Plaything

I think, perhaps more deeply and critically than I have for weeks. No wait, it is still the Mother's fault: for it was her that made Devya into the woman that she is now: thank God that she failed with my Hamsini!

I do not know how long we sit there, just cuddling, but eventually when I sense that my rider is becoming more animated, I gently walk her back into the house and into her bedroom where I lay her down on her bed and cover her over with the duvet. When I am satisfied that she is asleep, I go and find where the servants have left my bowl. It is out on the patio, I fan away the flies and eat as quickly as I can, I do not even taste it, so great is my concern.

When I return to Hamsini's bedroom, I find that she is sleeping quietly so I sit on the floor and watch over her. She does not wake until evening. I have gone from swan to guard dog... If Devya were to appear, I do not know what would happen...

We are both out on the patio eating our dinner: Hamsini is wearing just a silk dressing gown, I pushed it towards her when she awoke: I thought that the light silk would sit more easily on her scratched back.

She does not speak, but every few minutes reaches down and strokes my hair as if to reassure herself that I am still there. I am now guardian as well as pet. Suddenly I hear someone approaching and Hamsini later informed me that the hair forming my mane began to stand up. I left my food and felt my body stiffen, I growl without meaning too.

There is no click, click, clicking of high heels on the hard floor. It is Mother and not Devya, and I actually feel my self relax.

"How are you, darling?" She inquires. "I heard the screams last night, they did not sound like those of passion."

Hamsini looks up at her Mother, but does not say anything, instead tears well up in her eyes once again.

"You will be pleased to know that your Sister has had to cut her visit short because of the necessities of her job, she will be leaving shortly."

Hamsini and I both relax noticeably and Mother can be heard mutter. "I thought so!" Then she turns her piercing eyes on me. "I heard you growl, didn't I?"

I feel myself begin to panic.

She carries on starring, her expression unreadable. "Good! Keep on protecting my little Daughter!"

I wriggle with pleasure, I cannot help it. What has happened to me? I have been transformed more fundamentally than I would have previously thought possible. I do not understand it, but equally, I do not care!

She walks up to us and gently removes my arm from around Hamsini's shoulders then asks my owner to stand and remove her dressing gown. She does and the white silk garment flutters to the floor where it lies on the paving. Mother inspects the wields and the bruises that are beginning to blossom: then she gently pushes her hand between her daughter's legs. When the girl winces her eyes flare wide.

"Did you consent to this?" – Hamsini shakes her head.

"Did you try to stop her?" – Hamsini nods, but now her eyes are screwed closed and she is crying again.

Before Mother can react, I pull my darling too me and fling my arms around her. I also stare defiantly at her Mother. The older woman just nods understandingly and says. "Good girl! You are not to leave her... Where she goes, so do you, even into the rest of the house!"

At that she walks away, her expression thunderous.

We sit out on the patio for what must have been an hour. This has never happened before, but I am sitting on a chair and Hamsini is perched on my lap. Gradually it dawns upon me that I will have to make a decision so I ease my unresisting owner to her feet and walk her slowly back towards the house. We leave the dressing gown lying where it fell. It shimmers in the warm summer sun: a dazzling snow-white patch.

We are close to the doorway when I hear the click-click-clicking of high-heeled boots coming from our playroom. I look through the large picture windows and see Devya walking towards us.

Suddenly I hear what I take to be the low rumbling growl of a very large angry dog: for a split second I am mystified until I realise that it is me. I am actually snarling.

Devya gets to the door, ignores me and leers at my precious rider. "I'm off now, but just before I go, I have to ask: 'was it good for you, Hambone?'"

I feel the hair of my mane start to bristle. The foul woman freezes when it dawns upon her that it is me that is snarling. She suddenly looks uncertain turns and runs back into the house as fast as she can . I loose Hamsini and step away from her. Suddenly I feel and hear a low rumbling noise that seems to originate deep in my chest and without realising it I charge.

Before I know what is happening I slam into the evil woman's back: the speed that I am travelling at is enough to knock her off her feet. She squeals and screams in sheer terror as I press home my attack: but I can see very little because of the red mist obscuring my vision. All I can hear is my rumbling snarl mixed in with her terrified screams. I taste blood and realise that I am biting her. She fights to get away: panicky blows strike my body and face but I don't seem to notice.

