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As soon as Zèon went through the hall doors he found that some kane and fehlar who were too scared to intervene had formed a little circle around what seemed to be a dispute. Desperate, the arctic fox moved his way among them, pushing them aside, not caring at all that they noticed him.

As soon as he got to the first row, he found a far worse spectacle than he had imagined.

-Give it back! -Koi exclaimed, with a flood of tears running through his cheeks -. It's not yours! You don't have the right to read it like that!

His little paws reached out trembling towards a little crumpled piece of paper that someone held high above his head. Zèon remembered that Koi was writing a letter to his mother and quickly connected the dots, feeling his blood boiling once he realized what was happening there.

The one who held the letter high was Camus.

-You dare to say that I don't have the right? You impertinent worthless mutt, who do you think you are to say if I have the right or not? -the man asked, with an unpleasant smile in his face. His crooked fingers close around the piece of paper as if it was a trophy -. The one who doesn't have the right to complain is you. You've assaulted the Order Comissioner and you must be punished!

-No! -Koi exclaimed, between sobs -. I wasn't paying attention! I'm sorry...!

-If there's something you shouldn't be worried about now, it is this piece of paper -Camus claimed, threatening -. Besides, why is it so important? Let's see... -He fixed his eyes in the letter and seemed to take a huge effort to read -. "Dear... mom. These holidays... are being great".

The man paused for a few seconds and then let out a loud laugh. Koi remained in his place, dissolved into a fit of tears, without knowing what to do or say to stop that situation.

-Holidays? -Camus repeated, mockingly -. You sure are one who sees the glass half full. And why do you even bother to write a letter to your mother, anyway? It's not going out of here and besides I bet she's as dead as you will be when I finish with your punishment!

There were few moments in which Zèon didn't analyze things with a rational mind, in which he simply let himself go with his impulses and instincts.

That was one of those moments.

Before he could even think what he was doing, he had already approached to the scene and his paw was drawing an arc in the air towards Camus' face.

The human let out a terrifying shout of pain when the claws crossed his face, leaving a trace of blood behind. A surprised murmur raised in the circle of the kane and the fehlar, bringing Zèon back to reality. While Camus covered his face with his hands, the arctic fox tried to regain his sanity. A sudden fear took over him when he understood the significance of that swipe.

-You... bastard!! -the man exclaimed at that moment, writhing in pain -. Son of a...!

-Koi, stay back -Zèon whispered, trembling (he didn't know if it was due to fear or rage), as he gently pushed the little husky behind him.

-But...

-I said stay back!

After a few seconds, the fox felt a movement at his back and knew that Luca had arrived in the best moment. He hoped he took Koi away from there, so Camus couldn't vent his unjustified fury over him. Meanwhile, he tried to search for a way to solve what he had just done, although he knew that there wasn't any.

He had just attacked a guard of the Box! Zèon believed he was the first to do something like that and the punishment he will receive was beyond the limits of his imagination. No one had ever dared to raise a paw to those uniformed men that patrolled from one side to another in the Box. Silently and trying his best to remain calm, the fox saw how Camus pulled himself together, until the man looked up and pierced him with a gaze full of hatred, with the only eye that wasn't swamped in blood.

-I'm going to kill you -he muttered, and his ruined face transmitted such a huge rancor that Zèon believed him -. I'm going to kill you!!

He was about to leap on the arctic fox.

-Camus! -exclaimed then a powerful voice in the middle of the hall -. Enough!

The man stopped in his place, bewildered, until he understood who that voice belonged to and turned, with effort. Zèon and the rest of the kane and the fehlar also looked curiously to the other side of the room. The glass doors were opened and, from them, Sophia studied the scene with icy expression.

-So... Sophia! -Camus bellowed when he recognized her -. This damn animal has...!

-Don't you understand me when I talk to you, Camus? -the woman interrupted him, severely -. I said enough. Bring me your whip and let me take charge of the situation.

-But he just attacked me! You saw it! -Camus shouted, outraged.

Sophia's eyes inured.

-Of course I saw it! Just as I saw it was you who started bullying Canis K. You should have known this would happen to you if you overstepped the mark.

