Chapter 1

Meeting the Masked Man

Brian hadn't been born into a rich family, not in the least in fact he had been born to a homeless couple living on the outskirts of town in England; 1851. His mum and father begged for money so that they would have enough to pay for all three of them to eat but after 3 months and hardly anything to eat the young homeless family had to go through some drastic measures to save themselves.

His mum went to the traveling freak show and offered her own son who was just a baby still to be a stage hand to help clean up after the animals and performers after the shows were completed. In her own way she hoped it save her wonderful son who was fairly ill from lack of food. The circus had kindly taken in the child for a few golden coins and began to raise him as their own.

As Brian began to grow up his job in the circus became more complex. When he was 3 he sold the tickets in the town with the other performers but at the age of 5 years he began to pick pocket the wealthy that got in to watch the show whenever it came in to town as well as help with the animals and stage hands get ready for the next show. He had loved his job and circus family for 24 years until he arrived and changed his view on things…

It had been a rainy October afternoon when a group of young men came to the circus holding a masked person by his collar. He was growling frustratingly as he tried to claw at the arm behind him but it did not help, he received a punch right in the middle of the make shift mask making him yelp in pain. His dirty fingers went to his mask to make sure that it was not damaged from the impact of the fist when he found it was fine he went right back to growling at his captors.

"Boy! Grab your master an' tell 'im I've got him a new animal for 'is little circus." One of the men said loudly towards Brian who was staring at the masked man curiously. The masked man immediately stopped growling to stare at Brian as well, head tilting slightly before watching the dirty young man run off to tell the circus conductor that they had visitors.

The circus conductor came out of his tent before telling Brian to go to his own tent while he conducted business with the young group. Brian nodded and walked towards his own tent silently before looking at the masked man once more who was right back to growling and clawing at the man still holding on his dirty clothes keeping him in one place so he couldn't run away.

An hour later the circus conductor came into Brian's tent and smiled. "It seems we have a new performer in our lovely little circus, Brian. Please see him to his cage. He is chained up outside." The conductor ordered. Brian had been lying in his bed but as soon as orders were given he got up quickly so that he wouldn't get a lashing for hesitating. He did pause once to look back at his master before asking softly.

"'e's 'uman isn't 'e?" Brian asked, he didn't think locking up someone in a cage was a good thing to do at all, especially someone as…neat as the masked man he had seen earlier that day. The circus conductor turned and gave Brian a hard look telling him right off that there was no questioning what his orders were. Brian quickly left the tent and went to the masked man tied up to a pole, soaked to the bone.

The proxy shivered, back facing Brian as he sat down on the muddy puddle that had once been a grassy field. His head lowered in defeat, surely if he didn't understand what was going on he surely could feel that it was something bad. Brian slowly walked towards him and jumped as the masked being faced him, growling lowly before seeing who it was, he lowered his head slightly almost as if telling him not to come to close as he got on all fours and crawled a few paces away and sitting down again. He was now facing Brian's way keeping an eye on him before lying on his stomach. One arm over lapped the other and he rested his head on the two arms getting as comfortable as he could before just staring at the young man quietly.

"Not gonna hurt ya." Brian said slowly walking towards the masked man as though he was a wild animal. The masked man only raised his head an inch or two from his arms to show he was aware of the humans' movement. Brian jumped slightly fearful that the masked being would try to attack him only to have him get up on all fours and nuzzling into Brian's pant legs very cat like, he even heard soft almost purring. "Uhh…good boy?" Brian said sounding confused as the masked man sat by his leg, resting his head on his pant leg quietly almost loyally. Brain slowly reached down and patted the masked man's head before slowly moving away to grab the chain and lead him towards the cage. "Come on…gotta show ya to yer new 'ome." Brian sounded happy and began leading the way, the masked man tilted his head before getting on his two feet and began following after him, even when they got in the cage he just laid down. Brian went to leave ad close the cage before hearing a small whimper from the little guy causing Brian's heart to melt slightly for some reason.

"Wha?" Brian asked not expecting a human answer, possibly a whine or whimper to ask him to come back and sit down in the cage with him for a few minutes but what happened the next second surprised him.

The masked man stared silently before looking down at the straw underneath him, his dirty fingers slowly made a fist filled with the soft straw before looking at Brian. "Stay with…just for little." He finally said before chirping amused by the look on Brian's face when he realized he could speak, he was more human than he thought and suddenly a feel of guilt for imprisoning a human that appeared more animalistic then he really was. Brian slowly nodded before going up the small steps to the cage and walking in. He sat on the straw beside him watching as the masked man slowly got up on all fours again, crawling over to him before lying down beside him, and resting his head on his lap causing a small squeak from Brian before he moved his hand hesitantly to the masked man's hair, petting him.

