Hybrids

[Lythe]

Raisa woke up sleepily, stretching her arms above her head and yawning. Sitting up, she groaned, ruffling her red hair in an attempt to make it look decent. It never did. The matron always nagged at her to pull a comb through it, and usually would try to run a brush through it when she could catch Raisa, but Rai's hair was almost always snarled regardless. Like a squirrel was sleeping in it, she thought wryly. Yawning once more, she stood, letting her tail flick back and forth as she scratched the pads of her hand. They were rough, not at all like the hands of the nobles she had seen in the market before. Raisa frowned, rubbing at her palms thoughtfully. They were rough and calloused from all the tumbling Rai performed, the countless times rope had scratched against her skin. Usually it didn't bother her; now she couldn't even feel the pain of rope burning like fire against her hands as she flipped around it in her practices. But she had to admit that they weren't very pretty.

 

Noise infiltrated her thoughts, and Raisa looked around to see where she was. She had fallen asleep in the crow's nest of the main tent, curled up on the wooden slatted floor. It was big enough for two to stand comfortably, and high enough for almost anyone to get queasy and sick. Rai loved it. A length of rope hung across the empty space that was between the crow's nest to the other wooden box, one of the only ways to get across to the other nest.. A ladder was usually placed before the show to allow people up, but Raisa had learned a long time ago how to scramble up the wooden mast to reach the nest. Nobody seemed to care she was up there, as long as she wasn't missing a practice or chores. Reminded of her work, she tiptoed across the tight rope, reaching the middle where a long chain hung. The other end was coiled onto the ground. Raisa bounced forward, dropping off the rope and falling parallel to the chain. Quickly, she darted a hand out and snagged the chain, throwing herself to the side to send herself spinning as she did so. Using the momentum of the spin, Raisa wrapped the chain across her hand, gripping the bottom with a well placed foot. The spin slowly stopped, and Rai loosened the chain to allow herself to drop slowly to the ground. A slow clapping filled the room as her foot brushed the ground, and Rai turned towards the noise.

 

"Matron," she said with a smile. "Good morning."

 

The matron arched an eyebrow. "It would be a good morning, if you had done your job. Where's the water bucket for the horses? The lion hasn't been fed. The bears are growling. Those were your chores this month. And what do I find you doing? Swinging around in dreamland. I expect you to work. If you do not, the master will have to do away with you. We are in the city of slavers. Surely someone will take you off his hands." She pursed her lips, a hand straying to her forehead and massaging small circles on the temple. A headache. Rai bit her lip, feeling guilty.

 

"Sorry," she said, sliding back. Her tail drooped behind her, and Raisa cast her eyes down submissively, waiting for the matron to leave. When she heard the sound of footsteps leave the tent she turned and ran out, bursting into the busy circus. It was always chaotic in the morning. Sliding between fellow slaves, she found the feeding cart. A man sat in between the bags of food, a stick of charcoal in hand with a crumbled up stack of papers. Rai walked past him and grabbed a burlap sack of steaks, freshly bought it looked like. Showing it to him silently, she watched him mark it down on his packet as she left for the animal train. It wasn't really an animal train, just where they placed the dangerous, unwilling-to-work Hybrids that were just to stunning to actually get rid of. Everybody was tasked with the job of keeping them alive. Raisa hated it. It made her sick to see them locked in cages, pacing back and forth and snarling at all who came. Some of the Hybrids were actually more animal than human; they couldn't speak, and only showed aggression and violence when they transformed. Feeling her stomach lurch again, Raisa pressed on, happy it would be over in a matter of minutes. Just throw it in the cages and leave, she thought, feeling horrible she had to do this to fellow slaves.

