Caleb stormed out of class, muttering curses and veiled threats under his breath as he made his way down the steps and to the bus stop. Once again the Principal had singled him out, ridiculed him in front of his so called peers, and for what? Because he refused to pretend that anything he did for the four years he was forced to attend her school and learn to parrot back information on command mattered. Angry that most of his afternoon had been wasted in detention after school, knowing that his foster parents would likely force him to bed early as further punishment.
Deciding that he needed to vent desperately, Caleb opted to skip the bus ride home, instead taking a more scenic route through the woods, and more specifically, near an old abandoned cabin that the boy frequented in his spare time. After a brisk ten minute walk, the teen approached the old wooden building, smiling ear to ear as he opened the door to hushed cries of fear and unease.
“*chirp…chirp…am huw’te mun’sta! *chirp…*chirp…nee’ wun way’!”
“*chirp…chirp…pwe’ nu huw’t ba’behs nu mowe…*chirp…*chirp…”
“Babbehs nu maek su mani wowd peeps! Meanie munstah gowna find fwuffies!”
It always brought Caleb joy to hear how frightened the fluffies he’d caught truly were, the skittish biotoys always speaking in hushed tones and the foals peeping up a storm. Making his way to what had once been the cabin’s modest living room, he grinned as he saw that the fluffies had piled together in the corer of the room, as far from the entrance as possible. Stepping over the barricade of cinderblocks he’d erected to keep the feeble creatures trapped, Caleb cleared his throat before addressing the whimpering masses. “Okay fluffies! Who am I gonna play with today?!”
The pile lost all composure at the question, scattering away as the two adults ran as fast as their awkward bodies would allow, while the younger foals waddled even slower, chirping and peeping for someone to save them. Shaking his head at such cowardice, Caleb wondered if the adults would act a shade braver if the foals had been theirs. “Guess it’s going to be another baby today!” Leaning down, the excited teen didn’t even have to give chase as he grasped a small mustard colored filly, lifting the tiny foal in the air as she wriggled and peeped in protest. “I know someone that’s gonna be happy to see you!”
Taking his new chosen fluffy to the back room, Caleb walked past the rotten floors, careful not to fall through. As he crossed through the doorless frame, he was met with the somber sounds of fearful chirping. Still suspended in the air was the young red stallion he’d taken his frustrations out on a few days prior. Held via cords that were attached to hooks he’d driven in the wall, the beaten fluffy struggled lightly against his bonds, clearly fearing more pain. “Good news Red! Got a replacement from the fluffpile, so you get a well deserved break!”
“*chirp…*chirp…N…nu mowe huwties…”
While not fully grown, the red stallion was far past the age of normally chirping. But with his body covered in horrible welts and his face slightly deformed from swelling, the agony stricken fluffy had reverted, his words stilted and intermixed with the childish peeps. Putting the mustard foal on an old dresser, Caleb untied Red, the stallion going limp in his arms as he was freed.
“W…wet Wed gu…P…pwease…*chirp…*chirp…”
“Sorry pal. Might need you again someday.” Putting the quivering fluffy on the ground, Caleb then turned his sights on the filly, her newly opened eyes glancing around the room for some sort of savior, a parent or guardian to come and rescue her.
“*chirp…*chirp…hewp! *chirp…*chirp…sab’ ba’beh! *screeeeeee!!!”
“No one around to save you little one…” Grabbing the foal as she shrieked and flailed weakly against his hand, Caleb took her to the center of the room, wrapping the chord around each of her nubs, working the slack out until her limbs were spread out awkwardly, the leather restraints holding her aloft.
" nuuuuuuu!!! *chirp…*chirp…wet ba’beh down!!! tu hi!!! tu hi!!! *chirp…*chirp…"
Heading over to the nearby wall, Caleb ran his hand along a makeshift pegboard, each one holding a braided, leather belt, each a different length and width. After pondering his options for a few moments, he decided on a smaller one, lest he end his venting session too soon. Tugging at the frayed leather in his hand, Caleb smiled as he approached the filly, letting her see what he had in his hand before pulling it taut several times, each making a loud snapping sound that made her flinch and sent her into a fresh bout of panicked chirps.
“*screeeeeee!!! *chirp…*chirp…nu wan sow’ee stik! ba’beh gud! fo’ wuv! fo’ wuv! *chirp…*chirp…”
Her face belayed her growing terror as she frantically shook her head back and forth, Caleb walking around to her side and letting the end of the belt fall from his hand. “If it makes it any better…I don’t really care if you’re good or bad…” Pulling back, he let the end of the makeshift whip strike against her exposed belly, the foal screaming as her whole body shook from her efforts to tug against her bindings, her tiny frame bobbing up and down lightly as she writhed from the bleeding gash on her stomach.
“*screeeeeee!!! tum’eh ow’weez! *chirp…*chirp…”
Letting the belt fall again, Caleb let out a sigh of relief before letting it gain momentum again as he flicked his forearm, lashing the filly’s back before she could recover.
“*screeeeeee!!! nu mowe! *chirp…*chirp…am jus’ wid’ew ba’beh…*huuu…huuu…huuu…*screeeeeee!!!”
Her babbling cut off by a sharp strike to her face, the filly’s ruined eye leaked down her cheek as she shrilled and flailed incomprehensibly. Chuckling as he felt his mood improving by the second, Caleb wound up for another blow. “Oh by all means…If the begging helps you feel better, keep going…”
“*screeeeeee!!! *chirp…*chirp…*screeeeeee!!!”
“nu mowe…nu mowe…*screeeeeee!!!”
“p…p…pwe jus’ w…wuv ba’beh…*screeeeeee!!!”
With each and every strike, Caleb could feel his troubles lifting, smiling as his blows became rapid and nearly non-stop.
"*chirp… … …*chirp… … …*chirp… … … "
After countless lashes, the filly had stopped shrieking, her body only lightly flinching from the blows, her bloody mouth opened in a silent scream. Letting the belt fall to the floor, covered in blood and flensed skin, Caleb gave quiet thanks to the nearly comatose foal who’d helped him out of his emotional crisis. Knowing that she’d never survive the awful welts and missing flesh, he loosened her restraints, taking her in his hand as the shivering filly chirped slowly, her mind clearly gone as he placed her back on the dresser. “Don’t worry sweetheart, it’s almost over…”
His saccharine display was abruptly interrupted by his cellphone chiming, Caleb’s face soured as he pulled it from his pocket to check his messages. It was from his foster mother, demanding to know where the hell he was and to remind him that he was grounded for the next two weeks…at least.
Sighing to himself, Caleb looked down towards Red, walking slowly towards the beaten stallion. “Sorry little guy…”