I don't own free

Gou's pointed ears flickered ever so slightly. She wanted them to hurry up, and let the action be over. At the same time, she wanted for it to never end, because once it finished that would be it. She'd be sold to the highest bidder and never know freedom again.

'Ferals' as they had been known throughout time, were a breed of human who had been born with animal parts. Some had tails, ears, fins, wings and then there was the odd few with the markings of their animal counterparts.

Having grown up in sea village, it was common to see sea ferals. Sea ferals were lucky enough that they could work in the ocean, they could make a living for themselves. Rarely did a sea feral have to sell itself, but even then few wanted to buy a sea feral.

Both of Gou's parents were normal human beings, so when her mother gave birth to a sea feral, it came as a great shock. Rin had been born a shark feral, something that was incredibly rare. It had been almost 300 years since the last shark feral had been born.

Her father, bless his soul, had refused to sell Rin no matter the offer presented to him. It didn't matter that they were barely getting by, Rin would never be sold. When Gou had been born, like with Rin, her parents had been shocked to find that they'd had another feral child.

If Rin had been considered rare, then Gou was like gold dust. All feral people were rare, but the cat people were considered the prize of the lot. For someone to own a cat feral was to be the top of society.

Gou had been born of not only the land but of the water. Never before had there been someone born of the two.

When she'd been born they laid her out for the village elders to see. Black strips had marked her pale skin, even as a newborn she'd had fangs. Her ears were curved with a slight point to them, and her tail was short. "She's magnificent, one of a kind. A Tiger feral, send by the gods of land and sea.

Her father had loved her as much as her brother, for that she would alway be thankful. He'd given her everything he could and that had been more than enough for Gou. His death had been unexpected and tragic. The very sea which he had loved had been what had taken his life.

Rin, of course, had taken it the worse, he'd run at his first chance and had never turned back. She didn't hold it against him either, but she would have left too, if not for her mother.

Without their father, they had no money to buy food. Gou could only watch as her mother grew weaker and weaker. Ferals were different to humans, sturdier and built so that they could withstand many of the things that would kill an ordinary human.

While her mother grew weak, Gou stayed strong. With no other choice, Gou knew what it was she needed to do.

Being sold wasn't a bad thing, many ferals sold themselves. A feral would be taken care of, anything they wanted would be given to them, in return all they needed to do was live with the person who bought them.

Standing now, listening to bids being offered, Gou wished there could have been another way.

She wasn't paying attention when suddenly, the room became silent. When she looked up she was met by a sight which she hadn't expected.

There, near the back of the crowd stood a feral. All eyes in the room seemed to be on him, yet he only had eyes for Gou.

Golden eye's stared into Gou's red ones. "If anyone wants to outbid by me, be my guest. But know this, I will continue to go higher." His voice was loud, strong and demanded respect.

There stood a smaller feral next to him, they looked very alike and Gou thought that they must be brothers.

"Sold, to the feral in the back."

Gou heard the shorter of the two give a whoop of joy. Ferals didn't buy other ferals, so just what was going on.

"Miss, if you would," The attend held out his hand to her so as to lead her out back, where she would be introduced to the people who had bought her.

Awhile later she was still waiting in a room alone. She turned when the door to her room opened and stood face to face with the other cat feral. A cat feral was a rare sight near any place that contains large quantities of water.

"Yo!" He greeted as he closed the door behind himself. "I'm Mikoshiba Seijuro."

"Matsuoka Gou," She replied, unable to take her eyes off him. "Your,"

"You're cute!" he said, cutting her off before she could finish her own sentence. His eye's seemed to sparkle as he said it, and the tiniest of blushes crossed his tan checks.

"Oh," She blushed. "Thank you, but you,"

"I'm like you." He offered, smiling at her.

She'd met one cat feral in her life, he'd looked nothing like her. He had a tail and ears and other than that, he'd looked like a normal human.

Seijuro, on the other hand, was like Gou, both had the same markings, they were born of the same Gods. Two of a kind. She stared transfixed on the other feral, not believing that this could be happening.

"Why did you buy me?" She questioned, wondering what had motivated him to spend such a large sum of money on her.

"Where I come from ferals aren't sold, were free being that live as we want too." He began to explain. "I bought you so that you could be free."

Gou was speechless, what did one say when another did such a kindness.

"I only ask one thing in return," Ruby eye's hardened awaiting what was to come. "Go on a date with me?"

It was Gou's turn to blush, and once more the male tiger feral had left her speechless. "I-"

"You don't have to say yes, it's just your so cute and I," Gou decided to cut him off before he could continue.

"I'd love to go on a date with you."

"Really!"

"Yes," Gou said taking his hand in hers and pressing it to her cheek "I'd like nothing more."

Many years later, Gou was walking down a corridor when a voice called out to her

"Momma!" Gou turned at the call to see the tiniest of ferals running on chubby legs towards her.

"Tao," She said surprised as she hoisted the boy up and held him at her side."Have you escaped again." She asked, knowing that the tutor would surely be looking for him.

"I hate being stuck in, I want to be out here, with Momma." He pouted and Gou's heart melted at the sight.

Tao was her youngest son. At five years old he had just begun his lesson, but unlike his older brothers that had inherited Gou's good behaviour, Tao had taken after his father.

"My littles Tiger. Let's find somewhere to hide before someone sees us." Gou carried on down the hallway, hushing the giggling child encase anyone heard them and revealed where the youngest little prince had gotten too.

Never in her wildest dreams had Gou thoughts that there would be a feral village, much less that Seijuro was the King. It was only after he procured her hand did he ask her to return with him to his home, and it was only when they had arrived at the palace had he told her that he was, in fact, King.

It had taken much getting used too, but Gou enjoyed her new life, although she rarely took herself being a Queen serious. Rin had come back into her life and she had started her own family. No girls, but she wouldn't change her boys for anything.

Arriving into her private garden, she settled down at the base of the cherry bloom tree. Her youngest Tao, looked so much like her beloved Seijuro that Gou tended to spoil him just that little more than the others and it didn't help that he was also her youngest, her baby.

"Momma?"

"Yes, my love?" She asked, looking down into his golden eye's that shone with innocence and child-like wonder.

"Tell me the story of how Father saved you."

"You've heard it so many times before," She said, brushing his hair away from his eye's as he lay back against her.

"Please," He knew she couldn't resist.

"Okay, well..." She began.

Much later King Seijuro would go in search of his Queen to inform her of their missing child, only to come across the pair cuddling fast asleep in the Queens private garden.

Grimming, he decided it was best to alert the staff that young prince had been found, and then he would return so as to enjoy a nap with his beautiful wife and his youngest son.