The Post

Ch. 2 was more of a stress outlet, so excuse the randomness that might crop up every now and then.


As Eden progresses, civilization regresses.

Cry peered into the dark forest and adjusted the bag slung across his chest. He and Jian were standing on what used to be a six-lane highway, used to be anyway. Now, instead of cars and pedestrians and heat-emenating cement, there was a forest.

Trees with trunks so thick you wouldn't think that only 5 years had passed since they started to grow, foliage that only provided cover and safety for Eden's mutations while promising death and disease to the rest of humanity. Even as they stood some ways from the edge, Cry could already start imagining whose teeth and limbs are waiting for them to stray into into a rather gory demise.

"Postman?"

The head of the merchant troupe cleared his throat as he glanced uneasily at the shorter man standing in front of their little line. He and a three more merchants had timed their leaving with the Postman and his dog. With the younger man, they'd at least be guaranteed safety part of the way.

Traveling with a Postman, was thought to bring good luck to any merchant, scavenger or explorer. Good luck with sales, discoveries, even love, they say. But Rig knew better, it's not that Postman were fountains of luck or agents of Lady Luck. Luck had nothing to do with surviving through Eden. It's just that travelling with a Postman lessens their chances of getting snacked on by 10 feet long centipedes or getting carried off by howler mankeys. Mankeys, cuz the damned thing was as big as any full-grown man.

Cry merely cricked his neck before lightly tugging at Jian's new leash. Marc, at his own volition, had prepared new clothes for the dog. Had dug up a collar his own pre-Eden dog had owned and had somehow fashioned a blindfold out of black lace, all for the mutt. The Postman had glared at all the attention the soldier had been showering on his slave, but he conceeded in the end, especially when Marc showed him how the lace looked better on the mutt instead of the old leather bonds the mutt had been using at the market.

Decked out in the clothes Marc got him, with the scratchy old collar around his neck, Jian was all twitchy with excitement as he followed the Postman. The mutt's nose was hard at work, sniffing at his environment and at the people following them. The blindfold tickled at first but he had grown used to it, it felt better than what he was used to and the mutt had no plans of complaining.

He loathed leaving the mattress behind though, and the food, and the showers, and the feel of Master's warm skin as they slept together on the soft bed. The mutt had spent the second night with Cry pressed warmly against him. At first Jian had expected more of Cry's "attention" but the Postman merely kissed him on the jaw and lulled the mutt to sleep with soft murmurs that didn't mean anything.

Master was a hard man to figure. He was always possesive over Jian, the mutt could smell the irritation rolling off the smaller body whenever Marc was around. But he always acted cold if someone else was around. It was only when they were alone that Cry let himself touch Jian. And it was more of a cursory touch lately, as though Cry was mapping the mutt's skin.


Rig stared after the odd pair, a boy of a Postman and a broken mutt. The merchant merely sighed as he signalled the rest of his four-man troupe to follow.

Eden was no place to fool around, Rig knew that well. He had lost countless men to the chaotic land. He had learned from every mistake, and had grown to follow the rules of the land. The route through the wilds was a route they've walked many times but every day that passes adds a new surprise. Such as several kilometers of what should be a rocky yet passable terrain turning into a rapid flowing river.

Eden was a place of contradictions and change. Many had thought that the land was fighting itself even as it fought the humans. A teeming rainforest first, a desert second, sometimes a bog or plains shrouded in mist. There was no reason for the land to change, it just did and everyone else just have to learn to adapt to it. Rig and his crew had learned how to, but they didn't learn as the Postman did.

Cry stood at the brink of the swollen river and gazed at the farther bank, 20 meters, at least. He could run and leap the gap and might make it, Jian can, the merchants will drown if they try to cross it. To his left, the river seemed to continue forever, to his right, a mirror of his left.

"Do we take camp?" Sibyl, the youngest of the troupe asked. He was Rig's own relatives, his nephew to be exact. A bit wide-eyed and inexperienced, but a merchant none-the-less.

Rig silenced him with a glance even as the Postman shook his head.

The mutt whimpered and took a step towards the river to be pulled back by its Master. Once again, the dog whined and shook his head roughly. Postman and dog seemed to communicate in silence before the master conceeded and unhooked the leash from the collar.

