FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

_Note: This story is based on, and set in, the "Cold Blood" universe which was made and written by Onyx Tao. Please read his brilliant stories! _

**_OBSERVE: My storyline, "Finding Home", is not to be considered canon to the Cold Blood universe, there are bound to be several differences between this "alternate universe" to Cold Blood and the actual one. So if you're a fan of Cold Blood, please don't be mad if you spot several "flaws" within this alternate Cold Blood universe. Artistic freedom and yadda yadda... :)

Also: This is the last chapter of Part 1. Next part will be a revisit to Livius past, and should contain far more "action" ;)

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_**

-Chapter 3-

-No more chains-

Morning did not come gentle. A loud banging on the door made Livius jump up from his bed. He was startled, but now wide awake. Matteus was still on the floor, bathing amongst the pillows and sheets. He made some low rumbling, almost whining noises. He was seemingly reluctant to get up, although he was seemingly awake at least.

"There's no need for you to get up just yet. Just lie there and rest some, you've deserved it", said Livius reassuringly to the non-responsive minotaur. With a smile and a shrug, Livius went to open the door. He was promptly met by Julius, who smiled gently. Beside Julius was the scarred, silent guard. He looked as stern as ever.

"Glad to see you're up! I will.. err... give you some time to prepare yourself, I would suppose?", Julius said.

He was obviously hinting at Livius wild hair, pointing in all directions; aswell as the lack of proper clothes.

"Yes. I will let you know when you can collect us. I trust everything else is in order?"

"Everything is just fine, Archmage Livius. I personally inspected the territory roughly an hour or so ago, Sir. Nothing dangerous afoot. Well, apart from the minotaur, of course. Has he been a burdon to you, Sir?"

"If he would have been, I would have informed you earlier. You needn't worry. Also, I would much prefer it if you would be so kind as to simply call me Livius. That will be all, soldier."

Julius didn't look as surprised as Livius had first suspected. Perhaps he had given this nominal directive to him before? With all confusion, sleeplessness and impressions that the last few days had brought him, he wasn't sure of anything anymore - other than the fact that he felt far more focused today than he had done so far, unfortunately during very crucial events. Time to patch the wounds he had inflicted... if possible.

Julius smiled and instructed the other guard to move out. They walked off and Livius closed the door behind them. I will have to put a spell on this room, so nothing from within can be heard on the outside... I will also need to put a spell on the door, so that it cannot be opened by normal means. At least not from the other side.

Livius turned and noticed the minotaur on the floor, who in an instant made an effort to place himself in a kneeling position. He was visibly tired, but seemed so much more well rested than the day before, at least. Livius himself felt the same blessed state in his mind. He could actually think coherently today! What a miracle that was. Praise the gods for small wonders.

"No need to correct yourself, Matteus. You seemed so comfortable, just lie down if you want to, while I dress in my formal robes. It is bound to take some time for me, while you only wear a loincloth". And by the heavens above, do you wear them well. Gods, if I could just dive in under those... , Livius thought to himself, but halted his brain. The last thing he needed now was a raging hard-on. Pretty bad for new impressions on a scared-shitless minotaur slave who's already been abused by a seemingly insane mage of a scary, strange species.

The heavy cloth of the undergarment was one thing to put on, but the damned robe and all the weird accessories were a hassle without a mirror of some sort. Livius improvised dearly and put one ceremonial ribbon over the other, and ....

"I dreamed of you..."

Livius froze in his motions. That booming, but gentle voice, was not imagined. It was Matteus. Livius slowly turned his head to look at him, but was a bit disheartened to find that the minotaur still wasn't looking at him. Perhaps he had, while he was starting his sentence, but somehow regret and shame made him turn away again. Still, too late now - he has begun to speak, and he is probably too polite to stop once he has summoned enough courage to initiate a conversation, Livius thought to himself.

"Please, go on. You dreamed of me?"

"Yes, Livius".

It was obvious that Matteus did not enjoy being this informal. He almost cringed every time he felt compelled to say Livius name rather than title.

"I suppose it's inevitable, isn't it? I am constantly near you, for better or for worse. You are bound to get stuck with me even in dreams, sooner or later. May I ask... what the dream was? Did you get to kill me and run home, or something?", Livius said, trying his best to sound humouristic. Matteus looked mostly startled at the question.

"No, nothing like that.. it's just.. it didn't feel like an ordinary dream. I was looking at... some persons I knew... and there you were too. Nothing big. But it felt strange.. as if it wasn't a dream. I am sorry for bringing it up, it isn't important. I don't know why I started talking about this... Please forgive me, Livius, Sir."

Hanging his head real low, eyes constantly battering the different locations of the room, Matteus was anything but calm. Once more, he had managed to get himself quite excited, but this time, Livius felt there was something he could do about it. It felt as though this time, unlike the other times - it was Matteus own initiative. He wanted something out of this.

"You say it's nothing important, and yet you feel the need to talk about it. You have barely spoken with me until now, and never without asking permission or somesuch before. I do realize I have already informed you that I wish no title, and that you may speak freely, but I also know you aren't the type who would easily do that despite my insisting upon it. So this dream.. it must have been important to you."

A deep, profound silence hung in the room like an overgrown bat, ready to take flight, holding its breath. Livius could feel his own heartbeat, and the pulse was fairly high. This was obviously important to him, aswell, or he wouldn't feel this intensily about the situation. But he had to handle these things delicately. He did not want to invoke more suspicions and fears by telling Matteus he had ventured into his mind in dreams.

"Well, no matter what the dream meant, we both deserve a nice breakfast, wouldn't you agree?".

Livius noticed a nod that seemed more heartfelt than earlier ones. It was natural to assume that the minotaur was overwhelmed with hunger after all this time that had gone by. Livius went up to the door and motioned Matteus to join. Matteus got up on his hooves, but did not advance. Livius had one hand on the door and was just about to motion Matteus once more to join him, but he desisted once he realised that it was not possible for the minotaur to move. He was chained to the wall.

"Oh bloody hell, I forgot about the chains.."

Matteus raised his eyebrows, looking oddly at Livius. It took some time before Livius registered this, but then it felt obvious. Of course.. he wonders how I could possibly have forgotten about the chain, as if chaining him up wouldn't be the most crucial thing to do in any situation when you have a minotaur prisoner in the Empire...

The door swung open and Livius shouted for the guards. Only a few seconds later, a guard appeared. The stern looking one with a scar across his face.

"You called, Archmage Livius", said he.

"I would dearly prefer if you just call me Livius, mister... oh dear. I seem to have forgotten your name?"

"You never asked for it", came the reply with a biting cold attached to it.

"It's Adrian. What would you have me do?"

"Well Adrian, I would like you to unchain the minotaur and lead us to the dining room. We haven't had breakfast yet, although I am sure the rest of you have already enjoyed it?"

"Indeed we have, Sir. Lots left for you though."

"And the minotaur?"

At first, Adrian looked a bit confused. He then nodded his head slightly before he headed inside the room, grunting "him too" as he brushed past Livius to collect the enslaved minotaur. Adrian promptly went to a window and leaned out.

"Elias! Get in here, I need your help!"

It didn't take long before the young, cocky soldier had entered the room. Livius was slightly glad that he wouldn't need to ask him for his name now, at least. Elias firmyl held his pike, and it was frighteningly close to the minotaur's face. Adrian skillfully and quickly unchained Matteus, lacking any kind of empathy as he pushed and prodded in order to make him move. Due to the spacious rooms and halls, it was a small task to move about though, even with a prisoner on tow. Once they had reached the ground level, they all headed into the dining room, which had been set up in a simple, yet functional way. All chairs were placed around a very large wooden table. Upon the table cloth a myriad of various dishes were prepared, although it was very evident it had all seen recent use; crumpets and stains colored the cloth with its atmospheric, yet graceless presence. Julius appeared in a doorway leading into the large kitchen.

"I realise you are used to far better lodging, Archm... sorry, Livius. I just recalled you prefer to leave titles out of this. However, I am indeed sorry about the state of this place. We recently dined, you see..."

"This will do just fine. Adrian, please make sure the minotaur is seated, I will sit on the opposite end. You will not need to stay and guard though, it is imperative I show him that he must not always be guarded by men at arms."

Adrian looked truly puzzled for the first time that Livius had ever seen.

"Are you sure that's wise?"

"My intention is to see whether or not he is compliant enough. It would even serve a great purpose should he try to escape, for then he will know the precision and might of my arcane powers, to which he is entirely defenseless. After such teachings, he is sure to never disobey again".

"I see".

Adrian gave the minotaur a rough shoving into a chair, and decidedly left the room with a clear disliking. Julius observed the whole thing, but just shook his shoulders.

"If you don't my saying so, Livius, you certainly have a very original take on things. I do not necessarily believe you are doing the right thing, but at the same time I believe there is a reason that you hold the title that you do. I trust you know what you are doing".

Livius smiled and nodded, and once Julius had finished up in the kitchen, he headed off to secure the perimeters outside. By the time he left, Livius had gathered a vast amounts of food products and was just about to dig in when he noticed that Matteus had only taken a single loaf of bread and chewed on it quite uninspiringly. Livius looked around to make sure they were truly alone, then he leaned forward. Matteus didn't raise his head, but he looked up to focus his eyes on the prying mage.

"Did you understand any of my words to them?"

Matteus cringed a bit, then took on what Livius had previously assumed his 'thinking position'. His lips pouting and his eyes distantly exploring the space above, he pondered the question for a while.

"Not much. I don't know a lot of latin. My brother... "

And with that, he fell silent for a while. There was a hint of emotional distortion in his face, but he soon composed himself.

".. my brother tried to teach me, but I didn't get to learn a lot."

He gave a short sigh, "I figure they aren't too pleased you are alone with me?"

"Exactly right! I told them it was a test to see how well you would behave, and I also said that I would use magic should you try to escape", Livius said while snickering fiendishly.

"And by telling me this, you are indirectly threatening me?"

"What? No! How do you figure that?"

"Well, I am sure you intended to just let me in on the conversation, but at the same time - why even mention your powers if you don't trust I will behave?"

Livius smiled. Mostly due to the fact that Matteus at least talked with him now. It was certainly progression, of some form.

