AN: Well... I didn't expect to get this chapter out so fast. I just found myself writing like a madman. What can I say except some times stories come to you, other times they don't.


First Chapter: Act I
Next Chapter: Act V
Previous Chapter: Act III


***

SYNOPSIS:
Jason Sankowski did not expect to live an exciting life. Not even in a world where humans are considered a delicacy and hunted for food by the giants that roam the lands. Yet, upon arriving in a new city, to begin a new life, he is suddenly removed from his comfortable surroundings and thrust into a fight for survival.

***

“The Odyssey”
By MrNelg

Act: IV

When Glitch woke him the next morning, it was still dark outside. They quickly prepared themselves before sneaking out the window. Their window was thankfully on the second floor, and it wasn't that too far a drop to the ground. Still, to be on the safe side, Glitch threw the mattress out the window and jumping out, used it to cushion the impact.

Checking to make sure that their departure hadn't attracted unwanted attention, they stealthily made their way towards the nearest exit out of town. The Oryctolagus girl kept to the shadows of the houses. Skittering from one shadow to next whenever the coast was clear.

As they neared the docks, Glitch froze suddenly, before ducking back into the shadows she was hiding within.

{What is it?} Jason asked.

{Trouble,} Glitch answered. Jason rushed to the wall of the sack and pried apart the knitting to get a better look outside. A boat, lights blazing from stem to stern, was pulling up to one of the docks. A squad of Cervidae soldiers were filing off it and onto the pier. The dock master was busy conversing with the Sargent under torchlight. Their conversation ended when he pointed towards the hotel, and they all marched off in that direction.

{We were lucky,} Glitch muttered. {Any later and we'd have had to make a change of plans.} She carefully edged her way around the back of the house, before shooting across to the safety of the next structure.

{Someone must hate you,} Jason muttered. Glitch cast a nervous eye towards the sack. {Look, I'm not asking you tell me right now what it is that you did, but that you do inform me sometime.} She looked nervous at that.

{Now is not the time for this discussion,} she answered. {Later.} Jason kept silent as she hurried from one hut to the next. She was indeed fast when she wanted to be. Every time she ran, he found himself thrown back into the sack walls. He managed to dig himself into the clothes to keep himself stable, just as she finally cleared the last hut and raced down the lone dirt track that led out of the town. She kept running for a while, even after the glow of the town's lights faded into the darkness of the forest that encompassed them on all sides. Eventually, she slowed to a steady jog, before finally walking at a quick pace. The sun was peaking through the canopy of the forest as she, at last, slowed down to a casual walk.

{We made it,} she said. {Cervidae are fast, but not as fast as an Oryctolagus.} Although he couldn't see her, he knew she was beaming with pride.

{So where to now?} Jason asked.

{Further inland,} she explained. {There's a village not too far from here that connects to the Great River. We can go there and take a boat back up river.}

{I thought we'd have to wait some time before doing that?}

{Not after this morning,} Glitch replied. {Those troops can only mean one thing; They know I came this way. Chances are they'll be checking all the ports for me. If we go further up river, they might not look there.}

{Will they be checking all stops along the river?} Jason asked.

{I hope not,} said she. {It's not that I haven't planned for it. It's just if they are, that will make our journey a lot slower, and make it more challenging to acquire supplies. They don't have that many troops. They'll start at the very end of the river, and work their way back. I plan to beat them before they overtake us.}

{How long will it take to reach this new place?}

{By foot? Five days.}

{Gltich?} Her ears flicked in acknowledgement. {I don't suppose you could let me out and, ride on your shoulder?} She turned to look down at the sack. {I want to get out of here. Get some fresh air while it's just you and me.} She sadly shook her head.

{You sapiens leave a smell,} she answered. {The longer you stay in contact with our fur, the more your sent's imprinted on it. If I let you ride on me all day, every day for the whole trip, mammalian's are going to notice by the time we get to the river town. That's going to attract way more attention than me.} She pointed ahead of them. {Besides, this road this also used for foot traffic. The forest is dense here, and I might be surprised by a mammalian coming around a corner. I could hide you in time, but again, the smell.} He subconsciously grabbed the surrexerunt petals he sat on and clutched them tightly to himself.

The trip was uneventful. Just as Glitch had predicted, traffic came down the road from the other direction. All were Cervidae and cast glances of surprise or curiosity as she passed. A few were looks of disdain. She showed respect and gave pleasant greetings to them even though she received none in return. When night fell, they just camped at the side of the road. Jason slept inside the sack but did come out for food.

+++

It took them six days to reach the next town. Jason had no idea they were there until Glitch announced they were near. Peering through the sack knitting, all he saw was the thick foliage of the forest. Then it suddenly disappeared to be replaced with a collection of huts along the river bank.

This town was even smaller than the last one. It was a row of huts along both sides of the river bank with a pontoon bridge connecting them. Jason wondered how boats made it passed when he saw the Cervidae stationed nearby were able to disassemble it into smaller sections, move them aside and allow the boat passage. At the far end of the town, sat the biggest hut. To his surprise, it had soldiers standing outside.

