Pride: Deeper and Deeper
#8 of Pride
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Paper Back:
http://www.lulu.com/product/paperback/moon-cursed/17975948
E-Book:
http://www.lulu.com/product/ebook/moon-cursed/17975932
The sun touched over the jungle and stirred to life all the creatures great and small that dwelled within the tree tops and along the branches. The sound of their awakening came slow at first in the form of a few chattering birds and small monkeys, but soon erupted into a cacophony that near deafened the men that sheltered beneath the trees. Sean had never quite gotten used to the noise of the jungle, no matter how many times he passed along the Great Road or hunted within it. To his magic the forest seemed to pulse with living creatures. The sparks of life danced on the edge of his mind, but were resolutely turned away in the face of what he was going to have to do. Many of the former soldiers he had hired looked uncomfortable or at best disinterested in the task at hand. Only one seemed to view it with any relish. Brash seemed to look at his duties as if they were something to savor and enjoy.
"Bring her out o' that cage!" The big man barked as two of the ex soldiers moved to drag the limp drugged beast out.
In the rising sunlight her coloration seemed more stunning as the dappled beams of light picked up the brilliant blue of her scales. They shown with good health from the paler scales along her throat and stomach to the darkest points at her muzzle and legs. Her copper eyes were half open, yet she only made a weak thrashing movement as she was manhandled. Sean regarded her with a mingling dread, pity and hatred. The hatred wasn't directed purely at her, but to himself for what he was about to do. It made him near sick. He hadn't signed up for this, he had signed up to hunt the creatures, not to torture them. A clean death would be better than this, but he couldn't offer her that. He didn't even fully know what fate she was going to when she was delivered to her new owner. As the men stretched her form out and wrapped rope around her forepaws and linked it up into a halter over her head he swore this would be the last time.
He had been serving this purpose for far too long and although it put coin in his pocket it left him feeling dirty and used. No creature should be used in this manner, let alone a creature that he had felt some spark of sense from. He had always been told in the old days his magic to sense animals and somewhat communicate with them was more blessing then curse. Now he only felt as if he would have given one of his hands if he could just remove the 'blessing' from himself. There'd already been insinuations that men in his party knew he harbored the filthy magic and that would make returning to the northern towns difficult. They hated him for something he could not change. No man could change how he was born or how he grew up. He finally turned his eyes away as they forced the beast's hips up and over a fallen log and splayed her legs out. The swell of her stomach rested awkwardly on the hard moss and the movement forced a groan from her bound muzzle.
"Damn you all! Don't damage it! I won't suffer having to be taken to task for damaged goods." Sean snarled out and put rage in his voice. It wasn't rage for fear of losing coin, but his own anger at the situation.
"O' course, sir, we wouldn't dream of hurting the creature." Brash let his voice trickle out almost patronizingly as he pulled the beast's hind legs up so they rested on the log and were tied tight to her body.
Brash. Damn that man. He was ruining everything. He should have never taken up a man that obviously thought he himself should be in charge. He'd been moved to pity by the amount of soldiers that had been set away from the army and needed work. The moment Brash had joined them he'd made it clear that he thought he would make a far better leader. Now the man had forced him in a position where he could go with his heart and possibly end up with a rebellion on his hands or worse. Or he could allow the man to take the beast in hand to do what needed done and remove her eggs so they wouldn't be hampered along the journey. Sean toyed with the idea that if he actually had some of the rumored powers of his magic he would have turned into a jaguar and ended the man himself. As it was he could only watch and prey the beast remained asleep for her torment. That much mercy was all he could hope for.
++++
Lathera felt her body being moved while the haze of drugs flooded her mind and made everything feel almost as if she were floating. Everything was strangely discombobulated and her thoughts didn't want to make any sense. She slipped in and out of consciousness so at times she was well aware her swollen belly was shoved roughly against something hard. Other times she drifted in strange half formed dreams where she imagined she could hear voices whispering at her. It would be so easy to sink down far away from her own mind again and away from her disgrace. She could let herself become a beast and be done with all of it. All of her shame, all of her hardships, they could all be made to disappear if only she could find a way to manage it. If they hadn't killed her yet it could only mean one thing.
