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III didn’t ever try to go outside, and as far as he could tell II didn’t either. He wasn’t sure whether that was the intentional will of Sleep, or just his general sense of unease over the old creaky forest surrounding their home. Mist seemed to gather there, no matter how bright the sun was, and III was sure that if he ever tried to leave he’d never find his way out again.Vessel didn’t seem to have the same problem, and as III watched him from the dusty old kitchen window, he felt a cold coil of terror pool in his gut as he watched him crouch down to pet a little orange cat that had somehow wandered into their yard. He felt instantly the way Sleep made his presence known, shifting the dark house until it was all he could feel, until with a swell of static He was gone just as quickly as He arrived. The next morning III had woken up to a bump over his tail bone, and two itchy spots on his head. The two bumps could be hidden with his hood up but the tail was harder, hanging halfway down his thigh from his swollen, irritated tailbone He was adamant to not make the same mistake that II had, who had tumbled out of his room in distress when he’d woken up to his own changes. III would be smarter, he’d hide it until it went away.It was difficult though. The tail burned and ached where it came out, a pain rooted deep into his spine. Nothing seemed to help, and it kept him up at night with those terrible burning twinges as it rapidly grew out of him. The bags beneath his eyes grew heavier and darker as his sleep became non-existent but still he manage to hide it, bundling up in extra clothes and trying to avoid Vessel’s watchful eye.Each day Vessel didn’t discover it was a victory, a day he wouldn’t have to wind up like II. He had been sleeping on his back despite the pain, desperate to not be discovered, but for once the discomfort was too great. He checked his door was still shut, and rolled onto his stomach, promising himself it would only be for a moment to give himself a break. The relief of the cool air on his fever slicked skin had been too appealing to pass up, and he luxuriated in it.He should’ve known better, but he’d been so tired, and as his eyes started to droop he couldn’t stop himself from crashing into a deep sleep. The howl he let out when a hand tugged at his burning tail was so loud that it was barely contained by the hand that was slapped over his mouth. In a panic he bit down hard enough to draw blood, and it yanked out of his mouth with a curse.With his heart thudding out of his chest, III looked back to see Vessel kneeling behind him on the bed, glaring at him with clear betrayal. His grip tightened on III’s tail until tiny flashes of light exploded in his vision from the pain, and he sobbed as Vessel choked his hand up, wrapping his fist around the tail several more times until III’s narrow hips were lifted off of the bed. “When did this happen?” Vessel growled, his voice low and dangerous at the thought of missing out on his fun.“I-I don’t—““Are you trying to deny Sleep’s gift to me?” Vessel punctuated his accusation with a yank so hard that III worried his tail would be torn out, and every muscle in his back seized and spasmed in pain.“T-two or th-three days!” III yelped, letting out a gasp of relief as Vessel finally released his grip, and in an instant he scrambled away, curling into a protective ball by the headboard, his tail wrapping itself around his shaking thigh.III could only watch helplessly as Vessel advanced on him, his eyes bright until he was crowded against the headboard, and he flinched away as Vessel’s hand reached out to touch him. He was stopped by the wall behind him, frozen in place as Vessel felt the top of his head. There was something soft there, two of them… ears? Vessel’s touch was not delicate, and he tugged one up from where it lay flat against the top of IIIs head.“Little kitty cat.” Vessel crooned, and his hands slid down to cup III’s cheeks, his thumbs wiping away the tears. III curled himself into an even tighter ball as a thumb forced its way inside his mouth and pushed his upper lip back to reveal the needle sharp canines that had emerged. Vessel poked at them lightly, his face lighting up in surprise from the sharpness, and he pulled his hand away, inspecting the indent on the pad of his thumb with fascination.