Chapter 3: looking at the pieces
[Chapter 1: A dark start](%5C)
[Chapter 2: Saving the broken](%5C)
Chapter 3: Looking at the pieces
Silveratus gawked at his old friend the words he spoke still ringing in his ear, he was stunned in disbelief. Silveratus turned his attention back to the kid sitting on his couch, trying to discern what Fergus had seen and he could not. The fact was also running in his head, the child had referred to itself as a girl at one point even, and Fergus had addressed her as such without correcting him that she was a boy. Though it did ring a note of the sick mind of Draven, but even he would not be that morally deprived... would he? Silveratus shook his head looking back at Fergus still perplexed, a migraine starting to form from the wandering thoughts. "Fergus, please explain your reasoning, before you drive me insane trying to think of one."
Fergus sighed looking at the kid. "It's not something that is easy to explain I'm afraid, The fact that I can tell that your her is a him, is how much Draven's broken him. If it was a girl Draven wouldn't have bothered with these extreme precautions." Fergus turned going over to the child as his eyes slowly closed the kid tired from the late hour. Fergus sat next to the kid causing him to lock in place noticing they had come back. Fergus took the kid in his arm the kid slowly leaning towards him his back as stiff as a board. "Males get hostile as they grow older, it's part of our genetic's we can't help it. We do control ourselves though, some better than others. Female's don't have to deal with it constantly but they get a time of the month to act bitchy." The kid looked at Fergus his head tilted to the side confused, by not being in on the rest of their conversation.
"But why do this then, why cause someone to think theirs something else entirely?" Fergus placed his hand on the kids head, the kid slowly calmed down until Fergus yanked at something suddenly. The kid yelped in pain as Fergus held two pins in his hand. The kid casting a frightened glance at the pins, his hand reaching for his ears. Silveratus watched as the kids ears seemed to pop correctly into place, formed like a felines ears should be, the muzzle still looked canine but that was possibly age showing. Silveratus looked on as the kid felt his ears fear showing in his eyes.
"Because when you force an identity upon someone, they belong to you."
"Put them back!" Silveratus almost jumped back as the timid kid, trembled with a scowl, he thought the kid was going to bite Fergus. He was wrong though as the kid's trembling turned into tears. Fergus maintained control though as he looked at the kid. petting him on the head in a calming manner as the kid sobbed. "P-please put them back, m-master says I must be a his little p-puppy, I have to be his obedient little pup. I can't have my ears look wrong." The kid grabbed and pulled at his ears trying to hold them how they were. All the time Silveratus winced as he saw how he pulled on them. Fergus stopping the kid by holding his paws still.
"And what is wrong with the way they look?" The kid struggled with Fergus' grip trying to lean his head down to grip them. Fergus changed his hold, moving both of the kids paws in his right, and the kids head in his left. The kid whimpering as he tried to move his grab at his ears again. "Tell me what is wrong with you looking that way?" The kid struggled a little more, before giving up looking at the old man.
"Because I'm not allowed to. Not ever." Fergus held the kid for a moment longer until he was sure that he wasn't going to rip at his ears anymore. The kid pulled his feet to his chest, holding them tight. Silveratus could see that he was twitching to rip at his ears again, but was trying to hold back.
"What about leaving your master's home did he not say that was not allowed too?" Fergus raised his brow at the child as he turned to silence again.
"Master promi- said that we would go for a walk one day, that I was not allowed to go outside without him until then." The kid looked away again his lip trembling.
"Did your master keep his promise?" The kid remained quiet holding himself rocking on the couch slightly, his eyes looking away into the distance. Silveratus thought the kid was going to remain silent this time before he slowly started to stutter.
"He... He...." The kid went silent again for a moment before taking a nervous gulp. "Master makes no promise, master does not need to promise his pup, because master, is master." Fergus wrapped his arm around the kid pulling him close.
"But you want to go outside though, don't you?"
"No... because it would make master angry."
"But your master isn't here." The kid shook his head burying is face in his knees, his arms holding tightly around him.
"I'm still not allowed to. I must go back to him. Please, let me go back to master." Fergus sighed looking at the kid, Silveratus could see his old friends heart breaking for the kid. Silveratus felt the same, Draven had taken so much from this kid that he depended on him like a drug. All the kid could think about was returning to him to get his next fix. Silveratus walked over to the kid and Fergus knelling down to the kids level as he talked to him.