-But my face...!

-Oh, what do you complain about? -Sophia exclaimed, exasperated -. It couldn't get any worse, anyway. Lagopus Z practically did you a favor. Now, let me take control of the situation and have your face examined before it gets infected, or something worse.

The man clenched his fists, furious. For a few seconds, Zèon thought he was going to ignore the woman's indications and that he would leap on him and wring his neck. However, Sophia's authority seemed to impose over the man and he, after giving the arctic fox a last enraged look, started to walk towards the crystal doors. He passed Sophia without even looking at her and only stopped when she said, in a voice that didn't allow a reply:

-Camus. The whip.

The man grudgingly got rid of the whip and finally abandoned the hall.

In that moment, Zèon realized what had just happened. Around him, the other residents gave him looks that mixed fear with admiration: yes, he had evaded Camus' punishment, but Sophia had showed up in the hall for the first time since they knew her and she would be the one in charge of the punishment. What could that mean?

Zèon wanted to think that he had been lucky: after all, he couldn't help but feeling some sympathy towards the woman now he had listened to how she had addressed Camus. However, the serious expression of the woman and that calculating look that pierced him from behind her glasses didn't precisely inspire confidence.

-You've disappointed me, Lagopus Z -she began, slowly approaching the circle of the kane and the fehlar, that stepped back instinctively -. I believed you were more intelligent, less impulsive. I'm sure you know that what you have done is far from being a good idea, right?

Zèon took a few seconds to answer. He wasn't sure if Sophia really wanted him to reply. But, when he opened his mouth, she interrupted him:

-I know, you wanted to protect Canis K. A beautiful exercise of fraternal love between canid brothers, I guess. -Sophia paused -. It doesn't matter to me. In any case, I thought you were able to make better decisions, to give it more thought. It's clear I was wrong.

The woman stopped right in front of him and Zèon trembled with fear. He didn't know what, but there was something in Sophia's eyes that made him feel as if she could know exactly what he was thinking.

-Action, reaction. Lagopus Z, can you tell me what this means?

Zèon wasn't still quite sure.

-It means... -he started, but then stopped to clear his throat when he felt his dry mouth -. It means that any movement or process always has its consequences.

-Consequences -Sophia nodded, satisfied -. Exactly. Now, undress.

Zèon blinked a couple of times, hoping he hadn't listened well.

-Pardon? -he asked, timidly.

-You heard me perfectly, Lagopus Z. I said undress.

A heavy silence fell in the hall. The arctic fox was sure that now there were many more people than when he had first arrived there running; probably, alerted by the sounds of the quarrel, all the kane and the fehlar of the building were now behind him.

-But... -he muttered, gulping.

-Do you have any problem?

<<She knows it>> Zèon thought, shivering with terror <<She knows my secret>>. No kane or fehlar had ever had to undress when receiving their punishments. Lashings were supposed to be painful and humiliating enough without the need for such a drastic public exposition.

But there was a bright glint in Sophia's eyes, a glint that hid a smile; a smile that hid knowledge. Yes, that woman knew that nothing would hurt Zèon more than forcing him to strip and that was precisely why she was doing that. Something in the mind of the arctic fox resisted to the idea of falling into that poisoned trap.

-You know... I can't do it -he stuttered, nervously. His voice sounded much less confident and more afraid than he would have liked.

-Oh, yes. Of course you can. If you don't do it, I'll lash you until you're naked. And logic tells me you are not likely to survive that.

Zèon shivered when he remembered the unbearable shock of that electric whip. At that moment, he was terribly conscious of his own defenselessness, of the fear that gripped him and of his own condition of being a prisoner. Behind him, people waited expectantly for something to happen. They didn't understand why Sophia had asked him to undress, but they would understand when they saw...

Zèon shook his head, trembling. He had already lived that situation too many times before: he wasn't allowed to reply, he wasn't allowed to disobey orders. If he wanted to live, he would have to do as told.

-I'm waiting -Sophia insisted.

Finally, he agreed.