“Don’t make me pull those out” he warned, showing off the bite III had given him. “I didn’t mean— you just scared me.” III choked out in a panic, his voice catching in his throat, trying not to panic. This wasn’t the first time this had happened, but it was the first time it had happened to him, and after witnessing what II went through, he was frozen in fear. It was burned into his memory, the day Vessel had let out an excited shout, pointing out the window to a bunny as it raced across the yard. At the time III had found his enthusiasm almost endearing, even as Sleep’s presence swelled around them.The next morning II had come down the stairs with his eyes red and puffy from crying, panicking over the two bumps sprouting out of the top of his head.III still remembered the way he had seeked out Vessel for comfort, looking up at him so trusting and desperate for answers. It was no secret that Sleep reserved all of His love and attention for Vessel, clumsily wielding his powers with ill-guided attempts to reward and please his favourite– but none of them had expected how far it would go, and by the time the ears and cottontail had fully grown in, Vessel treated it for what he knew it was, a gift for him.As III cowered on the bed, he wondered if he looked just like II had, impossibly small from where he had been trapped on his bed for days as Vessel used him. II’s velvety lop ears had been completely mangled from how tightly they’d been tied to the headboard in cruel knots, and had been nearly unrecognisable by the end. Even from his room III could hear how II would squeal in pain as Vessel fucked him mercilessly, tugging his quivering cotton tail with glee. Shaking and quivered on the bed, III swallowed down the urge to scream for help. He knew II couldn’t save him, he had learned the lesson himself when he'd tried to rescue him near the end of it. He’d snuck in and tried to untangle the torn ears from the headboard, but the soft velvet fur was too tightly knotted, matted with dried blood.Each attempt had made II wail in pain, his small chest having in panic, and III had never felt so helpless as he pleaded for him to keep trying, even as his face twisted up in pain.He knew it had been a terrible idea but III had been unable to leave him, and Vessel had choked him within an inch of his life when he’d caught him red-handed. He’d been left to wake up shivering and naked on Sleep’s rough stone altar, a clear warning at how expendable he was. The threat was clear. They’d all been forced to watch what had happened to Fore when he’d challenged Vessel one too many times, and as III had slid his aching body off of the rough stone he had tried not to think about the blood that stained it. With the memories of II’s torment still fresh in his mind, III cried as he was forced to strip, sniffling as Vessel eagerly checked every part of him for more changes. He was most fascinated by the tail, unable to stop himself from yanking it away from III’s thigh where it kept trying to hide away from him, the sensitive zing of pain each time making III want to scream. “Beautiful.” Vessel murmured as he gave it an experimental tug, pulling him closer. It a gift to him from Sleep after all, and who was III to deny it?III desperately scrambled closer to him on the bed to help relieve the pressure as his ass was dragged closer. He only had a moment of relief before he was flipped onto his stomach and the hand was back again, gripping the root of the tail tightly. Desperate and wailing, III arched his back to help keep the pressure off as Vessel refused to slacken his cruel grip. He didn’t have the patience to prep him much and afforded him only a quick swipe of his finger before there was a wad of spit sliding down his ass.Vessel tugged at the base of his tail to force him to raise his ass higher, and III saw white, screaming as Vessel shoved himself mercilessly inside. The pain was too much and III thinks he might have passed out, only waking up to being fucked so hard that his teeth clacked together. Each time his body went limp the tail would be tugged and his muscles would go taut like a bowstring, desperate to relieve the pressure. Vessel groaned each time III tightened around him in pain left him sobbing wretchedly into his pillow and it was clear something had torn as everything too slick. Finally Vessel’s cock pulsed deep inside of him, and III was squashed into the mattress as Vessel collapsed on top of him, with no regard to his tail now kinked and twisted up between them. He's not sure if he passed out or fell into a feverish sleep, but he was dead to the world until the next morning. The feverish pain through his entire body had lessened, and was now just relegated to his hands. They burned hot and he tried to massaged them gently, desperate for relief as Vessel snored softly next to him.His inner thighs were still sticky with dried blood and cum, and he was desperate to be clean, wondering if he could slink away to the bath without Vessel noticing. The catlike changes certainly helped, and even as he limped away, his whole body on fire, he managed to do it without waking his tormentor. The old washroom was musty with old faded wallpaper curling at the edges, but it boasted a beautiful old claw foot tub that III liked to waste his days in. III filled it up as quietly as he could before he climbed into the soapy warm water, trying to ignore the way it stung his cuts on his tail where Vessel had yanked it so tightly.He was able to wash most of his body, but it was a struggle to get his ears wet, something deep inside of him recoiling at the sensation of water on them. He did his best, trying to shampoo his bedhead, but it was slow going until he could carefully rinse it out. Sliding down until only his head was above the water he lay there, and It felt like heaven on his aching muscles.It was short lived of course, and he wasn’t surprised when the door creaked open and Vessel stared at him eagerly as he stalked towards the tub.