A/N: Hello all and welcome. This is the sequel to 'Liberty with a Collar'. I have written out the timeline and have figured that it will be all done in seven chapters. Some chapters will be long, some will be short. I hope you enjoy.

It had always been like this. At least, there was no one to suggest otherwise. The humans were pets, things to be called cute and order around, to do tricks and be purposeful. The animals were their owners, their masters – the title varied and depended on the animal's…kindness. It was funny to think such a hierarchy existed though.

After all, humans and animals looked damn near identical…except for the ears and tails of the animals. There were geese, horses, cats, dogs, even snakes. Oh, there were dozens of animals. As for the humans…well, they were humans and that was all that mattered. No one really cared to know the demographics or statistics of the human population since they were pets.

Of course the government had ways to know a general estimate. The government always seemed to know. In fact, said government had recently tightened the laws in certain cities – many suggested these cities were the most likely to have rebels in them. It started with the leash law, demanding all pets be leashed if they were outside. Supposedly there was a rumor going around that tracking devices would be next, if they could afford it.

If the rumor was true, then it also meant the government was increasing in aggression. More animals that dared to speak against the government, be it two days ago or sixteen years before, would start to disappear. It was the same case with the Terriers, Oliver and Sheila. A pair of old dogs living in the middle of Nowhere, no neighbor in sight for miles. One night they just…disappeared.

Their pet, Saoirse, had been left alone for a brief time. Saoirse, the human named after Liberty but that wore a collar…the Terriers had a sense of humor at least. Or perhaps, as Saoirse began to realize as she went to look for the Terriers in the city, perhaps they were hopeful. Perhaps one day she would be free…

But that day wouldn't come anytime soon. Soon after she wondered into the city, a cat named Katz – speaking of creative – found her. They got along like the cat and dog-scented human they were…which was, of course, horribly. Still, they had made a deal. If they found the Terriers, Saoirse would stay with Katz.

They did find the Terriers…dead. So Saoirse stayed with Katz, who was missing a piece of his ear after completing his end of the deal. After some adjustment, she had accepted her fate. It helped, of course, that the Terriers' old friend, Courage, had entered her life once more.

One of the many things that had haunted Saoirse's mind, however, was her origins. More so, it was the question of how the Terriers came to be her owners. That was something that even Courage couldn't help with, something she suspected was lost to the grave.

Yet Saoirse tried her best to live in the present more so than the past. At the moment, she was sitting at the table with Courage, his two older pets, Muriel and Eustace, and Katz, her owner – though he still insisted on calling himself her 'master'. They had just finished dinner, a custom that happened twice a week for the past month.

As Muriel cleaned away the plates and promised tea and fruit for dessert, Eustace slipped away to his chair, grumbling. Saoirse made to stand with the intention of helping Muriel when Courage reached over to touch her hand.

Courage and Saoirse had known each other for years. They were close in age and she understood his fears, helped calm them when they were younger. He was a young man with skin fairly pale though it fit for his lilac-purple hair and black ears. "Actually, there's something I'd like for you to hear." Courage said, his hand still on hers.

The human was about to comment when Katz cleared his throat. The man was a salty sort of creature, so easy to make scowl. He was smug, dignified, and…a cat. That coupled with the fact that he owned Saoirse legally – something that still ate Courage up to this day, as he believed the Terriers would have wanted Courage to have her – made the pair rather despise one another.

Saoirse glanced over at Katz, her new shiny tag – it read 'Katz'' in emerald, nothing else – chimed softly as she moved. The man always had his crimson hair slicked back, his yellow eyes sharp and always watching. His tail, now that it had healed from an…incident…swished lazily behind him. More so, his pointed ears were always alert for noise. The clip of his ear that was missing from the 'deal-incident' was especially noticeable against his otherwise slick and meticulous appearance.

"For both of you to hear." Courage corrected himself, but he didn't remove his hand from Saoirse's until a moment after she sat down.

The young woman let her hand fall to her lap as she looked back at Courage. "What is it, Courage?" She asked gently.

