Chapter 1

Faded, gray sun streams, streaked though partially spaced blinds. They covered the sliding glass doors that led out to the balcony of Michael's top floor master suite. Rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, Michael Calvahone sat up in bed and stretched for a moment, picking up a glass of water from his nightstand left by a maid. He drank it thirstily and was refreshed. He picked up his smartphone, and checked for updates on the news and the weather. It was 8am. He removed the blankets that were covering his naked, 5'10" [1.8m] body. He was slender, but each of his muscles, and his jaw, were perfectly shaped. His cock was about five inches [13 cm] when soft, seven [18 cm] when hard. Michael padded across a plush, white rug, and opened the blinds fully to a gray sky, and somewhat chilly winter morning. The sky really looked dismal as if there could be a storm as early as tomorrow, just as the weather app had predicted. Of course, no one knew what sort of hell would be sprung in the coming few days. Michael headed into his luxury bathroom, complete with a hot-tub, sauna, and three-headed shower with real gold trimming. He washed, dried, and headed to his walk-in-closet where he dressed. He slipped sneakers onto his feet, clothed his limber legs with a pair of slim, boot-cut jeans, and a pinstripe button down shirt over his chest, and put a black zip up hoodie over that.

The top floor of Michael's two-storey mansion, contained his room and a small library. The basement had a gym, and a home-theater/entertainment room; complete with TV, computer, plenty of movies and music. The main floor housed the entrance room, dining hall, and two other wings. The right wing had a few fully stocked guest suites, and the left wing had an indoor pool that could become an outside pool through complicated mechanics. Perfect for winter or summer. The kitchen was behind the dining hall, as was the laundry room. From Michael's room, there were a few pull-down grates and chutes where he could toss different articles of clothing and they all went down to the laundry room. Various maids and servants tended to his every whim. After he dressed, Michael headed downstairs.

Just inside the oak, double door entrance, was the sitting area with tiled flooring. It consisted of chairs and couches surrounding a fireplace. The fireplace was placed in the center of the room in the middle of a crater of wood, surrounded by Plexiglas, and a hatch for managing the pit. When it was warm weather, the fire pit was replaced by an elegant fountain statue. To the right of the fireplace, along the wall was a wooden locked door that led to the guest wing. On the wall to the left of the fire pit, was the door leading to the pool. Behind the fire pit, was an open hall leading to the back of the house. On either side of the dining room hall, were staircases leading up to the second floor. The entire mansion was a beautiful blend of modern and antique, made with wood taken from the forest surrounding it. It was self-sufficient, meaning it didn't need to be connected to the main power grid. A section of his land; which was an almost 2.5 acres of landscaped flat land, and was walled in, contained several large solar panels. In addition, deep underground was a direct supply of natural gas from within the earth's core, which Michael had tapped into. In addition to that, there was a private road that cut through the Pisgah National forest, and connected to the main highway, so that the travel time from his home to town was only about 20 minutes. About an hour and a half bike ride. He had all that built for him for convenience sake. Everything purchased from the government.

As Michael descended through the mansion, he eyed a few maids and servants tending to the household needs. Portraits of family members and landscapes decorated the walls. The staff generally paid him no mind as he went about doing whatever nefarious deeds he was interested in. They were paid well enough to keep their mouths shut and their loyalty close. They greeted him 'Good Morning Sir' with a smile and a nod, and he returned the favor. The mansion was full of large windows to let in plenty of light, and the surrounding forest beyond the wall of his home extended in all directions, with various trails. Most of them blocked off now due to security. He then made his way to the dining hall. The room was spacious, with a tiled floor, modern lighting and a long wood table with a runner, situated in the center. His mansion grounds had been used to host many banquets and important events. The table had a seating arrangement with fine dishes, for one at the end. Taking his seat, the older teen rang a small bell, and moments later servants came out with a rolling cart of food for breakfast: orange juice, toast, eggs, bacon, and coffee. It was about 8:45am now.

As he ate, Michael reflected on his life so far. At 19, his parents had owned a large conglomerate of businesses, the size of which had made them one of the wealthiest families on the planet. His parents had died tragically last year. An accident involving their private jet. It had been a travesty and a scandal on the news. It was thought to be a terrorist attack, but it seemed the perpetrator had been a mechanic who had accidentally connected several wrong wires. He ended up in jail for negligence, and had mysteriously hung himself shortly after. Once his parents had died, Michael had acquired the entire family fortune, and the business, the CFC (Calvahone Family Corporation) which employed hundreds of thousands of people around the world, had housed many businesses from many fields under its reach. Hence why the Calvahone's had such a far-reaching influence. Michael had no qualms about quitting Harvard to live the rest of his life in luxury. Why study or work when you have everything you could ever want for the rest of your life? He left the company to be run by trusted CEOs, only taking over certain transactions when needed. In the meantime, Michael took up hobbies including martial arts, and grew to be extremely skilled in the field.

He'd been through many women, but they only wanted his money. They had never cared about him, nor he them, they had only wanted sex. His parents never really paid much attention to him when he was growing up. As he tucked into his plate of eggs and bacon, he felt tired of being lonely. Good thing he had his loyal guard dog. Michel bent down and petted his faithful companion on the head. Prince was a jet-black Doberman. All black except for a brown snout and legs. He'd always been highly loyal and strong. Prince would take a bullet for Michael if the need arose. The beast was unusually well skilled for a dog, very smart, agile and strong. But the most beautiful thing on him, was his leather collar with jades embedded in it, as well as a large jade pendant hanging down in front. There was no need for the collar. His dog had been featured in many pet magazines as a model, often on the cover as well as for his unusual skills. Sometimes Michael took him for granted. Thank god it was a Friday morning, and they had the whole weekend to relax…

~~~

It was an equally dreary morning when Zach Ford finally stirred, and was reluctantly awakened by the wind picking up outside of his bedroom window. His bedside clock told him it was just after 10AM, so he had a full weekend ahead of him. As he got up to stretch, he drew back the curtains and beheld a truly grim looking sky filled with clouds. The blonde haired, blue eyed 12-year-old became disappointed. He'd hoped for snow to liven up the winter, but the threat of a storm was taking things too far. Zach was an outdoors kind of kid. He lived for riding his bike, playing soccer, and the occasional woodland adventures with his friends. His best friend Mason, 12 years old, had stayed over last night and was still sound asleep on a blow-up bed on Zach's bedroom floor. The scrawny brown haired, blue eyed kid hadn't been woken up by the wind, or by Zach getting up and opening the curtains, so Zach decided to change out of his pajamas into the tee shirt and sweatpants he'd worn yesterday, currently in a ball in the corner of his blue themed bedroom. Still not fully awake, Zach padded downstairs to prepare some cereal for himself and his friend, while thinking what they ought to get up to today. The weather had put an unexpected roadblock in their outdoor plans, and they'd already stayed up a little past midnight watching films, and playing video games, so they were worn out with being cooped up in Zach's room.

They'd both agreed to hang out with some friends with nothing specific planned, so he'd need to find out what they wanted to do now that the weather was turning grim. Zach didn't own a smartphone as his mother, Susan, (an average height woman of 45, with blue eyes, freckled face, an hourglass figure, and pert lips) was paranoid that he would be exposed to things he wasn't old enough for, so he made do with a basic flip-phone, earning him endless teasing from friends. He supposed he could message the guys he'd be meeting up with and see what they thought without having to leave the house, but he preferred talking in person, so Zach would just persuade Mason to go to their houses and do it that way. As he got to the bottom of the stairs he saw that his Mother was back from her night shift and it appeared that his Father, Daniel, had already left for work. They worked long hours for little pay and their house reflected this but Zach didn't really take much notice of the state of their home, it only affected him in that he saw less of either parent than most of his mates. Compared to most other twelve year olds he didn't want for much as he made his imagination go far and had all he needed to engage in sports.

Many of his close friends were in a similar position financially and all lived quite close together in the poorer suburb of Asheville, North Carolina. The economic pressure could be felt through the stresses of the parents no matter how hard they tried to hide it from their kids. That, combined with the majority of Zach's friends wanting more than they could have, had started to result in several acting out. Their grades fell, their behavior changed, more and more they started pushing boundaries and getting tied up in minor crimes such as trespassing and shoplifting. A couple of friends had started bragging about drug use. Zach wasn't following their example yet, and neither was Mason for the most part, which contributed to why they got on so well as they'd been seeing less eye to eye with the other guys as of late. However, recently even Mason began to display a lack of contentment and was looking for outlets for his restlessness. The on-set of puberty no doubt had a part to play in all this. When Zach returned to his room with two bowls of cereal after a quick exchange of good mornings with his mother, he found that Mason had gotten up and was dressed as well.

"Hey Mason, morning,"

Zach said sitting down on a tatty bean bag chair and handing Mason his bowl.

"Morning dude," Mason said, rubbing sleep from his eyes and taking the bowl,

"So what's the plan for today? Looks like lousy weather."

"I figured we'd go out and see what the guys want to do in a little while." Zach replied.

The boys finished their breakfasts and played some more of the video game they'd spent hours on the night before. After a particularly difficult and frustrating level they decided to call it quits and head out.

Both boys rushed downstairs eager to beat the other to the bottom where they were intercepted by Zach's mom who needed to know where they were going, who they were going with, how long they expected they'd be, whether Zach had his mobile phone "just in case" and then once she was satisfied with her interrogation she still requested Zach go back upstairs to grab a hoodie or sweater to go under his coat as well. Once out the door Mason let Zach know that he felt his mom was getting even more intense with her overprotectiveness. Zach couldn't really argue with him, he felt it was unnecessary worrying, not believing that anyone out there wanted to do him harm. He awkwardly laughed off the commentary of his mother's parenting and the two were on their way to collect their friends. Since they all lived so close to one another it barely took any time before the gang were all assembled together in a nearby park.

The de facto leader of the group, Luke, spoke up first and what he said usually went. He was 14. Tall, broad-shouldered, with black hair, brown eyes, and he was a bit of a punk. So, when Luke decreed that only pussies would be put off by the low possibility of a storm, they headed off towards the woods in spite of the weather. The agenda was to mess around in the forest, maybe play capture the flag for a while since they'd brought a couple of old tents they liked to fashion into makeshift bases for each team before heading back home. However, when they got into the tree line and the sky was darkening quicker than they would've liked Luke suggested they head back into the shops and see what they could shoplift from a convenience store. This change of plans was hardly something Zach was up for, and for once he spoke out against Luke.

"Come on man, you steal stuff after school like every other day, can't we just not today?"

The bigger boy's expression hardened instantly and Zach found himself taking a step back in response to the glare.

"I'm sorry, what? Did I ask for your opinion? I think we really should snatch a few things, you in particular because I don't remember you ever helping out with it after school." He stated tersely.

"I just don't see the point in stealing stuff I don't even really want anyway,"

Zach countered, actually impressing himself with his bravery.

"Look midget, here's how it is, we've all been talking and we think you've become a real drag recently, so you really need to sort your shit out before we decide to stop hanging out with you."

Luke warned the smaller boy.

Zach looked deep into his face for any sign he was messing with him and found no indication, he was getting a bit choked up.

"Wait, what? Really?"

He asked, voice breaking. He was afraid he'd tear up.

The group all nodded, even Mason, possibly for fear of being the odd one out, possibly because it was true that he'd been a part of these discussions.

"Look, I just don't want to steal anything ok? C'mon guys d-don't be dicks,"

Zach said, trying to compose himself and sound tough still.

Luke seemed to consider that for a long moment, looking focused if disinterested, then grinning.

"Ok, if you won't shoplift anything then you better prove you've got balls another way, we're going to steal somas soon as you gete shit now so you won't be coming with us. You take this tent and go camp out tonight in one of the forbidden trails, I'll phone your mom and say you're staying over at mine, ok?"

Luke asked with a sneer.

It definitely wasn't ok though. What if he got arrested, or attacked by an animal? This was the sort of peer pressure his mother had warned him about. Maybe she wasn't entirely overbearing after all.

"Come on it's gonna be freezing out here, and there's wild animals, that's probably why the paths are closed off."

Zach protested. He looked at Mason for support but found none.

"You're wearing like 3 thick layers' dude, and I've got my sleeping bag with me from last night you can borrow,"

Mason chimed in.

Zach felt betrayed even though he didn't know if Mason actually agreed with them or if he was just saying these things to protect himself from getting assigned the same dare. Regardless, Zach didn't want to lose his friends, even Mason would likely stop hanging out with him if he didn't do this, since Zach would become a pariah.

"A-alright, fuck it, give me the stuff, and some food,"

Zach yielded.

He gulped and suddenly got a dreadful feeling in his stomach. As if he'd never see any of his friends or family again…

~~~

The people in Asheville were already familiar with Michael Calvahone, and his background. His family was well known after all, their fingers gripping almost every business in the area like an octopus. The Calvahones had provided hundreds of jobs to the people of Asheville, and other cities around the world, for over 70 years in all kinds of fields, the latest in scientific research, but they were also involved in: renewable energies, law enforcement, education, construction, politics, and manufacturing, which produced many products for many major companies in America. The city had been on the brink of becoming a ghost town during the Great Depression. In the late thirties, however, during the peak of things, a young Ted Calvahone, brown eyes, short black hair, tall, broad-shouldered with a thick mustache, a genius, mastermind, and a bit of a clairvoyant, had the idea to start up his own business. His cousin owning a bank, he took out a loan. He began hiring experts in all fields, found empty lots and began constructing buildings to put those people in charge of their own small businesses. He called his company the Calvahone Umbrella Corporation (CUC). Its sole purpose was to create jobs, and TIME Magazine would eventually list his business as among the most influential on the planet. Though Ted was more nefarious then that. He wanted power and control. Ted knew that if he could make enough men and women successful in many fields, all that money would make him rich and powerful, which would in turn secure his family's future. Due to his businesses popularity, it brought much scrutiny from the public, though Ted was careful to cover his tracks well, and soon he would be in control of those investigating him as well. He never acted rashly, he always made pinpoint chess movements to grab control little by little. Although never proven, it was rumored that Ted was involved in all sorts of illegal activities through his years. Scandals never brought to light, bribes given and taken, etc. That trend seemed to pass from father to son like a disease, or a curse among the men of the family.

Over the next 70 years or so, Ted's business passed on successfully, and then finally after three generations, Michael Calvahone was born in 1999. Michael's mother and father, Wendy and Richard, changed the name of the company to the Calvahone Family Corporation (CFC), to give it a friendlier appearance, though that same desire for power, and egregious behavior never wavered. At that time, the business had grown to such an extent, that the family had corrupted much of the legal system. The control went all the way to Washington. It had been Richard's dream that Michael one day become President of the United States of America. Unfortunately, after Richard and Wendy's death last year, Michael lost all interest, quit Harvard, and moved back home, preferring to live quietly. He still had the desire for power, however, and used his family's influence to do pretty much whatever he wanted. Unlike the rest of his family though, he had no desire to take over the country, or the world. He was content with his little city instead.

Often enough the CFC made donations to public services as well, with Michael required to make appearances throughout the year, to give or receive awards that meant nothing to him really. It was all for useless pleasantries that he couldn't care less about. He'd even given lectures at the middle school, high school and colleges of the city, as well as other places, all-encompassing different angles of business, finance, and the like. Otherwise the city respected his request to be left in peace. His mansion complex was surrounded on all sides for miles by the Pisgah National Forest after all, and was situated out of town some ways. A good portion of hiking trails had been sealed off for security reasons, either by rope, and chain, or by purposeful rock placement. All closed trails had signs that warned hikers that those trails were closed to the public, and warned that any trespassers could be in danger due to wild animals, and hidden trap cages meant to keep the dangerous animals in check. Not to mention they would be sued if caught. The signs made people aware that the land beyond those points were exclusively owned by the CFC. There were still many other trails open to the public, and the sights and scenery were enough to please any kind of hiker, from the inexperienced, to the most extreme mountain climbers, so trespassing was unnecessary. Michael stood on the balcony outside his bedroom sliding glass window sometime after a hearty, vegetarian lunch. He admired the view of the forest surrounding him, past the three acres of flat land that directly surrounded his mansion. There was a high wall and entrance gate that prevented wild animals, or other people from entering his property . At this point he was wearing a warmer jacket now. The wind had started picking up, the smell of rain lingered in his nostrils, and dark clouds were moving across the horizon ominously towards his mansion. It seemed that it would not be a good day to leave his home today. He'd wanted to pick up supplies. It seemed the storm would hit already tonight, and the weekend in general was shaping up to be absolutely horrendous.

Luckily his faithful companion, Prince, was here to keep him company. He sat on his haunches next to Michael, and the teen knelt down to hold his dog close and pet him. Yea, as long as he had his pet, he was happy. Michael had never cared much for the idea of marriage or kids anyway, his power brought him happiness. Maybe one day he'd adopt a kid and pass on his business to keep it going, who knew. Such thoughts were swept easily from his mind though. He was still young, and there were still things he wanted to acquire…

~~~

Zach felt well and truly alone as his friends strode off back towards town, leaving him with a tent, a used sleeping bag and a few snacks to see him through to the morning. He hadn't even thought to mention the fact that there was likely to be heavy rain that night, and he couldn't speak up now or else he'd come across as even more of a coward! The gang of boys were laughing as they rode off on their bikes, leaving Zach's chained up nearby. Zach couldn't help but feel they might have been laughing at him. He had a deep-seated fear that they were going to sever ties with him anyway, and this was just one final humiliation while he still trusted them. Mason shot him a regretful look as they were moving out of Zach's view, and he felt less betrayed but still hurting. He didn't deserve to be abandoned and set up on ridiculous dares just because he didn't want to steal. Well, screw them! He didn't need them! He'd conquer this stupid challenge, and come back tomorrow bragging about how brave he'd been and maybe they'd never give him any shit again…probably…maybe.

Marching deeper into the Pisgah National Forest, surrounded on all sides by the serenity of nature, Zach didn't feel quite so alone. Every now and then he passed a backpacker or a couple on mountain bikes. He'd decided it was best to depend on his bravery for as long as it would serve him. He was just enjoying a walk in a majestic park, he was in his element! Later would come the ordeals, having to trespass into forbidden territory, and then nightfall, and the approaching storm. The signs from what he could remember mostly stated that the areas were off limits due to the danger of wild animals, that alone imbued the pre-teen with dread. He had to reassure himself whenever his mind wandered toward thoughts of roaming bears, that any predators were probably more scared of him, than he would be of them. Zach just needed to not leave food lying around, and they'd leave his tent alone if they even came within a mile of him at all. However, he couldn't help but think about the rumors of what else could be going on. He was sure he'd heard whispers of government facilities that disguised themselves as something more innocuous. They might have guards, or maybe mines! Okay probably not landmines, but CCTV that would get him in big trouble if his parents found out. He found himself sweating and breathing harder just from the thought of it, but Zach rationalized that probably it was all make believe, the signs were probably just there to avoid lawsuits from the very small chance of anything going wrong. Still, he didn't like it.

The reluctant, but determined boy trudged up an incline that led to at least one off-limits trail that he knew of, and it was fairly remote so his chances of being disturbed were practically zero. After an hour of hiking Zach found the first sign warning the public to turn back or risk danger and prosecution. He took out his flip-phone and took a video of the sign as he approached, and passed by, the sign, and then for a while longer as he continued. All evidence for the next day to show his friends. He'd take some photos from higher ground that could only be taken from the restricted path. Just in case the guys felt like being dicks and trying to say he hadn't lived up to his end of the deal. From the ledge of a sixty foot drop Zach saw a huge lavish residence in the distance, and remembered that some big shot guy lived out here. All alone as far as Zach knew. He vaguely recalled a visit to his school about half a year ago, and a speech about business but mostly he remembered it because everyone got the day off normal lessons to do introduction to business instead, which was more games and talks than any actual work. But he was certain the rich teenager who'd visited as a guest said he lived in this forest. Zach just stood there for five minutes squinting to try and discern some of the finer details of the house, and pondered on what it would be like to have no financial concerns, presumably no concerns at all in the world and live as one with the forest. He sighed and walked away from the fantasy life he'd loosely constructed for himself inside that dot of an estate on the horizon. The weather was deteriorating as the sun got lower, the wind picked up and sounded far louder in the forest as it rushed through the trees on all sides. He felt the first few raindrops on his forehead and realized he would have to set up camp soon and just try his best to sleep through as much of the night as he could and get it over with. First, he needed to find a good spot to set up…