Glitch noticed this too. {*,} she snarled, casually turning around without even breaking stride, and heading back down the road into the forest. {They're here too.}

{What do we do?} Jason asked.

{First, we wait until nightfall,} she answered, carefully glancing over her shoulder to make sure she wasn't spotted or followed. {Then, we'll have to steal some food before taking the path upriver. After that, we'll try the next village we come across.}

{How far away is the next village?}

{About-} Her words were cut-off by a dull thud. Jason froze, then quickly hurried over to the wall. At first, he couldn't see anything. Then he spied the arrow, buried into the ground right at Glitch's feet. Then the rustling of the forest caused him to look up, just in time to see a Cervidae soldier stepping onto the path. Looking around, he could make out three more soldiers, their upper torso hiding amidst the bushes, their bows notched with arrows.

***, the Cervidae before them said, pointing his bronze short-sword at her. *****. *********. Glitch kept silent. ***? She said nothing. ***************. The other Cervidae soldiers crept out from the bushes, their arrows aimed at her head. Slowly, Glitch turned around and began walking back to the village. The Cervidae with the short sword fell in behind her, his weapon never wavering from her back.

Cervidae's stopped what they were doing to watch as the group marched towards the big hut at the end of the village. Although Glitch kept her expression neutral, Jason could see that her limbs were trembling. The soldiers at the entrance saluted and stood aside as they entered.

They emerged into what looked like a parlour. A Cervidae couple was entertaining a lavishly dressed female Cervidae. She turned as they came into the room. Glitch stiffened at the sight of her, giving Jason the distinct impression that this wasn't the first time these two had met.

{*, you have arrived at last.} She rose and glided over to Glitch. {You've given us quite a chase young lady, but now these pointless games end here.}

{How did-} Glitch started, but she was cut off.

{We know where you'd be? As you no doubt would've guessed, we headed to the ocean ports of every point on the Great River. You were smart to try and confuse us as to your destination, but you were seen by those travelling along the path here.} She paused. {For an Oryctolagus, you were uncharacteristically slow. We merely sent messengers and troops by boat to all possible locations along the river this trail would take you, creating choke points. It only took us four days to get here, while it took you six.} Glitch looked abashed.

Suddenly, the female Cervidae reached out and snatched the pouch at Glitch's waist. Opening it, she dumped the contents onto the ground. Coins piled on the floor along with a familiar gold medallion, which landed with a thunk. Stooping, she picked it up and shook her head sadly.

******, the leader of the soldiers said. She waved him off.

***, she said, before turning back to Glitch, holding the medallion out to her. Jason could see it in more detail now. It held a highly decorative shield overlaid by two crossed antlers. {We graced you with the use of our authority,} she said, and as she spoke, her expression turned dark. {Gave you the honour, a miserable little Oryctolagus, of representing our great guild, and how do you repay us?} She shook the medallion in her face. {By spitting in our face and stealing our property, thief!} Glitch still said nothing, but her ears were pinned back against her head now.

At first, Jason hadn't given it too much thought, but then he realised what he should've noticed from the beginning. This female had been speaking not in the native tongue of the Cervidae, but rather the trade language: Why? Glitch could understand both perfectly well. Suddenly, Jason stiffened with fear. What if she wasn't speaking to Glitch, but rather, for someone else's benefit.

{You will get your reward in due time, thief,} she snarled. She eyed the empty pouch, before turning her gaze on the sack. Glitch's ears shot up as the lead soldier appeared behind her and grabbed it.

*! she shouted when the sack was snatched from her grasp and Jason was tossed.

*! the female cried out. The soldier appeared apologetic, before carefully handing the sack over to her. From inside, he could see Glitch's horrified expression. The female then gave an order, and the Oryctolagus girl was marched outside.

****? Jason realised that the Cervidae male who she'd been talking with when he'd entered had said that. He and his wife stared with anticipation at the sack.

{I believe so,} she said. Delicately, she carried the sack over to the table and gently placed it down. Jason looked up just as the top opened, and he found himself staring up into the grinning face of the female Cervidae. {And here you are at long last, mister “Sank-cow-key?”}

Even though she mangled it, it was his name. She reached into the sack slowly, and with gentle fingers, carefully encircled his whole body, before lifting him out and placing him on the table. The Cervidae couple leaned in closer with enchanted expressions.

{Is it true you can talk trade?} the male asked.

{Cut your antlers off,} Jason snapped at him. Although sapiens knew very little about mammalian cultures, they did know a few insults. This insult could lead to grave consequences among the Cervidae if one were to hurl it about casually, but no one seemed offended by the remark. To the contrary, all three seemed amused.

{I'm so glad no harm came to you,} she said. {We paid quite a price to procure you.} Jason blinked.

{What do you mean?} His words were slow. Her head tilted slightly.

{You mean she never told you?} Jason just stared back at her. The female chuckled. {Well, in that case, allow me to explain. That little thief, we paid her to steal you.}

“What?” Jason shook his head and switched back to trade. {What do you...?} His words died in his throat as he just stared back at the female with slow comprehension. What did she mean? The longer he thought about it, the more it made sense.

