A Promise Perhaps Broken.
Characters: Kentar, Kluner, Various spoofs
Location: Slave Row, Main Deck, Brig
Its been about a full day now since Kentar and Kluner were captured and whipped. They sit below deck now with the ore slaves, as ore slaves. Kentar is rowing, chained to his seat. Kluner is next to him, simply because they were too lazy to move the other slaves around. The stoat is extremely quiet, and only makes a noise when there's a whip crashing against his already welted back.
Kluner is next to Kentar, trying to help rowing as much as he can. His tears have all run dry, and his whipped back has sealed itself to the salt water that splashes through the port hole. He tries to keep himself together and not have a breakdown, but he is on the edge. And the periodic whippings to his back, just doesn't help. Every time it cracks it against his back, he lets out a loud yell, and falls to the bench, where he receives more until he gets back up again. He feels extremely weak, and wishes he could be somewhere else...
Kentar feels, deep inside his heart, that he not only failed Garnet, but Kluner too, and for that reason, he has lost the will to live. He just rows as best as possible, the bluddwave off to some...place that they don't know. The stoat occasionally looks to Kluner but says nothing, head and back hurting too much.
Kluner still doesn't understand why...why is this happening to him. Yes, they were mean to him when he was on the ship... but they were never this mean. He looks to the front where a slaver driver walks up and down the row, whipping slacking beasts. He winces as they get hit, but maintains the beat of the rowing, so he himself doesn't get hit. He blinks a few times as he thinks, something to get his mind of his back, and bleeding paws. 'I've been down here before... why does it hurt to watch now... i used to laugh at them... now... i don't understand anymore...' He sniffs a bit, and looks to Kentar. 'At least he is with me...' He smiles just a little bit, and taps his tail against Kentar... Before he is laid down with more whipping. He yells with pain, and curls up on the bench.
"Haha! Dumb slaves! Made to row, ye is! Haha!" The slave driver laughs, going to crack the whip off Kluner and Kentar's backs, the stoat yelping again, and rowing faster. The stoat seems mindless and was about to get whipped even harder until the huge ferret, the one that was saved from Kentar's ship, comes down stairs. "Capin' says Oi'm ta relieve ya." he growls out. The rat grins. "Yer! Bout time oi get a break." He hands over the whip and vanishes up the stairs, with the other, leaving just the ferret. He, right off the bat, goes to Kluner and Kentar.
Kluner takes the bread and looks at it. His brain hurts. He just stares at it, then takes a few test nibbles. Discovering that it is not poisoned or anything, he immediately devours it. He hasn't had anything to eat in a long time. He takes the other bread and taps the other stoat with his tail, "Eated this... Is good... Da good beastest says so..." He holds out the loaf to the stoat.
The stoat peers to the bread but doesn't take it as he just rows. But after a few moments, his stomach aches and he takes it slowly, nibbling every so often until its gone.
Kluner nods some, "Dere... Tent-Tar..." He goes back to the rowing, and says quietly, "Kluna tinks dat he may be likeded me... he helpa us..." This gives him a little hope.
Kentar nods a bit and smiles, gently rubbing the weasel's shoulder. "I guess....yeah" he smiles a bit before rowing again. "I'm sorry I've been so quiet."
Kluner nods a little, "Is... Is... oh'k... But whys?" he strains a little bit at the ore, from the new pain in his back. Godd thing its starting numb itself.
Kentar tilts his head. "Why what?" he asks, still rowing but not as much as he could be.
Kluner says, and looks around to make sure nobeast is watching "Whys you is so quiets? Nots says noting... If Kluna was yous... id be... tellings offs that com-a-door..." He looks around again a spots the Ferret friend, "Yousa tinks he helps us?" He points in that direction.
Kentar ohs and sighs. "Because I'm thinking. I'm upset that I got you in so much trouble. I miss Garnet, my friends. And I'm chained to a bench, rowing, with a back that hurts like anything, and I know that your back probably hurts more. Its...really hard to me to live with that."
Kluner looks around some more, before placing his tail on top of Kentar's nearby leg, "Yeses it does... But... Kluna still alives... and yous ares here... So's... not thats badest" He hmms as he twitches his tail on his leg.
Kentar nods a bit and smiles a bit, nodding. "Thank you. For not hating me I mean, since it was me who got you enslaved..." he sighs, peering out the porthole that the ore is stuck through. "Wherever we're going now, I don't think its good."
Kluner blinks a few times, "Hatest yous? Why? You is tried to getest me aways from heres... Jus... a widdle misshaps..." He slurs the last of his letters on accident. He peers out the hole, after Kentar, "Where'd da ya tink they are taking usens... if da take in is somewheres?"
Kentar shrugs a bit. "Probably to sell some of the slaves they can't use." he says. "Its what all pirates do. If they have too many slaves, they either kill them or sell them but neither of us are dead yet." he frowns.
Kluner thinks about for a few minutes, before asking, "So... We is gonna be solded? No'es! No'es! Kluna dont wanta be solded aparts from yous!..." He sniffs a bit at this thought.
