―――― //I have permission for this plot from Sky! Essentially, Rhia is going to spread her flu around the Clan and cause a tiny bit of chaos, so feel free to use this for plot reasons, have your character get sick, etc.

Gods above, what had driven her to do this? What had she to prove to the place that had held her as a slave for so long? What had she to prove to anyone there? Why did she feel compelled to try and prove herself in the first place? She knew who she was: Rhiannon, a blind snow-leopard who navigated the world by touch and sound. Rhiannon, who could make any man or woman melt at the sight of her, knowing how to get into their heads, how to twist her own image around to something that they needed, something that they wanted to see. Rhiannon, who had killed her own captor to gain her freedom.

And now? Rhiannon - or otherwise "Anne" in this place- that stumbled across the territory, her breathing labored and her body shaking from exhaustion. She was pushing herself too far and she knew it, yet appearances were everything. "Help," her sweet voice croaked as the smell of Sunhaven grew closer. She was close! Yet, the wind here was biting cold in comparison to the desert heat, and even despite her fever, she trembled. Her paws stumbled, blinding trying to navigate an unfamiliar terrain, a fact of which made the real Rhiannon nervous to the core. Shackles tripped up her feet and bruised at her wrists, and scratches along her sides and muzzle were only minor glimpses of the seemingly desolate life she had lived. A life she really had lived. Her paws caught on the broken chains of her shackles once more and she found herself stumbling, coughing as she nearly hit the ground. Her stomach twisted into knots, her head hot from a fever and herself groggy and tired. At least she did not have to act- she felt awful, half-collapsed on the edge of the border as milky, cataract-covered eyes desperately seemed to scan the territory around her, her ears alert, her breath catching as if on the verge of tears. The smell of the Pitt was only faint upon her now, as if some old lingering scar. "I-is anyone there? Please... Please help me," she begged, pleaded, some terrified note catching her sweet voice as she tried to regain her paws, but her illness was keeping her down already, exhausted from the trek.

Bucky heard how the Pitt actively uses slaves, forcing people to do labor and treating them like property. Making them feel like their lives are worthless, and that they'll never see a bright future, only shackles and chains. Buckingham didn't consider his brainwashing to be slavery, but he knew far well what it's like to be used. To be taken advantage of, and to do things that he didn't want to do. The only difference between brainwashing and slavery was that he was manipulated into doing awful things. Slaves on the other hand, there's no manipulation involved. They are forced into labor, or whatever task they are given. Their choice to choose is taken away, as if their opinion no longer matters the moment the shackles are put on.

Despite hearing about the slaves back in the Pitt, the male never ran across one until now. Rhiannon's, or Anne, sweet, yet weak, croaked voice led him to the border. For a moment, he stood there in shock by her appearance. She still had chains on her paws, her eyes are cloudy, and she just looks weak. He can smell the faint scent of the Pitt on her, picking it up thanks to his super senses. She sounded desperate, pleading to get away from the clan who must've wronged her for months on end. It must've been difficult, to escape a vicious clan like the Pitt on your own, especially if they had guards and masters overseeing them. And considering her condition, she doesn't even look like she'll make it to camp! "Hey, you aren't alone anymore," He began to meow, as the maine coon made his way over to the exhausted snow leopard, looking at her in her cloudy eyes. It didn't seem like she could see through those eyes, causing even more anger to purse through his veins. "The Pitt won't harm you again-- I'm Buckingham Barnes, Helion of Sunhaven," He said in a serious tone, his tail twitching back and forth. "Can you tell me your name?" He questioned, as he signaled a npc to g grab Venus.

[ [member=23]VENUS[/member] !! ]

―――― Oh, wasn't this sweet? Not only was Buckingham taking the hook, line, and sinker, she had managed to first be approached by the Helion. If she was proud on the inside for her good fortune, despite her conflicting feelings of completing this little adventure of hers, torn between simply leaving the Pitt now when she truly had the chance, and gaining respect in the Pitt, it did not show on her face. Her glee was short lived, replaced by the miserable feeling of a cough racking through her lungs and across her body. The heavy pawsteps of Bucky approaching made her look up slightly, her gaze slightly left to where the man actually was. She was secretly glad for more than one reason; with him, now, she could now stop; she could rest, eat, drink, and sleep. But his words were both relieving, if this were truly a real situation, and yet a hidden note of danger. You're not alone. She would never be alone, it seemed. One way or another, she would always be watched, and judged. 

"Not alone," she repeated in a soft whisper, her lower lip starting to tremble slightly as he went on to further introduce himself, trying to push herself back up to her paws, as much as her body felt weighed down by the chains around them, trying to ignore the familiar, panicked feeling of the weight on her ankles.  "Anne," she answered slowly, softly as she took a moment to process the question. She wasn't stupid enough to give her real name, but one would be given- one that they could call her here. "My name is Anne, Helion Barnes." For a moment, her breath hitched as if she might further break into tears, her head bowing for a moment as she tried to regain her composure.  "Thank you," she whispered in a shaking voice,  "Thank you..."