[PureDark006]

Lord and Lady Alsvieth walked down the road, making small conversation about the three stalls they had visited since their departure from Raymond's house. Sid followed closely behind, the other end of his leash still in the Lady's possession. The sleeping on the way to Stoneway had helped like he hoped (and the fact that he didn't have dinner or breakfast, but that was less of a choice and more because of a fight between the Lady and Raymond's wife), but his body always was weird for a while after transformations. He had been ordered to switch forms early in the evening, so by now he had gotten over the fatigue and the slight headache, though he'd rather not eat yet just in case. Besides, right now he had a bigger problem than hunger; mainly, the fact that his enhanced hearing was starting to drive him nuts. There were people making noise everywhere, with the occasional yelling to be heard over the crowd, and he just wanted to get out as fast as possible and go somewhere dark and quiet. Preferably on the other side of the country.

 

No such luck, though. His left eye twitched slightly again when a new, approaching sound joined the cacophony of the Festival; a row of horse-pulled wagons, by the sounds of it, bringing with it the increased chatter of the crowd. In times like this he wished to have been fused with an animal with the actual ability to move their ears, since at least that meant the option of flattening them against his head to drown out part of the noise. Sighing softly, he closed his eyes and mentally counted to five.

 

"What's that? A parade?" Lord Alsvieth asked, spotting the head of the line of wagons.

"We better take a look then," the Lady answered, heading towards the source.

"Right," the Lord agreed, matching his wife's steps, the three of them being followed at a close distance by Verman.

 

It didn't take long to reach the commotion, and to know why there was one in the first place. Some of the wagons contained hybrids, all of them in their non-human form, each looking like they'd have no trouble coming victorious out of a fight against ten opponents. Sid couldn't help staring a bit in curiosity, not having seen any hybrids like them in Sombra or Ira - the other hybrids he had seen were for housework, or show, but the ones in the cages looked as if they had been trained for weightlifting.

 

"Interesting..." Lord Alsvieth muttered, low enough to get lost in the sounds of the crowd. "Aleena, would you mind going ahead? I wish to know the purpose of those Hybrids."

 

"As you please," the Lady answered, raising a delicate eyebrow at her husband's sudden interest. "But do tell me if it's connected to the circus," she added, the Lord replying with a smile and an "Of course".

[Narath]

Samuel

 

Sam paced around his cage, turning anxious from all the staring eyes. He gazed out of his prison bars, glaring at passerby's, Human or Hybrid. Whenever he noticed someone stopping to stare at him, he would just stare back with a ferocious look upon his snarling wolfish features. This would often either keep them from looking at the train of carts, or scurrying off, both of which were satisfying for Samuel.

"Stop that." the beast-master said, hitting his coiled whip against the bars. "You're supposed to look tough and attract people, not frighten them away you mangy mutt."

Samuel growled deeply at the man, baring his fangs to dare the man to come inside the cage to beat him.

'Stupid brute.' He thought. 'Threatening me won't work and he knows it. I'm a fighter, not some puppy that will go cowering away at the first sign of danger. They trained me that way.'

When they finally stopped at the edge of the circus, Samuel's master and a few of his associates exited the carriage. His master then proceeded to get some of them to arrange with the circus for some of his hybrids to participate in the cage fights. After all, a man of his stature shouldn't have to deal with circus folk personally unless they came to him.

As this transpired, Sam caught sight of a peculiar dressed bat breed being led by who Sam assumed was his masters.

'And that is one of the reasons I am glad that I am not a show hybrid' Sam thought, eyeing the over-the-top clothing it was wearing.

As the bat hybrid was led of by the female of the small group, the male stayed and gazed at all the different hybrids that accompanied him. As the man's gaze passed by him, Sam glared, baring his teeth with a growl. Hopefully, this would scare this man of like the others.

Edited October 14, 2013 by Narath

[PureDark006]

The wagon in front stopped upon reaching its intended destination, which wasn't that far from where Sid and his Masters had been watching, the other vehicles behind it halting as well. Sid's gaze turned to the carriage's door, which was opening to let some men out; the ones responsible for the wagons, it looked like.

