Chin Up

[Thrayjen]

It was supposed to have been a fantasy, a far-off legend from a far off place that never could have found them. How many miles covered the vast forests and plains between Thrayjen?s humble shack and The Crater?s mythical holdings was something the rat never would have considered. Yet there he stood, running his nails over the stone wall that defined his future. His fingers raked against the wall particularly hard, chipping yet another claw. His pacing paused and he leaned against the wall, sliding down until he was sitting on the floor. In the short time he had been there, Thrayjen had memorized the details of the slave areas. The stone walls and wooden beams of the mess hall, the segregated sleeping quarters, the long hallways that dragged round and round, no longer held his interest. A familiar feeling of forlorn weighed him down which walking could no longer distract from.

The long days after his arrival at The Crater were dreamlike. He had told the hogbabes so many bedtime stories of cruel slave-hunting parties that would burn down far-off villages and capture poor travelers that it seemed ridiculous such things could happen in Mossflower anymore. The painful notch in his ear would forever remind him that he was, in fact, awake, and his head still ached from being cracked over the head with a sword handle. A flustered nurse had checked him over upon his arrival at The Crater, scrubbed him down to his skin and coated his wounds in a salve, true enough, but the forceful hospitality from his captors did nothing to ease the sense of grief that draped heavily on Thrayjen?s shoulders. 

Nan would have coddled him. The thought gave him a small smile. She would have cleaned his ear with a warm damp cloth while the children would have run amok in excitement, and the whole time she?d be telling him how brave he was to try and lead the slavers away... Or how foolish, Thrayjen thought with a sigh, sliding even further down the wall until he was lying on his side. It didn?t matter; Nan was gone, the little ones were gone, and he was here, with a new master and a new home.

While the prospect of a new life elicited some rather emotional responses from other slaves taken against their will, and he was by no means happy either, Thrayjen did not feel threatened at The Crater. He found some relief in that, even though he had been shoved around, chained up, screamed at, and was constantly being watched, he didn?t feel that he was in any immediate danger. It was all so surreal, strolling the slave areas without chains, or having a meal handed to him by a stranger with no ill intent. His collar was snug against his throat but it didn?t chaff and it didn?t choke. Thrayjen dug an idle claw beneath the band to scratch at the unfamiliar feeling. He traced over the branding in the metal that identified him as not only a slave but a combatant. His poor decision to break the noses of several slave-drivers on the caravan that had captured him and bludgeoned him into darkness for two days had marked him as somewhat of a fighter. Nire, the beast who managed The Crater, had taken one look at the large grey rat surrounded by the wounded hunting party and laughed in delight.

?Excellent! We haven?t had a capable rat in a while! Throw him in right away if he can beat the lot of you up. What?s your name, rat??

?Thrayjen,? the rat had mumbled, his breath catching in awe at the large cat.

?Eh? Hrayken? Hracken? HA! I love it! Hracken the Kraken! We?ll spin you as some kind of corsair or a dread sea rat?? The lynx had begun to mutter excitedly to himself as he walked away and, as Thrayjen was shuffled off into the male slave quarters, his impression of the cat had formed.

?Errant fiend,? Thrayjen hissed to himself, sitting up off the ground and resting his chin on his knuckles. The rat began to take note of the other slaves in the pens with him. Some of the slaves who had processed the new arrivals had been scribes, medics, cleaners, and cooks. What other jobs were forced upon the beasts in The Crater, Thrayjen wondered. All bore the same thin metal band around their necks, though not all of them had the same symbol. Some collars had no symbol at all and Thrayjen assumed they had not been assigned a place yet; the processing of the slave train had taken a while, The Crater being surprisingly bureaucratic about its bloodlust. There was a mixture of beasts, big and small, woodlander and vermin alike, though Thrayjen couldn?t help but notice most of the captured slaves were woodlanders.

He spent a good few minutes looking over the assembly of beasts until the hulking weasel that was Hargorn the slave master hollered to him from across the compound. Even with his peg leg, the weasel marched with purpose, stopping with his nose just short of Thrayjen?s.

?Yew! Scar face!?

?My name is-?

?Gerrup ter the? training area, ye scumbag! Master Nire wants ye ter use a trident. Something? good fer yer size, make ye look proper ?n searattish like. Aye, yer a big ?un, aintcha? Ye should ?ave no trouble wavin? wunna them forks aroun?.?

