The old fort was made half of wood and half of stone, with four towers, held up by pillars and connected by thick walls; it had no central roof; perfect for Ray and Matteo to slip in right behind their new friend. The further down the larger the animals, Ray thought as she climbed down the inner walls. The ground floor was massive and made straw overtop dirt, hosting to what looked to be hundreds of large animals in small cages. The conditions were horrible, nearly half the creatures were emaciated or covered in waste.
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Matteo dropped down next to her loud enough to stir some of the animals. "For fuck's sake, I think I stepped in shit."
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"Am I paying you to get us caught?" the shadow girl asked.
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"She's right Matt, be quiet."
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"'Be quiet,'" he mocked.
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I need to find out more about her, Ray thought walking next to the girl.
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To her left, Ray saw giant yell-brown snakes and gray fang lizards, Apes that looked strong enough to rip a man in half and hungry enough to eat whatever was left. To her right, bone-skinny zebra and zorses, a hideous brown-gray beast with the look of a horse and buffalo mixed. Further down stood the long-necked horses from the deep plains Aloria where she and hers never dared to venture; its cage so small its head roamed free above it.
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Have they been mating the different beasts here? Disgusting and unnatural.
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The shadow girl approached a tall wicker basket and took the lid off, wiggling the fingers of her left hand over the top. A long black cobra emerged from within the basket and followed her wiggling fingers. Its neck hood opened and it's loud hiss caused a commotion among many of the other animals. The snake reared back to strike her fingers but was snatched mid-lunge by her free hand. She stuffed the snake into a bag and continued as if nothing had happened.
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She is incredible.
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"I don't remember what you said your name was," Raycene said.
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"I didn't."
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"To work more effectively perhaps-"
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"Prayva. Call me Prayva."
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"Prayva like the goddess?"
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"Like the goddess."
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"Well met Prayva, I am called Raycene and that is my brother Matteo."
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"I know. Remember what I asked of you two."
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You know do you? She thought. "Right, on it."
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Ray and her brother crept around the pins lifting wooden blocks and unlocking them as they went, careful not to wake the sleeping beasts.
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The sight of it made her gasp. "By the gods, they're real!?"
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The unicorn huffed about in its flat pen. It's, fat gray body and short legs lacked the majesty Ray had imagined and the stench of its mud and shit covered hide made her gag; it's sheer might still brought forth respectful awe in her. "You look more hippo than stallion but in a way you are beautiful," she said, half expecting it to speak back to her like in the children's tales. "You have two horns instead of one?" she asked the wonder, lifting the lock from its cage.
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As she turned the corner her wonder turned to fear. She locked eyes with a tan, broad-shouldered cat that stood as tall as a pony. Even though its ribs pressed tightly against its patchy fur the beast still commanded fear. It sat in a cage too small for its might, with the head of a lion and the stripes of a tiger it was bigger than both. The beast stared back at her baring fangs as long as dirks and she knew what it was.
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"A sabercat," she said with wonder.
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"Is that what I think it is?" her brother asked, walking up beside her.
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The beast answered with a roar so loud Raycene felt it in her bones.
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"We're on your side," she said to the beast only to have it roar again. The beast continued to roar at her even as she moved away from it. Two tiny heads emerged from beside her and the large soft eyes of cubs broke her heart.
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"What are you two doing over there!?" Prayva whisper-shouted. "I won't pay you if you wake the entire-" Prayva leaped behind a pillar.
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"...I know I'm on it!" a voice shouted as the double doors leading outside swung open. Ten armed guards entered the room holding torches and what Ray could only assume was feed.
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Raycene drew her bow and crouched low. Matteo drew his dirks and made for the dark behind a pillar. Moving behind a cage holding a tall and slender spotted cat, Ray pulled her hood up and nocked an arrow, watching the soldiers.
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The guards threw slop at the animals, some kicked and rattled their cages. Any creature that huffed or roared in protest at the soldiers' abuse was met with pokes and jabs from their spears.
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What kind of men torture caged beasts?
