The Anger of Slaves (O)

[Major NPC]

The tree resounded with fist upon bark, making it shake, dropping a few leaves every time the crowfolk slammed knuckles into wood and crushed both. He grunted, loud, refusing to back down. The tree refused to move from its placement near the resistance camp, too, leaving them quite at an impasse.

The crow's left wing flexed at how as he reared back for a stronger left hook, knocking its further share of leaves onto the ground. The right wing refused to help, owing to it being only half there.

A slight dampness wet his brow, since he hadn't bothered to take off the heavy, multiple layers of ragged brown clothing for this. He hadn't been thinking of 'what might be sensible.' He clearly just wanted to hurt.

[Ray]

Ray was on his way back to the camp when he heard the noises. Out of reflex, he lowered his body and raised his crossbow, before realizing that it's too close to the camp for it to be any predator. They're smart enough not to come this far. And if it's really the case, the patrols would have taken it out already.

Curiosity prompt the feline to search the area and see what the noise was about, so he made his way over to the source quietly, avoiding dried leaves and broken branches alike. A dark figure slowly became clear between the bushes, and for a moment he let his mind wonder about the reasons for him to be out here.

Maybe he shouldn't be doing that, because that's when he missed a stick and stepped on it, filling the air around him with a sharp snap.

[Major NPC]

The unexpected snapping quickly brought the attention of the crow, who turned sharply, fists raised and eager to box an enemy senseless.

Except it wasn't so much an enemy, as a catfolk trying to be stealthy in the bushes. Immediate concerns assuaged, the crow dropped his fists to his sides and just glared at him.

"What are you doing?" the crow asked curtly, not breaking visual contact for a moment. If eyes could throw daggers, he was a master of blades.

[Ray]

"Hunting." The reply came out bluntly. He even turned his body a little to show the rabbits that are hanging beside his backpack.

Not sure that if he could trust the bird, Ray was caught between lowering the crossbow and keeping it trained on him, and he ended up somewhere in between, lowering it but keeping it in his arms rather than putting it back across his shoulder. The sharp glare from the crow is getting a little uncomfortable, but he refuses to look away.

[Major NPC]

The crow looked hard at the rabbits, and the crossbow-wielding youth that seemed to have caught them. Feathers ruffled for some unknown indignation, and he turned back to the bark-broken tree. His fist slammed into it hard, unsettling a few new leaves.

"Then go on and hunt elsewhere," the crow ordered angrily, throwing a hard right hook that shattered off a whole segment of the tree's covering. "I'm here right now."

[Ray]

"I just finished." He retorted. "Not like I can get anything nearby if you keep making those noise anyway."

The snow leopard started turning away while hefting the bag a little higher, adjusting it's position on his shoulder. He took a step forward and said, without even bothering to turn his head around. "I'd stop soon if I were you. Seems painful. Might even mess up your fingers."

[Major NPC]

The thud of flesh on wood stopped for just a moment, as the crow took a small break. He looked down at his fists at the hunter's prodding, glowering at the weakness of flesh and the multiple bleeding cuts across the knuckles.

He hadn't noticed. He hadn't cared, to notice. He'd been too angry, to frustrated - and he still was, even now.

"Maybe I like the pain," the crow said, raising his voice.

His right fist crashed into the tree, embedding itself an inch into the wood. Then he left it there, and just breathed. Deep, quick breaths tried - unsuccessfully - to bring back some semblance of calm.

[Ray]

Ray stopped at those words, ears twitching as another loud crack sounded behind him. He started to have second thoughts about leaving the crow alone. Not just that he might messed up his hands for good, but if he draws in any predator with that noise......

Also there's the fact that he felt a twinge of sympathy from the emotion within those words.

He let out a long sigh before turning around and lowering his bag, searching for something inside.

"Hey," he called out for the avian before tossing the bandages he found at him, "catch."

[Major NPC]

The angry crow turned only halfway at the sound of the call, eyes still ready with a glare. He didn't expect the flying roll of bandages - but his left hand came up rapidly, catching it deftly in midair.

Sharp eyes turned on the roll instead, looking it over. He scrutinized it a moment more, before eyes turned again to the young hunter. The glare had softened, if only slightly, moving from full anger to a bitter skepticism.

"Bandages?" he asked. He scoffed once, even if it didn't seem like his heart was in it that much.

[Ray]

"For your hands." The feline stated matter-of-factly. "The camp might have something better for that, though..."

He turned his head towards the camp, and fell silent. He wondered for a moment what he could say to make the crow stop hurting himself, but came up with nothing. He turn his gaze back towards the bird, and flicked an ear against the silence.

[Major NPC]

The crow didn't answer for a moment. He just looked down at the bandages, turning it over in his grip. He looked skeptically at the hunter again. Legs fidgeted below him as he shifted his weight from one side to another.

"You're ... giving me these?" he asked in a more subdued way.

