Irena's pet room where he's fed and comforted

Marcus stared miserably down into the bowl on the floor in front of him, filled with diced vegetables cut into tiny chunks. It looked tasty enough, but how was he supposed to eat on all fours without even using his hands? His butt still stung from when he’d tried to scoop some up with his fingers and gotten a smack from Klara for his trouble. The busty housekeeper had told him sharply that good pets didn’t do that, waving her finger in front of his nose like he really was some disobedient animal she was scolding.

Beside him, Luca had his nose buried in the other bowl, and was hungrily scarfing down his own meal without a hint of shame. Marcus glanced at the tanned boy, his own stomach rumbling. Could he really eat that way as well? Even as hungry as he was right now it felt so humiliating.

“That’s right, you darling bunny-bun.” Klara cooed, standing over the pair of them like some looming giant. She wasn’t even that tall for a woman, but on all fours like this everyone seemed huge and threatening, all the more so since she apparently had Irena’s blessing to punish him however she wished. “Go on, eat up like a good boy. Luca’s showing you how.”

The tanned boy turned his head for a moment, giving the young prince a brief look and another sympathetic smile. Marcus stared back, drawing some small comfort from the fact that there was at least someone here who seemed to understand just how awful this all was for him. Along with the hungry ache in his belly, it was just about enough for him to swallow his shame and gingerly bend down towards the bowl. The smell of roasted vegetables filled his nostrils and he couldn’t resist leaning down that last inch and grabbing a piece of carrot with his lips. It tasted really good, warm and buttery. At least Irena fed her pets well, he thought.

“Good boy!” Klara squealed in delight. Her hand landed on his naked back, gently stroking along his skin. The young prince tried to ignore the way she touched him so casually, focusing instead on grabbing pieces of vegetable with his lips, chewing and swallowing them down without making a mess. “You’re doing so well.” The housekeeper continued, stroking him all the while. As scared and ashamed as he was, those tender caresses still somehow made Marcus feel a little calmer. “That’s it, you know it feels right this way. Just ignore all those bad feelings telling you otherwise. You’re a pet now, a darling, sweet little bunny boy who’s going to be pampered and loved by his new Mistress.”

Her voice was like honey dripping in his ear and no matter how much he told himself to ignore her the young prince couldn’t help but absorb her sweetly spoken words. He knew what happened when he stopped behaving like a rabbit, his still-tender butt a warning of the consequences of disobedience. Right now, he didn’t have a choice but to do what these crazy women wanted. Getting ashamed over silly things like eating this way wasn’t going to help him in the slightest.

Klara kept tenderly stroking him and cooing similar things right up until he licked up the last few scraps from the bottom of the bowl, burying his embarrassment deep. Then he sat up again, carefully trying not to jar the tail still buried in his butt. Luca had finished a short while ago, and was licking his fluffy paws the way a cat would after eating. Seeing both him and the twins behave so very much like the animals they were supposed to be was rather worrying for Marcus. Would Irena expect him to wrinkle his nose or hop about like a bunny soon? He really hoped not.

“Good boys, both of you. I’m glad to see you enjoy my cooking so much.” Klara swept up both bowls, replacing them moments later with similar ones filled with water instead. “I’ll take these to be cleaned now, so you both have a nice drink and behave yourselves while I’m gone, alright?” Not waiting for a response from either boy, she turned and strode for the door, leaving Marcus sitting there in shock. Luca was already bent over the water bowl in the same way, lapping it up with his tongue, and it wasn’t hard to guess the young prince was supposed to be doing the same. He was kind of thirsty, so he hurriedly squirmed back round and learn over the bowl, trying not to make too many embarrassing noises as he used his tongue and lips to slurp up as much as he could.

He watched Luca from the corner of his eye the whole time, still trying to figure the other boy out. Unlike the twins who embraced their whole puppy act whole-heartedly, Luca still seemed to realise how hard it was for a boy to be **** to behave like an animal. Only, he did it anyway, and that made his loving behaviour towards Irena so much more confusing. If he was being **** into this like Marcus, why did he still look at her with devotion and rub against her legs like he really did adore her?

When the tanned boy sat up at last, water dripping down his chin, Marcus hurriedly did the same. They both turned to stare at each other. Luca really was pretty for a boy, the young prince thought, with long lashes, gorgeous almond-coloured eyes and smooth skin like caramel. His lithe, slender body really suited him too, and with those cat ears and tails his frame did really seem almost feline. Seeing another boy with such a girly body naked right in front of him made the young prince feel rather funny, his cheeks flushing hot and his belly fluttering. He tried not to stare, but he couldn’t stop his gaze flickering down between the other boy’s legs. The cage there made him shudder, especially when he saw the small, elegant lock fastening it shut. Why...? What did poor Luca do when Irena...had him in bed with her and it started to get hard? It must hurt, surely? When he glanced back up, Luca was still staring at his face, a searching curious look in his pretty eyes.

“Um...do you...?” The young prince began haltingly, the words slipping from his lips before he could think.

“Quiet.” Luca hissed sharply. Marcus flinched back with a squeak of shock, guilt churning in his stomach even though he’d done nothing wrong. “Sorry, but if they hear you talking, you’ll be in big trouble.” The tanned boy continued, his voice low and hushed. His gaze flickered to the door, like he was watching for Klara’s return. “We can talk when we’re alone tonight. Mistress will put us in the same cage, probably. Just don’t say anything in front of the twins either, okay? They don’t talk, but that doesn’t mean they can’t let Mistress know you’re misbehaving. And believe me, they do, every chance they have.”

Marcus nodded hurriedly, pursing his lips shut. At least they could talk tonight. He’d be able to ask Luca what was going on, maybe even learn some things about how to keep out of trouble with Irena, at least until he and his Father were rescued anyway. Luca gave him an encouraging smile, then nodded towards the side of the room. Along with more bowls, and leashes and collars hanging on hooks, there were some toys of the type Marcus had seen people use to play with their pets. Pigskin balls, feather dusters and little knitted dolls on strings in the shape of mice. Luca crawled over to one of the balls and batted it across the floor towards Marcus with his paw. The young prince stopped it with a hand. It seemed like Luca wanted him to play with it, so he awkwardly hit it back towards the tanned boy, who chased it deftly across the floor and pounced on it just like a cat, his long tail waving behind him. Marcus tried to do the same when it was swept back his way, still struggling with how to crawl with that lump of ivory shoved up his butt distracting him the whole time. Simple as the game might be, he knew Luca was trying to cheer him up and that along with the promise to talk later helped the scared young prince relax a little, his shame and anxiousness fading into the background, but still there.