It was maddening sometimes to be so soft and kind with her friend and so sharp and harsh with her owner. Although it wasn't as frequent lately, when the dinners first started, Saoirse would switch between the extremes so much throughout the meal – Katz liked a prey to toy with and Courage was only ever aggressive when Muriel or Saoirse were involved – that she had gotten sick more than once. Since then, however, she had learned to calm herself, or at least let her temper build instead of burst at every sneer and command made from Katz.

Courage glanced to the kitchen, ear perked to ensure that he could still hear Muriel humming as she washed dishes. He then glanced to the living room to ensure Eustace was turning the newspaper, occupied. Then he looked at Saoirse, hardly sparing a glance at Katz, and offered a small smile. "I've been waiting to tell you about it, but the time had to be right." Pause. "As you know, the Terriers were involved in rebellion for many years before…they stopped about a decade before." Probably, it was suggested silently, due to Saoirse's existence. "They didn't stop entirely though. They knew my parents and visited as I grew up. When I was old enough, they asked if I'd like to join the group – the 'Humane Rebels'." Courage's eyes sparkled briefly.

Humane…like, human. Saoirse couldn't help but grin. Courage continued, "We, the HR I mean, have been waiting to set up our network and now is the time."

Saoirse leaned forward, her own eyes bright with excitement, as though this was all a fairytale. Truly, it felt like one, a story being told only. "HR? What do you do?" On some level, Saoirse did feel like this was just one of Courage's stories that he wrote and sold. It seemed so far-fetched…

"Right now, we're working on freeing the humans." Just then, Muriel walked in with the tea and grapes. Saoirse flinched at the noise, so stunned at Courage's statement. Courage thanked Muriel as she poured them all a cup. Katz merely nodded his appreciation, not that anyone had really noticed him in the past few minutes.

Once Muriel had left once more, Courage continued quietly, "We're going to use the old way that the previous group – the Terriers' group – had used. There's an island far, far away that's been described as the Human Paradise, 'Freeland' as some have called it. It's for humans only, a one-way trip…the only animal that has ever seen it, since we can't visit, is the Boatman.

"The old rebel group had searched for the pets, the humans, that were severely abused by their masters. They helped them escape and set them on the boat to get away. We think it's time to start it again while the government is distracted by proposals." Courage popped a grape in his mouth, chewed, swallowed, then added, "Actually, some of the HR group thinks that if we don't act now, we never will be able to once security measures increase." Pause. "So Saoirse…would you like to help us?"

Saoirse's tea was long forgotten at this part of the story, the question. She nearly jumped out of her seat, a huge smile on her face. Just as she opened her mouth to proclaim her loyalty and intentions to this Humane Rebels group, to help others like her in worse situations, a cool hand grasped her forearm. She flinched and glanced behind her – oh, right, Katz still existed.

Katz gave her a steady stare, taking in her flushed look of excitement, her smile that was slowly falling. As if he had told her his thoughts with just his stare, she wilted a bit, disappointed. Courage growled softly at the touch, something that filled the room that was otherwise silent.

Katz placed his tea cup down with a 'clink' against the plate. His gaze moved to the purple dog, his tone ever as regal as before. "Quite a tale for your next novel, dear boy, but I don't see what benefits I can derive from it. Seeing as how the girl," he rarely spoke Saoirse's name aloud, "belongs to me, I cannot fathom what gain either of us would have from helping pets escape their masters." Clearly he disapproved of the idea.

"But they're abused!" Saoirse protested, nearly knocking her tea over as she moved her arm free of his touch.

Katz' sharp eyes met hers warningly, although whether from the near spilt-tea or the outburst, she wasn't sure. "The risks are far too high and the gains non-existent to participate in such a…game." The stab was at Courage now. A game, as if they were a large group playing hide and seek and not saving lives. Courage glared. Katz sat back and sipped more of his tea. "At any rate, I have my own business to take care of. In case you've forgotten, girl, it isn't exactly clean either, but at least from that I can gain large sums of money." He finished his tea and set down the empty cup. "Now we really must be off."

Saoirse shot Courage an apologetic look. She stood and hugged the dog, loathing the cat behind her more than usual. "I'll see you next week." Courage promised quietly, adding as he glared darkly at the crimson man, "Perhaps sooner if I need to purchase a book."

