Human Rights (3 page)

One week later, I stood in the main room, chin lifted, and Sir Jiat fastened my new tag on the ring of my collar. It was official. I was his. No one could deny it now, and I certainly didn't want to. In the course of a week, I'd gained nine pounds, my skin was golden from hours spent in the sun in Sir Jiat's rear yard, and I'd never been as well rested. Nights were spent warm in Sir Jiat's bed. My hair sleek from gentle brushing, my belly full from a day of meals, and my eyelids heavy with exhaustion. Each night, I prayed to know what it was that I'd done to be blessed with such a master.

"I have a surprise for you," Sir Jiat said. I watched him reach for my leash. "There is a meeting of my like-minded associates today. They are bringing their pets with them, and I think it is high time you socialized."

Fear struck me to my core. Socialize? With other pets? I'd never done that before. I was a one-pet home. My previous masters hadn't taken me out. I knew the home, the yard, and the physician's office. The closest I'd come to socialization was peeking through the slats of a fence separating me from another pet or the occasional romp in the pound's lackluster play yard. Socialize? What was expected of me? What was I to do? How was I to ensure I didn't humiliate my master?

Sir Jiat fastened the leash to my collar, and then he brought our eyes together. "I can scent your fear. Do you fear going out? Meeting other owners? Or is it the pets that make you tremble?"

I'd learned, since coming to Sir Jiat's home, that if he asked me questions, he truly wanted my answers. Usually, I didn't hesitate. But I was hesitating, not wanting to ruin his outing. I didn't want to embarrass him, but at the same time, I didn't want to prevent his own ability to socialize with his friends.

"Answer me, Ewan." Sir Jiat's tone was firm, kind, and he gave just the smallest tug on my leash.

"Other than the pound, I've not met other pets. I don't know what it is you will want me to do," I said, heat rising in my cheeks.

Sir Jiat smiled. "I want you to have fun. There is a large yard for you all to run around in, sun yourselves, and Lady Freeya will provide you with delicious things to eat. I want you to have fun."

I tilted my head, unsure. Fun? With other pets?

Shaking his head with a chuckle, Sir Jiat helped me into my sandals. "Fun, Ewan. Where you laugh and talk and play. Nothing more than that. It's casual. There's no need to be nervous, and you won't disappoint me in any way unless you keep yourself apart from everyone. These pets can be your friends, if you let them."

Friends. I knew that word. It was what Kica had called the young women who would visit her home. They'd giggle, talk about some boy or girl in their classes, and eat fattening pastries while grooming their nails. It hadn't seemed like much fun, and when I was allowed to watch, most of what they said to each other seemed disingenuous or cruel. That didn't make me think 'enjoyable' in the slightest. Maybe pets who were friends with one another were different. We didn't have classes or girls and boys to gossip about, though fattening pastries and grooming did sound promising.

"Come now," Sir Jiat said with another tug to my leash. "Let's not keep them waiting too long. You might miss out on some delicious treat or exciting game."

The walk from Sir Jiat's home up into the wealthier homes in the Upper City was pleasant. My feet didn't burn now on the bright pathways, and others didn't pass by and wrinkle their noses. I smelled nice, my body was fuller, and I didn't look like I might be infested with some sort of insect. I held my head up proudly. I couldn't recall the last time I was able to do that. The sense of defeat and resignation I'd felt in my pound cell, waiting for death, had evaporated, and new excitement vibrated through me. I had another forty, perhaps fifty years ahead of me, and if I could stay at Sir Jiat's side—pampered, cared for, and safe—then those years didn't frighten me. What did frighten me was the potential loss of Sir Jiat, Hosanna, and Werrs, of the life I still woke in awe of each morning.

I could hear laughter as we turned down one of the streets, a tall, sand-colored home looming in front of us. It was the largest home I'd ever seen, and the lawn was a bright, fresh green with little yellow flowers speckled through it. It was as welcoming as it was intimidating. I paused at the simple iron gate, swallowing against the fear bubbling in my throat. All my pride faded, replaced with nothing but bitter self-doubt. When my collar bit into my skin as the leash jerked, a soft whine filled my throat. I no longer felt safe and warm and content. I was cold. My skin prickled as each hair stood on end, and my gut roiled anxiously. I didn't want to go in there. I didn't want to be petted by other masters, and I didn't want to play with other pets. I wanted to go
home
.