She was likely to be sold at market to serve as a guard. She tried to feel horror at that idea, but her drugged fogged mind refused to concentrate on it. Instead she drifted away from the thought and fell down into the darkness again. It was safe in that drugged world, there she couldn't feel what her body was being shifted about or the harsh words of the men above her. She clawed and tried to keep in that darkness, but her mind had a will of its own. Her awareness of what was going on around her swelled again and she felt ropes cutting over her hindquarters. She feebly tried to stretch her legs out and felt a momentary rise of panic as she couldn't manage to do more than pull against the ropes. They dug in against her scales and made her let out a sharp call that was answered by an increase flow of voices around her. Slowly they started to make sense.
"Damn you! Loosen those or they'll rub right through the scales," The voice sounded incensed and it came in closer as a pair of hands moved to touch either side of her head.
"I ain't getting clawed up because you're worried about her scales!" The other voice answered, but she didn't care about it. For a moment she felt a sudden wash of calm flooding her that seemed to originate from the hands cupping her cheeks.
"Fine, if I lose a single copper from her hide being marred I'll retrieve it directly from your wages." The first voice responded and she felt the fingers rubbing against her cheeks soothingly.
They argued over her head, but the touch was what puzzled her. She opened one of her copper eyes a crack to find herself staring at a young man with hair that fell forward over his eyes. The eyes themselves were a pale blue that looked over her head as he argued with the other man. The harsh words that questioned what they were going to do to keep her still reached her drug fogged mind. She tried feebly to pull her way free, but she felt her body shifting almost painfully slow. It felt as if she were under water where each movement took unnatural force to achieve what she could above ground. In her effort to struggle the world started to fade away again into darkness. She tried to push past the lingering effects of the drugs, but all she knew was the way that it forced her to dive down deep past the sounds above her.
++++
Sean gritted his teeth as he felt the mind flare and then fade away while he grasped at either side of her wedge shaped head. The horns pricked against his finger while the scales themselves felt smooth and silky. He spread his fingers wider and brushed back and forth over them while he tried to give her a sense of calm, but he could barely manage that. Not when he was seething and wanting to snap out at the men that were supposed to be serving him. Brash had forced her legs up into a painful angle with thick harsh rope that he could see dimpling in the softness beneath the hide. Her tail was curled back into an arch and joined with the ropes so that her entire backside was presented. The only thing that kept her on the log was her own gravid stomach. Her discomfort when she was awake rustled against his mind until he almost felt as if it was his own hips that were being tied up and he almost imaged he could feel the biting grip of the halter over his head.
"There, trussed up just fine! She won't be moving around much." Brash's voice sounded satisfied and smug which only made Sean's temper spike.
"Remember what I said." He lifted his eyes from the unconscious beast's face to stare at his worker. "Damage her and I'll take every coin I lose out of your wages."
"Me? Hurt a beauty!" The man made a show of patting the midnight blue haunch with one hand. "She'll be safe as can be. Gimme some of that cooking oil and the tongs!"
The last he barked out to those gathered and for a moment Sean felt a stab of annoyance. Rogeth wasn't in the gathered group. The man seemed to delight in finding ways to escape his duties, though no one in the camp ever seemed to know where he went. That made him suspicious. As quiet and strange as the cook was, he had a strange charisma that made him wonder if he was quietly undermining his command. As the he watched one of the younger men come up with a sloshing metal pale and the cast iron tongs he felt the beast stir. His sense of her flared to life as she tried to throw her head back and feebly struggled against the bindings. He moved his weight up to press his palms flat against her shoulders to keep her still while he listened to the soft rowling noise that came from her throat. Would that he could drug her into oblivion again.
++++
Lathera surfaced from her drugged state again to sensations that made no sense to her at first. She could feel something rough pushing between her aching hind legs and slippery cold wetness dribbling down along her scales. She wrinkled her lips back and let out a harsh hiss in warning while she threw her head back and forth. Another set of hands gripped her shoulder and the voices of the men above her grew louder. The bindings allowed her to squirm, but she couldn't get her paws beneath her to heave herself to her feet. She was reminded sickeningly of a snake as she wriggled back and forth on her stomach to no avail. Dimly she could feel waves of calm trying to flood her mind, but the moment she concentrated on it she could push it back just by realizing it was there. She didn't want to be calm! She wanted to be free! The hands that worked behind her suddenly pushed up and she felt pressure against the tightly sealed scales of her vent. She let out a sharper hiss of warning and strained her tail in an attempt to smack the attacker away.
