12

Three months later, Hyder and Orion were fast friends. The little hyena cub helped the boy learn things,
helped him remember what to do and how to act. They were still working in the mines, and it was getting into
autumn now and getting a little chilly. But still it was not too bad.

Orion had avoided the whip for these months, and the other wounds had healed. He'd bathed after a
fashion, as the lower slaves were bathed once a week outside with a hose. He had gotten used to the chains and
the collar although he still hated them. But at least they did not bother him constantly.

He had had far too many run ins with the dunking basin, however. It was the main discipline they
used on him when he made a mistake, sometimes for only forgetting to say "sir" to a taskmaster. He avoided the
basins whenever he could, as now he was no longer escorted to his cell, but was allowed to walk there on his
own. He would not dare try and go anywhere but the cell block...although he had gotten lost the first time and
been beaten for it with the bamboo cane. He had not gotten lost again.

Hyder, who was very good at weaseling, had convinced the taskmasters to let him use the cell next to
Orion's, and sometimes when they were not too tired, they talked at night. "How come they always c-call me
names and say r-really mean things?" Orion asked the other cub during one of these talks.

"Well, they do that because they want you to feel worthless and so you'll feel like you can never get
away because they're too strong and you're too weak and all that. I'm used to it, but new ones, it works better
on them...just ignore it."

Orion's lip trembled. "I-I can't...it hurts. I mean it hurts inside, not outside."

"I know what you mean," Hyder said sympathetically. "When they say it all the time, you think it. But
it's not really all true. Try to ignore it."

The feline nodded. "A-all right...I'll try." He thought back to that day he'd had the fight with the other
kids, that night at supper where his father had told him to always remember his worth inside, no matter what anyone said. When he remembered this, he cried, but it also was much easier to do as Hyder suggested.

As Blackmoor acquired a few new young slaves, Hyder and Orion were finally moved out of the mines
for a while. They were likely to be put places together, as they'd arrived more or less at the same time.
Blackmoor was never one to make his slaves happy, especially the feline ones, but if it cost him no money or
time, and it was to his advantage, he would do it. He often personally supervised the Thunderian cub, and
noticed that when he was with his friend, he behaved. And so he kept them together. He knew that Orion
liked being with his friend, and used that also as a disciplinary action. If Orion messed up mildly, he was
taken and put somewhere to work without the hyena. He usually was more nervous, and made more mistakes,
and Blackmoor made sure to punish him more harshly these times. It worked very well for controlling the brat,
he'd found.

This day, in the middle of the Plundaarian autumn, the two had been assigned to the junkyard behind the
hangars. One of Blackmoor's businesses was spacecraft/land vehicle repair and building, and most of the adult
slaves despised the job of parts hunting. The mechanics were almost always free, paid workers, or high ranking
slaves, and often very irritable with the lower slaves. And the adults did not like rooting around in the junk.

But to many of the cubs, it was one of the more enjoyable jobs. What cub would normally not like
exploring a huge junkyard of stuff? Hyder had been recently owned by a Mutant who knew a great deal about
vehicles and fighters, and transports, and had taught the young hyena about them. He had liked that master, and
had actually regretted leaving him. But he had sold all of his slaves when he moved to a planet where slavery
was illegal. And so Hyder had ended up here.

They had both reported to the taskmaster in the hangar, and told to go assist one of the mechanics, a
lizard looking thing named Slither. Orion approached timidly, as usual, a step behind his friend, who was more confident. Both did remain silent until they were addressed, however.

Slither looked up at them and sneered. "What are you looking at? What the hell are both of you needed
for here?"

Orion looked uncertainly at the lizard, not sure what to say, but Hyder spoke up. "I'm teaching Orion,
sir. What do you need us to do, sir?"

Grumbling something about incompetence, the lizard gave Hyder a small list of items. "And make it
snappy, slave."

"Yes, sir! Come on, Orion."