~~~

As afternoon turned into evening, the light was fading rapidly. Enjoying a hearty supper of steak, vegetables, and a glass of red wine, Michael glanced out his large-paned-windows and could see the storm for what it was becoming now. It had started raining lightly now, the low rumble of thunder was overhead, with flashes of light from lightning that struck the Pisgah forest, causing trees, branches and bushes to be destroyed, along with menacingly lighting up parts of the forest. The trees sporting dancing shadows that would terrify even the most rugged of hikers. His mansion was reinforced, as were the windows, so they would remain sturdy and unbroken even if debris struck them. The two lightning rods on the roof prevented lightning strikes from damaging the house, allowing them to pass harmlessly through it by special conduit tubes designed to handle vast amounts of energy. They were hidden within the walls. However, such safety could not be guaranteed for anyone actually in the forest. It was at times like this, times when his soul was imitating the storm outside, appearing out of nowhere, springing up like a plague ever since his parents had died last year. That was when he wished he had some company around him other than the servants. His family therapist had reached out to him, convincing him to make regular appointments. After a few visits, it was clear that what Michael really needed was companionship. So, his therapist recommended a dog. So, here Prince sat next to him, keeping him company as always…

~~~

The sun was a small slither of itself on the horizon, disappearing below the tree-line for the evening when the heavens opened. Zach was caught in the downpour, unable to find a good place to set up his tent for the evening. At least he was wearing multiple layers under his coat to help him stay warm and dry. He'd need to set up somewhere suitable soon or he'd have a wet tent and be uncomfortable all night long or worse get sick,. He searched high and low, getting out of breath as he hurried around, aimless. Even so, he relished the smell of the soil and the trees in the rain. He wanted to be alone, but he'd give anything to be able to go home right then. However, if he did that, it would be the middle of the night by the time he got home. He'd surely get into trouble for walking home in the dead of night in the pouring rain. Plus, he'd just look like a baby to the rest of the guys! He considered calling to say he'd be coming home and asking for a lift from Luke's place then walking there, but the more Zach thought about it the more ridiculous it seemed. First of all, to bike home in this weather would take at least an hour or more, and then his parents would hear the wind and rain in the background, and wonder why he wasn't indoors. They might ask to speak to Luke's parents, which would be impossible! Besides, he'd need plenty of photos to prove he'd done the overnight hike, his pitched tent for tonight, and in the morning. Zach sighed and plodded on, staring at his wet, soaked, and muddy sneakers. The rain was getting heavier all the time; the dark clouds Zach had seen before sunset must be closing in as he heard the rumble of thunder grow louder all the time. The occasional flashes of accompanying lightning were also getting brighter and more frequent; this was getting bad fast. Zach was stumbling around in the dark at this point, the light from his phone was hardly enough to stop him from tripping and falling, let alone to find suitable ground that was big enough for his tent and wouldn't accumulate water and flood.

He was starting to panic now, no real sense of direction in the dark even if he wanted to turn tail and flee home. There were surely no other people in the forest, or anywhere near him in the forbidden area. How could he have been so stupid? He would catch hypothermia and die out here! Jumping at shadows, Zach started to run. He was going nowhere in particular, just running to increase the chance of finding something miraculous he couldn't even imagine. With an almighty roar, the forest lit up, that lightning bolt was nearby, probably a ground strike. After jumping out of his skin in fear and throwing himself onto the ground next to a tree, Zach then picked his head up, and rubbed his eyes, to clear the muddy water, and also to make sure he wasn't seeing things. No, it was there, as clear as anything, a small cave entrance! A stream was running next to it, no doubt much faster than normal because of the rain. It was a real cave! Surely it would be dry inside, but at the very least it was sanctuary, even if he had to just squat inside, hidden from the rain and lightning if it went no deeper. Pushing himself up out of the cold mud that got on his clothes, the young boy ran into the cave, feeling mud give way to rock and dirt beneath his feet. His phone light penetrated further in the pitch black of the cave, it seemed to keep going at least as far as he could illuminate.

Zach turned to behold the fury of the storm outside behind him, just being out of the rain made it more relaxing for a second or two before he remembered how alone and lost he was. He felt paranoid, and waited a while to make sure he couldn't hear any person or animal looking to follow him into the cave. It was irrational, but his mind had been playing tricks on him for a while now. Zach carefully made his way deeper into the cave, watching for slippery surfaces as he went. Things were finally looking up, he'd been worrying more and more something terrible would befall him, his parents finding out days from now what had become of him or maybe they'd never find out at all if bears got to his body. If he could just stay as dry and warm as possible he might walk away from this with a few important lessons learned regarding peer pressure, who weren't his friends after all, and how dangerous the wilderness could be. After about five minutes of slow cave exploration, mostly sticking to the main, winding chamber for fear of getting lost in a cave, which was arguably worse than getting lost in a forest, Zach stopped still and tried not to breathe. He'd heard something move above the whistling wind through the cave system, and it sure as shit wasn't him. His phone had been getting low on power and wasn't giving out as much light as it had been. He knew he should turn it off, but he couldn't bring himself to press that button.

He stayed still and listened intently but heard nothing for a short while. He placed one foot before the other and sure enough he heard more movement up ahead, he wanted to turn and run but his body wouldn't listen. He was frozen, and now the sounds were approaching even with him staying still. It didn't sound too heavy or threatening whatever it was, but he didn't know if some sort of big cat would sound deceptively light on its feet. Were there even big cats in North Carolina? He wished he knew, maybe he hadn't paid close enough attention in class one day in a previous year. It was nearly upon him now whatever it was, padding along softly. Zach held his breath, and didn't exhale until he saw what approached him. For a moment, it looked like a large dog but with thicker fur. Nope, it was no dog. He was standing next to a bear cub. And where there were cubs, there were mothers!

The roar came immediately, and terrified Zach far more than the lightning strike outside had. He was not going to make it out alive, he was not going to grow up, this was it for him! However, the overload of adrenaline gave him a chance to extend his life by a few seconds, maybe longer with a head start, and a little luck. Even if he was only delaying his death, Zach turned tail and bolted back the way he came, sprinting hard. He heard the thunder of rushing paws behind him. Yep, he was being pursued, of course he was! When he saw the entrance to the cave before him, and heard the howling wind he didn't stop, he darted out into the full force of the storm. In fact, he welcomed it, and hoped it might dissuade the bear from chasing after him. He wiped rain out of his eyes and heard another roar. It didn't sound like the mother bear was stopping, or that he'd even gained much ground on her. He threw his phone off to the side, but not too far in the hope she'd hear it splash down and go for it instead. No such luck, things were getting desperate. He'd have to lose some items he was carrying to give himself the best chance he could.

He was running blind now, until lightning forked overhead and bathed the forest in white for a second. Zach was really having to pick up his feet to avoid branches and roots that could trip him and end his life. He dropped his backpack and sleeping bag behind him, they didn't matter now. Every second that went by his lungs burned more and more, and his legs threatened to give out. Finally, he could run no more, he was barely jogging, slowing on his way to a complete stop and waiting for the inevitable horrible pain that would precede his violent death. However, when Zach was forcibly knocked over from behind, it wasn't by an animal, but rather some sort of metal contraption. It made a loud clanging noise as it came down on top of him, and left him splayed out on his stomach. He was down for quite a while, cowering in pain from his fall, anticipating the bear would be on him in moments, but she wasn't. He didn't hear her as he rubbed the mud from his face and wiped hair out of his eyes. The loud noise might have scared her off, Zach looked around as well as he could to find that he seemed totally caged by whatever this metal thing was. There was no sign of the bear when lightning flashed again, but Zach was not relieved to find himself trapped inside a small metal cage on all sides. Although he was happy for the protection, he surely couldn't stay here all night. The cage was only barred and offered no shelter. With all the strength he could muster, he tested the bars, but they wouldn't budge even a millimeter. They were clearly made for containing animals far stronger than a ten-year-old kid. If only his foot had avoided triggering it, and it had actually sprung around the bear!

"Fuck."

Was all he could think to say. There was hardly enough room to even turn himself around and face the other way, he was trapped on his hands and knees, ironically like an animal. He was soaking wet, shivering, covered in mud and with no way out.

"Fuck!"

He yelled, banging on the cage in sheer panic.

~~~

Out in the forest, as alone as Zach felt, his presence was not a secret. At least, it wouldn't be a secret for long. There were no cameras in the area he'd stumbled into, so no one would actually know there was a young boy out in this storm. All anyone would see was that the cage had captured a wild animal. Normally, when a wild animal was captured, Michael would come out with some help, and make a call to a local organization who could come relocate the animal further away from his property. But, who would be crazy enough to relocate an animal in this storm? Not everyone was suffering though. At this point Michael was fast asleep, and comfy in his bed. Nearby however, someone was just startled awake by loud beeping from his computer. Jeremy Preston was tall with a buzzed head, muscular, and had the oddest orange colored eyes. His friends called him Tiger. He groaned in annoyance, he'd been having a great dream. His tie was skewed from lying in the cot in his office, while still wearing his security-guard-uniform: sky blue button down shirt, now wrinkled, with badge labels, dark blue tie and black slacks. His shoes were on the floor of the office, and his black, gray, and white patterned socks had slipped off a little. Jeremy bent down, fixed his socks, put his shoes on, fixed his tie, and scurried over to his desk. A double-screen PC monitor was showing a pop-up window that was part of an automated program.

The program window showed a map, with many red lights, and one green light blinking. The map was of the Pisgah Forest, and the lights indicated each trap's location within the perimeter of Michael's property. They were placed around the entire border to help prevent dangerous animals from getting too close. This helped prevent attacks, and lessened the need for so much full-time security. Instead there was only a single security guard at any given time, although Michael had his own personal bodyguard, who lived in the mansion. The office Jeremy was in was a shed placed to the right of the entrance gate. Though small, the structure was built to withstand a direct attack from guns, and completely weatherproof. Not to mention it was cozy warm. There was one cot at the far end, kitchenette, and a room with a toilet and shower. The main window on the gate side was where the guard could sit and monitor the security for the whole property, including all the CCTV cameras. On either side of the electric entrance gate, was a wall that stretched to either side surrounding the entire complex. Beyond the gate, the land was mostly flat, and well-tended, with the road continuing farther in until reaching the mansion in the center.

Jeremy quickly checked the calculations for the storm's progression, but there was no precise data on if the storm would die out by the next morning or not. It could continue for a couple days for all anyone knew. At any rate, he sent the data over to Michael's iPad, which would notify him the next morning of the situation, when Michael, his body guard, and Preston would go out as usual, and facilitate the relocation of whatever animal had been trapped. Jeremy also sent a notification to the local Pisgah National Forest Organization, or PNFO, for short. They were responsible for the care, and protection of the wildlife within the forest. They would be able to bring the manpower, and equipment necessary to move the animal if it was large, which meant that the small CFC team would have to determine if they required the PNFO's assistance. A small enough animal was no bother to be removed by the team themselves, and they would go check as soon as this blasted storm blew over. For now, though, it seemed Zach was in quite the dire predicament for the night. Talk about camping…

As the night pressed on, Zach was lucky to be wearing all the layers he had on, however, they would eventually soak up the rain that was pouring down. The cage offered no protection from the rain or from debris, mud and stones being whipped around that would surely pelt the poor child. As it passed 3am, the rain started to calm down to a lighter fall, and the wind wasn't blowing as hard now. The temperature was still cold, but it was becoming more bearable at least. Zach probably wouldn't freeze to death. Past 4am, the rain stopped entirely, but the wind still blew moderately. Fast forwarding to about 6am, a light drizzle and wind returned, but as the sun began to rise behind a full sky of clouds, the temperature remained stable, though still chilly. It seemed the worst was over at least for now. However, Zach still couldn't go anywhere, all he could do was lie down, or remain on all fours. It would no doubt start becoming cramped for the young boy, and it was possible that in all the hours trapped in the cage, the issue of using the bathroom might come up. However, a green light was blinking on a small electronic box outside the cage. How curious. Zach might even be able to reach it. It probably wouldn't help, but perhaps inside were electronic wires? Who knew, or if it could even help?

Chapter 2

Meanwhile, Michael and the security guard were having a much more blissful rest then a certain boy in the forest. Waking up at 6am himself, Jeremy showered, dressed and went about his routine. It seemed the weather was clearing up, and it was likely they'd be able to head out later this morning to investigate the trapped animal. Michael himself was up by 8am. He received the report from Jeremy and perused it briefly. He smirked, it seemed he'd get to have a bit of fun today. Michael drew back the curtains to take a look at the weather. It was still dismal, but at least it was quiet enough. Still, he'd dress for protection just in case the storm sprang up again. Michael stepped into his closet, pulled on a pair of boxer briefs, heavy duty work jeans, laced up brown, waterproof hiking boots, pulled on a T-shirt, gray sweater, and grabbed his fur lined raincoat.

The older teen enjoyed a hearty breakfast of freshly squeezed grapefruit juice, coffee, a plate of eggs, bacon, and hash browns. It was about 8:45 in the morning when Michael was ready to head out. His personal body guard, Jamal, waited by the front door for Michael. Jamal lived in a separate room at the end of the top floor. He didn't always join Michael at his meals, but when he did they always had interesting discussions. Jamal was of Jamaican descent: Tall, broad shouldered, dark ebony skin looking oiled and beautiful, black hair in cornrows, and soulful brown eyes. He was dressed in his storm gear, and was armed with his glock handgun, and satellite phone; due to the terrible reception caused by the weather. Michael took Prince on his leash, and he looked ready go hunting. The two men and dog, left the mansion, and met Jeremy by the entrance of the gate. Jeremy was armed with his shotgun, and similar, army patterned, storm proof clothes. On the guard shack side was a smaller gate within the wall meant for people to pass, so the three-man team and dog headed out. Jeremy also brought a hand device with him, which had a distance and direction readout screen on the front, which would direct them to the cage's position. With Jeremy and Jamal on the right and left, and Michael in the center, a little in front, with Prince pulling ahead of all three of them on his leash, they headed into the forest along one of the forest trails. They had no idea what they'd find as they headed into the forest. It was clear the wind had caused quite a disturbance though. Trash, and debris had been flung everywhere, and even a few trees had fallen down. The men squelched through the mud, grass and trails as they headed in, but the smell of fresh rain was pleasant on their nostrils…

~~~

Half an hour of pure panic later Zach finally began to start to try thinking rationally, the exhausted boy ceased banging on the cage after failing to make any impact on the sturdy construction. If it was designed to keep animals in, then a skinny twelve-year-old kid would have been no problem. At least his shouting and banging had kept him as warm as possible but he was as wet as a drowned rat. His waterproof coat was at least keeping fresh rain from getting to his back and bottom but his jeans and sneakers were soaked through and the front of his body was still muddy from his fall earlier. Zach must have looked pretty pitiful cramped inside an animal cage, covered in dirt, leaves and debris from where he'd sprung the trap. His hands and knees were partially sunk into the waterlogged soil and he could only look up at the natural fireworks above him and contemplate the choices that had led him here. His natural instinct to survive, prevented Zach from just curling up and wondering if he'd die. Though only twelve, he was pretty mature for his age in a lot of ways.

He looked around at the cage whenever a flash of lightning permitted him to. They were getting less frequent now, which hopefully symbolized that the storm had almost passed over him. The bars were solid steel or some other strong metal compound, and clearly the cage was designed to lock shut once triggered. He felt around for any mechanism he could find, surely there must be a way for a human to release themselves if accidentally caught rather than starve and freeze. He couldn't find anything after several lightning bolts crashed in the sky, the light they gave off was just too brief. A sudden powerful gust of wind that chilled him to the bone seemed to reveal a green blinking light outside the cage, it must have blown away some leaves that had been covering it. It had to be related to the cage, it just had to! If he could only reach it. Zach's first attempt to reach it came up short, his arm needed its full length to get close. He had to lie flat on his belly to stretch his arm out straight towards the box, through the bars. The soil's muddy water seeped into his hoodie, tee shirt, jeans and boxers all over again, making him shiver hard, but if the green light signified a way to open the cage it was the only way. What he felt however was a basic metal box, the little bump of the green LED was the only feature in its smooth, cold surface. Except…wait! No, it wasn't. He could feel little screws on the sides but they wouldn't budge when he tried to twist them with his wet fingers or even when he tried jamming his fingernail into the groove. Shit, if he hadn't ditched his backpack he'd have his wallet, maybe his debit card could have come in handy. He tried and tried and tried for what felt like ages, all to no avail. Zach had to get up off of the cold sodden ground, he was getting too cold. For the next hour as the storm slowly but surely subsided he alternated between calling out for help and staying quiet feeling sorry for himself and shivering.

Zach's arms ached from his all fours position, and he needed to pee quite badly. He could just pee on the ground but he wasn't sure how long his arms would hold out for and there wasn't enough room to position himself in a way he could pee safely outside of the bars, there wasn't enough room to lift a leg up at all. He'd wait as long as he could before giving in. He didn't want to end up lying in his own piss. Sadly, Zach only had the sound of rain pitter pattering all around him, and before long it was just too much, and he just let go in his jeans. Despite feeling disgusted with himself, he savored the warm wetness spreading in his crotch and down his right leg as well as the vital, immediate relief of emptying his full bladder. He released a long sigh as the horrible pressure lifted from him, and by the time he was done he wished there was more to go so that the blissful warmth would last longer. Sure enough, in five to ten minutes the warmth was completely gone. It wasn't long after that point that Zach saw the first hints of the sun rising in the direction he was facing, must have been East. Had he fallen asleep or become confused, he really didn't know at this point, he just hoped someone rescued him soon, he'd do anything to escape this hell…

~~~

Back in Jeremy's guard shack, where the TV had been left on, a news report was just breaking now about the break out of two Grizzly bears, and their cubs just before the storm had hit. Because of preparations for the freak storm, everyone had been too distracted to notice them break out. Plus, the news had mainly been covering the freak storm, and was now starting to report on the severity of the aftermath. Several people had died; many more were injured. There had been a few car accidents, including a garbage truck, which had crashed into a home. Because of the storm cleanup efforts, much of the funding for it coming from the CFC, which Michael had quickly arranged as soon as the weather had died down to reasonable levels, before heading out with his party. That said, there was only limited help in clearing the trash and filth from people's front yards. Such an effort would certainly take the rest of the day, or longer. It seemed like a lot of bad luck was raining down on everyone, especially for Zach. However, with the sun starting to come up, and while at this point Michael and his team hadn't started trekking to him yet, there was still a chance for him to escape…maybe.

The smart phone Jeremy was holding, notified him of possible mechanism tampering. He signaled to Michael and Jamal to hold up.

"Oy! Get a load o' this! The bastard is messing with the cage controls! We best get a move on, else it's gonna get away! That's one smart ass animal!"