Home. How odd Sir Jiat's residence already was home to me. I'd never been so settled so quickly before. The cool shade and dark, rich colors of Sir Jiat's room called to me. I wanted to run back home and hide from this, but Sir Jiat gave another, more impatient, tug to my leash, and the whine was finally given voice. I stared with wide eyes at the impressive home, and my feet simply wouldn't budge. I was frozen, much to my master's dismay.

"Ewan." Sir Jiat forced our eyes to meet. "We are expected, and it's rude to keep my friends waiting. Come inside. There is nothing to fear."

I swallowed thickly. "I'm afraid."

Sir Jiat reached out and scratched me sweetly behind my ear. "I know, but if you take the steps necessary, you will find there is nothing to be frightened of. You are not the eldest pet, and you are not the only mutt." His muzzle split in an amused smile. "Though, I must say, I think you the most beautiful."

The compliment brought a blush to my cheeks. Sir Jiat had not called me beautiful yet, and I certainly had never expected him to. I ducked my head and stepped forward, now more willing to follow him into the house. If he thought me the most beautiful, then I would make him proud of my beauty, allow him to showcase it without complaint. Sir Jiat knocked, and he was almost immediately let inside. While I was allowed to lift my head in Sir Jiat's home, I was ushered into a nobleman's home, and I didn't know if I was permitted to look around. My fear rose hot and sharp in me, my gut roiling from nerves. What I supposed to do? Where was I supposed to look? By the stars, I was going to be sick!

"Ewan."

My master's voice made it through the haze of panic, and I righted my head without a thought. His honey-orange eyes filled my vision, and I calmed almost instantly. Sir Jiat motioned to the other figure in the entryway.

"Hyra, this is Ewan."

The female was from the Lynx breed, and she was sleek and lovely, her eyes bright. She smiled, her whiskers twitching as she scented the air around us. "There's nothing to be afraid of," she said, holding out her hand. Sir Jiat unclipped my leash, and I took her hand. "The other pets are in the yard. I'm certain they'd love to meet you."

I followed her, my heart pounding, and I glanced over my shoulder to make sure Sir Jiat was following us. Even with him, my fear didn't fully ease. How many of these pets waited? Was I to speak to them? Sir Jiat had said I could eat and play, but what did pets play? At the pound, we merely chased one another trying to stretch our muscles after a week confined to our cages. Games weren't for the castoffs, and I didn't know if these pets would be willing to teach me. I might not be the oldest, but I was older, and what group of playful pets would want to teach a four-home mongrel their games?

Hyra opened a pair of doors that led out into a very green yard. It was an intense contrast to all the pale homes around it. I blinked a few times, and then the seven pets came into my line of sight. They were chasing balls and laughing, kicking the balls back and forth, and they looked so happy. Fit. Their skin golden and their hair well-groomed. I looked up at Sir Jiat, unsure, but I was less afraid now. I wanted to rush out, learn their games with the balls, and roll about in the grass that looked thick and soft.

"Go on," Sir Jiat said. "I will call you when it's time to go home."

I bit my lip, hesitating, but Sir Jiat gave me a pat on my ass, and I rushed out into the yard, the sun warm on my skin. The other pets stopped, their eyes on me, looking me up and down. I stopped about a dozen steps from them, and I looked over my shoulder, but the door to the house was shut and my master was gone. The fear gnawed at me again. My eyes met one of the female's—she had lovely green eyes that the grass complemented perfectly—and she grinned at me.

"My name's Victoria," the green-eyed female said, all but hopping over to me in her excitement. "Are you Sir Jiat's new pet?"

I nodded. "My name's Ewan."

One of the males, who looked no more than sixteen, rushed over. "Ewan? What a fun name! I'm Marc."

"Marc and Victoria," I said, trying to cement their names in my mind.

One by one, I was introduced to the other five: David, Jill, Shale, Nadia, and Cal. Cal was the oldest of us, having just turned fifty, and Marc the youngest at seventeen. I smiled as they clamored to tell me all about their lives, how each of them had been saved from the pound by their masters. Their stories were so much like mine, except for Jill. She was a purebreed, and she didn't want to talk much about how her mistress, the Lady Hyra I'd met when I'd come into the house, had come to own her. I didn't care. I wanted to know all about those bright balls and the game they'd been playing.

