Blood and Shadow Chapter-4
A little more is discovered about Preza's past.
Inside the town the market was bustling, merchants called out to patrons for them to buy their wears. People stood at booths haggling over the prices of items. It was all sights and sounds that Preza had come to loath. She wanted nothing more then to curl up in a dark corner, away from all of the commotion.
Hybrin had checked into the inn with his feline companion. Now they were wondering the market place for supplies together. He had traveling items for himself, but nothing for the feline, and he didn't trust the southern guild to give him anything for Preza. At least nothing that had not been used, or is currently in disrepair.
Hybrin called over his shoulder to the cat. "Stay close to me, and don't speak to anyone."
Preza nodded and remained one step behind Hybrin's set pace. Keeping her head bowed, she refused to acknowledge any of the business and hustle going on around her.
Together they weaved in and out of the crowds, stopping at merchant booths to see what they could carry on their trip. They came to one booth that was selling bedding.
The wolf picked through the nap sacks coming to one made of woven thaluk fur, and lined with thaluk hide. Hybrin was proud of this find. While thaluks were generally a shaggy and rugged four legged beast their hides were well known to keep one warm on the coldest of nights. This sleeping pack would help keep Preza warm, especially up north where the nights can be even more frigged then those in the desert. He looked to the woman who was selling the bedding, and asked. "How much for this one?"
The hyena gave him a yellow, stained, toothy grin, and began to speak merrily in the native language of the south. The language being difficult for Hybrin to keep up with as it was object based, and didn't focus on verbs much at all. The dialect was completely alien to him no matter how hard he tried to understand it.
Listening to the woman Preza frowned and tugged at the wolf's sleeve. She crooked a finger beckoning him to lean down so she could whisper to him. "She's charging you double what the bedding is worth. Tell her that if she doesn't lower the price that you'll go elsewhere."
Hybrin's ice blue eyes darted to the merchant woman, then back down to Preza before he asked. "How can you be so sure? Wouldn't that make it harder for us to buy the sack?"
The cat shook her head. "I know this woman, sometimes she would set up shop near the slave pins. She can be unreasonable unless you threaten to go else where."
"...I'm not that good with the southern tongue." Hybrin admitted humbly.
The feline sighed, she expected as much from Hybrin. Knowing he was a northerner she knew he would have a hard time picking up on the language. That was unless he had spent months with the people of the south like she had. "Let me try?"
The white wolf waved his hand at the table of bedding, welcoming the silver feline to try in his stead.
Preza stepped forward pointing at the nap sack. She then proceeded to speak to the woman fluently in southern language. She told the woman that her master would not go any higher then the price of twenty fleck. If the woman continued to demand such a high price she would tell her master what a horrible merchant she was, and spread word that she was a thalulk faced thief. The latter being a grave insult to southern merchants. It was very important for merchants to have a good reputation, especially amongst foreigners. If one were to become known as untrustworthy, and underhanded they could lose some prime business.
Hybrin knew that fleck was the southern word for money, but after that he was lost. The rapid pace that Preza and the woman were talking sounded like two angry birds squawking at each other. He could tell that things were getting heated when the woman started jabbing a sharp claw at Preza and repeatedly saying the word selu, over and over.
Preza looked as if she were about to leap over the booth to attack the woman when out of nowhere a sharp stinging pain struck her in the back. Preza let out a cry of pain and dropped to her knees, holding her shoulder where the blow had hit.
Hybrin crouched beside Preza's huddled form surprised to see an angry red whelp rising up under her silver fur. Hybrin's eyes darted around to see who had struck the feline. Before him stood a white haired tigress holding a short but thick slave whip.
"That should teach you slave! How dare you speak in such a way to a merchant." The tigress sneered at the smaller feline. "I see you have some how survived your time in the desert. What a shame you didn't just curl up and die there."
Preza's head snapped up at the voice recognizing it instantly as the voice of the woman who was her slave trader. "Y-you!"
The woman stalked around Preza and the wolf coming to stand before them. "Good, you remember me. Then you must also remember that I own you, and I will not put up with you harassing the other dealers here."
Hybrin was quick to realize just who this tigress was. He stood and bowed to the woman. "So you must be this girl's trader."
The tigress nodded, and grinned smugly. "I am. Who are you?"
Hybrin decided to speak cautiously to the woman. He did not know what she was capable of doing to Preza if he misspoke. Then again he did... He remembered the cage the feline was forced to nearly die in, and the mess the two of them were in now, all because of this tigress in front of them.. His anger seeped into his voice no matter how hard he tried to hold it back. "I am the one who released this slave from the cage that is sitting in the middle of the desert. Tell me, do all slave traders treat their wears with such carelessness?"
The tigress balked. "What on earth do you mean?"
"I mean that it was obvious the cage was not tied properly to a wagon which lead to it falling off at some point. Isn't it rather counter productive for a slave dealer to lose her slaves?" He knelt beside Preza, rubbing the wound on her shoulder in an attempt to sooth the sting.
She looked sidelong at Preza who was still in pain from the lash of her whip."Heh, not this slave."
He paused, looking up to the tigress. "If she is such a problem for you then I wouldn't mind taking her off your hands."
"You- you want to buy her?" The tigress said in shock as she looked to Preza who was looking at the wolf with an equally shocked look.
Hybrin nodded respectfully."I have grown fond of this girl, and I would not mind a companion for my journey home. I am willing to pay a hefty sum for her."
The tigress eyed the other feline carefully. "Have you finally accepted a master?"
Preza looked from the tigress to the wolf. Bowing her head she could feel her face flush, "I have, Valucia."
"I can't believe it..." She shook her head, still in disbelief. After all this time she would finally be rid of the cat who had grown to be a large thorn in her side. "Fine she'll be two hundred. With all the trouble she has caused that should be enough."
Hybrin reached into his money pouch and handed over the exact amount that the tigress had asked for.
Valucia eyed the two of them, and with a voice full of disdain she warned them. "I better never see you again." With that she turned and headed back to her cages full of slaves.
Together Hybrin and Preza carried on, and bought the nap sack at the haggled price of twenty fleck. Later they returned to the inn in time for dinner. Preza, though she said she was happy to be free of the slave trader, was showing signs of agitation. The wolf could not figure out the sharp pensive look that blanketed the feline's face.