Brian pet him absently for a while before looking down at the softly purring young being and smiled a little. He wasn't sure how much he understood. For all Brian knew he knew very little or he could understand everything anyone normal said. He might as well try to make conversation with him. "So…wha's yer name?" Brian asked, the masked man looked at him.

"Am called Dakota..." He said before nuzzling him lovingly "Who are?"

"'m Brian." Brian replied with a smile before hugging onto the soaked being seeing him shiver from the cold and rain. Dakota purred happily before nuzzling him again and chirping.

"Like Brian, nice much…" Dakota murmured "Don't hurt Dakota like others."

Brian frowned slightly, he didn't see why anyone would want to hurt him, and he seemed like a nice animalistic being. He didn't seem to want to attack anyone considering that he was being so tame towards Brian. He didn't know what to do, he did know that he didn't like thinking about the little proxy getting hurt. He knew if they stayed here to long things would get worse but maybe he could talk to the circus conductor and ask him not to hurt him or maybe even ask for his freedom to leave and Brian would pay for it with some of the pick pocket money he kept for himself.

He hugged him closer before looking outside the cage quietly "I'll see wha' I can do Dakota."

"Sound pretty when say name." Dakota said contently looking up at Brian from the spot on Brian's lap and chirped causing a small chuckle from Brian's throat before he leaned down and hesitantly nuzzled him.

"Dakota, Dakota, Dakota." He said playfully, resting his head on the mask's forehead hearing more purring as the being hugged him back and moved his face away, hiding his masked face shyly in Brian's shirt but Brian seemed worried that the shivering from Dakota was getting worse. "Ya cold?" Dakota only responded with a small nod but never lifted his head away from Brian's dirty torn up shirt of the lower class until Brian slowly got up "I'll bring ya some blankets."

Brian ran to his tent trying his best not to bump into anyone as he did; when he finally made it inside his warm tent he quickly went to the bed, smiling as he got his nicest blanket before running back outside in the rain. He ran as fast as he could through the rain trying not to get the blanket wet and the whole kind gesture be ruined. He got to the cage finding that he had left the cage door open and Dakota was gone…

Brian dropped his blanket on the wet ground filled with fear of getting punished for letting the new attraction of their show go but he also felt almost happiness from it knowing that now Dakota wouldn't get hurt. He knew to get a lesser punishment he did have to tell his master that Dakota had escaped seeing as getting kicked to the ground and yelled at was a lot nicer a punishment in Brian's eyes then 30 lashings.

He informed the staff immediately they decided to give him lashings as a punishment, making Brian's back face them and put his head down so the whip wouldn't hurt his neck. CRACK went the whip as it hit the pale flash of Brian, tearing his dirty shirt open again. Blood made the almost white skin red with blood and Brian cry out in pain but he didn't regret his mistake of leaving the cage door open. They were on the 10th strike when Brian heard growling then screams of fear from behind him. He didn't look behind him to fearful to look behind him but soon he didn't have to as the now bloodied hands of Dakota were wrapped around him.

"Saved." Dakota said happily as Brian relaxed in his arms despite the blood before looking behind them at the staff members lying on the ground with bloody claw marks down their skin.

"Di' you kill um?" Brian asked fearfully no longer sure what would happen to Dakota or him for that matter if they were and the police found the bodies but his mind was put at ease when Dakota shook his head. Brian let out a yelp of pain as surprise as he felt something warm and wet go up slowly, gently up his cut open skin. The warm tongue made him shiver before he curiously tried to look back and see what Dakota looked like underneath the mask only to receive a small growl of warning though for some reason brian knew Dakota wouldn't hurt him. "Jus' wanna see wha' you look like." Brian said with a pleading tone.

"Is not me… am not person under mask anymore. Used be Tim am now Dakota, need wear mask show Tim dead." Dakota explained and nuzzled Brian who looked a little confused but just nodded a little. When Dakota was finished licking his wounds clean he let go of him to put his mask back in place then crawl in front of Brian and look at his tear stained face before cuddling up to his new friend "Let's run away…can find way get 't like see Brian hurt."

"Ya only just met me. 'Ow can ya say tha'? Ya hardly even know me Dakota." Brian replied.

"Am not sure just knows likes Brian much and want see happy. Want be with Brian…l-" he paused trying to figure out what that word was he heard once or twice by normal humans then he chirped when he figured it out "Loves."

Brian blinked slightly, looking at them before nodding slightly in understanding. Right now he thought loving someone so quickly was impossible though he liked Dakota's company . He nuzzled him, thinking that maybe within time they might love them back. "We can run away. N' like there's a reason ta stay." He got up and walked with him towards the woods with him to hide from the circus for a while until they left the town.