(Two)

Kristalay lasted almost two days before he began to show signs of breaking. He didn't have his healing factor and the pain of his confinement was doing him in. He had put up so much of a fuss trying to continually escape that Skye had fitted him with handcuffs and a chain, hooking him to one of the metal rings on the floor. Now he could only get as high as his knees and his legs were killing him. He was denied food and only given a minimum of water, he was starved and parched almost beyond madness.

He still had trouble accepting the place he now found himself in. In those moments that he and Famayalin were left alone, he tried to speak with the kid, but there was too much resentment between them - from all the undeserved poundings Kyle had received at his hands, no doubt. Sabretooth was a man without mercy and had spent way too much time tormenting Wildchild for Famayalin to even desire to help him now. No, instead, the boy was teasing him with the same lack of mercy.

Famayalin would come close and trot about, pacing restlessly in a display of just how much freedom he had and Kristalay did not. He would coerce water from the water bottle into a bowl and leave it just out of Kristalay's reach, tormenting him with thirst.

He didn't get away with everything. On the third day, he had come up behind Kristalay and smacked his ass with a grunt of cruel intention, taking advantage of the fact the bigger man couldn't turn around. Kristalay had had years of military training, something Kyle had been too feral to completely absorb. Kristalay kicked out at him with his legs and ensnared him about the neck with his ankles, twisting around on his back to topple Famayalin and snapped his neck with his knees. If Famayalin hadn't had an enhanced healing factor, he would have been dead for sure.

Famayalin howled, a terrible twisted wheeze. The sound of his neck snapping had been loud in the empty apartment. He lay limply between Kristalay's legs now, his head bent and crooked at an impossible angle. Kristalay, disgusted at the sight of it, kicked his body away only to watch in grim fascination as Famayalin refused to die or even lose consciousness. He mewled pitifully and then as his strength returned only a few seconds later, managed to flop around and twist his neck to reset the bones with another sickening crack. He staggered to his feet, his eyes foggy and dim. "Fucker!" he slurred, becoming Wildchild again for a brief moment.

"Some things change, kid. I ain't one of 'em!" Kristalay snarled. "You even think about fuckin' with me I'll kill you!"

Famayalin just snickered bitterly, the growl coming back. "Mrr! Already dead."

"Why are you here, kid? What the fuck is this?"

Famayalin wasn't interested in conversation. He had healed, but the memory of the pain was still with him and he wanted comfort. He crawled up onto the empty bed and lay on it, burying his head in the pillows, the place where his Master slept. Moments later, when Skye returned, he didn't come running as always and the Master noticed. He moved to the bed where Famayalin lay, his cheeks damp from tears. The Master touched him, 'felt' him, and Famayalin whimpered.

"You guys been fightin'. Ya gots ta stop this. We gots ta work together if we're gonna takes Jael down. We're a team now and ya gots ta accepts that," Skye chided, petting the long blonde hair of his pet. "Come."

Famayalin rose from the bed, his head down. He allowed himself to be handcuffed and chained to a ring on the floor as Kristalay was. Kristalay smiled, happy now to see Famayalin punished, it eased the suffering of his own joints and he couldn't help but chuckle softly.

Famayalin whimpered now, keeping his head low and laying on his belly unresistant. He made no movement as Skye reached out and picked up a medium sized bullwhip.

Kristalay couldn't help himself but jerk back. He watched in dull horror as Skye gave the man on the floor three large lashes, cutting the skin. Quick as a wink, the cuts healed as if they had never been, but Famayalin's face was all torment and pain. He mewled pitifully now and sobbed, curling up into a ball. Skye knelt down next to him. "Understandin' me now? You cain'ts be fightin'. I knows yer jealous, but ya gots no need to be."

Famayalin whimpered softly once again, but didn't argue as he was petted gently before his Master rose and regarded Kristalay. He still had the whip in his hands. "Now what's yer excuse?"

"Kid got too close. Pity fer him," Kristalay snarled, showing his teeth.

