Tears Of The Neko - 6. Chapter 6

He ducked, huddling into the ground, when the loud shot rang out over his head. He heard the laughter of the men around him. They always thought it funny to practice their hunting skills by aiming at spots over the place where he and the others were chained.

The iron collar bit into his neck as he pulled harder to get as close to the ground as possible. When they'd killed his parents and captured him, he'd had no idea who they were or what was going on. He was only ten years old and had lived all his life in the quiet of the forest. He knew about what his parents called 'cities', but they had never been interested in going there.

"See if you can get him to flinch again, Ehern," one of the men cajoled the other.

Kayden tensed, expecting the loud noise over his head. When it didn't come, he peeked up.

The shot shattered on the post over his back, splintering wood that rained down over his spine. He jolted in terror and buried back into the ground.

"Haha! Did you see that, Theo?" Ehern laughed. "I got him good."

He whimpered.

"He's more fun than the others," Theo agreed.

"Too bad he's so little," another stated. "Don't think we'll get much for him. We can't sell him to the mine owners like we usually do. They won't take one that small. He'd be dead in a week."

"Yeah, Ehern," Theo agreed, "what are we going to do with that one? If we sell him anywhere but the mine, they'll know we captured him, that he wasn't our property. At least Laos at the mine keeps the ones we catch chained and silent, so no one knows what we do."

Ehern, who appeared to be the leader of the hunters, rose and stretched. "We keep him. We get him so trained and submissive that he'll never be able to survive on his own. He'll have no choice but to be begging to stay a slave."

Kayden heard the men moving around the camp, but he didn't dare move, too afraid that another loud blast was going to ring out near his sensitive ears.

"How do you want to take care of that old one?" he heard Theo ask their leader. Kayden peeked briefly up to see the two men standing nearby, indicating the two slaves tied to the post next to his.

"Don't want the blood in camp. Feed him. The stuff is in my tent."

Then he felt a boot kick the side of his ribs, and his chest exploded in bruising agony.

"Eat!" one of the men growled as he put a crust a bread and a cup of water on the ground next to him.

Kayden glanced up as the man moved on to the next neko and human chained to the post next to his. They were both much older than he was--the neko being at least a full grown adult. But the human seemed even older, gray-haired and wrinkly.

The orange haired neko gave him a pitying look, but neither of them said anything to each other with the men nearby.

Kayden watched as the other two were fed. The neko received the same bread and water that he did, but the human got a bowl of what appeared to be oatmeal. Kayden frowned as to why the human had gotten better food as the hungry man started chowing down on it.

Kayden could smell an odd bitter scent from the man's oatmeal and figured maybe it was something that humans enjoyed. The orange-haired neko looked like he was about to yell at the man, but then stopped when he'd seen the man gulp down several bites. Kayden frowned when the other neko looked sadly at the human before eating his own meal.

Kayden ate his own meal as the men slowly made their way to their tents. He could finally relax a little, knowing the men were going to sleep now.

He was half asleep when he heard a strange gasping noise nearby. He woke to see the orange haired neko sadly holding the older human who appeared to be having a seizure and was convulsing erratically.

"He's been poisoned," the orange haired neko whispered when Kayden met his gaze. "I smelt it in his food--cyanide, I think it's called, but he'd already started to eat it."

And Kayden remembered thinking that the man's food smelled funny, like bitter almonds.

"But why--?" Kayden cried out, terrified.

"Shhh!" the older neko hushed him, looking around at the tents carefully before speaking again. "He's too old to sell to the mines. He was captured by accident with me, and they couldn't let him go because he could tell about their illegal operation here." He looked down at the old man. "It's probably better this way, quicker. He wouldn't last in the mines anyway."

Kayden whimpered as the old man stilled in the other neko's arms. He felt his breathing increase as he started to panic. He jumped to his feet and yanked at the chain, crying. "No, no, no...."

"Stop," the older neko hissed at him, his fangs showing as he tried to quiet the terrified younger neko, glancing at the tents warily.

But it was too late. Theo stomped from his tent, scowling at the little noisy neko who was making so much racket.

"No! Let me go!" Kayden yelled, fearing he'd be fed the poison as well.

"Good little slaves are QUIET!" he snapped angrily, as he backhanded the young boy, sending him splaying across the ground. "I'll teach you to not make any noise!"

Kayden felt himself hauled to his feet, receiving a sad look from the older neko as he was unchained and hauled across the camp. He was thrown across the rough wooden table the men had sat around earlier and his arms were tied around the table legs.

He heard the loud whistle through the air before he felt the pain explode across his back. He screamed as the cane landed again on his shoulders.

"Until you are silent, this is what's going happen," Theos growled as he snapped the cane repeatedly on his back.

Kayden fought the urge to cry out, but he couldn't fight the agony searing across his spine, hips, and buttocks, and continually lost the fight to be quiet.

