Authors Note: Okay, this story involves a form of BDSM called pony play. I don't want to describe it too much in here, but rather you learn about it as you read. Of course, in the real communities, it's done with willing participants. This story involves Kate and Sawyer being forced into it by the Others.
Basically, this takes place in season three when Sawyer, Kate and Jack are taken off the dock by the Others. Everything from the moment the hoods are placed over their heads and onward though, is going to be different. An alternate universe starting from that moment. What went on before then is still true though.
Now, a serious warning - this story isn't going to be for the faint at heart. It's going to deal with themes like bondage, torture, pony play, sexual abuse, violence and so forth. It's not going to be all about that, but it'll play heavily at least in the beginning. This is also a Skate story, though there will be Jate moments in it.
If anyone doesn't like what they hear so far, don't read ok? Flaming me is a waste of your time when all you have to do is click the little back button on your browser. :P For those that find this interesting and want to see more, reviews are greatly appreciated!
And for those that are also involved in House MD fanfic, this story is gonna seem familiar to ones written by Waxangelwings and myself - Our Solemn Hour and it's sequel Bring Me To Life. Though I promise it won't be the same, just the general theme of forced pony play is borrowed.
With that, I hope some of you enjoy!!
Oh, one other thing - the title is taken from a Within Temptation song by the same name. Go check out the lyrics, it might give away some things :)
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Kate couldn't move. Her first instinct as she slowly came too was to get off her back but her arms weren't cooperating. It took a few moments before the realization that her wrists were tied to her waist sunk in and the panic began to flare inside. She didn't know where she was; she didn't remember what had happened after the Others threw the bags over their heads back on the dock.
It wasn't full on dark, but the little bit of sun still in the sky was blocked by the roof of the structure she found herself in now. "Uhn." She tried to speak only to wince at the ache and immobility of her jaw. There was a gag of some sort tied tightly around the back of her head and between her teeth; she couldn't close her mouth completely and whimpered as small rivulets of saliva spilled around the obstruction and down her chin.
"Ehn, Eeehhnnn!" The terror that had started to boil inside now spilled out as she finally noticed that she was not only bound and gagged, but also naked except for a pair of silk panties. Above the waist band was a thick leather belt that seemed to have two clasps on the side that connected to the similar style leather wrist cuffs. It was tight around her lower abdomen and made moving all the more awkward as she tried not to pinch her bare flesh.
Her hands themselves were encased in what appeared to be leather mittens, for her fingers were unrestricted inside of the fabric but would be useless for grabbing anything. With a great deal of effort, she managed to roll onto her side and maneuver her way into a sitting position. Beneath her was a thick spreading of hay; the covering scratchy and uncomfortable on her naked flesh. She wanted to call out again but her jaw was throbbing and nothing had come out sensible on her two previous attempts, so instead she focused on trying to stand.
That's when she noticed the boots. They were leather, like everything else, and rose nearly to her knees. The straps were locked securely in place by three metal locks down the side and as she inspected further, she noticed that the boots had no heel. They were definitely 'high heels', for her foot was arched at an almost impossible angle, but where there should have been support beneath the back of her foot there was nothing. Under her toes the small platform was a silvery gold color and about two inches thick. As she bent her knees the most shocking part of her attire became visible; beneath the platforms were genuine looking metal horse shoes.
Despite the aching muscles throughout her body she got to her knees and then attempted to put one foot down and push upwards. She got halfway up when her balance was lost, and without her arms she fell chest first into the bedding. That was it, she couldn't hold it in anymore and let the tears start flowing down her cheeks as she took in a deep, ragged breath through her permanently parted teeth.
Where was she, and where were Jack and Sawyer? The Others had systematically kidnapped and threatened them for weeks, but nothing had led her to believe they would keep her confined like this; like an animal! They hay was starting to irritate her skin so she slowly rolled onto her side again and used the nearest wall of her prison to help sit herself up. As she moved, there was a sudden thumping from directly behind the tall, wooden divide behind her. "Enno?" She called out, hoping but at the same time, not hoping that it was someone she knew.