"Hmm, I see. Well, we gots some rules 'round here. I thoughts maybe you wuz smart enough nots ta needs no learnin', guess I wuz wrong. This is yer first lesson here. No fightin' 'tween yous two. Yer gonna be friends."

"Never!"

"Oh, yes. If it's Jael yer wantin', yer gonna needs Famayalin ta git him."

"Fuck you!"

Skye lashed out with the whip with sudden viciousness, cutting Kristalay across the face.

Kristalay howled in agony as blood poured down his nose and chin. His healing factor was gone, the cut didn't seal itself as Famayalin's had. The pain was unbelievable.

"What wuz that? I didn' quite catch it!" Skye snarled, furious with his uncooperative slave.

"Fuck you!" Kristalay repeated, spitting blood. He was not about to submit to this creature. He had been given a raw deal and wanted only blood. Too bad all he would get was his own. Skye lashed him again, twice. The first came across his back, the second in rapid succession across his side and belly as he twisted to get away. The tip of the whip was barbed and came dangerously close to his balls. Kristalay roared once again, "Fuck you, you asshole!"

Skye lashed him again and again. "Say when, Kristalay. Just say when, and then I'll stop, eh? Call me yer Master!"

"Never!"

Skye kept lashing, not giving in. Kristalay was cut all over and bleeding profusely now, the floor was slick with his blood. He couldn't remember the last time he had felt this level of pain, perhaps not since his early turbulent childhood. As if in answer, he screamed as he saw the face of Thomas Logan looming over him. He was going into shock now, he knew that, but he would not give in, he would die first. He took almost twenty lashes before he passed out and Skye was forced to stop. The Siskan crouched down next to him and shook his head. He eased open one of Kristalay's eyes and shifted into his woman skin.

Kristalay woke and saw only Rose. He gasped her name in a wheeze, not understanding.

"That's it now, yes. Give yerself ta Rose."

"Yes..." Kristalay wheezed and his eyes fluttered shut. He felt Rose's hand on his head and began to weep. Surely he must be dead to be seeing her here. He was in shock and felt no pain.

Skye smiled sadly. "When ya feels this whip, it's yer father ya feels. It wuz like that with Famayalin, too."

"Papa's dead. Logan killed him," Kristalay whispered. "Now I'm dead, too. Lay me down, Rose. I'm so tired..."

Skye chuckled softly and reached for the bowl of water Famayalin had brought so close. She raised it and dripped water into Kristalay's mouth. He grunted and thrashed, drinking it down greedily as it splashed all over his face. It revived him and he looked up into the bright green eyes of the woman kneeling over him. "Rose?"

"Yes, yer Rose I will be."

Kristalay heard her words and tears streamed once more from his eyes. This wasn't Rose. Her voice had been soft, musical, not broken up like this. Skye was still here, still trying to trick him. "Yer not Rose! Go away!"

Skye shifted back. "I knows it, pet, but yer Master I'm gonna be just the same."

"Never!" Kristalay gasped, but was too numb to move away or fight. He protested with his spirit.

"Yer gonna gives in. The fates demand it. I seen it in m' dreams. It don't matter. You kin fights me, you kin fights Famayalin. It don't change nuthin'. Yer mine. Give ups alla yer fightin'. It's only gonna cause ya more pain."

"No!"

"Yes," Skye insisted gently and let him have some Kundatesh.

Kristalay jerked and shivered, moaning as he was filled with bliss. "Uhnn..."

"You wants Jael?"

"Yes..."

"You gots ta be able ta heal again fer that."

"Yes..."

"I kin gives ya back yer healin'."

"Yes..."

"Shiver me."

"Rose?"

"No. Skye. Rose is just a dream, Skye is real. Call Skye yer Master."

Kristalay whimpered. "NO!"

"Suffer then fer a while. Takes some time ta think, I'll be askin' ya again."

Skye gently lay Kristalay's head down and withdrew, taking his power with him.

