- - - 10 years later - - -
- Market Town -
The searing hot sun beamed down on the land making the sand extremely hot and unbearable. I trudged through the busy streets looking for the right item Ed sent me to get. I looked wearily from one cart and stand to the next. I was looking for a decent deal on wooden nails. Several of the wagons were breaking; especially the wheels. Since we were nearby this town, Ed decided to give me the job of doing the errand. With just the right luck, I found a deal worth taking. I bought a whole five pound sack of wooden nails for 25 Gillah. I paid for the nails I needed and turned to head back to the caravan; I then in turn bumped into the chest of a young man. I lifted my head to apologize but was rendered speechless when I saw that it was a fellow Kim- un-kur. He blinked with surprise when he saw me standing in front of him. I opened my mouth to say something, but nothing came out.
"Oh Senri, did you find a friend or something like that?" A young boy with black hair popped from behind the Kim-un-kur. So, the young man is named Senri. I thought. Then suddenly, the boy with black hair was joined by a young girl with blonde hair and another boy about the same age with silver hair. I looked at them with a slight fear. They didn't have any marks of being slaves; and Ed warned me about associating with free people. I had forgotten what it was like to be free; Ed told me that he had gotten me when I was small and had rescued me, and that he had Ringtail look after me. I had appreciated what Ed had done for me and had also offered protection against the harsh outside world that was unknown and dangerous. I began to hyperventilate from the fear choking me. Strange scenes flashed before my eyes of a young woman lying dead in front of me and being beaten by slave hunters. Before I could let anymore of the events flow through my mind; I took off in an attempted run back to the caravan. I stumbled into people and other enslaved +Anima; but then fell onto the sandy ground from running into an apple cart. I saw that the strange company of four were jogging toward me. I panicked and quickly got to my feet and ran as fast as I could out of town to get to the caravan. I panted as I pushed my body to its limit; my lungs burned from the hot oxygen drying out my throat and airways as I gasped and choked to keep breathing. I reached the caravan and ended up running straight into Ringtail. I fell back and landed on my back. The instant I hit the sand, I slipped into unconsciousness. Ringtail quickly scooped me up in his arms and quickly brought me into his tent to get me into the shade to help break the slight fever that began to form.
"YOU! YOU'RE BACK WHY? WHAT DO YOU KIDS WANT FROM MY LIFE THIS TIME?" Ed shouted as he saw Cooro, Husky, Nana and Senri jog into the caravan and end up running over to him.
" We are looking for a girl that ran in your caravan. She was about Senri's age and ran in here. We wanted to talk to her and see if she was okay. She began acting funny and seemed to be hurting when she saw Senri." Nana and Cooro explained. Ed crossed his arms in front of his chest and quirked an eyebrow. He tiled his head back and glared down at the young +Anima.
" Was she wearing a red bandana and black ones around her wrists and ankles?"
" YEAH!" Cooro chirped.
" Oh. Then you must have seen my slave, Nicoma. She was getting wooden nails for my wagons. They seem to be falling apart." Ed looked around to see if he could spot me. When he didn't see me anywhere, he hung his head and sighed with frustration. " What did she get into NOW!" Ed stormed over to Ringtail's tent and entered with a huff. He saw Ringtail dousing my forehead with a wet cloth and wash my face. " What happened this time?" Ed screamed. Ringtail didn't remove his gaze from me and answered with a steady tone.
" The heat got to her. She is starting to get a fever and is slightly dehydrated."
" Did she get my nails?" Ed's answer was Ringtail throwing the sack at him. Ed caught it and nodded. " Fine. See that she gets better by tonight. She WILL do her night watch tonight, no matter what. Got it?"
" Very well." Ringtail murmured and carefully poured a small amount of water into my mouth to help try and get me to drink. I coughed up the water and moaned from the pain of a headache forming from being so warm and thirsty. Ed left the tent to have the wagons start being fixed.
" Will we be able to see her soon?" Nana asked as Ed passed them.
" Right now she is slightly ill. But by tonight you will be able to see her. Just wait till she comes out of the tent." Ed instructed and headed to his other slaves to start the repairs.
--
" Wake up, shorty. I know you are better. The fever is gone and I DID see you grab the water gourd." Ringtail smiled as I cracked open my left eye. I smiled and opened both eyes as I sat up. I stretched my arms above my head and yawned exposing razor sharp cougar teeth. I was then fed a small loaf of bread and an orange. " Ed wants you out for night watch. You better get out there." Ringtail sighed and waved me out of the tent. I exited the tent and slowly crept through the caravan to stand on the outskirts for the job of being the only night watcher.
