《Tame》Chapter 9: Emotions
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Fay tried to turn his head to look around. He was slightly more aware than previous days. He had just realized he was no longer moving. He was tied to a wooden post outside of a small wooden house. His hands were behind his back and he was finally sitting down with his legs in front of him. Although it was slightly uncomfortable it was unlike the past month or so.
Within the last month he never had a chance to rest. If he even tried to stop walking for a moment the horse would simply drag him. When the group of soldiers stopped to rest at night they would bind his wrists to his ankles so he had to sleep all he could while sitting on his knees.
During that period of time Fay was often lost in a mindless daze. He was constantly replaying the scenes of what happened in his mind. Always asking himself the same question, "Why?"
He finally came upon his answer today, "They were too weak. Pax was too weak. I... was too weak..."
This strain of thought thoroughly burrowed its way into his mind. He was finally emerging from his daze but he knew he couldn't fight back. He had already resign himself to his fate. After all he was merely a child. He had yet to experience the world like other children his age might. He had grown up with beasts. Always sheltered from human society. He was fairly indifferent to death yet this felt completely different. He couldn't understand it. All he knew at that moment was that he was weak.
He had thought about how he himself had killed weaker magical beasts. It gave him a sense of realization. In the end the weak are subjected to the strong.
For the first time in a while an emotion had shone on his face, sadness. The pain of this realization shook his heart. He hung his head and quietly cried. He truly didn't know what to do. A deep sense of helplessness washed over him. He couldn't even wipe away the tears that stung the raw cuts on his face.
He could hear the laughter and celebration coming from inside the homes of every person in the village. He could hear what they were saying. They were praising the "Holy Enforcers of the gods' will." He heard the praises. They were being thanked for killing his family. They were the only people he had ever known. He couldn't help but blame himself. He wanted to help others yet his family had to pay the price.
Fay cried himself to sleep. The moon didn't shine its light upon the earth that night.
Fay had awoken the next morning from a kick to the face. It was Wilt. He had a smug smile on his face as he squatted down to meet Fay's gaze. "Welcome to human civilization beast child. We will be here for a few days. Just don't move." He laughed as he walked away.
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Fay stared blankly at Wilt as he walked back into the heart of the village. He looked up into the sky only to squint his eyes at the overbearing midday sun. He sat there for a long time. He didn't quite know how long. When he had finally turned his face to the sky once more the sun was already setting. Everyone in the village was at their dining tables around this time.
Fay could smell the fresh food. He didn't know what it was but it aroused his hunger. Before he was captured by these soldiers all he ever ate was meat. However over the course of the last month he had barely eaten anything. They only fed him burnt clumps of bread. The horse feed would have been more nutritious than what he had eaten.
Then at that moment in time looking at the light of the setting sun he had forgotten about his hunger for at least a moment. This was not because he liked the view, it was because he heard movement behind him. He could hear light footsteps. Using his primal instinct he knew that it wasn't any of the soldiers, who had heavy thumping footsteps. These were light and steady footsteps. The steps were spaced out such that Fay knew it was a human being.
Fay's entire body seemed to stiffen. This was someone he didn't know. If it was perhaps one of the soldiers he at least knew what to expect. He relaxed his tense muscles slightly once a small girl came into view. It was the head elder's granddaughter. She had a shy expression as she looked at Fay or perhaps it was the expression one might have when looking at a bird with a broken wing.
She was looking at Fay with her deep grey eyes. She had small loaf of stale bread in her hand. She tore off a piece and held it up to his mouth.
Suddenly a loud thump came from behind Fay. It was Wilt, he had rapped his fist on the wall of the house. The young girl was startled and dropped the bread. Wilt gave her a stern look and reprimanded, "Watch your fingers, he may just eat them along with the bread. He was raised by beasts you know... whatever..."
Wilt waved his hand as he let out a sigh and walked away while shaking his head, he didn't feel like trying to convince children. He walked back into the house. That house was the home of the head elder, Graham, and his family. Fay was in their backyard.
