Utanith started to grumble to himself about the predicament he was in, exiled on another planet and his ability to use Natra inhibited, but now he had to add another thing to the list: He was unable to speak. It was quite the predicament, and considering the high volume of exotic pets on this particular planet it wasn't unlikely that the small dragon would be mistaken for a domestic or a feral. He lifted a paw to pull at the collar that enforced his exile, but his efforts were repelled. There would be no removing it. Well, Utanith thought to himself, at least I'm still a dragon. Feral, for all intents and purposes, but a dragon nonetheless. He took a moment to take in his surroundings - He had been teleported to an open field. He couldn't see any other beings, which was good. To the North he could see a forest, which he resolved to make his home for as long as he remained stuck on Kuimipage. It'd be hunted meals cooked on his own flames for the foreseeable future, but Utanith was confident in his ability to end this exile prematurely. So he set off for the forest and claimed it as his own.

---

It had been a couple of years, but Utanith was no closer to disposing of the collar that bound him to what he was beginning to see as much more than exile. There wasn't nearly enough game in the area for him to feed himself, much less without drawing unwanted attention. Besides that, hunting was about the only way he could pass time - There were no books to read or holonovels to play; he couldn't even write if he had the materials. So his time was spent mostly trying to figure out how to get the collar off. It had almost certainly been rendered indestructible, and with it blocking his ability to use Natra the situation seemed absolutely hopeless; he couldn't even test it for the presence of Natra, not that he didn't know the answer to that particular question. What he did know was his vocal cords wouldn't vibrate, he couldn't channel Natra, and if he somehow got off Kuimipage he'd probably get teleported back. He had found a cave within the forest long ago and made it is home, insofar as he spent most of his time there. As he sat next to a fire in the cave pondering how he might escape his predicament, he was interrupted. Something outside the cave had disturbed a loose tree branch, it's brittle leaves rustling as it fell. Utanith stared out the exit of the cave, prepared to roast what he hoped would be his next meal. Lurking outside the cave, however, was not a game animal. The world seemed to have gotten very still, very quickly. Utanith, feeling uneasy, got to his feet and crept towards the mouth of the cave. There was a brief flash of light, then Utanith collapsed, unconscious.

Utanith awoke to a screaming headache. He didn't open his eyes, nor did he try to get up. For a moment, he just laid there. Whatever he was laying on was cold and flat - Certainly not the floor of the cave he had been calling home. He allowed his eyes to open a fraction; he was in a rather confined space. On all sides but one he was faced with a blank, white wall. Where there was not a wall, there was a crowd - A number of people peering back at him, and many more people passing by. Utanith reached out towards the crowd with his tail, but encountered a force field where the wall would have been; he wasn't really sure what he was expecting. The dragon grimaced; this had to be an auction. Kuimipage was well known as a paradise for exotic pet owners, offering supplies for even the most niche of domestic companions, but it was also home to a thriving black market for everything from illegal pets to slaves. It looked like Utanith had become a good on that market, and without Natra he was not going to make it very far. Even if he hadn't been hobbled as part of his exile, the auction house probably wasn't taking any chances by foregoing their own anti-Natra protections. Aside from that, it was impossible that they didn't have their own security, and unsavory patrons might night just let a raging pint-size dragon bust his way out. In short, he wouldn't be leaving except with the highest bidder. So he chose to go back to sleep.

