She woke up in the cage.
For a few moments she didn't move, just stared at the bars trying to make sense of where she was and calm her confusion. She moved her arms and arched her feet tentatively to see what would happen. They moved freely but she was sore, an achy muscle kind of sore that you get after the first trip back to the gym. She'd woken up in the fetal position but when she pushed her legs out to stretch them they only made it a few inches before hitting resistance. The cage wasn't designed for luxurious sleep.
She was alone for hours. At first she was cautious and moved slowly but eventually the panic set in and she called out for help, yanked at the bars, screamed and cried. She was naked and thirsty and scared and by the time he came in she was sitting in the corner of the cage, knees pulled to her chest and tears silently falling down her cheeks. She didn't hear him enter the room. He dropped something metallic onto the top of the cage and the sudden movement and sound scared her so badly that she screamed again, several times, and pressed herself back against the bars sobbing.
He unlocked the padlock that held the cage shut and swung the door open. It was wide but short, she would have to crawl to get out.
"Come here" he said. It was an order, not a request, but his voice was impassive. She didn't move a muscle. She couldn't bring herself to move towards this person, she knew terrible things were waiting for her on the other side of the bars. He waited a few seconds and then reached above the cage and produced a bottle of water which he placed about a foot outside the door. The sight of it made her sobbing come to an abrupt stop. The terror was still there but she was suddenly aware of how incredibly thirsty she was, and the thought that he was giving her something she needed was confusing. She'd been dehydrated when she'd woken up hours before and all of the crying had left her head pounding and her throat dry.
"You can have it" he said "all of it." He held the door open and waited. She wanted it more than she could ever remember wanting water but she had always been stubborn and she refused to give in so quickly. She remained pressed against the bars, hiding behind her knees and shaking. It was silly, some part of her brain knew that and already her need to drink was starting to fight back. A few more minutes and she might have relented but he didn't wait to find out. The door shut and the padlock went back on and for some reason the idea of him leaving was almost as terrifying as the thought of him staying.
"Please, please!" she pleaded, dropping her knees and leaning towards the front of the cage. "What do you want? Why am I here?" He was out of the room before she'd finished her last question and she fell back, screaming in frustration and fear and kicking at the bars. It wasn't until she'd calmed down that she realized he'd left the water sitting a foot away from her and her parched throat.
When he came back she was ready to do what he asked. It had been an eternity of torture for her, staring at it without anything to occupy her mind other than how thirsty she was. She wasn't crying when he came in this time, she was silent and so was he as he took off the padlock and opened the door. She got onto all fours and slowly crept through the door, trying to stay as far from him as possible. She didn't look at him, she was afraid that if she drew her focus from the bottle she would lose her nerve and her chance. There was a part of her mind that wanted to be humiliated at how easily she'd given into him but she shoved that part away. She could deal with embarrassment later.
She had only just made it out of the cage when he held his hand out in front of her and the sudden motion made her flinch and pull back. "First tie your hair back" he said.
She wanted to argue, to put up more of a fight but she didn't see the point in angering him over this, not when she could barely swallow and the water was so close. She took the hair elastic and sitting up on her knees she gathered her long dark hair into a ponytail, watching his body cautiously for signs of movement. When it was done she waited to see if he was going to demand anything else but he said nothing and so she lunged at the water, twisting the cap off and tilting her head back to gulp at it. Some of it spilled onto her throat and breasts but she didn't care, all she could think about was how good it felt after being so desperate for so long. Within a few seconds it was almost gone, but it was long enough for him to reach around her tilted head and snap something tight and heavy around her throat.
She started and yelped and tried to pull away but he yanked her back by the neck so that she was off balance and flailing. The bottle flew from her hand and what was left of the precious water sprayed across the floor. She struggled, clawing at the contraption and trying to catch her balance but every time she pulled away he would yank at her neck and the thing would grow tighter. After a short battle she ended up on her knees, her hands pulling at the band and her head straining to stay high enough to take the pressure off. He kept her like that for a few very long seconds before relaxing his arm and letting her fall forward, gasping for air. The sobs returned as soon as the air did and her whole body shuddered as she tried to process what was happening.
He let her stay like that, shaking on all fours until she'd calmed down. He didn't say anything when she reached up to her throat, unable to keep herself from exploring the thing he'd put on her. It was leather with a ring coming out of the front, but there was something bumpy running through the leather that ran all the way around and met with another ring in the back. Metal links. It was a collar, he'd put a fucking collar on her. And not just a collar but one with a choke chain running through it. The thing he'd been yanking on was a leash.