His Proper Place

I like to begin the day with a prayer. I know some furs think that's a little old-fashioned, but I guess that just makes me an old-fashioned kind of mouse - besides, I never knew a Human to complain that a fur was too traditional.

So this morning, like every other morning, I roll out of bed shortly before dawn, fall to my knees and pray:

Lord, thank you for creating Humans
Thank you for granting them the wisdom to create furs
Thank you for granting us the privilege of serving Humans
Amen

That done, I go about the rest of my morning routine. As befits a fur, my wardrobe and grooming are simple. Our betters expect us to be practical, not to waste our time looking good. With that in mind, I keep myself clean, tidy and simply dressed. Sensible shorts and a vest will do me fine.

I work in an office with six Humans. I do simple tasks for them - fetching things, gofer work, occasional oral sex - while they do the real work. Last night, as I do every night, I made six lunches. This morning I get to work on my own lunch. That way, if I'm pressed for time, nobody important has to go hungry.

Luckily, I do not run out of time today. Last week I went without lunch for two days in a row. You'd think that after one day of hunger I'd be careful next morning, but I guess that's why I'm just an office boy and not a Human's personal property. Goodness, I wish I was worthy of belonging to a Human. Only the best furs are granted that honour.

Still, I suppose it could be worse. The really useless furs are sent out to the labour camps, and t only Humans they ever see are the overseers tasked with keeping them in line. There was a documentary on those overseers on TV on the weekend. By the end of it I just felt sorry for them. It's clearly a tough job, and being surrounded by the worst furs around doesn't exactly make it any easier. I wish furs could be trusted with the job, to spare Humans the trouble - but of course, furs are fundamentally incapable of running our own affairs. They taught us that in school.

I make it to the bus stop with mere moments to spare. This early in the morning there's plenty of space available, so I'm able to sit down. After a few stops the bus starts filling up, so I stand to make room for a Human. I frown as I see a pretty doe sitting down even while Humans have to stand. Fortunately I'm quite close by, so I'm able to lean down to the selfish bitch and say "If by your own discomfort you can make a Human comfortable, your duty is clear." She at least has the good grace to blush at the quote they drummed into us back in school. She stands and apologises for her rudeness as a Human child takes the seat.

She gets off at the next stop (good riddance) and the boy's mother says "Thank you for that. I'm never sure if I should say something."

My heart speeds up and I struggle not to grin. A Human is pleased with me! I'm a good fur! I get a grip and reply "Ma'am, if you ever see me being that rude please do say something." She smiles and pats my cheek and then I really do grin. I'm still in a good mood as I reach the office. I tuck my ear into the microchip scanner at the furs' entrance and make my way up the stairs to the 4th floor. Humans get elevators, of course, and while there has been talk of allowing furs to use one of them (some of the bigger companies have started doing that, it's all very progressive) there doesn't seem to be the money for it at the minute. I don't have it so bad, though. This building has 12 floors.

I make it there at 8:30, right on time. I put my ear in the second scanner outside our door, and I'm in. I put the real employees' lunches in their fridge, and then mine in the smaller fridge in the communal 4th floor furs' break room. Then I put the finishing touches on the office suite. The cleaning furs here are pretty good, so I never have too much to do. I kneel by the door with my head bowed respectfully, in the proper position of a fur waiting for a Human. I can hear that worthless goat who belongs to the insurance firm across the hall come in late again. Why he hasn't been sacked is beyond me.

The manager, Frank Beatty, arrives first. As I belong to the company, he's the closest thing I have to a master. He pats me on the head as he passes me, and I wait for just a moment before heading to the break room. Mr Beatty likes to have a minute to settle in before I bring him his coffee. He almost always arrives about five minutes before anyone else, so while I'm preparing his coffee I also get ready for everyone else's arrival. Mr Beatty mutters a "Thanks" when I bring him his coffee, and although I know he's just saying it on instinct it still makes me flush with pride. The other Humans arrive, and I bring them their preferred early-morning pick-me-ups. By the time Ms Dawson is settled in, the working day has begun.

It's a pretty slow morning today. I feel a little guilty kneeling by the door while my betters are hard at work, but a fur's first duty is to be ready to serve. Fortunately, I am not kept waiting too long. Ms Rhodes snaps her fingers, and I am at her side in an instant. She tells me to go and get some documents she sent to the printer. As I go to leave, she gives my rump a playful swat.

***
Perhaps I should explain a little more about the company I belong to. IK Industrial Support assists factories, mines, farms and other similar businesses that require a large workforce of menial furs. We help with coordinating the client businesses with the labour camps, pens, breeding farms and academies. I'm proud of my contributions (small as they may be) to making sure so many otherwise worthless furs can be put to a productive use!

Back in the old days, before we were invented, it used to be Humans who had to work in those sorts of jobs. Humans do still have a role, of course. Not just as the famous overseers, but also handling the management and admin side of things. The labour itself - basically, anything too dangerous, too tedious, too humiliating or otherwise unworthy of a Human - is done by furs. By our labours are Humans spared hardship. By our labours are we given purpose.

Haha, sorry, little academy flashback there. When we are taught a lesson, we learn it for life. Of course, academies for furs use different methods to those for Humans. That's to be expected, I suppose. Striking a Human would be barbaric, but it is sometimes necessary for a Human to strike a fur to make sure an instruction really sinks in. Of course punishment is also sometimes necessary. I wish it wasn't, but that's just the way it is. I tend to be good, though, so I haven't been caned in a little over two months. My record is five months.

Did you know there's a movement to ban caning? It's going to be debated in Parliament next year, which is really quite exciting. If passed, Humans would be restricted to using paddles or bare hands to discipline unruly furs. Well, overseers would keep their whips and crops, of course, but that's a special case. I don't normally follow political news (we furs cannot vote, and so we simply rely on our betters to decide what is best for us) but I suppose you could say I have a vested interest in this bill.

Now, it has turned out that some of the leading Humans in the movement belong to another group that wants to eliminate slavery altogether - emancipating all the furs and making us all citizens, equal to Humans. I know you shouldn't judge a whole group by a few extremists, but isn't that taking things a bit far? I certainly wouldn't want to cope with all the responsibilities that would bring. Humans have to make so many decisions and take responsibility for so much of the world, and all we furs have to do is serve them and be guided by their wisdom and natural authority. I know which of those sounds more appealing to me, thank you very much.

Then Ms Craddock snaps her fingers and points beneath her desk. I kneel beneath her, slip her shoes off and begin massaging her feet. If I do a good job, and if nobody else has need of me, she may tell me to go down on her too. I let the thoughts of politics and emancipation drain from my mind, and they are easily replaced with thoughts of service and submission. I am a good fur, and I am never happier than when I am in my proper place.