Disclaimer: I don't own the universe, nope-nope-nope.
Authors Note: Wheeee! Hullo there! We're baaaack! As you have seen, I have indeed updated my other stories, as promised. Jake is no one important, I just picked a random name for him. …Okay, so he's important to the story, but, what I mean is that he's not based off any in-game characters. Sikagi, however? Is.
[Chapter Two: Never Mild]
Six months passed before they returned to the city, laden with treasures and gold. Well, maybe not treasures, but gold, certainly- enough to allow them to live in comfort for several months, at least, perhaps half a year or more. It seemed, Jake mused to himself, that Sikagi had been right. Those living in the lands past the Shiverpeaks were more than happy to pay for their services, be it in clearing the area of bandits, helping with the livestock, or, in some areas, protecting them from the branded as they made their way to safer areas.
In fact, that last reason was the very reason they had returned. A merchant, hailing from Ebonhawke, had agreed to pay them a rather handsome some of money, if they would but escort him to the Sheamoor garrison. Sikagi separated herself from Jake, she and the trader splitting off to discuss the matter of their pay, as Jake looked around at the garrison, noting changes. The gates had been repaired, evidently many times, and parts of the bridges leading to and from the garrison were damaged, badly. Something caught his attention, in the corner of his eye, and he turned.
At first, he saw nothing special, just an empty holding cell. As he blinked, wondering what had caught his eye, he saw it. Huddled up in the corner of the cell, covered in dirt and grime, was the very girl he had brought back here, six months ago- the girl her had forgotten. A rope led from her neck to a hook in the back of the cage. Her clothes were dirty and worn, her skirt nearly torn away. She was growling weakly at some soldiers nearby, cowering in the corner of the filthy cell. Jake noticed, with no small amount of alarm, that she was even thinner then she was the last time he had seen her.
Sikagi, by now, had finished talking to the trader about the matter of their payment. She walked over, head tilting. "What are you looking a- Oh…" Sikagi stared over at the girl in the cell, wordless horror filling her expression. Well, at least, wordless at first. "Okay, that's just wrong. I'm going to talk to the captain, she's not staying in there." Jake almost grinned at the fury in the sylvari's voice, as she marched off to go deliver an earful to a certain unsuspecting captain. Jake, meanwhile, walked up to the cell, kneeling by it. "Girl? Are you awake?" He was met with a weak growl. The girl stirred, lifting his head to look at him, violet eyes bright and filled with terror. "By the six… We're going to get you out of there, okay? You'll be alright. I promise."
Sikagi returned shortly, looking disgusted, dragging the captain along behind her. Her hood had fallen back, revealing her rather pinkish features. Her face was pointy and angular, with thorns along the bridge of her nose and her eyebrows. Her eyes were a deep maroon, almost pure red. She glared hatefully at the captain, and Jake stood, glaring. The captain spoke before Jake got a chance. "That girl is a killer. We tried to rehabilitate her into society, she killed two of my men before we could stop her. She's a beast, this is for her own good. If we let her out, she'll just kill again."
Jake felt a hint of uncertainty, now, looking over at the girl. True, she looked miserable in the cell, but, she was dangerous, wasn't she? He vaguely remembered carrying her, how she had whimpered when they neared this place, how frighteningly fragile she was. He chewed his lower lip, thinking, then sighed. "Release her into my custody. I'll rehabilitate her myself."
Sikagi looked to Jake gratefully, but the girl, however, did not, cowering in the back of the tiny cell. The captain nodded, walking forward and pulling out a key, which he then slipped into the lock, turning it and stepping back. The door swung open, with a creak, and the girl bolted. The rope around her neck came to just out of arms reach of the door itself, choking her, until she took a step back, alleviating the tension on the rope. Jake looked to the captain in disgust, then stepped forward, holding his hand out.
The girl's reaction was instantaneous. She whimpered, scuttling back to her corner to cower away from him. Jake paused, lowering his hand and stepping back, looking to Sikagi. The sylvari grimaced, walking forward and into the cage itself, until she was less then afoot away. She knelt in front of the girl, whispering softly. The girl whimpered and cringed at first, until Sikagi stood, walking towards the hook on the wall. She lifted the rope from the end of the hook, and walked back to the girl, showing her. Jake watched the scene, grimacing as he looked to the captain, who glared into the cell. "I have one condition for you taking her with you. The rope stays, as insurance to the townsfolk that she won't bolt and kill us all." Jake looked to the captain, fury rising in him. "That's despicable! She's not an animal!" "Yes, she is. She's a beast, and a killer. You can't expect us to trust her."
