Consequences of Capture

By Dixxy

Chapter Fifteen: Another Sad Birthday

As everyone does as they wake up, Cye opened his eyes.

And was greeted by the lolling red tongue of the furry creature perched on his chest.

"DASH!" he yelped from surprise. Dash yipped, licked Cye from chin to forehead as to leave a nasty cowlick, and jumped off to the bed to retreat back to his own pile of pillows in "his" corner of "their" room. Yawning and padding around the furnishings, Dash settled back down to sleep some more.

"Little bastard," Cye said, not being able to truly stay mad at the poor thing. After all, Dash WAS only a baby- at best just a month or two old. And besides, he was only giving Cye a "good morning" greeting- how could he possibly be upset with Dash over a silly little thing like that?

In the days that passed the boys had grown very attached to their newfound puppy, whom they had named "Dasher", or just "Dash" for short. Since Cye had found him on Christmas, they decided to give him a Christmas oriented name. After several suggestions including Eggnog, Black Ice, and Chimney Soot were all shot down, Cye noticed the dog could move very quickly if he wanted to. Linking this back to a certain Christmas carol, the boys decided to name him "Dasher" after the reindeer (his name was the first in the song despite the fact "Comet" would have also been suitable), but that had quickly been shorted to just plain "Dash".

Also during that time Sage had dug into his small library of books to see if he could determine what Dash was. It didn't take long before they found an entry on Gruffs, a kind of Nether Realm wolf dog that traveled in packs ("Since he was alone, he was either separated from his herd or he was the sole survivor of some unknown tragedy", Kento had concluded). Using the average birth size listed in the book, Sage gave Dash an approximated age and took extra precaution when telling his friends what their pet's full grown size would be.

"The AVERAGE height for a male Gruff is six feet tall, but many can be seven or even EIGHT feet in height," said Sage. Kento and Cye whistled. "He's going to be as tall as I am and three times as heavy! Man, Cye, I sure hope you can cook enough for the three of us and him!"

"Oh, if I can cook for Kento I can surely-"

"HEY!"

More research had also told the boys that Dash could be a potential ally in a battle or an escape attempt once he was bigger. Gruffs had two incredible defense mechanisms, one of which they saw the beginnings of. The first defense, and perhaps most functional, was their tail. It contained many bones and muscles, giving it a good amount of flexibility and gripping power, making it useful as a limb. Over time, it would also develop a two-foot long blade that was just beginning to develop on the tip of Dash's own tail. The other defense was the ability to breathe fire.

"That almost makes sense- his stomach is loosing hair and it seems like he has scales underneath- is he partially reptilian, like a dragon?" Cye wondered one day while rubbing Dash's tummy. After the odd looks Sage and Kento gave him, Cye explained his reasoning. "In Europe, dragons are associated with being able to breathe fire. I forgot Japanese dragons were associated with water. Still, it would make some sense if the fur was there just to protect a still developing armor of scales, right fellows?"

Though Sage's research didn't provide much more information that would be useful to them, he did continue it. The puppy was becoming a huge distraction for the boys as they took turns taking care of him, cleaning up after him, and keeping him a secret from Trulpa. Luckily he was confined to the apartment, but that one little puppy could make one big mess with just one little couch cushion.

At any rate, he certainly made things slightly easier on the boys psychologically and emotionally. Dash was a happy, hyper little doggy who didn't have too many cares beyond what he was eating and where he was sleeping. Still, whenever he saw one of his masters look upset, hurt, or tired, he sympathized and cuddled up to them, trying to make them feel better. This was usually rewarded with a pet that they guessed Dash viewed as a "thank you for being there" gesture, which it was. Even though the puppy didn't understand what was going on around him, the boys got the impression that the Gruff understood it wasn't good.

However, that morning all Dash wanted was breakfast and a place to pee.

Cye got up, yawned, and dressed. "C'mon, Dash, let's get you to the bathroom."

Dash yipped happily at this information.

