Gee, I still feel awful for killing off both Mwindaji AND Buck... ;_;
Oh well, the good part is that now there won't be anymore deaths like these, at least not for a while x)!
Stony: Wow, you really wanna write a one-shot for Buck O_O? Omfg, that would be BEYOND awesome :D! If you do get the time then go ahead, I'd LOVE to read it ;D!
*** Chapter Seven : The Aventines ***
The tavern down in Mobile Docks were still open and booming with activity, even though it was in the middle of the night. Everyone was too busy drinking, fighting or flirting with the painted ladies to even notice the red fox that entered the facility. He stopped and looked around at the other guests and found who it was he was searching for, sitting by the bar. With quick, determined steps, the fox made his way to the bar and sat down next to the lanky, scruffy looking golden tamarin monkey.
"I expected you here two days ago, Tip..." The tamarin said while sipping on a half-full pint of beer.
"Sorry about that, Timothy. We were blown out of course by that storm..." Tip responded and stared blankly ahead of him.
"Yeah, I thought so... It was a pretty nasty one, wasn't it?"
"Ya have no idea! Half of the first mast broke off by the middle and crushed Buck. He's sleepin' with the fishes now..."
That got Timothy to actually turn his head and look at Tip with a surprised look on his face. "The snake? That's a pity, I actually liked that bloke!" The tamarin turned back to his beer. "He had a great sense of humor!"
"Yeah, and he was one of the best damn men I've ever met" The fox captain mumbled and waved off one of the bartenders, just as he was going to ask him if he wanted to order something. "Enough of that now, though. I managed to get a batch unnoticed ashore, I've got a feeling this is a pretty good batch!"
"Whaddya got?"
"Oh y'know, the usual; a couple of sandcats, lizards, wild dogs, a lioness, meerkats, four hyenas..." He paused and grimaced. "One of them is a cub though..."
"A hyena cub?"
"Yeah, one of the Brown Ones"
Timothy snorted and scratched his temple with a long, boney finger. "People don't want brown hyenas anymore, they figured out that it's those striped bastards that works the best. They don't question, don't complain and they don't like to put up a fuss..." He flicked away a flea that got stuck underneath his nail and took a gulp from his tall glass. "Brown hyenas are natural born troublemakers, y'know!"
"Yeah, we noticed that..." Tip mumbled. If it weren't for him, Buck wouldn't have been so stupid that he'd get himself squished like a bug...
"How many are they?"
"Well, we set sail with 57..."
"And now?"
"45" Tip shrugged. "Could've been worse, actually! I thought a lot more of them would go!"
The monkey snorted again. "45 in a ship built for 200?"
"Yeah, so? Listen, Tim, if ya would've given us more time we could've...!"
"Yeah, yeah, I hear ya! The spotted mutts aren't too fond of their job, eh?" Timothy interrupted the fox with a wave of his hand and jumped down from the bar-chair. "Let's see what you got for me this time, eh Tip?"
…
During the two days it had taken for the ship for arrive in the town after have been blown out of course by the storm, Kiddo had grown more and more jumpy and introvert. But that was kinda understandable, seeing as the entire crew seemed to blame the cub for Bucks death. Everyone except for Juno, that is. If it hadn't been for the teenage wolverine, nobody would've bothered with going down below deck with food for the cub.
"I don't think it's your fault, Kiddo." Juno had said once. "And I don't think Buck would have risked his life like that if he really didn't want you to make it. Wonder what he'd say to the others if he found out what they thought about you now?"
Kiddo didn't leave the storage room, not even if he wanted to he would go back up on the deck. Not after what happened to Buck. So when Tip sent Juno to go and get the cub in the middle of the night, Kiddo was sure it was because the captain wanted to punish him. To his suprise, Tip hardly even looked at him after the young wolverine had retrieved him. Instead they put him in shackles once again and put him in a longboat along with several of the other slaves. Further away in the dark night, they could see the lights from a town flickering. Kiddos heart picked against his ribs as he pressed himself to the back of the boat, careful to not fall down into the pitch black ocean.