Slowly, the fox started removing the grey shirt of the uniform everyone wore in the Box. As soon as he did it, he felt the cold air of that room biting his skin as if Sophia's presence had triggered a winter inside. He felt his heart beating painfully and was starting to feel ill. The world, at least, had become a confusing place: he wasn't sure if time had stopped or was going at double speed.

He was so afraid that he would have preferred facing Camus' wild rage.

-Very well -he heard Sophia's voice saying -. Now, remove your clothing from the waist down.

-No... -Zèon moaned, imploring. But the woman's look brooked no reply.

He felt as if his paws were as heavy as lead, but he managed to unfasten his belt, slowly. It fell to the ground with a metallic sound that resounded in the middle of a deadly silence and then, Zèon brought his paws to the trousers, gulping again.

It was the most difficult thing he had ever done in his life.

When his trousers fell to the ground and a scandalized whisper raised in the hall when everyone saw what Zèon had tried to hide so desperately, the fox knew there was no turning back, and there would never be.

In the right part of his waist there was a mark; or better said, a symbol fire engraved on his skin. Maybe Sophia didn't know what it meant, but any fehlar could have understood what it was easily. Even the kane could have guessed it. And that damn woman knew it.

-Is there any problem? -Sophia asked, addressing the spectators. As she didn't receive any answer, she turned again to the naked fox she had in front of her -. On the ground, Lagopus Z.

Zèon felt as if he was going to fall already, so it wasn't difficult for him to do as he was told, as he tried to repress tears in his eyes. He heard the weak electric buzz of the whip and saw its blueish bright shining in the eyes of the kane and the fehlar that watched the scene, terrified.

-There's a fragile line between heroism and stupidity -Sophia sentenced, raising his voice -. And in this place, both have the same consequence: punishment.

The whip vibrated in the air and suddenly Zèon felt the shock in his back. A scream of pain tore his throat as he writhed in pain in the floor, helpless. The shock didn't only hit his back, but also was distributed over all his body, generating a painful spasm almost immediately. Trying not to get up and run away from there (Zèon knew it would be worse if he did so), the fox clenched his teeth and wound his tail around his waist so no one could see the mark below. He knew that was useless by then, but it was almost a reflex reaction.

-The only possibility you have here, the only way you're allowed to follow is obedience -Sophia said, imperturbable -. To stray from that way means to be punished.

The whip cracked again.

This time, Zèon couldn't help but fall on his face. Tears of pain had already started to well up in his eyes and his body shook violently, he didn't know if it was due to embarrassment, fear, rage or pain. Embarrassment, for being humiliated publicly in that way and for being forced to show his secret. Fear, since he didn't know how many lashings more he would be able to withstand before losing consciousness. Rage, because he was too proud to bear someone treating him like that. And pain...

-Only I decide who is doing right and wrong here -Sophia added. Her steps could be heard while she slowly walked around Zèon's body, the whip swinging in the air -. If Camus oversteps the mark... -a new lashing made the fox scream weakly as he writhed in pain -... I am the only one who has the right and the duty to reprimand him.

Zèon felt that terrible electric pain shaking every single limb of his body, fluctuating up and down and causing him a horrible agony. Each lashing intensified the pain over the previous one, as if it left a terrible charge in the guts of its victim; a charge which exploded in contact with the following lashing. Besides, a strange paralysis had taken over his body and he was unable to move, not even to beg. Three lashings was the average that every resident received when they broke the rules; normally, the one who had been punished couldn't get up and stand on his own, if he still remained conscious, and the others had to carry him to his room.

-So don't try to be heroes -the woman finished, with a hint of disdain in her voice -. It's worthless. Not only here, but in any place.

That said, the whip vibrated in the air once again and cracked against Zèons back. The fox shook on the floor and was about to howl in pain when another lashing fell heavily on him, making him swallow his own scream and multiplying the convulsions he suffered. <<Please, no>> he thought, terrified <<Please, not another one>. However, he hadn't finished thinking that when a new shock went through his body from the tip of his toes to his muzzle, the pain grew until it slipped through the cracks of his own thoughts and his mind went out like a candle's flame.

