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The Way Of The Golden Ghost

by stoicwolf

With the tips of my paws, I put out the candle for the night, plunging the shack we lived in into darkness. It wasn't too bad, though. Some light still came in through the window curtains, but it was still frightening being all alone. Mom and dad had been called away by the guards a little earlier in the night. They didn't say why they had to go right away, but from how they reacted, it couldn't have been good. Most likely had something to do with Rauter having escaped last night, and if it was about that, they'd be gone for some time, being interrogated by the guards or even the Masters. Or worse. They could be bringing back his body...

I was laying on my mat bed trying to sleep when the door opened with a thud. It scared me so much that I curled up in fear before looking over at the door, hoping that it wasn't another surprise raid. I was relieved when I saw my mom walking in. Even in the low light, I could tell it was her, but she didn't look right. Her bright otter eyes that were usually full of happiness even in these conditions were now red and watery. She had been crying. Why, I wasn't sure, but I found out pretty quick. My dad, the strong otter that he was, came in slowly after her, carrying something on his back.

No. It couldn't be...

"Tenkevo," I heard my mom call as she got closer to me. "Come help your father."

I didn't need another word. I got up and helped prop up Rautier, throwing one of his arms around me, my father shifting his hold on him so we were lifting him up equally. All that time, he didn't seem to respond to my presence. It looked like he had a bump on his head, so he might have been knocked out. His breathing was very shallow and he was having shaking fits. This was a far cry from the strong dog I considered an older brother. "Those cruel Masters. I'll get them one day for this," I cursed to myself.

"Thanks son," my father huffed. "We're gonna set him down on the mats as soon as your mom is done arranging them. He's been through alot and needs lots of rest and healing."

"Okay dad," I nodded.

One step at a time, the two of us inched our way through our shack, taking care not to drop the injured. While I was almost as tall as my dad even at my young age, I lacked his or the doberman's strength, so it was slow going. The shack wasn't too big, maybe a dozen feet or so each side, but considering six of us once lived in here, it was fine. Aside from the small table, a few stools and a fire pit that were the few things that left a large footprint, the rest of the space was mostly usable, but the dirt floor didn't help. Slave living is tough.

My mother made a special bed from all our sleeping mats and our extra clothes by the time we got Rautier to it. "Set him down careful, on his stomach," she spoke. I soon learned why. After we put him down, I got a good look at his back. It was bloody, slashed with whip marks that made him striped in a differently terrible way.

My father turned back and fetched a bucket of water. With my mother gently lifting his head up, he gave him a drink. After a gulp, Rautier coughed and wheezed, curling up trying not to move much. At least he was alive.

"It's okay son. You'll be fine now," my dad reassured him. "Just rest."

"Thank you," the doberman said weakly.

"What happened to him?" I whispered to my dad even though I knew the answer. He must have been seen by the guards last night and quickly captured, tortured by the guards and Masters until they broke him, making him never think about escape again. They might have even thought about just killing him for his crime. After all, they could have replaced him or any of us easy.

"I'm not sure," he lamented. "Your mom and I just went to fetch him. He's been more or less out for hours until now. Please, don't ask him about anything if he doesn't want to talk about it." He wrapped an arm around me.

"I won't." I returned the hug. "I'm just happy I can see him again." That was a lie and I knew it. At least part of it was. He was supposed to run away and be free, even if it meant leaving us behind for good. I never wanted to see him again, at least not here, not now, not like this.

"I'm happy to see you too," the dog coughed as he turned over to see me. I'm sure he only did that to make sure I saw his smile. Big brother's sure know what to do to make you feel better.

"Rautier, you should be saving your strength. You've been through a lot. Try not to move," my mom chided him as she put a paw on him, gently keeping him down on the mats. She had a soaked rag in the other that she was using to clean up all the blood from his back.

"This is nothing, really." that commanding but soft voice he had was something special. "Besides, I think Tenkevo wants to know what happened."

"You don't have to..." my mom tried to stop him.

"I think I need to..." he trailed off, his weakened body overtaking his strong mind.

"You need to rest!" My father bellowed. "If you want to tell my boy about what happened," my dad said, "you need to sleep tonight, then talk to me before saying anything. I don't want him to know things he shouldn't."

"Dad!" I moaned.

"I will say what I need to right now." Rautier's authoritative voice returned to him. "It is important...for all of us."

His energy seemed renewed. Slowly he began sitting up, bracing his paws on the ground to keep him upright, but my mother still hung onto him, just in case.

"The way to escape...It works." He paused. "It just didn't work for me."

My parents looked at him with disbelief. My father broke the silence. "If it worked, then why are you back here with us?"

