**WARNINGS**

Slash, drug/alcohol usage, and some bad language.
This story is also very weird...be warned.

**DISCLAIMER**

Don't own any of the important characters,
but the idea for the story is mine.

{}}{{}}{}}{{}} {}}{{}}{}}{{}} {{}}{}}{{}}{{}

"If only I
could feel
The sound
of the sparrows
& feel child hood
pulling me
back again

If only I could feel
me pulling back
again
& feel embraced
by reality
again
I would die
Gladly die"
~~Poet: Jim Morrison~~Book: The American Night~~

New Master

There were secrets, ones that he told me never to tell, but perhaps they deserve to be told. I truly do love my Master, ever since our friendship was first forged from snow and tears. It began on a cold Norwegian night, in winter. I was thrown out into the trash because I was ragged and useless—or so I thought. I slept in that trashcan, my button-eyes focused up at the moon, my woolly mind dreaming of a time of liberation, of getting a real human Master who would love me. I suppose that hours passed before I heard a sorry sort of sniffling and the crying of a boy.

He was an average-seized child, though much thinner than most, with brown hair and eyes as pale as the moon in Spring. Those wonderful eyes were shining that night, blazing with fresh and freely falling tears of pain. I didn't know why, but at that moment it seemed as if that six-year-old boy, that sobbing, pitiful Norwegian child, was the saddest thing on the Earth. Then again, so was I. As he walked by I smelled sweat and blood on him, watched as he wiped his bruised and blackened eyes. By chance, he glanced over at the trashcan that I was in. He came over, picked me up, and plucked some trash from my fur.

"You look nice." he commented, his voice a soft murmer of affection. It disgusted me that he seemed so needy, so neglected.

Stupid child, put me down.

"I bet that you would like to be my friend, wouldn't you?"

No, not really.

"I'm Toki," the boy whispered in my ear. "Toki Wartooth."

That's nice, but I really don't care, now put be down before-

He walked away with me, continued on down the street. One of his crystal tears fell into my fur, matted it. I hated the child for seeming so obviously week, but what could I do? I was a stupid old teddy bear, good for nothing anymore. Maybe it would be good to have a new Master, one that wouldn't throw me in a trashcan; surely this boy was so neglected that he wouldn't give up anything that brought him the slightest comfort. Clearly I must have calmed him, because as soon as he plucked me from the snow and trash, he was hugging me, holding me close. He began telling me all of why he was walking out in the cold in the middle of the night.

"My dad," he said, "locked me out and hurt me because I messed up some of my chores today."

Stupid, cruel man. Doesn't he know that you could freeze to death?

"He didn't really realize how cold it would get, I think. He sometimes doesn't think about stuff like that, that's all." Toki looked down at his shoes as he walked and a sad sort of desperate look came over his face as he said, "God, I wish I wouldn't mess up so much...he locks me out a lot."

Does he? The bastard. I'd kill him if I were you, boy.

"I don't think he means it, though. He says that he hates me sometimes, but..." he shrugged and let out a breath, one that produced a warm cloud of vapor in the freezing air. "I don't think he means it." and he walked and hugged me closer, made me warmer. Truly I was beginning to love the boy, and that old remorse towards him already melting away. "But it's okay now, 'cause I have you and you're my friend. I can tell you anything, right? You won't tell anyone, will you? My dad would kill me if you would tell him what I said..."

Stupid boy, I'm a teddy bear; I can't speak.

"He gets mad when I tell people what he does to me." and he peered up at the stars and the moon and smiled wistfully. "I don't really mind it when he locks me out, though. The nights are pretty, huh?"

Yeah, whatever.

And Toki walked around town and in the forest until the sun broke the darkness of night. He took me back home and there I stayed for a long while. I did love him, but still there were times when I wished that I was anywhere else. Mostly it was during moments where I'd watch the boy get beaten by his father and insulted by his mother. She would tell him he was useless, worthless. She told him often that she didn't even know why she bothered to keep him around at all; thru all of this my Master managed to keep a brave, understanding look on his face and respond with quiet, submissive, "Yes, I understand. I know what you mean." When he was alone he'd often seem happy but begin to sob for no reason, until he made himself sick. He didn't cry often, but when he did it came suddenly, seemingly without cause, and would last for hours.

There were many things to learn about my master, many things to get used to. One was his father. I swear that no sound in the world is worse than a child's screaming; it echoes, I swear, for at least a thousand miles. I could hear my Master's howling no matter what room I was in within the house—it was piercing, horrible, and pitiful. His father seemed to enjoy it, though. One of the worst times I can remember my Master screaming like that happened when he came into his room, put down his school books, and turned to me, a pale, sick look of worry on his young face. Always when he looked at me there was some sort of undeserved love in those pale eyes; he clearly adorned me for some unknown reason.

