Aetas Infinitas
Chap 10
Murder in the Cave
Once, early on in the second year, Veri overheard a conversation being held between the man and a stranger up by the house.
The second man's voice was very deep compared to her master's voice.
"Where the hell is the money Smith? You've owed every bit of that money for nearly nine months. If you don't have it by dusk tomorrow I'll run you out and sell every dust speck you own to pay it back,"
Veri did not know of what they were speaking, but she found it interesting to listen. Her master replied in a slightly intimidated but reassuring voice.
"Relax. Phoebe told me that the mutt I got chained in the shed is one of the rarest anybody's seen of that breed in years and if I can fork over some for one of them special stones, I'm gonna change it and rake in the cash for your goddamn debt. Well, that is one of these years I'm gonna get off'n my rear and sell the thing. It seems stupid though, over a game of cards and all…"
"You bet six thousand in one play! You bastards all make fool's decisions like that; you're all the same."
"Oh don't worry. What that runt'll bring in will be more than enough for you. Phoebe was the one that told me that the thing could even change, and that that would cause its value to nearly double. At least that wench is good for something."
This seemed to calm the man considerably.
"Why the hell is she living with you anyway? She a tart or somethin'?"
"No, my sister is not a tart. Your wife's the tart. Pheb' just happens to need a place to stay, and she never wants to marry, she says. 'Says I wore her out of men," The two men shared a laugh.
"What bout' them boys of yours? And yeah, my wife sleeps around some, but all I need her for is her cookin',"
"Well, my oldest, Richard, he's 13, and the twins are 9 now," Veri knew of whom her master was speaking of now, although what he was saying about them was in the dark. Not that she was overly concerned about it, either. The boys did nothing but prod and taunt her from just out of the reach of her chain where Veri would growl but recoil in an irritated fear back into the corner.
"And their mother? Are you still seeing her?"
Veri's master laughed as though he hadn't been asked that in years.
"Wow, besides the card game it's been a long time since we've caught up, you and I, hasn't it? But no, she left when Richard was 'bout five. I'm not too old to raise three boys. Can't be that hard right? I've made it through half already,"
"Well, not really. When all Susan would give me was a daughter she took off, and now my daughter's a tart too. I'll tell ya Smith; we're all messed up. Say, this is a good share early, but what'll you be next birthday?"
"I'll be pushin' 32. I'd also promised the boys I'd take 'em hunting this summer too. 'Hear the coons and stantler are boomin' this year. Them' red-maned birds should be in full season too pretty soon. Make 'fur some good cookin', they will."
Veri heard the second man get to his feet from the squeaky porch step.
"How bout' this runt you say you got in the shed there? Let's see 'er huh?
"Sure thing Jerry," Veri heard the two approach the door, and she huddled in the corner in wide-eyed fear. "She's a bit sickly, from not eaten' her food and all, but it's nothin' a few good meals'll fix up before sellin' time comes around," The latch was lifted free and the door cracked open. After a moment of the two men's whispers, the door open fully and Veri clearly saw her master, tall, rugged, and dirty, and the man he was with. His deep voice complemented his girth, and his heavy build gave Veri additional fear.
Smith paced to the corner, and Veri bunched together so that all she could see of him was his grubby boots, and tensed as she felt him lift her up from behind the neck.
"Here she is, the shrimp," Veri dangled limply under his firm grasp, averting her eyes so that they did not meet the strange man's. He inspected her closely, bringing his face too near for Veri's comfort and his occasional groans stayed behind deep breaths that smelled of something foul, which Veri later learned to be tobacco and a favorite treat of her master's.
After several minutes of uncontested silence he righted himself and put a hand on his hip.
"Yep all right; she'll bring in a good load in town, especially once she's grown, she will. The way I see it, you could get bunches from her, and if you manage to bag a big one come huntin' season. You'll be out of the hole three times as much."
"Yeah, I 'wuz gonna ask you that earlier and I plum forgot. What is the big game this year Jerry?"
