Stonedale Central Market

*The market was a busy place as usual. All of Alaria's races mingled here. Merchants hawked their wares, buyers pretended not to be interested, and haggling commenced. One particular merchant haggled with two scruffy-looking roguish types in the discrete shadows behind his wagon. But this haggling wasn't going the right way, from merchant to rogue. This was going from rogue to merchant, with the merchant getting anxious as the price narrowed down to a small window between what he was willing to pay and what he wanted. What the rogues offered was very . . . unique. Very unique indeed.*

"We got a deal?" *one of the rogues asked, showing his bad teeth in a grin more like a sneer. The merchant grunted contemptuously but agreement was in his eyes.*

"A'right, a'right, ye got a deal," *he said, feigning composure. The glint of precious metal flashed in the sun as he counted out the appropriate price.* "There."

"Pleasure doin' bid'ness with ye," *the rogue said, pocketing the money. His partner set the two veiled cages on the ground in front of the merchant and walked off with the other rogue, tussling with his partner to get a look at the money. The merchant picked up the cages and set them in view, whipping back the rags hiding the creatures inside to reveal his new prizes. Two flits were now displayed and on sale, one black and the other grey.

Ravin snarled and growled, a sound more fitting for a panther than a feline only a little bigger than a housecat. His fur stood on end, his wings half-raised out to the sides, ears flattened against his skull. The bars of the cage infuriated him. Taunted him. He had once been free. He had once been proud. And now, looking like a beast straight out of Queztaya's realm, he swore he would be again.*

<<Who do these bipeds think they are?>> *he thought to his friend, black tail lashing back and forth.*

The two Flits were horribly irritated at being locked up. The other, the one with the blue-grey fur, was clawing and biting incessantly at the bars that kept him from the outside world. His tail flicked back and forth dangerously, hissing venom at the metal, trying to manipulate the gate into opening by curling his paws around it, but to no avail. No matter how fiercely he attacked his prison, it remained firm, his new "Owner" not even paying mind to the small creatures' efforts to escape.

<<I do not know, Ravin,>> Cypress responded to his close friend, the two of them adventurers beyond their own homelands. He couldn't even recall had they had been captured, let alone brought into a city. The sights, the sounds, the smells, they were almost overwhelming. Where was the tranquility of his forests, his mountains, his grasslands?

<<We must escape. I know not what this foul man is planning for us, but I do not think he means to assure we are in accordance with it.>>

*Ravin snarled at a wide-eyed passerby, settling uneasily on his haunches. Not for a moment did he relax his guard. Black ears swivelled wildly as his copper eyes roved trying to take all this in. This gathering place, this . . . mob of creatures was vastly different from the canyons he was used to. The mountains, the forest, the plains--everywhere he'd been so far had been far quieter, less threatening even, than this place. It confused and muddled his senses, nearly overwhelming him.

But he was a hunter. A damn good one. One of the up and coming Hunters, respected young though he was. And then there was Cypress. Between the two of them, they'd been known to raise every manner of hell for their enemies. They were flits in their prime, males of stature, hot-blooded, strong, and intelligent. The females purred whenever they walked by. These creatures were no match for them. They would figure out a way.

And then . . . they'd really show these people what anger looked like.*

<<Agreed. These bars are harder than any stone or tree I've encountered though. We'll have to use cunning.>> *He growled at a passing elf-child who'd reached out to touch the cage, baring fangs and claws.* <<Any ideas?>>

Cypress looked on as the young elfling came close to their cages in wide-eyed wonder, before running in terror from Ravin as he displayed his dominance over the child.

Good, you sniveling miscreant. Flee before us! Do not tempt our wra- ... Huh?

Cypress prided himself on being a very detail-oriented Hunter. The slightest sound, the smallest movement, the faintest breeze, he could pick up on it and pounce without warning. It was what had earned him his reputation as a Hunter, always returning triumphant, no matter what.

So it was then that he noticed the elf-child immediately go over to one of the "lesser kind", the domesticated, wingless Flits that most of the other folk took in as pets. Disgusting. To be completely subdued and pampered, dependent on others for your food, your shelter. It was a pathetic lifestyle, one he did not envy in the slightest. However, he witnessed a curious thing.

The elven youngster picked up the cat and his fears seemed to be alleviated entirely. He pet and comforted the creature as it rubbed its whiskers against the little boy, obviously claiming him as his property but the child didn't seem to mind. It seemed to make him happy.

The way people viewed himself and Ravin as they passed in the streets, clearly in fear of these two, aggressive examples of their species, but Cypress noticed the way that they treated the domesticated cats. They were pampered and subjugated, but they were also generally allowed to roam free, outside of cages. It struck Cypress that, perhaps, that's what their captor wanted: to sell them and profit off of another taking care of them in a household. Horror flashed across his thoughts: they were to be pets themselves!

However ... this posed an interesting opportunity. They could find a way to trick their way into freedom ...

<<Look at how they coddle their animals,>> Cypress noted, trying to convince Ravin of his plan.

