Onyx's Pov:
*The first thing I register is the soft weight of a blanket draped over me. I'm alone in the room, the scent of the brute lingering faintly on the pillow beside me. A wave of irritation washes over me. I remember fragments of the night before: his restless tossing, his tormented whispers in his sleep, my own traitorous body moving to comfort him, the way his arms had come around me and held on like a lifeline. The memory makes my skin prickle with a confusing mix of warmth and shame.*
*I hug my knees to my chest, the blanket cocooning me, but it does nothing to stop the chill that has settled deep inside me. The door creaks open, and the same woman from before enters. Her presence is a stark reminder of my captivity. My stomach clenches with fear. The routine is the same: the cold water, the rough hands, the silent dread of being treated like a thing to be prepared for sale.*
*The woman finishes her work, her movements brisk and impersonal. She gestures for me to rise, and I follow her, my movements stiff with apprehension. I expect to be led back to the small, stifling room, or perhaps to a place where buyers might inspect their merchandise. Instead, she leads me outside. The sudden rush of cool, fresh air is a shock to my senses, and I blink in the bright morning light.*
*We emerge onto a wide, open breezeway that overlooks a vast, grassy expanse. And there, standing not far away, are the brute and the antelope. They are talking, their heads close together, a rare moment of apparent camaraderie. The sight of them stops me cold. The woman continues walking, pulling me along, and they see us. Their conversation dies abruptly, and they both turn to look at me.*
*The antelope's eyes narrow.* "What is she doing outside?" *he asks, hid voice sharp with suspicion. he looks from me to the woman, hid expression one of disbelief.*
...*The antelope's question hangs in the air, sharp and accusatory. The woman, who had been guiding me, looks to the brute, her posture deferential, as if awaiting his command. The brute, however, doesn't even glance at her. His gaze is fixed entirely on me, his expression unreadable. He takes a step forward, his massive frame seeming to fill the breezeway, casting a long shadow over me.*
*He ignores the antelope completely. His deep, rumbling voice cuts through the silence, each word deliberate and heavy with authority.* "She is here to take a walk with us."
*The effect is instantaneous. The antelope's jaw drops, his eyes widening in pure shock. The woman beside me gasps, a sharp, startled intake of breath. Even the guards at the periphery of the courtyard stop their idle chatter, their heads snapping in our direction. The silence that follows is thick, thick enough to choke on.*
*My own blood runs cold.*
*The brute's final words, a low growl that promises violence, silence the antelope completely. He looks like he wants to argue, to protest this absurdity, but the sheer, predatory certainty in the brute's gaze gives him pause. He clenches his jaw, his knuckles white where he grips the hilt of his sword, but he says nothing more. The woman, having witnessed the raw power on display, looks terrified. She quickly averts her eyes and bows her head, waiting.*
*The brute's gaze returns to me, and it's no longer unreadable. It's an intense, probing look that makes me feel utterly exposed. He doesn't say anything, but his posture shifts, becoming an unspoken command. He turns and starts walking away from the main building, towards the open expanse of the grounds. He doesn't look back to see if I'm following.*
*The antelope shoots me one last venomous glare before reluctantly turning to follow the brute.*
*I flinch at his command, the words sharp and dismissive.* "Close your pretty mouth and follow me." *He doesn't even look back at me, his focus entirely on the path ahead as he leads me away from the main building and into a confusing maze of high hedges. The air here is still and quiet, the only sound the crunch of the brute's boots on the gravel path.*
*My legs move quickly to keep up with his long strides, my heart still pounding from the confrontation. I risk a glance back. The antelope is standing where we left him, his face a mask of wounded pride and fury, his gaze burning a hole into my back. The sight of him makes me shrink inwardly, and I quickly turn my attention back to the brute's broad, retreating back.*
*He navigates the maze with an easy confidence, as if he's walked it a thousand times. The path winds and turns, and for a moment, I lose sight of him around a corner.**His sudden appearance is a blur of motion. One moment I'm frozen in indecision at the fork in the path, the next his massive hand is clamping around my upper arm, his grip like iron. He yanks me sideways, pressing my back hard against the cool, scratchy surface of a thick hedge wall. The air is knocked from my lungs in a small gasp.*
*I look up, my eyes wide with fear, meeting his furious gaze. He is so close I can see the dark stubble on his jaw, the intensity in his eyes. The space between us is charged, the scent of the earth and the brute himself filling my senses.*
*Then, the question explodes from him, a low, guttural roar that vibrates through the wall and into my back.* "Why did you stop to help me last night when you had the chance to escape?" *His face is a mask of confusion and anger, as if my simple act of kindness was a personal betrayal to him.**I flinch as he slams his fist into the wall beside my head, the sharp crack echoing through the small space of the hedge maze. My breath hitches, a small, terrified sound caught in my throat. His question hangs in the air, demanding an answer I don't have. The words spill out before I can stop them, a torrent of raw, unthinking honesty.*
"Because... I couldn't bear to see you suffering while I ran away," *I stammer, the words gaining strength as I speak.* "I don't think I could live with myself. Yes, you're a bad person, but that doesn't mean everyone has to be like you!"
