Chapter Text
Caitlyn had never set foot on the K-9 facility where the enforcers fed and trained their police dogs, not until today. As the Sheriff of Piltover, she commanded people, not dogs. But the Hound of Zaun was something worthy of her visit.
When she strode down the corridor that cut through the tall steel dog pens, dozens of dogs, Dobermans and Shepherds mainly, barked out of excitement or agitation. The Sheriff winced at the deafening dissonance of frantic barks and mingling pheromones, annoyed. Some dogs leapt up happily and rushed towards Caitlyn until the bars stopped them, jumping, wagging their tails. Some crouched and stepped back, snarling and baring their teeth.
What kind of dog would the Hound be? Would her grey-blue eyes bore into hers, threatening to tear her apart and eat her alive, like the first time they locked eyes across the blood and gore of Zaun’s underground fighting pit?
The little harmless imagination made the Sheriff all the more eager for their second encounter. Her mind wandered, but once she stopped before the cell at the end of the corridor, clasping her gloved hand around the knob of that heavy metal door, she forced herself to focus.
From behind the door came warning growls, the thuds of an animal stomping and the ominous clanking of chains dragged across the floor.
Caitlyn was stepping into a hot zone, into the wrath of an unhinged creature. The anticipation sent a tingling feeling onto her skin, onto the back of her neck — a thrill she had learned to enjoy after a decade of training and combat, as she perfected the skills of putting an effective bullet into her target.
She creaked open the door to a cement cell, where the only fixtures were a messy pile of blankets, a water bowl and chains and shackles sturdy enough to tie down a beast. The little light shining in through the tiny ceiling window only darkened the shadows in every corner of the cell.
The said beast, the Hound of Zaun, was on all fours hiding in the shade, her naked body covered with grime and dried blood. Metal restraints, thicker than her wrist, bound her limbs and chained her to one side of the cell.
Hunching her back but holding her head high, the Hound glared at Caitlyn with feral rage. Her wolf ears pulled back against her scalp, her tail raised and puffed up as she hissed through the yellowed canines. Beneath her messy pink hair, those bloodshot eyes bore into Caitlyn’s exposed neck, with a desire to kill, to rip open the woman’s throat.
Caitlyn remembered that look of a caged animal.
Down in Zaun, in the fighting pit run by chembarons and their goons, the Hound was elevated to the fighting ring in a cage amidst the frantic cheers and clamours of the crowd, when it was her showtime. The Sheriff was thrilled by the memories of how the half-breed had shredded the opponents with her claws, tore their guts out, lunged at the cowards running for their lives and ended them in a flash.
Caitlyn closed the door behind her with a wry smile. She put the food tray she had been holding on the floor and took a few steps closer to the beast, despite keeping a safe distance.
The Hound sized Caitlyn up, realising she wasn't just a random person who came to feed her. Her glare darted between the woman’s sharp pale face, the gun holstered at her waist and her combat boots, gauging which one was more menacing. When her eyes settled on Caitlyn’s long, midnight blue hair, her twitching palms betrayed her intention to grab a fistful and yank the woman forward for the kill. But Caitlyn was tall and strong. Their height difference was enough to deter any reckless move of the Hound.
“Vi.” Caitlyn called her name. Her voice was stern with the authority of a master calling for her pet, her piercing sapphire eyes never leaving Vi’s.
A good dog should know her place, if the Hound of Zaun was as good as her fame preceded her.
Vi bared her teeth, threatening Caitlyn not to get any closer. Her furry tail wagged violently, slapping the floor in distress.
Caitlyn smiled, a hint of amusement softening the tension on her face. The Sheriff wasn’t used to anyone defying her. But she was in a good mood today and was patient enough to take it slowly with the Hound.
When her subordinates reported they had the Hound of Zaun captured (at the expense of five injured enforcers and two lost fingers), Caitlyn was a little worried she would see a battered and defeated beast that had lost all pride. That would defeat all the purposes she would need the Hound for — to help her sweep Zaun and crush the lawless empires of the chembarons reigning there.
But now she saw the fierce look of Vi, breathing in the pungent gunpowder scent of her fury. She was relieved to see that the Hound still had so much defiance and aggressiveness in her.
If the Sheriff’s dog is all bark but no bite, what’s the point of keeping one?
“Vi, I’m Caitlyn, the Sheriff of Piltover,” Caitlyn said calmly, unfazed by Vi’s intimidating posture. “I know where you’re from, who’ve been feeding you and keeping you… it doesn’t matter anymore.”
“From now on, you’re under my command.”
