Closed A Student's Student (Leith)

[Kaska Villahotes]

Enoch smirked and grabbed her arm. "You know, when you mouth off then ask for privileges like walking out of here with your clothes on...it really doesn't do you any favours sweetheart." he pushed her towards the door. "Get moving." They herded her towards the edge of Kaska's territory. At Enoch's behest, the archer ripped out the tuft of red hair and ruined the mark. They systematically destroyed each and every marker they found, smearing charcoal over most of them and scattering the rest. "Show us the rest of the boundary markers." Enoch snapped at Leith, one hand on his throwing knives. If she changed, he could strike her down quite easily. Kaska drew his mace, peeking around the corner of a building at them. The doctor had tried to get him to stay. He still ached and his ribs were bruises from his armpit to his hipbone. But he'd wanted to get back home, only to find his territory markers mussed. It quite neatly declared war on his claim to the few streets he had, and he grit his teeth angrily. Enoch was calling him out, in the rudest way he possibly could. "What's he going to do next, send his cronies to take a shit in my alley?" he snarled under his breath, tightening his grip around the weapon. He wouldn't put it past him. He had Leith with him, and his guards...the worst thing he could possibly do right now was to leap out and try and be a hero. They could easily take him in this condition, but if Enoch was going to declare war, then the first shot had been fired with Leith's capture. It was only right to return it. Kaska slowly edged out of sight, and headed toward Enoch's home. He found two of the boys counting their take there. The first recieved the mace directly to the back of the skull, caving it in like a deflated balloon. The other shrieked in panick and tried to run, but Kaska dropped the handle of the mace. The weapon quite loudly pried off a large section of the boy's skull as it sank toward the ground. Kaska chased down the other kid and kicked him to the floor, straddling him and wrapping his hands around his throat. A few moments of struggling and it was over. Enoch had lost two of his earners...now it was time to hunt down the rest. If Enoch was doing this to him, turnabout was fair play and Kaska wasn't a weak child anymore.

[Leith]

Leith had no choice except to walk, but she didn’t plan on showing him much. She took them through the most familiar path, but then led them straight in to another’s territory. The eyes she felt on them she didn’t like, but it wasn’t because she was naked. Humans put too much effort in hiding something so unimportant. True human flesh was weak, but one came in to the world naked and squalling. Enoch was starting a war and she knew that things would be so much worse, she despised him for that. However they might not have heard the steps, but she did, her ears keen from hunting. A voice rang out seeming to echo around them “Leave the treat and me an my boys’ll let ya go, don’t and even if you kill her you’ll die too.”

She looked over at Enoch wondering what he would do, she had good odds that she might get free of these new humans, but the man would want to use her if he could. “They have us surrounded, I can hear them and I think I heard a string being pulled.”

The humans were probably within sight to loose whatever they had, but hidden so they wouldn’t get harmed themselves. The only reason why she had come in to this territory was because when she would fly around she was warned of flying death in the area. She supposed the humans used what they could to take down her kind, to them they were a meal so she wasn’t angry. Humans like animals did what they could to survive, but she noted that no crows or ravens were around. She saw other birds, but that was it, a sign she wondered if the old man noticed. He’d die regardless, she closed her eyes bracing for the pain of however she was to die. They were on the borders of the far end of Kaska’s territory and she wouldn’t be surprised if these ones knew that the territory would be up for grabs. She recognized the voice of the one who spoke, while she didn’t remember his face she did recall hearing his voice in Baldur’s place.

It meant this one might have noticed her with Kaska, it gave her a little hope, but the old man would probably kill her and take his chances.
|
|
|

[Kaska Villahotes]

Enoch sneered. He didn't have time for this. He was antagonizing and striking a territory that wasn't his, he needed to get back and make sure his own was safe. He looked around him, and his friend quietly nocked an arrow. "What use is she to you dead?" he said derisively. "You must be one of the smaller gangs, or you'd know who I am and why angering me is a very bad idea. Killing me is a worse one." Though it would certainly remove Kaska's problems. He couldn't hear them like Leith could, but he stood stock still. "A coward kills a man without seeing his face." he growled at the surroundings. "I have no business with you. This treat, as you call her, is still serving her purpose. Once I am done, you may have her, but not before." Kaska had been steadily ripping through Enoch's territory, and without much surprise he'd started a few fights. Killing a whore half-way through a job was frowned upon in the city of anarchy. With those fights, came bigger ones. Soon Enoch's territory had gone from a few men being angry about not getting their due pay, to a bizarre riot about the same subject but twisted toward the city's lords. Toss a few political maniacs into a fight and like fuel to a fire the small mob began gaining people. Kaska wanted nothing to do with it. He had done his duty of eliminating those working under Enoch, now he had to go after the man ripping up his territory. He walked back to his own streets, angry, face flecked in blood. He saw where his marks should have been as he walked back into it. A few days without them, and men would come flooding to claim and stake out their own little pieces. They were welcome to it. Kaska was sick of Sunberth, sick of the town. He hated this place. It was chaos, pain, blood, he'd spent thirty years in it and he'd had enough. He heard the declaration of ownership over Leith, and Enoch's haughty response.