The one thing Jason had noticed but never really paid attention to was her motive for stealing him. She wanted to keep him as a pet. She was planning to take him back to her home, but suddenly, switched to getting him out of the city. Other things started returning to his memory. Things that she should not have had. That cloak which just so happened to be too big for her, allowing her to hide her identity. The well-made leather pouch and the medallion it held. That explained how she was able to avoid being searched by the soldiers.

Then other comments she'd made started making sense. How had she known that there would be sapiens at the market when his Procyon captor had gone to great lengths to keep this knowledge hidden. Switching her motivation from wanting to see real sapiens, to robbing the crowd, then deciding that she wanted a pet. The coincidence of having the surrexerunt petals. The perfect timing of being right at the stage the moment the riot reached it, while at the same time, claiming to have been in the crowd, robbing them.

{I can tell what you're thinking,} the female interrupted. {Yes, we hired not only her but that little herd as well. We sneaked them into the market and told them to rob as many mammalians as possible: Particularly the Vulpes's.} All three Cervidae chuckled at that. {As we predicted, that set off a riot.}

{You mean, you deliberately instigated that? Why? Surely you could've just bid the highest.} For a few seconds, she stared down at him, as if judging how much of the situation he truly understood.

{Yes, our pouches are deep, but we weren't the only guild in Tribus City. There was a one in three chance that we would win. Yes we owned the city, but we must heed to the laws of trade.} She gave a so-so gesture: {Publicly.} She then leaned in closer, causing Jason to take a step backward. {You represent the key to a door everyone wants to open,} she said, seriousness in her eyes. {When we discovered your existence three days before the auction began, we were determined that you must be ours.}

Jason thought back to his time in the warehouse before the auction. His Procyon captor was discussing with a dominant looking Cervidae, who demanded to see him. He shook away the memory as he looked back up at her. {But, I can't teach you anything about our technology,} he confessed.

{And you don't have to,} she replied. {You have the most crucial piece of information, more valuable than the secret to your technology: Speech.} She leaned back. {You can communicate with us. You can teach us your language, your writing, your culture.} The reason she tilted back became apparent, as she reached over to a small carry box behind her and pulled it closer. Lifting the lid off, she reached inside and pulled out something. She then held her fist before him and opened it.

Sitting in her palm, lay a collection of books. Sapien books. {Fascinating, are they not?} she asked him. {* only knows what they say, but you do. Within these pages lie the secrets of your civilisation. Not just that, but we can use you to communicate with your kind. Sapiens that do know the secrets of your technology. Sapien engineers and scholars.} She closed her fist and returned the books to the box. {We're not dumb. We know that if we were to communicate with sapiens who know the secrets to your flying machines or thunder-staffs, we would not be able to reproduce them within our lifetime. So do all the other guilds.}

{You want to advance to technologies that are within your reach to hold an advantage over the other mammalian species,} Jason finished her sentence.

{I can neither confirm nor deny that,} she countered.

{That's why you ordered me stolen. To guarantee that I'd end up in your hands.} She nodded without emotion. {But why?} he asked. {Why cause your city so much damage? Why endanger your people?} He paused. {And why the massive crackdown?}

{Naturally when the dust settled, there would be an investigation by the other two guilds. We wanted it to appear to them and everyone else, not only that what had happened was beyond our control, but that we'd done everything in our power to find you and bring justice to those who perpetrated the riot. That's why we ordered those children to pick-pocket as many Vulpes's as they could.} Just like before, all three Cervidae chuckled at this. {As for why we put our citizens at risk? The rewards far outweigh the price.}

Jason gaped and turned to the Cervidae couple who were still observing him with fascination. {Aren't you outraged about this? To have your lives played with for personal gain?} To his surprise, they both burst out laughing.

{Why would we be outraged?} the wife asked. {They are our guild. What they do is not for personal gain, but the greater good of all Cervidae.}

{As you were told, having your knowledge of speech will put the Cervidae in front of all other mammalian's. We'll be the world's prominent power.} He shrugged indifferently. {If some die along the way, it will be a noble sacrifice for our future generations.}

Jason blinked in surprise. Sapien kind had a different version of that motto, but it never involved sacrificing their kind. Being on the bottom of the food chain had led to sapiens valuing other sapien life. Because the more sapiens there were in a colony, the stronger and more effective it was. All sapiens saw themselves as parts in a machine. Every piece was vital for smoothly operating.

While many suspected that the mammalian's held that belief, he never thought they'd go that far. Jason narrowed his eyes. Although the Cervidae didn't eat sapiens, they were still savages in his eyes. {So what happens now?} he asked.