"Ohh, them huntin' officials'r getting' more thick headed every year. They're payin' seven thousand for the heaviest bear ya can bag. Rumors are floatin' 'round that there's one wanderin' around out there that weighs three hundred 'n fifty. How they'd be knowin' that is beyond me. Well, I should be goin'. Say hi to them boys for me and give me a call when you're ready to sell that thing and go huntin'."
"Will do Jerry. I'll see ya later." He dropped Veri on the ground without a further thought and latched the door behind him.
Veri thought about what the two men had said. While she'd only grasped a few concepts from their conversation, she'd heard something about hunting. The whole concept of chasing down prey wasn't entirely new to the vulpix. A hunt was a carefully coordinated execution of teamwork both by man and animal, predator and prey. Teamwork that was only capable where a strong bond was formed. If this man planned on taking Veri with him to go and run some sorry creature down, Veri would have none of it as long as she could help it. There was no bond anywhere between the two that could skillfully hunt along with the guidance of the ancient rule. This made Veri very uneasy. ((O.o)) Veri did not recognize this rule as an actual law however, but rather as an instinct unearthed from her heritage of past generations hunting alongside men.
How dare he even attempt to violate such a law? If this excuse for a human had the ability to defy the archaic decree then he should be labeled as such. She then decided to create a new calling for her master. A 'male possession' would suit her just fine.
Because Veri now regarded her captor as a 'male possession', Veri's fears of him changed. It was not a fear of reverence, nor one to be scared of. Veri now saw him as simply something to avoid as much as possible, and doing as he commanded when he spoke to her. That was all. No respect; he deserved none of course. She was neither malevolent nor fomenting at this stage. It would take several more years of brewing in this new type of fear before that could be reached.
The first major test of this new perspective was the day, later in that same year, when Smith decided to take only one of his dogs and drag Veri along with him into town. He came to the shed and lifted the latch so that the door swung wide open, letting what light was left in the day stream in. He leaned down and unclipped her chain and muzzle, forcibly pushing Veri out the door with his ankle. She thought about bolting for the forest, but a corrective growl from the dog with red eyes persuaded her to sit. If he planned on bringing the dog along to wherever it was he was going, Veri's chances of getting away would be near impossible. Those godforsaken hounds were just like the man's sons; ominous and ever-watching her every move, ready to trouble her at any moment.
As she simply sat with the menacing creature policing her from behind, she watched the man go into a large building quite a distance from where she was and slowly lead out a gray, ragged looking creature that resembled a rapidash. Sure enough, it was, and she wondered briefly why she'd never seen this creature before. It was a mare, tattered and bent from years of probably the same treatment that was so graciously given to Veri. It was a sorry sight- several bones were visible from areas where the skin hung loose, and her fires burnt low and weak, like an old candle burning its last moments. Her coat was not a creamy white either. It had grown to be a sickly gray and baggy, glazed eyes were about the most noticeable thing on her entire body. Her horn was missing, and by the way she limped something was wrong with her right foreleg.
At this point Veri felt some sympathy for the creature, but it did not affect her feelings for the man. She did not hate him more for what he had done to it; she was not capable of such thoughts anymore. All she knew was that this man was a monster that was to be obeyed only to avoid pain, like the black entity that used to haunt her dreams. Smith mounted the half-dead equine and whistled for his dog to follow, which sprang to its feet and snapped at Veri to get moving as well.
They traveled down a dirty trail until the sun had nearly vanished completely over the treetop-filled horizon. The entire time the red-eyed canine would never be more than three steps behind the vulpix, who was expected to keep an even pace with the ankles of the half-dead horse. When they arrived in the town, Veri was amazed at what was before her. Buildings stood, nearly twice as high as the homes her first human family had lived in, and in shapes identical to the man's home. People were everywhere, and as the sun left the sky darkness settled on the area, taking the bustle and chaos with it. Veri was led to an open place in the center of the town where many more men and dogs were standing around, some mounted, others not. But there were more than just dogs here, and while most of them were, a few of the creatures astounded Veri with their display. There was a pair of pink creatures, about twice as tall as Veri, with large ears and long spikes protruding from various parts of its body.
