19

In the morning, Orion was awakened by a soft knock at the guest room door. He was awake
immediately, as he had learned to be. Not quite sure what he was to do, he crept to the door and opened it,
forgetting he was still nude. At his host's somewhat shocked face, Orion turned red. Although not usually
modest about nudity, he had not meant to upset the lady. "Oh! I-I'm
sorry, I forgot..." He ran behind the bed and slipped his breeches on, then crept back out. "I-I'm sorry Mistress...I forgot. Thunderians don't wear clothes a lot..."

Hintracrii said nothing for a moment, and then when the surprise wore off, she laughed. "It's all right,.
Orion. You didn't upset me, only surprised me a little bit. Plundaarians aren't quite as used to nudity. Come
on down, it is almost time for breakfast."

Uh oh...would Orion be made to cook? He often helped in the kitchen, peeling potatoes or doing little
odd jobs and cleaning, but he wasn't trusted to cook. he did not know how. "U-uh...M-Mistress? I-I don't know how to cook..."

"Oh I wans't expecting you to cook, little one. And please, call me Hintracrii. Really, I don't like to
think of myself as anyone's Mistress..." But that's what she was. wasn't it? The child she had now was a
slave. Hintracrii dashed the thought form her mind and led the young Thunderian to a large, ornate dining room.
"The dishes and glasses are in that cupboard over there, can you please set the table? I have made breakfast.
Or rather it is cooking. With only you and I here there's no need for a lot of food."

Orion nodded agreeably, and went to the cupboard while Hintracrii popped into the kitchen to look after
the eggs. When she came back, she found Orion staring somewhat confusedly into the cupboard. "What's wrong?" she asked him.

"W-well...there's a lot of stuff here...d-do you just want the plates out?" He winced inwardly, half
expecting to be smacked for his stupidity.

"Why, haven't you ever set a table before, Orion?" she asked him.

"N-no, M---I mean Hintracrii... We just get a tin plate and cup for meals."

"Not even a spoon?"

"Well sometimes that, but nothing else."

"Oh...well here, dear, let me show you." Hintracrii got out two plates, glasses, silverware sets, and cloth
napkins. She arranged the items on the table, telling im which went where. "Do you think you can do it for
lunch?" she asked him. Orion nodded eagerly, wanting to please her,. She smiled and asked him to help her
bring out the food. He gladly did.

When it was all on the table, Orion looked at the food, and wondered what he would be given to eat. He
was very hungry. "Well go ahead and sit down," Hintracrii told him.

"Wh-where...? O-on the floor?" He was afraid to ask when he would be allowed to eat.

"Why...at the table...unless you want to eat on the floor." Hintracrii frowned, grasping for the first
time just what kind of life the young slave led. 'My dear,' she said to herself. He acted so degraded...as if he
thought himself a wretch.

"A-at...this one? With you? Y-you mean you want me to eat at the same table?" Orion wasn't sure he
had heard right.

Hintracrii smiled. "Yes, I would like that very much, Orion. Will you?"

Orion smiled and climbed up into a chair, something he had not done now in four years. "Y-yes
ma'am...thank you." he looked at the food, then at her, being patient. He was sure she'd tell him when (and
what) he could eat.

"Well...go ahead, take what you'd like to eat."

Orion's jaw dropped. "Y-you mean from this food?" His tone was incredulous.

Hintracrii surpressed the urge to bite her lip Never did she have any idea how the slaves lived...but she
was getting an idea now. "Yes, little one. You don't have to ask me to eat. Please, take what you think you
can eat. you can have more if you're still hungry."

After thanking her, Orion eagerly waited until she had gotten her food, then chose some of his own. He
hadn't eaten this well in...longer than he could remember. He was thrilled to be eating breakfast period, without it being as good as this!

Hintracrii watched the child sadly, so excited over an ordinary breakfast. She wondered why the other
slaves she had had over the years form that place did not act as this,. of course they were adults, and mostly
Mutants. But still. She wondered if they were favorites of their masters. This skinny little Thunderian did not
seem to be well treated. And as she looked at him, she could see scars on his body. Scars that must have been
left by terrible actions.

The rat Mutant wondered if Blackmoor would sell this slave to her; while he could likely never be free
on Plundaar because of his race, at least he would have a better life here. And if not...well she vowed to make
his time here as pleasant as possible.

When breakfast was done, she asked Orion to help her with the dishes. that was really all Orion was to
do when he was there, was to help her with the household chores, and do some of the things that she could not.,
Mowing the lawn was one. It was not that she wans't strong enough, the grass made her sneeze terribly.

When they were done, she asked Orion if he would like to come to the market with her, She ahd to pick
up a few things for food that week, and needed help carrying things.

"Yes, ma'am!" Orion had exclaimed. He'd never been to the Market. He'd never been anywhere
outside the slave complex...and now two places in two days!

Hintracrii smiled. "Good boy...Orion, it is getting pretty cold out. Would you like to have some extra
clothing to wear? I know that THunderians don't like clothes, but surely they wear them in the winter?"

"O-only if it gets cold enough...some places are warm all year..." He bit his lip and looked down. "I-I
wish it was here too."

"Well," the rat said, putting her hand on his shoulder. She noticed him want to shy away, but also saw
that he restrained himself form doing so. "Let's get you something a little nicer to wear, little one. I don't want you to catch cold. Then we can shop for food."

Orion readily agreed, and followed Hintracrii out the door, He was amazed when she hailed a
hover-carraige outside her manor, as she told him to climb in. A carriage! Wait 'til I tell Hyder about this, he
thought...then felt bad. Would Hyder feel left out? He almost felt guilty being in such a nice place while he
and Tamarin were stuck back there...