"You are right. It may have come out wrong. I do trust you will behave".

"Why?"

Livius relaxed, sank into his chair and looked at Matteus searchingly for a while.

"Because I believe you have a kind heart. Much too kind to be in a war".

Matteus sighed and fell silent, once more. He picked up his loaf once more and took a small bite from it. His slow chewing seemed intentional, as if he wanted the taste to last.

"Matteus, you have to be starving! Why only settle for a piece of bread? Look, we got all kinds of things here, take whatever you want!"

Matteus sat still for a few moments, then swallowed whatever he had stored in his muzzle during Livius strange food proposal speech. With a curious look, he began to shift the weight of his head around a bit, scouting for various food items that lay present. With immense caution, he moved his hands around to collect a few more things from the table. Livius laughed, and it made Matteus motions slow to a crawl. He looked at Livius as though he had done something wrong, but Livius only returned a smile.

"Oh, look at you. Bashful and polite. Here, have some of this!", Livius said while serving the perplexed minotaur various vegetables, a bowl porridge, eggs and all other assortments of food products that Livius could get his hands on. Soon enough, Matteus end of the table was overfilled with culinary delights, and while Matteus probably felt a bit compelled to eat the lot of it, it was very clear that he didn't mind it either. He gave Livius a very strange, and quite forced smile. At first he ate very modestly, but gradually Livius detected a hint of the minotaur's liking for some of the foodstuff, and he observed as Matteus began picking out more of it and began chewing with a gradually increasing gusto.

Livius face sank into his palms, elbows resting on the thick, wooden table. With a sensation of overwhelming peace, the Archmage took great pleasure in observing the minotaur eat. Even looking at his naked torso as he gathered things was incredibly rewarding. How his not-so-dormant muscles would seemingly erupt from tiny valleys to splendorous hills on the coat of his hide whenever he moved his arms, his chest expanding and contracting as it was animated by intent and motion. Glistening coats of saliva on his big, prickly bovine tongue, so delightfully rough.. and he always closed his eyes when he chewed his food. At first, Livius didn't register it, but it soon became hypnotic. The centrifugal motions of the thick teeth and tongue as Matteus ground his food with contentment. Eyes reduced to small lines on his giant, ivory colored face, as he gnawed his way through more and more breakfast treats with slow, drawn-out jaw motions. Livius had often seen grazing cows, and he remembered some from his own childhood - how they could lie on a field, chewing grass with wide open muzzles, eyes closed. Not a care in the world. Just enjoying their food. They looked almost majestic as they would lay there, basking in the sun, in the company of their fellow cows. Matteus looked so much like them right now. Maybe in his mind, he is at home now, and there is no war. He is just closing his eyes, enjoying his food, and he is feeling safe and happy?

Livius didn't even notice his own pleased sigh that he eventually let out, but he did notice that Matteus opened his eyes and looked directly at Livius. The minotaur would lower the pace of his eating, and eventually stopped chewing. His hands and arms were now as statues of stillness. Seconds passed, and it felt like eternity. The minotaur suddenly looked like a mix between agitated and questioning, but Livius didn't really think about it at first, he was too busy sporting a stupid grin as he looked at the beautiful minotaur across the table.

"What?", Matteus suddenly asked with his low, booming voice. It burst the silence of the room, and Livius suddenly realised how he must have looked. He blushed a bit while adjusting himself in his seat, and honestly did not know what to say.

"Sorry, I just love watching you eat. You look so peaceful and ... I just... you looked so cute. Sorry if I interrupted you".

Matteus, a picture of bemusement and surprise, harkled and looked about. He felt embarrassed and did not know what to do or say. Livius had turned red in color, being equally embarrassed, and quickly excused himself from the table, leaving Matteus to dine alone.

Stepping out of the dining room, Livius was startled by a sudden sensation, a fluttering in time and space. It was a familiar spell and the familiar voice that followed was none other than Skender, communicating from afar with a telepathic spell. Untimely as it was, Livius activated their communication line by completing the spell on his end.

"Livius, this is Archmage Skender, and I recently contacted one of the Grand Overseers from the Circle of Magi. You know whom I speak of. Augustus. He is most interested in hearing from you, and just how you are able to motivate your spontaneous flight to an unmarked cabin in order to perform what he called 'reckless experimentation' on a minotaur prisoner?"

"It is no more reckless than it was for him to send his errand boy to fetch me in the desert. This is a routine assignment. I have the authority to assign those, and I assigned it to myself".

"I am not the one you need to convince... yet. I spoke with Augustus and made sure he was up to speed on your discovery".

"You defended me, then?"

"In a manner of speaking... yes. I also made it clear I hadn't found any traces of dark magic myself, and that it was unusual for you to rush off like you did".

"Hah.. with that in mind, you might aswell have told him you suspect me of high treason!"

"Rubbish. You know I do not think that of you. Needless to say there is little we can do about it now, given the circumstances".

Livius was unsure how to interpret what he heard. Skender sounded awfully vague, and likely for a reason.

"What circumstances?"

"More conflicts with the minotaurs. We are in a war, if you remember? Augustus has given me authority to send a small delegation to collect you, or rather, confer with you. They wont arrive now though. Likely, you have a week or so to spend with your research. Should be far more than sufficient".

In the distance, a howl of anger attenuated. Likely from one of the nearby buildings.

"Will you keep in touch, then?", Livius inquired.

"You have my word. Be fortuitous in your findings".

"Gods watch and keep".

As the spell dissipated, a trampling of feet outside invoked caution in Livius. He popped his head around the door to make sure Matteus was still seated. As he turned inside, he saw the minotaur with ears perched, looking past Livius.

"Trouble?"

Livius shook his head reassuringly, "unlikely. I will go and have a look though. If you would be so kind as to .."

"... sit still?"

"Indeed".

Livius turned and prepared to depart.

"What if it's something dangerous?", Matteus asked, to which Livius felt compelled to retort.

-"Would you defend me?", he said with a hesitant smirk, and Livius went off before the minotaur could reply.

Outside it was surprisingly mellow. The air was cool, red leaves were blowing in the wind. Wind tugging the cloth, but not roughly so. Livius looked around to find the source of the turmoil, and became instantly aware of the commotion, near one of the external facilities - more likely; what might be the bath house. Walking in that direction, the source of the ruckus became clear. It sounded as if the soldiers all had a disagreement about something. Stepping into the crude hall, Livius found rather delicate adornments and sculptures placed about. It was indeed the bath house, and it was in good shape. Certainly not like the more extravagant ones he had seen when he lived in the minotaur clan, but it was larger than he expected, stretching very far in every direction once you got into the actual pool area.

"Well, no matter how it works, you are doing it all wrong!", scowled Julius to Elias, who marauded the pipes leading out from a metal box.

As Livius entered, they all stopped bickering, and shamefully turned to face him. Julius looked a bit like a small boy who had been caught in the act of pilfering apples. For a while, only the silent squalping of water accompanied the silent men.

"Sorry that you should stumble upon this, Sir. I thought we were going somewhere with the damned thing when.... "

Scanning the area wildly with his head, Julius suddenly looked tense.

"Where's the .... "

"Oh, he's safely inside. Wont run", Livius said.

Adrian peeked up from behind a metallic construction and looked slightly hopeful.

"You've been amongst them, right? You know how this thing works? What heats the water?"

"Sadly, I have no idea how these things operate. I was just a pleased user, not an engineer. We could ask Matteus."

Julius looked like a confused prune.

"Matteus? Who is ... ohhh...."

Livius merely shrugged, "he ought to know... in fact, I'll go fetch him!"

Strolling back to the main house, he noticed Julius stepped out and watched Livius from behind as he walked. Glancing over the shoulder revealed the weathered soldier in a tense stance, crossing his arms and leaning his head over on the side. Maybe he was pondering something? At any rate, the wooden door was quickly opened, and in a fit of impulse, Livius decided to rush into the kitchen, acting excited.

"Matteus! We need you, it's a crisis!"

The minotaur seemed to have eaten a lot, and was patiently leaning back against the chair, holding his hands over his full belly, when the mage stormed in to the dining room. At the command, he leaped out of the chair, and hit his knee against the table with a thunderous crash. He moaned slightly, but recuperated quickly enough. With a bewildered look on his face, he stumbled up to Livius, looking down on the comparably small human.

"What? What's happened?"

"No time to explain, come with me!"

Rushing out and heading for the bath house, the minotaur followed up behind him, and it was obvious he had to restrict his motions so as to not get ahead of the significantly slower mage, who wore a strange smile as he paced. Julius dropped his guard down when he witnessed the odd couple from afar, and took a few steps in various directions, not knowing where to go or what to do. He was clearly confused about the unchained minotaur following the mage blindly.

"What is... what is happening?!?", Julius shouted as they approached.

Livius calmed down and started laughing in between his gasps for air.

"I am clearly not all that young anymore", he exclaimed once the exhaustion from the short run had settled.

Julius and the minotaur looked at Livius, and each other, and seemingly competed in who could look the most confused. Matteus eventually leaned forward and arched his head, trying to get eye contact with the still fatigued mage.

"Sir, why did you need me here? You said there was a crisis?"

"Crisis??", Julius yaulped.

Livius snickered. "I am sorry Matteus.. I couldn't help myself. It's just the bath house. We couldn't get it working, and so I thought maybe you knew how to handle it?"

Matteus looked stunned, and couldn't shut his widely opened jaw. After a few moments of confusion, he scratched his head, "I .. I suppose I can have a look, if you want, Sir?"

Julius pointed into the bath house and said with perfect greek - "Meet up with Elias and Adrian in there. Tell them you were sent in to fix the damn thing".

Livius and Matteus stared with plate sized eyes at Julius. He can speak greek? Oh dear... I wonder if .. and indeed what... he has heard me speak with Matteus about... This I did not foresee.. not even with my signature have I managed to pick this up.

Matteus had a sad look on his face, -"I don't know latin very well, Sir.", to which Julius gave a slight nod.

"I shall inform them you're coming in to fix it, then", he said, stepping in to the bath house. While waiting outside, Livius and Matteus met eyes only briefly, and Livius shrugged his shoulders and made a face indicating that he was just as clueless as Matteus when it came to Julius linguistic abilities. After only a short moment, Julius materialized again, and walked up to Matteus with confident steps, "You can go inside now, they know you are coming".