"Easy, easy...peace old girl, it'll be alright." The voice was so soft she had to concentrate to make it out. The man who held her shoulders was whispering into her ears.
The blunt fingers dug and pushed against her overlapping scales with increasing intensity. They shoved and then pried between them so that she could feel them starting to spread open. She yanked back with her head only to feel the halter dig into her cheeks as the rope that held it was drawn taut. Even in her struggles she didn't feel entirely coherent of what was going on. Everything still had a slightly dazed sensation that made her dig her claws into her own consciousness to keep herself awake. The violation helped in that. The fingers dug and tugged against her scales until suddenly it forced them to spread wider. She felt something cold and metallic pushing itself past the tight outer lips. Her eyes snapped open at the sensation of something so strange penetrating her body. The tip was cold and slightly rounded as her walls started to open wider and wider. She twisted and let out a spitting hiss as she felt tool split in half and start to probe just along the first few inches of her passage. She tried to jerk her tail free to curl up as she set her paws harder against the log and shoved.
++++
Sean had spent his entire life well aware of the animals and lives around him. He couldn't really seal himself away from them. He slowly had become immune to the smaller tragedies in the world. Each day hundreds and thousands of little lives were snuffed out by predators or old age or misfortune. Anyone with his sort of magic learned to harden themselves to the flash of red panic and pain so it soon became barely noticed. However the beast beneath him flared in his senses like a roaring bonfire. He could sense her confusion, but most of it was anger and outrage. It soaked into his mind through his touch against her scales and it felt as if he should feel the heat of her emotions coming from her. Her muscles tensed up as she started to rouse from the drugs a bit more and the ropes that bound her creaked and strained as she tried to escape. He felt like a coward.
He should have been the one to try and get the eggs from her. He could be sure his own touch was gentle rather than violating. Yet he couldn't bring himself to do. All his life he had heard of how his mother must have lain with a beast to beget him and it had left its own scars. Would he have those same desires as he grew up? Would he even risk it? Surely it was only one of a hundred filthy lies that people told each other rather than solid fact! He'd tried to convince himself of it, but each time he'd felt the brush of doubt. No, he wouldn't indulge in anything of this fashion. Not even nearing something that approached the taboo. It struck him too close to home and even as he watched Brash started to work the tongs beneath the beast's tail he was forced to suck in a shuddering breath. What had his mother done? Had she truly gone among the beasts of the stables and courted a stallion the way a mare would? Her dog? Any number of disgusting possibilities rose to mind. The struggling beast let out a snarling yelp as his sense of her suddenly burned red hot.
"Damnit, Brash, don't provoke it! I don't want her breaking lose." He steered his mind from uncomfortable thoughts as he used his body to hold her. And tried not to think or feel what she was going through.
+++++
Lathera tried to use the grip of her hind paws against the log to shove herself away from her tormentors, but the bindings gave her no way to extend her hind legs. The tongs that pushed inside of her were rough and pitted in places, it probed so deep inside of her that she felt a moment of blind panic. The tongs tips pushed upwards so sharply she felt a moment of red hot pain. It coursed through her and she muffled out a scream. The tool was pushed in so deeply it was threatening the sealed opening of her egg chamber. She tried to spread her jaws to snap down over the upper leg that was near her, but the halter held her mouth firmly shut. Spittle flew from her jaws and onto her neck and the log. The anger filled her chest as the tool managed to start to penetrate the tightness of her cervix making the pain spread through her body. It took her breath away and consumed what little rationality she'd manage to recover in her mind.
The slightly spread tong's tips wedged and strained as she felt a tight ring being spread open slowly. So slowly it drew out the agony as she could feel each rough texture of the metal scraping inside of her. It split open and she felt the powerful muscles of her cervix clamping down to try to prevent it, but to no avail. It strained open as the man inside of her let out a hiss of triumph and gained ground inside of her. Her stomach rippled with a stab of pain that made her twist upon the log. She tried to arch herself up, but the man on her shoulders shoved down again. His chest and stomach were shoved roughly against her nose so that the fabric of his shirt brushed back and forth. The tool slipped deep enough inside of her that she felt it pushing against a barrier. Her eyes bulged slightly as the head turned and she had a sensation of building pressure growing inside of her stomach.
