"GRRRRRR!!!!!" A loud growl woke Lilika from her latest day-dream curtesy of an injury she'd received over a turn and a half ago.
She shook her head and glared at the pathetic brown watch-wher. "Sh-shut up!" She shook slightly at the volume of her voice and sighed.
The wher continued to snap and snarl in her direction and Lilika would have willingly strangled the creature. Put it out of it's misery. The creature yanked at it's chain and clawed the ground leaving large marks. Put me out of my misery. He'd tear me apart. She sighed again and continued her chore of emptying the waste buckets.
She was dirty, tired and had a chain welded to her foot, the burns from the hot iron adding more scars to her already scar-ridden body. The last turn had not been a pleasent one.
The other slaves never stayed long, being sold quickly, so Lilika soon stopped trying to befriend them. They always left her.... She grunted. Surprise, surprise... She dumped the disgusting contents of the waste basket she was carrying into a growing pile of garbage and refuse.
The slavers were firm believers in the theory that beatings were the only way to ensure someone's loyalty and therefore moral was low. The stupid slavers didn't care and everything worked to their specifications, therefore no changes were needed. Idiots. Lilika stopped to rub her aching ankles. I hope their damned watch-wher gets loose and eats them!
The creature Lilika'd just been thinking of seemed to read her mind and tugged again at his chain, growling loudly and drooling everywhere. Lilika swore at the creature. That brought up another of her problems. The stupid wher slowed work down by snapping at anyone who got near and, as far as anyone could tell, it had no trainer. It was simply a hungry, stupid, visious, little monster. And it always tried to get Lilika in trouble. It snapped at her when she got near and caused her to drop what she was carrying. It creeled everytime it saw her, hurting the ears of everyone around. The unintelligent creature was trying to make Lilika's living hell even more hellish. She hefted a rock at the creature before returning to her duties. She didn't even bother registering the whimper that the creature let out over her abuse.
* * * Lilika cringed as the slaver pulled the rope that had her hands bound together. Bound within her hands was a basket. One of the slavers was out looking for food and he wanted her to carry it back. She refused to pick up the basket. The resulting situation left Lilika with little to no feeling in her hands as the rope was cutting of her circulation. That didn't matter to the slaver....she was carrying the basket. She sighed as the man stopped to grab some berries off a bush. She looked around and saw a patch of flowers near her feet. Roses, amarylis' and lilies grew side by side. Lilika made sure she crushed the flowers as the slaver dragged her back to camp.
* * * OW! The slaver forcibly returned Lilika to the wagon she shared with several other slaves and slammed the door behind her. Immeadiately, the brown wher was there to snap at her and scare the other occupents of the wagon. Lilika cursed the creature, and was glad for the bars, knowing that if it weren't for them, the wher would kill her. And the stupid thing just has to be tied to the back of my wagon.
The wagon lurched slightly as the runners pulling it started. Lilika rested her aching head and back against the bouncing wagon floor and prepared to get what little sleep she could. None of the other slaves bothered her, she'd made it quite clear she didn't want any friends. A loud pathetic creeling noise, woke Lilika up and set her teeth on edge. "What in the name of Thread?" She tried to through the bars along the side. The wagon only was open on one side, the rest was closed. The sound came from behind the vehicle and it repeated itself. It sounded like some poor animal in pain. Lilika quickly tried to get to the back of the wagon. Her ankle was chained to a bar at the side, so it took her a lot of stretching and effort to make it to the back wall. She put her eye to a knot-hole in the wood and saw what poor animal was in pain - the brown wher.
The creature had somehow damaged it's foreleg and was having trouble walking, but the chain around it's neck kept dragging it foreward at the quick pace of the runners pulling the wagon. It cried out in obvious pain and dispair. Even though she hated the bloody creature, Lilika couldn't help feel sorry for it. I wonder what it did to it's leg? Realization dawned on her as she saw the large cut and bruise on it's foreleg...The rock....I hit it....I ... Tears flooded Lilika's eyes. "STOP!!" She yelled it at the top of her lungs. "You're hurting it!! Please!!! Stop!!!" She began to pound on the wood. "It can't keep up!"
"What the hell are you bellowing at?" A slaver riding a runner pulled up beside the wagon.
Lilika turned, tears running down her cheeks, to the man. "You're watch-wher. It's hurt....I've hurt it's leg. It can't keep up."
The man looked at her, looked at the wher and then back at her. "Guess you got what you wanted then." He sped off towards the head of the slave caravan.
