Meant to Be, Ch 2
What's Meant to Be (pt2)
©2007 comidacomida
The following morning, Cory awoke. Though it was as cold as normal in his cell, for some reason it didn't chill him to the bone. Rising up off of the small pile of filthy hay, the buck moved to the corner of his enclosure and rested his ear to the thinned mortar between the blocks. Listening closely, Cory could hear the sound of teeth chattering, and shaky breathing.
"Ackert..." Cory spoke quietly. The chattering stopped and the breath paused. "You up?" the buck inquired.
"It's too cold to sleep." the voice responded from the next cell.
Cory nodded, not that he expected his fellow prisoner to see it, but it was reflexive more than anything, "After about a week your body stops caring."
"That's a comforting thought... I might die in my sleep if that happened." Ackert responded flatly.
Cory snickered at that, "No... that only happens to the lucky ones."
"Prisoners of war get treated better than the king's own subjects..." Cory heard a snort from the next-door cell, "How do they get away with this?"
"Well.. I don't know how it works with captured soldiers, but the guards here report only to the warden... and the warden is a sick man... he encourages the guards to torture prisoners because it 'shows them who is in charge'." the buck scowled, "he's a real vulture."
"Literally, or figuratively." the voice from beyond the wall inquired.
"Both... he really is a vulture... and he acts like one too."
Cory heard a chuckle from the next cell, "Well... they must have got their reputation somehow." Ackert offered.
The buck chuckled, but just a little, "Anyway," he continued, "the dungeon takes some getting used to... the cold is only one thing you have to learn to deal with."
"Hmph." noted Ackert through the wall, "Cold is something I'll never get used to it... I like warm weather better."
"Well... you can't be too picky in here... during the winter it gets so cold you wish you could jump into a bonfire... and during the summer, it gets so hot you pray for winter." Cory sighed, pressing his hand against the wall before drawing it back at the cold touch of stone.
"I'll keep that in mind when it's summer." noted Ackert. Several minutes of silence passed, and neither said anything.
Cory heard the heavy bulk of his fellow prisoner shift in the next cell, and move closer to the wall, "So... Cory..."
"Yea?" the buck inquired
"You don't act like what I'd expect from a criminal. I've known a few murderers, and you don't sound like a murderer." Ackert noted from the next cell, "And you're too outgoing to be a brigand... What'd you do to get locked away in the dungeon? Con-artist?"
"No... I don't have the stomach for tricking people." Cory answered. He slumped against the wall, shivering as a chill ran up his spine from the cold touch of stone... but more so as his heart began to race. The buck hadn't thought about talking to anyone about his crime... he didn't want to think about the judgment that could come to pass, or the thought that his new source of companionship might shun him like the rest of the nation.
"Pick-pocket? Burglar?" the other prisoner ventured.
"No... and no. I was going to be a tanner... my family did well enough that I didn't have to steal... and I wouldn't have anyway." the buck answered, starting to feel a heavy lump develop in his stomach.
"Well, what did you do?" Ackert questioned.
"I'd rather not talk about it." Cory responded after a pause. His hands were shaking as he clenched his shredded breeches, hoping that the other prisoner wouldn't press the issue.
"Okay." the voice replied through the wall, "Fair enough..."
Cory let out a deep breath; silence, once again, reigned supreme. The buck still heard his heart beating quickly. He steadied his breath, waiting to calm down from the embarrassment that arose in him from the question. What had he done, indeed? What HAD he done that would warrant him being locked away in the dungeon. His fingers clenched into fists around handfuls of cloth. He had broken the laws... as stupid as they were... and he was punished... he alone.
"A ferret." Cory replied, releasing the words as a tear rolled down the side of his muzzle.
"What?" the question carried a lack of understanding in its tone.
"You asked what I did... I did a ferret." responded the buck, letting out a shaky breath. If he couldn't find peace in his own cell, then he never would... Ackert was the only person he could talk to... and perhaps the only person he would ever talk to again. If he could not be honest with a complete stranger, then he'd spend the rest of his life simpering alone with even less freedom than the cell provided.
