Chapter 6

Sonia took Maya to the park. She was sockless in her running shoes, and it was a warm day.

At first, Maya was grateful to Sonia for removing the sock gag and vibrator. Even being reduced to a pet seemed preferable. However, she soon realised her theoretical knowledge had some holes. For instance, she wasn’t ready for the fact that transforming into a dog would start affecting her perceptions, not just her shape. Her sense of smell became much sharper, and dog-like instincts drove her to try to sniff everything.

As a dog, Maya felt Sonia’s ownership much more keenly, at an almost visceral level. She kept tracking her with her eyes, basking in her presence and approval. Smelling her made her feel safe, and she kept licking her dirty running shoes and burying her nose against them, to Sonia’s amused delight. She knew she wasn’t behaving normally, but the urges where so strong she couldn’t control herself.

Sonia wasn’t sure if Maya was getting into her role, trying to please her, or if something about the magic was making her act like a real puppy, but she liked it. She let her sniff, lick and nuzzle her shoes as she walked her through the park. At some point, she sat on a bench, took out another balled-up pair of dirty, crusty socks, and rubbed them on Maya’s nose.

Maya whined and panted, loving the concentrated smell of her owner, making her feel warm and taken care of.

Sonia threw them, and Maya ran and fetched them for her, dropping them at her feet. Sonia was delighted. She loved how far she could take Maya. If she’d ever thought of her as her friend, that day ended it. She was nothing more than a toy for her to play with, that happened to be shaped like a person.

As Sonia tossed her dirty socks for Maya to fetch and chew on, she saw Nicole walking alone with her head down.

“Hey, Nicole!” Sonia said. “Come and join me.”

Nicole raised her head, looking for the person calling her, until she saw Sonia. She hesitated for a moment, sighed, and took a seat by her.

“How come you’re alone?” Sonia asked.

“Thinking. About yesterday.”

Maya came back from fetching the socks and dropped them at Sonia’s feet. Nicole smiled at the puppy.

“It’s cute. What’s its name?”

“Maya,” Sonia said. “Just like my ... friend.”

Nicole laughed, but it was a fragile, muted thing compared to her usual loud, care-free cackling.

“My friends were shocked when I stopped them, but I know magic when I see it.”

It was Sonia’s turn to gasp.

“What, you thought you were the only one?” Nicole asked. “I even arranged a ritual for the Judges, even if the others thought it was a joke. We got our strength from mutual loyalty. Nothing like what you high practitioners get up to, but it made us strong enough to keep on top.”