*The moment the last word leaves my lips, a cold dread washes over me. I've just thrown his own cruelty back in his face, a foolish, suicidal act of defiance. The air crackles with the tension, thick enough to choke on.*
*Then, he slams his fist into the wall again. But instead of anger, a low, rumbling sound builds in his chest.**The rumbling sound grows, deep and resonant, vibrating through the wall and into my own chest. It's not the laugh of a happy man, but something darker, something that scrapes against the edges of sanity. It's a laugh devoid of warmth, filled with a bitter irony that chills me more than any threat of violence.*
*He leans closer, his face still in shadow, the laughter subsiding into a low, dangerous chuckle. His eyes, when they finally meet mine again, are no longer just furious. They are something else—piercing, intense, and strangely appraising. He studies my face as if seeing me for the first time, the raw defiance I'd shown apparently more interesting than the fear he'd expected to find.*
*He doesn't move away. Instead, his hand, which had been braced against the wall beside my head, shifts. His thumb brushes against the skin of my jaw, a touch that is both startling and unnervingly gentle.**The touch of his thumb against my jaw sends a jolt through me, my skin tingling where he makes contact. His words, a low murmur that cuts through the lingering laughter, are a stark contrast to his sudden gentleness.* "You should have escaped when you had the chance." *I can only manage a shallow gulp, my throat suddenly desert-dry. The implication hangs in the air between us, a warning and a dismissal all at once.*
*After a long, tense moment, he pulls his hand away as if I've burned him. The moment is broken. He straightens up, his expression shuttered once more, turning back into the impassive brute. Without another word, he turns and walks away, leaving me pressed against the hedge wall.*
*He doesn't look back, his stride confident as he navigates the maze's twists and turns. He pauses at the exit, glancing over his shoulder at me, his expression unreadable.* "This time around, don't get lost,"*I push myself off the hedge wall, my legs feeling weak and unsteady. The encounter has left me shaken, my pulse still racing from a cocktail of fear and adrenaline. I take a deep, steadying breath and force my feet to move, hurrying after him. I keep a few paces behind, close enough to follow but giving him the space he seems to demand.*
*He leads me out of the maze and into a sun-dappled courtyard. A simple stone bench sits beneath the shade of a large, ancient tree. He stops and gestures towards it with his chin, a silent command.*
*He doesn't sit himself. Instead, he leans against the trunk of the tree, his arms crossed over his broad chest, his gaze fixed on the horizon. He is a silent, imposing sentinel, a stark contrast to the confusing and intimate moment we'd just shared in the maze. It's clear this isn't about conversation or comfort; it's a watch. He's brought me out here, away from the others, and now he's guarding me.*
*I flinch at his command, the words sharp and dismissive.* "Close your pretty mouth and follow me." *He doesn't even look back at me, his focus entirely on the path ahead as he leads me away from the main building and into a confusing maze of high hedges. The air here is still and quiet, the only sound the crunch of the brute's boots on the gravel path.*
*My legs move quickly to keep up with his long strides, my heart still pounding from the confrontation. I risk a glance back. The antelope is standing where we left him, his face a mask of wounded pride and fury, his gaze burning a hole into my back. The sight of him makes me shrink inwardly, and I quickly turn my attention back to the brute's broad, retreating back.*
*He navigates the maze with an easy confidence, as if he's walked it a thousand times. The path winds and turns, and for a moment, I am lost.*
*His sudden appearance is a blur of motion. One moment I'm frozen in indecision at the fork in the path, the next his massive hand is clamping around my upper arm, his grip like iron. He yanks me sideways, pressing my back hard against the cool, scratchy surface of a thick hedge wall. The air is knocked from my lungs in a small gasp.*
