Treasure’s Guardian
A colab by: Ainoko Ironrose and Ssj3mewtwo
“SOLD!” Ainoko looked up in surprise at the announcement. “The last item in today’s auction has been sold to our Mystery bidder for a total of 15,500,000 gold crowns.”
It was degrading standing there naked letting those who were bidding on him come up and feel him down like a cursed beast of burden. Even worse was those who pawed around his sheath, tail and tailhole, it was as if they were seeing if he was going to used for breeding. Breeding was something that he dreaded more than anything in the world because he knew that his deepest secret would be exposed.  
“Ainoko, you are to go to the staging pens,” Said Mistress Kix, as she retrieved her leash, “You are to remain there until your Owner’s couriers arrive to pick you up. In the morning, you are to be readied for travel to your new owner. Follow me.”
After the platform finished dropping into the pit and settled, Kix then led Ainoko off the stage to the staging pens, where she placed him in an empty cell barely taller than him half his height in width and barely long enough for him to lie prone, with only a straw filled mat, a refuse pit and a meal dispenser.“Ainoko,” Kix said after he was secured in the cell. . I have no idea as to how long the journey to your new owner will be, but I suggest that you eat as much as you can before you leave tomorrow, not to mention plenty of rest. Good night and may your days with your new owner be pleasant and full of adventure.”
“Mistress Kix,” He said hastily, “This is wrong and you know it”
“So you keep saying, however, that is no longer your concern.” She said, “All you need to concern yourself with at this time, is pleasing your new owner. Ainoko, you will come to love your new life, and you may even thank the gods and demons for your new path in life. Remember, the band that now encircles your arm, ensures that you are treated with respect and never abused and it will let us know if anything bad were to happen to you. Slaves today have a far better life than they did ages ago.”
“I don’t care that slaves are treated better than they were ages ago.” Ainoko said in anger, “I was happy as a free fur. I can never be happy as a slave, I’ve worked hard for the freedoms that I just lost. Where is the justice in that, tell me! Mark my words, I will not rest until I am again a free fur.”
“Please understand Ainoko,” She said sadly as she closed and locked the door to his cell, “You no longer have any choice in the matter; it is up to you now, to make the best of your new role in life. Remember, all slaves do have some freedoms, just what freedoms you get to enjoy is up to your new owner. Now, it is time for me to go and file my reports on today’s events before I go home. Goodnight and sleep well.”
Ainoko shuddered at the thought that his life as he knew it was now over and his future uncertain. Forgoing a meal, he went to the mat, and laid down before curling up into a ball. Tears were streaming from his eyes and onto the mat as he slowly drifted off into a troubled, restless sleep.
**********
It wasn’t until after a long and restless sleep that Ainoko decided that he was just going to lay there in his cell ignoring anyone that came to get him ready for his travels. He felt that if they wanted him to be ready for his new owner’s couriers, they would have to do so without his help. His ears twitched when he heard someone walking his way, unlocking the cells on his bloc. He didn’t move a muscle when he heard the lock on his cell door disengage and the door open.
“Rise and shine Slave.” An unfamiliar male voice said, “We have to get you ready for your journey later.” When Ainoko didn’t move, the male stood there for a moment before calling for some help with a stubborn Slave.
Soon he heard his cell door open again followed by the sound of one or two people entering before he felt them grab his arms forcing him to sit up. He remained limp and unresponsive to their attempts to get him up and about, as he stared at nothing in particular.
“Looks like this one went into shock during the night after learning his life is no longer his to control.” Snickered one of the males that was dragging him out of his cell, before putting him on a cart. “At least bathing him will be easier as he won’t be fighting us the whole time.”
A short while later, Ainoko was carried into a small bare room where his two handlers proceeded to chain his body with his arms and legs spread open before leaving the room. He nearly jumped when his body was assaulted by numerous jets of warm, soapy water. He endured this washing for the next ten minutes as his fur was washed, thoroughly rinsed, and blow dried before his handlers came in and roughly brushed all knots and kinks out of his fur. Once done, he was put onto a wheeled chair and moved to another part of the complex where there he was taken into a room filled with all manners of clothing, travel gear, and supplies.
“What in the holiest of the eternal hells does this Slave think he is? God? A Freeman?” A short, thin, red vixen said in exasperation when she saw Ainoko in the chair before pointing to an empty bed. “Please put him on the bed by the window for now. I will get to him after taking care of my current charge. You can return for him in about an hour, he will be ready then.”
