Lyroo on her spacious brown suede couch with her knees bent and her legs to the side. She peered across the room at the room to the human enclosure which held the two male humans. Lyroo had been pondering a companion for Scroof for a while now, and Darren’s unique case gave her plenty of opportunity to spend time at home while working on his training. This meant she not only could spend more time with Scroof, but Darren himself could benefit from the added benefit of both her affections and the positive example of a human male figure to show him how to behave.

They appeared to be in a bit of a standoff, Lyroo noticed. Scroof was off to the side in the habitation area, while Darren was on the other end of the enclosure and appeared to be brooding while pacing back and forth. Occasionally Lyroo could notice Darren in fact looking right back at her, sometimes for extended periods of time.

Lyroo on the other hand gave no indication that she saw Darren, or that she planned on moving when it appeared he was calling or motioning to her. The first lesson was one of establishing dominance. Lyroo would interact with her pets when she felt they needed affection or attention, if they were in danger or if Lyroo felt they required attention. Too many humans ran their owners into the ground fussing and ordering them around. Lyroo always taught the importance of establishing yourself as the alpha in the home, that she felt made humans more comfortable, as everyone knew humans craves order and boundaries.

“Four time Regional champion The Executioner confirmed his attendance as the 6th required sign on for the Imperial grand tribute, leaving only two more required sign ons for the 135th Grand Tribute to gain sponsorship.” The blond female news castor spoke towards the screen, with a well composed smile.

The largest Tol-bot tournament in the empire was known as the Imperial Grand Tribute, and in order to gain sponsorship from the league, 8 regional champions had to sign on to participate. Once these champions were grandfathered in, a number of agreed upon participants based on skill could win their way in, and four wild card spots would be awarded based on unanimous consensus of the 8 sign ons.

“This leaves only two more spots open for the mighty Iron Maiden to occupy so she can crush all in her way!” The Ler co announcer shouted and slammed his fist into the desk.

“A-hahaha, yes all eyes are on the ever silent Iron Maiden, who has yet to declare her intentions for this year’s Tribute.” The perky blond titan responded with a practiced smile.

“It matters not who else will enter, as mighty Iron Maiden crushes all! But Hierophant has also signed on as the 5th required sign on!” The Lerr shouted.

Lyroo lazily reached out and dipped her hand into an open bag of dried fruit, pulling out what appeared to be something vaguely resembling a banana chip and popped it into her mouth, seconds later she reached for a thick plastic glass with a screw on lid and a straw poking out of the top and took a sip before adjusting herself to a more comfortable position. She glanced over at Darren and Scroof once more, again to find Darren looking at her, his forehead pressed into the plastic terrarium. She couldn’t tell from su

“She isn’t going to come over.” Scroof commented, as he landed on his feet after completing a back flip, the young human looked to be an absolute stunning specimen, in peek physical form, without a scrap of body fat to be found anywhere on his body. He looked well fed, with tight abs, biceps and a sculpted form that made even Darren feel just a little bit ashamed of his own physique (which was by earth standards nothing to scoff at either).

Darren held in his ire and swallowed his venom, turning to Scroof with a forced smile and a tone that teetered on the edge of sanity. “Is that so? Scrotum is it?” Darren narrowed his eyes, trying to keep his field of vision somewhat ch a distance for sure, but he did appear calm.

fixed on the man’s upper torso… for reasons.

“It’s Scroof.” Scroof corrected innocently and preformed another back flip, considering how long he had been at it; Scroof looked ready keep going and hadn’t even broken a sweat. “But yes, mistress won’t come because you were disobedient. She doesn’t like it when we are disobedient you know.” Scroof regurgitated what Darren believed to be a lifetime, or even generations of mental conditioning as if it was nothing but the gospel truth itself.

“Heh, she doesn’t eh? Well ain’t that a cry’n shame fer her.” Darren snapped his tongue against his lips and made a sharp ‘tisk’ sound before looking back out to Lyroo. “Look at’er, sitt’n there on her big cough wit’er feet up…stuff’n her face. Gat’danget this is really fuggen happening ain’t it.” Darren scoffed and slammed his hand a few times against the terrarium wall, a hand turned to a fist after a few times and Sergeant Avery let loose on the thick plastic enclosure, pulling his hand back in pain, but trying not to show it. “Gat’danget…it ain’t right.”

Scroof chuckled and shook his head a few times, continuing with his back flips. “It’s not going to work.” Scroof said, his voice rising in pitch to an almost amused tone.

“Well fuck! It’s better’n tucken ma tail between ma leg’s like you!” Darren turned his aggression towards Scroof, once again Darren began to pace back and forth like a caged tiger.

“I don’t have a tail.” Scroof proclaimed proudly, as if pleased he knew something that apparently Darren did not!

Darren tightened his fist and narrowed his eyes, his voice annoyed and condescending. “Ah know that!” Darren spoke quickly and grumbled, pacing with heavy determined footsteps. “Danget Scroop ain’t there no way out of this thing?” Darren began to walk along the walls, scanning over the well-built plastic prison with a fine toothed comb.

“Nope.” Scroof completed a back flip, and then made a run at the wall, stepping up onto it and flipping backwards onto his feet once again.

“You sure? You ever even looked?” Darren asked, not convinced the moron’s word could be trusted.

“Yup.” Scroof responded simply as he continued his new wall flips.

“Ah don’t believe that! This dang thing can’t be fuggen Alcatraz!” Darren demanded as he moved on to the next wall.

“I don’t know what that means, but you’re not going to find a way out.” Scroof chuckled just a little.

Darren eyed the exit hole that was at least 10 feet above his own head, if two men stranded one on the others shoulder they still wouldn’t reach the top. It was humbling and incredibly maddening when Darren realized that that was hardly the length of Lyroo’s arm, not even a fraction. It was hardly longer than her finger top to wrist, maybe only a bit longer actually.