Utanith was irritated to be woken up. It was a rather unpleasant awakening - The auction house staff was using some sort of shock rod on him; the dragon barely felt it, making him all the more grateful that at least some of his protective enchantments were working. Apparently it was time to find out who was ballsy enough to try and take home a dragon (The auction house was devoting 8 people just to moving him,) so Utanith obliged (On his own time, of course) and followed the staff to the auction stage. They brought him to center stage, and a set of chains materialized to anchor Utanith there; he couldn't even turn his head. Instead, the platform on which he stood turned. Just when I thought it was as humiliating as it could get... Utanith listened to the auctioneer describe him: "Bidding for this pygmy dragon starts at $1000! Obedience enchantment included!" A twinge of anger flared inside Utanith as the auctioneer began to rattle off his chant. Utanith was stuck, rotating silently, while people bid on him as a "pygmy dragon." The price wasn't going up by leaps and bounds, either. Largely, the dragon tuned it out; he was aware, however, that the final price was somewhere in the realm of $4,000. His spinning podium had been facing away from the crowd when it was called, leaving him to ponder who had won as the chains dematerialized and he was led back to the stall where they had held him before the auction. He was getting ready to go back to sleep, largely uninterested in anything except waiting to get out of the auction house, but just as he was falling asleep he was awoken again. Apparently, the buyer wasn't sticking around for the rest of the auctions - A team of staff members approached, and behind them was a female sand-colored canine with a brown mane and blue eyes. Her clothing was largely casual, the sort of thing you might put on before going to the convenience store during a lazy weekend. Utanith vaguely wondered what she expected out of the purchase of a dragon, but stopped short - The staffer closest to him had been about to pull out another shock rod, but the canine stopped them. Interesting. The staffer shrugged, and opened the cage. Utanith stepped out, obligingly, and observed the canine. The staffer was reading something behind him that sounded like an incantation, then they told the canine to put her hand on Utanith. She looked trepident, but he stayed still - The staffer seemed surprised. Utanith was a little surprised as well; that had almost certainly been an enchantment binding him to the canine, or her will, possibly both, maybe more. As if to confirm the suspicion another collar materialized around his neck. Utanith's hand was played out, though, so there wasn't much to do but deal with the fact that he now had two collars. The staffer instructed the canine to test the enchantment with a simple command, and she did: "Sit." Utanith felt an undeniable urge to sit that seemed to almost be a result of his muscles having already done it - He had to admire the enchantment, it was good. Not mastercraft level, but definitely good. The staffer nodded his approval, thanked the canine for her business, and left the two. The canine looked at the dragon and spoke. "Alright. Well. That's...Done." She seemed a little shaken. Now that he thought on it, the canine didn't look much like she belonged in a black market auction. She continued: "Well, come along 'pet', it's time to go home." Utanith found he didn't much feel like sitting anymore, and so he followed his new canine "owner."

When they got outside of the auction house, Utanith looked around to try and get his bearings. They were deep inside a city, but it wasn't one he recognized. They continued on and turned a corner to find a transit hub. The pair attracted no extra attention in the transit hub; exotic pets were a dime a dozen here. The canine paid for their transit, and it wasn't long before they stepped onto a transport pad and disappeared to another part of the continent. From inside the new hub Utanith could see that they were well outside the city; he let out a sigh of relief. The canine looked at him, puzzled. He stared back, unable to explain anything, and the canine shrugged. They left the transit hub, and the canine nodded politely to the employee at the exit who was dutifully asking for repeat business: "Thanks and please come again!"

The fresh open air of the country was nice, and Utanith paused a moment to take it in. It was too long a pause, however, and Utanith discovered that the obedience enchantment the auction house had wrought on him did indeed have a bite: A shock that would have made a shock rod pale wracked his body. The canine couldn't have gotten more than a couple meters, and indeed she was only a couple of paces away when he turned to look. Another shock encouraged him to move along as she continued to walk, so he made haste to catch up with her. He hoped that was as bad as the enchantment would get, but somehow he knew it wasn't. He'd need to take his time figuring a way out of this one, but there was no guarantee he had that much time. Any further restrictive enchantments would probably make escape impossible, and he could already feel the helplessness settling in. He could at least enjoy the open air, although flying was out of the question for the moment. As they got away from the transit hub, the canine began to speak. "So...Are you...a real dragon?" Utanith nodded, almost automatically. He briefly pondered if that had been a natural response or another product of the obedience enchantment. The canine seemed surprised by this, even jumping a little. "Oh...wow!...I've never seen one before. I thought they'd be bigger, though..." Utanith gave her what he hoped was an annoyed look, but she was keeping her eyes on the road ahead of them. "My name is Schadenfreude, by the way. I guess you don't talk so you won't have much use for it..." Of course, Utanith couldn't say anything. He nodded again. "I'll have to think of something better to call you than dragon, though, so if you don't say anything it's just gonna be whatever I come up with." This time, Utanith was the one keeping his eyes forward. His mind wandered to the future that lay ahead of him. Well, this is certainly going to be interesting...

That night, Utanith was surprised to find that his new "owner" was far from what he expected of any patron, timid or not, of a black market auction house. When they had arrived at her home, a nice cottage-style affair nestled among rolling hill country, she had left him there (With the stipulation that he not go anywhere and not "break anything") to run some manner of errands. Utanith took the opportunity to explore his new surroundings; the house itself seemed sized for a couple, plus maybe one more, but there was nobody there besides Utanith once Schad left. He found that the back door was easy enough to open, but upon approaching the fence around the property he discovered that at least the first stipulation was enforced by the obedience enchantment; he could not leave. So he returned to the house and sought out something warm to curl up on top of. He eventually found a window (Made of glass! How novel) through which sunlight was streaming in, and that was the warmest spot in the house. He tucked his head against his side and curled his tail around himself before drifting off to sleep.