"I had made it far away from here undetected. I thought I was in the clear, but then," he choked up. "But then, he showed up."

"Who showed up?"

"The Golden Ghost."

We all gasped. I had heard the Masters talk about the Golden Ghost a few times when I was working in the mansion. I always wanted to know who that was, but I dared not speak to the Masters or even my parents. I didn't want to get punished for learning of something I wasn't supposed to. But now was my chance.

"Who's the Golden Ghost?" I asked aloud to no one in particular.

"The Golden Ghost is a notorious pirate operating on the seas around this land," my father answered. "He plunders from everyone's ships, especially the more wealthy landowners, like," he trailed off. "Like the Masters," he said through gritted teeth. He always hated talking about them. "Anyways," he got back to me as if nothing just happened, "He's legendary for his stealth & evasiveness. No one's even sure what species he is. He moves in quickly and undetected and robs everyone before they even notice. Even though he's got bounties on his head, he can still plunder with the best of them. I still don't understand how he and his ship can do that."

"If he's a pirate," I interrupted. "Why would he have been so far inland? He should have been in the oceans on his ship."

"It turns out he is also in the slave catching business," the doberman looked down, ashamed for telling us this.

"Why would he do that?" my mom seemed uneasy asking that.

"He said it was to make sure his business never went under."

"That's not nice of him," I said. "He's a criminal, and when we run we are too. We should be sticking together."

"But we could be," Rautier lifted his head back up. "This is what I wanted to tell you."

My father and I turned back at each other. The looks we gave each other gave it away. We were confused about this entire thing.

"Let me start from the beginning..."

***

I was running through a dark forest, trying to keep a low profile. It was some time after I escaped from the plantation, so I was sure I was far enough away that I could slow down and catch my breath. I guess that didn't go so well as I was jumped from someone in the trees. I was sure that this was some catcher that I missed that had chased me down. I tried to defend myself, but he was so fast that I didn't know what I was dealing with and couldn't even touch him, but he did, quickly throwing me against a tree. After he cornered me, he pulled out some swords from under the cloak he hid under and pointed them at me. I was sure he was gonna kill me then, so I started pleading with him. "I give up. I'll do what you want, just please don't hurt me more." He just stood there looking at me for a few moments. I didn't dare move because I was sure he'd cut me if I did.

"You're a slave," my attacker said in a lighthearted whisper. He didn't ask. He already knew. If I didn't say all those things earlier, I don't think he would have suspected.

"Well, I'm in a forgiving mood tonight, so I'll cut you a deal," he said. "I'll let you go on your way and let you try to escape your slavery, but you must never mention that we've met. Or you could come with me and be my slave, but you may never set foot on this country again. Your choice."

I wasn't sure what to do. I wasn't even sure who I was dealing with, but he had some kindness since he at least offered me choices, so I felt sure I could trust him no matter what I did.

"I'm done being a slave," I told him confidently, slowly getting up using the tree as a brace. "Just let me go and I'll honor your terms. I don't even know who you are, so you won't have to worry about me telling anyone I saw you."

He put away his swords, and surprisingly, he extended a paw and helped me get back upright. "You've made your choice, now stick to it." He started to walk off, but then turned around to face me once more. "If you wish, follow me. I'm heading out of these woods as well, and this would be the fastest way. Now c'mon. Let's get out of here." He started walking away, and since I had no other path to follow, I began trailing him, running just a few steps behind.

I honestly don't know why I kept following him. He was leading me out of the forest obviously, but it could have all been just an elaborate trap. He didn't even say anything else to me while we were walking. I wanted to say something, but I was sure he would have ignored it anyway. That whole time I thought to myself, I could have, I should have overtaken him while I was behind him, but I didn't. I trusted him too much.

After some time, we got out of the forest and into some hilly, sandy beach area. It might have been close to the river border or even the ocean. My companion kept walking and looked around for a bit, but not at me. Once he was satisfied, he removed the hood he had on. From behind, I got to take a good look at him. He looked to be a fellow canine, I think a coyote since he had golden yellow fur. Since I didn't think he would consider me a threat anymore, I jogged up to him to see his face. Once he turned around and saw his golden eyes, I knew who he was.

"You're the Golden Ghost!" I yelled.

"And you're not supposed to say that I was ever here, or that we've ever met, remember?" he sneered. "Now get to escaping before I decide to take you with me."

"Where are you even going? You should be in the ocean, not here. What were you even doing around here in the first place?" I don't know why I started questioning him then instead of running. I should have, especially knowing now what came next..