~

"Good morning, fellows!" Cye said as he and Dash entered the living room, where Sage and Kento were sitting around eating breakfast. Today, breakfast consisted of some sort of an oatmeal concoction, probably something the two had whipped up out of laziness and/or hunger on the part of Kento. Dash barked, bounced over to Sage, and placed his paws on the blonde's knees, looking for some of the porridge.

Sage pulled his bowl away. "No, this is MY breakfast." Dash whimpered and sulked down to the floor. He looked up at Sage with large, pitiful eyes as he begged for the food. Halo was about to say "no" again just as Dash pulled his trump card and began to gently head-butt his leg. Sighing with defeat, Sage took one last spoonful and placed the bowl on the ground for Dash to finish. Stepping over the dog, Sage went to prepare a second bowl for himself and called over his shoulder he'd make one for Cye, too.

"We need to teach him not to beg," Cye said as he took a seat.

"Mmm hmm," Kento agreed. He cocked his head to one side in thought, then quickly turned to face Cye with a smile on his face. "Hey, I almost forgot, buddy. It's New Year's Eye! December the thirty-first!" With that, Kento began to sing. "Tra la-la-la-la la-la-la-la. Happy birthday, sweet sixteeeeeeeeeen!!!"

Cye blushed. "Oh, um, thank you."

Sage emerged from the "kitchen" area with two bowls of the porridge. One of them had a spark ball floating above it. "Sorry, I couldn't find any candles or cake. Happy birthday, Cye!" he placed the bowl in front of his friend so he could take it, then went back to his own seat. Dash had since finished with the other bowl and was curled up at Cye's feet (Though Dash was fond of the other two, Cye was his undisputed favorite).

"Thank you, Sage," Cye said.

"What's wrong?" Kento asked. "I know you were bummed Christmas, but. . ."

"It's not that," Cye said. He shook his head. "It's just that. . . well, I guess Dash has cheered me up a bit. It's hard to be upset when he's jumping up and down with a ball in his mouth, you know?" Kento and Sage nodded in agreement, having been though that scenario a few times themselves. "I'm still sad and all, but Dash is just so happy. Makes you think it'll all be all right."

"Eh. . . close to enough 'the spirit'," said Kento. He sighed. "I gotta work on that chapter dealing with clays again- I'm not doing good in that department AT ALL. You'd think that after a childhood spend playing with my aunt's cookie dough and whatever fun dough stuff my folks bought this would be an EASY chapter- IT'S FREAKIN' HARD!!!" He sighed rubbing his temple. "By the way, Sage, I think Trulpa's going to be looking for holograms soon. I had a dream about her yelling at you about it and quite frankly I think they use the stick thing she was waving in taxidermy."

Sage paled. "I'm on it!" With that, he disappeared to his room.

"Anything I need to worry about?" Cye asked.

Kento shrugged. "Believe it or not. . . no. I'm seeing stuff Trulpa's going after me and Sage to do, but I haven't seen anything for you. Has she been bugging you about things, or are you just so far ahead that it doesn't even matter or something?" Kento sat down again to look for an answer.

"I'm not sure. I've been studying and all, but as of late Trulpa hasn't been doing much of anything," said Cye. He looked at Kento with concern as Dash jumped into his lap. "She's been so quiet around me that I'm afraid she's got something rather. . . nasty planned, you know? Quite frankly I'm a little scared."

Kento sighed. "Well, if she's planning something I haven't seen it. Sorry, buddy, I don't choose what I see, and I'm beginning to get the idea it's got a mind of it's own- it's either showing me meaningless events like Sage sneezing or stuff that's so vague I can't tell WHAT it is," he said. He stood up and began to walk. "It's not easy having these powers, Cye- as much as I kinda missed having them. . . it's still kinda scary sometimes."

Cye picked up Dash (now sleeping soundly) and walked towards Kento. "Don't worry- I'm sure there's a reason you have these powers, and I'm sure you'll learn to get a grip on them eventually. We'll figure it out soon." Kento turned his head over his shoulder, smiled, and disappeared into his room.