At first she tried to dismiss it as a lost cause. He couldn't go any deeper! He just couldn't, but a sudden lunge of the man behind her and stab inside of her forced the thought away. The man behind her haunches let out a hiss of excitement. She twisted her head back and her jaws tried to spread open to give voice to her protests as the pain rippled through her stomach. The tool kept her passage spread open as something slick dribbled down along the metal. It slid inside of her only to spill back out as she trembled. There was a moment of sickening fear as she felt the tool spread open wider and bulge her stomach down against the tree. The entire tool maneuvered and twisted inside of her as if she were about to be ripped apart. Her body throbbed with a dull ache of being penetrated and man handled. The last of the drugs had fled from her like a distant dream leaving her only aching and her muscles screaming at the cramped position they had been forced into.
Lathera's body was suddenly flooded with a cramping pain as the egg moved inside of her. The tongs forced it more firmly against the swell of her egg chamber and worked around it. Suddenly the tool started to pull backwards and she felt a wash of panic. It was as if her body was being forced to lay the egg, but instead of the slow build up and the muscles growing more elastic she was being forced into it all at once. As the egg pushed against the cervix she felt a tearing stab through her body that made her writhe against the ground. Her tail lashed and if she had still had tear ducts she would have sobbed out. I t was a burning ache as muscles she had just adapted into having penetrated were brutally forced to stretch open. They widened and she felt the roughness of the tongs just along the edges of the egg as it continued to pull against it.
The men didn't give her any time to try and deal with the foreign sensation. They showed her less care then they would have given to a horse or dog. She felt him pulling and tugging as the oval shaped egg inched its way into her cervix. Soon it was just a ridge of flesh that rimmed the egg and she contracted the muscles as she tried to end the pain. Her passage throbbed as warmed rough metal tool pulled back harder. Her muscles were wracked with spasms as she tried to force away the pain. The next pull popped the orb free of her cervix and she felt it wedged into the tender passage and kept it held open. She was flooded with animalistic panic as she scraped her claws against the log and let out harsh shrieks. All too soon she could hear the echoing calls of the drakes from their cages as they responded to her distress.
What did they want with her eggs? They wouldn't survive this so what use was there in pulling them from her. She tried to hold onto that thought and pull away from the fiery pain of her body, but could barely grasp it before another sudden pull mad her strain against the ropes. The man let out a grunt as she felt the tongs spreading her wider now that they were fully spread. Her entire body wrapped tightly around it as she felt her scaled vent being spread open so wide that she shrieked out. The walls were strained so tight that she was sure she was going to tear, that they were going to rip the egg free and leave her bleeding on the ground. There was a sharp edged moment of pressure and pain before her walls clenched down. She tried to expel the orb desperately as the pulled the tongs again. She could feel her outer lips being strained wide open before there was a lewd wet sound and it fell free.
The dracine watched in a flare out outrage and some amount of horror as the man lived up the tongs and the dark egg just at the edge of her vision. For a moment she expected him to put it carefully to the side, but he made no move to preserve his treasure. Instead he cast it up over the edge of the log and the softened shell split open on the ground oozing out the yolk within it. She let out a scream of fury when she saw it cast aside to the ground and every instinct that had been pounded into her in her time as a dracine flared to life. She felt her body lunging forward as she uselessly yearned towards her egg and let out shriek after high pitched shriek. The noises spilled through the air until she saw some of the men covering their ears. Let them! She didn't allow the pain of her body distract her from the fact that they had violated more than just her body. No matter how much she believed herself still human, some parts seemed changed.
Lathera's respite was brief as she saw the man behind her shift just out of her view and a hand pushed up against her tail again. A wave of despair filled her as she realized that he fully intended to go after the other eggs no matter how she felt about it or reacted. She was given no chance to brace or prepare herself, instead she felt a sudden push of the slickened tongs against her venet before they started to pry her open. The tool plunged into her body and stretched open her passage so that she let out a low hissing cry of protest. It twisted its way and wormed deeper inside of her while she arched her back and screamed out another challenging cry. She struggled and let out sharper snarls and threats that would make no sense when they fell upon human ears as the process began again. Heedless of the fact that her body already felt torn and rubbed raw inside.
