Between Sky and Sea (Fadded - Ruu)

[Guest]

Azani struggled in the net trying to break free. He twisted and turned, yanked and pulled but he wasn't getting any closer to freedom. No, instead he was tangling himself up more. The ropes wound around the powder white tail until its movements were almost completely restricted. His arms were tangled up so he couldn't even claw at the ropes. The poor creatures chest was heaving in his panic and stress of the situation. He knew what was waiting for him if he was pulled out of the water. Pain. Lots of it. Azani strained and struggled until he was exhausted and went limp.

A few minutes later, the net started to rise higher and higher in the water. Azani's heartbeat was fluttering against his rib cage like a fish in a octopus's tight grasp. Azani lifted his head and let out his Siren's Song in hope that one of his people was close enough to hear him and come help him out of this predicament. It was a small sliver of hope really. Most of his people shunned him for his color defect. Azani gave one last thrashing before his body went limp and he waited for his fate to be upon him.

The sea creature was hauled up and over the edge of the ship and dropped on deck, net and all. Azani looked up at everyone with pink eyes. His lips curled to expose fangs. He hissed at the pirates around him but they all just laughed at him. Some of the two-legged men were quick to straddle the merman and hold him down while another began to cut through the rope. Azani tried to knock one away with his tail but someone was sitting on the end of it and he couldn't lift it. The poor creature panted and glared up at the humans around him.

When the net was removed, the humans continued to keep him pinned down to the deck. Hands began to trace all over his body checking for any imperfections. They even checked his mouth. At least he managed to bite a human. He got a slap for it, but it was worth it. When the investigation was complete, they dragged him to the center of the ship and grabbed his arms to yank them high above his head before tying them to a pole. Beneath him they opened up a small area and his veiltail fell into the water. The rest of him was held above it. This was to ensure that he couldn't change into a human. The gills on his throat flapped frantically. He couldn't survive out of water for too long.He looked up to the sky through the white strands of hair that fell into his face.

[Ruu]

The young Avian, Altair, flapped his wings to keep himself aloft above the strange object floating on the sea. His wings were of a golden hue, for he was of the majestic Eagle clan, son of their clan leader. Other than the wings sprouting from his back, the only difference between himself and humans were the sharp retractable claws extending from his hands and the thin pupils of bird-kind. Though he had been warned to remain aloft and away from the dreadful sea where predators were said to roam, he had ignored such warnings. Slipping away at the dawn of day, he had finally been able to catch his first glimpse of the elusive expanse of water, and the things known as ships that floated above its waters. An ominous black flag with a terrifying symbol waved in the breeze, though the Avian was too naive to heed the warning.

His heart soared with the beauty and the exhilaration of the experience. This was being free! This was living in the moment! And just when he thought his heart would burst with joy, a terrible thing happened...In circling the mast of the ship, the Avian caught sight of strange creatures. Humans, his peers had called them, and they were said to be a terrible lot. Yet these humans did not look particularly vile. They weren't large and ferocious monsters; they did not even have claws! But a sharp pain stung his right wing, causing him to plummet to the deck of the ship. He looked in horror at the blood streaming from the wound, new to this sensation. Was it pain? It caused his head to whirl and spin.

"Aye...this one will fetch a pretty price on the market. Look at these here wings. Ya know how lucky we are? The gold feathers, they're the ones that can be soaked in that liquid and turned into armor. And the ladies love them for their dresses. These are the wings that regrow quickly. We'll be rich all our days..."

Hands reached to grab him before he could react, binding him with ropes. By the time he even thought to struggle, it was too late. He was caught fast and could not escape. The joy of freedom was now replaced with the sheer terror of slavery. He was dragged ruthlessly across the deck and fastened to a long pole. Beside him struggled a creature that certainly was not human. With hair the color of clouds and a long tail, it looked as if it inhabited the waters below. The poor thing was captured as well. As Altair looked quietly at the merman, he could not hide the terror in his eyes. Avians were a proud people, but this experience was so foreign to the fledgling...What could be done?