Lilika collapsed crying and listened to the poor wher's cries all night, until they camped the next morning.
* * * That morning the wher didn't snap at her or anyone else. It was in too much pain and too tired to even lift it's head. It laid pathetically, still chained to the wagon, and none of the slavers did anything about it.
As one of the slavers started to pull her out of the wagon, Lilika turned to him, eyes red from crying. "P-p-please. L-let me h-help the w-wh-wher." Her stutter returned as she nervously awaited the man's reply.
He stared at her for a moment, then laughed. "If you want to be ripped to pieces, be my guest." He chained her just outside the wagon, just within reach of the hated wher.
Lilika bit her lip and reached in her pocket for the food she knew was there. It was old meat-rolls and stale bread, but she figured that wher's weren't picky. Her stomach grumbled and reminded her that she wasn't picky either, but she ignored it. As she got closer to the injured creature, she began to realize things she hadn't noticed before, when the two had been enemies.
First off, she could never remember the wher being fed. That led her to believe that it ate whatever it could whenever it could. Memories of the waste pile near the wher led her to guess it's main source of food. Secondly, she noticed that although the slavers did set water out for the wher, it was set just beyond the wher's reach to taunt it. Thirdly, she noticed how abused it was. It was covered with grim, mud and blood. It was as bruised and broken as any of the other slaves in the camp. Fourthly, she realized that no one cared. No one cared for this wher, it was simply a tool to scare the slaves. If it died, it'd be no skin off the slaver's backs. Her hands shook as she got withing reach of the brown creatures chain.
The wher focused his eyes on her and growled. It was a pathetic sound, accompanied by a whimper. Lilika picked up the water dish, ripped a piece of cloth off her dress and dipped it in the water. She took a few steps closer and knelt beside the angry creature.
It flinched and struggled, obviously trying to drag itself to it's feet, to bite her, to rip at her with it's claws, anything! But it was too weak.
Lilika pushed the water dish under it's nose. The creature drank thirstily, still growling at the former gypsy. She began to clean the wher with the cloth, but that didn't last long. The wher, with a burst of strength, whipped around and bit her forearm.
Lilika shuddered and closed her eyes against the pain, but she didn't pull away or yell. She was lucky the wher was so weak, otherwise the bite would have removed her arm. The wher kept it's teeth in her arm for a few minutes before it realized that she wasn't fighting back. It slowly released it's grasp and backed away.
Lilika attempted a pathetic smile. "Do you have a name, love?"
The creature snarled and scratched the ground with it's claws.
Lilika ripped another strand of cloth off her ragged dress, dipped it in the water and wrapped it tightly around her bleeding arm. "You probably don't even understand what I'm saying. You guys only understand you're trainers, or people you've impressed to." She smiled at the wher kindly. "And I'm a little late to impress to you. I bet you're full grown."
The wher's snarl faded slightly, but quickly returned. It's eyes moved quickly from her, to the water dish, to her again.
Lilika understood. She pushed the water dish closer and left the meat rolls and bread beside it.
The wher quickly ran to the food and ate it quickly. It then gulped down the water. It then continued growling and snapping at Lilika.
"I don't blame you for hating me." Lilika whispered to the creature, her head beginning to pound. "I'd hate me too. Just like I hate the slavers. I'm no better than them when it comes down to it." She felt dizzy and realized that one of her spells was coming on. "B-but-but...I-I'm .....s-s-sor-sorry." She collapsed.
The wher roared and ran to her, preparing to bite her head off. It's teeth closed around her neck, but it stopped before it put any pressure. It smelt the blood on her arm. It sniffed at the open wound, the bandage having fallen off when she collapsed. It's red eyes, whirled blue for the first time in the poor creatures abused life. It licked Lilika's cut clean of the dirt and grime and then laid down beside her, snapping at anyone who approached the girl.
* * * "Girl! What are you doing! Crazy bitch!" The slaver who found Lilika's unconsious body beside the watch-wher dragged her by her chain away from the creature. To his amazement the girl was okay. He glared at the wher. The wher growled at him. "Stupid creature." He threw Lilika back into her wagon to wait out the spell.
* * * So much for no friends... Lilika sighed as she split her meager dinner with 'Love' as she had now donned the wher for lack of anything else. She had not impressed to the creature, that had to be done at hatching, but the wher did admit that she was his friend and not to be eaten. It had eventually let her clean it and Love didn't look so pathetic now.