"If you must know, I am also a pirate on land, doing burglaries when the trade ships are in a lull. I also get to catching some of you escaping slaves if one so happens to cross my path, just to make sure my main business doesn't go under," he glared at me. "Now leave and say nothing of..."

"Why do you catch slaves?" I bellowed. "We've been forced to work for days on end while our Masters reap all the rewards. We didn't chose to be this way. We're doing nothing wrong by trying to escape to be free. Don't you dare stop any of us from having the freedom you have."

The pirate laughed. It was so infuriating to think my plight was a joke to him. I clenched my paw ready to punch him.

"I'm not stopping anything. Whether you escape or get captured, you will never be free."

"Being free is better than what I've been through," I told him. "I wouldn't be here if I didn't believe that."

He grabbed my neck and pulled me closer, shoving his face into mine. "No matter what happens, you're still a slave. You got an owner now. Running away from the slave lands and becoming a free being won't change your situation much. All that will do is give you more owners than you think of, others that will keep you down, and there's no escape from that." He let go, making me trip backwards before walking off. The pirate was nothing but sincere in his words, but I still didn't believe him. "Well, no way you won't accept anyways."

"What do you mean?" I said as I got up.

"I mean take my offer. Only then can you know true freedom."

"You said I had to be your slave. How is that freedom?"

He turned around and looked right at me, those golden eyes full of promise. "You would be free of the rules of others, the open ocean being your domain. Here on land, you're a criminal for something out of your control. Out there, you're still a criminal, but at least you could work to get that title. For once, you would be in charge of your own destiny. All you have to do is join me."

I thought about his deal again. It was almost everything I wanted, but I just couldn't change my mind. "But joining you entails a sacrifice I just can't go through."

"Everything entails sacrifice. You just need to decide it that sacrifice is worth what you want." He got closer to me again, but this time, he put a paw on my shoulder. That's when it hit me. He was real. All I knew about him before was that he was a ruthless pirate, someone we admired for causing the Masters trouble. But now, he was right here, touching me, showing me a different side of him. Perhaps this was who he really was. Perhaps he was just like me. "You've made it this far already, leaving everything you've known to try and live better. Keep going," he whispered, those golden eyes staring right into mine. It almost seemed like he was about to cry. He got out of my personal space and started to turn away, ready to leave. "Let's go."

"I...I can't." I choked up. After he explained everything, it felt right for me, but I still couldn't go through with it. My mind went back to my otter parents and my younger brother. "I promised my family I'd go back for them once I could. They're everything I have. If I go with you, I will never see them again."

The coyote sighed and lowered his head. "Then do what you must. Just get..." I saw his ears perked up, his eyes lit up too. "Get down!" he yelled through his teeth. He pounced on me before I knew what was happening, rolling with me on the ground. I couldn't shake him off, eventually leaving me on my stomach. He grabbed my arms and tied my paws behind my back with some chain. I wanted to shout, but he put a paw on my muzzle.

"Don't say another word." He kept his voice down low to where I could barely hear him. "I hear others coming, so that means you're coming with me...for now." He got off of me and helped me up quickly before he started running. I didn't hear anything and thought this was all a ploy to get me to really be his slave, but with me being left with no arms to fight, I had really had no choice but to follow him.

If being unnoticed was our goal, we weren't doing well. With each stride, our paws were catching the sands beneath us, kicking it up and leaving a small dust trail for anyone to follow. He might have had a head start, but even without the use of my arms, I was able to catch up to him, getting up just behind him.

"Sorry I had to do that to you," the coyote quickly said between breaths, not even looking back at me. "We've run out of time. Don't be so indecisive next time and you'll be able to choose your fate. It's a shame. You would have made a great addition to the crew. For now, you'll be fine, just gonna get a good batch of beatings, but you'll live. I'd hang for sure if they caught me."

None of that made much sense to me seeing as I was running for my life. "What are you talking about?" I whispered as loud as I could.

He turned his head back, making me catch a final look at his eyes. He reached for something in his robes and threw it at my feet. "May our paths cross again someday."

Some more chain hit my feet and made me trip, going headfirst into the dunes. I wanted to scream at him, hating him for ruining my chance at freedom, but sand filled my mouth & tears filled my eyes. I wasn't able to see him again. The Golden Ghost lived up to his reputation.