"Football," Cal said. "We use five balls and kick them back and forth. You never know who's going to have the ball or who will kick it your way. If you miss a kick, you have to do six somersaults before joining in again."

A new flush made its way to my cheeks. "I don't know what a somersault is."

Jill gasped. "You don't?"

I shook my head. "My previous masters didn't play with me. Not... not like this," I said, gesturing to the yard with its balls, metal climbing jungle, and small pond. It was heavenly, and I almost envied Jill her luck, but I wouldn't give Sir Jiat up for the most exciting yard in all the world.

"We'll show you," Shale said, his body the most muscled out of everyone else's. "You crouch down like this," he said, showing me how to crouch. I followed his example. "Hold your hands up by your head, tuck your head over, and then push."

I watched Shale roll feet over head, and then pop back up with a grin. Oh! That looked like such fun. It took me four false starts—and a lot of cheering from the pets—before I managed my first somersault. It was as fun as it looked, and I thought, even if I missed a kick or six, I wouldn't mind if I could do that again.

Outside in the sunshine, food and water freely available, I played for the first time in my life. I chased Cal and Jill through the yard. Shale showed me how to climb the metal jungle. I kicked the balls around with everyone else, missing so many times, I was laughing and dizzy by the time I collapsed in a heap with Jill, Marc, and Victoria. The laughter was wonderful, and the comfort I felt as Victoria combed her fingers through my hair was unimaginable. Never had I dared to wish for this, wish for joy and sides aching from expressing my pleasure.

The sun was high and hot, and after all the activity, I was sleepy. I thought Jill might go for her mistress, who could then call for Sir Jiat to take me home, but no one got up. We slaked our thirst with the pitchers of cool water, and then curled up in a great naked, sweaty pile under a large oak tree. The shade was just cool enough to be comfortable, and Jill laid in front of me while Marc took up a position behind. His body was pleasantly broad against my back, and Jill was soft in my arms. It was heavenly, and I fell asleep within moments.

A chilled breeze woke me. I blinked several times, cozy amid the warm, naked bodies around me, and another breeze—cool and damp—kissed my flesh. The sun had disappeared behind gray clouds, and the could smell the oncoming storm. Jill shifted in my arms, her body moving against mine, and to my shame, my sex hardened. I couldn't help the whimper in my throat, and it woke Jill. Her bright eyes, blue and clear, met mine, and a flush crept over her cheeks. I couldn't hide. I couldn't move. She was in front of me, and Marc was still plastered to my back. I didn't know what I was supposed to do, and then lightning split the sky, followed by a loud, dangerous rumble of thunder.

The group roused themselves, and Jill eased her body from mine, but it only bared my shame to everyone. I drew in on myself, wishing away the hardness between my thighs. It was wrong, so wrong, and before I knew it, I was weeping. Sir Jiat would surely punish me now. I'd embarrassed him. As soon as Jill told her mistress, I would be beaten, sent back to the pound, a disappointment, and I would lose all I'd only just begun to taste. I couldn't help my tears, and remained out in the grass beneath the oak tree even as the rains began to fall.

All the bright laughter and easy warmth from earlier in the afternoon washed away under the cool summer rain. I would have willingly stayed out there, my pulse pounding in my groin, but just as thunder rolled through the sky again, a hand threaded through my hair. That hand was insistent, turning my wet face up, and Sir Jiat's worried expression filled my vision. Behind him was the Lady Hyra, holding a large umbrella over us all. As soon as I saw him, a master already beloved to me, I wept anew, the sobs deep and contrite. He gathered me into his arms, and I saw his eyes dart to my groin, and I wanted to push him away, continue to hide my shame, but he hefted me up and, with Lady Hyra leading the way, took me into the dry warmth of Lady Hyra's home.

I buried my face against Sir Jiat's shoulder. He was soaking wet because of me. I began to shiver in his arms, and I expected to be tossed to the floor, flogged for ruining everything. Instead, I heard a door shut, and the sound of running water overtook the soft patter of rain. I dared to lift my head, and I saw a tub of steaming water. Looking around, I saw no one in the bathing room but us, and I blinked several times, confused. Sir Jiat set me into the hot water, and I hissed as it engulfed my sex, which was finally beginning to soften. After a moment, Sir Jiat lifted my head and washed my face with a warm, soft washcloth.