To make her point, Caitlyn released her alpha pheromones into the air to exert her dominance in this space. Smelling Caitlyn’s overpowering scent, fear flashed across Vi’s face as her body reacted to the primal threat. She bent her knees slightly, but held her fighting posture, too proud to just sit on her butt, submitting to fear before a dominant alpha.
Defiantly, she glared at Caitlyn, ready to spring up and attack if the alpha dared to step into her territory where no chain could have stopped her from taking her bite.
Caitlyn giggled and shook her head. As much as she loved to see the formidable valour of her Hound, she hoped Vi was clever enough to know her place before her patience ran out.
“I know you don’t trust me,” Caitlyn said. “But I assure you, if you behave and work with me, I won’t hurt you.” Grimness shadowed her face, adding gravity and a dangerous edge to her warning.
“If you make me angry, I can also treat you like a piece of shit, like how those scumbags in Zaun have treated you,” she hissed with a cruel smirk. “Is that what you want, Vi?”
Vi flinched and lowered her head. The corners of her lips twitched and the bunny lines threatened to show, but she didn’t snarl. She barely pushed it down.
Caitlyn nodded, satisfied with Vi’s petty attempt to restrain herself. Having established her dominance over the omega, Caitlyn took her time to leer at Vi’s naked body, appreciating her wild beauty like examining an exquisite art piece.
While the half-breed had inherited some distinctive features of a werewolf, ears and tail and her lower limbs, all furry and feral; her appearance and overall physique remained human. Caitlyn could even say Vi had a pretty face with those big round eyes and invitingly plump lips. Her shoulders and biceps, bulging with the raw strength of a killer beast, were a stark contrast to her breasts’ soft fullness. Caitlyn couldn’t help but wonder how those perky nipples would feel in her hands when she played with them. And the patch of pink fur that ran down her cleavage was absolutely adorable.
A half-breed is rare, let alone a half-breed female omega that is so good at fighting.
Caitlyn stepped away and returned to the doorway where she put down the tray. It was some lukewarm beef stew and potato mash, not in a huge portion, but the look of it was borderline delicious.
She scooped some mash from the tray with her gloved hand, while observing Vi’s reaction in her peripheral vision. As she had expected, the Hound gulped hastily, almost drooling, her eyes staring at the food hungrily.
Slowly and deliberately, Caitlyn took out her pistol with another hand.
“Come, Vi. Time to eat your food.” She approached the Hound again, this time holding the gun high up while she handed out the food.
“I know you can understand when people speak,” she said. “Let me make it clear, if you dare to attack me, I’d put a bullet in your head before your teeth could even reach me.”
Vi growled and retreated, fearful of the gunpoint when the Sheriff kept looming over.
The Hound must have seen enough what a gun can do. Count it as a necessary training.
“Be a good pup, Vi. Lick it clean.” Caitlyn encouraged, swaying her hand dripping with gravy before her eyes. “I know you’re hungry.”
After a moment of hesitation, Vi finally crawled a little closer to Caitlyn, just close enough for her to sniff the food on the Sheriff’s gloved hand and stick out her tongue. Caitlyn loved the feel of her soft tongue lapping at her palm, slowly and cautiously at first, then more eagerly, leaving no food behind.
As Vi ate, her eyes never left Caitlyn’s gun, staring at it so intensely that her brows knitted together.
“Good pup. Carry on.” Caitlyn said softly, very satisfied that they had made such good progress on the first day, although Vi was only kneeling at gunpoint, not because Caitlyn was the one commanding her.
But she wasn't in a hurry. She knew one day she wouldn’t need a gun to make Vi obey, and she had all the time in the world to train her into the perfect Sheriff’s dog.
# # # # #
In the following week, Caitlyn visited the training facility every day to take care of Vi personally. Actually the Sheriff had been so possessive of the Hound, she had forbidden other enforcers from talking to her and caring for her, except for pushing the food tray into her cell. It was a relief to the facility handlers who had never dealt with a half-breed before — they certainly didn’t want to mess it up and risk the wrath of the Sheriff.
When Caitlyn strode down the corridor and stopped in front of Vi’s cell as usual, she picked up the faint rustle of fabrics and soft thuds of Vi pacing behind the door. She knew Vi could catch her scent the very moment she stepped into the dog pens, but whether the Hound was waiting for her in anticipation, or in anxiety and fear? She wasn’t sure.
“Vi, how’re you doing today?” Not expecting an answer, Caitlyn entered the cell, claiming the space that had been the Hound’s a moment ago.
