FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

The cart traveled slowly along the rough road, hitting bumps and potholes along the way. Clovis sat on the bench inside along with a few other Keidran, fearing the worst now.

What did I do to deserve this....? Well many things. Money laundering, killing, and hurting others...Is this really my fate? As if Nora didn't do enough damage to me already...

She felt the cart hit another bump, hitting her head on the wall and groaning in pain while looking at the other Keidran. One was a mother with its child, hugging into her close and shaking from fear. Another looked like a fairly young Keidran, a fox nonetheless. So this is what it was like on the other side. Slavery was sad and cruel. Clovis knew the only thing she wanted right now was out and away from these slave traders.

It would take a miracle to get me out of these shackles.....If only I hadn't pushed Brutus away....

The cart came to a halt and voices could be heard through the confined space they sat in. Mostly men. The doors opened and one of the men grabbed the fox sitting across from Clovis, struggling to get away but soon restrained by another man on the other side. A couple more men took the mother and child separately, taking them to different parts of the small building inside and then it was Clovis' turn. She was pulled out of the cart and escorted by a much taller man who had dark hair and a stern face.

People gathered outside the building and waited to enter for the slave auction. As they entered the building with the other slaves and traders, Clovis looked around and thought she had seen a familiar face. He was hiding in the loft, a dark cloak covering his body and face and he was watching her being brought in. This caused her to stop for a moment only to be pushed forward by the man escorting Clovis to the main room.

"Hey! Come on! Keep it moving, half-breed!" She stubbornly tried to reject the man but he grabbed her arm tightly in one hand to pull Clovis with him. "You don't stop unless I say to!"

Now she remembered why it was such a pain in the ass to even work with humans. Even Roan wasn't this mean to Clovis. She was starting to miss being back at the estate and doing business with the guild. For the first time in her life she was scared to be sold off to another slave trader.

People started to pile into the building and finding seats, some were rich people with money and others were upper middle class slavers. The half-breed was watching as the fox was brought out in front of the humans, being told to stay still and be quiet by one of the men. She stood and behaved as best she could, the auctioneer making his way to the stage and with a handful of papers. He began to speak, Clovis barely hearing the man because her attention was on the loft where the figure stood.

Why are they just standing there? They would do well to not get caught....Stupid idiot.... She scoffed to herself and focused back on the auction with the female fox on stage.

"One Thousand!" Called out one buyer from the back.

Another one raised their hand and shouted, "Fifteen hundred!"

The numbers kept going up till the auctioneer didn't get anymore offers and pointed to someone in the middle of the room, "Sold for Seventy-five hundred!"

_Seventy-five hundred for a measly little fox? Tch....She doesn't look worth anything over a thousand gold.....All she will probably be used for is house cleaning and cooking at best. _

Next up was the mother of the child that sat next to Clovis in the cart. This Keidran was a tigress, curvy figure and beautiful eyes that gleamed bright blue. Her little one was in another building and separated from her mother, the tigress looking around at all the humans. Clovis would be up next after this one. The buyers shouted out numbers until the auctioneer sold off the mother tigress for five thousand gold.

They'll probably use her for breeding or cleaning and cooking like the last one. She has good hips for bearing children. I guess the more slaves the better......

The man beside Clovis dragged her up to the stage so suddenly it startled her a bit, freezing up before the crowd and ears flattening against her head. The figure in the loft suddenly found his way down without being seen by the humans. He swiftly moved backstage where he stood behind the curtain, contemplating his next move. She was right in front of him when they both heard the auctioneer announce, "This auction is a very special one! We have the one and only Clovis up for grabs! The bidding will start at one million!"

The figure whispered to Clovis while the buyers started to talk all at once so only she could hear him, "Pssst.~ Clovis I'm back here! Now you have to keep quiet while I try to figure a way to get you out..."

She knew that voice and immediately darted her eyes to the side as if she were trying to look nervous, whispering, "Zen?! What the masks are you doing here?!"

"I could say the same about you.....For now just keep quiet and don't look suspicious....I'll get you out..."

When the group of voices calmed down, the auctioneer started the bidding and some of the more rich folks began to bid on the half-breed.

"One million five hundred thousand!"

"Two million five hundred thousand!"

"Five million!"

The numbers kept going higher until no one else would bid on Clovis anymore, the auctioneer smacking the gavel down on the podium.

"Sold for one hundred million!"

_Zen....where are you....? Why haven't you gotten me out by now....? I shouldn't have relied on that stupid wolf. _

The man who escorted Clovis onto the stage took her away and backstage once more, taking her to meet the buyer out back. Now she was starting to feel a little more than scared. While waiting for the buyer to come around the back to retrieve her, Zen made his move on the guy with Clovis and took him out in a swift movement with a stab of his dagger. The man fell to the ground clutching his side as he bled and saw the two run off toward the forest.

"Stop those two! Get them back here now!"

Clovis kept up with Zen who was dragging her by the hand as far as they could get away. Men were chasing them from behind not very far away, the wolf trying to figure out where to run next. Zen rushed Clovis toward the small cavern nearby, hiding in the shadows at least till the men passed on. He held her to him and a handpaw over her mouth to make sure she didn't make any noise. Walking slowly toward the edge of the cavern and watching the men make their way back to the building, Zen sighed with relief and let her go.

"Phew....I thought for a second we would be goners. Now what the masks were you doing in that slave caravan?! I thought Clovis didn't get caught and what are you doing looking like a woman?" He asked a bit dumbfounded by the appearance of his former boss.

"That's because of you and that stupid little sibling of yours when you screwed me over at the Dragon Masquerade! Nora turned me into this gods forsaken body of a woman.....which is entirely your fault!"

"Gee excuse me, princess. Nice to thank me for getting you out of that shit storm. I came here to do a job and get you out and this is how you thank me?! You really haven't changed...." Zen responded and wiped the blood from his dagger with his black robes, furiously muttering to himself after cutting his finger slightly and glared at the half-breed.

He was right. She hadn't changed and that wasn't good, even after almost being sold into slavery Clovis acted like a spoiled brat. A sigh could be heard and before Clovis knew it, Zen unlocked the shackles from around her wrists. Even during that whole time he managed to steal the key to get her out of her bindings.

"Okay...okay....I....I am...I'm sorry....Too much has happened since everyone back in my home found out I was this....this mess..." She answered rubbing her wrists gently and found herself in an even more awkward situation. "So what now....? I mean where do we go from here...?"

"First....I'm going to get you to Lyn'Knoll and you're going to just live a normal life. I don't want to see you coming near me or my brother. The person who posted the job wished for you to stay in hiding until they could retrieve you...That's where we go from here..." Zen explained and dug around in the bag he carried with him, finding a cloak for Clovis and wrapping it around her shoulders.

She stood there silently and stared in utter disbelief. Lyn'Knoll?! The rumored place where every race, even humans, could live in harmony. Clovis didn't argue and sighed again, looking around nervously for the men who chased them before.

"And what about you and Natani....? How is sh-....uh....he doing?"

"He has enough on his plate right now without you showing up again.....Natani is going through a rough time...Right now we are just getting our lives back in order until things go back to normal." Zen told her in a somber tone, making sure to put the dagger back in its holster and leading Clovis away from the cavern. "Too much has happened since....we last spotted you near Edinmire...."

Something told Clovis that the last time she was in Edinmire that whatever she did there had a huge impact on Natani. Of course she was there on an attack to the group the wolf was with. She didn't dare to ask about the situation and caught up with Zen, walking beside him closely as they headed toward Lyn'Knoll. Maybe she could do this one thing.

"Thank you, Zen..."