Biton was in the same boat and the Spotted hunter looked just as awful as Kafeel had done, the main difference was their eyes: while Kafeels eyes had been blank, as if his soul had vanished, Bitons eyes were still fierce underneath the black, disheveled bangs, and he glared at the crew with so much spite and hatred that even Tip reacted. In fact, the only two who still showed signs of defiance was Biton and Diata, a young female of the Simba people; a lioness. But then again, Simbas were known for being the proudest people in the world, so it wasn't to any surprise that she refused to submit to the strangers.
Three longboats were required to transport all the slaves to the town and when they arrived there, they were taken to a large, empty warehouse by the docks. And there they were kept and guarded by the crew, except for those few who were told to stay and guard the ship, while Tip left. He didn't tell them where he was going, and he didn't need to, since everyone already knew he was leaving to find Timothy Meaher, a very wealthy shipper, underground slaver and Tips boss since fifteen years back.
Tip returned after an hour or two with Timothy, an old and very spindly looking golden tamarin. The slaves were ordered to stand up in two orderly lines, the males in one and the females in another, even if there were some who hardly had the strength to stand anymore. Tim instantly walked up to Jaramogi, the Striped One, and gripped his chin between two boney fingers. Jaramogi shuddered by the touch of the monkeys cold fingers and did a weak attempt to yank his head back, but the other one wouldn't let go.
"Tip, get over here will ya?" Tim said with a displeased frown and Tip did as he was asked. When the captain had arrived next to him, he turned Jaramogis head to the side and used two fingers on his free hand to part the fur on the Striped Ones neck. "Explain this!"
Kiddo had to lean forward to see past the critters that stood between him and Jaramogi, and gasped when he saw what Tim had spotted the instant he had seen the Striped One; a long slice stretched from his jaw down to his throat. It was probably just a few days old and didn't look especially deep, but the tool that had been used had left the wound with jagged ends and therefore harder to heal. Tip sighed and shook his head.
"During the storm a lantern broke in the cargo, this guy managed to get a hold on one of the glass shards n' try'na finish himself off. Luckily one of the cabin boys spotted him n' managed to stop him before he could finish what he started." The fox said with a nod at the wound and Tim grimaced in annoyance as he let go.
"A suicidal one, eh? They're always the worst..." He spoke while he continued to inspect the rest. "Do you have any idea how many that's been complaining to me when their property hangs themselves? Or finds a gun and offs themselves like that? Well, what do they want me to do?! Bring it back to life?! It's like buying a horse and then complain to the breeder when the horse falls and breaks its leg!" He stopped when he came up to Kiddo and glared down at the cub. Kiddo averted his eyes to avoid eyecontact with the monkey and tried to take a few steps back, but the chains stopped him. "Is this the kid ya told me about?"
"Yeah..." Tip said with a low voice and a short nod. "They call him Kiddo"
Tim didn't reply, instead he knelled down to the cubs height and grabbed a fistful of his thick, dark brown hair, forcing the cub to look up. Kiddos scared and widened red eyes met Tims stern, dark brown ones and he felt his heartrate pick up in fear. Fear for what the strange monkey would do to him!
"How old do ya think he is?" Tim asked Tip as he proceeded with inspecting the cub and search for any damages.
"I dunno..." Tip said with a shrug. "Possibly seven-eight years old perhaps..."
"Tsk tsk tsk..." Tim shook his head sadly and used his thumb to pry Kiddos mouth open and study his teeth. "Why do you keep getting me these young'uns? No one wanna cough up several hundred bucks for a kid! They can hardly work on the fields and lifting heavy stuff in this young age will just ruin their bodies as adults and shorten their life expectancy! Besides, if people needs young blood in their stock they'll just let their adults fix a couple of kiddies for free!"
While the tamarin was giving the check-up, Kiddos fear went over in annoyance, especially when he began digging around in his ears to look for mange. Kiddo yanked his head away from the monkey with his ears flattened to his neck and growled lowly. Tim first looked at the cub with a funny look on his face, surprised that he actually dared to bare his fangs at him. But then he returned the growl and quicker than Kiddo had expected it, he had thrown a hard slap straight across the cubs face. He would have preferred to use the entire fist, but if he did he would've caused the cub damages and possibly knock out a few teeth. That would definitely affect the cubs already low value!
