A Slave Cub's tale 5

Day 11

The werewolf leaders seem a bit on edge. Anyiko even snapped at me and she’s usually one of the nicer ones. I was simply walking by, minding my own business and carrying a jug of Mead that I was supposed to bring to Gnarl, when out of nowhere she started yelling at me.

“If Slave Cub dare drop jug and splatter mead all over Anyiko’s feet and things again, Anyiko skin Slave Cub alive!”

So, naturally I startled terribly and dropped the jug. Thank god it didn’t break. I don’t think I have ever been faster in picking up something from the floor and running to Gnarl. Gnarl wasn’t pleased with my fast delivery either, but then he never is.

Anyway, as I understand it, some of them feel like they should move on, while others think after all their fighting in the ongoing campaign, they have earned a longer rest. Last night, it almost came to blows between Pumori and Rocco. That’s one of the older werewolf leaders. Pumori won the argument. Also, even though nobody talks about it, I think they feel uncomfortable with Pumori’s obsession to explore that mysterious fairytale realm they call the Dreamworld.

I hope they work it out. I prefer them ignoring and bossing me around over them snapping at me and bossing me around. And odd as it may seem, I actually prefer Pumori over Rocco. Rocco is hard as nails and doesn’t consider humans to be worth anything at all. He doesn’t want me looking at him, speaking when he’s near or even walking on two feet within ten meters of him. He doesn’t like the fact Pumori gave me the fur cloak either. I’m scared of what he might do to me if he ever became alpha.

On the fun side, Renya took our food with her so we could have a little picnic outside the walls. She thought it was very normal, as werewolves don’t really mind where they eat. I thought it was great though. It reminded me of the time when mom and dad were still alive and they took me for a ride outside the city.

Day 12

Renya and I kissed! Not just a kiss on the cheek or something like before, but on the lips! I was strolling to the brook to get fresh water for Azik, and Renya was there too! She was sitting on the bank, in a very elegant manner, and washing her hair. Needless to say she was in her human form. When I came closer, she looked at me, her hands  and fingers combing back her long, wet hair. She smiled at me. God, she looked so beautiful. And before I knew what I was doing, I said:

“My god, Renya, you are so incredibly beautiful!”

She just stared at me for a moment and I started blushing terribly when I realized what I had said. I quickly kneeled down and filled my bucket, but Renya crawled to me, grabbed me by my fur cloak and pressed her lips against mine. I was taken a bit by surprise, but I made no objections. And so, we kissed. Yay.

I don’t think it can get much better than this. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but … I … I think I actually like living with the pack. Even though I’m just a slave. It certainly beats living with that pig farmer. And being a slave with the werewolves isn’t that bad. Sure, wearing that dog collar is a bit weird and degrading, but if I try not to be too clumsy and try to do my chores as good as possible, I won’t get a lot of slaps against the back of my head. Gnarl, although surly and grumpy, almost never uses that crop of his. Most of the werewolves are still scary though. Especially Azik, Gnarl and Pumori. But I think I could get used to them. One thing I’m almost convinced of by now: they are not going to eat me.

Day 13

It’s all gone wrong. Everything felt so right yesterday and now everything feels like crap. I’m really sad. And scared. All I have left is this one little strap of paper and I’m writing with my finger dipped in some dirt. It’s no point. Pumori took all my stuff: ink, paper, quills, even the things I already wrote, my satchel, cloak, everything. I won’t be writing anymore. I’ll be lucky if she doesn’t beat me half to death. I’ll hide this last strap under that loose tile in this storage room. I hear somebody coming …

Day 13/extra and Day 14

Okay, so I guess I should explain what happened. I’m writing this on day 14 but I first have to get back to day 13. Yesterday, I thought it would be a boring day. Renya was out on a scouting mission with Toby and wouldn’t be back for at least two days. Gnarl was lazy and couldn’t really be bothered with giving me chores. Azik was in a bad mood and she looked at me as if she was looking for an excuse to punish me, so, as she didn’t give me anything to do anyway, I decided to stay away from her. As I had no chores, nobody to talk to or play with, I withdrew in the library and tried to add to my journal.

I was lying on my belly, with my papers in front of me and leaning on my elbows, engrossed in what I was writing, when I heard a soft sound behind me. I hoped it was Renya who had returned early. After all, except for her and me, nobody ever came to the library. But all of a sudden, somebody grabbed me by the scruff of my neck and yanked the paper away from under my nose. Startled, I looked up into the suspicious face of Pumori herself.

“P … Pumori,” I stuttered.

“What … are this?” she said in a soft but dangerous voice. “What are scribbles on paper?”