Hyder led his younger friend out in the back, where there were a large expanse of wrecked vehicles put
out there for their parts, of trimmings and landing wheels for ancient fliers, and loose parts all over the ground.
In some places, there were huge piles of junk. "Okay...here, this is what he wanted. You read it off, and I'll
find the parts and show you what they are."

Orion took the paper, but bit his lip. "I-I don't know how to read...and this doesn't look like writing..."
The list was written in Plundaarian. He had learned some of the language as it was mot often used by the

Mutant slaves, and also many of the taskmasters. If he was given an order in Plundaarian, he'd asked Hyder
what it was, and remembered it so he did not get into trouble.

Hyder raised his brows. "Oh, I didn't know. that's Plundaarian, you know some. Maybe sometime I'll
have time to teach you how to read. okay the first one is a megacondenser. There are all different kinds, but
that's an I-T3, I wonder if there's even one out here. It's brand new..." He looked around and did not see a
vehicle, and he led Orion around looking for the loose part. The boy frowned. "I don't see one! Well let's get
the other stuff. Hey Orion, see that wheelbarrow over there? Could you push it while I look?"

Orion nodded. "Sure." The cub got the wheelbarrow, took a few minutes coordinating it, and finally
got it over to his friend. He had found the next item, an engine coolant hose, and told Orion what it was. "See?
It has a notch here and here." He pointed. "That's how you can tell it's for the coolant. All the other hoses
have no markings, and they're harder to tell."

The cub nodded, genuinely interested in what Hyder told him. He decided that this job, even as a
slave, was not too bad. Although his leg irons kept getting caught on things on the ground.

Hyder found each of the specified items and put them in the wheelbarrow, and then helped Orion wheel
it back to the reptile.

The reptile looked cross, and growled at the pair as they came back in. "Took you guys long enough,"
he grumbled. Then he scowled. "And where's the megacondenser?!"

Orion flinched and drew back, but Hyder said, "We couldn't find one, sir, this model only takes one
kind, and it's too new."

Slither frowned darkly and backhanded the young hyena. Hyder yelped and staggered a bit from the
unexpected blow. "You worthless wretch! Get your ass back out here and don't come back until you find one!
And if you take too long, I'll tan your hide!"

"Yes, sir," Hyder said sullenly. "Come on, Orion."

Slither whapped Orion upside the head. "hurry up, you flea-ridden shit."

"Y-yes, s-sir..." Orion ran out with the wheelbarrow.

Once safely outside, Orion rubbed his head. "I don't like him at all...all the taskmasters hate me."

"He didn't like me very much, either," Hyder said. "Mean old jerk. Okay...well we looked all over the
yard...maybe we should go over to another hangar and ask...yeah...come on, Orion." The little hyena ran from
the yard, climbing the fence. He had to help Orion get over it, as he was smaller and the chains hindered his
short legs more. The cub was nervous. "H-Hyder, wh-what if we get caught?"

"Well...we're doing it to do our job easier..maybe they won't get mad. I hope. You don't have to come
if you don't want to."

"N-no...I'll come." One thing his father had instilled in him as much as self worth was loyalty. Orion
was loyal to his friends, and his family. He would stick with Hyder.

The cubs ran as fast as the chains would allow to the next hangar and timidly asked one of the
taskmasters if they had one there they could have. The jackal, although no softie, was at least a reasonable
Mutant, and looked for them. He did find one that was not needed in the back and gave it to the youths,
admonishing them to get back fast. "Yes, sir!' Hyder said with a grin. He had already forgotten the bruise on
his face from Slither's blow. "Thank you!" He and Orion ran out.

The duo was halfway back to the junkyard, Hyder carrying the megacondenser, when they both stopped
short. The good natured Hyder even stopped and backed up fearfully, and Orion started shaking and hid behind
him. Blackmoor had crossed their path, and had turned slowly to glare at them. The slaver narrowed his eyes.

"What are you two doing out here?" he demanded.

