Forced to Become

Ch 17 guard

Walking on all fours felt awkward. Our boy lord stayed close to my side, supporting and encouraging me. My back legs wanted to go faster than my front legs, er, arms... I really didn't know how to describe my own body anymore. I kept tripping, my paws splaying out from under me, getting all twisted up.

"Go slowly," our lord suggested after going back to man-form. He walked into the kitchen, coming back with what looked like a home-made dog biscuit. "Here, you did so well, you deserve a treat."

My stomach was twisted in knots as it was, I didn't want to eat the stupid thing. I knew better than to refuse. Eating was another new sensation. My tongue seemed to keep getting in my way. Crunching the stupid biscuit made me think of the dog food that had been forced on us.

Ever since I got here, I'd been treated like a dog. Now I knew why and honestly, now that I was a wolf, I was ticked. Wolves were supposed to be majestic. Here we were turning into wolves, but not really. We had been made into dogs. Weredogs.

"You mustn't," my boy lord suddenly whispered in my ear. "Be good, Good One." His hands were on my shoulders, applying subtle pressure to my neck.

I paused in my chomping, furrowing my brow, trying to think. I mustn't do what? Thinking was hard. I looked up at the boy next to me, smaller than me, currently without fangs, and for a moment I forgot to be afraid. Smaller, weaker, full of fear himself. Why had I been afraid of this boy? Why did I obey him? I felt my nose wrinkle up and a raspy sound came out of my throat.

The man's harsh laughter had my head turning, the half-formed snarl dying in my throat. One look at the man had my head dropping as memories of the man's heavy hand, his snarling face, flooded into me. The boy tried to keep us safe, the image of his hopeful smile filled my mind. He called me the Good One, ran interference against the man, tried to protect us, snuck us real food.

I glanced up at the boy, who had tears in his eyes. It stirred something in me. I found I didn't want the boy to be sad, and it had nothing to do with the man. I gave the boy a quick lick on the cheek, then buried my head in his chest. Part of me was embarrassed by the lick; it had come so naturally and I had done it without thought. I was rewarded by the feel of the boy's hands massaging into my neck and shoulders. I looked up at him again as he pulled me back a bit, and I saw his smile.

"Have another bite, Good One, it's ok."

Weredog I thought again, remembering the pain the man loved to dish out. Bowing my head, I finished off the biscuit, eating it from the boy's hand.

"Train him well," the man said, his voice harsh but full of amused anticipation. "I'm going to bed. I'll test him in the morning."

I cowered down, not liking the ominous tone in the man's voice, knowing I had much to fear from the man.

The boy left as well. I laid down, wanting to sleep myself. For a moment I wondered where the other boys were, but quickly forgot about them as my eyes closed. I felt so relaxed, almost euphoric. The boy was back before I actually fell asleep, slipping the old chain collar around my neck. With whispers, he urged me to my feet, tugging me with a leash.

"Come," he commanded softly as he pulled on the leash.

I grudgingly followed, knowing at some level that it was better to obey. I kept getting distracted by how things looked, or the smells around the apartment. At first he often stopped, dropping to his knees and putting his face in front of mine, repeating the commands he was giving me.

"Listen, you have to listen. Focus, Good One, you can do it."

The scared urgency in his voice had me trying to focus on him. Stop, go, sit, lay... dog training. I was glad the man wasn't here, he'd probably have beaten me black and blue. That thought cleared my head somewhat. The man, Alpha, was going to come back and test me. Suddenly I felt was panicking, looking up at the boy who was practically sleeping on his feet, trying once more to teach me what to do so the man wouldn't beat me. Suddenly I was very focused, even though I was tired myself.

We went through the whole routine a few more times before my boy lord was satisfied, coming down to hug me. "Stay wolf for now," he whispered as he petted me. "You can go back to boy after Alpha tests you." He lifted my head when I dropped it at the mention of Alpha. "I'm really the alpha," he whispered quietly into my ear, his breath tickling and making my ear twitch. "I haven't forgotten my promise to you of a good home. We just have to put up with Alpha for now, obey him, okay Good One? When I'm old enough to claim my position..."

The boy, my boy lord, sighed, pulling me down and cuddling up with me. It felt good, having the warmth of another person next to me. I lifted my head when my tail started a slow beat on the floor. My lord ran his hand along my back, sliding his fingers along the length of my tail. His hand gently stroked me as he gave me that content smile of his. "You're going to be a great guard, Good One, protecting me..."

I cringed inside, my tail going still, my mind finally putting the pieces together. Our boy lord was going to challenge Alpha some day. Alpha wasn't going to like that. The fierce man would go into a rage. Our boy lord would need us to run interference for him, like he does for us now, so he could win over Alpha. I couldn't help but shudder.

The young, gentle hand, so much smaller than Alpha's big, hard hand, continued to stroke me, while my lord's soft, young voice crooned reassurances. My exhaustion claimed priority as I drifted into an uneasy sleep.