Once Wilt had left the little girl sat down her knees in front of Fay as she picked up the loaf of bread. She dusted it off with her small hands. She suddenly looked at Fay and asked with a hint of a condemning tone, "Is it true?"
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Fay for the first time in a while actually focused on something other than his own problems, this little girl in front of him. He opened his mouth but found only sharp scraping tones come from his throat. He hadn't had water the last couple days. His throat was parched and his dry lips were cracked and bleeding. He began to cough violently but he couldn't even cover his mouth due to his bound hands.
The girl got up and left. Fay at that moment thought that perhaps she lost interest in giving him anything to eat. This didn't bother him much, he had grown accustom to the hunger the last month. However unlike his expectations, she returned. She looked rather awkward trying to carry a large bucket of water with both hands. She also had forgotten about the bread when she ran off without thinking, so she held it in her mouth. She stumbled over next to Fay before sitting down the bucket.
She took the bread out of her mouth holding it in her left. She picked up a wooden ladle that was already in the bucket, filling it with water. She held it up to Fay's lips. Fay sipped the water readily. He hadn't met someone willing to actually help him yet and his current view of human beings was rather poor. So knowing she was help him despite Wilt's words made him a little warm inside his heart.
After drinking several ladles worth of water Fay finally spoke to her. "Thank... you..." these words sounded like a grinding stone. He hadn't spoken in relatively long period of time so his voice and words were rough sounding. This didn't deter the young girl.
"So is it true... that you were raised by beasts... I mean..." she looked at Fay and asked him once more, she really wanted to know. It was because she had a child's curiosity and innocence that she had helped him, if only a little.
"Beasts? Family, they were my family." This was his only answer. They raised him, took care of him, "they were my family," these were his honest thoughts. He loved them even if he didn't quite understand what they meant to him before this had happened.
She looked at Fay with a sour expression before picked up the bucket and angrily doused him in the cold water. She shoved the bread in his mouth and walked away after angrily tossing the bucket to the side. Fay was undeniably confused by this reaction.
The cold water stung every cut on his body as it flowed down his body and washed away the dirt. He tried his best to chew the bread without it falling from his mouth. However he ended up choking on it, he spit out the bread. The bread was now laying on the, newly dampened, ground. Fay sat there and shook his head before returning to staring at the sky. What had just happened to him was fairly negligible considering the other things that had happened to him. He sat and let his back rest firmly against the post.
As if on cue Wilt walked up from behind Fay and leaned against the post he was tied to. He let out a gentle laugh before saying to Fay rather playfully, unlike usual, "You know Fay you are indeed quite the little ladies' man."
Wilt's change of tone towards him made Fay rather angry. "What do you want?" He sounded like an indignant child. The entire situation was rather comedic if you ignored the fact that Fay was naked and beaten and that Wilt killed most of his family. However Fay did not enjoy this at all, he was being made fun of. Little did Fay know was that this situation raised an emotion other than sadness from his heart, anger.
Wilt walked over and grabbed the bucket that was on its side on the other end of the yard, from when the young girl had tossed it. He turned it upside down and used it as a seat. He sat in front of Fay, resting his chin in the palm of his right hand and his right elbow resting on his right knee. He spoke like a teasing father, "Oh, I just thought you might have wanted some advice about women, but I guess you don't need it."
Wilt chuckled after he said this, even more once he had saw Fay's enraged expression. Suddenly he stopped his laughing, his face turning serious. "But do you not want to know why she reacted that way? Did growing up in a cave take away your ability to feel sympathy or ask questions about others? Then again I guess you can't take away what you never learned to have."
Wilt pointed out the fact that Fay had become fairly indifferent to the feelings of his own kind. However earlier he certainly felt warmth from when that girl had help him. Suddenly he felt a sour feeling dwelling inside his heart, he asked himself, "Why was she angry?"
Sensing bitter feeling in Fay's expression he had a smug smile on his face. He looked up to sky, it was growing dark and stars were already in the sky. He suddenly clapped his hands together as he looked at Fay. "Oh, look at the time... you know where I come from children love bedtime stories, I'll tell you a really good one."
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