[glow=#2b0505,2,300]ENTITLED BASTARD[/glow]DISOWNED [glow=#2b0505,2,300]tags - penned by orion[/glow] DISGRACE

    He never did mind the darkness that always seemed to engulf him each time he finally adjusted to the warmth of the sun. He might have admitted he preferred the obscuring shroud underneath different circumstances. The gloom of the jungle caverns would never be the same as the tenebrous nights in the forest he loved, with the moonless stars as the only light betraying his presence. Yet this darkness prevented him from examining the grievous wounds delivered by his torture; from cleaning them despite the agony that followed even the slightest movement. The best he could manage was to blindly tuck his entrails back inside their torn cavity and curl in on himself, shivering in pain. There Beck remained, bled out twice over on the grimy floor of the emprisoning caves with his wrists still shackled to a weight.

    But if he was what kept Sam from breaking beneath the strain of this hell on earth, then he was happy. With his windpipe crushed and vocals severed from Jervis' jaws, he couldn't provide her with the comfort of conversation. In fact, he could barely breathe, much less cough forth the water effectively trapped inside his lungs. The boy could only sputter and gasp and gurgle on his own diluted blood. With his underbelly slashed open like a frog on a school desk, it took every ounce of energy he had left in him to remain present. How could he protect Sam if he slipped back behind the veil? There was another figure, but nearsighted vision combined with a gouged socket didn't allow for an identifying glimpse. With each passing day, suffocating hopelessness chipped away at Beck's resolve. Maybe they wouldn't be rescued. Maybe they would only retrieve Sam to teach him a lesson. Or maybe they had forgotten about him already. That was okay with him, he supposed. It's your fault. You deserve this.

    Leroy's distant call silenced his doubts. The wounded cat struggled to prop himself up, exposed ribs heaving with the effort. A whisper of a sound escaped his parted lips, yet only the first syllable of the wolfhound's name could be wheezed. Beck slumped, old blood still trickling down his chin, yet his lambent eyes remained fixated on the shadowed direction he awaited the proxy's figure to emerge from. When Sam pressed against his tattered side, the poltergeist returned the gesture as best he could, the blood-slick chains attached to his cuffs faintly clinking between the exchange of hushed voices.

Leroy hadn't anticipated the calling of a voice not belonging to Sam. Of course, he understood that the presence of another in these caverns sat as a probability, and upon entering the cave system, acknowledged that the forecast called for a chance of danger - yet the terrier's yoo-hoo came as a total surprise for the wolfhound. Tending his shoulders and revving up a low growl, Leroy braces himself for combat. Except it never came. Instead, there came a smaller canine, whose kindness and warmth occurred as alien in comparison to Pittian standards. The stranger offers aid in locating his missing comrade, causing the proxy to raise a brow out of suspicion. He’d hesitate on the proposition for a moment or three, ultimately going with his gut and nodding in agreement. There wasn’t exactly much he could lose if this ended up being a ploy, anyways.

The venture through the rank cavern was short and bitter, and verbally guided by his newfound companion. The minuscule canine's energetic approach heartened the male to some extent, but he remained on edge for the most part. Premonition panged his heart, the sheer uncertainty of Sam's physical condition sending radio waves of fear and anxiety throughout his body. Was she okay? Was she dead? The thoughts bombarded him like artillery fire, and very little proved successful in repelling their deprecation. The trek was torture, nothing had prepared him for the heartache that awaited him on arrival to his destination.

Sam. A bloody, partially-eyed heap, sprawled across the floor in a cell. Bound by rope.

Beck, too. Chained up like a jailbird doing yard work, sliced up like a monkey after a knife fight. And oh yeah, he only had a single eye now as well.

It was as if he’d been socked square in the guts. A minor whine slithered up the cur's esophagus - but crying like a bitch would have to wait. He was on a tight schedule, after all. If someone else was down here with him, then there was a fat likelihood that others would come, too.

Leroy begins with Beck, as the poltergeist's situation was a tad more dire. Dropping the blade, he rushes over to the limp ghost feline. Scars and scratches littered his torso, which was extended by four weakened limbs. The front two limbs were cuffed by the metal shackles that he customarily bore, both of which were lead on by separate chains fastened to a weight. Instinctively, the mutt yanked with ferocity on the metal bonds. This brought no success whatsoever. Along with the debut of distant, angered hollering rebounding off of the cavern’s rocky boundaries, his failure at removing the chains’ grip hit him with the cruel realization that his available options were growing dim. Just as hope began to dwindle, a familiar glisten met the corner of his amber eye. A few paces away lay his blade, its curve specifically designed for amputations.

"Sorry Beck."

Oozing with the black, tar-like bodily fluid that ran through Beck’s veins, the metal edge easily slashed through the rope that restrained Sam. In a quick motion, he scooped her up onto his back. Stiffening his spine so the doecat has at least some leverage, he bounds over to the ex-general’s holding room and does the same. It felt wrong leaving the youth’s severed paws behind, but they were just another addition to the long list of sacrifices made to ensure the captured Tanglers’ survival.

With Beck and Sam slung over his spleen, he shoots the terrier a quick nod, before making his escape. It wouldn’t be long before Selby could patch them both up nice and well. Soon.

//out

//powerplay allowed by all parties involved ;p

//mobile

[glow=#2b0505,2,300]ENTITLED BASTARD[/glow]DISOWNED [glow=#2b0505,2,300]tags - penned by orion[/glow] DISGRACE