that room—having a deep seated fear that she might be abducted again. But yet, she wanted to follow his orders and help out. She moved into his room and found the pack that he spoke of. Inside she found an array of pants and shirts—most the fit fine, though a few of the pants and shirts came up quite short on her. She found a set that fit the best—worn brown leather pants that hung low on her hips. She found a soft blue shirt that but often rode up on her torso when she moved her arms—exposing her stomach and long, deep oval of a belly button. She tugged on the hem of the shirt as she went back into the Engineering Room, monitoring the weapons panel as he had asked her to.

Jake had reached the Forward Torpedo Room of the Intrepid. Captain Wyatt had pulled some strings from the fleet and had gotten his hands on some soon to be discarded Photon Torpedoes. They could be adjusted to punching a small hole through an asteroid to actually disintegrating the target. They were some of the originals that had been filtered out of the system. Jake took apart the torpedo firing panel, and started to perform the diagnostic. He clicked his communicator, "Engineering, Holman, am doing the diagnostic now, anything showing up on your end?" Jake was not detecting any problems with his hand set, and perhaps Mehri was having more luck.

"Um!", Mehri had actually left the panel for just a moment to go grab a cup of hot cocoa from the replicator when she heard the click of her communicator (She had also left that on the engineering panel) "Hold on... " She grabbed her drink, which was still only about half done filling up and raced back into the main engineering room. "Hold on.." She slid into the chair and took up position, in front of all the bells and whistles of the main engineering console. "Okay, lemme see." She clicked her tongue against her cheek as she went through a few diagnostic steps, finally making an "aha" sound. "Hey Jake, it looks like the torpedoes have been rigged to not fire. I'm not sure if its a deliberate way to decommission them, to make a large scale grenade, or someone's idea of a sick joke, but I think that if you look along the photon tube casing, you'll find that the pin that triggers the warhead to release the ion stream has been fused in place." She explained a few more technical readings to him, without much inflection or emotion but as he was about to sign off the comm, she added. "Hey... be careful, eh?"

Captain Wyatt chimed in, "Been listening to your chatter, my guess is that they were decommissioned, but Mehri, you're right as well, could be something else. Lock the firing array from down in Engineering and make sure the safety features are activated on those torpedoes. If one does fire by mistake, I don't want it coming back at the ship." He then looked at the Weapons Officer, "Bring forward phase cannon on line." Jake listened to the captain, then talked back to Mehri, "I found the pin, preparing to release the pin." He took a deep breath, "Alright Magoo here goes nothing," and then started to defuse the pin.

"Aye, Captain. Engineering out." One hand tugging on a few strands of her hair like they were a security blanket, Mehri followed Wyatt's orders as she ran a series of computer commands to temporarily shut down the firing away, activating all manner of back up systems. And though she had no intention of leaving Jake all alone to fend for himself in the weapons bay, she did set the life support systems for that section and all the surrounding sections to run independently of each other—each on its own loop. That way, heavens forbid something went wrong, there wouldn't be a ship wide depressurization.

Both hands working on the control panel now, she set the scanning system up to lock onto any stray ion signatures in order to counter any friendly fire or mishap. She ran one last simulation and then got back on the comm. "Captain, Mehri here in Engineering. All safety systems are a go. Ready when you are." She heard a positive response from the captain and then sat back on the swivel chair, her knees pulled up to her chest. Looking back, she wasn't quite sure how she had known to do all that. Really. Years and years of sabotaging ships had come in handy now. It's a good trick to be able to acclimate yourself to most any computer system in a pinch.

Moments later she heard Jake's voice over her communicator and she held her breath, waiting. Every second felt like an eternity.


A strong and caring man, as he provides comfort and support to Mehri during her recovery. He is also skilled in his work, handling the armory's torpedo firing array issue efficiently. His protective nature and ability to work well with others suggest that he is a reliable and trustworthy person.

"Aye, Captain. Engineering out." One hand tugging on a few strands of her hair like they were a security blanket, Mehri followed Wyatt's orders as she ran a series of computer commands to temporarily shut down the firing away, activating all manner of back up systems. And though she had no intention of leaving Jake all alone to fend for himself in the weapons bay, she did set the life support systems for that section and all the surrounding sections to run independently of each other—each on its own loop. That way, heavens forbid something went wrong, there wouldn't be a ship wide depressurization.

Both hands working on the control panel now, she set the scanning system up to lock onto any stray ion signatures in order to counter any friendly fire or mishap. She ran one last simulation and then got back on the comm. "Captain, Mehri here in Engineering. All safety systems are a go. Ready when you are." She heard a positive response from the captain and then sat back on the swivel chair, her knees pulled up to her chest. Looking back, she wasn't quite sure how she had known to do all that. Really. Years and years of sabotaging ships had come in handy now. It's a good trick to be able to acclimate yourself to most any computer system in a pinch.

Moments later she heard Jake's voice over her communicator and she held her breath, waiting. Every second felt like an eternity.

Jake defused the pin. The torpedoes went on online, no rogue firings or any other problems. Jake spoke into his computer, "Captain, you now have torpedoes, no problems detected, how about your end Mehri?" Jake slid out of the tube and closed the access hatch. He adjusted his coveralls, and then picked up his tool kit, and headed back to Engineering. "Acknowledged Jake, great job by you and your assistant. Return control of the torpedo firing array to the bridge." He then looked at the Weapons officer, "Bring your array online, we now have torpedoes and phase cannons." By now, Jake was back in Engineering. He saw Mehri sitting at the swivel chair, walked up behind her and massaged her shoulders, "Great job figuring out that console, never got into that part with you. How about a shot of Andorian ale to celebrate." A small lurch indicated the Intrepid back to hyperdrive and continued towards the entrance to the Delphic Expanse.