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Silence; deafening, empty not even the claws of a passing rat disturbed it. Darkness, he wondered if he had not lost his sight all together. Cold, long ago his body had stopped shivering in an attempt to warm itself, giving into the bone deep cold of his stone prison. Pain, so much of his conscious was filled with the torment of every breath, any movement only creating more of the terrible throbbing throughout his entire body. Fear; uncontrollable, mind numbing fear that curled his stomach into knots and paralyzed him with its strength. This is what his world had been reduced to. Those simple words had become his all. So much had been lost, so much destroyed. His family, his friends, his home, everything he had ever loved, taken from him in a single night. A lifetime of building, the foundations he’d laid, his passions and loves, his hopes and dreams, all of it gone; destroyed in an instant. Even the name that he’d once been so proud to bear had been lost to him, his shattered mind no longer able to recall who he had been. He shifted slightly, trying to ease the pressure on his shoulders, and the soft rustling of chains echoed in the small cell. He whimpered as strained muscles moved; his long ago numbed limbs painfully tingling as a little more blood was allowed access to the appendages.

How long had it been since they had dragged his semi-conscious body into this room and chained him to the wall? Days…weeks? There was no way to know in this windowless prison. No guards to change watch, no food or water was brought, no way to know how much time had passed since he had watched his friends and family slaughtered while his childhood home burned to the ground. It had been long enough for him to have no more tears to shed; his need for revenge had long ago died, taking his heart and will to live along with it leaving nothing but numbness behind. He simply hung there, head bowed, eyes blank; as cold and lifeless as the stone tomb surrounding him. More time passed, but he didn’t notice, didn’t care, knowing that each passing second, every rasping breath brought him that much closer to being reunited with his murdered loved ones.

A loud scraping followed by the resounding click of a lock broke through the silence. He remained unmoving despite the sudden noise, though it was loud as a scream to his silence attuned ears. The door opened and light flooded the room from the hallway outside. The abrupt change made him cry out softly as he closed his watering eyes and turned his head away from the sudden brightness that illuminated his limp form.

“Sorry ‘bout the smell,” the voice grated across the boy’s sensitive ears, “it’s fair bad on this end, but I’d wager it’s a good ten times worse for one of your kind.” Heavy footsteps approached him, echoing slightly against the stone walls as the voice spoke. Rough fingers grabbed his hair and forced his head back, lifting his face out of the shadows and into the light. He whimpered slightly in the vice like grip, but his eyes remained closed, the light nearly blinding though his lids. The scent of stale beer and moldy cheese wafting over him as the man continued to speak, “This is the boy his Majesty was telling you about. He’s pretty enough, as I recall he’s eyes the color of emeralds, but I can’t be sure. All the same, he’s a nice little bonus for the services rendered, don’t you agree?” A small shudder passed through the boy’s slim form, the words tightening the ice cold knot of terror in the pit of his stomach. There was no answer but the man continued on, not bothered by the other’s silence.”He’s yours now, do with him what you will.” The boy could hear clothing rustling as the man shrugged, once more unperturbed by the lack of response. The painful grip eased and his hair was released, allowing his head to once more slump between his shoulders in defeat as the footsteps left the room and retreated back down the hallway.

He was once more engulfed in silence, but the door remained open, the light still filling the once dark and empty cell. A hand gently cupped his cheek, and he threw his head back in surprise, eyes wide. He hadn’t heard any approach, and the unexpected touch made him startling aware that he wasn’t alone. His reaction had accidentally slammed his head against the uneven stone wall behind him with a sickening crack, his eyes fluttering shut once more before he could focus on the one who had touched him. Lights burst under his eyelids, and he dropped his head once more, a small trickle of warm blood winding its way down the base of his skull and along his neck.

The hand had snapped away at his violent reaction, but returned with its brother when he groaned softly, the throbbing pain setting in. They fluttered across his head, lightly running over it surface, feeling for where he had been hurt until one brushed against the bloodied patch of hair, causing the boy to shudder in pain. The hands were gone again, a deep growl emitting from their owner. He flinched back, expecting to be hit for angering the other, but instead he heard the soft clinking of metal against metal. A shadow fell across his face, blocking the light, and he cracked an eye open. A wide chest, sporting a midnight black trench coat with silver buckles and fastening, was merely inches from his face. He heard a soft grunt and felt the cuffs digging into his wrists move slightly. He gasped as the metal scraped against raw flesh, biting his lip to keep from screaming; screaming only pushed them to further violence. A key was inserted into the first lock and turned, releasing his confined limb. It dropped to his side, numbed from days of suspension, which dropped all his weight onto the still bound arm. He couldn’t help the cry of pain as he felt the dislocated shoulder slip further out of place. The key was quickly taken from the first chain and moved to the next, releasing the metal’s cruel grasp on his tender flesh. He simply dropped, legs unable to hold himself up after being so long immobile.

