OUTCAST : THE PATH OF A WARRIOR

3. NOT FOR SALE

CHAPTER 3

"Wakey, wakey..." Said a voice in the distance.
I was with mother, father and I just returned from a hunt, but mother was curious why we let a bear cub follow us all the way home. " What if its mother also followed you here ?" She asked.

I shrugged my shoulders. " Don't worry mother, its mama's  dead, killed by another bear." I replied.

Another voice entered my head again, and this time very intrusive

" Hey, big guy, wake up already, c'mon sleepyhead , today's  your big day!"

"Mother!"I called out, opening my eyes," Where are you?" I said, turning around in all directions, but there was no one there. Instead I found my self in a dark cage, surrounded by iron bars, as thick as my fist.

"Who are you calling mother? You stupid animal! The voice said, just as I opened my eyes.

"Hope your accommodation isn't too uncomfortable for you," Said a man whose face I recognised, peeping through a dark curtain.

"But don't worry, we'll find you a more suitable place soon." He said with a self-satisfied smirk on his face ." One especially suited for the son of Taurus." Then quickly popped his head back out , as laughter rung in my ears.

Soon more voices came to join him.

"And, where the hell is this beast you claim to have? Hope you're not wasting our time again Jaxons !" Said a voice.

"Ah, there you are brothers, I see you only managed to persuade only the four lords, today." He said, ignoring the remarks one of the lord's just made.

"Shame though, but rest assured, the others will regret it, I'm sure."
And by the way, if I may be so bold my lord, no need to be so mindless about the Jaxons , you know we are true to our word."he said

" And you are all more than welcome to judge us later!" He continued, as hands clapped, rubbing together. "Right then, I take it my brothers have explained what we've got here today." He said, not waiting for an answer.

"It took ten strong men to bring this one down, it did! Three of them, may the Gods find them a seat in their great hall, didn't make it home!" He said, before finally adding.

"And to top it all , this creature has intelligence, unlike any other beast you may have seen before. May even be the son of Taurus himself...!" He said.
"Naturally of course, the highest bidder will win the prize."

"Get on with it , for Gods sake, there's nothing under there that we've not seen before. Son of Taurus my arse!" He said snorting.

Another voice raised a chuckle  "Probably yet another dumb animal, and you've already kept us waiting far too long!
And you know very well how important this day means to us! So do not try our patience!" He added.

"The stakes, are very high, I understand, all gladiators must be proven contestants, of course, it's an exorbitant business." he continued,trying to bring his business to a closure.

"You all need to have winners. But imagine the enormous fame and fortune you could receive, if you actually own your own champion!"He said pausing for a moment.

I couldnt help myself, but the more I listened to this Jaxon , the more my blood came to boiling point, as I bellowed my rage .

A short silence, followed from within and out the cage, as I listened, carefully .

Then, as if to prove his point, the Jaxon continued .

"Did you hear that, my good Lords! That's precisely why you're all here today, precisely indeed! Because, my Lords..That is one hell of a beast, in there...!" He said, full of excitement.

"So without further ado, let me reveal it to you!" He said as he instantly pulled back the curtains, and  revealing his so called prize possession. " The son of Taurus!" He blared.

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But let's just back it up a little, to the moment where, the drug had worn off, and I became aware of my situation.

This of course, instantly brought bad memories from back home. In times when mother would hide my siblings and myself, in small confined spaces.

Keeping us safe from the invading marauders, or attacking goblins, even orcs the most vile of them all.

So here I was, holed up in a small cage, kept as a captive by humans, the smallest of them all known enemies, and undoubtedly, as I came to realise, the most dangerous of them all.

As I listened to the voices outside , I realised, that i was about to be sold for slavery, or even worse .... forced to fight for sport.

I looked at the iron bars, and suddenly I became frantic. If they were as solid as the ones back home, they wouldn't  even nudge at the slightest.
So I got onto my bare knees, grabbed the thick irom bars and yanked with all my might, but nothing happened, no movement.

I closed my eyes a moment recalling my greatest teacher's words. 'When stuck, clear your thoughts, let your mind rest, breath deeply, and let the Gods, guide you'.

Then I tried again, i felt the iron in my hands the energy surging from within, empowering my adrenaline, pumping my blood, pulling until I felt a slight twitch on one of the bars.

Then I knew, to my relief, that these were made of second rate iron metal, and nothing in comparison to our iron ore, mined in our very own mountains.

Fear tried to overwhelm me once again, when the words, 'Owning your own champion,' instilled in my mind, but my adrenaline refused to leave, as blood coursed through my head, rage overwhelmed me.

Air filled my lungs as I pulled hard at the thick iron bars with all my might, bellowing aloud as all the air rushed out like a volcano spewing out its hot molten lava.

Immediately the curtains were pulled away, letting the bright sunlight into my eyes, blinding me for a brief moment. But I had already succeeded in separating the bars from each other.

I quickly slid through, freeing myself from the cage, and as I stood ready to bolt away to my freedom, I pauzed contemplating my next move. I sensed the fear that was emanating just a few paces away from me.

The three Jaxon brothers instinctively unsheathed their swords and stood combat ready.
I delivered a mighty loud victory bellow towards them, which echoed and bounced off all the surrounding buildings.

Two of the Lords, screeched in horror, and run off, followed closely by the other two who run off In different directions.

The only ones who still stood in their places were three brothers......The Jaxons.

Next Chapter : The Escape :)