I am one of the lucky ones. That's what I've been told my whole life. In a world where all men control their own lives, and all females are bred, raised, and die as pets for the males, I am one of the lucky ones. Here's my story...
I was born to my father Preston Vaughn Cox eighteen years ago through a quality female that he bought from The Mayor's Auction. My father, and eventually his adult sons, celebrated the annual event with thousands of dollars in their pockets, and would often return home with a Pedigree breeder or two.
In our world, all birthing occurs in the home and the law requires all females to be surrendered immediately to The Shelter within an hour of their birth. However, society's most prominent men are encouraged to register any "perfect" female offspring, raise them in their homes, provide them with premium pet training, then donate them to The Mayors Auction after they turn 18. This is seen as the most patriotic act a wealthy man can do, and when his contribution later births males, the man's nobility and influence are increased. Thus, men of all classes strive to increase their standing in society through this practice, but generally, only those shrewd enough to manage this expensive undertaking can succeed.
Pets come in three classes: Used, New, and Pedigree. Used pets are sometimes referred to as Mutts and come in any age. They have had at least one, and sometimes several, previous owners and therefore are rarely virginal. The tag on their collars lists the year of their birth followed by a random identification number. Records of their parental heritage, previous owners, reasons for return, offspring production, and even their names are never kept. They are housed in large rooms with other Used pets. Low-ranking males work The Shelters washing and feeding the pets, keeping the rooms sanitary and managing the adoptions. Immunizations, food, water, collars, and floor mats are provided. When men browse the selection to adopt, they are often taken in by the affectionate nature of the female who has learned an appreciation for the world outside The Shelter. While this class would seem to be the most problematic, they are the most economical to adopt, at about $50.
The next class of pets is New. Two subclasses are known as Juvenile and Mature, for those over 18. Just like Used, no records are kept for New pets and they are identified and cared for in the same way. They have been raised in The Shelter since birth and grouped only with other females of the same year. These females are studied by the caregivers and separated into different units if bonding is observed. Except for the occasional scuffle for food or power, life in these rooms is completely uneventful. The youngest are not encouraged to walk or talk. Walking is eventually learned, but at a delayed level compared to registered females raised at home with their fathers. Over the years, females do pick up some basic commands from the caregivers. The middle females are not taught to read or understand numbers. The older ones are not taught about the changes in their bodies. However, as they enter their final year of adolescence, they do receive some basic training for life as a pet.
New pets have never had an owner and are available at any age, however, the greatest percentage of them are 18 and 19 years old. As an untouched female, there is a high demand for this class and most are adopted as soon as the batch is released into Maturity. With an adoption fee of about $1000, these females are not without their issues. Mostly feral creatures, they have no concept of the world outside The Shelter and often find it hard to adjust. Men frequently employ a trainer to bring value to their investment through discipline and bonding exercises. Unfortunately, even when the best of intentions are applied, this effort is sometimes to no avail and the man often has no choice but to deposit the female at the Used Shelter without refund.
Over the years, my father purchased countless pets at The Mayor's Auction and had many offspring. My father was blessed with several beautiful sons. Raised with the finest of everything, they were also raised to honor the strong traditions of our world. The worthless females born of these Pedigrees were recycled at The Shelter, except for me and a few others before me. I've never really understood why he decided to register me, but I've been told I'm very lucky and that I have a great responsibility ahead of me. Some men raise registered females in barns, and some in their homes as a family member. The law does not prefer one method over another, therefore, I was invited into the family.
Raised to be a Pedigree, I never had to fight for food. I had my own room, a luxurious bed, and beautiful dresses. My collar was diamond studded and my tag listed my birth year and a random series of letters instead of numbers. I was held and loved. I was taught to walk and talk and read a little. I didn't learn everything my brothers did, but I was thankful because I had more time to laze and enjoy my privileged life. I had a very close relationship with all of my brothers. All my adult brothers also had pets, but whatever it is they did with them, it was always done respectfully in the privacy of their bedrooms. I had a good relationship with all the staff as well. Registered females are never permitted to leave their family homes before the auction, so life would have been quite lonely without all these relationships.
When a male chooses to raise his female offspring, the first step is to submit an immediate registration. The application involves all the details about the birth, the statistics of the offspring, and the complete heritage of both the father and the female from which the child was born, if available. Next, the female from which the child was born will be immediately dropped off at the used shelter. The receipt of this disposal, plus three letters of recommendation and the completed application are then submitted with a fee equal to the cost of three times a new pet adoption. In a period of time, usually within twelve months, The Board will review the request and reply with their ruling. If denied, the offspring must be immediately surrendered to the new shelter. There is no fee to surrender unregistered females. If a male has not surrendered the female within 24 hours of receiving his rejection notice, The Board will disperse armed guards to collect and transfer the female. In addition, the male will receive a penalty equal to one hundred times a new pet adoption fee. If the registration is approved, the male will be required to submit a payment annually equal to the cost of a used adoption fee. In addition, this payment must be accompanied by a sworn statement of all males in the home, including males in the employment of the applicant, as to the continued chastity of the female in question. Perjury on this affidavit is punishable by death.
Given the seriousness of this crime, it is quite common for fathers to keep the virtue of their registered females under lock and key. This has an added benefit because it prevents self-defilement by curious females. My father was a strict follower of the law. To protect me and his staff, I not only wore a locking garment, but I also had a chaperone always present. This included while I slept, while the caregivers bathed me, and even when caregivers helped me to use the facilities. Father had told me that in the future, modesty would no longer be in my control, and so acceptance of being exposed at certain times became an important lesson I had to master.
*****
One day, I walked to the barn after my oldest brother, Abraham, mentioned his pet, Freckles, might be laboring. Over the years, I had watched several pets give birth. It was both beautiful and scary.
Myself, my chaperone, and the livestock attendant leaned against the stall door with our ice cold lemonade. We watched Freckles panting and groaning. "I'm afraid of the pain," I finally confessed.
"I know it looks bad now," the attendant replied "but females are made for this. As soon as it is over, it is quickly forgotten."
"Do you think the pet wonders about her offspring, what it was, where it ended up? Do you think she even wants to keep it?" I cringed at how stupid my question was as soon as I heard myself say it.
"I doubt it." He said. "Females have a biological need to reproduce. Anything that interferes with that powerful compulsion is cruel to the animal and should be prevented." He laughed a little. "Can you imagine how twisted our world would be if females kept and raised their offspring?! Utter chaos!" he shook his head. I laughed too. It did sound outlandish.
Freckles strained and pushed, squatting into the hay alone in the enclosure as we studied her. The attendant continued. "Most pets have never been taught how their bodies work. They can't understand what their place in our world means. They don't know why their bellies grow and they don't know why they feel the urge to push just now. They just follow their instinct." He explained. "Our pets wear these birthing masks and mittens when their time comes. They can neither see, hear or touch what they have passed. When the offspring emerges, it is my job to quickly collect it and deliver it to its next home, whether that be your father's nursery or The Shelter. These pets reconcile faster when we return things to normal as quickly as possible."
"For most pets, that ok, but these pets belong to my father and brothers." I reminded him "Father only buys pedigrees. That means these pets were probably raised in a nice house like this one, with all the freedoms I have. They've probably gone out to their barn and watched their father's pets give birth. They must know what this is all about."
"You're a very smart female. I'm glad you see this. If these pets know what they are for, then they have also had at least 18 years to come to terms with the idea... as did you."
I understood.
