It had been with a look of tired despair that the young man looked upon his reflection. He felt his nerves getting the better of him, questions upon questions bubbled through him. What was he doing? Was this the right thing to do? A mild sense of wishing to escape the white-tiled room seeped through his thoughts.

A splash of cold water, he looked upon his reflection.

It was a look that lacked the hollowed-out cheeks and sunken eyes of spending two weeks almost starving in the forest. Just a couple of nights with proper food and whatever that girl's glowing hands did and he almost looked properly healthy again. Another splash of water. The young man shuddered at the memory of the forest.

"You've done this before," he told himself, another splash of water. "You just need to do it one more time. One more time, is all."

Truth was that he wanted to run.

If only the door beyond weren't locked and the key out of his reach.

His eyes darted at the leather pouch next to the sink. Could he go without using it tonight? His hands were shaking, and a deeper grimace went through him as he thought about it. No, it... it was too much, he'd get used to it tomorrow maybe. Right now he was too clammy and anxious; what awaited at the other side of the bathroom door left him with a sense of weak knees and roiling stomach.

The thought that followed made him wince, and his hands reached for the bag. In his nervousness, he'd squeezed a bit too hard, and a cloud of pink dust lifted into the air. Barry coughed, stepping back as he dropped the bag, trying to swat away at the cloud that coursed into his mouth and lungs. A burning sensation instantly blossomed within him, the very skin that touched the dust tingling with tiny sparks of sensation.

A second breath and the lust slammed against him like a truck.

He was hard, painfully hard, his clothes were stuffy, his breath short, eyes becoming unfocused.

Lust dust is what they had called it.

To the young man, it felt more like a sexual frenzy in a bag. His steps stumbled towards the door. He needed air; there was too much of the stuff in the bathroom for him to stay there. The last time he had remained exposed to the thing...

The door opened, and he stumbled into the half-lit room. The sound of chains drew his attention to the first of his two tormentors.

"Let's get this over with, Barry," the woman scowled, and the young man tried to ignore the key she held in her hands, tried to pretend she was truly and fully chained and unable to move much at all. "You know how I like it."

"Yes ma'am," the young redhead replied with a shudder, his eyes coursing through her naked body, ignoring the impatient look on the woman's eyes.

Approaching slowly, he reached up to cup her breasts, but she scowled right away. "Naked," she ordered with a scoff.

Barry obliged, removing his clothes, the sense of liberation coursing through him as his boiling skin was exposed to cooler air. And yet he still strained underneath. His loins ached for release, patience frayed bit by bit the longer he went without it. The young man's hands reached up to cup the woman's breasts, squeezing.

"Lower," she commanded, and thus Barry obliged with a flinch, changing his focus further down.

His hands hefted the heavy tender orbs of flesh for but a second before he continued his way, falling down the smooth curves of her body, the hard flatness of her stomach, and reaching her hips. The woman's eyes flashed with a mix of pleasure and annoyance.

"Kneel."

The command made the young man wince. His eyes darted to the woman's legs, confirming that they were indeed heavily restrained, keeping her legs wide open and entirely unable to close. His hand still ached from the time she'd had him finger her while unrestrained. There was little doubt those thighs could literally crush his skull like a watermelon.

Grim laughter echoed inside the man's head. He remembered the memes, the internet comments, and now as he knelt between legs of this woman he could only consider a physical manifestation of an Amazonian goddess... His heart was filled with dread and fear even as everything else simmered with artificial arousal.

Lips met her sex, tongue darting out and tasting the honeyed juices. A slightly sweet taste he'd been surprised at the first time, but now it was no more interesting than the look on her eyes as she began to gyrate her hips in response. "Slightly higher..." She gasped, murmuring little commands and guidance.

A rhythm was established, the woman's heat increasing with every flick, lick, and bite. It didn't last long; she was impatient.

"I'm ready," she proclaimed, her toes curling as Barry pulled back and wiped the juices off of his face.

He knew what that meant, and he stood again, taking a moment to straighten himself and pay some attention to his throbbing hardness. He noticed the look in her eyes as she focused upon it- there was, for the briefest of instants, a flash of desire.

"Don't pussyfoot," she commanded, to which Barry could only nod.

A mutual groan escaped the two as, after a moment to line himself up, he pushed into her in a single thrust. Warm, tight, and hot, her body presented no resistance. The human grasped her hips and began to pump into the female as hard as he could with no preamble or wait. Their bodies burned and heated up as, thrust for thrust, Barry felt his knees become weaker.

