Trained Pets

Katie's grin simply couldn't be any bigger. Any day she found a new Little was her favorite day. It was almost like getting a new special pet, except for it happened a whole lot more frequently than a girl her age would get, say, a new kitten or puppy.

Truth be told, she'd much rather have her Littles anyhow. They were easier to interact with, and the possibilities with them were almost limitless. It took forever to teach a dog to do something fun, but Littles heard and understand the things she said, and they could even talk back most of the time and that made them ever so much more fun.

She slammed the door behind her and ditched her book bag the moment she got home, homework instantly forgotten tonight, as it was most nights. Her knee high Chucks pounded the stairs as she nearly dashed up them, already dragging the skinny Little blonde girl from her pocket, making sure she hadn't been damaged by the way she'd hurried home.

"You know, bad things can happen to Little girls who wander around high schools," she chided the rather pretty thing. Martha, she'd been calling her since she found her that morning. The girl hadn't quite adjusted to the name, but she knew enough to respond to it by now. "There's plenty of people there who'd have just squashed you without a second thought. Good thing I found you, right?"

She wasn't expecting an answer as she tossed her worn denim jacket into the corner of her room and plopped on her bed, showing off her little tight-fitting black tank top emblazoned with the imagery of some modern heavy metal band. Her own nod was enough, since this conversation was really for her own benefit. "It's much better to have someone like me find you. I'm used to having Littles for pets."

'Martha' wasn't accustomed to being thought of as a pet, though. In fact, she was even being a little quietly defiant, setting her jaw and shaking her head, even as she watched this towering teenage girl stretch out far above her, running her fingers through her green and black dyed hair, her dozens of bracelets clacking against each other as she reached for a little Altoids tin.

"See, I used to collect Littles when I was younger, but it was too hard to take care of so many after a while." Her fingers deftly popped the small tin box open as she leaned forward, setting it and Martha on the ground. "I went to camp one summer, right? And when I came back my whole collection had starved. Like, I opened the box and there were just mangled, half-eaten Little bodies inside."

She made a little grimace and shook her head, clearly disgusted by the memory. "You're like little animals, like when a mouse has babies and eats half of them, you know? Pretty much the grossest ever. But that's why I only keep a couple at most anymore. It's more fun to be able to give more of my attention to just a couple special Little girls, isn't that right, Angie?"

By now, something was stirring in that little tin box, and a disheveled mess of dark hair popped up out of it. She was older than Martha, and she looked rather worn, all skin and bones, but it didn't seem to dampen her enthusiasm. "Yes, Katie," she called with all her strength, beaming with pride to be addressed by name.

"Come on out and meet Martha, Little girl," Katie encouraged, spurring her pet on by gently sliding her shoe up against the tin and kicking it over, spilling out bits of food and cotton that made up Angie's tiny home. She needed no encouragement, though, swiftly scrambling to her feet and bowing her head with a smile nearly as pleasant as her giant owner's. For Martha's part, she could only stare in horror. This is what was going to become of her, wasting away in this teenage girl's bedroom, given up for dead or worse by her family and friends.

"Martha." For the first time Katie's low and soft voice lacked the playful and pleasant tone the tiny girl had grown accustomed to throughout the day. "Say hi to my other pet. You don't want to start your first day with disobedience. Good pets are always obedient to a fault, aren't they, Angie?"

It was all the older Little could do to nod as fervently as possible, leaving her hands at her side and staring upwards at her mistress. She couldn't even remember how long ago it had been since she'd been captured, but it was getting hard to remember what she'd done before she'd been Katie's pet. This was her life now. This was all she knew, and all she needed to think about was being good and getting through another day so she could have some food tonight.

"Why don't we show her how good girls act, hmm?" Katie quipped with a grin, leaning forward and resting her elbows on her knees so she could have a fully unobstructed view of her two Little ladies. "Now. 'Puppy,'" she uttered with a snap of her fingers.

In an instant Angie was on all fours, barking and growling and shaking her head. There was no semblance of shame or restraint, she just did it. While Martha stared wide-eyed at the display, still in disbelief, Katie's huge, dark eyes watched the new girl instead, gauging her reaction to the situation. "Roll," the giantess stated distractedly, not needing to shift her gaze to know that her good little pet would be stretched out like a log, tumbling to the side again and again until she was told to stop.

"Handstand," she decreed next, each order stated plainly and flatly, and Angie complied, stopping mid-roll on her belly and planting her palms against the hardwood floor, doing her best to invert herself and push her body into the air. All this was just too much for Martha, though, and as she continued to shake her head in disbelief she started to back away, holding her hands out in front of her as if she could ward off the very idea of a woman being trained to do tricks like any other common beast.

