The four Diles left the room, just as a very large female Dile entered through another door and took a seat on the dais. This was the first Dile Zell had seen who wore any clothing. She was dressed in a white robe with a black belt tying it close.
The Master bowed and sat at a table. His former lady entered and seated herself at the one opposite of him.
Zell’s heart sank. This was a court room, he thought. And Girma was on trial.
The Dile in white rang a gong on her table and cleared her throat.
“We have met to listen to a complaint about a pet, and to pass judgment on the pet’s behavior,” she said clearly. “Which is the pet in question?”
“The female one,” the Master answered.
“Why are there two pets present?”
“The male pet is a witness.”
The judge sniffed. “We do not accept pets as witnesses. You know that.”
“Let’s call him an exhibit, then.”
The judge inclined her head. “That is acceptable.”
She turned to the lady. “What do you bring before the court?”
The lady stood. “I claim that the female pet attacked me. I demand her death. And I demand that I be given the male pet in compensation, since Shabssam didn’t have her under control.” She smiled and looked directly into Zell’s eyes. She must have realized he had understood her words. He barely avoided flinching.
“What is your answer, Shabssam?”
“I claim that Ssasssal is entirely mistaken.”
“How so?”
“The female pet is Breeder born and raised. She has no fight in her. She is in fact, quite docile and devoted to me. I have evidence for that.”
The judge glanced at Girma and waved her hand. “I accept that description of her.”
“I had chosen the male pet to train the female one in sex,” the Master continued. “She was utterly innocent when I brought her home, while he is well endowed. He did a very good job. My pet gives me much pleasure.”
Ssasssal snorted.
“I had also chosen that male pet for Ssasssal. As you may know, I was considering to contract with her. He would have been my gift to her.”
The judge inclined her head, while the Master’s former lady paled. Zell was beginning to suspect that change indicated rage.
“However, when I lent him to her, Ssasssal treated my pet with utmost disdain and damaged him considerably. You can still see that damage on him.”
The judge stepped down from the dais and walked up to Zell. He lowered his eyes when she stood in front of him, not willing to provoke a judge whose favor they needed. She prodded a few places on his body, including his private ones, and he winced every time.
“I see,” the judge said in a cool voice and returned to her dais. “What about the attack?”
“There was no attack. My little pet panicked when Ssasssal hurt the male one so badly he screamed and passed out. She was about to throw up and ran towards the bathroom. Which was right past the bed where Ssasssal was still sitting on my pet.”
The lady laughed outright. “I saw the fury in her eyes. She was trying to kill me.”
The Master simply shook his head sadly. “There was no way this little pet could have put even a scratch on you. It makes no sense.”
“So why did you jump up and catch her?”
The Master leaned back in his chair. “Because I knew you would have enjoyed hurting her. You still want to see her in pain, just because she pleases me when you do not. You are a sadistic, unstable person which showed very clearly in your handling of my male pet. Which is why I ended our contract negotiations. For which you want to get back at me through my pets. And that is all that’s behind your complaint.”
The lady paled even more. “You are twisting the truth, pet lover!”
The judge rapped the table. Then she stood.
“This is my judgment.” She looked from one Dile to the other and then at the two Humans chained to the wall.
“There has been no attack on Ssasssal. The complaint is dismissed.”
The lady hissed and the judge lifted her hand.
“However, Shabssam is guilty of not properly training and securing his pet. A pet should never be free to run around a preoccupied lady and provoke her. And even if it’s not restrained, it should never move without permission. That’s why I sentence the pet to 15 lashes, so it’ll learn that lesson now. The punishment will be carried out immediately.”
Zell’s heart almost stopped while Girma paled to a sickly white. His mind told him that Girma had gotten off lightly, even as his throat constricted.
Ssasssal gloated. “I will be a witness.”
“Granted.”
“I offer payment instead,” the Master said quietly.
The Judge shook her head. “Denied. The pet needs a lesson, and you will learn one through it, as well.”
Zell gritted his teeth.
The judge rang a large gong on her table.
The main door opened, and two Diles brought in a metal frame looking like a curved ladder and leaned it against the wall. A third one entered carrying a whip.
Zell felt sick. There was nothing he could do. He shouldn’t even show any emotion, because that would give Ssasssal another reason to gloat.
Within moments, Girma was chained to the frame, her feet spread wide at the bottom of it, and her arms pulled forward in a wide embrace, stretching her back. She was still shaking her head in disbelief when the Dile swung his whip.
Zell winced at the first lash, but that was nothing against the massive flinch of Girma’s body. She screamed at the second one, possibly remembering her description as a soft, boneless pet.
Her screams got hoarse at the forth lash, and she lost her voice two lashes later. Zell bit his lower lip.
At the tenth lash, she slumped onto the frame, losing consciousness. The judge immediately stopped the Dile with the whip. “This is enough.”
“I insist on delivery of the full punishment,” Ssasssal snarled.
The judge looked at her for a long moment and then calmly repeated herself. “I said, this is enough.”
“Thank you, honored Judge.” The Master bowed before her.
