Claudia scrabbled away from Naba pleading. Making promises to avoid punishment that Naba knew she wouldn't, couldn't make herself keep later. Not without experiencing the actual pain of punishment. Without the sting, the promises would seem the worse choice to her when it was time to perform.

Naba stepped after her and again, with snakelike speed, he snatched hold of her forearm, grabbed her hand, and turned it back, locking both the wrist and elbow. Just a little pressure forced her face and chest into the dirt where he held her while he secured the first cuff. Reversing the turn, he stepped over her back, pulled the secured wrist up between her shoulders and swept up her other arm. It took only a moment to secure the second cuff and tie them together, wrist to wrist in a double hammerlock.

He grabbed Claudia's thick mane of hair and half drug her to the cloak, forcing her to scramble along on her knees or be pulled along by the hair... which caused her knees to splay out in order to keep her balance.

When Naba reached the cloak he had the recovered switch in his hand. He pushed Claudia's head back down so her weight was distributed between her knees and shoulders. Her face happened to be turned away, facing the little campfire.

"Your promise is too late. I already gave you a choice. Refusal begets punishment. Punishment teaches obiedience. Obedience earns the right to choose. That is lesson number one."

The switch whistled as it parted the air on it's way to Claudia's well presented backside.