{We return to Tribus City. Once there, you will transfer upriver to the Capitol where you will be handed over to the scholars of the library.} She smiled. {Word of your existence has already reached their ears, and they are pawing the ground in anticipation of meeting you.} She scoffed. {They're a little too eager. Did you know that they insisted on coming to Tribus City to pick you up themselves?} She rolled her eyes. {Having the most prestigious scholars in the Cervidae empire arriving and leaving in a joys mood wouldn't have looked suspicious at all.}

{And returning with you won't?}

{I won't be taking you back,} she said. {We've already arranged for a communications soldier to do that. We've been continually sending messengers up and down the river. A lone messenger travelling with a box of messages won't attract attention. Nor will anyone know that the box doesn't hold any.}

{Wait,} Jason said. {Surely I'm not the first sapien to fall into your hands. Haven't you tried teaching captured sapiens how to speak your language?} He cringed from the look she gave him.

{That answer is complicated.} It was almost a snarl. {First off, we weren't as civilised back then as we are now. We never really thought much to learning your language. You weren't considered sentient beings. Our ancestors were more interested in selling you off to predators than talking with you. It has only been in recent times that your technology has made it difficult for the predators to hunt you that mammalians have started taking notice. Secondly, it takes time for two species who can't understand each other to learn the other's language — a long time. Your species is delicate and difficult to mind. We don't know much about dietary requirements for omnivores, and your small size can lead to too many accidents.} She paused, as she stared hard at him. {Third, your kind has this nasty habit of escaping from even the most secure of cages. It is challenging to maintain a twenty-four-hour watch for years.}

Jason thought about that last comment. That explained why his Procyon captor had been so paranoid about letting him out of her sight when he wasn't in her pouch. {All we want is to be left alone,} Jason said. {Is that too much to ask?}

{And you can help with that,} the female said. {You can connect our two species. Teach us how to communicate with each other. We can trade, we can learn, and we can protect you in return.}

{Do you honestly think that won't raise any red flags?} Jason asked. {If you do find a way to access our technology, work out a trade agreement and use it to make yourselves stronger than the other tribes, what do you think is going to happen? You don't believe they'll stand by and let you get away with this?}

{All the more reason to make sure we own you,} she said. {And why we must keep our activities a secret.} She turned as if staring towards Tribus City. {That Procyon female was smart in acquiring so many sapiens, and yourself, but by * was she stupid. Her greed was her undoing. We attempted to acquire you; but she refused our offer. She was determined to get as much coin as possible by starting a bidding war between the three guilds.} She shook her head in dismay. {Announcing to the whole world of your existence; Did she not think that there wouldn't be trouble among the guilds over who won such a prize? *!}

{That riot was designed to make it look like I was eaten, wasn't it.} It wasn't a question.

{That way, we won't have so many eyes and ears cast in our direction,} she answered. {We know we'll never be able to keep something this important a secret forever. It's hoped that by the time our activities are discovered, we'll be too strong for the rest of the tribes to challenge us.}

{What will you do with Glitch?} Jason asked. She seemed genuinely surprised by that question.

{We'll smuggle her back into Tribus City,} the female answered. {There, we have a specialist waiting to interrogate her to uncover her motives behind stealing you. We want to know who she was going to sell you to.}

{She wasn't going to sell me to anyone,} Jason cried. The female shook her head.

{Even if that's true, we can't ignore the risk. Was she planning on selling you to the highest bidder? Or had another clan offered her a far greater reward for your deliverance? We have to know.}

{Okay, after you've discovered that you've wasted your time, then what?}

{We'll dispose of her,} the female answered. {It's not just that she betrayed us, but she knows too much.}

{Wait,} Jason interrupted. {What about that herd of orphans?}

{No, we didn't kill them if you're asking, we just moved them out. They are Cervidae after all. We gave them employment as house staff within a guild palace in another city. Far, far away from Tribus City.} Jason sighed with relief. Although they were willing to cause inadvertent deaths among their kind, they weren't going to resort to murdering children.

{But you're willing to murder Glitch?}

The male spoke up. {She's not a Cervidae, just an Oryctolagus. A former slave at that. No one will care.}

{Why should you care for her?} the female asked. {She was going to sell you off to us.}

{She got me away from you,} Jason answered. {She was going to take me home.} The female frowned.

{Really? Are you sure? It wasn't just another lie atop the other lies she told you, to keep you quiet while she found another buyer? Maybe one of Oryctolagus origin?}

{I'm sure.}

Deep down inside, there was something that screamed yes, he did trust her. For instance, the one question not answered, was why did she not hand him over to the Cervidae guild? Why had she risked her neck to try and get him home? She had confessed she had no idea where her homeland lay, so selling him to her kind was out of the picture. He also understood that she wasn't going to trade him off to one of the other guilds in the city because she would've gone straight to them instead of the Cervidae the moment she got him.

{We were sure she could be trusted,} the female countered. {And look how that turned out for us.} Jason stayed silent. {Trust me, when I say that we have only good intentions for you. We don't want to enslave your kind, nor do we wish you any harm. We want to communicate and trade. By investing in our gild, you will not only make us the dominant species on the planet but also gain a powerful ally.} Again, he stayed silent.

{I'll have to think about it,} was all he said.

