Hi all! Bet you thought I let this story die, huh? Quite the contrary. This story was left neglected for many reasons: school, lack of inspiration, laziness…the list goes on. The main deal was that the first chapter was written on a whim without any real planning on my part. After revisiting some things and plotting out where I want this story to go, I feel ready to finally update this story after so very long. I will update whenever I can, but classes come first. Just know that I don't intend for Aki's tale to go unfinished!

And with all of that blabbering out of the way, I hope you enjoy Chapter 2! ^_^

Chapter 2: The Desert Planet

"Get in there, you rat!" one of the brutish guards yelled before shoving Aki into her cage-like cell. Aki grunted as she stumbled in and landed against the grayish wall, panting as her eyes were re-adjusting to the dim light of the area. Members of the royal family had the nerve to call this dungeon the "Servant Living Quarters." Prisons on Corneria were luxury suites compared to this place.

Aki coughed and sat down on the floor, wincing at the harsh stinging coming from her whip slashes and her newest wound from the battle. She could feel her wounds throbbing in pain as the sweat and the dust seemed to only make them burn more. It hurt so much that she almost felt like crying, but she did not allow any tears to come to her eyes. Instead, she bit her lip and hugged her knees to her chest, curling her tail around her waist as she looked around her dreary cell.

The cells were merely bars built in narrow, side-by-side squares. They were made to contain only two occupants, but they were usually shared between three to five slaves at a time. There were very few windows in the dungeon and e no torch lights save for the two at the exit, so sunlight was the only light and warmth the slaves had. Their "beds" consisted of straw and a shredded cloth that could be a bed covering or a blanket. There was a small pan of water to each cell that was used for drinking water, though it was sometimes used to clean out serious wounds. Slaves have often had to make difficult decisions between cleaning a wound and having drinking water because water was so scarce on Dune. Every slave was taught the importance of conserving water and to never waste a life-saving drop of it. Even the tiniest dew droplet was considered sacred.

In addition to the scarcity of water, neglectful attitude of the guards made the decision even harder. Aside from looking out for the slaves "well-being," they were responsible for distributing food and water. Yet they would often skip a day and make the slaves go without food, water, or both. Sometimes it would be a few days before the slaves finally had their water changed out. And if any slave complained, they would promptly be promptly smacked or beaten until they were silent.

"Rotten bastards," Aki grumbled as she stared at the dry water pan, knowing that the guards intentionally skipped her when giving out the water rations for today. At least she knew that Toso, her jackal cellmate, kept a small canteen of water on him and was always willing to share it with her.

"You wouldn't be so miserable if you stopped picking fights with the guards all of the time, my dear," came a soft voice from the neighboring cell.
Aki's ears perked up as she looked to the right. She saw an elderly badger in tattered brown robes sitting against the bars, looking at her with soft, weathered eyes. She was Aki's foster parent, Kahna, though Aki often called her "Obaa," which meant "grandmother" in the native tongue of the slaves. She was somewhat broad-boned and had light grey hair reached a little bit past her shoulders. There was some grayish white fur along her muzzle and around her eyes, signifying her elderly age. Despite her appearance, Kahna was not feeble at all, even in her mid-sixties. She was used as a labor slave in her younger years and had become very tough and versatile over the years. She now worked in the palace kitchen after a severe injury to her leg gave her a permanent limp and made it difficult for her to walk around all day in the hot sun.

"When will you ever learn to mind your own business, Obaa?" Aki asked while giving her an annoyed look.

"Fine," Kahna replied and started rummaging through her pockets. "Then I suppose you won't be needing these to help those wounds heal properly, either." She pulled out a small wrap of bandages and a small container of a special type of healing balm that could heal wounds much faster than normal balms.

"How on earth did you get those?" Aki asked, surprised that Kahna was able to get her hands on such items.

"From a friend who was able to steal them from the royal family's medical supply closets," Kahna replied, and then grinned lightly. "Still think that I should stay out of your business?"

Aki let out a sigh and shook her head. "Okay, okay. I'm sorry, Obaa."

"Apology accepted. Now move next to the bars and lay down so I can clean off those wounds of yours."

Aki did as she said and scooted over to the bars. She lifted her shirt up to her chest while grabbing the back of it and pulling it over her head so she could slip it back on once Kahna was done. She also took care to keep her chest covered. Even if she would be lying face down, she did not want to sit up and accidentally flash a peeping slave or guard.

