As Oxide spoke, over and over, she was forced to confront the fact that he was not an apparition at all. The warmth of his voice suffused her with strength. She heard Lament, too, and looked wildly for him... and Kindle? Could this be real? Her heart beat rapidly in her chest and Eris began to pant nervously. There seemed to be an enormous dispute over her supposed worth. It was all so distressing.

And Sota... Sota would even go in her place. Eris' heart swelled and she began to tear up - despite how dark things seemed, all of these wolves were gathered here because they cared about her. Except these strangers, and at the moment, that seemed to be where she was heading. "Thank you," she cried, her limbs trembling from exhaustion and anxiety, "thank you all so much..." I'm really not worth this all. They should just let me go. I was foolish enough to get caught. Eris could hardly differentiate the wolves crowded around her, but the familiar scents were comforting. Wherever she wound up, Eris hoped they would be kind.

Lament Pyre “The bids of him and I, combined” Lament said, leaning forward and tapping Oxide on the paw so his intent was clear. The young wolf was already getting desperate, throwing himself forward, offering himself for a year in the place of Eris. who was he? Why was he doing this for his sister? They were questions for another time, not here, not now. calm his paw whispered to the orange wolf, willing him not to look so desperate. He sniffed in derision, glancing to the pretty man, and then to the slaver. “Smells like Zebra to me” he said quietly, knowing no hunter had smelled so much like prey. He didn’t know if the man’s claims where real, but he was willing to chuck in every seed of doubt he could. “And, on top of everything previously stated, I will teach you a secret language, a means of communicating without words. A valuable skill in many situations.” he hated to give this away, this precious thing, a part of his heritage, but at the end, his sister was a thousand times more important. He would not be walking away empty handed. "Speech"|"Ademic"

A decent sized crowd had gathered around the next slave so Jupiter had hung back for awhile and just taken it all in. When it became clear the girl was a hot ticket item he decided he had to bid for her. He wanted to win, but more than anything else he was interested in driving the price up and being a pain in the ass. He bumped Ashmedai's shoulder and whispered to him an offer. His uncle shared his love of shit disturbing and he had no doubt he could pull him into the bidding. After all, a highly desired, pretty little lady was at stake and surrounded by several very serious bidders. It just looked like a great time. Jupiter shouldered his way into the little group of bidders and said in a loud voice, "What do you need a super secret language for, huh? I bet your gonna make a killin' in meat today, right? You got bigger problems than needing to learn a secret language to gossip safely in." He shrugged for effect, then said, "All that meat - it's all gonna go to waste if you don't know how to preserve it so how about this: I preserve everything you get today and everything you get for two seasons." He motioned to Ashmedai. "And my friend and I will raid with you for a season." "Jupiter"   "Amadeus" ”You”

“Oh dear, it seems you’ve exposed my secret. I had hoped to keep this for another bid buuut.” He trailed off, the rat tittered excitedly and worked at the twine of the pack he had brought. From his back the rat unfurled a pelt nearly twice his size patterned with intricate stripes and wrapped around four preserved hooves. “Everything I have offered, plus this zebra, crafted into whatever you desire by myself along with the hooves” He grinned, flashing his golden fangs and waving his tail. He wondered if Sirius would step up to add into his bid like the other two wolves had but he had his doubts, Rosemary was one of the wolves that hated him most, if for no other reason than the pain he caused his beloved sister, and the humiliation he suffered at the man’s hand, losing a spar against him. speaking

Oxide grit his teeth but calmed down as Lament offered him a comforting word. If he was going to convert to the Adem he needed to learn their ways. He straightened his face and sat back up, doing his best not to let the anxiety about the flooding of visitors show on his face. ”We,” he included Lament on this, and he knew he could count on Eris’s family to help win her back. ”Will get you a buffalo,” He tried not to look at Rosemary as he said it. ”We will preserve it and any other meat you give us.” Okay so he was assuming the Ademre knew how to preserve meat, surely they did, and if not he’d teach them quickly. ”Along with all of our previous bids.” He had settled into being Lament’s companion and bidding partner easily.

