Chapter 3 - Building new Bonds
The morning sun shone on Assilsasta's face, waking her from a fitful sleep of forgotten dreams. She squeezed her eyes shut as she stretched her aching body. The unfamiliar sense of waking without her heady blanket began to seep in, as she felt grass beneath her paws in the place of her mattress. She tried to open her eyes, only to slam them shut again as pain shot through the left side of her head. Reaching up to cover her left eye, she felt the dried matted fur of her main. Slowly the few memories of the night's passage eased into her mind and the ending of that night in darkness and screams.She cautiously opened her eyes, waiting for the piercing pain to return. Slowly he eyes focused in the morning light. Where have the soldiers taken me? Where are they now? scanned the clearing as fear crept into the core of her being. What are they going to do with me? She stopped as her eyes meet his.There he sat on his haunches, propped up my his arms, gaze locked on her small body, his ears perked at forest sounds. If not for the oversized stature, withered, skeletal form and thinning sickly fur, he looked like a well-trained royal guard hound. In the light of day, even his withered figure looked impressive as a tool of war. Massive claws dominated his fingers and toes. His black and gray fur, now matted with dried blood lay close to his skin. His upper canine hung a half inch past his chin. In the darkness he looked feeble and weak, while in the light his presence was formidable and frightening."Are you hungry child?" He asked as she stared in disbelief."Where are we?" she asked ignoring his question."In the wilds beyond Lamenthra's walls. What do you remember?" he tilted his head locking his gaze on her eyes. She winced with execution of the invisible weight that never came. As the stone eye of his began to roll faster in its socket, she felt and unfamiliar churning in her own. Slowly pain rose again in her left eye, which she covered with her hand, breaking the contact. "The pain will become less with time. Never has one so young been give this burden." He stood and walked closer to her, on all fours like a feral beast. The remnants of his chains dragged the ground, still clinging to the Cuffs and collar of his prison. "You are now my master,I am your slave. The power of the Ussesa has been passed to you.""My father is Ki...""Werukot Ussesa is dead, you are his heir, and I am the legacy that has been left to you." His rough voice said flatly as."Those soldiers came to take me to him, Where are they? What did you do?" Tears rolled from her eyes as emotion started to take over. "You stole me from them, from my father and kingdom. Take me back." She demanded."If that is what you wish my queen. But, first let me show you..." his voice trailed into nothingness and he lay on the ground at her eye level. His face only inches from her, is right eye
locked on her left. She felt for the first time, as the stones rolled in unison, the tingle of power now held within her. Together their vision faded to hazy mists. "Where am I?" She asked, looking into the misty void before her."I will show you your father's last breaths. It may frighten you, remember, this is only an echo of the past, nothing can harm you here." the mist faded to darkness, shadows took shape around her, a place she know, her father's bed chambers. A cough echoed off the stone walls, drawing her attention to the center of the room. Around large hand-carved wood bed stood Medics and healers attending the one that lay within. She moved closer to see her father's sickly form, always magnificent and regal, now helpless and weak. He looked up directly at her. for the first time she see his full face, obscured by the patch covering his left eye. There in his socket rolled a stone eye that matched that held by the Beast Noriscureil. As he looked at her, as if in a trance he said, "Forgive me my little Unsessy, if I am too late. They are coming for us. You must run." With his words the royal guard burst through the door, swords drawn. Auto rifle fire filled the room; bodys fell to the floor with screams of pain and fear. Other ran for cover as they massacre ensued. The Soldiers killed everyone, stabbing and slicing those that survived the rifle fire. Directing the activity was a Kitzen she trusted with her life, Ghkat Thunderspawn, the Captain of the guard. Horror filled her as he spoke, "Ketkary, take you men and get the girl, we need her alive. I don't care what you do with the beast." Assilsasta dropped to her knees with a silent scream, tears rolling down her fur. She watched in horror as Ghkat stood by the bed and drew his sword. he raised it above his head and brought it down hard on his helpless victim. As her agonized scream drown out all sound, filling to room with echoes, he turned to look in her direction. She stood and turned to run in fear only to be confronted with the forested clearing and sound of feral bird taking flight. Consumed by horror sorrow and lose, Assilsasta collapsed to the ground burying her face in her hands as tears rolled from her eyes. Everything she knew was gone, taken from her by those she was told to trust, those who guarded her life. She cried out in agony as her entire world shattered before her. Slowly sorrow was replaced with rage, "The stole everything, and everyone that I loved." Looking up toward Noroscureil she asked, "Why?"He sat in silence, her staring, and waiting for his answer. Her emotions flooded into him, the fear and anger of a wounded child, feeling he wished never to feel again. He knew well why this all happened, "They wanted what your father refused to give them. " he hung his head unable to look at the kit, with her eyes locked on him. "They wanted the Weapon only he controlled. And they thought it easier to manipulate a
