Cass and his stepmother were guided through the curtain and into a long corridor. As they passed the various rooms, Cass could see through the open doors the rooms in which the slaves were living. There were many inside lying on bunk beds, or sitting on the floor conversing between themselves.
One of the rooms they passed appeared to be a classroom, and someone inside was speaking while slaves sat cross-legged on the floor, facing forward. They arrived at a rickety wooden door, and after entering, were chaperoned to the back of the large storage space, where a number of barred cages were lined up against the wall. All of the cages were empty except for one.
'This young lady here is Luna, please excuse the smell, she has not been permitted to leave the cage for the last 5 days.' The smell was indeed quite bad, it was obvious that the girl inside had been forced to relieve herself inside the confines of the cage, the evidence of which was collected near one of the corners closest to Cass. In the opposite corner, Cass could also see a wooden bowl of what appeared to be untouched food.
The girl was sitting against the back of the cage, hidden within its shadow, but Cass could clearly see that she was not a normal Human. The merchant continued his explanation.
'Luna is in here because she is being disciplined, however, she does meet all of the young lord's requirements. She has been trained in all household tasks and etiquette. She is a 14-year-old wolfkin and, as such, has not awakened a system yet. Normally, she would sell for around 20 gold coins; however, due to her rebellious nature, I am offering her for the price I paid for her, 12 gold coins. Luna, come to the front of the cage so the young master can meet you.'
Cass was appalled by the squalid conditions in which she was being kept. As the shape inside the cage made its way to the front of the bars, Cass could feel his anger rising, and was seriously contemplating attacking the slave merchant for allowing this girl to live like this.
He clenched his fists and his hands started shaking. He felt a firm grip on his shoulder, and after looking up, saw his stepmother shaking her head while looking at him. He swallowed his anger and faced forward again.
As the approaching shape became clearer, he saw that Luna was indeed a young wolfkin girl. She was very skinny and small to the point where Cass suspected malnourishment. Her clothing was far less well-kept than the other girls he had seen, as she was wearing what appeared to be a potato sack with holes cut out for her arms and head. A chain connected to the cage extended to the collar around her neck.
She had long silver hair, which was accented by pink at the tips, pointed silver wolf ears, a fluffy silver tail, and pink eyes. She was filthy and covered with bruises, but when he looked closer at her eyes, Cass could see the fire in them; this girl had a fierceness that could not be extinguished even after being forced to live in filth for 5 days.
'Nice to meet you, Luna. My name is Cass. Can you please tell me how you became a slave?'
Luna started to reply ' I have alway.....'
Suddenly, the slave merchant whacked the cage with his walking cane and said 'Silence, Mutt! You are still being disciplined, you are forbidden to speak. Young master this...'
Adeline quickly interjected on behalf of her stepson. 'Flesh peddler, quiet yourself. He asked her the question, not you. We would very much like to hear her answer for herself, or are you trying to push a mute slave on us without allowing us to find out first?'
The merchant, having returned to his polite tone, replied unshaken. 'Apologies, my lady, I assure you she is not mute. I will permit her to speak with your son. Please continue, young lord.'
Cass nodded at the girl, and she began speaking again, all the while giving defiant glances in the direction of the merchant. 'I have always been a slave, young master. I understand that my parents were also slaves, however, I never met them. I was taken from my mother soon after birth.
After that, I was bought as a chambermaid for a wealthy merchant; however, at night, the merchant would take me and the other beastkin slaves to a pit fighting ring and force us to compete while he gambled. Pit fighting slaves is illegal, but he was only forced to pay a fine, so he sold me to cover that cost, and that is how I came to be here.'
'I understand, and can you tell me why you are being disciplined?'
'I am being disciplined because I refuse to eat. I might be a slave, but I will never eat that slop they try to force on me. I still have my pride. She pointed towards the bowl of untouched food in the corner.
The slave trader again tried to interrupt but was quickly shut down again by Adeline, whose impatience and obvious anger were beginning to show quite readily.
Cass continued with his questioning. 'Why won't you eat it? It looks like wheat gruel to me. Our family eats it nearly every day for breakfast, and I quite like it.'
The wolfkin girl snorted, and pointed again at the bowl in the corner. 'It's only half wheat gruel. The rest is sawdust.'
Adeline quickly directed her attention to the slave merchant 'Is this true? Even if she is a slave, you are not permitted to feed her with things that are not food.' Max could feel Adeline's grip on his shoulder getting tighter, but he ignored the pain.
'It's a lie. She is lying.' The merchant was emotionless
'It is not a lie,' Snarled Luna. 'I can smell the sawdust in it, I am a wolfkin, my sense of smell is better than yours, I am a slave, but I ...'
The merchant once again slammed his cane into the cage, this time hitting the delicate fingers she had wrapped around one of the bars. Luna pulled away and flinched in pain. 'Lying filth, that is why nobody will ever buy you. Young lord, I ...'
Cass held up a hand, stalling the merchant's speech. 'Have her bathed and clothed, I will buy her for 12 gold. Remove her from the cage, change the collar for a thin leather one if you have it. I will not tolerate my property being mistreated.'
'Certainly, young master, just let me have the 12 gold coins, and we can proceed from there.'