Kiddo staggered back in surprise and when the pain hit he curled up into a whimpering, shuddering ball and covered his face with his hands, peeking at the monkey through his fingers. His cheek throbbed and he felt tears coming to his eyes. Adila, the other Brown One from the neighboring village, instantly tried to take a few steps towards the cub, but the chains that connected her with other females stopped her from moving without dragging the others along.
"Only a coward would hit a cub!" She growled and yanked the chain. "Face ME instead, you weak waste of flesh!"
Tim pulled the cub back on his feet and ignored the scared whimper he made when he began to search through the hair and mane for any possible fleas or other vermin. "Did that female just insult me?" He asked Tip without moving his attention from the thick mess of bangs.
"Yeah, she just called you a coward for hitting a cub, n'a weak waste o'flesh" The fox nodded. "Hyenas are very caring for their n'others cubs, y'know..."
"Well, someone's gonna teach him not to show his fangs at his masters. A slap is a very lite punishment for that! I know several people who ain't afraid of using the whip when dealing with these guys! And you better tell that female to NOT insult her superiors, it MIGHT cost her dearly!" The tamarin answered with a nonchalant shrug and stood up. Finally free from his tormentor, Kiddo managed to back a couple of steps and ran a hand through his hair where the monkeys cold, boney fingers had been digging around.
Kiddo then watched how the monkey went through both lines of slaves, checking them through just like he had done with him. When he was done, both him and Tip withdrew and began discussing.
"I'll be honest with ya here, Tip. I ain't all too pleased with this batch, they look awful!" Tim showed with a motion of his hand at the two lines of slaves. "They're malnourished, filthy and except for the hyenas and the lioness, they look weak. In fact, the only one here in reasonably good condition is the cub. Won't expect to get much for them on the auction tomorrow, but I'll take them all!"
Tip did a mental wipe of his forehead and sigh in relief. "Great. There's just one thing though, about that kid..." He threw a quick glance at the cub in question before turning back to the puzzled slaver. "I promised Buck to not let him end up with just anyone. I wanna be there on the market tomorrow, just to make sure not one of the crueler ones buy him. Sorry Tim, but it was a promise to Buck n' I intend to keep it!"
Tim rolled his eyes and held up his hands. "Fine! Just don't embarrass us on the stage, okay?"
…
Kiddo and most of the slaves couldn't get any rest for the remainder of the night. They all knew something was going to happen to them the next day, but they didn't know what. And it was that uncertainty that made them all anxious and fearful.
Kiddo wanted to keep his distance from the others, so he lied curled up in a corner of the room he and the females were kept in. Adila tried to talk to him, but he shut her out by covering his ears, that were still sore from the rough handling by the slaver, and hide his face in his knees. Eventually Adila got the point and with a sigh she withdrew to the others.
The next day, captain Tip and the Clotildes crew had to put up the facade of being merchants during the day, while Tim gathered up the slaves. He tried to make them look presentable for the upcoming auction by washing off the worst grime really quick with seawater directly from the docks.
When the morning came, Kiddo noticed that they hadn't been the only slaves in the warehouse; at least fifteen more females were in the same room and when Adila noticed another Brown One among them, she made a happy gasp and rushed up to the stranger. She tried to talk to her, but only got a puzzled frown in reply; the other Brown One female couldn't understand her! Neither could any of the other females, or any of the other males they later encountered.
The market would take place later in the afternoon, so Tim wasn't expecting anyone to arrive earlier. But while he was inspecting the wound on Jaramogis throat, trying to come up with a way to conceal it, two men entered the warehouse; one bulky built mountain lion, chewing on a cigar, and one slightly taller and thinner wild dog. When Tim didn't notice their arrival, the mountain lion cleared his throat, making the lanky tamarin jump in surprise.
