The next morning Jing was woken by a boot to her head, nudging her awake. It was not yet properly morning, the darkness just lightening with the coming sun. “Get up.” Came the krawk’s voice.

Jing whimpered quietly as she tried to move her stiff body, confused as to why it was still dark.

She was pulled to her feet as the rope was untied from the tree and then he was tugging her along through the forest.

Jing struggled to follow, still half asleep and after a minute she fell to the ground with a whimper.

The krawk stopped, turning to tug on the rope. “Get to your feet you useless rakune!”

Jing yelped a little at the rope, whimpering and struggling to get to her feet. Just waking up and having absolutely no food in her and not having drank anything in over a day… She just felt weak right now.

He tugged her to her feet with the rope, and pulled her along. “If you fall again I’m using electricity to get you to your feet.” He growled.

Jing whimpered in fear, struggling to keep up with him while keeping to her feet.

Leria was unmoving in the cage the krawk held under his arm, the limp body of the snowbunny crimson with blood and as far as Jing could make out, the tiny chest was not moving either.

Jing looked up at Leria worried, tears filling her eyes. There was no way they were going to get out of this…

The day went by slowly, as they plodded through the forest. Leria did not wake or speak to Jing all morning, and at midday they stopped by a stream, the krawk placing Leria’s cage on the ground as he knelt to refill his bottle.

Jing pretty much collapsed as soon as they stopped for a break, the girl breathing hard and ready to just pass out.

He glanced at her, then smirked, “Better get some water while we’re here.” He said, “We still have another five hours walk ahead of us.”

Jing shook her head a little “N…No more…” She muttered quietly, before falling over unconscious.

The krawk glowered at the unconscious girl, and set about making a light meal for himself.

Jing didn’t react at all at the noise the krawk made around her and she didn’t seem like she would be waking up on her own any time soon.

It took half an hour for the krawk to eat and repack, and he moved to check on Jing as he was done, kicking the girl in the side.

Jing let out a small whimper but didn’t wake.

He frowned in annoyance, grabbing the cage first and then grabbing Jing roughly, carrying the girl off.

Jing still didn’t react a lot, drained and not willing to wake up.

Soon enough the sound of the town’s bustle could be heard, and Jing was put down, untied and ropes replaced with metal shackles and a slave collar as the krawk inscribed her into the slave books. She was then placed in a cage on display in the slave market along with many other pets in varying grades of dejection and fear.

Jing whimpered quietly, slowly starting to wake and her face went pale as to where she had woken up to. “O…Oh no…” She muttered, looking around in panic. Where was Leria?!

Leria and the krawk were nowhere in sight. She was just one more slave in a cage, with prospective masters checking the different girls out. Jing had been stripped naked so that they could see her body better.

Jing’s eyes widened in shock as she realized she was naked and quickly brought her tail and arms around her to desperately cover up. This couldn’t be happening. It just couldn’t!

A few buyers laughed as they saw her cover herself up, and walked over to inspect her and the paper pinned to a board above the cage giving the specifications for her.

Jing looked around in panic and fear as she saw a few of them walk over, trying to move back away from them but just ended up at the back of the cage.

Hands poked through the cage bars to grab at Jing, trying to get a better look at her.

Jing cried out as she saw the hands, trying to move away from them somehow in panic. “G…Get away from me! I…Itrewic spical!!!!”

The hand pulled back in surprise. “Well I’ll be damned it’s true, she does speak another language!” The other grunted, “Yeah but how do we know it’s the dragon tongue like it says here?”

Jing looked up in fear as she listened to them, tears falling down her face.

“And seems she’s untrained…” “heck that’s part of the charm, she’s got a nice body, it’d be fun breaking her down.”

Jing shook her head a little, trying to just curl up and protect herself as she heard the others talking.

Finally the two moved off, inspecting other caged slaves. After a few minutes, they came back though with the one in charge, and pointed to Jing. The Master nodded, walking over to Jing’s cage and opening the door.

Jing looked up, face going pale and panic rising as she tried to move back desperately.

A firm hand gripped at her, trying to grab her wrist.

Jing quickly pulled back in panic. “D…Don’t touch me!!”

The kyrii growled, moving to catch Jing’s tail and yanked hard to pull her out of the cage.

Jing cried out as she was pulled out of the cage, whimpering in fear and just trying to curl up and protect herself.

The Master would have none of that, as he clipped a chain to her collar and dragged her to a post, forcing her upright as he fastened the chain to the post high up, making it so Jing had to keep on her tiptoes so as not to be choked. He then grabbed her hands, unfastening the shackles, pulling her hands back and around the pole and fastening them again to constrict her movements.

Jing cried out as she struggled to keep breathing, tears rolling down her face as her tail moved to cover her up in some way.

The kyrii frowned, and immediately grabbed her tail, pulling it away from her front and wrapping it around the pole twice before tying it to her shackled hands.

