Conspirators of Gor

Chapter Forty

I lay, naked, in the cage.

Other kajirae, as well, were so incarcerated. As animals, we would await the decisions of masters.

Things were muchly unsettled in the Cave.

The door of the slave quarters moved a little, not much. Then I heard Jane scream. I forced my face against the bars to my right, trying to see to the door. Jane was across the room, and could easily see what was in the threshold.

I heard another girl scream.

Then I saw it, large, four-legged, some six or seven feet at the shoulder, with a wide, triangular-shaped head, lowered now, sunk now between its shoulders. It had a heavy, silken, reddishly tawny coat. Its paws were broad and thickly matted. Such a creature could move comfortably on rocky slopes, on ice, through snow. For all its size it moved with the sinuous, stealthy grace one might have expected of a smaller animal. The eyes were large, and the ears, tufted, bent forward. It sunk to its belly, and its long tail moved back and forth. The beast seemed passive, except that the agitation of the tail bore witness to an inward excitement. I had never seen such a beast this close. I had seen one, perhaps this one, weeks ago, on a slope across from the Cave’s main portal, perhaps three or four hundred paces away.

I suspected that the portal now was not guarded, or only sporadically guarded.

I shrank back in the cage, as the beast, head down, moved a little toward me, and then crouched down. It moved a little more toward me, again, and was then again still. It did not pounce or charge. It did put its broad face near the bars. I saw its nostrils widen. It then put its snout literally against the bars, while I stayed as far back as I could. It made a small noise, as if puzzled. One large paw was put to the bars, but they were closely enough set that it could not enter the cage. I did see fangs. There was no blood about them. It then backed away, looked about the room, and exited through the gate.

My heart began to pound. I gasped, trying to breathe. Then I think I lost consciousness.