"Harder!" She barked into his ear, causing a burst of adrenaline to run through him, his hips moving faster now. "Just like that, don't stop."

His body screamed as he obliged, every muscle in his legs and lower back beginning to ache. It didn't take long before his rhythm started becoming erratic. With ragged breathing, he continued, gripping her hips with everything he had left. And just as he'd reached this limit, she tightened with everything she had.

A moan escaped the young man, followed by a whimper. His body pulled as if invisible strings within him were being yanked towards his crotch. All at once he exploded, the tension releasing at the same time, leaving behind a simmering heat. His consciousness spun for a second before he registered the sound of unlocking chains, a hand pushed him a step back, causing him to stumble and almost fall.

"Decent enough," Pan spoke, rubbing her wrists for a second before she moved to unlock her legs. A cold glare looked at Barry from head to toe. "You're in no condition for another round, Kajou will have to wait."

There was a dismissive disappointment in that tone, as she took a piece of tissue to wipe herself as Barry stumbled onto the bed, breathing hard as he sat and struggled to recover his breath. Eyes darting about, he found a bottle of water to chug, the fresh liquid helping him wash out the honeyed scent of Pan's sex.

His head hung low as the monstergirl moved towards the bag near the door. A slow unzipping sound, and she took out the dex. Barry's eyes flashed at the sight of the device as the young woman checked things in it for only a moment, dropping it back down into the bag. "Kajou should be here in an hour, rest up."

The order was followed with a dismissive snort, and she turned towards the bathroom.

Barry heard a complaint about "the mess" when the monstergirl had entered, but his ears were paying closer attention to something else. It would not be until the water started running that he lunged towards the bag, moving to pull out the dex. His hands fiddled with the unlock button.

"No matching bioscan."

Dejection coursed through him. His eyes looked through the device, old, worn, full of scratches and tiny dents. Now if only he could figure out a way to unlock and give it some use... It would not do, for now, he moved back to the bed. Kajou was the less demanding of the two, but he still needed to catch his breath.

Closing his eyes, he tried to force himself to sleep.

"SLAP HARDER!"

The command came with the woman shoving her hips back at Barry. The young man grunted as the force almost threw him off. His hand came down hard enough his hand stung. The woman moaned, lowering her head and biting the bed covers. A whimper of a sound as Barry brought his hand down upon her perfectly shaped ass once more.

"Ha~harder..." Her voice spoke breathlessly, Barry's shoulder hurt from the next impact.

A shudder, and Kajou came hard, her body tensing as she shuddered, going limp. The gesture was mirrored by Barry as he collapsed on her back. She didn't complain, staying and luxuriating in the sensation. The monstergirl very slowly relaxed, laying her head against the bed as she sighed. "That hit the spot," she muttered in a low voice. "I think we'll find a paddle for next time."

Barry nodded slightly at her words, pulling out with a grunt and collapsing onto the bed, breathing hard and laying there, looking at the ceiling with unfocused eyes. His ears picked the sound of clinking chains as the monstergirl freed herself from the restraints. A slow sigh escaped him as he watched her rubbing her calves and ankles.

"You ok?"

The question made the young man blink, looking at her for a second. "Just tired."

"Does your hand hurt?" She asked.

It did. "It'll get better."

A slight nod. "I'll ask Pan to heal it."

With a little nod, Barry remained still, watching the tanned skin woman as her eyes coursed up and down his body. It became apparent she paused at each scar that adorned his legs and arms. There was a slight look of sympathy in those eyes, as her fingers reached out to caress Barry's forearm.

"What is it?" He asked nervously.

"You spend a lot of time here on your own," she spoke. "Would you like us to bring you anything?"

A moment of hesitation. "I mean, that device with the screen and..."

Kajou shook her head. "We can't give you our dex, it's locked."

"It can't be changed?"

A shake of the head.

"Then... could I at least use it after one of you unlocks it?" He wondered, his throat straining. "I don't want to be here, I-"

"We can't avoid that, sorry Barry," she said. "It's dangerous out there, and Pan would kill me if I let you out." A small smile spread through her lips. "But I think I could let you use the dex. Why are you interested in that?"

He needed information, the two sisters told him so little... "I like to read," he added truthfully.

"Ah, yes, you do look like the kind of person that would rather spend time with books." She patted his thigh. "Come, let's shower."

