In the Forest of Silence (for Cleverfox)

[Arenor]

Solen twisted his wrists in their bonds as if he could somehow rip them from the table. Even though he'd clenched his eyes shut, he couldn't shutter his ears from Orion's words. The man's dangerous tone ripped through him and heightened his twisted desire. He even took pleasure in the anger that wreathed the shifter's words like a promise. With every moment, a bit more of his strength, will, and clarity yielded to the curse. Indeed, Orion had found a weakness in the half-elf, although he wouldn't have known its true origins. At first Solen hadn't minded his unusual attraction to the shape-shifter, even when it felt a little dangerous. But now, lashed to a table in some dungeon, a puppet to Orion's jaded cruelty, he couldn't stand it any longer. How could he enjoy such abuse, desire more of it, even? He grit his teeth but his desires were stronger now even than his thoughts.

Just two days ago, he would've laughed if anyone told him he was destined to become a slave to such desires. Neither pain nor pleasure ruled his thoughts, then. Elven youths didn't learn about romance or sexuality in a slow progression the way humans did. It happened all at once in a sort of madness called the Awakening. He knew very little about it, and hadn't cared to find out more. As a half-human he'd expected to figure things out on his own, someday, or never bother with any of it. An elder in an elven village had once tried to delicately explain the Awakening to him. It was a time of instinct and it could be terrifying, as so many emotions and sensations appeared at once. No one ever truly knew themselves until they passed through it, the elf had said. In his arrogance Solen had dismissed the elder's concerns out of hand. No one in perfect control of themselves could comprehend the truth of such madness.

Now, in a haze of masochistic hell, he finally understood. Not that it helped him to comprehend what his 'curse,' really meant. His thoughts turned inward, dark with self-hatred as his instincts reached out for more pain. The strap crashed down like a breaker wave and knocked the breath out of him. His skin throbbed, echoes of pain shivering along his nerves. Self-loathing followed. He was caught in a trap, a circle of sin, of sorts. He finally gasped in a breath and opened his eyes. His eyes still had that elven glow, but with something dark in their gaze. It could be interpreted as anger or defiance, and it was, in a way, although directed inward. But he spoke to Orion as if challenging him.

"I said, stop. I cannot stop you, but I can say whatever I please. I'm not afraid of you. Does that ruin your pleasure? I'm so sorry about that."

His voice dripped with sarcasm. Now, he was playing his own game, against himself, trying to manipulate Orion's rage into really exploding. Perhaps then he wouldn't be so quick to embrace pain like a lover. Surely at some point he'd stop enjoying it.

[CleverFox]

It seemed as though his new pet just loved inviting trouble for himself, which Orion had already suspected but that was pretty much confirmed when the halfling pointed out that he had said to stop, adding that he couldn't stop him but that he could say whatever he pleased. That one caused Orion to arch a brow before he replied, in a cold and ominous tone, "You can say as you please but if you have grown attached to your tongue I would advise learning when it is best to hold it." The words were spoken calmly but there was still the unmistakeable air of a threat held within them, Orion making it quite clear that he could in fact prevent the halfling from saying things that displeased him.

Even if by doing so he would be permanently maiming him.

Which he did realize he had said that he wouldn't do however Orion was thinking perhaps an accident could be arranged, the wheels in his devious little mind turning as he gazed down at Solen who was currently laying completely helpless and at the mercy of a creature that typically speaking didn't have any to offer. Once upon a long time ago he had probably been possessed of empathy but over the years and even centuries that he had been alive that had been whittled away.

Granted he was a little more forgiving of those that were not of human descent, the shifter finding that entire race to be deplorable and completely lacking of any redeeming qualities. Solen sort of fell on the line as far as that went since he was clearly part human while also clearly not full, the impurity of his genes obvious in his appearance as well as his scent. So while Orion felt that he was slightly better than the human cattle that he loathed he still possessed that blood in his veins and so therefor was worthy of some measure of contempt.

Despite the fact that there was something abut him that was intriguing.

After issuing his threat Orion once again raised the strap before bringing it down across the halfling's upper thighs, tempering the blow once again but making sure that it was definitely going to leave an impression. Which wasn't really hard to do seeing as the skin there was more sensitive than that of his backside and even his sit spots.

[Arenor]

Solen intended to push Orion toward rage instead of cold anger, but judging by the threat and tone of voice, he'd obviously failed. His lips narrowed in frustration. For a moment he regretted accepting the shape shifter's offer. In the self-hatred of the moment, death tempted him, preferable to the corruption of unwanted desires. His eyes trembled with darkness as he tried to find the right words. But for what? Goading, nonchalance, even yielding hadn't changed anything. There were no more choices left to him.

