Chapter 3: Captured

Naomi recovered from her flustered state after a short while and managed to enjoy her time with her friend. She and Lillian spent half the day together. But eventually, Lillian told her that she had some errands she needed to do before it got too late. 

Before she left, she promised that she would visit Naomi’s den later that night and teach her a “new game” they could play. So even though they were separating, she still had a smile as she had something fun to look forward to.

The young kitsune touched a finger to her lips and started to think. What should she do now that she has some time to herself? She could go exploring on the beach. Or maybe she should try weaving some new clothes. Or.. ah! 

Naomi grinned as she realized she could give another try at catching that rabbit. If she did, she and Lillian would have a tasty snack to share when she visited later. Having decided, she bounded off in the direction of the same glade as yesterday.

The glade was a fair distance away and the journey took her almost an hour. When she arrived, she started to sniff around and search. She checked the stream she had seen the critter last time. Then, the direction it had slipped away. From there she started to circle around a wider area. But she didn’t detect a thing.

It didn't take her long before she felt there was something odd about the place. The longer that she remained in the area, the more she started to feel uncomfortable. Her instincts were hinting at something dangerous. Eventually, she realized what was wrong. Yesterday the glade had been teeming with life. Not just the rabbit, but birds, squirrels, and deer too. But now she didn’t smell a single creature in the area. And on top of that, it was far too quiet. 

Naomi didn’t like it one bit. She was starting to feel really nervous. Forget about the rabbit! She’ll just come back another day. Right then, all she wanted to do was go back to her den.

She turned around with the intention to abandon her hunt. But before she could leave, there was a sudden twang like a vine being cut. The fallen leaves all around her rushed up into the air and Naomi felt herself be swept off her feet. Before she could understand what was happening, it was already too late. There had been a net hidden under the leaves and now she was wrapped up in it, suspended in a tree. She had fallen into a trap!

Naomi panicked and struggled. She kicked her legs and tried to free herself, but all she managed to do was flop around like a fish out of water. The net swung back and forth making it feel like the whole world was spinning. She was disoriented, barely able to tell up from down. As she was fighting, she heard a pair of voices howling with laughter nearby.

“We got her! We're gonna be rich men!”

“Hah, look at her squirm. Told you. It don’t matter what kind a beast it is, they ain’t getting away once I got my sights on em.”

One voice was harsh like a crow while the other was deep and low. Naomi finally stopped struggling long enough to look around. On the ground below her, two men with strange appearances stood grinning up at her menacingly. They spoke to one another, but they talked in an unfamiliar language.

“Don’t worry girlie, we’re not gonna hurt you. Can’t very well ruin the merchandise can we?”

Although she didn’t understand what they were saying, Naomi could tell from their tone and smiles that they were mocking her. She had no idea what these two wanted, but if they thought she was easy to mess with, they were wrong! 

The little fox bared her teeth at the men with a snarl, showing them that she meant business if they came any closer. But her small stature and delicate voice made her seem more adorable than dangerous. Instead of the intended effect, when she showed off her ‘fierce’ expression, the two men burst into another round of laughter. Naomi’s face flushed red with embarrassment after she failed to intimidate them.

“Alright, cut her down. Let’s get her tied up and back to camp.”

The bald hunter was the first to recover his serious demeanor. Naomi was lowered to the ground. As the lanky hunter pulled away the net, the larger man held his blade to her neck so that she didn’t try to run. She had acted tough while she was suspended up in the tree, but now she was so scared that she didn’t dare to disobey. One little flick and that sharp edge would slice her throat.

One man brought her wrists together and bound them with rope, while the other kept her pinned down. They pulled on them to make sure the binds were tight and she wouldn’t easily slip away, then they did the same to her ankles. Once she was thoroughly restrained, the two stepped back to admire their prize. 

“Such a cute little thing. It really is a shame to give her away.”

“Once we’re drinking top shelf every night and living like nobles it’ll be worth it.”

The larger man hoisted Naomi up effortlessly with one arm. He threw her over his shoulder like a sack of flour. All she could do was dangle helplessly with her behind pointed up in the air. He kept one hand on her to keep her steady, but otherwise hardly paid her any mind now that she was in his grasp. Instead, the two hunters continued to talk amongst themselves as though she wasn’t even there. 

“Let’s head back. Caecilius will throw a shit-fit if he thinks we’re slacking off.”

“Heh, I can’t wait to see the look on his face when we haul a prime catch back to camp. I bet he’ll be grinding his teeth that he didn’t spot her first.”

The two were in good spirits as they chattered away with each other and set off on the trek back to their camp. They wore big smiles and discussed what they would do with all the money they were soon to make. Just by listening to their relaxed tones, one could never guess that they had a kidnapped girl in their grasp with the intent to sell her into slavery. 

There was a simple reason for this casual attitude towards robbing a person of their freedom. In their minds, they weren’t. Both of them were born and raised in the Garnet Dominion, and in their nation beastkin were not people. They were property. It was as simple as that. 

All demi-humans held a lower status than humans in the Dominion, however beastkin had it the worst of all. Unlike elves or fiendfolk, beastkin did not have cities of their own. They typically lived solitary lives or in small communities in the wilderness. The closest thing to a society that the beastkin had were some scattered nomadic tribes. Even the idea of lumping all beastkin together as one race was a human notion. Kitsune would not consider themselves the same as wolfkin, for example.

