4

Orion was shoved unceremoniously into a three foot by three foot stone and metal cell, and the barred
door was shut with a loud clang in the hallway.

Crying in fright, Orion curled up in the corner. He had sucked his thumb as an infant, and had
abandoned the habit when still a toddler. But now he did it as he huddled in the tiny cell, whimpering softly for
his parents.

A few hours later, the door was opened. Orion looked fearfully up at the reptile that had opened it, but
then heard a voice that he actually recognized. The black jackal from before had approached and told the reptile something in a strange language, and the reptile left.

"So, little feline brat," the jackal said in Basic, a language Orion understood. "You are a brave little
filth, aren't you?"

"I wanna go home!"

"Is that so?" the jackal said with a cruel grin. "Well forget it. You'll never see your home again. This
is your home now, so get used to it, you worthless little shit."

Orion was partly shocked that the jackal had said the s-word to him, and partly scared that he was telling the
truth, and partly angry that he seemed so happy about it. The child got to his feet shaking in fear, but clenching
his fists in anger. "You-you're a creep! You're lying!" he accused. "My papa'll find me, he'll rescue me!"

The slaver looked at the child mildly as he stood defiantly, then stepped forward and smacked him across the face hard enough to send him sprawling back into the corner. The child screamed, shocked, then started to cry. The jackal grabbed him by the arms and hauled him to his feet. "Lesson one, brat. Never, ever call me a name."

"Let me go!" Orion shrieked.

Oh, yes, this one had spirit. The jackal shook him hard and slammed him against the wall. "Lesson
two: never argue with me. I am your master now, cub-slave, and you'd best start acting towards me as such."

Orion was crying too hard to speak, never having been treated like this by an adult. Only the kids he
had had such a problem with had ever been this mean, but they did not hurt him as much. This was a big adult.

"Wh-wh-who are you?!" the child stammered.

"Me? My name doesn't matter, whelp. You will call me 'master'." He smacked the child a third time. "Lesson three: do not speak to me unless I speak to you first."

Orion put a hand to his cheek, which hurt more than he had ever hurt in his young life, and only wanted
to be with his mother and father, and safe in their house. That's all he wanted, more than anything.

The jackal left the tiny cell for a moment, closing the door firmly, and came back with a few different
sized of manacles. As Orion shrank back, shaking his head in protest, the jackal grabbed his arm and yanked
him forward. "Don't you ever move away from me," he growled, and tried the boy's wrist in a few of the
manacles before finding one that would fit him and not slip off. He locked both the metal bands on his wrists.

When he let go of him, Orion huddled back in the corner once more.

The jackal gave him a disgusted look and threw a small pair of knee-length breeches at him. "Put them
on," he said. "My visitors and guests don't want to see your repulsive naked cat body."

"I-I don't wanna wear clothes!" the cub said in protest, even as he stared fearfully up at the jackal.

The slaver narrowed his dark eyes. "I see you will learn your first real lesson being here not even full
hour yet," he said in a low tone. He grabbed the boy by the chain between the manacles holding him up to stand, but far enough away so that his kicking feet could not reach him.

"Let me go! lemmego, lemmego, lemmego!" Orion shrieked. But the jackal was strong, and his struggles did nothing but hurt his wrists.

The slaver dragged the cub from the tiny holding cell, down the hallway, and into another part of the
building The large room he dragged the boy into was intimidating indeed, as this was where discipline for his
slaves was carried out. The main discipline chamber. There were places outside in the work yards and some of
the buildings for that purpose but this was the main area, where the holding cells were. It gave those that were
awaiting training or assignment to some job or another something to think about if the jackal had to "correct" a
slave within their earshot.

Now he dragged the Thunderian cub to a wall that had nothing but a series of rings on it, in varying
heights, and clipped the chain between his manacles to one of them, stretching the boy, making him stand on
his toes. "Ow!" he whined.

"Quiet, wretch," the jackal commanded, and went to a wall that had shelves and hooks that bore a
number of "discipline" devices. As he did not want to injure the cub, he did not use a whip on him yet. He
would wait and see how tough he was. But he did take a stiff riding crop from that wall and walk over to the
boy. He grabbed him roughly by the mane. "Listen to me boy, and listen to me good You will start cooperating with me, or you will wish you were dead. This is for defying me." He stepped back from the crying child, brought the crop back, and swung it hard at the cub's side.

Orion's eyes flew open and he screamed as the crop made a "whooshing" sound right before connecting
with his side. Already the skin began to welt up as he started sobbing. The jackal struck him again, making
little Orion cry harder. He was not breaking the skin, but a welt like that was enough for a child to hurt very
much. Combined with the fear and the jackal's intimidation factor, it would be quite enough for a start to the
boy's training.

The Thunderian cub received ten lashes, five on each side, with the crop. That was enough for the first
day. After each time he struck the boy, he told him exactly why he was being punished.

When he was finished, the jackal released his hands, and Orion immediately collapsed to the floor, crying. The jackal threw the breeches at him again. "Put them on."

Orion didn't move, only kept crying, his chest heaving as he sobbed. He did not refuse, but he did not
obey, either. That was a normal reaction. The jackal kicked him lightly in the leg, and Orion looked up
fearfully. "Put them on," he repeated, and when the boy only kept crying, he took the crop from the wall again
and threateningly approached.

The cub cried out, alarmed, and scooted backwards on his rear. Hitching in his chest from having cried
too hard, too long, he slid the breeches on. They were a bit big but stayed.

"Good." The jackal snapped the leg irons on the boy's ankles, he too scared to do anything about it, and
hauled the boy to his feet. Orion cried out again, this time in pain. "You will learn to obey me."

Orion was brought back to the little cell and locked in, and left. He crawled into the corner and curled
up tight, crying anew as he lay on his side, the welts bringing a fresh sting to his already fear and pain-laden
mind. he had been left for the night, but it was a long, long time before the exhausted cub could sleep, still whimpering for his mother or father as he did.

Chapter 5

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