Next up on the block was the little bitch who had spat on her. Valkyrie roughly yanked Eris out into the open and let Inga prod her to the stall. Once Eris was in position Valkyrie took her seat beside the Ademre and swept a hard gaze around the marketplace.

Though it hadn't been done kindly, Eris' ear had been taken care of and she had been fed and seen to same as the rest of the captives. Valkyrie had money to makey;. Even though she disliked the woman it would do her no good to mistreat her. That would only bring her value down.

She sent a sharp look to Eris. "You will be quiet and still. Act up and I just might have to keep you for Hjarrandi's amusement." Though Valkyrie would have been displeased to keep her, it was not an empty threat.

""

It had been so long since she'd seen anything clearly. The days and nights seemed to pass the same. In the pit where Valkyrie had kept the slaves, hardly any light had managed to penetrate to the bottom. Life was lived in the same haze. Time passed and yet seemed to not pass at all. Regardless, even with medical attention, her tattered ear was fly-bitten and hung limply on her head. It hurt to perk it, so it lay flat on her head.

There wasn't anything to get excited about anyway. With bleary eyes, Eris stood listlessly awaiting her fate. She had no idea if her messenger ferret had reached Lament in time, or if Oxide was looking for. If he even cared. Eris screwed her eyes shut tight; it was better to see nothing at all than what might become of her next.

He eyed up the temperamental pixie and wondered how much work it would be to break her in. he considered also the other slaves he was already eyeing up, and yet he shrugged and moved forward anyway. He wanted to bring home lots of slaves for the new pups to have their pick once they were old enough to understand. The small ones like this one especially interested him. They would make good playmates, once they were broken in. “Hello Valkyrie” he said, well accustomed to these things by now. He considered just how much resource he would have to deliver if he actually purchased all these slaves. Ah well, a bit of hard work never scared him. "Speech"

Rosemary looked at the girl and smiled, he’d brought a few crafted items but one choice piece in particular he had been saving for something truly remarkable. A wide grin split his features as he thought of what he would do with a fine woman like her, with her lean musculature and small size, He flashed his golden fangs at the brown woman and asked “What would you ask for this lovely girl?” His tail wagging. On his back Writhe and Ruin tittered happily, their wormlike tail lashing as they moved from Rosemary’s back to get a closer look at the girl with their own eyes. “Quite young this one.” Ruin chattered. “Room to grow and be trained.” Writhe quipped before scampering back to their master. speaking Thinking  you

Sota had always been okay with being relatively solitary - even among the Songs he'd always spent plenty of time on his own - but this was the first time in his life he felt utterly, painfully alone. Balsam was gone, and so was Eris.. and he wasn't quite sure what to do next. Balsam always had the answers when he didn't - while Sota was calculated and had an eye for strategy, Balsam was far bolder and more forward-thinking, and he'd know exactly what to do.

...if he wasn't being held captive.

Sota wasn't only nervous, but he was visibly afraid as he approached the large gathering of wolves that surrounded Eris. Even from a distance, he could see exactly what was going on - wolves were being prodded out into the open, each bpund and clearly imprisoned. Including Eris. His heart lurched at the sight of her as his pace slowed, feeling his pulse begin to quicken.

This was all his fault, he knew that, and so he needed to do what was right - what was honorable - as any Songa would do. Perhaps he should've found Balsam first; he'd caught whiff of him heading this way, but be knew this was what had to be done. Balsam would understand.. Sota knew he would. He had to.

With a quivering sigh, Sota drew himself up alongside the others. He could only presume they were also interested in purchasing Eris.. a thought that made him feel nauseous, the sharp taste of bile rising in his throat. Slowly he reclined to his haunches, hoping his nervousness wasn't too visible. If he screwed this up, would Valkyrie simply take him, too? He had to hope he was making the right choice. He just had to wait for his opportunity to make his offer and hope it outweighed what the others were offering. He breathed a shuddering breath as be tried to meet Eris's gaze, trying not to dwell on the poor state she was in - hoping desperately she saw the apology in his wife eyes.

Belle recognised the girl from afar, remembering fondly their little healing lesson they shared together. Immediately she’d noted her to Rosemary in a way prying eyes wouldn’t catch sight. ”I want that one.” Her rather pregnant form reclined lazily behind Rosemary and Sirius, between the two of them young Eris would be hers. She watched the poor little creature, clearly a broken spirit compared to the last time she caught sight of her. Deathbelle had been a loner at that point, travelling Boreas in search of Hannibal or a way to raise the Empire.