He quickly turned around and his dark eyes widened at the sight of the two men. "W-wha...!? G-Gabriel?!" His surprised face was quickly turned into wide, toothy grin and he threw his arms out in a welcoming gesture. "Gabriel! It's been a while, haven't it?! How ya been keeping?!"
Gabriel shrugged with his wide shoulders. "Well ya know, ts'been a lot these last months, especially now when two old guys gave in"
"Ah, and now you're looking for replacements, huh?"
"Yeah, got anything cheap? I'm on a budget..."
"Woah there!" Tim held up his hands in front of him and shook his head. "You're too early, my friend! The auction ain't until this afternoon!"
"I ain't got the time to participate there! I gotta to be home by t'morrow since Jasper from the Green Hill plantation is comin' over to discuss business, an' I gotta catch the train that leaves in two hours!"
"Whoah, I get it! No need to get your whiskers in a twist, Gabriel!" The tamarin chuckled and glanced over at Jaramogi. "You wanted someone cheap, right?" He grabbed the young striped hyena by his shoulders and pushed him forward to the mountain lion. "This one's half price since he's got a rather nasty looking gash on his throat, but other than that he's just fine! Young, healthy, strong, quiet..."
"How did he git the gash?" Gabriel cocked an eyebrow at Tim. "I never thought ya was the one to cause damages like this to the ones for sale?"
Tim flinched at the question and hesitated. "I, uh... Well, Tip arrived with these guys last night, and he told me this guy did it to himself with a glass shard from a broken lantern..."
Gabriel frowned. "So he's one of those?" He threw a skeptical glance at the confused and lightly scared striped hyena. "Then it's a no. Don't want someone who's capable of cuttin' his own throat runnin' 'round on the farm. What's yer cheapest male, except for this?"
The tamarin rubbed the stubby beard on his chin while he thought. "Well, I've got a spotted hyena, though something in his eyes tells me he might put up a lot of trouble, a meerkat with a slight limp, then there's a brown hyena cub..."
"A cub, huh? An' one of those who died was a brown hyena too... How old is he?"
"Tip guessed about seven or eight, but there's this thing... Well..." The monkey hesitated. "Tip wouldn't be happy with me if I sold him to you right now..."
The mountain lion frowned once again. "An' why not?"
"Ah, you see, he promised a dying friend of his to make sure that the cub gets to a good home, and Tip made it very clear that he wanted me to wait for him until I sell the little bugger!"
The mountain lion didn't answer for a while. He stood there silent with a frown between his brows, until he stuck his hand in his pocket and waved a bundle of dollar bills in front of the tamarin monkey. His eyes widened at the sight of the amount. "Ya won't get this much for him on the auction later, Tim."
"B-but you haven't even seen him yet? He's puny and...!"
"I don't care, I need another farmhand an' if that kid is the cheapest one ya got then I'll take 'im! Look, I'm even payin' ya extra!" The monkey hesitated to grab the money, but it was obvious that his long, spindly legs were itching, and it made the mountain lion sigh impatiently. "I'm on a very tight schedule an' I ain't got all day!"
He had barely finished the sentence before Tim yanked the bundle out of Gabriels hands, counted the money and gave the plantation owner a funny look before extending his thin hand. "It's a deal! Pleasure making business with you, Mr Aventine!" He said as his face once again cracked up in a wide grin.
…
Later that afternoon, an auction was held in the warehouse. It was crammed with wealthy people in need of an extra farmhand or similar, in front of a great podium that stood at the far end. On the podium, behind a table sat two men, one was dealing with the paperwork and receipts while the other one auctioned out the slaves that were being brought up on the podium. Rapidly rambling the prize and noted whenever a potential buyer raised his hand, then he raised the prize and hoped that someone else would reach up their hand at the offer. When the hands stopped rising he quickly counted to three before slamming a club into a wooden tile, creating a deafening slam to seal the purchase.
Tip entered the warehouse almost an hour after the bidding had begun and found Tim standing in the background, contentedly rubbing his palms. At the sight of the fox captain making his was towards him he stopped rubbing his palm so frenetically and simply gave Tip a thumbs up.