 

Lady Alsvieth started walking away, en route on her quest to visit all the stalls, and Sid followed, but not before he caught one of the caged hybrids looking back at him in what he supposed was also curiosity. It was a black wolf, that looked almost exactly like he had leaped out from a werewolf tale, the only difference from the mythical beast being the glint of intelligence in his eyes. He couldn't be older than Sid himself, but still looked able to break him in half with only the thought, and had multiple scars on his body. From fights or punishment, Sid couldn't tell, but he was starting to suspect it was the former. Just what in the world was their purpose?

 

He had to turn again then, to follow the Lady, wings moving a bit to adjust their position closer to his body. He had a feeling he'd find out later, and it wouldn't be pretty.

 

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Lord Alsvieth headed towards the cages with the stride of a man who owned whatever he stepped on, thought he was far from the only one; the lack of movement had attracted its fair share of onlookers, all staring at the caged beasts on display. One of the men who had descended from the carriage, the leader by the looks of it, was ordering the others around, but the distance and the crowd's noise were enough to take away the comprehensibility of the spoken words. Alsvieth clicked his tongue - there weren't hybrids like those in the cages back in Ira, and so he wanted to know their specific role.

 

He walked by the cages, heading towards the front, and noticed one of them stood out for the lack of onlookers. He approached to see a wolf beast inside, wearing a brown collar with two crossing swords. The wolf not only stared back but glared, teeth bared like canines are prone to do when displeased, a low growl coming from its throat. "How dare he," Alsvieth thought, looking back at it as if it was but a mere Pomeranian that had sullied the kitchen floor. The canine just reminded him of that misbehaving horse from the day before, and just made him want to enter the cage and teach the dog manners himself. He refused to be intimidated, and he stopped just in front of the dog's cage, eyes locked into the beast's in a silent challenge.

[Narath]

Samuel

 

Samuel glared back at the pompous man as he came closer to his cage. His body was tense, as if ready to pounce, ans his claws coiled and uncoiled, wanting to rip something apart. If it weren't for the solid iron bars in his way, it would be likely that something would have been torn.

"I told you to stop that you dingy mongrel!" Yelled the beast master as he stood up and began thrashing Sam with his whip.

Sam barely flinched for the first few times, but the whipping began to annoy him. Ripping his gaze from the stranger, he grabbed the end of the whip and snarled loudly at the man, causing women to scream, and children to cry. The beast master became red with anger, and ripped the whip from Sam's grasp, only to toss it aside. Picking up a heavy club on his seat, the beast master was about to open the cage to beat him, when a voice rang out, sharp and harsh.

"You there, stop beating on the beast! He's one of my best! If you dare break him before he gets a chance to fight, I'll have your head."

Sam turned to see that his master was walking over towards him. He let out a low growl of disdain, before lowering his head. Though this man did not shout, his words rang with power. Power that could make anything it ordered happen.

"Admiring the goods sir?" He asked the man that was staring at him earlier. "Let me introduce myself, I am lord Issan, and these are my fighters. Best the land has to offer!"

Edited October 14, 2013 by Narath

[PureDark006]

He had to admit, the beast had some fight on him. Not only did it withstood the whipping as if they were mosquito bites, it even had the audacity to stop the weapon and snarl back like a feral animal. Quite the change from the broken cattle back at home.

 

The one in charge of the beast was about to get serious with the punishment when the one who looked like the true owner approached, his mere presence making the beast lower its hostility enough to bow its head. He made a good first impression; Alsvieth respected people that could make themselves be respected.

 

"I am Lord Gerald Alsvieth, from the country of Ira. Pleased to make your acquaintance," he answered the introduction, offering a handshake.

 

"Pardon the question, but my wife and I just arrived in Stoneway yesterday and are as such unfamiliar with the customs. You mentioned a fight going to take place?"