Unfortunately, her eyes were too keen, already there seemed to be a crowd moving in. Undoubtedly they would have to pay a pretty price for the little white marked girl.

He hadn’t really slept since Eris failed to meet him back at the gully. At first he had been furious that she made him trudge all through that stupid ravine, only to find that she hadn’t even showed up. Then he realized that she hadn’t shown up, and he didn’t know why. Part of him hoped it was because her family kept her, or she decided she didn’t want to see him again, but the other part of him knew better. Something had happened to his little shadow.

He’d looked for a long time, having run into Eulogy again while he’d been gone. He was.. He was a dad now. It was an odd feeling that he promptly pushed away as soon as he’d left her presence again. He had too much to think about with Eris being gone. She had to be his focus, not some mistake puppies. He hoped they were raised well, but he didn’t want any part of them. Oxids shook the thoughts from his head and continued forward, the market was full of interesting things. He wanted to stop and buy Eris at least ten things for the next time he saw her. His main focus had to be getting her back though.

Ox said nothing to anyone, but when he finally caught her scent he had to make pause. When he brought his deep rube gaze up he would finally set eyes upon her again. He felt like his heart broke the moment he looked at her. She was literally a shadow of the bubbling girl he’d come to feel so strongly for. He hid his displeasure and stalked forward, ears open and mouth closed as he listened to how he might retrieve her.

So many strangers came and went. At least this would all soon come to an end. Her clouded vision couldn't much differentiate between Sirius, Rosemary, and Belle - they were all different shades of black to her. Deathbelle's scent was vaguely familiar, but Eris was too far gone to place it. She found herself longing for the companionship of her ferret; the warm presence around her neck and shoulders had become so comforting and was ripped from her too soon.

Sota, a stark contrast to the trio of black and his scent so recent and familiar, appeared in the crowd. Ashamed, Eris avoided his gaze. Stalking between the gathered wolves, she swore she could have spotted Oxide, but her eyes were crusted and weak from lack of sleep. Anxiety had kept her awake most nights as she pondered her fate. It couldn't be Oxide - it was a dream, a phantom. He wouldn't want to see her like this.

Kindle had arrived at the festival quite later then all the rest, her loneliness drawing the she-wolf towards the cluster of strangers in a way that was uncharacteristic of her. She missed her family desperately, and hoped beyond hope to one day be reunited with the other Ademre. Occasionally she'd catch a stray scent - usually long faded - of familiarity, her ears would perk and she'd spend days hunting it down before it vanished in the wind. Today however the scent only grew stronger and as she worked her way through the festival participants she'd made her way into the depths of what appeared to be a market. Dozens of wolves gathered here today, and Kindle found herself weaving in and out of crowds in desperation to find her family. Would they all be here, or maybe just a few? Were they shopping? She kept effort in leaving her face impassive, though she wanted nothing more then to gallop around the stalls with a beaming smile - the last thing she needed to do when she found her family was to insult their culture with her inability to keep a straight face. At last the scent became much more tangible and she knew she had found her. Her ears perked and head whirled in the direction - Eris. Kindle moved to step towards her, and then the massive viking began to speak. The Ademre woman halted, taking the moment to fully come to realize the situation. Eris was held captive, and it was obvious when she looked upon the woman's face that she was not treated well. Worry. Anger. Desperation. Her paw made rapid, frantic motions upon the ground. Eris couldn't see them of course, as she was nearly blind. The thought upset Kindle. Poor Eris couldn't know that she had someone on her side among the crowd. The potential buyers were all much larger then she - aside from one wolf even smaller then her who Kindle ignored - and so she had to be careful to not let her confidence falter. If these wolves had captured Eris then as soon as the savages smelled weakness... she could more then likely be next. "What a nice specimen." Kindle sat herself down beside the man who looked the most likely to afford the Ademre - a large slender wolf with golden fangs. He had to be loaded to afford such accessories. "Shame about the uh, eye thing." She motioned to the captive, hoping the male would see the 'defective' cloud in Eris' eyes and look elsewhere. "Speech" "Ademre Sign" "Thinking" "You."

The first to arrive was a by-now familiar face. "Sirius," she purred with a ghost of an amused smile. Her eyes narrowed slightly. "Are you going to buy out my action today?" That would sure make things interesting, wouldn't it? She certainly wasn't going to complain.

