Thread: A Rare Replacement {Broken Knight and Crimson}

Noise, light, and the thick smell of smoke were the first things to wake Calida every morning. The noises always changed. One morning it had been the thick, steady sound of a drum beating out a slow heart beat for the oarsmen to keep pace with. The next it had been the scream of seagulls as they pulled into port. The final day on the ship had given way to a long walk through the city, though Calida couldn??t be certain, she hadn??t been allowed out of her cage to walk for more than a few moments. That was the first day in near a month that she??d been out in the sunlight and the bright sphere in the sky had burned her eyes, leaving flashes of brilliant white in her vision even hours after she??d been put back in her dark cage. The lights had begun to change as well. Now, instead of the sputtering light of torches, she actually managed to catch glimpses of sunlight as the tent flaps were lifted or shifted by the wind. Though the noise and lights changed, the smells always remained the same unwashed bodies, blood, the thick scent of excrement, and the smoke from the torches or oils burned to illuminate the inside of her tent. All that had remained the same for months, until they reached the slave auctions. Now, the sounds that woke her up in the mornings were the cries of children being pulled from their mother??s arms, or the thick voices of the men that were selling the peoples they??d imprisoned on far off shores. After a while those voices faded into the background, but Calida had learned to listen for one voice in particular, the voice of the man who would sell her to the highest bidder or the winner of his contest. Even as Calida thought of him she heard his high pitched voice behind her cage and she twisted in her cell to look upon the willow thin man who called men in from the streets to fight for her. Growling to herself and idly running fingers through the fall of her crimson and ebony hair Calida looked about at the faces of the people who had begun to fill the tent. As her eyes scanned the crowd their gazes dropped, heads turning or bowing as they whispered to themselves, speaking of her as if she couldn??t understand what they were saying. Slowly uncurling her body, Calida stood, gaze locking with the muddy grey stare of a particularly burly sailor that had been watching her for over an hour. A low purr beginning to roll through her chest she stood carefully, allowing sore muscles to stretch as her fingers wrapped around the bars of her cage, sapphire and emerald fire dancing in her eyes as she leaned forward pressed one golden cheek against her cage. Rubbing herself against the bars as if she were a giant cat the slave couldn??t help a smile as the man??s eyes slid from her face down her body. Unlike the other slaves who were kept in rags if they were lucky, Calida had been dressed in silk gauze that left her body hidden behind wisps of purples and silvery blues. The soft curves of her body were flaunted yet hidden at the same time, and her golden skin seemed to shimmer in the heat of the tent as she moved, stretching her body so that she writhed against the cold iron bars that kept her in her prison. As if in a trance the sailor moved forward, reaching through the bars to grope at her body, though instead of getting a handful of flesh his fingers caught only the floating gauze of her skirt as she twisted away from him. As he made another grab for her Calida??s eyes blazed and she let out a blood chilling scream, a sound ripping from her throat that no human should have been able to make. Instead of the cry of an outraged human the scream of an angry cat thundered from her throat and she twisted suddenly, lashing out at the human with dainty feet, twisting her body so that she could kick at him. The first blow landed solidly in his chest as she laughed as she heard the thick wet sound of bones crunching in his chest. As she watched the man fall into a dead pile of meat and bones Calida heard more than saw people behind her part before a large man grabbed hold of the chain connected to the collar around her neck. An instant later she was on the floor of her cage, back hitting the bars on the far side as he gave a mighty yank. All the breath pushed from her body Calida struggled to draw a breath even as she felt a hand wrap around her neck. As black spots began to grow in her vision she was tossed back into the center of her cage, coughing as she struggled to draw a clear breath. Swirling eyes burning with hatred she met the stare of the man who had dragged her from her home. Instead of shrinking back he simply grinned at her and gave another yank on her chain. ??Keep pushing it, my dear, and I??ll have you for myself,? he growled at her and his eyes narrowed, the pink flesh of his tongue visible for a second as he licked his lips. Instantly the blood froze in Calida??s veins. She knew very well why he wanted her, and she knew that if she wasn??t won soon he would get his wish. With a low growl and long stretch the small woman crawled to the edge of her cage, completely silent as she listened to the man in the middle of the floor call out the names of the men who would fight to win her as a prize, that is, if they actually survived. So far three had perished trying to win her and she settled herself comfortably for another day watching foolish men fight, and die, just to own her. After growing bored watching the men pummel each other Calida stretched out and looked down at herself, taking the time to smooth down the silk covering her body. Even as the men fought she struggled to understand why they would be willing to kill themselves for her. As if to answer her own questions the slave looked up, scanning the faces and bodies of the women who had entered the tent. Unlike them Calida??s skin was a glittering gold. The vast majority of the women were also tall, though not as tall as the men, but Calida seemed the exception. She barely stood over five feet and seemed almost childlike, though her body had all the curvature of a full grown woman. Though their hair colors ranged from straw yellow to a dark sooty black her hair shone like spun garnets, glittering even in the flickering torchlight. While their lips were thin and cheeks slightly puffy her lips swelled to a full pout and her cheekbones were high, giving a tilt to her large, bright eyes. Her eyes were always the thing that caught attention, above all else. Even in the dark her eyes almost glowed, giving off soft phosphorescence that only cat??s seemed to give off in the moonlight. Up tilted at the corners and large enough to fight only her mouth for dominance her pupils marked her as something other than human for the simple fact that instead of being black points they were elongated slits, almost exactly like those of a cat. Depending on her mood they glowed a bright emerald green or danced a cold sapphire that was wholly unnatural in this part of the world. From the dark shine of her hair to the straight, gentle line of her nose it was obvious that Calida was a rarity and that seemed to encourage the men to beat each other to a pulp in order to own her. With a final sigh and stretch the small slave stretched out in her cage before curling herself in a ball in the center of the cell, making certain she was far enough from any of the bars to keep herself from being touched by any of the men surrounding her cage. While the fighting usually drew her attention and delight, today she was tired. I??ll sleep through these first fights she thought with a very cat-like yawn, When the defenders come back I will watch. They are always much more interesting?. With that last thought the fire and blood haired slave drifted off into a light sleep.