I am not merely a pet animal, I am a Human-Animal!!! This means that I am Human-Plus!!!

The noise must have attracted attention for many hands grab me: I react at the level of instinct and try to fight against them all but the ball-gag is slipped into my mouth and I am held until I calm down.

The bundle of torn clothes that is Devya is lying on the wooden floor screaming. I can hardly believe the number of bloody bite-marks on her face, body and limbs: bites that I have inflicted on my poor Hamsini's tormentor. To my surprise, Mother comes over to me and speaks very quietly: "Are you alright?"

I nod and she smiles coldly. Then she walks over to my victim and looks down contemptuously at her injured daughter. "It serves you right!" She snarls. "I haven't finished with you yet, you evil little bitch!"

She turns towards the servants who are still restraining me. "Its okay, you can loose Hansa now: but get this bitch out of my sight. Take her to the infirmary and ask Dawson to call one of my special Doctors."

As they scurry to obey, I feel Hamsini throw her arms around me and then she removes the gag. "Oh, my Swan, you are magnificent!" Her face is animated and for the first time today and she seems truly alive. She hugs me and turns towards her Mother. "You should have seen her as she ran at my Sister with hair and tail streaming out behind her: it looked as if she was on fire, she was fantastic! Please don't punish her, she was only protecting me like you ordered her too!"

Mother smiles and runs her fingers through my blood streaked hair: I smile, but must have looked a sight: blood splattered, hair dishevelled, one of my eyes closing, and my lip split. She hugs both of us warmly. "Don't worry: it is over as far as your faithful Swan is concerned."

She gave me a long, appraising look then winked and turned back to Hamsini. "However you really should clean her up and dress her wounds." Then she was gone.

As we leave the playroom servants return and begin a frantic search. Hamsini later informs me that it was for a couple of fingers but they could not find them. I smile when she tells me. I must have swallowed both of them when I bit them off.

Day Fifty-Seven – The Aftermath.

I wake up earlier than usual this morning. Somehow my basket feels too small. I am cramped and do not have the usual space to turn and stretch. I explore: no wonder I feel as if I am jammed in a corner, Hamsini's in here with me.

I squeeze up to give her as much room as I can but at the same time I am careful not to awaken her. I know that she went to sleep in her own bed last night, because it was me that made sure that she was properly covered by the duvet. She was also wearing her nightdress, one of her beautiful silk ones, however now she is naked. Most nights, except when it is her period, I start off in her bed so that she can have sex with me: returning to my own bed when she is asleep... This is one of her Mother's rules which I rarely break: however she has never forbidden Hamsini from sleeping in my basket! As this runs through my mind, it strikes me that I have not had a period of my own since becoming a pet. I am not sorry as the cramps were always painful!

I lie there for a time just watching my beloved rider sleeping, but it is no good, I have too many aches and pains resulting from Yesterday's fight, so I need to change position and stretch. I am careful so as not to disturb my Hamsini as I wriggle out of the basket. When I have done so she sighs and occupies the space that I have vacated; I smile.

I am so stiff that as I begin to move, I wince at the discomfort and Hamsini stirs and awakes. When she sees me she gasps in surprise. I feel my face and wince again as touching it hurts. She steers me in front of a mirror but I do not recognize the red-headed thing that looks out at me. The top lip is swollen, the right eye is black and almost closed and one side of the face is also swollen but now the swelling goes right through to the gums and I realise that I can still taste blood. I open my mouth and point.

Hamsini looks and I here a sharp intake of breath. "I think you have some loose teeth. Come on, I'll get you to the Infirmary."

She quickly pulls on a dressing gown, a blue one this time, and hustles me out through a door with a palm lock. I am in 'the rest of the house' for the first time. While Hamsini's suite of rooms are all painted brilliant white, I find that the corridors along which she leads me are oak panelled as are the doors that lead off to various mystery rooms.

We are rapidly headed off by a severe looking woman dressed in equally severe dark mannish clothes. Her dark hair is pulled back and secured with a black velvet bow.