[Leith]

The voice rang out “I know who ye are Enoch, tell yer friend to lower his bow. I also know ye wouldn’t be parading such pretty tail around if ye weren’t up to something interestin. Now, let her walk towards the building to her left or kill her, but if ye ruin my fun ye’ll lose yer life. I’m not stupid, I’m not gunna play yer game either, stop trying to buy time by wastin mine.”

Leith looked around them carefully, mostly to keep Enoch from getting twitchy. The area had gone quiet, the tension making the various creatures skitter quietly. The sounds of someone shifting, things being moved, she sighed softly humans were so noisy. “Are you going to kill me or let me go Enoch, either way you’ll lose me, if you let me go you stand a chance of capturing me again if I wasn’t smart and didn’t leave this city. Kaska is still running around and so your plan isn’t totally ruined, but then think of how frustrated he’d be if he finds you just handed me over? If, like you say, he’ll come find me simply for wounded pride you’ll just get something to needle him with.”

She saw a shadow move behind them and looked towards it, it quickly ducked away, she went back to watching. Her heart was pounding from all the tension and stress, then she had an idea. The bowmen was preoccupied and she was willing to bet if she moved he’d twitch and they’d fire. She ducked to her right towards another building, the twang of a bow sounded. Left had been freedom, but she dived through a door landing on her injured wrist, the humans within surrounding her with weapons. She could only stare up at them her mismatched eyes wide, waiting. Outside she heard a female voice yell “Let the old fool live, kill all except the girl, but soften the old man up a bit for his presumption.”

Maybe it was just simply too much, she hurt and her escape in to the hands of others on top of eating hardly anything, she passed out curled in to a ball.
|
|
|

[Kaska Villahotes]

A sharp yelp sounded as the arrow struck the bowman square in the thigh. Enoch snarled furiously. He couldn't fight an enemy he couldn't see, but he'd seen where the arrow had come from. But throwing a knife there was useless when the street gang was around him. He ordered his men to fight...then he ran. Kaska had been expecting him to. Enoch was no fire fight warrior, and neither was he. If they got into a precarious situation like that, they would run and not be ashamed at all for doing so. Kaska had seen Leith duck into the building. He wanted to go and get her. Enoch was running back to his territory, where smoke from a new fire was billowing up. Enoch was running somewhere he thought was safe, but he would only find the dead bodies of his whores there. Kaska smirked at the thought, but he waited to see what the street gang would do. Ideally, he wanted them to kill Enoch's two men and leave...but he knew they'd search for Leith. He just needed a spare moment to grab her. He snuck carefully towards the building, strapping his mace back onto his back as he did so. He was trying to be ever so quiet. He had Enoch on the run, and he wanted Leith by his side when he killed him.

[Leith]

It felt like an eternity, but really she’d only been out for a short while, but she woke up warm. She sat up looking around thinking Kaska had taken her, but all she saw was a woman sitting in a chair across from the comfy bed she was laying in. “I’m sorry to dash your hopes little one, I’ve sent some of my skilled men to raid his home, I’ll allow you to claim some of what is taken.”

The raven climbed warily out of bed looking at the stranger “That man…”

The woman held up a hand stopping her “One of my boys, it is easier for those outside my territory to think this area is controlled by a man. I’ve been interested in the large chunk of territory Enoch has had for some time. When he finally made his move on the red haired catamite I made mine, you seemed to have landed in the middle of the mess. His men, are dead, everything else will fall in to my hands soon enough and I’ll have one less bug chewing on my borders.”

Her eyes were not like Enoch’s at all, though she could see a chill in them, yet she didn’t seem like the type who liked being cruel. She could have killed her, but she was alive and well, she was also probably going to get her things back too. The woman stood up and pulled some things from a box tossing them on to the bed. “Get dressed, if you are hungry come down stairs, I also sent someone to find your red haired friend. Either way you and he will be free to go as you wish, I’m not going to keep you against your will.”