One of these two shouted something at Veri but she did not hear. She was too caught up in the magnificence of another creature to hear anything. This creature was not the largest she had ever seen, but by far the most intimidating the vulpix had ever come across. This one stood nearly three times her height and a thick, muscular body sat on two short legs. Two long arms sported a set of razor-sharp claws on each end. Even more ferocious were its eyes; this being's eyes cried of something formidable and sinister. Veri imagined that they held this aura even when the creature slept. The red, jagged markings split through the white fur, complimenting its eyes, which also were tinged red. Veri was frightened- but a fear both of reverence and of terror. It was indeed a daunting display, but it showed power.
This fiend was not of his own tenure, but apparently of the man sitting atop a mighty rapidash just to his right. Another sign of this ownership was a black strap of some sort was looped around its neck as it stood there. Like his 'pet', this man stood out among all of the others here. He wore something atop his head with a wide rim that shielded his eyes from Veri's view by the way it was pulled down over his face. He was dressed in black from head to toe in tight-fitting garments that were as new to Veri as any other thing in this town. The man stood out because he deserved to stand out, and because of this Veri felt that he was of some great importance. Even the voice of this man exhibited great worth.
"To all you brutes and cowards gathered here," He lifted the rim that had covered his face up to where it rested firmly on his head. His voice had a slight 'twang' that Veri had never heard before. "You all know who I am, so I won't bother giving that address. My only words to you will be that there is indeed a near four hundred beast runnin' around out there, and it's gonna be mine. The minute that gun sounds, its every man for himself."
Many of the men gathered around them grumbled and talked among themselves. Veri overhead two of them behind her talking.
"That damn thug, thinks he's such a hot shot. He ain't far from a yellow-bellied feebas. Folks 'round here call 'im Blackjack Joe. He thinks he's all that, with all 'im trophies and whatnot. Rumor's got him sayin' that back home he's got an entire museum filled with huge, prized kills, stuffed all real lookin'. Psh, I don't believe one cent of it. 'Think it's all just a bunch of hogwash."
Veri didn't hear the other man's answer, and she couldn't understand much of what the first man had said either. She longed to run alongside the hellish-looking creature, hunting whatever crossed their path. But she did not know the true temperament of the creature. She did not know of its real power and its zeal for fresh blood. For Veri had undeniably never seen a creature such as this ever before, and in fact no one in these lands had ever seen such a thing. Unbeknownst to Veri, as much was, this creature came from the untamed wildlands of the warm north, where the bloodlust ran extra-high if you were not under the protection of your own kind by large numbers. Of all this Veri was oblivious, and it was because of this lack she was not aware of any dangers that she could not handle from it. Those claws would prove deadly, she would find out.
Almost right after the man had made his address, another man, round and plump, came hobbling out of a building behind the crowd. He said something too fast for Veri to catch, and held something in his hand high in the air. He said three words very slowly, flinched his hand, and a loud sound echoed through the air with a deafening crack. Everyone began to run to the edge of town in a mad outburst of commotion. Veri was all alone now, and heard the harsh voice of Smith calling from far away. The instant she heard him she sprang to her feet and galloped as fast as her legs could carry her to him. Veri expected a beating, but he hesitated and instead clocked her upside the head several times with his long stick from atop the rapidash. He shouted something and the horse took off in the direction that the others had gone off in, Veri being pursued at the heels by the dog as she had before.
The forest was dark, not just from the night but of something else that Veri could not pinpoint. After only a few minutes Smith stopped and dismounted, tying the strap of the reins to a tree. He slapped his thigh for the two to follow, and they continued farther into the murky forest. The forest now, at this time of day, reminded Veri of the night she had lain alone in the unoccupied den. Trees standing enormous in the shadows; strange sounds silent except the rustling of the wind high above; yes this night resembled that night well. Occasionally as they walked they heard the distant call of another creature with their human, stomping through the forest to find what they were all looking for; the giant bear that was claimed to have been spotted roaming this side of the river.