Edited October 14, 2013 by Puredark006

[Narath]

Samuel

 

"Yes, I did indeed!" Replied lord Issan, shaking lord Alsvieth's hand firmly. "I am arranging for a few of these creatures to participate in the circus's cage fights. It's a little different than what they are used to, but I have no doubt that they will do well. Normally, we go to wherever there is a gladiator event going on, but since the circus is here as well, I thought that we may as well try to make some extra cash. Samuel here, even though he is an insubordinate brat, is one of my best fighters all round. When it comes to swordplay, there is no match. I would love to have him beaten for his behavior towards you, but you must understand that I cannot do such a thing until the events are over. I can't have him fighting with anything broken of course, but be rest assured that he will be punished afterwards."

 

Sam listened impatiently to his master's long winded rant. While he was one of the best, he was not a master swordsman as his master said. Yes, he was skilled with a blade, but his master did like to exaggerate sometimes to show off.

[PureDark006]

((Sorry for the late post >_<"))

 

Alsvieth listened to Lord Issan's explanation, nodding in the right parts and eyes moving towards the dog's cage when the word 'fighter' was mentioned. "Of course I am in no way offended by your decision to delay that beast's retribution, if he is to participate in such an event," he said, making a dismissive gesture with his right hand towards the hybrid. "I understand the need to keep your property in good condition for the public eye."

 

He looked at the man with interested eyes, is attention piqued by the prospect of the cage fights. "You must tell me where such event is to take place, though. I'd very much enjoy the opportunity to witness such a spectacle."

Edited October 15, 2013 by Puredark006

[Narath]

((OOC: No problem.))

 

Samuel

 

"Good, good. In any case, these events happen all across the lands all the time!" lord Issan said. "The ones these beasts usually participate in are in large arenas and stadiums, but they will be going to the cage fights in the circus first this time. It's something that they've never tried before, but I am sure that the ones I have picked, like young Samuel here, will do just fine. You see, I buy and sell fighters like these for a living, and I only purchase the best, or those who have the potential to be the best."

Lord Issan gestured at some of the hybrids around him, including Sam, all of whom looked battle worn and experienced.

"They cost a pretty penny though, but they are worth it. After all, what id the point of buying a slave worth one hundred gold, when you'll only get fifty out of them, when you can spend hundreds or thousands on one that will double, or even triple your money?"

Sam could tell that his master was trying to make a sale. This 'lord Alsvieth' seemed quite interested in the sport, and whenever Sam's master smelled a way to make money, he swooped in like a hawk to grab it. The thought of this made Samuel snort, his equivalent of laughter. He liked the idea of his master being turned into a hawk hybrid, and forced to share the same fate as he.

"Take Ferrus here for example," lord Issan said, guiding the other man to look at a leopard hybrid. "He may not have much in terms of muscle, but he is the fastest fighter I've ever seen. Done more than enough to earn some hay to sleep on. Not that we would give him more than that though; it keeps these things tough."

Shaking his head slightly, Sam let out a quiet sigh. Lord Issan was always tried this. Though Ferrus was once as good as his master let on, the hybrid had become old, and this had caused him to slow. Though still a good fighter, he had gone downhill. This was what his master always did; buy the young and strong, while selling the ones that had to look back to see their glory days. There was rarely an occasion where he would sell one of his best, and when a buyer was interested, lord Issan always asked for an outrageous price.

[PureDark006]

Lord Alsvieth let out a small laugh at the question. "I agree wholeheartedly. No use in purchasing something worthless or obsolete." The dog made some sort of sound, but Alsvieth payed no attention to it, focused on the conversation at hand.

 

Lord Issan then took him in front of a cage that contained a feline hybrid, spots marking it as one of those jungle predators, and started talking about the cat's potential. The way he talked, it was implied the creatures were not only for fighting, but for sale too. He'd need to do some preparations then, and what better test than action?

