{POV Yuna}

 

   I can't believe they caught up to us so fast. I tried to tell Faye to leave me behind, but she freaked out on me. I need to teach her that her life is far more important then mine. Worse still, even if we get out of this, apparently the place we were going to go is currently at war and its losing. That is if we can believe this dude and (oddly out of place) elegant women. Its one thing after another. Its ridiculous. Then they say some shit about wanting to buy us? I'm not about to let Faye become a Slave to anyone. Even if we technically are still. Then negotiations fell apart and they are just going to straight up "steal" us from him. Now James mentioned how i'm Bonded to Mistress and no one is talking anymore! James is just sitting on his horse like he has everything under control. 'What have I gotten us into?'

"So, If that's all, I will be taking care of my business now. I'm no longer selling." James excuses them, drawing his sword while approaching us. He looks directly at me for the first time and his eyes narrow. He opens his mouth about to speak, but the women beats him to the punch and finally talks. Now that I can see her close-up, I can see very pointed ears poking out of her hair. 'Is she an Elf?'

"Is that right? And who are you to that family?!" She questions in a threatening manner making James pause and look over.

"I'm Miss Kira's Slave Master" James states proudly. 'That's something to have pride in?' The women takes an aggressive step forward and the man reacts fast, grabbing her arm.

"Don't" He tells her. She try's to yank her arm back out of his grip, but fails to do so. 'Ummm..'

"Then you would know the name Mellie Granet!!" She shouts at James. 'What the hell is going on?' I never know what is going to happen next in this world. Everything used to be so predictable. James looks taken aback by the accusation. 

"W-who are you?" James stutters clearly unnerved. She doesn't answer, but puts up a fiercer struggle to get out of the mans grip. When she accepts that she can't, she try's to kneel and reaches out with her now green glowing hand to try and touch the ground. The Man yanks her up stopping her.

"Enough!" he yells at her. 

"He played a part in it!" She yells back tears of frustration welling up in her eyes. James looks worried. His pride and smugness from a minute ago no longer visible. 

"You don't know that!" He hisses at her. 'There is some kind of Shakespearian drama playing out here.' I look at the guards and they're all on edge as well. The women glares back at James.

"You want to know who I am?! I'-" She starts to yell.

"No!" The man shouts cutting her off slightly.

"-ia Granet!!" I didn't really make it out, but from the look on James's face, he understood. He paled significantly. He looks like he was smacked in the face with an anvil. Like he wants to get as far from here as he possibly can. 'Who are these people?' I start to turn to Faye to ask if-  

"Gods! Now look at what you've done!" The man exclaimed drawing a double-headed axe from his back.

"We were going to kill him anyway! Only now the reason changed." She yells with scorn at the man. "Or were you just planning to bully him for the girls?" The man looks like he wants to smack her. 

James turns his horse around and try's to gallop away, but the archer puts an arrow in the horse's eye making it rear up dumping James onto the ground. Ending his flight before it even began. John doesn't even twitch.

The women places her hand onto the ground and I hear a rumbling and our horse moves further away from everyone. I look over at James as he trys to get his bearings after falling. Underneath him dark green vines shoot out of the ground tangling him up and wrapping around him, tying up his limbs. He tried to yell something, but then the vines covered his mouth silencing him. The guards have surrounded John, but they are not attacking him. He still hasn't moved a muscle. His sword is laying in his lap. 'What is he playing at?' 

The women approaches James. 'Man... If looks could kill.'

"For my Mother." She vehemently says. James starts to shake his head back and forth vigorously and I can hear him trying to yell something. She ignores him and bends down placing her hand on the ground. The vines plunge into his eyes. His barely audible yells turn into screams. The vines retract from over James's mouth and his screaming fills the air. They are cut off as the vines start forcing their way into his nose and mouth. James's body begins to violently shudder. I can see vines running underneath his exposed skin.

"Fuck me" I let out involuntarily. 'What did he do to deserve this? and did he even do it?' I can't tell if he's alive and moving his body in pain or if he's dead and its the vines moving through it causing the twitching. Vines suddenly burst out of his torso splattering the area around him in gore. James's body continues to shudder for a moment more before becoming still. The vines writhe around his body then pull it into the ground out of sight. 'I guess he fucked with the wrong women's mother.' That's a horrible way to go. Magic really changes everything.

"Satisfied?" The man asks clearly angry with her.

