50th of Searing, 120 Continued from here.
Then, the human pressed the tip of his knife into Arkash's smooth, beige-colored chest, and parted his scales. Arkash's maw widened to scream, but Brodie tightened his grip on the Rathari's throat and stopped his breath. Tears welled in his eyes, and he pulled desperately on his arms and legs, but couldn't move.
[indent=30]"You scream, I strangle you. Get it?" Arkash shook his head, and Brodie lifted the knife to Arkash's eye. There, the lizard froze. The corners of his vision were going black. He wasn't so lucky as to be granted a nap, however. The moment his eyes faltered, Brodie eased his grip on the Rathari's throat. Reflexively, he drew a deep breath, and much-needed oxygen was delivered to his brain, to his dismay.
[indent=30]His tears began to stream as he nodded carefully. Brodie's threat was well received, and he didn't want to lose his eye. "Good," smiled the human. "You're allowed to cry," he added as he pressed the knife back into Arkash's wound. His whole body jolted with a flash of pain, and though he opened his mouth to scream, he stopped himself. When the blade moved down the side of his chest and his stomach, the Rathari strained against the hold of the three humans, then turned to sob as Brodie turned to different angles.
[indent=30]He was being carved like a roasted duck, or engraved like some sort of trinket. He couldn't see what was being drawn in him but knew whenever Brodie was going for a longer stroke, as he looked away from his work to stare into Arkash's watery eyes. Through it all, he kept his voice down and didn't scream, as he was ordered. By the time Brodie was done, Arkash was broken. He didn't struggle, he only sobbed and whimpered as his flesh was parted by the steel.
[indent=30]But, it was over. Brodie stood from Arkash's crushed legs, then wiped his knife clean in the Rathari's leg bandages. A nod to his brothers saw them stand and walk down the Alley. Arkash didn't move, he just laid there, paralyzed. "I expect my money in full next time, without a chase," warned Brodie, who sheathed his dagger at the hip. He took a look over his work, and Arkash looked in time to see the sadistic glee in his eyes. "it's an improvement, I promise. 'Should remind you of your place next time you think you can kick dirt in my face." Without another word, Brodie took his leave and left the broken Rath to his despair.
[indent=30]The wounds weren't deep enough to bleed a lot. They'd already slowed to a crawl, except for the freshest cuts, namely on the left side of his chest. With ragged breaths, the young Rathari looked up from his place on the ground to behold the bloody mess of his chest. he couldn't tell what had been drawn into him, but the entirety of his scales stung in that area. Everything hurt, from his legs to his back, to his head. He'd lost a lot of water while he cried, and a headache was coming on. Arkash rolled onto his side and caught himself with his aching arm before his open wounds could touch the dirty floor.
[indent=30]There, he stayed, and cried in the shadowy corner of Nivenhain's gutter district. They'd lost everything. After countless hours of back-breaking labor, the same work that killed Liu and made Cojack terminally ill, they were left with nothing. Cojack... He remembered.
[indent=30]Their money had been left in a floorboard next to the firepit. It was in his house, and he hadn't locked the door before he tried to make his escape from the Thompson Brothers. Alec must have walked in freely and found the money... Or did he beat it out of Cojack? The thought started his heart beating again, and the torn lizard clenched his claws before he pressed to sit on his tail. Carefully, he crawled to the wall and used its support to lift himself.
[indent=30]His legs were tired, and his back hurt severely. His head spun as he stood too fast, but he was still breathing. One foot in front of the other, arkash stumbled forward and held his arm over the broken scales of his chest while the other used the wall as a guide. Something had been pulled in his back, it forced him into a forward lean and hurt to even attempt to stand right. Something similar had happened when he was younger; when he attempted some heavy lifting for the first time. If anything, it felt like the same injury, perhaps that incident, when he was younger, had weakened that part of his back permanently? Either way, he knew the fix.
[indent=30]Before the broken crates, he pressed his hands into the wall beside him and his head hung between them. His back arched and his legs tensed. A few deep breaths steadied his head before he lifted it high and pulled harshly at the muscles in his back. A series of muffled pops sounded, and pain exploded in tandem through his spine. But, by the end. His posture had been corrected to his usual slouch. It still ached in a radiant burn, but he was able to walk properly. Carefully, he climbed over the broken crates and continued to hold his chest.
[indent=30]The long walk of shame followed, where his achy legs carried him through the daylit streets of Lower Nivenhain. Eyes of all sorts were cast upon him, though none for more than a few seconds. No one wanted anything to do with a torn-up lizard, just as no one came to his aid when he was beaten to the brink of consciousness. It was the season of Searing, but the Rien people were as cold as they'd always been.
[indent=30]He didn't care. The only thing that mattered was Cojack. Admittedly, at the darkest parts of their journey, the nights where Cojack stayed awake, howling with pain, part of him did hope that the old horse quietly passed in his sleep to his illness. Such feelings were rare, and most of them were to ease both of their sufferings. But if Alec had hurt him, or worse...
