Woof
Posted: Mon Jan 23, 2017 3:51 am
Saun 3rd, 698
A small girl wandered about the place she knew as home, roughly at the age of five with a lithe body and a curious disposition. She had a nature that often brought trouble to unobservant parents. In her world though her curiosity only brought trouble to herself. Her father had little time to tend her and her mother was long gone, something that she would come to blame herself for, so she had few who actually watched after her. Her tutors and teachers bestowed onto her by the Master per his dealing with her father never seemed to care if she wandered off or not. It would later be called into question if they actually took their job of teaching the child seriously. Most if not all would be fired for both the better and the worse. But that is not where our story lies.
Nightshade knew not what it meant to fear, she knew not what it was to be subservient to another being she saw as equal to herself even though the gifts on her back made her superior to the eyes of some and her quick mind made her even more so. In most cases when fostered properly curiosity can lead to a high amount of intelligence and intelligence when used in the right hands led to power, a kind of power that’s very had to reject and control. When your own servant is smarter and stronger than you, you quickly find yourself in the position of servitude to the new master. Even if Night was only five there was still the possibility that someone as bright and courageous as her could doom the Master. So he knew what he had to do. He had to find some way to keep her from gaining any kind of power in life; she couldn’t be allowed to think that she might be better than him. Of course he couldn’t stop her studies. If her father figured out that the Master wasn’t upholding his end of their bargain then it could spell disaster. He wasn’t as worried as he should have been, he didn’t fear for his own life as he should of, but he did fear for the damage the full breed could cause should he learn about his daughter not being properly cared for.
The Master needed something a little more low key, he needed something easy and quick. If he could deal with the girl and wash his hands of her then that would be the best scenario, but that didn’t seem likely. If he could break her enough then she would make a lovely wife for Ivan in years to come. That was only if he could break her nature while keeping her smart. Unfortunately the two traits weren’t that easily separated if they could be at all. “Nightshade, come here,” the Master called as he watched the small half breed play. She would become dangerous if left to her own devices, that much was certain. Even if she had trouble with her feet she moved with a childish grace as she danced about like there was nothing wrong in the world. Her wings batted the air harmlessly, doing little to bring her flight but she was still young and her wings hadn’t fully developed. There was doubt in her father’s mind that she might ever learn to fly, but the Master could see it. The muscles were weak, but if she worked them enough they might get strong enough to bring her lift. He could only hope that she stayed this weak and never learned how to fly. The freedom and power brought on the air currents was something he couldn’t control.
“Yes Master,” the little bird cooed as she came over. She wasn’t as fast as she should have been. She didn't understand what was about to happen to her, there was an air of innocents surrounding her mind that was still unclouded and without ruin from the world around her. There was a kind of ignorance in the way she looked up at the master with so much trust.
“Child, do you know what you are?” He asked her pulling her closer. The young girl looked at him with confusion as his large hand wrapped around her wrist and dragged her closer. He’d learned that she didn’t like to be close to others physically. He was entirely unsure where the fear had come from since he hadn’t done anything yet. Soon enough though it would become a powerful fear. She would flinch away from movement, be scared of every touch, she would whimper and beg whenever she did something wrong. He would make sure of that. It was wrong to say that Night feared touch however. She disliked it, mostly because it was Ivan who tried to touch her. The boy was the only other child she’d met. He gave her the creeps and she tried to avoid him at all costs. She didn’t mind being touched; in fact she loved hugs from the papa and the little things that symbolized praise from her teachers. There was just a little voice in the back of her mind, it had told her for a while when something was wrong and when she should be scared. That voice often warned her about Ivan, but now the prickling fear spoke about the Master. It made her want to be freed from his grasp so that she could flee should her inclinations turn true.
“A half Avriel, sir?” She said turning her statement into more of a question. Her voice went a little higher as she looked up with big watery blue eyes. She could feel a sense of dread in the pit of her being though she didn’t recognize it as such. Bad feeling, it was a bad feeling and that was all she knew. She knew that it was a feeling she wanted to make stop. She tried to pull away from the Master with what little strength she had, but the small child could do little to wrench herself free of the older and much more powerful man.
“Wrong,” he said simply. A crack filled the air and one of Night’s hands flew up to her cheek where an angry red mark sat. There was a small cut from where the diamond ring on the back of the Master’s hand pushed a little too hard against her skin. After being backhanded the half Avriel flew into a full on panic. The Master just continued to glare down at her waiting for her to amend her response into something more pleasing. His hand remained raised causing the dreadful feeling to seep even further into her being. Something told her that if this encounter lasted to long this wasn't the worse of what she would be getting.
