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    "Ask me questions," he demanded.


    I had to grin at him. He had the stance of a fighter waiting for a physical blow. Knowing how much


    Master Damien hated questions, I could only imagine how this man felt. Here was a mighty Warrior


    stuck with the most annoying babysitting job on the.


    "Could you tell me about you and your brothers, Keeper?" I asked shyly.


    The man grinned and rxed. He didn''t mind talking about his family. My curiosity was strange, but


    it was a topic he adored.


    He and his brothers had originally lived across the sea, a long way away. They were sent here by


    the Administrators when he had just reached Warrior status. He told me about the other vige


    when I asked about it.


    Fuji''s owners had not been happy in the otherpound. There was another family there they


    fought with constantly. When they were just boys they could be kept apart, but as adults they had


    the freedom to seek each other out. It had been a constant battle between the two groups.


    This vige was better, he told me. The men were more agreeable and less temperamental. He


    liked the other Warriors. While he enjoyed fighting with the bandits, discord in thepound was


    unpleasant. The Administrators had been good to them and sent them a nice ce.


    I pondered this strange piece of information. The Administrators worked for the women. The women


    must have not been happy this man and his brothers were upset. They moved them so they would


    fit in better.


    The whole story was very paternalistic or in this case maternalistic.


    As we got up to leave he looked at me quizzically, "I do not understand, ve. Have you been made


    happy?"


    I looked around the little forest and remembered my friend. Being here made me feel closer to him.


    "Yes, thank you Keeper, I enjoyed my mid day meal."


    We went back to thepound and I thought about Christof. I hoped he was doing well. Worries


    started to crawl around my brain, I stumbled over a root because I was perseverating on him. The


    Warrior I was with steadied me as he looked in my face.


    "I have a sense for things, ve. I know you are worried about Christof. He will be fine. I do not


    understand what has happened to him. You must stay well while your Warriors are gone. I know


    humans be ill when they worry," he said leading me back to thepound.


    "Yes, Keeper," I answered dutifully.


    I went into the ocean as usual in the afternoon. I slipped through the grate and explored the deep


    water. The pull of the current was phenomenal deep down. I got caught in it and it pulled me a good


    way out. I made it back through the grate just as the Keepers were starting to pull everyone


    together. I chastised myself for almost getting caught.


    As I pulled myself out of the water Fuji screamed. I jumped back and stared at her. All the girls were


    staring below my waist. I looked down and saw a bloody gash down the front of my right thigh.


    When I had gotten caught in the current I had slipped against a rock ledge, I didn''t realize I was cut


    that badly. The wound was pouring blood.


    The Keepers lost their minds, to put it simply. I was carried, despite my objections, back to the


    compound. They cleaned the jagged cut and started to apply a thick paste over it. Usually the men


    that cared for us were calm and distant; now they were nearly hysterical.


    When the Warriors arrived I saw why. I jumped in between the two groups because Fuji''s owners


    had drawn their des in anger. They were approaching the Keepers with deadly intent.


    "Please, it was my fault," I begged with hands extended, "I''m really clumsy," I begged.


    They looked like Master Damien looked thest time I saw him. I was trembling in fear. It kept


    escaping my attention I was someone''s property and they didn''t want me damaged.


    "ve Keepers," the leader of Fuji''s owner addressed the other men, "show us how to care for this


    until we get it to a healer."


    The wound had started to drip blood the minute I stood up. The daytime Keepers showed Fuji''s


    owners how to clean a human''s wound and packed it with the thick cream again. My whole thigh


    was wrapped tightly in a piece of cloth. I wasn''t permitted to walk to the transport pad and was


    carried like a child.


    Healers came to see me and didn''t mention we were already acquainted. Much like on earth they


    used something to numb the area and then used a needle to close the wound. Thick cream was


    applied over the top again and my leg was wrapped.


    I wasid on the bed and fed my dinner there. By now, my leg was really starting to throb.


    "Keepers, I''m very sorry, but is there anything for the pain," I whispered looking down. I doubted


    there was and they still looked furious.


    The man from lunch returned into the room with a small tub of foul smelling goop he spread over my


    chest. At first I thought the smell would nauseate me and then I didn''t care. My leg didn''t hurt and I


    was so tired.


    They let mey down and one of Fuji''s meny next to me. I watched his face and it seemed to


    distort like in a carnival ss mirror. Reaching out, I wanted to touch his eyebrows, which appeared


    to be walking across his face.


    After my third thwarted attempt to touch him, my wrists were tied to the beam in the center of the


    bed. I didn''t really care and drifted to a weird dream filled sleep.


