The Saltadora Ch. 09

With that, Blaze led them some distance from the shed to a small, fenced area. Inside it was a hole in the ground with a woman squatting over it with a leg either side. To a combination of horror and dismay, they noted droppings falling from her and into the hole. She was apparently completely unfazed at being observed in the act.

"Oh God, where's the toilet paper?" Madison whispered to Emily while looking around.

"Paper?" Blaze asked quizzically, having overheard Madison's query.

"You know, to clean yourself," Madison replied, miming a wiping motion around her rear quarters.

Blaze responded with an expression that indicated that she thought Madison was either insane or very stupid. Then she pointed to a short post nearby which bore an upside-down tap. As if on cue, the formerly shitting woman approached the tap and turned it on, sending a stream of water a short distance skyward. She then straddled the stream and used one hand to rinse between her buttocks completely unashamedly, just as she had been while being observed shitting just moments before.

"I wonder how long I can go without taking a dump?" Madison murmured out loud, voicing what they all were thinking at that moment.

"What is the problem?" Blaze asked with some annoyance. It was becoming increasingly obvious that Blaze's ears were attuned to the slightest whisper, and they would have to be careful what they said amongst themselves if she was anywhere nearby.

Emily, feeling she was the more experienced at dealing with parallel world nonsense and blending in quickly with local customs, answered on the girls' behalf. "Um... we're not from around here. Where we're from, we do things quite differently."

"How?" Blaze responded, indicating that any other way of living was beyond her comprehension.

"That's not important," Emily hurriedly replied. "What we need, though, is someone to help us learn how you do things here. Is that okay?"

Blaze huffed impatiently for a moment as she considered it. "That may be a good idea, or you may land us all in trouble with the masters."

"Thank you, Blaze. May we call you Blaze?"

"That is my name. What are your names?"

"Um... I'm... err... Cummer, this is Cinnamon, and this is Scar, and this is Fighter." Emily tried not to wince or roll her eyes as she said the demeaning names, gesturing to each of her companions as she spoke.

"Blaze, where are all the horses?" Casey butted in.

"Horses?" Blaze answered, momentarily puzzled. "Oh yeah, I've heard of them. Ain't ever seen one though. Old nanna once told me there was lots of them a long time ago. She said famine and war came, and a lot of things died."

"All the horses died?" Casey gasped.

"Dunno, maybe they got eaten if folks was hungry?" Blaze shrugged. "Could also be great poison clouds that came in the war old nanna spoke about. She said lots of critters died after that."

Casey paused momentarily as she mulled over the information. "Okay, so you lost all your horses. Why use women instead, though?"

"You mean mares? Women is the name for the highborn femmes. Dunno why it is. Has always been that way. Could just be that there are lots more of us. Old nanna says that a lot of menfolk died fightin' the war. Then after the poison clouds, birthin' a manchild became a special blessin', happens only once in a while. Birthin' a filly, not so much. They everywhere."

Casey quickly filled in the remaining blanks. "So, chemical warfare changed human biology so giving birth to a boy became rare. You had a post-war world with an abundance of starving and unemployed women, no more beasts of burden, and very few men. Those men remaining were likely in a position of privilege, or quickly became that way..."

"I dunno what some of those words mean," Blaze responded.

"Never mind, I think we get the picture," Casey frowned, considering the implications further and how it affected their current fate.

"Why the bits in your mouths?" Madison chipped in. "I noticed no reins. You all follow voice commands."

"You know, I've never thought about it," Blaze answered, pausing momentarily in thought. "Maybe it's just to stop us gabbing?"

"Maybe a remnant of horse culture," Casey considered. "Same with everything else. It's like a wild west movie except using women instead of horses."

"And they've been doing it so long, no one remembers why or even questions doing anything differently," Emily added, vividly recalling her early experiences on Earth 2.

"What is a wild west movie?" Blaze wanted to know.

"Never mind, it's just something from the place we came from," Casey replied, carefully revealing just enough for Blaze to understand where they came from was different, but not enough to warrant an extended explanation which Blaze would be unlikely to comprehend anyway. "Anyway, I'm sure we'll have more questions tomorrow if you don't mind. You probably want some sleep."