“Dismissed.” The Judge rapped the table once again.
“This is not the end of it,” Ssasssal hissed as she left the room, her head held high.
The four Diles who had formed the escort returned, and the Master ordered one of them to carry Girma when she had been untied. Two others flanked Zell after releasing him from the wall. He followed the Master in a daze, the last Dile falling in behind him.
The ride in the aircar was agony for Zell. He couldn’t even see Girma, as she rode in the front compartment with the Master while he was locked in the back. Instead, he had to let three Diles look at him and listen to them making jokes about his parts getting clawed.
The Master called for the medic as soon as they had reached his home. When the Dile carrying Girma had deposited her on the bed, the Master sent his guards away and removed the belts from the girl and Zell himself. Then he sat on the bed next to Girma and waved Zell to her other side.
She was lying on her stomach, her face turned towards Zell, her eyes closed. He gently moved the hair out of her face. Then he raised his eyes to the Master.
“I’m aware that we were all very lucky today,” he began. “But seeing Girma whipped… like this… hurts. More than what that lady did to me.”
“So you really care about her.” The Master reached out and touched Zell’s hand.
“Yes.”
“I should never have started negotiating a contract with Ssasssal. She is now an enemy for the rest of our lives. And she is not without means.”
“Neither are you.” Zell smiled, aware that the Dile had apologized to him.
“What makes you say that?”
“This house. The way the guards treat you. The Breeder Sanctuary that you own, which is probably only one of several. A few Studs, I would expec
t. And the fact that such a lady as Ssasssal would bid for a contract with you.”
The Master smiled ruefully. “I keep underestimating you. And possibly all Choomans.”
The door whooshed and admitted the medic.
Zell was relieved by the way that Dile tutted about Girma’s injury and how gently he treated her. Quite obviously he had a soft spot for pets. It no longer surprised Zell that Shabssam had hired him.
Chapter 10
When Girma woke, Zell steeled himself for much desperation and crying. Instead, she reached out with her hand and took his.
“It’s the price for my stupidity,” she said quietly. “I know better than to attack a Dile.”
“I wish I could hold you and make you feel better,” he whispered, squeezing her hand.
She smiled. “It’s all right. It doesn’t even hurt right now, it only feels stiff.”
“You’re not supposed to move much.”
She nodded.
“And I’ll carry you if you need the bathroom.”
“You must still be hurting a lot, too, considering your winces when that Judge prodded you.”
He shook his head. “Pain just is, and it’s not a lot anymore. I wanted the judge to see it hurt, after the Master mentioned my ‘damage’ so often.”
“That makes sense.”
She sighed again. “Could you carry me outside?”
“Of course.” Soon, she was resting in his arms and he took her to a chair. She sat on it the wrong way, leaning her arms on the backrest, and resting her chin on her arms. “The sun is wonderful.”
“It helps with healing.”
She instructed him in how to water the plants and take care of the harebit. It was the first time he really held the small animal, and he was surprised at the density and softness of its fur.
“It’s a special breed called Gora,” she explained. “It’s very different from the wild ones. My mother would comb out the fur and use the hair. It’s quite valuable because it’s so soft.”
“I can tell. Do you want to hold it?”
She shook her head. “I’m actually getting tired.”
Zell took her back to the bed and let her sleep. He couldn’t, of course, and so he went back outside to sit in the sun and think.
He had been extremely fortunate to be bought by one of the few honorable Diles. He tried to remember if he had heard of him before, now that he knew his name. Considering his size, he had to be one of the more respected ones in the very hierarchical society of the Diles. Elera hadn’t understood all of it, but she was fairly certain size and physical strength determined a male’s position.
His memory failed him, and he finally just closed his eyes and dozed in the sun, soaking up the warmth, letting his body heal.
When Zell woke, the sun was setting and he was getting cold. He stretched, got up and went inside. Girma was awake and smiling at him from the bed, then she waved him to her.
Zell sat at her side. “Yes?”
Her smile turned into a sheepish grin. “I know it sounds very strange, but could we make love somehow?”
He blinked. He didn’t feel quite ready, and he knew she shouldn’t move much. Also, lying on her back was out of the question. “We can try,” he said after a while. “Let’s see if this works.”
He stretched out next to her, caressing her cheek and then pushed one hand under her to cup a breast. She relaxed and smiled. “This feels good already. Like I’m still alive. Like you’re really here.”
Zell’s member stirred a little, and he felt only a slight twinge. Maybe he was ready for some pleasure, after all. He kissed her neck, and she sighed.
Zell racked his brain, trying to think of a position that allowed her to take him in and that wouldn’t hurt her back. And then it came to him. He picked her up and sat on a chair, positioning her on his lap.
As soon as she understood his intention, she laughed, lifted herself up and then lowered herself onto his eager member. He rejoiced in entering her familiar well, so warm, welcoming and enfolding, so unlike that Dile one.
He could only move a little while they sat like that, and so there was none of his usual fierce thrusting and pushing. Instead, he moved by lifting his hips, and she rocked back and forth in his lap, pulling on his member and welcoming it back in.