Then she left and Leith put on the clothing, while they weren’t what she was used to it was warmer. It was nothing more than a dress, no sleeves, just tied at the breast. It was comfy and light, blue with dark blue ribbon ties, the woman had even provided under stuff. There were no shoes, but that didn’t bother her too much. She walked down the stairs quietly shying away from a man that moved as she reached the edge of the stairs, he grinned at her, but didn’t seem hostile. She saw a table of food and moved over to it taking an apple, but for the most part nothing else. She didn’t know what to make of the situation at all, she thought she’d have died, but it seemed she was free for the most part.

~~~

His orders were clear, find the red haired one and give him a message. He didn’t like failing a job and it seemed that the girl that was brought was an innocent. I never ceased to surprise him how the innocent always end up dragged in the middle of things, but then they either grew claws or died. Seemed to him that girl had a lot of courage, she had risked her life on just a mere slip of a chance. He asked around and eventually he got his location, when he spotted him he stayed out of reach tossing a rock from the ground to skitter at his feet. “The girl, the one the old man dragged in to your fight, she’s safe and free to go as soon as you follow me to fetch her. My leader asks that you come for her for when I left she had passed out, I was told the girl might wake up looking for you as we heard she was with you. Your choice, if you care for her.”

Then the messenger started moving not looking back, but keeping his ears alert to danger.
|
|
|

[Kaska Villahotes]

Kaska glared at the messenger suspiciously. After Enoch's hand in single-handedly destroying his territory he wasn't sure who or what to trust. He followed the man carefully...he'd said that Leith had been taken in and Enoch driven off. Which, from what he had seen, was exactly what had happened. Enoch was on the run, and he had to kill him, but he had to get Leith back under his wing first. He cursed himself for a fool as he followed the messenger. He never should have brought the innocent little thing to Sunberth. "Where are we going?" he demanded. "Is she hurt?" He prayed Enoch hadn't done what he thought he might do. Ruin her completely, or hurt her. Break an arm so she could never fly, or her face, or throw her to some of the crueler gangs. All three Kaska had experienced. His broken arm had never healed right and it ached sometimes, he'd had his cheekbone smashed to pieces, and he'd experienced how cruel some of the gangs could be when faced with a free morsel. He shouldered the mace. With Enoch's cronies dead, he could finally get his revenge. It would be sweet to watch the man die, crushed under his boots. Perhaps Leith's too, but he didn't know if she had it in her to be so cruel. When they passed Baldur's stall the man waddled furiously towards them. "What's going on, Kaska? Enoch shows up, I see the little lady being paraded naked through the streets, now you show up soaked in blood? What's happening?" he asked, panting from the effort of trying to keep up with the two much more fit men. "Baldur, if I were you I would close up shop for a little while and lay low." Kaska said. "I'm going to get her back. Enoch kidnapped her." "Gods in hell you two are at it again? Remember when you left? Or when he tried to force you out? Or-" "Don't fucking remind me Baldur, and now's not a good time to be pissing me off dredging up old history." Kaska growled. "I worry about you old man, go back to your stall and hide." Baldur fell behind, panting, his pudgy face red from the exertion. He watched Kaska go for a moment, then sighed and waddled toward his stall.

[Leith]

He was led to a building where a woman sat alone at a table, two men lounged nearby, but were in a good position to stop him if things got out of hand. The woman motioned to a chair “I’m not going to tell you my name as I’m sure you don’t care regardless of what I did for the child. Enoch is being watched, he won’t be able to get to her or you for however long you wish to stay under my hospitality. You and I know that in a war innocent people die, but will she like to know what you did to those children? I’m not going to tell her even though I’m sure she knows and just isn’t ready to know or ask. I don’t know more than the fact she’s innocent and a kind child and that you decided to try and protect her. She’s in the building across the way eating, I suggest you both rest. You and she are free to go, though I am sure by now some of my boys have taken all that can be carried easily from the home of your enemy. Take your share, its only fair, now…go to the girl she woke up with such hope in her eyes. I suggest you lie for now and tell her I am taking care of them, for now she’ll accept that small kindness.”

Then the woman turned back to what she was reading dismissing him.

Leith on the other hand once having eaten the apple soon found she was even more hungry and set to eating as much as she could. When two men started bringing stuff in she scampered out of their way to watch munching on yet another apple. One motioned for her to come over and she recognized a few things, she rooted around till she found her clothes and then the two knives she’d stolen when she’d gone in to the house after Kaska. She sighed looking at her clothes, they needed new things to hold them together. The other man saw her look and grinned “I take it ya can’t sew can ye lass?”

She looked up at him her eyes wide shaking her head he smirked “Well, perhaps I’ll show ye, its not so hard to learn. Granted starting new yer stitchin won’t be pretty, but I can show you how to tie it off so it won’t fall out.”

The other man who’d come with him handed the man a small pouch, he set to stitching what Enoch cut letting her watch. She was amazed at how fast and simple it was, then, he did something that brought a smile to her face. He gave her the leather pouch with his needles and string. “I can get more child, ye just take those and practice. If all else fails ye can repair things even with careful messy stitches, someday ye might find someone to teach ye proper.”

Then she did something to make both men blush, she kissed them on their cheeks hugging her clothes, knives and her new treasure close. She learned something new even now and she would be sure to make use of it. She wondered when Kaska was going to arrive, she couldn’t stand not knowing if he was okay.
|
|
|