Gideon stormed through his fort, throwing open doors as he went. To say he was angry would have been an understatement. That damned fool Tamerius! It was one thing to break free and run off! It was another entirely to take Gideon’s most prized possession with him! Gideon slammed open the front doors of his fort and stalked over to the barracks where some of his troops were staying. He threw open the doors and stalked in, calling for his troops to get their lazy asses out of bed. Men were heard scrambling through the rooms to put on clothes, and stand ready at attention before their Lord.

Once most of them were there, Gideon looked at them, glaring. “One of my pets has run off, and he has stolen my most prized possession!” A giggle was heard from somewhere, but Gideon chose to ignore it for the moment. He would find out who giggled and behead them later. He turned to the 4 generals that he had staying at his fort at that moment, (as he had many more than that) and addressed them. “I want one of you to take a few of your best men; no more than five total, and track them down.” He paused. “Track them down…and bring them back!” he ordered. He turned back to the rest of the men. “You!” he pointed to the man that had giggled. “You will follow me. You must be disciplined for your ignorance…”

*****

We had landed about an hour after we had left the fort, at some cabin in the middle of a wood. Tamerius, as I learned was his name, had fixed me a meal from food that had been in the cupboards. While I ate he put together a pack with various things, such as cooking and eating utensils, fishing gear, and other such things for camping. He attached a bedroll and a tent to the sack. After he was through with that, he walked around with a sack in his hand, putting various types of non-perishable food in it, such as corn meal, floor and such. As much as my meal was good, I was terrified.

“What are you going to do to me?” I asked, after finishing off the piece of bread he’d given me.

He didn’t stop what he was doing, but he did answer me. “I’m getting you as far away from that monster as I can get you.”

I stood up then, and slammed my hands against the table. “He’s not a monster!” I yelled. He stopped and blinked at me a few times. I wouldn’t normally act like that, but I had been stolen away from my master, and I wasn’t happy about it. In fact it scared me. Without Master what would I do? Where would I go? I would have to get back to Master, somehow…someway.

“You don’t think that the warlord, Gideon, is a monster? The way he treats people…the way he treats you…!” he was getting angry, and I shrunk back in fear of him. He noticed this, and he calmed down. “See?” he asked softly. “You’re scared. You’re scared of me, and I’ve never even hurt you. If anything I’ve saved you from Gideon.”

“It’s Master Gideon.” I said, timidly. But…maybe…maybe Tamerius had a point. I shook my head. That was crazy! Master cared for me! Didn’t he?

Tamerius shook his head. “Not to me. He’ll never by my master!” he said defiantly before returning to his tasks.

I couldn’t think. I could barely breathe. This wasn’t happening to me. I was still with Master Gideon, and I had passed out after he took me. This was all just some nightmare that I was having and Master would wake me up soon!

I opened my eyes, hoping that what I had been seeing earlier wouldn’t be there, that I would be back in Master’s arms. But that idea vanished as soon as I was met with the vision of a shirtless Tamerius wandering around the kitchen, grabbing things and putting them in the sack he was still clinging too. It was then that I realized that there were no whip marks on his back. There were only thin lines on his back where he had been bleeding before.

I sighed and sat back down in the chair. “Are we going to be traveling?” I asked. I knew it was a pointless question. It was obvious that we were going to be traveling; but I asked anyway.

“Yes.”

I sighed again. “Do I have to travel naked?” I asked, picking at my tail where it rested on my leg. He stopped then, and turned back to me surprised. “Uh…” he stammered. “No…I’ll get you something to wear, hold on.” He said, putting the last thing in the sack and closing it with the drawstring. He sat that down next to the other back and motioned for me to follow him. I stood from my place at the table, my tail unwrapping from around my leg to sway behind me.

I followed Tamerius into another room, the bedroom, where he was going through a chest of drawers. “Do you wear undergarments?” he asked.

I blinked in confusion. “I have a tail…” I said softly. “That’s okay.” He said, brushing that thought aside. “We’ll alter the clothing so it won’t bother you. My shirts are all altered so they fit over my wings.” He explained, stretching them for emphasis.

After a few more moments of searching, he brought out a pair of pants. “Here,” he said, tossing them at me, “try these on.”

I looked at them. They were a pair of soft leather brown pants, which laced up the front to keep them on. They looked two or three sizes too big, but I slipped them on anyway.

“Uh…” I said, hesitantly. “These don’t…really…fit.” He turned to me and laughed. “No, of course they don’t. You’re smaller than I am. Don’t worry,” he reassured me, “I’m good with a needle. I’m sure we can make them fit better. I’ll made a few of these other pairs of pants fit well too, and we’ll pick up a few shirts for you in the town we’ll be passing through.”

Good with a needle? Did he really say that? This guy could sew? Wasn’t that a woman’s job?

He noticed my confusion, and laughed again. “My mother taught me. I’m not exactly into women, and I’m not exactly one that’s able to afford a seamstress. Besides,” he continued, “there are such things as tailors, you know?”

I shook my head. It wasn’t like Master took me anywhere out of his fort. I hadn’t been outside, except for on the balcony to my room, in over 18 years. I was only 21! (I could never remember exactly when it was I had been given to Master.)

Tamerius smiled and took the few short steps over to me. “I need your measurements, and those pants.” I shrugged and, after letting the pants fall back to the floor, I sat down on the edge of the bed. I moved my feet, and he picked up the clothing. After that, he made me stand while he measured my waist, my “outer seam” and my “inner seam”. (The outer seam was from my waist to my ankle on the outside of my leg, while the inner seam was the inside of my leg.) I blushed furiously while he measured my inner seam. No one but Master had ever really touched me at all. (One of his guards swatted me on the ass once, and he was beheaded two hours later.)

Tamerius walked over to the chair in the corner. “Make yourself comfortable on the bed.” He ordered. “I’d let you have the chair, but I need the light from the window.” Tamerius apparently had all the supplies he needed in a basket beside the chair, so he went to sewing as soon as he sat down. I sighed, and sat down on the bed. I was rather bored while he was sewing, and I soon found myself drifting to sleep.