Jeremy seemed cheerful at this prospect, as did the other two. It seemed the hunt would be on! Perhaps some sort of monkey? Michael was doubtful, but he was ever more curious. The three men picked up the pace, with Michael giving firm, and cheerful coaxing to get Prince in the mood to potentially chase down and either maul, or kill a wild animal. Whatever the animal was, it wouldn't get away without some sort of injury. Especially since shorting out the cage would probably only cause it to open a little bit, meaning whatever was inside would have to squeeze through, which would take time. Prince was pulling at his leash now as the three men hurried along, straining to begin the hunt. At the pace they were walking, the party would likely reach Zach in under 30 minutes. As the men drew close enough, Zach would be able to hear them cutting through the jungle, chattering away…

~~~

When sunlight returned to the forest in the morning, Zach found himself laid out on his stomach on the ground, he didn't remember properly falling asleep but waking up to the morning sun lifted his spirits, he'd survived the night at least. Now with the daylight he could properly assess his situation. He ached horribly, and his skin felt horrible from sleeping in totally wet clothes. The storm had passed but the sky was a dull gray, no hint of blue sky whatsoever. He looked around, he was in a sorry state, all alone caged in the forest. As if he hadn't tried before, he again put all of his might into trying to force the cage open, just in case it had weakened at all. Alas, it was as impossibly firm as ever. Zach wondered if the green light was connected to any kind of alarm, and wasn't just assessing whether or not the cage was closed and locked or not. He certainly didn't want to be in trouble for trespassing, but getting rescued beat starving in a cage. He analyzed the box and the screws that prevented him from accessing whatever was inside, possibly the key to his complete freedom. He had nothing on him at all that he could use to unscrew it, his phone was gone, and his backpack was gone. He felt his pockets, also empty. Looking over his body he could see nothing that would help, except, maybe!

His coat zipper might just fit the screwdriver groove on the box, he just had to break it off his coat. His mind drifted toward how he would explain how muddy he was when he got home, maybe he'd say he got in a fight with Luke and got pushed over, he didn't really plan on remaining friends after this anyway. He realized he was starting to think a lot more positively, he could see himself surviving and escaping, he had a plan! Carefully he worked on breaking his zipper off, applying as much torque as he could at different points, and different angles, until the zipper broke away. Now he was getting somewhere! Internally, he prayed that the thing would fit, and he'd be able to turn it, and it would lead to his escape. There were a lot of things that would have to go right. His nimble fingers poked the zipper into the first screw, and as luck would have it, the thing fitted quite well. Zach started turning it, and it took a hell of a lot of effort, but, fortunately, the zipper was metal. It didn't bend or break, and before long the first screw was off. Then the second screw, third, and finally the fourth.

He pried the casing off and sighed in relief. Inside was just circuitry and wires. They made no sense to Zach, and in his frustration, he ripped out two of them just to see if anything would happen besides making him feel better for a moment. The green light turned red for a second before settling into a bright acid yellow, and remaining that color. Zach had no idea what that meant, maybe it was just indicating it was damaged? He tried opening the cage again and it didn't budge. This was ridiculous! There had to be something he could do; they couldn't leave traps like this that could swing closed around a person and completely cage them with no escape! He recognized that he wasn't supposed to be here at all, and vaguely remembered signs mentioning traps being potential hazards, as well as wild animals. Damn it, though, this still wasn't right! Zach felt all around the little box now, not just its front, and there it was, just on the side near the bottom, half sunk into the wet soil, a little switch. He pressed it and hoped for the best. Nothing obvious happened that he could see, but he did hear a distinct click in the cage. He tried again to open it, one final time. He pulled it upwards and at last it moved, he tried to open it up all the way, but it didn't open wide enough to fit his head through! Shit! Fuck! Ha, he probably ruined the mechanism by messing with the wires, he laughed bitterly. No matter how much he pulled and tried to squeeze his head under it he couldn't get his head through, he was still stuck. Then, and idea hit Zach like a truck. He started digging in the soil in front of him where the cage had opened partially. If he could make enough space under, then maybe, just maybe, he could pull himself under the cage. He pulled the soil towards him, using both hands as a shovel, then threw it out the sides of the cage when the mound got too big. Luckily the soil was soft due to how wet it was.

After a few minutes of this, he heard people. People were cutting their way through the forest somewhere nearby, and chatting. He was saved! Or was he? He'd triggered their trap, while trespassing on their land. It was his fault they'd likely been called out, and now he'd messed with, and broken their device! He was probably going to be in deep trouble. He'd prefer to take his chances alone if he could, especially when he heard one of the men, the most vocal, didn't sound friendly at all. Zach frantically dug at the soil as the voices grew louder, searching for the trap no doubt, he even heard the bark of a dog, which could probably smell him very easily since he'd wet his pants that night. He didn't have much time at all, he'd need to make more sacrifices, but screw it, the rain was over at least for the moment. He took off his coat, which was easier said than done in the tight cage. He knew it had "Zach" written in marker on the label by his mom, but hopefully that wouldn't be nearly enough to identify him. Zach used all his might to push himself into the crawl space he'd made, his head fitted now, but he had to really push hard to fit the width of his shoulders through. He shimmied further and further, effectively pinned with his arms by his sides for a time until finally he reached his waist and could slide his arms up and through. He then pulled his legs through, with his arms gripping the cage for support. He didn't even bother to pull his coat out from the cage, as it sounded like the party of men were basically there, he could've sworn he saw bushes moving between the trees as he bolted into a mad dash in the other direction, dirt flying off his body where it had been caked after his crawl. The loud bark of a dog from behind him confirmed his fears. Was he really going to be chased by two animals within 24 hours!?…

Jamal, who was wielding a large machete, cut through the last bit of leaves blocking their path. All three men paused at the sight of the broken cage, and a ho boy dashing away through the trees. In seconds' time, they all deduced that the boy couldn't have been older then 10 or 11, and that it was clear from how filthy he was, that it had been him, not an animal, that had gotten trapped in the cage.

"What the hell?" Jeremy exclaimed.

Jamal went to pull out his gun, and yelled out, "Hold it right there, boy!"

However, Michael stretched his arm to prevent Jamal from firing. Michael had a better idea. Michael was both angered at such an intrusion, and also intrigued. Although only spotting him for a moment, the boy looked quite cute, and Michael definitely felt a twinge of interest when he saw the how filthy he was. Maybe he could have some…"fun" with him instead of just killing him or having him arrested. Michael spotted the forgotten jacket left behind in the cage, iron proof it was this child, not an animal, that had been trapped there. He had Prince sniff the jacket for his scent. If Zach had looked at the dog, at Prince's eyes, it would be apparent that the canine had set his eyes onto poor Zach. Because of the filth he was covered in, and by inhaling the jacket's scent, and of course the piss down the boy's leg, he was easy to smell, and Prince could detect quickly that this boy was an intruder. He smelled the fear exuding off this small, fragile boy. Prince was not trained to care if a thief was a small child or an old man or woman. He saw them as threats, and defended. Prince was looking directly in Zach's direction as he darted away, into his eyes too as he looked briefly before running. Prince was watchful, stoic and determined. He became rigid, his teeth were bared, and the faintest growl was emanating from his throat. The leash he was on was a special quick release one. Michael only had to press a button on the end of the lead, and the clip would detach from his collar. Michael smirked and uttered one word before doing so.

"Fetch!"

Black fur slick, smooth and streamlined, Prince would instantly take to sprinting after Zach. With the smell of the young boy in his nose, Prince took to tracking the boy down. Michael set his dog after the boy, while he directed the other two to examine the cage the child had broken out of, as well as the jacket. If the boy managed to escape Prince by some miracle, maybe they could find out who he was. A child so young would not have willingly come out into the forest in a storm like this, so it must have caught him by surprise while he'd been here. Not to mention, a boy his age would surely have other equipment that could identify who he was. So, he told Jamal and Jeremy spread out to search for equipment either dropped or lost in the storm. That included any receptions from cellphones lying around which his smart phone could detect. Michael trusted that Prince knew the forest paths well enough, and was strong enough to take down one young boy. He had Jamal and Jeremy holster their weapons. Of course, if Michael knew then what he'd find later, he'd have had the two men with those guns out and trained directly at the child. Especially in the area they were in, there was a good chunk of cliff here where a rocky bottomed river bed led far into the forest…

~~~

"Hold it right there, boy!"

Was all Zach heard as he took off into the forest, seeking the densest path he could navigate. His skinny legs were put to the test, jumping over whatever bushes he could to make the dog's job that much harder if it was released to pursue him. He didn't hear anything to indicate that the dog was hot on his heels just yet, but he wouldn't let that reassure him. After a short time, he did begin to think that maybe they'd just let him go after seeing that he was just a kid and not an animal or criminal, and slowed his pace down. He ought to have had a good head start by the time they investigated the trap, and find his tampering. Zach hoped that finding a captured animal was all they really cared about, and that it wouldn't be worth chasing a kid around the forest just because he was trespassing on private property. Zach crouched in a bush and listened, but he couldn't hear anything yet. Zach never heard Michael utter the word "Fetch," but when he did realize that he was now a dog's hunting objective, his heart sank. He didn't hear barking at this stage but he heard a sound growing steadily louder, it was similar to the sound he'd made running through and jumping over the underbrush. That dog was hightailing it through the forest! He took off again. He hadn't even really had a chance to catch his breath. He knew he didn't stand a chance, the dog or dogs were made for the hunt, and he was made pretty much to just go to school and play a bit of soccer. If he climbed a tree he knew the dog would just bark up at him from the bottom and lead its masters to him, where they'd deal with him themselves, so that was out as an option.

Now that he knew they wanted him caught, he started to worry more about all the things that he'd left behind. Hopefully they'd never find his phone, and everything else wasn't specific enough to identify him. They could ask around all over town, and probably never find anyone who knew a Zach that owned that particular bag and coat. If he could just elude the dog long enough, he would finally be free to cover all this stupidity on his part, up. His legs were getting tired, being cramped up on his knees all night had taken a heavy toll on him, but he ran on. He was scared shitless but he tried to concentrate on his breathing like his gym teacher taught him to, he'd be able to run further that way. But all his efforts weren't amounting to much, the dog sounded like it was getting closer, and it sounded like a ferocious thing. He thought for a second about trying to calm it when it caught up to him, but that was idiotic. This thing was probably trained to be blood-thirsty. He didn't dare turn around and look out for a glimpse of it lest he smack straight into a tree and end the chase prematurely.

He needed a plan, and he needed it thirty seconds ago. After narrowly avoiding tripping over a jutting tree root, Zach pulled his hoodie off and threw it as far away to the side as he could, he did the same with his tee shirt but in a different direction. If he was lucky, he could fool the dog either with the sounds or the smells. The young, shirtless boy was so distracted by the time he got his tee shirt off and thrown that when he ran out into a clearing he barely noticed in time to stop dead, and save himself from running straight off a goddamn cliff! He stood there for a moment looking down at the deadly-looking drop into a fast-moving river, freshly fed with storm run-off, not to mention the rocks cropping up out of the water here and there that would shred anyone taking the plunge. He turned back to slowly face the way he'd come, he didn't hear the mad rush of paws, and the movement of bushes and branches anymore. He hoped for a second that implied the dog had taken the bait and run off in a different way, but sure enough, a black Doberman that looked capable of tearing his throat out with ease appeared at the clearing. Maybe he should have taken off all his clothes. He guessed finally that his piss soaked jeans moving were the strongest indicator of what scent to follow. Zach froze still, terrified. Now what…?

Indeed, Prince was standing only about 20 feet away from Zach, having come to a sudden halt. The early morning light revealed his bared fangs, maw open, nostrils flared and he snarled. His head lowered as he stared into Zach's soul. He slowly started approaching Zach, his yellow eyes focused on his prey. Prince didn't care if Zach had been a toddler, he'd still go on the attack. He was loyal and loving only to those he knew. All others were a possible threat, and if they threatened his home or his master, they received no mercy. It would take more than a simple shove to stop Prince. The canine was quite agile, strong and cunning for a dog. Prince was no simple-minded beast. His eyes glanced to either side of Zach now, taking in the surroundings, it seemed he was calculating his attack, and any possible counter attacks. There were some large rocks near Zach on the ground, in case he found those useful. There was also a tree jutting out from the edge of the cliff, though it didn't look super stable. It was maybe a 50 foot drop to the rushing waters below.

In the meantime, both Michael and Jamal went after Prince and the boy, leaving Preston to use his app to search for any other dropped items and phones. It showed a weak, dying signal coming from where Zach had tossed it last night, and on the way, would have come across the thrown sleeping bag and soaked backpack as well. Maybe something important or identifying would be found? Even if the phone died, they had experts that would be able to crack it open and reveal any content it had.

A large rock from a cliff above them fell onto the tree sticking out of the cliff, causing it to break in half, with the stump still attached to the canyon wall, which also burst into a thousand splinters upon hitting the water. If Zach turned even for a split second, time would seem to slow down, because if he were to look back at the dog, assuming he'd turned, already Prince was rushing towards the boy, sleek body shining in the light, the wind rustling through his fur, jaw bared menacingly. His body was low to the ground, not giving Zach much room to move his hands or feet under the dog. With time seeming to speed up, Prince made an attack towards Zach's legs. If the boy tried to shove Prince, the canine would dodge to the side and sink his teeth deep into Zach's right leg, not enough to cause permanent damage, but enough to stop him running for a while. Zach would have to find a way to get Prince to release his jaw from his leg despite the pain, and also not fall off the cliff. If Zach was taken enough by surprise and allowed himself to be mauled and shoved off the cliff, the only thing that would save him from death was to somehow grip onto the tree stump below the cliff wall. The jagged boulders beneath them would surely crush both their fragile bones if thy fell. Still, Prince would try to not slide off with the boy himself, though it was possible that Zach might fall with the dog if he tried shoving the dog off the cliff. In which case, Zach would have to make sure he could climb up, despite the pain. It didn't matter to the dog if the boy was brought back dead or alive at that point. Meanwhile, Michael and Jamal were getting closer, following a chip under Prince's neck which showed his exact location…

Seconds earlier…

Zach and the slowly advancing animal stared each other down for the longest time, with the canine creeping closer and closer all the while. Time was up for Zach to come up with a plan, but he was cornered, and he didn't estimate his chances of survival were very good in a brawl with the Doberman. Zach had momentarily considered himself lucky to have not been crushed by the falling rock that shattered the tree but it was also bad luck for him that it hadn't landed on the dog, as horrible as that would have been to witness. Zach certainly didn't want any harm to befall it, the dog was just doing its job and he was sure it was probably perfectly nice to its masters. But, if it came to his well-being or the dog's, if pushed he'd have to stand up for himself, even though he was the one in the wrong.

"Easy there, boy. Good boy? Good girl?"

Zach said trying to assure the dog with a high-pitched voice, cracking up with terror. Zach looked towards the rocks now, to get a better idea just how far they were, but that movement of his head must have betrayed his intent, as when he turned back around he didn't have time to gasp let alone make any further futile attempts to appeal to the dog or try to calm it. Prince was already in the midst of his first stride towards the boy, before he knew it Zach was running for cover too, everything seemed to have slowed down which amazed Zach who thought he might just have become immune to fight or flight by now. Nearly there, Zach pondered if he might be able to survive a leaping pounce if the Doberman decided to go that way with its attack, it would surely send them both tumbling to their deaths. He could hear the thunder of its paws on the rock now, just behind him. Zach thought he was going to make it behind a larger boulder and be able to fake the dog out with which way he'd run, and buy enough time to grab a small rock to wield against it, but when burning pain tore into his calf, he fell flat on his front and only just avoided smashing his face into rock, at the cost of hurting his wrist. Looking down, the dog was sinking its teeth into his leg and occasionally shaking it as if he was a dog toy. Zach screamed out in pain, and grabbed a handhold in the rocky ground and tried to resist, kicking back at the dog with his other foot. He looked away, mostly because of the sight of blood seeping out from the bite into his jeans, and because the pain caused him to see sparks in his eyes. Yelling at the dog to get off him, he kept trying to kick back hoping to get in a hit or two to the canine's head, persuade it to dislodge his jaws…

After a couple of successful strikes to the head, Prince was kicked off Zach's leg with a yelp. Retreating a few steps, the dog shook off his slight dizziness, glared at Zach and snarled with a vicious anger. He wasn't done yet though. In a matter of moments, the dog sprinted forward again for a final attack, this time choosing to try and knock Zack over by jumping high and aiming for his throat or face. The goal was to pin Zach down, stand over him and sink his teeth over the boy's throat just enough to subdue him, though Prince would also kill him if given no other choice. If successfully able to get Zach knocked over and pinned, Zach would at this point be positioned dangerously close to the edge of the cliff, with only some small rocks around to grasp for a weapon, or he could try using his own hands and feet. In any case, if Prince was struck hard enough at this point, it was likely he would be knocked over the cliff to his death with a whining cry. Otherwise, Zach would find himself captured by Jamal and Michael, who were nearly at the cliff side now. If Zach got lucky, he might even be able to escape…

Rolling onto his back with his heart pounding in his ears, and his leg throbbing in pain, Zach saw the dog recover quickly, and look to him with that same undeterred ferocity. He'd barely made any impact on the dog, and he'd need to do something decisive if he ever wanted to escape without further injury and punishment from this beast. Zach managed to get partially up despite being in pain and completely wiped. Prince was coming in quickly for another attack, but this time he didn't seem to have his focus on Zach's legs. Since Zach didn't have time to get up fully onto his feet, he was subjected to the full force of the lunging canine. Prince had less opportunity to build up momentum this time, and so Zach was only knocked down onto his back with a grunt as the air was squeezed from his lungs, like a crushed fruit. His head actually hung over the edge of the cliff. The Doberman was determined to seize Zach by the neck, and all that was holding him back was the boy's skinny arms. His back stung from the impact, and he desperately was pushing the dog away from his face and neck with both arms. He tried to get leverage by holding both sides of its leather collar and pulling upward, if the dog's air was being cut off it gave no indication and, was still just as dead-set on biting him somewhere vital. The stench of its foul breath came close to making Zach puke. The boy grunted and squirmed to try and get out from under the beast but it was no use, it was just too strong for him. It didn't take long at all for the dog to have had enough of Zach's fighting back, it sank its teeth into his forearm causing him to yell out before trying to savage him again but he managed to keep holding it back, if only barely. The animal was relentless in its fury, and Zach's stamina was waning quickly, only his adrenaline kept him fighting, but he couldn't get his legs in the right position to kick the dog away. Zach strained, and stretched, and reached out for the closest rock as if his life depended on it. For a few agonizingly long seconds, his fingers were just brushing the stone, but not managing to get a hold of it. The Doberman overpowered him now, he could feel his jaws clamp down on his neck. Panicking in sheer terror, Zach felt it's wet, hot mouth on his scraggy throat, the teeth about to sink in, the saliva rolling down his neck.

Zach, by some miraculous strength of will, brought his other hand back to Prince's collar to pull the dog's snarling head off from sinking into his throat, before scooting his whole body to the left, nearer the rock. Zach darted his hand out and snatched the rock, and brought it back slamming it, despite his weary and broken limbs, as hard as he could into the dog's head. The sound the dog produced was a shrill cry. Zach managed to maneuver to the side of Prince, putting the dog between him and the edge of the cliff. He considered his next action merciful. The boy kicked out with all his will sending the dazed, and then surprised, dog tumbling off the edge. The dog's whining cry lasted about a second before it ended with a shrill scream. Presumably the dog had been killed on the rocks below, Zach didn't want to think about it and he did not want to look. All the young blonde could do was roll over and try to catch his breath, rubbing his neck, praying to God he felt no blood or marks. He could have died. Really died! Still, he had to get up and run.