Nodding, the minotaur set off towards the bath house, and entered it. Only slight audible commotion was heard from inside once they'd noticed his arrival. It settled soon enough, and Julius had a concerned look on his face as he turned to Livius, who no longer sported a boyish grin. It had been replaced by a confused glare.

"You run the risk of endangering our lives if you keep this strange behavior up. Would you mind if an old captain such as myself humbly asked for a piece of your mind?"

"You worry too much, though I suppose it's part of your job. I can agree though, that I have felt very impulsive and .. childish almost, lately. I don't know - maybe it's the cool autumn air? By the way.. I ... didn't realize you knew greek?"

"Oh yes. I do", was the short reply preceding a long silence. Julius broke the silence eventually, with a serious expression on his face.

"There are rumors, Sir, that you ought to know about. Rumors circulating about you, in fact. I am not sure it would entirely please you to hear them, but I fear it's my obligation to share them with you, if you wish?"

A morouse look fell upon Livius. He anticipated what he would hear, and very likely, this captain had seen things in Livius behaviour that would be better kept in the dark. Hard to know. Focusing his signature in on the captain, he found only trace patterns of old-and-worn social skills, nothing truly coherent, and nothing of any potential use. As it seemed now, at least.

"Go ahead, Julius. Naturally I want to hear about anything you may have heard".

"I am not a person that normally applies too much.. weight.. to rumours. But I must admit these particular ones intrigued me. Is it true that you were a slave to a minotaur?"

"Yes, that is correct, Julius. I was. I was sent out along with a scout party for some... reconnaissance mission of sorts. All were slain except for me. The minotaurs that attacked us died too though. I killed them, but it was a close call. Afterwards, I was fatigued and the camp wouldn't keep me safe forever.. a bit foolish perhaps, but I decided to venture back on foot. Didn't realise how far it was, nor how tired I had gotten from the exertion of battle. I passed out and was found and saved by a minotaur mage, who took me home and kept me as a slave. I spent quite some time there, with him.. it was something I had to endure, but it was certainly a very effective source of information. I learned a lot about them. When fortune struck, I managed to escape from his home during a strange, internal clan conflict of sorts. I was lucky enough to be discovered wandering the plains, by an imperial search party no less. After I was found, a long period of interrogation followed, but I was eventually reinstated into services of the Empire. As an archmage, once more."

Julius pondered it, and had an absent look on his face for a long time. He didn't speak, but still seemed inclined to. Livius gave him an inquisite glare after a few moments had passed.

"What of it?", Livius asked, to which Julius appeared to awaken from his passive form.

"Oh sorry. Well, I don't know, Sir. I myself have once been a captive to the minotaurs and it was a very .. interesting experience. What I suppose I am trying to say is that... perhaps I can relate more than you might believe."

"You've been captured by minotaurs?", the shocked mage cried out. I wonder what his experiences were like?

"Only briefly. It lasted less than a week. I was captured after a very unsuccessful attack on one of the clans near the border. Pure slaughter on our part. I survived and was captured until our forces sent ambassadors to parley. At least that attempt was successful. They took well care of me during my short incarceration, although I did not like their respectless tone with me. Called me feral. I called them the same, which was apparently unheard of before."

"I can imagine".

"Needless to say, I know what it's like to have rumours spread about you, behind your back. I will support your cause, Livius. I have heard some rumours that you seemed to like it over there, that you behaved differently after returning. I am sure it was all just shock. You do seem to treat the minotaur quite well, though, but I think nothing of it, personally. The fact that you treat them well is just a sign you have risen above their methods, and the methods practiced by many of our own, aswell. No point in mistreating a fellow soldier, be they human or minotaur. I mean, we all shed our own blood for a cause, right? And none of us decided on which side of the border we were born, eh?"

"I must say, I am surprised at how you view these things. With remarkable tolerance, I should say. Not quite what I expected"

"Well, my experiences as a prisoner to the minotaur humbled me, but I would not expect the other soldiers here to show you the same understanding. In fact, they have uttered some pejorative terms once or twice so far about their seething suspicions. It's strange enough to them how you behave; you're unusually impulsive, energetic and ... boyish... for a mage. And on top of that, you treat the minotaur with a loose and.. dare I say liberal approach. It stings in their eyes, you know. Just... tone it down, will you? Friendly advice, that's all. From an old fox to a young buck".

Livius smiled and put his hands on Julius shoulders. Despite the cold breezes, there was a lot of warmth here, he felt. "I am very thankful for your advice and your support, friend", he said, as they slowly began walking towards the bath house - "Now let's see how they are doing in there".

Upon entering the small entry hall, crudely leading into the bathing area, the air was warm already, its moisty web clinging to the skin. As they got in and spotted the others, the gusts of steam had embraced them thoroughly, like a sticky blanket, emulating the sensation of sweat effectively. Oh god.. steam.. Lord Steam.. this takes me back..., Livius thought as he waded through the mist. The last person on this planet I would want to meet here...

"Sorry Sir, the steam is so intense due to the cold I suspect. It should settle soon". It was presumably the voice of Elias, but it was hard to make out his form in all this. An unmistakingly strong odour of bovine ascended as the mage came closer to the tiled floors' sudden slope that made out the bowel of the basin. Looking into it, Livius noticed the minotaur. He was sitting there - immersed in hot water. He was clearly enjoying himself, and had his arms stretched out along the edges, framing the pool below.

"Who gave _you_the right to sit in the pool?", Livius asked with a low voice, slowly raising his finger and arm; pointing accusingly at Matteus. Although it was a bit hard to see from the position he was in, it was evident the minotaur was now frozen solid, maybe even trembling a bit. Even the clucking sound of wavy water ceased. Adrian slowly approached Livius to adress him.

"Sir, what's the matter? What did you say to him? I don't know greek".

"I just asked him who gave him the right to sit in the pool. I am just messing with the creature", Livius replied with a smirk, but the cold truth ached inside him; all the vile things he needed to do, in order to maintain the illusion that the minotaur was just a prisoner.

Matteus was quick in his effort to break the short silence that had followed.

"I.. I .. I was told to step into the water to make sure... it wasn't too hot.. for ... for humans.. for you I mean... Sir. They.. I ... thought it would be best to make sure you wouldn't scold yourself".

Livius looked at the other soldiers (humans...just humans..) and made it very clear, with his facial expressions, that he had only messed around with the prisoner. Chuckling somberly and walking towards the opposing edge of the relatively small pool that Matteus was in, Livius seemed in the best of spirits. In his mind however, he felt shamed - but the grins on Elias and Adrians faces were priceless. They thought it was funny as hell.

"Oh gods, so sorry to have startled you like that. I have a poor sense of humour, that's all - I am not mad at you, Matteus. Thank you for fixing the bath!"

Matteus frowned and released a deep sigh. It was hard to tell if it was a sigh of release or perturbment, or maybe a mix. He did at least sink down more into the pool, seemingly more relaxed. Livius looked content as he looked about the place. The air was a bit more clear now, so visibility was far better than before.

"Seems he did an amazing job. We would have gotten around to it even without his help though, no doubt", Livius said to the soldiers.

Adrian nodded at the statement, "it was in truth not hard to understand once he showed it. Ingenious design though, I must say".

"Let's hope the owners don't come back to claim the bath house, then", Livius said frolically, though Adrian's reply left him feeling cold - "They can't. They are dead".

As Elias snorted appreciatively at the answer, Livius noticed Matteus shyed away a bit, but it was subtle. He probably understood that, even though it was in latin...

The minotaur quickly composed himself. Perhaps he has gotten used to death and the horrors of war? It was unrelenting, the strife to hide one's emotions. It is not easy to stow away your fear from your enemies, and it is sometimes excruciatingly hard to know who your allies are. The ambivalence occationally thrives, and this knowledge was especially tough for Livius to bear in a situation like this. Delicately balancing the need to appease both his allies (enemies?) and his enemy (ally?).

"Elias, Adrian. Both of you, good work. Patrol the area now! Although the owners may be dead, and the battle of Xarsen is over; we can't know for sure if we are to expect trouble. I will stay in here with Livius", Julius suddenly said with an unusually stern voice. As the two soldiers left, Julius shone a mischievous smile at the mage.

"I have a sneaking suspicion you want to be left alone with the prisoner, Livius, so I will gracefully depart aswell. I noticed a back door leading out. I will return shortly though, don't want to risk the others raising more questions than needed"

Livius looked very confused, "you're leaving?"

"Well, I just think that maybe you need to talk with him about your time as a prisoner to the minotaurs. Might even make him more accessible and calm? Who knows? I wouldn't mind talking to him myself, later on, if that's ok? I have some questions about their methods and ways of reasoning... and I think that whatever happened in the minotaur cells, stays in the minotaur cells. Wouldn't want to pry into your memories, they are your own. I trust you show me the same respect, Sir?"

"Absolutely, and consider it done, Julius".

"Then I will be off".

And with that, the old, gray soldier saluted and left for the cold outside, choosing the backdoor for his departure. I wonder what he is thinking about me.. and the minotaur? Does he suspect something?

Letting the clothes fall off, one item at a time, Livius decided to not even bother sorting them out and placing them on any furniture. Instead they came to land on, and decorate the wet tiles, and eventually they had soaked up so much water that they became darker blue in color, and a multitude times heavier to carry. Now naked, he begun to dip his feet into the vast basin below. It was horrendously warm, but Livius bit his lips and made an effort to look unaffected. The odd squeal that slipped out killed the effort though, and he instead decided to just slide into the searing chasm and get it over with. Painful as it was, it still meant that he was now sharing the same deep waters as Matteus found himself bathing in.

He is in the water, and undoubtedly floating in the water; parts of him. And now - those parts of him, in all their musky minotaur glory, are upon my body, my skin. I already believe I smell better from it, but it's probably imagination.

The warmth had settled now, and was more than bearable. More than palatable. It was downright pleasant. The scent of bovine fur, bovine muscle and bovine sweat enchanted Livius and took the enjoyment from the pool to new heights. Not a single muscle was tense now, and his nostrils were fishing for more details in the air; the fragrances, the nuanses of all things emanating from Matteus. He had to face him now.

