Chapter 25

Fiona

T he sun beats down on me, making my movements wooden and heavy. Groaning, I lean against the fence for a moment and catch my breath. Here, there’s nothing but silence. No tittering of other women, no idle gossip that means nothing to me.

Peace.

Looking over my shoulder, I realize just how far I’ve gone. The ranch house is no longer visible. Neither are the other cows. It should frighten me. Instead, I feel free. Gazing along the fence, I look at the property line. At least, I assume it’s the property line. Why else would there be fences here if not to keep others in or out?

Not much further until I reach the very end. Gritting my teeth, I force myself to continue crawling. My very core longs to be as far away from everything as possible. At least until the pain dies down. Knowing Master Antroli, he’ll come gather me before too much longer.

I squint up into the sky, doing my best to judge the time. With three suns, it’s a bit disorienting. At home, I had no problem making educated guesses. Here, I’m just doing my best. Maybe it’s not nearly as long as I thought. If I hurry, I’ll be able to huddle into the corner of the fence and allow my heart to bleed.

Yes, I’m being dramatic. No, I don’t give a fuck. It’s one thing to know there are differences between an alien race and my own, but being at the brunt of it is a far different thing. It’s not his fault. I know that. My mind knows it. My heart, fickle fucker it is, wants to rant and rail about how unfair it is.

I keep thinking he’ll relate to me like a human. But he’s not. He’ll never be. It’s a pipe dream, a longing that will never happen. Deep in my soul, I thought I accepted him for what he was, but now I’m not so sure. Can I really make a life with someone so fundamentally different than me?

It was different when I knew I’d have a best friend to talk to and commiserate with. Now that she’s gone... Fat tears roll down my cheeks, blurring my vision as I put one hoof in front of the other. I foolishly thought I cried everything out. Boy, was I wrong.

My shoulders burn with every inch I gain. My thighs scream at me as I force one knee in front of the other. But it’s a good pain. It’s a pain I’m used to, one I’d experience when working at the dojo. Sweat drips down my spine as I push myself, reminding my body of what I once was.

On Earth, I wasn’t a pampered house pet. I was a force to be reckoned with. In this small way, I can reclaim a little bit of what was lost. My breath comes out in panted gasps as I scream on the inside. Just one more foot. That’s it. You can do it. Almost there.

At the corner where the fences meet, I collapse in the dirt. A little ways down, there’s a gate, but I pay it no mind. No doubt that’s where Master Antroli is going to come in his alien craft to force me home. My arms and legs twitch as my muscles try to spasm up.

It was stupid of me to make this journey with no water around. Foolishly, I thought there would be troughs or something along the way. But then, what cow would actually venture out this far without a Master or Ranch Hand? The other humans seemed far more content to stay near the barns, just lounging in the sun.

Not me though. I can’t let myself get like that. I refuse to exist only to be milked and fucked. Just because it’s good enough for them doesn’t mean I can be satisfied in the same way. I wasn’t on Earth, and I won’t be here.

Once things get back to normal, I’ll have to make sure I do something to push my body daily. I can’t allow myself to get so weak and complacent. Perhaps I can do kata while I’m learning the language. I certainly can’t do much more than crawl about while confined to my hands and knees.

With a groan, I curl up on my side and rest my cheek against the ground. It’s warm and comforting, soothing me until I fall into a doze. I’m not asleep, exactly, but I’m not awake. I lie there in that liminal space between consciousness and sleep, listening to the sounds around me.

Here, it’s not so different from back home. The bugs buzz about, sounding just like the ones that flew around me while I laid out in the tall grasses. Off in the distance, a light sound of water babbling reaches my ears. If I just let myself drift, I’d be right back at home.

A loud creak permeates the haze surrounding me, sending a shaft of sorrow to my heart. Master Antroli has found me. How I wish I could have stayed here for just a few minutes more. Squeezing my eyes shut, I try to hang onto the little noises surrounding me as his hands engulf my body and haul me up.

His chest is warm, even hotter than the dirt. With a groan, I turn into his body and breathe in his scent. There’s an undercurrent I don’t recognize, a slightly sour note that’s not usually there. Granted, I never see him straight from the fields. He must clean up at least a little before coming inside to milk and pleasure me.

My pussy clenches as his hands tighten around me in a painful grip. Perhaps it’s time to put all our petty squabbling to the side. Being at odds with him will never bring back Jessica. I try to speak to him, to tell him I’m sorry, but the words stick in my throat.

I can tell him later. For now, all I want to do is sleep in the safety of his arms.

Pain lances through my body, forcing my eyes to open. My breasts ache, telling me it’s time to be milked. Somehow, it hurts worse than usual. How late is it? Did taking me back home take longer than I thought?

I open my eyes to gauge the suns as best as I can, but I see nothing. Darkness greets my gaze, sending a shaft of fear through my heart. Am I in the barns? Did something happen to me? To Master Antroli?