"You have no idea how surprised I am, Tip!" The tamarin monkey said excitedly when Tip placed himself next to him. "I've already sold five of the ones you brought me, and that spotted hyena male actually gave me over three big ones!"
Tip didn't reply. He stood silent and watched the line with slaves, waiting for their turn to get dragged up on the scene. Just as a sandcat female was clubbed he turned his eyes to Tim. "Where's the kid?" He asked straight forward with a solemn tone in his voice.
Tim flinched. "T-the kid? You mean that little cub?" He chuckled nervously and began to twiddle with his thumbs. "Um, I know you told me to wait until you returned... But you see, this man came in this morning, he was in quite a hurry and really needed someone to replace the two slaves he lost..."
"God damn it, Tim..." Tip mumbled and gritted his fangs. "Oh well, who was it then? Who bought him?" The monkey hesitated before mumbling something incoherent. "What?"
"Gabriel Aventine" Tim repeated a bit louder.
Tips ears flattened to his neck. "The Aventines? Ye sold the cub to the Aventines, out'o all people?"
"Hey, do you have any idea how much I got for that little mangy thing!? Way more than I would've gotten for him here!" Tim said with a shrug. "I know, I know! The Aventines are known for having overseers that are rather fond of their whips, but personally I think that the Aventine treatment is just what that cub needs! Look at this!" He shoved one of his boney fingers into Tips face. It had a clear bite mark around the middle phalanger. "We had to be TWO to get that brat on the train! Seeing the train made him go ballistic and he even bit me! I really hope Mr Aventine and his men teaches that whelp a lesson or two! Who knows what kinds of diseases he might spread by biting people?! I swear my finger is thicker than the other! Better get this to a doctor, as soon as the auction is over of course!"
But Tip had stopped listening to the monkey a long time ago, all he could do was to silently shake his head and try to block out Tims ramblings. I'm sorry, Buck. I really am...
…
Kiddo sat in the corner of the dark trailer with his arms around his knees and blankly staring down at the floor. The sound of the trains wheels running over the metal rail and a steady, rythmic thump was the only thing that was heard. The locomotive in front was coughing up thick black clouds of smoke and that mixed with the strange scent of the javelina, a smaller warthog-like critter that was sharing the trains trailer along with Kiddo, was stinging in the little cubs nose.
When he saw a train for the first time in his life, his initial reaction had been fear. What he saw was a big, black dragon, panting like it just had crossed three mountains in one night and spewing out black smoke from it's elongated nose. Kiddo had stopped dead in his tracks and stared like paralyzed at the monster. When the wild dog tried to push him forward to enter the monster, his mind had gone blank and he began to struggle to get free and away from the terrible creature who threatened to gobble him up. Eventually Tim had been forced to join in and accidentally got bit by the terrified cub.
Kiddo was still afraid, but now he had realized it wasn't a monster; it was some sort of machine. But that didn't stop his heart from racing, or stop him from flinching and whimper in fear every time someone pulled the whistle. He had never been wanting to go home as much as he did right then. What he wouldn't give to once again inhale all the scents of the jungle, or feel the leafy, soft ground underneath his feet. Or climb around in the trees and play catch with his sister. And what he wouldn't give to see his father again...
Suddenly a door that linked the wagon with the one before was opened and the wild dog trotted in, carrying a steaming bowl of soup. The scent of food got Kiddos ears to perk and he carefully looked up at the wild dog. The black, white and yellow hunter looked older close up, and a piece of cloth was wrapped around his head, hiding his ears. He kneeled down in front of the cub and held out the bowl.
"Here, I figured you'd be hungry by now" He said, that was the first thing Kiddo had ever heard him say. "Take it, I had to bribe the ol' lady in the kitchen to git my hands on this!" Kiddo looked from the bowl and then up at the dogs face before he carefully accepted the bowl.
The scent made his empty belly rumble loudly and he took a cautious sip. It tasted weird, and it had weird lumps in it, but it was still the best thing he had tasted in over two months and it didn't take long until he had emptied the entire bowl. He held out the bowl, pleading for more, but the dog shook his head and took it.