 

"I am sure I can trust your judgement, seeing as you speak with experience," he stated, fingers going over his brown mustache. "I certainly look forward to the debut of such an entertainment. Impress me then, my good man, and you've got yourself a client!" he added with a hearty laugh, giving a strong pat to the others' shoulder.

 

"I shall be on my way then. Allow me to add my most sincere gratitude for the information you've provided, and that I cannot wait to see with my very own eyes the marvels you spoke of."

[Narath]

Samuel

 

"Excellent!" Replied lord Issan. "I believe the cage fights start a couple hours after noon in the circus, and the gladiator fights a few hours after that in the city arena. I have no doubt that you won't be disappointed my good sir!"

His master returned the man's pat on the back, and began to make his way back to his carriage, his expression turned stern once more. lord Issan stopped as he walked by Sam's cage.

"Samuel," He said. "if you perform marvellously today, consider your punishment forgotten. Loose this client for me however, and it will be severe."

And with that, he disappeared into his carriage.

"You'r lucky he showed up mutt." his handler said. "Personally, I would have grounded you to a pulp."

Sam snorted again. All the handler would have succeeded in if he entered the cage would be being beaten to a pulp himself, and arming a hybrid. Now that would be a fun day.

[WolfLover8]

Kelissa stared sullenly at herself in the warped mirror, sighing inwardly. She had merely had a shadow of hope that she would be left alone to wear her usual outfit today, but of course there was no chance for that, not on the day of the party.

 

With great detest, she had dressed in what was laid out for her without a thought of refusing. This was probably only an outfit for the day, another to come for the actual festivities. The top was off-white and hid her thin frame, hugging her curves gently. The neckline was low, below her collarbone, exposing her collar more obviously. The partial sleeves were puffy yet tight on her upper arms. On the sides of the shirt were swirling black patterns, elegant and contrasting, that matched her collar. Thankfully, she was not being forced to wear a skirt, and wore instead light grey trousers that were nice but still fine for a servant's work. Like the shirt, they too had curving black designs at the ankle that made it match. Her feet, of course, were left bare. The outfit was elegant yet not so nice that it couldn't be worn by someone as low in rank as she while also showing off the manor's colors of black and white.

 

After a moment of debate with herself, Kel decided to leave her hair down and simply ran a brush through it. She wandered the halls for a bit, finding that almost everyone was dressed up for the occasion as well, but she had slightly nicer clothes than even some of the non-Hybrid servants. She started when a guard grabbed her by the arm, shaking her. "Why are you not in your beast form? Change, girl," he scolded her. She pulled away quickly with a nod, retreating to the kitchens to find a knife.

 

She had someone help her cut a hole for her tail in her pants, then shifted reluctantly. Because her trousers were somewhat short, her paws weren't hidden by them, making her feel more exposed. After making sure she wasn't needed to help cook(she was told a firm no by one of the chefs that she suspected was not normally there), she left the manor and headed in the direction of the circus, drawn in by the noise of the crowd while trying to ignore the looks people shot her as she walked.

[Limn]

[*Bumps* o_o Got it PD, thank you for alerting the thread.]

[Lythe]

(So since this has been really slow, I'm going to go ahead and have the circus start now. Right now it's around noon.)

 

Raisa ran through the small pathways that ran between all of the booths in the circus. She had been told to restock a booth with firewood so that the booth could continue cooking food, but all the firewood was gone. She had had to go out and buy more, which had earned her a scolding for arriving late. Now she was trying to dodge getting more work. Raisa paused when she saw her friend Viper waving to her.

 

"What's up, Viper?" Raisa called, scrambling through the crowds to enter the tent Viper stood at. The circus had just opened but it was already full of people exploring all the tents and booths. Raisa's tail had been stepped on twice before she finally transformed back into a human just for safety's sake.