Orion gulped and was unable to say anything, but Hyder looked timidly up, showing Blackmoor the
megacondenser. "We were getting a megacondenser for one of the mechanics, master..." he stammered. Orion had never heard him stammer, even when Blackmoor was around. Of course now they were somewhere they were not supposed to be.

Blackmoor turned his angry, suspicious eyes on Orion. "Is that true, Orion?"

"Y-y-yes, m-m-master," Orion said, ducking further behind his friend.

Blackmoor growled and hauled him from behind the hyena cub. "Don't you ever hide form me, wretch,
got that?" He shook the boy, who quickly answered up. "Did the mechanic send you?"

Orion's lower lip trembled, and he whispered his answer. He was afraid to lie.

Blackmoor's eyes narrowed further, and he backhanded the Thunderian cub hard enough to knock him
to the ground.

Hyder winced. "Ma-aster, it was my idea, Orion didn't-" But the jackal did not allow him to finish,
backhanding him as well. He staggered but stayed on his feet, and kept a hold of the megacondenser.
Blackmoor glared at the young pair of slaves, as Orion got slowly to his feet. "You don't ever leave
an area without permission, you little shits!" he snarled. "Ever!" He grabbed Orion by the mane. "If I ever see
either of you where you are not supposed to be, I'll send you both into training."

Both cubs feared that, it was apparent. Hyder had not gone through it, as he was already trained. But he
knew what happened there.

"Yes, master," the hyena said softly. Orion echoed it.

"That's not enough, wretches. Orion, come here." Blackmoor took his whip from where it hung on his
belt.

Orion whimpered and backed away, not even meaning to. N-no, p-please," he whispered, beginning to
cry quietly. A lot of conditioning had taught him not to be loud. "I-I-I won't do it again, I-I p-promise..."

Blackmoor looked at him hard. "Did I just hear you disobeying an order?" he growled. Orion's eyes
widened, and he shook his head quickly.

The jackal smiled unpleasantly. "Tell you what, Orion." He turned his gaze to the both of them. "You
two take your punishment without me having to secure or hold you down, and you will receive only ten lashes
each, instead of twenty." If he could get them, particularly Orion, to do that, he knew he had come a long way
in breaking the cub to his will. And he had only been there a little over four months.

Orion's lower lip still shook, and he had his fingers in his mouth. He was trying to force himself to
agree, anything to make it easier...

Hyder bit his lip and looked down. "Master, Orion—" he began to try and defend his young friend once
more, but Blackmoor cut him off,.

"Any arguing, you get the full punishment. Answer now, slaves, yes or no?" He looked mostly at Orion.

Hyder waited for the cat to reply, as he would do whatever he did.

Orion gulped, and finally looked at the ground and nodded miserably. When Blackmoor smacked him
in the head, he whispered his answer. Hyder also agreed once Orion had given his decision.

"Good. get over there by that work shed and put your hands up on it." The jackal grinned and gave the
cubs a shove. Orion walked with his head down, trying to stop crying. Hyder set the megacondenser down and
followed, not looking too much happier.

Once there, Orion did as he was told, putting his hands gingerly on the wood of the shed's wall. He
looked back fearfully as Blackmoor came up behind him and brought the whip back.

The boy turned his head back around, closed his eyes and clenched his teeth in anticipation.
He screamed when the first crack was laid, and the second, and every other one after that. His knees
almost buckled by the end, but the cub managed to stay on his feet for the punishment. Once Blackmoor told
him he was done and told him to get out of the way, Orion slunk, crying, to the outside corner of the shed and
sat down carefully. Gods, how it hurt.

Hyder also screamed as the punishment was laid. It was kind of frightening, as Orion had never heard the
hyena cub scream before. He too was crying when Blackmoor was done.

"Good. You brats get back to work. And if I ever catch where you're not assigned again, you'd better
have permission or you'll get a hell of a lot worse! Understood?"

Both cubs answered and slunk off, Hyder grabbing the megacondenser on the way.

They got smacked by Slither when they got back, too, for being so late with the part. They still had a
few hours working here, but it was no longer fun for either of them that day.

Chapter 13

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