"As you wish," was all he said, each word enunciated precisely.

As the strap struck his thighs, Solen's back arched and a gasp dragged from his throat. His eyes defocused as the pain swept through him. Somehow, it felt different, although the hum of pleasure had still preceded the sting. But the blow had a sharper note and its echoes stretched out, as if Orion was striking him over and over. It faded after a few moments. The half elf sagged against the stone. Despite the chill, a sweat broke out across his back, legs, and buttocks from the strikes. He didn't consider how that would affect the next blow, if the shifter continued to beat him. He was still wrestling with inner conflict although he grew weary of the mental strain.

His own 'aura,' such as it was pulsed with his dark emotions. Elves, despite their seeming purity and grace, were vulnerable to such things. Not that the cruel shape-shifter would care if he sensed it, but Solen felt vaguely worried all the same. Even so, he couldn't reign in the shadow glow that pulsed through his body. It wouldn't happen unless he accepted these new discoveries about himself, and he couldn't do that. He'd rather throw himself from the roof of the shifter's home than embrace such a damning weakness, one which put him so easily at its mercy. So he fought it even as his body craved more contact with the strap.

[CleverFox]

Orion kept his piercing silver gaze on his pet as he heard Solen's simple words, to the point and carefully enunciated, the shifter trying to figure out just what to make of that. It wasn't really hinting at submission and yet neither had he once again sought to pick a fight, which Orion found odd if he were being honest. Even in the short time that he had known the halfling he had gotten the impression that he was a straightforward individual but this seemed to hint at something deeper. This fact could have angered him but the actual result was to pique his interest even further, as strange as that was to even think about.

Already thinking that he was far too involved with this new pet than was a good thing Orion didn't want to find himself even more intrigued and yet that was precisely what was happening and for all his strength he was powerless to stop it.

A fact that annoyed him to no end if he were being honest with himself.

Shoving that thought to the back of his mind Orion once again raised the strap that he was wielding and brought it down across the fullest part of Solen's buttocks. He had noticed the swat that had broken out across the halflings back and he was interested by that occurrence as well, a glint in his eyes since he knew that the moisture was only going to serve to make this even more unpleasant. The shifter did temper the blow a little more this time, having decided that mixing up the strength would serve to keep his pet off guard.

Yet another calculated move in the mind game that he was playing.

"Are we having fun as of yet Pet?" Orion asked, purposefully using the word 'pet' rather than the halfling's name and putting a condescending air to the single word. It was as though he were mocking Solen with his words now as well as his actions, Orion going for a reaction though what reaction he was expecting or even wanting he wasn't quite sure.

Having been thrown off one too many times by the halfling he wasn't going to make any further assumptions.

[Arenor]

Solen couldn't even begin to guess at Orion's thoughts. The shifter's eyes were a silver wall against his intentions, despite their luminous beauty. The hollow laughter and smirking told him almost nothing, except that he took pleasure while inflicting pain, a disinterested sort of pleasure at that. He found nothing to grab hold of and manipulate, twist into a weapon to strike at himself with, or even hints to better understand the creature which now owned his body and soul. It seemed the shifter had chosen his prey well. Solen shook his head, grinding his forehead against the cold stone beneath it. Disgust overwhelmed him, broken only by the crack of the strap as it fell. Then, for a moment, the taint resonated like purity within him, and he couldn't deny its power.

Then his mind cleared and he scorned the reaction as perverse, corrupt. He held his expression in a stiff mask between strikes. Winces and gasps escaped him as Orion beat him, but not cries, screams, or any other further attempts to stop him.

After Solen began to sweat, a blow struck his buttocks and magnified the pain by half. He hissed through his bitten lips and arched his spine as the sensation echoed through him, fading to unwanted heat as his body absorbed it. Why, he wondered, did the strap feel so different each time it fell? Orion's varied strikes were keeping him off balance, albeit for a different reason than the shifter intended. Solen kept trying to brace himself for a particular sensation. At least he could get some control that way. Instead, he was thrown off balance each time as the pain intensified, or ebbed, or stung differently.

Absorbed in his thoughts, he almost didn't hear Orion's words. But the musical accent dragged his attention away regardless of his own wishes. The jaded taunt along with 'pet,' startled him, despite the condescension laced into the word. His eyes widened, flashing with curiosity that quickly darkened to wariness. He hadn't expected the shifter to use that word. At best, he felt like an instrument or toy that Orion would use to relieve his boredom. A little excitement for a cruel loner who didn't have anyone to torment. If he only listened to the tone of words, that's what he'd become. But 'pet...'

