Part 8 – Duties For The Day

“Time to wake up!”

The unwelcome voice intruded into Michael’s slumber, forcing him awake.

He pulled off the leather blindfold and rolled over to find himself looking through the bars of the cage into the face of Daniel, crouching just outside the cage.

“It’s half past five.” Daniel told him. “We have half an hour before you are to wake up Sir. We have to get ourselves cleaned up."

The canine stood and went to unlock the cage. Michael sat up and stretched as best he could in his confinement. It was then that he suddenly remembered the butt plug. It was difficult not to remember as the act of sitting up jiggled the rubber plug in his ass, sending a shiver of pleasure up his spine.

He’d grown quite used to the plug sealing up his ass. It felt good and… natural somehow.

The young lion felt thirsty, so crawled to his bowl and lapped up some water. It was only after he had finished having a drink like this that he realized, without thinking about it, he’d drank while remaining all on fours, just as Daniel had showed him the night before. He guessed he was really getting the hang of being a slave.

Daniel unlocked the cage door and swung it open, beckoning for Michael to come out. The lion scurried out of the cage on all fours and then stopped, looking expectantly up at the huge alsatian towering over him. He thought it was probably best to wait for permission to stand up.

It seemed he was correct. Daniel nodded approvingly at him, but did not give him permission to stand. Instead, he left the lion where he was for a moment and fetched a leash. Upon returning, he crouched down and clipped the end of the leash to Michael’s collar.

“Now, we must be quiet.” The canine explained. “We must not wake up Master Mitchell until the time he specified. If we do so, we will likely both be punished, and rightly so.”

The lion nodded his acknowledgement. “Yes, sir.”

Pulling on Michael’s leash, Daniel led the way upstairs and out of the dungeon. The whole house seemed still and quiet at this early hour. The huge alsatian knew the house better than Michael and led him to a downstairs bathroom that the young lion hadn’t even known was there.

Daniel left the young lion slave kneeling in the centre of the bathroom as he went to the shower and switched it on, unleashing a torrent of water. He adjusted the taps so that the water was the right temperature and then returned to Michael.

“Stand up.” He ordered. Once Michael had got to his feet, Daniel unclipped his leash and let it drop to the floor.

He took the young lion by the hand and led him to the shower. They stepped inside together, into the torrent of warm water.

The shower was large, but still not exactly huge, and the two of them were pretty cramped, especially with Daniel being as muscular as he was. Standing that close to the hunky canine, Michael struggled to keep his erection under control.

The Alsatian noticed the stiffening at the lion’s crotch as he began lathering himself up. “If you want to become a good slave, you will need to learn to have more control of that cock of yours. Strictly speaking, you should not even get an erection without permission.”

“I’ve… realised that, sir.” Said Michael, sadly.

“Don’t let your failure last night bother you too much.” Daniel said, bending over slightly to soap up his legs. “You did wrong, but were punished as Master Mitchell deemed appropriate. That should be the end of it. Here.” He passed the soap to Michael. “Do my back.”

Daniel turned around and Michael set about scrubbing the canine’s back, trying not to think about it too much as he ran his hands over the bulging muscles.

“But I still feel bad about it, sir.” He said. “I’d really like to find some way to make it up to him… to Master Mitchell. Last night, you mentioned some suggestions?”

“There are numerous things you can try.” Said Daniel. “You could beg to lick Sir’s boots or suck his cock, or offer your ass to him as a sign of devotion.”

“Surely, sir,” Michael asked, “Master is able to have me do those things at any time?”

The huge canine chuckled. “Of course. But by doing them without being commanded, you are showing your willingness to serve and please.”

As Michael thought about it, Daniel turned around suddenly. “There is something else you could try.” He said with a smile. He turned the young lion around and placed his big powerful hands on his shoulders.

The hunky canine started massaging Michael’s shoulders, neck and upper back, running his hands over the lion’s musculature with practised skill. Michael shuddered. It felt incredible.

“How does that feel?” Daniel asked.

“Amazing, Sir…” Michael sighed in contentment.

“My Master loves a good massage to unwind.” Daniel explained. “Master Zachary even paid for me to attend massage classes, so that my skills would be top notch. If the opportunity arises later, perhaps I could give you some tips, so that you can offer Master Mitchell a massage.”

“I would appreciate that a lot, Sir.” Michael had to admit, the dog was really good at it.

