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Rocks are not supposed to suddenly slip out from under you. Their whole job is to stay under you! Etho plummeted toward the ground as he regretted his decision to use cobblestone as his bridging material. The hunter he’d been stalking grinned with too white teeth at him as he fell into a nearby snowdrift. “Well, well, well.” One chuckled as he spat tobacco onto the trail. “What do we have here?” Etho let out a low growl as he scrambled to his feet. “An artistic fox hybrid!” One of the youngsters piped up, examining Etho’s pinned-back ears and puffed-up tail with wonder.
“A feisty one too” Etho shook with rage as he eyed the three men who were now closing in on him, he spotted two others backing them up. He was thoroughly cornered, entirely trapped between the cliff and the group of hunters. He let a guttural hiss fall from his tongue as the hair raised across his back. Oh, he was not going to go out like this. He’d fight tooth and claw before he became a prisoner of these lowlifes.
The fox hybrid growled as he honed in on his only possible escape route. The weak link that was the man who had spoken up earlier. A red-haired and freckled boy. His figure slightly weaker than the others. Possibly a new hunter or an intern. Etho met his green eyes with his own heterochromatic ones. “Wai-” the boy was on the ground before he could finish his sentence, Ethos teeth inches from his throat.
Mercifully, Etho decided to spare the boy.
He heard a rib snap as he pushed off the redhead and caught the cliff edge above him. He scrambled as he attempted to get up, snow and loose rock rained down on the hunters. There was angered yelling and Etho saw spittle crackle icily in the air as the other men panicked, arming themselves with net guns and shouting at one another. The leader, a blonde who had stayed by the cart of cages they’d been pulling, hummed in disapproval as he waved at Etho calmly. “Fire.” Ethos screeched as he felt something burning digging into his back. Rope constricted around him as he struggled to keep his grip on the ledge. “He’s struggling. Stop him.” The leader commanded; his voice so nonchalant it made Etho sick. He felt a strong hand wrap around his ankle. Being yanked back harshly into the snow.
“I don’t like the ones who fight Jenkins.” The blonde man sighs whilst looking at the man who had first pointed him out to the other hunters. Jenkins scoffed, “Oh whatever. He’ll fetch us a pretty penny. I’m thinking the countess. She’d love to bod on this one.” He chuckled darkly, looking over the hybrids figure and whistling. “She’s ought to pay at least seventy thousand in diamond. Maybe throw in some Emeralds and Netherite too.” There was a chatter of excitement through the group as Etho continued to strain against the rope. The fibers burning into his skin as he felt a steady rope burn start to form. There was no way in the nether itself he was going down like this. He tore at the rope with his teeth, like an animal, and the leader grumbled something to the man to his left. “If you continue to struggle, we’ll have to muzzle you.” He sighed, like it was a minor annoyance instead of a violation of Etho’s rights as a PERSON. Dark brown eyes flicking towards Jenkins. “We’ll take him down the mountain and to the countess tonight.”
There was a resounding cheer as Etho finally ripped the rope. They were too distracted to notice so far. He wriggled around until he got his hands up to the small rip, pulling at it to make it wider. Everyone's heads snapped towards him. “I don’t like the ones who fight Jenkins.” The brown eyed man growled. Jenkins smirked, licking his lips. “Maybe we should check the goods then? Maybe a tad of frostbite will teach him a lesson.” Etho nearly puked. “You stay away from me.” He snarled, slitted pupils registering every hunter's position. The group ignored his warning. “You sure are aggressive, aren’t you?” A brunette laughed, sounding like he smoked around five packs a day. “Maybe we should cut out his pretty tongue, that wouldn’t damage the goods none.” Jenkins scowled at him. “Oh, shut it. He’s barely an annoyance, are you just too cowardly to take a threat from a soon to be house pet?”
The man who suggested it glowered at Etho as his face grew red with embarrassment. “No, we’ll keep it pure and HEALTHY for the countess. Not a scratch, bruise, or otherwise. Understood?” The hunters al nodded. “Good, now someone get that fox.” The hybrid tensed as they all laid eyes on him, he had started to run as soon as they’d started talking. But he could hear them catching up with every stomp in the snow, each footfall sealing his fate. Snow crunched under his boots as he picked up speed, leaves slapping his cheeks as he zig-zagged through the trees, dodging rope that was being launched at him. “HELP!” He called into the wild, something catching his foot as attempted to run towards anywhere but here. There was a laugh, and suddenly he felt the cold impact of snow on his face. The whole forest seemed to quiet as the very element he was made for betrayed him, a hand on the back of his skull pressing his face deeper. “You are so lucky I’m not allowed to leave bruises.” A voice snarls as he feels a hot breath on his ear. His heart is beating so fast… He can’t breathe- Being lifted by his hair, Etho yelps. Feeling his scalp straining. A rope encircled his wrists. “Or at least visible ones.” The fibers dug into his skin as he cried out. "You'd better learn not to mess around with us, and fast."