"Not even close" She said walking towards John.

"How could you be? He was no one!" He's pissed. "We didn't come here for you to do bullshit like this!"

"It doesn't matter Ivaldri! What's done, is done!!" She yells at him. 'His name is Ivaldri then?'

"Dammit, you've made a mess of things." He said in a resigned tone. "I swear if I didn't love you..." he mutters. I look back at Faye.

"Who are these people and what was all of that about?" I ask her. She just looked at me and shook her head that she didn't know. "Well, the good news is that they can't track you any longer." I say with a smile. She smiles bitterly at me.

"No, they can. They save a small vial worth of the solution that forms the Seal. It holds our blood. Even with him dead i'm not free yet. See?" She then pointed at her neck. The Tattoo was still there. 'Shit' I thought that maybe when the one you are bonded to died everything would be fine.

"Why didn't you protect your Master?" Ivaldri asks John. Ivaldri and the others seem very puzzled while looking at John and waiting for his response. John looks at him and grins.

"Oh him? I was never told to. In fact, I wasn't even told to capture those two. Ghahahah!" He said bellowing out laughter. "I was only told to come with him, hahah" John continues to laugh. "Gods, what a troll. Added onto his stupidity, his luck to run into you of all people must have been horrendous. But the girls luck.." John says with a grin looking over at us.

"He never gave you the order to come to his defense when being attacked?" Ivaldri asks skeptically. "What kind of master would do that?"

"What? That fool wasn't my Master. I was only Bonded to him out of convenience while traveling with the caravan. I'm here to protect Miss Kira. She has certain reservations about who she is bonded to. And if the situation came where they were both in danger, he couldn't exactly tell me to protect him over her, now could he?" He claims. Then looked at Faye and I. "Faye, I'm glad you two survived the night at least. She was so angry when she thought you would both die out here she ripped my ear off." He said laughing. "You were never supposed to get passed me and I don't know how you survived those wounds (he glanced down at me) But what a happy surprise it turned out like this." John chuckles. He seems sincere in his mirth.

"Both?" Faye asks in confusion behind me. "You were trying to kill me!"

"Come on, Faye. Do you really think she would have me kill you? After all these years, you really think no one would want to buy you? You're smarter then that." Faye has gone as stiff as a board behind me. 'That does seem weird..  All these years? How long has she been a slave?'

"W-what?! Why?" Faye cry's out in disbelief. "You stabbed me!" 'And I won't be forgetting that.'

"It was nothing that couldn't be healed, girl. As for why, think about it for a moment. Why would they want you alive, but not to be sold? And if they aren't going to sell you then why always bring you with the caravan instead of leaving you in the Capital?" 'Why won't he just come out with it and tell her? Maybe he can't?' I look up at Faye and I can see she is thinking it through.

"Brother?" Faye says after a short time. John grins at her. It seems everyone else is okay with just standing around letting this conversation happen. How considerate. Though they do seem to be listening rather intently.

"That doesn't make any sense! They could just use a Seal! To control him using me is pointless, Isn't it!?" Faye questions the validity of John's claims.

"(Sigh) It seems that you have some misconceptions. Its not such a simple thing to put 'that' Slave Seal on a Beast-kin. Don't believe everything you've been told Faye. That's all I can say. Remember what I taught you. Good luck and take care. You too, whoever you are." he added looking at me. I could swear that those aquamarine eyes of his glowed..  Then he turned to the man and women. "Now that everything is settled, I'll be taking off. Please excuse me." He said bowing in his saddle. He grabbed his reins and turned his horse, he started back towards the way he came.

"You think we will just let you leave?" The women scoffs. John turns his head back around.

"I would suggest that you don't try and stop me. You should flee from here Amicia Granet. Miss Kira will ask me what happened here and I will have to answer her. If I don't, then when we get back to the Yalanue and they find out I withheld knowledge of you being here then I will lose a lot more then an ear." John said turning back and urging his horse forward.

"You're n-!" The women started to yell then Ivaldri grabbed her hand stopping her. The guards also backed off and let him pass.

"Who are you?" Ivaldri called out to John who was getting further away. John's reply didn't come immediately.

"They call me John now." Johns answer came drifting back. 'Why is he trying to act all cool?' Ivaldri and the women then began to argue with each other again.

