A Rare Replacement {Broken Knight and Crimson}

[Sacrificing Crimson]

Noise, light, and the thick smell of smoke were the first things to wake Calida every morning. The noises always changed. One morning it had been the thick, steady sound of a drum beating out a slow heart beat for the oarsmen to keep pace with. The next it had been the scream of seagulls as they pulled into port. The final day on the ship had given way to a long walk through the city, though Calida couldnâ??t be certain, she hadnâ??t been allowed out of her cage to walk for more than a few moments. That was the first day in near a month that sheâ??d been out in the sunlight and the bright sphere in the sky had burned her eyes, leaving flashes of brilliant white in her vision even hours after sheâ??d been put back in her dark cage. The lights had begun to change as well. Now, instead of the sputtering light of torches, she actually managed to catch glimpses of sunlight as the tent flaps were lifted or shifted by the wind. Though the noise and lights changed, the smells always remained the same: unwashed bodies, blood, the thick scent of excrement, and the smoke from the torches or oils burned to illuminate the inside of her tent. All that had remained the same for months, until they reached the slave auctions.

Now, the sounds that woke her up in the mornings were the cries of children being pulled from their motherâ??s arms, or the thick voices of the men that were selling the peoples theyâ??d imprisoned on far off shores. After a while those voices faded into the background, but Calida had learned to listen for one voice in particular, the voice of the man who would sell her to the highest bidder or the winner of his contest. Even as Calida thought of him she heard his high pitched voice behind her cage and she twisted in her cell to look upon the willow thin man who called men in from the streets to fight for her.

Growling to herself and idly running fingers through the fall of her crimson and ebony hair Calida looked about at the faces of the people who had begun to fill the tent. As her eyes scanned the crowd their gazes dropped, heads turning or bowing as they whispered to themselves, speaking of her as if she couldnâ??t understand what they were saying. Slowly uncurling her body, Calida stood, gaze locking with the muddy grey stare of a particularly burly sailor that had been watching her for over an hour. A low purr beginning to roll through her chest she stood carefully, allowing sore muscles to stretch as her fingers wrapped around the bars of her cage, sapphire and emerald fire dancing in her eyes as she leaned forward pressed one golden cheek against her cage. Rubbing herself against the bars as if she were a giant cat the slave couldnâ??t help a smile as the manâ??s eyes slid from her face down her body.

Unlike the other slaves who were kept in rags if they were lucky, Calida had been dressed in silk gauze that left her body hidden behind wisps of purples and silvery blues. The soft curves of her body were flaunted yet hidden at the same time, and her golden skin seemed to shimmer in the heat of the tent as she moved, stretching her body so that she writhed against the cold iron bars that kept her in her prison.

As if in a trance the sailor moved forward, reaching through the bars to grope at her body, though instead of getting a handful of flesh his fingers caught only the floating gauze of her skirt as she twisted away from him. As he made another grab for her Calidaâ??s eyes blazed and she let out a blood chilling scream, a sound ripping from her throat that no human should have been able to make. Instead of the cry of an outraged human the scream of an angry cat thundered from her throat and she twisted suddenly, lashing out at the human with dainty feet, twisting her body so that she could kick at him. The first blow landed solidly in his chest as she laughed as she heard the thick wet sound of bones crunching in his chest. As she watched the man fall into a dead pile of meat and bones Calida heard more than saw people behind her part before a large man grabbed hold of the chain connected to the collar around her neck. An instant later she was on the floor of her cage, back hitting the bars on the far side as he gave a mighty yank. All the breath pushed from her body Calida struggled to draw a breath even as she felt a hand wrap around her neck.

As black spots began to grow in her vision she was tossed back into the center of her cage, coughing as she struggled to draw a clear breath. Swirling eyes burning with hatred she met the stare of the man who had dragged her from her home. Instead of shrinking back he simply grinned at her and gave another yank on her chain. â??Keep pushing it, my dear, and Iâ??ll have you for myself,â? he growled at her and his eyes narrowed, the pink flesh of his tongue visible for a second as he licked his lips. Instantly the blood froze in Calidaâ??s veins. She knew very well why he wanted her, and she knew that if she wasnâ??t won soon he would get his wish.