Zach scarcely had the energy remaining to hang on let alone pull himself back from certain death, but he dug down within himself to find his inner resolve. He knew he shouldn't but he couldn't help but look back and behold the poor broken animal on the jagged rock below, he'd done that and there was no hiding from it. Standing was hard work but he stood there on the edge, one leg in particular threatening to give out with a stabbing pain making itself more and more known. Plus, his arm was bleeding too. He knew he couldn't linger but Zach felt strangely invincible for the first time in this whole terrible mistake, he'd survived a bear attack, sleeping exposed to the elements, and then being tracked by a party of men with a vicious dog, who still hadn't managed to kill him! Despite being only twelve years old, he was seeing himself almost as a super hero! His vast array of pains should've been the best indicator of his mortality, and yet it took new sounds emanating from the trees to put the fear back into him. Jamal and Michael were drawing near, and he would need to flee before they discovered what he'd done, yet again. Trespassing and tampering with equipment that threatened his life in a storm was one thing, but outright killing their dog was another. Zach prayed that the dog was purely an asset to them for tracking animals in the woodland, and not really cared about by any of them. Zach rushed towards a thick tree trunk and hid away from them as the two men emerged into the clearing.

He wasn't sprinting; his leg wouldn't permit that, even if he wanted to, but he moved as quickly as he dared while staying quiet. Michael and Jamal looked around for the boy, but Zach kept himself squarely out of sight. He couldn't make out what they were saying but he could see that they were conversing, a bit confused at what had happened. Slowly he peeked one eye out from behind the tree to spy on them, and saw their backs as they peered over the edge of the cliff. Shit! They surely saw what he'd done. Zach took this opportunity to slip into the trees again, not daring to see what their reaction was, lest they turn and see him. In his state, there was no way to outrun two grown men. In doing so Zach missed the deep pain and disgust that Michael would've had written all over his face at the sight of his mangled dog. After a half hour of taking the most difficult path through the woods that he could in order to throw the men off Zach had reached high ground once again. He was confident that there was no one else on his tail, as they would have caught up with him for sure by now. His only problem now was getting out of here totally unseen and back to the city. If he was very lucky, his bike would still be chained by the entrance of the forest. If he managed to find his way back, certainly easier in the light…

Michael and Jamal continued to search for the boy for a short time, before finally giving up after not finding him. After heading back home, cleaning up and changing, Michael wasted no time in beginning to track down the kid. The first thing he did was manage to retrieve any information from the cell phone that he could. As an experienced hacker, this didn't take too long. He managed to learn Zach's name and main contacts from his phone. From that, he was able to determine where he lived, who his parents were, etc. He'd have him at his feet, begging for mercy in the end. The first thing he did was to call his man Pierce, head detective of missing person's in town. He gave him a description, and told him to have his men keep a look out along the roads leading from the forest and in the area of the city, as well as to keep a man posted at his family's house. Off the record of course. Under the CFC books was also the head of the Animal Control Center. After a few phone calls, his plan was laid out…

Zach didn't even care anymore about explaining why he was wet, dirty, and injured, and without his phone, after facing down horrific injury, frigid temperatures, and death, any punishment they would give him was more than acceptable, he just wanted to see them again. Using the momentum he still had, it took Zach a while to climb up a tree, and look out for a sign pointing which way was back to the entrance, but after several failed attempts he persevered, and at long last beheld the edges of town beyond the forest. Now that he had his direction, he felt more confident he could do this. Zach ignored the fatigue gripping him from his rough night, he ignored the hunger pains in his abdomen, and he did his best to contend with the actual pain of his injuries. He just had to keep putting one foot before the other in this direction and he'd soon be home in his own bed. Maybe after, he'd eat some food and maybe a long hot bath. These thoughts carried him even when he thought he couldn't take one more step. The thoughts and mental images of reuniting with his family. His friends could all go to Hell for all Zach cared, they'd put him in this mess as far as he was concerned. Never mind that he chose to go through with it on his own due to peer pressure. He couldn't care about that now. He didn't dare even try to put any blame on himself. It was his friends' fault! All of it just childish bullshit! His resolve to cut ties with his friends after this betrayal actually served to fuel Zach on his way, but he was ultimately just a hurt little boy, and eventually had to rest.

Just to be on the safe side, he hid amongst bushes in case the men, or more animals came upon him, he was so close, he couldn't let anything stop him now. He sat like this for a short while, resting, gathering strength for the final push home, and jumping at every little noise the forest made. Zach was worried he'd be apprehended when he emerged from the woods despite how much he reminded himself how vast the forest actually was. Deep down, he knew that if he stayed in one place, too long he'd end up spooking himself, and become paranoid about moving on. His adrenaline was wearing off, minute by minute, if the now throbbing pain in his leg and arm was anything go by. Reluctantly the young blonde forced himself to get up and soldier on. Zach didn't see a single living thing on his way to the outskirts of town, aside from some birds squawking, which was a plus. However, he now had to contend with his feet chafing raw against his sneakers from where they'd been soaked the entire time. He didn't dare even think about challenging God to make the day worse. Eventually he reached the entrance to the forest, and to his still chained bike. He thanked the Lord it wasn't rusted or anything, and still seemed to be in good condition.

Zach thought it better to avoid all main roads that went from town into the forest, and after less than an hour got into the city, making sure to only take alleys and managing to avoid all the police. Zach actually smiled when he was only a few streets away from his house, he'd officially done it! Conquered what he damn well hoped would be the hardest day of his entire life. He certainly could hold this over the heads of his friends forever! They probably would have died in his place! He beamed as he rounded the corner only to have his grin wiped quickly away again and his heart simultaneously sank. He felt numb. There was a strange car, parked a few houses away from his, with a man inside doing nothing and going nowhere, just staring at his house. Zach knew all his neighbors and even the family of theirs that visited, and this man was completely out of place. Was it paranoia to assume he was there to keep a lookout for Zach? Maybe, but if they'd found his bag or worse, his phone, could that somehow lead them back here? He didn't know, but he sure as Hell wasn't about to find out and risk getting grabbed a few doors down from safety! Luckily the man was facing away from Zach when he had walked out into the street, and it only took him a second to duck behind a car. He watched from under the car's body, hidden from anyone's view. The man didn't live here, and he wasn't in any apparent hurry to do anything or leave. For five minutes Zach observed him, and each minute he was more and more certain that man was there for him. He might just want stern words with Zach's parents, and was waiting for the boy to arrive to confirm he was the same child before knocking on their door. Or at worst he might be there to actually take Zach back to meet those he'd wronged in person. His mind was racing with questions, uncertainties, possibilities, none of them good.

He decided he couldn't risk it, and took off on his bike again. He had no idea where he was going, the thought of running to Mason occurred to him, but he would need someone he trusted completely, and that no longer applied where Mason was concerned. He could forget going to any of his other "friends" too. Zach ran to a local park to gather his thoughts and come up with a plan. He just wandered aimlessly, shivering with the cold as he was shirtless still. He kept looking over his shoulder his suspicions high. He didn't want to go anywhere near his street again, not even to hop a couple fences and sneak into the back garden, he couldn't risk it, there could've been more men about looking for him. All Zach could come up with was to wait until dark to try again, surely they'd give up after so long. So, he wasted the day avoiding any windows or people, feeling desperately hungry and having to relieve himself in a back alley behind houses. It actually made him feel guilty to do it, he'd done nothing wrong really, just failed to rise above peer pressure, and now he was feeling like a criminal, relieving himself in public because he couldn't go home. Zach had had just about enough; he couldn't take it anymore. As sunset approached he gave his house another try, he couldn't live like this any longer. He'd approach cautiously just in case the guy was still there. If only to ensure his own safety, he'd go to the police. Sure, he'd likely be reprimanded for what he'd done, but he wasn't even a teenager yet, they couldn't be too stern on him. And at least this way nothing bad could happen to him. Zach wasn't happy with the plan but he was resolute. Words couldn't describe his dismay when a different, but similarly strange man was waiting in another car, eyeing the street back and forth. At least Zach knew one hundred percent he wasn't crazy, that was something, and he'd take it, take it all the way to the police station.

Chapter 3

It was a fairly long ride for the kid, and it was night by the time he walked in through the front door of the police station. Dirty, disgusting, weary beyond belief, shirtless and clearly injured. This would be a lesson Zach knew he'd never forget, even without the scolding he'd no doubt get from a police officer, his mom and his dad, likely all repeating the same things, Zach knew better than anyone now. Zach didn't like what he saw in the person on reception at the police station, a look as if they'd been expecting him. Maybe they had, his parents could've reported him missing, it'd been long enough he guessed. Zach wondered if he'd ever be free from the paranoia that currently plagued him, it could easily just be a natural reaction to a kid walking in alone looking like death. He couldn't keep it together for very long when he started to explain his story. He wanted so badly to give a solid recounting of his experiences, keep it consistent, and try to steer the blame at his former friends, as well as sound like an adult, but after about two sentences, any maturity and strategy exited him, and he started to cry like a little boy, barely able to choke out a word or two between his sobs. Before long a senior-looking officer escorted him into a private room and listened to everything he had to say. It never even struck Zach as odd that they never offered him a blanket, or a hot drink, or change of clothes. He was just glad to come clean and be protected from here on out. Police were the good guys…right?

After what felt like an hour of spilling his guts out, the officer said he'd give his parents a call, and arrange for Zach to be taken home. Only in this period of waiting did it strike Zach as odd that he never received any real sympathy or anything to help him warm up. Not even a hug. He asked if he could have a drink and he was simply told that he'd be home real soon. He assumed that meant he'd be leaving in a minute or two, but it took twenty minutes of staring at the clock in the room before he was collected by the same man he'd cried in front of, and admitted everything. They walked in silence, a different route through the station than the one he'd come in through. Zach wanted to discover what the officer's opinion was of his situation. Was he angry, feeling sorry for him? The man walked behind Zach as he led him through the back door of the station into a secluded parking lot with squad cars, and a large out of place animal control van.

"He's all yours,"