Vi moved backward, avoiding Caitlyn instinctively, but didn’t cower in the corner like she had the first few days. Looking up, she gave Caitlyn the once-over, her look cautious but not aggressive.
Neither of them let down their guard, but Vi didn’t bare her teeth and Caitlyn didn’t touch her pistol. They reached a delicate equilibrium, knowing just how lethal they could be to each other, and how unwise it would be to recklessly vent it out.
“Vi, as I told you on our first day,” Caitlyn started, crossing her arms before her chest, a defensive but harmless gesture showing she didn’t intend to use her gun today. Vi relaxed a little but her body remained stiff. “If you behave, if you’re useful to me, I promise to take good care of you.”
Caitlyn knew Vi wouldn’t like what she was going to do, but she was resolute in getting it done today. She had put it off for far too long.
“Today I'm going to wash you.” Caitlyn announced, a confident smile tugging at her lips, knowing she would have her way with Vi whether she liked it or not. The Hound growled and pulled back from Caitlyn sharply, her face twisted with abhorrence.
Caitlyn chuckled at her dramatic response. It reminded her of the childhood memories at the Kiramman’s holiday home, caring for the cats and dogs there over the summer.
All pets seemed to hate being bathed.
“As much as I want to do it myself, to be gentle with you,” Caitlyn said lowly, her voice loaded with threat. She took a few steps forward to grab Vi’s collar, lightly dragging her closer to herself, her other hand buried in her overcoat’s pocket. “If you insist, I can also let my men do it by force.”
She yanked Vi's collar upward, forcing the omega to raise her chin and look her in the eyes.
“Do you know how awful you smell right now, my dear?” She sneered, mockingly wrinkling her nose. “You’re my hound. You represent me, the Sheriff of Piltover. How can I allow you to stink like a stray?”
Vi growled in protest, but was choked by Caitlyn twisting the collar. The alpha was controlled in her use of force, tugging at Vi’s collar with just the right amount of pressure on her throat, allowing enough air to pass so it remained a warning, not strangulation.
But the omega snapped, overcome with fear and panic.
“URGH!” she roared, thrashing violently against the collar, fighting Caitlyn’s grip with feral strength. Her brute force twisted and nearly broke Caitlyn’s fingers. But more dangerous were her claws, shooting out from beneath her nails and glinting like knives, sharp enough to slash anything within reach.
Caitlyn gasped, stunned by the sight of Vi’s claws flicking just inches away from her. She had seen the Hound’s destructive power and her speed, but watching it from afar as a spectator was one thing, feeling her wrath within a hair’s breadth was another. She thanked Janna for having known better and was prepared for this.
Caitlyn pulled her hand from the pocket, in her palm a shiny, silvery object, its barrel filled with lime green liquid that could sedate a beast. She stabbed the syringe into the Hound’s neck, and all it took was a little press on the thumb rest.
“Relax, puppy. Relax.” Caitlyn was deft and cautious with her movement, with her tone, not to instigate the Hound further. Despite the scuffles, her iron grip remained on Vi’s collar, pinning her down to control her neck, while waiting for the potion to take effect.
It didn’t take long, just seconds, exactly how the potion was designed to be, quick and effective. Vi rolled her eyes and collapsed on her knees. Strength drained from her limbs like quicksand, resistance slipping away. Her growls turned into whines, then whimpers.
"It's alright, be a good girl for me," Caitlyn soothed her, feeling Vi trembling under her hand, weak and helpless. "It’s just to calm you down. Nothing more."
She allowed Vi some time to breathe and adjust to the feeling of being subdued, of being under her control, before finally releasing her collar.
With slow and trembling hands, Vi searched for her neck, holding where the collar mark burned and bruised. Her claws had retracted, but the glare she shot at Caitlyn was as sharp as her claws, fury and humiliation boiling in her widened eyes.
Overcome by the tingling numbness that surged through her veins, the Hound felt weak on her knees and limbs. She could still move, but just barely with painful, unsteady steps.
The sedative was strong, specially crafted not to strip the victim of its mobility entirely. Caitlyn had used it several times before and once again, she was satisfied with the result.
“Come with me, Vi.” Caitlyn commanded. Her voice was soft, but still a command. "You could really use a shower." She swiftly attached a leash to the D-ring of Vi's collar.
Vi let out an unwilling whine, trying to resist, but was warned by Caitlyn yanking the collar twice.
Guided by the steady pull on her leash, Vi followed Caitlyn despondently, dragging herself out of the cell and down the corridor. Caitlyn maintained a cadence that was steady and composed, walking the Hound with grace, giving the omega a taste of what a master she would be had she owned her.