"A ferre-- you mean... so you had sex with a ferret... I guess that means you aren't one." Ackert ventured in a neutral tone, "It's against the law, I know, but it's a stupid reason to get thrown in here... that's usually a crime reserved for something a little more severe."
"The ferret--" Cory began, but the sound of a metal door unlocking silenced him, "The guards!" he added quickly before sliding away from the wall. Remaining quiet, the buck moved back to the pile of hay in his cell, eyes on the small rectangular, barred window on his door.
He listened carefully to the sound of footsteps drawing closer, and, for a moment, he tensed, hoping they would not stop in front of his cell. He slowly exhaled, relief flooding over him as the guard passed his door. Cory tensed up a moment later, however, when the footsteps stopped in front of the cell next to his... in front of Ackert's room.
Perking his ears, Cory listened as well as he could, bits of sound filtering in from the window in his door, and little bits making it through the break in the mortar on the adjoining wall. "Looks like you survived your first night." the guard spoke. Cory recognized the voice; it was the bear.
"Hooray for me." the buck heard the nonchalant response.
"I didn't know if you'd have it in you or not, Ackert... not too bad, but I'll be more surprised if you survive the week." the guard's voice was as haughty as usual, but Cory didn't miss the note of familiarity in it, nor the fact that the guard called the prisoner next door by his name... something Cory had never heard in any case.
"Do I win a prize if I do?" the flat response was lacking any emotion whatsoever.
"You already won a prize." the guard responded with a chuckle, "The king let you live, even after you disobeyed his orders... not only that, but me and the boys even decided to give you a nice, cozy room next to a meat-eater. How's that? You're in a flat-tooth hall next to a meat-eater... bet that's a unique privilege." Cory's ears flattened at that, knowing exactly what the bear meant, and wondering how Ackert would take the comment.
"Fuck you, Gavin." Ackert snarled.
Cory had never heard the bear's name... in fact, no guards' names were ever spoken in front of the prisoners... which made Cory all the more curious about the occupant of the cell next to him.
"Anyway, I'll be back to check on you next week... if you're still alive we'll see if you're still so spunky... eventually the fight comes right out of you... then maybe we'll see what you think about a little company.... you know... I wouldn't mind going a few rounds with a punching-bag like you... it'd be good practice."
"Why wait?" Cory heard his fellow prisoner sneer from the adjacent cell.
The bear just chuckled, continuing on down the hall before the buck heard another metal door open, then slam shut. The resounding clank of the door locking was all Cory needed before he headed back to the wall.
"What was that about?" the buck asked.
"Nothing." replied Ackert flatly.
"You know each other." Cory pressed.
"I rather not talk about it--" the voice next door noted, copying Cory's earlier statement, "that's how you put it, right?"
"Right." Cory responded, slumping back down to the ground, "I guess we both have things we'd rather not talk about."
Several more moments passed before Ackert spoke up, "You're fanged?"
"Not exactly." Cory responded, feeling his heart begin to race again, ears flushing in embarrassment.
"Omnivore?"
"No... I'm a deer." the buck noted, swallowing a knot in his throat.
"So what did Gavin mean about the meat-eating comment? Deer don't eat meat." Ackert stated.
"Remember when I told you about that ferret?" Cory hesitated.
"You killed her and ate her?" the voice from the other side of the wall asked incredulously.
"No... actually... he's still alive." Cory said slowly
"The ferret... he?--" the note of recognition in the other prisoner's voice was readily obvious, "Oh." was all Ackert added.
"Yea." Cory responded, letting out a deep breath. He hugged his arms around his body, feeling more cold than just the stone as silence filled both cells for a long time, "He was a nobleman's son, and I'm the son of a tanner. When it came time for us to get in trouble, Louis' dad managed to pin it on me... he said that I seduced his son and tricked him into it."
Cory waited, leaning back against the stone wall as he perked his ears, listening against the broken mortar for any sign of a comment. He didn't receive one, and continued, "I guess Louis is still out there running around, doing his thing. He didn't try to help, or say anything at all... I guess I can't blame him... he didn't want to end up in here any more than I did."