The entire camp was awake from his screams. And he was vaguely aware of the other men gathered around watching, laughing. He could feel the trickle of blood down his sides, slicking the table under him.

When he finally was able to stay silent, mostly out of sheer exhaustion, the hunter stopped beating him with the cane. Tears streaked down his face as he started to succumb to the pleasant darkness of unconsciousness.

A hand grabbed him by the back of the hair, yanking up his head. He almost cried out, but his voice was already hoarse and gone.

"Now, do you have anything to say?" Theo sneered.

Kayden resolutely shook his head, vowing not to say another word.

"Good," he snapped. "Next time, it'll be worse."

And it had.

Kayden flinched awake when he heard his master drop something in the room next door, startling him from the dream--well, nightmare--he'd always been plagued with. The restlessness of his nighttime sleep being tormented by nightmares that constantly interrupted his sleep made him especially jumpy and tired each day. And his new master of two days seemed to get angrier every time he flinched or cowered.

He sighed as he sat up, still trembling from his nightmare--the nightmare he'd lived over and over for almost five years before they'd sold him to the slave market. By then, he had been grateful to be away from them, but he'd been so scared and skittish that the market owner hadn't liked him either. Now it seemed his new masters were the same way. He couldn't seem to control himself enough to please anyone. The master, Damien, always seemed upset when he jumped or flinched at sudden movements.

He slowly crawled from the bed and silently made his way to the doorway, peeking inside before he made his way toward the washroom. The washroom door was open, so he started for the flushing thing. But froze at the doorway.

His master had just released a shower of water over his gloriously nude body. Kayden gulped at the sight of his master, slinking back before he was seen. His heart beat faster as his mind focused on the thick, tight muscles that rippled across the man's back and the round firm buttocks. He blushed as he made his way back to his room, waiting to hear the man get dressed.

"Kayden," he heard his master's voice call. "Time to get up."

And Kayden made a of show of pretending to get up for the first time, making his way to the washroom to relieve himself. He didn't dare look directly at his master, as he came back out.

His master snatched his belt up from the bed, and Kayden flinched so violently he hit the doorframe. His master froze and stared at him for several long minutes.

Finally, he heard his master sigh loudly as he finished lacing his belt in his pants and stomped over to the small table. Kayden circled the edge of the room as he made his way closer to his master, staying slightly out of hitting range until he absolutely had to. Then he dropped to the floor beside the table.

Even though he'd been told he could sit on the chairs, at least in private, Kayden preferred the floor. He felt safer there. Being on the ground usually put him out of hitting range, or at least made them have to make more of an effort-- if they wanted to beat him, they had to reach him first. Plus, if he were already on the floor, he didn't have far to fall when they did smack him down.

He felt his master's hand brush over his head, and he looked up to see the offered piece of chicken.

"Apparently, Garin thinks you need lots of protein," Damien mumbled. "He keeps sending meat with all of your meals."

And Kayden was secretly grateful to the chef. He hadn't had real meat since his parents were killed, only bones like a dog. The thought made the juicy morsel stick in his throat as his heart ached for the loss of his mother and father at the hands of the hunters--at the hands of Ehern.

"You do like it, I assume," Damien asked.

And Kayden nodded quickly, receiving a grunt from his master at his silent response.

"Good, finish up, and we'll head downstairs."

--Neko--

They spent several days in the same dance of tension. Damien frustrated by the stiff presence of the neko, and Kayden flinching and wary at every move anyone made. Damien still hadn't gotten the boy to sit anywhere but the floor, but he hadn't ordered it either because he didn't want to force it. He had noticed that the hybrid had actually been using the bed though.

A couple times he had caught himself idly stroking the boy's head when he leaned against his chair in his office. Damien would jerk suddenly and yank his hand back when he realized he was doing it, startling them both. Even though Damien found it soothing, he wasn't sure the boy liked it, and he hated that he had taken such liberties without asking. He would then shoo Kayden off to find another place to sit that wasn't so close, and usually the boy settled by the window, safely out of the way.

Last night, he'd had John start a fire, since there was a chill in the air. It was still early in the spring season, and it had been warming lately. He usually liked it cool in the room so John had stopped starting fires a couple weeks ago, but yesterday the temperature had dipped again and last night had been unusually colder.

As he'd settled onto his couch in front of the fire with his book, he'd caught movement out of the corner of his eye and saw the boy crouching in the doorway between their rooms, staring at the flames. Damien hadn't been sure at first if the boy was afraid of the fire or mesmerized by it, but as the boy seemed to lean idly against the doorframe, he figured it was the latter.

"Kayden," Damien abruptly shifted, breaking the quiet that had reigned over the room.

The boy jumped, nearly falling over at the sound of his voice and the sudden movement.

Damien cursed under his breath, gritting his teeth as once again the little neko reacted irrationally to Damien's movements. He bit back the urge to snap at the boy to just freaking relax. Instead, he turned back to his book, plopping his feet on the small table in front of the couch.

