Chapter 2: Jessica’s Decision

The hog snorted and grunted as it trotted along the bottom of the ravine. It dug at the ground with its snout, displacing rich dark soil, before moving on. The creature was gray brown in color, with short hair and short tusks. Spines were arrayed along its spine, angled backwards.

“That’s it Lady Chop, search!” Jessica called out.

The last word was delivered as a command. A black metal collar adorned the sow’s throat, decorated with silver studs. Lady Chop was Jessica’s collar pet, helping her search for useful herbs and mushrooms in the mountain foothills.

Exposed rock and rich soil alternated between the peaks and hollows of the hills. It was an area where seeds and pollen were blown down from the mountains by the frequent storms. As a result, mountain plants could be found without having to access the dangers of higher elevations. Lightning flickered in a storm cloud hanging over the nearby peaks. Early afternoon thunder echoed across the hills.

The thunder caught Jessica’s attention, making her glance wearily at the clouds. She brushed a stray lock of her auburn hair back under the brim of her sun hat to join the low ponytail that trailed down her back. The hat was to keep the sun off her sensitive skin. She wore heavy sunblock, but the freckles tracing down her chest, under the loose tank top, stood mute testimony to her inability to withstand the sun. She was wearing shorts that ended above her knees and a pair of hiking boots to round things off.

A loud squee came from the direction of Jessica’s hog as it started digging at the ground. She jogged up to see what Lady Chop had found. The sow was digging at a clump of plants. They had small leaves, set in clusters of four, with small purple flowers. An aromatic scent was coming from where Lady Chop’s trotters tore at the herbs.

Jessica pulled out her tablet to help her identify the plant. While she searched, she pressed a button on her wristband. Lady Chop snorted in happiness. It was the reward button. It gave collar pets a quick burst of pleasure, the equivalent of a treat, without needing to have a pocket full of dried fruit.

Movement in the distance caught her eye. A man was standing on a nearby hill. He took off his backpack and set it down on the bare rock. The large pouches he wore on his belt identified him as a trainer. One pouch for the collars and a second one for his tablet, just like Jessica. As she watched, he reached into his pouch and pulled out a collar. He tossed it towards the ground in front of him. She was too far away to hear the name of the collar pet he was summoning.

The collar hung in mid-air, connected to the man’s wrist by a leash made of light. Glowing motes streamed out of the collar, forming a silhouette that was distinctly feminine, not a collar pet. There was a flash of light and suddenly a naked woman with long blonde hair was kneeling on the ground in front of him. Jessica couldn’t see much in the way of detail, but the girl was definitely naked. It was a redundant observation. She was a collar girl. Collar girls were always naked. The wide smile on her face was visible even at a distance.

The trainer pulled out a tube of something from his pack and started rubbing it on her skin. It was probably sunblock or an insect repellent of some kind. He was putting work into it, careful to get the cream applied properly. In turn, she was smiling, holding her arms and legs out to assist him. She was a happy collar girl, basking in attention from her trainer.

The collar girl started rubbing up against her trainer as he applied the lotion. She was definitely enjoying herself. In turn, he was spending a lot of attention on her breasts. They started kissing. A snort from Lady Chop reclaimed Jessica’s attention.

“Okay girl let’s see what we’ve got,” Jessica said, looking at her tablet.

The herb was a wild oregano hybrid. It wasn’t worth much, there was no elemental infusion in it, but it would still be worth a few credits at the farmer’s market. Lady Chop started snorting and prancing, racing around in happy little circles. Jessica tried to get closer to the wild oregano, but the hog zoomed up to her, the spines on its back threatening to slice into Jessica’s arm.

“Lady Chop stop!” Jessica commanded, pressing a button on her wristband.

A leash made of light flared to life, connecting her wristband to the collar around the hog’s neck. A mote of light raced down that leash, striking the collar. Lady Chop slammed to a halt with a squeal of anger. She dug at the ground with her trotters, trying to move, but the collar was fixed in place. The collar wouldn’t move, and with it secured around the hog’s neck, Lady Chop couldn’t move either. She was stuck until Jessica released her. There was nothing the hog could do.

Satisfied that she wasn’t going to be impaled by her own collar pet, Jessica pulled her tools from her pack and started gathering the herb. She only wanted the leaves, so she was careful to prune around the flowers. She didn’t want to take whole plant. It was important to leave at least a third of it so that it could recover.