[indent=30]By the time Arkash made it home, more tears were streaming down his cheeks. His door was left wide open, and the floorboard that hid his saving jar was gone, thrown across the floor. His lip quivered, and despair filled his heart. "Dad..." Arkash called, his voice dry, strained and weak. "Dad..!" he called again, then stumbled toward the door.
[indent=30]"Arkash...?" His father's voice called in turn.
[indent=30]Again, his heart began to race. He'd cried all his tears, but he sobbed all the same as he pushed himself through the doorway. There was Cojack, half-way out of bed with his upper half on the floor. His ribs showed through his shriveled skin, and his twig-like arms tried and tried to push off the floor, but he was too gaunt, too weak to lift himself.
[indent=30]The sight brought both relief and misery. How could Alec do something so terrible to someone so frail? It was only when Cojack managed to turn his head that Arkash realized that wasn't all the youngest Thompson brother had done. Cojack's eye was black, swollen, and half-shut and blood trailed from his nose.
[indent=30]Arkash's heart broke, and he stumbled forward, only to drop to his knees at Cojack's side. There, he wrapped his arms around the older Rathari's chest and lifted him off the ground. The movement stretched his wounds. It stung and even restarted some of the bleedings, but he didn't care. He eventually managed to lift Cojack back into his bed, where he dropped atop the horse and began to ball.
[indent=30]Without restraint, he cried into his father's blanket, sniveled, and screamed. Alec had hit his father, threw him on the floor, and left him. Rage, pain, and misery overcame him, but he ultimately knew that it was his fault. It was as Brodie said; if he hadn't lied, if he hadn't run... If he'd just handed over the money...
[indent=30]Cojack rested his hand atop his son's head while he cried, and spoke a quiet "shhh," which barely permeated the ambiance of his heartache. "I'm alright, Arkash. It's okay," spoke the older rath over and over again to calm his son.
[indent=30]Eventually, the boy Rathari calmed, and the two tended to his wounds with the medical supplies he'd stolen the last time he was injured. Once they'd cleaned the blood from his body, the carving was revealed to be two letters. 'B.T.' They read in a jagged engravement. Brodie Thompson. He'd been branded. Ultimately, it didn't matter. His scars faded with every shedding, and the next was due around his birthday in the next season. As for their money situation, Arkash just needed to get bolder.
[indent=30]They could recover from this; it wasn't the end of them. They weren't lost.
Then, the human pressed the tip of his knife into Arkash's smooth, beige-colored chest, and parted his scales. Arkash's maw widened to scream, but Brodie tightened his grip on the Rathari's throat and stopped his breath. Tears welled in his eyes, and he pulled desperately on his arms and legs, but couldn't move.
[indent=30]"You scream, I strangle you. Get it?" Arkash shook his head, and Brodie lifted the knife to Arkash's eye. There, the lizard froze. The corners of his vision were going black. He wasn't so lucky as to be granted a nap, however. The moment his eyes faltered, Brodie eased his grip on the Rathari's throat. Reflexively, he drew a deep breath, and much-needed oxygen was delivered to his brain, to his dismay.
[indent=30]His tears began to stream as he nodded carefully. Brodie's threat was well received, and he didn't want to lose his eye. "Good," smiled the human. "You're allowed to cry," he added as he pressed the knife back into Arkash's wound. His whole body jolted with a flash of pain, and though he opened his mouth to scream, he stopped himself. When the blade moved down the side of his chest and his stomach, the Rathari strained against the hold of the three humans, then turned to sob as Brodie turned to different angles.
[indent=30]He was being carved like a roasted duck, or engraved like some sort of trinket. He couldn't see what was being drawn in him but knew whenever Brodie was going for a longer stroke, as he looked away from his work to stare into Arkash's watery eyes. Through it all, he kept his voice down and didn't scream, as he was ordered. By the time Brodie was done, Arkash was broken. He didn't struggle, he only sobbed and whimpered as his flesh was parted by the steel.
[indent=30]But, it was over. Brodie stood from Arkash's crushed legs, then wiped his knife clean in the Rathari's leg bandages. A nod to his brothers saw them stand and walk down the Alley. Arkash didn't move, he just laid there, paralyzed. "I expect my money in full next time, without a chase," warned Brodie, who sheathed his dagger at the hip. He took a look over his work, and Arkash looked in time to see the sadistic glee in his eyes. "it's an improvement, I promise. 'Should remind you of your place next time you think you can kick dirt in my face." Without another word, Brodie took his leave and left the broken Rath to his despair.
[indent=30]The wounds weren't deep enough to bleed a lot. They'd already slowed to a crawl, except for the freshest cuts, namely on the left side of his chest. With ragged breaths, the young Rathari looked up from his place on the ground to behold the bloody mess of his chest. he couldn't tell what had been drawn into him, but the entirety of his scales stung in that area. Everything hurt, from his legs to his back, to his head. He'd lost a lot of water while he cried, and a headache was coming on. Arkash rolled onto his side and caught himself with his aching arm before his open wounds could touch the dirty floor.