 

Then came a handsome little woman- wait no, a man. Valkyrie studied him with renewed interest. Such a pretty thing. He too smelled of Ashen and she wondered if him and Sirius would work together or on their own. She had no idea how things worked in Ashen.

A few others trickled in after Sirius and with the last, a smokey, bluish fellow, Valkyrie felt there was enough present to get started. To him she said dismissively, "What do her eyes matter when the rest of her is perfect?" In truth she was a bit messy, but Valkyrie chalked that up to a willful lack of care on her part. She had been taken care of just the same as the others. Perhaps her appearance was an attempt to force interest away from her. At any rate, she would be sold today. She could coat herself in filth if she liked; that would not stop Valkyrie.

To the delicate, pink-nosed male, she explained, "There will not be a set price. Instead I will decide on a buyer auction-style. If you want this woman you have to outbid your opponents with an item or a collection of them worth more than the last thing offered. Last one to offer something gets her." She glanced around at those gathered and then said, "Who would like to start the bidding off at two fox pelts?"

OOC: The timed auction starts now! Rules are simple. There is no post order, bids can be anything that is conceivably worth more than the last (and you can just add on to items already offered if you want), auction automatically closes three days from the last post, anyone can pop in or drop out at any time. Items do NOT have to present! There will be a three day IC grace period for buyers to gather items and present them to Valkyrie (no real thread necessary unless you want one).

""

“Four fox pelts" Rosemary purred, the Daimyo eager to please his empress. He sat back watching the competition, his eyes hooded as he smiled. He didn't doubt that more people would offer higher, in fact he anticipated it, but the fact was he didn't intend to leave without his empress’s chosen prize. He didn't care particularly if Sirius intended to bid against him, but he knew what would come of it if he tried, he would use the experience to feed the flames he had carefully been tending in Belle's heart; the small seed of doubt that Sirius did not have the pack's best intentions in mind.

Oxide didn’t have much, but he did have determination. He couldn’t allow the wolf who bid before him to win his little shadow. The three of them that sat so close, he didn’t much like the lot of them. Held their noses too high. The Nightingale boy stepped forward, ”Five Fox pelts.” If he had Eris, or even her family, to help that would be an easy price to pay for her freedom. Now that she was so close, practically in his grasp, he couldn’t let her go again. He couldn’t let her go to them. Silvery tail lashed at his hips as he practiced his patience and remained calm.

Two more wolves arrived, though Sota avoided looking their way. Why would all of these wolves be interested in Eris? It wasn't that she couldn't understand why they would be valuable, but the whole concept of buying anyone seemed outrageous to him. Either way, he couldn't show weakness - he had to seem like he knew what he was doing. This sort of thing wasn't something he'd ever considered - the Songa didn't trade, they took - but in this scenario, he knew such a thing wasn't possible, as much as he wished it were. Valkyrie described how things would be done. His expression was neutral, though a hint of pain touched his features at the way Eris shied from his gaze. Surely she was disappointed with him; this was all his fault, after all. Maybe just just plain hated him. That wouldn't surprise him either. Either way, it was hard to imagine a reality in which she wanted anything to do with him at all after this... and though that thought pained him, it only solidified his decision. The tiny male clenched his jaw tightly as he listened to the bidding begin, waiting for a few wolves to speak up before him.  After a lull in the bidding, as he mulled over his offer, he finally spoke up. Would he even be taken seriously here? In his world, his diminutive stature was a blessing, but here.. he felt like it might be more of a curse. Shaking his head, he cleared his throat and took a step forward. "I offer myself in her place," he spoke, sounding less certain than he felt. His choice had already been made, now he had to hope Valkyrie would accept. "Her sight is failing, and will only get worse with time. What is she good for if she cannot see?" His voice quivered - he didn't fully believe what he was saying. Her worth came from much more than that. "My eyesight is impeccable. I'm quicker on my paws than any wolf I've ever met." Including all of you, he wanted so badly to add, knowing they were likely stronger... but what he lacked in strength he made up for in agility. "You'll get a better price for me than you ever will for her. Set her free and I'm yours."

