My heart felt like it was going to jump from my chest at the situation I was stuck in. The only thing I could do was let the female carry me like a cub and hope she wouldn't be too upset by my weight.
She was tall. Not just tall for a female, but tall in the way trees were tall, the kind that didn't sway in the strong wind. And her beauty...wild, dangerous. Like staring up at a lightning storm and thinking, God, that's beautiful... right before the strikes kill you.
After seeing me standing in the middle of the hallway, she thought I needed sunlight and fresh air. And before I could blink, she snatched me off the ground and bolted out of the dungeon with the speed of a leopard, not caring that her males were chasing after her, yelling for her to stop.
"How old are you?" she asked.
Too old. I thought.
"Twenty-two winters," I paused, "Old." I finished, feeling as if I could hear her thoughts out loud.
"TOO YOUNG!" Her males cursed under their breaths, looking at me like I had sprouted a second head.
Hm?
In response, I felt her put me down carefully on the grass as if regretting her decision. She removed her cloak with a large hood and tied the strings around my neck. Covering my face and most of my body.
"Do you hate the sun that much?" she asked when I tried to hide away from the brightness of the sun by shrinking into myself. I didn't want the light to darken me further.
"I'm trying to get paler," I confessed, taking in the scent of her cloak. There were so many scents mixed in that it was hard to pick out the dominant one. Ten, out of which one belonged to the female, one to the snake beastman, two wolves and the scorpion beastmen. As for the rest, their animal traits weren't as obvious.
I didn't know how to thank her for her gesture, so I said the only thing that made sense to me. "I have nothing...to offer in return," I said, letting the cloak fall over my face, making it even harder to see. "I'm sorry," I added, not knowing what else to say. Offering to wash it for her sounded too offensive and it looked so high quality, so expensive that I knew I'd never be able to afford to buy her a new one.
"She's around the same age as our peas, Princess," one of her males said, "She is more suitable to be with them than ancients like us," he continued with a chuckle.
"Speak for yourself, Romeo. I'm barely in my mid-fifties. Still in my prime." A scorpion tail came to my view then a tanned face that could only be carved by demons. Purple irises surrounded by black sclera and no whites to speak of.
My brain had shut down at the sight of him. The only thought that was running in my mind was that he could kill me in an instant, so easily. Spiky teeth flashed in my direction as he grinned. He knew I was terrified and was enjoying my reaction to him.
"I don't see anything special about her. She looks a little too..." the scorpion beastman paused, turning his gaze from me to his female, "...normal." His face disappeared and his tail followed as he walked away.
Normal? Was he blind?
"I don't feel that old either." Another eerie face tilted down. Wearing a blindfold over his eyes, stitched scars on his pale torso...and those wolf ears...white as snow... He sniffed once. Paused. Sniffed again, slower this time. Then sneezed, "She smells too much like a female."
Me? Like a female? He was the third person today who had spoken as if I was worth something.
"Well, I like the impression she has given us so far." Another white haired male grabbed my hand and dropped a clear crystal in my palm, closing my fingers over it with his own, "My name is Vick, our female's head male. You will come to know the rest soon enough."
"You are overwhelming her," the female interrupted, and began walking away. They quickly followed her like a horde of sheep, leaving me behind.
I glanced down at the gem in my palm. Did a male just touch me? With gentleness in his voice and his hands?
"Hey you!" A couple of females ran toward me, panting from their run. I recognized them as the females from the cells. They stopped a few steps before me, "Do you know where they went?"
I shook my head. I had no idea where they went and I had no idea what was going on.
"They bought the whole trade center! They bought us. They bought us all. They are looking for a new territory to settle in. Once they find a suitable place they will call for us to help them with the building process and the maintenance of it." The thirty or so females squealed with joy.
"What territory?" I asked. There were no available territories around. All have been claimed already.
They continued to run in the direction of their new buyers, "It doesn't matter, we are just going to thank them first and ask later. Don't you want to thank your new masters too? Come on!"
"Why are you so nice to me?" I asked, following after them despite knowing that it might be a trap. That the females were trying to make themselves look better to their new masters by making me do something stupid. It was an illusion of friendship, but I was willing to play along if it meant being treated like a normal person for a short while. It was a rare treat for me.
"First rule is to be nice to everyone the Madam and The Cloud Nine owners are nice to," they replied, "You are wearing the Madam's cloak. They must like you. We must be nice to you too. Didn't you receive the pamphlet with the instructions on your new job?"
I was hired?
The cloak suddenly felt warmer and heavier than before, like a shield of protection. They didn't recognize me, probably didn't even realize that they had just spoken to the black sheep.
They continued to praise the owners' looks and how lucky they were to have been bought by them. The females talked about how they wanted to be a pleasure mate to the males, to have the opportunity to be so close to such powerful and rich males, with a deep need to carry their young.
Meanwhile, I raised the hem of the cloak, careful not to drag it over the ground and stain it. It slowed down my pace and the females had already run a distance ahead of me.
I should hurry up, but the cloak...
I slowed down instead, watching my every step to avoid tripping in any holes on the ground. She walked away from me, so I should walk away from her. I had no right to impose. It was a good idea, and the best way to thank her for the kindness she showed me.
Take responsibility for her cloak.
Keep it from getting dirty.
Not let anyone use it to insult her or her taste in fashion.
This was the least I could do to repay her.