The officer said to another man by the animal van, without any emotion one way or the other…

~~~

Back at the Calvahone estate, Michael was busy keeping in touch with Preston and his officers, as well as his connections at the precinct. At first, the more he thought about the kid, and what had happened, he wanted the boy brought in to torture him. Hurt him as he'd hurt his dog, and then he'd either rape him and kill him, or he'd just kill him after a nice long session of torture. However, as the hours passed, and it grew closer to evening, these violent thoughts subsided, and his rational judgment started poking through after a time of mourning. After a while of thinking about it, Michael decided he had other plans. Since Zach had taken his dog's life, therefore, Zach's life would be forfeit. He finally thought through the perfect punishment. Michael smiled to himself after a while. Yea, that would be the perfect way for Zach to pay back for the life he stole. With his mind made up, he made the calls, and kept tabs on the situation.

The two men watching Zach's home worked under Pierce's special unit. One took a day shift, the other took the evening shift. Though neither of them saw the boy, that didn't mean he wouldn't show up. In fact, the receptionist at the police station immediately recognized Zach from pictures and descriptions as he made his way up to the door. As it was quite late, about 10pm, there was only him, the night guard, and one senior police officer on duty. Though Zach wouldn't be able to tell, all the cameras at the station had been switched off just before Zach made his appearance. Everything had been arranged at a moment's notice because no one was sure what moves the boy would make. Also, everything had to be kept discreet to not draw attention to him. Zach needed to disappear without making an impact on anyone. No one was supposed to know what happened to him. The receptionist, Caucasian, name-tag reading Blake Carlson, had just put down the phone as Zach entered. Pierce had called about Zach not having shown up at his home, which meant it was likely the station would be his next destination. Either that or the streets. However, Blake let Pierce know that Zach was approaching the building, and so would arrange for an animal control officer to meet them in the back-parking lot to await them. Blake was dressed in casual police attire, his black hair slicked back, and his brown eyes staring forward as the young boy approached the desk. A small smile formed on his face, but did not look too friendly.

When Zach starting recounting what had happened to him, Blake really wasn't in the mood to hear any of this brat's whining and crying. He hated kids. He pressed a button discreetly on his desk to call in the one senior officer on duty in the back. Name tag read Jacob Chereky. He was tall, blonde hair, broad shouldered, with muscles and was also wearing a standard police uniform. Jacob did his best to calm Zach down, though his manner wasn't the warmest. He led Zach through to the main office and into a side room and allowed Zach to pour his heart out. After about 45 minutes, his cell phone dinged. He reached it out and read the text message. The animal control officer had arrived and was waiting out in the parking lot. Putting his phone away, Jacob promised that Zach would be taken home in a squad car.

"Wouldn't that be fun?"

He gave a false smile to get Zach to be more trusting. He then got up and led Zach out to the parking lot.

"He's all yours…"

At those words, a man dressed in a professional Animal Control uniform stepped out of the driver seat of the animal control truck. He wore a gray button down work shirt, jeans, brown buckle boots, and a badge to show he worked for the animal control service in town, which was also under the Calvahone Family Corporation. 'Benjamin' was scrawled on his name tag. He was going bald, which used to be brown hair, and his eyes were black. He was a bit pudgy looking, but it was more muscle than fat. Benjamin opened the back of the truck to reveal thick, cramped metal cages with hard metal floors. Several dogs started barking. Each one was in its own cage stacked two high. Benjamin gave a sharp whistle and hissed for the dogs to "shut the hell up you filthy shits!"which they did moments later. Benjamin was terribly strong, despite his pudgy appearance, having been trained to take down large ferocious bulldogs. He was ready for anything, and was armed with a catch pole. A catch pole was a wire loop at the end of a solid metal pole, designed for restraining aggressive animals. In this way, Benjamin would have control over where a dog was able to go, and the fact that the loop was so small, meant that any animal or person would easily have their neck caught in it and unable to get it free, not without twisting and turning smartly, which would probably only make whatever got caught, choke itself more. There was also a shock prong at the end of the pole, so if any animal got too out of hand, they could be given a strong shock. Jacob suddenly shoved Zach towards Benjamin.

Zach recoiled at the sight of the large-set balding man exiting the animal control vehicle, he knew something was very wrong here. The "He's all yours," from the police officer implied that, without a shadow of a doubt, Zach knew better than to believe for a second there was a shortage of police cars to take him home, and this vehicle had been requisitioned for the task. Zach was too far away to see Benjamin's nametag clearly but his van and uniform identified him as animal control, what on Earth was he doing here? Opening the back of the van to reveal many barking dogs stowed away in compact cages designed to contain their potentially ferocious nature. Zach didn't understand, but he wasn't about to hang around and have it explained to him. Benjamin was now brandishing a catch pole menacingly, and before Zach could say or do anything he was shoved towards him. The push was aggressive, this police officer had no sympathy for Zach, did these guys work for that man he'd pissed off? There was no time to contemplate anything but the primal question, fight or flight? The decision was easy for Zach, he made it in a split second, he had to flee. He could see Benjamin was more muscle than fat, his large biceps being testament to it as he gripped the pole tightly in both hands. He demanded that the stray dogs be quiet, and miraculously they did calm down. He stared Zach down with a look that conveyed he was ready to engage him but that he didn't expect too much from the kid. Zach had rested in the police station but he was still exhausted and injured. He couldn't possibly try to fight this man who made a career of tussling with wild dogs and coming out on top. Zach's eyes darted around in a frenzy, barbed wire topped all of the high concrete wall surrounding the parking lot, designed especially to make escape difficult if not impossible for adult criminals, a skinny weak kid was not going to fair well. He was penned in and feeling like prey. Zach kept his distance as Benjamin advanced, the police officer still guarded the station behind him, no chance he'd get in there again to see if he could find an honest cop, did one even exist here? No, he had to go another way, the barbed wire would shred him and the driveway leading into the lot featured a manned guard post controlling the barrier. Zach could chance it but didn't rate his chances very high that the man in there would believe anything he had to say even if he wasn't on the payroll of someone nefarious.

Images of running that way and vaulting the barrier formed in Zach's imagination only to see him chased down, tackled and easily overpowered by the men as they worked together. Zach saw Benjamin closing in fast, ready with the catch pole. Just behind the van Zach could see an alley entrance; he didn't imagine it would lead anywhere due to how the parking lot was controlled and all, but it beat being right there in the open. Zach sprinted to the left, and when Benjamin committed to stepping his terribly-strong bulk out in that direction he veered right. Zach only just managed to avoid the range of the catch pole as it grabbed for his throat. He remembered the jaws of that dog clamped down and was terrified again. He dashed ahead towards the alley, his fleeing riling up the dogs into barking again. Looking behind him, Zach saw that the policeman was not following, leaving the task solely to the big man. The look on his face seemed to say he didn't get paid enough to chase kids around parking lots, at least not when someone else was here for that specific job. The shirtless boy sprinted into the alleyway, determined to get as much of a lead as he could and figure a way out of this new mess he found himself in. Would this nightmare ever end?

Benjamin wasn't even running after him, just ambling along at his own slow pace. That meant he didn't expect any escape for Zach inside the alley, and sure enough it was a dead end. Well, he had been an idiot for expecting anything different. There were just more high walls and a couple of dumpsters for the police station's use. This was the end, there was no escape, his only hope was to hide, though no one in the world was dumb enough to not check the only two hiding places. But if he opened the wrong one first, perhaps Zach could use that, and launch an attack of his own, or run out the entrance to the parking lot. He didn't have a single other option, he had to seize this meagre opportunity while he could, before Benjamin appeared in the alley. Opening the lid of the further of the two dumpsters Zach's nose was assailed with the stench of old, rotting garbage, and it smelled like it had been there longer than a week. He considered opening the other to compare, but he didn't have time, and he knew it'd likely be just as bad. He opened the lid just wide enough to accept his lithe body and hopped up in after taking a deep breath. He doubted he'd be able to hold his breath for long in a panic situation but he might not have been able to get in if he was breathing the odor in while doing it. He turned to face the alley way and closed the lid down over himself. There was no use in hiding amongst the trash, they'd just dig around if they had to in order to find him, and besides he needed to spring out if this had any chance of working. He'd just have to hope Benjamin opened the other dumpster first.

Ten seconds later, and there was no sound of footsteps or the other dumpster opening, Zach couldn't hold his breath any longer and tried to breathe through his mouth. At least half of the lungful came from his nose though and he choked and gagged for a good long second before dry heaving as quietly as he physically could. It was disgusting. To make matters worse he'd shimmied his feet down to the bottom to make sure he didn't give himself away by crumpling garbage under his weight, but some sort of liquid was seeping into his sneakers. He desperately wanted to be anywhere other than here, he thought it was more likely that even if he could take Benjamin by surprise that he'd take off running and crying his eyes out than actually attack him. The darkness of the dumpster weighed heavily on Zach too, almost blind, made for a panic-inducing situation. He felt around for anything that could be a weapon but only found himself touching useless trash: a lot of papers, cardboard, plastics, and what felt like a box containing some odd bits of donut that hadn't been finished, go figure. Suddenly he heard the other dumpster being opened, and the shock made him inhale in a short gasp, again the reek of it brought tears to his eyes and he had to cover his mouth and nose at once.

When Zach burst out of his revolting hiding place, the energy he felt now, came more from wanting to free himself from the oppressive smell and breathe fresh air again, than any will to run or attack the animal control thug. But, once he'd inhaled glorious air again, he launched himself at Benjamin with an aggression that surprised even himself. He pounded on Benjamin's head and shoulders with one arm while trying to cling on around his neck with the other. He gave in to his feral rage at this shithead who'd forced him to hide in a dumpster as if he was some wild raccoon or human garbage. He used all his hatred and anger over the past couple of days. He took everything out on Benjamin, in the three seconds before he was thrown from his back, and onto the hard concrete with a horrible pain searing into his hip and side. Zach screamed out in anguish, but he wouldn't be defeated so easily. His adrenaline and rage prevented him from lingering on the pain or stop him from getting up again. Looking back over his shoulder he saw that the police officer had sauntered over to the opening to the alley to observe, so he wouldn't be leaving that way without a fight either. Zach didn't get to retaliate further; his feeble arms were gripped by inhumanly large hands in a vice grip, as Benjamin attempted to pull him back to the van.

Zach sank his weight, all 70 pounds of it, to make things as hard as possible, but Benjamin was having none of it. He lifted Zach off his feet, and slammed him back down onto his ass, pushing him further still and giving him a nasty asphalt graze on one side as it tore into his jeans. From there it was no contest, Zach punched, kicked, scratched, even tried to bite at one point, but Benjamin strong-armed him, flipped him around onto his face, and pinned an arm behind his back, and applied enough pressure that made Zach wonder if his shoulder would pop out before his arm snapped or the other way around.

"Stop fightin' or yer gonna hurt yerself boy!"

Benjamin demanded and in his dominated position eating asphalt face down on the ground Zach conceded, clearly defeated by the arm lock. Benjamin rose to his full height, picking up his catch pole and placing his boot firmly on Zach's arm to secure it as he stood. Jacob had appeared behind Benjamin, and whispered something to him that Zach couldn't quite hear over the sound of the blood rushing in his ears with every rapid heartbeat. The pain in his arm and back intensified, and Benjamin's hand gripped his other arm, holding him still. He was completely immobilized, and could barely breathe, let alone fight back. Before he knew what was happening, one of his legs had been nearly completely cut out of his muddy jeans.

"H-Hey! What are y-"

Zach went to say, only to be silenced by Benjamin twisting the arm he held in his meaty hand, making Zach cry out in pain. Benjamin barely let up, and Zach interpreted that as meaning shut up. Still, he squirmed as Jacob carefully pierced a loose area in his jeans where they'd bunched slightly by his buttocks and ran the incision down the other leg with some sort of knife or scissor. With both his smooth legs freed from his jeans, Jacob joined the slits up over his ass and sawed his way through the top of Zach's jeans and belt, before unceremoniously ripping the destroyed clothes out from under him like a rug. Zach had already thrown his hoodie and shirt away in the forest, so now he was just in his boxers, formerly white but now stained, and slogged from muddy water during his night in the storm, and of course, his own piss. Jacob picked up the mud-encrusted jeans and tossed them in one of the police dumpsters. He then moved in to seize Zach's last remaining modesty. Zach couldn't bear any more pain, so he didn't protest, he just started sobbing like a little kid as his boxers were ripped off in a spilt second. His stained boxers joined the remnants of his jeans in the bin after they were pulled off of him. Zach felt the cold ground immediately on his genitals and broke into a full cry, shoulders heaving, body being rocked by deep, soul-crushing tears.

Benjamin didn't hurt him more at this outburst, though he might even have enjoyed it. Jacob left promptly, his assistance no longer necessary, and Zach wondered how in fuck the day could get worse. His answer came roughly five seconds later when a tight cord found its way around his neck, and immediately tightened painfully. Benjamin was going to control him like he would a stray dog, even though he had him completely overpowered, and immobilized anyway! All at once Zach was released, Benjamin got off his back, and his arm was freed from the brute's grasp. It was almost alien to have the freedom to move again but Zach didn't dare to. He laid still, in a state of complete shock. He was being kidnapped, by an animal control thug, and even the police were his enemies! The poor, abused boy couldn't breathe when Benjamin suddenly started walking off, pulling the pole tightly behind him. Zach scrambled to get up and match his pace, but in his injured state he just couldn't. Benjamin was applying pressure to keep his head down and walking quickly, forcing Zach to try and keep up on all-fours.

Zach kept being dragged off his feet, and only just managing to save himself from falling flat on his face. Benjamin didn't even look back at him until they were at the van, which at this point seemed to Zach to be an almost welcome respite from the public humiliation, and physical torment he'd been subjected to. What was he thinking? Of course, it wasn't! he couldn't let himself be crammed in a cage and carted off to God knows where. He had to fight back with everything he had, go for the eyes, the balls, whatever he had to do. Benjamin was ready for the attack though. They'd reached the van and Benjamin was using one hand to open the back doors wider when Zach pushed against him to fight his way to a standing position. Zach brought his calf up behind him to kick for Benjamin's balls, or shin, or knee, whatever was easiest, but Zach couldn't even register what happened next. He screamed and his neck exploded in electric mayhem, his back muscles cramped up and he was falling sideways to the floor with no control over his arms in the flood of pain. Ironically the catch pole around his neck saved him from banging his head too hard but he was unable to do anything but lay there and attempt to recover from the shock. Benjamin was there immediately to pick him up with one arm under his chest and upper arms and the other cradling inside his bent knees. He was lifted up like a dog and carried into the van. Looking back at the ground where he'd laid Zach saw that he'd left a small puddle of urine there. His humiliation was complete, total and all-consuming as his naked body was carried into an animal control van like a dog. He looked pathetic, much younger than he actually was. He could move now but struggling against Benjamin's broad chest and thick arms got him nowhere. He was shoved into a filthy cage, cold bare metal against his naked, shivering body. Had this cage ever been washed out? It stank of dog shit and was still damp with piss from a previous occupant. Zach couldn't even find the strength and space to turn himself around.

"Git comfy boy. I gotta drop off some o' these other critters here 'fore I take ya to yer new home. Better git some sleep!"

Benjamin drawled before locking Zach's cage, and slamming the rear van doors closed and leaving the poor boy in darkness save for what light trickled in through air vents in the doors. Immediately the dogs started barking again, working one another up and intimidating the kid in their midst. Fortunately, they weren't able to get at him, but his cage rocked as they moved around. The van started up, and the fear consumed Zach fully. He was being taken somewhere. Benjamin had called it his 'new home', wherever that meant, and he knew that no one would ever be able to find him. If his former friends confessed to their part in his absence, it'd be assumed he met his fate in the wilderness, but if not then it'd just be one of those unsolved mysteries that would stick to Asheville as surely as the smell of dog piss and shit would stick to Zach's skin after this journey. There was no point in shouting for help, the incessant barking would drown all that out. Zach had no way to tell time but it felt like at least twenty minutes had to have gone by before he was feeling strong and confident enough to try to turn around so at least he wasn't facing the wall of the van. The cage was keeping him from doing anything other than squatting, lying down, or remaining on all fours. The latter was the most comfortable, as before in the forest. He'd tried squatting low on his feet, but he kept getting thrown into the sides of the cage as the van drove around corners, which was painful.

After some time, a relative calm encompassed his entire body and soul. After endless fleeing, hours of actively evading animals, people, and being on high alert, and fighting back against ruthless thugs, now that he was alone with no pressing urges, he began to relax more and more. The road being relatively straight and steady helped. The physical relief he got from giving his arms and knees a break was superior to the revulsion he felt from lying down amid a solid intermittent caking of dog piss, shit, drool, and matted fur caught up in it all. He supported his head on one forearm, curled up not unlike a dog and began to slowly but surely drift off to sleep. There's nothing like very little sleep, and endless life-threatening trauma to really take it out of you. Benjamin took his time and drove to the local animal shelter that night, and dropped off the other dogs. When he was finished, it was nearly 1am. He then finally started the car up again and started heading out into the night. Who knew where he was going…?

For the next while, the truck drove on. Zach would have no idea where it was going, and had no food or water the entire time. After about an hour of driving, the truck finally slowed down for a minute or two, a clanking and rolling sound was heard as if something heavy being moved on wheels, then the van started up again soon, that same metal on wheels sound being heard as the van seemed to pull away from it. After another ten minutes or so, the van finally came to a stop. The front door opened, no doubt Benjamin getting out of the driver's seat. His heavy, crunching footsteps on gravel approached the side of the animal control van where Zach had been "stored." The main door was opened, and Zach could now see out. A sudden gust of cool air flooded the cage, waking Zach up in a panic. His heart beating, breath ragged as he shivered in the cold. Benjamin was standing there, and stared at him with a smile on his face, at the filthy, naked boy in the cage like an animal.

"Hope ye slept well boy. Welcome to yer new home!"

At first, just Benjamin stood there, but then another man joined him. It was…Michael! He shook Benjamin's hand, then Michael reached in, and unlocked a mechanism allowing him to remove the cage from the truck without opening the cage itself. Michael put the cage on the ground containing Zach where he remained, filthy, stinking, and still locked up with cold air all around him, as well as the metal cage. Michael then approached the boy, and knelt down. Benjamin gave a "toodle-oo!" guffawed, and then hopped back into his truck, where he promptly drove off. It was around 2am and the cool wind strength was just a bit above normal. The cage was only open in the front with bars. The rest of the cage was solid metal, and though it was dark outside, lights illuminated the area, and the house. It was beautifully landscaped, flowers, bushes, trees and some cobblestone pathways. Steps led up to the mansion's main door, and on the horizon, trees of a forest could be seen. An oddly familiar environment. The house behind the cage was a large mansion that looked quite fancy. But…where was he? Well, Michael answered his unasked question. He was wearing a sweater, jeans and sneakers. It also looked like it would probably start raining shortly. Michael's voice was pleasant, in a poisonous snake kind of way. If Zach attempted to yell at him or speak first, Michael would give the cage a kick, sending it tumbling over. He did this until Zach decided to not talk, or at least begged him to stop and that he'd be quiet. Michael's manner was calm, spiking in intensity for a moment as he neared the end of his rant.

"Welcome! I do hope you remember me Mr. Ford. Zach Ford isn't that it? I was able to restore your cell phone when we found it, and download its information. From there it was easy to search for you online. It's amazing what's stored on the internet if you can hack into things. As you're no doubt wondering where you are, I've brought you to my mansion complex. Don't worry, though, it's surrounded by a high wall and security, so you'll be completely safe. Oh, and did I mention we're in the middle of the Pisgah National Forest? Quite a bit of a ways away from the city, and from your house. A difficult trek on foot for any hiker, taking many hours, but impossible for a young boy, and would likely take days if they weren't eaten alive by wild animals. Still, I'm sure you know it pretty well. If you remember, you came here only a day or so ago, snuck onto my private hiking trails that were very clearly marked, managed to get lost, trapped, and then instead of admitting your guilt, you opted to run from me, which led you to then murder my dog by tricking him into falling off a cliff over sharp rocks after he chased you down! Oh, and by the way, I'm Michael Calvahone, it's so nice to meet you…"

His smile vanished promptly. Up until now, it had been about the thrill of the chase, and this boy wouldn't go down without a fight, which ultimately would prove to be more sweet when punishment was delivered. As the hours had passed, since Prince had been killed, his thoughts involving Zach's punishments had grown steadily more insidious. It became more than just about sex, he wanted to see him broken, at his feet in submission. He'd killed his dog! Snuck in where he was clearly unwanted, managed to get himself trapped and instead of asking for help, ran! That's when the thought struck his mind. It was…well it was crazy to be sure. However, the irony would be immeasurable. After all, Prince was not just for Michael's protection, but also served as a therapy animal. What better punishment for killing his beloved companion, then for this boy to replace the animal he'd killed? Though, he wouldn't be a sex slave or anything. He would train and condition Zach to become his new dog. Not just like a pretend game either, Zach would literally become a dog in every realistic sense. Physically, via body modification. Mentally, by using training techniques and methods often used for dogs, like reward and punishments, pain and pleasure. He'd train him by breaking him, and reshaping his mind. Zach would come to believe he was a dog himself when Michael was through with him. It would just take a bit of planning. He continued to talk, interrupting Zach if he tried to speak to him by giving a kick to the crate, following after it the more it tumbled over, the damp grass and soft mud splashing up in and against the cage. When it stopped, he would continue.

"… and I've been looking forward to this for a while. I asked Benjamin to bring you to me. My detective friend Pierce was helping your parents locate you, but he works for me, and by this time tomorrow, they'll be given evidence that you were killed by a bear while trespassing in my forest. We found some of your clothes, so it won't be difficult to do. Plus, we found a few of your school friends who will testify that you did go into the forest, despite their protest, and that you entered into the closed trails, intending to sneak into my complex to steal from me. They tried to dissuade you, but you had become convinced you needed to steal from me in order to be accepted into the little gang. Very sad. Still, it doesn't matter if it's true or not, we have the witnesses to prove it. The bear in question, which was found a while ago, that had escaped from the zoo yesterday, will be put down, and I'm sure your family will give you a nice funeral. I'm sure your school will give you a nice mark on your permanent record that you died as a hooligan. I expect you and I will then have plenty of time to get to know each other! Do you have anything to say Mr. Ford?"

Michael gave a soft scowl and watched Zach intently for his reaction…

~~~

When Zach had been rudely awoken from his slumber, it was with a gust of cold air, the sound of Benjamin's abrasive drawl, and the smell of stale dog smells. In his half-asleep state Zach took a few seconds to register it.

"Huh?"

He said, wondering what Benjamin meant by new home, he couldn't see yet, blinded by the influx of light, and with no idea where he'd been driven to. He absent-mindedly rubbed his eyes, and realized he'd basically been rubbing his face with dog piss and other questionable things. Benjamin was staring down at him with a smile, clearly he had no mixed feelings about the job he'd just completed. Zach was still readjusting to consciousness, and his body needed time to remember all the atrocities that had befallen him. But, of course, all his pains were there. The metal of the cage had warmed up under his body though. Another figure joined Benjamin at the open van doors, Zach's eyes were adjusting to the new light flowing in but once he saw the features on the man's face he recognized him as one of the guys in the forest. He'd only caught fleeting glances as he fled from the cage in the woods, and then as he watched them look down at Zach's handiwork with the dog, but he was sure that had to be him. Despite only seeing him briefly, Zach wouldn't soon forget the pain he saw on Michael's face shortly after he discovered the Doberman's death. The two shook hands, and made Zach suspect that he was nothing short of the boss of this shady cabal. He didn't have long to dwell on the conspiracy revelation, as Michael reached forward to unlock a mechanism which detached the entire modular cage from the van, and before he knew it he was out in the open, although he only really had one view port with bars, the rest was all solid metal, he didn't have a hope in Hell of escaping.

Benjamin unceremoniously departed with a sarcastic "toodle-oo!" and the young man approached Zach's cage, kneeling before it. Up this close Zach was struck by the finer details of how handsome Michael was. He would have expected evil, shady bastards to be old, fat or ugly or any combination, but he looked like a regular guy. Well, a regular guy who might model professionally on Instagram or something. Zach heard the van's ignition flare to life and Benjamin was out of Zach's life as suddenly as he'd barged his disgusting kidnapping ass into it. Zach looked out behind Michael at the spectacular view, a sprawling mansion, Zach had never seen such a luxurious building so close up before, it was softly illuminated giving it an otherworldly look in the black of night. From what he could see from his limited view, the surrounding area was immaculate also, beautifully designed with breathtaking flowerbeds accentuating the cobblestone paths. Michael almost looked out of place in a sweater and jeans, but Zach figured they were high quality, likely designer, possibly the sweater alone was worth far more than his parent's car. As his eyes flickered at the surroundings they met Michaels again and Zach instinctively backed up in his cage, unknowingly playing the part of a timid stray dog all too well. He was suddenly aware of his current appearance, and shame washed over him. He tried to hide his privates from Michael, and was looking down, until Michael spoke up which made him look the older boy in the eye, still he couldn't help but blush fiercely.

Michael then began his rant, his voice a delight after hearing Benjamin speaking, even though what he was saying confirmed Zach's fears. His identity was no secret, this was bad, this was really bad! Zach was stunned into silence which was just as well, as Michael didn't appear interested in what he had to say just yet. Zach knew it was stupid, but his mind flashed with images of Michael speaking to his parents on the phone, telling them what he did. The trouble he was in ran infinitely deeper than that. This wasn't just for show, to scare him into regretting his trespassing, he could sense that. Zach was listening intently now, everything the man told him could be useful, he took on board the thinly-veiled message about the walls keeping him safe, more like keeping him trapped inside. By this point his heart was pounding in his ears again, and he didn't want to interject and stop the flow of information. He just gawked up at Michael, his mouth slightly open looking like a simple-minded child. It was true though, Zach had barely penetrated the outermost areas of the forest, and he'd exhausted himself, and nearly gotten eaten alive by a bear. God forbid he ever try to hike from near the center of the forest all the way out, if he ever even found the right direction. Michael's conviction and passion as he delivered his point of view on what had happened, actually made Zach suffer strong pangs of guilt, even though he was the victim here…wasn't he?

For a second, he doubted himself, and when he finally revealed his name, he finally had that to put with the face. It all fell into place, the business lecture at his school all those months ago. He'd enjoyed just getting off his normal classes, and hadn't really taken in the content too much, but that was Calvahone! The rich kid who lived in the national forest, it was him, no doubt about it. Who'd have thought the teen who volunteered to give a lecture to a bunch of kids would end up kidnapping one of them?

"I know you!"

Zach couldn't stop himself from yelling, his voice awfully ragged from and dry from his days' worth of dehydration and suffering. He didn't get to say any more though, before Michael sent him spiraling into the sides of the cage, toppling over 270 degrees and another, less forceful kick restored the cage to its correct orientation. Zach was shaken up to say the least, and it reignited pains in places that had faded into the background while he'd been listening intently.

"Hey! You don't have to-"

Cut short again, another kick, more forceful than the last. Zach's cage was sent rolling toward the edge of the pathway in a total 360 degrees. Zach banged his head this time and saw stars. As the cage was kicked over, he was accruing more and more shed dog fur on his belly, back, shoulders, legs, everywhere really, where the stale dog piss caused it to adhere lightly to him. He decided to shut up, trying to talk was getting him nowhere and only served to anger the man who controlled his fate. When it was revealed he'd have his former friends testify against him, he nearly shouted out that it wasn't true, as if his parents would be able to hear him, and he could spare them the pain of believing that rotten lie. He knew what would happen in response to another outburst though, and thought twice. Zach just stayed quiet and listened to Michael's insane tirade. It hurt to know that his friends would lie about his fate so casually to protect themselves from any ramifications, it stung bad. Zach hoped Mason would step up and say what really happened but he'd seen how quickly even his best friend could be swayed by peer pressure, and whether he was dared, or he went inspite of them protesting made no difference in the end. It would be the same outcome; he would become dead to the world.

As Michael finished up, just to add insult to injury, Zach would go down as being the thief in the group, after he was the one who'd opposed his friends' criminal activities! The irony bitter, and Zach's eyes watered all the same as he chewed on the lies he was being fed. Michael then asked if he had anything to say. Zach read from that look that Michael was a different creature entirely to Benjamin, a sadistic simpleton. It seemed to Zach, that Michael wasn't enjoying this, and if anything, it must come from some misplaced sense of justice. He figured Michael was grieving for his dog, not thinking clearly. Zach didn't want to antagonize him further by speaking. It was likely just another ploy for the kid to earn another kick. But, seconds passed and Michael's wasn't moving on, he actually wanted an answer. What the hell was Zach supposed to say when faced with such lunacy? His mind raced to come up with something, suspecting that in this case, silence would result in further kicking. In the end, he spoke from the heart, his nose running from the cold and his voice cracking with fear.

"I've l-learned my lesson M-Mr. Calvahone. I'm s-sorry for what I did, and I-I've suffered, and, and I'm s-so sorry for what I did to you. Please don't go through with this!"

He paused, contemplating whether to leave it there but the apology sounded hollow, as if that's going to undo what's happened between them. No, he would have to add in rationality, appeal to sanity itself.

"I, I mean, you can't just keep me here as your personal prisoner, they'll find out and arrest you!"

Zach realized as he was saying it, that Michael owned a good portion of, if not all of, the local police force. He needed to change the subject, and fast.

