“Aw shit. I knew it was too good to be true,” Yuki cursed.

  She turned and ran — trying to find a hiding place — but she didn’t get far. Soon, her limbs felt like jelly, gave out, and she dropped onto the ground. Tiredness crept in, and she was left in that hazy place between waking and sleep.

  Her half-addled mind heard voices and saw shapes. She tried to parse the information.

  “I’ll take it to the Lord. Ain’t nobody told me ‘bout a new breed.” It was the old man’s.

  One of the shapes moved, maybe fidgeting, and the grandpa barked in laughter.

  “You go on and take it to the Lord. My bad back ain’t makin’ the trip in time.”

  Cruel, uncaring hands picked Yuki up. By the ears. Her precious, fragile, and sensitive ears.

  Pain brought a bit of lucidity and she yelled. “Let go of me, creep! Heeeeeelp!”

  “Are they always like this?” One of the shapes said.

  “Nah, this one’s a screamer. Ya get ’em sometimes.” The other voice said back.

  There was more movement around. Then, more conversation.

  “Off ya go and try not to drool when ya see the girl,” the old one said and chuckled. “I’ll go feed the colony. On the morrow, we finish the last two.”

  Paralyzed and at the mercy of her captor, Yuki was a drug-addled victim at the mercy of the cruel hands holding her by her ears. It was humiliating and painful. With each step he took, jolts of pain spread from her ears to the rest of her body. She feared her precious ears would be ripped out of her head. She couldn’t even cry out.

  Maybe the pain pushed away some of the poison’s effects; She could see enough to make sense of her surroundings.

  The boy crossed a farm field with tilled soil and well-tended crops. He crossed paths with worn-out men, women, and children toiling under the harsh afternoon sun to care for the produce.

  “Whatcha got there, Bo?” The voice was high-pitched and young. A young girl?

  Yuki couldn’t see the source. She heard footsteps, then saw a freckled, bony girl with a mane of sun-burnt hair running toward them.

  The boy, Bo, moved fast. He opened his arms and, with his free hand, caught the girl in a hug.

  “Shouldn’t you be helping Nan?”

  “But it’s sooo boring...” The girl whined, and then she looked at Yuki. “Is it dead? Can I hold it?” The girl’s voice carried that hint of fascination every child gets when looking at something interesting.

  Bo smiled, then handed Yuki over. With his other hand now free, he tousled the girl’s hair. “It’s not dead; I gave it some of the sleeping seeds.”

  The girl wrinkled her nose. At Yuki or the boy’s attention, it was hard to say. The girl took glee in inspecting every part of Yuki’s body. She pulled on her ears, tugged her tail, pinched her paws, and poked her nose. All the while grinning and laughing.

  Yuki wanted to find a hole and hide inside forever. It was bad enough that the boy held her by the ears like a living bag. The inspection and poking like she was a novelty was traumatizing.

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  “Don’t they have horns?”

  “Yah, that’s why gran’s asked me to take this one to the Lord.”

  The girl giggled; she squeezed like Yuki was a rubber duck, or maybe like something would come out if she squeezed long enough. “To see Jenny, you mean?”

  Bo turned beet red. He looked away, then mock glared at the girl. “Not you too, Bee,” he said. “Give it back here. I gotta run, or the guards won’t let me see the Lord.” Said Bo, hand going for Yuki.

  Bee laughed and gave the rabbit back. “Ma said you should invite her for dinner.”

  Bo got even more red. “Off you pop, go help Nan.” The boy said, tousling Bee’s hair.

  Bee ran, laughing and yelling. “Bo and Jenny under a tree, kiiiissssiinnnng!”

  “Brat!” The boy muttered, but he watched the girl run across the fields with a fond smile on his face.

  Yuki didn’t know what to make of it. On the one paw, they poisoned, kidnapped, and manhandled her. On the other paw, even without understanding the language, the guy didn’t seem to be a lousy chad. The interaction with the girl had been adorable.

  Then he again picked Yuki by the ears, and all the good thoughts died in a fire. Yuki cursed him and all his descendants to the eleventh generation, wishing upon them an itch on their backs, right in that one spot no hand could ever reach alone.

  They left the sprawling fields, and the landscape changed from the open tilled land to a bustling small town. Rustic houses with thatched roofs and mud-hued walls lined the narrow, cobblestone streets. Most of the houses had decorations hanging on the doors and windows. She saw arrangements of colorful flowers and small carved wooden figurines.

  Inside the town, new smells and noises assaulted her nose.

  The acrid scent of sweat and horse manure mixed with smells of meat roasting on an open fire. The hubbub of conversation. The voices of street vendors peddling their wares. Kids running and yelling. The painful noise of metal hitting metal.

  They passed through the city square, and any hope Yuki had of ever reaching an understanding with humans died. There, in the center of the square, was a high platform of piled wood raised to a central pole. Exactly like those she saw in history books of witch burning and prosecution.

  These savages burned people alive!

  The boy crossed the square, waving at people here and there. Then, they were in front of a vast walled manor. Bo approached the guard and displayed the rabbit he held by the ears. “Got something to show the Lord at Caretaker Brander’s request.”

  The guard, a heavy-set man wearing leather armor and holding a spear, looked at Bo and then at Yuki. “Have you now, Boris?” the guard smirked. I’ll send in for Jenny.” He said. He walked inside, leaving Boris waiting.

  Under Yuki’s drugged stare, the boy fidgeted. He fixed his shirt and dusted his trousers. He spat on his palm and used the moisture to fix his hair. He sniffed under his arms, coming up with his nose scrunched.

  Gross. TMI. Yuki didn’t need to see that.

  It took minutes of awkward torture until the guard returned. The man threw open the gates, and the boy froze. On the other side of the gate was a blonde woman. Young, Yuki guessed she had just about reached her twenties. The woman had sapphire eyes, golden hair, and honey-colored skin, and Yuki recognized the makeup applied to give the girl a rosy complexion. She wore a white long-sleeved shirt with a dark orange corset and skirt decorated with a blue frill that matched her eyes.

  Her smile dazzled. She curtsied. “How have you been, Boris? It’s been a while since you last visited.”

  Yuki watched the bizarre show. The boy blushed and looked away. He mumbled something not even Yuki could hear.

  “And Isabella? Has she recovered well?” The blonde pressed, not minding the lack of response.

  Boris shuffled again and looked at the girl’s feet. He opened his mouth, closed it, then opened it again. “Bee’s fine.” He mumbled it so low Yuki barely caught the unfamiliar words. She doubted the blondie heard them.

  Jenny seemed satisfied. She smiled, turned to the guard, and curtsied again. “Thank you, Edgar. I’ll take him to see the Lord.”

  Edgar grunted, still looking at the street.

  “Well, come on then, I’ve already sent someone to inform the Lord you’re here to see him. We don’t want to leave the Master of the House waiting.” Jenny turned and walked inside.

  Boris mumbled something while he passed by Edgar. The guard snorted and laughed.

  The mansion's door loomed across a carefully manicured lawn. It was foreboding and dark, and Yuki feared what horrors waited for her inside.