The two males grabbed his legs and arms and they moved him over to the bed that the vixen had indicated before leaving the clothes locker. He laid there on the bed for about five minutes staring at the far wall, when a sharp throbbing snap on his cock and balls made him jump off the bed yelping in shock, surprise and pain. “What did you do?” He cried out as he held his goods in his paws, checking them to see if there was any obvious damage. “That hurt!”
“Well, it seems that my ‘privileged’ one can move after all!”  The vixen said as she tried vainly to keep from laughing at his reaction. “Now that you are able to move again, we can get you ready for your journey later today. And before you ask again Slave, I sent a mild electric charge through your balls, it didn’t harm your boys any, just a sharp tingling pain that got your attention. Now please follow me I don’t have much time to get you ready.”
  Ainoko followed her to where the traveling clothes and gear was kept. Once there the vixen chose simple but rugged gear that was suited for his upcoming journey. He was given a thin, well oiled cloak to keep any moisture off his fur, the cloak was too thin to provide any warmth in case it got cold during his travels. He was also given a light set of travelling clothes as well, the shirt and shorts were both thin but afforded him some decency when out in public as well as basic protection from the elements. His walking shoes were well worn, yet able to keep all but the sharpest of materials away from his feet. Within the hour, Ainoko found himself chained to a rail, waiting for his handlers to come and take him back to his cell wearing what clothing was given to him and holding onto a spare set as well.
A few minutes later, he once again found himself locked into a small holding cell. This cell was far smaller than the one he spent the night in, he barely had enough room to curl up into a tight ball in order to try and get a few minutes sleep, if any. It wasn’t until the noon hour neared that he was finally taken from his cell and delivered to his couriers. His ears perked up in surprise and humor as he saw that the couriers were far shorter than him, however, he wasn’t prepared for how dominate they appeared upon his first meeting with them. 
Before he could say or do anything, the one wrapped in a dark, shimmering red robe from head to toe, grabbed the shackle around his neck and roughly yanked him onto his knees, like a submissive harlot, and forcing to look into his eyes. “Listen and listen well Slave,” He said with a menacing growl, “Our journey to your new Mistress is going to be a long and dangerous one. We are under orders to get you to hir residence in the shortest time possible, which means, that if needed, we will drag your sorry carcass there by your tail. All that you need to know is that I am Benjamin,” Then he pointed to the large, imposing black male next him that was wearing the same clothing as him, but was blue in color. “And this is Ricardo. For now, until we deliver you to our Mistress, you will address us as Master Benjamin, Master Ricardo or Sir. You are not to speak unless spoken to, if you do speak without either of us talking to you, or you misbehave, you will be punished. Do you understand what I have just said?”
 “No SIR.” Ainoko replied in anger, “I answer to nobody, not you, Reecardo or whomever this mystery Mistress you say that supposedly bought me. I have stated that to Mistress Kix before I was sold illegally and under false pretenses. You can tell your Mistress, that if SHE wants a willing slave, then SHE can come here and get me herself, then and only then will I go willingly.”
He then turned around and began walking away from the two men and back into his cell, failing to see the two men exchange a quick glance before Ricardo made a subtle gesture. The next thing that Ainoko knew was something wrapping itself around his throat and body, before being savagely yanked back towards the two men. As soon as he landed at the feet of Benjamin, whatever it was that was wrapped around his body, finally let go of him. Before he had a chance to get back on to his feet, a bright flash of light filled his vision as he was savagely kicked in the head by Ricardo, sending him spinning across the room before slamming into the far wall of the cell and onto the floor. He moaned as he slowly and painfully climbed up the wall onto his feet, turned towards the two men and muttered, “You bastards!” before collapsing into a heap, unconscious.
A persistent itch in his ears and a near unbearable pressure on his groin greeted him as he returned from the black pits of unconsciousness, as he tried to raise a paw to scratch the itch, the pressure on his groin increased considerably. Opening his eyes to see what was causing his discomfort, he groaned as a sharp, searing pain lanced through his head. Looking around blearily, he saw that his couriers had placed him on a short stub of a branch, and bound him in such a way that if he raised or moved his arms in any way, he would be forced down onto the stub effectively keeping him from making any attempts to escape.
As he looked around, he saw that he was no longer in the slave pens, but in a small, wooded glade, where a small, intense, hot fire was burning. It was no longer day, but night, so that meant, that the two men must have carried him to the glade where they stopped for the night, it was then that he realized he was naked, again. He noticed that the trees, ground and general environment was not that of his home, which meant that he was truly lost. “Good, you’re awake.” The one called Benjamin said as he looked up from tending the fire. “You’ve rested enough. When Ricardo gets back from scouting the area for food, we will be resuming our journey to your new Mistress after we have eaten; shi is expecting to have you delivered tomorrow.”
