"A Kur dominant,” said Lord Grendel, “similarly, may keep one or more females, but what you see before you is very different. She would die before she would allow a nondominant to touch her, let alone seed her. Indeed, one who had such a thought, she might kill."
"A pleasant creature,” said Cabot. “She has a rope."
The creature had unlooped from her harness several loops of soft, and pliant, but stout rope.
"She thinks to put the rope on my neck,” said Grendel, “and thus add me to her servitors."
"I see,” said Cabot, uneasily.
"Surely you recognize her,” said Grendel.
"No,” said Cabot, puzzled.
"From the arena,” he said. “There were two females, do you not remember, who were to compete for seeding by the dominant male, he with rings, and she was the one who lost."
"It is the same one?” said Cabot. “You are sure?"
"Certainly,” said Lord Grendel.
"Perhaps her defeat still rankles with her,” said Cabot.
"I would suppose so,” said Lord Grendel.
"She was almost killed, as well,” said Cabot.
"Some are killed,” said Lord Grendel.
"I would not turn on the translator,” said Lord Grendel. “You might not like this."
"Very well,” said Cabot.
"Do not interfere,” said Lord Grendel.
"Very well,” said Cabot.
The Kur approached Grendel, snarling, and bared her fangs. Her face was but inches from his, and she suddenly hissed at him, fiercely. Cabot noted the other Kurii behind her, at this sign of rage, or displeasure, or whatever it might be, drew back, timidly.
Grendel had shown no response to this action on the part of the female.
She bared her fangs, and hissed again, viciously.
Again Grendel did not react.
She backed away, a foot, and regarded Grendel. Perhaps he was terrified into immobility? A grimace, a Kur smile, shown about her jaws. She would add another despised weakling, another despised servitor, to her timorous, obsequious attendants. She stepped forward, and lifted a loop of the rope, to sling it about Lord Grendel's neck, but suddenly, his arms lifted, claws protruding, he uttered a roar that was unexpected, hideous, and terrible, like nothing that Cabot had ever heard, and Cabot fell back, startled.
It was as though a volcano might have burst forth at his elbow; thundering with rage.
The entire form of Lord Grendel seemed then to enlarge and become transformed. Fur crackled outward, increasing his already massive stature; his large, pointed ears were flattened back like smooth knives against the sides of his head; his enormous jaws were open, and reaching forward; his fangs were spread in width better than a foot; his eyes were as kindled furnaces.
The female Kur drew back, frightened, and was then small, crouching before him.
She began to tremble, uncontrollably.
She had unwittingly insulted a dominant.
Grendel seized her in one paw and dragged her to him, and, with his other paw, struck her head upward and back, exposing her throat, and he set his fangs across her throat, and Cabot knew well what might ensue.
He had seen more than one Kur head torn from its body by that grip.
Lord Grendel had warned him not to interfere, but that warning, as it turned out, was quite unnecessary. Cabot was no more tempted to interfere than he would have been tempted to leap between enraged, tangled larls.
Grendel's fangs half in her throat, her body helpless in his grasp, the Kur female, trembling and squirming, began to utter a piteous succession of tiny, urgent, plaintive noises.
At this point Cabot was much tempted to turn on his translator, but he refrained from doing so.
Among Kurii a mortal insult, usually followed by one or more deaths, is to accuse another Kur of being a nondominant.
To be sure, this insult is usually issued by one male Kur to another.
Grendel's jaws then closed a little more, and Cabot fully expected to see pounding, driven, surging blood, released, suddenly gush and spatter forth, drenching Lord Grendel and the grass for yards about, spurting from the opened throat of a half-severed head.
Cabot noted that the nondominants hung back, crouching down, save for one who stood half erect, watching, but making no move to interfere.
Such creatures could always attach themselves, in their parasitic way, to another female.
But Grendel did not tear her head from her.
He removed his fangs from her throat. Cabot noted their tips were bright with blood.
He then arranged the trembling, shaken female before him, held her up with one paw, for she might, in terror and weakness, have fallen, and, with his other paw, lashed her face back and forth, snapping it from side to side. Her eyes were wide, and frightened. Blood was about her mouth, from the blows. Such blows might easily have broken the neck of a human female. He then took her and threw her to the grass, contemptuously, to the side.
Most of the nondominants in the background, then began to file away. Their female had been beaten, and was now nothing. She had been reduced to the status of a Kur female in the presence of a dominant.
Lord Grendel then turned away from her, but she began to whimper, and moan, and whine, and he turned angrily to face her.
She couched down, whimpering, making herself small before him.
He went to her and, with one clawed foot, thrust her contemptuously down to the grass. He then, as she lay there at his feet, whimpering, kicked her, twice, and again turned away from her.
He was a dominant, and he had been displeased by her, a mere female.
She called out something, softly, urgently, piteously, pleadingly, in Kur. Cabot's translator was not activated.
Lord Grendel, half crouched down, turned to face her, and she crawled to his feet, and put her head down to his feet, submissively, and with her long, dark tongue, began to lick them.
"She is making amends, I gather,” said Cabot.
"Turn on the translator,” said Grendel, and Cabot did so.
But then she was whimpering, not speaking, her body trembling, her head still down, to Lord Grendel's feet.
"Speak,” said Lord Grendel to the she-Kur before him.
"An animal is present,” she said.
"Speak,” repeated Lord Grendel.
"Before a human?” came from Cabot's translator.
"Yes,” said Grendel.
"You would so shame me?” she said.
"Speak or not, as you wish,” said Grendel.
"Are these things not our secret?” she asked.
"Speak or not, as you wish,” said Grendel.
She then lifted her head to him. “Be my master,” she said.
"Why?” asked Grendel. “You are of little interest. You are coarse, gross, and plain."
Cabot was surprised at this assessment, given Lord Grendel's earlier remarks, though, as a human, he was not disinclined to agree.
"Many males have sought me,” she said.
"The world,” said Lord Grendel, “is filled with fools."
"I will do my best to please you,” she said.
"Or any male,” said Lord Grendel.
"Yes,” she said, “I now know they are my masters."
"Why is that?” asked Lord Grendel.
"Because I am a female,” she said.
"I doubt that you would make a good submissive,” said Lord Grendel.
"I will be the most submissive of all submissives,” she said. “I cannot now help that."
"Turn about, and get on your belly,” said Lord Grendel.
The Kur obeyed, instantly.
Lord Grendel then, with her own rope, fastened her hands behind her back, pulled her to her feet, and wrapped the rope, in several coils, about her body, and then, with the same rope, fashioned a leash for her.
This was much what had been done with her former rival, the victorious she-Kur in the arena, before she had been led forth from the sand.