As Aki lay down, Kahna grabbed her water tray and pulled out a rag that she always kept on her, dipping it in the water and letting it soak before wringing some of the water out. "Honestly, I can never understand why you're so rebellious," Kahna said as she looked down at her back and grimaced. There where five slashes on her back that were still healing and a deep slash mark which still had blood oozing out of it. "After receiving wounds like these again and again, I would think that you'd follow my advice and keep your nose out of trouble."

Aki said nothing and just stared at the dirty floor. Once Kahna reached through the bars and began to wipe the blood and dirt from her back, Aki's entire body jolted and her eyes became wide with pain. It felt as if daggers were being stabbed into her back as wet rag gently brushed against her torn skin. She bit her lip to keep herself from yelping out in pain.

"You know, it wouldn't kill you to cry or to yelp, you know," Kahna spoke gently as she rubbed the cloth slowly along the wounds. "It helps relieve the pain."

"N-No," Aki said in a very strained voice before gritting her teeth and taking in a sharp breath. She knew that the guards were nearby and would like nothing more than to her cry out in pain. She forced herself to remain as quiet as she could.

"Suit yourself," Kahna sighed as she dipped the cloth once more in the water and rung it before gently rubbing over Aki's open cuts. "I suppose it's pointless in arguing with you. You're as stubborn as your mother was."

Aki said nothing and just looked forward, flinching and spasming every time the cloth ran down her back.

"Aki, I know it hurts, but you have to hold still," Kahna said and reached through the bars to hold her shoulder down.

"I know," Aki said in an annoyed voice and growled. Then she felt Kahna smack her on the side of her head against her sensitive ears, which made her wince.

"Don't you growl at me, girl," Kahna said and growled right back at her. "You show respect for your elders, you hear me? Why, you're lucky that I still even look after you."

Aki turned around and frowned at her, only to be met with Kahna's firm gaze. Even if Kahna was old, she knew not to bush the old badger simply because of what she was; a badger. Even someone like Kahna was rather gruff and could get mean really quickly if provoked. Also, Aki knew that she had a point. Kahna was the only one aside from Toso who would look after her. And in a place like this, the more friends you had, the more likely you were to survive.

Aki's gaze softened, and then she gave an apologetic nod to Kahna before facing forward again. Kahna just let out a sigh and continued to clean the slashes until she was sure they were clean.

Luckily the balm that Kahna had was more soothing to the injuries than the water was, though it still stung Aki's tender skin and felt really tingly. Once the balm was rubbed in, Aki sat up and helped Kahna wrap the bandages around her back, rolling them around her chest and waist as Kahna wrapped them around her back. Once they were done, Aki slid her shirt back over her and looked back to the old badger. "Thanks."

"Of course," Kahna replied and gave her a small smile as she put the balm and bandages back in her pocket. "You may act like a brat, but believe it or not I still care about what happens to you. I don't think either of your parents would ever forgive me if I let something happen to you."

Aki sighed and scooted away from her towards the wall of her cell, sitting on top of the straw bed and holey blanket that lay underneath the barred window. A lot of the slaves thought she was lucky to have a window so she could see the outside, but Aki did not think much of at all. What was there to see? A seemingly endless desert and a barren, cloudless sky…not much of a view at all.

As Aki closed her eyes to rest, random thoughts began to come and go inside of her head. Why was she born a slave? Why were Kahna, Toso, and all of the other slaves considered something less than human by the Royal Family and the noble upper class.

"Because they are the descendents of savages. They need to be kept under control."

Aki gave a low growl as she remembered when she was a child and listened into the lessons that young Princess Persefani and her little vulpine playmate and servant, Quentix, were being taught by one of the snooty, upper-class scholars. The teacher had even brought Aki forward and used her as some sort of specimen, showing the two youngsters how skinny she was, how coarse her fur was, how short and tangled her dark brown hair was, and how wild those sea green eyes of her were. She was made to be the poster-child for " a little barbarian," as the scholar so eloquently put it. And when the six-year-old Aki had snapped at him and told him that she was no barbarian, the scholar simply smacked her across the face and explained to Persefani that this was why "these people" needed to be controlled. If not, they would rebel, run wild, and kill anyone they saw.

