Caged Ch. 02

She was beast. That was the first thing I noticed when Harland left me alone with my sister. She wore a collar at her throat, one that probably would have killed her if she tried to change to human. Her body was bent and stiff and she walked as if every move hurt her.

She looked nothing like the swift and agile cat that had been taken so many weeks before. She looked as if she'd seen noting but pain and horror since that terrible day and it made me terrified about what I had to look forward to.

Are you okay?

Oh Rhys, I would have done anything to keep them from finding you. I'm so sorry.

I stroked my hands down her twisted body, feeling every bone, every bump. It was heart rending, wanting so badly for her to be the same Tippin that had chased me through the branches in the trees at home. We'd spent hours playing, laughing together. But now, the way she seemed, I couldn't even think of her laughing again. What did they do to you?

Her voice was soft in my head, speaking more then sending the pictures that our kind was able to transfer. She spoke for what seemed like hours as I stroked my hands down her still soft fur, letting her rest her head in my lap. I could feel the tears running freely down my face, tears that dropped from my chin and fell to her fur.

She told me of being captured, that day I remembered so well. I hadn't been able to get over the horror of that day and now, after she told me what happened next, I was almost paralyzed.

They'd taken her through almost the same process I'd been through. She'd been checked, first by the vet and then by a doctor that was no longer in Harland's employ. That doctor had taken advantage of her. My mind could fill in the blanks she'd left in the telling and I could almost see myself, forced down on the table while this man with big hands and a harsh laugh felt me up.

He'd been harsh and uncaring, pushing his fingers between my sister's sleek thighs and forcing them through her hymen. He'd laughed when she'd cried out with pain and then force a strip of gauze into her mouth to eliminate her shouts. He'd tied her to the cot, strapping her ankles to her thighs and each thigh to a separate tent pole, leaving her exposed to his eyes as well as his hands. I couldn't believe how much hatred I could feel for the man who'd forced his hard cock into my sister's unprepared vagina, ripping her open and fucking her until she was raw.

I know she didn't mean to, but I could feel her relief when the man had finally stopped thrusting into her, his semen both warm and soothing as well as disgusting and slimy. When he'd pulled his cock from her body, there'd been blood coating it, a slimy, bloody mess that he'd forced past her lips and into her throat.

He'd forced her to lick him clean, his fingers twisting her nipples harshly whenever she would do something he didn't like. Then he washed her clean, enjoying her screams as he cleaned her wounds.

Harland had come in when he had unstrapped her, leaving her to stand and wait for him. She'd followed him docilely, unable to do anything but with a thick collar at her throat and blood still flowing from her abused pussy. When Harland had done his own exam, the man had grown red with anger, calling for the camp physician to be brought before him. The doctor must have known how much trouble he would be in because he was never seen again. He'd left Tippin and had gone and cleaned out his tent and left, taking a company jeep to get him out of the jungle.

Harland had been gentle with Tippin. He'd given her clothing and helped her to clean herself up. He'd found her a place to sleep and had threatened the camp with dire harm if any one of them touched her. His apologies had seemed oddly sincere to Tippin and she'd begun to relax around him. It had only taken seven days for her to realize how wrong she'd been.

The master had arrived. He was handsome, and funny. He made me laugh, she said to me. He had touched her everywhere but she hadn't minded. She'd actually felt pleasure at first.

Then Tippin threw up a wall, not allowing me to see inside, to know what had happened and why she now hated the man she knew only as master or Harland. But it was hatred that was absolute, making her whole body rock with emotion. Just don't trust them, Rhys. Promise me you won't trust them.

I did, unable to do anything else when her golden eyes had gleamed so fiercely into mine. Her hate was an almost palpable thing. I couldn't hide from it, even if I'd wanted to. But mostly, I just wanted to understand.

Since the day with the master, Tippin had been left here. She was given food and occasionally one of the men would visit. Then she would be forced to let them do what they wished, be it fucking her or beating her to within an inch of her life. She'd been forced to bear it all.They act as if being able to change is something to be ashamed of, Rhys. That because we are what we are, we should feel more shame and do whatever they want.

