Familiar Pact

6. Prey

"Delilah, you are late... no matter, I have a new project for you. I require your current... pet"
He projects emotions like a maestro: shame, panic and gloom, relief, all underlaid by a web of fear and passivity.

"Of course sir, what do you..."

Ringmaster cut her off "New captures; bobcat and an unidentified. I expect you to break them... complete obedience in both forms is required. See if you can do better than your last efforts." He gestured at me.

Shit

"The acquisitions are currently in the props van going through processing. You can use Bagheera's old cage for the bobcat, he won't be needing it"

Double Shit

She leaves, and he turns his gaze to where I'm frozen on the floor.

"Hello, little leopard, do you wish to shift now or do you need a little more persuasion?"

I may be broken, but I will not shatter. My jaw locks in silent determination and I stare unblinking back into his eyes.

His mouth grins, even as his eyes remain unmoved, the dark blue depths promising pain.

• { 3 Hours Later } •

"You know, I don't hate shifters, you have a different skill set to those of us touched by magic, but it can be equally valuable."

His voice reaches me through the haze of smoke his calm words at odds with my terror. My eyes are bleary, the world warping and blurring in front of me. Torture really does a number on a guy, well... leopard. He wants me to shift, I refuse, he punishes me, I snarl. The cycle continues. He's taking a pause right now, smoking a cigarette. I hope it kills him. My thoughts are scattered and disjointed as if they too wish to run from this place and horrors this man uses as easily as he is talking now.

"In fact, I have envied you on occasion, the bonds that lead you to form packs or herds despite the inevitable betrayal. I find you quite interesting, little leopard. You struggle from your instincts, always on the outside, like me. Always watching, like me. Still holding onto hope, that, like me, will eventually be lost."

He presses his cigarette against the fur behind my ear. I flinch and hiss, too weak to really move, even if I wasn't strapped to the floor. The burn is just another pain among many but the heat lingers, burying itself into my flesh even as the cigarette is discarded to the floor. The distinctive stench of burning hair joins the cacophony of odours littering the caravan, so strong even the Ringmaster snorts slightly.

"I wanted to see how long you would last, what it would take to finally lose hope, but you see, I have orders. Even sentenced to managing this dump I still can't have my fun. So, little leopard, you are going to change form and tell me about your sister...Greta"

It take far too long for me to process what he said: my sister! I couldn't stop the growl rumbling through me even if I tried. I don't try. My panther wants to tear his throat out, paint the room in his blood, display his body as a warning to any who might go after my family, my pack.

"Wonderful! That confirms Greta is your sister. You see recently she has become a minor irritation. Shifter communities are usually isolated, news is erratic. Important information goes through telepaths, and of course is filtered. Your sister and her pack are drawing attention to operations which have thus far been seen as isolated events. I would usually be enjoying the chaos she is causing for the pompous self-important idiots at headquarters, but you see there is a possibility that the circus might be terminated. And that cuts into my interests. Hence your predicament." His chuckle was quiet but an empty, guttural sound. No mirth reached his eyes. The sound fell loudly into the silence of caravan. The da-dum of my blood beating staccato rhythms in my ears drowned out whatever echoes it caused.

"Now shift, little leopard, or are you going to force my hand. It may take a week or two to get to your sister. And if you cooperate then she's probably not worth the effort. But the bobcat I mentioned, that's a friend of yours. Care to guess?"

I tried to growl again but it came out more as a whimper. I only really knew one bobcat, we grew up together, family friends and all that, but when his parents split he basically moved in. From that point my cat considered him a brother, even if his name was ridiculous. I mean seriously who calls their child after electronics? At least Arduino was originally a name I guess.

"Shift, obey me, and I'll get Flint to wipe his memories and drop him off in the woods, if that's what you wish. Nod your head if you accept."

I hoped I knew what I was doing, my family was my everything. Even if I lost myself completely I hoped I would never lose that. Damn, I hoped I would never regret this. I wouldn't, not if it meant keeping my family safe and away from this man.

I nodded, my head heavy, the muscles straining and pained even for such small movements. It probably tore open some of the wounds. No matter, shifting would heal me, though it was going to hurt like hell. My heart hurt worse anyway.

Ringmaster grinned at me. "Wait until I turn the cameras on, I'm going to rewatch this moment later."