Kentar sighs and closes his eye, slowly turning to give Kluner a hug. "I'm sorry. I really am." he does his best to fight back tears. But its more or likely what will happen.
Kluner takes the hug, but doesn't hug him back. He is very sad at this thought, as he continues to strain at the ore. He remains very quiet, except to mumble, "...no'es..." every once in awhile. Begin a slave he could deal with, as long as it was with Kentar. Without him... he would probably stop trying, and give up all together.
Kentar hugs for a few more moments before going back to rowing. "It will be fine. I promise." he says quietly. "Nothing bad will happen." The stoat keeps rowing. Then there's a crack of a whip. "No talking, slaves!" It was the ferret, but before the crack of the whip, an odd cat came down with an axe. "Which one is Darah?" a small mouse, no older then 5 seasons looks up. "M...Me..." the cat goes over, unchains her, then drags the young mouse towards the front, making the rest of the slaves watch her. "This...is what shall happen to all who appose the commodore!" The axe comes down and takes her head clean off.
Kluner watches what happened, with his mouth dropped open. He looks away quickly right before the actual beheading, but looks back and watches the head roll on the floor. He is speechless again, and lightly begins to quietly whimper. He hopes that the stoat is right... please let him be right...
Kentar watches then quickly goes to pull Kluner into him, the stoat not wanting his adopted son to see that. They drag the body off and the head as well, a splash is heard a few seconds later. "Kluna, I promise, nothing will happen....ever." he closes his eye for a moment.
Kluner nods slowly within his arms, and and wipes his eyes against his fur. He sniffs a bit, and wraps his tail around him. He then says, "Kluna... scareds..." And lightly begins to shake.
Kentar hugs tightly then lets go as he keeps rowing. "Kluna, there's nothing to be scared of. No beast will hurt you anymore, as long as I'm here."
Kluner sniffs a bit more as he too, goes back to rowing. He wishes he could believe him... he really does... but this situation seems hopeless now. But he pacifies the stoat by saying, "Ohs'k..." and his tail kinda gives it away, for it is not moving anymore.
Kentar frowns a bit then keeps rowing. The ferret slowly sits across from them again. "Look." he speaks up. "We are on our way to an island for resupplying, since we didn't get much form the Leviathan. The new slaves will be sold off into an auction, then auctioned off. I'm...sorry but you two are on the list." the ferret gives Kluner's head a gentle ruffle. "Once you two leave the ship, there's nothing me or the stoat down one level can do about it. I'm sorry. We'll do our best to help you until we arrive..."
Kluner looks to the ferret, and tries to get away from the ruffle, he doesn't need that right now... He hms quietly as he talks, waiting tell he is done before asking, "Whats happendeds to us... after we is solds?"
The ferret sighs. "Then you'll be on your own kid." he stands. "Sorry." the ferret goes off down the row again. "Kluna...listen to me. I'll always be with you. Okay?" Kentar says quietly. "Always."
Kluner is not happy with the answer the ferret gave. He whimpers again and looks to the Stoat, and glares "Always? Yous... Promiseses? Yous Swears! Nevers!" got himself all worked up, and quickly goes back to rowing inconspicuously.
Kentar nods slowly and hugs. "Yes. I promise. Always. Even when it seems when I'm not. I promise. I promise." he sighs. "I'll never ever leave you."
Kluner actually feels a little better at that, and he still doesn't believe him fully. He smiles a little bit as he taps Kentar on the leg again with his tail, "Promiseses?" he asks again just to make sure.
Kentar chuckles a bit. "Promise." the stoat nods before going back to rowing. "I Will never break any promise to you."
Kluner smiles a lot more now, as he starts to sink on, and he believes him now. He says, "Thanky..." quietly before he too goes back to rowing.
Kentar smiles and goes to row. A few hours pass and its dark out. The rowing has gone on all day with almost no break. Kentar has been a bit more talkative now and in a better mood, but the sight of a huge rat coming down the steps dampens it. "GEt them! Commodore wants to see 'em on deck." The ferret unchains Kluner and Kentar before leading them onto the deck. Its raining hard and the ship is swaying about as it keeps moving on through the darkness.
Kluner was just starting feel better about everything once more... but then this happens... He starts to sob a little bit, but cant tell because of the rain. He feels like this will soon be then end for them... just like that mouse... He gulps, as he goes to grab Kentar around the leg, mumbling, "Promiseses..."
The two are lead to a place where there is no railing. They wait a few moments but the cat is nowhere to be seen. A small weasel comes out to greet them. "Commodore said that I'm in charge of your lives" he grins. "And well. Kluner, I don't really want dead. I know he could get a fair amount of coin for the Commodore." There's a loud crack thunder and a few bright flashes of lightning.
Kluner blinks a few times, and grips Kentar as much as he can, as he thinks of something to say... anything... 'They cant... no... they just cant take us apart...' he then says, "Wher Kluna goes... Tent-Tar goes!" He finally manages to squeak out.