As a result of this lesson, the spoiled princess began to order Aki around as frequently as she could, making her fetch things for her and Quentix to play with and then making her pick up after them. Whenever Aki did not do exactly what she said, the little sand lioness cub did exactly what her parents and her teacher had taught her to do; she would smack Aki right across the face to discipline her like some sort of dog. It got old very quickly. It was not until the day that Persefani shattered an expensive vase that Aki started standing up for herself. Persefani raised her hand up high to smack Aki for "making her" break it, but when the lioness cub brought her hand down, the feisty little kit grabbed her wrist with one hand and brought her other hand around to smack Persefani with all of her might. She did not realize how strong it was as Persefani fell right to the ground with Aki still holding her up by the wrist. "How do you like it how, huh?" Aki yelled at her.

The little princess whimpered at the kit's anger and began to cry. Aki was about to yell at her again before she was pushed away by Quentix, who went to Persefani's side and tried to console her. This angered Aki even more. When she raised her hand to slap him as well, she felt it being grabbed by none other than the queen, who had heard the crash and the whimpering and rushed to see what had happened.

It had been her first beating, and it had been the worst she had ever received in her entire life. Ten lashes and then a whole week in an isolation cell with very little food. Eventually her untreated wounds became infected and by the end of the week she had a high fever. She spent another week after that in the hospital wing, clinging onto life by a mere thread. Despite her sickness, she managed to pull through and had been discharged a few days later. It was then that she realized just how much she hated the royal family…and how powerless she was to stop them.

The more Aki dwelled on those thoughts, the angrier she became. Yet her anger quickly diminished when she let out a yawn and realized how tired she was. She had a long day, and knew that if the next day was going to be anything like this one, she would need to get as much sleep as she possibly could.

Aki sat there with her eyes closed, letting herself slowly drift to sleep. But the memory of that scholar's words still haunted her.

"…they are the descendents of savages…"

"Obaa, are we savages?"

Aki was sitting on top of a counter, watching Kahna chop vegetables for the king and queen's dinner. It was the day after she had recovered from her fever and she was assigned to help Kahna in the kitchen.

"Savages? Why no," Kahna replied, looking back at the little kit with a concerned expression. "Where did you hear that from?"

"The scholar that taught Persefoney," Aki replied bitterly and crossed her arms. "Persefoney" had been the nickname that she had given the princess after she first smacked her.

"Oh, I see," Kahna replied neutrally and looked back to the zucchini she was cutting. "Well, it's no surprise coming from him. He and the entire royal family are the descendents of the early Cornerians."

"Cornerians?"

"Yes," Kahna said and wiped the cutting knife off with her apron before motioning to Aki to come and help her. As they worked in the kitchen, Kahna told Aki the actual history of Dune

"Many, many years ago, Dune was an isolated world that was dominated by four major tribes; the Trumoc, the Suna, the Tipis, and the Amaza. You and I come from the Trumoc, who were known as the true desert dwellers.

"Even though every tribe knew how to survive in the desert, only our tribe knew every secret of the desert. Many believed that they could even speak to the desert. They could tell when a sandstorm was coming given the slightest change in the winds and knew the behavior of every creature, including the Nomu…the Giant Sand Ohm. Only the Trumoc knew the migration paths of the Nomu, and only they knew how to drive them away from their camps whenever they got too close. They were also deadly assassins, probably the deadliest among the major clans. They were so swift and so attune to their surroundings that they moved like the silent shadows among the dunes. And they developed poisons so deadly that they'd kill a puny girl like you in the blink of an eye."

"Cool," said the kit with an awed expression on her face.

"Indeed," Kahna said and chuckled at the kit's awe before continuing with this history lesson. "All four of these clans lived with little contact until one day, a long, long time ago, the first settlers from a planet they called Corneria came to our world. They had gotten lost on their way to a different planet and had wandered around in the vast heavens for nearly a year before reaching this world.

"At first, the people of this planet were wary of these people and seldom showed themselves to them. The Cornerians tried to survive in small camps, but they soon realized that they were very ill-equipped to survive in the desert. It was not until they started dying off that the Trumoc's leader, Kensa, showed pity on them and decided to help them. It took a while, but soon the Trumoc and the Cornerians formed a leery trust. The Trumoc taught the settlers how to survive in desert. They showed them everything…from deciding which plants to pick, to how to drive away a Nomu in case one ever attacked their village. Kensa probably believed that he had done something noble by helping these people survive…but he probably should have just let those people be taken by the desert."