That gave him a moment to think before he nodded, struggling a little to stand and follow along, practically dragging his feet back into the bathroom. The tanned woman brought out a stool to sit on as she turned the water on. It was mildly cold, as always. But Barry had grown used to at least that much.

With a flick of her wrist she tossed the young human a bar of soap.

"All yours," she proclaimed, turning her back towards him.

With a moment of pause, Barry looked at her figure. From back here, his eyes couldn't help but course through the rippling muscles, the body of a woman who was powerful. He hesitated before applying the soap on to her shoulders, not quite sure where to take this. It was the first time Kajou had even bothered to talk to him after the sex.

A part of the young man desperately wanted to ask why the change in attitude, but another feared that doing so would make her stop.

"You're going to need to dig your fingers a little deeper," she explained, leaning a little further forwards.

"Y-yes." He began applying more pressure as she instructed.

"After the shower, you'll get some rest then we'll go outside for a run before we do some weight training," she continued, relaxing further, closing her eyes.

Barry squirmed at that, grimacing inwardly but not saying anything. He knew he didn't have an alternative available. The last time he'd resisted they'd cut off his food for a whole day. "Is... Pan here?"

"No, she's gone to get some food." Kajou's words made Barry to sigh with relief. "She's a little pushy, but she's alright. She has your best interest at heart."

Barry scowled at those words, feeling a wave of irritation. He felt like he wanted to say something, but didn't feel the power to really summon the words. Instead, his fingers kept pushing against the sleek power of her muscles while he inwardly tried to convince himself he'd eventually find a way to get out of here.

"A little faster, Barry, I know you can do it."

The words came with a sharp sting to the young man's thigh, causing him to flinch and step up the pace. He felt air leave his lungs and mere seconds afterwards his steps stopped, causing him to stumble and fall. Tumbling down, he barely had the strength to stop himself before he just nearly face-planted against the dirt.

Kajou stopped next to him, the woman wearing a backpack that was loaded with rocks. "One-minute break, then. Do you need anything on your wounds?"

"Just a scratch." Barry moved his knees against his chest, sitting on the dirt, trying to calm his breathing and recover what little energy the time could allow him to.

His eyes gazed at the forest around him. It was all forest, all except the old half-ruined house.

Forest, as far as the eyes could see, no end in sight. No escape.

The only thing he knew for sure was that civilization somewhere to the East. That was the direction Pan and Kajou took when they "went out for supplies". But knowing how far was anyone's guess. They would always head out during the morning and come back at night. That distance, with their abilities? It could probably take Barry a week.

A howl was heard in the distance.

Barry's shoulders froze, head whipping in the direction of the sound before immediately turning towards Kajou. The monstergirl had a slight scowl to her face. "Better head inside," she muttered, helping the human to stand up.

They passed the half-rotten fence, opening the door. Inside, Barry paused and waited as Kajou locked the heavy door behind her. The corridor was split. The side that led to the left was blocked off, the house had collapsed, and Pan had placed a lot of debris in the way to ensure nothing could sneak into the rest easily. The right side went downwards, to the basement, where the two rooms and bathroom were.

The only usable parts of the house.

"How long will we stay here?" Barry ventured the question.

"I don't know. Probably until you can actually handle going through the wilds," Kajou spoke with a frown, locking the second door behind her, the second layer of protection from the outside.

"There's civilization right there. Why not...?"

"For your safety," she replied, pausing before grimacing. "And ours."

"I don't understand."

"You don't need to," came the answer, the woman moving towards the weights room. "Once you're able to survive, then we'll hit the road."

That got him to snap. "Survive the ferals!? I'd never be able to-"

"At least able to not be a burden." With the response, Kajou shot a glare. "Do I need to remind you in what state we found you? Help me with the weights, we'll start your reps."

The young man flinched, lowering his gaze as he moved to lift one of the bags and strap them to one side of the straightened piece of rebar as Kajou did the same on the other side. The young man dreaded the thing, trying to stall for as long as he could before an insistent look from the tanned woman had him lay down on the towel that was atop the bench.

"We're taking it simple today, you've worked hard already," the woman spoke, and there was barely a hint of what Barry might have mistaken for pride. "Fifteen reps, five times."

This time he groaned, hands grasping at the cloth that kept his palms from being scraped by the rebar. With a huff, he started to slowly lift it, Kajou's watchful eye upon him as her hands remained between himself and the piece of improvised equipment. One accident had been one too many.

"I know it's frustrating," she spoke, watching as the young man's arms trembled, trying to push the weight off of the ground. "But you need to trust us, the world is very different to what you imagine it to be. You need to be prepared, ready to handle it."