Realising she was being dismissed, Blaze huffed once again before departing. Once they were sure she was out of earshot, Casey addressed the others, noting from their facial expressions that emotions were high, and she would need to choose her words carefully to keep everyone on track.

"Shame the hypons were discovered but that was probably inevitable. You did the right thing, Emily. Now we've got about six or seven days to come up with a plan to get them back so we can jump out of here. Did anyone see where those dudes took them?"

"I expect they took them in that big white house," Emily replied. There was a slight tremor in her voice, indicating her grip on reality was beginning to slip now that she no longer had to keep up appearances for the locals.

"Okay, so how do we get in there without getting noticed?" Casey wondered.

"Both of them were out at the same time when they caught us on the road," Madison pointed out. "I expect that's probably something they do regularly. That'll be our opportunity. In the meantime, we should show no interest in going near the place until we're sure the hypons are charged up."

"Bullshit!" Cassandra responded. "Case and I could take them easily. We don't have to wait until they're out. As a matter of fact, I'd rather take them head-on. I wanna stick those cattle prods up their asses and see how they like it."

Casey considered that for a moment before shrugging in agreement. "She has a point."

"What about Greg?" Cassandra suddenly remembered. "Our plan was for one of us to go back and bring him here. If we jump to another world, how are we going to do that?"

"Um... yeah, that's a good point as well," Casey answered. "Shit. Maybe we need to go back home first, or two of us have to hop back two times from the next world. Fuck, I don't know. We'll work something out."

"Good plan here, Emily," Cassandra added angrily, turning towards her. "Jump to a parallel world, she said. There'll be human civilizations, she said. It'll be fine, she said."

"Well, I didn't guarantee it would be fine," Emily bewailed, waving her hands around in exasperation. "I did say we might have to jump again if we didn't like the world we landed in."

"She's right, Cass," Casey answered, attempting to calm Cassandra. "She had no way of knowing what this place would be like. What's done is done now. We just have to get by until we can make another jump."

"That's assuming those guys haven't destroyed the hypons or put them somewhere we'll never find," Madison added, also beginning to fret somewhat.

"Good point, Mads," Casey considered. "Maybe there's merit in getting them back and making our escape right away, then hiding out somewhere while they charge."

"Maybe," Emily began, "but we don't know how this world works yet. It might not be possible to hide out anywhere. There's probably a good reason why they trust us to roam around freely around here and haven't locked us in a cell or tied us up. There is probably literally nowhere else we can go where we won't get caught again. At least here we have access to food and whatever else we need for a whole week. I think we should wait until the hypons are charged before we make a move. I doubt those guys will do anything with them. They were too fascinated with them."

"You're probably right, Em," Casey agreed. "So, we need to blend in and not draw attention to ourselves for a while. Right, Cass?"

"I ain't promisin' nuthin," Cassandra grumbled.

"This isn't just about you, Cass," Casey admonished. "Your behaviour affects all of us. Just play along with them, okay? You'll get your chance for payback, I promise."

"Fine," Cassandra agreed, rolling her eyes in an obvious manner. "Fucksake, can someone undo me here? I got itches driving me crazy!"

Casey immediately went to Cassandra's aid, inspecting the harness to see how it all went together. The main part of it was a thick leather belt around the waist with a metal ring in the centre. At the rear of the belt was a second ring and buckle with two leather cuffs either side to hold the girls' wrists in place. This obviously also provided a secure footing for the yoke so that arm strength wouldn't be solely relied upon to take the strain when pulling a wagon. It also prevented the belt from riding up so that a strap between the legs wouldn't be necessary. From the centre ring of the waist strap at the front, a thinner strap went up to another ring which held a thin horizontal strap below the breasts and around the back to another ring. This strap also contained D shackles at the rear, assumingly to secure the yoke so it didn't move laterally. The two rings at the rear were attached with a short leather strap. From the rings of the horizontal strap front and rear, two thin leather straps went either side of the neck to hold it up, neatly dividing the breasts without creating a chafing issue.

"I can set your hands free without taking the whole thing off," Casey deduced while undoing the buckles that held Cassandra's wrists. "I think we can leave you untied for the night. Just pretend they're still buckled if anyone is looking. Then I'll buckle you up again in the morning. I expect we'll all be wearing these things again then."