“Let go! Let go! Papa, help,” she cried and begged as tears started to trail down her cheeks. The Master yanked harder on her arm, turning it slightly and tightening his grip. The silent threat that the Master would break her arm if she didn’t shut up convinced her to become quiet. The tears never once slowed let alone stopped. A burning anger began to surge in her fear addled mind, but she couldn't draw much strength from it. There was little a child like herself could do in such a situation.
“You do not know what you are, so I’ll teach you. Nightshade, obey my orders. Bark,” he said simply not letting go of her hand. There was a dark note to his expression as his sharp brown eyes clouded with an emotion she didn't recognize. She had a rather small bank of knowledge and there was nothing she could pull on that matched the malice and hate in the eyes of a man she had trusted minutes ago. That trust had obviously been dashed far beyond ever being repaired. She tried not to make eye contact with him, when she did the malice only became fiercer as his rotten intent became sickeningly evident. There was certainly something sadistic in his heart considering the pleasure he got from watching her squirm. A trait that would haunt her in the future both because of the Master and Ivan who inherited such a rotten personality quirk.
A puzzled expression crossed the features of the half breed upon his command. “But birds don’t bark,” she said with a slight tilt of her head. It was a habit she’d picked up from her father. Of course she didn't mean it but the comment could come off as her being a smart ass. With no social etiquette just about anything she said in that moment besides barking would have been wrong. The Master back handed her again, this time harder. A second cut formed on her cheek. “Stop, please,” she whimpered quietly.
“Nightshade, this is your last chance. Stop crying and bark,” he said his tone dropping to a quiet and dangerous one. It dripped with hateful venom and the small half breed shook. She wanted to shrink away from his touch; the hand on her wrist had turned to fire, but she couldn’t free herself. He wasn’t going to backhand her this time. Instead he called for a servant to bring him something. The servant left and quickly returned with what looked to be a riding crop. A slap on the face was the kindest thing Night would ever receive from the man, subsequent punishment would only get harsher and harsher. How far would he go just to break her spirit. If he went too far in his quest to break her mentally he might just break her physically, something that would cause her father great anger. That thought actually gave the Master a moment of pause before picking up the riding crop. Of course it was only for a moment. Night in that moment took her time to weight her options. What was more important, her life or her pride? Certainly this man wouldn't stop. He'd gone too far and found himself an adorable new toy in every sense of the word. Night's only choice in the matter if she wanted to survive let alone free herself from his grasp was to comply.
The man waited for a moment. Night couldn’t find the strength to respond. Not only was her mind reeling in shell shock from everything that had happened but there was a stubborn pride that clamped around her throat not only threatening to stop her voice, but to stop her breathing as well. Slowly he raised the riding crop into the air but Night found the strength and spoke up despite the stinging it brought her. “B-bark, woof woof, bark,” she spoke with a shivery tone as she tried to hold back all the tears that wanted to be shed. Eventually a fresh wave managed to slink their way down her cheeks as the stinging in her throat only got fiercer. She sniffled slightly as the mucus began to build up in her nose, threatening to spill out and make her look even more pathetic than she already was.
The master smiled putting down his weapon. “Good girl, do it again. This time with confidence, like you mean it. Know what you are, beast. Pathetic worm of a creature. Bark for me,” the Master said looking down at her icily. There was something ravenous in his eyes. Pedophile. Sadists. He was the real beast, a true monster. Night felt her shame slowly turning into spite. A dangerous weapon in the hands of someone like her. She continued to go along with his demands, but every other emotion in her body joined in the hands of the building anger. His treatment of her had only proved to make his situation more dangerous in coming years.
“Bark!” She cried making her voice firm even though the entire rest of her body was shaking. There was a bitter taste in the back of her throat as bile started to rise up from her stomach. The hand of the arm that wasn't grasped by the Master turned into a hateful fist. It took all her strength not to lunge and go for his eyes then there. There was something inherently wrong with this entire situation. Her current treatment reminded her of stories her father had told her about slaves. Both humans and avriel kept them. It was a terrible thought in her mind. Like that a distinct distaste for both her genetic halves formed.