++++
Pain. Pain, outrage and fear all hit against his mind as if they were trying to creep into his sense of being. Her emotions hit Sean so hard that he had to grit his teeth and close his eyes against them. They felt clearer than any animal he had ever worked with or been around. Even the other dracine had shown the same flickering life force that all animals had. The female however radiated her emotions out until they threatened to overwhelm him. He shoved his body down until he could feel her head against the curve of his stomach and chest. The hot blast of her breath came in time with the snarls that echoed in his ears. He could even feel the occasional bit of spittle escaping her jaws to hit against him. It didn't matter, it would be over soon. Sean tried to wrap her mind with his own to reinforce that idea. It would be over soon and she'd be alright, but she didn't respond or react to his attempts at soothing her.
He glanced up to look at the pair of men working at the beast's haunches and narrowed his eyes in hatred that was reinforced by the creature's own feelings. Brash looked intent and almost as if he were enjoying drawing out the retrieval of the second egg and made no move to make it go faster or easier for her. He set his teeth in a grimace and nearly bit his tongue to stay silent. Let the men do their work. He had learned it over the last years. Men would do their work and they should be allowed to do it. If he started questioning everything they did and especially if he started snapping at Brash the man would use it for his own ends. The second egg came out a bit faster than the first, but that didn't mean it came out easily. The beast bucked beneath him and thrashed against the ropes until he heard them creaking and threatening to break. All too soon a second joined the first in front of the log and was heralded by a scream from the female.
"Stop that you damned fool! Are you trying to make her break free?" Sean let the words escape before he could get control of his temper. "Get the last of the eggs and lets be done with it."
"Well, I figger she's gotta see where the eggs have gone too is all." The man gave him a smile that was more a baring of his teeth.
"It's cruel and I won't tolerate it, now get on with your work!" Sean's voice came out slightly choked as he gripped the writhing creature. As her head tried to buck up he heard a voice reach him so low he could barely make it out.
"Weak stomached cuss.." Brash kept his words low enough he could deny having said them, but loud enough his companion snorted with laughter. Sean could let it go if he wanted too.
++++
Lathera's world became one designed only for pain and nothing for pleasure. Pain and pressure ruled her as the tools were unceremoniously plunged into her body for a third time and she could feel the way they had cut her passage. The rough metal wasn't designed for work such as this and it abused her body in the extreme. The added pain came with the sight of the two broken eggs that had been cast so carelessly aside, but she could no more get to them then she could free herself. In the background she could hear the drakes raising their voices in outrage as they struggled against their cages, but it did no good. The rough metal delved inside of her and pierced her cervix again in search for what it wanted. Her breath came out in a gasping hiss as she felt it probing and pushing along her egg chamber. The sensations of her stomach being bulged out and then allowed to retreat back into place made her want to retch. Only when she felt the sudden tug and pull when the egg was captured did she drop her head down in some semblance of defeat.
If they had no use for her eggs, then they had to have come for her. How would it feel to be changed with a collar and forced to obey commands that had been beaten into her? Would she be able to find a way to escape or would she be forced into a situation that was just as hopeless as the one she was in now? The yanking and twisting of the tool inside of her prevented her from exploring any one thought for longer then a few breaths. As soon as she tried to formulate a plan the fiery burn of her walls being torn forced her back into the cold harsh reality that she had been forced to exist in. She wrinkled her lips back and let out a snarling squeal while her body bucked against the log. The last tearing sensation left her gasping for air and for a moment her vision went grey around the edges as if it was nearly enough to make her lose her tenuous grip on consciousness. Oh how she wished that it had. She would have welcomed blackness.
Instead she watched the next egg thrown to join it's siblings and this time the slick viscous wetness that clung to it was vaguely pink with her shed blood. Her entire body throbbed in time with her heart beat as she went slack against the ropes. Lathera had hoped that would be the end of her torments, but it proved not to be. The moment she was able to catch her breath she felt a pair of arms wrap around her haunches and her body was dragged backwards over the log. The man that had been holding her shoulders let out a sharp noise of protest as her head dropped away from him to hit against her bound forepaws. She tried to twist her hips, but it was to no avail. No matter how she contorted herself it only made pain erupt from her torn aching passage. She wanted to cry, but all she could do was let out soft choked noises in her throat that were more like animalistic whimpers.