<<If we could act in a manner similar to the domesticated ones, I believe we are meant to be sold. If someone were to be coaxed into purchasing us, we would be let out of the cages ...>>

*A black ear turned towards Cypress while the other remained alert and forward: the equivalent of a raise of the eyebrow. The plan did make sense, irritable and stubborn though Ravin wanted to be. He didn't like it. He curled his lip as he saw the display between boy and beast. He got what Cypress was driving at and it was a good plan. It just rubbed him the wrong way that he should have to stoop to that level. His pride would be wounded for weeks.*

<<Worth a try, I suppose,>> *he finally admitted.* <<But before we attempt this, we make an oath. Never speak of this incident after we're free.>>

*Slowly, Ravin eased his hackles down and sat more comfortably, curling his tail around his paws and folded his wings against his sides. Now that he'd forced himself to calm down a bit, he presented quite a smaller figure. The growling in his throat grew softer until it ceased and all former displays of hostility vanished. The hard glance of his eyes, judgmental and proud, was the only remnant of his anger. Others in the gathering place stopped to gawk and point, while their children ventured closer for a better look. Ravin's eyes narrowed slightly.*

<<So help me gods, if they so much as pull my fur, I swear they'll run away with missing fingers.>>

Cypress could only chuckle as his friend resisted going through the motions of trying to appear endearing. Ravin could honestly be so stubborn, sometimes. However, as a young couple approached them, Cypress adopted the same posture as his friend, stretching out lazily with his forepaws while letting out a pitiful mewl.

So humiliating.

Prices were being discussed. The couple were attracted to the two Flits. Their "Owner" was more than willing to get rid of them, it seemed.

<<When they let us out, we shall run,>> Cypress looked over at Ravin, eager to finally to be free.

<<We'll run and we won't stop. They'll never catch us, not like this again ...>>

<<Indeed, my friend. Let them try to recapture us. I'd relish a good fight to regain my honor.>>

*Ravin's muscles tensed as he listened to the proceedings, trying to make out the foreign language. Clearly, they were arguing over something. C'mon, c'mon, settle a price already. They were getting close, he could tell. The males' voices rose, growing louder and louder, until they both stopped. Their current 'owner' growled and made a dismissive gesture then held out his paw. Ravin cocked his head, genuinely intrigued by this gesture. These creatures' body language was so difficult to translate into the Flit dialect. The other dropped a handful of shiny... what were those? rocks? into the seller's hands. And that seemed to conclude the debate. Odd.

But no matter. The female was already reaching for the lock on Cypress' cage.*

<<Whatever happens, keep running. Stop for nothing.>>

[quote="Cypress"]Freedom.

It was so close. As the female moved for his cage, Cypress could almost taste it. The fresh air, the cool grass, his home back in the mountains ...

Where were they, he wondered? Panic began to set in as he thought of this, his ears folding flat to his head as his eyes widened.

Where was home? How did he get there?

... Where was he?

Cypress steeled himself. He and Ravin would get home. They just had to. Then it would be back to normal life again. Normal, simple life, none of this strange language and strange people and strange smells and strange sights.

The hand was on the lock of the cage. Cypress backed up a bit, shrinking his form to appear submissive to the woman while inwardly applauding himself for his cunning and trickery.

This is the best plan I've ever come up with ...

The lock was twisted.

He waited.

The door was open.

He waited.

The female was reaching in, wrapping her smooth paws around him.

He waited.

She pulled him out of the cage.

In that moment, Cypress let out a roar of defiance, puffing his fur out to full size as his wings spread out like sleek daggers. The woman dropped him with a shriek of terror, even as the Flit was already taking to the air.

Fast! Gotta go faster!

Cypress soared into the air, towards the building tops, towards the clouds, propelling himself in a show that was half pride and half fury, doing just as he and Ravin agreed as he tried to escape this horrid, horrid place.


Can't stop ... Must not stop ... Won't stop! Fly, Cypress, fly the edge of the world!

So much for waiting until both cages were unlocked... *The distraction Cypress' escape created provided him with a much needed opportunity, however. While the female clung to the male in distress, her fear and surprise saturating the air around them, Ravin gathered himself and leapt at the front of his cage. It fell forward, tumbling off the table and into the street. The black flit used his weight to keep it rolling just a bit further, hoping the impact would somehow ruin the metal bars. Someone shouted, a horse whinnied, and a wagon wheel crunched into the cage, stopping just short of rolling over it completely. The damage was done: even the metal cage couldn't withstand multiple impacts and a crushing blow from a heavy wheel. Ravin leapt at the thin metal plate of the cage's bottom, using his head to power through. With a clang, it popped off and the black flit streaked away, following Cypress' lead.

The crowd was too thick for him to immediately take to the skies. Ravin tore through the feet and legs of those strange bipedal creatures, leaping onto a wooden box then a barrel. His legs propelled him into the sky and his raven-black wings beat at the air like they never had before. Fresh air. The wind in his fur and feathers. The sounds of the heinous city falling away.

This was freedom.*

<<There's a forest not far from here, I can smell it. We can hunt there and rest for a bit. Maybe regain some dignity and honor before going back home.>>