Thrayjen sighed, pinching his nose. ?I?ve never held a trident in all my life. I honestly thought they were just decorative until I was twelve seasons.?

The weasel started to follow Thrayjen as he began to leave, but the rat held his paw up and offered a smile. ?No need to trouble yourself. I know the way.?

Hargorn curled his lip disapprovingly, but the rat?s quiet manner won out. Thrayjen could feel the slave master?s eyes on his back the entire way down a hall and to the stairs that led up and into a bright outdoor space.

He blinked as he stepped out into the afternoon sun, raising a paw to shield his eyes. The rectangular space was large enough to accommodate a field and a dirt turf training area. Tall, spiked stone walls prevented anyone from climbing up and an occasional beast poked their head over the top of the bulwarks to watch those sparring below. Roses grew up the lattice nailed into the stones, further deterring anxious paws with beauty and thorns. Wooden dummies were scattered around the grounds, some being thumped upon by eager fighters. Trainers, proudly sporting scars and limps and missing limbs, directed volunteers and slaves alike in the ways of combat. Most of the beasts training were new, their paws constantly tugging at their collars.

?Oy, you!? A uniformed ferret with blue eyes bounded up to Thrayjen, a ragged stream of netting dragging behind her. Hooks tangled in the webbing gnashed at unwary paws that dared get too close as the ferret skipped across the yard.

?You must be Hracken!? the ferret cheerfully said. ?Nire said he had a nice big new rat for me! Some kind of pirate, aye??

?No, actually, not really,? Thrayjen admitted to the ferret. ?My name isn?t even Hracken. I?m Thrayjen. I?m afraid nothing Nire says about me is true.? He chuckled softly, paws resting on his hips. ?Hopefully, my reputation won?t suffer much.?

The ferret regarded him with squinting eyes before she broke into a smile. ?Aye. I think you?ll be alright.? She jabbed at herself with a claw. ?Name?s Blue. Not really, but that?s what beasts call me on account of my eyes.? She pulled her cheek down to demonstrate to Thrayjen just how blue her eyes were.

?Like the skies of a summer eve,? Thrayjen warmly observed. Once again, Blue regarded him suspiciously.

?Big flirt.? She prodded him in the chest. ?Don?t be thinkin? you can warm up to me with that pretty gab, now. A slave?s a slave, and my job is to make sure you do what you?re told. Aye??

?Aye,? Thrayjen said, pulling a serious face that didn?t quite convince Blue. The ferret shook her head dismissively and pointed across the compound to where a rack of wooden weaponry stood against the wall.

?Grab yourself one of those training' weapons and start swingin? against one of the dummies, aye. I?ll come by in a bit to see what a big fellow like you can do. Right now, I?m goin? to yell at the idiot who put this away all bungled, aye?? Clutching the net, she eyed a sable ferret from across the compound. He was smirking back at her.

?Aye.? Thrayjen politely tugged his whiskers to the trainer and began to turn away when Blue suddenly stopped him.

?You, ah??Thrayjen?, that a family name or somethin???

Thrayjen smiled at her and shrugged. ?My mother liked the way it sounded.? He gently took the tangled net from Blue?s paws and gave her a half bow. ?It was a pleasure to meet you, Miss Blue.?

Retreating a safe distance from the rival trainers, Thrayjen immediately cast his eyes upon the faux weapons he had been offered. Amongst the wooden selection were swords, knives, staffs, but fortunately no tridents. Thrayjen sighed in relief and reached for a cutlass before his paw stopped shy of touching the handle. Claws outstretched, he stared at the blade, examining each curve and edge as though it was a foreign puzzle meant to confound him. Frowning, he lowered his paw.

I don?t want to hurt anyone?How do I play this game and win...

His thoughts were abruptly cut off by Hargorn stepping into the yard and, as usual, yelling.

?Master Nire is comin?! Look yer best, ye slack-jawed dandelions!?

Immediately all beasts were shuffling into position. Trainers began to push harder and fighters began to spar with more gusto.

?Punishment, she is my loyal mistress,? Thrayjen sighed, pinching his nose as the lynx master of The Crater made his way past Hargorn and straight to Thrayjen. The shaggy hare scowling beside Nire did not ease Thrayjen?s sense of foreboding.

~*~

It could have gone worse, Thrayjen thought to himself. The rat had been almost as unimpressed as the hare, but at least he had remembered his manners. He had even tried offering to spar with Kentigern, so that he might brush up on his admittedly rusty skills in scuffling and to help make a plan with the hare, but his new comrade refused to even listen to him. The rat?s chest still smarted where he had been shouldered by Kentigern. Nan would have appreciated Thrayjen?s patience and attempts to be cordial.

