Alice’s smile was very important to Quin. She was the first to express kindness during his troubling youth. What fate has befallen his childhood friend after all this time? That’s a question that haunts him many nights.
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Freedom in Shadows - A Tragic Memory, and the Journey Ahead: Part 4
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 5
Dark clouds enshroud the city of Eskanore, greeting the citizenry with a gentle kiss of rain. While many had the fortune of shelter, the young tiger had only the corner of an alleyway to his name. The orphan sat on a damp wooden crate. A dirtied, brown leather cloak covers his furs from the elements. A look on his face was as gloomy as the skies above, as his aching stomach pleaded for food. The tiger was astonished how he hasn’t gone feral, as most beastfolk would under such circumstances.
He planted his feet firmly, hands on his thighs as he prepared for another grueling, yet necessary feat of larceny – until he noticed someone standing before him. He gazed up, and saw a human child, about his age, extending her arm with a loaf of bread in her hand. “You seemed hungry,” her voice was sweet and soft of innocence. Their eyes met, and his cold heart melted as he gazed into the beauty of her warm smile, in stark contrast to his grim fate – a spark of hope for his weary heart.
The tiger was hesitant at first, but he out and accepted her charity. “Th-thank you.” He stared down at the morsel.
She leaned forward as her eyes noted the lad’s animalistic features. With a giggle, she added, “you’re kinda cute! Are you a kitty cat?”
The tiger child was stuck, unsure how to even process her comment. Before he could even answer, another voice called out, “Alice!”
She turned her head abruptly, “Sorry, I gotta go!” The girl ran off.
The lad stood up and turned the corner. He reached out his hand, as if trying to grab something. “W-wait…” the boy muttered, but he was far too late. He sheepishly watched her stroll with her father off into the distance before his eyes turned to the gift in his hand. For the first time he could remember, his lips curled upright.
The tiger child kept to his favorite corner of the alleyway in anticipation of her arrival. As fate would have it, they met with surprising frequency. But once, they found each other at a lush park, and she offered to play a game of tag. Alice was astonished how fast the street urchin was. The boy’s life wasn’t easy, but thanks to his new friend, he felt encouraged to push through the unfortunate life that was bestowed upon him.
After time, she was seen with different men, and he saw that bright smile she once held faded little by little. It was still there, but it felt hollow. the light in her eyes and in spirit faded, and that smile appeared forced.
“Alice… is everything okay?” Quin couldn’t help but ask. If there was anything he could do to help her, he would.
Before she could respond, Alice was abruptly yanked by the hand, as her handler barked, “Come!” Her eyes fell as her smile, as she was forced away from the corner, off to gods knows where. There was no rationalizing the heartbreak he was experiencing, only concluded that something was wrong. His mind whirled a million thoughts, desperate to plan and explain what’s causing his only kind friend such turmoil. He was interrupted when his eyes landed on something sparkling on the ground. He picked up a metal bracelet with a butterfly engraved on it, decorated with a few gemstones. He ran out to the street to find her, but the crowds were too thick. He navigated around in the direction she was taken, but he had no luck finding her.
Giving up, he figured he would return it to her the next time she visits. However, days have passed, and she hasn’t been seen since. With a brave heart, he made the decision to search for Alice. It was a long shot, but he figured he could track her scent through the bracelet. His nose could never be as astute as a hound, and with all the time passed, he was unsure whether this method would work. Sure enough, with determination and focus, he did pick up a distinct rosy odor from the charm – and something… carnal.
A desperate hunt was triggered as his eyes dilated at the implications. Before he could form a coherent thought, his body was already in motion. His legs started at a steady and purposeful speed, but his pace quickened after turning a corner. No matter how much he yearned to doubt his interpretation of this scent, he had to hurry. It took him over an hour, and the sun was well settled beyond the horizon. The trail took him to an unfamiliar part of the vast city, seeming to be on the opposite end where he last met her.
His tracking led him to a great manor. He wasted no time to admire the intricate beauty of the masonry or the expansive yard as he made use of his claws to grip the stone barrier, pulling himself up and over with ease beyond any watchful eyes. The scent grew stronger, and the nagging, sinful undertone grew more and more overt. Fangs glistened in the moonlight as his natural prowess scaled him up a pillar to the second story. The tiger pulled himself onto a balcony where Alice’s scent was the strongest. Reclaiming a semblance of lucidity after an episode of feral chasing, he froze when his eyes saw a silhouette of two shadows through a window – one was a small, feminine figure, who appeared to be slipping off her dress. The other, a burly, rotund dwarven figure, with a beard as bountiful as his body. It couldn’t be her, he silently pleaded. She must be a halfling, or a gnome!