"I'm sorry but your not going back to him. We can't let you stay with him any more." The give gave him a bit of a scowl raising his head out from behind his knees to glare at Silveratus. "I know it's hard to understand for you because he's made you believe that he's your master and that-"
"He is my master!" the kid shouted in his face, Silveratus gave a patient sigh at the kids outburst. He shook his head, before looking back at the kid placing a hand on his shoulder, the kid shrugging it off in a huff. "Don't touch me!" Silveratus cast a glance to Fergus who nodded for him to respect the kids wishes. Silveratus backed off a bit the kid burying his head into his knees again with only his eyes peering over at him. "Just take me home to master." Fergus placed his hand back on the kids head trying to calm him down again.
"We can't. Because what your master does is not right. Just because he says he's your master, does not justify what he's done to you." The kid opened his mouth to argue with Fergus like he had with Silveratus, but Fergus cut him off early "I know what your going to say, and before you do tell me this, why is he your master?" The kid closed his mouth for a moment as he thought.
"Because I'm nothing without him, he is my life. He made sure I survived, I would have died without master." The kid curled away from Fergus looking away. "Since I would have died without him my life is now his." Fergus patted the kid peacefully on the back, before turning to Silveratus and heading towards the door. Silveratus followed as the kid seemed to shrink all the more as he curled up on the couch. Fergus opened the front door stopping in the frame as he looked back at him.
"He doesn't just need help Silveratus, he needs so much more. Take care of him, feed him, cloth him. He's fragile, Draven stole everything from the kid, and once he did he stole his past. I doubt that Draven saved the kid, he's told to say that, Draven was getting him ready to take out into public. The talk about walks, actually clothing the kid as he's told to believe, and that whole bile about being saved. He needs to be loved, he needs to know what actual affection feels like." Fergus turned giving Silveratus a hug good bye. "And a simple hug won't work like it did for you."
"Thanks pops, for everything." Fergus chuckled a bit as he turned walked down the short path way to the road.
"Don't thank me just yet, the kid still hates, and your going to have to work that out for yourself, I'm getting to old for stuff like this." Silveratus smiled as Fergus started to mutter to himself as he walked away. No matter how old the fox got he would always respect the old man's help. Closing the door behind him Silveratus turned his attention back to the kid, he sighed as all he got was a glaring look back.
"Come on we better get you to bed." Silveratus padded over reaching out to the kid, only to have him shudder away with a glare. Silveratus rolled his eyes looking at the kid, "Look either you follow me or I'm going to carry you." The kid got to his feet shuffling behind Silveratus. The kid looking down at his feet his posture submissive in nature. Silveratus gave a sigh looking at the kid, no matter how much the kid hated him he seemed to submit the moments later. The kid had no fight in him, nothing that told him to stand up against him. Silveratus lead the kid past his room to the guest room he had tucked away if Fergus decided to visit for a night. The kid though suddenly tensed up as they passed his room, Silveratus caught the kids reaction slowing a bit looking back at the kid. "Something wrong?"
"A-are you going to punish me." Silveratus stopped suddenly causing the kid to bump into him, quickly backing up whimpering. His eyes closed as he cowered. Silveratus mouth gaped open as the kid asked him such. He sighed feeling that it didn't help that he'd done nothing to make the kid feel welcomed either. Silveratus fell to his knee clasping his paws on the kids shoulder, the kid looking up at him trembling.
"Why would I punish you. You have done nothing wrong. I will never hurt you like Draven did."
"B-but I yelled at you. I'm not allowed to yell." Silveratus smiled lightly rubbing the back of the kids head causing him to look up at him. "A-and your taking me to the d-dungeon." Silveratus drew a blank looking at the kid, then it dawned on him. The kid hadn't done any exploring so as far as the kid knew they where heading towards a dungeon like Draven would. Silveratus chuckled slightly shaking his head.
"No I'm not taking you to any dungeon. I'm taking you to your room." Silveratus grabbed a hold of the kids hand urging him to follow behind. Opening the door for the kid to enter, he watched as the kid hesitated slowly walking in. Silveratus dropped the kids hand as he looked back at him with the same confused stare he had the whole night. Silveratus smiled ruffling the kids hair. "Now get some rest, alright ki-...did Draven ever give you a name?" The question coming to mind, he had referred to the child as nothing but kid the whole time in his mind. Though his answer affirmed Fergus' idea about Draven's control of identity as the kid simply shook his head.