She wasn't carried towards her cage, she was dragged as if she were nothing more then a bit of cargo. Her forepaws left furrows in the jungle floor while her body scraped and bumped against each rock or rough spot. The noise of the drakes increased as they called to her and she could hear teeth clattering against metal in an attempt to get at their mate. There was a sudden clang and yelp before it stopped. Did they care nothing at all? She was barely able to lift her head as she heard the clang of a metal door and the rough ground she was on disappeared to be replaced by smooth hard wood. Her chin caught against the bottom of the floor as she was hauled up and dropped heavily enough that it awoke every pain in her body. The ropes didn't even allow her to try and curl protectively around herself. The wooden floor felt like a gods sent after the roughness of the jungle floor, but the sight of the cage door closing made her stomach lurch in dread. What did they want with her?
+++++
Sean watched the dracine female dragged away and felt a wash of despair so deep that it made him reel slightly. The beast wasn't normal. There was something about her that made him both attracted and repulsed at the same time. Her mind seemed to tug and snag at his own so strongly that he had to forcefully pull himself away. It wasn't a clean break, instead it felt as if he were trying to extract his thoughts from taffy that clung and gripped at his mind demandingly. By the end he was panting shallowly with the effort and felt slightly weak in the knees. What was she? Was she a mage created creature? Part of him wished that was so. If she'd been created by a mage it would mean the entire pack was spoken for by whoever dwelled in this jungle. He'd gladly face a mage's wrath then take the creature to an uncertain fate.
"There, see? Told ya it'd be better this way." Brash approached him with a smug grin on his face. "Wench put up a bit of a fight didn't she? I'll bet before we reach the city she'll be yowling for those males to come get her."
"Hardly." Sean's word came out clipped and he started to turn away in disgust. The man was beyond reprehensible.
"You'll see.." Brash's voice took on an ugly tone, "We could leave those ropes on her and make our own use of her when the time comes. I heard those beasts are a wild ride."
Sean hadn't even realized what he was doing until he'd done it. He pivoted on one foot and turned at the waist so that his entire force was behind his fist. He'd never shown a single inkling that he was anything other than a slightly well bred man who distained the more common rough humor of the soldiers or even gave into his temper. It took less than a moment before his fist cracked right against the curve of the man's jaw and sent the shocked soldier reeling backwards. He faced his opponent with his feet squared and his body flushed with adrenaline. He had no idea why he'd just struck the man, but he wasn't going to stand down now. The anger in him fueled up like a bonfire as he glared at the angry eyed man and tried not to show the lurch of fear when he realized just how outmatched he was compared to the former soldier.
"Yer gonna regret that." Brash's voice came out in a growl before his body lunged forward. Sean had never been a fighter or he would have watched the upper body to see where the strike would come. As it was he ducked away from one fist directly into second that slammed him in the temple dropping him where he stood.
===Later that evening===
Sean felt as if his head were trying to crack open and leak his brains out. Each throb of his heart both reassured him that he was alive and made him wish that he wasn't. He tried to clamp his jaws closed against the sensations, but that just made a sharp pain erupt at his temple and along the curve of his ear. He could sense the world was moving under him. It was a steady motion that rocked back and forth so that he felt as if he were on a boat. He didn't want to open his eyes, but he found the strength to slowly peel back one lid before squeezing it shut again with a whimper. Light had flooded his eyes immediately and sent daggers into his brain like they were trying to chisel their way through his skull. Gods he wished he wasn't alive right now. He wished that he could just go back to being unconscious at the very least. What the hell had made him hit Brash?
"Sarg! He's wakin' up!" A voice thundered to the left of him and made him move a hand up to try and cover his ear, but that didn't help. Voices came from all sides of him only increasing his torment. He went limp in an attempt to hopefully make them leave him alone. Maybe they'd assume he was still unconscious.
"I thought you said he was awake?" A fist shoved against his side and rolled him until he had no choice in the matter. He lurched to one side and barely made it to his stomach before expelling the contents of his stomach. "Gods what a stench!"