Darren punched the side of the enclosure and let out a frustrated yell, in a huff he turned and flopped down on his read, crossing his arms over his chest in what had to look like the biggest naked grown man pout in Texan history.

“It ain’t right Scroog….”

“It’s Scroop…gah I mean Scroof!” Scroof interrupted, as Darren kept talking.

“We’ve been to the dang moon! We’ve left footsteps in the dust, we’ve created monuments of wonder, we’ve shaped and molded an entire world to our exact specifications! We’ve created art’n music’n amaz’n works of literature Scroot! We’ve built weapons so terrible, so destructive and so awesome we don’t even dare use em! We ain’t pet’s gat’danget! We’re more’n this Scrook!” Darren banged his head a few times against the wall of the terrarium and closed his eyes.

“It’s Scroof.” Scroof repeated, still calm, still seamlessly completing his workout regime.

“Ain’t any of that mean nothing’t you ScrooPHH?” Darren emphasized the ending to Scroof’s name out of sheer annoyance.

After a long silence, Scroof ceased his exercise and made his way over to a small area that appeared to be designated for hygiene. It was nowhere near the five star hotel like resort Bedra had assembled for Degu and Tapp. Bedra’s no walls approach gave Tapp and Degu free run of the house, and a tower to explore and play in that prospectively was bigger than most office buildings! Bedra had running water and plates to defecate that did away with their excrement once finished, home like dwellings built into the side of the tower, and even an area they could store and prepare simple provided meals, though normally Degu, Tapp and Darren ate with Bedra and Eyrn. This was a practice Bedra had been into even before Eyrn’s arrival.

Here they had a small plastic prison, with clear see through walls, simple facilities and little warmth and home like amenities, it was worse than prison.

“Gat’daget…how can you live in this shit hole day in day out Scroot!” Darren sighed.

Scroof shrugged. “Is what it is, mistress lets me out plenty.” Scroof splashed water into his face from a small basin and dried his face on a small towel.

“Oh, yea we give the inmates at Gitmo their outside time too, only see there terrorists’n murderers not fuggen innocent people!” Darren grumbled, venom seething from his voice. “We also give’m clothes, cable T.V’n a hot fuggen shower!” Darren stood, making his way to the area that held the ‘food’; angrily he took one of the green pellets and chucked it across the room. “’n real goddam food!”

Scroof ducked as the projectile came awful close to him, but he didn’t lash back, he simply chuckled and shuffled over to where it landed, picked it up, looked it over and then took a bite out of it. “Work better as food; we have balls in the other room for throwing.” Scroof winked, and if Darren didn’t know better he could have sworn he had just been zinged.

Darren narrowed his eyes as he watched Scroof munch on the stale pellet. “Is this yer life Scrud?”

“Scroof…and what do you mean by that?” Scroof said with a mouth full of pellet.

“This!” Darren looked around, smacked the wall, and then the food counter. “All of this, these dang walls, this dank depress’n prison! Is this all you got?” Darren asked, his voice actually stretching to almost a concerned and desperate tone.

Scroof shrugged and popped the rest of the pellet into his mouth. He then walked over to a bean bag chair, flopped in it and took up a small rubber ball that was sitting next to it, then repetitively he began throwing it against the wall, catching it, and throwing it back. “Sometimes Mistress takes me places.” Scroof added, with a positive tone.

“That’s it? Sometimes?” Darren replied in disbelief.

“Well, she’s busy a lot, because she has important things to do. But whenever she’s home she takes me out and we spend time together, although not as much as we used too.” Scroof sighed.

Since Lyroo had become the head of the Archavian HoS, her free time indeed had become sparse, Darren could remember a pet or two he had neglected in times like that, when life became taxing. But to think of himself like that Pet made his spine shiver.

“That ain’t right.” Darren spoke, soft but purposeful. His eyes drifted to the side, onto Lyroo who was munching from her snack bag and laughing occasionally at something she was watching on Television. Darren could remember now ever pet he’d ever owned, mostly Dog’s as Darren was a dog man. He remembered how excited they were to see him when he came home, how endlessly they paned for attention and love and he would give it whenever he could. But when he grew tired or bored or busy he’d often go out and leave his pet alone. But human beings were not pets, he was not a pet!

“You keep saying that, as if it actually means something.” Scroof spoke, a moment of clarity in the seemingly idiotic man’s tone.

Darren snapped his eyes over to Scroof, who was methodically bouncing the ball off the wall, not looking when it returned, just catching it out of memory.

Darren didn’t respond, he looked back to Lyroo, and then forward to the ‘habitat’ he had been placed in. Tommorow Lyroo told him; tomorrow was when his training would begin. Darren inhaled deeply and exhaled slowly. He was a pet, at least to Lyroo, but the real question now was how long he would be able to stand against her.

His fists clenched and his eyes narrowed, he needed a plan, a strategy to keep her on her feet. Darren could accept many things, but life as a pet was not one of them. If Lryoo wanted to train him, Darren would be positively sure to give her as hard a time as he could.

“Scroof.” Darren spoke, looking to the man.

“Hmmm?”

“Wanna hear a story Scroot?” Darren sat up, resting his hand on a raised knee.

“I like stories!” Scroof explained eagerly

“Once upon a time, there was a land called America….” Darren began, his eyes shifted to Lyroo. He didn’t have to hold out forever, just long enough.

“A’murka?” Scroof narrowed his eyes. “That’s a funny name!”

Darren nodded. “America, the land of the free’n the home of the brave….” Darren grinned, Lyroo wanted him to bond with Scroof, and that was just what he planned to do.