Following his friend's lead, Cye walked into his own room, planning on doing some studying and practicing, though he didn't see much point. With the exception of a few trickier potions (a kind of magic limited to Torrents, Venoms, and Wildfires) and fair amount of harder to pronounce incantations, Cye was finished with the book. Though they could all use the magic they were being forced to learn, Cye seemed to have a natural talent for it. Kento struggled for a long time when he was first learning a new spell and Sage's magic was just plain out of control, almost as if forces were acting against him. For Cye, everything seemed to go smoothly and rarely fouled up. In fact, he decided that he would've preferred this magic to his sure kill during the wars with Talpa had he been given that option at the time.

"WHAT is that MONGREL doing in your ROOM!?"

Suddenly, Cye's room went pitch black. When light appeared again, he was standing in the middle of Trulpa's throne room, the evil empress looking enraged as she stood before her throne. Cye looked down and saw the still sleeping Dash in his arms. Instinctively, he held the puppy closer, afraid of what Trulpa might do to their pet and only source of happiness as of late.

"Well??? How did it get in?" she demanded.

"I. . . I don't know!" Cye said.

"I. . . HATE. . . GRUFFS!!!" she screeched. She glided across the floor at lighting speed to where Cye stood, the empress bending so close the her forehead touched Cye's forehead. Cye closed his eyes and decided he wanted to cry, realizing that Dash's life might be in danger.

"Please. . . don't hurt him. . ." Cye begged. By now Dash was waking up and looking around. The poor dog took one look at Trulpa, yelped, and buried his head into Cye's armpit. "He's just a baby- he can't do anything to you! He couldn't even defend himself against a gargoyle gremlin!"

"Gruffs are the ONLY creatures left in the Nether World that I cannot taint! Mine nor my brother's magic couldn't touch them or those damned Flitteree!" Trulpa said, backing away as to allow herself more room to rant and rave. "They're HAPPY and PLAYFUL little BEASTS and I CAN'T STAND THEM!!!"

Oh God, please don't let Trulpa take Dash away. . . Cye prayed, clenching his eyes shut.

Trulpa observed Cye's action, noticing how close he and the puppy were. Being the demon empress she was, she cracked a grin as a plan formulated in the back of her head. After all, the littlest Ronin Warrior was unknowingly a legend in his own right, and perhaps that puppy of his would make a good accessory to a plan. Having control of either of the other little idiots was one thing. . . but to her, Cye was far more valuable than Kento and Sage combined. No one knew just how powerful the Child of Destiny was, even Trulpa herself, but she knew it was enough to make a reach for. Now it was just a matter of figuring out how to get that power. "You love your little puppy don't you, Cye?" she said lightly.

Cye looked up at Trulpa in confusion. "Yes. Yes, we do."

"All right then, Cye," she said. "I'll leave the puppy alone-"

Cye's expression brightened. "Do you. . . do you mean it!?" he said.

"-on one condition," she said. She snapped her fingers, and a circle of fire came between them. "There are things that I know about you that you don't even know about myself, so some of my bargaining tools are officially null and void. But I can force you to place your hand through this circle of fire."

Dash whimpered as he looked at the fire. Cye saw the dog, and held him tighter. "What is this fire?" he asked. The flames danced in his eyes like the demons of Hell, and Cye wondered if he'd be giving up his soul to Trulpa for Dash's sake. He gulped. "Please, tell me what this is."

"Control," she said. "By passing your hand through the fire, a bracelet shall appear on your wrist. This bracelet will ensure that I can bring you to me whenever I wish- be it across a realm or across a room. I'm very well aware that escape is entirely possible for the three of you- very difficult and highly unlikely, but in the off-color chance you three do find escape. . . you'll be brought right back here."

Cye's eyes widened. This would mean he'd be Trulpa's prisoner. . . forever. . .