Warm arms caught him, holding him up against the other’s chest as he was slowly lowered to the floor. He kept his head bowed; his eyes were trained on the ground. He didn’t want to look up at his new owner, afraid of angering him somehow, as ravaged ankles were freed of their torturously tight chains as well. The hands that freed him were also encased in black leather, the fingers were long and slim, but they didn’t look weak. Not in the least, in fact, they looked as if they were capable of snapping the heavy locks with ease. He shuddered to think of what those lithe digits could do to him should their owner chose to turn them to harm. The hands finished pulling away the last of the chains and he bit into his lip, the actions drawing blood as scabs long dried to metal were ripped off with swift, smooth actions.

The hands moved out of his range of vision and he heard the sounds of zippers and clasps as they began to remove the man’s jacket. He whimpered, forcing his tormented body into a tight ball, as he was overwhelmed with memories of being held down and used over and over again. He could hear the men’s laughter at his pleading for them to stop, their voices mocking his cries for mercy. Tears slowly slid down his cheeks, “Please no!” he cried in his mind, his voice still not recovered.

~~~

Leo’s hands stilled as he heard the unvoiced plea. He reached out, placing a hand on the boy’s icy shoulder, trying to offer a measure of support through the contact, but the trembling form just curled into an impossibly tighter ball, the whimpering worsening. He quickly pulled the hand away and studied the boy for a second. He sifted through the emotions being thrown at him by the boy, but there was something else pressing against him that made it hard to pin the torrent down. He decided to try to create a more specific reaction from the boy, having an idea of what had happened to make the boy respond in this way. He placed his hand on the boy’s lower back and watched closely as he opened himself to the other’s emotions. Slowly he slid his hand down across the cuts and bruises that lay under layers of dirt and filth covering pale skin. He stopped the downward movement when his palm was cupping the boy’s tender cheeks, his fingers laying across the thin crevasse between them. Leo nodded grimly at the shudder and spike of terror that ran through the starved body beneath his hand, knowing and hating what it meant, but he hadn’t expected the almost physical push that followed them. His eyes widened slightly, but a small groan from one of the other poor wretches being held in the hell hole reminded him of where he was. There would be time enough to wonder later, but for now he needed to get the boy as far away from here as he could. Leo returned his hands to the clasps of his coat, making quick work of them as he sadly watched the boy drawing further into himself at the sounds. He removed the thick cloth from his shoulder and laid it over the boy’s quivering form, covering his nakedness and allowing the warmth it retained to enfold the boy’s frozen form.

“Shh, it’s ok, boy. I won’t hurt you,” he whispered. His voice was deep and soothing, rumbling from deep in his chest like a distant waterfall. “I am Leonard of the Wolven, but most call me Leo, I would like for you to do so as well Can you tell me your name?” He smiled down at the boy lying at his feet as he waited, but no answer came and he soon gave up on there being one. He frowned, but considering the condition the boy was in, he could understand his reason for silence. Leo sighed softly, shrugging, “You don’t have to tell me now, but I hope that you will, else I’ll have to make one up for you.” He studied the boy for a moment more, “You’re in no condition to walk, so I’m going to carry you. Try not to wiggle too much, I do not wish to drop you.” He slid one hand under the boy’s shoulders, the other under his tightly curled knees and stood up, holding him close. Fully upright he stood 6’ 7”, he wasn’t exactly thin, but neither was he overly wide. He was toned, slightly broader in the shoulders, and his short, sliver white hair spiked naturally. The contours of his chest where defined, but still soft enough when leaned against to offer warmth and comfort.

The boy was like a statue in his arms as he walked, every muscle as tight as a wire, and Leo couldn’t decide if it was because the boy was afraid of him or of being dropped. Leo chuckled softly, trying once again to put the young human at ease “You can relax, I was kidding. Even if you were kicking and screaming, I still wouldn’t drop you. You are safe.” He hoped the boy would believe him, but didn’t think he would as he gave the boy a quick one over.

He was rather pale, but that could have been from being locked in the windowless cell for too long as well as the blood loss from his many wounds. He was thin to the extreme, almost skeletal, which also was most likely a result of his stay in the King’s dungeons. Longish looking hair was dirty and matted with what smelled like dried blood; Leo wasn’t sure if it was the boy’s or another’s but, from the scents he picked up when discreetly sniffing it, he decided it was most likely both. It looked like his hair might originally be a dark color, but he couldn’t be sure. They boy was covered in his own waist, the sickening smell lingering on from the cell. It mixed in with sweat, blood and seaman that Leo could see and smell on the boy. The only clean spot on his entire body was two twin trails down his cheeks where his tears had slipped from wide eyes.

Under the filth, the slender back was criss-crossed with inch wide, three or four inch long welts. Few were deep enough to actually break the skin but each a painful, slowly healing reminders of a solid beating. The welts decorated the boy’s shoulders, down his back and disappeared over the curve of his buttocks. Under the welts was an impressive layer of bruises, some still dark purple blue while others were half healed and a sickly yellow. Leo had felt, more than seen that the welts, and he suspected the bruises as well, trailed all the way down to the boy’s mid-thighs. That on top of the suspected rape left little wonder as to the boy’s terror of him.

Such treatment to anyone would have sickened Leo, but it being done to a boy of no more than fifteen or sixteen made Leo’s blood boil. He itched to find whoever had done this and kill them slowly. It would be easy to find the bastards, their smells still lingered on the boy. It would be child’s play to track them, even if they were no longer in the castle. Leo stilled for a moment and settled his burning need for revenge, quelling the fire within. He had to get the boy away from here, for both of their sakes.

The boy didn’t relax as he was carried out of the room and up the flights of stairs toward the main hall. At least he had something covering his body and Leo hoped that it would offer some measure of comfort to the human. Leo watched the boy out of the corner of his eye while he tried to keep his head up and away from Leo’s chest, but it was obvious he was too tired, too weak to resist and soon was slumped against Leo’s soft, skin-warmed shirt, listening to the steady heartbeat underneath. Leo reached the end of the stairs and used his side to push open the door to the main hall. Teffon, his second in command, was leaning against the wall right next to the door as he waiting for Leo’s return. Only he had stayed inside the human castle while the rest of their little band went outside to wait with the horses. Teffon pushed away from his spot on the wall the door opened, but he raised an eyebrow at the bundle in his captian’s arms, his nose wrinkling slightly at the smell.

“Not now, Teff,” Leo whispered, shaking his head slightly as he continued walking out of the castle, Teffon falling into step on his right, as usual.