The thought of the old hog shoved aside the indignant heat in Thrayjen?s chest and tamed it with defeat. His shoulders sagged once again and, as the training arena once again relaxed without Nire?s presence to inspire, he dropped his chin. MacRaff attitude was completely different from Thrayjen?s hedgehog family, and the hare?s disdain hit Thrayjen after so long away from such wanton hatred. The Crater had greeted him with almost open arms, with woodlanders and vermin working side by side. MacRaff had delivered him a sucker punch and, more than anything, it made him lonely. He missed his family. He missed them, and it was too late to do anything. He was stuck, held under the paws of a bloodthirsty cat and a wrathful highlander, in a world that was built upon what Thrayjen had actively avoided for years; bloodshed.

?It isn?t so bad,? Blue?s voice came from behind him. ?Being one of Nire?s favourites right out of the gate can be a huge advantage!?

?I don?t? want to fight,? Thrayjen mumbled. The ferret laughed.

?Of course you don?t! But you?re a slave.? She reached out and grabbed Thrayjen?s notched ear, twisting it sharply. He sucked a sharp hiss in, and ducked low to follow her movements and lessen the pain. ?And you?ll do as you?re told. Aye??

?Aye,? Thrayjen grunted, and Blue let his ear go. His rubbed at it, feeling new blood dampen his claws. ?I don?t know how to use a trident, though.?

?Ah, don?t worry about that. The one I want you using, the real one, is in the forge getting a little bit of love. Take a sword for now.?

?I don?t know how to use one of those anymore, either.?

?Well, you?re just a great big whineygob, aren?t you?? Blue rounded on him, pulling a wooden shortsword from the shelf and lunging. Thrayjen stumbled back, barely dodging her stab.

?Oh ho, that hare is going to be mighty sorry when he realizes how much help he won?t be getting from you!?

Thrayjen sharply raised his chin to the ferret, heaving himself off the ground. ?I?ll help him.?

Blue laughed. ?How??

He regarded Blue for a moment, clearly thinking. ?I?ll stay out of his way, just like he told me to. If that?s how I help him, then I suppose it?ll have to do.?

?Help him? Him? Never mind him, Hracken,? Blue sneered and ignored Thrayjen?s muttered correction. ?You need to help yourself. Big fellow is a big target. They?ll cut you down first before they even think about the hare.? She held her sword up again.

?Then perhaps that?ll give him some time.?

Blue lowered her wooden blade for a moment and regarded him again with narrowed eyes. ?That attitude will be the death of you.?

Thrayjen smiled at Blue and picked a cutlass off the shelf. He regarded it skeptically before giving it an experimental swish. ?If I can?t have my freedom and live my life the way I want, then I?ll take my death in my own way.?

?So you?re content dyin? to help the hare? Even after he spoke to you in the way he did? Spittin? on you just because you?re a rat?? Another lunge, another stumble, and Thrayjen was on the ground again. ?Don?t you have any pride, aye??

The rat smiled up at Blue from the ground, dusting his now empty paws off on his knees and ignoring an otterwife?s laughter from across the yard.

?I won?t murder him in combat, if that?s what you?re suggesting would lift my ego. Neither will he fight alongside me. Perhaps, if our proud bob-tailed companions can see I?m not the vermin they assume me to be, it?ll go a little easier for us all.? He chuckled. ?Maybe they?ll let me do dishes in the kitchen when they see I?m not as fearsome a corsair as they hope.?

?Will that be before or after your head rolls from your shoulders??

?Oh, sooner rather than later, I hope,? Thrayjen chuckled. He picked his sword up and stood once again. ?I can?t be a fighter, Miss Blue. Fighting those slave hunters was the first bit of violence I?ve seen in a while.? Thrayjen?s smile slid away and his voice became desperate. ?I can?t fight like Nire wants me to, I can?t do it?? He shook his head, clicking his teeth in disapproval. ?If helping Master MacRaff, or whoever else, is how I get to survive this place, then I?ll be alright. I?ve had worse than steady meals and a roof over my head.?

?I don?t? understand how anyone would rather roll over than fight,? Blue angrily said. ?Relegating yourself to fodder? I train fighters, not dead beasts, which is exactly what you?re shaping up to become. You won?t get taken out of the fights. Get that through your skull. You?ll just die, and that?ll be that. Why should I even bother with you then, aye??