It was highly exciting, much more so than he had expected, precisely because their movements were so restricted. Soon, both of them were panting, and his thumbs were busy on her folds, just as she was nibbling his neck. When she suddenly moaned and rocked into an intense, throbbing release, he wasn’t far behind. She shuddered and then put her head on his shoulder, her arms hugging him tight, with tears flowing freely.
“I thought I had lost you,” she sobbed. “I thought they would give you to that dreadful Dile, and she would slowly torture you to death. I thought I would be all alone.”
Zell couldn’t hold her as tightly as he wanted, not without touching her wounds. So he just put one hand on her neck and the other on her head and rocked her like a small child. “I’m here,” he whispered. “I’m here, and we survived this.”
It took a while for her shuddering sobs to subside, and then she fell asleep on his lap. He gently rose, carried her to the bed and curled up with her, keeping her as safe as he possibly could.
Chapter 11
Girma had not moved when Zell woke again. He listened to figure out what had disturbed his sleep. There were steps in the house, and he liked knowing they were protected. When the door whooshed open, he realized they had stopped at the entrance to their rooms.
With a flash he was up and stood in front of the bed, only relaxing his guard when the Master himself walked into the room. However, the sight of another Dile behind him made him grit his teeth and ball his fists.
A moment later he realized the reason for his intense reaction. That other Dile was another female. He was learning to recognize them by their narrower faces, since Diles didn’t have breasts. Zell took a deep breath and reminded himself that the Master would not bring another sadistic lady to their rooms. He managed to relax his hands.
“Good Morning, Zell and Girma,” the Master said cheerfully. “I would like to introduce you to my friend Ssheyrra.” The second Dile stepped up to the Master and smiled. Her skin had an unusual yellow tinge to the dark green.
“Shabs has spoken much of you, and how you surprised him. I insisted that I needed to get to know you.”
Her eyes held none of the disdain for Humans that Zell had seen in so many Dile faces. He found that it was easy to smile back.
“Welcome to our humble home, Lady Ssheyrra,” he answered, with a wry gesture to indicate their rooms.
She cocked her head. “You said my name really well for a Chooman.”
The Master hissed with laughter. “Did I not promise you surprises?”
She grinned at him. “So you did.”
“Ssheyrra is a neurosurgeon and behavioral scientist with a special interest in Choomans,” the Master explained. “She has spent time at my Sanctuaries to study Breeders, but she has never encountered a Wild One.”
Zell lifted one hand in a silent objection. “Before we talk some more, I must apologize, Master.”
The Dile smiled. “Call me Shabs,” he offered. “I consider you as much a friend as Ssheyrra.”
Zell’s jaw dropped. He bowed his head. “Thank you.”
“So what are you apologizing for?”
“I will gladly share what I know if it helps you, with one exception.”
“Oh?” Ssheyrra cocked her head again.
Zell took a deep breath. “I will not betray my Tribe. Please forgive me.” He lowered his eyes.
A touch on his arm made him look up, directly into Ssheyrra’s yellow eyes. “Of course not,” she said gently. “We Rraussha understand loyalty very well.”
Zell blinked, realizing the Dile had used their own term to identify themselves. “Rraussha,” he repeated under his breath, memorizing the word.
> She grinned. “So what do you call us in your language?”
“Dile,” he answered, blushing fiercely. “One Dile, two Diles. It’s not a friendly name, though.”
“Any gender distinctions?”
He shook his head, momentarily rendered speechless by her easy acceptance of that name.
She must have noticed his expression. “I am a scientist,” she said. “Information is just that. It’s not good or bad, it just is. I love collecting information and learning more.”
Zell found the need for another deep breath. “Maybe we could continue our talk in a nicer place. Girma has done a lot for our little yard.” He gestured to the open door. “And maybe my friend can sleep a little longer that way.” He stepped aside, letting the Dile look at Girma.
Ssheyrra hissed when she noticed the girl’s injuries, then quickly moved to the yard, pulling the Master with her. Soon they were settled in chairs.
Zell took a deep breath. “So what do you want to know?”
Ssheyrra leaned forward excitedly. “Shabs mentioned love.”
“Oh. That’s a huge topic.”
“Just start talking.”
Zell almost laughed. “Well, if he talked about Human love to you, he probably also mentioned that there is love between me and Girma.”
The Dile nodded, her eyes fully focused on him. “How do you know?”
“That’s difficult to describe. I feel it in my heart. When she smiles at me, my heart laughs. When she is hurt, my heart hurts. It does so for many Humans, but with her, it is deeper. More special.”
The Master’s skin had become dark again.
“I’m sorry if that makes you sad, Shabs.” Zell gave him a worried look.
The Master looked back, visibly startled.
Ssheyrra chuckled. “Of course, he knows, Shabs. He is very observant, and your skin change gives you away.”
“So skin color or changes of color do indicate emotions for Diles? I mean, Rraussha.”
“Yes, they do.” She cocked her head again. “I challenge you to figure out which ones mean what.”
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