Aki listened very closely now while she helped Kahna put the chopped up vegetables into a boiling pot.

"At first, these settlers lived in peace with the Trumoc and even the other clans grew to accept them. But these settlers believed that they were the superior ones because they had such advanced technology. They tried to set up their own government and pull the other clans into it. But Kensa would not cooperate, and nor would the leaders of the other clans. So, the Cornerians began to fight with the Trumoc. It started off as mere skirmishes, but they slowly began to escalate as the Cornerians looked to expand and to take the resources of our people for their own. The fighting got worse and worse until finally, a Trumoc child was killed in a fight. No one knows if it was done on purpose or on accident, but the Trumoc were furious and before Kensa could calm his clan down, one of his warriors assassinated one of the Cornerian leaders in revenge. That was when the Blood War began."

"'Blood war?'" Aki looked up at Kahna's face then. "What happened in it?"

"Atrocities by which we have never seen," Kahna said as she stirred the vegetables around in the pot. She looked down at Aki then and patted her head. "It's nothing that should be told to a girl your age…perhaps when you are older. But to put a long story short…"

"The Cornerians won," Aki said while frowning.

"Aye, that they did child," Kahna replied in a sigh. "The Blood War only lasted six months, but it was more than enough to decimate our people. The Cornerians had such powerful weapons…and somehow, they developed technology that could throw off the Nomu and send them onto our villages. Even when Kensa surrendered, the Cornerians had no mercy for our kind. Their leader had filled so much hate into his people that they came to despise us. When Kensa came to offer a peace, they killed him instead. But they didn't stop there…No, they were so full of hatred that they believed a cleansing was needed. And so, with their technology and firepower, they killed any native who did not pledge loyalty to them. This conflict was far more bloodier than the war itself. So many villages were destroyed…and so many lives were lost. The Amaza were nearly wiped out completely when their villages were attacked by herds of crazed Nomu, which were driven mad by some kind of weapon which produced sound-waves at high pitch frequencies. The Suna Clan was forced into submission when their Hime was kidnapped. After she killed herself, they fled into one of the more remote and dangerous parts of the desert as a sign of surrender. Our clan and the Tipis suffered the worst, and those that survived the cleansing were taken as prisoners, save for the Tipis who would not betray their own clan. They fought to their deaths trying to defend their home…as did our people. This horrible event lasted ten bloody years before the Cornerian leader established the monarchy and enslaved our people."

The more Kahna told her, the tighter Aki's fists became. "Stupid Cornerians," she said and kicked at the tiles, only to feel Kahna's firm hand on her shoulder to calm her down. Aki looked up at her and then sighed before asking her, "What happened to everyone, Obaa? Aren't there still some free people left?"

Kahna sighed and shook her head. "Not that many, my dear," she said. "No one has seen the Amaza for many years, and many believe that they have long been dead. I do not know what happened to the Tipis Clan, but they disappeared as quickly as the Amaza. Many say that the Tipis Clan fell from internal struggles within their ranks. If there are any left that did not betray their own bloodline, they are most likely imprisoned. The Suna Clan remains shrouded in mystery. I have only heard rumors and whispers about them, but some say they still live in isolation from the other clans and stay as far away from the monarchy as possible.

"And as for our people…there are very few camps left, if any. Most of us have been enslaved in raids, such as I and your mother were. And some, like you, were born into slavery. If there are any Trumoc left, they can only be found in the most dangerous parts of the desert where not even King Roemand would travel. I can only pray to the ancient gods of our people that they remain safe within the dunes." Kahna suddenly looked up as one of the guards came in to check on the progress of the chefs. "But enough chat…we must hurry if we are to get this meal prepared for the family. Otherwise we won't earn our food rations for the day."

Aki nodded and looked at the guard who entered, giving him a spiteful glare that sent a chill down his spine before returning to work.

Later that evening, Aki was letting Kahna brush her hair while she nibbled on a stale biscuit. The kit's mind had been running non-stop since Kahna told her the history of her people and the origin of the monarchy. It only made her hate them more, but Kahna would always tell her to not let her hatred cloud her judgment. "Hate is a powerful weapon, Aki," she would say. "It is what the monarchy used to destroy us." Aki never quite new what Kahna meant, but she assumed that it was just another way of telling her to stay out of trouble.

