FSE

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_ Chapter 7 _

The cold flat wool mat barely protected Tigersight from the hard ground, Every time he moved to get comfortable; he had a new piece of straw or reed stabbing him in the side. But much worse than the terrible mat he slept on, was the flavor of his breath. He sucked in a deep sigh almost waiting for the sun to rise, just so he didn't have to lie there anymore. He had lied to himself, they were both equally terrible.

He rolled over and sat there for a moment, and then he began doing push-ups. The same thing he did every morning waiting for everybody to wake up. He had tried several times to get rid of the mat, only to be reminded that the ground was harder and much, much colder at night. The years wore on him, even after four of them; he still wasn't used to the ill treatment. But it was all he had, and somehow just being near her made the whole situation all the better.

He heard the sounds of the guards waking people from sleep in the distance. Tigersight stopped with his push-ups rolled over and pretended to sleep. Last time they had caught him awake before everyone else he had been whipped severely for trying to escape. In fact every minute of his life here seemed as if he had been whipped severely. The guards truly hated him, it seemed if they always had a reason to whip him, most of the time the reasons were completely ludicrous. Yesterday he had been beaten eight times for not cleaning his feet in the river before walking into town.

A guard walked into his shack, throwing the cloth door open, and picked him up by the shoulders, without bothering to make sure he was awake made him stand up. Tigersight rubbed his eyes pretended as if he hadn't been awake for the last hour. The guards grabbed him by the arm and drug him outside. He barely had time to snatch his tunic off the wall. It had been hanging on the well hidden clay hook he had made he had been punished for it earlier. It was one of the first scars to be illuminated by the early morning sun from the holes in the roof.

Tigersight ripped his arm out of the guards grip, and quickly pulled on his tunic. Each one of his scars was now illuminated by the outside light. They glistened like bandages. Each one had a story, crossing over his back arms and chest.

He already knew another one was going to be placed on him; most likely going across the width of his upper back, because the guard was standing behind him. He glanced up only to be rewarded with a whip that lashed the front of his chest. Just at the same moment a second whip hit his lower back, two more for his collection.

He began to think of what Tricia would say when he removed his tunic later. Her face always twisted in the same way, even when she had something funny to say. He could tell that his scars bothered her, but this was slave life, and everybody had them. He just had more of them.

He stopped himself from thinking about Tricia, as he got spit in his face from a guard that was yelling at him, again. There didn't seem to be a point to his ranting. The same thing happened every single morning, it wasn't even that interesting anymore, and he had it memorized. To the point that he could repeat it backwards in the guard voice in front of mark always a popular joke before lunch time. Quite a few times he even made Vincent laugh.

Tigersight just turned on one foot and began to walk toward town; the guards walked one in front and one behind him. As if he needed an escort. He refrained from waving at the vendors who had walked outside to sell a few of their wares. They always waved. He had come to think of it a favor not to wave back, and getting whipped in front of them. He hated the looks on their faces, as they saw him getting whipped simply for returning the gesture of hello.

He quickly walked up to the line in front of the stall were the food was served. One of the guards walked over and slapped his hand down on his shoulder. Normally a congratulatory move, but in this case, it was just to remind him of what would happen if he caused another scene.

Not that he ever actively caused scenes, it was usually the guards that started the problems and blamed them on him. Just so they could have another reason to hurt him. Most of the guards, actually all of them besides Vincent hated him.

Vincent had told him on quite a few occasions that the guards complained that every time he did something nice for one of the other slaves; they had less fun in their day. Just because the small little task increased how fast the slaves worked or how well they worked. Vincent also mentioned how the guards used to bet on how loud they could make their group of slaves scream. Nowadays they simply worked together to come up with a reason to whip Tigersight. To which he usually responded. "Well at least they are working together towards a common goal."

Somebody bumped into his back, taking him out of his thoughts where he noticed that the line had moved up a little. He walked forward. Only two people were in front of him, it didn't take long for him to be at the front of the line, where the slave who served the food said hello.

"Hey thank you again for making these shelves. Now I'm not tripping all over everything."

Tigersight simply nodded, and grabbed his food and quickly went to sit down before the guards called it another scene.

He sat down sitting away from everybody towards the edge of the square, where no one would bother him. One quick glance told him Tricia had already eaten and had gone off to the fields. No chance of sharing any of this junk with her. He could never finish a whole bowl of slop. The orangey-grey substance had the consistency of medicinal paste that was used for small scrapes back in his village, but it was still liquid enough to mimic hunter's scent camouflage. It made him queasy most mornings it had the taste much worse than three day old vole meat; but for some reason which he could not fathom Tricia liked the stuff.

Tigersight hated the slop but he needed food in him. Today they were supposed to move double the work load, due to the recent sandstorm that had broken down several of the pillars they had spent weeks making. In fact everybody was rushing around, to fix the damage.

When he'd stomached as much of the slop as he could manage to keep down, he headed straight to the fields to help Mark and Tricia. Dinzo was still walking around the square asking for leftovers.

Vincent greeted him as he ran up to section E.

