Familiar Pact

2. Lesser Creatures

Oreo was still whimpering, a soft sound that still sounded loud as all the animals stayed frozen in an effort to stay unnoticed.

Beater had left, the Ringmaster calling him using the two-way radio, tucking his bludgeon back into his belt. No-one failed to immediately answer the Ringmaster regardless of what they were doing. He enjoyed humiliating and punishing others, preferably without dirtying his trademark pristine white gloves. He was a master manipulator and sadist hidden behind a jovial mask.

I was sure if the Ringmaster took an interest in me I would break in a month. I might be being generous to myself, I didn't know anyone who had lasted even a fortnight. Anyone the Ringmaster did take for personal training became a broken, obedient shell of themselves. You couldn't trust them either, they would report you in a heartbeat for any transgression to the unspoken rules no-one was ever told, but everyone learnt.

That was why I had spent so much effort appearing utterly boring, trying to follow the appropriate timeline for trauma from kidnapping. Damn that sounds weird, but it was my way of not losing the last shreds of my dignity. Of not losing all of my mind. I knew I was traumatised, even if I escaped, no, when escaped, I would always be damaged. I might be feral, I didn't know anyone else sane who stayed as an animal this long. But I did not want to break completely like the others who had been here for as long as me; to only be able to act when under orders, to look forward to someone shoving a dick in my mouth or ass, to be grateful for any basic human rights granted me. I may be broken, but I was not going to shatter. I had to believe that life would get better. I could not lose that hope, no matter how small the possibility seemed right now.

So far I'd succeeded, the only way I stood out now was refusing to shift to my human form. I knew I was handsome in that form, or at least I had been before my capture. I'd had the dark black hair and almost ice-like blue eyes both as a man and a panther. I had turned 18 only weeks before I was taken, and I hadn't quite fully filled out then, having had a late growth spurt. My little sister had laughed only the day before when she'd seen trip over my feet twice in quick succession before falling into the pond. Damn I missed her and the rest of my family. Then again the starvation here probably hadn't done anything for me. I didn't even know what I looked like anymore. None of the circus had seen my human form, most of them assumed I was ugly, the newer employees especially as they believed someone had seen me and couldn't be bothered with forcing me to shift. Therefore I couldn't be anything special. I was male as well, and most of them preferred a woman. Some like Beater didn't care. He just wanted the control, to take his frustrations out on someone, to see us cower before his superiority. Even as I could scent his fear as he walked outside answering the Ringleader.

My eyes tracked Oreo as he quickly limped to the cleaning supplies and started tidying the pellets into a trash bag, even as my ears strained to hear the conversation outside.

"Yes sir, right away sir. I'll make sure the drivers know we'll be wildcatting north to avoid the problem. I understand sir. Ah no problems sir, the zebra still doesn't quite understand his new role, so I was working with him. That is a good idea sir, I think I will try that."

Beaters voice tailed off as he moved further away. He was humming 5 minutes later as he returned. I could tell when Oreo noticed him, stiffening in fear as he quickly returned the dustpan and bin bag to the supply closet attached near the lorry entrance.

He was kneeling on the bloody floor when Beater stepped back inside. He wasn't quite whimpering but I could scent his fear, cloying the air with a stink of rotten oranges. His shoulders trembled slightly, the movement so slight an ordinary human would likely not notice.

I wasn't sure if Beater would notice; he was a kinetic mage of average strength and magic did not give the user passive enhancements to the body or senses, but some could channel magic to gain extra abilities. It was hard to tell if a mage was channelling, almost impossible if the amount channelled was small enough. Even if you did know, unless you knew what type of magic they wielded you couldn't know what extra senses they might be able to do. For instance, if Beater, who was a kinetic mage, was channeling he might be able to sense Oreo's trembling, even though he wasn't able to see it.

Not being a mage I only knew the very basics. I wish I'd thought to ask more as I child; I never thought I would ever need to know. Now, in this carnival of curiosities where everyone was touched by magic, not knowing could mean the difference in an escape attempt. More practically it often meant avoiding the worst punishments. They couldn't punish what they didn't notice...

"Alright little whore, I don't have the time to spend educating you myself. But seeing as you were so desperate as to make a mess in order to get some attention, I thought I'd decorate you up so everybody knows how very willing you are, isn't that right?" Beater liked to monologue, so far it was the best thing about him, not that that was saying much, it did let me learn a couple of useful titbits about this circus though.

I closed my eyes, I didn't want to see another punishment, another rape. Each one I simply stood by and watched felt like it dyed my soul a little darker. Even as I knew I would be completely ineffectual.

Five seconds later I opened my eyes again. I would watch to save my own skin, to avoid being seen as rebellious. I would watch in the hope that judgement would happen someday.

As I opened them I knew it was the correct decision. Taka, a lion shifter, was watching me from the opposite cell. He was one of Ringmaster's favourite pets. I flicked my eyes to his, then back to Oreo just as Beater positioned whatever device he was holding to Oreo's asshole. His whimpering grew louder, and Beater's smirk grew wider. Beater was holding Oreo's neck, pressing him to the ground, his ass in the air. The device was quickly shoved inside, Beater grinning as Oreo let out a series of pained high-pitched yips. Shifters often sounded more like their animals when under stress or in pain, which meant most of the time in this place. I think it was partly how the mages justified themselves that we were lesser. He proceeded to tighten spiked straps around his thighs, positioning them so the spikes faced the inner thighs prevented his legs from closing.

I knew it wasn't over when Beater kept his weight pressing down on Oreo's back, aggravating the wounds there, and looked to be concentrating.

It was a minute later before he stood, leaving Oreo in the grime, his ass in the air, a black and white striped tail falling from where it had been plugged in.

"There, I've magicked that to vibrate once it leeches enough kinetic energy off your movements. If you remove it, the link breaks and I will know. So I suggest you use the time I'm busy to think on how best a whore like you should try to persuade me. Oh, the vibrations will increase the more you move, and... you are late to finishing your chores!"

Beater waited to watch Oreo stand and awkwardly start to walk, his legs prevented from closing due to spikes. He walked in an awkward shamble to the door, his back stiffening as he tried to control his reactions to the pain and humiliation. I couldn't see his face to see if he was crying. I could see Beater's twisted grin as he mouthed a countdown. As he mouthed zero, I saw Oreo jerk straight up and shudder, his tail twitching almost as if it were real.

Beater threw his head back and laughed.