A short time later, Ricardo reappeared looking just as angry as the first time Ainoko saw him. “We leave now,” He said as he approached Ainoko, freeing him from the tree. He then roughly tied his paws behind his back, making sure that he could barely move them at all; he then attached what appeared to be a thin metal strand to his collar. “Do anything funny Kitty and you are going to regret it.” As soon as Benjamin had the fire doused and all remnants of their presence removed, they left the campsite. 
Ainoko watched the two men as he carefully extended a claw and slowly began to cut through the rope that was tied around his paws. As tightly bound as his paws were, he managed to sever the cord, soon the pressure around them disappeared as the rope unraveled. He caught the rope as it fell off so that his captors wouldn’t get any suspicions about his escape attempt. He then began to work on the rope, chain or whatever it was that was attached to his collar. He soon figured out how to release the cord, he removed it from his collar before reattaching it loosely as he followed his couriers. He wanted to break free and run now, but couldn’t because it too quiet and there was little cover in the area. He kept his paws behind his back in the guise of still being bound in case either Benjamin or Ricardo looked back to check up on him. 
Soon, the scent of fresh water began to invade the air, shortly followed by the sounds of running water. Shortly after leaving the cover of the woods, they came upon a fast moving river, and made their way towards a rocky fjord, and in the far distance, he saw what appeared to be a dormant volcano. When they approached the fjord, Ainoko got a little excited when he saw how deep and fast the water was flowing through it. ‘This is the perfect spot to escape.’ He thought to himself as he mentally prepared to make his move.
“Watch your footing Kitty,” Benjamin said looking towards him, “You fall into the river, you had better hope that we can get to you before you go over the waterfall, not to mention that we go easy on you once we get back to shore. Understand?”
“Yes sir, I understand.” He said scornfully as he looked for an opportunity to make his escape. He was so intent on pretending to do what he was told, that he failed to see the two men look at each other with knowing grins. When they got to the middle of the fjord he saw his chance to escape and took advantage of it. A somewhat large tree was headed their way, and as it started to pass between them, he quickly removed the cord from his collar and pretended to slip on a submerged rock and into the water to get away from the tree. He resurfaced a few yards away from the two men attempting to swim to the other side of the river. He went under a few times trying to get his bearings when he was blindsided by another log, knocking him unconscious.
He came to a few minutes later to find himself on the river bank at the base of a waterfall, a rather large one at that. Despite numerous bruises some small cuts from rocks and logs and a swollen ankle, he discovered that he had broken nothing in his unwanted ride over the waterfall. Getting up and shaking off any remaining water off his fur, he discovered that he couldn’t walk very fast because of his ankle, as he managed to limp into the woods before Benjamin and Ricardo could locate him. Once in the woods, he found a suitable branch that would help him walk easier until his ankle healed enough to walk with no trouble.
Once he was able to move with little problem, he began to search for someplace safe that he could get some rest until the sun came up in a few hours. Not to mention he had a feeling that Ricardo and Benjamin could find him very easily if they so chose, despite that is was quite dark outside. He was banking on the fact that the two men would wait until sunrise to locate him rather than risk injuring themselves.
A short time later, he found a small deep cave hidden behind a thicket of brambles quite by accident after slipping on some loose gravel over the entrance. After making sure that there was no way for anyone and anything to find him, he curled up and drifted off into a deep, restless sleep. 
A short time later, a small arc about 6 foot high appeared near where Ainoko was sleeping, before Ricardo and Benjamin walked through it straight to where he was sleeping. As they neared the cave, Ricardo looked at Benjamin in silent communication before splitting up and going in separate directions. Once Ricardo was gone, Benjamin wrapped his cloak tightly around his body becoming invisible so that he can keep watch on their Mistresses’ new slave without him being none the wiser, while Ricardo went to check out the cave where Ainoko was hiding and to make sure that he was ok. Ricardo had wanted to bring the slave to hir cave right away despite knowing that the hybrid would make every attempt he could to escape.
He managed to convince Ricardo that it would be best to let the hybrid escape and to let their Mistress recapture him. His reasoning was that the new slave would rather submit to hir than to the two of them, and would make getting him to the lair much easier. He was pleased that Ricardo grudgingly agreed to his plan, as he knew Ricardo loved to hunt down the slaves that their Mistress bought from various locations and dimensions that escaped and punish them severely. He knew that their Mistress had plans for this particular slave, and that shi preferably wanted him to submit to hir willingly instead of against his will, so that meant letting him think that he got away from them until Shi caught him hirself later today or tomorrow. A short time later, Ricardo returned from scouting the area, letting him know that their Mistresses’ newest slave was injured from his ride over the falls, and that he had managed to heal the hybrids injuries from outside the cave before leaving to summon their Mistress. Once Ricardo was gone, Benjamin settled down for the night keeping watch and making sure that the kitty had a good safe, sleep.