Crouching slightly, the dog sprinted to the edge of the river and leapt across it. Easily and gracefully, the mutt landed with hardly a sound and woofed loudly.

"Ay!"

Taken aback, the Postman stiffened and huffed even as he turned around to Rig. The voice that slipped past those lips were stilted and a bit irritated, but they were human words.

"The river will go in half an hour, we wait till then." The Postman glanced at the dog now sitting across the river. "Jian will go ahead for a while, gather food... and whatever catches his fancy."

Sibyl caught some of the Postman's words and came up to him eagerly.

"You can talk! I thought Postmen weren't supposed to talk or something like that." the youth exclaimed excitedly before Rig could stop him. "I'm Sibly, by the way. This is Rig, the other two are Darcy and his brother Flack.What's your name?"

The Postman's reply was a wilting glare that didn't seem to faze Sibyl as he continued to press.

"Ay! Ay! AY!!!"

Jian's sharp cries echoed from across the river and every sound seemed to make the Postman jump. The mutt was tethering at the bank, ready to take the leap back. Cry had no idea what had clued Jian in on his irritation but he quickly held his temper in as though assuring the mutt that all was fine. If indeed the slave was reacting to his emotions, then that would be enough to calm the mutt down. Whatever it was seemed to placate the mutt who gave a final yiff before bounding off into the wilds.

"Hey, hey, so, is it true that Postmen like dog meat?" Sibyl suddenly asked

Rig slapped his face as Darcy groaned in annoyance. Flack was suddenly at Sibyl's side and was dragging the young man off. Which was probably for the best, considering the murderous aura the Postman was emitting.

"I'm sorry for my nephew's mouth, he doesn't mean anything rude by it. He just doesn't know when to stop speaking."

The Postman's only answer was a noncomittal huff as he sat down on driftwood. Rig took a seat behind him and eased the bag or mercantile off his back and unto the ground. In the back, they could hear Flack telling Sibyl off, Darcy's chuckles drifted over to them every once in a while.

"We still haven't thanked you for letting us travel with you and... Jian, was it? That's an odd name for a mutt, it's the Chinese word for bonds, right? Ah, no need to look that suspicious. I was a university professor before Eden, my topic was Asian Culture and History."

Not a sound from the Postman.

"Still, it's rare for a Postman to travel with another person. Why are you looking at me like that? A mutt though a mutt, is still people. It's unfortunate what happened to them, but they are human still. Your friend especially, he looks like he's been through quite a lot."

A low thoughtful hum.

"He's not mute, is he? Was it your name he was calling earlier?"

"It's Cry."

Rig sat silent a moment longer before picking up the conversation.

"Cry, is it? Nice to meet you. If you don't mind, I'd like to talk with you some more. What about? Jian, for example. Where you're headed, second. Anything you'd like to talk about."

The Postman, he was Cry, kept silent and didn't utter another word. Rig merely sighed and started talking about his wares and their travels. The places he'd been too, the dangers he'd survived.

Some time later, the Postman got to his feet and intently eyed the flowing water. Rig followed his example and watched in silence as the roaring rapids slowed to a river, then to a stream, until finally it disappeared into a trickle.

They hoisted their packs on their shoulders and walked the damp rocks. Where the river once was, there was now only a clean and spotless line.

Jian met them across, the mutt excitedly presenting his haul. Berries and fruits and what looked like a mangled rabbit. Blue stains rimmed the dog's lips, stains which Cry secretely licked off when he pulled Jian to the side.

"Good job, Jian." the Postman murmured against his slave's ear.

"Ay." was his mutt's happy reply.

The rest of the day progressed in relative safety. There was the incident with a stray mankey, one that ended in humor when they realized that the creature was too drunk on fermented fruit to comprehend the humans in his territory. They had followed the mankey back to it's cave, bashed it to unconsciousness and took over the cave as camp.

Mankey caves are quiet safe, since the creatures were territorial and always avoided other mankey's territories. Lesser creatures also tend to avoid mankeys, in fear of getting terrorized for sheer fun. The group just had to make sure that the creature was out and unable to attack them in the middle of their sleep.

Rig tried to make small talk again that night, an effort that Jian obviously disliked. After realizing that the merchant was trying to get close to his master, the mutt had placed himself between Cry and Rig, at all times. When they slept, Jian had curled up against the Postman, his back to the merchants who were on the other side of the fire.