***

"I got caught by some real slave catchers after he left me there," Rautier began crying. "They saw his symbol on the chains that bound me and questioned me right away about the Golden Ghost. Even though he didn't keep really his word, I did. When I couldn't give them any answers, they started beating me before bringing me back to some town." He collapsed to the mats, my mother catching him before he hurt himself more. "When no one there claimed me in the morning, the catchers took me to the countryside. I'm not even sure what they were doing, but they spotted Master on the roads and turned me over to him after some words and gold were exchanged." He grew quiet, now only talking in a whisper. "When we got back here, he got some of the guards and chained me up. They grabbed some clubs and whips and begin torturing me for escaping." He just cried for a while, getting a hug from my mom the whole time. "I don't know how long it went, but I passed out until you came to get me."

"You need to sleep Rautier" my mom comforted him, cradling his head. "You need to put all of this behind you."

"But...but we need to plan for our escape," he said, slowly drifting away into sleep.

"If you're wanting us to go now to find the Golden Ghost, there's no way that will happen now," my dad said. "He'd be long gone by now. The guards would be on high alert too. We can't escape anytime soon. Just sleep Rautier. You need to rest up. We'll figure out something someday." He turned to me. "You should be going to sleep too son."

I did as I was told, laying down in the dirt next to the doberman. My father soon laid down next to me, giving me a kiss as he did. "Goodnight Tenkevo," he muttered before going to sleep.

I couldn't go to sleep right away. There were too many thoughts in my mind, so I just turned around on the floor and stared at the roof.

"Are you okay son?" I heard my mother ask in a hush tone, trying not to wake the others.

"Yeah, I'm okay momma," I said. "Just hearing everything Rautier went through kinda scared me." I should have stopped talking there. She didn't need to know anything else, even if she suspected it. "I just, I just don't understand why they did that. He shouldn't have come back." Now my eyes were tearing up.

"Rautier loves us, just like we love him. He could have made it, but we'll never truly know," my mom said. "He wanted us more than his freedom. Don't tease him about that."

"And what about the Golden Ghost? If what Rautier said was true, he should have kept his deal. He should have taken him!" I nearly shouted, but did my best to stay quiet with all the others sleeping. "Things could have been better for all of us that way." I shut my eyes, knowing I was going to cry at any moment. "Maybe Rautier would have been free if he took him with him. Now I just hate him for doing this to us. I hate him!"

"We can't know that Tenkevo, we just can't," she was letting out some tears of her own. "We don't know if the Golden Ghost was lying or not, or even if Rautier is." She grew quiet. "All we know now is that we have Rautier back, and we should be thankful for that."

While that didn't ease my pain, I didn't think we could talk about this any more. "You're right momma."

"Everything will be okay son. Just rest. It will be a better day tomorrow." My mom's comforting words were usually good, but this time, it wasn't enough. After a few moments, I heard her snoring. I tried to sleep, but my thoughts didn't let me.

My mind kept going back to everything Rautier said. I don't think he would ever lie to us, so his story had to have happened just like he said. He had to have met the Golden Ghost, and after deciding to go with him, got betrayed by him, and I'll never forgive that cheating coyote for that. And yet I am angry at Rautier for not getting away too. He should have just gone away, either by ignoring the pirate or joining him from the start, no matter what the cost. It's not like we were his real family anyways. He didn't shed a tear when he left, so he shouldn't have been so confused. He could have been free if it weren't for us, and I don't think I can ever understand why he couldn't do it.

One thing stuck out at me though. Rautier said that he felt that the Golden Ghost and him were the same. Could that have meant that the coyote was a slave too? Maybe he was, but in a different way. Maybe that freedom he talked about was real, but it made him selfish. Or maybe it was all a lie and he was just as bad as the Masters, capturing those he could use for his own needs. Whatever the reason, his way didn't work for Rautier, and it didn't work for me.

I turned to face my brother. He was lost to peaceful sleep. It even looked like his muzzle was cracking a smile. What could he have been happy about? There was nothing good about the situation. If anything, he only made things worse for himself. I wanted to hate him for making the wrong decision, but as I kept looking on, I just couldn't. In a way, I was grateful he was still with us and not in the free lands or a slave to another. As much as I hated to admit, he was happier here and he knew it too. Nothing would ever change that. We loved him as much as he loved us.

Perhaps the Golden Ghost knew that Rautier couldn't leave us. He could have taken him away easy, but he didn't. He could have even killed him, but he didn't. Instead, he gave him some freedom, the chance to choose his own path. While he may have not held up his end of the bargain, he did more than most everyone in this land would to a slave. In some strange way, I'm thankful for that betrayal. If it wasn't for those other catchers, I would have never known about that side of him. Maybe he really was more caring than people gave him credit for. If that's true, there could be hope for us all.

I closed my eyes, ready to sleep. Everything felt right. But I had someone to thank for that.

"Thank you Golden Ghost. Thank you for letting our paths cross again."