Jake glared at him, as Sikagi led the girl out of the cell. She whimpered and tried to scuttle back in when she saw the captain, but Sikagi wouldn't relent, tugging the rope gently until she stood near Jake. "Anything, else, we should be concerned about?" Sikagi asked, practically spitting the words. When the captain shook his head, she relaxed. "Good. Come on, Jake." She started to lead the girl away from the garrison, stopping when the girl stumbled. Sikagi turned, taking in the girl's appearance, looking her over.
She couldn't be more then sixteen, just skin and bones, covered in dirt and grime. There was a long, nasty looking cut along her arm, and she had several bruises and sores, especially along her hands. Sikagi grimaced, looking to Jake, who sighed, walking forward and scooping the girl up. She whimpered at first, struggling weakly, and Jake stroked her hair until she began to calm, eyelids drooping. Jake grimaced, and they began walking once more.
They walked for ages, finally stopping at a river, In Kessek. Somewhere along the way, the girl had let herself be lured into sleep, shivering and curling against Jake, who smoothed her hair gently. "We'll set up camp here," Sikagi said softly, removing her pack and letting it drop to the ground. Jake looked to the girl in his arms. "She needs a bath…" "I'll handle that, you go get food." Jake nodded, handing the girl to his friend as he went off to hunt.
Sikagi looked at the girl in her hands, sighing and approaching the river. She shook her shoulder, gently, waking the girl, who growled. "Shhh… You're okay. I'm going to give you a bath, okay? You're injured, your wounds need cleaning." She kept her voice low and gentle, a tone that she normally reserved for wild animals- a tone Jake would never hear. Sikagi looked at the girl. "Can you undress yourself, or do you need help?" When she nodded, Sikagi set her carefully on the ground, keeping a grip on the rope and turning around, waiting. A few moments later, she felt a tap on her shoulder, turning around.
The girl had her arms covering her chest, a heart-breakingly scared expression on her face. All she wore was a set of metal dog tags, which Sikagi made a mental note to investigate later. Her body was covered with scars, several of these on her thighs. Sikagi grimaced, and scooped her back up, wading into the river. She again turned around, allowing the girl some modesty, still holding the rope. The girl tapped Sikagi's shoulder after a moment, and motioned to her back, looking somewhat pleading. Sikagi realized, after a moment, that the girl was asking for help, and she sighed. "Alright, turn around."
As Sikagi helped the girl to remove the grime from her back, she got her first look at the many scars crisscrossing it- far older than just six months. Her skin was considerably lighter than it had looked at first, now that the dirt was gone. She was still frighteningly thin, wet hair hanging limp against her face. Sikagi gently tugged the rope, leading her back to her clothes. "Go ahead and get dressed, Jake should have food waiting for us."
Not only did Jake have food for them, he'd already set up camp. A couple dead rabbits were roasting over the fire, heat coating them. He looked up, waving a little. "Come sit, ladies. Food should be ready soon." He turned his attention to the girl as she sat gingerly, hesitantly, as far away from him as she could get. He tried to looks friendly, but she cringed when he smiled. "I'm Jake, and my leafy friend here is Sikagi. Do you have a name, wolven one?"
The girl looked at him through purple eyes, hesitantly removing the necklace from inside her shirt, turning it so they could see. Whatever the original name had been was scratched out, replaced with the word 'Kyt'. "Kyt? Is that your name?" Kyt nodded hesitantly, reaching up and tugging at the leash with a growl. "No, no. Stop that, bad. Bad wolf. You need to keep that on, at least until we're out of Kryta. I'm sorry, but that's how it is." Jake kept his voice friendly, but stern, causing the girl to cringe and droop.
The food was soon finished, providing a distraction. Jake pretended not to notice Sikagi giving Kyt part of her share, the feral girl eating the meat with her hands, not missing a crumb. Sikagi had, while the food was cooking, tied the rope securely around the base of a nearby tree, and the moment Kyt was finished eating, she darted over there, climbing the tree with the grace of a squirrel, peering down at Sikagi and Jake. The sylvari thief laughed, watching her. "Having fun, Kyt?" Kyt only growled in response, shuffling until she was hidden by the branches, presumably settling in to sleep.