RENEGADES - Horizon's Story

[MysteriouslyMaple]

RENEGADES

CHAPTER SIX

    That night, Horizon found himself unable to sleep. The young male was worried about what was going to happen to him, with his mind whirring about with thoughts. Just as he found himself closing his eyes, they would snap open suddenly at a thought he had, forcing him awake once more. Eventually Horizon decided to get out of his bed, his legs shaking as he walked towards his door. Strangely enough, whenever he pawed at it, the door creaked open, causing Horizon to dart back in shock at the sound. He stared at the tiny crack that formed whenever the door slowly open, his eyes wide and ears pricked as he listened for any signs of somebody moving about The Temple. Slowly, the tasmanian devil went forward and gently nudged the door open, trying to keep it as quiet as possible. Once again, he checked for any signs of Caesar and the other two members of his Court, before taking off towards The Arena. He knew that it held an area of camp called The Dungeons, likely where the fellow named Bruce was sent off. Assuming he hasn't been killed, Horizon told himself, his heart sinking at the thought. Still, he found himself still heading towards The Arena, making his way towards the sandy area.

    Horizon paused in his movements for a moment, staring at the building from this new perspective; from the ground of The Arena, rather than the platform he had been on previously. The platform loomed over him and Horizon shivered, imagining his father peering down at him from stone stage. No wonder everyone looks up in fear. He noted to himself. It seems as if Caesar is so much bigger than them. Caesar was taller than an average feline anyway, being a savannah, but still... the platform would make him look so much larger. Shaking his head to pull away from those thoughts, Horizon backed up and stared up, finding himself staring at the sky now. It was almost pitch black, with stars twinkling and dotting the surface of it. Horizon opened his mouth in awe at the sight, his eyes widening. They're so beautiful! If he wasn't pressed for time right now, Horizon probably would have stayed out here just to admire the white lights in the sky, but he reminded himself that he wanted to see Bruce and talk to him, if he was even still alive in the first place.

    Gaze darting around the sandy area he stood in, Horizon kept looking for some sort of entrance. Although it was hard to see at first, the devil eventually saw an opening from underneath the platform and made his way towards it. It was strangely open, though the smell of decay and blood almost made him want to turn back. There were pained groans and cries coming from inside the cave, making Horizon pity the creatures that were locked down here, clearly condemned to die from their wounds or suffer at the hands of Caesar and Dante. Swallowing down fear, Horizon forced himself to go into the cave, trying his best to ignore the sounds and smell coming from it.
    "Bruce?" Horizon called out, his voice somewhat quiet. The noises coming from the injured prisoners stopped for a moment, making Horizon stop in surprise. The scent of fear quickly filled the area as well and Horizon realized that the prisoner were afraid of him. Frowning, the devil made his way towards one of the cells, where a she-cat let out a terrified screech as he neared her cell.

    "St-stay back!" The she-cat hissed at him, and Horizon could see her pressing herself against the cold stone wall, her green eyes glaring at him. She was pregnant, pretty close to giving birth if Horizon had to guess. He stared at the female in surprise, wondering why she was in The Dungeons in the first place.
    "I'm not going to hurt you," Horizon spoke softly towards the feline, frowning at her. The she-cat, however, didn't relax and simply spat at him.
    "You think I believe that?" Her words were sharp and cold, just like the look she was giving the tasmanian devil before her. "You're his da-son. I wouldn't trust your ass if he sent you to free me." Horizon winced at her words, though it was more because of the she-cat's clear distrust rather than her correction. Although if she had called him Caesar's 'daughter', he would have been more hurt and uncomfortable with her words, he sort of understood; she was afraid and angry. Her thoughts and words were quick, and she probably wasn't thinking before she spoke. Luckily, the she-cat did correct herself, although shame rippled through Horizon's pelt as she brought up the gender he had been assigned with at birth.