It was a short walk of two minutes, but it felt like eternity for Vi. Sedated by the drug, each slight movement was labour enough to make her pant and sweat. When they finally arrived at the shower room, Caitlyn moved Vi under the shower and gave her some water. The Hound gulped it down greedily, crouching there as her limbs gave way.
Caitlyn watched Vi drink the water for a while, bathing in the morbid satisfaction of seeing Vi accept what she gave her so eagerly. She then walked away and busied herself with the shampoo and rag, confident that Vi wouldn’t risk anything stupid to defy her in such a compromised state.
“This shampoo is too cheap it feels like slime." Caitlyn murmured to herself. "I promise when you’re ready to go home with me, I’ll wash you with something much better. My personal collection.”
When she turned around again, her eyes twinkled as she found Vi sitting on her butt, waiting for her in agitation and fear like a lost puppy.
“Haven’t you been washed before? You’ll learn to enjoy it.” Caitlyn chuckled and knelt beside Vi. Her knees were soaked from pressing against the wet tiled floor, and so were the sleeves and the hem of her overcoat, but she paid it no mind.
Caitlyn started with Vi’s head, rubbing her entangled hair with rich foams and massaging her scalp. The omega was on pins and needles at first, but once she got used to being soaped up and scrubbed, the grimace on her face started to relax and fade away.
When Caitlyn washed her small, furry ears, Vi squirmed and a surprise giggle escaped her lips. Caitlyn smiled and made a mental note.
Running water washed away the grime and dried blood on Vi, exposing the fine skin beneath. Caitlyn was surprised by the countless scars that etched across her chest and on her back. When her skilful hands moved down the neck to her shoulder blades, Vi flinched and tensed up, her body recoiling from the unfamiliar touch that had trespassed into where it shouldn’t be.
Vi bore a variety of wounds on her front — claw marks, blade cuts and bullet wounds, each of them an embodiment of the cut-throat violence she had survived. But what truly caught Caitlyn’s eye were the long, crisscrossing scars on Vi’s back, which were unmistakably the result of savage whipping.
Caitlyn frowned as she traced every silver line of the nasty patterns on Vi’s skin, anger boiling in her chest.
Vi is a gift of nature that those Zaunite low-lives could never fully appreciate. If I had owned the Hound, such absurdity would never have happened.
“Did you get these wounds from pit fighting?” Caitlyn asked, her slender fingers moving along a cut wound that had long healed. Vi didn’t respond, didn’t move, her expression still and almost numb. It was a question so obvious it didn’t require an answer.
Grazing another ugly whipping scar that cut deep into her flesh, Caitlyn murmured, “Who did this to you?” Her touch was light, but her words were heavy with venomous bitterness. Caitlyn knew these whipping wounds couldn’t have come from the fighting. The scumbags who lashed Vi were doing it from behind, probably to punish her.
“Your master in the pit?” When Caitlyn spat the word master, she couldn’t hide the disgust and despise between syllables. Her potent emotions stirred Vi, who snapped her head around and looked at Caitlyn with melancholic eyes. Only after a very lengthy pause, she gave an imperceptible nod.
Caitlyn didn’t say another word, just continued to wash her with her lips pressed together. Her anger was palpable, charging the air like a pending tempest.
Feeling the tension, the omega remained docile, quietly watching Caitlyn scrub every inch of her body with the rag. When Caitlyn said “arms up”, she put her arms up. When Caitlyn said “spread your legs”, she spread her legs.
But when Caitlyn’s hand moved down her pelvis to lather the pink coarse hair there, Vi let out an involuntary whimper. Embarrassed by the noise that slipped out of her throat, Vi blushed and pressed her furry thighs together.
“You’re sensitive, aren’t you?” Caitlyn asked knowingly, her fingers brushing her folds in light strokes. Caitlyn had wondered if the biology of a werewolf would be so different from that of a human, but she found the little bud hidden within her folds with ease.
“Ahh...” Vi arched her head backward, moaning, shocked by the arousal that felt all wrong. Amused by her reaction, the alpha smiled and started swirling around her sensitive bundle of nerves in a pattern, making the Hound gasp and shudder sharply.
“You like being touched? Have you ever been touched like this?” Caitlyn teased her, her gaze resting on the sharp canines glinting between her lips. She could imagine those fangs sinking into her foe’s throat, at her command, when she made Vi truly and only hers.
Melting under Caitlyn’s skilful touch, Vi writhed in her embrace, leaning back against her chest as the Sheriff worked her fingers along her folds, massaging her clit gently and lovingly.