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The sabercat roared again as the men approached her cage. One soldier drew her attention while the snatched one of her cubs, lifting it by the scruff he taunted her with her crying cub. When the cat reached out to claw at the man he took a step back and threw the cub to the ground before her, the tiny creature let out a horrible cry of pain. As it tried to limp away from the man he kicked it toward the cage and laughed before kicking it again, this time the cub did not whimper.
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"Eh, we only need one cub anyway," he said reassuring his comrade that gave him a disapproving look.
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Raycene found herself filled with anger and ready to pounce.
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A soldier made his way to the unicorn and jabbed it with his spear. The horned majesty answered by charging through its unlocked cage. The man found himself impaled by its horn, screaming as it thrashed about. His torch fell to the ground and lit the hay ablaze. The other men rushed to his aid.
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"The fire!" one of them shouted. "Someone put out that fire!"
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Ray moved far back, away from the fire as it spread up a pillar. She watched as her brother ran and opened the sabercat's cage before throwing one of his daggers into the back of a man fighting the unicorn then retreating into the darkness.
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The apes burst free from their cages followed by the horses and zorses as the fire spread. Two men made their way around the corner running from beast and fire. The stopped at the sight of Raycene. Two of her arrows found their way into the face of one of the men. She was beaten to the second kill by the claws and fangs of the sabercat. The cat pounced on the man, her claw shredded into his back pulling forth meat and blood. He screamed and begged and died with fangs in the back of his neck.
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The cat looked at Ray, its mouth wet with blood. Ray lowered her bow and the cat turned and left for its next kill.
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"Ray, let's go," Matteo shouted out for her as he climbed a pillar to avoid the flames.
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"Go I'll find my way!"
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Loud bells began to chime and Ray could hear the screams of approaching men. She made for the main entrance only to be knocked aside as the unicorn burst through the cage next to her. She hit her head on something hard and the room began to spin. The screams of the man still stuck on the unicorn's horn shook her from her dizziness. The beast shook and slammed and the man screamed and flailed but he remained impaled. It charged the main door, partially caving it in. The man cried out for death as his legs hung in broken slumps. The unicorn broke through on the second charge only to meet and trample through a hoard of men with spears.
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By all the gods.
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The fire began to run up and across the walls of the fort, hissing, and cracking. The old wood screamed under the heat. Ray found herself rolling to avoid an old pillar as it collapsed. She rose to her feet and searched for a way out. To her right, she saw only a wall of flame to her left a large ape caving in the face of a soldier.
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As she ran forward a cry stopped her. She searched and found the saber cub trying to move its dead sibling. With the mother nowhere in sight she scooped up the tiny wonder and made for a side door. She looked back to see some of the spearmen fighting the beasts, some trying to stop the fires and others running as the fire made it up past the second and third floors.
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Ray dodged out of the way of another pillar as it collapsed. She found that she wasn't the only one that made for the side door.
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"You did this," he said pointing his spear at her, torch in hand.
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It's him, she thought, recognizing the man who killed the cub. The tiny cat hissed at the man from the safety of Raycene's arms.
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The man charged and Ray stepped back. She felt a gust of wind behind her as a flash of fang and fury flew over her head.
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The sabercat landed on the man with all her might taking the full brunt of his spear without so much as a flinch. He screamed as she bit deep into his chest and shook him by the ribs, for a moment horrid screams and the crack and pop of breaking bone beat out the sound of the inferno around her. The man drew his dagger and stabbed at the vengeful mother. She released his chest and took his arm into her mouth. She thrashed again and again until his elbow snapped as she tore the limb from him. The cat stepped back for a moment as if to admire her work. The man lay screaming, grasping at the meat, bone, and blood where his arm used to be. All at once the cat lunged forward once more and took the man's jaw from his face.
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Spear in her belly and blood running from knife wounds the wounded mother once again met eyes with Ray, she looked to her cub before charging past them and into the hoard of spearmen fighting the other beasts.
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I will take care of her, Ray thought as she made for the door.
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