She shows no surprise as she speaks to my rider. "May I be of assistance, Miss Hamsini?"

"I'm taking her to the Infirmary, Dawson, some of her injuries from yesterday need looking at."

Dawson, who I later learn is the family butler, nods. "In that case, Miss Hamsini, I shall go and waken Sister Abigail: she will be there shortly."

As she hurries away, I am lead the short distance to a door marked with a Red Cross on a white circle. We enter and I find myself in what looks like a well equipped cottage hospital. Hamsini explains that with such a large secluded household, Mother thought it wise to have medical facilities on site. She sits me down in an examination room and we wait. I look around: I had been in hospital casualty departments that were less well set up than this room.

We do not wait long before the door is pushed open and a cheery Scottish nurse bustles in. She is still buttoning her uniform when she sees me and gives me a wide beaming smile. "Well, if it isn't our hero! You certainly took that bitch – pardon my French, Miss Hamsini – down a peg or two.

"Now, love, lets have a look at you..."

The examination and the treatment goes on for half an hour and includes an injection: at the end of it, Sister Abigail gives Hamsini a bottle of antibiotics for me and strict instructions to: "Look after the little treasure and bring her back day after tomorrow."

Back in the part of the house that I am familiar with, we both sit out on the patio and wait for breakfast to be served. While we wait, Hamsini tells me a bit about her sister and how she had always been a bully. I was correct in thinking that their Mother had turned a blind eye because she thought that it was "character building" and that some of the harshness would toughen the more sensitive sister. According to what I was told, however, the degree of viciousness was far greater than Devya lead her to believe.

"When I saw you almost kill her yesterday," Hamsini confides in me, "I felt a great weight lifted off me. She suddenly kneels on the floor in front of where I am sitting listening and kisses me gratefully. My mouth hurts, but I ignore the pain. She hugs me too her and then hops back onto her chair.

"Mind you, my Swan, I don't know what Mother will do... My sister was being trained to run the Family Enterprises and manage our investment arm. I guess that that will fall to me now, but it is not something that I was hoping to do."

She sounds a little sad so I rub myself against her leg and this reminds me that she is clad only in the thin silk dressing gown..

Breakfast arrives served by tall blonde Anika. As soon as she sees me, her face splits in a huge friendly smile. She places her tray on the table and turns to Hamsini. "May I speak to her, please, Miss?"

Hamsini nods and gives her permission

She stoops down to bring herself nearer to my level, for I am still sitting on the stone slabs. "Thank you for what you did yesterday, Hansa, all of us maids are in your debt, she used to make our lives a real misery and could never keep her hands to herself."

Suddenly she hugs me and plants a big wet kiss on my uninjured cheek. She pulls back and then kisses me properly. "But you don't have to keep your hands to yourself, not with me anyway!" She says with a wink. Then she realises what she has said, turns very red and turns to Hamsini with a panic stricken expression on her face. "Sorry, Miss!"

But my beloved rider just smiles. "If you want to let Hansa get, er, friendly with you I have no objections!"

We all laugh and Anika places my bowl in front of me and kisses the top of my head before departing. It seems that I am fast becoming everyone's favourite.

Today is one of the few days that we do not shower, seems that my beautiful Swan-Rider does not want to risk washing off the stuff that the nurse painted on to my battle wounds. Well Sister Abigail did laughingly warn me not to lick it off!

Day Sixty-Five – Subtle Changes.

Today begins like most others: we shower and then eat breakfast on the patio. My injuries have all but healed, and Hamsini seems to be almost back to normal. I say almost because she has developed the habit of staring into space. It does not take a degree in psychology to tell that she has something preying on her mind. I wish that I could ask her, but that is no longer possible. I consider scratching the question in the dirt with a stick, but as it proves later, I do not need to.

After breakfast we spend the morning in our little garden, we wander around, me on all-fours at her side more like a faithful dog than a swan. The sun is warm and we lie on the grass: me on my belly, both elbows on the ground to support my chin while I stare mischievously at her.

"Oh, darling Swan, what are you thinking, I wonder?" She asks and then shuffles closer. She reaches out and runs her fingers through my long hair and then strokes my mane. I flick my tail at her and it brushes her face. She laughs and so I do it again. I am learning how to control it as the nerves regenerate. I can't wait for the surgery that will enlarge it. As far as I know the extra scalp is still being grown in culture... No one thinks to keep me up dated.