{By, all means, do so,} she said. {It'll take a while to get you up the river to the Capitol. In the meantime...} she trailed off as she made some clicking noise with her teeth. Jason turned as a soldier walked into the room with a bronze avian cage; The cage floor covered in surrexerunt petals. {We can't have you leaving prematurely. You'll be placed in the guest room, with me, until you're ready to be transferred upriver.} The soldier approached and set the cage on the table next to him. With that, she gently encircled his whole body with her fingers, before lifting him up, opening the door and just as carefully placing him inside.

The door was locked shut and the lock its self was placed right at the top of the gate, way out of reach of his arms. The soldier stepped forth and picked up the cage, before carrying it into another room. This one reminded him of the hotel room, only the mattress was more elegant, had cushions and a bed-frame. His cage was placed down on the table beside the bed before the soldier closed the door. He then turned back and sitting down on a folding chair, staring straight at him.

Again, it reminded him of his Procyon captor, how she'd watched him like a hawk. It all made sense now. Sapiens had a nasty habit of escaping from locked cages. He turned away from the soldier so he couldn't see his smile. It was the law that all sapiens are taught survival classes in school. They include where to find surrexerunt flowers and failing that, how to hide from predator's, both mammalian and animals — constructing tools and weapons. How to make fire and shelter, how to dig for water, how to navigate by the stars. These were the basics taught to all children.

Once sapiens turn eighteen, they must serve in the local militia. Men must serve thirty-two months while women only serve twenty-four. Aside from military training, you received more advanced techniques in survival — one of those classes involved how to pick mammalian locks.

Turning back, he saw that the soldier was still staring at him. He gave the Cervidae a friendly wave. There was no response. With nothing to do, Jason decided to sit down and wait for meal time.

Not much happened for the rest of the day. Food arrived, which wasn't much aside from chunks of bread and vegetables. The female Cervidae assured him that he'd be getting proper sapien meals once he entered the Capitol. They were aware that Sapiens cooked their meat, something the predators never did.

He did try to strike up a conversation with the soldier, but he said something harsh that Jason mentally translated into 'Keep your Primus Damned Mouth Shut.' After that, he kept to himself. He sat down in the cage and returned the soldiers unwavering stare until eventually, he grew tired and fell asleep.

+++

It was dusk when he awoke. There were no lights on in his room, but he could see them blazing through the cracks of the door leading to the parlour. The first thing he was aware of was the voices. Not loud, but heated. The next thing was the soldier. He was on his feet, alert and by the door, listening. Then a third thing slowly wormed its way into his tired mind. The voices were speaking in trade. Now aware himself, Jason rushed to the bars and strained his hearing.

{You still haven't explained why you're here!} The voice was that of the female Cervidae guild member.

{By the law of trade, I have every right to follow the investigation.} This voice was female but held a different accent. It sounded familiar. {I'm merely curious as to why the * guild would shift half their resources down the Great River.}

{Are you saying you don't believe we'll tell the truth?}

{I'm saying that the answers you give might be limited.}

At this, the soldier hurried over to the table, picked up the cage, and carefully slid it under the bed. Then he artfully arranged the sheet so that it hid what lay underneath from view. Jason couldn't have asked for a better situation.

He rushed to the bars and bracing his arms and legs against the sides of the bars, worked his way up the cage door to the lock at the top. Once he reached it, it was simple to reach his arm into the lock. Remembering his training, he carefully felt around for the tumblers. Mammalian locks were primitive compared to ones of Sapien design.

Within thirty seconds, the lock clicked open. Again, Jason paused, to listen to the voices. They seemed to be right outside the door now. He had to hurry. He climbed back down instead of jumping. Although the soldier's ears would be listening to what was going on outside, he wanted to make as little noise as possible. Once down, he then set about gathering up all the surrexerunt petals, before stuffing them down his shirt and trousers.

The sound of the door opening rang throughout the room like a gunshot. Jason didn't waste any time. He hurried for the gate and lifting it, squeezed himself out and onto the ground.

{Well I'll be, a soldier, waiting right here in your private room.} It was the mystery female's voice.

{Don't you have a bodyguard?} the female Cervidae asked.

{Yes, but mine tends to - you know - guard me. Like right now.} There was a momentary pause.

{Before you arrived, I ordered him to prepare my chamber for the night.} There was a slight chuckle in response.

{Well, in that case, you don't mind if my bodyguard checks his work?} There was another pause. {Or is there something you don't wish for me to find in your room?}

By now, Jason had edged himself along the wall towards the end of the bed. He peered out from behind the sheet, which gave him convenient cover. Four figures stood within the door frame of the room. One was the Cervidae soldier who was watching him, along with the female Cervidae guild member. The other two were Lutrinae. He cursed quietly as he realised that there was only one way out of the room, and all four mammalians were blocking it.