"Hey have you three seen the new damage?"

"New damage??!" Tigersight, Tricia, and Mark said in unison to Vincent's question.

"Ha ha ha ha. Not really I just wanted to see your guy's faces." An amused smile crossed his lips.

Mark threw a handful of sand at Vincent; none of the sand actually reached Vincent because the wind was blowing in the opposite direction, and just showered Mark in the face with it.

"Let that be a lesson, don't throw sand at me. It will only backfire."

Dinzo ran up and ambushed Vincent throwing sand at him.

"The sand is mightier than the sand!" yelled Dinzo.

Tricia just shook her head.

"Dinzo do you ever make sense?" Tigersight questioned, knowing he would never get a straight answer out of him.

He walked over with Tricia back to the unearthed clay ditch and began helping her form the large blocks they would have to drag over to the builders.

"So how long have you been here?" Tigersight asks

"All my life" Tricia replies "I was born here my parents are at work station seventy four and ninety eight they almost never get to see each other"

Tigersight looks solemn and replies "I am sorry to hear that"

"Why" Tricia replies "the way you came here is much worse losing your family and everything"

Tigersight replies "if you say so you been here forever"

"So anything happen this morning at breakfast?" Tricia changed the subject.

"Nothing all that interesting, just the regular eating, you know just the normal going's on of breakfast. Can I ask why?"

Tricia didn't respond with words, she simply pointed to a new blood mark on his clothing.

"Oh that... I just pulled my arm out of the guards grip while they were dragging my out of my home; I needed to put on some clothing, that's all. So what's new with you?"

"Oh nothing too fantastic just living the dream as a slave working for pharaoh, and loving every minute of it. Dirt, clay blocks, delicious food; what's not to love? "

Tigersight scratched his head. "I can think of about a million things better than that."

"Tiger you are so gullible sometimes, I love it."

Tricia had long since sorted his name to Tiger when she talked to him; but for some reason he didn't mind, he liked when she did.

"Well when you put it that way." Tigersight chuckled.

Tricia began to laugh with him. He had always thought her laughter beautiful, like the whole desert was singing. Tricia hid her face from him with her elbow.

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

"It's nothing just enjoying the sound." Tigersight smiled, he only ever smiled around her, and he still barely smile even then.

"Hmmm... well... oh my goodness there's a scorpion on your shoulder!!"

"Where??" Tigersight spun around and smacked his shoulder.

Tricia fell over laughing. "Your face was priceless. You're so stupid it's funny."

"That's just me I guess." He shrugged it off.

They finished making the two blocks without saying anything else. Tigersight always held back until they made two blocks so they could take them over to the builders together.

"You do know I'm going to have to get you back for that scorpion joke right?"

"Yea I know, just don't use the same joke on me. I won't fall for your tricks, especially if they were my tricks first."

They left the blocks next to the several others that were all piled in the same area. It didn't really matter how many blocks they made, if the builders couldn't stack them fast enough. They continued working all the same.

When they returned section E looked deserted. He looked over to Tricia and saw she had also disappeared.

"Where the... how did she, where did she go?"

Tricia tapped Tigersight on the shoulder. "Right here, tiger." She had a smirk on her face. "Although where everybody else went is a different story..."

"Maybe they went to get lunch?"

"Nah it's too early, it doesn't take that long to make those bricks."

Yea, you're probably right."

Just then they saw Vincent walking up helping mark walk over.

"What the hell happened?"

I caught Tinasious whipping Mark, because he put the blocks over in that pile, instead of dragging it all the way up to the builders.

"We were just over there, they had several blocks at their knee's they can only stack those things so fast."

"I know that, but somebody forgot to give Tinasious the message."

"Where did Dinzo go?"

"I left him up there to finish dragging the block, while I got mark over here. I should go get him, you guy's stay here and keep working please. I don't need another guard coming over while I'm dealing with Tinasious and his anger issues."

After Vincent ran off back over to where the builders were at. Tigersight went over to help Mark. He quickly pulled off his tunic, and ripped a couple of sections off of the bottom, and tied them around Marks shins and lower knees to help keep dirt off the wounds. He then pulled out his medicinal paste from a bag that had been hidden in his tunic. The paste had been made from some of the plants down by the water's edge, and he applied it on some of the large cuts.

Tricia watched Him; she couldn't help but feel bad. No one ever stopped to do that for him. Yet he never stopped helping others no matter the cost to him, and he had so many scars to prove it. Just looking at him without his shirt painfully reminded her of how much he had sacrificed, and she saw it every day after lunch because the men usually took their shirts off because that was when the sun was the highest in the sky and caused the most heat.

"He doesn't even look the same way as he did four years ago." Tricia mumbled to herself.

Somehow the misery of this place never touched him. It made her want to cry on most days, a nice kid like him and he had to be stuck here and grow up in such a horrible place, and yet he still turned into a fine man. He didn't deserve this. How can he be so resilient, to never questions the guards, no matter what they blame him for, he takes it without compliant no matter how horrendous it is. Like when they put the three scars above his eye with their swords.