The female vulpix was not aware of it, but several hours of wandering in the darkness eventually made Smith grow angry and impatient. Veri still did not know what they were doing here out in this woods but the dog with red eyes seemed to know. It had been sniffing the ground much of the past few minutes and was now going wild at something new it had scented. Its master seemed to take notice of this and waved his arms in a circular direction in front of him. At this gesture the dog took off into the woods in the direction of the smell. When Veri did not move, for she was puzzled, Smith kicked her with his ankle, and then did she move. Veri ran, running as she hadn't since she ran from the flames from the brushfire. He had wanted her to run, and so she did, in order to avoid pain, as her rule clearly stated.
She could see the dog in the brush ahead of her, gaining on its heels not at a rapid pace, but a steady one. Suddenly it made a sharp left turn in its path, which was too quick for Veri to notice and then turn as quickly on her short legs. She continued going forward, head turned looking at the dog fading into the brush, and hearing Smith approaching behind her. A second later Veri felt herself colliding with something. It was not hard, but gave a stun from which Veri recovered quickly and sat upright to stare at what she had just rammed into. It was large and round, but it was not a rock; its surface was soft and plushy. Then Veri saw that it moved. Not in a stir, but very lightly it moved up and down, as if it was breathing. A low growl came from deep inside the strange object, and then it did stir. It jerked around and groggily stretched its limbs. Veri was now cowering under its enormous mass. A large, golden ring ran around its underbelly, which wavered as the creature flexed its muscles. After a moment it twitched its nose and looked down at the tiny fox trembling at its feet. It let out a growl that became an all out roar. Smith must have heard the growl and was now behind Veri, pointing his stick at it. The dog had caught up too, and was crouched low, growling menacingly and foam bubbling slightly from its lips. The whole situation was hostile, and for a long minute no one moved. The bear shifted its eyes back and forth at Smith and the dog. It had already decided that Veri was of no threat. Suddenly Smith made a low clicking noise and his dog attacked. It lunged at the bear with a flying leap, but was knocked away with a blow from its huge forepaws. Then Smith took a shot at the bear, which hit it in the shoulder, and the dog leapt at it again, this time getting a hold of the back of the neck while the bear was still in shock from the shot. Back and forth they swung, the dog keeping its grip tight as the bear lunged and flailed in an effort to loosen its hold. In its flailing it knocked Smith down and broke his arm; he had been backing away from the fight when the bear swayed far to the left and got him. Veri had gotten out of the way and was hiding in a bush, listening to the shouts of Smith to do something that Veri did not know to do. Behind from where the bear had emerged was a small opening in a hill, large enough so that its massive bulk blocked the entrance. Veri ran inside to get away as the flailing of the two got nearer to the bush.
This cave smelled strongly of bear, and the sudden change of air made Veri's nose twinge. The cave was not far back, only two or three of her body lengths, but in the back she saw three tiny mounds of something wriggling in a bundle. Growls and shouts could be heard just outside, and so it was quite deafening. Veri looked back at the battle outside in fear and again fled for the back of the den. She landed on the ball of fuzz already huddled in the back. She did not hurt them, for she weighed a quarter less than she should have been, but they did squeal a tiny bit when she landed. When her eyes adjusted Veri could see that they were very young and did not have much fur. Their eyes were large and open, and they stared back at Veri with the same youthful fascination that she had had once. They were frightened, but not in any extremes. Apparently they could not hear the commotion just outside and Veri figured that they had not gotten the gift of hearing yet in their life. The vibrations from the cave floor were what made them relatively uneasy. For a short moment Veri marveled at their adorability.