Once Kahna was done brushing her hair, Aki turned around and asked, "Obaa, can we ever be free?"

Kahna blinked and stared at her for a moment, feeling a bit taken off guard by the kit's question. "Well, I'm not sure, Aki. I don't think any of us know the answer to that question. Why do you ask?"

"'Cause I don't wanna be a slave," Aki said before she stood up and walked towards the window. "I wanna go into the desert. I wanna live with the Trumoc and be one of those 'sassins you told me about."

"It's assassins, dear," Kahna said and then shook her head, smiling at the girl's enthusiasm. "High hopes for a future so bleak, but perhaps it's wishes like yours that will keep you alive."

Aki looked back to her and tilted her head, not understanding what the elder badger was saying. Kahna sighed before motioning Aki back towards her. Aki obediently walked over and sat down on her knees in front of her. "Listen, Aki," Kahna began, "None of us can ever be free. The bounty on a runaway's head is so high that you'd be caught before you made it out of the city or even the fields. The only freedoms a slave can enjoy is if they become a loyal servant or concubine of the king or queen. But even then, living that kind of life is more of a prison than the one we live in now. That is why I feel sorry for the little white kit that the queen has adopted as her pet."

"Humph," Aki said and crossed her arms, frowning down and the sandy floor. "I don't feel sorry for him at all. He gets to stay inside all day and play with Persefoney while the rest of us have to work. It's not fair."

Kahna sighed again and rubbed Aki's head. "Trust me, my dear…his fate is something you would never want to have. And someday, when you are older, perhaps you can learn to show pity and mercy to those who deserve it."

Aki still said nothing and continued to frown, but her expression softened when she felt Kahna's claws touch her chin and moved her face back onto hers.

"You listen to me, Aki," she said in a serious tone, looking at her with her hard, dark eyes. "It does not matter if you are a slave or not. You come from a proud, strong clan. Their blood runs through your veins. Never forget where you come from. And don't you ever lose that fiery will of yours. It will help you survive even the most dire conditions." Kahna paused and stared into those sea green eyes of hers, believing that she was looking into the eyes of Aki's mother. Then she rubbed the kit's cheek reassuringly. "Our clan has survived in the desert for hundreds of years, my dear. So long as you survive, there is still hope for our people yet."

Feeling comforted by the badger's words, Aki smiled and nodded eagerly. Kahna smiled her back at her and lifted her paw up for her. Aki raised her hand up in turn and felt Kahna take a strong hold of it and squeeze it. "This is an old tradition of our people, little one," Kahna said. "Sunnarusha… 'May you be blessed by the desert'."

"Sunna..rusha…" Aki repeated, and closed her eyes. She repeated the phrase over and over in her mind until it became imprinted in her memory.

"Yes," Kahna said and then rubbed her head gently. "Now we must sleep. We need to get up early if we are to collect the early morning dew tomorrow."

Aki found it hard to sleep that night. She tossed and turned on her hay mat and cuddled into her thin blanket and into Kahna for some warmth. Still, she could not set her mind at ease. She sat up and looked out over the other slaves who were fast asleep. She saw weathered, beaten, spiritless faces. These people had lost their will to fight and had completely surrendered their lives to the corrupt monarchy. Aki never wanted to be like these other people. She did not want to live a submissive life of servitude where she had the very life beaten out of her. She knew that she would never bow down to the royalty, at least not in spirit. She would oppose them at any chance she got. She would steal from their private stores. She would pick fights with guards who bullied other slaves. Oh, she would survive, all right. But she would never be broken.

It was at that very moment that Aki looked outside and saw a waxing crescent moon look down at her through the bars. She stared up at that moon and the dim stars that glittered around it. She gripped her fists softly and knelt before the moon. Then, she began to utter a prayer.

"I give an oath to the ancient gods of this planet…and to the very desert itself," she began, and suddenly paused to think of the right words to say. Once they were in her head, she looked up into the moon and spoke. "I promise…so long as I live…"

"I will always fight until I am free…"

These words echoed in Aki's head as she lay there sleeping. Even in sleep, she felt her resolve was as strong as it ever had been. Yet her dream was interrupted by the sound of the door crashing against the wall, which was followed immediately by loud, angry voices.