In respect to thier new friendship, Love also stopped snapping, growling and generally pesking the gypsy...until dinner time of course. "I honestly don't know how you survived on nothing but scraps for so long love. You eat more than anyone else here." Lilika's stomach rumbled. "And I'm starving to death!"
Love rumbled a thank-you and laid down beside the wagon, purring. Lilika laughed. "I don't know how I was ever afraid of you! You're nothing but a big feline!"
"Gypsy!" One of the slavers snapped at her. "You dance right?"
Lilika quickly lost the smile and donned the frown she'd been wearing for the last two turns. "No."
"Yes you do. I know you." The slaver openned her wagon and dragged her out.
"I don't dance!" Lilika protested, wondering if she could fake one of her spells. "I can't remember...it got lost." That was her excuse for when she forgot things, another side effect of the injury. The slavers usually fell for it.
Not today it seemed. "Bullshit." The slaver swore. "You'll dance for the nice man, okay?"
Lilika bit back angry words that would only earn her a black eye. She'd made a vow never to dance again....not until she was happy again....too many unhappy memories revolved around her dancing....too many memories of her so-called friends....the so-called friends who'd left her here in this hell while they escaped....
"Quit your daydreaming girl and put this on." The slaver handed her most of a dress. "Wash yourself and brush your hair. If you even think about escaping I'll come in there and change you myself...and trust me, you won't enjoy that.
Lilika took the scrap of cloth that was going to be her outfit and entered the tent. She sank thankfully into the tub of water, this being her first bath in a long time. She quickly began cleaning herself though, not wanting the slaver outside to get it into his head that she was taking too long and needed 'assistance'. I've gotta get out of here. She thought as she pulled the brush through her hair. I refuse to dance for these people.
The slaver entered with a staff. It was a dancing staff, used to assist a single dancer do tricks that she could normally only do with a partner. Bingo! Lilika tried to hide the sneaky smile that spread across her face. "Why am attempting to dance again?" Lilika tried one last time to get out of this non-violently.
"I didn't tell you, but if you must know, a man is here who wants to purchase a dancing slave." The man forced her to stand and checked to make sure everything was were it was supposed to be.
Lilika stood rigid under his hands, trying not to give away her next move. She gripped the staff tightly in her left hand, brought it down on the slaver's head...hard. The wood cracked slightly and the man dropped like a rock. Payback. She thought to herself with a smug smile. I hope you wake up six months later with brain damage. She left the tent and headed off towards the woods, keeping to the few shadows that were still around at mid-day. She was just about to disappear when she heard a whimpering noise.
She turned to see Love trying to follow her, but his chain was holding him back. The poor wher pulled and pulled, the chain around his neck biting into his flesh. Lilika cringed. "No. Love. Stay." She couldn't take the creature with her...she couldn't get the creature untied anyways. She turned to leave, expecting some further protest from the wher. Instead all she heard was it sinking to the ground. She faced the creature again and saw that it had lay down, facing her, it's eyes whirling a very soft, sad purple.
Lilika's heart broke. She was leaving it...like so many other people had left it, uncaring, thinking only of their own self-preservation. Lilika made up her mind. She walked back to the wher, whose eyes whirled a happy blue to see her returning, picked up the ax that another slave had been using to chop wood. She hefted the ax and, with the same strength she'd used to defend Roza, brought the ax down on the chain. The noise began to attract slavers, but Lilika didn't care. Luckily for her the chain was old and rusted and broke easily. She hugged Love and, with the slavers running after them, they escaped into the woods.
* * * "This is crazy!" Lilika stopped in a small clearing and looked frantically around her, trying to decide in which direction to go. She'd been running from the slavers for four days now and she was hopelessly lost.
Noises in the bushes behind her told her that the slavers were not far behind her and were gaining ground as she stood in indecision. Love creeled loudly, smelling the fear and too stupid to help.
Lilika felt the darkness closing around her as she began to battle for consiousness. No! She pleaded silently. Not now! Don't let a spell come now! They'll kill me if they catch me...or worse...no... She collapsed to the forest floor, unconsious.
Love looked at his fallen friend, looked at the slavers and, miraculously, did a smart thing. He sniffed the air and smelled dragons. Although the wher personally didn't like dragons, he knew the slavers didn't really like dragons either so.... The wher roared once, grabbed Lilika's collar in his teeth and began dragging her towards the dragons.