Now she was only allowed to change in front of Harland. He seemed fascinated by it, as if it were some kind of strange and exotic strip tease she did for him and him alone. If she changed to fast, he would beat her. If she changed too slowly, he would beat her. She was expected to know his wishes and to follow what he wanted without him saying a word to her.

Harland had left most of the damage on her body. He seemed to hate the fact that she intrigued him so much and he seemed to love to take that hatred out on her. I could feel my own animosity grow even to change the gratitude I'd felt earlier into loathing.

"We're going to get out of here." I spoke the words aloud. They seem to have more impact that way, at least upon me. "I won't stop until I get us both home."

Tippin purred and curled into a ball against me. I'd gotten up and grabbed the thin blanket and the pillow that was on the only bunk and brought them to the floor, curling up next to her warmth. I felt better beside her. We'd slept this way, except both in animal form since we were litter mates.

The next morning came all too early and I was kicked awake by Harland. I snarled at him, knowing that my human face was never as impressive as the face of my beast. But I couldn't help it, especially knowing that he'd done something so horrible to my sister she couldn't talk about it. "Do not touch me," I growled, yanking my arm out of his hold.

"Okay," he said, then he turned toward Tippin, who'd slunk away as we fought. "Perhaps I should talk to her?" His hands went to his pants and he unzipped his zipper.

"No!" I threw myself over her, feeling her body shake in terror. "Leave her alone, please," I begged. I could beg for her, for the sister that I loved beyond thought.

"Then you will do as you are told," Harland growled. He pulled his pants back up, quickly zipping and buttoning them and then reaching out a hand for me to take.

I would have rather bitten it off but I could see that he had little patience this morning and I wouldn't do anything that might have him around Tippin any longer than necessary. I took his hand, almost shivering as the loathing was so strong to make me weak.

"She's told you what she is?" he asked as he escorted me from the tent and took me to the trailer that was used for cooking.

"No, so why don't you tell me?" I couldn't help that bit of mouthiness. I knew as far as Harland was concerned, my sister was less then a slut.

Harland turned me, grabbing my arms just as I was about to climb into the dinner trailer. I could feel his strong fingers digging into my arms and knew there would be bruises there when he was done. "Your sister is the camp's cum slut. She has less use then a condom. If you don't want to end up just like her, you might want to watch your tongue and your attitude. I might have to follow the master's orders but I will find my way to get paybacks, bitch. Just remember that." He shook me hard and then turned me toward the trailer, slapping me on the ass to get me moving. "Salvatore is in the tent. He will tell you what you have to do. Do not make him come and find me, Rhys. You will not like the punishment."

He waited until I was up the steps and opening the door of the trailer and then he began to turn away. I entered the trailer, my entire body still shaking. I hated myself almost as much as I hated him. I'd never thought myself a coward until today. That man had hurt my sister. He'd taken all of her self respect and tossed it to the winds. Now I was letting him do the same thing to me.

"Rhys?"

I looked up, finally seeing the man who would have responsibility of me while I worked. He was huge, his arms were wider than tree stumps, his legs thick and muscular. He had a chest that was almost as wide as his stomach. Just looking at him, you could tell he never missed a meal and that he really enjoyed well prepared food. "Yes."

"I'm Salvatore, Sal if you'd like. I know you probably don't have much experience with cooking, but that's okay. I'll teach you everything that you need to know." He held out his shovel sized hand and I took it, almost flinching when it closed around mine. He was as gentle as he was big, a strange combination for a man.

"What do you want me to do?"

Sal held out a knife, haft end first. I took it cautiously and then he waved me to a huge table in the middle of the trailer that was full of different vegetables. "Stew for dinner but I like to let everything cook together for a while. Just peel and chop then drop it all in that huge pot on the burner, I'll take care of the meat."

I started to work, not allowing myself to even look at the meat that Sal was cooking in another big pan on the stove. The raw scent of the meat was making my mouth water and I realized how long it had been since I'd eaten. My stomach did at the same time and Sal turned, staring at my back. I could feel him staring and then I heard him move. There was the sound of his knife on the big chopping block he used for a meat board and then he called my name.

"Rhys, why didn't you tell me you hadn't eaten? I'm your boss, not your tormentor. I'm not going to work you until you drop."

