Forum Thread

Cassie was almost shaking as she walked beside the slaver as he led her away, but then grabbed her by the collar and pulled her back towards the cell. "Why would I take you out there, when there's a better audience here..." He grinned as he pulled the blade from his belt and roughly grabbed one of Cassie's ears ready to lop it off. Cassie wasn't resisting at all. He could do all he wanted to her, but she wouldn't let Octavius get hurt. If this man wanted to get at Max, she wouldn't let that happen either. He waited for one sickening moment for Octavius' attention before he removed her ear. She yelped and fell to the floor, her paw covering the spot. It was taking every ounce of focus to not shift into her human shape, and the rest of her focus to not rip him to shreds on the spot.

Jason was in the same boat with Max. He did as he was told, and didn't ask questions. He might only have a dagger, but he was pretty good with it, and blood would be spilled if Octavius was hurt.

Octavius steeled himself. Glaring at the wall behind them, he refused to show emotion. Worse had been done to others in front of him. He would not give this man satisfaction. He kept up his prayer, screaming mentally for Vera to hear him.

Vera, ready for the casting, grabbed both of their hands, chanting a spell and taking them away. "I hear you, Octavius. I hear you and will help," she said as they manifested in the room, planting the three of them in front of the exit as she closed off the room. She sealed the whole place, no one would leave that building until she deemed they could.

Max's roar of anger filled the room as he launched himself forward. "How dare you!" He growled at the slaver, knocking him back while he was still surprised by the fact they had appeared.

Cassie remained on the floor as she sorted through herself. The pain in her leg and her ear were competing with the anger that flared within. If she lost control she'd hurt people she didn't want to.

Jason took the room in in a few moments, and as his eyes found Octavius he felt his blood run cold as he raced over to him and Cassie. The deep growl that came from her made up his mind for him as he used the butt end of his blade to break the lock to help Octavius. "Are you okay?"

The slaver was about to gloat, but as Max shouted he turned and in the impact, he dropped the ear, but not the dagger. He let out a grunt as his back hit the ground and he tried to slip the blade between a pair of ribs in Max's side.

Octavius gasped, staring up at the group, dumbfounded for a moment. Then he relaxed, relieved that Jason was there. "Yes. I'm fine. Cassie needs help. If you get the collar off, I can help take him out," Octavius said, nodding to the man. His leg meant nothing to him right now. This man had threatened his hair. He'd used Octavius to hurt one of his only friends. And to top it off, the guy had injured Cassie. He wanted his pound of flesh. He wanted to attack the man.

Vera reached for Cassie, intending to heal her. At the very least, take the pain away so that she could attack the main without it hindering her. "Max, look out!" she snapped.

Max had one hand on the man's throat. The other grabbed his arm holding the dagger and slammed it down against the ground. "You think you can best me? You have hurt someone dear to me," he snarled, sitting on the man to keep him from standing. One foot was holding down his free arm as he continued to slam his wrist down. He kept slamming it down until he dropped the dagger. The he snagged it and held it against the mans throat. "Move, I dare you. Go on, scum...make me bite you with your own blade!"

Jason used his blade to cut Octavius' ropes and then he looked at the collar trying to see how he could get it off. He managed to open it and remove it. "Go," He knew what Octavius wanted to do, and he wanted to help as well. This creature that had hurt the both of them needed to be removed from the planet.

Cassie seemed to shifted into her half shape, but she appeared to be bigger than normal, and her arm and leg proportions were a bit off. She got up to all fours and started moving towards the slaver and stopped about a foot behind Max.

The slaver hissed as his wrist was almost broken. "End me if that's what you want! I was just getting even! You rich types never care... You only take care of yourselves never thinking of us that actually work for a living!" He shouted back, not struggling beneath Max. Not trying to roll or kick him off.