"Never seen a man drop from one hit before, Brash. Do you think he's dyin'?" The voice of one of the men sounded more curious then worried.
"Nah, never had a man die of a little tap like that. Open your eyes damnit!" A hand gripped the scruff of his shirt and hauled him up.
"Stop that." His voice rasped out and he pried open one eye and to his horror felt blood crusting over his eye so he had to struggle to keep it open. "You bastard!"
"Shut up and listen to me. I know your kind, you're one of those beast magickers. I should have known it." Brash's voice came out smugly as Sean was hauled closer to him. For the first time he realized that he was staring at the former soldier from behind the bars of a cage. "My men all saw it. You took an animal's side just for me talking a little and I saw how you looked holding it down. What were you so angry about? Jealous I was going to get at your lady before you did?"
"The hell!" Sean found a hold of his voice and moved a hand up to wrap around the man's wrist. "You're a damned bit of gutter trash, no wonder they threw you out of the army. Now put me down."
"Trash? Me? I'm not the one who's momma was fucking your daddy's dogs!" Brash spoke crudely and his eyes were slightly bright. "The way I see it, your employer should know just what she hired when you started this job. They should all see what bit of filth has been living in our city. The way I see it, your lady employer would be nice and happy that we stopped you and your filthy habit. I think we'll walk away with a nice fat purse."
"You can't prove anything and if you even try it I'll see you hang for it!" Sean put all the authority he could in his voice, but it fell short when his stomach was really frozen to ice at what the man was saying. Brash didn't have to prove it, he could make up any number of tales on how they'd caught him at it, but he didn't have to prove it. Superstition didn't need to be proved.
"You keep sayin' that, for now I've given you the company you wanted to defend. I'll let you figure out if you can be noble or not. Trash like you shouldn't live, let alone breed. I'm being a gentleman giving you this chance." The hand on his shirt let go so that he dropped down onto the hard wooden floor narrowly missing the puddle of filth he'd gagged up. He glared at Brash's retreating back before taking stock of his surroundings.
The moment Sean turned around he found himself nearly face to face with the still bound dracine that lay on her side. Her body was contorted into an uncomfortable position and her eyes were open and glaring at him. Once he became aware of her he could feel the loathing that emanated from her in waves. She despised him and if she could only get the ropes free she'd likely maul him to death and enjoy a fine feast of him. He drew in a shivering breath before sighing it out and tried to carefully pull his mind away from hers. With his pounding head he doubted he could calm her or make any real sense of her. He pulled himself away from the fouled corner and huddled against the cage's corner as the entire thing lurched forward. The horses strained as they pulled the line of captive beasts along the well tended road and for a moment he felt like he was just one more beast. How was he going to get out of this? Even thinking made his head hurt that much more.
"I thought you were cleaner then this." The voice spoke sharply and with some annoyance before cold water splashed into the cage and half doused him.
"Hey!" He barked out and stared into Rogeth's handsome face as he road his mangy bay gelding beside the wagon. One hand held an emptied water bottle that he'd used to wash away some of the filth.
"In a cage eh?" The cook sounded companionable as he leaned down enough to peer in at the creature next to him. "Pretty company you have too."
"I have gold if you'll help me, Rogeth." Sean spoke softly as he moved carefully towards the bars of the cage and tried to ignore the pain it awakened in his head. He had gold, not much, but he had some saved up. "All of it, just undo the lock and let me go."
"Well that wouldn't do you any good, now would it? Jungle to the left of us, jungle to the right, no outpost for miles around and you can't just walk along the road with no food or water." Rogeth's tone was jovial as the cart bounced along and he made himself grip the cage bars to keep himself from being knocked over.
"Your horse and freedom then!" He offered desperately and tightened his grip on the bars. Of all the men in the group only Rogeth seemed the most likely to defy leadership.
"I'm not going to walk all the way to the city." The man's tone turned more amused. "And I doubt you accommodations would suit me. Why don't you sit back and relax? No help mucking about and you'll just upset the animal." The man leaned down and offered the partially full water container. "And wash your face, it's a mess."
"Thank you." Sean's words were heavy with sarcasm as he snatched the water bottle. Who knew when he'd be allowed to eat or drink.