The noise stopped after she 'spoke' but then picked up again, this time seemingly more frantic. Whoever it was, they were also gagged from the sound of their muffled cries. The voice was also deeper but she couldn't say whether she recognized it or not. Shifting down the wall, she spotted a small crack in the boarding and leant over so she could peer inside. "Ahhyee!" Her eyes flew open as she spotted Sawyer in the identical 'room', tied and bound exactly as she was. He had also been stripped down to his boxers, leaving his strong, tan chest bare while his much lighter legs peeked out from beneath the edges of his boxers only to disappear into his own leather boots.
As she knelt by the opening, she watched as the man struggled in his own binds to get to his feet. His boots were also obscenely high and without a heel. If she couldn't walk in them, she doubted he could, and she was right; he immediately fell forward just as she had. "Ehhh!" She knocked her shoulder into the wood, hoping to get his attention over to the crack in the wall. After a few moments, he seemed to regain his senses and looked up, his eyes making contact the the one she had pressed into the opening.
"Ahhe?" His word was slurred, but she knew he was calling out her name. She knocked her shoulder into the wall again and nodded, though knew he couldn't see the gesture. As awkward as it had been for her, Sawyer took twice as long to maneuver to his knees and make his way to her. "Ahhe?" He asked again.
"Ahhyee?" She replied, then rubbed her saliva drenched chin on her shoulder before turning her attention back to her friend. Their reunion was short lived, for the door adjacent to where she was crouching swung open and a tall, dark haired man entered. In his hands he had what looked to be a collar and leash. She didn't recognize him, but knew there had to be more than just the few individuals she'd seen thus far also living on the island. He was dressed in a dark grey, dirt caked coveralls and tall military looking boots. If she squinted, she could barely make out the monogramed name on his chest - Mikhail.
The man had his lips pressed into a tight line as his eyes roamed over her exposed body, causing her to shiver and glance back at Sawyer for help. It wasn't as if the man could do anything for her, but she was scared and he had always been there for her before. "Oooo aahaa!" She hissed at him, begging him to go away and leave her alone. He only cocked his head at her 'statement' and walked forward, his boots crushing the flimsy hay beneath them.
Without so much as a word, he gripped a massive fist into her hair and pulled her up until the base of her boots were unsteadily clawing at the ground. She had no balance and fell into him, her face now inches from his. His expression remained stoic as he moved his grip to her upper arm, steadying her on the balls of her arched feet. With his other hand he began to wrap the leather choker around her neck, incredibly adept at attaching the buckle with just his one hand. She couldn't see, but heard a tell tale 'click' and knew that he had locked the article in place. Next he snapped the leash to some form of clasp on the front and before she realized it, he'd released her arm and was tugging her towards the door.
As soon as she tried stepping forward, her weight improperly shifted and she sank down onto her knees. It was an improvement from falling onto her face, but it didn't please the man who yanked hard on the leash, causing the collar to start choking her. Unable to get up quickly enough, his pulling toppled her over and she was now being dragged across the floor. "Uhnn!! Ahhh." She kicked her feet as she gasped and sputtered for air through her restricted windpipe.
Throughout all this she could hear Sawyer in the room next door banging and crying out muffled, what she was sure were, explicatives. The man was relentless and continued to pull her until she was halfway through the door and onto the solid packed dirt on the other side. There was a slight drop of about 3 inches and she winced as the side of her arm was sliced open by a jagged piece of wood sticking out of the threshold. When she was completely free of the small prison, he reached down and gripped into her hair again, pulling her to stand.
This time she focused all her energy on keeping her balance forward, even if it meant leaning awkwardly with her rear thrust out behind her. The man, Mikhail, didn't seem all too patient to let her adjust to this unnatural method of walking, and was soon leading her down the dirt hallway towards the fading daylight. As she frantically kept up her pace she realized that the structure they were in was none other than a horse stable. Only where one would normally be able to see into each individual stall, the walls were built up into private cubicles.
