Chapter 2: Traveling to Market

~ Smiles ~

The fit of laughter and crying were very cathartic.

What? Where would a tailor's son learn such words? Our father taught us to read and write, and there was an old bookseller down the street that was flattered enough by our interest to let us borrow a few when we business was slow.

Anyway, the catharsis caused by my brother's little joke helped a great deal. I know it sounds silly that such a trivial thing could mean so much, but it did. I had not felt this good in weeks, not since I realized how much trouble our family was really in.

We had no where but forward to go, and we had accepted that.

While we were coming down from it we held each other. Gently caressed each other's cheeks, kissed... and purrred. It felt so good to hear him purr like that. I suspect he felt the same of my own purring.

I was never sure if Radam understood what that outburst was all about, or if he thought we had gone insane. Either way, he left us alone for an hour or two before he called to us.

The carriage lurched to a stop. It was not the most graceful thing ever built. Then he called to us, asking us to come up and join him.

As my brother said, the cage door was unlocked, so we were able to open it and scramble up the steps built into the sides. Radam slide to one side so that we could sit together on the other. Then he flicked the reigns and we were off again.

It was a little cool out to be wearing just a loincloth, I suppose, but I didn't mind. Especially with my brother leaning against my side resting his head on my shoulder. The clouds had started to break up, and patches of moonlight bathed the fields of flax and other crops, as well as the patches of forest which grew steadily in size as we moved further from town.

I had traveled this way before, twice I think, and both times the fields had been busy, carts had passed us on the road, various livestock had been herded past. At this time of the morning, though, it was different. Silent. The birds had yet to wake, leaving but crickets and the rustling sound of the crops in the wind.

I thought it beautiful, if a bit unsettling. Almost ghostlike, as if it were another world.

Or maybe it was I who had passed into another world and I was just seeing things differently.

One thing I will value about our new lives: we could touch each other. I don't mean sexually, just casual intimacy. Stroking my hand over his bare back, his stroking my thigh, touching our muzzles together, sometimes softly kissing. Sure, people would look oddly at us in the days to come, but they would shrug it off. We were just a pair of pleasure slaves after all.

At the break of dawn we stopped alongside the road in a forested area, and Kaust took over for Radam. He let the horses rest before continuing the journey, and we took seats on either side of Kaust, and snuggled up to his sides.

We spent the morning in quiet, for the most part. No one was feeling particularly chatty. That would change, of course, as our Masters instructed us as to the proper behavior of a slave. I was starting to get used to that, thinking of them that way, but it had a long way to go.

This far out from town there was less traffic. That suited me just fine. When we did meet a merchant caravan going the other way the curious looks brought back to mind the fact that I was all but nude. By chance I was on the side that they passed on, and that let my brother hide himself a bit against Kaust's side.

The feeling... it was embarrassing, humiliating even, to be seen like this. I wondered if they would comment on us to people back in town, since they were obviously going that way.

Then there was the way that some of the people looked at me. Desire. No stranger had ever looked at me like that, at least, not openly.

Yes, that made me scarlet under my fur. I could feel the heat in my ears and on my cheeks. I also found myself sitting up a bit straighter against Kaust's side, and there was another heat. I realized that I liked it. I liked people looking at me that way. I didn't know what to think or feel about that. Shame? Embarrassment? ... Lust?

I adjusted my loincloth as discreetly as could be done.

I looked up at Kaust and realized that he was trying to hide his own embarrassment. I thought to my self, "what does he... oh" as I realized. He had two, if you will forgive me, attractive young slaves clinging to his sides in sight of those merchants. In an impulsive moment I lifted my muzzle and kissed his cheek tenderly.

He growled at me, though not in seriousness, and said, "Slave, you are going to be insufferable" loud enough for the passers by to hear. That got laughter from them and a soft giggle from my brother. My moment of courage gone, I hide against his side and laid my ears back.

It was worth it.

Each traveler we saw that day helped us grow more confident. No one questioned us. No one said "what are you doing out dressed like that?!" No one cared, other than perhaps the few that wanted to get a good look at something pretty.

It became my little self appointed mission that day to be able to take those looks on the road with out clinging to Kaust.

After we stopped for a afternoon meal and were back on the road, there was a young farmer walking down the road. A cougar if I recall right. He looked up at me with interest, and with obvious embarrassment of his own. I though it cute, and I smiled looking at him. The look on his face... I had just made his day. Just by smiling at him.

The thought I could make some stranger feel good about themselves by just smiling made me purr softly. It got me an curious look from the other two, but I didn't feel like explaining, and they didn't ask.

It happened a few more times during the afternoon, and I think eventually my brother figured it out for himself after watching me, because he slowly came out of hiding against Kaust too.

We simply liked being able to make people smile.