When Schadenfreude returned, she called for Utanith: "Uhm...Dragon? Would you come here, please?" The obedience enchantment gently nudged him awake with a gnawing urge to find out what the canine wanted. He wondered if it would progress to something nastier, and the collar seemed to respond to the thought by giving him a sharp zap. Does this thing have a sense of humor? A harsher zap told Utanith he was merely testing his boundaries and should probably stop. He went to find Schadenfreude, and when he did she was in the living room. He had been here earlier and noted a Natra display, along with a sofa and a couple chairs. New to the room was a rather large cushion, positioned against the same wall as the Natra display but in a corner. The kitchen adjoined the room, and on the table in that room was a large quantity of packed meat; the smell was rather enticing. Schadenfreude seemed to notice Utanith's interest: "Leave the groceries alone." He didn't need to be told, he wasn't about to go to town on her groceries, but he could tell that he /really/ didn't want to mess with them now; he was starting to get very wary of the obedience enchantment. "I got you a bed...I...hope it's alright. I wasn't really sure what to get...For food, either. But I figure you can't eat that much different from me, right? You like meat...Right?" Utanith nodded at her; this was looking to be better living than he had been doing up to this point. It seemed almost too good to be true. Schadenfreude continued, "Also, I didn't like how the collars looked, so I found someone to make a Natra chip to change them." Utanith's mind began racing. If Schadenfreude could use a Natra chip, she just might be his escape; the fact that she was so close to facilitating it already was amazing. He wondered if the chip would work on the collar his kind had given him, and it wouldn't take long to find out because Schadenfreude was already activating it. The second collar vanished (Something told him the effects remained,) but the first didn't seem to be going anywhere. Schadenfreude frowned; "Well, I guess that's better than two collars for now." Utanith noted the collar's reaction for later. He'd have to know more about the Natra chip to really learn anything, but it seemed the exile collar had put up a fight and won. "Anyhow," Schadenfreude continued, "I suppose you're hungry. I didn't even think about it but they probably haven't been feeding you..." She regarded him skeptically. "You do look thin." Utanith decided to sit down, perhaps a bit prematurely, as Schadenfreude seemed to settle on a course of action at the same time. "Alright; I know what I'll cook. Go lay down on your new bed, and I'll call you when your dinner is ready." He hesitated, having just sat down, but it was quickly becoming clear to him that the obedience enchantment had made Schadenfreude's word his law for the foreseeable future. He gave in to the urge the collar induced and relocated to the cushion in the corner. Perhaps he had been sleeping on the floor of a cave for too long, but the cushion seemed remarkably comfortable. It didn't take long for him to fall asleep again.