"Sorry, that's it. But don't worry, once we're home I bet granny's gonna feed ya with ev'rythin' we've got left!" He frowned at the puzzled tilt of the head he got from Kiddo. "Ya don' understand a word o' what I'm sayin' to ya, no?" He took Kiddos continued silence as a 'no' and stood up to return the bowl to the kitchen.
Kiddo watched as the dog, whom he still didn't know the name of, walked back out through the door and when the door slammed behind him, Kiddo turned his eyes back to the floor. His eyelids grew heavy as the last couple of days of poor sleep was catching up on him, and with food back in his belly, he felt even more weary and worn out. He eventually fell asleep, lulled by the rhythmic thumping sounds of the train and the steady chewing from the javelina, eating whatever scraps it could dig up from the straw floor.
Not until the train arrived at it's destination early the next morning did he wake up. When the train came to a loud, screeching halt at the station, Kiddo slowly let his eyes flutter open, only to become instantly wide awake when the big door on the trailers side slid open from someone on the inside; the wild dog had been spending the night by sitting half-asleep in another corner of the wagon.
Kiddo and the javelina was led out into a street, not nearly as massive as the ones in Mobile, but still pretty impressive. The cub instinctively tried to hide behind the wild dog when a stagecoach pulled by two roadrunners, passed them at a high speed. The wild dog rolled his eyes and ignored the cub. He was going to have to get used to this sooner or later.
The javelina was strapped in front of a wagon with two rows with passenger seats in front, that had been kept in another trailer and so their journey continued on. On the two rows in front was the dog, who drove and from what Kiddo had heard his name was Chuck, and behind him sat the strange cat-like man. His eyes had the same deep, blueish green color as the ocean had at a calm, clear day. But instead of having the wondrous and curiosity-sparking effect on Kiddo as the sea had, they striked fear and uneasiness into the young cub, making him cover every time his new master looked at him.
Kiddo was sitting in the back on the lorry with a rope tied from his neck in a loop, to a metal ring in front, to keep him from jumping off and run off somewhere. But that proved to be unnecessary, as the first half hour of the trip had actually been interesting for the young cub, as he with perked ears and sparkling eyes studied the landscape they passed and was mesmerized by the rapidly rotating wheels. But after an hour or so, the cub was bored out of his mind, and the uneasy feeling his masters presence gave him kept creeping back.
After what felt like an eternity, they had finally reached their destination. Kiddo couldn't help but to stare at the sigh in front of him; a pathway with light colored pebbles passed in an alley between two rows of big, green, lush trees. The path led all the way up to the biggest and most pompous building he had ever seen in his life. The building was bright white with pillars in front and a giant porch, clearly standing out against the emerald green grass. Thick, dark green bushed decorated the entire lawn and a white picket fence separated the garden from the road. The colors green and white were blinding!
Mr Aventine had just climbed down from the wagon when a bloodcurdling screech was heard. "DADDY! HELP!" Seemingly out of nowhere, a young girl in a blue dress appeared and threw her arms around the surprised mans leg. She seemed to be about Kiddos age, had the same grayish yellow color on her fur as her father, and her long, red hair was kept in place by a big, girly bow on top of her head. And she was completely covered from top to toe in mud.
Her father staggered back. "What the...?"
"GIT BACK 'ERE YA LITTLE" After the girl came a young cheetah female running, but she came to a screeching halt when she saw that Mr Aventine had returned. She quickly patted out her black skirt, which she had been forced to lift to be able to run after the little girl. "Oh, M-Mr Aventine sir, y-you're back!" She said staggering and tried on a welcoming smile.
"What's goin' on 'ere, Lucy?" Mr Aventine said to the cheetah with a cocked eyebrow.
"She wanna drown me, daddy!" The little girl exclaimed and buried her muddy face in her dads clean, crème colored pants.
"What?! No!" Lucy, the cheetah, quickly said and a faint flush was visible on her golden cheeks. "Little Miss Cornelia was found playin' 'round in the creek an' Mrs Grace told me to give her a bath right this instant!"