I turned and stared at the huge slice of meat that Sal had chopped for me. It was sitting on a plate that seemed as big as a platter, the meat juices filling what the meat didn't. My mouth filled with saliva and my stomach grumbled again, ignoring the words that I tried to say. "I'm n-not h-h-hungry."

Sal laughed. "If you're worried about how you're going to eat this while still in human form, baby, I've seen about everything working for this crew. Don't worry, you can't shock me."

"B-but..."

"You'll do me no good passed out on the floor with hunger. I know your kind doesn't eat as often as we humans do, but I refuse to let you go without a meal. Now eat that and then get back to work. Those vegetables won't chop themselves up." He plopped the platter onto the table, setting a knife and fork down next to it.

He was right, I wasn't comfortable eating as a human. My sharp cat teeth are much better to use to chew raw meat, and truthfully, it tasted better when I was a cat as well. But I was hungry, and I didn't want to wait for another chance to eat. Who knew when Harland would give me another chance? I sank down in the chair and lifted the knife and fork, doing my best to cut tiny pieces before lifting them to my mouth.

When the meat was gone, I lifted the platter, licking it clean. Then I sank back down onto the chair, lifting my hands to my face and licking them before using them to clean my face. Then I took the platter to the huge sink that was already full of dishes and then took my place back from Sal who'd started chopping potatoes with that same dodged determination he did everything else.

"Thank you," I said quietly, hating that I felt grateful to one of them. I felt infinitely stronger now, almost strong enough to sneak away. But I couldn't do that without Tippin. I wouldn't allow her to stay here and maybe be punished for my rebellion. Harland had the perfect victim in me. I was physically capable but mental stayed. He had only to threaten Tippin and I would do anything he asked, without second thought.

The weakness made me angry and I took out my frustration on the potatoes, peeling and chopping in a frenzy until the table was cleared and the pot was almost overly full. Sal looked up when I grabbed for the cloth next to the huge sink and wiped down the table I'd been using before going to the sink and filling it with water and detergent to start the dishes without being told.

"I think you and I are going to be great friends," he said in his deep baritone voice.

"I doubt it."

"Why's that?" he asked, pausing in his work to stare at me. "You work hard and do what I ask and I don't think we'll have any problems."

"Do you know who I am?" I asked, unable to stop the disbelief that was heavy in my tone. "Do you have a clue?"

"You're another one of those cat girls that the boss likes so much."

"...and?" I urged, letting the rag drop into the water as I began to stack the dishes in a dryer.

"And what?"

"Your fucking boss kidnapped me. He has my sister hostage as well. I'm not here on my own volition, Sal. While I like you, if I could kill you and get Tippin and myself away, I'd have a hard time feeling bad about it." I tried not to show the abject hatred that was eating at my soul but it was difficult. Tippin and I had loved our jungle home. We hadn't wanted the human life, with their frail bodies and starchy ways.

There was nothing more freeing then playing tag in the trees while the sun shone high above you and your family was near. We'd all loved each other fiercely until the humans had come and one by one, taken them away. Tippin was all I had left, she was my world now and I wouldn't leave her here, not while I could help it.

Sal nodded his head and then he lifted his shirt showing me a scar on his stomach. It was thick and long, bisecting his flesh. "The boss saved my life, Rhys. He stopped the bleeding and then carried me five miles to a village where they could call for help. If he hadn't, I'd be dead and I wouldn't have the family I have now. I find it hard to believe that he could be the way you say he is."

"Harland saved your life?"

I didn't know why that thought surprised me so. Maybe it shouldn't have. I knew there had to be some good reason for Sal to stay where he was, cooking for all those men. Maybe it was just that I'd seen the look in Harland's eyes when he'd seen my naked body yesterday, or the look in Tippin's eyes when she glossed over the things that they'd done to her. I just didn't want to think of the man as a savior or as a saint. I couldn't.

"Yes. Because of him, I have a wife and children. I've never been so content Rhys."

"And because of him, all I have left in this world is my sister."

Sal nodded sagely and then picked up a container of eggs that was probably heavier then I could handle. He took them easily to the huge stove and started breaking them into a bowl, stirring it and then pouring the mix into another skillet. Scrambling eggs took little thought and his eyes wandered back to my back. I could feel them there, as if he were trying to figure out what I was all about.