With her hands finally free, Cassandra immediately set to scratching herself in various places. "Dunno how these girls put up with this shit," she commented as she scratched. "There must be a hundred women here and only two of them. They could take them easily."

"It's not that simple, Cass," Emily responded while being wary of raising Cassandra's ire again. "As I said, if the whole world is like this then they might have nowhere to go."

"Then they should take over the whole world then," Cassandra shrugged. "At least demand better treatment and equal rights. Why do they put up with being treated like horses?"

"It would have happened gradually," Casey answered. "They probably started using women as farm hands and whatever else was necessary. Then maybe they started utilising some of the old horse harnesses to help them pull wagons. Then gradually it becomes cultural. Some of it stemming from practical reasons, some from not so practical."

"Might also just be a bunch of fucked-up misogynistic assholes with the power to do it," Cassandra added. "Might also be only happening here and nowhere else in the world."

"There is that as well," Casey agreed. "We don't know anything really, so until we know more, the best move for now is to go with the flow unless we feel our lives are in danger."

"Women are horses here, Case!" Cassandra once again stressed. "What the fuck is a brumby anyway?"

"I know Cass. It's horrible, but we need to play along for now," Casey reiterated. "I have no idea what a brumby is either."

"You guys don't know what a brumby is?" Emily asked in surprise.

"I don't know either," Madison added, turning to Emily with her eyebrows raised.

"Um... you're not going to like this," Emily began. "It's an Australian word for a wild or feral horse."

"What the fuck?" Cassandra responded. "I'll show them 'wild and feral'. Primitive motherfuckers!"

There was a pause in the conversation as the women considered their predicament and what lay ahead in the coming days. The silence was suddenly interrupted by the sound of Emily softly sobbing.

"Hey, what's up, pumpkin?" Madison responded, moving to put her arm around Emily.

"Cassandra's right. This is all my fault," Emily sniffed. "I led you all here."

"You weren't to know," Casey consoled. "There's no point blaming anyone or complaining about the situation anyway. We need to be pragmatic. Identify the problems, come up with solutions, and find a way out of here."

"Why the fuck does every world I go to end up with me naked?" Emily wailed, ignoring Casey's attempt to be rational. "Every. Single. Fucking. Time. Except for my home world."

"Why don't we jump there next then?" Cassandra suggested, realising she had been unfair to blame Emily and was now feeling guilty about causing her distress.

"We can't," Emily answered. "The hypons can only jump one world at a time and my home world is millions, if not billions, of jumps away. We'd need a ship to do it, since it involves jumping a bunch of light years out into space and back again, and we don't have one. Plus, I'd be AWOL, so going there would be much the same for me as it would be if we took you guys back to your world."

"Bugger," Cassandra responded, staring at her feet somewhat glumly. "Yeah, I know none of this is your fault. Sorry I went off at you. Just blowing off steam."

"Goddamn, though. What a mindfuck this world is!" Madison added in an attempt to brighten the mood. "If nothing else, we'll have something to talk about for years to come once we get out of here. Plus, I'm curious as fuck what the next world will be like. It surely can't be worse than this one."

"Well, you're not wrong there," Casey nodded. "It is what it is, though. The important thing for now is we need to blend in, find out where they've put those hypons, and figure out when the best time to get them back will be, whether sooner rather than later, or just wait it out until they're charged again. Then we need a new plan to go back to rescue Greg."

"Agreed," Emily responded, wiping her eyes while trying to cheer up. "Anyway, let's try to get some shuteye and see what we have to deal with tomorrow. We got this, ladies!"

As they proceeded to their stall to settle into their bunks, a silent figure slinked out of the shadows and went to her own bunk. Blaze didn't understand half of the things that the girls were talking about, but she understood enough to know that it spelt trouble. "Fucking brumbies," she muttered to herself as she curled up on her mattress.

*****

After a restless night spent on lumpy mattresses, the girls awoke to the sounds of hustle and bustle within the barn. Low voices combined with pots banging and the smell of oatmeal and smoke in the air. Two of the older women, presumably so-called draft mares, appeared with metal buckets of fresh milk, obviously straight from cows that morning, setting them beside other buckets near the large combustion stove near the entrance. Other women stirred large pots on the stove. A glance at the main table revealed large bowls had already been served, with women filling the smaller bowls and pouring mouthfuls of the slop into their mouths as they chatted. After resecuring Cassandra's wrists, the girls quickly joined the breakfast table, Casey once again needing to feed Cassandra by holding the bowl to her lips.