Looking across the pool - the curious face of Matteus stared back at him with wide eyes. Once he realized he was being watched, he began to nervously grind his hooves against the bottom of the pool, which Livius couldn't even reach; too deep. He heard the hoof scrapings as a thick carpet of sounds bulging in the recesses of the dancing waters below, and the sound was almost hypnotic.

"Please don't be so alarmed - once more, I am sorry for the bad joke. I am not mad at you, I just.. well.. the truth is I just wanted to appear confident to the soldiers. How are you feeling, dear Matteus?"

Lowering his head, the horns protruded elegantly, revealing a multitude of diminuitive cracks running along its sides. Livius hadn't noticed it before, and wondered if perhaps it was something he had failed to fix during healing.

"Do you want me to try and mend the horns? I am not sure I can do much, but if you want to, I can try?"

Matteus shook his heavy head, his muzzle grinding as though chewing. The bright, misty veils of air around his skull danced in all directions from his powerful movements. He had been in deep thought up until now, but the interruption of Livius' unexpected question had phased him a bit. His obligation to answer made him sound slightly unenthusiastic. "It's nothing. Old wounds. Had them since childhood, and actually.. I would prefer to keep them. As a reminder."

"Something else is bothering you then? I can tell something is weighing hard on you. What is it, Matteus?"

His bovine eyes evaded Livius' concerned face as much as it was possible without seeming deliberately rude, and unsure of what to say and how to word it, he cringed and heaved, upsetting the water levels. The slight waves' smooth caress on the mage's skin was welcome, but it was hard not to be saddened by Matteus' refraining from opening up emotionally. Beneath the stirring watery surface, his growing winter pelt was evident from the long, hairy fur on his wet legs, unresting in their nervous motions.

"I don't know how to say things without making you upset in some way. I may end up sounding disrespectful or .. demeaning. But... I don't know much about your culture, and so far I have found your way of treating me very confusing. I suppose your intention is to interrogate me, but I don't know why you don't just ask me things plainly. You don't have to behave as if we're friends. I am just a prisoner of war, and this ruse is making me feel very insecure. Is that part of you plan?"

"Ruse?". Livius suddenly felt as though a tight knot had materialized in his throat. His heart sank, and his head felt cold. Ruse. He thinks I am lying to him, acting, to gain his trust. He.. he doesn't want me as his friend?

Livius didn't notice that Matteus had now taken on a concerned look, as the human went paler and more absent, eyes drifting off.

"Are you feeling well? Sir?"

The low voice resounded as if it were a distant echo, in Livius' mind. It was hard to fight the swelling sensation within himself, the sensation of hopelessness, and it soon dawned on Livius that he was close to tears. Hardly respect-inducing. He had to snap out of it. He looked at Matteus, who felt compelled to explain himself.

"Look, I am sorry if I said something that upset you. It's just... I don't have any information that you could use. You've truly developed impressive methods to make me confide in you, and would I know something about battle plans or strategy or the likes, I would tell you all about it. I am not a hero. I ... I am not even a real soldier..."

"You're .. not a soldier?".

Of course... it's all so obvious now.

" You are not a soldier. Somehow that makes sense. You don't act very authoritative and you certainly don't seem very .. warrior-like. Please don't take offense.. I just.. never believed you were a soldier. It is as I suspected, then."

Livius had regained some of his color, but he still felt thorned by earlier remarks. Matteus just hung his head.

"I don't care if you are a soldier or not. I don't give a dirty copper or two if you know everything there is to know about all things martial. Even if you were the clan leader of Ourobouros himself, I wouldn't demand a single thread of information about war plans or strategy. I am completely uninterested in interrogating you about such things, or even talking about it."

For a moment, Matteus looked shocked. It was hard to tell if he was relieved or not, but within a second it didn't matter, as his expression became heavy once more. Frightened, even, but hiding it well under a tremendously overpowering aura of disillusionment.

"Then it's true... you intend to use me for magical experimentation.."

The statement left Livius feeling baffled, and he was at a loss for words. A few seconds of silence passed, and then in an instant; Matteus face had twisted into a pained and sorrowful expression. He was now staring at Livius with desperate eyes, saliva dripping thick as he continued;

"Please don't, I beg of you. Please just kill me. If you have mercy to spare for me, just end my life! I can't stand you treating me like this when I know you have something horrible planned for me! I don't know anything about magic, but as a child I heard so many stories about what humans do - please don't use magic to deform me!"

Livius felt as if he was shattered from within.

"Oh by all the gods in Elysia... Matteus... oh dear. Is this what you believe? You think I saved you and brought you here, promising rose gardens and salvation - all serving as an elaborate means of mesmerizing you, before torturing you?"

Letting the questions sink in, Livius offered no chance for the stunned minotaur to retort.

"No! That is not the case! For goodness sake, I have already told you that I will not do anything of the sort! I would never lie to you, ever. You do know I have a certain status, right?"

Matteus nodded slightly, but his breathing was pretty heavy.

"As such, I have certain responsibilities and virtues to uphold, just like lords in the minotaur clans do. No lord would ever lie, especially not to someone with what they consider a low standing, right? It would utterly devastate their credibility and honor! The same applies to lords in human societies, and I am a lord! I do not lie to you Matteus. Please, try and show me respect by trusting what I say! Look, I do not want information from you, and I will not use your for magical experimentation. Whatever you were told as a calf... it was just pure fantasy and imagination, likely spawned to instill more fear into the hearts of would-be fighters!"

Livius ground his teeth as Matteus panting slowly subsided. Both gradually became calmer as the course of time crept its slow marathon. After about a minute, both were just sitting there, on opposite sides of each other, allowing their respective bodies to attune to the brittle illusion of stalemate in the frantically battling notions they both defended with various degrees of willingness. In Matteus case, some of his fears had settled. In Livius case, some of his pride had begun to reshape itself.

"I just want what's best for you, and I promise to keep you safe from all harm!"

This time, Livius couldn't hold back the lines of tears that began streaming down his face. The vapour mist of the pool would provide a screen shielding Matteus from noticing though. Or at least, so he thought.

After his tears were absorbed by the warm, dewlike blanket of steam, he released a deep sigh. Unsure on how to change the subject, he just ceased talking.

The bath house was untouched by the sound of words, but the heaving sounds of water, both liquid and gasseous, sung its incessant lullaby. Hypnotized by the small movements of the minotaur's hooves and legs underwater, with long curtains of fur joining the motions in their gracious dance, Livius felt a sudden notion of peace overwhelming him. Time passed by slowly, thankfully, and gave lots of space for thoughts on home. The other home. How Lord Shade used to ... leave home for war.

What? He never left for .... oh wait. It's not my memories. It's Matteus', and I feel them.. almost.. see them. His brother was so similar to him, except he had a lot more blotches on him, all over his body. Just like in the dream when he was a calf except grown up. He is waving to Matteus, heading off to war. Matteus is ...

Crying. Livius suddenly lost touch with the memories, but noticed Matteus on the other side. He was crying, although it was very tranquil, almost invisible. He was a master of disguise, showing no evident signs of sorrow, but Livius had been inside his mind, and it was a desolate wall of despair.

"Matteus?"

There was no answer at first, but bovine eyes inspected concerned human eyes with an almost childlike look of grief. Matteus moved his muzzle but couldn't say anything. The slight trembling on his thick lips, and his pleading eyes, revealed that he would likely not be able to sound dignified if he attempted to speak. Livius understood.

"Would you like to head back to your room and get some rest?"

Matteus nodded patiently, looking almost like a boy despite his size and stature. His body language was easy to translate, as it shone with evident insecurity.

As Livius lifted himself up on the ledge, Matteus did the same on the other side. Wet streams of warm water descended on its plunge toward the ground, leaping and streaming along the perfect body as it experienced its unavoidable journey. Livius felt intensily jealous of the water streams, wanting to replace the gentle caress it made with his own tongue. Livius fantasized about approaching the minotaur as he stood there, so still. He would get down on his knees and look up into Matteus kind face, begging to give him pleasure. Matteus would smile and hold his giant hand on Livius head, guiding it towards his crotch. Livius would lick and kiss the ominous testicles, and the texture of its surface, steamed-up and soft from the immersion of water, would make Livius go crazy. He would hold them, the holy lifegiving orbs, and he would circle his tongue around the tip of the sheath, with all loose hide building a clumsy fort as it awaited the ascent of the shaft, that would slowly bulge out to be tasted by Livius. The taste he had waited for, for so long.. gently rubbing the muscular thighs as ...

Oh holy shit. I am fully erect, Livius thought. Ashamed of himself, he turned away from the minotaur, who was watching with curiousity. Turning around and walking towards his clothes, the mage discovered how insanely heavy they now were from all the waters they were drenched in, and he released yet another sigh.

Livius channeled torrents of magical energies, enwrapping the clothes, draining them from moist and wetness. It was a relatively complex spell for him, but practicing it was relieving both on his mind and his body. He was soon blessed with an absence of impractical erection aswell as the burdon of having saggy clothes. Soon enough, he wore all his clothes just as he had before he entered the bath house, and he turned and walked towards Matteus, circling the basin.

Matteus stood with bitter heart, lightly scraping a hoof against the hard floor, staring down. He wore his loincloth, once more.

"I am sorry you saw that.. I .. can't help it. You are incredibly attractive."

Matteus looked embarrased, yet strangely inquisitive.

"Forgive me for asking, Sir, but are you aware of such a thing as how.. minotaurs influence humans?"

"Ha ha, yes my dear Matteus, I know all about that. It wasn't the influence though, that made me aroused. It was you, and your body. I am not superficial but ... you look so incredible."

"All I meant is that maybe you.. felt what you did... due to .. "

"No. Trust me. Your influence is not that strong. The guardsmen are not too keen on jumping in bed with you, right? I was attracted to minotaurs long before I even met one, mind you."

"Jump into.. bed with me?". Matteus sported a very surprised look on his face, as he eyed Livius from top to toe.

"I wouldn't hesitate a second, if you'd want me to. But you don't and so I wouldn't do it. Don't worry. Given what you've lead me to believe regarding your opinions of me, you have no doubt already started forming worries that I might use magic to subdue you and then rape you - I will not. I will once more remind you that I want what's best for you and I want you to feel as free as you can with me, under the circumstances."