~~~

The boy stiffened again when he realized that there was another with them. He peered at Teffen from under thick lashes and saw that the man was tall, though not as tall as Leo seemed to be… maybe 6’ 5”, 6’6”? Where Leo was toned and lithe like a cat, this man was a mountain of muscle. His thin black shirt bulged slightly as he gracefully walked alongside Leo. Leo’s hair was silver white, short and spiky, whereas Teffon’s was long, blue black and plaited. All this was relatively normal, but what stopped the boy’s heart in an all consuming wave of terror and understanding was the pointed ears on either side of the man’s head and the hint of fangs as he spoke. The boy drew in a soft breath and trembled, this ‘Teff” was not human; no-he was a demon. From the way the man carrying him had spoken to ‘Teff’, with friendliness and a sort of commanding tone, the boy could only reason that he, too, was a demon. The boy let out a soft whimper, he’d thought that his life couldn’t be any worse and he’d been wrong; so very, very wrong.

~~~

Teffon noticed the boy’s scrutiny, but didn’t glance over until he heard the whimper. His golden eyes locked with the human’s forest green for a split second before the youth fearfully dropped his gaze and cringe against Leo’s chest, afraid of retribution. Teff’s eyebrow rose even higher, but he respected his captain’s order. He would wait for Leo’s explanation, but he fully expected it to be worth his patience.

Leo led him out into the court and automatically headed for the corner where the rest of the men waited. Their horses had been saddled and their supplies placed in the bags. There was a sense of restlessness about the group, one that both Leo and Teffon understood well. They had been around humans for what seemed like an eternity and the time for them to be among their own kind was far over do. The twins were holding Leo and Teffon’s horses for them while they chatted excitedly with each other, using half sentences in a way that only they could understand. They were about 6’ 1” with medium length feathery blonde hair and mischievous sky blue eyes. Their matching half grins slide from their faces as they caught the boy’s scent in the air. As one, they sniffed the air once more to be sure before turning their eyes to the approaching men, instantly locking on the boy. The two pairs of eyes traveled up to Leo’s impassive face, back to the broken human in his arms, and then finally to Teffon’s equally closed off expression. He, at least, responded to their inquiring look by shaking his head and they nodded, understanding the silent indication that their curiosity, like his, would have to wait.

The fifth and final member of their party was already mounted on a widely built mare. He had hair and eyes that matched his horse’s chocolate brown coat perfectly. He, like his horse, was tall and broad, easily 6’ 8”, muscular like Teffon, but where Teffon’s muscle was sharply defined, his was smooth, lying inconspicuously under his clothing like a bear’s. At first glance, the man and his mount looked slow of body and mind. They eyes were wide, looking more bovine than anything. Their movements were slow and there was a look of quiet observation about them. But the members of their band, as anyone unlucky enough to face them in battle knew that these three assumptions were the exact opposite of the truth. Under their calm façade was the sharp intelligence and expertise of an experienced war general. They were not slow, they simply moved well, not waiting an ounce of energy on useless things such as walking. To see the pair in action was equivalent to watching a waltz, albeit a bloody one. He was the only one of their small group that didn’t stare with wide eyed confusion at Leo, expecting an answer of their usually open and talkative captain. Devon knew their leader had a perfectly good reason to be carrying a half dead, filthy, blood covered human out of the palace. He would simply wait for that reason to become apparent, not that he wouldn’t be watching closely for any clues, but he was always the type to sit back and watch as thing unfurled.