Kristalay sobbed loudly once, he couldn't help it. His body was flayed, dripping blood and raw to the air. He saw a vision of Kimble then, of a pilot's body on a hotel bed, whipped and shivering with pain just like this. A long time ago, Kristalay had beaten Kimble for something, something lost in the fog of his shattered memory. The reason was gone, but the vision remained, Kimble laying there, raw and bleeding. At the time Kristalay had enjoyed the sight. Now the thought of it made him sick. If gentle Kimble had felt like this, then he was truly damned. This Kristalay had deserved.

Famayalin was watching him, a defeated empty look in his eyes. He had been through Skye's little obedience training program himself and knew Kristalay's pain all too well. He had been rejected as too vicious by Weapon X years ago and left to rot in a SHIELD prison cell before Jael had found him and claimed him. Poor Wildchild was too feral and mean even for Jael and so he had become one of his savage pets. Grog he had been named and it had been he who had killed and feasted on poor Joseph, the last Clansman. Over time, Jael found another use for Grog, he became one of the guinea pigs used for Jael's power robbing gun. Jael had wanted to test it before using it on Sabretooth.

Stripped of his humanity and then his powers, Wildchild was once more dumped on the streets, a piece of human garbage. Somehow Skye had managed to find him and claim him. It was as if destiny had called them together. Now he had food, a home, but most of all he had regular feedings of Kundatesh. It had healed his ravaged body, going beyond that to change him even further. His healing factor was back in overdrive, cranking his metabolism and altering his body. He grew his claws back and now had fangs. His legs had become bent, but it had been gradual and wasn't painful, not like his first forced mutation had been.

Famayalin accepted his new life and his new name. Little Lion it meant in Siskan and he rather liked the sound of it. He had his Master's love and had grown to enjoy all of his attention, even the lovemaking. He took it as payment for the gifts he had been given but had actually grown to love all aspects of it, drowning in a Kundatesh rush made anything enjoyable above and beyond everything else. He would now perform any sexual task asked of him and Skye had trained him well, finding in him and eager and willing student. Skye drank up Famayalin's vibrations of joy when he would cum and cum again, the two of them feeding off of each other. Famayalin knew no greater bliss - until Kristalay showed up. Famayalin did not want to share, certainly not with his former tormentor. It seemed the two of them were both going to go through some unwilling changes.

So now here Kristalay was, lying on the floor in a pool of his own congealing blood, lying here ignored as Skye watched television. Famayalin was at his Master's feet, freed now from the floor after his good behavior. Skye had tried to approach Kristalay as well a couple of times earlier, but Kristalay still had enough spunk left in him to try and fight. Skye had retreated then, figuring his newest pet would tire soon enough.

Kristalay had. The fight in him was gone, he knew that now. Each breath was a razor thin blaze of agony down his bruised and swollen throat. For the first time, he was entertaining the thought that he might actually die. Oddly enough, his only regret would be not seeing Kimble's face again or hearing that gentle snuffly laughter. What a waste.

"What's yer game, huh? What's yer fuckin' game!" Skye snarled suddenly at the television, jerking in his seat as he was overcome with irritation.

Kristalay cracked open one swollen eye. The screen Skye was viewing was quite large and obviously jerry rigged somehow using patched up pieces of salvaged junk. It was large enough to reveal pictures of some kind of destructive event happening elsewhere in the world. Kristalay's vision was too blurred for him to make out the captions, but it sounded as if someone had done the nasty to the Kremlin. The Russian President was dead and thousands others wounded. Jael had claimed responsibility, he was taking over the world. The Ruskies of course, had vowed revenge.

Well that was stupid, Kristalay couldn't help but think, momentarily distracted from his pain. Jael should have pitted the two super powers against one another, not given them an excuse to team up against a common enemy. Anyone with any proper military experience knew that.

"No one gits Jael but me!" Skye snarled, rising.

Famayalin was there at this Master's feet, whimpering softly as he tried to ease his Master's mood by pawing at him. Skye calmed, looking down on his pet and stroked his head "Don't yous worry none. My promise is good. Yer gonna haves him, pretty, if I gots ta kills him twice!"

Kristalay grumbled silent laughter and closed his eye. Yeah, right. Like Skye could ever back up such a claim. He was just a stupid Siskan pansy sorry ass, what could he possibly do?

He had no idea he might be around to find out.