* * * Lilika finally awoke, hours later, to a howling wher and a splitting headache. "Shh....Love....I'm okay...really...calm down." The wher stopped howing and began licking her face. She smiled and kissed the creature on the nose. As she didn't recognize her surroundings, and she wasn't with the slavers, she assumed the wher saved her life. "Thanks, Love."
The brown creatured seemed to purr. Lilika laughed, but quickly quieted herself. The slavers might still be around. "Now where are we?"
As soon as she stood up and began to look around, Love began pulling on her dress and pointing her in the direction he wanted to go. Being totally and utterly lost, Lilika decided to follow the wher's directions.
"There she is! Her and the bloody wher!" Lilika ran faster as she heard the slavers closing in behind her. Suddenly the forest opened up and Lilika could see a Weyr.
She lowered her head, pumped her legs and prayed that Love could keep up. She was surprised, but thankful to find the Weyr gates open, but soon discovered why...the Weyr was abandoned. She didn't see a single sole as she tore through the hallways. "No...." She started to cry as she ran. "Don't let it end here...don't let it end..."
A huge roar stopped her in her tracks. A roar much larger that could be produced by a brown watch-wher. Lilika looked up to see a huge gold dragon rearing and roaring at her. It's eyes whirled a ferocious red and she beat her wings, sending white sand into the gypsies eyes as she collapsed on the Sands.
Love bravely roared back at this advisary and snapped at the gold's tail. The dragon swooped the watch-wher away with a claw and he hit the rock wall of the Sands with a sickening thunk. Lilika began to cry hysterically as the slavers grabbed her arms and dragged her to her feet. Damn Roza! Damn Amar! Damn them for leaving me here!
"What the hell is going on?" A very angry woman stomped onto the Sands. "You'd better have a pretty damn good reason for disturbing Diamoth." The rider of the gold nodded at her lifemate.
The slavers stuttered for a minute, but eventually discovered thier courage. "This girl is ours. She ran away. We caught her."
But you shall not keep her! Lilika was amazed to discover that she could hear the giant queen.
The woman smiled at the slavers. "Diamoth says you don't get to keep her." The slavers continued to argue with the woman as Diamoth continued to talk with Lilika.
Who are these people you blame for your condition? The gold asked. Seeing Lilika's gaze dart to Love she added. Fear not. The wher is only dazed. He will be up and snapping within the candlemark.
Good. Lilika thought. And Roza and Amar...they -were- my friends.
Were? What did they do?
Lilika tried to stop her crying. They left me here. The slavers attacked and they ran away and left me here.
Did you not tell them to leave? Did you want them to suffer with you? Die?
NO! She said, banishing the thought of her friends lying cold and dead. I wanted them to get away I just... She began crying again. I just didn't expect them to leave. Leave me alone. I've been alone for so long now...just me...but not all of me. I feel like half of me is missing...like I'm only part of a person without them. She sniffled loudly and continued. And it's all their fault! It's all their fault I care for them so much that it hurts all the time we're apart now.
Diamoth cocked her head, allowing this display to go on only because it was away from her eggs and because she felt pity for this poor creature.
"She's going and that's that!" One of the slavers yelled.
Diamoth bespoke the whole assembly everyone knew. No she's not! Her eyes whirled red. Stay Lillika. Stay and let one of my children make you whole.
The slavers and Lilika stared stupidly at the dragon, all equally as surprised. "There." The rider crossed her arms, signalling the end of the conversation. "It's settled. She's been searched, by the queen of the clutch even. She has to stay."
As the slavers disgruntedly left the Sands, Lilika continued to stare at the dragon. "Do you mean it?"
"Of course she means it!" The rider approached. "Congratualations. Let's get you to the candidate's barracks. I don't guarantee a dragon out there...you are arriving a little late, but I there's no harm in trying is there?"
Everything that had just happened finally sunk into Lilika's fuzzled mind. "I'm free. I'm a candidate. I'm free. I'm a candidate." She jumped with joy and grabbed the rider's hands. Lilika led the gold-rider in a dance that ended when Diamoth not so kindly suggested that they were pushing their luck with her hospitality. Lilika got Love, who was just starting to come round, and danced him off the sands.
As she entered the crowded candidate barracks, she couldn't help smiling, even as Love threatened to eat all of the firelizards present. Finally, after everything that had happened to her...Lilika was free....of the chains...and the hate.
Lilika had impressed! * * *
Lilika is a candidate at Alabaster Weyrhold.
Lilika's picture from Chibi Ningyo's Adoption Center.
Love's picture from Falas Weyr.
Background from Myrror Images.