The air was no longer as misty, and cool winds from outside shathed Livius skin with its rough presence. Julius had returned and nodded discretely. Livius replied with a subtle nod.

"We should go back. Let's go, Matteus"

With the minotaur in tow, Livius and Julius made their way back to the house. Once the other soldiers understood the bath house was now available for them, they leapt out into the cold, running like children towards the establishment. Although Elias seemed more joyous, it was evident they had both longed for the chance to be immersed in warm water - without a minotaur to join them. Madness, thought Livius.

Upon entering the main entry hall, Livius sighed. He would have to arrange his damned room in order to fabricate reports, and he would have to do it thoroughly. Muttering about it somewhat produced an interested facial expression on Julius, and he felt unsure on what it meant. As Livius took his first steps on the stairway, Julius broke the silence.

"Would you mind awfully if I spoke with Matteus some, while you arrange your room?", he said.

Livius paused for a long time, completely baffled.

"Would you feel safe on your own with him?"

Julius chuckled and looked at Matteus from top to bottom, -"You wont harm me, will you? You're much too polite!".

Matteus nodded in return but looked terribly chocked, not knowing what was expected from him. Julius was quick to translate it all to greek though, and Livius proceeded up, towards the room, in order to unpack and arrange all things magely in order to construct fake arcane science reports on his so called "findings".

It was harder than he thought to find order in the chaotic turmoil that was the contents of his bags and packages. Cursing loudly, he unravelled the more fiendishly disarranged trinkets of use and set up a working, albeit crude laboratory. After he had managed to get most instruments and papers in a somewhat fitting order, curiousity begged that he would listen in on the conversation that was bound to take place somewhere in the building. But there'd been a remarkable stretch of time since he parted ways with them. Over an hour, he estimated. By most standards not overly long, but consider it's Matteus...

As Livius walked towards the door, muffled voices broke through the planks and walls. Heavy hooves tested the foundation outside of his room. As he opened the door, he found himself face-to-face with a happy Julius and a normally morouse Matteus. If anything, at least his shoulders didn't seem as tense as when he left him.

"Thank you for letting me borrow him, Livius! He is very eloqent and polite. We spoke to great lengths about his culture and martial practices. I have a greater understanding of their perspective now. He is all yours."

He turned to walk, but reminded himself of something mid-step.

"Oh lords, how could I forget! The chains!", he exclaimed, and lead Matteus into the room. Livius went off to his desk to finish his paper arrangements while the gray soldier chained Matteus up as per usual. With a slight nod, he then departed - reminding Livius that dinner would take place in roughly three hours.

As the door shut into place, Livius walked up to lock it. He turned over to Matteus, who noticed he was observed and rose his head to meet eyes with the mage.

"I am sorry about that.. Julius, he ... it came as a shock to me aswell, his desire to speak with you privately. I hope it went well?"

Matteus had an indifferent look, as he usually did. The tone of his voice had slightly changed though; he sounded a bit more intrigued, more curious and attentive.

"It went fine. He doesn't speak greek as well as you do, but we managed to understand each other at least. We spoke mostly of differences in our cultures, regarding martial traditions and how we treat prisoners."

Livius nodded, and noticed that Matteus was unsure on how to continue. He made some stumbling attempts to begin speaking but fell short a couple of times. In the end though, he went on;

"I don't think I will ever understand your ways. It is so different, back home.. humans are so ... different there".

"Oh yes, they certainly are", Livius replied, and was met by a strange and twisted minotaur face. Matteus had wrenched his entire face into a contorted mess, which made Livius laugh out loud. - "It quite clearly shocks you to know I have experienced it, yes?"

Relaxing a bit, Matteus shook his heavy head and shoulders some and then looked a bit more composed at the human before him.

"You have mentioned you've been over in my lands, that you were... with someone there?"

"Yes. A minotaur lord, a mage. Lord Shade. He saved me from certain death and I stayed with him for ... quite some time. I thought it would last forever but.. sooner or later you've got to wake up".

As though the air supply itself had been strangled, silence fell upon the room. Outside the sunset coloured skies and clouds basked in dying light. It was a season that had little tolerance for luminance. Matteus understood that he couldn't pry too much, but Livius still seemed to await further questions.

"How were you treated?"

"Oh, it was divine there. He had... unconventional views on how to treat his slaves, I'll give him that. It's a discussion for another day. Hard to summarize. I can say, though, that I do not particularly care for the way most minotaurs treat their human slaves"

As if he'd touched a nerve, Matteus gave a slight cringe. It was obvious he didn't agree, but he said nothing. Livius looked intrigued.

"You disagree?", he asked with a pleased grin.

"Well.. hrrm.. It's just that ferals.. I am sorry, rogue humans.. or.. humans.. seem so violent and.. at a loss for purpose. Humans need guidance and protection from minotaurs. It's in your nature."

"I beg to differ. We have a fully functional society all of our own, and needn't be coddled by sweet and serene minotaur influence. While it is a viable way to lead your life, and one I would personally prefer, it is far from the only 'right way'. For myself, I only want that life because I have lead such a fulfilling and enriching life prior to the possibility of settling down. Humans are capable of taking care of themselves, and intoxicating tranquility is not a loving substitute for personal freedom and integrity, both of which are severely comprimised should the individual human not have a say in the matter. Minotaurs rarely treat humans as anything but children or pets, and it is degrading to an unnecessary level, which my time with Lord Shade proved to me. Not because he treated me that way, but because he showed me an alternative to it".

With his shoulders and head drooping low, Matteus looked almost cowering. He was standing upright, but lacking any semblance of confidence. He held a very submissive stance for a minotaur that big. At first he was reluctant to speak, but in time he did so nonetheless.

"I wont argue with you. I have seen what your military is capable of, and I have already lost everything I ever had to humans... evidently, you can handle yourselves without minotaurs. I guess I just don't like what you've done.. "

"It's a war. There are no winners in wars. Only losers. We all lose something.. or someone".

"... or everyone", sighed the minotaur.

"Everyone?"

In an instant, the horned head shivered and rose slightly from its crooked position. Tilting his head upwards to face Livius, his burning, black irises met the mage's. For the first time ever, Livius saw pure hatred in Matteus' eyes. As if the whole room was filled with a stout, thick gas, a sensation of pressure and warmth clasped around the human. The influence through scent, thought Livius. Something had made Matteus terribly upset, and his body was fuming with testosterone and musk. His rounded nostrils flaring and snorting, exhaling a near transparent mist in copious amounts, he bore clenched teeth, visible under his slowly retracting lips. He towered above Livius, who now felt a slight hint of fear in the presence of the bovine captive. With muscles tensing profusely, Matteus seemed a stalwart foe. As it were, he was not keen on attacking, that much was still clear. After amassing enough willpower, he eventually made a somewhat disheartened effort to calm down.

"Everyone... My brother... and my father. They are both dead, due to humans and your detestable war machine..."

"Matteus.. please calm down.. I didn't kill them. I wouldn't want to. I am not your enemy, so please settle down. You're scaring me."

Giant hooves clopped impatiently as the minotaur was wagging back and forth, accompanied by sounds of chains and his bitter snorting. After a while, he felt much calmer, and moved less erratically, save his eyes which were in constant vigil; searching Livius face and body vividly. Soon enough, he hung his head, horns in tow.

"It's not you that I am angry with. I was just .. upset."

"No worries. I understand you. I would be mad too. I myself haven't really lost any .. traditional family members in this war. I was born and raised as a mage serving the empire. I know only martial life and warfare. It is a grim life, one with a different reality to the life you've no doubt lived. I recall you mentioned being a farmer. Your brother and father.. they were killed by humans? I am so sorry.. I am not responsible for their death, but ... I cannot help but admit I am partly to blame for the tools that made us win the battle at Xarsen. It haunts me, and will continue to haunt me for the rest of my life, I believe. It turned out to be utter slaughter, and I would have no part in it, could I have known.. I have caused much suffering. Indirectly perhaps, but I am still responsible."

After a few moments of silence, Livius raised his left arm very slowly, and moved his open palm closer to Matteus. Flickering his eyes between the hand and Livius face, Matteus felt uneasy. He shuddered a bit and tried to shy away from the touch, but stood still despite the obvious hesitation. Livius placed his hand on Matteus' warm shoulder. He began to rub it gently, tending a large area stretching down to Matteus chest. The scent from the huge, muscular bovine was pleasant to say the least, and it felt as though the minotaur actually did relax as time went by. However, Matteus still bore a slightly troubled, even suspicious look on his face.

"I am sorry for your loss, Matteus".

Livius sighed and returned to the seat by his study. He began sorting some papers and some of them fell on the ground with a loud dissonant sound. Livius glanced the scattered papers, they had travelled all over the room, many of them even lay near Matteus now.

"Never mind those, just shove them aside. I will pick them up later."

Livius was mute for a moment, frozen in a motion. Originally, he intended to pick up the papers, but suddenly he felt no compulsion to do so. Instead, he sat down on the chair. Matteus sat down aswell, on the ground. With his hands, he began to uninspiringly push some papers away from his immediate vicinity. He spoke monotonously as he did so.

"My brother died in a battle against humans. Before Xarsen. He was the soldier, not me. Keen on going to war, to prove himself. He was so strong.. but he never returned. Took some weeks before we learned of his death. My father.. he couldn't handle the news. He was out one day to gather firewood, up by the cliffs near our home. I found his body by the streams, he had fallen. Maybe he was distracted, wasn't paying attention.. something must have made him fall".

Matteus went mute for a while, just staring at his hands as he clenched and turned them, looking at them from different angles. He sighed heavily, after a while.

"And now he's gone too. I was left alone in that house... I couldn't take it. All I had was a lust for revenge. I wasn't a soldier, but I managed to lie and sneak my way to Xarsen, to the Ourobouros. I needed to fight, and they needed willing soldiers. It wasn't hard to convince them to let me fight. In the end, I killed noone, and I was captured by our enemy. Humans. Your army. I was tortured, and I was terrified; crying like a child. What a hero I turned out to be. I sought to avenge my family, but instead I shamed them, and I shamed my clan. I have failed everyone that ever meant anything to me. I am nothing."