"You don't plan to cause trouble for me, do you?"

I sighed and picked up a towel that was sitting next to the sink. Wiping my hands I turned and leaned back against the counter. "No trouble that I don't have to cause," I answered.

"Can you not just be happy with your lot in life?" he asked, waving his spatula around and sending tiny egg pieces all over the kitchen.

"Could you be happy to be sold, to be raped and beaten and have your life no longer be yours? Do you have any clue of what Harland means to do to me?" I wanted to scream at Sal, to hit him over the head with one of his skillets just to see if that would give him any smarts. He waned me to be happy with my lot. I'd be happier to see my carcass hanging off of one of those trees.

"He won't treat you that badly, will he?"

"Have you seen my sister, Sal? She can barely walk. That's the kind of gentle treatment the Master and Harland hand out to young girls, that's what I have to look forward to. Do you think that I could possibly be happy with that? Would you like it if you had to wake up every day with the knowledge that at sometime during that day you were going to get a knee to the groin? Would you look forward to it? Could you be happy with your lot?"

I tried to settle down but the question pissed me off so much I could feel my beast growling just below the surface. But I knew what would happen if I let her free. I knew that I wouldn't be the only one to be punished for my lack of restraint. I also knew that Tippin wouldn't be able to handle much else before she would lose her last grip on sanity. I had to stay calm. I took a deep breath and pushed her back down, ignoring her growling protests. This was the longest that I'd been trapped in my human form and it was taxing at my strength.

I finished the dishes without another word then went and stirred the vegetables that I had cut up. Sal threw in thickly sliced, chopped steak that he'd fried covered in flour. Then he added beef broth to the mixture and thickened it with a bit more of the flour and some milk. By the time the stew was bubbling over the hot burner, breakfast had been served and I was sent out to clean up the tables and to collect the dishes.

Another huge sink of dishes later and I watched as Sal mixed up a batch of biscuits to go with the stew. He showed me how to fix them and then watched as I tried to mix the flour and water, soda and shortening to get the perfect consistency. My arms were nowhere near strong enough and he pushed me to the side, fixing that problem by adding the strength of his huge arms. I left him with the biscuits when he pointed me toward a table filled with apples. These I cored and quartered, peeled and sliced, filling the crusts that he'd already made with a mixture that he'd shown me as well.

Then he covered each one and set them to baking, filling the air with the scent of cooking apples and cinnamon. I felt my sweet tooth kick in and I snitched a piece of apple from the last pie he'd yet to cover.

"There's a sandwich in the cooler and another for your sister. Why don't you take it to her and have your lunch together. I'll expect you back in an hour, Rhys. Please don't make me have to come and find you."

"You won't," I said quickly. I saw the size of the sandwiches that he'd fixed and grabbed both plates, hurrying out the door of the trailer and into the bright sunlight of noon. I skipped almost happily to the tent and slipped inside, stopping only when a strange noise caught my attention. Then there was the sound of flesh striking flesh and I stepped into a corner where the shadows grew deep. The light was dim enough in the tent but I could just make out the sight of my sister, her emaciated body thrown under that of another man. He held her down as his hips pumped over her and I saw for the first time what fucking actually looked like.

My sister moaned but I didn't think it could be in pleasure. The man had taken one of her exposed nipples into his mouth, his teeth biting down hard upon that tender bud. When he lifted his head, I could see the blood on her skin and I felt sick. I felt an almost irrepressible urge to change, to let my beast free and see what kind of damage I could do to this man who was raping my sister. But if we weren't able to escape, I had no doubt what would be our punishment. I would be forced to watch while my sister was torn apart by Harland.

Was it worth the risk? Could I risk her going through all of that when she was so weak to begin with? I knew if we could be patient that soon, with my care, she'd be strong enough to run with me. I tried to suppress my rage but it grew with each rough slap of skin against skin. Finally, the man groaned and his hips jerked. He lay collapsed above her for a few short moments and then he rose. Pulling on his clothes, he didn't even look at Tippin. He left without seeing me, but I could see the blood on her breasts and more that coated the insides of her thighs. I hurried to sit the sandwiches on a stand near the bed and then grabbed for a cloth and some water.