“I will offer two deer pelts for both.” Rosemary quipped, a wide grin spreading over his features. The man was offering to give himself in his place for the girl, whatever she was to him, but Rosemary wouldn’t allow that. He suspected keeping them together would be better than keeping one, and he had no intention of letting the girl go. He still had many tricks up his sleeve in case the bidding increased but for now he would keep them hidden and see if he could get by offering two deer pelts, one for each of them. “Antlers and all mind you.” He added, mentally checking off where he could procure two good sized bucks. speaking Thinking  you

Lament Pyre The fanged warrior pushed his way through the crowd, his frantic emotions buried behind a blank mask, aside from the slight tics of movement from one paw. Frantic worry, anger, desperation they whispered, though he did not intend for Eris to see them. It had been a while since he had seen his sister, and it had taken him so long to realise her predicament. But he was here now, and he would not leave her side again. He heard the whispered words of the pregnant woman as he gently moved past her, and well his ears twitched, the startled emotions did not display. He knew this woman, he had run into her once before, and hand intended to defend her from a bear, but she had not needed his aid. He spent no further time on her, his eyes instead going to Eris, and then the bidders around him. He heard what they bid on, and he growled internally as he looked at the wretched souls who would bid on his sister. What intentions they had for her, he did not know. “I bid the stomach of a bear, the scales and teeth of an alligator” he said softly, meeting Eris’s eyes as he spoke. "Speech"|"Ademic"

Seer would admit curiosity as he saw the fanged creature enter the bidding. The fire marked wolf would speak up, trumping the bidding before him, and looking at those around him. Seer wondered if he intended to be intimidating. The titan towered above the new comer, and smirked as he brushed forward again. Belle’s words ringing in his ears, he would not let down his empress. Never that. “I offer a Dominance challenge in your name, and the antlers of a Nubian Ibex” he was the largest creature here, and he looked through the bidders, he silently challenged them to think they had better to offer then the match in Valk’s name he had bid. He managed not to smirk at Rosemary, who he knew thought badly of him. "Speech"

Oxide didn’t know Lament, but the way his paws moved there was no way he wasn’t an Ademre. The rust marked Nightingale shifted to stand closer to the smaller fanged wolf. He willed himself to remember some of the signs and he managed worry as he stood next to him and looked to his poor shadow. She didn’t look like she even knew he was there, and it pained him that he could reach out and grab her.

”Five fox pelts, to this man’s bid.” He motioned to Lament. ”As well as a pledge of my services for a moon.” Oxide offered, knowing he wasn't quite the fighter as the fanged man. He would offer himself up as any physical labor the Viking needed. Training fodder for her wolves, a mercenary, hunter.. he would swear himself if it meant Eris had her freedom.

Rosemary grinned and stepped forward, a smug, knowing grin on his features as his rat tittered excitedly. “I suppose I could offer my services as a hunter.” He purred. “But I think instead I will offer you something no one else can give.” He cooed The rat worked at the twine binding his pelts with their small paws and freed a small tawny pelt cut at the head,tail, and legs with a line of thick black stripes descending from the lower back. “Beautiful queen, I offer the last Thylacine pelt.” He held the striped pelt up for all to see, brandishing the talismanic pelt as if it were a weapon before gently laying it down at Valkyrie’s paws. “This species has long been considered extinct, however with my grand hunting skills I was able to track the very last of their kind and skin its hide to bring to you all today.” He uttered with all the pomp and flamboyance he was known for. “I offer this pelt as well as my services teaching my secret ways to your members.” speaking

Oxide couldn’t let them win, he had to rescue his shadow and brighten her flame again. He couldn't stand to see her like this and couldn’t think about what might happen if the three wolves took her. He thought himself defeated as the slavemaster showed his next offering. He narrowed his gaze and grit his teeth as he spouted off.

”Half a year!” He said finally, taking a passionate step forward. ”Everything previous and you may have me for half of a year.” Even if he couldn’t be with Eris during that time he would know she wasn’t in shackles. Oxide felt himself growing flustered, but he’d keep himself calm and neutral like the Ademre.

“You seem quite desperate sir.” He purred, eyes locked on the ruddy male with devilish intent. “I’m almost moved by your fear that this lovely girl would join our pack, but have no fear, we will treat her well.” With his quip delivered Rosemary returned his attention to the woman. “The thylacine pelt, my services teaching your hunters and the horns and body of a water buffalo.” He declared proudly, his chest swelling with each word. He looked back to the male, grinning from ear to ear, daring him to try and outbid him with the horns of one of nature’s most fierce herbivores at steak. speaking