    "I'd step away from th' cage, kid." A strange, gruff accent made Horizon whip around, clearly spooked by the prisoner that was speaking to him now. As Horizon peered into the darkness, he recognized the faint figure of the creature that had been at The Arena, with his scaly tail tapping the ground.
    "She doesn't need any more stress t'night." The prisoner went on, one of his ears flicking as he spoke. Horizon cast one last, sympathetic glance at the pregnant she-cat behind him before walking closer to Bruce's own cage. He sat in front of the bars, blinking at the feline in front of him. He was huge, a lot bigger than Caesar, almost nearing the height of Dante. There were fresh wounds on the older male, as evident by the smell, but Horizon noticed he didn't seem to be in pain.
    "Ya just gonna stare at me all night?" Bruce mused, moving forward a couple of paces to properly be able to lie down and stare back at Horizon. The devil noticed metal cuffs on Bruce's legs, chaining him to the wall behind him. Horizon tore his gaze away from the chains, forcing himself to look at Bruce's face once more. The scar indeed went from Bruce's forehead to his neck and Horizon inwardly winced at the sight of it. Does it still hurt? The prince briefly wondered, before he shook his head, finally answering Bruce's question.

    "N-no, actually. I wanted to talk to you." Horizon replied, shuffling his front paws a bit in embarrassment. Bruce tilted his head in response, clearly intrigued, but the large feline said nothing.
    "Are... Are you okay?" Horizon asked, deciding to get that question out of the way. "If-if not, I can try and find somebody who can heal you, or try to get you more comfortable or something -" He was rambling now, though he only realized that whenever Bruce interrupted him with an amused rumble.
    "Don't worry 'bout me, kid." Bruce chuckled. "I'll be fine. Dealt with worse shit before." He winked with the eye that bore the scar, trying to hint at what he was referring to with his words. "I 'ave a feelin' that's not what ya here for. Whaddya want?" His question wasn't rude, Horizon noticed. Bruce seem genuinely interested in why he was down here.
    "My-my name is Horizon. I'm Caesar's son." Horizon introduced himself quickly. "Um. I was wondering what sort of past you had with him, because he, um... looked extremely pleased at you being in The Arena."
    Bruce's ears flicked at the question, a serious frown forming on his face. He was silent for a few heartbeats before he finally answered, "Long story short: I don't agree with his ways." He said, raising his head and looking about the cages around him, prompting Horizon to do the same. "Listen, kid, I don't know if you do or don't, but this isn't right. These people down here? Done nothin' wrong. They're innocent, being condemned to death fer either sneaking away from Caesar's camp, trespassing by accident, or 'disobeying' him somehow." At the word 'disobeying', Bruce rolled his eyes, a snort escaping him. "None of us down 'ere deserve death and yet, we're all down here waitin' fer the call of Hades himself."

    Although Horizon had no idea who this 'Hades' was, he sort of understood what Bruce meant. Caesar was basically sending innocents to death, just as Horizon had thought. Once again, a sinking feeling filled his body, causing the devil to whine a bit. Horizon lowered his head, biting his lip slightly.
    "I... don't agree with his ways." Horizon finally spoke, looking at the ground now. He could feel Bruce's gaze on him, though he was unable to tell what the large feline was thinking. "I-He killed somebody yesterday, just because he supposedly stole something. I-I don't think he did, and when I said something to Caesar, he -"
"Horizon!" Bruce suddenly called out in a sharp voice, jumping to his paws. The chains made a clinging noise at the sudden movement. Horizon jumped in shock at the urgency in Bruce's voice, eyes wide, before he felt something slam him against the ground. Horizon let out a bark of pain, writhing beneath the being who had him pinned, with their claws on his head and digging into the skin. Pain went through the child's skull, forming tears at the devil's eyes, but Horizon found himself unable to say anything.

    There were black dots starting to form in his vision, though no matter how hard Horizon tried, he couldn't fight off the dizzying feeling that was overcoming his body and eventually succumbed to the black spots that was forcing its way to cover his sight. He closed his eyes, letting himself be taken over by the darkness.