Write, or Die!
Oh, i found Write or Die.
It is beautiful.
Totally wrote all of this in the past half hour. A new record for me!
:D
Oh, and Kett plays a vital part in the main storyline. Im...not quite sure what it is yet, though. But my brain whipped him away from the slave caravan, to Arion and Rellare, so he must be imporant.
...My brain works in strange ways, yes.
He was cynical, frustrating to most people, and quite the brat. This was a known fact. Hell, it was a well known fact. So why was this man talking to Kadi of all people? Anyone else in the caravan would be just fine. Even old man Burrone would be better to ask for what he wanted than Kadi.
Generally, anyone was better than Kadi.
Belatedly, Kadi realized that the man had not realized that he was no longer paying attention to him and was still yammering on with his long-winded life-story and why he was here and needed this and that and whatever it was.
Flatly and without remorse, Kadi cut him off. "Look, mud-head, I don’t care. I don’t want to care. I don’t need to care. So just get out of my space and go bother someone else with your endless problems, wont you?"
The man looked hurt for a split second before he turned around and went off in a huff. A distinctly pleased feeling entered Kadi. Not many left so quickly and promptly as that stranger had. Maybe some sort of God was watching over him today, and taking pity on him and sparing Kadi from the idiocy of the world. Not likely, and Kadi wasn't exactly religious, but it was still nice to think about sometimes.
"Kadi!"
He jumped slightly and almost let out a yelp (but he held it in, because he would never hear the end of it if he let it escape). His fellow slave, and, according to Tendokamba, friend, stood behind him. "Run off another customer, Kadi, Did you? Master won't be pleased about that, you know."
Kadi huffed, and crossed his arms...well, crossly. "I don’t care, he was annoying." Tendo (his name had been quickly shortened when he had first arrived to the caravan) sighed, and a more serious look came over him.
"Kadi... I know you're new here, and all, but please...be more careful and at least TRY to be...friendly to the customers." Kadi glanced away from Tendo and stared into the trees surrounding them blankly. He didn’t like to be reminded that they weren’t free- that they weren't able to do what they pleased. It was unpleasant.
Ugly.
But that didn’t matter-- his lot in life had been cast, and that was that, and there was absolutely nothing he could do about it at all. "Fine." Kadi grudgingly agreed, feeling the slight stirrings of guilt in his heart when Tendo looked relieved. Kadi sighed and rubbed his arms softly, looking away from him and falling back into thought.
"I don’t know, Kadi..." Tendo was still there? Whatever for? He'd been sufficiently scolded, Kadi felt. There was no need to stay around. "...sometimes...I feel like...you don’t want be here."
Kadi looked back at Tendo incredulously. "No-- Really? Of course I don't want to be here! I'm a slave! A slave!" Realizing his breathing had quickened and he was getting worked up he kept his mouth closed and sat down on the makeshift steps attached to the end of the wagon.
"I don’t mean here, in this caravan, Kadi. I mean...in life." Tendo said, gently, coming to sit beside him. Together they sat there silently for a good while, in an exceedingly awkward silence. Kadi didn’t know how long it had been, and he really didn’t care. Tendo thought that he...didn’t want to be alive?
Where had he got that idea? Of course, it could have something to do with his apparent fearlessness of their Master and the Guards. But that wasn't really fearlessness. Even Kadi would be the first to admit it- it was stupidity, pure and simple, and the reason he already had many scars on his back. But his heart wouldn't let him give in. That was unacceptable-- to just lie down and take all of the unfair abuse thrown their way.
It wasn't right.
But then again, they didn’t have much choice. They were, after all, slaves. Kadi's mind abruptly turned towards Kett. Kett had managed to escape. Although he had only been gone little more than a week, it was plenty of time for him to 'disappear' and find safety away from the slave traders.
Kadi hoped that Kett was alright. Nobody, especially Kett who had been so giving (and, albeit, a tad rash and stubborn) and kind, deserved the treatment they got here. He could hardly believe that Tendo had been here seven years-- and Burrone. Poor Burrone had been here twenty-four years. Granted, he had only been six when had first come to the caravan, but that was still far too long. Nobody seemed to be interested in Burrone either.