After waiting an hour, the sun had set and darkness shrouded everything. The blackness of the night comforted me and awoke this savage feeling of being a blood thirsty hunter. My thoughts came to a screeching halt when the sound of foot steps caught my attention. I perked my cougar ears in attempt to locate where the sound was coming from and where it was going. I swished my tail impatiently and exposed my sharp claws. I licked my fangs in hopes to sink them into flesh and taste blood. I found the source to be ahead of me and was about 100 yards away. I crept silently toward the source, eager for the attack. From the sound of the person walking; they weren't very big. More like a young trouble maker. I was about to swipe the person when I was tackled by a man. I fell to the ground as well as my attacker. I screamed like a mountain lion and swiped at the man. He caught my wrists and pinned them to the ground. I bent my legs and pushed my feet against his stomach and launched him over my head, to fall five feet away and landing on his back. I quickly got to my feet and pounced on him and was ready to slash him to bits but was stopped when I noticed that it was the same young man I ran into in the town. My eyes went wide and I froze with both shock and embarrassment.
" Senri! Are you all right?" I looked up to see the same young black haired boy running over with the other two children. My eyes grew wider with a twinge of fear and I tensed almost afraid to move; but everything hit me when I heard Ringtail starting to wake up. I quickly got off of the man named Senri and began to run toward the wagons; but was stopped short by Senri grabbing my ankles causing me to fall. I caught myself with my hands and tried to wriggle my ankles free, but was unable to. Another wave of panic washed through my body as I heard Ed get out of bed and out of his tent to see what all the commotion was.
" What is going on here!" Ed shouted when he lifted his torch to see Senri pinning me to the ground. My struggling came to a stop when I heard Ed's voice. " Get off of my slave!" Ed shouted as he pushed Senri off of me.
" Senri didn't mean it, Sir! He was just saving Nana from her." Cooro explained. Ed raised an eyebrow and looked down at me still lying on the ground. Then he looked back at the four new comers with the slightest of irritation.
" Nicoma is on night watch. You must have caught her attention and thought you were raiders. It's not her fault. It's your's for sneaking around at this time of night!" he stormed up to me; I flinched slightly as he quickly grabbed me by my tunic and pulled me to my feet. Once standing, Ed let go of my tunic and grabbed a fistful of my long gray hair, then began to drag me toward Ringtail who was standing outside his tent. Then with a quick toss, Ed threw me back onto the sandy ground before leaving to go back inside his tent.
" I'll take over the rest of the watch for now. Get inside the tent and rest." Ringtail whispered as he helped me to my feet and gently guided me inside the tent. When I was inside the tent, Ringtail crept throughout the Caravan making sure everything was all right.
--
The sky began to show signs of dawn approaching; Ed walked out of his tent and stood before Ringtail, he gave orders to have everyone prepare to leave immediately. Ringtail nodded and began to arouse everyone in the Caravan to pack up and depart. It only took an hour to get everything packed and start on our way to Stella. Before we got going on the road; Ed had me tied to the back of the last wagon as punishment from the night before during night watch. After fastening the rope around my wrists and the other end to the wagon, the Caravan got moving.
Hours and miles later; I slowly trudged through the sand, no longer trying to keep the pace of the wagons. No one had stopped for a break of any kind. My throat was dry and soar from the lack of moisture in the air. The sun was high in the sky, and signaled that it was the hottest point of the day. I panted to try and keep cool from the harsh sun rays; I could no longer swallow, my throat was dry and seemed to swell from the lack of fluids. I collapsed onto the ground, exhausted from the non-stop journey. I winced in pain from the rope snapping tight around my wrists; suddenly I was being dragged through the sand by the wagon I was connected to. I just laid there allowing to be pulled through the deep sand by my wrists; I didn't care anymore.
I suddenly came to my senses when I felt strong hands grab me around my upper torso; then I was hoisted up into someone's arms and carried along behind the wagon. I wearily opened my eyes to see a bleary form of a man. I blinked to help clarify my vision; there the bleary man was revealed to be Senri. I was too tired to struggle let alone talk; I just stared at him wearily as he carried me behind the wagon.
"Good job, Senri! Now all we need is to keep her cool!" " my gaze drifted upward and saw the boy with the black hair that was named Cooro. I blinked and realized that he was an +Anima; a crow +Anima. Maybe the whole group of them were +Anima; I looked at Senri's side and saw both the girl and the other boy. I closed my eyes once again and allowed myself to drift off into dream.
"Wake up! Wake up, Nicoma!" " I heard a young girl and boy call out to me; I couldn't tell who they were but they were definitely disturbing my dreams. I slowly opened my eyes and saw Cooro and the girl right in front of my face; I jumped with surprise and slight confusion. So I wasn't dreaming" They were really there" I looked at all four of them and sat up and crossed my legs. I stretched my arms over my head and yawned. Just as I yawned Cooro shoved an apple in my mouth. I opened my eyes and pulled the fruit out of my mouth; then I glared at him with irritation. I threw the apple back at Cooro and got to my feet. Without a word said, I walked away from the four of them and headed in my search for Ringtail. I walked past Ed's tent but was stopped in my tracks when I overheard him talking to Ringtail about something. I crept closer to the side of the tent and pressed my ear as close to the cloth as possible and not have my presence known.
