Marcus stood over the cage pit looking down at the savage covered in filth and mud :
"Where is the rest of your filthy lot?"
Mann in pit stared at his feet, not a muscle moved on his bearded face, his hazel eyes devoid of any emotion.
" I have no lot" - he answered simply. Marcus was surprised that savage spoke Neran with out guttural accent.
"Maybe in the morning you will remember when we put you on hot iron" Marcus spat at Northerner , walking away he hit "Fat Will" a simple minded boy over the head making him spill a bucket filled with scraps for dogs:
"Watch where you going fool! Or I will feed you to that caged beast!" -Marcus grinned walking towards the camp singing rowdy Neran song about a hamster and a whore.
"Y'sss master Marcus" -"Fat Will" muttered scampering on all fours to pick up the scraps from the mud. He could sense large mann in cage watching him, he felt almost as his hazel eyes burrowed in the back of his skull. He was terrified to even look at the cage. But curiosity made him make a small glance. Big mann was covered in dirt and slush, his hazel eyes in contrast were clear like ice.
"Fat Will" felt sad for big mann, he knew he must have been hungry, maybe even afraid, not like "Fat Will" who was always afraid, but there must be some fear. Well Will was afraid for big mann, no one deserves Hot Irons. So Will felt his stomach grumble and then in rare for him moment of somewhat of bravery looked up towards the silent big mann :
" Master Big savage mann , promise not to eat me if I give you this haunch, there's some of meat left on it, I tried some it still is good"-Will asked shyly , barely being able to look at the cage.
Mann in cage simply nodded, Will hurriedly tossed the haunch which landed in mud.
" Hey you! What do you think you doing, you simple mined fuck?!" - Neran mercenary came from behind Will, he grabbed him for the ear:
"Maybe we should make a feast for our guest and put you in there with him!" - Mercenary kicked Will who went scampering towards the camp. He turned towards the cage :
"And you foul..." - He stopped mid sentence , cage was empty. Mercenary drew his sword and started screaming from top of his lungs:
"Prisoner has escaped! Move ye' twats! Find him!! And you come 'ere !" -Mercenary sprinted towards the "Fat Will" with one solid backhand he dropped poor Will like a sack of potatoes.
"Wake him up!" -Marcus viciously kicked unconscious Will. Flynt the mercenary took a bucket of cold water and splashed it on Will. Will jumped confused but then seeing all the angry faces staring at him started trembling, tears came to his eyes.
"What did you do?!" -Marcus grabbed Will by the hair yanking his head back. Will yelped like a hurt puppy:
"Master Marcus....only gave him a bone....a small haunch with little meat....he was hungry...I am sorry m'lord I am sooooorryy"- Will was sobbing.
" A small bone? You thought he was hungry heh?" -Marcus face was rigid like stone.
"Flynt! Get the Irons ready!" - Flynt came closer to Marcus and whispered: " Commander we should go, rest of the packs will know we are looking for them, you can always punish the idiot later"
Marcus turned with fury, he grabbed Flynt by the throat: "Maybe when I am done with him I should do you next! Go!"
Will was afraid, he was never as afraid as he was now. Will pleaded, beseeched, begged, prayed to Virtues, muttered inchoherently, Will wanted to live, even being different from all other children, not having a mother or father, even being fat and stupid and afraid Will wanted to live.
They stripped his rags from him, dragged him trough the mud by hair screaming and pleading. Will looked towards the gray northern skies, hoping at least one of the Virtues will hear his pleas. Only thing that Will heard was hissing sound of hot irons. And then it begun...all Will knew was pain. Pain that erased Will, it even erased fear, never ending waves of pain.
Something stirred in the darkness, in cold dark something yanked what used to be Will back to the world of living, to the world of fear, hate cruelty and anger . And what used to be Will for the first time felt new emotion anger, all consuming rage an endless pit that he wanted filled.
He slowly opened his eyes , Brudvir was standing above him looking at him with his cold hazel eyes.
"What are you?" Will asked flatly.
" Same as you, I am Tairm, soulless , packless, ageless" Brudvir disappeared in darkness. Will got up on his feet, there was carnage all around him, menn, animals ripped to shreds. Then in center of the camp Will noticed on the same pole that he was tied up before, Marcus tied and naked.
Will grinned, he even made a little dance, his hunger grew he could smell the fear know it more intimately then he ever could as "Fat Will", it was intoxicating. Will gently removed a gag from Marcus's mouth and whispered to his ear:
"I do not mind you screaming, I will take my time with you Master Marcus, I will make it last all night".
Several days later Will Tairm arrived at a settlement of Ironwood. A month later Ironwood was no more. No one knew for sure what happened, some say it's citizens turned on each other in orgy of hate and bloodshed, others say some horrible pestilence wiped the promising hamlet.