[Guest]

Azani couldn't fight anymore. He was so weak. He was hot, tired, and in pain. His chest was heaving and he could hardly get enough oxygen into his lungs. He needed water so badly. He squeezed his eyes shut and willed himself not to look down at the oh so wonderful looking water below him. So thirsty. He could hardly get his mind off of it. He tried to splash some of the water up, but he couldn't. His tail splashed but the water couldn't reach his gills.

That wasn't the worst of it. His tail was starting to dry. It was no longer shiny and smooth. The protective layer of oils and water were all but gone to leave behind drying rough scales. It would be easier for the humans to grab him now since he wouldn't slip through their grasp. Every time he moved, he could feel his skin start ripping a little. Azani groaned a little and looked up at his wrists where the rope was leaving behind a red rash from all of his thrashing.

Azani heard the pirates talking and looking up to the sky. The merman squinted his eyes and looked up through the clouds. There he could see a rather large bird. The humans took aim and shot it down. Azani watched as the creature dropped and landed on the deck. So he wasn't the only victim today taken away from their homes by these monsters called men. His heart went out to the winged creature as it was tied down beside him. At least the creature form blocked a little of the sun and gave Azani a little relief. He was already turning pink from the sun's glare.

When the humans moved away, Azani looked over at the strange creature and eyed his wings. Those were strange things. He had never seen a creature with wings before. At least this bird-thing didn't have to worry about drying up without any possibility of relief. He sighed and closed his tired eyes and shook his head. He doubted he would ever return home now.

"Hey," he called out in barely a whisper to his fellow prisoner, "my name is Azani. What's yours?" Maybe they could find a way out of this mess if they worked together. The bird creature could fly him out to sea at least. If he tried to crawl, the humans would catch him.

[Ruu]

Altair felt completely miserable. He should have listened to his father......his mother...his grandparents...They all had said he was too young. He had so many things to learn before he could embark on a journey through the world below. The seas and the land were no place for a young fledgling, most especially the visible heir of the chief. Where were his parents now? Frantically searching for him? Did they even know he had slipped out? Would they be able to rescue him from these terrible creatures known as humans?

Already his wings were beginning to ache, ache with the pain of being bound, yearning for the freedom of flight. No longer could he feel the cool air as it sped by him. Instead, a salty, warm breeze ruffled his downy hair, the color of spun gold. It felt stifling and he could see black flecks in his vision. That was probably more because of the pain...Pain had been such a foreign thing to him before this experience. Now...he was terrified at the threat of something worse...Taking his feathers? How could they even dare to do that?

It was then he heard his fellow captive's voice, soft, as if it were parched for water. How could it even survive this long if it had lived in the waters below? Didn't the water creatures need the water as much as the land creatures needed air? Even then the water being was trying to splash water towards himself, but could not. Altair wanted to help, to reach down and splash cool, refreshing water over the merman, but he was bound fast. Perhaps conversation could take both of their minds off of their predicament.

"I'm Altair..." he replied, his own voice soft and mellow, "It's nice to meet you Azani, though...I would have wished it to be under better circumstances."

[Guest]

Azani gave the feathered creature a nod and licked his dry lips trying to moisten them a little. His throat was pretty dry to. He took a deep breath to calm his mind a little. How long had he been tied here? He looked up at the sky trying to gauge the sun. It wasn't something he was used to. He'd probably been here for hours.

"I second that," he answered him. "We... we have to think of a way... to help each other out of here," he whispered.

He wished he could reach the man's bonds. Azani's hands, unfortunately, were tied above his head and away from the rope. He looked him up and down trying to figure out how to get to the ropes. He swung his tail a little but he couldn't lift his tail up that high. He was flexible, but he wasn't that flexible. Then a new thought came to him. Maybe if he kept his tail above the water long enough for the end of it to dry, he could turn himself into a human and stand up on the edge. That would let him pull the rope up and over the pole.

So, Azani started to do just that. He curled his tail and watched as it dripped. He winced a little. The rest of his dried tail didn't like him much for that action. That and it made him apply so much pressure on his wrists. He swallowed hard and tried to just keep focused even through the burn and strain. His efforts were in vain.

Pirates came to him and dumped a bucket on his drying body, Azani shivered and gasped at the surprise of it. Then he was untied and dragged away from the pole. The pirates straddled him again and showed him a nice little instrument with a clamp. The pirate then started to rip a scale. Azani cried out in pain. Another pirate stood by trying to collect a tear from him. The pirates took four more scales but he did not release a tear for them.