Engrossed in her work, Jessica was surprised when a pair of boots stepped into her line of sight. There were little heart shaped locks on the boots, attached to straps that kept the boots on the owner’s feet. The precaution of the locks made sense because the owner of the boots was otherwise naked. It was the natural condition for a collar girl.

A pair of long smooth legs extended from the boots. They led to a shaved and feminine groin, hairless but for a small rectangular patch of blonde hair perched above her slit. She had a bit of extra weight around her middle, not much, but it was noticeable. Her breasts were large and starting to get that unnatural perky look caused by the collar. Her skin was silky smooth, and she had long blonde hair that cascaded down her back in natural waves. Standing out around her neck, drawing the eye, was a thick black collar.

It was two inches of curved black metal that contrasted sharply with the tanned skin of her neck. A silver ring stood out in front and there were blue gems set around the circumference of the collar. It was an expensive design, shaped to fit a woman’s neck. This wasn’t a generic collar. It was the kind of collar that you put on a girl who was going to be wearing it long term. At a guess, based on her unnaturally healthy skin and perky breasts, Jessica estimated that she’d been wearing the collar for over six months.

The collar girl arched her back, thrusting out her chest. She had her arms back and her legs spread shoulder width apart. Apparently, she noticed Jessica looking at her body and was showing off, unashamed by her nudity. She looked to be in her mid-twenties. With her legs spread, Jessica could see that the girl’s labia were swollen. It appeared like she’d just finished having sex with her trainer.

“Hi there, I’m Poppy Seed,” the collar girl said with a little wave and a big smile.

She had a high-pitched voice that was almost squeaky. Poppy Seed wasn’t the name her parents had given her. It was the name given to her by her trainer, with the collar enforcing it in her mind. If she was well trained, then she really believed that Poppy Seed was her name. It was a fairly good name for a collar girl. The traditional inclusion of a flower in the name signaled that she was beautiful and precious. The only problem was that poppy seeds occasionally came up in conversation. Her trainer would need to be careful to avoid giving her an accidental order when buying bagels.

“You’re very beautiful Poppy Seed,” Jessica said.

The eyes of the collar girl shamelessly roved over Jessica’s body. It was only fair, after the way Jessica had examining her.

“You’re really pretty too,” Poppy Seed said, “Fair skin and red hair, little freckles going down your cleavage ... wait ... do I know you from somewhere?”

“No, I don’t think so,” Jessica replied, looking away.

“Yes, you’re Jessica Adder.”

“It’s pronounced Addler,” Jessica corrected with a resigned sigh.

“You’re the one who said all those awful things about the priestesses,” Poppy Seed said. Her voice was rising, anger chasing the smile off her face. “You accused them of stealing. You said they hurt you. You lied!”

“I didn’t lie,” Jessica replied.

“Yes, you did you bitch!” Poppy Seed screamed, “The first pillar of the goddess’s worship is obedience! How dare you accuse them?”

It was pious anger. Jessica knew from experience that there was no reasoning with her. Poppy Seed was a true believer. She wouldn’t listen to a negative word about the priestesses.

“Poppy Seed what are you doing?” a male voice called out.

It was the trainer from before. He was jogging towards them. His face showed the smooth agelessness of a recent regeneration. That put his age anywhere between thirty-five and one-hundred-eighty years old. He was wearing shorts and a short sleeve shirt. He had a wide brimmed hat on his head.

“This is that bitch who lied about the priestesses,” Poppy Seed replied, pointing a finger at Jessica, “I’m glad I finally get to...”

“Poppy Seed, no!” he interrupted, an expression of distress on his face.

“But master she’s the one who...”

“Enough! Poppy Seed recite your mantra!” he said. He delivered the command in a strong voice. He wasn’t angry, but he was being firm with her.

“My name is Poppy Seed,” she replied immediately, “I am a collar girl. I am property. I belong to my master.”

He hit the reward button on his wristband as she finished. A smile returned to her lips. She started to turn away from him to face Jessica.

“Again!” he commanded in a firm tone.

“My name is Poppy Seed. I am a collar girl. I am property. I belong to my master,” Poppy Seed repeated.