"Then why aren't ya bathin' 'er?"
"That's what I was tryin' to do, sir! But she just won't cooperate!"
Gabriel sighed and rolled his eyes as he tried to pry his daughter away from his leg. "Cornelia, for heavens sake..."
"No, I don't believe in heaven, daddy! I'm an atheist!"
"You're too young to be an atheist!" With a final yank, he freed his leg from his muddy daughter and handed her over to the maid.
"Traitor!" Cornelia hissed at her dad and tried to free herself from the cheetahs grip. Mr Aventine ignored his daughter and turned back to the wagon, where Chuck was trying his best to hold back a snicker as he watched the cheetah drag the impossible little girl back to the house.
"Chuck, take the kid back, an' tell Ama that I want him out on the field the day after tomorrow" Gabriel ordered. Chuck grimaced and opened his mouth to protest, but quickly shut it again. Instead he nodded and muttered another low 'yes, sir' and made the javelina go forward again.
Kiddo stared as long as he could on the cheetah. He had only heard stories about that fast and cunning people, but never actually met one. He never thought that he'd meet one of these legendary spotted loners in THIS place! And judging from those thick, black stripes on Lucys neck, she might even be a King Cheetah! And they were like the Descendants of the Bouda people; especially powerful and said to be a descendant of the first cheetahs. But why on Earth would a King Cheetah be doing here?!
They continued on the dusty road until they reached a not-so-stunning village-like area, separated from the Aventines household by a tall, impenetrable wooden fence. The houses were dusty and small, and some even had holes in the roof. The grass that grew here had a more sickly, yellowish tone and when the road turned and continued between the houses, curious faces was turned to the wagon for a few beats. Some even greeted Chuck before continuing with whatever chores they had to do.
"Chuck!" A females voice made both Chuck and Kiddo jump in surprise as a young Spotted One ran up to the wagon and trotted to keep up with them. Kiddo instantly and instinctively withdrew upon seeing the young hyena girl with thick, black and spiky hair and mane. Why did she have to be another Spotted One?
Her long, blue dress almost got tangled up in her legs and she kept up with the wagon, and her childlike large, red eyes beamed at Chuck. "Chuck! Ama told me ya an' Mister went away! Where did ya go!?" She asked curiously.
The old wild dog shrugged in response. "Here an' there. Mister Aventine had some business in Mobile, an' while he was there he got a replacement for ol' Sham an' Fiddler"
"Huh, a replacement?" The young Spotted female tilted her head curiously and turned her head back to the wagons lorry. Kiddo shuddered in fear when the Spotted One saw him and her round face was split by a gleeful grin.
She jumped up in the wagon and blinked curiously at the little frightened cub. "Hi! My name is Ellie!" She greeted and held out her hand at him. "What's yer name!?" Kiddo pushed his back against the side on the wagon and flicked his eyes from her face down to her hand, and then to her face again.
"It's no use, Ellie. He can't understand ya!" Chuck said with a sad sigh. "Tip just brought him 'ere from the wilderness, he doesn't speak English yet, an' he seems to be scared of everythin'! Even his own shadow!"
"Oooh!" Ellies eyes widened as she turned her head back to the cub. "So you're from way over there, huh? Africa, right?" She sat with crossed legs and leaned her elbows on her knees and rested her head on her hands as she curiously studied the cub. "What's it like over there? My big brother Finn always wanna to go back! We've never been there ourselves, of course, but our great grandfather was a prisoner of war back there! The lions had captured him an' sold him...!"
"Ellie, aren't ya gonna go bother Toby instead?" Chuck interrupted the overly excited hyenas rambling and glanced over his shoulder at her. "As ya usually do?"
"Nah!" She shook her head. "He's workin' on the field, an' if I go over there now Lasher might think I'm tryin'a escape or somethin'... He ALWAYS think I'm gonna run off b'cause of Finn!" She folded her arms and pouted. "But none of us is stupid 'nuff to do that an' Lasher knows it!"