Fear spurs me on, forcing me to move, but my arms stop short. A searing burn travels up my limbs and into my shoulders as I strain against this invisible force holding me back. With each infinitesimal movement, a soft clink thunders throughout the space. My pulse pounds in my ears, shoving away the dredges of sleepiness until I’m wide awake.

Why am I chained up? It doesn’t make any sense. Again, I jerk against the restraint, my breath coming in short, quick pants. I can’t move. I can’t see. I can’t hear anything. Something’s not right. However, my brain does its best to stay rational. There has to be an explanation.

“M- Master?” I cry out into the darkness, tugging on the chains to no avail. “P- please. Master Antroli. I’m awake now.”

A dark chuckle fills the strange room, setting the hairs on the back of my neck on edge. That’s not him. At least, not any version of him I’ve heard before. My limbs tremble as I struggle against my bonds.

“Am I being punished?” It’s the only thing that makes sense to my brain, but then, he did warn me I wouldn’t enjoy being punished by him.

“Why?” a strange voice calls out. “Do you want to be punished?”

“Of course not,” I counter, doing my best to put on a brave voice. “Who would want to get punished?”

A thin shaft of light pierces my skull, bringing tears to my eyes. The shadow that walks in is tall, monstrous, but is a bit wider than Master Antroli. Where he’s lean lines of smooth muscle, this man looks stocky and wide. A metallic taste coats my mouth as bile rises in my throat.

Fear thrums through me until my body feels like a live wire. I wish to defend myself, but chained up like I am, I have no leverage. Balling my hands into fists, I bide my time, waiting for an opportunity to free myself. If I don’t pose as a threat, I have a better chance at him letting his guard down.

Thick, meaty fingers graze my face, the caress rough and possessive. “Oh, I think a cow like you wants to taste the leather from a real Icorian. Don’t you think?” Before I can come up with a witty reply, his hands skim down the column of my throat, hovering just over my pulse. “Poor thing. So frightened. I simply love feeling the fear waft off of you.”

“Y- you misunderstand,” I lie, my brain desperately trying to find coherent words. “It’s not fear you feel, but arousal. I suppose you are right. I do want to be punished.”

As the words leave my mouth, I feel sick to my stomach. Whoever this man is, I shouldn’t be entertaining their delusional ideals. Before I can say anything else, his hand jerks away from my throat, allowing me a breath of relieved air. All too soon, his hand comes back down, crashing across my cheek with such force that my neck wrenches to the side and my ears begin to ring.

Though I can’t see all that much in the dim lighting, what little vision I have blurs for a moment as darkness threatens to overtake me. A low ring buzzes in my ears, distorting the other sounds around me. Nausea bubbles up as everything clenches to the point of pain.

“Haven’t you been taught to never speak to an Icorian?” the stranger growls out. “My, my, but they are lax over at the neighboring ranch. To think you were allowed to speak with such conviction. Such impertinence. Don’t worry, cow. We will cure you of that soon enough.”

As he pulls away, he releases some of the tightness of the restraints until I double over, slumping to the floor. My breath sounds raspy to my ears as I suck in as much air as I can. In my breasts, the pressure begins to build again as my weight smashes against them. I long to cry out, to beg this alien for mercy, but I don’t dare.

Biting down on my lower lip, I let my mind wander to Master Antroli. I picture him there, next to me, reassuring me as to what a good little cow I am for him. Not like this man. This monster. The pain Master Antroli gave me was tempered with pleasure. This man seems to only want me to suffer.

But why? What did I do that was so wrong? Did Master Antroli discover my deception with his terminal? Am I in Icora’s version of jail? So many questions bounce around my skull, but never land. I dare not ask the man these things. He’ll only hurt me more.

Bringing my hands up to my chest, I cup my breasts, nearly groaning as I take off some of the pressure. Wetness coats my fingers as milk drips from me and covers the floor. The stranger growls and yanks at the chains, allowing me to move just a bit more.

It does nothing to help my situation. Soon, he snaps a lead onto my collar and jerks me onto my hands and feet. “Such insolence,” he snarls, yanking forward again. “Wasting your milk like that. I’ll teach you the consequences of your actions. You must be a glutton for punishment to allow yourself to drip all over my floors like that.”

I long to cry out, to tell him it’s not my fault. If only he’d milk me, then I wouldn’t have any leaking from my body. Helpless, I follow the stranger, groaning as he drags me into the bright hallway. Unlike Master Antroli’s ranch house, everything here is bright and sterile. The white walls go on and on with no end in sight.

He continues to drag me forward, not caring how my body screams at me with each movement. I have to keep moving. I can’t let him see he’s getting the better of me. Biting down on my lower lip, I resist the urge to cry out. If only I realized just how good I had it with Master Antroli and Master Rancher Vrokjan.

Neither of them would ever have treated me like this. True, there were petty disagreements, but he never resorted to violence to solve them. Not like this monster. He keeps a fast pace, forcing my burning thighs and arms to keep pumping as I follow. It’s either that or he’ll end up dragging me.

Either way, we press forward to the door looming at the end. What’s behind it, I don’t know. In my gut, I know I don’t want to find out.