Noir Hero part 2
#2 of Noir Hero
Part 2: The Escape.
Yesssssss, you ssssshall be perfect
Those words still ring in in my ear to this very day, sending chills down my spine. It has been nearly ten years since the day I was sold to the serpent and many things had changed. My fur and grown dull and caked in dirt, grim, and several other things that disgusted me. The life that once burned in my eyes had gone out; diminished by the life I was forced to live. I had been bought and sold to several other wealthy buyers looking for a wolf to make their slave. So many faces have come and gone, to many to count, to many that caused pain. I am currently living with a horrid otter who I only knew as Master. He has had me for a year now, and had been the cruelest out of any master I have had. I was beaten for simple mistakes, left to starve outside and watch his family eat a feast, and have rotten food thrown at me just for his amusement. My concentration was broken the minute the otter stepped into what I refer to as my prison. It was his basement, dirt covered floors and wooden walls were my surroundings. Near the back corner was my cage, rusted with age and stained with some of my own blood. My only view of the outside world was a small window near the wooden ceiling.
"On your feet, Mutt! You have chores to do!" I got up from the floor and stood at attention and simply nodded: my right to speak not being given to me from him. This was expected of me. I was not allowed to do anything without his permission. I walked over to the door and waited for him to open it. Master did so and I still stood there, waiting for the next command.
"Today you will be working on the garden. My wife, your mistress, is leaving today to go to the city and I need someone to make my home look nice. That is your job for today. I will be out there making sure you do it properly. Understand?" I nodded and moved right behind him, following behind him every step of the way.
We walked through his regal home until we reached the large backyard. Master lived out in the woods in a large bricked estate, candle lights in all the rooms, the latest wood stoves and the largest library outside Flame city, one of the four major cities in the kingdom.
Flame city was to the east, by the mountains: known for its fiery strength. Terra city was to the south: giving birth to the finest materials used for anything. Aqua city was to the west by the Coast of Dragon Sea: scholars went to study from the kingdom's own royal library and master the arts. Wind city was to the north by the large valleys and canyons: there, travelers can trade and commerce and go along their way quickly when they are finished. At the heart of the land is the royal palace. There, the king leads his lords and does all of his business.
We made our way down to the fenced garden when Master stopped suddenly.
"You are to tend to the vegetables, and trim the rose bushes. I will be watching from the patio. Making sure the work is completed soon. I will come by to check your progress at high noon. Understand mutt?" Again I nodded and set forth to my work at hand. Before long a lean lioness in silk garments came out and stood by Master's side. It was his wife.
"Oh sweetie, I need your help loading the carriage. I need to be in the city soon, and I am running late!" she exclaimed. Master sighed and ordered me to continue my work. The minute they left I gave a quiet chuckle. I knew why Mistress was really going to the city. For several weeks she had told her husband that she would be going to chat with old friends, which was partially true, but she was really there to change his bank accounts to her name.
"That old twit has too much gold!" she had stated to her friends one day. Mistress had some friends of hers over for some herbal tea when I over heard her say. "The only reason I married that stooped little otter was so I can take his gold and everything else I can get my paws on. The twit still thinks I go out to see friends from my past. What an idiot!"
Ever since then I would always chuckle to myself whenever she would leave. I got up to stretch when I realized an amazing discovery. Master had left. There was no one watching me. I looked around to double check and I was correct. No one was around. I looked over to the edge of the yard where the forest boundary laid. If I were to run in there, he could never follow me due to his old age, and he would have to wait for mistress to get back before he could go to the city to hire someone to find me. The odds were on my side.
I summoned all the strength I could and quickly ran for the forest, never once looking back. The thick canopy of trees covered me from the blazing sun, while the tangle of roots below me stood no chance in tripping me up or slowing me down. I don't know where I was going but I knew what to look for: water. If I could find a stream or a river, I could stop and rest. I perked my ears in attempt to hear the running water. I kept running until sometime after high noon, the sky had started to grow pink. I know there is a word used for the time but it has been so long that word escaped me.
I finally stumbled across a small river that I could cross in one leap. The waters were surprisingly clean, and filed with little fish. What made this spot all the more better was there was a mouth to a large cave not far from it. I could make shelter and stay there for the night.
The rest of my night had been spent on gathering what I could find. I found some wild berries and firewood. I found a small rock that was hollowed out that I used to collect water in. I would have to move soon, so I did not make anything permanent. The risk of staying was far too great. By now Master, or my former Master, would be sitting in his home waiting for his ungrateful wife to come back so he can travel to the city to hire a bounty hunter.
I made my way into the cave and found a large smooth rock that I could lie on. It was massive in size, and it allowed me to stretch out fully. I began to close my eyes and began to sleep. The first good sleep I had in a long time. My life was now mine again, mine to do what I want with it.
Three weeks had passed and neither a sight nor sound came from the direction of the manor. I had grown more comfortable as everything seemed to be working out for me. I explored the cave more and found a perfect place to build a fire inside it, the river was constantly full of fish and I could finally feed myself to my heart's content. Sadly however, even with a stream nearby, I could not clean my fur. No matter how hard I rubbed, it never left, but I didn't let that stop me from enjoying freedom.
I walked back into my cave when I noticed something odd. Along the wall were long streaks. I paid them no attention at first, but they drew my attention in with each passing day. Today however I decided to give them a closer look at them. The streaks were long and wide. They stretched almost the entire wall. I followed the scratch marks further into the cave, going deeper into my dark decent. This area of the cave was cold and almost barren, but my instincts told me otherwise: there was something in here with me.
Just then, there was a large roar coming back from the opening of the cave. Normally, I would have run further in the cave, but I believed myself to be brave enough to handle the challenge. I sprinted back to the opening when I saw an unfathomable sight.
There in the opening to the cave, was a large feral dragon. They were one in a million, it was considered dangerous to see one high in the skies, others saw it as a blessing, and I saw it as a deadly beast standing a few feet away. Its large wings were longer wide then I was tall. The sleek crimson scales made the beast look horrific. I looked down at the sharp black claws glisten with blood stained tips. The dragon had recently killed, and I was sure I was next on his meal list.
The dragon gave another tremendous roar that seemed to shake the walls of the cave. I took this as my chance and ran underneath it and run for the forest. Hoping to break my line of sight and escape my fate. I could hear its tremendous footsteps as I ran through the forest. My goal was to make into thicker trees to confuse my predator.
I had found a dirt path and with my luck, I tripped. I fell face on the smooth path that divided me from my doom and my safety. I turned around on my back to find the dragon nearing closer and soon it was standing over me.
This is it; I'm going to die now.
The dragon gave a tremendous roar of victory as I closed my eyes for my final moments of peace.