"Do you consider me such a thing?" A bit of wistfulness crept into the words despite himself. He felt strangely drawn to the shifter at that moment, as he had when he'd first seen him change from creature to man. It had almost felt innocent, pure, until he'd realized the full ramifications of his attraction to Orion.

[CleverFox]

The reactions that he was getting for each successive lash of the strap were not entirely what Orion had been expecting and that once again served to give him cause to look at his captive in a different light and from a different angle. The shifter hadn't had any expectations for how things would be when he had decided that he was going to keep the halfling with him however that fact not withstanding he was finding the way that he behaved to be, for lack of a better way of describing it, odd.

His ears were perked and his tail was swishing back and forth as he listened to the noises that Solen was making, those not exactly what he would have expected from someone in this position either. Tilting his head slightly to the side for a moment he regarded his pet after using that moniker for him and he caught hint of the change in his tone when he asked if he considered him such a thing.

"Disobedient to be sure but definitely a pet," Orion told him casually, taking the strap and stroking his backside with it, taking great care to just barely brush the skin as though teasing him.

The fact that he hadn't yet gained a cry of pain from Solen was a source of annoyance for Orion and something that he was intent to remedy. His sadistic side was screaming for some sign of pain and not just a simple discomfort which was what the noises that Solen had as of yet emitted lead him to believe was the case thusfar. A fact that simply would not do and lead him to believe that he wasn't doing a good enough job.

Mind games aside he wanted some sign that this method had the potential to be effective with the halfling.

So after confirming that he did in fact consider Solen to be his own little disobedient pet Orion once again raised the strap, higher this time than before. After a pause that spanned for a few seconds that likely seemed longer Orion brought the heavy piece of leather crashing down once again across the backs of Solen's thighs, likely striking just shy of hard enough to actually bruise him, his ears pricked forward as he waited to see just what sort of reaction he was going to get this time around.

Waited with almost baited breath, his silver eyes shining with an almost feral look.

[Arenor]

For a moment or two his eyes met Orion's with a hint of wonder in them, an echo of their meeting in the forest. His lips were half parted and relaxed. Then all too quickly his expression hardened. Yes, he still found the shifter irresistible, from his exotic looks to the tail and ears aglow in the candle light. Even to his sadistic cruelty, the voice a cold lull from a nightmare. A nightmare he didn't want to escape. No, he didn't despise his captor--master, for this scene between them, but he still couldn't forgive himself. He felt he deserved to be punished, to the point where he would no longer enjoy the beating. Perhaps then he'd regret choosing this fate. No matter what he felt, part of him was still enthralled with the entire scenario.

His face still as a mask, he waited for Orion's answer. His eyes narrowed at the words and he closed his eyes against the leather brushing across his tingling skin. That felt...too good, he had to bite his lip again to swallow a moan. Then he opened his eyes, cleared his throat, and tried to sound far calmer than he felt. The blood at his mouth gave the lie to his steady voice.

"You consider me disobedient? I have done everything you asked of me. Have I not? Perhaps you wish me to rebel, so you can justify killing me when you're finished here."

He wasn't certain he believed the thrust of his words. However, they could be true. Orion's disinterest made that idea a distinct possibility. But why call him 'pet,' if he was a simple discard for one day's jaded pleasure? Either way the accusation distracted him (momentarily) from the battleground in his thoughts. It was almost a welcome respite.

Then the strap crashed to his thighs with enough pleasure, shock and pain to knock the breath out of him. He almost cried out but choked it back down, viciously swallowing the sound before it really began. He feared what Orion might read in the sound if he allowed himself to yell. His eyes teared up from the blow, stinging his eyes. After a few gasps he raised his head again with a hollow challenge in his eyes and voice, since he'd already tried it and didn't quite believe it would work, even from another angle.

"Is that the worst you can manage?

[CleverFox]

As the words of the halfling almost seemed to echo in the otherwise stillness and silence of the room Orion focused his intent gaze on Solen's face so that the two of them could meet eye to eye and be even in that regard even if the odds were decidedly stacked in his favor in every other aspect of this situation. "You have kept your reactions from me," he said when Solen said that he had done everything that he asked, which was technically speaking the truth but there was something that Orion wanted more from him than mere obedience and that was reaction.

Orion was still unsure of his feelings for this whole thing but he was thinking that perhaps he may have made a hasty decision when he chose to bring the halfling back here to have some fun with. Because Solen was having an effect on him even if it was one that he couldn't identify and didn't wholly understand...nor was he certain that he really wanted to understand.