The pirates growled annoyed before they tied him back to the pole. Azani whimpered and looked down at his now bleeding tail. He was splashed again and he winced as the salt stung the wound. Tears threatened but would not come.

[Ruu]

Altair nodded at Azani's words. They had to work together to free themselves. Otherwise they would be forced to endure of a life torture, and Altair wasn't sure how long either of them would survive such harsh treatment. Indeed, Altair was already very pale and looked completely out of his element without life-giving water.

Altair tilted his head curiously when Azani pulled his tail from the water. What was he trying to do? The young Aven wished to help, but his arms were firmly bound behind his back, and his powerful wings were securely tied, tight enough to cause him great pain. His eyes filled with pity when he saw the pain in Azani's features. And yet it was all for naught as the pirates doused the merman with water and took him away. Why were they being so cruel? Did they not have any compassion?

He had little time to reflect as was returned and Altair was taken away. The same instrument with a clamp was used to pry at the young Aven's feathers. He cried out as they were ripped brutally from his golden plumage. The pirates merely laughed as his cries before securing him against the pole once again. Altair took a few deep breaths, looking over at Azani.

"Are you...alright?" he whispered in a pained voice.

[Guest]

Azani looked up at his sky friend and watched as he to was taken away to have his feathers ripped. He thought that bird feathers just dislodged themselves and fell easily. He had seen many feathers on the surface of the water. From the cries the poor bird creature gave, he realized it hurt probably as much as it hurt to rip a scale. It would take many long years before his scales would return. He doubted he would live that long.

"I am alive," he answered him. "I can't say I am all right. I know it will only get worse. They want my tears," he explained. "And I am going to prolong giving them one as long as I can. I will not make things easy for them. I will never willingly give them their prize," he hissed and his eyes followed the captain of the ship. The human walked around as if he owned the whole world. Now if only Azani could knock the man over and break his neck, he would be happy.

He sighed and turned his gaze to the bird creature. "Altair, when the area around me dries, can you extend a leg down and hold my tail up? If I dry up enough, I could become human. Then I could stand up and get my bonds off and then yours. We might have to do that when most of the men are asleep. I know they do not have very good vision at night."

[Ruu]

Altair blinked when Azani said they wanted his tears. Why would they try to take Azani's tears? How could they be so cruel?

"Why would they want your tears? Are they...such terrible creatures?" he whispered.

When Azani mentioned his plan, Altair nodded slowly.

"I think I could be able to do that...Only...Wouldn't it hurt you? A-and would you be able to ever change back?" he asked anxiously.

Though they had just met, Altair felt as if a bond had formed between the two, if only because they were suffering the same pain. Feeling like little more than slaves...commodities being traded...when they were living and breathing entities with minds and wills of their own.

[Guest]

Azani gave him a small smile. "Yes they are cruel creatures. They want my tears because my tears are not simply water. They form jewels. Humans find them valuable and so try to collect our tears for whatever they want them for. Maybe it is a type of currency or something," he explained to he winged creature.

"And yes, changing into a human form will hurt, but I will take the pain of transformation over what torture they have in store for us. I will be able to change back. If salt water touches my skin, I'll be forced to return to this shape. That is why I need you to help me keep my tail above the water. The strain of my whole body wait on my arms is too much for me to bear for too long."

[Ruu]

Altair listened quietly to Azani's explanation. They wanted the merman's tears? He just could not imagine such cruelty, and yet the pirates had just done unspeakable things to both of them. These humans did not seem like reasonable or rationale creatures. They were more like animals than anything else...How ironic that they seemed to view the Aven and the merman as mere beasts.

"I will help you," nodded Altair when Azani explained to him the process of transforming into a human, "You are right. We must escape from this terrible place. I should have listened to my father...He said that the humans caught our people and took their feathers to use for armor...and just for decoration. But I didn't believe anyone could do such a terrible thing. I guess...I was wrong..."

Altair was silent then, looking down at the ground to try to hold back tears. Though his tears held no valuable properties, he would not give his tormentors the satisfaction of seeing him cry.

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