"Lasher just want's a reason to bother anyone, y'know..." The wild dog muttered almost inaudibly and made the javelina come to a halt in front of the stable. "Ellie, can ya go in with the kid to Ama while I put Ecarg back in the stable?"
"Sure! No problems, Chuck!" She nodded, quickly untied the rope around Kiddos neck and jumped off the wagon, signing for the cub to follow her.
At first he hesitated, not sure if he should trust the Spotted One or not, but she didn't seem so bad. Actually, she seemed kinda nice! With a nervous whimper, he slowly made his way down to the dry grassy ground.
"C'mon, lil' guy! Ya don't have to be afraid of me!" Ellie giggled and took Kiddos hand, making the little cub stiffen in fear before he was dragged along behind her.
He had to run to keep up with her, until they got to a cabin slightly bigger than the others. A skull of some sort of bird, possibly one of those weird roadrunners, was nailed over the door frame and decorated with colorful flowery patterns. The macabre skull got Kiddos heart to skip a beat in fear, but Ellie didn't seem to mind it at all as she just bolted up the stairs and burst into the cabin, still dragging Kiddo along behind her.
They stopped in some sort of kitchen and Ellie was panting happily. "Granny?! Granny Ama, come quick! We've got a newcomer!" She called and after a while some shuffling about was heard in a nearby room, separated by a colorful shroud.
Kiddo took a careful step back when an old girdled lizard stepped through the veil and looked around before her eyes locked on the two young hyenas. She shook her head sadly and sighed. "Such a young one..." She whispered to herself before looking up at the hyenas again, this time smiling warmly. "Why, hello there! Welcome to the Aventine farm, little one!" She said, her old, raspy voice sounded kind and calm and got Kiddo to carefully perk his big ears. "Who's this then?"
"We don't know!" Ellie shrugged so her loose-fitted dress slipped down from one of her shoulders. "Chuck said he comes from Africa, so he hasn't been able to tell us his name yet!" She glanced down at him and petted him on top of his head, but upon contact Kiddo ducked and backed away from Ellie. "An' as ya can see, he's pretty much afraid of ev'rythin' an' ev'ryone!"
Ama flinched. "He's from...?" She stared at Kiddo in disbelief. "B-but he's so young! He can't have...? An' it's not...!" Her voice trailed off and her firey yellow eyes narrowed as she gritted her sharp teeth in anger. "Let me guess, it's Tips doin', ain't it?!"
Ellie shrugged again. "Might be?"
The old lizard balled her fist and turned her back against the two youngsters. "I'll be damned! Next time I see Mr Aventine I'll give him a piece or two of my mind, I tell you what!" She hissed, her sudden change of tone in her voice made Kiddo shiver. When Ama turned to the two young hyenas again, she saw the scared look on the young cubs face and her expression softened. "It's alright, I'm not mad at you!" She said and walked up to the hyenas and threw one scaly arm around each of them. "It's just those evil men I can't stand! But enough about that, I bet my scaly tail you're hungry, yes?"
Kiddo was surprised over the sudden kindness shown to him by these complete strangers. But then again, they were like him and not like the Strangers from the sea, or the other slavers. When the night fell, Kiddo was to sleep in the attic of Amas cottage, but his already disturbed sleep was interrupted when Amas angry voice coursed through the house. Chuck had delivered Mr Aventines message about the kid to her, and she had NOT approved of it. Knowing granny Ama, she would probably march right up to Mr Aventine and demand that the kid would get at least a month to settle in, seeing that he was still so young. And Mr Aventine would have to agree on it too, unless he wanted to get turned into something like a frog, or a zit on his wifes nose!
It took a while, but eventually Kiddo managed to fall back asleep on the old, dusty bed. But his dreams were unsettling. It was like a memory being repeated in his frontal lobe over and over; the memory of his father getting shot right in front of him was still haunting him. That, and the echo of the gunshot.
Y'know, I feel utterly despicable for doing all these things to B, and just the fact that these kinds of things actually did occur back in the days sicken me... What have I created ;_;?
Oh well, on the bright side; in the next chapter we'll FINALLY get to know Corny ;D!