However, not even in the depths of his unconsciousness he could rest calm: the pain was still there, tormenting him, even when he believed that he couldn't really feel anything because he had escaped his own body, or even his own mind. Breathing was painful, the shadows around him were painful; everything was painful, even feeling pain.

As he sank in that eternal spiral of pain and unconsciousness, Zèon found a memory and clung to it as if it was a life preserver in the middle of a storm. In the dark, he read it: it was the memory of that fateful day in which, after the death of all his relatives, that tiger had approached him and had promised him life with that poisoned smile. The day he had been marked, forever.

Zèon remembered it as clearly as if it was a nightmare: even in the middle of that dark whirl, it seemed to chase him wherever he went.

He was in the entrance to a tent. Outside, the sun had begun to set and the twilight colored the interior of the tent in a gentle half-light, of nice orange tones. It smelled of sweat, of animals and of seclusion: Zèon knew that was the smell of the adult's rooms when they had been closed up for too long without ventilation. However, in the state he found himself at that moment, the little kit was unable to relate it with that. He just was there, looking without watching, smelling without relating and hearing without listening.

The tiger that only a few minutes before had decided that his life was worth saving had turned his back to him and stayed at the back of the tent. At that moment, he was removing his iron cuirass, exposing his big adult body. Zèon didn't know what to say or what to do; he knew the tiger was talking to him, but he was unable to understand anything. The situation was still out of reach for him.

-But look at you -were the first words of the tiger he could understand -, so covered in blood and quiet. I bet you've gone through hell all alone, haven't you, cub?

Something in those words triggered a hidden mechanism inside Zèon. He broke down in tears as if someone had opened the doors of his eyes and fell to the ground, sobbing. He had never lacked for company in palace and now he couldn't help but feel alone, terribly alone and lost. It was like if, suddenly, the bubble in which he had been separated from the outside world had broken forever, showing that he had been dreaming all that time.

-Oh, come on -the tiger tried to comfort him, getting closer to him and giving him a tight hug -, you shouldn't think about it, cub. All that is the past. It won't come back.

<<Of course it won't>> Zèon had thought, still sobbing, between the arms of that enormous fehlar that smelled of blood and sweat. He would never see again his mother, nor his father, nor any of the servants of his castle, nor his teachers. He would never have again anything he had had, nor could live again among his relatives in Northundra's palace.

All was lost, forever.

-Ssshhh... -the tiger had tried to console him, rocking him in his arms. There was something weird in his voice, Zèon thought, but at that moment he was more worried about his own disgrace, about what would never come back, than about that fehlar's tone -. It's okay, cub. It's okay.

However, with those last words the strange shadow in his words became difficult to ignore. Zèon raised his head, confused, and looked again at the tiger through the veil of his tears. He couldn't understand what, but there was something very wrong in that fehlar's eyes. Some kind of ardent gleam that burnt in the depth and seemed to burn him inside.

-What...? -he stammered, no knowing what to say. His own voice sounded strange to him.

-You don't need to worry about anything -the tiger continued, gently. His voice, in spite of being deep and powerful, had that velvet-like purr that characterized his race -. You're here, with me, and I'm not going to let anything bad happen to you.

That seemed like a nice thing, but... why couldn't Zèon help but feeling as if something terrible was about to happen? Why did he have a horrible feeling that the fehlar wasn't telling the truth?

At that moment, one of the big paws of the tiger started to pet his head, gently. He had such a padded and soft paws that in any other case Zèon would have felt very relaxed, but now he simply couldn't.

-I'm going to take care of you -he listened the voice of the fehlar, near his ear -. You're going to be a good cub and let daddy Khun take care of you, aren't you?

At that moment, Zèon understood what was happening.

-No -he muttered, terrified -. No, no, no, no...

He tried to get rid of the tiger's hug, but he was much stronger than him and attracted towards him more tightly, forcing him to bury his head in his bare chest. Zèon felt that stench of man and sweat poisoned him and kept on trying to escape weakly, too tired to make a bigger effort.