 

Viper threw a mound of cloth into Raisa's arms. "Get dressed," she shot over her shoulder as she turned back inside to grab more clothes. She darted past Raisa, ducking under the tent flap. "Matron wants all the performers in their gear now, probably wants to parade you guys around." She shrugged, turning and disappearing into the crowd. Raisa groanded, throwing the clothes onto an empty wooden table and shutting the tent opening. She peeled off her typical outfit, the white tunic and black leggings that all the circus slaves were given. Raisa had cut slits into the side of the tunic to free her range of movement, but the Matron would have her head if she did the same to her performance outfit. Picking up the outfit, she slithered it on. It was made of red silks, with thin gold chains falling off the chest and spilling forward. Her arms were bare, but the fabric stretched tightly over her chest and stomach, showing off her muscle. It barely covered her legs, just a small skirt that had slits on the sides. Underneath was, thankfully, a small set of black shorts to prevent an unwelcome sight when she was flipping through the air. Most performers had to put on a shiny sequined headdress, but Raisa's hair was so unique that the Matron had her wear only a small gold circlet, with a glowing ruby stone that fell on her forehead.

 

Looking at her reflection in a nearby bucket of water, Raisa groaned. She wanted her old clothes back. Stomping out of the empty tent, she glanced around, searching for familiar faces. What the heck was she supposed to do now that she was in these fancy clothes? Remembering Viper saying something about being paraded around, she headed for the main gate. That was usually where the Matron showed them off, trying to lure more customers in.

[StarriAngel]

"Be careful Coraline," Mistress Avalon said as she handed her daughter a bonnet to keep her face shielded from the sun, "And be back before dark." This second comment was said harshly and directed at Aquila, who flinched at the sound, her fox ears twitching. She had been in her animal form since the Avalons had guests earlier and the Mistress wanted to show her off.

 

"We'll be careful and won't stay out too late," Coraline said, hoping to capture her mother's attention. It worked, as the mistress finally nodded and turned toward the door to send them on their way. Just as they were about to leave though, Xander sprinted down the stairs already wearing his shoes.

 

"I've decided I'm going too Mama," he said resolutely. He then looked at Aquila, who flinched under his gaze. He smirked and turned back to the mistress. "Is that alright?"

 

"If you must," the mistress replied, "Have fun." As the three turned to walk out of the door, Aquila's collar was yanked back and she stumbled into the room. "Change into your human form and remember not to draw attention to yourself or talk to anyone. I don't need you getting any ideas from those circus beasts." With that, the madame threw Aquila outside and shut the door. Coraline looked sympathetic towards the shy hybrid girl, while Xander's eyes held only smug contempt. Aquila stood from where she landed, changed into her human form, and started to walk the children to the circus.

 

Once they arrived, Aquila's blue eyes widened as she looked in awe at the circus. It was so vibrant, and there were so many people! She wanted to run off and explore everything, but quickly subdued herself knowing that the children were here and that she was working. Coraline squeezed her hand, noticing her change in attitude. "Have fun today," she said with a smile, "It's a circus. It's meant to entertain!"

 

"Yeah, people. NOT beasts," Xander said rudely as he noticed a group of hybrids gather near the main gate. Aquila frowned at his words but tried not to let them affect her as she scanned the hybrids at the gate. She gasped when she recognized the same girl she had met in the marketplace the day before. Maybe she could talk to her? 'Maybe,' Aquila thought, 'we could become friends, and join forces, and possibly escape?' As soon as she thought that however, the Mistress's words about not talking to anyone or getting any ideas flew back into her head and crushed her hope. She decided that she might as well make the best of her one day of minimal freedom, and she looked down at the children.

 

"Ready to go see what's inside?" She asked them.

 

"Yeah," Coraline replied happily. Xander just rolled his eyes as the three walked inside the gate.

[PureDark006]

The sun was already high in the sky by the time the Lady finished with the latest in the chain of stalls she was visiting, its rays reflecting slightly on her necklace and rings as she stepped out. Sid and Verman came out shortly after her, the former with his eyes slightly narrowed to offer them some protection against the bright day, and the latter with his arms full because of the four bags and two packages that contained the day's purchases.