"I'd be angry." Ackert spoke up after a moment.
"Angry?" Cory's voice shook through the word, half-surprised that the other prisoner was still listening, let alone responding.
"Yea... getting turned in and blamed for it all, while the other guy managed to go free... that's royally fucked up."
Cory laughed harshly, "You don't know the half of it... he was the one who seduced me."
"Hm... so he tricked you, and you're not really--"
"No," Cory admitted, "I really did love him... he was handsome, and he was really nice. He knew all the right things to say, and he was so genteel." Cory shrugged, "I don't know... I guess---" Cory put a hand to his face, wiping away the dampness from his eyes, "Never mind... I guess this kind of thing sickens you, and I don't have to keep going."
"What you do in your cottage is up to you... I'm not going to hold it against you, but I still think someone needs to slap that little bastard... if there's one thing I hate it's brats of nobility who won't accept responsibility for their actions... no offense to your... uh... boyfriend." Ackert noted flatly.
Cory half-smiled at that, sniffling as he wiped away another tear, "Ex-boyfriend now, I guess." he responded, half-heartily, "Anyway... thank you for listening."
Ackert chuckled in response, "It's not like I have anything else that's taking up my attention."
Cory laughed nervously at that, feeling some of his tension freed by his fellow prisoner's casual response, "Well... I just hope you aren't bothered by sharing a wall with a gay deer."
"Only if you don't have a problem sharing a wall with a straight ex-soldier." replied Ackert.
"Ex-soldier?" Cory's ears went up, and he turned to regard the crack, "You used to be a guard?"
"Yea." Ackert chuckled, "I was a captain, actually... attended training with that big tub of lard Gavin... I beat him in every trial and each training exercise... I bet he's laughing it up now... that paw-creaming, cave-dwelling, snaggletoothed, boot-dragger couldn't have gotten a better post than prison guard... there's nothing more prison guards like than to have a one-up on a real soldier."
"You're a soldier?" Cory's heart began to beat faster. He'd seen soldiers from afar before, but they were always beyond his measure. Something about them always made the local village girls swoon. Their majestic bearing, the sheer aura of self-confidence and power-- Cory had felt like a village girl on more than one occasion when watching them march down the city streets.
"Not anymore... it's a long story." Ackert responded.
"I'm not going anywhere for awhile." Cory answered, blushing more as he rubbed both sides of his muzzle in sheer surprise at the discovery... so many stories he'd always wondered about the warriors of the kingdom... and he was talking to one.
"The king gave orders for me and my men to lay siege to one of the temples in town." noted Ackert.
"Attack a temple?!?" Cory asked, aghast.
"Right."
"So then what happened?" the buck demanded.
"Nothing." said Ackert, "I didn't do it... and, for treason, I wound up here."
"That doesn't sound like a long story." Cory noted.
"That's the beginning of the story... staying in here until I die is going to take up the rest of the pages." Ackert responded with a sigh.
"You did the right thing, though." the buck offered.
"Sometimes 'the right thing' sucks." the other prisoner countered.
"True..." Cory nodded. He let out a breath, and several more moments of silence passed, before he spoke again, "You didn't sound scared to be in a cell next to one of the fanged."
"Other than the fact that there's a wall between us, I wasn't." noted Ackert, matter-of-factly.
"I guess not... you sound like you're pretty big." Cory responded, "You must be an elephant, or a hippo..."
"No... neither." Ackert chuckled, "At least I'd hope not. Elephants and hippos aren't real soldiers... they're part of the engineering battalion... they're more built for wielding battering rams than they are swords."
"Oh..." noted the buck, and he chuckled to himself, thinking of four elephants racing towards a castle gate with a huge tree truck between them, "Then... maybe a horse? A bull perhaps?"
There was silence for a few moments before Ackert responded, "Right."
"Which one?" Cory asked.
"A bull." the prisoner responded from beyond the wall.