Barry would've spoken had his lungs not been burning from exertion, his white knuckles straining against the weight. His desire to know intensified as he counted down. It wouldn't be until he'd reached fifteen that Kajou took the weight off of his hands as if it was nothing. Panting, he looked at her. "What makes it dangerous?"

"You need to understand that things weren't always like they are now," she spoke. "monstergirls and humans... there was a partnership. After the war, humans were in shambles, the plague had caused every government to collapse, it was anarchy." She shook her head. "monstergirls helped them rebuild. There weren't many back then, but we kept humans safe, nurtured their crops, fought against raiders."

"How... how do you know this?"

"Pan and I, we were born in the wildlands. The land outside the human's grasp. Things are dangerous out there, far more than over here," she sighed. "We were taught of the true history by the elves that had fought and lived during the war. And the things that came after."

"And what is... this 'true' history?" Barry frowned, wheezing.

"That monstergirls were treasured partners, once upon a time." Kajou's eyes became distant. "But once the ferals began to grow in numbers, humans began finding themselves with too many feralborn girls." A scoff followed. "You can't treat a feralborn like a person, they're ruled by their instincts, they need time and patience to learn to be people. But there was no time, too many ferals. Humanity was pushed to the brink again."

"And then?"

Kajou leaned down, whispering into his ear. "And Then Barry did his next fifteen reps," she chuckled, patting his head before picking up the rebar for him to hold onto. "You're not going to get me to monologue."

Something had woken Barry up. Noises? His head was spinning slightly, his body ached, his everything hurt.

A deep grumble as he sat up. There was light streaking through. Slowly, Barry rubbed his eyes, approaching the door. The voices were familiar, though he'd have been surprised had there been any voice other than Kajou's or Pan's.

"...have to leave," Pan spoke with a solemn tone. "Barely a month, two tops." A pause. "We have to use Sadie Pokens to get a move on. If we don't, we'll be stuck here."

"Barry could become a tamer." Kajou's words were met with a dismissive snort. "It's just playing pretend, he registers us as his property and we couldn't be caught from there on."

"You trust him?" Pan's voice hissed. "He's going to ball us, take one look at the taming cycles and the next thing that happens is we both get our memories purged by a machine."

Barry blinked, not understanding. What did she mean with 'ball'? or 'cycles'? He frowned, trying to strain his ear.

"He's not from this world, Pan."

"He's human." There was spite in those words; Barry could only flinch. "You know exactly what the elders said, we can't trust any human that wasn't born in the Coven. Not without begin vetted." There was a pause. "If Aurora were here, we'd be able to at least..."

"Look, I miss her too. But Barry's not like that."

A long pause. The silence made the young human waver and wonder whether he'd been heard or not. At least, until Pan spoke. "You bonded him didn't you."

"What? No," the voice replied, strained. "Even if I did, you're talking about taking Barry through the wilds when he's not ready. That's not safe."

"You've bonded him, fuck." Pan's words felt hot, angry. "Since when do you care about a human? We came here on a mission! Barry's useful, but I'm not sticking my neck out for him if he drags us down."

"I haven't bonded him, Pan."

"Prove it."

"How?"

"Break his arm." Barry held his breath as he heard the words being spoken out, and cold sweat began running down his back. "I can heal that in just a couple of hours."

"What? Torture him because you suspect me? What the fuck, Pan, I thought you were better than this."

"Fine, if you can't do it then just don't stop me, that should be proof enough."

Eyes wide, Barry turned instantly, scrambling away from the door just as it opened. Pan stood there, armour on, blood staining the sword she held on her hand. On the other hand, the dex illuminated the room. And it was with a look of shock that she spotted the young man doing his best to try and get away from the door.

The shock turned into anger. "He was spying on us!"

She launched at him, raising her blade.

The only reason why she missed was that Kajou had shoved her to the side, causing the blond monstergirl to overshoot and smack against the wall. "Barry, run!"

He was already doing that, but to where? The only alternative was the bathroom. He scrambled inside, slamming the door shut. The man looked around- what was there he could use? What was there that he could use to escape? It was an underground box with a ventilation system that had not been working for who knew how long. Would his body fit into the shaft?

Quickly, he tried to pull it free, but his fingers slipped- it was screwed shut.

BANG BANG BANG

The door rattled as it bent under the force. "Let me go!" He heard as Pan was yanked away from the door. "I'll fucking solve this, we'll find a new human if we need to."