“Louder,” the man cooed with a sick smile on his face. This was more entertaining that he thought it would be. Night could feel disgrace crawling onto her back, it felt hot and heavy and she wanted to curl up and be done with this entire mess. She made an effort to turn that disgrace in anger, sharpening the emotion like a sword. She clung to the genetic pride most avriel shared, using it like a kind of armor. Never would that pride be used like a weapon, never would it put her above others, all because of what she saw here and now. It was wrong, so very wrong. No one deserved this. Altruistic and dream like thoughts flooded her mind. She would be strong when she got older and protect others from just this kind of thing. The two weapons did well to protect her spirit against the terrible assault of the master. When she took pause feeding her rebellious thoughts his hand moved back towards the riding crop. “BARK!” She screamed at the top of her lung putting all of the effort she had left in her body into the one sound.
Finally the man smiled petting her on the head. “Good girl. Now then, you want me to let you go? Do you girl? Beg, beg so that you can run off and play my good little bitch,” he laughed his grip on her hand tightening even more. Night dropped down to her knees as a fresh wave of tears began to seep out of her. She would never be strong in a place like this. Her dreams started to fold in on themselves as she gazed up at the Master, the glint of the sun causing gray to flood her blue orbs.
“Please let me go,” she whimpered quietly lowering herself further against the grass and earth before her Master’s feet. “Let go…”
The poor little bird would never fly. Earthbound with clipped wings, she was at the mercy of another. It made her sick to her stomach. Her mind would never let her forget how wrong the situation was, but suddenly the voice of her conscious went silent. Out of nowhere a second voice popped into her mind, a sense that was unfamiliar. It whispered words of death. She pushed it away quickly fear gripping her as the darkness of her own subconscious mind became a new being, the horrible thoughts of both her halves mingling into a terrible existence that she would war with her entire life trying to uphold the virtues of both her breeds. So far removed from her negative thoughts she was, they took on en entirely different form to reach her.
“Very good. Now scram mutt; I suppose that’s enough attention for today. Just remember this Nightshade. When I ask you what you are again, you answer that you are a dog. Sweet little submissive pet, your father signed your life away all so that you would have an education. You belong to me. Never forget that, because there is nothing in this life you can do about it,” he said. Night slunk away trying to leave as fast as she could while remaining in a submissive position. She stayed close to the ground. The cuts on her cheek slowly leaked red liquid which mingled with the clear, salty tears that pooled in her eyes and trailed down her face.
She didn’t dare stand until she got all the way to her father. “Papa!” She cried pitifully as she threw herself into the arms of the older Avriel. “Master says that I’m a dog,” she whispered quietly looking down. She pressed her head against him trying to hide from the world and her own embarrassment at submitting to the horrible action. The darker half of her thoughts festered, they snarled that she should have lunged at the man when she had the chance. She should have clawed out his eyes like any good monster would have. She refused to acknowledge let alone give into the primitive thoughts of a beast like avriel or a feral human. That was hard to do when even her sane half was chastising her for not standing against that man.
“Oh, sweet little raven. My poor little hawk, caught in a cage with clipped nails and break. She can barely be called a bird any longer. You are no dog; you are far more powerful and brave than that. But the world doesn’t see what’s right before its eyes sometimes,” her father cooed gently pulling her closer. The words eased her heart and mind slightly, but there was still a buzzing sense of fear and discontent.
“Papa, what does bitch mean?” The little half Avriel asked. Her mind traveled back to one of the words she'd been called.
“It means a female dog. It has become derogatory over time thought to also talk about someone you own and dominate. Generally it’s an insult,” he said with a sigh. “Don’t tell me he called you that?” The little girl nodded her head as a fresh rush of shame came to her in the form of a crimson blush.
“I don’t want to be a bitch,” she said quietly lowering her head as her blush became fierce. The older man shook his head easily picking up the small child and holding her in his arms.
“Oh sweet heart, there isn’t anything you can do. Not at this age. Promise me one thing; just try not to get hurt by him. You are a child, a little girl. At the end of the day you can’t fight and can’t protect yourself. There will be people in your life that try to own you while you are helpless. But one day you’ll be able to fight back, you’ll be strong and brave my beautiful little chick. There will always be people looking down on you, but I promise that one day you’ll be strong enough to prove them wrong and take care of yourself,” he said hugging the child tight to his chest.
“Okay…” she said turning her eyes downwards. Night didn’t believe him; she couldn’t see herself one day being powerful. True she’d dreamed of it but nothing seemed farther from the truth.
“Nightshade. To the rest of the world you are nothing but a dog, a mutt, you are the world’s bitch in the truest definition of the word. Prove them all wrong,” he said sharply looking down at her. The spirit in his eyes shone like fire. Unlike the burning and hateful fire in the eyes of the Master, this expression was spirited and pure. She could feel that fire leak into her own soul. She would prove them all wrong.