As an ununified group with no permanent settlements and weapon technology inferior to human metallurgy, was it any wonder that they ended up as slaves? In the Garnet Dominion, it was common sense that the weak existed to serve the will of the strong.

And now, Naomi was in the hands of two such men. She didn't understand what was going on and she was scared. All she knew was that these two had taken her captive, and their intentions were not good.

The bald hunter had a rough gait and carried her without much care. His pace was quick and he did not slow down or take breaks. Naomi could only watch the forest floor pass by beneath her as she was hauled along. Her eyes darted back and forth, hoping to spot a chance to escape. She couldn’t think of a single thing she could do. Her best hope was that they would let their guard down at some point. She would just have to wait for her chance.

They traveled through the forest until the sky grew dim. As the sun started to set over the horizon, they left the forest and the trees began to thin out. Finally, they had arrived at their destination. Sprawled out across the flatlands not far from the beach, a hunter's camp had sprung up several days ago. There were half a dozen or so tents erected and the remnants of a bonfire. Two wooden boats rested on the sand. In the distance, a ship flying the red and black colors of the Dominion was anchored off the shore.

The campsite was bustling with activity. Some were busy hauling sacks and crates full of supplies. Others were tending to their armor or sharpening their blades. Almost all of them were men with only one or two women in their numbers. The smell of smoke hung thick in the air from the campfire. And the sound of laughing and joking filled the camp.

Naomi was tossed unceremoniously onto the ground at the center of the camp. The larger hunter stood over her and crossed his arms. As he gazed down, he gave her a smirk.

"Behave yourself and maybe you won't get hurt."

Naomi didn't respond. She didn't know how to, but even if she did she probably wouldn't give him the satisfaction. At the same time, the other hunter called out towards the largest tent in the camp.

"Oi, Boss! Get your arse over here. We found a big catch!"

The other men stopped and turned their heads to see what was the matter. As the news spread that the two hunters had a rare catch, a murmur of excitement rose. 

"Red tail and ears? A fox beastkin?”

“Where the hell did you two find her?”

“She's a rare breed for sure. Never even seen one of her kind.”

More and more people gathered around them. Naomi suddenly found herself surrounded by a crowd with all of them staring at her. Eventually, the commotion reached whoever was in the larger tent.

A voice growled out from within. "You'd better not be playing games. We ain't got time for any foolery."

The flap of the tent was thrown open and out stepped a hulking figure. His face was covered by a thick, bushy beard. His hair was matted into braids that reached his shoulders. He wore leather armor, and a giant claymore was slung across his back. When he saw what the two had dragged back to the camp, his eyes widened and he froze mid-step. His mouth dropped open with a mix of curiosity and disbelief. 

"She's worth a fortune, right Boss?" The lanky hunter grinned smugly.

The bald hunter slapped his comrade on the back and let out a boisterous laugh. "I'd wager our entire year's worth of pay and then some. I'm sure the nobles would kill to get their hands on her."

"You two are a couple of lucky bastards. That's for damn sure."

Caecilius was the leader of this expedition. He had hired the other hunters as muscle to help him gather up rare animals and beasts for a wealthy lord. The man had spent most of his adult life traveling all across the land and the seas. However, even after all his experience, he had never stumbled across a beastkin like the foxgirl.

Naomi stared up at him defiantly. If she wasn't bound, she would have put her hands on her hips and puffed her cheeks. But instead, she had to make do with the glare that she fixed on him.

Caecilius didn't take long to recover from his initial shock. He gave a wide grin, exposing his missing teeth and ran his hand through his braided beard. The leader looked around at the others and gave a hearty chuckle.

“Well? What are you all staring at? Get back to work. We still got plenty to pack up before we head back to the mainland.”

The rest of the men grumbled a bit before returning to what they had been doing before. Now that the moment of excitement was over, there was no point in sticking around anyway. Caecilius turned his attention to the pair that brought the girl back.

“Get her penned up. I won’t say nothing about you two skipping out on sentry duties since you brought back something good. But don’t think you’re getting special treatment just for hauling in one good catch.”

With that, the expedition leader stomped off and returned to his tent. He paid the girl no more mind. She was their catch, so she was their responsibility. The lanky hunter waited until his boss was well out of earshot before he blew out some hot air.

“Psh, hardass. Is it gonna kill him if he don’t find something to complain about?”

The other hunter just grunted in acknowledgement as he hoisted Naomi up once again. She was brought to the back of the camp where a few rows of iron cages were laid awaiting transport to the ship. Some of them were already filled with wild animals like boars and wolves. 

She was pushed into an empty cage as though she was no different from the other beasts. The two hunters didn’t even bother to untie the binds on her wrists and ankles. They just threw the cage’s door shut and walked off laughing and grinning with a job well done.

Naomi watched them with a pout. She was in the middle of a hostile camp now, but at least they weren’t holding a blade to her throat anymore. The foxgirl struggled to lift herself up and leaned back against the side of the cage. She had a plan to escape, but it wouldn’t do her any good if she revealed it and got caught again. For now, she could only bide her time and wait for the hunters to fall asleep. Once it was dark enough, she would slip away and hopefully they wouldn’t notice until she was already long gone.