I turn back to sis giving her a look. Trying to tell her that this is our chance to get out of here. She gets the idea and swiftly turns around and drives the horse forward. I hug her from behind. As we started to gallop away Ivaldri and the women called out to us to stop, but we continued on our way. The sun has already risen. 

'Did I just think of Faye as my sister?' I guess I did. She is like the older sister I never had. Well, I did have one, and i'm actually much older then Faye, but it wasn't like this with my real one. We barely had anything to do with each other. We were strangers living in the same home. I don't know. I'm not about to start calling her sis, that's for sure.

 

---

 

Meanwhile elsewhere..... 

 

    In a clearing in a forest, a beast has gone on a rampage. It has decimated the surrounding area. The tree's are splintered with some of the leftover tree trunks charred. The grass has been burnt to a crisp and the ground around the clearing has chunks torn out of it. The pond has a blue fire burning on top of the waters surface. There are only three things left alive in the area. One is a solitary tree. The other two are standing in front of it. One is smelling a part of the tree that looks like it has been clawed by a small hand. The other is looking at a broken sphere in its hand morosely.

The one that is smelling the tree is a giant White Fox. It is the size of a small horse. If you looked at its backside you would see that it has Five fluffy white tails.

The one that is holding the sphere would appear to be a regular Human, but if you look into their eyes, you would see that where a humans eyes would be white, theirs are a deep blue. 

The Form of the Fox starts to shimmer and then shrink. In its place now stands a beautiful young women. She has a long supple body. A pointed nose, high cheek bones and a rounded chin. Her hair comes to her waist and is silver in color with a bluish tint. Her eyes have the color of cold hard Steel with ice blue flecks. She has only one tail now. Its white along with her ears. She has a little bit of a snaggle tooth that overlaps her bottom lip, but it just looks cute if anything. Only her current emotions are marring her looks, Despair and Fury mixed together.

"I'm leaving to find who killed my sister Nichol~" The former Fox says. She is tracing her fingers along the gouge in the tree.

"I know, Mira" They say looking up from their hand. The women turns around to look at them.

"Will you help me~?" She asks.

"Do you really need to ask?" They respond. She gives them a sad smile that is soon replaced with fury. "Where should we start?"

"There are only a few people in this land that could find and enter this place. We will start with them." She answers. "Lets go"

 

---

 

{POV FAYE} 

 

    It's around midday now. Yuna fell asleep a few hours ago. She told me about everything that happened when I was asleep. How she had actually died and went to a strange place and talked to someone or something. I think It must have been one of the Gods. I asked her what they looked like, but she said that she never saw who was talking to her. It explains all of her changes and they gave her the ability to heal me. I told her that she cant ever tell anyone she can heal others. Healers are rare and very sought after. That it would put her in more danger. She didn't seem to understand, but didn't question me for now.

I've never even heard of a healer that wasn't a Priest or Priestess. There is a regeneration magic, but it only speeds up the process. It doesn't really heal like Yuna did for me.

I can't believe Master is dead. But It feels good knowing he is gone. He was not a good man. That Elf... that magic she used and the way she killed him. I wonder who they are and what they are doing here. I'm just happy that they were there to stop Master and John.

I wonder how much John told me was true. Why would him and Master both say they were going to kill me if they weren't going to? There was no one there with us except Yuna when john said it. Was it for Yuna then? If they are really using me to control my brother then are they trying to do the same with Yuna? And why does Mistress care so much about Yuna? Could she know about White Fox-kin? My wound was already at the limit of a Health Potion. It's why I find it so hard to believe John. I can't trust anything he has told me. I don't understand him or his motivations. Is it him playing tricks? or his master?

We are currently on the side of the road. I'm eating an apple that Yuna gave me under the shade of a tree with her sleeping in my lap. I'm playing with her new hair as I watch the road. When she told me that she went back to the camp I chastised her. When I told her that all she had to do was knock on the gate and the night watchmen would have let us in she covered her face with her hand. She would have only had to lie that we were returning from an errand or something. But then she argued that with us covered in blood that wouldn't work and I had to admit she was right. If she knew Clean it would have been fine, but she doesn't. It worked out in the end. Though, from what she said, a lot of the other Slaves died.

Yuna seemed most upset about not getting any pants. She went off on a tangent about it. She had to keep healing her butt apparently.  She said how she tried undoing her "skirt", which is just a thin cotton shirt tied around her waist that doesn't really cover anything, and use it to sit on. But the horse hairs are thick and rigid and poked through making it just as bad. When I told her to take mine she yelled at me saying I was an idiot. That she would rather let herself get hurt then me. She didn't mention pants after that.