Cory's ears blushed again, and, for the first time in a long time, he felt warm all over. Ever since Cory first realized that he liked males, he always had a thing for other races with antlers and horns, "Oh... neat." he managed to squeak in response, realizing that some of such thoughts were definitely not ones to share with Ackert.
"So... how long have you been here, Cory?" Ackert pressed the conversation onward.
"A few years." the buck responded with little hesitation.
"And still sane." the other prisoner ventured.
"Sometimes I'm not sure, but the voices assure me I am." Cory grinned to the wall, hoping that Ackert would catch the humor.
"And spent the whole time in your cell?" the bull inquired through the wall.
"All alone, except for the guards... but I'm not really much for their company." Cory admitted, not exactly willing to explain any further, "What about you? You're new here, so I bet you have some fresh stories? What did you do before the king sent you here?"
Cory listened, but not to each and every word. He relaxed back against the wall as Ackert spoke. He was content just to hear the deep toned voice speak, regardless of what it was about. The buck offered one or two words of encouragement to continue the stories as he heard about Ackert's life in the city. His fellow prisoner had a mate, and four young ones. As a captain in the rank of the soldiers, he was apparently fairly well off, and knew people throughout the city. Cory listened as he was told stories of adventure and battle, and victories... the buck was practically lost in the tales.
The deer rested back against the wall, hands playing beneath his shirt, rubbing his own body as he began to formulate an image of Ackert in his mind... a tall, powerful bovine, horns sweeping out and forward from beneath a mighty great helm, body armor clamped down close about a strong frame, with muscles bulging easily within view wherever they were not clad in the protective steel. Cory shivered as he thought of the massive captain, and he squirmed as he realized that his member was rubbing up against his britches, so sensitive, as it had been such a long time since his last pleasant erection.
Cory almost jumped as his reverie was broken by the sound of chipping. Looking to the block with the loose mortar, the buck saw that it was shaking slightly. Pulling back away from the wall, Cory paused, then spoke through it, "Ackert... what are you doing?"
"I never liked talking through doors, and I hate talking through walls... I'm big on respect, and I have the right to look you in the eye."
Cory almost jumped up at that, taken aback by the straight-forward reasoning. He knew that Vicente had used his claws long ago to peel away some of the mortar, but, Cory reasoned, there was no reason why a bull couldn't use a horn. Pausing, the buck glanced to the pile of hay where one of his long-since discarded antlers lay. Within the dungeon it was hard enough to get much nutrition, and he was less surprised that he lost an antler than he was that one still remained upon his head.
The buck moved to gather the fallen antler, and returned to the wall, chipping at the block with it as a tool, smiling to himself that he finally had a project to do... something to keep him busy and use up some of his ample time. The project was lengthy, considering the size of the stone block and the amount of mortar needed to get it to budge. The stones that made up the wall were easily 3' in width, length, and depth, and the majority of the day passed while each prisoner worked on the block from either side.
They paused twice... once when the dungeon slops came to give the prisoners their food, and once more, when they returned to collect chamber buckets. The two worked well into the twilight and, just as the sun was about to set, the last of the golden rays fading from Cory's sight, the stone gave a jump, and dropped down into the space created when the two scraped mortar away from its base.
"Move back." noted Ackert from the far side, and Cory scooted away from the opening, fussing with what remained of his tunic and breeches, trying to make himself as presentable as possible. He inward chided himself, knowing first that no amount of time would make him look presentable after years in the dungeon and, secondly, that it would hardly matter since his fellow prisoner would not likely be interested in deer, and not at all interested in males.
The stone pulled away, and Cory quickly dropped to his stomach to peer into the other cell. It was larger than his own, with more sunlight still shining into it. He didn't see Ackert right away, as he was out of view from the hole. That did not last long, however, as a large, scaled muzzle hovered into view, and two yellow eyes gazed back at him with slitted black pupils, set within a scaled face, a long, broad, sloping maw projecting from beneath them..
"You're....." Cory gasped, taken aback as he stared at one of the fanged... he was staring at an alligator.
"A bull..." noted Ackert, "A bull alligator."