The day after was the same, the mutt never strayed far from Cry's side. He growled everytime Rig came within 5 feet. Sibyl and the rest were allowed, and often welcomed. If Cry noticed, he didn't seem to care.

The second day was just as eventful, a swarm of mosquitoes that hound them and raised penny-sized lumps on their skin. The damn things had buzzed off when the Postman took a black twig from his bag and broke it in two. Whatever it was seemed to put the insects off and the lot flew off quickly. It also seemed to put Jian off who kept scrunching his face and blanching until Cry threw the stick away.

Sibyl had secretly picked it up and sealed it in a ziplock, though judging from the dark grumbles Jian kept giving him, the mutt knew it was still around.

They had started at the break of dawn without breakfast. By lunch, everyone was too famished and had decided to rest their legs for a while. They gathered under a large tree, resting their backs against the roots popping out of the ground. They slowly went through the fruit and berries Jian gathered. The mutt recieved a pat from everyone except Rig, for his efforts. But Cry's hand made him happiest the most, judging from the way he sidled closer to the Postman's touch.

Afternoon wore off and they settled for camp after several hours of travel. Their options were limited, they were near the swampy areas now. A bit damp, though dry enough to sleep on, the group laid their sleeping bags out under a low-hanging willow. The leaves sheltered them from the cold wind and the night mist. Their fire flickered erratically but didn't go out and the tree actually trapped the warmth from the fire and they were able to catch much needed sleep in safety.

Lying against Jian's chest, Cry nestled in content. The mutt's body was warm and the arms circling his waist made him feel safe. As Jian drifted off to sleep, Cry stayed up, ears alert to all sounds. He was relaxed but he was ready to leap into action at the slightest disturbance.

A disturbance such as Flack and Sibyl's actions within the sleeping bag they shared. Cry listened to the low murmurs and the sharp indrawn breaths. They weren't having full-blown sex, it was more of companionship is what the two had. Give and take.

When the silence finally turned into real silence, Cry realized it was near midnight. Jian was whimpering softly, nightmares overtaking his usual dreams. Cry reached up and cupped the mutt's cheek as he leaned up to kiss his slave's collarbone. He knew that the mutt won't be able to feel it, but he hoped to at least comfort Jian in his dreams.

"You should say it more often."

Rig's quiet voice suddenly flashed through the dark. Cry stiffened and raised his head from it's rest. His ruby eyes glowed and flashed threatingly in the dark at the merchant's general direction.

"Comfort him with words as well as actions. You'll end up confusing him if you continue acting this way."

"None of your business." Cry hissed.

"Seriously Postman, that... friend, companion, slave... lover, of yours... he can't read minds."

"..."

"I don't have the right to tell you what to do, but if you're planning on breaking his spirit any further, I'll take his life willingly. His won't be the first one I've taken to ease their pain."

"Don't you dare."

"It's easy to slip something in his food. Too many things to watch out for in Eden, too little eyes to keep on everything..."

Cry clutched Jian harder, letting the anger roll off him in waves. Birds nesting near them took off in alarm at the bloodlust, Jian woke from his sleep.

"Ay?" the mutt mumbled sleepily reaching around the Postman to return the tight hug. "A ems?"

"Jian?" Cry returned in surprise. The sounds almost seem like a question. His suspicioun was cemented when the mutt repeated the same sounds.

"Ad ems, Ay?" Bad dreams, Cry? "Eep, es eep. Yan ir, Ay ir. Un ad ems." "Sleep, let's sleep. Jian here, Cry here. No bad dreams.

"He's human, Cry. Keep that in mind."

A pause.

"Sweet dreams."

The group traveled several days more before Cry and Jian had to break off the path to Charter. Sibyl, who had grown close to Jian was loath to see them go. Rig who Jian was still at odds with merely waved them goodbye as the Postman and his dog stepped off the route and away from the merchants.

Theirs was a more dangerous road, one littered with blood and fighting. It was nearly two days worth of travel, they hadn't the time to camp and had instead walked through the night. It was midday when they got to their destination.

Their host was waiting for them at the gates, a young man with flowing white hair and mismatched eyes.

"Postman, welcome... to the Hilton manor."