He leaned against the railing of his cage, his wounds still aching, they had beaten him until he passed out, and his head was still ringing. "Stupid mongrel, a whole month's worth of merchandise wriggled away!" His captor said, he had trouble with human names, they relied on noises far too much.
He closed his eyes, keeping them open took far too much effort. Resting his head against the bar attempting to recover what little he could. He wanted to cling desperately to hope, but what little he had, had already slipped between his fingers. Sleep was the only escape he could manage.
"Wake up you stupid beast!" A handler howled kicking at the bars, pushing him to his feet, knocking him to his knees. Looking up he met the eyes of the figure in front of them, her tone a ghostly white pale, attempting to compete with her snow white hair.
"He have a name?" She asked callously, turning to the leader.
"You can name him whatever you want baron." The leader said with a forced chuckle, she walked past them. Making her way towards his cage he watched as his captors backed away practicing a hesitation he had only seen between his fellow captives. She stopped just out of reach of his cage, close enough for him to glimpse her emerald green eyes.
"You have a name?" A moment passed before he realized she was talking to him, how long had it been since he was asked anything? And not just ordered for it? The words choked in his throat, no matter how much he attempted words wouldn't slip out of his lips, small muttering was the best he could managed.
"Answer your master when she speaks to you!" His handler howled raising a fist, the boy flinched ready for a strike that never came. Eventually, he pushed himself to open his eyes slowly, he was greeted by the sight of a new figure standing between him and the handler.
Holding a jet-black blade in her hand, mere inches from the neck of his handler, who stood frozen in place. ["You are not planning on harming my maven's property?"] She asked with a mock confused tone, her head tilting to add to the charade. She was ephemeral but still solid in some way, she looked like a creature made entirely of glass.
/Cousin...?/ He thought weakly, his eyes attempting to focus on the newly appeared woman.
"N-no, ma'am." His handler said, looking back and forth between the two of them, obviously unaware of who to address. The entire time, he exemplified an emotion the boy had never seen on the brutish man; fear. For the second time since he was captured, his fear had faded away, replaced entirely with a new feeling. Not hope; he had learned his lesson with that painful emotion. Whatever he felt, he clung onto it desperately. He kept his gaze intently on the blade pointed at his handler's throat.
The Phantom knight faded, along with his anticipation, the handler fell to his knees trembling as all eyes focused on the boy. Slowly he turned his head towards the new woman only to meet her cold unmoving expression, losing himself in those emerald green eyes. Had she really been looking at him the entire time!?!
"What is your name boy?" She asked once again, he forced himself to summon the energy to speak. He needed to speak, he knew from every fiber of his being, that this woman would be his master.
"M-My name is whatever you wish master!" He spilled, his feet were jelly, and his hands clenched together. He wanted to leave, he wanted to run, he wanted to return too before everything had been taken from him.
"How much?" Master said, never taking her eyes off the boy.
"20 quota sounds fair." The leader said scratching his chin.
"Huh, I would have went to 50." She said, turning around pulling a pouch off her side, letting it fall into his open palm. "You hear that child? I'm you're the new master now, first order, close your eyes and keep them closed." The boy wasted no time, following his master's order, clenching his eyes as tight as he could.
The boy heard a sharp cutting sound, followed by something plopping to the ground, screams filling the area. "Matron! What the-" He heard one of them, the one he figured was the muscle call out, before hearing another loud thrust, like when the butcher would cut beef.
The boy couldn't help it, he had to open his eyes, he had to know what happened, he was forced to confront the entirety of the grizzly scene. The leader's body was on the floor, head rested against his shoulder, his face locked in that gaze of greedy hunger, he hadn't even had the chance to respond to her attack.
His master danced around with a grace he thought only his kind had possessed, gliding across the ground, no above the ground! A large marble blade resting in her hand, the other knight appearing once again, fighting alongside her.
The boy snapped his eyes closed once again the moment he noticed her head turning towards him, hopefully, she hadn't noticed. He kept himself at the corner of his cell attempting to escape the sounds of fighting. He heard bodies fall to the floor and howls escaping the men.
"N-no! Please I have a family!" Misty the only of his captors he knew the name of, howled. He heard that awful skewering sound, certain the next thud was her body falling to the floor. He couldn't help but let out a whimper, Misty had been the only one nice to him...
Her boots clicked against the floor, making their way around the camp he dared not open his eyes...
"Ok sweetness, you can open your eyes now." The boy followed his master's orders, his heart stopped as he met the glossy-eyed expression of a handler. His head held firmly in his master's hands. "You see, the bad man was handled." She said with a smile, her eyes now a brilliant amber.
He couldn't respond, did she want him to be happy? Did she want him to feel disgust? He cried, tears running hotly down his face. He had accepted his fate; he was no guile, intent on clinging selfishly to every breath. He would be reincarnated into a better life.
He didn't want to die, he didn't want to die! He had lived so little, it wasn't-
Master tossed the head to the ground like it was a rejected melon. Her ghostly companion ripped open his cell. He sat absently as the ghost, his cousin approached him. He tried to pull away, only for her to grip him by the arm. He continued to fight his way out of her grasp, kicking, hissing, and even biting. His weak body was unable to break free from her grip. As the ghost, his cousin cut the leash on his neck, letting it fall to the ground.
She heaved him to her chest, taking him to her master, no their master who looked at him with an unreadable look. Her figure grew as they approached her, every mote of his instinct told him, no demanded he run, bite, or even snarl. All he did was lay placidly in his cousin's arms, as she handed him to their master, fading away the moment she handed him to the white-haired lady.
Effortlessly he was pulled into her embrace, she was softer than he expected, a small hint of grave dirt and ozone worn on her like perfume. "It's ok, you're going to be alright now..." She said with a small whisper, it was a lie, guiles all lied, especially her kind...
He didn't know how long they sat with each other, her hand brushing against his back, a soft humming, continuing to lull him. He had trouble keeping himself awake, he really wanted to sleep, maybe when he woke he'd find himself in a better life.