Vi opened her mouth, but nothing came out of it except brief gasps and whimpers. What Caitlyn was doing to her was so foreign and overwhelming, the omega seemed unable to process and fully understand.
“You’re doing very well,” Caitlyn said. “Be patient. Let me finish the work.” She pumped a dab of body wash onto her palm and lathered it until her fingers were covered with foam. She then slid her fingers down to Vi’s bottom hole, brushing her foamy fingers against her sensitive rim. Vi whined and squirmed, her butt cheeks squeezing together tightly to reject the sudden touch.
“You aren’t used to cleaning this part of your body, huh?” Caitlyn whispered in her ear, her voice coated with honey and poison. With care and deliberate slowness, Caitlyn spread the creamy lather on, cleaning and massaging her bottom hole in small, soft circles.
“Just relax, alright? It won’t hurt if you trust me and relax.” Caitlyn soothed her, but her movement was assertive, doing what it took to clean Vi thoroughly.
Consumed by an oddly intimate and erotic sensation she had never felt, Vi bared her teeth — a panic reaction of having to expose her most vulnerable and untouched part to the alpha.
“Didn’t I say RELAX? If you heard me, why did you snarl?” Caitlyn said darkly, her other hand roaming over Vi’s neck, deliberately tracing her collar and the tender spot where the syringe went in. The touch itself was enough of a warning, as Vi stiffened and met Caitlyn's eyes with a look that was both scared and delirious.
Tears welled up in her eyes. Her frail body shook uncontrollably, overcome with fear.
“That’s a good girl. Don’t you ever fight me or give me that little attitude of yours.” Satisfied with her show of submission, Caitlyn praised and massaged her neck, relaxing the taut muscles there. Mercifully, her fingers moved away from her butt and onto her clit again, rubbing up and down against it.
There was a subtle change in Vi’s expression, and Caitlyn wasn’t blind to catch the pleasure she tried to push down and hide with a grimace.
“How does it feel now? Better?” Caitlyn sneered, feeling the omega loosening up. Vi panted heavily, unable to hold herself together amidst the fresh wave of sensations that crushed her. As Caitlyn continued the motion, persistently drawing deeper and louder moans from the omega, her fingers slid more easily with newfound wetness — beyond Vi’s understanding of how it worked, her body was responding, succumbing to Caitlyn’s touch like it had its own will.
How perfect is Vi…perfectly mouldable...there’s so much I can teach and train her.
The wicked satisfaction of having Vi under her control was like throwing fuel into the fire. Caitlyn felt the bulge growing in her trousers, hot and throbbing, itching painfully for her attention. Vi must have felt it too, as she flinched at the alien sensation pressing against her, blushing profusely.
What an untimely inconvenience…
“I’m not an animal, Vi.” Caitlyn murmured bitterly, running a hand through Vi’s hair to assure her. Throughout their washing session, the omega’s intense pheromones lingered in the air, sweet and intoxicating. It demanded all of Caitlyn’s willpower not to react to her instinct, but she took pride in her resolve, never allowing her biology to tamper with her judgement.
However tempting Vi is, she is a killer beast, a means to an end that is important for our missions in Zaun.
It would be so wrong, so disgraceful for me, the Sheriff of Piltover to lose my mind and just fuck her at my pleasure.
“Vi, you’re my hound. I need you to work for me, for us, for the enforcers.” Caitlyn said, more to herself than to Vi, having to dissuade herself from the delicious desire. Her fingers sped up, rubbing, swirling, moving effortlessly in the slick of Vi’s arousal.
Vi kept her eyes shut, too shy and embarrassed to look at the Sheriff. She had lost control over her throat now as obscene noises slipped between ragged breaths, raw and vulnerable. Her cheeks were burning, rosy the colour Caitlyn loved to see her puppy carry.
“You’re quite naughty today, Vi. But I’m feeling generous. I’ll give you the pleasure you don’t deserve yet.” Caitlyn said, feeling Vi’s climax approaching as the omega arched her back hard, her legs squirming and shaking.
“But soon, you’re going to repay me,” Caitlyn murmured, a hypnotic charm she planted into Vi’s mind.
With a loud moan, Vi came undone, rocking her head backward a few times as intense, pleasurable convulsions waved through her body. She bared her teeth again, hissing, but not to deter or attack anyone. Caitlyn allowed it, smiling. She was amused to discover that when the half-breed came, her furry tail would straighten and spasm.
A cute fact to note.
“You enjoyed it puppy? I can give you more than that,” Caitlyn smirked. She pulled out of Vi and held the glistening fingers before her, showing how passionately her body had responded to her touch.
