A Haircut for a Little Animal

“Little animal.” Okine looked to Radix.

“He does still seem half wild. We will take him back with us.”

“Come.” Okine reached past the boy’s snapping jaws and swinging hands to catch the back of the boy’s tunic. Gripping the furred collar. “Little Savage.”

Chavias realized the child’s whole tunic was lined in fur with gold buttons. Expensive. As the group strode away, they left behind a wakkon fur cloak which had been removed from the boy before his drowning. Because even the mercenary trying to murder the boy recognized the finery as something usually reserved for…Royalty.

Chavias’ eyes flashed back to the sodden boy. A flaxen-haired little beast ready to fight all of Ardae just to…Survive.

I know that feeling.

Okine would come and put the shackle around Chavias’ neck and drag him to Radix’s chamber where Radix would tell him who he would kill or what town to burn.

Today was no different. “You head to Gilwynn Village. Take the boy with you.”

“The boy? What good would the boy be? He’s small and inefficient.”

“Take him.” Radix snapped.

They walked into the corridor with Okine dragging Chavias by the chain.

Okine yanked it and walked into the hall where the boy was lurking, he’d put out the torch here, despite that it should’ve been high enough he couldn’t reach.

But Okine can see.

The boy was huddled in the shadows, but Okine spotted him. The lumbering demon commander snagged boy by a fistful of his hair.

The boy yelped and turned. Clawing at Okine’s meaty fist and dragging his head forward. There was a strange scraping that Chavias was very sure was the boy pulling his own head out to escape. He lurched forward and was huffing as he tugged from Okine’s unyielding fist.

Okine turned his grip more deeply into the boy’s hair, closer to his skull and drug him from the caves grunting and jerking.

Okine is always going to get ahold of his hair. Chavias could tell it was hurting the boy and knew that’d bring Okine joy.