[Ray]

"You see anyone else here?" The snow leopard answered the question with one of his own.

Yet from the doubtful look he got, Ray can tell that the avian doesn't seem to be buying that. "You seemed like I just did something weird." He said.

[Major NPC]

The crow shifted awkwardly on his feet. His expression was still a mixture of confusion and slightly subdued anger.

"My masters ... always yelled at me, before giving me anything," he said reluctantly.

[Ray]

"You had it better," he said, "my commanding officer yelled at me and gave me nothing."

"I'm not going to yell at you." The feline explained while walking closer to the crow, putting the crossbow back over his shoulder. "Besides, you looks like you need it more than I do."

[Major NPC]

The crow's expression betrayed a sudden - if sad - interest in the hunter, eyes going wider and brows lifting high.

"They yell at you here? This 'commanding officer'," he asked. His gaze suddenly looked around rapidly, as if someone was watching them for signs of rebellion. Rebellion was always quashed, but he didn't want to go back either.

Expressive eyes, momentarily, were afraid.

[Ray]

"Not here." Ray shook his head slowly. "Not the Resistance. It's back when I was in the military."

"Here, they let me keep my stuffs." As if to remind himself of the privilege he'd gotten used to, he put a hand on the stock of his crossbow, rubbing at it absent-mindedly.

He actually felt weird to keep them the first few weeks. Felt like someone is just going to show up and accuse him for stealing them before taking it all away.

[Major NPC]

The crow looked at the crossbow as well, and thought over what he said. His own memories of society weren't as well informed as they could have been, but it still didn't make much sense to him.

"I didn't think the military used any beastfolk ... What exactly did you do for them?" he asked, as he undid the edge of the roll of the bandages, and carefully began wrapping the bleeding hand.

[Ray]

"Just another person who can pull the trigger." He answered. "I don't like it, but it was either that or starve to death."

"And I took care of the other kids while they trained them." He run a hand through the feathers on his earring. The beads clicked with each other, sounding hollow in his ears.

[Major NPC]

The crow still looked confused, after the hunter explained.

"The military ... uses kids? To pull triggers?" He repeated as a question, trying to picture kids like the snow cat at the head of the Ruthenian army. He couldn't imagine who they were fighting. The image was unsettling enough, though it reminded him of his own childhood for different reasons.

"I didn't have a choice either," the crow stated after a moment of silence. "Slaves do what they're told, or pain."

His eyes went down to the bandage, fabric tinting red with his own blood.

"There was a lot of pain..."

[Ray]

"They were..." The kid echoed what the crow said quietly.

He turned towards the camp, his eyes looking into the not-so-distant past, eyes dark with the pain that he endured. For a moment he wondered what had the former slave suffered, and how did it leads to him letting out his rage on a tree with his bare fists.

But Ray wasn't one to pry into other's business, so instead of asking, he said, "Let's go to the infirmary and check on your fingers. There might be a sprain...and let's hope those cuts doesn't need to be stitched up."

[Major NPC]

The crow looked confused again, as if that was his natural state when he wasn't angry.

"They have an infirmary here?" he asked, then realized another beat later that, "I don't have anything to pay for that kind of thing anyway."

He looked down, and one ragged boot scuffed at the ground.

"They brought me here a few hours ago..." the crow explained. "I don't ... know much, about this place."

Then his own lack of education had him feeling self conscious, and he added, "I don't know much, about much..."

[Ray]

"They won't charge you here." The feline said softly. "And I can show you around after you're properly patched up, if you want to."

He actually feels a little nostalgic about explaining about the camp to the crow. Feels like he's back in the military, talking to a kid who's on his first day, only that he's getting into a brighter future rather than a darker one. The thought brought a hint of a smile to the corners of his lips.

"They're also having classes here. Might be a good chance if you want to start learning."

[Major NPC]

"Free ... Healing? And teaching?" The crow asked. At this he was thoroughly flabbergasted.

"I always thought ... I was always told, the resistance was a bunch of murderers. But you've been ... kind, to me. I haven't seen much kindness. The ones who killed my old ... master and brought me here... they told me I could walk around while they dealt with something else. Just not to leave the warded area."

He shuffled awkwardly on his feet, and rubbed at the wrapped hand.

"I didn't know what else to do," he said self consciously as he looked back at the broken bark of the tree.

[Ray]

"It isn't safe out there. There are predators in the woods. Walking out there alone and without a weapon is suicide. Probably that's why they're keeping you here." He flicked an ear towards the wind. Only the background noise coming from the camp nearby filled his ears. Which probably means they're safe for now.

"But the people out there isn't exactly wrong either." He said. "We killed people. Like your old master. I'm not going to deny that."

"But it was for a greater good." He started walking back towards the base, looking back over his shoulder to make sure the crow's following. "Or at least that's what I'm told."