"What are you proposing, Master?" Ringtail asked while shifting from one foot to the other.
"I want her under control, Ringtail! She has been too bold with my orders! She either gets her act together or I'll kill her myself!" Ed hissed, trying not to get his voice loud. "Nicoma needs to be controlled! Or she will suffer the punishment far worse that what her parents went through!"
"Yes, Master." Ringtail had bowed his head and murmured his response. I stepped away from the tent with the numbness of shock on what I heard. I stepped back another pace and ended up bumping into someone. I turned around to see it was Senri. I shook my head with disbelief and ran away from both him and the tent. I couldn't stay here another second; I knew if I stayed I would die.
--
I ran with all my might; I exited the camp and entered the vast desert. I didn't care if the desert would eventually kill me, from the lack of nourishment of any kind. I had to get away from what I had come to know of slave hood. I didn't stop until I felt the distance between me and the caravan was a good ten miles. I gasped and panted as I trudged and then collapsed onto my knees. It took a good couple minutes for my breathing to calm down; I blinked to allow my +Anima eyes activate. I glanced around my surroundings with my glowing yellow eyes; I saw nothing but the vast sand ocean that lay around me. I wasn't impressed and began smelling the cold night air seeing if I could smell if anyone had followed me. Someone DID follow me! I growled low in my throat and allowed my nails to become claws and my teeth into fangs. I heard the faint footsteps stir up sand and faint breathing. I slowly laid myself down on my right side in the desert sand to make it look like I had passed out from exhaustion. I closed my eyes and waited for my prey to come to me.
I felt hands push me so that I was now lying on my back; I kept still sensing that the person was stronger than me which concluded that it was a young man. I could hear him breathing heavily as he inspected me. I could feel his gaze wander, and that made me feel very uncomfortable. But something felt familiar about this man; and I knew what it was, he smelled familiar! I tried to figure out who it was that had found me. I knew it wasn't Ringtail, and it wasn't Ed; otherwise I would be fighting for my life. Then I was answered by another person arriving who was wheezing from exhaustion as well as the sound of wings flapping. I then knew who it was, it was the +Anima that had joined the caravan and wouldn't leave me alone! Oh great! Now what do I do? I screamed in my head. My thoughts came to a screeching halt when I felt someone poking me with a staff.
"Do you think she is dead?"
"What made her run away from the caravan like this?" the girl asked.
I felt whoever was poking me with the staff jab and poke me even harder than before. I couldn't take the aggravation anymore, and I revealed that I was indeed still very much alive and annoyed. I grabbed the staff out of the silver haired boy and swung it like a bat at all four of them. I swung out repeatedly and knocked over the boy with silver hair and swatted Cooro out of the air making him crash land on the sandy ground. Then right as I was about to make a break for it; Senri swatted the staff out of my hands and held me fast to the ground. I thrashed and wiggled trying to get free from the male Kim-un-kur; but was at a loss on account of being exhausted from running away from the camp.
--
A small stick snapped from within the campfire. I was transfixed at the flames; they appeared to be confined by a small stone ring but yet acted wild as if threatening to break free and wreak havoc. I felt a sense of familiarity with the fire and was comforted by it. I felt watched and looked up from the fire to meet the silent yet curious gazes from the four other +Animas.
"What do you want?" I spat out at them with a nasty glare that I revealed to them.
"I was wondering if you would like to come with us! I bet Nana here would like your company since she is the only girl." Cooro smiled and chomped into an apple he pulled out of his pocket. I looked at the blonde haired girl with a raised eyebrow. She glared at Cooro and crossed her arms.
"So your name is Nana." I chewed on dried piece of venison. "And who is handsome over there?" I nodded my head toward the boy with the silver hair.
"Oh! That is Husky!" Nana smiled and pushed Husky playfully on the shoulder. I smiled while chewing; I noticed that Nana liked Husky more than what she was leading onto.
"And this is Senri!" Cooro pointed to the other Kim-un-kur.
"We've already met too many times." I muttered as I crossed my legs the same way Senri was sitting.
"Are you a Kim-un-kur too?" Cooro asked as he swallowed the last of his apple. I looked at him with a blank stare and looked down at my folded legs before quietly nodding. "Where is your family?" I looked at the four and glared dangerously at Cooro. That was one subject I hated to bring up. I got to my feet and walked silently away from the group and headed onto a nearby sand dune. "Was it something I said?"