“You’re mine. Your pleasure’s mine. From now on, I’m the only one who can give you this, whenever you need it,” the alpha announced with irrefutable clarity and confidence.
Vi averted her gaze in shame, her expression dark and unreadable. She had too much pride to simply give in and feel good about what had just happened. But she was also too weak-willed to resist the authority of the Sheriff, who never hesitated in demonstrating what defying her would mean.
# # # # #
The day had come when Caitlyn decided it was time to take Vi out of the training facility.
She went to see Vi in her cell first thing in the morning. To her surprise, by the time she opened the cell door, Vi was already sitting near the door, anxiously waiting. Like she had got a hunch today wasn’t any other day.
Caitlyn gave Vi a smile, not a toothy grin, just a curl up at the corner of her lips as a tiny approval for Vi’s improved attitude. The Sheriff was quiet today, the heavy black cape an unusual accessory to her pristine uniform, accentuating her tall and imposing figure.
In her arms, she held the stack of clothes she had prepared for Vi: a white cotton tank top, black boxing shorts, knee pads and a pair of fingerless leather gloves, each item perfectly folded.
Before Vi could make sense of the situation, Caitlyn knelt down and started dressing her. The room was silent save for the whisper of fabric. The metal clanking had long gone after Caitlyn decided the omega was obedient enough to enjoy more freedom without the shackles.
Vi was a little flustered when Caitlyn pulled the tank top over her head. The soft, top-grade cotton felt strange and restraining against her skin, but she didn’t shake it off. Getting Vi into the shorts was a bit of a fiddle, but Caitlyn wrestled them on after a few clumsy attempts. The knee pads and gloves were easy though. Vi wore them like they were her own skin, amused to find she could move around pain-free with the added layer of protection.
“Do you like your new outfit?” Caitlyn smiled and asked indulgently, admiring how the fabric hugged every curve of Vi’s beautiful body, exactly like how she had imagined when she secretly took her measurements. She particularly loved how Vi’s wolfish limbs stretched beneath those shorts, effortlessly showing her toned muscles and primal strength.
Vi didn’t answer, but the gleam in her eyes and her moving tail betrayed her excitement and anxiety. She didn't understand what the new outfit was for, but Caitlyn clearly had plans for her today.
“Today we’re leaving here,” Caitlyn said while attaching the leash to her collar, a move she had perfected throughout the weeks to be swift and precise. Vi raised her head and gazed at Caitlyn with a puzzled look, her brows frowning.
“I do enjoy our time together. But I'm not keeping you for fun.” Despite her stern tone, Caitlyn gave the Hound a light pat on her head. “You’ll need to work for me, to show your worth and loyalty to me.”
“And today is the day.”
The tight knot between Vi’s brows deepened as she dragged her palms against the ground agitatedly.
The rest of the morning faded into a flurry of unremarkable chores, except for one particular moment. After Caitlyn fixed the paperwork for her release, Vi could finally step out of the facility where she had been kept for weeks. The Hound couldn’t remember the last time she had bathed in the sun — sunlight was a scarcity in Zaun, let alone its dark corners and filthy bottom where the fighting pits were run. Everything before her was so bright and beautiful, kissed and blessed by the sun, her heart fluttered with joy. Seeing the awe on Vi's face, Caitlyn slowed down in their walk towards the station car, indulging the omega with a precious moment of sunshine and warm breeze.
Together they travelled to the city centre of Piltover, leaving the grimy cold facility behind. Sitting squarely in the back seat, Vi’s curious gaze flicked between the street view flashing past the windows and Caitlyn who was driving in a pensive mood.
When they finally arrived at the destination after a long ride, driving straight into a modern building clad in glass and steel, everyone on their way, whether uniformed or not, saluted Caitlyn with respect. Vi suddenly found herself surrounded by the same humans who had captured her — their blue and gold uniforms, fancy shirts and dresses, gas masks and rifles flashing before her, all bizarre and intimidating.
The only familiarity and solace in this frightening environment was Caitlyn, the woman who held her leash tightly in her hand, leading her forward with unwavering determination.
The enforcers on their way cast glances of awe and unease at the Sheriff, whispering to each other, shocked to see their boss walking a half-breed, a monstrous beast around like a tamed puppy.
But Caitlyn couldn't care less about what others think. All her attention was on Vi, who however staggering, was following her lead closely.
“Vi, raise your head when you’re walking by my side.” Caitlyn said when they were alone in the lift going down below the ground level, her hand ruffling Vi’s ears gently. “You’re now with me and I’m the Sheriff. No one can ever touch you or judge you.”