"Before we go along with that part of the bargain, let's discuss the little puppy," said Trulpa. Cye looked down at Dash, who was now shaking like a leaf in a hurricane. "It's the little one you're doing this for, remember? How do you think he'd fare if we locked him in a small, tiny little cage with dirty water, no food, and his own waste products? But don't worry- we'd take him out once a day to take a little flesh, maybe some bone, off his decaying little body. I'm sure he'd get a lovely infection after a while- it would fester into something utterly gruesome, and he'd probably take a week of extreme suffering to die."

Cye paled. "NO! YOU CAN'T HURT HIM!" he cried. Though Cye had only had Dash for a day shy of a week, the puppy was almost like a child to him. Despite all the help and support Sage and Kento gave the dog, Cye was his primary caretaker and he loved the dog dearly. If something were to happen to Dash, he didn't know what he'd do with himself. Especially if he chose his own freedom instead.

"Then give yourself to me," said Trulpa. "That bracelet's only flaw is that it must be willingly accepted. . . and of course I won't tell you what removes it, assuming there IS such a thing." She grinned. "So, how much do you love that little puppy of yours? Or do you value the next to non-existent chance of escape over the dog's life?"

Clenching his eyes shut as he shed tears, Cye thrust his hand through the fire.

Trulpa stood in triumph. "HA! YOU FOOL!"

He gasped in amazement as the ring quickly clenched around his wrist, burning it to the point where he screamed and fell to his knees. Trulpa laughed wildly, insanely pleased by Cye's displeasure. Dash yipped and howled, displeased that his master would not release him from his grip so he could help the pain filled arm. His hand and wrist began to glow into a violent black and red fireball, images of skull demons laughing at him appearing inside.

As instantly as the pain had started, it was over. Shaking from a number of emotions, Cye brought the hand to his face. It seemed fine, and he could move it on his own will. Wiggling his fingers a few times more to test this theory, his eyes moved to the bracelet.

The bracelet consisted of wild flames and bleeding skulls made from a black and red metal that had been swirled together to create a ghastly looking piece of jewelry. The thing was practically skin tight, yet not so uncomfortable that it hindered his movement. His wrist was as flexible as ever, albeit a bit more ugly thanks to the thing wrapped around it.

"If I were you I'd avoid telling your little friends about it," said Trulpa. Cye looked up from his bracelet to where Trulpa sat. "After all, if one of them discovered the way to get it off then that would destroy the whole point of our deal. Do you understand, Cye? They are to NOT discover your bracelet. Your freedom is stripped from you forever, and there's nothing anyone can do about it. You are MINE."

~

Whoo-hoo, it was kinda late AND I was sick when I wrote this!

Cye's bracelet REALLY sucks, but this goes to show how close he and Dash have gotten.

Sakura123: I still don't like Bush. But everyone is entitled to an opinion as long as they can act maturely when someone with a different viewpoint states theirs (i.e. argue it, but not get totally offended). Who, Dash? Nah! Dash was born that way, as are all Gruffs. He's perfectly content with his spongy butt and front legs.

Harry: I needed to put out a holiday story. And there you have it. But New Years Eve ain't so cool for Cye, now is it?

Bunch-o-nuts: Thanks, but don't sweat it! Just review when you can! Wah, sacrificing grades for me? I'm not sure if I'm honored or worried.

Firestorm: And here it is, fellow member of the "I-love-Cye-but-I-love-torturing-him-more" club!

Crystal Cat-Chan: I don't think they have phones in the Dynasty, but nice try ^.~. Yes he did, though that was kinda the point. Could be for drama, could be for something else. I've been playing around with timelines and stuff lately and made all the Ronin Warriors be born in the same year, the Senshi the following year minus Sara, who was born the next year- both Rowen and Ryo are two full years older than she is! I like this entrance better, despite the fact the other most certainly ranks higher in comedy (what with Cye and Sara arguing and Sue Lee crying "BUTT MONSTER!!!"). Yeah. Anubis is going to have issues to work out once he finds out Cye is his son. Kaze should still be lots of fun to work with.

Dark Knight Gafgar: Gafgar is a funny word. You're welcome.

Oh, and one more thing: HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

~Dixxy