“N … n … nothing,” I replied.

“Nothing?” Pumori looked at the paper from different angles. “This are not nothing. This are … scribbles from humans! Only humans use scribbles … to … to talk with other humans without saying out loud! Who you is making scribbles to?”

“Nobody! You misunderstand,” I exclaimed.

She dragged me to my feet and threw me against a book case. She pushed me against it and brought her face so close to mine, our noses almost touched.

“Slave cub not lie! Who?!”

“Nobody. Honest!” I cried.

“Lies! All humans is liars!” she roared and pushed me once more to the book case. She slapped me hard in the face and continued:

“Speak truth, human! Who you contact?”

“Nobody! It’s not a message to anybody!”

With an angry roar, she pulled me away from the bookcase and kicked me across the room. I crashed into some chairs and a table. I didn’t even get the time to get up. She jumped immediately on top of me and grabbed me by the throat with one hand.

“Slave cub better start talk truth!” she snarled, as she pulled her short sword from its scabbard. “Or Pumori start cutting off pieces.”

“No, no, no!” I screamed. “Don’t! I’ve never seen anyone else but werewolves. Ask Renya! She can tell.”

“Renya? Ah! So that what scribbles are for! Dark spell to get Renya to like Slave-cub! Pumori foolish! Should know better! Even gave cloak to Slave cub and allow Slave cub to play with Renya. No more! You humans is all the same: deceitful, treacherous. Never can trust human. So Pumori take everything back! Satchel, all scribbles, food bowl, cloak, everything!”

She slapped me once more and stood up. I tried to crawl away, but she kicked me in the butt and grabbed me by my hair.

“Never talk to Renya again!” she hissed. “Pumori forbid. You is slave and do nothing from now on than slave stuff. Pumori will give orders to entire pack. If Pumori even allow cub to live! Pumori and Azik look at evil scribbles first, then question Slave cub! Question very good!”

“Please don’t do that,” I pleaded. “I’ve done nothing wrong. I swear!”

“Quiet! Not talk unless speak honest!” Suddenly she stopped talking and stared at the table. “What are that! More papers? More scribbles?”

She picked my satchel from the table and snatched my journal out of it. With growing anger, she stared at the papers filled with scribbles.

“So many scribbles!” She gasped. “Slave cub are spy! How send messages to other humans? Where is other humans? Is they going to attack soon? How many?”

“I’m not a spy! I don’t know anybody and as far as I know, there are no other humans around. Please, alpha,” I pleaded. “You have to believe me.”

“If not message, then magic! Spell to hurt pack or get to Renya!” She growled.

“I would never try to hurt the pack. I swear. And Renya came to me before I even found this paper in the abbey!”

“Hah!” Pumori scoffed. “Humans always want hurt pack. All humans! Slave cub no different. Pumori soon make Slave Cub speak truth!”

She confiscated all my stuff and threw me into a small storage room adjacent to the library. It had no windows and it was dark inside. Last thing I heard was the bolt being drawn. I was really scared and felt like crying, but I didn’t of course, because I’m a boy and I’m too old to cry. Ehm … anyway, I don’t know how long I was in there. It must have been several hours, but it felt much longer. Despite being scared and worried, I still felt very hungry and thirsty after a while, because it was also quite hot in there.

Finally, after what seemed an eternity, I heard sounds in the library and somebody coming to the door. The bolt was pulled away and the door opened. I was so scared, I cowered back in a corner, and yelled:

“Please don’t kill me! I didn’t do anything wrong and I’m not a spy. I’m really not! I was just trying…”

“Slave Cub keep quiet!” Gnarl growled. He grabbed my arm and dragged me out of the room. I struggled, but I think I made about as much impression on him as a mouse fighting off a cat. He took me into the library and held me firmly in place by my arms in front of a table. Pumori was sitting on top of it. Somehow she seemed … uneasy. Azik was sitting behind a table to my right. My journal was lying spread out on Azik’s table.

“P … Pumori,” I whimpered. “Please don’t hurt me …”

“Quiet!” Gnarl snapped, shaking me violently.

“Gnarl! Just keep Slave cub in place,” Azik reprimanded him.

“Slave cub,” Pumori said, surprisingly calm and with some reluctance in her voice, “You make all these scribbles, yes?”

I nodded.

“What they mean?”

“It’s a journal.”

“What are journal?”

“Like a diary.”

“What are diary?”

“It’s … like the things that happened to me. Just that. Like what kind of chores I have to do, when you gave me that cloak. Meeting Renya … It’s got nothing to do with spying or black magic, alpha. Honest! I know nothing about things like that.”