"You're off your rails Pan!" Kajou shouted.

The door exploded inwards in a shower of splinters. Pan's enraged face did one look around the room, finding Barry as he froze for half a heartbeat. Her wild eyes glinted with the same murderous edge he'd seen in his nightmares. The human moved without thought before she could attack.

His hand grasped the leather pouch and threw it at her face.

An explosion of purple as she'd reacted, slicing the bag. Her face, chest, armour, her whole body was suddenly enveloped in the cloud. The whole bathroom was drowned in it.

Heat tickled at Barry's nose as he ran for it, weaving past the coughing Pan, stepping out, and pulling the door shut before he saw Kajou. The monstergirl was on the floor, her eye swelling, her right arm bent at an odd angle. There was a moment of hesitation as their eyes met. His head whipped towards the door, his way out. He'd only need to lock it...

"Wait!" Kajou's word made him freeze.

With his heart beating in his throat, he looked at her, and then at the door.

"Please," she added, slowly standing. "Please let me make this right."

Again, door, Kajou, door. Barry's chest was hammering.

A gulp.

"How?"

She sighed in relief, motioning to the back of the room. "We're going to need the chains." As she said this, she raised her shirt, exposing her chest and using the cloth to cover her mouth and nose. "And I'm going to need to put them on my sister."

"Are..." A second gulp. "Are you sure you can?"

A moan from inside the bathroom punctuated the statement.

Kajou nodded. "I know I can."

The confidence in her words filled the young man's chest with fire, he rushed to grab the chains that had been used on Kajou that very morning. He made sure the keys were in his pocket before he handed them to the tanned fighting monstergirl. As he handed them to her, he met those intense blue eyes. "Don't lose... please."

She nodded, turning towards the bathroom, the half-broken door, and the thudding.

With an explosion of movement, she surged, sprinting forwards. The door was completely blasted off of its hinges this time. Barry moved towards the room's door and stood there, hesitating. If Pan came out of the bathroom... he'd lock it. No two ways about it. But... he waited, bated breath in anxious anticipation.

The sound of struggling and things breaking slowed, then stopped.

With a heave, Kajou stepped out, and Barry sighed.

"She's chained up," she declared, dragging the sword and dropping it next to the bed. "She's not getting out of those."

"What..." Barry looked in the bathroom's direction, hearing the moans. "What's going on in there?"

"I shoved some lust-dust coated rags into her mouth. She's going to exhaust herself before the effects wear out." She sat on the bed, throwing off her pants and passing a wet shirt through her body. "It's going to be a while before the bathroom can be used again. Also, I might get cuddlesome tonight."

Barry's cheeks lit up as he gulped. "I..." He pushed the image down. "I need to know what's going on."

That made her hesitate. "Barry, I... can't. You're human, a psychic could just snatch the information out of your head."

His hands clenched, his gaze turning into a pleading one. "I need to know something. You have to give me something. Anything. Otherwise, what's the point that I'm not just locking the door and making a run for it?"

"For one, you'd be dead," she replied with a sigh, dropping her head. "But you're right, at least some explanation... it's the least we owe you." Her eyes turned towards the bathroom and the moaning. "Pan's... she's been the most devout to the Coven, but Aurora kept her in check. About two months ago she died, an encounter with some tamers who'd been hunting us down. It let us run away, but Pan's been getting worse since."

"I heard... that you had a mission."

"I can't tell you about it, Barry. I can only promise I never intended for you to get hurt."

"What, you're not going to stay in this house forever?" Barry snorted.

"Water's going to run out in a couple of weeks unless some storm rolls on by. But even then, it's only a matter of time before the humans catch one of our little raids into Ebony for supplies. Sooner or later we're going to need to hit the road." She took a moment, breathing deeply, her hands moving to her chest and squeezing. She blushed. "Fuck."

"The dust?"

A nod.

Barry hesitated, biting his lip. "Can I... help?"

"I'm not used to humans," she said. "You're going to need to get the other restraints."

The human took a moment to spot said pieces of metal at the side of the room. "And... Pan?"

"I don't know," Kajou shook her head. "I just don't know, I think..." She bit her lower lip. "I think you're going to need to bond her and get her to stop being violent towards you. It's... without her, we won't be able to do much."

"We could just ditch her." The words came unburdened. "Leave her here, and-"

"I'm not going to kill my sister, not... please Barry, please don't." Her eyes looked at him with an intensity that stopped him cold.

With some apprehension, the human gave a slow nod.