"Dragon? There's food here for you." Once more, Utanith awoke to an insistent urge. This time, however, it was mostly the smell of food. Cooked and seasoned food. The situation seemed absolutely absurd to him; he had been basically kidnapped and sold as a slave but here his owner was about to serve him...Steak? Pavlov would have dutifully noted a large increase in saliva production. Utanith found his way to where Schadenfreude's voice had emanated; there was a dish on the floor, and on it was indeed a steak, but it was raw. As he approached her, and also the dish, he realized the smell of cooked steak must have been her dinner. He looked at the raw steak, and his first thought was to cook it. So, he began to do just that. He realized all too late this was a mistake - He had learned a lot about cooking with his firebreath, but it had always been on a cave floor. Here, there was a polyester dish and what appeared to be wood flooring. Almost immediately the dish melted, a scorch mark was burned into the floor, and the steak was pretty darn close to medium-rare. Utanith wasn't sure what happened next - The collar had shocked him so hard he had been stunned, and he found himself laying on the ground. Slowly, he got to his feet, trembling from the effect. Schadenfreude had been right there on the floor next to him before he was certain what was going on, sincere concern in her eyes. Before he finished recovering from the effects he was trying to put together what had happened; he composed himself into a sitting position, at which point he had a working model of what he figured happened. The obedience enchantment was linked to Schadenfreude's will, and fed off Utanith's own responses to his actions. In domestic creatures this probably wasn't nearly as effective, but extremely consistent. It was bound to be a much more wild ride for Utanith, who could recognize a marked difference in severity between dawdling and breaking something. He looked at Schadenfreude, but he wasn't sure how to convey his thoughts without speaking, so he just tried to look remorseful, but unharmed. He wasn't sure how well it worked, but she seemed to take it as a good sign. "Well...I guess you want it cooked, then? I can do that." She nodded. "Not a problem!" Utanith blinked. This really wasn't what he expected, but he wasn't going to complain that things should be worse - He couldn't even if he wanted to. Shortly, there was a steak cooked medium rare; what Schadenfreude had done with the first one Utanith didn't know. He was a little uncertain, but he gave her leg an affectionate tap with his nose before starting to eat the steak. It was good - Garlic, some butter, and a little bit of salt clung to it. Simple, but delicious. Also thirst inducing. Utanith ignored his thirst to finish the steak, but then sought a way to inform Schadenfreude of this new need. There was a sink in the kitchen, so he went to it and put his forelegs over the basin before turning to look at her. This time, it was her turn to blink. "Are you thirsty? I didn't expect it to be quite this easy to figure out what you need, but when I saw...A dragon...I really wasn't sure what to expect. But it seemed like a good choice..." She found a bowl and Utanith moved out of the way so she could stick the bowl under the sink's tap to fill. "I mean...It's kinda isolated out here, and it's a little too quiet without anyone in the house. I could get a domestic, but they'd be useless if someone broke in...Plus I think I'd feel kind've weird with a descendent of my ancestors as a pet." She turned the tap off and set the bowl on the ground. "But somehow I doubt anyone would stick around if they saw you while trying to break in." She laughed, and Utanith might have tried to laugh too if he weren't invested in the water. How long was it that I was out between the forest and that auction?... he wondered. The thirst was unreal, and it didn't seem like the steak alone was enough to justify it. He had finished that bowl of water, but Schadenfreude had already set another down and was picking the last one up. "They weren't treating you well, were they?" Utanith tried to remember, but aside from the abduction thing he wasn't sure. As far as he was aware, he had been in his forest cave less than 24 hours ago. He finished the second bowl of water. Schadenfreude was still a step ahead with the first bowl refilled, but it was a misprediction; Utanith gave it a respectful sip before returning to sitting. Now Schadenfreude was unsure. "Do...You need to go outside?" It took Utanith a moment to figure out what she meant. When he did he gave her a vigorous no. I absolutely do not need to be let outside to relieve myself, and this is not the last time I'm going to have to tell her is it? Schadenfreude nodded. "Okay. Uhm...." She tapped her chin thoughtfully. Utanith briefly considered trying to pantomime for a book, but he was bad at charades when he did have hands. "Well..." Schadenfreude seemed conflicted. "It's basically my bedtime, so I'm going to get ready for bed. I guess if you need something you'll try and tell me?" Utanith nodded. "Well, you don't have to go to sleep, I suppose, but try not to make much noise, alright?" Utanith nodded again. This is so bizarre that I almost don't believe it's actually happening...I'm just going to go to sleep and deal with all this in the morning. He padded off to his cushion in the corner, curled up, and almost immediately fell asleep.

Schadenfreude was an early riser. Despite the overwhelming comfort compared to where he had spent most of his time sleeping lately, Utanith was awoken by the sounds of Schad's morning routine before she had even left her room. He got up, noting for the first time that his new "bed" was standing up very well to his claws, and took in his surroundings: Indeed, he was still inside Schadenfreude's house. There was still at least one collar on his neck, and a dazzling array of enchantments in effect on him. He had just decided to take a walk around the house when Schad came out of her room and called for him: "Dragon?" He found her in the hall just outside her room. "I came up with a name! I'll call you Graphite. Maybe Graph, for short. How does that sound?" It seemed as good a name as any to Utanith, so he nodded agreeably. She paused. "...You...Actually understand what I'm saying, don't you?" Wow, have I really gotten this lucky? Utanith still wasn't sure how he was going to convey to her the instructions necessary to extricate himself from this predicament, but at least she recognized that he was no feral dragon. Schad sighed. "Alright, we have some chores to take care of, then. Breakfast first, though." She led the way into the kitchen, and "Graph" followed along behind her. She fixed herself a bowl of cereal, and another slab of meat was cooked for Utanith. He ate quickly, the steak vanishing in only a few bites. There was still a bowl of water around from the night before, and he refreshed himself from it after the steak. Schad finished her own breakfast, grabbed her bag and headed for the door. "Ready to go? Come on, Graph, we've got places to be." Utanith could do nothing but follow, so he did. They left the house, and shortly they were at the transit hub once again. Instead of going inside, however, they continued on into the local town. There was a sign with the town's name on it just beyond the transit hub: "Clorindun." It wasn't one Utanith recognized. They continued onwards, the hills leveling out into buildings. It must have been a relatively small town, with a number of buildings scattered around a more traditional town proper. The shops appeared to mostly be locally owned, and Utanith found himself admiring the charm. Schad appeared to have selected a very nice place to live.

