Lapdog

Hungry Dog

"My, my, aren't we desperate?", the darkness suddenly spoke. When Cross, still lying crumbled on the floor like Nightmare left him, peered up, he saw that blue light glowing in the absolute blackness like a will'o'whisp. Cold fire. Nightmare's eye.

"Get up," he ordered in a tone that left no room for discussion. "You can still use the heels of your paws, so be a good dog and get up."

Cross didn't move, just stared up at that bright blue burning Eye Light, just because it was the only visible thing around.

The eye moved slightly, indicating that Nightmare had tilted his head. "Get up, or i will leave and take the food with me again and you will go hungry for another day or two."

Cross thought he hadn't heard right. Nightmare had brought him food?

But... he couldn't go for two more days without eating, he needed food, now.

Gasping in pain whenever his movements jostled his injured limbs, he brought his knees under himself, pressed the heels of his hands carefully into the ground and pushed himself up on his hands and knees. The short chain on his collar forced him to held his head bowed down as if in submission, and he hated it.

"Now, that's more like it. Such a good boy," Nightmare cooed at him in that voice, people use to talk to a stupid pet. He bristled when he felt Nightmare's hand on the back of his skull, petting him. "You'll get used to it, just give it time, boy."

He then heard an open metal container scrape over the stone floor right in front of him and several different food smells assaulted his nose. Peas, gravy, cooked potatoes, strawberry jam and peanut butter and something sweet and fruity.

The hand on his skull wandered a little lower, to the buckle of his muzzle. "Keep still, so i can take off your muzzle. If you make the slightest move to bite or try anything else stupid, you will have to wait until the next feeding. And i am sure you don't want that to happen, now would you."

Cross froze at that and didn't dare move until Nightmare had taken off the muzzle and was petting him again, pressing down a little more than before to make him lower his head to eat.

When his teeth found the remains of a sandwich, Nightmare began petting him in long strokes along his body.

Cross couldn't believe it. He was at Nightmare's nonexistent mercy, chained down, crippled, half crazy from fear, and fed food scraps and leftovers. And that asshole was petting him like a cherished pet.

He felt like crying. It was so humilating. But that was probably the purpose of this.

When Cross had licked the bowl as clean as possible, Nightmare pulled a bottle with water from his inventory, opened it and poured it into the bowl.

Then he pushed Cross' head down again and he tiredly just obeyed. But when he began slurping up the water, Nightmare smacked his rear and scolded him. "You ain't a horse, so don't drink like one." Cross got the message and began lapping the water.

When he was done, Nightmare put the empty bowl into his inventory and put the muzzle back on Cross. "Good dog. Just accept it and do as you are supposed to, then you will see how everything will get better. Until next feeding time, Cross."

With that, Nightmare merged with the darkness again and Cross was alone once more.