**********
The next day Ainoko woke, to discover that his rest did wonders, his cuts and bruises were gone and his ankle felt much better as well. Soon he started heading towards the volcano that he spied while crossing the fjord; he figured that he could get his bearings from there and head home. There was a few times as he was walking, he could have sworn that one of the two men he escaped from was following him, it seemed that every time he looked around, he thought that he saw someone or something duck just out of his vision, he finally decided that it was just his imagination, nothing else. 
A few hours later, he found himself in a small valley. After not seeing anyone after he thought that he was being stalked, he felt relaxed. It was nice to be able to do what he wanted without anyone telling or ordering him around. Looking around and seeing no threats, Ainoko decided to lie down and take a short nap before resuming his trek towards the old volcano. No sooner than he closed his eyes, when he felt a shadow cross his closed eyes. Waking and sitting up, he looked around looking for the source of the mysterious shadow. All he was able to see was a large bird in the distance that seemed to be either circling prey or heading his way. He decided to get up and head back into the woods as the bird seemed to be heading his way and getting bigger. A cold chill swept through his body as he saw what was heading his way, A Dragon! He began running for his life as fast as he could, even though he knew that he had little to no chance of ever making the tree line safely.
A sudden blast of wind knocked him head over tail as the dragon swooped right over him. He looked up in surprise as the dragon made a tight turn for another pass at him. He knew he was lucky that it missed him the first time, but he won’t be so lucky the second. Just as he started to run towards the woods, the dragon landed with a mighty thud right in front of him. He yelped in fright as he hastily retreated away from the mighty beast as fast as he was able to on his hands and knees. 
*Stop!* A soft yet commanding female voice said in his head. *You made an oath and I expect you to keep it.*
Looking around in confusion, Ainoko was trying to find the source of the voice in his head. Then it dawned on him, it was the dragon talking to him. “W-w-what do you want with me?” He stammered in fright.
*I expect you to keep you promise that you made to Ricardo and Benjamin a few days ago when they picked you up for Me.* Shi said, *I am your new Mistress.*
Once again, a cold wave swept through his body as the realization became clear. He was now a slave, pet or future snack for his new owner. He knew what he said at the slave pens, and knew that he meant every word he said.
“Mistress,” He said softly, “I will keep my word and submit to you as your slave, pet or whatever it is you want of me. Even if it means that I will be just a snack.”
*Ainoko, I do promise you that you will never be a snack for Me.* Shi said gently. *I bought you for a reason, but I will explain that later, but first we need to get you back to your new home. Climb on my back and we get there shortly and don’t worry, I will not let you fall off.*
 As he climbed onto his Mistresses back he took note of her size. He could easily fit in one of her forepaws with plenty of room to spare, the scales along her back were golden with silver looking spikes going from tail tip to her neck.  The rest of her body was covered in a mesh of yellow scales so fine that one could easily think that it was skin, her belly and outer parts of her forearms and legs appeared to be covered in a solid silver or grey armor plating. He found a spot over hir shoulders and between the immense wings where he felt safe and somewhat comfortable. 
“I am ready Mistress.” He said nervously as he held tightly to one of her spikes. Suddenly his head was snapped violently back as shi leaped into the air before flapping hir wings to gain purchase in the air as they rose into the air. In no time they were far above the ground and heading towards the volcano he saw earlier in the day. 
A short time later, shi banked hard and dove towards what appeared to be a small heavily fortified wooden gate. Ainoko yelped in fright as shi folded hir wings tight to hir body right before they zipped through the gate at a rapid pace. His ears popped and his body was briefly crushed against hirs, as shi snapped hir wings open to stop right inside hir cavern, dislodging him from hir back. He sat there for a few minutes getting his breath back as he took in his surroundings. Hir cavern was immense, wherever he looked; he saw piles of precious metals, gems and priceless artifacts. His thoughts were interrupted when shi stepped into his field of vision.
*Ainoko,* Shi said in his mind again, *You are to remain silent until I give you leave to speak.*
“Yes Mistress, I understand.” He replied quietly.