With a low growl and long stretch the small woman crawled to the edge of her cage, completely silent as she listened to the man in the middle of the floor call out the names of the men who would fight to win her as a prize, that is, if they actually survived. So far three had perished trying to win her and she settled herself comfortably for another day watching foolish men fight, and die, just to own her.

After growing bored watching the men pummel each other Calida stretched out and looked down at herself, taking the time to smooth down the silk covering her body. Even as the men fought she struggled to understand why they would be willing to kill themselves for her. As if to answer her own questions the slave looked up, scanning the faces and bodies of the women who had entered the tent. Unlike them Calidaâ??s skin was a glittering gold. The vast majority of the women were also tall, though not as tall as the men, but Calida seemed the exception. She barely stood over five feet and seemed almost childlike, though her body had all the curvature of a full grown woman. Though their hair colors ranged from straw yellow to a dark sooty black her hair shone like spun garnets, glittering even in the flickering torchlight. While their lips were thin and cheeks slightly puffy her lips swelled to a full pout and her cheekbones were high, giving a tilt to her large, bright eyes. Her eyes were always the thing that caught attention, above all else. Even in the dark her eyes almost glowed, giving off soft phosphorescence that only catâ??s seemed to give off in the moonlight. Up tilted at the corners and large enough to fight only her mouth for dominance her pupils marked her as something other than human for the simple fact that instead of being black points they were elongated slits, almost exactly like those of a cat. Depending on her mood they glowed a bright emerald green or danced a cold sapphire that was wholly unnatural in this part of the world. From the dark shine of her hair to the straight, gentle line of her nose it was obvious that Calida was a rarity and that seemed to encourage the men to beat each other to a pulp in order to own her.

With a final sigh and stretch the small slave stretched out in her cage before curling herself in a ball in the center of the cell, making certain she was far enough from any of the bars to keep herself from being touched by any of the men surrounding her cage. While the fighting usually drew her attention and delight, today she was tired. Iâ??ll sleep through these first fights she thought with a very cat-like yawn, When the defenders come back I will watch. They are always much more interestingâ?¦. With that last thought the fire and blood haired slave drifted off into a light sleep.

 

[Broken Knight]

It wasn't as though he enjoyed the slaver's market. But, on the other hand, it was such a good source of income. Take a slave girl, break her to the point that she moans and begs each night for him, sell her back for almost twice what it had cost him. He took the 'bad' ones. The females that were gorgeous, but had personality flaws that disallowed them from making good slaves and pets. But, it was a rather simple fix. You see, he treated them like the little princesses that they are. Their beauty is a commodity worth more than gold in its weight, so why not treat them with the care that they deserved?

Although he only wore a pair of heavy threaded jeans, when he moved, people got out of his way. There wasn't a person in the slaver's market, or even the Capital that didn't know exactly who he was. He was a nobleman with a wealth garnered that rivaled the king's, yet he preferred slaves over princesses. At the balls, he brought females that were more beautiful than that of the King's daughters, yet the girl (or girls, as he sometimes preferred) always were collared and bound to him. They wanted nothing more to make him happy, even as he sold them, since the money would bring him happiness.

But, the wolf wasn't exactly young anymore, either. His days of pushing himself inside a slave girl inside the slaver's market was years behind him. He wasn't old by any means, but he wasn't brash any more either. He'd started to soften, he'd found. Slowly, he'd taken more and more time with his girls, keeping them for longer periods. It wasn't like the change bothered him, but he was quite rather aware of it.

His black furr mussed by the dingyness of the market, he would have to bathe when he got home. Maybe pull one of his girls in to have her help him relax. Either way, his fur needed a cleaning and that took some time. His mind on his fur, his thoughts snapped out of his reverie when he heard the fighting. Those girls were always the best, the ones that men were willing to hurt, maim or even kill to buy. Moving through the crowd, slowly letting the men break it up, he walks up to the bars.