This time, her trainer placed his hand on her sternum before pressing the reward button. She had a delighted smile on her face, both from the reward and from the physical contact with her trainer.

“Again!” he ordered, and she began her mantra again.

He was the center of her universe while she recited, and he rewarded her. She was happy and completely focused on him. Jessica wasn’t forgotten. She just wasn’t important anymore.

Jessica knew what the trainer was doing. She recognised the technique. He was redirecting Poppy Seed away from bad behaviour, into a positive behaviour, and then rewarding the positive behaviour. He didn’t yell at her or cause her pain. It was positive correction. This was what collar girl training was supposed to be like

“Good job Poppy Seed,” he said, “You’re a good girl.”

She smiled in reply. She was happy and completely focused on her trainer.

“Now go back to where I’ve placed my pack and do your routine,” he said. He made sure she understood the order by repeating it. He spoke in a clear voice, giving her clear directions. In response, Poppy Seed happily skipped away, headed towards where the pack was sitting on the ground.

“I’m sorry about that,” he said to Jessica.

“It’s not the first time,” she replied.

“I knew your parents,” he said with a nod towards her, “There’s a lot of us who know that the priestesses lied.”

“That didn’t help me in court,” Jessica said.

“No, I guess it didn’t,” he admitted.

When she reached the pack, Poppy Seed knelt on the ground. She sat back on her heels and spread her legs. Her hands were out in front of her, in supplication. She kept her back straight and held perfectly still.

Jessica recognised the position from experience. It was the presentation routine. She would hold each position for two minutes, shifting smoothly between positions. Her mind would be focused on holding each position and counting the time. A well-trained collar girl could keep it up for hours and only be off by a handful of seconds.

“Poppy Seed is very pious,” the man said, “That’s why she chose to be a collar girl.”

“Only through submission of the flesh can we understand obedience to the divine,” Jessica quoted.

“I guess you understand that better than I do,” he said with a chuckle.

“She’s well trained,” Jessica said.

“Thank you. She’s a joy to train. I’ll be sad to see her go when her two years are up.”

“Two years is very traditional. Do you think she’ll return to the collar after you release her?” Jessica asked.

“I hope so,” he replied, “That would be a testament that I treated her well, but it won’t be with me. I’m a trainer, not a long-term owner.”

“I understand,” Jessica replied.

“Can you do me a favour?” the man asked, “She’s easily upset. I don’t think she’ll be happy gathering herbs with you nearby.”

There it was. Like she told him, this wasn’t the first time a member of the local congregation had taken issue with her continued existence. The reaction from the non-religious was almost always the same. They would sympathise with her and then gently ask her to go away.

“If you could stay to the west, we’ll do our gathering in these hills here on the eastern side. Does that work for you?” he asked.

“That’s fine,” Jessica agreed. She didn’t want to, but it wasn’t worth the fight. Besides, he really was treating Poppy Seed well. He was a good trainer and in turn he had a happy and obedient collar girl. He obviously cared about her, and that sort of devotion deserved a certain amount of respect.

Jessica couldn’t help herself from feeling jealous. This was what a collar girl’s life was supposed to be like. She gave him her freedom, the most precious thing she had, becoming his possession. In turn, he was treating her like a precious jewel, showing that he understood the value of what she had given him. Jessica was jealous of Poppy Seed.

With the wild oregano safely in her pack, she started walking. There wasn’t a clear dividing line between the eastern and western side of the hills, but after about thirty minutes she figured she was far enough away. She scrambled over some loose rock, aiming for a ravine between the hills.

“Lady Chop search,” she commanded.

She didn’t need the collar for that order. Lady Chop was well trained and intelligent, able to obey commands that didn’t involve a button on the wristband. The stiletto hog lowered her snout and started sniffing around, trying to scent out herbs or mushrooms. The wind started picking up. There were storm clouds threatening from the mountains. It looked like they might be heading to the east.

A few hills away, Jessica could see that she wasn’t alone. There was another trainer on this side of the foothills. Dressed in pants and a short-sleeved shirt, he had a cap on his head and a short beard. He had a saber hound with him, presumably a collar pet. That was a good idea. Sometimes, more than just pollen and seeds came down from the mountains. Lady Chop was Jessica’s defence against that threat. An angry stiletto hog was a potent deterrent.