?I?m good conversation?? Thrayjen offered. ?I also have to survive long enough to see those dishes washed properly. Can?t be eating off grimy plates. ?

?You?ll see. When you?re at the end of a spear and staring at death, you?ll see. Cowering behind the hare, letting him do all the work, it won?t save you for long.?

?Make no mistake, Miss Blue. I don?t want to die,? Thrayjen said, holding up a claw. ?I intend to live as long as I can, in my own manner. I hope I will surprise you.?

Blue shook her head, smiling despite herself. ?You?re a dead beast.? She lunged again but this time Thrayjen swatted her sword away with his own and tripped her with his long tail. The ferret rolled and jumped up, spinning around to glare at Thrayjen. He bowed and Blue?s mouth twisted into a smirk. ?Not so bad!?

?You have no idea,? Thrayjen said through a smile.

Falling to the ferret?s sword and rising to try again wasn?t terrible, as repetitive as it seemed. He found his grip on the handle of the cutlass and managed to parry Blue?s shortsword consistently enough that she stopped reminding him how dead he was and began to encourage more and more blocking maneuvers. Time passed to the sound of clacking wood and Thrayjen found himself panting. He held a paw up, silently pleading for a moment of rest.

?You know how to fight,? Blue sneered at him, tossing him her sword. He caught the handle and placed their weapons back onto the shelf. ?Nobody figures out as many different moves as I got out of you without knowing them already.?

?No,? Thrayjen replied. ?You?re just a good teacher.?

Ignoring Blue?s dismissive tut, Thrayjen?s eyes trailed over to where Kentigern was still hacking away at a training dummy. The training yard was dark save for a few torches but the hare did not seem deterred by the pressing night. With the fading light, so too did Kentigern?s temper seem to dampen. The hare was wielding his claymore with less fervor than he had before, and Thrayjen noted his movements were slightly sluggish.

?Grab yourself a bite in the mess hall before you turn in,? Blue went on. ?Nire wants you and the highlander to fight as soon as you can, so be here tomorrow at sunrise for trainin?. I don?t like sleepin? past dawn, and there?s a match in the afternoon I want to catch. Old hero of mine is back in town. Oh, for Vulpez?s sake, stop worryin? about the hare and worry about your own hide, aye??

?Aye,? Thrayjen echoed while Blue wheeled the weapons rack to a locked room in the corner of the yard. ?But one more swing won?t hurt.?

?Bet it will,? Blue chimed in as she juggled her keys.

?Master MacRaff?? Thrayjen hollered from across the yard, raising a paw in greeting to the hare as he strolled towards him. The hare looked up but then rolled his eyes and went back to bashing at the training dummy.

?Good evening,? Thrayjen tried again. ?I?ve had a chance to warm up, if you?re?if you?re all limber now??

"Ach, what're ye talkin' aboot, laddie?"

?I?m asking you if you?d like to have a friendly spar? I?m still rusty but I think it would be nice if we were to get a feel for the other?s-?

?Ah already told ye, rat,? the hare snapped, shoving his face into Thrayjen?s. ?Keep out o? mah way. Ah've seen ye flailin' away o'er yonder wi' the ferret lass. Ye dinnae ken how tae kill, do ye? It's nae likely ye'll learn proper in time fer our fight. Nire may make me fight alahngside ye, but I'm nae fightin' wi' ye. Ah'll warn ye one last time? stay away, an' let me dae the fightin'. Dinnae make me cut ye doon in battle."

Thrayjen raised his chin and, unblinking, met the hare?s eyes. His lips curled into a thin line that betrayed how forced his smile was. ?Of course.?

He turned and made his way over to the stairs that led down into the slave pens. Blue followed after him, laughing at the rat?s stony face.

?I told you! I told you! Waste of your time, what precious little you?ve got left!? The ferret practically fell down the stairs as she laughed, clutching her belly and bracing against the wall for support.

?You?ll see, Miss Blue,? Thrayjen calmly replied. ?When he?s at the end of a spear and staring at death, you?ll see. Beasts sometimes just need the right?push. He?ll come through. I?ll have him looking me in the eye without murder in his own by the end of the week!?

?If you live that long,? Blue said, still chuckling.

?It?s what I intend,? the rat murmured contemplatively. ?I?ll live on. For my family, at the very least, I?ll keep trying.?