Rosemary chuckled, his grin so wide it was almost manic, “I offer all my previous items, however instead of the one dead buffalo I will present two water buffalo alive, one a cow and one bull, to be used however you see fit, train them to fight, sacrifice them to your gods, eat them, breed them, do whatever you please, all of this plus the rhinoceros horn, the pelt of the last thylacine, and the zebra as well as a season’s training.” He purred He was only just pulling into items he hadn’t already brought with him, and he was still prepared to go higher, with his sister and pack behind him the possibilities were endless. speaking Thinking  you

Lament Pyre The back and forth went on for a while, and Lament did not know what he could offer this slaver in return for his sister. He knew he could not walk away without Eris, would not. Did the one bidding understand that their attachment to this wolf went more then skin deep? They would go to the ends of the earth for her. They would have the might of the Admare against them if they took Eris from them. “Myself and my family have trained to be warriors from childhood, deep within the island of Haert. We follow a path known as the Lethani. I will teach you the practises of our people, the unspoken language and art of our warriors. As well as this, you may have the use of my people, set to be a band in these lands in the days to come, in two warrior battles of your choosing.” the Ademre said quietly. He gave away much, but then, it had no meaning to him without his sister. "Speech"|"Ademic"

 

When it became clear no one wished to top Lament's bid, Valkyrie held up a paw to signal she was ready to call it. "I accept your bid," she said loudly so that anyone thinking about throwing in an 11th hour bid or any who were circling on the outskirts could hear her.

To the winner, she said, "You will have three days to bring me the items owed. The woman will stay with me until he has joined the band," She motioned to Oxide - he hadn't been forgotten, "Or until your warriors fight my two battles, whichever comes first."

""

She let out a breath that she hadn't known had been caught deep in her throat. With it, she deflated a little bit. This nightmare was finally almost over. Her misty eyes searched for Oxide, Lament, and Sota in the crowd. They were still full with tears. Blinking furiously, the teardrops obscured her vision until she couldn't tell the crowd apart. Oxide had pledged himself on her behalf. His devotion was real, and he had done the unthinkable and most honorable thing. It was something she wouldn't have asked of him. He valued his freedom so much... would the months he spent tethered the band change him? For the worse or the better?

Eris doubted that this evil woman could have a positive influence on anyone. Would he still love her when it was all over? They were twin stars and she already felt dimmer without him. "Lament... Oxide..." she said hoarsely, wanting to step forward and embrace them more than she had ever wanted anything in her short young life. Nervously, she glanced at Valkyrie. "Could we please have a moment? Just one second together?" She begged. If the viking wasn't rotten through to the core, maybe she would permit a brief reunion before taking her away again.

Surely his bid couldn't be bested, right? He knew his skills could prove valuable for any group, no matter where he ended up. The Songa were honorable people, though, and he could prove that to her - so long as Eris was freed, he wouldn't make a fuss about any of it until he was properly sold. Freeing Balsam was another pressing concern, but he wouldn't ruin the possibility of setting Eris free to go running to him - he could take care of himself, Sota knew that, but what about Eris? She needed him. He listened carefully to the other bids. Pelts, bits and pieces of bears and alligators, an offer of services. He shifted uncomfortably, hoping his bid still head any weight - but Valkyrie hadn't stopped the bidding there, and he could only assume his offer had fallen short. It was only when the male with markings like fire spoke up that he realized something he'd been missing - that he knew Eris. She'd spoken of something similar, of training since childhood to be a warrior, and the way he looked at her.. and the way Eris look back... spoke of familiarity. He visibly deflated, sagging where he stood. Sota was relieved at her acceptance of the offer, though he couldn't shake the feeling that he'd failed her somehow. But at least she'd be safe now.. soon... right? He felt tears welling in his own eyes, but refused to let them fall. It was all he could do to mouth a quiet 'sorry' before turning to pull away from the group, fully intending to linger and keep an eye on Eris and ensure where she went was a safe place, as he so desperately hoped.