Daniel stopped. “But for now, there’s no time. Soap.”

Michael passed him the soap and the canine set about scrubbing the lion’s back. The two of them continued washing, themselves and each other. Eventually they rinsed themselves off and stepped out of the shower. Daniel passed Michael a towel and took one for himself from a nearby towel rack.

“We don’t have long until you are to awake Master Mitchell.” Said Daniel. “Get yourself dried and groomed. You should be in pristine condition when you present yourself to Sir, otherwise it is likely you will receive more punishment.”

Michael definitely did not want that. Just thinking about how things had gone last night left him feeling ashamed.

He did his best to dry himself off quickly and efficiently. But then he came to the collar, which was soaked.

“What about the collar, Sir?” Michael asked.

Daniel had already finished drying himself and was running a grooming brush through his fur.

“There’s nothing that can be done about our collars, I’m afraid.” Daniel shrugged. “Leather can take a long time to dry out. But since we did not have permission to remove them, we had to wear them in the shower. Just dry the collar and your neck as best you can. Perhaps later, Master Mitchell will permit us to change our collars for dry ones.”

The young lion did as he was told, continuing to dry himself. Once he was done, He returned his towel to the rack. Daniel then helped him groom his fur neatly.

When they were done, it was only a few minutes until six o’clock. Daniel sent Michael upstairs with instructions to gently awaken Mitchell, while he himself headed for the kitchen, to get started on making breakfast for the panther.

Michael padded up the stairs and entered Mitchell’s bedroom. The handsome black panther was sound asleep in his bed, the sheets wrapped around his muscular body. He took a moment to just stand there admiring him before moving closer.

He wasn’t sure exactly how he should do this. Should he shake Mitchell awake? That would be the easiest way, but it seemed somehow… disrespectful.

The lion stopped beside the bed and looked down at the slumbering panther, pondering what to do.

“Master?” He said, raising his voice a little, hoping it would be enough.

Mitchell stirred a little.

“Master?” Michael tried again. “Master, it’s six am, the time you wanted to be awoken.”

Mitchell’s eyes flicked open and he yawned, stretching a little. “Well, that’s a pleasant sight to wake up to.” He said, looking up at the lion slave.

The panther sat up in the bed, throwing off the sheets. He stretched again, giving Michael a full view of his rippling muscles. The lion struggled to keep his cock under control. Mitchell noticed and smiled. He silently beckoned the lion forward.

Michael stepped forward and the panther grabbed him, pulling him down face up across his lap and kissing him deeply. Michael didn’t resist at all and simply let himself enjoy the moment. As they kissed, Mitchell’s hand went to his ass and fiddled with the butt plug, swirling it around in a circle. It felt fantastic and shivers of pleasure shot up through the lion’s body.

A moment later, Mitchell pushed him back up again. “Well,” he said, “time to get to work. But first, go to the bathroom and remove the butt plug. I’m sure you need to use the toilet. Then I want that plug back in your ass.”

The lion did as he was told, heading for the bathroom. He hadn’t realised just how much he needed to go until he yanked the rubber plug out of his rear. He rushed to the toilet to relieve himself.

Once he was done and had cleaned himself up, he shoved the plug back in. Now that he’d got so used to it, his ass felt strange, sort of empty, without it.

Michael returned to the bedroom to find that Mitchell had climbed out of the bed and was stretching once more. “Slave. That chest of drawers over there.” He said through another yawn. “Second drawer down, you’ll find a pair of blue spandex shorts, fetch them. And in the bottom drawer, there’s some leashes, bring me a black leather one.”

“Yes, Master.” Michael nodded as he scurried to obey. He found the shorts and the leash and returned to the panther, falling to his knees and offering them up to him. He’d seen Daniel doing it when he’d fetched things for Mitchell during the dungeon session last night.

Mitchell smiled down at him. “You are learning quick, aren’t you?” He chuckled, taking the items from Michael’s hands and giving the lion a quick pat on the head.

The hunky black panther slipped into the shorts. To Michael’s delight, they were pretty much skin tight, showing off the beautiful muscles of his Master’s thighs. He then crouched to attach the leash to Michael’s collar. He noticed it was slightly damp.

“Hmm.” He muttered. “I’ll have to remember to get you a dry collar a little later.” He stood, taking up the leash in one hand. “But right now, it’s time for my morning workout.”