No what he wanted was reaction, to know that what he was doing was having an effect.

The game that he was playing wasn't any fun if he couldn't have that reaction and it seemed almost as though Solen was cheating him out of that. A thought that was only solidified when the vicious blow of the strap almost got a cry from him...almost of course not being satisfactory for Orion and he ended up growling low in his throat as Solen asked if that was the worst that he could manage.

"You really don't want to know the answer to that question Pet," Orion told him, moving closer and kneeling beside Solen on the table that he was currently tethered to. Taking his free hand Orion scraped his nails down his pet's back, leaving thin little red lines but not actually breaking the skin, this gesture being a clear threat from the shifter.

If he couldn't get the reactions that he wanted from the strap perhaps he could glean them through some other method, the shifter not above doing such a thing if necessary.

[Arenor]

Fear shattered his mask and thrilled into his widened eyes, pooling there in the golden-green depths. His face went ashen, the blood at his lips like misplaced rubies against his pallor. He couldn't hide it this time. Not since he was face to face with Orion, eyes locked, even if he'd torn himself away it wouldn't have been in time. Cursing himself silently he picked up the pieces of his calm and rearranged his expression to suit. If only he'd anticipated those words, or that Orion would realize how desperately he was attempting to conceal his own reactions. From himself, too, not just the shifter.

"I...as I said, I'm not broken, nor am I weak. Do you expect me to beg? Perhaps you must try a little harder. I'm certain you're capable of that."

His voice trembled as much as his eyes had a moment before. Questions kindled like wildfire in his mind. Did he know? Had he guessed? If not, how much longer until such questions undid him? Not that he planned on explaining this to Orion, not ever. He could only imagine what a cruel person would do with such an information, the knowledge of a weakness that even now thrilled over his skin with its damned unceasing anticipation. With his arms and legs bound to stone, he couldn't escape himself any more than he could flee from Orion.

When the shifter spoke again, Solen muttered an elvish curse under his breath. Oh, he didn't want to know the answer to that question? Then why did his blood race at the mere thought of it? Even if he dispassionately imagined terrible results, such as the maiming and death Orion had promised not to inflict, the masochistic fire in his mind refused to quiet. The danger felt like a spice, a risk, more than something to inspire dread as it was obviously supposed to. He wanted that danger as if yearning for a caress.

Which was exactly how the shifter's nails felt as they pierced his back. Like a kiss, not a threat, or perhaps an intoxicating mixture of both. To his horror, his body began to respond in a way it hadn't quite done before. Not that it could be quite noticed in his current position. But his pale cheeks flushed with a sudden color and his eyes glazed, he had to shake his head to clear it. By Aura, he couldn't hold himself together much longer.

"Answer my question," he said, finally, his voice still shaking.

[CleverFox]

Even had Solen not decided to inform him as such it was quite obvious to Orion that his pet was not broken nor was he weak, no he seemed possessed of more strength than the shifter would have imagined considering that such circumstances would have had the average person trembling and pleading at this point. Perhaps that was simply because he was accustomed to dealing with the weak humans who would have broken already and begged, pleaded, offered him anything that he desired.

And yet Solen managed to hold out and keep from him what he most wanted.

Even the threat of his claws didn't seem to work to get the reaction that he was seeking, Orion actually looking a tiny bit put off when Solen told him in a shaky voice to answer his question. As though in answer to that Orion used a bit more pressure as he once again raked his claws across the halfling's back, this time leaving behind more noticeable marks in the wake of his fingers.

"Decidedly not Pet," he informed him, looking over and actually noticing the slight color that had rose to color Solen's cheeks.

That was not something he had been expecting nor was it something that made sense to him, the usually composed shifter finding himself thrown off guard. Pulling his claws away from Solen's back Orion got to his feet and took a couple of steps back, looking at Solen in a new light and trying to figure out just what was going on with this strange creature. First his reactions were not what Orion had been expecting and now he was actually...blushing? Confusion was not something that Orion was accustomed to feeling, after all over the centuries there was less and less that he hadn't seen even when it came to behaviors, but this...

This was definitely something that he couldn't identify and that threw him off.

And being thrown off in such a manner served as a double edged sword for Solen seeing as it also caused Orion to become decidedly disgruntled. "I don't know what you're playing at Pet...but you're playing with fire," he told him, his usually melodic voice taking on a hard edge as he gazed at his pet, not moving closer to him again but rather simply taking some time to reevaluate the situation.

And to size the halfling up.