“You’re a sneaky little cat.” He said and he climbed in without asking, the bubbles sloshing over the edge.It was far too tight with two of them in there, and III was forced to bracket himself between Vessel’s legs as he silently soaped himself up.“I thought cats didn't like water.” Vessel mused, staring at him with another dangerous, dark look in his eyes.Watching him warily, III knew that he was in danger, but was helpless to do anything about it. He didn’t even try to fight as Vessel’s legs clenched around him, keeping him in place, and a rough hand tangled itself in the hair.“No, no–” He barely managed to plead before his face was shoved underwater.His arms and legs thrashed in the water, too panicked to do anything with the large cock sliding around his screaming mouth. In his wild panic he was in no state to do that, and with a rough tug he felt himself yanked above the surface, gasping for air as Vessel stared at him, unimpressed. “You can do better than that.” He chided, kneeling up a bit so that his cock poked above the water line.With the hand still tangled tightly into his hair, III shot a nervous look up at Vessel before he knelt down into the warm water, taking him into his mouth. He knew he was in an incredibly vulnerable position with the water splashing against his nose, but it was far preferable to being shoved underneath and he was grateful for that. He didn’t want to anger him, and despite the threatening grip in his hair Vessel allowed him to take his time, swirling his tongue at the head and taking him down bit by bit.“I don’t have to warn you that if I feel even a scrape of your teeth I’ll be pulling them out.” Vessel warned, and with that III knew it was just a matter of time before he did it again.He was mindful of keeping plenty of air in his lungs as he hollowed his cheeks, feeling Vessel’s cock give a small kick in his mouth, trying to hurry this along before the torment started again.This time III kept his wits when Vessel sank back under the water, the hand tangled in his hair forcing him to follow. He was desperate for this to be over and tried to focus on making him cum, but even with being prepared he still had to fight the growing panic as his lungs started to burn, desperate to suck in a breath of air.He was brought up swiftly, gasping and sobbing, and caught only flash of Vessel’s face before he was plunged back under again, desperately trying to seek his cock out again to suck him down, swallowing him down deeply despite the sharp taste of soap in his mouth. He did his best to bob up and down the length, feeling the heavy weight of it start to twitch on his tongue and felt a stab of relief that it was nearly over.Another tug on his hair had him wrenched out of the water again, gasping and wheezing for breath, and his panicked eyes caught Vessel’s for just a second before was shoved down again. III knew he couldn't take this much longer, and forcing himself to take Vessel down again he started to suck him off desperately, giving everything he had until he felt Vessel’s body began to tenseThe grip in his hair grew tighter as Vessel lost control, fucking his face wildly as III tried not to choke, his lungs burning and convulsing as his head started to grow fuzzy.The salty taste of cum on his tongue was only a distant sensation as his vision darkened, his body going lax as the fight went out of him.He was barely conscious when he was finally pulled out of the water, collapsing onto Vessel’s chest with a heaving gasp, choking out soapy bathwater and cum as he tried to crawl up him to safety. He ignored Vessel’s low chuckle as his shaking body climbed him until he collapsed, taking deep gasping breaths against his neck where he was nuzzled into it. “They definitely don’t like water.” Vessel chuckled as he hugged him tight. There was a sick tenderness to the cruelness that reminded III of how Vessel had held II close, shushing him softly as he quivered in his arms. He would run his hand through his torn ears and reassure him that they would be gone soon as if that would erase everything that he’d done.The plug was pulled out, and III shivered as he felt the water drain around him. His eyes were red and inflamed from the soap and despite how much he hated him in that moment he curled into Vessel’s warm embrace.His stomach roiled, and leaning over in a panic he threw up bathwater, choking and gasping as he watched it go down the drain.