As the other women finished eating, they noted most older women vanished, whilst the younger 'fillies' proceeded around outside and returned shortly after with wet skin and hair before they helped each other brush and arrange their hair into high ponytails. Then bridles were fitted before boots and harnesses went on. The Crescent girls looked around in confusion, wondering if they were supposed to follow suit, but couldn't see where to source the required equipment, unlike these other women who left their boots, harnesses and bridles hanging at the ends of their bunks. Just as they were wondering if they would be forgotten, Jacko appeared and began addressing the other women.

"You lot, chuck some laps," he began while pointing at a group of fillies already bridled and harnessed for the day, before turning to one of the older women. "Comet, the fence needs fixin' over near the west gate, then set half a dozen to weedin' the tomato patch. The rest of you know what you gotta do."

He then looked around the barn. "Where's them brumbies? Ahh, there you are. Go give yourselves a wash and clean your teeth. Wait, Fighter, you come here." He then looked Cassandra directly in the eyes. "Have you learnt your lesson now? Can we unhitch you without you losin' your shit again?"

Cassandra stared at her feet while nodding her agreement.

"Okay, let's call this probation then," Jacko warned. "Any nonsense out of you and you stay harnessed full time. Got it?"

Cassandra nodded again, and he then set about unbuckling her wrists, adding, "I like that you got spirit, but we gotta channel that energy in the right place."

Finally, he removed the harness from her, before instructing the foursome to go wash and meet him back in the barn.

The women helped each other wash using the sponge and soapy bucket, then rinsing with the cold water under the hose. Each wondered about how much more unpleasant the process would be during the winter months since it wasn't the best of experiences even in the current relatively mild weather. Remembering about the teeth brushing, and being more than eager to get clean mouths, they looked around for what facilities were on offer. With some dismay they discovered a number of hand-carved brushes set in cups of water alongside small pots of a creamy black substance.

"Charcoal.... and... mint, I think," Madison observed, holding one of the pots up to her nose.

"Communal brushes. Gross!" Casey added, clearly repulsed. "Still, I gotta get rid of these furry teeth. I guess we just rinse these brushes thoroughly and try not to think about it."

"Tastes like fuckin' charcoal too," Cassandra confirmed, already brushing.

"It's a good abrasive. Supposed to be really good for tooth whitening," Emily added.

"Does this smile look white to you?" Cassandra replied, grinning to show her teeth blackened with the primitive toothpaste.

"Eww," Casey laughed. "Hopefully that rinses out."

Casey was thankful that Cassandra had provided a light moment amongst the awful situation they found themselves trapped in. It was important for morale, and indeed their very survival, that they all look forward to when this would be over, rather than dwell on their current misery and outrage.

On returning to the barn, Jacko then measured their feet one by one before allocating freshly cobbled boots. "Can't let these hooves get fucked up, so these will protect you from stones and glass and shit. They'll take a couple of days to get properly worn in, though. Youse tell one of the other fillies if you find yourselves hobbled with blisters, and they'll get you some balm."

He then stood back and inspected the now shod women with a nod of approval. "Almost there. Now we just need you some bridles and harnesses, not that old shit we put on youse yesterday."

Selecting Madison first, he proceeded to fit a black leather skull cap with a widow's peak, before drawing her hair up through a hole in the top. "Talk to the other fillies about how to tie your mane up, so it sits up right for show," he instructed. "This'll do for today though."

He then tapped a finger on her jaw, indicating he wanted her to open her mouth for the bit to go into place. Unlike the wooden bits they had been forced to endure the previous day, Madison was surprised to find it was a soft leather wrapped around a flattened steel centre, so was not unusually uncomfortable. It allowed it to be bitten and the lips to be closed around it without it causing constant drooling or pain. Intelligible speech would not be possible with it in place, only grunts and other primitive sounds, which they had surmised was the whole idea of forcing fillies to wear them. Fillies didn't talk. They obeyed. While being forced to hold a bit in her mouth was still distressing and undignified, she shrugged that it could be worse.