Mitchell led Michael out of the bedroom. The lion remembered to remain on all fours while on the leash, just as the panther had taught him. Mitchell took him along the hallway and into a room Michael hadn’t been in before.

It was essentially a gym. The room was full of various pieces of gym equipment, including various sets of weights and dumbbells. It was a bright room, with wide windows letting in the first rays of the rising morning sun. There was a laminated wood floor beneath his hands and feet as Michael was led in.

As they came to a stop in front of a weights bench, Michael fell to a kneeling position to wait and see what Mitchell wanted to do. He scanned the room, looking at the assortment of exercise equipment. He now knew how his Master kept in such great shape.

Mitchell unclipped Michael’s leash and handed him a clear plastic bottle. “Go downstairs to the kitchen.” He said. “And fill this with water. Come straight back.”

“Of course, Master.” Michael was on his feet a moment later, hurrying from the room.

He didn’t speak to Daniel in the kitchen, he didn’t want to keep Mitchell waiting. Besides, the huge canine was too busy cooking to talk. He simply filled the bottle and returned to the gym upstairs.

Michael arrived to find his handsome Master fiddling with the weights on a barbell sitting on the weights bench. The panther smiled at him as he dropped to his knees.

“Okay.” He said. “Let’s get to work.”

For the next few hours, Michael helped Mitchell with his work out. For the most part, this involved standing by with the panther’s water bottle and towel while he worked. But sometimes he was required to lift and carry weights here and there. A few times, Mitchell gave the young lion some minor exercises to do, running on a treadmill or lifting small dumbbells.

“Any slave of mine will have to keep in shape.” Mitchell explained at one point, as he was handing the lion a pair of dumbbells to work with. “And preferably built up some.”

As a result of the lifting, carrying, and exercising, Michael’s fur was matted with sweat by the time Mitchell was done with his morning workout. He marvelled at just how energetic his Master seemed once he was done, and he had done a hell of a lot more than Michael.

After wiping the sweat from his face and shoulders with his towel, Mitchell retrieved the leash from where he’d left it on the floor by the weights bench and attached it to Michael’s collar.

He led the tired young lion slave back to the bedroom and it’s adjoining bathroom. Within minutes, he was running a shower and slipping out of his shorts. He then unleashed Michael, commanded him to stand up, and then led him into the shower with him.

The shower was pretty quick. Michael helped clean his Master’s fur before scrubbing his own for the second time that morning.

When they both clean, they stepped out of the shower, water dripping from their fur. Mitchell passed his slave a towel and ordered him to dry off his Master. Michael went to it, drying Mitchell’s large, muscular body. As he worked, Michael thought about the suggestions Daniel had given. He’d been plucking up the courage since first waking Mitchell up, and as he finished drying his Master and putting away the towel, he thought now was a good as time as any to act on the dog’s advice.

He dropped to his knees in front of the large panther and bowed his head submissively. “Please, Master, may I speak?”

Mitchell looked down at him, frowning. “Of course. What is it?”

“I humbly ask if I might be permitted to suck your glorious cock, Master?” Michael said.

The black panther simply stood there silently, surprised by this sudden request.

Michael was a little put off by the silence, so tried something else. He turned around, got on hands and knees, and raised his rear to his Master. “Or perhaps, Master, you would like to take my ass for your pleasure?”

“Okay, that’s enough.” Mitchell demanded. “What’s going on? Why are you suddenly offering yourself to me?”

The young lion returned to his kneeling position. “I simply want to show my willingness to serve and please you, Master.”

Mitchell glared at him thoughtfully. “This is about last night, isn’t it?” He said. “Your failure and punishment?”

“Yes, Master.” Michael admitted. “I want to prove that I can make you a good slave.”

“That’s very thoughtful of you.” Mitchell grinned. “But you already proved yourself to me when you accepted your punishment last night without resorting to using the safety word. Have no fear, when I want to use you, I will, you do not need to offer yourself.”

“Yes, Master.” Said Michael, feeling a little better.

“But it is cute that you wanted to make it up to me.” Mitchell patted the lion on the head. “Now, we’ve got a lot to do.”

Michael was put on the leash again and led back into Mitchell’s bedroom, where he helped the hunk of a panther get dressed. Mitchell stood in the centre of the room, commanding the lion to fetch various items of clothing from wardrobes and drawers. The lion would then slip them onto his Master’s body.