 

"Aleena!"

 

She turned at the voice calling her name, already smiling even before spotting her husband making his way towards the trio through the small crowd. His green eyes were shinning like they did whenever the man found something of interest, and the purpose within each of his steps told her she hadn't been the only one enjoying the morning.

 

"I see you had a busy day," he commented when he got close enough to be heard without raising his voice, immediately noticing the bulk the bodyguard was carrying. Verman didn't seem to be having many problems carrying the items, so the Lord made the educated guess that they were most likely clothes and other light accessories.

 

"Well, I've yet to be disappointed by the variety and quality of what you can find here," she replied with a bright tone, causing a chuckle as a response.

 

"Indeed, I myself are impressed with, as was said, 'what you can find here'." Sid glanced slightly at him at that comment, not sure if he liked the tone his supposed Master was using.

 

The Lady either didn't notice or didn't mind, her demeanor not changing as she accepted the Lord's offer to take her purchases back to their temporal lodgings, the bodyguard unable to do so as part of his job was to always be around to offer protection if needed. Sid wondered where the man had been all morning, and why the need to return, but he knew better than to voice his thoughts in front of the armed man.

 

His thoughts briefly conjured the image of the caged hybrids they had seen before the Lord's departure, the likeliest explanation of Alsvieth's behavior, and he instinctively shifted his wings closer to his body in discomfort.

 

"I'll make sure to return in time, so why don't you start heading towards the circus' main gate?" he suggested, packages now safely in his arms.

 

"That's as good a plan as any. Just be sure to be back before long, hm?"

 

"Will do," came the reply, as the two parted ways and started heading towards their respective destinations, Sid closely behind the Lady due to the length of the leash, Verman following just a few steps behind, hand resting inconspicuously close to where his weapon was.

[WolfLover8]

Kelissa wasn't bothered nearly as much by the many people around her as she usually was. Mostly they were distracted by the noise and lull of the circus, which distracted her as well.

 

She wandered around, avoiding the area where the venders were set up. No point in browsing if I have no money to spend, she thought. Instead the sounds of the crowd moved her into the sight of some wagons, each with a caged hybrid inside. She stared with curiosity. They didn't appear like the usual hybrids that traveled with the circus, but rather like gladiators or something of the sort. Cage fighters, maybe- she had heard about them.

 

Kel disliked the thought. She looked at a wolf hybrid, noticing the crowd near him. She imagined him tearing apart another hybrid, and flexed her clawed hands uncomfortably. Maybe she was luckier, being owned in a manor and not sent out to fetch things from market and not to bleed. The thought made her bristle visibly, her tail swaying back and forth behind her. We're all just slaves, she thought, feeling bad for the wolf who was trapped when she was not. Her mind drifted to the person behind the fur, and she wondered what his life was like.

[Lythe]

(Bump. Come on people, this was last on the last page. Let's try staying active...)

[WolfLover8]

( Bumpinggggg. Spots are open as well. )

[Narath]

Sam paid little attention to the crowds gathered around the cages, as they did almost nothing else but stand and gawk. Even some of the hybrids that passed by just stared, some in wonder, others in fear, and yet some with plain old curiosity. Samuel snorted at the thought. Why would another hybrid want to be curious about his plight? What he did was not something that one would want to do, and he rather doubted that they would want to gain insight with the person he was. When others looked at him, all they saw was scars and muscles, nothing but animalistic brawn.

Glancing at the surrounding crowd, he saw that he had indeed attracted a hybrid onlooker, a cat by the looks of it. She didn't look curious though, nor did she look afraid. Instead, the look on her face looked something akin to frustration, or perhaps even pity. Sam's face softened slightly as he looked at her. No one had ever really looked at him like that, especially not a hybrid who was probably a house pet for some pampered child. Hybrids like her would often just rush by, not wanting to look at him and imagine how horrible their lives would be if they were in his place. No one had ever really showed any form of concern for him before.