The wagon was rough against his exposed skin. They'd stripped him of all but his tee shirt and underwear and taken care to tie him down just enough so he could bump around without getting banged up visibly. They had been walking for hours now. Jenkins making disgusting comments about his body and how "valuable" and "youthful" it was. "She's gonna get at least three years outta you, fox boy." The Brunette sneered as the castles turrets came into view. It was a towering structure of deepslate and exotic looking trees swirling up into the bones of the building. Looking dead and sorrowful. Etho glared up at the castle. He was NOT spending his life in that hellhole in front of him. "Welcome home." The blonde haired man mumbled, as they walked up to the gate. Etho closed his eyes once they entered the foyer. The empress on the throne picked at something pink in a dish as her eyes flicked upwards towards them.
The brunette woman looked to be about twenty. And she looked at Etho with wide eyes, not lustfulness, yet, but she flushed under his hateful gaze. "Oh, he's PERFECT." She breathed, eyes full to the brim with ideas. "How much do you want? One hundred thousand? Three hundred thousand? I'll pay you whatever you want for it. Etho flared up at the objectification and growled. This just made her shiver in delighted giggling. "Oh, he's an aggressive one too! Oh, this will be so fun!" Etho threw up in his mouth at the implications of that. " We'll take your three hundred thousand in diamond, emeralds, and Netherite." The leader stated. The countess hummed and snapped her fingers twice at the servent boy to her left, and he raced off. "So, Callisto, who's this one? Is he one from the mountains?" Etho did not like the way she licked her lips when she mentioned the mountains. "The ones from the mountains are hard to get domesticated." She missed as Etho’s heart dropped into his liver. Oh, this was not good. He tried to tune out the rest of the deal-making, trying his best to keep an aggressive front as dread slowly ate away at his lungs. When he got back to reality he found himself in a very plush room. Fancy plants and a smoky smell from the window, which was oh so helpfully barred. Etho swore as he examined his confines. This was not good. By the time nightfall comes, he’s discovered no escape routes other than the door. Giving up, Etho growled as he sat against the door. He wasn’t going to sleep here. Oh no, sir. He wasn’t risking it. Or he wouldn’t have slept if he wasn’t exhausted from the whole ordeal. So Etho lulled into a restless sleep.
That night there was a knock on his door. “Who is it?” He snarled, “I’ll kill you, just you try me.” There was a scoff from the other side of the door as a woman’s voice came. “Come off it, I’m here to help.” Etho was slightly shaken by the accent. “Liar.” HE growled, “How do I know that you aren’t gonna come in here and bring me to that sick woman?” The voice stifled a laugh and the door opened a crack. Enough for him to catch a glimpse of orange hair and for a tub of burn ointment to clatter softly to the floor before closing just as quickly. “I think that will change your mind.” Etho snatched the burn ointment up and examined the label, this was for rope burns specifically. “How did you-” The voice hushed him. “Goodnight.” And then she was gone. Etho treated his burns in confusion that night. Wondering who this mystery burn ointment donor was, but he didn’t have much time to dwell on it. As he had much staying up to do.
Etho hated it. He hated his life at the castle. He kept his dignity close to his chest but it was slowly bleeding through his fingers. What they did to the hybrids here- What she did to the hybrids here- He gagged, pulling his legs up to his chest.
Oh it was dehumanizing. He felt more like an object in her presence than anything else. She’d taken something from him he could never get back, as she did for most she purchased, and each night he sobbed at the loss of something so sacred. And oh the guilt. The guilt was crushing. IT stole away his will to live. Stole away his life. Stole away his pride. So Etho Slab finally. Gave. Up… Almost.
After about three months there, Etho abruptly woke up to the sound of screaming.
His ears snapped back as the scent of flames assaulted his nose. Fire. Ethos rushed to the window, eyes snapping this way and that as he saw the trees crumbling before him a flaming leaf, inches from the window as heat distorted anything past. Etho ran back to the door. “Help!” He called, hearing rushing footsteps pass his door, “HELP!” The door burst open and a cold hand grabbed his wrist, earning a hiss of pain from the fox. He caught a flash of orange hair as the person dragged him through the crumbling hallways.
“You- You’re-” A flaming beam crashing down inches behind them cuts him off mid-thought.
“Come on, we don’t have much time.” There was an accent he couldn’t place in the words and he listened, speeding up as the two made it to the doors, forcing past the guards and out the gate.