But the feeling soon left him as he looked out the window. He shivered a little in the cold wind from
the swift carriage, and noticed the driver giving him contemptuous looks, but he was too excited to care.

The ride was over too soon in his opinion, but the young slave obediently got out of the carriage when
told to. He looked around, noticing that if he wanted to escape...this would be the time. but...he liked this lady.
And he didn't want to hurt her. And besides...he knew Blackmoor would just find him again and drag him back...then he'd be punished badly.

"Orion?"

Orion shook his head and looked up, startled. "I-I'm sorry, I-I space off a lot..." He shrugged as he ran
to her side. "Sorry...it's because I'm stupid, Blackmoor says.'

Hintracrii blinked. "You're not stupid...I know many people who daydream. It means you have a good
imagination." She smiled. "Come on, we'll stop at this shop here,. They sell a lot of children's clothing."

"O-okay!" Orion followed her in, taking in the sights and smells and sounds of the market. There were
a lot of Mutants there, no Thunderians...no humans. But still, it was neat. The smells of the food made Orion's
stomach growl. Although he had just eaten a big meal, he was conditioned to eat whenever he could. and the
food did smell good.

Inside, the shop was light and somehow cozy feeling. There was a lot of clothing here and there, and
Orion saw a few little rooms. he stayed away from those, in fact did not stray far from his mistress's side.
"What would you like, Orion?" she asked him.

Orion looked around at all the clothes and discovered that he would be happy just to have a shirt. while
he preferred to sleep in the nude, he hated being exposed in public. It made him feel vulnerable. "W-well... whatever you want me to wear, Mi-Hintracriii." he shook his head, he'd never get used to saying that!

Hintracrii was getting the idea that Orion felt more secure when told what to do instead of being allowed
to choose. And in this case, she thought it would be all right to do that. Finding a warm, thick shirt that she
thought would look good on the little striped and spotted cat, she held it up to him. "Do you like this one, Orion?" she asked. It was dark green.

Orion nodded.

The rat smiled and asked, "Do you think it will fit?"

"I-I don't know...how would I tell?"

Instead of answering him, Hintracrii turned to the shopkeeper. "Is it all right for Orion to try this on?"
she asked.

The shopkeeper, a fat jackal with a ruff of fur on his face, scowled. "Is he a slave?"

"Well...well yes..."

"Well Thunderians aren't usually allowed in here...but since he's your brat..." He thought a moment.

"Yes he can...since it's you, Lady Hintracrii. but he has to do it in there, my patrons don't want to see a nak—nude cat." he pointed to one of the little changing rooms.

Hintracrii smiled politely. "Thank you, sir. Come on, Orion, let's try this on.

But Orion wasn't moving. he was eyeing the little rooms, biting his lip, and shaking slightly. They
were awfully small...he could already imagine the walls closing in, the air being cut off... He closed his eyes
shut tight and whispered, "No, mistress...please..."

Hintracrii frowned and knelt beside him. "What's wrong, little one? They're only changing rooms...there's nothing in there that will hurt you."

She just didn't understand! Orion opened his eyes and looked plaintively into the lady's. "I-I-I can't..."
he said. "I-It's...it's because they're small...And-and I can't breathe, and..." he knew how stupid he sounded.

But surprinsgly, understanding dawned in Hintracriii's eyes. "Claustrophobia..." She smiled a little.
"Yes, little one, there is a name for this fear. A lot of epople have it. It's not just you. We don't have to use
those rooms, we can get something that looks like your size and if it doesn't fit we can bring it back and get another. All right?"

Intensely grateful, Orion nodded. Hintracrii took the shirt and began looking for a pair of pants. She
found some that were the same dark green as the shirt, and handed both items to Orion. The child put them up
to his face, feeling the soft material. It was warm!

Finally, they looked at shoes...those they could try on there. The lady told Orion to sit down, and she
tried a pair of short boots on him. She kept this up until she found a pair that fit him, and were also warm.

"How's that, Orion...do they pinch?" The child shook his head. "Good. I think we're ready now."

Hintracrii brought the items up and paid for them, and Orion was amazed that she was willing to pay so
much for a worthless slave. He whispered his thanks once they got outside, feeling the strange urge to cry.
"You're welcome little one. I am responsible for you, that means I should look after you. Here, let's get
this clothing on."

Once Orion was in the pants, shirt, and boots, he felt a great deal warmer. And they were so comfortable! He was ready to do almost anything for the lady after that day.

The pair wandered through the food market, looking at this and that. Hintracrii got a basket and gave it
to Orion, who happily held it for her. Putting anything that she bought into the basket, it soon made it quite heavy. But Orion did not complain.

They stayed most the day in the market. Money was of no concern to the lady rat, and she was generous
with it. She bought them lunch, although the proprietor made Orion eat his outside, Somewhat perturbed by
this, Hintracrii had chosen also to eat outside with him. They looked at the booths and stalls, and even watched
a street juggler perform.

Throughout the day, Orion put up with disgusted looks, shoves, and insults...but he ignored them all. He
was used to it. The wonder of the outdoor market was a lot more interesting to him at the moment.

When they got home, Hintracrii told Orion he could take of his shoes. "Did you have fun today, little
one? That basket was pretty heavy."

"I-I didn't mind...really," Orion said. And he didn't. "It wasn't heavy...I ahd a lot of fun..." He looked
down and once again thanked the lady.

"Orion..." Hintracrii sighed and went to put a hand on his shoulder, but stopped herself, remembering
that he didn't like it. "You don't have to thank me so much...once is enough. I know you appreciate that...and
that makes me happy." She smiled, then turned towards the kitchen. "Let's watch the televiewer a little bit before supper, sound good?"

Orion nodded agreeably, and the pair went into the sitting room to watch.

Chapter 20

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