"'Oi!" A voice behind him called out. "I saw 'er first, I 'id, I 'id!" The accent was thick, but the tall, lean black wolf ignored it. "Oi, I'm 'alkin to yah, yah limey beast!" The man called out, obviously angered. He was about to step forward when another man grabbed him. "That ain't someone ye want tah be messin' with, boy! That's Reis Beoluve. He'd just as soon kill ye and leave ye dead, and no one would think tah touch 'em." The younger of the two men eyed the tall wolf, slowly backing off.

Reis, as the older man had pointed out his name, looked at the slaver who owned the market. The man simply nodded and scribbled into a small ledger, making a note of the debt that Reis was taking on in order to purchase the girl. He always paid full price, since he always knew he was going to make a return. Opening the cage and stepping inside, Reis knelt down before her. "Come."

His voice was soft and smooth, refined unlike the pesky men outside the bars. "My dear, you needn't lay on the floor here and despair. Come with me, my kitten, and at least, you'll find warm food in your belly and a warm bed under you each night. I need not lie to you, though. You are mine, and I'll take you as such, your beautiful body and all." He tells her, still holding out his paw.

 

[Sacrificing Crimson]

One, two, threeâ?¦and heâ??s out. Good, he wasnâ??t one for cleanliness, that one Calida thought as she watched a slender, exceptionally filthy man fall to the hard packed earth with a thud. Having woke from her nap early the slave had decided to watch a few fights before lying back once again, stretching out and contorting her body in order to find a comfortable position, a rather difficult task considering she was left with only the floor for her bed. Ignoring the small discomfort of tiny pebbles on the floor of her cage Calida had just curled up for another quick nap when she heard the soft squeal of a door opening.

Sitting up quickly and rolling to face the door to her cage the slaveâ??s eyes narrowed as they settled on the wolf whoâ??d stepped into her prison, followed closely by the weasel faced man sheâ??d grown to despise. From his position a foot or so away from her resting place Calida had the perfect view of the beast thatâ??d obviously purchased her. Eyes darting to the open door of her cage Calida tilted her head slightly, knowing full well that sheâ??d not make it more than a few feet before either the wolf caught her, or the man outside her cage took hold of her chain again.

As if on command Calida heard the chain rattle and felt a sharp pain down her spine, the leash round her neck jerking slightly as he rolled the chain to slap along her flesh. Unbidden a growl rolled through her throat and Calida crawled backwards, eyes only for the wolf in her cage as she backed up closer to the bars behind her. He smelled of smoke, trees, and something she couldnâ??t quite identify, a spicy musk that seemed to roll from his body though heâ??d not moved much.

Running his words through her mind, quickly, Calida took another step back, crouching on the balls of her feet, small hands pressed to the hard floor beneath her as she shook her head and glared at the wolf. â??I belong to no man,â? she hissed, but before the next words could cross her lips the chain connected to her collar was jerked again. Without a sound she sudden spun, moving in a smooth, fluid motion to wrap small hands round the silver chain. With a quick, hard yank Calida leaned back, taking the ashen skinned man holding her chain off guard. Suddenly he hit the bars and she rushed at him. Looping the chain around his head quickly she gave a sharp pull, forcing his face against the bars.

â??Do it again,â? she hissed, pressing her face against the bars, â??do it again anâ?? Iâ??ll claw out your eyes.â? Even as the words crossed her lips Calida waited for the sharp pain of a fist landing somewhere on her body, any time sheâ??d attacked any of the men â??caringâ?? for her sheâ??d been punished, but she no longer cared. If the wolf in her cage really had purchased her then he could deal with her. If he didnâ??t then she would never accept him as her owner. It mattered not that heâ??d paid for her, Calida would only bow to a being who could curtail her temper and control her outbursts, if her newest owner couldnâ??t, or wouldnâ??t punish or sooth her, then she would escape. If he did nothing to stop her, then she would simply kill the man gasping for breath against the bars of her cage, and feel no remorse. The man had hurt her, so she reacted, it was as simple as that.