The lift opened to a dimly lit floor of solitary cells, where the walls were concrete grey and the metal doors lining the corridor rusty red. The still and mouldy air was strong with the smell of blood and detergents, stirring depressing memories of a hospital or a morgue. Vi flinched, unsettled by what might await behind those doors.
A young enforcer who was standing guard before a cell saluted Caitlyn when she approached. But after Caitlyn muttered a few words to him, his face turned dreadfully white. With shaky hands, he reluctantly took the leash from Caitlyn.
“Vi, wait for me here,” Caitlyn commanded. “I’ll be quick, alright?” Vi glared at the young man and gave him a fierce snarl. However unwillingly, she sat beside him, her ankles tucked underneath her butt, waiting.
Satisfied, Caitlyn opened the locked door and went into the cell alone.
Inside the tiny cell, there was only one man sitting in the middle of the room, chained to the chair. He was a big man with chubby cheeks and a heavy beer belly. The moment he saw who had entered the room, he let out a desperate groan, blood draining from his face.
“What the fuck do you want from me, Sheriff!?” he cried. But after a few futile wriggles against the chains, he just slumped in the chair and bore his eyes at Caitlyn like a dead fish.
“Just a few questions.” Caitlyn said coldly. Her quiet composure made her presence even more daunting and suffocating. “If you work with me and give me some honest answers, you can walk out of here today, safe and sound.”
Caitlyn’s words brought a little hope to the man’s dull face, as he blinked and nodded hard.
“We all know you work for Silco,” the Sheriff said, studying the man intently. When she mentioned the name Silco, the man shrank. “You’re his right-hand man running the fighting pits.”
“Did you keep and manage Vi…umm, the Hound of Zaun for Silco?” Caitlyn asked.
The man didn’t answer, but fear crept up his face as he finally realised what this talk was about.
The Sheriff didn’t waste time on this question. She already knew the answer and the reason for asking was just to observe the man’s reaction.
“Did you hurt Vi?” Caitlyn pressed. “Have you ever beaten her up? Whipped her? Starved her?” Fury was bubbling in her chest and the venom in her voice thickened with each of her probing questions.
Again, the man didn’t answer; he dared not. Caitlyn strode forward and grabbed his fat chin rudely, forcing him to look straight into her eyes, searching for an answer in those fear-stricken pupils.
“I know what you’ve done. There’s no use denying it!” Caitlyn roared lowly, her fingers digging into the underside of his chin, clenching around his windpipe firmly, deliberately making the pressure slow and excruciating.
There was the last question she needed to ask, the burning one that had been munching on her days and weeks.
“Listen carefully and answer me with all the honesty and sincerity you have.” Caitlyn commanded, her deadly glare locking on the pathetic man who was gasping for air and had wet his trousers. “That’s the last chance you have to live through today.”
“Did you rape Vi?” she asked through gritted teeth. “Did you ever allow anyone to violate her? To lay their dirty fingers on her?” The thought of Vi being played by scumbags like him and his kind was enough to push Caitlyn over the edge and go on a killing spree.
This time the man shook his head frantically, muttering a painful chain of no, no, no with his strangled throat. Finally getting the answer, Caitlyn released him.
That was all she needed from this man. She left the cell.
Vi was waiting for her outside. Having picked up the scent of her ex-master, she was on edge, shifting uncomfortably in her spot. When she saw Caitlyn coming out of that door, she jumped up to meet her, her tail wagging impatiently.
“Easy, easy.” Caitlyn ran her fingers through her pink locks to calm her nerves. “Vi, I have a little present for you behind that door. And depending on your performance, you may get another one.”
Vi shot her a frustrated and slightly worried look, thinking hard what the Sheriff was planning to do.
“A dog can’t have two masters, right?” Caitlyn said, pointing at the cell. “I’ll let you choose, Vi. If you’d prefer to go with him, I promise to let both of you leave and return to Zaun.”
A flash of surprise crossed Vi’s face as her eyes flickered between Caitlyn’s face and the door.
“Go. I’ll wait for you here.” Caitlyn opened the door and gestured for Vi to go inside.
After hesitating for a while and looking back a few times at Caitlyn, Vi disappeared from her sight.
For a while, it was complete silence from behind the closed door. With each slow second and agonising minute, Caitlyn’s confidence wavered in the tormenting anxiety of possibly losing Vi.