[WolfLover8]

Kel caught herself when the hybrid turned to look at her, scolding herself mentally. Even if she did let herself think about things like that, what would thoughts change? She stared at the ground, sullen. Silly thoughts would change nothing. The wolf hybrid was still in a cage, and she still a mere servant. And yet.. Kel looked back up, meeting his gaze again. The horror of the life he must have.. What would it take to get away?

 

The crowd shifted suddenly, moving against her toward the main circus tent. She was pushed from all sides, forced to move along or risk being trampled. Reluctantly, she turned away from the cages and followed the current of people as they headed to see the show. She tried to push her uneasy thoughts away and instead wonder about the performance.

[Lythe]

(I'm going to start the circus perfomance in my next post, so if you want your character in the tent, please move them now.)

[Narath]

"Alright, get out mutt." Sam's handler ordered as he opened the cage. "The boss got a last minute duel for you. No killing though, so it will just be a warm up for later."

Samuel slowly walked over to the handler, eyes filled with malice, and held out his arms on which iron shackles were placed. The handler then proceeded to place shackles around his ankles as well. This was all routine of course, as from a very young age Sam had difficulties co-operating.

"Come on you stupid mongrel. This way, move along."

To get Sam moving, the handler hit him with his whip, to which Sam had to suppress a feral growl.

The man let him into a large tent, where he could see many people sitting on benches in anticipation for the show to start. The sight caused his heart to ache. He remembered when he was young, before he became a hybrid. His father had once saved up enough money to take him to a circus. It was a gift for his tenth birthday. It was the best day of his life, a day that he was able to pretend with his father that they weren't so poor, as if they were like everyone else. He cheered on the festivities with such enthusiasm that day.

But alas, that day had since long past, and now he was the entertainment.

[StarriAngel]

"Let's go, let's go!" Coraline shouted happily. The three had been walking around looking at everything for a while when Coraline had suddenly pointed to the tent.

 

Aquila chuckled lightly at the small girl's excitement, but at the same time was trying really hard to keep in her own excitement. One thing that kept her in her place however, was the consistent scowl that never left Xander's face from the moment they got there. He was constantly glaring at her and every other hybrid they passed. While part of Aquila was sad that this boy was seven years old and already so bigoted, part of her realized that he was just doing what his mother had taught him.

 

"Are you sure you're ready to go Coraline?" Aquila said, "The circus itself hasn't even started yet?"

 

Coraline looked at her as if she had grown two heads. "Of course I'm ready to go!" she said, a smile starting to form on her face, "What if it---"

 

"Just shut up and do what she says," Xander said whilst rolling his eyes, "It is your job to listen to us slave." He smirked as he said it and watched Aquila and Coraline's smiles both droop defeatedly.

 

"Come on then," Aquila said, sounding as though she had been slapped, "Let's go inside." She grabbed Coraline's hand (Xander had moodily pulled his hand away from her) and the three moved into the circus tent to find their seats.

[Narath]

Sam was roughly led to a back section of the enormous tent, where he was met with the sight of at least a dozen different hybrids being prepped to fight. He didn't have much time to observe his competition however, as he was roughly shoved into the corner of the 'room' where the handler removed the cuffs around his wrists and ankles, but quickly reattached his leg to a pole to prevent Sam from trying anything.

"Sit here until you're called." The handler ordered grumpily, as another tossed Sam's shield and sheathed sword at him.

Samuel caught his equipment, and glared at his back as he walked off. He was up to something, Sam knew it. He was never given his gear until he was supposed to go and fight. Were they trying to lure him into making trouble? It might be fun to cause some, despite the fact that that was probably what the handler wanted, but it would solve nothing. Nothing would change. He'd just still be some act for the pleasure of the people.