Kate followed the man into a dirt clearing before he stopped and turned to look at her. He briefly made eye contact and then looked away, giving her no other communication. Whoever he was, he was a master at remaining expressionless and this fact was starting to upset her even more than she would have felt if he'd been yelling and screaming at her. At least then she'd maybe know what it was he wanted, but as it were, she had gotten nothing from him other than direction.
Just as she was thinking this, he countered her assessment and parted his thin lips. "Walk." The next thing she knew she was being swatted in the backside with a genuine riding crop. She didn't remember him having it when he'd dragged her out of the stall, but she also hadn't been paying attention to him when he walked her through the stables. If it hadn't started its life out as an actual horse stable, she'd be mightily surprised.
Her momentary hesitation rewarded her with another, much harder slap to her rear and she leapt forward a few tentative steps. The leash remained in the man's hand, but was now much longer than she'd first noticed. With him standing about ten feet away, she began to make a circle around him, her horse shoe heel-less boots making a 'clop clop' sound in the dirt.
As the minutes ticked by, she found that she could straighten her back out and stand up taller. Of course this new posture required her to thrust her bare chest forward, but it strained her muscles less than crouching forward had so she swallowed her humiliation, trying to block it out. Mikhail hadn't commented on her nudity and apart from his first 'eyeing her up' he'd done in the stall, he hadn't made any overt display of noticing. This didn't stem her discomfort; it only confused her more.
The minutes seemed to stretch on and despite her obvious new found comfort in the boots, the man didn't allow her to stop moving. She'd tried protesting, but every time she slowed down or stopped he snapped the crop against her skin. In the end she'd given up and focused her attention on the dirt path she'd created around him. The sun had started to set and a few lights flicked on around the outside of the stables, illuminating the corral in numerous, spread out patches.
On and on this went until she thought her legs would give out from the strain of keeping herself balanced. She wasn't a stranger to high heels, or even stiletto's, but she'd never had to walk this much without resting in them; her legs just weren't accustomed to the strain. When she thought she could go no further, the man surprised her as he spoke for only the second time thus far, "Woah."
She knew enough about horses from having grown up in rural Iowa to know this meant she was to stop. Complying to his instruction, she halted her movements and swayed lightly. She found it was easier to stay in one spot if she still continued to move her feet in place, shifting her balance back and forth between them. She expected some sort of response from the man, after all, she had just done what he said without question, but he just turned and tugged her leash in the direction of the stables.
Following, she felt the tears start to build around her eyes once more. While she'd been made to walk, it was easy to block everything out in order to concentrate on her footing, but now that she was being placed back in her private prison, it was all coming back to her. This man had said nothing to her to explain what it was they were doing there, or why he was making her parade around like a human/horse hybrid. Did he expect her to just accept this new reality without question? Of course, until he removed the gag from her mouth, she would have to.
Once back in her stall he unclipped the leash and slung it over his shoulder and around his neck. If her hands weren't tied to her waist she'd have gripped the ends and tried to strangle him. Her desire must have been evident in her face for he actually cracked his lips and smiled. It wasn't a humorous expression, but one filled with darkness and evil. This man was in control, and he knew it.
Not wanting him to see her cry, she turned around and sank to her knees in the welcoming hay. Done with her, Mikhail turned and left, locking the door after him. Kate rolled awkwardly onto her side and pulled her knees up to her chest as she struggled to get comfortable in her still bound form. She'd been hoping he'd untie her and remove her gag, but he obviously had other plans. If he wanted to break her, he was definitely on the right path.
Behind her she could hear Sawyer calling her around the rubber in his own mouth but she ignored him. She was humiliated and tired. If she closed her eyes, maybe she'd wake up back on the beach with the other survivors. With this thought in mind, she eventually drifted off to sleep.