“This is something Master’s sometimes have their slaves do.” Mitchell explained during this. “After all, why should the Master expend energy when he has a slave who can do it for him? But personally, I prefer to dress myself for the most part.”

Michael found the experience of dressing Mitchell extraordinarily erotic, so much so that he was unable to stop himself getting a full on erection. Mitchell noticed.

“Don’t worry about too much about not being able to control yourself yet.” He said, patting him on the head again. “You’re still learning.”

The black panther chose not to dress too extravagantly. He had his lion slave dress him in some simple boxer shorts, a pair of jeans, socks and leather boots. As a finishing touch, he had Michael fetch him a pair of fingerless red leather gloves.

With Mitchell dressed, he took Michael’s leash again and led the lion on all fours out of the bedroom and downstairs. As they reached the bottom of the stairs, a mouth-watering smell greeted their nostrils. Daniel had been busy.

They entered the kitchen to find the huge canine slave standing by the table, waiting patiently. A feast had been laid out on the table for Mitchell’s breakfast. There was a wide selection of eggs, toast, meat, cereal, as well as a large jug of orange juice.

As Mitchell approached, Daniel fell to his knees, head bowed and ears flattened. “You’ve done well, Pup.” Said Mitchell. Daniel’s tail wagged a little.

The panther handed Michael’s leash to Daniel and motioned for the lion to stop just beside the Alsatian. Michael took up a kneeling position where his master had pointed.

The two slaves knelt there and waited while Mitchell sat himself down and started eating. He must have been hungry after his workout, Michael supposed, because he started wolfing his food down. He himself was hungry too. He hadn’t eaten at all since he’d got here, but he’d been too busy to really notice until now. His stomach growled.

Mitchell heard and looked around at him. “Don’t worry, slave, you’ll be fed soon enough. But slaves don’t eat until they are permitted, and only after the Master has eaten.”

Michael nodded his understanding and resigned himself to waiting a little longer.

The panther ate steadily and managed to finish off a good portion of the breakfast feast pretty quickly. Then he stopped and sat back, wiping his muzzle with a napkin.

“As good as ever, Pup.” He said. “You’re a very good cook.”

“Thank you, sir.” Daniel nodded.

“Now that the Master has been fed,” Mitchell went on, “it’s the turn of the slaves. But I don’t think they should eat from the same plates as their Master.” With that, the panther stood and walked across the kitchen to a cupboard, where he pulled out a couple of metal bowls.

He then returned to the table and began clearing the breakfast plates, dumping the leftovers into the bowls. “And of course, as befits slaves, you will not be eating at my table, but from the floor.”

“As you command, Sir.” Said Daniel. Michael didn’t say anything. He just wanted to eat and didn’t mind having to do it on the floor. As he looked at it, it would be a new experience.

When Mitchell was done, he placed the bowls on the floor in front of the two slaves. “You may eat now.” He said.

Michael was about to dive straight in and start gobbling down his breakfast, but suddenly Daniel spoke up. “Thank you, Sir.”

The lion realised he should be thanking his Master as well, he couldn’t believe he’d almost made the mistake of forgetting. “Thank you, Master.” He said.

The slaves set about eating, both getting down on hands and knees and digging into the heaps of food in the bowls. Michael was so hungry he chewed and swallowed without really tasting.

While the lion and the large canine ate, Mitchell retrieved another bowl from the cupboard and poured the remainder of the orange juice from the jug into it. He placed it on the floor beside the slaves.

“Here you are.” Said the panther. “When you’re done eating, drink up. I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

Mitchell left the kitchen, leaving his slaves to get on with their breakfast. Michael was surprised how quickly he adapted to eating from a bowl on the floor. It was a little strange for a few seconds, but after that he just didn’t think about it and it seemed almost normal.

When Daniel and Michael had both finished eating, they stayed on hands and knees and took turns lapping up the orange juice. Michael got the feeling the muscular Alsatian was allowing him to have most of it.

Just as they were finished, Mitchell returned, carrying a folded piece of paper and a pair of fresh leather collars. He had the two slaves kneel before him and removed their still damp collars, replacing them with the dry ones.

He then stepped back and looked down at them, smiling. “Now you’re fed, it’s time for the two of you to get to work.” He unfolded the piece of paper. “I worked this out last night before I went to bed. I listed and divided up the chores between the two of you.”

