Solo The Fear Inside

[Itt]

25th of Spring 519 A.V.
Lake Ravok

The weather had started to upturn since the start of Spring. Although Winter's behaviour hadn't been all that dramatic, far less chilly than back at home, and even then Winter never got terribly cold, Spring had already started to warm the city with a moderate amount of sunshine. Ravok had been thrust into a promising Spring with wealthy nets of fish and skin burning sunlight that lasted for days at a time. One might have forgotten that rain or clouds even existed, or that there was ever such a thing as the cold.

But this morning was particularly chilly in comparison to the days before. Fluffy, damp clouds had roamed over the city, sheathing the sky in a light grey with bright golden linings. Itt had not noticed the shift in lighting on that early morning, for he was sound asleep. Curled up beside a trash bin outside of some food shop, Itt had curled up and taken shelter by the garbage, for the night before had forewarned him of today's inclement weather with a persistent breeze. He laid on a trash bag to avoid the colder ground, sacrificing the comfort of unscented air for fewer shivers.

But the trash could only protect him from the ground, not from the sky. As small drops began to trickle down, a soft rumble lulled along the rooftops of Ravok. The shower's lullaby did not arouse Itt awake, in fact, putting him deeper into slumber until a delicate tickle of rain tapped the top of his nose.

His nose wiggled.

Another dropped splashed onto his face, the subtlety of the drip feeling like the soft tip of a painter's brush swooshing across his cheek.

His face briefly scrunched, sleep ironing out the wrinkles on his face.

Several more of the rain's tears fell onto him, Itt's eyes fluttering open with a tired inquisitiveness. The alley was dark for it being day, the Kelvic blinking crusted eyes and peering towards the street. People meandered and marched on by with varying degrees of protection from the sudden weather. Some had jackets and coats, some had none and rushed for the nearest door to hide away from the mild drizzle.

"You're awake."

Itt nearly yelped, his body tensing into a small hop that pushed him off the trash bag and onto the street. The voice behind his ear vibrated the hairs on his skin made his head whirl around to look.

An older man, a familiar one, looked at him, leaning against the wall, twirling a knife between his fingers. Itt took a breath or two, his hand pressing against his beating chest, "Klaus." His voice was relieved, but his heart still kicking.

"We agreed." Klaus watching his fingers arduously try to flip the knife around in his fingers without getting cut, but inevitably knicking the side of his thumb. Itt watched with wide eyes as Klaus' hand twitched, the man quickly grabbing the knife by the handle and leaving it at that. With frustration in his eyes from his failed knife trick, He looked at the brown orbs Itt claimed as his own. "You send message. You come back." He shook his head, his tongue clicking the top of his mouth. "You no come back."

Itt's stomach sank, the nervous buzzing in his tendons making his move under every new raindrop. Oh no, he had forgotten all about it! The man, Hauk, he was hurt and he got distracted! Neither of them knew where the infirmary was, so they wandered around only to find there wasn't one. not in Ravok proper that either of them could access. He totally forgot to tell Klaus that he sent the message!

"I- sorry, I send message, yes, I sorry." You're next. Itt coward away from the man as he lifted the knife to his teeth, scooting a foot or so back with his hands and bare feet.

Klaus picked a piece of old food from between his canine and his molar, grinning at Itt's signs of fear. "I know, you sorry. But I. Don't. Want. Sorry. I want message."

"I-I, no, no message, I no message." He shook his head, looking down at the ground, suddenly aware of the slight movement of the city foundation before him, bobbing on the surface of the lake.

"Come." Klaus pushed off the wall to stand, hold out a wrinkled hand. "I want to show you something."

[Itt]

Itt hesitated, but reached out with a shaky arm to take Klaus' hand, his employer yanking him to stand, Itt's shoulder popping form the sudden yank. Itt winced, about to reach his hand back to massage his shoulder when Klaus didn't let go. Itt's throat clamped, spit pooling in his mouth as he tried to remove his hand from the man's grip. Klaus only squeezed tighter, the bones of his knuckles feeling more like metal nails pushing into Itt's skin. "With me."

Klaus pulled Itt out onto the street, the sloth stumbling to keep his feet under him. Klaus' stride was much faster, and longer that Itt's, the Kelvic having to take two steps for every one of his. Itt had to resort to jogging beside him as they navigated the docks.

The area that Itt had hunkered down in was a rather average place, with quite a bit of foot traffic and shops with open windows that proudly displayed their products. But the further south that Klaus had taken, the less respectable the establishments got. Instead of selling fishing or ordinary items, these buildings that lived in the section of the docks known popularly as The Plaza of Dark Delights held weapons that looked like they would crush Itt's skull in one blow, or slide his spin in half with a single swing. People here had visible, gruesome scars that others tended to hide in the other parts of the city, and there was these woman who had followed them a block or two with dresses that showed their inner upper thighs and the skin just above their nipples.

Klaus, although he smiled at the women with a greedy grin, continued on, dragging Itt along. By the time they had arrived at their destination, Itt had been panting, sweat breaking on his starvation defined brow.

There were the air burns again, scalding his throat.

Klaus released his hand, Itt quickly returning it to his side and leaning over, hands on his bulbous knobs for knees. He breathed through his nose in hopes it wouldn't burn his throat so much. "Look here." Klaus pointed.

Itt glanced up.

There was a stage like platform ahead of them, with people crowded around. A woman was brought to the platform by a chain connected to a collar around her neck, one that Itt found familiar. His hand rubbed his neck, unconsciously smearing the dirt turned to mud on it. His hair was flattened by the sprinkling of the clouds above them, cleansing it of any beginnings of algae growth.

The woman on stage stood proud in front of the crowd made primarily of men. She stood very strong, with a sturdy stance, much like Zavya had. It clearly wasn't her though, for Zava, although powerful and terrifying, wasn't nearly as large as this woman. When the breeze shifted, wafting the smells of the entire crowd into his nose, he knew why. He easily sifted the smell away from the rest of the grime of the humans before.

She was a bear. She was a Kelvic.

"Slave." Klaus said, glancing around.

Itt watched as people raised their hands, shouting things he didn't understand. They weren't even sentences, like how people in the market talked. It was like they spoke in one or two words, those words shifting with every person.

"You no send message," Klaus grabbed his shoulder, leaning his face into his ear, his bad breath spoiling the warmth it gave to his skin, "you go there." He pointed to the woman. Itt flinched as a loud crack sounded behind him. He turned around, a young man in a similar collar to the woman's was being taken away. The man looked in pain, but his hands grasped at the collar as he was dragged along the ground. "You no send messages, you slave." Klaus pointed to the man.

Itt's skin started to precipitate itself, his nervous sweat mixing with the rain on his skin.

Being a slave didn't look too good.

[Itt]

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