Roseberry sat curled up in her cage, the sun beating down on her pale uncovered skin. For the second time this year the tribe of desert elves had caught her off-guard and captured her. Unlike the last time they weren't planning to lifemate her to their Chieftan's son. This time they were looking for revenge, at a profit of course. And unlike the last time Rose was not waiting for a rescue for she knew that none was going to come. Tree-Dasher has been gone for months, most likely in her mind never to return, and there was no way for her to let anyone from Shadowfall know where she was.
**I should never have left,** she sent to her bond wolf laying at her feet. Tassletail lifted her head and sent back reassuring.
**You felt like you needed to leave to find yourself Aeire, you must not blame yourself.** The cage suddenly came to a stop somewhere in the middle of the desert.
"Why on Two Moons would we stop here. There is nothing here but sand!" Sandweaver walked past and heard her.
"Don't you worry my desert flower, there soon will be and then you'll begin the payment for mine and my father's humiliation at the hand's of you and your lifemate. Too bad he isn't here to share it." he said maliciously. Good to his word people started showing up from all directions. There were humans, trolls, and other elves. Chief Shadowclaw came outside to greet them all and then they began to walk past hers and several other occupied cages. Rose backed away from their prying eyes.
"What is going on here?", she demanded at Shadowclaw.
"Why I plan to sell you as a slave." Rose looked wide eyed at some of the harsh looking humans and trolls amongst the groups of buyers. To be owned by one of them would surely be worse to Rose then death.
Just then a female elf rode up to the desert elves camp upon one of those animals Rose had seen in the human city. Her bright red hair was cropped very short in the back, her bangs hung over the one side of her face. When she turned towards the cages Rose gasped. The elf's right eye was totally red, not just the iris but the entire eye. There was also a jagged scar running across her eye. She glanced across the cages and her eyes came to rest on Rose's. She walked closer and stood in front of the scared little elfess with her hands on her hips. Shadowclaw came up and shook her hand.
"Scarpatch, I didn't think you were going to make it."
"Almost was too busy to come. I'm opening up a new bar at the human city east of here. But I need another fighter badly."
"Well it just so happens I have a Go-Back male in great condition if you would like to come see him."
"Actually I am most interested in this Wolf-rider here."
"This one! But she is rather small and is with child. I'm sure the Go-Back will be more suited to you" Scarpatch glared at the elder chief.
"I believe I know what will suit me. It is no concern to me whether or not she is with child. In fact that suits me better for I shall end up with two fighters instead of just one. Now I suggest we go and discuss payment for her." Scarpatch didn't give him a chance to argue anymore as she walked off and in mintues Rose was dragged out of her cage and was handed up to her new owner who was again on top of her mount.
The trip to the human city was very quiet. Scarpatch didn't seek out conversation and Roseberry was too afraid to utter a word. When they reached up to the gates of the city Scarpatch spoke to the guard in human and soon they were let in.
"Your wolf will have to stay in the bar for awhile until the humans get used to it's presence."
"Her," Rose piped up.
"What?"
"Tassletail is a her." Rose looked around the city. It seemed to be quite a lot busier and there were many more elves walking about then the last time she was here. They came to the bar area at the edge of the city. There were several tables, benches and stools set up. The roof was held up by one large wall to the back and two large posts at each front corner. Behind were the drinks were kept stood a large hulking troll. Roseberry stared wide eyed at him.
"Don't be afraid of BlackTooth. He may look scary but he really is gentle." Rose waved meekly at BlackTooth. The troll smiled and waved back. "Oh and he is also mute, he's been unable to say a word since birth. What's your name girl?"
"Roseberry" Scarpatch scowled.
"High Ones if that is not the most nauseatingly sweet name I have ever heard. There is no way I am going to run around my bar yelling "Roseberry" It's got to go!"
"What! But my mother gave me that name!" Scarpatch looked at her unimpressed. Rose raised an eyebrow. "Didn't your mother ever give you anything?" Scarpatch gave her a crooked smile.
"Yeah this eye!" She pointed to her blood red right eye. Roseberry sighed, she figured the Scarpatch always seemed to get what she wanted so it would be better to bargain with the other elf.
"Alright how bout we agree to keep the "Rose" but change the "berry"." Scarpatch thought for a moment then nodded.
"I agree. You'll be known as RoseThorn now." Rose sighed again, already much in her life had changed and now even her name. As she left to follow Scarpatch behind the bar's wall she noticed that the troll had two claw shaped tattoos on each side of his jawline.
In behind the bar were several small hut's Scarpatch led her into one hut occupied by two female elves. One was a buxom flaxen blonde with amber cat-like eyes, the other was a smaller willowy brunetter with the same eyes. Rose noticed immediately they both had the same tattoos as the troll.
"The blonde is DreamKitten, my barmaid, the other is her daughter Briarkeep. This is going to be our new fighter RoseThorn. Briar, she is going to need the marks put on."
"Marks?", Rose asked.
"These of course", DreamKitten said pointing to the tattoos on her face. "All of Patch's slaves have them." Rose backed away towards the door.
"I don't want any tattoos!" Patch grabbed a hold of her before she could bolt. Rose struggled with the stronger elfess and finally Patch decided it was just easier to knock her out.