Once they got into town Schad led Utanith into what he recognized as a Natra shop; it was probably where she had gotten the Natra chip from last night. She struck up a conversation with the shop keeper. "So this is the pet I was talking about. The chip you gave me only worked on one of the collars, and it didn't seem to completely remove it." The shopkeeper looked over the counter, a human with large glasses and rapidly receding hairline, and appeared a little startled upon seeing Utanith. "That...Is your pet?" The shopkeeper drew in a deep breath, as if deciding what to do. "And you're telling me you want the obedience enchantment COMPLETELY removed?" He shook his head. "Schad, I'm telling you now, you're going to get your fur burnt off. All of it. Are you sure this is what you want to do?" She nodded, and even Utanith could see the fervor in her eyes. The shopkeeper scratched his chin. "Well, alright. But I won't take any chances, he'll have to be fully restrained before I start and until he leaves my shop." Utanith shuddered at the thought, but it was nothing compared to the auction house. Schadenfreude, however, didn't seem to agree: "I will personally guarantee that that is not necessary." The shopkeeper looked taken aback. "Well...Alright, fine. Follow me to the back." They went to the back room, and Utanith looked at the man's workspace. It seemed...Workable. The man was probably tier 3; enough to deal with the obedience charm perhaps, but certainly not the one that marked his exile. That one would be nearly impossible for Utanith to break even if he weren't subject to its power. The shopowner beckoned Utanith onto his workbench, and the dragon obliged. "Well...He is cooperative." The shop keeper picked up his focus, and began chanting an incantation. It wasn't one Utanith recognized, but he could gather just enough from what he was doing to know he was identifying the enchantments in play. "This is one hell of a dragon, Schad. A walking collection of enchantments, to be sure." Utanith figured he must have discovered the passive enchantments on his scales. "This collar, the one that's visible? It's not going anywhere..." He furrowed his brow, and started a new chant; Utanith still didn't recognize it. "I'd say some very powerful dragons made that one." He stopped for a moment, and rubbed his head. "I, uh...I wish I had known. I may have made this more of a pickle for you than it already was." Schadenfreude looked confused. "What do you mean?" The shop keeper sighed. "The first collar basically absorbed the second one - The chip I gave you was supposed to remove the physical collars and move the related enchantments onto the creature. That's...A bit of an abstraction, but it's close. Instead of doing that, however, whatever was on the second collar is now on the one that's still there, and I can't do anything to that collar. The enchantments on it are too strong." Utanith was dismayed. Schadenfreude also seemed troubled. "You're sure there's nothing you can do?" The shopkeeper shook his head. "I'm not sure there's a human alive that could; it'd take a powerful dragon or two to make a dent in it." Utanith knew the shop keeper was right; he also figured that some part of exile meant he wouldn't be able to get help from any dragons. He wasn't quite sure where that left him, though. Schadenfreude sighed and thanked the shopkeeper. "You tried, Nick; thanks. I probably should've brought him here to begin with, but at the time...Well. I guess it doesn't matter." Schad and Utanith left the store; when the door shut behind them Schad spoke. "I'm so sorry, Graphite, I...had no idea this would happen..." The dragon shook his head; he didn't blame her, but he wasn't sure how to convey that sentiment. "You can go, if you want - Leave, I mean...That was the plan, after all. Get the enchantment removed so that you would be free to leave." But, Utanith kept walking with her. As it was, he couldn't leave Kuimipage. There was a lot he couldn't do here that Schad could. That aside, he figured it wise to stick around the person at the controlling end of obedience enchantment. Schad watched him, and when he didn't leave she seemed surprised. "You're going to stick around?" The idea seemed to make her happy; interestingly, Utanith felt happy, too. "Well then be a good dragon and go home; I have to go to work still, and they definitely won't let you into my office." Utanith nodded at her. It wasn't a particularly happy nod; he still wasn't sure what he was going to do while he tried to figure this predicament out. He had a friend, though, and that was definitely a step in the right direction. He gave Schad's leg a nuzzle, the best see you later he could manage, and started in the direction of her house. Schad looked after him for a moment, then turned and headed for her office, wishing she could just go back home with the dragon.