"Master said I was not allowed to have a name, that he didn't want his little girl to have a name. That I was just to be his pup." Silveratus pinched his temples as the kid pointed out all the issues he had to deal with in a single breath. The kids gender confusion, calling Draven his master, no name, and he doubted that he had seen the last of the ear problem. Silveratus gave a sigh knowing that he wasn't going to be able to get through it all in a single night.
"We'll need to have a long discussion latter, for now get some sleep okay?" The kid nodded as Silveratus closed the door silently behind him leaving the kid to explore his new room. Silveratus leaning against the door with a sigh. "What have I got myself into." he questioned. Lifting himself from the door he walked back to his room, staggering slightly as his body reminded him of his need for sleep.
lighting a candle Silveratus pulled out a piece of parchment and a quill in his desk writing down what had to be done. He finished when he wrote down the newest one to deal with the kids name. He scratched his chin trying to think of something anything to name the kid. His eyes wandering over to the silver mirror he had hanging on the adjacent wall. Standing wearily Silveratus looked at his reflection a harsh shadow cast across his features with the candle behind him. His eyes where haggard, his fur looking dull instead of a glossy sheen. He lifted his paw to the spot right under his left eye that once held the rune marking that Draven had put on him long ago. Phantom pain clutched at him as he remember the occasion.
Draven had seemed nicer during the first few days he was there only showing his true intent when Silveratus could not escape his grasp as easily. The day he got the binding runes was that day. Draven invited him to join him for a meal the food drugged placing Silveratus into deep sleep. He didn't get the markings while he was out no Draven had wanted him to feel the pain as he got them. He awoke confused and disoriented his body held against the wall by bindings at his hands and feet, his wings pressed against the wall. Draven showed his true colors as he told him the price for his so called kindness that he was to from then on be his slave.
Draven pulled his hand out from behind him to show a die cast iron nothing seemed odd about it until Draven spoke a few whispered words the object taking on life as it glowed an unnatural red. Draven wasn't gentle as he placed the marking upon his fur the iron burning him below his skin. Silveratus cried tears of pain as he felt it sheared his flesh. Silveratus though his fur would combust from the burning sensation. Soon his mind offered release as he fainted from the agonizing pain with Draven laughing at him.
Silveratus awoke that night for the first time chained up in Draven's dungeon. Fear had gripped him as he felt the heavy chains hold him to the floor, his cloths all gone with only a ragged cloth to hide his shame. He laid on the dungeon floor in agonizing sleep his face still burning where the mark had been placed. He placed his head against the cold ground to help it go away but nothing ever helped it go away. He cried that night knowing full well that he was trapped in Draven's clutches. It would be months before he ever got up the courage to run.
Time had rid him of the markings outer appearance his fur covering the mark on his flesh. Though he knew it was still there under his fur, a rune which said Draven had owned him the very rune being Daven's crest. All one simply had to do was cut away the fur to see the mark underneath, or Draven's favorite method. Activating the marking burning the fur above to show the mark underneath, every time trying to instill that fear in him.
Silveratus had seen the kids markings, they where there though dulled from being left alone for a time. The marking was as good as a sign telling him the kid was his. Silveratus made another note on the paper he had left. A permanent solution to the marking had to be found, but he knew nothing of runes the old art lost to time as it served no purpose to the people. There where the traders who came through the town once and again but they wouldn't travel to there town until another few months. Until then he just had to hide the kids mark from prying eyes until his fur grew out more to hide it.
Staggering to his bed Silveratus could do no more for it tonight his body protesting him to rest as he sprawled out upon the bed. Carelessly he removed his clothing tossing them to the side as he pulled the covers up to warm him. Blowing out the candle Silveratus laid his head down on the soft pillow letting his body finally rest. Though his mind still played through thoughts of the kid and what the future held. On thought spoke out above the rest, what to call the kid then One name though rose above them. The name that he was told as a child that held a bit of meaning. His fathers name before his mothers passing, although Silveratus never meet his father he bore no ill will. His father was unwanted as he was dragons where not held as creatures of darkness. His had idolized his father as someone like him when he was a kid on the streets. He closed his eyes happily knowing what to call the kid. The name on his lips before sleep overtook him.
"Cyril."