Livius looked sincerely at the heartbroken minotaur. Feelings of compassion swarmed him, but he was unsure on how to convey them without imposing too much. "You are not 'nothing'. Hell, you ventured off into battle in spite of lacking military training. That's devotion! That's.. passion. It's madness, too, but hey; I understand why you did it. I would have too. We're all prepared to do a lot in love and in war.. you've been through a lot, and you've seen it through".

"From what I gather, you've done quite a bit yourself...", Matteus said between his teeth; his tone of voice a mix between anger and hesitation.

"How do you mean?"

"Well.. You said yourself that you are responsible for the outcome at Xarsen.."

A sting of guilt hit Livius. "Not fully responsible, of course. Like I said, I am partially to blame for the magic used in those... bullets". Livius got up from his chair and walked towards the window. He stood there for a while, overlooking the forests in the distance. "We did a lot of research back in those days. Designing new weapons aswell as developing magic to go with them. Deadly combination indeed. The minotaurs at Xarsen were chanceless. So few were even in shape to be carried to the infirmary, and I saw the consequences of my work firsthand. I am so glad you survived, Matteus", said Livius, turning to the surprised minotaur. He was still sitting down, with his characteristic hunching, a clear indication of low self esteem. His eyes were big, unlike before, so Livius assumed it meant he was listening intensily. "When I worked for the Empire in the past, prior to my capture, I would have handled the sights that met me on the field. These days though, I can not handle it. I don't know if I have grown softer, or if I have grown stronger. I would like to think the latter. That I am so strong these days that I dare open my eyes and heart; to feel. To care, rather than shut down my emotions. We need to find creative solutions instead of incessantly waging wars. I am not sure why these wars perpetuate themselves, or which faction is behind it all... if any... but the war needs to stop. Too many victims, on both sides".

The room fell in silence, with Livius staring at the scenery outside, and Matteus just sitting still, staring at the floor. For what seemed like an eternity, neither of them spoke a single word. Matteus soon decided to lay down and rest, and Livius sat down once more, to write reports. Gnawing at the back of his mind, the demands placed on him to report to the council, the magi that needed his updates on a project nonexistant. Angst had gotten hold of him, its prying claws sinking deep into his body. Am I mad to do all this? What am I going to do? Just run off and start a life anew in minotaur lands, with a prisoner who hates me? How ludicrous is this? Perhaps I am doing all this because I feel homesick, or maybe not even homesick but rather... longing for the exotic life I was denied. Maybe I really am under minotaur influence?

Sniffing the air, Livius decided that the alluring scent was sweet, not overpowering. His desires to be close to Matteus were present, but hardly enthralling him. How sweet he did look though, as he was lying there on the floor. Huge, strong and yet so unfathomably delicate somehow.

After finishing some reports with false data that seemed fairly credible and believably accurate, Livius tried to muster the discipline to pick up the papers he had dropped before, but found himself unwilling to do it. He got up from his chair, and was just about to approach the mess on the floor, when the door knocked. "Come in", said Livius. Julius entered the room and had a friendly expression on his face, as he usually did.

"Food is prepared. Sorry about the late hour"

Livius had to look out the window once more, and it was indeed pitch black outside. "Oh heavens, didn't notice how dark it had gotten".

"Time moves fast during autumn season", said Julius and motioned the two guards into the room. Matteus was beginning to wake up, and he composed himself as the guards freed him from the chains. Once they were done, he already stood up, ready to depart.

The dinner was rather light, and only the guards seemed eager to speak. Livius and Matteus both showed a lack of interest in participating in any conversation, and the only conversations that took place were in regards to the luxury of having a working bath house, aswell as the occational crude sex joke delivered by Elias. Dinner was followed by the routine processes of walking to Livius room, and chaining Matteus to the wall. Livius sighed once the guards had left the room, and once more walked up to the window. Leaning against the window frame and looking out into the chill night, Livius felt some hope that Matteus would be open to a more heartfelt talk. "Did you enjoy the food?", Livius casually asked.

"Mmmm...", mumbled the minotaur. The sound of rustling papers suddenly became evident to Livius, who did his best to shun it. "Who is Philon?".

The rustling sound continued, but Livius was frozen stiff. How on Earth could he know that name? I haven't mentioned...

Suddenly Livius realized what Matteus had found. He turned towards him and found the minotaur sitting on a pile of pillows, reading a very familiar piece of paper that must have fallen onto the ground earlier during the day. Matteus seemed very curious, but quickly looked at Livius once he realized the human was facing him.

"That.. he.. Philon is Lord Shade. My Lord Shade."

"What is this, then? It's.. a poem?"

"That it is", said Livius and approached the minotaur with haste, nimbly and quite forcefully snatching the paper from insecure minotaur hands. "I did not give you permission to read that", he stated in a slightly aggrevated tone.

"I .. I beg your forgiveness, Sir. I did not know".

Livius cooled down quickly, reminding himself that this was not a crisis. "Of course I forgive you. You did not know. I never disallowed you reading my papers, and I didn't expect you to find my poem. It's the only paper in greek that I keep. It must have fallen to the ground along with the other papers, earlier today."

Matteus suddenly gave Livius an odd expression, and for some reason appeared almost inquisitive, but he seemed to hold his tongue.

"Is something the matter?"

The minotaur's head sank a bit, eyes still fixed on Livius. Maybe it was the angle, but it seemed as if Matteus was angry about something. "I don't know, Sir. I am glad you're not mad at me for reading your poem. I would think it's normally the sort of thing a master would deny his slave. I honestly do not know why I decided to read it, but the words were of a familiar language, so I guess I must have thought it might be for my eyes. I was curious as to why a paper with greek words landed in front of me before.. but.. I don't know, Sir.. I just can't shake the feeling that all of this was somehow ... deliberate".

"Deliberate?", Livius asked with a confused look. What is he talking about? - "Speak plainly if you please. I would hear this".

"Well.. it's just.. you have gone great lengths to make me feel comfortable. At first I felt sure it was a cunning interrogation tactic, but your sincerity struck me as honest when you said you acted out of empathy". He inhaled deeply, hesitated for a moment, then looked Livius deep in the eyes. "But this? It's just too much. A poem? To a mage lord? Such a thing is unheard of. I don't wish to accuse you of anything, but I get the feeling that maybe.. this poem was written to make me feel confident that you like minotaurs.. that you wrote this to make me feel even safer with you".

"You believe my love for Philon.. Lord Shade.. is a lie? That it never happened? That I constructed a false persona and feigned love towards that persona.. just to convince you I am to be trusted?!"

Maybe it was due to the blatantly obvious rage in the mage's eyes, but Matteus fell silent and began looking all over the room, desperate to evade the piercing eyes of the human. Suddenly the minotaur felt ashamed, and did all he could to show it with his body language. With genuine distress, he placed his hands on the ground and knelt down as much as he could. "I am sorry, I didn't .."

Matteus was cut off by the mage, who went past him and out of the room, slamming the door.

Striding down the stairs and brushing past Adrian without a moments notice, Livius entered the night. As he got outside, he was instantly gripped by talons of biting cold, despite his robes, which seemingly didn't help much with preserving warmth. Livius felt as though he was about to burst with rage. The nerve of that insipid minotaur!

He had a hard time focusing. The cold winds brought sounds of battling leaves, and in the distance; vague howls from wolves. Livius began to pace back and forth, paving a small path with his trampling feet. How callous, disrespectful and rude! How dare he accuse me in such a manner?

Livius thought hard about Matteus, the poem, and the conversation that had followed. It wasn't strange that Livius had reacted like he did, in his mind he knew this: but perhaps the initial reaction now had to be tempered with reason and logic. It was crucial to not conjure a set image of emotional ambivalence in the minotaur's mind, or else he would never feel safe. He would have to explain his feeling and his behaviour to Matteus.

Sounds of snapping twigs and distant panting stirred Livius' attention. What was that?

He looked around, searching for signs of life in the dark. He found serenity. Tranquility. The night was a picture of depth and beauty. Showering in the blue hues of midnight skies were the treetops, kissing the luminance of the moon. And in the distance, posing gently as bulging scalps of giants; the far away hills championed the nearby forests with their nightscape adornments. No sounds could be heard, save the occational gust of wind and the slightly unnerving noise of Livius' leather encased feet grinding against the cold soil. The sounds came from the forest.. I know I heard something.. unless I have gone mad.

He stared into the forest closing in on the house. Black walls of nothingness crept as shy assassins between the looming presence of the stout trees. In the dark, the form of these trees stood out as mysterious generals, parading with their not-so-distant troopers, gallantly swaying in the wind in the form of shadow-stained bushes and plants. In the midst of the nighttime flora, a burning pair of eyes emerged. Livius stared into them, hypnotized by their ominous glow. As if they were the only thing in the world that existed, perceived reality crawled slimmer; trees and plants around the yellow eyes seemed to transform into a savage's maw, slowly shutting their lethal set of teeth around their victim. White dots erupted at the edges of his field of vision, like a myriad of peepholes from distant gods, peering into his brain. Heartbeats resounded in his eardrums, until they reminded him of the horrible gunfire at Xarsen, effectively muting out the vibrant panting his accelerated breathing mustered forth from his cold lips.

Yellow. Burning. Eyes. They were searching him, undressing him. Commanding his limp body to be apathic. Livius tried to cry out, but found his tongue weighed a ton. This isn't magic.. why can't I scream? What is this fiend, and why do I recognize... the dream! It is the wolf from my dream!

Yellow, burning eyes.

And just like that, they were gone.

Livius felt dislocated from the world around him. He was a flat note in the symphony of the night, and as if he was now a statue gone self aware, any thoughts on movements felt unnatural and even frightening to him. He had seen the form disappear into the forest whence it came, but a thought struck Livius: What if that wasn't a wolf? Could it have been... a wolven? Livius had never seen such creatures, only heard of them. It felt unlikely that they would inhabit these lands, and once he had managed to collect his thoughts, he considered that the height of the creature in question was radically different from what he had heard about wolven. Of course he had seen a wolf. But why did it get to me so much? Something about that wolf felt.. unusual. Powerful. Familiar?