Katie hated it when her pets tried to run away. Really, what could be more disrespectful? Here she was offering this Little girl food and shelter and she was trying to flee from it. Her towering boot of canvas and rubber rose from the ground in an easy, fluid gesture, and for the briefest of seconds she considered just squashing this ungrateful Little girl, but there was a whole night ahead of them still, and so she brought it smashing down in Martha's path, sending her stumbling and crashing awkwardly to the hardwood floor.

"Fetch," Katie demanded, her eyes still never having left her new Little pet. It wasn't like it was totally unexpected for them to run, but it was still somehow... disappointing. At least I can count on old, reliable Angie, she thought while watching the older woman grab Martha by the ankles and start dragging her back towards her feet. It seemed like it was a significant effort for her, but not much of a struggle. The poor little thing was still probably in shock from seeing her huge shoe stomping towards her.

"Don't go trying to run away, Little Martha. You know you can't get away from me, so just stop trying, okay? You're going to hurt my feelings. Now, let her go, Angie."

This was always an amusing part of the game, teaching a new pet where they belonged. The relationship between pet and owner was built on trust and consistency. Martha was still mouthing something, though she wasn't putting enough of her voice behind it, and more distressingly she was still trying to crawl backwards-trying to crawl away from Katie.

"Kick her," Katie demanded in that same, dispassionate voice, as though it was just another trick her Little pet could do. Angie, for her part, only hesitated for a moment before she drove the top of her foot into the younger girl's ribs, eliciting a little cry from her as she still crawled on the ground. There didn't seem to be any joy or mirth in the obedient pet's eyes as she carried out her giant owner's commands. "Again," they both heard from the teen giantess above them, and this time it even seemed like Angie was frowning as she slammed her foot into the girl's ribs once more.

It didn't feel good to be kicking this scared, young girl, which was a little strange only because over the years Angie had learned to feel good when she did what Katie wanted. She learned quickly that being good earned her praise and rewards, and she'd done her best to be a good pet for the teenage girl. Good pets got food and clothes and other nice things, and she eventually grew to feel a little special.

Recently, though, Katie had seemed a little less careful when she played with Angie. She could be rough, and it seemed like she was starting to enjoy the things she could do to Angie more than the things she could make her do. She's been smothered, stepped on, squeezed, all while staring up into the laughing eyes of the girl who'd kept her for years.

Katie spoke, bringing an abrupt end to Angie's violence. "Good," was all she needed to say, and one glance up at her playful grin, along with the lone word of praise, sent a rush of contentment through her obedient pet. "Now, step on her face. Pin her to the ground."

As quickly as that, Angie's contentment vanished. It pained her to do such things to another girl, but she didn't even consider hesitating. Though her brow furrowed and she bit her lip, her knee bent and her dusty, calloused sole rose above the other girl, swiftly slamming down and forcing her cheek into the smooth, unforgiving wood beneath them. It was all Martha could do to whimper, tears filling her eyes as she looked up at the girl who loomed above them both like some sort of teenage goddess, ordering them about for fun.

Katie was changing. Maybe it was part of growing up. It wasn't for Angie to worry about, or at least that's what she told herself as she felt Martha struggle and sob beneath her foot. As long as she kept doing what she was told, she'd be okay.

"Look," Katie murmured, her voice soft and conversational. "You can't even start to stand up to my pet, Martha. Do you think you can really do anything I don't want you to? You're not going to get away, you're mine now and I'm going to keep you, okay? Do you understand?"

Silence hung in the air for a long, tense moment. Katie's eyes started to narrow as she stared down the weeping thing, roughly pinned to the ground and already bruising from the beating she'd taken at Angie's feet. "Answer her!" Angie hissed, trying to be as subtle as possible, and with that Martha began a timid nod. Angie wouldn't dare more than just lifting her foot and giving the girl's face a little slap to encourage her further, but it worked. "Yes! Yes, I understand," she stammered.

Katie, for her part, was delighted. She leaned forward, cradling her chin in her hands and resting her elbows on her knees. "Okay, great! So here's what's going to happen. You're going to stand up, and my two good little pets are going to come over here and kiss my shoes. Go ahead and let her up, Angie." The girl's head slowly nodded as she spoke, subtly directing her new pet towards agreement and compliance. "She's going to be a good girl."