Later that day Vessel had presented him with a collar, a little bell tinkling as he showed it to him, shaking it in front of his face.“Since you've become so sneaky.”It was too thin and tight, too uncomfortable against his throat, and he hated it with a passion as the little jingling bell telegraphed his every move.He hated how loud it was as Vessel fucked him, hated how it woke him up each time he shifted in bed, he hated how it announced his presence wherever he went.His hands still ached and he struggled to loosen up the tense muscles, massaging them desperately whenever he was awake, and he wondered what it could mean. It better not be paws. The thought was petrifying, and he was terrified at the thought of being reliant on Vessel for everything.His tail by now had a permanent crink in it from how tightly vessel kept squeezing it at the base, using it to pull up his thin hips to fuck him. He seemed addicted to the sensation of it as he fucked him and did it constantly until the burning pain that shot up his spine was now a constant during sex.III had almost gotten used to it, trying to ignore the pull and relax into Vessels’ cock carving its way into him, but that wasn’t good enough, and Vessel upped the ante. After a few too many times of III not tensing up, Vessel grunted in frustration and wrapped the tail around his fist several times before yanking it so hard that III was sure this time it would finally rip out.It felt like his spine was being ripped in two, and with a pained yowl he scrabbled his hands behind him feeling a burst of pain in his finger as he scratched at him, desperate for it to stop.And it did.III felt his tail get released and heard a furious curse from Vessel as he wrenched his cock out of him.For a moment when III looked back he was worried that all the blood was his own, from somewhere deep inside of him, and that he must be bleeding out.It took him a moment to realise it was Vessel’s blood instead, and that there were several deep and long gashes at his thighs. Vessel was staring down at them in disbelief, his eyes burning with anger. III’s fingers still ached, and he stared at them in wonder where claws had come out, the little red lines of skin red were inflamed where they had disappeared again into his skin.“I’m sorry, I didn’t know, I’m so sorry–” He began to panic at Vessel’s furious look, knowing it was unforgivable to injure Sleep’s Vessel. Fore had only given him a black eye.His panicked thoughts were interrupted when his wrists were captured into one of Vessel’s large hands, and his arms were yanked back so tightly that he felt like they might come out of their socket. With his other hand Vessel grabbed his tail, and as III screamed he wrapped it around his thin wrists over and over again until he felt like either his tail or arms would rip out.“No, please, please, I'm sorry!” he pleaded, choking on his tears as Vessel remained quiet.“You didn’t know.” Vessel said sternly.“I didn’t know.” III wailed in agreement, panting in pain as he tried to keep his arms far enough back to alleviate the pain on his tail.“It's okay, I know you wouldn't do that on purpose.” Vessel said softy, a hand in his hair, petting him, and despite himself III leaned into it. “I promise, I didn’t.. It won't happen again, I--”“I know it won’t.”The weight shifted in the bed as Vessel got off, and III tried to look behind him to see what he was doing but his neck was pulled too tightly by the position, his throat straining into the thin, biting collar.He’s not sure how long Vessel was gone for but it felt like ages, and as III’s shivering body was forced to hold the position he did his best to alternate between the pressure of his tail or his shoulder, holding each one util he couldn’t take it any longer and he’d have to switch.He was almost relieved when he heard Vessel’s footsteps again, padding into the room with something shiny in his hand.The fear III felt at that moment was like nothing he’d ever felt before, and Vessel refused to answer his desperate pleas for answers as the bed dipped when he got onto the mattress behind him.“Please, I don’t, please–” He gasped, his mouth dry from fear.
Was he going to pull his fangs out? Was he going to cut his tail off? Was he going to kill him?
The realisation hit him as soon as Vessel’s large hand grabbed his bound fist, numb from being tied so tightly by his own tail.“I know you didn’t mean to, this is only to help you be better.”The gentle tone of his voice was even more terrifying, and III tried to thrash in place, wailing when it only aggravated his straining tail.He focussed his energy on not letting the claws come out, desperately keeping them safe inside the protective skin of his fingers, but a sharp slap on his ass had them poke out briefly. Vessel repeated the action, and before they could retreat, he pressed down on the pad of one if III’s fingers, forcing it out again.“No, please, I”ll be good, I won't do it again, I swear, I won't-”It was excruciating, and III choked on his spit as he felt something tear out of him, pain shooting up his arm, leaving only a burning, empty feeling behind.“They were going to disappear anyway, they're not real.” Vessel scoffed, another few slaps on his ass making another claws stick out. Vessel methodically snagged the pad of the next finger, forcing it out as far as it would go.