Livius set aside all of those irrational notions and looked about. Still a bit on the unbalanced side, his motions were obtused by the afterbirth of shock. At least the night was still, once more. It struck him that the night was still all along, it was just in his mind that a brief chaos reigned, and he had let it do such. Weakness. Not good. I must not let this happen again. I have seen wolves before, how come I allowed the sight of a mere stray affect like that? I must be suffering from sleep deprivation.

Livius backed up against the wall of the house, and sank down on the ground. His thoughts raged, and he had a hard time subsiding them all. The cold made it hard to think clearly, so he decided to release and form heat around himself magically. Once he had established the spell, it was easy to maintain it, and his mind started to wander. At first, his thought were relatively coherent; but as time went by, his thoughts became a vague lullaby, sinking him deeper and deeper into a profoundly deep sleep.

It wasn't until hours later that he woke up. He thought he had heard a strange sound, but it may just aswell have been a dream. With stiff legs, he got up. It was severely cold now, as the spell was no longer sustained.

Perhaps the sensations of cold had been magnified by the recent and highly unexpected confrontation, and once Livius felt sure that the wolf he had seen before was long gone, he could safely assume that it was unlikely to return. Livius went into the house.

Standing in the main hall, right before the stairs, Livius shook off the cold from outside. It was considerably warmer inside. Julius came from the dining room and chuckled once he saw the mage. "A bit cold out there, eh?"

"Certainly is. The season is changing, we'll soon have snow upon us aswell."

"Indeed a possibility."

"Where are the others?"

With a look of uncertainty, Julius changed stances somewhat unfomfortably. "We had a few drinks, Sir. I hope you don't mind. We find some liquors in the storage room and felt that we .. could.."

"No worries, friend."

"Well, it's just that.. Elias had a few too many I think. Adrian is like a bottomless pit when it comes to alcohol, he can drink without even getting affected as it seems. He is currently patrolling the area since he heard strange sounds. He said he suspected wolves". Livius grinned somewhat at that statement. ".. as for Elias, he had to prove himself to Adrian. Kept drinking more and more. He is really quite drunk now, and he started to ask me about greek words".

"Greek words? I didn't realize he was interested in that?"

"Nor did I .. he asked for strange words too".

"Strange, how?"

"Quite... belligerent words."

"With what inten....", Livius abruptly disrupted himself when a thought occured.

"I am quite sure he's only..", spoke Julius as Livius ran up the stairs. The words ebbed out as he got further up the stairs. He paused deliberatly once he reached the second floor, and approached his room with silent feet. He picked up Elias drunken speech inside the room, where Matteus was. It was difficult to make out the words being spoken in there, but there was a sound; like deep and uncomfortable snorting, and it had to have come from Matteus.

Rushing swiftly towards the room, various words could be deciphered, although without a context. ".. I will remove them" was violently uttered in lousy greek, right before Livius went around the doorway and entered the room. The sight came as a shock; Matteus seemed to exhaustively hang loose in the air, his arms extended like slightly crooked arrows towards the sky. Leaning forward, with his head hanging low, the ceiling fought hard to withstand the pressure of all that minotaur weight. His legs were more or less entirely laid out on the floor behind him, with his hooves only partially upholding some of his body to counter the weight that challenged the roof. Livius realized that the chains must have been shortened for this purpose, and new grips had been inserted directly over Matteus head in order to keep him upright this way. Someone had been busy.

That someone seemed to be Elias, who disparately parried the ground with his unstable feet, seemingly fighting hard to even stand. He seemed drunk out of his mind. In his right hand, a bloodied cane. His left hand was concealed by his wobbling frame, but it was evident he held something against the minotaur's crotch. Matteus hadn't noticed Livius appear in the room, and he sobbingly inhaled small pockets of air, in a sloppy attempt to avoid drool from dripping to the floor. "Please.. don't ... cut them off", was his muffled plea. Livius was too baffled to understand at first, but stepping slightly to the side once his suspicions arose, he quickly spotted something shimmering beneath Matteus' loincloth. It was a knife.

There was something about Matteus voice that puzzled Livius. While it was clearly filled with horror, there was also an unhealthy air of receding emotion about it; as if Matteus had settled in on his fate. Something in the minotaur's eyes spoke of hopelessness, bordering on a desire to just end it all. As if he'd seen his own death play out before him, he had gone apathic. There were no prospects of joy, no pursuits of dreams, nothing at all. How long has this been going on?, Livius wondered. The dry blood on the cane spoke its clear language; this had indeed been going on for a while, and Matteus exhaustion and desperation had drained him of everything. It was as if he was already dead. He just didn't have the energy to dread a future more vile than his present.

Rage fueled the magical energies filling the space arounds Livius, and though normally great focus would be required, control was now attained by passion rather than stillness, as great forces streamed up into the center of Livius body. Empowering the flow with subtle commands, he managed to sustain his magic long enough to release them into a gargantuan ball of arcane winds, dancing its vibrant form between the eager hands of the mage. As he flung his arms towards Elias, he bellowed a lion's roar. A great frosted tidalwave of air catapulted from the restrained ball of explosive energy that had been summoned, and hit Elias from behind, slamming him against the wall with merciless force. It was impossible to tell whether the loud crack that attenuated in the room came from Elias newly thrashed body, or if it came from the wall, who instantly received a great crack running from top to bottom due to the heavy impact. For a moment, Livius worried that he had caused irreparable injuries to the young, drunken soldier. His body lay as an immovable heap on the ground, moaning loudly. Eventually though, he rose and got up on his feet, albeit with great pain. Nothing seemed broken though.

With something akin to a berserker's rage, Livius ran up to the stunned soldier and grabbed him by the throat, pushing him up against the wall he recently flew into. "Don't you dare touch my property again, you worthless runt!", screamed Livius with rabid fury.

"Just wanted to show who's boss. I'm...", began Elias. He was silenced by Livius tightening grip. He was then promptly led out of the room, and Livius sent him crashing down on the floor with a brutal kick to his back. As Elias turned around to face Livius, he saw only the door, slamming shut. As he slowly made his way downstairs, he could hear the key turning, locking him out from the room.

Panting for a few brief seconds, livius was shaking with rage as he stared at the door.

"Property...", whispered Matteus from behind him, in a pained voice. He said it in greek, so it had to be a word he had picked up in latin. Livius teared up, and immediately ran up to the minotaur, who still hung more or less lifelessly in chains that polluted the soundscape with their metallic, unforgiving ringing and clanking. Livius lifted the bovine head with both hands and looked into his wet eyes.

"You are noones property."

As Matteus struggled to stand up on his hooves, Livius examined his body. There were plenty of bruises and lash marks on his hide. Some blood, but nothing serious. It looked painful though. "Oh, poor you. Look at what he did..", Livius exclaimed with a worried voice. "Did he.." began Livius, carefully interrupting himself to look at Matteus who just seemed confused. Approaching the minotaur, Livius looked reassuringly at Matteus. "I am just going to make sure he didn't .. cut you", he said while gently sliding his hands under the loincloth. His hands met the smooth skin of Matteus' sac, and there were no signs of any cut. Livius couldn't help but lovingly stroke the heavy balls before retracting his hands. "It seems fine".

"He said he would cut them off.. He said he would eat my body like he eats the meat from oxes. He said so many things.."

"It will never happen... and if he says any more words to you, or lays his hands on you again, I will feed him his own intestines."

"Would you eat me if I died?"

Livius was dumbstruck by the question, but Matteus had such a serious look in his eyes. It was heartwrenching to bear witness to his notions about human nature. "I would never in my life do such a vile thing. I don't eat meat at all, to begin with, and if you died.. no. I would give you a burial worthy of a king. But let's not talk about this, you're not going to die Matteus. Not here, at least."

"How come you act so differently..."

"What?"

"There seems to be genuine good in you... why? The others can't seem to wait for new opportunities to torture me, and you don't ... why? Humans.. aren't like you. You've been moulded in the same form as the others, it's against your nature to act like you do. Is it because you spent time with minotaurs? Is that the reason? Are humans without minotaurs insane? Was I correct all along?"

"Nature does not dictate the framework of social upbringing and values we hold. It merely shows the colors available for the painting. Some cultures endorse certain values that other cultures dismiss. And even with all that, you still have individual parameters to take into account. Elias will never harm you again. He is a sadistic sack of shit, but not all are like him. For example, you've also met Julius. He is a gentle person, as you know; and he's spent no considerable time with minotaurs. Yet he would never hurt you."

Matteus did not reply at first. He just hung his head, speechless. "I am tired of not knowing whom to trust", he suddenly said.

"What can I do to make you trust me?"

Matteus was silent. He just kept on hanging his head. From the outside, the winds were howling. All was quiet, and slow, trickling trails of thick blood ran down Matteus leg. Livius felt exhausted. So tired. Woozy and light headed, he even had a hard time keeping his eyelids open. Suddenly he heard Matteus let out a loud, short chuckle. He saw him elevate his head to look at Livius. With sarcasm dripping like poisoned honey, he said "Unchain me. Permanently."

Livius lingered a few seconds on the prospect, then simply shook his shoulders. "As you wish", he said with a calm voice.

Matteus smiled absently, but his smile dissipated when he realised that Livius went to collect the keys at his desk. "What are you doing?", rumbled his perplexed voice.

Livius went up to the minotaur and unlocked his chains, smiling as he did so. "I am surprised you've already forgotten", was the sarcastic reply he offered. Livius reached around the minotaur, helping him sit down on the ground. He was heavy as hell, but luckily still able to support himself quite well despite his inevitable fatigue from the horrible torture. Matteus gaped widely as he beheld Livius kicking the chains away with his feet once they had landed. He managed to get the chains piled up in the corner of the room, and then promptly returned to sit down in front of Matteus, who still appeared to have been struck by lightning. Livius took Matteus by his hands, and looked deep into his eyes. "No more chains for you. Ever again".

"Why are you doing this?"

"Because you asked me."

Matteus looked surprised, but also dubious. "Is it your intention to use magic to subdue me then, instead of chains?"

"No."

Matteus sighed a deep frown, as if he'd given up on trying to understand the human in front of him. Suddenly a look of guilt befell him, and it correlated with pulling his hands back, releasing himself from Livius gentle hold. At first, this made Livius feel quite sad, but it was obvious that Matteus felt bad about something and wanted to adress it.