    Fuji woke me up cautiously the next morning; her cool fingers were drifting over my face. Once I


    was up her owners carried me to the bathroom. The men sponged me off and let me relieve myself.


    They ced me carefully back in the bed afterward. I was d to get out of my full morning


    ''cleaning''.


    "We get our own Keepers this day," Fuji whispered to me. "My owners don''t want us to go back until


    you are well. They say your Masters may kill the old Keepers, anyway."


    I groaned and tried to reason with Fuji; she didn''t really see a problem with their logic. Her Masters


    didn''t want to listen to me and found my reasoning obtuse. Master Damien and his brothers would


    punish the Keepers as they saw fit.


    Fuji and I spent the day on the bed ying card games. She brought in the little drums and we


    yed with those too. The Keepers we were left with regrly put the smelly stuff on my chest, so I


    also slept a lot.


    When the Healers showed up to look at my leg I was really surprised. It waspletely healed.


    They removed the stitches and ced a thin sheen of cream over the scar.


    By my standards the line was almost invisible, but when the Warriors saw it they all clucked their


    tongues. Theymented howrge a scar it was and how it marred my skin. Panic overtook me


    as I realized my owners may not want me if I had a new w.


    "Are they going to get rid of me now?" I asked Fuji''s owners while fussing over the thin white line.


    It didn''t make me feel any better when her Warriors told me there would be another buyer if that was


    the case.


    I was judged well enough to walk and followed them down the bathhouse. They didn''t want me in


    the water and left me in their alcove. I found a deck of cards and yed what I considered a game


    of solitaire.


    I kept my head down, but there were a steady stream of men that walked by appraising me. Several


    commented amongst themselves what they would bid if Master Damien was agreeable. The scar


    was present, but it would not overly detract from my use they believed.


    Perhaps my owners wouldn''t want me with this new scar, I feared.


    Fat tears were running down my face when I felt a finger lift my chin. I resisted the finger and closed


    my eyes.


    "Ciara, why are you making tears?" I heard Christof ask, sounding concerned.


    I bounded up and threw my arms around his neck. He tensed and I felt his brother''s hands pull me


    away. I sobbed my apologies and dropped to my knees in front of them. I heard Master Damien sigh


    as he stood me up.


    "There was no kneeling ce beneath you, Ciara. Come and wash me," he said.


    I looked at my owners and was shocked at their appearance. They were definitely worse for the


    wear. Jagged marks ran across their chests and there were several obvious teeth marks. Master


    Kein walked with a slight limp favoring his right side. None of them ran into the pool, they all entered


    slowly.


    I took up the rag and the bar and gently cleaned Master Damien. He didn''t want me anywhere near


    his privates, so I just skipped that area. I cleaned each of the men the same way. They seemed to


    just get rxed with me touching them and then I would hit a sore spot. I was as gentle as I could


    be with them. Even Christof flinched when I cleaned his neck.


    "Show me where you were injured, Ciara," Master Damien said sounding tired.


    I stood in front of him while he sat in shallow water and let him examine the leg.


    "I''m sorry Master Damien, please don''t get rid of me," I begged.


    "We have already told you we will not sell you, Ciara. You must learn to listen to us," he sighed


    brushing his fingers over the scar.


    "Will you kill the Keepers? It wasn''t their fault. I was ying around and was clumsy. Please don''t


    kill the Keepers, Master Damien," I continued quietly.


    "They allowed you to be injured, Ciara. I have every right to exact the price from their hides. They


    are wellpensated to keep you safe while we are away," he said examining the mark.


    Master Damien didn''t sound like he wanted to listen to anymore from me, so I stayed silent. He


    motioned for me to sit beside him and I did quietly. The water stopped just over my thighs and I


    yed with my new scar under the surface. I was distracted from this when Master Evany down


    across the seat and ced his head in myp.


    Tentatively, I stroked his hair, which he had thrown between Master Damien and I. He seemed to


    rx in the water and I brushed his face with my fingertips. I felt something nudging my shoulder


    and I turned my head. A man''s hairy leg was right behind me, his toes were touching me just barely.


    Master Damien grabbed my head and forced it back down when I started to look up.


    "Damien," Master Evan said quietly, "it appears Andre has yet to learn not to touch what is not his."


    I recognized Fuji''s Warriors by their voices approaching us. They weren''t happy either. I rolled my


    eyes and shook my head wondering if Andre and his brothers would ever learn.Content rights belong to N?velDrama.Org.