Vi could break her ex-master free, if she wanted to. The Hound was born in Zaun and for the entirety of her life, she had been living there, in the sump. She had no reason to stay in Piltover and be with her, a topsider, an enforcer she for sure hated and avoided like plague.
No matter what Vi had chosen, Caitlyn knew she would keep her promise, however wistfully. Because what was the point of keeping Vi if she refused to surrender herself?
What if...
Suddenly, a sharp scream of horror cut through the quiet air. Painful shrieks, desperate begging and breathless moans followed, then, deadly silence.
Caitlyn breathed a sigh of relief, the corner of her lips twisting into a faint smile.
She took a moment to calm herself down, before opening the door to the bloodbath the Hound had created, her smile widening into a triumphant grin.
"Naughty girl," she said, “you've really taken your time, haven't you?”
In the centre of the sickening mess of scattered flesh, organs, shredded skin and pulp, Vi stood on her feet, her claws dripping blood, the metallic tang of it thick in the air. She turned around to stare at Caitlyn, her dilated pupils gleaming with the rapture of revenge, as she spat out a piece of soft tissue torn from the dismembered body.
She smiled wildly, revelling in the euphoria of a merciless overkill. The stare she shot at Caitlyn was cruel and unhinged, like she was setting eyes on nothing more than a bag of flesh and bones.
Even the Sheriff, a veteran detective herself who had seen hell and the worst of humanity, was chilled by the unfeeling savagery in the Hound’s gaze and her smile.
In that instant, her poise and confidence faltered, as she realised she could be one of those people Vi had hunted in the fighting ring — just another pathetically weak human with inferior anatomy who would only survive at the Hound’s wrath at her mercy.
Life and death is a flash of thought and a twitch of a finger.
Caitlyn almost reached for her pistol, knowing she would only have a tenth of a second to react if Vi lunged at her and slashed with her claws.
But a master’s worth is measured by moments like this.
Regardless of her own fear and danger, she had to maintain control over herself, over her pet, over the situation.
“Vi.” Caitlyn spoke her name in the calmest, steadiest voice she could muster. Vi’s wolf ears perked up alertly as she snapped out of trance. Her shoulders stiffened, pulled by the reflexive habit of submitting.
“Come, my Hound.” Caitlyn put more weight in each of her words, demanding her immediate and absolute obedience. The Hound showed a conflicted look, torn between her primal aggressiveness and the urge to obey — what she had been learning and practising throughout the weeks. She stood there for as long as it took, until finally dragging her feet towards Caitlyn, her arms dangling by her sides with her claws lowered.
This is the moment.
Caitlyn slowed down, making sure of every step she treaded. Her eyes never left Vi, maintaining an uncompromising presence while giving the Hound her undivided attention. She was looking for any trait on Vi’s face that would betray her reluctance or rejection, but there was none. The Hound was simply confused, undecided about what to do, whether she could trust Caitlyn.
“Vi, I would give you all the love and care you’ve never felt,” Caitlyn said softly. “No one can ever harm you.” The sincerity of her words made Vi shiver, and the savagery in her eyes softened into something emotional…something human.
“Kneel.” The last command came out light, much lighter than Caitlyn had expected, more like an invitation than a command. But the moment it rolled off her tongue, it just felt right.
And Vi dropped to her knees. She knelt before Caitlyn, head down, the aggressive edge melting away from her expression and posture.
“Such a good girl for me,” Caitlyn praised, caressing her blood-stained jaw. She then lifted her chin, looking deeply into her beautiful grey-blue eyes. Vi was amazing in many ways, but she couldn’t be more perfect kneeling before her like this, waiting for her command like a good puppy.
Caitlyn took out a small ribboned box from her pocket and revealed the gift inside. A gift she had ordered to be made the very first day she met Vi, but had lain in the box for too long to be claimed.
It was a leather collar, vibrant ocean blue contrasting the matte black, finished with a shiny silver buckle. The Kiramman’s family crest and Caitlyn’s initials were engraved on its tag, flaunting her ownership of the Hound.
Vi tilted her head up in anticipation, her eyes closed shut with trembling lashes. The way she parted her lips slightly was almost like waiting for a kiss, her sharp canines barely showing against her crimson tongue.
Gulping hard, Caitlyn pushed down the sinful urge to press a kiss on those bloody lips. Instead, she undid the collar Vi had been wearing for weeks, and clasped the new handcrafted, tailor-made piece around her throat. She smiled, finding the collar very fitting on her Hound’s strong and beautiful neck.
“Let’s go home, shall we?”
The buckle clicked between Caitlyn’s fingers, sharp and cold, sealing the bond they had forged in blood beneath their feet.