The thought popped into his head that Tendo would be amused at his thoughts, if he could read them. Kadi wasn't nice. Kadi didn't pity, or whine.
"Kadi--?"
Oh-- Tendo was waiting for a reply?
Oops.
"I want to live, Tendo. Don't worry." Kadi even offered Tendo a small, smile to doubly reassure him. Although it probably wasn't very effective. Kadi didn't smile very often.
Tendo frowned, staring at him a bit longer before standing up and stretching. "...alright. I believe you, Kadi." The older boy glanced down at Kadi. "Be careful, alright? I’m off to go clean some laundry." Kadi just nodded, watching Tendo walk towards the far end of the camp silently. Life-- could be so cruel.
His eyes drifted down to Tendo's backside before Kadi realized what he was doing and pulled his eyes back up to the back of Tendo's head with a flush. What was that--? A mere slip of the eyes, he convinced himself, and nothing more. Kadi shook his head roughly and turned away from Tendo, standing and climbing up the stairs into Slave Quarters Wagon Number Eight-Ten.
There were four slaves to a cabin, and Kadi had lucked out. He'd shared with Kett before he'd run off, and they still didn’t have another slave to replace him. Before that, they'd already been short one slave- meaning the fourth bed had been empty, also. The second bed was Tendo's, although usually all three of them had ended up in one of the others bed, at different times during the night. Usually Kadi's, because he refused to give into the urge for comfort and he never went over to Tendo's or Kett’s bunks.
That would be giving in, to Kadi. He wasn't weak, and so he didn’t need comfort.
Kadi was strong, fearless, and cold.
At least, that was the face he presented to the world...and, partly, to himself. It was his own way of hiding from the pain and abuse. Wistfully he got onto his bed, pushing his head into the flat pillow hard. Absently he drew up the warm memories of his life before being a slave.
Of being held by a mother, and sometimes by a father. Of being comfortable and of playing in the dirt and water and getting so muddy he needed a bath.
A bath.
A bath would be really, really nice, Kadi thought with a bit of a whine. The slaves didn’t wash often-- only once a week, unless someone was coming in to "look" at them.
Kadi sat up slowly, pulling out the sharp stone from his frayed pocket and slicing it into the wood wall that his bunk was attached to. There were many, many marks on the wall. Five months and four days worth, to be exact. Of course, it wasn’t as many as the others had. Burrone had the most, of course.
It was a bit of a tradition between the slaves, to mark how long they'd been there. Kadi had joined in, when he'd first arrived, merely to placate Kett and Tendo who insisted he do it. At the time, Kadi hadn't thought he'd be here so long. But five months wasn’t long compared to the others. Kett had been here five years before escaping-- and Tendo was currently at seven years, four months and four days.
Such a long time....Kadi felt the stirrings of despair and he harshly pushed all of the thoughts out of his mind, laying back down on his side and squeezing his eyes shut harshly. Eventually, he drifted off to sleep.
-+-
"...adi....." Kadi let out a small moan, shifting slightly and clutching the thin blanket around him a bit tighter. "'eve me 'lone..." He muttered, lashing out with a foot to try and kick whatever was annoying him. "Kadi!" Kadi wrinkled his nose up, cracking one eye open to see Tendo's annoyed face. "le' go 'f my foot Ten'......do..." Kadi muttered sleepily, a yawn breaking up Tendo's name.
"No." Tendo replied sternly, tightening his grip on Kadi's ankle, and pulling roughly. Kadi landed on the floor with a rather loud yelp, glaring up at the other boy. He hissed in pain, standing up slowly and rubbing his backside gingerly.
"Tendo! What'd you do that for?!"
Tendo raised an eyebrow at him. "Today’s move-out day, Kadi. We need to pack up everything and get ready to move on." He turned to exit the Wagon, but paused and turned back around with a worried frown on his face. "And Kadi...watch out. Masters in a foul mood today...and so are the Guards."
Wonderful.
The Master and the Guards in a foul mood boded nothing well for any of the slaves- especially Kadi, as he was the newest. Guiltily he wished for another slave, just so the attention would be off of him.
That wasn't likely to happen for awhile, though, unless they came across an acceptable orphan or homeless child on their way. That also wasn’t very likely. What where the chances- in the mountains? They were heading out of them, towards the Fair City...