"You can come closer to the fire, if you want," Damien bit out, trying to make his voice not sound so frustrated.

And while the boy hadn't really moved closer, he hadn't retreated either. From the corner of his eye, Damien had seen the boy lean against the wall just inside the door. Damien snorted as he flipped a page in his book--well, at least he didn't run and hide under the bed.

--Neko--

Within a few days, however, Damien had reached a breaking point and desperately needed to get out of the house. He was tense and on edge, worse than usual. He needed fresh air and a vigorous ride--by himself.

With the king set to visit on his way to the port tomorrow, Damien needed to clear his head. The boy's nervousness was driving him crazy, and he had to get himself settled before the visit.

And there was no way he needed the nervous neko tagging along. He had work to do and his brothers would just have to understand that there would be times when he couldn't have the boy along.

Kayden followed his master into the kitchen which was busy with staff rushing around to prepare the manor for the king's visit. Kayden hovered back at the doorway, knowing the gruff chef didn't like nekos in his kitchen. The kitchen staff seemed surprised to see their master enter.

"My lord," several of them greeted, bowing reverently.

"I have to ride over to the Northern Plantation," he announced, and Kayden froze, worried about getting on a horse with his master. "I'm not going to take Kayden here out on Jester, and I'm pretty sure the kit can't ride on his own. So, I need someone to feed him, then take him up to his room."

Ysmenia wiped her hands on her apron, which Kayden noticed she seemed to do a lot, even in the short couple of days she had cared for him. "Yes, sir. I'll take care of him."

"Good," Damien said as he turned quickly and strode toward the door, leaving Kayden hovering in the entry.

He caught the eye of the chef who glanced at him. Ysmenia called him over, and he slunk around the edges of the wall to the table.

"Sit down, sweetie," Ysmenia urged, waving at the bench along the table. And Kayden slowly perched on the far end of the bench, warily watching the chef, waiting for the man to yell at him to get out.

Ysmenia retrieved some fresh milk from the cold storage room and placed a cup in front of him. Garin suddenly appeared in front of him, dropping a wooden bowl with some bread, fruit and chicken next to the cup of milk.

Kayden cowered back, peering cautiously up at the gruff man through his curtain of midnight bangs. He tucked back his ears and made sure his tail was curled in tightly.

"Eat," the older chef ordered, and Kayden noticed a slight twist of his lips before the man turned to Ysmenia who was grinning at him. "What? The boy needs to eat."

"Yes, of course, Garin," Ysmenia smiled, and both of them went back to prepping vegetables for the evening dinner.

When Kayden was sure he wasn't bothering anyone, he slowly began to eat his food. They offered so much that he was sure he wouldn't be able to finish it; his stomach just wasn't used to so much food.

He was mesmerized as he watched all the comings and goings of the kitchen staff. There was constant activity. Young maids bringing in fresh water to wash pots and pans. A couple of other nekos brought in freshly plucked chickens, which Kayden couldn't stand to see. He vaguely recognized the brown and white neko called Ellis that he'd run into on his first day and who had guarded his bath. He had an armful of chopped wood as he made his way through to the hallway the servants and slaves seemed to favor. And Damien's manservant, John Drystan, seemed to be bustling in and out overseeing everything that was going on in the household.

Kayden felt his eyes drooping the longer he watched. They seemed to have forgotten him in all their activity--something about some important person arriving-- and he didn't want to disturb anyone. He had gently pushed the bowl and cup aside and laid his head on his arms as he continued to watch quietly. He found the bustle of the kitchen oddly soothing, and he eventually fell asleep.

"Oh, look," Ysmenia said in awe to the chef, looking at the young sleeping neko. "He's fallen asleep. He must have been tired."

"I'll wake him up and take him upstairs," John said.

"No," Garin gruffed, waving his wooden spoon. "Just get a blanket and let him sleep there by the hearth."

Ysmenia gaped at the chef in shock.

"What?" Garin grumbled, "It'll be warmer there."

Ysmenia smiled as John hid a smirk at the usually dour chef allowing the young neko to stay in his kitchen--he barely tolerated Ellis coming and going. She quickly retrieved a blanket, and John moved to lift Kayden onto it. The boy awoke with a start at being touched, fear flooding the emerald eyes.

"Shhh, it's okay," John soothed. "Just moving you to let you sleep by the warm fire."

Kayden stared wide-eyed at him as he was settled onto the blanket. He quickly cut his eyes at the chef, though, knowing he'd be the one to throw him out. But the chef merely threw a dismissing wave at him, nodding his head. Surprised, Kayden obediently settled on the blanket against the warm wall next to the kitchen hearth.

Ysmenia grinned as the tiny thing curled up into a tight ball to rest, catching the quick smile that Garin cast at the boy before the residual frown fell back into place. She leaned in and kissed the old chef's cheek, and he huffed at her.

"I always knew you were an old softie," she whispered.