"I-It was just a dog anyway; you could get another one!"

Michael gave a sigh, and squatted down in front of the cage Zach was in. Michael had a sad look about him. Zach was right in that he was still grieving his beloved pet dog. However, it wasn't that he wasn't thinking clearly. In fact, the opposite was true. Michael enjoyed Zach's look for a moment, with his short dirty blonde hair, small figure, the smoothness of his naked body, as much as he could see with the boy in a small space, and not on full display to him. Zach didn't look older then about 10 or 11. Michael found him very attractive in fact. He had a cute look about him, something he desperately didn't want Zach to ever lose. As he was now, he was the perfect size for what he had in mind. Michael listened to Zach's plea, and apology with intent, he wasn't the kind to ignore anyone. Zach sounded sincere, that was clear. He chuckled as Zach claimed that he'd be arrested, and shouldn't keep Zach as a personal prisoner, he was sure Zach had already experienced the influence he had on any authority figures in the area. Michael could do whatever he wanted out here, though Zach was right. He didn't want to keep Zach as a prisoner. That wasn't the lifestyle Michael felt the boy deserved, not after what he'd done. That last statement by him too. Michael scowled and spoke again as another gust of cold air blew around them.

"Just a dog? Get a new one!? You apologize, a sincere apology from the heart, and then say that to me? It took years to train Prince into the perfect dog that he was! I got him when he was just a pup. I had never had a dog as a child, and after my parents died last year, my therapist suggested I get one. Never mind the intense training that enabled him to react perfectly, and instantly to any command I gave him, but the bond we shared together was something special! But, you are right in a sense. I should just get a new one. Luckily, just by chance, I happened to have found the perfect replacement…"

Michael stood again and looked down at Zach. He was clearly angry, and distraught, but was speaking clearly, and directly as someone who had thought very hard about what he was doing and saying. His voice only slightly quivered from emotion, but he was still poised, and in control.

"You, my dear boy, will replace my beloved Prince. You will remain here with me, and I will train you to become my new pet dog. It was you who took him away from me, before his time, and therefore, it is you who will replace him. This will be hard on you I should think, but I am not a cruel person, I will teach you and train you with a slow and careful touch. However, if you insist on fighting me, I will do what is necessary to ensure you are taught your place. I am not beyond heavy handed measures. You will be treated and trained as a dog, and will be made to look the part as well. You should be grateful though. After you'd killed him and ran off, I had vowed to myself that when I found you, I would enact the same punishment on you. I decided in the end I wasn't capable of doing that. Another death would not bring Prince back to me. No, instead you will give your life to me, so that you can pay your debt, and replace the animal you killed. In doing so, perhaps you will learn what it means to serve loyally as Prince did. A much more fitting life I should think, one where you give in service to another, rather than taking that which does not belong to you. Life."

Michael then reached down to the crate door. As he did so, a soft, rolling thunder could be heard above. Within seconds it started to rain gently, and another gust of cold wind blew. It didn't look like it was going to storm, but it was bound to be a cold and rainy night, even if it was only a light rain.

"I'm going to open the cage and release you. If you attempt to strike me, or run away, I won't hesitate to chain you up outside until morning, naked as you are without cover. This is your one warning."

Michael then took a key he had grabbed from Benjamin and moved to unlock the crate slowly, swinging it open and taking a step back….

~~~

As Michael sighed and crouched before the front of the cage, Zach backed up as much as he physically could, retreating from his captor, intimidated and hopeless. Michael was hard to read, and Zach had no experience in this area, he was just a kid, just 12! His age didn't matter though apparently, he knew one thing for sure as he looked into Michael's eyes, he was in some deep shit. Cold winds were beginning to blow, and he desperately wished he still had his clothes on, plus the embarrassment he was being subjected to by being naked. Scowling as he spoke, Michael began to let Zach in on his plans, he was to be a perfect replacement for the dog, Prince, whatever that meant. Zach assumed his captivity would give Michael some sick joy, knowing he had the kid, who got his dog killed, locked away where no one would find him in the middle of a sprawling forest on private land. Zach hoped he'd at least be taken inside soon where he could warm up, and hopefully put on some clothes, or climb into a bed, even if it is an uncomfortable jail-style one with rough sheets. What shocked Zach when he could muster up the courage to look up at Michael, was how calm and collected he seemed to be about what he was proposing. Yes, there was emotion there, he was clearly not happy his dog had died, but he talked about keeping a child a prisoner, as though he was talking about business in that school visit. As though the words coming out of his mouth were rational. Zach thought he caught his voice quiver a bit, but when he looked at Michael, his face was one of control and showed no weakness.

Zach didn't dare speak again, he'd been given one chance to and clearly he messed it up, he definitely didn't want his cage kicked again. Michael began to speak again, and this collection of words took on a whole new twisted meaning. What the hell did that mean, a replacement dog? Zach had to stop himself from blurting it out. Michael was delivering a monologue he knew he should not interrupt, but Zach couldn't hide the surprise on his face, desperately fumbling with a puzzle he could not begin to contemplate. Was he to be imprisoned like a common criminal, except he'd have to bark? Or did Michael seriously expect Zach to curl up at the foot of his bed? This was crazy, but then everything he'd been through leading to his kidnapping and delivery here was crazy. Treated like a dog he could kind of understand, he didn't expect to be treated well, given how he'd been treated already, but trained as a dog? Michael wanted him to play fetch? He almost giggled at that. If nothing else, that could give him a shot of scaling the walls one day. When Zach heard about being made to look the part of a dog, he envisioned a cute dog onesie, Mason had one of those a couple years ago, that wouldn't be too bad. No, he had to find a way out of here as soon as possible, he couldn't imagine being a prisoner here forever, Michael had already shown he might be quick to anger when he kicked the metal dog crate around just for Zach trying to speak.

The thunder overhead, accentuated the evil in Michael's speech in Zach's eyes, and filled him with dread. He gave out a pathetic whimper, and tried to stop himself from crying, but the tears and the heaving sobs came. He'd managed to stop his eyes watering when Michael told him he'd go down as a criminal, but he was just utterly unable to stop now, he'd never see his friends or parents again! This twisted man was going to see to it, and he sounded insane. Then Michael let the cage door swing open and stepped back. Zach didn't know if it was a trick, he didn't want to get beat, up but Michael made it clear he expected him to come out, and clearly it was not smart to disobey him. He'd go along with what he said for now, if he was going to let him inside the mansion, his chances to run and hide if he needed to would be way better. It would also be warmer at least. He sure as heck couldn't spend another night out in a rainstorm, especially naked, he'd catch pneumonia and die! Slowly Zach crawled out of the cage on all fours. He looked pathetic, covered in dirt and dried on mud, not to mention the areas where dog piss and fur had gotten on him. He didn't get up onto his feet in case it was a bad idea to do so without being told to. He knelt instead, with his hands covering his cold-shrunken junk, shivering, and effectively cowering before Michael. Tears still ran down his face and he prayed for some form of mercy. Fortunately, his prayers were answered when Michael rewarded his obedience by taking him by the arm, and leading him towards the grand mansion. He still kept his genitals hidden as he stumbled forward…

Michael looked down at the quivering, crying child kneeling naked on the cold hard cement. He was covering his nakedness as best he could without having any clothes. Michael's face revealed sympathy and compassion. The poor child was surely terrified, anxious, and wanting to get away as soon as possible. His location would make escape already next to impossible, but he didn't want Zach to feel like he had to escape. Of course, there was nothing he could do about that, at least at first. Time, patience, and a firm, but caring hand would be the key here. Michael helped Zach to his feet, allowing the boy the small bit of dignity of (barely) being able to cover his privates with one hand, while Michael took him by his other hand, and led him across the cement. They walked across the cold damp grass, cobblestone pathway, up the marble steps, and finally through the large, double oak doors with brass handles, into his home. They passed a small three-car garage which held a few cars, and a limo Michael owned. Inside, Michael's home was a beautiful blend of modern convenience and style, with the warm, homely design and style of the Victorian era. As soon as they entered, the first thing they both experienced was the warm temperature of the house, especially compared to outside. It would certainly feel good on Zach's naked body. Since it was after 1 in the morning, there were no staff on duty. A cook, a maid, a servant, and an older gentleman, who served as the head butler, all lived in-house with Michael, though they lived in a servants' wing behind the house. At times when Michael hosted guests or events in his grounds, or in his home, the basement contained a fully stocked industrial kitchen, and he was able to bring in a full kitchen staff as well as extra maids and servants from Asheville when needed. There was a mini elevator in the home for this purpose, so food and supplies could be brought to both floors.

There was a standing coatrack by the door on the inside, where Michael removed his sweater and hung it up, revealing a basic plain blue t-shirt underneath over his jeans and boots. The entrance hall was beautiful. The floor was made of large white and gray swirled tiles imported from Italy, with ornate Middle Eastern rugs over them. The walls were a white panel design decorated by various abstract and landscape portraits. Plenty of reinforced windows allowed lots of light to come in during the day. A podium in the center of the room on a rug had a wood table, and a giant vase of various plant life. A large chandelier hung above this lighting the room with smaller lights embedded in the ceiling. A staircase with wood steps on either side of the room connected above to the second floor, with web designed gates keeping people from falling off. In between the stairs, was a hall, which led to the back of the house. Doors to the right and left of the staircase, on opposite sides of the room, led to different areas, with signs on the doors as well. On the right side, were double wooden doors which led to the guest wing, where there were a few fully stocked suites, that his guests could sleep in while staying at his home. The door on the left marked the entrance to the pool area. Through a series of complex mechanics, the pool room was designed to come apart so it could be an outside pool in the summer. The roof and walls all retracted and tucked neatly away. There were men and women changing rooms and bathrooms here, and could comfortably host a dozen or more people at once. Michael would eventually show him his entire house, but for now it was late and he didn't want to show the child everything. If nothing else though, the mansion did have a very warm feel to it, like a family home.

Michael led Zach under the stairway hall and past the dining room. The dining room was luxuriously decorated, with a long glass table in the center, modern chairs, and wood flooring with marble around the center. The walls had large pillars fixed to them to give it an older vibe, while two chandeliers hung above the table. The table was decorated with two vases each with plants and flowers. More paintings and artwork decorated the walls, while two large cabinets with glass doors displayed sets of china and glassware. To the right, were glass windows, which revealed a large room, that housed a small museum of what looked like ancient weapons. Their destination was the kitchen, though. A sight to behold on its own as well. Wood design for most of the cupboards, and the refrigerator and freezer doors. Ornate granite counter tops with plush leather high-rise chairs. A professional double oven and gas stove tops, and modern lighting hanging from above. He led Zach to a leather chair and had him sit down. He then lifted his chin to face him with one finger, and then removed the finger. Michael's face was one of sympathy. With Zach on the high-rise chair, he was almost at eye level. Though tempting, during the whole-time since their arrival, Michael did not lewdly eye Zach like a pervert might. He'd properly inspect the boy at the right time, but for now it was simply a fact the boy was naked, and not something Michael cared to press upon the child to further his discomfort.

"I know you're probably exhausted, but first things first. You must be starving, and thirsty as well. Also, I imagine you'll want to take a nice hot shower before I put you to sleep."

Michael sighed and his face fell slightly. His body was more relaxed, though not vulnerable, and he seemed more personable.

"Look, I know what you must think of me, and I know how anxious, and scared you must feel. You have no reason to trust me, and I don't blame you, but at least for now, take my word that I will take care of you, and I want you to try and rest easily tonight."

The one thing Zach probably noticed, aside from how amazing, and nice everything seemed, was how eerily quiet the house was. In addition, because his staff was off-duty at least for now, all the lights were off aside from the ones Michael turned on or off as they moved from one room to the next. Even deeper of a realization, was how lonely the house felt. It was only the two of them at the moment, each step giving off a gentle echo, though the walls and furniture absorbed most of the sound. Still, it felt like there were people missing. It exuded strength, beauty, and convenience. Just like the Calvahone's themselves. It was clear this house had once been part of an active and happy family. Though, now it seemed quiet and sad. Most people didn't know too much about Michael except for what he showed in town when he went. He preferred to keep to himself though. However, aside from the events he held on his estate, most people didn't inquire about him, and thus he usually spent time by himself aside from his staff…

~~~

Although Zach was relieved when Michael permitted him to leave his genitals covered, he could not help but flinch when Michael took his other hand. He did his best to make it seem as if he'd simply started to shiver from the cold. He hoped he'd got away with it, but was feeling far, far too timid to look at Michael's face directly for clues. Zach passed by luxury he'd never dreamed of, or he was sure anyone could ever dream of. Limousines, marble steps, a large ornate door leading into an even larger house. Fancy, but still warm, and not lacking in comfort. The warm air felt like such relief on Zach's skin, but he remained on edge as he entered the lion's den, nude as he was. The chandelier, and a giant vase intimidated Zach as he gazed into the cavernous home that made him feel small and insignificant. Michael was taking off his sweater, as Zach looked around in absolute awe. Zach imagined the house would still branch off significantly even past the doors he could see. Visions of what it must be like to grow up in a house like this raced through his mind, before Michael led him through the house, past the dining room, and past what he thought was a museum with weapons! He hoped Michael didn't use any on him. These rooms were so elaborate to the point of absurdity when compared to Zach's humble upbringing. The thing he noticed most, more and more as they walked was how the home seemed to cry out for a real family. The impression Zach got was that Michael must live here alone. He surely had some people around catering to his needs, but essentially alone.

Zach was still very young, but he knew he'd never want to live like this, devoid of company. He almost felt sorry for his kidnapper. As they entered the lavish, over-the-top kitchen, Zach just wanted to stand on his own in the center of the room, but Michael promptly sat him down on a high leather chair. Still, Zach tried to look away, in another direction, or at his feet, but Michael put an abrupt end to his pouting when he raised his face up by the chin to look at him and speak.

Zach didn't like the way Michael had said "put him to sleep" and not, "put him to bed." Michael might be planning on drugging him, and he's so confident that he'd just openly announce his intentions. It's not like Zach could fight him or reason with him. Clearly, Michael saw Zach's apprehension, as he spoke up again. As far as Zach was concerned, Michael had no place saying how he'll "take care of him" and want him to "rest easily." If he wanted Zach to rest easily, he shouldn't have told him how he plans on having his parents informed tomorrow of how he died as a criminal, destroying them and his reputation as a good kid! Nor should he tell him about his desire to make a scared twelve-year-old kid a replacement dog, all over some mistake! Hell, Zach was trembling even now because he feared he'd be beaten up for leaving dirty footprints and probably getting all sorts of muck on Michael's nice chair, which he wasn't worthy to sit on in the first place. Zach finally managed to fight back his anxiety-induced dry mouth, and choked out.

"I don't think I could eat anything, I guess I should drink some water please."

And Zach had every intention of watching for any sign of him drugging the water. Hopefully he wouldn't have to drink it out of a dog bowl, but he'd accept that rather than falling into a chemically-medicated unconsciousness and awaking to God-knows what…

Unbeknownst to Zach, Michael had anticipated Zach's arrival, and had already prepared a jug of water in the fridge that was drugged. Michael removed it from the fridge openly, and obviously so Zach could see that he hadn't put anything in the water in that moment. The water was laced with Rohypnol: a colorless, odorless, and tasteless drug, more commonly known as "The Date Rape" drug. There was a strong amount in the jug, and after pouring Zach a tall glass of the water, and handing it to him, no doubt the boy would drink the whole glass, which would contain more than just one pill's worth. Once consumed, it would take a few minutes for the drug to take effect. It would start slow. First Zach would become more aware of his natural fatigued state, after which he would start becoming a little more pliable, as his muscles relaxed and it became more difficult to sit upright. Michael would gently coax Zach, telling him everything was ok, that he was just tired, and that Michael would help put him to bed. The drug would also lower the boy's inhibitions, making him a bit easier to manipulate, and physically control. Michael would offer to help get him to bed, and end up lifting him up, and carrying him off on his back in his hands and arms. Within those few minutes, Zach would black out totally. Because he would have consumed a larger amount of the drug than most people did, he'd likely be out for a good 12 hours. Just enough time to go to sleep, and for him to still be out for the next half day. By then, he'd be under normal sedation. Until then, placing Zach's naked body down on his own bed upstairs, Michael carefully and lovingly ran his hands over the boy's naked body, exploring his smooth flesh and exposed parts. He smiled. Soon, his little pup would be complete…

Zach regarded Michael with a careful suspicion as he retrieved water for Zach, not from the sink but from a jug in the fridge. He didn't appear to do anything to it but that still didn't put his mind at ease. Maybe rich people just get their water from non-tap sources, and have it chilled to their liking. Zach didn't really think of asking for a glass of water from the faucet. If Michael really wanted to hurt him he could just pin him down, shove a pill in his mouth and hold it closed until he swallowed. Zach had seen Mason do this to his dog when he needed to take medicine, eventually the stubborn hound would give in. When the water was placed before him, Zach instinctively backed up into the high leather chair, as if spooked by the refreshment. Michael was hovering, and Zach desperately didn't want to get on his bad side again. He vividly recalled being kicked about in the crate just for talking when he wasn't supposed to. With hesitation, Zach reached out and brought the water closer to him, looking at it nervously. He didn't want to arouse suspicion but he had to be sure, if the water either smelled or tasted funny, he thought he might throw the glass at Michael and run. Maybe he'd find something to defend himself with, like those weapons. He didn't know if he had that in him though, and he hoped he wouldn't have to find out. He brought the glass to his lips and there was no smell. He assumed any drug strong enough to knock him out would have a strong odor.

He proceeded to taste it, and it was just plain old, chilled water. Satisfied he continued drinking, before he knew it he'd downed the whole thing, dribbling some water down his skin in the process. It took the edge off his horrendous thirst, Zach nearly forgot to thank Michael but offered a half-hearted "Thank you," without looking directly at Michael. He could do with more water but again, he didn't want to do anything to displease his captor. Maybe Michael would see from how quickly he drank, that he was parched? Nope, he didn't seem to be taking the hint that Zach could do with more, so Zach supposed he'd wait for whatever "putting him to bed" entailed. He was starting to feel that fatigue come creeping back into him. Getting kicked around in a filthy dog cage while naked, and frightened to death does wonders for waking you up, but eventually, his tiredness seemed to come back. He must not have slept as long as he'd thought in the van. The promise of a luxury bed was teasing Zach's imagination. Super high quality sheets, all the space he could dream of, maybe even bigger than King size if there was such a thing! Michael probably had so much money to burn he would grant luxuries even to his worst enemies!

Zach found himself slumping to the side, and having to readjust more and more. He went to rest his head on his hand, his elbow on the counter, but nearly missed, and caught himself before he smashed his head into the surface. He'd never felt like this even when staying up all night playing video games at a sleepover. This was weird. Zach made his confusion known and Michael said something to the effect of "It's okay, you're tired, I'll put you to bed now." Zach allowed himself to be picked up on his back in Michael's arms. Something about being carried this way reminded him of being little again, carefree, protected, safe. Like when his mom had done so when he was a toddler. The severely contrasting circumstances barely even registered to Zach at this point, as he allowed himself to sink into the comfort provided by Michael's arms. It wasn't long before the potent drug in his system completely got the better of the tortured child, and Zach was sleeping like a baby….