This marveling was cut short though, when Veri felt someone approaching her from behind. She twitched an ear and then turned to look. It was the devilish creature from before. In the night all Veri could see was its ominous eyes staring back at her. It released a low growl that mixed with a long hiss. Finally it lashed out with its claws at her. It caught Veri partially by surprise and when she saw that it had left a slash on her muzzle, she realized that its intentions were to not only kill prey, but its allies as well. It knocked Veri to the side with the back of the other forepaw and sent her sailing against the other wall of the den. From there Veri watched as it tore through the three offspring, pulling its claws in and out over and over while their blood splattered everywhere. Veri was drenched in their flesh. Before the last one of them had died it le out a tiny call that apparently reached its mother who was still battling outside. She heard the cry and lumbered into the cave mouth, the dog still slinging to the back of her neck. When she saw the murderer her eyes narrowed and she reached a forepaw to slash out at it.
Veri backed against the wall as far as she could. The bloodthirsty killer was too fast for the bulky mother. It too, lunged out at the mother, but unlike her, he did not miss and sent both pairs of his claws driving into her neck. She recoiled back and gripped he throat in a long gasp before falling sideways. The mother bear flopped every which way in her last moments, and by now the dog had let go of her neck and ran off into the woods. The fiendish creature stormed out of den and stood next to the now still mother. Veri could hear Smith calling out but no one responded or heeded his calls. She was too frightened to move. Suddenly hoof beats could be heard outside the den. The creature with the deadly claws walked over to the rapidash as its rider dismounted. At this point all Veri could see from the low roof of the cave entrance was the legs of both man and horse and the whole of the killer. It received a pat on the head as the man who had gotten off the horse knelt over the side of the enormous kill. Veri peered out some more, and by the sound of the infuriated calls of Smith she got the courage to creep out. As she rounded the side of the small battlefield, she knew that the killer saw her, but he did not move at all. He just stood there, still as stone. When she got to Smith he had used a low branch to pull himself to his feet. He grumbled as he watched the man in black inspect his kill. Smith grabbed his stick from the trampled dirt and poked Veri with it in order to make her follow him. As Veri walked slowly away, her muzzle still in pain, she kept her eyes on that of the killer and mulled over its adept abilities.
Nearly the moment they got back to the man's house Veri was out back into the shed, treated with an extra-special thrashing for doing nothing to assist the man's dog in the kill. Veri still did not know that that was what she was supposed to have been doing, and so she took her punishment with the prospect that she had just done something that countered his will, and that was as general as she made it. She did not want to know what she did or what she could have done differently. Under these new self-proclaimed rules those things did not matter.
And so that was the extent of Veri's freedom for many more years. One day when Smith came to 'punish' her many years later, she noticed that his mouth had grown a bit of pale fur; much more fur than he'd kept there before, which had been darker. The boys also changed, and soon after their tormenting visits became less and less frequent they left and she no longer heard their playful shouts outside. About this time it took Phoebe considerably longer to reach the shed every morning, and Veri's food became more and more pathetic. But most of all, Veri changed in the whole. Her simple fear of the master, and his title of 'male possession' withered away as Veri's brooding now became so great that she indeed hated anything and everything that crossed her thoughts. It was not all dark though, for eventually it came in Veri the idea that she could do something about all of this…
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A/N: Wow that was a long chapter. I had originally had a chapter right after the previous one here, and this turned out to be an add-in of several segments that I typed at random times. As was pointed out, things did seem to go by a bit fast at the end of last chapter, and I had had some problems with the mini-plots for chapter eleven, so this kind of moved things along I suppose.
Real quick I just wanted to apologize for any grammar errors in this chapter. No excuses for me.
A note on Veri: Now and in the next few chapters you may get the feeling that Veri's feelings of morbidity are described as flowing to extremes and then having a recovery too quick to make much realistic sense. I did this actually on accident, and then on purpose, as its got some importance later along the way. Her acquired dark disposition doesn't go away completely though, as you'll see in the future that it pops up every now and then.
Please let me know how this helps things, as after Veri gets herself out of this seemingly endless predicament there's another little story arc of about two and a half chapters and then my favorite part so far takes off. I don't want to give it away too much, but Veri gets her first encounter with the opportunity to make little ones, and a pirate ship. :D
((I've given A LOT away but oh well))
