"Stay tonight and travel tomorrow for I have not made my decision on this one yet."
I hear a gasp from others, but Clarian holds her head high.
"Just take her brother, you only have one wife," His older brother smiles, "In fact, you have more whores than wives!" His brother adds.
"Very well my Lord we shall camp tonight, if this daughter does not please you I shall take her back with me." My master states calmly though I can tell he is pissed. It would be a giant insult.
The brute of a man starts to walk away. "And clean her up; even a dog should be clean in my sight."
I am led to the water close by, and I stare at it. It's dark. My clothes are nasty I know, but they didn't offer me anything else. I stick my hands into the water and watch as dirt fades away and clean skin comes back. I am amazed. It has been some time since iv been clean. I like being clean, but sometimes the mud on my skin feels good. I am lost in my thoughts when suddenly I find myself falling forward because someone has pushed me, well more like kicked me softly.
I can't swim. I was never taught.
I thrash around then stop, what good will it do me anyway? But thankfully I am pulled up by my shirt, and I can't help but look to see who has done this to me. It's him. The same man who braided my hair. I cough and gasp for air as my master comes running.
"My Lord! Has this dog disturbed you?!"
The man still has his large hand fisted in my shirt which is nothing more than rags.
"I told you to clean her!" He then looks around, "Jeromy!"
A younger guy comes running. I know he is not a brother. He is young and way smaller.
"Bring me soap and clothes." The brute tells him.
"Yes, my Lord."
The brute then looks back at my master "Leave us."
"Yes, my Lord!" I watch as the thin old man runs away.
The brute moves me back and pushes me to my butt on the ground. I look down and then something is thrown at me. I'm startled but pick it up. It's called soap. It's new and rare, and females apparently love it. I sniff at it and curl my nose. It smells like too many flowers.
He snatches it from me, and another is given to me. I sniff it and find it has no smell, I like this one, so I look up and hope the brute doesn't kick me.
"Bathe."
I blink, look down then back up. It's just him and me again.
"Girl I have taken many women, trust me your body will do nothing for me."
I, of course, wasn't worried about what my body could or could not do for him. I bit my lip, do I dare speak? I don't have to; he starts moving around me, turning his back to me. I peel off the clothes and bathe my body clean, scrubbing, I should please him in this way after all dogs are not often offered such things. I find a cloth that I assume is to dry off with and then I put on the clothes he has offered me. It's a tan skirt, long and soft, and then a wool-like vest top with rope tie. It's what his servants wear. It's clean but ugh the shirt is not as smooth as my rags but who am I to complain?
It's then that I noticed that he built a fire and I am glued to the flames. He must notice. "Pet," He calls me and my eyes pull away to look at him "Come."
Like the dog I am I follow his command and walk closer.
"Sit."
I sit, and I watch the flames. I want to touch it. I begin to reach, and he grabs my hand "It will burn, have you not seen fire before Pet?"
I have seen it at a distance. I cock my head and then point far off.
"From afar?" He understands, Good.
"Do not touch it."
I nodded my head, yes, and then he stands, "Rest Pet tomorrow is a new day."
I nodded and curled on the ground, and I hear him sigh. I sit up quickly and bow my head; perhaps I did something wrong again, I forgot to bow, didn't I?
"You did nothing wrong, go to sleep."
He walks off, and I slowly lay back down. I quickly fall asleep, outside, under the trees, in the dirt as a good dog should. I also wake before everyone else just like the real dogs around the camp. I yawn and itch my arm, then my side. I don't think much of it until I am sitting next to Clarian and my master later in front of the eldest son. I scratch again and again. This top is itching like nuts.
"Does she have fleas?" The oldest asks, and I reframe from looking up.
"Stop that dog!" My master kicks me, and I can't help but whimper.
"Enough," It's his voice, the one I named Brute because I don't know his name.
"DaThoren," His older brother speaks "Playing in the woods again, how nice of you to join us, brother."
Ah, so that's the Brutes name.
He ignores them and takes out a knife and cuts the back of my vest top wide open. I catch the front before it falls.
"My Lord forgive me I had no idea she had been infected!" My master growled, and I know it was pointed anger at me. My back must be eaten up with something for them to say that but I don't feel sick, I feel itchy, and I want to roll in the mud.
"She is not infected you fool," DaThoren speaks, eh I liked calling him Brute, but I guess I'll have to use his name. "It is the vest; Jeromy!"
"Yes, my Lord?"
"Bring me a cloth top."
Suddenly I feel a cool cloth on my back "Remove that and put this on" But I really want mud. I look around till I see a muddy puddle and I sniff.
"You want to be muddy?" DaThoren asks,
Clarain rings in, though she isn't supposed to, "What do you expect from a flea-bitten mutt, it's all she knows." He looks at her, and I put the top on quickly while no one is looking at me.
DaThoren stands fully. "If I keep this woman as my wife I get to keep the pet too."
"You, you want to keep my dog slave?" The master asks.
I'll show him a dog; I want to bite him now.
"She is amusing." DaThoren then turned to his older brother, "We could use a pet, eh brother?"
His brother laughs, "Leave it to you to like the pet more than the woman!" His laughs booms louder. Why he thinks it's funny I don't know.
"Do we have a deal?" DaThoren asks crossing his big strong arms.
My master huffs. I know he likes beating me but the promise of breeding him rich beats that I guess for he agrees to leave me. Now I have a new master.