Mitchell focused his attention on Michael. “You see, Slave, today you are going to experience another side of being a slave. So far, you’ve only served as my sexual plaything, but for today, you’ll be doing some domestic chores for me.”

The young lion frowned. He hadn’t expected to be doing chores. He knew there’d be more to a slave’s life than the sex, but the possibility of being used as cheap labour hadn’t really crossed his mind.

Mitchell noticed his slave’s frown and crouched down in front of him, looking him in the eye. “Not what you were expecting?”

Michael nodded. “Yes, Master.”

“Well, you are here to experience the life of a slave.” Mitchell explained. “And domestic chores are often a part of that. Remember what I’ve already taught you. The slave’s purpose is to serve and please his Master. By doing chores at his command, you are serving and pleasing. And of course, it leads to being rewarded.” He stood up. “Just as not obeying would lead to punishment.”

“I think I understand, Master.” Said the lion. And he did see the panther’s point. But it still seemed a little too much like simple cheap labour to him.

“Very good.” Said Mitchell. “Now let’s get you two to work.”

Over the following few hours, the slaves worked at doing chores for their Master.

Daniel was assigned to the kitchen. The huge canine went to work clearing away and washing the dishes from breakfast. He then set about cleaning everything, including scrubbing the floor.

Since Daniel was the experienced slave, Mitchell was able to leave him alone to get on with things and instead spent much of his time watching over Michael.

Michael started out by cleaning up his Master’s bathroom, picking up the towels from Mitchell’s shower earlier and scrubbing everything until it sparkled. Once he was done, he moved onto the bedroom, putting away the leathers the panther had stripped off and dropped on the floor before going to bed the night before. The lion then cleaned everything and ended by stripping the sheets from the bed and carrying them downstairs to the utility room at the back of the house, where he dumped them in the washing machine and started it up.

Throughout this, Mitchell strolled about, giving the lion commands and offering suggestions and encouragement. On a few occasions, he even fondled the lion’s cock and balls for a moment, giving the slave a reminder of the ‘reward’ he was working for.

Michael was only doing these chores because it was what the handsome hunk of a feline wanted him to do. There was no other reason. He wasn’t enjoying it in the slightest, even though he was aware it would please his Master, and he frankly didn’t care that this was sometimes part of a slave’s life. He simply didn’t like it.

It was late morning and approaching midday when the phone rang. By that time, Mitchell had Michael vacuuming throughout the house. He left the lion alone in the living room and went to answer it.

Michael kept on running the vacuum cleaner about. He wondered how much longer he and Daniel would be working like this. His fur was soaked with sweat and he was getting tired. He could really use a rest. But he didn’t stop. As much as he found himself disliking these chores, he was determined not to disappoint Mitchell again.

As he continued working, he could hear Mitchell on the phone. He couldn’t make out any words over the sound of the vacuum cleaner, but Mitchell’s tone seemed quite agitated.

The phone conversation came to an end and Michael heard the panther sprint upstairs. Michael wondered what was going on, but kept working.

About five minutes later, the black panther came down again. Michael heard him call out. “Pup! Slave! Come here!”

Michael immediately stopped what he was doing, glad for the break, and padded out into the hall, where Mitchell was standing by the front door.

The panther had changed. Gone were the jeans and leather. Mitchell was now wearing a smart business suit, and was adjusting his tie as Michael and Daniel arrived. The slaves fell to their knees before him.

“I have to go.” Mitchell explained quickly. “It’s great owning your own company, you get to choose your hours. But it also means you need to be there to sort things out when one of your employees screws things up in a major way.”

Mitchell checked his pockets, making sure he had his keys. “Hopefully, I should only be gone a few hours. While I’m not here, you’re in charge, Pup.” Daniel nodded in acknowledgement.

“Now, I want you two to continue your cleaning duties.” Mitchell said, now ready to go. “I want everything on the list finished. I’ll expect all this done by the time I return.” He gave the list to Daniel.

The lion and Alsatian slaves nodded. “Yes, master.” They both said.

“You have my permission to stop for a brief rest at midday and have some lunch, but something simple.” Mitchell added. “And if you have all your duties finished before I get back, I think a reward would be in order. So once you finish, you have permission to have some fun with each other, whatever you may want, just so long as neither of you cum at all. Just remember that Pup is in charge.”

