A New Pack
731 Words
I was walking by the slave quarters when I heard a murmur of voices. Curiosity piqued, I walked closer and listened in on the conversation.
"I heard the pack leader is dividing the pack," one of the slaves said. "Giving half of his slaves and warriors to his son, Gabriel."
"What does that mean for us?" another asked.
"It means some of us are going to be left behind," the first one replied. "Gabriel will take the strongest and most capable slaves with him."
My heart sank. I had heard rumors of the pack leader's son, Gabriel, before. He was known to be even more brutal than his father, and the thought of being sold to him filled me with dread. I had to find out more.
Hiding in the shadows, I watched as the other slaves continued to talk, discussing which of them might be chosen to go with Gabriel. I felt a twinge of jealousy, knowing that my own fate was out of my control.
As they dispersed, I made my way to my own quarters, deep in thought. I couldn't help but wonder what would become of me and the other slaves who were left behind. Would we be sold to other packs, forced to start anew? Or would we simply be left to wither away, forgotten and abandoned?
My thoughts were interrupted by the sound of footsteps approaching. I froze, praying that it wasn't one of the enforcers coming to punish me for eavesdropping.
But as the figure drew closer, I recognized him as one of the other slaves. He looked at me with concern, and I realized that he had overheard the conversation as well.
"I don't know what's going to happen," he said, his voice low. "But we have to stick together. We have to look out for each other."
I nodded, feeling a sense of kinship with this stranger. We may have been slaves, but we were still human, and we still had each other.
As he left, I sat down on my cot, lost in thought. The uncertainty of my future weighed heavily on me, but I knew that I couldn't give up hope. Somehow, someway, I would find a way to survive, no matter what fate had in store for me.
As I was making my way to the water pump, I noticed a group of slaves gathered in a corner, whispering amongst themselves. Curiosity piqued, I walked over to see what was going on.
As I approached, one of the slave girls noticed me and beckoned me over. "Celine, come here," she said. "We were just talking about Gabriel."
I froze at the mention of his name. Gabriel was the son of the pack leader, and from what I had heard, he was even more brutal than his father. He had beaten me before, and the memory of that encounter still made my skin crawl.
"What about him?" I asked tentatively.
The slave girl, whose name was Lila, looked around to make sure no one else was listening. "I heard from one of the other slaves that he's going to be taking some of us with him when he splits from the pack," she said. "Apparently he's getting half of the pack's slaves and warriors to form his own pack."
My heart sank at the news. The thought of being sold off to Gabriel filled me with dread. "What's he like?" I asked Lila, hoping for more information.
"He's strong, arrogant, and more fierce than his father," Lila replied, her eyes darkening with fear. "He enjoys beating slaves for the slightest mistake."
I winced at the memory of my own encounter with him. "I know," I said quietly. "He's beaten me before."
Lila looked at me sympathetically. "I'm sorry, Celine," she said. "No one deserves to be treated like that."
I nodded, feeling a sense of camaraderie with Lila. "I'll go with him if I have to," I said, steeling myself. "I've survived this long. I can survive anything."
Lila nodded, but I could see the fear in her eyes. We both knew that the future was uncertain, and that we were at the mercy of our captors. But for now, we could find solace in each other's company, and in the hope that somehow, someway, we would be able to break free from our chains and find a better life.
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