Rogeth grinned as if he hadn't heard the sarcasm before pulling his horse back so he faded towards the back of the line of cages. That left Sean sitting in a cage with a wild animal and his thoughts sluggishly trying to put together a plan. The first item though was to assess just how hurt he was. He used his fingers to walk a line along his head until he found the crusted patch of blood and hair. He winced slightly and tried to get a feel for the wound beneath, but the blood seemed to have run freely enough that it coated a hand span of the left side of his face. He must have hit a rock when he'd fallen. He could feel the right was swollen and bruised, but in far better shape. With a sigh he ripped part of his lower shirt off and soaked it in water in an attempt to soften and clean his head so he could get to the wound. The entire time he watched the beast across from him as she regarded him warily.
"Don't look at me like that." He growled finally in annoyance. "I'm the one that was trying to help you. Little good it did either of us."
The dracine didn't respond or move, she simply watched him from the awkward position of her head. The short rope that connected to her forepaws forced her head to lay slightly to one side if she wanted to look at him. It made him uncomfortable. Most animals didn't want to meet anyone's eyes, she seemed intent on staring at him and sending out pulsating waves of resignation and disgust at his presence. He finally turned his back partially to her and stared out at the road while he soaked the clothe again and worked along his head. The blood was crusted, but it soon softened and washed away. To his relief and amazement his head seemed mostly unhurt aside from an inch long gash just above his temple. It had obviously bled profusely, but it was a relief that it wasn't more. His vision wasn't crossed and only his head hurt so hopefully he'd taken no more hurt then that.
"Well that's one blessing.." He sighed out softly and heard a soft whine from behind him. The beast had her head stretched out and her tongue was out trying to get towards the puddle water on the ground. "Nessa's mercy, I'm an idiot." He swore to himself.
Sean knew he should have just tried to either shift the beast towards the damp floor or ignore it. She'd get watered soon enough and that's what worried him. They'd have to take that muzzle off her to feed her and water her, both of which would allow her fangs to be in proximity to him with no bars between them. He swore to himself again and then slowly started to move towards her with his water bottle in hand. He felt her fear spike the air as he edged closer and he moved a hand down to cup it just against the ground before spilling some water into it. The closer he came the sharper her fear grew, but it was tinged with longing for the water she could see dribbling rapidly between his fingers. He made sure not to move faster than he had to as he slipped his palm within range of her tongue. The great copper eyes regarded him warily for a moment before the long dark tongue flicked out to greedily wet itself against the palm of his hand.
"At least you hate me for a rational reason." Sean sighed out as he stared down at the beast. If nothing else, if he could escape he could take her with him or see her free. If he escaped. If he lived.
++++
Lathera's body ached and she felt as if she'd been bruised in places nothing should touch. Her entire stomach throbbed in time with her heart beat, while weariness nipped and snapped at her heels. She longed to rest her head down and sleep, all of her animal instincts gave her the same advice. If all else is denied to you take comfort in the one thing you can attain. Sleep. So that when the time comes to make an escape she'd be ready to escape. She couldn't sleep though, not with the man within the cage with her and the acrid scent of sickness that still clung to him. So he was some taboo magician that seemed to have been found out. From what she had overheard it was likely an offense that would lead to exile or possibly even death. Some faded knowledge in the back of her mind tickled her, but she was too tired to pursue it. What he was didn't matter. What mattered was the fact he was locked in the cage with her and she was helpless.
It had only been the parched state of her mouth and throat that had let her lower her dignity enough to lap up the water from the man's hands. The entire time she had kept her eyes rolled up to watch him and listen to him speak to himself. Almost she could sense his thoughts, but she sought no further. Why reveal herself to someone as helpless as she was? He'd quite likely turn her over in the hopes of procuring his own freedom. She slaked some of her thirst, but by no means all as she couldn't manage to spread her jaws to lap as she wished too. Still, it was a relief and after a few moments she carefully rested her head against her forepaws at an awkward angle. She kept watch on the man as the cart bounced and rattled down the road. She had lived this long, it must mean they intended to keep her alive, though for what purpose she couldn't fathom. Only time would tell and Lathera desperately hoped that for once fate would treat her kindly.
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