The one thing she did not know is that she was the reason...

After Tigersight finished helping mark clean his wounds. He stood up and began to help Tricia make more clay blocks. They worked silently for the rest of the time. Soon the loud bell that signaled lunch rang. They stopped working and went over to the river side, to wash their hands and feet.

Tricia and Tigersight hung back and waited for everybody else in line. They usually did this.

"Tiger, why do we always wait for everybody to get in front of us? I mean not that I'm complaining about spending time with you; it just seems easier to just get in line and sit down."

"I know it's just something I used to do back in my tribe. The stronger warriors always allowed the younger and the elders get there food first, out of respect. "

"You're silly tiger. Hey I think that's the last of them." Tricia wore a small smile, of adoration towards him.

"After you my lady." Tigersight replied with a bow.

"No please after you good sir." Tricia had gotten used to his banter. She had asked on a few occasions why he always said that. The usual reply was, "Ya know I haven't a clue myself, it's just something I say."

Just in case the answer changed she asked again, as they got in line. Tigersight stood in front of her in line mostly due to her stubbornness not to be treated like a girl that needed someone to help her around.

"Hey, tiger. Why do you always call me, my lady? "

"I haven't a real reason, It's just something I came up with or heard somewhere before. I can't remember." He gave a small chuckle.

"Just when I think I can't love him anymore, he always ends up sweeping me off my feet." Tricia's couldn't stop thinking while she listened to his chuckle. The day's events kept playing in her mind; Tigersight's smile, how helpful he was, the same thoughts that always played in her mind. "You'd be lying to yourself if you didn't call it love Tricia."

Just as they made it to the front of the line two bulky guards walk up, and flanked his left and right side.

"What's wrong? You guys don't trust me to get my own food?"

The two guards just glared at him, and they stayed by his side. Once Tigersight had grabbed his food, he gave a casual gesture backwards for the cook, to give Tricia a little more, instead of giving it to him. The cook was so grateful for the shelves he usually tried to help him out, to the best of his ability.

Tigersight stepped out of line, and then waited for Tricia to get hers so they could find a spot to eat next to each other.

The guards that had been flanking his left side, pushed right past Tricia just to go, hassle Tigersight again. When the guard had passed Tricia, she had been turning around to go over to him as well, rewarding the guard who had been standing on Tigersight's right side with a bowl full of boiling slop all over his chest.

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"You dumb little..." I could hear no more as the pounding in my head reigned over all the sounds. He had just hit me hard, hard enough to knock me to my knees. I saw his whip flair out, I have to protect my head, or... Wait, why hasn't he hit me yet? They are usually faster.

Maybe he's waiting for me to look up so he can get my face. No I won't look up. Was that the sound of a bowl breaking? I cannot tell the pounding in my head is so loud. I can see the porcelain. But my bowl was over there, is that Tiger's bowl? No why would tiger drop his bowl. He couldn't be. No I have to look up; I don't care if I get hit. I have to know Tiger is ok, that they are not attacking him because of me."

I look up and notice Tigersight with blood dripping from his knuckles. It's like watching a dream, the kind where you know what's going to happen next, but are powerless to prevent. Tigersight lands another powerful blow to the guard. Tinasious that guard was Tinasious. He hurt Mark today, and now he's hurt me. Tiger isn't going to let him off easy. Tiger is going for blood.

Damn it tiger, why? I don't want you to get hurt again. I can take the punishment. Please don't get yourself hurt over me. This is just like when I met you, except now they hate you. They will kill you for this. Why Tigersight why do you have to do this?

I have to get up; I have to stop sitting here. I have to stop him from doing something stupid.

I stood up, just as Tigersight landed a powerful blow to Tinasious's chest, just above his heart. Tinasious fell dead in the street.

"No!" I screamed with tears streaming down my face now. My knees hit the hard earth again. Tiger was going to be killed for this and it was all my fault.

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A couple more guards ran up, one of them kicked Tricia in the face knocking her unconscious. That was the next guard Tigersight began to wail on, he grabbed a rock and slammed it in to the nearest guards temple feeling the bones give way. He did not care only one thought consumed his mind "protect Tricia."

He dove forward sweeping his legs around taking a guard out at the knees the guard falls and hit his head against the wall of a stall he jumped back to his feet and tackled another guard.

Whips fell on him at random points his arms, his face, neck, chest but he barely felt any of them as pure adrenalin rushed through his system, making him temporally immune to pain. He kicked another guard in the chest and brought his elbow backwards and broke the nose of the guard that was about to grab his arms from behind his back.

Thirty more guards ran up and endless sea of them. There were far more than he could handle, but he kept fighting. Two guards managed to grab a hold of his arms, and two other guards grabbed his ankles and picked him up off the ground. He still struggled to break free of their grip. A larger guard ran over and hit him hard in the skull with the handle of his whip. The guards that had his hands and ankles released him dropping him from two feet above the ground, but the hard ground still knocked the breath out of Tigersight, and his vision began to blur at the edges, and grow blacker. Tigersight reached out of grabs Tricia's hand. Then all went black around him.