He was young to love me like that, only around six years old, but somehow he was still much older than the other children whom I watched playing outside. He sounded horse and terrified as he said in a whisper, "I-I messed up bad."

What did you do wrong now, stupid child?

Toki said nothing for a long while, just looked away and climbed into his bed, hugged a pillow to his chest. "He's going to kill me, I messed up so bad..."

From outside there came a loud cry of, "Toki Wartooth, where are you?"

It was Toki's father. I hated Toki's father. He was the worst person I've ever known. I'd seen Toki spend many nights crying because of him, and now I could tell that this would be one of those nights; once That Man got angry, he could not be quelled. We heard his footsteps coming closer, making the floorboards creak under their stomping weight. Toki reached over, grabbed my paw, and hugged me to him, crushed me to his thin, heaving chest.

Let go, stupid boy...

"He's going to kill me." he repeated. Never would I find out of my Master could actually hear me or not, but he did usually guess at what I thought. He was very smart, despite what most people thought.

Then That Man came in, his black cloak billowing around his feet, making him look like a shadow. His face was pale, withered, and twisted in rage, a sight that really terrified my Master. He glared at Toki with a sort of hard, unyielding viciousness that even made me fear him. I knew he would never hurt me; I was just his son's teddy bear. Toki, though, would be sorry for whatever 'wrong' he'd done. I felt something warm hit the top of my head. My Master was crying, letting his tears run down his fair cheeks and onto my brown fur.

Don't cry, it only makes it worse. It only makes him angrier, you know that.

"Get up out of the bed, boy."

"D-Daddy, please..."

That Man let out a yell of anger and stepped forward, took my Master by a handful of his hair, and threw him out of the bed. "Kissing other boys at school? What the hell kind of father do you think I am? Did you think that I wouldn't punish you, that I wouldn't find out? Do you think I'm a fool?"

"I...I..." what could be said? Nothing.

That Man raised his fist, offered Toki one last avenue of escape. "Did you like it?"

I watched with my button-eyes eyes as my Master turned red and whispered cluelessly, "Like what?"

"Kissing that other boy."

Lie, lie you stupid-

"N-No..." but as he met his father's knowing, hateful gaze, he lowered his head and shrugged hopelessly. "Maybe."

And that sealed his fate, if it hadn't been sealed already. That Man beat him worse than I'd ever seen before, and when he was done Toki was laying on the floor of his room, his face sticky with blood and his shirt stained with the redness. That Man came forward, snatched me up from my place, and held me tight.

"I will take your bear tonight."

"B-But I can't sleep without-"

"What?"

Toki swallowed and a disgusted look came across his young, cut face; did he taste blood? "Nothing." he whispered weakly. And just like that, That Man took me away from his son for the whole night. I heard my Master sobbing upstairs in his room, though. That didn't escape my hearing. He was weeping, crying for me.

Once he even summoned up the courage and strength enough to drag himself to his parent's room and cry, "P-Please give me back my teddy, daddy, please!"

"Go to bed, boy!" That Man yelled back, throwing me on the floor next to his bed. "Go back to your room or I'll beat you again until you have to go to the hospital."

"I...I can't-"

"Toki Wartooth, you're trying my patience." he warned. I heard my Master's footsteps echoing outside as he walked down the hall and back to his room.

I realized then that although I may not like it, although I might wish with all my might that things were different, Toki Wartooth was my new master. Somehow the boy was beginning to grow on me, and just like that I had earned myself a new master. I didn't expect what would come next—up until that night my life had been a series of unpredictable, impossible circumstances—but somehow, I supposed that I might as well spend my time with this boy, my Toki.

{}}{{}}{}}{{}} {}}{{}}{}}{{}} {{}}{}}{{}}{{}

**A/N**

If you haven't guessed it yet, this story will be written all thru the P.O.V. Of Toki's amazing deddy bear. Why? Well why the hell not? I know it's an odd concept—and perhaps a sort of stupid one—but just give it a chance. Trust me, it will get better and there will be lots of slash. Toki/Skwisgaar, Toki/Nathan, Toki/Pickles, Pickles/Nathan, & Skwisgaar/Pickles stuff. Poor Murderface, still not that much of a main character. :( Too bad.

Remember that reviews are appreciated and I'm very eager to see what kind of comments I'll get for this story. Hmm...it will be interesting. Thanks for reading.

Peace & Love