[Major NPC]

The ex-slave looks out further into the woods, beyond where he was told he could go. An imagination unused to wondering about the dangers tried to thik of what kind of threats would be so dangerous. It could be lions. Or tigers. Or bears.

"Oh..." he mumbles, wondering if that wasn't true or not. He thought they'd just been wondering where to put him.

"But the people out there isn't exactly wrong either," Ray said. "We killed people. Like your old master. I'm not going to deny that."

"My..." he mumbled, thinking of the now-dead slave owner. The words caught in his throat, even after he tried clearing it.

"But it was for a greater good." He started walking back towards the base, looking back over his shoulder to make sure the crow's following. "Or at least that's what I'm told."

The crow shuffles along after him, grunting at the leopard's comments in an agreeable way.

"I won't miss my ... master," he grumbled under his breath, but the way it came out made him wonder if he was trying to convince Ray, or convince himself.

[Ray]

"If it makes you feel better," The young man murmured, "I think most of us don't, too."

Then he fell silent, and didn't try to start a conversation until they reach the camp. An elf guard waved at them as he passed through the entrance, but he simply nodded back at him.

"Infirmary's this way." Ray said, and started down towards a nearby building, his tail bobbing behind him rhythmically.

[Azik Farenfir]

Eyes remained closed as his back was leaning against the wall of the building who's shadow he was lingering in. Target was on the move. One Feline, Snow leopard, accompanied by one newcomer, avian, crow. Teeth adorned his smile as he listened to the crunching of the ground following the steps of the pair. They continued and faded off to one side. What started out as a dull day has taken a interesting turn with Ray's larger then normal catch.

Slipping out of the shadows, Azik started to tail the pair, moving a somewhat faster to shorten the distance between them along with remaining as quite as possible. All the while having a mischievous grin pulling at his lips.

"Infirmary's this way." Ray told the injured crow as they continued walking, the assassin now on their tails. Breaking into larger strides, he walked past the Crow and slapped Ray on the back whilst proclaiming, almost screaming through the silence between them, "Ray! I thought you were only hunting rabbits!"

[Ray]

The sudden burst of voice made the snow leopard jumped forward, his fur stood on their ends in surprise. He was between raising his crossbow and putting a shot in between the eyes to who screamed at him when his mind finally proceeded the words. He put down the crossbow and let out a long sigh. "Azik," He said, grabbing his tail and try to smooth down the fur, "I thought I told you that I don't like surprise."

Feeling a little embarrassed and fluffed up, he pushed the emotions down and started to introduce them. "Azik, this is..." Then he trailed off, realizing that he have no idea what the crow's name is.

[Major NPC]

The crow kept looking over his shoulder as he followed Ray, an odd feeling that kept him watchful even as avian eyes were taking in the rest of the camp. Most of them had the quickly-built plant-look of elf magic, but there were some of a hardier nature. Stone built structures seemed to remind everyone that a few dwarves were around and kicking. But the crow, for his lack of knowledge, just saw "buildings" - fantastic, foreign, if simple, buildings.

He turned again, as their shadow finally made itself known. His arms went up defensively, but the crow wasn't his target. He watched as the human slapped Ray on the back, screaming out far too loudly. "Ray! I thought you were only hunting rabbits!"

The leopard almost shot him. The crow only let his arms down when Ray lowered the crossbow, waging a guess that maybe the human wasn't an immediate threat.

"Azik," He said, grabbing his tail and try to smooth down the fur, "I thought I told you that I don't like surprise."

"Azik, this is..." Then he trailed off, in what should have been clearly leaving it for the newcomer to introduce himself. Except things aren't always clear, for the newly freed. It took him a moment to realize that himself.

"... Piotr," the crow said after a moment, in a subdued sort of way. "My master called me Piotr, when he wasn't calling me other things. I think it means Rock. ... Sometimes it was Saint Piotr, but he never told me what Saint was."

Another moment passed in his head, as he realized he could probably ask them.

"Do you know what Saint means?"

[Azik Farenfir]

Hands resting on his hips, one of his brows cocked as Azik tried to pull the most likely incorrect meaning from his mental dictionary. "Saint? Ah... I think it means that you're either a kind and patient soul..." he replied, eyes training on the sky above them."... Or you're recognized for being heavily faithful to some god" he finished with a smirk.

"Though lotta good they've been" the Demi-Human shrugged. Extending a hand, Azik tried not to look to interested in Piotr's injury and trying to figure out what could cause it. Probably just a sword. Or maybe it was Axe? Maybe it was one of those traps where the suit of armor would drop-- Stop it.

"Well Mr. Heavenly Pebbles, it's a pleasure to meet'cha. Like litte Ray said, I'm Azik. Resident cloak and dagger"

He was now focusing on the massive gash in the Crow's wing. "Its amazing you're not yet howling in pain. Probably the adrenalin is still in effect. What did that to you?"