{I must protest,} the female Cervidae snapped. {By the law of trade, this is an intrusion of privacy. It has nothing to do with the investigation.}

{Then there's no harm in a small search,} the female Lutrinae countered. {If my bodyguard finds nothing, then I will leave this instant, and you will receive a full letter of apology from my guild masters.}

{Would you find it acceptable if your belongings had been rifled through? Without invoking the law of trade?} The female Lutrinae hesitated now. {Interesting,} the female Cervidae said. {So, if you stay out of my things, I shall stay out of-}

{By the law of trade, you have my permission,} the female Lutrinae suddenly spat. The Cervidae guild member was startled. Then her face melted into the most displeased expression he'd ever seen on anyone, sapiens or mammalian. For what felt like a minute, she just stood there, not even moving as she stared daggers at the female Lutrinae.

When she spoke, her words were slow and uttered through clenched teeth. {Then - by the law of trade... you have my permission also.}

No sooner had she finished her sentence, then the Lutrinae bodyguard charged on into the room. He marched straight over to the female Cervidae's travelling trunk and opened it. He peered into it, before pulling out clothes and tossing them aside.

*! *******! She shouted at him. He turned and apologised, before carefully removing the items and stacking them on the ground beside the trunk. When he finished, he scanned the bottom, before turning to his mistress and shaking his head. {See,} the female Cervidae said. {Nothing. There's-}

{Under the bed,} the female Lutrinae said, and in that instant, the bodyguard was crossing the room towards the bed. Jason looked around. Thankfully, a long red toga lay discarded, right next to the bed. However, it was at the opposite end. He ran for it. The bodyguards pounding feet grew louder, closer. Jason dived amidst the folds of the toga, just as the sheet raised.

*! he called out. Jason listened with bated breath, before something heavy was dragged along the floor, and pulled out from under the bed.

{An avian cage with no avian? Under your bed?} There was amusement in the female Lutrinae's voice. {I can't help but wonder why such an object would be in your possession. Or why it would be hidden instead of sitting in plain sight.} Jason managed to work his way to the edge of the toga and peer out. The expression on the Cervidae guild member's face was a cross between relief and horror.

{That reason is personal,} she replied. {The law of trade doesn't require me to explain that.}

{No, you don't,} the Lutrinae answered. {So you won't mind if I inform my masters about this?}

{It's a gift from a friend,} the Cervidae snarled. {It has nothing to do with you. Especially your guild.}

{By the law of trade, we're allowed to follow the investigation,} the Lutrinae replied. {I am allowed to record my observations, my findings and anything else I deem my guild should know.} She then ordered her bodyguard to return the cage. {You may begin searching my things now if you so desire.} Then both of them left the room.

The female Cervidae glared at the picked lock before her gaze swept the room. ****! she snapped at the soldier, thrusting the cage into his hands and turning about, slammed the door shut behind her.

The soldier gave a heavy sigh, before placing the cage down by the door, then turning about, walked over to the bed. Getting down on his hands and knees, he looked under the bed, methodically scanning every nook and cranny. Even his ears were fully forward, flicking this way and that. After an even more massive sigh escaped his lips, he rose and started retrieving the Cervidae's clothes from the floor.

Jason saw his chance. He waited until the soldier walked over to the far side to retrieve a vest, before carefully climbing out from the toga and tip-toeing back to the hidden safety of the bed. When he was halfway there, the soldier suddenly rose and turned in his direction. Jason froze. He didn't dare move, blink or breathe. In his mind, he was replaying his survival lessons over and over like a record.

Remember to keep to the shadows. Try to make as little sound as possible. Keep your ears alert. If you hear a noise that sounds like a mammalian, hide, or failing that, freeze.

The soldier started walking towards him. Jason had to fight the urge to flee. What kept him calm, was the knowledge that he hadn't pointed or said something. The soldier walked up to him, and his hoof came down a solid foot from Jason's current position with a resounding thud. Then it rose and was gone again. Still, Jason held his breath, but he dared a look up.

The soldier was by the window, unlatching it. As he opened it, the sounds of the outside flooded the room. The shouting he heard wasn't angry, just forceful. He could make out different accents trying to speak over each other. The soldier was busy watching whatever the fuss was. Then Jason blinked.

Slowly, he turned around, taking a single delicate step; Nothing. He took another; Still nothing. So he took another and another. Slowly and steadily, he made his way towards the door. No one saw him, and no one cried out. Finally, he reached the wall where the door hinges were and pressed himself up against it.

The soldier was now leaning out of the window, transfixed with something that was happening off to his right. Jason slowly pressed his body flat and eased himself halfway under the door. Then, he scanned the parlour beyond. It was empty. No mammalian's anywhere. He slid himself the rest of the way out and scanned the room for the exit.

In spite of having no visible threats, he kept to the shadows anyway. Survival courses always taught that danger could spring up at a moments notice. Treat even calmest situations as a possible danger. He made his way around the room, hiding behind furniture until at last, he reached the door that led to the outside. Again, he checked behind him to make sure that there were no sudden surprises, before easing himself half-way under the door.

Outside, something had put the wind-up everyone's back. Cervidae's were all standing around, torches blazing in their hands with worried expressions on their faces. He could even spot a few guarded looking Lutrinae amidst their number. All eyes focused on something further down the river; Jason blinked in surprise. What was going on? Then he nearly screamed. A trio of Vulpes's suddenly marched into view. Instead, he jerked in surprise, almost slamming his head on the underside of the door.