Anxiety and anger swelled in him, but the truth could only be seen through the sliver of light peering between the curtains of the windowed door. He had no choice but to peer though.
The dwarf reeked with an air of alcohol, any thicker and clouds would be visible. His auric eyes sauntered over the bottle of ale in his hand, taking a greedy swig before clumsily plopping it on a nightstand. The devilish gaze turned to the hesitant girl, but she ultimately accepted her fate, lifting her dress up as commanded. The dirty blond, wavy hair shined in the deep golden light of the candelas as she lifted her outfit over her head. The soft, tender skin was soiled by a few bruises over her back and side.
The drunken dwarf chuckled with a sinister grin as his lecherous eyes examined her. His hand wrestled with his groin; his shame trapped within the leathers of his pants. Right as that foul, hairy palm reached for her, a furious roar bellowed from the balcony, “ALIIIIICE!” Suddenly the glass shattered, and a feral, raging tiger leaped through the destroyed door.
“Eghh?!” the dwarf croaked.
Alice turned and stepped back, shaken by the sudden turn of events. Her eyes widened when she barely recognized that same young beastkin she grew so familiar with. He was full of hate and passion, with a few scars sprinkling his orange and white furs thanks to the broken shards. “Qu-Quin? What are you…?”
“Ye ‘ere to spoil my fun ya brat?!” The dwarf reached for his broad club he had placed slanted against the wall near the bed. His drunk stupor left him too sluggish to react to the boy pouncing on him. The dwarf immediately began reeling at the pain of his skin ripping apart between his claws. Chunks of his frazzled beard were torn to shreds, and blood splattered against the wall and bedsheets as the lad relentlessly eviscerated him.
But in the dwarf’s drunken episode, he capitalized on his native strength to throw Quin across the room, crashing him into a dresser. His back shattered the mirror, and he fell onto his hands and knees, struggling from the recoil of that powerful throw. Alice’s handler was slow to stand, aching at the deep wounds he suffered. “Blasted cat,” he cursed, “Aye’all cut ya ‘ead off and stick it on a pike!”
The tiger groaned, yet, the fire in Quin’s eyes roared as loud as his voice. In a heated roar, he charged again, this time with both his claws and fangs. His jaw caught the dwarf’s forearm, and clamped down like a vice. His hysterical strength was almost kin to a fully fledged tiger, snapping the bone straight through the thick muscle. The man tried to push him off, but Quin refused to budge. He even struck him with his free hand across the face, but the weakness of blood loss sundered his innate strength. With an instinctual move, Quin pulled back, and right as he was left open, he struck again, this time his fangs crunched down on the throat, forever silencing the wretched bastard.
Alice froze in awe and horror. Who would’ve thought this boy was capable of such abject violence? Her face winced as tears formed. “Why…?” Her hands shook, as she was on the brink. “Why did you come?”
“I’m getting you out of here,” Quin spat a chunk of flesh and beard. He was exhausted from the bout, but had no time to linger.
“No!” She cried. Quin froze, his eyes exposed wide at her estranged refusal. “My mother was almost freed! And you ruined everything!” Her voice pitched in pain. A promise was made to her. Quin was shocked at the revelation. Even if true, he knew such a deal would never be adhered to. The wicked who commit such egregious crimes against children have no reason to honor their word. Perhaps, deep down, Alice knew this too, but after everything she was compelled into, it was the one and only thing that she had faith in – and it was shattered. Her eyes were blinded in tears, and hear heart was blinded to the courageous act of her childhood friend as her voice struck like a violent chord, “I hate you!”
***
Quin shook with a deep gasp. His eyes sprinted back and forth for a moment as his heart jumped. Then he realized he was back at the campsite with Kibbolt and the other adventurers. An owl was heard in the distance, melding with the swaying brush and grass. The calm noise offered a reprieve from his haunting past, but the sounds of nature was interrupted by Logan, who stood watch. “Something troubles you?” He inquired.
Quin rubbed his eyes and released a sigh, “It’s nothing. Just a bad dream.” He reluctantly slipped back under his sack and turned to his side, returning to his thoughts of deep regret, then onto thoughts of vengeance against all the wicked who push children into such despicable evils. Baron was going down, and he feverishly craved for that moment to come.
After a minute, his eyelids opened once more as he felt something brush against him. To his surprise, Aris’s wolf-hound curled up next to him. It’s as if Kyber knew something troubled the beastman. He sighed, feeling as if he was being mocked.
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