"...and those you deem beneath you? What of us?" Octavius growled, limping over to loom over the man. "What did Cassie do? What did I do? You are a bully. A cruel man with hate in his heart." Octavius was fully prepared to attack the man but a hand on his shoulder stopped him.

"That he is, Octavius. But something made him that way. Max, would you mind getting up? I want to hear what he is willing to tell us. I can see what has twisted him, what pains him and clouds his vision. But I want to hear how he puts it," Vera said, placing a hand on Cassie's side as well. "Allow me to heal you? Reattach your ear?" she asked softly, planning to do both.

"Let him up? Vera! He kidnapped Cassie and Octavius to get even! All because I humiliated him after he insulted and attacked Cassie!" Max snapped, defiantly.

"That is not the boy I watched become a man. Max, I ask you to let him explain. Give him the same opportunity you give everyone. He might surprise you. If only you all stopped seeing stereotypes and listened to one another," Vera sighed, ready and willing to haul Max off. She wouldn't need to.

Taking the remote from the man, Max frisked him for other weapons before standing. "Okay...talk. Please, answer Vera's question."

Cassie was so angry, but for some reason, it wasn't a hot anger, it was a cold, calculating anger. She'd need to find a way to blow some of that off later if his bones and blood didn't fill her maw at some point. She snorted softly as a response to Vera, that yes, she'd like her ear back.

Jason stayed right beside Octavius and made sure to offer support if Octavius would let him.

The slaver stared at Vera, the gears starting to work, but he was given an order, so that came first. "I wasn't always this..." He said slowly as he stood up, having said the words almost as though they left a foul taste in his mouth. "I used to have a family and a farm... One night this guy shows up and we let him stay in the barn since we didn't trust him, but we gave him food, water, a blanket, and let him stay. I woke in the night to hear my wife scream... This man, he was an escaped slave... He had killed my son when my seven year old found him raiding our stores with his friends... My wife heard the noise and she fell to their hands and blades as well. I followed after her with my ax, and they ran..." It was clear that he had cried and wept all the tears he was going to, it still hurt, but the tears had run dry. He sighed deeply and raised his hands. "If you're going to kill me, kill me. At least I'll be with my wife and son..."

"I am sorry for your family. He had no right to attack you. Especially after you had given food and shelter. He should have been content with what he received. But...I didn't attack anyone...Cassie didn't either. She was taken from her home. I was given to this cruel fate. Why are we just like all the others? Am I nothing more then a faceless slave? No, you've made it worse. You have made every slave share his face and his cruelty. You have made us all the same in your mind. But every person is different. We should be judged by how we act and not by the actions of others...I...have been living that way," Octavius realized, the realization nearly knocking him over. "I'm sorry, Jay," he whispered, pressing his face into Jay's shoulder.

Max blinked, startled. He hadn't thought of the slaves who escaped on their own. "I'm sorry to hear about your family. It wasn't right. But neither is punishing those not responsible. That day, I knocked you into the cage for what you did. Nothing more, nothing less. Slaves shouldn't be a thing. But they surly should not be beaten or 'tamed'. They live a hard enough life, as is, don't they? If you are one of Cassie's tormentors through all of her captivity, then you know the torture they are put through. Wouldn't it be easier to direct slaves away from families? I don't mean to minimize what happened to your family. It was tragic and should never be repeated. But...have you considered the families you've killed and tormented? They were innocent, just like yours. I don't wish to kill you. But I don't feel safe letting you go."

Vera, who had finished healing Cassie by the time the boys had said their peace, nodded. "I thought you would be honest. I'm glad you were. I feel I can trust you. May I see your wrist?" she asked, holding out her hand to him. She intended to heal it, but she was going to leave a mark as well.

Jason put his arm around him, his thumb gently rubbing Octavius' back. "Shh, it's okay Octavius, we'll talk more about this later..." He whispered softly. He had nothing to say to the slaver. Max and Octavius had already said plenty.