Surprisingly, it wasn't the Cervidae guild member, angrily engaged with their leader or the Vulpes Jason thought was their leader, but rather the Lutrinae female from earlier. She was hurrying to keep up with them, snarling unpleasantly at them. The Vulpes leader appeared to be ignoring every single syllable directed at him.

{There you are,} he snapped. Jason followed his pointed finger to see the Cervidae guild member, defiantly standing not too far away. {By the law of trade, I demand that the * Guild explain their actions.}

{What's there to explain, that wasn't back in Tribus City,} the female Cervidae answered coolly. {We are expanding our search to investigate any transactions involving sapiens outside the city limits.} She tilted her palm towards the Vulpes. {We promised the Procyon's that we would. We informed your guild of this move. What has your fur so bristled now?}

{Why the sudden shift of so many soldiers?} the Vulpes demanded. {So many would not be required to catch a single thief.} The Cervidae's eyes narrowed, as the Vulpes grinned. {Oh, you don't think we haven't heard about the Oryctolagus girl?} Jason almost banged his head on the door again. Glitch. What had happened to her? Was she still here, or already travelling up the river?

{I don't know what you're talking about,} the female Cervidae answered.

{Our people reported that a lone Oryctolagus girl avoided a search by showing Cervidae soldiers a medallion,} he said. {This girl could not only speak Cervidae tongue but trade also. She was last seen leaving down the river and then without warning; half your troops travel in that direction.}

Jason looked at the Lutrinae female. From the short laps of professionalism that flashed across her face, he suspected that she knew that information also. Both the female Cervidae and the Vulpes must have seen it too, for they turned in her direction.

{What's this about?} She said, turning on the Cervidae female with all the sincerity she could muster. The Vulpes rolled his eyes in a way that all but said, 'You're Fooling No One.' Jason couldn't help but shake his head. Between Glitch, the Cervidae and now this Lutrinae, no one's secret plans were going right.

Then he paused. They were all occupied with each other. As much as he'd love to listen to this story play out, he realised that he could use this opportunity to escape. Looking around, he saw that the multiple flickering torches cast a kaleidoscope of dancing shadows all around. If he kept to those shadows, no one would be able to discern his moving form, from the shifting shadows. He slid himself out into the open. Slowly rising to his feet, he crept along the wall of the hut.

He had a sneaking suspicion on where they were keeping Glitch. This place was just a simple village along the river. It wouldn't have a jail, so where would they want to keep prisoners? Simple, where ever the soldiers were camped. The only problem was where were they camped. And that led to the next question, was she still here?

He took a deep breath. While survival training stressed staying still to avoid discovery, it also reminded people that if they stayed in one place too long, they might be spotted anyway. The trick was knowing when and when not to move. Making sure that all eyes were focused on each other and not the ground, he made his move.

Keeping to the side of the hut, he edged around the back, away from the group. Thankfully, there weren't many Cervidae back here, as they all seemed intent on watching the spectacle going on up the front. That led Jason to conclude that the soldiers camp, was down the other end of the village. The house where he'd been held captive, was at the very edge, and when they brought Glitch down that end, he hadn't seen any sign of a camp. That nailed it down to the other side.

The further back he moved, the less mammalian's he encountered until he reached what was the end of the village. Peaking around the wall of the last hut, confirmed what he'd believed. Sure enough, a large encampment lay before him. There were few soldiers in sight, as the majority of them appeared to be dealing with the argument up the other end. However, his gaze focused toward a tent that held a lone guard.

Sadly, there were still too many soldiers within the camp for him to sneak in without being noticed. There was only one way in. Taking a deep breath, he left the safety of the hut and walked into the underbrush of the forest. To say it was scary in there was an understatement. The grass was almost as tall as he was, even taller in some places. The steady background hum of thousands of Insectas terrified him, as he imagined anyone of them could be watching him, waiting to pounce.

Still, he kept his eyes glued ahead of him as he made his way through the under-brush, before finally popping out where he wanted to be, behind the guarded tent. Taking a moment to make sure nothing nasty had followed him, he rushed over to the tent wall and squeezed under it.

The first sight that greeted him was an orange-brown, fluffy tail, hidden behind a pair of hands that were tied up. He gaped in shock as he looked up to see the long ears. It was Glitch. {Glitch!} he hissed. The ears twitched, and her head half spun, before spinning back the other way just as quickly.

{Jay-sun?} she whispered. {What are you doing here?} Her voice was shocked.

{Rescuing you,} he hissed, and rushing forward, started pulling at the knots that bound her hands together behind her back. He organised a method, in which Glitch would stretch, and Jason would tug. Working together, they managed to loosen the ropes around her wrists enough so that she could withdraw her claws and slice through them. Once freed, she untied the ones around her ankles.