*Good. Now there are reasons I bought you from the slave pens, namely for some abilities that you possess. I am not going to talk about those until later. The main reason I bought you was to guard my hoard, eggs, clutches and dragonettes. Your job will not be easy, nor will I allow you to be harmed in any way, but, in order for you to perform your duties properly, I will have to strengthen your body to withstand any possible attacks you may face. There is something in this for you as well, if you do agree to what I will do to you, you will be given eternal life as my guardian, and have freedom to leave the cavern as needed to watch over my dragonettes. This is one of the few times that you will be allowed to speak freely and ask any questions.*
“Mistress, you know that I have sworn an oath to serve you in the slave pens, and I will no matter what the cost.” Ainoko said quietly, “I am honored that you want to grant me eternal life to guard your hoard and that you want to make me nigh invincible to any intruders here, but you made a statement that I have some abilities that made me more desirable to you over the other slaves in the pens. May I ask why?”
*Ainoko, you are an honorable person who honors his words as you have proved to me earlier, that is one thing that I have been seeking in a guardian for a long time. You show cunning that will make your role as my guardian a wise choice.* Shi replied, *However, that is just one reason, you do possess some dormant powers that will aid you in your job, but the biggest reason I bought you for my guardian is because you are a rarity amongst the world’s population.* Ainoko’s felt a sinking feeling in his belly as he realized what Thaarin was referring to. *Ainoko, I know that you have the ability to be bred. I am unable to carry my egg clutches due to my age and size. That is where you will play a role. I am giving you one last opportunity to speak before you agree or disagree to what I am proposing.*
“M-m-mistress,” He said nervously, “I have spent my entire life so far hiding that awful secret, yet you have easily discerned it with no problem. I don’t know what dormant powers you say that I possess that will help me perform the job that you bought me for. I will gladly submit to you as your slave and pet as you now own me. I have no choice in what you want to do to me.”
*Alas Ainoko, what needs to be done will make the process easier if you do so willingly rather than unwillingly.* Shi replied, *Yes I knew about your ability to be bred before you became a slave to be sold, I paid others to keep that secret hidden from those who were bidding on you. If others knew about that, might be bought and forced to bear cubs until you die. My offer will give you a chance to avoid that fate altogether. If you willingly agree to the change I wish to make to your body, you will lose the ability to speak, you will lose most of your emotions, your powers will become active, and your mortal body will cease to exist. Your soul will not cease to exist, your body will be replaced with one that can no longer be damaged or hurt. In order to go through the change you will be asked to perform an act that once completed will seal the contract. Once you agree, I will tell what needs to be done in order to seal the contract, and what will happen once the contract has been activated. Do you understand?*
“Yes Mistress, I understand.” He said quietly.
*Good* Shi said before continuing, *Now Ainoko, if you choose not to be my guardian, you will never see the light of day again without severe restrictions, that is to say you will not be able to leave this cavern without unless I feel it necessary that you can leave. I would have to force the needed changes to your body, which will not only strain the magic involved, but cause you immense pain. If you agree to be my guardian, you will have freedom of movement up to a day and a half travel from this cavern in any direction, and your change will not be painful but extremely pleasurable. Please, do not be hasty in making your decision about this. Will you be willing to be my guardian Ainoko?*
Ainoko thought about what his Mistress just told him, if he said no to hir proposition, what freedoms he is enjoying right now will virtually cease to exist with the possibility of being changed into hir guardian in a painful manner, however, if he does agree to hir proposition, he will lose some freedoms but won’t be forced to stay in the lair all of the time not to mention that he will be changed into an immortal being. Both choices offered both good and bad points and were equal in all regards. He stood there in front of the dragon for a few minutes debating his choices before finally responding. 
“Mistress, I have made my decision.” He said as an ice cold pit of fright filled his insides as he felt the fur on his body stand on end as it seemed that a spell or two was ready to be activated with his next response. “No matter if I say yes or no to you about this, either way, I will still be your guardian. And to be honest, no matter how frightened I am right now, and I am frightened beyond belief, I feel that it would be better for both of us for me to agree to be your guardian.” Once he said that, the air around them seemed to explode with a soft golden light.
*You have made a wise choice Ainoko* Shi said, *Now that you have agreed the necessary magics have been activated and will start working once you and I have mated and you have howled out your release*
Ainoko looked up at Thaarin in complete shock and surprise at the thought of him mating her. She is a female, something that he had never done before in his life, he had always mated with males, not to mention, how would someone as large as her, ever feel him inside her?
Looking back at him, Thaarin chuckled, *Don’t worry Ainoko, I know that you have never been with any females before and would have no idea as to how to proceed. You see, I am not a female, I am what you would call a hermaphrodite. That means I have both male and female parts. Please climb up onto my belly, and relax, I will help you get the process started. *