The Neko's Tail (Book 2 of Astara)

The Ship

A picture of Elias in Artemis' shirt.

"Elias... Elias..."

The neko groaned, his eyes opening. The first thing he saw were stars, twinkling, calling to him. Blearily the neko reached up, trying to catch a shooting star. The sound of waves crashing on a beach distracted him from his quest, and he sniffed the air, smelling salt and fish. He was... at the ocean?

"Elias."

Elias stiffened at his name. That was the voice from his dream, the sound of a mouth full of rocks... and then the strange voice speaking his own language after.

"Come on, you should sit up."

Strong hands grabbed his shoulders, helping the neko up, and Elias stared at the tiger warily. The voice was real. Was the rest of it too? Had he just fallen from... from the sky?

"I am sorry, I was trying to wait for the right time to show you," Artemis grimaced.

They were gone from the building he had seen the tiger in. There was a strong breeze blowing around them, filling them both with a slight chill. Elias realized the shirt he wore was riding up over his midsection, and he yanked it back down, covering himself.

"I am... not from your world," Artemis said uncomfortably. "I come from far away, a place where people can fly like birds. We know how to reach the stars."

Elias' ears flattened. This man was a wizard, a magic user. The neko had known a man like that once, a man who took pleasure in using his spells to hold Elias down while he fucked him.

The neko's fist closed around a handful of sand. He would die before he let another mage have their way with him.

Almost as if he read Elias' mind, Artemis held up his hands.

"I am not going to hurt you," the tiger promised. "If you tell me you want me to let you rejoin this world, I will let you go. But I would like to show you the... You can still return at any time; just give me the word and I will bring you back."

The tiger held out a hand to Elias, and the neko struck.

His arm whipped forward, releasing the sand into Artemis' eyes, and he darted past the tiger, scurrying towards several large boulders.

Darting around a rock, Elias gasped. A strange building stood behind the boulder, black as the night surrounding him. It stood on four spindly legs, a ramp lowered to give access to its belly. The thing was massive, bigger than the inn in Astara, and torches burned all around it, lighting the area near the ramp, but giving off no smoke.

"We can visit other worlds, see the light of stars you have never seen before."

Elias whirled around, stooping to grab a rock. Artemis stood back, rubbing sand out of his fur.

"You were a slave on this planet. You will never be a slave again if you come with me. I will make sure of it."

Elias' eyes narrowed.

"You know I am a slave?"

Artemis shook his head.

"No. You were a slave. Your freedom was purchased by that man in Astara. It is illegal for people to take slaves from a less... advanced world. You will never be owned by another person if you come with me."

The tiger took another step forward, and Elias stepped back. His foot struck a strange material and the neko fell backwards. A pair of arms caught him before he could hit the ground and set him back upright.