Poor Anna, I hope she is okay. Yuna told me what Travis was doing to her. Travis was such a sick bastard! Or as Yuna calls him "Shiteater." I had to ask her who she was talking about. At first I thought it was Hanz, but then she corrected me. She called Hanz, Pedo. Whatever that means. I have never seen Travis eat poop before, so I asked her why she called him that and she told me because of the way he grined. She says some really weird things sometimes. Like last night when Master was being killed she said "Fuck me"... She wanted to have intercourse while watching him die?!? I'm very concerned about her. She was only with Mistress a few days, but the damage was done, it seems. I don't know what to do for her. To fix her.

Yuna explained how and why she had released The Minotaur to kill Travis. I had to agree with her. I don't know if she could have killed him either. Just watching her with those goblins told me quite a lot. Another man that I hated is dead. So much has changed in such a short time. It's like when I first became a slave, that terrible night that shattered my world. Except things are going in the other direction this time. When she told me about Rastlin I was worried about her all over again, even though she clearly got away. I don't want her in situations like that. But I know we both will be in the future. We can only do our best for now. One day, if I have my way, she will be safe.

The horse had gotten too tired to carry us anymore, so we ended up stopped here. I've spent my time cleaning everyone and our clothes. Yuna slept the entire time I cleaned her. She kept grabbing onto me and was purring. I've never cleaned someone else before her. The first time I was hesitant, but now I'm finding it is having a calming effect on me.

Bathing myself was quite interesting with my new body. I made some interesting discoveries when I took my clothes off. First, i'm so much taller now. I've been warned before it would be disorienting, but that I would adjust fast. That what is unnatural for other Races, is natural for us. Second, My boobs are so big! I don't think I like them. They just swing everywhere when I move around. Third, there is hair everywhere now!! On my arms, in my arm pits, my chest, on my legs in-between my legs and even a little on my face! I just used the Clean spell to remove any that bothers me. It such a versatile spell. I only left a little patch of fur that was above my vagina (which has changed rather drastically!?). All the rest is gone. It was itchy and annoying. I don't know how or why Yuna always has her tail tucked so far under her legs that it comes up on the other side. I'll have to ask her later. Maybe she is used to the hair because she can be a Fox?

I'm wore out after all of the cleaning and giving the horse water. Cleaning Yuna was especially exhausting because of the blood and guts.  The tips of both ears and her tail are now dark gold. I kept thinking that it was just blood that didn't want to come off making it darker, but after trying several times, I have to admit its there for good. It's a much darker gold then her hair. The white of before is now the silver with a gold tint like her hair. She changed so much. What did the Gods do exactly? She told me they changed her Race, but I've never heard of this Kitsune thing before. The gold really stands out. The texture of her fur has even changed. Where it was soft and fluffy before, its now silky and smooth. I'm going to ask her to turn into a fox later and see if its the same.   

I'm dressed in my shirt that's showing my stomach a little now and my pants. I have chosen to leave off the leather armor for now. I have a bow and quiver laying next to the tree which I got from Yuna. She took out several for me to chose from and I picked a recurve bow that I could draw back comfortably and a quiver of bodkin arrows. All I can do now is wait. Wait for the Horse to be ready to move on.

 

___

 

I don't know where to go now. It would have been hard originally to get to Gaia. We would have had to skirt the Aegon Empire to get there and now they are at war with each other! In hindsight, this Kingdom isn't that bad concerning slavery. They have laws concerning it at least. There are written contracts and everything. But with us being attained illegibly and fake documents drawn up, this is not a good place for Yuna and I. Not with Mistress being who she is.

The worse place we could go is Aegon Empire followed by Dhaulagiri the Dwarven Mountain home. My father used to scare me and my bother with stories of that place. Supposedly the dwarves started Slavery. They needed people to work in their mines. He said that the mines are so deep now that if you don't wear special clothes that you will be burnt to ash instantly. I don't know if any of it is true. 'What would even cause you to burn? The ground is cold, shouldn't they be freezing?' But that doesn't matter, me and Yuna are going to stay far away from there if its true or not.

'The next safest place woul-' I see movement.