Chapter 4

The next morning, Michael was up promptly at 7am, with Zach likely to still be out cold for another few hours. Plenty of time to get him where they were going. Once he was dressed, he picked up Zach's naked, unconscious body, and carried him gently downstairs. Michael placed Zach's body inside a small, used dog crate, from when Prince had been a puppy, so it was just big enough to allow Zach to be on all fours, but not move around, not that he was doing much other than lying on his side at the moment. The crate had a well-used, and thin pad on the floor, that was old and hadn't been cleaned in many years. He then lifted it up one-handed, and carried it outside to his car. Michael left the compound with Zach's crate sitting on the passenger seat. After what seemed like ages, the car finally slowed down, drove for a little longer, and then finally came to a stop. Another minute, and Michael got out and carried the crate from the car. The warehouse they had arrived at was on the outskirts of Asheville. They were all in use by the Calvahone Corporation as research laboratories, with both automated, and human run, manufacturing of various products. The buildings were on a concrete acreage of land, surrounded by a high barbed wire fence with guards on shift patrol, and were located just off the freeway. There were four buildings which looked the same on the outside. Completely plain looking, and gray in color, and all four shared a giant parking lot. There were many cars around, and some people also walking around tending to various things.

Through the parking lot Michael walked, and then entered a door to an empty garage. He walked another 10 minutes until he reached the end of a hallway. At the end of that, was an elevator that said 'out of order.' Using a special keycard, which Michael slipped through a card reader, the elevator flickered to life and opened up. Heading inside, Michael pushed the down button, the doors closed, and the elevator descended. After another few minutes, it opened again with a ding. There was one hallway with several different operating rooms, but only one was active at the moment. A few doctors were in one room, dressed in white garb, with cloths covering their mouths, and gloves on their hands. Totally anonymous looking except for different eye and hair colors. All Caucasian men. One of them approached Zach in the crate, after Michael put it down. Another man approached Michael with a greeting and handshake.

The man who approached Zach, knelt down and remarked "What a beautiful specimen. I think this is the one gentlemen. He's sure to be a success! Let's prep him." He backed away again, and other doctors approached, and removed Zach from his confinement, though he posed no threat to anyone yet. The doctor prepped a needle with a liquid inside and inserted it into the closest vein on Zach's arm, which would ensure that he remained asleep for many more hours. Once this was done, the work began. It would be too traumatic an experience to handle while awake. He'd have enough to worry about when he was conscious as it was.

Since he was already naked, removing his clothes wasn't necessary, so his naked body was placed into a drawn bath, with only his head and hair above the water. The bath contained a combination of chemicals that would leave him hairless like a newborn baby. It would also prevent any hair growing back by killing the follicles under the skin. Once in, the boy was bathed normally, and some samples of his hair were taken into a separate room. That was where the work would be done to test the compatibility of fusing a dog's tail onto Zach's body successfully. They would be using nanotechnology, and other techniques, that would eventually be fused with Zach's spinal cord just above his anus. In the meantime, the doctors lifted the 12-year-old, and put him on a surgery table, face down and covered him except for his head and rear end, which was lifted under an apparatus to expose his genital area. They followed Michael's directions explicitly.

Using some mild plastic surgery, they parted his ass cheeks a little, in a way they would be permanently separated and leave his genitalia exposed. Zach would find it difficult to adjust to the shame of his privates being on display at all times, but on the plus side, it would make using the bathroom a bit easier. There would be less of a need to clean up after using the bathroom anyway. When the tail was deemed compatible, it was brought into the room and examined. The tail was the same color as Zach's hair, and had been taken from a German Shepherd Lab mutt's, with some extra fur hanging down near the tip of the tail. The base was thick, with fur covering the thickened skin. Using slow and careful surgery that took most of the day until evening, and would have been excruciatingly painful for Zach had he not been kept sedated, the area above his anus was opened, and the tail connected to the nerve endings of his spinal cord after it had been extended a little by adding bone. Unfortunately, they had to use some pre-existing nerve endings and bone from him. This meant that Zach would lose his ability to stand upright ever again, and if he tried he would simply not be able to, his legs would no longer bend that way. At most, he'd be able to bend his legs enough to walk on his hands and feet, with his butt raised up.

The doctors had asked if Michael wanted his legs shorter as well, but Michael didn't think it would look very good. Of course, that could always be done down the line. With the tail implanted onto him, Zach would forever need it in order to keep his balance, otherwise he wouldn't get more than a couple of feet before falling over. Eventually he'd learn to use, and feel the tail as a new appendage. Zach would be able to wag it, lower it or raise it depending on his mood etc. It would also be painful if stepped on or pulled. Once the surgery was over, Zach was left sedated for his body to recover, and then he was transported back to the Calvahone mansion. After about two days, Zach was slowly weaned off the sedation, and would come to wake up easily, and comfortably. He was left lying on his side on a very soft, but well used dog bed on the floor. Clearly the same one Prince had used only days before. Zach's rear end would be sore for a while, but the worst of it was over, physically at least. There was no scarring of any kind, so no evidence of any surgery would be visible. Emotionally and psychologically it would take time for Zach to recover, to learn to accept his new reality. Luckily, Zach was still young enough that through proper training and conditioning, this was possible. A mirror had been placed in front of him, but a metal collar chained him to the floor, so he couldn't move except a foot or so in any direction, that was for both his safety, and everyone else. He'd likely be in a rage when he awoke, and wanting to hurt someone. Michael watched the entire surgery take place, and was now seated just out of his reach on a chair in the entrance hall of the mansions waiting for him to wake up. There had been other changes to his body done, but they would need to be explained in more detail upon his awakening…

~~~

When Zach finally woke up, he believed he was amidst the luxury he'd dreamed of before blacking out. His surroundings were softer than his bed at home, that was for sure, but he felt groggy, like his head was water-logged. He felt as if he'd slept through most of the day, or several, but it didn't seem to be too late in the day, judging from the light. He leaned up, still on his side. He was on the floor in a… yep, he was in a large dog bed! He wasn't exactly outraged since he seemed to fit reasonably well, and it was comfortable. However, the weight around his neck, and the sound of a dangling chain soon put him back into a state of misery. Confined as a prisoner, but far from resigned to it. His senses were slowly returning, just as they'd slowly been robbed from him in Michael's kitchen. He tugged at the sturdy metal collar around his scrawny neck, out of morbid curiosity more than anything, he didn't seriously expect that he'd be able to take it off or break it. The inside had become warm against his skin but the outside had the cold sting of metal imprisonment about it. Zach could also feel pain starting to well up around his coccyx, but presumed that he'd gone to sleep in a weird position. He focused more on double checking just how sturdy the chain was, and how strongly connected it was to the floor. He knew before even trying that it was solid, no hope of escape without the key.

The chain wasn't long, permitting the boy about a foot of movement. It didn't allow him to stand and he didn't try to. Zach considered trying to go back to sleep, he definitely preferred that over looking up and seeing Michael around somewhere. But, as Zach tried to get back to sleep he was bothered more, and more by an uncomfortable soreness above his bottom. The bed must be rubbing against his leg, or something, because it felt itchy there. Nothing could prepare Zach for what he saw when he investigated the relatively minor aches though. The impossible. The impossible was what he saw, his breath hitched before he blinked several times. He must still be asleep. He pinched himself. Nope, he was awake! He began to hyperventilate, short high-pitched whines whistling passed his teeth and lips. He wasn't able to form words in response to this yet. It was a dog's tail. A real live dog's tail! How would, how was, it just, it couldn't! Even with his money, vast resources, and his depraved moral compass, how could Michael have made this happen!? Zach pulled on the tail, and roared in pain, as a bolt of agonizing pain shot through him like a knife. It was attached to him, just as he'd dreaded the second he laid eyes on it. It was a difficult area to examine but as he looked around in sheer panic, he saw a mirror had been generously provided for him for this exact reason. On all fours, Zach turned himself around to look at the damage, he became woozy for a moment at the movement, despite being supported by four limbs. He concluded that he had obviously been drugged. It was pretty evident when he looked closer at his backside, that the tail was fused to his body.

It had to have been a surgery, Zach had to actually place his face to the floor, to reach an arm back to lift the tail up since his balance was so bad, but he saw that his butt cheeks were unnaturally far apart as well. His asshole and genitals were on full display when not covered by his tail. He felt more vulnerable than he had standing with his junk out before Michael. Not that he'd gotten used to being kept naked, of course. That was it for Zach, he started crying hysterically, harsh, loud sobs that echoed into the halls of mansion. The inconsolable cries of a child who'd lost all hope, occasional short sentences punctuated his anguish.

"W-why!?"

"No, no, no!"

"I d-don't w-want to BE a d-d-d-DOG!!"

"Please, no!"

"PLEASE!!"

As much as he wanted to pretend it was all a nightmare, and never see that tail again, or this house, or Michael, he couldn't take his eyes off it. His eyes wide and quivering, and his whole body was shivering in terror. He had to be dreaming, he just had to be, no one could really do this to a person. It wasn't possible!

~~~

Michael gave a simple cough, to jolt Zach back to reality, and to remind him he wasn't currently alone. Michael was siting only a few feet away. Also, if Zach looked around, he'd see an assortment of dog equipment and food. All previously used by Michael's last dog, including the dog bed he was currently in. The chew toys in particular, were obviously not new.

In addition to the permanent physical changes to Zach's body, there had also been chemical alterations to his body as well. For one, male canine DNA had been introduced into Zach's genetic structure. One of the effects would be to slowly, and permanently alter his sweat glands to produce the body odor of a dog. In addition, while he would still sweat like a human, the amount of saliva his mouth produced would increase, encouraging him to begin panting more especially when it was hot out. Zach would eventually notice his ability to smell would increase, and he'd find he would slowly become aware of an increase in hormonal behavior. Specifically becoming very aroused, and horny to the point of wanting to hump things just to get off. Of course, if this became too much of a problem, Michael would simply have the boy neutered.

Also, nearby was a large indoor/training crate that had been used by Prince. It was a black wire cage, very durable, and quite unbreakable. There was a soft, but worn cushion inside, and the bottom had a tray underneath in case any accidents happened in the cage. The carrying crate had been stored away for the time being. Also, there were a couple of bags of dry dog food kibble in plain view, and a crate of assorted cans of chunky, wet dog food. There was even an adjustable stand next to them, which would allow Zach an easier time eating. Rather than bending down to eat out of a bowl on the floor, this would enable him to be able to stand at a higher, and better posture for eating, so his back and neck didn't hurt.

"Well, it doesn't sound like you're too happy with the modifications I made to you. I only did it to help you fit into the role of my dog a little easier. I could have left you awake during the procedure, which would have certainly been very painful for you. I didn't, and allowed you to remain comfortably asleep. I'd say that was fairly generous of me! But, look! There are all sorts of new things to see! All these nice toys, and your comfy bed and cage. Doesn't that look nice?"

Michael retrieved a black, leather, training choke collar and dangled it in front of Zach. The collar was designed to be pulled taut if the animal pulled too hard, intending to choke the animal and force it to slow down as part of leash training.

"I'd say this will suit you better than that metal monstrosity. At least until you're trained enough for me to give you a real leash, and collar. The first thing we need to do is get you used to using your new tail. If you don't learn to use it, you won't get very far. I'm afraid you'll need it to be able to balance, and move more than a foot at a time. I'm sure that any thoughts of running away, or hurting me would be squashed, unless you at least learned to move again, wouldn't you agree? So, what do you say, are you feeling well enough for walkies?"

Michael gave Zach a knowing smile and a chuckle. He wasn't dumb, and knew he'd no choice but to learn to use the tail if he wanted to move, or even think about escape or attacking him. This also meant learning how to "walk" again. A most dire predicament…

~~~

Zach ignored Michael's cough, too transfixed on his own reflection. He studied the tail closely. He looked at every angle of it, before looking over his other shoulder, to do the same from the other side. Something was horribly wrong with his balance, though, and he wondered if that was just the drug wearing off. Zach turned to the mirror again, to look at the underside of his tail, and was weirded out looking at his displayed butthole.

Finally, he relented, and spun around to face Michael, but he did it a little too quickly, causing himself to fall flat on his face. He tried to get up, and save some dignity, but, he instinctively tried to stand up, resulting in the metal collar snagging harshly around his neck and pulling him quickly back down while Michael spoke to him.

In the meantime, Zach was half focused on before. He had accepted that glass of water, and the promise of a bed. His exhausted, battered body and mind had given in to a glimmer of hope, a shred of decency in the strange rich, older boy. But, that trust would never be given again so easily. Michael had actually transformed him into a dog to replace the one Zach killed in self-defense, calling it justice, and expecting gratitude for not having him operated on without anesthetic?? Michael probably thought the only crime he was guilty of was being sanctimonious, Zach thought as Michael spoke on.

The nerve of this asshole. Zach looked over at the previously enjoyed dog toys he was being gifted. Michael was wealthy beyond belief, he could have had new dog toys delivered in the time this surgery took place, but no, he wanted to demean Zach by giving him ones a dog had already chewed up. Wanted him to do the same, to degrade himself, well it wasn't going to happen! Michael dangled a choke collar before Zach with the offer of unchaining him and helping him to learn to walk on all fours following the indignities Zach had suffered. Zach weighed up what Michael was offering, but he'd already had the difficulties he'd face in trying to escape explained at length. He truly believed his lack of balance was just drugs still in his system, and he would rather be dead, than paraded around like a prized pet on the end of a leash held by Michael fucking Calvahone. He needed to start resisting because this wouldn't end here, he knew that without question now. Zach started crying hard again, pulling in ragged breaths where he could, and barely managing to keep his balance when he dared to wipe away tears with the back of one hand. He screamed one last time at his captor.

"I'm…n-not…a…d-dog!"

"Leave…me…ALONE!!"

~~~

It's not that Michael wanted to betray Zach. In fact, he wanted the boy to accept his trust again, but he knew it would take time, and consistent training from Michael, before his pet was ready to accept his new position in life. Michael swiftly knelt down, and slapped Zach hard across the face. It was hard enough to send him sprawling to the end of his foot-long chain, though he wouldn't be able to move past it, meaning he'd probably be yanked a bit. It was also hard enough to leave a nasty red handprint on the boy's face. Michael then pinned Zach to the ground and held him down by his shoulders. He got close to his face and calmly, but forcefully, spoke down to him. It was time the child snapped back to reality.

"What happened to you is real. What I've done to you IS real. You WILL become my new pet. You will take on the role of my dog, whether you like it or not. Do I make myself clear? This can go two ways. I can either make your life a living hell, or, I can care for you, pamper you, provide for you, and make sure you are loved. The choice is yours. Adapt, or live through hell. That tail is permanent, and if you ever wish to move again, you will learn to heel at my side, and obey my commands. Also, dogs don't talk, they bark, growl, or whine. Or they use their body language. If you don't want your vocal chords removed permanently, I suggest you learn."

Michael then unlocked the chain around Zach's throat, and took a few steps back while holding up the choke collar in front of him. At this point, Zach may try to attack him, or run away, but he'd find his legs unable to straighten out like a human. He was permanently disabled in this manner, which would only allow him at most to stand on both feet with his knees bent, back arched and ass up. Or of course his hands and knees.

"So, walkies boy?"

~~~

As Michael slapped Zach across the face, he sent the small boy sprawling, further than his chain would permit, so of course, it pulled him back by his throat. He was aware of nothing but the glowing warmth on his face where a hand print had blazed its imprint. Zach, with adrenaline flowing, and seemingly nothing to lose, contemplated fighting, back but Michael already had him pinned to the floor before he could do anything.

He got close, intimately so. Closer than Zach was used to anyone really getting with him, and it was profoundly powerful as tools of intimidation went, to have a mortal enemy in such a personal space. Michael unloaded dose, after dose of realities. What he could do to Zach if he disobeyed. Were these things that inevitably awaited anyway, and he'd merely speed up their arrival? Or did Zach actually stand a chance of improving his immediate future by cooperating? He presumed the former, that Michael had every conceivable torture planned out to demean Zach, but he wasn't ready to gamble with it. Zach wrestled with his lack of options, as Michael got up, and unlocked the metal collar.

Zach was no longer tethered to the ground. Michael had told him he'd need to get accustomed to his new tail if he hoped to get anywhere, but Zach didn't believe that. He hoped, he needed, to believe that it was just drugs from the surgery making him unsteady. He tried to stand, and found himself shaking with weakness and falling onto all fours to save his face. He couldn't abide his failure and tried again, same result. His legs simply would not stretch out! The best position he could adapt was arching his back with his butt up in the air on all fours…like a dog. Zach would have been crying again if he had any tears left. He nodded his head, completely numb, as Michael asked again if he wanted to go for "walkies." He knew it was a rhetorical question, and so he conceded.

Michael smiled.

"Good boy!"

Michael knelt down slowly, reached a hand to gently touch where he'd slapped Zach. He knew Zach would probably involuntarily try to back up, but he was too quick. Michael's touch was soft this time, and he gently stroked Zach's cheek. He knelt in closer and gave it a kiss, his breath soft, and warm on Zach's smooth cheek. He stroked his cheek again, and apologized for hitting him. He added that he didn't want to cause pain to Zach, but that punishments were necessary to train him how to properly behave.

"Now, at the moment you won't be able to walk anywhere, so what I want you to do is sit, and concentrate on your tail. It's like a new appendage, so you need to concentrate on it until your mind can learn to recognize its presence in the first place. Spend a few minutes, close your eyes, and try to concentrate. I know it's hard, but you can do it."

Michael waited a little bit to let the boy focus. Michael himself wasn't sure how quickly Zach would be able to gain full control over his new tail. The way it would eventually work is to be connected to his emotional state. The tail would react to how he felt. At the moment, though, he had to learn how to manually control it, so it would be able to both react to his emotions, and his thoughts. It could take hours, or days.

Zach did as he was told and sat down on his knees, his brain was still rattled from Michael striking him. Michael could hit hard, and Zach had no chance at escape in his current state. He'd flinched again when Michael came in to stroke his cheek, but it surprised Zach he could actually be gentle. Was every action, even the gentle ones sadistic in nature, or did he really think they would ever have a loving relationship as pet and owner? He looked down behind him and saw the tail lying lifeless on the floor, curling around to his left. He felt nothing, no way he could control this…thing. He reluctantly accepted that Michael's surgeons had done the impossible, and he had felt pain when he pulled it. It could have been where the tail was unnaturally grafted onto his coccyx, but Zach could've sworn he felt the touch of his hand around the German Shepard.

Mustering up more courage than he would've thought he had at that time, Zach touched the appendage again. He'd never get used to the feel of that fur, and knowing it was part of him, and beyond that, he felt the touch too. He stroked it, and felt the shiver it elicited, run up his spine. The tail really was an extension of his spine. He didn't imagine that would mean he'd have the power to control it to help him walk. He could never see himself wagging his tail for instance. Still, the curiosity got the better of the abused child, and he focused on trying to move it as if he were paralyzed.

For a while, Zach was so focused on trying to move the darn thing, that he didn't even realize himself becoming acutely aware of it being there. He was feeling the tail, but it wouldn't respond to commands to move. He could feel how the fur splayed out against the floor of Michael's home. Eventually he snapped out of his meditative trance. He was actually frustrated he wasn't able to control it! He didn't stop to think about why that was, just having this thing that feels, but that he can't move irritated him. Add that to his hatred at his current predicament, and it was inevitable he'd have another tantrum.

"I can't move it and I'll never be able to! I can feel it but why can't I move it!?"

He yelled, pouting and sniveling, not realizing he'd accomplished part of what Michael wanted.

~~~

Michael watched Zach curiously, as he attempted to focus on the tail. He could feel the child's frustration, aside from seeing it on his face. Zach was actually frustrated at his inability to make it do what he wanted. What Michal wanted. That was a good first step. At his outburst, Michael chuckled, and patted Zach's head. He gently lifted his chin to look in his eyes. Michael's black eyes were shimmering in a gentle and calm tone. His touch was soft as well, and he hoped Zach could feel a sense of genuineness from him.