“Please, no, please, I won’t–” III begged, trying to breathe through the snot bubbles out of his nose. He choked on another scream as it was torn out, once again feeling like something had been irrevocably lost from him.He tried to convince himself that Vessel was right, that it wasn’t really part of him, wasn’t supposed to be there– but none of this helped ease the horror he felt as he heard another sharp crack of bone as another part of him was torn away. At some point he passed out, the pain too much to bear, and in a haze he could only feel faintly as Vessel methodically trapping each claw before it was cruelly torn away forever. Even in his haze of unconsciousness there was something so painful about it, unlike anything he’d ever felt before, like his fingers were being severed at the knuckle.He gained consciousness to Vessel rocking into him again, fucking him slowly. His arms were still wrenched back, tied by his tail, but he was almost relieved, terrified to see what Vessel had done to them.Vessel’s cock twitched deep inside of him and he moaned as he came deep inside, ignoring how III’s whole body shook in pain as Vessel dragged himself out.The tugging at his tail to untie him hurt, but each nerve felt frayed, and nothing felt like it should anymore.“I know you didn’t mean to hurt me..” Vessel said with a pat to his head. “I forgive you.”III could only nod dully, the bell in his collar jingling. His muscles protested moving after being stuck like that for so long, but he didn’t care, and he brought his hands to his face, ready to see the damage.It was nothing.There was a drop of dried blood here and there at the tips of his red and swollen fingers, but other than that, they looked like his hands, shaking and pale, but his. The ache deep inside didn’t match the way his hands looked normal, like nothing was wrong, and that bothered him on some deeper level he couldn’t unwrap yet.“I let you keep the thumbs, don’t make me regret it.” Vessel said, stretching as he stood up, and III watched him turn to leave the room without a care.He tried to push out his thumb claws, but screamed as his other fingers erupted in pain, the raw bone they were yanked out of aching and tender as they stretched to the tips of his fingers.He started to shake when he saw the little bloody pile of them on the bed, and he’s not sure why that’s what broke him but it was. He sobbed as he gathered his claws up and put them into his dresser drawer, tucking them away where Vessel couldn’t find them. He was broken after that, laying there limp and listless through the rest of the week as Vessel used his body. He would get more and more cruel as the days went on, and the typical things didn’t entertain him anymore.“It’s only temporary, they’ll be gone soon, don’t worry.” He’d coo into III’s dead eyes like he was being ridiculous as he tore at his tail, doing whatever he could to elicit any reaction from him.His new trick was to cause III enough pain that his claws would try to extend, laughing as his whole body would twitch and tighten around him.III knew he was right, remembering how torn apart and ruined II’s soft, velvety bunny ears had looked by the time they mercifully disappeared– Vessel had been sure to get every bit of sick enjoyment that he could before they went away, and III knew he’d do the same to him.He’d had cheerfully gloated to II that’d he’d been right, but III could see that the invisible scars still remained. II would quiver when anyone came too close, and his big blue eyes never lost that haunted look.It was over almost as quickly as it started, but III still cried when he woke up and the tail was gone. It was a part of him, even as twisted and gnarled as it had become under Vessel’s cruel touch, it was him and now it was gone.The little claws in his dresser somehow stayed, and he stared at them listlessly sometimes, letting them slide through his fingers, clacking into the drawer, still covered in dried blood.With the gift from Sleep now gone, Vessel herded them into practice, and III tried to ignore II’s sad look, bitter even though he knew he had no right to be. He’d seen him around, always cowering and backing out of any room he was in, avoiding him like the plague. He knew as long as the ears and tails remained, Vessel would only be targeting III.It hurt to play bass. The claws weren’t real, they were never really part of him, but his fingers twinged in phantom pain all the same, shooting up his arms as he played, making beads of sweat roll down his forehead from the agony. He hoped it would lessen, but he still saw how hard it was for II to sit on the drum kit. Even after all this time he would shift and squirm in place where his cottontail had been. He knows he should be grateful that it’s over for now, that he can rest, but he knows it won’t be long before Sleep rewards Vessel with something else, and he prays that it’s a new member, someone else to take his attention next time.