Rose woke up several hours later in her own hut. Her head ached and her face felt swollen. She turned over and saw Patch standing at the door.
"I am sorry it hurt RoseThorn but it is the way it had to be. It is done to all my slaves. I need to ask you a question. Even with only one good eye I could easily see you are with child. Am I to expect to have an angry lifemate come here demanding for your release." Rose sighed and shook her head.
"My lifemate is gone." Patch took that to meaning that he had died either before she was captured by the desert elves or at their hands.
"I treat my slaves well Rose. You will not be hurt by my hand or by any other slave."
"What will I be expected to do. There is no way I could be a profitable fighter in the condition I am in."
"Get some rest for the night. We'll talk about your duties in the morning." Scarpatch left and Rose closed her eyes but was unable to sleep. She got up and walked to the entrance of her hut. She could hear voices and laughter of males coming from the bar. She laid a hand on the swell in her middle.
**We are so close to the place where you were conceived**, she sent warmly to the cub inside. Her answer was only the soft sound of snoring within. Yes they were so close...but since then everything has changed.
Rose woke up to bright sunshine pouring on her face. A small silhouette stood in the doorway.
"Ummmm RoseThorn, Patch told me to come and get you." Briarkeep said timidly Rose stretched and slowly raised herself off the furs.
"Thank-you Briar, tell Scarpatch I'll be there in a mintue."
"Rose, I am really sorry about the tattoos. If Patch hadn't told me to...." Rose interupted her.
"It's alright really. I hardly feel it this morning." she lied. Briar smiled and left the hut. Rose joined Briar, Scarpatch and one slave she had yet to meet. He was male with long silvery hair and cold slate grey eyes. Scarpatch introduced him.
"RoseThorn this is Hadrian, another fighter." Hadrian looked her up and down with his cold hard eyes. And finally spoke.
"Patch, I think you wasted a lot of good bright metal and wine on her." He then stalked out of the bar. Rose couldn't help feeling angry at his words, even though they were mostly true. She wasn't fit to be a fighter at the moment and was curious at what Scarpatch had planned for her to do. She voiced this to Patch.
"Well until that cub of yours is born you'll be like my assistant. You'll keep track of things in the bar like the bets and how many bottles of drink we have. When I need something but I am too busy to get it myself then I send you."
"When do I start?"
"Right now. You can go get us some breakfast. There's a food joint not too far from here. Just go out of the bar, turn right and follow your nose."
"Alright, I think I can do that." Rose left the bar, turned right and sniffed the air. Her stomach growled and the cub inside her complained for food. When a breeze blew on Rose's face her wolf-rider side could instantly detect the aroma of food. She closed her eyes and followed it until she heard voices. Her eyes flew open and she gasped. Rose instantly recognized the eating area. Dasher had brought her here on the day she spent with him in the city. She also recognized the tiny elf that was taking care of a group of humans.
"Rat! I can't let him see me!" she whispered to herself. Rose quickly ducked behind a hut. What was she to do. If Rat saw her, no matter how much larger she had gotten from the pregnancy, he would recognize her for sure and more then likely send for Dasher.
"And what is so wrong about that?" a little voice in the back of her mind asked her. Rose growled. "Everything is wrong! I do not wish to see that rogue of an elf EVER AGAIN!", she convinced herself. She started walking back to the bar. "But what am I to do about breakfast. I can't tell Patch the truth. But what can I tell her. Maybe???" Rose rushed into the bar. Seeing Rat had put a genuine shocked expression on her face so it wouldn't be too hard to convince Patch she was frightened. Patch looked up from where she was writing at a table.
"What's wrong with you? And where is breakfast?" Rose collapsed on her knee beside Patch, her breath's coming out in short gasps.
"Humans....everywhere....scared!" Patch groaned. She had forgotten that most elves still feared humans. "Please Patch don't make me go out there, I'll do anything you wish inside the bar. I just don't want to be out there alone with them." Scarpatch growled, buying this little wolf-rider might have been a mistake. But Patch never admitted to mistakes and always made the most of them.
"Very well.", she said angrily. Patch grabbed Rose's arm and dragged her outside into the hut closest to the bar. Inside were many shelves containing bottles of drinks, a tiny table and a stool. "I want you to take count of all the bottles and write down the quantities for me.", Patch pointed to a piece of parchment, bottle of ink and a quill. "I'll be back with breakfast." Rose got down to work right away, she didn't want to anger Scarpatch any further.
What seemed like hours later, Rose felt her shoulder being shook. She awoke with a start at the little table with a start. Scarpatch was standing beside her with a plate in her hand.
"You all done?", she asked gruffly. Rose just nodded. "You must be starving. You've slept all afternoob. Here I got you some food." She set the plate in front of Rose.
"Thank-you Patch, I am famished." Rose giggled, "And so is the cub." Patch then actually made a sort of half smile and nodded.
"Eat up then." Rose dug into the food, it tasted a hundred times better thing anything the desert elves had given her.
"There are some not so bad points to being one of Patch's slaves. I could have ended up worse", she thought to herself. She remembered back to the harsh looking humans and trolls that were at the desert elves camp and shivered, "Much worse!"