-Ssshhhh... -the tiger repeated, stroking his head a bit strongly now -. It's better for you, you know? Daddy Khun likes to take care of miserable children and he will find a way to make you happy for sure...

-No, please, no...

-After all, you're so little and weak. -The tiger's paws slid down Zèon's helpless body, groping for its outlines with an excessive, almost violent intensity -. So innocent and tender. So... fragile...

The words of the tiger were interrupted and he gasped. Then, he felt something rough and wet sliding down his left ear and he let out a disgusted moan, as he tried to move away from the tiger, in vain. He knew that the fehlar had just licked his ear, but he simply couldn't resist to it; not because he didn't want to, but because he was physically trapped and he knew it.

He should have never trusted those velvet-like words.

-No... -he begged again, hoping that the fear in his words would soften his heart.

It didn't happen.

A few seconds after, the huge body of the tiger was over him; his bare torso suffocating his body, his hungry paws undressing him quickly. Zèon would have cried, but his tears had already dried. He would have screamed, but he knew it would be useless. He could just keep on saying no, over and over, as if that was enough to stop that nightmare, or to make it go faster. Unfortunately for him, none of those happened.

Too many things were lost that night. When all was over, Zèon felt like he had been invaded. He wasn't him anymore, his body wasn't his body. The outlines of those two concepts had been broken by pushing; had died under the lustful breath of that tiger, under his oppressing body.

The next morning, Zèon was taken to the remains of the forge that had once existed in that village. He was made to walk blindfolded and soon after ordering him to stop, someone placed a piece of cloth in his mouth and told him to bite it.

The burn, that insignificant moment of suffering, was brief. Zèon screamed like he had never done before and his screams were smothered with the piece of cloth. He cried in pain and was about to kick someone when he felt in the flesh of his waist rent from something that lacerated, that consumed slowly his skin. It took just a few seconds, but it seemed an eternity. It was then, when they removed the blindfold, when he realized that the thing that would last an eternity would be the burn he had been marked with.

A red-hot iron bar rested against the forge and an old lynx watched him with a crooked smile, with not even a hint of compassion in his almond-shaped eyes. In Zèon's waist there was now a symbol he had never seen, and would chase him forever. It was an helicoidal triangle; its sides never got too close but went to its centre, as if it was a triangle-shaped spiral.

-You see that? -the lynx had asked, as if it could be possible not to see it -. That symbols means that from now on you belong to any fehlar that wants to have you. Each time they see you, the fehlar will know they can use you as they like it. You will be the object of pleasure for anyone to use.

>>Consider yourself lucky, kane scum. You could be dead.

The memory of that voice full of cruelty and what had happened the previous night vanished from Zèon's mind as unconsciousness and pain took over again. It was then when a weak thought hit him, something that until then he had never been able to question.

It was the thought that asked himself what would happen if at that moment he simply died. Would he stop feeling pain or would the wandering pieces of his mind be tormented forever with that last memory? Would he discover a better place, far away from that terrible Box, from that prison... from that world which had always treated him so bad?

Only once he had felt practically dead. It had been the night when all had happened, when the tiger had rested by his side, satisfied, and had hugged him possessively whispering at his ear what a good cub he was and how happy he had made him. Zèon hadn't reacted: he had remained awake all night with eyes wide open; unable to live, but also unable to die.

At that moment, Zèon had a revelation: he didn't mind leaving. The world had nothing to give him or, if it had, it had never showed it to him. He had always received poisoned gifts, like that fateful day he had been marked by someone who had promised him a life and afterwards had only gave him the half existence of an object. Zèon got rid of that memory, of that thought; he got rid of anything he could get rid of and let himself fall into that turbulent sea, sinking more and more. He didn't mind dying. Not at all...

...but he couldn't leave Koi alone, he told himself, nor Luca. He could almost hear their voices, on the other side, trying to get him back...

-...they have crushed him. I can't believe they had done something like this to him. It's simply terrible. Have you seen his back?

-Is he going to be alright? Please, Luca, tell me he's going to be alright...

-I don't know, cub. We'll do all we can.