[indent=30]There, he stayed, and cried in the shadowy corner of Nivenhain's gutter district. They'd lost everything. After countless hours of back-breaking labor, the same work that killed Liu and made Cojack terminally ill, they were left with nothing. Cojack... He remembered.
[indent=30]Their money had been left in a floorboard next to the firepit. It was in his house, and he hadn't locked the door before he tried to make his escape from the Thompson Brothers. Alec must have walked in freely and found the money... Or did he beat it out of Cojack? The thought started his heart beating again, and the torn lizard clenched his claws before he pressed to sit on his tail. Carefully, he crawled to the wall and used its support to lift himself.
[indent=30]His legs were tired, and his back hurt severely. His head spun as he stood too fast, but he was still breathing. One foot in front of the other, arkash stumbled forward and held his arm over the broken scales of his chest while the other used the wall as a guide. Something had been pulled in his back, it forced him into a forward lean and hurt to even attempt to stand right. Something similar had happened when he was younger; when he attempted some heavy lifting for the first time. If anything, it felt like the same injury, perhaps that incident, when he was younger, had weakened that part of his back permanently? Either way, he knew the fix.
[indent=30]Before the broken crates, he pressed his hands into the wall beside him and his head hung between them. His back arched and his legs tensed. A few deep breaths steadied his head before he lifted it high and pulled harshly at the muscles in his back. A series of muffled pops sounded, and pain exploded in tandem through his spine. But, by the end. His posture had been corrected to his usual slouch. It still ached in a radiant burn, but he was able to walk properly. Carefully, he climbed over the broken crates and continued to hold his chest.
[indent=30]The long walk of shame followed, where his achy legs carried him through the daylit streets of Lower Nivenhain. Eyes of all sorts were cast upon him, though none for more than a few seconds. No one wanted anything to do with a torn-up lizard, just as no one came to his aid when he was beaten to the brink of consciousness. It was the season of Searing, but the Rien people were as cold as they'd always been.
[indent=30]He didn't care. The only thing that mattered was Cojack. Admittedly, at the darkest parts of their journey, the nights where Cojack stayed awake, howling with pain, part of him did hope that the old horse quietly passed in his sleep to his illness. Such feelings were rare, and most of them were to ease both of their sufferings. But if Alec had hurt him, or worse...
[indent=30]By the time Arkash made it home, more tears were streaming down his cheeks. His door was left wide open, and the floorboard that hid his saving jar was gone, thrown across the floor. His lip quivered, and despair filled his heart. "Dad..." Arkash called, his voice dry, strained and weak. "Dad..!" he called again, then stumbled toward the door.
[indent=30]"Arkash...?" His father's voice called in turn.
[indent=30]Again, his heart began to race. He'd cried all his tears, but he sobbed all the same as he pushed himself through the doorway. There was Cojack, half-way out of bed with his upper half on the floor. His ribs showed through his shriveled skin, and his twig-like arms tried and tried to push off the floor, but he was too gaunt, too weak to lift himself.
[indent=30]The sight brought both relief and misery. How could Alec do something so terrible to someone so frail? It was only when Cojack managed to turn his head that Arkash realized that wasn't all the youngest Thompson brother had done. Cojack's eye was black, swollen, and half-shut and blood trailed from his nose.
[indent=30]Arkash's heart broke, and he stumbled forward, only to drop to his knees at Cojack's side. There, he wrapped his arms around the older Rathari's chest and lifted him off the ground. The movement stretched his wounds. It stung and even restarted some of the bleedings, but he didn't care. He eventually managed to lift Cojack back into his bed, where he dropped atop the horse and began to ball.
[indent=30]Without restraint, he cried into his father's blanket, sniveled, and screamed. Alec had hit his father, threw him on the floor, and left him. Rage, pain, and misery overcame him, but he ultimately knew that it was his fault. It was as Brodie said; if he hadn't lied, if he hadn't run... If he'd just handed over the money...
[indent=30]Cojack rested his hand atop his son's head while he cried, and spoke a quiet "shhh," which barely permeated the ambiance of his heartache. "I'm alright, Arkash. It's okay," spoke the older rath over and over again to calm his son.
[indent=30]Eventually, the boy Rathari calmed, and the two tended to his wounds with the medical supplies he'd stolen the last time he was injured. Once they'd cleaned the blood from his body, the carving was revealed to be two letters. 'B.T.' They read in a jagged engravement. Brodie Thompson. He'd been branded. Ultimately, it didn't matter. His scars faded with every shedding, and the next was due around his birthday in the next season. As for their money situation, Arkash just needed to get bolder.
[indent=30]They could recover from this; it wasn't the end of them. They weren't lost.