"I guess I just had this hatred inside of me... It wouldn't let me see clearly," He thought for a moment and looked up at Max and then ended up staring at Jason who was embracing Octavius. Then it clicked. They'd fallen for each other. If those two were together, then did Max and the wolf have a relationship? He glanced over to Vera and gave her his wrist, a bruise was already forming, but the bones were fine. "How is it that you speak so freely in the presence of your master?" He was asking Octavius.

Cassie caught the confusion in the slavers eyes and stood up into her human shape. "Not all is as it seems." Seeing Cassie shift and speak reminded him of what had been done to her. He hadn't helped with that part, he was working elsewhere that day. "Oh gods... I'm so sorry..." He suddenly realized that the slave he'd hurt and tortured had gone through the same pain he had.

"Cassie is right. Not all is as it seems. Just like you were not hateful for crueltys sake. I am Sorry I judged so harshly...but I did not know what else to think." Octavius turned into Jay, hugging him tightly. "He is my master but he is my friend...and I trust him with my life and my heart. I love him. He has given me peace," Octavius told the slaver. "If you let them, I am sure they can help you as well. Nothing replaces those list to this brutal trade. But you can he healed. I'm healing..."

Vera healed the bruises, the only pain she could heal of his. As for a marking, the tattoo she gave him was a chain around the wrist, much like those he had caught were chained with. But it was hardly visible beneath the vining plants that bloomed around and through it. "So that I may mind you again," she told him. "I have plans for you."

Max stepped back further, gently enfolding Cassie in his arms. "I'm so sorry...I wish I had been there...might have made him think twice about causing you pain. you're physically okay?" He murmured softly. Looking back to thw slaver, Max said, "I know how that can cloud your reasoning. Make you do things too harsh in hindsight...I do not regret some of my actions towards slavers and slave owners. But I wish I had looked into your background so that I might have known."

"And you're doing a great job at healing me too," Jason chuckled happily embracing him.

The slaver stared at his wrist and looked up at her quizzically, but then he looked over at Jason and then to Max. "You're part of the rebellion... You don't kill those slaves... You let them go don't you... No wonder you were so protective..." Jason turned to stare at Max as he realized that that HAD to be the case. He always assumed that it was Max's men that killed them, but this, this made more sense.

Cassie nodded in answer to Max's question, but then looked over at the slaver, her expression hard and stern. "If you dare tell another living soul about this, gods help you if I ever get a chance to lay claw on you..." The slaver shook his head and fell to his knees, his hands clasped in front of him. "If I do I hope you'll rip me asunder. Look, I'm getting too old for this work, and they don't pay me enough to live well... Here's my offer, I help you with the rebellion, you know, someone on the inside, and in exchange, I'd like permission to hunt in your forest." Cassie let out a soft growl and the slaver shook his head. "Animals, hunt animals. For food and to sell the pelts and any extra meat."

She looked up to Max and then back to the slaver. "How can we trust you?" He looked up to her and stood. He raised one hand and reached into his pocket to pull out a key. He motioned for her to come over, which she did. He used the key and removed the collar. "A show of good faith..." He then handed the key to Jason, who took it and undid Octavius' collar.

Octavius smiled, leaning into Jay. He was glad to have the stupid collar off. He was curious about this rebellion. Max had killed slaves? There were dead slaves? What tangled web was this?

Max sighed, shaking his head. "I do not kill them...I get them out and to safety...they are taken to locations far away from civilization so they may heal and adjust. And I think it is up to Cassie if you may hunt. She guards those lands. Helping these people shouldn't be about money. But I can't begrudge someone a decent meal. If you hunt. You would need to hunt for you. Not for pelts and spare meat to sell," Max shrugged, looking at the woman in his arms. "What do you think?"

"I can help with ensuring this doesn't get beyond this circle. That mark is mine. If he says things, I will know. I keep an ear out for my name. Or yours. If he say them, I will know and will know what he is saying. And retaliate. As needed," Vera said.