Jing cried out quietly as her tail was grabbed, trying to somehow move away but it was useless and she was forced to just concentrate on breathing.

The two prospective buyers came up then and looked over her body openly. “See, told you she has a good body.” Said the one. “Very true.” Said the other, moving forward to fondle her breast.

Jing cried out as she felt the male touch her, desperately trying to move away but it was useless.

The two smirked, as the male just continued to touch her over, inspecting her fur everywhere, then between her legs. “How old are you girl?” He said, fondling her.

Jing cried quietly, “A…A…Aovbijak…” she said quietly, swallowing hard and trying to calm down atleast a little.

“Speak in the common, or I can’t understand you.” He said sharply, as he withdrew his hand.

Jing winced at his voice, and it took the girl a minute to calm enough to speak. “F…Fifteen…”

“She looks a lot younger.” Said the other in surprise. “Maybe she’s lying.” The other turned back, “You sure that’s your age girl?”

Jing would have nodded but couldn’t “I…I’m n…not lying…”

“Good, because I punish liers very thoroughly.” He said with a nod, and began discussing prices with the kyrii.

Jing whimpered quietly as she listened to them talk about pricing her and she struggled to keep on her tiptoes to breath.

Finally after a whole ten minutes of discussing, Jing was sold, money transferred and an ID tag placed on her collar. She was taken down from the pole and a leash replaced the chain. “Let’s go.” Said her new owner.

Jing looked at her owner scared, body trembling as her tail curled around her. There was nothing she could do…

He tugged her along, as he spoke. “You will address me as Master, and will not speak unless spoken to. What’s your name?” He asked.

Jing was silent for a moment, before whimpering quietly “H…Hesjing…”

“Jin will suffice.” He said with a nod, taking her to a waiting cart and making her climb up into it. “Behave and you will not be badly treated.” He said, securing the leash to the side of the cart, he then let her hands loose. “You may dress with what’s in the cart for now.” He said, moving away. The inside of the cart was filled with some hay and an assortment of ragged brown clothes made of potato sacks, shirts buttoned in the front and baggy pants.

Jing moved, looking at the cloths in silence before putting them on. They might have been pretty much old rags… but it was better then being naked. She then curled up in the hay and cried quietly. What was going to happen to her now…?

As she lay crying she heard the sound of a lot of people gathering nearby, excited and curious voices speaking all at once.

Jing’s ears twitched at the noise, whimpering quietly and slowly looking up. What was that?”

The crowd was gathering around a raised platform, and on top of it was a single tall stool, with a small cage on top of it. In the cage…. was one bloody snowbunny.

Jing looked over in surprise as she saw the snowbunny, “Leria…!” She said in surprise, looking at the leash and pulling against it to try and break it.

The leash held though, and the crowd finally quieted as the krawk went onto the stage, standing beside the small cage. “Ladies and gentlemen!” He said, “I come to you today to show you a wonder of wonders…”

Jing shook her head a little, pulling against the leash more before looking towards the cage. “L…Leria!! Leria ROCEN SVERN!!” She called out loudly, hoping she would hear.

It was hard to tell if Leria responded, as she was far away and so small, but the snowbunny’s ears twitched, eyes slowly opening. The krawk continued, elaborating his introduction and finally getting to the point. “What I have here with me today is no ordinary snowbunny… this here is a DRAGON!”

Jing winced as she heard him, whimpering quietly. Hopefully the others around wouldn’t believe him. After all… Leria just looked like a badly hurt snowbunny.

She was right. One person in the crowd spoke up. “Proof! How do we know it’s a dragon?” Others took up the shout until the krawk silenced them. He told them of the poison used to capture her, and how she’d shifted forms, but still they were skeptic. As time wore on Jing finally heard Leria’s voice in her head. ‘I need help.’ Her voice was weak. ‘I can’t have more people know of me….’

Jing nodded a little, pulling on the leash again harder to try and break it. ‘What do you want me to do? I don’t think I can get free from this…”

‘Just do as I say… I want you to stand up as tall as you can, and repeat after me.’

Jing nodded a little, standing up and getting into view as much as possible without the leash choking her.

‘Repeat as loudly as you can.’ Came Leria’s voice, then she began to give her a string of words she could not understand.

Jing didn’t understand at all, but just started yelling at the top of her lungs what Leria told her, understanding she needed to do as told.

As she did, slowly heads turned to the girl, and less attention was placed on the krawk, who growled as he saw Jing. But then he too blinked in surprise as magical energy sparked into being around her, making those closer to her back away in sudden fright. “Stop her!” Cried the krawk, as some tried to get closer, but were repelled.

Jing was very confused as to what was going on but just continued to repeat what she was being told, body trembling from fear at the same time.

As the incantation was finished, Jing’s body glowed, then she disappeared from the cart. Cries of alarm and confusion reigned around but she was nowhere to be found. The krawk cursed, but then laughed, “So much for her, at least I still have…” He turned to the cage and yelled in frustration. The snowbunny had disappeared as well.