~~~

The boy was watching from under half closed lids, and his terror only grew. Now there were five of them…he’d been raised to believe that demons were ruthless killers; blood thirsty savages that were only kept from hunting their favorite food, humans, the way they once had by an alliance made during times long past. The two races had found themselves with a common enemy and no way of defeating it alone. They had banded together for the first time and where able to combine their forces to destroy their enemies down to the last man, and to this day, that treaty was honored by both races. Whenever one needed aid, the other would come, though the demons were the ones that were called to aid in the human’s petty wars with each other. Despite all they had done for the humans, demon’s were still hated and feared by most of the human populace, the rumors and stories of them only worsening since the humans who saw them use their deadly force in battle actually survived to tell the tales. It was only grudgingly that they were allowed to live alongside the humans. Thankfully, the majority of demons prefer to remain within their own lands, rather than travel through the human’s as they were allowed to freely do, but it seemed to the boy that these five were an acceptation. He shivered and closed his eyes all the way, not wanting to know what these demons had planned for him. He just prayed it would be quick and mostly painless, though he didn’t have high hopes of his prayer being answered.

~~~

Leo approached his salt and pepper mare, who nickered a welcome to her master. “Hey girl, ready to go home?” the mare pranced to the side a little and nuzzled his hair teasingly. She took in a deep breath, drinking in the scent of the man she loved more than anything else in this world, but she let it out in a quick snort when she smelled the blood on the boy. She reared a little, pulling back, her eyes roving for danger, too well trained to ignore the smell even when they weren’t on the battlefield. Leo made a soft clicking noise, and she instantly calmed, but her ears remained erect, turning back and forth as she listened for danger. Leo sighed softly, the sense that they were actually going to be able to go home for the first time in three years finally settled in and allowed him to relax for the first time since they’d been asked to aid the human King. He was slightly surprised as he felt small tremors running through the body in his arms as he relaxed his arms. He looked down at the boy, and saw that the slim frame was shaking in fear. The human curled in on himself as much as possible while remaining in Leo’s arms, his eyes tightly shut, his face half covered by the coat’s collar.

Leo sighed deeply, bone weariness filling him not for the first time as he glanced over at Teffon. His gaze roamed over to the twin’s unusually serious faces, and to Devon, who remained impassively sitting on his horse, and he could feel their aching need to be home. “Let’s ride,” he said simply, freeing one hand to vault into his saddle. He waited until the others had mounted as well, settling the boy onto his lap, while holding him in place with one arm and holding the reigns with the other. Leo looked at his men and smiled, “We’ve been released from our duties as this King’s guard dogs and have been given permission to return to our home, the treaty satisfied for the next twenty years or so.” He smiled at his men, their happiness filling him, “This is the best gift these humans can give our kind, an escape from their petty wars and constant whining.” The others gave a loud cry of agreement laughing as they remembered the endless accounts of men who fawned over their strength and longevity. “So, before they can change their minds, again, let’s get the hell out of here!”

“Oh horrors!” cried one of the twins.

“Let us away, for they are liable to come running after us any minute!” said the other. They both laughed while spurring their horses forward, the beasts taking off at a gallop and pointing their noses home. The other three members of the party chuckled as they followed after, all silently agreeing with the youngest members of their band. They let the horses set the pace, the animals as eager for familiar pastures as those riding them. Leo looked down at the now wide eyed boy in his arms, the thin fingers of his right arm clutching at Leo’s shirt as the landscape flew past them, “Freeing us of our contract and allowing us to return to our home was your King’s gift to us all, little mouse, even you. However a life free of fear…that shall be my gift to you.”