Jason listened and planned to talk to his cousin in depth, but that would take place later and in private.

The slaver turned his eyes to Cassie, pleading silently. She stared at him a moment before sighing and shaking her head. "You will not set foot in that forest ever again, but, come to the edge after sundown and I will have left something there for you. I need to know that there are no more traps in those woods... I would let you hunt, but I can't help but worry about traps that I or someone else could step in." He nodded and then shook his head. "Those were the only two traps, I swear." He decided not to make a comment on what Vera had said.

Max smiled, nodding at Cassie's idea. "I would like to come with you when you make that trip. To ensure that id any unwanted surprises are left, you are not hurt without some there to help. This time was different as no one knew it was happening until it happened. Next time, the rest of us shall know and be able to react accordingly."

Octavius was ready to go. Things had been frustrating today and he was ready to just go home. He had one now, with Jason. He felt bad for having not kept Cassie from pain.

Cassie nodded and hugged Max firmly. "I would like it if you came with me."

"Oh, uh, C-Cassie? Is it? My name is Leone, I just, uh... Since you guys didn't kill me, I uh, thought you should know..." The slaver, Leone said as he rubbed at the back of his head, his light brown hair still seemingly in decent health, but it could use some cleaning. "And I have your rabbits... I might've been heartless, but I'm not wasteful..." He moved around the corner and brought out all six of them and offered them over.

Jason took a deep breath and was about to speak but Leone spoke instead and pulled out the rabbits. "Hey, you're okay..." He whispered softly feeling the tension and he could understand why.

Max placed a kiss to the top of her head. "Leone. I'm General Maximillian Axilla. Thank you for saving those. They were and are our dinner. I would like to take my friends and family here home. But I am going to be contacting you shortly."

Octavius stepped forward, limping slightly with his foot still unhealed. "Cassie, we hunted these together. Therefore, I would like to ask for your permission before I give it. But we have six rabbits here. There will be five of us for dinner. I would like to show him that not all slaves are the same and offer him one. Because I am not the same as that man who hurt you, Leone. I draw the line at children. My masters haven't made me but them...but had they tried to make me, I would have lost my hair. I do not hurt children...not when I was one..."

"Contacting me?" Leone looked worried until Octavius took his attention. Cassie nodded. "Yes, I think as you put it Leone, a show of good faith?" Leone took a step towards Octavius and bowed very deeply. "Thank you," He glanced around at all of the faces there. "All of you, thank you for this second chance. I won't waste it."

"About getting people out. About how we are going to work this. If you truly do this, your life is at risk and I intend to take steps to keep you safe," Max explained, smiling his approval of Octavius and Cassie's actions.

Octavius nodded, returning to Jay's side. "Going hungry sucks. Please, do your best. And...don't threaten my friends or hair again. Or use me against them. Please."

Leone nodded and set the rabbit aside. "Whatever I can do, I'll do it. I owe you all so very much..."

Jason looped his arm around Octavius' shoulder, planning to move their mats closer together so he could hold Octavius through the night.

Cassie smiled up at Max and then realized that she'd been healed but Octavius was still in pain. She looked over to Vera. "Vera, can you heal Octavius now that we're not among enemies?"

"As soon as he decides I can. He has a bit of an internal struggle going on," Vera said softly before laying a hand on Octavius' back. "Honey, you don't deserve it. How were you to know this was happening? You did everything you could to try to protect her. Please let me heal it. You no longer need to punish yourself."

"...I should have done more...but I would like for it to be healed. So I can walk with Jay and not make him carry me," Octavius relented. Vera smiled, then began to work her magic.

Max grinned, winking over at Octavius. "Should have waited until we got home. You could have had Jay carry you in his arms," he teased, making Octavius blush.

"I am going to spend a night with him, Max. I roll in my sleep. Who says I won't end up in his arms yet?" The thread countered, smiling.