"I am sorry about .. the accusation. I believe your story about Lord Shade. I behaved so poorly, and I felt I deserved the punishment." Matteus looked at Livius, and awaited a reply.

"The punishment? You don't seriously think I was behind the torture?"

"No", said the minotaur, sincerely. "I realize you were not behind this... treatment. I was sitting alone in here, feeling ashamed I caused you such distress with my stupid and reckless words. After a while, that young human came in. He seemed to be very drunk. At first I thought he was sent in here to put me in place, but he soon revealed his own intentions. I understood it was on his own behalf, and that you were unaware of it. I don't think he meant to take it this far though. I believe he just wanted to scare me. But as it got worse and worse, I somehow felt i deserved it."

"No! No, no no!", cried Livius and grasped his hands around Matteus head. "You stubborn minotaur! You do not deserve pain, you will never receive pain by me, and you are not worth less than anyone else here, me included. Your chains are gone now, all that remains are the chains you've given yourself in your mind." Livius watched the minotaur, who blinked a few times. "Not so easy to lose them, perhaps. Still - I am not mad at you, nor would I ever want you hurt. I can only beg your forgiveness that I was not here in time to protect you sooner."

"You.. beg forgiveness? I see. You believe your position as a master has been compromised because you were unable to defend your slave? You.. couldn't know he was coming. I don't think you owe me any apologies".

"You are not my slave. I am not your master. I hope I will one day be your liberator, but I hardly give myself too much credit for even that, considering the things I have done in my past". Livius sighed deeply. "I beg your forgiveness, Matteus."

Matteus did not know what to say, and the couple were silent for a while. Livius eventually rose and walked towards the door.

"I.. ", Matteus began. Livius halted immediately and turned to look at him. "I accept your apology. Do you accept mine?"

Livius brightened up considerably. "I certainly do, and I am glad you accept mine. I will get you some water", he said, leaving the room. It didn't take long before he returned with a large canister of water, and a sizeable glass to go. He poured water into the glass and gave it to Matteus, who gladly took it and drank it down. The taste was sweet indeed. Matteus then beheld the human as he moved his arms in strange patterns, standing right in front of the closed door. He appeared to be focusing on whatever he was doing. Matteus had soon drunk all the water from the canister, but Livius was still busy with his spellcasting. Once he was done, he sat down in front of Matteus again.

"I am going to explain to you what I have done now, and the options that lay before you..."

Matteus was made attentive by the presence in Livius' voice. He was seemingly dead serious now.

"I have cast a spell. A magical ward. It is active only in this room. Noone on the outside is able to hear what we do in here, and nobody from the outside can enter, by any means. You and I, however, are both capable of leaving the room at will. This has a few implications, as you no doubt understand."

Matteus tilted his head slightly. "No.. I am not sure I do?", he said.

"I am going to bed, Matteus, to sleep. I am very tired. In fact, I can barely stand. No doubt you are tired too. However, you are unchained now. You are free to act on your own behalf. If you want to, you can simply walk out that door."

Matteus looked at the door, then turned back to look at Livius, with a highly concerned look on his face.

"In fact.. once I am asleep, you should have no trouble killing me, should you want that."

Matteus opened his muzzle wide, and was frozen in stunned disbelief.

"I have no magic to protect myself with. You are free to do as you please. You can kill me, or let me live. You can stay, or you can run for it. Who knows? Perhaps you'll even make it. In case you decide to flee, all my hopes and prayers will go with you." Livius stayed his tongue for a while, and momentarily his face showed a hint of hopefullness. "Or.. you can stay the night. Sleep in this room with me, and wake up at my side. Maybe not literally, but rather; as an ally. If you stay until morning, I promise to protect you and help you flee." Livius paused a bit, then continued. "In fact..", he began, looking less self secure, "..if you will have me, I might even come with you.. as your slave of course."

"Slave??", the minotaur exclaimed. It seemed he was about to burst with confusion.

"Certainly."

"You would humiliate yourself in such a manner just to flee the consequences of being a traitor to the empire?"

Livius let out a heartfelt chuckle, and shook his head. "Humiliate myself? On the contrary, my dear Matteus. It would be immensily wonderful to serve as your willing slave. In fact, emotionally, I can no longer afford to believe in a future where I do not own the privilege of calling you my master."

Matteus eyes were now larger than plates, and his eyes danced wildly about, unsure on where to place their focus. Shocked at his own statement, Livius sank a bit and harkled discretely. He suddenly blushed profusely, as he hadn't expected to talk so openly about his feelings with Matteus. "Well.. ehmm.. anyway, I should.. get to sleep. I ... I hope to see you in the morning. If there's anything... well.. you know where to find me".

And with that, Livius went up to his bed and dove right into it. In just a matter of seconds, he felt as if gentle streams of warm water filled his body, and a blanket of dark comforted his mind. He was so terribly keen on sleeping. Unconsciousness gently soothed him into a dreamscape almost in an instant. He dreamt he was lying beneath a tree, with Matteus next to him. In the distance, a trickling river roared like thunder as he beheld the familiar minotaur at his side. Matteus was smiling.

---

Matteus sat on the floor, chains no longer shafing his wrists. He was in a state of emotional chaos. The human had told him strange things indeed, and it was puzzling to be the target of so many different feelings and goals. The young human from before reeked of alcohol, and his disgusting mouth had whispered horrible things into Matteus ears. The stench from his breath was almost unbearable. He was stronger than he looked too, which Matteus had learned from the angry whipping that had been dealt out. Matteus' skin was still sore, and a pulsating ache was constantly reminding him of the night. If that human mage hadn't entered in time, he would have castrated me, he thought to himself, slowly feeling his balls to make sure they were still intact. _But he did enter, and he did chase away that whelp... and all of the things he said to me... are they true? _

Matteus slowly got up on his hooves. He felt unstable at best; very tired and not motivated to do much at all. He glanced the chains on the floor. They lay as defeated soldiers in the corner of the room, and the moonlight made them look even more metallic than he had thought them be when he wore them. Trying his best to sneak across the room, he managed to reach the window without waking up the human. As Matteus glanced at him though, it was clear that it would take a small miracle to rouse him from his sleep. He had even begun to snore as he lay there, more or less melting into the satin.

Matteus looked out the window and wondered how far away from home he really was. Strictly speaking, he was in minotaur lands, although technically they were close to the border where legions of humans would await. Savages. They slaughtered my brother, and they would jump at the chance to slaughter me. Except for ... this one. Matteus approached the sleeping human. He seemed more or less comatose in the bed. What a strange little man he is. I wonder ... is he protected by magic? He has to be. It would be madness if he wasn't, since he probably can do such things. Why would he leave himself open like this, knowing I can kill him? Is that what he ... wishes? No.. he said he wanted me here if he wakes up.

With trembling hands, Matteus braved himself to touch the human. He prodded his shoulder quickly, expecting bolts of lightning to erupt vividly from the human in question. Nothing happened. Matteus pushed once more, this time a little bit harder. He was surprised at how incredibly light the human was. He was lying on his side at first, but only by pushing lightly with his finger, he was now on his back. His body had flipped over entirely. How can he be so frail, and yet so extremely powerful? Without his magic, he is nothing. Matteus sniffed the human mage all over his face, but stopped instantly when he heard a strange sound. It was from the human. After a few seconds of deduction, Matteus realized the human had been giggling at the sniffing. He was still asleep even though the minotaur had managed to suck strands of the human's hair into his nostrils while inspecting. Peculiar scents indeed on this one. Livius face was now covered in thin beads of snot from the explorative nose. Matteus felt guilty, and tried his best to gently pad it away with his hand.

Suddenly the human kissed his hand. Matteus froze. He heard a content sigh from the human, who had now taken the hand into his own and nuzzled against it with his face. Matteus observed Livius, who's smile perplexed the minotaur; he was seemingly ecstatic in his sleep. I wonder what he is dreaming about? Does he have a wife maybe? Some woman who ..

"Matteus..", fled the human lips. Like a dreamers hopeful song, the name was pronounced with such warmth, such passion, that it made the minotaur gasp. Is he dreaming about.. me? It can't be. I am a minotaur, and .. I remember what he told me, but surely he couldn't .. with me. He must have said those things to make me happy, surely. I am hardly a good looking minotaur. And to a human... what beast I must seem to him.

He pulled his hand out of Livius grasp. For a moment he stood there, in stillness, watching over him. He looked at the door, knowing that it was very late. Likely, he could make a run for it, and leave this... human. But what happens when he gets up? Maybe then he will regret his actions. Very likely he will turn desperate, realizing he let me go so easily. Maybe they'll chase me. I bet the mage can track me with his spells. If he's alive..

Matteus pondered many things. He eventually leaned forward, grabbing the human by the throat. No spells stopped him, nothing stopped him from ... tightening the grip. The human's throat was now compressed, and it made strange sounds. Just a little harder pressure now, and he would be dead.

Matteus looked once more at the door, then he looked back at the human.

Decisions, decisions....

_ -_End of Part 1-

---

Note: Below is the poem that Matteus found. The poem is dedicated to Philon, but will make more sense once you've read future chapters. This poem is also available as a song. Enjoy!

(The song can be found here:)

http://sofurry.com/page/138799

---

To Philon

So strong are the arms of my minotaur lord

That they carry my world with ease

Even the might of the gods of discord

Have naught to claim in your peace

Surrounded we are, by encumbering woe

Wrapped in ideas they claim right

Still, as they try to stand toe-to-toe

They're small in the eyes of love's might

The dreams I had, as a lost little man

Became all I wanted to be

And here, with a home, in a conflicted clan

They've grown from a pond to a sea

Looking at you, returning my smile

Beautiful, horned and light gray

I burn my old sins in a spiritual pile

And with you, I will spend every day

Soothing shade on the warmest of days

Yet bringing the warmth to the night

Troubled sleep is cured by your gaze

As nightmares gain wings and take flight

As I lay here, locked in your arms

Your chest heaves me up and down

You will keep me safe from all harm

And in your embrace, all pains drown

Wishing to stay here, an eternity long

Kissing your muzzle and face

Burying thoughts of what could go wrong

With you my heart's found its place