And with that, Mitchell had to go, rushing out the door. A few minutes later, they heard his car start up and drive away.

Daniel immediately sent Michael back to work, telling the lion he would call him at midday for their lunch break. Michael gloomily returned to his vacuuming.

He had just finished and was putting the vacuum cleaner away when Daniel called him into the kitchen. He walked in to find that the bodybuilder dog had made a plate of sandwiches for their lunch.

Michael was about to sit at the table, but Daniel grabbed his arm, stopping him. “Slaves do not sit at the Master’s table, even when he is not here.” He explained firmly.

The young naked lion nodded and joined the canine in sitting cross-legged on the floor, with the plate between them. They started eating, munching away on the sandwiches.

“We have permission to have some fun once our chores are done.” Said Daniel, between bites. “If you wish, we could use the time for me to teach you a few things, about being a good slave and how to give a good massage.”

Michael thought about it briefly. Mitchell had obviously left permission expecting them to engage in some sort of sexual activity. And the lion had to admit he thought he’d really love to indulge in some sex with the beefy dog.

But on the other hand, he really wanted to learn how to please his Master better, and this would be a good opportunity to do so.

“I’d like that, Sir.” Michael nodded. “Thank you, Sir.”

Once the sandwiches were all gone, Daniel fetched a bowl of water for them to get down on hands and knees to drink from. Michael drank a lot, the morning’s work had really made him thirsty.

When they were both done, they returned to work, making their way through the list, until they only had the dungeon to clean and Mitchell’s boots left to polish. Daniel sent Michael down to make a start on the dungeon while he took care of polishing the boots.

The lion padded down the stairs, broom in hand. The basement dungeon still looked strange and bizarre to his eyes, but he was getting used to the place. He set about sweeping.

It wasn’t long until Daniel joined him, having finished on the boots. Michael commented about how fast he must have worked. Daniel simply replied that he had polished many boots in his time and could do it quickly and efficiently.

Together, they made their way around the dungeon, cleaning and polishing. They worked in silence, except when Daniel gave Michael commands on how to do something or what to do next.

Michael didn’t mind the lack of conversation, he was having an educational time as he worked. During his previous times in the dungeon, the lion hadn’t looked too closely at the variety of things on display. Now that he had the task of cleaning them all, he was getting to chance to get a good look at them all up close.

There were leather straps and restraints of every sort, whips and paddles, collars and harnesses and hoods of assorted types and colours. He’d never imagined there could possibly be so much variety.

Eventually the slaves finished their cleaning duties, with the dungeon spotless and everything in its appropriate place. Daniel led the way upstairs and together they put away the cleaning supplies.

“That’s our duties taken care of.” Said Daniel, once this was done.

“So what now, Sir?” Michael asked, expectantly.

“It’s time to receive some massage tips.” Daniel replied, giving the lion a smile. He led Michael into the living room and commanded him to lie face down on the couch.

Michael obeyed the command and Daniel knelt down beside him, placing his great hands across his shoulders.

“I’ve always found the most important thing to remember,” Daniel began, “is to be firm, but gentle, take things slow. Like this.” The canine began to massage Michael’s shoulders.

The lion shuddered in delight. The dog really was good at this. He was disappointed that Daniel had to stop a few moments later, when there was a sudden loud knock on the front door.

The two slaves looked up curiously, both getting to their feet. They definitely weren’t expecting anyone. Mitchell wouldn’t need to knock.

“What do we do, Sir?” Michael asked, turning to the more experienced Daniel for guidance.

Daniel didn’t reply, he simply walked across the room and stepped into the hall, Michael close on his heels. Who could it be?

The knock came again, this time accompanied by a call from outside. “Come on, my Slave, I know you’re in there! Open up!”

Daniel seemed to recognise the voice. His face broke into an enormous grin and he rushed to the door, unlocking it and throwing it open.

A hugely-built and quite handsome rottweiller was standing on the doorstep. He was dressed in huge leather boots, jeans and leather chaps, and a black leather biker jacket. Beneath the jacket, he was bare-chested, showing of his rippling muscles.

Daniel fell to his knees on the doormat, bowing his head and flattening his ears submissively. “Master!” He said, happily. “I am so pleased to see you!”

The massive rottweiller grinned down at him and then looked at Michael, still standing by the living room door.

“Surprise!” He said.

To Be Continued…