-...he's braver than I thought. It's admirable that he dared to defend the little husky from that bully. The swipe in his face won't go easily.

-Koi, please, bring more clothes and water.

-Alright!

-Is there anything else I can help with?

-No, Shiba... it's fine. Just keep the people out of here, please.

-Please, Zèon, wake up... you have to wake up... you can't leave me alone now, buddy...

Then, Zèon felt like if he was once again in his body, far away from the black tide that had been about to swallow him. He wanted to open his eyes, but the first thing his body did was letting out a hair-rising scream of suffering, since together with reality, the pain had also come back to him.

That scream triggered some activity around him and Zèon, unable to see it, could feel how someone placed a wet piece of cloth on his forehead and under his back, lifting him gently.

-Zèon -he listened then Luca's voice, calling him -. Zèon, try to talk, please. Zèon, don't go again...

With a superhuman effort, the arctic fox managed to open his eyes. He found the deep gaze of Luca's red eyes, with that wolfish face framed by an ash-colored fur he had gotten to know so well in the last years. Between so much pain, a slight sensation of relief went through him.

-Lu... ca... -he managed to say, although he felt his tongue heavy and dry as a rag.

He hadn't even finished the word when a violent cough took over him, sending new waves of pain all over his body.

-Right, it's me -the wolf smiled, caressing his head gently -. You're going to be alright, buddy. We know you've been through worse moments.

Zèon didn't know whether to think he was right or not, but he couldn't deny that Luca's presence by his side worked like a balm for his wounds. Tired, he looked around and found out he was in his bedroom, on Koi's bed, since lifting him to the upper berth would have meant a great effort. The memories of what had happened in the hall were slowly returning to his mind, as if they had happened too many years ago. And, with each of them, his fear, the embarrassment and the rage he had felt with each lashing revived.

He wasn't alone in his bedroom. Ike was watching the scene with a worried face and Shiba, the tigress that seemed to follow him anywhere as if she was a bodyguard, had also fixed her imperturbable look on him. Koi was at the foot of the bed, resting against the ladder to the upper berth. His eyes were weepy and he seemed terribly frightened. The human that had just arrived there also watched from his own bed, a bit scared mostly due to the presence of a little crowd of kane and fehlar that had gathered in the door.

A shiver of embarrassment went through Zèon's spine.

-Luca... -he muttered, with difficulty -. Tell... them... to go...

The wolf understood immediately.

-Zèon wants to be alone -he said, turning to the rest. His look seemed apologizing, but a good watcher would have perceived that he wasn't going to allow anyone to threaten the arctic fox's recovery.

-Luca -Ike intervened, with a thin voice -. I feel responsible for this. If there's something I can do...

-Tell him to go... -Zèon murmured, before the lion said any nonsense -. Tell everyone to go... please... leave me alone.

His words seemed to take effect and just a few seconds later, the room was empty. Zèon could still see the guilty glance that Ike gave him from the door. He seemed to feel really affected from that, but at that moment Zèon didn't feel he had the strength to guess why.

Everyone had discovered what he was.

Now, every single fehlar in the Box knew that once he had been a sexual slave, the lowest link in the lower classes, no more than social rubbish. It wouldn't take much for the kane to guess what that symbol meant and why he had always tried to hide it. After almost a year having his showers in secret and keeping his privacy, just a second had been enough to destroy everything.

-Hey -he listened then the soft voice of Luca, who had taken one of his paws and squeezed it gently -. Don't cry, okay? I'm going to get sure that you be alright.

Zèon realized then that there were tears in his eyes.

-But... but... -he muttered, making a great effort to talk, with a lump in his throat -. They have seen it, Luca... They know what I was... they know...

-Be calm -the wolf interrupted him, massaging slowly his paw -. It doesn't matter. If anyone ever mentions the subject, I swear I'll make him swallow his words. No one is going to hurt you anymore, Zèon. No one. And if anyone dares to do it, they will have to go through me.

The arctic fox couldn't help but break down in silent tears, without caring about the fact that Koi and that unknown human were looking at him.

Luca was at his side and that, at that moment, was all he could care about.