"No, no my boy. My good boy. That's good! You can feel it, that's already a good first step. Keep at it, I know you can do it. Here, let me try and help a little…"

Michael reached down, and began stroking Zach from his lower back, down to the tip of his tail. He made sweet cooing noises in a shushing manner. He stroked with his flat hand, and also used his nails in a tickling, pleasant motion. He stroked the tail, allowed his fingers to run down the spine of it, feeling the soft dog fur though his hand. Of course, an added benefit to the tail being from a real dog, was the introduction of actual male dog hormones and DNA, as well as what had been injected through needle. Within a short period of time, Zach's body would begin adapting to it. Eventually, Zach would actually begin to produce the odor of a male canine, rather than of his own human odor, and he would begin to sweat less as a human, and more like a dog, or it could even increase his body sweat, there was an uncertainty. But, he would certainly be encouraged to pant more, which would produce a bit of thick spit more similar to dog slobber. In addition, his upper and lower back, and around the base of his tail would produce especially pleasurable sensations. Zach would also find that he would no longer physically age at a normal pace. He'd likely remain looking like a ten or eleven year old boy for quite a number of years longer, including never growing body or facial hair. That had all been permanently removed. Only his head hair would grow at a normal pace.

As further humiliation, the dog tail would probably also attract fleas, but not only to his tail. He'd have to learn how to scratch his body as dogs often do. Michael would have to buy flea repellent. And, of course, the tail would shed as normal. Michael wasn't sure if Zach's head hair would react the same way or not. These things were sometimes unpredictable. Zach's normal human taste buds might remain normal, that'd be unfortunate for when Michael switched the boy to an all dog food diet, with only table scraps for good behavior. Michael was unsure what effect all this would have on the boy's mind, but he guessed only time would tell. In the meantime, he kept petting Zach.

"Good boy. Good dog…that's a good dog…"

~~~

Zach miraculously started to calm down, as Michael consoled him with soft words, and an even softer touch. Zach seemed to only be getting fleeting moments of kindness, but he knew he'd get more if he gave in to what Michael wanted from him completely, but he believed doing so meant Michael had completely won.

Zach tried to assess Michael as a person, while looking into his eyes for a moment. He didn't believe in things like eyes being windows to the soul, and Zach wouldn't know how to read them if they were, but he tried all the same. They were a pair of the blackest eyes Zach had ever seen, in contrast to his own baby blues. Zach wouldn't know if he was lying, but he saw Michael had pride in him. To Zach's shame, and disgrace, he didn't hate the feeling of having his tail stroked, and his back petted, and sort of tickled. He actually, maybe, liked it? His brow furrowed in frustration and anger. Confusion. That wasn't right, no way! Michael had kidnapped him and put a tail on him!

He didn't know, all he knew was that he didn't hate it. He wondered what dogs felt like with fur all over, getting stroked down their bodies, belly rubs, all of that. He was getting lost in those thoughts, when he brought himself back to reality hoping Michael hadn't seen any sign of possible enjoyment in him. Or even if he had, maybe that would lull him into thinking he had more affection for Michael than he really did. Zach hated everything that had happened since he first saw Michael Calvahone. The boy allowed himself to be petted, because he didn't think he could take another smack around the face. He just needed a bit of reprieve was all. Soon he'd start to learn the layout of Michael's home even more than on their walk together, and he hoped he'd find useful details, or perhaps he'd just find hopelessness…

~~~

Michael did notice Zach's facial expressions. He acknowledged the inner turmoil the child was going through, but he didn't let himself believe Zach was already coming around. No, the boy would likely continue to fight him for a while longer. Still, he'd find his options were quite limited now in what he could accomplish in his current state.

Michael continued rubbing, and stroking his backside and tail, encouraging Zach to focus on his new appendage. He hoped this would allow him some basic control at least, so they could go on their walk. Though morning, it was still rather chilly out and drizzling. Zach would find his body able to regulate temperature better with the introduction of his new canine DNA. This would also affect his mood, and sexual behavior. Not to mention an increase in his ability to feel, hear, taste and see. These would all become more noticeable as time went on until they were simply second nature for him.

After some time, if his attention was having any sort of positive effect, Michael would stop petting him, and fetch the choke collar. He slipped the leather around Zach's slender neck, and looped it around, and through itself where Michael took hold of the other end pulling it until it was taught. It was long enough for Michael to be able to stand normally. He coaxed his new charge as he walked towards the front door.

"C'mon boy! Let's test out your ability to walk. Use your hands and feet, with your legs bent, and butt raised up to move quicker. Focus, and try to keep up!"

The first destination was to the front door, then out onto the patio with the sun shining through partially covering gray clouds, and chilly air blowing. Michael would walk out past the patio, and down the stone steps, out onto the garden and cobblestone walkway…

~~~

As Zach continued to allow "his" tail, to be stroked, a strange feeling seemed to be building up in it. A tingle that became more, and more prominent until a shudder seemed to race up from where Michael's hand was, and up his back. Michael didn't seem to notice, but Zach could've sworn he felt the tail twitch just slightly. Zach definitely felt it though. If it could have involuntary movements, surely he could will it to move on his own if he kept trying. Only so he could get used to walking again, and eventually escape.

Zach concentrated on the task as hard as he could, trying to get used to how it felt when it moved even slightly. The muscles obviously worked, he just had to learn to use them. He set himself to thinking left, then right, seeing if he could make it sway or wag. It took a while of this before Zach could produce even the smallest result, but finally he was sure he'd managed to make it move, just the tip of the tail perhaps, but he did it. Michael would surely notice Zach's elation at this accomplishment, or he might think the petting, and affection was making the boy melt in adoration. Either way, Michael responded by slipping the choke collar around Zach's skinny neck. It made him flinch at the strange sensation, but he didn't complain or make a noise.

Zach was hardly ready to start walking, with the meagre progress he'd made, but he thought the best way to learn was to just put his body through the motions. Having his legs start to sway, the tail might help jog his muscle memory, to learn this new way of moving. It was just as difficult as it had been the first time. He stumbled multiple times on the way to the door, but he began to learn the best order to move his limbs, so they didn't get in each other's way or slow him down.

By the time they got to the front door Zach was, exasperated, worried he'd never get the hang of this, but he had to admit he'd become a bit more stable. When they approached the front door, and Michael opened it, Zach shivered a little as the cold air hit his naked body. Had it gotten less cold though? Still, he wasn't looking forward to this with his lack of clothes. Michael walked out first, and Zach followed, a little overconfident in himself, and slipped down the last couple of steps onto the gravel, making him shout out, as his face got lightly scraped.

"Fuck, ow!"

~~~

Zach was making quick, and surprising progress! At the boy's stumble down the last couple of steps, Michael stopped, and looked annoyed. He held Zach's face to the ground, and gave his rear a good couple of stinging swats.

"No! Bad dog!"

He lifted up his face to look at him again.

"I'm sorry I struck you. But, don't you ever curse again! You will be learning to only make dog sounds as soon as I deem it appropriate, so enjoy being able to communicate with me right now. I know it's difficult, but you're making very good progress. Now, c'mon!"

Michael once again patted his leg, and pulled the leash onwards. Michael had on his thick winter raincoat, so he was perfectly comfortable. He looked back to see how Zach was getting along in the rain, and walking on his hands and feet across the ground, and finally onto the grass. The rain was coming down gently but without stopping. It was fairly gray out with only a bit of sun. Michael's mansion could be clearly seen in the light. In the distance, the border wall could be seen clearly surrounding his entire property. Plus, beyond that of course were the hundreds of miles of forest. Michael took them around the side of the mansion across the grass and dirt.

He continued on behind the mansion, past the garden, and out towards where a small barn was where Michael kept his prized, rare, and expensive horses which he bred and sold. Nearby was a dog house, which looked like a small luxury log cabin, and had obviously belonged to Prince. Inside was a worn, well used dog bed, complete with old dog fur, and stains from many different kinds of sources. The inside smelled strongly of dog for sure. It was fairly warm though, with worn plastic flaps at the entrance, as well as a wooden door that could be locked shut if needed. The house was quite sturdy and strong, being weatherproof, as well as being effective to lock Zach up if needed.

"This is where you'll have the choice to sleep during the summer months, or anytime, really. It's quite comfortable inside, take a look!"

~~~

Zach tried to get up off the floor, but Michael was on him in a heartbeat, pinning his face to the ground, and spanking him hard a few times, causing Zach to yell out and whimper pathetically. Zach would have to be more careful in future, especially about swearing. As he contemplated his mistake, Michael pulled sharply on the leash, and set him to walking again. Zach still had to concentrate on coordinating his arms and legs to walk on all fours, still barely able to manipulate his tail to help. But, it seemed that it just being there helped him, he couldn't explain it.

Now that it was light out, Zach was able to take in more of his surroundings than when he'd arrived. He could see the bordering wall he'd never be able to climb, not now since his legs didn't bend right. It just went on and on, and it was all Zach could think about for some time, until the sudden feeling of rain on his naked skin took his attention. However, the nice feeling of squishing over damp grass, and dirt felt a bit nice after his spanking. It took away the feeling of his sore bottom.

Zach was doing well to keep up, pushing himself hard. He knew he'd just get a violent jerk of the leash if he lagged behind too much. At this pace, it didn't take long before they arrived at their destination, a miniature log cabin? For toddlers? No, of course not, Zach saw the contents of the inside when they got close, and Michael showed him what was obviously a luxury dog kennel, styled like a log cabin.

Zach hated it right away. He'd always wished for a tree house though, so this little house in the woods did spark a little interest. Zach was surprised Michael would allow him to "choose" to come out here or not. He hadn't been allowed any choice since he'd been here, except to obey as a dog or have his life made a living hell, so this was obviously a privilege. He knew better than to speak to Michael with words, so he just looked up at his captor with his eyes, and made his way into the dog house. It stank of that lived in, dirty but homey smell of dog. Not as strong as a kennel, but enough to still be overpowering when immersed in it. Zach thought he might score some brownie points by lying down on the dog bed, and curling up like a faithful hound. It was surprisingly more comfortable than his bed at home!

Michael smiled, and praised Zach with a "Good boy! Good doggy!" He knew of course the young one was only trying to make himself look good, but still, Michael would reward expected behavior. He fished into his pocket, and pulled out a chunk of dark chocolate. He knelt down and reached into the dog house, and held the sweet goodness in his open palm under Zach's mouth, expecting him to eat it off his hand, tongue on it and all. After a quick petting on his head, Michael then tugged the leash gently for them to move on. Of course, with Zach's wet body from the rain, he noticed a bunch of dog hair, and other bits of crud from the dog bed, had stuck onto his naked skin. Leading Zach back outside to the damp grass and mud, with the rain still coming down, they continued onwards around the grounds. Michael showed him the small barn with prized horses, and then they started heading back.

Of course, if in all this time Zach had to use the bathroom, outside was where he'd have to go. Back at the front door, there was a towel outside where Zach was instructed to "shake," and to wipe his "paws" from any excess mud, before being allowed back inside where it was much warmer. By this time, it was about noon. Michael was sure Zach would want to lie down in his dog bed, and take a rest. He unhooked the collar at any rate, and gave him that option, or if he was hungry, he could paw at his dog bowls, which would indicate that. There was also his basket of dog toys he could play with if he was bored. Michael would want to start training him soon. In the meantime, though, Michael replaced the choker collar with Prince's actual collar. A smooth, supple, and worn black leather band with short spikes around it, and the name Prince on a bone shaped tag with a small bell attached. This was put on nice and tight, but not too tight. Just enough that it could turn smoothly on his neck when the matching leash was clipped on. He was commanded to sit, while Michael put on his new collar.

"With this collar, you're new name will be Prince. Your old name is dead to you now, and Prince is what you must learn to respond to. Is that clear? Speak boy! Let's see how well you bark!"

~~~

Zach blushed at being praised by his captor. It certainly was a better experience than getting beaten, or operated on, but it surprised him just how much warmth it gave him. A poor substitute for his mother's love, but it was something to cling on to. More than just not wanting to suffer any more consequences, he also actually longed for affection, even though it conflicted him to receive it from Michael, the mastermind behind his misery. Zach didn't even debate not eating the chocolate right off Michael's hand with his mouth.

Using his hands surely would have been punished. He hadn't eaten anything for quite some time now. He didn't even know how long, and his stomach longed for whatever he could get. The sugar went right to through his system and he felt his heart race just a little as it gave him energy, and tasted so delicious. He flinched slightly when his head was petted, instinctively worried the contact was something to be feared. Maybe he'd eaten it wrong, not used his tongue enough, something. No, he was being petted before being ushered along on their rainy walk.

The two toured Michael's grounds briskly, with Michael showing Zach his prized horses. Zach had always wanted to try riding a horse, even though it was regarded as a girl's hobby. No chance of that now with his messed-up legs. Zach was dispirited by that on the last section of their walk, and was starting to feel tired. Beyond that was a more pressing concern though, he really needed to take a shit. He couldn't very well speak up and reinstate the urge of Michael's to want to remove his vocal chords altogether.

He slowed up to get Michael's attention, and looked up at him with a sheepish, pathetic face to request they stop. He spread his legs apart a little, lowered his butt to the ground, kept himself balanced with his hands flat on the ground in front of him, and tried to concentrate. He tried to ignore the cold, ignore the no-doubt watchful eyes of Michael on him. He tried to forget everything, and squeezed as hard as he could, but it was barely coming, and now he really had to go, it was impossible to think of anything else. Nature seemed to tell him how to make things easier, he squatted down, still on all fours and tried again, slower, calmer. It took a lot of focus, and straining, but eventually it came, and one solid shit landed heavily on the grass. Zach didn't even turn to look at it, he could smell it. It was, strangely familiar.

Zach wasn't overly revolted, he'd been in so many disgusting situations now, that taking a shit outside wasn't the end of the world. He still blushed a dark red though. Michael didn't even bother to clean his bottom, he only seemed to want him to wipe his hands and feet on the mat inside the door, before he was let back into the house. The warmth of the mansion was its own reward although the floors were much harder on hands and knees, than the soft wet mud. His arms and legs were sore from walking so unnaturally, and he couldn't wait to rest them up.

Zach saw the dog bowls he'd inherited but decided that, although he was starving it wasn't worth eating out of them just yet. No, Zach just padded towards the dog bed, and started trying to get comfortable after Michael unhooked the choke leash. As Zach settled in, Michael came up to him and instructed him to "sit," which he tried to do in a dog-like way. He ended up just on his knees for now. Michael then attached a worn black leather collar with spikes in it, around his neck tightly, before fastening the buckle.

He'd seen that there was a small bell on it as well as the dead dog's old tag still attached. An oversight on Michael's part? Nope, Michael explained to Zach that his new name would be 'Prince' from here on, and that is what he'd be called, and have to respond to. He then commanded Zach to bark. Zach was not thrilled about this latest development in his abuse. Michael was trying to change his identity, and create a new canine one. Zach would never stop thinking of himself in any other way than he had been a few days ago, no matter what he was forced to do to survive. Nevertheless, he barked. He barked twice even! Not particularly enthusiastically, and not really a convincing canine impression with his high childish voice. Still, he barked…

"Rarf! Rarf!"

~~~

Keeping himself intact would be more, and more difficult for Zach (now referred to as Prince) to do though. In the week to follow, Michael carefully put the boy through a steady, and rigorous stream of training sessions. He was not bathed the entire week for a start. For food, he was only given a bland diet of mushy gruel, which was comprised of pureed prunes, flaxseed, oatmeal and spinach. The result was a portion of light green/gray mush that tasted about as good as it looked. Water was his only source of hydration. He was served these in regular, human bowls, though he was forced to eat, and drink without the use of his hands, and on the floor.

The reasoning behind the mush was to dull his taste buds to prepare him for his dog food diet, which would come next, as well as to prepare his colon as well. The pureed mush would make him take regular poops. When he was switched to his dog food diet, he would probably have constipation, or diarrhea, so this would help with that. Also, the dog food would probably taste disgusting to Zach, so dulling his taste buds for a week would make the flavor stand out more when he ate it finally. A bit of a cruel (but fun) act on Michael's part.

Every other day he was put through physical exertion training. Michael ran with him on the leash, and put him through his paces. Teaching him tricks and commands, and how to respond quicker, and with less thought, and more response. Michael did not fill Zach's day with many interesting things. The point was to focus Zach's mind on Michael's commands, body language and behavior so that Zach would get more used to his presence, and respond quickly, and correctly to Michael's commands.

Zach was fed twice a day, in the morning, and at night. He was taken on a walk to go to the bathroom also only in the morning and evening before bed. Because of his now spread butt cheeks, it made cleaning after his "messes" less necessary, and when it was, he was only given a cursory wipe over with a baby wipe. Among the tricks and commands, he learned were the basics: Sit, roll-over, speak, fetch, heel, beg, and sit-pretty. Each command was given many times in a row over endless hours, and over the course of the week until they were each performed as second-nature.

When commanded to sit, Zach would have to sit back on hands and knees, with his knees spread, toes flat, with the back half arched up, and his butt lowered down to the ground just past his heels. His arms were to be straight down, palms flat on the ground, and looking up at his master. The roll-over command was a simple one, where he'd have both legs and arms bent, and then would simply "roll-over" wherever he was at the time, and assume a sit position afterwards.

Speak was obvious. Zach was taught he would have to make dog sounds to direct Michael's attention to his needs, as well as his body language. Scratching at the door and whining for instance, was a perfect indication of "I need to go potty!" Basically, if a dog couldn't do it, Zach was taught that he can't do it either. Fetch was pretty simple too, as was heel, which was to simply come back to Michael's side if he got too far away on their walks or runs.

To sit pretty was a demeaning command, almost like "beg." Begging was to sit back on his haunches above his heels, keeping himself balanced with his butt off the floor knees spread, arms up and bent under his chin with his hands bent down. After which he was to put on his cutest begging face complete with "puppy eyes," whining, yipping, tongue hanging out and panting, etc. Sitting pretty was almost the same, but with a decidedly more humiliating "stupid, happy dog" expression, tongue lolling to the side and panting excitedly with a smile on his face.

With every successful attempt at a trick or command, Michael would toss Zach a piece of chocolate on the floor with a "good dog" praise. With every failed attempt, he was given a stinging rolled newspaper swat to his rear, or to his nose along with a "bad dog!"

During the week, Michael did not interact much with Zach, aside from putting him through his paces, and giving him praise or punishment when needed. By the end of the week, Zach would also fully be able to use his tail for balance and to move it by his own free will. Also, by the end of the week Zach would notice he was sweating less through his skin and more through panting with his tongue. Though he still did sweat a little from his body.

In addition, by now the boy would notice his own body odor was that of a male dog, not a human boy. He would probably also receive irritation from fleas once in a while, although Michael did give him a few drops of flea repellent under his collar on his skin. When not in training, Michael chained Zach up to the dog house outside, despite the still cold and damp weather. The chain he was locked on was long enough for him to walk a few feet outside the dog house, as well as to wander inside freely, but it was otherwise pinned and cemented outside the dog house. The chain was thick and not easily broken.

The collar was a standard buckle and could be easily removed, but even if Zach removed it, where would he go? He wouldn't get very far. Plus, the tracker chip that had been implanted under his skin on his neck, which Michael made sure to mention if he hadn't already, would locate him anywhere he cared to go. Michael only came out to walk Zach, feed him, and train him, and he was then left alone again. The purpose of this was to make Michael's visits the only interaction he ever got, thus furthering his want or need for Michael's presence, which helped bond him more to Michael. Because Zach was not bathed at all for the entire week except for his hands and feet being wiped off, this meant that whatever he got on his body would be stuck there for the week. Rain would probably only partially help, and it didn't rain much of the time either…

To Be Continued