I look down the road. Its a very familiar wagon being pulled by two oxen with Four horses walking along side it. I would try to get away with Yuna, but there is no way we would outrun them on foot. They start to pass us by then they stop. I see the Dwarf jump off then head in the wagon. When he comes out the Elf is walking behind him. They head straight for Yuna and I. The guards don't follow. 'Here we go.'

"Hello again." The Dwarf named Ivaldri says waving at me. The Elf waves too and gives me a smile. "I told her that you can't run that horse like that. It's the wrong breed for that sort of work." He says looking at the horse tsking.

"We don't have much choice in the matter." I remind him. He snorts at me.

"If you would have just continued on at a slower pace you would still be fleeing right now, ya fool" He muttered the last bit. The Elf came up and placed her hand on his shoulder.

"Have you thought about it? Our offer?" She asks.

"You haven't exactly even made one yet." I inform her. "And you aren't exactly in a better position now that you killed Master. It may in fact be more dangerous with you then it would be for us being alone." I say.

"Heheheh" She giggled behind her hand clearly amused by my train of thought. "I've heard about how that women is with her pets... " She says, pointedly looking at Yuna in my lap. "And I have never seen a Fox-kin with coloring like that before..." She continues "And she wants you for your brother to boot. There is also the fact that you were last seen with us and that we were trying to buy/steal you two. So she may as well assume you're still with us and follow after you even more doggedly to get us both." She seems rather smug now. I do have to admit that her reasoning is plausible. It would make sense for us to be together in Mistress's eyes. "So, what will you do?"

"Why do you want to help us and where are you going?" I ask. "Also, Yuna isn't her pet!! I saved her before that could happen." She glances over at the dwarf then answers me.

"If I told you that we hate slavery and want to help free you. Would you believe me?" She asks. It seems she is being sincere, but.. "And we are headed for the Capital now."   …...

"First off, it's very hard for me to believe a Dwarf hates slavery." I say staring down the Dwarf. He eventually looked away and sighed. "Secondly the Capital!? Are you crazy!?! We need to get as far as we can from Mistress, not walk right into her home!" I yell at them. "And saving us just because you hate Slavery? So why are you not saving every slave? Why us? What is it you really want?" I fire off.

"We don't want anything from you, well, not when we first offered to help. Now that we know that you are connected to the Royal family we want to ask you for information about them." She adamantly tells me "When we first saw you two we only felt pity. You weren't even conscious and the little one was holding you up on the horse covered in blood. How could we not want to help you?" She asks and I can see her eye's are starting to tear up with emotion. It doesn't mean she isn't lying.

"It's true, lass." The Dwarf chimes in. "My Clan doesn't hail from the Mountain Home. No one in my Clan has ever owned a slave nor will they. Some of us have even been enslaved ourselves." He adds. It seems he is being truthful as well. "If you had ever seen a Dwarf hailing from Dhaulagiri before, I wouldn't even need to try and convince you. They have changed after all those years in the Mountain." ….I just can't trust them.

"We're Beast-Kin! Everyone hates us!! What will you do to us when I tell you what you want to know?!" I push further. They both look at each other, then the Elf takes a few steps closer to me and takes a knee. I hug Yuna closer to me and try to scooch further back into the tree. I know the distance doesn't matter, I've seen her magic. I cant help it though. I don't want anyone to hurt Yuna anymore. The Elf looks a little sad at my actions.

"I know what you have been told, but its not true. Not everyone hates Beast-Kin." She tells me softly. "It's... complicated. It's true that most people do, but not all. Too many have been lied to for too long. Everyone believes they know what is true and what isn't." She continues "I know you won't believe us just from our words alone. Please, give us a chance to show you that we mean what we say." She pleads with me.

"We can't go to the Capital" It would mean certain death for me, as for Yuna… it would be far worse. Even with brother there, what could I do to help him? The Dwarf stepped forward now.

"What if I told you that in the Capital is the way to remove the Seal?" I roll my eyes at him. Of course I know that. The problem is that its way too expensive. Plus its under the control of the Royal family. I think he notices my scorn towards him. He coughs.

"What I mean is that we can remove it. We know someone that will do it for free. Its not someone controlled by the Royal family." He clarifies. I can see why the Elf does most of the talking. 'If he isn't lying, then...'

"Truthfully?" I ask looking back and forth between them both. 

They both nod at me. I Sigh deeply and look at Yuna in my lap. I don't know how she is still asleep after all that yelling I did. She is usually so jumpy.

I have a decision to make. Either way isn't the risk the same?