Crouching, he petted and reassured the puppy—a new member still uncertain of his place in the club—then stroked the kitten who’d curled around his feet repentantly.
“Yes, yes, you’re forgiven.” He put a hand under her chin. “Did you realize if you pull out a plug, you’re the one who cleans up the dirty plug and any resulting poop fountain? With your mittens still on?”
She stared at him, body curling inward in a cringe.
He had a feeling she’d be avoiding tails in the future—at least, the anal ones. Smothering a grin, he returned to his corner.
The newcomer was still playing with Gabi and crew. Since she was wearing a “stray” collar, he needed to get her name and run through the rules. As Master in the room, he had charge of any pets without an owner present.
“Gabi, come,” he called. “Bring your stray with you.”
To his surprise, Marcus’s little submissive gave him a glare and a low growl.
Saxon kept his gaze steady on the submissive, and after a second, she looked down.
Dammit. Marcus had been spot-on about her attitude being off. Gabi was normally fun-loving and sweet, even if she had a mouth on her that’d put a stevedore to shame. Marcus had been trying to get her to talk about what was wrong. Instead, she was going full-on brat, and her Master feared that punishing her would close her down further.
Saxon sighed, and his gut tightened. He’d agreed to be the bad guy if needed and then Marcus could step in for aftercare and cuddles, opening the way to get her to talk.
But, damn, he fucking hated punishing submissives.
As he watched, Gabi turned and nudged the stray, motioning with her head toward him.
The two stayed on all fours, crossing the mat.
“Thank you, Gabi. You’re a good puppy.” Knowing the hood decreased sensation, he stroked her shoulder to show his approval.
She turned her head away.
Normally, she’d be bouncing around, nuzzling and licking his hand. Yes, something was off.
But this wasn’t the time to pursue it. “Introduce me to your friend, please.”
With a grumpy sound, Gabi turned back. “This is Murphy, a guest of Josie’s. She just had orientation yesterday.”
“Murphy.” Interesting name. Beautiful, unfathomably deep, brown eyes. “Welcome to the Shadowlands. Are you new to pet play?”
The kitten swallowed and glanced at Gabi who nodded. “Um, yes.”
Soft voice. Yeah, he’d bet Murphy was shy. Or maybe just quiet. “I’m Saxon.”
Gabi leaned toward Murphy. “Call him Master Saxon, or you’ll get in trouble with Master Z.”
Murphy nodded.
“These are the rules when you’re in the pet play room,” Saxon said. “First of all, in this room, aside from this corner, human speech is forbidden. Meowing, purring, barking, whining—those are all good. You get to meet people and not have to deal with small talk.”
Rather than loud, her laugh was an intriguing soft chuckling sound.
“Next rule: Like everywhere in the Shadowlands, respect and consent are required. But when you can’t speak, consenting to touch is tricky. Casual shoulder bumps and pawing someone else’s paws are considered something like shaking hands. Body language is important. If the other animal moves forward, keep playing. If they move away, then they don’t want more contact. The same goes for you. If you don’t want someone touching you, move back. If they don’t pay attention, hiss at them.” He glanced at Gabi. “The pup here has a fine growl when she needs it.”
Murphy’s brow creased in obvious worry.
“There’s one exception to permitting human speech. If someone continues pushing when you’ve clearly indicated nonconsent, a loud no will get my attention—and the other pets too. We don’t permit any bullying here, whether it’s sexual or simple pushiness. Pets, especially puppies and kittens, should feel safe when they play.”
Her shoulder muscles relaxed.
“Okay, that’s consent for animals. The same goes for handlers as well.” At her confused expression, he motioned to the humans sitting on the benches. “Most of the two-leggers in here are already paired with pets, but there are usually a few who are interested in being a handler or owner of a pet, whether just for tonight or for longer. If you’re interested in finding a handler, go on over to them and rub your cheek on a leg, or sit and purr. If they’re in the mood, you’ll get petted.”
Her expression held such a mixture of interest and reticence, he couldn’t keep his laugh inside.
“However, we don’t allow sexual contact in here. So, if you find a pet or handler and want to play more privately, the two of you need to go into the main club room and verbally negotiate what will happen next.” He leaned forward and lifted her chin. “Murphy, since you’re new to this, come to me first. I have a negotiation limits list you can use that’ll give you an idea of what you might want or might not want.”
He could feel the tremor go through her and the tiny shake of her head.
Perhaps more than just a disinterest in sex. Hmm. He softened his voice. “Kitten, half or more pets aren’t interested in anything other than innocent play, or maybe innocent petting and cuddling. That’s all you’ll ever get in the pet playroom. Clear?”
The relief in her eyes was obvious. When she nodded, he released her.
“Good.” He continued with the speech he’d given so often it was worn smooth. But tonight, he was finding his concentration on a new pet to be more focused than usual. “So…a few more rules. Pets don’t get on the furniture and don’t scratch or chew the furniture or humans. And are respectful to Doms, Masters, owners, and handlers. If you break the rules, there are consequences. You’ll be punished like any puppy or kitten.”
Her eyes went wide.
“Punishment can range from being leashed and made to sit somewhere or being put into a crate.” He pointed to two human-sized dog crates in the corner. “You might be ordered to whine or meow or bark. Or if you tried to hurt or bully another pet or human, you’ll probably collect anything from a swat on the butt to a full-fledged spanking. If that’s a hard limit for you, let me know now.”
She glanced at his big hands. “And if it was?”
“You’d end up spending time in a crate.” He stroked her hair, enjoying the softness. “Murphy, pets don’t get punished for innocent mistakes. If a pet is getting spanked, they deliberately broke the rules to get themselves there.”