Then she rose and spun around to look down at him with shock and worry. {You - rescued me?} He nodded. {I take it they informed you about my true motives?} Again he nodded. {Why? You know that I lied to you. After everything that they told you, why are you still helping me?}

{We can discuss this later, right now, we need to get out of here.} She nodded. She crept silently up to the front of the tent, where her knitted sack lay. Jason was surprised that the Cervidae had even bothered returning it to her. Most likely, it was evidence she existed, and keeping it with her made cleaning up her little mess easier. Snatching it, she crept to the back of the tent and followed Jason in squeezing under the wall and out the end. Once outside, she swung her ears in every direction, trying to pinpoint the location of soldiers within the camp.

{Come on,} she said, reaching down and gently taking hold of him, lifting him up off the ground. {We've got to get out of here.} She gently placed him inside the sack, before turning back and walking off into the forest.

{Where are we going?} Jason asked.

{The one place they'd never suspect,} Glitch replied. {Back to Litore Town.} Before he could ask why she explained. {I always suspected that my flight from Tribus City wouldn't go unnoticed. Hence why I knew they'd be after me so quick. However, it turns out the Cervidae weren't the only ones to know I left.}

{The Vulpes.} She paused in her explanation to give the sack a 'How Did You Know?' look. {Some of their representatives are here. They were asking about you.}

{That doesn't surprise me. I overheard the soldiers talking about them, when they pulled up at the docks,} she said. {They know that the * Guild is after me, but they don't understand why. With all that happened back in Tribus City, they have suspicions, but that is all. All these accusations, with no proof, will slow everyone down, but not for long.} She muttered darkly to herself. {Slow for an Oryctolagus, am I? I'll show you who's * slow.}

They emerged from the forest onto the same path they'd taken to get here. {Isn't this dangerous?} Jason asked.

{We'll have to travel by night, and get off the path when we hear anyone coming,} Glitch answered. {It'll be a dangerous gamble, but I can pull it off. I'll show her who's slow.}

{What do you plan to do once we get to Litore Town?}

{We can't take the river back,} she said. {My description will be everywhere along the coast and in every town of the Cervidae Empire. We're going to have to take a ship across the Lesser Sea, dock at the Amber Continent and from there, return to the Middle Continent through another empire. Then from there, find the closest sapien settlement we can.} Jason nodded. It was true. There was no way they could continue travelling throughout the Cervidae lands. {Jay-son?} When he replied, she asked, {Why did you rescue me? After you found out that I lied to you, that I was going to sell you. Why aren't you angry with me? Aren't you mad?}

{I won't say that I'm not pleased that you lied to me, or that you had no intention of returning me home. You just said that to keep me quiet.} Peering through the knitting of the sack, she looked ashamed. {As for why I rescued you, you're the only mammalian I can trust. I know I can believe you because you risked your life to get me away from the Cervidae, in-spite of the rewards offered to you. I'm smart enough to know that if you were planning on selling me to another guild, you would've done it already. And from today's events, I know you never planned on selling me to the highest bidder, because the longer you hold onto me, the more danger you're in.} He paused. {I'm not interested in what they were going to give you, but rather in knowing why you didn't sell me to them? A question they don't even know.}

{You don't know what it's like being me,} she said, {You'll think it's stupid.}

{I'll be the judge of that,} Jason answered. She stared at him for five seconds, before letting out a long sigh.

{It's because you thanked me, and meant it.} Jason just tilted his head.

{I don't understand?}

{Do you remember what I told you? About my previous life?} He nodded.

{You were a slave. What does that have to do with-}

{Everything,} she interrupted. {All my life, as long as I can remember, I've always had to do everyone's bidding. I went above and beyond for everyone who owned me. Putting everything I had into every task given to me. I did my utmost to please everyone I've ever worked for.} She paused. When she spoke again, her voice was so soft, Jason had to strain to hear her. {I've never once been thanked for anything I've done. I was a slave, and nothing more. I wasn't expected to receive any praise. If I completed my job, no matter how much effort I put into it, I was doing it well. Keep it up, and you'll still have a job.} She gave a heavy sigh. {You were the first person to thank me.} She half collapsed, and for a moment, Jason feared she'd drop the sack. Thankfully she didn't. When she regained her composure, tears were in her eyes. {When you thanked me, back in that alley, I felt something I've never felt before. I felt awful for doing my job.}

Jason thought back on all he'd seen and heard, during his travels with Glitch. He never indeed gave much thought to anyone who thanked him for doing a good job. It was just common courtesy. {Thank you Glitch,} he said. {For saving my life, for risking your own. Thank you.}

She smiled. {You're welcome, Jay-sun.} She paused. {And Jay-sun?}

{Yes?}

{Thank you for risking your life to rescue me.}

{You're welcome, my friend,} he said: And he meant it. Then with a smile on her face, she bounced a little on her feet, before shooting off down the path towards Litore Town. She was so fast; it threw Jason into the back of the sack's wall.

{Who's the slow one now, you **!} he heard Glitch pant over the sound of her running. Being jostled around in the sack, Jason could only pray that the return trip wouldn't take six days.



First Chapter: Act I
Next Chapter: Act V
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