Katz' tail flickered.

Saoirse knew well enough by now that once Katz had decided something – particularly when it involved his business or money – his mind was made up. So she went about her normal routine for the next week with quiet resentment and a sluggish response time to any commands he gave.

The Humane Rebels…so that was what the Terriers had been involved with. That was why they had been captured and killed even after a decade of no activity. When she was alone at the front of the shop, cleaning, or laying in her cot – which was across the bedroom shared by Katz in his cushy bed – she let that tidbit of information replay in her head.

At one point in their lives, Sheila and Oliver had helped humans escape by boat to this…human paradise, this 'Freeland'. What was this place? Did it really exist? If it was a one-way only with the Boatman being the only animal to have seen it…surely the Boatman could be trusted. Surely he really did escort them to this new land and leave them in peace. How many were at this paradise? What was it like? What did they wear? What did they do all day?

These questions would have to be answered at dinner with Courage in a few days.

On the morning when they were due to visit Courage, Saoirse didn't get out of bed. Katz noticed his pet's absence when a customer had entered, the bell chimed, but no voice was there to greet them. After they had called out a curious 'hello', he walked from his office, paused at the bedroom to see a bulge under the blankets, scowled, and went to make a sale.

Katz glanced at the clock when the customer left. It was ten in the morning. She should have been up and about two hours ago. His teeth gritted, he walked over to the bedroom and towered over the figure under the blankets.

"Enjoying your lay-in?" He boomed in the silent room.

The bulge under the blanket flinched at the sound of his voice, but otherwise made no move to react. When the girl didn't even speak, he scowled and reached forward to grab the blanket. "If this behavior persists, I shall cancel dinner with that dog of yours and…"

He ripped off the blanket and paused at the sight. Saoirse lay curled up in a ball with an expression of pain etched onto her face. Katz let the blanket fall to the floor as he studied the girl. "Are you ill?" He asked bluntly, reaching forward to place his hand on her forehead. Well, at least she wasn't running a fever.

Saoirse opened her eyes and looked up at him, her face turning a soft pink. Hm, if there wasn't a fever but there's blood now…she was blushing. His brows raised. "No. Not…technically." She said carefully.

Katz placed his hands on his hip. "What do you mean? Be plain, girl, I haven't got all day!" No indeed, he had a business to run, meetings to plan, forbidden books to ship…

Saoirse's face turned a dark shade of red. Still, she seemed to be agitated by his irritation and forced herself to speak plainly, as he wished. "I've started my period and the cramps, as usual, have crippled me. I can't move much, they hurt too bad."

Silence.

Blood filled Katz' face, damn near matching his red hair after a full minute had gone by. Finally his yellow eyes moved away – he let go of the staring contest they had been having – and he crossed his arms uncomfortably across his chest.

More silence.

"You've only just now thought to tell me you were…an invalid for the day?" He tried to sound as annoyed as before, but his voice was lacking the edge.

There was a bittersweet sense of victory for the human. "I forgot about it. Given the stressors and the grief of the past two months…it didn't come." Pause. "And it's usually for two or three days, the cramps."

Katz' tail was now swishing rapidly. Clearly he was uncomfortable like this. He swallowed thickly and looked throughout the room, thinking, silent. His blush hadn't gone away. "We will get you a prescription of birth control pills – for the sake of limiting these womanly concerns to four times a year instead of monthly." He added a bit gruffly, "I can't have my only employee taking three days off a month – it would hinder my business too much!"

Their eyes met briefly. She didn't say 'no' or protest. In fact, it sounded like a nice idea, especially while being in the grip of rusty knives carving her insides. Satisfied with this arrangement, Katz tried to make his way quickly to the door. He stopped when Saoirse croaked out, "Can I get my blanket back?"

Reluctantly, he turned and strolled back. He took the blanket off the floor, refusing to meet her gaze or look at her again, and placed the blanket over her entire form once more. Once the lump in the blankets remained silent and content as could be, he all but darted out of the room and away from her 'womanly concerns'.