Angie's foot slowly slid down from Martha's cheek, and she stood there watching the shaken girl try to pull herself together. She was still sobbing, sucking down lungfuls of air as she pulled her knees underneath herself, and even though she hadn't been ordered to do so, Angie couldn't resist reaching out a hand to help the girl to her feet. A quick glance up at her owner revealed nothing but that same amused, girlish grin, but at least there didn't seem to be any dissatisfaction.

Martha was clearly lost and bewildered, almost in a daze as the two girls started the respectable walk across the open floor to the towering shoes of their captor. Angie wanted to help this girl, and with a little glance their eyes met. She offered a little reassuring nod as they approached the rubber-capped toe of Katie's shoe, and without hesitation draped herself across it, pressing her lips to the smooth, white rubber again and again, even letting her tongue taste the material here and there. Her passion was unrestrained, even if she'd been systematically trained to demonstrate it. Maybe if Martha could be a good girl like her, Angie wouldn't have to be so alone anymore. For that reason she threw herself into the worship of Katie's shoe more fervently than ever, praying Martha would follow her lead.

Katie sighed happily. It was always her favorite moment of the day when her Little pet dropped to her knees and showed her devotion to her delightful feet, and now her new girl was getting into the spirit, starting to press her lips to the side of her shoe. "That's good, Martha. You're totally learning! I'm glad you're starting to get it. Now, Angie, you're going to get up and show my new pet your best trick, okay? Can you do that?"

Angie paused, the taste of Katie's sneaker still on her lips as she slowly lifted her head. Her best trick? She didn't even know where to start, but she couldn't disappoint Katie. She didn't get any food yesterday and really, really wanted to eat tonight. Martha slowed for a bit, starting to lift her head, but Angie gave her a quick shake of her head, encouraging her to keep kissing the giant teenager's shoe.

"That's right, Martha. Keep kissing my feet until Angie's ready. Are you ready yet, Angie?" Katie's other massive shoe started to slowly and rhythmically tap against the floor. Was she impatient? Oh god, Angie needed to do something and she needed to do it right now. She was nimble, and years of captivity hadn't dulled her dexterity too much. Maybe she could do something with that.

Angie gave a quick glance up at her owner, but all she saw was a bored teenage girl resting her chin in her palm. "We're waiting," she uttered while raising an eyebrow, staring the Little girl down.

Angie gave a firm nod, understanding what she needed to do, and with a deep breath she closed her eyes and settled herself. Katie gave the slightest nudge with her shoe, knocking her other Little pet back as she rose to her feet, and the two of them began to watch, eager to see what Angie was going to do.

Angie burst into a run. One, two, three steps, and then she spun through the air in a sharp cartwheel, and then another. With a twist of her lithe, feminine frame she planted both hands on the ground and propelled herself into a backwards flip, and her bare, dusty feet hit the ground. With all of her strength and the added forward momentum, she managed to push herself up into the air and tuck in her knees, and with a cry of exultation, her feet slammed to the hardwood floor, completing her majestic, total midair flip.

A split second later, she exploded.

In the same instant that Martha brought her hands together to applaud her mentor, Katie's immense shoe crashed through Angie's posed, proud body and slammed to the ground with bone-jarring force. She stood there, motionless, lips parted in a mad, exuberant grin, her chest heaving and eyes wide and gleaming with the triumph and exquisite thrill of that moment. Spattered bits of Angie radiated from beneath her sole, and after another long moment of savoring her Little pet's destruction, Katie began to twist her foot, the rubber sole of her Converse squeaking faintly as Angie's pulverized remains squelched and spread.

Martha's excitement had been utterly deadened. She screamed until her throat burned and fell to her knees, but she couldn't tear her eyes away. Seconds ago this woman had been looking out for her, teaching her what to do, and now she was watching as Katie's ankle pivoted and her diamond-patterned shoe sole rose and settled and squished through all that Angie now was.

She heaved and retched, tears coming unbidden to her eyes as the scraps she'd scavenged the night before rose from her stomach and spilled across the floor. How? How could anyone...

"Martha," Katie spoke, her voice low and sultry and soft. "You're going to have to be better than she was." The giant teen's eyes shone with her dark pleasure. "Now, once you're done cleaning up your own little mess," she continued on while slowly raising her shoe on its heel, showing off the gory smears that her old pet had become, "You can come over here and get to work on Angie's."

All of a sudden, training them seemed like it might be more fun than keeping them. Katie watched as her new pet stared up at her, eyes wide with utter horror, and already she found herself wondering how long her new Little girl would last.