The weasel smirks and makes a motion with his paws. Kentar is forced down onto his knees and Kluner is brought next to the weasel. "Oh really? So. If we were to send him to the dark forest, you'd go too? Brave beast." he laughs. Kentar looks to Kluner and frowns. "Don't talk to them Kluna." the rat clops Kentar over the head a bit hard. "No talkin, slave!"
Kluner growls and glares at the other weasel, as he hits Kentar. But he remains quiet... for now... He probably wont soon because the hatred for everything is beginning to swell inside him. His tail swishes viciously behind him, flicking water everywhere.
"Now Kluner. Tell us what you think about the stoat." The ferret holding Kluner quickly covers his muzzle so he cant' speak for a few moments before letting go. "Well now. Not going to talk? That just earned the stoat there a few lashes!" The whip is brought out and cracked against Kentar's back ten times, the stoat yelping with each crack. "Now Kluner. What do you think of him?"
Kluner, after the last whip falls, looks to the stoat then to his holder. With his eyes twitching, as he goes to latch onto the other weasels hand with his fangs. He growls and also latches on with his claws so he can rip a bit of flesh off the weasel. That is all in his mind now...
The weasel yelps in pain as his paw is bitten. The small weasel is yanked off and then slapped on the face. "Darn kid!" he growls. "Give the stoat ten lashes, force the kid to watch." he growls loudly. Kluner is held back by another beast, eyes forced open as the stoat his whipped -slowly-, Kluner being forced to watch. As soon as the whippings were done, the young weasel is pushed towards Kentar. "Hug him." The weasel, with the throbbing paw, orders.
Kluner spits out a bit of the weasels fur at him, when he is yanked off. And then he is forced to watch, and flames of hate burns in his eyes. When he is pushed, he quickly scrounges around for anything that can be used as a weapon... nothing. He growls a little bit and goes to Kentar's ear, to gives what seems to be a hug, but is actually talking to him quietly, "Are yous... okays?"
Kentar wraps his arms around Kluner tightly. "I...hurt Kluna...but I'll be fine." the stoat says tiredly and with a wince. "Everything will be fine....I promise." he whispers quietly. The ferret that held Kluner after the weasel was bitten, pulls the dibbun away from Kentar, laughing. The other weasel, was obviously angry now. "Hope you said your goodbye...because you wont be seeing each other anymore!" The weasel nods to a rat that was holding Kentar. He stands Kentar up and then grins. "Goodbye stoat!" They then throw him off the edge of the ship, a loud splash heard below.
Kluner watches this all happened, and yells, "TENT-TAR!!!!" And runs to the edge, and yells into the water, "TENT-TAR! FAJER! NOOOOOOOO!!" and reaches a paw into dead space, as if trying to help him.
The weasel laughs loudly! "Chain him to the ores again! We'll be to the island by sunup. We'll get quite a bit for this one, I'm sure!" they all laugh as they bind Kluner's wrists and drag him below decks to be an ore slave again. Alone.
Kluner tries to get away and dash to the side again, but he is already tied up. But he keeps yelling, and sobbing until they finally silence him. He is tied back up to the ore, but he cant row... he cant. He just sits there sobbing, trying to get back up and row, before he is whipped again... but he cant.
The poor weasel is whipped continuously until some beast, that ferret that saved him earlier, stops the whipping. He sends the beasts off then sits next to Kluner. "I'm really sorry about...Kentar...I...didn't know they'd do such a thing." he sighs, producing half a loaf of bread, and holding it over. "Here..."
Kluner glares at the ferret and knocks the bread out of his paws, "Kluna nots hungry..." as he gets back up and begins to row again.
The ferret sighs and picks it up, hiding it under the bench. "Its there if you change your mind." The ferret takes a hold of the ore. "No. Don't row. Not yet." he says, leaning over to place his paw on the dibbun's shoulder. "I really am sorry. But...this is Kentar! He once got thrown off a cliff, when he and I were still solders. He lived through that. And if I know him as well as I think I do, he'll live through this too..." he sighs. "Somehow, that stoat will pull it off."
Kluner stops rowing, and looks back to the ferret, having no faith in anything anymore, "Hes dead... Yous lieing... hes dead...Tent-Tars... deads...He Promises..." He sniffs a little bit, and pounds his fist on the bench.
The ferret sighs. "Yes, I am. I'm sorry. But...I just don't want you to feel bad." he says, opening his arms a little so Kluner can give him a hug if he wants to.
Kluner actually scoots away from ferret, "Kluna feels bad alreadies... Hes deads..." He goes to hug his knees, and wrap his tail around him.
The ferret nods slowly then unchains him. "I'm going to do you a favor." he takes the bread then lifts Kluner up. He carries him to the bring, placing him softly in a cell, placing the bread on the ground before locking it. "You'll be sold in the morning. Get some sleep and I really am sorry." The ferret then leaves.
Kluner sits curled in the corner of the cell, the bread untouched. He doesn't care about anything anymore, as he slowly rocks back and forth mumbling, "He... promised..." over and over. Eventually sleep over comes him, as he rests his red, tired eyes. If beast passed the cell... all they would see is this tiny, ball of fur, curled up and sleeping in a corner.