child than a king. The killed him to get to you, so they could use me." "How can anyone control you?"Looking back at her, taking her chin in his claws, brushing lightly over the left side of her face, "I am bound to the eldest living first barn of your blood. With your father gone, that leaves you. Part of what I am is now part of you. You are the one that holds the key to what I truly am. Without you, I am nothing but a weak Vilk in mystic chains unable to even protect myself. As you have lost everything you once know, I have nothing but you to lose." He looked at the stone that bound him to her. "They cannot take you from me, if they do, they take the last anchor I have to this world. The last thing that keeps me focused."The look of confusion in her eyes, asked more questions than he could ever answer. Tears still rolling from her eyes, sniffling as she struggles to compose herself, "If we cannot go back, what do we do now?""We do what I have done for a thousand years. We survive and move forward. First thing we must do, is clean you, child. Here in the wilds, you are food for beasts like me. You smell of sweet fruits and blood, and predators will not wait for you to be cooked." a string of drool hung from the corner of his mouth as he spoke. "There is a river through the trees over there" he indicated the directing. "Wash what you can. After, we eat."She walked to the river in daze. Tears of anger and sadness still soaking her fur. She pulled her blood stained dress over her head and discarded it on the bank followed by her under garments. She shivered as she walked into the shallows of the running river. Sitting shoulder deep in the water, she stared blankly into the forest on the opposite side of the bank. She slowly looked down at her reflection in the water, her regal white main matted with red and black dried blood. then she locked her gaze on her own reflected eyes, the throbbing in her left temple growing ever so mildly. mesmerized by the almost alien face before her, now seeing the stone eye that now sat in her left socket, the weight of reality came crashing down on her. Everything had truly changed, and she can never regain what was taken from her. Releasing the breath she had been holding subconsciously, her throat began to vibrate as she tossed her gaze to the sky. She emptied her lungs as the agonized roar carried for mile to unknown ears.Noroscureil burst through the tree line lips pulled back showing his teeth, his fingers spread sharp claws ready to attack and defend. He found only the crying child sitting in the river, frozen in grief and torment. he walked into the river and knelt behind her, gently placing his paw on her head. She sat heaving in breath after heavy breath, sobbing as he slowly poured cold water into her matted main. Tenderly he pulled his sharp unkempt claws through her thick, fur, cutting and crumbling the chunks of dried blood. As the blood came
loose and washed away, the soft fur brushed against his ancient callused paws. He washed over her shorter velvety fur and he washed her back and arms. She was so innocent, untouched by the corruption the now defined her life. The heat from his paws radiated through her body as he gently washed her. Her entire life she had been bathed by attendants, yet never with such a caring light touch. His rough callused pads curbed against her fur, cleaning away the pain and sorrow. She sat transfixed on her reflection in the water, her one emerald eye now mated with the smooth stone emphasized how much her world was changing. The slight brush of his claws against her skin sent shivers through her body, sensations she had never felt before. His touch was different, he was a horrific war torn beast, but his touch was calming and gentle, the caress she now envisioned from her mother. As his claws slowly dragged blood and tangles out of her long fur at the end of her tail, she came to realize the depth of his words; He was to her what she was to him, a focus and anchor.She looked up at him with reddened tear filled eyes, then turned to face. She placed a paw on his chest, feeling the coarse fur, covered in the same blood he washed from her. She slowly ran her fingers over his war torn torso, marred by ancient scars and fresh wounds. She could feel his ribs next to his skin speaking volumes of torment at the hands of her own people. She worked water into his fur cleaning out the old dirt and fresh gore. The immense heat of his body flowed into her hands as she moved, finally making her way to the collar around his neck, a solid piece of metal, without hinge, lock or method of removal. Across the surface where carved runic symbols she had seen many times before, carved into her father's armor and sword. She looked to his arms, and the cuffs at his wrists, following to the remains of broken chains attached to each, the longest hanging from the collar and nearly six feet. She finished washing his back, tenderly examine every scare, cut and burn, "You could have left the dungeon any time you wanted. You were starved, tortured and enslaved. Why did you stay?"Her gentle paws and soft fur lulled him into a strange state alien to his years of imprisonment. "It was my place to be,." he said dryly. He turned his head over his shoulder as her stomach growled audibly. "Now we need to find food." he stood to all fours kneeling to his elbows,, prompting her to climb onto him like a horse. He slowly walked out of the river into the forest, leaving their blood stained, torn garments behind. She lay down close to his back, wrapping her arms as far around his neck as she could. "Will you always stay with me?" She asked as she drifted into the oblivion of sleep.