“Pumori not understand. Why Slave cub do that?”

“I don’t know. It’ something I like to do, when I have nobody to talk to or do fun things with. My journal … keeps me company. It’s like talking to somebody, even if there’s nobody present. But … wait! Do you believe me now, that I wasn’t doing anything wrong?”

“Azik … knows many words in scribbles. Not all, but many. Azik look at slave cub’s scribbles. Tell Pumori scribbles are what Slave cub just say. Just simple things. Things that happen. Nothing about war or campaign or thingies that help enemy,” she mumbled.

“So … so … you’re not going to kill me?”

Pumori sighed and rolled her eyes.

“No. Pumori … make mistake. But Slave cub are bad cub too! Not ask permission to make scribbles! Not tell Gnarl can make scribbles! Maybe Slave cub not has enough work! Too much free time to play with Renya and make silly scribbles without permission.”

“I’m sorry …” I whispered, staring at the floor. “I’ll work harder and I won’t write anything ever again. I promise. But please, please don’t forbid me to talk to Renya anymore.”

“Slave cub be quiet,” Azik said. “Just answer questions. How come low pig herding cub know to make scribbles? No need to know scribbles to feed pigs and clean up shit.”

“I wasn’t always a pig boy. I went to school when I was younger. When I still lived with my mom and dad. But then, they died and I was dumped by my uncle with that horrible pig farmer.”

“You lived in stinking city of Roccasone?” Pumori growled. “Father was slaver?”

“My father was a wine merchant. He bought wine in Degoland and Sargos, transported it to Roccasone and sold it to the inns and taverns. My mom helped him with the books. We had people who cleaned the house and cooked dinner, but they were always nice to me and I don’t remember my dad ever punishing them. I don’t even think they were slaves, but I don’t know that for sure,” I replied. “I was still very little and I don’t really remember.”

“Mm,” Pumori growled. “Still sound suspicious!”

Azik walked to Pumori and spoke softly with her. She probably thought I couldn’t hear, but I have good hearing, so I picked up a few words and puzzled the rest together from there.

“Pumori, little human are smart. Can make scribbles. Scribbles has use.”

“Use for what?”

“For keeping memories, sending messages, all sort of things. Slave cub maybe more useful than think.”

“Humans never useful. Not talk about silly things like that. But … Slave cub naughtiness not so bad. Not spy after all. Pumori make mistake. Not much punish.”

Suddenly, Pumori turned to me, snapped her fingers and gestured me closer. Gnarl gave me a good push so I stumbled forward, tripped and with my usual clumsiness, fell to my knees before her.

“Slave cub, hold out hands,” Pumori ordered.

I trembled a bit, because I knew what would happen. The pig farmer’s wife had regularly used this punishment on me. I had to hold up my hands, palms up and then, she would hit them with a stick. It’s very painful. So, I lowered my head and held my hands up high. But instead of the sharp, stinging pain I expected, I felt something soft and something hard, made of glass, being put into my hands. I looked up and to my surprise, I saw a quill and an inkwell resting in my hands. I glanced at Pumori. She rolled her eyes and waved impatiently with her hand.

“Get to feet, stupid Slave Cub. Look ridiculous on knees. You can has stuff back. Even papers with scribbles.”

“Does … does that mean I can …”

“Yes, Slave cub can makes more scribbles for now.”

“And … and …”

“Yes. Can talk to Renya too. But still gets punish for not telling Azik or Gnarl or Pumori about scribbles. Now, Slave cub get to work. Start by washing all food bowls of entire pack, then clean all floors with only small brush!”

“Is that my punishment?” I asked hopeful.

“No, Azik think of something later. Go now.”

I didn’t like that, but all in all, it could have been much worse. I ran to the door, but before I left, I turned around and said:

“Thank you for returning my things and letting me write and see Renya, Pumori.”

The alpha seemed a bit surprised by that. She nodded.

“Are okay. Go now, before Pumori change mind.”

I opened the door and left. But before I was gone, I could see from the corner of my eye that Pumori turned to Azik and said:

“Azik really thinks Slave cub can be useful? Azik tell Pumori more.”

Then I was out of there. A bit shaken, but generally very relieved. Pumori hadn’t apologized of course, but I still had the impression she had felt a bit bad for making that mistake about my journal and being so mad with me for nothing. Maybe she’ll know now that not all humans are evil and have bad intentions. Mm. That’s probably asking for too much. Anyway, I have to stop now, because they are giving me a lot of extra work. And with ‘they’ I mean Azik. I’m dreading what actual punishment she has in store for me. I don’t think, when it happens, I’ll write that down.