Hamsini moves over to kiss me on my mouth but to her surprise, I scramble away giggling. She gasps in exasperation as once again I dodge away from her, then she cottons on and laughingly gives chase. We scamper around the lawn laughing happily for almost a minute, then I surprise her by dropping down on to all-fours and scrambling off into the shrubbery.

I have been practising moving on hands and feet and not on my knees: once I managed to get the hang of it it is surprisingly easy. I pause with just my arse sticking out between two bushes, swish my tail and am gone. Hamsini laughs and tries to catch me but I can actually move faster through the undergrowth than she can. There is more space down around the stems and trunks than there is up in the branches and leaves and my owner's dressing gown gets tangled up in the growth, she shrugs it off and is now as naked as I am, except she still wears trainers.

I scuttle through on all-fours chuckling and behind me, Hamsini gives up, drops down and tries to catch me by crawling; still with no success. The shrubbery which is a little overgrown takes up just over half of our garden. There are other little areas of interest besides the arbour, the main one is an overgrown and abandoned summerhouse. It is against one of the boundary walls and once had a lawn in front of it. I can tell this because the growth there now is random and includes some brambles. The path that leads up to it is still there but hidden because the shrubs haven't been trimmed back for years although it is easy to crawl along once found. I scuttle along it and sit with my back to the little stone building waiting for my rider to catch up with me. I sit there whistling and eventually she finds me.

"Oh wow, Hansa!" She exclaims in surprise as she stands up. She cannot tear her eyes away from the little stone building. "I didn't know that this was here. You are a clever girl!"

I feel myself wriggle with pride as I watch her wipe the dirt from one of the windows with her hand and peer through. She motions for me to join her. The place is furnished and looks in good condition: there is no sign of decay inside.

Hamsini laughs. "I'll get the outside staff to clear the path and the weeds and then the place can be renovated. This can be our little hideaway."

She throws her arms around me and we dance around like little children. Anyone would think that I had found the crown jewels!

Eventually we make our way to our arbour and sit on the bench. "Oh, my darling, Swan, what will you do next?"

There is a dreamy look in her eyes as we kiss: I open my legs to invite her to have me but she doesn't take up my suggestion, instead she leans against me and rests her head on my shoulder. I slip my arm around her waist and pull her close to me, she doesn't object instead, she just sighs contentedly.

"Oh, my Swan, what was your family like, I wonder?" She asks, knowing full well that I am unable to answer. "I suppose you know your Father? Well mine was a sperm bank in Mumbai! I have two sisters, Devya is the middle one..."

She stopped and looked thoughtful for a minute or so before trying to shuffle even closer to me.

"You'd like my eldest sister, Swan. Her name is Gathika, which means 'song' and she is very nice. She is Mother's Personal Assistant and will take over running all of the companies one day. Oh my darling Hansa; I don't want to work like that: I want to do something creative, I want to be a designer." Her voice is almost tearful.

How do I protect her? A tear trickles down her cheek and then another. Can I protect her from the future that she doesn't want?

I know that I can not but I can protect her from the present so I gently change position, take her in my arms and kiss her. She responds and relaxes into my arms and the kiss becomes passionate. Her lips open and my tongue slides into her mouth and finds hers; their tips press against each other and I hear her moan softly. Gently I fondle one of her pert breasts and feel her nipple harden as I caress it. I roll it between my finger and thumb and then squeeze it gently. I feel her shiver.

The kiss ends eventually and she says. "Oh, my beautiful Swan, everything is so much better when I am with you."

She looks at me, there is longing in her eyes. Longing for what? I am here, I am ready for her to make love to me. I always am, for am I not her willing plaything? I reach over and kiss her again: but this time she clings tightly to me.

She ends the kiss, breaks away and lies down on the upholstered bench which is about two feet wide. I stand to make room for her: she is on her back with a leg on either side and her feet flat on the floor. She stares up at me and smiles softly. "Hansa, oh my beautiful pet swan: I want to feel you inside me. Please Hansa, take me, make love to me."