Kylia silently gave thanks that the last Miqo'te apparently never hit a bullseye. Things were going surprisingly well for her. Kylia thought she might be able to get away with maybe half a dozen more smacks to her ass before the night was over. But these hopeful thoughts were cut short as silence fell through the camp.

Kylia couldn't see who was shooting, but from the reactions of the Miqo'te around her, she thought that the shooter was not very popular. Kylia heard a quiet thrum and a smattering of claps around her. Was that a bullseye? Kylia couldn't tell. She heard several more thrums with half-hearted clapping following them. After the last thrum though, there was no clapping. Just some muttering and headshaking from what Kylia thought were some of Petra's more ardent fans.

The sound of a Miqo'te walking toward her in the silence made Kylia shiver. It was just possible that this Miqo'te might want a kiss too, but somehow she didn't think so. The Miqo'te stopped right next to her and bend down to whisper in her ear.

"I said I'd see you soon, sweetling." Sabine whispered to her.

Kylia let out a whimper as she tried to prepare herself. Sabine was going to make this as painful for her as possible, she knew it. When she felt Sabine lift the paddle from where it was resting on her, Kylia starting squirming in earnest. Not five smacks. She couldn't take it!

*CRACK!*

Kylia shrieked loudly as the oak paddle connected with her ass with a sound like gunpowder going off. Sabine was only using one hand, but somehow it hurt far worse than any of the two-handed smacks she'd received so far. It couldn't have been more painful if the paddle was actually on fire.

*CRACK!*

Kylia shrieked again as she strained at the ropes binding her. The pain from the second smack was worse than the first, and the thought that every smack would hurt more than the last was enough for Kylia to try to get out of the harness. But Kylia was exhausted and had very little strength to begin with, so the ropes continued to hold her in the same defenseless position.

*CRACK!*

Tears sprung forth as Kylia shrieked again. The pain from her burning ass so completely dominated her thoughts that there was room for nothing else in her mind.

*CRACK!*

The fourth smack sent another, larger wave of agony into her mind. The pain seemed like it was wrapping around her now and holding her tightly. It was hard to even draw breath with the feeling of being suffocated by it.

*CRACK!*

The final smack hurt worse than any before, but the knowledge that it was at least the last one, for now, wormed it's way past the billowing agony Kylia felt. She let out a quieter, more ragged shriek as the pain crested and started to fall. Her ass felt like it had been roasted over a cookfire, Kylia knew from past experience that it felt far worse than it looked. It was likely just a deep red.

"Now that was fun. Think of all the other fun things we'll get to do later, sweetling. I'll see you soon, that's a promise." Sabine said to her, clearly relishing the thought of making Kylia suffer more.

Tavorn did not react to the sounds of her pet shrieking. Sabine had also scored five straight bullseyes. That meant that the pressure to match it was higher than ever, and Tavorn couldn't afford to go to pieces. She tried her best to ignore Kylia and focused on keeping her breathing steady. It was curious how hearing her pet making agonized shrieks was somehow easier to handle than to see a Miqo'te kissing her, but Tavorn had no time to think about that right now.

The camp was still quiet. Many of the Miqo'tes there had uncomfortable looks on their faces. Perhaps they didn't like the way Sabine's sadistic enjoyment of Kylia's pain compared to their own desire to make her suffer. Most of the Miqo'tes there didn't think they were like Sabine at all, but maybe there weren't as different from her as they assumed.

The Miqo'te that was to shoot before her suddenly bowed out. Tavorn's eyebrows rose as Quinn, a younger member that previously had been quite eager to compete, returned her bow to its place on her shoulder and stepped out of line.

"Um, sorry. Stomachache." Quinn said to Mirra, not looking at anyone.

Tavorn watched at Quinn took her seat. She heard muttering around the camp as the Miqo'tes there spoke among themselves at this new development, but Tavorn didn't care. It was just one less threat for her to deal with.

Tavorn walked up to place where thirteen other Miqo'tes had stood that night. The target, 70 meters away, seemed like it was smaller than the one she had been practicing on. But that had to be a trick of the light. It was daytime when she had been practicing and it was night now. The straw target was lit up on both sides by torches, and the way the fire moved made the target seemed to shift ever so slightly as well. She took a very deep breath before nocking an arrow to her bow. Tavorn let the air out of her lungs just before loosing and was relieved to see it hit the bullseyes dead center.

A smattering of polite applause came from the Miqo'tes seated. Tavorn knew she wasn't much loved by the camp, but she was respected. Many of the members had their skills honed by Tavorn herself. If she wasn't the kindest instructor, well, Tavorn herself hadn't had the kindest instruction. It had made her more skilled than she would be if she'd been mollycoddled and Tavorn did her best to make every recruit grow as far as their natural talent would allow.

Except for Kylia. Something about the blonde-haired Miqo'te drew Tavorn to her. Kylia had no business being a Coeurlclaw, in fact, her pet was so hopelessly unskilled and untalented that she would probably be a failure at any job she tried. Tavorn did do her best to push Kylia, but when it became apparent to all that Kylia was simply never going to make it, Tavorn had already become obsessed with her. Something about the blonde-haired Miqo'te's weakness and timidity made Tavorn want to, well, want to what? Hurt her? Dominate her and enslave her?

The second and third shots were just as smooth as the first. Both hit the bullseye, which caused louder applause around Tavorn. But she could barely hear them, lost in thought and automatic motion as she was.

Tavorn had no choice. It was Mirra's fault. The gang leader would not allow Kylia to continue wasting the time of her instructors when it was clear that she was never going to improve. Mirra wouldn't let Kylia stay as Tavorn's paramour either. No one could be allowed to sit around and feed off of the gang's resources while contributing nothing herself. Besides, only members and prospective members were allowed within the camp. It drove new recruits to succeed and built up camaraderie. Anybody outside the gang was a stranger and an enemy, and everyone inside it was a trusted comrade. In theory.

Nor would Mirra have allowed Kylia to leave. The failed recruit would have detailed knowledge of the Coeurlclaw camp, not to mention their current numbers. Mirra probably would have killed Kylia rather than let her fall into the hands of the Redbellys or the Wood Wailers. Approaching her with the idea of turning Kylia into the ancient position of Prey to the Coeurlclaws was the only way for Tavorn to keep her alive.

The fourth and fifth shots sunk smoothly into the red bullseye at the center of the target, and the applause as they did so was quite loud. Apparently, the Miqo'tes who were lukewarm about Tavorn at least preferred her to Sabine. Tavorn did not bother bowing to the applause or acknowledge it in any way. Kylia was what mattered. Her pet needed to be disciplined for her previous indiscretion.