*I look up, my eyes wide with fear, meeting his furious gaze. He is so close I can see the dark stubble on his jaw, the intensity in his eyes. The space between us is charged, the scent of the earth and the brute himself filling my senses.*
*Then, the question explodes from him, a low, guttural roar that vibrates through the wall and into my back.* "Why did you stop to help me last night when you had the chance to escape?" *His face is a mask of confusion and anger, as if my simple act of kindness was a personal betrayal to him.*
*I flinch as he slams his fist into the wall beside my head, the sharp crack echoing through the small space of the hedge maze. My breath hitches, a small, terrified sound caught in my throat. His question hangs in the air, demanding an answer I don't have. The words spill out before I can stop them, a torrent of raw, unthinking honesty.*
"Because... I couldn't bear to see you suffering while I ran away,"
*I stammer, the words gaining strength as I speak.* "I don't think I could live with myself. Yes, you're a bad person, but that doesn't mean everyone has to be like you!"
*The moment the last word leaves my lips, a cold dread washes over me. I've just thrown his own cruelty back in his face, a foolish, suicidal act of defiance. The air crackles with the tension, thick enough to choke on.*
*Then, he slams his fist into the wall again. But instead of anger, a low, rumbling sound builds in his chest.*
*The rumbling sound grows, deep and resonant, vibrating through the wall and into my own chest. It's not the laugh of a happy man, but something darker, something that scrapes against the edges of sanity. It's a laugh devoid of warmth, filled with a bitter irony that chills me more than any threat of violence.*
*He leans closer, his face still in shadow, the laughter subsiding into a low, dangerous chuckle. His eyes, when they finally meet mine again, are no longer just furious. They are something else—piercing, intense, and strangely appraising. He studies my face as if seeing me for the first time, the raw defiance I'd shown apparently more interesting than the fear he'd expected to find.*
*He doesn't move away. Instead, his hand, which had been braced against the wall beside my head, shifts. His thumb brushes against the skin of my jaw, a touch that is both startling and unnervingly gentle.*
*The touch of his thumb against my jaw sends a jolt through me, my skin tingling where he makes contact. His words, a low murmur that cuts through the lingering laughter, are a stark contrast to his sudden gentleness.* "You should have escaped when you had the chance." *I can only manage a shallow gulp, my throat suddenly desert-dry. The implication hangs in the air between us, a warning and a dismissal all at once.*
*After a long, tense moment, he pulls his hand away as if I've burned him. The moment is broken. He straightens up, his expression shuttered once more, turning back into the impassive brute. Without another word, he turns and walks away, leaving me pressed against the hedge wall.*
*He doesn't look back, his stride confident as he navigates the maze's twists and turns. He pauses at the exit, glancing over his shoulder at me, his expression unreadable.* "This time around, don't get lost,"
*I push myself off the hedge wall, my legs feeling weak and unsteady. The encounter has left me shaken, my pulse still racing from a cocktail of fear and adrenaline. I take a deep, steadying breath and force my feet to move, hurrying after him. I keep a few paces behind, close enough to follow but giving him the space he seems to demand.*
*He leads me out of the maze and into a sun-dappled courtyard. A simple stone bench sits beneath the shade of a large, ancient tree. He stops and gestures towards it with his chin, a silent command.*
*He doesn't sit himself. Instead, he leans against the trunk of the tree, his arms crossed over his broad chest, his gaze fixed on the horizon. He is a silent, imposing sentinel, a stark contrast to the confusing and intimate moment we'd just shared in the maze. It's clear this isn't about conversation or comfort; it's a watch. He's brought me out here, away from the others, and now he's guarding me.*